City of Folly Beach – Sandspur

Dear Friends and Neighbors:

Summer is over and now we need to focus on hurricanes, renourishment, construction of the new bridges, parking, and other equally important matters. We have been watching hurricanes come and go since June and are thankful, so far, the hurricanes are going away from Folly instead of coming toward us. All of you have either read, or heard from someone, about the City’s new “Community Alerting System – Outbound 911.” This is a notification system which the city will use to notify you of important events such as weather emergencies, emergency evacuations, local security and crime alerts, water main breaks, power outages, amber alerts. The City will also be able to use this system to advise you when you can return to Folly if there is a hurricane and the form of identification needed. Later on when we have the e-mail addresses of the majority of Folly Beach citizens, the city will be able to send surveys so we will know how you feel about various things affecting your life on Folly. We are excited about this new method of notification and hope you are, too. To ensure the City has all the information needed to notify you, please access the City’s web site www.cityoffollybeach.com and click on “Outbound 9-1-1” and fill in the requested information. If you do not have a computer, call 513-1836 (Mary) or 513-1837 (Robin) and they will register you. All information will only be used for the Folly Beach Alerting System; no information will be provided to other agencies, individuals or entities without your consent.

Another important matter to focus on in October is HALLOWEEN. The Halloween Carnival this year will be at the Community Center on Saturday, October 30th beginning at 6:30 p.m. and ending at 8:30 p.m. A portion of West Indian will be closed starting at the Stop Sign and ending at the end of the Community Center’s property. All you better be ready for the costume competition; we had some great costumes last year. We are looking for some more unusual ones this year. Also, some of the favorite activities will be repeated, the cake walk and the ghost walk. Don’t forget October 30th starting at 6:30 p.m. be ready for a Folly Halloween.

I know some of you are wondering when the city is going to address some of the items mentioned earlier in my letters; dogs on the beach, dog tags, golf carts, etc. These are still on the agenda to be discussed and acted upon. We will get to them; however, other matters had to be addressed first, i.e., bridges, relocation of sewer water main, and waterline conflicts. Another work in progress is the expansion project. It is on time and on budget. This is due to the efforts of Eric Lutz, building official and facilities manager, who is following this project every step of the way to ensure Folly Beach is getting the biggest bang for its buck. City Council and I will meet for a work session at 6:00 p.m. on September 28th and prioritize our goals and objectives. We also plan to meet at 6:00 p.m., one hour prior to our regular meeting on October 25, to discuss one of the other items on our agenda. We will announce the other work sessions on October 25, 2010.

Our A-Tax Advisory Board met last week to hear applicants make their presentations for the FY09-10 discretionary A-Tax funds. Some of the requests included, the Governor’s Cup, the Wahine Classic, Sea ‘n Sand, Festival of the Arts, Digital Billboards, two dressing rooms for the Washout, and others. The amount needed to fund all of the applicants’ requests equated to $251,960. The A-Tax funds which came in during the 2009-2010 fiscal year plus interest and is available for distribution is $216,499. The City’s A-Tax Board faces this type of situation year after year. The people who serve on this Board are:

Paul Chrysostum, Chairperson, and Mat Barba, John Davis, William Hampton, Cliff Harvey, Debbie Brandner, and Amanda Jackson, Members. To these Board Members, I would like to say I know what an arduous job you have distributing these funds when there are not sufficient funds to meet all the requests. I appreciate your time and the effort you always put into this process. You do, and have always done, an outstanding job and I thank you.

On Thursday, October 7, 2010 at 5:30 p.m., the dock at the Folly River Park will be dedicated to the memory of Karen Stringer. Karen was a gifted artist who made many contributions to the City of Folly Beach. She brought the Festival of Arts to the City which was a big success. Karen’s vision of Folly was a town with shops full of art and other unique pieces created by Folly Beach artists. She also was the moving force behind the Sea ‘n Sand Festival for many years. Karen was a life-long resident and was always in tune with the residents’ needs and willing to give a helping hand where one was needed. Please join us for the dedication of “The Karen Stringer Recreational Pier.”

Until next month, if you have any concerns or if I can be of assistance, please call.

