IVA — The drive along S.C. 81 South through Iva should look a bit different after Nov. 1, according to Iva Mayor Bobby Gentry.

That’s because crews are expected to start building medians along the four-lane highway at that time, Gentry said.

The mayor made the announcement Monday at the monthly meeting of the Iva Town Council. Town officials applied for and received $45,000 from the Anderson County Transportation Committee Fund for the project.

Any additional expenses beyond the $45,000 will be paid by the town of Iva, said the town clerk, Tim Taylor.

The medians, which could range in length and cost, will be planted with small trees, flowers and shrubs. They cost between $10,000 and $30,000 each. Pedestrian crosswalks could be installed on the medians to help with pedestrian safety, according to earlier reports.

The council voted unanimously in June to move forward with the medians. Seamon, Whiteside and Associates of Greenville have designed the medians and are handling the requests for bids on the project.

The council wants construction of between four and six medians along S.C. 81.

Another matter discussed at the meeting on Monday was the second and final approval of borrowing $75,000 in a tax anticipation note for the town to help pay for the town’s expenses while officials wait on tax revenue to start flowing into the town.

Council members approved the note in a unanimous vote. The town’s clerk, Taylor, said the note is simply a short-term loan to help the town pay everyday expenses because Anderson County officials are still sending out tax bills to Iva residents.

Normally, by the middle of September tax notices would be in the mail to residents. But Taylor said the county’s reassessment is slowing things down this year, and bills won’t be going out until November. Normally, the town already would be collecting revenue from those bills in mid-October.

“Basically we are doing this so we have money on hand,” Taylor said. “It doesn’t mean the town is broke in any way. We just need to have that reserve, just in case.”

The tax anticipation note, if the money is used, must be paid back by April 2009, Taylor said.