Mortgage Broker in Moncks Corner, SC

Cutting the ceremonial ribbon at the grand opening of the DuPont Healthcare Cooper River site in South Carolina, USA, were (left to right) Cooper River Mobility & Materials Site Leader Bill Alexander; DuPont Liveo Cooper River Operations Representative and Construction Team Member Lincoln Weathersby; DuPont Electronics & Industrial Vice President of Integrated Operations John Singer; DuPont Liveo Cooper River Operator Mechanic CJ Jacobs; DuPont Electronics & Industrial Vice President and General Manager for Industrial Solutions Sam Ponzo; South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster; DuPont Healthcare & Specialty Lubricants Global Business Director Eugenio Toccalino; Berkeley County, South Carolina, Supervisor Johnny Cribb; Cooper River Project Team Leader Jen Crock; Cooper River North Area Leader Ellie DeSanto; DuPont Liveo Cooper River Operator Mechanic Cary Domi; and Cooper River Electronics & Industrial Site Leader Tony Schwuchow.

The facility in South Carolina expands biopharma processing tubing manufacturing capabilities marking a key milestone in DuPont’s healthcare growth strategy.

DuPont celebrated the opening of its new DuPont Liveo Healthcare Solutions manufacturing facility located at the Cooper River Site in South Carolina with a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by state and local government officials and business leaders. The new facility will expand capacity for biopharmaceutical tubing extrusion to meet increased demand from Liveo customers.

The site, located near Moncks Corner, South Carolina operates using the same quality standards as the DuPont Healthcare Industries Materials Site (HIMS) in Hemlock, Michigan – DuPont’s long-standing healthcare manufacturing site. Operators at the new South Carolina facility were certified at HIMS.

“The Cooper River site will bring additional production capacity online over the next two years to serve strategic customers and expand our Liveo Healthcare Solutions customer base,” said DuPont Healthcare & Specialty Lubricants Global Business Director Eugenio Toccalino. “We’re committed to investing in our healthcare business, and this biopharma processing manufacturing investment at Cooper River is a key milestone in our growth strategy that will help us offer a highly reliable and sustainable product supply.”

DuPont worked with local companies, including more than 40 subcontractors on the project.

“Being selected as the second dedicated healthcare site is indeed an honor and a reflection of our team’s track record of dedication, ownership, and commitment to our core values and excellence in meeting customers’ needs. Thanks to collaboration between the DuPont team and our contractor partners, the Cooper River site was completed within 17 months – on time, on budget, and without a single recordable safety incident,” said Bill Alexander, DuPont Cooper River site leader. “The opening of the site already has enabled the creation of 25 jobs for startup, with another 25 expected by mid-2024 as we ramp up operations.”

The ribbon-cutting event included remarks from South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, Berkeley County Supervisor Johnny Cribb, DuPont Electronics & Industrial Vice President and General Manager Sam Ponzo, Toccalino, and Alexander. Attendees also toured the site.

In the second half of 2022, the company expects to add biopharma silicone tubing capacity in China to serve the customers in that region.

During a day trip to Old Santee Canal Park in Moncks Corner, north of Charleston, it’s not difficult to imagine life in the Lowcountry as it was 200 years ago: A swampy creek bordered by cypress trees, alligators cruising through black water, egrets wading in the shallows, and frogs croaking from behind a curtain of rustling marsh grass.

All that is missing is a long, slender wooden flatboat filled with barrels of molasses, sacks of cornmeal and bales of cotton, being poled along toward the spires of the city of Charleston in the distance.

Old Santee Canal Park in Moncks Corner preserves 195 acres surrounding Biggin Creek, a swampy waterway that was once the site of America’s first summit-level canal that was an engineering marvel of its day.

Backed by business leaders and some of the most famous names in colonial South Carolina — including Revolutionary War generals such as William Moultrie, Francis Marion and Thomas Sumter, and eminent figures such as John Rutledge, signer of the U.S. Constitution — the Santee Canal was an ambitious project. The canal, stretching 22 miles connected the Cooper River in Charleston with the Santee River and opened a waterway of trade to Columbia and the heart of the Carolinas.

Begun in 1793, under the direction of Lt. Col. Christian Senf, a Swedish or Danish-born engineer who had saved with the patriot army, the Santee Canal took nearly a decade to build and at its height employed over 1,000 laborers, many of whom were indentured slaves. The canal used a series of locks, built of hand-made brick, to raise and lower flatboats over a 35-foot elevation change between the Santee and Cooper rivers.

Farmers and traders from the midlands to the mountains could more easily sell their goods in Charleston, and merchants there could ship their wares far inland. Despite its success, the Santee Canal was soon overtaken by railroads and this new technology rendered it obsolete.

A section of the Santee Canal is preserved at Old Santee Canal Park in Moncks Corner, and when you visit today, you will be fascinated by the unique history, and amazed at the natural beauty of the park. When you arrive you will encounter the 11,000-square-foot interpretive center, the entrance to which is a replica of an old canal lock.

