City’s announcement comes only days before start of 2025 Beaufort Water Festival
By Mike McCombs
The Island News
The City of Beaufort is closing off a 40-foot-wide section of Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park, effective Monday, June 30, over public safety concerns.
The announcement was made just after 6 p.m., Sunday, June 29, less than two weeks before the opening of the 2025 Beaufort Water Festival, the opening ceremonies of which are scheduled for Friday evening, July 11.
According to the City of Beaufort’s release, “Following a recent engineering assessment, an approximate 40-foot-wide section of Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park will be closed, … The closure primarily targets the water’s edge side of the park that rests on the park’s relieving platform.
“This decision was made following a through structural analysis of the park conducted by McSweeney Engineers and JMT. The analysis indicated structural concerns and identified significant deterioration and overstressed piles within the platform structure.
“The engineering report was delivered to the city over the weekend. After its receipt, City staff worked diligently throughout the weekend to formulate and implement safety measures consistent with recommendations from the engineering assessment. This includes meeting with Beaufort Water Festival Committee representatives on Sunday morning to help mitigate impacts to one of the City’s marquis events.
“We would prefer not to limit access to such a significant portion of the park,” City Manager Scott Marshall said in the release, “however, public safety is paramount, and we felt like our decisions should be driven by safety of life as a primary consideration.”
According to the release, the day dock and playground will also be inaccessible until further notice. Staff will continue to work with engineers to determine how or if these portions of the park may be opened moving forward.
Signage and barriers will be installed to clearly mark the areas of the park that are off limits to the public. Areas marked as “no trespassing” will be strictly enforced.
Updates will be posted on the City of Beaufort website (www.cityofbeaufort.org) and shared through the City’s social media channels. Residents and visitors with questions may contact the City’s Public Information Office at 843-941-0997 or via email at abrandon@cityofbeaufort.org.
The City appreciates the public’s understanding and cooperation as it works to maintain the safety and integrity of this cherished community space.
This story will be updated.
Mike McCombs is the Editor of The Island News and can be reached at TheIslandNews@gmail.com.
