COUNCIL MEETING

MEGGETT TOWN HALL

June 25, 2007

7:30PM

Mayor Grange Coffin called the meeting of the Meggett Town Council to order. Present were Mayor Pro-tem Josh Garvin, Councilmen Tom Hutto, Keith McCarty, and Buster Herrington.  Also present were Attorney Dennis Rhoad, Administrator Ellie Prentiss and Town Clerk Gail Seabrook

Minutes from the May meeting were read and approved.

Meggett 1925

No report was given for the 1925 project.

Second Reading of the 2007 -2008 Fiscal Year Budget

Mayor Coffin announced that a public hearing was held for the 2007-2008 Fiscal Year Budget and there were no comments made about the budget in the Public Hearing.

Councilman Josh Garvin made a motion to accept the draft of 2007-2008 Fiscal Year Budget and Councilman Keith McCarty seconded the motion.  The motion was passed unanimously.

Annexation of Wright Property

Mayor Coffin asked Mr. Wright to comment as to why he would like to be annexed into the Town of Meggett.  Mr. Wright indicated he thought his property was actually in the Town of Meggett but found out it was not apart of the township.  He would prefer to be in the Town rather than be in the unincorporated part of Charleston County.  He likes dealing on a local level and being able to talk with an individual in the event you need something done.  He feels when dealing with Charleston County you are handed from one person to another.  Councilman Keith McCarty asked how long Mr. Wright had owned the property.  Mr. Wright responded that it had been about 25 to 30 years.  Councilman McCarty asked Mr. Wright to describe the property and did he reside on the property.  Mr. Wright said the property consist of about 7 or 8 acres of highlands which was an island and about 24 acres of marsh area.  He does not reside on the property but presently lives in Charleston.  Keith asked if he farmed the land.  Mr. Wright said he did not farm the area and there was no income received off of the property.  Keith asked if there were any plans to develop the property.  Mr. Wright indicated that he had no plans for the property.  Attorney Rhoad asked if the property actually border an existing property that is in Meggett.  Ms Seabrook explained that the property on the other side of the creek was in the town and therefore is considered to border existing property and would qualify should annexation be approved.  Keith asked what density is this property presently zoned by the county?  Mr. Wright wasn’t sure as to the zoning density.  Mayor Pro-tem Josh Garvin asked how was the property accessed.  Mr. Wright indicated that he was granted an easement as indicated in his deed.  Councilman Tom Hutto asked if he would have to build a bridge across the marsh to get there.  Mr. Wright replied that he would; however, now when he goes to the property he puts on a pair of boots and walks across the marsh.  Tom asked if he had investigated the bridges to islands regulation to see if new regulations would allow the construction of a bridge.  Mr. Wright said when he first bought the property he obtained a permit to build a causeway to the island but it has expired.  Tom Hutto informed Mr. Wright that new regulations were passed last year by the state about the ability to build bridges to some of the marsh islands.  Mr. Wright expressed that at this time he has no plans for the island.  Mayor Coffin asked what the Town of Meggett could provide him that Charleston County doesn’t.  Again Mr. Wright re-emphasized that he feels communication is better on a local level than through Charleston County.  Council decided they would like to review the information before making the decision.  Attorney Rhoad suggested to Council that they postpone the decision of annexation until the next meeting.  Council agreed to have a decision for the annexation by the next meeting which will be on July 23, 2007.

Old Business

            County police using SCPA building

Councilman Tom Hutto brought up the issue that there had been some discussion in the past about the County police using a room in the SCPA Building for a place to do reports and have a bathroom facility available.  He was wondering what the out come of the discussion was.  Mayor Coffin indicated that no decision was ever made.  Gail Seabrook stated that Deputy Sheppard introduced the idea at one of the crime watch meetings but no formal request was ever received from his superior.  Ellie indicated that if this came about they would have to use a room downstairs as Council had agreed that the upstairs would be keep for functions.  Councilman Keith McCarty stated that for security reasons the more time they spend in this area the better.  Mayor Coffin asked Gail Seabrook to check again with Deputy Sheppard and see what is required on our part if they are still interested in using the building.  She said she would be in touch with Deputy Shepherd about our crime watch meeting and would inquire again if they are interested in the use of a room for their services. 

