folly current - march 19, 2010

8/9/2019 Folly Current - March 19, 2010

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Folly Beachs NewspaperVol. 2 Issue 11 March 19, 2010w FREE

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Folly Beach residents got a bigsurprise when they opened the Post& Courier on March 11. Tere on

the ront page was an article about a newbeachront park nobody knew anythingabout that would be built on E. Arctic

Avenue at the site o the present FrontBeach Inn.

Te news also caught City Hall staersunaware. Folly Beach Comptroller CharlieMcManus, who manages the Citys moneyand talks to the Mayor just about every

day said, I was unaware o it until I readabout it in the paper this morning.

It was a surprise to City Councilmembers as well, who were shocked tolearn about a major new park in the heart

o Folly Beach rom a newspaper article.Te Post & Courier said CharlestonCounty Council was expected to approvethe purchase o the property by theCharleston County Parks & RecreationCommission when it met that evening.

Funding or the purchase o the landor the new park would come entirelyrom PRCs $36 million share o the hal -cent sales tax or transportation and greenspace programs. Te City o Folly Beach

was not buying the property - PRC had

signed a contract with the owners or $3.2million but an agreement that wouldturn a large chunk o residential revenue-generating property into a tax-neutralCounty acility would have a huge eecton Folly Beach.

Council members said they should havebeen told about the proposed park andgiven an opportunity to determine whateect the park would have on Folly Beachand, i they thought it was a bad idea, tomake their case beore County Councilbeore the unding was approved.

Instead, they learned that CountyCouncil was expected to fnalize the dealthat very evening. aking matters intohis own hands, Folly Beach Councilmanom Scruggs called County Councilor

Paul Turmond to request a deerral o thediscussion on unding or the park to giveFolly Beach City Council time to weighin on the acquisition.

om ORourke, Executive Director o

the Charleston County Parks & RecreationCommission, was at the Council meetingto request unding or the park. Turmond,

who said he was in avor o projects thatgive more access to water, nonetheless saidthat i ORourke would agree, he wouldlike to deer discussion o the undingrequest or two weeks.

ORourke agreed, but he said he did notunderstand the reason or the delay sinceit was Folly Beach Mayor Carl Beckmann

who had approached him about the beach

park project in the frst place.I was really kind o shocked,

ORourke said. We are the ones making

News of park surprises Folly residentsBy Lauren Dean

s Parko pg 6


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3/15

Allegations . . . denials . . . secretmeetings . . . Where does it all end?Tere seems to be some truth to whateveryone is saying, but how is any o ithelping Folly Beach? Te most recentspate o accusations revolves around theattempted purchase o the Front BeachInn property on E. Arctic Avenue by theCharleston County Parks & Recreation

Commission or the purpose o buildinga new beachront park.

Te deal was a private sale between theowers o the property and PRC, but puttinga County Park in a residentially zoned

district will require imput an decisionsrom the Folly Beach City Council andmembers expected at least a head's up.For starters, PRC plans to put a managedparking lot on the vacant lot across romthe FBI, which is zoned R-2. Tere is nolaw against parking on an R-2 property.It becomes a commercial property, or

which City Council would need to grant

a variance, when you start chargingolks money to park there. For Councilmembers to read about the transaction inthe newspaper is not a good thing.

Yes, the Mayor met with CPR ocials. Yes, the possibility o kicking in Follysshare o the hal-cent Greenbelt undscame up. No, the Mayor did not discussthese meetings with Council membersand some high-ranking City Hall staers.Tats the part I dont understand.

When youre not open and up-ront withpeople, they ear the worst. Now somepeople question whether the Mayor hadsomething to do with getting the FrontBeach Inn condemned, which put them in

a vulnerable position and let them wideopen to an oer rom PRC.

Te ront-page article in the Post &Courier seemed to catch everyone bysurprise and made it look as thoughthe Mayor had been making end runsaround Council. Is it because the Mayorhas decided thats the only way he canget anything done? What's wrong withsaying "Hey you guys, what do you think

about this? But the Mayor and Councilmembers barely speak to each other thesedays. Teir relationship has become socontentious that a mediator was hired(at a cost o $11,000) to hold hands withCouncil members and try to get beyondthe sticking points.

It didnt work. Nobody trusts anybodyanymore. Many olks are saying we

dont need the new park, that it willexacerbate trac problems and cause losso revenue. Both o those things are true,but its unclear to me at this point whetherresidents really dont want a County Parkor just dont want the Mayor brokeringdeals behind their backs.

Te park could be a good thing orFolly Beach, and it would be sad to see theopportunity to have a centrally-locatedbeachront park slip away just becausesome olks are mad at the Mayor. Tealternative is ten (the properties are allzoned R-2) rental units that would likelyobliterate whats let o our ocean view.

County Council made a wise decision

when they granted a two-week delay soFolly Beach could get its ducks in a row,but buying two weeks time wont do usmuch good unless we put all our cardson the table and bring the Mayor back asteam leader. Lets have less ego and more

we-go. I Folly can put a package togetheras a team and present a united ront, maybeit can be a win-win situation or everyone.

March 19, 2010 3

Lnn Pierottipblisher

[email protected]

Kristin Hacklermanaging editor

[email protected]

Laren Deaneditor

[email protected]

Swan Richardssenior graphic designer

[email protected]

Ellie Smithgraphic designer

Lori Daltonsales manager

[email protected]

Richard Brendeladvertising

843-478-0896

[email protected]

ContribtorsCapt Geoff Bennett

Megan CarrollKatie Mehl

Pblished bLck Dog Pblishingof Soth Carolina, LLC

P.O. Box 837Sllivans Island, SC 29482

843-886-NEWS

Future deadlines:

March 24 for submissions.

