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ScribeBy: DENESHIA GRAHAM Of The Post and
Courier Staff
Originally Published on: 12/26/02
Page: C1
PHOTOS:After a successful incorporation bid in May, the newly formed town of James Island elected members to its five-seat council. Voters chose Mary Clark as mayor, shown above at the June swearing-in ceremony with Councilman Bill Wilder. Bill Woolsey, Joe Qualey and Parris Williams also were elected to Town Council.
Austen Brown of West Ashley was crowned Miss South Carolina Teen USA 2002. Brown, the first black winner of the state crown, competed in August for the Miss Teen USA title.
The John Ancrum SPCA Spay/Neuter Clinic in West Ashley marked a milestone in June with its 25,000th animal to be spayed or neutered. Fe Pascual, whose cat Princess was the honored spay, hugs SuperPetz store owner Burt Pierce after being surprised with gifts from the store. SPCA Executive Director Dr. Bob Carlson looks on.
The S.C. Department of Transportation Hollywood area public hearing in February sought input on several proposed improvement options to the two-lane S.C. Highway 162, which runs through the town. Many area residents attended to oppose a controversial option to widen the highway to five lanes. Michelle Allston (left) and S.C. Department of Transportation Project Manager Leland Colvin look over maps with improvement plans.
After a legal battle to stay in business, the West Ashley C&C Video and News was ruled an adult business in December and ordered to move out of the residential location on St. Andrews Boulevard.
One controversial James Island issue this fall centered around the placement of five speed humps on Mikell Drive. Area residents who fought for the humps on the street, where Stiles Point Elementary School is located, argued safety as cars tend to speed past the residential street. Opponents argued the street was designed as a shortcut between two of the island's main roads.
A host of local elections took place in 2002. The signs show the election atmosphere for the October Ravenel election.
John Drayton Hastie, owner of Magnolia Plantation and Gardens in West Ashley, died in December at age 85.
AH:Elections brought changes, including James Island's second incorporation
Much has been accomplished west of the Ashley in 2002.
Candidates were elected in a host of area races. Controversial issues were decided and laid to rest. A town was even incorporated - for a second time.
Here's a glimpse at some of the stories that developed west of the Ashley in the past 12 months.
JANUARY
-- Using $2 million in available funds, the state's Transportation Commission decided to construct the planned traffic circle for Kiawah and Seabrook islands. A corporation of Kiawah Development Partners was the initial developer, but state commission officials deemed the circle a Department of Transportation project.
-- West Ashley resident Austen Brown, 17, was crowned Miss South Carolina Teen USA 2002, making her the first black winner of the state title. Brown, a professional actress and model, attended Academic Magnet High School in North Charleston.
-- Local physicians began building a medical office building on Wesley Drive to house several Lowcountry practices. A substance abuse center was once planned for the site, but it was thwarted by neighborhood opposition.
-- Two years after its opening, Caw Caw Interpretive Center in Ravenel continued to operate at a deficit. Charleston County Park and Recreation officials said the overall benefit of the educational park outweighed the financial loss.-- James Island resident Eugene Frazier, a former Charleston County detective, completed a book about his experiences on the police force from the era of segregation to integration. The 137-page book highlights a number of cases from Frazier's 25-year career.
-- The city of Charleston and the James Island Public Service District started the year off with a dispute over trash collection on the island. At issue were properties annexed by the city since May 2000; both the PSD and the city wanted to provide sanitation service to these areas. Circuit Judge Deadra Jefferson ruled that the PSD had the right to provide service to the recently annexed properties until an agreement is reached between the PSD and the city.
FEBRUARY
-- Mary Koster joined the St. Andrews Public Service District Commission to fill the unexpired term of her husband, John, who died in August 2001 after serving on the commission for 20 years.
-- The Johns Island Council, a nonprofit watchdog group, formed and started seeking members. Formerly known as the Johns Island Commission, the council also planned to serve as a liaison between islanders and Charleston's city and county governments.
-- Demonstrators protested a West Ashley adult bookstore, which was battling the city of Charleston's efforts to shut it down. Attorneys for C&C Video and News argued that the store was a "general retail business" and that city zoning aimed at adult businesses didn't apply.
-- Just months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, a special Post and Courier neighborhood section weighed its local effects. Changes ranged from efforts to bolster security at government offices and fire stations to coping with the loss of military reservists called to war.
-- Folly Beach's Design Review Board, formed through the city of Folly Beach, held its inaugural meeting. The board reviews new structures and modifications or demolitions to existing structures under commercial and resort zoned areas.
