Horry County buying land for long-awaited fire station in S.C. 544 area near Conway

Horry County officials plan to purchase a two-acre site on Singleton Ridge Road that will hold a long-awaited fire station for the S.C. 544 corridor.

The purchase is the latest move to close Horry County Fire Station No. 23 on Victory Lane and build a facility closer to the subdivisions along one of the county’s busiest arteries.

Two years ago, many residents in the Carolina Lakes neighborhood called the county wanting to know why their homeowners insurance rates had skyrocketed. When county officials looked into the matter, they learned the insurance companies had begun using technology that more accurately measured the proximity of nearby fire stations.

Many houses were more than a 5-mile drive from a station, and that discovery led to an increase in homeowners rates.

“A bunch of residents in that neighborhood, their insurance rates tripled and in some cases quadrupled,” said Horry County Councilman Johnny Vaught, whose district includes Carolina Lakes.

To address the problem, earlier this year County Council approved the sale of the 2.62-acre Victory Lane property to Horry Georgetown Technical College for $350,000. HGTC will use the property for parking and storage space.

The county plans to use the proceeds from the sale to buy the land on Singleton Ridge Road from Burroughs & Chapin Co. Inc.

County staff have negotiated a price on the property — which Vaught said is close to the same amount HGTC will pay the county — but County Council must first approve the purchase. The deal sailed through the county’s Public Safety Committee and will go before the full council for final approval next month.

“The sooner the better,” County Councilman Al Allen said. “We need that station.”

Scott Thompson, the interim chief of Horry County Fire Rescue, said the site is also ideal for the fire department. Officials say the new location is closer to some of the growing neighborhoods and away from campus traffic.

“It will help us on response,” Thompson said. “It separates us a little bit from Conway. And it gets us off the campus.”

Although county officials initially said it could take up to three years to acquire land and build a new station, Vaught said the process won’t take nearly that long.

Once the county closes on the Singleton Ridge Road property, construction can begin on the site, he said. The county already has money allocated for a new station.

“It’s a win-win all the way around,” Vaught said.

The councilman hopes the facility will assist the neighborhoods already in that area and those that may be built there.

“We could include all those people,” he said. “Plus almost cover all the way to [S.C.] 31 for future development.”

This story was originally published October 26, 2015 at 5:09 PM with the headline "Horry County buying land for long-awaited fire station in S.C. 544 area near Conway."