Tree Trimming in Mount Pleasant

While a debate is currently raging over whether the University of South Carolina is allowed to impose mask mandates and vaccination requirements on students, faculty and staff related to the Covid-19 pandemic this fall, the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) has already begun firing employees who declined to get their shots.

Last month, MUSC terminated the employment of five workers who refused to comply with a vaccine mandate imposed by this government-subsidized, politically run hospital.

Wait a minute, though … didn’t members of the S.C. General Assembly explicitly enjoin institutions of higher learning from imposing vaccination requirements?

Yes … or at least that’s what they thought they did.

Clearly, there is some debate over whether that is actually the case …

Interestingly, MUSC’s politically appointed board includes multiple relatives of current and former state lawmakers – as well as one ex-legislator. So, you would think its leadership would know better than to defy a legislative mandate … assuming they are in fact confronted by one.

Not long after MUSC’s terminations were exposed, state representative Joe Bustos of Mount Pleasant wrote to the office of S.C. attorney general Alan Wilson asking him to weigh in on the matter.

“We are trying to get people back to work, and here the medical university is letting them go,” Bustos told reporter Kaitlin Stansell of WCSC TV 5 (CBS – Charleston, S.C.). “I just think it’s the wrong move at this time.”

Bustos told Stansell he understood if MUSC or another employer wanted to make getting a Covid-19 vaccination a condition of being hired at the hospital system, but he argued that “if they’re already an employee, I don’t think that’s correct.”

He is absolutely correct … although as of this writing Wilson’s office has not weighed in on the matter, according to spokesman Robert Kittle.

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MUSC is one of several state agencies currently testing the limits of temporary Covid-19 regulations passed by the S.C. General Assembly prior to the beginning of the fiscal year on July 1, 2021. One of these regulations expressly prohibited the state’s network of results-challenged, government-run K-12 schools from imposing mask mandates during the coming school year. The other two regulations specifically addressed policies regarding mask mandates and Covid-19 vaccination requirements at South Carolina’s institutions of higher learning.

Unfortunately, the wording of the latter two regulations – and thus their enforceability – has been challenged by any number of bureaucracies seeking to address the latest strain of the coronavirus pandemic (a highly contagious variant of the virus that has caused a spike in new cases and hospitalizations).

While I plan on keeping tabs as it relates to this ongoing Covid-19 battle, MUSC is currently engaged in another, far more existential struggle … one which pits the private sector against yet another bureaucratic blitzkrieg.

MUSC is currently pursuing multiple expansions across the state which put its facilities in direct competition with private sector providers – and doing so at a time when government is unnecessarily hamstringing those private sector providers.

Sound familiar? It should …

This is exactly what “Republican” lawmakers are doing with their faltering government-run port facility as well as their spectacularly failed government-run power provider.

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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. And yes, he has LOTS of hats (including that St. Louis Browns’ lid pictured above).

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MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD) – Federal agents say, any time the government injects cash or any kind of stimulus, there will be people who take advantage of that.

COVID-19 stimulus is no exception, and the prosecution of some of those cases is underway.

South Carolinians accounted for more than 70,000 paycheck protection program (PPP) loans, for a total of about $6B. As expected, some of them are not suspected fraud.

“Sometimes the numbers just don’t add up,” said Deputy United States Attorney Derek Shoemake. He said the numbers didn’t add up for at least $12M that investigators already identified. Shoemake said they have recovered a little more than $3M of those assets.

“That’s a small number relative to the $6B, which tells us one thing, and that’s most people are doing the right thing, but when we see people doing the wrong thing we are going to come after them with the full force of our office,” said Shoemake.

Last year former U.S. Attorney Peter McCoy established the South Carolina COVID Strike Team to investigate fraud related to the pandemic.

By March, the office received more than 150 cases.

Among them, a man from Round-O who is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to conspiracy to steal personal protective equipment from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Charleston. He faces up to five years in prison.

Another case involves seven people charged with laundering more than $750,000 of fraudulently obtained money. That includes nearly $400,000 of PPP money. Two of the three suspects from South Carolina have pleaded guilty.