The Foll Crrent, a wholl ownedsbsidiar of Lck Dog Pblish-

ing of Soth Carolina LLC, is a free,independent newspaper pblished

ever two weeks and is for and abotFoll Beach. Copies are mailed free ofcharge to ever active mailbox in orcoverage area and are also availableat area bsinesses and b sbscrip-tion to non-islanders. Sbscriptionsare $30 per ear for non-residents

and are available b sending a checkto Lck Dog Pblishing, LLC, P.O.

Box 837, Sllivans Island, SC 29482.Contribtions of information, pictresand articles are welcomed and aresed according to space limitationsand news vale and cannot be re-

trned except b special reqest. Oreditorial content is primaril dedicated

to the area of distribtion; ad spaceis open to all bsinesses who wantto reach the Foll Beach market.

Complete ad creation is $50, however,changes of p to 30% of the originalad are inclded at no extra cost. All

advertising rates are listed at www.is-landeenews.com nder advertising.

Lucky Dog Publishing, LLCPublishers ofThe Folly Current, TheIsland

Eye News and theIsland Connection .

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Letter from the editor . . .

City Council Meeting

Te City Council work session scheduledor March 9 was cancelled by MayorBeckmann. City Administrator oniConnor-Rooks explained that Beckmanndid not want to bring up new itemsbeore a Council that would changemembership so drastically ater the Aprilelections. City Council is comprised osix Council members and the Mayor.Depending on the results o the election,there will be rom two to our newCouncil members.

Connor-Rooks said the March 23Council meeting is still on the calendar.

According to Connor-Rooks, theauditors will be in attendance, Council

will discuss the bids on the City Hallexpansion, and fnal reading will be givenon the Sta Event Planning Committeeand Open Container ordinance.

Planning Commission MeetingAt the Planning Commissionsregular meeting on March 1, Zoning

Administrator Aaron Pope summarizedthe highlights and changes to the newZoning Ordinance. Bars and restaurants

will be restricted to Center Street andBed & Breakast establishments willnot be permitted in residential areas.Businesses conducted rom homes inresidential areas would be more strictly

regulated. Multi-amily developments

will be allowed on properties currentlyzoned R-3, but Pope said there is onlyone tract on Folly Road that currentlymeets the criteria or multi-amily usage.No new property will be eligible ormulti-amily, Pope stressed. We are notopening up any new areas on the island.

Other discussion centered on changesto single-amily residential areas. Tebiggest change is the banning o all short-term rental yard signs, including bothrental agency and rent-by-owner signs.

Public Hearing on New ZoningOrdinanceTe Planning Commission held a

public hearing on March 8 to allowresidents to come orward with questionsand concerns about the new ZoningOrdinance.

Most o the residents attendingthe public hearing were owners ocondominiums concerned abouthow the new laws would aect them.Susan Breslin was concerned about thepossibility o restrictions on ull-timeresidents renting out their homes, as somedo occasionally to oset the expenseso living in a beachront community.She said she could not have bought herhouse i she had not been able to rent itout beore permanently moving to Folly

Beach. I believe we will lose residents i

they are not allowed to rent their homesout, she said. She was also opposedto the enorcement o overly rigidrestrictions on building. Lots o people

with fxed incomes could be orced othe island, she said. Be very careulabout how you apply the law.

Several Planning Commissioners madecomments at the end o the meeting.

Kirk Grant reerred to his standardsoapbox and said he was still concernedabout commercial use o residentialproperty. He said the ordinance shouldlimit the number o occasions such as

wedding-related parties that draw hugenumbers o people and aect the quality

o lie or adjacent property owners.LaJuan Kennedy addressed the issue

o signs naming houses, used primarilyon rental houses. She said the presentsigns are legal non-conorming unlessdestroyed or taken down. She saidnew signs naming houses will bepermitted, but they must be no morethan three square eet in size and must bepermanently axed to the house.

Paul Hume said the new law was notperect, but was a huge improvement.All we ever had beore was knee-jerkreactions to people building what wedidnt want them to build, he said.

City Council and Planning Commission MeetingsBy LAuREN DEAN


4/15

o all residents o Folly,I normally dont respond to letters

to the editor that are totally incorrect.However, I must respond to two o theletters in the last issue because they arevery misleading and derogatory. Had Ms.

Wilkerson checked her acts with CityHall, she would have ound out the true

story. Her accusations are totally alseand very misleading. Unortunately, she

was provided some o this inormationas she is a member o the Folly BeachParks and Rec. Board. Tis inormation

was told to her in condence and sheused the inormation clearly to attackCity Hall. I Mr. Marley had checked hisacts, he would have known the City hadapplied or stimulus unds in May 2009.

We are still waiting or an answer romWashington. Also, there are many options when it comes to paying or municipalprojects. Te type he mentioned is notin the best interest o Folly Beach. Mystatement concerning the application or

these Stimulus unds has been in the newssince last year.

I any residents would like a ullexplanation on these two subjects pleaseeel ree to come by my oce.

I will be attending the CongressionalCity Conerence o the National Leagueo Cities beginning 12 March and while in

Washington DC I will meet with SenatorLindsey Graham, Representative JamesClyburn to see i we cant shake some othese unds loose or our Public SaetyExpansion project.

