This is an advisory about beach conditions at boardwalk #8 for Friday, July 15, 2016. This is the area slightly toward Pelican Watch from the crossover stairway just below the Club.
Please avoid this area of the beach. There is severe beach erosion.
Submitted Lynda Whitworth
Update on CERT, Community Emergency Response Team
CERT is an organization that utilizes a staff of volunteers who are trained in how to react in times of emergency. By emergency, they mean hurricanes, major floods, earthquakes, medical triage, and search and rescue, to name just a few. CERT activities in Seabrook are headed up by John Reynolds.
CERT has been asked by the Town of Seabrook to recruit people who would be willing to serve as Block Captains in their various neighborhoods. First of all, any information that Block Captains obtain will be held in strict confidence until an emergency occurs. John Reynolds says that CERT is trying to identify people who may need assistance during an evacuation or an emergency. John says they also want Block Captains who might be able to communicate with property owners not on the island as to the condition of the island and their property.
John says that CERT maintains a roster of 50 volunteers, but around 30 to 35 stay actively involved. CERT falls under the jurisdiction of the POA, but it would be Charleston county or the town of Seabrook that would call them out. On a national level, CERT is under the jurisdiction of Homeland Security. CERT volunteers participate in regular drills to keep their skills up to date.
CERT keeps a trailer on Seabrook Island, located in the maintenance area near the gardens. They also store medical supplies and equipment, such as chain saws and generators that would be necessary in an emergency. Several CERT members are licensed ham radio operators and check them regularly as they would be the only means of communication should a serious emergency occur.
We are attaching a copy of a memo from the Town of Seabrook that gives a full explanation of what the Town is looking for with respect to Block Captains. If you are interested in signing up, call John Reynolds at 843-768-0434, or email at JohnR99773@aol.com.
-Barbara Burgess, Tidelines Staff Writer
Earlier this year, Seabrook Mayor Ron Ciancio entered into discussions with SCDOT District 1 Engineering Administrator Robert Clark regarding transportation infrastructure deficiencies on Johns Island. As a result of those discussions, Mr. Clark committed to accomplish an operational audit of Main and Bohicket Roads regarding safety, vegetation, and drainage.
The audit has been accomplished, and the Town has transmitted SCDOT’s report to TIDELINES. Anyone interested in the learning more about the roads situation on the Island is encouraged to read this 10-page report.
Read the report here.
Read Mayor Ron Ciancio’s comments on the report here.
-Tidelines Editor
Highlights from the Seabrook Island Town Council Meeting on June 28, 2016:
Carl Simmons, Charleston County Building Services Director, presented a plaque to Mayor Ciancio to commemorate the Town’s graduation to the next level in the National Flood Insurance Program’s Community Rating System (CRS). (Improvements in CRS ratings, which are tied to community performance in activities for Public Information, Mapping and Regulations, Flood Damage Reduction, and Warning and Response, lead to increasingly higher discounts on the price of Flood Insurance for a town’s citizens.)
The Town of Seabrook’s new Class 5 rating means that approximately $200,000/year, somewhat more than in the recent past, will be returned to residents in the form of discounts on their Flood Insurance policies. (Take a look—Flood Insurance policies clearly display the amount of the CRS Discount in the “Premium Calculation” section.)
Next, Erik Glaser of Glaser+Company CPAs presented results of the Town’s 2015 Financial Audit. He said the audit concluded that there were no control weaknesses or recommendations to be made, adding that this “unqualified” conclusion represents the highest level of assurance regarding the Town’s fiscal operations and its controls for “oversight, prevention, and detection” of potential problems. Mayor Ciancio and the Council will review the report and, upon approving it, decide on an approach for making the information publicly available. Continue reading “Highlights from Town Council Meeting of June 28th”
The Town of Seabrook Island is pleased to sponsor an Independence Day concert performed by the Charleston Symphony Orchestra’s Brass Ensemble and vocalist Leah 
Edwards on July 3rd, immediately preceding the fireworks display. The concert will feature patriotic music from the silver screen and Broadway. The performance will take place immediately in front of the golf driving range at the Seabrook Island Club. It is anticipated that weather permitting the Ensemble’s performance will start at 8:15, and that the fireworks will start at 9:15. In the event of rain on July 3rd, the performance and fireworks will take place on July 5th. In the event of inclement weather on July 5th, the Symphony will perform at Holy Spirit Catholic Church beginning at 7:00 PM. All Seabrook Island residents and guests are cordially invited.