-- Volunteers continued restoration and preservation efforts for a historic African-American cemetery in the Parkers Ferry community of Adams Run. Much of the effort for King Cemetery was in reaction to a proposed landfill on the adjacent 750-acre Sheppard Tract, owned by Charleston County.
MARCH
-- The city of Charleston zoning board ruled that a West Ashley store that sold adult videos and magazines was in fact an adult business. The board's unanimous decision left C&C Video and News store with the option of shutting down, moving to another location or going to court over the matter.
-- James Islanders received approval from Secretary of State Jim Miles to incorporate, setting the stage for an islandwide referendum on the issue. The first James Island town was dissolved about five years earlier after a successful legal challenge from the city of Charleston.
-- Charleston County sought rights-of-way acquisition to property in the Honey Hill community onJames Island, with an effort to pave roads. Community members attended meetings to support the effort, although some property owners voiced concerns.
-- The James Island Public Service District passed a resolution against the half-cent sales tax, making it the first governmental entity in the county to express opposition. A referendum for the proposed tax was planned for the November general elections.
-- Most applicants for Hollywood's town planning administrator post were unqualified in terms of land planning experience, Mayor Herbert Gadson said. The search began after current administrator Roy DeHaven was openly criticized by town residents and some council members, who suggested a conflict of interest between his town position and his local realty business.
APRIL
-- After a six-candidate runoff, Folly Beach voters re-elected incumbent Vernon Knox as mayor and incumbent Caroline Palmer Rhodes, Bob Linville and Harry Ericson to City Council. Overdevelopment proved the dominant issue in the initial 13-candidate race for mayor and council.
-- The Charleston City Council race for District 12, including parts of James Island, spurred a runoff election between incumbent Robert George and newcomer Kathleen Wilson, who drew fame for swimming the English Channel last year.
-- The educational center at Caw Caw Interpretive Center in Ravenel was named for F. Lamarr Wiley, who died from cancer in January and had served 24 years on the Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission.
-- Kiawah Island Town Council gave preliminary approval to continuing the controversial short-term rental practice on the island. While the vote was split 3-2, a subsequent vote to place regulations on the practice was unanimous.
MAY
-- Bonnie Caracciolo, a candidate in April's Folly Beach City Council race, said a last-minute flier with false information cost her a City Council seat. The anonymous flier was sent to all Folly Beach post office boxes from "Concerned Citizens of Folly Beach."
-- Several shrubs planted by the Johns Island Council for beautification were stolen from a planting site on Main and Chisolm roads. About $1,500 was given to the council to plant the shrubs by Palmetto Pride, the governor's council on beautification and litter.
-- After some delay, the Johns Island Regional Library project resumed with bidding for contractors. Construction of the library project was initially expected to begin in June 2001.
-- Kiawah Island Town Council gave final approval to continuing controversial short-term rentals on the island. The council, which voted 3-2 in a preliminary April vote, agreed that regulations were needed on the practice.
-- David New and Jonathan Anderson, both James Island High School seniors, gained admission into the highly selective U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. With an acceptance of only 1,200 students nationwide for the incoming class, it was unusual to have two students from the same school accepted into the academy in the same year.
-- The city of Folly Beach received a $100,000 state grant toward the purchase of land for a planned passive nature park. The city received the largest grant allocation through the state's Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.
-- After a successful referendum vote to incorporate, James Island again formed a town. The first town was dissolved in 1997 by a city of Charleston lawsuit. Islanders who had signed up to run for an elective office prepared for the upcoming town race in June.
JUNE
-- The John Ancrum SPCA Spay/ Neuter Clinic in West Ashley marked a milestone with the 25,000th animal to be spayed or neutered. Fe Pascual's cat, Princess, was the milestone spay and received a number of gifts through the SuperPetz store on Sam Rittenberg Boulevard, where the clinic is located.
-- A $150,000 county grant provided running water to about 28 more families in the Honey Hill community on James Island. The funds were through a Community Development Block Grant from Charleston County.
-- St. Andrew's Parish Parks and Playground opened its new administration building and tennis center on Playground Road in West Ashley. The 4,000-square-foot facility was paid for by the sale of the old administration building and its property and unspent money from past years' budgets.
-- Newly incorporated James Island elected its first batch of Town Council candidates, selecting Mary Clark as mayor, and voting for Joe Qualey, Bill Woolsey and Bill Wilder as councilmen. Parris Williams later won a fourth seat runoff against James Island Public Service District Commissioner Ray Patterson.
-- Alice-Faye Fashions in West Ashley prepared to close its doors after more than 30 years in business. Owner Faye Atwood said her declining health, not a poor economy, prompted the decision to close the dress shop.
