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CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Families with students on spring break might be looking for something to do. In this Lowcountry city, they can now go on a wild goose chase – literally.

Last year, the City of Goose Creek Recreation Department partnered with the Goose Creek Artists Guild to start the City’s “Adopt a Goose” Program. Since then, 21 different local businesses in Goose Creek have adopted their very own statues.

Each business got creative direction to work with members of the artist guild to design unique and individualized goose statues that will then make their nests with their owners.

To both push this initiative of supporting local artists and shine spotlights on local businesses, the City created a scavenger hunt to find these four-and-a-half-foot tall statues.

Starting Saturday, Goose Creek residents can grab a map and start snapping pictures with each goose statue and try to find them all. Officials say participants can share those pictures with the City by tagging them @cityofgoosecreek and @cityofgoosecreekrecreation on Instagram or at the City of Goose Creek and Goose Creek Recreation Facebook pages using the hashtags #FollowTheFlock and #GCGooseChase.

Here’s how to join in on the fun:

This isn’t all, though. Officials have prepared an additional incentive for students on spring break all week.

Starting Monday and going through Friday, three random goose statues will “lay” a golden egg. Inside are prizes such as gifts and coupons from local businesses.

The City has a full list of all goose statues, ranging from Sgt. McGoose at John McCants Veterans Park to Goosetavo over at E-Z Auto of Goose Creek, listed on its website. Make sure to check hours for some locations as certain geese are nested inside.

Businesses who are interested in acquiring their own goose statue can find more information here.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

GOOSE CREEK, S.C. (WCBD) – Several Goose Creek residents say they are concerned about a powder-like substance that has appeared on vehicles and outdoor furniture over the past several days.

One neighbor who lives in the Persimmon Hill community described the substance as being sandy, gritty, and dust-like being emitted and traveling by air.

“Is it toxic, harmful to breathe for human and animals? What about our water?” the resident asked.

The white dusty emissions appear to be coming from the nearby Century Aluminum plant.

Goose Creek Mayor Greg Habib said in a message to residents that he and State Representative Brandon Cox met with leadership at the plant on Monday to get a better picture of what the dust may be, why it is leaving the plant, and when the problem should be solved.

“The white dust is Alumina dust, which is produced during the smelting process. Alumina dust is not supposed to leave the plant. In fact, the retention of Alumina is an important part of the plant’s ability to make more aluminum,” Mayor Habib explained.

Century Aluminum believes the emissions are connected to an “unusual failure” in the plant’s baghouse. Mayor Habib explained that exhaust from the manufacturing process runs through a scrubber to clean the air, and the Alumina dust is collected into the bags in the baghouse.

The dust is then taken and reintroduced into the manufacturing process to make aluminum.

But while Century Aluminum is not certain of the failure, Mayor Habib said the plant is looking at two possibilities.

First, the mayor said there was a change in suppliers for the filter being used in the baghouse. “Century knows that on three occasions a very small portion of the bags failed. They are currently investigating another batch of bags that will be replaced as a warranty issue,” he said.

The second possibility could be connected to recent “episodes of high pressure” in the baghouse. “Century believes these episodes combined with the failing bags are resulting in the emission problems over the past several months,” said Mayor Habib.

Mayor Habib said Century Aluminum reported the issues to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and is working with the state health agency and technical experts in the field to solve the problems.

“DHEC has two toxicologists in their Charleston office who are familiar with Century Aluminum and aluminum oxide. They have employed three full-time employees in the bag house to identify problems, and they keep a contractor onsite 24 hours a day to address any further issues that may occur. They are soon going to be able to return to their original bag supplier. Finally, they have recruited technical consultants to help them identify the pressure problem,” said Mayor Habib.

Mayor Habib said Century Aluminum has assured his office that they are working diligently to address the emission issues. “I am confident that Century Aluminum has been transparent with me and DHEC. We are hopeful they will have a resolution soon, and we expect to receive an update from DHEC,” he said.

He said that during the 40 years in which the aluminum smelter has operated in the Goose Creek community, there has not been another issue related to emissions from the plant.

Mayor Habib said that he has requested a town hall event with Century Aluminum and DHEC to address the emissions issue and related health risks.

DHEC later told News 2 that its staff is investigating and has both been at the facility and in the community to gather information. “We are working closely with the facility to develop an immediate corrective action plan,” the agency said.

