Acommittee of IOP residents that includes local business owners, former civic leaders and environmentalists is bringing a proposal before IOP City Council on May 27 to request approval to plant palm trees in the Front Beach Lot B parking lot as part of a community-driven beautification effort.
The endeavor, dubbed Plant-A-Palm 2.0, entailed an initial goal of planting 100 palm trees in the lot, which sits along Ocean Boulevard on land owned by IOP residents but managed by the city. While the trees will be donated, the group of citizens will be asking city council for support for ongoing irrigation.
The grassroots project was spurred by residents who decided they wanted to pitch in and collaborate on beautifying the parking lot, which lies in the Front Beach commercial district and is largely devoid of any trees or other vegetation. Its aim is to foster a stronger sense of civic pride and community engagement among residents.
Individuals, business owners and groups who have already pledged tree donations or expressed their support for the idea include Benj Farmery, owner of Smugglers, IOPizza Co and Papi’s Taqueria (committed to nine trees) and his business partner Mike Gandy, owner of Tru Blues House of Wings; Bobby Simmons of Acme Lowcountry Kitchen (committed to five trees); Family Vacation Rental Group (FVR), which is composed of 17 professionally-managed vacation rental companies; former IOP mayor and city councilman Jimmy Carroll; Dudley Spangler of Carroll Realty; environmentalist Monica Pelletier; and citizen Patsy Hindman, among others.
Upon receiving council approval, Plant-A-Palm 2.0 will launch a contribution program through which property owners and friends of the island may sponsor the planting of a palm tree for $300, which covers the expense of the tree and the planting. While the group’s preliminary goal was to plant 100 palm trees, pledged donations had already surpassed that mark as of publication thanks to many generous community contributions pouring in to promote the effort.
The name is a nod to the original Plant-A-Palm Committee, a group of concerned citizens who raised money for the purchase and planting of over 800 native sabal palmetto trees along Palm Boulevard to restore a portion of the island’s natural beauty after Hurricane Hugo ravaged the landscape on Sept. 21, 1989.
By Colin McCandless
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