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COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY
Sea Island Coalition endorses Whitehall park proposal
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS By Justin Jarrett The Friday Night Lights will soon be shining in the Lowcountry. The excitement level is at an all-time high in northern Beaufort County, as new coaches have brought renewed enthusiasm at Beaufort High School and Beaufort Academy, a loaded senior class has Whale Branch Early College High School dreaming of a state championship, and a rejuvenated Battery Creek High School program looks to build off last year’s return to the postseason. Beaufort High opens its first sea-
son under former South Carolina star Devonte Holloman, who takes over for longtime coach Mark Clifford after three seasons as defensive coordinator. The Eagles host A.C. Flora at 8 p.m. Friday, but fans will be outside The Nest at 5:30 p.m. to begin tailgating and lined up at 6:30 p.m. for the Eagle Walk. “We are bringing back the old school feel with a new enthusiasm and energy and creating a community feel for Friday Night Lights,” Beaufort High Big Green Booster Club president Ty Reichel said.
“We are fresh, and we are pumped.” The other big game in the area on opening night will be in Seabrook, where Whale Branch hosts Battery Creek in the first of two meetings between the crosstown rivals this season. The Dolphins stunned the Warriors 23-0 last year en route to one of their best seasons in recent memory. Beaufort Academy, bolstered by the hiring of Clifford, will have to wait another week to open its season against visiting Clarendon Hall on Aug. 24.
MORE INSIDE: Check out full team previews for local high schools, provided by LowcoSports.com, on page A4.
Volunteers from the Beaufort High Big Green Booster Club painted parking spots for the pre-game tailgate in preparation for Friday’s season-opener against A.C. Flora. The booster club is selling reserved spaces for $100.
The End?
The Beaufort Plaza Stadium Theater on Robert Small Parkway is slated to be demolished soon to make way for more re-development, including a new Publix grocery store. Photos by Bob Sofaly.
The Plaza Stadium Theater on Robert Smalls Parkway, Beaufort’s only remaining indoor movie venue, is on the chopping block to make way for another Publix grocery store, according to reports. It remains unclear as to when the demolition will begin. Beaufort Plaza owner Paul Trask declined to comment on the fate of the theater at this time but said “there will be numerous changes and new businesses at Beaufort Plaza.” One unidentified woman making her way to the theater to watch a matinee show said she was sorry to see the iconic Beaufort building be destroyed. “I’m trying to see as many movies as I can, while I can,” she said. “I guess now we’ll all sit around and watch movies on our devices.” If the project goes through, the Highway 21 Drive-In will be the only theater remaining in northern Beaufort County. The nearest indoor theater would be in Bluffton.
The Sea Island Coalition voted last week to endorse a proposal for a 10-acre public park on the Whitehall tract on Lady’s Island. The endorsement by the Coalition's policy committee came on the heels of assurances from the developer, Sam Levin of Whitehall Point Holdings, that approved plans for the remaining 10-plus acres would not substantially change. Regardless of conversion of 10 acres of Whitehall to parkland, plans remain for approximately 20,000 square feet of retail and commercial development along Sea Island Parkway, a 100-unit "independent living" facility in the interior of the development, and “cottages and cottage homesites" along the eastern and southern borders of the development. "Our concern was that with the conversion of the western portion of Whitehall to parkland, the developer would shift higher density multi-story development to other areas of the Whitehall parcel,” Coalition vice president Mary Sommerville said. “This was discussed with Mr. Levin in several meetings this week, and he has committed to a build-out of the remaining acreage substantially as proposed. This resolved one of our major issues with the park proposal.” A second concern of the coalition was that the Whitehall acreage after a park-related sale be at least 10.2 acres in area, intended to ensure adequate public review if the parcel was ever sold to a third-party. "This provision does not affect current approvals for the site, but if the developer for some reason could not complete his plans, we want to ensure any subsequent purchase and development would be subject to public review by the Metropolitan Planning Commission rather than a simple administrative action by the City of Beaufort,” Sommerville said. “We see Whitehall as a ‘metropolitan’ resource and not the purview of only a single municipality. The Open Land Trust, which is negotiating the details of the parkland purchase, is fully aware of our concerns, and we are hopeful these conditions will be reflected in any final agreement.” The Coalition’s endorsement adds to a groundswell of support for the project. The Friends of Whitehall Park group’s change. org petition supporting the park has garnered more than 2,200 in just two weeks. "The Coalition has been pushing for a park at Whitehall for more than a year now, and we're excited that all the pieces are finally coming together," she said. "The Point at Whitehall is a special site, and it deserves to be conserved and protected." The Friends of Whitehall Park will hold an informational meeting on the property from 9 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 25. We are. Accreditation
THE FINAL FIVE BCSD announces five finalists for 2018-19 Teacher of the Year honor. PAGE A5
JAMMIN’ IN THE STREETS Acoustic style Delta Blues kicked off the fall series of Port Royal’s Street Music on Paris Avenue. PAGE B1
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