myrtle beach bike week and others

[fordmusltrk]

i have heard that they are trying to cancel both myrtle beach bike weeks forever!!! this is something that i don't understand.....a beach town that many people love to go to and spend their hard earned dollars, and the powers to be want to cancel the events....i know that bike week is not the only way that myrtle beach makes money but why cancel bike week?? if they get away with this then what is to stop them from stopping other events like senior week and such???? and if myrtle beach gets away with it where do we go next...delmarva? daytona? sturgis?  don't think that it will go that far but, lets just hope they come to their senses and leave things the way they are

[Winslow]

Ford sent me this article.  Ive heard about this before from my SC ABATE contacts.  Seems its very, very real!  Dam it, SE and I havnt been yet!

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  Myrtle Beach putting brakes on rallies

By Steve Porter
The Herald

Myrtle Beach—The first action taken by the Myrtle Beach City council to follow up on its promise to “do something” about the problems created by two May motorcycle festivals was to pass a budget that includes a 3-mill tax increase to be dedicated to the costs of shutting the events down.
The council came into its regular Tuesday meeting with a first reading budget proposal that was left unchanged, without a tax increase. But, after it received first and second motions for approval, a proposal was made to raise taxes by more than $1 million to cover expenses related to making the Harley-Davidson Spring Rally and the Atlantic Beach Memorial Day Bike Fest go away for good.
The council then voted unanimously to approve the overall budget ordinance, including the 3-mill increase, and then went on to approve a set of motions that would shut down all city and coun ty activities that support motorcycle events.
The proposals were put in the form of motions which do not require further actions. One will have the city manager cancel all contracts for entertainment at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center during the Month of May. That move would end the main entertainment event of the Memorial Day biker weekend. Harley activities ended at the Convention Center earlier this year when they were moved to the parking lot of Hard Rock Park, which is outside the city limits.
Another motion would cancel all city involvement in bike month activities and would lift the so-called overlay zone (OZ) zoning regulations that allow motorcycle rally activity at Broadway at the Beach.

In addition, the city manager was directed to go to Horry County Council and make a request for the city to be entered on the county council agenda for the purpose of making a request that the county end the issuance of vending permits throughout the county during the mon th of May.
There were indications that not only the city manager, but many of the city council may go along on that visit, and that when the day for public comment on the request is heard, that a very significant crowd of Myrtle Beach residents may appear.
Council member Chuck Martino suggested that city residents create “gridlock” on Highway 501 and in Conway as they drive to that particular meeting to express their support for ending county vending permits.
Some county officials subsequently said they were not surprised by the city’s action and were expecting the city’s request.
Not answered during the meeting was how the 3 mills would be spent, although initial indications are that it would go into enhanced law enforcement, the purchase of noise measuring devices and possibly even a marketing plan to advise bikers that a lot of bike week attitudes and activities in the city of Myrtle Beach had changed.
The fate of the Myrtle Beach Friendship Team, which sends l ocal residents among the bikers during rallies to ask that they respect and obey the city’s laws and regulations, was not discussed.
City manager Tom Leath reported that he had already met with Horry County Administrator Danny Knight. Other municipal and law enforcement officials from around the Grand Strand have also been having discussions on possible options for dealing with the problem.
Leath indicated that there is also a proposal to hold a public input session late next month, possibly hosted by the Grand Strand Alliance at Horry-Georgetown Technical College to air out some of the issues.
As to how the $1 million would be spent on discouraging the bike events, that was left to future council meetings.
The money itself would be held in a “set-aside” account pending what the council decides to do.
Nothing was discussed pertaining to how the city of Atlantic Beach might be affected and there was no mention of whether the Harley-Davidson Fall Rally might also be affected.




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[Gunner]

South Carolina - ~Town hopes to keep noise out of its neighborhoods~
Temporary motorcycle event vendors are now banned for two years from Surfside Beach during May's annual biker rallies, after Town Council on Tuesday approved a moratorium.

