Nondenominational Church in Goose Creek, SC

A Tennessee-based commercial developer and investment company has secured financing for an $88 million project in Summerville.

GBT Realty Corp. will build the latest housing development in Goose Creek in Summerville. GBT’s The Village at Carnes Crossroads brings 306 multifamily homes and over 11,000 square feet of retail to the heart of the Lowcountry lifestyle community, according to a news release.

GBT acquired the 11.82-acre site earlier this month from Carnes Crossroads Association, the master developer of Carnes Crossroads, according to a news release. JLL Capital Markets arranged construction financing with Bank of America and Meta Real Estate Partners. JLL’s Managing Directors Matt Stewart and Chip Sykes, and Director Wyatt Strahan represented GBT Realty.

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“This is a lifestyle community that epitomizes the best of southern living,” said Barry Yoeckel, vice president, multifamily development, GBT Realty, in the release. “The Village adds a living environment that appeals to young professionals, growing families and empty nesters alike. We designed and planned our community to enhance and connect with the surrounding Carnes Crossroads neighborhoods.”

The rental homes are located at the intersection of Highway 17-A and Third Avenue, immediately across from The Marketplace at Carnes Crossroads, a Publix-anchored mixed-use development that is currently under construction.

The development team includes Atlanta-based Dynamik Design, Thomas & Hutton (civil engineering) and Samet Corporation (general contractor).

“Our plans feature upscale homes and best-in-class amenities that stretch across 11 buildings on the site,” Yoeckel said.

Floorplans offer a mix of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units with upscale finishes, the release stated. Community amenities include separate small- and large-breed dog parks, a resort-style saltwater pool with lounge deck, an outdoor kitchen set on a community lawn, a club room with catering kitchen and golf stimulator, a state-of-the-art fitness complex and a co-working center. A coffee purveyor is set to bring classic specialties to The Village as well as the community at large.

The first units are expected to be available spring 2025.

Valentine’s Day Party

Description: Come together with pals for a fun night of crafts, games and dancing.

Date: Friday, Feb. 9

Time: 6-8 p.m.

Cost: free

Location: Goose Creek Activity Center, 519A N. Goose Creek Blvd.

Email Hannah Miller at hmiller@cityofgoosecreek.com to register.

Yoga

Description: Join us for stretching, breathing, balance and mental wellness with Erika and Freckled Bloom Yoga. This will be a great way to stay active and build healthy habits. Please bring your own yoga mat.

Dates: Wednesday Jan. 24, Feb. 7, Feb. 21, March 6 and March 20 (please note these dates are not weekly)

Time: 11 a.m.-noon

Cost: free

Location: Goose Creek Activity Center, 519A N. Goose Creek Blvd.

Email Hannah Miller at hmiller@cityofgoosecreek.com to register for specific dates.

Bowling (Tuesday evening)

Description: Bowling is a fan favorite, and a great way to connect with friends and build skill. The cost is the total for six weeks, includes shoes and two hours of bowling.

Dates: Tuesdays from Feb. 13-March 19

Time: 6-8 p.m.

Cost: resident, $45; non-resident, $60

Location: Royal Lanes (106 Central Ave.)

Email Hannah Miller at hmiller@cityofgoosecreek.com to register (spots are limited).

Bowling (Thursday morning)

Description: Bowling is a fan favorite, and a great way to connect with friends and build skill. The cost is the total for six weeks, includes shoes and two hours of bowling.

Dates: Thursdays from Feb. 15-March 21

Time: 10 a.m.-noon

Cost: resident, $45; non-resident, $60

Location: Royal Lanes (106 Central Ave.)

Email Hannah Miller at hmiller@cityofgoosecreek.com to register (spots are limited).

Basketball league

Description: Register for the city’s first basketball league. Whether your athlete has never stepped foot on the court, or is making baskets in their sleep, all athletes and abilities welcome. Uniforms included. Some scrimmage dates with other local therapeutic leagues may be added. There will need to be enough athletes to form a team, otherwise this program will be dissolved.

Dates: Saturdays, Feb. 24-April 6 (no practice March 9). Will play in local basketball tournament April 13 – time TBD

Time: 4:30-5:30 p.m.

Cost: resident, $15; non-resident $20

Location: Goose Creek Community Center, 519A N. Goose Creek Blvd.

