James Island public works reports near‑completion of Ocean View drainage work; radar signs, vac truck and other drainage efforts underway

Town staff told the council the Ocean View drainage project is near completion but a final Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) inspection remains pending because a contractor maintenance road has not stabilized following repeated unauthorized vehicle use.

Council said property owners previously agreed to the town installing a gate and barriers to prevent vehicles from using the maintenance road; staff thanked deputies for extra patrols in the area. Public works reported the contractor had installed additional barriers and staff expected the SWPPP inspection and final closeout within a few weeks when warmer weather stabilizes the area.

Staff provided updates on other drainage and public‑works matters: two damaged fences remain to be repaired on the Woodhaven drainage project; sidewalk work on Regatta is complete; a Transportation Sales Tax (TST) request for $669,000 has been submitted to support neighborhood sidewalk work and town staff are pursuing a partnership with the City of Charleston on a neighbors’ driveway/sidewalk project.

A vac truck is scheduled to be available to the town for a day in March so staff can clean culverts, observe the equipment in operation and assess requirements for a future in‑house vac truck. Staff also noted drainage hot spots at Trafalgar (where some property owners declined ditch cleaning), Foxcroft and Grand Concourse (a City of Charleston responsibility with an existing work order), Prescott/Bradford/Chandler (studying long‑term fixes), and Schooner Road (ongoing concerns).

Separately, staff said the town is replacing a damaged radar speed sign on Fort Johnson and preparing a SCDOT permit application for a new radar sign on Dills Bluff Road at a dangerous curve.

Council members and committee chairs reported broader stormwater work and community initiatives: stormwater project spending was a major capital outlay in the prior fiscal year, and council said ongoing work has reduced the number of drainage complaints. Troy (committee speaker) and staff said improvements to the town’s floodplain management program had contributed to a Community Rating System change that yields an estimated 5% additional flood insurance savings for residents, which council suggested should be publicized outside the limitations of the accommodations‑tax marketing funds.