Initiative to Protect Jekyll Island

                                                                   Newsletter

                                                                 Volume 2, Issue 3

                                                                      July 2008

In this Newsletter:

•Jekyll Acreage Available for Development?

•Sea Turtle Victory on Jekyll

•New Linger Longer Town Center Proposal Soon to Be Released

•Linger Longer Asked to Make Public Comments Available

•Great Dunes Golf Course Closed by JIA

•Ed Boshears to Remain on JIA Board?

•District 3 State Senator Jeff Chapman Facing Primary Challenge

•JIA Hires New Executive Director

•IPJI Board Established

•Sea Turtle License Plates Available Soon

Jekyll Acreage Available for Development?

According to a 5 April 1971 act (House Bill 473), the JIA may not develop “more than 35 percent of the land area of Jekyll Island which lies above water at mean high tide.” The 1996 Jekyll Island Final Master Plan, drawing upon a 1980 Department of Transportation aerial photograph to outline the island’s perimeter, calculated Jekyll’s total acreage and then determined the number of acres that had been developed as of 1996. On the basis of these calculations, the Master Plan reported that 108.35 more acres could still be developed before reaching the 35 percent limit. This same figure was cited by the JIA when it outlined the long-term development possibilities available to its private partner, Linger Longer Communities.

However, the preliminary results of new research drawing upon state of the art technology suggest there are far fewer than 108.35 undeveloped acres remaining within the 35 percent development zone established by law. The fresh analysis of the 65/35 balance makes use of a pair of high resolution satellite images of Jekyll (Ikonos from 2003 and KOMPSAT from March 2008), recent images acquired from an airborne digital camera as part of the National Agricultural Imaging program, current LiDAR data from which a fine scale digital elevation model of the island can be produced, and the onsite services of professionals with experience in calculating land cover for tidally influenced areas.

Once the IPJI’s research on the 65/35 issue is completed, and the current percentage of Jekyll’s developed lands has been scientifically determined to a fine degree, our data and conclusions will be presented to the JIA and the general public.

Sea Turtle Victory on Jekyll

On May 15th, a public hearing was held by the Georgia Shore Protection Committee (SPC) for the purpose of considering the application for a Jekyll Island permit under the Shore Protection Act (SPA).  Those applying for the permit were the Jekyll Crow Group, the builders planning to construct the Canopy Bluff Resort on the site of the demolished Buccaneer Hotel.  The Jekyll Island Citizens Association (JICA) had submitted commentary to the SPC strongly recommending that the SPC require Jekyll Crow to avoid any light pollution of the beach in front of their new hotel, so that critical nesting habitat of endangered loggerhead turtles would not be degraded.  Included in the written commentary was a modernized beach-lighting ordinance that has been proposed to the Jekyll Island Authority on 10 March 2008 by JICA board member and IPJI executive officer Steve Newell.

At the hearing, The Shore Protection Committee, headed by DNR Commissioner Noel Holcomb, informed the Jekyll Crow Group that they must adhere to strict beach-lighting requirements that match those in the new beach-lighting ordinance proposed by Steve Newell for Jekyll Island State Park.  Holcomb made it clear that when the hotel-lighting details are ready for implementation, they must be brought before the Committee for thorough review and reconsideration of the permit. 

It was very rewarding to see loggerheads get fair treatment in the first of the beachside construction projects in the Park.  The developers and the SPC both commented that the construct of this permit should set the standard for development in the Park.  Hopefully, the modernized beach lighting ordinance recommended by Steve Newell will soon be adopted by the JIA.

The Staff Findings and Recommendations that were handed out at the hearing are available on the IPJI’s website.

New Linger Longer Town Center Proposal

The revised Town Center Proposal will be unveiled to the public in early July, according to the JIA. The location, shape, and density of the proposed development, in its revised form, remain unknown. When the new proposal is unveiled, IPJI will send an email alert and will post information on its website.

The original town center proposal included acreage within Jekyll’s maritime forest to the west of Beachview Drive, an area designated as a “Nature Preserve” by the 1996 Jekyll island Master Plan. Hopefully, the revised proposal will reorient the town center project so that maritime forestland will not be affected.

For more information on this subject, visit “Jekyll’s Maritime Swamp Forest: A Target for Development?” For an uplifting break from your hectic day, take a few seconds to walk through Jekyll’s maritime forest.