Best Regards,Carl B. Beckmann Jr.Mayor, City of Folly Beach

__________________________

Dear Editor,As a member o the Charleston County

Urban Grant Review Committee, I would like to set the record straight onhow the Urban Greenbelt Grant undsare allocated. Tese unds are availableto all municipalities inside the urbangrowth boundary. Te allocations arebased on population. Te City o FollyBeach has $218,990 available or aqualiying project. Te unds can only be

used towards land acquisition or minorimprovements on land acquired withgreenbelt unds. Te grant process requiresthe municipality to submit an applicationin order to request unding or landacquisition. One o the requirements othe grant is a resolution endorsing theproject rom the municipality. Grants are

awarded i the proposed project meets allo the grant requirements; incompleteapplications are not considered. Ater themunicipality passes a resolution endorsingthe project, applications must rst beapproved by the Urban Grant ReviewCommittee, then by the CharlestonCounty Park and Recreation Commission,then by the Charleston County Councilbeore unding can be allocated. TeCounty provides the unds at closing, sothe unds are never in the possession othe municipality.

Te Urban Grant Review Committeehas received only one application romthe City o Folly Beach. Tat application

was or the acquisition o CummingsPoint (Morris Island) in partnership

with Te rust or Public Land andCharleston County Park and RecreationCommission. Tat application was

withdrawn when the City o Charlestonunexpectedly purchased the propertyinstead. Te Greenbelt Advisory Board(GAB) recently took up the issue othe unding allocations to the beachcommunities because none have been ableto aord parcels thus ar through theirlimited allocations. Te GAB encouragedpursuing conservation easements,partnerships, grants, and privatedonations to leverage the unds. For

more inormation about the CharlestonCounty Greenbelt program, visit www.smallchangeorbigchange.org/greenbelt.

Julie Hensley706 E Cooper Ave

_________________________

Dear Editor,Te next City Council Meeting is

uesday March 23rd at 7 PM. Here aremy top ten reasons yall should join methere.

10. You get to see the mayor called

out on issues by really pissed o residents.Tis is un to watch in and o itsel.

9. You can technically have an opencontainer in the room due to an old lawthat Councilman Stormer brought to ourattention last meeting. However, there isa posted sign in ront o the room that saysno beverages. Bummer right

8. You get to say the pledge o allegiance.alk about old school, I havent done thatsince I was 17.

7. Councilman McCartys hearing aidis sexy. I know you think Im joking, butseriously, there must be perks. Wheneversomeone starts rambling about somethingstupid, he could just turn it o. I wonderi thats how he makes it through thelonger meetings.

6. You can normally spot thecandidates who are running or councilin the audience and ask them questionsabout what is actually going on. FYI -i you want to vote or any o them, thedeadline to register is March 6th and theelection is April 6th.

5. Te meetings are broadcast onchannel 60. I totally didnt know Folly

was showing up CSPAN. I you stand upto make a statement during the citizenscomment period, you can get on V.

4. You occasionally get ree stu. Lasttime we got biodegradable trash bags totest out to see i the city should invest inthem. Although, it does conuse me thatthey thinking o spending money on ancybags instead o helping to adequately undthe current volunteer beach patrol withthe basic tools needed to even collect thetrash. I guess thats just Folly. Hollerat John Crisco i you are interested involunteering; you can nd him throughCity Hall or Facebook.

3. City Hall is within walkingdistance to a handul o bars, which isvery convenient or pre-gaming or or postgame rehash and gossip.

2. Councilwoman Beck is hot.

1. You get to see our tax payers moneygo to good use or down the drain, howeveryou preer to look at it.

Sincerely,Kathryn Miller316 E. Ashley Apt B

4 March 19, 2010


Letters to the editor...

Completesurvey for

prizesAs a Folly Beach resident, please

take a ew minutes to complete theFolly Beach Parks and Recreationsurvey at www.cityoollybeach.com.Te survey will assist in acilityand program planning and takes

approximately ve minutes tocomplete. Please complete only onesurvey per household that refectsthe interests and opinions o allhousehold members.

Ater completing the surveyand providing contact ino, you

will be eligible or git certicatesto the ollowing restaurants: BLURestaurant and Bar, Te Crab Shack,Locklears Beach City Grill, LostDog Cae, Ritas Seaside Grill, SurBar, and aco Boy. Tere are plentyo chances to win with over 60 gitcerticates. Please complete thesurvey and enter your contact ino

by April 15, 2010. Te drawing willbe held during the Sea & SandF e s t i v a l on April 17.


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March 19, 2010 5

Suoku

Solutiononpage13Level: Hard


Its time or a little common sense withthe powers-that-be on Folly Beach. With a mayoral and city council

election coming up, the issues that aceFolly have been brought to the orerontduring many residential discussions. Lets

recap. o start, trac, trash and parkingare high on the list. Everyone seems tohave a solution, including mentions otrac circles, parking tickets and towing,banning alcohol on the beach, and hiringadditional police orce or the summerseason. Tese are issues that seem to ariseat the beginning o every season and thesolutions that are implemented to rectiythese issues always seem too drastic,unnecessary and expensive. So is there agood solution?

During the high-season, the problemso trac, parking and trash usually occuron the weekend days. Most o these weekends are manageable except or the

three holiday weekends when all Hellbreaks loose, the oodgates open andeveryone who lives within a 200-mile-radius comes to spend the weekend onFolly Beach. Last year we experiencedextreme trac, massive amounts o trashon the beach and illegal parking all overthe island. So or six days a year, everyyear, Folly is crippled with beach-goingvisitors.

