James Island Town Council will vote Thursday, May 20th whether to open Brantley Park this summer. Council budgeted $185,000 from the hospitality fund for the project last May and had approved the park plans in January. Staff bid out the project this spring and the low bid was $153,000, well below budget. The project was ready to move forward in April, but Council voted 3 to 2 to defer until the May meeting. Some on Council question whether James Islanders want another park and raised concerns that too much money was being spent along Folly Road.
The Town has more than $1.3 million in its hospitality tax fund and anticipates collecting an additional $540,000 next year. Approximately 85% of that money is raised from restaurants along Folly Road. The funds to purchase the land for the park came from the Charleston County Greenbelt Fund. The Town’s application to purchase the land included a commitment to have a park open to the public.
Do James Islanders want another park? Do the people of the Town want to see some green space along Folly Road? Please let Town Council know whether we should move forward to open Brantley Park this summer or do they want a vacant lot?
No comments:
Post a Comment