Volunteers and coaches are needed

Email Hannah Miller at hmiller@cityofgoosecreek.com to register.

Activity Night/Birthday Celebration

Description: Monthly activity night begins. February features a craft night and celebration party for all January and February birthdays.

Date: Wednesday, Feb. 28

Time: 6-7:30 p.m.

Cost: free

Location: Goose Creek Community Center, 519A N. Goose Creek Blvd.

Summerville Communications Inc. has added a new person to its marketing and advertising team.

Chloe Thirkettle, 25, of Summerville, began working as a multimedia account executive this past October.

“I’m thrilled to be a part of the local communities in this capacity,” Thirkettle said. “I grew up here, so I need to see the area grow and thrive. It’s exciting that I get to have a part in making sure that happens.”

Thirkettle graduated from Charleston Southern University with a bachelor’s degree in communications and a minor in business. She was previously the marketing director for Chick-fil-A, an account manager for Luxor Scientific and Go Social, and worked in the business development division for Clearwater BioTech.

“I’ve always been passionate about helping clients grow their businesses,” she said. “There are so many ways I can help clients, whether print or digital advertising and marketing, and I look forward to doing just that.”

Call Thirkettle at 843-708-0270 or email her at cthirkettle@postandcourier.com for marketing and advertising needs.

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South Carolina’s population growth continues to climb. Numbers on who is coming and where they are moving are compiled from numerous sources. One source that can offer some unique insight is a moving company.

According to the company’s one-way truck rental numbers, U-Haul has some data showing South Carolina is the 4th ranked state for growth in the country.

“Every year, we receive data sets for all one-way customer transactions. These are going to include truck moves and one-way trailer moves,” said Jeff Lockridge, manager of media and public relations for U-Haul. “We receive those data sets divided into states and cities, and those two categories are broken down so we can look at every market where we have a U-Haul facility and see the incoming and outgoing traffic from those markets.”

U-Haul reports its migration trends data, compiled from more than 2.5 million one-way U-Haul customer transactions annually across the U.S. and Canada.

“South Carolina has been right at the top of our growth state rankings for several years,” he said.

The company shows Charleston-North Charleston and Myrtle Beach are the usual hot spots, and now Goose Creek and Summerville are also specifically named in the data.

According to the U-Haul rental spot at Duncan’s Hardware in Goose Creek, business is good. Manager Henry Thorne said this past spring, the location was in the top 100 in the county and is third in his district in the Southeast region.

“We see people coming from all over the place, California, Texas, Ohio,” Thorne said. He also added the military base doesn’t hurt business, either.

“We’ve got the naval base up the street,” he said. “That is where we get many of our one-ways coming in and going out.”

According to information from U-Haul, while the migration trends do not correlate directly to population or economic growth, the index is a good gauge of how well states and cities attract and maintain residents. The company reports the top five states for those relocating this year are Texas, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

“Certainly into the 2020s since the pandemic, South Carolina has been a hotbed for people moving from the Northeast along the East Coast and even up from Florida,” Longridge said. “Very much just a positive net gain market for us each year. We see a lot more incoming than outgoing.”

The holiday season has wrapped up for food pantries, and after 35 years, Helping Hands of Goose Creek made it through by feeding hundreds in December and giving food to 30 families a day the week before Christmas, ending a record-breaking year.

In 2022, the food pantry and assistance center at 104 Commerce Place reported it logged more than 4,000 volunteer hours and distributed 232,350 pounds of food. In 2023, the numbers are higher.

“We served more families in 2023 than we ever had in the history of Helping Hands,” said Niccole Franklin, the new executive director at Helping Hands of Goose Creek.

Unemployment is low in the area. The South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce reports the unemployment rate in Berkeley County at 2.5%. While elected leaders tout a business-friendly approach to bringing in jobs, the template only works for some families.

“The biggest eye-opener right now is the family unit we call the ALICE family, the asset-limited, income-constrained and employed,” Franklin said. “They work but don’t make enough money to make ends meet and don’t qualify for assistance because they work. We’re seeing families who are barely keeping their heads above water.”

Franklin said one spouse may have one full-time job, and the other in the home will have one or two part-time jobs.

“They have kids. They have daycare,” she said. “They have life.”

