Last Call - Register Now For January 23 - March 13 North Myrtle Beach Ocean Rescue Junior Lifeguard Program

Last call to register for the city's January 23-March 13Ocean Rescue Junior Lifeguard program. All classes are at the North Myrtle Beach Aquatic & Fitness Center.

The program focuses on people ages 10-15 who enjoy the beach and ocean, and who would like to develop ocean lifeguard skills. For successful participants, the program can also offer a path to eventual seasonal employment as one of the city's Ocean Lifeguards (age 16-plus).

The North Myrtle Beach Public Safety Department sponsors the program and Beach Patrol Officers teach the classes. Several trained and experienced Ocean Lifeguards also assist in teaching the program.

Participants engage in fun physical exercises that encourage them to work in teams, build confidence, and learn lifesaving skills.

SCHEDULE

Pretest - January 20, 3:00 p.m. 

Pretest at the North Myrtle Beach Aquatic & Fitness Center. Those who have not previously completed the program and do not participate on a swim team will perform a 50-yard (two laps in the pool) swim test. Participants do not have to be fast swimmers but they must demonstrate that they are comfortable in the water in order to ensure a safe and fun learning environment.

ALL LESSONS 6:30 p.m.-8:15 p.m.

Lesson 1 - January 23

Welcome and Orientation, Recognizing Emergencies, Victim Recognition, Lifeguard

Lesson 2 - January 25

Knowing your Environment, RID Factor, Surveillance and Scanning, Throwing Assists

Lesson 3 - January 30

General Procedures, Entering the Water, Entries and Approaches

Lesson 4 - February 1

Procedures for an Emergency, Primary Assessment

Lesson 5 - February 6

Emergency Action Plan, Rescues at or Near the Surface

Lesson 6 - February 8

Educating Others, Conflict Resolution, FIND Model, Injury Prevention, Submerged Victim Shallow Water

Lesson 7 - February 13

Walking Assist, Two Person Removal from Water, Escapes

Lesson 8 - February 15

Conscious Choking, Ventilations, Unconscious Choking

Lesson 9 - February 20

The Cardiac Chain, Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation, Using an Automated External Defibrillator

Lesson 10 - February 22

Facility Safety Check, Preparation for Shadowing, Currents

Lesson 11 - February 27

Handling Difficult Situations, Aquatic Hazards

Lesson 12 - March 1

First Aid, Secondary Assessment

Lesson 13 - March 6

Head, Neck and Back Injuries

Lesson 14 - March 8

Survival Floating, Preparation for Shadowing, Skills Review

Lesson 15 - March 13

Course Review, Written Assessment, Final Skills

The cost for the program is $25, which includes a backpack, rash-guard swim shirt, and a Junior Lifeguard manual.

Register for the Junior Lifeguard Program at the North Myrtle Beach Aquatic & Fitness Center, 1100 2nd Avenue South.

To learn more about the program, call Lifeguard Coordinator May Lauzon at (843) 503-3086.

City of North Myrtle Beach Schedule for Martin Luther King Jr. Day - January 15

-- City Hall & J. Bryan Floyd Community Center closed

-- No City Council Meeting

-- NMB Park & Sports Complex regular schedule

-- Sanitation service regular schedule

-- Aquatic & Fitness Center regular schedule

-- Police & Fire/Rescue regular schedule

Winter Storm Watch - City of North Myrtle Beach Preparations

We are currently under a Winter Storm Watch and have the potential for 2 or more of inches of snow Wednesday, January 3. The Watch will likely be upgraded to a Winter Storm Warning later today.

KEY POINTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE

-- Increased confidence of a winter storm producing 1"-3” of snow and sleet on most surfaces. A trace to 0.04” of freezing rain is possible along the immediate coast.

-- Wintry precipitation is expected to develop late Wednesday morning, and persist through Wednesday night. Travel will become hazardous.

-- The next winter storm briefing will be issued by 5 PM Tuesday.

CITY OF NORTH MYRTLE BEACH PREPARATIONS

-- A coastal city such as ours does not make a huge investment in snow plows and other snow removal equipment but we do have several trucks equipped with snow plows and a motor grader with plow that we use to remove snow when it occurs. We also maintain a supply of road salt and salt spreaders.

-- The snow plows are prepped and ready to roll, as are the salt spreaders.

-- We do not put salt on roads until the initial moisture hits them. If salt is put down while the roads are dry, passing cars just blow it to the side of the road. Also, road salt is activated by moisture. So, when the first moisture hits the roads, we will begin our road salting operation, the initial pass taking about 2-1/2 hours. Initially, we do not salt or plow all roads in the city. Our initial objective is to salt and plow major intersections and roadways as needed.

-- Street Division staff have already been placed on a Wednesday work schedule that reflects current projections for the storm's arrival in our area.

-- City Hall and all other city services and facilities will be open for business throughout the week.

