Mortgage Broker in Isle of Palms, SC

ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCIV) — *Story posted March 1, 2023* Beach goers at the Isle of Palms will be happy to hear that the Isle of Palms County Park opens back up today, March1, after being closed for the past two months,.

The park has been closed since Jan. 1 for major renovations to the facilities like the boardwalk and beach access points, all in an effort to make the island more accessible to all.

According to Charleston County Parks and Recreation, some of the biggest changes to the park include railings near the boardwalk and around the park center, as well as completely re doing the ramp for beach access from the park.

Read More: Isle of Palms County Park temporarily closing for renovations

These changes were made so that all facilities are up to American Disabilities Act standard.

The plan to improve the accessibility of the park has been in the works for over a year now and officials say they are excited for people to see the revamped facilities.

“We have been planning this work specifically here at Isle of palms for over a year and getting everything ready so that we could be closed for a very short time and get all the work done that we wanted to make happen. So that we could open back up and have all of our [facilities] be able to meet all of those ADA standards and be ready to welcome the public back in,” Park Manager Cynthia Wilson said.

While the county park officially opens back up today, portions such as the main beach/boardwalk access point will still be closed as they finish up renovations. Beach goers will be directed to the new ramp access.

Read More: New beach boardwalk ramp completed at Isle of Palms County Park

Some of the minor improvements county officials say they will continue to work on at the park include installing even more handrails by the boardwalk and replacing the current shower system.

This park has not been the only one to get an improvement in Charleston County recently.

These changes have been by the help of state officials who, like Charleston County, have been making a commitment to accessibility and quite literally put their money where their mouth is to help places across the lowcountry.

In total the state department of parks and recreation gave just under half a million dollars to Lowcountry parks for improvements.

Read More: CARTA launches seasonal Beach Reach program; hopes to expand

In Charleston, Fort Pemberton received $261,000 for public access improvements- just around half of what the Isle of Palms County Park got to make their boardwalk more accessible.

In addition to these projects, the town of Edisto received $125,000 to resurface it's bike paths around public parks.

Charleston County officials say this commitment by the state helps city open their arms to people of all accessibilities.

“We're doing all of this work to make sure, yes, that we meet our ADA standards. But in doing that, what our hope is, is that we do become more inviting for the public to come in. We want folks with every type of ability to be able to access and enjoy our parks. That was the driving force behind the renovations that we have done,” Wilson said.

Officials said the federal land and water conservation fund, which has been the main funding to a lot of these projects, will support 13 recreation projects across South Carolina, as the state department of parks and recreation has announced $4.2 million in grants in total.

ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCSC) - The Isle of Palms City Council is looking for the right person to fill its newly created short-term rental coordinator position.

By the end of Tuesday’s council agenda meeting, they had unanimously voted to create a short-term rental coordinator position and advanced a proposal on first reading 6-3 to increase the rental application.

Councilman Scott Pierce says he has been supporting an STR coordinator for years.

“We needed more staff to help manage the whole short term rental license process,” Pierce says. “We have a fairly significant revenue stream being generated off the island probably in excess of $100 million from the short term rental community.”

He referenced peer communities like Mount Pleasant, that have a full-time position for 400 licenses and Folly Beach that is creating an STR department to manage their licenses.

“We’re approaching 1800, I think the last count was 1700, representing 39% of our dwelling units,” Pierce says. “We do not have not any dedicated staff to manage that whole process. So we’ve got it now, it’s being done.”

As for the proposed increase to the STR application, Pierce says that vote was only a first reading. The topic will come back to council for more discussion.

“We’ve proposed a $200 increase on the application fee for short term rental licenses,” he says. “And so that would fund the position as well as some of the software that we’re looking to implement and also some surrounding administrative functions that go along with it.”

Isle of Palms does not have any laws limiting STR numbers, which has been a topic of conversation across Lowcountry towns and on Isle of Palms at past meetings.

The town, like most others, does have regulations on the properties.

Pierce acknowledges there are differences of opinion on council about how to best interact with STRs.

“I think this function that we’re talking about here today on the short-term rental coordinator and having us get some resources finally around that should be done regardless of what happens eventually with the number of short term rentals allowed,” Pierce says.

Pierce says he is looking forward to working with the STR coordinator to track trends and organize the way the city interacts with the business.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

ISLE OF PALMS — Islanders here may have to learn to live with the resident coyotes as shooting the species is illegal on the island, and trapping is the only other option.

Officials don’t know exactly how many coyotes live on Isle of Palms, but most of them linger near the Wild Dunes area.

Twelve sightings were documented so far this year. And 59 were counted in 2022, according to Ryan Warren, an animal control officer on the island.

But the invasive predators have a presence in each of the state’s counties. The species is extremely adaptable and detrimental to deer, turkey and other native animals.

Between 20,000-25,000 coyotes are taken annually in the state.

Summertime is when Isle of Palms animal control officers get the most calls about coyote sightings. Visitors often report the coyotes because they don’t realize the animals are residents on the island, Warren said Feb. 22 at a meeting on how to deal with the animals.

“We’re definitely pushing for people to call more,” Warren said. “So maybe that might be why we have more sightings or maybe there’s more out there.”

The city tries to alert residents and visitors of the animals through its website and occasionally on Facebook. And Warren said they will consider adding signs in the area, too.

Coyote dens might be spotted in a number of locations.

In flat areas like Isle of Palms, it is common to see a den dug up under roots of a fallen tree, in brush areas and on the sides of banks, according to Jay Butfiloski, the furbearer coordinator for the state Department of Natural Resources.

The animals are also known to wander in the dunes on the beach here.

In 2021, a 2-year-old Boykin Spaniel was attacked by four coyotes in the sand dunes on Isle of Palms.

