Plumbers in Summerville, SC

As a native of Summerville, a concerned citizen, and a former mayoral candidate, considering another run, I’m writing this article in response to Dickie Miler’s editorial, “Gone With The Wind ″ published in the April 12th, 2023, edition of the Summerville Journal. I love Dickie Miler. He has been a friend and mentor to me over the years, so I hope this will be received in the manner in which it was intended. Hopefully, it will be viewed as healthy debate, iron sharpening iron. It isn’t a critique of Dickie, the person, but of his premise that “progress is inevitable” and his fuzzy vision for the future of 500 N Main Street.

Progress is not inevitable. History and today’s headlines teach us that natural disasters (Hurricane Katrina) and man-made disasters (East Palestine, Ohio) can stop progress in an instant. Believing that progress is inevitable is not the proper approach for planning a vision for the future.

With regard to Dickie’s view of the “Grand Old” hospital,. The building at 500 N. Main Street was designed and built to be a medical center, using the standards of the 1930s. Its grandeur is debatable, but that is not the point. Dickie fails to offer an alternative plan to the County’s proposal. He offers us no insight into his thoughts, leaving us with a fuzzy vision for the future of 500 N. Main Street. Summerville needs that space to generate tax revenue. I visualize a building more appealing than the old hospital — a multi-use space with no county offices because County offices don’t generate tax revenue. I imagine a building, architecturally designed to be compatible with the buildings on Hutchinson Square, revitalizing that section of town.

I have no doubt the County can build more efficient offices, away from the congestion of North Main Street.

As a concerned citizen, because of Dickie’s real estate connections and his association with Summerville YMCA, voters deserve to know the finer details of Dickie’s proposal for the Summerville Sports Complex. His call for the Town “to be totally transparent” should be applied to his plan ... In particular, voters deserve to know who stands to profit from his proposed acquisition of property for the project, from the owner(s) to the agent(s) to the closing attorney(s). Also, who would be responsible for running and staffing the programs, the YMCA? Will the long awaited Sports Complex include an aquatic center?

Finally, as a potential candidate in the course of my conversations with likely voters, I learned Summerville is awakening to the reality of the lost opportunities the YMCA failed to deliver for our citizens. They don’t like the commercialization of the Festival. They realize the YMCA managed nearly 50 years of Flowertown Festival Revenue. They ask, “What do we have to show for all that money the festival generates?” or “ Where did the money go?” I won’t ask if all that money is “Gone With The Wind’’ because as Bob Dylan says, “you don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows”.

Sincerely,

Fleming Moore

Food, fun and a host of educational activities are on tap, as Summerville-based vegetable garden grower, Katie’s Krops, is introducing its first annual “Springfest” celebration from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on April 29 in its flagship garden, located at 505 Gahagan Road.

The Saturday extravaganza will also feature the unveiling of Katie’s Krops’ new butterfly house at 11 a.m. The ribbon-cutting ceremony aims to highlight efforts to save the monarchs by providing them with their own sanctuary.

What’s more, visitors will be treated to garden tours issued by the organization’s team of youth volunteers. The tour guides will be joined by on-site experts who’ll take questions while youngsters in attendance can indulge in arts and crafts.

A youth art exhibition/contest is also part of the “Springfest” package.

“Hosting Springfest has been a dream of ours for some time, and I am so excited to see this event come to life! Our flagship garden is such a special space to so many, and I can’t wait for the community to come to see it and learn more about our efforts to end hunger. I am so grateful to our partner organizations who will be joining us and thrilled for attendees to learn even more ways that they can get involved and give back in the Lowcountry. It will be such a wonderful day of fun, learning, and giving back!,” said Katie’s Krops Founder, Katie Stagliano.

Food will be available to purchase from community partners at Destiny Community Cafe’s Food Truck and there will be opportunities to make donations to support Katie’s Krops. This inaugural event is sponsored by the Trident United Way.

For all questions regarding “Springfest,” contact Stacy Stagliano at Stacy@KatiesKrops.com or call 843-327-3366.

The mission of Katie’s Krops is to empower youth to start and maintain vegetable gardens and donate the produce in need, as well as assist and inspire others to do the same. Katie’s Krops has 100+ youth-run vegetable gardens currently growing across the United States.