-- Wednesday sanitation collection will occur according to the regular schedule. Plan on a normal sanitation collection forThursday, and, if the storm's impact on roads interferes with normal collection, we will post that information here.

Dune Restoration Work Underway in North Myrtle Beach

The city of North Myrtle Beach dune restoration project is underway.

The $616,000 project with A.O. Hardee & Son as the contractor will use up to 60,000 cubic yards of sand to restore sand dunes from 45th Avenue South to 48th Avenue South and from 42nd Avenue North to 55th Avenue North.

Dunes is these areas were severely eroded or destroyed by Hurricane Matthew, leaving oceanfront structures exposed to potentially damaging storm surge.

The contractor started in the Cherry Grove section and is working north to south along the beach.

Sand used in the project comes from a dredging spoils basin located on Little River Neck Road. The sand currently in the basin is from the Cherry Grove dredging project. Prior to dredging the canals, sand located in the canals was tested and found to be compatible with existing dune and beach sand.

Street trucks haul sand from the spoils basin to the beach off-road vehicles carry the sand along the beach to the dune line. From there, bulldozers work to achieve the desired dune berm configuration, which is 7 feet high by 35 feet wide.

There may be some intermittent closures of sections of beach, particularly when the tide is high.

The dune restoration work follows the recently completed $10.6 million U.S. Army Corps of Engineers emergency beach renourishment project, which focused on protecting previously exposed oceanfront structures from storm surge.

North Myrtle Beach Shop With a Cop Charity Golf Tournament Moved to December 15

Due to rain that has already fallen and the 100 percent forecast for rain tomorrow, the annual North Myrtle Beach Shop With A Cop Charity Golf Tournament, previously scheduled forDecember 8, has been moved to December 15.

The tournament will still start at 11:00 a.m. on the Fazio Course at Barefoot Resort & Golf. All other aspects of the tournament also remain the same.

Registered teams may contact the North Myrtle Beach Parks & Recreation Department at 843-280-5584. If you have not yet registered for the tournament but would like to do so, please call the same phone number.

Proceeds from the seventh annual tournament go to theShop with a Cop program, managed by the North Myrtle Beach Public Safety Department.

Shop with a Cop is a Christmas program for children in need at the Ocean Drive Elementary School. Guidance Counselors at the school choose children to receive the benefits of this program. Children enjoy lunch and receive a $150 Walmart gift card.

North Myrtle Beach police officers and volunteers help guide children on purchasing presents and necessity items, such as winter coats. The goal is to raise enough money to provide an unforgettable Christmas for children in the community.

Tournament fees are $65 per person or $260 per team. Players may register individually or as a team.

The tournament fee includes green fees, cart, range balls, non-alcoholic beverages, continental breakfast, lunch, a $10,000 hole-on-one contest, and three additional hole-in-one contests valued at $500 each.

Applications for the 2018 North Myrtle Beach Citizens Academy Now Being Accepted

The City of North Myrtle Beach is now accepting applications for its 2018 Citizens Academy from North Myrtle Beach residents who wish to participate. Participation in the academy is free.

The deadline for submitting applications is December 22 at 5:00 p.m.

The first meeting of Citizens Academy participants will be Thursday, January 11 at 3:00 p.m.

 at City Hall.

The 2018 North Myrtle Beach Citizens Academy will expose participants to all facets of North Myrtle Beach government, and will include tours of key City facilities.

The schedule for North Myrtle Beach Citizens Academy meetings is as follows:

·     January 11, 3:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m. – Focus on City Manager, Legislative, Administrative and Legal divisions and current issues facing the City. Tour of the City’s public safety facility.

·     January 18, 3:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m. – Focus on Public Works Department – water, wastewater, streets, storm water, and sanitation. Includes tour of pump station and water tank facilities at Little River Neck Road and tour of water tank facility at Main Street.

·     January 25, 3:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m. – Continued focus on Public Works Department – water, wastewater, streets, storm water, and sanitation. Includes tour of the solid waste transfer station and waste water treatment plant.

·     February 1, 3:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m. – Focus on Parks & Recreation Department – athletics, sports tourism, grounds maintenance, programs, events, Aquatics & Fitness Center, Keep North Myrtle Beach Beautiful, beach services. Tour of the Aquatic & Fitness Center.

·     February 8, 3:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m. – Continued focus on Parks & Recreation – athletics, sports tourism, grounds maintenance, programs, events, Aquatics & Fitness Center, Keep North Myrtle Beach Beautiful, beach services. Tour of NMB Park & Sports Complex.

·     February 15, 3:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m. – Focus on Planning & Zoning, Human Resources, Support Services, Finance and Information Technology Departments.

·     A Graduation Ceremony will be scheduled with the group to occur at a City Council Meeting.

Applications are available at City Hall or via https://tinyurl.com/yco5tcyk or at www.NMB.usunder "Press Releases" on the homepage.

More Information: City Clerk Merideth Smith at (843) 280-5604 or mjsmith@nmb.us