Hilton Head

RISING CONSTRUCTION COSTS, REAL ESTATE PRICES AND CONSTRUCTION-RELATED FEES MAKE IT DIFFICULT FOR DEVELOPERS TO BUILD AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN BLUFFTON AND HILTON HEAD ISLAND.

The lack of affordable housing, combined with a lack of public transportation, means businesses are unable to fill positions because it’s too expensive for low- to moderate-income families to live in the area.

Without a bridge to the mainland, freed slaves and their descendants have shaped Daufuskie Island since the end of the Civil War. Their strong and unique Gullah culture was deeply influenced by their African heritage and remained largely isolated until the 1970s. The island had no electricity or telephone service until the 1950s, and oysters and cotton drove the economy — though today, tourism has become the most important source of income.

Second Helpings’ 26th anniversary and Share the Bounty fundraising event will be held Thursday, Sept. 21 at Harbour Town Golf Links. The fundraiser will help Second Helpings maintain its fleet of trucks and support the organization’s mission to stop hunger and eliminate food waste. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. and the cost is $100 per ticket, which includes dinner, a full bar, a silent auction and a live auction. To purchase tickets, call Second Helpings at 843-689-3689.

Volunteers in Medicine Hilton Head Island has selected a new board of directors for 2017-18. James D. Collett, who spent his career in the U.S. Air Force and with Bell Systems/Bell Atlantic, is the incoming chairman of the board. Other new board members include Joseph Scodari, vice chairman; Keith Brownlie, treasurer; and Andrea Argast, secretary.

Plans are underway to renovate the pavilion at Shelter Cove Harbour this fall. The recently launched Pavilion Paver Project will provide the bricks to complete the project. Residents and visitors can leave their mark on the Lowcountry by purchasing an engraved brick to be used at the pavilion. The goal is to sell 1,000 bricks. To purchase a brick, call Shelter Cove at 843-310-0431.

The American Legion Post 205 will hold their 12^th annual golf tournament at the Rose Hill Golf Course in Bluffton at 8 a.m. Sept. 29. Proceeds from the tournament for male and female golfers support various charities Fisher House, the Bluffton Veterans’ Day parade and Palmetto Boys State. Fisher House Foundation provides housing at no cost for military and veterans’ families while a loved one is receiving treatment at major military and VA medical centers nationwide. The Fisher House Foundation served more than 28,000 families in 2016 and also provides scholarships for military children and spouses. Palmetto Boys State is sponsored by The American Legion and was founded to teach boys about government and local and national politics.

The Women’s Association of Hilton Head Island will feature guest speaker Joan Robinson-Berry, vice president and general manager of Boeing South Carolina, at its first luncheon of the season. Robinson-Berry will discus “Lessons from Victory and Defeat” at the luncheon, to be held Oct. 6 at Sonesta Resort Hilton Head Island in Shipyard Plantation.

For the first time in years, the Beaufort County School District has scheduled Saturdays as planned make-up days for inclement weather. The decision came after students missed eight days for Hurricane Matthew in 2016. This news didn’t sit well with some parents who complained a Saturday school day would be inconvenient. District officials commented that other states and school districts deal with make up days this way. The school board has been criticized for not seeking public or employee input before scheduling the inclement weather make up days.

An undeveloped site on Hilton Head’s north end could be the location of new townhouses.

The site is owned by Welles LOM LLC of Chicago. Willy Powell with Ward Edwards Engineering, located in Bluffton, has proposed building 21 townhouses, an amenity center, and walkways and parking on 2.7-acre site at 107 Leg O Mutton Road, according to town documents.

PureFlix.com, a Christian entertainment company, is making a faith-based soap opera set in the Lowcountry.

“Hilton Head Island” will run for 22 episodes on the company’s PureFlix digital platform. The show will star Antonio Sabato Jr. (“The Bold and the Beautiful”), Donna Mills (“Knots Landing”), Michael Swan (“As the World Turns”) and renowned game show host Wink Martindale, according to Christian news site Faith Wire. The first episode of the show will air this fall.

ISLAND REC CENTER IS GETTING A $13 MILLION FACELIFT

If you grew up on Hilton Head Island — or if your kids grew up here — it’s a good bet you have been one of the hundreds of thousands of residents who have benefitted from programs at the Island Recreation Center.

Forty years ago, as more people moved to the island and it began to be known as a resort destination, town leaders realized that developing a parks and recreation program was essential to building a vital and healthy community. And so the Hilton Head Island Recreation Association was born.

THE CHILDREN'S CENTER TURNS 50

For the past 50 years, the Children’s Center of Hilton Head Island has provided an invaluable service to the working parents of the Lowcountry. Thanks to reduced tuition for low-income residents, all members of the community can take advantage of the nonprofit group’s programs offering safe and creative environments for children that encourage learning, personal growth and development.

Cross Schools has been named the recipient of a 2017 Shade Structure Program Grant by the American Academy of Dermatology.

The grant will provide $8,000 for the purchase and installation of a permanent shade structure. Cross Schools is one of several organizations this year to receive a grant from the AAD’s Shade Structure Program.

Thanks to a $9,015 grant from The Patagonia Environmental Grants and Support Program, the group is launching the Oyster Recycling and Reef Building Initiative, a community-based oyster shell recycling and bed restoration project.

Residents can learn how to best respond to a disaster by attending a training class sponsored by the Community Emergency Response Team. Participants will learn to increase self-sufficiency in a disaster and provide emergency assistance to their families and neighbors.