Boundary Street, rail-trail project plans move forward

Preparation for two construction projects -- Boundary Street and the Spanish Moss Rail-Trail -- dominated the discussion among city of Beaufort Redevelopment Commission members on Thursday as they continued to hash out the details.
With an "aggressive" schedule in hand, Josh Martin of the city's Office of Civic Investment said construction on Boundary Street, between Robert Smalls Parkway and Ribaut Road, could begin by next June.
The city has a $12.6 million federal grant and $13.7 million in local matching funds. The federal grant requires the city to have a planin place by June 2013 for how the grant will be spent.
"So one year from today, we should have bulldozers," Martin said. "Hopefully.”
Designs show both sides of Boundary would be lined with trees and sidewalks, and trees would be planted in a wide median down the middle of the road. The city wants to plant live oaks, but the S.C. Department of Transportation prefers palmetto trees or similar plants that would give way if hit by a vehicle. The median would have turn lanes in key areas.
The rail-trail construction between Allison and Depot roads is expected to begin by November.
The first mile is funded with almost $600,000 from the James M. Cox Foundation. Local officials
and the Friends of the Spanish Moss Rail-Trail are being assisted by the Atlanta-based PATH Foundation, which has helped build more than 200 miles of paths in Georgia.
Designs are being created, and officials are grappling with issues such as establishing areas where the path and roads meet. The future of the old Beaufort Depot is also of concern as officials have long envisioned it as a commercial hub. Developer Merritt Patterson owns property next to the depot and has talked with commission members about renovating it, commission member Martin Goodman said..
Commission member Patrick Kase said it could save time, effort and money if the commission worked with Patterson instead of requesting proposals from other developers.