I volunteer as an usher for the Summerville Orchestra. At the Sat., April 1 concert, “The Reformation,” Music Director Wojciech Milewski premiered a local work, “Psalm 13,” by composer Christopher Karpus. Given the religious significance of the month of April (Easter and so on), Psalm 13 represents the Biblical story of King David’s struggle with his perceived separation from God, his prayer and salvation. The work has three sections. It was a wonderful piece. By day, Karpus is an architect. He plays both piano and guitar.

Regan: You were initially a piano major at the University of Illinois School of Music. You also play guitar? Explain your path.

Karpus: I started piano lessons when I was 9 years old. Around that time, I remember interviewing an architect thinking that may be something I would like to do someday. A few years later, a friend talked me into joining the concert band in junior high. I started playing the baritone and, later, the trumpet throughout high school and college. After auditioning at the University of Illinois School of Music, I was accepted into the Piano Pedagogy program. While I enjoyed my time as a music major, I was missing that balance between creativity and the type of analytical thought that architecture offered, so I made the switch to architecture. Regarding the guitar, though I play a little at home and church, I don’t really consider myself much of a guitarist.

R: Tell us about the three parts of “Psalm 13.” Were you pleased with the Summerville Orchestra’s rendition of it?

K: I believe Psalm 13 lends itself to the three parts I have in the song. Part One musically describes David’s “how long” questions of God, whom he felt had turned His back on him. Part Two is a turning point in the Psalm and song where David seems to change his approach to God from pleas from a dark place to more of a prayer for God’s intervention. The third and final section shows David’s resolve to trust and worship God despite his circumstances. The flute solo at the end of the piece represents God’s voice and the accompanying melody from my first work, “The Creation Symphony.” I was thrilled that the Summerville Orchestra chose to include Psalm 13 in their concert series. They performed it beautifully, and I was very pleased.

R: Did you come from a musical family?

K: Though my parents introduced me to a lot of different types of music and were very encouraging in my musical pursuits, my family was not particularly musical.

R: What or who influenced you to write spiritual orchestral compositions? How many works have you composed (all spiritual)? Do any have lyrics for choral groups?

K: I believe that music is a way that God communicates with us, and He has allowed us to speak to Him (and honor Him) through it as well. JS Bach addressed this in a special way by writing “Soli Deo Gloria” at the end of some of his pieces — Latin for “Glory to God Alone.” I would hope that even my works which are not specifically biblically-based would still honor God. My first piece is an eight-movement symphony based on the creation story from the book of Genesis, with two movements having choral parts. Following “The Creation,” I have a few Biblically-based pieces based on Psalms 13 and 57, and a string quartet centered around the birth of Jesus. Psalm 57 was written for orchestra and choir, with the lyrics staying very close to the text of the Psalm. My most recent piece is based on a painting we purchased on our last trip to Uganda. The painting shows a lion emerging from the darkness, which immediately sent me to the Book of Revelation where it is described how Jesus (the Lion of Judah) will return. All in all, I have six pieces out there, including “The Creation” as one multiple-movement work.

R: Do you see similarities between composing music and drawing an architectural design?

K: There are some similarities. When designing a building, I will often start with a schematic concept of what the building will look like when complete. Once the design is approved, I begin developing the design and diving into the more technical aspects of how the building will come together and achieve the desired look. The permit drawings are generated such that the contractor can follow the technical drawings to construct the building. Composing, especially through a MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface), allows for me to hear what the finished piece will sound like long before I have it orchestrated — much like that pretty picture from schematic design. Once I have that where I want it, I move on to the more technical aspects of orchestration, kind of creating a blueprint, or musical parts for the orchestra to follow to achieve that sound.

R: Do you ever regret changing your major to architecture in terms of having any “what if’s” in life about your music?

K: No, I do not regret changing majors, as I have been able to invest in the profession of architecture and still also be a musician.

R: Do you have plans to have your compositions performed by other ensembles or at other venues?

K: Ideally, more orchestras will perform the works over time, but Wojciech and the Summerville Orchestra will always hold a special place in my heart. They will always have open access to anything I compose — that is, if they are interested in playing something of mine in the future. Someday, I would love to have an opportunity to compose a cinematic score, as that would be a dream come true, for sure!

