3 things to know for your week ahead in Myrtle Beach
New parking rules take effect in Myrtle Beach
New parking rules, which strip the last free oceanfront parking from Myrtle Beach, go into effect Friday.
On-street parking along the east side of Ocean Boulevard from 31st Avenue North to 52nd Avenue North will be marked and open only to residents with city parking decals. Inside city residents that pay city property taxes on cars registered inside Myrtle Beach are eligible to receive free parking decals.
Non-city residents or part-time residents that do not have registered cars in the city will be available to purchase a parking decal for $100 a year beginning Friday from Lanier Parking located on the first floor of the Pavilion Parking Garage. The non-resident decal will allow vehicles to park for free, but only in the city’s Buchanan lot at Second Avenue North and at a lot at 16th Avenue North.
Parking along the avenues and side streets between Kings Highway and Ocean Boulevard from 31st Avenue North to 82nd Avenue North will be limited to city residents with parking decals and to guests of homes along the streets.
Beachfront access lots in the Golden Mile, which had remained free to visitors for decades, will be converted to pay-by-phone spaces. Myrtle Beach City Council is set to adopt the new rates for the spaces at its Tuesday meeting.
Although the rules go into effect Friday, City Manager John Pedersen said that the first two weeks of July will be used to warn the public of the changes with real enforcement beginning mid-month.
Shooting guns on private property, police-sheriff merger
Horry County’s public safety committee will tackle two hot topics this week: whether to limit the firing of guns in county neighborhoods and potentially merging the county’s police department and sheriff’s office.
Horry County is the only county in the state that has separate police and sheriff’s departments, and the council will discuss whether merging them is the right move.
The committee also will talk about potentially limiting the firing of guns on private property, a topic that surfaced last week with complaints from some residents about noise and safety.
The committee meets at 10 a.m. Monday at the Horry County Government and Justice Center, 1301 Second Avenue, in Conway.
Get a jumpstart on July Fourth
July Fourth is a week away, but some of the celebrations will kick off this weekend.
The 33rd annual Murrells Inlet Fourth of July Boat Parade, in a “Salute Our Military” theme, is at 5 p.m. Saturday. The highly decorated procession will sail south from Garden City Beach Point to Morse Park Landing.
Other Independence Day events in the area include the seventh annual “Salute from the Shore” at 1 p.m. July 4. The air parade of F-16 fighter jets and vintage military aircraft will head southwest from Cherry Grove Beach to Bluffton, near Hilton Head Island.
Also, Croissants Bistro & Bakery in Myrtle Beach, will stage its fifth annual “Fourth of July Cupcake Eating Contest,” from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. July 4, in Broadway at the Beach’s Heroes Harbor area, on 29th Avenue North in Myrtle Beach.
This story was originally published June 26, 2016 at 1:54 PM with the headline "3 things to know for your week ahead in Myrtle Beach."