With housing and the cost of food and travel, local life has become much more expensive. Helping Hands is now heading into the lean months regarding donations.

“We rely on the schools, the churches, and the community doing the drives at Christmas and Thanksgiving so that we can make it through January, February, and March,” Franklin said.

This past year, the South Carolina State Legislature started the Food Security Council, now guided by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) and other state agencies. According to the DHEC, its purpose is to examine state agency programs addressing food insecurity in the state and identify gaps in services for the more vulnerable populations.

DHEC Director Dr. Edward Simmer wants his agency to find new and creative ways to bring people and good together. They have been meeting since September, and the council, according to Simmer, will have a report ready for lawmakers in late January. The state is not doing well regarding the two levels of food security.

“There is what is called low food security, where you have food but it’s not very good quality because you don’t have access to fresh fruits and vegetables, and about 15% of South Carolinians have that level of food insecurity,” Simmer said. “Then there is very low food security, where people are going to bed hungry and don’t have enough to eat. We are the worst state in the nation for people who are actually hungry, who have very low food security, and we are the fifth-worst overall when you include both levels.”

It seems there is nowhere to go but up in the effort, but Simmer admits there is a lot of work to get people enough to eat and enough healthy food. It’s either feast or famine in specific communities. Some have an hour’s drive to the nearest grocery store, and others have a half-dozen within two miles.

“The legislature asked us to do this report, and I hope they will take this and some action,” Simmer said. “I think the other thing, though, is bringing more attention to this problem and making people aware of the already available resources. I hope in a year or two we have better programs and better coordination among programs.”

GOOSE CREEK, S.C. (WCIV) — It's alumnia dust, and it's becoming a nuisance in Goose Creek.

People who live near the Century Aluminum Plant say the particles are covering cars and raising concerns over possible health issues.

"You can actually pick up piles of it, and that's probably not a good thing," Nat Miranda said.

Goose Creek residents grapple with alumina dust from local aluminum plant (WCIV)

Read more: White dust emitted into Goose Creek from Century Aluminum plant; officials respond.

Miranda said this dust covering his car had been a problem for weeks.

"I mean, they've been a great neighbor for years now," Miranda said. "They need to take some steps to address it and make sure that we feel comfortable with them around still."

Goose Creek Mayor Greg Habib said he's been in contact with the plant. He explained the problem is with the Century's baghouse. And DHEC tells him the dust isn't a health issue.

"DHEC does not see this as a public health issue," Habib said. "There's a big difference between exposure and chronic exposure. Chronic exposure is constant exposure over a long period of time, and no one is experiencing that at this point."

Mayor Habib said he's been in contact with state leaders discussing the issue.

"The governor's office reported back to me what they learned," he said. "DHEC is in the area today and tomorrow with air quality testing measures to measure and see what exactly what the air quality issues are."

Read more: Attorney General Alan Wilson announces 26th Annual Silent Witness Ceremony.

As for a timeline to get the issue fixed, it won't take more than a few weeks.

"Now as they have gained more information over the last couple of days, they feel like they have a solution that hopefully won't take more than a week or two," he said. "I know that they are working diligently to get it fixed as fast as they can."

In the meantime, both parties said they want to see transparency.

"They told the regulators when it happened," Miranda said. "What about telling the community? I mean, obviously, it's something that we can see, so how about you say, Hey, we had a problem."

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Habib added: "People wanna see transparency. and we continue to work to get that. I think that we have to figure out as a, as a governmental agency, d e C and us and Century Aluminum as a corporate entity, um, to communicate maybe a little bit faster than we have, um, about what the issues are."

GOOSE CREEK, S.C. (WCIV) — People who live in Goose Creek have been complaining for weeks about a white powder-like substance in the air- identified as alumina dust.

They said it’s been covering their cars and homes, and even making it hard to breathe.

Monday night, Goose Creek residents heard from health and environmental experts for the first time about the issue, and their plan to fix it.

Century Aluminum addresses alumina dust concerns in Goose Creek: Promises resolution in 10 days. Community town hall held Oct. 9, 2023. (WCIV)

They were also able to ask representatives from Century Aluminum and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) questions

Some told News 4 before the meeting started they were just looking for transparency.

“First, we’re sorry. I understand your concerns and frustrations, but we also appreciate your patience. We will fix this issue,” said Dennis Harbath, the plant manager at Century Aluminum.

