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Since May 2005

PRESORT STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID FOLLY BEACH, SC PERMIT NO 27

Volume 4 Issue 15

Sullivan’s Island

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November 28, 2008

FREE

Isle of Palms

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Goat Island • Dewees Island

Pro tempore It’s a latin thing by brittany urbach

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ave you ever imagined that Isle of Palms could have four different Mayors in nearly a 12 month time period? It could very well happen soon under South Carolina law. With Mayor Mike Sottile resigning from office to work in the State House, Carol Rice serving as the Mayor pro tempore (or pro tem), a special election in January, and a normal election in November, the Isle of Palms could be in for a whirl-wind of elections. “It’s a little disruptive,” says Mayor Pro Tem Carol Rice. The word “pro tempore” may sound like a deep fried Japanese dish but it’s actually a Latin phrase, translating to mean “for the time being.” Therefore, Mayor Pro Tem Rice will serve as Mayor for the time being until an interim Mayor is elected. As for the four Mayors, the special election is set to take place in January 2009, and the interim Mayor elected on January 27 will then serve until December 31, 2009, to complete the official length of the Mayoral term. The regular election will take place in November 2009 and the Mayor elected then will take office January 2010. Every January, the City Council see Mayor on page 9

Isle of Palms firefighters put up the City’s Christmas tree in preparation for the annual tree lighting ceremony.

Inside Island Eye

Commission enlargement on page 5

CSO season on page 10

Holiday madness on page 14

staff photo

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November 28, 2008

Island I

By Heather Holbrook

On the islands for which I am thankful, here is a list of what I am thankful for:  Haggerty’s Point at the end of Sullivan’s Island. Lovely view of the ships in the harbor and of the Holy City.  That our barrier islands are so proximal to downtown Charleston and all the history, culture, and cuisine it offers we island folks.  That both Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island have restaurants worth staying on the islands for.  The Isle of Palms Garden Club. 60 years of civic beautification, fellowship and education.  The potholes on Middle Street. They remind me that it’s just paved sand. We ARE on an island you know.  Breach Inlet at sunrise. The light is just right for dolphin sightings.  Sullivan’s Island Elementary School and its dedication to excellence, its PTA, its parent volunteers. The view of the sea from the library’s windows.  Island architecture: From JC Longs to teeny lean-to cottages.

Especially the Officer’s Quarters grand dames. Even the McMansions.  Good surf at Stations 19 and 22. At the pier on IOP. And the fabulous people who are the Coastal Carolina Surf Club.  Battery Gadsden and its initial vision to be a preservationist of all things island- historical and cultural. And for the late Make Macmurphy who started it.  That there are six churches to choose from on our islands. Too bad the A.M.E. church behind the SI fire station no longer stands.  Edgar Allan Poe Library staff. Best ever! Anywhere!  The island mentality of ‘live and let live’. Let’s keep it alive, shall we?  That owls still perch in our tall trees and call to one another in the moonlight.  The Life Saving Station and its boat shed on SI. Architecturally pleasing and authentic in every way. Think of all the life saved and lost.  The tall black and white structure located near the Life Saving Station that now belongs to the National Park

Rough translation: live and let live.

System. Has very bright light at top and it goes around and around 24 hours a day. I love it when tourists ask me “What is that big triangular thing?”  Gary the part-time postal clerk at Sullivan’s Island Post Office. Some day he will get a plaque, you watch.  Wildflowers and those on our islands who perpetuate them.  My neighbor Myra Hills, who turns 100 on January 2, 2009.  The MaMa Sisterhood. You know who you are. You make the world go ‘round.  The Isle of Palms Recreation Center and all that it does for both island communities, from three year old soccer and middle school dances to Keenager potlucks and outdoor movie nights.  The Green Heron, historically known as Gruber’s Wishing Well. If it closes its doors, I am moving away.  All three million Christmas lights on the fire station on Middle Street.  The Goldbug tree near Station 28 and Myrtle.  The ever changing rocks on the beach at Station 19.

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 Our beloved community newspaper I have learned that a free paper is actually one of the most expensive things in the world to provide.  That there are no stop lights on Sullivan’s Island. And only one on Isle of Palms.  The wild yellow roses that grow near beach accesses.  The state-of-the-art gym that resides in a beach bungalowPrimetime Fitness. I do not like gyms; I like this place.  High Thyme brunch on Sundays.  The elevator music that plays in the aisles of The Red & White market. I actually enjoy it.  That almost everybody waves when they drive down the street. And that almost everybody speaks when they pass on a bike or golf cart.  The three egrets that can be seen in the marsh grass on the morning drive over the Connector to the mainland.  That both islands are full of children of all ages, making our summers noisier and our holidays all the more merry.

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November 28, 2008

Letter to the Editor Dear Editor, Recently, I sat in on the Isle of Palms planning and zoning meeting at City Hall. They had called a special meeting to meet with the Isle of Palms Neighborhood Association, at which time they were going to listen to this group’s thoughts and ideas concerning lot coverage and vacation rentals. As I listened, I heard lots of comments about the size of homes, the number of people renting a home, how people were choosing to live elsewhere instead of the island, about noise, about other communities and more. Bottom line, I believe their concerns are more about having a neighborhood than anything else. They felt that developers were coming in and slowly taking over the island to build bigger rental homes all over the island. I understand where the complaints are coming from. I too would be upset with having an all night or even a late evening party next to me. I would be the first one on the phone to the police. I value my sleep time more and more as I get older. But we have to realize that we all live in a very unique place: a barrier island. Not everyone wants to live in a location that could be affected by hurricanes, but everyone wants to visit the beach for the day if they live nearby or for a week if they live away. Our beaches are like national parks, they are for everyone to enjoy. Just because we are lucky enough to live here doesn’t mean we can or should control who can come to the beach. Because of this, we are seeing our quiet island being overrun in the summer with day trippers and vacationers. Years ago, islanders used to celebrate getting our island back at the end of summer, knowing that peace and quiet were coming. However, we all benefited from those who came and spent money. A rough analogy would be like a retail

store counting on Christmas spending. As a lifelong island resident, who lived here once when we had a population of 300 registered voters, I think I have experienced growth. I walk the island every day and reminisce throughout the neighborhoods I’m in. Sometimes another childhood friend joins me on my walks and we bring up stories of who did what, when, and where. In fact, my home sits in a location that I played on as a kid. Today, what I keep hearing is that the island is no longer the way it was, which I totally agree with. Neither is any neighborhood across America the same. Change happens. But it is not the size of the homes that make a neighborhood good or bad, nor is it that there are rental homes that make a community good or bad: it’s the people. Last night I heard the Neighborhood Association say that they are made up of business owners, doctors, lawyers, homemakers and yes, even realtors. Guess what, so is the other part of the island. Instead of having a special group that wears shirts that identify them as being special, we need to think “unity” instead of “them and us”. Instead of pulling out swords and saying “en garde”, let’s pull out chairs and say, “where do we begin?” Neighborhoods are great because of children and parents all interacting. Children are our best asset. The way to get people wanting to move in is by having neighborhood events year round that promote family, even events for those whose children have grown up and moved away. Years ago, the ladies on the island used to have the Woman’s Playground Auxiliary which held all kinds of fund raisers for the playground. They had movies every Friday night, teen dances, auctions, and even a turkey shoot down across from the Red and White. The more we all join together to

Civic Calendar Isle of Palms

www.sullivansisland-sc.com Contact: Lisa Darrow or Andy Benke at 883-3198 Town Hall: 1620 Middle Street

Contact:Linda Lovvorn Tucker at 886-6428 City Hall: 1207 Palm Boulevard Recreation Center: #24 28th Avenue

Monday, December 1 Committees of Council 6pm

Tuesday, December 9 Board of Zoning Appeals 5:30pm

Wednesday, December 10 Planning Commission 5pm (Workshop) 6:30 (Regular meeting)

City Council Special Meeting 6pm

Publisher of the Island Eye News, The Island Connection and The Folly Current.

Lynn Pierotti Publisher [email protected] Kristin Hackler Editor [email protected] Ali Akhyari Assistant Editor [email protected] Heather Boggs Holbrook Contributing Editor [email protected] Swan Richards Graphic Designer [email protected] Brittany Urbach Reporter [email protected] Jane McMackin Marketing Director Chelsea Langan Advertising [email protected] • Contributors Al & Linda Tucker Bobby Cummings Richard Hricik John Nelson Meredith Nelson Nick Strehle Caryn & Maria Wynn Published by Lucky Dog Publishing of South Carolina, LLC P.O. Box 837 Sullivan’s Island, SC 29482 843-886-NEWS Submit your letters to the editor to: [email protected] Future deadlines: December 3 for submissions.

Thank you, Jimmy Carroll

Send your letters to: [email protected]

Sullivan’s Island

Thursday, December 11 Board of Zoning Appeals 7pm

do as a community such as adult dances, oyster roasts, fish fry’s, etc, the more others will want to move out to our barrier island to share in our life-style. My children are a 3rd generation of Carroll’s enjoying this island. I’d like to see 4th and 5th generations. As for the rental homes, they should remain, but enforce the rules about no more than two per bedroom, strong noise ordinances, better parking controls and in return, the rentals will help pay for our life style. They pay for our recreation department, boat ramp, police and fire departments. In fact, they subsidize our lifestyle. Tourism is the goose that lays the golden egg and keeps our taxes here on the island in check. I am also a proponent for having rentals no further back than Cameron, however, any home that is currently being rented further back should be grandfathered in. This would help delineate a more year round area from those that have rentals. Let’s put away the divisiveness and swords and let’s get out the chairs and work together in creating a neighborhood that everyone wants to live in. If we can achieve this utopia, rentals will be slowly pushed out by families wanting to move in and share in our lifestyles. Prospective buyers don’t want to move into communities where everyone is against one another. Let’s make 2009 the year when a seven mile long island becomes one neighborhood where others can’t wait to move in. I am not writing this to say someone is right or wrong, nor for any group, but as someone who cares for the island. And yes, I am a realtor and own a company that has rented homes here since 1981 and who has supported the island’s youth for as long. We have always felt that it is our obligation to give back to the community which has been great to us.

