Former Bluffton Mayor Salka praises council, credits staff amid rapid growth

Lisa Salka, the former mayor of Bluffton, praised the town's growth and credited municipal staff and private partners for preserving a landmark barn and enabling redevelopment at a public appearance in the Palmetto Bluff area. She said she returned "post mayor" to support the current council and mayor and to see the finished project.

Salka recalled that the idea for the site began "back probably 1718," and said the land was long known locally for its barn and proximity to New Riverside. She said there had been "a lot of behind the scenes work with the county and even the state to possibly turn this into condos," and credited town manager Mark Orlando and Palmetto Bluff for working with the town to purchase the site.

"This was a boujee barn," Salka said, describing the structure's condition before renovation and contrasting it with farms where she grew up. She singled out a town staff member, saying, "Pat Rooney's thumbprint is on every inch of this," crediting Rooney and his staff for the project's design and finish.

Salka also placed local change in a regional context, referencing statewide population growth. "Governor McMaster said the whole state is growing. 80,000 new people moved here last year in our state," she said, using that figure to explain development pressures and the need to manage growth.

She said the council has been "amazing at looking at helping quality in areas of growth," and described the finished site and surrounding area as "the largest growth area in probably the county." No formal motions, votes, or policy actions were announced during the exchange.

The segment concluded with brief thanks and light-hearted remarks about relocation and age. The appearance was a public-facing event; there was no meeting agenda or formal decision taken on the topics discussed.