roofer in Downtown Charleston, SC

Tropical Storm Warnings and Storm Surge Watches are in effect for parts of the Lowcountry.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Idalia is now a hurricane and forecast to become a major hurricane as it races toward landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida. Tropical Storm Warnings and Storm Surge Watches have been issued for the Charleston County coastline and points south as we brace for tropical storm conditions. Idalia will weaken as it approaches from the south; a Category 3 hurricane is likely as it makes landfall in Florida Wednesday morning, then weakening to a tropical storm as it moves through our area early Thursday morning. The brunt of the storm will be on the front end with outer bands beginning to reach our area Wednesday morning. The rain bands will be very widely spaced out initially before becoming steadier, and heavier, as we head into Wednesday afternoon and evening. There is a low to moderate threat of quick spin-up tornadoes on the front end of the storm. We’ll be monitoring any rain bands as they move ashore from Wednesday morning through Wednesday evening for possible rotation. The wind will begin light Wednesday morning and slowly pick up during the day. Breezy conditions will develop during the afternoon with windy stretches from Wednesday evening through early Thursday. Peak wind gusts of 50-60 mph are possible along the coast. Elsewhere, wind gusts will likely top out between 35-45 mph for most. Prepare for the possibility of power outages. Thankfully, widespread outages are not expected at this time.

Coastal flooding is a concern around high tide Wednesday evening. High tide in the Charleston Harbor is 8:21PM Wednesday. The forecast currently calls for major coastal flooding due to a combination of King Tides in place this week and 2-4 feet of storm surge. Dangerous surf, deadly rip currents and beach erosion are all likely along the coast.

The center of Idalia will likely pass very close to the coast of South Carolina. Based on the track, the heaviest rainfall will be north and west of the center. Rainfall totals of 2-6″ are likely with the heaviest rainfall across inland areas, near I-95. Any shift in the current track could lessen, or increase, the potential for flooding in any particular area. The center of Idalia is expected to move north of the area by sunrise Thursday putting us on the back side of the storm. The back side of the storm will be drier, but still breezy, and the wind will take a while to calm down. Wind gusts of 30 -35 mph will be possible through the day on Thursday with just a few showers early in the morning. Overall, the weather, and Idalia’s most significant potential impacts, will diminish quickly Thursday morning. Clouds may be slow to part on Thursday but the temperatures in the upper 70s and low 80s on the back side of this storm will be the big story.

For final preparations this evening, partly to mostly sunny skies are expected with pockets of rain/storms developing through the evening hours.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Gov. McMaster and Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg are calling on the Charleston Co. School Board to address publicly the outcry involving the superintendent.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg are calling on the Charleston County School Board to address publicly the outcry involving the Charleston County School Board’s decision to place its new superintendent on administrative leave.

The decision came in a 5-4 vote last week to place Dr. Eric Gallien on paid leave while an investigation is conducted. The vote to suspend Gallien was carried out by Carlotte Bailey, Ed Kelley, Keith Grybowski, Leah Whatley and Pamela McKinney. But the board did not explain the reason for the investigation at the meeting. The four remaining board members, Darlene Dunmeyer-Roberson, Dr. Carol Tempel, Courtney Waters and Daron Lee Calhoun II called a news conference Monday to address the board’s recent actions and call for more transparency.

McMaster said the state has “broad authority” to intervene in certain circumstances but said he was not sure that the disagreements underway in Charleston qualified just yet.

“But the school district needs to follow the law and the Freedom of Information Act is very clear,” he said. “It does not look to me like the school board has done that and when things like that happen that allows conversations to go on, allows things to get worse and people lose confidence in the school board.”

He said such controversies can even hit the state in the pocketbook, suggesting that business leaders who are looking for a place to invest money could see such fighting and keep the state from presenting “the right image.”

“We don’t want to lose that advantage, so I would urge them to follow the Freedom of Information Act, cooperate, do whatever is required,” he said. “And if it gets worse, I think the law would allow me to ask the inspector general to take a look but I don’t think we’re at that point, yet.”

Tecklenburg released this statement Tuesday:

Late yesterday, I had the opportunity to speak with Chairwoman Pam McKinney, and to express my concerns about several recent and seemingly capricious school board actions, including the suspension of Superintendent Eric Gallien, the refusal to appoint Michelle Simmons as chief academic officer, and the dismissal of members of the district’s Health Advisory Committee. Taken together, these actions, and the lack of basic transparency surrounding them, have created a crisis of confidence among our principals, teachers, parents, taxpayers and state legislators, at least two of whom have now called for formal investigations on a bipartisan basis.

