Roofing company in Loris, SC

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF) – A family in the Loris area must find another place to stay just days before Thanksgiving after a fire broke out at their home on Tuesday morning.

Horry County Fire Rescue crews were called just before 10 a.m. to a house in the area of Highway 917 and Hands Drive in the Finklea community.

The homeowner, Aaron Williams, said he woke up to flames surrounding his bed, but he was able to get out of the home safely.

No one was hurt in the fire, which Williams said, is something he’s thankful for this Thanksgiving season.

“Just thanking God that we’re alive. Everything in the house can be replaced, but my family can’t be replaced,” Aaron Williams said.

Tabatha Williams said she’s grateful her children weren’t there when the fire broke out.

“We’re just so fortunate they stayed with my mom last night when we came home, and thank God they weren’t here,” Tabatha Williams. “I can’t believe this, I’ve lost everything, I’ve lost everything.”

Just hours after the fire, neighbors stepped up to help the family replace some of the belongings that were lost in the fire.

Teresa Simmons was on her way to pick up clothes from her church so that she could distribute them throughout the community. She was stuck in traffic caused by the fire since firefighters had to block lanes while they got the flames under control.

Once she heard about the fire, she made it her mission to get in contact with Williams and his wife so that she could help.

She was able to get the family’s sizes and some clothes in order to help them get by for the time being.

“It’s devastating right here at the holidays, a couple of days before Thanksgiving,” Simmons said. “I want to be able to do what I can to help with that burden. You know, we pray, and we say we love the Lord. We got to love people, and I would do for them what I would want somebody to do for me.”

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The Loris Fire Department helped get the fire under control.

The Red Cross is helping Williams, his wife and four daughters who have been displaced by the fire.

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The city of Loris Comprehensive Plan 2040, seven months in the making, may soon come out of the oven.

Loris Planning Commissioners reviewed the tentative timetable for the 100-plus-page planning document, and scheduled a public hearing on the plan for 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 11, at City Hall at 401 Walnut St. The final draft should go to the city council for a taste test at its May 6 meeting. Council must approve the document in two readings, and may opt to hold a public hearing of its own.

The comprehensive plan, when coupled with the city’s new Downtown Master Plan, will help guide future land development and economic development for the growing city through 2040.

Tentative recommendations in the plan include:

— getting out of the water and sewer business by transferring ownership to the Grand Strand Water and Sewer Authority, after current projects are completed and grant funds are depleted.

— hiring or designating a city public information officer to develop a public relations program, and improve communications with the public and local news media.

— partnering with Horry County Government to provide professional services including engineering and stormwater management.

— establishing a Tax Increment Financing District to help pay for improvements in the downtown.

— adopting local stormwater regulations to encourage low-impact development best management practices.

— creating an inventory of dilapidated and abandoned structures, and eventually pursue abatement orders or a local demolition program for such properties.

— partnering with Horry County Government for a new regional government complex to include multipurpose space and assorted offices.

— working to establish a townhome development project at the site of the old Loris High School, within walking distance of the downtown business district.

— adopting measures to encourage “smart and sustainable” development within Loris, with a focus on in-fill development in the downtown area.

— joining the Main Street Program, and hiring or assigning a coordinator or manager to support downtown development and programming.

— establishing a committee to develop aesthetic and design standards for downtown development, and consulting with the Loris Historical Society to review existing historical buildings, building materials and historic uses as part of local design requirements.

— conducting a “branding" study to include a new city logo and gateway signage.

— provide assorted incentive programs for facade, housing, sidewalk and other improvements.

— updating ordinances to remove impediments to elements of the comprehensive plan.

If your water and sewer bill in Loris for January seems too high, it probably is.

A billing snafu led dozens of residents to descend on city hall Monday for the monthly city council meeting. They learned that city officials are investigating the cause of the problem and taking steps to adjust erroneous bills.

Mayor Michael Suggs acknowledged issues with the January billing, and urged residents who think their bill may be wrong to contact city hall. “We’ll do our best here at the city to correct any errors that were made," he said.

