Junk Removal in Beaufort, SC

Some Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority customers in parts of Beaufort County received a letter about water quality that left them startled and questioning why it took so long for the utility to notify them.

For two quarters during 2023, water South of the Broad River violated a standard for safe drinking, but customers weren’t notified until this month.

The letter said tests showed a higher than acceptable level of haloacetic acid, also known as HAA5.

It says, “Some people who drink water containing haloacetic acids in excess of the [maximum contamination levels] over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer.”

Haley Hughes, public education and engagement planner for BJWSA, gave The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette context for the term “many years.”

“We have searched and searched and searched to find a concrete definition of ‘many years,’” Hughes said. “And no one entity has accurately pinpointed what many years means. But in general, we believe we’re talking about 70 years.”

“One exposure, one week, one month of exposure is not what what regulators are concerned about,” said Jeff La Rue, spokesperson for BJWSA.

Posts about BJWSA’s letter drew hundreds of comments on Facebook, with people’s concerns mostly surrounding the cancer risk, the time it took them to be notified and, in some cases, wondering if the water was safe for their pets. No one The Island Packet reached out to was willing to comment on the record by publication time.

“We completely understand that not only are people concerned about themselves ingesting the water, but their pets too,” Hughes said.

HAA5s are five compounds that form when disinfectants react with natural organic material, such as tree branches, leaves or algae, in the water, BJWSA said in the letter.

The maximum contamination level for HAA5 is 0.060 mg per liter, as set by the Environmental Protection Agency and the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. During the third quarter of 2023, the average level of HAA5 in southern Beaufort County was recorded as 0.061; during the fourth quarter, it was 0.069.

The quarterly tests are averaged together and build upon each other throughout the year in a way similar to how schools average students’ grades over the course of a school year. Because the fourth quarter average was much higher than in previous quarters, BJWSA experts believe something that happened between October and December is the likely cause.

For context, the yearly average of HAA5s for 2023 was 0.044, and it was 0.059 in 2022.

La Rue, the BJWSA spokesperson, pointed to two factors for the increase at the end of 2023: an increased amount of chlorine to fight water discoloration, as detailed in the letter, and a chlorine generator malfunction.

The malfunction meant that BJWSA had to have chlorine trucked in and chlorine concentration levels were likely to fluctuate, La Rue said.

In early December, DHEC collected water samples for the fourth quarter.

After DHEC notified BJWSA that the levels exceeded the maximum contamination level, the utility had 30 days to inform their customers. The timeline and process for notification, including using the mail, was mandated by DHEC, La Rue said.

The letter sent to customers was dated and mailed on Dec. 29 and posted to the BJWSA website on Jan. 11, Hughes said.

“I really want to stress this,” La Rue said. “This is not an emergency. The the public notice is because customers have the right to know that this average went above the threshold of 0.060. Had it been an emergency, we would have notified people customers right away.”

He added: “One milligram per liter is equal to one penny in $10,000. It’s one word out of five Harry Potter books.”

BJWSA has since reduced the amount of chlorine added to the water and replaced the malfunctioning generator. HAA5 levels in the water are below 0.060, La Rue said.

This story was originally published January 24, 2024, 11:53 AM.

By Delayna Earley

The Island News

A local property developer has filed a lawsuit against the City of Beaufort just two days after they broke ground on improvement work which will amount to $4.3 million at Southside Park in Beaufort.

Included in the improvements are a new pavilion and playground, but Graham Trask says that the city is violating state law by using hospitality and accommodations taxes to fund the project.

Beaufort City Council voted in January to issue a $7.1 million hospitality and accommodation tax bond for improvements to Southside and Washington Street parks.

The city plans to repay the 15-year bond using funds from the 2% local hospitality tax collected from restaurants and the 3% accommodations tax from bed and breakfasts, hotels and motels.

Trask argues that while a tourist may visit Washington Street Park or Southside Park, that those parks were not originally constructed for tourists, and so using funds meant to fund tourism projects is illegal.

The city stated during the January meeting when they voted for the bond, that the definition of a tourist is someone who does not live in the city limits, therefore the argument can be made that any of the parks in the downtown area could draw tourism.

Trask disagrees with the city’s assessment of what qualifies as a tourism-related project.

He agrees that the parks need renovating, but stated in an interview with The Island News that the money needed to come from the proper place instead of using money that could have funded other projects that are more obviously tourism-related, in his opinion.

While Trask has missed the 20-day window from the date that the bond was passed to try and get the bond overturned, he believes that his lawsuit is justified because he is not seeking to overturn the bond, but instead to have a court of law publicly hold the council accountable for, in his opinion, breaking the law.

“I want the courts to determine whether the city of Beaufort’s assertion that a neighborhood park with no demonstrated connection to tourism, can legally serve as a project funded by accommodations or hospitality taxes under the statute,” Trask said. “We are not suing to set aside this particular bond issue but are seeking a declaratory judgement on the expressed policy of the City of Beaufort to fund these kinds of projects using fees intended for tourism-related projects.”

