Volume 3 Issue 4

June 29, 2007

Lettitor
By Heather Holbrook

Two things: tomorrow is Saturday and you do not have to cook supper. No matter what else you have on your busy social calendar Saturday night, take the family to the Sullivan ’ s Island Fire & Rescue Fish Fry from 5:00-8:00pm “ Under the Big Tin ” near Fort Moultrie and the Island Club at Station 14. Everybody knows where this is, but I have to say it for the new islanders.
      Don ’ t miss this 58 th annual community event. This year will be like so many others; where happy islanders of all ages with plates of fried fish and all the fixins meeting up with friends and family, music and pleasant chaos. Tickets are only $8 at the door. In light of the recent tragedy, all proceeds will go to City of Charleston Fallen Firefighters Fund . I ’ m sure many people will break out a $20 and say, Keep the change.
      And last week ’ s fundraiser at Lowndes Grove Plantation was a light-hearted way to raise money for the Boys & Girls Club of America. I have noticed that given the chance, most islanders I know jump at the chance to dress up in wild clothes and act silly all in the name of charity. The Great Gatsby Gala ’ s 1920s-themed event ’ s backdrop was the setting sun and ancient Live Oaks, beautifully done down to every detail from the cuisine to the silent auction ’ s art, jewelry and other goodies. The band was great and four dancers taught us the Charleston.
      Sponsored by Nelson Mullins and Pro-Legal Copies, Board members Robert Brunson and Robbie Kennemur wrangled several islanders into limousines and out for a good time. “ The Club currently has a membership of 1400 with a target of 5000 in the next few years, ” Robert tells me. With 25,000kids in the Tri-county area on free or reduced lunch, they have quite a target audience.
      Ken Brown, a fixture on Sullivan’s Island and a trainer at PrimeTime Fitness, is also very involved in the Club. “I've been on the Board since February and the push up fundraiser was my first fundraiser idea,” he says referring to the muscle event in the park this spring. “We received almost $10,000.” He says he loves the BG Club. “Because I grew up in the inner city and back then, it was just the Boys Club.  It kept me off the streets and helped set a good foundation of what mentorship at an earlier age can mean to you as a kid.” 
      Boys & Girls Clubs are a safe place to learn and grow – all while having fun. Truly, a positive place for kids w ith more than 4,000 Club locations, some 4.8 million boys and girls participating. There are locations in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands plus domestic and international military bases. 2006 marked the Centennial year of Boys & Girls Clubs of America, celebrating 100 years of providing hope and opportunity to young people across the country.

Ben Sawyer Bridge Project Public Hearing June 2007

Project Description
The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is proposing the rehabilitation of the Ben Sawyer Bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway. Bicycle facilities and sidewalks will be evaluated in the study of this project.

Study Area and Project Setting
The Ben Sawyer Bridge transverses a causeway between the Town of Mount Pleasant and the Town of Sullivan's Island in Charleston County, South Carolina. This causeway consists of Ben Sawyer Boulevard, the bridge, and surrounding tidal marshland areas.

The existing bridge, built in 1 945, consists of a 247-foot thru-truss steel swing span, flanked by 452 feet of steel two-girder approach spans on both approaches. The approach spans are split into two 226-foot units, and each consists of a 70-foot/86-foot/70-foot three-span arrangement. The existing roadway width is 25 feet 8 inches between curbs, with a 2-foot 6-inch sidewalk supported on brackets cantilevered out from the girders. The Ben Sawyer Bridge is unique due to its location, existing architectural elements, historical setting, and importance as an evacuation route from Sullivan's Island.

Environmental Assessment (EA) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI)
An EA has been prepared to satisfy the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended. This docu­ment identifies possible impacts from implementation of the project and methods for mitigating any adverse impacts. The EA document is available at SCDOT District 6 office, SCDOT headquarters in Columbia, and local libraries. This Public Hearing is being held to solicit comment regarding the project and contents of the EA. All comments received become part of the permanent public record. We encourage you to fill out a comment card here or to send your comments to SCDOT by June 30, 2007. Representatives from SCDOT and the project team are available to answer your questions. Once the comment period has ended, comments will be addressed and certified. The final step in the environmental process is the issuance of a FONSI by SCDOT and the Federal Highway Administration.

Protect Milestones

Project Initiation: January 2005

Community Information Meeting: September 2005

Completion of Environmental Assessment: June 2007

Final Bridge Plans Summer: 2008

Begin Construction: Late Fall 2008

Complete Construction: Early 2011

Right-of-Way Procedures
Once the right-of-way plans are completed, an agent with the Department will be assigned to the project. At times, the SCDOT will contract with an experienced right-of-way consultant to perform the right-of-way service. Consultant companies and their agents are regularly monitored by the SCDOT staff. The agent's first job is conducting title research to determine the ownership of each parcel of land shown on the plans. The agent will then contact the property owner to verify the information on ownership and prop­erty lines and to explain how construction of the project will affect the property. In some instances SCDOT is allowed by the Federal Highway Administration to make offers based on estimates of fair market value without having an appraisal prepared. If the property value is below the threshold for estimate offers, the agent may present an offer for the needed right-of-way during the first contact. In the event that the property estimate exceeds the designated threshold, an appraisal will be ordered to establish the offer of just compensation. The acquisition agent will make these offers in writing. If an appraisal is required, the appraiser shall provide an opportunity for the Landowner to be present when the property is inspected with the landowner being entitled to a copy of the appraisal.

Relocation benefits consist of moving expenses and replacement housing payments. No person that occupies real property will be required to move from a dwelling, business, or farm without at least 90 days notice of the vacate date.

The following is SCDOT's policy on replacement housing:

(A) The Federal Highway Administration will be given specific assurance that comparable housing will be available or provided for before the initial written approval or endorsement of any project is requested.

(B) Construction authorization will not be requested until comparable replacement housing has been made available to all affected persons.

(C) We acknowledge that all housing must be fair housing and must be offered to all affected persons regardless of their race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Right-of-way representatives are available at this meeting to answer any individual questions. If additional right-of-way information is needed before an agent is assigned to this project, you may contact the SCDOT Right-of-Way Administrator, SCDOT, P.O. Box 191, Columbia, SC 2902-0191, (803) 737-1400.

Title VI Compliance

The SCDOT, in response to the nondiscrimination requirements set forth by the Federal regulations issued by the United States Department of Transportation to effectuate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, complies with all regulations in this regard.

Any person who believes that he or she has been discriminated against because of race, color, religion, sex, age, handicap/disabilities or national origin under a program receiving Federal Aid has the right to file a complaint with the SCDOT. The complaint shall be filled with the Title VI Program Compliance Coordinator at (803) 737-1 37. The complaint should be submitted no later than 1 80 days after the date of the alleged act of discrimination. The complaint should outline as completely as possible the facts and circumstances of the incident.