Fall has come to our Island and the days are growing shorter, visitors are fewer, and the air is crisp and cool . While the pace of Island life may be slower, Town Council has been busy. I wanted to write a brief update on some items that may be of interest.

SIES – Ordinance 2011-5 was ratified on October 18th after 3 readings and much public discussion. It is posted on the Town’s website. We recently received and posted to the Town website the summary of all comments submitted from the September 22nd meeting CCSD held at Sunrise Presbyterian. I am looking forward to the next meeting (date TBD) to see where the design team can refine and improve the school building even further to serve out community and the students.  The project is a CCSD building and their website www.ccsd-schools.com has the most up to date information under Capital Projects, then select Southern Management link, SIES is there to click through.  The monthly reports and construction schedule is worth a look – lots of valuable information.

Accreted Land Management - The Council will hold a Workshop Friday November 4th at Town Hall from 2:30pm to 5:00pm to continue discussion of the accreted land management plan.

Town Hall and Police Department (Civic Needs Assessment) – Council has recently extended the lease on the trailers we are currently using for Town Hall and the Police Department behind the Fire Station.  The initial lease was for 6 months and it has been extended another 18 months.  We hope to have some data to consider on the space requirements and functional needs before the end of the year from Creech and Associates the firm selected to provide that assessment.  As we are presented with additional information I will make sure to pass it along. I am interested to hear if residents like the current temporary location, does it have benefits or drawbacks from your persepective vs the old location? Send me an email, let me know.

Stith Park Tennis and Basketball Re-design – The engineering or design portion is in process.

Commercial District Overlay (amending Chapter 21 – Zoning) – The first reading of this Ordinance 2011-6 was approved October 18th by Title only.

Financial Transparency - The Town Council adopted a policy of posting the Monthly Town Financial Statements to our website. This policy provides an opportunity for residents to monitor our Town spending monthly as it is being reported.   We also enacted a Fund Balance Policy that ensures financially responsible management practices are followed.

If you have a suggestion or an issue to pass along, please let me know.

See you around the Island.

I am striving to meet the goals I set during the campaign.

Open Communication – I will listen to you and keep you informed of key issues and important decisions before they happen.

Financial transparency, It’s our money – We must work towards posting all of our spending online and seek meaningful community input to make sure the Town’s budget priorities match the community’s expectations.

Small town, Small government – Our Town can and should be a model of efficient and effective operations that embraces technology.

Support for our School and Recreation– I will support our elementary school being rebuilt on the island and will speak up on behalf of maintaining our recreational resources and the events we enjoy.

Planning for the Future - A coordinated road map with figures and a timeline to move us forward on our Business District Plan, Paid Parking Plan, Accreted Land Plan and plans for the future of Town Hall to keep us accountable and focused.

Please email me with questions, comments or your ideas and sign up for emails so you can hear the latest public news from the Town Council meetings.

If you have thoughts about an issue – I would love to hear from you today:

HartleyForSI@gmail.com