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Events in and around Beaufort

Billy Keyserling

 

 

  An Inspiring and Productive "Holiday"


 


 Riba-Rajo del Turia, Spain

 

I am very serious about our community doing the best we can to  harness and "package" our historic, artistic and other cultural assets. This improves the quality of life for those who live here and makes us more attractive to visitors and those may want to relocate a home or business to the area.

 

Upon recognizing the importance of the Santa Elena discoveries, I am giving as much personal support I can to help the Santa Elena Foundation grow and prosper.  

 

A few months ago I had the good fortune to meet  Don Alvaro Armada -- the Spanish Count who is a direct descendant of the explorer Pedro Menendez who discovered Santa Elena -- when he was in Beaufort meeting with the Santa Elena Foundation. At lunch we discussed the potential for establishing a cross cultural exchange between Beaufort/Port Royal and a City in Spain. 


 

Not long after, I received the following invitation from the Mayor of a small City called Riba-Rajo del Turia. 


 


 


 

 

 

Since my girlfriend Paola, a school teacher who had a ten day Easter break, was free, we decided to go to Spain for a holiday and to combine the visit with a meeting with the Mayor and cultural leaders in Riba-Rajo del Turia.


 On the way, we visited gorgeous and gentle Madrid and the vibrant and bustling City of Barcelona both of which I highly recommend to anyone who has not been there or may want to return. 

 

Meeting and mingling with government and cultural leaders in the small, but fast growing, City of Riba-Roja del Turia --  just outside of Valencia which is the country's third largest City in Spain-- is an experience I will never forget.

 

The visit was organized by Don Alvero Armada and we were hosted both formally and informally by Mayor Francisco Tarazona and his right hand for Cultural Affairs, Councilman Salvador Silvestre Larrea supported by his able Culture and Tourism team who were most gracious (and, by the way, spoke English).

 

Before we drove to Riba-Rajo del Turia, we toured the City of Valencia which is the third largest city in Spain. 

 

 

The Bull Fighting Venue and poster.

 

 

 

 

Lobby of Gorgeous Train Station and note the way finding signs similar to what Beaufort seeks to achieve

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Valencia we traveled twenty minutes by car to Riba-Rajo del Turia


Upon our arrival, City leaders and the Community Art Association and others excited to hear about Beaufort rolled out the red carpet in their freshly restored ancient  Castle (donated by Don Alvaro Armada's family).

I cannot say I have ever seen a more perfect and refreshing restoration of an historic structure that serves as a community gathering place, a venue for rotating art shows and a museum reflecting the history of the Castle.




 Left to Right:  Council member Larrea, who leads cultural affairs, the esteemed Mayor Tarazona and Don Alvaro Armada



Extraordinary entertainment by a fourteen year old musician



And, of course, the politicians had our turn at center stage



And a wonderfully gracious welcome reception featuring wine and tapas.

Though the show came the next day, I want to share some of the very special art by 15 year old Ana Pazosvasquez. I plan to write her to see if she will sell a few of the pieces that would fit well into my art collection.











Sightseeing in Riba-Rajo del Turia

 
Above after classical guitar concert, artise is rightly reluctant to let me touch his beautiful instrument.  


Exterior and Interior of City Hall.  Amazing space created inside a very old classical city hall restoration. To the right the City's Director of Culture and Tourism.


Sitting at Mayor's desk in City Hall writing a note about our visit in his journal.  Sitting in Mayor's seat in Council Chamber, honorary Mayor for 2 minutes.


At 10 pm after the reception, we dropped into to watch the city band rehearsal at the institute of music.  Large wind band and I could only imagine combining them with the mostly string Beaufort Symphony and taking them on the road to promoted Santa Elena.  Also successful ceramic artist in his studio.  He gave Paola a most beautiful crafted serving bowl.


The new and the old.  Underground parking garage (perhaps we need their parking consultant) and ancient restored doors to the church which I am sure HBF would love to inspect as to the restoration.


The streets are required. Some cities in Spain take off the week before Easter and others take off the week after. Also to the right is an artist rendering of Old Riba-Roja.


