Month: September 2020

September 2020 Issue of Currents

The September 2020 issue of Currents is now available.  Click here to read it or visit the SIPOA website and access it through the News dropdown menu. Once you open the September issue, you will notice the icons across the top of the cover image that allow you to “Share,” “Download,” “Print,” or “Zoom.”

To receive SIPOA’s weekly Highlights email as well as special notices and alerts from SIPOA, please click here to sign up.

Email your comments and feedback to publiccomment@sipoa.org.

-Submitted by SIPOA

 

Decision to Close Boardwalk 8 Stairs Not Made Lightly


SIPOA is always reluctant to change or limit an amenity. According to Warren Kimball, Chair of the General Operating and Maintenance Committee (GOMC), the decision to remove the steps at Boardwalk 8 that led to the beach and water was a careful step-by-step, half-year process. The most complete explanation of why safety factors prompted the removal of the stairs is in the report of the GOMC subcommittee that submitted its findings on 26 May 2020.

The process:
1. After safety concerns were raised at a number of public GOMC meetings, the committee, at its public meeting on April 28, 2020, created a study committee to assess those safety concerns and to look at ways to improve the overall appeal of the Boardwalk 8 site and adjacent property owned by SIPOA between the boardwalk and Club property at the Pelican’s Nest.  (Property between Boardwalk 8 and Boardwalk 9 is privately owned.)

Quoting the minutes of that meeting: “Kimball proposed setting up a subcommittee to study renovation, safety issues, and expansion of viewing amenities at the top of B8 and along the ridge heading toward the Pelican’s Nest. GOMC agreed. Phil Squire, Bill Connolly, and Veronica L’Allier will be the subcommittee.”

2.  That subcommittee submitted its report to the GOMC which put it on its agenda for its public meeting of 26 May 2020.

A video was taken to document the conditions at the base of the Boardwalk 8 stairs at high tide.

SIPOA plans to refurbish the current viewing platform at Boardwalk 8 and is committed to developing proposals for a new boardwalk along the ridge from Boardwalk 8 toward the Club’s Pelican’s Nest.

If you have further concerns or questions, please send them to SIPOA using the public comment tab at SIPOA.org. or email to publiccomment@sipoa.org.

–Tidelines Editors

The Gibbes Museum: Visiting Artists Series

The Gibbes Museum of Art is pleased to announce the opening of the new Ruth and Bill Baker Art Sales Gallery. The gallery, located on the first floor of the Gibbes Museum of Art, will exhibit works by the museum’s visiting artists. The Gibbes’ Visiting Artist Series is a program that highlights artists from South Carolina whose work contributes to a new understanding of art in the South by providing them with a workspace and platform to showcase their art.

The inaugural exhibition in the Art Sales Gallery will be Summer Reflection, featuring works by past participating visiting artists including Becca Barnet (Summer 2017), Kristy Bishop (Summer 2019), David Boatwright (Fall 2019), Adam Eddy (Winter/Spring 2019), Tim Hussey (Spring 2019), Leigh Magar (Winter 2018), Hirona Matsuda (Fall 2018), Kristi Ryba (Fall 2019) and Charles Williams (Spring 2017).

The Visiting Artist Series promotes creativity, introduces new art forms, provides perspective on larger community issues, encourages freedom of thought and connects with the broadest possible audience. The program features six to eight contemporary artists annually. Upcoming Visiting Artists include Katherine Dunlap and Antwon Ford, who will be at the Gibbes from August 31 – September 27, 2020.

The Gibbes is now accepting submissions for the Visiting Artist Series. Artists who currently live in South Carolina can apply for a four to six-week session with a proposal introducing their current studio practice, artwork content and type of project they would like to accomplish through a residency at the Gibbes Museum of Art. For more information and submission guidelines, click here.

For images of the new Ruth and Bill Baker Art Sales Gallery, click here.

-Submitted by The Gibbes Museum

History of Charleston – Seventeenth of the Series

Our Tidelines post on Saturday, April 18, congratulated Charleston on its 350th Anniversary. Click here to read the post.

The Post and Courier is running a series of articles about the history of Charleston to commemorate the 350th Anniversary beginning in 1670 when the first settlers arrived in Charleston Harbor. We will be posting a link to each article of the series as it becomes available.

To read this seventeenth article, “Battle of Sullivan’s Island Is a Precursor to America’s Declaration,” click here.

To read the previous sixteen articles, go to our website, www.tidelinesblog.com, and type “history” in the search box on the right.

