2023 Town Notes Quarter 1

As we forge into 2023 with new Town Council members, I want to use this opportunity to reflect on the Town’s 2022 accomplishments and motivate ourselves for 2023 and the future.

It is always important to credit our staff members who strive for and attain excellence in all that they do, our cohesive Council that is committed to making this community even better, Kiawah’s partners who understand the value and importance of a successful community and our property owners, residents, visitors, businesses and organizations that believe in what we can accomplish together.

Mayor's Corner John D. Labriola

In September 2020, the previous Mayor and Town Council changed council members’ tenure from two to four years, which resulted in valuable overlap between new and experienced council.

With this format, new council members are exposed to experienced members’ ideas, goals and strategies, allowing them to work together to build upon those plans and see them into the future. These interactions fuel camaraderie and illustrate the tangible positive effects of working together to bring about change for the community.

Each year in the first quarter, Town Council holds a strategic planning session to map out our priorities for the year. On February 2-3, Town Council held a two-day strategic planning retreat. To view the retreat, click to watch Day One and Day Two. Below is an overview of some of the items discussed:

Communication and a New Level of Transparency

The Town is pleased to introduce a new interactive communication platform that entails regularly scheduled Community Drop-In Meetings every Friday following the monthly Town Council meetings, which are held on the first Tuesday of every month. Two Council members (on a rotating basis) will be available for 2-3 hours for community members to drop in to ask questions, voice concerns and recommendations and provide feedback on the work of Council and staff.

Additionally, Council will begin holding regular office hours (for example, every Monday from 9-11 a.m.) where community members can stroll into the Town building and meet with a Council member (on a rotating basis) to answer any questions. These dates and times will be announced in the coming weeks.The Town’s new website, featuring a robust new transparency portal, will provide a wealth of information to our residents and property owners. We will continue to improve and expand this resource ongoing, as we want you to know what is happening in the Town and how it may affect you.

In addition, we will continue to further develop the use of podcasts for the community.

For example, we recorded the latest podcast on March 8 to explain the meaningful discussions that took place at Town Council’s March 7 meeting.

Mayor's Corner Cont.

2013 Amended and Restated Development Agreement

The fourth amendment to the 2013 Amended and Restated Development Agreement shortened the expiration date from January 1, 2026, to December 4, 2023. The expiration of the Development Agreement will require additional work, including updates to land use planning and zoning, and we will start on this task this summer. The discussion will start with the Planning Commission and will be brought to Town Council for final decisions.

Land Use Planning and Zoning Regulations

Betsy Kerrison Parkway is an essential gateway to the Town of Kiawah Island. With the exception of the Town’s Municipal Center, development along Betsy Kerrison is within the unincorporated areas of Charleston County. Town planning staff and the Town’s planning commission will work with Charleston County Planning Department to look at creating a Betsy Kerrison Parkway Overlay District. This is important to help maintain the Parkway’s rural feel leading to the Kiawah roundabout.

To sustain the Town’s prosperity amid ever-changing conditions, Kiawah must capture the vision of its future today, which is being addressed through Kiawah Next – the Town’s 10-year vision plan. We are taking the time to envision the next chapter of this area so that we can plan accordingly. Kiawah Next is the campaign to ask for community feedback, so we can work together to make Kiawah the best it can be Please visit the site www.kiawahnext.com for more information and learn how you can get involved.

Other Notable Priorities:

Public Safety – Staff will release an RFP for an investigation into the need for and structure of a Town police department. Currently, the Town has two contracts with the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office for 24/7 law enforcement services, whichtotal approximately $1 million annually.

The Kiawah Island ARB – At its recent Strategic Planning retreat, the Council determined to establish a task force to review and make recommendations with regard to architectural review issues on Kiawah Island. The Council proposed to KICA that this be a joint initiative and we anticipate that the KICA board to consider the proposal at the upcoming KICA annual meeting.

Andell West Annexation – Town Council continues to discuss with Riverstone the potential of annexing the Andell West properties.

Johns Island Task Force/Roads – Town Council will continue its involvement in the Johns Island Task Force, and will monitor discussions related to the road projects on Johns Island.

Go Green 2.0 Initiative – In 2022, we made considerable progress in sustainability. Town Council approved the Marsh Management Plan and started the Go Green initiative. This year, Council is reconstituting the Go Green workgroup to discuss and review various green initiatives. The objective of the workgroup is to create a multi-year plan and consequently implement, enforce and measure actions to reduce the island's carbon footprint, reduce the use of single-use plastics and adopt other eco-friendly initiatives into daily operations, in addition to several practices already in place. A key objective is to create and implement pragmatic progress among all stakeholders with reliable timelines and hold the different entities and the community accountable for their actions.

Mayor's Corner Cont.

As you read my message and take note of our priorities, I acknowledge that it can be easy to become discouraged about the government's direction. There are many examples of government dysfunction and political discourse across the nation, but this is not the case in Kiawah. Instead, we have proven we can work collaboratively and find innovative solutions to issues.

