Summerville Journal Scene ®
Ground has been broken for construction of the new Northwood Assembly Church on the western outskirts of Goose Creek. The church will be the first structure in the up-and-coming Carnes Crossing community, which should eventually have close to 6,000 homes near the intersection of US-17A and SC-176.
Nearly four years ago, in August 2006, the church sanctuary, offices and daycare burned down at its current North Charleston location near the intersection of Rivers Avenue and Otranto Road.
The new church is expected to open its doors in 14 months. It will be followed by construction of the church’s private school, Northwood Academy, which currently operates at the North Charleston site. The new location allows room for the school to build its own football field, which it’s never had.
Daniel Island Company, which owns Carnes Crossing, donated 60 acres for the church and school.
Northwood Pastor Fred Richard said the old property can’t be sold until the new church is complete. Then it will be the same process for the school, which goes from pre-school to 12th grade and will require $12 million.
At Wednesday’s groundbreaking ceremony, Daniel Island Co. President and CEO Matt Sloan called the community a “shining light” for Berkeley County and Goose Creek. Sloan expects to start building houses at Carnes Crossing by January.
Sloan calls it “one-stop-shopping” to get a church and school into the same development. “This is going to set a new standard for private schools in Berkeley County.”
“I was kind of heartsick on the way here,” Goose Creek Mayor Michael Heitlzer told the crowd of about 50 people. “I had to leave my police chief.”
He relayed the difficult and “gloomy” time Goose Creek Police have experienced in the last few weeks after an officer was shot and wounded July 19. He said there was evil and substance abuse involved in the shooting.
The department is 12 officers short and therefore can’t maintain its mission statement, which Heitzler said made him feel like a failure. He was perked up by the good news of the church and school coming to his city. He overheard someone say, “the first will be the last, and the last will be the first.”
“What a marvelous turn of events,” Heitzler said. “The first edifice is a church.”
He said there almost couldn’t be a community without a church.
“One-hundred years ago this was derelict property.” It was called Warner Town and Drigger Town, where mulatto African-Americans and Indians were sent, he said. They struggled because it was not good farming land. He repeated: “The first will be the last and the last will be the first.”
He said now it is a good place for a dynamic new community. “I think it will rival the busiest crossroads in Berkeley County and the state.”
In 2008 Carnes Crossing infrastructure work began, but slowed down in 2009, Sloan said. It’s picking up again. “2011 looks like great timing for us.”
Daniel Island Company also donated land to the Catholic dioceses in 1995 for the construction of Bishop England High School on Daniel Island. He said the school is a good foundation for the Daniel Island community.
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