Downtown Myrtle Beach library dollars won’t be coming from the county. Here’s why

The City of Myrtle Beach wants a new library, but they won’t be getting any help from Horry County.

The decision, made during last week’s Horry County Council budget retreat in Conway, means transferring $200,000 staff had set aside for the project to the recreation department — a department that is struggling for money.

The city planned to use the money to help build a new children’s museum and library in the Superblock area of downtown Myrtle Beach, located between Main Street and 9th Avenue North.

“We didn’t even know it was on their agenda,” said John Pedersen, Myrtle Beach city manager.

But the decision to cut the funds for the library didn’t come as a surprise for Pedersen.

Over the past few years, city and county officials have debated over the use of the money — a debate that came to a head after city council voted for paid parking along the Golden Mile, causing county residents to lose free parking at the beach.

“They basically decided to withhold that support basically because of some unhappiness with parking on the Golden Mile,” Pedersen said in regards to the county holding the money last year.

At the time, county council voted to cut the funding for the Chapin Memorial Library until the city made parking at the Golden Mile free.

At the same time, county officials decided to pull $35,000 of funding from the library, located at 400 14th Ave. North in Myrtle Beach. The funds were used for additional materials, security devices and website training.

“We really, in the past couple of years, have not seriously planned for the county’s participation,” Pedersen said.

The city currently is working with consultants to come up with a master plan for downtown.

Currently, the city is in the process of entering into a lease agreement with Coastal Carolina University to put a performing arts center in 807, 809 and 811 U.S. 501.

If county council approves, officials plan to transfer the $200,000 to the Horry County Parks and Recreational department, which could close between 20 and 30 percent of parks, boat landings, recreational centers and more if they do not find a way to fund the facilities.

Most of the money for parks and recreation comes from property taxes and fees associated with using recreational facilities. But in the FY2018 budget, the recreation department spent more than $400,000 than it brought in through revenue.

Now, the department is limited in what repairs can be made to facilities, which could cause safety concerns in the future.

Horry County Administrator Chris Eldridge and several other council members said that the staff of the parks department do their best with what they have, but the vastness of the county creates strain on maintenance and operations, driving up operational costs.

If the county cannot guarantee the parks are safe, Eldridge said that they will have to be closed.

In order for the transfer to be approved, it must go through the Horry County Administration Committee and back to council for a final vote.

“County funding or not, I cannot envision a scenario where City Council fails to fully support the community and county asset that is the Chapin Memorial Library,” Myrtle Beach councilman Phil Render said in an email. “Countywide literacy is one of the top priorities of the city of Myrtle Beach.”

This story was originally published December 3, 2018 at 4:53 PM.