Public news and announcements are brought to you by the Horry County Public Information Office.
On July 2, 2020 in Weekly Update
Meeting attendees are encouraged to wear a face-covering when entering the building and when social distancing is not possible or practical.
Public Safety Committee
Tuesday, July 7, 2020, 9 a.m.
Click here to view and download the agenda or here for the packet.
Please Complete the Greater Grand Strand Promise
The Welcome Back Horry County Committee has launched its Greater Grand Strand is Open website and they are asking all Grand Strand/Horry County residents, businesses, and visitors to please take a minute and complete the Greater Grand Strand Promise.
Please visit https://www.greatergrandstrandisopen.com/ to submit the form and make the promise.
The same committee encourages you to share the Greater Grand Strand Promise campaign on your social own media accounts.
Below are links to all of the social media sites below for you to share.
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/GreaterGrandStrandisOpen/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/gspromise
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/greatergrandstrandisopen/
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-SfaDcNXgESSsJFM6i_Vrw
Horry County Government COVID19 Operations Update
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 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.
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 is open as well as is the Central Jury Court. Central Jury will only be receiving guilty pleas, so the public will not be required to serve jury duty.
Preliminary hearings have been canceled until further notice.
On June 26, 2020 in County News, Emergencies, Weekly Update
Transportation & Economic Development Committee
Tuesday, June 30, 2020, 2 p.m.
Planning Commission
Thursday, July 2, 2020, 5:30 p.m.
Independence Day Holiday
Friday, July 3, 2020
All Horry County Government offices, except Public Safety operations, will be closed in observance of Independence Day.
Two Boat Landings to Temporarily Close for Maintenance
Depending on the weather, Horry County Parks & Recreation will close the Johnny Causey Landing and the T. Craig Campbell Landing on the evening of Sunday, June 28, 2020, for parking lot maintenance. The landings are expected to reopen late in the day on Tuesday, June 30, 2020.
Click here for a list of the other boat landings throughout Horry County.
Seven Week Virtual Flood Mitigation & Resiliency Reminder
Horry County Government will host a seven-week virtual seminar series on flood mitigation and resiliency beginning July 1, 2020, as a component of the flood resiliency plan. The virtual seminars will take place each Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. from July 1 to August 12, 2020. A schedule of topics for discussion is available here and below.
The purpose of the seminars is to provide impacted community members with resources and an opportunity to ask questions about relevant programs and topics. The series will culminate with an update on the Horry County Resiliency Plan. A variety of County department leaders, as well as State and Federal agency representatives, plan to participate in the series.
Director of Community Development Courtney Frappaolo said, “We think this series is a great way to get critical information to the communities impacted by flooding and to help connect them with local, state and federal programs that assist with disaster recovery and resiliency.”
The seminars will be broadcast live on the Horry County Government Facebook Page, Government Access Channel (Spectrum/Time Warner channel 1301 or Horry Telephone Cooperative Channel 14), and on the County website at horrycounty.org/resiliencyproject. The format for each session will include one or two presentations followed by an opportunity for virtual attendees to submit questions. The question and answer session will be moderated. Each session is planned to last about an hour.
Participants can submit their questions during the seminar by texting (843) 502-0033 (message and data rates may apply) or emailing resiliencyproject@horrycounty.org. Users watching the seminar on the Horry County Government Facebook page can submit their questions in the comments section of the live video feed.
Information and updates will be available at horrycounty.org/resiliencyproject.
The Welcome Back Horry County Committee has launched its Greater Grand Strand is Open website and they are asking all Grand Strand/Horry County residents, businesses and visitors to please take a minute and complete the Greater Grand Strand Promise.
Central Traffic Court in Conway is open as well as is the Central Jury County. Central Jury will only be receiving guilty pleas, so the public will not be required to serve jury duty.
Preliminary hearings have resumed and like Central Traffic Court, will be spaced out over the course of the day with all parties having a specific time to appear.
On June 19, 2020 in Weekly Update
Upcoming Meetings
Infrastructure & Regulation Committee
Tuesday, June 23, 2020, 9 a.m.
Administration Committee
Tuesday, June 23, 2020, 2 p.m.
Planning Commission Workshop
Thursday, June 25, 2020, 3 p.m.
Library Board of Trustees
Thursday, June 25, 2020, 4:30 p.m.
Horry County Recreation Centers to Reopen
Horry County Department of Parks & Recreation facilities will re-open to the public on Monday, June 22nd. This includes Recreation Centers, Community Centers, and the Cochran building. All HCPR facilities will resume their normal operating hours. Those with memberships will be refunded a pro-rated amount based on the amount of time our facilities were closed and their memberships will remain valid until the original expiration.
The Recreation Centers will be offering pickleball and basketball during designated hours only, while the walking tracks will be open the entire day. Gym schedules can be found below. Fitness classes will be offered with limited capacity, so those interested are encouraged to register online here to ensure their spot.
