Managed IT Servicesin Isle of Palms, SC

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Lowcountry Weekend) - What’s worth its weight in gold but light enough to stash in your pocket? A Charleston County Parks Gold Pass! This annual pass rewards park-goers with a year’s worth of great benefits, including unlimited admission to many of your Charleston County parks. But that’s only the beginning…

Music lovers and foodies, flash your Gold Pass to enjoy free entry to popular events like the Reggae Nights Summer Concert Series, the Latin American Festival, and the Lowcountry Cajun Festival. Is the Holiday Festival of Lights a can’t-miss part of your Christmas season celebrations? The Gold Pass is good for an evening’s admission to the lights show!

Birdwatchers, your Gold Pass allows you to enroll for free in Early Morning Bird Walks at Caw Caw Interpretive Center. History-minded Gold Pass holders can enter McLeod Plantation Historic Site at no charge, walking the grounds of the carefully preserved, deeply significant Gullah/Geechee heritage site.

On hot summer days, pack your Gold Pass along with your sunscreen to swim and splash for free at the West Ashley Aquatic Center. If strolling through the surf or sunning in the sand is more your speed, your Gold Pass entitles you to free parking at Folly Beach County Park, Isle of Palms County Park, and Kiawah Beachwalker Park.

Gold-bearing bikers and hikers can return again and again to the Wannamaker North Trail, without spending a dime. And just when you think you’ve exhausted all the fun your Charleston County parks can offer (that’s impossible, btw), Gold Pass holders receive $15 off annual memberships to the South Carolina Aquarium!

You can even give the gift of gold—it never goes out of style—when you present a Gold Pass as a housewarming gift for Lowcountry newcomers, a birthday present for a nature-loving friend, an employee perk from an appreciative boss, or a retirement treat for someone making the most of their new chapter in life. Because a Gold Pass makes a wonderful gift for anyone eager to fill their lives with more experiences and less “stuff.”

Best of all, Gold Pass holders are allowed admission of up to 15 people per vehicle for most locations, so you only need one Gold Pass to treat your family, your friends, your neighborhood walking group, your son’s sleepover pals, or any other crew riding in your car to an awesome day in the parks. Larger groups can enjoy the benefits of the Community Bus Gold Pass, available to school groups, daycares, churches, and organizations bringing large buses.

And the savings? They’re as good as gold.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

COLUMBIA — Widening a 53-mile stretch of Interstate 95 through lower South Carolina is a newly designated priority for keeping freight moving safely to the Georgia border, but a start date is still years away.

While the timeline is still to be determined, work to widen the segment between U.S. Highway 17 in Jasper County and Interstate 26 in Orangeburg County to three lanes each way likely won’t start until at least 2030, S.C. Department of Transportation officials say.

That’s concerning for state Sen. Chip Campsen, R-Isle of Palms, who questioned whether continued patchwork repairs of “the worst roadbed in the entire state” makes financial sense.

“It is literally falling apart,” he told DOT Secretary Christy Hall following her presentation to senators last week on the status of the state’s highways.

“I actually take (U.S. Highway) 15 instead of the interstate because of the potholes,” said Campsen, whose coastal district extends to Beaufort County.

“I see boat trailers abandoned on the side of the interstate because they’ve busted an axle — their springs broke — because they hit a pothole,” he added. “You better know where the potholes are to safely drive it. I wouldn’t dare drive 70 miles an hour on it.”

DOT is “very much aware of the situation,” Hall said.

The twofold problem is unique to that section of interstate through the Lowcountry. Regular washouts erode where the pavement connects to the interstate shoulder, plus soil that tends to stay wet undermines 30- to 50-foot slabs of concrete that rock and crack under traffic, she said.

“When these slabs break, we try to safen them up as best we can, then bring somebody in to do an overnight repair by removing that slab and replacing it,” she said. “There is some challenge in that because it seems as soon as you fix one, the next one starts to crack.”

The good news, she said, is that much of that cracking is occurring on the southernmost segment where widening work starts next year, and major repairs of the existing lanes south of the I-26 intersection are under contract.

