CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Mount Pleasant Town Council members met Monday to discuss the future of potential cruise ships being able to dock and disembark at Patriots Point.

This has become a controversial topic for the community and town council after the South Carolina Ports Authority decided to end a homeport cruising contract with Carnival Cruises to instead focus on the redevelopment of Union Pier. Community members spoke during the public comment session and said that they wanted cruise ships in Mount Pleasant because of the economic impact.

Benjamin Flowers Jr, the Vice President of the International Longshoreman Association Local 1422 in Charleston, said he was concerned about the number of jobs people would lose if the town didn’t allow for cruise ships to come to Mount Pleasant.

“We’re here because we’re concerned, number one, and I’ll be honest with you, we’re concerned about over 500 to 800 jobs per week that we might lose if Carnival leaves the Port of Charleston,” Flowers says. “The cruise, it really affects us because it’s a lot of job loss, it’s a lot of tax base that’s going to be lost from the community.”

He added that it’s important to keep being a part of the tourist industry and supporting the jobs for the community.

“We don’t want to see their jobs go away either, but as I mentioned, because of state law and availability of land and lack of infrastructure, those cruise ship-related jobs aren’t going to be able to come to Mount Pleasant,” Mayor Will Haynie says.

At the meeting, a representative from Patriot’s Point said there is no available land that they could use for cruise ships.

“This is the first time in my nine years as an elected official in Mount Pleasant that I have seen people advocating for something on someone else’s land. If the state ports authority or the Patriot’s Point development authority wanted cruise ships there, they would be in here talking about it,” Haynie says.

It was also discussed that there is a state law for Patriots Point that prohibits the use of anything related to passengers or cargo of ocean-going vessels. Haynie says that they have tour boats and water taxis there, but that those are not ocean-going vessels that take passengers away from Charleston.

Others who spoke during the public comment session expressed concerns about the increase in traffic. However, Jazzie Clay, a Charleston native and member of the ILA, doesn’t think that would be an issue.

“As far as the traffic, the traffic is going to be thick regardless of where, or what is in Charleston. They’re building everywhere, so what is the difference of building a hotel, an apartment complex, or relocating the cruise ships to Mount Pleasant?” Clay says.

Clay says she wouldn’t be opposed to the cruise ships being relocated to any other spots in the Charleston area, but she didn’t understand what the problem was for Mount Pleasant.

Town Council Member Guang Ming Whitley was not in favor of the cruise ships coming to Mount Pleasant and asked why Mount Pleasant should want to take this on.

“For me, the question is why did Charleston stop doing it?” Whitley says. “They didn’t want the cruise lines disembarking and embarking from Charleston, and that’s the primary issue here, is them thrusting upon our town and then we’re trying to be forced to take on what Charleston didn’t want.”

Haynie says that this discussion has not gone away and that they are trying to put it to rest and get the pressure off Patriots Point.

He says now they are waiting to hear back from the South Carolina Ports Authority as they requested for them to lay out their plans on the future of cruise ships.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCSC) - Residents in the Town of Mount Pleasant may soon see some traffic relief in the US Highway 17 and Rifle Range Road area.

They are entering the final design and permitting stages of Phase 4B of the Billy Swails Boulevard project. This phase will complete the Hungryneck Boulevard corridor and include a 10-foot-wide multi-use path extending Mount Pleasant Way. It will connect the end of I-526 to Porchers Bluff Road creating a grid of parallel routes at Bowman, Six Mile and Hamlin Roads. It will feature two lanes with a landscaped median and turn lanes. The project will extend Billy Swails Boulevard to run parallel to US 17 and Rifle Range Road between Six Mile Road and Hamlin Road. The ultimate goal is traffic relief on US Highway 17 and Rifle Range Road.

The corridor’s completion will make a route parallel to US 17 that runs about two-thirds of the entire length of the town.

Deputy Director of Engineering and Development Services James Aton believes the completion of this project will have a great benefit on the town.

“I think we’ll see a lot of improvements on the 17 corridor, in particular at the intersection of, of Hamlin and Brickyard at 17,” Aton says. “A lot of the traffic in the morning and afternoons is school-related coming from the Jenny Moore and Laing campuses. And with the completion of this segment, we’ll likely see a pretty high reduction on that side street approach and allow the 17 volumes to free up.”

