Volume 1 Issue 10

September 7, 2007

Wine on the vine and a really good time

     Irvin-House Vineyards opened on Wadmalaw Island in the spring of 2001 when Ann and Jim Irvin planted their first 2,600 muscadine vines on their newly converted 48 acre farm. Today, Irvin-House remains Charleston’s only winery and vineyard and produces five varieties of wine, ranging from semi-dry to sweet, each named after characteristics that the Irvin’s love about the South.
      A few years ago, the Irvins felt that the joy of running the vineyard needed to be shared with the public and started their now-annual Grape Stomp and Harvest Festival. On August 25, people from all over Charleston and beyond arrived at Irvin-House Vineyards on Bear’s Bluff Road despite the damp weather to celebrate yet another great year of muscadine production.
     Along with a tasting of each one of the vineyard’s five wines, bottles were available for sale at ten dollars each. Glasses were provided but not required and many revelers found themselves clasping a cool bottle of white muscadine wine in one hand and popping grapes right off the vine with the other, allowing them to taste a mingling of greenness, earthiness, spice and sweetness that few people get to experience in their lifetime.
     Vendors were also present, including kettle corn, a hot dog stand, sno-cones, and tasty barbeque and beans from a new Southern catering company called Food for the Southern Soul (www.foodforthesouthernsoul.com).
     While a bluegrass band fiddled away in the background, kids were treated to potato sack races, apple bobbing and an old-fashioned grape stomp. There was even a Lucy look-alike-contest in honor of Lucille Ball’s television venture into winemaking.
     As the evening wound down, visitors were able to drive away with a warm feeling, not just from the wine, but from the fact that even in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, folks can still get together, share a picnic blanket, listen to great music, and just enjoy the bounty of this beautiful land around us.

Future events at Irvin-House Vineyard:
The Annual Blessing of the Vine
Saturday, November 10th; 1 - 5 pm with the blessing starting at 2 pm

Celebrating the Lowcountry’s heritage
By Kristin Hackler

Sharon Perkins has been making sweetgrass baskets for over seven years. “You’ll be surprised by the gifts that the Lord gives you,” she said as she worked the weave on an elaborate serving tray. “One day I just had the urge to do it and found that I have a natural talent.” Sharon had a chance to display her picturesque works recently at Kiawah Island’s first annual Lowcountry Heritage Arts Festival held at the Sandcastle. Along with Sharon’s baskets and her demonstrations on the art of sweetgrass basket weaving, the event featured the Hebron-Zion Quilters from John’s Island, cast net weaver David Belton from Rockville and “negro spirituals and fun songs” performed by Gary Chisolm and C-Sharp Music.

David Belton’s demonstration of cast net making was like watching a classical composer at work. Crafting in a manner that has been passed down among sea islanders for generations, the process begins in a manner similar to knitting. For a 5 foot, 5/8 inch mesh net, 37 knots are cast on to the initial loop. Then, using a dowel of a certain size depending on the width of the mesh that’s being woven, start connecting the knots to form circles. Each time a row is created, the weaver adds 12 expander knots (or 12 increases for you knitters out there) until the cast net is five feet in diameter. Mr. Belton writes in his notes on how to weave that the 50 hours “is a good way to occupy my time while watching Jeff Gordon win a NEXTEL Cup Race”. Each cast net David makes is woven with #4 C-1 bonded nylon, an incredibly durable rope and one that local fishermen have sworn by for years. The 5/8 mesh net contains approximately 15,000 loops, which a finer ½ inch mesh contains over 26,000. “My only problem is that people use these nets for thirty years, pulling out oysters and shrimp all day, every day, and they never break,” David laughed. Although his business is slow on Wadmalaw where residents inherit these ultra-durable cast nets from their parents, he still gets requests from locals and visitors who are interested in learning how to use a cast net to catch their own dinners. A fine, handcrafted 5/8 cast net runs about $225 from David and seem to be worth every penny.

Full Lowcountry dinners were also served at the event, catered by local John’s Islander and catering professional Reginald Simmons. The menu featured okra soup, collard greens, chicken and shrimp Edisto, white rice, baked chicken, candied yams and bread pudding.

Along with the music, attendees were invited to join in as the group sang favorite spirituals such as “Amazing Grace”, songs that involve single and double claps such as “I’m a Soldier (in the Army)” and call and response songs sung by a caller and a congregation such as “Heaven belongs to you …”.

All of the profits raised at the event will go to benefit the Lowcountry Food Bank. Tumiko Rucker, Kiawah Island Town Administrator, felt that the event was “very well attended” and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves thoroughly.

Sharon’s Sweetgrass Baskets
Sharon Perkins
108 Santee Ct.
Summerville, SC 29483
843-875-6525
Please call for appointment

David C. Belton – cast nets
1171 Harts Bluff Road
Wadmalaw Island, SC 29487
843-559-3201
davebelton@hotmail.com

