MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCSC) - The new school year is just getting started, but some parents fear it could be their child’s last year at Carolina Park Elementary School because of a possible rezoning plan that could send some students to another school.

Around 200 or so people came to the District 2 Board of Constituents meeting for Charleston County School District Tuesday night. The overwhelming response from the families was that they do not want their kids rezoned. Some of the main reasons were for wanting their kids to keep biking and walking to school and not wanting their mental health to decline.

Brian Keels, the chief operating officer for Carolina Park Development, says he wants the parents who were under the understanding when they came to Carolina Park that their kids would attend these schools to stay there.

“So, I ask tonight that you please allow Carolina Park students to remain together in the community and not divide them,” Keels said.

The Charleston County School District planning team says Carolina Park Elementary is expected to be overcapacity by 2025. They plan to have students redistricted to neighboring schools like Laurel Hill and Charles Pinckney to prevent this from happening in the 2023 school year.

Carolina Park Elementary parents organized a walk from the Carolina Park neighborhood to the school to demonstrate against the rezoning.

“So, I’m here because my son loves riding his bike,” Kim Thomas, one Carolina Park Elementary parent, said. “It’s his highlight of his day. And they’re looking at taking him away and putting him on a bus and replacing him with other bus riders.”

After the walk, the District 2 Board of Constituents listened to feedback from parents on this issue and reviewed the three-day preliminary enrollment data from the planning team.

The five members of the board say they don’t feel comfortable deciding on the rezoning right now after considering the new numbers.

“Obviously, none of these maps are going to fit a potential rezoning unless you guys want to rezone 200 kids,” Board Chair Pamela Jouan-Goldman said. “Which personally, I don’t want to.”

Board members say they’re waiting to see updated 10-day enrollment numbers before making a decision. Though if rezoning doesn’t happen, it’s not clear what the board will do to address overcapacity concerns.

Other Carolina Park parents, like Kelley and Adam Deaton, say they are happy to see the board starting to side with them on possibly not allowing the rezoning.

“I think they saw, ‘Hey, we need more facts before we can move ahead with this.’” Adam Deaton said. “So, we are hoping as they start to get the better projections that, you know, they see it exactly how much this community wants to stay at this school.”

The board says the decision will be discussed publicly at the next Board of Constituents meeting.

Here are the proposed rezoning plans and Tuesday’s meeting information:

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Missed last week’s town council? No worries, we’ve got you covered. Here are some highlights from September’s town council:

Special Recognitions

Gary Ponders, a transportation staff engineer, was recognized for 25 years of service with the Town of Mount Pleasant. “Gary’s steadfast approach to work and mentorship inspires and teaches our next generation of employees the true meaning of public service,” said Brad Morrison, the director of engineering and development services.

The Settlement Community Task Force was awarded the South Carolina Chapter of the American Planning Association Award. The task force will accept the award at the SCAPA conference in November.

Not one, but two proclamations

Mayor Will Haynie announced that September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. The month recognizes the courage and compassion of those children and their families throughout South Carolina and the nation who have battled or are currently battling cancer. “We know many people, some in this room whose families have been touched by that. So we want to do everything we can to raise awareness,” Haynie said.

The mayor also proclaimed that the week of Sept. 18 to Sept. 24 is Business Appreciation Week. Joined by Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce President Michael Cochran and Director Rebecca Imholz, Town Administrator Eric DeMoura read the full proclamation on behalf of the Mayor. “The Town of Mount Pleasant supports the entrepreneurial spirit by being a community that not only welcomes new businesses but supports them by providing resources and offering assistance throughout the startup process,” DeMoura read.

Short Term Rental vote deferred

Council voted 7-1 to defer the amended short-term rental ordinance back to the Planning Committee. Councilman John Iacofano recused himself from the vote, citing a conflict of interest. Proposed amendments include annual application fee requirements for full-time and part-time permit holders, off-street parking standards and civil penalties for illegal operations. Currently, a rental permit cannot be transferred between parties and the permit holder cannot sell the permit along with their property. Councilmembers Jake Rambo and Brenda Corley discussed adding an amendment that allows for permits to be passed down via inheritance. The ordinance will appear at Planning Committee next month, where it will be discussed further and updated amendments will be recommended.

Beach Cowboy Fitness offers inclusive gym classes for homeschooled, challenged and neurodivergent children at its Mount Pleasant location on Queensborough Boulevard.

Owners Cynthia and Cameron Lett, a mother-son duo, started Beach Cowboy Fitness to improve a societal issue: the degradation of communication and interpersonal skills in today’s youth.

“We’re trying to turn that around through fitness and fun,” said Cynthia.