How do we handle this? First I wouldlike to address the idea o trac circles. Are they really the solution? NormallyI would be a big an o the trac circle. When they are used properly they keeptrac owing. On Folly, however, I

ail to see how putting a trac circle onCenter St. would keep trac owing. Myrst thought is to wonder whether traccircles are pedestrian-riendly and second,

what will it cost the taxpayers? Are peoplerom Ohio or Ladson going to be ableto navigate the trac circles properly sothat they work as they are supposed to?(No ofence to the state o Ohio, but howmany olks really know how to properly

use a trac circle?) While writing parkingtickets is good or the citys cofers, doesit remove the problem o blocked roadsand trac alleviation? Not really. Lastly,trash is a growing problem, especially onthe major holidays. Te inception o therash Patrol is a great step to controllingthis problem, but it is still not enough.

So three weekends a year, six days, ourbeach is under siege by masses o beach-going tourists. We know these exact dates when the overow is coming so we canplan or their onslaught properly.

Here are my suggestions or a morecommon sense approach to handling theseproblems:

Instead o just increasing the policeorce or bringing in outside help romthe sherifs department or the wholeseason, just bring in the extra help onthese three weekends.

Put up signs beore you cross thebridge that inorm beach goers aboutthe rules about parking on Folly,as well as signs that say littering onthe beach is illegal and you will beticketed.

Do not build trac circles. Its justan all around bad idea.

Tere is no reason to take such drasticactions or a problem that can be solvedby a little preparation and some commonsense.

The Folladaysby RichaRd bRendel

Op-Ed

Do you recognize this image? It was taken somewhere on Folly Beach. I you

know what it is, let us know at [email protected] and you could win a reemedium one-topping pizza rom Woodys! No one guessed last issues "What theFolly?" it was the ront door o aco Boy.

PHOTO BY Laura OLsen ImagerY/ www.LauraOLsen.cOm

wHAT THE FOLLY?

Brought to you by Woodys Pizza and Laura Olsen Photography


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6 March 19, 2010


the purchase and we never got one call,email, or letter rom anyone at Folly inopposition o this purchase. In act wevegotten a good bit o support. So whoknows, maybe there wont be a park thereater all.

Turmond said he had tried to reach theMayor or comment, but was unsuccessulin that attempt. Te committee agreed to

postpone the discussion or two weeks.Chris Wilkerson, who is a membero the Folly Beach Parks & RecreationCommittee, told Turmond ater themeeting that Mayor Beckmann was theonly one on City Council who knewabout the transaction. She said Councilmembers and residents alike were alarmedthat they had been kept in the dark andthey had questions about what Folly Beach

would get in return or giving away such avaluable property.

I the deal goes through, this will be theth Folly Beach property in the hands oCharleston County. Te other our arethe park at the West end o the island, thepier, the boat landing, and the old Coast

Guard Station.Comptroller Charlie McManus, said

he was concerned about the revenueFolly Beach would lose i the deal wentthrough. Government entities are exemptrom taxes, according to McManus ,

who said Folly Beach will lose propertytaxes, accommodations taxes, businesslicense ees, and sales taxes rom oodand beverage businesses. Its a act that

the people who live here, consume here.Heads and beds are what keep the Citygoing tax wise. o lose that tax base willcause a huge chain reaction and it will beor perpetuity. McManus also urgedpeople to consider the cost element to theCity, including additional costs to policethe property, oer EMS services, andcollect garbage.

By any stretch o the imagination, whatwill be bui lt to replace the Front Beach Inn(known to Folly residents as the FBI) will

be a vast improvement over what is therenow. Te FBI is a 33-room fop housethat has been run or almost 30 years byDonald Brother Don Constantin, whoclaimed to run a ministry or the downand out, but the acility unctioned moreoten as a haven or drunks and heavydrug users.

Blue lights could be seen fashing inront o the FBI almost every day andred lights rom EMS vehicles were alsocommon. Sometimes tenants were cuedand taken away; other times they wereloaded on stretchers and carried out.Tere were good people there, too, people

who had allen on hard times or whomthe FBI was a reuge rom the storm or a

temporary home to settle in and lick theirwounds.

I the deal with PRC goes through,the inamous Front Beach Inn must berazed within 30 days and this Folly Beachlandmark will disappear orever, signalingthe passing o an era in which Folly Beachtook in everyone and asked no questions.

Te Front Beach Inn had beencondemned by the Folly Beach Fire

Marshall. According to Deputy FireChie Brad Wade, the downstairs units

were illegal because they ailed to meetthe minimum ceiling height o seven eetand there were numerous code violationsand saety hazards. Constantin had beengiven 30 days to make the required repairs,

which he ailed to do, and on February 13he turned the keys over to the City. Itcould have been a place or people to get anew start, Wade said, But the sad thingis he was running it as a slumlord.

Te property PRC hopes to purchaseconsists o our lots owned by Constatinand one lot owned by Philip and JeanMcClellan. ORourke said PRC was ableto buy the properties or a total o $2.8million because the value o land onFolly Beach has plummeted over the pastew years. Were years away rom evenstarting to build the park, ORourke said.We just wanted to get the land beore theprice became prohibitive.

We wanted the property so bad, andit was a little bit tricky putting the dealtogether, he continued. But at the lastminute we got everyone on board.

Te long-term plan, according toORourke, is to create a park acility with

restrooms, showers and a raised building with storage underneath or lieguardequipment. He said PRC would providelieguard service at no cost to the Cityrom the park all the way to the pier.

ORourke envisions a park or theresidents o Folly Beach that would notshut down when the tourist sea son is over.It wont be a cookie cutter approach, hesaid. Were thinking about playground

equipment on the beach, maybe beachvolleyball, things that amilies willenjoy.

