Family Photographer in Ladson, SC

LADSON, S.C. (WCBD)- The annual Coastal Carolina Fair is underway at Exchange Park in Ladson.

Most fairgoers have their eyes and stomachs on fair food for the first day.

“They always have good food and it’s just a good time to spend with family. They have a little arts and crafts center where you can see the students’ local talents,” said Jasmine Kelly.

“Sausage dogs and French fries. Walk around and look and see what’s going on,” said Woody Barsha.

One of the new food items on the menu is an Oreo cookie crusted turkey leg.

“No I don’t think so I’ll stick to French fries,” said Barsha.

“I can’t eat that much, but I will have an elephant ear,” said Kelly.

There are 10 new rides this year as well. One of them is a Ferris Wheel that’s 12 stories tall and comes from The Netherlands.

Fair organizers say that those new attraction and food items are great additions, but having a full-scale fair is also something to celebrate.

“We’re really excited about opening up because this is the first really big open fair we’ve had since COVID-19 has happened. We say ‘New in 22,’ and that’s what we’re doing because we have brand new rides, we have many new food vendors so we’re really excited about starting the year off right,” said Gary Leonard from the office of Media and Publicity Relations at the Coastal Carolina Fair.

Most families make the fair a tradition, but it’s even more special for Dan Caskey.

“Today’s my birthday. Every year I have a party and bring this to town to share with everybody else. It’s a great tradition. We love coming out here and having a fun time with the family,” said Caskey.

The fair runs for 12 days and hours of operation can be found here. A calendar of events can be found here.

Dorchester County citizens had an opportunity to offer feedback and voice concerns about streetscape improvements planned for Ladson Road at the Aug. 22 public meeting held at the Dorchester County Council Chambers.

Dorchester County personnel and consultant representatives from SeamonWhiteside, a local engineering and design firm, were on hand to discuss the project with citizens as a group and individually, as requested.

The well-attended meeting showcased a lively discussion during which citizens expressed their concerns, fears and frustrations over the project plans to date, as well as what is seen by many present as current problems that could be made worse going forward.

Construction of dedicated turn lanes at key intersections and installation of raised, landscaped medians with plantings and street lights are the key elements of the project. Video displays and print handouts were provided at the meeting to illustrate the plans under consideration. The project will impact the section of Ladson Road from the termination of the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) Dorchester Road Safety Improvement project to Coopers Ridge Boulevard.

“Last night’s meeting was the first step in soliciting public input, and we received many good comments that will be considered as we continue to move the design forward,” said Daniel Prentice, Deputy County Administrator. The meeting followed the DOT public comment requirements, according to Prentice.

The Ladson Road Streetscape Project is part of the Oakbrook Redevelopment Plan which was established in 2019. The plan outlines a comprehensive, multi-agency plan to revitalize the Oakbrook area. Funding comes from Tax Increment Financing (TIF), a method for financing redevelopment in blighted, conservation and sprawl areas of counties. TIF utilizes incremental increases in assessed value and property taxes to fund projects.

The price tag for the overall Oakbrook Redevelopment Plan now stands at $5 million, but county officials insist that it is not represented by a tax increase or impact fee.

“A TIF district is not a tax increase,” said Prentice. “The entities that levy millage (the rate at which property taxes are levied) partner to send tax dollars resulting from growth in assessments of new or improved buildings to the TIF fund which funds the public improvements. The public improvements, in turn, are used to continue to spur new private growth, increasing the overall vitality of the area.”

County personnel and officials projected their belief that by making the area more attractive for retail and restaurant activities, improving pedestrian and bike safety, improving infrastructure, reducing traffic and increasing safety and other upgrades, investment dollars will increase; new business and development will be established.

Presentation of the project leaned heavily on the aesthetic and beautification benefits to be realized, but county officials and staff also stressed improvement in safety as a major goal. “Data shows that safety will be improved by closing off the current open medians and guiding traffic through the use of dedicated turn lanes and restricting other turning movements due to the proposed medians,” said Prentice. “While one of the goals of the TIF district is beautification, the County believes that an additional positive outcome will be the function and safety of the corridor.”

