Roofing Contractor inSummerville, SC.

Six Berkeley County School District high school basketball teams appear in the South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association’s top 10 polls for Feb. 7.

At No. 1 in Class AAAAA, Stratford’s girls headline the group. Goose Creek’s boys are ranked fifth in Class AAAAA and Philip Simmons’s girls fifth in Class AAA.

Playoffs begin on Feb. 15.

5A Boys Top 10

1. Dorman

2. Conway

3. Lexington

4. Summerville

5. Goose Creek

6. Cane Bay

7. Byrnes

8. JL Mann

9. TL Hanna

10. Fort Mill

5A Girls Top 10

1. Stratford

2. Mauldin

3. Lexington

4. Summerville

5. Spring Valley

6. Rock Hill

7. Woodmont

8. Sumter

9. Carolina Forest

10. TL Hanna

4A Boys Top 10

1. North Augusta

2. Lancaster

3. Catawba Ridge

4. Greenville

5. Westside

6. Irmo

7. Wilson

8. Greer

9. James Island

10. Indian Land

4A Girls Top 10

1. North Augusta

2. South Pointe

3. Westwood

4. South Florence

5. Catawba Ridge

6. Pickens

7. Bluffton

8. Riverside

9. Hartsville

10. Wade Hampton/Easley

3A Boys Top 10

1. Crestwood

2. Orangeburg-Wilkinson

3. Manning

4. Wren

5. Loris

6. Clinton

7. Daniel

8. Travelers Rest

9. Lake City

10. Union County

3A Girls Top 10

1. Camden

2. Southside

3. Wren

4. Lower Richland

5. Phillip Simmons

6. Blue Ridge

7. Crestwood

8. Orangeburg-Wilkinson

9. Emerald

10. Crescent

2A Boys Top 10

1. Gray Collegiate

2. Oceanside Collegiate

3. Keenan

4. Landrum

5. Andrew Jackson

6. Wade Hampton

7. Strom Thurmond

8. Woodland

9. Saluda

10. Central

2A Girls Top 10

1. Keenan

2. Gray Collegiate

3. Andrew Jackson

4. Silver Bluff

5. Bishop England

6. Chesterfield

7. Timberland

8. Wade Hampton

9. Oceanside Collegiate

10. Lee Central

1A Boys Top 10

1. Christ Church

2. Scott’s Branch

3. Denmark-Olar

4. Great Falls

5. High Point Academy

6. Estill

7. Calhoun Falls

8. Whale Branch

9. North

10. Baptist Hill

1A Girls Top 10

1. Military Magnet

2. Denmark-Olar

3. High Point Academy

4. Lake View

5. Carvers Bay

6. Christ Church

7. Calhoun Falls

8. Estill

9. McBee

10. Cross

Clarius Partners and Stonemont Financial Group have announced that Buildings 3 and 4 are available for lease at the partnership’s Omni Industrial Campus in Summerville, S.C. The two speculative buildings total nearly 971,000 square feet of Class A industrial space.

Bridge Commercial is the exclusive leasing agent in charge of the 1.3 million-square-foot industrial park, expected to be delivered in June 2023.

Omni Industrial Campus is situated on nearly 100 acres, within the Jedburg Industrial Corridor, close to Interstate 26, 22 miles from North Charleston Port, 26 miles from Hugh Leatherman Terminal and within 32 miles of the Port Charleston, one of the fastest-growing ports in the U.S. over the last decade. The development is also situated close to the 4,500-acre, master-planned community Nexton, and other residential areas, allowing future tenants easy access to the market’s workforce.

Designed to serve a variety of users

Bridge Commercial’s team led by Executive Vice Presidents Hagood Morrison and Simons Johnson, President Peter Fennelly and Associate Vice President Will Crowell are the appointed leasing brokers in charge of the development.

The project’s initial building, Building 2, encompassing 360,320 square feet of space is fully preleased to a long-term, build-to-suit tenant. The remaining two buildings will feature 36-foot clear heights, LED lightning and ESFR sprinkler systems. The 364,700-square-foot Building 3, designed to accommodate multiple tenants, will have 305 vehicle parking spots, 79 trailer parking spots, four drive-in doors and 36 dock high doors, while the 606,880-square-foot Building 4, designed for large volume distribution, will have 350 vehicle parking spots, 157 trailer parking spots, four drive-in doors and 64 dock-high doors. Additionally, all three properties will also have a speculative office component, available for occupancy starting June of this year.

READ ALSO: Heightened Industrial Demand Boosts New Lease Rates

The industrial project is the largest option near the Port of Charleston for companies looking for an intermodal distribution point in the Southeast region, noted Stonemont Financial Group’s Managing Principal & Chief Executive Officer, Zack Markwell, in a prepared statement.