Century Aluminum said the release of alumina dust in Goose Creek first happened because of accelerated bag failures. They said they’re replacing the failed bags and expect their action plan to take 10 days to solve the problem.

Read More: White dust emitted into Goose Creek from Century Aluminum plant; officials respond

But people who live in the area are still concerned.

“I’m exhausted all the time, I get headaches, you know, my eyes burn. It’s just been a total nightmare,” said Jackie Davis Pfister.

Pfister lives in Goose Creek, and people like her who have preexisting conditions like asthma are worried about long-term effects.

“Before I never really had to use my inhaler except for when I was sick or overexerted myself, that was the only time I used it, but now it’s just a regular basis, three to five times [per day],” she said.

Read More: Goose Creek residents grapple with alumina dust from local aluminum plant

DHEC said there is a certain type of aluminum oxide particles they’re keeping their eye on.

“What we were most concerned about is actually the smaller particles that you could actually breathe in and actually get into your lungs. So, for that reason we did put out some air sensors,” said Rhonda Thompson, the Bureau of Air Quality chief for DHEC.

But she said the readings from their sensors have been very low so far.

Other questions came from the crowd: Why didn’t the plant shut down when the leak first happened? And, how will aluminum oxide affect animals, and not just people?

Read More: DHEC confirms 2023 season's first flu-related death in SC

But Monday’s experts said they couldn’t answer some of those questions, leaving many frustrated.

Statistics from the DHEC air sensors and the area’s current air quality can be found on DHEC's website.

People can also go to mthollyupdates.com for more information from Century Aluminum, including how the plant is working to solve this issue.

Huey Magoo’s celebrated its newest franchise store with a grand opening in Goose Creek, president and CEO Andy Howard announced this past week.

Huey Magoo’s in Goose Creek, at 431 St. James Ave., is the franchise’s 56th restaurant opening system-wide, spanning 10 states, with more than 265 franchises currently sold in 13 states.

The 3,800-square-foot free-standing restaurant features an outdoor patio and a drive-thru.

This is the second of eight Huey Magoo’s stores to open in Greater Charleston and Columbia by franchisees Philip Horn, Don Bauer and Eddie Ward, who are also franchisees/operators of Papa John’s Pizza and Jersey Mike’s Subs. Huey Magoo’s Goose Creek will offer dine-in/out, take-out, catering and delivery through third-party delivery services DoorDash and Uber Eats.

“We are very happy to have the grand opening of our second Charleston-area Huey Magoo’s location and bring the ‘Filet Mignon of Chicken’ to Goose Creek,” Horn, Bauer and Ward said jointly in a press release. “Now, more locals can look forward to a fresh and flavorful new dining experience to enjoy and explore. We are also excited to be more involved with the supportive community by offering our Spirit Nights program.”

Huey Magoo’s fast-casual restaurants offer dine-in/out, take-out, catering, delivery through third-party delivery services, drive-thru and curbside pickup at participating restaurants. All guests will enjoy Huey Magoo’s signature grilled, hand-breaded, or “sauced” premium chicken tenders, farm-fresh salads, sandwiches and wraps. Each Huey Magoo’s tender is always made all-natural, with no antibiotics, hormones, steroids or preservatives.

Huey Magoo’s operation hours are 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, and 10:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Visit www.hueymagoos.com or call 843-625-3330 for the Goose Creek restaurant.

Summerville Communications Inc. has added a new person to its marketing and advertising team.

Chloe Thirkettle, 25, of Summerville, began working as a multimedia account executive this past October.

“I’m thrilled to be a part of the local communities in this capacity,” Thirkettle said. “I grew up here, so I need to see the area grow and thrive. It’s exciting that I get to have a part in making sure that happens.”

Thirkettle graduated from Charleston Southern University with a bachelor’s degree in communications and a minor in business. She was previously the marketing director for Chick-fil-A, an account manager for Luxor Scientific and Go Social, and worked in the business development division for Clearwater BioTech.

“I’ve always been passionate about helping clients grow their businesses,” she said. “There are so many ways I can help clients, whether print or digital advertising and marketing, and I look forward to doing just that.”

Call Thirkettle at 843-708-0270 or email her at cthirkettle@postandcourier.com for marketing and advertising needs.