We want to bring the community inon the planning, he said, indicating thatpublic hearings would be held so residentscould share their input with CPR. Tere

will be plenty o time or residents todecide what they want to do with theirpark because, according to ORourke, it

would take a year to plan the park andanother year to build it.

And at this time they dont even havethe unds to start construction o the park- Greenbelt unds can only be used orland acquisition - but ORourke said thereis no great rush to go out and spend themoney. We want to phase it in, he said.We want to do it right. Its not just ortoday, its or the next hundred years.

When County Council meets again intwo weeks, the Folly Beach Park will beon the agenda and Council will vote on

whether to release unds or the acquisitiono the property. Folly Beach residentsmay appear beore Council to voice theiropinions.

What ORourke thought was a donedeal has turned into a wait and see game.He said he was stunned when CountyCouncil ailed to release unds or thepark. For the rst time in as long as Ican remember, I dont have any answerto the question that I have been asked bytwo V stations and the Post and Courier.Why do you think that the Folly BeachCouncil stopped this? I honestly have noidea, he said.

Parkfrom cover


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Folly Current CalendarMarch 20 - April 1

Saturday, March 20

FirstDayoSpring

Free Kayak and Gear SwapStarting at 8 a.m. at Sea Kayak Carolina,located at 1731 Signal Point Road, right o oFolly Road. Bring used kayaks and paddlingequipment to sell. Free ood, drink, music allday. Inormal, ree on-land Intro to KayakClasses throughout the day. 225-7969 orSeaKayakCarolina.com or more ino.

Meet the Authors at Michelles SalonJoin us rom 2-5 p.m. to meet several localauthors at Michelles Salon and Spa: Bill Noel,author o Te Washout; Gretchen Stringer,author o Hermie the Hermit Crab; DouglasBostic, author o Morris Island and JamesIsland History; and Mark R Jones, authoro Wicked Charleston. Door Prizes and

Rereshments. For more ino call 588-2566.103 E. Cooper St, Folly Beach.

9th Annual Pet Helpers Oyster RoastSet to the swingin sounds o the ShakinMartinis and presented by Rosebank FarmsCa, Fatboys Lowcountry Cooking, andElizabeth Grace Occasions, enjoy All-you-can-eat oysters, Lowcountry Boil, chili, hot dogs,veggie dogs, and a cash bar. Bring your dogalong and be sure to check out t he pawsitivelypurrrect silent auction. ickets are $35/$40 atthe door, and are available at ww w.pethelpers.org, by phone at 795-1110 x 11, or at PetHelpers, 1447 Folly Road, James Island.

Sunday, March 21

Intro to Kayak on-water classStarting at Noon, this is a 4-hour crash coursein kayaking. Learn how to be sae and haveun. opics include: saety, boat ft, gettingin and out o your kayak (graceully), basicpaddle strokes, and more. $45 per personincludes kayak, liejacket, paddle. Call 225-7969 to register or SeaKayakCarolina.com ormore ino.

Te Edge book signing with author Bill NoelBill Noel, author o the mystery novels Folly,

Te Pier, and Washout, will be holding booksignings or his latest novel in the Folly BeachMystery series, Te Edge, at Piggly Wiggly,1985 Folly Road, rom 1 4pm. For moreino, visit www.billnoel.com.Customer Appreciation Day at CharlestonCounty ParksCCPRC wants to thank its visitors withree gate admission to Ravenel Caw CawInterpretive Center, North CharlestonWannamaker, Mt. Pleasant Palmetto Islandsand James Island County Parks. Plus, reeparking at Kiawah Beachwalker Park, FollyBeach and Isle o Palms County Parks, aswell as the Folly Beach Edwin S. aylorFishing Pier, where fshing is also ree or theday! Te Mount Pleasant Pier will also oercomplimentary fshing on March 21, butparking ees still apply. For more inormation,call 795-4FUN (4386) or visit www.ccprc.com

Tuesday, March 23

Te Edge book signing with author Bill NoelBill Noel, author o the mystery novels Folly,Te Pier, and Washout, will be holding booksignings or his latest novel in the Folly BeachMystery series, Te Edge, at the Lost DogCa, 106 W. Huron, rom 7:30am 1pm,and at Berts Market, 205 E, Ashley, rom 3 7pm. For more ino, visit www.billnoel.com.

Thursday, March 25

One Love or Haiti Beneft ConcertIn the Wando HS Perorming Arts Centerat 7pm. ickets or the show are $5 andwill be sold the night o starting at 6pm.Musicians include Te Whisperjets, ruColors, Joel immons o Sol Driven rain,Shane Skidmore o the Makeshit, WandoSteel Drums and Jazz Band and more. Allproceeds will go to Doctors without Bordersand Water Missions International. For moreino, please contact Emi lie Woody at 849-2830ext. 23808.

Charleston Waterkeepers First AnnualWater BallAt the South Carolin a Aquarium rom 7-11

p.m. Guests will be greeted by a variety oeducational installations and interactivedisplays as well as ood selections and cocktailsrom local vendors impacted by our waterways.Tere will be a DJ spinning in the GreatOcean Room, and a silent auction will eatureone o a kind experiences and products.ickets are $50 at www.thewaterball.org. Formore ino, call Natalie aylor at 608-9287 [email protected].

Building a Rain Garden in Your OwnBackyard4 to 6:30 p.m. at Fort Johnson Marine Center.Speaker David Joyner rom the ClemsonExtension will show how to crat rain gardensin such a way that is aesthetically pleasingand take advantage o native plants that cansurvive both very dry and very wet conditions.Te group will build a rain garden on the FortJohnson campus. Register at: www.dnr.sc.gov/

marine/NERR/seminarseries.html. For moreino, call 953-9354.

