Hey, Town Council: Hilton Head’s at a tipping point

An open letter to the Hilton Head Island Town Council and Planning Commission members:

Over the last 10 years, we’ve noticed a steady increase in traffic. Every six months when we visit our villa, we discover more houses built and land cleared on what was once the quiet, dark, peaceful north end of the island on Port Royal Sound.

Hilton Head is an amazing place, with something for everyone and a while back the island achieved equilibrium between the natural environment and the developed one. As such, it appealed to visitors, retirees, and residents.

However, it has reached or passed the tipping point. Yet the town continues to encourage and allow building so that Hilton Head is subject to becoming like other tourist areas with less nature and more dwellings, hardscaping, lights, traffic, pollution, and crime.

I would like to know when you intend to curtail this development. The island recently lost 10,000 trees to a hurricane; I wonder how many more it’s lost to bulldozers.

If you’re not concerned about the natural environment and conservation, perhaps you should be concerned about tourism. Accommodations taxes provide millions of dollars for beach renourishment and new venues. Without that money, there will be fewer improvements for residents and tourist attractions and more burden on taxpayers to support the services necessitated by growth.

Another consideration is how long it takes to evacuate during the increasing hurricane threats.

Have you or are you going to adopt a slow-growth policy or continue to take down trees?

Appreciate Beaufort’s homegrown black hero year-round

As Black History Month ends, here in our collective backyard is a black American hero who deserves continual affirmation. Our own Robert Smalls, who went from slavery to becoming a U.S. Congressman, as well as representing Beaufort in the legislature in both Houses.

“A native of Beaufort, S.C., Congressman Smalls was born into slavery but- through acts of remarkable courage and determination-became the first African American hero of the Civil War and one of the most influential African American politicians in South Carolina history,” as written by H-Net Reviews.

In 1862, slave Smalls and his slave crew commandeered the Confederate vessel, the Planter, sailed it from Charleston, right under the noses of Confederate defenses, and delivered it to the Union blockade. Its cargo was scarce cannons from Rebel fortifications, much needed by the Confederacy for the defense of Charleston.

He was subsequently appointed Captain and participated in military campaigns along the South Carolina coast and eventually named captain of the refurbished Planter, as a U.S. Navy ship.

His military achievements were parlayed into post-Civil War leadership roles, including his appointment as collector of customs for the port of Beaufort until the political appointment was transferred away to another political appointee in 1913.

The Beaufort County Republican Party created the Robert Smalls Award recognizing outstanding leadership to our community. Last year’s recipient was U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, himself is a remarkable local achiever.

By the way, Robert Smalls is generally credited as being the founder the Beaufort County Republican Party.

Where to find the petty child

I had to laugh when I read the recent letter, “Pelosi antics disrespectful.” Does the writer not remember Donald Trump stalking around behind Hillary Clinton during the election debates? When it also asks “who wants petty, immature children running our government,” I suggest we need to look no further than our current child in the White House.