DI News History - November 2, 2017
TEN YEARS AGO – Meet the candidates
In the November 1, 2007 issue of The Daniel Island News, an article featured the upcoming election and a candidate forum that was held at Bishop England High School. Over 100 people came out to the Charleston mayoral and District 1 city council forum to hear the candidates air their views. The debate, which was jointly sponsored by the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, the Charleston League of Women Voters and The Daniel Island News, was the final in a series of debates. Please see page 5 of this issue, to find out more about the upcoming elections on November 7 and 14.
In other news, the Ralston Creek Golf Course at the Daniel Island Club, described as a “Lowcountry version of St. Andrews,” was named to Golfweek’s list of best new courses. Designed by Rees Jones and opened in April 2006, Ralston Creek ranked 50th among more than 350 U.S. courses opened between 2005 and 2007.
FIVE YEARS AGO – New DI middle school?
In the November 1, 2012 issue of The Daniel Island News, an article explored the possibility of a new middle school on Daniel Island. At the time the Berkeley County School District had plans to build two new schools to serve Daniel Island and Cainhoy students, if their proposed $198 million bond referendum passed on November 6. But they did not provide specific details when it came to exactly where the new schools would be placed.
While the district had announced that one of the new facilities would be a high school, to be built in an area off Clements Ferry Road (the current Philip Simmons High School), they consistently stated publicly that a location and grade configurations for the other facility would not be determined until after the referendum passed. But according to the “Yes4Schools” campaign, a private initiative of community citizens and volunteers who were working to promote the referendum, the district’s intention was to place a middle school on Daniel Island proper, not on the Cainhoy Peninsula. After it became apparent that land acquisition would be the stopping factor to building another school on Daniel Island proper, it was determined that a new middle school (and ultimately an elementary school) would be built adjacent to the high school off Clements Ferry Road. Today, those facilities are Philip Simmons Elementary School and Philip Simmons Middle School.