PRESERVING THE FUTURE

February’s Volunteer of the Month 2010
Frances Grayson

Tybee Island Light Station

If you visit the Head Keeper’s Cottage at the Tybee Lighthouse on the first or third Wednesday of any month you will most likely have the pleasure of meeting Frances Grayson.  Her gracious welcome to our visitors makes them feel right at home in the restored cottage.

Frances has volunteered at the Light Station since 1993 when she was recruited by Bob Adkins, a fellow church member at All Saints Episcopal Church.  She had lived on Tybee since 1978 and had recently retired from her job as Sales Coordinator at Atlanta Gas Light. She worked many volunteer hours in the Lighthouse and then moved over to the Head Keeper’s Cottage when its restoration was completed in 2001.  In addition to her volunteer hours at the Light Station Frances also served on the Tybee Island Historical Society Board of Directors for about ten years, retiring from the Board three years ago.

When Frances is in the Head Keeper’s Cottage she not only shares the history of the Light Station she also shares her love of Tybee Island.  She says she “can’t imagine living anywhere else.” We appreciate very much her dedication, dependability and her many volunteer hours.

Island Sports Wrap-Up

February 2010 Surfing Report

It’s been said before that the Tybee surfing community is lucky to have a local surfboard shaper and repairer.  But we are more than lucky, we are very fortunate that Jim Stephens happens to be our local shaper.  In fact, it’s fair to say that the heart of our local surfing community is Mr. Jim and his Underground Boardworks Surfshop.  For many folks, part of their trip out to Tybee for a few hours of surfing includes a stop, either on the way out or on their way back home, at Underground Boardworks (UGB) and a brief visit with Jim.  More likely than not, he is in his board shaping shop working to complete someone’s new board or repairing somebody’s ding.  Even on days when a trip out to Tybee isn’t in the plans, many local surfers and beachgoers will pull up Jim’s website just to see how Mr. Jim describes the daily surf forecast for the entertainment value alone!

Jim Stephens has been making surfboards for about 20 years, beginning by making them for himself and friends on a part-time basis.  Early on, Jim crafted boards in a small shaping and glassing room out on Dean Forest Road.  He would work awhile, blow the foam dust off his clothes, and go to work for an airline company out at the airport.  Before long, he was making boards for the “Alakai” surfboard label, and actually constructed the last few boards produced by Alakai.  Some of them are still around (there’s one in Atsushi’s quiver).  In 1999, Clay Culvert of Alakai told Jim of a garage available for rent on Tybee behind Huc-a-Poos where he might set up his own workshop; and from there, Underground Boardworks was born.  UGB was just that workshop until 2004 when an actual retail shop on the back side of Huc-a-Poos opened and Jim retired from the airlines.  Following the fire at Hucapoos in 2006, UGB moved across the parking lot to its present location.

Over the years, Jim has hand crafted about 800 surfboards.  Presently he is making around 8 boards per month.  There is no computer designing or pre-formed blanks involved in an UGB board.  Every one of Jim’s board is totally hand shaped from large foam blanks, cut and shaped by hand, diligently sanded, examined from all angles, and smoothed to perfection.  On the other side of his workshop, the board is hand glassed and painted.  Jim’s boards are built to last and don’t include cheap, thin glassing jobs that are common of many mass-produced surfboards.  That is one reason that you see so many UGB boards not only on Tybee but up and down the east coast now days.

Jim’s philosophy regarding surfboards reflects his philosophy regarding surfing: fun and enjoyable.  He makes “good, clean, functional boards” that work, are easy to surf, and designed with Tybee’s waves and those for most of the southeast coast in mind.  As an avid surfer himself, who has surfed all over the world, he knows what works here.  He makes lots of boards for the average surfer who is more interested in getting lots of rides rather than struggling to catch our size waves on a high performance board.  It’s all about fun, catching waves, and enjoying your surfing trip, according to Jim.  It’s no surprise that he has lots of repeat business and orders. Don’t get the idea that Jim makes just your standard surfboard.  He is constantly innovating.

More than once, I’ve waited to talk to Jim while he was on the phone with some well known, famous shaper in Hawaii or California discussing new designs, techniques or materials.  He was one of the first to produce epoxy boards (I’ve still got one of the first of those he made).  He’s been adding bamboo decks to some of his latest designs.  Just recently back from the surfing industry’s large trade show/convention Surf Expo, Jim noted that more and more of the larger board companies are now making shorter, wider, thicker shortboards for east coast surfing.  Jim has been doing that for at least a couple of years.

It’s not just his craftsmanship, though, that makes Jim Stephens and UGB the heart of our local surfing community.  He has been deeply involved in most of everything that has happened over the past 10 years.  Jim was one of the founding members of our local Surfrider Foundation Coastal Georgia Low Country Chapter a few years ago.  With his support and efforts, Tybee has hosted “International Surfing Day” in June the past few years.  People still talk about the great October beach and surfing day enjoyed by many a few years ago when Tybee celebrated its birthday.  That was Jim’s doing.   He has been a strong and constant supporter of our Georgia District Eastern Surfing Association surfers and organization, and has many times donated a new, hand crafted surfboard for them to use as a fund raiser.

