Mayor's Message

Dear Island Neighbors,
As I have previously expressed, I frequently catch myself taking the Island for granted in the course of day-to-day activities and responsibilities.

So I always find it healthy to remind myself of the abundant blessings we enjoy here: a wonderful small-town place with great neighbors; tremendous natural resources all around us with an amazing array of flora and fauna; a fascinating history that predates the founding of the country, with lots of historic resources all around us. What’s not to like?
 
As I reflect on life here, I remain very thankful for the size of our BIGGEST problems!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
 
POLICE NAVIDAD
The 4th Annual SIPD Christmas Bike Drive benefitting Toys for Tots begins Friday, November 1, 2024, and will run through Sunday, December 15, 2024. The big delivery event will be on Monday, December 16, 2024. Last year, thanks to our wonderful donors, we exceeded our goal of 300 bikes. 

Says Chief of Police Glenn Meadows, “This year, we are kindly asking that bike donations only include new bikes that have coaster-style brakes, and not hand brakes on the handlebars. Last year, we found that these were very time consuming and sometimes difficult to build. We're often asked what bikes are needed, and donors can't go wrong with kids’ bikes of all sizes and smaller beach cruisers. As always, new helmets are also appreciated.”

Bikes and helmets can be dropped off at the Sullivan's Island Town Hall or shipped directly to the police department at 2056 Middle Street, Sullivan's Island, SC 29482. Please reach out directly to Chief Meadows for more information, or to drop off bikes after hours. His email is gmeadows@sullivansisland.sc.gov, and his cell phone is 843-834-4298.

TOWN FINANCE INFO
Well, the rumor mill continues to grind on, and its latest grist is our “debt”.
 
I’m sure you know that carrying (and paying off) bonded debt is not the same as running a deficit. Like virtually all municipalities and other governmental entities, we have issued bonds to allow us to pay for important capital projects in current dollars while repaying the bonds with future dollars...otherwise there would be huge sticker-shock issues with tax increases, or critical system failures due to not being able to get those increases.
 
This is a responsible and accepted approach to local government funding of large projects. As an example, per S&P Global, in the US, an estimated 10 -13 BILLION dollars of municipal bonds were scheduled to be issued each WEEK in October.
 
In 2018 and 2020, the Town had two issues of Installment Purchase Revenue Bonds for a total of roughly $40 million, with a current balance owed of about $38 million. Please note: We obtained interest rates of 2.44% and 1.75% for these 25-30 year payback bonds, due in no small part to our outstanding credit ratings.
 
How’d you like to get some money at those rates today?
Where did those funds go? The bulk of them went to construction of our new sewerage treatment plant (about $16 million), overdue upgrades to our sewer plant and collection system (mains and lift stations; about $8 million), fire station rebuild and storage/maintenance building (about $11 million), and other capital projects (about $2.5 million). The remaining funds will be allocated to appropriate capital projects.

OPEN HOUSES FOR SPECIFIC INITIATIVES
We have more open houses this year to allow you a chance to learn about and comment on some long-standing initiatives by the town. The upcoming Council presentations and opens houses are as follows:

• Resilience and Sea-level Rise Adaptation Plan: Weston, Sampson, Elko 12-2-24 Council presentation and open house (5:00-6:00 pm)
• Stormwater Master Plan: Seamon Whiteside and Associates 12-17-2024
• Historic Design Guidelines: Thomason and Associates 1-21-25 Council presentation and open house (5:00-6:00 pm)

HOLIDAY PARK LIGHTING AND FIREWORKS
One of our most-anticipated annual events is our December gathering when we turn on the phenomenal holiday lights at the fire station and Stith Park, with seasonal music by the award-winning Wando High School Chorus, a “Special Guest”, and FIREWORKS!!! Please come out on Friday December 6 at 5:00 for the beginning of this year’s event. This is great family fun and an opportunity to visit with neighbors, whether or not they are sporting uhhh, colorful?, sweaters.
 
We are fortunate to have the wonderful voices of the Wando Chorus perform for us again. To try for better acoustics, this year the Chorus will be performing in front of the fire station bay doors. 
 
Please remember that Middle Street will be blocked off adjacent to the park and fire station.- See you there!
 
