Equity, engineering lacking in beach vote

Hilton Head Island Mayor David Bennett and new Town Council member David Ames are right to question a town allocation of $300,000 for repairs to a beach in Hilton Head Plantation that is not open to everyone.

The development’s claim that the Pine Island beach at Dolphin Head is used by the boating public is a stretch. That happens, but it represents a minuscule portion of the use of this beautiful stretch along Port Royal Sound and Skull Creek. It is for all practical purposes an amenity for Hilton Head Plantation property owners and their guests. The town should tread lightly on any request to help pay the bills in private communities.

But perhaps a bigger concern is the process that produced this allocation.

It was presented to Town Council by the development and two Council members representing its residents as a legitimate town expense because the beach erosion threatens the town’s drainage system. But that was not confirmed by the town engineering staff. That means the people in charge of the drainage system did not raise a red flag and come to the Town Council for help in addressing an imminent problem.

That reflects a flawed process. Without an established process of documenting needs and prioritizing them with needs of the island as a whole, the town sets bad and unsustainable precedent.

Surely, every private community on the island dealing with stormwater drainage expenses is watching closely. A resident of one much smaller development has already cried foul because a request for the town to maintain the drainage system in Bermuda Pointe was denied. Surely, residents within the island’s other larger private developments would like $300,000 worth of relief on stormwater and drainage expenses.

The sand spit leading to Pine Island is a great asset to Hilton Head, its wildlife and environment. We certainly hope it can be saved. It is painful to watch the disappearance of this access to both the marsh and sound environments that islanders have enjoyed for as long as there have been islanders.

But the chronic erosion was predictable. The access point to this beach is eroding at a rapid pace at the point where previous armoring of the shoreline ends. Where the rocks armoring the bluff end, the wind-driven waves become voracious eaters of sand. The resulting problem represents a tradeoff that had to be planned for. With the obvious advantage of protecting homes along the Port Royal Sound bluff, and the beautiful Dolphin Head Recreation Area in Hilton Head Plantation, came the problem of erosion where the rocks end.

If the island as a whole wants to get involved in solving this problem, a better process needs to be put in place. It must address the equity issue. There must be an evaluation of all uses of the town stormwater funds, and a look at long-term plans and long-term financial commitments.

Hilton Head Plantation obviously carries a big stick because one in four islanders live there, and each property owner pays the stormwater fee in the annual property tax bill. Hilton Head Plantation leaders have been seeking help from the town on the Pine Island beach problem for well more than a year. But this is an engineering and planning issue, not a political one. And we did not see enough planning and engineering in a decision that could come back to bite the town.

This story was originally published June 25, 2016 at 3:14 PM with the headline "Equity, engineering lacking in beach vote."