More good stuff...

Posted February 2, 2008 9:39 PM

Lojo: You did ruffle my feathers with your initial post. No surprise there. In the future, I will try to keep my emotions in check so that we can continue to discuss this very important matter intelligently. I am happy to hear that you care about Jekyll. I really am. I read your response to my hot headed retort, and you seem less like an asshole than you seemed before. You seem to be likeable and intelligent. I am embarrased that I lowered myself to such rhetoric. I think that you and I would probably get along splendidly on other matters. Jekyll Island and the serious threat that it is facing is very important to me, and my blood runs hot on this subject. Please accept my sincere apologies for the previous personal attacks. 

JB: Thanks, Lojo. I know the feeling and I was probably a lot more strident in my first post than necessary. I try to be likeable but will not make any claims towards being intelligent ;-)

Lojo: I am not against changes on Jekyll Island. I am not against improvements. I am not against all commercial development on Jekyll Island. I just don't see the need for additional beachside condos and hotels - especially where they are currently planned to be built. I would rather NOT have hotel(s) and condos THERE. My argument is this - that strip of beach - that only 8% of Jekyll's coast - that only 4000+ feet of sand - - that area should not be further developed. That area is one of the biggest reasons that people come to Jekyll. If visitors want to stay on the beach, they do have those options on Jekyll, and very soon they will have even more beachfront options. OR they could go to St. Simmons, or Hilton Head, or Sea Island. But the people that continue to return to Jekyll are the people that love the island for what it is - a get away from all of the other seaside hubub. That is the draw of Jekyll.

JB: I agree with you. A big part of the beauty of Jekyll Island is to be found in what it's not. Specifically, it's not Ocean City, MD. It's not the Wildwoods. It's not Virginia Beach, Nag's Head, Myrtle Beach, Daytona or most of the other beach destinations I've visited. It is special. It is a (mostly) undiscovered treasure. It is Jekyll Island. We need always to be vigilant of that fact lest we risk ruining that which makes it special. 

Lojo: By the way, the JIA and LLC love to point out what a tiny and insignificant tract of property that this is. SO why don't they just find another 8% of the beach to try to build on? I think it's because they know that this 4000+ feet is the most valuable, and that they stand to make a lot more money on that stretch of land. That is the only part of Jekyll's coast that is accessible at all times and at all tides of the day. 

JB: Another good point. To that, I will add an additional question. Specifically, why do the new facilities have to be ON THE BEACH? If I were investing bucketloads of money to build a place, I think I would want to try to minimize my risk / exposure as much as possible. Jekyll Island is a small place and you are never far from anywhere on foot, by bike or some sort of shuttle. Build them further back, on the other side of Beachview Drive, or further south where the sites are behind the dunes and more protected. From my perspective, there needs to be some more thinking out of the box on this one. 

Lojo: That beach should not be littered with hotels and it should not be littered with luxury condos. They are luxury, by the way. LLC seems to find condos "starting in the $400,000's" to be affordable. I am one of the "common people" of Georgia, and that is not affordable to us. I think you are one of us too. Nobody promised me affordable beachside accomodations, so I am not really mad about the price of the units. It is the location of the units that bothers me. 

JB: It's all relative. To me, $400,000 is not "affordable." Compared to other beachside destinations (see the previous list or check out St. Simons Island), that probably IS a good price. But they don't need to be there.

Lojo: Let me be very honest about my opion on Jekyll: I would prefer for there to be NO additional condos and no more than one additional hotel (not counting the multiple hotels that are currently under rennovation/construction). But if they must be built on Jekyll, I just don't want them to be built on that beautiful beach. I don't want to ruin that beautiful view. 

JB: Agreed. It all goes back to the basics, asking questions and being creative and open-minded ON ALL SIDES of the discussion. As Mick said, "You can't always get what you want." Question is, what do we really need?

Lojo: As far as the JIA operating independently, yes - Jekyll Island is supposed to be a self-sustaining entity. I am pretty sure that JI operated in the black all except for one year. Some improvements on Jekyll are needed. Some of the proposed improvements are just wanted (and totally unecessary) - but all of those aren't bad ideas. But the ones that are bad, are really really bad. I have a question about the self-sustaing part of the "mandate", though. Why did Governor Perdue include some $25million in GA's budget proposal for a supposed self-sustaning entity? Aside from that question - the island is supposed to produce sufficient funds to sustain itself - it was not set up to become an economic engine - especially for private enterprises. 

JB: The Jekyll Island Authority has done some wonderful things in the past ten years, especially in the Historic District and with the "recreational" facilities -- bike paths, restrooms at Clam Creek and St. Andrews, in particular. From my perch it seems they are asked to do a lot with very little. I cannot fathom a guess why Sonny added the funds. Political expediency? An altruistic desire to improve Georgia's Jewel? Given that the government is involved and a cynical belief that nothing is free, I'm inclined to think the former rather than the latter.

Lojo: I want you to hear something. I want you to hear this interview. It has Eric Garvey, Jim Langford, David Eagan, and Senator Jeff Chapman all sitting down on a conference call discussing Jekyll, the JIA, and LLC's proposal. I found it enlightening. Please let me know what you think after you listen. 

http://www.whatisgoinon.com/podcast/2008/01/25/jekyll-island-showdown-chapman-egan-langford-garvey/#comment-312

JB: I would very much like to hear it. I'm sure it is indeed enlightening. Unfortunately, I am not able to connect to the site for some reason. I will keep trying. In the meantime, let's keep it going. 

Thanks for writing!

-- Jekyll Boy