STAY UP-TO-DATE ON TOWN MATTERS!
We continue to encourage folks to sign up for “TOSI Talks”, our public outreach platform for non-emergency messages. Just text “Hello” to (855) 675-8674. You  can stay up-to-date on Town news, meeting dates and emergency preparedness tips.
 
See you around the Island!
Pat O’Neil
Mayor
843 670 9266
oneilp@sullivansisland.sc.gov

Hurricane Helene Relief

When Hurricane Helene devastated the Upstate of South Carolina in late September, The Sullivan’s Island Fire and Rescue team sprang into action. They began requesting donations from the community for water and other relief items that were so desperately needed. On October 2 they delivered 6 pallets of water, donated by the Sullivan’s Island Fire & Rescue Volunteers, to the City of Woodruff, SC. When the team arrived in Woodruff they learned that most of the town had not had power or water since the storm hit on September 27. Special thanks to Bubba Simmons for volunteering the use of his Simmons Seafood box truck to transport the water.

On October 3, the team set out again, this time heading to Greenville, SC who had been without power for over a week. They delivered 3 box trucks full of water, non-perishable food items, pet food, and other essential supplies to Operation Air Drop. Operation Air Drop is a Texas-based nonprofit who works after a natural disaster with large scale flooding to organize local volunteer pilots to drop supplies to residents until roads are back open and communities are able to be supplied via the normal means like FEMA, Red Cross, Samaritan’s Purse, etc. Thanks to all the Sullivan’s Island residents who donated with special thanks to COK-SM School, Trident Construction and Simmons Seafood.

Monetary donations are still greatly needed in the affected areas of South Carolina and North Carolina. One example: here’s a site for donations for the Hendersonville area.

The 4th Annual SIPD Christmas Bike Drive benefitting Toys for Tots began Friday, November 1, 2024, and will run through Sunday, December 15, 2024. Our big delivery event will be on Monday, December 16, 2024. Last year, thanks to our wonderful donors, we exceeded our goal of 300 bikes. 

This year, we are kindly asking that bike donations only include new bikes that have coaster-style brakes, and not hand brakes on the handlebars. Last year, we found that these were very time consuming and, sometimes, difficult to build. We're often asked what bikes are needed, and donors can't go wrong with kids bikes of all sizes and smaller beach cruisers. As always, new helmets are also appreciated.

 
Bikes and helmets can be dropped off at the Sullivan's Island Town Hall or shipped directly to the police department at 2056 Middle Street, Sullivan's Island, SC 29482. Please reach out directly to Chief Glenn Meadows for more information, or to drop off bikes after hours. His email is gmeadows@sullivansisland.sc.gov, and his cell phone is 843-834-4298.
 

Maritime Marginalia- Town Naturalist Rebecca Fanning, here, reporting on odds and ends that may be of interest in regards to the lovely, lively natural world to be enjoyed out here on the Island. In this first segment, I’d like to highlight a walk I took with some fine folks around the meadow of the Fort to explore our resident and visiting Lepidoptera, or ‘scale-winged things’.

Just when the Gulf Fritillary butterflies were beginning to look a little worse for the wear, the Monarchs arrived on Island in droves! Their first pick for nectar and pollen is our very own Eastern Baccharis, a prolific pollinator plant that looks as good in the garden as it does lining the sunny edges of our shores. While the male shrub provides more in the way of pollen and nectar resources early in the fall season, the female starts to shine a bit later, with tufts for seedheads that bring luminosity to the landscape, lit up like so many galaxies. Shake her by the main trunk and watch her seeds disperse in a veritable blizzard of swirling flakes. Pair this plant with a Yaupon Holly and you won’t need to decorate for the holidays. Both stay evergreen, and the red berries of the lady Yaupon line each stalk up and down like no other holly we’ve got here in the lowcountry. Bonus: freshly grown Yaupon leaves can be toasted and steeped to make America’s one and only native and naturally caffeinated tea. It’s nutty. It’s cozy. It’s not to be missed. For more information on how to distinguish Yaupon from a few wannabees, drop by Town Hall and have a look at an informational placard showing key distinctions between native Yaupon, non-native Boxwood, and invasive Little-Leaf Privet.

