Coastal Observer

Litchfield Beach: Study outlines plan for ‘engineered beach’ at Litchfield

A study prepared for Georgetown County as part of its update of its beachfront management plan recommends creating a fund to pay for up to $20.3 million of renourishment along the Litchfield Beaches to...
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THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES

Land use: Changing maps raise questions about the future

Heavy equipment started work this spring clearing 8.8 acres at the corner of Martin Luther King Road and Petigru Drive for a 22-lot subdivision. Seen from the street, it’s an example of the growth...
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Pawleys Island: Historic home preservation made condition of variance to tear down old house

A house from the 1940s that the owners say is beyond repair will be replaced in exchange for an agreement to preserve one of the oldest houses on Pawleys Island. The town Board of...
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Roads: County will fund studies to improve traffic hot spots

Georgetown County will commission studies of the business districts in Pawleys Island and Murrells Inlet to create shovel-ready projects for state highway funding that will improve pedestrian access and safety along with aesthetics. The...
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Nonprofits: Outdoor classroom lets students dig into hands-on learning

Maria Montessori once said: “What the hand does, the mind remembers.” Coastal Montessori Charter School teachers and parents took that to heart three years ago when they started transforming a two-and-a-half wooded lot next...
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Education: School board will hire firm to lead superintendent search

The Georgetown County School Board hopes to have an interim superintendent in place by the middle of next month and a permanent replacement named sometime after the start of the new school year. “That...
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Pawleys Island: Town shifts historic home protection to fast track

Owners of nine structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places are being polled by Pawleys Island officials to gauge support for restrictions that would prevent the demolition of those buildings. The town...
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Land use: Revisions proposed to maps to cut future density

Matt Collison has only lived in Heritage Plantation for a year. He wasn’t here for the charettes, the corridor studies, the online survey or the delays that made up Georgetown County’s efforts since 2019...
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Nonprofits: Fellowship lets teens live their faith out loud

Every Thursday about three dozen Waccamaw High School students gather in Chris Overbeek’s classroom to eat lunch and share their faith. “I just love it because it’s so cool to see these kids at...
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Sales tax: County trims $20M from request for dredging

The biggest project proposed for a share of a capital projects sales tax got a little smaller last week. Georgetown County doesn’t need $21 million to dredge channels in Murrells Inlet. “That number now...
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Pawleys Island: Town lays groundwork for acquiring last 3 beach easements

Pawleys Island Town Council this week took the first step toward acquiring three easements it needs to be eligible for federal funds to renourish 1.3 miles of beach on the island’s south end. Mayor...
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Education: School superintendent will leave for Midlands district

Georgetown County School Superintendent Keith Price was named this week as the superintendent-elect of the Lexington County 1 School District. “It’s a great opportunity but also bittersweet to be saying goodbye to so many...
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THE WEEK’S FEATURED STORIES

Sales tax: Top capital projects cover wide area as panel closes in on ballot question

A bike path on Martin Luther King Road, outdoor pickleball and basketball courts at the regional rec center, a rebuilt park in Murrells Inlet and a new fire station at DeBordieu are among the...
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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. , .

COASTAL OBSERVER