Mayor Drew Laughlin's Monthly Letter to Residents

As seen in Celebrate Hilton Head Magazine 

New Projects, New Opportunities

December 2014

I would like to update you on several exciting Town projects that are underway or have recently been completed.

We are very proud to open, this month, a beautiful new park on Skull Creek that provides water access for non-motorized water craft (kayaks, rowing, sailing, paddle boarding, wind surfing, etc.), as well as fishing and crabbing. The Rowing and Sailing Center at Squire Pope Community Park, located on the site of the old seafood co-op at 133 Squire Pope Road, cost just under $1.2 million to construct. This park includes parking areas, restrooms, a picnic pavilion, playground, fire pit, swings, benches, and two fenced, gravel storage areas, along with a fixed timber pier, aluminum gangway, and floating dock. You may contact the Island Recreation Center for information on the water craft programs they will run out of this facility. 

Another beautiful waterfront park opening this winter is the new Shelter Cove Community Park.  It replaces the former park and will contain the same amenities and Lowcountry style, but with an added performance pavilion. This project is being funded and constructed by the mall developer as part of a development agreement.

As part of our ever-expanding pathway network, we have recently completed construction of two new pathways along Pembroke and Gardner Drives. This adds another mile and a half of pathways which connect several mid-island residential and commercial developments to the Leg O Mutton Road and William Hilton Parkway pathways. In January, construction will begin on a new pathway along eastbound William Hilton Parkway (US 278 Business), from the new traffic signal at Leamington to Shelter Cove Lane. It will connect to a new pathway in front of the mall that was privately funded and constructed as part of a development agreement, totaling another mile and a half of new pathways to be finished this spring.

We have just rehabilitated six town roads (Oak Park Drive, Electric Avenue, Mingo Way, Cooperative Way, Thompson Street, and Power Alley) in the Mathews Drive, Chaplin area to provide proper pavement and drainage infrastructure as well as much needed on-street parking. In January, we will begin construction of a new roundabout at the intersection of Mathews Drive and Marshland Road, a project designed to enhance traffic conveyance and public safety. Both of these projects are funded with Tax Increment Financing (TIF), a very rewarding program that allows the Town to take tax money that may have been spent elsewhere in the county and devote it to providing new and enhanced infrastructure within the TIF district here on Hilton Head Island. 

Election Day Update

Via the AP 

Beaufort voters approve land preservation money

Beaufort County voters have approved plans to borrow $20 million for land preservation, including raising funds to buy or arrange conservation agreements on environmentally sensitive property.

More than 73 percent of voters supported the idea. Beaufort County voters have authorized more than $130 million for the land preservation effort over the last 15 years.

Officials say the latest borrowing will add about $10 to the property tax bill for those who own a $250,000 home.

The Rural and Critical Lands Program has spent more than $105 million since 1998. They have purchased more than 11,000 acres of land to prevent development. Another $52 million has been spent to arrange agreements with landowners who promise they will not develop another 11,000 acres.

The Beaufort County Open Land Trust manages the program and has identified about $57 million in property it wants to preserve.

Via WTOC 

HHI Mayoral race goes to runoff

The Hilto Head mayor's race will involve a runoff election.

There were five candidates in the race, so many people expected the runoff to happen. Even the incumbent mayor said he wasn't surprised by the results.

Almost 40,000 voters in Beaufort County came out to the polls and casted their ballots on Tuesday. Election officials said that's the best turnout for a Mid-Term Election. Eighty-one of 92 precincts in Beaufort County have been completely counted.

If neither of the Hilton Head mayoral candidates get 50 percent plus one vote of the votes after all the votes are counted, then it will go to a runoff between David Bennett and incumbent Mayor Drew Laughlin.

Laughlin and his team are already prepping for the election in two weeks.

“Largely, get out and vote,” Laughlin said. “We have to make sure we get our people back to the polls again. It means we're just going to have to work hard for another two weeks. I'm happy to see the folks out here. We had a lot of folks that work very hard, which is very gratifying and we just have to keep doing that.”

Mayor Drew Laughlin's November Letter to Residents and Visitors

Mayor Laughlin's November 2014 Article as seen in Celebrate Hilton Head can be found here:

http://www.hiltonheadislandsc.gov/council/mayorart.cfm

Hilton Head Mayor Laughlin's October 2014 Article as seen in Celebrate Hilton Head Magazine

You may also view the article at the link below.

http://www.hiltonheadislandsc.gov/council/mayorart.cfm

Telecommunication Improvements on the Island

Prior to my election as mayor, many expressed having difficulty making cell phone calls from inside their homes or having to go outside to get a signal. Increasingly, residents and visitors resorted to driveways and decks to make and receive cellular calls. The number of complaints at the front desks of the island’s major hotels and conference centers were increasingly related to the lack of cell phone coverage.

Previous town councils strictly limited cell towers because of their appearance; but smartphones and tablets became mainstream, and we had to change our approach. Residents and visitors demanded to be plugged in. Town Council identified the quality of telecommunications as one of its primary priorities and with council's support, a citizen created and led a telecommunications taskforce focused on this issue. We worked with this group to form cooperative relationships with decision makers of cell phone companies such as AT&T, Verizon and with others in the telecommunications industry and to promote improvements in service. The companies informed us that our permitting took too long and our setback requirements were sometimes so large that sites could not even be located.

These standards were appropriate when they were put into place. At that time, the design of towers could have been much more intrusive than the single monopole style used now. Towers were often more like 200-300 feet tall and made of lattice steel structures or with guyed wires stretching hundreds of feet out to each side of a tower as an anchor, all with very large equipment at the base enclosed by a cyclone fence. Tower designs and engineering have improved. Now, towers can safely be designed to be disguised like trees or steeples, even palm trees. Therefore, we decided to make expedited LMO amendments, first, to address the critical issues. Recently, we made changes with the LMO rewrite that better facilitate the installation of new infrastructure that is needed to have quality service here. We have also continued work with the telecommunications taskforce to raise awareness of this issue and to promote investment in the island’s infrastructure with these companies.

Since that time, major carriers have installed over a dozen new wireless sites as well as major network upgrades. Investments by AT&T and Verizon alone, who serve over 80 percent of the wireless calls on Hilton Head Island, have totaled over $10 Million and included support for island-wide LTE coverage. This is just a drop in the bucket for what will be needed moving forward as the number of smartphones and devices increases and technology will inevitably change. We will change with the demands, so that you don’t have to resort to driveways and decks.

Candidates for Hilton Head Mayor to Debate

Mark your calendars. According to the Island Packet, The League of Women Voters of Hilton Head Island/Bluffton Area is hosting a forum for Hilton Head mayoral candidates at 4 p.m. Oct. 8.

Five candidates have filed for the nonpartisan position and have accepted the invitation to participate in the forum, according to the league.

The candidates are incumbent Drew Laughlin and challengers David Bennett, Joe DuBois, Roger "Cork" James and Rochelle Williams.The forum, which is open to the public, will be in Town Council chambers at 1 Town Center Court.

Details: lwvhhi.org.

Read more here: http://www.islandpacket.com/2014/09/26/3336863_candidates-for-hilton-head-mayor.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy