Electricians in Sullivan's Island, SC

Residents and island visitors gathered on a clear Saturday at the steps of Town Hall Plaza on Sullivan’s Island to commemorate the 246^th anniversary of the Battle of Sullivan’s Island, an annual event hosted by Battery Gadsden Cultural Center.

On June 28, 1776, Sgt. William Jasper and others from the Second South Carolina Regiment, which was commanded by Col. William Moultrie, hoisted a regimental flag upon a partially completed palmetto log fort to defend colonial Charleston against a major land and sea assault led by British Admiral Sir Peter Parker and Gen. Henry Clinton.

On Saturday, emcee Chuck Galis welcomed the gathering crowd to a Carolina Day celebration. Sullivan’s Island Mayor Patrick O’Neil read a proclamation to kick off the ceremony. Members of Boy Scout Troop 59, which meets regularly at Stella Maris Church on the island, led a presentation and raising of the bright blue Moultrie Flag, followed by a dramatic musket salute by members of the modern-day Second South Carolina Regiment.

Maggie Adams, regent for St. Sullivan Chapter-NSDAR, recalled the life, death and courageous example of Col. Michael Kovats, a Hungarian cavalryman who trained and led the Continental Army during the British siege of Charleston. In January 1777, Kovats penned a letter to then-American Ambassador in France, Benjamin Franklin, in which he pledged his sword to defend the Continental Army’s cause. He famously closed the letter with the salutation, “Most faithful unto death.” Kovats ultimately gave his life in the American War for Independence on May 11, 1779. (Wikipedia reports, “To this date, Michael de Kovats is celebrated by cadets at The Citadel Military College in Charleston, South Carolina, where part of the campus is named in his honor. The Hungarian Embassy in Washington, D.C., has a statue sculpted by Paul Takacs and executed by Attila Dienes.”)

Mike Walsh, president of the Battery Gadsden Cultural Center, closed the ceremony by conveying the 2022 Cultural Stewardship Award to former Sullivan’s Island resident Wayne Stelljes. The Rev. Dr. Daniel W. Massie offered a benediction.

Rob Byko is a local Realtor and avid photographer. All photos in this story are by Rob Byko Photography and are copyrighted. All rights reserved.

SULLIVAN’S ISLAND, S.C. (WCBD) – Sullivan’s Island leaders say they’re hiring an attorney to look at ways to overturn a plan that could lead to large portions of the island’s maritime forest being cut down. The vote to hire Attorney William Wilkin came just days after a portion of the forest was potentially illegally cut near Station 26 on the island.

Drone footage provided by SI4ALL shows a section roughly the width of a house was cleared. The clearing is raising concerns for residents while town officials say they are investigating to determine if the cutting was illegal.

“We were heartbroken and devastated to see the extent of the cutting,” says Karen Byko, President of SI4ALL.

The clearing has town leaders and residents including Byko scrambling to stop the chop of the island’s accreted forest the say provides protection from storms and flooding while offering a home for native wildlife.

“Concern is that we are devastating the very thing that is protecting us and it provides a home to our wildlife partners,” says Byko.

A majority of the cutting happened behind a house near Station 26 on Atlantic Avenue. Zillow records show the house was listed for sale on February 10th, around the time the cutting was believed to have happened, for $2.9 million. The house was then taken off the market five days later on February 15th after concerns over the cutting were raised at a town council meeting.

News 2 went to the home in front of the cutting to ask the owners if they knew anything about the cutting, a housekeeper was the only person home at the time and declined to answer questions.

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control says they haven’t received any tree cutting permits from either the Town of Sullivan’s Island or private residents. The agency says they recommended more discussion at the local level late last year before permitting any clearing of vegetation.

Town councilmembers Gary Visser and Scott Millimet called the cutting illegal and disheartening to see.

“The disregard for our community that they are a part of,” says Visser. Millimet called the act “extremely selfish.”

