Sea Pines
Sea Pines 1965
Monday, March 30, 2015
Circle to Circle Traffic Committee
The Town of Hilton Head Island's Circle to Circle Committee will meet to discuss south-island traffic at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 1 in council chambers at Town Hall at 1 Town Center Court. The purpose of these weekly meetings is to discuss traffic related issues pertaining to Sea Pines Circle and Office Park Road. Interested parties are encouraged to attend.
Party in the Pines
When: Saturday, April 4th from 4:30-7:30 PM
Where: Fish Island.
Come join for some lowcountry fun featuring BBQ pork, grilled chicken and hot dogs with all the fixings. Dinner includes beer, wine and dessert. Live music, fishing rods and rides on H2O's alligator and wildlife tour boat will be provided. Adults are $40 and children 12 and under are $15. To purchase tickets visit the CSA office or go to www.SeaPinesForestPreserve.org. Call David Henderson for details (843) 671-1343.
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Monday, March 9, 2015
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Recent Sea Pines Awards and Recognition: Wow!
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| Vintage View of the Beach at Sea Pines |
Inn at Harbour Town ranked #1 Hotel on Hilton Head Island by TripAdvisor
Inn at Harbour Town ranked #6 in Conde Nast Travelers "Best Resorts in the South: Reader's Choice Awards 2014"
The Sea Pines Resort received The Knot's Best of Weddings Award for 2015
The Sea Pines Resort featured on the cover of December US Airways Magazine
The Golf Learning Center honored as a "Top 10 Golf Schol in the U.S." in LINKS Magazine's annuallist
Tim Cooke named one of Golf Digest's "Best Young Teachers in America" on their "Top 40 instructors under 40" for the 2014-2015 year (for the third straight year)
Tim Cooke honored with the Carolinas Section PGA "Teacher of the Year" award
Harbour Town Yacht Basin ranked in the "Top 25 Marinas in North America" by Power & Motoryacht Magazine
Harbour Town Yacht Basin selected as the runner-up of Marinalife's 2014 Best Marina contest for Best Transient Marina
The Sea Pines Resort awarded a "Gold Medal" in GOLF Magazine's 2014-2015 edition of "Premier Resorts"
Harbour Town Golf Links ranked #9 in the U.S. in GOLF Magazine's 2014 edition of "Top 100 Courses You Can Play"
Heron Pointe by Pete Dye ranked #11 in South Carolina in GOLF Magazine's 2014 edition of "Top 100 Courses You Can Play"
Live Oak ranked among top restaurants on Hilton Head Island by Trip Advisor
Coast received an Open Table Diner's Choce Award in December 2014
The Sea Pines Resort received a SmartMeetings 2014 Platinum Choice Award
The Sea Pines Resort received an annual ConventonSouth New/Renovated Award
Monday, February 9, 2015
Saturday, February 7, 2015
More birds, species tallied in Hilton Head Audubon's Christmas Bird Count
By Jeff Kidd via The Island Packet
It's unusual to see a summer tanager in the Lowcountry during the winter, but this one was spotted during the Hilton Head Island Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count on Dec. 15.
Susan Murphy — Submitted photo
The Hilton Head Island Audubon Society one of several area bird clubs to participate in Audubon's 2014 Christmas Bird Count, counted more birds and more bird species than the year before, the club reported recently.
This year's event was conducted Dec. 14 through Jan. 5 across the Americas, according to the Audubon website. Audubon and other organizations use data collected in this long-running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations - and to help guide conservation action.
The Hilton Head club conducted its count Dec. 15. Sightings included the federally protected piping plover and a summer tanager, which is not common to the area this time of year but has been spotted in each of the past three counts, according to Susan Murphy, a club bird count liaison. Murphy took the photo of the tanager you see with this story.
Club vice president Robert Rommel offered this report:
Hilton Head Audubon's Christmas Bird Count on Dec. 15 was held on a mild, clear day. The record 249 observers reached a tally of 28,405 birds comprised of 141 different species.
These numbers were higher than last year's count and slightly off the count's 10-year average of 37,228 birds and 150 species. Numbers typically fluctuate from year to year for a variety of reasons including statistical variation, weather, count day conditions, application of effort, and large flocks which are seen on some years but not all. For example, during the 2014 count, numbers were down for nearly all of 18 ducks species that are regularly seen.
Most ducks typically arrive on the island for wintering between December and January and it is possible that with mild conditions elsewhere in the country many ducks remained north longer than most years resulting in lower numbers during the Christmas count.
