Your County. Your News.
A Message from the County Administrator
It’s a new year, 2020 is behind us, and many of us have resolved to “Do More Dorchester” in 2021. If you are like me, one of your New Year’s resolutions is to get healthier and lose weight. Dorchester County is a great place to engage in safe outdoor activities to relieve stress and get healthy, like walking, bird watching, fishing, hunting, and golfing. It has been said that some golfers integrate many different activities during one golf outing, by hunting for their ball when they hit it into the woods, fishing it out of water hazards, and walking up to the green to sink a par or bogey putt.
No matter what your hobby is, Dorchester County is working to give you more opportunities to enjoy the natural beauty and resources it has to offer. The Davis-Bailey Park and the Ashley River Park are under construction and scheduled for completion later this year. Improvements are planned for the Sawmill Branch Trail and construction of the Eagle-Chandler Creek Trail Phase II is planned. New libraries in North Charleston, Summerville and Ridgeville are planned. Additionally, transportation improvements along US Highway 78 are under construction and permitting for Phase 3 of the Berlin Myers Parkway is nearing completion. In terms of public safety, the joint use EMS and Fire-Rescue station in Harleyville opened in late December 2020. The County is moving forward with the construction of a new Emergency Operations Center and Consolidated Dispatch Center and renovations to the Law Enforcement Center.
As a community we have seen an increase in new COVID-19 cases in Dorchester County since Thanksgiving. Our current active case numbers, as reported by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, are the highest we have seen.
As citizens, each of us has a responsibility to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and influenza. The importance of avoiding social gatherings, wearing a mask in public, and practicing social distancing and good hygiene, including frequently washing your hands, cannot be overstated. Also, if you don’t feel well, please stay home and schedule a time for you and your loved ones to get tested for COVID-19 and influenza. Additionally, there are several locations offering the flu vaccine.
Remember, by taking steps to protect yourself and your loved ones, you are helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and the flu. For more guidance on COVID-19 from the CDC, DHEC, and Dorchester County please visit DorchesterCountySC.gov/COVID19.
Jason L. Ward, County Administrator
Dorchester Reach Dedication
A virtual dedication ceremony was held on December 7 to celebrated the importance of the Dorchester Reach, which is so much more than a 10.7-mile water line. It provides clean, reliable drinking water – and it’s a game-changer for economic development brought to fruition by the visionaries of the Lake Marion Regional Water Agency.
While we would have preferred an in-person dedication, we still have much to celebrate. See why the completion of the Dorchester Reach is so important.
Highway 78 Improvement Project
Clearing and Grubbing work continues to support the widening of Highway 78 from Delee Circle to School St. Two culverts along Hwy. 78 near Timothy Creek are also being extended to support the road widening. Construction of Phase 2-B is expected to begin in March 2021. Sporadic lane closures will continue in the project area. The project is on schedule for completion in Fall 2021.
Dorchester County Director of Veterans Affairs Honored as Officer of the Year
On Thursday, November 5, 2020, The South Carolina Association of County Veterans Affairs Officers (SCACVAO) honored Dorchester County Director of Veterans Affairs, Mrs. Cindy Busby, as the South Carolina Veterans Affairs Officer of the Year.
Todd Humphries, Director of Veterans Affairs for Cherokee County and President of SCACVAO said "Cindy has shown dedication to this association for many years. Her professionalism is something everyone can only hope to obtain." Read More
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County Parks - Construction Updates
Considerable progress has been made since Dorchester County announced that the Ashley River Park, near the Town of Summerville, and the Davis-Bailey Park, in St. George, were both under contract last April. Below is a construction update for both parks.
Ashley River Park
 Outfitter and restroom buildings are nearing completion with roofing largely completed and MEP rough-in wrapping up soon. Event pavilion construction is underway. The primary park road and parking lot one are 90% completed. The eastern pond fishing pier is complete and the western pier is underway. The $13,000,000 project remains on budget. Substantial completion is anticipated in Summer 2021.
Davis-Bailey Park
 Baseball fields and sports field lighting are nearing completion. Pavilion and concession building roofing is 90% complete. The splash pad is completed. Sidewalks and other concrete pouring is ongoing. Stormwater drainage system is complete. The $6,000,000 project remains on budget. Substantial completion is anticipated in Spring 2021.
