Historic Hilton Head church must move. Here’s the latest on funding, timeline
Beaufort County has agreed to help fund the relocation of St. James Baptist Church on Hilton Head Island, allowing the project to move towards construction.
Established in 1886, the historic church is a “lighthouse” for Hilton Head’s Black community, a former pastor previously explained to The Packet.
But it has a problem: the Hilton Head Island Airport is practically in the church’s backyard. A 700 ft. runway expansion in 2018 opened the doors for larger commercial jets to take off from the airport, but the move put the church within the airport’s danger zone under the eyes of the Federal Aviation Administration.
In February 2019, the Hilton Head Island Town Council agreed to help relocate the church and the adjacent Cherry Hill School. More than seven years later, a series of contracts approved by the Town Council Tuesday evening finalized funding for the project. Designs for the new church fellowship hall have been approved, and construction is expected to begin in October and finish in March 2028.
Properties will change hands
Under the agreements, the town will buy the church and school property for $1.3 million and then charge the congregation a “nominal” rent of $1 per year to continue to use the property until the new facility is built.
The town will then sell 4.6 acres of property on Union Cemetery Road to Beaufort County for $1. The county will oversee the construction of the new church building and fellowship hall and the relocation of the Cherry Hill School. Any project overruns will become the responsibility of the county.
After construction and relocation are completed, the county will hand the property over to St. James for $10.
Beaufort County will issue bonds
The agreements are contingent upon the county issuing a $3.5 million general obligation bond to help fund the project.
The project is expected to cost $9.84 million, according to a staff report.
St. James is also required to set aside the $1.3 million it receives from the sale of the property for the future construction. Other sources of funding include about $4.8 million in state funding and a $300,000 grant from town and Beaufort County.
Old church will be demolished
Once the relocation is complete, the historic church will be demolished, and its remnants will be disposed off, according to the staff report. Any furniture, fixtures or equipment that St. James chooses to leave behind will become property of the town.
All historic artifacts that have been found or may be found on the site will become property of the town, with St. James as the designated curator. St. James will be required to display these artifacts to the public. A commemorative sign will be erected on the site to highlight the church’s history.
At the meeting, Ward 6 Council Member Melinda Tunner explained that the reason the town is purchasing the original church property is to ensure the land will be “open space for perpetuity.”
“It won’t be behind a fence,” Tunner said. “It’ll be accessible to all.”
