Mayor Billy

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Purchasing the Commerce Park

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:21:00 GMT

In this newsletter, I have included the story below about the USCB Arts Program moving forward, an extensive List of Questions and Answers about the Citys proposal to purchase the Commerce Park and a copy of a letter to Councilman McFee about City Council's support of local businesses which he and I answered.

Please take the time to review the FAQS.

Hope to see you on Tuesday Night at City Council.

City Council Member Mike McFee and I supported student recruitment by assistiing USCB Arts Faculty and Staff during The "Emerging Artists" Day: at USCB Historic Campus.

The event was created to bring talented high school artists from around the state to USCB to explore opportunities at USCB Arts Program and to encourage them to apply.

Based on works of art, a competition led to granting of partial scholarships. Other partial scholarships, raised by members of the Beaufort community, will also be available to qualfied applicants

Frequently Asked Questions
Beaufort Commerce Park / March 2012
followed by a personal note at the end

1. How much land is available at the Commerce Park?
The Commerce Park includes 167 acres of which about 135 are buildable. The remaining 32 acres of wetlands are also marketable as they can be used to meet open space requirements for respective businesses that choose to settle in the park.

2. Are all utilities in place?
Yes, the Commerce Park is served with electricity, water, sewer, natural gas and environmentally approved and constructed storm water management system.

3. Is this a done deal, created in a back room by City Council with the public being kept out of the process?
No. While the City Council has the authority to authorize the City Manager to sign a purchase and sale contract, Council chose to go the ordinance route which started with a presentation to Council and the public at a Work Session where votes are not taken. This will be followed by the required two readings at which time the public will have an opportunity to learn the facts, ask questions and make recommendations.

4. Where is the property located relative to interstate highways and ports?
The Commerce Park is located off U.S. Highway 21, almost midway between the ports of Charleston and Savannah, about 12 miles east of U.S. 17 and about 18 miles from I-95. The site is located essentially across US 21from the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort and its soon-to-arrive F-35 Joint Strike Fighter squadrons and high-tech training center.

The Commerce Park is also situated an hour and fifteen minutes from Boeing in Charleston and 45 minutes from Gulfstream in Savannah. Lockheed Martin will be moving to the area to support the JSF and authorities say that some of their suppliers and vendors are likely to follow. According to a high level aeronautics official, one could not find a more centrally convenient location for aeronautics supply chain operations than this Commerce Park.

5. What are the advantages of the Commerce Park being annexed into the City of Beaufort?
When annexed, the land will be subject to Beaufort's planning and development requirements and compacted development processes. The City will institute internal rules that all necessary permitting is ready for consideration and approval within 30 days of a business submitting a complete application - addressing an oft-voiced complaint about bureaucratic roadblocks to new businesses. While we don't control other permitting agencies we can commit to a speedy City process.

6. If high-tech companies want to locate at the Commerce Park, they won't wait 10 years for a trained workforce to develop. What are the short-term plans to provide skilled workers?
Over the past nine months, city officials and private professionals have been working to establish the Transition Work Force Education Assistance Collaboration, an organization which will include the Beaufort County School District, the Technical College of the Lowcountry and USCB, which has brought the USC School of Engineering and Computing and the McNair Center for Aerospace to the table. By harnessing the expertise of each of these organizations working in collaboration, TWEAC's mission is to train future employees with specific skills for specific jobs for which there currently aren't workers with necessary skills.

In Beaufort's three military installations, we have a large and untapped economic development asset in the disciplined, focused and experienced Marines and Sailors who, with appropriate training, can provide a workforce unlike any other. TWEAC will engage in the transition from the service to the private sector process offered to all leaving the service. In some cases, we hope to start training while they are still on active duty.

7. Will all of the jobs be high tech opportunities for which members of the community will not be qualified?
No! We anticipate a variety of job opportunities with varying skill sets and anticipate salaries will range from an average of $14 per hour plus insurance ($3 an hour value) to considerably higher salaries for more highly skilled positions.

8. Will you target only Southeastern firms, US firms, or international firms?
Based on the capacity of the Park, and a desire to create a diverse workforce, we anticipate small to medium sized businesses based on clean industries. This would suggest 50 to 600 employees. Recent studies indicate our area is likely best suited to healthcare, aerospace, logistics/supply chain and environment technology-oriented businesses.

9. How much will sites cost?
The 167 acres at the Commerce Park can be configured to specific business needs and prices will be negotiated on a case by case basis. We hope to work in tandem with the SC Department of Commerce and Beaufort County Council to satisfy requirements for competitive incentives such as land and site development costs based on the number of jobs, the company's capital investment and other criteria as set forth by the SCDOC.

10. Is there a timeframe to build?
Infrastructure is already in place and the Commerce Park is ready to accept new businesses immediately.

11. Are there a minimum number of jobs required for businesses interested in the Commerce Park?
The Park is most suitable for seeking businesses that provide 50-600 jobs. It is also good to note that many incentives kick in for companies that create a minimum of 10 new employees and $2.5 million in capital investment over a five-year period.

12. Does the City get any money from the proceeds of a future sale?
Should a business buy land at the Commerce Park and eventually decide to sell, deed restrictions that protect the taxpayers' investment are likely to be included in the terms of the sale. The City's intent is to, over time, recover the cost of land purchase, closing costs and legal fees through the generation of new income and taxes that will multiply throughout our economy with the addition of new businesses and new jobs

13. Will there be a written, streamlined permitting process?
The City already has a streamlined process that can move a project through at the staff level, which will guarantee completed applications that meet, health, safety and environmental requirements are approved within 30 days. While the City does not control some permitting, the City will be an active advocate for state and federal approvals if necessary.

14. Have any specific businesses indicated a willingness to take advantage of this?
Yes. Beaufort City leaders are in conversation with three businesses exploring locating in the Commerce Park or elsewhere in the Beaufort area. While these discussions remain confidential at this time, which is normally the case in competitive situations among private businesses, the potential is 800 new jobs. That being said, we will be competing with other states and other cities that have extraordinarily generous incentives for locating new businesses to their areas.

15. Will this opportunity be available to local, existing businesses looking to expand?
Yes. The City encourages local and nearby existing businesses to consider the Commerce Park for expansion opportunities.

16. What are the other possible uses for the City's land acquisition funds, such as pay down debt, install a day dock or build a parking facility?
The land acquisition fund, created many years ago, is a percentage set aside from the annual fund balance. Thus far, the fund has been used to participate along with Beaufort County and the Open Land Trust to purchase scenic vistas along Boundary Street and Highway 21 on Lady's Island as well The Green on The Point in downtown Beaufort and the site for the new city complex. Funds are not restricted to these uses. Furthermore, as the city has inventoried existing land holdings, the fund will be enhanced over time when the City sells some of the underutilized land assets.

17. Why is the City competing with private businesses?
The City is not competing with private business. If private investors were interested, they would have purchased the park when it became available months ago. This is the only Park of its kind in Northern Beaufort County. That said, there is other industrial zoned, privately held property in Northern Beaufort County (Dale and Yemassee, to be specific) that will be marketed to prospects which are not appropriate for the improved park and those that have specific desires not to be in the Park.

Since 2009, Beaufort leaders have worked with the community to create a new vision for the City's future through a transparent Civic Master Planning process. The City Council and Beaufort Redevelopment Commission are working to revitalize Beaufort's economy and already have seen successes including attracting Lowcountry Produce to renovate the former Post Office and old City Hall on Carteret Street as well as the MidTown Square residential project. The Commerce Park, once annexed into the City, provides a unique opportunity for further economic growth.

Beaufort leaders are putting in place a Transition Workforce Education Assistance Collaboration (TWEAC) that brings together local K-12 and higher education to address high-tech and other workforce needs. At the same time, Beaufort is in talks with the Marine Corps to find ways to help retiring Marines find jobs that take advantage of their skills, especially those in aerospace and avionics.

18. Why does the City think it can do a better job with the Commerce Park than has been done in past years?
The reason there are three prospects looking at the Park today is because infrastructure was constructed into the property and the Alliance never stopped selling it. And now, the City of Beaufort is making it possible to have the chance to take a prospect to the "deal making" stage. The timing of the property is right because the market is returning and folks are looking to invest.

It is important that we understand as a community that this is not a process of "instant gratification." This is a long-term investment that will slowly, over time, yield returns.

"This is the right thing to do, at the right time in our City's regrowth and renewal," Mayor Keyserling told the City Council March 20. "This is our next step in City Building. Together, we can make this work. Together, we can help build a better Beaufort, now and for the future."

19. What is the role of the failed "Lowcountry Economic Network" and how is it different from the "Lowcountry Economic Alliance"?
While some of the participants, including the City, supported the LEN, the two organizations are not the same. The S.C. Secretary of Commerce is committed to working through the Lowcountry Alliance. He made it very clear, when he spoke through the Greater Beaufort Chamber of Commerce, that it is difficult to send prospects to communities that have no place to locate new industry or in communities that will not match state investment in such.

The two new companies that settled in Jasper County settled there largely because there were suitable available buildings which Beaufort County does not have. Alliance staff extensively searched for buildings in Beaufort County but we did not have any that were suitable.

While local officials have been actively participating in the courtship of new businesses, Alliance staff have taken them to Columbia and assisted in developing the paperwork required to compete for state and county investment in infrastructure and site improvements.

That being said, City Council does not expect any one group to do all of our work and is, therefore, prepared to become actively engaged in courting and recruiting jobs to the area regardless of the unresolved issues within the alliance.

20. Why is the City going to spend money to bring new jobs when it does so little to help struggling, existing businesses survive and grow?
First, it isn't true that the City hasn't been supportive of local businesses. Years ago the City created a loan pool to help small businesses grow, but not one business applied. More recently, between the $1 million a year to pay for debt service on The Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park rehabilitation and maintenance efforts to maintain and beautify the downtown, plus the investment of about $550,000 a year of ATAX funds by the City and County Council, just under 10 percent of the City's budget has been invested annually in supporting efforts to bring people to Beaufort to visit and hopefully consider locating here.

After serious consideration Council has determined, based on a study commissioned by the Redevelopment Commission, that Beaufort has more retail capacity and restaurants than our population can support. By bringing better paying jobs to the area, giving families more disposable income, retail and dining venues will have more customers. We'll hopefully be able to expand the retail mix so there will be consumers for more goods and services and we will not be solely dependent upon tourists -- which is good business, but not the only business we should rely on.

21. What will the City pay for the Park?
While the council has not yet formally considered the Mayor's proposal, and contract negotiations must be kept quiet initially, one can say that the amount proposed by the Mayor is less than the Banks paid for the property at foreclosure. The purchase price is likely lower that the dollars invested to install the infrastructure that puts the park in a "ready to go" position without additional City investment.

22. How do we define success with the Beaufort Commerce Park?
First, success comes in owning and protecting the purpose of the property. Having an industrial park for existing business and new businesses is key to our diversification strategy. Second, success can be defined by the ability of the Park to meet the needs of the business community. While we know it will not be a fit for all business types, are we attracting business interest? Do we have prospects looking? So, it's about our ability to be "in the hunt," so to speak. And finally, are we able to assist businesses to grow and create jobs? Have we met our public purpose in fostering job creation on this property?

The timetable for success cannot be measured in neat campaign cycles. It will come as the market allows it to and our ability to adapt to market changes on this property and in our community. So, it's important we understand we are in this for the long haul and will keep the public informed as we work toward our goals.

A Personal Note

And finally, some may ask, Why Now?

While we, by no means, want to suggest that economic diversification comes quickly or easily, the time is now.

After years of planning, with goals, costs and timelines in place and stronger intergovernmental collaboration tha in recent history, our City is prepared to grow after three decades of no growth!

We have a plan! We will have a ready to go park! Our City Council, Redevelopment Commision and educators -- at all levels -- are ready to collaborate like never before!

We are prepared to take on the challenge: we see signs of a changing economy; we know we have a strong work force that is hungry for better jobs closer to home; we have prospect traffic exploring the Park and a we have a state Commerce Department that wil help us with by sending prospects and helping with incentives. If not now, when? If not us,who?

I know this is a bold move. I know some I have not heard from may question the direction we are taking. I also know from emails, telephone calls and conversations with literally hundreds of people that this is the right course to take and the right time to take it.

I am personaly prepared to fight the fight, day and night if necessary, which it may very well be.

Since I began this journey as Mayor, I have worked longer and harder than I ever expected at this "part time job." We have a concenus driven City Council all of whom are rolling up their sleeves and working well together with positive give and take, a spirit of collaboration and a desire to be part of taking Beaufort into an even brighter future. I believe the investment in our home town is reaping dividends.

This is not the time to slow down. It is time to take the next step forward though I have no illusions that it will be easy!

Billy Keyserling

More on a Plan for Job Diversification, of which one componet is the
purchase of The Commerce Park

An Exchange Between A Concerned Business Owner and Councilman Mike McFee with a follow up from me.

Letter from Beaufort Business Owner
Dear Mike

Since you are on the Redevelopment Commission-

In reference to the article in today's Gazette-

Why is the City competing with private businesses?

Any incentive Financial or Government offered to a new business, should be offered to every existing business with a Business License in the city limits.

Numerous businesses have opened within the City lately, we haven't seen the Mayor or Chairman of the Redevelopment Commission standing out front saying how wonderful they are, only a chosen few. What determines City backed advertisement?

Statistics for new businesses aren't very high, seems to me that the City should try to do something to retain the ones that have been here over the years, instead of taking them for granted. They are the ones who have supported Beaufort not the new ones or the ones the City hopes to recruit with incentives.

The attitude seems to be why say anything, they don't care.

Thanks,
City Business Owner

Response from Councilman McFee

Dear Business Owner:

First, I personally haven't missed very many ribbon cuttings, and the mayor and pro-tem are usually always there. I think we are very supportive of new businesses, from the beginning in our business license office to the opening day and beyond.

I won't say that has always been the case, but we have striven to improve that process and our support of new businesses I think the perception of selective advertising of those new businesses is more an element of the Gazette/Packet coverage of local events. The Island News has also done a great job of coverage for some of those new places, but their focus tends to be directed island wise! But they have genuinely given a lot of press to new openings throughout the area.