After the meeting, interim City Manager Clay Young said if a resident contests their bill, the first step will be to take another meter reading.

If it's found that the meter was read accurately, indicating a meter malfunction was responsible, the city will then take an average of past bills for the account to determine a fair amount.

Only one resident in a standing-room-only crowd of about 50 signed up to speak at the meeting.

Resident Tammy Sims told the council that when her bill for January showed she used 7,000 gallons more than the previous month, “an alarm set off.”

She said when she posted about the bill on her Facebook page, the responses poured in from other residents making similar claims.

“There are a lot of others that had this same problem,” she told the council. “This is not a man reading a meter wrong."

Sims said she was surprised that the city didn’t notice the problems before the bills were mailed.

“Doesn’t anybody look at these bills before they stuff them in an envelope?,” she asked, eliciting laughs from the crowd.

Sims said the problems are not new. One month, she said, a bill indicated she had used a negative 1,498 gallons. “I don’t know how you can put water back in (to the system),” she said.

She also noted that her son’s water meter on Monday showed that he had used 1,000 gallons of water in just one day.

The city has a mix of old water meters that require manual readings, and new meters that public works employees can read electronically from the curb without exiting their vehicle. Young said the city has not yet determined which style of meter was causing the problem.

Young said the city currently has about 300 of the new electronic meters, and about 1,200 older meters that must be read manually. The city has received a grant for water and sewer system upgrades that includes funds to replace the remainder of the older meters.

A proposed Downtown Economic Development Master Plan for Loris would focus on the old high school property, the Hillcrest Center and the area around Main, Meeting and Railroad streets that planners call the Iron Cross.

Loris City Council is reviewing the plan after consultant Bolton and Menk presented its final draft of the 100-plus-page downtown planning document late last month. It was crafted with guidance from a special steering committee during a six-month process that sought public and stakeholder input.

The downtown plan, coupled with a separate but simultaneous update to the city’s comprehensive land use plan, is designed to guide future growth and development in the city.

Lorna Allen, an urban designer with Bolton and Menk, said the downtown plan adheres to four guiding principles — Strut Your Stuff, Generational Investments, Connect to the Iron Cross, and Grow the Coop.

Strut your stuff refers to “showcasing your culture through art, branding, marketing, events and downtown programming,” Allen told the council.

“It’s time to strut your stuff; you guys are really great,” she said. “You need to crow about it. It’s awesome here in Loris.”

Generational Investments refers to laying the groundwork for a more-vibrant downtown district via infrastructure investments, land acquisition, zoning updates and other means, include street beautification and facade improvement programs.

“We need to lay that groundwork today,” Allen advised.

Investments should be prioritized to connect people to the “Iron Cross,” the vibrant business area where Main and Meeting streets intersect the railroad and Railroad Avenue.

“This is the heart of your community,” Allen said of the area, citing a need to make it even more pedestrian-friendly and aesthetically appealing.

Growing the Coop “reflects the need for additional housing and retail within the downtown,” she said, with a goal of “growing, supporting and enhancing the business community.”

The plan identifies three distinct “catalyst” projects that would spur economic development in the downtown — the old Loris High School property, the Iron Cross area and the Hillcrest Center.

It also recommends the city create a downtown manager position to focus on economic development, including business retention, business recruitment and business incentive programs.

The downtown manager hiring and the 17-acre high school property are listed in the plan as short-term catalyst projects to be addressed within the next five years.

For the high school property, the plan recommends a large public park that could include a new fire station, a pavilion, an amphitheater, a community center, event parking, a stormwater retention pond, and nature trails under a canopy of trees in the southern reaches of the tract. Infill residential development is recommended along McQueen Street and Mills Circle on the property. The abandoned high school is in poor condition and would have to be removed.

