If you’ve lived in Beaufort for any amount of time, you’ve seen an O’Quinn Marine Construction barge working on a dock or marina. It was a surprise to just about everyone that went to the Waterfront Park on Wednesday and Thursday to see one of their barges up close just next to the seawall. O’Quinn is a trusted and well respected company in the area. That’s probably why the City of Beaufort hired them to install pilings six inches from the seawall for a 150 foot span. The annual Shrimp Festival is coming up on October 4-5 and the pilings will be used to bring shrimp boats up to the seawall and, according to the city’s media release, prevent any additional damage to the already compromised structure of the Waterfront Park.
There is a good reason that all of the local political candidates are running on a platform that includes transparency and open government. A lot of promises about informing the public and getting their input have been flying around recently, and then a barge shows up putting pilings next to the park. There are a lot of concerned eyes on the Waterfront Park right now, and the city has promised to involve the public in all aspects of the repairs that need to happen to its structure, and then a barge shows up. This is not transparency.
The city did put out a media release and post on social media about the project, but only after it was already under way. As you can tell by the comments and conversation around town, there are lots of questions about the validity and origins of this project. But, no chance to get any answers: it has already happened.
Here are some of the questions it would be nice to get some answers to:
- Where did the idea for the pilings come from?
- How does the city know that it will prevent further damage to the Waterfront Park structure?
- What does temporary mean? Is there a timeline for taking them out?
- Will the cost for putting the pilings in be covered by proceeds from the Shrimp Festival?
- How was this project approved? Was SCDNR and/or DHEC involved?