The commerce park is another animal altogether. We have no diversification of industry here. If you aren't a military contractor, healthcare, educator or government employee in Beaufort, you are self employed. The capability of getting a diploma at USC and staying in Beaufort for a job is non-existent, unless you're a nurse or working with Beaufort County,etc.

When I was in High School, there was an effort to bring 'industry' here (BASF, CBI, Baron Yachts at Victoria Bluff, etc) Obviously, the idea of having 'smoke stacks' across the river was not well received, and those efforts were turned away. In today's marketplace, intelligence based and green companies are far more prevalent and appropriate for our area. AND they provide a conduit for young educated/skilled workers to find jobs here rather than moving to Columbia, Greenville or Charleston to work.

The idea that creating an environment that would more easily allow companies to consider Beaufort home base is a benefit to all the existing businesses. The aggregate effect of successful businesses supports business to our restaurants, shops, car dealers, realtors, service related businesses, physicians, etc. All of these businesses contribute to the tax base and the business license base of the city, which contributes to the quality of life we all enjoy, WITHOUT raising our taxes.

If we don't grow the City, it will dry up and die. The census over the last 20 years has reflected a downturn in population within the city. Creating an atmosphere that will encourage businesses to considering basing themselves here will benefit all commercial property owners. And incentives have been available for businesses in the city in the form of phased business licenses for many years.

The incentives referenced in the article are from State and Federal Commerce programs that aid with large commercial buildings and/or tax abatement. Those benefits are all part of the package that will aid in 'encouraging' new businesses to consider locating here. The competition among neighboring states is great, so having more tools in our toolbox just allows us to play on a level playing field!

Thanks
Mike

And My Follow-up to the Mike and the Business Owner

Dear Mike

You make your points well. I would add a few comments and hope you and business owner do not mind my chiming in.

First, I am not sure how we are "competing with private businesses" by investing in a Commerce Park for businesses with larger numbers of better paid employees. Unless, existing businesses find the competition for low paid employees will take theirs away?

Second, far beyond attending Ribbon Cuttings that at least one or more members of City Council attend, The City has and is likely to continue to make a significant investment in helping small businesses.

Third, the City invests about $1 million a year on debt service for renovation and maintenance of the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront park and the streets from Bay to Craven. This includes twice daily removal of trash, manicuring plans in the road rights of way and addressing specific issues as they arise.

Fourth, the City is investing significant dollars in replacing all of the street lights in the greater downtown area and, thanks to grant funding, is completing entire streetscape along Bladen and the restoration of Cannon Park at the corner of Bladen North by the Federal Court House. Over the last approximately ten years Carteret and Bay and Craven received this same treatment. Each of these streets are corridors into downtown and have many new commercial and residential opportunities with public amenities paid for by the public. (The investment is paying off, as over the past two years, we have seen about $8 million in capital investment by the private sector including the conversion of the undightly and only marginally successful Lord Carteret Inn into City Lofts and City Java, the growth of Lowcountry Provisions into Wren at the renovated old Coca Cola Plant (most recently Beaufort Realty), the conversion of the Furniture Warehouse Building into Breakwater Restaurant and the conversion of the old Beaufort Post Office (most recently the former city hall) into Lowcountry Produce. Further down Carteret, the USCB Historic Campus has seen more than $2.5 in renovations and aquisitions readying the campus for an arts focuse, more general education courses for the military and those who want to study closer to home.

Fifth, we have and will continue to encourage more downtown living so there is a greater likelihood that people with shop and dine downtown.

Also so,working hand in hand with neighborhood associations, we have cleaned up every neighborhood, so they are more attractive to those who live here and those who might move here, again shoppers and diners.

Sixth, between County and City ATAX dollars and marketing dollars for Mainstreet, we invest more than $550,000 in marketing our city every year. It would seem that those who are attracted here will shop and dine.

All of this is to say, that we likely spend more every year to support local businesses than the one time cost of the Commerce Park for which we currently have two prospects which, if we land them, could bring as many as 800 new jobs, more than half of which will pay considerably higher than the prevailing wages.

And when successful, it means more disposable income for residents, new residents to the area, more money to invest in shopping and dining and real estate.

Is this not a wise way to help local businesses?

Best
Billy k

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SHORT STORY AMERICA ANNOUNCES
INAUGURAL FESTIVAL

Short Story America, the Beaufort-based publisher of contemporary and classic short stories, has chosen Beaufort as the location for the first Short Story America Festival and Conference. Scheduled for September 21-23, the festival will feature readings and signings by top writers of short stories, seminars and discussions for aspiring and emerging authors of short fiction, and opportunities for readers to discuss short stories with authors. The weekend will also include the first-ever conference of the Short Story Writers Association.

"I'm thrilled to have quality authors of today's short stories coming to Beaufort, especially at such a beautiful time of year," said short-story author and SSA editor Tim Johnston, author of popular stories such as "Friday Afternoon," "The Errand," "The Guest" and "The Interruption of Thomas Darrow." "This is a great opportunity for local readers and writers to get together with leading authors of the great original American literary art form: the short story. The festival will also be a tremendous opportunity for college and high school students, their teachers, and all who want to learn more about short stories, as there will be first-rate discussions on both the craft and the analysis of short literature."

The festival will be held at the USCB Center For The Arts. "All of us involved with the arts at USCB are excited that our facility will be home to this great literary event," said Bonnie Hargrove, Executive Director of the USCB Center for the Arts. "This is the arts campus for the university, and the chance to host authors and readers is the perfect role for us in advancing the literary arts in the Lowcountry." The festival will also include an event at Short Story America's headquarters, and will involve downtown Beaufort as well. "Writers of short stories will fall in love with this community," said Johnston. "I hope that some will even choose to move here, because this town is perfect for the creative soul."

Short Story America is located in Beaufort Town Center, at 2121 Boundary Street, Suite 204. Short Story America's autographed first collection of 56 short stories by today's authors is available at Beaufort Bookstore, The Gallery, the Visitors Information Center at the Arsenal, McIntosh Books, and directly from Short Story America. Copies can be ordered online from Amazon and from Short Story America at www.shortstoryamerica.com.
If you wish to be involved with the Short Story America Festival as a volunteer, please contact Tim Johnston at 843-524-7800 or 843-597-3220, or write to him at tim@shortstoryamerica.com. .

A Bold, But Necessary Decision

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:26:00 GMT

Better Jobs are a Necessary
Component for Successful
City Building!

allow pictures to view images

For our Hometown to Grow, we must work together to foster Job Creation so young people can afford to live in their hometown and we will be more attractive to those who want to move here.

As I have discussed in the past, we have been fortunate to use the down economy and our Tricentennial year to plan for our next century. Our goal is double the size our city -- which has not grown in population for thirty years -- on its footprint, with out reckless inefficient annexation.

One of the best ways to grow is to create opportunities for people who already live here so that they can stay, raise families, support them with good wages and enable them to remain in the best hometown in the world.

To accomplish this lofty goal, we must collaborate with state and local officials, academic institutions and businesses to prepare people for higher skilled and better paying work opportunities closer to home.

The following is a presentation I made to colleagues on City Council outlining a plan to create these kinds of jobs over the coming years.

While I am pleased to say that City Council, The Chancellor of USCB, The President of TCL, the Chair of the City Redevelopment Commission and others in attendance were very supportive, we do not take votes during work sessions. Accordingly the subject will be in front of City Council next week as an agenda item. The Council meeting is next Tuesday and starts at 7 pm if you would like to share your thoughts.

March 20, 2012

To: Beaufort City Council

From: Billy Keyserling

REF: Strategy for Economic Diversification is Another
Critical Element of "City Building"

Over the past three years, as a consensus-driven Council, we have made some wise and perhaps even courageous decisions changing the way Beaufort City government does business. These decisions have led to financial savings and, even more importantly, a higher level of service delivery to those we serve.

Thanks in large part to changes to the Redevelopment Commission and by harnessing new strategic partnerships --supported by a wise investment (of savings achieved through reorganization and budget reductions) in intensive planning -- we can be proud that we have a vision and a plan for building our city to become even more environmentally, culturally and fiscally sustainable - thereby making our hometown a better place to live today and into the future.

What's missing is a strategy for creating more skilled and higher paying jobs for the children who grow up here, for military families who want to stay here upon ending their service to our country and for others who want to live in Beaufort.

Skilled and higher-paying jobs are important to a city whose population has not grown in three decades, a population the Census Bureau characterizes as moderate to low income with just under half of our residents being renters.

Work opportunities for our young people should be just as important to us as buying open space for scenic views and mitigating traffic, new street lights in the downtown area, new ways of approaching public safety and beautifying our small but culturally rich and diverse little city. This is not to say these investments are not important -- because they are.

But we must address the void that exists in fostering the kinds of opportunities elected officials have been promising for generations.

This is the right thing to do, at the right time in our City's re-growth and renewal. This is our next step in City Building. Together, we can make this work. Together, we can help build a better Beaufort, now and for the future.

Through this memo, I will outline my personal recommendations for embracing this challenge.

No Easy Task
Since childhood, I have heard business and political leaders talk about the undertaking while promising more and better jobs. Regrettably with the best of intentions, those efforts have failed. I do not exclude myself from this group: when I ran for a seat in the General Assembly, I made this promise which I did not fulfill; When I ran and was elected to City Council, I made this promise which has yet to be fulfilled; And when I ran for Mayor both times, I held out this promise.

I have no illusions that that this is an easy task. But -- at almost 64 years of age -- if I do not do something, then phooey on me. It is my hope that you agree and work with me and others.

Expectations of County Government
For as long as I can remember, we have always assumed that because Beaufort County represented the municipalities and unincorporated areas and therefore left the risks and leadership and to them.

But when I began to see the Lowcountry Economic Network fall apart, and the County Council so divided about what, if any, direction to take, compounded by their refusal to salvage the only fully developed and ready to go Commerce Park, I decided to become more personally engaged.

I began to attend Lowcountry Economic Network meetings. Since then, over the past nine or so months, I have learned a great deal.

Some of the Challenges
I learned from the State Secretary of Commerce that he can not in good conscience refer prospects to Beaufort if we do not have a place with existing infrastructure to locate them.

I learned from past business prospects that while they were interested in coming to Beaufort, our permitting system, which was created to stop or severely slow down residential growth, had effectively stymied all business interest - tagging us as "unfriendly" in the eyes of the business community.

And finally, through interviews with members of the late LEN and with some of our partners in the military and area educational institutions, I learned that we have a huge untapped economic development asset in the +/- 2,000 drug-free, disciplined, focused and experienced young Marines and sailors who, with appropriate training, could provide a workforce unlike any other.

As I waded through the history of economic development in Beaufort County, with the help of the former LEN staff, who are now working with the Lowcountry Economic Alliance, I learned that there have been prospects seeking to locate in and around Beaufort. What kept these businesses and these jobs away? Our lack of vision, leadership, and commitment to business has kept us from winning. We were sending either no message or at best a mixed message.

As a side note, I can say that within the past six weeks, these same local economic development people steered three live prospects to the City and we are having ongoing conversations about the potential for them located in our hometown.

My mission here is not to belabor the past or to put blame on anyone or any organization. Rather it is to find a way that we can move forward which enhances our chances of not failing as others have in the past.

What's Next: How do we press onward with success?

a. I met with and encouraged the Mayors of Port Royal, Bluffton, Hilton Head, Ridgeland and Hardeeville to move forward with standing up the Lowcountry Alliance whose reorganization is currently proposing a more equitable and inclusive investment structure. The Alliance is critical since it is the only vehicle through which leads are fed by the Department of Commerce and it is the vehicle, within the Secretary of Commerce's policy, eligible to receive matching dollars for regional economic development.

Furthermore, the Alliance has demonstrated to me that they have the marketing capacity, the support of State officials and a new plan based on comprehensive studies conducted by their consultants as well as those retained by Beaufort County.

To accomplish our lofty goal, we will need the cooperation of the Alliance with its regional, big-picture approach.

b. We must scour, from cover to cover, the two aforementioned which I believe create a path to targetable industry sectors including but not limited to aeronautics, health care and logistics and supply chain for other industries since we are ideally situated between two ports and are accessible to three interstate highways.

c. Demonstrate we have the capacity to recruit and develop a highly skilled workforce. As a committee within the LEA, we can stand up TWEAC, (Transition Work Force Education Assistance Collaboration) an organization in its infancy that has been meeting with Department of Commerce, military personnel specialists and academia. This includes the Beaufort County School District, the Technical College of the Lowcountry, USCB which has brought the USC School of Engineering and Computing and the McNair Center for Aerospace to the table by their side. Each these organizations' mission is to train future employees with skills for jobs for which there are not currently workers with appropriately necessary skills.

Retired Marine Corps General Garry Parks has been leading this informal effort and we have conceptual buy-in by all named organizations to get the initiative moving. Furthermore, Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt has fully endorsed this effort and stated that it is one of the most unique approaches to job creation and business development in the state.

Our potential Transition Work Force Education Assistance Collaboration organization is ready to become formalized. And, I believe there are funding opportunities for this to become a pilot for the state, if not the region and the nation. This will demonstrate that we have the ability to stand up a workforce that will be as attractive, if not more attractive, to industry as some of the financial incentives other states offer but Beaufort County and SC do not.

d. Adjust our Redevelopment Commission membership to include a team of former corporate executives who have the ability to network with growing industries, with whom they have associated during their careers, so that we can connect with them and pitch the S.C. Lowcountry as a wonderful place to work and live.

e. Negotiate the purchase by the City of the foreclosed Commerce Park to ensure we have a place to locate industries that are looking at the area and those which will be attracted by our unique workforce development collaborative. We have funding in our set-aside Open Land fund to support the debt service for many years if necessary. The purchase will have no impact on City taxes.

f. Annex the Commerce Park into the City with an associated development policy that ensures all development permitting required by the City will be managed at the staff level with a requirement that complete submissions by property owners will be approved within 30 days or less.

g. Negotiate an arrangement or partnership with Beaufort County for them to buy building sites (at the price we pay per acre) for industries that make specific commitments to create jobs in the Park. I understand the County Council set aside funding for economic development that I hope can be used for this purpose. For the Count, it would be a incremental investment based on our ability to land new companies or grow existing one while justifying the investment based on the number of jobs created. This is the kind of accountability I believe the County has been seeking to ensure their funding is spent wisely.

