It has been my privilege as Mayor to offer this my 8th State of the Town address. In the past seven and a half years, I have tried to focus on the most pressing issues for our Town, and I intend to continue that theme with the address for the year 2008.
Our most pressing issues continue to be traffic management and transportation infrastructure expansion and improvement. This Council and I, aided by our outstanding staff, have made great strides in improving our transportation system.
To date, we have expended or secured funds totaling more than $160 Million for transportation infrastructure since the year 2000. Right now, the extension of Wingo Way, the widening of Whipple Road and the construction of Hungry Neck Boulevard Phase 2 are underway.
Within the next eight months, we will begin construction of Hungry Neck Phase 3. During 2008, we will complete the design plans for the widening of Bowman Road and the widening of US 17 from the Isle of Palms Connector to Wando High School.
Additionally, working with the Charleston County RoadWise staff and consultants, we should be well underway with plans for the improvement of Johnnie Dodds Boulevard.
And finally, we are very pleased that within the last two months, the South Carolina State Infrastructure Bank awarded the final funds necessary for building an overpass from I-526 across US 17, connecting with the existing Hungryneck Boulevard.
For this project funding, we owe a great debt to Representative Chip Limehouse, Senator Hugh Leatherman, and State Infrastructure Bank member Rick Tapp. These gentlemen answered my call and really delivered. We now have $50 Million available for this strategic intersection project, which is currently under design.
I can promise you that your driving experiences around and through Mount Pleasant will be greatly improved by the end of 2011. We have an excellent Transportation Improvements Plan that is based on a great amount of data and analysis. This plan will make it much more efficient and safe for our residents and visitors to drive through and within Mount Pleasant.
And we’re very proud, as a Council, that we’ve marshaled the resources necessary for these projects without raising your property taxes or your business license taxes since 2000.
Sometimes within the din of background noise, we fail to hear the music. Well, I can promise you that this Council and our staff are playing a true symphony when it comes to putting together a road system that will serve our needs through the year 2030.
No city in South Carolina can boast of anything close to our accomplishments. Our next challenge is to cobble together about $22 Million to widen US 17 from the Isle of Palms Connector to Wando High School.
So far, we have $13 Million committed. This project, along with Hungryneck Boulevard, will allow thousands of residents who live in subdivisions north of Long Point Road to get to work on time and return safely to their families without much delay. These two projects will also serve thousands of Wando High students and faculty who travel an average of 12 miles to and from school each day.
But, we’re not just proud of our transportation accomplishments. We just recently broke ground on a 10,000 square foot Senior Services Center and a new collegiate level running track. And, at the end of 2007, we opened our new double gymnasium at Park West.
Our children and our seniors are our greatest assets. They represent a lifetime of work and commitment, and they represent the future. It’s all part of our plan to make sure Mount Pleasant remains a diverse community that is welcoming to all people. Our recreation services for all age groups, truly sets us apart from other communities.
I’m sure by now that most of you know about our successful purchase of property along Shem Creek that will give public access to future generations of Mount Pleasant residents and visitors. This long awaited project is part of our greater plan to energize the redevelopment of Coleman Boulevard as a place for current and future residents to live, work, and play. At the center of this plan will be our new Moultrie Middle School and Farmers Market. Within the next several months, you will see power lines going underground and mast arm traffic signals rising along Coleman Boulevard. This tremendous enterprise zone will ultimately provide a link to the crown jewel of our capital projects program…..our memorial waterfront park.
The Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park will be constructed on 22 acres adjacent to the Ravenel Bridge and will include in phase one: a fishing pier, visitor center, snack bar, sweetgrass pavilion, state of the art playground, and connecting paths to the Ravenel Bridge pedestrian lane.
It will also include an inspiring memorial to Mount Pleasant and East Cooper military service members who gave their lives so that we may enjoy the peace and tranquility of living in such a beautiful community. We are hoping that our park will open Memorial Day weekend 2009. And what a celebration it will be!
