Coastal Living Magazine Chooses Beaufort as a Top Warm Weather Getaway for 2015

Beaufort       

Average January high: 58°

Why we love it: This Lowcountry gem has Southern charm and a history stretching back to the 1700s, along with a thriving downtown area and easy access to nearby Hunting Island State Park.

Where to stay: In the heart of the historic district, The Beaufort Inn offers several different accommodation options, including suites and private cottages, in addition to a lavish Sunday brunch at Southern Graces Bistro. 888-522-0250 or beaufortinn.com
http://www.coastalliving.com/travel/top-10/warm-weather-getaways

Hilton Head unveils USCB campus plans

Via The Island Packet 

By Dan Burley

University of South Carolina Beaufort students could be taking classes at a new $33.5-million Hilton Head Island campus by 2018.

The town on Friday released conceptual plans for the 6-acre campus on Office Park Road.

Drawings show leafy school grounds with a pond, small cafe and two academic buildings. About 400 students are expected to use the campus, according to town documents.

The campus centerpiece is a 38,000-square-foot main building that will house the university's hospitality-management program.

Also planned is a 6,000-square-foot building for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, which provides continuing-education classes. That building will have a 100-seat classroom.

The one-story cafe will sit behind the main building, next to a courtyard and beside a lagoon.

USCB officials have said the campus will place hospitality-management students in the heart of the island's tourism district.

The campus also could draw off-island visitors and bring business to the area, she said.

"Typically, businesses surrounding institutions grow due to the synergy that occurs between the students, faculty and surrounding community," she wrote in an email.

Town representatives have said the campus will replace outdated office buildings and is a potential economic driver.

The town has purchased or has under contract four little-used buildings on Office Park Road. The structures will be demolished to make way for the campus. The town paid about $4 million for the buildings.

But some have criticized the town's willingness to pay for the bulk of the $33.5-million project.

The town will spend about $22 million on the campus with funds it raised through a special tax district. That money will pay for the main building and site work. It also will pay about $1 million for road work near the campus.

USCB will chip in $2.5 million for the main building. It also will pay a projected $4 million for the other academic building and cafe, according to documents.

New resort planned for Hilton Head at site of former Adventure Inn

via The State 

by Dan Burley

Adventure Inn C 1968

Adventure Inn C 2015

A Hilton Head Island rental company has plans to transform the site of the former Adventure Inn into a beachfront resort.

Vacation Time of Hilton Head Island wants to build two six-story residential buildings on land once occupied by the inn. The complex on Lemoyne Avenue and South Forest Beach Drive would have as many as 125 two-bedroom units, according to plans submitted to the town.

Plans also call for two pools, an outdoor restaurant, a lawn, and boardwalks that lead to the ocean.

Vacation Time describes the development as a "signature destination resort." It is unclear from plans whether the buildings would be hotels, timeshares, condominiums or a combination.

The height of the buildings would rival other popular oceanfront developments on Hilton Head.

Buildings at the Beach House, Omni and Sonesta hotels are also 75 feet high, or about six stories. That is the maximum height for beachfront properties allowed by the town, according to land-management ordinance official Teri Lewis.

Vacation Time has planned to redevelop the property since 2008, when the Adventure Inn was demolished.

The inn was the last of the island's three original hotels.

Built in 1963, many early island investors stayed there, as did some of the earliest tourists who helped turn Hilton Head into a resort destination.

The inn also operated one of the island's first golf courses -- a nine-hole course across the street that was lighted for night play, where the Xanadu Villas condominium complex now stands.

Town of Daufuskie? It could happen

Via The Savannah Morning  News 

By SARITA CHOUREY

A growing sense that Daufuskie Island should have more control over its own affairs is driving a discussion about turning the island into a municipality.

“We provide Beaufort County with tax dollars, and we think that we probably don’t get all of the services we should be getting,” said Charles Small, co-chair of the island council. “We get very little from Beaufort County, and we are trying to see what would be a better step for us as an island community, if there is one. We may come to a dead end.”

Small emphasized that recent discussions are formative, adding, “We’re a long way off. I don’t want to get ahead of ourselves.” Nevertheless, the Municipal Association of S.C. has become involved.