Why is this the right thing to do?

I know that this is a bold move, and I know there will be critics who will not support this. We will hear that the government should not be spending money on what the private sector should be doing. My answer is that:

a. If the taxpayers can spend more than $100 million on road projects to mitigate the challenges of past poor planning and unbridled growth, we can certainly invest a relatively small amount on the future for the young people who grow up here;

b. If the taxpayers can invest more than $120 million in open spaces to open up our beautiful vistas to capture the natural beauty of the area and mitigate traffic congestion of the past, we can invest a relatively small amount on the future of the young people who grow up here;

c. If the taxpayers can invest in $30 million for local government offices, we can invest a relatively small amount on the future of the young people who live here;

d. If the taxpayers can invest more than $200 million in the past decade on school buildings to educate our young people, we can invest a relatively small amount of the future of the students who go to those schools so they know there are local employment opportunities that make education worthwhile;

e. If the taxpayers can invest $50 million, hand in hand with the Department of the Navy, to protect air space to preserve the longevity of our important military bases, we can certainly work to help those who have served their country have a future once they have served their nation.

This is the right thing to do, at the right time in our City's re-growth and renewal. This is our next step in City Building. Together, we can make this work. Together, we can help build a better Beaufort, now and for the future.


"Catholic School Girls" is a sweet, funny, sometimes touching look at growing up in parochial school in New York in the 60s. The four talented actresses play school girls from first through eighth grade AND the nuns who teach them.

For those who might have concerns, it is NOT a Catholic-bashing or sacrilegious play in any way; it is, however, a coming-of-age tale set in an interesting time in our history, in which faith plays an important part, as do relationships with authority figures, friends, boys, and family, self-image and self-doubt, developing sexuality and ambitions for a better, grown-up life. In other words, it's about pretty much all of us, not just Catholics, not just girls, and not just those who can remember the 60s!

Here's a nice piece that was in Lowcountry Weekly, with a couple pictures and information about getting tickets.

http://www.lcweekly.com/theater/dance/2558-fall-in-love-with-catholic-school-girls

Thursday nights are pay-what-you can, with a $5 minimum, and if you can make it this Friday night, we'll have a special pre-show reception starting at 6:30 p.m. with some light hors d'oeuvres and beverages.


Beaufort Theatre Company Presents Tennessee Williams'

"Cat on a Hot Tin Roof "

At The Center for the Arts at USCB Historic Campus
March 16, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 2012

Big Daddy Pollitt and his dysfunctional family are once again on stage, from March 16, 17,22,23,24 at 7:30 PM and March 18 at 3 PM at USCB Center for the Arts when it presents "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" by acclaimed author Tennessee Williams.

Big Daddy, who is dying but doesn't know it, and his alcoholic son, Brick, use the word "mendacity" as a catch-all to describe various aspects of other family members' greed, deceit and hypocrisy while unable or unwilling to face their own personal demons.

Brick's wife, Maggie the Cat, observes that, "... the truth is as dirty as lies" as she scratches her way through the Pollitt family's myths of marriage and family and tries to save her own marriage to a man who has no desire for her. She is also desperate to guarantee herself the security provided by his family's wealth.

Thus, these three major characters reveal in their own dances of anger the frustration of what is reality and what is hidden under the blankets of denial. Brick expresses his disgust with the "...lies and the liars," while Big Daddy counters, "You won't live with it, but you're an expert at it," although he himself says he wants "... a choice woman ..." to make up for 40 years of distaste he has had for his wife, Big Mama.

And then there is the other son, Gooper, who always did whatever his tyrannical father dictated but never got the recognition he felt he deserved, and his baby-popping wife, Mae, who feels they deserve to inherit Big Daddy's wealth and will do whatever is necessary to get it. Last, there is Big Mama who, out of necessity, adjusted her expectations long ago and learned to live with the lies and pretense.

Big Daddy - Jeff Evans
Big Momma - Andrea Drake
Brick - Michael Kane
Maggie - Jennifer Joyce
Gooper - Rob McFee
Mae - Dawn Gau
Doc Bough - Dave Falls
Rev Tooker - Ryan Arbuckle
Sookey - Kwame Johnson
Dixie -Campbell Duke

So join Big Daddy and his conflicted family on March 16, 17 22, 23, 24 at 7:30 PM night, or Sunday afternoon, March 18 at 3 PM at USCB Center for the Arts. ".

Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for senior/military, and $15 for youth. Groups rates available for 10 or more. For tickets, call the USCB Center box office, 843-521-4145.

For additional information, contact the USCB Center for the Arts, 801 Carteret Street, 843 521-4145, or http://www.uscb.edu/community-outreach/center-for-the-arts

News from The Gazette/Packet

Beaufort mayor proposes city buy Commerce Park

By ERIN MOODY
emoody@beaufortgazette.com
843-706-8184
Published Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Beaufort's mayor says the city should buy the 167-acre Commerce Park that last year was at the center of a foreclosure and controversy about public-private efforts to create jobs.

Billy Keyserling made his pitch during Tuesday's city council workshop.

His plan has two other parts. First, the city must get the support of the area's other government bodies for the Lowcountry Economic Alliance to attract and vet business opportunities. Then, local schools must help provide job-specific education.

The Lowcountry Economic Network bought the park in 2006, intending to pay off the debt it incurred to do so as it sold off parcels to businesses it attracted. However, much of that new business never materialized, and the network was unable to pay its debts.

After Beaufort County Council decided not to purchase the property from the network, even after it went into foreclosure, the network went out of business and the park was sold at auction to S.C. Bank & Trust for $2 million, in a deal completed this past December.

The Lowcountry Economic Alliance, which began as an offshoot of the network but with a different structure and aims, has emerged as potential player economic development in Beaufort and Jasper counties.

The city's plan to buy the commerce park has been discussed for about a year.

Keyserling said he has been talking with the park's owners about a "specific" price, which he would not reveal , that is lower than the $2 million paid at auction.

"You can't go out and spend the public's money on some project that failed without a plan," Keyserling said.

The city has about $1.033 million in a fund to that could be used to purchase the land, City Manager Scott Dadson said. Keyserling said the purchase would not affect local taxes.
The purchase will come before council for consideration in the next month or so, but the other council members at the table were supportive Tuesday.
"We have really been snatched along in a good way, and we're all on board with this," councilman George O'Kelley said.

In his presentation, Keyserling pointed to opportunities for health care, aeronautics, logistics and supply chain businesses because of Beaufort's relative location to ports in Savannah and Charleston, as well as three interstates.

He said working with the Lowcountry Economic Alliance is "critical" to the plans success because it is a conduit between prospective businesses and the state Department of Commerce and financial incentives for those businesses.

A new Transition Work Force Education Assistance Collaboration, through the Alliance, is working with the Department of Commerce is developing job-training opportunities.

Technical College of the Lowcountry President Dr. Thomas Leitzel and USCB University of South Carolina Beaufort Chancellor Jane Upshaw both said they support this plan and job opportunities for their students.

"With an almost $750 million annual impact, we are a an economic engine for this region, there's no doubt about it, but here's the real issue," Upshaw said at the workshop. "When they walk across that stage and we hand them that diploma it breaks my heart for them to have to go to Charleston, or Savannah, or Columbia to get a job."

Good Neighbors Make an Even Better Beaufort

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:27:00 GMT

Strong Neighborhood Engagement Makes our City Even Better

Pigeon Point Neighborhood Association Raising Money for Brick Walks in their beautiful and oft used park

Several years ago, when the restoration of Pigeon Point Park came in considerably over budget, he Neighborhood Association, started as a Crime Watch, raised funds and contributed manual labor to ensure that some features the city could not afford were included in making the park what it is today.

Taking the engagement to the next level they have scheduled a big fundraiser for the Park which is being promoted as Touch-A-Truck & Make A Memory Brick Sale, April 21st from 9 a.m. to 12 noon.

All sorts of large trucks used by the City will be lined up in the park for children to explore. Picture opportunities will abound to "Make A Memory" and donated cookies and drinks will be served.

Opportunities to buy bricks, which can be inscribed with dedications, will be available for purchase through the "Make A Memory" brick sale and later find their permanent home on the walkways in the park.

Furthermore, if you and your neighbors are interested in strengthening your organization or starting your own, you may want to attemd to the Pigeon Point Association meeting this evening at 6 pm at the Planning Department's Conference Room on the main floor of City Hall at 6 pm this evening.

Scroll down to see more about ways Neighborhoods work together with the City's Neighborhood Improvement Team.

Another Local Production at ARTworks

Catholic School Girls
A Play
Directed by Gail Westerfield at ARTworks

Gail Westerfield, director of "Catholic School Girls," which opens at ARTworks March 22, admits that though she was raised in the Methodist and Disciples of Christ churches, she was a little obsessed with Catholicism growing up.

"As a kid in the early 70s, I wanted to convert so badly, but mostly just because I thought what I'd seen in movies and TV, with the incense and Latin mass and church leaders with big shiny hats was so cool. I told this to a beloved minister many years later, and he said, 'Well, naturally, Gail. You were drawn to the theater of the Church.'"

So "Catholic School Girls," which is on one level theater about the Church, seemed a natural choice for Westerfield, whose company, Misspent Youth Productions, is a producing partner at ARTworks.

The play takes place in the 1960s and follows the lives of four girls and the nuns who educate them from first through eighth grade. "It covers some big themes about faith, family, friendship and self-discovery," Westerfield notes, "but you certainly don't have to be Catholic to 'get" it. It's a really funny, sometimes touching coming of age story that both men and women will relate to. And it's set in a culturally very interesting period."

The four actors play both the children and the nuns. "I had so many terrific women to choose from. It wasn't easy. We're so lucky to have so much talent in this town," Westerfield said. "When people say that they can't believe a show they've seen was done in little ol' Beaufort, or that it seemed professional enough to be performed in Chicago or New York, I'm so incredibly flattered, but it's the actors who do all the work. I just cast really well, and have great talent to choose from!"

Jenn Shand, who is currently choreographing Beaufort Children's Theatre's The Wizard of Oz, has appeared on the ARTworks stage previously in "Our Town" and was directed by Westerfield in "Talking With..."

Shand said she enjoys "the challenge of playing two different characters," both of whom can be pretty nasty. "I love that I get the chance to play two people who can be rather mean. I've never had the chance to play anyone really unlikable before."

Shand said audiences can expect to see "some great acting from four great actresses, and a story that will make them both laugh and cry."
Joellen Hirschey first got involved in theater at Beaufort High, and went on to study acting at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. In Westerfield's production of "The Dining Room," she played seven roles, ranging from a bratty six-year-old to a senile old woman. This motivated her to audition for "Catholic School Girls." "I had such a great time," Hirschey recalled, "that I leapt at the chance to work with Gail again. She is so much fun. She really understands actors. You can't help but grow as a performer when you work with her."

Hirschey plays Elizabeth McHugh and says she is "completely in love with my character. She reminds me of myself when I was young. I was raised Irish

NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS

Cities are a collection of diverse neighborhoods, each with its own character, that make the city whole and diverse.

One of dreams has been to see a few small neighborhood associations become vibrant while encouraged neighborhood associations to come together in neighborhoods that were not organized.

Among the many goals of such associations is to work hand in hand with with the City to make their neighborhoods, hence our hometown, an even better place to live, work and visit.

Over the past three years, we have seen a proliferation of Neighborhood Associations, each growing and working harder to keep clean and improve their neighborhoods.

As some will remember, last year volunteers from Beaufort's neighborhood associations collected more than 400 tons of trash throughout the city. Not only did they make the city cleaner, they reduced fire hazards exponentially.

More recently, a handful of members of the Point Association launched Beautify Beaufort which will hopefully, this Spring, spread throughout the city with residents repainting rusting fire hydrants and cleaning the mildew from Street Signs.

Leaders from neighborhoods meet monthly with the City Neighborhood Improvement Team which includes the Police and Fire Chiefs, the Directors of the Planning and Public Works Departments, Codes Enforcement, the Greenery and Waste Pro, among other city staff assigned to support our neighborhoods.

While I try to attend these as well as some of the meetings of individual associations, I am not always able to be there. But there are always one of more City Councl members present to listen, ask and answer questions and otherwise participate. Note below that Council Members Donnie Beer, George O'Kelly and Mike McFee attended the last meeting.

As an example demonstrating the focus of the Associations working with the City, the following are the minutes from the February Meeting of the Neighborhood Improvement Team.

A meeting of the Neighborhood Associations was held on February 15, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. at City Hall in the Planning Department's first floor conference room, 1911 Boundary Street.

In attendance were the Neighborhood Association Representatives and City Staff.

PRESENTATION BY MIKE MCNALLY OF BEAUFORT CITY REDEVELOPMENT COMMISSION.

Mr. McNally gave a presentation. He said he is also on the Residential Committee for this Commission. He said the Redevelopment Commission (RDC) wants to build new relationships with the community and what's going on in each neighborhood to help make it a better place. Mr. McNally went over the individuals on the RDC and their background. He said the RDC has divided into three community groups: commercial, residential and finance. The RDC interviewed the consultants who put together the Comprehensive Plan for the City and now the consultants, Office of Civic Investment (OCI), has broken down the master plan into sectors and now the RDC has a project book that they bring to each meeting. He said the RDC has an alliance with Julie Good at Historic Beaufort Foundation (HBF). The RDC meets in the City Hall first floor conference room every first Thursday of the month at 5:00 p.m.

Currently, there are some possible grants that HBF is working on for restoring historic homes. For example, the Pilot Program for 1407 Duke Street.