Observers saw several rare birds during the count including a bright red summer tanager -- a bird that normally spends the winter in South or Central America.
When the data from this citizen science effort is combined with the counts from other areas and examined across several years, it can be used to determine if species are decreasing or increasing over time or changing their geographical patterns.
For example, past count data has helped detect and quantify the decline of the northern bobwhite across much of America including the South Carolina Lowcountry, where it was once common.
Although none of these quail were seen this year, five of the federally threatened piping plovers were observed on our shores during the 2014 count.
New 'Circle to Circle' committee to study Sea Pines to Coligny corridor
By Zach Murdock via The Island Packet
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| Pope Avenue, Hilton Head |
The two traffic circles at the heart of Hilton Head Island and the busy stretch of Pope Avenue between them will get some extra attention this year as part of a new town study.
The study will review existing traffic challenges in that area, its current redevelopment needs and future development plans along the corridor, including the proposed University of South Carolina Beaufort hospitality campus on Office Park Road, according to town leaders and documents.
Next week, the town's Planning Commission will appoint a "Circle to Circle" committee of a dozen citizens and town officials to lead the study, identify a 20-year plan for the area and host public hearings on their findings later this year.
The idea for the study sprouted from an effort by more than a dozen south-island residents to form such a committee and after several meetings about Coligny area improvements last year, said Tom Sharp, a Sea Pines resident who helped form the original group and will serve on the town committee.
Those residents saw one big problem: The conversations about south-end traffic, Sea Pines Circle and Coligny area improvements were all happening separately, said Sharp, a former commissioner of the Indiana Department of Transportation.
"The whole crux is whatever happens in the Coligny district has to move through Sea Pines Circle from a traffic standpoint," he said. "Unless you decide what should happen in Coligny, you can't test the robustness of Sea Pines circle."
"It's just time to take everything together because we seem to have had a tendency in the past to take one piece while disregarding the influence the other might have," he added.
The committee will follow through on new Mayor David Bennett's campaign promise to craft a long-term development plan the Coligny area.
"That area is an area where the town is making a very large capital investment in the coming years," Bennett said. "It's an area that's a concern today with respect to traffic around the Sea Pines Circle."
Bennett hosted many of the meetings about Coligny improvements as leader of the Planning Commission last spring before master planning became a major tenet of his successful run for mayor in November.
"It seemed like a good area to start with," Bennett said last week. "The entire island needs a similar look, and my hope would be to continue" with similar efforts in each of the town's wards.
The committee does not yet have a meeting schedule, but its membership will include citizen leaders such as Sharp, two Planning Commission members and a Town Council liaison, according to town documents. Members also will work closely with town engineers and planners, Sharp added.
"Hopefully we can sharpen our focus, put it together and start talking to people about it," Sharp said. "It has potential to be a joyous time. There will be a lot of ruckus and what have you, but if we focus on facts and not emotion, I think we might get there."
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Tom Davis, Daufuskie residents discuss island's future
By Zach Murdoch via The Island Packet
More than 60 Daufuskie Island residents packed a community meeting last week with state Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, to dissect issues facing the island.
The biggest concerns by residents and the Daufuskie Island Council included beach erosion, improvements to the ferry system on and off the island, and the availability of grants to complete those projects, according to residents' notes from the meeting.
The council also discussed with residents its plan to study whether the island should incorporate as a town with the help of researchers from Clemson University. Island leaders and Davis say incorporating could help the island act more independently to secure grants, but that it also is likely to come with some increased costs.
Davis, whose district includes the island, has said he will work with residents and the S.C. Municipal Association to help research incorporation and access issues.
Monday, February 2, 2015
Mayor Bennett Monthly Article
Have you discovered, as I have, that Hilton Head Island is a great place for a treasure hunt? Wherever you explore, you will find something of remarkable value. These discoveries can't help but generate excitement. Our citizens are among these treasures.
Last December, Town Council identified the Master-Planning and Transportation Study of the Coligny Circle to Sea Pines Circle District as a priority. Incredibly, here on Hilton Head Island, we have three former state transportation directors each willing to volunteer their time and talents to our Town in order to achieve the excellent transportation and planning solutions we need to benefit our Island. Treasures!
Setting Priorities
Your Town Council is comprised of unique individuals representing a diversity of Islanders. We came together this past December along with members of staff at a workshop that extended beyond its' original schedule because of the magnitude of issues and opportunities faced by our community.