City manager Scott Marshall was not reached by The Island News for comment before publication.

Trask filed his lawsuit against the City of Beaufort on Wednesday, Feb. 28, but papers have not been served, according to Trask.

Despite reportedly not being served with the lawsuit, Marshall made comments in a story published by The Island Packet stating that they are confident that the lawsuit by West Street Farms LLC and Mix Farms LLC will be dismissed.

Delayna Earley formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.

Here comes our Lowcountry Holiday season and the ‘trifecta’ of downtown Beaufort, SC events – plus a few more!

Nothing gets you into the Christmas spirit like our fun-filled first weekend in December with the annual ‘Night on the Town’ celebration, followed by the ever-popular Light Up the Night Boat Parade and ending with the Beaufort Christmas parade. Here are several must-see local events, and links to all the info you’ll need to have the most enjoyable Lowcountry Holiday ever.

Friday, DECEMBER 1, 2023

A NIGHT ON THE TOWN, 6-9 PM with the Tree Lighting at 8 pm

The Annual A Night on the Town is the opening of the Christmas/holiday shopping season and takes place on Friday evening, December 1st, 2023, beginning at 6 pm. A long-standing tradition of the community, A Night on the Town is a mix of traditional and contemporary. An evening with a surprise around every corner and several things that will entertain, delight, and get you in the Holiday Spirit. Shops will stay open late to welcome regular and new customers with special treats and a preview of their large and unique selection of items for the Holidays to help get a head start on the holiday season.

The evening also includes the City of Beaufort’s tree lighting ceremony, entertainment by the Parris Island Marine Corps Band, choral performances, plenty of good cheer, and a rumored visit from Santa himself.

Saturday, DECEMBER 2, 2022

Saturday, Dec. 2, 2022, 11 AM – Gullah Taste of Christmas – Beaufort, SC Waterfront Park

Light up the Night Holiday Boat Parade, 5:30-8:30 p.m

The first boats will start arriving at the seawall at the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park by 5 pm. Boats will make three passes by the seawall.

DOWNTOWN BEAUFORT, SC CHRISTMAS PARADE, 3 PM

The traditional Beaufort Christmas Parade will be on December 3rd, at 3:00 pm, through the streets of downtown Beaufort. Floats, bands, groups of walkers, and personal cars and trucks are expected to participate.

From light displays to community celebrations, Santa sightings, holiday concert performances, and everything in between, there’s tons of Lowcountry holiday fun for everyone happening in Beaufort, SC.

We look forward to seeing you all around town this December.

Happy Holidays Y’all!!!

By Bill Rauch

There’s been some weird stuff going on in Beaufort lately.

For example, there’s a building project called Pintail Pointe now under construction at 2233 Boundary Street.

What’s weird about that?

It’s being built right on the right-of-way of the so-called “parallel road” that was designated by the Beaufort City Council as a key part of the Boundary Street Master Plan.

So, there’s a building being built right where a road was supposed to go? How did that happen?

According to city council members who were there at the time, the permit was as much as issued before they were told anything about it. In fact, they say, when they were first told about the Pintail Pointe project, they were also told that it was so far along that if they tried to stop it, the city would be sued for millions.

That’s weird. When there are controversial permits under consideration, city managers always give council members – either one-by-one or in executive session – a heads-up. But this building permit wasn’t just controversial. It was clearly contrary to the expressed wishes of city council who had not only designated the right-of-way, but had also for years in planning sessions expressed their support for building the road.

That’s really weird.

Not since Jack Miller in 1988 has Beaufort had a city manager who took an official action that was contrary to the expressed will of council.

Who was this city manager?

Bill Prokop. But when I called the present city manager, Scott Marshall, and asked him to call Prokop – who left town a while ago – and ask him if he would talk to me about the substance of this column, he told me Prokop didn’t want to talk to me.

That’s weird. When he was city manager, Prokop always took my calls.

The problem here is that 2233 Boundary Street puts the city’s motorists into a real pickle. The Boundary Street Master Plan called for Boundary Street to be beautified, and it has been. The replacement of the unattractive and dangerous “suicide lane” with the planted median might slow traffic down some, the planners said, but that will be more than compensated for by the additional capacity provided by the parallel road.

According to the traffic engineers, the stretch of Boundary Street between the Chick-fil-A and City Hall is Boundary Street’s (and the city’s) most heavily traveled roadway, so this is important. This is the bottleneck.

There was once another new corridor planned that was going to relieve traffic on Boundary Street too. It was called the Northern Crossing. But Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling weirdly sat on his hands and watched the seed money for that project get spent in Bluffton.

Meanwhile, according to Beaufort County’s Building Codes Department, Beaufort County issued to Lady’s Island developers 3,640 residential building permits in the 14 months between October 25, 2021 and December 31, 2022.

According to the County’s Codes and Public Information people, that is the only data the county has on Lady’s Island residential building permits. It is plenty enough to be scary. That’s 260 new houses being permitted on Lady’s Island every month, or about 8.5 houses per day.

