kitchen countertopsNear Summerville, SC

Many families are waiting to find out where their child will now go to school after a early-morning fire at a Summerville childhood development center.

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - Many families are waiting to find out where their child will now go to school after a early-morning fire at a Summerville childhood development center.

Summerville Fire Department officials said they responded just after 5 a.m. Thursday to Archway Academy on Miles Jamison Road. They deemed the building “a total loss” and are still investigating the cause of the flames.

RELATED: ‘A total loss’: Crews battle fire at Summerville school

Hours after the flames were extinguished, the roof and most of the building remain completely charred. All that is left are a few tables, chairs and an outside play table of toys that the kids could have played with just hours before.

Kayla Ott’s daughter Amelia has attended Archway Academy for two years. Ott said that just four days ago, the kids took cap and gown pictures for preschool graduation inside the building.

She woke up Thursday morning to many missed phone calls from a friend trying to notify her of the fire. Once she heard the news and saw the photos, she knew there was no way Amelia would be going to school, amongst many other kids.

“We’re just kind of playing the waiting game,” Ott said. “They sent us a message this morning saying they’re trying to figure it out. I mean, they’re doing the best they can in all of this craziness. So, we’re just going to kind of wait and see what goes on.”

She says she is thankful that she has friends and family in the area that can take care of Amelia for the time being.

Ott says Archway Academy let the parents know about the fire and the staff are having a meeting to plan for what is next. She says she has heard rumors that they could be relocated to either one of the other Archway Academy Summerville locations, but nothing has been confirmed.

“Thankfully, my jobs, both of them, are flexible,” Ott said. “I can’t speak for other people. I know one of my friends, he did have to end up taking off the rest of this week and possibly next week as well because we don’t have childcare, you know. And people that are single parents like me. It’s very hard.”

Archway Academy has not yet said where or when the kids will be relocated.

Ott says Amelia is sad that her school is gone, but she is excited to make new friends wherever she ends up.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

SUMMERVILLE — There will soon be a new sculpture right outside of Saul Alexander Playground, and it’s going to be absolutely bananas.

Town Council accepted the Sculpture in the South’s donation of a 350-pound, 7-foot half-peeled banana with feet reclined on a 6-foot-long bronze bench.

Sculpture in the South is an organization formed in 1999 to add art to public spaces throughout Summerville.

The group is in the process of fundraising to purchase the sculpture, which costs $50,000.

Otis Engelman, chairman of Sculpture in the South, said every sculpture the organization has purchased to place in Summerville has been paid for by donations from Summerville residents and no town funds.

The banana sculpture will be placed between the Miracle League field and the playground, near the horseshoe. Town Council accepted the sculpture during its Jan. 12 meeting.

The banana is a work of Jack Hill, who is based out of DeLand, Fla. Dora Ann Reaves, a member of Sculpture in the South, said the banana is one of Hill’s favorite forms, adding that he has other sculptures of bananas on roller skates.

“He’s got a real interesting sense of humor,” Reaves said. “The idea that a banana could sit on a bench or roller skate is of interest to him.”

Sculpture in the South has already placed a variety of sculptures around the town, many of which are in Summerville parks. The organization helped facilitate the sculpture of the late John McKissick and his wife, Joan.

Sculpture in the South was looking to add a more whimsical piece to its collection, Amy Evans, parks and recreation director, said.

Reaves spoke for the banana at the standing committees meeting on Jan. 9, where the Parks and Recreation Committee voted unanimously to accept the donation.

Reaves said she likes the banana sculpture because it’s a more fun piece, and has a unique look.

Town Councilman Aaron Brown spoke in favor of the sculpture after Reaves gave her endorsement.

“I think it would be a good idea if we try to be more broad-based with the sculptures that we approve,” Brown said at the meeting. He then suggested getting a sculpture at Wassamassaw Community Park to represent Native Americans’ heritage.

Town Councilwoman Kima Garten-Schmidt said she believes the banana is the perfect sculpture for the park.

“It’s not supposed to be anything serious,” Garten-Schmidt said. “The kids are going to absolutely love it. They’re going to love climbing on it, getting their picture taken with it — even adults are going to love getting a selfie taken with it.”

While it was board of the Sculpture in the South’s decision to choose the banana to place in Saul Alexander Playground, Reaves said she was pleased with the choice.

“Most of our other pieces are memorials or animals,” Reaves said. “We don’t have any other bananas.”

If anyone is interested in donating or contributing to the fundraiser for the banana sculpture, email sculptureinthesouth@gmail.com.

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - The Town of Summerville announced the approval of the Maple Street Extension project on Monday.

Years after the project was introduced in 2014, Blythe Development Company was awarded the bid to begin construction on the project, which will improve in total a mile and a half of roads throughout Summerville.

