Volume 1 Issue 17

December 14, 2007

Kiawah Island Town Council – December 4, 2007*

Correction to last month’s Kiawah Town Council notes:
In the November 6 Kiawah Town Council minutes, the Island Connection reported that Seabrook Island Town Council met with the Kiawah Island Public Safety committee concerning Seabrook’s Citizen Emergency Response Team (CERT). Seabrook Town Council did not meet with Kiawah’s Public Safety Committee. Rather, it was John Johnson, a member of Seabrook’s CERT, that met with the Public Safety Committee. We apologize for the confusion.

Town Council 2008 schedule and Committee meeting 2008 schedules approved
Even though the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) is only a quasi-official organization and the Town Council does not have to officially approve their schedule, the BZA schedule was included in the approved meeting schedules for information purposes. The new Committee schedules for 2008 have been posted on the Kiawah Island website and are available at Kiawah Island Town Hall. The new schedules will also be posted each issue in the “Civic Calendar” section of this paper.

Town employees’ wages adjusted for cost of living in 2008
The Town Council reviews employee compensation annually, typically including the Cost of Living adjustments (COLA) and Merit increases. Based on the most recent publication of the Consumer Price Index, the staff recommended a 3.5% Cost of Living adjustment for all employees, effective January 1, 2008. Council approved the adjustment unanimously. To see the changes in the Cost of Living index, please visit www.bls.gov/cpi/.

MunicipalCenter gets a bath
Council received two bids to pressure wash and clean the Municipal building and garage. The contract would include pressure washing the exterior building, garage concrete walks and rear wood desk, including the application of deck sealant once a year, cleaning the exterior windows twice a year and cleaning the gutters and downspouts six times a year. Two companies responded: Coastal Hydropower, Inc. with a bid of $6,890.06 and E&D Contractors, Inc. with a bid of $24,900.00. Council voted unanimously to go with Coastal Hydropower, Inc.

Like UV rays off a ducts back
Town Council asked Town staff to look into having the Town Hall HVAC system and ductwork cleaned. Following two advertisements for bids in the Post and Courier and a request for bids directly from the Town to companies licensed on Kiawah Island specializing in this field, the Town only received one bid: From ServiceMasters of Charleston with a bid of $4,835.00. The bid covers the cleaning of eight HVAC units and all interior duct services, to clean and replace all return grills and register covers and to treat the system with an EPA approved agent to kill mold, according to the NADCA 2006 standards.
      “Mold is a serious problem across the south east United States,” Mayor Wert pointed out. “We haven’t shown any signs of mold in the building, but it’s better to prevent it in the long run.”
       Councilman Lipuma asked about the possibility of including ultraviolet (UV) lights, which have been known to kill germs and noted that he had recently had them installed in his home. Town Administrator Tumiko Rucker replied that the sole company that responded did not include UV lights in their bid, but she would ask about the possibility.
       After a few minutes of discussion over the potential cost of UV lights, the Mayor stated that he felt from Council that “we want to go back to other companies and see what they can do. I don’t want to re-bid this package, because they [the bidding companies] would know what dollar amount the Town had already received. I would like to include the UV option and ask for re-bids.”
      Council agreed and the decision to delay the acceptance of a HVAC and duct cleaning bid was delayed for 30 days.

New Beach Patrol contract specifications
An initial draft of the Beach Patrol contract with the Kiawah Island Community Association (KICA) was presented at the meeting for review. The new contract includes updated specifications that were not in last year’s contract since it was noted in last year’s contract that some of the specifications were vague and at times, conflicting. The initial draft of the new contract aims to fix these problems, including improving the training of the Beach Patrol and revising the scope of their responsibility. The draft includes the patrol’s hours of operation, the nature of the services required, employee qualifications and necessary equipment, among others. One discussion over the first draft revolved around the beach patrol’s weekly schedule. Mayor Wert asked that the times for beach patrol during certain times of the year be reviewed again before it would be considered for approval.