A complete reconstruction has begun of the four lanes — two each way — between the U.S. 17 connection at mile marker 33 and the Walterboro exit at mile marker 68. The $86 million contract includes tree clearing for safety, patching concrete and laying asphalt on top. That work will continue through 2025, said DOT Chief of Staff Justin Powell.

A separate contract of $7.4 million covers patch repairs only on the 18 miles between the Walterboro exit and the I-26 interchange, which started last March and should be done by year’s end.

Widening the first 33 miles from the Georgia border will be done in three stages, wrapping up in 2030 with a total price tag of roughly $1 billion, Hall said.

Work on the first 8 miles, to include replacing the Savannah River bridge, will start in 2024, followed by 13 more miles in 2026. Plans calls for the next 12-mile segment, from mile marker 21 to the Ridgeland exit at U.S. 17, to start in 2028.

That construction was accelerated by a $600 million infusion of state and federal money the Legislature approved last year for the DOT’s existing plan for interstate widening through rural areas.

In addition to the first 33 miles of I-95 completed at least two years ahead of schedule, a 70-mile segment of I-26 between Lexington and Berkeley counties is on track for completion by 2034 — six years sooner than projected.

Speeding up those projects allowed for more to be added to the priority list for rural interstate widening.

Last month, the state DOT Commission added three. Ranked highest among them was the remaining 53-mile stretch of I-95 to the Interstate 26 connection, followed by 29 miles of I-95 from the North Carolina border to Florence exit 170 — the Buc-ee’s travel center exit. Ranking third is a 34-mile stretch of I-26 from the Little Mountain exit in Newberry County to the Interstate 385 split at Exit 51.

It’s important to prioritize the movement of freight through rural South Carolina, not just urban centers, said DOT Deputy Secretary Brent Rewis.

“First and foremost, if South Carolina wants to continue to attract business and increase manufacturing, it’s imperative we have a reliable interstate system. Secondly, we need to improve safety,” he said. “We also want to make sure we have an efficient system. Hopefully, that will help lower costs from a freight perspective. It doesn’t do any good if we have commercial motor vehicles stuck in traffic.”

About 9,500 commercial trucks travel daily on the three stretches that total 116 miles. And over the last five years, there were an average of eight accidents per mile involving commercial trucks, he said.

“The bottom line is, it’s time to expand our rural interstate program,” Rewis told DOT commissioners before they unanimously approved adding the segments to the priority list.

Their addition allows for engineering, environmental studies and long-range planning, not construction in the short term, Powell said.

“A tremendous amount of interstate work is moving forward,” Hall said.

Still, legislators were hoping to hear of more work faster.

“That’s the welcome to South Carolina — at least, when you’re coming from the south,” Campsen said about I-95. “And it’s not a very welcoming welcome mat when you’re coming from Georgia, which has great roads, and then you get to 95 in South Carolina, and it’s like no-man’s land in World War I with the craters.”

Hall reminded senators that South Carolina has the nation’s fourth-largest state highway system serving the third-fastest-growing population.

A 12 cents-per-gallon increase to the state gas tax is funding $3 billion of road and bridge work across the state. Legislators approved the phased-in tax hike in 2017, the first for state gas taxes in 30 years. South Carolina gas taxes, at 28 cents per gallon after the increase fully phased in last July, remain 3.2 cents below Georgia’s and 12.5 cents below North Carolina’s.

“Of course, Georgia has twice the budget and half the responsibility,” Hall told Campsen.

Since 2010, the 65-plus age group in South Carolina has grown 48% — more than the national average. In South Carolina, nearly 40% of the population is more than 50 years old. These 2 million South Carolinians are getting ready to retire, or have already retired, hoping to live out their golden years alongside trustworthy neighbors in a quiet and safe community.

South Carolina is a wonderful place for seniors to put down roots. There are beaches and mountains, small towns and large metropolitan areas, and historic districts in cities such as Charleston. However, it is becoming more difficult to maintain a good quality of life, especially for those with fixed and lower incomes, due to increasing housing costs and reduced housing availability.

A key driver of this phenomenon is an increase in short-term rentals. Because South Carolina is also such a desirable place to vacation, Airbnb and Vrbo rentals are popping up across the state, oftentimes taking homes off the market and reducing housing options for local residents. Seniors deserve a place where they can afford to retire safely and comfortably — not a neighborhood plagued by noisy parties, strange neighbors and other unruly behaviors.