The Top Priorities developed by this hardworking group include the previously mentioned Circle-to-Circle district as well as:
Vision/Master Plan for the Island
Arts and Culture Collaborative Study
USCB Campus Development
The Mitchelville Project
Water/Sanitary Sewer Service Policies and Plans
Other High Priorities were identified
A complete inventory and analysis of Town-owned land
Initiating the Economic Development Corporation Plans and Initiatives
Forging a Workforce Housing Policy
Town and Community Organization financial/performance oversight and review
A comprehensive Town dredging policy
A schools and education strategy
You Can Participate
How is it that these priorities will become attainable action items? Your mayor, Town Council and staff are committed to these endeavors. But your participation is the treasure that I’d like to discover. Look for upcoming workshops, taskforces and public-private collaborations as your opportunity to be a treasure to your community. Communicate your thoughts and input to me at DavidB@hiltonheadislandsc.gov or speak to your Town Council representative.
This administration has already established two new Town Council Committees; the Finance and Administrative and Community Services committees and council members, John McCann and Kim Likins have been appointed to chair them. The first committee will be responsible for detailed financial oversight and establishing goals for and reviewing the performance of the Town Manager. The Community Services committee will work to develop the full potential of Hilton Head’s arts and cultural organizations. It will also identify affordable and work force housing opportunities.
Citizen of Month Search
We are always searching for the treasures in our community. Please bring to our attention Island residents for consideration for the 2015 Citizen of the Month Award. There are many precious jewels out there; please let us know who they are.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Historic Savannah Foundation celebrates 60 years of service
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WJCL) — An organization known for its building preservation is celebrating 60 years of service.
The Historic Savannah Foundation kicked off its 60th anniversary celebration on Monday morning.
The foundation was established in 1955 in an effort to save the historic Davenport House, built in 1820, from demolition.
Their mission is to preserve and protect Savannah’s heritage through advocacy and education.
“We’re going to go about our business; we’re going to keep taking care of this city,” said Daniel Carey, President and Chief Operating Officer of the foundation. “We’re going to keep saving buildings with our revolving fund, we’re going to keep advocating for good preservation and we’re going to keep educating our youth about the value of preservation.”
Since its inception in 1955, the Historic Savannah Foundation has saved over 360 buildings in Savannah.
Metropolitan Hotel sold, annex improvements underway on Hilton Head, new owners say
By Zack Murdoch via The Island Packet
The Metropolitan Hotel and its dilapidated annex on Hilton Head Island were sold last week to California-based hotel developers who have plans to renovate and reopen both this year, according to the developers and town officials.
The plans include opening the main Metropolitan building as summer housing for exchange students and renovating the annex to open new a franchised hotel, new owners Harry and Sam Johal said Monday.
The Johals own more than 20 hotels around the country and have been eyeing the struggling Metropolitan property for more than two years, Harry Johal said. He would not say how much they agreed to paid for the property.
On Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., the Johals will appear before the Town of Hilton Head Island's Construction Board of Adjustments and Appeals to present their plans to renovate the unsafe, abandoned annex. The meeting will be at Town Hall.
Town inspector Bob Klein declared the annex a safety risk to the public in August, citing the building's sagging roof, exposed wires and loose guardrails.
The building has sat vacant since 2008, and residents in the South Forest Beach area have long complained the annex is an eyesore and a haven for vagrants and drug dealers.
The town gave then-owner Remo Polselli several months to submit an improvement plan or the town could consider demolishing the building. By December, no plan had been submitted nor work completed.
Since the Johals took over the property last week, however, work has begun to repair the annex's roof, and the town is considering building permits to fix the guardrails, said Harry Johal and Jill Foster, town deputy director of community development.
"We're excited, and we've already started work on the back," Harry Johal said. "We've been meeting with the city people and dealing with Bob (Klein). We're determined, and I think the townspeople are behind us."
Lowcountry divided on Obama offshore drilling plan
Rerecca Lurye andErin Moody via The State
With President Barack Obama's announcement Tuesday allowing oil drilling off the eastern seaboard from Virginia to Georgia, Lowcountry leaders and activists on opposite sides of the question are digging in their heels.
With President Barack Obama's announcement Tuesday allowing oil drilling off the eastern seaboard from Virginia to Georgia, Lowcountry leaders and activists on opposite sides of the question are digging in their heels.
Land off South Carolina's coasts would be available for oil and gas leases for the first time under the five-year plan, which would begin in 2017.
The issue has been pushed to the forefront locally by Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling, who has spoken against the practice and is concerned it could damage the environment and tourism. Two weeks ago, he spoke at a rally with representatives from the Coastal Conservation League,
Conservation Voters of SC and the nonprofit group Oceana, which released a report opposing drilling in favor of wind farms as a potential economic booster.
