Wedding & Event Venue Near Ridgeland, SC.

The Beaufort County family of a 67-year-old dementia patient is still reeling after the man managed to leave a Ridgeland hospice facility and drive the company owner’s unlocked car miles down the highway Tuesday afternoon, arriving at his families’ neighborhood confused and disoriented.

“It was the best case scenario,” said Olivia Shultz, the patient’s daughter. Her father, who stopped driving after being diagnosed with Lewy body dementia in 2021, was uninjured in the incident, she said, and the car did not appear to have crashed on the nearly five-mile route to Sun City.

Even still, Shultz says the situation reflects a security issue at Friends of Caroline Hospice, located off S.C. 170 in Jasper County. Although the family cannot pursue legal action against the facility due to a lack of monetary losses, she says her father’s escape — and the amount of time his absence went unnoticed among staff — is troubling.

“If you know someone has dementia, why wouldn’t you be more on guard?” Shultz told The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette. She said Tuesday was the first time her father had wandered away from anywhere since his dementia diagnosis more than two years ago.

Lindsay Roberg, the president and CEO of Friends of Caroline Hospice, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Shultz dropped her father off at Friends of Caroline just before 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, planning to go shopping on Hilton Head with family before picking him up that evening. They had entrusted him to the facility once before in June, she said.

But around 2:30 that afternoon, Shultz got a call from Bluffton firefighters. Her father was at the Tidewatch Drive gate of Sun City, where the family lives, and appeared not to remember where he was or how he got there. Sun City security initially flagged down the man’s vehicle after noticing his car did not have an entrance decal.

“He wanted to go home, so he walked out the door,” Shultz said.

The car her father used in the attempt to drive home was registered to Roberg, the family soon discovered. The owner’s Forerunner had been left unlocked outside the Friends of Caroline facility with a spare set of keys inside, Shultz said, allowing her father to get inside and drive off.

Roberg later arrived to the scene, claiming her car and apologizing to the family, Shultz said.

The bulk of the family’s questions about Tuesday’s incident remain unanswered — how often their father had been checked on that afternoon, which door of the facility he walked out of, how long he was gone before staff noticed — but Shultz says the incident has damaged their trust in the company. They’ve now started the long process of updating their hospice and respite plans to find new caretakers for her father, she said.

“It was a traumatic experience for us all,” Shultz said. “I woudn’t want anyone else to have that same experience.”

This story was originally published July 23, 2023, 6:00 AM.

The Ridgeland Claude Dean Airport continues to soar to new heights with several capital improvement projects underway.

"The airport is marching toward becoming a full-service airport," Danny Lucas, Jasper County director of the development services division said. "Infrastructure is needed to operate a full-service airport, and the design, construction and operation of the airport is all done according to federal guidelines."

Lucas said the county continues to build out the air-side infrastructure, since County Council's decision in 2014 to construct a new airport. He said in 2015 the county decided to seek Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) funding, changing the mission of the airport, and a number of sites were evaluated for it.

"The county and its airport consultant ultimately decided to construct a new airport on the campus of the old airport by acquiring 215 additional acres, constructing a new runway, parallel taxiway, and an apron and vehicle parking lot," Lucas said.

He added that "Phase Five of the airport capital improvement plan is well underway."

The Phase Five projects, underway or recently completed, Lucas said, include doubling the size of the Terminal North apron to 185,000 square feet; and constructing an aviation fuel farm, Automated Weather Observation Station (AWOS), and terminal/ Fixed Based Operator (FBO) building. An FBO building serves as a base of operations and headquarters for the aiport, Lucas said.

The airport capital improvement projects are a few of the currently funded projects now underway in Jasper County. Others include renovations to Pratt Memorial Library, Jasper County Coroner's Office, and the Jasper County Farmer's Market.

"The total cost of the South Apron Expansion project is $2,964,591," Lucas said. "Funding is being made possible for the project through the SC Department of Commerce, (which) provided $2,500,000, and $464,591 is being funded by Jasper County."