The action comes on the heels of Myrtle Beach's aggressive campaign to end the rallies that attract thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts to the area each year.

The ban in Surfside Beach is intended to protect residents from the traffic congestion and noise pollution that plague the area each May as thousands of motorcyclists travel to the Grand Strand, Mayor K. Allen Deaton said.

"We're overwhelmed during the biker weeks. What happens is the gridlock on [U.S. 17 S. business] and Ocean Boulevard creates a problem for people trying to leave their neighborhoods. Our tourism area is only about three blocks wide. When [bikers] venture out of that three-block area, they are basically in our neighborhoods. Noise is the major problem," Deaton said.

As a result of the moratorium, the town will lose about $4,500 in vendor permit fees. Deaton said the town spends more money on overtime and public safety than it brings in from the permits. The town issued eight vendor permits, five tent permits and 12 banner permits last year, Town Clerk Sharon Pinnell said.

Deaton recognizes the number of permits issued is not large, but said it will help to relieve some of the congestion off of its major tourists roads.

"Our attitude is not to eliminate the Harley-Davidson rally. It's to control it," he said.

Surfside Beach and Myrtle Beach are both part of the Coastal Alliance and agreed during a recent meeting that the bike rallies were a problem.

Surfside Beach decided to move forward on its own, but the city of Myrtle Beach plans to ask Horry County and North Myrtle Beach to join in and take action to restrict vendor activity during the rallies, said City Manager Tom Leath.

A meeting of the Grand Strand Coastal Alliance for all governments affected by the bike rallies is tentatively scheduled for August to create a plan, Leath said.

"I think the city will be pleased that the town of Surfside Beach has taken this action," Leath said. Taking away licenses "itself will not curtail all activities, but it's a step in the right direction."

Despite protests from some businesses that the rallies provide an economic boon to the area, Myrtle Beach passed a 3-mill property tax increase on June 17 to dedicate to an anti-bike rally campaign.

The city's council members have also passed first reading to change the city's OZ-50 zoning so vending permits cannot be issued in May. OZ-50 covers the Myrtle Beach Convention Center and Broadway at the Beach, two spots that in years past have drawn motorcycle-related vending, Leath said.

The city started its efforts in response to residents' complaints about increased crime and traffic congestion. The city spends an extra $300,000 or so each year on the bike rallies, between additional law enforcement, overtime, trash clean-up and other services, city spokesman Mark Kruea said.

[Tattoo70]

Hmm. Interesting. Lets teach em a lesson. Let em cancel all the vending permits. We can all still go there. With no place for us to congregate or no vendors for us to visit and nothing for us to do but RIDE, then lets see how loud things get when 50,000 strong are on the road at the same time. I'll bet those vending permits come back real quick. Just my thinking......

[Sweet_Emotion]

HeHe..Great idea! This would surely be an example of the "squeaky wheel theory" in extreme form... ;D

[LawyerMike]

I think it is all quite simple actually
FUCK EM
If they do not want us and our money then fuck em
we can all go elsewhere where we are wanted

[Sweet_Emotion]

HeHe  good words there Mike...I agree, if they don't want our money or good times, fuck em'.... I am sure if they keep this view, they will feel the loss... After all, we are going ot have the good times and YES for the most spend the money,so again I say their loss, let's plan another hot  spot and do it!!

[Grimmus]

fuck em is right...

they dont want all of us to come in and  give them that several million dollar economy boost . fine, more money in my pocket for  other events..

but when the  small amount of residents that live there relize that there property taxes and  other taxes are gonna  increase to make up the differance.  and business start to fold because  some bars and  such depend on us spending our money  during that week. we will see how they feel about us then

[Sweet_Emotion]

You know it big guy!!! In the end all depends on their priorities, but we all know,that is us bikers know, the proof will be in the pudding!!! So, will see what this one brings em in!! Ride safe all!