GEORGETOWN — A Georgetown commission is moving forward with plans for the state’s third-oldest city to become a designated arts and cultural community despite hitting a recent snag over concerns that some historic Black landmarks were omitted from its application.

Should the city receive the designation, it would be the 10th community recognized by the S.C. Arts Commission and open up grant opportunities, city officials have said. But the initiative has generated questions about which places and events should be highlighted and whether the public was involved in the process.

The city’s application to become a state-designated cultural district is due by Jan. 3. That would allow the proposal to go before the state arts commission’s board in February. But city leaders split 3-3 when they voted on a strategic plan for the project Oct. 19.

Voting for the measure were Mayor Carol Jayroe and council members Jim Clements and Jimmy Morris. Nay votes came from council members Clarence Smalls, Hobson Henry Milton and Tamika Williams-Obeng. Council member Jonathan Angner was absent.

Despite the deadlocked Oct. 19 vote, Main Street Director Al Joseph said in a letter to the editor that City Council previously held a public hearing in June regarding the proposed commission and the proposed designation of a state cultural district.

“The make-up of the commission and district were action items,” Joseph said. “No members of the public commented at public comment, or offered public input on the agenda items. Council passed the resolution and approved the cultural district map and asset list unanimously. None of this has been done in secret or in the shadows.”

Joseph said he was shocked by the failed vote after updating the city council on the progress of the application. Some citizens spoke out against the plan during the public comment period, calling it “generic” and saying it doesn’t recognize the city’s Black history and Gullah Geechee culture. They also complained that the plan left out a historic cemetery. 

“More study is needed,” said community activist Wesley Gibson during the Oct. 19 meeting. “Talk to some people that live on the West End. Learn about the history. (Myrtle Grove Cemetery) has a big sign up that will bring more tourists here than going to a lot of places on Front Street because people love history like that.”

Joseph said before the initial map was created, local leaders had conversations with the state arts commission and were told they could not include anything across U.S. Highway 17.

“We submitted the proposed cultural district and asset list,” Joseph said. “Included were multiple locations in the West End such as the Howard Center, West End Heritage Center, Mitney Project and much more.

“We went back and forth over a period of two months, with my insisting that we could not and would not create an Arts and Cultural District without including the West End of Georgetown. After the local visit, the state commission accepted our proposed district and asset list, with all West End locations included.”

Joseph said they will continue working to finalize the application. There are seven steps, including a budget marketing plan, a strategic plan, two letters of support, narrative and other supporting documents.

“Between now and Nov. 30, we’ll have all of that done, we’ll have it submitted by the end of November to the South Carolina Commission,” Joseph said. “I want to send it to them so they can look at it and come back to us and say let’s tweak this, let’s do this, let’s do that. I want the strongest application you can have by the time it is considered in February.”

The Georgetown Arts and Cultural Commission meets on the first Wednesday of every month at 5:30 p.m. in the Winyah Auditorium.

“We received wonderful letters of support from Mayor Jayroe and one of, if not the, leading members of the Gullah Geechee community in our state and beyond, Ron Daise, who submitted a letter to be included in our application package supporting our initiative,” Joseph said.

Created last year, the local arts and cultural commission’s mission is to enrich and improve the quality of life of Georgetown residents; attract visitors to the city; promote visual, performing, culinary and literary arts; highlight the city’s cultural heritage; and improve tourism and economic development.

“I really believe that this could be the single biggest thing for the city over the next many years,” Joseph said. “It opens so many doors for us. It gives us so much exposure in the arts and cultural community. It opens us up for grants that would not be available without having an arts and cultural district. … Arts and culture has got to be the third biggest tourism driver [after local history and the waterfront]. Anything we can do to enhance that, especially on a statewide stage and beyond, will allow us to do that.”