electrician in Goose Creek, SC

GOOSE CREEK, S.C. (WCSC) - The city of Goose Creek unveiled an amphitheater in honor of S.C. Rep. Joe Daning in a surprise presentation Tuesday during his retirement celebration in Goose Creek.

Joseph Daning is a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, representing District 92. He also was a Goose Creek City Council member for over 20 years and previous Goose Creek Mayor Pro Tempore.

Daning will retire from the S.C. House of Representatives in January 2023. Multiple former S.C. representatives, Mayor Gregory Habib, U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace and Daning’s family and friends attended the celebration.

All the speakers who gathered at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church spoke about Daning’s long-lasting legacy in the city, Statehouse and House of Representatives.

“He was such a great friend and a mentor and very loyal to the Lowcountry,” Nancy Mace, U.S. House of Representative, said. “It was an honor to see that the Joseph Daning amphitheater was unveiled today in Goose Creek and that’s exciting for the residents of Goose Creek too and I want to thank Mayor Habib for that effort.”

The Joseph S. Daning Amphitheater will be located at the Municipal Center Campus near the Recreation Complex and the lake behind City Hall. It plans to include an outside basketball court, a food truck area, restrooms and additional parking.

Crystal Reed, the recreation director for the City of Goose Creek, says some examples of events that will be held at the amphitheater are slam poetry, improv, concerts and movie nights.

“I think the goal of the amphitheater and the projects that we’re doing in the city of Goose Creek is to bring entertainment into our city so that residents don’t have to travel and create more traffic,” Reed said. “They can get good dining options and good entertainment here in the city of Goose Creek.”

Reed says this project will break ground in April 2023 and it should take about 18 months to complete.

When Mayor Habib introduced the new amphitheater, Daning began to cry in shock.

“I didn’t expect any of this and then the new that,” Daning said, pointing to the picture of the proposed amphitheater. “You know, my father came from the Philippines. I am first generation. I mean this is just unbelievable. You know, I never expected any of this.”

The total cost of the amphitheater will be about $4 million. Daning secured $1.5 million in state funding and the remainder will be paid by ARPA funds.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

As the Lowcountry experiences cold temperatures this holiday weekend, one warming shelter shares how and why they serve those who may not have a warm place to s

GOOSE CREEK, S.C. (WCSC) - As the Lowcountry experiences cold temperatures this holiday weekend, one warming shelter shares how and why they serve those who may not have a warm place to stay.

Goose Creek United Methodist Church has opened its doors since 2018 to people when temperatures drop below 32 degrees.

They provide water, food, beds, blankets, hygiene kits and emergency lighting in case of a power outage.

Craig Sullivan, the church’s disaster relief coordinator, says they had six people stay at the church Friday night, who will most likely stay until Tuesday.

“They’re grateful to have a warm meal, and we got snacks,” Sullivan says. “We have people if they want someone to talk to, but we don’t try to put religion in the context; we’re just here to help their comfort. If it’s that part of the comfort they can use, fine, but we are just here to help people comfortably through the cold nights.”

To ensure an efficient process, the church accepts community members from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., with lights out at 11 p.m. The next morning, everyone is given breakfast before having to leave by 7 a.m.

Emergency Management Director Will Rochester, who works with the county, says the biggest gap in getting people to the warming shelters is transportation.

On Saturday at the Walmart in Moncks Corner, a bus will take anyone who needs to get to a warming shelter in Berkeley County at 5 p.m. Berkeley County is working to continue transportation efforts for the rest of the cold front.

“We want to keep them out of the elements; that’s the biggest thing, we know it’s going to be cold,” Rochester said. “It’s the coldest day that we’ve experienced in a long time in the Lowcountry. That’s the biggest thing and to mitigate any kind of medical issues, illnesses or injuries for folks that don’t have that place to go when it gets really cold.”

Warming shelters are provided anytime the temperatures drop, especially with the winter storm hitting the nation during the holiday season, Pastor Henry Simmons says.

