changing of the guard - Town of Seabrook Island

“Serving the People of Seabrook Island, South Carolina”
THE
INSIDE
VOL 18 • ISSUE 12 • DECEMBER, 2015
CHANGING OF THE GUARD
Wild Things - page 8
SIOPA - pages 12-13
Green Space - page 16
Island Notices
page 15
SEABROOKER
ONLINE at :
PRESORT std
US Postage
PAID
Permit 437
CHAS SC
www.townofseabrookisland.org
I look forward to the next two years
as your mayor. I will enjoy working
with both new and returning members of council. They bring an appropriate blend of experience and talent
to be of significant service to our community, and I am confident that we will
have a productive two years.
I have met individually with each
council member to discuss the objectives each has in mind for the next
year, and to share with each my own
priorities for the next two years. We
also have had a chance to agree upon
specific responsibilities for each council member consistent with the talents
and interests of each. I have also assigned the chairmanship of each of
the Town’s standing committees to
councilmen consistent with their
council responsibilities. Finally, each
councilman will have assigned responsibilities under the Towns’ Comprehensive Emergency Plan.
I have asked John Gregg to serve as
Mayor Pro Tem in addition to his responsibilities as Public Safety Officer
and chair of the Public Safety Committee. John brings two years of council
experience and sound judgment to
the position. I have worked with John
both on council and on the POA legal
committee, and have no doubt as to
his ability to fill this position. John
shares my view that we must continue
to prioritize emergency preparedness,
and in that regard he will continue to
lead the Disaster Recovery Council
and our emergency preparedness
effort. John will also continue in his
role as liaison to the Seabrook Island
Club’s Long Rand Planning Commission, a function he has discharged for
the last two years.
John Wells will assume the Town’s
advertising and public relations function. In this role, John will work with
our marketing consultant, as well as
other community entities, to promote
Seabrook Island both as a tourism
destination and as a desirable location to purchase real estate. In addition I want to take advantage of John’s
unique experience and background
on our Island, and have challenged
him to find solutions to the flooding
issues and to improve the landscaping
and signage between the circle and
the gate.
Because of Skip Crane’s prior POA
experience, I have asked him to serve
as chair of the Town’s Community
Relations Committee. In this position,
Skip will act as the council’s liaison to
the other entities in our community
such as the POA, the Club, Bohicket
Marina and St. Christopher Camp
and Conference Center. Skip will be
our communication link to each entity
to ensure that council is fully advised
on matters of mutual interest and that
they are made aware of relevant actions taken by council.
As he has for the past two years,
Jody Turner will continue to focus on
environmental issues affecting our
community. This will include ensuring
that the Town is adequately discharging its responsibilities identified under the Beach Management Plan and
that we are adequately enforcing our
beach ordinances. In addition, I have
asked Councilman Turner, as part of
his responsibilities under the Comprehensive Emergency Plan and as chair
of the Town’s Communications / Planning and Development Committee to
ensure that residents are informed in
a timely manner of adverse road conditions outside of the Gate. Finally,
Jody will work with me in an effort to
have Seabrook Island’s voice heard
on the safety and condition of Johns
Island’s roads.
I will chair the Town’s Governmental Relations Committee, representing, promoting and advocating the interests of the Town regarding policies,
laws and issues that may affect the
Town. I will communicate the Town’s
positions and concerns to all levels of
government. An important aspect of
this responsibility will be to establish
positive working relationships with
our representatives at the county and
state levels as well with as elected officials of similarly situated communities.
I believe we have a very strong and
talented council. If our early meetings are any indication, I am confident
that we can achieve the goals we have
identified. I look forward to working
with council and staff on these and
other issues.
During my campaign for mayor I
indicated that the Town needed to do
a better job of reaching out to our residents. I welcome your thoughts and
suggestions as to how council may effectively serve our community.▲
Judge Dennis O'Neill swearing in Mayor Ron Ciancio with his wife, Sue
Judge Dennis O'Neill and Lee Vancini
(L-R) Judge Dennis O'Neill, Joe Salvo, Ed Maher & Skip Crane
Swearing in ceremony catered by Hamby's
P.O. Box 30427
Charleston, SC 29417
WELL DONE…THANKS TERRY
Terry Ahearn has had a distinguished career of service on
Seabrook Island. During that time
period, he has been involved in most
of the major issues faced by our community. He became a member of the
Property Owners Association board
of directors at the time Island One
was being discussed, and as a board
member voted to send the issue of
Island One to property owners for
referendum. He became president of
the POA in 2006, and it was during
his term as president that the property owners and Seabrook Island Club
members voted in a referendum to
go forward with the Horizon Plan.
It was also during his term as president that the POA board challenged
the Seabrook Island Club over its
increase in joining fees from $8,000
to $20,000. He was appointed a
member of the Ad Hoc Task
Force appointed to study the
various forms of potential
cooperation between the
SIC and the POA, and potentially the Town of Seabrook
Island. Terry was elected to
the Seabrook Island Town
Council for the first time in
2009. He was elected Mayor
Pro Tem in 2011 and Mayor
in 2013. ▲
PAGE 2
DECEMBER 2015
THE
THE
Please send correspondence to: [email protected]
“Communication is the beginning of understanding.” The Seabrooker will report
regularly on Island happenings, as well as newsworthy events that affect property owners and residents.
As Seabrooker volunteers with a common objective, we are committed to securing the facts and reporting
to you in a forthright, honest and unbiased manner.
Red Ballentine,(1924-2006) Fred Bernstein (1924-2010) Co-Founders
Editor
Michael Morris
Publisher
Bernstein Lash Marketing
Advertising & Layout
Teri B. Lash
T H I S M O N T H’S S E A B R O O K E R V O LU N T E E R S
Faye Allbritton
Alan Armstrong
Roberta Boatti
Denise Doyon
Gary Fansler
Marcia Hider
Lisa Hillman
CREDITS:
Mary Beth Joyce
Alan Keener
Saffron & Curry
Susan Lord
Charles Moore
Dr. J. Gerald Reves
Lee Vancini
Photographers:
Mary Beth Joyce • Charles Moore • Ralph Secoy • Carl Helms
C O N TA C T I N G T H E S E A B R O O K E R
Please send correspondence and inquiries regarding editorials to
[email protected] or call 843.408.3707
The entry deadline for all items is the 15th of the month. Please limit Cap’n Sams letters
to 400 words. Photos should be in high resolution (5”x7” at 200 dpi or more).
FOR ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES, PLEASE CONTACT
Teri B. Lash • 843.747.7767 • [email protected]
The Seabrooker Staff wishes you all
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
GREEN SPACE
CONSERVANCY
GALA
SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2016
RESERVATIONS AVAILABLE JANUARY 1ST
RESERVATION FORMS AT
WWW.SIGSC.ORG
(AS OF JANUARY 1)
OR MAKE YOUR RESERVATION IN PERSON
AT THE LAKE HOUSE
JANUARY 9 AND 16
9AM – 1PM
OR CONTACT PAULA ADAMSON
[email protected]
JERI FINKE
[email protected]
Seabrook Island Green Space Conservancy
is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, and its mission
is to preserve the natural environment of the island
through the acquisition of land and land easements.
DECEMBER 2015
PAGE 3
THE
$2700 Raised for
Habitat for Humanity
(L-R) Randy Murray Assistant PGA Pro Seabrook Island Club, Susan Lord Tournament Co-Chair,
Gail Kavanaugh Tournament Co-Chair, Melissa Petersen Sea Island Habitat, Caleb Elledge GM Seabrook Island Club
Seabrook Island Ladies Golf Association donated just over $2700
to Sea Island Habitat for Humanity
last week.
In the aftermath of the EF-2
tornado on September 25 and the
record flooding that followed just a
week later the Seabrook Island Ladies Golf Association turned their
Member Guest Golf Tournament
into a fundraiser for the people of
Johns Island.
The 104 women who participated in the SILGA sold out event
on October 15 &16 contributed
both on and off the golf course.
The money raised was split evenly
Many of you will remember The
Seabrook Island Trader. Two years
ago we launched the blog in an attempt to provide a classified forum for
Seabrook Island residents. Although
many of you placed ads, the blog did
not gain a lot of momentum. Now that
more of us have gotten used to finding news and information online, we
thought we would try again to provide
a community classified.
The blog concept behind The
Seabrook Island Trader got complicated. There were lots of rules and pro-
between buying a shot hit by Randy
Murray, Assistant PGA Professional,
on a tricky Par 3 hole, and tickets
sold for the raffle. Raffle prizes were
generously donated by the Seabrook
Island Club and local businesses.
The money donated will go to
the Sea Island Habitat Repair Care
Fund, established to repair and
modify owner-occupied homes in
need of critical repair. The goal of
the Repair Care program is to assist
low income homeowners on the sea
islands to live in a safe and healthy
environment.
About Sea Island Habitat for Humanity
Sea Island Habitat for Humanity is the
third oldest Habitat in the country. The
independent, nonprofit, ecumenical
Christian housing ministry partners
with people of all beliefs. Sea Island
Habitat for Humanity has served its
community as an affiliate of Habitat for
Humanity International since 1978 and
has provided housing solutions for over
320 local families. For more information, visit www.seaislandhabitat.org or
call 843-768-0998.▲
Susan Lord
cedures and hoops to jump
through. So we thought
we would try something
easier. All of us are familiar with the grocery store/
library/laundromat/community center bulletin
board. You stick your ad
on the board and, with any
luck, someone contacts
you. That is the concept
behind the Seabrook Marketplace.
Just type www.seabrookmarketplace.
com into the address bar of your web
browser and it will take you to a bulletin board. You can bookmark the site
to make it easy to find again.
Want to place an ad? It’s FREE.
Just send an email to [email protected]. Include the text
of your ad, your name, email address,
phone number and Seabrook address.
You can supply one photo to go with
your ad or a link to more content/information. We will post your ad, and
will keep it up on the board for two
weeks. If we have any questions or
can’t post your ad for any reason, we
will let you know. The Editor has total
control over what gets posted. Easy
Peasy.