(Anyone care to translate?)

The long and short of the Riba-Rajo del Turia visit was that we made friends, many of whom are curious and would like to visit Beaufort and the Santa Elena site and one day participate in a cultural exchange between the two cities.

A decision about the course of action is not mine to make alone, as this would have to be a collaboration between the City of Beaufort with our partners in Port Royal, the Santa Elena Foundation and other arts and cultural organizations whose participation would be required.

Needless to say I am inspired and exploring options.

On a final note, before I met her, the 16 year old, who served as my translator had already researched and wants to attend USCB.  Her parents are artists and she has siblings so a scholarship may be required if anyone is interested.



I would be remiss if I did not share some of the images of food.  

 

 

 

Yummie!

 

Beaufort names Bill Prokop as new City Manager

 

Bill Prokop, an experienced town government leader with a background in private business, is the new Beaufort City Manager following City Council approval Tuesday.

 

"Bill has a unique ability to communicate with the public and with City Council, and he has a clear desire to share information and to involve people in our work at City Hall," Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling said.

 

"His background as a successful businessman, plus his public sector experience, makes him invaluable and the ideal person to move us ahead," Keyserling said. "In the short time he's been interim city manager, he's been meeting with groups, talking to organizations and doing a lot of listening."

 

Prokop had served as interim city manager since January, when former city manager Scott Dadson left. Prokop came to City Hall as director of human resources in early 2014.

 

"I am humbled and very happy to accept these new challenges as Beaufort City Manager," Prokop said.

 

The finalists for the position were Prokop; David McCuen, city manager of Abbeville, SC; and Dianna Turner, administrator in Travelers Rest, SC. More than 80 people applied for the position.

 

 The City Manager leads the administration of the City of Beaufort and is responsible for all departments, including finance, planning, police and courts, fire, human resources and public works. The City's 2015 fiscal year budget is approximately $16.8 million.

 

In addition to daily responsibilities, the new city manager will be expected to take the lead on the $30 million Boundary Street redevelopment project, building a new fire station on Ribaut Road, and finding ways to continue a high level of public services in the face of budget challenges.

 

Prokop came to Beaufort as the director of human resources in 2014, then was tapped to serve as interim city manager in January. Prokop came to Beaufort from Keene, New Hampshire, where he worked as the Assistant City Manager and HR director from 2008-2014.

 

From 2002-2008, he served as Town Administrator in Antrim, NH, and previously worked in the private sector. Prokop holds a bachelor's degree in business from Bryant University and also studied labor law at the University of Bridgeport and international finance at the London School of Business.


Beaufort formally breaks ground

for new Ribaut Road Fire Station

 

Beaufort celebrated the construction start of its newest fire station Wednesday and firefighters expect to move in by year's end.

 

Members of Beaufort City Council, Port Royal Town Council and other local leaders participated in the short ceremony Wednesday morning to kick-off construction of the $3.3 million project.

 

The new fire house site is ideally situated for fire protection, Beaufort Fire Chief Sammy Negron said. The site is geographically positioned between Port Royal's main station and Beaufort's current Fire Headquarters near the intersection of Ribaut and Boundary Street. 

 

Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling said the new fire station solves several problems.

 

"We are moving out of a building that is located between two schools, which is obviously not a very safe location for fire trucks. We are also moving out of a building that would need total renovation at pretty high costs," Keyserling said.

 

"The good news now is that we'll be moving into a fire station that is in a much better location that further secures our fire rating, which helps reduce fire insurance premiums," he said.

 

After months of review and negotiation, the Beaufort City Council in January agreed to move forward with construction of the new Beaufort Fire Station at 1120 Ribaut Road. The new facility will replace the outdated one beside Beaufort Middle School and across from Mossy Oaks Elementary on residential Mossy Oaks Road. City Council hasn't decided what to do with that property after the new facility opens.

 

Firefighting equipment will be moved from the Mossy Oaks Road station to the new station.

 

"Our firefighters are looking forward to moving into this wonderful new facility," Negron said. "We will be perfectly located to serve the emergency calls from this area and into Port Royal."

