Junk Removal in Johns Island, SC

JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. (WCIV) — All signs are pointing towards a new elementary school coming to Johns Island very soon.

On Monday night, the Charleston County School District Board of Trustees will finalize plans for the school.

As of right now, the district’s plan is to build the new elementary school near the intersection of Brownswood Road and River Road.

Some of the items up for discussion tonight include possible changes to attendance lines, the future use of Mt. Zion Elementary School, and any possible traffic concerns.

The latter being one of the biggest items of discussion as the new school is expected to bring over 200 more cars to River Road per day and extend the current parent commute at Mt. Zion over eight miles.

But district officials said they believe new traffic modifications will help to ease residents’ concerns.

“Members of the community are very, very happy about getting this new school. They're more concerned about student achievement than distances,” CCSD District 9 Board Representative Dr. Helen Frazier said.

Details of the proposals were initially approved by the board on September 12 in a 7-1 vote. Those traffic concerns are expected to be addressed by extra roundabouts on River Road, among other traffic modifications.

“How do we make sure that traffic is not an issue with the location of the new school. And that study has been done and roundabouts have been put in place to try to offset that,” CCSD board chair Rev. Dr. Eric Mack said.

The district also held two community interests meeting over the month of September to residents of Johns Island, specifically, those who have children currently going to Mt. Zion and Angel Oak elementary schools-– which will be the two schools most affected.

Right now, the Swygert's Landing area, where the school will be built, falls under District 9.

Those students currently go to Mt. Zion Elementary School, but Mt. Zion could be out of commission once this new school is built.

If this happens, students from Head Start to first grade would attend Angel Oak elementary, while second through fifth grade would be at the new school. In this proposal, Mt. Zion Elementary School would be converted to a community center.

Members of the board say the biggest benefit to this plan is its impact on attendance lines, or lack thereof, as the new system would effectively take over mt. zion’s attendance lines

“By combining the two schools, we're in a situation where we don't have to draw lines, we don't have to rezone. If one school gets larger or smaller, we're in really good shape by going this route,” said Chief Operating Officer for CCSD Jeff Borowy.

The new elementary school would accommodate 700 students, however in community interest meetings there was also interest to keep Mt. Zion Elementary School open.

If the proposal is approved tonight, the elementary school is expected to be up and running by the 2024 -2025 school year with construction starting in 2023.

The official vote on this proposal will take place at the Board of Trustees meeting tonight at 4:15 p.m. at CCSD headquarters on Calhoun Street.

The school will be funded by the one-cent sales tax in the county with a budget of $4.1 million.

It was a lightning strike that caused the devastating fire at the church last September.

JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - It’s been a challenging year for Fort Johnson Baptist Church on James Island after a massive fire essentially destroyed its sanctuary and adjoining classrooms.

The church, however, has overcome multiple hurdles in the past 12 months and has started construction and rebuilding with the hope of having everything back open for the congregation in less than a year, church leaders say.

It was a lightning strike that caused the devastating fire at the church last September. That morning, fire engulfed the steeple as smoke poured from the building.

“By the time I got here, with stoplights and traffic, the roof had caved in, and everything was up in smoke,” Pastor Marty Middleton says.

The flames, smoke and water caused irreparable damage to the sanctuary and adjoining classrooms, he says.

“The insurance company and our construction team went back and forth on whether they should save the walls or tear it down and start over completely,” he says. “But because it was built so well back in the 60s, they were able to save the structure, which has its positives and its negatives.”

Since the fire, restoring the church has been a challenging project.

“We couldn’t get the moisture out,” Middleton says. “Mold covered the whole building. It ended up, as they’re doing the demolition, having asbestos in there. That whole process led to a gutting of the building.”

Those obstacles have been coupled with the need to upgrade facilities to meet new codes, tackle insurance snags and permitting, and maneuver supply and staffing shortages—all while services have continued at Fort Johnson Baptist.

“They had everything pulled together, that by the next Sunday, so three or four days later we were all sitting in church learning about the fire, grateful no one was hurt,” church member Jennifer Batliner says.

They’ve demolished the interior of the church, clearing everything out inside until just the exterior stands, Middleton says. They have also just started the construction and rebuilding process, installing plumbing and reconfiguring classrooms.

