Tax settlement with utility gives South Carolina 3 new state parks

COLUMBIA, S.C. — (AP) — South Carolina is set to get three new state parks as part of a settlement with a utility over unpaid taxes on parts bought to build two nuclear power plants that were never finished.

Dominion Energy is turning over the land and buildings in Aiken, Lexington and Georgetown counties. They were once exclusive clubs for employees or retreats for executives of South Carolina Electric & Gas, which Dominion bought after the utility appeared to be heading for bankruptcy because of expenses in building two nuclear reactors that never generated power, The Post and Courier reported.

Dominion ended up on the hook for $165 million in taxes for materials used to build the reactors at the V.C. Summer site before construction was abandoned in July 2017.

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The land donation will count for one-third of the taxes owed to the South Carolina Department of Revenue.

“The great news about this is we’re getting three phenomenal pieces of property and not writing a check,” state Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department Director Duane Parrish told the newspaper.

The new parks are:

The Pine Island Club on Lake Murray, which comes with a 9,100-square-foot conference center, playgrounds, tennis and volleyball courts, outdoor shelters, a swimming pool and docks for boating and fishing;
Misty Lake in North Augusta with a clubhouse overlooking a scenic pond;
The Ramsey Grove plantation on the Black River in Georgetown County, where utility executives hunted for ducks.

The state also gets Bundrick Island on Lake Murray, which has a sandy beach but no buildings or other structures. Its future plans are not set.

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South Carolina has not opened a new state park in 25 years.

The two clubs were retreats that utility employees could use for private parties. At least some retirees had lifetime memberships that are now void.

Dominion is pleased with the settlement and hopes to move forward for the best interests of its customers and the community, utility spokeswoman Rhonda O’Banion said in a statement.

“There were no commitments that would prevent this transaction from moving forward,” she said. “We appreciate the fond memories that many of our employees have had with their families and coworkers over the years at these facilities, but we are doing what is best for our company and our customers.”

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