Feeling safe
At the request of Mayor Wert, an ad-hoc safety report was created by Joe Pezzullo, the chief enforcement officer for the Town of Kiawah Island, Joe Croughwell, the director of security for KICA and Rusty Lameo, a Town of Kiawah enforcement officer. The report was asked to complete the following tasks:

• Review and identify security items on the Island as they relate to each entity (the town, the Kiawah Island Community Association and the Kiawah Island Golf Resort).
• Identify actionable and measurable objectives.
• Clarify the role of each entity’s security responsibilities.

The report concluded that its major recommendation was that the Town negotiate a new contract directly with the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office or police services on the island based on the following:

• 2 shifts year round/1 man per shift, morning and afternoon, evening hours. However, the contract should be flexible enough so that the Town could require a second or third deputy for these shifts if the need arose.
• 3 rd shift/1 man per shift, as needed during peak summer days.
• Town should have approval of both officers and supervisors.
• Officers would be compensated as sub-contractors (1099), no need to pay for pension or insurance.
• All reports written by officers shall be routed through the Town Administrator’s office.
• Accountability procedures in place for officers working on the island.

Because of the perceived lack of one source to address safety related issues, a committee made of the security and safety entities (the Town, KICA, the Golf Resort, the Sheriff’s Department and the Fire Department) will meet on a set schedule where any related questions can be brought forward for review. The proposed committee name is the Public Safety Operational Oversight Committee (PSOOC).
      The Mayor noted that the report was for information only and would be passed to the Safety Committee for evaluation and suggestions.

The Safety Facts on Kiawah Island – Ad-Hoc Safety Report

• Kiawah Island, located 30 miles south of Charleston, SC, is classified as a residential/resort gated community. It is uniquely different from most cities in that it contains several entities, each of which has its own responsibilities which overlap on occasion.
• There are 3,200 privately owned dwellings on Kiawah, 60% of which are condominiums and 40% private residences. Many of the condominiums are managed and rented to short term vacationers through private rental agencies on the island.
• 650 of the private residences are full-time homes. They contain approximately 1,200 year round residents, 1,163 of whom are registered voters. The remaining homes are either second or third homes for out-of-state residents. Some of these homes are rented while others remain empty for long periods of time.
• Most of Kiawah is private property. It is protected by a main security gate and a second, more restrictive gate approximately three miles past the main gate. This second section has no commercial property other than three golf courses (River Course, Osprey and the Ocean Course). Both gates are controlled by KICA.
• 65% of the island is built out and there is a growth potential for approximately 1,000 more homes, mostly on the eastern end of the island. The primary land owner and developer is Kiawah Resort Associates, who also owns several major venues on the island, including the River Course and Beach Club. The Kiawah Island Golf Resort is also a significant presence, operating the Sanctuary hotel, the Town amenities and all but the private golf courses. All of their properties and assets are monitored by their internal security force.
• Water and sewage for the island are provided by the Kiawah Island Utility Company. Fire protection by the St. John’s Fire Disctrict, which has two stations on the island, and emergency medical service is provided by Charleston County EMS, though the fire department responds in an efficient and effective manner to all serious medical type calls for service.
• KICA handles all incidents concerning homeowner’ assets, including road maintenance, landscaping, lake management, safety and security.
• The Town of Kiawah Island, formed in 1988, was created to ensure the maximum possible local control and is the legal agent responsible for health and public safety. The Town has also created a comprehensive development plan with both the Kiawah Resort Associates and The Golf Resort.
• Law enforcement is provided by the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office. The CCSD is responsible for general law enforecemtn and traffic enforcement. Their response time in the past has been between 30 to 45 minutes, but recent growth on John’s Island has increased patrols and reduced response time to 10 to 15 minutes on average. The Town currently contracts with off-duty officers for on-island patrol, though on-island presence varies according to the CCSD demands and work schedule.
• KICA maintains a moderate sized force that is “premise security” and SLED certified. The Golf Resort has a smaller force assigned to its property and assets. Both agencies are “first responders” for the island. All security guards are certified by the SLED. Although security guards can make arrests and detain suspects for a sheriff’s department or other police agency, they may not transport off the premises to the jail.
• The Town of Kiawah employs 2 full time code enforcement officers who can issue a court summons related to Municipal Ordinances, which usually mirror state statutes. All issued summons are heard before the local magistrate appointed by the Mayor and approved by Town Council.
• Areas of security concerns include:
• Crime: actual vs. perceived: Current information indicated there is very little crime. Most issues are contained to in-house theft from housekeeping or contractors.
• Parking issues.
• Noise issues.
• Medical responses, St. John’s and EMS.
• Traffic issues: speeders, joggers, bicycles and gate issues.
• Beach activities.
• Disaster planning.
• Alert/notifications procedures and communications.
• Legal issues.
• Leisure activities.
• By general consensus, most of the issues on the island revolve around “Quality of Life”, as opposed to police problems.