He also says it will allow for more opportunities for things like emergency services.

“Having that redundant transportation network provides the ability, in the event of an accident, for traffic to pivot from one road to the other for emergency services to adequately respond and really alleviate some of the traffic concerns that we see on US 17 as well as the Rifle Range Road currently,” Aton says.

While the Billy Swails Boulevard project has been in the works since 2020, it still has not gotten off the ground. The project aims to alleviate congestion and enhance safety for both cars and pedestrians; however, receiving permitting approvals has taken much longer than anticipated. This is because of the effort to preserve the land for the Rifle Range Road Park.

Project leaders had to go through the National Environmental Protection Agency process because federal funds were involved. This took over two years to get approval because they had to go through a vetted review than what would typically have taken place.

While awaiting approval, the Town shifted its focus to construction on the Vaughn Ed Kee Parkway. This is a very similar project and a nearby road that was completed about six months ago. Officials with the Town are hopeful that the Billy Swails Boulevard project is finally moving along.

Currently, they are working through the last bits of permits with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and the US Army Corps.

Aton says that with how the permitting process looks now, he believes they should have it all wrapped up and the design completed in September. He anticipates they will be able to begin construction on the Billy Swails Boulevard project by December and that it will take approximately 18 months to complete.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Charleston County’s Finance Committee approved a request from Mount Pleasant for $1 million in funding for a pair of trail easements.

The Mount Pleasant Department of Capital Projects and Transportation asked the county for funding for the Long Point and Rifle Range Trails.

The Department of Capital Projects and Transportation requested $250,000 in funding for the Long Point Trail easement and $750,000 in funding for the Rifle Range Trail easement.

Both projects are part of the larger Mount Pleasant Way Master Plan, which is the 47-mile multi-use path program through that Capital Improvement Project.

The Long Point Trail path will be a 10 to 12-foot path along the Belle Hall Shopping Center side of Long Point Road from I-526 to Whipple Road.

The segment of the Rifle Range Trail proposes a 10 to 12-foot multi-use path along the west side of Rifle Range Road replacing the existing 5-foot sidewalk from Venning Road to Bragg Drive.

The trail projects are also a part of the Greenbelt Plan.

Charleston County Councilman and Finance Committee member Larry Kobrovsky had reservations but voted to approve the request.

“I feel Greenbelt money should be used to preserve our natural areas. keeping from development and maybe create natural areas for people to access, but again this was for not creating natural areas,” Kobrovsky said. “It was to expand a sidewalk from 5 to 10 feet. I just feel that’s not a Greenbelt Project, that’s a transportation issue.”

These plans aim to promote recreation, culture, and business growth in the town.

Mount Pleasant Capital Projects and Transportation Deputy Director James Aton says the trail projects are intended for non-motorized users. These trails will allow residents to use paths that link key portions of the town.

“It has been shown that these facilities do spur economic growth for existing businesses and promote the development of newer small businesses kind of really allowing for the generation of that along the path and adjacent to it,” Aton said.

Both trail segments are funded through Mount Pleasant’s Safe Streets and Roads for All federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, which requires the addition of public outreach and community meetings. The department will collect surveys to help determine the alignment, widths, and features of these paths.

“I think this is an absolutely great project, again, born from community input, really meant to connect community neighbors, the neighbors, get people out of their vehicles, improve health, air quality,” Alton said. “I think, you know, everyone that’s really worked on this project is fully committed to it every from the top to the bottom from the town administrator and our elected officials down to you know, our staff engineers that are doing the grunt work.”

The Charleston County Council will make the final decision on Tuesday.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD)- A push to bring a cruise ship terminal to Mount Pleasant was center stage at a public input meeting Monday morning.

Over a dozen people voiced their opinions. A few were opposed but the majority were in favor.

At the end of this year, cruise ships will no longer be able to dock at Union Pier in Downtown Charleston, as Carnival Cruise Line’s contract with the ports authority is set to expire.

Now some people are hoping Mount Pleasant will take over as the Lowcountry’s next cruise terminal.

