Atlantic Beach officials encouraged after meeting with Gov. Haley about Bikefest

The mayor of Atlantic Beach said he was happy to have the opportunity Thursday to clear up some misunderstandings between town officials and Gov. Nikki Haley regarding the town’s Bikefest during a private meeting.

“There were some misunderstandings and some things that she needed to hear to clear up those misunderstandings,” Evans said of his first opportunity to discuss Atlantic Beach Bikefest with Haley directly. He would not elaborate on what those misunderstandings were.

Atlantic Beach officials met with Haley at her office in Columbia in a private meeting for 45 minutes Thursday morning to discuss the future of the town’s Bikefest event held annually on Memorial Day weekend. Councilman Kenneth McLaurin, town manager William Booker, police Chief Timothy Taylor and the town attorney attended the meeting.

Three people died and seven were injured in eight shootings on Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach during Memorial Day weekend this year, prompting the governor to call for an end to Atlantic Beach Bikefest. Evans said there was no mention of canceling Bikefest during the meeting with Haley on Thursday.

“It was a great meeting,” Evans said. “The governor was apologetic about the things she said on Monday.”

Haley said on Monday that she had “not even gotten a response” from Atlantic Beach officials since she addressed their Town Council in July and made plans to meet again within a month.

But Evans said town officials had spoken with Haley’s staff about at least four dates for possible meetings before initially scheduling to meet with the governor on Wednesday. Haley, again, rescheduled the meeting to Thursday, Evans said.

Haley spokesman Doug Mayer said that governor’s meeting with Atlantic Beach officials was productive and honest.

“There have been a lot of emotions involved in the discussions surrounding Bikefest and today’s meeting was about the need for open and full communication going forward,” Mayer said in a statement. “The ultimate goal will always be the safety of our citizens and their property and promoting the goodness and unique culture of South Carolina.”

Evans said he plans to continue to work with Haley and her staff as plans are made for next year’s Memorial Day weekend.

The shootings prompted plans to redirect accommodations tax funds to beef up law enforcement and plans to create task forces to look at the issues. Myrtle Beach police Chief Warren Gall also organized a law enforcement summit earlier this week to discuss strategies for dealing with large special events with police from across the country.

Myrtle Beach officials have been working with North Myrtle Beach and Horry County law enforcement to create a plan to address crime during next year’s event, with Myrtle Beach releasing initial details of a safety plan. On Monday, Haley said Atlantic Beach needs to contribute to any plans that are made.

“It would really be nice if the city of Atlantic Beach would step up and say, ‘You know what? We have a role to play in all this and we should step up and do something about this,’ ” she said Monday.

McLaurin said the town intends to be involved.

“Everybody on the Grand Strand has a role [in improving public safety] and we’re certainly willing to accept our role,” McLaurin said. “We’re a part of the Grand Strand.”

Taylor said Atlantic Beach had not been involved in any of the security planning being done by other jurisdictions on the Grand Strand until Atlantic Beach Lt. Nick Trevathan met with area police on Wednesday.

“We’ll be meeting with them from now on,” he said.

On Monday, Haley said that Bikefest could continue if public safety is improved along the Grand Strand.

“They can continue to have Bikefest if they follow our rules,” Haley said. “They can continue to have Bikefest if the violence goes away. They can continue to have Bikefest if they understand that we have a reputation that we have worked hard to build up. ... But that hasn’t been what they’ve done.”

This is the first time the group has met since Haley traveled to Atlantic Beach in July, where she told Town Council she would work with them to help make the town a must-see, year-round tourist destination – as it was in the 1940s with bustling businesses, hotels and attractions – as long as they ended Bikefest.

Evans said he hopes to explore opportunities to revitalize Atlantic Beach with help from the state.

“We plan to have future meetings and these issues will be discussed,” he said.

This story was originally published September 25, 2014 at 9:29 PM with the headline "Atlantic Beach officials encouraged after meeting with Gov. Haley about Bikefest."