Also in 2021, a Mount Pleasant man said coyotes were to blame for the death of two of his cats in the fenced Sandpiper Point II neighborhood.

Missing or deceased pets are good indicators that coyotes could be nearby.

Officials believe the coyotes on Isle of Palms could be coming from Mount Pleasant and other areas.

The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway between Mount Pleasant and Isle of Palms is not a barrier for the animals, as they can easily cross it, Butfiloski said.

He recommends people do a number of things to protect themselves and their pets from coyotes.

First, people should keep pets on short leashes and don’t leave them unattended outside where coyotes are known to roam the area.

Habitat management can be considered as a control method, too, Butfiloski said.

Clearing out brush in areas that are highly traveled, like in parks and even yards, could prove beneficial. It will reduce the habitat for the small mammals that coyotes prey on and also prevent them from hiding.

The biggest issues with coyotes in developed areas is typically food and trash-related, though. People are encouraged not to leave food outdoors for feral cats, pets or other wild animals.

“That allows a free meal, it allows them (coyotes) to kind of get habituated to people, and that’s where things get to be a problem,” he said.

While more calls come in about coyote sightings on the Isle of Palms during tourist season, statewide coyote sightings are typically higher in the wintertime, partly due to vegetation, lost foliage and increased breeding activities and movements.

There tends to be a decrease in sightings in the summer when the animals are pup rearing.

“When the pups are young, they’re like kids. They don’t care if they’re very visible whenever a den is nearby,” Butfiloski said. “But it might not be an indicator (that) you’ve got a whole bunch more.”

No hunting license or permit is required in South Carolina for people to shoot coyotes on their property within 100 yards of the home. But local municipalities may have other regulations.

Night hunting is permitted on registered properties or with a depredation permit. Trapped coyotes may not be relocated.

ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCBD) – Isle of Palms City Council heard from residents about Friday’s beach shooting and also discussed potential changes coming to the Isle of Palms (IOP) Connector.

The special meeting was scheduled prior to last Friday’s shooting that left five people wounded. Some neighbors attended to share their thoughts on the shooting.

“Awesome shoutout to our first responders who got in last Friday’s continuous,” Isle of Palms resident Al Klaus said, “contentious world of reality that we live in.”

For neighbors like Terry McGowan, who experienced the shooting first-hand while walking with his wife on the beach.

“This incident has left us both traumatized,” McGowan said.

He is asking for action to be taken to prevent something similar from happening in the future.

“We believe it’s imperative for council to address the root causes of these flash mobs and improve city services,” McGowan said.

After public comments, council began discussing results of a survey distributed by the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) regarding possible lane configuration changes for the IOP Connector.

“The report that’s in our packet summarizes about 3300 survey responses after scrubbing through duplicates,” Isle of Palms Mayor Phillip Pounds said.

Of those 3300 responses, 48 percent were IOP residents. Their top two concerns are traffic congestion and the safety of bicyclists and pedestrians.

“Participants priority ranking item on the bridge primarily focused on reducing traffic congestion and improving safety,” Pounds said.

From the five potential changes SCDOT proposed last December, Concept Five was the most popular choice.

“Concept Five,” Pounds said, “which you may remember adds a lane capacity on the bridge by adding a second lane toward Mount Pleasant, received the highest rating with 50 percent of the respondents rating it four stars or higher.”

And many councilmembers appear to be in favor of that option as well.

“With the alternatives that have been proposed by DOT,” Isle of Palms Councilwoman Jan Anderson said, “there’s one that provides additional capacity on the road that will help relieve traffic congestion, and that’s option five.”

Mayor Pounds says any changes made to the IOP Connector will likely come after the summer.

ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCBD)- People living on and visiting the Isle of Palms will soon be able to try their hand at the fastest-growing sport in America.

The city will open two new pickleball courts on April 17 at 10:00 a.m. at the Recreation Center on the corner of Harnett Boulevard and 27th Avenue.

Invented in 1965, pickleball is a paddle sport that combines elements of badminton, tennis, and ping pong. It has skyrocketed in popularity in recent years with participation increasing by 158.6 percent over the past three years, according to a report by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association.

“The adult and youth tennis program were already very popular here,” Recreation Department Director Karrie Ferrell said. “Pickleball is another great fitness option and perfect for families to enjoy. It’s also a great way to meet other players, whether residents or visitors on the island. We hope our guests enjoy the new, vibrant courts beneath the historic oak trees.”

The courts — which began construction last fall — will create a dedicated playing space for the game so that “IOP residents and visitors will no longer need to convert tennis courts to play,” according to city officials.

“Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the U.S., and has certainly grown tremendously in popularity on the Isle of Palms in recent years,” Councilmember and Chair of the Public Services and Facilities Committee Rusty Streetman said. “These two courts are totally dedicated to pickleball, but the tennis court can still be utilized for pickleball as needed, to meet the needs of our growing community.”

Individual and group pickleball lessons will be offered to players at beginner and intermediate levels, or players can join the Isle of Palms’ social pickleball league starting in the fall.

In addition to the pickleball courts, the city will also unveil newly-renovated basketball courts at the recreation center. According to officials, the basketball courts are now regulation-sized and have been graded and crowned for proper drainage and water runoff.

“We needed to expand our offerings for this fast-growing sport [pickleball] while still providing room for our tennis and basketball lovers,” IOP Mayor Phillip Pounds said. “Our Rec Center continues to be a great gathering spot for all. We aim to enhance everyone’s experience. There are a couple of other projects for our Rec Center on the drawing board, hopefully coming soon.”

All recreation center courts operate on a first-come, first-served basis, but are closed during private and group lessons.