FMI: www.christopherkarpus.com or https://www.facebook.com/christopher.karpus

Mary E. Regan, Columnist, is a Freelance Publicist with her ProPublicist.com consultancy.

Seeking new publicity clients and writing projects. Story ideas? Email: Mary@ProPublicist.com.

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - The Town of Summerville announced the approval of the Maple Street Extension project on Monday.

Years after the project was introduced in 2014, Blythe Development Company was awarded the bid to begin construction on the project, which will improve in total a mile and a half of roads throughout Summerville.

The town acquired 90 pieces of property in order to make the project possible with the first of four major projects of the extension being Maple Street, which will be widened from two lanes to four to reduce traffic and improve safety in the area.

The project does not just include Maple Street, but intersection improvements at US-78 adding turn lanes on all approaches, installation of a traffic signal at West Richardson Avenue and new alignment from West Richardson to Parsons Road where it will transition from three lanes to two lanes at the Parsons Road connection.

Summerville Director of Public Works and Town Engineer Russ Cornette has been with the project since the beginning. He says he’s really happy to see the project get approved for construction.

“I think this is the largest purchase order the town of Summerville has ever approved,” Cornette says. “The towns and cities the size of Summerville don’t take on large projects like this; this is kind of a unique situation.”

The cost of the project, including construction engineering and inspection services, will be funded by the Town of Summerville’s Mid-Town Tax Increment Finance District funds up to $11 million Dorchester County Sales Tax Referendum Funds will fund the remaining cost.

“The project purpose is to reduce traffic congestion and improve safety and that whole corridor anytime you have that many cars, taking up that little space that’s there, you’re going to have accidents and we’ve seen that the past four years,” Cornette says. “That extra lanes extra capacity will help congestion and get people moving a little more freely than they are now.”

Construction on the Maple Street Extension project starts in April or May of 2023 with the goal of completion being in the spring of 2025.

“The Maple Street extension project will help alleviate traffic congestion and improve safety,” says Summerville Mayor Ricky Waring. “I am grateful for the support from our agency partners and the Dorchester County voters who supported the transportation sales tax referendum that helped fund this project.”

For further details on the Maple Street Extension project, visit project page on the Town of Summerville’s website.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

A sizable parcel near Mount Pleasant Regional Airport where a large warehouse and office development is being proposed has been sold for $10.5 million.

Charlotte-based Cameron Property Co., an affiliate of Madison Capital Group, bought the 60-acre tract on Faison Road on March 8 from Lerato LLC, according to Charleston County land records. Lerato had owned the site since 2011.

The new owner wants to build three buildings totaling nearly 500,000 square feet northwest of the Faison Road and Park Avenue Boulevard intersection.

The proposed structures, in the master-planned Carolina Park development, will serve as flexible space with offices in the front and storage or showrooms in the rear, according to Lance Ravenscraft with Madison Capital.

Plans presented to state environmental regulators show the largest building will be 187,100 square feet. A second structure will be 181,790 square feet while a third would be 113,400 square feet. More than 400 parking spaces also are planned.

Ravenscraft foresees the business park as having tenants that need office and storage space such as biomedical companies or those that make items such as home building products.

The 1,700-acre Carolina Park development is mostly a residential neighborhood that also includes a hospital, other health care services, schools, fire station, library, churches, senior care facilities, apartments and commercial enterprises.

The tract slated for development sits between Charleston Ear, Nose, Throat & Allergy and Gerber Collision & Glass on Faison Road. A storage facility is planned just north of the Gerber site.

Ravenscraft said development of the site is not imminent, citing tight credit markets and high construction costs.

Changing hands

A North Carolina firm now owns a former Summerville restaurant on a high-traffic corridor.

An affiliate of the commercial real estate development firm Woodhaven Development Group of Raleigh paid $4 million March 6 for the shuttered Mellow Mushroom pizzeria at 1306 N. Main St. The previous owner was Flour-Town Holdings LLC, which bought the site in 2013 for $1.905 million, according to Berkeley County land records.

Mellow Mushroom, which was at the entrance to Azalea Square Shopping Center, closed in 2021 after seven years in Flowertown. A Woodhaven representative did not immediately respond for comment on plans for the building.

Office space

The president of a Mount Pleasant-based furniture firm plans to build a new office building on the former Navy base in North Charleston.

