Few accomplishments are as rewarding as waking up in the morning and hitting your target weight. You've worked hard to drop those unwanted pounds all year long, and you deserve a huge round of applause for what you've accomplished. However, if you're like many men and women, getting the sleek, sculpted body you crave is easier said than done. You've got pockets of unwanted fat around your abdomen, thighs, chin, and other areas - fat that just won't go away, despite diet and exercise.
Wouldn't it be nice to just freeze that fat away and forget all about your love handles?
At Southern Cosmetic Laser, our new, revolutionary fat-freezing treatment can help you achieve the toned look you've been dreaming of. That's right - we're talking about literally freezing the unwanted fat off your problem areas without invasive surgeries or extended downtime.
This amazing treatment is called CoolSculpting, and it's the world's leading non-invasive fat reduction procedure. It's specifically designed for people already at their desired weight who want to push past that plateau for real body sculpting results. If you're tired of seeing that excess belly fat, saggy skin, or double chin, CoolSculpting is the procedure for you. Southern Cosmetic Laser offers a wide range of the newest technologies to target fat reduction, skin tightening, facial and body remodeling, body toning, and cellulite reduction.
CoolSculpting is an FDA-approved procedure that has undeniable results. With CoolSculpting, you can permanently get rid of your muffin top, fat around your flanks, and more, all from the comfort and convenience of the Southern Cosmetic Laser office.
Technically known as cryolipolysis, CoolSculpting has the ability to reduce the number of fat cells in targeted areas between 20 and 25%. This unique technology uses controlled cooling to freeze and eliminate fat with minimal recovery time. No needles, no scalpels, no liposuction. Just real results provided by a licensed, experienced professional.
While CoolSculpting helps eliminate fat cells in your body, it doesn't harm the surrounding skin and muscles. Instead, it treats fat that is directly under the skin, also called subcutaneous fat. Since CoolSculpting doesn't target visceral fat deposits, this treatment works best for men and women who are approaching or already at their desired weight.
CoolSculpting is approved by the FDA to help reduce fat in the following areas:
CoolSculpting results are noticeable, proven, and long-lasting, helping you look your best and feel great from every angle. This exciting procedure works because fat cells freeze at higher temps than other tissues. As such, CoolSculpting delivers controlled, targeted cooling to do away with unwanted fat underneath your skin. These fat cells are essentially frozen or crystallized and eventually die. With time, your body will process that fat and will eliminate the dead cells, leaving behind a more sculpted physique.
Here are some quick CoolSculpting facts at a glance, so you have a better idea of why this fat cell elimination treatment is so popular:
Our CoolSculpting procedure is crafted around your comfort, with one-on-one attention in a relaxing atmosphere. It all starts with a detailed assessment, which you will complete prior to your treatment. This assessment will help us better understand your goals and desires, so we can freeze away the stubborn fat from the areas that matter most.
Typical CoolSculpting appointments take about an hour per area, though that time varies with each patient. Because our CoolSculpting applicators use a vacuum system to help with placement, you may feel a pulling sensation in the targeted area. Once placement is complete, we get to work on freezing your fat.
Before treatment, your skin is prepped with an alcohol wipe. A gel pad is then placed on your treatment area to help protect your skin. From there, a cold sensation is delivered through our applicators, which are designed for specific body parts.
Because there is no sedation involved with CoolSculpting, we encourage you to kick back, relax, and watch a little TV. If you prefer, you can also read or use your phone to check your favorite social media sites. Our friendly, experienced CoolSculpting technicians strive to keep you as comfy as possible during this quick treatment. When it's over, you can resume normal activities as soon as you like - there's no recovery or downtime to worry about!
CoolSculpting procedures are perhaps best known for eliminating stubborn belly fat, giving the patient a desirable, contoured tummy. However, this treatment is also very effective on other areas of your body:
While neck fat usually goes hand-in-hand with weight gain, symptoms like double chins can appear even if you're not overweight. CoolSculpting helps solve neck fat problems by eliminating fat cells in the area below your chin, giving you a slim, youthful appearance.
