Granite Countertops in Moncks Corner, SC

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. – (Friday, January 27, 2023) – There will be a community-wide job fair happening Wednesday, February 1 in the Assembly Room of the Berkeley County Administration Building, located at 1003 N. Highway 52 in Moncks Corner.

The event will be open to Berkeley County high school students from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and the general public from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.

The event will provide opportunities for Berkeley County industries that are hiring to connect with job-seeking residents and high school seniors. Employment opportunities in healthcare, manufacturing, law enforcement, hospitality, construction, information technology and other career fields will be represented. Berkeley County Government will also be on-hand to discuss its open positions.

Attendees are urged to bring an updated resume and come prepared to interview on the spot, if necessary.

For questions, please contact Berkeley County Human Resources at 843-719-4163.

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-Prepared by the Berkeley County Public Information Office-

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. – (Friday, February 3, 2023) – Berkeley County received a ‘Clean Report’ or ‘Unmodified Opinion’ following a 2022 independent audit. The audit was presented to County Council on Monday, January 23, 2023 from the County’s outside auditors, Mauldin & Jenkins. Watch the full County Council meeting HERE.

“I’m pleased to say we do not have any audit findings to report to you on this year, meaning we noted no material weaknesses or sufficient deficiencies in the County’s internal controls in our audit. …Being one of the largest counties in South Carolina, you obviously have a significant amount of financial activity for which you have to account for. In addition, with all the new County standards and changes that are being implemented each year—and really just the complexity of all involved in the financial reporting process—it makes it all that more impressive to be able to present you all an audit with a clean opinion and no audit findings.” – David Irwin, CPA Partner, Mauldin & Jenkins

The report represents the best possible opinion the County can receive. The County has received this opinion several years in a row.

“Government has a fundamental responsibility to be effective stewards of the taxpayer’s money and this audit result reflects just that. A special thanks to my colleagues on County Council for their work throughout the budget process and most importantly to each and every Berkeley County employee for your daily efforts throughout the year. This TEAM effort allows us to continue to offer high level services while keeping our county government taxes the lowest in South Carolina.” -Berkeley County Supervisor Johnny Cribb

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-Prepared by the Berkeley County Public Information Office-

A Moncks Corner factory that’s been manufacturing medical products for half a century will be closing its doors.

Becton Dickinson and Co., known as BD, plans by 2025 to shut down the 274-worker Berkeley County plant where it makes urinary catheters, according to a layoff notice filed with the state labor officials.

Company spokesman Troy Kirkpatrick said in a written statement that employees were told a year ago that the Power House Road location would be closing.

He said it was a “difficult, but necessary, decision to transition all manufacturing from Moncks Corner to other existing ... manufacturing facilities that also produce catheters.”

“This move will help BD leverage existing resources and available capacity, centralize products and, ultimately, streamline operations in order to operate more effectively and efficiently,” Kirkpatrick said.

He added that the Franklin Lakes, N.J.-based medical technology company expects the shift “to occur in waves” over the next two years.

“Once the transfer is completed, we plan to close the Moncks Corner facility,” he said in the statement.

The company also said it’s working with the state and is coordinating with its other sites “to support our employees with future employment opportunities.”

The “delivery solutions” business that includes the catheter business is a laggard within BD’s broader medical segment, with sales rising about 4 percent to $2.36 billion for the first half of the current fiscal year compared to a nearly 13 percent revenue gain for the entire group.

Under its “2025 Strategy,” the company said one of its priorities is to simplify, in part by reducing “complexity across our manufacturing network.”

The 117,000-square-foot plant had been run since the early 1980s by C.R. Bard Inc., which Becton Dickinson acquired in 2017. Just months before the deal, the catheter industry pioneer disclosed plans to invest $16 million and add 50 jobs in Moncks Corner.

The factory itself has been around since the late 1960s.

The original 82,000-square-foot structure was built by Aerovox Corp., which processed aluminum for use in electronic components and audio equipment. It closed up shop in Berkeley County after a few years.

The next owner also didn’t stay long. Sprague Electric, which supplied parts to the refrigeration industry, sold the plant in 1972 to a division of Narco Scientific Industries that manufactured disposable health care products.

Davol Inc., which made medical filters in Moncks Corner, took over the site in 1977, three years before International Paper sold the subsidiary to C.R. Bard.

Shortly before it was acquired by BD, the catheter maker reported that the plant could turn out 80,000 of the drainage devices each day. The company also described the manufacturing process in Moncks Corner as “quite tedious” and labor intensive.

“Layers upon layers of latex are dipped to ensure quality and preciseness,” C.R. Bard posted on its website in 2017.

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. (WCIV) — Kay Beilstein, who has been living along Merrimack Boulevard since 2017, sees the construction of new townhomes right next door to her for about a year now - and is afraid of what they could possibly bring to her front yard.

"Because we live in the Lowcountry, we get a lot of rain," she said. "There's a lot of flooding in some areas and (when) these neighborhoods get built, they don't really take into consideration where that water is going to go."

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Beilstein says when it has rained in the past, water comes on to the streets washing dirt on to the roads. She believes the new development won't help the problem.