“Our hearts go out to those that are trying to brave to cold, and they’re trying to make something here at Christmas; and what better opportunity for us to show them the love of Christ,” Simmons said. “We’re providing the buildings, we’re not really doing anything way out of the way but to be there and just open the buildings and provide a warm meal; it’s there for the taking. We want them to know that God blesses them.”

The shelter has never reached capacity but says if they become overcrowded, people will be transported to another nearby location.

For a full list of warming shelters in the Lowcountry, click here.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

GOOSE CREEK, S.C. (WCBD) – Chicken Salad Chick is set to open its highly anticipated location in Goose Creek next week with a week full of special giveaways.

The new location off St. James Avenue is the third to open in the tri-county by co-owners Julie Beville and Michelle Singleton of Sing Bev Hospitality. The other locations include Summerville and Mount Pleasant.

Chicken Salad Chick will open its new location on the morning of Tuesday, February 21. The first 100 customers who line up beginning at 7:00 a.m. will win free chicken salad for a year when the restaurant opens at 10:30 a.m.

Other giveaways are planned Wednesday through Saturday and include special merch from the popular restaurant:

• Tuesday, Feb. 21 – Free Chicken Salad for a Year – The first 100 guests will receive one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per month for an entire year, with one of those lucky guests randomly selected to win one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per week. Guests may arrive starting at 7 a.m. for grand opening day only.

• Wednesday, Feb. 22 – The first 100 guests to purchase a Chick Special will receive a FREE Chick Special on their next visit.

• Thursday, Feb. 23 – The first 100 guests to purchase a Chick Special will receive a FREE Chicken Salad Chick tote bag.

• Friday, Feb. 24 – All day long, Chick fans can enjoy buy two Quick Chicks and get one FREE!

• Saturday, Feb. 25 – The first 100 guests to purchase a Chick Special will receive a FREE commemorative Chicken Salad Chick cup and FREE drink with their meal.

“Michelle and I always say one of our favorite parts of bringing the Chick to new neighborhoods is the opportunity to positively impact the lives of our guests,” said Beville. “We’ve gotten to know our fans here in the Lowcountry over the past several years, and we know they rely on us for fresh, made-from-scratch meals they can enjoy with friends and family in our dining room or on the go. They also appreciate the warm hospitality of our restaurant teams and the way we support local organizations. We can’t wait to be their new go-to spot in Goose Creek.”

The restaurant will be open Monday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.

More money for city employees and renovations to Crowfield Golf Club -- The City of Goose Creek unanimously approved these new ordinances to keep up with compet

GOOSE CREEK, S.C. (WCSC) - The City of Goose Creek unanimously approved new ordinances that will provide more money for city employees and renovations to Crowfield Golf Club in an effort to keep up with competition.

People who play Crowfield Golf Club say these renovations will improve their overall experience at the course. As far as funding is concerned, the city says they are using money they already have to pay for this, and they’ll still have some left over for employee bonuses.

The City of Goose Creek approves merit one-time bonuses for both full and part-time employees. City officials say the longer someone has been employed by the city in addition to their end of year evaluation, they can be eligible for up to $1,500 in bonus pay. This money is coming from savings in the city’s 2022 budget and will total at least $315,000.

Frank Johnson, spokesperson for City of Goose Creek, says employees will also be given a cost-of-living increase of 5% across the board.

“It’s just saying thank you to our city employees,” Johnson said. “It’s a way to stay competitive in a region where there are a lot of other municipalities out there. We are the best municipality. So, we want to make sure we are attracting the best talent. It’s about attracting and retaining talent for city employees.”

The City of Goose Creek will also expand the club house at Crowfield Golf Club with adding outside covered seating area for the bar and grille and extra space to host events.

Megan Leland, who plays at Crowfield Golf Club, says the club house needs to be improved.

“It’ll be able to fit more people because right now it’s very tiny,” Leland said. “And just a little bit of people is really echoey and loud.”

John Reilly, who started playing at Crowfield in July, says it will be more beneficial for everyone that comes here.

