Chimney Sweep in Huger, SC

HUGER S.C. (WCSC) - People that live in the Huger-Wando community are voicing their concerns to city leaders about everything from transportation to affordable housing.

Almost 200 people came to a community meeting at Cainhoy Elementary on Thursday. They say they feel overlooked when it comes to decisions regarding their area.

Carl Anderson, S.C. House of Representatives District 103, says he is new to representing the Huger-Wando area and wants their requests to be fulfilled.

“Berkeley County has several pots of money that we just hope would be shared across Berkeley County with every area of Berkeley County, but this area, as they said to me, they feel like they have been overlooked,” Anderson said. “So, I feel like this area needs a little bit more attention than the other areas.”

At the meeting, representatives from Berkeley County, the state’s health department and department of transportation, just to name a few, answered questions from the public.

“The funds that have come in from the federal government during this pandemic and what is going to be done with it,” Anderson said. “And we heard that only a fraction of those funds were spent. So, they want to be included in the funds that the county has so that things can get done in this area.”

Another issue brought up was the repaving of certain roads, the cost of affordable housing and overall severity of sewage and drainage problems.

One community member, Cynthia Lawrence, says she wished that the agencies could have gone into more detail with their answers.

“Well, I think the public is still a little leery about the answers that they received tonight from the agencies that were here,” Lawrence said. “We needed to go a little deeper and it just wasn’t enough time.”

Although the community members say they wish they had more time, other county and school representatives say they can answer more in-depth questions when contacted directly.

The hope is to have another meeting sometime in October, but no date has been set as of now. The organizer’s plans include inviting Berkeley County Water and Sewer so they can solve more of the sewage issues.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

HUGER, SC (WCSC) - Many homes on French Quarter Creek, in Huger, still had water in the living rooms Tuesday. Items like mattresses and carpet were stacked outside on driveways, a display of items destroyed in the flood.

"This is the first day of cleanup," said Bill Cahill.

Water levels had gone down significantly, allowing people to get an idea of just home much they lost.

"I'm thinking $150,000," said Cahill.

Cahill and his family were picking up pieces from the storm at a home he built more than 20 years ago.

On Saturday night, it was that home where many found refuge.

"We were pulling people from all the houses around the neighborhood," said Cahill. "911 was calling us. Tommy and Bud down the road had boats and DNR couldn't get in here. So, they were bringing the people here to the porch."

More than 20 people packed on Cahill's porch. Soon, the US Coast Guard sent a helicopter to help.

Cahill, now a neighborhood hero, had only one thing on his mind.

"We were just trying to make sure everybody stayed safe," said Cahill. "At that point they're safe and you just worry about the damage later."

Thankful everyone was safe, his family now begins tackling those damages.

Recovery was seen around Huger.Just down the street, on Charity Church Road, Carrie Bennett was dragging her carpet to the road.She was still in disbelief at what she saw during the storm.

"I mean the water was coming up across the highway," said Bennett. "You couldn't walk to your mailbox without getting wet up."

The welcome sign at French Quarter Creek still had water at its foot, but much less compared to what the was seen days ago.The message on the sign reads "Thanks for visiting, please drive safely." It's a message of care that's still evident in the hearts of the people in Huger.

"I don't think you can ever underestimate things," said Cahill.

"God does everything for a reason," said Bennett. "It could be a blessing, and who knows. I'm just going to thank him anyways in advance."

The American Red Cross was also in Huger, assisting with damage assessments. For help with that in Charleston, call : 843-764-2323 x321

Copyright 2015 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Just 45 minutes outside of Charleston, a small town with a population of roughly 3,379 people lies in the midst of Berkeley County.

Huger is the hometown of Dr. Anthony Williams and Dr. Jessica Berry, both of whom were recently named to South Carolina State University’s Top 40 under 40 inaugural class.

The award was designed to honor alumni that have made strides to further their careers and impact their communities.

Growing up in Huger, Berry was a fluent native Gullah Geechee speaker. She attended Cainhoy Elementary and Middle School, the same school that Williams would attend only a few years later.

