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Charleston County Council recently adopted a proactive approach toward making the county more environmentally responsible, but amidst a desire to reduce our waste and increase recycling, they’re still faced with the task of how to handle the incinerator, which burns 80 percent of our household garbage.
On Tuesday, June 24, they’ll host a neighborhood meeting to share information about the Waste to Energy Facility for Municipal Sold Waste (read, “incinerator”). After the 6:30 presentation at the Gethsemane Community Center in North Charleston (2449 Beacon St.), they’ll hear public comments.
The Lowcountry chapter of the Sierra Club took a stance cautioning against renewing the incinerator’s contract this week, publishing a fact sheet of health concerns related to burning garbage on their website.
Here’s a few of the things likely to be burning at the incinerator as you read this: Oven and drain cleaners; Bleach (laundry); Pool chemicals; Motor oil; Fuel additives; Carburetor and fuel injection cleaners; Air conditioning refrigerants; Automotive batteries; Transmission and brake fluid; Antifreeze; Herbicides; Insecticides; Fungicides/wood preservatives; Cockroach sprays and baits; Flea repellents and shampoos; Bug sprays; Houseplant insecticides; Moth repellents; Mouse and rat poisons and baits; Adhesives and glues; Furniture strippers; Paint thinners and turpentine; Photographic chemicals; Batteries; Mercury thermostats or thermometers.
Something’s in the air, but is it change?
From the county …
County Council Holds Neighborhood Meeting on Incinerator
Meeting to be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 24, at Gethsemane Community Center on Beacon Street in North Charleston.
Charleston County Council will hold a neighborhood meeting in North Charleston on Tuesday, June 24, to share and gather information about the County’s Waste to Energy Facility for Municipal Solid Waste. The facility is commonly known as the “incinerator.”
The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. at Gethsemane Community Center (2449 Beacon Street; Charleston, SC 29405).
For anyone wishing to make comments during the meeting, a sign-up sheet will be available beginning at 6 p.m. at the meeting location.
Staff from Charleston County’s Solid Waste and Recycling Department will give a brief presentation about the Waste to Energy Facility.
Following the presentation, the public will have an opportunity to provide feedback to Charleston County Council and staff members.
Those who cannot attend the meeting but would like to submit comments on this topic can send them to the Clerk of Council, Beverly Craven, by e-mail to: bcraven@charlestoncounty.org, or by mail to: Beverly Craven, Clerk of Council; 4045 Bridge View Drive; N. Charleston, SC 29405.
The debate over the proposed Cross Island Expressway (also called Sea Islands Parkway) on Johns Island is heating up this week. Proposed by Charleston County Roadwise and funded by the half-cent sales tax, the high-speed toll road would bisect Johns Island, crossing private properties over a previously undeveloped thoroughfare, linking Kiawah and Seabrook Islands with downtown Charleston.
Parkway proponents, many of whom have commented on an online petition supporting its construction, cite the need for a safe hurricane evacuation route and decry the proportionately large number of accidents on Bohicket and River Roads.
“We are new property owners on Kiawah and we find the ride from the airport to Kiawah very dangerous,” wrote one of the most recent posts at press time. “Since there are so many contractors and vacationers using this road, we feel it is imperative to fix this.”
A petition opposing the road has also garnered large support. Many Johns Islands residents argue that preventing accidents requires slowing down traffic, not adding a new high-speed toll road. “What has drawn a lot of people here could potentially be jeopardized with the construction of a mass expressway,” says Jennifer Bost, a Kiawah homeowner. “I’m not insensitive to people’s feelings about safety, but I feel this is an issue that should be decided by the people of Johns Island.”
The project has the support of Kiawah’s mayor and homeowner’s association, and some opponents suspect the current strong push for the road lies in a desire to complete it for golf’s PGA Championships to be held on the island in 2012. Opponents say the toll road would do little to improve the island’s most dangerous intersections, and that road money priorities should be in fixing existing thoroughfares. This Thursday at 6:30 p.m., Roadwise hosts a public comment session on the Parkway, held at the St. John’s Island High School,1518 Main Road. With nearly 3,000 people signed on to one petition or the other and strong feelings on either side, expect a ruckus.
Here’s a press release with more details from Concerned Citizens of the Sea Islands on the meeting…
Public Hearing:
Thursday, June 19 at 6:30 p.m.