The town acquired 90 pieces of property in order to make the project possible with the first of four major projects of the extension being Maple Street, which will be widened from two lanes to four to reduce traffic and improve safety in the area.

The project does not just include Maple Street, but intersection improvements at US-78 adding turn lanes on all approaches, installation of a traffic signal at West Richardson Avenue and new alignment from West Richardson to Parsons Road where it will transition from three lanes to two lanes at the Parsons Road connection.

Summerville Director of Public Works and Town Engineer Russ Cornette has been with the project since the beginning. He says he’s really happy to see the project get approved for construction.

“I think this is the largest purchase order the town of Summerville has ever approved,” Cornette says. “The towns and cities the size of Summerville don’t take on large projects like this; this is kind of a unique situation.”

The cost of the project, including construction engineering and inspection services, will be funded by the Town of Summerville’s Mid-Town Tax Increment Finance District funds up to $11 million Dorchester County Sales Tax Referendum Funds will fund the remaining cost.

“The project purpose is to reduce traffic congestion and improve safety and that whole corridor anytime you have that many cars, taking up that little space that’s there, you’re going to have accidents and we’ve seen that the past four years,” Cornette says. “That extra lanes extra capacity will help congestion and get people moving a little more freely than they are now.”

Construction on the Maple Street Extension project starts in April or May of 2023 with the goal of completion being in the spring of 2025.

“The Maple Street extension project will help alleviate traffic congestion and improve safety,” says Summerville Mayor Ricky Waring. “I am grateful for the support from our agency partners and the Dorchester County voters who supported the transportation sales tax referendum that helped fund this project.”

For further details on the Maple Street Extension project, visit project page on the Town of Summerville’s website.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

SUMMERVILLE — It’s almost 1:30 p.m., and to the white-handed gibbons, that means lunch time is nearing.

In excitement, a pair of mated gibbons start making noise. The female gibbon produces a series of loud notes, starting in a low tone and gradually going higher. The male then chimes in with a higher pitch, as if he were chirping.

They’re singing. The creatures sing in a duet, and the only place in the Lowcountry you would be able to hear this is at the International Primate Protection League’s gibbon sanctuary, established in 1977 by the late Shirley McGreal — just four years after she founded the IPPL.

When Pam Mendosa, chairwoman and acting CEO of the IPPL, is in Summerville, she stays in a house on IPPL property. She lives in Virginia but visits every other month, if not every month, for at least 10 days at a time. She relishes the times she is able to hear the gibbons sing.

“When I have people give me estimates or anything, I say, ‘You want to come out and meet me, and not do this over the phone?’ I really urge people to come out,” Mendosa said. “Sure enough, whether we go with the company or not, they’re so enthralled with hearing (the gibbons) singing.”

The sanctuary is a private preserve that houses 29 gibbons, as well as five short-clawed Asian otters. In the past, the sanctuary has also taken in rescue dogs.

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The IPPL and gibbon sanctuary are working to continue honoring McGreal’s legacy after her passing in November 2021, just as the IPPL reaches its 50th anniversary.

Combatting smuggling rings, exploitation

McGreal was living in Thailand when she established the league in 1973.

She was concerned about how primates were being captured from the wild, transported and exploited in captivity. She founded the IPPL in order to try and protect primates around the world.

Since its founding, the IPPL has kept busy, from exposing animal smuggling rings to organizing worldwide protests to raise awareness of the mistreatment of primates in labs.

The group’s work over the years has influenced countries such as Belgium and Malaysia to establish laws banning wildlife trafficking and monkey exports. The league has been recognized by public figures like Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh, and McGreal herself earned awards and achievements from the United Nations and Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of her work.

Now, the IPPL has partnerships with 26 animal welfare groups and sanctuaries around the world. A wildlife sanctuary in Nepal opened in 2016 and was named in honor of McGreal.

The sanctuary she established in Summerville has taken in gibbons from labs, captivity, zoos and households — as some people have had gibbons as pets.

The sanctuary is not open to visitors. It comprises several enclosures, all connected via a tube system. Each enclosure includes a ropes course and some monkey bars for the gibbons to swing around, and they all connect to their respective gibbon house — where they sleep. Mated gibbons are in the same enclosure.

After her death, McGreal left behind a tremendous legacy that the IPPL and employees at the gibbon sanctuary are working to uphold.

Continuing McGreal’s legacy

Employees say in terms of the sanctuary itself, not a lot has changed since McGreal’s passing. They’re working on upgrading the gibbons’ houses and the animal care kitchen to maintain the gibbons’ healthy lifestyle and ensure their safety.

“The buildings are almost 50 years old,” said Meg McCue-Jones, safety and compliance manager.

She added that the sanctuary mainly relies on donations to keep running. They apply for grants, but don’t consistently receive grant money.

McCue-Jones said the sanctuary used to receive calls from donors specifically so they could talk to McGreal. Since her passing, the donors still call, but will talk to office staff and board members.

