Best Moving Company in Mount Pleasant

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCIV) — The Biden Administration has officially rolled out a website where individuals can order free at-home COVID 19 test kits. There is a limit of four per household.

This comes as test kits are in high demand. It seems as soon as pharmacies get them in, they're swiped off the shelves.

We asked Dr. Kay Durst of Roper St. Francis if she thinks these kits are reliable. "Yes I think they are," she said.

Watch ABC News 4 live at 6 p.m. in the player below or at abcnews4.com/watch.

She believes at-home tests provided by the government are a trusty tool if used correctly.

"Whatever test you get, if it’s one they’re mailing or you’re picking up, read the directions," said Dr. Durst. "They’re all pretty different."

She says if you're having symptoms, test. If you've been exposed and have no symptoms, wait five days before you do.

"I wish we could get more than four per household, because a lot of people have several people," said Dr. Durst.

"Four per household is not a whole lot, let’s be honest," said Cynthia Feldman, founder and CEO of Sweetgrass Pharmacy. "If you have a household of more than four, certainly you need more than that."

She orders at least 300 at a time for her pharmacy and sells out in a day.

"As far as the over-the-counter testing kits, as soon as they became available for us to order they were flying off the shelves," Feldman explained.

As soon as you call Sweetgrass Pharmacy, you'll hear a voicemail saying they're all out of COVID test kits right now.

"We were receiving upward of 200 phone calls a day asking if we had test kits," Feldman said. "It took a huge strain on our staff just to the calls so that’s why we put that out there."

She's hopeful the free government kits will take some of the pressure off pharmacies.

Feldman adds if you're currently having COVID 19 symptoms, you'll need to go to a doctor or buy an at-home test kit from a pharmacy.

The ones provided by the government are not expected to ship for at least seven to 12 days.

Ball State (2-0, 0-0 MIVA) vs. George Mason (1-1, 0-0 EIVA)

Friday, Jan. 19 (7 p.m. ET)

Last meeting: Ball State 3, George Mason 1 (1/23/21)

Series History: Ball State leads 45-30

NEW ERA: The Ball State men's volleyball program will open the Donan Cruz era Thursday night with a 7 p.m. first serve versus Maryville … Prior to taking over the helm of the Cardinals, Cruz was a four-time National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Coach of the Year at Grand View University … Just the fourth head coach in the storied history of Ball State men's volleyball, Cruz led the inaugural Grand View men's team to a 13-13 mark in 2012 season, on his way to compiling a 211-55 overall record with the Vikings … He concluded his Grand View career with the best winning percentage in NAIA men's volleyball history at .793.

ALSO NEW ON THE STAFF: Joining Cruz on the Ball State staff are Midwestern Volleyball Association (MIVA) standout and former Lewis University star Mike Iandolo and BYU men's volleyball alumnus Christian Rupert … Iandolo was a two-time All-MIVA First Team selection and spent the last three season as the head coach at the University of Charleston … Rupert helped lead the Cougars to a pair of appearances NCAA Division I/II Men's Volleyball Championship Match, and following a brief professional career, spent two seasons as a volunteer assistant at Princeton.

SCOUTING GEORGE MASON: The Patriots come to Muncie for the first time since Feb. 10, 2019. The Cardinals won that meeting in Worthen Arena in a 3-2 five-set thriller. Last year Ball State and George Mason split a two-match non-conference series with the Patriots beating the Cardinals on Jan. 22 by a score of 3-2 and then Ball State took the second match by a score of 3-1 on Jan. 23. George Mason enters the game with a 1-1 overall record with a 3-0 defeat over Barton College and a 3-2 loss to Mount Olive. Redshirt OPP Jack Bolz leads George Mason offensively with 25 kills this season.

CARDINAL RECAP: The Cardinals have opened its season with a 2-0 ledger for the first time since the 2020 season that year Ball State started off with a 3-0 record. Ball State earned 3-0 sweeps over Maryville and Tusculum last week in Worthen Arena. Currently, the Cardinals are led offensivley by junior Bryce Behrendt who had 19 kills last week. As a team, the Cardinals had 24 service aces led by graduate senior setter Quinn Isaacson who had eight. He also dished out a career best 25 assists on Saturday, Jan. 15 against Tusculum.