In an effort to make our facilities as safe as possible and to stop the spread of COVID-19, our staff will be wearing masks, gymnasium capacity is limited, cleanings are being conducted more frequently, drinking fountains have been disabled, hand washing stations have been added, and social distancing markings have been placed throughout the Centers.
We appreciate your understanding during this time and ask that everyone visiting our facilities please be respectful of social distancing guidelines. We strongly encourage visitors to wear masks while in common areas and will have them available at the buildings. Please bring your own water bottles and any personal equipment needed for fitness classes.
Click here for Recreation Center Gym Schedules.
Horry County Assessor to Mail Assessment Notices
The Assessor’s Office will begin mailing 2020 Assessment notices this week. These notices will go to 22,000 taxpayers. These are notices for people who have recently purchased or made significant additions or improvements to their property.
The remaining taxpayers should see no change in their valuation as this is not a reassessment year. Those who do receive notices will have 90-days from the date of the notice (September 18, 2020) to make an appeal based on the new data. All other taxpayers will be able to make appeals based on their tax notice, which will be mailed around October 1, 2020.
In addition, the Assessor’s Office will be mailing out several hundred letters to taxpayers who may be eligible for an Agricultural exemption on their property. The office identified approximately 500 taxpayers who might be eligible but have not yet applied for the exemption. If you receive one of these letters, you should go online to apply for the exemption. You can find the application online.
If you have any questions, please be in touch with the Assessor’s Office at (843) 915-5040.
All Horry County Parks and Recreation centers remain closed at this time. Information about reopening facilities and resuming programming will be provided as soon as possible.
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 June 12, 2020 in County News, Emergencies, Weekly Update
Board of Architectural Review
Tuesday, June 16, 2020, 2:30 p.m.
County Council
Tuesday, June 16, 2020, 6 p.m.
The June 16th 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 a public hearing. You must sign up in advance to speak on public hearing by 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16, 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. The Public Input segment that is held at the beginning of each meeting remains suspended until further notice.
Public Hearings that are scheduled for June 16th include:
Welcome Back Committee-Rescheduled to 6/25/20 @ 10:30 a.m.
Thursday, June 18, 2020, 10:30 a.m.
Board of Fee Appeals-CANCELED
Thursday, June 18, 2020, 3 p.m.
Horry County to Conduct Mosquito Spraying
Horry County Government will begin aerial spraying for mosquitos next week. Aerial spraying will be conducted in the evenings usually between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and dusk, weather permitting. The locations for aerial spraying will be announced prior to spraying at https://www.horrycounty.org/Departments/Stormwater.
We anticipate an increase in mosquito population due to the recent excess rainfall and riverine flooding. In preparing for this increase we have increased our monitoring efforts through inspections and trapping and accelerated our larvacide program, especially in areas prone to high mosquito populations. Mosquito population numbers are likely to increase over the next two weeks, in line with the typical lifecycle of a mosquito. Regular ground mosquito spraying continues, weather permitting, for approximately four to five hours after dark Monday through Thursday. The addition of next week’s aerial spraying will allow us to cover a larger portion of the county.
The Horry County Stormwater Department operates the mosquito control program and offers regular service to residents in the unincorporated area of Horry County. In addition, anyone in the unincorporated areas that would like to request mosquito spraying in their area can call the Road and Drainage Hotline at 843-381-8000. To help keep our honeybee population safe, beekeepers are urged to contact Horry County Stormwater to identify the location of their colonies or fill out a no-spray zone form on our website. The chemicals used for mosquito control spraying are approved by the EPA and pose minimal risk to humans or animals. Individuals with asthma or other respiratory illness may wish to stay indoors and close windows and doors during spraying. In addition, homegrown fruits and vegetables should be washed, scrubbed, and/or peeled before eating.
Following the guidance from Governor McMaster and state agencies, Horry County will allow public access to its buildings with the best safety practices being implemented. Safety measures will include:
On June 5, 2020 in County News, Emergencies, Weekly Update
Zoning Board of Appeals
Monday, June 8, 2020, 5:30 p.m.
Parks & Open Space Board
Tuesday, June 9, 2020, 12 p.m.
The following meeting will take place virtually and will be broadcast on the Horry County Government website as well as the Government Access Channel (Spectrum/Time Warner channel 1301 or Horry Telephone Cooperative Channel 14).
Welcome Back Committee
Thursday, June 11, 2020, 10:30 a.m.
Please note: The North Myrtle Beach Library will be closed Monday, June 8, 2020, for parking lot maintenance. Patrons are encouraged to visit one of the other branches (click here for a list).
Horry County Parks & Recreation To Resume Athletic Activities & Youth Programming-Reminder
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.
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.
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.
Central Traffic Court in Conway will reopen 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 also 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.
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