Many men and women begin CoolSculpting treatments to destroy fat around the abdomen or midsection. CoolSculpting does so by freezing stubborn subcutaneous fat in the abdominal region, resulting in a trimmed-up tummy. Remember, CoolSculpting does not treat visceral fat, or the fatty tissue surrounding the organs in your abdomen.
Back fat is a serious problem for many people in the U.S. This includes the upper back (where fat rolls over the bra), the mid-back (near the waist), and the lower back (where fat bulges over the beltline). Back fat can be hard to tone, but with CoolSculpting from Southern Cosmetic Laser in Summers corner, it's more than possible.
When it comes to stubborn fat, your upper arms are often the most difficult areas to treat. If you are constantly trying to hide your upper arms from friends and family, CoolSculpting is an excellent option to help overcome your insecurity.
Sometimes called saddlebags or flanks, love handles are the flabby areas that protrude from your hips. Love handles are often caused by fat retention over long periods of time. They can appear very pronounced in tight clothing, leading to feelings of embarrassment. Common factors that contribute to love handles are age, slow metabolism, hormones, and diets high in sugars and fats. With Southern Cosmetic Laser's CoolSculpting, patients leave behind stubborn love handles, helping them achieve a slimmer, more fit appearance.
If you are in good shape but suffer from chafing or discomfort due to fatty thighs, your solution could be at Southern Cosmetic Laser. Our technicians can help freeze away inner thigh fat, so you feel proud to wear skirts, shorts, and bikinis.
Q: Does CoolSculpting really work?
A: Yes! Southern Cosmetic Laser wouldn't be one of the most trusted providers of the treatment if it didn't work. According to recent statistics, CoolSculpting treatments can reduce fat reduction by as much as 25% in the affected area. Contact our office today for your initial consultation, where our team will advise you on how many treatments you need to meet your goals.
Q: How much does CoolSculpting cost?
A: Pricing varies depending on the areas you focus on and how many sessions you need in order to reach your goals. Our team will craft a custom treatment plan specific to you during your initial CoolSculpting consultation.
Q: How quickly will I see results?
A: Many patients can see results as soon as three weeks after their first CoolSculpting procedure in Summers corner. As your body continues to dispose of crystallized fat cells, you can see even more changes with time.
Q: Does CoolSculpting eliminate cellulite?
A: CoolSculpting is designed for fat reduction. However, it may help contribute to cellulite reduction in specific treatment areas. There are currently no FDA clearances for cellulite reduction with CoolSculpting. However, our office offers incredible treatments like Inmode Evolve to reduce the appearance of cellulite and trim, tighten, and tone your skin.
Q: Why should I choose Southern Cosmetic Laser for CoolSculpting in Summers corner?
A: Southern Cosmetic Laser is a CoolSculpting certified practice and has completed advanced training at the CoolSculpting University. With a highly-trained staff of medical professionals, we're one of the leading providers of CoolSculpting in South Carolina. We know that peace of mind is precious these days. That's why we're committed to you and your body contouring transformation every step of the way.
We are a full-service practice offering Medical Aesthetics and Cosmetic Dermatology services. As such, Southern Cosmetic Laser has several innovative treatments that complement your CoolSculpting procedure. Whether you're looking to tighten up that turkey neck or say goodbye to cellulite, we've got a custom treatment option waiting for you.
Southern Cosmetic Laser is Summers corner's first medical aesthetics practice to offer Sentient Sculpt. This exciting new product reduces fat, remodels skin tissue, and regenerates skin collagen, leaving your skin tight and smooth.
Using microwave technology, Sentient Sculpt uses up to 80% of the energy generated to penetrate fat under your skin. This process destroys fat cells and the fibrous bands that cause dimples, or cellulite. The remaining 20% of energy is used on the upper layers of your skin, tightening and contracting it to improve its overall appearance.
Sentient Sculpt benefits include:
Contact Southern Cosmetic Laser today to learn more about the benefits of Sentient Sculpt and how it can be paired with CoolSculpting treatments.
