From Community Controversy to Community Pride

A modern occurrence can stimulate a historic memory — like the construction of the new St. Andrew’s Elementary School on the site of the original school nestled between the neighbors of Byrnes Downs, South Windermere, and Olde Windermere.
The short little road of Culbertson connecting Byrnes Downs to South Windermere and Olde Windermere is a hub of hard-hat, front-end-loader, construction-material-delivery activity. But this short little road was not always a road. It once was the area on the school grounds used to load and unload students from the buses.
Now for the backstory. On March 21, 1980 an article ran in the newspaper outlining the plan to close “the roadway adjacent to St. Andrew’s Elementary School in South Windermere.” This little “roadway” had afforded the area residents quick access to both South Windermere Shopping Center and St. Andrew’s Center without the headache of dealing with traffic on Savannah Highway. And they liked it that way.
This situation was a topic on the agenda of the March meeting of the Moreland Garden Club whose president at the time was Mrs. LeGrande Fogle, a resident of Byrnes Downs. A petition was drafted and signed by more than 230 residents protesting the closure.
By April of that year, the School Board took action without public notification and installed barriers on either end to block the road to vehicular traffic. Then the meetings started between residents and members of City Council, the School Board, County Council, the Fire Department, shop owners, and news media.
The road remained closed until April 18 of that year. In May a traffic study was performed to determine the number and type of vehicles using this short little road. It was found that 450 cars and 58 trucks went from Byrnes Downs to South Windermere and 375 cars and 33 trucks went from South Windermere toward Byrnes Downs. The short little road was now a hub of residential cut through activity.
Citizens lined up on both sides of the issue. Parents and school officials were concerned about the safety of their children. Residents wanted the convenience of the cut through but also wanted to manage the volume and speed of the cars. It became the lightening rod for the community to organize itself.
Side note: On June 19, 1980 a group met to organize the Byrnes Downs Civic Club, the precursor to the Byrnes Downs Neighborhood Association. More than 70 people attended and quickly overwhelmed the space available at the First Federal Savings and Loan Building at the corner of Savannah Highway and Coburg Road. This club only existed for a few short years before becoming inactive.
Back to the road closure story. On June 24, 1980 a public hearing was held at St. Andrew’s Elementary School to discuss the status of the road and possible solutions. In attendance were Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr., members of City Council and the School board as well as 175 concerned citizens.
The upshot was the following solution: the City would offer a parallel strip of land, adjacent to the area under dispute, for the construction of a new road. This strip of land was closer to the railroad tracks (now the West Ashley Greenway), but since the railroad had quit using the tracks several years early this would not be a problem to have the road close to the tracks. This solution was offered by a woman at one of the public meetings as well as Howard Chapman, the traffic and transportation director for the City. The new road was later named for Charles B. Culbertson, the beloved second principal of St. Andrew’s Elementary school.
In 1991 the newly formed Byrnes Downs Neighborhood Association was still hearing concerns from the residents about the speed and volume of cars using Culbertson Drive. The Association partnered with St. Andrew’s Elementary to beautify the street in order to better define the entrance to the neighborhood with the hopes that traffic would be calmed. Nineteen trees and 44 shrubs and azaleas were planted. The project entitled “Culbertson Drive: From Community Controversy to Community Pride” won the neighborhood first place ($250) in the City’s Clean City Sweep and a first place Community Pride award ($100) in Charleston County.
Memories of St. Andrew’s Elementary? Contact Donna at westashleybook@gmail.com