More keen insights from a long-time islander....

Ah, Spring! The grass is green! The sky is blue! The pluff mud has that new smell of the emerging life cycle being born in our marshes - nature’s nursery, I call it! My sweet pups that were born last month are growing fast and love chasing the little mice around. Sadly, I could soon be hearing the sickening sound of saws, and smelling the sawdust as CONSTRUCTION of boardwalks, benches and viewing decks begins in the accreted land.

Yep, construction in our protected land. Town Council wants to “open up” our accreted land to the public. This Town Council, disregarding the amazing conservation work of previous councils, has chosen to keep all of us out of the loop of communication on this questionable development. Just 7 elected officials have unilaterally chosen to disregard the covenants of the Low Country Open Land Trust that have protected this land since 1991.  

Town Council claims that all residents who live adjacent to the accreted land have been informed and notified. But Sullivan’s Island Community Impact can find no resident who received notification of these anticipated projects. Yet there are written plans for the construction of boardwalks, viewing decks, and benches from Station 16 to the Lighthouse. That’s about 85 acres--and that's just for Phases I and II! The plan is to go all the way to Station 26.

Did you know--When the Isle of Palms Town Council tried to do this very thing to their town in 2011, not only did the citizens rise up and protest and eventually get Town Council to reverse its decision, but 2 council persons lost their seats on Council for supporting it! And their beach front is not even protected in a land trust!  Here is the link to the  P&C article about the IOP debacle: 

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20111204/PC1203/312049915. 

Do you want this to happen to our protected, pristine front beach? Were you adequately informed that this could be in the works on Sullivan’s Island? How about these issues: 1) parking; 2) trash; 3) crime; 4) vagrancy; 5) restroom facilities; 6) easier access to homeowner’s yards. I could go on and on, but you decide.It is not too late to voice your concerns to Town Council!  I would encourage you to do so. 

On another note, I hope you all read Richard Eckstrom’s article in this week’s Moultrie News. It’s entitled, “Watchdog Citizens Deserve Public Officials Respect.” AHWHOOH! Great article to howl about. He says that citizen watchdogs are worthy monitors of our governments and that they effectively sound the alarm to all voters when glaring wrongs are being committed by the government in power. He says that ordinary folks who take the time to get involved should be respected and cherished! You go, Richard! My only objection to his timely article is the use of the term “watchdog”. I am offended but proud to say, “I am a “WatchCoyote”!

Keep Reading… It only gets better and better….

At our Town Council meeting on Tuesday, my Island Friend and I heard a mouthful from fellow islander, Wayne Stelljes.  Rumor has it that he has recently appointed himself “Attorney General of Sullivan’s Island”. I’m not so sure about that, but, man, does he have a strange understanding of our Constitutional rights.  My all-time favorite right, the Right of Free Speech, was denounced by Mr. Stelljes  at the meeting.

A.G. Stelljes unabashedly stood up and told Council that we must be silenced!  “Enough is enough!” he said. He said my Island Friend and I are troublemakers who have taken it to the extreme. He said that we are aggravating. A.G. Stelljes said that if we wanted answers we could simply send an email to a council member. He referenced a comment in the last Whiney Coyote article in which I questioned why the Tree Commission played no part in the planned cutting of many oak trees in Stith Park to make way for the amphitheaterPerformance Lawn.

Oops! Looks like our very own Attorney General is clicking on our SI Community Impact website. I say, “Welcome Aboard!” Glad to have you as a reader on our site, where Freedom of the Press is another cherished right! Happy to have you join the vast and growing number of islanders who appreciate having  important facts brought to light. In fact, I want to give Wayne a great, big, warm, and furry Whiney Coyote hug! 

This is getting a little long, but I must whine a little bit more…..

