South Congaree police officers rally to improve their police station
South Congaree, SC (Paul Kirby) – South Congaree’s Police Department has been housed in the same place and station for decades. It has been remodeled several times, but for the most part, since the last remodel some years ago, it has taken the abuse of suspects, visitors, and officers coming in and out for years. Eventually, the flooring in a key portion of the station became so dirty and worn, it was beyond cleaning. Police Chief Josh Shumpert knew it wasn’t the right first impression the public needed of the department.
Last year, the essential needs of the department outweighed the old flooring when Shumpert turned in his 2019/20 budget request. In a small town, there’s not a lot of extra money to be had for any reason. In November, Shumpert mentioned it to a town businessman who said he knew someone who could help.
That member of the town’s business community did business with a flooring company that is locally owned and operated. Its owners, Brian and Megan Peed, had just built an amazing new warehouse and showroom for their business Floor Boys Flooring Professionals. Floor Boys new location on North Lake Drive near the dam is the Midlands largest flooring retailer. There’s another location in Red Bank. The Peeds are known for their love of the Lexington community and their support of good causes. The South Congaree businessman approached Brian and asked him if he had some flooring that could be used at the Police Department. Without hesitation, Brian said, “Sure, we could help out!”
On Thursday, November 21, 2019, Chief Shumpert drove to Floor Boys on North Lake and was shown some flooring in their new 5,000 square foot showroom. When the chief made his selection, Floor Boys donated the flooring the department needed on the spot.
Thursday night, Chief Shumpert put out a call for anyone that might be available to help install the flooring. Some of the men had experience in that so they knew they could tackle the job. In short order, every officer who was off duty showed up for project “Spruce Up the Station” according to Town Clerk Pat Shull. All the officers, including Chief Shumpert, were down on their hands and knees putting the new floor down late into the evening.
Later, Chief Shumpert said he was so grateful to everyone who helped make the station look better. “Brian and Megan at Floor Boys were great to deal with. They had a huge selection of flooring and what they donated was beautiful. I also can’t say enough about the men of our department. They work so hard and to come back here, get down on the floor, and work like they did says a lot about who they are. It also demonstrates their love of this department and town. The way this was handled saved the town money that can be used for other things we have to have.”
Floor Boys Flooring Professionals has two locations. One is at 1728 N Lake Dr, Lexington, and the other is at 1573 S Lake Drive in the Red Bank area. If you get the opportunity, swing in, have a look around, and tell Brian and Megan how much you appreciate their support of Lexington County and South Congaree.