As commercially operated short-term rentals continue to proliferate across the state, they are raising alarms among seniors and families who are concerned about neighborhood safety and care about the future of their neighborhoods. Seniors should be able to walk around their neighborhoods and know their neighbors. Parents and grandparents want their children and grandchildren to be able to play outside without worrying about unknown guests next door. If communities begin to fill up with short-term rentals, you might not even know your neighbors — they could change every weekend.

Charleston, Hilton Head Island and Greenville are just a few cities that have already taken action to restrict short-term rentals. However, if South Carolina’s Legislature passes a state preemption bill aimed at changing the oversight of short-term rentals, this will replace any regulations implemented by localities with a one-size-fits-all law that will not adequately address the issue. Local leaders, who know the issues facing their communities, are best equipped to create regulations regarding short-term rentals.

State legislators who are unfamiliar with the nuances of individual cities and towns cannot be expected to create policies that work for the entire state. Charleston, Columbia, Isle of Palms and Rock Hill are all vastly different communities that are affected by short-term rentals differently. It is important to support legislation that allows local leaders to determine what works best for their residents.

As you age and transition from working to retirement, the community you live in becomes extremely important. The fabric of our communities is greatly affected by the continued presence of short-term rentals. As an advocate for America’s aging population, I urge state legislators to oppose any proposal to take away the ability of cities and towns to protect their residents from the negative impacts of short-term rentals that are flooding neighborhoods. Our seniors deserve better than a revolving door of strangers next door. They deserve to feel safe in their own homes.

You can trust your local leaders to make the best decisions for their residents without the state stepping in and taking over. If you have any doubts, look no further than Arizona. In 2016, Arizona passed one-size-fits-all legislation that hurt the housing market with higher costs to rent and buy and increased property insurance prices. The bill was such a disaster that Gov. Doug Ducey signed a new law in 2022 that now gives regulatory power back to local municipalities.

A state preemption law is not the right choice for South Carolina. Legislators can avoid making the same mistakes by opposing a state preemption law and empowering local leaders to make these critical decisions. Ultimately, they will make the best choice.

Saul Anuzis is president of the 60 PLUS Association and the American Association of Senior Citizens.

The much-anticipated third season of the Netflix hit series “Outer Banks,” filmed in Charleston, is out now.

To mark the occasion, Condé Nast Traveler released a video featuring one of the stars of the show, Charleston native Madelyn Cline, who plays “Pogue for Life” Sarah Cameron.

In the video, Cline sips sweet tea while revealing some of her favorite places and dining experiences in the Lowcountry. (She admits she was late to work once, stuck in the drive-thru line to get sweet tea; you always squeeze the lemon in, she added.)

“I’m going to personally show you around Charleston,” the actress begins. “What makes Charleston a special place for me, for starters, I am from there, so it is home.”

Cline grew up in Goose Creek, and her family still lives in town.

Among Cline’s favorite spots are:

“Just talking about Charleston gets me really excited, and I hope you guys want to go check it out for yourself,” Cline says while wrapping up the video.

There are 10 episodes in Season 3 of “Outer Banks,” available for streaming on Netflix now.

The first day of spring will be here before we know it, and despite what our dear groundhog Punxsutawney Phil predicted, I’m hoping for warmer weather sooner than later.

This month, The Windjammer’s beach stage will be in full force with a variety of gigs, while other outdoor venues like Firefly Distillery and Credit One Stadium gear up for the spring and summer seasons.

While most shows remain indoors for the time being, we have a lot to look forward to. These March concerts are certainly on my radar, from Gladys Knight to Boyz II Men and everything in between.

Gladys Knight

WHAT: The “Empress of Soul” is coming to town and bringing with her a catalog of favorite hits, from “That’s What Friends Are For” to “Midnight Train to Georgia.”

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. March 2

WHERE: North Charleston Performing Arts Center, 5001 Coliseum Drive

PRICE: $72+

MORE INFO: northcharlestoncoliseumpac.com/events/detail/gladys-knight

Hip Hops: The Remix

WHAT: The Charleston Wine + Food Festival is presenting this show featuring Southern hip-hop group Nappy Roots and DJ BLord. There will be curated food and craft beers to go with the tunes.

