FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 11, 2000

CONTACT: SID GAULDEN, 803-896-8755

COLUMBIA – Department of Public Safety Director Boykin Rose and Sen. Luke Rankin, D-Horry, today broke ground for a new full-service Division of Motor Vehicles office at the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base site near Socastee in Horry County.

Funding for the proposed facility was approved earlier this year by the Joint Bond Review Committee and the State Budget and Control Board. Sen. Luke Rankin and Gov. Jim Hodges were instrumental in pushing the approval of the funding through the committee.

"With the phenomenal growth rate in Horry County, we have more customers than we can accommodate with our current facilities," Rose said. "This new office will help us meet the increased level of demand for DMV services and provide our customers the quality of service they deserve."

"Our residents expect and deserve top-notch customer service, not crowded offices and long lines," said Rankin. "By giving them another branch office in this area, we will give them an alternative to the already overcrowded Myrtle Beach office."

The Horry County area experienced a 24 percent increase in growth from 1990 to 1999. It is projected to grow at a rate of 31 percent between 1999 and 2010. This area is already served by the Myrtle Beach, Georgetown and Conway DMV offices, but the increasing industry and population boom in these areas have stretched these offices to their limits.

The location of the new office near Socastee is considered ideal because it can serve residents from all along the southern Grand Strand, from Myrtle Beach south to Pawley’s Island, thereby helping to reduce the traffic in the Myrtle Beach, Conway and Georgetown offices.

DPS is currently in the design phase of the project, with construction expected to be completed in about 15 months.

The Division of Motor Vehicles manages and administers driver and vehicle services for all South Carolina drivers and automobile owners and handles more than 400,000 transactions each day. DMV has 68 field offices in all 46 South Carolina counties and has more than 1,040 employees.

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JB/107/2000

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