Monday night’s regularly scheduled Horry County Council meeting was anything but regular. Hundreds of bikers converged at the meeting in a show of support of the May bike rallies on the Grand Strand.
Bikers said they came out in big numbers to let county council members know how they feel about the bike rallies and their impact.
Council Chairman Liz Gilland said for now, council is not having any formal discussion about the rallies or making any decisions because it's just too soon.
The parking lot outside of the Horry County Courthouse began to fill up hours before the council meeting even started.
Bikers came in by the dozens and packed council chambers.
And although the topic of bike rallies wasn't on the agenda, a Myrtle Beach bar owner was given the opportunity to talk to council members.
Don Emery, owner of the Doghouse Bar and Grill in Myrtle Beach said, “We wanted to make sure that our rights were protected tonight, city council made a quick and rash decision and we didn't want the same thing happening at the county we wanted to make sure our voices were heard and they were heard loud and clear, I believe we did that tonight, I’m pretty sure we had about fifteen hundred people out here to support the rally events."
But not everybody inside council chambers was there to support the rallies.
People in support of ending what they called “May-hem” said May is a bad month for them because of the noise, the crime, and the rude behavior they say the events bring with them.
Tom Rice, who opposes the events said, "When no tourists will come except the bikers during May something's got to be done, all these things are real serious problems and it is really shocking to me that it's been allowed to continue to this point."
Gilland said council has not proposed any action and the city of Myrtle Beach has not requested any action from them.
Council members are waiting for a report from public safety officials about the May rallies to see if any changes will be made and once they've seen the report, the issue of bikers and the bike rally will be open for discussion.
Gilland said council members usually get that report at the beginning of July.
And she said she does anticipate there will be some changes to the bike rallies.
And she promised everybody at the meeting that council will keep them informed about their decisions.
Another hot topic at Monday’s council meeting was Carolina Station.
It is a planned development near S.C. 905 and West Bear Grass Road, near Longs.
Developers plan to have schools, churches, parks, EMS center, and a recycling center.
Several people spoke out against Carolina Station but after some intense discussion, council members voted to approve the development agreement with International Paper.
Carolina Station is expected to be a third of the size of Carolina forest.
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