“Huger is extremely rural, people don’t really get to see a whole lot outside of that space there,” Berry said.

Berry went on to graduate from Hanahan High school and Williams at Timberland High School.

“At Timberland High School, I wasn’t the ideal student,” Williams said. “I didn’t have a 4.0 GPA, I didn’t have all A’s, I wasn’t in the honor classes. But my school counselor at the time, who is also an SC State graduate, Mr. Hilton, for some reason saw a lot in me. He saw way more in me then I saw in myself.”

Williams attended South Carolina State University, located in Orangeburg, in the fall after high school graduation. Four years later, he obtained a bachelor’s degree in child development.

Inspired by his own experiences with his school counselor back at Timberland High, Williams began working toward his master’s in school counseling.

“I had to be a school counselor because I wanted to pay it forward, Williams said. “I would not be here if it wasn’t for my own school counselor.”

Two and a half years later, in 2017, Williams graduated once again from SC State University with an administration degree. For a final time in July 2020, Williams completed his doctoral degree at SC State and since has been serving as an assistant principal at Sumter High School.

Today, Williams uses his personal experience of growing up in Huger as a testimony to what students can become despite any current circumstances.

“Being from that community, I understand there’s a lot of difficult situations and that circumstances aren’t always ideal,” Williams said. “Sometimes when you’re in it, you can’t see out of it. When I was a school counselor I used to say, ‘your grades are your get-out. Continue to pour into your school work and you will get out. If you want to be a lawyer or a doctor or a dentist or a principal, it is possible.’ I could have been a principal with just my master’s degree but my doctoral degree is to show the kids that you can do it. It’s not that far fetched. Go get it,” Williams said.

After completing her undergraduate degree at Winthrop University, Berry began pursuing her master’s at SC State University. It was during this time that her passion for educating the next generation on cultural biases that exist and advocating for people who don’t speak mainstream English was first sparked.

After receiving her doctoral degree from Louisiana State University, Berry returned to the state to serve closer to home.

Today, Berry continues to partner with school districts promoting this advocacy and even writing a book titled “The little Gullah Geechee: A Guide for the Come Ya (2019),” in an ambition to educate others on the Gullah Geechee culture.

Since 2017, Berry has served as an assistant professor with SC State in the speech pathology department.

Growing up unsure if she would ever have the opportunity to obtain a degree as grandiose as her own, she now leads the same department where she was once a student.

“My hope is that there’s another little girl in my area who sees me get this award and serve the community and educate people about who we are as Gullah Geechee and decide that I am worth it,” Berry said.

It may be called “One Night” because it is one night many will never forget.

For the first time since its inception in 2017, the “One Night” inclusive prom for those with special needs started by New Life Baptist Church and pastor Billy Harmon partnered with the city of Goose Creek Therapeutic Recreation Division to host the annual event.

“It was so magical,” said Hannah Miller, city of Goose Creek therapeutic recreation manager. “Everyone had such a great time.”

Miller said nearly 250 people, mostly adults with special needs but some youth as well, registered for the event and more than 150 attended. They were treated to a red-carpet arrival, dinner and music at the Goose Creek Recreation Center.

“We provided the space at the rec center, waived rental fees, used our email lists to promote the prom, brought in staff to set up the tables and things like that,” Miller said. The church provided the D.J., the meal and the decorations. It was great working with them to make this happen and I’m just glad the city of Goose Creek and my department got to be a part of it.”

The prom was free for everyone who attended.

Harmon, who is the father of a daughter with special needs, said he got the idea to have the prom from Tim Tebow’s Night to Shine event.

At the intersection on King and Huger streets on Charleston’s West Side, residents have seen four months of drainage work with limited improvement to conditions during heavy rains. That’s by design.

The first phase of the drainage project, which cost about $7 million, improved the intersection’s drainage capacity by doubling the diameter of many of the pipes underneath the street. It also included upgrades to drains and catch basins nearby. It began in late 2021. But during a heavy storm and high tide, that work only goes so far.

“It does provide some benefit from drainage right now,” said Charleston Stormwater Management Director Matt Fountain. “But if you get high tide and a really heavy rain, it’s absolutely going to flood.”

