Hilton Head News

Beaufort County Council approved a $132.6 million budget for the 2022 fiscal year. It includes a millage rate increase of 0.6 mills. The budget increased by $2 million because of an 8 percent increase in tax revenue because of population growth, the county said. A news release noted eliminating unfilled staff positions creates about $800,000 in savings. The budget includes a $1.97 million increase in emergency medical services and a $1.6 million increase in parks and recreation.

Residents of Beaufort County will decide in November whether to change the county’s form of government from the current form of council-administrator to council-manager. Council voted 6-5 on June 28 to include the question on the Nov. 2 ballot. If the referendum passes, council then will be able to, under a council-manager setup, make the county treasurer and auditor appointed positions. Those positions are currently elected. The other referendum for voters will be to decide whether to approve a 1% sales tax.

The Revenue Services Department for the Town of Hilton Head Island is hosting a public information session to update business owners about a proposed new business license ordinance. The session is Tuesday, Aug. 3 at 2 p.m. in Council Chambers at the Stephen G. Riley Municipal Complex (Town Hall), 1 Town Center Court. Attendees will learn about changes to the Town’s business license ordinance.

Beaufort County sued its auditor Jim Beckert for his “failure and refusal” to perform his duties, according to a lawsuit filed July 9. The suit alleges Beckert has a “contentious and adversarial” relationship with county employees and officials and he’s made “frequent threats or promises not to do things that state law plainly requires him to do.” The suit says the county seeks for Beckert, an elected official, to do “what he is statutorily required to do.”

Battery Creek High School celebrated the beginning of construction on the school district’s project to be funded through the bond referendum approved by county voters in November 2019. A total of $56 million in referendum funds was budgeted for the renovations. The completion date is expected to be September 2023.

Hilton Head Island’s Jonathan Griz tied for medalist honors in U.S. Amateur Qualifying at Keith Hills Golf Club in Buies Creek, N.C. He shot a 4-under-par 140 over 36 holes July 5 to qualify for the U.S. Amateur Championship, which is set for Aug. 9-15 at the Oakmont Country Club and Longue Vue Club in Pennsylvania.

Bluffton’s Bryson Nimmer tied for third place in the second event on the new Forme Tour. Nimmer had four consecutive rounds in the 60s and tied for third at the Auburn University Club Invitational. He finished three shots behind champion Philip Knowles.

Jaylen Sneed, a standout football player at Hilton Head High School, committed to attend the University of Notre Dame. The senior linebacker is ranked the No. 97 overall prospect at 247Sports.com. 

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Sneed pick Notre Dame over Oregon, Tennesse, Texas A & M Oklahoma, according to The Athletic.

It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since I last wrote this column for Monthly magazine. And what a year it has been: from virtual, to hybrid, to faceto- face instruction, our teachers, staff, school administrators and especially our parents have navigated these uncharted waters together, something for which I am extremely grateful.

One thing that has not changed since last year is that our goal is to operate “normal” schooling whenever it’s safe to do so. I am happy to share that schools this fall will be as normal as possible.

THE LOWCOUNTRY GETS READY FOR ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON

STORM SEASON IS HERE. 

The Lowcountry is prepping for Atlantic hurricane season, which is from June 1 to Nov. 30, with the heaviest months usually in August through October. Officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast that we will see between 13 and 20 named storms this year. They say three to five of those storms could be major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher.

DON RYAN CENTER KICKS OFF HEROES PROGRAM

More than 80 people gathered at Veterans Park in Bluffton recently to officially kick off the Don Ryan Center for Innovation’s new HEROES Initiative. The event featured Bluffton Mayor Lisa Sulka declaring the day as the “Bluffton Heroes Day.” She issued a proclamation to mark the day in honor of the launch of this program to help the Lowcountry’s heroes transition to business ownership. The program is open to all military, veterans, police, firefighters and EMTs in the region who are interested in business ownership or who have an idea for a business looking to take it to the next level.

HARDEEVILLE’S $8.5 MILLION MULTI-PURPOSE RECREATION CENTER READY TO DEBUT

There has been a growing sense of anticipation and elation within the 56-square-mile city of Hardeeville — recently listed among the fastest growing municipalities in South Carolina. 

The excitement is focused around the $8.5 million, 35,000-square-foot indoor, multi-purpose recreation center that has been a gleam in the eyes of community leaders for more than six years, but actually has taken shape in just the past two years.

LONG-AWAITED U.S. 278 IMPROVEMENT PROPOSAL EXPECTED TO BE REVEALED

The South Carolina Department of Transportation is expected to reveal this month its long-awaited preferred option for an estimated $272 million project designed to ease peak-time traffic congestion on the island’s north end.

SCDOT is scheduled to present its preferred option at a July 22 public hearing. The proposal is undergoing an environmental assessment required by the National Environmental Policy Act. SCDOT will incorporate public comments into its preferred option and send it back to the Federal Highway Administration, which oversees NEPA.

Henderson Park Capital Partners and South Street Partners formed a joint venture to purchase Palmetto Bluff, a 20,000-acre property in Bluffton. London-based Henderson Park Capital is a private equity real estate company. South Street Partners is a private equity real estate investment firm based in Charlotte and Charleston. The developers plan to construct a second golf club, according to a news release. Other development will focus on the construction of Anson Village, which will open access to a large waterfront space and the southern Intracoastal Waterway. The community includes Forbes’ Five-Star Montage Palmetto Bluff resort. 

The South Course at Moss Creek Hilton Head hosted 16 players from the LPGA’s Legends Tour in a warm-up for the U.S. Senior Women’s Open held in August.  The field collectively represented 65 LPGA Tour wins. Cathy Johnston-Forbes, a major championship winner on the LPGA Tour, from Kitty Hawk, N.C., won the $6,000 prize, shooting a 1 under-par 71. The Legends Tour is the official senior tour of the LPGA, showcasing golfers aged 45 and over. Moss Creek has a history of hosting LPGA events. The Moss Creek Women’s Invitational was an official LPGA Tour event from 1976 to 1985.