NORTH MYRTLE BEACH -- Residents and visitors may be able to continue to bring their tents on North Myrtle Beach's beaches with certain stipulations.
The North Myrtle Beach City Council decided Monday evening to take its first vote on an ordinance that would allow tents and other beach-related equipment on the beach under certain guidelines at its Nov.15 meeting.
If the ordinance - which requires two votes - passes, beachgoers will have to have their tents and umbrellas off the beach after 7 p.m. and before 8 a.m.; have any shading devices behind the city's umbrella line or behind the high tide line in the absence of a city-established umbrella line; make sure shading devices are 10 feet apart from one another, are not larger than 12 feet by 12 feet, are no higher than 9 feet installed, and are not tied together.
The city "should try this instead of a total banning," said City Manager Mike Mahaney about the ordinance. "If this doesn't work, we can change it."
The council initially voted in July to ban tents on the beach, but held off on taking a final vote so its members could revisit the issue in October.
At an Oct. 11 workshop, council members discussed a tent and umbrella policy that would allow tents and other beach-related equipment on the beach under some of the same guidelines as in the ordinance.
The council decided at that October workshop to discuss the issue again at last night's workshop.
Rick Buddelmeyer, North Myrtle Beach's interim public safety director, said Monday that he is still in favor of banning the tents, but he thinks the ordinance addresses the public safety issues that were raised earlier this year, particularly visibility on the beach.
Council members and public safety officials have said that the tents block lifeguards' views, obstruct the pathway used by emergency vehicles and make it harder for beachgoers to see lifeguard stands.
"We have an excellent proposal to pass here," said Councilman Bob Cavanaugh. "We're a city that depends on the tourists; that's important for us. What we're doing is spreading them out so we don't have the clog. This is something that is good, can be adjusted, and will enhance our beaches."
Some council members, including Mayor Marilyn Hatley and Councilman Greg Duckworth, think the tents should be banned.
"I'm disappointed that we aren't going in a different direction with this," Duckworth said. "I think we're heading in the wrong direction."
Hatley said she is willing to see if the restrictions work versus a total ban on tents, and that the city can always come back and make changes if it doesn't work.
But resident Rob Kayton said "it's just gotten worse and worse" with the tents. "Public safety said we should get rid of them, and we're not listening to them. I don't know why we keep compromising."
Phil Pate, owner and president of Grand Strand Resorts, said he thinks the city can adjust. "I don't think we should say no because we can work through it."
If the council does vote in favor of the ordinance, people would have to pay a $40 fee to claim items they left out from the city's storage yard within a 30-day period.
If the items are not claimed within 30 days, they will be either sold or disposed of.
Anyone who violates the ordinance would have to pay a $250 fine.
Several residents and council members said they think the tents should be disposed of altogether instead of stored, but city attorney Chris Noury said the city has to give people a reasonable time to come back and claim the items so there wouldn't be claims that the items were used by the city without giving people a reasonable time period.
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