County Council stepped up and approved funding for the beach renourishment on Isle of Palms. To read the article in full, click
here.
I have pasted the text of the article below.
County Council gives final OK for IOP beach funding
By Tenisha Waldo
The Post and Courier
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
A North Charleston man called several Charleston County councilmen to complain about the council's giving of $900,000 for Isle of Palm's beach renourishment project.
The man's tone was belligerent, and Councilman Henry Darby said he could understand why.
Isle of Palms asked for the county's help with its offshore dredging project to save property on the city's northeastern end, where the Wild Dunes Resort is located. The property owners and Wild Dunes would pay for the majority of the project's nearly $10 million cost, but critics say public money shouldn't be involved because Wild Dunes is a private, gated community.
Councilman Paul Thurmond said he encouraged the angry caller, whose name he didn't know, to come to council's meeting Tuesday and share his views with all the council members.
But the caller didn't show up at council's meeting Tuesday when the council voted 7-0 to give the city $900,000 for the beach crisis. Joe McKeown and Curtis Bostic were absent. Council had given preliminary approval last week.
Stipulations with the funding are that Wild Dunes residents and the resort must contribute about $6 million toward the project, and any unused funds must be returned. Council also is making a "strong recommendation" to provide public parking for beach access.
Councilman Curtis Inabinett acknowledged, "We do not have any concrete guarantee."
Councilman Dickie Schweers noted that the money council is giving is from a fund for boosting tourism, and that Wild Dunes is a magnet for tourists.
"It's an investment with a history of return," Schweers said.
Darby voted yes but with some hesitation. "I don't know if I'm going to sleep well on this vote tonight, because this is indeed a precedent that's being set," he said.
# posted by
Betty Poore @ 6:51 AM