Just two rules:
1) This publication is not intended to
serve as an advertising platform for
commercial vendors, contractors or
businesses. It is intended to serve
Seabrook residents.
2) No real estate ads - the only exception is if you are renting your
Seabrook property yourself. Those
ads will stay up on the bulletin
board from the date they are posted
until December 30 when they will
all be taken down. If you want to
run them again, you will need to resubmit the ad. ▲
Subject: Fwd: British Golf Rules in WW II
And, you thought you were a tough weather golfer.
The notice below was posted adjusting rules at a golf
club in Britain. You have to admit --- these guys really
had to like
the game to play! German aircraft from Norway would
fly on missions to attack northern England. Because
of the icy weather conditions, the barrels of their guns
had a small dab of wax in the muzzle to protect them
from clogging with ice.
In addition to attacking industrial or other targets
close to golf courses, as they crossed the coast, they
would clear their guns by firing a few rounds at the
golf courses. Golfers were urged to take cover.
You can contact us at:
[email protected]
D.O.T.
UPDATE
Main Road & Savannah Hwy.
Charleston County and the South
Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) began the Main Road
Improvements project on Thursday,
Oct. 29. The purpose of the project
is to improve travel at Main Road
and U.S. 17 (Savannah Highway)
and raise portions of Main Road to
alleviate potential flooding.
The project will include the following improvements:
• Widening of the road, six feet on
each side, from the railroad overpass to approximately Morse Avenue. This additional width will
allow for an additional lane off
of Johns Island to be established
with traffic barrels during an
evacuation event.
• Adding an additional five inches
of asphalt between Morse Avenue and Old Charleston Highway
(the section of road that recently
flooded).
• Resurfacing a section from the
Limehouse Bridge to U.S.17.
Improvements to the intersection at Old Charleston Highway
including:
• Installation of a right turn
lane from Main Road onto Old
Charleston Highway headed toward Charleston.
• Installation of a left turn lane from
Main Road onto Old Charleston
Highway headed toward Savannah.
• Installation of a left turn lane from
Main Road into the Bojangles
driveway.
• Installation of two concrete islands to establish right turns only
from Old Charleston Highway
onto Main Road.
The project is funded by the SCDOT and the Charleston County
Transportation Sales Tax program.
Anyone with questions about the
project can call Charleston County’s
Transportation Development Department at (843) 202-6140.▲
PAGE 4
DECEMBER 2015
THE
PHOTOGRAPHER & ARTIST
OF THE MONTH
THEME ASSIGNMENT
EMOTION
In the month of November,
members of the Seabrook Island
Photography Club were charged
with a Theme Assignment. Photographers were to take photos
that depicted their interpretation of
the word EMOTION. These photos could range from human emotions, pet emotions or any other element that created an emotion for
both the photographer and/or the
viewer.
There were many submissions
for this particular Theme Assignment and so for the December
Photographer of the Month wall; it
is our pleasure to showcase some
of the entries made by our talented
photographers.
Please take a minute and stop by
the Lake House and view a wide
array of photos that will be sure
PHOTO BY STAN ULNER
PHOTOGRAPHERS OF THE MONTH
to capture your interest and give
you a unique perspective of how
some of your fellow Seabrookers
see the world through their camera
lens!!▲
BRENDA TILSON
ARTIST OF THE MONTH
THE AMISH
Step into their world on Tuesday, December 1st.
If you admire our faith, strengthen yours.
If you admire our sense of commitment, deepen yours.
If you admire our community spirit, build one.
If you admire the simple life, cut back.
If you admire quanity merchandise or land stewardship, then make quality.
If you admire deep character and enduring values, live them.
~ author unknown ~
C.O.V.A.R.
ALLAN
ALLAN KEENER
KEENER
Council of Villa Associations and Regimes Information
Open Letter to all Seabrook Island Property Owners, Guests and Visitors
It is with great pleasure that I present the first in a series of COVAR Publications covering topics of ongoing interest to villa and other owners. Publication 1, “Exterior Alterations and Improvements” was prepared by the COVAR
Board, in an effort to help owners to understand the process and avoid harmful repercussions. The COVAR Board
hopes that the publication, which follows will be of continuing value to you.
ns/Improvements
Publication #1 Exterior Alteratio
policies
ral Review Committee (ARC)
Island
egime and SIPOA Architectu
ok
n/r
bro
atio
Sea
oci
of
ass
n
h
wit
Tow
g
ply
din
com
pon
vements, the corres
Villa owners must
pro
/im
ner,
ons
ow
an
rati
of
alte
r
alf
erio
beh
ext
on
al of
contractor may act
and procedures for approv
ain the
A regulations. Although a
obt
to
FEM
fail
and
tor
s,
trac
nce
con
ina
ord
the
nty
l repercussions should
and Charleston Cou
d the process to avoid harmfu
a villa owner must understan
rd
ir property manager or boa
necessary approvals.
vements should (1) ask the
pro
ve/im
pro
ons
/im
rati
ons
rati
alte
r
alte
r
erio
g ext
exterio
Villa owners considerin
ARC approved standards for
te. The
ime/association and SIPOA
pment on the SIPOA websi
elo
Dev
l
ntia
ide
Res
of directors if there are reg
for
s
ure
roved
ced
Pro
app
and
The
.
s
rds
icie
nda
Pol
sta
OA
ments and (2) review the SIP roval for the proposed work, whether or not there are
dependARC
OA
SIP
the
app
to
rd
rral
boa
refe
next step is to obtain
inistrator for approval or
ted to the SIPOA ARC Adm
request can then be submit
n of
ed.
work to be perform
proposed work in the Tow
ing upon the nature of the
approval authority for the
/
t
ons
nex
rati
the
al,
alte
r
rov
erio
app
ext
ARC
or
tors that perform
After ARC Administrator
ce, and,
Business license for contrac
ran
n
insu
Tow
s,
a
s
tial
uire
den
req
cre
n
e
riat
Tow
Seabrook Island. The
contractor has the approp
the Town to verify that the
improvements. This allows
for
ce.
ran
pensation insu
Charleston County permit
if applicable, workmen's com
a Town and, if required, a
ain
the
obt
ce
Sin
also
n.
st
ctio
mu
stru
tor
con
trac
con
major
The villa owner or the
simple repairs and $100 for
s that
s $25 for small jobs such as
County codes and lists of job
by
des
abi
it
s,
ion
each job. The Town charge
ect
insp
g
uals
ldin
ivid
bui
ind
jor
or
ma
ies
do
pan
to
nty
requires permits for com
dum
Town contracts with the Cou
ran
mo
nty
Me
Cou
nty
st
Cou
9 Charleston
mit obtained. Mo
require permits. A March 200 /improvements. There is a county fee for each per
is
ion
ect
insp
an
less
(un
ons
rati
$2,000 and less
who perform exterior alte
$500,000
s and range from no fee for
t
ion
firs
uat
the
val
for
n
.50
ctio
799
stru
$1,
con
to
on
permits are based
fee will be charged)
mit is required and a $50.00
d and registered with the
required, in which case a per up. To obtain a permit, the contractor must be license
and
1
,00
$50
+ $3 per $1,000 for
ded. However
es, no Town License is nee
County.
in the vase majority of cas
rk,
wo
the
do
to
nts
wa
rk.
If the villa owner
upon the scope of wo
rk that may be permay be required depending
must consider limits on wo
s
ner
Town and County permits
ow
villa
s
ces
pro
it
nsing/perm
the Town's flood insurance
Finally, as part of the lice el or flood state elevation. A factor contributing to
be elevated to a
lev
g
ntially improved buildings
sta
sub
or
formed below the first livin
new
t
vatha
nt
me
inance require
ce rate maps ("freeboard ele
premium discounts is an ord
on the NFIP flood insuran
ces
ed
lian
icat
ind
app
ed
ion
wir
vat
d
ele
har
the
ve
ly, no
minimum of two foot abo
whichever is lower. Similar
let are
existing first finished floor,
e switch and one electric out
On
el.
lev
this
ow
tion") or the elevation of the
bel
ted
mit
per
are
ters
hea
ter
wa
such as air conditioners or
rs,
manager or board of directo
permitted.
ociation/regime property
ass
nd
r
Isla
you
ok
(1)
bro
sult
Sea
of
con
n
tion
Tow
rma
the
If you need further info
e-mail at [email protected] , (3)
at buildtrator, (843) 768-1560 or by
(843) 202-6940 or by e-mail
at
s
vice
Ser
g
ldin
(2) the SIPOA ARC Adminis
Bui
nty
Cou
ton
rles
Cha
(4)
21,
-91
Administrator at (843) 768
ty.org .
ingservices@charlestoncoun as of December 1, 2015
t
ren
cur
is
tion
lica
pub
s
Thi
Note:
The next COVAR meeting (Meet the SIPOA Board Candidates, Property and Landscaping Improvement for Associations/Regimes Follow-up and Developing and Funding Reserves for Property and Landscaping Improvement for
Associations/Regimes) will be Saturday, December 12 from 10 AM to 12 Noon at the Lake House. All Seabrookers
are welcome to attend. ▲
That's their world. On exhibit
are glimpses into the Amish life –
as filtered through English eyes –
mine – and my hands. The images
are uncomplicated – reduced to the
elements of living. Living in parnership with their nature.
Over time, many Seabrookers
have become familiar with my interest in art and my background. That
resume hasn't changed, thus not to
be repeated here. For others who
want to know more about all these
cows, sheep, buggies, horses, and
farms, stop by and we'll chat.▲
Reception
Tuesday, December 1st
5-7PM
Seabrook Island Lake House
PAGE 5
DECEMBER 2015
THE
HEALTHY AGING
J . G E R A L D R E V ES , M D
HEALTHY AGING
J. G E R AL D R E V E S , M D
Medications:
How many is too many?
