Lawmakers OK school boat for all Sandy Island residents

Posted on May 19, 2009 
Filed Under News

The state-owned school boat at Sandy Island can now be used to transport island residents to and from the mainland in Georgetown County, thanks to state lawmakers.

The S.C. Senate voted Thursday to override Gov. Mark Sanford’s May 6 veto of a bill to expand the use of the school boat to all Sandy Island residents so it could be used for nonschool purposes.

However, residents should not expect to use that service - at least not yet.

Local officials and residents have not decided whether to use the boat or how to fund it.

Georgetown County has set up a task force of residents, council members and area agencies to look at finding short-term and long-term transportation solutions.

The task force commissioned a resident survey in April. The results have been compiled by The Coast Regional Transportation Authority but haven’t been released to the task force.

Residents have been trying for over 30 years to get reliable transportation to the island, but efforts gained traction in the wake of a boating accident Feb. 18, when three Sandy Island residents died on their way home during a storm. There were three survivors.

Because there is no ferry, bridge or road connecting the island to the mainland, residents must use private boats to get groceries, go to work and doctor’s appointments.

A day before Thursday’s veto override, the S.C. House also overrode Sanford’s veto.

“It’s a local decision,” said Sen. Ray Cleary, R-Murrells Inlet, about the use of the school boat.

“What we’ve done is we’ve answered the need. The school boat is available for residents. I do think what it does is it gives the county another tool to work with.”

Cleary said making the school boat available for residents also creates an opportunity to experiment on how to maximize use by residents.

“Why not use the boat as a study guide to see if people use it and how often?” Cleary said. “You can see what type of use you get out of it before you move forward.”

During the school year, students cross the 0.9 miles of the Waccamaw River to the mainland, twice a day on the state-owned school boat.

If the county does decide to use the school boat, it would need to find an operator and agency to support the additional runs.

The Coast RTA cannot service the school boat because it is not handicap accessible, said spokesman David Bodle.

Sanford spokesman Joel Sawyer said “We are disappointed” by the override. Sawyer said the governor stood by the points he made in his veto letter May 6 to House Speaker Robert Harrell Jr.

Sanford argued the bill would set a precedent for allowing public property to used for private purposes.

“The question before us was does it make sense for a school bus or in this case a school boat to be used for something other than transporting students?” Sawyer said.

“What happens next is up to local government.”

By Aliana Ramos
The Sun News