Electricians in Summerville, SC

A “first-of-its-kind” health care waste treatment and disposal company is set to open in Summerville.

EcoSteris confirmed that March 1 will be the start date of its "state-of-the art" operations at 112 Fabricators St., according to an EcoSteris news release.

The company claims to be the first facility of its kind nationwide to provide environmental and health care integrated waste treatment and disposal solutions using sustainable technology that meets strict national and international safety standards and regulations, according to the release.

EcoSteris understands that regulated medical waste management is not only an issue of cost and convenience, but it is also a subject of liability, public relations, social responsibility and environmental sustainability, the release stated.

That is why EcoSteris is committed to providing advanced, comprehensive and integrated medical waste solutions that are designed to help health care providers, medical waste generators, and service partners establish safe, sustainable, reliable and affordable waste management and disposal operations that protect our public, preserve the planet and reconcile economic and social needs, the release stated.

The company's focus on sustainable practices and automation is what sets it apart from others, according to Youmna Squalli, president and owner of EcoSteris. The project represents a $6 million investment and will employ between 12 to 16 people.

"The operation is going to be the first of its kind in the industry, fully automated from start to finish," Squalli said via email. "We wanted to carry the sustainable approach not only in the treatment process, but also in the way we operate on a day-to-day basis, hence a lean operation with minimum employees. This will allow us to be aggressive and competitive when it comes to our pricing considering a lower overhead."

EcoSteris offers reliable and affordable off-site medical waste management services for small and large waste quantity generators throughout the state of South Carolina, the release stated. Its service plans include:

“Apart from jobs creation that the business is expected to bring to the community, EcoSteris is committed to deliver essential sustainable services that protect the public from harmful waste,” Squalli said in the release. “Our operation does not involve the use of chemicals or burning of the waste; we follow a clean and environmentally friendly approach. Our tagline line is: ‘Sustainability is our passion,’ which we take to heart, hence why we increased our investment and went an extra step further with our double shredding process post steam sterilization. While the regulations in the state of South Carolina does not require the waste to be shredded, at EcoSteris, our treated waste will go through a double shredding process.

“This will not only reduce the volume of the waste by more than 85% but it will also allow us to have unrecognizable waste that is safe to be recycled or disposed of. This process is going to have a huge positive impact on the landfills of our community from a safety and environmentally perspective and for all our taxpayers.”

Reach Jason at 864-568-7570.

Summerville, Jan. 31, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Summerville, South Carolina -

Summerville, SC — Lowcountry Eye Care has announced that Coyle Optometry in Summerville will be joining their family of practices. The collaboration and addition of Coyle Optometry is a good match for Lowcountry Eye Care as both are full-service practices that provide a broad range of eye care for patients. With the incorporation of Coyle Optometry, previous owner Daniel Coyle, O.D., will stay on as the lead optometrist at the location.

“We’re thrilled to team up with Coyle Optometry and bring the family-focused approach we’re known for to Summerville,” said Joe Pitcavage, O.D., co-owner and optometrist at Lowcountry Eye Care. “Dr. Coyle has great history serving the community, and his long-established presence in the area makes for a seamless transition. With Coyle Optometry becoming a Lowcountry Eye Care location, it helps Dr. Coyle expand his patient base and treat even more patients in Summerville!”

Originally founded by his father, Coyle Optometry has been serving the Summerville area for 65 years, and the practice has been in its current location for 35 years. Much of the practice’s current technology already matches Lowcountry Eye Care’s typical offerings, such as the Optos retinal imaging device.

“What’s great about Dr. Coyle is how he keeps his care very personal,” said Wes Shealy, O.D., co-owner and eye doctor at various Lowcountry Eye Care practices. “He does most of the eye exam process himself, and that kind of patient-focused care is something we really value at Lowcountry Eye Care. That, paired with the fact that he operates a very modernized practice, made Dr. Coyle a natural fit. We’re always proud to be the Lowcountry area’s dedicated eye care practice and opening a location in Summerville means we get to help even more people!”

Summerville does not currently have any other optometry practices, with eye care options outside of Dr. Coyle’s practice being limited to a number of optical shops. With the integration of the two practices into a new Lowcountry Eye Care location, the intention is to expand treatment and eyewear offerings for Summerville and the surrounding areas.

