There's still no consensus on plan; residents feel left out
Charleston Mayor Joe Riley included a new road across Johns Island in a list
of possible projects to be paid for with federal money aimed at stimulating
the economy, even though a consensus hasn't been reached on whether to build
the road.
A founder of a group of Johns Island residents said the move is another
example of how Johns Island residents, who lack representation by elected
officials, are not adequately informed about projects that affect their land
and their lives. And the director of a conservation organization said the
road is one of many projects on the list that isn't innovative and won't
sustain the economy over time.
The list was part of an 800-page report released last week by the United
States Conference of Mayors. It details road, bridge, school and water
system projects across the nation that are waiting for money to move
forward, including a long list of projects in Charleston.
President-elect Barack Obama has called for spending hundreds of billions of
dollars on infrastructure projects to boost the economy and increase
employment. The mayors want their list of projects, which are ready or
nearly ready to build, to be considered.
In response to questions about why the Johns Island road, or the Cross
Island Parkway, was included in the list, Riley said, "People have a basic
misunderstanding of the so-called list."
The projects on the list are "not requests," he said, "they're examples" of
projects that could soon be ready for construction if a stimulus package is
approved.
Riley said no decision has been made on whether to build the road across
Johns Island. But he, the mayors of Kiawah and Seabrook islands and at least
two Charleston County Council members support building a road that runs
between River and Bohicket roads from the northern to the southern end of
the island.
The elected officials and several invited community members met last week to
discuss the road. The group was criticized for not announcing the meeting
publicly. Riley and Charleston County officials said future meetings on the
road's future will be open to the public.
Riley said the road was proposed not long ago as a toll road because no
money was available to build it. There was a lot of opposition to a toll
road, he said. But if everyone decides to build a road that people don't
have to pay to drive on, federal money might provide a way to fund it.
Bill Saunders, co-founder of Concerned Citizens of the Sea Islands, said he
thinks most Johns Island residents don't support building a new road on the
island and instead favor improving existing roads.
And he fears that if officials move forward with building the new road,
heavy construction vehicles could further damage existing rural roads, he
said.
"We feel like a surrogate mother," he said, being forced to bring forth a
road residents don't want.
Dana Beach, executive director of the Coastal Conservation League, said a
project such as the Cross Island Parkway won't stimulate the economy. And he
also said that many municipalities throughout the nation simply "dumped
their annual work plan in the plot."
Some projects the city of Charleston placed on the proposed list are good,
he said. For instance, the city wants stimulus money to lay the groundwork
for commuter and light-rail transportation systems. But many won't make much
difference in the long run.
"We ought to be looking to something that will lead us 20 to 50 to 100 years
in the future," he said.
Projects that encourage energy independence or move toward better modes of
transportation would be good bets, he said.
"We need strong direction and projects that have the potential to be
visionary," he said. "Otherwise, it's a potential waste of a whole lot of
money."
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