Springdale Councilman Juston Ricard running to fill the seat of outgoing Mayor Bishop

Springdale, SC 10/16/2021 (Paul Kirby) – Life-long Springdale resident Juston Ricard has filed to run for mayor of the small Lexington County town that’s near the Columbia Metropolitan Airport. Ricard lives with his family on the property where he grew up alongside Wattling Road not far from Springdale Elementary School.

The position of mayor is open because Springdale’s current Mayor Michael Bishop self-imposed a two-term limit when he first ran 8 years ago. During his tenure, a lot of positive changes have occurred in Springdale. Bishop worked tirelessly with the other members of the council and the town’s staff to renovate and improve the town’s quality of life opportunities. They've maintained Springdale as one of the safest places to live and raise a family in the Midlands. Now, he is stepping back and offering someone else an opportunity to take that leadership role.

During a recent interview, Ricard said that he had been glad to serve with Bishop on the Springdale Town Council. “Mike has been a great leader and really is a visionary. As a council, we’ve always stressed how important it was to maintain Springdale as a great place for families and Mike led us to a solidify our standing in that respect. From the new streetlights down Platt Springs Road to other beautification projects, the town’s new entrance signs, and the major renovations we’ve done to our park and other facilities, Springdale has become even more attractive to all types of families from those with small children to retirees,” Ricard said.

Ricard said that he was pleased to see that Springdale seemed to draw and keep generations in town. “We have a lot of families here that are multigenerational. Across the state, you hear other leaders lament the fact that as their citizen’s family’s children grow up, they go off to college or take a job somewhere else and leave their hometowns in their mirror for good. In Springdale, that doesn’t seem to be as prevalent. Many of the children of Springdale grow up and become the next generation of the adults of Springdale. I think that’s a direct indicator that we are doing things that make the entire town, not just the house they grew up in, feel like home to our younger generation.”

Ricard said that when he’s elected, he doesn’t feel like there needs to be any significant changes made early on. “We have lots of projects that I want to see through to fruition. We’re about to complete Phase 1 of our sewer project and I’d like us to keep moving forward right into Phase 2. Government provided sewer is so important to our residents because of the groundwater situation that we have in many areas of Springdale. People have fought septic issues for years and the availability of municipal sewer taps will solve those issues,” he said. “I’d also like to see the sidewalks project on Kitty Hawk Drive completed so that 100% of the residents in that area have access to these. They help so much with safe pedestrian travel. Springdale is still very much a walking and biking town and those who choose to avail themselves of that type of exercise really need those sidewalks to safely enjoy themselves.”

“Another thing that I think is important to our citizens is for Springdale to have its own unique identity,” Ricard continued. “Our main thoroughfare is Platt Springs Road and the Master Plan we completed some time ago would see that road change to provide more of a Main Street feel. We’d like to see more people stop and enjoy Springdale and not think of it as a wide spot that slips by their windows as the commute.

Referring to the town’s character Ricard said, “In that regard, I think that Lexington Two’s new Fine Arts and Administration Center will be a gamechanger.” That structure is to be built right along Platt Springs Road in the heart of Springdale. “Although schools and the district's properties don’t bolster our tax base, what grows up around them certainly does,” Ricard said. “Inevitably, when you see a building of this type move in, you see businesses follow that cater to the people who are in and out of the district owned building. In the case of Springdale, we’re not talking about big box store type development at all. Instead, we’re thinking along the line of small businesses like a bakery, a bookstore, a clothing boutique, or a coffee shop. As a town council, it will be up to us to control the type of growth that follows so that the citizens of the Springdale see growth their happy with,” he concluded.

Ricard also pointed out some of the things that make Springdale such a great place to live and raise a family. “We’re already a big golfcart community and that’s something I think we should continue to enhance and support. When new businesses are built along Platt Springs or Wattling Roads, I would like to see them have an attractive rear corridors and access that’s golfcart safe. On a beautiful evening, you could load the family up on the golfcart to visit a restaurant, grab an ice-cream, or do a little shopping. I think this lifestyle promotes people being more neighborly and when people act that way, the community is closer and safer. If folks know one another, they help look out for each other. That helps our police officers keep the community safe and the uplifts the town’s overall image and happiness level.”

At this point in the interview, Ricard circled back to the development of Platt Springs Road. “In our Master Plan, we envisioned a row of two-story buildings along Platt Springs with the ground floors anchored by the service businesses like I mentioned before, the bakeries, restaurants, and those types of occupancies. The second floor of these could house the offices of business professional. Architects, engineers, attorneys, and dentist all require business spaces, and these would be great for them. Some of these businesses may work closely with the school district and could benefit from being closer to the district’s offices. Others may need fast, convenient access to the airport. We’re also close enough to Columbia to be convenient without people being in the city. Rents are lower here, crime is less, it would be a win-win situation for the businesses and the town,” he concluded.

Ricard says that he’s uniquely qualified to be the mayor because of his experiences in life and governing. “I grew up here, played in these woods with my brother and sister, and worked alongside my dad in his shop. I went to Boy Scouts here and when I became an Eagle Scout, I moved into more of a leadership position helping other Scouts reach their full potential. After school, I started a small business which was a huge challenge. Later, when SCE&G made me an my employees an offer to come and work for them, it expanded my horizons. I saw much of what I was already doing but on a larger scale. These experiences helped me learn so much by just living them,” he said. “Now, I’ve served on the Springdale Town Council for 20 years. Working with Mayor Smith and later Mike Bishop has given me an opportunity to see and learn from two very different leadership styles.

"Governing is so much different from running your personal or business life. Sadly, if we could legally run the government like a business, it would probably be much more efficient. Because of the rules that cover running a town, the best we can do is try and make things work as efficiently as a possible within the set guidelines of the state and federal government. I think that my experience will allow me to lead in an efficient manner within those guidelines. I the past, we’ve run a very efficient operation and when I become mayor, we’re going to continue that way of doing business.” He also said that Springdale’s staff is wonderful, and they have little turnover at the town hall. “We have a good team in place and know what we have to do to keep them. In the long run, they are the people that really make this place run so smoothly and efficiently as it does.”

In closing Ricard said that serving the residents of Springdale is one of the most important things he’s ever done. “This is my home, and it has been forever. I can’t imagine living anywhere else,” he said. “If I am Springdale’s next mayor, it would be a great honor. Our children are getting older now and I have the energy and time at this point in my life to give it 110% of my efforts toward this job. I’ll continue to lead us in a direction that will keep Springdale as a community where others come and then never want to leave.”

Juston Ricard welcomes you comments, questions, and concerns about his vision and plans for the future. You can reach him at (803) 530-4261.