Island Eye News - May 13, 2011

8/6/2019 Island Eye News - May 13, 2011

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Administrator Andy Benkebegan the special meetingon April 26 by addressing

the Towns primary goal thetemporary relocation of TownHall. He stated that in October of

2010, an environmental engineerdetermined the presence ofbacteria and mold in the TownHall building, which is also theheadquarters for the Police andMaintenance Departments,and that the building shouldbe vacated for the sake of theemployees health. After Councilmet, a group of concerned citizens

who live near the proposed siteof 2678 Middle Street would beallowed to voice their opinions.

The problem, however, isnding a place where Town Hallcan be established temporarilyuntil the work is done; and witha hefty cost for repairs, some

are questioning whether or notthey should simply raze the oldbuilding and just build a newone.

In either case, the townofces will have to be relocatedtemporarily and Benke pointedout that there are several keyfactors involved in nding asuitable location: availabilty,expense, public access, exibility,FEMA regulations, and utilityconnectivity. Trailers have already

PRESORTSTANDAR

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CHARLESTON,SC

PERMITNO437

Saving Sea Turtles PAGE 24My own backyard PAGE 8International visit PAGE 6

I n s i d e I s l a n d E y e

S u l l i v a n s I s l a n d I s l e o f P a l m s G o a t I s l a n d D e w e e s I s l a n d

Since May 2005

May 13, 2011Volume 7 Issue 1 FREE

Addresscontinued on page 3

Addressing theSI Town Hall

THE MOUND TO BE CONSIDERED

FOR TEMPORARY TOWN HALL

BY BLAKE BUNCH

Kiawah TownHall (left) wasbuilt in 1997and containsa visitor'scenter as wellas ofces

for the 11members oftown staff.

Seabrook Town Hall(above) was buil tin 2000 from twomodular homes. Itcost approximately$450,000 to build andconsists of roughly2500 square feet. Thecost of building thetown hall was paidback through generalfunds over three years.

The Folly Beach CityHall (below) was builtin 1997 and includeda new re station at

a cost of $1.3 million.The building's size isapproximately 10,000square feet and thecost is being paidthrough PILOT funds,wherein 15% of thecity water bill is payingback the cost of thebuilding.

Isle of PalmsCity Hall(right) wasbuilt rightafter Hugoin 1990,and thebuilding wasrefurbishedthis year ata cost of$325,620.

Should we rebuild Sullivan's Town Hall?


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2 May 13, 2011

www.islandeyenews.com

Civic

Public HearingMayor Cronin called the publichearing for ordinances 2011-01 and 2011-02 to order, andit was noted that the Cityhas dealt with both of theseordinances within the pastmonth. Ordinance 2011-01has to deal with the use ofsandwich board signs, andthe council requested to addlanguage to require that signsbe placed no further thanfteen feet from a business.Ordinance 2011-02 deals withcellular towers and includedthe following amendments: theordinance is only to apply toexisting free-standing towers,the list with cellular towers iscompletely specic to the city,and the zoning ordinance hasbeen narrowed down to theGC1 area.As there were nocomments, the hearing wasadjourned.

Regular Meeting

All Council members werepresent.

Council member MartinBettelli motioned to appointOfcer Chris Quinn to the Isleof Palms Police Department.Mr. Quinn was then sworn in.Mayor Cronin stated that onSullivans Island, there would

be a public forum on thememorial marker which hasbeen proposed for placement atBreach Inlet on Thursday, April28, at Sunrise PresbyterianChurch. The mayor encouragedeveryone to attend, and thatthey hope to have the markerestablished permanently on

June 18.Mr. Jonathan Yates and

Keith Powell of CharlestonCounty and Groundcastle

International then gave apresentation in regards to thecellular tower. Yates wantedto thank Council for havingamended this ordinance. In

order to accommodate thecountys equipment, Yates saidthat they would add about 800square feet to the lease area,totaling 4,700 square feet. Thenew ordinance requires thatthe tower for Public Safetymust be less than 200 feet tall.Currently, the tower is set near180 feet. Obviously, we needto get this done as quickly aspossible. With the hurricaneseason coming up, this is amajor priority, stated Yates.In regards to when they couldbegin construction, Powellstated that they would have toinstall some sewer lines/utility

work, and they hope to have itnished in two or three months.Powell further stated that theyare de-commissioning the oldportion; the equipment willtransition to the new one.

Council member Loftusinquired as to what carriers

will be utilizing the tower,and Powell informed thosepresent that the new tower

will be open to carriers, butwill serve Verizon, AT&T, andSprint Mobile. The only de-commissioned carrier would beALLTEL, which has been bought

out by AT&T.Administrator Tucker

asked as to why it is deemednecessary to leave the oldmono-pole in its location, andPowell said that since thefoundation has already beenlaid for a cellular tower, thatsomeone may utilize it in thefuture.

Mayor Cronin then motioned theresolution to approve the locationand design of the communication

tower for City Public Safety uses.The motion carried.

Citizens CommentsBaird Sanders:Mr. Sandersspoke in regards to theFlorence-Crimpton Home. AsBoard President, he explaineda little about himself and whyhes involved in the program.Many years ago, the Florence-Crimpton Home helped an un-

wed, pregnant woman namedMargaret, and after she gavebirth to her son, whom shenamed Ray, she gave him upfor adoption. Ray was adoptedby a loving family and was givena great education. As it turnsout, Sanders is baby Ray.

Years later, he was ableto contact his biologicalmother, and thanked herfor her decision, letting herknow that he was okay. Mr.Sanders asked the City of Isleof Palms as to whether theycould help with fundraising forthe Florence-Crimpton Home.Bairds number one goal isto raise awareness about thehome, and to gather as manysponsors as possible before

June 30.Mayor Cronin informed him

that he has now reached all ofthe Isle of Palms residents, andthat they would look over allpertinent material.

Ways and MeansMayor Cronin said that thecommittee met on April 19,and that they heard from theirtreasurer. The Towns revenuestream is just under 70% atthe end of March, and that thebudget is coming along nicely.General fund expenditures areat 68%, and in regards to thestate accommodations tax,they are running 9% ahead of

last year, and the hospitalitytax is ahead 9%, as well. CityHall renovations are almostcomplete, although somepainting needs to be done. The

mayor then proposed a motionto grant up to $3,100 fromthe capital project fund for anew ice machine for the PublicWorks Department. In lookingat FY12, the general fundrevenue should be up 0.9%, andexpenditures should only be up0.5%. Mayor Cronin said thatthey anticipate coming ahead

within the following year.

Public SafetyCouncil member MartinBettelli said that Public Safetycommittee met on Monday,April 4. Under citizenscomments they discussed thealarm ordinance, which willbe in conjunction with thePlanning Commission. Undernew business, they discussedthe Livability Courts requestfor a detention ordinance, butthe council decided againstit. The committee is lookingto some restructuring of thedepartment, and no newemployees will be necessary.

In regards to the FireDepartment, there was a smalloil spill at the Marina, but it

was just a small overll of a gastank. There was a tour bus re

on front beach, as well as analarm activation at Sweetgrass.Furthermore, Isle of Palms FireDepartment helped with some

wild-res on April 23 and 24out in Awendaw, and has beeninstalling smoke detectors forresidents, as well.

Under police reports, therewere four ladies from BerkleyCounty who were stealing itemsfrom front beach businesses,

Isle of Palms Council - April 26, 2011BY BLAKE BUNCH

IOP Councilcontinued on page 5


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Tuesday, May 24

Public Hearing6:45 p.m.1207 Palm Boulevard

City Council Meeting7 p.m.

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Sullivan's Island883-3198www.sullivansisland-sc.com

Tuesday, May 17

Regular Council6 p.m.1610 Middle Streett

Wednesday, May 18

DRB Meeting

6 p.m.1610 Middle Street

Wednesday, May 25

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Civic

Letters to the editor...Dear Editor,

Hats off to the Island Eye Newsfor making last weeks candidatesforum happen.

Wed all agree public discourseshould be part of the processelected ofcials use to ndsolutions to critical communityissues. Yet, most citizens onlynd time to engage when theyare faced with having to make a

decision at the voting booth. This makes the manner in

which we vet our town councilcandidates of great importanceto the Island. If Lynn Pierotti hadnot stepped in, we would not havehad a candidates forum. Kudosfor inviting the League of WomenVoters to run the forum andholding it at Holy Cross Church.

Thanks to all who made ithappen and to all four candidatesfor running and giving us theopportunity to engage as a

community. I certainly learned alot and will hopefully do a better

job representing our citizens ontown council as a result.

Wonder what difference it would make if we didnt waittwo years until elections to havesuch community meetings?

