Tag: Carolina Forest

Dennis DiSabato Announces for Horry County District 3

Dennis DiSabato announced recently that he is a candidate for the Republican nomination for Horry County Council District 3.

DiSabato is a 2000 graduate of the State University of New York Binghamton and graduated with a Juris Doctor degree from New York Law School in 2004. He is a member of the bar in New York, New Jersey and South Carolina.

DiSabato moved to Carolina Forest in 2006, currently residing with his wife Laura DiSabato in the Sawgrass East community. He operates a law office on Renee Drive in the Carolina Forest area, focusing on residential and commercial real estate transactions, real estate and commercial litigation and estate planning.

Since moving to Horry County, DiSabato has been active in local issues. He is a founding member of the Carolina Forest Civic Association, serving as that organization’s president from 2010-2012 and 2013-2014.

DiSabato is a graduate of Leadership Grand Strand Class XXIX, a member of the Coastal Carolina Sertoma Club having served as that organization’s president from 2008-2012. He is also a member of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and is a founder and past president of Horry County Citizens for Responsible Government.

DiSabato said infrastructure issues will be one area of focus if he is elected to serve the citizens of District 3.

“Revitalization of the downtown and south end areas of Myrtle Beach to bring jobs and businesses back into that area is important,” DiSabato said. “In the Carolina Forest area, road issues, especially widening of Carolina Forest Boulevard are important needs.”

International Drive Delay SCDNR Fault

The delay in completion of International Drive can be laid directly at the feet of SC Department of Natural Resources.

I saw where a local media outlet attempted to get information on bear population in the Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve from the SCDNR recently, only to be told the documents sought would cost $133.64.

Many South Carolina governments and their associated agencies attempt to hide behind the clause in the FOIA law that allows them to charge requesters for the cost of providing the informatiion. They frankly hope the cost won’t be paid and the information will stay secret.

Our own Horry County Solid Waste Authority is one of the worst transgressors.

But, this response to a request that has direct bearing on the continuing delay over permitting for International Drive was to be expected.

Specifically, SC Department of Natural Resources officials have, seemingly, intentionally held up finishing and paving the road bed of International Drive for over 10 years.

Initially the SCDNR attempted to keep Horry County from even considering expanding International Drive from its original dirt track through the woods into a passable, two lane road because of alleged red cockaded woodpeckers supposedly nesting in the right of way.

It was ludicrous, but underneath lay a bigger problem – for whatever reason, SCDNR did not want the road built.

After several years of being stalled, the county managed to solve problem by changing the position of the International Drive right of way to avoid the alleged woodpecker habitat.

As the county got into serious planning and acquired the funds to complete International Drive, SCDNR shifted its concerns to black bears in the woods near the road. This included forcing the county to plan for bear crossing tunnels underneath the road, raising the cost of construction and further delaying the start.

This SCDNR roadblock was, again, ridiculous. By this logic, most roads in Horry County, at least west of the waterway, should include bear crossing tunnels.

Retired Army Lt. Gen. James Vaught, a strong supporter of the International Drive project, asked a meeting of Horry County Council the question, “Where is a black bear going to cross the road?” He provided the answer in his own inimitable style, “Any damn where he pleases!”

Residents protest International Drive delays

The delays on beginning the International Drive project are becoming more and more of a concern to citizens of Carolina Forest and Horry County in general.

The breakdown in talks between Horry County officials and representatives of the Coastal Conservation League and SC Wildlife Federation last week resulted in more meetings among concerned citizens groups in the county.

Normally, the Coastal Conservation League and its allies depend on the support of the average public to be successful in meeting their goals.

The International Drive issue is working exactly the opposite. Regular citizens, all of whom understand the importance of the road for public safety and traffic inner-connectivity, are increasing their protests against the delaying tactics of the conservationists for no real reason.

And, if the environmentalists are not careful, the public outcry against the stalling of International Drive will manifest itself with other projects. This is definitely true if the propensity of the environmentalists to make demands for money, ostensibly to buy land not needed for mitigation on projects, continues.

Tomorrow, a group of citizens from the Carolina Forest and Hwy 90 areas will descend on the offices of the Coastal Conservation League to register a public protest. Read the announcement below:

Horry County Council to Study Carolina Forest MCBP

Horry County Council gave county staff the go ahead to develop a multi-county business park plan associated with the Gander Mountain development in Carolina Forest.