C-Sharp Music
Achisol5@hotmail.com
843-557-0792

Seabrook Town Council – August 28, 2007*

Public hearing on the Ordinance to allow maximum flexibility for the buffers, setbacks and parking requirements of developments on large, contiguous parcels of land (Ordinance 2007-08)
      Mayor McNulty started the hearing at 2:00pm, inviting everyone in attendance to voice their opinion on the proposed Ordinance. Mr. Carroll Gantz, president of COVAR (the Council of Villa Associations and Regimes), stated that “this Ordinance was implemented to help the Horizon Plan get into place more smoothly, and though I don’t have a problem with that, I just don’t see the importance of this Ordinance.” He went on to state that “the current zoning seems to handle most of the issues. The most controversial developments, revolving around the Club and the Atrium, have already been resolved. Since this has been accomplished, I feel that the Ordinance is not really required at all. If passed, this Ordinance would not be fair to property owners surrounding the Club and other large parcels.” Mr. Gantz, however, did point out that the Mayor had spoken with him and they had been able to fix the wording of the Ordinance so that there is a fair amount of time available for the public to hear about potential changes in nearby developments’ buffers, setbacks and parking spaces.
     “We did solve two of your points with a public hearing and by adjusting the ordinance,” Mayor McNulty pointed out to Mr. Gantz, who nodded in agreement. “There was a suggestion, as well, to post signs about changes, but we would have signs all over the place. You also wanted the results of the Planning Commission’s decisions in writing, but I feel that it would be redundant. People should just make sure that they come to public hearings and go to the meetings.”
     “All we suggest is that all the rights we have with the Board of Zoning Appeals transfer to the Planning Commission,” said Mr. Gantz, emphasizing that he wanted the public to have more than enough time to appeal any developments’ property line changes. The Mayor agreed and addressed an earlier issue that Mr. Gantz had brought up. “Even though the Club and Atrium people have been talking and some things have been agreed upon, none of that has to do with the Town. Whatever you agree on, you still need a variance and you have to get approval. So, since you all agree, that does not mean that there doesn’t need to be an Ordinance.”
     The main changes within Ordinance 2007-08 state that “Any person making application under this section must give notice of such action to the owners of all real property located within two lots on all four sides of such property. The applicant shall provide such notice by serving a copy of the application on the owners of the properties as shown on current tax records at least thirty (30) days prior to the date set for a public hearing. The applicant shall file service of certified mail with date of service at the same time the application is filed. Notice to a regime must be made to its manager or president. Notice to a partnership may be made by serving any partner. Notice to a corporation may be made on any officer. No hearing on the application shall take place prior to the elapse of thirty (30) days from the date of the filing of the application and the certificate of service.
     The Council then voted on the second reading of Ordinance 2007-08, which passed unanimously.

Sharing the wealth
Once again, Seabrook’s revenues have exceeded their expenses; by $17,576, which creates a favorable variance for the Town of $129,454.11 for the month ending on July 31, 2007. After considering the $200,000 taken from the general fund to go toward the Utility Landscaping Commission Contingency agreed upon last month and the amount needed to complete the new bike path, including the proposed bridges ($145,700 more than was set aside), Mayor McNulty felt that an additional $200,000 should be given to the Utility Commission to be sent back to its customers in the form of a rebate. “Even after we account for all of our projects,” said the Mayor, “including the $200,000 rebate, $556,800 would remain in the general fund. Compare that to last year when the balance for July 2006 came to $525,900. That’s a positive difference of $30,900.” The rebate was unanimously approved and will be sent to the Utility Commission’s customers some time in October or November. The rebates will run between $40 - $100 per customer.

Several dozen points of light
Although the funds for fixing up and landscaping the Seabrook Island entrance sign, Mayor McNulty feels that the Town needs to look into the amount of lights being used on the sign. “We currently have about eight lights in place,” said Mr. Savin. He invited everyone to go by and see if that looked like it would be sufficient, too much or not enough. The landscaping crew is still planning on hanging lights facing downward from the newly-trimmed live oaks, but “we don’t want to look like Coney Island,” Mayor McNulty laughed.

Rolling forward with the bike path
Bids were placed by several different companies to complete the Seabrook bike path, but the winning bid came from Colony Construction Company at a base bid of $290,730.20, outbidding Sanders Brothers Construction Company by $345.30. Including the 10% contingency of $30,000 and the estimate for the cost of bridges, which will run around $75,000, the total cost of construction will come to approximately $395,700. According to Colony Construction’s time schedule, the new bike path should be completed in about three months, or by the end of November.

Where we stand on the bridges
Mr. Bill Boudreau announced that work on the Bohicket Creek Bridge will begin around the first of September and there will be no disruption of traffic, since the builders plan on constructing a temporary road around the bridge along the marsh before beginning work on the main bridge. The contractors are still getting permission to remove a few smaller trees in order to build the temporary route, but no grand trees are involved. The whole project should be completed by April 2008. The Bohicket Creek Bridge has been rated a 4 out of 100 in safety and ranks as a top priority in the State for repair. The second bridge on the other side of Plowground Rd. has been slated for repair, but is currently in much better condition than the Bohicket Creek Bridge.

Paving the way through John’s Island
Now that Charleston County has approved a new $75,000 traffic study for John’s Island, the study is looking for citizen involvement. A public hearing on the new traffic study and possible solutions to John’s Island’s traffic problems will be held at the end of September and at the end of October/beginning of November at St. John’s High School on Main Road. Announcements for the specific dates and times for these public hearings will be at both Kiawah and Seabrook Town Hall as they are determined. “We need to turn our in masses,” said Mr. Boudreau. “We need new roads.”

Verizon available for Islanders
Mr. Joe Hall announced that a contract had finally been signed with Verizon Wireless and service should be available by the end of this year.

FEMA grants Seabrook $1.6 million for submersible wastewater facility
Mr. Joe Hall also announced that Seabrook has received a grant of $1.6 million from FEMA to submerge 12 wastewater pumps and flood-proof 24 existing electrical panels. “FEMA would spend ten times as much repairing these structures if we waited until after they were struck by a hurricane,” Mr. Hall pointed out. Right now, if we had even a class one hurricane during high tide, the island could flood up to the first level of most homes and would destroy all of the above-ground pump stations. “If that happened, residents would not be able to return to the island for up to nine months,” said Mr. Hall. This grant helps pay a hefty chunk of the $2.2 million required to complete the project, the remainder of which will come from non-federal sources.

*please note that these minutes are unapproved. For approved minutes, please see Linda Manning at Seabrook Town Hall or email her at lmanning@townofseabrookisland.org