Horry County Council talks bike fest

A representative from a bikers’ rights group addressed the Horry County Council at its meeting Tuesday and asked the council not do away with all vendor permits in the month of May in light of an ongoing controversy surrounding dates for the Myrtle Beach spring bike rally.

County Council originally was scheduled to discuss the possibility of doing away with all vendor permits for May, in response to a decision by the Myrtle Beach Harley-Davidson dealership to hold a rally on dates different from those that appear on the county website – May 14-20.

The council’s Committee of the Whole has moved that discussion to Feb. 14.

But the topic came up Tuesday when Rebecca Rowan, assistant coordinator for ABATE, A Brotherhood Against Totalitarian Enactments, told council members that the Myrtle Beach Harley-Davidson dealership owner’s decision to change the dates of the bike rally to May 18-28 is not something the biker community supports, and that vendors who follow the rules shouldn’t suffer.

ABATE announced last week that it was boycotting the local Harley dealership and owner Phil Schoonover unless he changes his mind on hosting the rally that late into May, which runs into Memorial Day weekend.

“We hope that the biker community as a whole comes together on this boycott,” Rowan said.

Rowan said that overlapping the Myrtle Beach rally with the Atlantic Beach bike fest – traditionally held Memorial Day weekend – and other holiday activities would simply be overwhelming for Horry County.

“This is one man’s decision,” she said.

Before the meeting’s end, Councilman Brent Schulz, who also heads the public safety committee, said there will be a special committee meeting on Feb. 23 to discuss the rules of bike week and make sure all those taking part are clear on what’s allowed and what’s not allowed.

Schulz said this hasn’t been done in the past, but he feels it’s time to address what is expected of those who participate.

“We want everybody to have a good time. We just want everyone to know what the rules are,” Schulz said.

The public is invited to that Feb. 23 meeting, which will be held at 5 p.m. at the Horry County Government and Justice Center in Conway.

In other business, the council was given an update on the search for a new county administrator.

Patrick Owens, with the county’s human resources department, asked the council to extend the closing date for the position one more month.

When the parameters were approved in mid-December, the position was only going to be advertised for 45 days.

Owens said the position was posted on the International City Managers Association website and the department has doubled the qualified applicant pool.

He added that there have been a total of 72 applicants, with 19 of them having met the minimum qualifications.

Council members unanimously approved the extension.

Assistant County Administrator Steve Gosnell has served as interim administrator since former administrator John Weaver stepped down from the position last November.