Lucas said Jasper County was one of 14 counties to receive grant funding from the South Carolina Department of Commerce Rural Initiative Fund. The fund exists, he said to allocate economic development monies to 14 rural counties systemically lacking in economic development.

Jasper County received $2.5 million, with a 100% match required by Jasper County for a total $5 million grant allocation. The three projects identified for airport economic development were apron expansion, a fuel farm, and a terminal building.

"This project consists of 84,000 square feet, doubling the size of the airport's Terminal North Apron area to approximately 185,000 square feet," Lucas said. "The new apron also provides the airside infrastructure needed for airport economic development projects."

Lucas said the new apron became operational April 4 with the arrival of two jets.

"Planning is already under way for a third apron expansion to accommodate near future aircraft parking and expected economic development demand," he said.

Lucas explained a third component of the apron expansion project is construction of concrete pads for aviation fuel tanks and fuel truck parking. He said construction of the pads has been completed and they are operational as of April 7.

The fourth component of the South Apron expansion project is the retrofit of high-mast lighting for the existing ramp and new high-mast lighting for the apron expansion, Lucas said.

"The lighting project is expected to be completed in mid-May of this year," he said.

Lucas said the first portion of the aviation fuel farm project is the fabrication of two 12,000-gallon fuel tanks. One tank will be used for jet fuel and the other for aviation gasoline.

"Prior to October of last year, the airport did not provide both fuel grades to the flying public," he said. "Besides the runway, a full complement fuel service is the next, most basic service that a full-service airport provides."

Lucas said the cost to fabricate the fuel tanks is expected to be $597,640. He said funding for the tanks, aviation fuel trucks and peripheral equipment will be allocated from Jasper County's $2.5 million grant match to the SC Department of Commerce $2.5 million Rural Initiative Grant.

"The aviation fuel tanks are expected to be operational in October of this year," he said. "Meanwhile, the airport fuel trucks are kept busy servicing aircraft in the interim with both aviation gasoline and jet fuel."

Another of the projects involves construction of an Automated Weather Observation System (AWOS). This project, Lucas said, is expected to cost $389,207. He said it is completely funded by the Federal Aviation Administration and is expected to be completed in June.

"The AWOS project is another critical infrastructure item," Lucas said. "Pilots will be able to communicate with the AWOS via telephone, computer or in-flight aircraft avionics to determine atmospheric conditions at the airport. These condition reports assist the pilot with determining takeoff/landing runway, along with expected aircraft performance at any given moment in time."

The final project slated for construction during the airport's Phase Five development is the terminal/FBO building. The airport is currently leasing a 3,600-square-foot temporary terminal/FBO that has been in operation since June of 2022. Lucas said the county plans to use the expected $870,000 remaining from its portion of the SC Rural Initiative Grant, along with a $500,000 economic development grant from the SC Aeronautics Commission and gap funding, to construct the 7,700-square-foot terminal/FBO building.

"Prior to the opening of the temporary terminal, the airport had no adequate space to host visiting pilots, passengers, airport staff, etc.," Lucas said. "The old pilot’s lounge (FBO building) at Terminal South was the approximate size of a mid-level motel room, which is completely inadequate for a 21st century airport, but serves the purpose it was constructed for."

Lucas said this was "a perfect example of what County Council set out to upgrade when it applied to the FAA for federal funding around seven years ago."

“Jasper County Council and the county administrator had a vision for where the county was headed in terms of growth, and they made the conscious decision to also grow the airport," he said. “Staff is simply putting the vision into operational effect and growing the airport to meet the demands of the leisure and business flying public."

Lucas stressed that the objective is "to design, construct and operate a full-service airport joining the other four full-service airports in our region, serving the National Plan Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS).”

Lucas said approximately 3,400 of the 5,000 publicly owned airports in the U.S. are federally funded and are NPIAS airports.

