Hilton Head man transformed drainage pond into paradise. Now it will be named for him
When most saw a low-lying spot near the Cross Island Parkway as a good place for drainage on Hilton Head Island, Scott Liggett saw an opportunity.
It was 1996, and Liggett, then a town engineer, envisioned a park anchored by a man-made lake: A peaceful place for a walk, run, picnic or the occasional alligator sighting.
So he created it.
The whip-smart engineer worked with developers and town planners to create Jarvis Creek Park on the island’s north end.
Now, the park’s most serene feature will be renamed to honor him.
The 56-year-old died on Feb. 2 due to an unexpected medical emergency. His wife, Lou Ann, and children, Parker and Mallory, worked with his friends Steve Riley, Chuck Holle, Greg DeLoach and Charles Cousins to memorialize him on an island he loved dearly and worked diligently to protect.
Hilton Head’s Town Council voted unanimously Tuesday afternoon to rename the lake at Jarvis Creek Park Lake Liggett to honor the engineer’s accomplishments and 30 years of service to the town and community.
The town will hold a ceremony later in the summer to install a plaque and artwork at the park, according to town Communications Director Carolyn Grant.
About Scott Liggett
Liggett worked 30 years for the town as an engineer and most recently was the director of public projects and facilities. He was always ready to help explain the town’s massive capital improvement plan and the ins-and-outs of projects on the island.
“During his tenure with the Town, Scott was involved in work that literally shaped the Island’s future as well as preserved its past,” the town wrote in a February news release.
He spearheaded the town’s beach renourishment plan, which former Town Manager Riley told The Island Packet was one of the best things the town could do for its future. He led the town through the excruciating process of pumping new sand from the ocean floor onto its beaches.
Liggett, an avid hunter and fisherman, was a resident of Hilton Head Plantation. He will be remembered as a phenomenal Boy Scout leader who loved sharing his passion for the outdoors with troops on trips to Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge and the Sea Pines Forest Preserve.
“Scott was a wonderful, kind and bright person. He invested in the lives of not only his children, but in countless young men through his service as Scoutmaster for several years in the Boy Scouts. His leadership at outings was natural and all the boys looked up to him,” former Mayor David Bennett told The Island Packet.
Riley, Holle, DeLoach and Cousins wrote a request to the public in a letter to the editor published shortly after his death.
“(T)he next time you visit the beach, ride on a pathway, attend a festival or visit an island park, please remember an unassuming and humble public servant, who dedicated himself to making your experience on this island better,” they wrote.
Then, they wrote directly to Liggett.
“Well done Scott; rest now.”
This story was originally published June 1, 2021 at 4:23 PM.
