By Mike McCombs and Amber Hewitt
The Island News
Beaufort County hosted an open house to review the status of the controversial Ribaut Road Master Plan, also known as Reimagine Ribaut on Friday night, Oct. 25, at Technical College of the Lowcountry.
According to Beaufort County, the stakeholders — Beaufort County, City of Beaufort, Town of Port Royal, and Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. — are all working together to create a master plan for improvements along the corridor.
The purpose of the open house was for citizens to review updated design alternatives and share their thoughts and concerns.
The name may be different, but the open house proved the “Ribaut Road Master Plan” remains a touchy subject.
Some attending Friday say the way the event was presented and handled was a “disaster.” There was little personal presentation, and no way to know who was in charge or who could answer questions. Nobody wore anything to identify who was who. They provided blue stickers to “put on the design you like the best.”
“There are a lot of alternatives, but ultimately it’s still really difficult,” said Robert and Elizabeth Smith of Port Royal, … “especially Bay to Boundary [streets] is really hard to fix and keep residential.”
Stacey Shoemaker said, “The fact they started with Reimagine Ribaut and changed the name without bringing it to the community tells [me] that they will change it to whatever they want because they don’t give two craps about the people it’s affecting.”
According to the County, the Ribaut Road Master Plan aims to enhance the 5.5-mile corridor from Boundary Street to the Russell Bell Bridge. By working together, the County says, citizens and stakeholders can help shape the future of this vital corridor and create a better community for everyone.
There are expected to be more events where citizens can give their input. Citizens who have questions or persons requiring additional assistance due to language barriers can contact the Beaufort County Engineering Department at 843-255-2700.
