Camp Road Sidewalks

The Town had requested Charleston County Transportation Sales Tax funds to complete Phase I of the Camp Road sidewalk Project.  This phase was to connect the sidewalk that will be extended along Fort Johnson Road to the corner of Dills Bluff and Camp by Town Hall.

It looks like this project will go forward.   Because of issues in obtaining right-of-way on Fort Johnson, Charleston County has proposed shifting the route of the sidewalk so that it will go down Camp to the corner of Dills Bluff and Camp and then go down Dills Bluff back to Fort Johnson.    This would complete Phase I of the Camp Road project.    The Town is also very interested in including sidewalks on Dills Bluff.   There is sufficient existing right-of-way to complete this route.  

On the whole, this "Camp and Dills Bluff" bypass will do more to complete the sidewalk network in the Town than would a more direct route down Fort Johnson.   We will put completing the sidewalk along Fort Johnson between Camp and Dills Bluff on our "to do" list.  

I plan to request funding from Town Council in May to do the design work for Phase II of the Camp Road project.  Phase II runs between the new side walk that was installed as part of the intersection improvements for Camp and Dills Bluff to the end of the existing sidewalk near Secessionville Road.    After the design work is complete, we will work to get it constructed.

The City of Charleston has requested Transportation Sales Tax money to complete the sidewalk between Camp and Folly and Riverland Drive.   The Town wrote a letter in support of that project, which includes substantial Town jurisdiction between the shopping center at Camp and Folly, in front of Fort Johnson Middle and then past that on  to Yorktown.  City jurisdiction starts just past there in front of Biship Gadsden and then on to Riverland Drive.  That is Phase III for the Town.   If the City's proposal isn't funded, we will continue to work to get the Town's segment completed.

The full Camp Road project is to have a sidewalk along Camp Road from Fort Johnson to Riverland.   We hope that sidewalk access to James Island County Park along Riverland Drive will become possible soon as well.

Town Election July 29

NOTICE OF GENERAL ELECTION

TOWN OF JAMES ISLAND

JULY 29, 2014

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that The Board of Elections and Voter Registration of Charleston County will conduct a General Election  for the Town of James Island on Tuesday, July 29, 2014 to fill (1) one seat for the Office of Mayor, (4) four seats for the Office of Town Council. This is a nonpartisan, at large municipal election. Election results will be determined by the plurality method. Term of office will expire August 2018.

The last day that persons may register to be eligible to vote in this election is June 28, 2014. If submitting a registration by fax or mail application, it must be post marked no later than June 28, 2014.

Applications may be obtained at http://www.scvotes.org.

Candidate filing opens 12:00 noon Monday, May 19, 2014 and closes 12:00 noon Friday, May 30, 2014. Filing fees for the Office of Mayor is $150, and Town Council is $100. Filing fees are non-refundable.

Residents desiring to file as a candidate for the Office of Mayor or Town Council must file a Statement of Candidacy with the Town of James Island, Town Clerk, 1238 B, Camp Road, James Island SC. Office hours are Monday – Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Closed on Memorial Day, May 26, 2014.

Please direct all questions to the South Carolina State Ethics Commission regarding filing of Statement of Economic Interest form. Their website is http://ethics.sc.gov/campaigns/Pages/index.aspx.

Their office telephone number is (803) 253-4192.

This Municipal Election will be held under new rules for providing Photo ID at the polling place. Voters will be asked to provide one of the following Photo IDs:

·         South Carolina Driver’s License

·         ID Card issued by S.C. Department of Motor Vehicles

·         S.C. Voter Registration Card with Photo

·         Federal Military ID

·         U.S. Passport

If you have one of these IDs, you are ready to vote. Voters should remember to bring one of these IDs with them to the polling place. Voters without Photo ID can get one free of charge from the Department of Motor Vehicles or their county voter registration office. Voters who encounter an obstacle to getting a Photo ID should bring their paper voter registration card without a photo with them to their polling place. These voters can then sign an affidavit swearing to their identity and to their reason for not obtaining a Photo ID.

These voters will be issued a provisional ballot. This ballot will count unless the county board of canvassers has grounds to believe the affidavit is false. For more information on Photo ID, please visit scVOTES.org, or contact your county voter registration and elections office.

Registered voters who cannot vote in person may be eligible to vote by absentee ballot. Absentee ballots may be obtained from the Board of Elections and Voter Registration of Charleston County. You may call 744-8683 or send an email to absentee@charlestoncounty.org to inquire about the availability of absentee ballots.

At 9:00 a.m. on Election Day, the Board of Elections and Voter Registration office will begin the examination of the absentee ballot return envelopes. This process will take place at the elections office, 4367 Headquarters Road, North Charleston, SC.

On Thursday, July 31, 2014 at 10:00 a.m., the Charleston County Board of Canvassers will hold a hearing to determine the validity of all provisional ballots cast in this election, and certify election results. This hearing will be held at the elections office, 4367 Headquarters Road, North Charleston, SC.

The following precinct and polling place will open from 7:00 am until 7:00 pm.

