Ophthalmologist near Awendaw, SC

AWENDAW, S.C. (WCSC) - Some homeowners in Awendaw say they are concerned severe weather may be bringing severe problems to their properties.

Community members living on Seewee Road claim more recent storms in the Lowcountry have caused drainage issues for roadside ditches along the six-mile stretch of rural road.

“My backyard is just totally covered with water,” neighbor Stephen Flagg says. “My front yard has been totally covered with water. I mean, something just needs to be done.”

Flagg lives on the same portion of land as his grandmother, Lillie Swinton. The family has called Seewee Road home since the 1960s. They say they have noticed the problem for decades.

Both Swinton and Flagg say taking care of the ditches along the property is one thing, but they believe fixing the ditches along the wooded areas and uninhabited spaces would make a big difference.

“Anytime we have heavy rain, the water settles. The ditch drain, there’s nowhere for it to go,” Swinton says. “When summer comes, we’re going to have a lot of trouble with mosquitos, and moccasin snakes.”

At one end of Seewee Road sits the Town of Awendaw Town Hall. Town Administrator Gregory Saxton says he has heard the concerns of neighbors and relayed them to the South Carolina Department of Transportation for assistance.

Seewee Road is a state road and therefore maintained by SCDOT through work orders.

“We just want something to be done. Because after all, we’re taxpayers, just like others. We should be able to have access to things, just like the other communities,” homeowner Alberta Goodwine says. “When it’s raining, the water just settles into the ditches and overflows in the yard. It’s a nuisance.”

Goodwine worries parts of the neighborhood community have been neglected. She adds it is a problem that affects her social life and her daily routines.

“When I step out, I’ve gotta have a boot on coming off the step. To protect myself,” Goodwine says. “Put pipes or something, so drainage will go somewhere, not on my property.”

SCDOT spokesperson Ginny Jones released the following statement:

We had a crew work on ditches along Seewee Road Jan. 2-5. Last week, the crew had to work on storm recovery efforts, but we have employees back out there today. The crew will not be onsite tomorrow due to a regularly scheduled safety meeting, but they will return on Thursday and Friday, as well as next week if necessary. Our crews are digging along approximately 9,100 linear feet of roadway, so it is taking some time, but we will continue to work on it as needed.

Regarding a work order, the answer is both: A citizen may enter an online work request, or a municipality may enter a work request on behalf of a citizen. Online work requests can be submitted here: https://apps.scdot.org/mwro/

We have been in touch with the Town of Awendaw about this work. Please let us know if you need any further information.”

When asked for clarification on how uninhabited portions of the road are maintained, Jones released this response:

SCDOT maintains what is in our right of way. If the land belongs to a municipality, county, or other party, we often work with those folks to plan for maintenance, but there are a lot of different ways that can look.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

AWENDAW, S.C. (March 23, 2024) – The ETSU men's golf team will look to make it three straight wins at Hootie at Bulls Bay. The Bucs, who have won on their last two trips to Bulls Bay Golf Club, begin tournament play on Sunday morning in Awendaw, S.C.

The Bucs will be eyeing to join South Carolina and NC State as the only teams in tournament history to win at least three times.

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION Name: Hootie at Bulls Bay Dates: Sunday, March 24 – Tuesday, March 26 Location: Awendaw, S.C. | Bulls Bay Golf Club Course Info: Par 72 – 7,349 yards Format: 18-18-18 (Sunday-Tuesday) Live Scoring: Golfstat Weather: Sunday – 62°, Sunny, Winds NNE @ 12 mph; Monday – 64°, Partly Cloudy, Winds ENE @ 7 mph; Tuesday – 67°, Mostly Cloudy, Winds E @ 9 mph

THE FIELD · The tournament field features South Carolina, New Mexico, Kentucky, NC State, Kent State, Furman, Purdue, College of Charleston, West Virginia, Missouri, Marquette, LSU, ETSU and Toledo · Eight of the teams in the field of 14 are ranked in the top 75 of Scoreboard Men's Golf Rankings powered by Clippd – No. 15 ETSU, No. 19 New Mexico, No. 33 Purdue, No. 35 Missouri, No. 37 LSU, No. 59 South Carolina, No. 71 College of Charleston and No. 72 Kentucky

ETSU's LINEUP · ETSU's lineup features #1 Mats Ege, #2 Algot Kleen, #3 Matty Dodd-Berry Chartier, #4 Jenson Forrester and #5 Remi Chartier · Ben Carberry will be playing as an individual · Pairings have yet to be released … Tee times for the first two rounds begin at 9 a.m., while Tuesday's final round will begin at 8 a.m.

