Volume 1 Issue 21

February 8, 2008

Seabrook Town Council – January 22, 2008*

“Any bets on how much the Patriots will beat the Giants?” Boston-native Mayor McNulty jokingly asked Council before starting the meeting.

Putting an asterisk on the December minutes
Following Mr. McCormack’s request to Council during the December meeting for help funding a potential island rescue boat, Mayor McNulty asked that a note be made on the December Council minutes stating that they should be read in conjunction with the January Council minutes. “Mr. McCormack apparently did not get approval from the POA about funding a rescue boat and the idea has nothing to do with the entire CERT organization,” the Mayor reported. “We need to have my comments about those inaccuracies noted in these minutes so that the corrections can be noted in the future.”
     Excepting the amendment to Mr. McCormack’s statements, the minutes for the December Council meeting were approved unanimously.

Town financials
“I maybe shouldn’t have even brought them up since we were out for a week at the end of December,” Mayor McNulty noted concerning this month’s financials. “The year end accruals have not yet been made and there are some receipts from 2007 that won’t be inputted until January. You really can’t make anything out of the revenues and expenditures for the month of December. We’ll have that approved and we’ll go over them with the January financials at the February meeting. The fund balances are correct, however. So from that standpoint, we’re okay.”

CERT: hurricane-free since 2006
Councilman Savin reported that the Citizen’s Emergency Response Team held a CERT exercise the Monday before the Council meeting. Everything went well and next meeting, they will be refining their techniques and going over more emergency procedures. “You guys have been doing well,” said Mayor McNulty. “So far you’ve kept hurricanes out of here for almost two years; keep that up.”

On the road again
I spoke to Frank Farfone, the road guy for the POA,” Mr. Jerry Cummin reported to Council. “He informed me that the next presentation by RoadWise about the John’s Island road widening should be within the next two weeks to two months. That was the best they could tell him. This is, of course, the $73,000 study approved last year by Charleston County. As I’m sure everyone is aware, the meeting on the extension of I-526, co-authored by the Nature Conservancy and the Coastal Conservation League, has recommended the building of a network of small roads above the Maybank Highway to replace the possible Mark Clark extension. I have no comments on that.”

Rescue boat proposal sinks in Council
“The rescue boat. We discussed this in detail last month,” said the Mayor. “It seems that there were a lot of loose ends which would have to be resolved if we were to go forward with it.” He noted that a number of people raised questions about its effectiveness and that Council had raised the question about the dangers and risks involved for everyone, including the rescuers as well as the victim. “Also, whose liable and can we get involved in something that co-mingles private funds with public ones?” Mayor McNulty asked. “ I had our Town attorney Steve Brown look at it and he sent a memo to the effect that the project raises a number of problems that we would have to deal with. So, I am putting this up to a vote. Should we look into this project or not?”
The Council voted to not go forward with participating in the boat operation.

Captain on the bridge
“As you know, Bill [Councilman Holtz], Tom [Councilman Flynn], Randy [Town Administrator Pierce] and I went down to Beaufort to look at the bridge that we are considering having built and the whole day ended up a disaster,” Mayor McNulty reported. “We went down early for a Marine parade and I hate to say this, but it looked like rain, so they put the parade indoors. So we missed the parade. Then, we went to see the bridge. Now we knew that the bridge was not in place, but we didn’t know that ‘not in place’ meant ‘still in pieces’. However, we could get a feel for what kind of structure it was while we were there. Afterward we went to the officer’s mess for lunch and all I heard from Councilman Flynn was that the Navy would never have an officer’s mess as dirty as this.”
            Town Administrator Randy Peirce noted that they were holding a meeting with the bridge builders, Inwood, as well as an engineer in order to walk the new bike path and consider how the project would work out. Inwood would also bring some more pictures of bridges to consider other options for the path. Mr. Piece also stated that they would be doing the final walk of the bike path with the contractors to make sure the job was completed to everyone’s satisfaction before handing over the final check. They would also be completing the final forms and as-built survey to get a final agreement from DHEC to build the bridges.
            Councilman Holtz reported that the bikepath was in desperate need of at least three trashcans; one at either end and one in the middle, for dog walkers and people with wrappers and disposable items. “We should install small, permanent trash cans like the one at the corner of High Hammock and Seabrook Island Road,” Mr. Holtz stated.
            Mr. Peirce noted that there was some money left over for landscaping and miscellaneous items for the bike path that could be allocated for a least three trash cans on the path if not more and they could be installed in the next month or two. The Town landscapers would be responsible for cleaning them out.