Saturday, March 27

33rd Annual Cooper River Bridge RunTe race begins in Mount Pleasant andcrosses the new Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridgeor a dramatic fnish in historic downtownCharleston. www.bridgerun.com.

Edgewater Bridge Run at Famous Joes,West AshleyA un and less strenuous alternative to theCooper River Bridge Run! Te race starts at3 p.m. Registration is $15 in advance or $20at the door. Your registration ee supportsPet Helpers, gets you a t-shirt, and lets youenjoy music, ood, beer and more at FamousJoes. Bring your dog! For more ino, contactFamous Joes at 852-9378.

Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) Classes -Intro to SUPSUP are a go anywhere water crat suitableor lakes, marshes, lazy rivers, ocean coasts,and the dynamic sur zone. Get startedright with instruction in saety and propertechnique that will allow you to progresscomortably at your own pace. Pre-registration

required. 1:30pm-3pm at James Island CountyPark. Course # 22028. Fee: $18/$15. For moreino, call 795-4386 or visit www.ccprc.com.

Sunday, March 28

Palm Sunday

Keepers o the Wild Oyster Roast atMagnolia PlantationFrom 1 - 4 p.m. at Magnolia Plantation. Joinus or oysters, chili, live music and a silentauction starting at 1 p.m. ickets are $25and include entrance to the gardens (childrenunder 10 are FREE). We encourage everyoneto come early, bring your chairs and blankets,and enjoy live music on the Ashley River whilevisiting with some o our animal ambassadors.For tickets or more ino, cal l 636-1659 or 696-4488.

Lowcountry Cajun Festival12-6 p.m.. Gather your amily and riends andget ready or a ull day o oot-stompin tunes,hot and spicy ood, childrens activities, and allaround rajin Cajun un at this years estival!James Island County Park. For more ino, call795-4386 or visit ww w.ccprc.com. $10 adults/ree under 12 years old with Gold Pass .

Tuesday, March 30

Passover

Thursday, April 1

FIVA Candidates ForumTe Folly Islands Voters Association willagain be holding a candidates orum at7pm at the Folly Beach Holiday Inn. BothMayoral and Council candidates will be askedquestions generated rom the public andallowed limited time or their answers. Pleasee mail any questions you may wish to ask theCouncil and Mayoral Candidates to FIVAat [email protected] or send them toFIVA at PO Box 1206 Folly Beach, SC 29439.o join FIVA and receive e mail updates orvarious City meetings etc, e mail us your email address at [email protected]

AprilFoolsDay


9/15


10 March 19, 2010

Know your new 9-1-1Provided by Chief Terry boaTwrighT

Beginning March 1, 2010, theFolly Beach Public SaetyDepartment will be dispatched

by the Charleston County Consolidated9-1-1 Center. Tis includes all lawenorcement, re, rescue, medicalservices, and animal services-relatedservice calls.

What does this mean to the residentsand visitors o Folly Beach? I

you have a police, fre, or medicalemergency, dial 911.

Folly Beach Public Saety Departmentocers will continue their regular24/7 schedule and will be dispatchedor service by the Charleston CountyConsolidated 9-1-1 Center.

Public Saety administrative personnelwill be available during normal businesshours Monday through Friday rom 9a.m. - 5 p.m. and may be reached byphone at 588-7003.

Tere will be an emergency 9-1-1phone installed in the oyer o City Hall.Tere will also be an ater-hours depositbox or water bills, court nes/bonds,and parking ticket payments.

How does 9-1-1 work?When you call 9-1-1 rom a landline

phone, such as a house, business, or payphone, the call is automatically routedto the appropriate 9-1-1 dispatch centerand the telephone number and addressare displayed to the dispatcher.

When calling 9-1-1 rom a cellphone, the phone number is transmittedto the 9-1-1 center and displayed to thedispatcher. Charleston County has 9-1-1Phase 2 technology that triangulatesthe cell phones signal and gives anapproximate call location.

When you call 9-1-1, the dispatcherwill ask your location. Identiying your

correct location is key to promptlyreceiving the help you need. No systemis perect, and there can be discrepancies.Tis is why the dispatcher must conrmyour location.

For the hearing or speech impaired,Charleston County is equipped with aext elephone (DD/Y) devicethat all dispatchers are trained to use.For those who do not speak English,Charleston County utilizes an interpreterservice. Te service has interpreters orover 175 languages.

9-1-1 Tips

Stay calm and speak clearly.Do not hang up until directed toby the 9-1-1 dispatcher.Answer the dispatchers questionspromptly and to the point.Be able to provide locationinormation and directions.Be as descriptive as possible. Youmay be asked to identiy people orautomobiles involved. Te moreinormation you can provide, thebetter the dispatcher will be able toprioritize your call and relay details

to responding units.I the situation changes beore helparrives, call 9-1-1 again and givethe dispatcher an update.

I you experience problems with thedispatcher or eel your call was handledinappropriately, ask to speak to theon-duty supervisor.

While these changes will take somegetting used to, I am condent that thecitizens o Folly Beach will benet romthe higher level o service that can beofered by a consolidated center. As wemake this transition, please eel ree togive us your eedback as we constantlystrive to improve emergency responseservices in the City o Folly Beach.