Madeleine McGee

been purchased by the townto use for temporary housing,including a quad-wide for theAdministration and Buildingdepartments, and a double-widefor the Police Department.

The cost of using a temporarylocation is also an issue. Whilediscussing the cost of utilizing2678 Middle Street for up to three

years, the cost for just the PoliceDepartment double-wide wouldrun from $16,022 for one year,to $29,342 for three years. Forthe Administration and BuildingDepartments quad-wide, the cost

would start at $34,470 for one year, up to $66,630 for threeyears.

Additionally, the cost to elevatethe trailers in accordance withFEMA regulatory standards, saidBenke, has proved to be quitecostly, especially at alternativesites, costing upwards of$168,305 for the foundation and

footer removal for both buildings.With these costs in mind,Council looked over theiralternative locations. Using theold Sullivans Island ElementarySchool building proved to beunfeasible as the building willbe demolished this summer, andthe commercial property at theBi-Lo Shopping Center in MountPleasant would cost upwards of$132,000 in terms of constructioncosts.

We cant have our PoliceDepartment in Mount Pleasant,said Benke. We need our ofcerson the island so everyone knows

where to nd them. This building

is central to the island, and it wascreated in such a fashion.

Another proposed site would beat the intersection of Station 17and Middle Street on land whichis already owned by the town.However, the lot is currentlyoccupied by Banks Construction

which has been using it to storeequipment during the roadresurfacing project. Using thesite would also cost an additional$10,000 for ramps, decks, andstairs, as well as the price ofelevation blocks and building afoundation.

Council continued to speculateon the pros and cons of movingthe trailers to a site at Station15 and Middle Street. This siteis also owned by the Town, so nolease would be required. It haseasy access for power, telephone,and water and sewer connectivity,but an additional $7,000 wouldbe required for FEMA and ADAregulatory standards. Councilbelieved that this site could serve

as a future Town Hall location, oralternative site during a naturaldisaster.

One key area that the Councilalso discussed is the Old Moundnear the Fire Department andStith Park.

If it is the will of Council tobuild a new Town Hall, this wouldbe the location to do it, saidCouncil member Mike Perkis. Thesite is owned by the Town, andit is very accessible. However,about $25,000 would be neededfor regulatory agency-compliant

work. And if the trailers were tobe placed in this area, they wouldmost likely block access to the

Water and Sewer dumpster, thecellular tower, and the ball eld.

Council then discussed thepossibility of using the northwestcorner of Battery Capron -Butler.

This site would also cost about$7,000 for ramps, decks, andstairs, as well as the cost forelevation blocks and the buildingof the foundation. Although thesite has access to water, powerand telephone services, sewerconnectivity was a concern.

The top of Battery Capron-Butler was also discussed, asthe site would not require thebuildings to be elevated further,but some green space, as wellas some park areas, might beblocked, an issue which causedthe Sullivans Island ParkFoundation to protest the use ofthat site.

Another possible site is the lotat Sunrise Presbyterian Church.

This site is very accessible andhas utility connectivity, but itis owned by the church, so no

land lease had been investigatedor negotiated. An additional$4,000 was deemed necessary forADA compliance, not includingfoundation and elevation blocks.

The main reason the meeting was called in the rst place,however, was the proposed use of2678 Middle Street. This site wouldrequire minimum preparation,and is easily accessible to thepublic. Elevation would berequired, as well as $2,000 forramps, decks, and stairs. Sincethe property is privately owned, alease would be required, but thelandlords had been very receptive

Addresscontinued on page 4

Addressfrom cover


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to this possibility.Neighbors are extremely

concerned with having a 24 hourpolice service - and Town Hallduring business hours, in theirbackyard, said Council member

Jerry Kaynard. Have we lookedinto an option for using anexisting building?

Administrator Benke stated

that they have identied a homeon Station 15 for rent, but theyare unsure as to whether it isADA compliant. However, it doeshave a handicap ramp and wouldbe central to the island.

Council then adjourned fromthe Real Estate Committee andmoved to the special meeting forconcerned citizens.

Council member Kaynardbegan by stating, We are caughtbetween the health of employeesand neighbors to the site. Theelephant in the room is, Whatare you going to do in the longrun? Even I dont know where

were going. Should we make a

decision, that if the notion goesthrough to repair Town Hall, wecould recover some value if wesell it. It may take us three yearsto decide to build a new TownHall. Maybe we should make thisa six to eight month move.

Council member Kaynardfurther inquired if there was anyspace available in the Fire Station

in which the Police Departmentcould operate.

On a normal Monday throughFriday, there could be 14-15people within one area, Benkepointed out. At night time, theremen need to be sleeping. Also,it is not ADA compliant.

Council member Kaynardstated that the building availableon Central may be the best spotfor the Police Department.

There has never been a bettertime to go about constructing anew Town Hall, said Councilmember Mike Perkis. We reallydont know if improvements tothe building will make the resalevalue increase. It will take six

weeks to get out of here, anyway.What are the costs of mediationand re-design? I feel like thecommercial district could beanother option. I am trying tovisualize the cost associated withbuilding a new Town Hall.

Council then began adiscussion on cost analysis ofselected locations:

2678 Middle Street- One year:

$73,000; Three years: $142,000.BiLo Shopping Center One

year: $148,000; Three years:$225,000.

Mound One year: $120,000;Three years: $165,000.

Billy Camp, a resident ofMiddle Street, asked about whogenerated the cost estimates, andBenke replied that an engineerfrom the trailer company drewup the estimates with thefoundations.

We live in the space next tothe proposed property (2678Middle Street), said CammieCamp. If youre using cost as amajor factor, there needs to be areal cost comparison. We weretold that this move would last sixmonths, but that seems to havenot been the case. We are reallyserious about getting trailers offthe lot.

Council member Kaynard saidthat they need to commit to a timeframe decision. If they decide toremediate and re-design, it wouldprobably take one to three years.

Mrs. Camp said that they arejust worried about the deceptionand that they were told it wouldlast six to eight months, when

it could really last one to threeyears.

If a trailer is still on wheels,it may not require FEMAregulations, resident JohnWinter pointed out. Since wedidnt really talk about this,

we dont know the objective orwhere were going. We would behappy if we were told that council

would be committed to a timeframe. This area (1610 Middle

Street) is publicly known. Peoplethat came here bought into thesituation. Moving the trailersinto an existing residential area

would be very inefcient. I feellike it would become a three yeartemporary site.

Resident Mark Howard askedhow much negotiation had beenconducted with the owner ofSunrise Church, and Benkereplied that they had not lookedextensively into that area. Theyhave two choices: residential orcommercial.

The mound seems like a greatoption in the fact that Councilcan have exibility within the

three years, resident Tim Reesepointed out.

Council member Perkis saidthat he would like to proposethat Council select the mound asthe rst site they move to, with acaveat of $60,000.

Council member Mary Jane

Watson agreed, stating that shefeels that the mound should bea rst choice if it comes in at adecent price.

Council member Kaynardstated that he motioned for therst priority for the Town ofcesto be the mound. The groundlevel would be for the PoliceDepartment, and he wanted torescind the previous site selectionprovision. This motion would

take Station 27 and Middle Streetcompletely of the site selectionlist. The motion carried, andCouncil member ONeil motionedto look at the rental house asa second priority. The motioncarried 6-1, with Council memberKaynard dissenting. He furtherstated that Council should, Set a90 day deadline as to what will bedone for Town Hall, on Agenda forCouncil meetings. That motionalso carried.

Mayor Carl Smith stated atthe closing of the meeting, Iunderstand your problems, but

we have employees who havebeen very sick. The new school

is going to be 73,000 squarefeet. This is temporary, that ispermanent.

4 May 13, 2011

Address frompage 3

IOPNA Cooks recipient

It has been a few months sincethe Isle of Palms NeighborhoodAssociation (IOPNA) launchedtheir newest outreach program,IOPNA Cooks. We have kepthappily busy, providing mealson a short term basis for ourislanders that nd themselvesin a temporary crisis. We havecooked for ve individualssince we began the program,some of them for a few monthsand some for as little as two

weeks.Recently, we provided meals

for Gordon and Sylvia Sherwoodwhen Gordon was hospitalized

for a short time following a falland head injury.You know, when I heard

that the IOPNA was going tostart this program, I thoughtit was a nice thing to do, saidSylvia Sherwood. But I neverdreamed that we would bethe beneciaries of it! WhenI brought Gordon home fromthe hospital to nd a beautifulmeal prepared just for us,it gave us such a feeling ofpeace and comfort after beingso uptight and tired fromall the stress. It was so niceto sit quietly and enjoy this

wonderful expression of carefrom our island neighbors. And

the meals continued for severaldays until we were fairly backto normal.

