Axe throwing in Johns Island SC

JOHNS ISLAND — A lot of effort went into saving the 35 acres surrounding the Angel Oak from development. Now, nearly a decade later, the Lowcountry Land Trust is ready to collect community input on what to do with the property.

This week begins a schedule of opportunities for people to share how they’d like to see the wooded space around the iconic oak used. But the ultimate goal remains: that the planned Angel Oak Preserve be passive, publicly accessible green space complemented with trails, boardwalks and interpretive notes, and that the tree itself not be harmed.

The land trust will share a presentation on the tree’s history and the future preserve at 7 p.m. June 9, and again at 6:30 p.m. June 15, at the Johns Island Library. Public comments will be collected during the presentations.

This special tree holds deeply rooted history in the Lowcountry. It is named after the Angel family that once owned the land where it stands. The tree is estimated to be at least 300 years old, making it quite possibly one of the oldest trees of its kind east of the Mississippi River.

It’s also a behemoth. City surveys estimate the tree to be 65 feet tall with a circumference of 25.5 feet, shading an area of 17,000 square feet beneath the extensive canopy.

Based on the city’s most recent inspection, “the health of the Angel Oak could not be better,” said David Grant, Charleston’s park and tree administrator.

The area surrounding the Angel Oak is so special that community members rallied together to ensure not much changed there. In 2008, Charleston City Council approved plans for a densely built collection of shops, offices and multifamily homes near the Angel Oak Park at Maybank Highway and Bohicket Road.

But there were concerns about the impact this development would have on the tree.

So after collecting more than 12,000 donations, plus Charleston County Greenbelt and S.C. Conservation Bank funds, the Lowcountry Land Trust was able to buy the property for $7 million to save it from development. This is the space that will become Angel Oak Preserve.

“Putting this heavy development there would have impacted the root system, the hydrologic flows, the soils, everything that’s needed to be preserved for the health of this tree,” said Jason Crowley, Coastal Conservation League’s communities and transportation senior program director.

The 35 acres owned by the land trust is comprised of every soil necessary for an ancient live oak to thrive, Crowley said.

The Angel Oak’s significance as a community landmark goes back generations. Crowley said the late South Carolina educator-activist Septima Clark mentioned in interviews how she would often take breaks from teaching and sit underneath the tree, and even sometimes gather there with her students.

“Even though this was technically private property, it harkens back to the era of Johns Island and the Sea Islands themselves as this place where property boundaries were fluid in the sense of people could walk across private property in order to access things like waterways and a shady tree like this,” Crowley said.

The tree’s interests have become a cultural issue on Johns Island in recent years as some places that were once accessible to Gullah-Geechee residents for fishing, crabbing and launching boats are now being privatized.

Ashley Demosthenes, CEO and president of the Lowcountry Land Trust, said many locals believe the land around the tree is sacred and have expressed desires to explore the woods there.

“They want it to be a place for education for residents, visitors and the local schools,” Demosthenes said. “So that’s a huge opportunity that we see, that education component with students.”

Overall they want it to be a place open for walking, observing nature and enjoying picnics with family, Demosthenes said.

While the Angel Oak is obviously the main attraction in that part of Johns Island, the Lowcountry Land Trust wants to utilize its 35 acres to relieve some of the pressure on the tree.

So, essentially, the preserve will help distribute visitors across the entire property — not just at the 9-acre Angel Oak Park — using trails, boardwalks and interpretation woven throughout to explain the ecology and cultural significance of the area.

Since the city-owned park is a direct neighbor to the preserve, it makes sense for the two groups to partner in developing a vision and plan for the area, said Jason Kronsberg, director of parks for the city of Charleston.

He sits on the preserve’s steering committee with Crowley and people from several other groups, including The Avery Center, The Progressive Club and the Charleston Parks Conservancy.

Members of the community can share their desires for the preserve through an online survey at bit.ly/3xrCh2P. The land trust will have a table at the Sea Island Farmers Market from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. June 11 and June 25. There also will be an information table set up from 2 to 4 p.m. each Friday at Angel Oak Park.

Nelson Byrd Woltz Architects will lead the comprehensive planning process. The goal is to have a design completed in early 2023.

You may already know all about the Angel Oak and how its history spans half a millennium. As Charlestonians, we’re a part of this local landmark’s past, present, and future.

We’ll go out on a limb + say you may not know about Angel Oak Preserve — a project featuring a public green space surrounding Angel Oak Park on Johns Island that’s currently in the planning + public feedback stage.

