Citizen panel in question

Charleston County Council was poised Tuesday to create a citizen committee to study the proposed Sea Island Parkway on Johns Island, but questions were raised about whether Johns Island residents would have too much influence.

Creation of the committee was suggested last week after County Council declined to support the parkway.

Councilman Paul Thurmond, whose district includes Kiawah and Seabrook islands, had proposed asking the S.C. Department of Transportation to seek proposals from private companies to build the toll road.

Council's Planning and Public Works Committee voted 5-3 against Thurmond's proposed resolution last week, then supported a plan by Councilman Curtis Inabinett to assemble a committee to study the proposed Sea Islands Parkway.

On Tuesday night, however, Thurmond expressed concern over the potential makeup of the nine-member committee, and Councilman Dickie

Schweers said the issue should be hashed out in a future council committee meeting.

The plan had called for County Council to seek applications and then appoint five committee members from Johns Island and Wadmalaw, while the municipalities of Charleston, Kiawah, Seabrook and Rockville would each appoint one member.

Thurmond said having five representatives who are residents of Johns Island and Wadmalaw would be unfair. "I guess you could stack the deck if you wanted to," he said.

Inabinett said he had hoped the citizen committee could reach a consensus on the toll road concept, which was first proposed in 1995.

Last week, Inabinett, whose district includes Johns Island, said he had been leaning toward supporting the parkway but changed his mind after receiving "countless e-mails and telephone calls" from constituents opposed to it.

Supporters of the parkway say it would reduce the traffic problems on Johns Island's network of scenic two-lane roads, and would not contribute to the development of the island.

Opponents say that running a four-lane road across the island, roughly from the area of Maybank Highway and River Road to the Betsy Kerrison Parkway leading to Kiawah and Seabrook, would harm its rural character and cause an explosion of new subdivisions.

In other business Tuesday, County Council gave first-reading approval to an update of Charleston County's 10-year plan for managing growth and development, known as the comprehensive plan. Details of the extensive plan can be found on the county's Web site: charlestoncounty.org.

Reach David Slade at 937-5552 or dslade@postandcourier.com.