COVERAGE · Fans can follow live scoring all weekend at Golfstat.com. · In addition, live tweets will be available by following the Bucs on Twitter @ETSU_MGolf.

For more information on Buccaneer men's golf, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the men's golf page.

The town is also considering rules to increase protection of large trees — including pine trees, which some governments exempt — and those rules would be enforced with larger fines.

Rural Awendaw is largely surrounded by the Francis Marion National Forest and the Atlantic coast, but it also shares a border with South Carolina’s fourth-largest municipality, Mount Pleasant.

With about 1,400 residents, Awendaw’s population could more than triple due to developments that already have been approved. One subdivision alone, known as the King Tract, could have 965 homes on 1,354 acres under a 2009 development agreement with the town .

The town has no sewer system, and construction of so many new houses with septic systems has raised concerns about pollution. Awendaw’s government has gone from welcoming and encouraging development to applying the brakes, after changes in leadership.

On March 7, Town Council gave final approval to a moratorium — a temporary freeze — that would:

Developments that already have been approved would see no impact from the moratorium.

The freeze on most subdivisions and rezonings has been in effect since early January, because it was initially approved then, and was applied under the pending ordinance rule. That allows municipal rules to take effect while awaiting a final vote.

Next, the town will consider nearly doubling the amount of land required to build a single-family home, from 12,500 square feet to 21,500, roughly a half-acre. That’s a strategy other South Carolina towns and cities have used to reduce the density of development.

If that rule is adopted, it would take nearly twice the amount of land to build the same number of new homes in Awendaw.

Town planner Mark Brodeur told council members the rule change is intended to reduce “development intensity” and septic systems on smaller lots. At a public hearing March 7, no one spoke in opposition to the concept.

At the same meeting Brodeur laid out proposed tree-protection changes, saying the town’s current rules are unclear and need to be more robust.

What’s proposed it reducing the size of hardwood trees such as Live Oaks that would be protected, from an 18-inch diameter at chest height to 12 inches. Softwood trees would also be protected if they are at least 30 inches in diameter at chest height.

Removing a protected tree without a permit would, under the proposal, result in a $250-per-day fine until mitigation steps are taken. That would mean planting new, native trees to compensate, or paying into a town tree fund at $100 per inch.

“The current ordinance doesn’t have a stick attached to it,” Brodeur said. “An ordinance is only as good as its enforcement.”

Some Awendaw residents said the proposed fine should be much higher. John Brubaker suggested $500 per diameter inch, and said Georgetown County has such a rule.

“I would encourage you to consider that,” said resident Grace Gasper, echoing Brubaker.

Carol Riggs was displeased to hear the planned tree rules explained.

“So, I have to ask permission to cut a pine tree on my own land?” she said. “Who are you to tell me if I can cut a tree?”

Brodeur said residents should rest assured that damaged or diseased trees, or those within 10 feet of a home’s foundation, would be permitted for removal. Brodeur said he’s never refused such a permit.

Both the tree protection rules and the minimum lot sizes for new homes are proposals that would require action by Town Council.

AWENDAW, SC (WCIV) — For weeks, Awendaw residents have been expressing concerns about the potential of hundreds of new homes coming to their community.

"Town council has approved 822 new residences with more on the docket tonight," Awendaw resident John Cooke said. "Those residences come with a population that will at least double our current population."

Read more: Awendaw residents fear housing boom could threaten town's rural charm

However, Mayor Miriam Green says the population will not be doubled.

"It's not the truth," Green said. "It's not a total of 800 homes. And if it is, they still have to go through planning."

"I can't say it's 800, 9,00, or 1,000 homes because I don't know," she continued. "But in the preliminary plan, yes, it did say certain amount of homes will be built up there."

Green describes the development plans as "smart growth".

"We are following ordinance and processes of procedures and state guidelines," she said.

In response to the concerns about the development plans being too much in too little time, Green says the town has to follow guidelines and the rules.

"Just because someone comes to you and says 'This is what we want,' doesn't meant that's what the majority of the citizens of Awendaw want," the mayor said.