·         If you believe that Sullivan’s Island is a family friendly place to live then you may be interested to know that the St. Patrick’s Day festivities were a disaster. Mobs of young people gathered, got plastered, threw up, and urinated all over the place. Drinkers were brought in in buses and cars. There were a few fights and several medical calls. One SI police officer was assaulted. The crowd was described as rude and disrespectful. Someone tried to break into a nearby residence. Middle Street was closed, and getting on and off the island was a nightmare. How much more of this do islanders have to tolerate? Very few residents were in attendance. One very bright note was the childrens’ party at the park, which was well attended by islanders and reportedly a smashing success. Too bad it had to end at noon, to make way for the other revelers.

·         Did you know that this Town Council was actually considering creating another Boardwalk on the island? This boardwalk would connect the Causeway with Patriot Street- for bicyclists! This neighborhood may well be the most fragile on the island. The residents put up with the Commercial District and all of their events. They are bombarded by off-island soccer and lacrosse teams beside the mound. They are impacted with heavy traffic going through their neighborhood at all hours of the day and night, and then there is the NOISE! Well, AHWHOOH! The people of this neighborhood spoke up!This project has been rightfully shelved by Town Council, with Mayor Perkis stating, “We heard you.”

But herein lies the problem:  Why does Town Council not listen to residents in all neighborhoods? Why exclaim “We heard you” to one neighborhood but show complete disregard for another? The residents living next to the Accreted Land have been denied their voice because they were not properly informed of the plans of this council.  These 7 council members have plans to change the lives of residents who live next to the accreted land - forever.

I say Congratulations to the neighbors who fought to keep a bicycle boardwalk out of their neighborhood!

I say Congratulations to the neighbors who fought over the summer and fall to keep their historic neighborhood at Thompson and Station 16 single family, in spite of this council’s effort to change it to multi-family.

Finally, I say to the neighborhoods of the Front Beach - Fight the good fight! It is not too late! Remember what happened on the Isle of Palms after residents discovered that their council was planning to put a passive park in the middle of one of their residential neighborhoods! As one of the new-elected IOP councilmembers stated in 2011, "We already have a big passive park on the island... It's called the beach."

Whiney Coyote (Karen Coste)

For more information about what is happening on Sullivan's Island and the impact to the 
entire community, go to SI Community Impact.

Town Council's Agenda?

This Whiney Coyote is howling loudly for long-time islander Red Wood! He is my hero, and an honorary Whiney Coyote! Please read his prayer, published in both the Post and Courier and the Moultrie News this past week:

Dear God, May this island be a sacred place for those of us who live here. May those who visit feel the peace and quiet as we do. 

May His light shield this island from harm so we can grow strong in this community, a place of healing away from the loudness of the world.

My Island Friend and I went to the Town Council Workshop on Monday, March 3, 2014. I gotta tell you, I was a little wary about how we would be treated this time. Would they allow us to ask questions? Would they show respect to all islanders in attendance?  Would they turn up the luke-warm love?

For starters we were greeted with Pat O’Neil handing us Mardi Gras beads and candy. Wow! It’s a party! I personally did not wear my beads-- they clashed with my fur. But the candy was yummy.

First and foremost, we were treated very politely. All smiley faces looking at us and the other islanders who were present.  I started feeling a little tingly all over.  “Could I ask a question?” my Island Friend asked. “ Absolutely!” was Mayor Perkis’ response.  And so the meeting began. We were decorated, fed, smiled at, and invited to ask any and all questions. Something tells me that they have been reading my past Whiney Coyote articles. And that, my friends, is a very good thing.

 So with all this governmental love, what could I be whining about today? Read on, Interested Islander, read on.

The Agenda for this Workshop was 48 pages long.  There were well over 50 items on the agenda. I assumed that each council member would say something about his/her item for discussion. That would make sense to me, and it would allow all islanders present to gain a more comprehensive understanding of what’s happening in our town. But here is the part that confounds me - 27 of the 50 items listed on the agenda were completely skipped over by Town Council.  Why would that be? If items are agenda-worthy, shouldn’t they be discussion-worthy as well?

Here are some interesting facts about Monday’s Workshop:

1. Town Council has plans to significantly change Stith Park. Mary Jane Watson stated that the Volleyball Court will be removed and replaced by a very large sandbox….yep, a sandbox. (As a coyote on the prowl, I do believe that will become my new feeding spot. Bring on the cats!)