–Tidelines Editors

(Image credit:  The Post and Courier, Sgt. William Jasper returns the flag to the bastion at Fort Sullivan on June 28, 1776. File/Provided/National Park Service/Painting by Charles McBarron)

 

Town of Seabrook Island Issues Public Advisory #22 on COVID-19

Mask Ordinance Extended through October 22nd; Masks Required on all Boardwalks

During its monthly meeting on August 25, Seabrook Island Town Council adopted Emergency Ordinance 2020-05, which repealed and replaced the provisions of its two prior emergency ordinances. Under the provisions of Emergency Ordinance 2020-05, the town:

  • Extended the requirement for ALL PERSONS to wear a face-covering when inside any portion of a business establishment that is open to the public or to customers;
  • Extended the requirement for ALL EMPLOYEES to wear a face-covering while engaged in face-to-face interactions with customers anywhere on the premises of a business establishment, including outdoor areas;
  • Extended the requirement for ALL PERSONS to wear a face-covering while waiting in line to enter a business establishment;
  • Required ALL PERSONS to wear a face covering on all SIPOA Boardwalks (BW# 1-9) and all associated wash stations (NEW);
  • Modified emergency restrictions for restaurants, bars, and other establishments, consistent with the Governor’s Emergency Order No. 2020-50;
  • Modified emergency restrictions on gatherings, consistent with the Governor’s Emergency Order No. 2020-50;
  • Extended emergency provisions to allow for remote participation and voting in Town Council, board and commission meetings;
  • Extended the prohibition on the issuance of all temporary use permits through October 25, 2020;
  • Limited group congregations to no more than 10 individuals, except in instances where the Governor has expressly allowed larger gatherings by executive order; and
  • Repealed all prior executive orders and emergency ordinances.

Persons found guilty of violating the requirements of Emergency Ordinance 2020-05 are subject to fines ranging from $50.00 to $500.00 per violation, plus required statutory assessments. Businesses found guilty violating the ordinance shall be subject to fines ranging from $100.00 to $500.00 per violation, plus required assessments. In addition to fines, business establishments found guilty of violating the ordinance may also have their business license revoked or suspended. Each violation shall be treated as a separate offense.

The requirements of Emergency Ordinance 2020-05 were effective immediately upon adoption and will remain in effect until October 25, unless repealed or extended by Town Council. A limited number of exceptions to the use of face coverings are provided in the ordinance, which may be viewed in its entirety by clicking here.

Alleged violations of the emergency ordinance may be reported to Seabrook Island Town Hall by phone at (843) 768-9121 or by email at info@townofseabrookisland.org.

Virtual Care and Testing Resources
MUSC Health and Roper St. Francis continue to offer free virtual care screenings to individuals experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. If you or a loved one are experiencing a fever, cough, shortness of breath, or other symptoms of COVID-19, you are encouraged to speak with a provider and, if necessary, be referred for a COVID-19 test. Use the promo code “COVID19” when you log in.

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control maintains a list of upcoming COVID-19 testing locations around the state, some of which are available at no cost and without a referral or appointment.

Protect Yourself and Others
To minimize the risk of exposure and to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that individuals take the following precautions:

  • Hand Hygiene: Wash your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds, use hand sanitizer, avoid of touching your face and mouth, and avoid shaking hands with others. 
  • Social Distancing: Maintain at least six feet of separation between yourself and others. 
  • Travel: Avoid unnecessary travel, especially to areas of high concentrations of cases of infection. 
  • Limit Contact with the Sick and Elderly: Cease visits to nursing homes and other extended-care facilities, except in the case of end-of-life circumstances. 
  • Wear a Face Covering or Mask: The CDC recommends – and town ordinance now requires – the wearing cloth face coverings or masks in public settings.

More Information
For general questions about COVID-19, please contact the SCDHEC Care Line at (855) 472-3432. Staff will be available to answer calls from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm seven days a week.

For the most reliable information about COVID-19, including what to do if you or a loved one is experiencing symptoms, residents are strongly encouraged to visit official resources, including the SCDHEC and CDC websites.

Official updates from the Town of Seabrook Island will continue to be posted on the following channels:

Property owners and managers with rental guests should forward this information to their rental guests. Owners and managers of commercial establishments are also encouraged to share this information with their employees.

 -Submitted by Joseph M. Cronin, Town Administrator, Town of Seabrook Island

Seabrook Island Garden Club Announces 2020-21 Slate of Officers

At the conclusion of its 2019-20 season, the garden club announced its slate of officers for the coming season. Dianne Thompson Cain will serve as President; Karen Nuttall, Vice President; Jo Eisenhauer, Treasurer; Holli Bolte, Corresponding Secretary; and Gina Goad, Recording Secretary.

The club faces some of the same challenges in continuing its charter as do many organizations in the new environment we all share. It has recently completed a survey of the membership to assist in structuring, conducting, and moving the club forward. “With nearly 75% of the membership responding,” said President Dianne Thompson Cain, “we are proceeding with their input in making plans to conduct our club in the most careful, considerate, and safe way possible.” The club has several working committees comprised of enthusiastic members well on the way to designing activities targeted to members’ interests.

Current members will be notified with details for the first meeting of the season planned for Thursday, September 10. Additionally, an all-island invitational meeting for those interested in becoming new members will be held via Zoom on Friday, September 11 at 10:00 am. E-mail seabrookislandgardenclub@gmail.com to sign up for this meeting, and learn about club membership and many exciting events planned for the new season.

The club promotes among its members and the community an active, personal interest in
horticulture and artistic design, as well as community beautification, ecology, and philanthropy. Everyone is invited to join the blooming season ahead. Stay tuned, we are working hard and have great news coming soon!

 

 

 

-Submitted by Cindy Zock