Luck y D o g P ubl i sh i n g , L L C

Wednesday, December 10 Planning Commission 4:30pm

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The Island Eye News, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lucky Dog Publishing of South Carolina LLC, is a free, independent newspaper published every two weeks and is for and about the Isle of Palms, Sullivan’s Island, Goat Island and Dewees Island. Copies are mailed free of charge to every active mailbox in our coverage area and are also available at area businesses and by subscription to non-islanders. Subscriptions are $30 per year for non-residents and are available by sending a check to Lucky Dog Publishing, LLC, P.O. Box 837, Sullivan’s Island, SC 29482. Contributions of information, pictures and articles are welcomed and are used according to space limitations and news value and cannot be returned except by special request. Our editorial content is primarily dedicated to the area of distribution; ad space is open to all businesses who want to reach the Island Eye News market. Complete ad creation is $50, however, changes of up to 30% of the original ad are included at no extra cost. All advertising rates are listed at www. islandeyenews.sc under “advertising”.

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November 28, 2008

Civic

Sullivan’s Island Town Council

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he Sullivan’s Island Town Council held their regular meeting on November 18 at Town Hall. It was well attended as many residents were concerned with an ordinance introduced by Jerry Kaynard that would add two new members to the Planning Commission. For details on that see And then there were nine on page 5. Bearing the burden As the market hibernates, the Town has not been exempt from the financial troubles that are plaguing the rest of the country. As a result, the business community is being called on to fix the problem. According to Council member Mike Perkis, contractors simply are not doing nearly as much work as the Town estimated when the budget was completed. As a result, business license fees and building permits are down by about 50 percent and he does not foresee a change in that trend in the near future. Perkis estimates that the Town will see a shortfall of about $158,000 as a result. To make up the difference, the Town is contemplating increasing business license fees across the board. However, in order to raise enough money, restaurants could see their fees increase six-fold. According to the current version of Ordinance 2008-13, restaurants/bars that serve alcohol after midnight will have

Staff Report

to pay $12 for every $1000 they make where they used to pay $2. Restaurants/ bars that close before midnight will pay $8 for every $1000. Council member Jerry Kaynard pointed out that license fees are based on money volume, which is the system that has always been in place. Furthermore, there will be an audit of some sort to make sure that businesses are in the right fee classification. Council member Buddy Howle echoed the sentiment of the business owners in attendance by saying it did not seem fair to make restaurants and bars pay more because contractors are not doing as much work. “These are substantial increases,” Everett Presson added. Perkis pointed out that there is an urgency behind passing the ordinance before December 31 because it would have to ratified by then in order to take effect this fiscal year. There will have to be a special meeting of the Council for that to happen. He admitted the move was controversial, but debate and changes could be made at second reading. The important thing to do was to find a way to make up the shortfall without delving into the City’s surplus. The Council passed first reading of the ordinance. Perkis also suggested re-evaluating the Town’s banking relationships and looking to the Water and Sewer Department for excess funds.

Taking it on the chin In addition to the possibility of increased fees for the business community, the Council also discussed two noise-associated ordinances directed at the Commercial District as well. The first ordinance will prohibit deliveries of any kind in the Commercial District before 7am. Complaints were made by residents that their sleep was being disturbed by loud deliveries as early as 5:30am at the Kangaroo gas station. The ordinance was drafted after verbal attempts at a solution with Kangaroo failed to provide any respite. While complaints were focused on Kangaroo, the ordinance would affect every business in the commercial district. Drew Harris, owner of Cafe Medley, noted that a post 7am delivery limit would inhibit their ability to provide their morning services. Pat Votava, a Jasper Avenue resident, noted that the complaints started with Jasper residents and their only complaint is with Kangaroo because it utilizes a tractor-trailer that parks at the back of the station. Bill Dunleavy, owner of Dunleavy’s, stated that this is the first

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complaint of this kind in his 16 years and argued that there should be a “real problem” if an ordinance is going to be passed. The Council voted to defer the ordinance as there were too many unanswered questions. However, businesses may soon see a separate noise ordinance at a future meeting. “I definitely want to get it on the table and discuss it,” Presson stated. The ordinance would be aimed at controlling late-night noise in the Commercial District. He went on to say that Sullivan’s Island doesn’t need or want businesses that have amplified music after 11pm. “I don’t want a nightclub situation,” Presson said. Part of the urgency is that Home Team BBQ is preparing to open where Bert’s used to be and there is concern that they plan to have live music, which will draw more people to Sullivan’s Island, something Presson has made clear that he could do without. However, Dunleavy argued that the business district can not survive on Sullivan’s Island residents alone. Perkis noted that there is already a noise ordinance on the books that could see Government on page 12

November 28, 2008

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Civic

And then there were nine By Ali Akhyari

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he regular Sullivan’s Island Town Council meeting was almost a regular debate on November 18, helping to stretch it into a three hour long event. Several issues stirred the Council members and residents alike, while perhaps the most discussed topic was Council member Jerry Kaynard’s ordinance to add two more people to the Planning Commission. By the slimmest of margins, Town Council passed second reading of an ordinance that will add two more members to the Town’s Planning Commission for a total of nine. Ordinance 2008-8 was introduced by Kaynard, who says he wants to “harness the energy of more interest in government” that residents have expressed, as evidenced by the two extra people who were not selected for the Planning Commission this past year. “It’s an issue of having greater participation,” Kaynard says. He adds that it’s a privilege to serve in government and the Town should accommodate the extra people who are interested in serving. However, there was at least as much interest in serving on Town Council this past election when people were left out. Kaynard says his “freshman” status on the Council kept him from suggesting increases across the board. Furthermore, he argues that if more people are allowed on the Planning Commission, more diversity will be achieved as well as more fresh ideas. Kaynard was supported by Council members Mary Jane Watson, Buddy Howle, and Everett Presson, who argued that some people may not feel represented on the Planning Commission and it wouldn’t hurt anything to add a couple of people.

Those against adding the seats noted that there did not appear to be any problem with the Planning Commission, nor any groundswell from the community suggesting that the Planning Commission needed more representation. Perkis noted that the Planning Commission did not ask for more help and the suggestion of adding more people didn’t come until after the Planning Commission elections, wherein two candidates were passed over for incumbents. “My objection is not an objection to participation or new ideas,” Council member Pat O’Neil said. “I’m completely unconvinced there’s a problem.” He said the current Planning Commission is very diverse, noting that there are front beach and inland members and that Hal Currey, the Planning Commission Chairperson, oversaw one of the largest developments to take place on the peninsula, suggesting that there is representation of business minded people as well. Councilman Howle asked why the Council should only act if there’s a problem, arguing that the Council could also be proactive and make things better. Speaking on a separate noise ordinance that would affect the Commercial District, business owner Bill Dunleavy stated that the Town should not pass an ordinance unless there was a “real problem”. Planning Commission member Nicky Bluestein, who replaced Pat Votava, argued that the Commission is “stale and lacks vision”, adding that it could be improved by adding two more “brilliant minds”. However, some were not convinced that Kaynard’s intentions were completely pure or, at least, that it sends a bad message. “It doesn’t pass the smell test,” Mayor Carl Smith

stated, noting that two people didn’t get on the Planning Commission and now the Council is trying to add two more seats. Term limits would be a better solution if diversity and inclusion is the goal, he said. Watson stated that she would hate to lose good people on the Planning Commission because of term limits. Council member Pat O’Neil noted that Kaynard has had to abstain from votes dealing with the Commercial District because of conflicts of interest. In fact, Kaynard recused himself on another vote that evening for that very reason. O’Neil asked if Kaynard felt that there was conflict in trying to add two more members to the Planning Commission as they are getting ready to deal with the Commercial District Master Plan, which will dictate regulations surrounding the Commercial District. “This discussion should not be about that,” Kaynard argued. “There’s no ulterior motive. I resent being questioned on the issue of ethics. It’s about participation.” Presson supported Kaynard, saying that he did not believe anyone was trying to “stack the board”. “The Planning Commission is like an incubator of ideas,” Kaynard said. “I have no other interests than for more participation.” Residents who spoke on the issue were split five to four in favor of adding two more members to the Planning Commission. The Council passed the ordinance by a 4-3 vote with Council members O’Neil and Perkis as well as Mayor Smith dissenting.

