Betty Poore: What's New on the Charleston Coast Blog: April 2008

Well, last week Mark and I quietly slipped out of town and headed to Sanibel for some R & R. For as slow as most of 2006 & 2007 were, 2008 started out with a bang, and I was as busy as I could have desired. (Of course, it helped that on the long days, Mark would have the hot tub running, a cool beverage for me and the grill sizzling when I finally got home. He is the best!)

There was a big increase in showing appointments on many of my listings. I am hoping this translates into actual offers. Even the local paper has been more positive on the housing market in the Charleston Tri-County area, while the national media continues to focus on the doom and gloom of some areas of the country...not giving any attention to the bright spots. But as we know, bad news sells.

Back to Sanibel. Home of glorious sunsets, shells and peaceful times. I finished reading Atonement, something I wanted to do before I saw the movie. We have read some "fun" books by a local Sanibel resident, Randy Wayne White, and have loved recognizing some of the local characters and landmarks in his books.

Tomorrow we head home and plunge back into the thick of things, including preparations for my Dad's 80th birthday party and his parachute jump! Yes, a parachute jump. More on that, with pictures, after the fact.

Labels: real estate, sales, sanibel, vacation

Well, here it is, the final day of The Masters. Mark and I are comfortably plopped in front of our High Def TV (the only way to watch TV anymore) and the picture is incredible. These guys are just amazing... especially Gary Player who has played in this tournament a record 51 times.

I just finished playing in the Bulls Bay Ladies' Club Championship...probably for the 5th time, and would be 99 years old before I could match Gary's record. Reckon that won't happen. What did happen is that for the first time I actually placed! I won second place in the Gross tournament and first place in the Net tournament. My trophy is a big bronzed head of a bull that easily weighs 20 pounds.

Last week, my brother, Jerry Poore, was nominated for The Jefferson Award. This award honors people for their contributions to their community. In this case, Jerry and his company, Jerry Poore Landscaping, along with friends and some of his business vendors, created an outdoor classroom for James Island Elementary, the school his son Jack attends. To learn about the Jefferson Awards and to read the article just click here.

When son's school called, Jerry Poore answered

Not long after James Island Elementary School opened its doors five years ago, its teachers and staff hoped to create an outdoor classroom next to a large retaining pond.

The vision was ambitious, and expensive, so not much happened. Until last spring.

That's when someone mentioned to the organizers that parent Jerry Poore was in the landscaping business. One of those organizers, kindergarten teacher Lynette Kelley, said, "We called him, and he immediately said he would love to become involved."

Poore spent much of the summer designing the classroom, trying to incorporate as many of the parents' and teachers' ideas as possible.

"I didn't want to let them down," he said. "My son (Jack) goes here, so I was into it."

Poore not only designed the classroom, but he later helped get his blueprints approved by the Charleston County School District.

And then his crew built it.

The classroom, which was dedicated last week, is nestled along about a third of an acre of the pond and includes a "Carolina fence," with the state flower Yellow Jessamine growing up it. It also includes a butterfly garden, a mixture of native trees and sweetgrass, plus paths and two wooden decks where students can sit without risking red ant bites.

It also will include an osprey pole and a few dead trees where the pond's turtles can sun themselves.

Poore didn't want to wait on grants or fundraising. He was able to get some help from friends, such as Paul Greve, who built the decks.

Poore approached other companies with whom he does business, such as Church Creek Nursery, D.H. Hankins Trucking Co., Low Falls Wholesale Nursery and Carolina Supplies & Materials Inc., and asked them to provide material or plants for little or no charge. "I leaned on a lot of them — payback time," Poore said.

He got the S.C. Center for Birds of Prey to donate an osprey perch, while S.C. Electric and Gas sunk the pole into the pond.

Despite all this help, Poore estimates that he still paid for about $23,000 of the $30,000-plus project out of his own pocket.

"He has not asked for anything. He has not asked for one penny one time," Kelley said. "We feel we ought to try to give something back to him."

As he walked around the classroom as his crews were adding a few final touches, Poore expressed more concern about whether the classroom would be used and maintained than about any reimbursement that might come his way.

Kelley said Poore needn't worry about it being used: The outdoor classroom is a perfect place for the school's 500 students to learn about science, language and art. "There are a lot of standards we can address through this," she said. "It started as just a little project, and it's become a big project."

And Poore is the one who single-handedly made it so.

"Once I started," he said, "I didn't want to stop."