Dorchester moves forward with early closing time

By Dan McCue , Staff Writer

A divided Dorchester County Council last night voted to move forward with a proposal to require nightclubs serving alcohol to close by 2 a.m. in spite of pleas from bar owners that the council consider alternatives.

The 4-2 vote kept the ordinance proposed by council Chairman Larry Hargett before the full council rather than moving it to the safety subcommittee for review.

As a result, the ordinance will receive a second reading and will be the subject of a public hearing at the council's next meeting, Feb. 5, in St. George. If the proposed ordinance doesn’t meet any unexpected roadblocks, it will be read for a third time Feb. 19 and, if approved by the council, will go into effect immediately thereafter.

The two dissenting council members didn't balk at the intent of the proposal, but they did ask for more time to compare the ordinance to similar laws adopted in Charleston and North Charleston and to clarify which businesses would ultimately have to comply with the proposed rules.

The ordinance was proposed in the wake of a Jan. 4 killing near Club Echelon on Ashley Phosphate Road.

Dale Aldridge, who addressed the council on behalf of Club Echelon, said while it was unfortunate that a young man died near the establishment, there was no evidence the man had been in the club that night, a position that was corroborated by Michael Turner, a special operations officer with the Dorchester County Sheriff's Department.

"We've been in business for 10 years now, and have made several improvements to the outside of our property specifically to make it safer," said Aldridge. He would not disclose whether he has any ownership in the club.

“Rather than passing this ordinance, I ask you to find a way to target and close down those establishments that really are creating problems in this community," Aldridge said at the meeting.

Darrell Robinson, owner of J.C.'s Bar and Grill, also on Ashley Phosphate Road, also appealed to the council, saying he runs a strict, members-only establishment and has never had an act of violence occur in or around his premises.

"There must be some way to penalize those who are causing problems, and not penalizing those who are doing all they can to run a reputable establishment," he said.

But Hargett was undeterred, saying that even if the killing was not connected to Club Echelon or to another club in the area, recent action by other municipalities and complaints about noise from county residents living near the establishments made the ordinance a necessity.

"These clubs are in my district, and I've seen a marked increase in complaints since the North Charleston early closing ordinance went into effect on Jan. 1," he said. "People can't sleep at night. I have to respond to those concerns."

But Turner explained that because the North Charleston ordinance requiring bars to close by 2 a.m. was less than a month old, there are currently no statistics to measure the impact of that law on Dorchester County.

"I simply can't make a correlation at this time between the North Charleston ordinance going into effect and an increase in calls," he said.

The lack of statistical data suggesting a burgeoning problem doesn't mean the Sheriff's Department is unconcerned about the possible impact of early drinking establishment closures in communities within a short driving distance of Dorchester County, Turner said.

"The reality is, we're currently in a time of year when patronage of these establishments is low," he said. "What we're concerned about is the spring and the summer, when people will start staying out later. That's when we're afraid there will be a problem."

Rural Grimball Farms to become golf course subdivision

By Scott Miller , Staff Writer

Charleston City Council unanimously granted initial approval Tuesday to build homes and a golf course on rural Grimball Farms on James Island.

Unlike plans that riled residents in the past, The Ginn Co.’s latest development proposal calls for 227 homes rather than 600, no retail, 40 acres of public walking trails, an 18-hole golf course and a 17-acre historic preserve open to the public.

The land is on 932 acres near the Stono River. Only 344 highland acres will be developed. The rest will remain marshland.

Councilwoman Kathleen Wilson, who once hoped to preserve Grimball Farms, said the development will clean up the area, which, despite being known for its rural beauty, is now littered with beer cans, mattresses, refrigerators and sofas.

“This was a dumping ground for James Island,” she said. “This area is not as pristine as I thought.”

Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. noted that the previous longtime owners of the abandoned tomato fields had the property annexed into the city in 2000 so stricter conservation-related zoning requirements would apply. The current plan to build just 227 homes falls within those requirements.

“There are some places in our community where we want more density, where it’s appropriate (and) where it helps, and there are some places where we do not,” he said.

A handful of residents spoke against the development during a public hearing Tuesday, citing concerns about traffic congestion, drainage, environmental impact and rural privacy.

Several other residents spoke in favor of the plan.

The Ginn Co.’s proposal is the culmination of seven years of negotiations with the developer, city staff and the community, said Christopher Morgan, director of the Charleston Planning Division.

Jafza selects ATM as lead consultant

By Dan McCue , Staff Writer

Applied Technology and Management of Charleston has been chosen to spearhead the first phase of Jafza International’s development of a 1,300-acre logistics, distribution and manufacturing center in Orangeburg.

The engineering, design and consulting firm will be responsible for overall management of the project, including overseeing the letting of contracts, making onsite engineering and planning decisions and coordinating the initial buildout of the site. It also will work with officials from Dubai-based Jafza and government agencies on planning and implementing support infrastructure.

ATM is partially owned by the government of Dubai through a development firm called Island Global Yachts, in which the royal family of Dubai holds a large equity stake. The company has locations in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Rhode Island and Dubai.

AirTran to hold annual shareholders’ meeting in Charleston

By Kathleen Dayton , Staff Writer

AirTran Airways, the low-fare carrier that entered the Charleston market in June 2007, will host its annual shareholders’ meeting on May 21 in Charleston.

The meeting will be at the Charleston Place Hotel and will likely draw about 100 company executives, shareholders and board members.

Judy Graham-Weaver, spokeswoman for the Orlando, Fla.-based airline, said Charleston was chosen for the meeting location for a number of reasons.

“It is one of our newest destinations and the community there has embraced us — even long before we entered the market last June,” Graham-Weaver said. “Plus, it is a great meeting destination.”

Shares of the airline’s parent, AirTran Holdings Inc., a Fortune 1000 company, were trading Wednesday morning at $7.65, up 65 cents or almost 9% from Tuesday’s close at $7.30 per share. That price was down 4 cents, or 0.5%, on trading volume of nearly 2.5 million shares, up from the stock’s three-month average of 1.8 million shares.

During the last year the company’s stock price has ranged from $6.01 to $12.65 per share. The company reported 2006 net income of $14.7 million, up 82% from 2005 net income of $8 million. Financial information was not available for 2007. 

Since last June, five market analysts have downgraded the stock; four now rate it as “neutral” and one as “peer perform.”

AirTran’s annual shareholders’ meeting is usually held in a city served by the airline and one that performs well in the carrier’s system. The meeting last year was held in Newport News, Va. Previous meetings were held in Akron, Ohio, and at the company’s Orlando headquarters, Graham-Weaver said.

The agenda for the Charleston meeting has not yet been set, but Graham-Weaver said it will offer an overview of the year’s performance and successes, especially in terms of new markets, so information on Charleston will be included.

AirTran so far is pleased with the performance and reception it has received in Charleston, Graham-Weaver said, although the airline is still working on growing its market here.

AirTran Airways offers more than 700 daily flights to 56 U.S. destinations.

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