New office being readied for tourism department

AIKEN --- The Aiken County Tourism Department will soon have new digs.

With the help of a grant from the South Carolina Heritage Corridor, the department will move to new offices in the Holley Building in downtown Aiken.

The department now conducts business out of one office on the second floor of a building next to the county government complex. The new 900-square-foot space, which should be available in about three weeks, will offer more convenience for visitors.

"We're upstairs, and it's hard for elderly people to get up the stairs to come get information from us," said Robbie Bellamy, the county's tourism program coordinator. "We're just expanding the visitors center and making it more accessible, so with that comes the cost of furbishing parts of the visitors center we've never had before."

The $10,000 grant from the state requires 50 percent matching funds from the county, which the county council approved at its October meeting.

"The grant is to help get the visitors center open without costing so much out of our budget," Ms. Bellamy said.

The grant is similar to a product-development grant that will be used to purchase display cases, shelving, brochures, display racks, signs, a computer and a television for the reception area.

Ms. Bellamy said there will be a small area in the new space for people from Aiken County who want to display their arts and crafts, as well as a souvenir and gift shop.

With the offices in the heart of downtown, "we'll be more accessible to the public," he said.

Reach Michelle Guffey at (803) 648-1395, ext. 110, or michelle.guffey@augustachronicle.com.