Wedding & Event Venue Near Mt. Pleasant, SC.

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C., April 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Pickleball Kingdom, the nation's premier indoor pickleball franchise, is excited to announce the opening of its newest location in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, situated at 680 Long Point Rd Mt Pleasant, SC 29464. This location underscores Pickleball Kingdom's commitment to providing an unparallel pickleball experience throughout the state of South Carolina.

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Ace Rodrigues, Founder, and CEO of Pickleball Kingdom, expressed his enthusiasm, stating, "We are thrilled to bring Pickleball Kingdom to Mount Pleasant, SC, and we couldn't be happier to have Chris and Kelly Ogden leading the charge. This expansion marks another milestone in our mission to bring a premier indoor pickleball experience all around the world."

Chris and Kelly Ogden, esteemed franchisees of Pickleball Kingdom, are spearheading this endeavor in Mount Pleasant. Their dedication to the sport and enthusiasm for community involvement position them to make the Mount Pleasant North location a hub for the pickleball.

A Hub for Pickleball Enthusiasts

The Mount Pleasant North location boasts state-of-the-art indoor courts designed to accommodate players of all ages and skill levels. With a focus on inclusivity and fostering a sense of community, the venue will offer leagues, open play sessions, tournaments, and professional instruction.

"Pickleball is more than just a sport; it's a community builder," remarked Chris Ogden. "Our aim is to create a welcoming environment where people of all backgrounds can come together to enjoy this exciting sport. Mount Pleasant is the perfect setting for Pickleball Kingdom."

Join the Pickleball Kingdom Family

As Pickleball Kingdom continues its expansion efforts, the company is actively seeking passionate individuals to join its franchise family. Prospective franchisees will benefit from comprehensive support from the Pickleball Kingdom team and the opportunity to be part of a rapidly growing industry.

"This is a remarkable opportunity to be part of the fastest-growing sport in the country," noted Rob Streett, COO of Pickleball Kingdom. "We're eager to welcome entrepreneurs who share our vision for growing the pickleball community."

www.pickleballkingdom.com/franchise

For Franchise & Media Inquiries:

COO Rob StreettEmail: 376109@email4pr.comPhone: 888-788-0999

About Pickleball Kingdom

Pickleball Kingdom is the premier indoor pickleball franchise, dedicated to promoting the sport through high-quality facilities, instruction, and community engagement. With a vision to create a worldwide network of pickleball venues, Pickleball Kingdom is reshaping the landscape of sports.

SOURCE Pickleball Kingdom Franchising

Tell me about your professional background and how you feel it makes you a good fit to be a council member.

I've been teaching in Charleston County since 2016. This is my 24th year teaching. The local aspect of teaching, most of my career has been in teaching elementary school, but still the local aspect of working in the community where I live has always been something that I really like. Now I'm in North Charleston, so it's the greater community where I live. I think this is a theme of why I've chosen to run for Town Council because I would like to see Mount Pleasant make its own decisions on a local level and be responsible for them and with citizens participating in the process. I lived in France for seven years and I have a Bachelor of Science in French and psychology and a master's degree in educational technology. I've just always been part of the local community and have worked well with others.

What do you feel is the biggest issue facing the town today, and what plans do you have to address this?

I have a daughter, a six-year-old, and we went to James Island yesterday to go rock climbing in James Island County Park. I would like to see the green spaces improved in Mount Pleasant to make it something where travelers don't have to go across town to go to the (County) Park. I know that there’s a bike path in … Laurel Hill County Park and just a dirt road going in a half-mile circle and there are things that we can put back there that would be places you can take your kids and take your family.

The other thing is I think that health all across the United States is a problem. We pay more for healthcare. We have more healthcare issues related to obesity and diet. I would like to be somebody who spreads the message of healthy eating and healthy lifestyles lead to better lives. We have a great little local market there at Boone Hall...we have the Farmers Market on Tuesday and Boone Hall is open the rest of the week.

The results of the Public Input Matters survey found that throughout all seven districts in town, respondents feel that traffic in Mount Pleasant needs to be improved. What are some concrete solutions that you feel can address this?

The traffic in Mount Pleasant and housing in Mount Pleasant — I don’t know if ‘victims of our own success’ is the right word for it. We have a very unique geography here. We are a virtual island in that there's no shortcuts. There's one way in and one way out. You may come across I-526 or I-26 or you go north towards McClellanville and Georgetown up (Highway) 41. There just isn't room.

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I know that the Town Council has a plan and they've already hired a company to look into certain traffic solutions. As a new council member, I'm not sure if I would be able to offer anything different to what they have already decided on.

Another area Public Input Matters survey takers responded to was housing availability. Forty-one percent of respondents felt that affordable housing options should be increased. How do you feel this can be accomplished?

I think it speaks well to the people in Mount Pleasant that we want things for people like affordable housing, but whether or not there is a feasible solution to providing that affordable housing — where are we going to put affordable housing? It makes sense that people want affordable housing but do they want the affordable housing in their backyard?