“I’ve known Dr. Pitcavage and Dr. Shealy for a long time, which is why I trusted them to help take Coyle Optometry to the next level and expand the Lowcountry Eye Care family. I’m proud to join them,” said Dr. Coyle. “The high-quality of care offered at Lowcountry Eye Care practices is something I greatly value, and I know my patients will be happy to hear about all the expansions and updates we have planned.”

The Summerville location, as well as all Lowcountry Eye Care locations, are currently open and taking appointments for new and existing patients.

About Lowcountry Eye Care

Lowcountry Eye Care is a full-service eye care practice with a strong family focus. Based in Charleston and serving the surrounding regions with its several locations, the practice is known for its high-level of service and dedication to patients. Lowcountry Eye Care practices each offer a wide variety of services for patients of all-ages, including myopia management and pediatric care, eye disease management and treatment, and comprehensive eye exams with a focus on patient education. With advanced technology and an array of eyewear options, Lowcountry Eye Care offers patients a personalized eye care experience.

For more information about Lowcountry Eye Care - Summerville (Previously Coyle Optometry), contact the company here:

Lowcountry Eye Care - Summerville (Previously Coyle Optometry)Dr. Joe Pitcavage(843) 285-6629summerville@charlestoneyedoctor.com174 Beauregard Rd, Summerville, SC 29486

DORCHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – Some residents in the Summerville area are raising concerns about a homeless shelter that will soon be built near their homes.

The property which could be home to the new shelter is located near the corner of Beverly Drive and Miles Jamison Road. While some are unhappy with the plan, others say it’s a crucial need for many who are struggling in the community.

“Our whole mission is we engage with individuals who are homeless, who are seeking financial stability to acquire permanent housing,” explained Ginny Vicini, executive director of Dorchester County Community Outreach.

Dorchester County Community Outreach currently runs two homes on Central Avenue. “Hope’s House,” which eight women can use at a time, and “Home of Hope,” which 16 men can use at a time.

They are working to build facilities to help more people in need.

“We found a piece of property at Miles Jamison. It was ideally suited. It was zoned properly, and it was the size lot that we needed,” said Vicini.

They purchased the land in October of last year and plan to spend about $3 million building a 16-person men’s home, a 16-person women’s home, and a multipurpose building.

But the group has had some pushback from people who live in the community. They said a homeless shelter in a largely residential area is not a good idea – there is no public transportation and very few public services.

“We hope that we have been as responsive; I know that we’ve been as responsible as we could be,” Vincini said.

The group met with neighborhoods and are attempting to be annexed into the Town of Summerville to have access to Summerville services.

The property is zoned for use as a shelter whether it is annexed or not. Summerville Town Council is expected to take up the annexation on March 9^th.

So far, 843 people have signed an online petition against the shelter opening.

People who live near the property didn’t want to talk on camera Tuesday. They said they were not told about the property use before it was purchased. Several people said they are tired of this, and they don’t believe the outcome is going to change either way.

Vicini says they do background checks on their residents. “Our criteria for coming into our program — someone who is capable of managing your day-to-day life. Going to work, maintaining the property. We have a curfew at 8 o’clock at night. We have staffing 24/7.”

After hearing the public’s concerns about a proposed warming or cooling shelter at the site, they have decided not to provide that service.

Officials said they hope to have the men’s shelter finished later this year and the women’s shelter would be opening sometime in 2024.

John McKissick Field, the home field for Summerville High School, is the only game day field that has artificial turf.

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - The turf wars in Dorchester School District Two’s extracurricular programs may be a few months away, but the district is working on changing the fields students and athletes play and practice on.

John McKissick Field, the home field for Summerville High School, is the only game day field that has artificial turf.

“We’re looking at all of our JROTC, our bands, our football, our soccer,” Deputy Superintendent Chad Dougherty said. “All of those teams could have the access to a facility during the school day.”

The district’s board approved Monday night to spend around $3.6 million to turn one field at each of its three high school campuses into synthetic turf. These include the game day fields at Ashley Ridge and Fort Dorchester high schools and the practice field at Summerville High School.

