City of Beaufort

December 2022

Welcome to the City of Beaufort's monthly newsletter. Any feedback? Please send to Kathleen Williams, kwilliams@cityofbeaufort.org. Happy holidays to all our residents, businesses, and visitors!

City of Beaufort

McFee, Scallate win City Council election

Congratulations to Mike McFee and Josh Scallate, the top two vote-getters in the City Council election held on Nov. 8.

McFee, currently mayor pro tem of the City of Beaufort, was first elected to City Council in November of 2008 and was re-elected in 2012, 2016 and in a special election in 2021. He has been the mayor pro-tem since 2014. He is a real estate broker with Home Town Realty.

Scallate is a lieutenant with the Lady’s Island St. Helena Fire District, where he has worked since 2013. This is his first elected office.

City Council terms are for four years. The men will be sworn into office during a City Council Regular Meeting on Dec. 13.

Mike McFee

Josh Scallate

Meet city manager candidates on Nov. 30

The public is invited to a meet-and-greet for the finalist candidates for Beaufort city manager on Wednesday, Nov. 30, from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Landing Pad, 500 Carteret St.

The search for a new city manager began immediately after Bill Prokop, the current city manager, announced in late September that he would retire from his position in January 2023. City Council is expected to make its decision by the middle of December.

Information about the finalists

Are you ready for Night on the Town?

It's the biggest weekend of the year -- Beaufort's holiday extravaganza over the coming weekend, Dec. 2-4. It will be packed with music, food, entertainment, shopping, parades – and Santa, of course!

Friday night

The weekend kicks off with Night on the Town at 6 p.m. on Friday. Bay Street will be closed to traffic. Downtown retailers will be open. Roving choirs from Beaufort High School will be singing Christmas carols, while the Parris Island Marine Corps Rock Band will perform on the main stage at Charles and Bay streets. Other performers on that stage will include the Praise Assembly Dance Team, Beaufort Dance Academy, Southern Unlimited Dance Company, and United Dance Plex. The Community Bible Church Soul Patrol Puppet Team will perform at Bay and Carteret streets.

Food will be available along Bay Street from vendors such as St. James Orthodox Church, the Rhett House Inn, Harmony Lodge, St. Peter Catholic Church, Teen Challenge, Logger Head and more.

Parents can bring their kids to have their pictures taken with Santa on the West Street Extension from 6-8 p.m. Mayor Stephen Murray will read “The Night Before Christmas” on the main stage, and the Christmas tree lighting will take place at 8:30 p.m.

Saturday

The Gullah Taste of Christmas kicks off at 11 a.m. at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park. The Lighted Boat Parade begins at 5:30 p.m. – grab a seat at the park to get a great view.

Join us for a fun afternoon in beautiful downtown Beaufort. You will receive a FREE family photo, compliments of Jamie Peart at J. P. Signature Group. Light refreshments will be provided. See you there!

Sunday

The annual Christmas Parade, led by Santa and featuring local bands and lots of floats, begins at 3 p.m. in downtown Beaufort.

Woods Bridge designation moves forward

The S.C. Historic Preservation Office has approved the nomination of the Woods Memorial Bridge to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The nomination has now been fast-tracked for final approval.

Thanks to generous donations to the City of Beaufort's Pride of Place program, Kyle Campbell of Preservation South, LLC, was contracted to research and prepare the nomination. The bridge connecting downtown Beaufort to Lady's Island is a swing bridge, one of only eight in the entire state.

The designation gives the community an opportunity to protect the bridge and its impact on Beaufort’s National Historic Landmark District. With the designation, any undertaking regarding federal licensing, permitting or funding requires a mitigating review by the State Historic Preservation Office which also calls for public comment.

USCB awarded $5M grant

for teaching program

Congratulations to the University of South Carolina Beaufort, which has received a $5.1 million Teacher Quality Partnership grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

Called MASTERY (Melding Academics, Support, and Training of Educators for Higher Retention Yields), this grant project will expand USCB’s recruitment, preparation, and support of highly qualified, diverse teacher candidates for 21 high-need schools in the Beaufort County School District.

MASTERY will focus on developing teacher candidates in the critical shortage areas of early childhood education, gifted and talented education, middle and high school math and science, special education, and English as a Second Language. The grant also will provide teacher candidates and working teachers with university-based and district-level support.

Water main line to open

after Thanksgiving

BJWSA has installed a large-diameter water transmission main from the intersection of the Spanish Moss Trail and Robert Smalls Parkway, along North Street, then to the intersection of Hamar and Duke Streets.

The line has been fully connected and operations will open after Thanksgiving.

Holiday concert with Parris Island Marine Band

Come join the Parris Island Marine Corps Band at the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park for its annual Holiday Concert starting at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10. This is a free concert. And please remember that there will be Toys for Tots drop boxes on site for new and unused toys to be collected.

Model train display

Dec. 13-17

Menorah lighting Dec. 18

Smile for Santa at

Farmers Market

The Beaufort Garden Club will hold its fifth Smile for Santa event in the Gazebo at the Port Royal Farmer’s Market on three consecutive Saturdays – Dec. 3, Dec. 10, and Dec. 17 from 9:30 a.m. to noon.

Bring your children, grandchildren and/or pets to the Gazebo area at the market and take your photo with Santa. Garden Club members also will gladly take photos with your phones.

Donations will be accepted and all proceeds will go to local charities.

Music from the Manger

on Dec. 17

Port Royal's Music from the Manger will be held Saturday, Dec. 17. The concert will feature Liz Jane and her band. This year the event will benefit the YMCA Scholarship Fund.

Welcome, new businesses!

Every month we'll feature the new businesses that have opened in Beaufort, as described in the owners' words.

Freedman Arts District

1401 Duke St.

843-304-5301

The Freedman Arts District promotes and encourages arts, artists, artistic endeavors and art lovers in the District. This includes focused social media and targeted outreach programs.

The Freedman Arts District partners with families that own property in the district, to assist in keeping ownership within the family while restoring the property as a functioning asset for the family. Heirs property is a particular focus of this program.

Our vision is of a thriving Arts District rich in arts and cultural experiences and opportunities; to support appropriate economic revitalization of the neighborhood in the district;

and to seek increased enrollment and expanded arts education and programming.

Website

Facebook page

South Atlantic Bank

11-E Robert Smalls Parkway

Office hours:

Mon–Thurs: 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

Fri: 9 a.m.– 5:30 p.m.

Drive-thru:

Mon–Thurs: 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Fri: 8:30 a.m.– 5:30 p.m.

843-521-5600

Ribbon cutting will be held at 11 a.m. Dec. 13. Light refreshments will be served.

Website

Facebook page

Anniversaries!

Congratulations to these businesses that are celebrating their first anniversary:

Evolve into Fitness & Nutrition

The Social Betty

Living Proof Nutrition

Meetings in December

City Council

6 p.m. Dec. 13 Regular Session

Meetings will be held via Zoom and streamed on the City's Facebook page. You can find agendas closer to the date of the meeting on our website's Agenda Center.

City calendar

City boards, task forces

Design Review Board, 2 p.m. Dec. 8

Historic Review Board, 2 p.m. Dec. 14

Metropolitan Planning Commission, 5 p.m. Dec. 19

Zoning Board of Appeals, 5:30 p.m. Dec. 21

Meetings are held in person and via Zoom and most are streamed on the City's Facebook page. You can find agendas closer to the date of the meeting on our website's Agenda Center.