Elizabeth Roberts McFalls & Samantha Meeker at City Gallery

Drawings and oils by Georgia based artists on
view throughout month of August.

Hamilton Hill by McFalls

Elizabeth Roberts McFalls uses historical photographs of the rural southeast as a reference and departure point for her pen and ink drawings and lithographs. The pieces in her exhibit, titled At Rest, reflect on the ideas of family, community, and heartbreak expressed in the photographs, while also confronting issues like mortality, sacrifice, and false sentimentality. “Revealing, concealing, and reinventing truths is central to my art making process,” she explains. “In my drawings and prints I question how we categorize ourselves and relate to one another through a veil of romanticized history.” 

McFalls has exhibited in a number of group and solo exhibitions both regionally and nationally. She has also given several artist lectures at colleges and universities throughout the country. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Art at Columbus State University in Columbus, GA. For more information on the artist and her work, visit www.roberts-mcfalls.com. 

Also on exhibit at the gallery are works by Samantha Meeker. Her exhibition, Lovers & Fighters, features a combination of two sets of figurative oil paintings. The Lovers series addresses the idea of what men will do for women in the name of love, such as enduring great humiliation, pain, and sacrifice. The Fighters series focuses on struggle and conflict.  The pieces, which depict fighters in a ring, were created at a time when the artist was battling with many aspects of her life, including family, college, and learning to paint. “The scenes of the fighters are all representative of emotions I was feeling while undergoing this life balance,” she explains. 

Watching You by Meeker

Meeker received a BFA in Painting from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2009. Her work is currently being shown in Atlanta and has recently been juried into two national exhibitions. For more information on the artist and her paintings, visit www.samanthameeker.com. 

Both artists’ work will be on display from August 1-31, 2011. The gallery will host a reception on Thursday, August 4, from 5pm-7pm. The public is invited to attend. 

The North Charleston City Gallery is located in the Charleston Area Convention Center with free parking and admission during regular Convention Center operating hours 9:00AM – 5:00PM, daily.  The Gallery is staffed on Friday, Saturday, and Monday only.   Inquiries regarding artists or purchase information may be directed to the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at (843) 740-5854. For information on additional exhibits, programs, and events, visit the Cultural Arts section of the City’s website at www.northcharleston.org.

Watch the July 28, 2011 City Council Meeting

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The meeting included an introduction of the new SC Stingrays head coach, Spencer Carbery.

Download the Agenda

Officials Break Ground on Consolidated 9-1-1 and Emergency Operations Center

On Tuesday, July 26, officials from multiple jurisdictions in Charleston County gathered for a groundbreaking ceremony for the future building planned to house the County's Consolidated 9-1-1 Center and Emergency Operations Center. The new structure, which is scheduled to open in the spring of 2013, will enable the full consolidation of 9-1-1 and emergency dispatch operations in Charleston County, and will also serve as the new location for the County’s Emergency Operations Center.

An Intergovernmental Agreement signed in January 2008 joins all local jurisdictions within Charleston County in the plan toward consolidating 9-1-1 and dispatch services. Steps toward consolidation have already been taken, with some jurisdictions opting for early consolidation into the current center located in the County’s Lonnie Hamilton, III Public Services Building in North Charleston. The remaining jurisdictions plan to transition their dispatchers to the new Consolidated 9-1-1 Center once it is completed.

“Consolidation benefits the public by providing dispatchers the ability to talk directly to each other as they are handling emergency calls requiring multi-jurisdictional response, ultimately reducing response times and saving lives,” said Charleston County Consolidated Dispatch Board Chairman Jon Zumalt, who is also the North Charleston Police Chief.

The early consolidation of some jurisdictions into the current 9-1-1 center was a move fully supported by the Consolidated Dispatch Board. Consolidation is already proving to offer many benefits, including:

• New efficiencies allow a call taker to remain on the line with the caller to gather more information and to provide additional scene safety or medical instructions while responders are being sent by a separate dispatcher.
• Faster response times are documented.
• Interoperability and cooperation among response agencies is enhanced.
• Delays and dropped calls due to the transferring of calls to other agencies are reduced.

“The new Consolidated 9-1-1 Center will have many advantages, including the latest in 9-1-1 technology and a better working environment for the Call Takers and Dispatchers that will help them continue providing excellent service under increasing responsibilities,” Lake said. “This building has also been designed for potential growth.”

