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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Shark group to buy Valderrama

Photo by Getty Images

A view of the 6th green during the final round of the 2010 Andalucia Valderrama Masters at Valderrama Golf Club in Sotogrande, Spain.

Valderrama Golf Club, a former Ryder Cup venue, and its adjacent property in Sotogrande, Spain, has agreed to be purchased by the Greg Norman-owned Stripe Group.

Soto Properties, controlled by Spanish businessman Jamie Ortiz-Patino, will sell the property for an undisclosed sum. The deal was expected to close within weeks.

The Stripe Group said it will purchase Valderrama to strengthen its position in the business of golf events in Europe. The course, site of the 1997 Ryder Cup, recently hosted the Andalucía Masters. Last year, the Stripe Group created the Dubai World Championship, the European Tour’s season-ending event.

It also plans to build a second course in nearby Castellar de la Frontera, near San Roque in southern Spain.

The member club remains under ownership of Ortiz-Patino’s son, Felipe, for the next 40 years, according to Spanish newspaper Costa del Sol.

The Robert Trent Jones-designed course was constructed in 1974. In 1985 it was acquired by Ortiz-Patino and expanded by Jones.

“Twenty-five years ago, we set out to create one of the world’s best golf courses,” Ortiz-Patino said in a statment. “In passing this great course on to its next owner, it has always been my intention to find a buyer who will continue to follow my vision by constantly seeking to enhance the course and its surroundings. . . . In the Stripe Group, I have found such a buyer.”

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Myrtle Beach arts group closes doors

Project global outreach, a non-profit organization founded in 2007 in Myrtle Beach, stops after several years of serving the Grand Strand, according to a press release from Jessica Durivage.

Durivage and Carl Kerridge co-founded global project awareness gap and created a calendar with a mission: raise awareness for non-profit organizations in the field of the arts.

Its projects, exhibitions of art and energy have triggered a flame in the artistic community of Myrtle Beach and helped launch nonprofit organizations in the social media and the age of self-promotion, Durivage said.

As in many other organizations and companies in recent years, recession hit hard organization, she says.

In December, she and Kerridge leave the large pane after a combined 27 years in the communauté.Les two will start new careers and begin a new adventure in Denver, they said.

The GAP administration, with the support of the founders, Board took the decision to give the other funds in his account of three organizations GAP had funded and worked with: stories and art of redemption hearts will receive $1,000 each; and the Academy of arts, science and technology will get an estimated amount of $2,000.

Jenny Abbott Edwards, who created stories of hearts - an integrated reading and writing curriculum - said the donation of $1,000 gap will allow them to get the stories of T-shirts for children who do not have them, someone to work on his blog in the classroom and someone hearts to create a website where teachers can find the resources they need for their classrooms.

Edwards - a second teacher at the primary school of Forestbrook - said that GAP not only blessed the financially, but relationships in the community.

GAP, the stories of hearts - which includes 18 classes from different schools in County Horry, including two other teachers at elementary Forestbrook - reason has been able to have a professional to take photographs of some of the children to use on his blog, Web site and for the end of the year programs photographer, Edwards has elementary dit.Forestbrook was also able to make two students last year and this year.

"" World outreach project", said an enormous impact in our community in the short period of time, he has here says Edwards."The Board of Directors, Jess and Carl took hold of their passion and is a difference in the community communauté.Notre was blessed that global sensibilisation.Ils project will greatly regrettés.Je believes that persons involved in the global awareness project will find other areas contribute and make a difference in our community.?

Kerridge and Durivage said in its years of operation, GAP has raised awareness of the Myrtle Beach area art put information about nonprofit organizations in the hands of 20,000 people each year for three years thanks to a 13-month calendar filmed a documentary about the service and be a citizen of the world, has given grants to artists working service locally and globally, offers a diverse level of "promoting art" services to non-profit organizations and was funded by city market common art walks in 2009 with the intention of raising awareness at the local art through cultural tourism.

Both say working with a Board of Directors is difficult because it was new, as it was to find people who were in the mission and wants to help move forward vision non-self-service way.

They have found it difficult to be accepted by other groups of the art in ville.Certains, however, as the Roundtable and Palmetto Arts Alliance were supportive and wanted to work together.

"To serve others and raise the awareness process is the reward for hard work and it is worth" Kerridge said.

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