dprovenzanosc

August 30, 2023August 30, 2023

Hurricane Idalia is Coming Our Way

Hurricane Idaila Has made landfall in Northern Florida and is expected to hop over to and skirt our over the next 12-24 hours the storm will pass through our area. Please stay informed. If you lose power, please do not assume the power company knows. You should call and report an outage for your home or business. This helps the power company build a better repair picture. You can look at the Dominion Power Outage Map through the link below. If out traveling, be cautious of hidden dangers including water on the roadways. You should not travel on roads closed due to flooding. Watch for downed powerlines. Be careful when assessing property damage. Watch for dangerous displaced wildlife.

Reporting Power Outages

It is important to report your power outage, even if you see outages already reported in your area. DO NOT CALL 9-1-1 or use social media to report a power outage. Report outages directly to your utility provider.

Dominion Energy SC
DESC Customer Service:  1-800-251-7234
Report Downed/Sparking Lines:  1-888-333-4465
Report Gas Leaks:  1-800-815-0083
Report Power Outage:  1-888-333-4465

Edisto Electric
(803) 245-5141

Berkeley Electric
1-888-253-4232
Report Outage via Smarthub

Some Useful Strom Links:
The National Hurricane Center hurricane tracking and forecasts
Dorchester County Emergency Management Department county-specific hurricane and other emergency information including road closures.
South Carolina Emergency Management state storm information
Dominion Power Outage Map see where power outages have been reported.

If you have other links or tips, let me know and I’ll add them here.

August 28, 2023

Another Sand Mine is Coming To Dorchester – Update!

I had not received the needed ten petition signature until Sunday, August 13th and sent the petition for a public meeting to DHEC despite being past the deadline. DHEC responded today with a letter indicating they would not proceed with a Public Hearing due to the missed regulatory deadline, but would arrange for a Public Meeting. The public meeting will allow for the exchange of information and provide an opportunity for the community to express our concerns.

Once the public meeting details are received, interested parties will be notified and I will update this site with the meeting time and place details.

August 8, 2023

Another Sand Mine is Coming To Dorchester – Sign the Public Hearing Petition

DHEC has a new application for another sand mine and has made noting to the adjacent properties. The Moore Mine (Application for a Mine Operating Permit I-002398) is an 89.9-acre mine planed to a depth of 30 feet, with an included +-15 acres flagged as wetlands, located at the end of Moore Road, between Salem and Powder Horn Roads. The mine operations plan on pumping out water during mining into the wetlands draining to Halfway Gut Creek. Reclamation information indicates the mine pits (39.3 acres) will remain and be allowed to fill with water for future lakes or ponds. The site maps include possible “future home sites.” This mine will add even more sand truck traffic to Zion, Salem, Powder Horn, and Sandridge Roads.

You can review the DHEC permit information here (https://epermweb.dhec.sc.gov/ncore/external/publicnotice/info/-209032074109656397/details). You can post comments on the “Add Comments” tab of the DHEC site. However in order for the local community to express concerns in a public hearing, the statute requires the submission of a petition signed by a minimum of ten people.

I have created a downloadable or printable form to petition for a public hearing. Simply download or print the form (just select the download arrow or the printer icon below) and fill in the requested information on the form below. Then scan it with your computer, or take a picture with your phone of the completed form and email it to dprovenzanosc@gmail.com no later than Noon August 11, 2023. I need to compile the names and send them and the signed forms to DHEC by 5pm on that date.

Petition-for-Public-Hearing-DHEC-I-002398-Application-for-a-Mine-Operating-Permit-Moorer-Mine Download

August 5, 2023

Horses Shot in St. George

Recent articles in The Eagle-Record and The Post and Courier report malicious animal shootings at the St. George Shangri-La Sanctuary which resulted in the death of at least one horse and maiming and injury of several others. The Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office seems to have tracked down a primary suspect which sadly is an 11-year-old child who lives in the area.

The Shangri-La Sanctuary is supposed to be a safe place for rescued animals. Unfortunately in this case animals were harmed and maimed with no apparent regard for their wellbeing. It is unclear at this time how law enforcement will deal with the shooter as they are a juvenile. But it’s obvious, significant damage was done to the animals of the sanctuary. With one horse shot eight times, this clearly was not a case of random stray bullets from target shooting. While target shooting is generally accepted and common in our rural Dorchester area, the shooting of other’s animals is not.

If you would like to reach out or offer comfort and support to the Shangri-La Sanctuary, you can visit their website (https://www.shangrilasanctuarysc.com/) or email them at slsanctuarysc@gmail.com.