In addition to 9-1-1 and emergency dispatch operations in Charleston County, the new center will be the location of the County’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC), which is also currently located at the County’s Lonnie Hamilton, III Public Services Building in North Charleston. During large, complex incidents, the EOC assumes a coordination role. As an incident expands in size or increases in complexity, central coordination is needed and is provided by the EOC.

“Information from incident commanders is relayed from the Consolidated 9-1-1 Center to the EOC following the occurrence of a disaster, so having both functions under one roof will result in increased efficiency,” said Jason Patno, Charleston County’s Emergency Management Department Director. “Also, staff mandated to work during an emergency incident, such as a hurricane, will benefit from the safety component that the new building will offer.”

FACTS ABOUT THE NEW 9-1-1 AND EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER:

• Location: 8500 Palmetto Commerce Parkway, North Charleston, S.C.
• Size: approximately 38,000 square feet.
• Estimated opening date: spring 2013.
• Facility: two-story structure with backup electrical, water and sewer to ensure continuous operation.
• “Green” features: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver certification goal, rainwater collection, water efficient landscaping and use of recycled materials.
• Approved budget: $26,780,000.
• Safety: the building is designed to be occupied during disasters, with the ability to withstand winds of 191 mph and resist earthquake forces. The first floor will be at elevation 49 feet, which is outside of the 500 year flood plain.

Fundraiser to support World Series bound North Charleston baseball teams, July 28 11am-1pm

To support North Charleston’s World Series bound Pre-Majors and Dixie Majors baseball teams, a luncheon fundraiser will be held on Thursday, July 28, 2011 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm at Felix C. Davis Community Center.  All lunch proceeds will assist the teams in travel expenses to their respective tournaments.

$5 gets you a choice of hamburger, hot dog, or chicken sandwich, along with chips and a drink.

The Dixie Majors World Series Tournament will be played at Eagle Stadium in Ozark, Alabama.  Games begin on Saturday, July 30, 2011.  North Charleston Pre-Majors, ages 17-18, will take on the Tennessee State Champions.  Game time is scheduled for 1:00 pm.

The Dixie Pre-Majors World Series Tournament will be played at Independence Recreation Park in Independence, Louisiana.  Games begin on Saturday, July 30, 2011.  North Charleston Dixie Majors, ages 15-16, will take on the Florida State Champions. Game time is scheduled for 10:00 am.

Each double elimination tournament consists of the eleven 2011 State Champions throughout the Southeast and one team from each respective host city.

For more fundraiser information or to make donations, please contact Ed Barfield at (843) 740-5814.

Watch the July 14, 2011 City Council Meeting

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Download the Agenda

The Council meeting included a public hearing for an ordinance to provide certain open burning prohibitions.

SAIC dedicates new building in North Charleston

Science Applications International Corporation dedicated its new building at 1141 Remount Road, North Charleston, S.C. 29406. Honored and invited guests include local Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) leadership, local government officials including North Charleston’s Mayor Keith Summey and SAIC leadership.

SAIC has worked with the government on programs of national and international importance in the Charleston area for more than two decades. The company has supported its neighbor in Charleston, SPAWAR, for more than 25 years through systems engineering, platform integration, management, administrative, and logistic services. The 250 employees at the North Charleston facility enables SAIC to expand its existing presence and continue to provide support to customers in the area.

The new facility will house SAIC’s Advanced Computer Engineering (ACE) Laboratory, a state-of-the-art facility designed to foster the innovation of technologies that deliver command, control, communications, computers, combat systems, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance solutions. The ACE Lab will allow SAIC experts to work with customers to develop advanced engineering solutions for the nation’s most significant technological and software challenges.

SAIC will occupy 43,081 square feet of the 105,150 square foot building. The company signed a lease with Venture One Real Estate, LLC to occupy the property until 2021.

“This is a great opportunity for SAIC to enhance its presence in Charleston. Our employees here are proud of the contributions they make for our customers and we look forward to continued growth in the Low Country community,” said Deb Alderson, SAIC’s Defense Solutions Group President.

