Commercial Roof Repair in Awendaw, SC

AWENDAW, S.C. (WCBD) – Officials in Awendaw responded to a vehicle fire overnight on Guerins Bridge Road.

According to Awendaw McClellanville Fire District, crews responded to reports of a vehicle fire in the 1400 block of Guerins Bridge Road around midnight.

Upon arrival, first responders extinguished the fire. Crews remained on scene to clean up the incident.

No injuries were reported.

Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

The TikTok-famous Ninja Creami ice cream maker lives …

Grocery / 4 hours ago

You’ve seen it on TikTok — now try it for yourself in your own home. Learn more about why the Ninja Creami ice cream maker is making waves in home kitchens.

These 10 kitchen gadgets are worth making space for …

Food / 3 hours ago

Our team of experts has selected the best steam irons out of hundreds of models.Don’t buy a steam iron before reading these reviews.

A folding phone and other big reveals at Google I/O …

Cell Phones & Accessories / 4 hours ago

Google revealed lots of exciting new products at the Google I/O keynote event on May 10. Learn more about the products they’re releasing and where to find them.

AWENDAW, S.C. (WCIV) — Many Awendaw residents are calling it a "win" after the town's Zoning Commission denied a request Monday evening to rezone 66 acres for a possible development.

The land in question is in the vicinity of Boomstraw Hill Road and Sewee Road and was recently annexed into the town limits from Charleston County.

Developer David Weekley Homes recently acquired the neighboring Awendaw Village development, and made a brief presentation at Monday's meeting answering questions from board members and the public.

Read More: Proposed plan to build 72-home subdivision in Awendaw

Their proposal included creating lot sizes of 20,000 square-feet per home with a little more than 60 homes planned. But the current Agricultural zoning designation only provides for a minimum 30,000 square-foot lots. A change to Residential zoning would have decreased that limit to 12,500.

Allen Rioux serves on Awendaw's Board of Zoning Appeals and said the consensus from citizens is a desire to keep development density low.

"We're certainly not anti-development or anti-developer. We understand that this is a desirable place to be, and - in fact - we think that development is important for our community, for our tax base," Rioux said. "But, what the community is against is high-density development. We need to be reasonable. We have great resources here and we need to be careful that we don't negatively impact them."

Read More: Environmentalists fear impacts of 200 new homes near Awendaw wildlife refuge

Others at Monday's meeting called the request premature.

David Weekley Homes faces some challenges with the land. First and foremost, access.

The parcels are currently land-locked, meaning there's no road legal road access. However, a phase to development of their recently acquired Awendaw Village off Highway 17 would provide an adjacent connection to the 66-acres.

Read More: People still concerned after hearing developer's redevelopment plan for Union Pier

A few residents from Awendaw Village were at the zoning meeting and voiced their concerns over unfulfilled promises from their original developer.

David Weekley Homes will likely need to return before town council or the Zoning Commission with an updated development proposal.

AWENDAW, S.C. (WCSC) - The coastal waterways are home to activities like fishing, shrimping and hold many of the Lowcountry’s famous oysters. However, a nonprofit environmental law firm and the people of Awendaw say these waterways could be in jeopardy.

Charleston Waterkeeper and South Carolina Coastal Conservation League, two environmental organizations of the Lowcountry, want the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) to have more of an oversight of septic systems that are being installed by the entire coastline. Because of this, they filed a complaint in November that is now moving its way through the circuit court.

“DHEC has, no one has, any idea how many septic systems exist in South Carolina because no one’s keeping track of it,” Emily Nellermoe, staff attorney at the South Carolina Environmental Law Firm and one of the lead attorneys representing the plaintiffs, said.

One of the many areas of concern is in the Town of Awendaw. Back in the spring, the town’s planning commission approved two large residential subdivisions, resulting in more than 400 septic tanks coming right next to the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge.

Susan Cox lives in Awendaw and says she is passionate about saving these waterways.

“The mission statement of the Town of Awendaw says they want to maintain the rural character of the town, but there is nothing about a dense housing development that says rural,” Cox said.

Cox says her and her neighbors believe this area was improperly rezoned years ago. She says these septic tanks are going to do irreversible harm to the wildlife.

Andrew Wunderley, director of Charleston Waterkeeper, says his organization tests the water quality of areas like these.

“There’s evidence that septic tanks, especially clustered at high densities, can discharge pollution by creeks and rivers,” Wunderley said. “So, it’s a huge concern... Any of those activities that make the Lowcountry lifestyle and living here in the Lowcountry so special are put at risk.”

Nellermoe says she doesn’t know why the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control is not asking these important questions.

“What are the impacts of 200 septic systems on the watershed overall?” Nellermoe said. “What are the impacts to oyster beds and shellfish harvesting? They’re not asking any of those questions and they should be and that’s a problem.”

The Department of Health and Environmental Control says they do not comment on pending litigation. However, Nellermoe says she heard from them recently and they say they do not have to use their specialized agency to review these permits and they are not breaking any laws.

“This is the largest undeveloped piece of coastline on the East coast in the United States of America and once it’s gone, it’s gone,” Cox said. “You can’t get it back.”

The Town of Awendaw has not responded for a comment. Nellermoe says the timeline on this complaint depends on court scheduling, so there is not a set date of when further action will be taken.

The filed complaint for South Carolina Coastal Conservation League and Charleston Waterkeeper v. South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control is below.

Septic Tank Lawsuit (1) by Live 5 News on Scribd

Millions of books, audiobooks, magazines, documents, sheet music, and more for free.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

AWENDAW, S.C. (WCIV) — One Awendaw woman is launching a new company with the goal of bringing new services to her community.

