NEWS: Community input needed for Pinewood Preserve, Bailey Memorial Park. PAGE A5
APRIL 1–7, 2021
WWW.YOURISLANDNEWS.COM
COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY
Father of 3 killed in Burton house fire From staff reports A father of three was killed and two more people were critically injured in a house fire Saturday night on Dream Catcher Lane in Burton, according to the Burton Fire District. The deceased was identified as Chase Goude of Beaufort. Accord-
ing to media reports, Goude’s father was one of the two men critically injured attempting to save his life. Just before 11:45 p.m., Burton and MCAS firefighters, along with Beaufort County EMS, responded to a reported house fire. Initial reports from 911 callers stated that an adult
male was still inside the home. Firefighters arrived on scene and reported heaving fire showing from the front of a single wide mobile home, as bystanders directed firefighters to an addition in the rear of the home where the victim was reported to be. Fire crews rushed into the home under
heavy fire conditions and removed Goude, who was transported to Beaufort Memorial Hospital where he died. Goude is survived by his wife Tanner Goude and three sons between the ages of 3 and 7. A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family. To view the GoFundMe, visit: https://
gf.me/v/c/dp4s/chase-goude-family-fatal-fire-loss. The South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division and Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, along with Burton fire investigators and investigators from the South Carolina Fire Marshal’s office, are investigating.
A developing situation
DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS COMING
All of the following projects have been proposed by 303 Associates and are in various stages of planning, approval and construction.
The Beaufort Inn Hotel Beaufort Inn Hotel A three-story hotel to be built on the corner of Scott and Port Royal streets, this new structure will feature 65 guest rooms, a full-service restaurant, pool and rooftop bar. The hotel may or may not be affiliated with The Marriott hotel chain, representatives with 303 Associates have said, but insist the hotel will remain a Beaufort Inn Hotel.
The Cannon Building, an apartment complex with retail space on the ground floor, has been proposed for the corner of Port Republic and Charles streets. All photos courtesy of 303 Associates.
While Beaufort developer has his say, residents’ reactions remain mixed
Tabby Place Meeting Space Annex Tabby Place Meeting Space Annex This project would extend Tabby Place’s current meeting space on Port Republic Street. The old bank building that recently housed the Pat Conroy Literary Center (now at 601 Bladen Street) will be torn down for the expansion. The buildings will have a covered “connector” providing additional space for meetings, wedding and other events.
SEE PROJECTS PAGE A3
By Mindy Lucas Beaufort developer Dick Stewart says his downtown development projects are not about changing the historic fabric or nature of Beaufort but enhancing what’s there. “What this is about is enhancing that – taking vacant buildings or vacant places such as surface parking lots and converting them into vibrant parts of this community,” he said, recently at a public information session held by his company online on Wednesday, March 24. Stewart’s plans for Beaufort’s downtown commercial district have come under fire recently by proponents of historic preservation and residents who say they have been caught off guard by the recent bulldozing of buildings
– buildings they say are, in fact, historic and should have been preserved. In the more than one-hour, public-relations styled presentation, Stewart and his staff took turns outlining and discussing plans for five major projects, on or around Port Republic Street, now in various stages of approval and construction. At times during the meeting, Stewart seemed to want to set the record straight. “We find ourselves at a point now where we are happy to have this meeting and give you the facts and give you information and to correct unfortunately some misinformation that has served unique purposes driven perhaps by motivations that are not completely altruistic on
the part of a limited number of people,” he said. At other times, he was defiant. “We are not going to be cowed or intimidated by that stuff. This is a project or series of projects that we are proud of,” he went on to say. Still, there are those who continue to take issue with the developments saying they’re concerned the projects would transform Port Republic street, a short narrow street in the heart of the city’s downtown commercial district into “a canyon of three-story buildings,” as longtime Beaufort resident and former Historic Beaufort Foundation Executive Director Maxine Lutz wrote in a recent op-ed.
SEE SITUATION PAGE A3
DO NOT TOUCH
Man photographed touching alligator turns himself in
A man, pictured here lifting an alligator’s tail, on a golf course on Fripp Island, recently turned himself in to authorities with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources after a post asking for assistance in identifying him began circulating on social media. DNR officials have said residents should never touch or try to get close to an alligator. It is not only illegal but incredibly dangerous. Submitted photo.
By Mindy Lucas A man posing with an alligator on Fripp Island, and appearing to lift the massive animal’s tail, turned himself in recently to authorities after a post circulating on social media asked for help identifying him. The post, shared by Fripp Island Golf and Beach Resort on Saturday, March 27, included the man and what appeared to be a friend snapping his photo. “Fripp Island Resort would like to remind all of our residents, guests, and visitors that Fripp is a wildlife habitat. Harassment, enticement,
or feeding of wildlife is both illegal and dangerous. We are sharing this incident in hopes that the violators will be found, not to encourage this behavior,” the post stated. Officials with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) opened an investigation after it was notified of the incident the week of March 22, according to the department’s Public Information Coordinator David Lucas. It is illegal to harass wildlife in South Carolina. In addition, there are specific laws and fines relating to the harassment of alligators, Lucas
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SC National Guard assists Beaufort with cybersecurity readiness.
Exploring Pat Conroy’s love of poetry during National Poetry Month in April.
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said, meant to deter people from doing exactly what the man was seen doing in the photograph – putting himself and possibly another in danger. Alligators may appear to move slowly but can actually cover a lot of ground very quickly and should always be considered dangerous, Lucas said. The mature alligator pictured with the men was at least 10 feet long, he said. In 2018, a 45-year-old woman was
SEE GATOR PAGE A2
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