The general concept in the planning will be to add roads, water, sewer, stormwater drainage, underdrains, curbs, gutters and sidewalks in Carolina Forest.

The project would be initially funded by $2.2 million in special purpose bonds, issued by the county, to be paid off by a fee in lieu of taxes equivalent to 35% of the property taxes generated within the MCBP area.

Near Miss on RIDE III for Carolina Forest

Residents of Carolina Forest should be aware of how nearly they were cut out of the RIDE III decision making process before it even got started.

Horry County Council approved, at last week’s budget retreat, a process that would have cut out a citizens’ committee from the project identification phase of the RIDE process in favor of county and city staffs making up the initial list of projects.

Fortunately, after a short break, council reconsidered what it had approved and amended the process to put the citizens committee back in.

The Adult Entertainment Issue Churns On – Udated

After the meeting between county government officials and members of the Carolina Forest Civic Association on adult entertainment sites Wednesday night, we received the following email from Todd Martin, Corporate Spokesperson for Adult Entertainment Video, LLC:

Press Release

Representatives of our organization were in attendance at tonight’s Carolina Forest Civic Association meeting. Janet Carter offered, yet again, another vague and misleading presentation. She cannot identify specific parcels of property on the Carolina Forest 501 corridor, yet she continually refers to them. While these overly broad, Constitutionally defective proposed ordinances were discussed, the folks in Carolina Forest did not receive one bit of clarification or further information than what has already been reported by the media.

Airport Express Video on Adult Entertainment Issue

It is and has always been the position and vision of Airport Express Video that “if” this adult entertainment ordinance passes we want to do everything within our power to be a proper corporate citizen, including relocation of our business, if that is what Planning Director Janet Carter, and the County’s Top Gun legal counsel Scott Bergthold would like to see happen.

In that regard they have left us with only one viable option and this is the 501 Corridor area of Carolina Forest. We have never said, suggested or indicated that we planned to relocate “inside” of Carolina Forest proper, due solely to the fact that the development agreement prohibits that until 2017.

Of course once that agreement expires then presumably it would open up several more developable locations for the clubs and stores which sell adult related merchandise. Having been a part of this community for many years, we truly feel that all property from Highway 31 West to the Carolina Forest Wal Mart is truly Carolina Forest, regardless of what specific roadway you are physically on.

Adult Entertainment and Carolina Forest

Adult entertainment locations will be the topic of discussion at the Carolina Forest Civic Association Wednesday night.

Scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at the Carolina Forest Rec Center on Carolina Forest Boulevard, the meeting will allow Carolina Forest residents to be briefed on how they are facing the “Fork in the Road.”

Carolina Forest has become ground zero on the clash between quality of life for residents of one of the fastest growing spots in the county with tourism interests if the county’s new adult entertainment ordinances receive third reading approval.

Making Adult Entertainment Go Away – NOT!

Horry County’s proposed adult entertainment ordinances will have second reading at the August 13, 2013 regular meeting of county council. There is no public review listed on council agenda, so that, presumably, will occur at third reading.

The ordinances were subjected to scrutiny at a recent county council ad hoc committee meeting with the Tennessee attorney Scott Burgthold on the phone to answer questions from committee members. Bergthold is the ‘specialist’ attorney the county has contracted to help with the ordinances and the expected lawsuits that will result from adoption of the new proposed ordinance provisions.

During the meeting, Bergthold outlined his legal approach to defending these ordinances in court and referred to a four year court battle (2003-07) in Daytona Beach, FL, which he won.

However, if you Google strip clubs in Daytona Beach today, you will see that many adult entertainment clubs are still operating, quite legally, six years after the case was settled giving court approval to the ordinances.

RCPS Properties Mining Request Moves Forward

The decision on whether to allow RCPS Properties to expand its mining operations in the Carolina Forest area rests with Horry County Council at its December 18, 2012 meeting.

The county’s Infrastructure and Regulation Committee voted earlier this week to send forward a resolution to full council recommending approval of an application to expand by RCPS Properties.

According to members of the I&R Committee, the RCPS Properties request meets and/or exceeds all county requirements for mining.