Earlier this month, Avison Young was tapped as leasing agent in charge of another industrial property under development in the Charleston area. The firm will market for lease a 545,000-square-foot project in Ridgeville, S.C., that is part of Camp Hall Commerce Park, a 6,800-acre master-planned development.

Music, guided tours and an appetizing spread were all part of the package during the Summerville-Dorchester Museum’s 30th anniversary function on Feb. 5, as featured attraction Dr. Ed West held court to introduce a new softcover publication and delve into the people of “off.”

In leading up to his presentation of a new release titled “When The President Circled Summerville,” West entertained a gathered audience in the museum courtyard with accounts of some of Summerville’s founding and/or influential residents from days gone by who weren’t necessarily natives of the community.

Through the years, these individuals — much like many present-day out-of-towners — were referred to as the people of “off,” per the historian.

“The people who came here and really made history did not live here. We have a few people who truly are historical characters who are from Summerville. But a whole lot of people who really made a big name here didn’t live here,” stated West.

Dr. Charles Shepard of North Haven, Connecticut was one of these seminal figures, who traveled to Summerville to build the Pinehurst Tea Plantation in 1888, recognized as the first commercial tea plantation in the United States. Lipton Tea Company would eventually claim the old Pinehurst plants and transported them to Wadmadlaw Island years after the operation faltered once its founder passed in 1915.

Similarly, West recounted how German immigrant Frederick Wagener purchased the Summerville Hotel Company in 1890, and went on to open the Pine Forest Inn a year later.

Wagener started out as a grocer and emerged as a self-made millionaire. He would go on to build the largest commercial edifice in Charleston on East Bay Street in 1880 and lived at the “Rutledge House” on the other end of Broad Street.

The book further highlights the exploits of railroad man John Averill of Plattsburgh, New York, who led the rebuilding efforts in Summerville in the aftermath of the 1886 earthquake.

But the protagonist of the book is the 26th President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt. The New York City-born statesman, conservationist, soldier, writer and historian is prominently featured on the cover the museum’s limited-edition printed copy due to his 24-hour visit to Summerville in 1902. The purpose of the sojourn was to tour the Lowcountry due to “two remarkable men,” as mentioned in the write-up, who joined forces on a “benighted effort” to host a World’s Fair in the Holy City.

“Teddy Roosevelt spent the day in Charleston and he came up to Summerville and spent the night at the Pine Forest Inn and then he went over to see the tea farm,” explained West.

While in Charleston, Roosevelt claimed that his mother, Martha Stewart “Mittie” Roosevelt, was a southerner born in Connecticut, but raised in Cobb County, Georgia in the 1800s.

“I don’t know if you all think this way, but who lived in South Carolina in 1700 and in Georgia in 1800? The people who lived out in Dorchester. I found out her maiden name was Stewart ... this land we’re standing on now was owned by James Stewart.”

In addition, West disclosed that (James) Stewart — a relative of Martha’s from the previous century — most likely was the proprietor of property that would serve as the future location of the Pine Forest Inn in Summerville.

The site of the Pine Forest Inn was situated on 60 acres of land near the present-day Roosevelt Square that is generally bounded by Simmons Avenue, Salisbury Drive, Marion Avenue and Gaillard Lane.

The limited-edition book copies were distributed among sponsor reps at the anniversary event that was also attended by museum executive officers and directors, including: Vice President Pam Giesick, Kenneth Battle, Danny Hughes, Janet Sussman and Michael Sussman, among others.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) in conjunction with the Town of Summerville and the Dorchester County Transportation Authority (DCTA) continues work on the 3rd phase of the Berlin G. Myers Project.

A temporary 3-day, 72-hour closure of the Sawmill Branch Walk/Bike Trail between Luden Drive and the pedestrian bridge at Willet Drive (shown in red on the map below) will be required between Monday, February 20, 2023, and Wednesday, February 22, 2023. Construction crews will be working on crossline drainage pipes beneath the existing trail and constructing a small section of detour trail near Luden Drive.

Variable message boards will be placed at either end of the trail to give advanced warning of the closure to pedestrians. The trail from Luden Drive to Crosscreek Drive and from Willet Drive to East Richardson Avenue will remain open and may still be used (shown in green on the map below).

The safety of the traveling public is of the utmost concern. Construction crews will work diligently to complete this work and reopen the trail for the Town’s recreational use as quickly as possible.

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - Located at the corner of Berlin Myers Parkway and Highway 78, a 57-acre multi-use property will bring new development to the Summerville area by early 2025.