Nearly 22% of schools have no physical education programs at all and only 4% of elementary schools have daily gym classes, according to social scientist Claire Nader. Meanwhile physical education is the only class known to improve physical, mental and emotional health, as well as executive function. Students who participate in gym class are more likely to see improvement in math and reading, thanks to a higher level of effective executive function.

Despite the proven, important role exercise plays in cognitive development and social skills, gym classes are one of the first things to be cut as schools tighten their budgets.

This is precisely what Cynthia and Cameron Lett hope to counter. Their fitness classes teach children the fundamentals of exercising, including how to warm up and cool down, but their larger focus is creating a sense of camaraderie. Students participate in a combination of games that are competitive, with an urgency to work together in teams to achieve a common goal.

All the games and classes at Beach Cowboy Fitness are inclusive and adaptive to students with physical or intellectual challenges.

“We make adjustments so everyone can participate, and they don’t feel left out or unable to achieve,” said Cynthia.

They also encourage children of all levels and abilities to work together. “Neurotypical students are going to learn how to work with students who have challenges — they’ll learn empathy, accommodation, and practice kindness. They’re all going to have the same competitive opportunities,” Cynthia added.

Gym classes at Beach Cowboy Fitness focus on winning and losing graciously. Negativity, name calling and bullying are not tolerated.

Instead, students will learn how to celebrate the opposing team’s wins and encourage them after their losses. The goal is for students to understand that just because their team lost, it doesn’t mean they’re losers.

“We think it’s important that reality is very much a part of the curriculum,” said Cynthia.

Beach Cowboy Fitness follows the South Carolina Department of Physical Education Program, so students can earn academic credit after completing two semesters, with a minimum of two classes per week for 18 weeks in a semester. Programs for homeschooled children can be purchased by the semester. Each class is based on the grades the children are in with forms and assessments completed by their coaches after each class. Financing options are available for semester purchases.

All classes are limited to ten children with two certified coaches: Cameron Lett and Eliza Athans. During special needs classes, family members and friends of the student are welcome to purchase a membership and participate with them.

Beach Cowboy Fitness is located at 1200 Queensborough Blvd., Suite B, in Mount Pleasant. To learn more, visit their website at beachcowboyfitness.com or call (843) 438-4833.

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MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD) – Mount Pleasant officials are asking for the public’s input to improve the town’s ten-year comprehensive plan.

“We do this every five years,” Mount Pleasant Town Councilmember Gary Santos said. “We come in and kind of review the Comprehensive Plan. We show them what we’ve got right now and citizens will come in and tell us what they like and what they don’t like.”

The meetings are broken up based on area of residence. Thursday’s meeting was for people who live in the Johnnie Dodds District.

“I came in with an open mind to hear what they had put together so far,” Mount Pleasant resident Byron Geddings said, “and I saw a lot of good work had been done it seems like.”

Community members were able to give input on a wide-range of topics.

“Everything from housing and business,” Liz Boyles, division chief of neighborhood livability for the Town of Mount Pleasant, said, “to trees and transportation and public services and public safety and hazard mitigation and all these different things that are components of our life in the town.”

And several residents were glad to see their suggestions acknowledged.

“My input sounds like it may see fruition in the next iteration of the planned development,” Geddings said, “and I’m looking and hoping to see some of my ideas incorporated.”

Town leaders say public input is vital to the town’s future success.

“It’s their community,” Santos said, “they just hire us to run it and we have to make sure that we include them on anything we do. This is extremely important right here that we get their opinion for the next five years before we go into voting on the comprehensive plan.”

Given the public’s ideas, leaders are optimistic about the direction the town is headed.

“We’ve got a lot of great people working here,” Boyles said, “we’ve got a lot of great people in this town with a lot of good ideas, and that’s why we want to hear them so we can work together to get them in place.”

The next public input meeting will be on Thursday, October 13, and will focus on the Long Point District.

Mount Pleasant is one of South Carolina's top five agglomerations. The town's atmosphere is less focused on tourists and more on the communities, particularly the adjacent beaches at Sullivan's Island and Isle of Palms. The city is considered one of the best locations to live in by various social and economic indicators. Mount Pleasant embraces the Holy City's laid-back low country way of life.

Geography And Climate Of Mount Pleasant

Mount Pleasant is a big suburban town situated in Charleston County in the US State of South Carolina. The town is well positioned on the east and northeast sides of Charleston Harbor and the tidal Wando River. The distance between the town and Charlotte, North Carolina, is 177 miles south and 4 miles east of Charleston, South Carolina. The town is situated in the Charleston-North Charleston metropolitan region. Mount Pleasant covers a total area of 151.87 sq.km, of which 128.27 sq.km is occupied by land and 23.60 sq.km is covered by water.

