Tennis courts, turf soccer fields planned for Buckwalter Recreation Center. When?
Beaufort County plans an estimated $7 million expansion that will add four turf soccer fields and a tennis complex to the Buckwalter Recreation Center, said Charles Atkinson, assistant county administrator of community services.
The expansion, to be completed in two phases, is in response to the influx of growth in Bluffton and southern Beaufort County over the past several years. It’s also part of the original master plan approved for the center in 2001.
Atkinson said he hopes the entire expansion will be completed in three years.
“It’s an amenity that is widely used by the public,” Atkinson said Tuesday. “The Town of Bluffton and south of Broad are growing at a rapid pace, and we’re expanding it to meet demand and offer amenities.”
Monday night, Beaufort County Council voted on first reading to contract with Wood + Partners Inc. for $665,930 to develop architectural and engineering work on the center.
If it’s approved on two more readings, the architectural and engineering work could be completed in four months, Atkinson said.
Construction of phase 1 of the expansion is already funded with $7,014,841 in Bluffton Parks and Recreation impact fees, according to planning documents. It will include:
▪ Adding turf to the center’s three existing soccer fields
▪ Adding four new turf soccer fields
▪ Partial development of a tennis facility, depending on available funding
Atkinson said he expects that work will be completed within the next 18 months.
Phase 2 of the expansion will build 16 tennis courts to create a new tennis center on the complex. Atkinson said that project will be completed, once funding is available, within the next three years.
Buckwalter Rec Center
The growth of the center, built along Buckwalter Parkway in 2009, has been in the works for years.
In 2017, a $5.5 million expansion doubled the center’s size, adding an elevated track, two gymnasiums, a weight room, racquetball courts and a batting cage.
The new facilities were intended to help the county expand its Parks and Recreation-sponsored youth and adult athletic leagues.
This month, Beaufort County’s Parks and Recreation Department released a new COVID-19 policy and safety measures for those playing in local athletic leagues. Beginning March 1, the county recommends but does not require staff, officials, players, coaches and spectators to wear masks while attending local games or practices.
After initially closing and then offering limited hours due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Buckwalter Recreation Center is now open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
This week, Hilton Head Hospital and Coastal Carolina Hospital began offering appointment-only vaccination clinics at the center.