The project is intended to: Provide a publicly-accessible landscape Conserve the Angel Oak’s integrity Protect the surrounding ecosystem Spread out foot traffic at the park Honor the rural + cultural context of the land

Almost a decade of community outreach has gone into plans for the preserve. The Lowcountry Land Trust, local partners, and the Save the Angel Oak initiative acquired 35 acres surrounding the live oak which will make up the green space.

Lowcountry Land Trust chose Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects to design a comprehensive plan with the help of Robinson Engineering. The planning process, which launches this summer, will include public meetings and surveys. We could see a complete design by early next year, knock on wood.

Public meetings kick off June 9 at 7 p.m. + June 15 at 6:30 p.m. at John’s Island Regional Library. Come prepared to share what you want to see at the preserve and be ready to learn more about Lowcountry Land Trust, the Angel Oak, and how you can help.

Before you make like a tree and leave, sign up for the Angel Oak Preserve newsletter and take the survey.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - James Island Pitcher/Catcher Hogan Garner was named the 4-A player of the year in South Carolina by the state’s coaches association on Friday.

Garner has hit .463 this season with 6 homers and 38 RBI while also going 6-0 with 1 save and 45 K’s in 36.1 innings of work on the mound.

Berkeley’s Miller McGuire and Summerville’s PJ Morlando were among the Lowcountry players honored as Region Players of the year as well.

The complete list of All-State teams are listed below.

