Carolina Coastal Review

Charleston still America’s most mannerly city

As reported by: The Charleston Regional Business Journal Staff

The Charleston School of Protocol and Etiquette has announced that, once again, Charleston has been voted America's Most Mannerly City of 2007. The general public determined winners with votes cast online and by mail to the school over the past year. Savannah, Ga., and New York City placed second and third, respectively. The competition has been ongoing for more than 30 years.

After winning the America's Most Mannerly City designation for the 11th time, Charleston received the Lifetime Achievement Award last year. "Charleston is firmly established as a stronghold of manners," said Cindy Grosso, owner of Charleston School of Protocol and Etiquette.

The founder of the competition, etiquette expert and author Marjabelle Young Stewart, died in March at age 82. Grosso secured the endorsement of Stewart's family to carry on the contest. "It fits. It seems proper for (someone from) the Most Mannerly City for all these years to take it over," said Stewart's husband, William Stewart of Kewanee, Ill.

Charleston won by a landslide with 219 votes. Forty-four votes came from South Carolina residents, including 19 from Charleston. Votes for America's Most Mannerly City 2008 will be accepted by the Charleston School of Protocol and Etiquette from Feb. 1 through Dec. 31, 2008, on its Web site at http://www.charlestonschoolofprotocol.com or by mail at P.O. Box 41113, Charleston, SC 29423-1113. Voters are invited to submit mannerly cities and to convey stories in support of their chosen locales.

The Charleston School of Protocol and Etiquette was established in 2000 and specializes in corporate etiquette programs for groups and coaching for individuals.

Beach Renourishment Up For A Vote

Wild Dunes property owners will decide on special fee

By Jessica Johnson

The Post and Courier

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

ISLE OF PALMS — Wild Dunes property owners will receive a ballot this week asking if the homeowners association should impose a special assessment to pay a portion of an offshore dredging project to renourish their eroding beach.

Wild Dunes Community Association members met in the Sweetgrass Pavilion Saturday for an overview of the proposal that asks for $1,500 for every dwelling unit and for owners of beachfront property to pay an additional voluntary amount.

Sixty percent of property owners would have to participate in the referendum for it to be considered valid. And 66.67 percent of those voting would have to approve of the assessment for it to go into effect.

Payments would be due in April so that the city could move forward with contracting with an offshore dredging company. Pumping sand could be done in June and July.

The eroding beach has affected the Wild Dunes Resort, said community association board member Gary Lauderdale.

"The reality is, we're all in this together, and when the resort is financially healthy, we're financially healthy," Lauderdale said to property owners. "When they get sick financially, we get sick financially."

If the referendum issue is approved, property owners and the Wild Dunes Resort would pay $5.8 million of the expected $9.7 million renourishment project.

The Wild Dunes Community Association board of directors expects public funds to support the remaining cost. Isle of Palms City Council already has approved spending approximately $2 million. An additional $900,000 has been requested from Charleston County and $1 million from the state.

"Those numbers are not firm, to say the least," Lauderdale said.

The city requested the funds.

Mayor Mike Sottile said the city has applied for a $1 million grant from a S.C. Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management fund and will ask the county for $900,000. Charleston County has discussed setting up a county beach renourishment fund that all beach communities in the county could draw from.

Current state law requires public beach access before entities can tap into the OCRM beach management fund. And the county has yet to approve its proposed renourishment fund.

Sottile said the city is waiting for answers before deciding what to do next.

"Right now, we've asked for a certain amount of funds," he said, "and we have to wait and see if they give it to us."

Reach Jessica Johnson at 937-5921 or jjohnson@post andcourier.com.