"The president will do what the president will do, but I'm the mayor of Beaufort and I think this could put the coast at risk and it isn't worth the risk," he said of Tuesday's proposal.
The Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce has not taken a stance on offshore drilling, though spokesperson Charlie Clark said Tuesday's announcement would likely spark discussion at an upcoming government affairs committee meeting.
"We will continue to monitor the issue at the federal, state and local level," Clark said.
While drilling would likely not begin for more than a decade, seismic testing -- in which air guns are used to create sound pulses to search for oil deposits -- could start as early as this year. The U.S. Bureau of Offshore Energy Management is expected to open a swath of the Atlantic Coast from Delaware to central Florida for such testing.
Nine companies have filed geophysical and geological permits with the BOEM to test Atlantic waters.
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Become a character in Lee Child's next Jack Reacher novel
Jim Grant, the British thriller author of the Jack Reacher series, who writes under the pen name Lee Child, is offering the chance to name a character in his upcoming book to the winning bidder Feb. 7 at the Hilton Head Heart Ball.
Child's novels follow an ex-military police officer who roams the globe investigating suspicious situations. Tom Cruise portrayed the protagonist in the 2012 film "Jack Reacher" and is said to be reprising his role in an upcoming sequel.
In addition to naming a character in Child's next novel, the winning bidder will also win a flight to New York to have lunch with the author.
The ball features an extensive live auction to raise money to reduce disability and death from cardiovascular disease. This year's chairmen, Eileen and Robert Hutton, are longtime friends of Child.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Hilton Head Heart Ball
WHEN: 6 p.m.-11:30 p.m. Feb. 7
WHERE: The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa, 2 Grasslawn Ave., Hilton Head Island
COST: $200
DETAILS:http://hiltonheadscheartball.ahaevents.org/
WHAT: Hilton Head Heart Ball
WHEN: 6 p.m.-11:30 p.m. Feb. 7
WHERE: The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa, 2 Grasslawn Ave., Hilton Head Island
COST: $200
DETAILS:http://hiltonheadscheartball.ahaevents.org/
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Former Adventure Inn site to become $80M Hilton-brand timeshare
Via The Island Packet
A Myrtle Beach developer plans to spend $80 million to turn the former Adventure Inn site into Hilton-brand timeshares.
Strand Capital Group will develop the 7-acre beachfront property on Hilton Head Island. It will be the Hilton brand's and Strand's first timeshare development on the island.
The South Forest Beach resort will feature two six-story buildings with a total of 125 two-bedroom units, according to plans submitted to the town last month. The companies behind the project and their construction schedule were announced this week.
Strand Capital bills itself as "the premier timeshare real estate development firm along the Carolina Coast." It has developed nearly 20 high-rise beachfront resorts in Myrtle Beach, according to its website.
Principal partner Patrick Lowe said the Hilton hotel chain's interest in the property is what brought his company to the island.
"They are expanding their brand presence in the Carolinas," he said. "I think they've always been interested in Hilton Head."
Hilton Grand Vacations, a division of Hilton Worldwide, will be responsible for sales, marketing and management of the resort, according to a news release.
A spokeswoman for the company said a name for the resort likely will be released this spring.
Hilton plans to begin selling timeshares in April, the release said.
Plans for the resort show an administration building, two pools, an outdoor bar and grill, fitness and business centers, a lawn with live oaks, and boardwalks that lead to the ocean.
Construction should start this spring and be completed in two phases.
The first phase includes the resort amenities and the building next to the Carolina Beach Club. It is expected to be finished by summer 2016, the release said.
The second phase includes the building next to Ocean Dunes Villas. No completion date was provided in the release.
The height of the buildings will rival the tallest oceanfront structures on Hilton Head.
Buildings at Sea Crest Villas, and Omni and Sonesta hotels also are 75 feet tall, or about six stories. That's the maximum height the town allows for beachfront properties, according to land-management ordinance official Teri Lewis.
The Adventure Inn, which was built in 1963 and demolished in 2008, was an island landmark and one of Hilton Head's three original hotels.
Follow reporter Dan Burley at twitter.com/IPBG_Dan.
Related content:
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
New Projects, New Opportunities: HHI Mayor's Monthy Letter
As seen in Celebrate Hilton Head Magazine
As the Town of Hilton Head Island's new mayor, I first want to humbly make clear that the task of implementing a fresh vision does not culminate in an election victory. Indeed, the greater task lies in the area of governance.