I appreciate Sylviasexpression of thanks, and I

would just add that in additionto our volunteer cooks, wealso have meal contributionsfrom Hucks, Acme Cantina,and Luke & Ollies. Now that,too, is an expression of howthese and other merchantshave supported our neighborsacross this island. We knowthat they understand that theIOPNA stands for neighborshelping neighbors, and IOPNA

Cooks is one way of doing that!

Gordon and Sylvia Sherwood

expresses her thanksBY DIANE OLTORIK, IOPNA COOKS COORDINATOR


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May 13, 2011 5

some underage liquorviolations, and minor vandalismcharges all near front beach.

The Public Safety Committeefurther urges residents to keeptheir golf-carts and bicycleslocked up, as there has been arash of theft this spring. ChiefBuchanan announced that thePolice Department has received

their third recommendationfrom Bethesda, Maryland.

Public WorksCouncil member Brian Duffysaid that Public Works meton Thursday, April 7. Theyreviewed the monthly report,and thanked the crew for beingresponsive to residents needs.

They also had a report on the53rd to 57th drainage projects,and both are going forward

without any hitches.

Recreation CommitteeCouncil member Barbara

Bergwerf stated that the previousweek, the Recreation Departmentheld an Easter Egg Hunt near thegym, which was very successful.

The annual yard sale was alsoa success, and baseball seasonhas started. She further statedthat the lights out ordinance isin effect for sea turtles, and thatif our coastline is anything likeFlorida or Georgia, we can expectnests soon.

Personnel CommitteeCouncil member Doug Thomasinformed those present thattheir last meeting was on April14. There was a considerablediscussion of the FY11-12budget. Under New Business,Council member Piening movedthat Bev Ballow and Dr. ReidWiseman be appointed to theAd Hoc Water committee. Mr.

Thomas moved that Council do

the same thing, which they did.The motion carried.March Safety Sweepstakes

Winners:Recreation Department WillMcElhenyFire Department Jason SmithPolice Department DerrickAmbasPublic Works JosephWashington

Real PropertyCouncil member Michael Loftusinformed Council that they meton Tuesday, April 7. They begantheir meeting with a presentation

from Mr. Wes Moreland fromSCE&G. What theyre doingis completing variant lines offof Forest Trail, and in order toupgrade the system they willbe installing a 150 foot tower.

They will be moving on that, andthe height will allow differentsensors to report outages.Another presentation from JackWalker showed that the ArmyCorps of Engineers discourages

IOP from using the spoil siteon Goat Island. This site wasdamaged by a third party, andin order for the Town to use thisarea, the ACOE told them they

would have to make signifcantupgrades. Council memberStone motioned to approve thedredging depth at twelve feet,

which passed unanimously.Mayor Cronin further spoke inregards to managed parking,

stating that the planning shouldtake another season. Council

was in compliance with themayor, agreeing that they shoulduphold their lease, but look intofuture possibilities.Council member Loftus furtherspoke in regards to the citysopportunity with the half-centtax that provides GreenbeltFunding, which is alreadyin the bank but cannot betouched until the right project.

This was put into the form of aresolution, in which the Isle ofPalms seeks to utilize Greenbeltfunding, maintaining some of

the Towns green space. Thisgreen space could involvethe potential acquisition of anundeveloped waterfront lot at3206 Palm Boulevard. MayorCronin motioned to approve theresolution; the motion carried.It was noted that no city

funds, apart from what the Cityhas accumulated in Greenbeltfunds. This would be utilized inpurchasing land.

BILLS ALREADY INPOSSESSION OF COUNCILSecond Reading of Ordinance2011-01 An OrdinanceAmending Title 5, Planningand Development, Chapter4, Zoning, Article 7, Signs, ofthe City of Isle of Palms Codeof Ordinances to Provide forRegulations Pertaining toSandwich Board Signs. Themotion carried.

INTRODUCTION OF NEWBILLS, RESOLUTIONS ANDPROCLAMATIONSFirst Reading, by title only,of Ordinance 2011-05 AnOrdinance to Raise Revenueand Adopt a budget for the Cityof Isle of Palms, South Carolina,for the Fiscal Year Beginning

July 1, 2011 and ending June30, 2012. The ordinancecarried. However, Councilmember Ryan Buckhannonsaid he would not approve thisbudget, on the second reading,until going back through it.

First Reading, by title only,of Ordinance 2011-06 - AnOrdinance Granting Consentto Application for Video Serviceand Setting Franchise Fees. Theordinance carried.Council then moved intoExecutive Session. The nextCouncil meeting is Tuesday, May24, at 7 p.m.

IOP Councilfrom page 2


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6 May 13, 2011

www.islandeyenews.sc

On Friday, April 29, thechildren of the SullivansIsland Garden School

were surprised to nd a specialguest waiting for them in one oftheir classrooms. Sarah JunkinWoodard, a long-time friend

of Garden School founder LoisArmstrong, dropped by theschool as part of a two-month-long fundraising tour of theeast coast for her organization,the Center for Development inCentral America.

Founded by the JubileeHouse Committee, a smallservice ministry based out ofNorth Carolina, the Centerfor Development in CentralAmerica (CDCA) is a non-protorganization in Nicaragua that

works with the local communitiesto help them become self-sufcient and sustainable by

helping them realize their owngoals rather than bringing inready-made solutions.

Every two years, Sarah,along with other members ofthe CDCA, return to the UnitedStates to raise funds for theirorganization. Sarah typicallytours the east coast, travellingsouth from their base of

operations in North Carolina one year and north the next. Thisyear, the Garden School was therecipient of one of more than 80presentations Sarah would begiving during her southboundtour before returning home.

Her presentations, Sarah noted,are always geared toward heraudience, and while she hasan entirely separate talk whichshe gives to colleges and socialorganizations, the presentationshe gave to the three and four

year olds at the Garden Schoolwas both engaging and active, aswell as educational.

As the children settled in asemi-circle around her, Sarahbegan shufing through a stackof poster-sized pictures fromNicaragua. In many of them,children the same age as theGarden School students could

be seen hard at work selling fooditems at busy intersections, orhauling carts of water so theirfamily could drink or washclothes.

Does that look like yourbathtub? asked Sarah as sheheld up a picture of two youngchildren bathing in a lthy dishtub. The students shouted an

emphatic, no! Does it look like your shower or your swimmingpool? No, the children replied,and Sarah went on to explain theconditions in which the childrenand their families have to live,and how their organization was

trying to help. And even thoughseveral of the children cringed

when they saw the next pictureof a dentist bending over apatient in an ancient dentistschair, Sarah pointed out thatthey were also working to bringbasic health care to the countrysimpoverished residents. Inanother image, Sarah showeda team of native Nicaraguansbuilding a concrete warehousein which they could spin organiccotton to be sold back in theUnited States, and in anothershe showed the workers at asmall coffee plantation picking

and drying ripe coffee beans.The people who help make

this possible live right here, near you! Sarah said, pointing outthat John Royall, the owner ofRoyall Ace Hardware in MountPleasant, is one of three people

who helps the little coffee

Nicaragua comes to the Garden SchoolBY KRISTIN HACKLER

The Garden School kids hold up their present, a handmade book from Nicaragua. Nicaraguacontinued on page 7


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May 13, 2011 7


plantation import their beans forsale, and makes sure that theyget a fair price for their product.

Next, Sarah brought out aplatter-sized basket lled withfour-inch-tall cloth dolls calledmuecas.

"Let's play a game of makebelieve!" She said, and passedout a Nicaraguan coin to each

student. Then, after tying ahandmade apron around herwaist, she twisted a colorful scarfinto a tight ring on her head andbalanced the tray of muecas ontop of it. With a pair of maracasrattling away in her hand shebegan shouting, "Maracas!Muecas!" and stopped aseach child waved their moneyfrantically in the air.

Now this may be fun for aminute, but imagine doing thatin the hot sun all day, she said.

While the children couldn'tpurchase the muecas fromSarah, she did let the teachers

know that several of themany crafts made by nativeNicaraguans were for sale outsideon the portico, and includedearrings, bracelets, pottery, dollsand even recipe books. In fact,the sale of the products is hermain method of raising funds forthe CDCA.

As the children thanked Sarahfor her talk and walked in neat

lines back to their classrooms,Sarah explained to the teachershow important it was to tellchildren about their organizationand the conditions in whichmany people around the worldare forced to live.

If you reach them at this age,in elementary school, it showsthem that there is a whole worldout there that they should beaware of and will hopefully

remember as they get older, shesaid.

For more information about theCenter for Development in CentralAmerica, visit www.jhc-cdca.orgor email [email protected]. To signup for their e-newsletter, [email protected] and tosubscribe to their blog, visit jhc-cdca.blogspot.com.

