February 16, 2021
Message from Mayor Labriola
The Town Council and management staff held our annual Strategic Planning Retreat on January 20th and 21st. The Retreat provided the Council an opportunity to collectively review the Town’s present and future projects and determine the goals and objectives in our next term. I wanted to share with all of you some of the highlights from the Retreat.
Dan Prickett, along with Charlie Lipuma and John Taylor, will continue to be actively involved with the Johns Island Task Force. This group represents the residents on Johns Island and constituents from surrounding communities and is focused on the impact zoning, development and roads have on Johns island. The Town must continue to strengthen regional planning relationships beyond the gates and prepare for planning decisions that will determine Charleston County’s development and ultimately affect our Island, and its residents. Dan will also be chairing the Ways and Means Committee. Maryanne Connelly will continue in the important role of working with the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, St. Johns Fire Department, Charleston County EMS, and Beach Patrol. These services are critical to ensuring the Town’s commitment to the health, safety, and welfare of the Kiawah community. Maryanne is the chair of the Public Safety Committee, where these groups are represented.
John Moffitt, along with Brian Gottshalk, will head our Public Works Department and Committee. This group will be working on the possibility of transitioning the Kestrel Court waste and recycling center to a new location at the Municipal Center. This committee will also act as the primary source for interfacing with Berkeley Electric. John will also be working on the next steps for the HR&A Study. This important study affects all the community’s key stakeholders and will be critical for Kiawah’s future development.
Dr. Scott Parker, Jim Jordan, and the Environmental Committee will continue to be focused on several environmental issues. They intend to continue pushing forward to protect our wildlife and ecosystem against the impact of second-generation anticoagulants. We have made good headway with public education and participation in our Bobcat Guardian Program. Also, there may be possibilities for a long-term research project with the Clemson University Department of Pesticide Regulation. We will release more information in the future on this program that is in the infancy stage. Scott will also be working on the next steps in the Flood Mitigation and Sea Level Rise Adaptive Management Plan. With collective efforts from the Town, the Adaptive Management Task Force, and the Conservancy’s Marsh Management plan, we will address the community’s indicators for infrastructure project advancements and long-term resiliency planning.
We will provide progress on these critical issues in our bi-weekly emails and the quarterly newsletter Town Notes, which is distributed digitally to our email list and mailed to recipients who have indicated they would like to receive a hard copy.
Please remember all monthly Council meetings are live-streamed and cataloged on our YouTube channel and are accessible at any time. All Town committee meetings minutes and materials are available to the public via www.kiawahisland.org/meetings-minutes.
The Town maintains an up-to-date website with information and news directed separately at residents/property owners, visitors, and businesses. And many Town news items are reported in other publications such as the Island Connection and KICA emails or are disseminated on our social media sites Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Finally, I urge you to subscribe to our bi-weekly email if you do not already. This will ensure you receive the timeliest information from the Town and also stay well informed. It is also the Town’s primary channel for disseminating information during an emergency, like a storm or road closure. If you are not receiving this, please subscribe here.
If you can’t find the information you’re looking for, you can reach out to our Town Communications Manager, Stephanie Braswell at sbraswell@kiawahisland.org, our Town Administrator, Stephanie Tillerson, at stillerson@kiawahisland.org or me at jlabriola@kiawahisland.org.
Sincerely,
John Labriola, Mayor