Eye on Beaufort

It's been one week since Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling proposed the city purchase the Beaufort Commerce Park, near U.S. 21, and annex it into the city as part of a larger plan to encourage economic development.
Council is expected to take its first vote tonight on the purchase and annexation during its meeting at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 1911 Boundary St. Keyserling is also expected to announce the purchase price he has negotiated with S.C. Bank & Trust, which bought the 167-acre property at auction for $2 million last fall.

Beaufort's Mayor Billy Keyserling is proposing the city buy Commerce Park, off U.S. 21, and support it with companion job training and business marketing ventures.

Here's a bit of a recap of Beaufort news from this weekend's papers.

Two charity foot races are back on schedule after Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner reversed a decision to withhold security personnel from the portion of the races on county land.
The April 21 Step up for Kids 5K/10K is sponsored by the Child Abuse Prevention Agency, and the May 5 Taste of Beaufort 5K is sponsored by Main Street Beaufort, USA. They will follow the regular race route from downtown Beaufort, over the Richard V. Woods Memorial Bridge, and turn around on Meridian Road.

U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint and U.S. Rep. Tim Scott's tours of Beaufort County Monday brought them together with residents of all shapes and sizes, from the students at Riverview Charter School to Marines at the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort to Sun City Hilton Head and its Republic Club.
Here's today's write up on the visit: Republican state leaders DeMint and Scott focus on future during Beaufort visit

The agenda for Beaufort's City Council meeting Tuesday is full of requests related to spring festivities as local organizations gear up for events.
Among those are Main Street Beaufort USA’s Taste of Beaufort on May 4-5, the Baptist Church of Beaufort’s River Baptism on May 20, Historic Beaufort Foundation’s Lafayette Soiree on April 28 and Memorial Cycling Classic on May 1.
Council meets for a worksession at 5 p.m. in the Planning Conference Room, City Hall, 1911 Boundary St. The voting meeting will be 7 p.m. upstairs in Council Chambers.

Beaufort International Film Festival organizers aren't resting on their laurels after throwing their biggest festival to date on Feb. 15-19. The group is already seeking early-bird entries for the seventh annual festival in 2013.
Nearly 7,000 people attended the 2012 festival. About 500 people attended the first year, 2007, and attendance has grown steadily every year.
Categories are: short films, student films, animation, screenplays, features and documentaries. Early-bird submissions are due July 31 and the final deadline is Oct. 31, according to a news release.

Beaufort is one of the best places to settle down when retirement is on the horizon, according to editors who complied a list of the 2012 Best Places to Retire.
The list is from TopRetirements.com and was used by MarketWatch, part of Dow Jones & Co., for a slideshow with information and images of the top 10 places.

From educating newly freed slaves starting in 1862 to a community center preserving artifacts and customs of St. Helena and Sea Island residents, the Penn Center's first 150 years have been busy. Officials are planning events spanning several years to celebrate and showcase the role the role the center has played in the community, starting with a gala in April. The center is on the National Register of Historic places, which has a write-up and the nomination form full of information here.

Beaufort County and the city officials are buzzing about the Spanish Moss Rail-Trail, which is planned run from Port Royal to the Whale Branch River when completed.
The Redevelopment Commission heard an update Thursday night and county Planning Director Tony Criscitiello was optimistic construction could begin as soon as this summer. Read more at
Beaufort County rail-trail project work could begin this summer.

It's been two decades since residents and officials started looking at creating a park at Crystal Lake on Lady's Island, and a new plan is going to Beaufort County officials for consideration and possibly further planning. The Friends of Crystal Lake have been meeting with and surveying community members for months trying to nail down what would best meet their needs.