For Don Newton, it’s a question of “input versus output,” and home rule for the island situated between Tybee and Hilton Head.

“We will get a better return on our dollars if we are leading it ourselves and managing it ourselves,” said Newton, who lives in Northern Virginia but owns land on Daufuskie with his wife, Jean, who is of Gullah heritage. Paying $4 million in taxes to the county, said Newton, should be yielding greater benefits. He thinks the island could use a new model.

Central to Newton’s contention that the bridge-less island is getting shorted is its lack of comprehensive public ferry service and the potential for an uncoordinated emergency evacuation if there’s a hurricane. A handful of officials wrote letters to federal transportation officials this year as part of a grant application for funding to study a new, comprehensive public ferry system between Daufuskie and the mainland.

“During the Atlantic Tropical Storm season, Daufuskie is one of the most vulnerable locations on the Atlantic coast,” wrote Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner. “The current ferry service arrangement has never been fully satisfactory when considering the emergency evacuation of the residents of Daufuskie.”

The island’s $325,000 federal grant application, submitted under the auspices of Beaufort County, was not selected for an award. The $325,000 grant application was unsuccessful, leaving ferry supporters looking for other solutions.

What can a town do?

“You’re kind of in a position to determine your own future,” said Bill Taylor, field services manager for Municipal Association. “And of course being an island, you certainly have got limitations on what you’d expect from county government,” he said.

“They’d be in a position to maybe have other services that they’re not getting from the county.” As an incorporated town, state law requires them to offer at least three new services to residents, beyond law enforcement, with three years of incorporating. Taylor said as a municipality, Daufuskie would be able to pursue grants and funding opportunities independently, instead of relying on Beaufort County. Funding allocated according to population within a local government could also become available to Daufuskie.

Check with the neighbors

Beaufort County doesn’t stand to lose anything except, perhaps, some minor revenue from small fees, if Daufuskie were to become a municipality, according to Taylor. But islanders would have to ask Hilton Head Island about possible annexation.

“Now Hilton Head Island, certainly, could say they don’t want Daufuskie Island to be part of them, for whatever reason,” said Taylor. “Service delivery might be more expensive for them.”

The town manager of Hilton Head could not be reached by phone or email on Friday. There are other conditions. Normally, the area to be incorporated must have a population density of at least 300 people per square mile.

But islands are exempt from the standard. About 400 full-time residents live on Daufuskie, which receives 50,000-200,000 visitors each year. The private, gated communities operate their own ferry service.

It’s a situation that has sometimes created a divide between the Gullah residents and others who struggle to reach the mainland for work and supplies, and wealthier property owners with private boats. Another phase of the incorporation process is to do a feasibility study, which some Daufuskie islanders considered eight or nine years ago but ultimately abandoned. A legislative review committee would also get involved.

Finally, a Daufuskie mayor and other members of the governing body would also be elected.

“Right now they’re just a part of the rural community of the county,” said Taylor. “But if they wanted to have some greater control over the future of the island, by having it incorporated, you’ve now got elected officials who can make decisions about those things.”

Photo of the Week

                                    Wishbone Lightining off of Sea Pines

Civil War in Georgia, December 1864: Savannah falls

Via the AJC

                                                        Source: The Soldier in Our Civil War, 1890

“Evidently it is a material element in this campaign to produce among the people of Georgia a thorough conviction of the personal misery which attends war, and of the utter helplessness and ability of their ‘rulers,’ State or Confederate, to protect them.”

So observed Maj. Henry Hitchcock — one of Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman’s staff officers — on Dec. 1, 1864, as Federal troops prepared their next movements in the Savannah Campaign.

Advancing on Millen, the site of the Confederacy’s Camp Lawton prison camp, the Federals hoped to save their incarcerated brothers. But weeks earlier, anticipating Sherman’s approach, officials emptied the camp and relocated the prisoners to other locations. Sherman’s men would find only stockade walls surrounding a vacant yard.

While the South did not have enough soldiers in Georgia to ebb the rolling blue tide, it still had senior officers to send to the state.

Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard received command of the entire theater of operations on Dec. 1. He arrived in Augusta five days later to oversee operations — and Maj. Gen. Joe Wheeler gained yet another officer issuing orders to his horsemen, as they attempted to launch quick-strike missions against the Federals. But Northerners under Brig. Gen. Judson Kilpatrick turned the tables on Wheeler on Dec. 4; Kilpatrick’s cavalry attacked and defeated Wheeler’s men near Waynesborough.

Several unfortunate incidents occurred as the Federal trek across Georgia neared conclusion. Union Maj. Gen. Jefferson C. Davis, with the left wing, faced an ever-increasing number of formerly enslaved persons falling in behind his troops. Fearing their presence would slow his advance, Davis — who got away with murder in 1862, when he killed his commanding officer over a disagreement in Kentucky — again displayed his dark side.

On Dec. 3, after his men crossed Buckhead Creek, Davis pulled up his pontoon bridges and attempted to leave the African-Americans stranded on the far bank. Most made their way across the shallow Buckhead and rejoined Davis’s force.

Six days later, after his troops crossed Ebenezer Creek, Davis again pulled the pontoons. This time, the outcome was tragedy. The former slaves — frightened by Wheeler’s approaching cavalry — tried to cross the deeper waters of Ebenezer. Many drowned, despite efforts by several Federal soldiers to save them.

For the blessed few who reached safety, Davis repeated the act later the same day when crossing Lockner Creek.

One of Davis’ officers wrote of the Ebenezer Creek incident, “The idea of five or six hundred black women, children and old men being thus returned to slavery by such an infernal copperhead as Jeff. C. Davis was entirely too much for my Democracy.”

The Federals reached the outer defenses of Savannah on Dec. 10, and the marching portion of the campaign ended. Sherman immediately set his sights on capturing Fort McAllister. The Confederate bastion blocked access to the Ogeechee River and kept the Federals from establishing a connection with U.S. ships, offshore in the Atlantic, that carried supplies for the army.

McAllister must fall! Utilizing reconnaissance from Kilpatrick and his own observations, Sherman decided an attack from the landward approach provided his best chance to take the fort. McAllister’s heavy guns all faced toward the water; defensive measures against an attack from the rear would not prove formidable.

Confederate Maj. George Anderson and a garrison of around 120 men held Fort McAllister. Brig. General William Hazen attacked with nine regiments on Dec. 13, and Anderson’s men put up a gallant effort. Artillerymen attempted to roll cannon into the open and throw canister, but the firing — absent the protection of redoubts — allowed Federal sharpshooters to drop the gunners.

A series of land mines — or as the soldiers called them, “torpedoes” — obstructed the Federal advance and produced several casualties, yet on came Hazen’s men. In less than 15 minutes, the fort fell. Hazen used captured Confederates to remove unexploded torpedoes so the balance of his force could occupy McAllister.

Opening his connection with the Navy, Sherman met with Rear Adm. John Dahlgren. Then, he sent a surrender demand to Lt. Gen. William Hardee in Savannah. Hardee refused the offer and awaited instructions from President Jefferson Davis. Davis decided the preservation of the army in the field would prove more important than possessing Savannah. On Dec. 20, the Confederates began crossing hastily constructed pontoon bridges onto South Carolina soil.

Savannah Mayor R.D. Arnold surrendered the city to advance elements of the Federal force on Dec. 21. At the time, Sherman was visiting Maj. Gen. John Foster in Hilton Head, S.C. Returning to his troops the next day, Sherman sent his famous telegraph to President Abraham Lincoln: “I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the city of Savannah.” The city was given up without a fight, and Sherman spared it.

The March to the Sea ended. Sherman’s troops occupied Savannah until Jan. 21, 1865, when they launched the Carolinas Campaign. The Civil War continued until early May 1865, when the last elements of Confederate resistance surrendered to Federal forces.

