Volume 1 Issue 12

October 5 , 2007

Crossroads and crossed minds on Maybank
By Kristin Hackler

     If the public input meeting for the widening of Maybank Highway could be summed up in one sentence, it might be “fix the traffic problem on John’s Island, but don’t change anything”. The room was packed. Double rows of people lined three of Berkeley Electric’s cafeteria walls, with more spilling out into the building’s small foyer. Brightly colored maps stretched the length of three folding tables and spanned the walls, depicting several different concepts for the widening of Maybank Highway.
      As guests continued to squeeze their way in, Cheryl Harleston, media relations manager for the Roadwise program, began the meeting with a brief summary of how RoadWise works. Basically, the program takes the half-cent sales tax increase passed in November of 2004 and uses it for transportation improvements, greenbelt facilities and mass transit. The collection of the tax began in May 2005 and will continue for 25 years, or until $1.3 billion is collected. $847.2 million or 66% of those funds are earmarked specifically for roadways and drainage, which is what the Maybank Highway improvement funds fall under.
      Ms. Harleston next acknowledged all of the elected officials that attended the night’s meeting, including councilman William Boudreau of Seabrook Island, Curtis Inabinett (district 8) and state representative Robert Brown, and thanked all the RoadWise managers and engineers for being available at the meeting to answer questions.
      Using a well constructed Power Point presentation, Ms. Harleston showed the audience what the five options are for the widening of Maybank. Since the projected traffic by 2030 is roughly 39,500 average daily trips (ADT) per day, compared to the current 14,200 ADT, the first option, not to build anything at all, was not a viable alternative. Alternative two, widening the highway to three lanes (one road in each direction with a wide central median) was also not viable because of the high amount of projected traffic. Number three, the construction of parallel two lane roadways as they are outlined in the John’s Island Community Plan, would not work, according to the planners, because the traffic projection requires at least two lanes in each direction to handle the traffic.
      Options four and five, then, were the only two that seemed to be able to solve the traffic problem. Number four allows for the widening of the highway to four lanes with a raised, planted median and number five allows for a five lane highway, with four lanes and a wide central median. Since these were the only apparent solutions, RoadWise created a video presentation of how the road would look once it was in place, showing a digital overlay of the project as it runs from the intersection of Maybank and Main to the Stono River Bridge.
      According to the widening project handout, “The proposed typical section along the roadway differs depending on the existing attributes of the corridor, but can be generally divided into two distinct areas. The two major areas are defined for this project as Maybank Highway from the Stono River Bridge to River Road and Maybank Highway from River Road to Main Road.
      Maybank Highway between the Stono River Bridge and River Road has few driveways and is lined on both sides with grand live oak trees. To protect these trees, the project proposes to widen from the existing two land roadway to a four lane divided roadway with a wide natural median. The wide natural median allows for the protection of the existing grand tree canopy while accommodating the additional vehicular travel lanes. Driveway access will be maintained with carefully designed median crossings located to avoid impacting the grand trees. Bicyclists and pedestrians will be accommodated with a proposed 5’ sidewalk on the North side of the road and a 10’ multi-use path on the South side. The proposed 5’ sidewalk on the North side will be tied into the existing sidewalks which serve Fenwick Plantation to provide continuity for pedestrians.
      Maybank Highway between River Road and Main Road has multiple driveways and the grand trees are fewer and farther apart. In this area, the project proposes to widen from the existing two land roadway to a five lane roadway. The five lane roadway section will provide for two lanes in each direction with a center two-way left turn lane for drivers turning into driveways. Bicyclists and pedestrians will be accommodated with a proposed 5’ sidewalk on the North side of the road and a 10’ multi-use path on the South side. Both the sidewalk and multi-use path will be meandered to avoid impacts, where possible, to the grand trees between Main and River Road.”
      Finally, Ms. Harleston gave the discussion over to question and answer. Mr. Mel Reed of Wadmalaw Island and the non-profit group “Charleston Trees” was the first to speak. “How many grand trees will be lost?” he asked the panel. “And how many new trees will be planted for the trees you cut down?” Mr. Peter Valiquette, the RoadWise project manager, answered by stating that of the 394 grand trees mapped on the route, forty of them would be impacted. “As we refine the plans, we’ll be looking for ways to reduce the impact,” said Mr. Valiquette. “The mitigation of trees, however, will be handled by replanting or by paying in to the Tree Fund, as is required by State law.”
      “There’s nothing uglier than a five lane highway,” another resident pointed out. “For example, Savannah Highway in St.Andrews, Johnnie Dodds Boulevard in Mount Pleasant ; is there a reason for choosing this design?”