*Bolded names were Region Players of the Year

*Classification Players of the Year listed at the bottom

AAAAA All-State

Zac Cowan-Blythewood

Jay Dillard-TL Hanna

Braeden Harrison-Dorman

Tristan Smith-Boiling Springs

Beau Hollins-River Bluff

Luke Janack-Carolina Forest

Miller McGuire-Berkeley

PJ Morlando-Summerville

Ben Lumsden-JL Mann

Garrett Fulmer-Spartanburg

Adams Faucett-Dorman

Connnor Rasmussen-Fort Mill

Mathieu Curtis-Fort Mill

Caleb McCants-Blythewood

John Rollings-Blythewood

Davis Wright-Blythewood

Alex Nevils-Blythewood

Walker Mitchell-River Bluff

Todd Hudson-River Bluff

Nathan Hall-Lexington

Cole Long-Lexington

Kevin Samonsky-Dutch Fork

Josh McCusker-Carolina Forest

Nolan Alexander-Carolina Forest

Ryder Manale-Wando

Jackson Proctor-Berkeley

Chase Stryker-Ashley Ridge

Thayer Tavormina-Summerville

AAAA All-State Team

Noah Robinson-Westside

Mavis Graves-Eastside

Harrison Wilson-Catawba Ridge

Shane Keup-Dreher

Grant Loggins-AC Flora

John Allen Forrester-Airport

Cam Canarella-Hartsville

Hogan Garner-James Island

Jake McCoy-Catawba Ridge

David Mershon-Eastside

Chance Hall-North Myrtle Beach

Keillor Osbon-James Island

Jake Sears-AC Flora

Aydin Palmer-South Florence

Trevor Testerman-Catawba Ridge

Max Branham-Lugoff Elgin

Owen French-James Island

Ellijah Tiller-Greenwood

Julian Scott-Irmo

Brody Fowler-Eastside

AAA All-State Team

Jacob McGovern-Seneca

Eli Hudgins-Powdersville

Wilson Wages-Clinton

Michael Lindler-Mid-Carolina

Skyler King-Brookland-Cayce

Landon DeLavan-Lakewood

T.J. Anderson-Aynor

Jackson Sobel-Oceanside Collegiate

Harrison Crawford-Belton-Honaea Path

Brody Conn-Daniel

Gavin Troyer-Powdersville

AJ Cammarota-Blue Ridge

Ricky Montalvo-Chapman

Jeb Dawson-Broome

Jace Martin-Mid-Carolina

BJ Etheridge-Brookland-Cayce

Ty Marshall-Brookland-Cayce

Drew Johnson-Strom Thurmond

Trey Bright-Lake City

Michael Norris-Marlboro County

Carson Krasula-Aynor

Hampton Spires-Aynor

Andrew Bowers-Oceanside Collegiate

Aryan Patel-Hanahan

AA All- State Team

Ty Price-Abbeville

Jesse Bowers-Landrum

Peyton Starkey-Gray Collegiate

Kyle Percival-Andrew Jackson

Jerry Sanders-Barnwell

Jake Herndon-Woodland

Jakobe Sims-Marion High School

Payne Davis-Ninety Six

Cade LInker-Crescent

Trent Delgado-Abbeville

Jacky Murphy-St. Joseph’s

Kolby Capps-Blacksburg

Brent Stukes-Gray Collegiate

Cade Bouknight-B-L

Ashton Phillips-Andrew Jackson

Landon Peavy-Andrew Jackson

Brody Sanders-Buford

Toby Troutman-Woodland

Grayson Mitchell-Philip Simmons

Surarian Harrison-Woodland

Tripp Williams-Philip Simmons

Coton Starling-Chesterfield

Collin Minshew-Latta

Dylan Shelley-Latta

A All-State Team

Khalil Tolson-Southside Christian

Seth Morrow-Lewisville

Jarrett Wooten-Williston-Elko

Kyler Odom-East Clarendon

Colby Thorndyke-Green Sea-Floyds

Logan King-Charleston Math & Science

Van Herrington-Low Country Leadership

Bubba Lytle-Branchville

Carson Boleman-Southside Christian

Dalton Stroud-Green Sea-Floyds

Jace Avant-Johnsonville

Zack Hunt-Lake View

Wes Ard-East Clarendon

Jordan Gibson-Ridge Spring-Monetta

Jonathan Looper-Branchville

Nelson Vaughan-Southside Christian

Zander Poston-Hannah-Pamplico

Ben Coyle-Lewisville

Brandon Hershberger-Dixie

Cason English-Whitmire

All Classifications POY - Tristan Smith-Boiling Springs

5A POY-Zac Coward-Blythewood

4A POY-Hogan Garner-James Island

3A POY-Jacob McGovern-Seneca

2A-POY-Kyle Percival-Andrew Jackson

1A POY-Colby Thorndyke-Green Sea-Floyds

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

JOHNS ISLAND — As Charleston County decides whether to buy 95 acres on this sea island to manage hurricane wreckage, nearby residents are speaking out against the move.

Several people showed up to the Feb. 1 County Council meeting, urging the panel not to allow burning and dirt mining on the parcels. They cited concerns about air quality from smoke and trucks running up and down Johns Island’s already clogged roads. Some have organized a planned meeting for concerned neighbors on Feb. 5, when they will convene to discuss the matter further.

“It just feels like another punch in the gut as a Johns Island resident, to be honest with you,” Becca Nexsen, who lives near the site, told The Post and Courier. “We have unbridled development, there’s so little infrastructure … we’re Charleston County’s dumping ground. Of course we’re going to get this.”

The proposal to buy three tracts of farmland between Humbert Road and Main Road, known locally as Grayson Oaks, first came before County Council in a committee meeting in late January. Eric Adams, the county’s deputy director for public works, told The Post and Courier the site could be used to burn fallen tree limbs and vegetation after a major storm, to turn this material into wood chips, or as a possible dirt mine.

One of the reasons the land is attractive to the county is because of an infestation of invasive Asian longhorned beetles. A large swath of southern Charleston County is inside a beetle quarantine area, and wood cannot legally be removed without being processed or shredded into small pieces first. The Grayson Oaks land is inside that boundary, and thus, could handle debris inside of it too.

But Ted Cadmus, who lives in the Gift Plantation neighborhood less than a mile away, said the smoke would be a nuisance to local property values, and that additional trucks to and from the site would stress already-packed roads.

“I kind of don’t care if it is infrequent or frequent as far as the burning is concerned,” Cadmus said. Even if the county uses special burning methods to lessen smoke, he said, “the same pollutants are going to be thrown off.”

Cadmus also worried about ash from the fire polluting groundwater, and thus, wells in the area around it. One of the speakers at the County Council meeting also said he and others off Humbert Road use well water and could be affected.

Patricia Fair, a researcher who has spent decades studying environmental contamination, spoke at the council meeting and wrote them a letter describing the potential health effects of wood smoke. Fair, who also lives in Gift Plantation and works as adjunct faculty for the Medical University of South Carolina, wrote that the fine particulate matter in smoke, or soot, can cause a bevy of health effects.

“These microscopic particles can get into your eyes and respiratory system, where they may cause burning eyes, runny nose, and illnesses, such as bronchitis,” Fair wrote. “Fine particles can make asthma symptoms worse and trigger asthma attacks. Fine particles can also trigger heart attacks, stroke, irregular heart rhythms, and heart failure, especially in people who are already at risk for these conditions.”

