BEAUFORT, S.C. () — Gates and caution tape were never planned to be a part of the Beaufort waterfront’s picturesque view.

Just two weeks ahead of the year’s most anticipated event, Beaufort city officials were forced to shut down a key area after it was declared hazardous to the public.

“It will not be for a short period of time. It’s indefinite as of now,” said Beaufort City Manager, Scott Marshall.

The assessment arrived on Friday evening, revealing that the popular Henry C. Chambers waterfront platform had been deemed unsafe. Consequently, it is now off-limits to both residents and tourists eager to enjoy a stroll along the water’s edge.

Henry C. Chambers Waterfront playground and the downtown day dock have also been shut down until further notice. The downtown marina is not affected.

“It’s very disappointing,” expressed Marshall. “We have visitors who eagerly await their time in Beaufort, to sit on these swings by the water, take in the river views, enjoy the sight of the Woods Bridge, and unwind.”

Unfortunately, the city had to take down all the swings. 

“This is not the information or the news that we want in the city either,” said Marshall. “But nonetheless, we had to make the decision that was consistent with public safety and preservation of life. And so that’s what we did. It was a hard decision.”

Not only is the closure during peak tourist season, but it comes just 11 days to the start of the annual Beaufort Water Festival. The 10-day festival brings in on average $8-10 million a year.

“It means a lot. It means community, entertainment at a good price, and for a lot of people, It’s the annual family reunion,” said Todd Stowe, the commodore of the Beaufort Water Festival committee.

Stowe sighed as he explained his emotions through the process of finding out about the waterfront’s closure so close to opening day.

“We’ve been doing this, you know, counting COVID, this is our 70th year, the 69th festival,” said Stowe. “It changes every year, so this is a little unscheduled change, a little closer to the festival than we would like, but we’re good at thinking on our feet. I’ve got a good crew. We’re going to make it work.”

The park, built in 1974, was only expected to last 50-60 years, and the city has been aware of the deteriorating pilings underneath for some time.

The city knows the waterfront will need to be fixed or rebuilt before opening back up, but they need to figure out more details from engineers before they can give a timeframe on when.

“We don’t know what the repair options will be, or the replacement option will be.  It’s just too early in the process to be able to even make that prediction,” said Marshall.

The closed off area is about 35-40 feet from where the waterline is at the edge of the park. When asked if more of the park could potentially be at risk, Marshall couldn’t confirm.

“We don’t think so, but we’ll keep in close touch with our engineers and ask those types of questions. We have a whole laundry list of questions we need to ask them based on the report they provided to us on Friday evening.”

As of now, none of the Water Festival events have been cancelled, but if changes need to be made, the committee will pivot accordingly.

The city will meet with engineers again on Tuesday, July 1, where they expect more answers on the waterfront’s future.