I fully realize that to be truly successful in moving forward, not only should our Town Council be in harmony as it sets policy, but we also must have continued dedication by the hundreds of hard-working men and women who perform the often complex choreography of both administering and executing town functions.
Integrity, Vision and Quality
Growing up, I was raised by a single mom. She and my grandfather taught me to accept responsibility at an early age; to live with integrity; to work hard and complete as best I can every task I started. Those are also the same values I believe our modern Hilton Head Island was founded upon.
In the 1960s our community was blessed by visionary entrepreneurs like Charles Fraser and Fred Hack and then later in the 1980s our newly incorporated town had the benefit of forward-thinking mayors like Ben Racusin and Martha Baumberger. It was Mayor Racusin who said "We are not against development. We want quality, planned development." And it was Mayor Baumberger who first saw the need for enhancing public access to our beaches with accommodations tax revenues and the importance of sanitary sewer in the town's more rural sectors. I believe this same visionary spirit is alive and well in our community today.
Accountability, Transparency, Strategic Thinking
In my election campaign I noted several times that while town government is not a business, town government can be more "business-like." I believe we must reflect a strategic, accountable and more transparent approach in managing our town affairs. I hope my tenure as mayor will be seen in that light because I believe these are hallmarks of good leadership.
Over the course of the campaign and during these first several weeks of transition, I have become increasingly encouraged about our future as both a town and a remarkable destination. Of course there are challenges, but our incredible potential remains.
Status Quo No Longer Viable
I believe the coming years promise to be a time to reassess who we are and what we are capable of being as one of America's shining communities. I hope you agree that the status quo is no longer a viable option. We no longer have the luxury of doing things the same old way. Just as Charles Fraser, Fred Hack, Ben Racusin, Martha Baumberger along with those who worked by their side found the wisdom and courage to conquer the challenges of their time, so I am confident we to can rise to the challenges of our time. I have sensed a strong spirit of service in our community. That's why I hope you will join me in accepting the challenge as we embrace the opportunities that lie ahead. I am confident that by pulling the rope together, we can do better and move Hilton Head Island forward for the enrichment of all.
Spoleto Festival USA announces 2015 lineup
The 17-day festival, which begins May 22 in Charleston, boasts a varied lineup of artists and performers, both renowned and emerging. Highlights in each discipline include:
Opera: The festival will premiere the contemporary opera “Paradise Interrupted,” directed and designed by Jennifer Wen Ma, whose installations were part of the opening and closing ceremonies at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The opera mixes Chinese and Western styles.
“Veremonda, l'amazzone di Aragona” has not been staged in more than 350 years, and never in the U.S. The baroque opera tells the story of the Spanish seize of a Moorish fortress, with a tangle of love and mistaken identity.
Theater: London-based Shakespeare’s Globe will make its first Spoleto appearance with a new production of “Romeo and Juliet.” If you're a fan of the classic story of star-crossed lovers, you’ll have 18 chances to see it during the festival.
Dance: Street dancer Charles “Lil Buck” Riley will make his Spoleto Festival debut with cellist Ashley Bathgate. His style, "Jookin' " or "Gangsta Walking," involves a dancer spinning and walking on the tips of his toes. Riley received international attention when a video of his improvised performance with cellist Yo-Yo Ma went viral on YouTube in 2011.
The Scottish Ballet will be retelling Tennessee Williams’s famous play “A Streetcar Named Desire.” Critics say the danced version has such clear storytelling that audiences need not have seen the movie nor the play beforehand.
Music: Nashville legend Emmylou Harris will perform with Rodney Crowell on May 25. In 2012, Harris and Crowell released an album together, “Old Yellow Moon,” named Americana Album of the Year at the 2014 Grammys.
The Westminster Choir will perform two hour-long concerts during the festival. The choir comprises students at Westminster Choir College, a division of Rider University in New Jersey. It has been the chorus-in-residence for Spoleto since 1977.
A full schedule and more information can be found at spoletousa.org.
Sunday, January 4, 2015
Daufuskie awaits next step toward new form of government
Via Blufton Today
The Strom Thurmond Institute at Clemson University may be tapped to help shape Daufuskie Island’s future, as property owners on the bridgeless island consider taking steps toward wielding more control over their quality of life and property values.
The Daufuskie Island Council’s December meeting agenda included a proposal for a governance option study, a project that would cost about $15,000.
“The proposal was submitted and we are waiting to hear back from the folks on Daufuskie,” said William Molnar, visiting lecturer at the Clemson Institute for Economic and Community Development.