If you're ready to kiss that double chin goodbye, Kybella could be the solution you need. Kybella is a treatment that deoxycholic acid that breaks down fat cells when injected into the treatment area. It provides noticeable results for improved chin profile.
Kybella Benefits Include:
Inmode Evoke is the first and only FDA-approved, non-invasive product for facial remodeling treatment. Evoke offers tightening and lifting for facial rejuvenation and can help you achieve a more defined neck and jawline.
The Evoke Intelligence System regulates temperature and sense impedance every millisecond, providing remarkable results. Using proven bipolar radiofrequency energy, Evoke sub-dermally remodels your facial tissue. The Evoke technology offers precise, consistent power to achieve optimal results.
This advanced, state-of-the-art Thermal Body Contouring Technology helps to trim, tighten, & tone your skin at the same time. Evolve's cutting-edge tech can destroy fat, reduce cellulite, and tighten skin. The result? A newfound, youthful appearance and feel. This treatment is perfect for your mommy makeover, eliminating muffin tops, sculpting abs, and addressing fat around your thighs, belly, arms, legs, hips, and knees.
Benefits of Inmode Evolve include:
Contact Southern Cosmetic Laser today to learn more about the benefits of Inmode Evolve and how it can be paired with CoolSculpting treatments.
When it comes to unmatched patient care and body contouring services in Summers corner, no other practice comes close to Southern Cosmetic Laser. We pour passion into every service we offer, from non-surgical fat cell freezing to laser hair removal. If you're looking to make a change for the better this year, we're here to make your wishes a reality. Contact our office today to learn more about the stunning benefits of CoolSculpting technology. Before you know it, you'll be excited to show off that new bathing suit or bikini on the beach.
SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - People living in the Summers Corner development are reaching out to representatives and federal post office officials for help with persistent mail delivery issues.Packages delivered a few days late or a letter arriving a few houses down aren’t the only problems plaguing those who live in the Summers Corner development.Christy Hurley has lived in Summers Corner since 2022. She says she understands a few weeks of understaffing and a misplaced item occasionally, but her service has been inconsiste...
SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - People living in the Summers Corner development are reaching out to representatives and federal post office officials for help with persistent mail delivery issues.
Packages delivered a few days late or a letter arriving a few houses down aren’t the only problems plaguing those who live in the Summers Corner development.
Christy Hurley has lived in Summers Corner since 2022. She says she understands a few weeks of understaffing and a misplaced item occasionally, but her service has been inconsistent for a year.
“We started noticing certain things missing such as debit cards, credit cards, we would have to call those companies and say can you just send a new one? That’s when I started to get nervous because that’s personal information,” Hurley says.
Talking with neighbors, a few people thought it seemed like a community-wide issue. Damone Walsh is one of the residents who helped create a tracking system to get a sense of what is going on.
Over a 90-day period, people living in Summers Corner contributed to a neighborhood-wide spreadsheet tracking mail mishaps. They range from missing tax documents and cards with money, to empty packages left in mailboxes. Their recordings found about 100 issues.
“Frankly, we were surprised. I mean over just during that 90 days, 78 days of actual mail service, at least one to two people were having mail problems every day, every single day and just in our community,” Walsh says.
The spreadsheet creators believe their numbers may be underreported as well. The neighbors sent letters to South Carolina representatives Graham, Scott, Mace and Clyburn, as well as the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Inspector General.
“It just makes us think that there’s something systemic as opposed to individual problems. I mean, it may be both, but ultimately, I mean, let’s, let’s get it fixed,” Walsh says.
Walsh and Hurley say the postal service will often respond to an individual complaint, citing they are understaffed, or contractors are doing the deliveries.
“Everybody expected and was willing to accept if it’s a couple days off, well, that just makes sense. There’s a lag between whenever they scan it and whenever they deliver it, but then it went on for days, weeks and then just never just never delivered,” Walsh says.
Hurley says she’s gotten to the point that she doesn’t trust the service when it comes to important deliveries.