“We’re thinking we’ll be back in the classroom for January or February,” he says. “And then the sanctuary itself, probably the beginning of next summer is when we’ll be able open up the doors back there.”

Amid the construction and renovations, Batliner says she is counting down the days until she can walk through those doors and into the newly refurbished sanctuary.

“I think it’s going to feel like a homecoming — peaceful and a new beginning, but without losing the old,” she says.

A majority of the funds to rebuild the church have come from insurance, Middleton says, but tens of thousands of dollars have come from donations from the community, other churches and other groups.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

After a decade of booming population growth, Johns Island may get its own representative on Charleston City Council.

But making that change could cost a sitting council member their seat.

The island is now in District 5, which also spans much of outer West Ashley. It is represented by Councilman Karl Brady, who lives in West Ashley.

Two newly proposed City Council district maps make Johns Island its own district without any extension into West Ashley. That means the City Council member to represent it would have to live on Johns Island.

"There is no one on council right now that drives our roads every day, sends their kids to school here, works here or lives here," said John Zlogar, chairman of the Johns Island Task Force.

The group was established in 2013 to bring together residents and local officials to address Johns Island-specific issues.

While Zlogar said he has no issue with Brady, he said he would like to have a council member who can put their sole focus on the island.

"We will feel like we have someone that has our voice," he said.

The island, which is partially within the city of Charleston and partially within unincorporated Charleston County, has deep roots in agriculture and the city's Black history. Several Black family farms have run their businesses on the island since Reconstruction, when formerly enslaved laborers took over former plantations.

An "urban growth boundary," established across the island limits where agricultural land must be protected and where development is allowed. Most of the city's side of the island is located within the urban growth boundary and as a result has seen a massive influx of residents looking for a lower cost of living than the city's core. Between 2010 and 2020, District 5, the district with Johns Island and West Ashley, grew a staggering 154 percent.

The redistricting process

Charleston Chief Innovation Officer Tracy McKee has led the city through the redistricting process three times in her career. Factoring in population growth between 2010 and 2020, McKee and city staff have been in the process of redrawing the council district boundaries for months.

"Four council members live on the peninsula, but we've had more growth in Berkeley County on Daniel Island and on Johns Island," McKee said.

Every 10 years, the U.S. Census Bureau releases new population and demographic data that governments use to redraw voting districts. In 2020, it was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

City Council voted last summer to delay redistricting until after the fall 2021 election.

Officials try to balance the population size of each district as well as their geographic spread. In Charleston, for example, it would be impractical to include Daniel Island and outer West Ashley in the same district.

Initially, city staff put out one proposal in July. That plan kept all sitting council members within their current districts. None of them were at risk of losing their seat or having to run against each other to keep their seat. But the proposal split Johns island into three districts that included other areas of the city as well.

The map was met with some criticism for the wide span of geography each district covered. Districts were stretched from the peninsula far into West Ashley and District 11, covered parts of West Ashley, James Island and Johns Island.

The League of Women Voters published a commentary in The Post and Courier calling for more compact districts.

"Drawing districts to protect incumbents means the maps defy logic in many places. James Island remains divided into three different districts, one with very dubious contiguity as it crosses briefly over West Ashley and onto the peninsula. Johns Island, now all in District 5, will be divided into three different districts, diluting the voices of those residents," the league wrote.

The league now supports the new proposals, mainly because the districts don't stretch as far across the city.

"They keep communities together. These really prioritize citizen interests," said Leslie Skardon, the director of advocacy for the League of Women Voters.

Impact to incumbents

On Aug. 28, city staff unveiled two alternative maps that took some of that feedback into consideration. The two new maps, referred to as 1A and 1B, are almost identical except for their effects on two current peninsula districts.

Both maps make Johns Island its own district.

To create the Johns Island district, city staff proposed two options. They can move District 3 or District 6 off of the West Side of the peninsula to only cover West Ashley. If District 3 moves off, District 6 will absorb the portion of the West Side that is currently in District 3.

Because District 3 Councilman Jason Sakran lives on the peninsula, he would be drawn out of his district. He would have to run for District 6 against fellow Councilman William Dudley Gregorie. But that seat is not up for election until 2025. In the meantime, depending on when council decides to make the maps effective, a special election would determine who represents the new West Ashley-only version of District 3.