That’s why, today, as both the mayor and a resident of the city of Charleston, I’m respectfully calling on the CCSD Board of Trustees to schedule an immediate public meeting where they can explain and debate these actions in open session and begin working together to restore confidence in the board and its decision-making.

More than 220 years ago, when Charleston and the nation were still young, President George Washington warned in his farewell address of the dangers of factions, and of the unique threat they represent to our form of government. In recent days, we have seen those dangers play out on our county school board. I believe it’s time for everyone involved to step back, remember that we serve all our citizens, and begin mending the broken bonds of trust between our school board and the citizens, parents and students it serves.

Gov. Henry McMaster called on the Charleston County School Board to follow the state's Freedom of Information Act.

The four board members said they want the board to trust the superintendent’s hiring decisions and are sure taxpayers do not want to continue paying Galien to stay home. They accused their fellow board members of causing a “week of intense public backlash, confusion and community outrage when they voted to place Gallien on paid administrative leave pending an investigation and provided no reason.”

“The reason behind the investigation, as best I could explain without breaking confidentiality, is that an email complaint claiming a hostile work environment based solely and largely, I should say largely, on work responsibilities in CCSD,” Dunmeyer-Roberson said, providing no additional details on the specifics of the complaint.

“First and foremost, we need to support our superintendent. We need the board members to come back and reinstate Dr. Eric Gallien so he can do his job,” Calhoun said. “You’ve heard us say this before: We were not elected to be the superintendent. I do not want to be a superintendent. That was not my qualification. He has the qualification.”

Calhoun said he is confident the investigation will not turn up any wrongdoing.

The four board members also questioned their colleagues’ decision not to hire Michelle Simmons as the district’s chief administrative officer and why six members of the district’s Health Advisory Committee were removed by the policy liaison who also reassigned nine of the positions without discussion from the entire board.

Gallien’s contract began on July 1, when he became the highest-paid employee in the Charleston County School District’s history with a salary of $275,000. After the first year, his salary will increase by 2% annually.

Board Chair Pamela McKinney provided the following statement regarding Tuesday’s announcement from Gov. McMaster.

Debate, differences of opinion, and deliberation are a healthy part of any democratic process. Given the size of the Charleston County School District (CCSD) and the vast number of students and families it serves, we welcome and honor it. Regrettably, this board is fractured to such a degree that our differences of opinion, everyday occurrences in any governing body, are being used to villainize certain Charleston County Board of Trustees members falsely.

We have remained largely silent in the past week, hoping our colleagues would come to conduct discussions that promote understanding and empathy rather than exacerbate divisions. Following yesterday’s press conference and various social media posts over the last week, it is clear that they aim to continue the conversation in the public eye, so we are left with no choice but to do the same

The investigation of Dr. Gallien’s actions, alleged by an employee complaint, will comply with district policy. Policy GBEB stipulates that “employees shall not engage in unprofessional behavior toward other employees, students, parents, or others. Particularly, supervisors shall not treat employees under their supervision in a belittling, demeaning, or disrespectful manner, including verbal and/or written statements, especially within the hearing of students, other employees, or others. Such behavior is considered harassment and must be reported to the proper supervisory authority and the department of human resources.”

In the case of the Superintendent, the proper supervisory authority is the Board of Trustees. There was a unanimous vote to open an investigation. The majority of the Board voted to place the superintendent on paid administrative leave for the duration of the investigation. The decision to do so was made to preserve the investigation’s integrity. Our genuine desire to do so should be evidenced by the commitment to obtaining a firm only after consultation with Dr. Gallien’s attorneys and should be further supported by our expediency in hiring the firm, which has already occurred.

Also, Policy GCF affords that “Chief officer and deputy superintendent recommendations shall be brought to the board for approval.” Our district and its trustees have a long history of voting for or against the Superintendent’s recommendation for Chief Officer and Deputy Superintendent positions. We will share that our recent vote regarding the Chief Academic Officer was based solely on our desire to hire a CAO who possesses a degree and background in curriculum and instruction coupled with varied experience in K-12 settings: elementary, middle and high school. Another factor of our vote was that the Superintendent should bring forth a Chief Officer recommendation to the board once he has interviewed candidates.

