Chiropractic Care in Cottageville, SC

COTTAGEVILLE, S.C. (WCBD) – A problem with a septic tank may force a small business in Colleton County to close its doors for good.

David Stanfield and his wife opened Red Brick Pizza in Cottageville a few years ago. But they may have to close their business after South Carolina’s lead health agency, the Department of Health and Environmental Control, said their septic system is not fit for the job.

“Almost two years ago we started, and almost immediately DHEC jumped on my back,” said Stanfield. “In March of last year, we started takeout only, but in March I contacted them about opening a 12-person dining room. They said yes, you can open it.”

A month later, Stanfield said he was told that could not have a dining room.

“I asked them about the tables out front – I had four picnic tables out front – they said you can have all the picnic tables you want, so we built a patio which has a bunch of outside tables. And then five months later, during another inspection, and we’ve gone through eight in one year, during another inspection they said you can’t have these outside tables. I said, well, you told us we could.”

DHEC told Stanfield that his septic tank was too small, and he was given a ‘shut door’ order.

“Two months ago, I went before the council- I begged them, I said my septic system has never overflowed, it’s never had a problem, and they said you have 60 days to put this monstrosity in back here.”

His customers were outside protesting on Tuesday while raising money to help keep them in business.

Stanfield began installing the large septic system. He says he has now spent $51,000 on the project. But his business only makes about $800-$1,000 on a good week. So, he believes he will now have to just shut down.

Stanfield eventually put a water meter on his property after a suggestion from a neighbor to see how much water was being used each day.

“Our water meter shows that we use 350 gallons per night, my existing system will do 450 gallons and they’ve got me putting in the system it will do 1,500 gallons per night which is just crazy. They’ve bankrupted me. They’ve taken every dime that we have, and we don’t even have money to open for food this week.”

DHEC sent News 2 a statement saying Stanfield was not in compliance with his DHEC permit when he moved from take-out only to restaurant seating.

“Mr. Stanfield did not dispute the grounds for suspension but requested the suspension be rescinded because he was diligently working on gaining compliance with DHEC regulations,” the statement said. “Failure to install the upgraded system would not lead to closure of the facility but would result in the return to the original food service operation as approved and permitted by DHEC.”

“I don’t understand this because, you know, America is known for if you put everything into – whatever your dream is – you can get it accomplished and they are burying us alive,” said Heike Stanfield, Co-Owner, Red Brick Pizza.

Stanfield said they were last open on Saturday. But unless a miracle happens, he believes they may not be able to re-open again.

The matter was discussed during a DHEC board meeting on May 5, 2022 with the restaurant’s owner in attendance – a motion was made about two hours and thirty-three minutes into the meeting, following an executive session. You can watch that hearing by clicking here.

WALTERBORO, S.C. (WCSC) - Some Colleton County elementary schoolers will have to be at the bus stop as early as 6 a.m. starting this school year, and parents are not happy.

The district just announced its new bell schedule within a month of the first day of school, and it is already receiving backlash, especially on Facebook.

The schools affected by the new bell schedule are listed below:

7:00 a.m. - 1:45 p.m.

- Bells Elementary School

- Cottageville Elementary School

- Hendersonville Elementary School

8:00 a.m. - 2:45 p.m.

- Northside Elementary School

- Forest Hills Elementary School

- Black Street Early Childhood Center

8:45 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

- Colleton County Middle School

9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

- Colleton County High School

Most parents say they do not want their elementary schoolers starting so early and their high schoolers ending so late.

Kevin Canaday, a father of three kids in Colleton County School District, says this is causing issues for parents who rely on childcare services after school. He says it is creating 11–12-hour days for elementary schoolers.

“Elementary schools K-4, K-5, first graders, who are getting their foundations of education and having them start this early in the day, so they’re getting out of school if I remember correctly is 1:45,” Canaday said. “So, by the time they get home, there’s really not going to be anyone there to help them with homework or anything like that because they’re getting home so early.”

William Bowman Jr., the chairperson for Colleton County Schools, says this change came from a shortage of bus drivers. He says the district should have 65 drivers, but they are short 15 for this school year.

He says Dr. Vallerie Cave, Colleton County Schools’ Superintendent, did not want bus drivers to be making triple or quadruple routes to fill in for the missing drivers. He says if they did this, it would result in kids not arriving at school until 10 or 11:00 in the morning.

“We’re seeing a lot of growth in all of our core subject areas across all of our grade levels,” Bowman Jr. said. “So, we want to continue with that academic progress, and a big part of that continuation is making sure that our students receive the proper instruction. And if students are getting to school at 10 or 11:00 in the morning, they’re missing a huge part of instruction.”

Bowman says he encourages everyone to apply to be a bus driver for Colleton County School District.

There will also be a school board meeting on Tuesday, July 26 at 6 p.m., where the board will explain more of why they made these changes.

