Bluffton News

Scott Marshall was named the Town of Bluffton’s interim manager. Marshall, who has been deputy town manager since 2015, was appointed after Marc Orlando resigned from the position Jan. 4. According to the town’s website, Marshall began working for Beaufort County in 2009. He was executive director of the Board of Elections and Registration until June 2013 when he was hired as Parks and Leisure Services director.

Bluffton has been cited as the safest place to live in South Carolina according to safety.com. Ranked No. 1 on the list that was revealed in December, Bluffton is recognized for “exceptional” public safety statistics.

Safety.com used comprehensive ranking factors that included public safety and financial security metrics to determine a complete view of community safety, it said.

This year’s Christmas parade in Bluffton will be a socially distanced celebration. The town of Bluffton plans to host a “reverse” Christmas Parade on Dec. 5. The parade’s entrants will be stationary on May River Road as spectators drive by. Entrants will be positioned a minimum of 10 feet from each other and a safe distance from the traveling vehicles, the town said. No candy or promotional items may be distributed. The parade begins at 10 a.m. 

The Bluffton Township Fire District has opened Station 38. The facility, its ninth fire station, is off Raider Drive and Hampton Parkway. 

The building is Category 5 rated. It will be the district’s emergency operations center during natural disasters. The station was built for $3.4 million 

Stephenie Price was sworn in last month as the Town of Bluffton’s police chief. She’s the first woman to lead Bluffton’s police department.

The ceremony was held at the Bluffton Police Department at Buckwalter Place. Price has more than 21 years of law enforcement experience. She was most recently assistant police chief with the Savannah Police Department. In Savannah, Price supervised the administration and management bureau of the department.

Stephenie Price has been named the new Bluffton Police Department Police Chief.  Price, who serves as assistant chief of police for the Savannah Police Department, will begin her new role Oct. 12, a town news release said.

“Stephenie’s combined depth of law enforcement experience and knowledge of our region is why she is the perfect choice for Bluffton,” Bluffton Town Manager Marc Orlando said. “Throughout Stephenie’s career, she has built a strong reputation for responsiveness, accountability, and innovation.”

The Town of Bluffton has partnered with Bluffton Bike Taxi to offer free rides throughout the town’s historic district.

The rides are offered from 5 p.m.  to 9 p.m., Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

The Bluffton Book Festival, which annually aims to raise literacy levels in the Southeast, has gone virtual this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a news release. 

The festival’s fifth year will include 11 virtual events featuring bestselling authors. The event will move from its normal three-day schedule to a format with events taking place between Sept. 17 and Nov. 21. 

The Lutzie 43K Virtual 5K, part of the Town of Bluffton’s distracted driving campaign, raised more than $4,700. Bluffton Mayor Lisa Sulka accepted checks from the Kiwanis Club of Bluffton and CrossFit843 for donations collected in conjunction with the event. The Kiwanis Club of Bluffton presented a check for $2,535, and CrossFit843 presented a check for $1,000. The Mike Hostilo Law Firm contributed to the overall donations by advertising and promoting the event.