I am happy to report that our new Council, including Bradley Belt, Russell Berner, Michael Heiningsfelder and John Moffitt, are “all in” and are committed to making necessary and real changes within the Town of Kiawah. The community has the opportunity for active engagement in governance and this Council wants to listen. We will continue to work hard to deliver the leadership you expect from your elected representatives, and together we can move our community forward responsibly. I’m going to conclude by saying this: attend public hearings and town council meetings, share your thoughts and serve on committees so that we can ensure the community works together to envision the Town’s next chapter of success.

C O M M U N I C A T I O N S

M A N A G E R E R I N P O M R E N K E

Erin Pomrenke has joined the Town of Kiawah Island as Communications Manager. Previously, she served for more than eight years as Communications Coordinator for Charles County Government in La Plata, Maryland, where she oversaw content development and was the primary editor for internal and external communications, including newsletters and press releases, among other responsibilities. She additionally gained valuable experience assisting with emergency preparedness and response communications and contributed to the county’s Social Media Playbook, which provided best industry practices for employees.

“I am excited to work with the Town of Kiawah Island to provide valuable communication for residents and visitors. Communication is vital in our connection to our community and world, and I look forward to using my experience in the public sector to continue that bridge alongside the Town’s communications and Arts Council teams,” said Pomrenke.

Erin's start date is March 20.

Quarterly Quarterly Public Public Safety Safety Message Message

Beware of Callers Seeking Money for Bail or Bank Accounts

Recently,wehaveseenanuptickinscamcallersaskingformoneyduetoa supposedly arrested relative. They claim that in order for this relative to make bail, they need money through gift cards or mobile apps such as Venmo or Cashapp. Recently, callers have asked individuals to pay an outstanding balance on a Citi Bank account in the name of the person being scammed. Always use caution when dealing with individuals requestingmoney,creditcardnumbersorgiftcards

LOCK IT or LOSE IT

Lastly, please remember to LOCK IT OR LOSE IT. Secure and lock personal items inside your vehicle whenever you leave your car parked in a public space.

Public Safety related questions can be directed to TOKI’s Director of Public Safety, Dr. Craig Harris, at charris@kiawahisland.org.

TOKI'S NEW WEBSITE TOKI'S NEW WEBSITE

The Town of Kiawah Island is excited to announce that its newly redesigned website will launch the first week of April. Town Staff and Revize (TOKI's web development partner) began the project in May 2022 with the goal of allowing residents, businesses, and visitors, both current and potential, to easily navigate and access information, interact with the Town through surveys and online comments and download any necessary documents.. In addition to making the Town's website more intuitive, it will also feature innovations that enhance its user experience. The following are just a few of the features you can expect:

Robust search function

Easy access to all meeting minutes and materials

Faster user experience

Revamped wildlife and native plant database

Easy-to-follow Town calendar

More effective emergency communication system

Ability to submit comments directly to the appropriate Town official

Streamlined registration process for Town notifications.

Improved archive functionality

Print-friendly documents

Optimized visual experience for the user

Short-Term Rental Short-Term Rental

Refresher Refresher

All short-term rental (STR) property owners are encouraged to follow protocols within the Town's short-term rental ordinance to prevent penalties. Click here to view the Town's current short-term rental ordinance. Below is an overview of short-term rental violations for 2022.

STR Violations Report for 2022

1,025 short-term rental inspections

80 short-term rental ordinance violations such as:

No permit/working without correct permit Contractor license violation Business licenses violation Lighting control nuisances

1,631 short-term rental violations

2022 TOKI Code Enforcement Activities:

2022 Barrier Island Code Enforcement Activities:

2022 Court Report 2022 Court Report

2022 Annual Court Report

citations issued regarding permit violations, business license violations, animal nuisance/alligator safety violations, noise violations, and lighting violations.

*Contract w/ TOKI for law enforcement services*

*Contract w/ TOKI for beach patrol and evening code enforcement services*

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 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.

Wildlife Wildlife Updates Updates

As part of the Kiawah Bobcat GPS Research Project, the world’s longest continuous study of its kind, Town Biologists have successfully conducted two trapping sessions for 2023. The first trapping session of the year was conducted from Jan. 31 to Feb. 10, and the most recent session took place Feb. 27 - Mar. 10. The last trapping session was conducted from Feb. 27Mar. 10. During these successful sessions, six bobcats were fitted with GPS collars:

Bobcat 125 (new): Adult Female, Parkside Villas, 15lbs, 5oz.

Bobcat 175 (recapture): Adult Female, Ocean Park, 15lbs, 14oz. Originally collared on 3/10/22 on Flyway Drive at 12lbs, 3oz (2022 Bobcat 900).

Bobcat 225 (new): Subadult Male, Preserve, 17lbs, 8oz.

