Welcome to the City of Beaufort's monthly newsletter. Any feedback? Please send to Kathleen Williams, kwilliams@cityofbeaufort.org. |
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Feb. 18 meeting on The Point study |
The City of Beaufort is hosting an informational meeting for members of the public from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday, Feb. 18, to discuss The Point/Downtown stormwater drainage study. The meeting will include a brief presentation and a question-and-answer session, and will be held at City Hall council chambers.
The initial field survey and analysis on The Point/Downtown stormwater drainage system is complete. The results of this study will be presented, along with a plan to address key areas of the drainage systems that require maintenance and repair.
The meeting will be streamed live on the City’s Facebook page, and a Zoom link will be available as well. For more information, please contact Carrie Gorsuch at 843-986-5609, or email her at cgorsuch@cityofbeaufort.org. City Hall is at 1911 Boundary St.
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Master plan in works for Southside Park
The City of Beaufort has contracted with Woods + Partners Inc. to develop a master plan for Southside Park.
Woods + Partners is a landscape architecture firm based on Hilton Head Island. In Beaufort County, it has designed plans for Bluffton Oyster Factory Park, Burton Wells Park, Jarvis Creek Park, and Shelter Cove Park. The firm also designed Pigeon Point Park in the City, and created the master plan for Whitehall Park.
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Finance Department earns budget award
Congratulations to our Finance Department!
The department was recently notified that it had received the annual Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its FY22 budget from the Government Finance Officers Association. This is the fifth time the City has received this award.
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Employee
of the Year!
Congratulations to Officer Jennifer Petrone, who has been named City of Beaufort Employee of the Year 2021!
In 2021, Officer Petrone was selected to be on the Police Department’s Community Response Team. As a member of the team, she has done a remarkable job bringing the community and the Police Department closer together. She also helped develop relationships with local businesses and community leaders.
Her countless hours of detailed work and coordination allowed the Police Department to host several community events in 2021. This included the implementation of the Greg’s Groceries program, hosting Movie in the Park, hosting Shop with a Cop, and hosting several outdoor Chill with a Cop events for kids and their families. She also increased the department's involvement in our schools.
We're proud of you, Officer Petrone!
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Marina fuel system
to be replaced
The fuel system at the Downtown Marina will be replaced. City Council released funds for that and other projects on Jan. 25.
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Carnegie windows
being repaired
Work began in early December on the restoration of windows at the Carnegie Library building, which houses the Beaufort-Port Royal Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Several of the windows were damaged by Hurricanes Matthew and Irma. In July 2020, the City was awarded a grant of $188,500 from the South Carolina Historic Preservation Office to restore the windows. Shenandoah Restorations of Irma, S.C., is doing the work.
Below, a worker dabs epoxy on the frames of some of the windows.
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PD seeking volunteers
for phone program
Officer Jennifer Petrone, who with Sgt. Steven Marques operates the Community Response Team, is looking for additional volunteers for the Volunteer Outreach in Community Efforts (VOICE) program. Volunteers make daily phone calls to check in on those who are enrolled in the program. Those enrolled may be seniors, people with disabilities, or those suffering from a mental illness. In most cases, they are homebound, or have very limited ability to get around.
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5 centuries of history
Historic Beaufort Foundation and USCB Center for the Arts are collaborating on this 5-week series, which continues in February. Dr. Lawrence Rowland and Dr. Stephen Wise speak on Beaufort's rich history.
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Untold stories
Beaufort County School District, University of South Carolina Beaufort, Technical College of the Lowcountry and Penn Center host “Untold Stories,” an African-American history education conference with a focus on Beaufort County’s rich and diverse history. The conference is open to anyone desiring an immersive learning experience about African American history specific to Beaufort County.
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Economic forecast 2022
The Beaufort County Regional Chamber is hosting an economic forecast conference on Feb. 25 to share the latest data about our region, bright spots in our local economy, and insight from a panel of experts on today’s most pressing issues. The event is hosted by the TCL Office of Advancement in MacLean Hall on the TCL campus in Beaufort.
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Gov. Henry McMaster will be the keynote speaker March 7 at the inaugural South Coast Cyber Summit, which will be held on March 7-8 in Beaufort, S.C. The event is free but registration is limited.
The Cyber Summit is being presented by the South Coast Cyber Center and will feature a number of prominent experts in cybersecurity, one of the fastest growing career fields in the United States.
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BJWSA update on North Street
The new water transmission main will be installed under North Street (eastbound lane), beginning in early February. Crews will begin taking asphalt off the road (milling) on Jan. 31. Block-to-block closures will begin shortly after the milling has been completed. Each house will receive a door knocker flyer before their block is closed. Residents on the closed block will have access to their houses throughout construction.