Sarah Woodard shows how some

people in Nicarauga make their living.

Nicaraguafrom page 6


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8 May 13, 2011

In my own backyardBY SANDRA FOWLER

Inever thought I would see a Nobel Prize

winner, especially in my own backyard,

but there I was, on the grass behind

Fort Moultries Visitor Center on Sullivans

Island, waiting for Toni Morrison, the second

American woman and the rst African-American to receive the Nobel Prize for

Literature.On July 26, 2008, the Toni Morrison

Society hosted a public event on the

island. When asked about the authors arrival,the president of the 500-member Morrison

Society told the few Islanders waiting to see

her, Well, shell be in a black limo trailing the

four busloads of members who are with us

at our conference. Looking from the Centersparking lot toward Middle Street, she shouted

excitedly, There they are! Theyre pulling up

now!

Soon I watched as over 200 Toni Morrison

devotees stepped carefully from the opendoors of the buses and a few private cars into

the searing heat of the Lowcountry.

All that week they had travelled fromthe far corners of the earth to attend the

Societys fth biennial conference at theCharleston Place Hotel. The throng included

representatives from Africa, China, Turkey,

and India, as well as participants from almost

every state in the U.S.

I looked with pleasure at the plain, whitegarments they wore. Most of the women had

on long white dresses, or white tops with long

skirts. The men wore white, owing shirts over

loose-tting white pants. Some held yellow

parasols for protection from the sharp rays

of the sun. They smiled and laughed with joy,especially when some of the Islanders greeted

them with a warm, Welcome!

I nally spotted Toni Morrison in theirmidst. She had linked arms with a tall friend

who gave Morrison, 77, support. She alsoheld a yellow parasol high above the authors

head.

We all crossed the grass bordering the

parking lot together, surrounding the American

writer most noted for her examination of the

black experience. We walked sacred ground

where tens of thousands of African men,women and children had disembarked from

slave ships to begin their dark servitude in

this new land. Toni Morrison intended to

commemorate and remember this site.

As we crossed to the shade and shadowof a large white tent, an African drumbeat

sounded at the edge of the live oaks nearby.One of the last participants following the

crowd ducked carefully under the tent ap. It

was Jonathan Green, the Lowcountryspreeminent artist. Earlier in the week, I had

admired the poster Green created in honor of

the event. He used brilliant colors to render a

scene of a large African-American woman in a

yellow dress sitting and looking out across avivid green marsh.

As we moved into the tent and sat in

wooden folding chairs painted white, the

audience assumed a seriousness to match

the gravity of the occasion.Waiting for Toni Morrison to speak, I

thought back to my last visit to the Visitor

Center. I had joined other island citizensalerted to a Park Service meeting by a

newspaper announcement and by e-mail.The Park Service staff announced that, in

the near future, the passage of slaves from

West Africa to America and, specically, to

Sullivans Island would become more central

in the exhibit space at the Forts Visitor Center.

Backyardcontinued on page 14

Toni Morrison (right) with friends and family.

PHOTOBYCARLINTIMMONS.


9/23

May 13, 2011 9


This is a continuation of ourApril 29 gardening on theislands article. To read the

guide in full and to print out a

year-round planting calendarfor the islands, visit www.IslandEyeNews.com

Growing your own vegetablesis one small way in which youcan gain a little control over

your survival. If you think aboutit, everything that makes yourlife comfortable and survivablecomes from a source completelyout of your control. Our personalrelationship to the world is largelydependent on structures webarely acknowledge. Fuel, water,and electricity are delivered to usvia tubes, wires, and networksthat are generally beyond our

comprehension or control. Weconsume these amazing gifts asassumed rights and, sadly, takethem for granted.

Growing a vegetablegarden returns to you somemodicum of independence andconnectedness. Gardeningmakes you feel more at home,

wherever you live, as you becomemore in touch with the weather,the seasons, the soil, micro-organisms and ultimately, yournatural and social environments.And, if you are what you eat, and

what you eat is what you grow,then you are what you grow.

Fertilizersand

soilamendments

The best fertilizer Ive everseen was a product I used to buyby the truckload in New Mexico.A meat packing plant would takethe manure, blood, and offal ofslaughtered cows and make anexceedingly powerful, compostedfertilizer out of the lovely blend.It was so infused with ammoniaand nitrogen (hot) that it peeledall the paint out of the back ofthe pick-up truck that I left it in

over a weekend. The stuff madeplants explode, and I gained anintense respect for the power ofnitrogen in growing vegetables.

It was so hot that you had to becareful with over-application tonot burn the plants.

I now use composted chickenmanure. Its hotter than cowmanure and comes in bagsat Lowes (Black Hen brand).It takes around seven bags tofertilize my 400 square footgarden for planting. Compostedcow manure is okay, but inbag amounts, youre not reallygetting much nitrogen for yourmoney. Also, the composted cowmanure I see for sale is oftensandy. Cows dont eat sand, so

whats the deal? You dont want

to use un-composted horse orcow manure, as these can haveseeds present that youd have to

weed out later. Dead sh duginto the soil under tomatoes canproduce excellent growth.

Before planting, I amend thesoil with epsom salt (magnesiumsulphate), bone meal, and lime.During the growing season,especially the summer season,its very effective to apply foliarfeedings (direct application on theleaves) of sh emulsion. You canget a garden sprayer and the shemulsion at Lowes. We often seea signicant difference just a few

days after application. Apply shemulsion once a week without athreat of over-fertilizing. If youare starting plants indoors andsee your tomatoes or peppersturning yellow, reddish, orsickly, usually a good shot of shemulsion will turn them around.

You can compost your non-meat, grease, and yard wasteand add it to your beds atplanting. Composting isnt hard.A simple bin can be made offour pallets, nailed together intoa square and leaving one side

removable. Put in the waste andturn the pile over every month orso. The bottom of the pile willgenerate rich compost full of

worms and nutrients that youcan add during your next roundof planting, or place it aroundexisting plants.

mulch

Mulch cools the soil insummer, suppresses weeds,maintains an even, moist soilenvironment for healthy rootdevelopment, and reduces your

water bills. Its a critical factor.Along with automatic watering,mulching is the backbone ofeasier gardening.

Timing is important withmulching. When planting in the

spring for your summer garden,the soil temperature will stillbe fairly cool, if not cold. If youmulch right when you plant yourtomatoes, peppers, etc yoursoil will still be cold and theplants will just linger (especiallypeppers) till the soil warms up.Leave the plants un-mulched fortwo to three weeks to let the sunheat the soil and spur growth.Its a timing issue though, asthe longer the garden goes un-mulched, the more weeds willemerge. Usually I have to hoe asmall crop of weeds under beforemulching.

During fall planting, waitagain after planting to mulch;not because of soil warmth,but because the fall planting isusually of small seeds and you

want the plants to grow up a bitso that the mulch doesnt coverup the un-germinated seed beds.Wind can blow mulch around andcover your emerging seedlings.

With greens that we mowand eat - like escarole, arugula,mesclun, and lettuce - wevelearned to use pine needle mulch.

We nd the expense of buyinga couple bales of pine needles

worth it, because cleaning pineneedles is much easier than

cleaning small pieces of leavesout of a bowl full of clippedgreens.

Its truly wonderful that liveoaks, contrary to most all othertrees in our country, shed theirmany skinny, mulch-friendlyleaves in the spring. This nicelycoincides with spring planting.Other trees drop their leavescorresponding to fall plantingtimes. This means we have asteady supply of great mulchavailable to us during keyplanting/mulching times. Cool,huh?

My other gardens were in the

desert, where quality mulch wasdifcult to come by. Yeah, thebeach is great, our surroundingenvironment is wonderful, andthe presence of a liberal, tolerantmood has been quite fun, but thefree bags of mulch on the side ofthe road have been my personaldenition of paradise.

Still to this day, when I collectbags of uffy, soft, and weed-freeleaves in my pick-up, I cant helpbut feel affection and extremegratitude toward my neighborsfor their hard work in collectingand packaging our free mulch.

PestsThere are quite a few non-toxic

or less toxic options for dealing with local pests. I tend to onlyplant vegetables that are easy togrow organically. Squash, forexample, can be difcult for meto grow organically due to vineborers, so I dont grow it.

