Local
  
Pawleys eatery faces tree trimming charges
Published Tuesday, November 17, 2009 10:33 PM

 

  

A Waccamaw Neck hamburger restaurant is in court today for the improper trimming of about 14 trees.

Hardees of Pawleys Island went before Judge Dan Furr today to determine whether they were wrong to cut back some long-limbed oaks.

The business is the second to be brought to task for improper tree pruning in the past several months.

A court official said there were at least 14 citations issued against Hardees for improper tree topping on Sept. 28.

Calls to Hardees this week were not immediately returned.

More citations

The restaurant is not the only one cited by the county for alleged improper pruning.

Bob Paglio, the owner of Tidelands Chrysler Dodge, was found not guilty of improper trimming of a tree on his lot.

Paglio was cited by the county last month after he removed part of a three-part oak tree.

Two parts of the tree remain in place and the tree remains healthy, he said.

Part of the tree was hanging over an area that could have injured customers and damaged the vehicles on his lot, he said.

The tree was near a concreate pad where he parks cars for display on his lot.

A professional tree trimmer testified in Paglio’s defense and said that the trimming did not harm the tree.

Planners meeting

Meanwhile, the Planning Commission is set to meet Thursday, Nov. 19, to discuss tweaks to the pending tree ordinance changes.

Fines for the pruning or removal of  trees in Georgetown County could be increasing, and the list of protected trees could be getting longer.

Fines now include any amount up to $500.

The proposed tree protection ordinance adds more trees to the protected list and puts the fines for each violation at an amount of $500 each.

“Previously, 10 trees [damaged] at one time was considered one violation,’’ said County Planning Director Boyd Johnson.

The county is seeking to change the tree protection ordinance since there has already been some destruction of trees along the waterways of the Waccamaw Neck.

Besides changing the fine for violating the tree ordinance, commissioners also debated whether to have longleaf pines protected throughout Georgetown County.

The proposed wording in the new regulations says the longleaf pine would only be protected on the Waccamaw Neck.

The possible new regulations also spells out what is considered a landmark tree, and says those trees can’t be cut or removed unless the tree is diseased or causing damage to a structure’s foundation.

A county permit would be required for most limb and root pruning, except for trees being pruned on single-family lots.

Tree topping wouldn’t be allowed, according to the proposed ordinance.

Legacy trees, which include trees that are planted to honor a person, organization or event, couldn’t be removed without the county’s permission.

The new ordinance would also ask that developers not remove trees in order to comply with storm water regulations.


So much for private property rights. I just turned over in my grave.

Posted by Thomas Jefferson on 11/18/2009


Leave a Response

Notice about comments:
Gtowntimes.com is pleased to offer readers the ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. Gtowntimes.com cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not gtowntimes.com. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "report abuse" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website. Full terms and conditions can be read here.

Post a Comment

Latest Polls


Texting behind the wheel became illegal for truck drivers last week under a ruling by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Meanwhile, almost 30 states have placed at least some restrictions on texting while driving. Should the practice be illegal for everyone in South Carolina?
  • Yes
  • No

Submit News Button
Robbin Bruce
I must be slipping a little. Here I am a perfectly normal human being, and all I want to do is choke ...

Gloria Ford
“God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect.” II Sam. 22:33Hopefully, you have enjoy ...

Sallie Parker
Q. Dear Sallie, Please comment on whether diners should "help the servers out" by stacking plat ...

Virginia Smith
Down here in ‘hurricane country,’ we pay close attention to the Weather Channel and our local meteor ...

Ann Ipock
Okay, I want someone to enlighten me as to what has happened to the Grammy’s? It seems this former “ ...

John Brock
The South is known by many names: “Southland,” “Sunbelt,” “Bible Belt,” “Heaven,” etc., but until a ...

Laura Snyder
There must come a time, eventually, when a mother feels comfortable leaving her children at home to ...

ErinSpatz
This year I decided not to cook Thanksgiving dinner. I just figured that since I cook dinner ev ...

  
 
  Contact Us |  Kingstree News |  Our Gazette |  Berkeley Independent |  Summerville Journal Scene |  Post & Courier
615 Front St | Georgetown, SC 29440?| 843-546-4148