Sunday’s editorial takes a look at Horry County’s
proposed ordinances regulating adult businesses (including a quick box with
highlights of the proposed rules at the bottom of the editorial):
How serious is Horry County Council
about cracking down on adult businesses? They had not one, not two, but three
lawyers in attendance ready to speak on the issue at Thursday’s meeting of
their Infrastructure and Regulation committee. One – lawyer Scott Bergthold of adultbusinesslaw.com – was even
flown in from his home office in Chattanooga,
Tenn., to help draft the county’s
proposed ordinances and brief council members.
In other words, this isn’t simply a
fleeting interest for Horry
County leaders.
How does a tourist destination like Myrtle Beach remain
appealing to the millions of visitors who come into town each year, not to
mention the thousands of us who call the city home? It does its best to spruce
itself up from time to time and keep its image fresh and inviting. That’s what’s
a variety of local committees are tackling these days in noteworthy projects
throughout the city.
Friday’s editorial wades into the
recent dustup between Helicopter Adventures and the business’s Plantation Point
neighbors:
What happens when the letter of the
law runs into less well-defined limits such as civility and politeness? We end
up with situations such as the one now involving Helicopter Adventures.
The business, set up to offer aerial
tours of the area, opened its doors in May and quickly earned the ire of its
new neighbors in the Plantation Point development, who loudly complained about
the noise made by the aircraft as they took off and landed near their homes.
Nevermind that the company had followed all of the rules in setting up its
business, talking with county officials and jumping through all the hoops
required by local laws.
Tuesday’s editorial addresses a recent change governing state rules on coastal development:
State regulators’ recent decision to no longer require coastal developers to conduct archaeological surveys before building is a short-sighted and unfortunate choice.
South Carolina has archaeological sites that stretch back up to 12,000 years, said Elizabeth Johnson, deputy State Historic Preservation Officer. The coast in particular, as the first place Europeans settled, is rich in sites of historic significance. Many have been found, identified and studied, but nobody really knows how many others are out there to be discovered.
Freshman Rep. Kevin Ryan was heading home to Pawleys Island on U.S. 521 at the end of another legislative week this spring when he noticed he was driving on the John C. Land Highway, named in 2007 for the Clarendon County senator. When Mr. Ryan crossed into Williamsburg County, 521 became the Kenneth “Ken” Kennedy Highway, named in 2005 for the then-House member.
At last week’s Soul of the Community meeting, as attendees settled into the college auditorium to hear more about how residents feel about life on the Grand Strand, Coastal Carolina University President David DeCenzo, a veteran of numerous community gatherings, opened with a lament of sorts.
“There have been so many times,” he said, “that we’ve energized a group, they left the room, and then nothing happened.”
Higher taxes for more arts? That’s the issue Friday’s editorial tackles.
Can an area nicknamed the Redneck Riviera support a performing arts center? Do Myrtle Beach residents even want a new arts complex? If the local arts community can’t raise the money to build its own theater, should the city raise taxes to build one?
City leaders will seek answers to all of those questions in the coming months. The first step comes Monday, when the city is holding a public hearing on the proposal to raise property taxes by 3 mills so it can build up to a $10 million arts complex next to the convention center. It’s a very initial step, as it’s a meeting only to help the entire City Council decide whether it's worth supporting a special referendum in February, which would then determine whether the taxes are raised.
Beach visitors looking more athletic than usual this week? Tuesday’s editorial explains why:
Lace up your sneakers. It’s Youth Track and Field Championship Week in Myrtle Beach, or so proclaims the resolution signed by Mayor John Rhodes. He signed the document in April, but its origin stretches back years and has its roots in the city’s strategic decision to go after the lucrative sports tourism market.
Starting today, the city plays host to the 2011 USA Youth Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Up to 6,000 athletes and their families are expected in town for the next few days, and the city estimates it will generate up to $10 million in visitor spending. The event will be followed by the National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships in December, and are the result of a strong commitment by city leaders years in the making to reach a new visitor market.
Sunday’s editorial takes a look at all of the economic development efforts going on around the region:
Say what you will about our region’s leaders – and we’ve probably said just about everything – they certainly have a passion for improving the Grand Strand and leaving it a better place than they found it.
Rebuilding and revitalization fever seems to have swept through our region, from Horry County’s decision to dedicate new money to the Regional Economic Development Corp. to Georgetown County’s study of local industry. Perhaps it’s all a reaction to coming out of recession, taking a deep breath and wanting to quickly put contraction in the rear view mirror. Perhaps the stars just aligned and we found a number of business-building leaders in place all at the same time. Whatever the reason, plans are being made, funds are being raised and optimism is in the air all around us.
Sunday’s editorial relates our continued hope in the prospects for I-73, mingled with some interest in a possible alternative:
The flurry of recent news about Interstate 73 has left us feeling alternately hopeful, worried, unsure and conflicted.
First came the encouraging news that after years of waiting, the state Department of Transportation had approved the opening piece of the long-discussed highway in the form of a $185 million interchange with Interstate 95 near Latta. Then we learned that the interchange rose to the top of the DOT’s list of projects by leapfrogging other needs that had been deemed a higher priority, a move that has left a bad taste in some mouths. And the project would rely on using up most of the DOT’s bonding capacity, which could leave the agency less able to make emergency repairs if needed.
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