Not everyone in attendance was convinced. Several citizens expressed frustration in their view that the county is giving priority to aesthetics over safety and functionality. Concerns voiced included existing poor access to certain businesses, which could increase under the plan; traffic load; difficulty of large and service vehicles to navigate turns; challenges of cyclists; maintenance costs associated with the use of plants versus other materials for division; and problems arising out of the overlap of traffic routes between counties.

One business owner, whose business requires drop-off traffic, complained that attracting new business and traffic, when existing businesses are negatively impacted by current road and traffic design, is not in the best interest of businesses along Ladson Road.

Proponents of the plan defended medians as a more modern design consideration for roadway construction and advocated for guiding traffic to dedicated turn lanes.

“Access management studies show that the true overall impact is not negative, although acclimation to the changes is required due to new traffic patterns,” said Prentice.

Construction on the Ladson Road Streetscape Project is slated to begin mid-2023, according to county personnel. Additional information on the Ladson Road project, Oakbrook Redevelopment Plan and TIF can be found on the Dorchester County website at https://www.dorchestercountysc.gov.

Public comments, written or oral, are invited.

A new frozen custard and burger restaurant soon will welcome customers in Ladson, and a home decor store is opening in a new shopping center in North Charleston.

Culver’s plans to open at 10 a.m. Aug. 29 at 3848 Ladson Road next to Gilligan’s Seafood Restaurant, according to Marilyn Knox, the franchise owner who opened the first Charleston-area Culver’s in 2019 on U.S. Highway 17A in Berkeley County.

The location also includes a drive-thru and patio, where live music will be available on opening evening and possibly once a week, Knox said. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is set for 10 a.m. opening day.

Culver’s specializes in its signature ButterBurgers and frozen custard. It also offers other meat sandwiches along with sides and salads.

The planned Culver’s is a few miles north of competitor Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers, which opened last fall at 4540 Ladson Road near Stars and Strikes bowling and arcade center on the edge of Summerville.

Come on in

Another new retailer is ready to open its doors in a North Charleston retail center.

HomeGoods plans to host a grand opening Aug. 18, starting at 8 a.m., in the new Cedar Grove Shopping Center at 8821 Dorchester Road.

The 22,000-square-foot home decor shop is the latest merchant to join the new retail center. Already open are Ross Dress for Less, discount shop Five Below and cosmetics purveyor Ulta.

A 16,000-square-foot PetSmart pet supply shop is expected to open in September, and other shops are on the way to a newly constructed outparcel building closer to Dorchester Road.

Shopping center plans call for three more retail structures on the south side where land is currently being cleared next to Riverbluff Parkway in front of Cedar Grove Apartments.

What’s cooking?

A new restaurant is ready to welcome customers at the site of a recently closed dining spot in Mount Pleasant.

Pasture & Grain will officially open at 11 a.m. Aug. 19 at 1701 Shoremeade Road in Indigo Square Shopping Center on U.S. Highway 17.

It’s in the same retail center where national sporting goods retailer REI is upfitting the former Publix GreenWise Market grocery store space for an opening in the fall.

The restaurant is taking over the space vacated in May by Blaze Pizza, which closed after three years.

Pasture & Grain owner and operator Ira Hill said the 2,800-square-foot venue will serve American fare priced from $8 to $18.

Meats, vegetables, grains, hot and cold sandwiches, salads and toast with spreads are on the menu. Sous chef is Brandon Brown. The new restaurant will be open until 9 p.m. daily.

On the way

A Florida-based grocery chain with several stores in the Charleston area has rolled out curbside prescription pickup in four states. Publix Pharmacy started offering the service Aug. 10 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Virginia. South Carolina and North Carolina locations will be added in the future as the company expands the program throughout its entire operations in the Southeast.

Tan lines

A new tanning salon has opened in Mount Pleasant.

