Carolina Forest Civic Association

06/09/2026

Today - Tuesday, June 9th - is Primary Election Day here in South Carolina! 🇺🇸 🐘🫏 Here are some quick facts about voting in Carolina Forest:

🗳️ Polls are open from 7:00am until 7:00pm
🗳️ You can find your polling place here: https://tinyurl.com/CarolinaForestVoting
🗳️ You can check your registration status & view your sample ballot at www.scvotes.gov
🗳️ South Carolina does NOT have party registration. Voters may choose to vote in either (but only one) of the partisan primaries
🗳️ You must show a photo I.D. at the polls to vote in South Carolina
🗳️ Any race that does not have a candidate earning 50% +1 will head to a runoff election in 2 weeks on Tuesday, June 23rd. If you vote in today's primary, you are bound to that party's runoff ONLY when you vote in 2 weeks.

Carolina Forest notoriously has a low turnout. Let's change that trend today and make sure our community is heard!

05/27/2026

**YMCA UPDATE!** The Carolina Forest Civic Association has gotten a ton of questions about the status of the proposed YMCA coastal on the corner of Augusta Plantation & River Oaks, especially since the acquisition of Tidelands Health by MUSC - and this is a big one.

The Horry County Council has voted to allocate $10 million in funding towards the natatorium portion of the project (which is about 1/4 of the cost of the full building estimate). The project is now estimated to be fully built by 2030. The CFCA has been given a seat on the YMCA Advisory Committee with our Vice President, Shawn Sines, serving as our Board's selected representative, and we will continue to provide updates on information & timelines as we receive them, as well as continue to encourage ongoing dialogue with residents as the process continues.

We know there is a ton of support & excitement for this project, but there are also many fair questions, so it's critical that there be an ongoing level of transparency as the process unfolds. If you don't already, please be sure to follow the CFCA here on Facebook, take a membership at www.cf-ca.org, and consider joining us at our monthly meetings - they are free & open to the public every 3rd Wednesday of the month at the Carolina Forest Rec Center at 6pm. We'd love to see more of our neighbors there!
https://www.postandcourier.com/myrtle-beach/news/horry-county-swimming-complex-little-river-boardwalk/article_4303b6ed-727b-4b0b-b691-c6df1745babe.html

Horry County Council is setting aside millions for a swimming complex in Carolina Forest, a boardwalk along the Little River waterfront and a rural civic center outside Conway.

05/22/2026

Thank you to everyone who came out to our May General Meeting and participated in our second of two Primary Election School Board Forums with the School Board candidates for School Board Chair & District 3! It's so important for our community to be informed & engaged, and while the Carolina Forest Civic Association chooses not to issue endorsements, our Board feels it's critical to continue offering opportunities for our neighbors & the local press to hear directly from those who want to represent our families. A huge thank you to Tracy Winters for Horry County School Board, District 3, David Frierson for Horry County School Board #3, JD Davis for Horry County School Board, District 3, Darrell Ricketts for HCS Board Chair, and Melanie Wellons for Horry County School Board Chair (represented by her daughter, Madalyn Dicks, due to a prior commitment) for participating in the process, answering all questions from our residents, and taking seriously the voice of Carolina Forest is their respective races. We appreciate your time and your willingness to run & serve our community! You can read more about the Forum via various news outlets below!

My Horry News: https://www.myhorrynews.com/news/horry-county-board-of-education-candidates-talk-hot-topics-at-carolina-forest-event/article_43019dff-b4b8-433d-8605-bbeb0bae2462.html

WPDE ABC15:
https://wpde.com/news/local/horry-county-school-board-candidates-debate-growth-technology-at-carolina-forest-forum

WMBF News: https://www.wmbfnews.com/2026/05/21/horry-county-school-board-candidates-outline-visions-community-forum/

📅 Mark your calendars for our next meeting taking place on Wednesday, June 17th at the Carolina Forest Rec Center at 6pm! We will be welcoming Horry County Office of Emergency Management to discuss the upcoming storm season and how your family can be prepared!

05/16/2026

Please join us at the Carolina Forest Rec Center (2254 Carolina Forest Blvd) for our May Monthly Meeting on Wednesday 5/20 as we hold the second of two Meet the Candidate Forums for Horry County School Board races ahead of the June 9th Primary Elections for districts that cover the Carolina Forest area!

For this meeting, we have extended invitations to the candidates running for School Board Chair for the seat being vacated by current Board Chair David Cox (candidates Darrell Ricketts & Melanie Wellons) and District 3 for the seat currently held by incumbent Board Member Tracy Winters HCS District 3 (candidates JD Davis, David Frierson, and Tracy Winters). Each candidate will be offered a table space for literature & information at the meeting, and we will hold an opportunity for each to address to the crowd with an opening statement followed by a moderated Q&A session with questions submitted from the audience.

