Town clerk retires after 26 years on job
Mayor Lisa Sulka, Bluffton Town Council members and staff honored Sandra Lunceford at its Nov. 8 meeting for her nearly 26 years of service as Bluffton’s clerk. Lunceford retired on Oct. 20.
Lunceford has worked for the town of Bluffton since 1991, working with four town managers, five mayors and dozens of council members.
“Sandra has literally been a witness to Bluffton’s history. When she started, the town was 1-square mile and had more than 700 residents. Today, it is about 54 square miles with an estimated population of 19,000. Sandra has personally filed thousands of documents which detail each step of Bluffton’s story,” Sulka said.
“If there is anyone who made you feel at home at Town Hall, that is Sandra,” town Manager Marc Orlando said. “Sandra has a deep love for Bluffton and it showed in her daily dedication to her job and her colleagues. It was my honor to work with Sandra for more than a decade. I am grateful for her support throughout my career and as town manager. She will be missed.”
Kim Chapman, formerly deputy town clerk, has been named as the new town clerk. Chapman has worked for the town since 2007, working with Mayors Hank Johnston and Lisa Sulka and for three town managers. Chapman is a graduate of the South Carolina Municipal Clerks and Treasurers Institute.
Police Department is collecting toys
The Bluffton Police Department is sponsoring a Christmas Toy Drive for local children. This will be the second year officers have sought donations for the holiday.
The goal is to provide gifts for local children who wouldn’t otherwise receive anything Christmas morning.
A partnership with LowCountry Community Church resulted in the creation of Operation REACH, an effort inside the church where members fill shoeboxes of toys and personal hygiene items. These shoeboxes will supplement the police department’s toy drive, and others will be donated to various organizations throughout Bluffton.
Between now and Friday, Dec. 16, the police department will be accepting unwrapped toys, jackets, hats and gloves for children ages 0-14.
Toiletry items and wrapping paper are also welcome to be donated as part of the program. Due to a community toy drive earlier this summer, the department has a number of stuffed animals to provide families, so those are not needed.
“Providing gifts for these children who wouldn’t receive anything otherwise is the true meaning of Christmas,” said Chief Joey Reynolds. “We are blessed this department provides a program like this. We are also very thankful to the LowCountry Community Church and Lowcountry Law Enforcement Officers Association who help us each year.”
To contribute, drop off donations at the Bluffton Police Department Law Enforcement Center (101 Progressive St./Buckwalter Place) or Bluffton Town Hall (20 Bridge St.).
Made in the South winners announced
Garden & Gun recently announced the winners of its seventh annual Made in the South awards, presented by Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton, celebrating and encouraging Southern craftsmen who make products in six categories: food, drink, style, outdoors, home and crafts.
“Artisans and entrepreneurs continue to fuel the South’s creative engine, and nowhere is this more apparent than in our Made in the South Awards,” said David DiBenedetto, editor in chief of Garden & Gun. “This year the level of quality, craftsmanship and creativity displayed in the entries really wowed the editors and the judges.”
Locally, Jery Bennett Taylor Baskets on St. Helena Island was recognized in the Crafts category.
Debris removal on private roads underway
Debris removal from Hurricane Matthew is underway on Beaufort County private roads and rights-of-way, including those in gated communities. The county’s contractor is Ceres Environmental.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency requires that the county receive completed right-of-entry agreements before entering upon any private roads and rights-of-ways.
As of Nov. 14, the county has approved debris removal operations for 35 gated communities: Battery Point, Bloody Point, Callawassie Island POA, Cane Island Retreat, City Walk Homeowners Association, Inc., Dataw Island, Distant Island, Edgefield, Fernlakes, Fripp Island, Hidden Lakes, Inlet at Bermuda Bluff, Live Oaks at Battery Creek Homeowners Association, Inc., Marshes at Lady’s Island Homeowner’s Association, Overlook at Battery Creek Community Association Inc., Picket Fences, Pinckney Retreat Community Association, Pine Forest, Pleasant Point, Port Royal Landing, Ribaut Island Regime Owners Association, River House Plantation Community Association, River Oaks Owners Association, Rose Hill Plantation POA, Shammy Creek, Spring Island, Tansi Village, The Farm at Buckwalter, Tuxedo Park Community Association, Vivian’s Island Property Owners Association Inc., Walling Grove Owners Association, Willow Point, Windmill Harbour, Wright’s Point and the Yacht Club Estates Homeowner’s Association.
There are nine gated communities pending approval. They are Cat Island, Harbor Island, Heyward Point, Melrose, Rose Dhu, Shady Glen Mfg. Housing Community, Stock Farms, The Crescent POA and Victoria Bluff.
Currently, Ceres has removed more than 300,000 cubic yards of debris from public and private roads and rights-of-way throughout the county. At this time, the cleanup effort is expected to last four to six months.
In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, debris removal operations will temporarily discontinue from Wednesday, Nov. 23, through Friday, Nov. 25, and will restart on Saturday, Nov. 26.
To expedite recovery, officials encourage residents to follow curbside debris removal guidelines for the separation and removal of debris.
Residents are encouraged to visit the Beaufort County disaster recovery website at beaufortcountydisasterrecovery.net.
Online public auction to be held Dec. 5
At 1 p.m. on Dec. 5, the Beaufort County Treasurer’s Office will conduct a live online public auction through Meares Auction Group for delinquent properties owned by Daufuskie Embarkment LLC, FIG Daufuskie 1 LLC, FIG Beach Cottages LLC, and FIG Beach Club LLC, as a result of a fraudulent tax payment.
Properties will be auctioned through a live online public auction with bidder registration beginning at noon Monday, Nov. 21.
Additional information may be obtained at BeaufortCountyTreasurer.com.
Asphalt paving to affect two roads
The Lane Construction Corp will conduct asphalt paving operations on Shanklin Road from U.S. 21 to Laurel Bay and on Grober Hill Road from Parris Island Gateway to Savannah Highway.
Work will take place from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday, Nov. 18. There will be lane closures, but traffic will be maintained through the use of traffic control devices.
Motorists are asked to use caution when driving through the work zone.
County to help with feral cat colonies
Beaufort County Animal Services recently presented an official Feral Cat Permit to the Dataw Island Feline Foundation, Inc. (DIFF), for the feral cat colonies on Dataw Island in Beaufort.
This permit allows a county team to utilize GPS to locate feral cat colonies throughout Beaufort County, with the purpose of caring for them after an evacuation situation such as a hurricane.
A Beaufort County Animal Shelter team, including supervisor Stephanie Brumley, is activated 48 hours after evacuations conclude (the first two days will involve only humans in need), to attempt to re-establish feral cat colonies, providing them with food, water and emergency care.
As soon as possible after Hurricane Matthew, BCAS headed to Dataw Island for this purpose.
Board member named to community foundation
Kim Kord has been elected to the board of directors of Community Foundation of the Lowcountry.
She currently serves as executive vice president and manager of CoastalStates Bank’s commercial lending operations in Hilton Head, a position which she’s held since 2009.
Prior to that, Kord held positions of increasing responsibility at National City Bank of Indiana (now PNC) in Indianapolis. She left that organization as executive vice president and division manager of their commercial real estate division.
Kord’s past community involvement includes board membership with the American Liver Foundation, Pleasant Run Children’s Home, BOS Community Development, United Way of Central Indiana and YWCA of Central Indiana.
On Hilton Head, she serves or has served on the boards of Indigo Run Community Owners Association and Broad Pointe Owners’ Association. For many of these organizations she has served as treasurer.
Visit www.cf-lowcountry.org.
