City Council update

There’s hardly a day that goes by that I’m not grateful to live in the Lowcountry. And to live on Daniel Island with all of my wonderful neighbors is a dream come true. Thank you for allowing me to represent you on City Council for the past 12 years. It’s been my honor and my pleasure.

Speaking of City Council, there are things I want to report to you:

I’m happy to report that the traffic signal located at the Fairchild Street and Island Park Drive intersection next to Refuel is in the pre-construction phase. The decorative poles with mast arms take 15 to 18 weeks to manufacture and that is the reason for the length of the project. Auxiliary equipment has been ordered and the project is scheduled to take approximately 30 weeks.

Daniel Island Neighborhood Park 4 is wrapping up and we’re planning a ribbon cutting for May 15 at 10 a.m. and it will be a great space to make many happy memories. The city’s recreation committee and Charleston City Council are working together on deciding what the park will be officially named.

The Daniel Island Recreation Center bids are due by May 16. We’re hoping these bids will be acceptable and brought to City Council for approval within a month. The center is going to be built at Governors Park and has passed through a rigorous design and permitting process and been approved by the Daniel Island Architectural Review Board and the City of Charleston Design Board. The construction of the building is anticipated to take 18 to 20 months to complete, barring any major weather events.

We have received proposals for the milling and resurfacing work needed for the Duck Pond Bridge (Beresford Creek bridge on Daniel Island Drive) and hope to bring them to City Council this month. Options for the bridge replacement are being reviewed and we are waiting for proposals on methods of replacement.

Again, I want to thank you for allowing me to represent you on City Council for the past 12 years. Charleston is a one-of-a-kind city, a city that deserves the focused attention and leadership a great city needs in order to maintain its reputation and vibrancy. When a number of present and former City Council members approached me and asked me to run for Mayor, I was appreciative and contemplative of their requests. My children, like me, grew up here, and I want their children to want to grow up here, too. I officially announced my mayoral campaign in March and we are off and running! Hope to see you on the campaign trail.

In the meantime, as always, I will continue to be as responsive as always to all of our citizens. If you need my help with any matter, please contact me at whiteg@charleston-sc.gov.

Councilman Gary White, a Daniel Island resident, was elected to Charleston City Council in November of 2007. He represents District 1, which includes the Daniel Island/Cainhoy area and portions of downtown Charleston. White is also a candidate for Mayor of Charleston, a seat that will be up for election in November 2019.