The South Carolina Department of Education recently launched the “Step Up SC” campaign, which highlights open bus driver and technician positions across the state.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

It’s hard to believe that anything good could come from the pandemic, but for one couple, something good did come out of it - a thriving business.Florida natives April and Aaron Williamson moved to Summerville, SC after they married 16 years ago. Finding the town “drastically changing,” they moved to Cottageville near the Edisto River. The family visited it the same day they saw the ad and bought it just weeks later.Aaron is a SC Dual Licensed Optician, but has a background in financial services. He also worked in sales, served as a regional sales trainer, recruiter and was eventually vice president of Branch Development. Now, he writes children’s books. April is vice president of marketing for Cornerstone Advisory Group in Summerville, but she has a background in web design, writing and business consultation. In their professional lives, they have worked for fortune 100 businesses with big problems to solve, as well as small, upstart family-owned businesses. Those experiences taught them the value of effective communication, solid branding and creativity.“After years of sharing our experience with our employers, we decided it was time to go directly to our customers with our talent, to make ourselves more accessible, more effective and to allow us to work together as a husband-and-wife team to grow our business,” said Aaron.Aaron and April decided to go into business for themselves and meet the needs of Colleton County businesses, as well as online business that need help to expand and have a better online presence.For new businesses, timing is everything.Ironically, the Williamsons found themselves opening the doors of Blue Collar Marketing, only to find the pandemic spreading out of control across the nation before they could even cut the ribbon. Worried that this might affect their business goals, the Williamsons pushed harder and focused on creating close relationships with customers and helping them develop new ways to generate revenue and become more competitive.Because so many employers and employees were working from home during the pandemic, the computer became a vital tool for everyone. Employers were eager to find other ways to do business rather than owning a storefront.This desire for finding alternative business plans drove many customers to Aaron and April who readily assisted them in finding new pathways to market themselves.Surprisingly, the Williamsons found themselves flooded with work, even during Covid.During the pandemic, Blue Collar Marketing has now added three remote designers and two writers who assist with larger projects.“Frankly, we aren’t interested in growing Blue Collar to the point where we can’t put eyes on everything that goes out the door,” Aaron said. “What we enjoy the most is meeting new business owners, learning their industry, and figuring out how to place them to be competitive. Helping owners either grow their businesses or bring them to life is the fun part,” he added.The Williamsons were eventually able to meet their next-door neighbors in Cottageville and found to their amazement that the property owners were needing assistance marketing their new project… an alpaca farm.Aaron and April worked with Herd it Here Farm on Sullivans Ferry Rd. in Cottageville to prepare for their grand opening. That project included creating a website, marketing materials and consultations. Then, they showed the owners how to take charge of the project and continue the marketing strategy themselves.“Once we learn your business and what makes you different, we plug you into our protocols and execute what we’ve designed. We also teach our customers as much as we can about what we do, so they can be more confident in marketing for themselves instead of being locked into a never-ending contract,” said Aaron.The Williamsons say they have a simple goal for Blue Collar Marketing. “We want to make the path to a solution as easy and affordable as possible and ensure that businesses move on with tools and confidence to keep going and growing. “We want to leave them more profitable and optimistic than when we met,” said Aaron.“I think a lot of people don’t know there is a specialty marketing company right here in their backyard. We want to help businesses grow while remaining a small, family owned, and local business right here in Colleton County.”

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COTTAGEVILLE — A tract of nearly 150 acres of hardwood trees along the Edisto River — home to guarded bird species like the wood stork — was recently transferred to the state for conservation and is now protected.

The property, situated adjacent to the popular Good Hope Landing, provides a number of wetland benefits: floodwater storage, wildlife habitat and protection of drinking water quality.

Several rare, threatened and endangered species — such as the red-cockaded woodpecker and southern bald eagle, the Atlantic sturgeon fish and Carolina birds-in-a-nest flower — call the space home.

Additionally, about a third of all state priority fish species are found in the surrounding Edisto River system.

And since this tract is immediately downstream from the landing, it is either the first or last site users see when they’re getting on or off the river.

The big hardwood trees there, probably second growth after being logged decades ago, have a huge impact on the landing’s users and are aesthetically important to protect, said Patrick Moore, a senior project manager at Open Space Institute.

The institute this month announced the land transfer to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources. The property sits across from the 1,375-acre Edisto River Wildlife Management Area, which the state also oversees.

The addition of this land to the wildlife management area means creating a safeguard of public and recreational access and drinking water for downstream communities, said Nate Berry, OSI’s senior vice president in South Carolina.

A number of groups chipped in to make the move possible, including the Waste Management company, the S.C. Conservation Bank and the Coastal Conservation League.

When environmentalists heard the property was going to be sold and possibly logged, OSI stepped in and purchased it to keep that from happening, Moore said. Waste Management contributed funds for the effort, too, and DNR secured a grant from the conservation bank for the transfer.

“Acquisition of this property will protect another important parcel along the Edisto, one of the longest, free-flowing rivers in the United States that provides critical habitat for game and non-game species,” said DNR Director Robert Boyles.

The Edisto is the longest blackwater river in the country, meandering some 250 miles from Edgefield and Saluda counties to the Atlantic Ocean at Edisto Island, according to the state Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.

Boyles said DNR is appreciative of partnering with the other organizations to provide more land where the public can enjoy outdoor activities. The river already has a 62-mile canoe and kayak trail that offers camping and picnic sites for single and multi-day trips, according to a news release.