-Submitted by Ron Ciancio
The Agenda for the Town Council meeting scheduled for June 28th is available by clicking here. The meeting is open to all Seabrookers.
-Faye Allbritton, Town of Seabrook Island
The Town of Seabrook Island is pleased to sponsor an Independence Day concert performed by the Charleston Symphony Orchestra’s Brass Ensemble and vocalist Leah Edwards on July 3rd, immediately preceding the fireworks display. The concert will feature patriotic music from the silver screen and Broadway. The performance will take place immediately in front of the golf driving range at the Seabrook Island Club. It is anticipated that weather permitting the Ensemble’s performance will start at 8:15, and that the fireworks will start at 9:15. In the event of rain on July 3rd, the performance and fireworks will take place on July 5th. In the event of inclement weather on July 5th, the Symphony will perform at Holy Spirit Catholic Church beginning at 7:00 PM. All Seabrook Island residents and guests are cordially invited.
-Submitted by Ron Ciancio
Charleston County is proposing placing a sales and use tax referendum on the November 8, 2016 ballot to finance transportation related infrastructure project. County staff had consulted with the Cities of Charleston, North Charleston and Mount Pleasant, and has come up with a list of projects to be funded by the proposed tax increase. The list of projects may be viewed on the County website at http://charlestoncounty.org/tax-ref.php.
Last Monday, I attended the Charleston County Public Meeting for the Proposed Sales Tax Referendum held at Johns Island High School. The meeting was well attended by an estimated 400 residents of Johns Island.
The meeting was intended to be structured as a series of “stations” staffed by employees of both Charleston County and the City of Charleston who were to answer individual questions regarding the recommended projects to be funded by the proposed ½ cent sales tax increase which is the subject of the November referendum. Steven Thigpen, Charleston County’s Director of Transportation Development, and Mayor Tecklenburg of Charleston made a few opening remarks. Thigpen cautioned that the need for Federal environmental approval prevented the identified projects from being definitively described, and the suggested costs associated with the projects were “ballpark.”
The moderators lost control of the meeting almost immediately. The meeting devolved into a series of questions and comments from Johns Island residents many of whom shouted over one another in an effort to be heard. Everyone recognized the need to address the traffic congestion on the Island. Not unexpectedly, the suggested solutions varied from the imposition of a building moratorium to doing nothing other than “fix” existing roads. There was general agreement that Johns Island had gotten the short end of the stick on road improvements – other than what had been done to “benefit Kiawah.” Thigpen and Tecklenburg each suggested to the audience that the way to get their voices heard was to fill out an on-line questionnaire available on the above referenced county website or email the County at publiccomment@charlestoncounty.org.
It became apparent after only a few minutes that Tuesday’s meeting would not be productive. That being said I think it is important for Seabrook residents to have their voices heard. Accordingly, I would encourage you to go on line and review the list of projects and indicate those which could have a direct effect on Seabrook Island residents.
In addition, there is a comment section in the questionnaire, which provides a good opportunity, should you be so inclined, to support concept of a limited access cross-island parkway from Betsy Kerrison to the Maybank Highway corridor. The need is obvious. A 2008 traffic study identified the Main/Bohicket Road corridor as having the “sixth highest accident rate” in the state during the period of 2002-2006. More recent traffic data generated by the SCDOT indicates that during the period of 2011 – 2015 there were over 1,000 collisions on those two roads. CHATS traffic models indicate that in the not too distant future, every day 60,000 cars will access the bridges leading on to and off of Johns Island. Five independent engineering studies have concluded that a limited access parkway from the end of Betsy Kerrison Parkway to the Maybank Highway corridor will have the greatest impact on the reduction of traffic congestion on Johns Island. It is a much more environmentally sensitive and a less intrusive alternative than adding two additional lanes to Bohicket Road. The addition of conservation easements would offer a real opportunity to control future growth on Johns Island.