Mike Cool is also an avid player at the club.

“This is an asset for the city of Goose Creek and these improvements will do nothing but improve the asset the city owns,” Cool said.

The renovations will be paid for using the city’s hospitality tax under the 2022 budget, and what’s leftover will come from American Rescue Plan Act funding.

Andy Motroni, another golfer, says there’s a lot of ways to spend leftover money.

“Maybe not giving it out in the first place would’ve been a good idea, but nonetheless, now that it’s here and it needs to be spent, I think it is a good a way to spend it as any,” Motroni said.

These golfers, like Braylee Wright, say the renovations will bring interested players and hopefully more members to the club.

“We can have more people who don’t play golf come up here and realize how good of a sport it is and after you can chill out in the club house and hang out,” Wright said. “So, I think it’s good.”

The merit one-time bonuses for all eligible employees will be issued on Dec. 16. As far as the club house, there is no set timeline for construction, but city officials say the plans will be put out to bid in the next several months.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

GOOSE CREEK, S.C. (WCSC) - Goose Creek resident Lisa Berry has lived in the West Greenview Acres neighborhood since 2004. She describes her neighborhood as “pretty quiet,” besides occasional traffic.

She found out about a planned development that could be built right next to her home and was taken aback. To her understanding, a road was going to run adjacent to her home and go to Red Bank Road, and a playground with a parking lot was going to be built on the other side of her property. She said those plans were concerning.

She posted in a Facebook group for Goose Creek residents, trying to inform her neighbors about what was going on. She said she was inspired to speak up; and said there should be no more construction.

“I was driving down Red Bank Road, and by the rural fire department, they have a marquee; it’s a flashing sign that changes,” Berry said. “It said, ‘if not you, then who?”

Berry’s post got the attention of Mayor Greg Habib, who responded in his own post in the group. He said he felt the need to give an explanation about what their processes are, what they are trying to accomplish, and how growth is important.

Berry met with the mayor Wednesday morning, and she discovered that there was an updated plan. She said that now instead of a road next to her house, it is proposed to be a walking trail, and the playground plans have changed as well. Habib said it is going to be a mix of townhomes and single-family homes with a commercial element on Red Bank Road.

One of the concerns that Berry had was that the property floods. Habib said the only way the flooding problems are going to go away is if someone develops the property properly.

“I knew it had a flooding problem,” Habib said. “We told the developer when he first came to us, you have to address flooding in this area if you’re gonna do anything here, and what the developer has proposed is a stormwater plan that actually takes water from off the property onto his own property to mitigate the flooding problems that are there now.”

Now Berry said she is not opposed to development but wants it to be done in a smart way.

“We have to change,” Berry said. “We can’t just stay the same. I just want it to be an informed decision where all citizens understand what’s going on and can voice their concerns, and if we don’t share that information then people are left out.”

It is not the first time that development concerns have been expressed in rapidly growing Goose Creek, or in the Lowcountry. Goose Creek is now the 8th largest city in South Carolina.

“We’re 47,000 people,” Habib said. “We are not a small town in small-town America anymore.”

Habib said he often hears concerns about traffic issues. He said the greatest tool to reduce traffic is economic development and putting people and businesses closer together.

“We got traffic here,” Habib said. “How do you mitigate that? Well, understanding that not building anymore is not an option, so how do you then mitigate it there is your plan for it, you do it right, and you do it in a way that makes sense.”

Habib said there are over 5,000 homes entitled to go up in the city. Habib said some of those are going to create more traffic than others because they are on the outskirts of the city. Until there is commercial development there, those people will have to drive into the main commercial section of the city to get what they need. He said they need to get commercial development out to those areas as fast as they can to mitigate the traffic.

“If we’re gonna build houses, which we know we have to, we’re going to insist developers to build communities,” Habib said.

Habib said they cannot sit by as development happens. Instead, they need to participate in it and make it look like what they want it to be.

There will be a public hearing regarding the aforementioned planned development on July 5 at 6 p.m. at City Hall.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.