Daniel Island News Keep on trekking! The Daniel Island News, By ELIZABETH BUSH, May 31, 2007, 15:46  Carmen Bundschuh can´t get enough of Daniel Island´s outdoor splendor.  "I go everywhere," the spunky resident said while walking along Barfield Street near the marsh. "It´s so euphoric;I´ve even seen dolphins in the river!" Bundschuh, who moved to Daniel Island earlier this year from Dunes West, is one of many in the community who frequent the island´s interconnected trail system. With 4,000 plus acres on Daniel Island and more than 23 miles of rivers, creeks and waterways, there is certainly plenty to take in. "The goal is to provide an alternative means to driving," said Jeff Elliott, senior project manager of the Daniel Island Company. "You can just walk, bike or jog and connect all the different neighborhoods3;Our trails are intended primarily to offer different experiences and provide you glimpses of the island that you wouldn´t normally see." On the south side of the island, trails extend throughout each of the island´s seven neighborhoods, crossing marshes, meandering along the water´s edge, and curving under canopies of oaks and other native trees. Currently, work is underway to enhance what Daniel Island Company employees have dubbed "The Blakeway Greenway," a two-mile stretch that extends along Blakeway Street from Bishop England to Smythe Park. According to Elliott, four clusters of fitness stations will soon be installed, as well as drinking fountains and a "cool air mister" to help walkers, joggers and bikers beat the summer heat. A youth soccer field on Grand Council Street was also recently completed. Linda Lemacks, another island resident, has found Daniel Island´s intricate trail system just about perfect for walking her four dogs. "I think they´re awesome," said Lemacks while on a Barfield Park trail last week. "They do a great job of keeping everything pristine around here! I do wish they would spray the common areas for bugs. That´s my only complaint, but other than that we love getting out and walking."  As for the "best kept secret" on Daniel Island, Elliott has his own pick.  "The bike paths behind the Family Circle Tennis Center," he said. "There are some beautiful views of the river that I don´t think until recently people even knew were there."  Another favorite spot is the trail along Pierce Street leading up to the Pierce Park Pool.  "Our trail system provides someone who may not live on the marsh or on the water an opportunity to experience that," explained Elliott, who is involved in the design and construction of island infrastructure, as well as all parks, open spaces, and streetscapes.  "You have access to these great natural edges. The bike path along Pierce Street and the Pierce Park Pool is probably the best example of that. What could have been home sites is a public edge."  With at least 12 miles of trails currently available, and more in the works, there are numerous options for recreation on the island. Once complete, Smythe Park will feature extensive walkways that circumnavigate the lake. Already in place are educational "stations" where walkers can stop and read about island history and development.  "I think it all ties back to the original development agreements and master plan," added Elliott. "Provide interconnected communities and offer an array of amenities that you just won´t find in other areas."  The island´s thoughtful and innovative greenspace has already earned it an Award of Merit from the South Carolina Association of Landscape Architects. Plans for the future include extending the trails from the Family Circle Tennis Center over to Daniel Island Park, where a new sidewalk at the start of Island Park Drive is currently under construction. On the north side, trails or sidewalks are now in place to traverse from the Ralston Creek side of the Island to Dalton Street, and from the beginning of Island Park Drive all the way to the Daniel Island Country Club.  "Each community has its own unique identity, but is connected to the whole in some way," added Elliott.  Trails in Daniel Island Park will also eventually connect to Rhoden Island, an area of future residential development in between Ralston Creek and the Wando River.  "This is such a special place, we´re giving it so much study," said Elliott. "It has to be done right. It´s such a unique piece of property."   Ralston Creek course honored again The Daniel Island News, By STAFF REPORT, Jun 14, 2007, 12:26 The Ralston Creek course at the Daniel Island Club, designed by renowned golf course architect Rees Jones, has been recognized with yet another prestigious accolade. Golf Digest magazine has ranked the course, which opened in April 2006, in its 2007 South Carolina "Best in State" list, published in the May issue. Ralston Creek garnered the No. 15 spot on the list. Last year, Golf Digest included the course on its list of the country´s Top 10 "Best New Private" courses.  "We are thrilled that Rees Jones´ efforts to help us deliver to our members one of the finest courses in the Southeast has been recognized again by Golf Digest," said Matt Sloan, president of The Daniel Island Company, the island´s master developer. "We are proud to be in the company of well-established Top 100 courses such as Harbour Town Golf Links and The Ocean Course at Kiawah, especially given that Ralston Creek just celebrated its first anniversary at the end of April," he added. The South Carolina Golf Raters Association also recently recognized Ralston Creek as the state´s 2006 Best New Course. The course is a traditional Lowcountry classic (par 72) that plays 7,446 yards from the championship tees. "The developers gave us a spectacular piece of property," commented Rees Jones. "We endeavored to incorporate the stunning backdrop of the natural saltwater marshes and specimen trees into a challenging and memorable golf course. It is an honor to have our work again recognized by this prestigious publication." Jones continued, "The ultimate measure of success is building an uncontrived course that has enough variety and character to hold the golfer´s interest round after round. That is what we have achieved here at Ralston Creek - and what has been recognized Golf Digest - a course that will stand the test of time for generations of Daniel Island Club members and their families." The Ralston Creek layout has all the elements of a stern test of golf, including strategically placed, sculpted fairway bunkers, diversely contoured greens, greenside bunkers placed to protect the championship pin positions, and, at 7,446 yards, enough length for the long hitters. It has already served as the host site for the PalmettoPride Classic, a Nationwide Tour event, and as the site of the Regional Qualifier for the 2007 U.S. Open. Jones