Snowfall in Unity Park

Photos of Unity Park by Megan Fitzgerald

Snowfall in downtown Greenville

Snow in Northern Greenville-Lake Robinson

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The open-air chapel has been closed since late September 2024 after the storm ripped off part of the structure’s roof. The chapel’s wooden benches also sustained significant water damage. 

Sam Franklin, CEO and president of YMCA of Greenville, said approximately $455,000 in repairs were completed to the chapel including replacing the roof, installing new wood/metal benches, adding water drainage protectors and more. Hogan Construction Group was hired to complete the work.

“We wanted to make sure that the original rustic feel of the chapel was maintained,” Franklin said. “It’s a landmark for not just this area but for our state and so we’re just happy and excited to have it back open.”

Around 250 people traveled to the reopened chapel to watch the sunrise on the morning of Jan. 3. The famous structure, officially named Fred W. Symmes Chapel, sits at 3,200 feet atop Standing Stone Mountain in northern Greenville County. Tinisha Johnson, an Anderson County resident who visited the chapel on Jan. 3, said it was devastating to see such a beautiful place damaged by the storm. 

“I’m so glad that they were able to repair it and they were able to restore its natural beauty,” Johnson said. 

In addition to Pretty Place Chapel, tree removal and other storm repairs are underway throughout YMCA Camp Greenville. Franklin estimates Helene caused over a thousand trees to fall across the campus, damaging several cabins and areas around the 1,400-acre property.

Read more about YMCA Camp Greenville damages from Hurricane Helene 

“We’re probably about 75% to 80% done with the tree removal which is great,” Franklin said. “Most of the program areas have been cleared. The camper cabins have been repaired. 

Franklin said YMCA Camp Greenville will be ready by June for its summer programming. The YMCA of Greenville is accepting monetary donations to help cover the cost of the camp’s storm repairs. For more information, visit campgreenville.org. 

 

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Cost estimates

$455,000: Pretty Place Chapel repairs (roof replacement, new benches, etc.)

Approximately $700,000: Tree removal and cabin repairs across YMCA Camp Greenville

Pretty Place fast facts

Pretty Place Chapel, officially named Fred W. Symmes Chapel, was built in 1941.

The chapel welcomes more than 325,000 people each year.

Around 550 wedding ceremonies are held at the chapel each year.

162 weddings had to be canceled after the chapel was damaged by Hurricane Helene.

Visitation schedule

Pretty Place Chapel officially reopened on Jan. 3. To view the chapel’s visitation schedule, visit campgreenville.org/visitation-schedule.

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The 60,000-square-foot facility consolidates the public transportation system’s administration, dispatch and maintenance services under one roof. Construction of the facility began in 2023 and cost more than $50 million to complete.

A ribbon cutting for Greenlink’s new facility at 205 Arcadia Drive was held Dec. 18. James Keel, Greenlink’s director of public transportation, explained maintenance staff moved into the new facility on Monday.

The larger space was built to replace Greenlink’s landlocked maintenance facility in downtown Greenville. The old property at 106 and 154 Augusta St. is currently on the market. The new facility includes seven maintenance bays, two service bays, 10 natural gas fueling stations and 16 electric bus chargers. 

Greenlink staff also have access to a fitness center, multiple break areas and a quite room at the new facility. Keel believes the new space and amenities will help with the organization’s workforce recruitment and retention. 

With the new facility, Greenlink plans to expand its transit services to meet the growing needs of residents in Greenville County. Amanda Warren, board chair for the Greenville Transit Authority, said there has been an exponential growth in transit ridership across Greenville County since the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Greenlink intends to launch 17 new bus routes, implement a Sunday service schedule, increase route frequencies and decrease customer wait times. The expansion plans are outlined in the organization’s transit development plan created in 2018. 

“The completion of this maintenance facility successfully removes any capital barriers that would’ve prevented these plans from becoming a reality,” Warren said. 

The maintenance and operations facility sits on 26.5 acres of land on Arcadia Drive which once housed the former Washington High School in the New Washington Heights neighborhood. Greenville County donated the property to the Greenville Transit Authority in August 2020. 

Federal, state and local dollars were used to fund the new facility. Greenlink received a $11 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration. The city of Greenville also appropriated $1.4 million for the project. Greenville Mayor Knox White said the new facility is one of the great successes for Greenville County in the last 10 years. 

“It’s a new day for Greenlink and a new day for Greenville,” White said. 

Exponential growth

Across Greenville County, there has been an exponential growth in transit ridership since the COVID-19 pandemic. Amanda Warren, board chair for the Greenville Transit Authority, said that from January 2021 through August 2024:

• Fixed ridership has increased by 34%
• Paratransit ridership has increased by 125%

Expanding operations

James Keel, Greenlink’s director of public transportation, said the new maintenance and operations facility will allow the transit system to grow from operating 17 buses to 43 buses.

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Dancers dressed as party guests, toy soldiers, rats and snowflakes prepared to perform a final run of the show before opening night on Friday. Three sold out performances of the holiday classic were staged at the Peace Center from Dec. 13-15. 

International Ballet has performed the ‘The Nutcracker’ at the Peace Center for the past 21 years. Sarah Shoemaker, president of International Ballet, said ‘The Nutcracker’ serves as the crown jewel of the season for the local dance company. 

‘The Nutcracker’ follows the story of a girl named Clara who receives a Nutcracker doll for Christmas. The doll magically turns into a prince who fights off the Mouse King and takes Clara on a journey to a magical land. 

Vlada Kysselova, artistic director of International Ballet, and Hennadii Bespechnyi choreographed the local company’s production of “The Nutcracker.” The Greenville Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Lee Mills, performed the classical music composed by Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky for the shows. The Greenville Youth Chorale also provided vocals during the snow scene in Act 1.

Ninety-two preprofessional company dancers and academy students from International Ballet prepared for this year’s performances of ‘The Nutcracker’ since September. The local dancers range from 8 to 18 years old. 

Three guest artists joined the dancers on stage at the Peace Center including Victoria Jaiani from the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago and Ukrainian character dancer Denys Simon. Brooklyn Mack, formerly of the Orlando, Florida, and Washington ballets, played the Nutcracker prince and Cavalier. Mack said International Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” is the most grand production he has seen a dance school put on.

Related: Three productions of ‘The Nutcracker‘ pirouette onto Greenville stages

“It’s a pretty cool story and hopefully the audience can just feel a little bit of magic and wonder,” Mack said. 

To learn more about the production, visit internationalballetsc.org/performances-events. 

Did you know?

International Ballet’s performance of ‘The Nutcracker’ features over 100 costumes. These costumes along with the production’s sets were created at the opera house in Kiev, Ukraine.

See more rehearsal photos below.

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