Isle of Palms City Council staff report

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he November 18 Isle of Palms City Council meeting was the first meeting for Mayor Pro Tem Carol Rice under her new title. Voicing Concerns Jim Raih was the first citizen to speak during the meeting, addressing a concern involving the Real Property Advisory Committee. “I am now an in-water slip renter year round, so I’ll be at the Marina more often than I already am, and I just think the City

owes the tax payers everything we can do for them as owners of the property down there. The Real Property Advisory Committee was an ad hoc committee, and I just think that a step or a change in the administration of that ought to be considered now,” says Raih. Mayor Pro Tem Carol Rice responded to his concerns saying, “We’ve taken that under advisement and are looking at switching the composition of that committee.” Diane Oltorik was the next citizen

to speak her concerns involving several committee meetings during the past month. The first meeting she addressed was the ATAX committee, led by Julia Tucker. Oltorik stated that Tucker had lobbied to have the number of meetings per year reduced from a monthly meeting to quarterly meetings, but Tucker has only shown up to one of the two quarterly meetings held so far. “I am concerned that she’s still under the same burden of responsibility that she was in May,” says Oltorick, “because

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she felt that monthly meetings were interfering with her job.” Oltorik inquired about any policy regarding absenteeism on committees, and if there’s a time limit on the number of years someone can be Chair of a specific committee. Oltorik then suggested Julia Tucker “be unencumbered of her duties and responsibilities to that committee,” noting that “Chairs of our committees see Council on page 16

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November 28, 2008

Daily

Fried egret anyone? By Ali Akhyari

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or about a month prior to Thanksgiving, I began itching to go back home to High Point, NC, for the holidays. It had been a while since I had seen my family. Thanksgiving holds so many memories that take me back in time to when I was a kid and cared more about enjoying that wonderful North Carolina autumn, an autumn that I just don’t get in Charleston, other than watching the football game. We’d have it at my grandparent’s house—the same one they lived in when they first came to this country, way before my time. To a five-year-old sharing a bedroom with his sister, mother and aunt, that tiny, little place always seemed cozy instead of small. It’s where I was taught to tie my shoes by my Aunt/ roommate Marilu. It’s where my sister and I would admire the peculiarities of the lone Mimosa tree in the spring; catch lightning bugs in the summer; jump in leaf piles in the fall; and play on the jungle gym all year long whose slide I crippled by using it before the cement was dry, despite orders to the contrary because I just couldn’t wait. Yep, that’s what I’d call a home. But for the past two and a half years, my fiance and I have started to make the Charleston area our home and I see that North Carolina dreamland less and less. I remember when I first came here, driving past the marshes on my way to Folly Beach, in awe of the beauty of the marsh. I saw amazing wildlife that I had never seen before: incredible snow white egrets, osprey and great blue herons. After landing a job as a naturalist at Middleton Plantation, I saw alligators on a daily basis and invited takers on my tours to admire the Middleton Oak, which battles the Angel Oak on Johns Island for record holding age status. It was no phenomenon to see a bald eagle or two circling overhead, or sitting on their nest across the Ashley. Charleston definitely has its own character and I’ve started to contemplate what my future wife and I can look forward to when we have our first Charleston Thanksgiving. So I look at those gorgeous snowy and great egrets and I think, “Wow, as magnificent as those birds are, I bet they are just incredibly delicious.” I mean, an

animal that graceful has got to have caramel or 20 year-old scotch running through its veins. With some powdered sugar, I bet you could make some very interesting dessert balls that you could enjoy with a pipe and a cocktail. Those Great Blue Herons are massive. One or two could easily take the place of the typical turkey that I’m used to. Judging by their color, I bet they’re already infused with a wonderful charcoal flavor. Of course, for those vegetarians that don’t eat meat, perhaps an alligator would do. I know what you’re thinking. Yes, I would consider an alligator to be meat as well. But I’m sure you’ve met plenty of people who claim vegetarianism, but “eat fish”. I’d say an alligator is pretty close. Not from a scientific standpoint, or even taste, but they both spend a lot of time in the water. I’m just not sure how you’d stuff one of those, but I’ll bet I could figure it out. But the cuisine in Charleston is not bound by the mundane tradition. I don’t think my Charleston Thanksgiving feast has to have a bird carcass as the centerpiece. No, let’s get in line with our famous chefs and do something a little different, artistic even. What’s better than the bird itself? Well, any super villain worth their weight in schemes knows it is the life force of that creature. What makes Austin Powers, Austin Powers? As Dr. Evil pointed out, it’s his mojo. So, how do you put some mojo into this Lowcountry feast? How about a spicy sausage, tomato and onion quiche made with the eggs of a bald eagle? I know, I know. Why hasn’t anyone thought of this before, right? I think it’s the taboo of devouring the children of our national ave. But if imitation is the greatest form of flattery, my logic says that ingestion is the greatest form of admiration. What better way to express your patriotism than to crack open some eggs of the most powerful bird in the world and absorb its energy. What has the turkey done for us lately? Why does it deserve the best seat in the house? It certainly doesn’t strike fear into the hearts of our enemies. The eagle quiche. That’s where it’s at. You’ll have a country so full of patriotism that our very glow will be seen from space, striking fear into the hearts of our enemies who will be forced to see the face of their doom if they dare to throw a glimpse in this direction. I don’t know that a person can ever replace their childhood home, nor do I think they should, especially if those memories

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can keep them warm at night. But I have to admit that I look forward to my first Charleston Thanksgiving, whenever that may be. Looking back on my two and a half years here, I am very thankful for being able to simply step out of my door and be surrounded by this natural beauty. Perhaps one day I will be able to properly honor that blessing with my own Charleston Thanksgiving feast. This year, I again will indulge in the Thanksgiving feast I have grown accustomed to and will wallow in that reminiscent mud like the happiest pig you’ve ever seen. But in the future, if you catch a red, white and blue glow that screams Charleston on a Thanksgiving evening, know that you will be more than welcome to partake in a homegrown feast, neighbor.

November 28, 2008

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Daily

Giving thanks provided by al and linda tucker

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his edition of the Island Eye offers Al and me the opportunity to say, “thank you!”  We are thankful for all of the prayers that this community extended to our granddaughter, Campbell Winston Adams.  In May at four months old, Campbell was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of meningitis and was fighting for her life in the pediatric ICU in Atlanta.  The East Cooper community rallied overnight lifting our granddaughter Campbell in prayer.  From our home church family, the First United Methodist Church on the Isle of Palms, to churches and church families all over East Cooper, Campbell received the gift of prayer.  This prayer transcended all denominations and faiths.  From close friends to virtual strangers, people would stop us and tell us they were praying and ask us how Campbell was doing.  Most had never even met Campbell, but just knew her story. We are happy to report that the prayers were answered and we are thankful that as we celebrate this Thanksgiving we will rejoice in the giggles, crawls and “cruisin” of ten

month old Campbell. Our daughter, Mary Paige Tucker Adams, and her husband David credit the emergency room physician at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Scottish Rite with being the first person to hear the whispers of God’s angels giving guidance and saving Campbell’s life.  We are enclosing excerpts of Mary Paige’s letter commending that physician.  This letter tells Campbell’s story. Rejoicing in Thanksgiving, photos provided

Al and Linda Tucker

Left: Cambell at four months old. Right: Cambell now at 10 months old. Cambell was diagnosed with a rare form of meningitis at four months.

What follows are excerpts from the commendation letter sent to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Scottish Rite Campus: July 28, 2008 I am writing to compliment one of your physicians, Robert Thompson, M.D. Dr. Thompson is an Emergency Department physician at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Scottish Rite campus.  On the evening of May 15, 2008, my husband and I took our four month old daughter, Campbell,

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to the Emergency Department at approximately 9:30pm for vomiting, high fever, and listlessness.  My daughter had had a mild fever the prior day and had been seen by her primary care physician who had asked us to encourage fluids and monitor the fever.  Our daughter’s condition changed significantly the evening of May 15, and we decided that it was important for us to seek immediate medical attention. Upon our arrival at Children’s Healthcare, we had the privilege of meeting Dr. Thompson.  Dr. Thompson did a very thorough history and physical on our daughter.  In see Cambell on page 11

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November 28, 2008

Daily

Forecast calls for cheer

Life on the islands

Isle of Palms tree lighting ceremony

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he Isle of Palms Recreation Department will host their Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony on the Front Beach area of Isle of Palms. The Tree Lighting will take place on Thursday, December 4, at 6pm. Live entertainment will include the band Two 3 Ways and the Sullivan’s Island Elementary School Chorus. Participants are invited to come and visit Santa and celebrate the festive season. Children and adults can enjoy a snow covered play area. Local businesses and restaurants will feature seasonal specials. This is a Free Event. For more information please contact Trish Perrine at 843-8868294 or visit www.iop.net.

Friends at Café medley: Friends enjoying tea and cocoa at Cafe Medley: Kathleen Brunson, Lisa Crow, Shannon Kennemur.

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November 28, 2008

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Daily

The battle of the views City revisits short term rentals By Brittany Urbach On November 19, 2008, a special meeting was held by the Planning Commission to hear concerns from representatives of the Isle of Palms Neighborhood Association (IOPNA) in regards to short term rentals. One concern from a member of the IOPNA is that in 2009, when fewer people are vacationing, the tax payers are going to have to make up the difference. Also, during the off season, there’s a cost to having too many police officers, as well as the cost of the new public safety building. A representative from the Isle of Palms Mayor from cover elects a Mayor pro tem who will take office should something happen to the Mayor in office. “It’s sort of like a vice [president],” says Mayor Pro Tem Rice, who has served on Isle of Palms City Council for seven years. “I’m very honored to be serving as Mayor pro tem. It’s very exciting and I’m looking forward to whatever anybody wants to talk about.” Since Mayor Pro Tem Rice does not plan on running for Mayor in either one of the upcoming elections, she hopes to run the City in the same fashion as Mayor Mike Sottile had. “I just want things to run smoothly—for there to be as little disruption as possible for the City and the staff,” says Mayor Pro Tem Rice. “I don’t really have a specific agenda beyond what we would normally do—City business as usual so to speak. I just don’t think that we need to tackle anything additional beyond what we would have done anyway.” During the next few months, the City is chock-full of special holiday events, upcoming committee assignments, and the task of continuing the process of recodifying the City code. “The City is so busy with the new public safety building, a bulkhead that’s being replaced, monitoring the re-nourishment, and then the usual work

Community Association (IOPCA) says, “It’s not the size of the homes that’s the problem, it’s what goes on in them that’s the problem.” The representative commented on the subject further, saying that the 111 recorded complaints last season made by residents against renters is not that much compared to the thousands of rentals each year. Even if the number was tripled, they said, it would not be that much. Afterward, one representative from the IOPNA commented on the meeting saying, “We don’t have expectations of anything other than ‘let’s just talk.’ We’re trying to listen and negotiate something for

of the City,” says Mayor Pro Tem Rice. “I mean, our plates are very full. Just keeping the things that are going, going is a pretty big helping for any plate at the moment.” Mayor Pro Tem Rice does not forecast any large obstacles during her time in this position. “I think that it’s all doable,” she says. “I mean, we have Linda [Tucker]. Thank God for Linda. And I’m just trying to be supportive and not cause any obstacles.” Experience on The Isle of Palms City Council has allowed Mayor Pro Tem Rice to have full confidence in taking on this new position. “I speak my mind. I think I bring a lot of consensus and humor to the Council. I try to keep things in perspective.” She sure does bring humor everywhere she goes. It’s impossible to hold in chuckles as she cracks a joke at the City Council meetings or in everyday conversation. “I landed here from Mars,” she jokes, but she’s no alien to Charleston as she’s a 6th generation Charlestonian. Mayor Pro Tem Rice is a graduate from Charleston’s Ashley Hall and Boston University with a degree in political science. Since moving back to the area in the early 90s, she has been happily married, and has two daughters who currently both attend public schools in the area.

everyone.” The meeting for the Planning Commission to hear the IOPCA’s views will be held on December 15.