OUR ENVIRONMENT
CARL VOELKER
CARL VOELKER
This month we tackle a challenging question about aging. How many
medicines are too many for any one
person to take? The answer depends
on exactly what medicine is indicated
for the particular medical problem
being treated. Easy answer, but this
simple answer is not that simple.
Specific Treatment
for a Specific Disease
Perhaps counterintuitively, there
often are a number of right specific
treatments for a person’s particular
problem or disease. This is for your
physician and you to figure out. And
once the correct drug for you is selected, the right dosage for you discovered, then you are all set. Or are
you? What if you have more than one
disease?
As We Age we Have
Multiple Problems
Part of normal aging is to develop
any number of medical problems and
or diseases that are acute or chronic.
Each disease or problem may have
a specific medicine(s) appropriately
BOB
required to treat or control it. This
is
how, as we all age, we tend to accumulate more than one daily medication.
It has been reported that over a third
of women and men between 75 and 85
years of age took at least five prescription medications. As each medicine is
added the risk is increased regarding
its effectiveness or appropriateness,
and you and your physician and/or
pharmacist need to be acutely aware
of the problem of many medications.
Polypharmacy and Aging
Polypharmacy is the term used to
describe multiple medications for a
patient and sometimes it is used to
convey the use of unnecessary medications. However, I would like to keep
the term simple and define polypharmacy as the use of multiple medicines
in one person. This brings us to the
question and title of the column –
“How many medications is too Many?”
The question can be further refined
– does aging affect the answer to how
many is too many?
The process of aging does directly less effective. However, there are
affect the number of medicines since many other dietary interactions that
as already mentioned we tend to have you and your doctor should discuss
more medical problems that require about every medicine you are on.
medicines for treatment. But, as we One of the most common problems
age things do change in our bodies as we age is confusion about the many
that can alter medicine actions. We medicines we are taking. We can forcan have changes as we age in the way get to take them or mix them up (take
we metabolize medicines and we can the wrong one at the wrong time). The
SUEsensitivity
HOLLOMAN
have altered
to the medi- / MARK
remedy forZIZZAMIA
this is to keep all medicine
cines (meaning they can be more or in one place and have a sheet of paper
less effective than in young people).
that tells what, how much and when to
An example of changed metabolism take the medicine and then check it off
is that some drugs are excreted by our each day.
kidneys, but as we age our kidneys
The Bottom Line
tend to clear these drugs less efficient- As we age almost certainly we will bely, meaning that the dose needs to be gin to have multiple medicines we take
reduced to avoid toxicity. An example daily. It is our responsibility to careof increased sensitivity as we age is the fully watch the effect that each new
effect that some classes of drugs have medicine has: both on the old ones
at their receptors. The same dose in a and is it doing what it is supposed to
young person can have a significantly without undesirable side effects. Evgreater effect in the older person and ery time one goes to the doctor review
the drug then needs to be lowered for all medicines including over the counthe older patient.
ter and any dietary changes with the
Common Problems of
doctor to minimize the problems of
Polypharmacy in Older Patients
polypharmacy. ▲
M
CARTHY
The
most common problems en- Multiple medicine every day, from:
countered with multiple prescriptions http://sittingwithsorrow.typepad.com/the_
in elderly are listed in the table. Some caregiver_chronicles/polypharmacy/
seem contradictory, for example, overdose and overdose, but as explained
Common Problems
above this happens depending on how
of Multiple Drugs
each person responds to a particular
in Older Patients
medicine and or the interactions of
Overdose
one medicine with another.
(the medicine acts unexpectedly
Some drugs will interact with othstronger in patient)
ers. This is particularly true with sedaUnderdose
tives and some of the anticoagulants.
(the medicine acts unexpected
Any time a new medicine is added you
weaker in patient)
have to look for any lack of effectiveDrug – Drug Interaction
ness in the old one. Of course, this is
(drugs acting together can cause
done with the advice of your doctor.
over or underdose)
Many of the medicines that one can
Over the counter Medicines
buy and self-prescribe can affect the
(over the counter medicines can
prescription drugs we are taking. For
cause drug-drug interactions)
example, over the counter cold remDiet
edies and decongestants can interfere
(some medicines are positively
with medicine prescribed for sleep.
or negatively affected by diet)
Diet certainly has an effect on mediFailure to take as directed
cations, probably the most prominent
(medicines must be taken as
is Coumadin interaction with green
directed and not omitted)
vegetables, that make the Coumadin
NEARBY ADVENTURES
BITMAPPED
BRIDGE
c
OUR ENVIRONMENT
NEARBY ADVENTURES
SUE HOLLOMAN
MARK ZIZZAMIA
NEARBY ADVENTURES
SUE HOLLOMAN
MARK ZIZZAMIA
PAGE 6
DECEMBER 2015
THE
TOWN
HALL
MEETING
Summary of
Oct.27, 2015
After the pledge of allegiance, Mayor Ahearn called the October 27, 2015,
Town Council meeting to order at 2:30
p.m. Councilmen Ciancio, Gregg, Romano and Turner, Town Administrator Pierce, Town Clerk Allbritton and
several guests attended the meeting.
The meeting was properly posted and
the requirements of the SC Freedom of
Information Act were met.
Minutes – The minutes of the Town
Council meeting of September 22,
2015, were unanimously approved as
written.
Financials – Mayor Ahearn reported
that revenues for the month of September were in excess of budget by
approximately $32,500 and year to
date revenues are in excess of budget
by about $205,000. For the month of
September, expenditures were approximately $8,000 less than budget; and,
for the year to date, expenditures are
about $17,000 less than budget. For
the year to date, revenues exceed expenditures by approximately $313,000.
Citizens/Guests
Presentations,
Comments:
Bohicket Marina & Market – Danielle Snider, the director of the 2016
Billfish Tournament, stated that each
tournament, in this series of five tournaments, promotes marine conservation as well as tourism. When the
tournament started 26 years ago, there
was a 90% kill rate for Atlantic billfish in
our area but now there is a 90% tag and
release rate. The tournament series
also funded an artificial reef that was
built last year to aid in conservation of
marine resources. Each year, Bohicket
Marina selects a charity to benefit from
funds raised by special events held
during the tournament as well as donations contributed by the anglers. Ms.
Snider stated that, if the Town decides
to become a sponsor for the Billfish
Tournament, information about the
Town and its logo will be included on
any print promotional materials as
well as on social media. The logos of
sponsors will also be kept on the website for a year. A $3,500 sponsorship
will also include a 10’ x 10’ booth for
the sponsor’s marketing materials
and their banners can be put up on
the boardwalk. The tournament dates
this year are June 1-4 and the kick-off
of the tournament begins on Wednesday night with the Captain’s Meeting.
Anglers fish on Thursday, Friday and
Saturday and the tournament culminates with an awards ceremony on
Saturday night. Since the tournament
is held just before school is out, this is
a good opportunity to fill some of the
condo rental units before the summer
season begins. There are about 400 anglers that come with their families, 200
sponsorship attendees and up to 1,000
spectators each evening. Ms. Snider
estimated that 60% of the anglers and
their families stay in rental units during
the tournament. Councilman Ciancio
stated that the Town would need to
have final approval of any advertising
done with the Town’s name/logo if the
Town decides to become a sponsor of
the Billfish Tournament.
Reports of Standing Committees,
Commissions, Boards:
Governments Relations – No Report
Community Relations – Councilman
Romano reported that the Property
Owners Association Planning Committee has given their 2016 Strategic Plan
to the Board of Directors and the plan
will be acted upon at their November
meeting. One of the items directly affecting the Town, which is included in
the 0-2 Year Plan, is the possibility of
establishing a dog park on property
adjacent to the Town Hall. Councilman
Romano reported that the previous
owner of the Town Hall property has
orally approved the use of the property
for a dog park and the next step will be
to determine how many people would
be interested in using the facility since
there would be a fee for people using
the dog park. Councilman Romano
reported that the Gateway Committee
has conceptual drawings for the proposed gatehouse that will be presented
at the annual meeting.
A question was raised at this point
in the meeting by a resident, Rick McDaniel, about the dilapidated house
located at 1126 Ocean Forest Lane.
Mayor Ahearn stated that the Master
in Equity is holding a hearing on November 5 and that money spent on the
property before that time could not be
recouped; and, if the Town were to do
anything before the hearing that the
owner could claim devalued the property, the Town could be sued. Mr. McDaniel questioned whether the house
could be condemned because of the
mold inside the structure. Councilman Ciancio stated that the Town
does have condemnation authority;
but, at the current status of where the
property stands in foreclosure, any
attempt to condemn would be met
with litigation. Councilman Ciancio
replied that the optimal outcome, as
far as this council is concerned, is
to have the structure torn down and
the Town will work with Charleston
County to accomplish this if we can.
Councilman Ciancio stated that the
best case scenario, for the November
5 meeting, is that the owner’s equity
will be foreclosed upon and a new
owner (the banks or a representative
of the banks) will get title to the property and the Town can then have the
county issue a notice to the new owner to repair or demolish the structure
within a certain period of time.
Community Relations – Councilman Gregg reported that the Club
Long Range Planning Committee met
on October 15 and the committee focused on proposed activities for the
committee for 2016. Much of the discussion centered on gathering information from residents to determine
demographics of the island residents.
Public Safety – Councilman Gregg
reported that the Public Safety Committee met on October 20. One topic
of discussion was the last meeting of
the Disaster Recovery Council when
the report of the June 30 disaster
exercise was reviewed. Action items
have been identified from that discussion that will be included in the
Town’s Comprehensive Emergency
Plan when it is updated. Councilman
Gregg stated that the Community Rating of the Town has improved from 6
to 5 and that will mean that residents
will now get a 25% reduction in flood
insurance premiums rather than
20%. The Public Safety Committee
is working on several items to see if
the Town’s Community Rating can be
further improved. Charleston County
has a Storm Ready certification and
the municipalities in the county are
considered to be Storm Ready so
the Town will not have to pursue this
certification. Councilman Gregg is in
the process of determining how much
property has been rezoned as Conservation and deeded over to the Property Owners Association for greenspace. The County does an annual
update of the Hazard Mitigation Plan
and they have also updated Seabrook
Island’s part of the plan but the Hazard Mitigation Plan only has to be approved by Council on a 5 year cycle.
