Legislators seek stoplight to halt Berkeley Hall, Beaufort County dispute
Local legislators made a formal request Monday for a traffic signal that might help end a dispute between the county and the Berkeley Hall community over a frontage road at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church.
The Beaufort County Legislative Delegation voted unanimously to ask the state Department of Transportation to put a traffic signal at the entrance to the Bluffton Township Fire District headquarters on U.S. 278.
In exchange for the signal, the county and Berkeley Hall will agree to end their legal fights over the frontage road and allow the county to obtain the permits it needs to begin road construction, according to state Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, who brokered the deal last week with help from state Rep. Bill Herbkersman, R-Bluffton.
Representatives from Berkeley Hall and the county said Monday they agree with the plan, which asks that the DOT approve the signal on the condition that the gated community and the county settle their dispute.
Davis and Herbkersman have said DOT officials have assured them they agree with the plan, too.
The frontage road is designed to ease traffic congestion at the church campus by connecting it to U.S. 278 via the entrances to Berkeley Hall to the west and the fire station to the east. A signal at the fire station would replace a yellow flashing light, which turns red when a firetruck leaves the station for an emergency.
Berkeley Hall challenged the county's right to build the road between its entrance and the church six years ago, and the issue has been deadlocked in various lawsuits since.
Davis and representatives from the county and Berkeley Hall said Monday the resolution fixes sticking points that hobbled past settlements. The church and Berkeley Hall have endorsed a signal at the fire station, but the state has previously denied county requests for one.
However, Berkeley Hall and the county still need to reach a final settlement over the county's condemnation of land for the road, landscaping and a precise configuration for the new intersection at the fire station, said Davis and Stan Barnett, a Mount Pleasant attorney representing Berkeley Hall. The community's homeowners and County Council might need to vote on any agreements, Barnett added.
"I think it's safe to say there is such mutual desire to solve this safety problem before something happens that I think you'll see the best happen," Barnett said.
Officials also dismissed previous concerns that a traffic signal could hinder firefighters.
Fire Chief John Thompson said Monday the county has addressed many of the concerns he raised in a letter in February to county attorney Josh Gruber.
Although there are no specific designs yet, the fire district has been involved in discussions about requesting a signal and will be part of designing the intersection, Thompson said.
"I'm very confident that the changtwitter.com/IPBG_Zaches they've made will work for the station," he said. "I don't think our ability will be in any way degraded by the design they're talking about."
Follow reporter Zach Murdock at twitter.com/IPBG_Zach.Related content:
- Beaufort County, Berkeley Hall set to resolve frontage road dispute, Sept. 12, 2014
- Catholic church breaks silence on Berkeley Hall frontage road plans, May 21, 2014
- Berkeley Hall, Beaufort County poised to go to court over frontage road, Feb. 22, 2014
This story was originally published September 15, 2014 at 11:57 AM with the headline "Legislators seek stoplight to halt Berkeley Hall, Beaufort County dispute."