According to DHEC, alumina dust is not considered a hazardous substance. “The particle size of the dust being seen in the community is large and therefore too big to enter human lungs; however, it can still irritate your skin, eyes, and nose, and can be a respiratory irritant after prolonged exposure.”

The state health agency is deploying portable air sensors to measure any smaller, breathable particulate matter, called “fine particulate matter” (or PM2.5) in the area.

Community members can access the real-time data by clicking the links below. DHEC staff is in the process of setting up the sensors.

DHEC says data will represent all particulate matter (PM) in the area, not just the PM from a single source or single facility. “There can be many different sources of PM emissions within an area. The data from these sensors will help us identify any air quality trends in the community,” health officials said.

DHEC previously recommended that anyone with any type of environmental concern fill out an online form and contact the local environmental affairs office.

News 2 also reached out to Century Aluminum. We are waiting to hear back.

Work, live, shop and play — a planned Goose Creek complex could set a precedent for the city’s growth.

JJR Development LLC has unveiled plans for a 3-acre mixed use development on the vacant Super Carpets site on Highway 52.

The project will be part of the Central Creek Destination District that officials hope will provide a family-friendly, downtown-like area where residents can stay within the city for entertainment.

Phase one, which is still in refinement, will include a 4-story building with 111 rental units expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Mayor Greg Habib said the city is conscientious about large developments and how they fit into overall plans, but at the same time infrastructure needs to grow to keep the city alive.

“This project is really the first of its kind in Goose Creek,” Habib said last week. “It imitates a lot of other projects that have happened in Mount Pleasant and west of the Ashley where housing, retail, residential and office have been put in one place.”

Goose Creek has a long-term vision to create destination districts, and Habib said this project in particular “will transform what happens next” in Goose Creek.

“I think once people see this project be successful, it will lead to other redevelopment projects where density makes sense,” Habib said.

The building itself is contemporary, designed to introduce “new architectural context” to the city, according to Jeffrey Roberts, managing member of JJR Development.

“We think this site at the old carpet store site is such an important piece of land that makes a statement that Goose Creek is growing up now,” Roberts said.

Convenient addition

A new convenience store is coming to the Nexton community near Summerville.

Encore Development paid nearly $3.3 million for the 3.2-acre site at Nexton Parkway and Scholar Way for the development of a 7-Eleven, car wash and other retail uses, according to the commercial real estate firm NAI Charleston.

The property is within a couple of blocks of two supermarkets being built by Harris Teeter and Publix. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co., which has a branch next door, was the seller.

Next act

The first phase of redevelopment plans for the darkened Cinebarre movie theater property in Mount Pleasant have been laid out.

Charlotte-based Collett Capital‘s preliminary proposal calls for two 100,000-square-foot street-side office structures to be built on the Houston Northcutt Boulevard property. The designs, presented before a town review board for commercial real estate projects, are still being finalized.

If approved, the first phase would include a single building with 90,000 square feet of office space and 10,000 square feet of retail along the streetside of the property. Plans also include an adjacent greenspace with walkable paths, seating and a pavilion for live events.

Phase two would include a second building of equal size and a 500-space garage in the back where the vacant Cinebarre building currently stands. The rest of the property will be used for parking.

Regal Cinemas closed the full-service theater, where moviegoers could order food and drinks while they took in a show, in late 2021. It then sold the property to Collett and another investor for $14.25 million.

Summer sublease

Blackbaud Inc. is getting a new corporate tenant this summer when Charleston Regional Development Alliance moves into part of its Daniel Island headquarters.

The group has subleased nearly 7,000 square feet of space within the software company’s 172,000-square-foot home office at 65 Fairchild St.

The rental suite will serve as the new base for the economic development organization’s 14 employees when the 10-year lease on its Belle Oaks Drive location in North Charleston expires in May.

The decision to move to Daniel Island, which is in the city of Charleston and Berkeley County, was less about the geographic area and more about the building itself, said Karen Kuchenbecker, vice president of operations for the alliance.

“The way that the building was developed and all the bells and whistles and amenities, etcetera — you just don’t find that type of building for lease every day,” Kuchenbecker said.

CRDA’s plan is to be fully operational in its new space on June 1.

Blackbaud completed its newly built headquarters about five years ago. Its need for office space greatly diminished when the technology company switched to a remote workplace model during the pandemic in late 2021.

GOOSE CREEK, S.C. (WCSC) - One Goose Creek barber college is making an impact on both hair and history.