Inside, the well-maintained building houses a museum outlining the history of the canal, the technology behind its construction and the cultural impact of its success. The natural world is celebrated, too, as a giant live oak highlights the oak bluff ecosystem surrounding the park, and live examples of Lowcountry wildlife can be viewed.

There are guided tours, educational programs and special events held year-round that make Old Santee Canal Park a facet of culture that benefits young and old alike.

Outside, more than four miles of boardwalks and trails crisscross Biggin Creek and the swampy canal trace. Wildlife abounds and can be easily seen from well-sited viewing areas.

Canoes and kayaks are available to explore the waterway, too. While watercraft speed by in the nearby Tailrace Canal, life in Old Santee Canal Park remains a quiet oasis where nature and history can be explored together. This history also includes nearby Stony Landing and the 1843 plantation house that still sits high on the bluff over the river it once served.

Here was a hub of trade from colonial times and during the Civil War it became known for another important role: The small semisubmersible “Little David” was built, and armed with a torpedo, was sent against the Union fleet blockading Charleston. There it successfully damaged a Union ironclad and made history.

A replica of the “Little David” can be seen on the grounds of Old Santee Canal Park at the Berkeley County Museum, and inside the park’s interpretive center.

For a day of adventure through history, a glimpse at a fascinating technology of the past, and a walk on the wild side, Old Santee Canal Park in Moncks Corner is well-worth a visit.

Old Santee Canal Park in Moncks Corner in Berkeley County is located at 900 Stoney Landing Road., is just under two hours from the Beaufort area and very easy to find.

Take U.S. 17 toward Charleston to Ravenel and turn left onto S.C. 165. Take 165 to Summerville and take a right onto U.S. 17A toward Moncks Corner. In Moncks Corner, turn right onto Mountain Pine Road and turn left at U.S. 52. Follow the signs to Old Santee Canal Park and turn right onto Stoney Landing Road.

Old Santee Canal Park is open year-round from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $5 per person, $3 for seniors and children under 6 free. Guided tours and group rates are available and there are numerous educational and cultural programs throughout the year.

For more information on Old Santee Canal Park, call 843-899-5200 or visit https://www.oldsanteecanalpark.org

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. (WCBD) – Wednesday is National Overdose Awareness Day and the Berkeley County Coroner’s Office teamed up with the Kennedy Center to hand out free NARCAN and other supplies for Berkeley County residents.

Berkeley County officials are spreading awareness to help save lives.

“In observance of National Overdose Awareness Day,” Wehme Hutto, executive director of the Kennedy Center, said, “we’re having a Narcan and Deterra giveaway, and we’re also giving away fentanyl strips.”

They say Wednesday’s NARCAN giveaway is to address the recent uptick in overdoses they’ve seen in the area.

“Unfortunately,” Darnell Hartwell, Berkeley County’s chief deputy coroner, said, “on a daily basis, we see overdoses in Berkeley County. So, that’s what makes it so important for us to be able to have a partnership with them, to be able to reduce the opioids and drug overdoses we see here in Berkeley County.”

Hartwell says many of those overdoses have been deadly.

“This year,” Hartwell said, “we have seen an uptick in the overdose deaths here in Berkeley County. Just this morning, I had a mother in my office that was grieving due to her son dying from an opioid death just a few weeks ago.”

And the main culprit of those fatal overdoses is fentanyl.

“Fentanyl is definitely a drug that we’re seeing an uptick in,” Hartwell said. “It’s very deadly, very deadly.”

Now, leaders are working together to warn residents of just how dangerous the drug can be.

“One of the programs that the Kennedy Center,” Hartwell said, “and the coroner’s office provides is trying to educate the community and the public on how deadly that specific drug is to them.”

As well as, empower residents to help save others’ lives.

“What we want them to know is that they can save a life,” Hutto said.

“If there’s just one life saved today, it’s worth it for us,” Hartwell said.

The Kennedy Center has free NARCAN available every week, Monday through Thursday, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. – Beginning at 9 a.m. on Aug. 23, Santee Cooper will carry out a full-scale exercise to test Santee Cooper’s Emergency Action Plan for Dam Failure. As part of the exercise, Santee Cooper will test its sirens located below the Santee Dam and in the Santee River floodplain between 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. The exercise will involve various municipal, county, state and federal agencies.

“Safety is a priority at Santee Cooper. This test is a way to make sure our warning equipment is working properly in the unlikely event there is a problem with the Santee Dam,” said Shea McMakin, Santee Cooper Chief Dam Safety Engineer. “The full-scale exercise also allows personnel from Santee Cooper and other agencies to get hands-on practice of our safety plan.”

There are 15 siren sites, which can be activated remotely from Santee Cooper’s Energy Control Center in Moncks Corner, located throughout the floodplain.