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. March 3

WHERE: The Music Farm, 32 Ann St.

PRICE: $125 (all you can eat and drink)

MORE INFO: musicfarm.com/event/hip-hops-the-remix

Razor Braids w/ Tree Limbs and Catholics

WHAT: Brooklyn, N.Y.-based queer rock band Razor Braids will perform punk rock, while local bands Tree Limbs and Catholics open.

WHEN: 9 p.m. March 3

WHERE: Tin Roof, 1117 Magnolia Road

PRICE: $10

MORE INFO: citypapertickets.com/events/134096760/razor-braids-w-tba

Charleston The Band

WHAT: Local players Gavin Hamilton, Andy Greenberg, Noah Jones, Sean Bing and Tim Khayat will get together to play a gig that promises funk, soul, rock and jam.

WHEN: 10 p.m. March 8

WHERE: Charleston Pour House, 1977 Maybank Highway

PRICE: $10 advance, $15 day of show

MORE INFO: charlestonpourhouse.com/event/charleston-the-band

The Head and the Heart

WHAT: This indie folk-rock band behind hits “Rivers and Roads” and “Honeybee” will play the first of three shows at The Riviera Theater marking the venue’s one-year anniversary since reopening to the public. The followups will be Patrick Davis on March 24 and Andy Grammer on April 7. During all three shows, concessions will be 1939-era prices, an ode to the historic venue’s founding date (65 cent local and domestic beers and $1.10 glasses of wine).

WHEN: 8 p.m. March 11

WHERE: The Riviera Theater, 227 King St.

PRICE: $92.50+

MORE INFO: therivierachs.com/shows/the-head-and-the-heart

They Might Be Giants

WHAT: This “evening with” performance will feature They Might Be Giants’ breakthrough album “Flood” in its entirety, along with early favorites, career anecdotes and more from the art rock-meets-children’s music-meets-geek rock band from the ’80s.

WHEN: 8 p.m. March 12

WHERE: Charleston Music Hall, 37 John St.

PRICE: $35-$55

MORE INFO: charlestonmusichall.com/event/an-evening-with-they-might-be-giants

Voice of Harold: A Tribute to R.E.M.

WHAT: Mark Bryan of Hootie & The Blowfish will perform this tribute show to R.E.M., which also doubles as a St. Patrick’s Day party.

WHEN: 7 p.m. March 17

WHERE: Lo-Fi Brewing, 2038 Meeting Street Road

PRICE: $15-$25

MORE INFO: eventbrite.com/e/voice-of-harold-a-tribute-to-rem-feat-mark-bryan-of-hootie-the-blowfish-tickets-533986757767?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

Extra Chill Presents: Babe Club

WHAT: Local music blog Extra Chill will present a performance at The Royal American featuring three South Carolina acts. Electrifying and funktastic Leone & The Ascension and psychedelic escapist Leopard & The Diamond Sky will open for lush and luring pop outfit Babe Club.

WHEN: 9 p.m. March 18

WHERE: The Royal American, 970 Morrison Drive

PRICE: $10 cash at door

MORE INFO: theroyalamerican.com/schedule

Orange Doors w/ Monsoon and Cloutchaser

WHAT: Former marching band students will play eclectic hooks, featuring horns and all, with Charleston’s Orange Doors, while two-piece Athens, Ga., indie rock band Monsoon and two-piece Boone, N.C., instrumental math rock band Cloutchaser open the show.

WHEN: 8 p.m. March 19

WHERE: Music Farm, 32 Ann St.

PRICE: $15 advance, $19 day of show

MORE INFO: musicfarm.com/event/orange-doors

Cody Webb w/ Drew Dangerfield

WHAT: The Windjammer is already ramping up its outdoor shows as spring sneaks up on us (The Midnight City on March 3-4, Departure: Journey Tribute on March 17 and Everclear on March 31), but this one will take place indoors. This country concert will feature some local love: Cody Webb, the singer behind “She’s Carolina,” along with another South Carolina native who still resides in Charleston and performed at Darius Rucker’s Riverfront Revival Festival, Drew Dangerfield.

