Briefly in West Ashley

Second round of public workshops

A second round of public workshops to gather input on where and how growth should occur in Charleston County will be held Feb. 25 and 26.

The yearlong Charleston County Comprehensive Plan update process involves extensive public input. Charleston County launched the scheduled 10-year update with the first series of public workshops last fall.

The public workshops will give citizens a second opportunity to participate in "Guiding the future for a lasting Lowcountry," which is the county's theme for the Comprehensive Plan update.

There will be four locations during the second round to allow citizens from all areas to share their ideas about land use characteristics and goals and objectives for the Comprehensive Plan Update.

All workshops will take place from 6 to 8 p.m.

Two public workshops will be held Feb. 25, one for the East Cooper area at Wando High School, 1000 Warrior Way, Mount Pleasant, and the other for the central/urban area, including North Charleston, Charleston, West Ashley and James Island, at West Ashley High School, 4060 W. Wildcat Blvd., Charleston.

The two workshops scheduled for Feb. 26 will be for Johns Island and Wadmalaw, including Kiawah and Seabrook islands, at St. John's High School, 518 Main Road, Johns Island, and for west county/Edisto Island at Presbyterian Church, 2164 Highway 174, Edisto Island.

The second round of public workshops will build on the input received in the first round and the technical research conducted by the project consultants and Charleston County staff.

The results of the second round of public workshops will be documented and shared with the Charleston County Planning Commission and Charleston County Council, and will be a significant aspect in the update of the Comprehensive Plan.

The results will also be shared with the community through the county Web site and will be used in preparation for the third round of public workshops in the spring.

Home energy audits available

The Sustainability Institute can evaluate homes through its Home Energy Audit Program and provide follow-up reports on simple, low-cost suggestions to reduce home energy loss. Cost is based on square footage.

For more information, contact The Sustainability Institute at 843-529-3416 or ben@sustainabilityinstituteSC.org or visit sustainabilityinstituteSC.org.

Authors group to induct Rigney

The S.C. Academy of Authors in conjunction with the The Citadel's Department of English, the Poetry Society of South Carolina and the S.C. Center for the Book will induct James Oliver Rigney Jr. into the Academy's Literary Hall of Fame.

Rigney is best known as renowned fantasy author Robert Jordan.

The reception and ceremony will take place at 7 p.m. March 8 in the Riverview Room at The Citadel, 171 Moultrie St, Charleston. Limited reserved tickets are $35. Send check to: S.C. Academy of Authors, 6 Fort Royal Ave., Charleston, SC 29407 by Feb. 25. For more information, call 843-762-9729.

Program for friends and family of ill

The National Alliance On Mental Illness is offering a free educational series titled "Family to Family" for friends and family members of those with bi-polar disorder, schizophrenia, major depression or a diagnosable mood disorder.

The 12-week series, which begins April 2, is for the families and friends of individuals challenged by severe and persistent mental illness. Family to Family is facilitated by trained NAMI mentors and topics will include understanding mental illness, diagnosis education, medications, communication skills, crisis management, coping skills, limit setting and relapse prevention.

The MUSC Institute of Psychiatry will host the program and parking is also free. Space is limited, so pre-registration is required. Contact Mark Stimpson at 792-9320 or markstimpson@hotmail.com.

Symposium on emergency services

The Charleston County Emergency Preparedness Division and the Lowcountry Community Emergency Response Team are hosting an emergency awareness symposium on Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held at the North Charleston Coliseum.

The symposium is being held in conjunction with Lowcounty CERT's annual membership meeting. Families are encouraged to participate in the interactive displays and short workshops offered by emergency service agencies from several local municipalities and associations. Local businesses that offer emergency equipment, services and supplies will also be present.

The event provides an opportunity for citizens to learn how to prepare themselves for different types of emergencies and to meet their local emergency service employees, said Jim Tarter, Charleston County CERT Director.

Those who attend will also have an opportunity to learn about the Lowcountry CERT program and sign up for training to become a member.

CERT is a nationwide Homeland Security program that trains volunteer citizens to be first responders in their neighborhoods and to assist emergency agencies in the event of man-made or natural disasters.

There are now 400 CERT members in the tri-county area. For more information on the symposium or to learn more about Lowcountry CERT, visit www.lcert.org, call 843-202-7405 or e-mail Jim Tarter at jtarter@charlestoncounty.org.