"With the 90 percent federal funding comes required compliance with FAA grant assurances," he said. “It’s no accident that federally funded airports are designed, constructed, maintained and operated using the same template. The required level of consistency provides pilots, air traffic controllers, and others a measured expectancy that promotes safety and efficiency."

As a whole, Jasper County has a number of amenities that draw visitors from all across the nation, Lucas said.

"Two outstanding golf courses and four hunting preserves help us showcase Jasper County on a weekly basis, “ he said. "The airport needs continued airside infrastructure improvements to continue to serve the flying public while growing into a full-service general aviation airport."

There will be three candidates for two seats in the Nov. 7 election in the Town of Ridgeland. Current Mayor Joey Malphrus will be running unopposed, according to town officials.

There will be several precincts open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day.

Those voting in the Ridgeland 1, 2, or 3 precincts will cast ballots at the Kingdom Touch Ministries Gymnasium, 6714 Tillman Road in Ridgeland.

Those voting in the Grahamville 1 and 2 precincts will vote at the Mt. Carmel Baptist Center Fellowship Hall, 3376 Bees Creek Road in Ridgeland.

Current Town of Ridgeland Mayor Joey Malphrus first took office in 1988 and won two more terms afterward. He resigned in 1999 when he was elected probate judge. He was elected mayor again in 2011 and took office in 2012. He is currently seeking another term unopposed.

The two seats up for election in the town were vacated following the resignations of council members Chris Dubose and Grady Woods. The two councilmen's seats were up for re-election in November before the two resigned ahead of the election.

Dubose resigned Aug. 1, stating he was moving out of the area. He served for more than 10 years.

Woods, who served for 18 years on council, sent a resignation letter to the town dated Aug. 3. Woods did not provide a specific reason for his resignation. But according to records of a July 11 Beaufort City Council work session, he applied for the Beaufort Historic Review Board. He told Beaufort officials in July that he now resides in the City of Beaufort.

The three candidates filing for the two open council seats are Bill Fishburne, Johnny L. Jackson Jr. and Libby Malphrus.

Fishburne has lived in Ridgeland for the past eight years. He is a general contractor and has operated Coastline Construction Services, LLC for the past 40 years. He has also served as chairman of the Ridgeland Planning Commission for the past five years. He and his wife, Beth, have one son, William.

"I am concerned for Ridgeland and I am running because I believe Ridgeland can be the community those living there remember," Fishburne said. "Growth is inevitable, but we can grow responsibly. We need to have the best tools available to make it community friendly for everyone."

Jackson has been a resident of Ridgeland for more than 50 years and is an insurance agent at Jackson Insurance Agency, LLC.

"If you look at Ridgeland, nothing seems to be getting done," Jackson said. "I am running because there are not many businesses and I want to know how I can help the town to grow. I want to leave the town better than I found it."

Libby Malphrus has been a Ridgeland resident for 20 years and is an assistant program director of the genetic counseling program at the Medical University of South Carolina. Malphrus and current Mayor Joey Malphrus are not related. She and her husband, Deak, have one daughter, Grace. She also serves on the board of directors at Thomas Heyward Academy.

"Jasper County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the state and the housing developments coming in are overwhelming," Malphrus said. "I am running because Ridgeland needs long-term goals, better communication with its citizens and transparency. Social media is a benefit and it could be used to help the town promote its events and any current information. We need to keep the community involved."

At first, Michelle Sands was missing mail a few days a week. But things spiraled downhill to the point where the Lowcountry business owner filed three separate complaints this year with the U.S. Postal Service regarding missing and inconsistent mail delivery out of the Ridgeland post office.

Sands’ company, Advanced Lift Solutions, has received its mail at a mailbox in the FedEx Copy and Shipping Center in the Riverwalk Business Park for the past eight years. Sands said she normally receives an average of three pieces of mail everyday. However, since February, there have been periods where there is no mail for several days at a time.

Sands filed the complaints via email and the USPS toll-free number. She was given numerous reasons for the mail delay, such as COVID-19, short staffing and recent retirements. Sands received confirmation via email or phone call that her complaints were ultimately closed.