ISAACSON AND JENNESS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-MIVA: B Graduate senior setter Quinn Isaacson(Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) and senior outside attacker Kaleb Jenness (Mount Pleasant, S.C./Wando) earned spots on the Preseason All-MIVA Team (Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association) while the Cardinals were picked to finish fourth in the preseason poll. Last season, Isaacson earned All-MIVA First Team accolades for the first time in his career after being named to the second team in 2020. He finished the 2021 season ranked second in the MIVA in assists (800), while averaging 10.81 per set. He was also fifth in digs (143) and service aces (24). Isaacson also earned All-MIVA Defensive Player of the Week accolades for the week of Feb. 23, 2021. This is the second-straight year Jenness has been named to the preseason All-MIVA squad. A two-time All-MIVA First Team honoree, Jenness ranked second on the team in kills (260) and third in blocks (48) last season. He recorded double-digit kills for the Cardinals in 16 contests, including a season-best 21 at Ohio State on March 11, 2021. Jenness was named MIVA Offensive Player of Week on Feb. 23 for his performance against Lindenwood.

NEXT MATCH: Ball State remains home next weekend with a two-match series against volleyball powerhouse Hawai'i on Saturday, Jan. 29 and Monday, Jan. 31. Both matches are scheduled for 7 p.m. ET first serves in Worthen Arena.

WE HAD TO SAY GOOD-BYE TO A LEGEND THIS YEAR: Dr. Don Shondell, an iconic figure in the sport of volleyball who founded the men's program at Ball State University, passed away on Nov. 24. He was 92. Dr. Shondell, a 1952 and 1956 Ball State graduate, had an illustrious career that was long and varied as a coach, professor, and author. He formed the first men's club volleyball team at Ball State in 1960, and would spend the next four years working tirelessly to make men's volleyball a varsity sport. The team earned varsity status in 1964, and over his 34 seasons at the helm of the program, Dr. Shondell accumulated a career record of 769-280-6 (.732), affording him the second-most wins by a head coach in NCAA men's volleyball history. His 769 career wins are the most by a Ball State coach in any sport. Dr. Shondell received Coach of the Year honors eight times from the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA), the conference of which he was a co-founder and first president. Dr. Shondell led Ball State to 19 regular season MIVA titles, 12 MIVA Tournament championships, and 13 NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship tournament berths.

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD) – Ben Byrd was excited to move into a new Mount Pleasant apartment.

“You know, it seemed like a really good deal,” Byrd said. “We were told, ‘you are going to be on the water in a nice new place,’” he added.

Byrd toured a unit at Edgewater Plantation off of I-526 and leasing agents quoted him $1,600 a month in rent. “It was beautiful, that is what they sold us on- they said this is the exact unit you are going to move into,” he said.

But less than a week before move-in day, Byrd said he was told he had to move to a different unit and that his rent would be going up to $1,900 a month.

“They called me and said, ‘hey, there is a problem with that unit, they are going to switch you to a nice newer more renovated unit,’” he said.

Byrd visited the new unit to take measurements days before he was scheduled to move in. “It was just like appalling. It smelled like urine and cigarettes, soft spots on the floor. There was trash everywhere,” he said.

He jotted down a list of necessary repairs. His primary concern was floor repair for the soft spots in the hall and kitchen. The management company said repairs would be completed in two days but Byrd said the crews never came.

“I started emailing them about it and didn’t get an answer. As we were unpacking the floor collapsed and I cut my foot open,” he said.

Four weeks went by without any repairs. News 2 contacted Edgewater Plantation’s parent company, Carroll, about the promised repairs and within days the floor was repaired.

“Resident experience is a top priority at Edgewater Plantation, and we take all resident matters very seriously. We have been in the process of assessing all subfloors throughout the property and making all necessary repairs. As a result, we have enlisted a qualified contractor to evaluate what subfloors need to be replaced and are working through what needs to be done. Mr. Byrd was notified prior to moving in that this project was currently underway. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, there have been delays in receiving the materials and the materials that were proposed to repair the subflooring were inconsistent with the current plan. As a result, our team provided a temporary solution so Mr. Byrd could occupy the space until the proper flooring arrived. It is important to us to provide the best resident experience and offer full transparency. We are working with Mr. Byrd to find a solution and to quickly provide the updated subflooring that was discussed prior to move-in.”

Edgewater Plantation Management

Byrd also reported growing piles of trash from the alleged valet trash that is included in rent.

