|
Wishing All a Healthy, Happy, Productive and Prosperous 2105
We have a lot to do this year and I hope I can continue to generate your support, answer
your questions and take your views into consideration as we move forward
I believe a principal goal for the City of Beaufort in 2015 should be continuing to achieve growth while maintaining our special hometown character. In support of this goal, the new year will see the initiation of several long awaited and finally funded capital projects such as the Boundary Street Redevelopment, Allison Road storm water repairs with a bike/pedestrian path linking Ribaut Road to the Spanish Moss Trail, a new fire station, completion of the Beaufort Code, encouraging private investment along the Boundary Street corridor and throughout the City, strengthening the greater downtown area through infill and redevelopment and yes . . . exploring a comprehensive parking program, not just for Bay Street but for the greater downtown. And let's not forget completing the mooring field and the day dock for which we have most of the funding but must find a grant to fill the gap before we invest in engineering and construction for the dock.
Then there are the promised, planned and long anticipated improvements to Southside Park, bathrooms in the Washington Street Park and long term plans and funding maintenance of state owned infrastructure assets (sidewalks, rights of way, storm water ditches and underground systems) that, unfortunately, I do not believe the State will address. This is to say nothing about a long term maintenance plan and establishing a necessary fund to prepare for anticipated repairs to the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park which is a jewel for the region.
Perhaps the most trans-formative initiative is a proposed partnership with the Beaufort County Open Land Trust, the City of Beaufort and hopefully Beaufort County, through its Rural and Critical Lands Program and private donations, to expand Battery Park (with Civil War assets) which will transform our "Anyplace, USA" gateway to our Historic Hometown into an entrance of the type it deserves and one fitting our character of open vistas like Bellamy Curve, the Bluff on Bay Street and the new open space overlooking Factory Creek on the Lady's Island side of the Woods Bridge.
On the private sector side, there are two affordable housing projects with about ninety residential units in the queue, over 100 new market rate if not luxury apartments being planned and three new residential neighborhoods in the planning stages. This does not include what appears to be an accelerated effort by individual families to create infill on vacant lots in the greater downtown. And there are a number of new commercial enterprises on the drawing board.
None of this will happen without intergovernmental and private sector collaboration and funding. Is it ambitious? Yes! Can we do it? Yes! Because it is what our hometown deserves and we are obligated to do our best to achieve it for today's generation and the next.
Our new City Council, including Stephen Murray and Phil Cromer, two extraordinary individuals who bring private and public sector expertise to the Council, will start the new year facing the challenges of finding a new city manager, tweaking, if not overhauling and/or unleashing our Redevelopment Commission with adequate funding and staff to do what it is supposed to do, holding the line on the City budget while trying to accomplish more with flat revenues, after two years of falling income. (We must find additional funding for the public works department whose budget has taken the largest hit among city departments.)
And finally, in 2015 I plan to personally remain as engaged in as many activities as possible throughout the city and greater community, reaching out to those who do not live in the City but who have a lot to contribute and are some of our most important customers.
With your help, I plan to reach beyond the more than 5,000 people to whom I send my weekly (most of the time) newsletter because I find that by tossing out ideas, sometimes simply to test them because they may be different or new, I get feedback (sometimes more than I can handle through emails) that helps me be even more responsive, transparent and do my job better.
If you are not on the email newsletter list and want to be, shoot me an email at billyk@islc.net. If you know families and/or friends or colleagues who may be interested please invite them to join. Since my "open rate" is consistently higher than industry standards, I would like to think the investment serves a useful purpose.
I love the honor of being the Mayor of my hometown and remain committed to running full speed ahead until it is time for someone else to take the helm.
| 