St. Johns High School Auditorium
1518 Main Road; Johns Island, SC 29455
Charleston County Council is considering a proposal to design and construct a four lane limited access expressway (interstate type highway) from Kiawah and Seabrook Islands to the Stono River Bridge at the intersection of Maybank Highway and River Road.
Because there is no county or state public funding available for this expressway, the proposal includes finding a private corporation to fund the construction of the road with the cost being paid off over time by charging a toll to use the expressway.
At the Charleston County Council’s Public Works Committee meeting on May 29, 2008, Mr. Christopher Carlsten from Transystems, Charleston County Roadwise’s consulting firm, stated that the cost is estimated at $155 million.
The Cross Island Expressway Toll Road plan proposes building this four lane highway down the center of Johns Island, effectively splitting our community in half.
When this idea was examined in 2001, the County’s consultants determined that, depending on its alignment, the expressway will impact between 70 to 120 acres of freshwater wetlands and between 67 and 160 acres of 100 year floodplain. These wetlands are critical for maintaining the good water quality we currently enjoy in our creeks, rivers, and along our beaches. They also provide habitat for our wildlife and sustain our fisheries.
Just outside our office front door, we’ve got over 200 square feet cordoned off as “Lake Isabella,” a seasonal wetland supporting thousands of tadpoles for days at a time. Never mind that none of them will ever grow up to ribbit, or the countless little black fellers plastered to our car tires. We’re just thrilled to be doing our part.
 
Considering the debate over the incinerator here in Charleston, this trash can I saw in New Jersey last week sparked my interest.
How? Through burning it? Maybe that’s some of it, but it looks from their own website that Waste Management is already using landfill gas as a power source, including at the BMW factory in Spartanburg. Let’s get that going here.
But this one … Hmmm. The acreage appears accurate, and it’s a commendable move by the company, but wouldn’t a few hundred acres of “habitat” bordering a trash pile encourage wild animals into becoming scavengers? I haven’t done any research on either of these claims, other than WM’s website, but they’re certainly potentially great initiatives.
Ever since researching this week’s cover story on invasive species, I’ve been much more attuned to the plants around me.  I’m now on the lookout for invasives in yards, and even more, in undeveloped plots of land. My yard is covered in Lantana, which is beautiful but apparently is not native and can be invasive. It’s amazing to think about what Charleston would look like if only native plants grew here. One source for the story told me that 98 percent of plants used in landscaping are not native species. We’ve gotten so far from sustainable agriculture and living off what the land provides.
I’m interested in hearing what species from my story any readers have found. Check out the slideshow and leave a comment if you’d like.
A friend of mine sent this letter in to the paper a few days ago. I think it’s a great idea. As food and oil prices climb, local and self-sustaining sources of life’s necessities will become even more desirable and more cost-efficient. Grow your own.
Now would be a great time to think about a garden. It is summertime, the weather is fine, and what would life be without homegrown tomatoes?
Just like the previous world wars, times are tough for many of us, but this time, the war is on oil.
Yes, black gold. It is causing the price of food to skyrocket.
There is a ration on rice already. Yet we all know how to sow seeds.
It is so easy and delightful to GROW A GARDEN. So let it nourish the ones you love, and remind us of the goodness
that we see everyday on this Good Earth.
Give thanks and celebrate!
We shall overcome.
For Goodness Sake,
Beth Harley
Mount Pleasant, SC
***Victory Gardens, also called war gardens or food gardens for defense, were vegetable, fruit and herb gardens planted at private residences in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom during World War I and World War II to reduce the pressure on the public food supply brought on by the war effort. In addition to indirectly aiding the war effort these gardens were also considered a civil “morale booster” — in that gardeners could feel empowered by their contribution of labor and rewarded by the produce grown. Making victory gardens became a part of daily life on the home front. —Wikipedia, online Encyclopedia.
The summer equinox is coming up, and I’m throwing a party. Everyone is invited. If you want to come for free (and eat for free), I need a few volunteers to help with merch, recycling, food, and sound. Be in touch. Otherwise it’s just 12 bucks for 13 bands.
Here’s the release …
RadioFreeCharleston.com presents …. Summer Shakedown at the Local Dive
Charleston Pour House
1977 Maybank Hwy
Saturday, June 21
2 p.m. - 2 a.m.
$12
The local music scene in Charleston is thriving. Need proof?