Mike McFee helped us better understand what was going in the Northwest Quadrant. Another alliance we work with is Habitat for Humanity who helps with the vacant lots. Now we are starting to work with the Neighborhood Associations. Mr. McNally went over the current list of projects that the RDC is working on (Codes Enforcement Regulations, crime, Bladen Street Streetscape, Pigeon Point Park, Duke Street Streetscape bid, infill, marina expansion, walkways, safer bike routes, and rail trails).

He said the RDC is here as a facilitator between the people, neighborhoods and businesses and encouraged the associations to invite the RDC to their meetings. He also spoke about the Receivership Program that is currently working great in Baltimore, Maryland. Senator Davis is working on this bill in Columbia. This will be a great tool for Beaufort. Mr. McNally asked if there were any questions and they were as follows:

1.When are the subcommittee meetings? Mr. McNally said they meeting at every 2nd Wednesday of the month at 5:15 p.m. at City Hall in the Executive Conference Room on the 2nd floor.

2. What is the number on the Receivership Bill? McNally said he was not sure. Libby Anderson of the City Planning Department said she will send an email out.

3. Infill? Mr. McNally responded by referring to the boarded houses that are vacant due to a death and the heirs living somewhere else and how they don't want to sell or don't have the money to fix them up. He said the City can go in and do minor repairs, but it costs money and therefore a lien has to be put on the house. The Receivership Program takes care of all this. Mr. McNally mentioned the Retreat and the big points discussed were outreach programs and marketing Beaufort.

4. What is Demolition by Neglect? It seems like a bad name because its "rehab" not "demolition" taking place. Have there been any of these? And can we change the wording? Ms. Anderson said one went through the process. She said the real name of Demolition by Neglect is "Preservation of Architecturally and Historically Significant Structures" and we refer to it as "demo by neglect".

5. Need better inspections. For example, long-term. Mr. McNally responded and said a Home Study will be done.

George O'Kelly, Councilman, was present and made these comments: last year there were 4 Demolition by Neglect cases which were structures that could not be saved; Dixie Rentals is not in the city limits; city will be working closer with the county; city municipal complex was done by the previous RDC; and the city can save more money using the RDC.

Ms. Anderson reminded everyone that the RDC meetings take places every 1st Thursday of the month, at 5:00 p.m., in the first floor conference room at City Hall.

NEWS FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION REPRESSENTATIVES
Battery Shores Rep said not much going on. They are trying to safeguard kids in the area since parents are not. They feel they need more police coverage during the day.

The Bluff Rep talked about the short-term rental proposed in their area that the Zoning Board of Appeals approved even though there was a petition against it from the community.

It was asked if there were sign regulations for neighborhoods since there are currently huge auctions signs. Ms. Anderson said yes and we can look into this even though this issue will probably resolve itself very soon.

The long-term rental inspection idea was brought up. Higginsonville Rep spoke about the successful neighborhood clean ups that were previously organized through Mack Cook. It was asked if another could be done. Ms. Anderson said if the neighborhood could get a date then the City can assist them. Mink Point Rep said the "man" in their neighborhood situation has been solved.

Mossy Oaks including Twin Lakes Rep asked about the status of Southside Park. Ms. Anderson said funding is a major issue. Isiah said we are working on it. Councilman O'Kelly, spoke about the Council Retreat.

Northwest Quadrant Rep said their monthly meeting will be this Saturday at 11:00 AM at the First Baptist Church at 710 Charles Street. John Dickerson spoke about the issue with the cleanup of condemned buildings as a result of a "Demo by Neglect" and the horrible grey colored boards that are being used to cover the open areas.

Dawn Boren, City Codes Enforcement Officer, said the house Mr. Dickerson is referring to is being worked by the owner, Mr. Ashbee, who is elderly and she feels the property has improved but that the 2nd floor and roof are still issues. She said Mr. Ashbee contacts her weekly. Ms. Boren said the grey boards are "standard".

Mr. Dickerson said its looks bad with the grey colored boards and feels the boards need to match the color of the house. Ms. Boren feels the "grey" color helps her and the city identify the vacant homes. Ms. Anderson said the
Ordinance states that the boards don't have to be painted. Ms. Boren said she will speak to Mr. Ashbee but it will be costly for him.

Ms. Anderson suggested Historic Beaufort Foundation (HBF) volunteering. Ms. Boren said she will address the trash issue with him Mr. Ashbee

Mr.Dickerson said he already contacted Waste Pro and there is still a trash issue. Jim Berbigler from Waste Pro wrote down the address and will look into it. Mr. Dickerson said there needs to be an ordinance that better addressed this type issues.

Pigeon Point Rep, Rod Mattingly, said their meeting was this past Monday and Captain Robinson from the City Fire Department was there and it was great. He said Ms. Anderson was also there and very helpful.

The Point Rep, Paul Michau, gave a brief presentation of what he spoke about at last night's meeting, "Beautifying Beaufort" Project. He showed many photographs of "bad" looking signs throughout Beaufort. Mr. Michau feels there is an even bigger issue regarding SCE&G poles. He said his neighborhood is sending out letters to each service provider letting them know of their displeasure. Mr. Michau also showed a photograph of white painted fire hydrant and asked if this could be done in Beaufort. Captain Robinson of the City Fire Department said we cannot do this due to regulations. Ms. Anderson said the City has a relationship with BJWS&A and she will invite their representative to the Neighborhood Association next meeting.

Charlie Calvert invited them to come to the Chamber meeting. Ms. Anderson said this was a good idea. Christina Wilson mentioned the sign before the turn-in lane from Boundary Street to the new Red Lobster/Olive Garden Restaurant. She said this is very dangerous and needs to be addressed. Isiah Smalls of Public Works, said he would talk to the owner.

NEWS FROM CITY STAFF AND STRATEGIC PARTNERS
Jim Berbigler, Waste Pro, handed out brochures. Mr. Berbigler said there are no more 45 gallon carts and they will not be replenished. He said the Eagles Troop I will be doing work at Port Royal and Southside Park.

Mr. Smalls encouraged the communities to set up cleanups. It was said that many people are putting out their lawn work on the weekend and then not being picked up until Friday. Mr. Smalls said he will look into this.

Isiah Smalls, City Public Works, spoke on behalf of the Greenery and said it is the dormant season.

Lundy Baker, Lanier Parking, said he has been working with the Police Department and now has taken over tickets from 1988 to present day. He suggested everyone pass along this information to people they know, because something may be outstanding.

It was brought up that people are keeping several boats, cars and motorcycles outside their houses and it looks horrible. Ms. Anderson said if they are not licensed or not working, Dawn Boren can help. Ms. Anderson said boats are different and we don't have jurisdiction over them. Christina Wilson asked about cars parked the wrong way on the street. Officer Herbert said you need to park in the direction of the street and if you are not, you will be ticketed. Ms. Anderson said she will pass along information about this after she speaks with the Police Department.

Dawn Boren, Codes Enforcement, said the city has a vacant and abandoned project list and we had 12 and now we have 3 with some even occupied. She said she receives calls regarding backyard issues, but if she can't see through to the yard, she cannot go in, so a neighborhood cleanup is a great idea.

Capt. John Robinson, Fire Department, thanked Rod Mattingly for inviting him to their meeting, it was good. Captain Robinson said the numbers of fires are low and fire training is helping. Next week he will be doing the big box sweep. He also said there will be a few press releases coming out and one will be about golf carts and their safety. He briefly spoke about the fire hydrant restrictions. He also spoke about their relationship with BJWS&A. He reminded everyone that about fire safety month and also in April CAPA will be having a festival.

Paul Michau spoke about the plane crash simulation at Battery Creek. Captain Robinson said we get a lot of drills like this one and they are very helpful. He referred to the drill out at Daufuskie Island and if you are not there, you really don't know it is happening.

Isiah Smalls spoke about the paving issues. He said he spoke with SC Department of Transportation (DOT). DOT has suspended all paving projects due to lack of funds. Mr. Smalls addressed the trip hazards in the Glebe community and said they are being looked at and you may see some orange markings.

Libby Anderson, City Planning Department, spoke about the Lafayette lot that was rezoned. She said now we have a rezoning request for Whitehall and a demolition request for 1203 Prince Street. She is working on getting permission to get inside the structure for the Building Official to inspect.

Other projects are the Bladen Street Streetscape; Duke Street Streetscape that is out for bid and has a pre-bid meeting tomorrow; downtown lighting fixture replacement program; and a flyer will be sent out for the Heirs Property Workshop on Tuesday, February 28, at 2 PM in City Council Chambers.

Liza Hill, Planning Department, spoke about the excess poles and that she will propose this as a project at her Tree Board on Thursday, February 23. She also spoke about the transmission pole screening and the coordination work for them; Basil Green on-street parking is a done deal; and fencing at Pigeon Point playground was done. She thanked Rod Mattingly and Mr. Mattingly then thanked Ms. Hill for her support. Ms. Hill also thanked Waste Pro and the Fire Department, on a personal level, for helping her recently with her mother's relocation.

The new resident of Midtown at 1612 Prince Street talked about a tree that she is concerned about falling. Ms. Hill asked if the tree is on private property. The resident said the tree is marked with an orange dot. Ms. Hill said she will look into it and if it's in the right-of-way, she will notify SC DOT.
Officer Coley Hebrard, City Police Department, advised every one of the golf cart regulations and safety issues when using them (see attached information).

He said crime wise, there have been 43-54 car break-ins in Bluffton and most of the cards were unlocked. He reminded everyone to lock their cars and hide their valuables such as putting purses in your trunk. He said there were an additional 10 cars broken into on the news. He said DUI arrests are up. He did a street light survey and found several streets lights out which are being fixed by Public Works and/or SCE&G. Ms. Anderson said if anyone sees a street light that is not working to report it to her or Isiah Smalls.

The meeting was adjourned at 12:25 a.m.

A Busy February in Beaufort

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:28:00 GMT

A Very, Very Busy Month
for Beaufort. Thank goodness this February had 29 days.

I am sorry to have let so much time lapse since my last newsletter. Between family matters taking my attention, demands from my "day job" and some intense, but productive, city business, I have not had the time to sit down and focus on a particular issue though there are many to write about.

Before I follow with a short report on some of our activities, I cannot write further without thanking the many whose special notes to my sister Beth and brother Paul and me about the loss of our sister were thoughtful and helpful. While many of you did not know Judy because, until her recent return to Beaufort, she lived in Washington, DC for about forty-five years. Judy was the consummate marketing and communications consultant never leaving an "i" undotted or "t" uncrossed while achieving huge results for her clients most of which were artsand cultural organizations (Washington Ballet, Milwaukee Symphony, Zenith Gallery, Embassy of Spain, to name a few), though she did serve some rather large and prestigious organizations including the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and corporations as large as Harley Davidson. Judy is and will forever be missed by her family and friends on whom she left many an indelible mark.

Now back to February Activities:

Bladen and North Street Redevelopment
After years of planning, phase II of Bladen Street Redevelopment is underway. This means, new and wider sidewalks, burying utilities, tree scape, new paving, additional on street parking and cross walks making the area more pedestrian friendly. Once Bladen is completed, SCDOT will transform the block of North Street, between Bladen and Adventure, one way going west, paving it with brick (as it used to be before the old brick was covered by asphalt), underground utilities, a wider sidewalk and an expansion of "Horse Trough Park" making it neighborhood destination, with additional parking and safer better marked cross walks.

Rail to Trail / Linear Park
The Spanish Point Rail Trail Committee has taken a welcome leadership role with planning and the linear park/trail by undertaking phase I, most likely paid for with private dollars, breaking ground as soon as this summer. Phase I will run from Allison Road in Mossy Oaks to Depot Road, which -- when using quiet roads and existing sidewalks -- essentially connects Port Royal to downtown Beaufort.
A Federal Grant, matched by County Council, (thank you Beaufort County) will fund Phase II which will run from the Depot to Robert Smalls Parkway. With Phase III, which is yet to be funded will extend the trail to the Laurel Bay Road which is already has paths from MCAS Beaufort to Laurel Bay.
A portion of the City's $12.5 million Federal Grant for Boundary Street redevelopment will be used to create a trail head at highway 170 and a multimodal path along Boundary Street from the intersection of highways 170 and 21 Business to Ribaut road. And finally, when funded, Phase IV is likely to run from Allison Road to Ribaut Road in Port Royal and will hopefully be incorporated into the Port Royal developer's plans to take it to the Sands. Thanks to The Spanish Point Rail Trail Committee your leadership in pushing this long awaited initiative forward.

Thinking about the Waterfront
While we residents and visitors marvel at out wonderful Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park, many believe the area around it - especially the harbor bordering it to the south is an untapped asset for those who live here and those who visit us.
While the Redevelopment Commission's Office of Civic Investment is working on a harbor master plan to be incorporated into the nearly completed Civic Master Plan, some volunteers associated with Main Street Beaufort identified public and private funding opportunities which, if achieved, could put a day dock expansion back on the table. A mooring field, to be paid for through a grant, is currently in the engineering phase and we will hopefully see a better organized and managed and safer anchorage for local boaters and our visitors.
Our waterfront is a wonderful asset. We have a spectacular waterfront park. The Harbor master plan will seek to better connect the park and downtown with the water for better and safer access for those who live here and those who visit.

Beautifying Beaufort
Thanks to Paul Michaud and Peter and Terry Hussey, who live in The Point neighborhood, for taking the initiative to launch a volunteer drive Beautify Beaufort Initiative which began by painting fire hydrants and cleaning street signs in the downtown area. I am hopeful that the other neighborhoods participating in the City's Neighborhood Improvement Team will embrace this initiative so it can become City Wide. If this catches on as I would like, one Spring Saturday, I hope to see neighbors alongside students, scouts and other interested groups engaged in a major clean up similar to the days when together we removed more than 400 tons of trash that was a fire hazard from area neighborhoods.

More Parking on Carteret Street
With a few more long awaited approvals from SCDOT, the City will be outlining additional parking spaces on Carteret Street. Pending approval for encroachment on the street, I believe there will be at least seven additional parking spaces between Bay and King Streets.