Slugs can really take over anddo a lot of damage. Its grossto cut up a cabbage and nd a

Cultivating SanityHOW TO GROW A YEAR-ROUND EDIBLE GARDEN ON THE ISLANDS, PART II

BY MICHAEL DIETRICH

Cultivatingcontinued on page 10


10/23


11/23


12/23

aturday, May 14

gare Farms Spring Picnicin Legare Farms for an oldshioned spring picnic withmburgers, garlic bratwurst dogs,rn on the cob, potato salad andmemade ice cream. Musicianse welcome to bring theirstruments, kids their games andseballs, and ladies their summerts. 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. $25/ults, $10/children 5 14. 2620

anscombe Pt. Road. 559-0763 orit www.legarefarms.com

Charleston Naturally Grand OpeningCharleston Naturally, an eco-chicshop located at 918 Lansing Drivein Mount Pleasant, will hold itsgrand opening all day with prizes,discounts, and featured sellers.From 3 to 4 p.m. LowcountryLocal First will speak on naturalgardening and farming, andthe rst 25 guests will receive acomplimentary EcoSmart Journal.11 a.m. until 6 p.m. For moreinfo, call 388-9748 or visit www.CharlestonNaturally.com

Sullivans Lighthouse Open HouseLighthouse open house from 1 to 4

p.m. on the grounds of the U.S.Coast Guard Historic District at1815 IOn Avenue on SullivansIsland. The grounds, quarters,cupola, boat house, and lowerportion of the lighthouse will beopen to the public. Free. For moreinfo, call 883-3123.

Spring Suds Silent AuctionAt Sunrise Presbyterian onSullivan's Island from 12 to 3 p.m.See page 15 for details.

Wilderness First AidThis intensive 2-day hands-oncertication, taught by WildernessMedical Associates at James IslandCounty Park, covers how to dealwith medical emergencies in thewilderness, at summer camp, or onthe trail. Pre-registration required.May 14-8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Course #24582. Fee: $220.

IOP Garden Club AnnualPlant & Garage SaleThere will be a nice selectionif island plants, some of whichwill be donated by A PleasantLandscape, Isle of Palms; HiddenPonds Nursery of Awendaw;Sweetgrass Ace Hardware,Coleman Blvd.; and others. Goodselection of house whole items willbe in the garage sale. 2870 IonAve, Sullivans Island, 8 a.m. untilnoon. No early birds, please. Raindate is May 21.

IOPNA Adopt a Highway CleanupThe Isle of Palms NeighborhoodAssociation welcomes Isle ofPalms residents to join them for amorning of tidying up around ourbeautiful island. Volunteers willmeet in front of the Red and Whiteat 8 a.m.

Sunday, May 15

Special Guest Musicians atSullivans Island Baptist ChurchSullivans Island Baptist Church(1753 Central Avenue) will featureguest musicians John Oden of the

Charleston Jazz Orchestra, alongwith Gerry Pace and Ed Stiltz attheir 11a.m. worship service. All arewelcome to attend! For more info,visit www.sibc.us or call 883-3601.Local Sea Kayak Trips: Roundthe Horn of James IslandThis hardy adventure launchesonto the Stono River from BatteryIsland landing. Well ride the tideout to the horn of James Island,round it at slack tide, and ride theincoming tide up the Folly River.Be prepared for a 7 to 9 milepaddle. Pre-registration required.10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Course # 24666.Fee: $60. 795-4386 or ccprc.com.

tueSday, May 17

Thai Tuesdays at AtlanticvilleThai Tuesdays featureAlgarRhythms with Jim & WhittAlgar from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. withmusic covering a wide spectrumof styles and genres - from Elvis

to Eric Clapton to Johnny Cashand more. 2063 Middle Street,Sullivans Island. For more info,call 883-9452 or visit www.atlanticville.net.

Be a Friend of the Library!Meet members of the CharlestonCounty Friends of the Library(CCFL) and learn how thisvolunteer, non-prot group ismaking a difference at your locallibrary. CCFL will be at the PoeLibrary on Sullivans Island (1921Ion Ave.) from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.For more info, call 883-3914.

WedneSday, May 18

College Day at the Climbing WallCome check out the climbingwall every Wednesday and enjoya special student discountwith a valid college ID. No Pre-registration required. 12 p.m.to 7p.m. at James Island County Park.Fee: $10. Call 795-4386 or visitwww.ccprc.com for more info.

thurSday, May 19

Yappy Hour at the Dog Park!Dog lovers, after a long day atwork, pick up your pooch and joinus for Yappy Hour at the JamesIsland County Park Dog Park from4 to 7 p.m. with live music byCharleston's own Unkle Funkle.Beverages will be available forpurchase. Free with $1 parkadmission. For more info, call 795-4386 or visit www.ccprc.com.

Master Naturalist SamplerWe now offer half-day sessionswhere you can spend timeoutdoors with Keith McCullough,CCPRC naturalist. 9 a.m. to 12noon at Lighthouse Inlet HeritagePreserve. Course # 24813. Fee:$12. Call 795-4386 for more info,or visit www.ccprc.com.

Friday, May 20

White Gallery Grand Opening

Drop by the White Gallery onSullivan's Island for the grandopening of their brand new exhibitfeaturing works by Andy Warhol,Don ZanFagna, Donald Sultan,Jim Dine, Helen Frankenthaler,Keith Haring, Robert Indiania,Robert Motherwell, RobertRauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein,Takashi Murakami, and TomWesselmann. 6 to 10 p.m.2214 Middle Street. For moreinfo, call 882-8005 or www.whitegalleryneart.com.

Saturday, May 21

Armed Forces DayA day to recognize, venerate, andhonor our military forces.

Sippin Saturdays at Irvin-HouseVineyardsDrop by Irvin-House Vineyards andthe Firey Distillery on WadmalawIsland for an afternoon of sweettunes, local food, and Irvin-Housemuscadine wine every Saturdaythrough the end of May. 1 to 5

p.m. Music by Kristi Starr andGary Hewitt, and food from JacksCosmic Dogs. 6775 Bears BluffRoad, Wadmalaw Island. 559-6867or www.charlestonwine.com.Jump in the ParkAt Palmetto Islands County Parkin Mount Pleasant, children ages12 and under can enjoy unlimitedaccess to jump castles, inatableequipment and other attractionswith the purchase of a $5wristband. For more info, call 795-4386. or visit www.ccprc.com. 11a.m. to 3 p.m. Age: 3-12. Fee: $5.

Shaggin on the CooperDance the night away under thestars at the Mount Pleasant Pierwhile enjoying live classic oldiesand beach music performed by TheCoastrunner Band. 800 tickets willbe sold for this event. Advancepurchase is recommended. 7 to 11p.m. Call 795-4386 for more info.Tickets are $10.

Sunday, May 22

3rd Annual Charleston Yacht AffairYour admission allows you to toursome of the East Coasts mostexclusive yachts, sample the localcuisine from top chefs, enjoy a liveband and open bar, and participatein a silent auction. From 5:30 to9 p.m. on the MegaDock at TheCity Marina . Tickets are $85 forindividuals or $160 for two. VisitCharlestonYachtAffair.org or 740-6793.

Fishing on the Cooper: SpringFishing KickoffJoin a local sherman as heshares his secrets for springtimesuccess. This program is free andthe daily shing fee is waived forall participants. 1 to 2 p.m. at theMount Pleasant Pier. Course #24604. Age: 3 & up. For more info,call 795-4386 or visit ccprc.com.

tueSday, May 24

Thai Tuesdays at AtlanticvilleSee Tuesday, May 17.

WedneSday, May 25

Crabpot Players presents Peter PanStarting at 7 p.m. every nightfrom May 25 to May 28, enjoythe Crabpot Players performanceof Peter Pan at the Isle of PalmsRecreation Center (28th Ave).Seating is limited and tickets are $5.For advance tickets, call 886-8294.

Friday, May 27

Tea in St. Josephs GardenThe Daughters of St. Paul willagain host complimentary tea in

their garden at the back of PauBooks and Media Center, 243 KSt., Charleston this Friday, Ma- Saturday, June 11 (closed onSundays), 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Surf SeiningGain a new perspective oncreatures of the surf zone at Isof Palms County Park. Anchovpompano, stingray, crab, and ea squid have shown up in o ur 5 to 6 p.m. Course # 24798. A6 & up Fee: $8. For more info, 795-4386 or visit www.ccprc.c

May 27May 14 Island Eye Calendar


13/23

14 May 13, 2011


The stimulus for the plan came

partly from the State of South

Carolinas inclusion in the Gullah-Geechee Corridor established

from Wilmington, North Carolina,

along the Atlantic Coast to

Jacksonville, Florida. Until now,

the primary focus of the centerwas the history of Fort Moultrie,

only.

That same night, when the ParkService and the Gullah-Geecheestaff asked for questions, I raised

my hand. I want to know where

slaves experienced their rst

footfall when they left the ships

hold in chains and were pushed

down the gangplank onto theisland? Where would their bare

feet have touched for the rst

time?

