7/27 NEWSBREAK: S.C. Aquarium breaks ground on new waterfront educational program

The South Carolina Aquarium broke ground this week on the $7 million renovation of the Charleston Maritime Center, which will be transformed into the Boeing Learning Lab. The waterfront education center will provide additional space to allow for educational programming and increase the number of students that can be served by the S.C. Aquarium each year.

“The impetus for this project was the unfortunate fact that we were forced to turn away students every year who wanted to take part in our education programs,” Aquarium CEO Kevin Mills told media outlets.

The Learning Lab will include 8,500 square feet of education space with four indoor classrooms, one open-air classroom, a broadcast studio for virtual programs and office space for Aquarium staff.

“When complete, the Boeing Learning Lab at the Charleston Maritime Center will be a beacon for inclusivity and engagement along our waterfront, serving schoolchildren with standards-based science curriculum and providing access to the waterfront for all,” Mills said.

The lab is slated to open in the fall of 2024 and plans to teach about 20,000 students a year in the revitalized space and through broadcast programs.

In City Paper news:

CP, NEWS: Charleston police hosting overdose prevention sessions. The Charleston Police Department is hosting eight training sessions over the next few months to offer life-saving instruction on overdose prevention and the administration of Narcan nasal spray.

In other news from around the state:

Charleston referendum proposes $70M in parks improvements. A $70 million bond referendum is slated to be on the November ballot, aiming to make capital improvements to parks, pools, playgrounds, trails and recreation facilities throughout Charleston.

Lowcountry sees over 400 alcohol-related cases. Charleston County ranked third in the state for the number of binge and heavy drinking recorded in 2022, according to the South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Abuse Services. In 2023, the Lowcountry has seen almost 400 collisions involving alcohol, injuring 202 people.

Development comes to Charleston’s Meeting Street Road. The strip of road between North Morrison Drive and Spruill Avenue over the last few years has evolved with the arrival of new apartments, shops and offices, including places like The Refinery, the 303-unit Cormac Apartments, restaurant supplier US Foods Chef’Store and the five-story Quin office building where online retail giant Amazon recently moved.

Country music star Willie Nelson to play in North Charleston. Country music icon, political activist and actor Willie Nelson will play at Firefly Distillery Oct. 19. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. July 28 at livenation.com, starting at $65.

Charleston nearing agreement with Army Corps of Engineers on storm surge project. The city of Charleston says they are nearing a design agreement with the Army Corps of Engineers to build a storm surge protection barrier on the peninsula, modeled after the Low Battery storm surge wall along Murray Boulevard.