Boundary Street Redevelopment
After years in planning, the engineers are completing the plan for Highway 21 (now 21 Business) Redevelopment from a newly configured intersection of highway 170 and Boundary to City Hall including several blocks of a parallel road north of Boundary. The project includes burying overhead utility lines, a multi modal path along the water side of Boundary, the redevelopment of a traditional shopping center into a grid which will allow for a more walkable, safer and denser mixed use area of the City. Planted medians and other traffic calming effects will be central to the project.

Designation of Highway 21 and Highway 21 Business
After more than eight years, the long awaited resignation of Highway 21 around the City, with 21 Business going through the city, is in place. SCDOT planted the new signs within the past two weeks and we are hoping that mapping and GPS systems will pick this up so that those going to the islands will not get caught in downtown congestion while those seeking Beaufort as their destination will also find it easier to get into town due to reduced congestion.
This will not happen over night. I can remember how many of us said we would never use the Woods Bridge because it was "out of the way" but in time we learned it to be the quickest way to get across the Beaufort River.

"City Building"
The City Council and City Redevelopment Commission had our respective annual retreats (at USCB Historic Campus on Carteret Street) in February. The mission for both was to transition from planning to doing. With the majority of the civic master plan completed, it is time to start marketing the revitalization of the greater downtown area to property owners, investors and developers who - under the soon to be adopted form based code which should make the development process more predictable and hopefully more streamlined while still protecting the historic and cultural character which make Beaufort so special.

As "the rubber hits the road" there will necessary conversations among neighbors, adjoining property owners, planners and regulators on how to best accomplish this noble challenge of revitalizing our city in a way that it does not become
"Anywhere USA." Please join in the conversation as we seek to make changes and do us a favor by maintaining civility in our conversations as we together learn new ways of doing things.

Marketing Beaufort
As those who have followed the conversation about marketing Beaufort and the allocation of tourism dollars generated by the Accommodations Tax know, City Council has been working on ways to make sure the dollars are used most efficiently, in a coordinated manner and focused on the same goals for building our city into what it can be.

Given we are too small to be simply a tourism destination, and the fact that many who do not want us to be such, we are asking questions about what is it that we should actually marketing. Are we trying to attract new residents? Are we reaching out to find investment to fund some of the exciting concepts outlined in the Civic Master Plan? Do we consider recruiting businesses, which will provide better opportunities for those who grow up here and more here? Should the number of heads in beds, tour bus visits, carriage rides and seats filled in restaurants be the sole indicator of the kind of growth we are seeking? These are important questions we need to be considering.

Accordingly, we convened a marketing summit last month which included not only the usual suspects, who were of course also welcomed, but the marketers of new communities, nature based tourism businesses including boating, fishing, kayaking, golf and tennis to the table along with residential home builders, economic developers and the broader business community.
While the Accommodations investments have state imposed criteria, the message is the communities to control, in concert with the Chamber of Commerce which is our Designated Marketing Organization.

Note from the breakout sessions are being put together and we will have a follow meeting for those who came to the first session of the summit and those who were not able to attend.

The goal is to give our marketers are clearer set of criteria for the investment of public dollars with a meaningful set of metrics by which we can measure our collective success.

Economic Development and Job Recruitment and Creation
With the demise of the Lowcountry Economic Network, and no one to look to for leadership Beaufort, I believe in the future, you will be hearing more about municipal driven economic development initiatives from the City, along with Port Royal, Bluffton, Hilton Head, Ridgeland and Hardeeville.
I hope to have some announcements on this subject in the not too distant future.

Thanks for taking the time to read about some of the actives your city council is undertaking. This "opus" turned out to be a great deal longer than anticipated, but there are so many exciting things happening in the best hometown in the world.

As usual, I look forward to your comments but must warn you it takes a whilel to get back to you since I get so many responses for which I am of course thankful.

Billy K

Be sure to open the picture below to learn about the Story Telling Festival at Art Works. I will be there and hope you will too!
..
.

Pickin by the River
(venue is bluegrass, oldtime,country and folk)
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Noon till 5:30 pm
Beaufort Waterfront Park
Beaufort SC

Please come and join us!
Pickers and listeners are welcome
Bring a chair and join us for the day.
Plenty of places to eat on the waterfront or bring a picnic lunch.
No alcohol, no drums, no glass bottles
No charge
Stage show and open jams (throughout the park)
Beginners to advanced players are welcome
Great time to hone your talent or just to learn.

If you have a group that would like to play onstage
Please give me a call asap. Please remember to follow the
Venue of bluegrass, oldtime, country and folk music.
For more information call Pat at 843.379.9084

Pay back from parking fees: main street dollars

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:28:00 GMT

Beaufort International Film Festival This Week at USCB Center for the Arts

and

Lowcountry Produce GRAND OPENING,Thurs.10 am

Mainstreet Dollars . . . A Clever way to invest parking dollars. Thankyou Mainstreet, Beaufort, USA.

In an effort to boost the downtown economy at a time of year when business is historically slow, Main Street Beaufort, USA has developed the Main Street Beaufort (MSB) Dollars Program.

On Saturday, February 18th at 10am, 15,000 MSB Dollars will go on sale to the public at 50 cents on the dollar at the Main Street Beaufort, USA office at 101 West Street Extension (entrance into Waterfront Park).

MSB Dollars can be purchased for cash in $10 increments with a maximum of 100 MSB Dollars (for $50 cash) per person available. MSB Dollars can then be spent at over 50 participating downtown businesses through March 31, 2012. Details and a list of participating businesses can be found at http://www.downtownbeaufort.com/main-street-beaufort-dollars.

Main Street Beaufort, USA is designating money from the organization's budget to pay the remaining half of the money spent so participating businesses will receive a check for 100% of the MSB Dollars they receive.

Main Street Beaufort is excited about this promotion because it basically allows the public to shop for half price, but the downtown merchants will not have to discount any merchandise.

If you work in the downtown area, or otherwise want discounted parking, contact Mainstreet which has arranged for $1 a day parking tokens which can be used at a convenient designated parking site.

Some merchants also have $1 tokens they are making available to their customers for return trips downtown. Mainstreet can provide names of merchants who have tokens.

EXCITING "Happenings" at the USCB's Center for the Arts

Lecture Opportunity in Beaufort

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:32:00 GMT

The Option of Urbanism: Investing in a New American Dream

Over the past two years, the Carolinas Chapter of The Congress on New Urbanism has presented outside speakers to talk about issues important to our thinking about the future of our special hometown.

This Thursday, there is another speaker who I am sure will talk to many of the questions we all have about "why" we are talking about form based codes, block by block development and redevelopment and making our hometown more environmentally, culturally and fiscally sustainable.

If I did not have a conflict between this and the first annual meeting of the new Beaufort Museum Committee, I would be there.

So, if you go, please take mental notes so you can share with me. Thanks.

Best to all

billyk

More about Saturday's Marketing Summit

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:36:00 GMT

Monday January 23, 2012

Dear Friend:

Last week I sent you an invitation to participate in a "Conversation about Collaborative Marketing."

Since I have thus far heard from only about half of the invitees and I am sure all have questions about what this is about, I am now writing to explain and encourage your participation or, if you are not available, someone from your organization.

Background

During my four years on City Council and the three that I have been Mayor most of my colleagues on Council felt that City and County Accommodation Taxes have not maximized the potential of taxpayer dollars invested in marketing our home town. It appears to us that there are four key issues:

We seem to be funding the same organizations year after year without any growing their independence, as a result of their efforts, thereby allowing funding that could go to other needy organizations; and

2. We often grant much less than an organization has requested so we wonder if we are really helping or simply providing a poorly leveraged subsidy; and

3. While organizations fulfill their legal commitment to account for the dollars they spend, we are often in the dark as to what impact they are having on the big picture which is marketing a place and not just events that happen to take place in our city; and

4. There is a lack of appropriate collaboration on our collective message so that regardless of the organization investing the dollars we are falling short of communicating the place we are offering in deference to events and/or small parts of the whole.

As many realize, for years the Beaufort retail, lodging and real estate markets benefitted from the approximately $5 million a year invested in national marketing campaigns by Dataw, Fripp, Callawassie, Spring and Brays Island developers among others. But, as those communities neared completion and the developers pulled out, the marketing dollars dried up. Since then, we have been largely dependent upon our Designated Marketing Organization which has limited funds, modest ATAX allocations and marketing paid through independent efforts by the private sector and nonprofit organizations.

I am a firm believer that (a) we do not have a comprehensive vision of Beaufort as a place with all of its incremental parts which makes the whole lesser than the sum of its parts; (b) that by shared branding, collaborative marketing and advertising we can package the whole while promoting our respective interests; and (c) there are a lot of businesses and cultural and recreational entities which have never been invited to the table to become part of the whole both in branding and collaborative marketing.

Accordingly, after the completion of this year's ATAX granting process which we believe was as inadequate as years past, City Council agreed that we had to look for ways to do things differently.

For this reason, we are inviting you and others to the table to discuss how we might stretch dollars and expand message through even stronger collaboration.

As you likely know over the past three years, the City has looked for and found new ways of doing business more efficiently while accomplishing a higher level of service with fewer dollars.

We believe it is our obligation to explore ways of doing this with marketing dollars which, while designated to outside groups, are still the responsibility of the City.

The Goal of the Workshop

The roughly four hour session will begin with a presentation by the assistant manager of Greenville, SC. There is no doubt that the City of Greenville has achieved significant progress in redeveloping its core city and leveraging those improvements to create a sense of place and a dynamic job engine that is marketed collaboratively.

Following the presentation, we will break out into working groups where individuals will share challenges and opportunities from the lessons they learned. This will be conducted like a planning charrette through group discussion. Each of the groups will present to the entire group what they learned after which staff and volunteers will sift through what we learned and produce a paper which will be shared by all. Our focus will be a series of consensus-based goals that are supported by tangible, practical strategies and tactics that we can collectively begin implementing immediately.

In addition to those who normally sit at the table, we have invited the owners and or marketing directors from golf courses, private community Property Owners' Associations, real estate marketers, outdoor recreation providers including sports fishing, kayaking, cycling and others. We have of course invited some retailers, hotels and restaurateurs and many others.

I believe it will be a fun and enlightening experience that will open our minds to new ways, more collaboration and hopefully more direction for city and county ATAX committees as we look to the future. What we have been doing hasn't worked effectively so it's time to look for a model. Help be part of that solution.

But . . . the event will only be as good as the participants. So I urge you to come or send a representative that can and will speak for your organization.

I look forward to seeing you next Saturday at 9 am at City Hall. We will begin in City Council Chamber which is on the second floor.

Best wishes

Billy Keyserling

Mayor

Let's Honor Dr. King by Recommitting to face the challenges of the day!

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:49:00 GMT

Let's Honor Dr. King by

Recommitting to face the challenges of the day!

As we celebrate Dr.Martin Luther King's birthday, we should not only recognize him for his exceptional leadership that brought necessary change.

We should also recommit to the challenges that must be realized and embraced by our community.

There is no acceptable reason for young men and women to be brandishing firearms and in doing so threatening our community's safety.

Furthermore we should recommit to helping our students by giving them the support many of their parents, for whatever reason, are not able to provide.

By looking into the mirror and acknowledging that by working together we can roll up our sleeves and face challenges that remain.

I believe Dr. King would expect no less of all of us.

Happy Birthday Dr. King as I pause to think about the work ahead we should doing in honor of how far your leadership took us.

A Prayer for Beaufort

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:39:00 GMT

A Prayer for Beaufort

Upon Her 300th Birthday

The following invocation, created and presented by Bishop Alden Hathaway, at the City's 300th Birthday Party on January 17, 2011 and at Founders Night II which brought to an end our tricentennial year on December 31, 201, provides an incredible spiritual insight into our hometown.

Thankyou Bishop.We are fortunate to have you participating actively in our very special community.

Billy Keyserling

I am hoping to have the invocation printed and framed for City Hall as a reminder of the tricentennial and this one man's view of Beaufort' rich history and diverse background.

BEAUFORT BIRTHDAY PRAYER

January 17 and December 31, 2011

Now this birthday year 2011 almost spent, let us pray:

Father God, creator of heaven and earth,

Maker of sea and sky and river deep

Of islands fair and gold marsh creeks

We gather here because we love this land.

Sovereign Lord over all peoples and nations

Author of freedom and Prince of Peace,

Gathered we have been from far and near

From Spain and France and England

Africans in chains, original Yemassee

From north and south, east and west

Those who came early and those of us who came late

We are together here today because

We are Beaufort.

Oh God our help in ages past

The unfolding years, now 300 since

John (Tuscarora Jack) Barnwell

The charter of Beaufort town

Of wars and conquests, of gray and blue

Robert Smalls and Reconstruction

Of building and burning, of wealth and want

Rich harvests of indigo and cotton and rice

And crops of the field

Storms and blight, wind and flood

For Dr. King, his dream shaped at Penn

Brantley Harvey and Harriet Keyserling

All those through whom our current public and political life has been formed

And

Our skies streaked by freedom's sound

Drill instructor's sharp commands

Pat Conroy to tell the stories that describe our manners and our ways

For church towers and steeple bells

And synagogue Shabbat

The faith of our fathers living still.

Oh Lord of light and palm and moon

Bay Street and restaurant chatter

Gullah Grub and Foolish Frog

Boating, fishing, and water joys

Bicycle races around the streets

Ghost tours under mossy oaks

Parades to mark the great events of our common American life

Band concerts by river's edge and fireworks over pluff mud banks

And parking meters that cause us grief

(Thank you town - they are holiday free)

And lighted Christmas tree

To honor thee oh Lord of Life

It is our town, dear God - We love it so.

Gracious Lord, Good Shepherd, of abiding good care

Bless our mayor

And council and fire and police

Those who keep our accounts and haul our trash

Who make their business to satisfy our wants and service our needs

And sort out our issues and worldly disputes

By justice and by right

Who teach our kids and inspire our youth

Of physicians and surgeons and nurses --- Who care for the sick

Who comfort the lonely, the troubled, the weak

The dying

And who bury our dead.