A young park ranger explained

that the Middle Passage ended inthe marsh and muddy earth at

the grassy plot of land near where

we were seated. He said, The

ships would not have docked atthe edge of the waves in front ofthe fort or at low tide in the sand

in front of the fort facing the

Atlantic Ocean. Therefore, the

calm of the water on the backside

of the island was more suitable forthe journeys end. I nodded my

head, realizing the logic of his

statement. Another park ranger

added that some records showedthat the slave ships could have

anchored and off-loaded their

human cargo into smaller boats

to be taken to the few pest houseson Sullivans Island, where they

remained until they recovered

from the maladies they suffered

from the long voyage and wereable to be sold at the slave mart

in Charleston.

I stirred from my thoughts. It was time for Toni Morrison to

speak to the crowd. She was

escorted to the front of the tent

where she settled her paperson the lectern, looked at her

audience and began to tell us

of the societys vision; a project

called The Bench by the Road. It

was my rst introduction to TheBench.

The name Bench by the Road

is taken from Morrisons remarks

made in a 1989 interview with

World Magazine. In a verydetermined voice, she shared her

remarks with our audience. Shespoke of the absences of historical

markers that help remember

the lives of Africans that wereenslaved and how her fth

novel, Beloved, served to ll this

symbolic role. When she spoke,

she quoted from the novel:

There is no place you or

I can go to think about ornot think about, to summon

the presence, or recollect the

absences of slaves . . .There is

no suitable memorial, or plaque,

or skyscraper lobby. Theres

no 300-foot tower, theres nobench by the road. There is not

even a tree scored, an initial

that I can visit or you can visit

in Charleston or Savannahor New York or Providence or

better still, on the banks of theMississippi. And because such

a place doesnt exist, the book

[Beloved] had to . . .It was a speech that continued

to draw emotion from the

listeners. As she nished,

escorts opened the ten aps

behind the podium and Toni

Morrison moved from the tentsshade into the afternoon light of

Sullivans Island. She leaned on

an outstretched hand and walked

carefully to a beautiful six-foot

long bench, forged in black steeland facing the green marsh on the

backside of the island. A bronzeplaque was already attached.

The crowd that followed her

was quiet as we watched her lifther skirts and sit down, xing her

eyes on the water on the far side

of the marsh. She sat there for a

long time.

Toni Morrison set her gaze

on the rst footfall. Here was

the answer to my question, and Jonathan Green had painted a

picture of the answer. He must

have visited the site weeks ago to

study the view before the authors

arrival in Charleston.And then we all stepped

toward the rst footfall.

I said to myself, this is

Sullivans Island! and this is the

First Bench, the rst bench placed

anywhere by the society. Whywas it the rst bench? Because

Sullivans Island and Charleston

harbor were the entry points for

close to half of the captive Africansshipped to North America. The

exact number cannot be known,

but historians estimate that slave

ships brought between 200,000and 360,000 men, women and

children into Charleston Harbor

from Sullivans Island until the

slave trade was abolished in1808, according to the National

Park Service. Even then, the slavetrade continued in secret.

The Society plans to marktwenty other sites signicant in

Morrisons novel and our public

memory.I invite you to sit on the First

Bench where Toni Morrison sat

and remembered. I visited the

bench yesterday and it is quite

immovable.

Backyardcontinued from page 8


14/23

15May 13, 2011


O

ne year ago this month, Youth MinisterGrey Tolley started work at SullivansIslands Sunrise Presbyterian, and

since then the youth program has grown byleaps and bounds not only in size, but inactivities and outreach, as well

Being new to the scene I found it importantto get the youths opinions and ideas aboutthe current youth ministry program, saidGrey. To do this, he went around and askedthe youth group members, What type ofactivities and projects would you like to seedone in this ministry?

The response was overwhelming; they wanted to get more involved with serviceopportunities and mission projects.Brainstorming sessions led to ideas aboutgetting with groups such as Crisis Ministries,Hands of Christ, Heifer International,

sending care packages overseas and goingon different mission trips. While these wereall great ideas, the snag was going to be howto fund all of these projects. According tothe youth group, two of their most popularfundraisers in the past have been car washesand auctions, and while the youth group hasheld several of both in the past, Grey cameup with an idea to not only bring in moretrafc, but to make the event more fun, as

well.During past car washes, they [the youth

group volunteers] had the problem thatcars would get backed up, causing themto rush through the cars they were already

washing, said Grey. One youth said theyhad seen someone leave with soap still ontheir vehicles tail end, so I took all thefeedback I had received and thought, Whynot put the idea of a car wash and silentauction together, giving our patrons moreoptions of things to do to make the waitingprocess more enjoyable and to help ease thechaos of a long car wash line?

After bouncing the idea off of the parentsof several youth group members, ideasstarted to y and soon, the creative minds

of the youth and parents came up with a

community event that all ages can enjoy. This Saturday, May 14, Sunrise

Presbyterian will be hosting a Super Spring

Suds Silent Auction event which will featurea car wash, silent auction, jump castle, cake

walk, face painting, yard games, music, anda hotdog lunch combo that is pleasing toboth the wallet and the stomach. There willeven be an activity called Pie the Preacher

where, for a 30 minute block of time, you canpay to throw a whip cream pie at our pastor,Vance Polley. So stop on by this Saturday,May 14, for suds, sustenance and some goodold fashioned fun at Sunrise Presbyterian!

Youth fundraisers are awesome opportunitiesto build a sense of community. At SunrisePresbyterian, the youths basic goal is to helpthose in need. The youth are excited to taketheir fundraising efforts to a bigger level in thehopes that it will create more opportunities forthem to help those in their own community, aswell as those in other communities in need. Formore information, call Sunrise Presbyterian at

883-3888. Sunrise Presbyterian is located onSullivans Island at Breach Inlet, 3222 MiddleStreet.

Swing by for the Spring Suds Silent AuctionA SUPER CAR WASH/AUCTION/FAMILY FUN DAY FUNDRAISER

AT SUNRISE PRESBYTERIAN THIS SAT., MAY 14

Spring Suds Silent Auction

Saturday, May 14

12 to 3 p.m.

Car Wash: will be open from12 3 p.m., with car washesgoing for $5, and SUV washesgoing for $7. All patrons whopurchase a car wash will beentered into a contest to wina special automobile incentivebasket!

Hot Dog Lunch Combo: only$3.50 for a hotdog, chips, anda drink. Additional hotdogsmay be purchased for $1.25each, and complimentaryfamily activities include a jumpcastle, cake walk, face painting,oversized bowling, classic yardgames, music and more

Silent Auction: from12 - 2 p.m. bid on severalincredible items, including a

four-bedroom house on Isleof Palms for three nights, anight at Charleston Place withcomplimentary breakfast, a golfpackage for four at Wild DunesResort, a number of Charlestonactivities, and services providedby our Sunrise Youth such asbabysitting, yard work, andhousehold chores! Winners willbe announced at 2:00 p.m.

Pie the Preacher: from 12:30- 1 p.m. One throw: $3, twothrows: $5. Have the chance tothrow a whip cream pie at ourawesome pastor, Vance Polley!

BY KRISTIN HACKLER

(above) The youth group enjoys throwing

fundraising events to help support their community.(below) The Sunrise Presbyterian Youth Group.


15/23

16 May 13, 2011

Team Energy, LLC, wants to know: Are you the Biggest EnergyLoser on the Sea Islands? Lucky Dog Publishing, along with

Team Energy, is encouraging readers to participate in a contestto win a free energy audit and post-improvement energy audit,compliments of Ace Preferred Inspections. This prize package is

worth up to $8,500! Second and third place winners will receive afree energy audit.

In order to win, send an email to [email protected] with the following information:

1. the amount of your power bill (kwh for electricity & therms forgas) for February, March and April, 2011.

2. the square footage of your home (the home must be a minimumof 2,000 square feet to enter)

3. a 250 word description of why you should win.

Applications will be accepted until May 29, 2011.

Decisions of the judges are nal and binding. In the event there are not

enough eligible entries, not all prizes will be awarded. If a winner is not able, for

whatever reason, to accept his or her prize, then Team Energy reserves the right

to award the prize to another homeowner. The winning homeowners will have60 days to redeem their prize and initiate energy improvements to their home.

The winner must also be willing to appear in all marketing materials related tothe promotion including, but not limited to, Lucky Dog Publishing Newspapers

and Team Energys website and Facebook page. Friends and family of TeamEnergy members and Lucky Dog Publishing staff members are not eligible for

this promotion.

Are you the

Biggest

Energy Loser?WIN $8500 IN ENERGY EFFICIENCY

IMPROVEMENTS TO YOUR HOME!

recipients look forward to thesegourmet meals every month.

For the month of April, theMeals on Wheels team wasthrilled to welcome 300 freshlyprepared meals from ExecutiveBanquet Chef James Boheim ofWild Dunes Resort.

