Fort Mill Town Council on Monday approved a guaranteed maximum price of $34,858,984 with Hood Construction for the town’s new operations center on Banks Road, clearing the way for a June groundbreaking on a facility that will house the public works and utilities departments.
The total cost of the project, including soft costs, design, furnishings and information technology, will run closer to $38.25 million, Assistant Town Manager Eric Davis told council. The town will pay for the work with a $25 million state appropriation secured in 2023, $10 million in installment purchase revenue bonds, and $3.25 million in cash reserves along with investment earnings on the state earmark.
Town Manager Cary Vargo said the guaranteed maximum price includes $1.25 million in contingency and $379,000 in allowances. The construction timeline was extended from 14 months to 15 months, and the contract carries a penalty of $1,000 per day if the work runs past 450 days. Brett Manilla will serve as the town’s lead project manager, with Bill Renan as secondary. Fencing around the Banks Road site is expected to go up within the week, with groundbreaking expected in June.
Mayor Guynn Savage credited former state Representative Raye Felder with securing the $25 million appropriation that anchored the project. Council member Allen Garrison said the new facility will replace work spaces dating to the 1940s and 1950s, an era when Fort Mill had only three to five thousand residents. “We’ve got our employees working in buildings that were built in the 40s and 50s when Fort Mill was 3 to 5,000 people,” Garrison said. “We’ve got employees putting 20, 25 years in working in not the ideal environment.”
The first reading of a related budget amendment, which allocates the additional $13.25 million the town will contribute beyond the state appropriation, also passed unanimously. A second reading is set for the council’s June business meeting.
Manager contract extended through 2028
Following an executive session, council voted to approve Vargo’s annual performance review and extend his employment contract through December 31, 2028. Vargo became Fort Mill’s town manager in July 2024 after a dozen years managing two Pennsylvania townships and a stint as chief executive of an engineering firm.
Downtown sanitation moves to town control
Council gave first reading approval to an ordinance establishing a downtown sanitation services fee, a step that allows the town to take over management of two shared dumpster enclosures on Main Street that have been administered for years by private business owners.
Assistant Town Manager Chris Pettit said the town built the enclosures, located behind A More Artist and Proper Pig and behind Hobo’s and the Whitener building, several years ago to eliminate roll cart clutter downtown. As the downtown has grown more vibrant, Pettit said, managing the service has become difficult for the private parties handling it, and several have asked the town to step in.
Businesses will sign up for the service voluntarily, with food and drinking establishments paying a higher rate than other businesses to account for the larger volume of waste they generate. Each enclosure contains two eight cubic yard bins, one for garbage and one for recycling, with pickups occurring roughly every weekday. Council member Lisa Cook asked Pettit to clarify the geographic scope of the service, and Pettit confirmed it will be open to any downtown business that wants to opt in.
Mayor Savage voiced strong support for the change. “Consistency is the key to ensuring that everyone is treated fairly and that it doesn’t become an eyesore and a problem for downtown,” she said.
The same ordinance also creates a new fee schedule for FEMA flood plain amendment reviews, a service the town outsources to a consulting engineer when the rare requests come in.
Three ordinances finalized
Council gave final approval to three ordinances that formalize existing or restructured advisory bodies within the town code. The accommodations tax advisory committee, which has operated for years, is now codified with set membership and quorum rules. The Keep Fort Mill Beautiful committee receives the same treatment. A new construction appeals board consolidates separate appeals panels that had existed for the building, residential, plumbing, electrical and other technical codes into a single board.
Pettit, who shepherded all three ordinances, said no changes had been made since the first readings.
Promotions and service awards
Police Chief Bryan Zachary led a promotional ceremony recognizing five members of the Fort Mill Police Department. Annette Wyrick was promoted from dispatch supervisor to dispatch manager, capping a career of more than 27 years in public safety communications. Michael Wise was promoted to lieutenant after 16 years in law enforcement, including more than eight years with Fort Mill, where he previously served as sergeant over the traffic safety unit. John Lamb was promoted to lieutenant in the criminal investigations division, where he was lead investigator on a recent homicide case. David Showmaker was promoted to sergeant in patrol, and Jimmy Ward was promoted to sergeant overseeing the department’s school resource officers.
Sergeant Tim Huck, who serves in the recruitment division within the office of professional services, was also recognized in his absence.
Vargo then recognized four employees for length of service. Police Captain Sam Blankenship and Police Sergeant 1st Class Thomas Jenkins were honored for 20 years with the town, as was Streets and Sanitation Superintendent Rob Harris. Wastewater Treatment Plant Superintendent Scott Bailey was recognized for 25 years.
Source: Fort Mill Town Council regular meeting, May 18, 2026.
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