RadioFreeCharleston.com’s Summer Shakedown at the Local Dive, held Saturday, June 21 at the Charleston Pour House, will host 13 stellar, Charleston-based performing artists. Doors open at 2 p.m. and music kicks off on the venue’s new outdoor patio at 3 p.m. with singer-songwriter Sean Waterman. Over the next seven hours, he’s joined by acoustic funkster Stratton Lawrence, piano and guitar driven trio Green Levels, bar favorite Jamisun, and guitarist Reid Stone of Southern rock band Daybreakdown. Jamie Resch’s (of the Gun Street Girls) Kentucky Shoes and the always incredible Americana-power trio Dangermuffin round out the evening under the stars. Open pickin’ on the deck will follow.
Inside, music kicks off on the main stage at 5:45 with Folly Beach’s newest rock band, Small World, led by songwriter Justin Burke. They’re followed by Beaufort’s 3 Piece and a Biscuit. That reggae-rock outfit will be nicely complemented by dub experts Quasiphonics, featuring Aaron Firetag, perhaps the finest mandolin player in the Lowcountry. As the evening continues, Porgy’s favorite Louie D will wow onlookers with his saxophone prowess, before incomparable vocalist Elise Testone takes the stage with her latest collaboration, the Art of Soul. Capping the night, funk dynamos Magic Bronson will have the music drenched but far from weary crowd shaking into the wee hours.
Cuban restaurant El Bohio will offer a low priced buffet from 6 - 8 p.m., as well as their regular menu throughout the day. The event is cosponsored by Fiery Ron’s Home Team Barbecue, Barberitos, Ad-Naps, and the Charleston City Paper. Both Fiery Ron’s and Barberitos are graciously providing food for the performers and volunteers. Local company Ad-Naps will stock the event with compostable cups, plates, and silverware, and all bottles and cans will be collected and taken for recycling by the organizers.
“The Local Dive” is a weekly, one hour radio show hosted by local writer and musician Stratton Lawrence. Previous guests have included Sol Driven Train, Dangermuffin, Shannon Whitworth, Daniel Davis, Milhouse, and Haley Shaw. Shows are broken into segments that include half an hour of in studio interviews and performance, and half an hour of tracks off of locally released albums.
Summer Shakedown is the second Local Dive installment, following on the heels of last December’s inaugural “Shakedown,” which drew over 250 people to the Pour House for nine bands and ten hours of music. With the Summer edition spanning 12 hours and held on a Saturday, this event is designed to be a showcase of local musicians, offering up-and-coming bands the opportunity to introduce their original music to a large crowd and broad array of fans.
We hope you’ll join us.
Stratton, RadioFreeCharleston.com founder Bunky Odom, and any of the bands are available for interview. Contact strattonlawrence@gmail.com or 843-478-0671 with media inquiries.
Porch Stage
3 p.m. Sean Waterman
4 Stratton Lawrence feat. members of Po’Ridge
5 Green Levels
6 Jamisun
7 Kentucky Shoes
8 Dangermuffin
9 Reid Stone
10 - until: Unplugged open pickin’ session on the deck
Inside Stage
5:45 Small World
6:45 3 Piece and a Biscuit
8:00 Quasiphonics
9:15 The Louis D Project
10:30 THE COLLABORATION (feat. members of each band)
11:15 Elise Testone and the Art of Soul
12:30 Magic Bronson
(Art by City Paper’s own, John Zara)
The Coastal Conservation League sent out their last wrap-up of the legislative season today. For environmentally concerned folks, some very sticky situations at the end of the session ended well. The bill that would have compromised a citizen’s right to appeal DHEC permits found a fair compromise, and three energy bills, including two of Glenn McConnell’s five, were passed by the House and Senate. Two other last minute dirty pulls, one that would have scrapped a long-standing coastal management plan that protects fragile habitat and another that questioned our Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Government’s right to regulate private sewer systems, were respectively scrapped and appropriately compromised.
No doubt the environmental lobbyists played a role in accomplishing all this. And unlike industry lobbyists, most of them are unpaid.
