Councilman Ron Brinson District 4 Updates July 29, 2021
Back-To-School Planning and Preparations – Here are some useful links for parents and students, providing information about pandemic issues, attendance choices, registration, calendars, and special programs:
Charleston County School District / Homepage (ccsdschools.com)
Dorchester School District Two / Homepage (ddtwo.org)
CEDAR GROVE SHOPPING CENTER – Developers report “on schedule” construction progress for Phase One and remain hopeful the anchor retailers will open for business early second quarter 2022. These include Ross, HomeGoods, Ulta, Five Below and PetSmart. The LIDL grocery store is on a separate track with a projected opening also in Spring 2022.
RECYCLING – Plans for renewing curbside recycling for North Charleston residences within Dorchester County have moved to implementation. Orders for two trucks and some 6,000 bins are in the works. This will be a city operated service utilizing Charleston County’s new recycling processing center on Palmetto Commerce Parkway. Implementation will depend on the much-challenged international supply chain’s delivery of both the trucks and the bins. I will provide updates via this little newsletter.
NEIGHBORHOOD ROADS REPAVING – City Council approved a bid for more than $760,000 for repaving projects within several District 4 and District 9 neighborhoods. Primary funding is from the Dorchester County Transportation Committee which sets projects and administers local rebates of the state gasoline tax. A list of the streets is appended below.
TRAFFIC “CONTROLS” – Again, speeding, stop sign running and illegal large truck traffic are problems all over the Greater Charleston region. The proximate issue, of course, is personal responsibility. Shame on the violators! We have ordered nine digital traffic speed control devices that will soon be installed in most District 4 neighborhoods. The police department’s traffic enforcement team rates these solar-powered monitors highly. The devices alert drivers of their speed and compile data on traffic volumes and violations. The value is immediate warnings to the uncaring drivers and information to guide police enforcement initiatives. We will consult with HOA/POA leadership as to locations for these devices. Remember, there is a limited supply for the first year, so we will have to be careful and thoughtful to determine best locations. Also, Councilman Skipper and I are working on a plan to upgrade pedestrian crossing designations on Patriot and Wescott Boulevard, including flashers at school bus crossings. Once funding is in place, orders will be issued – and again we will have to be patient with the supply chain.
AQUATIC CENTER – This facility is marking its very first year of operations. For sure, it has been at once popular and successful. Full memberships now number 600 and monthly attendance exceeds 5,000. The Center is already a popular venue for competitions, given its Olympic standards layout. Some 2000 swimmers recently competed in the City Meet, the East Cooper Swim League and a statewide competition at the Aquatic Center. With the beginning of the school year, the Center will become “home” for Fort Dorchester, Ashley Ridge and Summerville high schools’ swim teams. Check in with this link for information on how you and your family might enjoy this special public facility.
THE LIBRARY, FINALLY ! – As I announced last month, Dorchester County Council and Dorchester District 2 School District finalized an agreement to construct a joint-use library on Patriot adjacent to the Aquatic Center. This 15,000 square foot facility will provide a media center for the high school and a public branch library operation fronting Patriot Boulevard. Our new Dorchester County Councilman Todd Friddle was instrumental in getting this project to an implementation phase and at the site preferred by our city. He has also shared the drawings appended below which provide glimpses of the site plan and internal layouts. Site work will begin in the Fall, construction in January and, if all goes well and as planned, occupancy is anticipated before the end of 2022. (We are looking for other opportunities to jointly advance such projects with Dorchester County. One possibility: a senior center.)
Charleston County Road Projects – Here is a link that provides updates on several major highway projects, including a new Interstate 26 access at Weber Drive and Ingleside, the “flyover” of Ashley Phosphate, widening of Dorchester Road (within Charleston County), and the arterial realignments at Charleston International Airport: Charleston County Transportation Development | Home
Miscellaneous….Look for site work on the southwest property quadrant at Netherby and Dorchester Road. This property has long been planned as an assisted senior living facility with several out-parcels. One of those is likely to be a coffee facility and it would be served by a right turn lane exiting Whitehall. The city will consider whether to reset signal controls for traffic flowing from Club Course onto Dorchester to original settings. This would minimize the current waiting times for right turns – but would recreate the often unsafe left turns and direct crossings of Dorchester into Whitehall.
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The pending Dorchester County Transportation Committee and City of North Charleston streets upgrades projects summary:
Work will include resurfacing of Crossland Court W, Franconia Drive, Dwight Drive, Birnam Court, Crossland Court E, Associate Drive, Spring Chapel Lane, Long Meadow Court, Woodbreeze Drive, Trade Street, Waxhaw Court, Harroway Road, Coppergrove Drive, Tinston Court & Wescott Club Drive, to include traffic control, milling, asphalt resurfacing, striping and associated appurtenance within the project limits.
An early peek at the Library layout planning, as provided by County Councilman Todd Friddle:
Our postal mailing address is:
Ron Brinson, Council Chambers
2500 City Hall Lane
North Charleston, S.C. 29406