“I’ve made trips to the post office to complain and only received excuses,” she said.

Yet the days between mail deliveries have grown since she filed the last complaint in October.

Ruth Morris and Jennifer Williams, managers at the mail center, have reached out to USPS officials, filed several complaints, and received responses and apologies from officials, but the service continues to be sporadic.

Morris also added, “They put our mail on hold without our permission.”

“We have had to decline customers who request to ship packages via postal service because we do not know if the USPS will pick them up,” said Williams. This has hurt the business.

“They try to deliver the mail at night, after we’ve closed,” she continued.

Other Ridgeland businesses confirmed this is not an isolated issue.

“We’ve actually asked all of our vendors to email our bills because we aren’t getting them in the mail,” said Cindy Malphus of Rosco Industrial Supply.

Last week, Malphrus confirmed her company had gone over a week without receiving mail. In recent days, however, Rosco said the business started receiving mail daily.

Both Sands and Malphrus said that the mailman once assigned to their route is no longer on the route, and when mail does get delivered, it arrives in the evening after their businesses are closed.

Residential customer Carolyn Kelly said her mail service declined a few months ago after her carrier retired. “She was great and would bring the packages right to the door.” Kelly said she has gone up to five days without mail, but in the last two weeks, it has improved.

Tristan Swartz, assistant manager of PJ’s Coffee, located half a mile from the Ridgeland post office, also said that the mail arrives late there. “I think they are understaffed and overworked,” he said of the post office.

When asked about the claims of missing mail, Ridgeland postmaster Tonya Williams, declined to comment. Instead, she offered the name and number of the USPS Communications Specialist Nikki Johnson.

During an initial phone call to Johnson, she said she would not comment until the claims could be investigated. Additional requests for comment and clarification went unanswered.

After initial publication of this report earlier today, the U.S. Postal Service reached out by phone to respond to questions regarding delivery, and staffing.

According to U.S. Postal Service Strategic Communications Specialist Nikki Johnson, businesses like the FedEx shipping center in Ridgeland have what is known as a central box unit, where mail can be delivered after hours. “If the business is closed, the carrier has access to the CBU.”

Johnson confirmed that there has been a staffing constraint at the Ridgeland post office, but more staff has been brought on board in the last two weeks.

“The area has grown and the volume has increased.” Johnson said. She further explained the Riverwalk area is the last on a very long route, it is 30 minutes away from the post office, and the carrier has other stops along the way.

“We are asking the people in the community to be patient,” Johnson said. “The mail carriers are out there delivering mail, but the times may vary and it may not be when they (the customers) want.”

Additionally, Johnson offered, “I am extending an apology to the community for any inconvenience. We take pride in our mail delivery service. And in the midst of this very busy season, the employees are working tirelessly to service the customers and to meet and exceed the expectations of service at the Ridgeland post office.”

Johnson also advised that should anyone be looking for an opportunity to work for the USPS, they can check the career website for openings in the area, which updates every Tuesday.

This story was originally published December 22, 2023, 11:05 AM.

National and local animal advocates agreed this week to work with a Jasper County animal rescue group to improve its operations after months of community complaints about overcrowding and poor conditions at the organization’s Ridgeland center.

The advocates convened at the Jasper Animal Rescue Mission on Monday afternoon, walking through the county-owned building and suggesting fixes for a safer, more sanitary facility for the 300-plus animals, volunteers and employees. The meeting was organized by Jasper County officials.

For months, volunteers and former rescue mission board members pushed Jasper County to address concerns about the shelter. Volunteers and former board members told the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette that dogs and cats are left in their own feces, cages are stacked three-to-four high, water bowls are full of algae, and soiled laundry is piled feet-high. They describe the building as “unsafe” for workers and animals, with a rat infestation.

During a July Jasper County Council meeting, Jeanne Francisco — speaking on behalf of the group pushing for change at the rescue mission — presented photos of the group’s facility to council members and detailed what the group says is the building’s unsanitary conditions.