“The reason I ran for Council initially was to improve the Recreation Center facilities, of which I feel very, very proud,” says Rice. She helped improve the facilities greatly during the past several years, transforming the old gymnasium into a new Recreation Center constructed in 2004. “It has been a real source of joy,” she says in reference to the gorgeous recreation facility. Currently, Mayor Pro Tem Rice serves as chairwoman on the Recreation Committee and Real Property Committee. The Real Property Committee looks over the marina site, making it an extremely active committee. The marina bulkhead is currently being replaced, “which is a huge, huge City project at the moment,” says Rice. The bulkhead is the retaining wall between the water and the land and is a $2.3 million project. “And of course, it’s a major construction project, and of course you’re working against the

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For Rent elements,” says City Administrator Linda Tucker. “So it’s kind of a tricky construction project.” Mayor Pro Tem Rice has also participated greatly in the public arts around the City. One of her many accomplishments with the public arts has been her participation with the “Turtles on the Town” project. This public arts project brought together various artists to transform fiberglass loggerhead turtles into works of art, which were then placed on exhibit around the Aquarium until they were auctioned off. Rice worked with Isle of Palms to purchase two of the turtles, placing one at Front Beach and the other at the marina. The proceeds from purchasing the turtles went to the Charleston Aquarium. Want to see Mayor Pro Tem Rice in action and meet her in person? Come down to Front Beach December 4 at 6pm for the Christmas tree lighting and watch her flip the switch!

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November 28, 2008

Daily

Charleston Symphony Orchestra’s holiday concert season

  The Charleston Symphony Orchestra will aim to fill the Holy City with holiday cheer this December with a variety of holiday-inspired performances throughout the Lowcountry. During the month, the CSO will perform six separate area concerts, highlighted by their annual Holiday Pops concert. The CSO kicks off the holiday season on Saturday, December 6 with the sweet sound of the CSO Gospel Choir as they take the stage with the CSO musicians at the Gaillard Municipal Auditorium. Both guest conductor Vincent Danner and vocal soloist Jennifer Bynum will make their return to the stage to help wish you a very merry Gospel Christmas. The concert begins at 8 PM, all tickets for this concert are $30. Under the direction of conductor Scott Terrell, the CSO musicians will also team up with the CSO Chamber Choir to treat Charleston to three performances of The Messiah. The first Messiah concert will take place on Thursday, December 11 at The Citadel’s Summerall Chapel at 8pm. The CSO will perform The Messiah once again on Sunday, December 14 at 3pm at St. Teresa the Little Flower Catholic Church in Summerville. A third, special Messiah Sing-A-Long performance will take place on Sunday, December 21 at 6pm at the Citadel Square Baptist Church. During this unique performance, audience members are invited to sing along to the greatest hits of The Messiah. Tickets for each Messiah concert are $15, with $5 student tickets available. The CSO Brass section will break away from the rest of the symphony on Saturday, December 13 at 8pm to blast you into the holidays with their Holiday Brass performance located downtown at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church. Don’t miss this exciting performance, as the horns of the CSO will have you rocking underneath the mistletoe. Tickets for Holiday Brass are $15, with student tickets available for $5. Headlining the holiday season will be the CSO’s annual Holiday Pops concert, part of McCrady’s Charleston Pops Series. Come experience this holiday celebration at 8pm on Saturday, December 20 at the Gaillard Auditorium as the CSO will be joined by the CSO Chorus, Charleston Children’s Chorus, St. John the Baptist Cathedral for Girl’s Chorus, and members of the Wando High School band. Featuring holiday favorites such as “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “White Christmas,” and the Seussian classic “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” this concert is sure to be the highlight of your holiday season.  Ticket prices range from $20 - $45, with $5 student tickets available. Tickets for all CSO performances can be purchased at the Gaillard Auditorium box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, by calling Ticketmaster at 843-554-6060 and online at: www.charlestonsymphony.com. (Convenience fees apply.)

Fazio’s hole to return

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Staff Report

ith the beach nourishment at Wild Dunes completed, life on the northern most part of the Isle of Palms has finally been able to get back to normal. One of the benefactors of this new lease on life is the revival of the finishing hole at the Wild Dunes Resort Links Course. Heavy erosion had eaten away at the Tom Fazio design and the hole had to be changed from a Par-5 into a Par-3 because erosion had moved pieces of the fairway into the Atlantic. However, the $10 million beach nourishment project, which was a cooperative effort between Wild Dunes residents, the City of Isle of Palms, Charleston County and the State of South Carolina, has allowed the resort to begin rebuilding the famous hole. Work began after Labor Day of this past year as the nourishment project had been completed ahead of schedule. The rebuilt hole will once again be a Par-5, with a dogleg right and a drive going towards the ocean. Jeff Minton, Director of Golf at Wild Dunes, says the new version will be a “more natural links, beach style hole”. He adds that it is going to be more of a “risk/reward” type of hole that will allow skilled golfers to challenge the final hole in exchange for the possibility of a tough finish if anything goes wrong. The hole still has to grow in and repair is scheduled to be finished sometime in the spring of 2009.

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November 28, 2008

Daily

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A Family Affair Brothers and sisters fill the cast of CBT’s The Nutcracker

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harleston Ballet Theatre’s The Nutcracker, while already recognized as a family-friendly holiday tradition to the people of Charleston, has become a full-on family affair, with a stunningly large roster of sibling performers in this season’s production. A unique feat that CBT is proud to say provides the heart of the holiday show, reminding us all what the true meaning of the season is really all about. Charleston Ballet Theatre will present its Charleston-themed production of Resident Choreographer Jill Eathorne Bahr’s adaptation of The Nutcracker December 13 & 14 at The Gaillard Auditorium. While every season’s performance of the holiday classic is filled with a bevy of talented Lowcountry children from all over the Charleston

Rachel and Matthew Allen of West Ashley to Lauren and Olivia Cox of Sullivan’s Island  and from Holland and Dulcie Fava of Mount Pleasant to Sydney and Ben Kramer of Daniel Island, over 25 of the children in this year’s holiday production are members of the same family.  Some combinations extend beyond sibling THE NUTCRACKER: December 13 and 14 at participation with CBT Board Member and Guild President Cindy Rauton of Mount Pleasant proudly Gaillard Auditorium participating in everything Nutcracker while her two daughters Melissa and Grace dance together in the area, this season’s cast runs the gamut with several TICKETS: Adults $30 - $45   (Child/Student ballet this coming December. combinations of brothers and sisters, older and discount of $10 off any ticket price) Fittingly enough this year’s The Nutcracker is younger, dancing in many of the most popular sections a production fit for the entire family, whether they of the classic ballet.  be in the audience or onstage performing. For more With over eleven combinations of siblings ranging Tickets can be purchased at 477 King Street, information and a list of the entire group of siblings in ages and sizes, nearly every community in the by calling 723-7334 or ticketmaster.com Charleston area is represented  on the CBT stage. From participating this  year, contact Kyle Barnette, Administrative Director at k.barnette@ Thompson.  Every day I am grateful he charlestonballet.org or 723.7334. holding the vials up to the light in the Cambell from page 7 was the physician on duty that night. trauma room and looking directly at his notes he states that Campbell’s me and saying “I am so sorry.”  It was The least I can do is write a letter neurological exam was normal and a difficult moment for my husband applauding Dr. Thompson for his quick her neck was supple.  In fact, Dr. thinking and excellent practice of and me, but also Dr. Thompson.  It Thompson noted that she had “no was very obvious that he was gravely medicine on May 15 and 16, 2008.  As meningeal signs.” This became concerned about our daughter’s well an attorney who has made her living extremely important as the evening being. defending physicians, hospitals, and progressed.  During this time period, I am very happy to report that our nurses, I know it is the rare occurrence our daughter’s clinical status quickly daughter survived Pneumococcal that physicians get thanked for deteriorated.  She began to moan and Bacterial Meningitis with no their excellent care and treatment was increasingly listless.   The results neurological sequela.  This is due of patients.  Dr. Thompson is to be of her lab work were all negative.  It in large part to Dr. Thompson.  Dr. commended for helping to save our was at this point that Dr. Thompson Thompson quickly recognized that daughter’s life and I am, and will be, decided that a lumbar puncture was our daughter was exceptionally forever grateful. indicated.  The lumbar puncture was ill.  Today, our daughter is hitting all I have enclosed a photograph of performed at approximately 11:50pm – of her milestones and is an absolute Campbell which was taken on July 4, a mere two hours and twenty minutes joy due to Dr. Thompson’s high 2008. It is because of Dr. Thompson, after we had arrived at the Emergency indicia of suspicion and willingness that I had the privilege of putting my Department.  Dr. Thompson retrieved to take the necessary steps to get a child’s toes in the sand on the island two vials of cloudy cerebrospinal fluid diagnosis as quickly as possible.  I truly where I grew up as a child. from our daughter. believe that Campbell’s neurological I will never forget Dr. Thompson status was saved that night by Dr. Mary Paige Adams