Iron Cross improvements are penciled in mid-range — five to 10 years — and focus on building facade improvements, business recruitment and a streetscape plan for Meeting and Main streets. The streetscape plan could include street trees, pedestrian amenities, lighting, public art, power outlets, outdoor dining and accommodations for food trucks.

For the Hillcrest Center — a redevelopment project listed as long-range (10-plus years) — Allen said the steering committee instructed the consultants to “reimagine” the area, which currently includes a strip mall with a grocery store and a dollar store. Plans could include building a new street to connect Broad Street and Railroad Street through the middle of the property. Mixed-use development is proposed.

Many of the short-term proposals involve setting the table to take advantage of future opportunities, like streamlining the development permitting process. They could also include a downtown traffic study, a stormwater mitigation plan, a Safe Routes to School analysis, a vacant building policy, an economic development ordinance, and an environmental assessment of the old high school site. Other recommendations include a gateway visioning study, a Streetscape Plan for Duncan, Walnut and Broad streets; business recruitment packets, a branding study, and identifying historic properties like the brick warehouse.

Walkability is part of the plan. Allen said the goal will be for visitors to park once, and be able to explore the entire downtown. Easier foot access for hospital employees and visitors could increase foot traffic.

Allen said the plan is a “living document” that city staff and council should “revisit” annually to gauge progress and revise goals.

“We want to make sure that plan does not get put up on the shelf,” Bolton and Menk’s Chris Chockley said, noting the plan provides strategies to move projects forward. It also identifies potential funding sources and partner agencies for various initiatives.

Council declined to immediately approve the plan and adopt it as city policy.

Interim City Administrator Clay Young told the consultants that the city would take the plan and “modify it a little bit” before council votes. He said small projects and recommendations in the plan could be adopted quickly to allow the city to gain momentum.

“This gives me a starting point,” Young said, noting there are a variety of state and federal grants available for downtowns. “I think you’ve got some great opportunities here for a lot of improvements and a lot of different partners to work with."

Council Member Carroll D. Padgett Jr. thanked the steering committee and consultants for their hard work producing the plan. “We’re looking forward to trying to get some of it implemented as soon as we can,” he said.

The last big downtown makeover in Loris was in 2002 and included landscaping, new sidewalks, decorative street lamps, and a city clock and chime system.

LORIS, SC (WMBF) - Mike Suggs is the new face sitting at the head of the table in the city of Loris, and he said there are a few things on his to-do list as the new mayor.

First, Suggs said one of his main priorities is having a downtown worth visiting.

“You want to make it attractive for folks to come in,” Suggs said. “You want to have a viable business community for folks to come in and shop and find the goods and services they need. It benefits everybody to have a strong and viable downtown.”

Suggs said having a strong downtown starts with tweaking the city’s master plan and continuing initiatives like Downtown Tuesdays.

Downtown Tuesdays launched back in October, hoping to draw in more foot traffic to the area on slower days.

Suggs said he’s also working to get the city’s bank account back on track by putting away more money for a rainy day and emergencies.

He said getting the city’s finances intact also includes finishing the audit started last year.

Suggs said another priority at the top of his list is making improvements to the city’s water and sewer system to help prevent future flooding.

Suggs spent the last 30 years serving on Loris City Council before taking the top spot.

He said those years of experience taught him a valuable lesson he’s taking into the new role.

“You can’t change the world overnight,” Suggs said. “You’ve got to be patient, and you’ve got to listen. Your citizens are your best resource. You can’t implement everything they want, but if you listen and try to solve their concerns, you can accomplish a lot.”

Suggs said he’d like to finish some of former mayor Todd Harrelson’s work too, including renovating the old Loris High School and updating the animal care laws.

Harrelson said he thinks low voter turnout cost him the job, but all the chips fell in the right place since he’s now serving on the Waccamaw Regional Council Board.

“I have a new journey, and I’m proud of it,” Harrelson said. “I can help in a lot of ways still in Loris and all over three different counties. I’m looking forward to that.”

Harrelson said his new role will allow him to help communities in several different ways, including applying for grants and improvements to transportation and disability.

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