Benjamin Flowers Jr. is the Vice President of the International Longshoreman’s Association, a union that hires people out to load and unload cruise passenger’s luggage.

“We’re concerned about over 500 to 800 jobs per week,” Flowers said.

With cruises leaving the downtown Charleston port, he’s worried about all of the workers who will soon be without a job.

“It really affects us because it’s a lot of jobs lost, it’s a lot of tax base that’s going to be lost from the community,” Flowers said.

Flowers says moving the terminal to Mount Pleasant would keep those people employed. He also argued that the terminal could be a major economic driver for Mount Pleasant.

However, town leaders like Mayor Will Haynie are opposed.

Haynie said during public input that Patriots Point doesn’t have any land left to accommodate a cruise docking.

Council member Jake Rambo agrees, “Cruise ships are not right for Mount Pleasant. I’ve heard resoundingly from our residents and citizens that this is not something they want for our town.”

Leaders also brought up a state law that prohibits cargo or passenger-related vessels from using Patriots Point.

Rambo says he thinks there are better options for a cruise terminal relocation, “I understand the union and the jobs that would be involved. I think there are better places, better fits for the cruise ships. I’m a resounding no.”

Flowers is asking council to take time to weigh the pros and cons before shutting the idea down completely.

“We’re here asking the town to at least consider all the relevant ideas or proposals that are on the table and don’t just say no without taking a really good look at it,” Flowers said.

After public input, council members took a vote to send a request to the Ports Authority, asking for their opinion on this issue.

Council also passed a resolution that supports the state law prohibiting ships at Patriot’s Point.

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MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCSC) - The Town of Mount Pleasant owes millions of dollars and counting to a developer and their lawyer in a years-long lawsuit over a breach of contract issue, but the town continues to hope for a reversal after two rulings against them.

The Shem Creek Development Group challenged the town with a lawsuit in 2017 after they alleged the town went back on a deal and put last minute restrictions on their build. The structure on Coleman Boulevard houses some offices and pay to park spaces for Shem Creek businesses.

After a 2020 trial laid out all the facts, the court ordered the town to pay the developer $2.6 million in damages and cover the developer’s legal fees. The town appealed the court decision and lost its appeal in 2024. During that time, the $2.6 million in damages was accruing interest, and the developer’s legal fees continued to pile up, hearing after hearing and filing after filing. As of April, the estimated interest on the damages is $1.2 million.

Brandon Gaskins, representing the Shem Creek Development Group says those interest rates fluctuate year to year, but will continue to apply every day the town continues the litigation.

As of April 22, the town has filed with the South Carolina Supreme Court asking them to review the issue. The town will continue to accrue interest on the damages while they wait to hear about a State Supreme Court review, and if their petition to reverse fails, they will be responsible for the damages and Gaskin’s continuing legal fees representing the developer through it all .

“We are pleased that the Court of Appeals upheld the trial court’s decision awarding damages for the Town’s breach of contract and bad faith actions. Unfortunately, my client’s gain comes at the expense of the Town’s hardworking taxpayers who have had to foot the bill for the poor decisions of their elected officials,” Gaskins says.

He estimates that at the current rates, the damages payment is going up $1,500 a day.

“The appeal alone has already cost taxpayers over $1 million in interest and attorney fees, while the ongoing pursuit of this will cost an additional $40,000-$50,000 a month,” Gaskins says.

The Town of Mount Pleasant did not comment, as is their policy on pending litigation, about the fees at this point in the case.

“We hoped the Court of Appeal’s decision will help Town Council see that it’s time to move on and allocate these resources toward more prudent areas like first responders, parks, and transportation projects,” Gaskins says.

But the town is pushing through. In 2020, the court ordered the town to cover the developer’s $298,000 in legal fees to pay Gaskins and he estimates billing nearly $98,000 during the appeals process into 2024. The town is on the hook for all of those fees.

Even if the town manages to get this case to the state supreme court, and clear the high hurdles to get a reversal, they have already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on their own legal fees. Records show that Mount Pleasant spent more than $282,450 on their own legal fees between 2017 and the trial. Continuing records show the town racked up more than $171,550 during the appeals process into 2024.

Gaskins says he and his client are in this until the end, but they hoped the appeal denial would be the end of the case.

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