Public news and announcements are brought to you by the Horry County Public Information Office.
On June 3, 2020 in County News
South Carolina will hold a Primary Election Tuesday, June 9, 2020. Polls in Horry County will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and will be utilizing enhanced safety protocols for voters and staff. Voters are encouraged to be patient as safety protocols may cause the process to be slightly slower.
Many polling locations have changed due to COVID19. Voters are encouraged to visit scvotes.org to find their current polling location.
Interested voters can also vote in-person Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Horry County Voter's Registration, Elections & CDBG complex located at 1515 4th Avenue in Conway. Additionally, the Voter's Registration & Elections office will be open for in-person voting Saturday, June 6, 2020, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Enhanced safety protocols will also be in place.
Those with absentee ballots may drop them off at the Voter's Registration, Elections, & CDBG complex until 7 p.m. on Election night using the drop-box to the right of the front doors.
For more information, contact Horry County Voter's Registration & Elections at (843) 915-5440.
On June 2, 2020 in Closings, County News, Road Construction & Closures
Due to high water levels along our waterways, some County boat landings have been closed. They will remain closed until water levels recede enough to reopen. The following landings are currently closed:
Billy Witherspoon Landing Peachtree Landing Socastee Yacht Basin Rosewood Landing Chris Anderson Landing Old Reaves Ferry Landing Danny Knight Pitts Landing Punch Bowl Landing Yauhannah Landing Big Bull Landing Jordan Lake Hughes Landing Pitch Landing
In addition, some roadways are closed. You can find a list of County road closures at https://www.horrycounty.org/gis/roadClosures/.
On May 29, 2020 in Emergencies, Weekly Update
Horry County Council and County Council Committees will resume in-person meetings beginning next week. Social distancing protocols will be enforced and seating will be limited. Overflow space will be set up to accommodate public viewing. Attendees are encouraged to wear a face-covering when entering the building and when social distancing is not possible or practical. Public input for County Council and County Council Committee meetings remains suspended until further notice.
The meeting will also be broadcast, as usual, on the Government Access television channels and horrycounty.org website.
Click to watch the video remotely.
County Council
Tuesday, June 2, 2020, 6 p.m.
Click here to view and download the agenda or here for the packet.
The June 2nd Council Meeting will take place in-person in Council Chambers. Social separation protocols will be enforced and seating will be very limited. Overflow space will be available to accommodate public viewing. Attendees are encouraged to wear a face-covering when entering the building and in Council Chambers. The meeting will be broadcast on the Horry County Government website as well as Spectrum/Time Warner channel 1301 or Horry Telephone Cooperative channel 14.
IMPORTANT NOTICE CONCERNING PUBLIC COMMENT
Members of the public will have an opportunity to provide public comment via telephone on the items having public hearing. You must sign up in advance to speak on public hearing by 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 2, 2020. You can sign up by calling Pat Hartley in the Council Office at (843) 915-5120, or by emailing hartleyp@horrycounty.org. You can also provide written comments to be provided to each Council member at the same email, hartleyp@horrycounty.org.
Public Hearings that are scheduled for June 2 include:
Requests to amend the official zoning maps: (rezonings)
The Public Input segment that is held at the beginning of each meeting remains suspended until further notice.
Planning Commission
Thursday, June 4, 2020, 5:30 p.m.
Horry County Parks & Recreation To Resume Athletic Activities & Youth Programming
In line with the Governor’s directive, athletic fields will reopen for practice on Sunday, May 31, 2020. Competitive sports will be able to resume outdoor play on June 15, 2020. Horry County Parks and Recreation staff met with the leagues’ organizers to review the guidelines for Re-opening County, Municipal, and School Athletic Fields & Resuming Youth Sports Events developed by AccelerateSC and recommended by the Governor.
Horry County Parks and Recreation youth soccer leagues at South Strand Recreation Center, Carolina Forest Recreation Center, and Aynor area will begin practice the week of June 15, 2020. There are still spaces available in these programs.
Parks and Recreation will also resume summer camp programming for children ages 5 to 12 beginning Monday, June 8, 2020. In addition to enhanced sanitation protocols, camps will be limited to smaller capacities. In order to facilitate best practices for social distancing, campers will be placed into small cohorts that will rotate through the day’s activities. As of today, there are a limited number of spaces left for enrollment.
In addition, playgrounds are now open, but visitors are reminded to continue to follow SCDHEC and CDC guidance which includes frequent handwashing and proper social distancing.
Parks and Recreation centers will reopen for basketball, pickleball, and exercise classes on Saturday, June 13, 2020. In order to accommodate summer programming, the facilities will only be open for these activities on Saturdays through the summer months. Due to the reduction of operating hours at the Recreation Centers, staff is beginning to work through a refund process for pass holders. Every pass issued will be examined and a pro-rated refund will be issued based on how many months were remaining on each pass after February. Centers will transition to only having daily use and individual class fees until summer camp ends and normal operating hours resume.
Facility rentals will also be available on Saturdays with occupancy limits to ensure proper social distancing. Picnic shelter rentals will resume on a normal schedule with social distancing requirements.
To enroll your child in a summer camp or sports league program, please visit https://www.horrycounty.org/Departments/ParksAndRecreation or call (843) 915-5330.
Adventure is Calling! South Carolina State Park Passes Available for Loan at County Libraries
Horry County Memorial Library is now loaning South Carolina State Park Passes! Reserve one online with your library card or call any of our 10 locations. The State Park Pass provides unlimited entry to all South Carolina State Parks for everyone in the pass holder’s vehicle.
