A house RESOLUTION

 

to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the development of the barrier island of dataw.

 

Whereas, Dataw Island was purchased from Larry and Richard Rowland by Alcoa South Carolina in January 1983, and development began under Bill Cochrane's leadership with the construction of Dataw Drive, Island Circle E, Dataw Club Road, South Reeve Road, and BB Sams; and

 

Whereas, when a large piece of equipment damaged the wooden bridge, all workers and equipment had to travel by boat or barge to continue work on the development; and 

 

Whereas, in 1984, Alcoa paid to have the water mains extended to Dataw and provided funds to Beaufort Jasper Water & Sewer Authority to build the sewage treatment plant on St. Helena; and

 

Whereas, the original portion of the clubhouse and clubhouse complex with four tennis courts and a pool was completed at the end of 1984, which opened for business in March of 1985, along with the sales office; and

 

Whereas, twenty-four bluff units and six model homes were completed, which were owned by third-party owners and leased back to Alcoa to accommodate sales prospects; and

 

Whereas, in 1985, off-island memberships were issued, and those same memberships are still available, numbering about one hundred country club members and one hundred dining members; and

 

Whereas, Hurricane Hugo had a minimal impact on Dataw in 1989, but the island had six inches of snow in December of that year. In October 1989, the first nine holes of the Morgan River course were completed and the back nine in 1993. As roads were constructed, different sections of the island opened up for sale with Gleason's Landing being the last section of roads to be completed by 1996; and

 

Whereas, the Marina construction was completed in 1989 by Alcoa South Carolina and opened for business in 1990 with a ship's store. In 1995, the current sales center was constructed, and the real estate sales team known as the Dataw Island Realty moved into the building; and

 

Whereas, in 1996, the clubhouse sales and marketing space was renovated into the Carolina Room to serve as the special events venue until the present-day Carolina Ballroom was built in 2002. On October 1, 1996, Alcoa turned over the club and owners association to the members and residents; and

 

Whereas, in 1997, the marina was sold to Al Engle, and in 1998, a restaurant opened there. In 1999, Hurricane Floyd caused minimal debris damage with no flooding, and DatawNet was introduced by 2000; and

 

Whereas, in 2001, the members of Dataw Island Club approved the One Island concept, as well as the community center construction and clubhouse expansion to include the Carolina Ballroom which were completed June 2003. Carolina Sportscare was contracted to manage the community center; and

 

Whereas, in 2006, the Marina sold to Creekstone after Dataw Island Owners Association voted not to purchase it. Alcoa South Carolina subsidized operation of the club from 1996 to 2007. In 2007, a committee formed to study how to market the island. ERA was selected as the preferred realtor; and

 

Whereas, in 2010, the security gates were installed. In 2011, the Cotton Dike course reopened after renovations were completed, and renovations to the Morgan River Course were completed in 2012. A renovation of the outdoor pool was completed by June of 2016; and

 

Whereas, in 2015, Logan Homes headquartered in North Carolina purchased the remaining fifty-four properties from Dataw Island Properties, as well as some eleven properties from existing owners; and

 

Whereas, that year, Dataw had a microburst occurrence during a thunderstorm, damaging many trees in the middle of the island and causing some minor damage to the tennis facility. Several months later, a king tide brought water nearly over the long causeway with some water damage on the island; and

 

Whereas, in October 2016, Hurricane Matthew caused some flooding on Dataw with damage to docks and trees. Marina piers broke loose, and some fifty homes were damaged. In September 2017, Hurricane Irma caused some flooding; and

 

Whereas, January 2018 brought five inches of snow, and the snow that melted in the afternoons froze each night, causing it to be the worst cold weather event in more than fifty-sixty years; and

 

Whereas, bocce courts were completed in 2018, and the island approved a golf cart renovation for both golf courses. Kayak launch and storage facility was completed, and the membership approved the purchase of the marina which closed on February 13, 2019. Later that year, Hurricane Dorian brushed the island with minimal preparation and damage costs; and

 

Whereas, in January 2020, the marina shoreline dock was completed, along with pickleball courts in January 2021. In April 2020, Oak Island was purchased anonymously and deeded to the Dataw Island Owners Association to be developed for uses like walking paths and dog enclosures. Now, therefore,

 

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

 

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the development of the barrier island of Dataw.

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