Bobcat 275 (recapture): Adult Female, Captain Sams Spit, 16lbs, 10oz. Tagged as a kitten on 5/11/21 and on 2/8/22 on Flyway Drive (2022 Bobcat 850); offspring of 2021 Bobcat 300

Bobcat 325 (new): Adult Female, Flyway Drive, 17lbs.

Bobcat 210 (new): Juvenile Male, Ocean Park, 12.5 lbs.

Now in its 17th year, the study provides valuable data on bobcat survival, reproductive success, food habits, habitat use and movement patterns. Biologists have collared a total of 104 bobcats and obtained more than 200,000 individual GPS locations. Stay tuned for project updates and learn more about the study here.

225

275 325 210

Winter2023 Winter2023

DeerSpotlight DeerSpotlight SurveyData SurveyData

Since 1997, Town biologists have monitored Kiawah’s white-tailed deer population by conducting spotlight surveys to calculate the annual deer density estimate. These surveys are done twice yearly (fall, winter) and allow biologists to track deer population trends over time. The latest winter survey was conducted on January 18-19 and yielded a density of 80 deer per square mile. Kiawah’s deer population increased significantly beginning in 2017, due primarily to the decline of the Town‘s bobcat population. The 2022 deer density estimate of 80 per square mile is substantially lower than the 2021 estimate of 127, and shows the effectiveness of the Town’s deer harvest program, which was initiated in 2021. In order to keep deer numbers within the target population density of 60-80 deer per square mile, Town biologists recently conducted a deer harvest throughout the island, focusing on areas with highest deer concentrations and highest number of deer-vehicle collisions, and removed 80 deer. The Town donated a total of 2,475 pounds of venison to the following charitable organizations:

Little Rock Holiness Church (Cottageville, SC): 1,175 pounds

One80 Place (Charleston, SC): 1,300 pounds

See deer density data from previous years below

Town Hall Closures & Solid Waste Notices

April:

Holiday: Good Friday - No change in service

May:

Yearly change of service requests accepted from May 1 - May 31. New service change effective July 1.

Twice per week trash collection will begin May 5 for residents enrolled.

Holiday: Memorial Day - Town Hall closed. Carolina Waste will observe this holiday. See trash service changes below:

Monday's trash collection will take place Tuesday, May 30.

Tuesday's trash collection will take place Wednesday, May 31.

Wednesday's recycle will be collected on Thursday, June 1. There will be NO YARD DEBRIS pickup this week.

Friday's twice a week back door service will remain as scheduled.

June:

Shred Day: Thursday, June 1, 9 am - 12 pm at Town Hall

Brown Trash: Friday, June 2, 7:00 am, curbside.

Instructions on How to Stream:

Open the streaming service app (Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast, etc.) and log in (if necessary).

Enter the podcast name, "Sharing With The Community: A Podcast from the Town of Kiawah Island," within the search bar.

Select the desired podcast matching the title above, then press play to stream.

Be sure to press "follow" or "add to library" for easy access and to stay updated on new releases.

Any questions concerning the podcast can be directed to Sha' Graham at sgraham@kiawahisland.org.

For immediate access, click on the desired episodes below to stream.

KIAWAH ISLAND GOLF RESORT KIAWAH ISLAND GOLF RESORT

By Bryan Hunter, Director of Public Relations

Five-Star Dining at Kiawah Island Golf Resort

For the first time in its nearly 20-year history, The Ocean Room, Kiawah Island Golf Resort’s premier steakhouse, has earned the Five-Star rating from Forbes Travel Guide. In doing so, it joins The Sanctuary and The Spa at The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in being recognized by the world-renowned authority on excellence in hospitality. This marks the fifteenth consecutive year the luxury hotel and spa have earned the coveted distinction.

“We could not be more honored than to have The Ocean Room join The Sanctuary hotel and spa among the proud ranks of Five-Star honorees,” says The Sanctuary General Manager Bill Lacey. “I want to recognize the chefs and the entire front-of-house for their pursuit of culinary excellence that has resulted in this recognition. Being awarded Five Stars is a testimony to the tireless pursuit of excellence by everyone in the restaurant and throughout the hotel.”

With this recognition, The Ocean Room becomes the only restaurant in South Carolina to earn Five Stars, and is among only 79 restaurants globally to attain a Five-Star rating from Forbes Travel Guide.

The Forbes Travel Guide is the only independent global rating system for luxury hotels, restaurants and spas. To view the full Star Ratings for 2023 and learn more about how Forbes Travel Guide determines its Star Ratings, visit ForbesTravelGuide.com.

Begin your Five-Star dining experience by calling (843) 683-1234 to make a reservation.

Stay tuned for the release of the 2023 - 2024 season planner

GALLERY OF GALLERY OF THE QUARTER THE QUARTER

Dr. Craig Harris receiving recognition from the Federal Bureau of Investigation

Piano Bar w/ Glenn Brown

Julian Gargiulo performance

Photos provided by Dylan Keith, Sha' Graham, and Dr. Craig Harris

Designed by Sha' Graham