Fair Compromise Reached on H.4328
Last week the conservation community celebrated a good compromise reached with the business community on the automatic stay bill, H.4328–which would have dramatically reduced citizens’ opportunities to request that a stay remain in place until appeals on land, water and air DHEC permits are heard by the Administrative Law Court. The compromise reached in the Senate will now give citizens 30 days for a hearing if a request is made to lift a stay, require Administrative Law Court judges to render a decision within a reasonable time period, and only limit appeals on certain permits. Senators Campsen, Hutto, Leventis, Lourie, Malloy, McConnell, Sheheen and Short crafted and supported this compromise language that benefits the business and conservation communities. To achieve the compromise, a new bill was drawn and inserted into H.3575, an old bill from the 2007 legislative session. H.3575 was adopted by the Senate and then the House on the final two days of the regular legislative session. Now it’s up to the Governor to put his final seal of approval on H.3575. If he approves the bill, then H.4328 as agreed to by all parties will be dead for 2008 legislative session.
Three Good Energy Efficiency Bills Receive Final Legislative Approval
Last week the House of Representatives agreed to all of the Senate amendments on three of our energy efficiency bills, so now we are awaiting the Governor’s action: to sign the bills into law, to allow them to become law without his signature, or to veto the measures. The bills aim to help South Carolina consumers and state agencies become more energy efficient.
Specifically, H.4766 by Representative Phil Lowe (R-Florence) establishes energy efficiency goals for state agencies with a 20% reduction in energy consumption by the year 2020 and establishes a wind study committee to determine the feasibility of erecting wind energy production farms in South Carolina. The study committee must report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly on January 1, 2010. S.1141 by Senator Glenn McConnell (R-Charleston) eliminates state sales tax and provides a $750 tax credit for the purchase of ENERGY STAR certified manufactured homes through 2019. S.1143 also by Senator Glenn McConnell provides consumers a sales tax holiday during the month of October for the purchase of certain ENERGY STAR products from July 1, 2009 through 2019 and provides a 25% tax credit for small hydro projects.
Time Runs Out on Harmful Resolution
Thankfully, the Concurrent Resolution by Representatives Billy Witherspoon (R-Horry) and Dwight Loftis (R- Greenville), H.5029, which requests the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SC DHEC) promulgate the policies of the SC Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) into new regulations, died in the final days of the legislative session in the Senate Agriculture Committee. The conservation community continued to oppose this Resolution because we anticipated regulations would be less protective than the current CZMP.
Water and Sewer Regional Planning No Longer Under Threat
Due to the leadership of Senators Campsen, Ceips, Cleary, Massey, McConnell and Ryberg, the Senate did not pass the harmful version of H. 3030, a bill by Representative Roland Smith (R-Aiken) that relates to providing water and sewer service in rural areas. As amended, this legislation would have removed a regional Council of Government’s authority to determine which entities could provide water and sewer service in the areas represented by a Council. Instead, these Senators inserted the good language of H.3030 into a separate bill, H.4743, and this bill was approved just before the legislature adjourned. The League, along with a number of Lowcountry Senators, opposed H.3030 as originally amended by the Senate because it could have jeopardized regional planning efforts and affected South Carolina’s ability to receive millions of federal grant dollars.
County Council will likely decide very soon whether or not to approve an expressway across Johns Island. The proposed road would have minimal exits, cutting across historic family and farm properties to allow Kiawah and Seabrook homeowners a fast route to town. The road requires filling wetlands, and could use eminent domain to bisect peoples’ properties.
The ancient live oaks on Bohicket Road are often used as an excuse for this road — a parkway would eliminate (or would it?) the need to widen that historic street.
If you oppose an expressway on Johns Island, sign this petition. And do it now - signatures are taken until tomorrow.
Also, a public hearing on the Cross Island Expressway is scheduled on Thursday, June 19, at 6:30 p.m. in the St. Johns High School Auditorium (1518 Main Road; Johns Island, SC 29455)
I wish I’d had us grading me at Davidson. Either we can’t give a bad grade, or everything at Spoleto was pretty damn good. The lowest we graded any act was a C for This War is Live. We doled out two C+s, and everything else straight up tickled our fancy.
Then again, how do you grade art? I gave Silence of Lucky a B+, but on a scale of entertainment, that would have meant Monkey deserves something way before A. But Lucky was one guy. Monkey has fifteen chicks twirling ten plates each, and as a good friend put it, “some bitch sits on her own face.” (watch ‘yo mouth, Uncle A)
Anyway, in the name of completely gratuitous posts (I promise I’ve got some hard-hitting enviro crap coming tomorrow), enjoy this absolutely horrific piece of ‘art.’
But then again, are we grading on a scale of entertainment or intellectual stimulation?
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