“We just sent out notices for my college daughter’s graduation and I had to inform all of our family. I said, Look, we’re having so many issues, I would prefer you not send money, gift cards, anything like that in the mail,” she says. “We got a graduation announcement for my sister and the back was torn open. And I said this is getting a little crazy.”
Walsh says the group decided to reach out to their representatives because USPS is a federal service, they need help getting answers from.
“We have a right to expect mail service. It’s embodied in our in our laws. And several people have reached out to the Postal Inspector and the postmaster and complained repeatedly and got nothing, just no result,” Walsh says.
Representative Nancy Mace’s office provided the following response to the community letter:
We’ve gotten a few inquires about this post office and have talked with our postal contact in Columbia. Their response has been that a lot of post offices, including this one, are experiencing staffing shortages and significant slowdowns. They are looking into it though so I’ll add in your inquiry to the others we’ve sent – will help us build the investigative case against them so the PS will have evidence to help find solutions to the issues.
Senator Lindsay Graham’s office also responded asking for more information from Walsh, who submitted the letter.
“We all recognize and believe that most of the Postal Service employees, they just want to do a good job, but it just makes us think that there’s something systemic as opposed to individual problems. I mean, it may be both, but ultimately, let’s get it fixed,” Walsh says. “I think consistent delivery, and I think a component would also be responsiveness from the leadership from within the Postal Service is what we’re looking for.”
The United States Postal Service provided the following statement:
The Postal Service strives is working hard to provide the best possible service to our valued customers. We apologize for any mail services issues that may have been experienced by customers living in the Summer’s Corner community. Some of the proactive steps we’ve taken in Summerville, SC include hiring additional personnel, as well as making staffing adjustments. Local management at the Oakbrook Post Office will continue to work with customers in Summer’s Corner to ensure every effort is being made to meet or exceed their expectations. We urge any customers with concerns or questions about their mail delivery service to contact the Postal Service immediately so that we can look into and resolve those concerns promptly. Customers have a variety of options for contacting the Postal Service, including contacting their local Post Office, calling 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777), or visiting our website.
Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.
As the Charleston area continues to grow and attract more residents, so does the need for food and the vendors who provide it.No fewer than 12 new grocery stores are in the works ...
As the Charleston area continues to grow and attract more residents, so does the need for food and the vendors who provide it.
No fewer than 12 new grocery stores are in the works across the Lowcountry, including plans to tear down and replace one store on site and relocate two others.
Around Charleston, the population boom — now expanding at an average net daily rate of 36 residents, according to the latest update — keeps fueling competition among supermarket chains that are angling to be as close as possible to the proliferating housing enclaves that keep their cash registers ringing.
That's about 13,300 new residents each year spread across Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties, with many of the newcomers settling on the fringes of the growing region, especially in large-scale developments in Goose Creek, Moncks Corner and Summerville.
The three counties saw a 20 percent population surge over the past decade to a combined 830,000 residents, according to the Charleston Regional Development Alliance.
Competing grocery chains closely analyze the numbers to decide where to set up shop.
By one measure, a general rule for a full-service supermarket of 40,000 square feet or more to be viable is to have 10,000 residents, or about 4,000 rooftops, within a 20-mile radius. If there's competition in the market, the required number of residents is higher and vice versa for an area with no rivals.
Near Summerville, North Carolina-based Harris Teeter and competitor Publix of Florida are building stores on Nexton Parkway, across the street from one another, to serve the developing 5,000-acre Nexton community, eventually home to nearly 19,000 residents.
Both are set to be completed this year in the Berkeley County development, with Harris Teeter set to open in the spring and Publix likely welcoming customers by mid-year, according to Nexton spokeswoman Cassie Cataline.
On the opposite side of Nexton, Lowes Foods of North Carolina plans to build a new supermarket on North Creek Drive, across the street from the Cane Bay development.
It will anchor a retail center on the corner near fast-food restaurant McDonald's. Look for an opening possibly in 2025, according to property owner and Charleston businessman Eddie Buck.
