{"id":9682,"date":"2014-07-23T04:14:24","date_gmt":"2014-07-23T08:14:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/?p=9682"},"modified":"2014-07-23T05:10:00","modified_gmt":"2014-07-23T09:10:00","slug":"brad-lofton-leaving-myrtle-beach-sc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2014\/07\/brad-lofton-leaving-myrtle-beach-sc.html","title":{"rendered":"Brad Lofton leaving Myrtle Beach, SC"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/a>
\nLooks like Horry County, SC stuck to its
\ninitial three-year offer, both for Lofton, and for millage
\nto fund his development authority there.
\nThere are things the
\n
\nnewly-renamed Valdosta-Lowndes Development Authority<\/a>
\ncould do to let sunshine turn Lofton’s local land legacy green.<\/p>\n

\nJason M. Rodriguez and Amanda Kelley wrote for Myrtle Beach Online yesterday,
\n
\nBrad Lofton leaving Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation<\/a>,<\/p>\n

\n

Membership to the EDC increased earlier this year, but revenue from
\nthe membership decreased by nearly $60,000, impacting the
\norganization’s marketing services and more.\n<\/p>\n

\nLoton has had many projects succeed, and met some challenges during
\nhis time in Horry County.\n<\/p>\n

\nEarlier this month Ohio-based Ithaca Gun Co. did not
\n
\n<\/a>
\n reply to a
\ncounty incentive offer to bring its gun manufacturing operations and
\na glass company, along with 120 jobs, to Horry County — a
\nproject Lofton, and others, championed after officials recruited gun
\nmanufacturer PTR Industries to the area.\n<\/p>\n

\nLofton’s resignation comes as the EDC is working to figure out
\nalternative funding since the agreement for an annual commitment of
\n$1.3 million from the Horry County Council only goes through June
\n30, 2015.\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

So unlike the Lowndes County Commission,
\nwhich gave<\/a> the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA) 1 mil (about $3 million)<\/a> of annual tax revenue with no time limit,
\nseven years ago<\/a>
\nat their 24 July 2007 Regular Session<\/a>, Horry County, SC only signed up for three years
\nfor that
\nmillage Lofton asked it for in May 2011<\/a>.
\nOf course, what the Lowndes County Commission gaveth, it could taketh back
\nor modify.
\nProbably we’re stuck with that
\n
\n $15 million balooning to $23.5 million<\/a> in bonds and other
\ndebt obligations.
\nBut see below for an idea about that.<\/p>\n

\n2007 was also the year VLCIA sold some land to a private party
\nwho planned to resell it at around 100% profit<\/a> to private prison company CCA, that VLCIA invited into the county.
\nThe private prison contract expired 5 March 2012<\/a>, so we didn’t end up paying the $9 million in incentives Lofton promised CCA in 2009.
\nOther things could change, too.<\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/a>
\nAnyway, Gretchen found this news of Lofton’s latest move via google alert,
\njust like she found
\n
\nnews of his move from here to Myrtle Beach back on 10 March 2011<\/a>,
\nbefore his employer (VLCIA) knew.
\nThe VDT eventually asked his then-employer, who
\n
\ngave a glowing review<\/a> just like his current one just did.
\nThe VDT also asked Lofton a question and:<\/p>\n

\n

\nLofton wanted to clarify that he was not leaving Valdosta because of
\nthe Wiregrass Power LLC biomass facility and the controversy
\nsurrounding the project.<\/p>\n

\n“My move had absolutely nothing to do
\nwith the biomass plant or any of the stresses involved with that
\nproject,” said Lofton. “We’ve announced 17 new projects
\nsince I began, with over 2,000 new jobs and almost $500 million in
\neconomic development in the area, so I’m hoping that the biomass
\nproject is not my legacy.”\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n
\n<\/a>
\nWell, others<\/a> may have differing opinions on that<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\nThe VDT also
\nsuggested back then<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n

\nParameters on the types of industry would be a good place to start,
\nfollowed by decisions on how all of that tax money the industrial
\nauthority is now receiving should be spent.\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\nThe newly-renamed Valdosta-Lowndes Development Authority has changed
\ncourse somewhat,<\/p>\n

although it continues to spiff up empty industrial parks
\nmade out of all that land that those bonds bought.
\nMaybe that last is Lofton’s legacy.<\/p>\n

\nIndustrial parks were a fine new cutting-edge idea back in the 1950s
\nwhen
\n
\nformer governor Meldrim Thompson helped found the Industrial Authority<\/a>.
\n<\/a>
\nThere could be better ideas now.
\nAs the VDT said:<\/p>\n

\n

\nThey have snatched up acres and acres of property in recent years,
\nbut to date, those properties remain empty.\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n


\n<\/a>
\nHey, maybe VLCIA (or VLDA) could sell some of that land or use it as
\ncollateral
\n
\nto finance rooftop or utility-scale solar projects<\/a>?
\nMaybe even put some of those solar panels on that industrial park land, or around the airport?
\nNow that would be a real legacy!<\/p>\n

\n -jsq<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Looks like Horry County, SC stuck to its initial three-year offer, both for Lofton, and for millage to fund his development authority there. There are things the newly-renamed Valdosta-Lowndes Development Authority could do to let sunshine turn Lofton’s local land legacy green. Jason M. Rodriguez and Amanda Kelley wrote for Myrtle Beach Online yesterday, Brad […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[97,120,1113,14,19,72,24,178],"tags":[728,1747,714,8704,8701,7317,10,8709,4562,8702,1622,12,7,1247,4561,8714,2428,6,8749],"class_list":["post-9682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-activism","category-biomass","category-cca","category-economy","category-history","category-incarceration","category-solar","category-vlcia","tag-bonds","tag-brad-lofton","tag-debt","tag-economy","tag-georgia","tag-green-bonds","tag-gretchen-quarterman","tag-history","tag-horry-county","tag-lake","tag-land","tag-lowndes-area-knowledge-exchange","tag-lowndes-county","tag-millage","tag-myrtle-beach","tag-solar","tag-south-carolina","tag-valdosta","tag-vlcia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9682"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9682\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9696,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9682\/revisions\/9696"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}