Eye on Beaufort

Seven Beaufort-area men will strap on their dancing heels March 31 to raise money for local organizations.
The third annual “Beaufort Beauties” will kick off at 7:30 p.m. in the Walsh Palmetto Room of St. Peter’s Catholic Church, 70 Lady’s Island Drive, Lady’s Island.
This year’s contestants are:
• Bob Cunningham, Merry Maids
• Warren Florence, Palmetto Bluff Tennis Pro

If you have a free hour or so, kick back on this rainy day (or one later this week) and watch the documentary "Joe Frazier: When the Smoke Clears" for free on Hulu.

This week at Beaufort City Council's workshop, members intend to start with interview(s) for the Metropolitation Planning Commission.
Discussion will follow on amending building code to require carbon monoxide alarms, changes to the outdoor display ordinance, and review of the plan for the year that council members built during the annual retreat.

Keith Cummins, 55, the 51st Water Festival Commodore, died Tuesday at Medical University of South Carolina from complications after undergoing cancer treatment, sources say. He was born and reared in Beaufort and was a graduate of The Citadel, a Sea Island Rotary Club member and father of three.
“He couldn’t have been a kinder, more compassionate person, always putting people before himself,” 52nd Water Festival Commodore Erin Dean said.

Members of the Redevelopment Commission sorted out ongoing and future projects for the city of Beaufort and took at look at which ones will spark other growth opportunities during the first day of their annual retreat Wednesday.
Not only do they want to focus on projects that serve as catalysts, members want to expand the commission’s role in the community with help from ad hoc members and better partnerships with residents and businesses.
There’s a pile a projects facing the nine-member board, which technically has eight members right now due to a vacant seat.

The members of city of Beaufort's Redevelopment Commission and City Council will buckle down for a combined almost 20 hours of meetings from Wednesday through Friday during their annual retreats.
The Redevelopment Commission meets 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday and 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Thursday. A joint meeting with both groups is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday. City Council meets from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday.

If I get to buy $100 worth of goods and only pay $50, I think I'll head straight for furniture at one of the antique stores.
More than 30 stores have signed up to accept the Main Street Beaufort Dollars that Main Street Beaufort, USA, will sell for half price. People will be able to buy up to $100 in certificates in $10 increments, starting at 10 a.m. Feb. 18 at The Main Street Beaufort Office at 101 West Street Extension. The organization will sell $15,000 in Main Street Dollars.

City of Beaufort council members are looking for residents interested in serving on committees and boards that make recommendations on issues ranging from tourism to trees to houses.
Almost a dozen positions will need to be filled over the next few months. Term lengths vary based on the committee.

Several city of Beaufort projects are getting a fresh start in 2012, according to updates during the first Redevelopment Commission meeting of the year Thursday.
Among the news:
• The owner of the Von Harten Brothers building on Carteret Street is working with a possible buyer who wants to open an artisan bakery, Commercial Development Committee Chairman Martin Goodman said. The owner had been holding off selling unless one buyer wanted to buy several of her properties for a big project, he said.

A $24.2 million expansion, including lengthening the runway, is recommended in the proposed updated master plan for Beaufort County Airport on Lady's Island.
To do that, however, the airport would need to expand into adjoining salt water marsh. Expanding it other directions would mean moving U.S. 21 and houses, businesses, a cemetery and more.
The last master plan update was in 1978.
Among the highlights of the 20-year plan:
• The runway needs longer safety zones on the ends. Each end is less than half of what the Federal Aviation Administration recommends.