Sullivan’s Island Mayor Pat O’neil says the town is conducting a serious and thorough investigation into the cutting to identify those responsible and hold them accountable. Town officials are hopeful stricter penalties for cutting trees will be adopted by Town Council moving forward.

“If somebody says you’re going to have to wear an orange jumpsuit for 30 days, that might be a bigger deterrent,” says Millimet.

“We hope that they will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law,” says Byko.

The Army Corps of Engineers says they have not been contacted to investigate the cutting. Town officials say they will continue to investigate the incident.

SULLIVAN’S ISLAND — Dominion Energy hopes to sell the Sand Dunes Club to a company owned by local billionaire Ben Navarro for $19 million, with plans in place to make it a club for island residents and property owners.

The historic beachfront venue was created in the 1950s after South Carolina Electric & Gas bought the 3.5 acres from the federal government for $27,000 as properties associated with Fort Moultrie were being sold.

With a large clubhouse, swimming pool, tennis courts and direct beach access, it was used for decades as a corporate retreat, by island residents and rented out for events and meetings. Dominion Energy acquired the property when it bought SCE&G.

The energy company sought the state Public Service Commission’s permission to sell the property for $19 million to a subsidiary of Navarro’s Beemok Capital called SDCC Island Resident Club. In February the commission instead required Dominion list the property for sale and solicit bids.

“This simply means that Dominion Energy will need to determine whether other potential buyers exist,” said Rhonda Maree O’Banion, Dominion’s media relations manager.

“After the competitive bidding process is complete, Dominion Energy will report back to the commission and if necessary, update its request for approval to sell the Sand Dunes property,” she added.

The sale to Navarro’s company has been anticipated on Sullivan’s Island, a barrier island with fewer than 2,000 residents where the average home sale price in 2021 was nearly $3.2 million according to the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors.

One year ago the town signed an agreement with Navarro’s company that laid out plans to potentially renovate the club and operate it for island residents.

Beemok, the February 2021 agreement says, “desires to purchase the property from its current owner, renovate the clubhouse and operate the club.”

The agreement also says “the town believes a club with membership limited to town residents and property owners” would be desirable if the club were sold.

“That’s what we were expecting was going to happen,” Sullivan’s Island Mayor Patrick O’Neil said. “Mr. Navarro and his group have worked closely with the town.”

The agreement is non-exclusive and the same conditions apply to the property regardless of who were to buy it, he said.

The agreement says the price of membership in the club would not exceed the cost of operating the club, and the town would get to review confidential financial statements to ensure that provision.

Residents and town property owners could become members, and nonmembers could still use the pool for a fee comparable to what municipal recreation departments charge in Mount Pleasant or on Isle of Palms, the agreement says.

The address is considered a large property that’s most valuable as a potential site for new homes according to an appraisal submitted by Dominion, but the clubhouse is protected as an historic structure and could not be demolished without the town’s permission.

The property would not be the first iconic Charleston-area locale purchased by Navarro’s companies if his bid is successful. His companies own the Charleston Place hotel, purchased last year for $350 million, and the Credit One Bank Stadium on Daniel Island.

Efforts to reach representatives of Beemok Capital and the company’s public relations firm by phone and email were unsuccessful Friday.

The sale of the property would not change Dominion Energy’s utility rates or pricing according to the company’s Public Service Commission filing.

In 2021 Dominion turned over more than 2,900 acres of property as part of a $165 million tax settlement with the S.C. Department of Revenue, resolving a three-year dispute over taxes owed on parts and materials purchased to build the V.C. Summer nuclear plant, which was not completed. The Sand Dunes Club was not a part of that deal, but other former clubs and retreats in Aiken, Lexington and Georgetown counties were, and some of those will be added to the state’s park system.

Brian Symmes, spokesman for Gov. Henry McMaster’s office, said the state had been interested in the Sand Dunes Club property, but the cost was too high.

“There was interest in it being part of the settlement agreement, but at the end of the day it was just much too expensive,” he said.