July 28, 2023

Dorchester County Sheriff’s to Host National Night Out

The Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office announced they are inviting residents to the National Night Out, an evening of camaraderie and fun to foster stronger relationships between law enforcement and the community. The Sheriff’s Office will host two events on August 1 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Ashley River Park (200 Renken Rd., Summerville) and Davis-Bailey Park (5190 E Jim Bilton Blvd., St George). These events will consist of the following highlights:

Community Meet and Greet: Connect with Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office law enforcement officers and first responders.

Law Enforcement Demonstrations: Gain valuable insights into safety techniques and crime prevention strategies through interactive demonstrations by our experienced law enforcement personnel. These include K9 demonstrations, Aviation demonstrations, and Crime Scene demonstrations.

Kids Activities: Join first responders for games of corn hole, kickball, volleyball, spike ball, and basketball (at Davis-Bailey Park).

Food and Refreshments: Hotdogs and drinks will be available free of charge.

These events are excellent opportunities to connect with your fellow neighbors, local law enforcement, and other first responders in a relaxed and enjoyable setting.

May 30, 2023July 28, 2023

Hurricane Preparedness Expo at Ashley River Park

With the 2023 Hurricane Season ready to start, Dorchester County is encouraging residents to attend the Hurricane Preparedness Expo at Ashley River Park. The expo is scheduled for Saturday. June 3, 2023 and is scheduled to run between 10:00am – 1:00pm. The expo will be held at the new Ashley River Park, 200 Renken Road in Summerville. The Hurricane Preparedness Expo aims to provide valuable information, tips, and resources to help residents of our county to prepare for hurricanes and other natural disasters.

For fun, the county EMD is working with Coastal Coffee Roasters to debut a new medium roast coffee roast: Storm Surge. This coffee will be available at the Expo in both ground and whole bean form. And their partner, Tradesman Brewing Company, will also be present with their unique Know Your Zone beer. Free coffee samples will be available to all participants, and there will be beer samples for those 21 years of age and older. Coffee and beer, what else do you need to be prepared?

Please note: Admission is only $2 per person for 3 years-old or older, or free for any Dorchester County Park Annual Pass holders.

It looks like there will be some fun, samples, and prizes, even a raffle for a brand new 3600-watt Generac GP3600 portable generator. Go here for more information.

April 16, 2023

2023 World Grits Festival

Are you looking for something different and unique to do with your family? Then Come on out to 2023 World Grits Festival!

The local Eagle-Record newspaper recently reported the Town of St. George will host the 2023 World Grits Festival! The prestigious event will be held the weekend of April 21 – 23, 2023. On the agenda for the weekend are arts and crafts, all kinds of food, a parade, lots of vendors, and all kinds of festivities. Of course, no Grits festival would be complete without a grits-eating contest.

Interested in attending? Are you a vendor or sponsor? Do you have an organization wanting to be in the parade? if you want or need to know more then simply go to www.worldgritsfestival.com for more information

March 4, 2023

I-26 Improvements Started

While there doesn’t seem to be any official work posted it looks the I26-SC27 exit 187 interchange improvements have started. As of this posting, I couldn’t find any updated information on the SCDOT, Dorchester County, or I26-SC27 Interchange Project websites. But if you traveled through the 187 Exit at all in the last few weeks, it’s obvious work on the interchange has finally started. Construction crews are clearing trees from the North side of the exchange, assumedly in preparation for the new bridge. The I26E onramp has had some resurfacing as well as a portion of the I26E right-hand lane, assumedly for some road widening.

Travelers in this area should be aware there is road work happening and use caution.

December 20, 2022

Watch Out For This Hard Freeze Coming Our Way!

Several weather sources are forecasting freezing weather coming our way beginning Friday December 23, 2022. An artic front is heading our way which looks like will bring several nights of below freezing temperatures. You can explore some cold weather safety tips at National Weather Service. Plan now to stay warm.

You can follow any of these links to see the upcoming forecasted conditions.

November 22, 2022

Rail Maintenance Work

In case you hadn’t noticed, the railroad folks are performing rail replacement work today (11/22) along highway 78 though our Town of Dorchester.

Today, both the road rail crossings in town at Sandridge and Schoolhouse roads were closed most of the day and traffic was detoured down towards Ridgeville while the rail replacement work took place. The two rail crossings should now be re-opened.

I talked with the maintenance crew as they were reopening Sandridge road, they stated the roads will again be closed Monday (11/28) for additional work.

As more information becomes available, I will try to post it timely.

Author: dprovenzanosc