Busy busy

Reserving meetings places, making maps, compiling data and refining our text - all in preparation of the upcoming Drop-In meetings for the new Future Land Use map.

Starting Thursday, March 12 and continuing for the following two weeks, County staff will be showing, talking and listening about the new land use coverages.

March 12 - Greenwood Church - 2401 Claussen Road

March 19 - Eastside Church - 3541 E. Palmetto St.

March 26 - Family Life Church - 2812 W. Palmetto St.

Three times in strategic locations (south, east and west) around the City - more than enough time to review the plan. We open at 5:00PM, have a formal presentation around 6:00PM and then finish up by 7:00PM.

Maps will focus on your parcels - find where you live and determine the future plans for your neighborhood. Want to change the way things look? - we're here to listen! ...also, these maps will be posted near reference desks at your local library begging for your input (have fun with dots!) - you'll see when you get there. ... the photo shows visitors to our office getting a preview.

See the Florence city area map here.

See what else we are doing here.

Questions? Send me a message here.

Facebook - here.

I-95 detours

Over the next three months, twenty-three miles of I-95 will be improved from Exit 171 in Florence, north towards Dillon, exit 194.

See the SCDOT webpage for more details.

Want to check for traffic before you head out? Look through the traffic cameras.

We like Trees!

Moats, Park and Ward earn arborist certifications by the International Society of Arboriculture. These three employees of the County Planning Department are part of efforts to review and produce tree preservation policies for the County.

We are very excited to become part of the foundation to look at better ways, more sustainable ways to develop in Florence County.

Sustainability has been a continuing theme. Tomorrow's County Council meeting will be include a resolution to incentivize the purchase by Florence County residents of hybrid vehicles as well as greening you home. Look at our previous blog for more info or this Morning News article.

Future Land Use, air quality notifications and the tree preservation policies are all examples that began with a sustainable direction.

Do you have an idea on how the County can be more sustainable? Please share! ...and please help!

Sustainability in Florence County

I am very excited about the next County Council meeting this Thursday at 9:00AM. Aside from the Community Facilities Element of the Comprehensive Plan being introduced, so are some very cool hybrid vehicle and 'greening your home' incentive programs for County residents.

That's right - the County will help you to 'green' your lifestyle! 

This link will open up the agenda - look on page 3, it's the first resolution. More specifically, the entire resolution can be found from this link on pages 20 and 21.

The County jumped on air quality initiatives at the first sign of potentially missing the new ozone standards. The Planning Department has been following our air quality very closely (see our August 2008 blog) and also presented a list of options to the Council on October 16, 2008. This incentive program was on the list together with an anti-idling policy for all employees.

The anti-idling policy is in the process of being incorporated into our Personnel Policy Manual!

Watch the Council meeting live.

Let us know what else we need to focus on to make our community better. Click on the this article's title to leave a comment.

Water is Wet. What else do you want to know?

It's been a wild week here at the Planning Services Division: it started with a GIS (maps) conference in Columbia ending mid-day Tuesday, then diffusing a potential FLATS (our urban transportation planning side) issue with the long-range plan and reviewing text on the future land use element (coming to areas around the City of Florence in March). All of this, together with figuring out how to compile a list of annual obligations for FLATS, an update to the background material to support the TIP and a federal government survey!

...are you still there?

We are! And we are making some great strides moving Florence County forward. But I want to discuss the water survey that was sitting to the right for so long (I moved it further down the page for now).

Water
It seems like everyone who took the survey (thank you!) has a great perspective on where their water comes from... and for most of us, it comes from the same place - the Pee Dee River and aquifer (not a survey option). There was another option that I failed to offer: anyone collect rainwater? ...don't laugh; many settlers to the Florida Keys had large cisterns installed under the house - provides water and keeps a constant temperature in the house.

Surprisingly, the survey shows more than 25% of us get our water from a bottle!

The Great Pee Dee River runs along the northeastern side of Florence County, making its way towards Johnsonville. In addition to multiple wells tapping the aquifer around town, the City of Florence operates a surface water treatment plant at the Industrial Park at 327 and I-95. The photo to the left is the education center; also see it in the drafted Community Facilities Element (public hearing, County Council, March 5th).

Everyone knows that diversifying an investment portfolio maximi... nevermind... This plant enables the City to diversify its water source. With the growing population of Florence, the more different sources, the better. It's all about capacity: having the capability to treat and supply the residents with clean drinking water. Currently, the City has a permit from DHEC to pull 15 million gallons a day (mgd) from its sources!

Water Conservation
I practically grew up with water restrictions. Do you know what the biggest use of water (other than indutrial processes)? Irrigation! ...I couldn't believe it when I heard that. How could anyone consider watering their lawn if they know what it took to supply it.

Taking the trip of a water molecule, you are first free in an aquifer or in the river when you are sucked into a treatment plant (think day spa for water molecules), then stored along with other molecules (those large tanks you see on the horizon), then directed through tunnels (water mains, to neighborhood distribution, to the meter at your house)... then - all over your lawn. Personal wells are a bit more practical for this purpose - but be sure to water at the early morning hours.

Bottom line - conserve this precious and expensive resource. These are your tax dollars and natural resources at work!

Tree Certifications

We are now counting down the hours - three members of the Planning Department will be taking the International Society of Arboriculture's Arborist certification examination tomorrow.

...and there has been a lot of studying - which reminds me of attending school again.

Early tomorrow, we will head to the exam location in Myrtle Beach and take the three hour test that includes everything you need to know about tree care like how to plant a bare-root tree in a clay soil, identification of more than 80 local tree species, the arrangement of vascular tissues in a plant, or how to properly prune a tree of dead or dying branches.

What's all this for, you may be wondering...

You may be tired of reading this reason, but all of this effort is to bring future planning and development review into more of a sustainable direction. We are incorporating this objective into Comprehensive (Long-Range) planning and soon to be starting - transportation planning.

I would be remiss if I did not mention that this test taking and time dedication has been made available from not only the support of Florence County, but also a successful grant to the South Carolina Urban and Community Forestry Council. The grant covers workshops, some travel expenses, study material, memberships and the test. The grant is also funding a brochure that will be producing that explains the benefits of trees in Florence County.

What's next? - potentially incorporating tree policies into the County code for new developments...

Conservation Easements?

Got Land?

Want to save it for ever?

The Coastal Training Program at the North Inlet - Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve is hosting a program titled "Conservation Options for Land Protection" on Monday, February 9th.

The program is tailored for Landowners, Farmers, Timber Operators, and others interested in preservation and responsible management of local lands, including working farms and ranches, wildlife habitat, and natural areas for the economic, social, and environmental benefit of current
and future generations.

The program will be held February 9, 2009, 6:00 p.m. at Horry County Wildlife Action Headquarters, 6397 Gunters Island Road, Galivants Ferry, SC 29544. Directions from Florence.

Snacks and beverages will be provided. Please RSVP by February 4 (tomorrow!) to help them plan appropriately. To RSVP, contact Nicole Saladin, Coastal Training Program Coordinator at 843-546-6219 ext 241 or by email.