The year-round weather of Mount Pleasant is rainy and partially gloomy, with hot, stifling summers and chilly, windy winters. The average yearly temperature ranges between 43°F and 88°F, rarely falling below 30°F or rising above 93°F. The year's hottest month is July, having an average daily high temperature exceeding 83°F. With an average daily maximum temperature below 65°F, January is the year's coldest month. The average annual rainfall is 48 inches, while the average annual snowfall is 0 inches in Mount Pleasant.

Brief History Of Mount Pleasant

The Sewee Indians had previously inhabited Mount Pleasant when the first European settlers under Captain Florentia O'Sullivan left England on July 6, 1680. The 2,340 acres that Captain O'Sullivan received contained both the island bearing his name and the land that would eventually become Mount Pleasant. This region was labeled "North Point" on the earliest maps available at the time. Mount Pleasant was essential in the Revolutionary War's first significant military victory. The area was formally constituted as the town of Mount Pleasant in 1837. After the Civil War, numerous freed slaves moved to the region. Robert Scanlon, one of them, went on to develop and lead Charleston Land Company. As a result of the division of Charleston County in 1882, Mount Pleasant became the first county seat in Berkeley County. After fifteen years, it was decided that Moncks Corner would serve as the county seat, and Mount Pleasant returned to its original boundaries in 1897, once more being under the jurisdiction of Charleston County.

The Population And Economy Of Mount Pleasant

Mount Pleasant has 95,393 residents, making it the fourth most populous city in South Carolina out of 472 communities, despite being considered a suburban town in concept. The population of Mount Pleasant has declined since the most recent census, which showed a population of 90,801 in 2020, and is currently rising at a pace of 2.47% annually. White (non-Hispanic) (89.6%), Black or African American (non-Hispanic) (3.98%), Two+ (non-Hispanic) (1.93%), Asian (non-Hispanic) (1.83%), and White (Hispanic) (1.78%) make up Mount Pleasant's top five ethnic groups. Mount Pleasant has a 5.11% poverty rate and a $138,416 average household income. The median cost of rent is $1,702 per month, and the median value of a home is $472,900. In Mount Pleasant, the median age is 40.9 years, with men being, on average, 38.7 years old and women 42.7 years old.

The service sector and port shipping are the two main economic drivers in Mount Pleasant. Mount Pleasant is becoming a popular location for technology and office-related businesses to locate their operations. Of the nearby cities, Mount Pleasant's average annual job growth from 2010 to 2019 was 5.2%. Great long-term plans are in place for Mount Pleasant. Mount Pleasant was recently ranked among the best 75 American cities to live in by Money Magazine.

Top Attractions In Mount Pleasant

One of the country's oldest active plantations, Boone Hall Plantation, dates back at least three centuries to the 1680s. Since 1956, the plantation has been operating as a living history facility and has continuously raised crops for over 320 years. The plantation welcomes visitors for special occasions like the Boone Hall Farms Market and the yearly Lowcountry Strawberry Festival, in addition to guided home tours.

The majority of the town's neighborhoods, including Coleman Boulevard, are traversed by this small creek before it empties into Cooper River. Even though the creek isn't very long, the banks make for one of the ideal locations for some peaceful outdoor activities. You can locate dining establishments and sites along the creek. At the end of it, there is a boardwalk and a covered area where you may relax and go fishing.

The first bridge connecting Sullivan's Island and Mount Pleasant was constructed in 1898. When the Ben Sawyer Bridge, the present access point to the island, was built, the old bridge was closed.

The 2.3-acre Patriots Point Cold War Submarine Memorial is close to Mount Pleasant's Charleston Harbor. A full-sized replica of a Benjamin Franklin Class Fleet Ballistic Missile submarine, which was instrumental in South Carolina's participation in the Cold War in the middle of the 20th century, sits atop the memorial. It preserves pieces of the USS Lewis and Clark SSBN 664 submarines. The memorial also serves as a homage to those who operated submarine ballistic missiles and served in submarines throughout the battle.

This 945-acre nature-focused park was designed with families and groups in mind above everything else. It has a tropical setting with boardwalks and bike trails. You can cook great meals while relaxing here in the picnic area, which features a grill. A water park is another option for you and your friends to cool off during the summer.

In addition to being close to Charleston, Mount Pleasant also exudes a vibrant charm. This wonderful town has a lot to offer, from its historical significance to its scenic beauty. If you're planning a trip, think about visiting Mount Pleasant.