Their whole staff came out!Vega noted happily. Often the

restaurant can only afford to senda chef and a couple helpers, butthe whole kitchen staff came outand not only delivered the foodto our prep room, they helpedpackage it, as well.

While many of the mealrecipients live in Mount Pleasant,Cainhoy and Wando, there areseveral needy residents who liveon Daniel Island, Isle of Palmsand Sullivans Island, as well.

The program is need-based,Vega explained. There is neverany charge and there is no waitinglist or income threshold. If youare a senior who cant cook for

yourself or order food, or if youare homebound and not able toprepare meals for yourself, then

you are eligible to be a part of theprogram. Of the approximately260 daily meal recipients,

however, most of the recipientsare 65 years of age or older, and75% are either at or below thepoverty line.

One of the great parts aboutthis program is the personaltouch, said Vega. A lot of thetimes, our delivery drivers are theonly other people our recipientssee in a day. So theyre not onlyable to drop off their meal, theyalso just check in with them and

make sure theyre doing okay.East Cooper Meals on Wheels

is always looking for volunteersto help with packaging food anddelivering it, but even if youarent able to dedicate the time tovolunteering, ECMOW is alwaysin need of canned good donationsto help stock the pantries of needyrecipients. Organizations suchas local churches and Boy Scouttroops will often hold canned fooddrives, and this coming June,the Town of Mount Pleasant

will be encouraging residents toleave canned food donations outto be picked up by the TownsSanitation Department.

Were looking forward to theexperience, smiled Vega.

For more information about EastCooper Meals on Wheels and how

you can donateyour time, food orsupport monetarily,visit www.ecmow.org or call theirmain ofce at 881-9350. East CooperMeals on Wheelsis located at 2304Hwy 17 N. in MountPleasant.

Mealsfrom page 10

Volunteers from Wild Dunes Resort help East Cooper Meals on Wheels bypreparing 300 meals for that day's delivery.

(left) A volunteer

helps seal meals for

sanitation and later

reheating.


16/23

New York Times bestsellingauthor and Isle of Palmsresident, Mary Alice

Monroe, is known for craftingunforgettable stories thatconnect the human experienceto nature.

Her new novel, The Butterys

Daughter, hit stores nationwidethis past Tuesday, May 3, andtells the tale of a transformational

journey involving four womenwho chase monarchs, myths andlove across the United States toMexico.

The release of The ButterysDaughter at Wild Dunes on

Tuesday kicked off a ve week,26-city tour where Monroe willcarry out a mission to distribute10,000 milkweed seeds to readersto save the monarch buttery, aphenomenal migratory species

whose population has beendecimated by both human

actions and forces of nature.Milkweed is the only food sourcefor monarch caterpillars.

Its more than a book tour forme, said Monroe, its a personalmission to save the monarchs. Ihope my readers will take awayfrom The Butterys Daughterthe knowledge that anyone cansave the monarchs in their ownback yard. The idea is that

planting a milkweed seed makesa difference.

The Butterys Daughteris Monroes thirteenth novel.Monroe is a passionateconservationist who uses herstorytelling talent to explore avariety of nature issues, such

as the disappearing coastalshrimping industry (Last Lightover Carolina), the rivers andmountains in North Carolina(Time is a River), the endangeredsea turtles (The Beach House,Swimming Lessons), and now,the vanishing population of themonarch buttery.

PHOTO BY BARBARABERGWERF

Monroes milkweed missionby Angela May

Several passionate Monroe book fans

gathered at the Wild Dunes Resort this

past Tuesday, May 3, to help kick off the

famous local novelists ve week book tour.


17/23

The 2011 Piccolo

Spoleto Sand Sculpting

Competition will take place

on Saturday, May 28, on the

Front Beach of Isle of Palms.

Competitors can enter in the

following divisions: Children

(ages 14 and under), Young

Adult (ages 15-20), Family (at

least one adult and one child)

and Adult (ages 21 and older).

The competition begins at 9 a.m.

This is a free event. Individual

and Team entries are permitted,

and teams are limited to four

people. The frst 200 participants

to register are guaranteed a free

t-shirt, with sizes subject to

availability. Registration the day

of the event will begin at 8:30

a.m. or register at the Isle of

Palms Recreation Department.

Please visit the Isle of Palms

Recreation Department for the

2011 registration form, or call

886-8294 for more information.

Piccolo Sand Sculptingreturns to Isle of Palms

COMPETITION TAKES PLACE SATURDAY, MAY 28

Winners from last year's sand sculpting competition.


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20 May 13, 2011

Kids, send your guess for this weeks EyeSpy to: [email protected]

or call 886-NEWS. Please include your

mailing address with your submission.

Do you know what this is?

Lauren Medich guessed our last Eye Spy! It was The station marker at28 1/2. The rst person to send in the correct answer for this issue'sEye Spy will receive a coupon for a free ice cream at Caf Medley on

Sullivan's Island.

Eye Spy

If you were visiting Fort Moultrie this past Saturday, May 1, and found yourself a

little parched, you were in luck. Sul livans Island residents Cannon and Coby Cook

took the opportunity of a beautiful day and a high volume of vi sitors to offer their

homemade lemonade for sale. And to encourage sales, the boys brought along their

guitars and played a few tunes for passersby. Hopefully, if sales were as good as

they appeared to be, the boys will be back in the future to offer more of their tuneful

and lemony - refreshments.

Spring refreshments

PHOTOBYLEOFETTER

The Isle of Palms RecreationDepartment, in conjunction

with the Crabpot Players, will present the play Peter Panthis May 25 through 28 at theRecreation Center on 28thAvenue, Isle of Palms. Curtainsopen at 7 p.m. and doors openat 6:30 p.m. As always, ticketsare only $5 and children undersix are admitted for free, but get

them fast! Shows tend to sell outwell in advance of opening day.All ticket sales benet the City ofIsle of Palms. Call 886-8294 formore information.

Peter Pan is directed by JimmyWard with Olivia Lodge and TrishPerrine as assistant directors.Lighting and sound designare by Collin Buckhannon,

Ryan Buckhannon and DanielPrentice. Set design by DaveMelsopp, assisted by GabrielleWolfe, Cathie DiNicola and LesaLivingston. Lighting and soundequipment, royalties, scripts,costumes, props, sets and setconstruction are provided by theCrabpot Players.

The cast of over thirty actorsinclude Colton Lodge (Peter Pan),

Allison Cherry (Wendy Darling),Ally MacDonald (Mrs Darling),Conner Sheets (Mr Darling), WinnFabrizo (John Darling), CameronSheets (Michael Darling), Ed

Jones (Captain Hook), AbbyEdwards (Smee), Olivia Lodge(Tiger Lily) and Caitlyn Miller asthe storyteller.

PHOTOSBYMICSMITHPHOTOGRAPHY,LLC.

Peter Pan ies into

Isle of PalmsOPENING NIGHT WEDNESDAY, MAY 25

The full cast of Crabpot Players' Peter Pan, opening May 25.


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21May 13, 2011


Breach Inlet Tide Chart

4:22am/5:12pm

5:23am/6:11pm

6:22am/7:07pm

7:18am/8:01pm

8:13am/8:54pm

9:06am/9:45pm

9:59am/10:36pm

10:50am/11:26pm

11:43am12:16am/12:35pm

1:06am/1:28pm

1:55am/2:22pm

2:45am/3:15pm

3:35am/4:06pm

10:40am/11:23pm

11:36am

12:23am/12:30pm

1:20am/1:23pm

2:13am/2:15pm

3:05am/3:06pm

3:56am/3:56pm

4:46am/4:47pm

5:36am/5:38pm6:25am/6:31pm

7:14am/7:26pm

8:03am/8:24pm

8:51am/9:22pm

9:38am/10:18pm

Date High Tide Low Tide

Hurricanes, storms etc., are NOT included in thepredictions. Tidal current direction changes and tide timepredictions can be very different. Tide predictions arePREDICTIONS; they can be wrong so use common sense.

Source: www.saltwatertides.com

May 13

May 14

May 15

May 16

May 17

May 18

May 19

May 20

May 21May 22

May 23

May 24

May 25

May 26

Green is somewhat of an

oxymoron when talking

about computer parts,

but you can do lots of things to

help with the end products once

they are no longer useful. The

best thing to do is to have themre-used by professionals.

One way to be green with

your old computer is to have a

professional (such as myself)

begin by removing all your

information from the hard

drive and formatting it so no

one can get to your personal

information. Once this has

been accomplished, the

desktop or laptop can either

be donated to Goodwill or a

similar organization. Look for

a place which states that it will

dispose of the materials in a

green or earth-friendly manner.