~Tim

Dear Friends and Neighbors:

The final days of summer on Folly are winding down and the beach is gradually being returned to the turtles, birds, and Folly residents. Even though our visitors have their place and we welcome them; it is exciting when it is time for all of us to take a deep breath and do all the things we avoid doing during the time of crowded beaches, heavy traffic, and noisy nights.

Folly has come a long way since last year when we faced problems such as underage drinking, open container, trash on the beach, and various types of behavior that was not only illegal but unacceptable. At one of the first work sessions held after the election ,City Council as a whole, made a commitment to begin a campaign to educate visitors about the rules and regulations so visits could be fun while avoiding behavior which could result in going to court and paying a fine. This commitment resulted in news articles which were very informative; letters to the deans of all colleges located in this vicinity with rules and associated fines attached; and commitments on the part of our Public Safety Officers to saturate, enforce, and educate.

As you all are aware, one of Folly’s greatest assets is the employees. Today I want to take this opportunity to recognize four of our employees and congratulate them on their appointments by City Council. Marlene Estridge was reappointed as the City Clerk-Treasurer. Marlene has held this appointment for many years and has done an excellent job. Her knowledge of the history of Folly Beach is unsurpassed making her a popular source of information. We are very fortunate to have someone of her caliber to serve in this position. Ben Peeples was also reappointed. Ben has been with the City for too many years to count and has won many battles for the City during those years. We are privileged to have Ben as our City Attorney and appreciate his willingness to accept this reappointment. John Kachmarskey was reappointed as the municipal judge. John has been with the City for approximately ten years and does an excellent job at all times. The job, however, gets to be especially challenging during beach season when there are heavy crowds and more tickets are written. We are pleased that he wishes to continue in this position. Mary Cunningham was appointed Municipal Clerk. She has been with the City in a full time position for approximately five years and before that, she was part-time. Mary can always be counted on to undertake any tasks presented to her and gets them done in a timely manner. She is efficient, hard working and helps us all stay on schedule. Again, congratulations; I am proud to be associated with all four. I hope others will join me in congratulating these worthy individuals.

Also, Council elected a Mayor Pro Tempore during the August 24th Council meeting. City Council is charged by State Law to elect, after each regular two-year election, one of their body as the Mayor Pro Tempore. The Mayor Pro Tempore serves for two years and acts as Mayor during the absence or disability of the Mayor, and acts as Mayor if a vacancy occurs until a successor is elected and qualified. Council Member Laura Beck was elected to serve in this position. Welcome aboard, Laura.

Several weeks ago there was an article in the paper about one of Folly’s Home Town Heroes, Dr. Dilan Ellegala, a neurosurgeon at the Medical University. He and his medical team have spent a lot of time in Africa doing medical training. One time, while in Tanzania, he performed brain surgery in an operating room where there was only the doctor, nurse, and someone holding a flashlight in case the lights went out. There was no “ventilator” to keep the anesthetic flowing, only a relative of the patient who took over hand pumping the chemical when the anesthesiologist tired. After returning to the United States, Dr. Ellegala organized the Physicians Training Partnership, a program which is geared to training surgeons who will stay in their homelands and help train other African surgeons, rather than use their new skills to work in the West. After reading this story and others of Dr. Ellegala’s accomplishments, I knew there was no doubt that that the residents of Folly Beach would like to meet Dr. Ellegala and hear more about his mission work. Therefore, on Thursday, September 9th at 7:00 p.m. at the Tides (Holiday Inn), there will be a celebration of Dr. Ellegala’s achievements. Please join us and meet Folly’s Home Town Heroes.

The City’s independent auditors have completed the audit for Fiscal Year 2009-2010. Unless notified otherwise, the auditors will make a presentation to City Council at a work session prior to the regular meeting on September 28. The work session will begin at 6:00 p.m.

Mayor and City Council will be having work sessions in the near future to address various matters as discussed in prior letters, i.e., golf carts, dogs on the beach, dog tags, new bridges, and waterline conflicts, just to name a few. We will be posting the dates, times, and subject matters at City Hall, on the web site, and at the Post Office.

Also, be on the lookout for information and articles on our new “Outbound 911” which is the City’s Alerting System. This is a new and innovative way to notify residents of important events.

