Chimney Sweep Near Me West Ashley, SC

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — West Ashley parents are pushing back as the Charleston County School District considers repurposing Stono Park Elementary School into a pre-K facility, a move that could send current students to other nearby schools.

The plan is a smaller part of a district-wide effort to create more than 7,500 new pre-K seats over the next five years.

Jeff Borowy, the district’s chief operating officer, said the proposal is still early and that no final decision has been made.

“We are well in advance of where we would normally make a decision on something of this magnitude,” Borowy said. “And so, we can be very deliberate. We can take all the input. We can review and analyze other options that are out there before a final decision is made.”

Parents, including those with children currently enrolled at Stono Park, say they feel left out of the process.

“It’s so frustrating because we are the constituents. We are the parents and we haven’t even been asked,” said Gabrielle Bonaparte, who has two children at Stono Park in kindergarten and third grade, and said a third child plans to attend in coming years.

District leaders shared the Stono Park reconfiguration proposal in September. Under the concept, current students would be reassigned to nearby schools such as St. Andrews School of Math & Science or Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary.

RELATED | Charleston County schools weigh expanding universal pre-K to North Charleston next fall

Stono Park’s campus was rebuilt in 2019 in a $27.3 million project funded through a voter-approved penny sales tax referendum in 2010 and 2014. The rebuild increased the school’s capacity to more than 500 students.

Since reopening, the district says Stono Park has struggled to increase enrollment. Heather Studer, the district’s director of planning, facilities use and real estate, said the school has had significant unused space.

“Stono Park has been historically under-enrolled,” Studer said. “Last year they had about 218 kids living in their zone and actually attending the school. Which leaves excess space at the school because the capacity right now is for 570 kids, K through fifth grade.”

Borowy said the school was built for a larger zone but has not reached those numbers, and he cited multiple possible reasons families may be choosing other options.

“We built the school with a zone for over 900, and we’ve never got more than mid-three hundreds in that school,” he said. “They could be choosing to go to a charter school, they could be choosing to go to one of other schools in the zone because they are partial magnets, and they can apply there. They could be leaving the district for all we know, we have a hard time tracking students that leave the district.”

Borowy also said universal pre-K was not part of the thinking when the school was rezoned and rebuilt.

“It is very separate. I was here for that," he said. "I was responsible for that zoning. I was responsible for the construction of that facility. And I can unequivocally say there was no plan behind the behind the curtains for this to be an early education center at that time."

Ashley River and St. Andrews are both choice schools, with many students coming from outside their zones. The district says it is considering limiting choice seats at those schools to make room for students reassigned from Stono Park.

“What we think we can do is lessen the amount of choice to make space for the Stono Park kids to move in, which would not interfere with the class sizes,” Studer said.

Some parents say reassignment could disrupt students’ stability.

“I think a lot of parents choose the schools that they choose so that there’s a continuity in education that provides emotional safety. I don’t want [my daughter] to lose that. I don’t want her to get lost in a sea of faces,” said Mary Arthur, a Stono Park parent with a child in second grade.

Since the proposal was presented, more than 1,000 people have signed a petition against it.

Jillian Barton, a Stono Park parent with a child in kindergarten, said the district has responded to emails, but families still have unanswered questions.

“The district’s been very responsive to our emails. I don’t know that we’re getting the answers that we’re looking for, though,” Barton said.

Barton said she is concerned about traffic impacts if Stono Park shifts to serving younger children who may be driven to school.

“Is there a traffic study that’s been done? How is this going to change traffic in our neighborhood schools if we’re moving away from kindergarten through fifth grade, students who are riding the bus predominantly and we’re bringing more car traffic into our neighborhood, what is that doing to the Stono Park community and the streets around the school?” she said. “And I don’t think those questions have been answered.”

The district held a community meeting at the beginning of October to address concerns. Studer said leaders knew families would have questions and noted the district is discussing the idea earlier than it typically would.

“We knew that there would be questions, but we knew it was probably early to talk to families, because we usually do it a year in advance, and we’re about two years out now,” Studer said. “We really are open to any additional ideas that people have.”

Borowy acknowledged the potential disruption. “It may create some inconvenience in some ways, but in the end, it’s about the kids,” he said.

Parents have also raised concerns about Stono Park’s status as a Title I school and whether students would keep access to current resources if rezoned. Ivan Bonaparte, a Stono Park parent, said he worries students could lose the environment they have now.

“Stono Park is a Title I school, so majority Black students go to the school,” he said. “The school has created an environment where these students can thrive and be themselves. And they’re comfortable there. I feel like those students are just going to get lost in the shuffle.”

Joy Bolton, a volunteer reader at Stono Park, said individualized support matters for students who need extra help.

“That personal attention that happens in the school, and effort made for our kids who really need a little extra help with folks like me really makes a difference,” Bolton said.

Borowy said district leadership does not intend to reduce support for students.

“I can again say without a doubt that the superintendent, the school board and the rest of leadership is not going to leave kids in a school with less resources than they have now,” he said.

Studer said the district is limited by building space, real estate and finances.