            Buffer removal in the Historical District

Councilman Tom Hutto asked what was done about the replacement of the buffer where it had been removed when the lots on 165 were cleared.  Ellie Prentiss said Andrea with Charleston County Planning called last week to get the mailing information for the property owner so she could send a letter indicating a citation would be enforced if the buffer was not replaced.  Councilman Garvin said he thought he had seen something where whoever builds the houses would restore the buffer.  Ellie said that had been discussed but Council never approved that.   Councilman McCarty asked Attorney Rhoad if a time limit could be placed on the replacement.  Attorney Rhoad indicated that in our ordinances there are enforcement provisions stating that they are a certain number of days to comply with the violation of an ordinance.  After that time frame it will go to the magistrate for enforcement.  Councilmen Keith McCarty asked how far down the line are we with following the procedures.  Attorney Rhoad indicated he had not seen the letter that Andrea had written.  Administrator Ellie Prentiss said she would call Andrea and request a copy of the letter and have a copy faxed to Attorney Rhoad’s office.  Attorney Rhoad explained that if it has reached the point that someone is in violation of our ordinance, a summons would be issued with a court date.  It would then go before the magistrate court in Ravenel and the person in violation will be fined.  Also every day with non compliance will be additional fines. Councilman Keith McCarty asked who would issue the summons.  Attorney Rhoad responded that our staff is allowed to issue the summons.  It is a violation of administration law.  Keith said the first step then is to get Andrea’s letter and see where we are.

Gail Seabrook addressed a question to Attorney Rhoad regarding a problem with a resident about this same property.  She explained that a resident whose property borders this parcel had called several times with concerns that some trees on her property had been removed when the lot was cleared and what could be done to have the trees replaced.  Ms Seabrook explained to the resident that she would need some kind of proof as to the trees that were removed and the type.  Ms Seabrook said she suggested that the resident contact Patty Ravenel who was the agent in the initial sale of the lot.  The resident had contacted Mrs. Ravenel but was not able to get any help from her. Since this is more a legal matter she asked Dennis what other information she could provide to the resident when she called again.  Attorney Rhoad indicated that removal of trees from another person's property would fall into a civil trespass suite.  She would need to go to the Magistrate and file a small claims complaint against the agent that cut the trees down.  They would be called in and the complaint would be heard in court.  She would need to provide proof in the hearing of the trees that were removed.  Ms Seabrook inquired if there was a time limit for this to be addressed by the resident.  Attorney Rhoad said he thought the statue of limitation was two years.

New Business

            High-speed Internet Service

Councilman Keith McCarty stated he had received several calls asking could the Town do anything to get high-speed internet service for this area.  Mr. Bill Watson, Vice President of Comcast asked to be recognized.  He said he would be glad to have inquires regarding internet passed on to him.  They would see if there are any possibilities of service availability for these areas or try to answer any questions that pertain to this service.  Mayor Coffin indicated that he realized that this service is usually based on density and inquired as to what density is needed to provide the high-speed service.  Mr. Watson stated an average of 30 homes per mile.  Councilman McCarty said he did not think that they would meet that requirement and was their any alternative.  Mr. Watson said that it is possible that other requirements may work to bring this service to areas.  For instance normally a contract is not required for service with Comcast but in an area where the density is lower than what is required it is possible to have a contract so that the cost would become feasible.  There have also been instances where the consumer would agree to pay a portion of the cost for the installation of the cable to the area.  Keith then asked how to get this process started for Meggett.  Mr. Watson said probably the first step would be to have a meeting with the design and construction group and look at the area as far as miles and population.  Then we can come back and present plans that  are doable for the area.

