Hilton Head says yes to public dollars for private beach

Hilton Head Town Council unanimously approved a new annual budget Tuesday, including providing $300,000 to help restore a private beach.

Mayor David Bennett said after the vote he continues to disagree with the town helping to pay for a planned renourishment project which would dump new sand on Pine Island Beach in Hilton Head Plantation to lessen the affects of erosion. The section of beach is open to Hilton Head Plantation residents and members of the public who boat to it.

“It’s a private beach that isn’t available to tourists and all of our citizens,” Bennett said Monday.

But supporters, including Town Council member Bill Harkins, have said the erosion puts the town’s stormwater system at risk, so it’s appropriate for the town to give money toward the renourishment project. Harkins has previously served on a committee of the Hilton Head Plantation property owners’ association.

A second and final vote by Town Council is needed before the budget goes into effect July 1. It’s expected June 21.

Town Manager Steve Riley said the $300,000 will come from the town’s Storm Utility Fund, which pays for the maintenance of the town’s stormwater system.

Hilton Head residents are charged a fee on their annual property tax bills to pay for the fund. The amount charged is based on the amount of impervious surface, such as roofs and concrete, found on each property.

A surplus in the fund will cover the $100,000 payment Hilton Head Plantation is expected to receive July 1, if the budget receives its final approval, Riley said. Another $100,000 would be received next year and the last $100,000 the following.

Riley said it is possible that other stormwater system projects could be delayed in future years to pay for the renourishment although he was unable to give specifics Tuesday.

About 30,000 to 40,000 cubic yards of sand will be used to renourish the beach during the three-year project, said Peter Kristian, Hilton Head Plantation’s general manager. The beach is located in the Dolphin Head recreation area.

“We are delighted with the budget approval,” Kristian said. “This will hopefully allow us to move forward with our renourishment plans.”

Kristian said plantation residents have spent about $6 million on renourishment projects since 2000. About 10,000 people live in Hilton Head Plantation, he said.

An October storm destroyed about an acre of the beach’s marshland, Kristian said. Future storm surges could flood the city’s stormwater system, he added.

Bennett, along with Scott Liggett, the town’s director of facilities, have previously said they don’t believe the town’s stormwater system is in immediate threat because of erosion on Pine Island.

This story was originally published June 14, 2016 at 9:14 PM with the headline "Hilton Head says yes to public dollars for private beach."