Councilman Gregg has inquired from
Charleston County whether the Town
might be able to get grant money to
do engineering work to address drainage problems but has not received an
answer as of this date. The Public
Safety Committee also discussed the
Town’s response to the recent flooding. Councilman Gregg suggested
that the Town might need to look into
gaining access to the POA’s email information so that the Town could also
send out e-blasts to the Town’s residents. The next meeting of the Public
Safety Committee is November 9.
At this point, Mayor Ahearn asked
if the Fire Department had anything
they wished to add. Sue Holloman
introduced Battalion Chief Chad Pate.
Ms. Holloman stated that the St.
Johns Fire Department had an eventful month – there was a tornado, a major fire on Kiawah and then the flooding. Chief Pate reported that, during
such events, an EOC headquarters is
set up at their building on Main Road.
Since the tornado on Johns Island
was a localized event, representatives
of the City of Charleston, SC Department of Transportation, Berkeley
Electric, James Island, Johns Island,
St. Johns Water, Charleston County
EMS, Red Cross and other county
agencies were all working out of
their headquarters on Main Road. In
the event of a larger scale event, the
County EOC would be operational
and the smaller command post could
still be set up on Main Road to be
more localized.
Communications/Planning Commission – Councilman Turner stated
that he felt our main problem is the
flooding and congestion at the intersection of Main Road at Highway 17
and he is concerned about the lack of
urgency in solving the problem. Councilman Turner believes that the Town
should have the Department of Transportation representatives here periodically just to keep informed about what
is going on. The Town should also see
if we can create some kind of coalition
with Johns Island representatives to
put pressure on whoever is making
decisions. Gregg Bragg, who is a staff
writer for The Island Connection, commented that Council might want to get
involved with the Concerned Citizens
of the Sea Islands and offered to pass
along contact information for the
group after the meeting.
Other Planning & Development
– Councilman Ciancio reported that
the 2016 Obviouslee Marketing contract is included in council packets.
The term of the agreement will be
through 2016 and the agreement can
be terminated with 30 days notice after the first six months. The fee for
2016 will be $2,333 per month and is
a 30% reduction from 2015. The budget also includes a $3,000 contingency
amount if extra services are needed.
A calendar of proposed expenditures
is also included in council packets.
Most of the expenditures will occur
in the second half of the year to coincide with the timing of Accommodation Tax receipts. Councilman Ciancio
moved for Council to approve the 2016
marketing agreement in the form presented. Councilman Gregg seconded
the motion and the vote to approve
was unanimous.
The Town’s 2016 marketing plan will
aim to build awareness for the Town of
Seabrook Island by targeting potential
visitors who have either made plans to
visit Charleston or are online looking
at the possibility. The Town will try to
target the market audience through a
variety of efforts including advertising
and media purchase, online marketing
such as Google AdWords and the support of community events.
Councilman Ciancio stated that, at
the last Town Council meeting, he had
made a motion to approve the sponsorship of the Billfish Tournament in the
amount recommended by the Accommodations Tax Advisory Committee;
but, because of questions raised, the
motion was tabled. Councilman Turner stated that his questions have been
answered and he no longer has any
concerns. Councilman Ciancio moved
to take the motion to fund the 2016
Billfish Tournament, in the amount
of $3,500 as recommended by the Accommodations Advisory Committee,
from the table. Councilman Romano
seconded the motion and the vote to
approve was unanimous.
Councilman Ciancio reported that
he, along with Mayor Ahearn, Town
Administrator Pierce and Steve Hirsch
(POA) had met with Keith Bustraan,
the County Administrator, and an
attorney for Charleston County, to
discuss the draft of the recycle agreement. The attorney did not understand the Town’s relationship to the
POA and she had assumed that the
Town collected recyclables. The contract is being redrafted so that the
collection is done on a prepaid basis
and the Property Owners Association
will pay based on historical averages
with a reconciliation being done after
a certain period of time. No action is
required by Council at this time but
the contract will be brought back for
Council approval if the Town is to
serve as a guarantor. Mayor Ahearn
stated that the charge is $52 per ton;
and, when the plant is built to handle
the recyclables in 18 months or less,
the fee will not be charged.
Councilman Ciancio reported that
Chuck Fox, President of the Property Owners Association, stated that
he had seen a drone being operated
on Seabrook Island and expressed a
concern about invasion of privacy and
asked the Town to look into adopting
an ordinance restricting the use of
drones. A memorandum, prepared by
Councilman Ciancio, regarding what
he understands to be the current federal, state and municipal law regarding drone regulation is included in
Council packets. Congress adopted a
law in 1912 that mandates the FAA to
publish regulations in this area. Last
February, the FAA published a notice
of proposed rulemaking that governs
commercial use of drones and final
regulations are anticipated to be issued by mid-2016. Legislation, regulating or limiting the use of drones in
surveillance, has been enacted by 35
states and a number of municipalities
have enacted ordinances directed to
limiting police use of drones for surveillance without a warrant. After discussion, Mayor Ahearn stated that the
sense of council is not to take any action on the use of drones at this time.
Councilman Ciancio stated that the
Club is looking into installing a lightning detection and warning system for
the golf course, the Island House and
the Beach Club. The Club intends to
move forward with the project the first
quarter of 2016 and is contracting with
a company called Weather Bug. The
Property Owners Association has also
expressed an interest in tying into the
Club’s system for the remainder of the
island behind the security gate. Mayor
Ahearn and Councilman Ciancio questioned whether the Town should consider installing a system at Bohicket
Marina. The company has suggested
that the POA can tie into the system at
North Beach but the Town would not
be able to tie into the Club’s system because of the distance. Mayor Ahearn
asked the Town Administrator to look
into the cost and specifics of the installation at the Marina before making a
decision.
Ways & Means – No Report
Planning Commission – No Report
Board of Zoning Appeals – No Report
Reports of Ad Hoc Committees:
Accommodations Tax Advisory –
See Above.
Reports of Town Officers:
Mayor – Mayor Ahearn reported that
he has received information from Sgt.
Harold Phillips, who is in the Community Affairs and Media Relations Office at the Charleston County Sheriff’s
office, stating that they are starting a
youth mentoring program and they
are asking for input and ideas if anyone is interested in contributing.
Town Administrator – No Report
Town Council Members – See Above
Utility Commission – Chairman Jeff
Bostock reported that the Seabrook Island Utility Commission had a positive
cash flow for the month of September
as well as for the year to date and operations for September were normal.
The Utility Commission met before
the heavy rain began in October to discuss potential problems and decided
to rent three additional pumps that
did use during the flooding. Chairman
Bostock stated that communications
and coordination with the Town went
smoothly during the flooding. The
Utility Commission got two DHEC
violations during this time. One of the
violations was for exceeding the flow
rate of 1,100,000 gallons a day. Pumps
were moved around several times during the flooding to alleviate problems;
but, over all, operations went well and
there were no serious problems. The
other DHEC violation was for a lower
than minimum dissolved oxygen level,
which was just barely under the required level and was caused by the
high flow rates during the flooding.
Chairman Bostock stated that the
Seabrook Island Utility Commission
had obtained a FEMA grant several
years ago and had flood proofed many
of their pump stations; and, if that had
not been done, there would have been
major problems. Money has been
included in the 2016 budget to repair
some of the sewer tops where there
was leakage. There was no damage
to equipment during the flooding but
the Utility Commission did have total
additional costs of $7,200 for the rental
of the three pumps and about $3,000
worth of overtime during the flooding.
Petitions Received, Referred or
Disposed of: None
Ordinances for First Reading:
None
Ordinances for Second Reading:
• Ordinance 2015-09, An Ordinance to Adopt the 2016 Town Budget
– Councilman Gregg moved to adopt
Ordinance 2015-09 on second reading.
Councilman Ciancio recommended
that the budget be amended to allocate
$20,000 to look into what, if anything,
can resolve the flooding issue at the
intersection of Seabrook Island Road
and the Marina. Councilman Turner
seconded the motion and the vote to
approve was unanimous.
Miscellaneous Business: None
Citizens Comments: Jerry Cummin,
who is Seabrook Island’s representative on the Charleston Area Convention & Visitor’s Bureau Board, stated
that he had take Councilman Ciancio
to the CVB’s legislative BBQ. Councilman Ciancio was able to meet and
talk with a number of members of the
House and Senate attended as well as
members of the CVB. Mr. Cummin
stated that Council should make an effort to meet the legislators and push
them to do what they can to help with
the road situation. CVB is working on
a State Accommodations Tax allocation problem and Councilman Ciancio
will be attending a meeting regarding
the problem.
Since it will be the last meeting
for both Mayor Ahearn and Councilman Romano, Councilman Ciancio
expressed his appreciation for all the
work they have put in during their tenure on Town Council. Before his two
year term on Council, Councilman Romano also served on the Club Board
and worked on the Horizon Plan. For
Mayor Ahearn, it is the end of what
has been a very productive period of
service to the Seabrook Island community as he has served on the Property Owners Association Board and is
a past President of the POA Board, a
member of Town for four years and
one two year term as Mayor and a
number of other committees. Mayor
Ahearn thanked Council and Town
Hall employees for being so supportive during his term of service on Town
Council.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:45
p.m.▲
DECEMBER 2015
PAGE 7
THE
Ron Ellis…the Net Man!
Ron Ellis was born and raised in
Youngestown, Ohio. He excelled in
basketball (honorable mention allNortheast Ohio) and baseball. After
earning a baseball scholarship to
Ohio State, he played four years for
the Buckeyes, graduating with a degree in marketing.
Ron was drafted by the Cleveland
Indians in the 21st round and played
three seasons in the minor leagues
(1971-1973), finishing up in Class A
ball in Reno, Nevada. After his release in January 1974, he returned to school a the University of Nevade-Reno with an emphasis in sports journalism.
