After five years living in the Town of Mount Pleasant, Bryan O'Rourke finally had a reason to find the Town Hall and make a visit. His neighbor Reggie found it hard to believe any one could not find the town offices, having lived here for that length of time. Bryan was embarrassed to tell Reggie he received a moving violation ticket from one of Mount Pleasant's finest for making one of those rolling stops at a stop sign inside his subdivision. He failed to come to a complete stop.

The first town hall was located at the corner of Pitt and Bank streets in the area of town called the "Old Village". When, in 1957, the town needed to enlarge its facilities, Mayor Darby constructed a new building in a block named the John B. Edwards Park. Mr. Edwards was local dentist who became governor and later president of the Medical University of South Carolina. As the town continued to expand, Mount Pleasant purchased in 1974 the former Berkeley County Courthouse, located nearby at Pitt and King streets, and renovated it into municipal offices. This building was renamed in honor of the mayor. The Darby Building operated as Town Hall until Hurricane Hugo devastated it in 1989.

"So where is the Town Hall located?" Bryan asked of Reggie. "Over near the Whole Foods market and across from the Starbuck's," he replied. The East Cooper Private School, a private school, had closed a number of years before due to a lack of students, an effect of the improvement of the public school system in Mount Pleasant. When the Town found its offices no longer viable, it purchased the closed school and turned it into a new municipal complex. Temporary offices moved into the Holiday Inn until the dedication of the new offices in January of 1991. Across Huston Northcutt Boulevard from the Starbuck's, a short street is named for Ann Edwards, the wife of James B. Edwards.

The Mount Pleasant Municipal Complex is located in the renovated former school at the end of that street, along with the council meeting room/municipal court and the police department. Reggie told his neighbor, "This is where you will need to go with your traffic ticket."

Over the years of growth, the present municipal complex has been expanded and updated. One can only imagine there may come a time for a brand new town hall, as the town expands up US 17N towards the town of Awendaw. Currently, some refer to the newer part of the community as the northern part of town. Bryan asked Reggie where he thought new town offices should be located, if further expansion became necessary. Reggie thought for a minute that any new offices would probably be better located closer to the center of the town. There was some talk about that idea a few years ago, but the moving idea was tabled.

Reggie finally told Bryan he thought the town fathers should move farther up Hwy 17N and purchase the Laing Middle School property and develop it into a state-of-the-art Mount Pleasant Municipal Complex. "Smack dab in the middle of town", Reggie mused out loud. The town already has a public service facility across Six Mile Road near the school property. The Town could sell its present location to a developer. The site would be a great place for town homes or condominiums, being so close to the new bridge and downtown Charleston.

Bryan easily found the municipal court around the side of the Town Hall building, thanks to Reggie's great directions. Upon arrival, he was graciously received by the clerks of the court and assigned a court date. When he showed up later for his court appearance, a younger judge welcomed him, almost with open arms.

Bryan sat through ten hearings conducted by the jovial judge until he was the only one left in the room. His case was called and he was there alone, with no one present to complain about his driving skills.

The judge announced: "I will dismiss this ticket, Mr. O'Rourke. Go now and sin no more." No need now for Bryan to tell anyone about the ticket!

Note: The first Town Hall was eventually relocated to Edwards Park, along with a smaller building known as Patjen's Post Office.

If you have any thoughts on where a new Town Hall might be located, email your suggestions to editor@moultrienews.com

Jim Sheehy offers a travelogue of the East Cooper area in his editorial series 'This and that...here and there.' Bryan O'Rourke is a fictional character used to tell Sheey's musings. Sheey is a 10-year resident of Mount Pleasant. He is a State of Michigan licensed attorney with 40 years experience. He was elected Judge of the District Court in the 52-3 Judici District, and served in that position for nineteen years. After retirement from the bench in 2000, he became an arbitrator, certified mediator and a senior visiting judge.