October - December By The Numbers
Building Services
The Building Services Department issued 968 (total) Building Permits with 311 of those permits being for new single-family residential construction (attached and detached) and 166 Certificates of Occupancy in the 4th Quarter, generating $1,560,870 in revenue, an increase of $1,017,741 from the 4th Quarter of 2019. The significant increase is not only attributed to the increase in single-family home permits, but to the issuance of the permit for the Wal-Mart Distribution Center as well.
Animal Control
In 2020, Dorchester County Animal Control responded to 3,925 calls and transported 1,868 animals compared to 4,101 calls and 1,761 animals transported in 2019. During the months of October - December 2020, Animal Control responded to 903 calls and transported 392 animals.
Coroner
During the months of October - December, Dorchester County suffered the loss of 301 individuals. This number is higher than the 4th Quarter in 2019. The majority of deaths in the 3rd Quarter were ruled as natural.
Winter Weather
Be Ready Dorchester County, Weather or Not!
The first week in December was SC Winter Weather Awareness Week. The Emergency Management Department launched a social media campaign throughout the week to highlight the importance of preparing for severe winter weather. While Dorchester County is located in a subtropical climate zone, it is not immune from freezing temperatures and the occasional frozen precipitation (e.g. snow, sleet, ice). In fact, just three years ago on January 3, 2018, the County recorded its highest snow accumulation ever when Winter Storm Grayson dropped more than six inches of snow in Summerville.
This February will mark seven years since Winter Storm Pax, a Federally declared disaster (ice storm), resulted in more than one hundred thousand cubic yards of trees debris and widespread power outages. Some residents were without power for more than a week and it took several months to remove debris from the right of ways. While the County’s battle-tested emergency response teams remain poised this winter season, they are also hopeful mother nature will provide some much needed reprieve.
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Garbage and Recycling
The below numbers represent what was collected and properly disposed of at County Convenience Sites for the months of October - December.
Motor Oil - 6,000 Gallons
Vegetative (yard) Debris - 3,925.19 Tons
Plastic - 73.31 Tons
Glass - 109.84 Tons
Scrap Metal and Aluminum Cans - 295.36 Tons
Cooking Oil - 1,250 Gallons
Mixed Paper and Cardboard - 239.67 Tons
Carpet and Padding - 21 Tons
E-Waste - 35.17 Tons
Construction & Demolition Debris - 3,142.95 Tons
Household Garbage - 20,419.99 Tons
Help us Keep Dorchester County Beautiful by reporting illegal dumping.
Interment Ceremony for Vietnam Veterans
On November 20, 2020, the Dorchester and Beaufort County Coroner's Offices, and J. Henry Stuhr Funeral Home worked together to provide a proper and honorable interment for unclaimed Vietnam Veterans at Beaufort National Cemetery. The veterans were also provided a proper procession and escort by the Dorchester, Charleston, Colleton, and Beaufort County Sheriff's Offices.
2020 Election
By-Mail Ballot Duplication Recap
By South Carolina law, by-mail ballots cannot be opened and counted until Election Day.
In accordance with state law, ballots were opened on Election Day. Upon opening the ballots a printing error that prevented the ballots from being scanned was discovered. To address the error and ensure all ballots were counted, Dorchester County manually duplicated 14,000+ by-mail ballots.
The duplication process began at 8:30 AM on Wednesday November 4. County staff, poll workers and volunteers from the Charleston County Election Commission worked around the clock to accurately duplicate each ballot to reflect the intention of the voters’ original ballots. Working in teams of two, each ballot was duplicated and checked against its original. A second team of two reviewed/compared the by-mail ballot and the duplicate ballot for accuracy prior to being counted. The duplication process was open to the public to observe.
The Dorchester County Election Commission is thankful for the support received from County Employees, Poll Workers, and Charleston County throughout the duplication process and is especially thankful for the voters patience and trust throughout the process.
Dorchester County Welcomes Dockside Logistics
In October, Dockside Logistics, a leading warehousing and distribution company, announced plans to establish operations in Dorchester County. The $8.5 million investment will create 26 new jobs over the next five years.
The company purchased a 100,000-square-foot speculative building previously owned by Dorchester Development Corporation in Winding Woods Commerce Park, near St. George. Read More
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