WHEN: 9 p.m. March 24

WHERE: The Windjammer, 1008 Ocean Blvd., Isle of Palms

PRICE: $10

MORE INFO: the-windjammer.com/event/cody-webb-with-drew-dangerfield-on-the-beach-stage

R.E.S.P.E.C.T Tribute Concert

WHAT: Tribute concert to and celebration of Aretha Franklin, featuring a live band and vocalists.

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. March 26

WHERE: Charleston Gaillard Center, 95 Calhoun St.

PRICE: $32+

MORE INFO: gaillardcenter.org/events/r-e-s-p-e-c-t

Boyz II Men

WHAT: This three-decades-and-running R&B group will play hits from “On Bended Knee” to “I’ll Make Love to You.” Bring your sweetheart, and feel the magic from these crooners.

WHEN: 8 p.m. March 30

WHERE: North Charleston Performing Arts Center, 5001 Coliseum Drive

PRICE: $69.75+

MORE INFO: northcharlestoncoliseumpac.com/events/detail/boyz-ii-men

3rd annual Drifter Fest

WHAT: This annual festival celebrates the late life of Bert Griggs, a live music fan and merch slinger behind Drifter Merch. Tishamingo and George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners will play along with Gavin Hamilton & Friends with Wallace Mullinax, Broken Speakers and Just Groove. A portion of proceeds go to Carolina Studios.

WHEN: 5 p.m. March 31-April 1

WHERE: The Refinery, 1640 Meeting Street Road

PRICE: $20 one-day, $35 weekend pass, $50 VIP one-day, $90 VIP weekend pass

MORE INFO: ticketweb.com/event/drifter-fest-the-refinery-tickets/12897335

ISLE OF PALMS — As the new year approaches, the fight over public beach parking remains unsettled with a court case awaiting a decision by the state Supreme Court.

The Palm Republic group created by Isle of Palms’ former mayor and a current councilman has asked the court to hear a constitutional challenge to a 2021 state law that says free beach parking along state roads can’t be removed without the state’s permission.

It’s a law created by Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Bonneau, and signed by Gov. Henry McMaster in the spring of 2021, following the island’s attempt in 2020 to remove much of the beach parking on the island and charge for the parking that would remain.

The S.C. Department of Transportation had already rejected the island’s plan to eliminate hundreds of parking spaces, and later stepped in to increase the amount of free parking near the beach on the island — “unilaterally and illegally” according to the Palm Republic lawsuit.

Those actions prompted Councilman Blair Hahn and former Mayor Jimmy Carroll to declare the island “The Palm Republic” in an airing of grievances that included a declaration of independence, signed in costume at a local bar.

At the time, Hahn was declared to be The Palm Republic’s “attorney general, also known as His Beaudacious Highness, Admiral and Grand Ruler of All Seas Less than 1 Fathom.” But he says the legal issues in play are not joke.

Carroll and Hahn have said the state law is an affront to home rule and the power of municipalities.

“We want our home rule back,” said Carroll. “We just want them to hear the case.”

State Rep. Joe Bustos, R-Mount Pleasant, agrees.

“There’s either going to be home rule, or there’s not,” he said.

The issue now is whether the Supreme Court will take what’s known as “original jurisdiction” and agree to hear the case, as Palm Republic LLC has asked.

The state, through Attorney General Alan Wilson’s office, and the DOT have both urged the court to not take the case. Both said there’s no urgency to rule on a law that’s been in effect for more than 18 months, and the case should be heard in a lower court.

“If the Supreme Court does not take the case, we’ll file the case in Charleston County,” Hahn said. “The only issue is, is the statute constitutional or not?”

He said the case would end up before the Supreme Court one way or another.

Like many barrier islands, Isle of Palms has sought to manage the flood of beach-bound traffic that arrives during the warm months. Conflict over the parking issue flared up in 2020 when the island prohibited non-residents from using the hundreds of free parking spots near the beach, citing COVID-19 concerns.

The attempt to eliminate parking and charge for what remained came the following year, prompting the creation of a nonprofit group that sued the city, the new state law, and action by SCDOT.

The Palm Republic group has been urging residents to write to local and state lawmakers, and the Supreme Court, to ask that the high court take the case.