Robert Carey, director of the Regional Dynamics & Economics Laboratory at Clemson, is also named as part of the research team on the statement of work from last month’s meeting.
Andy Fulghum would work as a collaborator with Molnar and Carey on the report. Fulghum said his role in the potential study is unrelated to his county government position, and he is not participating in his official capacity Jasper County administrator.
The study would take about 10 weeks to complete and would include a review of past studies, the current state of taxes and services, and other factors related to self-governance. It would also outline different possibilities for the eight-square-mile island between Tybee and Hilton Head islands.
Among them: Incorporation, annexation and the creation of service districts. Some have wondered whether Daufuskie Island, which has about 400 residents, would meet the population-density requirements for incorporation.
The goal, as described in the statement of proposed work, is for “greater representation in local financial and service matters.”
As property owner Don Newton, who supports incorporation, put it last month: “We will get a better return on our dollars if we are leading it ourselves and managing it ourselves.”
Newton and others who have sought greater self-determination for the island were left looking for new avenues after the U.S. Department of Transportation opted not to award a $325,000 grant for a feasibility study of a comprehensive public ferry system.
Some islanders feel their needs have been overlooked by Beaufort County officials, in part, because of the remoteness of the island and its relatively small population.
Abandoning its rural form and becoming its own municipality would not deprive Beaufort County of any significant revenue, according to Bill Taylor, field services manager for the Municipal Association of South Carolina, which has been involved in the discussion.
Friday, January 2, 2015
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Coastal Living Magazine Chooses Beaufort as a Top Warm Weather Getaway for 2015
Beaufort
Average January high: 58°
Why we love it: This Lowcountry gem has Southern charm and a history stretching back to the 1700s, along with a thriving downtown area and easy access to nearby Hunting Island State Park.
Where to stay: In the heart of the historic district, The Beaufort Inn offers several different accommodation options, including suites and private cottages, in addition to a lavish Sunday brunch at Southern Graces Bistro. 888-522-0250 or beaufortinn.com
http://www.coastalliving.com/travel/top-10/warm-weather-getaways
http://www.coastalliving.com/travel/top-10/warm-weather-getaways
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Hilton Head unveils USCB campus plans
Via The Island Packet
By Dan Burley
University of South Carolina Beaufort students could be taking classes at a new $33.5-million Hilton Head Island campus by 2018.
The town on Friday released conceptual plans for the 6-acre campus on Office Park Road.
Drawings show leafy school grounds with a pond, small cafe and two academic buildings. About 400 students are expected to use the campus, according to town documents.
The campus centerpiece is a 38,000-square-foot main building that will house the university's hospitality-management program.
Also planned is a 6,000-square-foot building for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, which provides continuing-education classes. That building will have a 100-seat classroom.
The one-story cafe will sit behind the main building, next to a courtyard and beside a lagoon.
USCB officials have said the campus will place hospitality-management students in the heart of the island's tourism district.
The campus also could draw off-island visitors and bring business to the area, she said.
"Typically, businesses surrounding institutions grow due to the synergy that occurs between the students, faculty and surrounding community," she wrote in an email.
Town representatives have said the campus will replace outdated office buildings and is a potential economic driver.
The town has purchased or has under contract four little-used buildings on Office Park Road. The structures will be demolished to make way for the campus. The town paid about $4 million for the buildings.
But some have criticized the town's willingness to pay for the bulk of the $33.5-million project.
The town will spend about $22 million on the campus with funds it raised through a special tax district. That money will pay for the main building and site work. It also will pay about $1 million for road work near the campus.
USCB will chip in $2.5 million for the main building. It also will pay a projected $4 million for the other academic building and cafe, according to documents.
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
New resort planned for Hilton Head at site of former Adventure Inn
via The State
by Dan Burley
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| Adventure Inn C 1968 |
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| Adventure Inn C 2015 |
A Hilton Head Island rental company has plans to transform the site of the former Adventure Inn into a beachfront resort.
Vacation Time of Hilton Head Island wants to build two six-story residential buildings on land once occupied by the inn. The complex on Lemoyne Avenue and South Forest Beach Drive would have as many as 125 two-bedroom units, according to plans submitted to the town.
Plans also call for two pools, an outdoor restaurant, a lawn, and boardwalks that lead to the ocean.
Vacation Time describes the development as a "signature destination resort." It is unclear from plans whether the buildings would be hotels, timeshares, condominiums or a combination.
The height of the buildings would rival other popular oceanfront developments on Hilton Head.
