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From the Island Packet

Beaufort’s Bay Street is back in business after a $12 million storm drainage upgrade blocked vehicle traffic and hindered foot traffic into the city’s downtown business district for three long months. Gulf Stream Construction Inc. finished paving the intersection of Bay and Charles streets Friday and reopened it to traffic Monday. “We’re open for business!” Nan Sutton, the owner of Lulu Burgess, said in Facebook post announcing the reopening, as she stood, nearly dancing, in the middle of the intersection. “Woo-hoo!” The reopening of the intersection means vehicles can now easily reach downtown Beaufort from both directions of Bay Street — from both the Woods Memorial Bridge end, which had remained open, and the marina end, which had been closed.

Downtown Beaufort remained open, but the closure of the western entrance reduced both vehicle and pedestrian traffic through the holiday season, a critical time for downtown businesses.

“Our businesses need this,” Ashlee Houck, president and CEO of the Beaufort Area Hospitality Association, said of the reopening of the key intersection. “Downtown has been hit hard with the waterfront promenade closure, so this is what we need at this point in time. Some businesses didn’t last through January.” Besides the disruption caused by the stormwater drainage project, downtown businesses also are wrestling with the city’s closure of the promenade because of deterioration of the infrastructure underneath the Waterfront Park.

Houck says businesses are hoping the reopening of Bay and Charles streets will stabilize foot traffic. The Bay-Charles intersection is just a part of a year-long, $11.9 million stormwater drainage project called the Charles/Craven Street Stormwater Improvements. The project will replace 1900-era pipes and install tidal check valves along the waterfront to reduce chronic flooding from hurricanes and other storms. With opening of the intersection, work is now proceeding north up Charles Street.

From the Bluffton Today

SouthernCarolina Alliance is celebrating its 30th year of service to the South Carolina Lowcountry with several major announcements in 2026.

"As we ended 2025 with announcements and expansions in Colleton, Bamberg, Beaufort and Hampton counties, 2026 kicked off with a major economic development project announcement in Bamberg County," said Steve Murdaugh SCA Chairman in the SCA's February newsletter. "As SCA reflects this year on our 30 years of service to the counties of our region, we look forward to what's to come as our region remains a hub for investment and job creation."

The SCA is a non-profit regional economic development organization founded in 1996 that serves seven S.C. Lowcountry counties: Beaufort, Hampton, Jasper, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, and Colleton counties with the goals of attracting, retaining, and expanding business investments, particularly in the automotive, aerospace and manufacturing industries.

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Last week, Beaufort County celebrated a pair of groundbreakings at Parks & Recs locations in the Beaufort County. On January 7th, ground was broken for the Wesley E. Felix Community center located at 179 Ball Park Road on St. Helena Island. The speakers included County Council member York Glover, who spoke about the importance of baseball to St. Helena’s community and history. Again on January 9th the county broke ground on the Agnes A. Major Community center at 21 Agnes Major Road in Sheldon. Council member Gerald Dawson was amongst the speakers and highlighted the accomplishments of Ms. Major’s life and her impacts on the community. You can watch the groundbreaking ceremony on Youtube.com/@BeaufortCountyTV and on BCTV.

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From the Island Packet

Freezing rain is the main concern for the Lowcountry this weekend as a powerful winter storm sweeps across the eastern United States, the National Weather Service’s Charleston office said Wednesday afternoon. By Monday, a sharp drop in temperatures, with coastal lows in the mid to upper 20s, could cause any snow or ice to persist into next week. Despite continued uncertainty about specific impacts, the Lowcountry as of Wednesday afternoon appears to be near the southernmost periphery of the storm, and the greatest impacts are expected to take place late Saturday into Monday morning. Since Tuesday, the storm’s forecast track has shifted northward, lessening the overall potential impacts for South Carolinians living south of I-20, according to a midday report from Frank Strait, severe weather liaison with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources’ Climate Office.

Beaufort County is right on the edge between a 20–40% chance of ice accumulation and a lower risk below 20%, according to the briefing.