I would encourage you to either answer the questionnaire at the county’s website or send the County an email in each case in support of the concept of a limited access cross-island parkway.
Submitted by Ron Ciancio, Mayor Town of Seabrook Island
The Town’s Special Meeting brought Town Council members together with SIPOA and Club participants in the Joint Marketing Task Force. The meeting focused on presentations where two “finalist” advertising firms described their capabilities and plans for providing Seabrook Island with an updated, more effective web presence. (These firms had been selected from the Task Force’s review of input from a larger number of firms.)
The goal of the new website effort is to provide a single entry point for online visitors to access information about Town, SIPOA, and Club in a cohesive manner, replacing the current situation of separate websites for each entity. The work will involve development of a unified website approach, based on how a “user” might think, as opposed to the current highly structured presentation of materials supporting each individual Seabrook entity’s function. The website will capture visitor statistics for analysis by the participating Seabrook entities. These firms’ presentations indicated their understanding that they would be dealing with Seabrook as three separate clients, each with particular objectives and each with distinct constraints on what it is willing and allowed (through bylaws, statute, etc.) to pay for.
Mayor Ron Ciancio closed the meeting by saying that the next steps are for Town, SIPOA, and Club to consider what has been proposed, meet jointly to select one of the firms, and then make final arrangements for design priorities, financing, and contracting. The Mayor estimated that this front-end work could probably be completed within the next few weeks.
-Submitted by Tidelines Editor
As you are probably aware, Charleston County will hold a referendum in November regarding a proposed 1/2 cent increase in the sales tax. Last week, the County released a list of potential projects that could be funded with the proposed ½ cent sales tax increase. The County also provided a list of project recommended by North Charleston, the City of Charleston and Mt Pleasant, as well as projects that were identified as having regional implications. There were several identified projects of potential interest to Seabrook Island residents, including “intersection improvements at US 17 and Main Road.
The County has recently announced a series of public information meetings to discuss the referendum and to receive public input. There is a meeting scheduled for Monday, June 20 at St. Johns High School at 6:30 PM AND A SECOND MEETING Wednesday, June 22nd at the James Island Middle School at 6:30, which would be a good opportunity for Seabrook Island residents to express their views on the need for improvements to our road system and the need for a cross island parkway, without missing Monday’s Get the Scoop meeting.
You can also comment on road priorities online, here: http://roads.charlestoncounty.org/tax-ref.php
– Submitted by Ron Ciancio, Mayor, Town of Seabrook Island
As many are probably aware, Charleston County will hold a referendum in November regarding a proposed 1/2 cent increase in the sales tax. The County has released a list of potential projects that could be funded with the proposed ½ cent sales tax increase. The County also provided a list of projects recommended by North Charleston, the City of Charleston and Mt Pleasant, as well as projects that were identified as having regional implications. There are several identified projects of potential interest to Seabrook Island residents, including “intersection improvements at US 17 and Main Road — presumably the so-called “flyover.”
The County has issued the attached news release announcing a series of public information meetings to discuss the referendum and to receive public input. The meeting scheduled for June 20 at St. Johns High School (1518 Main Road) at 6:30 PM will be a good opportunity for Seabrook Island residents to express their views on the need for improvements to our road system and the need for a cross island parkway.
To view the news release, click here.
–Ron Ciancio, Mayor
Town of Seabrook Island
Tuesday, June 14, 2016, at 1:30 p.m. at the Town Hall
AGENDA
Pledge of Allegiance – Call to Order – Freedom of Information
Review Presentations for Advertising Agencies