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. |
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