With the addition of the property near Good Hope Landing, OSI has conserved more than 35,000 acres in South Carolina over the past five years.

“Hold still, little bird,” I muttered to myself as I squinted through the viewfinder of my camera. Despite my command, the bird refused to stay put on the branch as I tried to focus long enough to release the shutter. With a click I was the owner of yet another high-definition digital photo of … an empty tree branch.

The object of my frustration on this day is a bright yellow prothonotary warbler, a migratory songbird that thrives in the flooded woodlands of the swampy rivers of the South Carolina Lowcountry.

Wintering in South America, the prothonotary warbler can be found in spring and summer in the Carolinas where breeding pairs can be spotted in trees along the riverbank or deep in the swamp. Its song is a bright twee-twee-twee-twee and as it darts among the low branches above the black water of a swamp, it seems to almost demand a photo.

This spring morning, as I paddle a quiet stretch of the Edisto River, a warbler darts among the branches of a low willow hunting snails and insects. With its yellow colors flashing like a lightning bug in daytime, I am compelled to stop once again and fill the memory card on my camera with photos of tree branches in an obsession that seems to amuse the little bird. Finally, both of us are relieved as I obtain a photo or two and both of us depart satisfied from the encounter.

The subject of my photo lives with others of his kind along one of the most beautiful stretches of the Edisto River that you can ever see. The Edisto River is the longest river system contained entirely in South Carolina. Rising from Saluda and Edgefield counties, the Edisto corkscrews 250 miles along the Lowcountry to the sea and forms the “E” of the critical ACE Basin water system.

Artesian wells and crystal clear springs bubble from the limestone bedrock along the upper river and near the coast it becomes a rich, blackwater river where deep swamps open to salt marsh horizons. To spend time kayaking or boating along the Edisto is to experience a special paradise on earth.

This section of warbler-haunted Edisto described above runs approximately seven miles from Good Hope Landing to Sullivan’s Ferry near Cottageville. Good Hope Landing is a beautiful, easily accessible boat landing that allows you easy access to the river. Its 10-foot sandy bluff is crowned by a majestic live oak and the river here is wide and relatively straight.

As the current carries you along you can spot an abundance of wildlife. Egrets and herons wade in the shallows, songbirds (including prothonotary warblers) inhabit the trees and in the water, terrapin, gar and even the elusive alligator can be spotted. The river is filled with redbreast bream, catfish and bass — making this a popular as a destination for anglers.

A few miles downstream there is a narrow portion, where willows grow close and fallen trees can snag unwary boaters or those floating along in innertubes, a favorite summer pastime for hundreds of visitors every year. At four miles, you will pass Long Creek Landing, another serviceable launching location, and shortly after will pass beneath the highway bridge of U.S.-17A at the privately owned Jellico’s Landing.

Up to this point, the Edisto has been wild and scenic with few houses or other reminders of human habitation. From the bridge at Jellico’s, well-sited river houses and cottages line the river and form the community of Sullivan’s Landing. Dating from at least as far back as 1820, Sullivan’s was one of many such river crossings in the Lowcountry before bridges and modern highways took hold. The 1820 record of the South Carolina state legislature reveals that the toll for Sullivan’s Ferry was “for every two-horse carriage, 50 cents … horse and rider, 10 cents, and 5 cents for every foot passenger and head of horses, mules, cattle, sheep, goats and hogs …”

Recently, I kayaked from Good Hope to Sullivan’s Ferry with a group of friends and we found the old ferry site to be far quieter that it might have been in 1820. We enjoyed a beautiful spring day with the smooth Edisto reflecting the deep blue of a sky filled with lazy clouds. Recent rains had raised river levels and we enjoyed exploring side channels into coves of swampy flooded forest and hidden oxbow lakes.

After many hours leisurely exploring and encountering wildlife, we arrived at Sullivan’s Ferry for the journey home. We were all of the opinion that this section of the Edisto River was the most beautiful we had ever encountered — and I am certain that you will feel the same way. Should you chance to encounter a little yellow bird in a willow tree, I am certain he will share his opinion of the river, too.

Good Hope Landing and Sullivan’s Ferry Landing are both located near Cottageville and are only a little over an hour’s drive from the Beaufort area. To get there, take Interstate 95 or U.S.-17-A to Walterboro and stay on 17-A to Cottageville. In Cottageville, turn left onto Pierce Road. At 4 miles, turn right onto State Road S-15-35 to the dead end at Good Hope Landing. Sullivan’s Ferry is located at the end of Sullivan’s Ferry Road approximately 3 miles from Cottageville just off 17-A. Both landings are managed by the South Carolina DNR and are well-maintained. There are no facilities, so pack accordingly.

The river in this section is swift when the water is up but very easy to manage, despite a few areas of overhang and snags. Careful preparation and good company will ensure you have a safe, enjoyable day on the water.

For more information, visit the Edisto River Canoe and Kayak Trail site at https://ercktrail.org or obtain a detailed map at https://www.dnr.sc.gov/water/river/edisto-guide.html