Enjoy the Shrimp Festival? Where did you park?
By Lolita Huckaby
BEAUFORT
Does the city of Beaufort really need a parking garage?
If you happened to be in the downtown area Friday or Saturday and tried to wind your way through any of the back streets – much less Bay Street where cars lined the south side of the road well past Beaufort Elementary – your response might be “you betcha!”
But think about it. It was First Friday which meant Bay Street businesses were open longer hours, it was the annual Shrimp Festival, the weather was beautiful and, face it, folks wanted to be outside.
Back to the parking garage question. Whether you happen to think the downtown area needs a parking garage or not, we’re apparently going to get one. The development group 303 Associates has begun infrastructure work on the 120-room hotel planned for the corner of Scott and Port Republic Street.
Part of the group’s development plans for the downtown district include a 500-space, three story parking garage at the corner of Craven, Charles and West streets. The developers initially wanted the city to partner with them to construct the facility, but then-Mayor Billy Keyserling nixed that idea and 303 Associates proceeded alone with their own money.
Of course, the parking garage will primarily be used by the patrons of 303 Associates’ Beaufort Inn, the Tabby Garden event space, the new hotel and the proposed 19-apartment complex at the corner of Port Republic and Charles Street.
This is to say, if the court challenges against the new hotel, the proposed apartment complex and the garage continue to go in favor of the developers and the city, which is also being sued for approving these projects.
In the meantime, while lawsuits work their way through the courts and infrastructure work continues in preparation for new structures, parking for festival events will still be something of an issue.
It’s Beaufort. Parking is something we complain about.
Timing of ethics complaint interesting for school bond referendum vote
BEAUFORT – It’s somewhat interesting, if not suspicious, the timing of an ethics complaint recently filed last month against county School Superintendent Frank Rodriguez.
Interesting in that the school district, and its supporters are trying to prepare voters for a $439 million bond referendum question on next month’s ballot. Part of the perceived support for the bond, which will be used to build new schools and improve the ones we have, is the popularity of Rodriguez.
Superintendent of the district since 2019, Rodriguez is said to be popular with his employees and the public. He was recently invited to Washington, D.C., to meet with Congressional representatives about programs designed to help students recover academically after the COVID shutdowns.
The Hilton Head Island resident who filed the complaint with the S.C. Ethics Commission claimed the Superintendent used school district funds to finance the campaign for the referendum.
We can only wonder whether this allegation will be resolved prior to the November 7 election day or whether it will influence the outcome of the vote. It’s more likely the outcome would be influenced by adults who have children in the public school and whether, one, they think the improvements are needed, and two, they show up to vote.
The ‘Dude’ Lebowski would not like our lack of bowling alleys
BEAUFORT – Recent activity at the former Community Bowling Center on Ribaut Road prompted on-line comments about why there’s no bowling lanes for the public in this part of the County.
The former owners of the property Love House Ministries which closed the lanes in 2021 said the impact of COVID was just too much for the financially strained business to continue. They tried to keep it open for eight years, adding a laser tag room in an effort to increase business.
There are bowling alleys available to the public at MCAS Beaufort and MCRD Parris Island but the lanes on Ribaut Road hosted birthday parties and provided family entertainment for almost 60 years before being stripped to make way for what is reported to be a retail operation.
The bowling center closed two years later after the only public movie theater, the Plaza, closed after 44 years in business. The demolition of the movie theater, which eventually became the Publix grocery store parking lot, left the community – home of the Beaufort International Film Festival – without a public movie theater.
So much for bowling and movie-going. At least we still have one of the South’s remaining drive-in theaters!
One more thing…
BEAUFORT – Last week was National Newspaper Week and, as a point of personal privilege, this columnist must tip her hat to Jeff and Margaret Evans, owners of The Island News Publishing LLC, Editor-in-Chief Mike McCombs and the rest of the staff and columnists who believe in the power of newspapers and the importance of an informed community.
The Beaufort Gazette, which once was considered the newspaper of record as one of the oldest newspapers in South Carolina established in 1807, is essentially no more, having been quietly incorporated into the Island Packet, both owned by McClatchy Newspapers since 1990.
The building which housed the paper, its reporters, office managers and printing operation on Old Salem Road is about to be turned into a senior-citizens home.
While most now get their news online, there are still those who love the feel of newsprint with the smell of ink. It’s not unlike the feeling those of us who have been here for awhile feel about Beaufort and the Lowcountry. You just want to protect it.
Lolita Huckaby Watson is a community volunteer and newspaper columnist. In her former role as a reporter with The Beaufort Gazette, The Savannah Morning News, Bluffton Today and Beaufort Today, she prided herself in trying to stay neutral and unbiased. As a columnist, these are her opinions. Her goal is to be factual but opinionated, based on her own observations. Feel free to contact her at bftbay@gmail.com.
