13th Annual Palmetto Police Motorcycle Skills Competition April 4-7 At Myrtle Beach Mall

The 13th Annual Palmetto Police Motorcycle Skills Competition, which benefitsCamp Happy Days, is April 4-7 at Myrtle Beach Mall,10177 North Kings Highway, Myrtle Beach (next to Bass Pro Shop).

The public is invited to attend this free event. If you like, you can use this opportunity to donate toCamp Happy Days, which welcomes all children with cancer across South Carolina without charge. From their signature summer camp, age-specific on-going programs, family counseling and financial assistance, “dream dates,” hospital visits, holiday giving and more, these programs help relieve worries and strengthen family bonds.

Developed with guidance from the medical community, Camp Happy Days programs help improve the emotional, physical and psychological health of children and families affected by pediatric cancer. At Camp Happy Days, kids discover the power within themselves as they share life-changing experiences with kids just like themselves who are battling cancer. Kids can be kids again as they have fun and gain confidence.

What cancer takes away,Camp Happy Days helps give back. 

Check out Camp Happy Days atwww.camphappydays.org.

The Palmetto Police Motor Skills Competition is a way to showcase the skills of law enforcement motorcycle riders or motor officers. They come to the competition from different states and locally and are put to the test through a series of performance-under-pressure events. 

It takes a great deal of practice to be able to handle the weight and size of a motorcycle. The basic idea behind police motorcycle training is to make the motorcycle work to its maximum potential. A simple philosophy of motor officers is, if you hit or rub a cone in training, you have just struck a pedestrian.

Several events help determine the overall best riders. These riders are ranked in a final overall category. The best overall rider earns the title of Mr. Rodeo. The best team consisting of four members earns the title of Best Overall Team.

For a detailed itinerary and other information about the types of courses the motor officers will ride in the motorcycle skills competition, visitwww.ppmsc.us

For more information or to donate to Camp Happy Days, please contact Sergeant Ray Pollock at843-241-4313 (Cell), 843-280-5511 (Office) orrrpollock@nmb.us

Ingram Dunes Update from the City of North Myrtle Beach

The North Myrtle Beach Planning Commission approved a request for a preliminary plat of subdivision for Ocean Peak to create 31 lots of record and two public rights-of-way between Hillside Drive and Strand Avenue. (The privately owned property is sometimes referred to by members of the public as "Ingram Dunes.")

The Planning Commission's role is not to decide on the "worth" of a proposed subdivision or project but to determine if an applicant's request adheres to city ordinances governing the particular request, which this request did.

The applicant also asked the Planning Commission to act to allow removal of trees on lots throughout the subdivision but the Commission voted to take no action. This means that the applicant will have to request a variance from the city's Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) in order to accomplish such work. The application period for the April BZA meeting has passed and the next available BZA meeting is May 10.

This item will NOT go before City Council. The approved application for a preliminary plat of subdivision was based on the property's original zoning (R-1 Single-Family Residential Low Density) and as such does not require Council review or approval.

Previously, the applicant did file a request to rezone the property from R-1 Single Family Residential Low Density to R-1B Single Family Residential Low to Medium Density. Because it was a request for a rezoning of the property, it was required to go before City Council and did so at the February 6, 2017 City Council meeting. The request failed when no motion was made to act on the applicant's request. Thus, the original R-1 zoning remained in place.

As is true of any development project, the property owner would also have to apply for and receive a land disturbance permit relating to storm water control, and a water and sewer permit. The applicant would also apply for a grading permit, which if granted, would allow them to develop the rights-of-way within the subdivision, including tree removal within the rights-of-way only. These permits are reviewed and granted or not at the staff level and some of the permits may involve a joint review with other agencies.

Three Receive City of North Myrtle Beach Employee Longevity Awards

During the March 19 North Myrtle Beach City Council Meeting, three city employees received Employee Longevity Awards. 

Receiving awards were Detective Owen Lynam (25 years of service), Aquatic & Fitness Center CustodianNicholas Greene (10), and Director of Planning & Development Jim Wood(10).

Employee Longevity Awards are given in five-year increments to employees who provide excellent customer service.

We congratulate these employees and thank them for their service!

Shown L-R in the accompanying photo are Jim Wood, Owen Lynam, Nicholas Greene, and City Manager Mike Mahaney.

North Myrtle Beach Election Commission Certifies March 6 Tourism Development Fee Referendum Vote Count

The North Myrtle Beach Election Commission met at North Myrtle Beach City Hall on March 8 at 10:00 a.m. to certify the March 6 Tourism Development Fee referendum vote.

The certified referendum vote count is 188 "YES" votes and 3052 "NO" votes.

The number of "NO" votes increased by two over the March 6 count.

