Public Facilities Committee advances drainage, detention, renovation and airport projects; dozens of contracts moved forward

Beaufort County’s Public Facilities Committee cleared a broad slate of infrastructure and capital projects during its Jan. 27 meeting, approving task orders and contract awards and advancing several items to county council for final action.

Committee members voted without objection on multiple staff recommendations spanning stormwater repair, detention-pond rehabilitation, community-center renovations and airport capital planning updates. Several of the items were presented by Robert Getzey (Interim Director, Capital Projects), Bradley (Public Works staff) and John Rimbold (airport staff).

Votes at a glance (committee action or referral to county council):

- Hickory Hill Drainage Improvements (Task order to JH Hires, item 15): $303,831 from the stormwater utility — approved at committee; staff said work increases pipe sizes and pipes a deep ditch to improve maintenance.

- Tuxedo Park Detention Basin Rehabilitation (Task order to JH Hires, item 16): $474,590.88 from the stormwater utility — approved at committee; staff said the project will excavate roughly 6,000 cubic yards of material, dewater the pond and repave the entrance road damaged by hauling.

- Rebow Road right-of-way transfers (ordinance authorization, item 10): Return of small right-of-way parcels to adjacent property owners so DOT will accept maintenance of the sidewalk — approved to move forward to county council; ties to the 2018 sales-tax-funded sidewalk project were noted.

- Lowcountry Council of Governments Safety Action Plan and “Target Zero” policy (item 11): Resolution adoption to mirror the regional safety plan and support grant applications — approved to move forward.

- Shell Point neighborhood traffic calming petition (item 12): Resolution requesting DOT review per DOT traffic-calming policy (seven speed humps and one raised intersection recommended) — approved to move forward; staff said there is currently no construction funding and encroachment permits will be required.

- Palmetto Clean Fuels Coalition stakeholder reauthorization (item 13): MOU adoption to continue county participation as a stakeholder — approved without fiscal obligation.

- Pavement Technology Inc., sole-source contract for asphalt rejuvenator (item 14): $440,062.77 (includes a 10% contingency) from the CTC infrastructure account — approved to move forward; staff said the proprietary topical treatment typically adds 3–5 years to pavement life and the vendor is sole licensee in the region.

- Charles Lynn Brown Community Center drainage completion (task order to JH Hires, item 19): $186,948.60 from Parks & Recreation Capital Fund — approved at committee. Interim Director Robert Getzey said, “This completes 100% of the pool deck drainage system,” noting the original system was undersized and that a 12-inch system replaces a much smaller pipe.

- Charles Lynn Brown gymnasium upfit (IFB award to Scott Equipment and Surfacing, item 20): $168,850 from Parks & Recreation Capital Fund — approved at committee to replace bleachers, basketball goals and scoreboards; staff noted bleachers dated from the 1970s and had been deemed unsafe by the manufacturer.

- Administration building and county council chambers renovation (IFB award to Mitchell Brothers, item 21): $1,043,059.61 from the Facility Management Capital Fund — approved at committee to renovate the entry, offices and fully renovate the council chambers; staff said meetings will be relocated during up to a six-month construction window.

- Bluffton Community Center renovation (IFB award to Buford Construction, item 22): $618,420 from Parks & Recreation Capital Fund — approved at committee; the scope includes a new elevator and interior mechanical/electrical upgrades.

- Booker T. Washington Community Center renovation (IFB award to Mitchell Brothers, item 23): $446,899 from Parks & Recreation Capital Fund — approved at committee; scope includes restroom ADA upgrades, kitchen and interior improvements; councilman Gerald Dawson raised a concern about well water quality at the site and staff agreed to follow up.

- Station 39 design portion (design-build contract to Frasier Construction & Court Atkins, item 24): $397,528.41 from GO bond funds for design work — approved to move forward; staff described this as the design phase for a new station in the Sun City area to improve emergency response times.

- Detention Center EIFS/stucco repair and painting (IFB award to CE Born & Co., item 25): $2,656,585 from the Detention Center Capital Fund — approved to move forward to council; staff summarized years of EIFS/Stucco problems including hollowed cavities and water intrusion and proposed encapsulating repairs with a hardened mesh and new finish.

Staff also presented the annual airport Capital Improvement Program (CIP) lists for Beaufort Executive Airport and Hilton Head Island Airport (items 17–18). Those were informational updates; staff said the FAA and state aeronautics funding streams will determine which projects receive federal grants in coming years and that some large projects would require substantial discretionary FAA funding.

Committee members repeatedly approved items “without objection,” and staff said several of the capital-project items will appear on the county council consent agenda that evening. For projects that require additional design and permitting (Tuxedo Park dredging, Station 39 design and the detention-center exterior), staff said additional community input, engineering estimates and subsequent council approvals are expected.

Ending — What to watch: Several high-dollar items (the administration building renovation, detention-center exterior repairs and airport CIP requests) will proceed to county council for final appropriation. Staff flagged potential follow-up on the Booker T. Washington center’s water/well condition and noted that the Tuxedo Park excavation approach was changed from a costly dredging approach to dewatering and hauling to keep bids within budget.