Wedding & Event Venue Near Bluffton, SC.

Mayor of Hardeeville

On Dec. 1, the Hilton Head-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce held its annual State of the Region Luncheon on Hilton Head Island. The keynote speaker was U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, and he gave the sold-out crowd of 500 his perspective on national issues. Graham is an engaging speaker, and I could never give an appropriate summary of his talk, but his ending was noteworthy. “The state of the region is good, the state of the country not so good.”

I am very proud to say that Hardeeville has been invited to be part of this event for the past several years. Each year. I join the mayors of Hilton Head and Bluffton, and the chairman of Beaufort County Council, to give a brief overview of our jurisdictions at this luncheon. I believe this is vitally important because we need regional strategies to meet the challenges of growth in our area. Our roadways and waterways, the environment, housing shortages, workforce shortages, crime, homelessness, and education are not confined to jurisdictional boundaries. All these things, and more, are common to the entire Lowcountry, and it will take us all working together to make a bright future for the next generations.

One goal of my speech was to emphasize the growth of Hardeeville and its effects on the area. As I often say, “What happens in Hardeeville does not stay in Hardeeville.”

Hardeeville has grown more than 300% since the 2010 Census and is expected to have 30,000 residents by 2030. That’s tenfold higher in just 20 years! Additionally, 15 million square feet of warehouses are in various stages of construction in the southern part of the city along U.S.17. Along the U.S. 278 corridor, commercial development is expected to accelerate this decade at exit 8, at Margaritaville and at Okatie Crossing, as the rooftops keep multiplying.

And multiply they will. The city is on pace to issue 1,200 new single-family permits in 2023 and approved master plans in these same districts call for another 15,000.

Besides Graham, State Sen. Tom Davis and State Rep. Weston Newton were in attendance. A specific goal I had was to emphasize the high cost of expanding our once-rural roadways to accommodate the growing, and anticipated future growth, of traffic. The 11.8 miles of the “Triangle” (S.C. 170-U.S. 278-Argent Boulevard) will cost $200 million to widen, and that is in today’s dollars. To widen the five miles of U.S. 278 between exit 8 and the Triangle could easily reach $100 million. That’s $300 million for only 17 miles of the two vast counties! Yes, we need to help ourselves and pass a sales tax, but we also need help from our state and federal partners.

Regional cooperation has been a persistent message in my speeches over my years as mayor, and it was again a central theme in this speech. Groups like SoLoCo, the Lowcountry Area Transportation Study (aka LATS), and the new regional housing trust are testaments to the wonderful cooperation across jurisdictions, and I am proud to be part of that movement. Our state senators and representatives have done a great job the past several years; helping our area get funds for Exit 3, the Hilton Head bridges and the widening of I-95, to name a few projects.

Davis has obtained funds for the housing trust and Habitat for Humanity and many more efforts. Our S.C. House representatives Bill Herbkersman, Newton, and Jeff Bradley have helped with many community projects. But we need so much more and we must remain united if we are to provide for the enormous needs of the future.

Everyone paid tribute to outgoing Bluffton Mayor Lisa Sulka, who has been a huge supporter of Hardeeville, and it was her initiative that led to Hardeeville’s inclusion in this event. She was the driving force behind the formation of SoLoCo, and LATS has gelled as a team during her many years as chair. She has been a stalwart captain of the ship known as Bluffton and has guided its amazing growth. Most remarkable is the pride that she has fostered in her community, which has made Bluffton not just a fast-growing municipality, but a wonderful and desirable family community. I will miss her constant presence, but she will remain on my speed dial.

I ended my speech as follows ("Star Trek" fans will understand): “At my first State of the City address in January 2017, I coined the term Starship Hardeeville. Since that time our crew, led by Admiral Michael J. Czymbor, has built a whole new world. Now let us all fly together as the United Federation of the Lowcountry. Live long and prosper.”

Happy holidays, everyone. Be safe as you celebrate, and may we all enjoy good health and prosperity in 2024!

Harry Williams is the mayor of Hardeeville.

Mayor of Bluffton

What a great start to the holiday season. The first weekend in December, we celebrated our tree lighting and Christmas parade. Last week we were honored to have the Menorah Lighting at Martin Family Park. Congregation Beth Yam was the lead in a wonderful evening with several hundred in attendance.

Also, this past week at our monthly Town Council meeting, we announced the winners of our Christmas Parade entry competition. Each entrant is worthy of being celebrated one more time. We have three awards given each year; judges are selected residents. The competition was stiff, but here are the winners.

