Volume 3 Issue 19

January 25, 2008

Lettitor
By Heather Holbrook

Musings on the Bridge

     An icon not unlike our lighthouse (and in about as good of shape), the swing bridge that links Sullivan’s Island to the mainland has been in the spotlight lately. Particularly when it was closed for a handful of days in recent memory.
      Running a few minutes late for your appointment off-island? The familiar “Blame it on the Bridge” routine used by many in the past (as in, ‘Oh I woulda been here sooner but I got caught by the bridge’) became an authentic complaint (as in ‘MAN the bridge is CLOSED’) for three whole days and nights. Drivers would start to make that turn onto Station 22 toward the ICWW and you’d see their jaws work silently into unknown words, maybe curses and definitely exclamations, as they’d do a u-turn and head for the Connector bridge. Blast! Add an additional 29 minutes onto that trip to the grocery store/ Starbucks/medical emergency room.
      Remember when there was no Connector? Some folks around here do. But, remember when there was no Ben Sawyer Bridge? Not likely. That was in the mid 1940’s. And before that you know there was the Pitt Street bridge that linked Mount Pleasant to the island at Station 9. Unless you’re in a boat or are a real good swimmer, these bridges have been the only way onto our islands.
      I appreciate the old Ben.The clanging bell of it, the odd creaks and satisfying clunk you hear once you clear it. Especially satisfying when you realize you just survived a crossing of one of the most dilapidated bridges in South Carolina. The recent sprucing up of the green roundhouse perched atop the steel beams was a necessity to be sure, but not a repair to make the bridge itself any safer to the hundreds of people, cars, bikes, delivery vans and grossly over-weight construction vehicles that pass this way every day.
      I know some people don’t like idling on the causeway, waiting for sailboats to pass and fretting about their ice cream melting in grocery bags in the back seat. But the unbearable charm, the mechanical archetypical sweetness of our funky old bridge is an emblem to remind comers and goers that THIS IS NOT THE MAINLAND. And although anachronistic at best, with all the progress and architectural gussying up of Sullivan’s Island in recent years, it’s a good thing to swing. While a Connector-sized four lane span bridge is not the answer, I’m sure the cyclists who pedal across our existing bridge on a regular basis might appreciate a safe bike lane or two.
      As would the motorists who risk hitting these same cyclists on the bumpy and narrow grid of metal that carries us home.

IOP at a crossroad
By Ali Akhyari

I shall be telling this with a sigh    
Somewhere ages and ages hence:         
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—   
I took the one less traveled by,      
And that has made all the difference.
-Robert Frost

     After the third installment of Planning Commission meetings focusing on the revitalization of the Front Beach district of Isle of Palms, it was apparent that whatever the City decides to do will determine the future nature of the island.
While the first two meetings were focused on business and property owners, this lastmeeting was for the residents. Amid the many complaints, questions and suggestions, a common thread could be pulled out. The residents want an island that is more considerate of them than tourists.
Tourism is the booming economy of Isle of Palms. The discovery of the island’s J.C. Long-inspired residential nature has sparked a “Forty-niner” type rush to the area. The gold was an uncrowded island, but as more people discover and invest in the potential, some say the gold is disappearing and being replaced by more and more rental properties and tourist destinations. Residents who have been away notice real estate companies have sprung up in place of locally focused businesses such as hardware stores and dentists.
     Property values have also shot up and rent has increased as a result. Local patrons can’t provide enough income to cope and the most successful businesses are those that cater to tourists. Many residents feel the proof is in the “mini-hotels” that are being built in what used to be residential neighborhoods, since zoning doesn’t allow them to be built in the commercial district.
In the last election, three out of four incumbent council members were replaced by candidates who were endorsed by the IOP Neighborhood Association who openly stated that the residential nature of the island needed to be protected. More recently, that sentiment was repeated at the Planning Commission meeting by the majority of attendees.
Some tried to reconcile the complex problem of balancing a ballooning number of summer tourists during the summer with winter doldrums. Various parking options. signs, restaurants and other types of businesses were all points of discussion on handling the problem. However, when one takes a couple of steps back the issue becomes much larger.
     Every decision, whether it is a simple “No Parking” sign or a multi-story parking deck with storefront shopping, is going to fall on the side of a resident or tourist friendly step. Looking at it any other way will only create a chaotic mix of concrete, trees, and intertwining red tape that frustrates everyone in the end. The City is going to have to decide what kind of island this is going to be in the future. Vocal residents that attended the last Planning Commission meeting are already decided.
There is no doubt that tourism tax dollars provide a great amount of income to the city. However, some argue that the cost of extra services such as police, fire and trash negates a large portion of that money. One example stated at the meeting was that inland communities of similar size that are not tourist destinations have property taxes that are much smaller than IOP and have all the services they require. Some say that the large, multi-million dollar Safety Complex would be unnecessary if not for tourists.
     While it is impossible to stop tourism, or even come to a consensus on its value, the decisions surrounding the future of the Commercial District will indicate what kind of place the Isle of Palms is going to be.
     The area is beautiful. People will always come to vacation. However, the reason people come will change. They could come for the reasons they always have, those being that IOP is a small, quaint, residential beach community reminiscent of something a bit more pure, like a childhood memory. Or they will come because it is an easy tourist destination with flashing lights, miniature golf courses and three story beach houses where people can come visit and get their fill of the beach before returning to their own world.
Inaction and stop-gap measures will leave it up to the market. History shows that financial profit outweighs most competitors in that American arena. Only a hurricane will speak on behalf of the residents at that point.
     This decision on the City’s course will most likely be one of no return. As Frost says, each decision leads further and further away from that point. Will the Isle of Palms remain and quaint beach community or will the City give itself over to tourist dollars. Sometime in the future, residents will look back and realize the decisions that the City makes about the commercial district had made all the difference, good or bad.