“If we could do it at every school, we would. But we just don’t have the building space to be or real estate or finances to be able to do that,” she said.

Borowy said other options are being reviewed, including a model that would keep students together by splitting grade levels between two schools.

“We’re still taking a look at which ones we will finalize and bring forward,” he said. “But they include creating a primary-secondary option, for lack of a better word, of taking a school like Saint Andrew’s Math and Science and Stone Park, combining the two and making one pre-K through K first or second, and the other school second through fifth. So, all those kids stay together, but they just move between two schools.”

The district has said building a new facility and securing funding could take up to 10 years and cost $30 million to $40 million.

Studer said the district already has plans for multiple early learning centers in West Ashley, including Long Savannah, an addition at Drayton Hall, and reconfigurations at Oakland Elementary and Springfield, but that the east side of West Ashley has fewer options because of limited land.

“We have a plan for the west side of West Ashley. We just didn’t have a solid plan for the east side of West Ashley until we came up with this rezoning option, because we don’t have excess land to be able to build.”

A final proposal would go before the Charleston County school board for a vote next fall, a year before implementation. The district plans to meet with parents, teachers and staff from all potentially impacted schools on Dec. 1 at St. Andrews School of Math and Science.

CHARLESTON — The city plans to buy the Medical University of South Carolina Foundation out of a WestEdge property so it can build affordable housing on the 2.5-acre parcel.

The city and MUSCF have worked together for years as the combined WestEdge Foundation to redevelop part of the western peninsula into an urban area that supports the medical district and surrounding community. A previous phase of the project included a glass-exterior office building and an apartment complex anchored by a Publix grocery store.

The last property the city doesn’t own is located across from the Publix, at the corner of Lockwood Drive. As Mayor William Cogswell looks to build 3,500 new affordable units in Charleston, the idea is to “simplify the relationship” of the WestEdge Foundation owners by gradually buying MUSCF out of that property.

To do so, the WestEdge Foundation account would transfer $10 million to MUSCF. Then, the private developer the city selects to build affordable housing there would be on the hook to pay MUSCF another $15 million, Cogswell said Oct. 26 at a city committee meeting.

None of the money would come out of the city’s operating budget, he clarified.

“It’s been a little bit of a long time coming, and I think we are finally there and ready to move this thing forward,” Cogswell said. “This has been the result of a lot of hard work.”

MUSCF did not respond to a request for comment before publication.

City Council is expected to take up the agreement in November. If approved, MUSCF would get the first option to purchase or lease about 250 of those units, according to the agreement.

The property is listed as an “area to be studied” in a bid the city issued this summer seeking architecture, design and civil engineering services for multiple properties across the peninsula.

The bid is expected to close next week. It includes another WestEdge development parcel the city owns near Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park.

Plans to build affordable housing there raised concerns about where people will park. Those details are still being worked out, according to city staff.

CHARLESTON — Balancing the city’s goal to put some power lines underground with a mandate Dominion Energy South Carolina provide affordable and reliable service has become a central discussion as the parties inch closer to a new franchise agreement.

The agreement would give Dominion the right to provide electric and gas service to Charleston residents and businesses and to conduct any necessary work in public rights-of-way. In exchange, Dominion provides 5 percent of what it collects from customers each year to the city.

Part of the agreement explains the funds and process for burying lines. That was the topic of most of the questions that residents and City Council members voiced at an Oct. 27 meeting. People wondered if more money could be put toward the effort, if underground lines would lead to higher rates or longer outages, and if the public could be more engaged in the process before the agreement is finalized.

In the end, council passed a second reading of the bill but decided to wait to approve the final reading until the public has a chance to ask questions and get answers.

A question form will be included in the city’s newsletter next week, spokesperson Bay Sheehan told The Post and Courier. Responses will be routed to Dominion and addressed at the next City Council meeting.

In the meantime, The Post and Courier posed some of the questions to Danny Kassis, vice president of customer relations at Dominion Energy South Carolina. Here’s a recap of what’s in the agreement, and what Kassis had to say:

What is a franchise agreement?

Franchise agreements outline the terms for who Dominion provides service to and how they are allowed to use public areas to carry that out.

Dominion has agreements with the state’s municipalities, and most include funds dedicated to undergrounding efforts. About 30 percent of its lines in S.C. are buried, Kassis said.

The state mandates utility companies to provide adequate, reliable and affordable coverage, so all of the decisions it makes must reflect that requirement, Kassis said.

Are buried lines better than above-ground lines?

Not necessarily. People tend to think that underground lines mitigate all risk, Kassis said. In reality, those lines are protected from wind and trees, but more susceptible to water damage.

“It’s not an ideal arrangement” in places that experience frequent flooding, Kassis said.

When underground lines are damaged, repairing them is more expensive and time-consuming. That’s because crews have to locate and excavate lines before they’re able to begin fixing them, Kassis said.

Should every power line in Charleston be buried underground?

No. Florida and North Carolina have both previously weighed the costs and benefits of putting all power lines underground. Both studies concluded that moving every line underground would be too expensive to justify.

Kassis previously said that undergrounding power lines can cost as much as $2,500 per linear foot.

