<h3>Staff reports</h3>
The city of Beaufort is upping the ante in promoting and developing a cultural district.

Carol Lauvray, president of the Beaufort History Museum, and Deborah Johnson have been added by the Beaufort City Council to round out its Cultural District Advisory Board. Johnson will be the city administration’s liaison.

The advisory board’s vision is that by 2020 Beaufort’s downtown will be a recognized and valued cultural district, actively sought out and utilized by artists, merchants, residents and tourists.&nbsp;

This concentrated area of diverse cultural venues, activities, and experiences will energize economic growth and improve the quality of life for Beaufort’s community and visitors. &nbsp;

Working together the board will seek to foster more support for the arts, and celebrate and strengthen local culture and the newly established cultural district.&nbsp;

“It’s great that the Beaufort City Council tackled this final appointment early in the year, and now we are at full strength to approach our work with passion and determination,” said Bonnie Hargrove, chairperson of the advisory board and director of the USCB arts center..&nbsp;

“There’s a lot of work to be done. We have so many opportunities here in Beaufort to boost the arts’ role in the lives of area residents and make us an arts destination for visitors,” she said.&nbsp;

Megan Meyer, of the Santa Elena History Center, said, “Our group brings together history and the arts in an amazing way, with a common goal of sharing all our wonderful resources with our local community and visitors. I think our job really is to teach and offer more exposure to what makes Beaufort such an incredible place.”&nbsp;

The goals are to increase tourism; foster a supportive environment for arts and cultural development; and strengthen local culture.