            Storm Water Fees

Councilman Josh Garvin inquired about the bills for storm water fees that some individuals are being charged for in areas such as in Dorchester County.  Are Meggett residents being charged for these fees or if we are not being billed are we being negligent.  Councilman Keith McCarty asked what are the fees designed to pay for.  It is designed to improve storm water drainage.  Attorney Rhoad said as far as he knew, according to information from the Municipal Association, the fee is not required by the municipalities but Meggett did have the right to implement the fee if they saw a need to improve their storm water drainage system.  Resident Barbara Neale was recognized and she indicated that this fee is part of the State Clean Water Act Bill.  Urbanized areas of Charleston County are billed these fees to provide storm water management as part of the Clean Water Act.

            Engineered Septic Systems

Councilman Tom Hutto said he had attended a Planning Commissioners Meeting in which the Commissioners approved a subdivision that will be off of St. Anthony’s and Simmons Bluff Road area.  The lots in the subdivision were approved for an engineered design septic system.  Tom indicated that he did not know a lot about these types of systems but after the meeting he contacted Richard Threat with DHEC for information on these types of systems.  Mr. Threat offered to come and give a presentation.  Tom indicated to Council that Gail Seabrook had researched these types of system and had information to share with Council.  She explained to the Council how the systems worked, the advantages, disadvantages and estimated cost for the systems.  Attached is a copy of the information that she presented to the Council.

 (Insert)

INFORMATION REGARDING ENGINEERED SEPTIC SYSTEM DESIGN FOR THE PROPOSED SUBDIVISION OF LANDS OF STEVEN AND AMY LUISI

I spoke with DHEC on 6-14-07 asking for information on the designed septic system for the proposed 8 lots subdivision for Steven and Amy Luisi.  The information on how this system would work was explained.  Richard Threat with DHEC also provided me with the name of a company located in Beaufort, SC (Waste Water Systems, LLC) and I spoke with the owner of the company also, in addition to the information I received from DHEC.  The following information is based on the Engineered Septic System manufactured by Enviro Guard Wastewater Treatment Systems.

The Working Mechanism of the System

               A holding tank will be placed about 5’ from the dwelling.  The waste material from the resident will go into the first chamber of this tank to separate the non biodegradable solids.  Generally the grease will float to the top and the sludge and solid waste material will settle at the bottom.  The liquids will be in the middle.  The second chamber holds and continuously mixes the liquids until they are pushed through the filtration part of the system which is in the third chamber.  Here the liquid is pushed through 132 feet of synthetic filter media which is so fine that it will hold back particles as small as 100 microns.  Actually this is finer than a stack of coffee filters.  Many different types of materials can be used for the filtration system and that is determined by the type of system that is used.  Once the waste water is filtered it will move into a drain field by a time release valve that will open periodically to allow the release of clean water to enter the 1” pipe.  The interval and amount of the release of the filtered water into the drain field is determined by the makeup of the soil and the absorption rate. The drain field uses a flexible 1” diameter pipe similar to that of a garden hose, which can be placed about 1’ apart and will allow the run off to be released in a trickling type system.  It is believed that clean water will absorb easier into soil and certainly present less contamination than waste material that is disbursed through pipes in the conventional type septic system.  By using a smaller diameter pipe in the drain field and placing the pipes a close distance apart, the drain field in this engineered type system can be placed in a more confined area than a conventional type system. This system can be monitored 24 hours a day through a non designated phone line or a cable connection.  By having the system monitored the company can detect any malfunction and send someone to the site within just a few hours for repairs. In addition to the monitoring, an on site inspection will be performed twice a year to clean filters and check systems to insure proper working order.  The holding tank will need to be pumped about every 3 to 5 years.  This system is designed to accommodate a 4 to 5 bedroom single family residence with 750 GPD usage.

