City still cleaning, collecting storm debris from Hurricane Ian

Greetings friends and neighbors,

 

As we move into fall, I wanted to provide a few updates on some of the items we are working on at the City.

 

First, I’m thankful that Hurricane Ian missed us. I am also thankful for the modern infrastructure on Daniel Island that minimized any impacts to us. We were very fortunate that this was a near miss.

 

With regards to cleanup from Hurricane Ian, we know there is still some debris left to be collected. With the large amount of material that was left for pickup, it takes longer to collect and the trucks fill up more quickly. The contractor is only able to finish part of the route and they have other routes to keep up with on the other days of the week. City staff have been working overtime to help with additional trucks and we hope that everything will be caught up in the next couple of weeks.

 

On a related note, we have worked to have monthly street sweeping on the Cainhoy peninsula. The City’s Public Works Department has recently purchased a new street sweeper that will enable crews to nearly double the amount of area they cover in a shift. The City currently sweeps approximately 1,100 miles of streets per month so these new machines will be a great addition. The Cainhoy peninsula is scheduled for street sweeping on the fourth week of the month.

 

We are also working to help improve Governor’s Park. With the help of our Parks Department we were able to get Governor’s Park top dressed with sand earlier this year, which has helped the grass fill in and improved the playing surface. However, most of us are aware that it stays wet and muddy for quite a while after it rains, which limits the use of the fields. We are currently working to secure funding for a subsurface drainage system for Governor’s Park in the upcoming fiscal year which will help the fields recover more quickly after it rains.

 

While this doesn’t directly impact Daniel Island, the Union Pier redevelopment project is currently in the early planning stages. This project will redevelop 40 acres of parking lots and warehouses and 30 acres of dock space on the east side of the Charleston peninsula. It will be important for those of us on Daniel Island to have a ferry connection and ample parking giving us access to this new part of the city. The Daniel Island Neighborhood Association is holding an information session on this project on Wednesday, November 2 from 6 - 7 p.m.

at the Daniel Pointe Retirement Community at 514 Robert Daniel Dr. 

 

Lastly, one quick update on redistricting. Due to some logistical issues with the 2022 elections and to allow the new John’s Island district to become effective in the next municipal election, we are postponing the redistricting until 2023. The only impact for us on Daniel Island is that our new district boundaries will become effective some time in 2023 as well.

 

Thank you for allowing me to serve. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. The best way to reach me is by my city email address: greggb@charleston-sc.gov.

 

Boyd Gregg is the Charleston City Council’s District 1 representative for Daniel Island.