Mortgage Broker in James Island, SC

JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCIV) — The Lowcountry Cajun Festival will return at James Island County Park on April 22 from noon to 6 p.m.

New for 2023, festival admission will be charged per vehicle, and tickets are available for advance purchase, according to a Feb. 23 press release. A limited number of vehicles will be admitted. Tickets will be $35 per standard vehicle of up to 15 people in advance. If available, tickets at the gate will be $40 per vehicle. For additional details and to purchase tickets, visit CharlestonCountyParks.com.

Gold Passes will be valid for vehicle admission; the pass must be presented at the gate for entry. Gold Passes will not be sold on site the day of the festival, but may be purchased in advance online. Receipt of purchase will not be accepted, according to the press release.

Read more: Lowcountry Cajun Festival returns to James Island County Park on Saturday

According to the press release, the 2023 Lowcountry Cajun Festival entertainment lineup is Shrimp City Slim Swamp All-Stars from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., Les Freres Michot from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., and Corey Arceneaux & The Zydeco Hot Peppers from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The festival's small stage will host Friends of Coastal South Carolina for a program called “Who Calls the Swamp Home?” at 1 p.m. and the annual Crawfish Eating Contest will take place at 2:30 p.m., according to the press release. Other festivities include a crafters' market, souvenirs for sale and a kids' area.

Read more: Lowcountry Cajun Festival

Children can enjoy access to the inflatables and climbing wall in the kids' area all day with the purchase of a $10 hand stamp. Credit cards will be accepted at select locations, but attendees are encouraged to bring cash for convenience purposes, according to the press release.

No coolers or outside food or alcohol permitted, according to the press release. Carpooling is highly encouraged. Pets are not permitted to this event. James Island County Park will be closed to regular park guests on April 22 in order to host the festival.

The press release says Lowcountry Cajun Festival is presented by Charleston Animal Society, Coca-Cola and Charleston County Parks. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit CharlestonCountyParks.com or call 843-795-4386.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Charleston District and the city of Charleston signed a Section 219 Agreement on March 3 for the upfit of a stormwater pump station near the intersection of Bravo Street and Ralph H. Johnson Street responsible for draining over 11 acres, including the primary Medical District access roads of Courtenay Drive, Bee Street, and Doughty Street.

According to a press release, the goal of the project is to reduce the risk flood damages to buildings and infrastructure in the Medical District. The upfit will be a complete rehabilitation of the electrical and mechanical components of the pump station to maintain function and improve resiliency, as well as additional upfit work to account for intensifying storms and sea level rise. The existing pump station is reaching the end of its design life.

Read more: MUSC finalizes long-term ownership deal with Orangeburg's Regional Medical Center

The Charleston Medical District is located within the Spring Street and Fishburne Street and the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) drainage basin. It includes the MUSC, Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, and Roper Hospital. This area experiences severe and frequent flood events that have been documented, which cause the Medical District significant damage and limits access for emergency vehicles, residents, and employees, according to the press release. In 2019, the Medical District documented over $23 million in flood-related damages.

The press release says total project cost for the pump station upfit is estimated at $4 million, according to the press release. Project funds are appropriated by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2022 to initiate the implementation of stormwater control measures and storm sewer improvements at the Spring Street and Fishburne Street drainage project. The cost share ratio of this project is 75% federal and 25% non-federal.

Read more: MUSC to hold seventh annual Head for the Cure 5K at James Island County Park

“We have been working with the city of Charleston to explore effective, feasible solutions to reduce risk and promote coastal resiliency on the peninsula and this in one piece of that puzzle,” said Lt. Col. Andrew Johannes, district commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District, in a statement. “This is one of many projects we are working on with our great partners at the city to integrate local efforts in addressing flooding throughout the peninsula, including tidal, rainfall, and storm surge flooding.”

“Access to the Medical District is critical for the patients requiring care and the medical community employed in Charleston,” Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg said in a statement. “This project, and others like it, will help ensure that our citizens and military veterans can access these life-saving facilities, even during a storm event.”

The signing of the agreement allows the Corps of Engineers and the city of Charleston to initiate preconstruction, engineering, and design and award a contract to complete construction, which is anticipated in 2025.

South Carolina House budget writers aimed to continue investing in economic development and the people of the state, the House’s lead writer says of the Ways and Means Committee budget proposal approved last week.

Among the investments is money to prepare land for companies to locate, to freeze college tuition rates, to create new state parks and create a center for school safety.