He reloated to Florida, getting a job as a sports writer
and copy editor for Cocoa Today. After three years, he
upgraded to the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel as a sports
page designer and copy editor. After seven years, Ron
decided to move to the San Francisco-Oakland area as
an assistant sports editor for the Contra Costa Times/
Oakland Tribune.
Deciding to cut back his hours to enjoy life a little more
(and his golf game), Ron gave up his assistant sports editor position to become a sports page designer and copy
editor. He worked for the paper for 24 years, retiring in
September 2014.
Ron retired to Reno, but eh snow and cold (it didn't
seem that bad when he was in his 20's and snow skied)
convi9nced him to move back to the Bay area.
But he knew he wouldn't retire in the Bay area full
time. That's when Ron's search for a new retirement
home began…which led him to South Carolina.
After checking our the Charleston, Hilton Head Island
and Myrtle Beach areas, Ron decided on Seabrook Island and purchaed a home on July 21, 2015. He says it
was one of the best decisions he ever made.
Ron is looking forward to many happy years on the
Island. ▲
Sherrie Mason and Ron Ellis aka the Net Man
Sherrie and Ron enjoying the results of their labor
EXCHANGE CLUB NEWS
The $4,500 grant to OLM was a part of the over $100,000 in
donations the Kiawah-Seabrook Exchange Club
gave to local schools and charities.
(L-R) Deborah LaRoche, Director of Development at Our Lady of Mercy; Mike
Morris, Exchange Club and Maria Gurovich, Director of Volunteering
PAGE 8
DECEMBER 2015
THE
Sea broo k Wild T hi n g s
by Members of the Lakes & Wildlife Committee
People, Pets, Piping Plovers and the Cut
Photo by Charles Moore
Signs placed by the Town of Seabrook and
the US Fish and Wildlife Service clearly
define the portion of the beach north of
Boardwalk #1 that is closed to people and
pets (dogs) to provide a safe wintering
ground for the piping plover.
“What are all those signs about?”
was a question asked by a beach walker to a companion and overheard by
Environmental Committee Chairman,
Michael Orris, as he recently kayaked
along the backside of the new Cap’n
Sams inlet.
Those signs mark something very
important - critical habitat for a little
shore bird – the piping plover (Charadrius melodus). The signs define a
section of beach free from disturbance
by people and pets (dogs) thereby
providing a safe wintering ground for
these birds that are in danger of becoming extinct. That should be reason
enough to stay clear of the posted area.
However, there is more to it than that.
As many know, Seabrook Island
representatives worked for several
years to obtain all of the required permissions to re-route the Kiawah River
through a new cut. In the end, protecting the area beyond where dogs are
allowed to run free became a pivotal
issue.
Traditionally, most conservation
efforts had focused on nesting birds,
The piping plover (Charadrius melodus)
with relatively little consideration
given to non-breeding birds. Piping
plovers do not nest here; they nest in
three discrete areas north of us.
So, even though these populations
were declared endangered or threatened in 1986, it didn’t seem to affect
our beach. However, in recent years
the designation has expanded to include the wintering populations on
Seabrook’s beaches.
At about the same time that the
permit for the new cut was being requested, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, (USFWS) designated the piping plover’s wintering grounds along
the Southeast Atlantic Coast as critical habitat for its survival. The northeast end of Seabrook Island (north of
Boardwalk #1, where the signs now
appear), was included in that designation.
The USFWS required an agreement
with Seabrook that this area would be
protected for the piping plover before
they gave their approval for the cut.
And of course, Seabrook complied.
If you would like to see a piping
plover, here is what to look for. They
are small (six to seven inches long)
and stocky with stubby black bills and
Photo by Carl Helms
yellow to orange colored legs. They
have very pale gray-brown backs and
white underparts. This is their winter
plumage. They are usually in groups
of three to six individuals.
They walk quickly for several steps,
pause to prod the sand, then walk and
pause again. Sometimes they raise
one foot when they pause. The plovers are searching for small marine
animals and their eggs which make up
their primary food. They feed higher
on the beach than other plovers.
Our beaches serve as important
resting and feeding area, providing a
crucial link in their life cycle as they
prepare for their journey back to their
breeding grounds each year.▲
Charles Moore and Marcia Hider
PLEASE REMEMBER
•
•
Do not enter the restricted
area north of boardwalk #1.
Do not take your dog either
on or off leash north of the
off leash area. (Beach Management Plan, adopted by
the Town Council on December 16, 2014)
MARINA OYSTER ROAST BENEFITS
BARRIER ISLAND FREE MEDICAL CLINIC
DECEMBER 2015
PAGE 9
THE
One Story of Millions Who
Have Borne the Battle
On Veterans Day, we saluted
our Veterans and extended our
gratitude for their service.
By Willie Logan, Public Affairs
Officer, Memphis VA Medical Center
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
On Veterans Day, we honored all
the men and women who have kept
our country safe and free. From the
millions who have served we occasionally tell the story of an individual
who embodies what it means to be a
Veteran. This year, we highlight the
courage and resilience of Army Veteran Major Anthony Smith.
Maj. Smith took a direct hit from
a rocket-propelled grenade. The missile went through his hip and stomach before it exploded, throwing him
against a brick wall. The shrapnel
from the grenade took off his arm
and the enemy kept firing, getting off
several rounds at his maimed body.
Medics found him on the field and
tried to save him. They did a tracheotomy but when it didn’t work, pronounced him dead and placed him
in a body bag. The nurse opened the
body bag to place his dog tags in with
him when she saw oxygen bubbles in
the blood where they had opened the
tracheotomy. He was still alive.
During the operation to save him,
Smith was given the wrong blood and
he went into shock for 62 days.
When he awakened at Brooke
Army Medical Center in Fort Sam
Houston, San Antonio Texas, he had
severe amnesia, and he stayed there
for about a year for rehabilitation. After he was discharged Smith began
training for the Paralympics team but
was injured again and rushed to the
emergency room at the Memphis VA
Medical Center.
So far, he has had more than 100
surgeries.
“I hope people set aside some
time to honor the good things
Veterans have done.”
Smith remembers, “At the time it
happened, I thought I was going to die.
I went through many surgeries and I
thank God for being with me through
it all. There are things that I can’t do
that I used to do.” He had to learn to
write and throw a ball to his child with
his left hand. “I have to adapt to get
them done. But the silver lining is that
it has given me an open door to help
others and be a mentor to others.
“When I had a setback, I was sent
to the VA in Memphis and was there
for almost two years. I would not have
come this far without the care and rehab I received there. I could name so
many names of the people who have
helped me. I now volunteer there so I
can help other Veterans.”
A native of Columbus, Mississippi,
he attended Alcorn State University in
Mississippi and was commissioned a
2nd Lieutenant in the Army in 1990. “I
have a military-based family. My oldest brother was an E-6 in the Army. He
was killed by a drunk driver. I wanted
to serve and have purpose.”
Smith is married with five children.
His father, an Air Force Veteran, died
this past August. His mother still lives
in Columbus, Mississippi. Always active, he has a martial arts black belt
and recently won first place in Creative
Weapons in the Disabled Division of
the Diamond Nationals Karate championships in Minneapolis. He also participates in sprint triathlons, downhill
skiing and golfing.
“Veterans Day is a reminder to
everyone not to forget the men and
women who have served,” said the
Purple Heart recipient. “Our work is
a little different than most — in most
cases it’s a matter of life and death. We
put it on the line for this country, and
would do it over and over again in a
heartbeat. I hope people in every community always set aside some time to
honor the good things Veterans have
done and are doing to help others.”▲
Submitted by Alan Armstrong
Major Anthony Smith
Smith volunteers at the Memphis VA, teaching Tai Chi to Veterans.
BOHICKET
MARINA
INSHORE
FISHING
TOURNAMENT
PHOTOS BY RALPH SECOY
PAGE 10
DECEMBER 2015
THE
It’s Time for SINHG 2016 Spring Trip Sign Up!
As always, the Seabrook Island
Natural History Group’s 2016 Spring
Trip offerings include something for
everyone. Trip Information has been
distributed to SINHG members and
the sign up deadline is December
15th! There are a whopping 41 trips
offered and, appropriately, 16 involve nature and 13 involve history.
There are another 8 trips involving
cooking, eating and drinking. Included are several old favorites and
8 brand new trips.
The new trips include: Girls Morning Out (target shooting), The Great
Earthquake of 1886 (developed just
for SINHG by Carol Ezell-Gilson),
Tour of Keegan-Fillian Farms,
Charleston Tells Storytelling Festival, Waddell Mariculture Center, St.
Jude Oyster Farm, Beekeeping and
Organic Farming at Middleton Place
and Deveaux Bank Tour with Dana
Beach.
Some of the trips are perennial
favorites such as the Harbor Club
Cooking Class, Primate Protection
Sanctuary, Lunch and Lecture at the
mation about membership, just click
on Join Us on the web site. All Seabrookers are welcome!
Gary Fansler
Powder Magazine, Grimke Sisters
Tour, Charleston Brewery Tour, Upper King Culinary Tour, Charleston
Harbor Dinner Cruise, Brookgreen
Gardens, Behind the Scenes at
Seabrook Island and several plantation tours.
Two of the most interesting trips
are the Riverbanks Zoo and Botanical Gardens and the Deveaux Banks
Tour with Dana Beach. The Riverbanks Zoo is located on the banks
of the Congaree River just outside of
Columbia. Riverbanks Zoo is rated
as one of the ten best in the United
States. Situated on a 170-acre tract
of beautifully landscaped property,
the zoo specializes in showing the
animals in their natural habitat: polar bears plunging into icy waters,
elephants and giraffes grazing in
pastures and lions sunning in the
“Serengeti”. For plant lovers, Riverbanks has been named one of the
country’s top 20 botanical gardens.
There are a variety of themed gardens including Japanese, water,
woodland, bog and desert. There’s
RIVERBANKS ZOO
Hold the Date!