Over the last year, our surfing community has held a couple of paddle outs in memory of some members we have lost: Tim Fuller and Ashley Mosely.  Jim was behind the organizing of these special ceremonies.  Probably more than any other single person, Jim Stephens is responsible for the “community” of our Tybee surfing community.

We are more than lucky, we are very fortunate indeed.

You can learn more about Georgia District Eastern Surfing Association by calling 912-897-6651, or e-mailing surftybee@aol.com, or by visiting: surfesa.org.

Tybee Island Garden Club February Update

The Tybee Island Garden Club is celebrating 50 years on the island. The club was founded on February 8, 1960 and joined the Garden Club of Georgia in 1961. Several exciting events are being planned for this year. Our annual plant swap and sale will be held on Saturday, March 6 from 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 pm at the Memorial Park Pavilion. Now is a good time to be thinking about digging up some of your extra plants to swap them for something new. Plants and other gardening items will also be available for sale.

Mark your calendar for Saturday, April 17. The Tybee Island Garden Club will be placing a Blue Star Memorial Marker on Tybee that day. The Blue Star Memorial Program is a program of the National Garden Club that honors service men and women. Following the dedication of the marker will be a reception to celebrate the Tybee Island Garden Club’s 50th anniversary.

The Tybee Island Garden Club meets on the third Wednesday of each month (except June, July and August) at the Guard House at 10:00 a.m. The next meeting will be February 17. For more information contact Beth Smith at tybeegardenclub@yahoo.com. Next meeting, Feb. 17, 10am, at the Tybee Guard House.

UPDATE on Tybee’s New “Community Garden”

The first meeting is Tuesday, Feb 16th at 6:30 pm. The meeting will be held at the old school in room # 6 and will be an information and sign up meeting. It looks like there is room for 20 plots for lease plus 2 additional plots for kids and elders. The lots will be available on a first come first serve basis, so come ready to sign up for one if you’re definitely interested.

The second meeting will be an organizational meeting on Feb 23rd. Same time, same place. At this meeting we will elect officers and a garden manager, talk about design, and more specific details. Thanks again for your support, and thanks to the City of Tybee! Look forward to seeing you on the 16th! For more information contact Libby Bacon at Libby@GreenSourceUSA.net.

Tybee Post Theater/FOTT Update – 2010

by Pamela Lappin

2009 was an amazing year for the Tybee Post Theater, and thanks to a grant from the State of Georgia and the generosity of the Tybee community, once again we have a beautiful building facade. The board also wishes to thank Cullen Chambers, Executive Director of the Tybee Island Historical Society and John Herdina, FOTT board member, who supervised this important project and to everyone on the Friends of the Tybee Theater Board who worked hard this year to make us so
successful.

In addition to the facade, we are currently working inside the building to bring it up to code so that we can start having a limited number of events on-site and really appreciate the city working with us on this project. What’s in store for 2010? That’s up to all of us. We’re currently raising money to begin Phase Two of the renovation that will include the following:

Entry Door Hardware	$ 4,000	Accessible Parking and Walkway	$ 8,000
Exit Door	$ 5,800	Chairs	$ 7,500
Railing and Steps	$ 8,000	General Conditions	$ 18,000
Platforms (Tiered Floor)	$54,000	Contractors Overhead & Fee (5%)	$ 7,300
Ventilation	$15,000	Design Fees (8%)	$ 12,200
Lighting	$ 6,000	Contingency (5%)	$ 8,250
Power	$15,000
Fire Alarm and Security	$ 10,000	PHASE TWO GRAND TOTAL:	$ 175,050

When Phase Two is completed, we will have a code compliant building. After Phase Three the building will be usable for the community. After decades of disuse and then years of planning, first by the Tybee Historical Society and then by the Friends of the Tybee Theater, we are now on the threshold of a new era for Tybee Island. A performing arts center, attracting locals and tourists, helping to fill seats in restaurants and beds in lodging establishments is within our reach.

Please, join us Tuesday, March 2nd at 7:00 pm at the American Legion for our annual public meeting to find out how you can help “Raise the Curtain.” And don’t forget our 2nd annual Tybee Wine Festival on the grounds of the Tybee Island Lighthouse on April 17th. For information visit: http://www.tybeeposttheater.org.

Exciting News from Tybee’s Island Marine Science Center

Tybee Island, GA – The Marine Science Center is in the process of updating their Coastal Georgia Gallery with a grant from Home Depot, which will cover the material costs of infrastructure updates, such as widening the gallery’s doorway to accommodate the installation of an 800 gallon sea turtle tank.  The tank is a donation from the Georgia Sea Turtle Center and was delivered to the Tybee Island Marine Science Center on January 25th by Mark Dodd, sea turtle researcher and biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. The tank weighs around 500 pounds and required a specially built cart and an assembly of the strongest guys on the island to get the tank off the truck, on to the cart, and into the science center.

The Coastal Gallery is 764 square feet and comprised of four rooms; Ocean, Beach, Herp Hall, and the Marsh. This project is an in-house production, the reason the science center was closed for most of January.

The Home Depot grant enabled the center to remove the false ceiling tiles and grids, and clean, wrap and paint the ductwork to give height to the rooms. They are also installing halogen track lighting and industrial ceiling fans. All the walls are being primed and painted, and the flooring replaced. Additionally, Home Depot is supplying free  rental equipment, volunteers, and the building materials needed for the exhibits

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