Paving the parking lot quagmire
The Town of Kiawah Island recently leased a parking lot next to the main Municipal Center from Kiawah Resort Associates in order to accommodate the growing need for parking spots around Town Hall. Mayor Wert pointed out that the newly leased parking lot can become a quagmire when it rains, so the Town took bids for paving the lot, with an allowance of up to $30,000 as specified in the Town budget. Two contractors returned with bids; Three Oaks Contractors, Inc with a bid for $22,500 and Landscape Pavers, LLC with a bid of $22,676. Council voted unanimously to give the contract to Three Oaks Contractors. The bid includes the construction of an asphalt parking area approximately 60’ x 100’, including the grading and compacting of soil, placement of 6” FLBC base, 2” of asphalt and striping upon completion of the project. Lighting will be supplied by Berkeley Electric and wired prior to the base and asphalt being installed.

Thanks from CARTA
The Town received a thank you letter from the Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) for helping with this year’s budget, a huge difference from when the budget was formerly presented on a single 8 ½ x 11 sheet of paper. CARTA noted that ridership levels have not been this high since 2002, when CARTA recorded its highest ridership levels. They marked their 3 millionth rider mark with a month to go in the year and thank the riders, Board members and Lowcountry community leaders for helping them achieve all of the goals they set out with at the beginning of the year, including launching their newest direct route commuter service, CARTA Express.

News from the Wild
Councilman Lipuma reported that there have been a number of wildlife calls this month, one of which being an 8 ½ foot alligator which had to be relocated from near The Sanctuary. Three deer have also been killed this month, two on Governor’s Drive, both of which were recovered and one at Governor’s and Dunganon, which was not recovered.
      Councilman Lipuma also pointed out that two “Jewels in the Crown” stories, articles on how to help preserve Kiawah Island, have been completed in the Town Notes and are also available to download on the Town website, www.kiawahisland.org.
      There have been 10 sightings of Piping Plovers this past month, “about where we have been in numbers,” said Mr. Lipuma. “The little buggers seem to be moving more and more to the west end of the island,” he laughed. “Don’t they know they’re only zoned for the east end?” Mayor Wert chimed in.

For shame, local papers
Councilman Lipuma pointed out two mistakes recently in both the Post and Courier and the Island Connection. Since this is the Island Connection, we’ll point out the Post and Courier first:
      “The Post and Courier recently published an editorial article about Wild Dunes called “Line in the Sand”,” said Councilman Lipuma. “The article listed several gated communities along the coast with their own internal beach renourishment programs, including Seabrook, but they failed to mention Kiawah. What are we, chopped liver?”
      Secondly, the Island Connection made a mistake in the location and price of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra event at Holy Spirit Church on December 7. The location was supposed to be 3870 Betsy Kerrison Parkway and the event was free, as opposed to the listed ticket cost of $15.

Wheels turning on the bike path
Councilman Orban reported that he met with the engineers about some utility problems that the bike path construction might encounter, including a few relocations. There is only one more meeting scheduled with OCRM concerning final build permissions and the Engineering Corp has approved the Town’s mitigated land for building over conserved land. More information on the bike path progress is now available at Town Hall.

