The New Commercial Bank of Due West

Due West Building Boom a Positive For Erskine College

Due West is growing.

The small academic village that is the home of Erskine College and Seminary has seen a recent construction boom that is a positve for the entire community, according to college and town officials.

Two new buildings are going up in town, as well as reconstruction on a Due West Retirement Center building nearly destroyed as a result of fire damage in the spring.

Adjacent to the Due West Little League field, the future home of Due West Family Medicine (currently located on Main Street next to the Exxon station and the Due West Café), is nearly completed. The new building will house Dr. Brian Henry, Dr. Karen Curtis Leslie, a physician's assistant, nurses and office staff.

The Commercial Bank, now situated on Bonner Street just off Main Street, is constructing a new building on Main Street.

Just a block or two away from the center of town, the Due West Retirement Center is now rebuilding after a fire April 20 that destroyed much of the Wylie Care Facility.

"Due West Family Medicine had completely outgrown their Main Street Office and were badly in need of a new one," said Erskine Vice President Lee Logan, a longtime Due West resident who has served as project coordinator for the medical office construction venture.

"The College felt it was important to keep the services of Dr. Brian Henry in our village," said Logan. "We were afraid that if appropriate property was not provided in a mutually beneficial format he would be forced to relocate in another town."

To provide a way for Due West Medicine to remain in Due West, Erskine College offered to sell Henry a tract of land at the corner of College Avenue and Mill Street.

"Some protective provisions were provided to ensure this would always be a primary medical care office, that Dr. Henry would continue to serve as the college physician, and other provisions that protect Dr. Henry and the College," Logan explained.

"I have served as the project coordinator for the College, but obviously Dr. Carson, the Cabinet, the College attorney and the Board of Trustees were involved in the details and approvals associated with the sale."

Logan said he is pleased at the way the project has taken shape, and believes the new building will be beneficial to the town as well as the College. "Due West Family Medicine provides excellent service to the Erskine College community and is a valuable part of our Student Services program.

"I heard at the groundbreaking ceremonies of the new Commercial Bank building that the primary motivation for construction of the new building is to meet the demand for a larger bank as well as provide the bank with a better location that serves its customers more efficiently in a comfortable setting," said Logan.

"I certainly believe these new projects are tremendous improvements to the village and will stimulate appropriate growth," said Logan. "Both Due West Family Medicine and the Commercial Bank have been, and will continue to be, very valuable components in the services needed for a community such as ours. We are happy they have both made these positive and progressive moves."

Due West mayor Butch Sain agrees. "This new construction will enhance our quality of life. South Carolina has been in a period of growth that has peaked, but that growth is still filtering down to us little by little.

"We've got about nine options on what to do with the space formerly occupied by the bank once the new bank building is completed," said Sain. "The Town Council and I are going to look at which of these would be best for the town."

Noting that the town's population has grown slightly in recent months, Sain said, "We’ll know more about that when we get the results of the Census. If we can keep the growth within the vision we have for our little village, then it will be good."

Sain said the Due West population, not counting Erskine College and Seminary students, is just below 1,300 in the city limits and about 3,500 in the area around Due West outside the city limits.

"We're looking into annexation to expand our city limits," he said.

The Due West Retirement Center (DWRC), home to many of Due West's retirees, is undergoing restoration and recovery as its Wylie Care Facility, which provided assisted living services for 17 residents, is rebuilt. Wylie Care residents were evacuated and now are living either at DWRC's Carlisle Nursing Center or at The Maples in Honea Path, according to Erskine alumnus Paul Bell, DWRC administrator.

Construction commenced Sept. 5, and a Wylie Care Reconstruction Fund has been established. The fund is made up of insurance money as well as donations, including a recent one by Abbeville Savings and Loan. The Due West Retirement Center was established in 1983 as a ministry of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church.

On the campus of Erskine College and Seminary, Logan said the only new construction being contemplated is an addition to Memorial Hall.

"This is being considered in order to properly address the needs of the Music Department," said Logan, who was until last month in charge of facilities at Erskine.

Erskine's new Vice President for Finance and Operations William Stauff now has oversight of facilities at Erskine, and the possibility of an addition to Memorial is under study by a committee appointed by the Board of Trustees under the direction of alumnus and trustee John Moore, with Erskine Vice President and Dean of the College Dr. Donald Weatherman serving as subcommittee chairman.

"The majority of physical plant improvements have centered around renovations," Logan said. "The same committee, headed by John Moore, is also studying the renovation of the Erskine Building, the remainder of Memorial Hall, and all of the dormitories.

"The details of such renovations, estimated costs and development of timetables, along with possible funding sources, are currently being reviewed, with the reports to be considered by the administration and trustees within six to 12 months."

Campus improvement projects currently under way include renovation of the Washington Street entrance to Belk Hall, the entrance to Moffatt Dining Hall, and several other projects, Logan said.

(Click here for more Due West construction photos)