GOOD NEWS: New aquatic center opens in time to beat summer heat

Staff reports  |  A new 6,000 square-foot seasonal outdoor pool officially opened Friday in Hollywood to give people in the western part of Charleston County a great place to beat the heat and swim as summer begins.

“As the 2019 summer swim season begins, the Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission (CCPRC) is proud to offer the first public pool in the Hollywood area,” said CCPRC Executive Director David Bennett. “This facility represents significant progress toward supporting drowning prevention initiatives by offering swim safety and recreation programs to the community. We look forward to the community taking full advantage of the aquatic center this summer.”

The $3 million complex known as the West County Aquatic Center is located at 5156 Highway 165 in Hollywood near the new Hollywood Town Hall.  Its pool for beginning and seasoned swimmers is called the Genesis Pool, named in honor of Genesis Holmes, a young Hollywood resident who drowned in 2014.  The complex was funded by the Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission and its nonprofit partner, the Charleston County Parks Foundation.

According to a press release, the Genesis Pool is 25 yards long, with a zero-depth entry area, and other areas with depths of up to 4.5 feet.  It features eight lanes for lap swimming. Lifeguards will be on duty at the pool. The facility will also feature restrooms, showers and a changing area.

Programming at the West County Aquatic Center will include swimming lessons, water fitness and the eventual development of youth swim teams. It is expected to serve as many as 10,000 people each season in the Hollywood/Baptist Hill area and surrounding communities.

The pool will be open daily this season through Labor Day. Admission is $2 per person and season-long memberships are available for $25 plus tax. CCPRC Gold Passes will be accepted and will admit up to four guests per pass. Hours and open swim times vary; for details, visit CharlestonCountyParks.com.

The West County Aquatic Center is the first public pool in the Hollywood area. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 10 people die every day from unintentional drowning. Of these, two are aged 14 or younger.

In other Good News:

Special legislative session starts Tuesday.  State lawmakers on Tuesday will reconvene to address gubernatorial vetoes. There aren’t many vetoes to address, and most are small. See previous coverage here.

New members.  A tip of the hat of public service to the new presidents of two local colleges, the College of Charleston’s Andrew Hsu and The Citadel’s Glenn Walters, who have been elected to three-year terms to serve on the board of directors of the Tri-County Cradle to Career Collaborative.  Read more.

On top 10 list for children’s hospitals.  Congratulations to MUSC Children’s Hospital, which again is the only institution in South Carolina to be ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s 2019-20 edition of America’s Best Children’s Hospitals.  The leading specialties for MUSC Children’s Hospital include: No. 7 for cardiology and heart surgery, No. 25 for nephrology, No. 38 for gastroenterology and GI surgery, No. 40 for cancer and No. 40 for orthopedics. This is the 12^th consecutive year that the top 10-ranked cardiology and heart surgery program has made the overall Best Children’s Hospitals list.

Racial justice group takes over July 10 rally at Statehouse. For the last three years, July 10 has been a day for Confederate flag supporters to rally at the Statehouse. But four years after the Confederate flag was removed from its grounds, the Statehouse will be home to a rally of Columbia group Showing Up for Racial Justice. Read more.

Lower prices.   The state is working on ways to lower the costs of prescription drugs, Statehouse Report correspondent Lindsay Street reports in the most recent issue.  Starting in 2021, A pharmacist in South Carolina will no longer be penalized for telling a patient that paying cash for his or her drugs may be cheaper than the copay.  More changes are being considered.  (How about moving a little faster than 2021.  Insider tip: Want to save on prescription drugs now? You can ASK your pharmacist if there is a cheaper option.)  Read the full story.

Voting on climate.  A new book by a College of Charleston professor suggests voters might be ready to take action at the voting booth because of climate change.  In this story, Street writes: “‘People are starting to actually vote (on climate change issues),’ Matt Nowlin told Statehouse Report. ‘Will environmental issues become something that people actually vote on? Because it hasn’t historically been the case.’ Nowlin recently published Environmental Policymaking in an Era of Climate Change, a book he said he hopes everyone from political science students to 2020 presidential candidates will read.