St Patty's Pub CrawlTides of March

Te ides o March was held this past Saturday, March 13 and Sunday March 14 atthe Folly River Park. Art works were provided by the Folly Beach Arts & Crats Guild

and live entertainment was provided by the Actor's Teatre o South Carolina.


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Vince Perna is a Folly Beach real estate expert who also loves mus ic. I you want to know i

you can live on Folly, you can nd him at 31 Center Street or by calling 588-3800.

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Capt. Geo Bennett operates CharlestonCharter Fishing providing fy shing andlight tackle charters. Clients choose rom a

ull menu o fy rods, articial and live baitshing options with charters tailored to theirdesires. USCG licensed and insured, Capt.Bennett is committed to providing a sae andenjoyable charter to anglers o all skill levelsand ages. For more inormation, call Capt.Bennett at 324-3332, visit his website atwww.charlestonchartershing.com or [email protected].

Early March shing reportBy CApTAin GeoFF BenneTT

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Grab your tickets online at www.pethelpers.org, by phone at 795-1110, or atPet Helpers, located at 1447 Folly Road,

James Island. Adult tickets are $35 inadvance or $40 at the door, with a special

discount or college students ($25 in advanceor $30 at the door). Children ages 6-12 arejust $10 in advance, $15 at the door, andkids under 6 eat or ree!

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11/15

12 March 19, 2010


Police ReportsBy Lauren Dean

Its a one-way street, dummieAt about 4:30 p.m. on February 1, avehicle was stopped or driving the wrong

way on W. Arctic Avenue. During arecords check it was determined that the

subjects license had been suspended or

a drug law conviction. Te subject wasplaced under arrest and booked into the

Charleston County jail. Te vehicle wasreleased to the passenger in the car at the

subjects request.

He wanted another drink really badA grossly intoxicated man was cursingand banging on the closed doors o

bars in the area o Center and ArcticAvenue around 2:30 a.m. on February 7.

Ocers responding to the commotiontold the subject that all the businesses

were closed at this hour o the morning.He was swaying on his eet and slurring

his words, and commenced to directhis proanity at the ocers. When

his South Carolina I.D. card was run,

ocers received a hit on a shoplitingcharge and the Moncks Corner Police

Department requested a hold or pickup. While he was being handcued, the

subject became more belligerent andmade several attempts to put his ace in

the ocers ace. Ater being told severaltimes to step back and calm down, he

became defant and it took both ocers

to hold him against the police vehiclewhile he was searched or contraband.

Another ocer arrived to assist and ittook them several minutes to get the

subject into the patrol car. Once at the

jail, the subject became violent andthreatened the ocers. Te AC teamat the jail was fnally able to subdue

him and the subject was charged withdisorderly contact and booked into a cell.

Ten blocks is a long walkAt about 10:00 p.m. on February 15,

Folly Beach Public Saety received acall rom a man requesting that ocers

meet him at the 10th Street East beach

access because he had been assaultedby his roommate. Upon arrival, ocers

observed that the victim was bleedingrom his right eye, which was very

swollen. Te subject said he had beendrinking at Blu with his roommate and

the roommates daughter when he waslet at the Holiday Inn and had to walk

ten blocks back to his residence. Whenhe got home, the victim told the subject

that his daughter was going to spend

the night. Te two men began arguingoutside the residence and a neighbor

said he would call the police i they keptit up. Te subject said he thought the

victim was going to swing on him, so

he punched him in the ace. Te subjectsaid he was mad because he was let at

the bar and had to walk home and araidthe victims daughter would steal rom

him, as he claimed she had done in the

past. Te subject was issued a citation orsimple assault, the residence was secured,and the victim was transported by EMS

to MUSC or treatment o his wounds.

Abcdef r?Ocers driving southbound on FollyRoad at about 9:00 p.m. on February 17

clocked a car going 50 in a 35mph zone.When they turned around to pursue

the vehicle, it sped up to 60mph. Te

ocer turned on his siren and blue lightsas the vehicle continued on without

braking, eventually stopping halwayin the lane o trac several hundred

eet urther on. Upon approaching thevehicle, the ocer could smell alcoholic

beverages emanating rom the driver,who had diculty locating her license

and registration. When asked to stepto the rear o the car and say her ABCs,

the subject sang and got the letters

wrong ater R, but continued to sing.When administered the fnger to nose

test, the subject used her whole handand almost missed her nose. During the

entire encounter, the subject had t rouble

ollowing directions and listening to theocer. She was arrested, taken to jail,

read her rights and administered a BAC,on which she blew a .25.

Maybe she couldnt remember whereshe livedA woman was reported alling downdrunk in the road on E. Cooper at

about 6:30 p.m. on February 21. Teresponding ocer observed the subject

in a state o gross alcohol intoxicationunable to demonstrate due care or hersel

or others. She was oered a ride to herresidence in downtown Charleston, but

reused the oer several times.Without a sae place or

her to go, she was placed

under arrest or publicdrunkenness and booked

into the CharlestonCounty jail.


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March 19, 2010 13


Sdok -soltio

Solutionfrompage5

Flames rom a house re at a duplexon 119 E. Hudson March 10 couldbe seen across the Folly River by

residents on Little Oak Island. It lookedlike all o Center Street was on re, saidLucy Scribner. Te ames would are up.It almost looked like there were a couple o

dierent explosions. It was a huge re.Te re was reported to Folly BeachPublic Saety by one o the neighbors,according to Deputy Fire Chie BradWade. Te call came in at 7:15 p.m. andFolly Beach re trucks arr ived on the scenewithin minutes to nd the structure ullyenguled. Wade said res can sometimessmolder or some time beore ignitingammable materials that cause a suddenblaze.