A little farther to the east, Publix also plans to anchor a corner shopping center at U.S. Highways 176 and 17A in Carnes Crossroads, a 2,300-acre mixed-use housing development that could accommodate about 11,000 residents at full buildout. Like Lowes Foods, it is expected to open in 2025, according to a Publix spokesman.
Southwest of Summerville, another Publix could begin construction in 2025, based on bidding documents last fall that show a 51,454-square-foot store slated for a 10-acre site on Beech Hill Road, across from the planned 8,000-home Summers Corner community.
The 7,200-acre mixed-use community with schools and shops has about 1,200 homes sold and another 250 under construction, according to Jason Byham, division president at Lennar, the homebuilder that bought the tract for more than $26 million in 2018.
In Mount Pleasant, three new grocery stores are in the works.
The Fresh Market of North Carolina plans to take over the 26,000-square-foot site discount grocer Lidl abandoned before moving in at Bowman Place Shopping Center at Bowman Road and Johnnie Dodds Boulevard.
SUMMERS CORNER, SC (WCIV) — Imagine a real Hallmark Movie.That's what a Summers Corner home looks like this holiday season. It's the type of decked-out holiday display to immediately catch the eyes of everyone driving by. It's hard to look left or right without seeing lights or decorations.The most unique part is that each item has a story. Some of them traveled by car for nearly 17 hours in order to make it to the Lowcountry, and others would only fit in a rental car. Even the Grinch himself, can't steal this Christmas s...
SUMMERS CORNER, SC (WCIV) — Imagine a real Hallmark Movie.
That's what a Summers Corner home looks like this holiday season. It's the type of decked-out holiday display to immediately catch the eyes of everyone driving by. It's hard to look left or right without seeing lights or decorations.
The most unique part is that each item has a story. Some of them traveled by car for nearly 17 hours in order to make it to the Lowcountry, and others would only fit in a rental car. Even the Grinch himself, can't steal this Christmas spirit.
"I think it’s wonderful what they are doing and if this was a decoration competition. I would say they win," neighbor Stella Taber said.
Reindeers, snowmen, and even Santa Claus are seasonal neighbors.
"Santa actually writes back to the kids, and the hot cocoa, and all of the treats they are so lovely to put together for everyone in the neighborhood," Neighbor Karina Aymerich said.
It's a holiday tradition for the O'Hea family. Brandy O'Hea said, "It started with one decoration and led to another."
Though, O'Hea said a new HOA wants to tone down the merry and bright.
"We got a letter that was dated 16th of November stating it was our second letter, we were in violation because we had decorations on the adjoining property. At that time of the letter, there was nothing out there," she said.
The letter asked the O'Hea family to have a "reasonable number of holiday and religious lights." It also said a fine of $25 dollars has been applied to their account. A third violation is 50 dollars.
"I don’t know what the definition of reasonable is," O'Hea said.
Some neighbors said it's a display of holiday magic.
"My son here Zachary has autism. He doesn't like gifts. A couple of years ago we were walking, and we walked past every single day by that pig that didn’t say Zach’s pig. We came back up a week later and it said Zach’s pig on it. I don’t like to admit this but I started tearing up because it hit me in my heart that these wonderful people are doing it not just for them, they are doing it for other people," neighbor Dino Pustalka said.
It's a gift that keeps on giving.
"This is the last thing that happens this year that we have hope. That we can feel a little bit or normality. We have had a horrible year. This is bringing everything that was normal back," Aymerich added.
Homeowners said they don't plan to take it down.
"I want the HOA to come here and see the joy that these kids have...running through taking pictures. Hugging the unicorns. And then see what it's like if you take it away from them," O'Hea said.
Kids in Summers Corner shared their personal display favorites with hopes of keeping joy alive this holiday season.
"I like the mermaids, and the angel. I think the mermaid is guidance and the angel is hope," Taber said.
There is a petition online that asks the HOA to change its mind about the Summers Corner holiday display.
ABC News 4 called the homeowners association and left a voicemail. An email was also sent to the office for a response to the neighborhood complaints. As of Wednesday evening, there has been no response. The story will be updated as soon as there is.