Editorial: It's a brand new day for an old, tired mall

Via The Island Packet In November 1989, the popular Pineland Mall invited local kids to participate in a holiday challenge. For every pine cone the children collected, the mall would put one nickel toward the construction of a mall Christmas tree. The results overwhelmed mall owners: 80,580 pine cones were collected. And so a 10-foot tall tree made of cones was erected by the Island Recreation Department, celebrated with a tree lighting ceremony the community attended and caroling by school kids. Much has changed at the former Pineland Mall site --- later named Pineland Mill Shops and now named Pineland Station --- located at the corner of William Hilton Parkway and Mathews Drive. Some days, there seems to be more ducks than shoppers at the center. Many storefronts are vacant. Several business owners have moved out, citing Pineland Station's poor condition. And its dated appearance isn't inviting to residents or visitors. Built in 1975, it holds the dubious distinction of being one of the island's oldest shopping centers. We're pleased to see it's scheduled for a rebirth. Virginia-based Wheeler Interests announced earlier this month that it will tear down and rebuild much of the 130,000-square-foot center as part of a $20 million to $30 million renovation project. Plans include about 140,000 square feet of commercial space, including a new anchor retailer, a smaller box store, about 23 shops and a gas station. Starbucks and Stein Mart will remain. The company paid the Town of Hilton Head Island $1 million for 10 acres near Mathews Drive to create space for the makeover --- a sign that this renovation project will actually happen vs. continue to just be discussed. The renovation aligns with the town's plan to encourage refurbishment of privately owned properties. "The town is in a mode where they want the buildings upgraded. (That) is really the driver (of the renovation)," said Jonathan Guion, regional partner with Wheeler Development. We wish the developers luck. But we'd offer them a word of caution as they prep for the work: Think "Hilton Head" in all renovation decisions. As the developers of the new Shelter Cove Towne Centre recently learned, Hilton Head residents insist on adherence to an understated look that puts a priority on muted colors, tree preservation, low lighting and minimal parking. Many residents felt that Shelter Cove did not meet the community standard, voiced their concerns and wrung concessions from the developer, including more plantings and an observation deck for bird watchers. While Pineland Station is much smaller and not as centrally located as Shelter Cove, town residents will surely take note of any changes. Wheeler Interests can save itself a lot of time and stress by listening to the community from the onset. And it might be fun to revive that cone Christmas tree challenge too.

Mayor Drew Laughlin's Monthly Letter to Residents

As seen in Celebrate Hilton Head Magazine 

New Projects, New Opportunities

December 2014

I would like to update you on several exciting Town projects that are underway or have recently been completed.

We are very proud to open, this month, a beautiful new park on Skull Creek that provides water access for non-motorized water craft (kayaks, rowing, sailing, paddle boarding, wind surfing, etc.), as well as fishing and crabbing. The Rowing and Sailing Center at Squire Pope Community Park, located on the site of the old seafood co-op at 133 Squire Pope Road, cost just under $1.2 million to construct. This park includes parking areas, restrooms, a picnic pavilion, playground, fire pit, swings, benches, and two fenced, gravel storage areas, along with a fixed timber pier, aluminum gangway, and floating dock. You may contact the Island Recreation Center for information on the water craft programs they will run out of this facility. 

Another beautiful waterfront park opening this winter is the new Shelter Cove Community Park.  It replaces the former park and will contain the same amenities and Lowcountry style, but with an added performance pavilion. This project is being funded and constructed by the mall developer as part of a development agreement.

As part of our ever-expanding pathway network, we have recently completed construction of two new pathways along Pembroke and Gardner Drives. This adds another mile and a half of pathways which connect several mid-island residential and commercial developments to the Leg O Mutton Road and William Hilton Parkway pathways. In January, construction will begin on a new pathway along eastbound William Hilton Parkway (US 278 Business), from the new traffic signal at Leamington to Shelter Cove Lane. It will connect to a new pathway in front of the mall that was privately funded and constructed as part of a development agreement, totaling another mile and a half of new pathways to be finished this spring.

We have just rehabilitated six town roads (Oak Park Drive, Electric Avenue, Mingo Way, Cooperative Way, Thompson Street, and Power Alley) in the Mathews Drive, Chaplin area to provide proper pavement and drainage infrastructure as well as much needed on-street parking. In January, we will begin construction of a new roundabout at the intersection of Mathews Drive and Marshland Road, a project designed to enhance traffic conveyance and public safety. Both of these projects are funded with Tax Increment Financing (TIF), a very rewarding program that allows the Town to take tax money that may have been spent elsewhere in the county and devote it to providing new and enhanced infrastructure within the TIF district here on Hilton Head Island.