Carolina Forest group backs fire safety

The Carolina Forest Civic Association wants to implement a wildfire protection program less than two years after one of the state's worst wildfires ravaged Horry County for eight days and caused more than $20 million in property damage.

The Firewise program, a national initiative adopted by the S.C. Forestry Commission, encourages neighborhoods to develop community wildfire protection plans and implement safer construction and landscaping practices.

Two communities in Carolina Forest - Walker's Woods and The Farm - signed on to the program earlier this year. The association hopes to encourage other neighborhoods to become Firewise certified, said association President Dennis DiSabato.

The group doesn't have the legal authority to force homeowners' associations to carry out any policy, but plans to heavily promote the program. S.C. Forestry Commission incident commander Mike Bozzo attended the association's monthly meeting Wednesday to drum up further support for Firewise.

Bozzo was the lead commander of the response team in April 2009 and showed pictures of the vicious fire Wednesday evening.

The incident commander called wildfires inevitable, but said the Firewise program limits damage and prevents the widespread loss of homes and lives.

Communities that agree to the program are given a free assessment by state and local officials about potential problems. The S.C. Forestry Commission then develops a community wildfire protection plan. The plan describes the community and recommends how to reduce the risks of wildfire, Bozzo said.

Officials from the commission then educate community members through a workshop and urge creation of a community Firewise board of directors to implement suggestions.

Bozzo said plans often call for less-flammable mulches and plants, debris removal and limb pruning, among other things. They also call for precautionary measures that make sure there are legible, reflective road signs, a fire hydrant system and multiple community entrances and exits.

There are national grants that can assist in the expenses of becoming Firewise certified, Bozzo said.

Currently, there are 13 Firewise certified communities in South Carolina.

"The goal is for firefighters to be able to make a quick and safe response," Bozzo said. "If communities agree, it should reduce the susceptibility that we'll have another Highway 31 fire."

Chuck Rhome, the homeowners' association president for the Inverness community in Carolina Forest, said he strongly supports the program.

His community is bordered by two golf courses and is surrounded by towering pine trees.

If a wildfire broke out in his community, Rhome said at least half of the homes would be in serious jeopardy.

"I think this is a fantastic program that should be looked at by all of the communities in Carolina Forest," Rhome said.

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Carolina Forest amenities in works

This week, Horry County will begin construction on its newest facilities for Carolina Forest - a new recreation center and a new library.

Both will complement the new Palmetto Adventure Land Playground, a community-built effort that opened in recent weeks.

The county is planning a groundbreaking ceremony at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the site on Carolina Forest Boulevard, just in front of the new playground, which is about a mile from where Carolina Forest Boulevard meets River Oaks Drive.

County spokeswoman Lisa Bourcier gathered information from other county staff members and answered questions about the new facilities:

Question | How long has the county been planning to open these facilities in Carolina Forest?

Answer | The idea of building community centers at the various parks existed in 2004. We developed the "prototype community center" in 2004-05, and that's what we used for Bucksport. The $12 million bond [issuance] was approved in 2008 to cover North Strand, Carolina Forest and South Strand Recreation Centers at $4 million each.

The libraries were in the Capital Improvement Plan and started with the construction of the North Myrtle Beach Library in 2008, with Carolina Forest Library and Surfside Beach Library expansion close behind. A $12 million bond [issuance] for these was approved at the same time as the recreation center bond.

Q. | How will they complement the new Palmetto Adventure Land playground?

A. | Having all of these facilities on one large parcel makes it quite convenient for the public to enjoy different types of amenities.

Q. | How long will construction take?

A. | Standard recreation center construction contract duration is 14 months. Standard library construction contract duration is 12 months.

Q. | How much will the two facilities cost to build?

A. | Each have a budget of $4 million.

Q. | What kinds of services will people have access to at the recreation center?

A. | Youth/adult basketball, volleyball, a variety of exercise and fitness classes, special events like daddy-daughter dances, fall festivals, senior programs, a variety of arts and crafts classes, summer camp and after-school programs. It will also be available for rentals.

Q. | Will there be anything new about this library that people will be especially interested in?

A. | This library will be almost identical to the new NMB library. The big features that make this new facility better for delivering library services are really the designated areas for children, young adults, computing, and of course the large stack areas for fiction and nonfiction.

Q. | Is the county able to take advantage of the lower construction prices that have marked the current economic slump?

A. | Yes, we are getting good bid prices and a good level of competition, but it's not only because contractors are short of work. All of our current active contractors have plenty of other projects under way right now, and some have a pretty good backlog also.

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In nature's hands: Georgetown forest safeguarded for future

A narrow, idyllic stretch of the Black River surrounded by ancient bald cypress trees near Georgetown is now protected from encroachment with a purchase by The Nature Conservancy.

The 440-acre purchase of mature bottomland forest adds to the conservancy's current 1,296 acres along the adjacent side of the river. It marks the first addition to the Black River property in almost 25 years.

