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MONCKS CORNER, S.C. (WCSC) - As new subdivisions pop up all over the Lowcountry, the Lennar Corporation is one of the largest home construction companies working in the area.

But one Moncks Corner homeowner says she couldn’t get the company to respond to an issue with their new house. Tom Eriksen’s daughter bought a home in 2022 in Cypress Reserve. It’s a Lennar-constructed community off of Cypress Gardens Road near Highway 52.

She bought one of the first homes built in a subdivision slated to include hundreds more. But when Eriksen went to visit his daughter, he noticed something wasn’t right.

“When I first looked at the house in the summer, the sun hits the side of the house and the nails on the sheathing aren’t nailed all the way in so the vinyl expands and contracts and when the sun hits it and it looks like pimples all over,” Eriksen said.

He said he contacted Lennar immediately.

“Their super came out here, looked at the house. He says, ‘Yeah, but it’s not a manufacturer’s problem.’ I said, ‘It’s not a manufacturer’s problem? You installed it wrong. You’ve got to correct it. It looks terrible.’ And they say, ‘No, we’re not going to do anything with it.’”

After trying to contact Lennar again multiple times, Eriksen said he had nowhere else to turn. He’s been in the construction business for 40 years, which is why, even though his daughter owns the home, he has taken charge of the situation. He said it’s not a structural issue per se, but because they built it wrong, Lennar should be the ones to fix it.

“I see it every time I drive up to the house,” Eriksen said. “This is like the whole house — sides, back, front. Whenever the sun hits it.

Erickson said it’s simple: fix the homes already having problems.

“Start servicing at least the first people that moved in here,” Eriksen said. “She was one of the first buyers before anyone came in and you’re not servicing them or taking care of your problems. It’s not a good outlook for the other 800 families that are going to move in here.”

Robert Knowles has been doing inspections for decades and says he sees dozens of issues with homes he inspects. He says it all comes down to code and if there are violations against it.

Knowles says while this specific issue isn’t exactly a code issue, it could lead to one.

“There’s a very common misconception that homeowners have that the builder, after the first year, he has no responsibility to repair anything else in the house,” Knowles said. “Well, that’s not true. The law is not optional: you have to comply with the code requirements. The builder is legally required to fix anything that goes wrong with your house that is related to a code. If you bring a code violation to a builder’s attention, he needs to repair that.”

South Carolina has adopted a set of Residential Construction Standards that homebuilders must abide by.

Knowles says there are three things you should do if you are buying a new build:

Knowles says he’s definitely seeing more code violations in the houses going up these last few years.

Lennar did not respond to a request for comment and Eriksen has yet to hear from the company as well.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. (WCSC) - After days of planning workshops and community feedback, the town of Moncks Corner’s 2024 Comprehensive Plan draft is ready to be brought to the council.

Officials say it’s sort of like a bucket list for the town, and the more than 100-page plan boils down to addressing nine key elements: population, economic development, cultural and natural resources, community facilities, housing, land use, transportation, and resiliency.

The law requires a comprehensive plan every 10 years and to update it every five years. Moncks Corner is at the five-year mark, but decided it was time for a whole new plan.

“We’ve gone from about 6,000 residents to around 15,000 in 20 years,” Mayor Thomas Hamilton said. “So, it’s been a big jump for a small town like Moncks Corner and we don’t want to lose the Lowcountry’s Hometown feel. That’s why we’re being proactive.”

Due to future growth pressures, part of the draft focuses on how to maintain a small-town feel that appeals to both future and current residents.

“The Lowcountry continues to expand, and we hope to absorb some of that but absorb it in a responsible manner, so our current residents don’t feel left behind and that we actually enhance their quality of life from what they already expect from us,” Moncks Corner Community Development Director Justin Westbrook said. “Great fire service, police and recreation services, and that we also add to it for our future residents.”

The mayor said results from a community survey have guided the town to focus on providing outdoor activities residents can enjoy.

“Parks, pickleball, tennis,” Hamilton said. “Things that we can bring value and to have from our residents to be able to do in Moncks Corner instead of getting in their car and going to Goose Creek or North Charleston.”

Westbrook understands that planning and executing are two different things, and said that this is not a book that will collect dust on the shelf.