I want to live locally, I want to buy locally, want to shop locally, but we can't escape the fact that a lot of our local decisions are made on a state and national and global level. How does Mount Pleasant make affordable housing when the interest rates are 7.75 percent? There are things happening on a national level that we just can't control that can make our job of creating affordable housing next to impossible.

Is there anyone who has served as a role model to you, either from politics, past experiences or family members, that you look to and consider while you run for office?

One thing my dad always taught us was sometimes doing the right thing is the hardest thing to do, but you can take solace in the fact that it's the right thing to do. I am a part owner of a restaurant in Washington, D.C. with my brother Eric and when Washington D.C. decided to impose the vaccine mandate on restaurants … we were the only restaurant in Washington, D.C. to actively say no, we're not going to check people's health papers. It was very hard on my brother to do that, and he's such a big part of the local community. What I just really admired was his courage and even though it financially wasn't the best decision. Financially, it wasn't a great decision, but it was the right decision to make and his principles are something that I truly admire and I try to follow that example in my own life.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Get carried away at Mount Pleasant’s new southern market and eatery!

Located in the heart of town, Get Carried Away offers everything you need whether it’s a delicious grab-and-go meal or stylish glassware for your next dinner party.

Happening Saturday, Feb. 3rd, the store will celebrate its grand opening of ‘The Perch,’ their outdoor patio and your new favorite hangout spot for an afternoon spritz and sandwich.

We caught up with the owners, Sassy and Brian Henry, to learn more about their business ahead of this weekend’s celebration.

“A lot of what we do is entertaining and hosting,” said owner, Brian. The idea for the shop has been derived from their love for food, hosting, and entertaining family and friends.

Get Carried Away’s first location was founded in Pawleys Island, but the Henrys decided to expand services to reach a larger audience. “We felt like Mount Pleasant was a comfortable jump,” Sassy said.

The Henrys want to accommodate Charleston’s vacationers and local folks.

Sassy went on to say, “When people are on vacation and going to the beach, they don’t want to have to cook entertaining-type foods for large groups of people.”

The market offers a variety of items for the typical vacationer to pick up on their way to the beach house or for the everyday locals to sip and shop.

Not only does Get Carried Away offer takeaway meals and a wide selection of beer and wine, but you can also find everyday groceries there such as meat, seafood, fruits, dips, milk, eggs, and so on. And of course, you can’t miss out on their famous chicken salad or pimento cheese!

You can get carried away in their home section, too, if you’re not careful. It features gorgeous glassware, decorative napkins, kitchen towels, candles, and much more! “We’re trying to keep it all food and beverage oriented,” Sassy mentioned about the products featured in the home section. It’s worth checking out if you’re looking to elevate your tablescape.

The fun doesn’t stop there! You and your family can join the Henrys on Saturday, Feb. 3rd from 12:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. for the grand opening of ‘The Perch,’ their outdoor patio and bar. The celebration will include a complimentary Lowcountry boil as well as their homemade crowd-pleaser appetizers.

‘The Perch’ will provide a full lunch and drink menu this spring with specialty cocktails: The Perch Punch, Coleman Cosmo, Old Village Fashioned, and the Moultrie Margarita.

Get Carried Away is located at 644 Coleman Boulevard in Mount Pleasant. They’re open from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and closed on Sundays.

MOUNT PLEASANT — In an ongoing backlash to years of soaring population growth and traffic complaints, this affluent suburb plans to extend strict limits on building permits for another five years.

Just 600 new residences would be permitted yearly in the town of more than 94,000 people, and the actual number would likely be lower.

The yearslong effort to slow residential development by capping building permits is a step no other municipality in South Carolina has taken, but few have experienced growth like Mount Pleasant. The town's population has roughly doubled since 2000 and tripled since 1990.

“There was concern in the community about our infrastructure being able to keep up with the growth rate, and I don’t think that concern has gone away," said Councilwoman G.M. Whitley, who put the permit limit extension before Town Council in November.

The measure is scheduled for a Planning Commission hearing Dec. 13, with a final Town Council vote expected in January. The "building permit allocation system" has been in place nearly five years, and instead of expiring in early 2024, it would be extended to 2029.

It's among many steps the town has taken to thwart rapid growth. There's also a moratorium on new apartment construction that's been in place for seven years, zoning rules have been changed to limit building height and density, and development impact fees were increased dramatically.

In 2018, the year before the permit caps began, the town saw 1,407 new dwelling units — houses, apartments, townhouses and other types of residences. Last year, there were 759.

The permit limits were aimed at slowing the town's annual growth rate for residences from more than 3 percent to a target of 2.1 percent. The result was a growth rate even lower, marked by a low of 1.29 percent in 2020 when just 520 new residences were built.

Mount Pleasant's ordinance in 2019 laid out justifications for limiting building permits, and nearly five years later those have not changed.

The ordinance to extend the permit limits uses the same language, which says "the effects of significant growth are apparent and have resulted not only in increased traffic, congestion and noise, but have also burdened the services.." and "...the town’s road system is barely capable of adequately handling current traffic..."