recognizes, however, that not every member is a single-digit handicap. The brilliance of his layout is the exceptional thought that has gone into the design of every hole from every tee. Designed into the layout are six tee boxes ranging from 7,446 yards from the championship tees to 3,768 yards from the junior or beginner tees. The inclusion of junior/beginner tees was as important to Jones´ team as it was to the Daniel Island Club in its commitment to grow the game and make it enjoyable for the entire family. Daniel Island is one of the Lowcountry´s most preferred suburban addresses for golf. In addition to the honor of being named the No. 15 course in the Golf Digest 2007 South Carolina "Best in State" list, the course was also included in the Top 10 Best New Private Courses by Golf Digest. The community, which also includes the Tom Fazio-designed Beresford Creek, has been recognized as one of the country´s top golf communities by Golf Living and Travel & Leisure Golf magazines. Both courses are included within the Top 50 Best in State courses by the South Carolina Ratings Panel and each has received numerous other accolades.   Daniel Island´s WATERFRONT MARINA moves closer to reality The Daniel Island News, By TOM RATZLOFF, Feb 22, 2007, 11:00 An ambitious public waterfront and marina proposed for Daniel Island´s Wando River shoreline was unveiled last week by The Daniel Island Company and the City of Charleston. The project would be the centerpiece of Daniel Island´s 20-mile park and trail system and a new boating destination within the region. If approved by regulatory agencies, nearly two miles of shoreline north and south of the Mark Clark Expressway would be transformed into a wide array of water-oriented recreational opportunities. It would include a public-access boat ramp, fishing pier and full-service marina. Permit applications will be submitted this week to the S.C. Department of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management and the approval process is expected to take about a year. "The city´s engineering staff is looking at the projects right now and the concept for a marina building with dry-stack storage will be reviewed at the CCDRB (Commercial Corridor Design Review Board) on Thursday," said Matt Sloan, president of The Daniel Island Company. "We´re really excited about this project. For all of the water around Charleston, there´s not much left as far as shoreline, and not a whole lot that´s public." Charleston Mayor Joe Riley echoed Sloan´s enthusiasm. "A new waterfront park on Daniel Island, easily accessible and centrally located, is another wonderful opportunity for the residents of the city of Charleston," Riley said. "Working with the Daniel Island Company to plan this remarkable two-mile property, we will provide yet another beautiful recreational amenity for our community with water´s edge access. This new public park will offer to everyone an opportunity to enjoy and access the waterways of the Lowcountry." City and Daniel Island Company representatives have been working for nearly two years with Sasaki Associates, which designed Charleston´s acclaimed Waterfront Park. The company, which is based in Boston and San Francisco, is considered one of the country´s top maritime design firms. Starting just north of the Mark Clark Expressway, the two-mile stretch incorporates Governor´s Park, a 63-acre waterfront city park that is home to the Family Circle Tennis Center. The city is continuing development of this park and will soon apply for a permit for a community fishing pier and a regulated daily-fee public boat ramp that would be located just north of the James B. Edwards Bridge. These facilities will link to Daniel Island´s Riverwalk, an existing trail and boardwalk system that circles the perimeter of the tennis center grounds and leads to the existing public fishing and dock facility at the Daniel Island Sales and Information Center. That dock facility will be enhanced with the addition of a pier that would accommodate a wide array of boating activities such as boat docking, potential sailing programs and a kayak/canoe launch. The Riverwalk would continue south and pass through a waterfront park to be developed by The Daniel Island Company. Just beyond this park, a proposed full-service marina facility would include 300 wet slips and 200 dry slips in an architecturally designed building featuring state-of-the-art boat-service technology. "Collectively, the components being proposed for Daniel Island´s public waterfront will offer a full range of opportunities for all types of boaters," Sloan said. "These resources will be accessible by both land and water, and will also be of interest to non-boaters. In fact, it´s our hope that synergies created by these opportunities will spur additional entertainment-oriented developments such as restaurants along the waterfront." Varoujan Hagopian was lead designer on the plan for Sasaki Associates. He also designed the Waterfront Park downtown. "This public waterfront will be a one-of-a-kind recreational boating facility in the greater Charleston area," he said. "It is designed to compliment the beauty of its Lowcountry setting and become a premier destination that will enrich the lives of patrons throughout the region." Although the lengthy permitting process has just begun, planners and officials at The Daniel Island Company met well in advance with regulatory agencies in order to come up with a good design and overall plan that would withstand regulatory scrutiny. "We believe the marina is a well-designed facility in an appropriate location," said Dana Beach, executive director of the Coastal Conservation League. "The Daniel Island Company has done an excellent job of integrating the marina into the community and thus providing expanded water access for residents and the public with minimal environmental damage." Sloan said The Daniel Island Company has talked to harbor pilots and the Army Corps of Engineers and did not encounter opposition to the project. He also said that water-quality studies indicated that they could build a much-larger marina, but chose to scale back its size.  "Our desire is to brand this as a downtown waterfront marina village and we located it in the only spot we feel it could be," Sloan said. "It´s at a point where the river is the widest so it´s outside the shipping channel and a lot of island needs are being addressed. This gap in our trail system will finally be addressed so that children will be able to make their way from Daniel Island Park to school. It´s a great thing for runners and bikers. The boat ramp serves a regional need and I think the marina serves a regional need, too, particularly with all of the privatization of area marinas. We wanted this to be a public facility that we operate."