In The News
What would you say is the "Happiest Seaside Town" in the USA?
Well, it's Kiawah Island, S.C., according to Coastal Living Magazine's new rankings.
The list was compiled using a complicated formula involving editors' picks, the Gallup Healthways Well-Being Index, sunny days, beach quality, low crime, commute time, education of residents and other factors. The other waterfront places where life is supposedly a smiley face:
2. Naples, Fla.
3. Sausalito, Calif.
4. Lake Bluff, Ill.
5. Tiburon, Calif.
6. Laguna Beach, Calif.
7. Half Moon Bay, Calif.
8. Chatham, Mass.
9. Jupiter, Fla.
10. Lahaina, Hawaii
11. Marblehead, Mass.
12. Stinson Beach, Calif.
(Photo provided by Squire Fox for Coastal Living 2012)
Ordinance 2012-03 HVAC Setback Exceptions
Town Council recently passed an ordinance that would allow HVAC equipment and stands to extend up to 5 feet into the side or rear setbacks when certain conditions are met for the replacement of HVAC equipment which was originally placed below an existing structure and is now required to be elevated to meet the requirements of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Town of Kiawah Island Building Code.
Click here to view Ordinance 2012-03 HVAC Setback Exceptions
NEW Cell Phone Survey Results
The Town of Kiawah Island conducted a three month survey of property owners to gauge their sentiments on cell phone service on Kiawah Island. The survey consisted of three question: Please rate the quality of your cell phone service; What do you find to be the biggest challenge with your cell phone reception; and What do you recommend as a means to improve cell coverage on the Island? There were a total of 110 property owners that completed the survey. The survey results can be found by clicking on the link below to “Cell Phone Survey Results.” These results will be addressed by Town Council as internet and cellular service are noted as Priority Investments in the Town’s 2010 Comprehensive Plan. Click here to view Cell Phone Results
Disaster Awareness Day - June 7, 2012
The 2012 Atlantic hurricane season is predicted to be “below-average” in activity. The forecast predicts 10 expected named storms and about a one in four chance a major hurricane will hit the East Coast. Despite this forecast, the Town is urging all residents to prepare themselves and their homes for this hurricane season which begins June 1st.
To stress the importance of preparedness and education, the Town of Kiawah Island and Town of Seabrook Island are hosting the 15th Annual Disaster Preparedness Day on Thursday, June 7th at the Sandcastle from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. In addition to hurricanes, the event will focus on other natural disasters including earthquakes, tornados and flooding.
There will be a host of informative panelists, exhibitors, demonstrations, prizes and a catered lunch, served at noon. Please save the date and plan to attend the event on June 7th.
When is U-Verse Service Coming to My Service Area?
The Town of Kiawah approved a franchise agreement with AT&T in 2011 allowing them to introduce video service to Kiawah Island. The video service or U-Verse was deployed to Kiawah in late 2011. Currently there are only 2 video cabinets that been activated on Kiawah. This accounts for the limited availability of the service on Island. In 2011 AT&T was contemplating a merger with T-Mobile, but this attempted merger/acquisition was not approved. AT&T made a corporate decision to invest in improving its wireless service. As a result, resources for the continued deployment of the U-Verse service were redirected to the capital investments needed for wireless service enhancements. Some of these enhancements include the cell service upgrades on Kiawah for the PGA tournament. To that end a number of temporary cell towers on wheels have been installed on the island. In June 2012, the funding to various products like U-Verse will be revisited. The earliest that AT&T could begin expanding service on the Island will be July 2012.
In the interim, residents are asked to visit http://www.att.com/u-verse/availability to see when the service will be available at their Kiawah address.
The Town of Kiawah will continue to monitor the progress of the deployment of U-Verse service on Kiawah Island and provide periodic updates as more information is received from AT&T.
National Beach Safety Week
Mayor Orban proclaimed May 21-28, 2012 as National Beach Safety Week in the Town of Kiawah Island, and urge all residents using our beaches to enjoy themselves at the beach this year, while taking appropriate measures to protect themselves and their children.
Solid Waste Request for Proposals
The Town of Kiawah Island, a political subdivision of the State of South Carolina (hereinafter "Town of Kiawah Island" or the "Town") will receive proposals from solid waste contractors/service providers for the purpose of providing municipal solid waste collection services.
The complete Request for Proposal Document is available on line at www.kiawahisland.org or at Town Hall located at 21 Beachwalker Drive, Kiawah Island. The request for proposal document can be found in the “In The News Section” titled, Solid Waste Request for Proposal. A Mandatory pre-bid meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 25, 2012 at 11:00 am. in the Council Chambers of Town Hall. The last day for inquiries will be Wednesday, May 9, 2012 by 5:00 pm.
TIME AND DATE DUE: Written, Sealed Proposals will be received until 2:00 p.m., Monday, May 21, 2012, as outlined in section 7.3 Delivery of Proposals, at which time they will be publicly opened. All interested parties are invited to attend this opening. Send all proposals to:
The Town of Kiawah Island
Attn: Town Treasurer
21 Beachwalker Drive
Kiawah Island, SC 29455
843.768.9166
Solid Waste Request for Proposal
Exhibit A: Residential Collection services
Exhibit B: Subscription Levels by service
Exhibit C: 2011 annual tonnage report
Exhibit D: Multi-family units’ summary
Exhibit E: Service Map
Introducing Kiawah’s New Communications Tools
The Town of Kiawah is pleased to announce three communications Tools for its residents. The first of these tools is Kiawah Resident Xchange which will provide real time email communication and notification for Town services including emergency notification, utility outages garbage schedule changes, meeting notifications and Arts Council Events. Residents will also be able to communicate with each other over the secure network and ask questions. The second tool is the Citizens Communication Center is an online work order or service request module that allows residents to route requests for services directly to the Town via email notification. The third tool provides micro sites for local businesses and allows residents to search for services and receive notifications of promotions or special events using the Kiawah Merchant Plaza application, an online business directory. We look forward to making these services available to you by March 31st. To begin, please e-register by selecting the “E-Register” box. You will receive an email notification to alert you when the service is available for you to build your profile and begin using the services. For question please call Stephanie Braswell at 843-768-9166.
Kiawah Resident Xchange
Provides a secure community for residents and offers an array of services:
Members can ask and answer questions to a specific profile of members. Answers are added to a growing knowledgebase that all other members can use and which can auto answer questions. Members do not have to go to a website to receive information updates. Instead, they receive email notifications. Members receive information that only meets their profile and only arrives when they want it. All information and threads are logged for viewing. Members must be approved before admitted to the system and the System Administrators can control and edit content.
Citizens Communication Center
The Citizen Request Management Tool allows residents to create service requests and improves access to information. Some of the additional features include:
•Access to online payments for solid waste fees or business licenses
•Report a problem or register a complaint
•Request information
•Download forms and other Town documents
Kiawah Merchant Plaza
Residents can access the Kiawah Merchant Plaza via the Town’s website by selecting the “Businesses” tab to view all coupons, jobs and other data across all businesses. Residents can also:
• View and download business Information,
• Scroll through and select coupons,
• Join mailing lists,
• Follow updates in specific areas of the site
• Arrange service and/or ask questions
• See the status of their orders and questions