The decision to present a new slate of Health Advisory Committee members is not intended to be disruptive; however, the bylaws state clearly that terms of membership are “at the pleasure of the Board.” While we recognize this board is largely split, the slate of members was approved by a majority of the board.

Gallien has not responded to requests for comment on Tecklenburg’s call for a public meeting.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

More than seven decades ago, The Post and Courier’s predecessors set up shop on upper King Street in a three-story building that was expanded and upgraded over the years.

In the not-too-distant future, the block-long structure that for 70 years until 2021 served as the home of the South’s oldest daily newspaper will become history itself.

Plans are in the works to demolish the now-empty building bounded by King, Columbus and Line streets and the future Lowcountry Lowline linear park on the Charleston peninsula.

In its place will sit the third and final phase of a 12-acre redevelopment project called Courier Square. The concept calls for five buildings rising three to 12 stories with one level of underground parking on the footprint of the existing structure.

“Having multiple buildings with multiple elevations will make it much more interesting,” said Ron Owens, CEO of Evening Post Industries Inc., the former parent company of The Post and Courier. “Putting parking underground will be more expensive, but we believe it’s worth it.”

The uses haven’t been determined, but Owens noted they are likely to include retail, office, residential and hospitality.

About an acre of the 3.6-acre site is set aside as green or open space, with setbacks to allow for on-street parking, wider sidewalks and a planned pedestrian plaza through the center of the block.

“We hope that allows us to go higher in some places and lower in others,” Owens said.

The plaza will extend from King Street to the clock tower on The Guild Apartments overlooking the Lowcountry Lowline.

Beneath the clock tower will rise a pavilion at the center of a square next to the future linear park on a former rail line.

The final phase will center on development of a public space, according to Christian Sottile, an architect with Sottile & Sottile of Savannah who is helping to shape the project.

Get the best of the Post and Courier’s Real Estate news, handpicked and delivered to your inbox each Saturday.

Email

“It’s being called Courier Square, but there was no square,” Sottile said.

The main drivers of the concept under consideration were King Street and the old rail line and how to connect the two. As talks that began more than a year ago morphed, the idea gelled for the space beneath the clock tower to become the public square of Courier Square.

Sottile called it a “living room on the Lowline,” where the public could gather while visiting the proposed linear park or enjoy an outdoor meal.

To make the development work with the amount of proposed open space, Sottile pointed out buildings will be lower in height near the street and rise higher in the center of the block. The planned tallest structure of 12 stories will sit next to Line Street and the Lowline.

Retail and restaurant spaces are planned at street level while office workers, residents and hotel guests will occupy upper floors. Parking entries are planned off Line and Columbus streets, and a domelike structure could anchor the corner of King and Line streets.

Commentary

Plans also call for parallel parking on both sides of King Street along with expansive sidewalks around the project.

“You don’t get the opportunity to do this on an entire block very often, if ever,” Sottile said. “The plan is to make the public realm better, the project better and the skyline better.”

The project is still a few years from becoming a reality. It still has to make its way through the city approval process and is about a year away from going to the Board of Architectural Review for initial consideration, according to Owens.

The 226-unit, eight-story Guild and the neighboring five-story headquarters of apartment giant Greystar comprised Phase I of Courier Square. Both opened in 2018.

Construction on the first buildings in the second phase could begin next year. That plan calls for four residential structures with 333 units on part of the block bounded by King, Line and St. Philip streets.

Another project called The Peninsula is planned next to Hoffler Place on part of the same block as the residential buildings. It will be for senior living. Construction could start after work on the residential developments is underway, Owens said.

Our twice-weekly newsletter features all the business stories shaping Charleston and South Carolina. Get ahead with us - it’s free.

Email

Reach Warren L. Wise at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @warrenlancewise.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Four members of the Charleston County Board of Trustees are calling for the full board to rescind the decision to put the district’s new superintendent on paid administrative leave last week.

Darlene Dunmeyer-Roberson, Dr. Carol Tempel, Courtney Waters and Daron Lee Calhoun II called a news conference so they could address the recent decisions to place Superintendent Dr. Eric Gallian on paid administrative leave, not confirming Michelle Simmons as the district’s permanent chief academic officer and what they call the dismantling of the Health Advisory Board.

The four are accusing their fellow board members of causing a “week of intense public backlash, confusion and community outrage when they voted to place Gallien on paid administrative leave pending an investigation and provided no reason.”

One week ago the board voted 5-4 to place Gallien on paid administrative leave.

