Owner Info
February 5, 2008
This is the winter issue of the Pawleys Tides. It is the way that the Town Council of Pawleys keeps all property owners and residents informed about what is happening at Pawleys.
NO ELECTION HELD: There were no challenged seats for either the Mayor or members of Town Council last November. Under a recent State Law change the Election Commission determined that an election did not need to be held and the Mayor and Council Members will serve an additional two year term. Mike Adams was named Mayor Pro Tem by the Council.
BUILDING AND ZONING CHANGES: After much public input the Council voted not to pass recommendations of the Planning commission restricting house sizes based on the front footage of lots, as well as to not allow a higher building height in exchange for steep roof pitches. Changes were made which require that all new or substantially remodeled structures must have at least a 6/12 roof pitch on the major part of the roof, and that no exterior structures, such as porches and decks, including railings, are permitted at or above the top plate of the main roof structure, except for the roof of a porch. This does not include widow’s walks which are allowed above the main heated area. The changes can be found on the Town’s website www.townofpawleysisland.com under “Zoning FAQ”.
UNDERGROUND POWER LINES: Hayne Hipp from
Hayne Hipp
864-241-5432
The property owners’ half of the total cost has been estimated to be around $3500 per 60 foot lot plus the cost to connect to the house. The actual public property cost less the grant and town portion will be divided among the participating property owners.
CORPS OF ENGINEERS BEACH RENOURISHMENT: Our project was included in the WERDA Bill which passed Congress late last year. Our efforts now must be to have the project funded as part of the Corps of Engineers Budget for FY 2008/2009. Congressman Brown and Senator Graham have been very supportive of our project and we are asking them to make the Pawleys Island Project a priority for funding. No beach renourishment projects are in the Presidents budget so a congressional change is required. This project will cover much of the length of the groins from below the Historic District to the south parking lot.
YOU SHOULD NOW BE RECEIVING A 10% DISCOUNT ON YOUR FEDERAL FLOOD INSURANCE BILL: We are currently rated a “class 8” by FEMA which makes every federal flood policy on the island eligible to receive a 10% CRS credit on the flood insurance bill. TO GET THE 5% FEDERAL FLOOD INSURANCE CREDIT THE TOWN EARNED THROUGH THE FEMA COMMUNITY RATING SYSTEM PROGRAM YOU NEED TO BE SURE YOUR FEDERAL FLOOD INSURANCE POLICY HAS YOUR HOUSE LOCATION AS THE TOWN OF
NO COST REMOVAL OF BEACH VITEX: The Town Council has again budgeted $15,000 to the Baruch Institute and they intend to find substantial matching funds for a final and complete eradication of Vitex from Pawleys in 2008. This year all property owners with Vitex on their property should be able to have it eradicated by Clemson/Baruch trained teams and replaced with native grasses at no cost to the property owner. We will keep you informed. There will be some replanting of grasses this year as the lack of rain in 2007 caused some of the planting not to survive.
WINTER STORMS AGAIN BRING DUNE EROSION: Several Storms in the late Fall and Early Winter again caused some significant beach and dune erosion, with dune scarps of 2 to 6 feet in some areas. The beach level has come back up in some areas but some stairs still remain above the beach. Another reason to install sand fence up on the dunes, not close to the beach face!
SPEAKING OF SAND FENCE: Our general permit for sand fence on the dunes expires June 30th of this year. The Council has budgeted additional money this year for any property owner who wishes to install sand fence on the dunes prior to June 30th with the town picking up 50% of the cost up to $180.00 per 60 foot lot. The fence must be installed on the face of the dune and not on the beach. There are requirements about how fencing is to be installed so as not to interfere with turtle nesting (the familiar “V’s” separated by a number of feet) and this information is available from Town Hall. Contact Diane Allen at Town Hall (843-237-1698) for further information.
CATS: Our cat program continues this winter thanks to the generosity of a property owner’s gift to the Saint Frances Humane Society. We are making definite progress and our objective continues to be that all feral cats on the island are spayed or neutered. The program is stopped when the vacationers arrive because they feed the cats which then won’t go into the traps. If you are here between now and May and have an issue with a cat or cats call Town Hall and we will have a trap placed on or near your property.
HIGH WATER ON THE ROADS: A repeat reminder that we have water covering some parts of the roads during full moon tides, particularly with a strong east or northeast wind blowing. Remind your guests that this water is salt water and will severely and quickly cause significant damage to a car. There is a car wash on Highway 17 between the causeways which has a spray underneath your car at the beginning of the wash.
CREEK DREDGING CONTINUES, BUT IS WAY BEHIND SCHEDULE: And probably will not be complete until early spring before turtle nesting season starts. To refresh your memory the project dredges about 30,000 cubic yards of material from 2 sites in the south creek and 2 sites in the north creek. In the south creek the next site to be dredged will begin south of the boat landing, turn the corner at the landing and proceed north about 350 yards to the area where the creek is close to Myrtle avenue. On the north end the first area is north of the causeway, taking out much of the large bar and proceeding to the first turn of the creek. The second area is east of the small marsh bar just north of the Tom Crocker Boat Landing (
The material from the northern two sites will be pumped onto the northern beach area between 1st and 3rd streets. The dredged material will be dark on the beach and will contain some shell. The material should bleach out in 2 or 3 months. The north dredge area will be pumped on the beach between 1st and 3rd streets at
The Pawleys Island Beautification Foundation continues to accept your donations (or your foundation’s donations) for the project. The Beautification Foundation is a 501 C-3 entity and we have been informed by a tax attorney that your donations to the foundation for this purpose will be tax deductible. Donations should be marked “Creek Project” and be made to:
The
HOUSE CHECK PROGRAM: Our off-season random check program of unoccupied houses by our police Department started again the first of November. If we have your telephone number, or know your rental agency, we will inform you or the agent of any problems found. If you are a permanent resident, please inform the police department if you will be away from the island and they will maintain a check on the house during your absence.
We cordially invite you to any town council meeting on the second Monday of each month in the Pawleys Library conference room. We provide time at the beginning of the meeting for anyone to speak for up to three minutes to express a concern, or just simply to speak to council. If I can be of further service please don’t hesitate to call me at town hall 237-1698, or at my home office, 237-8005. The other Council members are Mayor Pro Tem Mike Adams (237-0394), Mary McAllister (237-2047), Glennie Tarbox (237-8228), and Sarah Zimmerman (237-7774). Any of us would be happy to sit down with you to discuss your interests or concerns.
We look forward to seeing you soon at Pawleys!
Sincerely,
William L. Otis Jr.
Mayor
