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.”

Saturday Swim Lessons at NMB Aquatic & Fitness Center - January 28 - March 11

North Myrtle Beach, SC – January 25, 2017 – Sign up today at the Customer Service Desk at the NMB Aquatic & Fitness Center for Saturday Swim Lessons- January 28-March 11* (No Classes Feb.11).

Saturday Infant/Parent Lessons (6mos-3yrs)           
Fees: AFC Member: $26/session (*6 classes), Non-Member: $33/session (*6 classes)
8:30-9:00am

Saturday Pre-School Lessons (3-5yrs)
Fees: AFC Member: $26/session (*6 classes), Non-Member: $33/session (*6 classes)           
Sat Level 1 - 9:05-9:35am           
Sat Level 1 - 10:15-10:45am           
Sat Level 2 - 9:40-10:10am           
Sat Level 3 - 10:50-11:20am

Saturday Youth Lessons (6-14 yrs)
Fees : $30.00 /session (*6 classes) Non-member: $44.00/session (*6 classes)           
Sat Level 1 - 9:05-9:50am 
Sat Level 2 - 9:55-10:40am 
Sat Level 3 - 4:10:45-11:30am 

Call 843-281-3744 for more information.

North Myrtle Beach Planning Commission Meeting Agenda For January 24, 2017

MEETING -- 5:00 P.M.

MORNING WORKSHOP -- 9:15 A.M.

City Hall - 1018 Second Avenue South - North Myrtle Beach, SC

1. CALL TO ORDER

2. ROLL CALL

3. COMMUNICATIONS

4. APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES for January 10, 2017

5. OLD BUSINESS

6. NEW BUSINESS – "Consent Items"

7. NEW BUSINESS – "OFFICIAL PUBLIC HEARING ITEMS

A. MAJOR PLANNED DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT AMENDMENT MJPDD-16-04:
Following the council workshop last month, a revision to the Major PDD Amendment considered in November 2016 regarding the Barefoot Resort Planned Development District to allow changes to the approved development. The request involves reconfiguring Tract IMF-3 located in the Dye Estates by changing the approved residential uses from detached to attached, increasing the approved density and creating a new parking lot design.

8. ADJOURNMENT
Please Note: This is the basic agenda for the meeting and workshop. We will provide access to accompanying documents later in the week when they have been completed.

Kids Healthy Cooking Classes Begin Tuesday, January 24 at J. Bryan Floyd Community Center -- Six Tuesday Lessons

Healthy Hands certified cooking instructor and professional pastry chef Nicole Norris will teach kids ages 8-14 how to have fun cooking and eating healthy during a series of six Tuesday classes. TheTuesday classes start January 24, 4:30pm-6:30pm, at the J. Bryan Floyd Community Center, 1030 Possum Trot Road, North Myrtle Beach. The fee is $35 per class or $189 for the six-week session.

Students will learn easy recipes covering everything from snacks and appetizers, to meals and desserts. They will also learn how to read nutrition labels, make healthy ingredient substitutions, understand sugar intake, and much more.

Each class is a hands-on experience using unintimidating countertop appliances that are readily available. Some of the skills to be learned include proper cutting techniques, how to read recipes, proper handling of raw foods, and more. Students will learn cooking skills that will last a lifetime.

Supplies are included in all classes. Every student will be preparing food during class and will have the opportunity to eat what they make. They will also take home the recipes to share with the whole family.

To book a spot today go to http://www.curiosityhealthycooking.com.

For more information, call the North Myrtle Beach Parks & Recreation Department at (843) 280-5584 or visit http://parks.nmb.us.