The property, named Sawmill, will include 474 multi-family apartment units, offices, restaurants, hotels, stores, banks, outdoor spaces and a 40,000-square-foot Roper St. Francis facility.

Summerville spokesperson Mary Edwards said the task to get the development started was a long process.

“It’s something that people have been wanting for a long time, and council has really supported the developers, too. It’s a big deal for us; I mean, it’s a new big development that’s coming to our area,” Edwards said. “It’s something that’s needed. It’s something that the public has really wanted.”

The developers, Lee & Associates, said in a news release that “a new walkable community designed to better connect residents with the fun they want and services they need will be anchored by a major healthcare system.”

Although not everyone in the area is excited about the new development. Some members of the Summerville community shared their concerns on a Facebook post with over 400 comments mentioning traffic problems, school enrollment and housing availability.

Located near the development, the Spinx gas station may see increased traffic with the upcoming construction. Employee Rona Emons, shared her concerns.

“I don’t think we can really handle it because this road is already always backed up; it’s already hard to get in and out of the store,” she said. “I think that’s going to make it a lot worse unless they try to widen the road somehow, which I don’t know how they can do that. But yeah, it’s going to cause a lot of congestion in this area.”

In response to the concerns, Edwards said the city and developers studied research before deciding if the project was appropriate for the area.

“The town is growing really fast,” Edwards said. “So, we know that people want to come here, and they want to experience the area. We want to be able to provide these types of options for people when they come.”

Construction on the health care facility and multi-family apartment units will begin in early 2023.

“I’m kind of excited,” Emons said. “I’d like to get out. You know, it’d be nice to see something new in this area. So yeah, I’m looking forward to it in some ways, and otherwise, I’m kind of a little leery of it.”

Overall, the project is expected to cost $200 million.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

In what has been dubbed a “do-or-die” season for fifth-year head coach Mark Kingston, the University of South Carolina baseball team is getting it done … and then some.

Gamecock baseball has raced out to a 12-1 record and the No. 20 ranking in the nation, according to the latest poll from D1 Baseball. Kingston’s team captured a key series win last weekend over arch-rival Clemson – and has been tearing the cover off the baseball as it approaches the start of Southeastern Conference (SEC) play.

Through Tuesday’s games, South Carolina is hitting .307 as a team with 133 runs scored. For those of you doing the math at home, the Gamecocks are averaging more than ten runs per game.

So much for offense being the supposed weak link on this squad …

As expected, senior Braylen Wimmer is pacing the offensive explosion – scoring a team-high 23 runs though thirteen games while hitting .422. Believe it or not, Wimmer’s astronomical average isn’t even the best on the team. That distinction belongs to freshman two-way player Ethan Petry, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound freshman from Land O’Lakes, Florida who is hitting .462 on the young campaign with six home runs and 17 runs batted in (RBIs).

Driving in even more runs than Petry? Sophomore catcher Cole Messina of Summerville, S.C. (20) and transfers Caleb Denny (20) and Gavin Casas (18).

South Carolina’s hot start is not only good news for Kingston, it is good news for Gamecock athletics director Ray Tanner – who has presided over the decline of the program he built into a perennial national championship contender over a decade ago.

South Carolina captured back-to-back national titles in 2010 and 2011 and reached the finals of the College World Series (CWS) the following year, ultimately falling to Arizona. During Tanner’s sixteen seasons at the helm, his teams posted a spectacular 738- 313 (.700) mark – qualifying for postseason play fourteen times and never once posting a losing record.

Since then, the struggle has been real.

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Tanner’s hand-picked successor, Chad Holbrook, just couldn’t keep momentum going. Holbrook went 199-105 (.559) in his five seasons at South Carolina. His teams never reached the CWS and failed to qualify for the postseason in 2015 and 2017.

After Holbrook maneuvered his way out of town under Tanner’s not-so-watchful eye, Kingston was hired to rebuild the program. Through his first five seasons, though, the backsliding continued. Kingston posted a 138-109 (.559) mark – including a 54-66 (.450) record against conference opponents – through his first five seasons (including the Covid-shortened 2020 campaign).

That reminds me … while Kingston is certainly riding a huge wave of momentum to start the 2023 campaign, the road ahead is incredibly arduous.

South Carolina has upcoming three-game series against No. 1 LSU (April 6-8), No. 3 Tennessee (May 18-20), No. 6 Florida (April 20-22), No. 7 Vanderbilt (April 14-16) and No. 8 Arkansas (May 12-14). They also play No. 14 North Carolina on April 4 in Charlotte, N.C.

It doesn’t get much tougher than that …

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Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and seven children.

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