Lowcountry attorney David Aylor is involved in other cases related to PPP fraud and he says the SC COVID Strike Team is aggressively pursuing and prosecuting the cases. He says, in general, people thought they would get away with their crimes.

“In this situation, people thought that because of the amount throughout the United States of businesses that were going to be submitting for PPP loans that they could fly under the radar,” Aylor said.

“Sometimes it starts as a trickle,” Shoemake said. “Somebody gets 50,000 legitimate dollars, things are a little tough and they say ‘well, maybe I could just get $10,000 more to tie me over and by the time the process is complete the person has defrauded the government out of $350,000.”

Shoe make says red flags from the IRS, and other checks alert them to fraud. He also says tips from the public are a big help. If you suspect someone obtained PPP loans or any other COVID related money or equipment fraudulently you can call the COVID Strike Team’s hotline: 866-720-5721 or visit their website: https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus

Mount Pleasant area restaurants were helped by a federal program as part of the American Rescue Plan Act.

MOUNT PLEASANT, SC — The Restaurant Revitalization Fund doled out more than $28.6 billion in grants to eateries that sustained financial losses during the pandemic, including several Mount Pleasant area restaurants.

The fund was established as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of March 2021. More than 101,000 restaurants received grants as of June 30, according to the Small Business Administration. The average grant size was $283,000.

Restaurants were eligible for up to $10 million in grants, with no more than $5 million per location. Funds don't have to be repaid if they are used for eligible expenses, such as payroll or rent, through March 11, 2023.

The following Mount Pleasant area restaurants were among those that received a Restaurant Revitalization Fund grant. Check here for a full, searchable database.

Business: MCCANNS IRISH PUB LLC

Business: OAKLAND WINGS LLC

Business: SEE WEE RESTAURANT INC

Business: LIN 168 LLC

Business: SERVINGHIM LLC

Business: GOODE SUBS INC.

Business: EAST BAY DELI AT MARKETS AT OAKLAMD LLC

Business: Clay Restaurant Group LLC

Business: CHARLESTON POPS LLC

Business: TWENTYEIGHT LLC

The Restaurant Revitalization Fund received praise from industry members for its simplicity, but many applicants were shut out when funding dried up in June.

Nationwide, restaurants submitted more than 278,000 applications, totaling $72.23 billion in requested aid. Around 177,000 applicants were denied grants.

There was also confusion about prioritization of funds. The SBA originally prioritized funding for restaurants owned by women, veterans and underserved populations. Some business owners sued, and the SBA ended the practice; around 3,000 priority applicants had grants rescinded, according to The New York Times.

The restaurant industry has lost around $290 billion in sales since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the National Restaurant Association. Some 90,000 restaurants closed permanently or long-term.

The bipartisan Restaurant Revitalization Fund Replenishment Act proposal would provide $60 billion in additional funding for the program if passed.

"The success of the RRF so far is, in large part, because the SBA focused on making the program simple and accessible," NRA Vice President Sean Kennedy said in a statement. "We appreciate how swiftly they were able to establish a program unlike anything they had administrated before, and believe it has the structure to sustain additional funding."

Editor's note: This post was automatically generated using data from the SBA. Feedback can be sent to content@patch.com.

MT. PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD) – A plan for a boutique hotel on Shem Creek is heading to the Town of Mount Pleasant’s Commerical Design Review Board as some nearby businesses are raising concerns about the location of the proposed hotel.

The Mill Street Hotel is slated to be in an empty lot on Mill Street right across the street from The Crab House and the Bohemia Salon.

According to the developer of the project, CKC Properties, The Mill Street Hotel project consists a of small boutique hotel that provides quality spaces for tourists and local’s family members to stay while visiting Mount Pleasant, Charleston, and the Shem Creek area.

The hotel will include a pool, gym, and rooftop deck. The renderings for the hotel display three buildings.

“The goal with the design was to break down the massing utilizing multiple structures to create a more residential feel and a “living court” leading into the main hotel building from the Lucas Street entrance. We feel our design team has done a great job to accomplish this while working closely with the town throughout the process,” said Colin Colbert of CKC Properties.

The project has been in the works since the beginning of the year.

