NOW ENROLLING GRADES K-12 FOR 2023-2024
NEW YEAR, NEW BEGINNINGS OPEN CAMPUS EVENTS @5:30PM KINDERGARTEN: MONDAY, JANUARY 9 LOWER SCHOOL: TUESDAY, JANUARY 10
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MIDDLE SCHOOL: WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18 UPPER SCHOOL: THURSDAY, JANUARY 19 POSTAL PATRON LOCAL
DECEMBER 29, 2022–JANUARY 4, 2023
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LOLITA HUCKABY
Out with the old: In with the new? It’s a sure bet growth issues will still be with us
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BEAUFORT hank you, Libby Anderson. The city’s former planning director went before the Beaufort-Port Royal Municipal Planning Commission last week to defend the plans she helped write and, as a citizen, is concerned about their enforcement. The mild-mannered Anderson held her ground against three major development players — two Trasks and 303 Associates — in her request for action before it’s too late. Anderson, who was certainly no stranger to the podium since she represented the city’s planning efforts for 23 years standing right there, specifically asked the Commission to recommend to the City Council text changes which would take certain plan approval from the staff and give citizen review boards more authority to weigh in on major development projects. Her request was directed at the Boundary Street and Bladen Street overlay districts, where the city’s long-range development plans, in her opinion, have been violated, by staff approval on at least two occasions. To support her argument she pointed to 706 Bladen Street, a residence that was constructed and then approved by the building department with an illegal front porch entrance that extends onto the public sidewalk. The latest offense is the drivethru on the new Chipotle restaurant in the Beaufort Plaza on Boundary Street. The drive-through lane runs
A small part of the huge crowd participating in the 2022 Pelican Plunge on Jan. 1, 2022 at Hunting Island State Park. While most chose typical beach attire for the annual event, some were more creative. Photos by Bob Sofaly/The Island News
Pelican Plunge could be biggest yet
Annual event raises money for Friends of Hunting Island By Mike McCombs Friends of Hunting Island’s 13th annual Pelican Plunge has a shot to be the most successful yet. The last Pelican Plunge was the biggest so far. The New Year’s Day 2022 event saw more than 500 people rumble down the Hunting Island beach and into the water and raised close to $5,000 for the Friends of Hunting Island (FOHI). FOHI President Linda Miller is confident the 2023 event, set for 1 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 1, will approach last year’s success. “(Last year) was a banner year, postCovid, and our numbers are running on pace at the moment for a similar turnout,” Miller told The Island News while traveling Tuesday. “Weather is always a factor for last-minute bookings, and temperatures are looking
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WANT TO GO? What: 13th Pelican Plunge When: 1 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023. Arrive at noon, plunge at 1. Where: Hunting Island State Park Beach, near the Lighthouse. Cost: $10 for adults, $5 for kids. Register at https://bit.ly/3C1ubj1.
pretty good; especially after the cold freeze of Christmas!” Miller said there’s a slight chance of rain on the radar. “We are following it closely,” she said. The Pelican Plunge was canceled in 2021 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The postponement has not derailed the event’s growth.
Some stayed behind to record the Pelican Plunge on Jan. 1, 2022, at Hunting Island State Park. Hundreds of participants took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather to start the new year off with a plunge into the SEE PLUNGE PAGE A5 Atlantic Ocean.
Updated Beaufort Preservation Manual now available From staff reports The City of Beaufort has taken another major step in its commitment to its National Historic Landmark District and the Northwest Quadrant with the publication of the new Beaufort Preservation Manual. The updated manual, often referred to as the Milner Report, after the architectural firm that put together the original manual and this latest version, has been posted to the City’s website where it will be easily searchable.
City Council approved the adoption of the manual at its Nov. 15 meeting. Among its improvements, the new manual: • Reflects current best practices in the preservation field; • Updates recommended materials for renovations, repairs, new construction; • Cross-references and ties into the Beaufort Development Code; • Makes recommendations for various repairs and treat-
ments to buildings; and … • Includes pictures. “The Preservation Manual was last updated over two decades ago,” Beaufort Mayor Stephen Murray said in a news release. “It was long overdue to update this critically important document to help guide the continued preservation of our historic structures in a more accessible and convenient way. City Council is grateful to all involved, especially the volunteers on our Historic District Review Board for their time and expertise.
The process In the spring of 2021, the City of Beaufort contracted with John Milner Architects, the Pennsylvania firm that produced the original report in 1979, along with various updates and a separate publication called Northwest Quadrant Design Principles. Milner is one of the premier architectural firms in the country that specializes in historic preservation and restoration. The City paid Milner $29,430,
SEE MANUAL PAGE A4
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Christmas Baby: Santa makes a special stop at the BMH Collins Birthing Center early Christmas morning.
parentPULSE: Keeping your kids busy during winter break.
Terry Manning: Sometimes it’s good to take a look back.
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