SUMMERVILLE — When eighth grade history teacher Charity Carpenter first walked into her classroom in the new East Edisto Middle School on Aug. 8, she had to leave again and walk around the building to work off her excitement.It was the Monday before school was set to start, and the hallways still smelled of new paint. Other teachers wheeled carts and trolleys full of equipment and school supplies into classrooms. Friends greeted each other, asking about each other's summers or commenting on the new school.Around the corne...
SUMMERVILLE — When eighth grade history teacher Charity Carpenter first walked into her classroom in the new East Edisto Middle School on Aug. 8, she had to leave again and walk around the building to work off her excitement.
It was the Monday before school was set to start, and the hallways still smelled of new paint. Other teachers wheeled carts and trolleys full of equipment and school supplies into classrooms. Friends greeted each other, asking about each other's summers or commenting on the new school.
Around the corner from her classroom, Carpenter bumped into fellow teacher Amy Baldwin, who was directing students from her Gateway to Technology class how to unload her computers and robotics equipment. The students had been in Baldwin's class in previous years at Oakbrook Middle School and had volunteered to help her unpack her new classroom.
"How's your room looking?" Baldwin asked Carpenter.
"I just walked in and I just had to leave my stuff there and take a walk," Carpenter said. "I was just overwhelmed."
East Edisto is the biggest school she's ever been in, Carpenter told The Post and Courier. And the numbers back her up. The 120,000-square-foot school cost $31 million and took 16 months to complete. It's located off S.C. Highway 61 behind Beech Hill Elementary. At full capacity, it can hold 1,000 students.
When school officially begins on Aug. 15, it will welcome 850.
"We're pretty close to what we can hold," Principal Brion Rutherford said, adding that it's located in the Oakbrook area, one of the fastest-growing parts of Dorchester County.
"There are a number of new neighborhoods going in," he said. "We'll be at our capacity pretty quickly."
He and Shane Robbins, the new superintendent of Dorchester School District 2, said the new school is a factor of growth not only throughout the district but also in the Oakbrook area near the Ashley River.
A superintendent for 15 years at various districts, Robbins is no stranger to new school construction.
"There is so much excitement for students, families, teachers and staff members to move into a brand-new structure and make it their own and their home," Robbins said.
Nestled in the Oakbrook area, the school is surrounded by large and growing housing developments like Legend Oaks Plantations and Summers Corner, which are adding thousands of homes in the coming years.
Cheyenne and Brennan Ledyard live in Drayton Oaks, a small subdivision about a three-minute drive from East Edisto Middle. Like many residents in the area, they're still fairly new, having moved in when the neighborhood went up about two years ago.
They say the Oakbrook area, particularly the neighborhoods on either side of Highway 61, is "exploding."
"We're having tremendous growth on this side," Cheyenne said.
Last year, their son Hudson attended Gregg Middle School, on the other side of Dorchester Road and the Ashley River. Now he's starting seventh grade at East Edisto.
"He is very excited because this bus arrives about 20 minutes later than what he had to ride last year," Brennan said with a laugh.
She and Cheyenne said they feel the middle school is warranted, especially since there are already two elementary schools in the area, Beech Hill and Sand Hill. Their only concern is that traffic on Highway 61 might be worse in the mornings now.
Down Highway 61 in Summers Corner, Michelle Cheslek was riding her bike with her 6-year-old daughter Olivia on a recent afternoon. And even though Olivia still has several years before she goes to middle school, Cheslek said she's already relieved there's one that close.
"Otherwise I think she would have been going to Gregg, which is a little farther away," Cheslek said.
Like the Ledyards, Cheslek said the area is growing. Her family just closed on their house in May, and behind them, construction is underway on more houses.
Growth in the school district isn't anything new. DD2's student population has grown from around 16,000 students in the 2000-01 school year to more than 25,000 last year.
