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Inside The Island Connection...
 Volume 2 Issue 21
PRESORT STANDARDUS POSTAGE PAIDCHARLESTON SCPERMIT NO 437
A Lab gets wings page 13Delete apathy page 13Easterbrook page 10
 Valentine
continued on page 4
February 6, 2009
FREE
I am addicted to Valentine’s Day. Iblame my ather.It rst started when I was around veyears old, and my dad took me to the annualFather/Daughter Valentine’s Dance at the YMCA. ruth be told, I didn’t have a clueas to what Valentine’s Day meant. All Iknew was that I got to wear a dress, have aspecial dinner (chicken ngers and ries),and my dad’s bald head always seemed alittle shinier that night; as i he got “extraclean” or the big day. When coming up with Valentine’s Day surprises, my dad always kept it un andeasy, and the best part was, he made allo his Valentines (I have three sisters) eellike they were somebody special. Just in case you’re trying to comeup with something that will make yourValentine’s) eel special, here’s a list o 10 dates that will keep you entertained, whether you enjoy ancy dinners, or just want to enjoy the Islands.1.
Wine and dine.
Tis year, Te Jasmine Porch at the Sanctuary Hotel iseaturing a special Valentine’s Day astingMenu with items such as pan seared wildstriped sea bass and a white chocolateraspberry swirl cheesecake or dessert. ForReservations, call (843) 768-6000.2.
Seabrook Island Equestrian Center.
Ride horses throughout the scenic trailson Seabrook Island, or sign up or amorning beach ride to start the day of  with a bang. For more inormation, callTe Seabrook Island Equestrian Center at(843) 768-7541.3.
Sea Island Horse Show at Mullet Hall.
Starting at 8am on February 14, thehorse show will eature riders o all agesin the Hunter/Jumper ring. Not only isthe show taking place in a lovely part o  Johns Island, it will also eature some o 
Valentine’s Day “island style” 
By Evans CraddoCk
Happy Valentine’s Day fromLucky Dog Publishing and thecrew at The Island Connection
 
2February 6, 2009
www.islandconnection.sc
Civic Calendar 
The IslandConnection 
Lynn PierottiPublisher
lynn@luckydognews.sc 
Kristin HacklerManaging Editor
kristin@luckydognews.sc  
Swan RichardsGraphic Designer
swan@luckydognews.sc 
Ali AkhyariAssistant Editor
ali@luckydognews.sc  
Brittany UrbachReporter
brittany@lukcydognews.sc 
Becca FinleyCopy Editor/Reporter
info@luckydognews.sc 
Chelsea LanganAdvertising
chelsea@luckydognews.sc 
InternsJennifer MillarBridget HinkebeinBri HorahanAshley AndersonEvans CraddockContributorsDr. Charles BensonhaverDavid FarrowMelissa GraySarah Dargan HarperEric HoranKiawah ConservancyLynda FoxDwight IvesNick StrehlePublished byLucky Dog Publishingof South Carolina, LLCP.O. Box 837Sullivan’s Island, SC 29482843-886-NEWS
Future deadlines:February 11 forsubmissions.
Lucky Dog Publishing, LLC
Publishers of 
 Island Eye News
,
The Island Connection
and
 The Folly Current 
.
Monday, February 9
St. Johns Fire District Commission
7pmSt. Johns Commission Building3327 Maybank Highway, Johns Island
Wednesday, February 11
Seabrook Island Planning Commission
 All meetings will be held at 2:30pm atthe own Hall unless noted otherwise onthe own bulletin board.
Thursday, February 12
 Johns Island Council Meeting 
NEW DAE (Moved due to a publichearing on the Maybank Corridor onFebruary 5)7pm – 8pmBerkeley Electric Co-Op, Maybank Rd.
Monday, February 16
President’s Day 
Kiawah oces will be closed
Monday, February 23
Kiawah Island Board o Zoning  Appeals
4pm - 5pmown Hall Council Chambers
Tuesday, February 24
Seabrook Island Town Council
 All own Council meetings will be heldat 2:30pm at the own Hall unless notedotherwise on the own bulletin board.
