Carl Jennings Smith, Mayor of the Town of Sullivan’s IslandIn my thirty-three years of service to the Town of Sullivan’s Island, I have always worked to preserve and protect our historic and unique community. It is for this reason that I continue to believe the proposed new Sullivan’s Island Elementary School (SIES) is out of scale and out of character for Sullivan’s Island, and I think there is a better solution for an elementary school on the Island.
I have witnessed the island change in the last forty years. Prior to Hurricane Hugo, the houses were modest. The commercial district was comprised of a bar and a few restaurants, and it was generally very quiet. The buildings in the commercial district between Station 22 and Station 22 1/2 fit the character of the island as Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, the Dean of the School of Architecture at the University of Miami and a well-known architect and land planner, noted on her post-Hugo visit here. She also noted the ambient rural and residential character of the island, which is something that has always appealed to me.
In the period after Hurricane Hugo, new houses were being built larger, so much that ordinances were necessary to limit their size, and neighborhood compatibility became a desired goal to preserve the scale of the existing neighborhoods. An unfortunate result of not limiting the size of a structure, as well as there being no requirement for neighborhood compatibility, is apparent in the recently constructed commercial building between Station 21 and Station 22.
When the Charleston County School Board (CCSD) discussed the idea of a new and much larger school, I was concerned the emphasis was changing from a school for Sullivan’s Island and the Isle of Palms, as it always had been, to one with a capacity of 500 students to be bussed in from throughout the County. The 74,000 square foot size of the school was not a part of the early discussion. Although I was not pleased with the idea of building such a large structure on our small island, I agreed to the first resolution by the Town Council that stated support for the new SIES. There was nothing in the first resolution that identified the student numbers or square footage for the new school. I remained silent when the Town Council passed subsequent resolutions concerning the school because I knew some might think I was only looking out for myself if I raised any objections. My family and I have lived near SIES since 1978, and we have never had a problem with it being there. The school has been a good neighbor.
The CCSD told me it had to negotiate a new land lease of at least 75 years to secure the funding of the new SIES. Unfortunately, the lease discussions took place in executive sessions, which meant the public was not privy to the details. The details included that the school would require 500 students and a 74,000 square foot building.
Meanwhile, CCSD staff was working with SIES staff and the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) to develop conceptual plans and ideas for the school, without including the Sullivan’s Island Town Council or its residents. The timeline compiled by Cummings and McCrady, the architectural firm hired by CCSD to design a new SIES, illustrates this. The earliest meeting date noted in the timeline was in May 2009 and was located at SIES in Mount Pleasant. It was attended by “McGinley, Lewis, PTSA, and Parents.” Several meetings followed in 2010 and 2011, and they were attended by the architects and the SIES PTA. It was not until May 17, 2011, that a “conceptual review” of the project was presented to the Sullivan’s Island Town Council in a council meeting that was attended by Sullivan’s Island residents. This was the first time island residents had an opportunity to see and hear what CCSD was proposing for the new school and was two years from the first documented meeting of the CCSD with the SIES PTA and parents.
I could no longer be silent when Sullivan’s Island residents, including talented professional planners, architects, landscape architects, successful businessmen and women, retired teachers, retired principals, doctors, and residents who have lived here for 60-plus years and some whose families have lived on the island for several generations were concerned about what the CCSD wanted to build on the island. Everything unique about the island that I had attempted to protect for many years was in jeopardy, and residents from all over the island felt the same way. 270 of these concerned citizens signed the following petition to the Town Council in early September 2011:
We, the undersigned, do hereby request that no further action be taken by SI Town Council on the approval of the proposed lease for Sullivan’s Island Elementary School. We emphatically support the rebuilding of a new school, but only one that will be of a more appropriate size and scope for our historic, residential community. All of Sullivan’s Island’s residents deserve to be heard on this issue with full transparency.
We ask that our Town Council stop any action until:
1. The impact of any proposed school has been evaluated (water, sewage, traffic);
2. The public has been fully informed of the results of the evaluations;
3. It has been determined that any proposed school complies with established design guidelines for neighborhood compatibility, as stated in the public ordinances of the Town of Sullivan’s Island (Article XII, Design Review Board, Section 21-111);
4. All island residents have been provided an opportunity for input at a public forum.
Unfortunately, the Town Council dismissed this petition and moved ahead with the proposed SIES. I listened to the voter’s concerns and voted against the three readings of the ordinance for the new school lease. On the day this ordinance was to be ratified, a certified petition for a referendum regarding the school was submitted to the Town. That evening at our regularly scheduled Town meeting, I asked for a motion to defer ratification of the ordinance for the lease until a referendum was held. Regrettably, the Council made no motion and ignored the petition for a referendum.
Some supporters of the new school falsely claim that only a few island residents oppose the new SIES as it is currently planned. Island voters often tell me they are opposed to what is planned, but they are reluctant to say so in public due to fear of being accused of being against a school, children, or a detriment to their business. Some members of Town Council confronted signers of the petition for a referendum and vilified them for signing the petition, which is their entitled right. A citizen can vote his or her true convictions in the voting booth, and maybe that is what this Council does not want to happen. If the Town Council had set a date for a referendum thirty days after the petition was received, the issue would now be over, and the voters of Sullivan’s Island would have been heard. However, it is now the first of June 2012, and our island is fractured concerning a decision of great importance, not just for the next five or six years, but for at least the next 75 years. If the Town Council does not set a date for a referendum within a year from receiving the petition last October, any signer of the petition may file a lawsuit for a referendum. Many island voters are now offering to donate funds to that end.
In my years of service to the Town of Sullivan’s Island, I have always done what I thought was best for the island, which is to maintain its residential character, history, and pride of place. I designed many island projects without charge, including the Town Sign and playground equipment for SIES. I spearheaded the funding for the island’s first Survey of Historic Architectural Structures, a precursor to establishing historic districts. This document proved to be a valuable asset after Hurricane Hugo. I organized and raised the funds necessity to procure, move, and restore the historic bandstand in the J. Marshall Stith Park. I supported and was actively involved at all levels of state government in the rehabilitation of the Ben Sawyer Bridge. In the dark days after Hurricane Hugo, I worked with our Town Staff and other Council members to put our island back together, often sacrificing time with my family and business. In the aftermath of the hurricane, I led a committee to provide the island’s first disaster plan. My record of dedication and service to the island speaks for itself, and anyone who would suggest that my motives are self-centered clearly does not know me. I was elected by a greater majority than anyone on this Council, and I was elected by the voters of Sullivan’s Island, not the Isle of Palms, Mount Pleasant, or Charleston County. The voters of Sullivan’s Island are my only concern regarding the proposed SIES.
The people of Sullivan’s Island should have a say in the new SIES, and a referendum is the means for them to do so. My ancestors fought for such rights in the American War for Independence, and I honor their sacrifice.