A lot has been written and said about what uses will be allowed on a residual four acre piece of property that is scheduled for phase two of our waterfront park. One possible use listed on a general rendering shows a dog park. For the record, no one on this Council knows what ultimately will be built in phase 2 of the park. We may not even discuss the phase 2 property in a serious way for several years. But I’m not going to shy away from my previous statements concerning the value of this property to our vision for Mount Pleasant. Do we need a dog park? In my opinion, yes. Should we use this valuable property for a dog park, or a picnic shelter, or a field to play Frisbee? In my opinion, no, we shouldn’t.
I was elected to make recommendations and decisions that I think are in the short and long term best interest of all of our citizens. To me, this is a strategic piece of property and should be considered in the realm of a broad strategy that considers all types of leisure services, commerce, tourism, and the environment. I appreciate the emotional attachments so many of our good people have to special interests, but your mayor, and your council members, must be able to sort through long term gains and losses before picking the low hanging fruit that appears as a populist agenda item. Again, I’m in favor of providing a number of dog parks, picnic grounds, and open areas for play, but I think this piece of property deserves a long deliberate period of study before any decision is made.
The bottom line is that this decision is still two or three years away. Right now, our focus is on getting phase one constructed by spring of 2009. And in the words of Forrest Gump, “That’s all I’m going to say about that.” I mention this not just because of the park property, but because as a Council, as a business community, and as a community of 62,000 we must approach all of our problems and opportunities strategically. In the not too distant future, we will have almost 100,000 residents and to sustain the quality of life we enjoy, we must look at the big picture, while pursuing the small parts of the community that make this a special place to live, work and visit.
As you probably know, our national economy is in a slump. Local governments are not immune from the ebb and flow of economic conditions. Our Administrator has told us that 2008 and 2009 will be challenging in terms of revenue growth, and some significant belt tightening is expected. That’s reality. But real conditions must be balanced with an attitude that a correction will occur soon or later, and because of our demographics and our coastal location, the correction is expected to occur sooner than later.
I want our businesses and our residents to understand that this Council has set a strong table that will ensure long term economic progress. I urge our businesses and those who are thinking about investment options to call us, and to become more familiar with the positive investment climate we are building.
Consider, if you will, that we have the best schools in the State; consider if you will, we have put together a number of exciting development and redevelopment projects, not the least of which is the Coleman Boulevard project; consider if you will, our Transportation Plan is well underway to completion and will facilitate movement through and within our Town for the next 25 years; consider if you will, we have one new hospital under construction and a second in the design stage;
consider if you will, our recreation programs are judged the best in the State on a regular basis; consider if you will, our low crime rate is the envy of any city in South Carolina with a population of over 25,000; consider please that our land planning efforts are a model for cities throughout the State; consider that our Fire Department is so far advanced in their ability to respond to medical emergencies that no one else is even in the rear view mirror; and recognize please that our Public Services Department maintains the beauty of our Town to the amazement of everyone.
Our bank account is strong, and we have an expert and responsible staff who serve as outstanding stewards of the public’s resources.
Our tax rate is the lowest in South Carolina for municipalities with more than 40,000 residents. To this end, I will ask this Council to host a summit-type meeting for our business owners so that they can learn more about our efforts and determine how they can become part of our exciting future as investors and employers
Despite what you may read or hear, these are good times and they will get even better. I am thankful that you have allowed me to be the Mayor for these past seven years, and I pledge to continue to work with these outstanding Council members for the betterment of all Mount Pleasant residents in the coming years. Thank you and God bless this community!
It was so wet in the town that frogs could be seen jumping on roads. On Saturday morning, the only apparent damage from Tropical Storm Hanna was an upside down speed limit sign on the Arthur Ravenel Jr.
Tropical Storm Hanna and two more storms roiling behind on the same path may not even come to South Carolina's shore, but uncertain residents of beach communities were preparing for the worst Wednesday.
Nearly 50 young sailors ages 18 and younger cast their sails to compete in the fourth annual Mount Pleasant Junior Regatta at Hobcaw Yacht Club on Saturday.
A jury has found the State Ports Authority was not negligent in the death of a dock worker who was killed when a 20-ton container was accidentally set down on top of him.