And those who would tell of the city not made with hands

The City of God

In which by hope and by faith

Would make of us a people and a town

Of truly gracious welcome, love, and respect

For both neighbor and stranger, ever and always, good keepers shall we be.

And so Dear Lord, abide with us we pray

As together in joyful celebration we conclude

Our 300th birthday year.

That as you have been guiding and chiding and inspiring our past

So in thanksgiving and hope we may look to the future

Content and at peace that You will

Bless, preserve and keep Beaufort Town.

Oh God of our fathers by whose mighty hand

Continue to lead forth in beauty

All this blessed land.

Amen.

Books Sandwiched In

2012

Jan 9th: THE BIG SHORT by Michael Lewis presented by Kenneth Hirsch

Jan 23rd: THAT USED TO BE US by Thomas Friedman presented by

Dr. Valerie Truesdale

Jan 30th: THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO by Stieg Larsson presented by Deanna Bowdish

Feb 6th: HIDDEN IN PLAIN VIEW by Jacqueline L. Tobin and Raymond G. Dobard presented by Charles D. Frost

Feb 13th: BLEAK HOUSE by Charles Dickens presented by Robert R. Googins

Feb 20th: UNBROKEN by Laura Hillenbrand presented by Gary Kubic

Feb 27th: FLYING: A NOVEL by Paula Helfrich and Rebecca Sprecher presented by Rebecca Sprecher

Location: USCB Beaufort Center for the Art Time: Noon to 1:00 PM

801 Carteret Street

Doors open at 11:30 AM

Bring your lunch or purchase it from Outtakes Cafe in the lobby of USCB

If you like receiving these newsletters, please forward it to friends and tell them to email me at billyk@islc.net if they would like to get on the mailing list.

Let's Take Off the Blinders about Beaufort County Schools

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:33:00 GMT

As we turn the page to a New Year, perhaps it is time to take off the blinders, look at good things happening in Beaufort County Schools and roll up our sleeves to lend a HELPING Hand!

Are WE missing the real challenge and opportunity for improving public education in Beaufort County?

My personal success beating dyslexia (before it was even recognized as a reading disorder) to become a college and graduate school honor student and my two year consulting on parent engagement in schools in Vermont, Delaware and North Carolina by no means qualify me as an expert on education. However, those experiences heightened my awareness and understanding of schools if only from anecdotal points of view.

With that disclosure, I believe that I, like many others, have been focusing on news stories about attendance zones, budget battles between County Council and the School Board, unfair state funding formulas and most recently fiscal autonomy, while we've ignored and failed to support dedicated hard working teachers by acknowledging many good things taking place in Beaufort County Schools and failing to help with the challenges our teachers and administrators face.

Furthermore, perhaps by pointing fingers at school officials we have excused ourselves from our civic responsibility as a necessary part of the solution.

Given my personal interest, I jump at opportunities to visit schools. Within the past several months, I visited Ladys Island, Broad River, Shell Point, Port Royal, Beaufort Elementary and Riverview Charter Schools.

In most cases, I went to share The Pink Dolphin, a small book about collaboration, whose principal writer was a former fourth grade student from Beaufort Elementary with whom a retired illustrator and I collaborated. (We published the book last year and it is available at www.pinkdolphinshop.com.)

I have been overwhelmingly enthused to witness the tender care provided by teachers and aides, the sense of community among faculty and students and an engagement in serious learning.

Last month I received and accepted my first invitation to visit a high school though I have attended events at Beaufort and Battery Creek High schools over the years.

I shadowed Battery Creek High School Principal Ed Burnes. My eyes were wide open as I thought about cynical comments by some members of our community who appear to adamantly not want their sons and daughters to attend the school.

Aside from learning first hand what a principal does, I observed classes in progress, the cafeteria during lunch and small groups of students huddled experiencing the fun of give and take while collaborating on projects in the Media Center.

Fortunately, the timing was such that I got to meet with the school's Senior Leadership Team which includes the class presidents and vice presidents from each grade also an impressive event.

The following are some observations which, if I am honest with myself, were pleasant surprises against the backdrop of apparent ill feelings about Beaufort Schools and particularly Battery Creek High.

The level of "adult" dialogue among student leaders, expressing their concerns, recommendations of priorities and how the principal responded to them as young adults who take their responsibility seriously was extraordinary.

The sense of order throughout the school of over 770 students during class changes where students moved throughout the vast hallways and, by the second bell, classroom doors were closed and teachers were conducting classes to attentive and seemingly engaged and well behaved students

I was amazed that Dr Burns knew almost every student by name and when we passed in the halls he asked how they were doing, how a sibling who had graduated the year before was doing in College or at work or what the student thought about the wrestling team's success the previous night or whether he or she was going to the basketball game that night.

I visited a class for special needs students where I read and felt gratified how each student, in his or her own way and notwithstanding physical and emotional handicaps, thanked me for coming and reading.

Having little experience with special needs students, I did not really know what to expect but was pleased to see that, while isolated in their own classroom where they can function as a group, they were in the midst finding very creating a solutions to a fundamental math assignment.

I visited Battery Creek's renowned Marine Corps ROTC program, was interested to see students in uniform playing the violin in a strings music class and most of all surprised that about half of the students at Battery Creek are actively involved in Marine Corps ROTC while I am told the number grows exponentially every year.

(Don't tell me that some students are not seeking structure, discipline and acceptance into this complicated world and that Jr ROTC doesn't provide such.)

Furthermore, I met with retired MCAS Commanding Officer Jack Snyder who briefed me and walked me through his newly created Aviation and Leadership program that, after only a few months, is well underway.

I was surprised to see the available level of technology in the engineering lab, which is part of a national initiative known as Project Lead the Way. I think it fair to say that it equals what one finds in college and graduate school research labs. Specifically a wind tunnel for testing student made projects and equipment which "prints" (carves) three dimensional models. And then there were the robots under construction getting ready for another competition which in recent years have won the school acclaim in national competitions.

Finally, it struck me that there was a strong sense of community and adult like civility I did not know existed at a high school. Not one person missed the opportunity to promptly and politely return my "how are you" or smile back when I greeted him or her.

While I am sure my findings are no surprise to the hundreds of teachers in our schools, and perhaps some of the parents who give to the community through volunteering at their children's schools, it was a well worthwhile morning for me and clearly a very pleasant eye opener given I had preconceived notions and have perhaps be wearing "blinders" caused by the negative atmosphere about schools in our community.

Had I been invited to shadow Dr. Durbin at Beaufort High School, I have no doubt the experience would have been similar though some of the programs may have differing focus.

My Conclusion are not complicated:
Our schools are simply not broken.
They need a strong injection of community support through OUR help and support.
If I had to diagnose the biggest challenge to "fixing" our schools, I would not focus on "shortcomings" of the hardworking teachers and their aides or those who train and oversee them.

Rather I would attend to parent absenteeism, as many parents are not preparing their children for school and failing to participate in their children's education, leaving an almost crippling burden on the teachers and likely handicapping families and perhaps holding back or slowing down students who are better prepared because they are supported by parents who can do so.

I know I am now getting into politically charged and perhaps even politically inappropriate territory for a Mayor of a small city which formally has little if anything to do with managing our schools.

But, I also understand that -- like dealing with gun toting teenagers, as I did several months ago by helping and encouraging a newly created neighborhood group to work with those at risk for their lives -- some one has to start the conversation about what WE might be able to do to help our teachers and their students.

The first place to find the answer is to look in the mirror to see what each of us can offer.

We face a very complicated reality we can no longer ignore:

As important as it may be, many parents are not able to provide the level of support others provide: an increasing number of parents are single mothers who leave for work as early as 5 am and return as late as 8 pm leaving no time to spend with their children; during their own childhood some mothers and fathers did not learn from example positive and strong parenting; yet others do not feel adequate, because they were not formally educated, to offer what their children need; and finally, there is the reality of some parents (I would like to think this is fewer than some believe) who simply shirk the responsibility for their children and expect the rest of us to carry the burden.

We cannot change all of this overnight. But we can accept the reality and work together to compensate as children need positive support from somewhere.

Working with parents to help them understand and meet their responsibilities is a huge challenge but, no matter how much we disapprove and perhaps even resent them for not carrying their weight, we must acknowledge what is missing and develop strategies to improve student preparedness and provide aggressive and comprehensive after school support . . . . if we want our schools to be even better.

I do not know all of the answers, but aggressive tutoring and mentoring is one way we can compensate; volunteering to work and financially support before and after school programs like Thumbs Up, The Boys and Girls Clubs, the YMCA, the new community group called Circle of Hope Coalition and others, is a good place to start. And finally, we must encourage and reward those teachers and administrators who are already going the extra mile to close the gap between those who have strong home backgrounds and those who do not.

Perhaps it is time for us to look in the mirror and do our job as a community by finding ways to support needy students and the many parents who must become better parents so they will be better equipped to help their children when they are not at school rather than dumping large numbers of students on the teachers.

I know we can do better and there is not a better time to engage than right now!

Books Sandwiched In
2012

Jan 9th: THE BIG SHORT by Michael Lewis presented by Kenneth Hirsch

Jan 23rd: THAT USED TO BE US by Thomas Friedman presented by
Dr. Valerie Truesdale

Jan 30th: THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO by Stieg Larsson presented by Deanna Bowdish

Feb 6th: HIDDEN IN PLAIN VIEW by Jacqueline L. Tobin and Raymond G. Dobard presented by Charles D. Frost

Feb 13th: BLEAK HOUSE by Charles Dickens presented by Robert R. Googins

Feb 20th: UNBROKEN by Laura Hillenbrand presented by Gary Kubic

Feb 27th: FLYING: A NOVEL by Paula Helfrich and Rebecca Sprecher presented by Rebecca Sprecher

Location: USCB Beaufort Center for the Art Time: Noon to 1:00 PM
801 Carteret Street
Doors open at 11:30 AM

Bring your lunch or purchase it from Outtakes Cafe in the lobby of USCB

Worthy of Consideration!

Modeling Civility -
It starts with Local Officials

Copied from The National League of Cities Website
Febuary 07, 2011
by Donald J. Borut

When someone is self-focused, self-aggrandizing and suffering from an "I" problem - "I did this, I am better than... I, I, I" - we often describe them as narcissistic. A major characteristic of those who are truly narcissistic is their inability to empathize, to identify with and understand somebody else's feelings or difficulties.

Nothing is more fundamental to a culture of civility than the ability to empathize with those with whom we disagree. Without that ability, we promote and accept a collective culture of narcissism. The tragic shooting in Tucson last month put a spotlight on what is lacking in our culture of civility and has compelled even the most cynical in our country to acknowledge the danger in sharp discord or at the very least to tone down their own rhetoric.

The symbolic agreement by members of Congress to sit with colleagues from across the aisle during the President's State of the Union speech last month was a public acknowledgement by our leaders in Washington, D.C., that narcissistic partisanship needed to be tempered.

As I have often noted in this column, local elected officials - for the most part - do not address local issues as partisans nor do they often publicly demonize those with whom they disagree. In many ways, governance and government at the local level offer a model for constructive, passionate civic engagement for those in Washington.

Democracy is a messy process that rightfully engenders passion as people debate the direction of the nation or an individual community. Local leaders are compelled to do what they can to listen to the public's concerns, respond accordingly and play a lead role in setting the tone and culture for civic engagement. They need to be open and inclusive to new ideas and new points of view and not shut out those that may disagree.
But this does not mean that we must tolerate all forms of discussion. We should not tolerate language and actions that shut others out of the system or prevent people from taking part in the democratic process. We can't allow ideas that will close off our community or refuse to respect the rights, thoughts and actions of others. Protecting these rights should be the goal of a civil society that acts civilly.

We hear time and again that everyone wants a constructive dialogue that promotes a sense of shared responsibility and mutual accountability. This means going beyond just re-examining the nation's rhetoric, but also looking towards processes and activities that can be utilized to build stronger, healthier communities and a better nation. Historically, this has been a fundamental characteristic of public discourse at the local level. Regrettably, we see this culture morphing into strident positioning, demonization of those with different opinions and a closing off of civil discourse. In a word, we need to recalibrate to be able to empathize collectively.
In his 1961 Inaugural Address, John F. Kennedy observed "civility is not a sign of weakness..." In the same speech Kennedy called on all of us to personally contribute to the greater good of our country, to own our shared problems. That is certainly a major reason why I pursued a career in the public sector, as did so many of my generation. But now, those who run for public office at the local level and those who have careers in local government are increasingly subject to disparaging abuse or disdain, whether because of tough decisions made to address the fiscal crisis or for wages and benefits deemed to be excessive. Here we are subject to a lack of empathy from the very citizens expecting and properly demanding quality services. In a word, there is diminished empathy for the very individuals and institutions on which communities depend.

While the natural and human response would be to resent or react defensively, it is at moments like this that those in the public sector must work to understand the reasons for these reactions, i.e. show empathy. Leadership is about modeling civil engagement when we are the very targets of public abuse. It may not be "fair" but it is why we commit ourselves to public service.

NLC recently published an action guide, Beyond Civility: From Public Engagement to Problem Solving.

An Exciting Year Ahead

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:34:00 GMT

May 2012 Bring the Best for our Hometown!

To those who were able to join us for Founders Night II, thank you for sharing a wonderful hometown event. For those who were not able to attend, you missed a wonderful event produced by Marlena Smalls featuring the Carteret Street Methodist Church, Tabernacle Baptist Church and First Presbyterian Church choirs led by the Director from Carteret Street Methodist and soloists Marlena Smalls, Sumitra Stewart and Scott Gibbs followed by what is perhaps the best fireworks display Beaufort has ever seen.

Edited Summary Remarks at
Opening of Founders Night II
"While some may see this evening as simply another beautiful event in the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park, others see it as the end of a yearlong celebration of our past that included an opening ceremony, an official birthday party that featured the fabulous Parris Island Marine Corps Band, a spirited Tricentennial Parade and other public and private tricentennial themed events over the past year.