      “Even with parallel roads, the traffic volume in the future will require more room for traffic,” said Mr. Valiquette. “After our detailed analysis of traffic counts, projections, et cetera, we found that in order to accommodate traffic, we really need two lands on each side. We came up with the two alternatives so we could find out how to make them more aesthetically pleasing.”
      State representative Brown stood to ask, “How many houses and churches will be impacted by this build?” Mr. Valiquette answered that, “There will be impacts, but we are looking to build around residences as much as possible. In the next public meeting about this project, well have a more detailed design with more firm numbers. Alignment shifts can be made to avoid impacts.”
      “Will there be enough room during construction for fire trucks to turn around?” asked Chief Karl Ristow of the St. John’s Fire Department. “And will there be mitigation strategies to maneuver the flow of traffic through construction?”
      “We will be looking to build during the off-hours,” answered Mr. Valiquette. “This widening will be done as safely as possible. We will maintain a lane in each direction no matter what and safety is our top priority.”
      “What about the impact of 526?” asked Timmy Mallard, a current candidate for City Council. “Are you working with residents to handle the bottleneck?” referring to the merge at the base of the Stono River Bridge onto John’s Island . “The extension of 526 will redistribute traffic and this section (pointing to an area just before the intersection of Maybank and River Road ) will be the most impacted,” said Mr. Valiquette. “We are working closely with SCDOT to manage the blending of the two projects as one is completed and the other starts.”
      After fielding a few more technical questions, such as “how much of the land belongs to the County and how much belongs to the City” (parcels belong to both, but we will be working in close coordination with each other) and “how many additional stoplights will be installed” (no additional stoplights at this time, though there is a proposal for one at Fenwick Plantation and at Southwick drive), Mr. Thomas Legare of Legare Farms stood to make his statement. “Are you consultants?” he asked. “Because we do need to have improvements, no doubt. But I do not see any improvement to the intersections of Maybank and River and Main and Maybank. These intersections need to be fixed now. This widening affects not only Barney’s (a local shop that has been on the island for almost fifty years), but many of the island’s long time residents. These drawings and your video all remind me of Johnnie Dodds Boulevard in Mount Pleasant . We do not want John’s Island becoming Mount Pleasant. We need to fix what needs to be fixed and leave the rest alone.”
      Andrew Geer of the John’s Island Growth Management Group agreed. “I think there are other alternatives than these or nothing. We don’t want Harborview Road , St. Andrew’s Boulevard or Savannah Highway . We want to make Maybank more like a neighborhood instead of a high traffic cut through. I’d rather not do anything, but if we don’t come up with an acceptable alternative, we’ll be stuck with this five lane monstrosity.”
      John’s Island Vice Chairman Wayne Koeckeritz asked about the livability of a five lane road. “People have been working on another plan (referring to the John’s Island Community Plan) for several years. Why wouldn’t a three lane option work if you include the interconnection of developing neighborhoods? Also when you projected the increase in traffic, did you take into account which traffic comes from within the neighborhoods or did you just assume they were all going straight to Kiawah and Seabrook?”
      “That’s a good question,” answered Mr. Valiquette. “One assumption we had to make when planning was the growth in traffic did not originate in the Maybank corridor and the intersecting streets would not have much traffic. However, it made more sense to look at it this way then trying to chop the area up into bits and looking into our crystal ball to determine where the traffic is coming from. The five lane idea is conceptual only. We could have a raised median and there could be more trees. On the flip side, you have the ingress and egress of more traffic. My preference is for the raised median and landscaping, but I don’t live here, however, we really need to consider the flow of traffic.”
      Longtime resident H.P. Limehouse also threw in his two cents. “The City of Charleston can stay on the other side of the bridge,” he said. “We don’t need a super highway, but we need improvements and we definitely need a traffic light. Forty-four years I’ve lived on this island. My family had been here for 150 years, and this plan pretty much eliminates my property. The five lane road will change the whole area and the whole attitude of John’s Island . I don’t want that to happen.”
      The question and answer time was wrapped up with a final question by Mr. Legare. “You’ve obviously spent a lot of money on this presentation and maps. My family has lived here for 400 years. Why didn’t you ask us what we wanted before spending all of this money, our tax money, on a presentation without coming to us beforehand?” Mr. Valiquette answered by pointing out that 60% - 75% of the voters on John’s Island had voted for the Maybank Highway widening.
      RoadWise estimates that once the project is started, it will take between two to 2 and a half years to complete.
For more information and to fill out an online comment form on the project, please visit www.ccroadwise.com. Comments will be accepted until October 10. The Charleston County RoadWise project is located at 4401 Belle Oaks Drive, Suite 105 in North Charleston .