Council members appeared split on the issue at their Feb. 1 meeting, with some expressing concern over potential nuisances from the site, and others saying that this kind of hurricane cleanup work was simply not optional and needed a reliable location.

“If there’s a valid need and there’s property, we’ve got to try and figure out a way to make it work,” Councilman Brantley Moody said. “We’ve got to find places to do this (type of work) that are other than just stick it in North Charleston.”

But Councilwoman Anna Johnson, who represents Johns Island, said the additional traffic strain on Main Road wouldn’t work, and the St. Johns Fire District is already stretched thin by residents’ reports of smoke from rural burning elsewhere on the island.

She questioned whether the county is considering the land “because it’s available to be purchased, or because we need some place to burn, or we need a (dirt) pit?”

Ultimately, County Council tabled the issue for a month.

But residents will continue to organize in the meantime. A meeting has been set for 9 a.m. on Feb. 5, in the parking lot of Berkeley Electric Cooperative at 1135 Main Road.

The owner of Trident Medical Center has set its sights on rapidly developing Johns Island for a new health care facility.

An affiliate of Nashville-based HCA Healthcare recently paid nearly $20 million for 55 acres through multiple transactions on several parcels along Zelasko Drive between Maybank Highway and Cane Slash Road, according to Charleston County land records.

The property will become part of Trident Health, which is owned by HCA, according to a spokesman.

Christina Oh, president and CEO of the local system, which includes Trident Medical Center and other facilities in the Charleston area, said the region’s population is growing and Trident is looking to expand its services to island residents.

“As our community continues to rapidly grow, we look to respond by bringing needed health-care services to areas that are underserved,” Oh said. “James and Johns Island residents routinely have to drive 30 or more minutes to reach the care they need.”

She said Trident Health “can help fill that gap.”

Oh provided no timetable or cost for construction of a new facility on Johns Island.

“We look forward to working closely with community leaders and neighbors to get their ideas on what they need in their backyard,” Oh said.

In addition to the 321-bed Trident Medical Center in North Charleston, Trident Health also includes the 124-bed Summerville Medical Center and three freestanding emergency rooms at Brighton Park in Nexton, Centre Pointe near Tanger Outlets and Moncks Corner Medical Center.

The 135-bed Colleton Medical Center in Walterboro also is owned by HCA, a for-profit company that’s listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

HCA affiliate Johns Island MC LLC paid $17.2 million for almost 48 acres on 10 parcels last fall, according to the commercial real estate firm NAI Charleston, which represented the seller.

The sellers of most of the land were affiliates of the real estate development firm EYC Companies of Charleston, according to land records.

HCA also bought five smaller neighboring parcels in separate transactions from four individual landowners for a combined $2.28 million, according to recently recorded deeds.

The assemblage of several parcels, across from live Oak Square Shopping Center, extends along most of Zelasko Drive.

Johns Island has undergone rapid growth in recent years, especially with the booming housing market and influx of new residents to the Charleston region.

Several new housing developments as well as new retail and restaurant sites have sprung up in recent years on the island that’s partially in the city of Charleston.

About 23,000 people live on the island, according to the 2020 census. Roughly 12,000 of those reside inside Charleston city limits, according to city spokesman Jack O’Toole.

Part of the health care provider’s purchased acreage is zoned for uses such as a business park and general office development. The rest of it is not currently zoned, according to Charleston’s zoning map.

On the eastern side of Johns Island near the upscale communities of Kiawah and Seabrook islands along the coast, the Medical University of South Carolina is building a new facility.

MUSC Health Sea Islands Medical Pavilion will be at 1884 Seabrook Island Road down the street from the Harris Teeter-anchored Freshfields Village Shopping Center.

The healthcare provider’s website says double-digit population growth is anticipated on the sea islands over the next five years with a growing percentage of residents in the area over the age of 65.

“This growth, along with the islands’ geographic isolation, demographics and community health profiles, has created an urgent need for additional health care services in this part of the South Carolina Lowcountry,” MUSC says on its website.

MUSC says the new medical facility will provide “access to life-saving medical care in a new free-standing Emergency Room, with trauma rooms, fast-track triage, full CT scan and radiology services, full lab services and helipad.” The site also will offer primary care and outpatient services.

The $24 million project is expected to complete construction by 2023, according to MUSC when it announced the development last summer.