Hilton Head picked the perfect way to honor hometown hero Frank Babel | Opinion

I don’t care what he says. Frank Babel, the cycling enthusiast who stepped aside as president of Bike Walk Hilton Head Island last year, is not riding off into the sunset.

But with the shorter strides of a man over 80, he now has the perfect place to do it: the newly-named Frank Babel Pathway & Boardwalk at Shelter Cove.

Winding along the marshes of Broad Creek, it’s the most beautiful stretch of a 64-mile system of public pathways for cyclists and pedestrians. The Town of Hilton Head Island chose it to honor Babel at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday with what will be a lasting tribute to him.

Mayor Alan Perry and more than 100 people braved suffocating heat to cheer Babel on, but his path to this joyous occasion began 20 years ago when he retired to the island.

He quickly became what is politely termed a “squeaky wheel” at Town Hall, advocating relentlessly for safer, better-connected, better-maintained and better-funded bike paths.

Today, Hilton Head can boast that it has earned Gold Level Bicycle Friendly Community recognition from the League of American Bicyclists three times — one of only three cities in the Southeast to reach that level.

Island tourists consistently rate cycling as a top draw. Bicycle shops thrive. The annual Pedal4Kids ride attracts hundreds of cyclists and has raised $1 million for the Boys & Girls Club.

Pedestrian and cycling safety has been improved at all intersections on William Hilton Parkway and Pope Avenue. Maps, kiosks and groups of trained safety educators and bike path “ambassadors” promote better and safer use of the pathways.

And advocacy remains a priority for the Bike Walk Hilton Head Island organization.

The Hilton Head Bluffton Chamber of Commerce has bought into the cycling craze, and the Rotary Club of Hilton Head has helped it grow in a number of ways.

And town employees under several mayors, including former town manager Steve Riley and current manager Marc Orlando, have played a part, too.

One of the big takeaways here is that government workers do good work. Please don’t believe it when you hear anyone say that government workers are “parasites.” That’s wrong.

In his remarks at the ceremony, Babel called the town staff “a tremendously talented group of people.” He mentioned the late Scott Liggett, Shawn Colin, Cinda Seamon and Darren Shoemaker, who he said has been there every step of the way.

He also highlighted the power of fact-based teambuilding and advocacy.

Babel said the bike path came to be only after “countless meetings and memos” and “getting along with Town Council and town staff.”

Babel credited many people, but his reputation helped. If he said he was going to do something, it got done because of his perseverance to barrel through speed bumps and detours.

“If you don’t stick with it, you’ll never get it done,” he said.

That’s why I have a hard time believing Babel will really ride into the sunset.

He said he would still be involved, but would not be a leader.

He said “the new Frank Babel” is Jim Hall, the head of Bike Walk Hilton Head and owner of the Hilton Head Bicycle Co. since 2020.

There’s plenty of work yet to do, like making a new generation of pathways on Main Street and Pope Avenue, particularly in the congested Coligny Circle area. And getting a handle on e-Bikes.

In fact, we could best honor Babel by working together to keep alive his “commitment to bicycle education, safety and accessibility for all,” as the new sign says on the Frank Babel Pathway & Boardwalk.

In a real way, the island’s first mayor, Ben Racusin, shared Babel’s vision when Racusin wrote shortly before his death in 2013, “Looking ahead, I see a future where world-class amenities exist, and interests of tourists, residents and businesses are intertwined.”

Long ago, the council chamber in Town Hall was named for Ben Racusin, and I’d like to think that this beautiful pathway newly named after another hometown hero honors something Racusin said at the first Town Council meeting held 42 years ago this week.

“We are now a town, united in purpose, and that is to ensure the health, wealth and happiness of all people of Hilton Head Island.”

David Lauderdale may be reached at lauderdalecolumn@gmail.com.