This meeting is free and open to the public. Please come join us and learn more about the candidates seeking to serve our community and make the decisions impacting our schools and our property tax bills!

05/05/2026

The Horry County Schools budget for 2026-27 contains many good news items, including:
➡️No tax increase on residents again this year
➡️$11.26M in capital improvements to Carolina Forest High School
➡️Increase in teacher & staff salaries
➡️Increase in academic funding and additional funds to continue improving literacy to achieve the District goal of a 95% grade-level literacy rate by 2030

Thank you to HCS Superintendent Clifford Jones and to the HCS Board of Education, including our local Board representatives Tracy Winters HCS District 3, Debbie Edmonds: Horry Co. School Board District 2, Pam Dawson District 6, Melanie Wellons District 8, and Neil James District 10 for working hard to ensure our schools and property values remain strong here in Carolina Forest. We appreciate your efforts!

Horry County Schools Superintendent Clifford Jones presented his comprehensive budget proposal to the Horry County Board of Education at a work session on Monday night, May 4. The budget comes in at over $1.2 billion that does not include a tax or millage increase.

05/01/2026

🌳 FEEL GOOD FRIDAY IN THE FOREST! 🌳
Your CFCA Board was thrilled to present the Pine Island Elementary PTO with a check for $500 to put towards the wonderful work they do for local students, families, teachers, and staff at Pine Island Elementary School!

For the last 3 years, the Carolina Forest Civic Association has hosted our Annual Carolina Forest Day to bring our community together & showcase local businesses with an eye on dedicating a portion of the vendor fees & sponsorships received to the betterment of our community & the lives of our residents.

With last year's funds, our Board has voted to allocate $500 to each Parent Teacher Organization in Carolina Forest to utilize as they see fit, and PIES PTO was our final stop!

When you support the CFCA, you support our community - it's that simple! Join us today at www.cf-ca.org!

04/28/2026

Thank you to everyone who came out to our April General Meeting and participated in our first of two Primary Election School Board Forums with the School Board candidates for Districts 2 & 10! It's so important for our community to be informed & engaged, and while the Carolina Forest Civic Association chooses not to issue endorsements, our Board feels it's critical to continue offering opportunities for our neighbors & the local press to hear directly from those who want to represent our families. A huge thank you to Meredith Kennedy for Horry County School Board District 2, Tommy Vaughn Vaughn4hcsboard2, Jason Morgan, Warner for Horry County Schools - District 10, and Elect Stephen Whisnant for Horry County School Board, District 10 for participating in the process, answering all questions from our residents, and taking seriously the voice of Carolina Forest is their respective races. We appreciate your time and your willingness to run & serve our community! You can read more about the Forum via My Horry News here: https://www.myhorrynews.com/news/district-10-and-district-2-horry-county-school-board-candidates-talk-issues-election/article_28db9f77-b561-4f26-a03d-c12fe972e283.html

📅 Mark your calendars for our next Primary Election Candidate Forum for School Board Chair & School Board District 3, taking place on Wednesday, May 20th at the Carolina Forest Rec Center at 6pm!

04/22/2026

THANK YOU to all of our incredible first responders who diligently helped stopped this from becoming another full-blown disaster for our Carolina Forest community! Now more than ever, its critical for our community to heed the BURN BAN warnings. If your HOA still has not joined in on the BURN BAN sign initiative with the Carolina Forest Civic Association & Tim McGinnis - SC District 56 State Representative, please contact us at [email protected] or call Rep. McGinnis' Office at (843) 915-5130 to request them NOW. Be a part of raising awareness among your neighbors and help us prevent the next wildfire!

04/21/2026

The Carolina Forest Civic Association is actively following news surrounding this situation. First responders are hitting this fire quickly and aggressively - pray that the winds die down and pray for our first responders as they work to protect our homes and businesses here in Carolina Forest.

Crews are battling a wildfire in the Carolina Forest area.

04/16/2026

📄🗑️ BY POPULAR DEMAND! The Carolina Forest Civic Association and Office of Edward Jones-Financial Advisor: Shawn M Sines will be co-hosting a FREE Community Paper Shredding Event on Saturday, April 18th from 11am-1pm! If you have documents you've been looking to safely shred, bring them out to have them properly disposed of. Come on out and check an item off of your spring cleaning "to do" list with your Carolina Forest neighbors & communities! Please share with your neighbors. We hope to see you there!