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USCB pitches $120M 'Sand Shark 2020' arena; school board, council raise funding and MCIP concerns
Summary
University of South Carolina Beaufort presented a proposed $120 million multipurpose arena and campus improvements and asked for county partnership to match state funds. Beaufort County School Board officials warned that an MCIP (fee-in-lieu) financing approach could divert school revenues and urged a public referendum.
Representatives from the University of South Carolina Beaufort (USCB) presented a broad plan called 'Sand Shark 2020' for a multipurpose 4,500–4,900-seat arena and related athletic, conference and campus facilities and asked Beaufort County Council to partner with the state and private sector on funding.
USCB presenters said the total project could cost about $120 million, with the state committing roughly $40 million and the college seeking a two-to-one match that could include county participation and private fundraising. The presenters described a multipurpose facility intended for commencements, conferences, concerts, athletics and emergency response; they said the arena would be the largest facility between Charleston and Savannah and could generate hotel and restaurant activity off-season.
Council members pressed presenters on operating costs, whether the university would request future millage increases, how private naming opportunities and foundation fundraising would contribute, and the timeline for design and construction. USCB said it expects to issue an RFP for a professional manager and to use naming opportunities and private contributions to offset operating and capital costs; the presenters projected an 18-month build time for the arena and estimated athletic-field phases could begin within 12 months if permits are secured.
During the public-comment period that followed, two Beaufort County School Board members told council they had reviewed a USCB brochure describing an MCIP-style funding mechanism (fee-in-lieu of taxes). The school-board speakers said their bond counsel advised that MCIP arrangements can shift revenue away from school districts, cited past MCIP impacts on school funding in other counties, and urged the council not to use school operations or debt-service funds for construction of non-district facilities. They recommended a public referendum instead of a multi-county industrial park mechanism that could alter distribution of property-tax-derived revenue.
A Coastal Conservation League representative later said a flyer distributed at a St. Helena public chat had included council members’ addresses copied from the county website and that the information was provided to enable constituents to contact council members. Council members thanked presenters and said staff will return with materials and a public forum to collect broader input before any formal commitment. No county vote occurred during the workshop.
