Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Additional access trail for SIES?

Very meaty agenda for the Public Facilities Committee meeting tomorrow (Thursday) morning at 8:30. 

One item involves a letter signed by 22 Sullivan's Island families, requesting that Town Council provide an additional access trail to Sullivan's Island Elementary School through a currently unopened portion of Flag Street.

Are the 22 families who signed the letter aware that opening up this section of Flag Street for access to the school would violate a provision of the school lease? The lease provides for a 70' buffer between the school property and private property located in close proximity to the school.


Attached is a letter in opposition to the proposal from Sullivan's Island resident Ellison Smith, an attorney who has lived on Flag Street for 37 years. Ellison makes a number of excellent points:


  •  The 70' buffer specified in the lease creates an expectation of privacy for the affected property owners and cannot be legally penetrated. 
  • Opening Flag Street to pedestrian and bike traffic will effectively block access to his property during mornings and afternoons when the school is in session.
  • Within the unopened portion of Flag Street are protected massive live oaks and pecan trees.
  • CCSD and SCDOT should have considered this issue when the school was being designed, but they did not.
  • A much more sensible solution would be for CCSD and SCDOT to extend the sidewalk from SIES to Station 18 along the SCDOT right of way.
  • If the proposal to open up Flag Street is adopted by the Town, Ellision states that he will file the appropriate legal challenge to protect his rights.
                                   =====================================

In addition to breaking a promise to SI residents, a decision by Town Council to open up Flag Street to pedestrian and bike traffic would be fraught with very predictable complications and inconveniences for other residents. 

Why would the Flag Street neighborhood not become just another carpool area, potentially allowing an unlimited number of parents to avoid the carpool line on Ion Avenue?  What about the safety issues associated with THAT? What about the congestion and inconvenience for the many residents living in that area of the island?

And let's put the whole school issue in perspective: At last count, about 52 Sullivan's Island families have children at the school. That number represents only 5.5% of the 950 households on Sullivan's Island. (If those figures are too low, SI CI is happy to be corrected.)


So is Town Council going to once again vote to accommodate the wishes of a small group of islanders, much to the detriment of a much larger group, and in the process break a promise made to all residents-- and also take on yet another lawsuit? Stay tuned....


The meeting will be held at Sullivan's Island Town Hall, 2050-B Middle St at 8:30 am. Here is Ellison's letter:














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