James Island 03	Thomas Johnson Field House	1443 Secessionville Rd
James Island 05A	James Island Charter High	1000 Fort Johnson Rd
James Island 05B	James Island Charter High	1000 Fort Johnson Rd
James Island 06	James Island Charter High	1000 Fort Johnson Rd
James Island 07	James Island Charter High	1000 Fort Johnson Rd
James Island 08A	Fort Johnson Middle	1825 Camp Rd
James Island 08B	Fort Johnson Middle	1825 Camp Rd
James Island 09	Fort Johnson Middle	1825 Camp Rd
James Island 10	James Island Charter High	1000 Fort Johnson Rd
James Island 11	Stiles Point Elementary	883 Mikell Dr
James Island 12	Stiles Point Elementary	883 Mikell Dr
James Island 13	Stiles Point Elementary	883 Mikell Dr
James Island 14	James Island Recreation Complex	1088 Quail Dr
James Island 15	James Island Middle	1484 Camp Rd
James Island 17	Harbor View Elementary	883 Mikell Dr

Charleston County Library Proposal

The Charleston County Library Board has proposed a multi-million dollar referendum to upgrade libraries across Charleston County.   For James Island, the key change will be to replace the James Island branch located on Camp Road next to Town Hall.   The new library is to be somewhere on Folly Road.   No location has been specified.   The James Island Intergovernmental Council met Monday, April 21 and unanimously requested that County Council insist that any referendum include a specific location for the Library on Folly Road.   Please contact County Councilman Joe Qualey and County Councilwoman Anna Johnson if you would like to see the existing branch on Camp Rd renovated rather than closed.  Here is a link to the library proposal.

Funding Folly and Camp Project Approved

Charleston County Council voted to move funds to the Camp and Folly project.   Thank you Councilman Qualey and the majority of County Council.   Also, a County staff report explained that the key problem with the existing budget was an underestimate of the cost of the right of way that needed to be taken from the businesses along Folly Rd.   Other issues included the need to move utility lines and the cost of doing the work at night in order to limit traffic delays.    The project will be rebid this summer.

James Island Intergovernmental Council Meeting

The James Island Intergovernmental Council met for the third time last night.    Senators Thurmond and Campsen were in attendence.   Our special guest was five day old Peter McCoy the third, who arrived with Representative Peter McCoy and his wife Jennifer.    Councilman Joe Qualey represented County Council and all three members of Charleston City Council form James Island, Councilwoman Wilson and Councilmen Moody and Gregory.    Carter McMillan represented the James Island PSD.   For the Town, Councilmen Blank, Kernodle, and Mullinax were all there.

Councilman Qualey discussed the Camp and Folly Road improvement project.   The project is ready to go, but there is a problem.   It has been bid out twice, and the low bids are more than the amount of funds budgeted.   Fortunately, the Maybank and Rivers project had to be scaled down and more is budgeted than will be necessary.   Councilman Qualey is seeking to shift some of those funds to Camp and Folly.   The proposal almost died at the Finance Committee due to a tie, but Chairman Teddie Pryor let it go forward.   Councilman Qualey is confident that there are enough votes for it to pass tonight.

Councilman Qualey also discussed the proposed library referendum.   This proposal is for a referendum this November for more than $100 million to construct and renovate libraries throughout the County.   Part of the proposal is to build a new library somewhere on Folly Road.    Initially, the proposal included closing both the South Windemere and James Island branches.   Councilman Qualey reported that the South Windemere branch would not be closed due to the intervention of County Councilwoman Colleen Condon.   He was very troubled that no site had been selected for the new library on Folly Road.   The other new libraries to be constructed as part of the project already have proposed sites.   He also reported that he attended the a meeting at the James Island branch and the people there wanted to keep it.    The Council voted unanimously that County Council should include a site for the Folly Rd. library in any language for the library.

Councilman Blank reported on the Folly Road overlay.    It has been approved by the Town of James Island, Charleston County has passed first reading, and the City of Folly Beach approved it as well.   Unfortunately, it has not been put before Charleston City Council.    He reported a conversation from Christopher Morgan from City of Charleston Planning, holding out some hope for City action.   Councilman Qualey reported that Tim Keane, who is senior to Christopher Morgan, said that the City used a design review board rather than overlay districts.    Councilman Blank emphasized that we were most interested in getting consistency with signage with the City.   I emphasized elements of the overlay regarding the setbacks.   I pointed out that near Folly and Camp was mostly Town but there are some city properties.    Some consistency in standards would be desirable.   The members of City Council were genuinely concerned and said they would see what can be done.

Senator Thurmond reported on Senate bill 723.   He said that he would be meeting with Senator Kimpson soon and had hopes the he would remove his objection to the bill .  However, he is still worried about Senator Scott.   Senator Campsen explained some of the challenges in getting legislation through of the Senate.   He explained that it is challenging to design a bill that will minimize worries in other parts of the state while not being subject to legal challenge as special legislation.   He said that Senator Thurmond's task in the "off season" is to seek to further finesse the bill.     On the House side, Representative McCoy said that a subcommittee meeting had been scheduled and he saw no problem with amending the bill to make it consistent with the Senate version.

Camp and Folly Project Funding

The Camp and Folly project has been bid out twice, but all the bids have been higher than the budgeted funds.   The "pitchfork" plan for Maybank on Johns Island has not received approval and so the project is being downsized.   This frees up money from that project to fund Folly and Camp.    Councilman Qualey has been leading the effort to shift the funds to Camp and Folly and it barely passed the Finance Committee last week.   Councilwoman Anna Johnson opposed shifting these funds for this project.   The vote will go before County Council Tuesday.

Dates for Harbor View Road Project

Tentative Dates for Harbor View Road Project

May 22^nd Advertise for construction bids

July 10^th Receive bids and make recommendation to Council to award

July 29^th Issue a notice to proceed for work to the awarded contractor