Update From
Tybee’s Mayor
By Mayor Jason Buelterman
TYBEE BEACHCOMBER | JAN 2018 7
By Joy Davis
If we had to sum up the 2017 year water highlights, I think we
would all agree that, hands down, the blue ribbon days of bliss and
celebration were those that followed Irma and her tumultuous swell.
The back swing of that storm whipped our north jetties into pumping,
shoulder to head-high waves with gloriously clean conditions. In years
to come we will still be saying, “Remember north end after Irma came
through?” and all of our eyes will glaze over as we ride down our 200
yard wave from 2017. That swell definitely deserves to be the water
weekend of the year, if not the decade, for Tybee surfing.
The experienced surfers on Tybee have passed down many accounts
of unimaginable Tybee swells and changing tides. Their role in water
culture oversees the evolution of the waves and the bathymetry of
the tidal zone. The surfing community is still very much a story based
community. Surfers are historians of the swell and pass down their
accounts to the next generation in the line-up.
Unique from most breaks, Tybee Island is in constant motion, giving
us all a chance to read into the movement ourselves. Many breaks are
a pretty stable recipe of winds, tides, swells, and time. Tybee surfers,
being less set in our waves, are bound for greatness. Our shifting sands
require a steadfast reliability on change. It is all part of the grand surf
experience as a Tybee surfer and the reward is consistently a pretty
great time... when the waves come.
The most swell adapted surfers will immerge out of nowhere to
catch the best waves of the year and their timing is always suspiciously
perfect. They all possess swell radar and the longer one surfs in a
place, the stronger that signal gets. It’s the magic of a home break. A
home break is the wave and surf community you have grown up the
most with, it adopts you and shapes you as a surfer, and it becomes
family.
Tybee Island, as a home break, requires a lot of attention and patience.
If you keep an eye on it and make it part of your daily routine, you
will be able to follow its shifty nature and be rewarded with tracking
the swells’ character. You become a documenter of the tidelines and
channels, literate in elemental energy and really begin to enjoy the
assets of paying attention. I have grown to love these waves myself and
am grateful to call Tybee my home break.
They have always said, if you can surf Tybee you can surf anywhere,
and I will challenge anyone to try it because it is most definitely a gift
that keeps on giving.
As I pack up to go back to school and pursue some good surf, I am
humbled by the community here on Tybee. I am taking these last words
as an opportunity to express my gratitude to some very special folks
for taking me in, sharing with me their surf and island knowledge, and
making me feel right at home.
The beauty about a home break is that no matter where you go or who
you find in your travels, that home break is you’re most comfortable,
We have a lot going on as we continue to recover from Matthew
and Irma. The bids for the planned beach renourishment project are
set to be opened on January 9th. It is entirely possible that due to the
relatively small federal budget allotment and high demand for sand
dredging companies, that the project may not have an acceptable bid. If
the project moves forward, we hope to use funds that we have lobbied
for at the state level to buy extra sand for our dune system. We will
learn whether the state will contribute to this planned project in early
January.
The FEMA flood mitigation grant program is moving forward. Our
city manager will be providing updates at every council meeting about
this process, as we know many homeowners are very interested in
the matter. There are obviously limited funds available for the grant
program but we are doing all we can to help as many homeowners
as possible. About 120 homeowners have expressed interest in the
grant. At our December council meeting (which took place after this
article was written), we expect to establish some specific criteria that
will increase our chances for securing funds, including whether homes
are owner-occupied and whether homes have experienced flooding.
Minutes and videos from past council meetings are available on
cityoftybee.org.
We purchased a new fire pumper in December. This pumper replaces
an older one that we have had for decades. The cost was a little under
$300,000. It was a demo used by the manufacturer so we were able
to purchase it at a discount. The funds came from the Special Purpose
Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) that was approved county-wide by
voters a few years ago. It is estimated that about 40% of the proceeds
of this county-wide tax are generated by visitors.
Congratulations to the Tybee Island Maritime Academy (TIMA) on
their successful application for another 5 year charter from the State
Board of Education. We are very, very proud of our Island’s school and
are lucky to have such a committed group of volunteers serving on
their school board who have intelligently guided the school from its
creation through its first five years as a school. TIMA is a very, very
important part of our community and our Island’s future.
Many thanks to all the citizens, volunteers and businesses that took
part in the Lights on for Tybee event that kicked off our holiday season.
The organizers did a great job once again this year putting on a familyfriendly
event.
As always, feel free to call (912.844.8427) or email me (jbuelterman@
cityoftybee.org) if you have any questions, concerns or suggestions.
Home Break
your blood, sweat and tears, no other break compares to it. So, stay
classy Tybee, the ocean log is in great hands. Thank you Surf family,
Science Center family, Beachcomber family and Tybee family for having
me! I’ve enjoyed the ride immensely and won’t be able to be away for
long. Too many great swells to come! Cheers.