Seabrook Island Town Council meeting – September 25, 2007*

John’s Island Council meeting report
Jerry Cummings reported on the John’s Island Council meeting which took place on September 6, stating that none of the issues brought up at the meeting really affected Seabrook Island. A signup sheet was passed around for attendees to sign up for the Blue Ribbon committee, a group being organized by Chairman Chris Cannon to help inform the Department of Traffic and Transportation as to how Islander’s would most like the road system on John’s Island improved. Mr. Cummings did point out that Mr. Thomas Legare, a John’s Island resident, spoke quite vehemently about how the improvement of the current roads on John’s Island need to come first and also introduced his proposal to bring in the University of Kentucky to do a traffic survey. The survey, according to Mr. Cummings, would cover the traffic impact on John’s Island from James Island, Seabrook Island, Kiawah Island, Hollywood and Ravenel and would cost approximately $25,000. When asked by a councilmember what the John’s Island Council’s motivation is on the roads, Mr. Cummings said that “It seems like they might not want anything done.” He did point out that there were two meetings of significance on John’s Island. One, the Maybank widening public input forum, took place on September 26 at Berkeley Electric on Maybank Highway (please see page _____ for more details) while the Cross Island Parkway meeting, a gathering of islanders to give their input on the new $75,000 traffic study being performed by Charleston County, will be held at St. John’s High School on October 9 from 6:00pm – 8:00pm.

Does the Seabrook sign need more lights?
$20,000 was allocated by the Town for landscaping improvements around the welcome sign for Seabrook Island in this year’s budget. So far, the oak trees have been pruned at the cost of $5,000, but the funds set aside for lighting improvement do not look as if they need to be spent. When the landscapers went to replace the lighting, they found the old system simply needed a few light bulb changes. “I don’t think we really need 15 more lights out there, do you?” the Mayor asked Council. “I think it looks okay, very low key, but let me know if you think we need more.” All of the money that would be saved by eliminating the need for further lighting, the Mayor pointed out, could be used for bike path improvements in the future.

Bridging Seabrook’s bike path
As it stands right now, the Town has agreed to Colony Construction’s winning bid of $291,000 to complete the bike path. Along with engineering and permitting fees costing approximately $25,000, the total for the new bike path will be rolling in at around $315,000. That’s without the bridges. During planning, the bike path that was approved by OCRM was designed without bridges with the hope that it would not only make the approval process faster, but also allow for the bridges to be installed at a later date. Based on an average length of 38 feet, the cost of building a single steel bridge with a concrete deck would run around $27,000 with an additional $15,000 for the bridges footing. “That comes to $126,000 for three bridges,” said the Mayor. “Not including the engineering and permitting, which will cost another $30,000.” Council will look into the possibility of wooden bridges, not only for their lower initial cost, but also for their aesthetic value. “It will cost more to maintain wooden bridges,” Mayor McNulty pointed out, “But I think they would match the feel of Seabrook Island better than steel and concrete.” Because of the high extra cost of three bridges, Council discussed the possibility of having only one or two. “I say let them build the bike path, do the temporary routes and see which areas really need a bridge and which don’t,” the Mayor stated. “I don’t really want to spend $150,000 on three bridges, do you?”

