Distillers seeking change in laws that would allow them to sell spirits on Sundays | Opinion

Allow Sunday spirits sales

Forty-four states allow adult consumers to purchase their favorite spirits products on Sundays, but not South Carolina.

While distillers can be open on Sundays, they are unable to sell bottles to consumers.

Many distillers make the decision to close on Sundays.

And unlike liquor stores, we can only sell the products we make, so the loss of a sales day has a huge impact.

For those who stay open, disappointed consumers are forced to go home empty-handed on Sundays.

More than 90% of my distillery visitors are from out of town, and turning them away from buying our product not only harms sales, but their overall experience.

Fortunately, there are bills moving through the legislature that would allow local communities to vote on seven-day spirits sales.

Permitting package stores and distilleries to sell distilled spirits supports local businesses, gives adult consumers more convenience, accommodates tourists and bolsters industries outside of our own as we turn local agriculture products into high-end spirits.

Since 2002, 22 states have made the move to allow Sunday sales year-round.

It’s well past time South Carolina joined them.

I urge the legislature to pass HB 4231 and SB 492 in support of local businesses and consumers.

Scott Blackwell, Charleston

Capacity is the issue

Houston, we have a problem. There are too many astronauts in the mission capsule.

Imagine spending years and billions of dollars to discover a capacity problem after mission takeoff.

How could anyone make such an error?

But this is the failure that SCDOT and Beaufort County have made in addressing Route 278 corridor traffic congestion.

They have decided to spend $450M to build a six-plus-lane single bridge to Hilton Head Island to reduce traffic congestion without understanding that the island, like the mission capsule, has a capacity limit.

The first half of the capacity limit is the many streets – one avenue network problem that is displayed in traffic light queuing data.

As the current town simulation study shows, the SCDOT proposal, at best, will shave seconds off island workers’ trips to work.

There is no amount of money that can make the island bigger or add parallel north/south avenues to better disperse traffic.

Tuesday’s Island Packet exposes the other half of the traffic capacity problem -- nowhere to park.

If workers don’t get there before day-trippers, they can’t find a parking space. Case closed.

The problem is capacity.

Time to tell the Chamber of Commerce to stop turning the crank to get more visitors.

They and all the government participants must address tourism in terms of quality/quantity capacity tradeoffs to make the future of tourism viable.

Even Disney had to learn this lesson. They manage day-trippers’ access, closing the door when the “magic” number of customers is reached.

Joseph E Kernan, HHI

Naval Hospital honors

The 75th anniversary of the Naval Hospital Beaufort was recently celebrated, recognizing the service of the hospital’s staff over the years in caring for the active duty, reserve, retired, dependent and VA populations of the Lowcountry.

The staff has faced many challenges over the years, including changing support requirements of MCRD Parris Island and MCAS Beaufort, along with deployments and loss of active duty providers.

Adapting internally and with the support of the Lowcountry community, the Naval Hospital continued to meet its mission.

The Department of the Navy recognized the Naval Hospital Beaufort by awarding the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation in 1989.

The Lowcountry community was and continues to be integral to the success of the Naval Hospital.

Beaufort Memorial Hospital has always been a critical source of care for active duty and TRICARE referrals as were hospitals in HHI, Savannah and Charleston, using MCAS Helicopters, the medevac services of Memorial Hospital in Savannah and Beaufort County EMS.

Support from community physicians permitted the Naval Hospital to maintain and expand its internal services through contracts and partnerships in specialties such as orthopedics, general surgery and radiology in Beaufort, gastroenterology and gynecology from HHI, and family practice from MUSC.

It was an honor to serve at Naval Hospital Beaufort with the staff of active duty, reserve, civil service and Red Cross volunteers and to benefit from the wonderful support of the Lowcountry community and its healthcare providers and facilities.

Jeffrey W. Baldwin, CAPT, MSC, USN (Ret) CO, NAVHOSP Beaufort, 1986-1989