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USCB asks Beaufort County to match $47 million in state funding for convocation center and sports park
Summary
USC Beaufort officials asked Beaufort County Council to explore a $47 million county match to $47 million in state funding for a convocation center and sports-park Phase 1, saying the university will not return for further county funding and will pursue other financing and private partners.
USC Beaufort officials asked Beaufort County Council on Thursday to explore a county match of $47 million to state funding already committed to a planned convocation center and sports park.
"We're requesting county match of what the state has put in at 47,000,000," said Landon Jones, vice chancellor for finance and operations at the University of South Carolina Beaufort, during a presentation to council. Jones described Phase 1 as an arena with roughly 3,700 seats plus baseball, softball and track facilities and said the state has assigned $47 million for that phase.
Jones said USCB would not return to the county for funding of campus space and asked the county to work with county bond counsel and other advisers to identify financing options, including municipal partners and potential private donors. "We will not come back and ask for any additional funding on this project," he said.
Council members pressed presenters on several points: whether local school districts would use the arena for graduations, how the project would compete with recently announced facilities in neighboring markets and how a $47 million local commitment would be financed. "I don't know where the $47,000,000 comes from," Councilman Lawson said, noting its scale relative to county resources.
USCB representatives said they are pursuing grants, private sponsorships and municipal and regional collaborations and that they have already issued an RFP for design work. They estimated Phase 1 construction could be completed for under $100 million if the county and state contributions are combined and if scope adjustments (for example, sizing the arena at 3,700 rather than 4,000 seats) are accepted.
Council members directed staff to place the funding options on the finance committee agenda for a focused review of financing alternatives, including partial commitments, bonds or other mechanisms, before any county vote. County staff said they will prepare options and cost estimates to help council decide how much, if any, to commit in the 2026 budget process or through a future vote.
The presentation and discussion were part of a budget retreat; council took no vote on funding at the session.
