MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – A meeting Wednesday night in Carolina Forest revealed what could be the future of the unincorporated community.
“The Future of the Forest Committee” was tasked with surveying people who live in Carolina Forest and presented their findings to a group of about 50 people.
“There is a public outcry to do something,” said Fred Crosby, who led the discussion and the survey of over 800 residents.
According to Crosby, the top five issues, in order, are:
- Roads & Traffic
- Safety
- Planning
- Beach Access
- Other Infrastructures (i.e. bike paths, sidewalks, street lights)
Crosby said, “Roads and traffic was by far the most important issue on the minds of respondents, with 85.93% picking it in their top three issues.”
People in Wednesday night’s crowd said the area’s rapid growth negatively affects their quality of life, but Crosby said the county seems to be moving as fast as it can.
“What the county is doing incrementally is probably about as good as anybody can do,” he added.
Crosby said he knew roads needed to be widened and needed better access points, but said a quick solution probably wouldn’t be affordable.
“That’s the part nobody wants to hear,” he said, admitting residents may have too high of expectations.
The second most popular issue was public safety. Only about 17% of respondents to the survey said they felt secure in their home.
“That is an important number for all the leadership to consider,” said Crosby. “This is the next volatile, emotional issue because there is such a feeling of insecurity in the community.”
After the findings were presented, several residents asked Councilman Bill Howard, who was in the crowd, if anything can be done to get more police presence or a police precinct in the area. Howard said it was not in the budget but it’s been a topic of discussion for a few years.
When it came time for Carolina Forest residents to speak up on whether roads, traffic, and public safety truly are the biggest issues, many agreed.
“Definitely,” said Larry Prince who lives in Carolina Forest. “I think our road system needs better access. There’s a lot of congestion. I think public safety is a huge issue. I’ve experienced that myself so I definitely want to see those issues addressed.”
The committee was also tasked with finding ways to get the issues solved. The possible solutions were to take political action or to incorporate Carolina Forest as its own city.
“I think political action is very important,” added Prince.
Crosby said political action is a cost-effective option but the committee recommended a new and comprehensive approach be taken to achieve the best results.
He also explained incorporation as a viable alternative that he feels could be accomplished with no increase in out-of-pocket taxes to the citizens.
The full report will be put online, according to the committee, but was not available at the time of this posting. When the report is made public, a link will be added to this article.