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<p><strong>Open Land Trust hosting 50th annual meeting</strong></p>
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<p>For its 50th annual meeting, the Open Land Trust is hosting an Oyster Roast and Chili at 6 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 21, at the Beaufort Yacht and Sailing Club at 30 Yacht Club Drive in Beaufort.</p>
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<p>Cost are $15 and it is payable by phone or by mail at P.O. Box 75, Beaufort, S.C., 29901. RSVP on or before Thursday, Oct. 7 to Haley Romeo at Haley@openlandtrust.com or 843-521-2175.</p>
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<p><strong>Area COVID-19 vaccine clinics</strong></p>
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<p>There are two COVID-19 vaccination clinics in the area this week:</p>
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<p>From 8:45 a.m. to 4:05 p.m., Thursday and Friday, Beaufort County Health Department, 601 Wilmington Street, Beaufort (Pfizer 12+, Moderna, Janssen 18+); and</p>
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<p>From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Beaufort Memorial Express Care, 1680 Ribaut Road, Port Royal (Janssen 18+, Pfizer 12+).</p>
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<p><strong>October LIBPA meeting</strong></p>
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<p>The Lady’s Island Business Professional Association will meet at 8 a.m., Tuesday, Oct. 12, at the Beaufort Realtors’ Association Headquarters at 22 Kemmerlin Lane, Lady’s Island.</p>
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<p>City of Beaufort Director for Community &amp; Economic Development David S. Prichard, AICP, will be the featured speaker. The meeting is free and open to the public. Stop by for coffee and conversation concerning the community.</p>
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<p><strong>Public input needed on transportation plan</strong></p>
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<p>The Lowcountry Council of Governments (LCOG) is working to update the 2045 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) and Rural Area LRTP.</p>
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<p>These plans will identify transportation needs for the urbanized and rural areas over the next 20 years and provide a set of multimodal strategies to address these needs.</p>
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<p>In put on the region's transportation needs with a short survey at http://metroquestsurvey.com/tz0i0l.</p>
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<p>The survey closes Friday, October 8. For more information, visit www.lowcountrycog.org, contact Stephanie Rossi, Planning Director for the Planning Department at Lowcountry Country Council of Governments, at 843-473-3958 or email srossi@lowcountrycog.org.</p>
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<p><strong>County accepting applications for</strong> <strong>2 percent tax grants</strong></p>
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<p>The Beaufort County Accommodations Tax Board is now accepting applications from organizations in Beaufort County wishing to receive grants from the 2 percent state accommodations tax fund.</p>
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<p>South Carolina law allows for a 2 percent tax levy on the rental of all transient accommodations to help provide financial support to promote tourism and fund tourism-related activities in municipalities and counties within the state.</p>
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<p>As a result, individuals staying overnight in hotels, motels, inns, and vacation rentals pay 2 percent in addition to the statewide sales tax and any local sales and use tax applied to their lodging cost.</p>
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<p>The current year application (2021/2022) is available online at https://bit.ly/3tioIPo.</p>
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<p>Applications will not be accepted or reviewed if received incomplete or after 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 8.</p>
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<p>Questions regarding the application process should be directed to Shannon Milroy at atax@bcgov.net or 843-255-2302.</p>
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