Senator upset about location of port road hearing

The Associated Press
Published January 27, 2006

It was supposed to be a hearing on the location of a road to a proposed shipping terminal. But state Sen. Robert Ford, D-Charleston, did not like the location of the hearing itself.

"They got us packed in here like sardines in a can, like slaves in the belly of a ship," said Ford, who is black. "You need to plan this meeting again."

The meeting at Gethsemane Community Center on Thursday was the first chance residents had to comment on a proposed access road to a $545 million State Ports Authority terminal planned for the old Charleston Naval Base.

Ford said most of the people couldn't understand the maps they were reviewing and there should have been a formal presentation first. He and other elected officials urged residents to contact lawmakers before making any deals to sell their land.

But it is unlikely another public workshop will be scheduled, said Nathaniel Ball, the project manager for the Army Corps of Engineers.

He said the community center was suggested by neighborhood leaders to make it easier for people to attend.

The road will connect the terminal directly with Interstate 26, but also have a partial interchange with a local street. The terminal will mean 11,000 additional vehicle trips a day through the area.

Everett Johnson, a resident who stayed to review the plans, said the proposed four-lane highway would pass over his home.

"I understand there needs to be development in Charleston County," he said. "But it's too close to my home. I wish it was farther away."

The Southern Environmental Law Center has said the additional cargo ships and trucks could push Charleston's air pollution limits beyond accepted levels.

"Charleston does not want to join the dirty air club," said Blan Holman, an attorney with the center, which is representing the Coastal Conservation League in monitoring the project.

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Information from: The Post and Courier,

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