Daufuskie Island residents want answers on dock safety after Sapelo Island tragedy
During the Beaufort County Public Facilities & Safety Committee meeting Monday, county officials provided an assessment of local dock safety in response to the tragedy that resulted in the death of seven people on Georgia’s Sapelo Island over the weekend.
Hank Amundson, special assistant to the Beaufort County administrator, provided updates about the Daufuskie Island ferry and the Melrose Landing, the dock on the Daufuskie Island side that has been criticized by islanders for its deterioration, in wake of the dock disaster just one state south.
Sapelo Island is barrier island off the coast of Georgia about 50 miles south of Daufuskie Island. On Saturday afternoon, crowds flocked to Sapelo Island for an annual Gullah-Geechee cultural celebration, and the gangway that led from the dock collapsed while visitors prepared to board, state Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Walter Rabon said Sunday at a briefing.
Who is responsible for Melrose Landing?
Daufuskie residents, including Freddie Grant Jr., a fifth-generation islander, expressed their fears Monday about their own dock’s safety after learning about the situation in Georgia. Daufuskie Island, like Sapelo Island, does not have a bridge to the mainland, so the ferry service is the only publicly-accessible transportation to Hilton Head.
But the main concern voiced by Daufuskie residents after the Sapelo Island incident was the safety of the docks.
Mike Hubbard, chairman of the Daufuskie Island Council, wrote in a statement to Beaufort County officials Tuesday, “We have complained about precarious ramps (one collapsed earlier this year resulting in a passenger falling into the water) and numerous rotted wood sections of the Melrose Landing dock. Although we have provided photos to the county documenting the Melrose dock’s deterioration, we have not seen any evidence that an inspection has occurred and repairs undertaken.”
Hubbard went on to call on Beaufort County to “immediately undertake an inspection of both docks used by Lowcountry Ferry, including underwater inspections” and to withhold additional payments to the Melrose Landing dock owner until an inspection occurs and repairs are made.
Amundson said during the Monday meeting that the county checked on the processes in place for inspecting docks, especially those that carry more individuals on a day-to-day basis. According to Amundson, there is a regular, rotating schedule for inspection, and that every other year, private contractors check the underside of the docks.
When asked who is responsible for maintenance and repairs on Melrose Landing Tuesday, Amundson said that the dock owners are responsible. While the Melrose dock is still technically owned by Redfish Holdings LLC, the company that controls, operates, maintains and leases space is called D.I. Launch doing business as Daufuskie Marina, LLC. Whitestone Resources is listed as its agent, Amundson wrote Tuesday.
Calls made to Whitestone Resources were not returned as of Wednesday afternoon.
In light of the Sapelo Island tragedy, however, county public works “will perform additional inspections of all county landings and gangplanks beyond their regular schedule,” according to the press release.
Amundson added that the county is working with the Lowcountry Ferry to ensure additional safety inspections are in place. The lease for Melrose Landing is between Lowcountry Ferry and the dock owner, however, Amundson said that the county has obtained a copy of the contract to verify the county can assist in coordinating repairs if necessary.
Beaufort County is in the middle of condemnation proceedings to purchase Melrose Landing.
“We want to have it [Melrose Landing] so we can fully invest into it and make it what it needs to be,” Amundson said.
The contract between Beaufort County and Lowcountry Ferry states, “County is responsible for all Maintenance and repair of the embarkation/debarkation sites outside of damage caused by the vendor.”
The Solicitation RFP (request for proposal), one of the documents incorporated into the contract states, “The embarkation/ debarkation facility must be maintained, by the Contractor, in a clean, orderly, and safe condition and remain accessible to the general public.” The contractor, in this case, is Lowcountry Ferry.
This apparent conflict between the two documents that govern oversight may be clarified by language written into the final paperwork that reads, if there is a conflict between the contract documents, “the Contract shall govern.”
Looming accessibility concerns
In January, the Lowcountry Ferry took over Daufuskie Island’s ferry service, ending seven years of service from the Haig Point Community Associates. Since then, islanders and advocacy groups have criticized the accessibility and safety of the service, including the Melrose Landing dock.
In March, Disability Rights South Carolina sent the first of many letters addressed to Beaufort County, citing the ferry’s deficiencies, including “dilapidated, unstable and unsafe condition of the dock at Melrose Landing.” In its sixth letter to the county, dated June 27, the group informed the county of planned legal action due to their ongoing violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Under Title II of the ADA, public entities are required to ensure their services are accessible to those with disabilities. As of Tuesday afternoon, a federal ADA complaint had not been filed against Beaufort County.
Current status of the ferry boats
The Manatee II, one of the two ferry boats owned by Lowcountry Ferry, has been under repair since Labor Day weekend, according to island residents. During the Monday meeting, Amundson said that the boat should be up and running by this week. But going forward, the Queen Jean will be the primary vessel due to larger capacity, faster speed, more room for cargo and greater accessibility from the docks, Amundson said.
This story was originally published October 23, 2024 at 12:37 PM.