Monday, March 2
Kiawah Island EnvironmentalCommittee
3pm - 5pmown Hall - 2nd Floor Conerence Room
Tuesday, March 3
Kiawah Island Town Council
2pm - 4pmown Hall Council Chambers
Kiawah Island Ways and MeansCommittee meeting 
8amKiawah Island Municipal Center’s 2ndFloor Conerence Room
Kiawah Island Town Hall
21 Beachwalker DriveKiawah Island, SC 29455Phone: 768-9166Fax: 768-4764Email: cwilson@kiawahisland.org
Seabrook Island Town Hall
2001 Seabrook Island RoadSeabrook Island, SC 29455Phone: 768-9121Fax: 768-9830Email:lmanning@townoseabrookisland.org
 Johns Island Council
Meetings are held at the Berkeley Electric Co-op located at 3351Maybank Hwy, John’s Island.Chairman Chris Cannon: 343-5113
Charleston County Council
4045 Bridge View Drive, NorthCharleston(843) 958-4700
City o Charleston
75 Calhoun St.(843) 724-3745“I know this is a little late to say,” saidMayor McNulty as he ocially openedthe day’s meeting, “but we recently lost Councilman om Flynn and ourthoughts and prayers go out to his wieand amily. He was a member o Council,but he was also a riend and he will bemissed.”
Financials
Mayor McNulty reported on thenancials or 2008, noting that there wasnothing unusual. Te total revenues or2008 were $1,143,789, which is $114,789better than what the own had budgeted.Compared to the 2007 year end totalo $1,074,066, the own is up $69,723rom last year. In terms o expenses,the total or 2008 was $538,796, which was $44,696.24 more than budgetedand slightly more than 2007’s totalexpenditures o $500,131. Te bottomline, though, was that the own’s totalrevenues or 2008 were $604,993,compared to $575,935 in 2007. “So this was a better year than last year,” said theMayor. “What happens in 2009, I don’tknow.” But or the un o it, he said,the own staf looked back at the rstmonth’s revenues in business licenses overthe past ve years. In 2004, the ownreceived $31,000 in the rst month; in2008 it was $49,000 and this year, they  were already up to $50,000. “Maybe it’stiming,” said the Mayor, “but it looksgood so ar.”
Earth Days
Seabrook resident Linda Sivert gave apresentation to Council regarding Earth Week, an exciting event being plannedby an ad-hoc committee on Seabrook.Te last Earth Day event took place in2006 and only lasted a day. But the Earth Week committee already has so many events planned that this years estival willencompass a ull our days: April 20 – 25,2009. “Participating groups include theSeabrook Island Natural History Group,the POA and the Garden Club,” saidSivert. “We’ll be discussing topics suchas alternative transportation, recycling,and energy consumption.” om Fox will be conducting beach walks as wellas bird and reptile walks, Billy McCordo the South Carolina Department o Natural Resources will give wildlie talksand demonstrations and Patty Romanois planning a series o kids programs.Booths will be set up with green displaysrom local companies and among theitems that will be given away are reusablegrocery bags with the events logo andgarden herbs provided by the GardenClub. Te location is tentatively plannedto take place on the Seabrook Island RealEstate lawn just beore the gate and it will all be completely ree and open tothe public. “Would it be possible or theCouncil to make this an ocial event?”asked Sivert. “And maybe make a speech? And a contribution?” Te Councilsmiled, but the Mayor nodded, askinghow much the group needed to put onthe event. Sivert said the total would be alittle less than $4,200 or the whole ourdays. “Well, with the stipulation thatthe event remains open to the public,including all activities,” said the Mayor,“and that the name be changed to Earth‘Days’ instead o Earth ‘Week’ sinceit’s only our days long, I motion that we pay or the whole deal. $4,200 orEarth Days.” Te motion was approvedunanimously and a surprised Mayorreceived a quick, happy hug rom EarthDays committee member Lynda Fox.
Seabrook elections
Voting volunteer Gene Corriganaddressed own Council regarding theelections or the open seat on Council, which will take place on March 31.Corrigan noted that letters would besent out to all 15 poll volunteers, who would be serving in three shits on theday o the election. o date, the ownhas received three candidates, and as thetime or submitting names or the openseat has closed, the ollowing Seabrook residents will be running or the availableseat: Wayne Billian, Jerry Cummin andom Prevost. Corrigan will be goingto the Charleston County Board o Elections to get the names set up orpolling boxes the day o the elections.“All the lines are laid, as a Navyman would put it,” said Corrigan. Healso noted that the regular electionsor Seabrook would be coming up inNovember and that whoever was electedin the March elections would have torun again in November. “it’s never toosoon to start looking or candidates,”said Corrigan. “I don’t think we’ll suferrom a lack o candidates,” said theMayor. “Last election, we had two peoplerunning or each position.”