The district and booster clubs at all three high schools will be sharing the cost of the project.

Officials said when it rains in the area, the natural grass fields will get muddy and unusable, leading to accessibility issues with athletic and extracurricular programs.

Ashley Ridge High School Head Football Coach Shane Fidler said they sometimes postponed games with teams from out of state due to conditions on the field.

“We played a lot of games out here this fall, and a lot of them were muddy and slippery and really just put a lot of wear and tear on this field,” Fidler said. “It’s tough to maintain the field conditions for all of our opponents.”

Football players won’t be the only ones who will notice the change. Band directors said it’s not uncommon for students to drag their equipment through the mud when it rains.

“It’s absolutely wear and tear,” Ashley Ridge High School Band Director Meredith Melvin said. “We’ve had to replace wheels on equipment, and all of those are expenses that could go to other things for directly for students.”

“Anytime students are doing anything where you’re expecting them to play an instrument and run backwards at the same time, the familiarity of what they’re touching and what they’re feeling when they land on the ground is really important,” Summerville High School Band Director Leslie Gilreath said.

Dougherty said the district is not concerned about a potential rise in injuries, saying that concussions happen less frequently on turf than natural grass. However, he said that doesn’t only apply to athletes.

“Our bands have been practicing out on our parking lots, and so they’ve seen a rise of injuries because they’re out on that hard surface, that pavement,” he said. “They’re looking forward to be able to practice on the field or environment in which they’re going to be out on competition.”

The district said the renovations should be done sometime in August, ahead of football season starting. Should they run into unexpected delays, the district said changes to schedules could be in order.

“You have [John McKissick Field] here that can be accessed,” Dougherty said. “We might have to look at some schedules and changing some of those schedules around, so if you have a home match, maybe an away here at Summerville, we may have to do some of those things if it’s not playable.”

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Could vanpooling be people’s preferred choice to commute to and from work in the near future?

The folks from Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments (BCDCOG) introduced their Lowcountry Go Vanpool Program as a “real solution” that would help reduce traffic congestion at the Summerville/Dorchester County Chamber of Commerce’s “Power Hour” event on Feb. 15 at the Rollins Edwards Community Center.

Morgan Grimes and Courtney Cherry were on hand to apprise the early-morning crowd of 50-60 attendees on Lowcountry Go’s initiative that provides eligible groups of four of more commuters with a 7 or 15-passenger van to get them to work anywhere in the Tri-county area.

During their presentation, the duo described the vanpooling endeavor as an easy and inexpensive service available via a month-to-month lease agreement which furnishes clients with a vehicle, insurance, maintenance, gas and emergency trips.

The monthly cost, they added, is divided among riders, as that expense lowers with more people who join in on the vanpooling endeavor. Overall, it was noted, the plan is most economical for groups traveling 15 or more miles one way.

The minimum amount of people to start a vanpool is four.

Audience members learned that the vanpool solution was the offshoot of factors, such as population growth — which is three times the national average in Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties — and roadway congestion since in many cases lawmakers cannot widen their way out of traffic problems.

In addition to the vanpooling option, Lowcountry Go delivers walking, biking and public transit solutions in the form of electronic buses.

Vanpools typically run Monday through Saturday and all participants — including the driver — must be commuting, as detailed in a corresponding slideshow at the “Power Hour” gathering.

Vanpooling, according to stats compiled by Lowcountry Go, saves people 50-80 percent annually on their commuting costs, 11,100 miles on their personal car and up to 25 percent in car insurance.

From an environmental standpoint, it eliminates 40 pounds of nitric oxide gases per day and saves up to 7.2 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions. What’s more, up to one billion gallons of fuel can potentially be saved by more people opting to vanpool to work.

In fact, just 10 vanpools annually can eliminate 1.5 pounds of carbon dioxide.

Grimes and Cherry further mentioned the quality-of-life benefits derived from vanpooling, such as stress reduction and affording commuters more time to themselves before and after their daily drive.

Questions regarding Lowcountry Go can be sent to Grimes (MorganG@bcdcog.com) or to Sharon Hollis (SharonH@bcdcog.com).