The submission deadline for the Municipal Association of South Carolina 2025 Achievement Awards is next Wednesday, February 5. The awards provide a way to showcase a city or town’s hard-to-see projects — the kind that are undertaken by city and town governments to innovate, improve their operations and enhance their communities. Applications are available on the Municipal Association’s website.
The Association accepts submissions in either a population category or one of five subject categories: communications, economic development, public safety, public service or public works. Municipalities with a population of 20,000 or fewer can choose to compete in either a population or subject category. Municipalities with a population greater than 20,000 must compete in one of the subject categories. Projects need to be substantially complete to be eligible and can be submitted only once more if they do not win in a previous year.
For those looking for inspiration for their 2025 submissions, there are videos and podcasts highlighting last year’s winners, showcasing the work and dedication they have given to making their communities a great place to live, work and do business.
Here are the 2024 winners in each of the categories:
- Population 1,000 – 5,000: Town of Six Mile
See the video and listen to the podcast
In 2003, Six Mile resident Conrad Ardell Bryson bequeathed more than 62 acres to the town for the benefit of economically challenged children. A significant stretch of greenspace, the land has a pond and a wetlands area. Given these features the gift fits into the goal stated in the Town of Six Mile’s comprehensive plan of protecting greenspace, especially the scenic views approaching Six Mile Mountain.
To establish a children’s nature walk on the property, town officials worked closely with Bryson’s estate representatives as well as the local land trust Upstate Forever, a group dedicated to preserving the lands, waters and character of South Carolina’s Upstate. Although resolving issues involved in the bequest produced a delay of more than 17 years, the collaborative efforts now have fulfilled the terms of the will and protected the land in perpetuity through a conservation easement.
In the podcast, Mayor James Atkinson explained the process of getting the land into a conservation easement, as well as how the park will be used.
- Population 1,001 – 5,000: City of Abbeville
See the video and listen to the podcast
The City of Abbeville faced many challenges from aging and deteriorating infrastructure, including waterlines, wastewater capacity and stormwater facilities. Housing developments and electric school bus adoption were increasing the demand on the city’s electrical grid. In 2018, the city began a sustainability-focused effort addressing all of these issues through upgrades and refurbishments, and even the extension of water lines.
With help from the utilities department and public input sessions, the city created a capital improvement plan, prioritizing projects based on their potential impact on residents, health and safety considerations, feasibility and economic needs.
In the podcast, City Manager Blake Stone discussed how the efforts have been planned and funded, as well as their impact on economic development and quality of life for Abbeville.
- Population 5,001 – 10,000: City of Hardeeville
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Hardeeville leaders sought higher-paying jobs for its growing population with the Hardeeville Commerce Park, a 170-acre facility on Interstate 95’s Exit 5.
The commerce park made use of gifted land as well as funding from the SC Rural Infrastructure Authority, Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer Authority, SC Economic Development Administration, Jasper County’s local option sales tax, and SC Dominion. With the commerce park established, 10 landowners purchased all of its available parcels, and are now developing it with hundreds of millions of investment dollars.
In the podcast, now-retired City Manager Michael Czymbor discussed land acquisition, infrastructure preparation, and what the development means for Hardeeville’s economy and future.
- Population 10,001 – 20,000: City of Fountain Inn
See the video and listen to the podcast
Located in Fountain Inn’s historically Black community, Sanctified Hill Park suffered from a legacy of neglect. Golden View Baptist Church became an early leader for restoring the park, taking on maintenance responsibilities.
In 2020, the city prioritized its revitalization, driven by a steering committee with the church and other stakeholders, and kicking off the process with a block party. The park is now a vibrant public space that is home to modern playground equipment, including a playground for younger children and another for older children; two basketball courts; a paved walking path; a large lawn; restrooms and two picnic pavilions.
In the podcast, Mayor GP McLeer discussed the careful community engagement that led to the park’s reimaging, as well as how it was funded.
- Communications: City of Goose Creek
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A relatively new city incorporated in 1961, Goose Creek is working to overcome its perception as a bedroom community without a traditional downtown. The Adopt a Goose Program provided an immediate way for it to build community identity. Local businesses can adopt a 4-foot fiberglass goose statue, uniquely painted by the Goose Creek Artists Guild and frequently themed to the business, for display throughout the city — driving economic development, resident relations and online engagement.
