Eye on Beaufort

Port Royal and Beaufort officials considered details Tuesday of a proposed contract for an expanded joint fire department.
They are considering changing the agreement so the municipalities share not only personnel but equipment, with Beaufort shouldering a greater percentage of the costs. Port Royal officials have expressed concerns about losing control of their fire trucks and other equipment. Members of both councils met in a joint, closed-door session to discuss contract details Tuesday morning.

Tickets are on sale for the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Meeting and Civitas Awards celebration, in which business leaders will be recognized for their accomplishments this year.
Tickets for the June 29 event at Dataw Island Clubhouse are on sale now at an early bird price of $50 for chamber members and $65 for nonmembers. To purchase tickets or for more information, contact Renee Faucher at 843-525-8537 or renee@beaufortsc.org.

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.

As work on the first leg of the Spanish Moss Rail-Trail progresses — funded by a grant through the Atlanta-based PATH Foundation, financed by the James M. Cox Foundation — city of Beaufort officials are working on their own plans.
That includes figuring out what to do with the abandoned depot building officials envision as a focal point of the trail. Designs have included a market place and possibly a bike store. Members of the Redevelopment Commission discussed Thursday working on requests for proposals for the building, on which the city has a 99-year lease.

Members of the Beautify Beaufort group took their scrub and paint brushes to the Point neighborhood Saturday and tackled some dirty signs and fading fire hydrants.
Terry Hussey sent in this picture of Peter Hussey and Conway Ivy, who took on the "biggest challenge" of the weekend, the historic 100-year high water mark sign that had become covered with years of dirt. This half-way done picture shows the difference.

It's been two weeks since Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling first publicly floated the idea of the city buying the Commerce Park out near U.S. 21, and one week since council unanimously voted in favor of the $1.85 million purchase. The final vote on that purchase is the main order of business at a special meeting at 7 p.m., City Hall, 1911 Boundary St.