Here’s a look at Wright Family Park, Bluffton’s latest public works project

A new public park has received the green light from Bluffton Town Council.

The 1.36-acre parcel of land — adjacent to the May River and the Calhoun Street Dock and across the street from the Church of the Cross — was purchased for $1.5 million by Bluffton and Beaufort County in June 2017. Following Town Council approval July 9, the site will become the Wright Family Park.

Bryan McIlwee, Bluffton’s director of engineering, presented an overview of the plan at the July council meeting. He described the changes made to a original 2006 master plan for the park, which now adds several paths, a bulkhead to prevent further erosion and a crab dock.

He says a major goal remains the same: to create public, open-space access to the May River.

McIlwee described the park as “just a nice, quiet, tranquil place to come and enjoy Old Town Bluffton.”

In addition to the park, a second project on the same piece of land involves the Squire Pope Carriage House.

The house dates to the mid-19th century and is a candidate for restoration. Details of that restoration have not been finalized, McIIwee said.

“We’ll have to have a preservation study done and look back and see what we want to bring it back to,” he said. “It’s still in the very conceptual stage. Right now, I think the preservation plan is just to stabilize it as-is,” he said. He said a decision on the extent of the restoration will be made next year.

McIlwee pointed out that the Wright Family Park is a separate project from the nearby Calhoun Street Dock, on which reconstruction was slated to begin Monday.

The last component of the Wright Park plan plan will increase parking, adding 16 spaces along Calhoun Street.

Nineteen other spots will be added across from the park.

An additional 69 spaces will be added at 68 Boundary Street Park just a few blocks away.

The park is expected to be completed by spring 2019, McIIwee said in his presentation, though he acknowledged that date may change.

Ultimately, McIlwee said the town wants to do more than just provide additional public space.

“(The result is) preserving land that could have been developed, access to the water and, hopefully, preserve that house and preserve the heritage of Bluffton,” he said.

Those interested in more details about Wright Family Park can find out more here.

This story was originally published July 16, 2018 at 4:20 PM.