Awendaw is a small quiet rural city next to Mount Pleasant, but for people like Stacia McNeil Dawson it's better known as "home."

“Being out in the country, born and raised, which I love and I see that everybody else is starting to love it as well,” McNeil Dawson said.

Awendaw woman starts trash service, looks to bring more resources to rural communities. (WCIV)

But the beauty of a small rural town comes at a cost.

“Growing [up], born and raised in Awendaw, I’ve noticed that we always lack,” McNeil Dawson said.

Cities like Awendaw don’t have county-sponsored resources when it comes to maintenance or sanitation like many other areas do. So for many basic necessities, residents are pushed towards private services which, according to residents, may be unreliable or have such a large service area that these rural cities may get over looked.

“We are the last to have anything available or otherwise any type of services funding or even programs,” McNeil Dawson said.

Read More: Modular unit with 8 classrooms at Lucy Beckham High, enrollment projection over capacity

One of those resources McNeil Dawson says the lack: trash services.

“Just to see when you go out and visit other relatives, and they have all these type of services come into their community, and you come back home and you see that we don't have it, it makes you feel like why don't we have it? It makes us feel like, well, maybe we're not worthy to have it or maybe they just don't want to cater to us," McNeil Dawson said.

Instead of accepting her fate, McNeil Dawson decided to get up and do something about it.

“In order to make a difference in the world, we must start [at] home first. Community is number one, " she said.

Read More: Unusual Carolinas: Rattlesnake spotted in the surf at Myrtle Beach State Park

McNeil Dawson decided to create her own sanitation service company specifically for Awendaw and the surrounding rural areas in the North Mount Pleasant area. It's called Awendaw Sanitation Services.

What started out as a vision five years ago turned into a full blow operation set to open next week. McNeil Dawson took the an unconventional route to get there.

“Typically, every day in both of my vehicles is full with anything on sanitation," she said.

She's a true self starter who built this business using her own money- raising almost a quarter of a million dollars in total- her own time and her own resources to put together trucks and commercial vehicles.

From rolling trash cans down the street to now just being days away from the rollout of her business– it’s been a long journey.

Read More: Southeastern hike trekking through South Carolina in effort to combat childhood cancer

But for McNeil Dawson, her purpose is much larger than just trash clean-up.

“I believe Awendaw Sanitation Services will be the door to start opening up new opportunities, to bring out more resources and just to give more to the rural areas," she said.

She hopes the road she took to get to this point will inspire others to do the same.

“It's going to take us if we see the need, it's going to take us to make that change," she said.

Awendaw sanitation company will provide household trash cleanup services to Awendaw, McClellanville, Huger, North Santee, Buck Hall and North Mount Pleasant starting on August 2.

McNeil Dawson said they are currently running a promotion for signups before their start date next week and are also looking for more employees– specifically for anyone with a CDL license.

CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – A recent land purchase by the Charleston County School District (CCSD) could be the home of a joint middle and high school that would cater to students in Awendaw, McClellanville, and, possibly, Mt. Pleasant.

The $3.5 million, 107-acre property is located about 17 miles north of Wando High School off Highway 17 near Jenkins Hill Road.

It was purchased with the idea of building a school, but that process is just beginning.

“We’re investing in the future and also creating a situation where we hope to have a community school for that area,” said Jeff Borowy, the Chief Operating Officer for CCSD.

On Wednesday, District 2 Constituent Board members, parents, and community members will learn more details about what programs the school could provide, attendance numbers needed to make it come to life, and more.

“We’re going to get a little more definition about some of the programs that it potentially could offer. What we do know, at least what we’ve been told before, is that the school will probably have a population of 1,000 children and it will be a middle school/high school,” said Pamela Jouan-Goldman, the chair of the District 2 Constituent Board.

Many parents in the area say this school is a long time coming.

In 2016, CCSD permanently closed Lincoln Middle-High School due to low attendance numbers. Since then, elementary and middle school students attend St. James-Santee Elementary-Middle School, and high school students attend Mt. Pleasant high schools including Wando High and Oceanside Collegiate Academy (OCA).

“I’d say its about 25 to 30 miles each way,” said Nida Singleton.

Singleton lives in McClellanville and takes care of her nephew who attends OCA. Fortunately, his schedule is adjusted to begin the school day at 11:30 a.m., but when he attended Laing Middle School last year, the early mornings and long drives took their toll.

Singleton still drives to drop him off and pick him up each day.

“Getting up early, getting home late, still having activities and homework and all that, and it’s just a lot coming from McClellanville.”

She works two jobs and had to adjust her schedule to accommodate for travel to and from school. She says she’s hopeful the proposed school will come to fruition.

“I wish my nephew of my future kids could go to something closer.”

One concern with the feasibility of the school is attendance. In order to make it happen, around 1,000 students would need to be enrolled. Borowy says the target is 500 each for both the middle and high schools.

As it stands now, the likelihood of just the Awendaw and McClellanville areas meeting those requirements is slim due to the population in those areas. However, there’s a possibility that some students could come from Mt. Pleasant.

“It will be extremely difficult to create a zoning situation where we’ll be able to capture 500 students in either of the school schools without progressing very far south into Mt. Pleasant,” said Borowy.

He says that possibility will be discussed over the coming months with District 1 and District 2 constituent boards.

Another option being looked at is offering a magnet program at the school. That would allow students from all over to attend the school to supplement attendance numbers.

For now, basic details are being presented and more information, as well as public feedback meetings, will be offered in the future.