 

Since the city bought the original property at 1120 Ribaut Road property in September 2013, it also acquired a smaller parcel adjacent the Love House Ministries' bowling alley. The additional land addresses road access, enabling fire vehicles to pull into the station from the rear of the property, and also enables the City to address overall drainage and stormwater run-off issues of the area.

 

Negron said the Ribaut Road location offers:

*       Direct access to the main artery between Beaufort and Port Royal

*       Easy and efficient travel times to the entire coverage area for this fire station

*       Excellent geographical positioning to reinforce and enhance the ISO 2 rating             that helps reduce commercial fire insurance premiums

*       Limited impact on neighborhoods

*       Greater distance from large schools than the current Mossy Oaks station

*       Smooth traffic flow for fire vehicles, including direct access to the rear of              the facility (eliminating fire trucks having to back into the bays).

 

The total cost of the project, including land, furnishings and technology, is $3,299,837. Frasier Construction is the general contractor for the project.


 

Note the budget includes two new streets and long awaited area storm water management improvements that address current neighborhood needs and make room for future development.

 

 

 

More on Offshore Exploration and Offshore Drilling



And then to Elected Officials

Editorial | Crude Oil Doesn't Fit in Tourism Economy

 

Local governments failed to speak for environment

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/opinion/editorials/article18242969.html

 

From Myrtle Beach on Line. 

04/11/2015 8:00 AM  04/11/2015 12:00 PM


And then there is Mayor Jack Scoville of Georgetown

Mayor Jack Scoville: Risks of offshore drilling  

far too high for Georgetown County

 

The City of Georgetown, while relatively small in size, has been at the core of economic conversations since the era of rice cultivation. The debate over offshore drilling is no exception.

 

As mayor, I join my many other coastal colleagues when I say that the risk to our citizens and our coast is not worth the slim possibility of reward.

 

In Georgetown County, 21 percent of our citizens live below the poverty level and 6.9 percent are unemployed.

 

Our community needs immediate economic stimulation, something the oil and gas industry cannot offer. The series of procedural steps that must take place before an oil rig can be operational and therefore offer employment opportunities for local residents, is nearly two decades.


 

The job benefits that the Gulf States enjoy were generations in the making, and still those states rank alongside South Carolina in their levels of poverty.

 

If the oil industry is able to withstand market changes for 20 years and bring jobs to Georgetown, our citizens will be competing nationally for the most dangerous low-skill, high-return positions. If they succeed, they will to join an industry whose employees are seven times more likely to die on the job than the average American worker.

 

Our only other prospective economic benefit from offshore drilling would be if a refinery and other related processing facilities, like those located in the Louisiana region called "cancer alley" by residents, came to Georgetown.

 

A refinery would not only ruin our revitalized boardwalk and historic area, it would compromise our health, our tourism and our fishing industry.

 

Each year, in Georgetown County, some 540,000 tourists put more than $232 million into our economy. Oil and toxic chemical spills are a regular, not rare, occurrence on offshore rigs. These constant spills pollute the water and would leave their residue on our beaches, marshes and in our rivers and creeks. The beauty of our current coastline would be spoiled, as would our appeal to future residents, retirees, families and the companies that serve them.

 

Georgetown's identity is undergoing a metamorphosis as our economy grows on our own terms. Itis known as a place to find a historic home, a place to eat a gourmet meal, a place where you can graduate from technical college and find a job that pays more than most university graduates make. This evolution did not happen overnight; nor is the transformation complete, but its progress is in our hands.

 

If our coast is opened for leasing in 2021, coastal citizens and municipalities will have no hand in the process but to wait.

 

Wait for economic returns that may never come, wait for the industrialization of the coast to drive off the tourists, and wait for the oil industry to mar the only American coast left untouched by a major oil spill.

 

Rather than spending the next 30 years waiting, I would like us to spend them exploring and obtaining new opportunities for our city, and building a future of our own choosing. To secure that chance, we must act now and say no to offshore drilling.

(Jack M. Scoville Jr. is mayor of the City of Georgetown.)