Town Administrator’s Report
Town Administrator Tumiko Rucker reported that the new Town laptops have been installed and the new security camera and surveillance equipment has been installed and started working on Thursday, November 29. The new code enforcement officer, Juan Martin, is “doing a great job and we are excited to have him join our team,” said Ms. Rucker. Also, the Town was able to sell a surplus 4-wheeler and Jeep Cherokee, generating $1,800 in revenue for the Town.
      The Town has adopted a new “Go Green” office policy, wherein all non-biodegradable and unrecyclable office and kitchen supplies will be replaced with earth friendly products.
      The Beachwalker Drive Landscaping project is complete and the final walk-through with contractors will be conducted in early December. The Town will be installing a low-rail fence to prevent further damage to the sod.
      Also, the Town will be submitting grant proposals for the following Palmetto Pride Grants: the Enforcement Grant and the Palmetto Pride Community Grant.
      Ms. Rucker also noted that she would be attending the APT US&C and board meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from December 6 – 8, where Charleston, SC would be discussed as a potential host site for the 2010 annual conference. “I have worked closely with the Charleston County Visitor’s Bureau (CVB) on this endeavor,” Ms. Rucker noted. “Suzanne Wallace of the CVB will be joining me at the meeting to make the presentation.”

Mayor’s Report
Mayor Wert noted that the Arts Council is hoping to “piggy back” some of the guest speaker series to be held at the Charleston Collegiate School in the future. Dr. Balbina Hwang, the senior policy analyst for Northeast Asia in the Asian Studies Center of The Heritage Foundation, will be giving a talk on the future peace in north east Asia at the John’s Island Library at 6pm on January 29. The Art Council hopes to ask some more speakers in the future to come out the island for separate talks.
      Mayor Wert also invited everyone to attend the film debut of “The Curious Mr. Catesby”, which will be held at the Grand Oaks Ballrom in The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort. The film, sponsored by Kiawah Island Real Estate and KICA, records the life work of Mark Catesby, an English naturalist who explored the southeast colonies 100 years before Audubon.The film captures beautiful footage of the creatures he encountered during that exploration and examines how they flourish today on Kiawah Island and other Lowcountry habitats. Catesby’s “Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands”, is described by a contemporary as “the most magnificent work I know since the art of printing was discovered”. It is seen today as the most important scientific and artist accomplishment relative to North America prior to the American Revolution. For more information, please contact Kiawah Island Real Estate at 768-5200. Tickets are complimentary and seating is available on a first come basis. Tickets are available at all Kiawah Island Real Estate Sales Offices - The Main Sales Center, Freshfield’s Village, The Straw Market, and The Sanctuary.
      The Mayor attended an Urban Land program in North Charleston. The program will be looking at the future of Charleston County, which is projected to increase by 265,000 residents by 2030, with 180,000 of the new residents possibly on John’s Island, requiring over 130,000 new houses. During the meeting, attendees were asked to place Legos, each of which represented through color and size a certain amount of growth and population, on areas where they thought the most growth would occur.
      “What I noticed was that when we were growing up,” said the Mayor, “we went to where the job is. Today, kids pick a place they like and then find a job there. This gives us the potential of a great wealth of intelligence growth here in Charleston.” Mayor Wert also remarked on the fact that Freshfield’s Village was used as an example of how a good strip mall could look, as opposed to some of the eyesores in North Charleston.
      Finally, the Mayor noted that most homeowners should be seeing a cut of roughly 50% in their latest tax bill due to the 1 cent sales tax increase. The refund, however, did not cover second homes or small businesses.
      The Mayor concluded by saying that “I wish you a very safe and sane holiday. Be grateful for what you have and think about those who do not have this season and reach out to them. Thanks especially to all those fighting for us overseas.”

Citizen’s Comments
Wendy Kulick asked that the amount of handouts available at Town Council meetings be increased since everyone did not get a copy of all the information available at this month’s meeting. Also, she suggested that the website post agendas for meetings before they occur instead of after.
      Also, at the last “Mornings with Joe”, a resident asked about a proposed amphitheatre for the Town and stated that he thought a consultant had been hired by the Town to find funding sources. Ms. Kulick asked the Town to clarify as to whether this had occurred and why.

*Please note that the approved minutes from this meeting will be available at the next Kiawah Island Council meeting on January 8, 2007.

Seabrook Island Town Council – November 27, 2007*

After the pledge of allegiance, Mayor McNulty called the November 27, 2007, Town Council meeting to order at 2:30 p.m. Councilmen DuBois, Flynn, Holtz and Savin, Town Administrator Pierce, Town Clerk Allbritton and several guests attended the meeting. The meeting was properly posted and the requirements of the SC Freedom of Information Act were met.

