CHARLESTON COUNTY, SC (WCSC) – Several greenbelt projects are up for a final vote at the Charleston County Council meeting Tuesday evening.

Of the 18 projects on the list, all but one have been approved by the county finance committee. last week.

The only project that resulted in a tied vote was a $1.6 million, 40-acre property located off Main Road on Johns Island.

If approved by the County Council, the Lowcountry Land Trust would use county greenbelt funds from its transportation sales tax to purchase the property, place a conservation easement on it, and then transfer it to a non-profit sports league for children called the Barrier Islands Little League.

Project officials said the organization had a waiting list of children because they did not have enough recreational space to support them.

Of the 40 acres, project members said about a third would be used as active recreation space. That means it would be dedicated sports fields with dugouts, lights, bleachers, fences, concessions, parking, potential courts, batting cages and playing fields.

Barrier Islands Little League would have first priority on the active space for its practices and other uses. However, when they are not using the grounds, the public will be able to reserve them during these unused periods.

Barrier Islands Little League organization President Mary Bull said at the meeting last week that she also plans to use those fields for tournaments and let other sports organizations use the ‘space. That led some board members to question how much the public would actually use it, besides the small league group having a nearly year-long season.

However, project officials said the remaining two-thirds of the land would be passive park space including walking trails that would be open to the public at all times during the day.

Council Member Jenny Honeycutt commented last week on the landowner of this property saying he has been “very critical for a very long time of Charleston County.” The landowner listed in county records is Horres Enterprises Inc. and Randall Scott Horres. Honeycutt said she found it interesting that the landowner would profit from the county’s greenbelt dollars, but she supported this project to benefit Little League kids.

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