The Infrastructure & Regulation Committee of the Horry County Council met on August 11, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. in the Multipurpose Room B/C of the Government & Justice Center. Chairman Al Allen presided. The meeting covered a wide range of topics including fleet services, solid waste management, parks improvements, stormwater fees, planning updates, and airport leases. Key actions included advancing the Industrial Corridors land use designation, approving park funding transfers, and initiating a study of solid waste liability.
And as always, we'll start out with an invitation and related religious. If you can stay in place, stay. Let us pray. Praise God. Heavenly Father, we're thankful to have this opportunity together here today. Encourage our hearts, hill close awards so that we see for close the world with you for what is truth, what is right. Give us patience, understanding, touch those all that need a special touch this day. Keep a age of angels around all of our employees, all of their families, that all things be done for your glory, and we'll praise you and honor you in the end. For we ask it in your precious name, our Lord and Savior cross Jesus. Amen. I'll pledge your leaders to the flag. Which is his famous nation. Under God. Individual liberty and justice for all. Maybe she needed to thank you very much. We do have one for public. Is that correct? Alrighty, if you'll come to the voting and state your name, and you got five minutes, okay? Good morning, everyone. My name is Sarah Rich. Um, and I'm with the Coastal Conservation League, and I'm also a resident of Conway. When I spoke about the Industrial Corridors last week at Planning Commission, I mentioned that the 501 Light Industrial Corridor abuts the tribal grounds of the Wawkama Indian people, but in actuality it overlaps our tribal grounds along with acre after acre of farmland to the south and east of us and more residential area to the north. Our sacred ceremonies are held out of doors. And at our historic passing of the staff ceremony last Friday afternoon, attendees commented that the sound of regular road traffic was disrupting at times. Imagine the impact of lines of big trucks, even more big trucks rumbling down Blue Water Road or Julius H. Goodson Avenue during the ceremony. Good luck praying to that music. With a four to five vote last Thursday, the Planning Commission barely approved the industrial corridor's future land use designation. This narrow margin indicates that there are very real concerns among the public and among public officials about this amendment to the county's comprehensive plan. According to the published industrial corridor public input results, respondents tend to list their own communities as not suitable for industrial development, and these are quotes. Quote, respondents typically preferred locating industrial uses in communities further from their home zip codes. Quote, respondents typically supported locating industrial uses in rural England areas. Quote, most respondents live in the county's urban areas. End quote. For example, or in other words, on the east side of the Wacama River, which is why proposed industrial corridors are located on the west side of the river. Now there's really no valid reason why some industrial corridors could not be designated east of the river, especially if future industry were to take advantage of redevelopment options instead of green field development, which is what appears to be proposed here. Given the urban locations of the public in succession so far and the significant cultural differences between electorates on the east and west sides of the river, it is really a moral imperative that county officials reach out to community representatives in these inland areas so that Ori's amended comprehensive plan represents equitable inclusion and not NIDIA. The Imagine 24 Vision Statement echoed in the language of the ordinance under consideration today, promises to, as you all know, sustain and enhance the quality of life for our residents and sisters by fostering healthy and safe communities, preserving our natural assets and rural heritage, encouraging business growth and economic diversification, and providing services and public facilities that will protect and strengthen our future. In other words, healthy and safe communities and the preservation of natural assets and rural heritage are recognized to supersede business growth and economic diversification because a healthy economy cannot exist without healthy ecosystems and a strong sense of community heritage. I'm fortunate that as a citizen of the Wacoma Indian people, I've been able to inform my community and that we've taken the opportunity to weigh in on this proposal. But other affected communities need more opportunities to participate in a conversation being had around and about them, and in so doing potentially prevent urban NIMPism from prevailing in the rural majority of Oregon County. Further, only 13% of survey respondents self identified as being in the industrial sector. This raises the question of how many of these respondents see more industrial growth as the strength and future of the county. My father worked in the steel industry in an industrial park outside of town, and he did not aspire for his children to work there. So can't we imagine a better 2040, a healthier 2040 for our children and grandchildren? As a closing prompt and on a topic that is directly related to everything that I just said, I would love to soon see an Ori County government work focused on an overlay establishing wildlife corridors and industrial ones. Thanks, people. Thank you, Mr. H. And uh that's a topic without being heavily heavily involved in because most of those are corridors are inside of District 11, and so I will work hard.