Town Council - April 4 | 2 p.m.
Planning Commission - April 5 | 3 p.m.
Shorebird Stewardship Kick-off Meeting at Town Hall - April 6 | 10 a.m.
Arts & Cultural Events Council - April 6 | 2 p.m.
Council Community Drop-In at The Sandcastle - April 7 | 9 a.m. - 11 a.m.
Turtle Patrol Kick-off Meeting at Town Hall - April 18 | 5:30 p.m.
|
|
April Town Council Community Drop-In
|
|
As part of the Town's Communication Action Plan, the Town will be hosting its second Town Council Community Drop-In Meeting this Friday, April 7 from 9 AM - 11 AM at The Sandcastle.
Council members Michael Heidingsfelder and Brad Belt will be available to every community member and stakeholder to drop in during the time listed above to allow any community member to:
- Ask questions
- Explain concerns
- Provide any recommendations
- Voice any criticism or areas of opportunity for improvement
This drop-in is an informal, more conversational meeting without an explicit agenda or presentation planned. There is no need to come on time; interested parties can drop in when available. There will be no live streaming or recording of this meeting, but Council will provide a brief summary of the conversations for all community members the following week.
|
|
March 27 Ways and Means Meeting Recap
|
|
During the meeting, Town Public Works Manager Brian Gottshalk provided details on the Beach Service Franchise Agreement bid proposal and a comprehensive landscape proposal for the Municipal Center, Kiawah Island Parkway, and Beachwalker Drive. Ways and Means recommended to the Town Council to award the franchise agreement to Island Beach Services, Inc. and approve the landscape proposal from outdoor spatial design.
Town Director of Public Safety Craig Harris, Sr. also provided a presentation on AirMedCare Network (Meducare), a service that provides medical transport services for Kiawah Island residents. Ways and Means recommended to the Town Council to approve the request to renew the annual agreement with AirMedCare for Municipal Site Plan Membership services at an annual rate of $8,163, a recommendation from the Public Safety Committee.
Town Finance Director Dorota Szubert provided a budget report for the current fiscal year through February 2023. Overall, for the first eight months, the Town’s consolidated revenues of $9 million are slightly higher—$831,000 or 10 percent—when compared to year-to-date for the last fiscal 2022 and 75 percent of total budgeted revenues for the current year.
At the end of February 2023, the expenditures are $980,000, or 18 percent higher than for the fiscal year 2022 and 56 percent of the current year’s budget. Compared to last year, the major contributors to the variances are personnel costs due to increased staffing and higher benefits and payroll tax costs, beach patrol costs, and waste management costs.
Additionally, the Town’s Finance Director Dorota Szubert reviewed the first draft of the Fiscal 2023-2024 Budget – Expenses Only with the Ways and Means Committee. On April 24, the Ways and Means Committee will review the proposed Fiscal 2023-2024 Budget for approval and recommendation to the Town Council. If no significant changes, the Town Council will consider the First Reading of the Fiscal 2023-2024 at its May 2 Town Council meeting. The budget requires two readings before it is adopted. By State Law, a budget must be adopted by July 1.
To view the meeting, click here
|
|
Town and Partner Agencies Participate in Active Shooter Training
|
|
With the rise of shooting incidents throughout our nation, our Public Safety Director Craig Harris is leading all Town staff, as well as security personnel from KICA, the Resort, Freshfields Village, and Barrier Island Ocean Rescue through an active shooter training next week. This is a proactive approach to prepare our staff with how to handle these situations and minimize the impacts of an active shooter incident.
|
|
Proposed Andell West Project Update
|
|
The Charleston County Planning/ Public Works Committee voted to recommend approval of the requested waiver of the one-year waiting period for the proposed Andell West Planned Development. This request will be heard on the scheduled agenda of Charleston County Council Meeting on Tuesday, April 4 at 6:30 PM Please note this meeting will take place at:
North Charleston City Council Chambers,
2500 City Hall Ln, North Charleston, SC 29406
This waiver request to Charleston County Council allows the applicant, Riverstone to submit a revised planned development application without waiting one year.
|
|
Shorebird Stewardship Kick-Off Meeting
|
|
Interested in helping to protect Kiawah‘s shorebirds? Consider joining the Kiawah Island Shorebird Stewardship Program! Shorebird stewards serve as advocates to protect our shorebirds and their critical habitats by teaching beachgoers about the birds that nest, rest, and feed on our beach.
No experience is required, and training is provided. The 2023 season kick-off meeting will be Thursday, April 6 at 10:00 a.m. at the Town Hall. Everyone is invited.
|
|
Sea Islands Shorebird Festival
|
|
The first Sea Islands Shorebird Festival is a 2-day event (May 11 & 12) hosted and organized by local municipalities, governmental agencies, volunteer groups, and non-profit organizations working on coastal bird conservation and education. The festival celebrates the critically important sites of Seabrook and Kiawah Island for shorebirds, notably for the federally threatened Red Knot, for which these islands play a crucial role during their northern migration.