Stephen Jensen, the head of Maxwood Furniture, wants to acquire a 2-acre site at 2335 Noisette Blvd. where a fire station once operated. The S.C. Commerce Department’s Division of Public Railways owns the parcel.

The past use of the property may have caused environmental pollution, and a voluntary cleanup notice has been filed with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control through SAVJ Navy Yard Property LLC.

If a voluntary cleanup contract is approved, DHEC will allow the firm to acquire the property as a “brownfields site,” with cleanup and development subject to state regulations.

Jensen did not immediately respond for comment for further details of the proposed building.

Flying in

Breeze Airways recently leased 240 square feet of office space at 3300 W. Montague Ave. in North Charleston, according to Steve Hund and Trey Davis of the real estate firm Coldwell Banker Commercial Atlantic, which represented the landlord and tenant in the transaction. The Utah-based carrier flies nonstop to more than 20 cities from Charleston International Airport.

Spring home festival

The Historic Charleston Foundation will present the 76th annual Festival of Houses and Gardens with several new events March 15-April 16.

The five-week event, the foundation’s largest fundraiser and educational tool, provides a glimpse into some of the historic homes and gardens in the 353-year-old city through guided walking tours, workshops, lectures and concerts.

New this year will be a music series featuring jazz, bluegrass and Gullah spirituals as well as a return of history boat cruises and a sunset harbor tour. Also, a finale brunch will be held.

For tickets and more information, go to HistoricCharleston.org/festival

New townhomes

A new townhome community with units starting in the upper $300,000s soon will open in Summerville.

The Townhomes at Daniel’s Orchard at 600 N. Laurel St. will offer 14 residences in two floor plans ranging from 1,852 to 2,182 square feet with two- to four-bedroom options and up to 3½ baths.

Constructed by New Leaf Builders of Johns Island, the development off U.S. Highway 78 offers prospective buyers an optional finished ground floor area that extends the flexible layout by 170 square feet. They can also add an elevator or select their own styles of cabinets, countertops, flooring, trim, plumbing and lighting.

Construction is expected to be completed in the spring. Carolina One New Homes is marketing the property.

SUMMERVILLE — After years of traffic concerns, the town is getting started on a $21 million road project to improve Maple Street.

The road runs from West Richardson Avenue downtown to Nexton Parkway. The project includes widening Maple Street from two to four lanes just east of Shamrock Drive to West Richardson Avenue; adding turn lanes at all approaches to U.S. Highway 78; installing a traffic signal at West Richardson Avenue; and adding a new alignment from West Richardson to Parsons Road, where it will transition from three lanes to two lanes at the Parsons Road connection.

Even mid-morning traffic on Maple Street is notable; it becomes easily congested due to it being a two-way street. If one car needs to turn left, several cars will be held up waiting for the vehicle to turn.

The Maple Street extension has been in the works since 2015 and is one of many road projects the Dorchester County 1 percent sales tax will fund. The tax, which voters elected to continue last year, began in 2004 and has paid for improvements to several roads such as Bacons Bridge Road, S.C. Highway 27 and Patriots Boulevard.

The town of Summerville and Dorchester County are partnering on the project.

Officials said the project will help alleviate congestion in a town beset by traffic concerns as its population has exploded in recent years.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town’s population has jumped from 27,752 in 2000 to 50,915 in 2020. The Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments projects the 2030 population to exceed 97,000.

“The Maple Street Extension Project will help alleviate traffic congestion and improve safety,” Mayor Ricky Waring said. “I am grateful for the support from our agency partners and the Dorchester County voters who supported the transportation sales tax referendum that helped fund this project.”

Up to $11 million of the project — including construction and engineering/inspection — will be funded by the town’s midtown tax increment finance district funds. Dorchester County sales tax referendum funds will cover the rest, totaling the construction costs to just under $21 million and engineering costs around $1.2 million.

“This project will be one of the first opportunities the county has to utilize funds made available to us through the continuation of the Transportation Sales Tax,” Dorchester County Council Chairman Todd Friddle said. “The Maple Street Extension Project is a great example of what can be accomplished when we collaborate to improve our community, and we look forward to working together again on future projects.”

Construction will start in April or May, with the goal of completion by spring 2025.