Just two months ago, cars were diverted or stalled out at the intersection when a period of heavy rainfall coincided with king tides.

On July 10, during one day of that deluge, nearby resident Bennie Kinloch told The Post and Courier the flooding was bad but getting better. As water stood in the streets once again, a man walked past her house by pushing a surfboard.

“It used to be deep enough to paddle a boat through here,” Kinloch said. “It ain’t as bad as it was.”

The second and final phase of the project is expected to address the high tide and heavy rain event flooding.

Phase 2 includes the installation of a pump station that will be able to quickly move water into nearby Newmarket Creek.

City Council approved a $10 million grant application Sept. 13 to fund the phase. The grant, which would come from South Carolina’s allocation of American Rescue Plan Act funds, also requires about a $3 million match from the city.

The latest phase is the final stage of the project and is more complex than the first phase.

The pump station will include a water feature out front and seating area, which Fountain describes as a “park-like atmosphere.” The city hopes to make the building itself architecturally appropriate for the area. It will be located on the northeast side of the intersection on land given to the city by Enston Homes.

“Its an important intersection,” Fountain said. “We want to focus on making it an amenity for the area.”

The phase needs environmental approvals to be allowed to move water into Newmarket Creek and approvals from both the city’s Board of Architectural review to build the pump station and park area. It also needs approval from the S.C. Department of Transportation to make connections to the drainage pipes under the road.

If the grant funding is approved, work could be complete by the end of 2023. The city is pursuing other funding methods as well, Fountain added.

In other business, City Council:

A parcel on the upper peninsula won’t be added to Charleston’s hotel zone after a rare 7-6 denial from City Council last week.

The half-acre parcel on the south side of Huger Street currently houses a one-story warehouse. The Eastside Baptist Church is behind the lot, and a couple of dilapidated buildings are on either side.

An undeveloped lot across the street where a hotel and parking project is planned and a large nearby parcel at the corner of Meeting and Huger streets — the location of the Meeting Street Lofts apartment complex — are already included in the overlay.

The property owner and applicant, Ben Chase of Chase Furniture Co., told members of council Tuesday that his request did not conflict with the “past, present or newest proposed hotel ordinances.”

A hotel task force, which included Mayor John Tecklenburg and three members of council, recently developed new rules aimed at reining in the development of accommodations on the peninsula. Those changes are expected to come back to council for the second of three reviews soon.

The Planning Commission approved Chase’s application in June, but city staff recommended disapproval.

That discrepancy raised alarms for council member Robert Mitchell, who also said he was concerned about a lodging coming to that neighborhood, which doesn’t have any hotel developments yet.

Mike Seekings, a member of council who was on the hotel task force and is running for mayor, said he felt the “timing isn’t right” for the request. He also said that the property’s current zoning already allows the owner flexibility for future development.

“I don’t think that we should punish you because other people came and got to the table and got their hotels before you,” said council member Harry Griffin, who also voted against the application, noting he would be interested in seeing the request again, after the surrounding area is more developed.

Votes against the request beat out favorable votes by just one, with Tecklenburg casting the last tie-breaking “no” vote.

Up for review

One of three upper Meeting Street hotel projects from the Charleston-based Montford Group will be up for its first appearance in front of the Board of Architectural Review next week.

Recently, the site of a one-story warehouse at 547 Meeting St. was approved by a city zoning board for a 131-unit hotel. Developers plan to open the city’s first Moxy Hotel, a lifestyle flag from Marriott International that targets young, budget-conscious travelers.

The planned six-story property would have small rooms, neon accents and large, multi-use public spaces, said Sunju Patel, a managing partner at Montford. The first floor will include a retail area that would be open to the public, he added.

Montford also recently secured approval for a 191-room hotel at a triangular lot farther up Meeting Street. Zoning entitlements are already in place for another lodging to the south at 510 Meeting, which the group plans to call the Grace Hotel.

The BAR is set to vote on the plans for Montford’s Moxy project on Wednesday starting at 4:30 p.m. on the first floor of the Gaillard Center.

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