RIVERBANKS ZOO
DEVEAUX BANKS
no better time than spring to see this
beautiful park.
The Deveaux Beach Tour begins
aboard the “Pirate Lady” catamaran.
She will leave from Bohicket Marina
and take us to visit our neighbor,
Deveaux Bank. We will disembark
via gangway to the beach and walk
around the island. The tour will be
led by environmentalist, author and
photographer Dana Beach. He has
visited Deveaux regularly for twenty
five years. In his book, “Deveaux”,
he chronicles the annual cycle of
reproduction and renewal on this
renowned seabird rookery, and the
work of the scientists and conservationists who labor to understand and
protect it. Mr. Beach is the founder
and Executive Director of the South
Carolina Coastal Conservation
League and the recipient of several
environmental and conservation
awards. This is a unique opportunity
to experience local nature with the
guidance of the ultimate expert.
Remember SINHG members – the
deadline is December 15th. Detailed
descriptions of all the trips are available on the SINHG web site, sinhg.
org. If you’re not a SINHG member,
this is a great time to join. For infor-
SINHG is very pleased to
announce that we have scheduled a very special and unique
Evening Program for January
of 2016. On Thursday, Januar y 14th we will have the
honor of a presentation by the
famous historian, Dr. Walter Edgar. Dr. Edgar is best
known for hosting the popular
weekly radio show “Walter Edgar's Journal” on ETV Radio on
historic and cultural topics, as
well as the daily feature “South
Carolina A to Z” on ETV Radio.
He is also the author of South
Carolina, A History.
In anticipation of a high level
of interest in this program, the
program will be held in the Atlantic Room of the Seabrook Island Club. We hope to see you
there!
DECEMBER 2015
PAGE 11
THE
Making Better Use of Your Technology
CHRISTMAS SHOPPING
have taken a look at a few of them and
offer the following list of suggestions:
Appetites and Anecdotes
by Saffron and Curry
Information for Seabrookers by Seabrookers
Email: [email protected] • Photos by Paprika
Holiday shopping
across the big
bridge….
The shopping season is upon us!
We had heard quite a lot about the
new Bowman Place shopping center in Mt. Pleasant where the old KMart had been and decided to check
it out. Four large brand new stores…
Nordstrom’s Rack, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Kitchen & Company
and DSW Shoes. Sounds pretty
tempting doesn’t it?
We drove over on 17 north and
once in the Mt. Pleasant area looked
for Anna Knapp Blvd. Got off and
wound around to the left and went
along the divided highway to a sign
for Bowman Road South. We followed that around and there it was.
We opted for this exit instead of the
Bowman Rd South exit in case we
overshot!! We were glad that we did
as this made it easy to find.
We both were most interested
in DSW Shoes…Designer Shoe
Warehouse is where the DSW
comes from..not Dallas Shoe Warehouse as one of us always thought!!
Whoa…do NOT go in here unless you are prepared for row after
row after row of wonderful shoes!
Dressy party shoes, comfortable
day shoes, evening shoes, and one
of the best selections of the new stylish and comfortable boots we have
seen! And, men’s shoes as well as
women’s shoes! Nice discounts.
Well-known brands like Aerosoles,
9 West, Steve Madden, Clarks, Merrell, Easy Stride, Naturalizer, JBU
and Curry snatched a pair of Brooks
tennis shoes! Lots of other brands
as well. They are all organized by
style and all sizes of that style are
stored below the display. So when
the 8-½ black flat was too large, the
8 was right at hand. DSW Shoes
has something for everyone and we
did not notice a single lady leaving
the store without at least one bag
from there! We were tempted by
some fun outrageous ones until we
realized we could not even stand
up in them much less walk across a
room!! DSW probably has the largest selection of shoes in the lowcountry. Mon-Sat 10am-9p, Sun 11a7p. Worth driving to Mt. Pleasant for
if you need shoes!
Next we ventured into Kitchen
& Company. Out of Delaware with
9 total locations this is quite similar
to Southern Season but with less of
the food selectionsand some of the
prices seem a little lower as well.
Lots of kitchen gadgets and pots
and pans..and they do have a whole
temperature controlled wine area.
Some nice placemats and napkins
at quite reasonable prices for just
jazzing up a holiday table, a great
choice of pure white dishes and
serving pieces and some very high
end frying pans for over $350 a set.
(we were searching for one small
one!!) Some fun gift items and very
good browsing! Our pleasant helper
stated that he was from the home office and couldn’t get over how it was
still summer down here! Kitchen
& Company is open Mon-Sat 9a-9p
and Sun 10a-7p. If you stop in you
are sure to find something that you
have lived 50+ years without and just
HAVE to have now!
Dick’s Sporting Goods was next
in line as we worked our way down
to Nordstrom’s/Rack! The same
store as the one near the theatre at
Citadel Mall. Not needing anything
we did no more than look in. But we
are sure that had we perused these
aisles we would have found something here as well!!
On to our next goal of Nordstrom Rack as we had no idea what
to expect as the only Nordstrom
we know is in Santa Barbara, CA.
We were quite disappointed as this
is not even remotely similar. They
market themselves to the Macy’s,
Kohl’s and JC Penney customer. Of
course we had no trouble finding a
“must have” item or two here anyway! In fact both Saffron and Curry
met up at the dressing room doors
with the exact same blouse in tow!
Nordstrom Rack has some good
buys but we decided that we prefer
our Steinmart for variety.
All this shopping made us hungry
and we asked around and found out
the only place close for eating anything, was a McDonald’s which was
not what we had in mind. We have
since heard that two new, as yet unnamed, restaurants will be coming
to Bowman Place. We headed up to
Bowman Rd and joined back up with
Hwy 17 going north, under 526, and
at Wando Crossing we saw an Applebees on the right hand side..and
it just happened to be in the same
center as TJ Maxx (where we later
found a single small frying pan),
and the very tempting Marshall’s
Home Goods where we found too
many wonderful household things!!
But, we musn’t digress, hamburgers for lunch with homemade potato
chips, and homemade sweet potato
fries was just what we needed at this
juncture and the price of under $10
each, fit our almost depleted wallets. Comfort food at an old standby,
Applebees.
Now, in summary, we would go
back here to get shoes at DSW
Shoes if we needed them. We would
not make the trek this far just to
shop and see what was available or
on sale. Things may pick up as the
year progresses and this area fills
out. Needless to say we came home
with something from every store!
Wherever you go for your Holiday
Shopping have a good time!
By the way…We both wish you all
a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and have a wonderful
holiday whatever your celebration
entails.
Christmas is coming and it’s time to
start thinking about all those gifts you
have to find, purchase, wrap and maybe even ship somewhere. Then there
are the holiday parties, travel, family
visits, baking, cooking … Whew! Lots
to do and organize. But, “there is an
app (or two) for that”!
Last month, I told you about Trello,
which is a great way to organize your
holiday chaos. You can set up a board,
add a list for each thing you have to
take care of such as travel, gifts, baking, meal planning, etc., and a card for
each item in each list. The best part
is creating a list called “Done” where
you can drag and drop each card as
you work your way through the list.
If you would like to read a quick post
from the Trello Blog on setting up a
holiday Trello board, go to http://bit.
ly/1OXH6Vr.
You can also explore the Apple
Store or Google Play Store and find an
endless number of apps that will help
you get through holiday shopping. I
•
•
•
•
Santa’s Bag for iOS (Free)
Christmas Gift List for Android (Free)
The Christmas List for iOS ($1.99)
Gift List Manager for Android
(Free/Pro version $2.99)
(this one is my favorite)
• Gift It for iOS (Free)
• Christmas List Snowball for
Android (Free)
By now I think most of you are appsavy and all of these apps are pretty
easy to use. At the risk of repeating
myself, read through the reviews that
other users have posted before you
download an app – particularly one
you are paying for.
`Wishing all of you a very safe and
happy Holiday season!
Next Month: Google Dictation
Denise Doyon
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with any
software or hardware company and receive no compensation for endorsing products. My recommendations come from my
own research and use. Prices for apps are
based on information available at the time
this column was researched and written.
Author takes no responsibility for changes
in prices by the developers, iTunes Store,
or Google Play Store.
Senator Tim Scott Accepting Internship
Applications for Spring 2016
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator
Tim Scott (R-SC) is now accepting
applications for congressional internships in his Washington, DC,
Upstate, Midlands and Lowcountry
offices for the spring 2016 term.
Senator Scott’s internships are
designed to be an educational opportunity, primarily for college juniors and seniors, to individuals who
would like to learn first-hand more
about our government, and to be
part of a fast-paced Senate office.
Although internships in all offices
are unpaid, students gain invaluable
work experience and an opportunity
to work with professionals in legislative, constituent services and press
roles.
In Washington, interns' responsibilities vary and include answering
phones, researching legislation, attending Congressional hearings and
briefings, assisting with press tasks
and assisting with constituent letters
on issues.
In the Upstate, Midlands, and Lowcountry offices, interns will take an
active role in the community, work-
ing on state-based projects of importance, while also answering phones,
completing research and other projects, and being an integral part of
day-to-day office functioning.
Internship hours are flexible
to accommodate students' course
schedules, but can generally run
8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday
through Friday. Interested South
Carolina students should contact the internship coordinator at:
[email protected]
or (202) 224-6121.
PAGE 12
DECEMBER 2015
THE
THE SIP
Administrative News from the Seabrook
urge caution when driving. If we
know of flooded road areas, we will
try to notify residents via Tidelines
and other communications venues.
For safety, and as a courtesy to your
neighbors, please help us by not moving barricades or cones or by driving
across yards.
EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR’S
Corner
DECEMBER 2015
Happy holidays! The following is
an operational summary of our activities for the month of November.
Security:
Joe Grawehr, our G4S Commerical
Access officer, has left for another job
opportunity in New Jersey. Officer
Jennifer Miller has assumed that role.
Meteorologists have forecast
continued high tides now through
January. Tidal flooding of certain
roadways is anticipated, and we again
Lake House:
The wooden doors adjacent to the
indoor pool were replaced with fiberglass doors in November.
