Library on Dills Bluff?

At the James Island Intergovernmental Meeting last month, County Councilman Joe Qualey suggested that the new County Library be located on the JIPSD's Dills Bluff Property.   JIPSD Commission Chairman Donald Hollingsworth said that the JIPSD was considering a joint facility with the Town on that property.   I suggested that having the new library, a Town Hall, and a JIPSD administrative office on the property would be a good idea.

At the JIPSD Ways and Means on May 7, the item was brought up, and a team made up of Deputy County Administrator Walt Smalls, Town Administrator Ashley Kellahan, and District Manager Robert Wise will report back to the JIPSD Commissioners on May 12.

That is the good news.

The bad news is that several Commissioners suggested at the meeting that they opposed the JIPSD selling any property. 

I have offered to purchase two acres on the site for a Town Hall, however, I am interested in a joint facility that includes JIPSD administrative offices.   There is a majority on Town Council who support the joint facility concept.  

There have been some preliminary discussions between the Town Administrator and the JIPSD District Manager, and Ashley Kellahan has made clear our view that the Town must have an ownership interest in any joint facility.   We are not interested in leasing office space from the JIPSD for a Town Hall.   I do not favor that.   There is no majority on Town Council interesting in moving to a new leased facility.

While I am open to a shared building with one wing being Town Hall and another being the JIPSD Administrative Offices, I believe that a better approach would be two separate buildings on the same campus.   Adding the new County library as a third building on the same campus would be very beneficial to James Island.

However, I am very much committed to having the Town own its Town Hall.   I am open to shared ownership of grounds and parking.

The opportunity to have the new Library on this location is very time sensitive.   County Councilman Qualey was only able to get a 30 day delay for the decision on the location of the new Library.   County Councilwoman Anna Johnson wants the new Library on the property of Baxter Patrick Middle School, which is off Grimball Road next to James Island Elementary School.   Personally, I don't think that is a bad location.   However, it is controversial among the residents of the area.   And I would prefer a location closer to the center of James Island.

We will see what happens with the meeting between Smalls, Kellahan and Wise, but I believe that to have the Library, Town Hall, and JIPSD Administrative Office on the Dills Bluff property is going to require that the JIPSD agree to sell some of the property to Charleston County for the Library and some to the Town for the Town Hall.  

If you think a Library and Town Hall at that location is a good idea, it will be necessary to let the Commissioners know.

http://jipsd.org/commission.html

P.S.   The Dills Bluff property was initially purchased by the Town for a Town Hall.   When the Town was forced to close in 1997, the JIPSD asked the judge for the property.   They received above 5 acres.   The Honey Hill Community group also asked for it, and received about one acre.   Inez Brown-Couch later gave the portion belonging to the Honey Hill Community to the JIPSD.