Buildings at the Beach House, Omni and Sonesta hotels are also 75 feet high, or about six stories. That is the maximum height for beachfront properties allowed by the town, according to land-management ordinance official Teri Lewis.
Vacation Time has planned to redevelop the property since 2008, when the Adventure Inn was demolished.
The inn was the last of the island's three original hotels.
Built in 1963, many early island investors stayed there, as did some of the earliest tourists who helped turn Hilton Head into a resort destination.
The inn also operated one of the island's first golf courses -- a nine-hole course across the street that was lighted for night play, where the Xanadu Villas condominium complex now stands.
Monday, December 8, 2014
Town of Daufuskie? It could happen
Via The Savannah Morning News
A growing sense that Daufuskie Island should have more control over its own affairs is driving a discussion about turning the island into a municipality.
“We provide Beaufort County with tax dollars, and we think that we probably don’t get all of the services we should be getting,” said Charles Small, co-chair of the island council. “We get very little from Beaufort County, and we are trying to see what would be a better step for us as an island community, if there is one. We may come to a dead end.”
Small emphasized that recent discussions are formative, adding, “We’re a long way off. I don’t want to get ahead of ourselves.” Nevertheless, the Municipal Association of S.C. has become involved.
For Don Newton, it’s a question of “input versus output,” and home rule for the island situated between Tybee and Hilton Head.
“We will get a better return on our dollars if we are leading it ourselves and managing it ourselves,” said Newton, who lives in Northern Virginia but owns land on Daufuskie with his wife, Jean, who is of Gullah heritage. Paying $4 million in taxes to the county, said Newton, should be yielding greater benefits. He thinks the island could use a new model.
Central to Newton’s contention that the bridge-less island is getting shorted is its lack of comprehensive public ferry service and the potential for an uncoordinated emergency evacuation if there’s a hurricane. A handful of officials wrote letters to federal transportation officials this year as part of a grant application for funding to study a new, comprehensive public ferry system between Daufuskie and the mainland.
“During the Atlantic Tropical Storm season, Daufuskie is one of the most vulnerable locations on the Atlantic coast,” wrote Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner. “The current ferry service arrangement has never been fully satisfactory when considering the emergency evacuation of the residents of Daufuskie.”
The island’s $325,000 federal grant application, submitted under the auspices of Beaufort County, was not selected for an award. The $325,000 grant application was unsuccessful, leaving ferry supporters looking for other solutions.
What can a town do?
“You’re kind of in a position to determine your own future,” said Bill Taylor, field services manager for Municipal Association. “And of course being an island, you certainly have got limitations on what you’d expect from county government,” he said.
“They’d be in a position to maybe have other services that they’re not getting from the county.” As an incorporated town, state law requires them to offer at least three new services to residents, beyond law enforcement, with three years of incorporating. Taylor said as a municipality, Daufuskie would be able to pursue grants and funding opportunities independently, instead of relying on Beaufort County. Funding allocated according to population within a local government could also become available to Daufuskie.
Check with the neighbors
Beaufort County doesn’t stand to lose anything except, perhaps, some minor revenue from small fees, if Daufuskie were to become a municipality, according to Taylor. But islanders would have to ask Hilton Head Island about possible annexation.
“Now Hilton Head Island, certainly, could say they don’t want Daufuskie Island to be part of them, for whatever reason,” said Taylor. “Service delivery might be more expensive for them.”
The town manager of Hilton Head could not be reached by phone or email on Friday. There are other conditions. Normally, the area to be incorporated must have a population density of at least 300 people per square mile.
But islands are exempt from the standard. About 400 full-time residents live on Daufuskie, which receives 50,000-200,000 visitors each year. The private, gated communities operate their own ferry service.
It’s a situation that has sometimes created a divide between the Gullah residents and others who struggle to reach the mainland for work and supplies, and wealthier property owners with private boats. Another phase of the incorporation process is to do a feasibility study, which some Daufuskie islanders considered eight or nine years ago but ultimately abandoned. A legislative review committee would also get involved.
Finally, a Daufuskie mayor and other members of the governing body would also be elected.
“Right now they’re just a part of the rural community of the county,” said Taylor. “But if they wanted to have some greater control over the future of the island, by having it incorporated, you’ve now got elected officials who can make decisions about those things.”
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Friday, December 5, 2014
Civil War in Georgia, December 1864: Savannah falls
Via the AJC
Source: The Soldier in Our Civil War, 1890
“Evidently it is a material element in this campaign to produce among the people of Georgia a thorough conviction of the personal misery which attends war, and of the utter helplessness and ability of their ‘rulers,’ State or Confederate, to protect them.”