The more than 2,900 acres South Carolina acquired, which included the Pine Island Club on Lake Murray, cost the state about $50 million — the amount Dominion’s tax debt was reduced in exchange for those properties. The Sand Dunes Club property, less than 4 acres, would presumably have cost at least the $19 million Beemok Capital has offered, and make for an unusually expensive park purchase.

The tax settlement was a part of the relief provided to ratepayers, shareholders and governments who sued after Dominion’s predecessor SCE&G abruptly ended construction at the V.C. Summer site in 2017.

SULLIVAN’S ISLAND — Obstinate Daughter bar manager Frank Arevalo has always been a fan of celebrating career milestones.

Since joining the island standby eight years ago, he has helped make this ethos a part of everyday life for the restaurant’s employees.

When a member of Obstinate Daughter’s team celebrates a one-, two- or six-year anniversary, Arevalo honors their achievement on social media.

There have been a lot of posts in the last year.

Dylan Elliott (two years), Samuel Elvington (three years), Shaun Jefferson (two years), Zoe Alessandra De Luca-Parker (two years), Andrea Deslauriers (three years) and Whitney Reed Mallett (five years) have all celebrated work anniversaries in the past seven months. Many more have already surpassed one year at Obstinate Daughter.

Arevalo started the tradition years ago when a server named Tifyane Tipton was nearing her five-year anniversary. The 29-year food and beverage industry veteran posted about Tipton’s milestone on social media. The rest is history.

“Before we started posting them on Instagram, we would have a calendar with milestones and birthdays posted up in the restaurant as a reminder of those special occasions,” Arevalo said. “Our No. 1 asset is our people. Celebrating milestones creates a culture of being valued.”

This culture starts at the top with owner Doug Godley, who provides employees with paid vacation and match a portion of their 401(k), among other benefits. Both Godley and Obstinate Daughter executive chef Jacques Larson say they hope to create the best possible work environment for all employees.

“Chefs and anyone in the industry, it’s expected that you work at least six days for at least 12 hours long. No other industry demands that you put in those kinds of hours,” Larson said. “People that do that don’t have employees holding signs.”

In May, bartender Lauren Drees will hold up a sign that reads “five years,” an anniversary she credits to the restaurant’s customers, commitment to the environment and her coworkers. The Pittsburgh native said she plans to stay put at Obstinate Daughter for a long time.

“There’s a really good rapport between front of the house and back of the house,” Drees said. “It just makes everything smoother when you feel like you can ask questions.”

Obstinate Daughter chef de cuisine Will D’Erasmo bought into the company culture after first meeting Godley and Larson at Wild Olive, their Johns Island restaurant that opened in 2009. There, D’Erasmo worked as a line cook for two years before joining Obstinate Daughter when it opened in 2014.

“At this point it’s kind of like my home because I’ve put so much time and energy into it. Doug is an extremely generous boss. He provides us with new equipment if we ask for it and things like that,” D’Erasmo said. “I enjoy the food and I like working with Jacques.”

Employment in South Carolina’s leisure and hospitality sector grew 2.2 percent from March to April, but Charleston area restaurateurs are still struggling with a staffing crisis that existed even before the COVID-19 pandemic. While Obstinate Daughter has a stable staff, there are days when the kitchen crew is short a member or two.

During those shifts, everyone chips in.

“The sheer volume that we’re doing, we’re blowing through food products,” D’Erasmo said. “It gets stressful and how to alleviate some of that stress is something we’re always thinking about.”

D’Erasmo motivates the back of the house by allowing chefs to move around the kitchen. “Tough love” was the norm early on in his career, but nowadays, he prefers a different mantra: A compliment can go a long way.

The opportunity to learn and earn more responsibilities in the kitchen has benefited executive sous chef Carlos Paredes, who joined Obstinate Daughter six years ago. On most nights, Paredes is in charge of coming up with the restaurant’s daily specials.

“The restaurant works completely different. If you’re working the line, you have to have a different set of skills,” Paredes said. “Nobody’s bored doing one station every time.”