-- Bishop Gadsden Retirement Community officials anticipated that a $7.5 million expansion project could be completed by the end of the year. The project is slated to include 13 resident rooms, an activity room for health care residents, a new dining room, and an expanded wellness center and pharmacy.
JULY
-- The newly incorporated town of James Island dedicated its Town Hall site, a building in the Camp Center shopping center. Owners charged no rent for the site until October, when rent would cost $1,000 per month.
-- Local fire departments sent letters to the governor expressing concern over the closing of the state's only burn unit at the Medical University of South Carolina. MUSC officials announced in June that they would no longer accept patients to the 10-bed adult burn unit.
-- The city of Charleston filed a lawsuit against the town of James Island, claiming it was formed illegally and should be dissolved. A successful city lawsuit in 1997 caused the dissolution of the first town of James Island, incorporated in 1993.
AUGUST
-- With approval from the city of Folly Beach to seek funding sources, the local Actors' Theatre of South Carolina group moved ahead with plans for a $600,000 fine arts center. The center is to be located on a second-floor addition to the island's community center and library on Center Street.
-- Edisto Beach Town Council unanimously approved final reading of a controversial ordinance to restrict the size of houses in the small beachfront community. Single-family homes were restricted to 3,800 square feet.
SEPTEMBER
-- The placement of five speed humps on Mikell Drive on James Island sparked a debate, mainly between Mikell Drive residents who worked to get the humps installed and nearby residents who use the street as a shortcut between two of the island's main roads. The town of James Island delayed a decision on the speed hump issue until January 2003.
-- Folly Beach City Council and others remembered fellow Councilman Harvey Wittschen, who died of a heart arrhythmia shortly after a successful surgery for lung cancer in August.
-- James Island Public Service District Fire Chief Dave Tyler retired after more than 26 years with the department.
-- The James Island-based Lowcountry Senior Center exceeded its yearlong membership goals after having been opened for only six months. The center opened for all adults age 50 and older.
OCTOBER
-- In the Ravenel Town Council elections, voters re-elected incumbent Mayor Opal Baldwin, and chose newcomer Terry Wilkinson, incumbent Ernestine White and former Councilwoman Annie L. Brown for council.
-- The new Piggly Wiggly grocery store opened in Hollywood, replacing the existing store built in 1971.
-- Results from a Hollywood Town Council special election were thrown out after candidate Jacquelyn Heyward protested because the sole voting site at C.C. Blaney Elementary School was not opened at 7 a.m. as advertised. Gerald Schuster was the top vote-getter in the three-candidate race that also included former Town Councilman Ned Mitchell.
-- The first rural recreation complex through the Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission opened in Hollywood. Located between R.D. Schroeder Middle School and C.C. Blaney Elementary School, the complex includes a field for soccer, baseball and football, two outdoor basketball courts, upgraded playground equipment and other amenities.
NOVEMBER
-- A Hollywood area citizens group said a decision on the improvements to S.C. Highway 162 was long overdue from state transportation officials. The controversial option of widening the two-lane highway was among improvement proposals.
-- A West Ashley park was officially named for philanthropist and civic leader Bill Ackerman, who died in 1999 at age 84. Future plans include a dog park and skateboard park for the site.
-- Voters chose candidates in local constituent school board and public service district races during the November general elections.
DECEMBER
-- Jacquelyn Heyward, a candidate in October's Hollywood Town Council special election, withdrew her protest of the results of the race, allowing top vote-getter Gerald Schuster to assume the seat vacated by Joseph Dunmeyer, who resigned in July.
-- Kiawah Island voters elected a majority of candidates favoring the short-term rental practice, a controversial issue decided earlier this year. Newcomer Bill Wert won for mayor; newcomer Richard Bennett and incumbent Leo Fishman were elected to council. Incumbent Don McIver and newcomer Steve Orban, who both opposed the continuation of the short-term practice, also were elected.
-- John Drayton Hastie, owner of Magnolia Plantation and Gardens in West Ashley, died at age 85. Widely remembered for his philanthropy and devotion to animal welfare, Hastie transformed his 300-year-old family estate into an international attraction for its year-round bloom of flowers.
-- The groundbreaking was held for a long-awaited Charleston County Public Library on Johns Island. The $4.3 million building on nearly 5 acres on Maybank Highway is set to open in the spring of 2004.
-- A judge ruled that a West Ashley business that sells adult magazines and videos is, in fact, an adult business. The decision, which also upheld the city of Charles-ton's ordinance limiting such businesses to industrial areas, meant that the C&C Video and News store on St. Andrews Boulevard will soon be forced to close or relocate, unless the business appeals and a judge prevents the city from enforcing the ordinance while the appeal is in progress.
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