Trish McCoy, animal care manager, started working at the sanctuary in April 2020. She said McGreal was always a good resource whenever she had any questions and wished she knew McGreal longer.

“As I’ve worked here longer, I get more and more questions. ... I miss having her around to answer some of the questions, and talking to her about some of the people that helped her get started and how she ended up doing this,” McCoy said. “I miss being able to go in and ask her for advice.”

Mendosa said she hopes for the IPPL’s spring appeal and newsletter to focus on gibbons and the sanctuary.

“Sometimes we focus on the chimps that are in Africa through two or three of our sanctuaries, because international is what really put us on the map,” Mendosa said. “But the sanctuary was so dear to Shirley’s heart.”

Mendosa said the league is still working to protect primates and honor McGreal’s legacy.

“I think it’s important that people know that while Shirley was such an integral part in so many ways — some people think IPPL is Shirley McGreal — we’re continuing, and we’re still strong,” Mendosa said. “We’re still doing good work.”

Working with the gibbons

McCoy has been working with animals for most of her life, but these past two years working at the sanctuary marked the first time for her working with gibbons. She describes working with them as “obviously awesome,” and said she enjoys how each gibbon has a different personality.

“Between the 29 gibbons, no two are the same,” McCoy said.

Some like to hang out on the floor of the enclosures, while others love to swing around on the ropes and bars — never touching the ground. Some gibbons like to play catch with the caretakers and their food. Others don’t.

“Michael is very gentle, very easygoing. Maui ... you put a toy in there, you better make sure that toy cannot be pulled apart, because he will figure out a way to do it,” McCoy said. “Paen loves having stuffed animals — she’s always dragging one around. Thai could care less. He wants to know what’s in his food bucket.”

She added that some gibbons get along with each other, while others don’t; while all the enclosures are connected via a tube system, there are gates that prevent gibbons from encroaching on each other’s territory.

She gave an example: Nick and Elsa, two mated gibbons, are right next to Ziggy and Erin, another pair of mated gibbons. Nick and Ziggy get along, and they each get along with Elsa and Erin, but Elsa and Erin don’t.

“The girls throw food at each other; they like to actually take the food all the way from their enclosure to inside (their gibbon house) so they can get a closer range when they throw food,” McCoy said. “They’re not hurting anybody; they’re not hurting each other there. To a certain point, that’s a little bit of what would happen in the wild.”

McCoy said the most rewarding part for her working in animal care is when the gibbons started recognizing her as one of their caregivers.

“As an animal keeper, you’re here to take care of them. You want their lives to be better. When they start recognizing you and stop trying to scratch you, you know that you’re finally accepted,” McCoy said.

For more information or to donate to the gibbon sanctuary, go to the International Primate Protection League’s website at ippl.org.

DORCHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – Some residents in the Summerville area are raising concerns about a homeless shelter that will soon be built near their homes.

The property which could be home to the new shelter is located near the corner of Beverly Drive and Miles Jamison Road. While some are unhappy with the plan, others say it’s a crucial need for many who are struggling in the community.

“Our whole mission is we engage with individuals who are homeless, who are seeking financial stability to acquire permanent housing,” explained Ginny Vicini, executive director of Dorchester County Community Outreach.

Dorchester County Community Outreach currently runs two homes on Central Avenue. “Hope’s House,” which eight women can use at a time, and “Home of Hope,” which 16 men can use at a time.

They are working to build facilities to help more people in need.

“We found a piece of property at Miles Jamison. It was ideally suited. It was zoned properly, and it was the size lot that we needed,” said Vicini.

They purchased the land in October of last year and plan to spend about $3 million building a 16-person men’s home, a 16-person women’s home, and a multipurpose building.

But the group has had some pushback from people who live in the community. They said a homeless shelter in a largely residential area is not a good idea – there is no public transportation and very few public services.

“We hope that we have been as responsive; I know that we’ve been as responsible as we could be,” Vincini said.

The group met with neighborhoods and are attempting to be annexed into the Town of Summerville to have access to Summerville services.

The property is zoned for use as a shelter whether it is annexed or not. Summerville Town Council is expected to take up the annexation on March 9^th.

So far, 843 people have signed an online petition against the shelter opening.

People who live near the property didn’t want to talk on camera Tuesday. They said they were not told about the property use before it was purchased. Several people said they are tired of this, and they don’t believe the outcome is going to change either way.

Vicini says they do background checks on their residents. “Our criteria for coming into our program — someone who is capable of managing your day-to-day life. Going to work, maintaining the property. We have a curfew at 8 o’clock at night. We have staffing 24/7.”

After hearing the public’s concerns about a proposed warming or cooling shelter at the site, they have decided not to provide that service.

Officials said they hope to have the men’s shelter finished later this year and the women’s shelter would be opening sometime in 2024.