Coastal Observer

Land use: Development moving forward as lawsuit moves through courts

Tripp Nealy and Beth Martin met for the first time this week across a drainage ditch. Their attorneys have met in court. Nealy is about to start sales at Magic Oaks, a 27-lot development...
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THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES

Georgetown County: Reassessment math: As property values soar, tax rate will fall

Even people who have not bought or sold property in the last five years have a pretty good idea how real estate prices have increased on the Waccamaw Neck. This year, that will be...
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Environment: Pawleys Island wants hearing on Litchfield sand project

The town of Pawleys Island will ask the state to hold a public hearing on a proposal to dredge sand from Midway Inlet to renourish a portion of Litchfield Beach. The Peninsula Property Owners...
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Pawleys Island: Variance allows old house to straddle new beachfront lots

The owner of a Pawleys Island house that dates to 1939 will have to preserve the structure for at least 10 years in exchange for a variance that will allow it to encroach on...
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Education: Snow’s disruption continues as district searches for make-up days

It is back to the drawing board for the Georgetown County School District after the school board voted down a proposal to make up days missed during January’s snowstorm. Scott Batton, the district’s executive...
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Roads: Former administrator on track for seat on DOT commission

The former Georgetown County administrator is on track to get a seat on the state Department of Transportation Commission. Sel Hemingway was one of two new commission members and two returning members at a...
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Georgetown: Clemson students present their ideas for port redevelopment

In the dead of winter, with its paper mill closed for good and its steel mill sitting idle, there were signs of green shoots that could one day emerge along the Georgetown waterfront from...
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Georgetown County: Growing surplus seen as sign of financial strength

Georgetown County continues to save money for a rainy day, like the ones that come with hurricanes. The surplus in the county’s general fund increased by $5 million last year, according to an annual...
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Safety: Winter wonderland comes with challenges for responders

Working in a coastal community, emergency management officials and first responders in Georgetown County know how to prepare for a hurricane. But a snowstorm? The preparations are basically the same according to Brandon Ellis,...
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Pawleys Island: Town takes first step toward acquiring three easements for beach project

The town of Pawleys Island is moving forward with plans to obtain easements from three beachfront property owners for a federal beach renourishment project. Town Council recently approved a contract to get the three...
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Churches: St. Paul’s sees growth after departure from United Methodists

Six months after it left the United Methodist Church, St. Paul’s Waccamaw is thriving. Membership has grown so much that there are now three services every Sunday: two traditional and one modern. “I think...
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Pawleys Island: Town drainage study provides model for a wetter future

The engineers knew that Pawleys Island had a problem with flooding, otherwise they would not have been there. What surprised them, they said, was how much the water rises over the town’s streets. “The...
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THE WEEK’S FEATURED STORIES

Roads: Study will put improvements for 17-707 intersection on fast track

A $1.5 million study this year will examine solutions to the failing intersection at Bypass 17 and Highway 707 using a program that is intended to fast track projects. The work was added recently...
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BUSINESS NEWS

Observer staff wins 15 state press awards

The Coastal Observer staff received 15 awards for reporting, writing, photography and design, in the S.C. Press Association’s annual news contest. The paper won first place for General Excellence among the state’s medium-sized weeklies....
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LOCAL EVENTS

Meetings

Georgetown County Board of Education: First and third Tuesdays, 5:30 p.m., Beck Education Center. For details, go to gcsd.k12.sc.us . Georgetown County Council: Second and fourth Tuesdays, 5:30 p.m., Council Chambers, 129 Screven St., Georgetown. For details, go to georgetowncountysc.org. Pawleys Island Town Council: Second Mondays, 5 p.m. Town Hall, 323 Myrtle Ave. For details, go to townofpawleysisland.com. , .