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November 28, 2008

Fitness

Mastering Holiday Madness P a r t T w o : Ta k i n g t h e w o b b l e o u t o f y o u r g o b b l e By Meredith Nelson, M.Ed If you did indeed stuff yourself along with the turkey, you may have taken in more calories in one meal than you need for an entire day. Yes, that’s right, one serving of turkey and gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, one dinner roll (without butter!), cranberry sauce, and a large slice of pumpkin pie with whipped cream can add up to 2280 calories. So where does one begin in order to perform damage control? For starters, don’t head straight to the sofa for an afternoon of football. Before you allow the tryptophan in the turkey to send you off for a nap, why not take a walk around the neighborhood? A game of football with the kids might be a bit much on such a full stomach, but some light activity to get the blood flowing would help – and it would burn some calories, too. Remember that the holiday season won’t be over now that the leftovers have been wrapped up and put away . . . the snacking, treats, and feasts may continue for weeks. Be sure to slowly make up for the extra caloric intake of Thanksgiving dinner by decreasing your portion size over the next few days. You can balance your food intake and activity level over the entire holiday period – if you splurge one day, cut back the next. The same idea of overdoing it one day and cutting back another also holds true, in reverse, for

Make sure to drink plenty of water. Drinking enough water is the easiest way to lose a little weight, as it helps to rid your body of unnecessary fats and calories circulating in your system. Try to limit your consumption of caffeine and alcohol. It may be difficult to drink enough water in the winter months, but you can try to increase your water intake with flavored waters or decaf tea as well. Just remember to steer clear of added sugars. This holiday season, plan your eating and exercise wisely and well in advance. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Plan to stay active. Plan to enjoy your favorite foods. It won’t take long to rid yourself of the extra calories of that stuffed turkey! Stay tuned for Mastering Holiday Madness, Part Three: Prepare to Party this Holiday Season, in the next issue of The Island Eye!

your exercise over the holidays. Time constraints, unexpected guests, and never ending to-do lists may interfere with your workout plans. If you have to cut an exercise session short, incorporate an extra day or ten additional minutes into your next workout.

Meredith Nelson, M.Ed, is the owner of PrimeTime Fitness, Inc, on Sullivan’s Island. Offering group fitness classes, PrimeTime Spin, private yoga, personal training, and monthly gym membership, Meredith divides her time between the gym on Sullivan’s Island and limited in-home training on Daniel Island, where she resides along with her husband Mark. Meredith can be reached with your fitness questions at 8830101, or [email protected].

IOP’s got a brand new game By Brittany Urbach

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olf game got you down? Soon you can drop those clubs and grab a Frisbee at The Isle of Palms Recreation Department’s new disc golf course and experience a whole new way of “golfing.” The disc golf course is still in the production phase and anticipated to open to the public before Christmas 2008, says Recreation Director Norma Jean Page. “What I find most appealing about disc golf is the sense of competition between friends,” says local disc golfer

Chad Hinkle. “It’s always a good time being out in nature with your buddies, bonding and sharing a few laughs.” The Recreation Department’s disc golf course will be 18 holes and the discs and basket holes will be created from supplies already available, making it a low maintenance project. Although the Department won’t be installing targets, they have purchased flags to identify where holes are and will provide score cards and course maps for players.

The Isle of Palms’ new disc golf course, along with most other disc golf courses, is built in a way that conserves green space and allows people to enjoy nature. They’re eco-friendly since they don’t require the clearing of land like regular golf and usually involve nothing more than a narrow path through the woods. “I think this new course is definitely going to be a hit and take off quickly with the local community,” says Hinkle. “Disc golf is such a fun sport and can

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be enjoyed by all age groups.” The addition of the new disc golf course gives Page a positive outlook on the direction of the Recreation Center. She hopes the addition of the course as well as the Center’s large variety of activities will bring in more people who don’t normally participate in recreational and athletic activities. This new course should also attract a large number of players who want to add variety to their list of disc golf see Disc Golf on page 22

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Business

November 28, 2008

Lighthouse wealth report by bobby cummings, cfp, cfbs, cltc

“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” ~George Bernard Shaw For the week ending November 15, 2008 The markets On second thought, maybe that wasn’t such a good idea. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson did an about face the week of November 9 as he told Congress that the administration was backing away from the original plan of using the $700 billion bailout fund to purchase toxic mortgages. Instead, he said they would like to “consider using (the) remaining bailout funds on a second round of purchases of preferred shares in both banks and non-bank institutions that would match privately raised funds,” according to CNBC. Wall Street panned the flip-flop as the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 411 points on the day of Paulson’s change of heart. To his credit, Paulson didn’t stubbornly stick to a plan that may have been less than optimal as new information became available. Like a good trader, he realized that the winds had shifted so he decided to shift, too. Wall Street took it hard because the swift change just reinforced how quickly things are changing in the economy. Wall Street doesn’t like uncertainty and this change was another example of the unpredictability of our current environment. Glum retail sales, weak corporate earnings reports, and another jump in initial jobless claims added to the negative tone in the markets the week of November 9, according to MarketWatch. Thursday, November 13, was the lone bright spot. After the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped below 8,000, it staged a dramatic comeback and finished the day up a stellar 6.7%. This 11.5% intraday swing was the third biggest one-day swing in the past 46 years, according to Barron’s. Although the market finished up for the day, this stomach-turning volatility kept investors nervous and the market sold off again the next day. Like Paulson, we’re trying to be flexible and responsive to this ever-changing market environment.

Sources: Yahoo! Finance, Barron’s. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Indices are unmanaged and cannot be invested into directly. Three-, Five-, and 10-year returns are annualized. Assumes dividends are not reinvested. In 1958, a seismic shift occurred in the relationship between dividend yields and bond yields. Fifty years later, that shift is close to reversing. If it does, what does that mean for investors? Prior to 1958, the dividend yield on common stocks was always higher than the yield on long-term government bonds, according to Stocks for the Long Run by Jeremy Siegel. As a refresher, the dividend yield is simply the annual dividend divided by the price of a stock. For example, if a stock pays a $2 annual dividend and the price of the stock is $80, then the dividend yield is 2.5%. Fifty years ago, investors felt it was normal for stocks to yield more than bonds because stocks were riskier than bonds. Investors felt they had to be compensated for this risk by receiving a higher yield. As 1958 unfolded, the stock market soared more than 30% and that dropped the dividend yield to below the yield on long-term government bonds and it’s been that way ever since, according to Siegel. Over the ensuing 50 years that the dividend yield on stocks has been lower than the yield on bonds, investors have gradually concluded that even though stocks may be riskier than bonds, the lower yield is justified because stocks may offer more growth opportunity. In other words, stocks offer the chance for a capital gain

and a dividend, whereas long-term bonds bought at par and held to maturity only offer an interest payment. Fast forward to last Friday. According to The Wall Street Journal, the dividend yield on the S&P 500 index was 3.5%, while the yield on 10-year government bonds was 3.75%. As you can see, we’re getting very close to parity after a 50-year hiatus. In order for the dividend yield to surpass the bond yield, we would need to see stock prices continue to drop without a corresponding decrease in dividend amounts, bond prices continue to rise (remember: bond yields move opposite of bond prices), or some combination of the two. Here are some thoughts on each of those scenarios: First, if stock prices continue to drop, the relative attractiveness of stocks may improve. With a high dividend yield, investors can take some comfort in knowing that they may receive a payment for holding stocks, while still offering the chance for capital appreciation down the road. We should note though, that some companies do not pay dividends, while those that do have the ability to reduce or eliminate them during difficult times. Second, if bond prices rise, which leads to lower bond yields, then the economy may get some extra ammunition to spark economic growth. Lower interest rates may lead to more business investment, which could lead to higher corporate profits and, hopefully, higher stock prices. Third, if both scenarios happen, it may set us up for a big recovery at some point in the future. If the dividend yields end up surpassing bond yields, this reversal of a long-term trend may be a major signal that something momentous is about to happen. This “something momentous” could be a change in investor psychology that keeps stock prices low for a long period of time or it could be a sign that we’re nearing a trough in stock prices and that they’re poised to head up. Regardless of what happens and what it may signal, we keep working diligently on your behalf to help you meet your long-term goals and objectives. Bobby Cummings is the owner of Lighthouse Financial of Charleston. He is a Certified Financial PlannerTM and Certified Family Business Specialist and has been in business since 1990. Bobby’s focus is providing comprehensive financial planning and investment advice to business owners, professionals, retirees, and people planning for retirement. He lives on Sullivan’s Island with his wife Kristin, son Tanner (5), and daughter Keenan (3). They are expecting their 3rd child in January 2009. If you wish to learn more about the ideas and strategies in this article, or if you have any questions about your financial or estate plan, you are invited to reach Bobby via email at [email protected] or by contacting his office at (843)884-9898. To find out a little more about Lighthouse Financial please visit the following web address: www.lighthousefin.net

