By Betsy Finklea
Councilman Phil Wallace talked about the potential for growth in Dillon at the June meeting of the Dillon City Council.
“We’ve got the potential for real growth in Dillon,” said Wallace, who noted that this is especially true with all that’s going to go on off of Highway 34.
Wallace said that he didn’t know who to ask to show them how to grow neighborhoods and how to develop for the population growth that is potential. Wallace said he didn’t want to miss the opportunity to grow their numbers.
City Manager Glen Wagner said he had been working on annexation on Highway 34 for a year and a half.
Wagner said there was really no property in the city limits that could be developed.
Wallace said he would like to get with the county and look together at some ways to enhance the number of people that are in the area. Wallace said there is some real potential out there.
Wallace said the Department of Commerce is projecting potential growth in the county of 30 to 40 percent in the next 10 years.
Davis said they would have to have developers come in. Wallace said they would have to reach out to the developers. Davis said that is true.
Davis said he was contacted by a local realtor about seven to eight months ago about some realtors who wanted to host a gathering with the executives of Wyman-Gordon to discuss potential housing and get the spouses to come to get to know each other.
Councilman Douglas Jackson said they need to get out there and let the developers know there is a need.
Wallace said they had no mechanism to say my family lives here, my children live here, and Dillon is a great place to live and give them an opportunity to sell Dillon. Wallace said someone can’t look on the internet and find anything positive or ride downtown and find anything positive.
Wallace also noted that there were a “ton of houses” out there. Wallace said they need to get some couples together and have a get-together because people sell Dillon.