"Right now, (the water is) going to go right on to my property and flood my garage and driveway," Beilstein said. "Hopefully, not the rest of my yard, but it depends on how much rain we're going to get."

In response to these concerns, Moncks Corner officials said, "In reviewing the plans, it appears that on-site and off-site stormwater concerns were adequately addressed."

Kay Beilstein, who has been living along Merrimack Boulevard since 2017, sees the construction of new townhomes right next door to her for about a year now - and is afraid of what they could possibly bring to her front yard. (WCIV)

The approved plans show the entire subject property will catch, detain, and release the drainage to the two ponds the property will have installed. This is accomplished with catch basins in the proposed roads, fine grading around the building pads, and underground pipes running from various points around the property, leading to the central and southern stormwater devices.

The vast majority of water from the site is designed to flow south (away from 119 Merrimack Blvd) to the central pond, then to the southern pond, before discharging at the southern edge of the property into an existing 45-foot drainage easement, according to the approved plans.

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Despite this new development coming, Beilstein hopes it won't change the area she loves.

"I'm not looking forward to it," she said. "I do really enjoy my neighbors and my home, but I feel like the town hasn't really taken into consideration that they're ruining our neighborhood for a little bit of money."

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. (WCIV) — For Thomas Hamilton, Moncks Corner is home.

For nearly 30 years, Hamilton has resided within the community he's seen change with time. But when he heard that a plan was in place to build 88 homes, that was more change than he signed up for. So, when the local government voted no to the developer's plan to rezone Perry Hill, it was the outcome of Hamilton's hopes.

"It doesn't fit the fabric of Moncks Corner," Hamilton said with a subtle smile. "I'm so happy our council turned it down."

Moncks Corner: Local government curbs construction to keep local charm intact, and Thomas Hamilton, a long-time resident, shared his thoughts on the no-vote (WCIV).

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Underpinning Hamilton's reaction to the vote is a desire for Moncks Corner to stay small -- stay local. A place where big-box stores meet mom-and-pop shops, local eateries, and the culture cultivated through knowing the neighbors and saying hello to those seen in passing.

"I feel we can update and bring certain businesses to the area, but we really need to focus and support our smaller businesses in town," Hamilton said. "We don't want to become another Summerville with the congestion that they have. When I get to Moncks Corner, I want to enjoy moncks corner. I want to bring amenities to us to where we don't have to travel out."

And for those in local government, behind the vote to slow down building developments is a desire to understand the effects of construction on an intimate community.

"Council wants to pump the breaks a little on new construction to see how that impacts the town," said Michael Lockliear, Mayor of Moncks Corner. "We always try to put out the best product we can for the town. That is why we went through -- a couple years ago -- our ordinances to revamp and get the best product."

Read more: A finish worth the wait.

Hamilton plans to run for Mayor of Moncks Corner, and what is driving him is the insatiable desire to have his home feel like a place everyone who resides in it can recognize.

"I just want to have an all-inclusive Moncks Corner for everybody," he said.

And sometimes, that means saying no for now in the hopes of saying yes to something that better fits the community later.

A new apartment development soon will open in a rapidly developing area of Moncks Corner.

Waterleaf at Foxbank will feature 318 units in three-story buildings between the residential neighborhood Foxbank and Cypress Gardens Road.

The one- to three-bedroom units include one to two bathrooms and range from 885 square feet to 1,510 square feet. Monthly rents will be $1,580 to $2,265.

Work continues on the project, and the Waterleaf website says the complex will open soon.

The development is near the Publix-anchored Moncks Corner Marketplace and several restaurant and retail structures under development along U.S. Highway 52, including fast-food restaurant Wendy’s and donut shop Dunkin’, as well as oil change site Valvoline.

The area has seen several new housing developments in recent years, with others on the way.

Southern expansion

A Charleston-based marina owner is unveiling a new addition in South Florida.

Port 32 Marinas recently completed construction of a full-service site in Fort Lauderdale that includes dry storage and can accommodate vessels from small tenders to yachts up to 180 feet.

The 3-acre yacht basin can accommodate up to 32 yachts. It offers 278 short and long-term dry storage slips up to 55 feet, and 28,000 square feet of commercial space for leasable marine use.

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The marina also includes a 150-ton travelift which can lift vessels up to 120 feet, a 60-ton yard transporter, and forklift with elevating cab for increased visibility and safety.

The newly constructed wet slips are designed to accommodate vessels up to 150 feet for in-water repairs and refits. As a self-service marina, owners and captains may elect to bring their own crew or use one of the pre-approved vendors. The facility also offers safe wet slip hurricane storage and is designed to withstand 175 mph winds.

Port 32 also owns marinas in several other Florida cities, including Jacksonville, Palm Beach Gardens, Tierra Verde, Tampa, Naples, Cape Coral, Marco Island and Lighthouse Point.

On Point(e)

The recently sold Palm Point apartment complex in North Charleston has been renamed.

The 112 rental units at 2561 Fassitt Road are now known as Retreat at Palm Pointe.

As previously reported, an affiliate of New York City-based Prospect Lane paid $13.25 million on June 12 for the two-story multifamily development near Ashley Phosphate and Stall roads.

The apartments were built in 1991 and were previously owned by Cohen Investment Group of Virginia Beach, Va.