How to prepare for the winter storm

Dominion Energy, one of the county’s largest providers, wrote they were preparing and “ready to respond” in the event of severe winter weather throughout the state. They encouraged their customers to Pack emergency kits, including flashlights, batteries, portable radios, first-aid kits and enough bottled water and non-perishable food to last several days. Stay away from any downed power lines with the assumption that they are still energized and dangerous. South Carolina customers should call 888-333-4465 right away to report a downed power line. Prepare for potential property damage, since crews can only repair electric service up to a home’s point of connection.

If a customer loses power and has any storm damage from the weatherhead down to its meter base, an electrician must first repair it before Dominion can reconnect power to the home. Stay connected with their provider on social media for updates and alerts. Report and track outages on the Dominion Energy app and website. The South Carolina Emergency Management Division provides a winter weather resource guide and checklist to help residents prepare for possible winter storms.

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- The Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce Restaurant Week starts next weekend, kicking off Sunday, January 31st and running through February 7th. From Bluffton to Hilton Head Island, more than 80 local restaurants are serving up special pre-fixed menu featuring new creations, signature favorites, and can’t-miss dishes from the area’s top chefs. A Kickoff event at Rollers Wine & Spirits will run next Thursday, January 29th from 5 to 8pm. For more information including a full list of participating restaurants and menus please visit hiltonheadisland.org.

Beaufort County celebrated the groundbreaking of two new community centers

Tim Scott and Joe Wilson push for a Coast Guard training base in Beaufort

And Beaufort Veterans affairs will host a symposium for Healthcare/Social Work professionals

All this and more coming up on Beaufort County This Week!

STORY 1

Last week, Beaufort County celebrated a pair of groundbreakings at Parks & Recs locations in the Beaufort County. On January 7th, ground was broken for the Wesley E. Felix Community center located at 179 Ball Park Road on St. Helena Island. The speakers included County Council member York Glover, who spoke about the importance of baseball to St. Helena’s community and history. Again on January 9th the county broke ground on the Agnes A. Major Community center at 21 Agnes Major Road in Sheldon. Council member Gerald Dawson was amongst the speakers and highlighted the accomplishments of Ms. Major’s life and her impacts on the community. You can watch the groundbreaking ceremony on Youtube.com/@BeaufortCountyTV and on BCTV.

Story 2

From the Island Packet

U.S. Sen. Tim Scott and Congressman Joe Wilson are on board with a new Coast Guard training base in Port Royal, which a new report says would generate $300 million in revenue and more than 2,000 jobs. In November, the Coast Guard announced it was seeking a location for a second boot camp to train some of the 15,000 additional personnel expected to join the military branch over the next few years. The Coast Guard issued a solicitation for potential locations for the new facility, with a deadline set for Dec. 7. The Beaufort County Economic Development Corp (BCED), Beaufort Area Chamber of Commerce and Beaufort Defense Community Partnership Task Force applied for consideration, saying Naval Hospital Beaufort could be a perfect fit. The hospital grounds are located between the Beaufort River and Ribaut Road in Port Royal. Gov. Henry McMaster and Congresswoman Nancy Mace previously announced their support for the application.

The Naval Hospital’s access to the Intracoastal Waterway is one reason it is an ideal location for a new Coast Guard training facility, local officials say. Beaufort County Economic Development Corp. Now Scott and Wilson have added their names to the growing list of local, state and federal officials backing the proposal. On Monday, Scott and Wilson sent a letter of support to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. John O’Toole, who heads the BCED, said the letter from Scott and Wilson is a welcome addition to the application, which is under review by the Coast Guard and Homeland Security. Over the weekend, BCED officials also were busy working on a report on the economic development impact the training base would have on the area. That report was requested by Gov. Henry McMaster’s office to be forwarded to the federal officials for consideration, O’Toole said.

“It is my understanding we made some sort of first cut by the Department of Homeland Security on the training facility,” O’Toole said. “I don’t know how many communities are still standing.” The economic impact report said a training facility at the Naval Hospital would have an economic impact on the region in excess of $300 million and create 2,200 direct and indirect jobs, O’Toole said. The established military community in Beaufort and Port Royal, which includes Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort and Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, makes it ideal for the Coast Guard base, the letter from Scott and Wilson says.