Are tails wagging for a new dog park?
Mayor McNulty held a luncheon meeting concerning the SIPOA dog park proposal with Mr. Jerry Cummin, president of the SIDOG club; Dick Hughes, president of the POA and Marcia Hider and Joan Reed, both members of the Special Projects Committee of the POA. “No one proved that a dog park is necessary,” said the Mayor. However, he would still consider the possibility if he received a positive response from a proportionate number of Seabrook Island residents. The bottom line, he stated, was that the pro-dog park group would put out a POA e-blast, seeing who would be interested in a dog park and asking specific questions as to what kind of a dog they had, when they would use the park, how often, etc. “There was great response to the off-leash beach access for dogs, but there doesn’t seem much public interest in a dog park,” said the Mayor. “I don’t want to invest Town funds in something no one is going to use.”
            On the other hand, Dick Hughes of the POA has suggested that the POA would pay for the cost, liabilities and upkeep of the dog park, all they asked for was the use of the land from Council. “If we did it, it would be with a one year provision and we would have to agree with Sunset rules,” said the Mayor. “Mr. Hughes agreed to everything, so this is still a project that we might look at.”
            Mr. Cummins stated that there had been a proposal circulated by a board member of the POA about the possibility of a dog park in the Palmetto lake area, but he wasn’t aware of what happened to it.
            Councilman Holtz also pointed out that non-Seabrook people would be able to use the dog park as well since it was on public land. The Mayor said that he would not make any decisions until they received the results from the e-blast.
           
A worthy cause
The Barrier Island Free Medical Clinic will be holding a fundraising Golf tournament soon and Mayor McNulty asked if this would be a good time to discuss the Town’s charitable donations policy. In the past, the Town has made it a point not to get involved with charitable contributions, but the Mayor questioned whether, ongoing, the Town would need to have that kind of a practice. “If we get involved, people will say we’re opening the barn doors for every charity out there,” Mayor McNulty noted. “But I think the Council are grown people and can make their own decisions. This tournament is simply for a good cause. The cost of medical treatment is out of hand these days. If we can pay $10,000 to have the CSO out here, we can give $10,000 to give poor people health care.” He concluded that he just wanted Council to think about it. They would not have to talk about it officially until the next meeting. Also, the Mayor pointed out that Council would not have to give the money to the tournament and instead could just give the donation to the Clinic directly. “I don’t want anyone thinking that we’re doing this just to play a round of golf,” the Mayor remarked.
            “There are other things we can do on this island that would be just as good and charitable,” said Councilman Holtz. “The Tennis Hospice for example.”
            Councilman DuBois agreed, noting that Our Lady of Mercy Outreach Center was also in need of funds for the new Wellness Center that they are in the process of building. “We’ll bring it up again next month,” said the Mayor. “Maybe when we established the ‘no donation’ rule, the Town was not in the financial position that it’s in today.”

Two attorneys for the price of one
Mr. Peirce wanted to make sure everyone knew that Attorney Russ Heines was present at this month’s meeting since Town Attorney Steve Brown couldn’t make it. “Can we use you in place of Steve when he’s out of town?” the Mayor asked. “Absolutely,” Mr. Heines replied, “I know he would like you to use me whenever he can’t make it. I’d be happy to attend.”

Pump it out
Mr. Joe Hall, Seabrook Island Water and Sewer Commissioner, took bidders out to see the project area for Phase 1of the Wastewater Pump Station Rehabilitation Project, which includes 12 of the 24 pump stations, four of which are above water and the rest submerged. Phase 1 will consist of roughly 40% of the total project and cost around $800,000. The project could not receive bids before January because of the delay in the grant approval process. However, Phase 1 is still estimated to be completed by June and the whole project should be done by October 1, 2008, only slightly less than 60 days off of the original schedule. “We’re doing the station in the worst shape first, then some easy ones on Jenkins Point which just need waterproof doors on the reservoirs,” Said Mr. Hall. Phase 2 will be a bigger project, with eight of the 12 remaining stations above ground and four submerged.
            Mr. Hall also reported that the waterline project is doing well and is still projected to finish in May. “River Road still has some blue pipe above ground, but the Stono River line will be flooded and finished by April,” he stated.

Charleston is going to Hollywood!
Katie Chapman of the CVB reported that the Charleston auditions for American Idol would be airing on January 24 and that CNN would be broadcasting their morning show from Charleston on Friday, January 25. The Today Show also got in a little Charleston air time by re-broadcasting a show they taped last summer in Charleston on Saturday, January 26.
     Ms. Chapman also noted that once again, Southern Living has voted Charleston their favorite Southern city and for the first time, Orbitz has declared Charleston a top winter destination. Finally, Ms. Chapman reminded everyone that the Family Circle Cup is coming up on April 12 – 20. To find out more about the tournament and purchasing tickets, please visit www.familycirclecup.com.