So observed Maj. Henry Hitchcock — one of Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman’s staff officers — on Dec. 1, 1864, as Federal troops prepared their next movements in the Savannah Campaign.
Advancing on Millen, the site of the Confederacy’s Camp Lawton prison camp, the Federals hoped to save their incarcerated brothers. But weeks earlier, anticipating Sherman’s approach, officials emptied the camp and relocated the prisoners to other locations. Sherman’s men would find only stockade walls surrounding a vacant yard.
While the South did not have enough soldiers in Georgia to ebb the rolling blue tide, it still had senior officers to send to the state.
Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard received command of the entire theater of operations on Dec. 1. He arrived in Augusta five days later to oversee operations — and Maj. Gen. Joe Wheeler gained yet another officer issuing orders to his horsemen, as they attempted to launch quick-strike missions against the Federals. But Northerners under Brig. Gen. Judson Kilpatrick turned the tables on Wheeler on Dec. 4; Kilpatrick’s cavalry attacked and defeated Wheeler’s men near Waynesborough.
Several unfortunate incidents occurred as the Federal trek across Georgia neared conclusion. Union Maj. Gen. Jefferson C. Davis, with the left wing, faced an ever-increasing number of formerly enslaved persons falling in behind his troops. Fearing their presence would slow his advance, Davis — who got away with murder in 1862, when he killed his commanding officer over a disagreement in Kentucky — again displayed his dark side.
On Dec. 3, after his men crossed Buckhead Creek, Davis pulled up his pontoon bridges and attempted to leave the African-Americans stranded on the far bank. Most made their way across the shallow Buckhead and rejoined Davis’s force.
Six days later, after his troops crossed Ebenezer Creek, Davis again pulled the pontoons. This time, the outcome was tragedy. The former slaves — frightened by Wheeler’s approaching cavalry — tried to cross the deeper waters of Ebenezer. Many drowned, despite efforts by several Federal soldiers to save them.
For the blessed few who reached safety, Davis repeated the act later the same day when crossing Lockner Creek.
One of Davis’ officers wrote of the Ebenezer Creek incident, “The idea of five or six hundred black women, children and old men being thus returned to slavery by such an infernal copperhead as Jeff. C. Davis was entirely too much for my Democracy.”
The Federals reached the outer defenses of Savannah on Dec. 10, and the marching portion of the campaign ended. Sherman immediately set his sights on capturing Fort McAllister. The Confederate bastion blocked access to the Ogeechee River and kept the Federals from establishing a connection with U.S. ships, offshore in the Atlantic, that carried supplies for the army.
McAllister must fall! Utilizing reconnaissance from Kilpatrick and his own observations, Sherman decided an attack from the landward approach provided his best chance to take the fort. McAllister’s heavy guns all faced toward the water; defensive measures against an attack from the rear would not prove formidable.
Confederate Maj. George Anderson and a garrison of around 120 men held Fort McAllister. Brig. General William Hazen attacked with nine regiments on Dec. 13, and Anderson’s men put up a gallant effort. Artillerymen attempted to roll cannon into the open and throw canister, but the firing — absent the protection of redoubts — allowed Federal sharpshooters to drop the gunners.
A series of land mines — or as the soldiers called them, “torpedoes” — obstructed the Federal advance and produced several casualties, yet on came Hazen’s men. In less than 15 minutes, the fort fell. Hazen used captured Confederates to remove unexploded torpedoes so the balance of his force could occupy McAllister.
Opening his connection with the Navy, Sherman met with Rear Adm. John Dahlgren. Then, he sent a surrender demand to Lt. Gen. William Hardee in Savannah. Hardee refused the offer and awaited instructions from President Jefferson Davis. Davis decided the preservation of the army in the field would prove more important than possessing Savannah. On Dec. 20, the Confederates began crossing hastily constructed pontoon bridges onto South Carolina soil.
Savannah Mayor R.D. Arnold surrendered the city to advance elements of the Federal force on Dec. 21. At the time, Sherman was visiting Maj. Gen. John Foster in Hilton Head, S.C. Returning to his troops the next day, Sherman sent his famous telegraph to President Abraham Lincoln: “I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the city of Savannah.” The city was given up without a fight, and Sherman spared it.
The March to the Sea ended. Sherman’s troops occupied Savannah until Jan. 21, 1865, when they launched the Carolinas Campaign. The Civil War continued until early May 1865, when the last elements of Confederate resistance surrendered to Federal forces.