Design team presents 15% schematic for Horry County Rural Civic Center; committee advances design

Consultants told the Horry County Rural Civic Center advisory committee that the project has reached the 15% schematic-design milestone and that the drawings now allow more precise cost and operational planning. Brandon Wagner opened the briefing and said, "We've crossed an important milestone with completion of the schematic design phase." (Brandon Wagner, speaker 3).

Charlie Johnson of Johnson Consulting framed the schematic as the point at which numbers begin to firm up. "Again, my name is Charlie Johnson, the president of Johnson Consulting," he said, and he explained the consulting team is now able to narrow cost and program assumptions and provide clearer schedules. The presentation included team members from architecture, landscape architecture and cost management.

The design presented a phased campus anchored by an arena in a bowl configuration, a connected 200-stall barn with covered warm-up, a large plaza that links to a Midway lawn for outdoor events, and future footprints for an expo hall east of the arena. The team emphasized flexibility: the arena floor can be converted for expo or conference use and the concessions and conference spaces beneath the seating bowl are intended to support both indoor and outdoor events.

After the presentation, a motion by committee member (speaker 12) to accept the schematic and direct consultants to proceed to full design received a second and passed on a unanimous voice vote. The committee asked staff to return with updated schedules and for the consultants to incorporate committee input (additional show rings, restroom infrastructure for outdoor events, and site connectivity) into the next design phase.