Local leaders push Port Royal site for proposed Coast Guard training base

Local and federal officials and area business groups are backing an application to locate a proposed U.S. Coast Guard training facility on the grounds of Naval Hospital Beaufort in Port Royal.

The effort — filed by the Beaufort County Economic Development Corp. (BCED), the Beaufort Area Chamber of Commerce and the Beaufort Defense Community Partnership Task Force — drew public support from U.S. Sen. Tim Scott and U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, who sent a letter supporting the county’s application to the Department of Homeland Security, the program’s reviewing authority, the county’s television program reported.

County economic-development director John O’Toole told the program the county prepared an economic-impact report that estimates the facility would generate about $300,000,000 in regional revenue and more than 2,000 jobs. “The economic impact reports that a training facility at the naval hospital would have an economic impact on the region in excess of $300,000,000 and create 2,200 direct and indirect jobs,” O’Toole said on the broadcast. He added the county believes it made an initial cut in the Department of Homeland Security’s review.

The application cites the area’s existing military presence — including Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort and Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island — and Naval Hospital Beaufort’s access to the Intracoastal Waterway as reasons the site could be suitable for a training base. The county prepared the report at the request of Governor Henry McMaster’s office, O’Toole said.

The county’s submission remains under review by the Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security, and no final decision has been announced.

What’s next: local officials will await further guidance from federal reviewers; the program reported the application deadline had been earlier in December, and county officials said their package is under consideration.