General Cost

 The cost is based on the information received from the company, WasteWater Systems, LLC located in Beaufort, SC which installs Enviro Guard Wastewater Treatment Systems.  Cost may vary depending on types of system and installer.  This however will provide a general concept of cost involved.

Installation (not including fill if needed)_________________$13,500.00

Soil Classification work ______________________________$  1,000.00

Survey work (drawing for location and setbacks)__________$   1,500.00

Yearly fee for two on-site inspections and monitoring______ $      250.00

(note: the first two years of the on-site inspections are included in initial cost)

Pumping of tank for the 3 to 5 year maintenance will range from about $150.00 to $350.00. (This fee is based on the cost of having a conventional septic system pumped.)

Total cost for installation for an engineered septic system will be about $16,000  per lot.

These estimates do not include any repairs or replacement parts that may be needed.  The filter system should only require cleaning but should not need replacement with proper use.

General Information

The use of these systems is fairly new in South CarolinaNorth Carolina has been using these systems a longer time.  N.C. State offers an educational course in the mechanics of how these systems work and certification for installation.  A qualified individual with knowledge of these systems should be the only one hired to install and maintain these types of designed engineered systems.  Many of the manufacturers of the systems also offer training and certification.

The Downside of the Systems 

1)  Cost would be an issue; however a connection to public sewer would also cost the homeowner about the same amount.

2)  If the lost of power should occur such as in a natural disaster for a long period of time, a generator would be needed by the homeowner to keep the system operating properly.

3)  Approval of these systems could promote development growth that the Town of Meggett may not be able to accommodate based on roads, schools, and emergency facilities.

4)  Clogging of the filters may present a problem but these types of systems have not been in use in SC long enough to know if this will be a problem or not.  The filters can be cleaned very easily by just washing.

Attached is information provided by Enviro Guard Wastewater Treatment Systems that provide additional information.

Contact person at DHEC is Richard Threat 953-0150

Loric Fanning, Waste Water Systems, LLC, Beaufort SC 843 575-5206 or 322-0011

Submitted by Gail Seabrook

Councilman Josh Garvin said he had taken a course on septic systems that involved the actual pumping of the tank and inspections.  Councilman Garvin also stated that he had spoken with Jim Pedersen regarding these engineered type systems.  Mr. Pedersen had installed one of the engineered type systems for a subdivision with about 100 homes and said it worked really well. Councilman Garvin said that Mr. Pedersen stated that the system cost for the subdivision was about $200,000.  Mr. Pedersen also emphasized that maintenance of these systems would not be a problem even if the company that installed and maintained the system for some reason could no longer provide that service.  Other companies that have certifications would be able to take over and maintain the systems.  Ms Seabrook added that the owner of the Company in Beaufort also volunteered to come and speak about these systems.  She said that his name had actually been provided by DHEC as a contact to get the information that was provided.

            Town Hall Interior  

Councilman Tom Hutto mentioned that we had approval of money in the budget to provide an interior change to Town Hall to accommodate a more spacious working area.  Tom said at the time this renovation takes place it would be nice to add a space where residents could come and have access to high speed internet.  Tom asked if it would be worthwhile to have a committee to discuss what could be done with the Town Hall. Ellie Prentiss emphasized that additional storage is needed and this redesign would also allow space for additional filing cabinets.  Mayor Coffin asked Mrs. Seabrook to provide a design by the next meeting. 

            News Letter

Councilman Tom Hutto asked how often the news letter goes out and would it be a good idea to advertise businesses in the area.  He felt it would be helpful for local residents to know the local businesses in the area.  Ellie Prentiss explained that the news letter generally goes out every quarter but due to lack of volunteers it was late this time.  She stated they hope to start work on getting it out next week.  She went on to say that in the past they had asked for businesses in the area to send a business card to advertise but had received no response.  Keith McCarty stated it would be nice to periodically have just a list of the businesses located in area listed in the news letter.  Gail Seabrook said it would be nice to also have a list of businesses available in Town Hall.

