Summerville Fire and Rescue will have a new leader starting next month.

Published: Wed May 03 2023

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - Summerville Fire & Rescue will have a new leader starting next month.

Deputy Chief Brent Melcher will be taking over for current Fire Chief Richard Waring IV retires after 30 years of service.

Melcher’s 23 years of service started and will continue in the town of Summerville. Since being hired in 2000, he has moved up the ranks through various positions.

Melcher was promoted in 2020 to his current position of deputy chief of operations, which he says allowed him to shadow Waring often and learn what it takes to lead the department.

He was promoted to battalion chief in 2016 and then to deputy chief of administration in 2019.

The new chief says it is a role he is honored to have.

“The rewarding part for a chief-level officer is seeing his men and women grow throughout the department,” Melcher says. “Everything that I know, I want to be able to show them and lead them in the right direction. This is not about me, this has nothing to do with me. This is all about the men and women that we work with and bettering them along the way, that’s all I’m here for, honestly.”

Melcher says he is passionate about keeping what he calls a “strong family atmosphere” within the department.

“I want to continue that culture,” Melcher said. “We’ve had some cultural changes over the years, and we want to continue that. We strive to be the absolute best we possible can for the citizens of Summerville, not only for people who live here, but for the people who visit here all of the time.”

As far as making any improvements once taking over, Melcher says they’ve sketched out a plan over the past 11 years and will continue to build on that.

“We’re constantly evolving,” Melcher said. “We’re constantly looking to push forward. I would say we are very innovative, and we want to make sure we’re giving the best to the public for sure.”

He anticipates having to add a station in Nexton in the near future, as the town continues to grow.

Melcher says he has great shoes to fill, but by working closely with Chief Waring the past two years, he believes he’s ready for this leadership role.

“Never would have thought that I would be in this position, but I am truly honored and truly grateful to serve the Town of Summerville,” Melcher finished.

Melcher will take over as Summerville Fire and Rescue’s chief on June 23.

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.

Many families are waiting to find out where their child will now go to school after a early-morning fire at a Summerville childhood development center.

Published: Thu Mar 23 2023

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - Many families are waiting to find out where their child will now go to school after a early-morning fire at a Summerville childhood development center.

Summerville Fire Department officials said they responded just after 5 a.m. Thursday to Archway Academy on Miles Jamison Road. They deemed the building “a total loss” and are still investigating the cause of the flames.

RELATED: ‘A total loss’: Crews battle fire at Summerville school

Hours after the flames were extinguished, the roof and most of the building remain completely charred. All that is left are a few tables, chairs and an outside play table of toys that the kids could have played with just hours before.

Kayla Ott’s daughter Amelia has attended Archway Academy for two years. Ott said that just four days ago, the kids took cap and gown pictures for preschool graduation inside the building.

She woke up Thursday morning to many missed phone calls from a friend trying to notify her of the fire. Once she heard the news and saw the photos, she knew there was no way Amelia would be going to school, amongst many other kids.

“We’re just kind of playing the waiting game,” Ott said. “They sent us a message this morning saying they’re trying to figure it out. I mean, they’re doing the best they can in all of this craziness. So, we’re just going to kind of wait and see what goes on.”

She says she is thankful that she has friends and family in the area that can take care of Amelia for the time being.

Ott says Archway Academy let the parents know about the fire and the staff are having a meeting to plan for what is next. She says she has heard rumors that they could be relocated to either one of the other Archway Academy Summerville locations, but nothing has been confirmed.

“Thankfully, my jobs, both of them, are flexible,” Ott said. “I can’t speak for other people. I know one of my friends, he did have to end up taking off the rest of this week and possibly next week as well because we don’t have childcare, you know. And people that are single parents like me. It’s very hard.”

Archway Academy has not yet said where or when the kids will be relocated.

Ott says Amelia is sad that her school is gone, but she is excited to make new friends wherever she ends up.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

SUMMERVILLE — Town Council has adopted a new redistricting plan based on 2020 census results.

Located in a rapidly growing area of the Lowcountry, the population increased by more than 7,000 between 2010 and 2020, from 43,392 to 50,915 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The council voted unanimously at a special called meeting March 30 to adopt the redistricting plan, which was proposed by the Summerville chapter of the NAACP.

John Ruoff, who contracts with the South Carolina State Conference NAACP to assist with local redistricting, drew the proposal that council approved. Ruoff said 2020 marks his fifth census working on redistricting.

Town Councilman Bill McIntosh said the council worked to ensure continued minority representation on Town Council. Councilman Aaron Brown, the only Black member on council, said they did so by bringing more African Americans into his district — District 1 — so they could vote and have a minority representative on council.

Brown said that during his time as a councilman, his district has never been over 50 percent African American. The closest it’s gotten was when he was first elected in 2005, with the district’s population being roughly 47 percent African American, he said.

With the redistricting plan, the percentage of minorities in District 1 will be at 38 percent. Brown commended the rest of the council and the mayor for continuing to make sure minority groups are looked out for.

“We achieved a lot,” Brown said. “It’s a bright future for Summerville.”

Ruoff said many of the people moving to Summerville were moving into District 2, parts of which are in both Berkeley and Dorchester counties. It goes from Simmons Avenue past Interstate 26 to Brighton Park Boulevard. The district is broken up, however — from West Doty Avenue to the Berkeley-Dorchester county line is Brown’s district.

Councilman Terry Jenkins, the District 2 representative, agreed with Ruoff; he said his district was the largest per capita. The biggest change for it is the Village at Summerville — a retirement community on West Ninth North Street — going from his district to Brown’s district.

Another district that experienced much of the growth was District 4 — McIntosh’s district. He said he didn’t end up losing a lot in the redistricting plan, just a good portion of the Corey Woods neighborhood to Brown’s district.

He added his district — south to Summerville High School and the Summerville Country Club neighborhood, west into Knightsville and north into the Club at Pine Forest — experienced a lot of growth in the Knightsville area.

After the unanimous vote to approve and adopt the redistricting map, McIntosh congratulated the rest of the council, mentioning how usually the NAACP sues municipalities and counties for passing redistricting plans that disenfranchise voters by diluting minority voices. He commended the council for taking a more cooperative approach with the organization.

“For a town like Summerville, with our demographics, with our size, with our growth, for us to handle a very political matter of redistricting, and to handle it in a way where we worked really arm and arm with the NAACP … we should give ourselves a pat on the back,” McIntosh said.

The redistricting plan went into effect immediately and will be in place for the Nov. 7 election.

More information about the new redistricting plan can be found at summervillesc.gov.

UPDATE: The gas leak has been repaired and roads reopened.

—

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCBD) – Crews are responding to a natural gas leak in Summerville.

Officials say N Maple Street is closed from Wassamassaw Road to Old Dairy Road until further notice.

No other details were provided. Keep checking counton2.com for updates.

Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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