And yet for those who four years ago wanted to look back into and better understand our past through the Beaufort Three Century Project, it was the end of a four year exploration of Beaufort's past whose goal was to help us chart an appropriate future for our hometown into the next century.

Rather than a celebration of the past, I see this evening's event as A PEP RALLY FOR BEAUFORT'S NEXT CENTURY!

Thanks and accolades are due to too many to name here, but on behalf of the City of Beaufort, I want to express our gratitude to those who embraced the opportunity of a Tricentennial to move our city forward based on our historically strong foundation as opposed to the alternative which is to copy what others have done elsewhere.

And a special thanks to Erin Dean and Mike McFee who chaired the City's Tricentennial and to Ivette Burgess who coordinates events for the City. And to Jeff Kidd, editor of the Beaufort Gazette who not only provided excellent coverage of the many activities but also created The Beaufort Three Century and Tricentennial websites posted at the Gazette.

Aside from the celebrations, your City and its many parts accomplished much in 2011 and have set an aggressive and exciting agenda for the next couple of years if not the next Century.

The following is a brief summary of 2011 Accomplishments

Maintained-- if not raised -- the level of services despite 25 percent less revenue by reinventing some of the ways we do business

Invested savings from two years of staff reorganization to invest inThe future by starting and almost completing the majority of the Civic Master Plan. To be completed in 2012, this effort may be the most comprehensive in the state as it is built from the block to the neighborhood to the area and finally city level

Began to look at ways to leverage tourism dollars through collaboration with the private sector.

Negotiated agreements with Burton and Lady's Island Fire Departments to most efficiently serve Beaufort residents

Achieved grant funding for at least three major capital projects, including a $12.6 million federal DOT grant for the Boundary Street redevelopment that is the 16th largest in the United States

Found productive uses for three city-owned buildings that will stimulate growth in the greater downtown area

Expanded civic engagement by strengthening the neighborhood improvement process and stimulated and fostered additional neighborhood associations which collaborate with the city on public works, public safety and planning; working together, we removed more than 400 tons of debris from Beaufort neighborhoods in 2010-2011

Established a regional collaborative planning initiative through the creation of the Beaufort Port Royal Metropolitan Planning Commission

Working with Beaufort County and the Spanish Moss Trail Committee, we collectively achieved close to $3million dollars in grant funding to begin the Linear Park/Rail to Trail initiative that will create a safe and beautiful venue for jogging, bicycling and walking from Port Royal to the Laurel Bay Road and eventually to the Whale Branch River.

Worked closely with USCB to leverage The Beaufort Jasper Higher Education Commission's $2+ million investment to convert the Historic Beaufort Campus into a Fine Arts college while the private sector, thanks to Brantley Harvey, Colden Batter and David Lott among others will have, by March, raised more than $350,000 dedicated for partial scholarships to students who will study exclusively at Beaufort campus.

Fostered more positive intergovernmental collaboration.

To the hundreds, if not thousands, who have contributed in one way or another, I say thank you.

As we move into 2012, the past year has pointed to a lot of opportunities and a lot of work with which we will need your help.

Let's Look Ahead!

With the members of St Helena Parish we will celebrate their tricentennial.

With about 75% of the civic master plan completed we will complete the plan and establish a form based code so that property owners and developers will not have to spend time and money guessing what fits where and how.

We will continue to streamline our development regulatory processes without compromising the special qualities unique to Beaufort.

With funding in place we will launch construction of the long awaited Boundary Street Redevelopment Gateway.

With funding in hand we are moving forward to complete the second half of the Bladen Street Redevelopment with additional grant dollars to start sidewalks and streetscapes east toward Carteret Street starting with a pilot program on Duke.

Working with the County and the Spanish Moss Trail Committee, we will complete planning at begin construction on at least the first two phases of the Trail.

Working with the Lowcountry Housing Trust, which the city joined along with our partner The Town of Port Royal, we will work on infill and redevelopment of work force housing in the inner city so that we grow the city from within which should attract more retail opportunities for those who live and visit Beaufort.

Realizing that it is past time to fulfill the commitment to better jobs for those who grow up in Beaufort and those who move here, we will launch new initiatives to diversity our economic base with our redevelopment commission, the private sector and through the Lowcountry Economic Alliance.

In recent years we have been planning. With most of the plans in place, 2012 will be a year of doing. Growth is a challenge, will require a little give and take by all and a little patience once construction begins. We know the end result will be worth it and look forward to your support.

My very best wishes for a healthy, safe and prosperous 2012 as our City will make significant strides into our future.

Billy Keyserling

Below please take time to read the Beaufort Gazette Editorial and the City's News Release which provides more details about accomplishments and opportunities for the coming year.
Thank You Beaufort Gazette Editor Jeff Kidd and the Gazette Staff for this wonderful editorial and creating and maintaining The Beaufort Three Century and Tricentennial websites at www.beaufortgazette.com.

Beaufort's celebration a foundation for future
Beaufort Gazette / IslandPacket
Published Saturday, December 31, 2011

Beaufort will party like it's 1711 tonight.
A special ceremony will take place at the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park to end three years of marking the 300th anniversary of Beaufort's charter as South Carolina's second municipality.

Everyone is invited to "Founders Night II" -- the bookend of a similar event a year ago. It begins at 4:30 p.m. and closes with a fireworks display over the Beaufort River at dark.
Marlena Smalls of the Hallelujah Singers will produce it and perform, along with the choirs of Tabernacle Baptist, Carteret Street United Methodist and First Presbyterian churches and other musicians. Anita Singleton-Prather, Bill Harvey Jr. and Jeff Evans will read vignettes of Beaufort's history.

It's not too late to donate $300 toward new historical markers in the Waterfront Park to commemorate the Tricentennial (call Erin Dean at 843-524-1116 or visit www.cityofbeaufort.org).
(Checks Made Payable to Beaufort 300 can be mailed to Beaufort 300, 1911 Boundary Street, Beaufort, SC 29902)

Mayor Billy Keyserling sees tonight's event not only as a family-oriented celebration of a significant milestone, but also the beginning of a "fourth century of progress."

This long examination of our county seat's DNA has been a wise way to launch the "fourth century." By understanding and appreciating who we are -- and looking calmly at past failures and successes -- the community is better equipped to shape the future.

Over this period, Beaufort's city government has done a great job of giving people an opportunity to learn about local history and pay homage to it.

At the same time, a private organization known as the Beaufort Three-Century Project went well beyond the call of duty to review and document our past in every facet of life.

Under project coordinator Deborah S. Johnson, it succeeded in its mission to tap the community's cultural memory through exploration, studies and special events. It coordinated 42 special events or endeavors -- lectures, forums, films, symposia, oral histories, books, exhibitions and archives.

Those archives -- including oral histories -- will live online well beyond tonight's final explosion of fireworks.
We urge you to visit the project's website built and hosted by The Beaufort Gazette: www.beaufortthreecentury.org.

As we look forward, we now know more about the religious and spiritual life of Beaufort, marked by amazing diversity and tolerance over the years. We have taken a closer look at business, industry and commerce, the environment, health care, recreation, the arts, boating, trees, food, education and more.

Middle school students hosted older residents and documented their stories. The "Treasures in the Attic" photography exhibit let everyone experience the legendary second floor of Lipsitz Department Store before the 100-plus-year-old business on Bay Street closed. The Old Commons neighborhood created a book documenting what makes it special.

Older oral histories and photographs have been digitized. A detailed timeline is in place. We have learned more than was ever known before about such common local names as James J. Davis and Smokin' Joe Frazier.
It was a pleasant surprise to see the thirst for knowledge when a Tricentennial Lecture Series held on four Friday nights in February 2009 in partnership with the University of South Carolina Beaufort attracted more than 500 people. On the first night, more than 200 had to be turned away.

It is refreshing to see such respect for our local historians who gave the lectures, Lawrence S. Rowland, Stephen R. Wise and John McCardell Jr.

Maybe the best thing to come of it all is that we know better how and why we are a rich and diverse people, sharing a beautiful place with a variety of viewpoints, cultures, ideals and dreams. We have engaged each other in a civil, organized, well-informed and well-documented way, and it's been fun.
This is a solid foundation for a future in which we pull together in celebration of our diversity and our good sense not to bulldoze or forget our heritage.

NEWS FROM THE CITY OF BEAUFORT
For immediate release
Monday, Jan. 2, 2012
Contact: Scott Dadson,
Beaufort City Manager, 843-525-7070

Redevelopment a key 2011 theme in historic Beaufort, setting the stage for 2012

BEAUFORT, SC -- Boulevards lined with flowering trees and shrubs, utility lines buried underground, and bustling shops filled with people who walk, bike or park in convenient locations are goals for 2012 and beyond in historic Beaufort.

A re-energized and reconstituted Beaufort Redevelopment Commission and Beaufort City Council began reshaping the city in 2011 as it celebrated its 300th birthday.

On the eve of Beaufort's fourth century since its founding Jan. 17, 1711, Beaufort is poised for improvements that will benefit residents and visitors as well as boost the local economy, city leaders said.

"Looking back, 2011 was huge for Beaufort, and it helps set the stage for what's coming in 2012 and beyond," Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling said. "We put a lot of time, faith and effort into making sure that all of our planning doesn't just sit on a shelf but gets translated into reality. We are seeing that happen, and 2012 promises to be even busier."

Beaufort is in the "re-investment phase" of its long-term strategy, Beaufort City Manager Scott Dadson said. "From 2009 through 2011, we protected our cash position, we improved our service levels while lowering our overall cost structure, and we began to tie our financials to our planning, to our operations and to our maintenance.

"Now we are starting to see the fruits of that labor. We are also coming back up in terms of building permits in Beaufort, and that is largely infill in the city. In 2011 we had the most building permits since 2007," Dadson said.

To set the stage for translating planning into reality, the Beaufort City Council authorized the Beaufort Redevelopment Commission to establish a support office to work side by side with the City's Planning Department. This new team, called the Office of Civic Investment, has been working through the first year of a two-year effort to prepare a citywide Civic Master Plan on a block-by-block, neighborhood by neighborhood approach.

Successes include:
* A $12.6 million federal DOT grant awarded in December;

* retrofitting several downtown structures to new uses, including the former City Hall. Between Wren, Breakwater, City Loft and the old city hall, the City has seen more than $5 million in capital investment on the corner of Carteret and Port Republic Streets

* seeing a new McDonald's restaurant under construction on Boundary Street that reflects the Boundary Street form-based code

* renewed interest in housing infill in Beaufort and the help of the Lowcountry Housing Trust for financing options

* And collaboration with Beaufort County and the private sector on the long-awaited linear park, known as the Rail to Trail

Leading the way is the $12.6 million TIGER III federal Transportation Department grant, the 16th largest such grant award in the nation. The funding targets the Boundary Street Redevelopment Corridor, the primary entrance to historic Beaufort.

That money, coupled with matching funds from Beaufort County's one-cent voter-approved road tax, will help create unified and connected neighborhoods designed for people and not just for cars.

A financial impact analysis indicates the local economy will see $5 in benefits for every $1 invested in the Boundary Street Redevelopment District.

"The Boundary Street Redevelopment District is the transformational project that will help re-shape the entrance to Beaufort for decades and create great opportunities for business and residents," said Jon Verity, chairman of the Beaufort Redevelopment Commission.

The project includes converting the former Port Royal railroad into a multi-use trail; making Beaufort's streets more accessible to pedestrians, wheelchairs, baby strollers and bikes; adding shared-lane markers on roads for bikes and cars; and creating new links and connections so people can reach different destinations without cars.

In the core commercial district, Lowcountry Produce is set to open a fresh market grocery in early 2012 in the former City Hall building at Carteret and Port Republic streets. Similarly, the former Lipsitz shoe store on Bay Street will be retrofitted to house Barefoot Bubba's inventory. Additionally, the Lipsitz Department Store and former Bay Street Trading Company locations have new owners who will soon make improvements.

Nearby, in the Northwest Quadrant residential area downtown, two-plus previously derelict acres are being built with new homes and "live-work units" developed by Steven Tully and John Trask III. Beaufort city leaders already have in place plans for $1.3 million in streetscape improvements in the area of Bladen, Prince, Duke and Adventure streets. The improvements are being paid for through two federal Community Development Block Grants.

Verity, chairman of the Beaufort Redevelopment Commission, hailed the Midtown Square project as an example of public-private partnerships that are the goal of the Redevelopment Commission.

"This type of infill is what we are seeking as we move Beaufort into its fourth century - encouraging the filling in of open and vacant spaces in the City to create new homes and new jobs," Verity said. It's happening because private investors are responding to the investment made by the City to improve Beaufort."

To assist developers and businesses find financing for residential construction, Beaufort and Port Royal partnered with the Lowcountry Housing Trust.

Established in 2004, the Trust is a non-profit organization based in Charleston. It provides financing for the production and preservation of workforce and affordable housing, and actively encourages policies that reduce barriers to such production. Working with both non-profit and for-profit developers, the Trust funds the construction and rehabilitation of environmentally-sustainable homeownership and rental housing across the Lowcountry.

In the past seven years, the Lowcountry Housing Trust has invested more than $13 million in community development financing. Through a variety of loans, incentives, gap financing and development services, the Trust has helped finance the development of 750 affordable and workforce housing units representing approximately $100.5 million in local community investments.

Bring on the New Year

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:35:00 GMT

See You in the Park Saturday Afternoon!

Bring on the New Year!

Best Wishes for a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2012!

Books Sandwiched In
2012

Jan 9th: THE BIG SHORT by Michael Lewis presented by Kenneth Hirsch

Jan 23rd: THAT USED TO BE US by Thomas Friedman presented by
Dr. Valerie Truesdale

Jan 30th: THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO by Stieg Larsson presented by Deanna Bowdish

Feb 6th: HIDDEN IN PLAIN VIEW by Jacqueline L. Tobin and Raymond G. Dobard presented by Charles D. Frost

Feb 13th: BLEAK HOUSE by Charles Dickens presented by Robert R. Googins

Feb 20th: UNBROKEN by Laura Hillenbrand presented by Gary Kubic

Feb 27th: FLYING: A NOVEL by Paula Helfrich and Rebecca Sprecher presented by Rebecca Sprecher

Location: USCB Beaufort Center for the Art Time: Noon to 1:00 PM
801 Carteret Street
Doors open at 11:30 AM

Bring your lunch or purchase it from Outtakes Cafe in the lobby of USCB

A Party Not to Miss

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:36:00 GMT

Happy Holidays

May you all have a Happy and Safe Holiday Season!