The Election Commission approved two ballots withheld from the March 6 vote count pending review on March 8.

One voter did not have photographic identification on their person at the time of voting due to having misplaced their driver’s license. The voter later provided the required photographic proof and their ballot was reviewed and approved on March 8.

Another voter acquired an absentee ballot to fill out but did not complete or submit the absentee ballot. When they went to vote at their polling place, information showed they had signed up for an absentee ballot. The voter gave the uncompleted absentee ballot to the polling manager and voted by machine, pending review by the Commission on March 8.

The accompanying chart shows the vote as tallied per voting precinct: "ABS"=Absentee, "Failsafe"=The two reviewed and approved ballots, "CB"=Crescent Beach, "CG"=Cherry Grove, "OD"=Ocean Drive, "WH"=Windy Hill.

Carolina Wheelchair Basketball Conference Championship Tournament Set For March 10-11 At The North Myrtle Beach Aquatic & Fitness Center

The Carolina Wheelchair Basketball Conference Championship Tournament (CWBC) will be held March 10-11 at the North Myrtle Beach Aquatic & Fitness Center (1100 Second Avenue South).

The CWBC is comprised of seven teams:

North Carolina Teams

Charlotte Rollin Hornets

Fayetteville Flyers

Port City Spokesman

Triad Trackers

Triangle Thunder

South Carolina Teams

Richland County Recreation Commission Lightening’s

Spartanburg Pistons

The March 10 tip-off is at 9am with the last game beginning at 3:30pm.

The March 11 tip-off is at 9am with the championship game beginning at 12pm.

The games are free and open to the public.

For more information please contact Melinda Chappell at 843-280-5632 

Change in Dates for Ocean Boulevard Lane Closures in Area of Tilghman Beach & Golf Resort

Due to a forecast for high wind and rain, the Ocean Boulevard lane closures originally scheduled for March 6 and 7 in the area of Tilghman Beach & Golf Resort have beenchanged to March 13 and 14.

The southbound lanes on Ocean Boulevard between Shorehaven Drive and 18th Avenue North will be closed between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on March 13 and 14 as Tilghman Beach & Golf Resort completes work on their building. The work involves the use of a crane that will be situated in the southbound lanes. All lanes will be open to traffic overnight.

There will be a detour in place using Sea Mountain Highway westbound to Highway 17 southbound and then to 11th Avenue North eastbound in order to reach Ocean Boulevard south of 18th Avenue North.

14 Residents Graduate From 2018 City of North Myrtle Beach Citizens Academy

During their March 5 meeting, the North Myrtle Beach City Council recognized the graduates of the 2018 North Myrtle Beach Citizens Academy.

Receiving graduation certificates were North Myrtle Beach residents Deborah Anzelc, Ken Anzelc, Roger Bonner, Paul Carver, Robert Clark, Scott Ellis, David Hendrickson, James Hovanec, Ricky Martin, Sheila Martin, Bob Moss, Jimmy Payne, Roger Quinn, and Cathy Weis.

The annual Citizens Academy offers North Myrtle Beach residents the opportunity to learn more about how their city functions through presentations by city department heads, discussion of some of the key issues facing the city, and tours of city facilities.

We greatly appreciate the involvement of this year’s Academy graduates!

North Myrtle Beach City Council Recognizes 26 Santee Cooper Employees For Their Voluntary Service to the People of St. Croix

During their March 5 meeting, the North Myrtle Beach City Council recognized 26 Santee Cooper employees from North Myrtle Beach, Conway, Myrtle Beach and Garden City, who voluntarily traveled to St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands with their trucks and other equipment to help restore power lost through the impact of two Category 5 hurricanes.

When they arrived in St. Croix only 18% of the residents had power. While there, the employees worked 12 to 14 hours per day, 7 days a week. When they left St. Croix about 95% of the residents had power.

The employees divided into two groups. The first group departed to St. Croix on November 20, 2017 and returned home December 21. The second group departed on December 20and returned home onJanuary 21. Each group missed spending the holidays with their families and friends but they were willing to make that sacrifice to help the people of St. Croix.

The Santee Cooper employees were Timmy Long, Joe Sawyer, Andol Johnson, Reggie Graves, Larry Hall, Brooks Cribb, Jamie Anderson, Hunter Melton, Blake Ward, Matt Martin, Chase Prince, David Causey, Jerry Holt, Kyle Powell, Logan Sauls, Garrett Gasque, Judson Ward, Donnie Metzger, Chris Osha, Austin Luken, Reggie Davis, Lexie Creel, Chase Woodle, Austin Griswold, James Milton, and Dennis Dutcher.

Mayor Marilyn Hatley also thanked Santee Cooper employees for their dedication to restoring power to North Myrtle Beach as quickly as possible following hurricanes and other storm events.