Police Officer Donald Keith Williams Earns City's 2016 Safety Employee Of The Year Award

On February 21, Police Officer Donald Keith Williams was presented with the City's 2016 Safety Employee of the Year Award.

His nomination for the award documented how, immediately following the passage of Hurricane Matthew through North Myrtle Beach, he took the initiative and asked his supervisors to allow him to work closely with the Street Division to deploy four-way stop signs at major intersections throughout the city where traffic signals had failed. This action prevented many vehicle accidents and it also allowed Police Officers stationed at the intersections to return to normal patrol duties.
On another occasion Officer Williams used his experience and skills to assist a wrecker service struggling to remove a heavily damaged vehicle from a dangerous situation. When Officer Williams arrived on scene, he recognized several safety issues and stepped in to assist. With his help the vehicle was safely recovered in about 15 minutes.

We congratulate Officer Williams on receiving this award, and we thank him for his commitment and innovation in always seeking "Safety First" for himself, his co-workers, and the public.
Left to right in the accompanying photo are City Safety Specialist Joe Turner, Police Officer Donald Keith Williams, and Public Safety Director Jay Fernandez.

Community Blood Drive Feb. 24

Did you know that 1 pint of blood can save up to 3 lives?

Please join CENTURY 21® Thomas, Thomas Beach Vacations and Boulineau’s Food Plus on Friday, Feb. 24, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at a community Blood Drive. The event will be held at CENTURY 21 Thomas, 625 Sea Mountain Highway in the Cherry Grove section of North Myrtle Beach.

Please schedule your appointment in advance by going to www.redcrossblood.org (sponsor: CENTURY 21 Thomas) or call 800-733-2767. Let’s continue to build North Myrtle Beach and save lives as we support the American Red Cross!

City Close to Completing Removal of Damaged Sand Fencing Posts From its 9 Miles of Beach

When the last beach renourishment project was accomplished along the City's nine miles of beach, sand fencing was installed along the completed project. The fencing helps keep people off the dunes and it also plays a role in catching and retaining sand for the dunes.

Hurricane Matthew destroyed or severely damaged a lot of the sand fencing. Crews have been removing the fence posts and are nearing the end of that work. New sand fencing will be installed when the next beach renourishment project has been completed. The fencing sits on the dune structure.

City officials have been working hard toward the next beach renourishment effort. The Army Corps of Engineer's Design is 95% complete, and the Mayor and City Council have met with the City Manager to review the proposed emergency renourishment.

Repairs to Dune Walkovers & Beach Access to Begin in March

Repairs to Hurricane Damaged Dune Walkovers and Beach Accesses Projected to Begin in March and Completed by Easter Weekend

North Myrtle Beach, SC - February 14, 2017 - The City of North Myrtle Beach has issued a request for bids to repair dune walkovers and/or beach accesses damaged by Hurricane Matthew. Although damage to dune walkovers and beach accesses occurred all along the City’s nine miles of beach, a disproportionate amount of the damage was concentrated in the Cherry Grove section of the city. It will take two to three weeks for contractors to submit their bids to the City. If the bids come in at or under the City’s estimate, a contractor will be selected and the work will begin in mid-to-late March. The goal is to complete the repairs prior to Easter weekend. A large percentage of the cost to repair dune walkovers and beach accesses damaged by Hurricane Matthew may in time be reimbursed by FEMA but the City must first expend the money from its own resources. This was also the case with the much larger costs associated with the collection and disposal of hurricane related vegetative and other debris from streets, parks and other venues in North Myrtle Beach. “The upfront costs of hurricane debris removal, the repairs to dune walkovers and beach accesses, overtime, and other hurricane related costs has put some temporary pressure on the City’s budget,” said City Manager Mike Mahaney, “but the City has  been able to meet those demands by adapting to the situation. We have been able to stagger repair and other projects so that they can be accomplished without having to seek additional revenue. And we are very fortunate that in the foreseeable future a decent percentage of our hurricane related expenditures will be reimbursed by FEMA.”