Beaufort looks for answers to preserve beloved promenade. ‘We need to get it fixed’
Beaufort residents love their promenade on the Beaufort River.
That was clear Wednesday evening when they flocked to the riverfront to hear the city, for the first time, explain options for preserving the beloved walkway on the river’s edge, which is in danger of disappearing if its failing concrete supports aren’t replaced.
A big crowd -- some 150 people -- turned out to hear the details of three options that are on the table for preserving the promenade, a big part of the city’s coastal identity.
One was Inda Walker, who was born and raised in the city. The 52-year-old Waterfront Park where the promenade is located, Walker said, is a major focal point in Beaufort where residents come to relax, enjoy the water and fellowship.
Walker, for one, showed up to learn more about the possible solutions. She wants the city’s crown jewel fixed -- and fixed right.
“This is our community hub,” Walker said. “To have it closed because we’re in danger of losing it isn’t a good thing.”
The 1,200-foot-long, 40-foot-wide walkway, one of the most iconic gathering spaces and waterfront views in Beaufort County, has been closed since July because the concrete pilings that hold it up are quickly deteriorating. It won’t reopen until it’s replaced.
The closure was a devastating blow for residents and business owners who rely on year-round income from foot traffic generated by the promenade. The 7-acre park remains open, but a fence prevents the public from using the promenade.
The problem with the promenade
The city is now evaluating reconstruction options to reopen the venerable promenade.
McSweeny Engineers presented reconstructions options for the first time to the Waterfront Advisory Committee April 13. Wednesday’s meeting was the first time they were presented directly to the public. That’s what drew the big crowd to the waterfront.
As boats and kayakers passed by on the river, onshore Bill Barna of McSweeney Engineers explained the promenade’s problems and options to fix it to the large group of residents.
The concrete pilings holding up the promenade, McSweeney said, are falling apart. Even getting access to them is becoming impossible because of sediment buildup.
“We’ve done everything we can to rehab them -- we’ve done a couple of rehab projects,” Barna said. “But the deterioration just keeps continuing. To top all that off, we have some massive shoaling under here. The channel bottom is filling in under the platform, and it’s making access to the piling very difficult if not impossible.”
Barna has seen the problem first-hand. His firm does the underwater inspections of the pilings. Divers, including Barna, swim under the promenade and quarters are very tight because of the shoaling.
“We have defects -- significant defects,” Barna said. “We can no longer check to see what condition they’re in because the shoaling has gotten so bad.”
What do you want? How to give your input
City officials want to know what residents do and don’t like before proceeding. Residents filled out comment cards available at the meeting. The city also has created a website where people can study the options and provide comments online.
“Please, please, please,” Mayor Phil Cromer implored, “give us your input.”
Assistant City Manager Eric Claussen said the Waterfront Advisory Committee will consider the public’s comments in May before making a recommendation to the City Council on what option it thinks is best.
The city hopes to begin construction in 2028 and reopen the promenade in 2029.
Rebuilding and raising the promenade
The option most favored by Barna is Option 2. That option is replacing the failing structure with a new and elevated promenade and sea edge built with the latest methods. The new promenade, which would be up to 3 feet higher than the current walkway, which is 6 feet above sea level, would better handle rising sea levels, Barna said. The concrete pilings under the promenade would be replaced as part of this option as well.
The current relieving platform includes a concrete deck that’s covered by six feet of dirt. The concrete platform is held up by the failing concrete pilings.
The current relieving platform is 36 feet wide from the river extending toward the interior of the park. Its length is roughly from the playground area to the marina.
It will take a couple of years to replace the relieving platform and the promenade including the permitting and funding part of the project, Barna said. He predicts it will last about 75 years with modern techniques that make concrete last longer than the current pilings.
The promenade’s hefty price tag
The challenge for the city will be paying for it.
Barna has said previously said the cost could reach $30 million.
The city says it will consider a variety of different sources, from state and federal grants from bonding to using hospitality and accommodations taxes to earmarking capital improvement funds for the work.
Just because the relieving platform is getting replaced doesn’t mean the overall park has to change much if residents like what they have, Barna said.
Unless residents say otherwise, Barna said, the rest of the 7-acre park could stay largely as it is under this option, Barna said.
The only change would be tying the existing park into the new promenade, whose elevation would be higher. That could be down with stairs or landscaping, Barna said.
“The thought is we don’t change the character of the park,” Barna said.
Other options
Another option is just filling in the area under the promenade where the concrete pilings are located now and building a 20-foot-high seawall. Some may think that sounds like a “down and dirty” quick option, Barna said. But it’s the most environmentally unfriendly option and therefore would be very expensive. The entire area that would be filled in is considered a wetland under state regulations, he noted.
A third alternative adds a bunch of amenities like a dock extending into the water from the promenade and a splash pad, but that’s not expected to get a lot of positive feedback. Walker, the resident, described it as “fluff.”
“That’s too much,” Walker said. “I just want to fix what’s wrong -- so go in and actually repair everything, just redo it. Make sure everything is fine.”
Andy and Besty Kinghorn were also perusing the options displayed at the pavilion. Andy Kinghorn said he grew up in Beaufort. The park, he said, is one of the key features of the downtown ambience.
“This is a key piece of what makes Beaufort these days,” Kinghorn said, “and we need to get it fixed.”
