Bikers Welcome in North Myrtle Beach
www.northmyrtlebeachonline.com/modules/AMS/article.php?storyid=1515
Bikers Welcome in North Myrtle Beach
By Jim Hulen North Myrtle Beach Online.com
FEBRUARY 14, 2009 NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SC – This was the subject line on the e-mail sent out by the North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce to its visitor and media data base.
Marc Jordan, President and CEO of the North Myrtle Beach Chamber, said, “The email was an attempt to eliminate confusion resulting from the public stance that the city of Myrtle Beach has been taking that the Bike Week events had been cancelled.
That caused a flurry of emails and phone inquires coming into the chamber asking if bikers were not welcome.”
Chamber leadership felt they had to go public with a communication that would set the record straight.
“We are here to promote our community, its attractions and quality of life and welcome everyone,” added Jordan.
The tone of responses to the Chamber’s email ranged from ‘are you crazy’ to others that said they had ‘been coming here for fifteen years and now felt North Myrtle Beach was a place in which they could retire.’
Last July, the North Myrtle Beach Chamber presented the results of a survey of its membership concerning bike week [see ‘North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce releases bike rally survey’].
Jordon said, “”The issues being identified are emotionally charged and much more complex than a simple yes or no. A survey is just one of many tools and opportunities to allow input from our members to assist our leadership in better representing their collective interest.”
The City of North Myrtle Beach held a series of meetings throughout the community to gather citizen input on the issue of the Bike Week events last fall.
At the meetings, William Bailey, North Myrtle Beach Public Safety Director, outlined the steps the Public Safety Department had taken during past years and presented statistics on the declining problems.
During one of the first meetings [see articles ‘Before it was cool and without the PR’], when asked if North Myrtle Beach and Myrtle Beach were going to coordinate their ordinances, Mayor Marilyn Hatley replied, “We feel our ordinances meet our needs. What we have on the books works.”
Hatley also emphasized that no public official or chamber official has ever said that bikers are not welcome. “Everyone is welcome as long as they obey our laws.”
While the Mayor and Council of the City of North Myrtle Beach has been on record several times [in addition to the above see 'City to host forums on bike weeks’ and ‘City Council of North Myrtle Beach reinforces past position on bike rallies’] emphasizing their position, the North Myrtle Beach Chamber’s email communication was the first on-record position by them.
The communication also included a statement from City Manager, John Smithson, stating, “We welcome you and every other visitor with open arms, but ask, in return, that you abide by the City’s laws and be courteous of residents and guests of North Myrtle Beach.”
Since the release of the email communication from the North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce, Jordan has not received any positive or negative feedback from Horry County government or the adjacent municipalities.