Our holiday activities and special
events have begun. Please check our
e-blasts, community calendar, or ask
the Lake House staff if you need any
information on events. Thanks to Nic,
Jamie and staff for organizing these
events and to our Maintenance staff
for setting up the trees, decorations
and lights.
ARC Activity:
New Homes:
• Applications Pending = 11
• New Homes Approved, not yet
started 5
• New Homes Under Construction
= 17
• New Homes Complete YTD =10
Repair & Maintenance Projects:
• Maintenance Projects Approved in
October = 52
• Maintenance Projects Approved
YTD = 526
Operations & Maintenance:
It rained – a LOT.
Our drainage system and roads
held up well during the recent storm
and historic high tides. We’ve been
doing our best to keep the pump stations operating and to keep water
off the roadways. With the record
amount of rainfall this year, the water table remains extremely high and
there are still wet areas around the
island.
Sanders Brothers Construction is
currently working on cleaning and
inspecting storm drain piping on the
island. SIUC is also doing some pipe
cleaning and inspection work for SIPOA.
Charleston County, which had
stopped accepting our recycling earlier in the fall, has now agreed to do so.
The agreement has been approved by
the Board.
We have received our permit from
the USACE for bulkhead repairs on
Marsh Gate. We are waiting on our
permit from SCDHEC OCRM, and
public notice will go out soon.
Administration:
Robin Harris, our new receptionist,
started full-time employment with us
in October. ▲
Heather Paton
[email protected]
Announcement of Candidates
The Nominating Committee has selected the following candidates
for the 2016 SIPOA Board of Directors and Nominating Committee (in
alphabetical order):
Board of Directors, Three Year Term
(Four available positions)
William Bane
Ed Houff
Veronica L'Allier
Julie McCullough
Ron Schildge
Roy Sessions
Nominating Committee, Two Year Term
(Two available positions)
Kathleen Buchman
George Conbeer
Skip Crane
Per SIPOA ByLaws §7.6, additional nominations for the Board and
Nominating Committee may be made by written petition signed by
fifty (50) or more Property Owners in Good Standing. Nominations
must be delivered in writing to the Secretary within thirty (30) days
after the Secretary has posted the names of nominees on the SIPOA
website and in the SIPOA principal office.
The deadline for submittal of petitions is December 16, 2015.
DECEMBER 2015
PAGE 13
THE
OA PAGES
Island Property Owners Association
LAKE HOUSE SPOTLIGHT
Congratulations to ALL the
New Fitness Program
LAKE HOUSE
FIT CAMP
WITH MARK
AND KELLY
TURKEY TROT
AND
SPRINT TRIATHLON RELAY
Participants!!
Thank you all for once again making
our Thanksgiving events a success!!
Please see the Weekly Eblast for a link to the
complete list of results.
MAKE YOUR NEW YEAR'S
RESOLUTION A REALITY
THIS YEAR WITH THE
LAKE HOUSE FIT CAMP
Join Lake House trainers Mark
Durinsky and Kelly Gricunas
for this exciting new program
beginning Monday, January 4th.
This 3 month program will
offer 3 weekly workouts
through March 30th.
The cost of the program is
$10 per workout with the
commitment to 3 workouts
per week for 3 months.
Want more details??
Join Mark and Kelly for an
information meeting on
Wednesday, December 9th
at 12:00PM at The Lake House to
find out more about the program
and to answer any questions.
For more information,
please contact Mark Durinsky at
[email protected] or
Kelly Gricunas at
[email protected]
* * LAKE HOUSE HOLIDAY SPECIAL * *
At a loss for the perfect present?
Not sure what to get your loved one this holiday?
GIVE THE GIFT OF FITNESS
FOR THE HOLIDAYS
With the holidays here and the New Year right around the corner,
there is no time to start like the present.
Purchase 3 Personal Training Sessions with
Mark Durinsky • Kelly Gricunas • April Goyer • Natasha Stevens
and get a 4th session on us!
Purchase 4 Massage Gift Certificates as presents and
The Lake House will gift you with a complimentary massage!!
While you think of others, let the Lake House think of you!
Please contact The Lake House at [email protected] for more information
or to take advantage of these great specials today!
Welcome, Robin!
The Lake House Lecture Series
Topics of interest to Seabrookers of educational, cultural, or wellness value.
RIVER CRUISING
lease join us in welcoming our new
SIPOA receptionist Robin Harris! Robin started with SIPOA in October, and
her bright smile and sunny disposition have been appreciated by all who
come through our office. Robin is originally from Indianapolis, Indiana, and
she served in the US Navy. When she
isn’t working, she stays busy writing,
singing, and performing music, and
spending time with her two children.
Be sure to stop in and say hello! ▲
PRESIDENT’S
LETTER
DECEMBER 2015
December is a busy month at SI-
POA. The Annual Meeting materials
and report are being finalized and will
be sent to property owners in early
January. We will complete the 2016
proposed budget, and we will vote
on it at the December 14 open Board
meeting. We will also put together
AN AMAZING WAY TO SEE AND EXPLORE THE WORLD
Who should attend: Seabrookers who are interested learning the benefits of
river cruising and why this is an amazing way to see and explore the world.
Date: Thursday, December 10th
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Live Oak Hall of The Lake House
Topics covered:
• Learn the benefits of river cruising • Discover why it is an amazing
way to see and explore the world
• Find out about ocean cruises
Registration: All are welcome.
Please contact Bryan Buck at
766-2394 ext: 12014
Fee: No Cost
Presented by: AAA Travel and
Viking River Cruises
ballot information including the
Nominating committee’s nominees
endorsed slate for the SIPOA Board
of Directors and Nominating Committee, as well as any candidates who
have filed to run by petition. Property
owners will also be voting on a proposed bylaw change dealing with the
issue of what constitutes a quorum to
hold the annual meeting.
Your vote and, hopefully your attendance, at the Annual Meeting are
instrumental in increasing property
owner awareness of issues of concern
and getting your views and opinions.
This is an essential element in increasing property owner participation in SIPOA policy development.
Throughout this past year the Board
has purposefully reached out to property owners to solicit ideas and suggestions on myriad issues. We have
used data gathering analysis and focus groups, questionnaires, and targeted surveys to ascertain property
owners’ opinions on issues ranging
from offshore drilling and seismic
testing, the prospective use of the
Lake House fallow field, and several
other projects.
In this vein, we have recently
addressed three policy issues or
prospective programs through the
distribution of three mini/discrete
surveys. The Communications mini
survey of eleven questions focuses on
the historic rainfall and tidal events
this fall. The survey is designed to
obtain property owners’ input on
what sources and devices they use
to keep abreast of conditions. It will
also help determine your use and reliance on mobile devices. SIPOA is
in the process of developing an app,
so the feedback that you provide will
be most helpful in content formation
and its future role in emergencies.
For more information on this important topic, be sure to attend the Lake
House Tech Forum on Monday, December 7.
The second mini survey deals
with a long standing property owner
interest in a dog park. This interest
is documented in annual surveys,
Activity committee questionnaires,
No Pain, No Gain
Bah Humbug!
The old adage “no pain, no gain”
is bad advice. The truth is that all
exercise-related aches and pains are
not created equal. There is a big difference between normal soreness and
injury related pain. The healthiest
athletes are those that understand the
distinction and pay close attention to
their bodies’ cues.
Here are guidelines for deciphering
your body’s language and avoiding injuries:
Normal muscle aches and pains
(A.K.A. good pain)
According to Nicholas A. Dinubile, MD, author of Framework, Your
7-Step Program for Healthy Muscles,
Bones, and Joints, good pain is the
muscle burn that builds gradually
during a workout. Termed immediate muscle soreness (IMS), this
burn is caused by the buildup of lactic
acid and other metabolic wastes in the
muscles. It is a sign of a really productive workout, will go away shortly after exercise, and is harmless.
Another acceptable type of muscle
ache is delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). This typically occurs
1-2 days after a hard workout or if
you are unaccustomed to weight lifting. With DOMS, there is muscle
tenderness as well as stiffness and a
stronger sensation than the burning
experienced during exercise. DOMS
continues for several days after its
onset, is not a cause for alarm and
responds to remedies like rest, light
massage, stretching, and light aerobic
exercise.
Bad pain
Whereas the normal muscle aches
and pains described above are generalized, bad pain is localized and typically abrupt. The sensations you feel
are stinging, stabbing, sharp pain or
tingling numbness instead of a healthy
burn. Your body is giving you a warning. These sensations could be signs
of a muscle tear, bone or joint pain,
a tendon strain, or a ligament strain.
If you experience this type of pain,
stop what you are doing. Dr. Dinubile
goes on to say that you should never
have sudden or deep lasting pain that
interferes with sleep, nor should you
ever note bruising, swelling, or loss
of mobility. These sensations could be
signs of deeper problems and should
be evaluated by a physician.
A non-negotiable
for avoiding injuries
One of the most proactive ways to
avoid exercise related injuries is to
do a dynamic warm up before working out. A dynamic warm up prepares
your body for activity by turning on
the muscles that you will be using
during your workout. It starts with
simple range of motion exercises
and proceeds onto faster movements
that wake up your muscles and nervous system. Skip the dynamic warm
up and you leave yourself exposed
to knotted muscles, a compromised
range of motion, and injuries.
Bottom line, you need to listen to
your body. By understanding different
types of pain, you will know your body
better, be more responsive to its cues,
and steer clear of injuries. ▲
April Goyer
April Goyer is a health coach and personal
trainer at the Lake House on Seabrook Island, SC. She provides a complimentary
consultation to get acquainted and discuss
your fitness goals. For more information or
to schedule an appointment, please contact
April Goyer at 614-893-8519 or [email protected].
LAKE HOUSE HOLIDAY HOURS OF OPERATION
The Lake House will be CLOSING at 1:00 PM on Thursday, December 24th for
the Christmas holiday and remained CLOSED on Friday, December 25th.
