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Council approves cultural grants, DMO marketing plan and Riverside Park disc-golf contract
Summary
Council approved multiple accommodation-tax awards (farmers market, symphony, Junth celebration, Historic Bluffton), denied two requests by Bufort Water Search and Rescue for boat purchase and marketing (per ATAC recommendation), authorized a $229,385.30 Riverside Park disc-golf contract, and approved a $340,000 DMO annual marketing plan.
Bluffton Town Council approved a slate of community grants, a parks construction contract and the town’s destination-marketing plan during its June 9 meeting.
The accommodations-tax advisory committee recommended funding for a set of cultural and tourism projects and the council approved awards including a supplemental $9,375 to the Farmers Market of Bluffton for facility support, $46,818 to the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra for two summer/fall concerts, $20,000 to the Bluffton MLK Observance Committee for the 11th-annual Junth celebration and a $50,000 operating grant to the Historic Bluffton Foundation for the Hayward House Museum. The advisory committee recommended denying two applications from Bufort Water Search and Rescue — one for boat purchase ($21,875) and one for targeted marketing ($7,500) — on the grounds the requests did not fit accommodation-tax criteria; council voted to follow the committee recommendation and noted the town could consider alternate funding sources in the budget process.
Council also authorized the town manager to execute a construction contract with Nick’s Construction for an 18-hole Riverside Park disc-golf course. The contract sum after value-engineering and scope adjustments was $205,780.77 (contract number as recorded in procurement records) with a 10% contingency yielding a total fiscal impact of $229,385.30. Project scope includes grading, 18 concrete tee pads, course signage, selective pruning, minor fencing adjustments, landscaping buffers and site furnishings.
Finally, the council approved a $340,000 marketing plan and budget with the Hilton Head Island Bluffton Chamber of Commerce (the DMO) for fiscal year 2027. DMO presenters highlighted digital strategy, a 30,000-copy vacation planner, social growth and new efforts to optimize content for AI-driven search and indexing; staff said public-relations work was newly budgeted to protect the town’s authority in emerging AI/geo search engines.
The consent agenda and final administrative appointments were also approved; council then recessed into executive session for board and committee appointments.