Labor Day is around the corner so Have Fun – Be Careful – Be Safe – Obey the Rules – Leave No Litter – If you Drink, Don’t Drive – and – If you Drive, Don’t Drink. Also, if you have a complaint, if you have a suggestion, or if you would like to volunteer to help your community, please contact me at 513-1835 or e-mail me at timgoodwin@bellsouth.net .

~ Tim

Dear Friends and Neighbors:

The first ninety days have passed and I am happy to say I think Folly Beach has seen some positive changes in those ninety days. There has definitely been a positive change on the beach; and I believe it is because we are seeing changes in behavior of those who come to the beach. Of course, these changes have had help from Public Safety officers and our Judges who have held the line on what the offenders are being charged. The message is finally being received: Beware! Folly Beach is a “Zero Tolerance” zone for underage drinking and drunken brawls.

The City’s Beach Management Patrol has also helped with its program which can be called an qualified success. This program began in August of 2009 and is getting ready to celebrate its first birthday. The inception of this program was a recommendation by the City Administrator and the Comptroller; an idea that sprang from many conversations as they thought of, and then discarded, ideas which would be cost effective and yet bring the results they were seeking. At the beginning to help get the program off and running, Tim Rooks volunteered to help and Aaron Pope, Zoning Administrator, was designated as the person who on a long term basis would oversee the program with help from Tac Battey. This is when John Crisco came into the picture, was hired, and jumped in with all four feet. Between Tim Rooks, Aaron Pope, and John Crisco, the program caught on like a fire in the wind. Thereafter, the volunteer was able to withdraw as the program was doing well and able to stand on its own as the following stats will verify. Since August of last year, the Beach Management Patrol has collected 800 bags of trash; conservatively if each bag weighed 35 pounds, the amount of trash collected would equate to 28,000 pounds or 14 tons of trash. This figure does not include large material which has washed up on the beach, i.e., large chunks of boat and construction debris, nor does it include damaged sand fencing. We thank the Beach Management Patrol and all those who responded to our call for help.

The FY10-11 Budget was adopted in a timely manner in June. The Council did a fine job going over the expenditures and revenues and making sure all their questions were answered before the final vote was taken. The new fiscal year began July 1st and the city is off and running as it faces the challenge of providing quality services in a prickly economy. The FY10-11 budget is bare bones with expenditures held to a minimum. The only exception is the amount spent for the construction of the public safety expansion; however, Eric Lutz, Building Official and Project Director, is overseeing this project and making sure the city gets the full value for every dollar spent.

Over the years Folly has managed its funds conservatively; reserving funds for a rainy day; therefore, being one of the few municipalities in the state who doesn’t have to worry about furloughing staff or taking funds from Fund Balance to balance its budget. In fact, there is an ordinance in place which prohibits the unreserved fund balance for the general fund going below $1,000,000. This unreserved fund balance, or any part of it can only be used in the event of a disaster as declared by the governor or to fund needs of the City in the event of an unforeseen emergency and then only after a positive two-thirds vote of City Council.

In addition, we are working on several matters which will hit the floor of City Council in the next two or three months. Two of the matters are related to dogs on the beach and tags for animals of non-residents and short term visitors . These matters are some which have been brought to my attention by some of our residents. Another matter, which is on the horizon and one which, again has been brought to my attention by residents, is an ordinance concerning golf carts. Golf carts are not designed or manufactured to be used on public streets and roads and the City of Folly Beach in no way advocates or endorses the operation of carts on roads. The complaints we have received range from golf carts causing traffic to back up on East and West Ashley to young people operating golf carts recklessly. However, we are researching these matters to determine if by regulating operation of golf carts, the City can try to address some obvious safety issues.

State Law Section 56-3-115, which currently governs golf carts, states as follows:

• The owner of a vehicle commonly known as a golf cart, if he has a valid driver’s license, may obtain a permit from the Department of Motor Vehicles upon the payment of a fee of five dollars and proof of financial responsibility which permits his agent, employees, or him to:
• (1) operate the golf cart on a secondary highway or street within two miles of his residence or place of business during daylight hours only; and
• (2) cross a primary highway or street while traveling along a secondary highway or street within two miles of his residence or place of business during daylight hours only.

As you can see, the regulations governing golf carts are very few. In your opinion, should the city expand on these regulations, please let me know how you feel about this matter.

~ Tim