            Signs along road right-of-ways

Tom Hutto said the big yellow sign on Toogoodoo road was removed after Ellie sent the letter stating that the location was in violation of our sign ordinance.  Tom said he reviewed our sign ordinance and off premise signs placed in road right-of-ways are not allowed.  Tom said he spoke with Andrea Pietras at Charleston County Planning and also with the Department of Transportation and both indicated that signs in right-of-ways were a nuisance for road and shoulder maintenance and they would be glad to remove them if a list of signs and locations were provided.

Miscellaneous Reports

Ellie Prentiss said they would start working on the news letter next week.  She thanked the Dalton’s for providing the beautiful art work that was on display for the meeting.  She invited other artist in the area to share their talents with the Town by placing their art work on display for future meetings.  She indicated that all artwork presently on display is for sale and if anyone is interested they may contact David Dalton.

Scheduled Meetings:

Public Comments

1)     Tommy Butler asked if anyone had attended the meeting about the 72000 acres of the WestVaco property that was held in Ravenel.  Josh Garvin indicated that he had attended.  The representatives from WestVaco wanted to hear input from the citizens who were present at the meeting.  They ask those who attended the meeting to divide into 4 groups and each group was to present about 12 recommendations regarding the property.  Josh said he felt like they were very interested in public input and would take these suggestions into consideration.  Tom Hutto intervened and said he felt that WestVaco had hired some very qualified people.  They would take all of the input obtained from individuals and come up with a preliminary plan sometime in the fall.  They would present this plan and get feed back and then finalize the plan.  Tom Butter asked how this will affect the community.  Tom Hutto said that our area seems to have a lot more wetlands and probably there would be more conservation in the tracts around us and heavier development further inland.

2)     Tom Hutto asked Mayor Coffin about setting up an alliance meeting with the other towns.  Mayor Coffin said that Ravenel is supposed to host the next meeting and he would get with them about setting a time.

3)     Mrs. Virginia Watson said she was not clear as to why some people who usually voted at Town Hall could not vote in the municipal election.  Ellie Prentiss explained they had to be a resident of Meggett to vote in the municipal election.  She also explained that even though some residents vote in a different district for general elections everyone voted at town hall for the municipal election.  Ellie also said that some individuals thought they were residents of the Town of Meggett but found out when they came to vote that they were not actually part of the Town of Meggett.

4)     Mrs. Watson also expressed that she felt that too many issues were discussed at this meeting and when so much is threshed out it becomes overwhelming and confusing and often nothing is accomplished. 

   5)  She felt it would be more beneficial to only discuss a few topics at each meeting and find solutions for those issues and then move on to other issues.

6)     Reeves Bair addressed the issue about residents who thought they could vote in the Town’s election and found out they were not listed as residents of the actual town.  He said those individuals should proceed further to question if they were not residents and contact town hall about petitioning the town to be annexed in.  It would be nice to have all of St. Paul’s Parish, and Yonges Island that borders Meggett to be part of the Town.  Mayor Coffin said he thought some of the confusion was to do with the precincts 1 through 6 where they are listed to vote at Town Hall for an election but would not be qualified to vote there for a municipal election unless they were actual residents.

7)     Becky Dalton announced that they were moving the bricks that are by the SCPA Building and would appreciate any help from volunteers.  They move the bricks after they walk in the mornings.  They begin walking at 7:00AM from Town Hall.

8)     Mrs. Ann Pinson mentioned that the town’s flag was not flown at half mast when the lost of nine firemen occurred.  Ellie Prentiss apologized and indicated that it was an over-sight on our part probably because it was a weekend.

With no further comments, the Mayor asked to move into an executive session to discuss a contractual matter.  Regular meeting was adjourned.

Submitted by Town Clerk: Gail Seabrook