Managing growth was an essential and recurring topic during the Dorchester School District Two State of the District address Friday, Feb. 2, at the Summer Corner Performing Arts Center.DD2 Board of Trustees Chair Dr. Ashley Wimberly told the crowd that growth is good but has presented some challenges.“The definition of growth is the process of increasing in size or development. Some synonyms are advancement, expansion, gain and improvement, all words that bring a positive connotation,” she said. “And yet the i...
Managing growth was an essential and recurring topic during the Dorchester School District Two State of the District address Friday, Feb. 2, at the Summer Corner Performing Arts Center.
DD2 Board of Trustees Chair Dr. Ashley Wimberly told the crowd that growth is good but has presented some challenges.
“The definition of growth is the process of increasing in size or development. Some synonyms are advancement, expansion, gain and improvement, all words that bring a positive connotation,” she said. “And yet the issue of growth for us is certainly a difficult one. It is creating some challenges and anxiety about how we will manage the consequences.”
Wimberly said there is some fear surrounding the funding for the changes needed to accommodate the growth DD2 is experiencing. Still, she urged people to also look at the good that comes with growth and the idea that physical growth, just as personal growth, can lead to remarkable things.
“Research shows we often judge normal human experiences that come with growth, like nervousness, stress and discomfort, too harshly,” she said. “While our inclination might be to avoid them, we can become better people and live a richer life if we embrace them. The physical growth we’re facing comes with challenges, just as any other type of growth does. Navigating it will require effort, determination and the willingness to step out of our comfort zones. It may also involve facing setbacks, making mistakes and experiencing temporary failures. But it is through these challenges that we grow the most; as the saying goes, in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”
Facts and Figures: Dorchester School District 2 |
DD2 Superintendent Dr. Shane Robbins said managing the district’s growth has been, is and will be difficult. He said Sand Hill Elementary and Beech Hill Elementary are at 125% capacity because of the new housing construction in those areas.
“In Dorchester County alone, over a 10-year forecast, over 10,000 (housing) units are on the books to be built,” Robbins said. “Now, lots of things can happen that could change that forecast. But what I’m seeing from the state level is that South Carolina is the No. 1 fastest-growing state in the United States right now, and the Lowcountry is the fastest-growing area in South Carolina.”
Robbins discussed four ways to address enrollment growth, from the fastest and least expensive to the longest and most costly: rezoning, learning cottages, brick-and-mortar classroom additions and new construction.
“The first three options, we need to do most of that internally with our own budget to some degree,” Robbins said. “The fourth option must be voter-approved as a referendum.”
The rezoning option involves moving areas where children go to a school that is at or over capacity to a school that is not at or over capacity.
“This may increase drive times for some people,” Robbins said. “Because of the way Dorchester County is developed, it could actually mean shorter drive times for some people. But rezoning is our first option, and it has no costs.”
The second option is installing learning cottages.
“I say learning cottages, and that’s just a fancy word for trailers,” Robbins said. That option takes about 12 to 18 months because the cottages have to be ADA-compliant, and we have to run utilities to them.
The third option, brick-and-mortar additions onto existing buildings, could take up to 24 months and is more expensive than adding the learning cottages. The fourth option, new construction, could take up to 36 months, depending on the design and permitting processes and whether land is available.
“New construction is something we cannot do as a district. We cannot afford that, and we do not have the revenue for that,” Robbins said. “This one requires a referendum by the voters. There is no state funding for school districts in South Carolina other than for those that are consolidating.”
The option for DD2 is the district’s 8% tax rate authority, meaning the tax rate of 8% can be raised at any time without approval request to maintain buildings. Robbins said the money can also be used for technology or infrastructure upgrades.
“We maintain more than 30 buildings in the district,” Robbins said, including 25 school buildings, the district office, the transportation depot, the community learning center, and the alternative school.
Robbins said the district has access to a couple of small tax-increment financing (TIF) funds, but a referendum may be the best way to get funding.
“We haven’t had a major referendum in Dorchester District Two for 12 years,” Robbins said. “That is why we are in a very good position to possibly ask the voters for that and to help us with our growth issues.”