From staff reports
The City of Beaufort will receive a $9.4 million grant to address stormwater infrastructure needs in the King Street drainage area – the second large grant the City has been awarded in the last month for stormwater infrastructure improvements.
The new grant is from the South Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority’s South Carolina Infrastructure Investment Program.
This grant requires a 15% match – $1.66 million – which the City will fund from American Rescue Plan monies set aside for stormwater improvements.
Just last month, the City was notified that it will receive a $7.5 million grant to address stormwater infrastructure improvements in the Charles/Craven streets and Port Republic/Carteret streets drainage areas. That grant was from the South Carolina Office of Resilience. The City also has received an $800,000 grant to address drainage issues along Bayard Street.
All of these drainage areas are part of the Downtown/The Point Stormwater Drainage Project the City of Beaufort began to address, with an extensive study, in 2021. Of all the areas in the study identified, the King Street drainage area required the greatest amount of work and was expected to cost the most, more than $10 million.
At the City Council Regular Meeting on May 9, Mayor Stephen Murray called the grant “remarkable,” especially coming on top of the previous two grants. He thanked all those who had been involved in securing the grant.
The King Street drainage area work is expected to include four projects that will provide improved drainage along King Street, which is subject to flooding during heavy rains. This includes installing new drainage infrastructure, upsizing pipes, rerouting existing pipes and installing a stormwater pumpstation.
“We are in a rare period where sizeable grant opportunities are available to help fund critical infrastructure projects,” City Manager Scott Marshall said. “I’m proud of the way our team has been able to capitalize on these opportunities and leverage them for the good of the City.”
More information on this project is expected to be presented to City Council on May 23.
