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Residents urge community input for St. Helena youth center, call for road safety barriers and transparency on Pine Island
Summary
Three residents spoke during public comment, asking for community input on a proposed Phase 1 youth and community center on Saint Helena Island, barriers along Club Bridge Road, and 'total transparency' from the county regarding the Pine Island development; they also urged CPO matters remain public.
Three residents used the meeting's public-comment period to press the council for community input, road-safety improvements and full transparency on a high-profile development.
Miss Major, introduced by the chair as the first public commenter, thanked the council for the idea of building a Phase 1 youth and community center on Saint Helena Island and asked that residents be allowed to provide input on what will happen in the building and how it will be designed: "our prayer is that we as a community get the opportunity to give input as to what will happen in that building and how it's going to be designed."
Lily Harris, who identified herself during remarks, raised a safety concern about Club Bridge Road on Saint Helena Island, saying she has lived in the area 65 years and has never seen barriers along the road where a creek runs on both sides: "what I'm wanting to know, is if this council is in charge of that or who do I go to to bring that concern, of getting barriers along Club Bridge Road." Harris also said she hopes the council's selection of a development attorney will prioritize the CPO, residents and the culture of St. Helena, and she urged that matters concerning the CPO continue to be discussed with the public rather than behind closed executive sessions.
The final commenter, introduced by the chair as Robert New, urged "total transparency on this process," alleging the "Fiasco of Pine Island" stemmed from a previous county administrator who "cut a backroom deal with this developer" and calling for open meetings whenever the county meets with a developer so the public can see and comment.
The comments came before the council moved into executive session later in the meeting; the transcript records no direct council response to the allegations about Pine Island during the public-comment period. The chair later announced that public hearing dates for development agreements and zoning map amendments will be set at the Aug. 11 meeting.
