by John Temple Ligon

Cost of a new airport terminal

Myrtle Beach has seen the construction cost of its proposed new airport terminal rise over five years from $185 million to more than $250 million. A new design team has been brought in to apply value engineering and cut costs. The terminal designs and construction documents should be complete by December, all for a $7.4 million architectural/engineering fee. Horry County Council could scrap the whole thing when it votes this month on the architectural/engineering fees.

South Carolina's five-star resort

and restaurant

Reportedly a five-star inn and restaurant, Summerville's Woodlands Resort & Inn was bought last week by Washington-DC-based Salamander Hospitality and also by Mount Pleasant developer I'On Group. I'On took 31 undeveloped acres for a residential real estate development, and Salamander took the inn and restaurant and 11 surrounding acres.

S.C. gas cheapest in the country

Not including taxes, a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in S.C. last week cost $2.271, the lowest price in the U.S.

Owner of Columbia's Townhouse Hotel builds new restaurant in Charleston's City Market

Hank Holliday is co-owner of Mercado, a new Italian restaurant in the City Market. His other properties in the area are the Planters Inn, Peninsula Grill, and Hank's Seafood. Holliday and his partners are spending more than $4 million on the project.

USC gets new dormitory

Construction is expected to begin this fall on a new dorm for USC's Honors College. The five-story, 651-bed facility will have a cafeteria and an academic center, all for almost $48 million.

USC gets old coliseum

The Frank McGuire Arena may still be around after there is no basketball court. USC wants to alter the building for $85 million to provide 500,000 square feet of office and academic space and maybe even a ballroom. The question lingers: What about the J-School? Occupying the rabbit warren of below-the-arena spaces for more than 35 years, the USC School of Journalism has been looking for a new home for most of those 35 years, the most recent in LeConte College, nestled between the McKissick Museum and Pickens Street.

Benedict's gym gets a new tenant

The Rottweilers, Columbia's new minor league professional basketball team, will pay Benedict College $4,000 a game to use the school's 3,000-seat gym. The team will play 18 home games beginning in November.

Meanwhile, up at Clemson...

Clemson University researchers have applied for a patent on an injection that could stop the growth of aneurysms.

US House voted to lift ban on offshore drilling

The US House of Representatives voted 232-187 last week to allow offshore drilling for oil and gas, which was banned for about 25 years. The bill's chances in the Senate are uncertain. Florida's two senators have threatened to filibuster legislation that would allow drilling within 125 miles of the Florida coastline. The House version prohibits drilling within 50 miles of shore and allows states to ban drilling within 100 miles. First District Representative Henry Brown, R-S.C., disclosed on his website his amendment increased the revenues for coastal counties.

Greenville's Liberty Square office towers bought

FRI Investors Inc. of West Palm Beach last week paid $58 million for the two towers and their combined 420,000 square feet along Beattie Place in downtown Greenville. One Liberty Square is a 17-story building, and Two Liberty Square has 13 stories. Between the two buildings is a 929-space parking garage owned by the City of Greenville. The price of the transaction came to $138 per square foot.

Charlotte transit

Last week, Charlotte's Metropolitan Transit Commission approved the 11-mile $585 million light-rail Northeast Corridor line from the planned NASCAR Hall of Fame through the UNCC campus to I-485, near the intersection with I-85. The line is expected to carry 17,500 riders a day. The South Corridor line is already under construction and should take passengers by the fall of 2007 from I-485 in south Charlotte to uptown Charlotte, connecting with Northeast Corridor line.

University of Phoenix expands in Columbia

Come next April at 1001 Pinnacle Point Drive, the University of Phoenix will offer bachelor's degree programs in information technology, business administration, and business management, along with a master's degree program in business administration and a master's in business administration with a specialization in technology management. Courses will take place through a combination of online and classroom instruction. Call 699.5096 or visit phoenix.edu/Columbia.