The City Council will meet again on February 26 at 7:00pm at City Hall. The Planning Commission is scheduled to meet on February 13 at 4:30pm at the Building Department next to City Hall.

The two million dollar plan
Staff report

      The City of Isle of Palms pledged $2 million to help pay for the beach nourishment project at Wild Dunes at a special City Council meeting on January 10. Councilmember Dee Taylor made the motion which passed with an 8-1 vote. “This is a historic vote for the City of Isle of Palms,” Taylor said.
Councilmember Dick Cronin was the lone “nay”. Prior to the vote, Cronin had introduced an amendment to the measure to use $700,000 of the $1.6 million that is currently available in the Accomodations Tax (ATAX) and Hospitality Tax (HTAX) reserve funds. “We’re sitting on $1.6 million in Accommodations and Hospitality Taxes,” Cronin stated. However, the amendment failed for lack of a “second”.
     Councilmember Brian Duffy asked if the $2 million pledge was an absolute number or a percentage. That matter may be relevant in the event that the cost of the nourishment project is significantly less than $9.7 million, which is what the project is estimated to cost. However, Taylor, who is also the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, stated that he was confident in the estimate provided by City Administrator Linda Tucker.
Tucker presented several scenarios of financial City involvement, from paying nothing to everything and a variety of percentages in between. Every option from 25% and above was estimated to create a shortfall in the City budget, resulting in a property tax increase.“I said all along that I don’t want to see any tax increase,” Mayor Mike Sottile said. That sentiment was agreed on by several other council members. Therefore, options were basically limited to around 20% or less. There was almost no discussion or debate on that matter.
      According to Tucker, at 20%, the total cost to the city including interest would be $2,296,000, with an average annual payment of $383,000. The motion, as stated by Taylor, includes interest in the pledge. Also at 20%, there would be approximately $29,000 available for new projects, disasters and future services, and no increase in property taxes. That amount should be slightly higher with what the City has agreed to provide.
The $2 million pledge includes the $200,000 that the City had already set aside last year for the project. It also includes $560,000 to pay Coastal Science and Engineering for design services of phase II of the beach nourishment project. Other stakeholders, which may include affected property owners, the Wild Dunes Community Association and the Wild Dunes Resort will be responsible for the rest minus $900,000 which will come from “other public participants” such as Charleston County.
It is important to note that the project can not even begin until all of the money is available. At $9.7 million, the “other stakeholders” mentioned above will be required to come up with $6.8 million in order to get the project under way. Although it was originally thought that the project could not feasibly begin until the fall of 2008, it was stated that the project could begin in the spring of 2008 and be completed by August.
     S.C. State Senator Chip Campsen, who owns property in Wild Dunes, has helped introduce a bill that would change current laws so that private, gated communities like Wild Dunes can have access to public funds without providing public parking or public access to their beaches. Current laws prohibit the use of public money for private property in this regard. If the measure is successful, the Wild Dunes community could cover the $6.8 million with far more ease. When that hypothetical money would be avaiable, however, is unknown. Vocal Wild Dunes residents have been extremely opposed to offering public parking and public beach access in order to get state and federal aid for the project.
     Tucker stated that there are at least three companies that would be available to do the work this spring if the money became available. Of those three, only one has said they would actually bid on the project. The other two only expressed interest.

The Isle of Palms City Council is scheduled to meet again on January 17 at 6:00pm at City Hall.