Plumbers in North Charleston, SC

It requires time, patience and purpose.

The S.C. State Ports Authority's $105 million acquisition of the former WestRock paper mill along the Cooper River in North Charleston is a textbook example. A decade or more will likely pass before the 280-acre waterfront property will begin its next life as a sizable shipping terminal.

"It's going to take a lot of preparation before that site could ever be utilized," SPA chief executive Barbara Melvin told lawmakers at a hearing in Columbia last week.

The sale of the mill with its 5,000 feet of future berth space along the Cooper River was finalized April 26, according to real estate documents recorded last week with the Charleston County Register of Deeds.

As part of the deal, WestRock Co. included a swath of undeveloped land off Jedburg Road near Summerville.

The Atlanta-based packaging company and successor to the old Westvaco Corp. announced a year ago it would shut down the 500-worker papermaking plant by late summer after 86 years, citing a "combination of high operating costs and the need for significant capital investment."

WestRock also stated that it was preparing the property for sale.

The SPA was an eager buyer for an obvious reason. The manufacturing site off Virginia Avenue near I-526 will enable it to more than double the size of its North Charleston Terminal right next door.

"It's very exciting for us when we're able to integrate that property into an existing facility," Melvin said.

Just not anytime soon.

The conversion from paper mill to port isn't projected to be needed or completed until the 2030s or possibly the 2040s, Melvin projected.

The acquisition is one piece in a complicated and expensive transportation puzzle that requires several other big-ticket projects to fall into place. All are tied to the emergence of supersized container vessels that the SPA and many other port operators are scrambling to accommodate to stay competitive.

Among the first items on the to-do list is the completion of the SPA's 3-year-old deepwater Leatherman Terminal a few miles away on the former Navy base.

Another is the proposed replacement of the nearby Don Holt Bridge with a higher span that will allow the mega-vessels to safely pass under I-526.

Also, the navigation channel in that section of the Cooper will need to be deepened by several feet.

For those reasons, Melvin said, the WestRock property “is not the next increment of capacity for us."

"We will build out the Leatherman Terminal before we move to that area because to utilize fully the paper mill site, along with any kind of modernization to our North Charleston facility …. we need to be able to handle the biggest ships there," she said.

Melvin and her predecessors at the SPA have stressed that planning how and where the port adds new berths and wharf space is a multigenerational process. it often requires early upfront investments and involves lengthy time horizons that can stretch decades into the future.

“Just permitting, financing, planning … all of that takes a lot of time," she said.

While the WestRock closure was regrettable based on the job losses, it also was a fortuitous once-in-a-lifetime chance for the port to secure and recycle an environmentally challenging site that will provide enough expansion space until at least mid-century, based on current projections.

“This is the future," Melvin told lawmakers, who are expected to provide $55 million in state funds to close the deal. "Port activity really takes 20, 30, 40 years sometimes to plan. And if we had not grabbed this opportunity with the WestRock property, in 20 years, whoever is sitting in this seat should have to answer the question, 'Who was asleep at the switch?' And that would have been me.”

The North Charleston Terminal is now the smallest of the SPA's three box-ship hubs, with five cranes that can move up to 500,000 containers annually.

Once the mill property is added to the mix, it'll be able to handle 10 times as much cargo, making it, by far, the largest.

It’s a quote from American astrologer and planetary scientist Carl Sagan.

“We are the way for the universe to know itself,” said Roadside Blooms owner Toni Reale.

Roadside Blooms, nestled in a solar-powered building off Rivers Avenue, is a thoughtfully curated one-stop shop for both seasoned plantkeepers and the horticulturally curious. The viridescent space houses an array of indoor plants, a DIY bouquet bar and a selection of crystals, candles and pots.

“We are made of the same things that the galaxy is made of,” Reale told The Post and Courier.

“We are all the same. And I think if we really tapped into that, we'd have so much more peace on earth. We'd have so much more love in our community and within ourselves. I think a lot of people feel isolated, especially after COVID, and separate from one another. Starting with plants or flowers or even a crystal can (help us see) that we're not just standalone beings, and we can be comforted and feel love from that connection.”

The little plant shop is built on the pillars of community and sustainability, Reale said. She believes cultivating a green thumb requires a holistic mindset with a sense of responsibility for the health of the local economy and environment.

And for those looking to be more green, plant care can be a good way to dial into self-care, and spending dollars that stay local develops an everyday ethical consciousness.

What it means to care

When it comes to people, she said everyone has a nurturing part of them that they need to express — and taking care of plants is such a perfect way to do that.

Reale, a self-proclaimed “science geek” with a background in environmental geology, believes that part of being a good plant parent is learning about a plant’s origin. A good first step is to replicate the plant’s native environment at home in order to see the best results. Whether the plant is from an arid or tropical environment, people can mimic light and water conditions to optimize the health of their plant.

The shop is designed to educate people so they can be the best plant parent possible when they leave. Throughout the space, customers can read clever signage filled with care tips and facts about the natural history of the plants for sale.