City Tan can be found at 1167 Basketweave Drive in the Cirque Salon Studios off U.S. Highway 17 near Six Mile Road. The owner is Liz Bailey, who also owns Bikini Bronze Charleston at 10 Exchange St. on the peninsula.

Ready to Rumble

A group boxing workout studio plans to make its South Carolina debut with three new sites.

Rumble Boxing plans to open in Charleston and Hilton Head Island. Locations have not been announced.

Rumble President Shaun Grove said boxing workouts are geared to all fitness levels and abilities and the company plans to continue its expansion across the nation.

The boxing-inspired studio delivers 45-minute, 10-round strength and conditioning group workouts crafted around teardrop-style aqua boxing bags and high-intensity strength-training circuits. Rumble is designed to build strength and relieve stress.

The New York City-based company has 25 franchise locations open across the U.S. Others are in development.

About 20 years after the purchase of his Summerwood subdivision residence on Poplar Grove Place in Ladson, family man Duane Dickerson has yet to solve intense spells of flooding that affect his home, as his attempts to seek assistance from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers haven’t produced any tangible results to date.

“The street started to flood almost immediately, almost a couple of months after I bought it.” recalled Dickerson, a construction worker who has never considered moving as many of his former neighbors have due in part to the great school districts his three children are part of.

The issue, he says, stems from a “clogged up” waterway known as Eagle Creek that runs along the Sawmill Branch Trail in area near the Berlin G. Myers Parkway.

“They call it a creek, but it looks more like a ditch,” describes Dickerson, who said that soot at the bottom of the canal is sparking an overflow of water seeping into people’s homes, particularly during hurricanes and other major storms.

State Senator Sean Bennett told the Journal Scene that he previously met with Dickerson in 2019 to assess Eagle Creek.

“I saw the concerns he had. It needs to be cleaned. There is a spillway there that is not operating,” stated Bennett, who also pointed out that Dorchester County cannot do anything to remedy the dilemma since the creek is under jurisdiction of the Army Corps. In fact, no work can be initiated without the permission of the federal agency.

The local elected official further mentioned that the Army Corps actually does have a plan to clear out the reported clogging, but the group cannot access the necessary government funding to carry out their project.

While the Journal Scene’s phone calls to the U.S. Army Corps haven’t been returned, a Channel 2 News report confirms Bennett’s analysis by citing claims on the part of an Army Corps program manager, who observed that he can’t secure the necessary federal dollars to reduce flooding to local homes and infrastructure.

The Army Corps rep broached the idea of digging a retention pond to mitigate overflows with Channel 2.

Dickerson, on the other hand, promised the Journal Scene that he could fix the problem in two months by himself with one piece of equipment.

“It would look a lot different, but I can make the water move from point A to point B and it would never come through the neighborhood, it would ride right through the woods like it’s supposed to.”

Meanwhile Dickerson and his neighbors have seen an uptick in flooding in 2022, as anywhere from 5-26 inches of water has infiltrated people’s homes, driveways and garage areas.

The worst case of it occurred in 2015, recounted Dickerson, when the “1,000-year Flood” produced water levels so deep that people couldn’t move their vehicles, resulting in about 30-35 cars that were lost.

Another hindrance in dealing with the Army Corps, according to Dickerson and Bennett, is the constant turnover at the top.

Dickerson summed up the matter by adding: “This project is long overdue. Somebody from DOT told me it will happen one day, they just don’t know when. We’re probably going to flood 100 more times before it happens.”

ForConstructionPros.com, the largest construction network in North America, unveiled the 2022 Best Contractors to Work for in Construction, which aims to spotlight the top construction companies that provide a positive workplace environment, competitive compensation, training, and opportunities for advancement.

“There are multiple benchmarks that need to be met in order to qualify for this award and being named a Best Contractor sets these companies apart as they continue to work on community, culture, customer service, and best practices," says Amy Schwandt, Chief Revenue Officer, AC Business Media.

ForConstructionPros.com, the largest construction network in North America, unveiled the 2022 Best Contractors to Work for in Construction.

