After many trials and tribulations, the Surfside Beach Fishing Pier finally opened to the public in March.
During the town鈥檚 60th聽birthday celebration, it was the public that got the big present when Mayor Robert Krouse made the surprise announcement that the pier was open. Hundreds of residents and visitors scurried to the steps to be the first to visit.
The town鈥檚 pier was destroyed by Hurricane Matthew in 2016. A series of construction delays and contract issues kept pushing the opening date back over and over.
The pier opened with Drippy鈥檚 Ice Cream ready to do business and Perry鈥檚 Bait and Tackle Shop opened a few weeks later. There are two restaurants slated to open in the spring.聽
New department heads
Employee turnover has been an issue across the board in the town, from the top down.
With the retirement of former fire chief Rob Clemons, the town council told town administrator Gerald Vincent to hire David Nelson who had been chief of a volunteer department in Pennsylvania.
Both the town police and fire departments had been having a difficult time finding employees to fill empty slots and retaining current employees.
The town council launched an investigation into why there had been a high turnover rate in the police department.
Then-police chief Kenneth Hofmann said he had asked town officials for assistance in the matter and said police shortages were affecting departments nationwide. Citing rumors and misinformation in the town, Hofmann resigned his position as chief. Hofmann then filed a defamation lawsuit against the town of Surfside Beach, town clerk Sheri Medina and town council member Harry Kohlmann.
The town hired Ken Davis to the police chief position. He had been serving as interim chief after Hofmann鈥檚 resignation.
The planning and zoning department also saw a new leader.
The council voted to hire Heather Davis to head the department following the resignation of Sabrina Morris. Morris had served two separate stints in that position.
The Surfside Beach Fire Department is located centrally near U.S. Highway 17 Business and 1st Avenue North.
Fire department issues
Shortly after his taking over the position, new chief David Nelson told the town council that unless his department gets more employees, the town鈥檚 fire department could not safely fight fires in the town.
Officials from Horry County were brought in for a presentation on how the county could take over the town鈥檚 fire operations. The town council gave Nelson until the end of the year to determine whether the town鈥檚 fire department could safely operate or whether the town should give up the department to the county.
In its budget process, the council upped the town鈥檚 tax rate by four mils to enable the fire department to hire more firefighters. In November, Nelson told the council that hiring had picked up and he felt the town should keep its fire department.
Nelson suggested the town start charging for a litany of fees for fire and medical calls to provide revenue for a fire training facility. The town council gave first reading approval to the idea but squashed it before final reading after a huge public outcry against the fees.
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