The Daufuskie Island Council will be holding a vote open to all Daufuskie Island Property owners, and permanent residents on the island. The voting is open through email now, and in person voting will be at the church ministries building Saturday October 28 from 9:00 til 3:30.

Eligible voters are: Anyone who owns property or is a permanent resident, and can verify with your Beaufort County property tax bill, a driver’s license with Daufuskie Island address, or a Daufuskie Island utility bill under your name.

As Chairman of the Daufuskie Island Council and Chairman of the Daufuskie Island Roads Committee, I felt a need to address the issues pertaining to Prospect Road and Beach Road.

On October 31, 2019 the Daufuskie Island Council passed a resolution asking Beaufort County Council to maintain a perspective easement on Prospect Road, to have Prospect Road remain as a historic dirt road of approximately 18 ft wide. Beaufort County Council passed the resolution and the road remains in that condition today. However less than two years later Beaufort County issued court documents to all residents on Prospect Road that they, the County were taking land 25 ft from center of the road on both sides. The county now claimed the rights to a fifty foot wide road, where they had given the assurance to the Daufuskie Island Council of maintaining an 18 ft wide road just 18 months earlier. A Gullah decedent came to me about the county taking his land with no compensation. I later found out everyone on Prospect Road was in the same predicament. I went to the leadership of the Daufuskie Island Council with this troubling information, but they refused to take any action. So that brings us up to today. As the head of the Daufuskie Island Council I feel we should be responsible to help any and all Islanders in relations with Beaufort County. There are probably 8 to 10 families fighting this abusive land grab, a single Mom, a Gullah decedent and various other families. One family this land grab hurts the most is the Dulany family. They own two- hundred twenty acres of land and the county is trying to make a fifty foot wide road path through the middle of their property.

The Daufuskie Island Council is offering a solution to this abuse of land grab, and breech of agreement by Beaufort County. We need the people of Daufuskie Island to tell the Beaufort County Council to end their land grab through this vote.

Our solution is to have Beaufort County stop all 50ft Right of Way procedures on Prospect Road. If Beaufort County agrees to stop all legal proceedings, Mr Dulany will offer to put his TWO HUNDRED TWENTY acres of land in a conversation easement. Thus protecting the southern portion of the island from any development, and maintaining the roads in their present historic condition. Mr. Dulany would alter the route of the existing Prospect Road to the north, and have it exit on to Beach Road for motor vehicles, and maintain the present historic 18 ft wide road as a hiking-biking- horseback riding trail.

I have excluded two members of the Daufuskie Island Council from participating in this recommendation, as they have direct conflicts of interest. The Daufuskie Island Council endorses this solution and recommends the full community endorse it as well. The members of the Daufuskie Island Council will vote individually just like you through the public ballot system.

Last year, I and the members that were elected to council this past year, heard the cries of many off island residents and on island residents who’s voices were not being aloud to speak about STRs. We made sure your voices were heard, please help us make sure the people of Prospect Road have their voices heard, in stopping the Beaufort County from taking their land with absolutely no compensation, by voting on these recommendations.

About four weeks ago Beaufort County sent County representatives to discuss the future development of our roads: Church, School and Frances Jones Road. No upgrades were announced pertaining to Beach Road. About two weeks after their public meeting, road engineers began staking Beach Road. I went to the site and asked what was going on. I was told Beach Road was to be upgraded to a gravel road. Not once were we notified about this drastic change to Beach Road. I was shown and have a copy of the blueprints of the upgrade, and the complete job calls for paving of Beach Road. I strongly urge everyone to tell the Beaufort County to leave Beach Road alone, to keep it as the scenic road that it is. This is another example of Beaufort County overstepping. If we allow Beaufort County to continue with their development plans, our island will lose the charm, character, and historic value, that we all cherish. It is the reason why we moved here, it the reason why we have such a relaxed attitude living here on a quaint historic, picturesque island.

Mr. Dulany’s Proposal

What I am proposing is to reroute Prospect Road up to Beach Road and preserve it.

The benefits to the Island would be the following:

In the option of rerouting Prospect: The new portion of Prospect through our property would be a part of our property’s conservation easement. It would be a requirement of the owner of our property (in perpetuity) to maintain that portion of Prospect Road in the condition it was when the conservation easement was created.

The alternative is to allow the County to condemn Daufuskie roads, including Prospect, which will forever place their future look/ feel in the hands of the County which will be obligated to improve them to modern standards (width, swales, and construction) in the future.
If preserving the look and feel of the roads such as Prospect is what is most important, then I contend that the only way to do so is through private ownership protected by a conservation easement since the County is a public body which must adhere to their own rules and standards. The County will change the roads to meet the functional needs of the island’s growth. If that were not the case, then they would be able to condemn only 15 feet wide that the roads currently are and put in writing that they will never change them. In reality, this can only be achieved with the private ownership and a conversation easement.

Thank you for reading and considering this letter. I remain always open to sitting down again with the council, the residents, or whomever you think it would be beneficial to do so.

Reed Dulany

Voting Information

Voting is Saturday October 28 9:00 til 3:30 at the church ministries building.

Email voting is with our partner in council elections

The Griffin law firm. You can email your ballot to

votedaufuskie@griffinhumphries.com

Procedures for voting are the same as council election.

Email your ballot with proof of residence, tax bill, utility bill or driver’s license with Daufuskie Island address.

Ballot Contents

Do you want to tell the Beaufort County Council to stop their fifty foot condemnation of Prospect Road, allowing for the rerouting of the existing 2500 foot Prospect Road to the north, exciting onto Beach Road, and have the current historic road remain intact as a walking-hiking- biking-horseback riding trail.

Have the current Prospect Road and rerouted Prospect Road put into a TWO HUNDRED TWENTY acres conservation easement for protection from future development?

Circle your answer

YES NO

Do you want the current dirt Beach Road graveled?

Circle your answer

YES NO