Intensive development wasn't threatening the area, said Maria Whitehead, project director for the Winyah Bay and Pee Dee River Basin, but the purchase guarantees the tract will be managed as an old-growth forest. The conservancy's staff scientists and partners will use the area for future research while working to maintain and improve its condition.

The added protection will also enhance and preserve water quality in the area, said Eric Krueger, director of science and stewardship for the conservancy.

"Land protection within this watershed will help recharge groundwater, control flooding and filter nutrient and sediment run-off," Krueger said. "This will improve water quality and habitat for people, wildlife and even our oyster restoration project 20 miles downstream in Winyah Bay."

The stretch of the Black River now protected by the conservancy is frequently used by kayakers and anglers, Whitehead said, and the group encourages the public to continue using the property.

On the Black River, the water moves slowly and the surrounding area often features wild turkeys, wood ducks, yellow-bellied sliders and the occasional American alligator, Whitehead said.

"The river corridor here is one of the most beautiful and unique sections of the Black River because of the remnant ancient cypress trees," she said.

Funds to purchase the property came from Phase II of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service North Conservation Act grant awarded to the conservancy. Acquiring this particular property was an 18-month process beginning with the initial submission of the grant and ending with the recent closing of the transaction.

"It is rare when we are provided the opportunity to expand a conservancy preserve and we were so grateful to have the support of NAWCA in making this addition a reality," said Ryan Olson, assistant director of land protection. "Finally, we could not have asked to work with more professional sellers, where all parties fully supported a conservation outcome for the property."

The Nature Conservancy is a U.S.-based, international organization with approximately 4,000 employees in 34 countries. The organization's mission is to preserve the plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on earth by protecting the lands and waters that they need to survive.

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Batch plant plans killed in Carolina Forest area

Neighbors have prevailed in the argument against a planned concrete batch plant near Freestyle Music Park.

Property owner Myra Starnes withdrew her request to rezone 2 acres on Wesley Road just as the request was about to come before Horry County Council for third and final reading - and likely defeat - next week.

"We are celebrating because we see that the process does work," said resident Gerald Campisi, who lives on Burcale Road near Arrowhead golf club. "We think there's a lot that could be done with the area, but this just wasn't an appropriate use."

Neighbors and neighboring businesses have been lobbying against the rezoning request since it came before the council, but the request passed its first two readings and looked like it was headed for final approval.

However, a recent meeting and a volley of e-mails and calls from residents near Arrowhead golf club showed District 4 Councilman Gary Loftus just how much opposition the rezoning request and planned cement plant generated.

"If I get 10 e-mails from people, I know there's some passion about an issue," said Loftus, who requested the meeting with residents. "But this was, actually, incredible."

He said he had at least 50 e-mails - and not just copies of an original complaint but original pleas for help - plus phone calls. Residents requested a meeting with him recently, and Campisi said about 100 people turned out.

They expressed concerns about the dust that comes from a cement batch plant, because it is alkaline and abrasive, and about the noise of a plant operating overnight. They were also worried about the damage to Wesley Road from overuse by large trucks hauling supplies and cement.

"There were pros and cons, but the more I got into the issue, the more the cons outweighed the pros," Loftus said. "Wesley Road is one. It's a state road, so you can guess where it would stand on the list for repairs."

Starnes refused to comment, saying she was too busy.

Loftus sent an e-mail to residents letting them know about her withdrawal.

"Please know that your overwhelming response opposing the re-zoning got the attention of County Council, and made my job persuading other Council members to join me in opposition easier. In the end, I think that Ms. Starnes realized it was going nowhere and withdrew her re-zoning application," he wrote.

Batch plants have been a topic of concern in Horry County lately. The county is trying to figure out which of its 16 plants it can allow to operate several nights a month while large construction projects such as the back gate overpass and the Myrtle Beach International Airport terminal expansion are being completed.

The county has said projects like the new overpass at U.S. 17 Bypass and Farrow Boulevard and the airport's new and larger facilities must be worked on at night because the disruption to daytime traffic - including air traffic - is unacceptable.

Because cement for the projects must be mixed close to the time it's going to be used, some batch plants will get the OK to run at night.

Neighbors of the planned plant on Wesley Road were concerned at first because they thought it would run 24 hours a day, every day. Loftus said there was no guarantee the plant that would have gone on Starnes' land would have received permission to operate at night at all.

But the question is moot now, he said.

"Perception is reality, and they perceived it as a threat," Loftus said.

Campisi said neighbors are against any rezoning that would allow heavy industry in an area zoned for light industry, especially so close to houses and apartments. He said businesses around Starnes' property were also instrumental in lobbying against the rezoning.

"We don't want to bring one business in and chase all the others away," Campisi said.

Starnes has the option to bring the same rezoning request before the council again, or she can ask for a different rezoning or leave the property as is.

Whatever she or other property owners plan to do in the area, Campisi said, "we will be keeping an eye on it."

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