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A good cup of coffee has to percolate before it’s ready to be poured. Our coffee and our energy may start each day slowly until we shift into a higher gear. If you look around our great town of Bluffton, you’ll know it’s percolating. The recession, no doubt, has had an effect on Bluffton residents and businesses. However, there are many people who want a taste of the high quality of life we have in our coastal river town. As a whole, our town is preparing for renewed prosperity. As a community, I believe we are ahead of the national recession curve and we are recovering.
Look at the signs: The town’s Streetscape project is moving along, new businesses are opening, new schools are being built and the real estate market is coming back to life.
I am sure you have seen the orange barrels and construction along May River Road. That’s the Streetscape project. This is a part of the Old Town Master Plan to put in on-street parking, lights, landscaping and sidewalks. Just like renovating a house, when everyone is stepping over furniture and dust, it is an inconvenience and a mess for now. However, a renovated house — like a town — creates a space where people can gather, do business, entertain and enjoy their surroundings for years to come. I ask for your patience.
The project is experiencing delays and the bad news is Bruin Road — which is between Burnt Church Road and the four-way stop on May River Road — will be closed for the summer during business hours (7 a.m. to 5 p.m.). This has put a burden on the businesses there. Myrtle’s, a restaurant owned by the Reeves family, is sandwiched right in the middle of the work and is taking the brunt of the burden of this project. I ask you to remember Myrtle’s and all the businesses along that corridor and take the time to visit them. We are in this together.
Besides our tried-and-true establishments, such as the May River Grill, Sippin’ Cow and Squat N’ Gobble – which are also in the middle of the Streetscape renovations — we have some exciting newcomers. In the Promenade across from Calhoun Street, new businesses are pouring in, including Alterations by Patricia, Designer Accents Decorating, Promenade Hair Designers and Nail Spa, Captain Woody’s and Bluffton Bar-B-Que.
Construction of two new schools also shows that the town is progressing. New students will flood Red Cedar Elementary in a few months and construction of Bluffton Middle School is under way.
On a separate note, I would like to say goodbye to our town manager, Bill Workman. He has been invaluable to Bluffton during his three years as town manager.
I would also like to wish the graduating high school class of 2009 luck as they march into their individual futures.