Clarifcation on CERT status
Councilman Savin stated that he wishedto clear up the misinterpretation o CER as being disbanded. Only the taxgroup has dissolved, not the group itsel. All o the equipment and savings belongdirectly to CER and the incorporationhas not been disbanded.
 Joe Sanders to BZA 
Te Mayor was glad to announce thatthe opening let on the BZA by AlanTompson’s move to another committee would be lled by resident Joe Sanders.“Joe will make a good replacement,” saidthe Mayor beore noting that, “You may not know this, but Joe was a Colonel inthe Army.” He smiled, “He was a ColonelSanders.”
FEMA pump station project onschedule
 Joe Hall was unable to make it to theday’s meeting, but the Mayor readhis report, which noted that the nextscheduled station or repair is the largestone located on Island Pine Drive. Te work began on February 1, as February is historically the lowest time o activity or waste water. Te contractor or the
Seabrook Town Council – January 27, 2009
Council
continued on page 3
 
www.islandconnection.sc
February 6, 2009
 
3
Letters to the editor...
Dear Editor:
Surprise – the battle to put homes inharm’s way on a dynamic sand spit at thesouthwestern end o Kiawah Island, pastthe county’s Beachwalker Park, is stillraging.Last all, public outcry convinced U.S.Representative Henry Brown to withdraw legislation that would have providedlow-cost ederal ood insurance orhouses built on these shiting sands. Butthis hasn’t stopped Kiawah DevelopmentPartners, which still plans to construct50 houses on this sandy spit. Over theChristmas holidays, the Kiawah groupstruck again, securing a permit romthe State Department o Ocean andCoastal Resource Management to builda bulkhead, or retaining wall, to shoreup the sands enough to put in a road toacilitate development.Building on this spit is a ludicrousidea. Te history o these shiting sandsand inlet shows that, although the spit hasrecently grown as the developers declare,it remains capable o great change andlies at an extremely low elevation. Every 30 to 50 years, this shiting sand spitrearranges itsel by becoming completely severed rom Kiawah Island. A storm ortide rips through and transorms the spitinto a sand bar or small island. Te spitappears to be in constant motion, which would create a real problem or any housesconstructed there, which wouldn’t moveso easily.OCRM showed great insight ingranting the permit, reducing the lengtho the bulkhead rom 2,783 eet to 270eet. Still, any hardened structure couldbe detrimental to the area. Hardenedstructures along estuarine shorelinesoten lead to loss o valuable wetlands andnatural buers, which may increase erosionon adjacent shorelines. Also, the bulkheadcould ruin prime wildlie habitat. We must preserve ecological buerzones where nature has the ability toabsorb sea level rise. Otherwise, onebulkhead will create demand or another,and we will ght an ongoing battle overhardening every inch o the coastline. With sea levels rising in the next vedecades, Dr. Orrin H. Pilkey, a James B.Duke proessor o Earth Science emeritusat Duke University and renown experton coastal geology, believes that shorelineretreat on the South Carolina coast couldbe as much as 2000 eet inland per ooto sea level rise because o the slope o theland.Increased sea level rise also bringsgreater potential or overwash, with stormsurges and tides reaching urther inlandthan anyone has ever seen. Under thesecircumstances, constructing 50 homesonto this historically dynamic sand spit isespecially unwise.Let us hope that developers look atFolly Beach and its solutions to theseproblems and decide to create a park onthe Kiawah spit instead. Folly Beach’sparks are on each end o the constantly shiting barrier island, welcoming peopleand wildlie. Folks on Kiawah, Seabrook,Rockville, Johns Island and the Charlestoncommunity should take action to stop theolly o continuing to build on an unstablearea and stay inormed on the CoastalConservation League’s website. Smarterstrategies to address sea level rise shouldbe every citizen’s concern.Environmental activist and artist,Mary Edna Fraser
Oak Point Road, James Island 
Dear Editor:
Nick Strehle had a very convincingarticle about the importance o soiltesting in the Jan. 23 issue o 
Te Island Connection
