Hilton Head News

ROTARY CLUB OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND NAMES SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

Each year the Rotary Club of Hilton Head Island selects two students to receive a scholarship of $4,000 per year, offering each student $16,000 in scholarship support. Jehanne Marie Arnal from the Heritage Academy and Harper Krimm from Hilton Head Christian Academy are this year’s winners. Arnal will attend The Citadel’s Tommy and Victoria Baker School of Business where she will major in business with a focus on entrepreneurship. Harper will attend Anderson University, majoring in music with concentrations in voice and commercial music.

The Hilton Head Island Airport has received $12 million in additional funding for the estimated $53 million terminal upgrades in the South Carolina State budget. The project is estimated to begin in the winter of 2022 and be completed in mid-to-late 2025. The project will include approximately 43,000 more square feet of terminal space, three jetways for passengers, new parking, security upgrades, an all-new baggage claim, a new grand hall, and a four-lane passenger drop off and pick-up area.

Hilton Head Island homeowners and renters who qualify may be eligible for grants from the Town of Hilton Head Island to help connect their single-family homes to public sewer. The town received funding to expand sewer connections and help those still on septic systems to transfer their homes to a “safer, reliable sewer” a news release said. Applications for Project SAFE are available at the Hilton Head Island Deep Well Project. For more information, call 843-785-2849 or visit hiltonheadislandsc.gov/program/sewer.

H. E. Trask Boat Landing near Bluffton is closed for three months (beginning in mid- July) for the installation of a 100-foot sectional dock. A news release said the new dock will have five 8-foot by 20-foot floating sections. The project is expected to cost $288,609. Part of the project cost is funded by a $52,310 hospitality tax grant, with the balance of $236,299 covered by the Public Works Department.

Earth People Farms on St. Helena Island earned a South Carolina Department of Agriculture’s Agribusiness Center for Research and Entrepreneurship share of $150,000 for its agribusinesses. There were nine winners. Owned by sister-and-brother duo Najmah and Glen Thomas, Earth People Farms recently developed a EPFarmacy line of products, including a collection of herbs and herbal products in the tradition of their African and Gullah/Geechee heritage.

Attorney Alex Murdaugh was indicted on two counts of murder in the June 7, 2021 killings of his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, 52, and his son Paul Murdaugh, 22, state law enforcement said. Alex Murdaugh, 54, has denied having any role in the deaths. The indictment accuses Murdaugh of killing his wife with a rifle and his son with a shotgun. He was also charged with two counts of possession of a weapon during a violent crime. “Today is one more step in a long process for justice for Maggie and Paul,” said SLED Chief Mark Keel. Murdaugh’s attorneys said he “didn't have anything to do with the murders.”

Beaufort County Council voted 8-2 to advance a 1 percent, four-year, $300 million Greenspace Sales Tax referendum that could be presented to voters on the November ballot. It will be to purchase land, conservation easements, and buy down density to slow and prevent development. The money may also be used to pay off debt from past land purchases. There will be a public hearing and the third reading of the referendum before it is on the November ballot. County Council rejected a proposed streets, roads, bridges, and greenbelts sales tax referendum, which was a 10-year, $770 million sales tax to address the county’s need for street, road, bridge, and greenspace projects identified by the citizen committee. The proposal failed in a 5-5 vote and did not advance to a third reading.

The USC Beaufort Department of Athletics was officially approved as provisional members of NCAA Division II. The school applied in April 2021 when the Peach Belt Conference Board of Directors unanimously accepted USCB as a provisional member of the league. With USCB’s acceptance into the NCAA, the Sand Sharks are now full-fledged PBC members. USCB will transition into the three-year provisional stage that begins in the 2022- 23 season. If USCB successfully passes the annual reviews, the Sand Sharks will become a full and active NCAA Division II member in 2025-26.

Beaufort County Council approved a $142.1 million budget for the 2023 fiscal year. The proposed budget can be found at beaufortcountysc.gov/budget. Budget highlights include: 7% increase in tax revenue from population growth that led to a $6.2 million budget increase; $1.7 million in new county positions; highlights include $105,840 for deputy human resources director and $701,906 to run the 60-and- Better program and expand services.

BY FRANK RODRIGUEZ 

I am excited to share some information about the district’s new principals who will lead schools in this publication’s readership areas:

Congaree Golf Club in Jasper County will host The CJ Cup the week of Oct. 17-23. The CJ Cup in South Carolina will feature a 78-man field. Last year Congaree hosted the Palmetto Championship. The Tom Fazio-designed course is off U.S. 278 near Gillisonville

The Moss Creek community expanded its racquet center with the addition of pickleball courts. Phase One of the project includes four courts, with an additional four courts planned in the next phase. The Moss Creek Racquet Center will offer a full slate of leagues, tournaments, clinics and instructional programs.

WIP AWARDS $111,000 IN GRANTS

Women in Philanthropy awarded $91,327 from the Women in Philanthropy Endowment Fund to four Beaufort County nonprofit organizations. An additional grant of $19,725 was awarded from the Dr. Julianne Bluitt Foster Memorial Fund, established from a bequest entrusted to support Women in Philanthropy. The $25,000 grants were awarded to Good Neighbor Free Medical Clinic; Low Country Legal Volunteers and The Children’s Center. Bluffton Self Help was awarded $16,325. The $19,725 grant from the Dr. Juliann Bluitt Foster Memorial Fund was awarded to Hopeful Horizons.

HILTON HEAD UNVEILS PROPOSALS FOR MID-ISLAND PARK

BY HILTON HEAD MONTHLY

Hilton Head Town Council is getting closer to finalizing one of the island’s biggest initiatives.

Recently the town council received an overview of plans proposed for the town-owned Mid-Island Tract and overall Mid-Island Initiative Area. Mayor John McCann believes the plans will “transform” the island.

TAX REBATES, ELECTION REFORMS HIGHLIGHT STATE LEGISLATIVE SESSION

BY MARK E. LETT

Sweeping election reforms —approved unanimously — by state lawmakers were part of this year’s state legislative session.

State Rep. Shannon Erickson, R-Beaufort County, said the efforts of Hilton Head resident Xiaodan Li and a group of Lowcountry citizen activists was instrumental in clearing the air — and clearing a path — for members of both parties to come together around election upgrades.