State committee OKs Santee Cooper’s lease for new Grand Strand Humane Society facility
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WBTW) — The Grand Strand Humane Society is potentially a step closer to having a new facility after the state Joint Bond Review Committee in Columbia on Wednesday OK’d Santee Cooper’s request for a 40-year lease.
The motion was approved by a 6-2 vote with one member abstaining. The lease request from Santee Cooper was for 10 acres next to its turbine facility in Myrtle Beach.
South Carolina Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter said the committee should not have had to vote on the lease, arguing that it should have been a local issue. The committee said it will review Santee Cooper’s leasing policy.
Marty Watson, the chief commercial officer with Santee Cooper, attended the meeting and addressed residents’ concerns.
Horry County Council approved Santee Cooper’s request in November before retracting its support in January. What happens next remains unclear.
Shelter officials began looking for a new home in July 2021 after a rodent infestation extensively damaged the facility on Mr. Joe White Avenue. Authorities were able to clean the kennels at the facility and continue to use them, but officials temporarily relocated the shelter’s cats to the Tanger Outlet facility in September 2021.
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Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here.
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