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16 Council from page 5 Mayor Pro Tem Rice responded to Oltorik’s inquiries saying, “In relation to committee members, there is a time limit [on serving on a committee] and people are appointed for a specific amount of time to serve.” Oltorik was also concerned about the Board of Zoning and Appeals meeting from last month. She says she was surprised and somewhat dismayed that the board issued a variance allowing the building on 1022 Carolina Blvd. to be built four feet and 10 inches over the 40 foot height restriction. “I don’t believe, according to what I’ve seen and read, that there’s any exception to any ordinance regarding maximum height,” says Oltorik. “And while I know that the Council doesn’t really have oversight over that board, I would suggest that maybe the Council, with all the wisdom that’s here, could be constructive to that board, and could suggest to them that when it comes to height restrictions, there should be no exceptions.” No worries, it’s in the budget Councilman Dee Taylor spoke on behalf of the Ways and Means committee. He brought forth a motion for Change Order #5 in the amount of $13,259.49 towards the new public safety building being built, to include four different installments. This motion includes reinstalling water taps, changes in the 30 inch drain and water main, an additional removal of 12 inches of pavement across Palm Blvd., and the addition of an exterior shower and supply piping. The motion passed unanimously. The second motion Councilman Taylor brought forth was also in regards to the Public Safety Committee. The motion was to replace the 1991 engine for the Isle of Palms Fire Department with a new truck ordered prior to December 31, 2008. The projected price before bids will be $360,000. The City has a grid for the replacement of all City equipment and this falls into the replacement cycle, says Councilman Taylor. The motion passed unanimously. The third motion Councilman Taylor brought forth was for a contract in excess of $10,000 to purchase two Dodge Durangos for $21,659 each and one Chevrolet Impala for $19,173. This equipment is budgeted for and is on a six year replacement schedule, meaning the usage of the equipment is being maximized. The motion passed unanimously. R.I.P. Isle of Palms water pump During the month of October, City water pumps worked 18 days to pump water from the streets. These pumps were brought out again on a storm drenched November 4 to pump even more water off the streets. The City’s

November 28, 2008 oldest pump, which is 15 years old, finally burned out during this process and now their new pump, which has been working overtime, is now their “old” pump. It would be economical for the City to purchase more pumps as oppose to renting them, since renting lends to a considerable loss in time for moving the pumps to their specified locations and setting them up. The Public Works committee will be looking into adding pumps to their inventory in the future, according to Councilman Martin Bettelli. The City has also just received its first NPDES Compliance review for storm water runoff and received a “satisfactory,” the highest grade achievable.

Council members concerned with the Board of Zoning Appeals Administrator Linda Tucker addressed the structure variance for 1022 Carolina Blvd., which has been causing much dispute among citizens and Council members alike for quite some time. At this time of the decision, Administrator Tucker provided reasons for why the Board of Zoning Appeals should allow the variance to pass. The people who are developing the structure on 1022 Carolina Blvd. submitted their building plans to the committee and they were reviewed under regular building codes. There are two types of elevators allowed in these structures, one type of elevator uses a pulley system and the other does not. The elevator built into the builders’ original plans was the type that did not require any overhead cables used to draw the elevator upwards. When the building of the structure began to progress, the plans for the elevator needed to be approved by the Labor License and Regulation board (LLR). At this point, the LLR indicated to the developer they did not approve of the elevator being used in the type of structure they were building. The LLR required the builders to change the elevator plans to the pulley system, which requires overhead cables and the extension of four feet and 10 inches above their 40 foot height restriction. The builders addressed the Board of Zoning Appeals about the issue and applied for a variance to approve the

change. In order to prevent future situations such as this, City Administrator Linda Tucker says, “Now we can certainly warn people that they need to check with the LLR before we issue a permit.” Ralph Piening followed her by saying, “I just got heartburn from what I heard, because what I heard is that this can certainly happen in the future. A precedent has been set. This structure is barely even a structure at all and it seems like something could be done.” Mayor Pro Tem Rice assured the worried Council members that the BZA will now “question what type of elevator is going in when they look at plans before they are approved.” Council member Michael Loftus also disagreed with the Board of Zoning Appeals’ issued variance. “It’s unacceptable to go over 40 feet. It’s in our zoning—it’s what we have here. An elevator shaft is part of a permanent structure. It’s not an antenna or a satellite dish.” “I think we need to be firm on this,” says Council member Loftus. “I don’t want to see anymore structures built over our Zoning Board code.” In an effort to ease concerns towards the variance, Administrator Tucker says if the builders had come in originally with the structure over 40 feet, “it wouldn’t have been just carte blanche approved.” From this point on, Zoning Administrator Douglas Kerr can ask builders to approve the elevator with LLR first before coming to the Board. If the structure still needs a variance, they can then address the Board of Zoning Appeals to approve the variance or not. “I do not think you can take away the Board of Zoning Appeals’ authority to grant a variance,” says Kerr. “You all can write the rules and you can certainly take out those exceptions that are currently in there, but I don’t think that you can take away our ability to request a variance.” Councilman Dick Cronin says that it’s hard to argue that there’s hardship for the builder in a design stage. “And if we the City don’t agree with the decision from the Board of Zoning Appeals, can we take action?” asks Councilman Cronin. All eyes turned to City attorney Nick Sottile, who responded that, “We can sue ourselves.” “I just think at some point we need to respect our own boards’ decisions,” said Mayor Pro Tem Rice. “I believe we need to move forward and count our blessings that this is our biggest problem at the moment. Now that we’re aware of it, I believe everyone will be acutely aware of it going forward.” Attorney Sottile noted that “It’s a political process primarily. You can

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amend the zoning ordinance and tighten it up. And I agree with Douglas [Kerr], you can only take it so far. You vote the leaders to appoint the boards.” Discussion was terminated at this time and in the future, the Council may look at tweaking the ordinance. Future Marina management Council member Dick Cronin motioned under the Real Property Advisory Committee to extend the management agreement of the Marina until September 30, 2009, to give the City staff time to complete the RFP (request for proposal) and to organize everything for the upcoming summer months. “Just right now it’s not feasible to get our ducks in a row until that time, and that [the timing of the RFP] is agreeable to the manager at the Marina.” Says Rice. The RFP will be released in March/ early April and bids can be placed at that time. The new contract would then start at the first of October. Since the City has refinanced the marina there are some alternatives available to them in terms of the structure of the agreement that they didn’t have before. City Administrator Linda Tucker will be working with the City attorney to decide how they want to structure the next marina management agreement. Administrator Tucker and the City attorney are considering a longer term agreement and a lease as oppose to a management agreement. “This would be more advantageous to the City and possibly more advantageous to potential bidders,” says Administrator Tucker. “One of the difficulties we’ve always had with the management agreement was that it was always so short that some people would not bid because they were going to have to have small business loans or things of that nature,” says Administrator Tucker. “The security of the agreement was so brief that it narrowed the number of interested people. So now we have alternatives for changing the structure.” The motion passed unanimously.

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November 28, 2008

November 28, 2008

Nature IOP Garden Club wreath, bow, The gift and garland sale

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he Isle of Palms Garden Club wreath, bow, gift and garland sale takes place this coming Saturday and Sunday at the Isle of Palms Exchange Club, located at 201 Palm Blvd. Hours are 9am-4pm on Saturday, December 6 and 11am-4pm on Sunday, December 7. The IOP Garden Club is a nonprofit organization which uses the profits from their annual wreath sale to support their ongoing community projects, including donating a decorated wreath, Christmas trees and bears to MUSC Children’s Hospital, and the VA Hospital; donating wreaths and red bows to Isle of Palms for decorations for the Christmas Season; planting seasonal flowers for color and definition at the Blue Star Marker at the IOP Connector; maintaining and planting seasonal flowers at the Exchange Club; participating in monthly programs with residents of Sandpiper Convalescent Center and donate a plant or flowers to the Charleston Senior

Center and J. Floyd Manor as a service project once a year.

thorny nature of common plant names By John Nelson

Upcoming Garden Club events include:  1/15/2009        Growing Orchids 2/19/ 2009       Sea Shell Info 3/21/2009        Wild Birds of Prey Field Trip 4/16/2009        Herbs, Herbs and More Herbs You do not have to live on Isle of Palms to join the Isle of Palms Garden Club. The Club has horticulture and design discussion at every meeting, plus a great group of interesting people that are fun to be around! For more info, call Susan Wallace at 886-6450.

Photo by: Gerry Bishop

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$5 off purchase of $30 or more

rrggh! Dealing with common names of plants makes me sound like a pirate. Common names have some serious drawbacks, because they are often misleading or otherwise inaccurate, leading to confusion. Examples? What about “Cherokee rose,” Rosa laevigata, a rose that doesn’t have anything to do with the Cherokee Indian tribe (It’s a plant from China). And then there is “French mulberry,” Callicarpa americana, showing off its beautiful purple fruits now, a plant neither from France nor related to mulberries. “Box elder,” Acer negundo, is a common tree in the South, but it’s not an “elder,” it’s a true maple. Other common names are just too ambiguous at times: when people say “red oak,” do they mean Quercus rubra or Quercus coccinea or something else? Otherwise, one particular plant species may be known by a number of different common names. For example, the common short-needled pine that grows around here and which botanists call Pinus echinata, has been variously named “yellow pine,” “spruce pine,” “bull pine,” “pitch pine,” and “slash pine.” And of course some plants, such as many of the grasses and sedges, are rather obscure, difficult even for botanists to identify, and many of them just don’t even have a common name. “Arrgghh,” indeed. The common name for this week’s Mystery Plant is a pretty bad one, too. It suggests that the plant is armed with thorns, which is not at all accurate. It’s a deciduous shrub or sometimes a small tree, bearing no thorns or stickers. The young twigs are a bit fuzzy and a reddish-brown. Stems on larger individuals will be smooth and somewhat gray. It makes beautiful bright green foliage wherein each leaf is stalked, somewhat elliptical, and finely toothed along the edges. The leaves are heavily lined with a series of rather parallel, somewhat curving veins, especially when viewed from below. The flowers, which appear in early summer, are small and not too impressive and feature pale yellow petals. The real show begins when the fruits develop. The fruits start out as hard, little one-seeded ovaries. While young, they become a bright pink and this color deepens to a darker red as the summer goes on. In the autumn, these fruits have become swollen and somewhat juicy, covered by a lustrous, black skin (Some people say they are edible, but I’ve never tried them). Each fruit is thus put together something like a cherry, and so we say that the fruit type is technically a “drupe.” This plant is a native species, occurring on upland habitats from Virginia to Missouri, south to eastern Texas and north Florida. It likes to grow on soils featuring a lot of chalk or limestone, but it is not restricted to these. It’s not too common along the coast, but is occasionally seen growing as a component of ancient shell “middens.” Whether you want to call it by its common name or its scientific name, it’s a really pretty shrub and I don’t know why it isn’t grown in cultivation more frequently. John Nelson is the curator of the Herbarium in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of South Carolina. As a public service, the Herbarium offers free plant identifications. For more information, visit www.herbarium.org or call 803-777-8196. Answer:

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“Buckthorn,” Frangula caroliniana

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November 28, 2008

A lesson in giving By Richard Hricik

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waited at the turn last week after playing a very lackluster front nine that included three double bogeys. The pace of play had been agonizingly slow, due to recent rains and over-seeding, the course was ‘cart path only.’ Slow play doesn’t favor me as it gives me too much time to analyze the shot I just played and to obsess over the next. Add to that, I was playing in only a twosome on a crowded course and the excess time spent thinking about my game was destroying my score. My playing partner and I were still waiting when an older woman who was a single caught up to us. A woman golfer out by herself says a lot to me: one, it means she really loves the game, and two, she is capable of playing fairly well. Given the pace we asked her to join us and Jean, from Vermont, somewhat reluctantly accepted. A quick glance over her new and well-worn golf equipment confirmed that her addition to our group would not make for an even slower day. #10 on Wild Dunes is a severe uphill hole with fairly steep drop-offs on either side. Jean teed off quickly and hit it down the middle. She then proceeded to pull her next shot slightly left. Rather than return to her cart, she followed after her ball and her next stroke was even further left. From my vantage point in the fairway ahead of her, it was obvious that she was going to end up very far away from her cart. I had my sand wedge and putter in hand and had intended to walk up to the green immediately after I played my shot. But as Jean turned to make the long walk back to retrieve her cart, I felt a twinge of guilt and yelled out that I would get it for her. She nodded and trudged ahead to locate her ball that was somewhere near the green. I played a great approach: a crisp sand wedge to eight feet. I then made the long walk down the hill to Jean’s cart, drove it up to the walkway below the green, pulled her chipper and putter from her bag, and walked up the hill to putt. She thanked me in earnest and we exchanged polite smiles. I lined up my birdie putt and she urged it to go in, as it caught the edge and lipped out. It was nice to have someone cheering for me. The pace of play stayed much the same, and given her age, good nature, and that she was by herself, I found myself continuing to look after her, retrieving her clubs and/or her cart or offering her help with lines on the green when asked. When she lined up her chip on the 12th hole, she was aimed way off target. I

gestured to the high side and she chipped it up fairly close as it took the break she hadn’t seen. The holes played on and again she ended up far from her cart through a series of errant strokes. I doubled back a good distance to retrieve her cart. On the green after we putted out, she thanked me once more and said, “Your mother must surely be proud of the son she raised.” I mumbled a ‘Thank you’ over the lump in my throat and said, “I miss her terribly,” as I putted out. Having lost my mother many years ago, it was a compliment that touched me on many levels. In an instant her words made me realize that no matter how old we are, we all still need to be loved by our parents. And that need doesn’t go away when they are no longer with us. The round continued with me offering her caddylike assistance, encouragement and advice, while my mind drifted away to memories of my mother who taught me lessons of love and generosity through her compliment. actions. But one thing I do know for certain is that my Mom possessed an ability to touch people’s hearts mother’s example proved itself eternally true on the in a moments meeting and her unselfishness never golf course that day as it always does: It is in the ceased to amaze. Financially poor and in ill-health, giving that we receive. she never told any charity, nor anyone, ‘No,’ even if it was only a donation of a few dollars, an old pot or Until next time, play well. her shoulder for another’s tears. “You can always give something,” she would tell me. Richard is a golf enthusiast, local lawyer and partI made a lengthy birdie putt on 17 and Jean let out time writer seeking publication of a novel about a cheer. “You have been unerring today,” she said. golf. Contact him at [email protected]. ©2008 ‘Unerring’ is not a phrase often used to describe my Richard Hricik. game and it wasn’t until her comment on my round did I realize that Jean’s arrival coincided with my steady play and a score of +1 over the final nine holes. In addition to the gift of a low score, more importantly, Jean reminded me that my mother, in her life, was proud of me and that my memories of her telling me so are Thur - Sun both greatly cherished and 10:00am - 5:00pm greatly missed. Mom died before I became a lawyer 886-8776 or a husband or a father. 224-8704 I can only hope that she 8 JC Long Blvd sees the man that I am today, and that I am trying to be, as worthy of the Closed Jan. and Feb.

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November 28, 2008

No more pencils, no more books By Brittany Urbach

emember the old days when teachers would get chalk residue on their hands and clothes from getting too close to the chalk board? The sight of students sleeping on their text books from unbearable boredom? Today at Sullivan’s Island Elementary School (SIES), no such situation exists. Due to a new technological advancement, students are now more attentive and interactive in the classroom setting. This extraordinary tool is called a SMART board. Simply put, it’s an innovative touch screen white board which promotes student participation and interaction. The touch screen aspect allows students to receive immediate feedback from the lesson and uses sounds and colors to stimulate students’ attention. “A lot of it has to do with catching kids’ attention,” says SIES Principal Susan King. “It’s so intuitive and so easy to use—and teachers are just using so many more visuals and graphics.” The lessons and programs that use SMART boards are more effective, up-to-date, and much more specific to the lesson than universal texts and workbooks. Teachers can create templates with the students in one class and use

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it repeatedly for future lessons. The boards also allow teachers to plan easily and be more organized, as well as reducing clutter in the classroom. Venturing into the classroom of first grade teacher Sandy Caldwell, one would see first graders harboring a mixture of excitement and attentiveness during their math lesson. Each student would take turns throwing a bean bag at the SMART board where there were rows of circles. Once the bean bag hit a circle, a new mathematical question would pop up on the screen. A student standing at the SMART board would then take a SMART Board stylus (resembling a marker) and solve the equation on the interactive board, while the other students used “old fashioned” white dry-erase boards at their desks to figure out the question. Teachers can come up with their own games, grids, templates, or questions, or they can go online to utilize dozens upon dozens of SMART board lessons, all of which meet South Carolina school standards. One of the many questions presented during the class was, “If one sea turtle has four legs, how many legs do three sea turtles have?” The student at the board

was able to draw the three sea turtles with her stylus to aid her in finding the correct answer. All of the students were very eager to be called on next to go to the board, expressing an obvious excitement towards this interactive learning environment. “They love it,” says Caldwell. “I think it keeps them so much more engaged than pencil and paper, and it’s amazing what they can do with it—they’re so technologically advanced,” Caldwell smiles. So what else makes the SMART board such a great tool for teachers? “I would say the fact that I can put anything up there,” says Caldwell. Students use the board to make their lunch choices for the day, view the weather forecast for recess time and to view the calendar for the month, just for starters. One of the most useful components of the SMART board is called a SMART Airliner Slate. This cordless mini board is carried by the teacher during the lesson, helping her with classroom management and allowing her to be more mobile and flexible.

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When the teacher writes on the slate, it’s projected onto the SMART board, allowing all the students to see. While students are doing work at their desks, the teacher can move around with her Airliner Slate to evaluate the progress of the students throughout the lesson. SIES was able to purchase the SMART boards with Palmetto Gold and Silver funds, as well as PTA funds. The funds from Palmetto Gold and Silver were given to SIES as a reward for receiving an “excellent” rating. The rating they received was in response to excellent PACT test scores. SIES began purchasing the boards last spring and have just received the last 10 boards this past October. Currently, the school has 20 SMART boards, 20 SMART Airliner Slates, and 20 document cameras. Each teacher is also equipped with a sound system in their classroom, ensuring all students are able to hear the lesson clearly. Who knew going to school could be so much fun?

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November 28, 2008

IOP Rec Isle of Palms Recreation Center www.iop.net 843-886-8294 Yoga (16yrs +) 12:30pm to 2pm Tuesdays & Thursdays $80 resident/$85 non-resident/session $10 per class Evening Yoga (12yrs +) 5:30pm to 6:30pm Mondays & Wednesdays $60 residents/ $65 non-residents/6 weeks $7 per class Tennis Tournament (6-8yrs) Tuesdays & Thursdays December 9 - December 17 Pre Register by December 5 Game times: 4:30, 5:30 & 6:30pm Check-In: December 8 at 4pm

$20 resident/$25 non-resident Tennis Tournament (9-12yrs) Mondays & Wednesdays December 8 - December 17 Pre-Register by December 5 Game times: 4:30, 5:30 & 6:30pm Check-In December 8 at 4pm $20 resident/$25 non-resident Sports Conditioning Tuesdays & Thursdays 5:15pm to 6:15pm $60 resident/$65 non-resident $7 per class

Ages: 18yrs & up Team Fee: $250.00 Game days: Tuesdays & Sundays

Pre-register by December 8

Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony Thursday, December 4 6pm-8pm Come to see Santa and some snow. Restaurant and shopping specials. Listen to TWO 3 WAYS and Sullivan’s Island School Choir!