PALS/MRHS Animal Welfare Club: Best Float

Representatives: Cheryl Curry & Elizabeth Patterson

The May River Animal Welfare Club is a partnership with Palmetto Animal League, a nonprofit, no-kill rescue whose members believe every animal deserves a second chance at life. This is the group's seventh year as a club, providing members with volunteer opportunities and supporting Palmetto Animal League in fundraising events and community outreach. Students spend hours after school for the week prior to the parade, ending their hard work with a pizza party the night before!

Horan Brothers Band: Best Performance

Representative: Jeff Rigg

There are six members of the band who have been together for 14 years. The band plays locally in Bluffton, Hilton Head Island, Savannah, and Daufuskie Island. The band has been playing the Bluffton Christmas Parade for about a decade.

"Dancing Through The Bluff" “State of Mind” Award

Representative: Nancy Martin

This float was inspired by the movie "Elf." "Dancing Through The Bluff" was built by Dave, Nancy, Paul, Nicki, Tom, Patti, Bruce and Cathy, who live in the lovely community of Woodbridge. This is just a group of friends who wanted to do a float this year.

Many residents came up to me after the parade and asked why Battery Creek High School Band was not present. This band has become as popular as the Marine Corps Band and has consistently been a highly rated performance from our parade judges.

We surely missed them, but if you watched the Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade this year, you would have seen the Dolphin Pride Marching Band, along with the Blue Velvet Dancers and the Blue Diamond Flag Troupe, marching on Thanksgiving morning. We hope we will have them back in Bluffton next year, but we are so proud of their accomplishments.

I hope you have a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah and wonderful holiday season.

If you ever have questions about our wonderful town, don’t hesitate to contact Town Hall at 706-4500 or email Lisa Sulka at lsulka@townofbluffton.com.

Three Beaufort County food businesses, along with one in Jasper County, were cited with “B” grades in November health inspections by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control:

New York City Pizza, 107 Towne Drive in Bluffton, scored an 80% (B) on Nov. 14 in a routine inspection. Issues noted by inspectors included the lack of a Certified Food Protection Manager certificate; food handler moving from task to task, going outside and returning to food handling, without changing gloves; no chlorine in the chemical dish machine; issues with cold food temperatures on the pizza prep table; food without date marks; food held longer than seven days; toxic chemicals stored with food and in food prep areas; working spray bottles of chemicals without identifying labeling; and the outdoor ice machine draining to the ground.

SERG Catering, 12 Capital Drive on Hilton Head Island, scored an 85% (B) on Nov. 15 in a routine inspection. Issues noted by inspectors included issues with cold food temperatures in the open display cooler; food held longer than seven days; a working spray bottle of chemicals in the dish area without labeling; bug repellent stored on food prep table; ice scoops stored directly on top of the outdoor ice machine; single service items stored on the floor of the dry storage area; outdoor cooking without authorization along with no means to protect food items from contamination during transport and cooking, using a smoker/grill on an unfinished surface that is not easily cleanable and no hand-washing sink available during the process.

Wise Guys Lounge, 1513 Main St. on Hilton Head, scored an 83% (B) on Nov. 27 in a routine inspection that was the result of a public complaint. Issues noted by inspectors included issues with cold food temperatures in the walk-in cooler and on the cook line; food held longer than seven days; food held longer than 24 hours without date marks; fresh herbs, raspberries and strawberries subject to splash from spoiled arugula; gaskets to the outdoor walk-in coolers with accumulation of grime; food debris and meat juice on the bottom of the protein walk-in cooler; and an accumulation of grease and food splatter on the sides of equipment.

The following restaurant is located in Jasper County but is frequented by many Beaufort County residents because of its location near the county line. During November, DHEC inspectors conducted 33 checks of Jasper County businesses; all others were given A grades.

Rio Chico, 468D Mark Cummings Road, Suite 107, in Hardeeville, scored an 84% (B) on Nov. 20 in a routine inspection. Issues noted by inspectors included an employee cutting and handling ready-to-eat fruit with bare hands; beans cooked the night before and still in the process of cooling; the lack of a date-marking system; food held longer than 24 hours without date marks; gaskets of the drawer cooler dried, torn and in poor repair; grease and food debris on line-cooking equipment; food debris and splatter on equipment storage shelving; and an excess of trash, spillage and food debris on floors behind equipment.

Inspectors hand out a grade of A, B or C, depending on the conditions found at the time. Points are docked for a variety of infractions, and restaurants have a chance to correct the problems and improve their score.