“You start saving for your retirement now and when you get there it may not be exactly what you envisioned because maybe you can afford more or maybe you have to scale it back a little bit, but this is a book that helps keeps us on that road map to which we’ve already collected the community’s voices, and will hopefully continue to use as we move forward,” he said.

The next step is for the town council to consider adopting this plan, which they will discuss at their February 20th and March 19th meetings. Members will be able to make recommendations to tweak or change certain things as they see fit.

To take a look at the draft, click here.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. – (Thursday, February 1, 2024) – Berkeley County has been awarded a $1 million US Fish & Wildlife Service grant from the SC Department of Natural Resources to help fund the County’s Mega Boat Landing project, which is a partnership with Santee Cooper. The funding was announced at the Berkeley County Council meeting on Monday, January 22, 2024. See full meeting video HERE.

The Mega Boat Landing project is taking place at the former Atkins Boat Landing/Lions Beach site, located at 933 Broughton Road in Moncks Corner. The site, currently undergoing construction, spans approximately 14 acres on Lake Moultrie. Project plans include renovating and expanding the property to include the following improvements:

Santee Cooper is heading the design and permitting the project’s marine elements, including the docks and breakwater. Berkeley County Engineering is permitting the design plans in cooperation with the Town of Moncks Corner and the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control. Work on the land/parking lot is being conducted by Berkeley County Roads and Bridges.

Total cost of the project is approximately $6.5 million. In addition to the $1M grant from SC DNR, project funding stems from the Berkeley County Delegation “Water Recreation Funds,” Berkeley County Accommodations Tax Funds, and SC state budget appropriations. Additional costs are being offset by work performed in-house by Berkeley County and Santee Cooper.

On March 22, 2021, Santee Cooper’s Board of Directors approved a long-term gratis lease to Berkeley County for the project. The project is expected to be complete by summer 2025.

“County Council and I are incredibly grateful for this state grant and look forward to this project inching closer to wrapping up. We excitedly anticipate that special day, in the near future, when the County and Santee Cooper can offer the public an additional location to enjoy outdoor recreation, along with providing our other overly used boat landings some much-needed relief. Aside from local daily use, we are excited of the prospects to attract the largest freshwater fishing tournaments in the world to Berkeley County and our world class fisheries.” -Johnny Cribb, Berkeley County Supervisor

“The Santee Cooper Lakes are an incredible asset for the people of South Carolina. This funding marks the next step in the construction of the Mega Boat Landing, which will be a notable addition to the lakes when it’s completed. We’re proud to be part of this project with the County; it not only will be a gathering place and resource for local residents but also will stimulate the economy by bringing additional anglers, tourists and events to Berkeley County.” -Jimmy Staton, Santee Cooper President and CEO

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– Prepared by the Berkeley County Public Information Office –

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. (WCSC) - WakeUp Carolina is a nonprofit organization that offers resources to families and individuals struggling with addiction and they recently opened a facility in Berkeley County after the area saw high numbers of overdose deaths.

WakeUp Carolina is based out of Mount Pleasant, but in 2023, Berkeley County saw record high numbers of overdose deaths and the organization saw a need for change, so they opened a new facility off of East Main St in Moncks Corner in February.

WakeUp Carolina provides harm reduction resources such as NARCAN training and fentanyl test strips, as well as support groups for families and individuals dealing with addiction or suffering from loss as a result of overdose. The organization also acts as a vessel for finding resources for recovery among other efforts to improve the issue of overdose and addiction in South Carolina. WakeUp Carolina’s whole foundation is based on the idea that no family will ever have to go through loss and overdose alone. The founder of the organization lost her son to an overdose and wanted to provide support to others in every way that she could.

Dean Stephens, the Director of Development for WakeUp Carolina’s new facility says that this first month of being open could not have gone any better than they had hoped and that the community has been extremely welcoming. One thing they have said all along about this facility is that the community will dictate what goes into the space and what is needed, and Stephens says that is exactly what they have done with the furniture that is currently filling the space.

Stephens says that they plan to bring the things their Mount Pleasant location offers to Berkeley County, but they also want to hear what the community needs so they can create a safe space for the people who need it.

