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MARCH 28–APRIL 3, 2024
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Town of Port Royal takes legal action against Safe Harbor By Scott Graber The Island News It appears that the initial optimism expressed by both the Town of Port Royal and Safe Harbor Marinas has evaporated as ongoing discussions have faltered, and a burgeoning disagreement has found its way to the courtroom. On Wednesday, March 20, 2024 the Town of Port Royal filed a Petition asking that the Beaufort County Court of Common Pleas
grant a permanent and temporary injunction prohibiting Safe Harbor from using certain parts of its newly acquired property for “dock manufacturing.” The Town’s petition also asked the Court to require that Safe Harbor remove all machinery, equipment and materials used for dock manufacture from the site. In its Petition the Town alleged that the original Planned Unit Development Agreement dated
August 9, 2017, and thereafter amended, allows commercial, retail, light industrial, among other uses. But the “Respondent began using the Property for the manufacture of large floating docks, an activity requiring large scale machinery and equipment …” The Town further alleged “the public began complaining that the Dock Manufacturing use appeared industrial in nature” and subsequently a “worker on the
Property became wedged between a large slab of concrete and the decking’s steel mold, materials onsite for Dock Manufacture.” The Petition then says the worker died. As The Island News reported at the time, George Rundell, a 21-year-old employee of Harbormasters International, was killed November 14, 2023, when he was “struck and pinned by a large steel concrete form” late in the morning
at the construction site at the former Port of Port Royal located at 517 Paris Avenue. Afterward, in the petition, the Town alleged it sent written notice to Safe Harbor saying that “Dock Manufacturing exceeds the scope of permitted light industrial use in violation of the PUD” and demanded that Safe Harbor stop its manufacturing activity and re-
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LOWCOUNTRY LOWDOWN
LOLITA HUCKABY
Surprise! More talk about the trees
A
BEAUFORT s expected, the Beaufort City Council talked about trees in last week’s workshop. But they’ve still got a way to go. The council is in the process of updating the city’s development code and landscaping requirements were on the agenda for last week’s discussion. Information that prompted part of their conversation was data showing the accumulative impact of three of the city’s most recent large developments – roughly 4,000 trees removed for the Beaufort Station commercial center and two apartment complexes in exchange for writing checks to the city totaling $183,000 in removal fees. The importance of this tree protection business is even more critical, considering a report in The Beaufort Gazette reminding
A March 19, 2024 photo from Russ Point Boat Landing at the foot of the Fripp Island Bridge on Hunting Island. Amber Hewitt/ The Island News
Is Russ Point gone for good?
Local boaters could lose access to public boat landing on Hunting Island By Delayna Earley The Island News The Lowcountry has always had a special relationship with the water. Local waterways and the ocean provide income for many who live here. And it is a food source and a large draw for the vital tourism that drives this area. Access to the waterways and the
ocean are vital to the way of life here, and following the posting of a sign announcing the closing one of those access points, many locals and their elected representatives are speaking out to try and protect it. On Friday, March 15, 2024, a large sign was posted outside of Russ Point Landing, a popular Hunting Island access point at the base of the
bridge to Fripp Island. The sign stated that the boat landing would be closing April 1, 2024. This has caused many to take to social media to express their anger about the closing and the perceived impact that this is going to have on the local way of life.
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EASTER
STATE NEWS
ARTS
INSIDE
Easter events happening in northern Beaufort County.
With no ruling yet on 1st District lawsuit, SC asks high court to keep voting lines for ’24.
Some lawmakers call arts funding a waste; Supporters call it essential.
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