The vote was carried out by Carlotte Bailey, Edward Kelly, Keith Grybowski, Leah Whatley and Pamela McKinney.

The four members voting in the minority say the actions are “unconscionable” and must be addressed.

That press conference is at noon Monday at the Charleston County School District Administrative building.

The reason behind the investigation or the administrative leave has not been provided.

The board approved the motion to appoint Deputy Superintendent Anita Huggins to “step in to fulfill duties until the investigation concludes.”

Gallien’s contract began on July 1, when he became the highest-paid employee in the Charleston County School District’s history with a salary of $275,000. After the first year, his salary will increase by 2% annually.

Gallien released the following statement regarding the board’s decision:

From the day I arrived in Charleston County with my family and began proudly serving as your Superintendent, we have been deeply moved by your warm embrace, energized spirit, and sincere sense of family that made us feel instantly at home.

Therefore, after the board’s decision on Monday, it came as no surprise we would experience such overwhelming support from our scholars, families, staff, and the community. Words cannot express how grateful I am for your countless messages of encouragement, commitment, and hope.

Our scholars - you must always hold dear the fact that CCSD belongs to you, it is your school district. You are what is most important to all of us. My absence will not diminish my unwavering dedication to each of you, nor our work to ensure your education is a tool of empowerment to shape your future, reach your dreams, and positively impact the world around you. Stay focused on your studies, explore your passions, embrace curiosity, and seize the many opportunities that lie before you.

Our staff, families, and community - throughout my entire career, have come to realize change is always happening, and it is never easy. Although recent events have raised questions and concerns, we must continue to respect the investigative process, and believe in our board’s commitment to CCSD’s stated value, of “Integrity - honoring truthfulness, fairness and transparency.” When grounded in this value, the investigative process can be a journey of learning and improvement for all of us.

Lastly, it was you, the Charleston County community who through your engagement in the superintendent hiring process, created the candidate profile that would ultimately provide me the opportunity to proudly serve you in this capacity, and I am grateful for your partnership. I remain confident this process will make us stronger as together we continue our selfless support of scholars and each other, and emerge better as a result.

Principals in Charleston County said they were “disappointed” in the Board of Trustees after their most recent meeting.

Sixteen principals from the Charleston County School District signed their names on a letter sent to the Board of Trustees Thursday. They said the meeting did not meet the expectations they expect from elected officials and leaders.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Dorchester County Council has approved tax incentives, a water-service agreement and a land deal to reel in a secretive business that’s proposing to invest $510 million but has yet to disclose its identity or how many jobs it will bring to an industrial park west of Summerville.

A series of votes on Oct. 2 sealed the deal, with no discussion about what the company will be building on the property it plans to acquire in Pine Hill Business Campus off of U.S. Highway 17A.

The agreements are with Autumn Timber LLC, which was incorporated in Delaware but seems to have no existing physical operations. No public information is available about its ownership.

John Truluck, the county’s economic development director, said the company behind Autumn Timber is working through some final “regulatory issues.” He hopes it will be ready to disclose its identity and plans by the end of the month.

“No one wants to talk about this more than me,” Truluck said after Monday’s council meeting.

The newly approved deal would cut Autumn Timber’s property taxes to a fixed rate of 4 percent of the assessed value of any land and buildings it owns and occupies for at least 40 years. According to the agreement, the terms can be extended to 53 years.

County Council members said the arrangement is expected to generate about $2 million a year in new revenue.

Also, Autumn Timber will receive a 100 percent refund of the taxes it pays on personal property, such as vehicles.

Details of the water- and-sewer service agreement were not immediately available. A resolution that was passed Monday said Autumn Timber will create an unspecified number of jobs and “stimulate” the local economy, and that “the success of such operation depends upon the long-term commitment of substantial resources of the company as well as the county.”

The tax breaks are among the biggest ever approved for a private business by Dorchester County. They increasingly look to be tailored toward a data center operator, which requires vast amounts of water to cool equipment.

Business

Todd Frittle, chairman of Dorchester County Council, suggested as much Monday night. He cited a news report about Autumn Timber that “stated there’s never been another project like this done.”

“If I’m not mistaken there’s one in Berkeley County, and there’s another one getting ready to go into Aiken County possibly,” he said.