“We listen. And we’ll listen to what the community wants. Because for us, we’re not going to tell people what they need or what they want. We’ll sit back and listen to what they need, what they want, what they tell us, and then we’ll create programs groups, and things like that, and partnerships I think is a big word too, to create partnerships within this community to help people who may want our help,” he says.

Stephens says he believes that addiction and overdose are things that impact everybody at all levels and he is excited to create more partnerships in the community to build and grow. He says that they have already been working with the local school districts, churches and local mental health departments to expand their outreach and engage with community members, and he has high hopes for the future as these partnerships are created. They just want to create a safe space for the community.

He says it means so much to him to be a part of an organization that does so much.

“We toss around words like blessing and gratitude, and I really mean those two words when I say them here in Berkeley County that we feel like it’s a blessing that we’re here. And we’re grateful that you know, we have the resources and the tools to be able to open up these doors and share with anybody who wants to walk in these doors,” Stephens says.

To commemorate the official opening of the facility, they will be holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday at 4 p.m. It will take place at their new facility at 325 E Main Street in Moncks Corner and the community is welcome to attend. This will kick off their community outreach, but Stephens says they have already been so welcoming and are excited for what’s to come.

“The community has been amazing, truly. And when people find out what we do, and the services that we provide, and the reach that we’ll have here in Berkeley County, it’s been, it’s been so welcoming,” he says. “We are here to help the individual, the family, the community.”

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

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MONCKS CORNER, S.C. – Thursday marked a significant milestone in the ongoing collaboration between South Carolina State Recognized Tribal Chiefs and the Federally Recognized Catawba tribe, as they convened with Dr. Delores Dacosta, Executive Director of the Commission for Minority Affairs, and Joshua Shumak, Program Manager of Native American Affairs, at the prestigious Old Santee Canal Park in Moncks Corner.

The meeting, held against the backdrop of the park’s rich historical significance, served as a platform for constructive dialogue and strategic planning to further advance initiatives aimed at preserving Native American heritage and culture within the state.

The Chiefs of the SC State Recognized Tribes were pleased to work with their colleague from the Catawba tribe and their representatives from the CMA. In attendance were Federally Recognized Tribe leader Chief Brian Harris (Catawba Indian Nation), State Recognized Tribe leaders: Chief Lisa Collins, (Wassamassaw Tribe of Varnertown Indians), Chief Harold Hatcher (Waccamaw Indian People), Chief Pete Parr (PeeDee Indian Tribe), Chief John Creel (Edisto Natchez-Kusso), Chief Dexter Sharp (PAIA Lower Eastern Cherokee), Chief Eric Pratt (Santee Indian Association), Chief Louis Chavis (Beaver Creek Indians, Chief Francis Benenhaley (Sumter Tribe of Cheraw Indians), and State Recognized Group Leader Chief Lamar Nelson (ESCUIT). All of the Chiefs agreed that gatherings like these provide invaluable opportunities to foster mutual understanding and cooperation.

During the meetings, Chief Brian Harris of the Catawba Indian Nation emphasized the importance of collaboration in driving positive change. He pledged to work hand in hand with the State Recognized tribal leaders to ensure the preservation and promotion of their Native Communities in SC.

During the meeting, participants engaged in a comprehensive discussion covering various topics affecting their Tribes and districts, such as current legislation, land preservation efforts, and shared challenges stemming from South Carolina’s growth, which threatens the preservation of tribal identities. Through open dialogue and idea exchange, attendees reaffirmed their steadfast commitment to advancing Native American rights and recognition collectively.

Dr. Delores Dacosta expressed her enthusiasm for the productive discussions and the potential for impactful collaboration in the future. “The CMA is committed to fostering partnerships that empower Native American communities and celebrate their rich heritage,” remarked Dr. Dacosta. “Today’s meeting exemplifies the spirit of cooperation and unity that will drive our shared endeavors forward.”

Joshua Shumak, the Native American Affairs Program Coordinator, echoed these sentiments, highlighting the significance of inclusive and participatory approaches in addressing the needs and aspirations of indigenous peoples.

“By coming together in dialogue and collaboration, the tribes and the CMA can harness our collective strengths and networks to effect positive change for natives in South Carolina,” noted Shumak.

At the end of the meeting, participants departed with renewed determination and a shared commitment to advancing the cause of Native American rights and preservation in South Carolina.