<b>Hours extended at county library branches </b>

Beginning Monday, March 3, the hours of operation at the Beaufort, Bluffton and Hilton Head branch libraries were extended to 50 hours a week.

“In June of 2011 we had to cut hours at the branches across the county due to budgetary constraints. Ever since that happened, the public has been asking us to get the hours back to where they were, so that’s what we are trying to do,” said Beaufort County Director of Libraries Wlodek Zaryczny.

The new hours for the Beaufort branch library on Scott Street are Mondays-Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Fridays, 1 to 5 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; closed Sundays.

<b>Dick Stewart to speak at LIBPA meeting </b>

Dick Stewart, Chief Executive Officer of 303 Associates, will be the guest speaker for the Tuesday, March 11 meeting of the Lady’s Island Business and Professional Association to be held at 8 a.m. at the Beaufort County Association of Realtors headquarters located in Palmetto Business Park (directly behind BB&amp;T Bank) on Lady’s Island Drive. The meeting is open to the public.

Mr. Stewart graduated from Beaufort High School in 1967 and from Georgia Southern University in 1971. After nearly 10 years with Motorola, he joined MCI and then went out on his own to form several successful wireless companies, including Transit Communications, which in 1994 became part of Nextel Communications, and Grid Towers and American Tower Corporation.

After selling Grid Towers to American Tower Corporation, he returned to Beaufort in 1998 with plans for retirement. Instead, he found himself creating 303 Associates LLC, believing that the inevitable growth coming to the Lowcountry needed to be properly planned for and managed to protect the charm and essence of the area.

Mr. Stewart was named Economic Development Ambassador for Beaufort County in 2001 and has served as a member of the Beaufort County Council as well as Chairman of the Board of United Way of Beaufort County, Chairman of the Board of Lowcountry Economic Network and Coastal Community Foundation.

He has been requested to include the following subjects in his discussion with our members.

• Your thoughts on the blending (development wise) of the Whitehall property into the City of Beaufort.

• Is northern Beaufort County on the right track with retaining its rural character versus Bluffton style expansion and development?

• How can local governmental planning for growth and the business community better combine their efforts?

• As a leader in the development of the Port Royal Sound Foundation Maritime Center what do you see as its primary role?

• In your opinion, has the local economy turned the corner?

• As a major investor in the northern Beaufort County community what is your vision for the area’s future?

• Is the Beaufort Civic Master Plan a viable roadmap to the municipalities’ future evolution?