The festival aims to celebrate shorebirds and the islands they depend on, educate community members and visitors, and raise awareness to protect these magnificent birds and places.
Click here to visit the Sea Islands Shorebird Festival website.
Click here to register for the various educational events that are lined up. No registration required for The Feather Fest. Tickets to the Red Knot Reception are required and priced at $10.
|
|
13th Annual Art Walk at Bohicket Marina
|
|
Some of the area’s leading artists will be participating in the Sea Islands Chamber of Commerce’s 13th Annual Art Walk on Saturday, April 8,at Bohicket Marina. This year’s line-up of juried artists includes: Kellie Jacobs, Jennifer Black, Sandra Roper, Lisa Willits, Bob LeFevre, Tina Mayland, Susan Colwell, Colleen Wiessmann, and Donna Geriner.
Each of the featured artists is well known throughout the region, and looks forward to the chance to see one another, as well as followers of their work. The show, which is always held the day before Easter, has increased in popularity over the years.
This year’s Art Walk will be held from 10 AM to 6:30 PM on the patio overlooking the scenic Bohicket Marina. The artists are housed under one big tent, and the event is open to the public. Each artist will be displaying original work, and all pieces are for sale. You’ll see oils, pastels and watercolors, in styles from representational to impressionistic to abstract. Some of the artists will also be painting live, so it’s a great opportunity to meet them and see their creative process in action.
Mark your calendars for April 8, the day before Easter. There’s no better way to spend a Saturday than looking at amazing art in a beautiful marina setting. You can find out more about this year’s Art Walk on the Sea Islands Chamber of Commerce website.
Image above painted by Tina Mayland
|
|
Professional Bridge player and teacher, Andy Hurd, will be teaching the Basics of Bridge at the Charleston Bridge Center (1740 Ashley Hall Road, Charleston, SC) on Saturday, May 20 from 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM. The cost to participate is $50 (booklet and lunch included). To register, please email the Charleston Bridge Center at charlestonbridgeeducation@gmail.com or call 843-766-5712. The deadline to register is May 12.
|
|
Kiawah Next -
A Bold Vision for Kiawah's Bright Future
|
|
The Town of Kiawah Island is embarking on an ambitious effort to envision the next chapter of Kiawah’s story. Now a destination renowned for its unmatched natural beauty, embrace of wildlife and nature, world-class hospitality, and premiere oceanside living, the island of Kiawah is a celebrated success story today largely because of a compelling vision and plan that guided our trajectory for many years. As a community, we must shape a long-term vision of the next horizon to sustain this prosperity amid ever-changing conditions.
As we are kickstarting our next comprehensive plan, we are inviting your input to help us define what makes this place great. With current development agreements set to expire in the coming years, regional growth occurring, and ever-changing conditions around, it becomes essential for Kiawah to maintain a strategic plan that defines what we hold dear and identifies the opportunities we might see as valuable. We need your feedback to craft that vision! In fact, we are earnestly seeking the input of our larger community and all who are invested in Kiawah’s success: residents, property owners, visitors, guests, businesses and employees alike.
We ask each of you to visit our project website, www.kiawahnext.com, and take the included survey. We will be inviting input for the next couple of months, and we will maintain this website as a home base for all related information. Use the page’s tools to sign up if you’d like to be kept in the loop. We also ask that you consider sharing this website with others, so that we can build our collective vision of the future of Kiawah today and plan for success for the next decades to come.
|
|
Business License Renewal Notice
|
|
Tablao Flamenco
Saturday, April 8, 2023
Turtle Point | 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $15
Be transported to southern Spain with Tablao Flamenco. With passion and magnetic energy, Tablao Flamenco entwines authentic flamenco dancers, singers, and instrumentalists for an immersive Andalusian nightclub experience. Featuring a world- class lineup of international artists — including the 2021 winner of the prestigious Lámpara Minera competition in Spain, this artist-driven production indelibly delivers the fiery and dramatic sweeps of flamenco. Based in New York, Tablao Flamenco was originally created and produced at the request of Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in Charlotte, NC, in collaboration with Rhythm of the Arts.
|
|
17th Annual Blues by the Sea
Sunday, April 16, 2023
Freshfields Village Green|
3 p.m. - 7 p.m.
NO CHARGE, TICKETS NOT REQUIRED
Blues by the Sea is back! Bring a chair, picnic blanket, or cooler and enjoy the sounds of music by the sea.
This year’s lineup will include Sir Rod & the Blues Doctors, featuring Adam Gussow, Doug Deming & the Jewetones, and the Randall Bramblett Band.
If you love the Blues and great live music, you will not want to miss this event! The event takes place rain or shine. No pets, please.
|
|
Click here to access TOKI's Events page and view the season planner.
If you are a Kiawah Island resident who has not received your 2022-2023 early access code, please email your Kiawah mailing address to rfoster@kiawahisland.org to register.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|