Obstinate Daughter is a high-volume operation, so chefs who tire of the nighttime hours can join the morning prep team. The restaurant has been the ultimate training ground for Paredes, who is nearing the end of his tenure at Obstinate Daughter as he plans for the opening of his own restaurant in his home country of Peru.

Opening a restaurant has always been Paredes’ dream, but he was tempted by the thought of staying at Obstinate Daughter for as long as D’Erasmo and Larson would have him. As it stands, the chef will stay until the new restaurant is closer to its opening date.

“I think it’s definitely going to crush me,” Paredes said of leaving Obstinate Daughter. “I fell in love with the place. It actually make me find what I really want to be doing.”

Obstinate Daughter, located at 2063 Middle St., is open daily for lunch and dinner. For more information, visit theobstinatedaughter.com.

Dominion Energy hoped to sell the beachfront Sand Dunes Club on Sullivan’s Island for $19 million to a company owned by Ben Navarro, but now plans to sell it for much less — $16.2 million — to the former owner of Money Man Pawn.

The $19 million offer from SDC Island Resident Club LLC, a subsidiary of Navarro’s Beemok Capital, evaporated after the state Public Service Commission ordered the utility to seek bids for the property.

Dominion received three bids for the 3.5-acre space and has asked the Public Service Commission to approve the highest one, the $16.2 million offer.

“Although Dominion Energy would have preferred to sell the property to SDC Island Resident Club LLC for $19 million, that option no longer exists, and the company has concluded that $16.2 million is a fair price for the Sand Dunes Property,” Rhonda O’Banion, media relations manager for Dominion, said April 18.

The PSC order was meant to ensure that utility ratepayers’ interests were being served by seeking the highest price for the property, but appears to have cost them $2.8 million instead.

PSC spokesman Rob Bockman said the commission can’t talk about pending cases under rules of judicial conduct.

Dominion has said in filings to the commission that the sale of the property would not change the utility’s rates or pricing.

Prior to the PSC order in February, Navarro’s company was widely expected to buy the property, partly because Sullivan’s Island signed an agreement with Beemok more than a year ago outlining how the 3.5 acres and historic club could be used.

“While Beemok decided to not take part in the public bid process to acquire the Sand Dunes Club, we are hopeful that the process results in a positive outcome for the Sullivan’s Island community at large,” said Chris Allen, a spokesperson for Beemok Capital.

The company rebuffed questions about why it lost interest after previously offering what would have been by far the highest bid.

The top bid of $16.2 million came from John Derbyshire on behalf of a company called JLLM LLC. In South Carolina, limited liability companies (LLCs) are often created for real estate deals.

“We are hopeful that the property transaction will receive all necessary approvals, and we can move forward in the best interest of our customers and the communities we serve,” said O’Banion.

Derbyshire declined to comment. He’s a former owner of Money Man Pawn, a large chain of pawn shops known for their eye-catching yellow-and-green paint scheme, which was sold for $30 million in 2013.

Derbyshire is also known for accumulating extensive property holdings through foreclosure sales, and for buying local restaurant properties. In 2020, one of his affiliates bought Shem Creek Bar & Grill for $4.9 million, and at the time he owned properties that housed restaurants on Sullivan’s Island and Isle of Palms.

The Sand Dunes Club plan laid out in the memorandum between Beemok and Sullivan’s Island called for using the power company’s facility as a membership club for island residents.

The agreement detailing how the property could be used applies regardless of the owner, according to the town. It’s actually five adjoining properties, and houses could potentially be built on four of them.

The Sand Dunes Club building is protected as an historic structure and could not be demolished without the town’s permission.

The beachfront venue was once part of Fort Moultrie. In the 1950s, South Carolina Electric & Gas bought the property from the federal government for $27,000 as properties associated with the fort were being sold.

With a large clubhouse, swimming pool, tennis courts and direct beach access, it was used for decades as a corporate retreat, by island residents, and rented out for events and meetings. Dominion Energy acquired the property when it bought SCE&G.