“Safety is our No. 1 priority,” Francisco told council members. “Right now, the safety of the staff, the volunteers, potential adopters, visitors inside and outside this county is in jeopardy.”

She asked the council for help to address the facility’s problems. The mission leases the county-owned building for $1 annually.

Rose Dobson-Elliot, the county’s director of engineering services, said Monday she hoped shelter staff takes advantage of the resources offered. Dobson-Elliot was tasked with handling complaints about the rescue mission.

Among those assessing the mission on Monday was Steve Carriere, Florida State Animal Response Coalition manager. He said the issues identified could be remedied, and he offered temporary volunteer help, suggestions for sanitation and sick animal isolation, and training for the mission’s staff.

Officials of the Hilton Head Humane Association and Beaufort County Animal Services provided advice on tackling the overcrowding that the rescue mission’s executive director, Caitlyn Schake, said has been unavoidable because she cannot turn away cats and dogs brought in by county animal control officers.

“It’s time to fix this before it gets worse,” Carriere said.

On Monday afternoon, over 100 dogs were housed in wire cages or crates outside or in the back of the building, and smaller dogs’ crates were stacked atop each other. Boxes of scooped feces sat outside several of the larger cages. A few of the dogs darted inside a fenced area that was strewn with toys and debris.

An estimated 150-200 cats were spread across the property and facility. Some lounged in beds, others freely walked outside or leapt onto roofs, and dozens were inside the building, with some sectioned off into smaller rooms.

Toward the front of the building — its hallway lined with filled dog crates — food bags, blankets and other donations were piled high. In the back, soiled laundry was heaped near the washer and dryer.

Schake, who’s been at the helm for nine years, said a shortage of staff and resources makes it difficult to keep up with the bursting population while also consistently deep-cleaning parts of the building and creating barriers between sick and well animals. A rescue mission worker estimated seven staff members are at work on a normal day.

On a typical day, the mission will get between two and 15 animals, Schake said. Anywhere from zero to eight animals leave the facility in a day. Currently there is no set animal capacity for the mission.

“How many volunteers would you need?” Carriere asked Schake. She estimated five, and Carriere said it was possible to provide her with that temporary help.

In October, six of the mission’s board members resigned, according to a former board member.

Robin Artz, a former vice president of the board who left during the summer, said in a resignation email that the board was not holding themselves “accountable to the animals.” Artz described conditions that included water leaking through the floor and ceiling, mold, and rats. Further, Artz detailed animals in crates upon crates upon crates — “they need space to run and not sit in a 4x2 crate up on another crate,” she wrote.

“Conditions of the shelter are horrendous to say the least,” Artz’s July email read. “There are volunteers, mostly elderly individuals who are putting their health at risk by giving of their time. Most importantly, we are putting our own employees and animals at risk for disease, illness or worse. WE [sic] owe the humans that help us and the animals more.”

Along with a shortage of staff, Schake said Monday the mission’s financial resources were less than its Beaufort County counterpart. According to its most recent 990 tax form, the mission’s revenue was $457,000 in 2022, with expenses at $460,000. Dobson-Elliot said the county contributed $185,000 that year. The nearly half-million in funds is meager compared to the Hilton Head Humane Association, which raked in over $3 million in 2021, according to its most recent 990 tax form.

Beaufort County, with 191,748 people, is also much larger than Jasper, which has 30,324 residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

To increase funding, Carriere advised accepting any donation large or small and applying for grant funding. Local animal advocates suggested pushing for support at county council meetings and holding fundraisers to better engage the community.

Dobson-Elliot said she would work with county animal control to ensure the mission had “breathing room” to work to keep its animal population down.

While she could not provide an immediate timeline for when to re-assess the mission’s conditions and the steps to take from there, Carriere said if the shelter staff embraces his suggestions and accepts the temporary volunteer help, changes are typically seen within three to four weeks.

This story was originally published November 15, 2023, 9:30 AM.