By Delayna Earley
The Island News
Beaufort County Parks and Recreation Director Shannon Loper was terminated on Monday, Oct. 9, sources within the Beaufort County government told The Island News.
On Thursday, Oct. 5, Loper participated in a ribbon cutting for six new pickleball courts at Burton Wells Recreation Complex, before reportedly being placed on administrative leave.
Her termination comes just two weeks after County Council approved the construction, after its completion, of an inclusive playground in Port Royal that Loper authorized, despite not following the proper procurement procedure for the nearly $800,000 purchase.
She is also currently under investigation by the S.C. Ethics Commission for allegedly using Beaufort County equipment to regrade her driveway in Bluffton.
In August 2022, Loper and the Parks and Recreation Department came under fire for their decision to make a summer camp using public facilities available only to the children of county employees instead of opening it up to the public.
Additionally, a memo written by Loper that was sent out to county employees told them that the program is not open to the public and that the Parks and Recreation Department is doing their “best to disguise it.”
Loper was promoted to the Parks and Recreation Director position in 2016.
The Island News has attempted to confirm Loper’s termination by Beaufort County through official channels, but Public Information Officer Hannah Nichols said Tuesday she had not been made aware of Loper’s firing.
Edited: Beaufort County Public Information Officer Hannah Nichols confirmed on Wednesday morning that Shannon Loper is no longer employed by Beaufort County. Beyond that, she said she cannot comment on personnel matters.
Editor’s note: In the interest of full disclosure, Delayna Earley’s husband interviewed for the Beaufort County Parks And Recreation Director position in 2016.
Delayna Earley lives in Beaufort with her husband, two children and Jack Russell. She formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She joined The Island News in 2022. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.