Light It Up Contest Thursday, December 18 Judging at 5:30pm All registration and Nominations must be entered by Wednesday, December 17

A Christmas Carol Saturday, December 6 2pm Solo show by George Younts Free

Total Body Challenge Tuesday thru Friday Every day a different challenge 8am to 9am $7.00 a class/or buy # of classes Co-Ed Volleyball Registration: November 10 - December 5

Santa’s Hotline Children on the Isle of Palms can talk with Santa. Wednesday, December 17 5:30pm-7:30pm Must pre-register by Monday, Dec.15 at 5pm

Santa’s Cookie Workshop Thursday, December 11 4pm-6pm Free for all Elementary ages MUST be accompanied by an adult.

Holiday Science Camp Monday and Tuesday December 22 & December 23 9am-3pm Ages 6-10yrs $40 per day/resident $45 per day/

The Great Pumpkin By Nick Strehle

 Local farmer Brian Fawcett calls his business Chief Big Whopper Pumpkins and holds the South Carolina record of 696 pounds.  Joe Jutras from North Scituate, Rhode Island, brought a 1689 pound pumpkin to the Topsfield Fair GPC weigh-off in Topsfield, Massachusetts, on September 29, 2007. His new world record beat the previous world record by 187 pounds.  Libby’s Pumpkin plants about 5,000 acres of Dickinson Select pumpkins each year in and around Morton, Illinois. Morton, where 80 percent of the world’s canned pumpkin is packed at the Libby’s factory, is known as the “Pumpkin Capital of the World.”

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all would not be complete without colorful leaves, Pilgrims, and of course, pumpkins. Pumpkins are a staple from October to November and then just seem to disappear until next fall. This does not lend us much time to reflect on little facts about jack-o’-lanterns and pumpkin pie, but now is a great time to feast on some facts about this colorful orange gourd:  The name “pumpkin” originated from the Greek word for “large melon” which is “pepon.” “Pepon” was nasalized by the French into “pompon” and the English changed “pompon” to “Pumpion”.  Pumpkins are believed to have originated in North America. Seeds from related plants have been found in Mexico dating back to 7000 to 5500 B.C.  Pumpkins are members of the Curcurbita family of plants, which includes squash, watermelon and cucumbers.  The jack-o’-lantern types of pumpkin are Cucurbita pepo; giant pumpkins are Cucurbita maxima.  The origin of pumpkin pie occurred when the colonists sliced off the pumpkin top, removed the

seeds, and filled the insides with milk, spices and honey. The pumpkin was then baked in hot ashes.  You can find pumpkins from the size of a baseball to 500 pounds, with most of the jack-o’lantern types in the 10- to 15-pound range.

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Nick Strehle is a Purdue University Agronomy Major, certified irrigation contractor and EPA WaterSense Partner for Sunburst Landscaping Inc., leading Sunburst’s clients into the next generation of water management. For more information, contact Sunburst at 768-2434.

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November 28, 2008

Museum, Music & More!

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he Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry (CML) and the Charleston Concert Association (CCA) announce Museum, Music & More!, an after-school program that immerses children, ages 5 through 12, into the world of the performing arts at CML. The CML and CCA project was born from the shared desire to ensure that all children in the Lowcountry have the opportunity to be exposed to the performing arts. This unprecedented program invites local musicians and performers to work with the students at the Museum to gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the performing arts. Students will have the opportunity to play the part of a flamenco dancer, learn the sounds and rhythms of jazz, discover the art of the violin and much, much more. CCA President Jason Nichols says, “Our goal is to introduce young children to the performing arts and we are thrilled to be working with CML. Collaborative partnerships are a rich and meaningful way to bring music, dance and performance into the lives of young children.” Students participating in each Museum, Music & More! program will receive a free ticket for the corresponding CCA performance and their parents will have a chance to attend the concert at discounted rates. All Museum, Music & More! programs will meet at the Children’s Museum of Lowcountry from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. in the CML Birthday Party room. The cost for each program is $8 per child for CML and CCA members and $10 for non-members. Purchase tickets online, at the CML front desk or by contacting Desma Barker, CML Program Coordinator, at 853.8962 x221 or [email protected]. To find out more about the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry, visit www.explorecml.org. To find out more about The Charleston Concert Association, visit www. charlestonconcerts.org Disc Golf from page 14 courses in the Charleston area. “There are loads of disc golfers out there that would gladly drive across town to experience a new course,” says Hinkle, as playing on the same course over and over again can become repetitive. Isle of Palms’ new disc golf course will be a great alternative for regular Trophy Lakes’ disc golf players and surrounding

2008-2009 Museum, Music & More! schedule: Monday, December 1at 3:30pm and Thursday, December 4 at 8pm Treble & Alto: Singing Choir Vienna Boys Choir Holiday Program w/Susan Fleming-Atwood

Monday, January 26 at 3:30pm and Monday, February 2 at 8pm Voice of the Violin Violinist Joshua Bell w/Pamela Wiley of Suzuki Violin Group

Monday, January 5 at 3:30pm and Friday, January 16 at 8pm All that Jazz Wynton Marsalis w/Charleton Singleton and the Lincoln Center Orchestra

Monday, February 23 at 3:30pm and Wednesday, March 4 at 8pm Ballerinas & Danseurs Aspen Sante Fe Ballet w/Angela Agudo

disc golf courses. “I think that it’s great that a disc golf course is being designed for the Isle of Palms,” says Hinkle. “It will be awesome to have some variety for throwing disc here in Charleston,

especially in such a beautiful area. I look forward to getting out there and throwing on some new, challenging holes.” Currently, the Isle of Palms Recreation Center offers a full variety

Monday, March 9 at 3:30pm and Thursday, March 19 at 8pm Bravo! The Language of Opera Frederica Von Stade & Samuel Ramey w/Jeannie Martin of St. Michael’s Church Monday, May 4 FINALE w/Cindy Grosso of Charleston School of Protocol & Etiquette

of programs for seniors, adults, and children to promote an active lifestyle. They’ll offer additional programs in the future, “but right now we’ve got a good thing going,” says Page.

Disc golf facts:  Disc golf courses are usually 9 or 18 holes long and played with discs/Frisbees. Instead of aiming for a hole in the ground, discs are aimed at disc hole baskets, which are chain baskets on a pole raised from the ground.  According to the Disc Golf Association, disc golf has been around since 1976. The Disc Golf Association was founded by Ed Headrick.  There are over 2,500 disc golf courses around today and over 24,000 members of the Professional Disc Golf Association.  The sport has dramatically grown in popularity over recent years. Its popularity has even been seen in the media, such as Nintendo Wii including disc golf in one of their multi-game packages.

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November 28, 2008

Making arrangements There are wind options for the holidays By Caryn and Maria Wynn

At right, Seiko demonstrates for the Isle of Palms Garden Club how to construct a Christmas Ball using foliage from her garden while Janice shows how to create a rose bud topiary for the holidays.

With all the articles flying around about wind insurance, you can’t help but be confused and aggravated. The truth of the matter is that you have options, but you have to do research and educate yourself. There is a possibility the policy you currently have was the only coverage available at the time you took it out. That doesn’t mean that is the only company willing to write insurance in the wind pool territory, it just means that was all that was available to you at that time with your current agent. Insurance agencies only have the ability to write with companies with whom they have a contract. Most independent agents have access to more companies offering an all inclusive policy that includes wind. There are standard markets who will write insurance with wind included in the wind pool territory, but there are many factors that come into play to qualify, such as age of the house, proximity to the ocean, flood zone and value of the house. The South Carolina Wind & Hail Association was created to be the place of last resort to write wind insurance if a standard company could not write the wind coverage. The points you need to know about the exclusions on an S C Wind & Hail policy are: * There is no extended replacement cost on the house. * There is no replacement cost on contents. * There is no wind driven rain coverage. * There is a waiting period before loss of use starts paying.. * If the home is built before 1950 OR

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is a secondary/rental property, there is no replacement cost on the house itself. * In order for a claim to pay replacement cost on the house (if qualifies) you must carry flood insurance even if you are not in a special flood hazard area. If you do not qualify for a standard market, there are many non-standard companies who can write insurance with wind included. Many of them have a “named storm” wind deductible instead of a “wind and hail” deductible and can offer excellent coverage. The point is, if you are unsure as to whether you are getting the best premium and the best coverage, simply make several phone calls to different companies and ask for a quote. Ask questions! Don’t assume that you are told what is included and excluded on your policy. Don’t wait until you have a claim to find out if you have coverage or not. It is important that everyone understands their insurance. If you would like a quote, we are available to come to you or you can visit us at our Mount Pleasant office. We are also opening another agency on Seabrook Island so we can visit people on Seabrook, Kiawah and Johns Island to help them with their insurance needs as well. Caryn and Maria Wynn of Wynn & Associates Insurance are available for consultation. Their offices are located at 1054 Johnnie Dodds Blvd. Ste A in Mt Pleasant, phone number 843-884-7000, or at 1001 Landfall Way Ste D on Johns Island, just outside the Seabrook main gate, phone number 843-793-3306.

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November 28, 2008

Join us for the 1st annual Seel's on Sullivan's Carolina Vs. Clemson Oyster Roast Saturday November 29 Come watch the game on our big screen TV‛s and enjoy local oysters all day long! Bucket beer specials and a Carolina vs. Clemson bucket race.

Charleston's best All You Can Eat Crab Leg Night Wednesdays from 5 - until. Don't be fooled by impostors. Now serving Brunch Friday, Saturday and Sunday 8am-2pm

$5 OFF!

All You Can Eat Crab Legs

Seel's would like to welcome Drew and Michelle at Cafe Medley onto the Island. Congratulations and good luck!

Coupon expires December 17, 2008. Limit one coupon per table. Not good with any other offer.

Official drop off location for Toys for Tots.

883-5030 2213-B Middle Street | Sullivan’s Island | www.seelsfishcamp.com