About SAIC
SAIC is a FORTUNE 500® scientific, engineering, and technology applications company that uses its deep domain knowledge to solve problems of vital importance to the nation and the world, in national security, energy and the environment, critical infrastructure, and health. The company’s approximately 41,000 employees serve customers in the U.S. Department of Defense, the intelligence community, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, other U.S. government civil agencies, and selected commercial markets. Headquartered in McLean, Va., SAIC had annual revenues of $11.1 billion for its fiscal year ended Jan. 31, 2011. For more information, visit www.saic.com. SAIC:  From Science to Solutions

Summer Children’s Theatre Performance featuring Paul Miller of Flow Circus Variety Arts

Miller's one-man variety show of juggling, mystifying magic, and comedy will thrill audiences of all ages.

Another wonderful Summer Children’s Theatre is scheduled in North Charleston on Friday, July 15, 2011, featuring two lively performances by Paul Miller of Flow Circus Variety Arts.

A self-taught juggler and performance artist, Miller's influences include masters of silent film Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplain, and physical stand-up comics such as Steve Martin and Robin Williams. He has worked with the Hawaii Volcano Circus, Mobious – Boston’s Center for Experimental Works, Disney Cruise Lines, and FoodPlay, an Emmy Award winning show teaching healthy nutrition to school children.

Flow Circus was created in 1999 to promote active learning and play through the juggling arts. Based in North Carolina, they provide quality school, library, and family programming nationally. In addition to performances, Flow Circus offers engaging hands-on workshops for teens and adults. Visit www.flowcircus.com for more information.

This Summer Children’s Theatre will have two performances at two different venues. A morning presentation will take place from 10:00am to 11:00am at Northwoods Park & Recreation Center, 8348 Greenridge Road, North Charleston, SC 29406. An afternoon performance is scheduled from 2:00pm to 3:00pm at the Sterett Hall Auditorium on the former Charleston Naval Base, 1530 7th Street, North Charleston, SC 29405.

Tickets are $2 per child; accompanying adults are admitted at no charge. Groups of 10+ are required to reserve space. Seats fill up fast, so reserve early by calling the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department office at 843.740.5854.

For directions or information on additional programs and events, visit the Cultural Arts page at www.northcharleston.org.

Alan Finch & Curtis Bartone at City Gallery

Alan Finch and Curtis Bartone will be on exhibit at the
North Charleston City Gallery during the month of July.

Lay Down with the Lamb

Alan Finch will present digital photography in his exhibition titled I Wish I Was a Camera. Inspired by spontaneity, Finch’s abstract nature photographs feature extreme close-ups of natural and organic materials with manipulations executed before the photos are taken. Most of the images are of rock formations and organic materials at a remote island on Norris Lake at Norris Dam State Park and at the artist’s home in Clinton, TN. 

Finch has worked as a visual artist for the past 25 years. His photography, paintings, sculpture, and performance art videos have been included in numerous national, regional, and local juried shows and invitationals, including the Positive/Negative National Exhibition. His photographs have recently been exhibited in the McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville, TN, the Knoxville Museum of Art, the Oak Ridge Museum of Art, and the Rose Center in Morristown, TN. 

Grace

The gallery will also feature paintings, etchings, and lithographs by Savannah, GA, artist, Curtis Bartone. Bartone’s works depict human beings’ relationship to the environment. Each piece explores our fear and fascination with poisonous flora and fauna and how that contrasts with our indifference to manmade, ubiquitous, and seemingly benign toxins and hazards. “Here in Georgia, we worry about black widow and brown recluse spiders, while ignoring real threats like the toxins spewed from our factories and the pesticides and herbicides we use on the lawns where our children play,” he explains. 

Bartone has exhibited and lectured throughout the US and abroad. His work is part of several public collections such as the Telfair Museum of Art in Savannah, Grinnell College in Iowa, and the Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University in Illinois.  He is currently a printmaking instructor for the Savannah Department of Cultural Affairs and the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Both artists’ work will be on display from July 2-31, 2011. A free reception, featuring a performance by the pop group Rabbit, will be held at the gallery on Thursday, July 7, from 5pm-7pm. The public is invited to attend. 

The North Charleston City Gallery is located in the Charleston Area Convention Center with free parking and admission during regular Convention Center operating hours 9:00AM – 5:00PM, daily.  The Gallery is staffed on Friday, Saturday, and Monday only.   Inquiries regarding artists or purchase information may be directed to the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at (843) 740-5854. For information on additional exhibits, programs, and events, visit the Cultural Arts section of the City’s website at www.northcharleston.org.