2. Council member Watson stated that 2 arborists will decide that some of the trees in the park must  be removed. Please go by the park when you have a minute. Red tagged trees will be removed; green tagged trees get to stay. I have sent an email to Mrs. Watson - several actually--trying to get the names of these 2 arborists and to find out who put the tags on the trees. No luck so far, but I am determined to find out. Mrs. Watson stated at the meeting that they want to grow grass in the park. Grass….Hmmmm. Amphitheaters need grass and space. But didn't Councilmember Hartley Cooper say that the Post and Courier article about the amphitheater was incorrect, and that the  reporter just "got it wrong?" Could it be that Town Council is now calling the amphitheater a “performance lawn”?

3. Did you know that the Tree Commission was not asked to participate in this tree removal project? This Council already does not use its Planning Commission, or its Design Review Board, so how silly of me to think that they would include the Tree Commission in this desecration…oops!…I mean “project”.

4. Here’s another item on the agenda that interests me greatly: General discussion by Council regarding resident outreach and communication plan. That item was one of the 27 items on the agenda that was completely skipped over by Town Council. I have an email in to Pat O’Neil to find out what that means. Any guesses?

I’ll get back to you all when these council members get back to me. In the meantime, I want you to close your eyes and pretend that you can fly. Humor me. It’s a beautiful, sunny, warm day. Up we go. Let’s fly over to the Commercial District. Smell the barbecue cooking? Okay, now let your imagination be your guide:

Look down at the Commercial District. This Town Council wants to EXPAND it - all the way down to the Post Office. New cafes, businesses, congestion, parking struggles. If this occurs, these new businesses will be “topped” with 2 story condominiums for private residential buyers.

Let’s keep flying. Look over to the left. A new school. 500 students enrolled. 450 of them are transported on to the island. Watch out for those buses! Now look to your right. There is the new Taj Mahal, aka Town Hall. Squeezed into the park that has been significantly altered. No volley ball court. Just a hot, sandy box with cat scat in it. So many of the trees have been removed. But that “performance lawn” will be a beauty, won’t it?

Let’s keep flying. Down to Station 16. Let’s catch that tail wind and soar over the PROTECTED Maritime Forest. Look down, but do so at your own peril. Your eyes might fill up with tears, and you might lose your flight path. There, in the middle of this pristine forest,  is a so-called “nature path.” Plans recently posted on the Town website call for a wide wooden boardwalk that will go all the way from Station 16 to Station 18--all the way to the Lighthouse. The planned boardwalk would be wide enough for vehicles to drive on it, with cantilevered benches, and viewing decks throughout. Just imagine the paper cups, the plastic diapers, and ziplock baggies! Maybe even a Port O Potty or two. 

This, my friends, will be our future on Sullivan’s Island as prescribed by this current Town Council. My question to you is simple. How many of you are aware of these destructive plans for our island? Do you think these changes will be designed for you, the resident, or for the entertainment of visitors coming on our island? 

We have already been informed that our taxes are going to increase. We are now paying more for water and sewer. And now this Council is trying to sell off town-owned properties which should never, never, never have been on the table for discussion in the first place. 

Has this Town Council adequately informed its citizenry of its plans? Do you think you should have a vote on these “projects”? If you had a vote, would you vote in favor of these changes? Do you feel like you are being kept in the dark? Does information like this make you angry?

I vacillate between anger and deep sadness.

The website, Sullivan’s Island Community Impact, has a huge readership. Thank you all. There are so many of us who want to preserve and protect our precious community, and we hear from you daily. The next Town elections are still a year away. But we do not have the luxury of simply waiting until May of 2015 to get involved. Let’s take back our town! 

Remember, “May this island be a sacred place for those of us who live here.” Thank you, Red Wood! I would choose to be in your foxhole any day. Or maybe that would be a coyote hole. Just sayin…

Whiney Coyote (Karen Coste)