The other scenario would be that District 6 would move off of its portion of the West Side of the peninsula. In that case, Gregorie, who lives also in the West Side, would be drawn into Councilman Sakran's District 3. Because District 3 is up for election in 2023, the two would face off sooner.

Sakran said he would be OK with running against Gregorie in 2023, but he is most favorable of the original map that keeps all council members in their respective districts.

"You are overhauling peoples' elected representatives to the tune of 40 percent of the city's population," Sakran said of the new proposals.

According to the city, if the original proposal is accepted, about 30 percent of the city's population will end up in new council districts. If either of the alternatives are chosen, that number will move up to 39 percent.

Another factor in the process is the establishment of minority-majority districts. Districts 4 and 7 on the all three map proposals are majority-minority districts. They cover the upper peninsula and part of West Ashley, respectively. When the maps were last redrawn in 2010, the city went from having five majority-minority districts to three. Now the city is guaranteed to have two. As demographics shift, it's difficult to group minority voters together and ensure their voice is in the majority in any part of the city, McKee said.

City Council will review the map proposals at its Sept. 13 meeting. No action will be taken. A public hearing will be held in the fall. Residents can view the maps and leave comments online the city's redistricting "Open Town Hall" webpage at www.charleston-sc.gov/Redistricting2020. Email comments are accepted at redistricting@charleston-sc.gov.

The latest forecasts for Hurricane Ian suggest the massive, powerful storm will make landfall in Florida's Sarasota County, farther south than previous predictions but still threatening devastation for much of the state, authorities said Tuesday.

Ian slammed into Cuba earlier Tuesday, a Category 3 monster pounding the island with 125-mph winds. Now approaching Florida, Ian's shift eastward has put the city of Venice in the storm’s crosshairs sometime Wednesday, although high winds and storm surge are still expected farther north into the previously targeted Tampa Bay region, state Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said.

Hundreds of thousands of Floridians faced mandatory evacuation orders as the National Hurricane Center expanded the hurricane warning along more than 150 miles of the state's Gulf Coast. Power outages can be expected statewide, Florida Power & Light warned.

SC Gov. Henry McMaster's briefing on Hurricane Ian

Governor Henry McMaster held a live, media briefing with the state emergency management officials Tuesday afternoon.

"We are fully prepared for whatever comes," McMaster said. "We will be making announcements as necessary and we would urge everyone to get information from official sources. We know we are going to have a lot of water, a lot of wind and we know we are going to experience some rough weather."

Meteorologist with the National Weather Service, John Quagliariello, Ian will likely impact the entire state, both coastal and inlands, beginning on Thursday and going into the weekend.

"Ian is currently a Category 3 hurricane, with wind speeds of 120 mph. It is located about 255 miles south of Sarasota, Florida and is moving north at 10 mph," Quagliariello said. "Tropical storm and storm surge watches were issued earlier this morning for the coast from Charleston County south to the Georgia state line."

Depending on the storm's track, Ian could cross over Florida and move back into the Atlantic Ocean instead of moving north through Georgia and South Carolina.

"If it does emerge over the Atlantic, it's still forecast to be a tropical storm," Quagliariello said. "It has the potential to maintain intensity or maybe even strengthen a little bit. It's something we'd want to closely monitor if it does make it into the Atlantic. We don't have those answers just yet, but we will continue to monitor it over the next day or two. "

Director of the South Carolina Emergency Management Division, Kim Stenson, said the team of South Carolina has a great deal of experience preparing for storms, including hurricanes, in recent years.

"We are closely monitoring Hurricane Ian's forecast and working closely with local authorities, county emergency managers, state partners and obviously the NWS to respond to the storm," Stenson said. "We started conducting daily coordination calls with the local authorities and county emergency managers last Sunday to identify and issues or unmet needs."

Stenson said it's important for residents to go over their emergency plans.

"Residents should review their personal safety plans and consider actions needed to take if threatened by any storm or disaster including having bottled water and nonperishable food for a three-day period," Stenson said. "Have items like weather radios, batteries, flashlights and chargers. Know where important documents are, in the event residents must leave their homes."