Residents have also expressed concerns about how new developments may affect Awendaw's roads and infrastructure.

Read more: Ten Mile Neighborhood Association challenges proposed approval of development along Seafood Road

"Last meeting, I heard emergency services people talk about the fact that they were concerned about their ability to support the town," Cooke said. "The roads, the infrastructure might not be able to support (new development). The roads that were made in the early 1950s-60s are still the ones being used today and could fail."

Green says the infrastructure, road, and traffic issues are being analyzed as part of the development plans.

"We're looking at all that stuff," the mayor said. "We have a traffic study in place, but it doesn't happen overnight."

Another concern is the septic tanks that will be used for the new development, which Green says the town is working on with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC).

Read more: Zoning denial a 'win' for some Awendaw residents

"20 years when all these systems start to fail, you could have an ecological disaster that could affect a lot of bulls bay and the intercoastal waterways," Cooke said.

The evening of Aug. 21, the Awendaw Planning Commission reviewed the Harper Valley proposal. It was denied in a 5-1 vote.

Cooke says people who live in Awendaw are banding together in opposition and they are asking for a moratorium to slow down the development.

"It's a growing pain in Awendaw," Green said. "It's not the people that live here. It's the people that came here."

CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - A $5 million federal investment will soon add 446 acres of land along the South Carolina shoreline.

Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge is currently made up of 22 miles of barrier islands. Sarah Dawsey, the refuge manager, has been working with nature preservation since she was in high school and joined the Youth Conservation Corps.

“This has been a lifelong goal for me. I mean, I can’t tell you how ecstatic I am to get this money. We have barrier islands, the refuge is barrier islands, and they’re only accessible by boat,” Dawsey says.

Coastal Expeditions does run a ferry to Bulls Island for a fee so those interested can visit for the day. There is a public dock on the island for those with boats to use as well.

“This money will allow us to have a tract on the mainland, where we can have trails, we can have hunting, fishing, environmental education, everything that we do on the islands, but to a greater extent and you don’t have to have a boat so it’s really exciting,” Dawsey says.

She also notes that a mainland tract is a step toward a future corridor connecting the refuge to the Francis Marion National Forest.

Durwin Carter is the project leader for Cape Romain, Ace Basin, Santee and Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuges. He says any addition of land is a huge win for conservation efforts, wildlife and the people nearby who can enjoy it.

“It ties directly into what our mission is. Our mission is essentially working with other partners to conserve these lands and habitats and the critters that use it, for the public to enjoy,” Carter says.

Dawsey and Carter pointed out how erosion from storms and sea level rise are threatening the barrier islands and, in their time at the refuge, they have seen the saltwater breach into ponds on Bulls Island and encroach further into the land each year.

“With the threats happening with development and habitat fragmentation and sea level rise, any additional lands that we can conserve are going to be beneficial. We do what we do for the wildlife, for the habitats and for people to enjoy. But we also do it for future generations to enjoy,” Carter says.

The funding comes from the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund. The fund is made up from the sale of Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamps, commonly known as Duck Stamps, and import taxes.

The refuge has a visitors center located off Highway 17 where people can learn more about the conservation work and migratory bird protection the islands offer. Dawsey says people are always welcome to visit Bulls Island as long as they come with respect for the wildlife and leave it as they found it.

“If you see birds flying around or acting unusual or dive bombing you, that’s a signal that you’re close to their nest and they’re just trying to protect their babies,” Dawsey says.

Cape Romain is home to more than 290 bird species that migrate through the area as well as other animals like alligators, deer and sea turtles.

“We are just winding up our field season, so we have a really big loggerhead sea turtle project, it’s seven days a week. We do a lot of posting for birds and stewarding to keep people out of the bird areas and educating people on why it’s important,” Dawsey says.

Carter says his staff and volunteers are grateful for the land the refuge currently gets to take care of. They are looking forward to the expansion once the sale is finalized and eventually to hosting wildlife and visitors on the new mainland tracts.

“We’re really lucky to have the jobs that we have because they really enjoy their time out on the water of Cape Romain; really enjoy their times out on the trails, enjoy their times out appreciating the refuge, doing birdwatching, fishing, hunting, whatever it is, we’re constantly reminded of how great our jobs are because we get a chance to see this every day,” Carter says.

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