Look me up and drop me a line if you have questions like What’s that blooming? Who’s that bird passing through? Or When and where we should meet for a walk! I’ll consider it for next time in Maritime Marginalia. ~Rebecca

 

2025 Dog Licenses Available 
December 2, 2024
2056 Middle St

Fire Station Lighting and Fireworks
December 6, 2024
2056 Middle St

Stay current with the latest updates of Town projects on our website or follow the links below.

Stormwater Projects

• Stormwater Master Plan (FEMA BRIC BR-194-0008) 2020
• Island-Wide Stormwater Improvement: Basins at Station 16, 25, 28.5 and 31 (SCIIP- South Carolina Infrastructure and Investment Program)
• Station 18-19 Stormwater Improvements (FEMA 4241)
• Stormwater Outfall Improvements Station 19 & 25 (SCEMD 4492 COVID-19)

Historic Preservation Projects

• Historic Resource Survey Update
• Historic District Design Guidelines Consultant

Recreation Projects

• Battery Logan Rehabilitation and Vegetation Management
• Cove Inlet Bridge Renovation
• Master Plan for Stith Park
• Nature Trail Phase II: Trail Construction Services
• Nature Trail Phase II: Boardwalk and Ramp Construction
• Interior Demolition for Old Town Hall Building

Resilience and Sea Level Rise Adaptation Plan

• Beach and Dune Restoration- Breach Inlet USACE Supplemental Project
• Resilience and Sea Level Rise Adaptation Plan
• Accreted Land Management Plan

Join Council in congratulating those employees who celebrated employment milestones with the Town during the month of November! Thank you for all of your hard work keeping our Sullivan's Island awesome!

​
Frank Cornely-
Chief Judge, 1 Year on 11/24/2024

Frank Cornely has a long history of practicing law in South Carolina. He graduated from the College of Charleston in 1984 and the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1987. He served as an Assistant Solicitor for the Ninth Judicial Circuit from September 1987 until January of 1990, when he set off to partner in the law firm Savage, Cornely and Savage. He has been in private practice since 1993 when the Law Office of Francis J. Cornely was established. He has served as Municipal Judge for the City of Hanahan from 1991-1995 and again from 1999-2002. He served the Town of Mount Pleasant from 1995-1999 and joined the Town of Sullivan’s Island since 2017. Judge Cornely is a lifetime member of the South Carolina Summary Court Judges Association and has also served in the United States Air Force. 

Chris Wallace-
Sergeant, 25 years on 11/01/24

Sgt. Wallace assists with daily operations of the department. He also serves as the evidence custodian. Sgt. Wallace began his career in 1997 as a reserve police officer with the Isle of Palms Police Department. He went on to serve as a patrolman with the Hanahan Police Department before joining Sullivan’s Island in 1999. 

Sam Stith-
Maintenance Technician, 5 years on 11/18/2024

Sam started working with the Town in 2019. His family is an Island fixture as his father, uncle and grandfather have faithfully served the Town for over half of a century. Sam takes pride in keeping the Island safe and beautiful for all of the residents and visitors. 

Stephen Poole-
Lieutenant, 12 years on 11/06/2024

Stephen joined Sullivan’s Island in 2012 as a firefighter. Born and raised in Mount Pleasant he graduated Clemson University before attending the South Carolina Fire Academy. Stephen also works part time for the maintenance department. 
 

Town Hall Closed
Thursday and Friday, November 28 and 29 All Day in celebration of Thanksgiving

Resiliency and SLR Adaptation Plan Weston, Sampson, Elko Open House
Monday, December 2 at 5:00-6:00 pm

Planning Commission Meeting
Wednesday, December 11·at 4:00 – 5:00 pm

Tree Commission Meeting
Monday, December 16 at 5:00 – 6:00 pm

Council Meeting
Stormwater Master Plan Seamon Whiteside and Associates
Tuesday, December 17·at 6:00 – 7:00 pm

Design Review Board Meeting
Wednesday, December 18·at 4:00 – 5:00 pm

Town Hall Closed
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, November 24, 25 and 26 All Day in celebration of Christmas