Schedule for completion of Seabrook Island Bike Path
Survey: week of September 24
Erosion control: week of October 1
Clearing and grubbing: weeks of October 8 & 15
Grading: weeks of October 22 – November 5
Storm drain: weeks of November 5 & 12
Miscellaneous relocation: ongoing throughout project
Base: weeks of November 12 & 19
Paving: week of November 26
Striping: weeks of November 26 & December 3
Signage: week of December 3
Fencing: week of November 26 & December 3
Grassing: week of December 3
Clean up/completion: week of December 17

Potential Seabrook Island warning system
Councilman Robert Savin stated that he had been approached by the POA about installing a voice/siren warning system for the entire island. The system would have the option of either a tone or voice warning, with a voice override system that would warn the island of impending natural disasters. The POA has agreed to accept 1/3 of the cost to install the system, with the idea that the Town and the Club would pick up the other 2/3. Club representative Chuck Fox stated that the Golf Committee was not completely in favor of the system and he would need to bring the proposal to his committee and the Club Board. His opinion was that the costs should be the Town’s responsibility as it is charged with protecting its citizens.

The system would have to operate from a central point of command, with options being to place it at either the guard shack, the POA building or at Town Hall. The system could be activated automatically through the Internet, NOAA or the local emergency operations center and would broadcast over four or five 60 foot siren towers. One worry that the POA expressed was that, while they are interested in installing the system, they are concerned that many residents might have the “not in my backyard” attitude, though the towers, as Mr. Savin put it, “are not unattractive”.

During the sales meeting for the warning system, the salesman pointed out that a town of over 200,000 residents had been given a 20 minute warning before a tornado tore through their neighborhood, resulting in only three fatalities.

Another concern would be that there is no maintenance plan in terms of whose responsibility it would be to take care of the system; either the POA, the Town or the Club.

Finally, the cost for covering the POA and the Golf Course with four sirens would be $109,000, while covering the POA, the Golf Course and the Town would run about $140,000. A FEMA grant is being explored to see if the system could be paid entirely by grant, but no answer has yet been received.

“What about that unique South Carolina law?” one of the councilmen pointed out. “Where if you tell someone they’ll get hurt and they do, you’re liable, but if you don’t tell them, it’s their fault?” Mayor McNulty agreed that this issue would have to be looked into by the Town lawyer. “My opinion is if we have a hurricane, we’ll have plenty of warning,” said the Mayor. “With tornadoes, well, when I hear a tornado warning, I don’t go down to the basement immediately. From a practical standpoint, how will this system really help us?” Councilman Savin replied by stating that the system can be sensitivity-adjusted so that it doesn’t receive certain alerts, like Amber alerts (emergency notices of missing children).

Council agreed to wait until it received more information from all groups involved before doing anything with the siren proposal.

John’s Island’s roads
“There are different factors involved with what to do with these roads,” said Councilman Bill Boudreau. “Because of some movement with the County, everyone wants to put in their two bits.” The County will definitely be widening Maybank Highway between the Stono River Bridge and the intersection of Maybank and Main, but by how much and how it will look is the question. “The Cross Island Parkway meeting on October 9 is the one [meeting] we’re most concerned about,” said Mr. Boudreau. “At the time of the 2001 traffic study, the preference was for a new road between Bohicket and River. This new traffic study will be asking for input from all local residents as how to best alleviate the current traffic problems on John’s Island.” Since the new traffic study will be making adjustments according to the responses they receive at the meeting, it’s important that as many residents of both Kiawah Island and Seabrook Island attend to give their support. “The Coastal Conservation League will be there and they have not given up on the I-526 issue,” said Mr. Boudreau. “They’ve apparently hired a consultant with the Concerned Citizens of the Sea Islands to study the road situation on James Island, John’s Island and West Ashley. I’ll be meeting with them soon to give the Seabrook Island perspective.” Finally, Mr. Boudreau pointed out that “the need here for an additional road is urgent”, not only for the immediate, but for long term use. The Mayor agreed, stating that “we want the study updated and that’s what the Town seems to want. We need to find out what the study comes up with and go with that.”

The check is in the mail
The Utility Commission reported that the rebate for customers who were on record as of September 30 would be receiving a credit on their November 1 utility bill. The rebate, taken from the $200,000 that the Town gave as a contingency fund to the Utility Commission, averages about $100 per customer. Also, the Verizon cell tower should be up sooner than expected; the installer believes it should be completely done by October 15 and progress on the new 24 inch water line is going smoothly, with the grant from FEMA having been finalized a few days ago.

*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