Also scheduled for testing on Aug. 23 are some 650 tone-alert radios issued to floodplain residents in Berkeley, Charleston, Clarendon, Georgetown and Williamsburg counties. The radios are activated by the National Weather Service in coordination with Santee Cooper. Santee Cooper’s telephone-based warning system for the floodplain will be exercised as well.

The Santee Dam, which rests upon Lake Marion, is 4.5 miles long and 40 feet tall and has a floodplain that reaches about 650 residences between the dam and the Atlantic Ocean. In addition to Santee Cooper, federal, state and local agencies will be participating in the exercise, including National Weather Service; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; the South Carolina’s Emergency Management and Law Enforcement divisions and the departments of Public Safety, Natural Resources, and Health and Environmental Control; and Berkeley, Charleston, Clarendon, Georgetown and Williamsburg counties’ emergency preparedness divisions and/or sheriff offices.

Santee Cooper is South Carolina’s largest power provider, the ultimate source of electricity for 2 million people across the state, and one of America’s Best Midsize Employers as named by Forbes. Through its low-cost, reliable and environmentally responsible electricity and water services, and through innovative partnerships and initiatives that attract and retain industry and jobs, Santee Cooper helps power South Carolina. To learn more, visit www.santeecooper.com and follow #PoweringSC on social media.

Vivian Glover, director of community arts and development at the Orangeburg County Fine Arts Center, has been appointed to the S.C. African American Heritage Commission and Preservation South Carolina.

The S.C. African American Heritage Commission says its mission is to identify and promote the preservation of the historic sites, structures, buildings and culture of the African American experience in South Carolina.

“The commission identifies and recommends the placement of historic markers for spaces of significance to African Americans or where contributions were made by African Americans,” Glover said.

“While this is a statewide endeavor, I hope to ensure that significant sites in the Midlands and Lowcountry receive recognition and am looking forward to receiving recommendations from our communities. I’m also looking forward to visiting parts of the state on behalf of the commission, meeting with groups and learning more of the great achievements of African Americans that will help to add to our still uncompleted history. I want to be involved in the many ways our stories are heard and appreciated,” she said.

“Two very significant projects I’m currently involved in as a commissioner are the Hettie Anderson Project and the project to bring attention to the African Americans who participated in some capacity in the American Revolutionary War. Undertaking research for both these projects has been an amazing and rewarding experience,” she said.

Glover continued, “Very little is known by the public about the contributions made by African Americans during the American Revolutionary War, many of whom were enslaved South Carolinians. We hope by the completion of this project, we can offer a significant quantity of thought-provoking materials based on scholarly research, including the stories of the men and women who were present at the founding of our country.”

Anderson was born in Columbia in 1873. She was a sought-after artists' model and muse.

“It was only recently acknowledged that Anderson, the model for several significant art and art-related endeavors, was a woman of African descent. The commission is currently organizing an exhibition chronicling Anderson’s life, which is scheduled to open at the end of March 2023 in the building housing the S.C. Department of Archives and History,” Glover said.

She said she is humbled by the commission appointment.

“Given my background and career experience, my focus will be on promoting and publicizing the commission’s work. In addition to supporting the projects and activities of other commissioners, I will work to increase our social media presence and relaunch an online newsletter beginning in the fall. I regard this appointment as an exciting and rewarding opportunity to bring attention to additional influential Black South Carolinians, their achievements, and their bravery throughout our history,” Glover said.

Preservation South Carolina is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the historic and irreplaceable architectural heritage of South Carolina.

As a PreservationSC member, Glover said she plans to work toward “preserving architecture that is historic and represents our heritage, our sacred beliefs, especially those which are unique to South Carolina.”

“In the 32 years since its founding, Preservation South Carolina has preserved, restored and saved historic structures and buildings throughout the state, making it a vital part of the campaign to safeguard our heritage and advocate for its present-day relevance.

“While I have a deep appreciation of history, realizing history through an architectural lens is appreciating the tangible evidence of lives lived. These are visual realities of the communal contributions erected to ensure continuity. Experiencing this connectedness has fostered in me a deeper reverence of history,” Glover said.

She said will be involved in promoting PreservationSC’s programs, events and projects, especially those related to African American history.

“Two projects I’ve already taken an interest in is preserving Taveau, a historic United Methodist Church in Moncks Corner, whose congregants were African Americans. The other project is in Edgefield, and my interest is in the African American potter David Blake, also known as Dave the Potter, whose works are soon to be on display at the Metropolitan Museum in New York City,” Glover said.

She continued, “Blake was born into and spent most of his life in slavery and was known throughout the South for his exceptional skills at producing alkaline-glazed stoneware. PreservationSC is interested in participating in the restoration of the Edgefield Hotel. Perhaps that building, as a restored space, will have an affiliation with Drake and other African-American potters of his time.”

Glover said her PreservationSC appointment is an honor.

“As one of two African-Americans and one of two women on the board, perhaps I can eventually bring new ideas and a diverse perspective,” she said.