Since May 2005 • Volume 20 • Issue 6 • mylolowcountry.com
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August 9, 2024
LOCAL NEWS
PRESORT STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID CHARLESTON, SC PERMIT NO. 137
SULLIVAN'S ISLAND ISLE OF PALMS GOAT ISLAND DEWEES ISLAND
POSTAL PATRON
THE SLAND EYE Wild Dunes Yacht Club Holds Change of Command Ceremony
LENS Foundation Provides Sullivan's Island Fire Back-to-School Boost for Department Shows Isle of Palms Heroes Support for Local Olympian
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VFW Post 3137 on Isle of Palms Wins All State and All-American Award for 8th Consecutive Year By Emily Shiffer For Island Eye News Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 3137 on Isle of Palms has been awarded the All-State and All-American awards for the eighth consecutive year. Located at 1004 Ocean Blvd., the Isle of Palms post earned both awards for outstanding membership numbers, recruitment, and volunteer/community service initiatives for veterans, active duty military members, and their families. Former Post Commander and Vietnam veteran Bo Stallings, who now serves as chairman of the post’s House Committee, explains that the AllAmerican awards were given to only 287 VFW posts nationwide out of more than 6,000, making the honor even more special. “It’s very special and hard to get,” said Stallings. “It’s a very prestigious award, and we’re proud of what we do.”
The VFW Post 3137 on Isle of Palms Credit: Laura Anderson
Post 3137 members serve the community in numerous ways,including flag recycling efforts, volunteering at Veterans Affairs Medical Centers, hosting weekly meals and events for veterans and their families, and more. The post welcomed its new commander, Bryan Brooks, an Army major combat engineer who served in Afghanistan, in June. With over 1,200 veteran members and more than 1,000 auxiliary members (immediate family of VFW members), Stallings notes that Post 3137 has the smallest square footage of any post in the state of South Carolina but boasts the most members. “Our motto is ‘Serving the living while honoring the dead.’ We plan to continue to do that for years to come,” said Stallings.
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IOP City Council Expresses Frustration with the Army Corps of Engineers By Joshua Uys For The Island Eye News On Tuesday, July 23, the Isle of Palms City Council discussed the imminent threat to structures and critical infrastructure on beachfront properties due to erosion events such as Hurricane Idalia, coastal flooding, storm surges, and king tides on the island’s southern end. A resident of Ocean Boulevard called on the council to pass an emergency ordinance to allow property owners near Breach Inlet to install revetments or seawalls for urgent erosion control. “It was recently communicated to the city that the Army Corps will start providing sand to Isle of Palms at the earliest in October, as opposed to June,” the resident said at the council meeting. “This change in circumstances puts the south end of the island in a dire position.” Ultimately, the emergency ordinance did not pass, with the council voting 5-3 against it. “We all know that a wall will, in fact, hurt neighboring properties in an erosional event,” said Councilman Blair Hahn. “So I can't support giving protection to one resident at the expense of the neighboring residents.” The city has decided to instead rely on sandbags as an erosion control measure until sand arrives from the Army Corps. A full sandbag revetment along the 13 beachfront properties between 130 and 304 Ocean Blvd. is estimated to cost $400,000. Steven Traynum with Coastal Science & Engineering recommended that the Isle of Palms pause beach scraping, which will save approximately $50,000 a month, and instead invest in sandbag revetment, assuming there might be another six-month delay from the Army Corps.