During November, DHEC recorded 126 inspections of restaurants, schools, stores and other food establishments in Beaufort County. The agency publishes the results of these health inspections on its website.

Newer food grade decals include a QR code that customers can scan with their phones to see a food establishment’s latest report.

Below are the SC DHEC restaurant grades in Beaufort County from Nov. 1-30, 2023.

At the top left of the chart, there is a space to search for the name of a restaurant. Please note that this month’s inspections take up two pages. Switch to page 2 at the top right.

Developers are building condos off S.C. 170 in Bluffton, but people won’t live there. Their cars will.

CarVillage USA, an “automotive enthusiasts’ club,” will have 31 car condos on a five-acre site between the Village at Verdier and S.C. 170 near Seagrass Station.

Despite the use of the term condo, these aren’t going to be residences. A car condo is essentially a climate-controlled, indoor garage for multiple cars. Owners will be able to customize their condos as they see fit or, if they need more space, buy multiple condos and have them combined into one.

“Guys like to have their own space,” said Gary Brown, one of the people behind the unique development. “They have their fancy cars. They’re working on them. They have a new home, but it’s got a two-car garage. That’s not going to work.”

Each condo will start at 1,680 square feet, which is expected to be enough for six-cars.

The starting cost for a condo is $550,000. Brown said anyone who signs up before Monday at noon will get a $10,000 discount; community leaders will be at Hilton Head Island’s Concours d’Elegance and Motoring Festival over the weekend .

In terms of customization, the only limit will be the owner’s imagination.

“These units have mezzanines, and the mezzanines are designed in a way that you can do whatever you want to do,” Brown said. “Whatever makes you happy.”

That could mean office space or furniture.

There are a few places like this across the United States, Brown said. However, the social aspect of the Bluffton location makes it stand out.

CarVillage is being designed to be more than just a place to keep cars. Instead, it is meant to be a place for car collectors to gather and hang out.

A 20,000-square-foot clubhouse will include an F-1 racer simulator, a full bar, a pool hall, private offices, a cigar lounge, detailing services, a kitchen for catering, private wine bottle storage, and a lift for servicing and washing vehicles.

There are also plans for events like car shows that would be open to the public and “coffee and cars” meetups for car enthusiasts on the weekends.

“With all of these units and all of these owners, it’s natural for us to be sort of a clearinghouse for the members,” Brown said.

According to the CarVillage website, five condos already have been sold and six have been reserved.

Club membership at CarVillage will be limited to 250 members. Members will not have to be condo owners. The upper level of one of the buildings will include general storage members can rent to store their vehicles.

Brown’s team is expecting to break ground on the project in February and expects construction to take about a year.

The National Weather Service forecasts that Idalia will be at hurricane strength as it reaches southeast Georgia late Wednesday afternoon, then becoming a tropical storm as it tracks along the South Carolina coast. NWS also stated a flood watch in southeast South Carolina will be in effect through Wednesday.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency Tuesday ahead of potential impacts caused by Idalia. McMaster warned residents should take precautions despite the state likely missing the "worst of Hurricane Idalia’s impacts."

Track the storm here:How will Hurricane Idalia impact SC?

Hurricane Idalia:Gov. McMaster declares State of Emergency for South Carolina

Bluffton Mayor Lisa Sulka shares letter to residents

Bluffton Mayor Lisa Sulka shared a letter to residents of her city.

Dear neighbors,

Thank you for preparing for Hurricane/Tropical Storm Idalia.

Historically, the busiest time for storm activity happens in this area from late August through mid-October. Unfortunately, this storm activity is following its normal pattern and timeline.

As Mayor, I hope to give you the information you need to feel informed and keep you safe. Storm preparation is a group activity, and we need you to be mindful and take some actions for the best possible outcome.

Let me assure you that Town leaders and staff are on regular calls throughout each day to keep our communities as safe as possible. As we say each year, “We may be able to put a person on the moon, however, we cannot predict a hurricane with precision.” Nature has the final word about hurricanes, their path, and timing. Information is constantly changing – the antidote to a lack of control is to control what you can and be proactive.

This storm is most likely to bring standing water, power failures and downed trees.

Hurricane Idalia: List of things to do before storm hits

Hurricane Idalia: Town of Bluffton offices closed

Hurricane Idalia: Utility Contacts

Please keep posted to the Town’s social media platforms and we will be communicating new information as we receive it. Stay safe, Bluffton!

Warmly,

Mayor Lisa Sulka

USA Today contributed to this story.