Professionals will often take a

certain amount of waste to be

re-used. Many internal pieces

of computers are outdated and

are not reusable in a product

that could be sold, but can be

used for training purposes,donations, etc.

The biggest problem with

discarded computers is what

happens to the ones that are

shipped overseas to other

countries. These places

often have lax environmental

standards, and the machines

are usually broken down for

silver and other precious metals

with no protection for either the

people or the environment.

I hope this helps you with your

decision on what to do with your

computer when it comes to the

end of its life.

I look forward to hearing your

questions and helping you out.

Computer-related questions can

be emailed to [email protected].

I will respond with answers here

in this column or personally. I

aim to provide helpful information

for your computer ailments from

meltdowns to simple one button

questions. If you need immediate

assistance, you can always call

me, Rent A Bob at 822-7794.

Repurpose your computerBY BOB HOOPER, A.K.A RENT-A-BOB

Its National Bike Month:

are you and your bicycle ready?BY MEREDITH NELSON, M.ED

With gas prices

approaching close to

all-time highs, why

shouldnt you be looking for a

fuel-efcient alternative to yourautomobile? We spend more

hours now stuck in trafc than

ever before, and the cost is

evident in lost job productivity.

According to the latest census,

less than percent of Americans

commute to school or work by

bicycle. If we could increase

that to even 1 percent, we

would save millions of gallons

of oil every year. Thats why

its more important than ever

to take advantage of National

Bike Month, which is being

held throughout the month of

May. In fact, Sullivans Islandis holding its own Bike-to-Work

day this May 20 (see below for

more details).

The idea of riding your bike

to work daily may not be very

appealing, but for many who

have made the switch to two

wheels, it has become a regular

habit. After all, 54 percent of

commuters live within a 10-

mile radius of where they work,

a manageable distance for even

recreational riders. Given the

fact that more than 80 percent

of Americans do not get the

recommended thirty minutesof daily activity, commuting to

work on your bicycle can help

get in your daily requirement

of exercise, and bicycling is

a great form of low-impact

aerobic activity. Studies have

shown that bicycling can burn

approximately 143 calories at

a leisurely pace of 10 mph in

just 30 minutes. Pedaling at 12-

14 mph can burn 286 calories

in those same 30 minutes, and

with more effort at 16 to19 mph,

you can burn 429 calories in

that same time! You have to

get to work anyway why notmake it a healthy, multi-tasking

workout session?

The rst step, of course, is

to nd the right bike. We are

fortunate to have a host of

specialty cycling stores in our

vicinity. Check out TrySports in

Town Center, Easy Rider Bikes

on Anna Knapp Blvd, the Bicycle

Shoppe on 17N, Mikes Bikes

on Coleman, the TREK Bicycle

Store at Oakland, and the

Charleston Bicycle Company on

17S. A new bicycle doesnt have

to cost thousands of dollars, but

you can expect to pay at least afew hundred for a good quality

ride.

Along with your new bicycle,

you will need to purchase a

helmet. As someone who has

fallen more than once - and

experienced stitches in the

head, I can personally vouch

for the importance of riding

with a helmet, even if you

are just tooling around the

neighborhood.

If you do plan to do some

regular riding, you will want to

invest in special shoes, gloves,

and gear, and dont forget a water bottle and bottle cage. If

you will be riding early in the

morning or at dusk or later,

you will need to equip your bike

with a headlight, along with

rear, pedal, and side reectors.

A computer afxed to your bike

can keep track of your time,

distance, and speed.

Continued on page 22


21/23

Get to know your trafc rules. Bicyclists

must adhere to the same rules of the road as

automobiles (we also have the same rights!).

We must stop at stop signs and stop lights,

and we must obey the speed limit. We

should ride in the bike lane when there is

one available, and carefully in the lane of

trafc when there is no bike lane. It is not

a safe practice to ride with headphones on.

Of course, if you are like me and do not

have a bicycle-friendly route to work (I gofrom one island to another, which could

be done if bikes were allowed on I-526!),

commuting to and from work on two

wheels may not be an option. Consider,

instead, traveling by bike to run errands

close to your home. Its easy enough to

carry a backpack and go from one stop to

another in the evening after work or on the

weekend. After all, more than 40 percent

of all trips in this country are less than two

miles and could easily be made by bicycle

if not on foot!

So this month, instead of driving or taking

the golf cart anywhere, I ask you to take a

more challenging route. Put some thought

into what you are doing, plan ahead for that

extra time and think about what you will

need to pack. And ride your bike! Not only

is it social, healthy and fun, its a bonding

experience which not only saves gas, it also

helps save the planet.

And if youre looking for a little

encouragement, look no further than the

Sullivans Island Bike Committee. The SIBC

is in the process of designating the island

as a Bike-Friendly Community through

the League of American Bicyclists, and to

help promote National Bike Month, they will

be hosting a Bike-To-Work ride on May 20.

Everyone is welcome to join in! Just meet

up with the SIBC in front of Caf Medley

(2213 Middle St.) on Sullivans Island at

7:30 a.m. and a mentor will instruct

you on the best way to bike to work, or

you can join in a group ride around theislands.

For those with school children at

Sullivans Island Elementary, a separate

Bike-to-School ride will leave from Caf

Medley a little before 7 a.m.

Future SIBC events include a Bicycle

Scavenger Hunt and Bicycle Safety

Rodeo, the dates of which will be

announced soon. For more info or to post

a picture of you and your family taking

advantage of National Bike Month, go to

the PrimeTime Fitness Facebook page

or the SIBC Facebook page. For more

info on the SIBC, email bikesullivans@

yahoo.com

Meredith Nelson, M.Ed, is the ownerof PrimeTime Fitness, Inc, on Sullivans

Island. Offering group tness classes,

PrimeTime Spin, private yoga, personal

training, and monthly gym membership,

Meredith divides her time between the

gym on Sullivans Island and limited in-

home training on Daniel Island, where

she resides along with her husband, two

cats, and Huckleberry the squirrel. Meredith

can be reached with your tness questions at

883-0101, or [email protected]. If

you have any suggestions for the Charleston

Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee,

please feel free to contact Meredith.

22 May 13, 2011


Continued from page 21


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24 May 13, 2011

Although loggerhead sea

turtles do not begin to

lay their eggs on the Isle

of Palms and Sullivans Island

until the latter part of May, they

do begin to arrive in our area as

the ocean water begins to warm

for the spring. This April, wehad three sub-adult, or juvenile,

loggerhead turtles strand.

Our rst turtle washed up

near Station 12 on Sullivans

Island on April 20 with a fatal

wound on the left side of its

upper shell. This juvenile turtle

may have had a collision with a

boat. It was buried on the beach

by the Sullivans Island Fire &

Rescue Squad.

The second stranding occurred

on Easter Sunday near Breach

Inlet on the Isle of Palms. Like

the rst one, it was also dead

and appeared to have been

chronically ill with no apparent

wounds. The Isle of Palms Police

Department buried this turtle on

the beach.

On April 25, a turtle washed

ashore about 100 yards south of

the Sea Cabins pier on the Isle

of Palms. Although it was very ill

and lethargic, it was still alive. It

weighed 79 pounds, and its shell

measured 28 inches. DuBose

Grifn, SCDNR Sea Turtle

Coordinator for South Carolina,

carried it to the SC Aquarium Sea

Turtle Hospital for treatment.

The heavy load of barnacles on

its shell indicated that it hadbeen oating passively for some

time. The gooseneck species of

barnacles showed that it was in

offshore water, probably being

carried with the Gulf Stream.

According to Kelly Thorvalson,

Manager of the sea turtle hospital,

this turtle had the heaviest crust

of barnacles ever seen on a

turtle admitted at their facility.

In addition to being severely

dehydrated and emaciated, it

had an extremely slow heart rate

of only seven beats per minute.

However, its concentration of red

blood cells was surprisingly close

to normal. Treatments included

oxygen, uid therapy, vitamins,

and antibiotic injections. After 24

hours of treatment, the turtles

heart rate had risen to 24 beats

per minute and its breathing

was stronger. The prognosis

is guarded, but this turtle was

named Jammer because it

stranded near the Windjammer.

Please be on the lookout for

stranded sea turtles and call the

Isle of Palms Police dispatcher at

886-6522 or Mary Pringle at 697-

8733, Bev Ballow at 696-6422,

or Barb Bergwerf at 693-4418 if

you see one on the beach. If it is

marked with orange paint, it has

already been documented and

is awaiting burial. Remember,

Beachfront Lights Out for Turtles

from May 1 until October 31!

The sea turtles are here!BY MARY PRINGLE

Jammer the Turtle was rescued near the Windjammer on April 25.

Island Eye News - May 13, 2011

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Transcript of Island Eye News - May 13, 2011