One library cardholder per household can borrow a single pass for a period of two-weeks. Choose your own adventure by exploring all the library’s resources! Guidebooks are also available at your local library – explore all the best hiking, paddling, and camping in the great State of South Carolina!
To obtain a library card or for more information please visit any of our 10 locations, call 843-915-7323, or email HCML@horrycounty.org.
Reminders for the June 9th Primary Election
South Carolina will hold a Primary Election Tuesday, June 9, 2020. Polls in Horry County will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and will be utilizing enhanced safety protocols for voters and staff.
Horry County Government COVID19 Operations Update
Horry County Government's administrative, public safety, Living History Farm, Museum, and library facilities remain open to the public the week of June 1-5, 2020.
Following the guidance from Governor McMaster and state agencies, Horry County will allow public access to its buildings with best safety practices being implemented. Safety measures will include:
To help alleviate crowding in public areas, Horry County encourages individuals to continue to do business online and over the phone with county departments where possible. Horry County will continue to phase into operations as conditions permit, and ask for patience if wait times exist.
Anyone planning to visit a County building during the initial re-opening phase should be prepared to check in with staff located at the entrance to the facility. Visitors may be asked to wait outside the office or facility depending on the capacity of the facility.
County officials remind everyone to continue to follow CDC and S.C. DHEC safety guidelines as well as Governor McMaster’s executive orders that remain in effect.
Jury Court for Circuit Court is canceled the week of June 1st. Jurors called by the Horry County Clerk of Court are excused through the end of July.
All local Magistrate Offices are open to the public for filings and court.
Central Traffic Court in Conway will reopen on June 8, 2020. The court is sending out notices to members of the public that need to appear requiring them to appear at a selected time to help manage the social distancing requirements.
Central Jury Court will reopen on June 8, 2020, however, the Court will only be receiving guilty pleas, so the public will not be required to serve jury duty.
Preliminary Hearings will resume on June 19, 2020, and like Central Traffic Court hearings will be spaced out over the course of the entire day with all parties having a specific time to appear.
On May 22, 2020 in Closings, Emergencies, Weekly Update
All Horry County Government offices, except Public Safety operations, will be closed Monday, May 25, 2020, in observance of Memorial Day.
Administration Committee
Tuesday, May 26, 2020, 2 p.m.
The following meetings will be conducted virtually (you can use the above link to watch the meeting on your computer).
Welcome Back Committee
Thursday, May 28, 2020, 10:30 a.m.
Planning Commission Workshop
Thursday, May 28, 2020, 3 p.m.
Horry County Government COVID 19 Operations Update
Horry County Government's administrative, public safety, and library facilities remain open to the public the week of May 25-29, 2020. The Horry County Museum and the L.W. Paul Living History Farm will reopen Tuesday, May 26, 2020, with enhanced safety protocols. Horry County recreation centers remain closed.
Court for Horry County Magistrate Court and Circuit Court is canceled the week of May 25th. Jurors should not report to the courthouse next week.
Horry County Central Traffic Court is canceled indefinitely due to COVID-19. Notices regarding rescheduling will be mailed out when court resumes. The office staff is still available by phone (843-915-5070) for any further information.
The Horry County Emergency phone bank will close at 5 p.m. today and will reopen at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, May 26, 2020.
Library Facilities Reminder
Horry County Libraries will be open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for the following services:
Reserve a Computer
Call your library to reserve a public computer. Limit one hour per day, per customer.
Brief Browse
15 to 20-minute browse and check-out time for library materials. The number of people in the library at one time will be limited.
Contactless Curbside Pickup
Call your library and make an appointment to pick up your holds. Place holds on the Library website at hcml.org.
Library guests are urged to wear a face-covering and limit their visits to the times in the guidelines. The facilities are following the CDC’s recommendations for face covering, social distancing, hand washing, and surface disinfecting. There will be no meetings or programs during this initial reopening phase. In addition, the library cannot accept book donations at this time.
On May 18, 2020 in County News
Horry County is prepared to assist residents struggling to pay their rent due to the economic impacts of COVID-19. Horry County has received $622,221 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) program. This federally-funded program will support the temporary expansion of the Homeless Prevention assistance program being offered by the Eastern Carolina Housing Organization (ECHO) to help families and individuals facing eviction to stay in their homes.
On May 15, 2020, South Carolina courts lifted the moratorium on evictions. The rental assistance program will provide a measure of relief for people who are experiencing sudden economic hardship because of COVID-19, including renters and their landlords.
“This is an unprecedented situation. Our goal is to utilize our federal resources to keep Horry County families safe and in their homes,” said Courtney Frappaolo, Director of Horry County Community Development.
Horry County partners with Eastern Carolina Housing Organization (ECHO) to provide rapid rehousing and homelessness prevention assistance to Horry County individuals and families. “One of the most important things we can do to prevent homelessness is to keep people housed in the first place,” said Joey Smoak, CEO of ECHO. “Our goal is to ensure that individuals are not forced out of their home as a result of lost income due to COVID-19.”
Applications for assistance will be available via an online application system accessible from ECHO’s website at www.echousing.org. Interested applicants who do not have computer access can call the ECHO Access Point at 843-213-1798 to complete an application over the telephone.
All applicants will be screened for eligibility, must meet targeting threshold requirements, and will be asked to provide documentation including: verification of household income and either a Magistrate’s Court Order of Eviction or a letter from their landlord stating the applicant is behind on rent and will be evicted within 14 days.
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