The Post and Courier has previously noted that the terms of the tax breaks are similar to what Berkeley County provided Google for its Moncks Corner server farm. The Aiken reference is likely “Project Sabal,” the code name for a company that paid $19.2 million for land in Graniteville last year. It was described in April by a government official as “one of the top five data center developers in the world,” a list that includes Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Corp. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google subsidiary.

Frittle said Tuesday that he could not elaborate about his remarks at the meeting, citing a confidentiality agreement that’s still in effect with Autumn Timber.

The tax incentives don’t require the company to create a minimum number of jobs. Councilman Jay Byars said it won’t be a huge employer but will generate a “pretty nice” income stream, with “the lion’s share” of the money going to Dorchester School District 2.

“This is one where there’s going to be significant revenue gain without a significant burden on infrastructure, whether it’s road infrastructure or school infrastructure. … This is not one of those things where we’re talking about bringing 1,500 jobs and the associated housing and roads and cars and traffic that come with it,” Byars said.

The Pine Hill site that’s being sold is former timber property the county acquired from paper and packaging giant WestRock Co. in 2018 and has been marketed as a business park.

More than seven decades ago, The Post and Courier’s predecessors set up shop on upper King Street in a three-story building that was expanded and upgraded over the years.

In the not-too-distant future, the block-long structure that for 70 years until 2021 served as the home of the South’s oldest daily newspaper will become history itself.

Plans are in the works to demolish the now-empty building bounded by King, Columbus and Line streets and the future Lowcountry Lowline linear park on the Charleston peninsula.

In its place will sit the third and final phase of a 12-acre redevelopment project called Courier Square. The concept calls for five buildings rising three to 12 stories with one level of underground parking on the footprint of the existing structure.

“Having multiple buildings with multiple elevations will make it much more interesting,” said Ron Owens, CEO of Evening Post Industries Inc., the former parent company of The Post and Courier. “Putting parking underground will be more expensive, but we believe it’s worth it.”

The uses haven’t been determined, but Owens noted they are likely to include retail, office, residential and hospitality.

About an acre of the 3.6-acre site is set aside as green or open space, with setbacks to allow for on-street parking, wider sidewalks and a planned pedestrian plaza through the center of the block.

“We hope that allows us to go higher in some places and lower in others,” Owens said.

The plaza will extend from King Street to the clock tower on The Guild Apartments overlooking the Lowcountry Lowline.

Beneath the clock tower will rise a pavilion at the center of a square next to the future linear park on a former rail line.

The final phase will center on development of a public space, according to Christian Sottile, an architect with Sottile & Sottile of Savannah who is helping to shape the project.

Get the best of the Post and Courier’s Real Estate news, handpicked and delivered to your inbox each Saturday.

Email

“It’s being called Courier Square, but there was no square,” Sottile said.

The main drivers of the concept under consideration were King Street and the old rail line and how to connect the two. As talks that began more than a year ago morphed, the idea gelled for the space beneath the clock tower to become the public square of Courier Square.

Sottile called it a “living room on the Lowline,” where the public could gather while visiting the proposed linear park or enjoy an outdoor meal.

To make the development work with the amount of proposed open space, Sottile pointed out buildings will be lower in height near the street and rise higher in the center of the block. The planned tallest structure of 12 stories will sit next to Line Street and the Lowline.

Retail and restaurant spaces are planned at street level while office workers, residents and hotel guests will occupy upper floors. Parking entries are planned off Line and Columbus streets, and a domelike structure could anchor the corner of King and Line streets.

Commentary

Plans also call for parallel parking on both sides of King Street along with expansive sidewalks around the project.

“You don’t get the opportunity to do this on an entire block very often, if ever,” Sottile said. “The plan is to make the public realm better, the project better and the skyline better.”

The project is still a few years from becoming a reality. It still has to make its way through the city approval process and is about a year away from going to the Board of Architectural Review for initial consideration, according to Owens.

The 226-unit, eight-story Guild and the neighboring five-story headquarters of apartment giant Greystar comprised Phase I of Courier Square. Both opened in 2018.

Construction on the first buildings in the second phase could begin next year. That plan calls for four residential structures with 333 units on part of the block bounded by King, Line and St. Philip streets.

Another project called The Peninsula is planned next to Hoffler Place on part of the same block as the residential buildings. It will be for senior living. Construction could start after work on the residential developments is underway, Owens said.

Our twice-weekly newsletter features all the business stories shaping Charleston and South Carolina. Get ahead with us - it’s free.

Email

Reach Warren L. Wise at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @warrenlancewise.