Coast Guard base in Port Royal would generate $300M. Sen. Tim Scott is on board

U.S. Sen. Tim Scott and Congressman Joe Wilson are on board with a new Coast Guard training base in Port Royal, which a new report says would generate $300 million in revenue and more than 2,000 jobs.

In November, the Coast Guard announced it was seeking a location for a second boot camp to train some of the 15,000 additional personnel expected to join the military branch over the next few years. The Coast Guard issued a solicitation for potential locations for the new facility, with a deadline set for Dec. 7.

The Beaufort County Economic Development Corp (BCED), Beaufort Area Chamber of Commerce and Beaufort Defense Community Partnership Task Force applied for consideration, saying Naval Hospital Beaufort could be a perfect fit. The hospital grounds are located between the Beaufort River and Ribaut Road in Port Royal.

Gov. Henry McMaster and Congresswoman Nancy Mace previously announced their support for the application.

Now Scott and Wilson have added their names to the growing list of local, state and federal officials backing the proposal. On Monday, Scott and Wilson sent a letter of support to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

John O’Toole, who heads the BCED, said the letter from Scott and Wilson is a welcome addition to the application, which is under review by the Coast Guard and Homeland Security.

Over the weekend, BCED officials also were busy working on a report on the economic development impact the training base would have on the area. That report was requested by Gov. Henry McMaster’s office to be forwarded to the federal officials for consideration, O’Toole said.

“It is my understanding we made some sort of first cut by the Department of Homeland Security on the training facility,” O’Toole said. “I don’t know how many communities are still standing.”

The economic impact report said a training facility at the Naval Hospital would have an economic impact on the region in excess of $300 million and create 2,200 direct and indirect jobs, O’Toole said.

The established military community in Beaufort and Port Royal, which includes Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort and Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, makes it ideal for the Coast Guard base, the letter from Scott and Wilson says.

“This presence has fostered a community that is well-suited to the needs of military personnel, with the housing, schools and infrastructure already in place to immediately support Coast Guard families,” the letter says.

Beaufort County also is strategically located between the ports in Savannah and Charleston, the letter notes.

“Beaufort is uniquely positioned and prepared to leverage the existing infrastructure and regional connectivity to support the Coast Guard’s mission,” it said.

Although there’s been no announcement the 127-acre Naval Hospital is closing, local officials point out in materials submitted to the Coast Guard that the Defense Health Agency is shifting its medical services to new clinics planned at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort and Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island.

The facilities at the 76-year-old hospital, the application says, are underutilized and could easily be modified to meet the Coast Guard’s recruitment training needs.

The 127-acre medical facility is one of a few military hospitals in the nation that is a complete military compound not tied to a larger command. The compound incudes housing, a retail store, gas station and mini mart and recreational facilities.