“Additionally, we recently replaced the trash compactor due to issues that were brought to our attention. Unfortunately, the pandemic has created staffing challenges for every business, but we have invested in additional resources to help ensure the property is well maintained for residents, guests and staff. We encourage our residents and staff to always place trash in the compactor instead of placing it in front of it.”

Edgewater Plantation Management

News 2’s investigation revealed Byrd is not alone. Edgewater Plantation’s parent companies, Arium Living and Carroll LLC, have racked up more than 100 complaints on the Better Business Bureau.

Both companies have earned an “F” ranking on the site.

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCSC) - The town of Mount Pleasant wants your input on plans for a new multi-use path between Mathis Ferry Road and Long Point Road.

The path is planned for Whipple Road, stretching just over a mile. It’s part of the Mount Pleasant Way project and would run behind the existing sidewalk.

The project team wants to know which alignment of the path you prefer and what features you’d like to see along the trail.

Operations Division Chief James Aton says the goal of the Whipple Road trails is to bring more connectivity between destinations like Lucy Beckham High School, the town’s tennis facility, Seacoast Church, and adjacent neighborhoods that sit Whipple Road.

Through an online survey and an in-person public meeting on Thursday, Aton says you’ll see three different proposed crosswalks for Whipple Road. You can vote on your preferred option.

You’ll also be asked to rank the amenities you would like to see along the 10 to 12-foot path. These include benches, dog stations, historical markers, workout areas, and a community garden.

“This is really a flagship project for the town, Mount Pleasant Way in this segment in particular,” Aton said. “So, we want to make sure that there’s community buy-in and that’s vested moving forward for other segments as we pursue those as funding becomes available.”

He says concrete and asphalt are the two preferred surfaces for the path. He says concrete is cheaper and less impactful, so that’s what they prefer, but they are open to other recommendations.

Aton says a potential 13-acre park could eventually be built to connect to the trail as well. Those plans are still in the early stages.

Aton says the online survey for the new Whipple Trails is already live on their website.

Thursday night from 5 to 7 p.m. there’s a public meeting to view these plans and ask questions in person. It’s happening at the Jones Center on Egypt Road.

If you can’t make it in person, the online survey is open until January 28. Aton says that’s the deadline for the town to submit its application for Greenbelt funding.

He adds that the town hopes new infrastructure grant programs can help fund the project in addition to Greenbelt Funds.

Aton expects this to be an 18-to-24-month project.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCSC) - The Mount Pleasant Planning Commission is set to vote on a rezoning request that could bring changes to a small neighborhood just off Highway 17.

“Outside the neighborhood, it’s concrete and asphalt. We are surrounded by commercial Mount Pleasant,” says Chad McPeters, who lives in the neighborhood. “This is like a time capsule of Mt. Pleasant 50 years ago. This is one of the last little gems left in Mount Pleasant.”

The small community neighbors call ‘Louise Terrace’ is surrounded by commercial development and high-density apartment buildings. The rezoning request on the Planning Commission’s agenda is to rezone part of the Louise Terrace to a Townhouse District, potentially allowing for townhouses to be right next to and across from houses over half a century old.

While the request does not directly affect McPeters’ house, his concern transcends the rezoning vote at Wednesday’s Planning Commission meeting.

McPeters says his fear is high-density developments changing the character of the neighborhood, potentially bringing in more traffic and fitting new infrastructure in a small neighborhood that neighbors say is already experiencing issues like flooding.

While he is not against development, McPeters says a vote to change the zoning in a small neighborhood is only “putting a foot in the door for bigger, high-density development.”

“Growth is a great thing until it’s unregulated, unsupported and unsustainable, and then it becomes a cancer,” McPeters says.

The decades-old neighborhood is still in the very early stages of seeing any potential for development, in fact, a rezoning request is just the very beginning, which is why several residents plan to attend the Planning Commission meeting.

“You can see right now, there’s no high-density houses here right now,” McPeters says. “There are no giant developments. It’s all single-family houses, and that’s the way we want it to stay. I’d just like to ask them to say no to the rezoning.”

Wednesday’s vote covers only one property in the small neighborhood, but the commission says votes on other properties are “forthcoming.”

Other area residents say they are open to the potential for change, and that rezoning and development are inevitable in a fast-growing city like Mt. Pleasant.

The Mount Pleasant Planning Commission meeting is set for Wednesday at 5 p.m. You can find the full meeting agenda here.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.