Lawmakers have about $3.5 billion in new annual and one-time revenue to spend in this spring’s budget discussions for the spending year that begins July 1. In total, the House budget-writing committee proposed a $13.8 billion spending plan.

The full House is scheduled to debate the budget the week of March 13. After House approval, the Senate will start its deliberations.

Budget writers also had to take into account the second year of a scheduled tax cut that lowers the maximum income tax rate from 6.5% to 6.4%. The cut keeps about $96 million out of state coffers.

“I think this budget is an investment in the people and prosperity in South Carolina,” said Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bruce Bannister, R-Greenville. “Low taxes, conservative budgeting, aggressive economic development efforts lead to a strong economy, which leads to additional opportunity to invest in the people and the economy in South Carolina.”

Among the planned expenditures, budget writers want to give $200 million to the S.C. Department of Commerce for economic development site preparation such as putting in roads, water and sewer infrastructure to sites for major economic development projects. An additional $5.5 million would go to the agency to update its branding efforts when marketing to businesses.

“Site preparation is critical to developing a competitive edge for South Carolina in the southeast to attract companies that can be economic drivers for our state and on a local level,” said state Rep. Leon Stavrinakis, D-Charleston.

The Ways and Means Committee also proposed spending $25 million on state park development, upgrades and maintenance.

The state Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism has acquired land to build out the Ramsey Grove State Park in Georgetown County, Fort Johnson State Park in James Island and Black River State Park in Williamsburg and Georgetown counties.

The last park opened by PRT was H. Cooper Black in Cheraw in 2006.

“To the degree we can add unique and special things for our citizens to enjoy and that will further draw people to South Carolina to contribute to our local economy, that’s a win for us,” Stavrinakis said. “These are amazing properties and pieces of land that we’re preserving or making special places out of them.”

Budget writers also included $3.2 million to create a center for school safety at the former Gilbert Elementary School in Lexington 1. The center was among the recommendations made by Gov. Henry McMaster in his proposed budget and is in line with the plan to have a school resource officer at every school in the state.

“Having regular training sessions is really a response to (what happened in) Uvalde’s failure to act, ‘Hey, this is what you do when there’s an active shooter,’ and they’re going to go work on that and that’ll be part of their training,” Bannister said.

In-state college students also are in line to not face an increase in their tuition rates for the fifth year in a row. House budget writers proposed $69 million for tuition mitigation to freeze tuition rates for in-state students.

“We wanted to focus on the access and affordability in higher education for our young students across the state,” said state Rep. Nathan Ballentine, R-Lexington. “Freezing tuition prices obviously prevents an increased burden on families and our students throughout the state.”

House budget writers also want to spend $196 million for Medicaid and Medicare programs.

Part of the expense includes replacing matching dollars lost from a decrease in federal funding because the state’s economy is doing well, Medicare premium increases, increased reimbursement rates, increased costs for inflation and other costs to maintain the same level of service in the state.

“This will draw more providers to our underserved communities and that’s been a goal of our subcommittee for the past five or six years,” said state Rep. Bill Herbkersman, R-Beaufort, who leads a panel overseeing health care spending.

Again not included in the budget proposal is money for to start building Interstate 73 to connect Interstate 95 to Myrtle Beach, a roadway that would encourage economic development in the Grand Strand and help with hurricane evacuations.

McMaster and Horry County lawmakers last year sought $300 million to start the highway, a recommendation the governor pushed for again this year. However, lawmakers included $200 million to speed up bridge work planned by the S.C. Department of Transportation around the state.

“My feel for the House is there’s still a very strong desire to fix the (current) interstate system,” Bannister said. “That we have to make sure that it’s up to snuff before we start building new roads.”

The initial budget proposed by Ways and Means does not include member-directed spending for projects in their districts.

Member projects are expected to be added when the House receives the budget back from the Senate. In recent years some earmarked projects have been controversial, including how money went to a nonprofit run by a lawmaker’s friend and how an Upstate Christian organization wanted to use state dollars to build a school.

Bannister said the Ways and Means Committee is working on the best way to review projects before they get state money, to make sure organizations or nonprofits that get dollars are in good standing, and if the project is worth the investment.

“We’re trying to figure out if there’s a way to vet those projects better than we have in the past,” Bannister said.

Bannister did not know how many member projects would ultimately be included but the committee has billions in requests.