Newton Farms lends a helping hand
Staff report

     Representatives of the Piggly Wiggly Company and Freshfield’s Newton Farms got together on January 22 to present a very special gift to John’s Island’s Rural Missions; a check for $5,000 and a great big thank you from the Piggly Wiggly community for all the work Rural Mission has done to help the residents of John’s, James and Wadmalaw Islands and surrounding areas.
      Linda Gadson, the executive director for Rural Missions, Anderson Mac and Chris Brooks, director of Rural Mission’s program development, were on hand to receive the award. Mrs. Gadson was so glad for the kind donation that she honored the group with a sweet song of “thank you, Lord” as she shook everyone’s hands.
      The donation was made available through the Piggly Wiggly Charity Golf Classic. All of the funds raised at the Classic were dispersed throughout South Carolina to deserving non-profits. “This is a real blessing,” Mrs. Gadson said. “We always appreciate help from our neighbors. Through this, Rural Missions will have a new birth.”
      The funds are already earmarked to go straight to Rural Missions’ work camp for the complete rebuilding of a house in Hollywood, South Carolina that burned down this past summer. The home belonged to Mrs. Julieann White, a gentle 76 year old woman who lost everything when the house she had been living in for 50 years burned to the ground. “It was a real heartache for her when it happened. She kept that house so well,” said Mrs. Gadson. One of the few things that Rural Missions was able to save from the wreckage was a partially burnt picture that Mrs. White had treasured more than anything else; a photo of all her children gathered around her husband, who died at an early age.
      Thanks to the efforts of local architects Tom Baker and Jim Mcree, who donated their time and services to the project, a blueprint for Mrs. White’s new house has already been created and a volunteer team from Mohnton, Pennsylvania is preparing to travel to the construction site.
 Mrs. White’s family has already laid the foundation, but the crew from St. John’s Lutheran will be working to complete the project under the leadership of Reverend Julius McDowell of Wesley United Methodist and Michael Errant of Wesley Memorial, both in Hollywood, SC. The team will also be staying at Wesley Memorial for the length of their visit “and they’ll be shopping at Piggly Wiggly every day!” Mrs. Gadson laughed.

For more information about Rural Missions, please call Chris Brooks at 768-1720. For more information about Freshfields’ Newton Farms, located in the Freshfield’s shopping center on John’s Island, call 243-FARM.

Shaking out the shutter bugs
By Julian Simons

     In March of 2007, Judy Bailey of Seabrook Island, a former law professional, long-time admirer of the arts, took an initiative to bring together residents of Seabrook Island who shared her interest in the art of photography. This initiative set the foundation for the Seabrook Island Camera Club. Ms. Bailey said she had no idea that the Seabrook Island Camera Club was going to gain such popularity among Seabrook residents.
     From it’s beginnings of about 12-14 members to its current standing of around 50, it isn’t hard to see why Seabrook’s Camera Club is so popular; the club sponsors everything from field-trips to Magnolia Gardens to nighttime photo-shoots in downtown Charleston. At each monthly meeting, the club invites a guest speaker, such as Dan Unger who works in imaginative concepts and worked on the movie ‘Under Dog’, to speak about their art and talk about how they incorporate photography in what they do. For shutter bugs interested in the more technical side of today’s photography, the club is currently offering free Photoshop classes to members.
The members of the Seabrook Camera Club range from professional photographers who sell pieces locally to beginners who have just gotten their first camera. “That’s one of the great things about the club”, Mrs. Bailey pointed out, “you do not have to be a photographer to be a member, you just need an interest.”
     Coming up for the Seabrook Island Camera Club is the annual Seabrook Island Art Show that is being held at the Seabrook POA building on February 15, 16, and 17. The Art Show is free and open to the public and will feature art from members of the Camera Club, as well as several local artists specializing in a wide range of mediums.
Look for a photography contest for Camera Club members and any interested island residents to appear in the Island Connection in the next month. This will be a photography contest where the winner’s piece will be published on the front page of the Island Connection in addition to other prizes that will be described in a later issue. Photographers, get your camera ready to take some stunningly beautiful pictures of our Lowcountry in hopes of getting a front page opportunity.

If you are a Seabrook Island resident that is interested in becoming a member of Seabrook’s Camera Club you should contact Judy Bailey at JudyMI@AOL.com for more information.