Hart Count Fire Department receives donation from Kinder Morgan

The Hart County Fire Department received a donation last Tuesday from Kinder Morgan, the company that manages the Elba Pipeline which runs through Hart County. The donation was presented by Stephanie Kendrick, who is the public affairs director for the firm.

“My name is Stephanie Kendrick and I am the Director of Public Affairs for Kendrick Morgan and I am delighted to be in Hartwell tonight. While I live in Atlanta now, I actually grew up on the other side of the river in Starr, South Carolina. Growing up, we used to come to the Dairy Queen every Sunday night after church. Even after we left Starr and relocated to the Athens, Georgia area, I used to come and visit my grandmother here and you can bet every morning in the summer she had me up at 6 a.m. to go walk the dam with her, so fond memories of Hartwell,” said Kendrick.

After sharing her connection to Hartwell, Kendrick then got to the reason she was in Hart County.

“I’m delighted to back here tonight, and especially for the purpose I’m here for tonight, and that’s to present the county with a donation of $17,500 to help your fire department purchase equipment. At Kinder Morgan we pride ourselves we pride ourselves at being one of the safest pipeline operators in the United States. And obviously a partnership with the local fire department and obviously goes hand-in-hand with our safety record,” said Kendrick.

Kendrick then talked about the company’s lengthy history in Hart County, spanning a much greater time frame than the fairly current Elba Pipeline.

“Finally, I’d like to thank Chief (Jerry) Byrum. He’s been terrific to work with these past few months as we’ve been putting this donation together. And also, a special thanks to State Representative Alan Powell, who initially brokered this introduction for us. Thank you everyone, we’re proud to be here tonight,” said Kendrick.

Kendrick then presented the check to Chief Byrum, stating it was not a large one but would cash just as well.