The Lake House will reopen Saturday, December 26th at 5:00 AM for Property
Owners (with before/after hour’s access) and 8:00 AM for guests.
There will be NO FITNESS CLASSES on
Thursday, December 24th thru Saturday, December 26th.
Classes will resume Monday, December 28th.
The Lake House will be CLOSING at 6:00 PM on Thursday, December 31st
for New Year's Eve. The Lake House will reopen Friday, January 1st
at 5:00 AM for Property Owners (with before/after hour’s access)
and 8:00 AM for guests.
and data gathering focus groups. The
survey recently sent to property owners is essentially a feasibility study
regarding the establishment of a dog
park. During this past year a special
sub-committee was formed to develop
preliminary plans for the park and
its operating rules and procedures.
However, before SIPOA goes any further, it is necessary to get property
owner feedback. Without sufficient
anticipated usage, it makes no sense
to proceed. This survey result will
provide the cornerstone as to how we
proceed. Again, I encourage a high
level of participation and response.
The third mini survey deals with
the issue of motorcycles on Seabrook
Island. SIPOA has long had a policy prohibiting motorcycle use on
Seabrook. This is a policy that historically has both passionate supporters as well as property owners
who believe the policy needs to be
revised. The genesis for this survey
is that an important key demographic
(successful baby boomers) are potential property owners on Seabrook.
Motorcycling is very popular among
this group and the expressed view of
several prospective buyers in this demographic is that our current policy
is a disincentive to buy. The proposed
policy issue embedded in the survey
is to explore the possibility of conducting a trial for up to one year that
would allow property owners to drive
their motorcycles to and from their
properties.
In summary, these mini surveys
are designed to encourage property
owners to participate in policy development. Our objective is to move
away from what has often been a visceral response, to using meaningful
data to develop responses that are
more quantifiable.
Finally, I want to wish all property
owners and our employees, and their
families and friends, a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Please enjoy this greatest of all seasons and be
safe!▲
Chuck Fox, President
[email protected]
PAGE 14
DECEMBER 2015
THE
WORLD AFFAIRS COUNCIL
of CHARLESTON
America and the New Canadian Government
The winds are changing with our closest and best friend in the world –Canada.
New Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government will be discussed by Wilson Center Canadian expert Laura Dawson on Wednesday, December 9 at the
Citadel Alumni Center, 69 Hagood Ave, right across from the stadium.
Guests and members will assemble at 5:15 pm. for the social hour. The lecture begins at 6 p.m. followed by Q & A. Attendance is by membership which can
be secured at the meeting on online at waccharleston.org. New attendees can try
it out by paying a guest fee of $20 at the meeting. Parking is close, ample and free.
You will meet interesting people. Your understanding of our world will be enhanced. See you there! ▲
D.I.R.T. (Digging
Into Roots Together)
Meets Second and Fourth
Wednesday of each month
1:30-3:30PM • Lake House
Please visit the blog at
diggingtogether.blogspot.com for more
information, or email D.I.R.T. at [email protected]
MT. ZION
HOLIDAY
FUND
DRIVE
TIS THE SEASON
Once again the Mt. Zion Holiday Fund Committee is seeking your help to place smiles on the faces of Mt. Zion
children. The nurse and teachers at Mt. Zion Elementary School are already identifying families who are in most need
of our support. The funds that we raise will be used to buy clothes, shoes, toys and books for each child. Every family is
also given a gift certificate for food for their holiday meal.
For each of the past eight years, your contributions have helped more than 40 families and over 90 children. The gifts
we are able to provide are often the only ones the children receive.
Checks made out to Mt. Zion Holiday Fund may be mailed to Anne Smith at 2849 Cap’n Sams Road,
Seabrook Island, or donations can be dropped off at the Racquet Club Pro Shop or Golf Pro Shop on
Seabrook Island. ▲
SEABROOK STITCHERS
Lake House • Every Monday
11:00AM-1:00PM
For more information, please
contact Denise Doyon at [email protected]
SEABROOK LADIES
BIBLE STUDY
Every Monday • Lake House
1:30PM-3:30 PM
For more information, please contact:
Jody Garvey - garveryjody@gmail or
Patti Tully - [email protected]
Charleston County
Bookmobile
The Charleston County Bookmobile will be at
Freshfields Village the first and third Tuesday of
every month from 10:00 am - 11:30 am. The Bookmobile will be parked behind Hege’s and Java Java.
Indiana Day Celebration December 10
All Seabrookers with an Indiana connection, along with their guests, are invited to the Fifth
Annual Indiana Day Celebration on Thursday, December 10th. Hoosier connections include being born in Indiana, having gone to school there, lived there, worked there, etc. The
evening activity will provide an opportunity to celebrate the statehood anniversary and meet
with fellow Hoosiers. The event will be held from 6 – 8 PM at the Community Center on Oyster Catcher. Those coming are requested to bring a “hearty appetizer” to share with others
and their own adult beverages. Soft drinks will be provided. The cost for the event is $5 per
person and will be collected at the door. Please contact Max Willis to make your reservation:
[email protected] or call 843-768-8301. ▲
DECEMBER 2015
PAGE 15
THE
The Island Choraliers
and
The Sea Island Lady Singers
present
Hark!
Hear the Sound
Photo by Linda Nelson
Friday, December 4th • 4PM
Holy Spirit Catholic Church
Betsy Kerrison Parkway • Johns Island
The Seabrook Island Garden Club
cordially invites all our Seabrook Island
friends, neighbors and their guests
to the annual
Holiday Open House
Sunday, December 6 • 4-6 pm
Seabrook Island Lake House
Shorter days, cooler weather, pumpkin pie and
turkey trots are a sure indication that the holidays
are upon us. The members of the Seabrook Island Garden Club absolutely love the holidays
and can’t wait to start celebrating.
On Friday, December 4th, Garden Club Members will be busy decorating the tree in the lobby of
the Lake House in preparation for the Annual Holiday Open House which is scheduled on Sunday, December 6th from 4-6 pm. Come join the party and
spread the holiday cheer with us. Food and drink
is provided by the members of the Garden Club including; heavy hors d'oeuvres, desserts and holiday Photo by Linda Nelson
punch.
For information on the Holiday Open House Committee or how you can help,
please contact the committee Co-chairpersons; Kathy Rigtrup at [email protected]
and Fay Potter at [email protected]
The next regular club meeting is scheduled on January 8th, when we welcome our special speaker Tom Johnson, the Director of Gardens at Magnolia
Plantation
For information on Seabrook Island Garden Club membership please contact
Cheryl Schumann at [email protected]
BLOOD DRIVE
Thursday, December 3rd
10:30-3:30PM • Lake House
Do you want to start your holiday gift giving early this
year? You can do so by donating blood. What better gift
than your one pint of blood that can be life saving for up to
three recipients? That’s a great return for your investment
of an hour or so. Get ahead of the holiday rush and join us
on the 3rd.
Call/write Pep Logan, 843-768-0034 or [email protected] to schedule an appointment or just come at your
convenience – we love walk-ins.
Christmas Drop-In
Seabrook Island Town Hall
December 10, 2015 • 12 p.m. -- 2 p.m.
Please bring your "Toys for Tots" donations
Happy Holidays!
HOLIDAY DECORATION CELEBRATION
December 5 • 3-5PM
Joseph Manigault House
The Charleston Museum will host a Holiday Decoration Celebration, allowing attendees to explore the Joseph Manigault House and view these decorations at their own pace. Participants are welcome to enjoy hot chocolate and
apple cider on the porch. The Charleston Caroling Company will be present,
dressed in costume and singing Christmas songs that will resonate throughout the house.
This December The Garden Club of Charleston will, once again, bring
holiday spirit into the Joseph Manigault House, adorning its rooms, hallways
and stairways with greenery, feathers, ribbons and more. These spectacular arrangements will reflect with this year's theme, "Tis the Season," where
various Christmas songs and carols will be represented in each room. These
decorations will be displayed from December 5 - 31.
PAGE 16
DECEMBER 2015
THE
Opportunity Knocks and the Conservancy Answers
The Seabrook Island Green Space
Conservancy believes that all green
space is good green space, since it
contributes to the beauty and the
health of our island. Unfortunately, we
cannot afford to buy it all and have to
carefully strategize where to use our
resources.
Some lots tend to be valuable in
particular to their neighbors in terms
of protecting a view. This is why it
would make sense for those islanders
to buy the land and donate it to the
Conservancy for permanent protection. Sometimes though, a property
has assets that meet many criteria
as enumerated in the Conservancy’s
strategic plan. We get excited about
those.
One such property is lot 20 block 4
on Bateau Trace. The lot itself is .77
acres, a substantial piece of land. Covered by oaks and pines, it is connected
to a corner plot purchased by SIGSC
this year. The back property line is on
Crooked Oaks golf course. All of this
means a valuable wildlife corridor is
created for wildlife protection, transit
and water access. Also, the large area
of green space extends the tall tree
canopy and is visible on Seabrook Island Road as you pass by the Privateer
Creek.
After much discussion, the Conservancy Board of Directors decided
to put a down payment on this property because of its value. The seller
worked with the Conservancy and
agreed to defer the closing date until
July 2016, giving us time to fund raise.
We are counting on this year’s Green
Space Gala to be as successful as in
the past but will also need additional
contributions.
What is the urgency? With the island continuing to develop, there are
fewer and fewer desirable lots of this
size and importance that come on the
market. Please consider placing the
Conservancy on your holiday list and
making a donation as the year 2015
comes to a close. The volunteer Green
Space Board of Directors wishes all
Seabrookers a healthy, happy and
green 2016. ▲
Lisa Hillman
BATEAU PLACE
PHOTO BY MARY BETH JOYCE
Gulf muhly grass makes
a big splash in the
fall, when it flowers in
billowy masses that
resemble pink clouds in
the landscape. Backlit by
the rising sun, the grass
seems to glow.
PHOTO BY MARY BETH JOYCE AT THE VILLAGES ON SEABROOK