The permit rules are particularly strict when it comes to higher density multi-family construction, such as apartments and condos. Just 500 new multi-family residences would be allowed over five years, while 2,400 single-family homes could be permitted.

Perhaps surprisingly, despite the limits in place since 2019, hundreds of single-family-home permits went unclaimed.

“Right now we have in excess of 800-900 single-family permits," said Michele Reed, the town's planning director.

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Real estate professionals said a lack of developable land in Mount Pleasant and the high cost of any land available help explain why hundreds of permits to build houses were not used.

“Mount Pleasant, in a lot of ways, is near build-out," said Josh Dix, government affairs director for the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors. "There’s not a lot of opportunity for single-family."

Real Estate

If the town were to annex more properties, that could change. The town is currently in a lawsuit over rules that require property owners to become part of the town in order to get the water and sewer service needed for development.

The suit was filed by owners of a 185-acre tract on the Wando River, known as the Republic tract.

If it were to be developed in the town, Mount Pleasant's impact fees would apply and permit limits would allow just 25 new homes per developer every six months. If it could be developed as an unincorporated part of Charleston County, town officials have said the county's zoning would allow about 1,600 homes.

So, Mount Pleasant is mostly built-out, but that could change.

In the current permit-limiting plan that started in 2019, all but 10 of the 500 multi-family permits were claimed, as were all 100 of the permits allowed for accessory dwellings — generally small second homes on the same property as a primary home.

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Unclaimed permits will not roll over into the next proposed 5-year program. And as with the current program, there would be limits on how many single-family permits could be obtained every six months.

Drew Grossklauss, a Mount Pleasant realtor who became president of the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors in November, said he understands the town needs to address growth but the length of the permit limit extension seems unnecessary.

“I would say five years seems like an extreme to do something," he said.

There are exceptions to the permit caps. The two developments that have ongoing agreements with the town, Carolina Park and Liberty Hill Farm, are exempt, as are developments of affordable housing.

Real Estate

During the last five years, there was one townhouse development, Gregorie Ferry Towns, that qualified for the affordable housing exception — townhomes started at $279,000 — but real estate professionals doubt private developers could create more.

"The cost of land, the cost of construction — all these things add up," said Dix. He said allowing more permits for multi-family housing could help create more affordable housing.

“There is a lot of talk from realtors that if we build a lot of multi-family housing, Mount Pleasant would be more affordable, but I think that’s not true," said Whitley. "They will charge what the market will bear."

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCSC) - Parents and students of a Charleston County school are demanding justice from the district after two teachers were recently relocated to other schools.

They claim two teachers from Mamie P. Whitesides Elementary School were moved because they were vocal about their concerns surrounding carbon dioxide levels in the school, and parents are calling the situation “whistleblower retaliation.”

Students and parents stood on the corner of Rifle Range Road and Founders Way across the street from Whitesides on Friday afternoon with signs and chanting “Bring back Ms. Bowman and Ms. White,” two teachers they say were ripped from their classrooms and placed in other schools with just three months left in the school year.

“This is nothing that parents take lightly,” parent Alicia Cledaras said. “These teachers spend more time with our children than we do during the day.”

Whitesides Principal Michelle Connor emailed parents Thursday night saying in part that a long-term substitute will be taking over for Bowman beginning Friday but did not give an explanation as to why.

Parents said this is an unnecessary disruption to classroom learning, and students are devasted to lose their teacher and said they didn’t get to say goodbye to her.

“I think the way Ms. Bowman was dismissed left the children feeling very uneasy about trusting the choices that our school is making,” parent Healther Kramer said.

Parents are now demanding the alleged retaliation stops against teachers who spoke up for their health and the health of their students regarding the CO2 issues, and that both White and Bowman are returned to their classrooms come Monday.

Students are upset and don’t understand why this is happening.

“Yesterday, we were calling [the district] and some of their voicemails said we {students} were the heart of their work, but it’s unfair for them to take away our teachers and if we are really the heart of your work, they need to bring our teachers back, it’s not fair,” student Carolina Kramer said.

“She (Bowman) was one of the nicest teachers I ever had during my years at Whitesides,” student Mila Doldan said. “She opens the window for us to have fresh air.”

“I want Ms. Bowman back because she was trying to get us healthy classroom conditions and she got transferred for it and that’s not fair,” student Jake Mayer said.

The Charleston County School District released the following statement:

Both Ms. Bowman and Ms. White have been transferred from Mamie P. Whitesides Elementary School but continue to be employed by CCSD at East Cooper schools. The decision to transfer both teachers was to address concerns raised by both teachers regarding issues specific to Whitesides and ensure their safety as valued employees. The district cannot comment further as this issue is a personnel matter. The limited information is not intended to disenfranchise members of the community but rather to protect the privacy of our employees.

Parents and students also said they still have concerns about the CO2 levels in the school, despite all the district has done to ensure it is safe. Students said they often experience headaches while at school.

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