Stores, restaurants, and other businesses surround the lot on Mill Street. Parking is already tight in the area and one employee at Coastal Expeditions says she hopes, if the hotel does come to the creek, the town will create more parking and work towards safer roads.

“Our business along with the other businesses in this area are not happy about the idea of a hotel going in right here without serious investments in infrastructure and parking to go along with it and the proposal that’s on the table right now is not adequate for what we need in this area,” said Lisa Jones, the Chief Operating Officer at Coastal Expeditions.

Jones cites heavy traffic on the roads surrounding the lot, especially on weekend days, and narrow, unsafe roads for her concerns.

In past years, millions of dollars have been invested into one side of Shem Creek, near Red’s Ice House, Waters Edge, and Vickery’s, to build a boardwalk, a dock, and more.

“So we think that on this side of Coleman Boulevard it’s time to make investments for parking because we have the public dock here, we have businesses,” said Jones.

Mt. Pleasant Town Councilman Gary Santos agrees with Jones’ concerns about parking saying the area is already overcrowded.

“It’s so congested down here and I think a hotel is inappropriate for this area,” said Santos. “Right now traffic is unbearable, parking is unbearable, and if you put a hotel right here it’s going to even be worse.”

News 2 brought these concerns to CKC Properties. In response to the parking concern, a representative from CKC released the following statement.

This neighborhood of Shem Creek is blessed with many great and successful existing businesses. We recognize the pre-existing condition regarding the parking in front of our site along Mill Street. Our proposed development will include more than adequate parking for the intended use. In fact, our plans include on-site parking of approximately 30% more spaces than the parking requirement. This will ensure that our proposed development does not contribute to the on-street parking conditions. Our observations regarding the on-street parking in front of our site indicates that many of those utilizing on-street parking happen to be employees of those existing businesses and we believe that proper management of that issue could result in vastly improved conditions. Furthermore, our plans include improvements to the streetscape along Mill Street which will provide organized parking and improved pedestrian access.

Colin Colbert, CKC Properties

Colbert says residents of the Old Village have provided positive feedback because should the hotel be approved and built, their friends will have a place to stay when visiting.

On Wednesday, July 18, Mt. Pleasant’s Commerical Design Review Board will be discussing the plans for the hotel as the developer is seeking preliminary approval. If the board does approve the plan, it will then go to the planning committee and ultimately will be voted on by town council.

For a review of the plans and renderings of the hotel, click here.

MT. PLEASANT, S.C. (WCIV) — Business is booming on Shem Creek, and it’s bringing parking issues along with it.

The town of Mount Pleasant’s planning commission met Wednesday evening to address the issues. They discussed growing parking demands, zoning requirements and the impact it’s having on neighborhoods.

“It’s a mess, it’s a big mess,” said Skipper Kress, beverage manager and event planner for Red’s Ice House. “We’re seeing growth every single day of the week and that’s the issue. For the first time ever, there literally is no parking any days of the week.”

Water’s Edge rolled out a pay-to-park system about two months ago. It costs a minimum of $20 to park in their lot, however the restaurant will validate parking for paying customers. There are now signs at each spot in the lot instructing users to pay through their phone via text message or scanning a QR code.

Free parking is becoming harder to find on Shem Creek. Many lots are now pay-to-park, depending on where you go. It’s led to spill-over into the nearby neighborhoods where off-street parking is still free.

“We don’t get complaints from people in the Old Village. The people we get complaints from are upset about having to pay to park and wondering why we don’t validate parking. It’s because we don’t own the property, we’re not the ones that are charging you to park,” said Kress. “The last thing you want to see when you’re coming to a place like Red’s or Tavern and Table is you come out and your car’s completely gone, towed away.”

He’s not sure what the solution is, but Kress said it’s something they’ve been talking about lately. He said he understands the frustration, adding it’s an issue for their employees, too.

“We have to make sure that our staff has somebody walking with them to their cars because some of our staff has to park a half a mile away,” he said. “Maybe some of these small businesses could help. Maybe we could lease out the property and use that parking when they’re not open. Maybe we could come out of pocket a little bit and lease some of that because we’ve done that in the past.”