Dear Island Neighbors,

HURRICANE SEASON
As you know we are now entering what traditionally is the busiest phase of hurricane season. It’s not unusual that things have been slow to this point, but looking to history, it is unfortunately true that we ain’t seen nothing yet.

Your Town staff has been working hard to be prepared, with a series of meetings of all department heads and Town Administrator Joe Henderson for carefully reviewing our existing emergency operations plans and assessing equipment and supplies. They have also been reaching out to their counterparts with other nearby municipalities as well as the County.

Just a few of the things that have been worked out: communication methods if cell service is lost, alternative work locations for Town staff should Town Hall (or the Island) not be available, collaboration with other public safety agencies, communication with residents, control of access to the Island should that be necessary.

On that last point, if we were hit by a very severe hurricane and evacuation were required, re-entry to the Island might have to be temporarily limited to residents and property owners in the aftermath. To prove residency, you will need to have a resident hang tag to get back, as the old red square windshield stickers are no longer accepted. 

If you haven’t already picked up your resident-only hang tag for your car, please do so NOW, before you need it. They may be obtained at Town Hall upon the presentation of your driver’s license with your Sullivan’s Island address on it, or a deed of ownership for Island property. These tags are for residents and property owners ONLY, not visitors, guests, extended family, contractors or employees.

EMERGENCY CONTACTS FOR YOUR WATER SERVICE
Please make sure your emergency contact info is up to date on your water account. Current phone and email address are used to notify customers of any water emergencies or planned outages. Here is a link to a fillable form you can use to provide your most up-to-date info: https://bit.ly/SIWDUpdate

STORMWATER WORK ABOUT TO BEGIN!
Our long-awaited improvements to our stormwater system will be starting soon. The first areas will be those near Station 28 ½ and Station 31 (which are areas with bad flooding, although admittedly not the only such areas). We will be sending our more information to those residents who will be most impacted by these projects as the time approaches for their work.

Please be patient as this will be an ongoing process that will of necessity cause some temporary inconvenience and messy streets, in the service of a much-needed goal. Also, in a few places there will be “conflicts” between the new storm drain pipes and existing water and sewer pipes. Working around this may require brief interruption of service to reroute water and/or sewer lines. When these interruptions are planned, the Town will send a recorded message to the residents and owners of the affected properties, and the Contractor will knock on doors to advise them.  

This is another good reason to get your emergency contact info updated with the Water and Sewer Department!

POLICE NEWS
Our police department continues to advance its levels of skills and professionalism. This was evidenced recently by the promotions of Patrolmen First Class Mark McGougan and Josh Poole to the rank of corporal, and Sergeant Elias Shaffer to the rank of lieutenant. Says Chief Glenn Meadows, “Their promotions reinforce our department’s mission and core values through leadership, guidance, and accountability”. 

Chief Meadows also again encourages any residents who might need special assistance in an emergency, or have someone in the house who might need it, to notify the Department. In this way any public safety folks responding to a call or incident can be aware of that need when they arrive. Please email your name (and that of the person needing assistance), address and phone number, as well as a general idea of the type of assistance needed, to the Chief at Gmeadows@sullivansisland.sc.gov .
 

GAS-POWERED LEAF BLOWER SURVEY
Council previously formed an ad hoc committee of residents, staff and lawn care providers to consider the impacts of gas-powered leaf blowers on people and the environment. You can provide your thoughts on this in a brief survey at https://arcg.is/OyvmL0.

See you around the Island!

Pat O’Neil
Mayor
843 670 9266
oneilp@sullivansisland.sc.gov