If a house equals two-and-a-half trips per day, as planners calculate, that’s about 21 new trips per day … every day, month after month. A couple of thousand trips here, a couple of thousand trips there, and pretty soon you’ve got a traffic jam.

Here’s another weird one.

The guy who was negotiating with Pintail Pointe’s developer, according to councilmembers, was the city’s Director of Community and Economic Development and its Zoning Administrator, David Prichard. Because the parallel road right-of-way had been designated in the Boundary Street Master Plan, Prichard could have threatened the developer with the city condemning the right of way. City councils try to stay away from eminent domain. However, Prichard could also have traded density for the right of way. But he offered neither the carrot nor the stick, councilmembers say they were told.

It’s weird the way the city rolled over so easily on the parallel road.

Or is it?

Perhaps it’s a coincidence that 303 Associates, the real estate development firm, has always opposed the Boundary Street Master Plan’s parallel road proposed alignment, and they have instead favored an alignment that goes along the east side of Albergotti Creek. This is because, Dick Stewart confirmed to me recently, the creek-side alignment would facilitate 303 Associates’ stated goal of opening up their Beaufort Plaza to the water.

Readers may remember that David Prichard’s wife, Vanessa, worked as a leasing agent for 303 Associates while her husband was the City’s Planner and Zoning Administrator. This perceived conflict of interest raised eyebrows. When they were asked, the South Carolina State Ethics Commission said David Prichard should no longer review 303 Associates’ projects.

In the wake of that ruling, City Manager Prokop did not stand up to a working group to examine Prichard’s pipeline. Had he, the working group might have found that Prichard was in the process of permitting a project that was contrary to the expressed wishes of council.

But, according to council members, Prokop made no effort to look back over Prichard’s work. That was weird.

And it is also weird that when I asked Scott Marshall to ask David Prichard – who has also left town, but for whom City Hall undoubtedly still has a contact number – if Prichard would like to be interviewed for this column, Marshall told me that in his opinion it would be “inappropriate” for City Hall to reach out to Prichard.

There is absolutely nothing inappropriate about such a request. In fact, such efforts are common courtesies to former officials.

Moreover, pursuant to a Freedom of Information Act request to the city, I have now been waiting since Dec. 1, 2023 for several documents relating to other approvals given during Prokop’s last days on the job.

That, too, is unusual, weird, and it suggests stonewalling. Well-run governments get FOIA requests by reporters back in no more than 14 days, and it is customary for government officials to ask reporters for their deadlines and to try to get the reporters what they need by their deadlines which may be in just hours.

Mayor Phil Cromer has his work cut out for him. In his campaign, Cromer said transportation would be a focus area for him. There is no greater transportation challenge facing the city today than revisiting the parallel road, identifying a new right-of-way, and securing it.

But, having been a very good and professional city manager himself, Cromer’s greatest challenge will be to get the weird stuff cut out, and to bring back to Beaufort’s City Hall good government and professionalism.

Bill Rauch was the Mayor of Beaufort from 1999 to 2008 and has twice won awards from the S.C. Press Association for his Island News columns. He can be reached at The RauchReport@gmail.com.

Gary Sinise and his Lt. Dan Band are coming back to Beaufort for a concert. It will be the second time the actor’s cover band has performed in the coastal South Carolina city and it comes 30 years after Sinise starred as Lt. Dan in the movie “Forrest Gump,” which was filmed in the Beaufort area.

Sinise will perform at the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Feb. 23, with gates opening at 5 p.m., the actor’s foundation and the air station announced.

The Lt. Dan Band’s performance falls on the same weekend of the Beaufort International Film Festival, where Sinise will receive the Pat Conroy Lifetime Achievement Award on the 30th anniversary of the release of “Forrest Gump.”

The concert is open to local residents and all military personnel. Check out the ticket link here or go to ltdanband.com or the air station Facebook page for more information.

However, Gunnery Sgt. Kayla D. Rivera, a Marine spokesperson, said the ticket link was set up only as a way to gauge attendance and tickets are not required. “We’re expecting between 2,000 and 3,000,” Rivera said. “We’re supporting anybody who is willing to come. And we don’t have a cap.”

The concert will be conducted outside of the barracks area.

Sinise, Rivera said, is planning to tour the base the day before the concert.

From the ticket link, here’s the restrictions and additional information: The event is “open to the local community and all military personnel. This is an outdoor event in a large grassy area. For your comfort and enjoyment, you are encouraged to bring blankets, lawn chairs, strollers, and wagons. Concessions will be available for purchase through onsite food trucks and beer booths.”

Sinise played the popular character Lt. Dan in the 1994 movie “Forrest Gump,” the blockbuster filmed primarily in the Beaufort area.

He launched the Lt. Dan band in 2003 to entertain service members around the world. It is now part of the Gary Sinise Foundation, which began in 2011. That organization provides services for veterans and first responders and their families.

Sinise also performed at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park in 2012 to raise money for robotic wheelchairs, therapy and other care for disabled Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

This story was originally published January 18, 2024, 12:01 PM.