She encourages people to think of the bigger picture when they are caring for plants, putting together a flower arrangement or even getting into the metaphysical aspects of crystals. It’s about being mindful that it’s not just an item on a shelf but a living thing.

“Humans are part of a much greater, deeper web of living things,” Reale said.

Slowing down to nurture plants is therapeutic, and even necessary, in the nation’s complicated social climate, she said.

“It feels good, it feels like home. And when the world outside is chaos … having plants creates your own safe space that you can call home ... .”

And while there’s some sense of loss if a plant fails, there’s so much joy in seeing a plant succeed.

The slow flowers movement

Another tenet of Roadside Blooms is sustainable flowers are not a luxury item. That’s why a single-stem bouquet bar greets customers at the entrance.

Roadside Blooms made its first appearance at a 2013 Earth Day fest in Charleston as a mobile shop in a refurbished ice cream truck, and Reale continued to build an eco-friendly flower arrangement business before she ended up at her current location in June 2023.

As owner of “the OG flower shop on wheels,” Reale embedded that congenial community-based concept with a streamlined approach to retail flowers. The shop offers a variety of American-grown and locally sourced flowers, with choices limited to what is in season.

“It's really important for people to have access to flowers,” Reale said. “You don't have to be a florist to put something beautiful together.”

Roadside is part of what is known as the slow flowers movement, the conscious consumption of cut flowers grown domestically, seasonally and ethically.

It’s wise to think about these three things in conjunction as a consumer, Reale said. One of the big focus points is sourcing. About 80 percent of flowers consumed in America, from weddings to funerals, are flown in from other countries that have little to no labor or environmental laws. Committing to slow flowers means supporting ethical labor and putting the planet first.

“... flowers make people happy,” Reale said. “And I love that.”

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NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The future of land in North Charleston lies in the hands of city council members, and it’s a breath of relief for concerned community members and a strain for the company urging its industrial use.

The city council will be the next step forward for the proposed plan after a request to rezone two parts of the former Baker Hospital property on the Ashley River. They will vote on whether the land will be rezoned from R-1 residential to M-2, heavy industrial and M-1, light industrial.

The city’s Planning Commission on Monday voted 5-1 to deny the recommendation to rezone before passing it onto council - saying it didn’t align with the best interest of the city’s comprehensive plan, the location to the Ashley River and the public interest of surrounding neighborhoods.

The land, defined as a brownfield, is a property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant, the Environmental Protection Agency says.

“We don’t need industry in our living rooms. We don’t need to breathe the fluid of industry in our neighborhoods. We don’t need to be impacted negatively that way,” Union Heights resident Skip Mikell says.

The Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission and Sea Fox Boats have a 90-year lease with the goal of building a manufacturing plant on 11 acres of the 46-acre property. Sea Fox Boats owner Freddy Renken says they plan to bring 200 or more jobs to the area and will fund the construction of a waterfront public park.

The commission says rent paid by Sea Fox Boats and its dry stack marina would offset operations and maintenance for the park. Nothing has been finalized or started because this is in a due diligence phase.

The park itself would have the following amenities:

Renken did not speak at the meeting but a company lawyer shared insight on his behalf:

“What is there not to want about this? To turn a brownfield into a park that provides jobs and an economic engine. With Sea Fox Boats, the City of North Charleston will be able to build planes, cars, boats. I think that is pretty cool,” Ronald Richter says.

Despite the push for approval, a resounding “no” was heard from a crowd of North Charleston homeowners and supporters. They say the company never shared its plans with surrounding neighborhoods and businesses, including Union Heights, Chicora-Cherokee and Accabee.

Mayor Reggie Burgess also pushed for a full recreational park option to be considered following the initial plan release.

Charleston County Parks states in this press release they planned on releasing public input meeting dates in early 2024. As of now, no updates have been provided.

The commission released the following statement:

The Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission (CCPRC) recently entered into a public-private partnership with the locally-owned Sea Fox Boat Company at its Ashley River site. The company is in a two-year due diligence phase, which includes addressing zoning and permitting issues.

Per the partnership, Charleston County Parks would continue to own the entire property, with tenant Sea Fox funding the creation and maintenance of the future public park. This would allow Charleston County Parks to develop and operate the park without taxpayer funds. Because of the site’s history as the former Baker Hospital and as a phosphate processing plant, it has created a brownfield that will require costly environmental efforts to make it suitable for recreational use.

The future county park would offer residents green space and views of the Ashley River. Other possible amenities at the park include a fishing/crabbing dock, trails, playground, splash pad, shelter for camps or programs, and unique event space. Public input meetings will be held to learn what the communities would like to see on the site. Once the zoning process has been completed, we will determine the timeline for the public input meetings.

Seventeen people spoke in opposition to the plan. Neighbors say adding the plant would not benefit their community in terms of work or play and are asking for the area to be solely a park.

