4 minute read
Lines Redrawn
The Sea Pines Resort has added SwingFitAI Club Fitting to its Golf Learning Center. Developed on Hilton Head Island, SwingFitAI is the first artificial-intelligencepowered swing-fitting system in golf, Sea Pines said. It uses eight cameras that record 360 frames a second (collecting more than 30,000 data points per swing). SwingFitAI is calibrated to work with major brands of clubs and shafts and is updated to the newest models.
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TOWN OF HILTON HEAD LAUNCHES NEW APP
The Town of Hilton Head Island has launched its new MyHHI mobile app, designed to give users a tool to report non-emergency issues from their smartphone, tablet and computers. Users can access information about parks, beaches, cultural events and other topics. The free app is available from Google Play and the Apple Store. For more information about MyHHI, visit hiltonheadislandsc.gov/myhhi.
The United States Department of Agriculture is investing $63.3 million in rural South Carolina communities through job training, business expansion and technical assistance. The Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce received an $86,217 Microentrepreneur Assistance Program grant which will allow it to provide technical assistance to rural micro-entrepreneurs or microenterprises. The funds will be used to offset costs of workshops, meetings and will help potential clients with feasibility studies, business and marketing plans.
TOLL BOOTH REMOVAL AND ROAD IMPROVEMENTS ON THE CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY
The South Carolina Department of Transportation plans the removal of the toll booths from the Sol Blatt Jr. Cross Island Parkway and will make improvements to the road. SCDOT entered a $12.7 million contract with APAC Atlantic, Inc., for work to be done as part of the Cross Island Parkway toll conversion. The conversion project includes pavement removal, pavement reconstruction and resurfacing, signage and striping along the parkway and ramps from U.S. 278 Business to the Charles Fraser Bridge. Removal of the toll plaza is expected to be completed this spring and the remaining work is expected to be completed by the end of 2022.
OF THE MONTH
FRED
Age: 10 months old Gender: Male Weight: 45-50 pounds Breed: Mixed Temperament: Fred was hit by a car at 4 months old; he is paralyzed on his backend but does not let that slow him down. He rides in style in his wheelchair and can scoot around when he is not in his chair. He will make a wonderful and special addition to any family.
MAMA LUNA
Age: 1 year old Gender: Female Weight: 8-10 pounds Breed: Domestic Short Hair Temperament: Mama Luna is spunky and sweet! She is used to dogs and would not mind a home with kids. She is happy to snuggle up for a nap or have playtime with her favorite toy.
Adopt them at: Palmetto Animal League 56 Riverwalk Blvd., Okatie SC2 99236 Open: Noon to 6 p.m. Monday–Saturday CALL 843-645-1725 OR INFO@PALMETTOANIMALLEAGUE.ORG
SAVANNAH’S ENMARKET ARENA OPENS
The long-awaited public debut of Enmarket Arena in Savannah became reality in February. The city held a community day for the 9,500-seat arena that will host concerts and events such as Disney on Ice and be home to the Savannah Ghost Pirates hockey team. For a list of events, visit enmarketarena.com/events.
CROSS SCHOOLS ADDS NEW HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING
Cross Schools opened its High School Auxiliary Building in January. Cross said the three-story building features more than 13,500 square feet of finished space that includes a weight room/ training facility and expanded locker facilities. “A large art studio and music suite add to the school’s growing Fine Arts department,” Cross Schools said. Six additional classrooms, administrative offices and a faculty lounge/work area also are housed in the High School Auxiliary Building.
BLUFFTON HIGH SCHOOL NAMES NEW FOOTBALL COACH
Hayden Gregory was recently hired as Bluffton High School’s new varsity football coach. Gregory served as offensive line coach-run game coordinator for Collins Hill High School in Atlanta for five seasons.
U.S. 278 CORRIDOR MEETING
The U.S. 278 Corridor Improvements project will hold a public information meeting on March 3 at the Island Rec Center (20 Wilborn Road, HHI) from 4-7 p.m. The meeting will offer a project update and ask for feedback.
GREGORY
REDRAWN LINES
BEAUFORT COUNTY ADOPTS REVISED REDISTRICTING MAP
BY TONY KUKULICH
On the heels of completion of the 2020 U.S. census, Beaufort County launched its decennial initiative to redraw district boundaries, an effort driven by statistical analysis, guided by legislative statute and informed by public opinion.
The task of redrawing Beaufort County’s 11 districts fell on the shoulders of Daniel Morgan, the county’s director of mapping and applications.
“This is my third (redistricting),” Morgan said. “At least I had the experience of doing the past censuses. We went back to historic data and looked at 2010. That was our baseline.”
Federal law stipulates that districts must have nearly equal populations and not discriminate based on race or ethnicity. Boundaries must also be as contiguous and compact as possible and keep communities of interest in their entirety.
The county established a target of 17,011 residents per district based on the new census data. A variance of up to 5% in either direction was allowed, explained Chris Ophardt, Beaufort County public information officer.