Minutes
The minutes of the Town Council meeting of October 23, 2007, were approved as written.

Town financials
Mayor McNulty reported that revenue for the ten months to date is $844,000. Revenue for the same period in 2006 was $753,000. The difference mainly consists of higher business license collections by the Town Hall, business license fees collected by the Municipal Association for insurance and higher interest income. Mayor McNulty predicts that the Town’s revenue for 2007 will probably exceed $1 million for the first time in the history of the Town. Expenses for the year to date are almost $400,000. For the same period last year, expenses were $328,000. The increase was mostly due to a higher cost of beach patrol and the $10,000 contribution to the Fireman’s Fund. The excess of revenue over expenditures for the first ten months of the year is $444,000. For the same period last year, the amount was $424,000.

Reports of Standing Committees, Commissions, Boards:
External Affairs
Jerry Cummin, Chairman, reported that Mike Clouse, a member of External Affairs, attended the last John’s Island Council meeting, but a quorum was not present and no business could be conducted.
      Chairman Cummin reported that work has begun on the Bohicket Creek Bridge on Bohicket Road. Chairman Cummin attended a meeting on October 9 th conducted by TranSystems, who is updating the study that they did in 2001 in regard to traffic on Johns Island, in order to obtain input from citizens. When the data obtained is organized, another meeting will be held but has not been scheduled at this time. Chairman Cummin reported that most of the people that attended the meeting were against any road improvement but Mayor McNulty spoke eloquently and urged residents to wait for the results of the update on the traffic study.
      Chairman Cummin also attended a meeting recently in regard to updating the Comprehensive Plan for Charleston County. This meeting was held to gather data from the public. The County will try to incorporate what they find out into the Comprehensive Plan update that must be done by 2009. A follow-up meeting will be held to present their conclusions.

Reports of Town Officers:
Mayor’s report
Mayor McNulty stated that a Mayor Pro Tem should be elected to serve for the next year. Councilman Savin moved that John DuBois be named Mayor Pro Tem. Councilman Flynn seconded the motion and the vote to approve was unanimous. Mayor McNulty suggested that Dick Clarke, who has recently served as Planning Commission Chairman, be appointed to the Board of Zoning Appeals for a term to expire on December 31, 2010. Mr. Clarke replaces Bill Holtz, who was recently elected as a Town Councilman. Councilman Savin moved to approve the appointment of Dick Clarke to the Board of Zoning Appeals. Councilman DuBois seconded the motion and the vote to approve was unanimous.
      A letter from Joe Hall, Chairman of the Seabrook Island Utility Commission, was included in the Town Council packets. The letter recommends that Leon Vancini be appointed to the Utility Commission to complete the term of Bob Delaney Jr., which will expire on the date of the municipal election in November of 2009. Mr. Vancini was a member of the committee formed in 1994 by Mayor Red Ballentine to determine the feasibility of the Town of Seabrook Island buying the utility company from Heater. Councilman DuBois moved to appoint Leon Vancini to the Seabrook Island Utility Commission. Councilman Flynn seconded the motion and the vote to approve was unanimous.
      Mayor McNulty stated that the December Town Council meeting will be moved forward a week to December 18 th because of the Christmas holiday. Also, the Town Christmas drop-in will be held on Thursday, December 13 th, from noon to 2 p.m.

Town Administrator’s report
Town Administrator Pierce reported that the pathway from the Town Hall to Freshfields has been paved and the clean up work has begun. The contractor still has to do the striping, some signage and install split rail fence in some areas. When the pathway is finished, the Accommodations Tax group can do some landscape work and place benches along the path. Mayor McNulty mentioned the possibility of having a ribbon cutting for the pathway, possibly in conjunction with the Town Christmas party. The Mayor invited council members to attend a meeting at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Town Hall with Forest Suggs, our engineer with Hussey, Gay, Bell & DeYoung, and a bridge contractor. The Town has applied for permits for the bridges along the pathway but has not yet determined what types of bridges will be used. Mayor McNulty asked Council to go out to the pathway and make sure they are in favor of building the two bridges, which would cost around $30,000 to $40,000 each. Town Administrator Pierce has spoken with Kiawah Development Partners about having bike racks near where the pathway ends at Freshfields.