Linger Longer Asked to Make Public Comments Available

Linger Longer has repeatedly said that public opinion on the town center project, as indicated in comments posted to its website, will be reflected in the revised proposal. IPJI has filed a request with Linger Longer to make public the entire text of the comments in question on the grounds that this information is necessary to judge the degree to which the revised proposal reflects public opinion. Linger Longer has acknowledged receipt of the request, but has not yet indicated if or when the records requested will be made public.

Great Dunes Golf Course Closed by JIA

Great Dunes Golf Course, the historic nine-hole course built in the 1920s when Jekyll was a playground for millionaires, has been closed by the JIA until October, reportedly out of budgetary and well-water concerns. Since the closure, the ocean-facing holes of Great Dunes have been surveyed, both by land surveyors and an archaeological crew, and a jurisdictional line for the adjacent beachfront land has been mapped out in accord with the terms of the Shore Protection Act and submitted to the DNR by the JIA. At the Authority board meeting earlier this month, chairman Ben Porter was asked if the golf course might be redeveloped for a non-recreational use. He replied that said since LLC had not released its revised proposal, he couldn't answer the question.  

Board Term of Senator Ed Boshears Expires

Senator Ed Boshears has been a steadfast supporter and protector of Jekyll Island State Park. Often, his has been the most prominent voice on the JIA board representing the general public. His term on the JIA board is set to end in July. Governor Perdue could choose to reappoint Senator Boshears or simply allow him to continue to sit on the board without a formal reappointment, as has been the case with other board members in recent years, including current board member Mike Hodges. Hopefully, Governor Perdue will invest wisely in Jekyll’s future by inviting Senator Boshears to continue his board service.

Anyone interested in supporting the reappointment of Ed Boshears may contact Governor Purdue - www.gov.georgia.gov/00/contact_us0,2657,78006749_94820188,00.html – and provide a copy to Ms. Emily Campbell - ecampbell@gov.state.ga.us – who is the Director of Executive Appointments.

State Senator Jeff Chapman Facing Primary Challenge

Senator Jeff Chapman, who has worked hard in the General Assembly on behalf of responsible revitalization of Jekyll Island State Park, is facing a Republican challenger in the July 15 primary election in District 3, which includes Jekyll Island. His opponent, a local developer, has spoken in support of Linger Longer’s town center project and is an outspoken critic of Senator Chapman’s position on Jekyll’s revitalization. For more information on the two candidates and their views, visit www.jeffchapman.us and www.voteterrycarter.com.

JIA Hires New Executive Director

On June 15th, C. Jones Hooks, a Metter, Georgia native, assumed his post as the new JIA Executive Director. Mr. Hooks was the President of the Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance before being hired by the JIA. He has a Bachelors Degree from the University of Georgia and a Masters Degree from George Washington University. IPJI Co-Directors Mindy and David Egan will be meeting with Mr. Hooks later this month to welcome him to Jekyll and talk about the revitalization of Jekyll Island State Park.

IPJI Board Established

This spring, an IPJI Board of Directors was established. The board’s mission is to help set policy for the IPJI and to assist in the attainment of the organization’s goals. Board Chair Babs McDonald asks anyone interested in supporting the effort to protect Jekyll Island State Park to visit the IPJI’s website at www.savejekyllisland.org and contact degan@igc.org for further information. In addition, McDonald reminds supporters that donations to the IPJI in any amount are always welcome. Checks should be made out to the Initiative to Protect Jekyll Island and sent to Mindy Egan, 308 Old Plantation Road, Jekyll Island, GA 31527. McDonald may be contacted at mcdonaldbabs@gmail.com.

Sea Turtle License Plates Available Soon

Do you want to show your support for the Georgia Sea Turtle Center? The state of Georgia is offering a special license plate with sales benefiting the Sea Turtle Center. For every $25 plate sold, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center will receive $10. The plates are not yet available, but can be reserved by visiting www.jekyllisland.com/license_plate.asp. Once the JIA is able to compile an initial list of 1,000 reservations, the production and purchasing process for the plate will be simplified, and those with reservations will be given clear instructions for following through on the purchase and receiving their plate. The IPJI encourages its supporters residing in Georgia to reserve their plate now.