The recognition program, hosted by the staff of AC Business Media, ForConstructionPros.com and its affiliated construction brands (Equipment Today, Asphalt Contractor, Concrete Contractor, and Pavement Maintenance & Reconstruction), honors the top construction companies that provide a positive workplace environment, competitive compensation, training, and opportunities for advancement.

To be considered, employers needed to register, and employees needed to complete an in-depth survey, providing feedback about their employer. Eligible construction companies had to have 15 full- or part-time employees working in the U.S., and the company’s primary business activity had to be either general building construction, earthmoving, paving, concrete or specialty and trades, such as underground, utility, electrical, HVAC, demolition and others.

“We are pleased to honor the companies named ‘Best Contractors to Work for in Construction’ again in 2022,” says Amy Schwandt, Chief Revenue Officer, AC Business Media. “These companies have worked hard to achieve this prestigious recognition and it is it testament to their hard work and dedication to the industry.

“There are multiple benchmarks that need to be met in order to qualify for this award and being named a Best Contractor sets these companies apart as they continue to work on community, culture, customer service, and best practices. These contractors are the best of the best for many reasons and a huge congratulations goes out to all applicants and winners.”

Entry forms and surveys were handled by the Best Companies Group, which analyzed the data and created an insights report based on the results. After a few months of tallying and analysis, ForConstructionPros.com and Best Companies Group are proud to congratulate the following companies identified as a 2022 Best Contractor to Work for in Construction.

Winners include, in alphabetical order (company name, number of employees, headquarters): A&A Paving Contractors, 19, Roselle, Ill. AGUA TRUCKS, 27, El Mirage, Ariz. Alpha Structural, Inc., 115, Sunland, Calif. Clune Construction, 626, Chicago, Ill. CSI 3000, Inc., 25, Cicero, Ill. Diamond Surface, Inc., 114, Rogers, Minn. Emerald Construction Co., 24, Richmond, Va. Five-S Group, LLC., 44, Baton Rouge, La. Frampton Construction Company, 50, Ladson, S.C. K&L Industries, 43, Canby, Ore. Morrey's Contracting, 35, Detroit, Mich. Redmond, 32, Chicago, Ill. Southwest Companies Inc, 25, Independence, Ohio Stronghold Engineering, Inc., 185, Perris, Calif. The Garrett Companies, 181, Greenwood, Ind. The Pavement Group Inc, 15, Wexford, Pa. Walsh Construction Co, 237, Portland, Ore.

Want to be considered for the 2023 Best Contractors to Work For? Please contact Cathy Somers at: CSomers@ACBusinessMedia.com

About ForConstructionPros.com ForConstructionPros.com is the largest construction network in North America, reaching contractors in the heavy construction, asphalt, concrete, pavement maintenance, and rental industries that are looking to gain industry knowledge in their field and make profitable business management decisions. The platform, housing Equipment Today, Asphalt Contractor, Concrete Contractor, Rental and Pavement Maintenance & Reconstruction, provides contractors with fresh, relevant content that is delivered through a combination of trusted print publications and online mediums such online articles, newsletters, emails, videos, webinars, podcasts, white papers and more.

About AC Business Media As one of America’s top business-to-business media companies, AC Business Media reaches millions of professionals annually and leads the way in providing targeted content to top decision-makers and organizations. With a portfolio of renowned brands in heavy construction, asphalt, concrete, paving, rental, sustainability, landscape, manufacturing, logistics, and supply chain markets, AC Business Media delivers relevant, cutting-edge content to its audiences through its industry-leading digital properties, trade shows, videos, magazines, webinars, and newsletters. It also provides advertisers the analytics, data, and ability to reach their target audience.

About Best Companies Group Since 2004, Best Companies Group has specialized in identifying and recognizing great employers to work for. We are an independent research firm that ranks companies based on our established research methodology. Our surveys provide actionable, hard-to-obtain data that companies use to improve employee recruitment and retention.

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