Seabrook Island Utility Commission
Chairman Joe Hall reported that the widening of Maybank Highway would affect Seabrook Island. The transmission line coming from the Stono Bridge to Bohicket Road is in the right of way of the existing highway; but, if the roadway were widened, the transmission line for water would have to be moved. The estimated cost of moving the line would be $2 million and Seabrook Island’s share would be $500,000. Seabrook Island has roughly a 25% share of all transmission lines within St. Johns Water Company’s system. These lines would run from the Limehouse Bridge to the roundabout and includes Maybank Highway from the Stono Bridge. Kiawah would be responsible for 50% of the cost if the lines have to be moved. The Utility Commission also has to pay operation and maintenance costs yearly on the transmission lines. Chairman Hall also reported that residents should have gotten their rebates on their last bill, resulting from the $200,000 donation from the Town.
      Chairman Hall reported that Hawthorne’s contract to manage the Utility Company ends in the first quarter of 2008 but an extension of 5 years will be added to the ending date of the present contract and the Commission has the option of another 5 year extension.

Ordinances for First Reading:
Ordinance 2007-09, An Ordinance to Adopt the Town Budget for 2008 – Mayor McNulty had prepared a handout for Council pertaining to the 2008 budget showing the budgeted revenue figures for 2008, which are down 3% over 2007, and expenses, which are budgeted to be up 10% in 2008. With the downturn in the economy, business licenses will probably be less than in 2007 and, pathway expenses combined with having less money in the bank, interest income should also be lower. On the expense side, salaries and benefits will be up by 7% and A-Tax expenditures are projected to be more because of landscaping along the pathway. The balance in the general fund at the end of 2006 was $662,000 and the surplus for 2007 is expected to be $600,000. This would result in the general fund having a balance of $1,262,000 at year-end 2007. However, the Town has given $200,000 to the Utility Commission for rebates, transferred $200,000 to the Utility Commission contingency and another $70,000 should be transferred to the fund balance set aside for the pathway. When those items are removed, the 2007 general fund balance will be approximately $821,000. The 2008 budgeted surplus before adjustments is $538,000.
      The total cost of the pathway to Freshfields will be $317,000 with $50,000 of that total coming from the Charleston Transportation Committee. Mayor McNulty noted that $70,000 should be moved from the General Fund into the Bike Path Fund since the Town had originally only set aside $200,000. Councilman Holtz moved to transfer $70,000 from the general fund into the bike path fund. Councilman Savin seconded the motion and the vote to approve was unanimous. Councilman Holtz moved to accept the 2008 Town budget on first reading. Councilman Flynn seconded the motion and the vote to approve was unanimous.

Ordinance 2007-10, An Ordinance to Amend the Town Code, Sec. 1.7B.100, in Regard to Special Elections – Mayor McNulty explained that the Town had changed the election ordinance several years ago to eliminate signature petitions and make it possible to run for office by filing a Statement of Candidacy. The wording of the section of the ordinance that pertains to Special Elections still sounds as though signatures are required and the purpose of this ordinance is to clear up the wording. Councilman Savin moved to accept Ordinance 2007-10 on first reading. Councilman Flynn seconded the motion and the vote to approve was unanimous.

Ordinances for Second Reading: None

Miscellaneous Business:
2007 Changes to Town Zoning Map – Each Council member was given a list and a map showing all the changes that had taken place during 2007 that would affect the Town’s Zoning Map. Councilman Savin moved to incorporate the listed changes on the Town map. Councilman Holtz seconded the motion and the vote to approve was unanimous.

Citizens Comments: Katie Chapman, a representative of the Charleston Area Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, reported that tickets are now on sale for Be a Tourist in Your Own Town to area residents for $20. These passes will be good for the month of January 2008 at 35 attractions and 19 restaurants.

The meeting was adjourned at 3:05 p.m.

*please note that these minutes are unapproved. For approved minutes, please see Faye Allbritton at Seabrook Town Hall or email her at fallbritton@townofseabrookisland.org.