Even at 82 years old, Howard Boyd is built for barbering. You could say it’s in his blood. Boyd’s father, a barber, was his first teacher.

“He used to cut hair on the porch—front porch and he was telling me how to cut his hair,” Boyd said. “So, I ended up cutting his hair and he turned the clippers over to me and said, ‘Hey, you need to—you can take it from here. You can have it.’”

Beyond that feeling of a fresh fade, it’s Boyd’s legacy that will live on. He’s the founder of the first Black-owned barber college in the state of South Carolina.

“It was just a three-bedroom building which we stayed. My family lived here. That was the kitchen. And right downstairs here, which is the garage carport, we were able to start the garage barbershop,” Boyd said.

Since its founding in 1986, Goose Creek Barber & Styling College, which is now Howard’s Barber & Styling College, has trained about one thousand students, according to Boyd.

“Just the work I’ve done speaks for me,” he said.

Former students like Jessie Washington, Kenyatta Grimmage and Jermaine Scott have all gone through the college and have made barbering an integral part of their own lives.

“In 1996, I was able to open the first female, African-American barbershop in Goose Creek, South Carolina,” Jessie Washington said. “I’d just like to thank Mr. Howard for having the vision to help others.”

“We give free haircuts at the College of Charleston, where you know, I’m the Associate Director of Admissions down there,” Grimmage said, who also happens to be Boyd’s son-in-law. “We do a program called Cuts and Conversations where we have conversations with young men.”

“It was like how can I step up my game and be like this guy whose name just rings bells throughout the whole community?” Scott said.

Washington, Grimmage and Scott are now instructors at Howard’s Barber & Styling College, working alongside Boyd to teach the next generation of hair artists and entrepreneurs.

“It’s work. Work. You have to continue to work. You have to have a passion for it. You know it’s nonstop, when it’s good or when it’s bad,” Boyd laughed. “But you still work. You keep the faith and it works out. Trust me.”

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

GOOSE CREEK, S.C. (WCBD) – A Goose Creek woman is warning others to read the fine print after she was left with no heat during several recent cold spells.

Denise Watson said her heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system was installed five years ago and it has had multiple issues since then.

“Cold air would be blowing on the top of my head when I was working — I had extra layers on, I would be bundled up,” she explained.

She said the company that installed the system made a mistake that overworked her HVAC unit, causing it to freeze over. As a result, the top floor of her home was not being heated.

“I can tell you from being in the room over the garage there hasn’t been heat in that room,” she said.

However, Watson said when technicians with the company that originally installed the system came to look at the unit, they did not find any problem.

“They told me they could find nothing wrong with the system,” she explained. “When I pressed them with the fact that the unit freezes over at like 38 degrees, they said ‘Oh, it sounds like it’s not entering defrost mode’ and I said ‘Well why is that?’ They said ‘We don’t know’ and they left.”

She then called a different company to check out the system. She said their technicians discovered that mismatched parts had been installed and the system was not communicating properly.

“That was the first time we knew what was really wrong,” she said.

Watson then went back to the company that first installed the system to explain what was happening. She said they did not offer a fix for the mistake, and they advised her that her one-year warrant had expired.

“And over the phone, they told me that we voided their service warranty by using someone else,” she said.

Officials with the South Carolina Dept. of Consumer Affairs (SCDCA) said it is important to read over exactly what you are paying for, especially because service contracts can often be sold separately. They added that the agency does not regulate the industry, and they can only offer a voluntary remediation process to consumers.

“So it’s kinda working with that consumer and with the company to see what’s happened and what the obligations may be and what the contracts are,” said Scott Cooke, communications director for SCDCA.

Watson said because of the lack of consumer protections, her only option was to buy a whole new system which cost her thousands of dollars.

“When the install is taking place you only have a one-year warranty on that, and that’s not something that we were really aware of,” she said. “So our best bet now after the units have failed and the outdoor unit could be completely damaged from all the freezing over is to fully replace it.”

While the problem is now solved, Watson said she wants her story to be a warning to others to read the fine print when making big purchases and be aware of what protections may or may not be in place.

“You have to trust these people to give you the service you need for your heating and cooling — for your comfort,” she advised.

In a final attempt to get some of her money back, Watson sent the HVAC unit to the manufacturer and she is now waiting to find out if the manufacturer or the original installation company can provide any remedy.