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VOLUME 18 ISSUE 15
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OCTOBER 18, 2024
A rendering of the future MUSC Health facility.
MUSC Health Kiawah Partners Pavilion closer to reality with $6 million donation BY FAITH ARENTH
For The Island Connection
K
iawah Partners and the Medical University Hospital Authority announced the closing of a conveyed land donation for the future MUSC Health Kiawah Partners Pavilion. The 3-acre parcel, valued at $6 million and generously donated by Kiawah Partners, will bring emergency and specialty care to the residents of Kiawah, Seabrook and Johns islands. The project, spearheaded by Kiawah Partners, will address the health care needs of the local barrier island communities. “We are very excited to be able to provide enhanced access to emergency, primary care and specialty services to the residents and visitors of the Sea Islands community,” said Patrick J. Cawley, M.D., CEO of MUSC Health and executive vice president for Health Affairs, University. “Once construction begins, the project is expected to take 15 to
18 months. Once opened, the facility will deliver stateof-the-art health care to meet the needs of the Seabrook, Kiawah and the Johns Island communities.” As part of MUSC Health’s broader strategy, the MUSC Health-Charleston Division has focused on improving community access and delivering local care across the greater Tri-County region and coastal communities to the north and south of Charleston. This approach enables the flagship facilities downtown to offer specialized and complex care, while enhancing overall accessibility and continuity of care for patients and families, especially in underserved areas. Since 2019, four new multispecialty ambulatory care centers have opened in West Ashley, North Charleston and Mount Pleasant, expanding the reach of high-quality care. “This project was initiated to meet the immense need for medical services for this important community. With
Power at a Price
CHARGING AN EV ON KIAWAH IS NO LONGER FREE BY THERESA STRATFORD
I
For The Island Connection
f you didn’t take advantage of the Town of Kiawah Island’s free electric vehicle charging while you had the chance, well, the proverbial party is over. Owners of EVs in and around Kiawah Island will now have to pay to power up at the Town’s charging station. The Town’s Operations Manager, Michael Nardelli, presented the options for EV charging payments at the October 1 Town Council meeting. But before he presented the payment options, he provided some important data that has been collected since the chargers were installed on June 21. Two dual port BLINK EV charging stations were installed at the Municipal Center in April of 2024. At that time, the service to use the charging stations was free for up to 90 days. The Town decided to offer the service for free so (continued on page 2) that they could track data. Since completion of the 90 days, the
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no convenient emergency health care options currently available, we have been working for almost 10 years to figure out a way to bring accessible health care to the Sea Islands,” said Chris Randolph, a partner with South Street Partners. “This is a very important and momentous step in the development process of the medical facility. It also serves as confirmation of our commitment to this development since we have conveyed this $6 million parcel of land as a donation to MUSC. We feel very grateful to partner with such an excellent health care system.” Of the estimated $30 million needed to fund the project, MUSC Health is committed to raising $17 million in private support. To date, it has received more than $11 million in confirmed gifts, many of which have come from area residents.
Rules Set Ahead of Public Hearing on Short-Term Rentals BY THERESA STRATFORD
I
For The Island Connection
n anticipation of the October 15 public hearing regarding short-term rental policies on Seabrook Island, the Town Council took it upon themselves to set some boundaries about how the meeting will go. In their regular Town Council meeting on September 24, Mayor Bruce Kleinman proposed a short set of rules for public hearings held outside of special called meetings. He mentioned that their current ordinance related to the rules for public
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hearings wasn’t sufficient. “The ordinance doesn’t even specify that a public hearing could be conducted as a stand-alone meeting as part of the special called meeting,” he said. Kleinman proposed the following: • There should be one public hearing for all four of the ordinances related to the short-term rental policy. • There should be a five-minute time limit for comments. • The mayor (continued on page 3) will have
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