Mayor Billy

Month Day, Year

Thank You USCB for Investing in the Promotion of our Hometown.

The following is an advertorial by USCB which was featured in US Air Magazine which has about 5 million readers.

Thanks for a much appreciated Gift

Books Sandwiched In
2012

Jan 9th: THE BIG SHORT by Michael Lewis presented by Kenneth Hirsch

Jan 23rd: THAT USED TO BE US by Thomas Friedman presented by
Dr. Valerie Truesdale

Jan 30th: THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO by Stieg Larsson presented by Deanna Bowdish

Feb 6th: HIDDEN IN PLAIN VIEW by Jacqueline L. Tobin and Raymond G. Dobard presented by Charles D. Frost

Feb 13th: BLEAK HOUSE by Charles Dickens presented by Robert R. Googins

Feb 20th: UNBROKEN by Laura Hillenbrand presented by Gary Kubic

Feb 27th: FLYING: A NOVEL by Paula Helfrich and Rebecca Sprecher presented by Rebecca Sprecher

Location: USCB Beaufort Center for the Art Time: Noon to 1:00 PM
801 Carteret Street
Doors open at 11:30 AM

Bring your lunch or purchase it from Outtakes Cafe in the lobby of USCB

Thank you Beaufort Police Department and Bringing in the New Year

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:37:00 GMT

A Big Thank You to The Beaufort Police Department! and

Tricentennial Bows out with A Bang!

To Chief Matt Clancy and the men and women police officers, detectives and investigators who work under your leadership.

During this holiday season, and in light of this week's accomplishments, I want to take a quick moment to join the citizens of Beaufort in thanking your team for a job well done.

No matter the circumstance, your officers are on the spot upholding the highest level of public safety possible for the people of our hometown.

We are fortunate to have a great law enforcement team under your leadership.

Best wishes to you and your officers and staff for a happy and safe holiday season.

Sincerely,

Billy Keyserling
Mayor, The City of Beaufort

BEAUFORT POLICE DEPARTMENT
PRESS RELEASES

DECEMBER 14, 2011

ARREST MADE IN SHOOTING CASE
Beaufort Police Department Investigators have arrested 20 year old Roquel Connors in connection with the December 11th fatal shooting that took place at 1700 Salem Rd. The incident stemmed from a drug deal that turned into an attempted robbery. The victim drove two other men to meet with Connors in the parking lot of Canal Apartments for a prearranged narcotics purchase. It is alleged that at some point a passenger in the victim's vehicle attempted to steal drugs and money from Connors and a struggle ensued. Connors is accused of pulling a 9mm pistol from her purse and firing a shot that struck 51 year old Mark Kevin Jones who was driving the vehicle; fatally wounding him. Connors has been charged with Manslaughter, Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Violent Crime. The investigation is still ongoing and additional charges and suspects are pending.

BURGLARY SUSPECT CAUGHT AFTER CHASE AND SEARCH
At approximately 10:00a.m. on December 14, 2011 Beaufort Police officers responded to a report of a suspicious person in the area of North Street and Linton Lane. When officers arrived they observed a man walking towards the old train trestle. The man had a back pack and appeared to be attempting to conceal items under his jacket. When an officer attempted to make contact with the man he dropped the items and back pack and began to run. Officers lost sight of him in the wooded are behind 1505 Salem Road. A perimeter was set up and Beaufort County Sheriff's Office K-9 tracking unit was called. The tracking dog picked up the suspect's scent and he was located and taken into custody. The suspect was identified as 19 year old Shane Frazier of Burton who was wanted on several warrants. Additional investigation revealed that Frazier had broken into a house on North Street and stolen the items that were in his back pack when he fled the officer. He will be charged in connection to this case as well. Chief Clancy said, "This is an excellent example of neighbors looking out for one another and the community partnership with the police. The witness, patrol officers and K-9 unit worked together seamlessly and a wanted criminal is off the street."
Free Concert This Sunday

Beaufort 300th birthday to bow out with a bang Dec. 31, usher in fourth century

Kicking off Beaufort's fourth century and saluting its 300 years of history with a bang will be the focus of Founders' Night II in the city's Waterfront Park Dec. 31. The event is free and family-oriented.

The event, produced by and featuring noted singer Marlena Smalls, will include musical performances by choirs from Tabernacle Baptist, Carteret Street United Methodist and First Presbyterian churches, Sumitra Stewart, Marlena Smalls and the Delbert Felix Trio; and historical interludes by locals Anita Singleton-Prather, Bill Harvey Jr. and Jeff Evans.

Starting at 4:30 p.m. in the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park, the closing ceremony will end at sunset, around 6, with the bang of booming fireworks over the Beaufort River.

"This is a birthday celebration for our wonderful city, not just to celebrate its founding in 1711 but also to kick off its fourth century of progress," Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling said. "We want this to be a family affair and we'll end early enough so people can go out to dinner or get home for New Year's Eve festivities."

Between musical productions, the three readers will present brief snapshots of Beaufort's history, including the city's humble beginnings in 1711, economic growth and wars.

Beaufort was founded in 1711 by the English, although its beginnings date back to Spanish explorers in 1514. Beaufort was named for Englishman Henry Somerset, Duke of Beaufort (1684-1714), one of the Lords Proprietors of Carolina. It was on Jan. 17, 1711, that Beaufort's formal charter was created.

During the closing ceremony, shirts, hats and other memorabilia with the unique Beaufort Tricentennial logo will be sold at a special booth.

Also, organizers of the Beaufort 300 project are in the final stretch to raise funds for new historical markers in the Waterfront Park. For a $300 investment in Beaufort's future, donors' names will be featured on permanent historical monuments in the park commemorating the Tricentennial. Corporate and non-profit sponsorships also are available. For details, call Erin Dean at 524-1116 or visit www.cityofbeaufort.org.

Throughout the year, numerous activities have spotlighted the city's history, including the first Founders' Night on Dec. 31, 2010, a "birthday party" featuring the Parris Island Marine Corps Band on Jan. 17, recognitions by area festivals and a November production by Beaufort County public school students that raised money for the Beaufort 300 fund and for teacher mini-grants.

In the event of rain on Dec. 31, the event will be moved to The Arts Center at Beaufort High, located on Lady's Island.

A few Holiday Reminders!

Remember Hometown Merchants! Many small retail businesses rely on year end holiday earnings to survive. This has been a challenging year for small businesses . . . So please consider Shopping in Beaufort.

Christmas Packaging, especially large appliance boxes (from computers and televisions) curbside during this season are, unfortunately, an invitation to burglars. So please break down the boxes or store until pick up day.

Mark Your Calendars for
New Year's Eve Afternoon Final Tricentennial Celebration in the Henry C. Chambers Park 4:30 to 6:00 concluding with fireworks display.

Books Sandwhiched In launches its 2012 series in January.

Historic Beaufort Foundation Oyster Roast is in January.

There is always something interesting happening at ARTworks and USCB's Center for The Arts.

Stretching Your Dollars and A Lot of Things Going on In Beaufort

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:38:00 GMT

NEWS RELEASE
For immediate release

Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2011

Contact: Scott Dadson,
Beaufort City Manager, 843-525-7070

Beaufort leverages Penny Sales tax with $12.6 million Federal Grant for Boundary Street Redevelopment

A newly-announced $12.6 million federal grant will jumpstart Beaufort's Boundary Street Master Plan with major roadway improvements at the intersection of highways SC 170 and US 21 and kick-off long awaited changes to one of the area's primary retail centers, Beaufort leaders said.

The goal: Build a better Beaufort through strategic investment in Boundary Street that will create a more scenic entry to the city, provide better commercial and retail locations, improve traffic conditions and make it possible to better utilize privately-owned adjoining properties.
About $13.7 million in local money from the voter-approved penny sales tax originally designated for Beaufort road projects will serve as match funding for the federal grant, officials said.

Early phases of the project, including realigning the intersection of SC 170 and US 21, will start within months, and most of the heavy work could be completed within three years. The federal grant announced Monday afternoon will cover the intersection improvements, purchase of rights of way and the start of work to reshape key strip shopping centers.

"In this economic environment, receiving more than $12 million in federal Department of Transportation funds for our project is huge," Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling said. "This is the injection of capital we needed to get this major retrofit moving and lay the groundwork for more business and residential opportunities along the important Boundary Street gateway.

"We appreciate the strong support from Senator Lindsey Graham and his capable staff for their support in making this grant possible. We also appreciate the huge investment of time and energy by the Beaufort Redevelopment Commission, and its Office of Civic Investment which researched and wrote our grant application. It was a stellar collaboration by all," Keyserling said.

"We're putting our long-range plans into action to build a better Beaufort in our fourth century. We are confident this is one plan that will not linger on a shelf gathering dust," Keyserling said.

The Boundary Street Redevelopment project is part of a larger effort to reconfigure Beaufort from near the Marine Corps Air Station to annexed areas of Lady's Island, creating unified and connected neighborhoods designed for people and not just for cars.

A financial impact analysis indicates the local economy will see $5 in benefits for every $1 invested in the Boundary Street Redevelopment District, Beaufort City Manager Scott Dadson said.

"Even in this down economy, we're seeing good investment in the City. We have new businesses opening, new homes being built and a renewed sense of opportunity," Dadson said. "When you add in this federal grant and the five-to-one economic impact of the Boundary Street project, we are poised for great things."

Since 2009, Beaufort issued 51 new business licenses within the Boundary Street corridor, including 25 new licenses in 2011. Of the $25 million in private investment along Boundary Street, $9 million has occurred in the past three years with 391building permits issued in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

At the same time, public investment in projects such as the City Hall and Municipal Courts complex anchor the Boundary Street Redevelopment corridor.

Beaufort City Council adopted the Boundary Street Master Plan in 2006. Since that time, work in progress and in the pipeline includes the partnership with Beaufort County, Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer Authority and private investors to convert the former railroad line into a rail-trail for walkers and bicyclists.

Other priorities have been to improve street crosswalks and accelerating the infill of Beaufort, including retrofitting the former City Hall into a fresh market grocery expected to open soon.

Throughout the redevelopment project is the intent to create commercial nodes along Boundary Street that can be safely reached by foot, bicycle, baby strollers, wheelchairs and vehicles. Designing shopping centers and retail shops only for vehicular access limits their potential for success, said Jon Verity, chairman of the Beaufort Redevelopment Commission.

"The Boundary Street Redevelopment District is the transformational project that will help re-shape the entrance to Beaufort for decades and create the best future for business and residential opportunities," Verity said.

The area included in the DOT grant is bound by Marsh Street to the east and Robert Smalls Parkway (SC 170) to the west, bordered on the north by the marshes of Albergotti Creek and on the south by Battery Creek. Boundary Street (US Highway 21) is the primary entrance to the City of Beaufort and the City's National Landmark Historic District. Beaufort City Hall and the County Government Center anchor the east end of the District while the Beaufort Plaza shopping center frames the west end.

The total cost to construct the Boundary Street Redevelopment District is estimated at $30,393,700. The federal DOT grant will fund almost half of that, with the city's portion of the Beaufort County One Percent Sales and Use Tax providing another $13.7 million.

Communities across the country are emphasizing the retrofit of their suburbs, said Craig Lewis from the Beaufort Redevelopment Commission's Office of Civic Investment. The "retrofit" is needed because of a growing market for multi-unit housing in the suburbs; continued growth in the percentage of jobs in suburban locations; rising gas prices making housing on the periphery less affordable; and local smart growth policies that limit sprawl and redirect growth to what's already built, he said.

Making the change locally involves using the form-based zoning codes, working with the S.C. Department of Transportation on road improvements, partnering with the Lowcountry Housing Trust to assist with housing revitalization, rehabbing existing buildings to new uses, and working alongside SCE&G to bury overhead lines.

Over the past year, Beaufort has seen building permits rebound to pre-2008 levels for both commercial and residential construction.

Since last spring, hundreds of Beaufort-area residents and business people have participated in charrettes led by the Beaufort Redevelopment Commission. Already, block-by-block studies are complete for downtown Beaufort and Ribaut Road. The remaining areas of the city will be studied during 2012 and will include additional public meetings for input.

The conversion of the former Port Royal Railroad line into a recreational trail ties into the Boundary Street project at Beaufort Plaza and provides alternate ways for people to reach destinations, Lewis said. The City is working with Beaufort County to complete the first section of the paved trail by next summer.

END

Thanks to Southurn Rose, the Beaufort Police Department and Officer Able for Hospitality and
Extraordinary Service to Visitors.

The Greater Beaufort Chamber of Commerce has released a new marketing video which highlights many of our communities great assets. Take a Look!

http://www.beaufortsc.org/more/video/

Tricentennial Update
The Clock is Ticking

Final Event: New Years Eve Afternoon

The celebration will start early and end with fireworks in plenty of time to get home and ready for your New Year's Celebration. Mark the date, we are expecting a spectacular show.

We are also trying to wind down the Beaufort 300 campaign whose proceeds will be pay for a series of historical markers placed in the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park. As soon as we have raised the $300 from 300 families, $500 from businesses and organizations, we are ready to order the monuments that will include the names of members of The Beaufort 300 who will have, through their generous donations, made the monuments possible.

If you have not yet joined, and are able to do so, please do so print, filling out and send the attached card as soon as possible. We need the precise spelling of names to be posted on the monuments. The clock is ticking.

Thanks to the hundreds who have participated in the many activities of the Beaufort Three Century Project which was followed by the multiple City's Tricentennial Celebrations.

And finally, please note below the conceptual memorial markers and their proposed placement in the Park.

We are planning an final ceremony on New Years Eve afternoon similar to last years Founders night in the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park.