About 75 Daniel Island residents filled the community hall at Church of the Holy Cross last week to hear from City of Charleston Mayor Joe Riley. The Mayor served as guest speaker at the monthly meeting of the Daniel Island Neighborhood Association (DINA) and used the opportunity to bring residents up to speed on a variety of issues and activities affecting the island community.

First on the Mayor’s list was extending congratulations to City Councilmember Gary White for his work on a newly amended bicycle and toy vehicle ordinance, which was passed into law by City Council last week.

"It was really first class city council work," said Riley. "…We had to get outside the box and listen to everyone and try to address it…It became quite complicated and Gary stuck with it and persisted so that children on Daniel Island could…ride their bicycles to school and be able to use the sidewalk system that you have. Gary worked it, stuck with it, and I think he deserves a great big round of applause."

The new ordinance is the second law White has worked on since taking office in 2008.

"It’s clearly the one that has taken the most time," said White, a Daniel Island resident. "And quite frankly, it’s gotten the most energy from island residents and particularly the kids…My kids (after the ordinance passed) thought I was a hero!"

The Mayor also discussed the status of Governor’s Park with residents. The proposed project, to be located along Seven Farms Drive adjacent to the Family Circle Tennis Center complex, is "on schedule" he said, adding that drawings and design work are almost complete. The city is now in the process of obtaining the proper land conveyances from the Daniel Island Company, noted Riley.

"We paid for the land years ago…and we get the lands deeded back to us in parcels, so we’re working on that," he said. "But we’re on schedule, assuming there is no hang-up there, to begin construction in June."

The project will take approximately 18 months to complete, added Riley. Plans for the 33-acre park include two baseball fields, a large "great lawn" for general recreational activities, a bandstand area, trails and a crabbing dock. Also in the design is a possible community center, but lack of funding may delay this portion of the plan, he said.

"We have to do it in affordable, digestible bites…These are fiscally difficult times, so I can’t promise you that this is going to be built tomorrow, but it’s certainly on our drawing board."

The $3 million dollar park will reportedly be paid for through a city bond referendum and revenue generated from an admission tax associated with the Family Circle Tennis Center.

"It’s going to be a wonderful park for kids to play soccer and baseball, community events, for picnicking, a real center with wonderful walks along the marsh," said Riley to the DINA crowd.

Riley also commented on the announcement last week that the State Ports Authority (SPA) has hired a Columbia-based real estate firm to assist in the sale of 495 acres of its land on Daniel Island. The tract has long been considered the most marketable of the port’s Daniel Island holdings. When residents questioned how much input the Daniel island community would have on the type of development that takes place on the land, Riley told his DINA audience that the property is currently zoned for port use, and that any changes to that zoning must first be approved by the city.

"I just want to assure all of you that that will be a collective process of determining what goes there," he said. "And the city will have to zone it. That’s a public process that you’re engaged in. So we look forward to working with you…to make sure that it’s appropriate and correct for Daniel Island and the community."

One resident asked the Mayor why the SPA put the land up for sale prior to re-zoning.

"I have really been surprised," responded Riley. "…I am not sure. And I don’t say that antagonistically at all towards the port, because I am not. They are great people with a wonderful new director, but I’m sure that Daniel Island would be happy to see the land formally used in a non-port way. But they have to come through a process and we’ve made that clear…It has to be planned and zoned before anyone can reasonably buy it. So we’ll all find out together."

Mayor Riley assured residents that he and his staff are continuing to address the issue of how noise generated from traffic along I-526 is affecting Daniel Island. After months of looking into the matter, Riley announced at the DINA meeting that he has identified city funding to conduct a preliminary study.

"The first step is to get the study done so we know what we’ve got and what we need," added Riley.

General Al Hansen, a Daniel Island Park resident who first brought the issue of I-526 noise to the Mayor’s attention, spoke at the meeting about the progress being made.

"It’s nice to hear that you are addressing the noise pollution on Daniel Island," Hansen stated to Riley. "…We provided a petition. Three hundred twenty-four people signed it, which is over 80 percent of the people who own lots or live over in Daniel Island Park. This is a pretty serious problem that we’re all facing."

"Are we ever going to get public transportation over here?" asked Daniel Island resident Cathy Key, while Riley stood at the podium.

"I hope we will," he responded. "…We’re working on that. It’s something I would like to see happen."

"It’s become a major issue," added Pastor Don Flowers of Providence Baptist Church, who also attended the meeting. "Many in the (Seven Farms Drive) apartments are church members now and we have some individuals who don’t have their own transportation and have to get to medical appointments at MUSC or the VA and they can’t get there."

Flowers also expressed concern over jurisdictional issues.

"I have had conversations personally with the people at CARTA, who tell me that they can’t service out here because this is a rural area. They referred me to Tri-County Link, and they told me they can’t service this area because it’s in the City of Charleston. It’s the ultimate catch-22."

Mayor Riley promised to look into that matter further.

As has been the case at several community gatherings in recent months, the subjects of golf carts was also a topic of discussion.

"Where I live down by Smythe Lake, I have seen seven year olds driving golf carts with an elderly grandfather holding a baby in the other seat, and worse," said Russ Long. "…It’s a difficult issue. A big need that we have is to know what vehicle it is, with some kind of license plate so at least it can be reported."

"We want to do what the community wants," added Riley. "And that sounds like a bunch of accidents waiting to happen, so we’ll work together… and come up with a solution."

Mayor Riley expressed his enthusiasm over the recent decision by Boeing to locate a new facility in North Charleston, bringing thousands of jobs to the Lowcountry.

"It’s huge," he commented. "Boeing is the single biggest economic development happening in the history of this community….the impact on education, the impact on engineering degrees being offered here, it’s extraordinary."

Riley also noted that an article that ran in the Seattle Times about the announcement featured a photo of Daniel Island, a nod to the allure of this community.

"This is such a beautiful place to live," he said. "I feel a responsibility to make sure it’s a place where they can live and work, with good jobs…so I think Boeing is just tremendous. It’s hard to estimate the economic value of that."

Mayor Riley also made the following announcements:

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