Focusing on burying lines in specific areas is a better approach, Kassis said. That’s what Charleston wants to do.

Its effort has focused on neighborhood projects, which can be difficult since it requires property owners to voluntarily OK the change. Mount Pleasant has been successful with getting lines buried in places that are of the public interest, like Coleman and Johnnie Dodds boulevards, Kassis said.

“There’s no perfect system. Prioritization is the key,” Kassis said. “If you’re doing it just for, perhaps, aesthetics, then it’s a hard case for reasonability and prudency.”

The agreement gives City Council the discretion to prioritize projects. It also adds a deadline of six months, so if a project is stalling, it can be removed from the top of the list to give another area the ability to get lines buried.

Will this raise rates?

No, the franchise agreement does not raise the rates that customers pay.

What’s next?

The next City Council meeting is at 5 p.m. Nov. 10.

Halloween weekend is always a blast in Charleston, especially this year when it falls on a Saturday. There are so many fun events taking place across the Lowcountry, and here's a roundup of family-friendly things to do from Oct. 30 - Nov. 5, 2026. Happy Halloween, Y'all!

All Weekend

Boone Hall Pumpkin Patch: Enjoy the final weekend of fall fun with a hayride, corn maze, animals and pumpkins from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

will be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. in Moncks Corner. In addition to the corn maze, enjoy hayrides, pumpkins, animals, play areas, a cow-themed barrel train, and food trucks and snacks at this family-owned farm.

Coastal Carolina Fair: Enjoy the thrill of this 99-year-old tradition, going on nightly through Nov. 8! Ride, play, eat, and soak up all the midway magic when the annual fair rolls into the Exchange Park in Ladson. Children under 5 get in for free.

Friday, Oct. 30

Carolina Park Trunk or Treat: Mount Pleasant families can get an early start on Halloween with costumes, decorated cars and plenty of treats as well as a DJ, photo booth, and petting zoo from 4:30 - 7 p.m. at the Carolina Park Recreational Complex.

will be 5:-8 p.m. at the Park West Recreation Complex in Mount Pleasant. Wear costumes and go trick or treating around the bases, do a pumpkin pitch, watch the home run derby and have family fun. The event raises funds for the SBA Lowcountry Futures 12U baseball team to go to Cooperstown, N.Y.

will be from 5:30-8 p.m. at the Lincoln Recreation Center. Wear costumes and enjoy an abundance of candy, delicious food, exciting games, and Halloween fun with family and friends at this free event.

Halloween Night Climb: Celebrate Halloween with an evening of climbing, costumes, and spooky fun at the Outdoor Adventure Center at James Island County Park. Experience climbing walls under festive lighting while enjoying music, decorations, and other seasonal surprises from 7- 9 p.m.

will be from 6:30-8:30 p.m. for ages 5-12 to experience the Koala Course after dark for a special night zipline adventure at the Charleston Adventure Forest in Awendaw. Wear costumes, roast s'mores and enjoy pizza after soaring through the trees at night.

The will be playing in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals at 7 p.m. at Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant against Rhode Island FC.

The will take on the Savannah Ghost Pirates at the North Charleston Coliseum at 7 p.m. for Emo Night.

by Charleston Stage will be at 7:30 p.m. at the Historic Dock Street Theater.

will be 7:30 p.m. at The Venue in Mount Pleasant. This fast-paced action play is presented by The Village Repertory Co.

WEST ASHLEY — A local pizza-maker is heading to Italy to compete in the world’s largest international pizza competition after winning a category in one of the four major national pizza contests.

Michael Pitera, owner of Pizza a Modo Mio on Bees Ferry Road, took home first place in the “Pizza in the Pan” category at the “2026 Galbani Professionale Pizza Cup” in Orlando, which ran Oct. 25-27.

“I was up against some monster pizzaiolas, people that have been in the industry longer than me,” Pitera said.

When the winners were being announced, Pitera started slowly began to think this was his year.

“I was sitting in the audience with my wife, my pizza-maker, and I’m hearing all these names,” he said. “Who came in second, who came in third, and I never thought that I would come in first.”

He said he was doubting himself in the moments before his name was called.

“I kind of said, ‘Maybe next year, I know I didn’t win,’” he said. “All of a sudden, I heard, ‘Our grand champion is Michael Pitera,’ and I was in a state of shock.”

Charleston pizza-maker headed to Italy competition

With the victory, Pitera earned an all-expenses-paid trip to represent the U.S. at the Campionate Mondiale della Pizza in Parma, scheduled for April 2027. It will be his second consecutive appearance at the event.

The Galbani Professionale Pizza Cup is one of four premier annual pizza competitions in the country, along with the International Pizza Challenge in Las Vegas, the Real California Pizza Contest in California and the Great American Pizza Challenge in Ohio.

At the Orlando contest, Pitera’s Smoky Jewel pie earned him a 365.99 score en route to the crown, more than seven points higher than anybody else.

“The pizza that I made was grandma-style pizza with a sesame seed crust,” Pitera said. “Smoked provolone and mozzarella blend. It was fresh chicken cutlet, vodka sauce, Burrata and Calabrian chili oil.”