Mayor Billy

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

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!

 

  

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

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. 

 

 

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.

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.