Residents are encouraged to visit the South Carolina Emergency Management Division website for information in regards to preparations and evacuation routes.

Hurricane Ian impact on South Carolina: Tuesday update

Hurricane Ian's remnant's are expected to approach the Upstate of South Carolina Friday into Saturday. According to the National Weather Service, the hurricane is still unpredictable as "there is still some uncertainty in the exact track and timing."

Heavier rain bands are expected to push into the Upstate Friday afternoon into early Saturday morning. Rain could continue into Sunday and Monday.

"It's expected to make landfall somewhere in the central, Florida peninsula on the west coast by the end of the day tomorrow. It will pop into the Carolinas over the weekend," said Justin Lane, a NWS meteorologist. "The magnitude of these impacts are still uncertain, because we won't see them for at least four days.

"We are going to have some impacts, gusty winds beginning on Thursday and heavy rains beginning on Friday through the weekend. It's too early to tell, but people should start preparing for at least localized flooding on the weekend."

The Upstate's rainfall probability from the remnants of Ian could be between 4 and 8 inches.

Peak sustained winds could reach 23 mph and peak wind gusts could now reach 31 mph.

Ian's storm surge, winds blast Cuba

Ian made landfall on Cuba's western tip, where officials set up shelters, rushed in emergency personnel and worked to protect crops in Cuba’s tobacco-growing region.

"Significant wind and storm surge impacts (are) occurring over Cuba," said Daniel Brown, senior hurricane specialist and the warning coordination meteorologist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

The storm was forecast to roll off Cuba and strengthen to a Category 4 storm over warm, Gulf of Mexico waters. The storm's winds could reach 140 mph before reaching Florida as soon as Wednesday.

Hurricane Ian tracker

Ian will slow down over the Gulf, growing wider and stronger, “which will have the potential to produce significant wind and storm surge impacts along the west coast of Florida,” the hurricane center said.

Ian was forecast to emerge over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday and approach the west coast of Florida on Wednesday and Wednesday night. The storm is predicted to slow during this period, the National Hurricane Center warned in an advisory.

"This would likely prolong the storm surge, wind and rainfall impacts along the affected portions of the west coast of Florida," the advisory says.

- This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

- USA Today's John Bacon contributed to this report.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The redistricting process for the city of Charleston is well underway, and Tuesday night the City Council and the public will review potential renderings for the new districts.

Some Johns Islanders are advocating for Johns Island to be all one district, and for the first time in Charleston’s history, there is a potential it could be.

Peter Rubino, a resident of Johns Island, says the original draft from the city split Johns Island into three districts.

Through email campaigns and spreading awareness, he and other advocates were able to get it down to two districts, and after tonight, hopefully, one.

“If you don’t speak up, then you’re not going to get what you need,” Rubino said.

He said having all of Johns Island in one district would give Johns Islanders a real say in their future, and true influence in city decisions.

He said he wants the person who represents Johns Island to live on Johns Island, with the hope that the shared experiences of the island will lead to more impactful decision making.

“We want someone who’s going to live here, and understands the issues, what the desires are of the people who live here and have to put up with the traffic and the growth and all of those things. Because if you don’t live here, you don’t see all those things that are going on,” Rubino said.

Tuesday night, he, along with other advocates, plan to attend the City Council Meeting to continue the fight for one district.

The city of Charleston’s Chief Innovation Officer Tracy Mckee said two scenarios will be presented tonight.

She said the first one prioritizes minimizing change, but splits Johns Island into two districts.

“In that scenario, Johns Island has two representatives, but each of those representatives also represent parts of West Ashley as well as James Island,” McKee said.

She said the second, which keeps Johns Island under one district, prioritizes compactness and communities of interest.

In that scenario, Johns Island has only one representative.

Regardless, Mckee says the City is doing its best to listen to the public and accommodate their desires.

“We have made a really good effort to get public opinion this time and bake that opinion into our plans as much as possible,” Mckee said.

As of now, Johns Island is a part of a larger district in West Ashley. Up until this redistricting, it did not have the population to be its own district.

Tuesday’s meeting is at 5 p.m. at the Charleston City Hall at 80 Broad Street. Rubino encourages those passionate about redistricting on Johns Island to sign up to speak.

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