. It might be helpul to thereaders to know that Clemson oers a very thorough soil test or SC residents. Teresults are reported to the gardener bothonline and in print mail. Te report showsthe soil’s ertility and pH levels and makesrecommendations on what to add to thesoil. A gardener may take a soil sample to theClemson Extension Ofce, 259 MeetingSt., Charleston, and it will be mailed toClemson or $6. At the Clemson Home andGarden Inormation Center website, theprocedures or gathering soil samples areexplained in detail: http://hgic.clemson.edu/actsheets.Clemson now oers a soil samplermailer or $15. Tey may be ordered rom www.clemson.edu/psapublishing.Carol Ann Smalley 
Kiawah Island, SC 
Dear Editor:
“It ain’t over till it’s over,” i.e. YogiBerra, and it’s not over yet.Te OCRM has denied KDPpermission to build a revetment wall onthe Kiawah River. Te revetment wouldhave run 2,700 t. rom Beachwalker Park,a public county park, toward Cap’n Sam’sinlet. Tere’s 5,640 t. in a mile, i thatgives some perspective o the length.Te OCRM did allow the area o erosionnext to the high land to be protectedby the revetment wall, but denied thatportion which would run down the riverand would be placed in what is pure beachsand or almost a hal a mile.Now here comes KDP asking the courtto reverse the OCRM decision and toorce the OCRM to issue the permit orthe ull length.I’ve been here or 70 years and seen what damage this unbridled developmenthas had on where I live. Tis revetmenttakes the cake. Te worst environmentaldegradation in our area would happenright under our eyes and would do itsdamage or a long, long time.Te appeal by KDP is beore the court.Pressure by the public is needed to heado the reversal o OCRM’s decision.Sidi Limehouse
Resurrection Road  Johns Island 
Editor’s note: 
OCRM stands or Ofce o Coastal Resource Management and KDP stands or Kiawah Development Partners.
project will have one lane o Island PineDrive open during the day and both lanes will be open at night. When the pumpstation it complete it will be enclosed by aence painted Charleston green.
Bike path crossing 
own Administrator Randy Piercereported that the access rom the bikepath to the crosswalk at BohicketMarina was unriendly to pedestriansand bikers as it tended to become muddy in inclement weather. He proposedthat the patch o crossing space, whichencompasses roughly 325 square eet,either be lled in with crushed graniteon a compacted rock bed, which wouldrun around $2,115, or create a concretepathway which would run around$2,925. Asphalt, he said, would be tooexpensive as the area would have to begraded out and prepared beore work could be done. As roller bladers oten usethe bike path as well, Council agreed thata concrete access would be better thangranite. Te Mayor also remarked that i they were going to create the access, they should also consider putting in trafcslowing devices around the crosswalk.“It would make it saer or cyclists and would slow people down on the road,”he said. “I we do one, we should do theother.” Mayor McNulty motioned thatthe own spend $3,000 or the access with the stipulation that the own Administrator look into placing speedrestricting devices on either side o thecrosswalk. Te motion was approvedunanimously.
Beach Patrol cart 
own Administrator Peirce reportedthat the own had voted last year tospend $15,000 on a new beach patrolcart, but were waiting until the rstquarter to purchase it. However, beachpatrol had ound a demo or sale withonly 1 ½ hours o drive time on it or$11,500. Along with the $9,000 receivedrom insurance on the last vehicle, theown would only have to spend $2,500total. Council approved the expenditureunanimously.Go green, but how?Mayor McNulty announced that theown had received $129,000 rom theCharleston County Green Belt programstrictly or the purchasing o green spaceand parks within the own. However,the own doesn’t have too many placesto by land and as the unds can’t be givento pay down the Seabrook Island GreenSpace Committee’s debt, the own is at aloss over what to do with it. “Tere’s notmuch you can get or $129,000 out here,”said the Mayor. Te own, however, isopen to suggestions. “I you come up with a great idea, we’d love to hear it,” hesaid.
Oh, deery me
Council proposed the passage o 
Council
continued from page 2
Council
continued on page 11
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