On April 18, Furman was annexed into the city of Travelers Rest, though the university has retained its Greenville address.
Furman’s annexation was made official last spring when city limits were altered to incorporate all 900 acres of Furman’s property, including the main campus, golf course, The Woodlands at Furman, and The Vinings at Duncan Chapel.
The university submitted a petition for annexation after months of receiving fire protection from the Travelers Rest fire department. The city of Travelers Rest has been providing fire protection services for Furman since Dec. 21 of last year, when the university’s pre-existing arrangement with the Duncan Chapel Fire Department came to an abrupt end.
According to Mark Kelly, Furman’s Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations, Furman was in the midst of negotiations with Duncan Chapel Fire Department when the university received a letter stating that they would no longer receive fire protection from Duncan Chapel, effective Dec. 21. Travelers Rest agreed to provide temporary fire protection while annexation was considered.
“We wanted to know right up front, first and foremost, ‘Can we do this, and can we do this on a professional level?’” said Travelers Rest Mayor Wayne McCall. “Everything came back a resounding ‘yes.’”
Kelly explained that the temporary arrangement between Furman and Travelers Rest was the perfect opportunity to explore the possibility of annexation.
“We had a chance to sort of test the waters,” he said. “We could avail ourselves of many services in Travelers Rest in fire, police protection, court, and other kinds of municipal services if we accepted an annexation.”
On Feb. 14 the university submitted a petition for annexation, which went before the city’s planning commission.
The ordinance was passed in April, expanding the city limits of Travelers Rest across Foot Hills Road and increasing the size of the city by approximately a third.
Mayor McCall said Travelers Rest is “in a transition period right now” and is “one of the fastest growing communities around.”
A new fire department is underway that will be even closer to campus, and the city is working on an amphitheater that will serve as a venue for concerts and festivals. Several new restaurants are expected to open on Main Street in the coming months, including a crêperie and the Swamp Rabbit Brewery.