As the project launched, city staff built community buzz using social media teases before revealing the first four geese in a surprise overnight installation. With the initial slate of geese installed, they offered an interactive scavenger hunt complete with local-business-focused promotions, which encouraged goose statue hunters to travel into businesses and take selfies with the geese for social media.
In the podcast, Goose Creek's Marketing Manager Adam Kelly and Art Director Barb Richardson described how the project has helped build community identity and engagement.
- Economic Development: City of Florence
See the video and listen to the podcast
Florence’s expanding slate of sports facilities, drawing people from across the region and even the nation, now includes the 30-court Dr. Eddie Floyd Tennis Center, the 14-field Florence Soccer Complex, and the multipurpose Freedom Florence Recreation Complex. The newest facility, the Florence Sports Complex, is home to Carolina Bank Field, where the Coastal Plain League baseball team, the Florence Flamingos, play, as well as five Little League fields, a high-school baseball field and a collegiate-level track.
In 2022, Florence saw a $12.2 million economic impact of sports tourism, compared to $8.2 million in 2018. More recently, the 2023 Florence Cup alone brought more than 11,000 unique visitors to the Florence Soccer Complex. Hospitality revenues generated by sports tourism exceeded the projected $5.8 million in the 2023 fiscal year.
In the podcast, City Manager Scotty Davis and Athletic Director Tim Wilson described how the city has built and maintained these facilities, as well as the economic impact of visiting athletes.
- Public Safety: Town of Mount Pleasant
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After the opioid overdose crisis claimed the life of 19-year-old Creighton Shipman in Mount Pleasant, his mother, Nanci Shipman, founded WakeUp Carolina, a nonprofit dedicated to providing peer-based recovery support services.
WakeUp Carolina partnered with the Mount Pleasant Police Department for an effort that includes peer support initiatives, community naloxone training and awareness events, comprehensive education for first responders, and now a Critical Information Management System, to provide real-time support for opioid-related incidents and increase follow-ups on overdose cases. The assistance kits left with the families of those who have suffered overdoses, which contain fentanyl testing strips and naloxone, are known to have saved at least one life. After studying community trends and adjusting strategies, Mount Pleasant police saw a 40% decrease in opioid overdoses within one year.
In the podcast, Capt. Christopher Rosier of the Mount Pleasant Police Department discussed how the initiative has operated and the effect it has had in the community.
- Public Service: City of Greenville
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The Reedy River above Greenville’s downtown faced a toxic environmental legacy of pollutants from textile and other manufacturing, as well as a historical river straightening project that created flash flooding. The area was also the site of a long-unfulfilled promise — that Rev. Elias Brown Holloway secured a commitment from the city in the 1930s for a park development to serve the Black residents, which did not happen.
The city ultimately fulfilled that pledge many decades later, when the 60-acre Unity Park ultimately opened in 2022. It offers a connection to the 23-mile Swamp Rabbit Trail, sophisticated floodwater management, a boardwalk, pedestrian bridges across the river, playgrounds, a splash pad, a 10,000 square-foot welcome center and two expansive green spaces, among other features.
In the podcast, Mayor Knox White explained the history of neighborhood advocacy dating to the 1930s that led to the park’s development, the community input on its facilities, and its innovative stormwater drainage improvements along the Reedy River.
- Public Works: City of Aiken
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For years, the City of Aiken managed the undesirable smells and the significant corrosion potential of hydrogen sulfide at several of its sewer system locations with a nitrate feed program, a process that is maintenance-intensive, environmentally unfriendly, and expensive. Aiken’s Engineering and Utilities Department found a better solution — a system that dissolves pure oxygen gas into sewage, preventing the formation of hydrogen sulfide, lowering environmental impacts and saving $200,000 annually.
The city undertook the project at two wastewater pumping stations, using monitors to demonstrate the improved reduction in hydrogen sulfide. It funded the effort with a capital project sales tax allocation, as well as a grant from the SC Rural Infrastructure Authority. The cost savings of the project mean that it is paying back its costs in just over four years. In addition to improved odor and corrosion prevention, the project has also reduced the production of methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas.
The 2024 awards had other entries illustrating a variety of innovative efforts, from the water system regionalization effort in the Town of Batesburg-Leesville to the City of Cayce’s community tool shed program to the World War II memorial project of the City of Myrtle Beach. Learn about those efforts here.