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Beaufort Station announces retail tenants |
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Beaufort Station, a more than 200,000-square-foot retail plaza, is scheduled to open in the City of Beaufort in the fall of 2023 with a number of big-box retailers, including Hobby Lobby, Ross Dress for Less, Ulta Beauty, and Old Navy.
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Love is in the air for First Friday! |
Come celebrate February’s First Friday on Feb. 4 from 5-8 p.m. with an evening of shopping, dining, and fun. Events take place on Bay Street, Scott Street and West Street. February’s theme is Fall in Love with Beaufort. Each purchase enters you into a drawing for an overnight stay, dinner, and chocolates in Beaufort. Shoppers will need to bring the entry forms to the Old Bay Marketplace and to Scott and Bay Street locations by 8 p.m. Winners will be announced at 8:15 p.m.
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What's happening at Center for the Arts ... |
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Exhibit features
rock & pop illustrator
Nationally published illustrator and retired college professor Frank Cerulli is having a stunning dual gallery exhibit of rock and pop culture through Feb. 13 at the USCB Center for the Arts.
The unique one-person show combines culture and illustration in a colorful tribute to some of the greatest musical masters of the rock and roll era, including John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, and Joni Mitchell. Cerulli's interpretative pop-inspired portraits (above) and illustrations capture the likeness as well as the souls of the artists in bright, bold and exceptionally expressive ways.
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Check out the
canine cabaret!
Enjoy a comedy canine cabaret at Center for the Arts at 2 and 5 p.m. on Feb. 13. Watch these sweet and fun rescue dogs pull out a bag of tricks!
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Film Festival set
for Feb. 22-27
The 16th annual Beaufort International Film Festival will be held Feb. 22-27. Come experience what has been called by many as the "best little film festival in the Southeast." Awards will be presented in various categories. The opening ceremony will take place at 6 p.m. Feb. 22 at Tabby Place, 913 Port Republic St.
Screenings will be held on Feb 23-26 at USCB Center for the Arts, 805 Carteret St. All films will be in block format to allow for breaks for cleaning and sanitizing. Block tickets as well as day passes will be offered.
All ticket sales are final. No refunds unless event is canceled by Film Festival. More information on the festival and to purchase tickets can be found here. |
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Plaque commemorates prisoner-of-war camp
On Jan. 20, a big crowd gathered at Pigeon Point Park to watch the dedication of a plaque by the Beaufort County Historical Society commemorating a little known bit of Beaufort history: That a prisoner-of-war camp was located in the neighborhood during World War II.
The camp opened in 1943, one of more than 20 POW camps in the state built during WWII. About 250 Italian soldiers were sent to the camp from Camp Wheeler near Macon, Ga., after being captured in North Africa. In Beaufort, truck farmers employed the POWs to harvest vegetables.
The marker is cast in aluminum, and is one of several historical markers planned for the City, according to Dr. Larry Rowland, local historian and professor emeritus at USCB.
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Every month we'll feature the new businesses or organizations that have opened in Beaufort, as described in the owners' own words. |
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Open Land Trust
905 Charles St.
Mon-Fri: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
The Beaufort County Open Land Trust protects significant ecological and cultural places that define the natural landscape while contributing to the health and spirit of the extraordinary Lowcountry region.
Our mission is to protect the natural diversity and beauty of Beaufort County and its surroundings by preserving significant land and scenic areas; and to promote appreciation and understanding of the environment through community education and special events. We also help landowners develop and implement conservation plans for their land and resources.
The Beaufort County Open Land Trust is South Carolina’s first and oldest land trust working to preserve open spaces, natural habitats and rural communities throughout the southern Lowcountry.
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Congratulations to these businesses celebrating anniversaries:
1 year: Lowcountry Stitch
10 years: Griffin Market
75 years: Kilwin's
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5 p.m. Feb. 8 Work Session
7 p.m. Feb. 8 Regular Session
5 p.m. Feb. 22 Work Session
7 p.m. Feb. 22 Regular Meeting
Meetings will be held via Zoom and streamed on the City's Facebook page. You can find agendas closer to the date of the meeting on our website's Agenda Center.
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Metropolitan Planning Commission Work Session, 10 a.m. Feb. 3
Historic Review Board, 2 p.m. Feb. 9
Design Review Board, 2 p.m. Feb. 10
Metropolitan Planning Commission, 5 p.m. Feb. 14
Meetings will be held via Zoom and streamed on the City's Facebook page. You can find agendas closer to the date of the meeting on our website's Agenda Center.
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