Units rom the James Island, City oCharleston and St. Johns Fire Departmentswere also cal led to assist. Tere were a totalo 11 re trucks on the scene, including

two ladder trucks, according to Wade. Wade said the new Folly Beach laddertruck, purchased in January o 2009 andused or the rst time to ght the HudsonStreet re was instrumental in puttingthe blaze out and containing the damagewhich could easily have spread to adjacent

structures. Wade said it is standard procedurewhen a residence or commercial propertyis on re to call or back-up rom JamesIsland and City o Charleston. It was apretty big re, he said. We can alwayscancel the resources i we dont end upneeding them, but it is better to be saethan sorry.

Fire regulations require that there besufcient personnel present to ght there, go into the burning unit to perormrescue unctions, and, i necessary, torescue reghters trapped inside thebuilding. He cited insufcient personnel

on the premises as a major contributor tothe Soa Super Store tragedy in which ninereghters were killed.

Public Saety Ofcers had been called tothe property on other occasions to break upghts and handle tenant/landlord disputesand there had been numerous complaints

rom tenants regarding the conditiono the buildings at both 119 E. Hudsonand the adjacent apartment building.Most recent was a ormal complaint by atenant who had been evicted rom 119 E.Hudson.

Tat complaint was ollowed up by avisual inspection, o the upstairs unit othe duplex by the Fire Marshall and FollyBeach Building Ofcial Eric Lutz. As aresult o that inspection, Leroy Rowland,owner o the property, was presented witha letter on February 24 requiring him tocorrect eight dierent code and ordinanceviolations and advising him that theapartment could not be rented until therepairs were completed.

Several code violations were re hazardissues. Rowland was told that all kitchensand bathrooms outlets must be GFIprotected, all interior and exterior exposed wiring must be protected in conduit,heating systems must be unctional, andthe electrical panel or the upstairs unitmust be accessible, labeled in accordancewith code, and provide main disconnect.

Lutz said to his knowledge none o themandated repairs or updates had beenperormed and he reerred to the re asan amazing coincidence. He said thebuilding was beyond repair and the Cityhad condemned the building and wouldnow require Rowland to demolish what is

let o the structure.om Scruggs was having dinner atthe Crab Shack when he heard the sirensgoing by. He walked down the street andsaw the neighbor across Hudson Streetsoaking his house with a water hose. Asthey were standing on Hudson Street theycould see an orange glow through thewindows. Suddenly a man ran out o theburning building yelling My kitchen ison re.

Te let side o the house went up rst,Scruggs said, and when that happenedlarge red embers started blowing acrossthe street. It was pretty scary.

Scruggs praised the work o the FollyBeach re department. He said the ladder

truck allowed the reghters to point astream o water at the roo rom aboveand bought them the time they neededuntil James Island re trucks arrived onthe scene.

Tat was a large, dangerous re,Scruggs said. Its lucky no one was hurtand it didnt spread to any other houses.

Folly goes up in famesBy Lauren Dean

Photo by bonne Isenhour


13/15

14 March 19, 2010


By Megan Carroll

Iam in love with everything im

Burton. For me, anything the mantouches turns to gold; which is why

the next ew paragraphs were someo the hardest to write. im Burtonstake on Lewis Carrolls classic Alices Adventures In Wonderland, lacks acohesive storyline and relies too heavilyon 3-D eects and nothing more.

Recently, the measuring stick bywhich all modern 3-D lms are held isAvatar. I am not a James Cameron an,but his creative, out o the box approachto the use o 3-D technology wasastounding. I really didnt understandhow Cameron could be so orward-thinking with his lm while Burton

simply stumbles around. Burtons ideao 3-D could be compared to lms likeMy Bloody Valentine: lms that relyon nothing more than tossing objectsright at you. It made me think thatBurton jumped on the 3-D bandwagonor no other reason than to be on thebandwagon - not cool.

As you may not already know, Burtons

Alice in Wonderland is a sequel to the

original story, wherein Alice alls backdown the rabbit hole several years aterher rst adventure. Te entire lm begsthe question, Why did Burton createAlice? She has no memory o her rsttrip and she not only annoys the residentso Wonderland with her amnesia, butI also ound her seeming ignoranceintolerable. Tat wasnt the only thingthat was distracting and strange. Likea stubborn child, Wonderland dug itsheels in and did not change. It seemedas though everyone and everything wasjust standing around waiting or Alicesall-important come back.

Te lm introduces us to a young,

spirited and progressive Alice at thebeginning as she runs away rom amarriage proposal. Te she alls downthe rabbit hole, somehow losing allcondence and sense o sel. It wasdifcult to watch the iconic charactero Alice be so used with no real sense opurpose; much like this lm.

Lets move orward to the content, or

should I say lack thereo. Te entire lm

went rom one choppy segment to thenext with no real direction. Burton neverallowed time or character development, which let the viewer with no realconnection. Alices needed realizationso her past, present and uture wereorced and rushed, which drove homethe eeling that Burton never reallydeveloped the movie in his own mind.Te only character that Burton seemedto spend any real time on was the MadHatter (Johnny Depp) and honestly, Idont think Burton had anything to dowith that; that was all Depp, and as weall know, Depp is brilliant!

im Burtons Alice In Wonderland

is nothing more than the reak showat the carnival; something to point andgawk at. It would have been wonderuli Burton would have decided to includea believable story to this patchworko uninspired, but brightly coloredcharacters, but unortunately Burtonailed to bring anything new to the tableand it was rustrating.


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folly current - march 19, 2010

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