Legislative eNews
Government Affairs Update from the Hilton Head Island-
Bluffton Chamber of Commerce -- Dec. 5-Dec. 9, 2005
www.hiltonheadisland.org
www.highway278.org
Topic #1 - Town of Hilton Head Island sets priorities for '06 - At its Dec. 8-10 annual goal-setting workshop, the Hilton Head Island Town Council set top priorities for 2006 that include revitalization of Dunnagan's Alley/Arrow Road area, Mathews Drive corridor, Stoney/island entrance area, and Coligny Beach area.
Additional top priorities are: Expansion and fundraising for the Coastal Discovery Museum, revisions to the Land Management Ordinance to align it with the town's vision and goals, and a sewer plan and policy.
Meanwhile, high priorities are: Relocation of the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce's Welcome Center to Honey Horn, creation of a community cultural arts organization, participation in bond referendums and sales tax referendums, fire station locations, and the county's new stormwater master plan.
Top priorities for town management are: Disaster recovery plan, Office Park corridor redevelopment, beach renourishment, tax reform lobbying, space needs assessment and plan for town staff, paving of two dirt roads a year, and participation in Sea Pines' 50th anniversary.
Topic #2 - Fire chief outlines tasks needed for disaster recovery - At the Hilton Head Island Town Council goal-setting workshop, Fire Chief Tom Fieldstead outlined several tasks he'd like to see accomplished to prepare for disaster recovery: (1) Create a four-phase reentry system for the island. The system could include tags or it could include stickers of different colors mailed to residents and also linked in some way to business licenses for distribution to employers; (2) Continue to work with Town Council to create a debris-removal policy that includes how the policy is to be implemented in gated communities and on private roads and state highways; (3) Create a coalition of volunteer organizations to plan for, and respond to, disasters. Mayor Tom Peeples took this a step further and proposed creating a standing commission to funnel decisions to Town Council regarding disaster preparedness; and (4) Create community emergency response teams, known as CERT, to educate communities and provide other services.
Also discussed: (1) Security for the island before, during and after disaster. The Town will evaluate the county's plan and how it fits with Town policy, and make revisions as needed. (2) Encourage the state to eliminate off-island traffic chokepoints that hinder evacuation. (3) Locate off-island temporary housing for workers repairing the island and for residents who lost their homes, and (4) Develop a proposal for an emergency permitting process for rebuilding.
Topic #3 - Consultants update citizens on airport noise study - The consultants preparing the Hilton Head Island airport noise and land use compatibility study briefed citizens on Dec. 7 about the study's two parts: (1) Development of noise exposure maps by January that will set the basis of noise contour levels for the next five years and identify noise problems; and (2) Preparation of a compatibility plan by June that will identify solutions to reduce or eliminate the noise problem.
Topic #4 - Chamber staff meets with Bluffton consultants - Staff members from the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, as well as representatives from other organizations, met this week with the consultants preparing Bluffton's Old Town Master Plan. Chamber staffers joined representatives from the Bluffton Old Town Merchants Society and the Bluffton Historical Preservation Society to discuss street signage that would direct visitors to information centers, businesses and historical sites. Additionally, they discussed how best to retain the old town's historical and cultural character.