“The neighborhoods we represent have some of the lowest unemployment rates in North Charleston. Chicora-Cherokee specifically has a 2.9 unemployment rate, which means our people are already working,” KJ Kearney says.

The planning commission stated in the agenda item they recommended denial because they believe the property’s location to the Ashley River makes the plant unfeasible and there is a “lack of support” to the city’s comprehensive plan.

Sea Fox Boats argues the area they are requesting rezoning for is on a brownfield, the former site of a phosphate processing plant and hospital, which would need environmental maintenance to make the area suitable for recreational purposes or greenspace.

North Charleston natives say they remember the smells, the sights and the feelings of growing up near the former plant and the concerns it raised for health and wellness.

“Those people don’t live here. So whatever damage they do, they leave at the end of the shift and go home. We live here and if there’s anything that we can do to prevent that kind of thing reoccurring. We’re going to do so,” Mikell says.

The site was donated to Charleston County Parks in 2015 by Charleston residents Michael and Jenny Messner of the Speedwell Foundation. The organization did not respond to a request for comment.

“The owner of that property is the Charleston County Parks and Recreation. Their purpose for being is to create parks, preserve and protect greenspaces,” Richter says. “We are not looking for the high bidder here, we are looking for the perfect partner to clean this place and make it a place of pride.”

The discussion will now go before city council starting on April 11 for its first reading. The next opportunity for public input will be on April 18.

For more information on the project, click here.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – The South Carolina Ports Authority announced Tuesday it plans to purchase the former WestRock paper mill site in North Charleston to “further expand port capacity.”

WestRock announced in May 2023 that it would close the mill in late August, citing high operating costs and the need for significant capital investment as the driving factors behind the closure.

The SC Ports Board of Directors voted on Tuesday morning to move forward with a purchase sales agreement with WestRock. While the SC Ports did not provide a timeline, they said the transaction is expected to close “as soon as practical.”

Port officials said they also received support from the state for the project.

“South Carolina Ports is widely known as a top driver of our state’s booming economy, but that success doesn’t come by accident — it takes timely, strategic investments like this one. Every time we invest in port infrastructure, we see significant success at port-dependent businesses and new, good-paying jobs for our people. Our state’s investment in the expansion of North Charleston Terminal will yield dividends and create opportunities for future generations,” said Governor Henry McMaster.

“The tremendous backing from our state and an excellent partnership with WestRock allows us to make investments today that will support our state’s economy and create opportunities for future generations of South Carolinians,” said SC Ports President and CEO Barbara Melvin. “We are adding significant port capacity to support growth in South Carolina and throughout the Southeast.”

The approximately 280-acre property sits adjacent to the North Charleston Terminal. SC Ports leaders say the former paper mill site will offer a natural extension of the container terminal allowing them to handle more cargo for port-dependent businesses.

It could expand the terminal’s capacity to handle five million containers in the future and create 5,000 feet of linear berth space for container shops, and around 400 acres of terminal space for cargo.

Port officials said the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is playing a key role in the project. They are planning to expand I-526 and will replace the Don Holt Bridge, which would remove height constraints for larger vessels.

“Plans are also underway to achieve a 52-foot depth up to North Charleston Terminal. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District, is undertaking a feasibility study — a critical first step toward deepening this stretch of the Cooper River an additional five feet,” the SC Ports said in its release.

Leaders say the deepening and new bridge height will allow bigger ships calling the Port of Charleston to seamlessly access the North Charleston Terminal.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A Charleston County teacher is using animals to remind her students they can find peace inside and outside of the classroom.

Jordan Adams is an elementary school counselor and says her job is to make sure her students enjoy coming to school every day. Adams has been the school counselor at Harbor View Elementary for 13 years. Adams says even though she plans her days ahead, she never knows what the day might bring. One of her big focuses for all of her students is social emotional learning.

She says it is important to help students understand complex emotions at an early age before they enter adulthood, which is where the social emotional learning Piggy Project all began.

It started when Adams’ son asked her for a guinea pig during COVID when social distancing was at an all-time high. As an avid animal lover, Adams gave her son the guinea pig Oreo. But she said she couldn’t help but feel the animal was lonely. By the time school began that August, Adams housed three guinea pigs and wanted to share them with the students.

“The school day is a long day,” Adams says. “The kids work really hard, and I want them to love school. They may not love everything about it, but they should enjoy coming to school for the most part. Even if they’re able to just visit with the guinea pigs, if that gets them to the school, it makes my day.”

Adams plans to have the guinea pigs as calming animals for the students as long as she can.

She says her guinea pigs eat quite often and she feeds them mostly hay as a snack. Through budgeting and planning to make sure the program continues, she needs help supplying the pigs with the constant nutrients they need.

Click here to become a Classroom Champion by donating to Adams’ Piggy Project through Donors Choose.

All donations to Donors Choose are tax-deductible. Donors Choose collects your money, then buys the items and sends them to the teacher. This ensures that your donation is used for our area teachers.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.