BEAUFORT, S.C. — A significant stormwater initiative in Downtown Beaufort is entering a new stage, necessitating the temporary closure of a key access point to local enterprises.

During a public forum on Tuesday, concerned shop owners sought clarity from city officials about the impending changes.

“It’s only natural for downtown shop owners, including restaurant proprietors, to be anxious about this situation. Frankly, it’s yet another hurdle for them,” remarked Scott Marshall, the Beaufort city manager.

Amidst an already challenging economic climate, waterfront closures, and the approach of a crucial fourth quarter, Downtown Beaufort merchants voiced feeling blindsided by the city’s recent update.

The intersection at Charles and Bay streets, a vital route into the heart of the area, will be inaccessible for five to six weeks due to the extensive stormwater work.

The closure is scheduled to begin on November 13, with plans to reopen the intersection by December 23.

“I think that we all are on the same page.  We weren’t expecting this, but it’s where we are,” said Cherimie Weatherford, the owner of SugarBelle Boutique on Bay Street. “We know we’re going to take a hit and that’s I think where our frustration began. We plan for storms, we plan for political elections, we plan for all the things that we know could hinder sales and traffic. When we don’t know that they’re coming. That’s when it gets difficult.”

Business owners and city officials sat down for those tough conversations at a public meeting tonight.

Some owners said they were scared that losing business during the prime holiday season could be the end of the line for a couple of shops.

“We understand that the timing is not good on this. And we’re going to work with these businesses. We’re going to work with the community, frankly, to try to make some lemonade out of lemons,” said Marshall.

 The Charles-Craven stormwater project is federally funded and must be finished by the May deadline, or the city will lose the funding.

In the meeting tonight, it was decided that a task force would be composed of officials and owners to make sure the holiday season goes to plan, even with detours and impacts to parking and possibly tourism.

South Carolina Representative Shannon Erickson even joined the conversation, asking the South Carolin Office of Resilience, who funds the project, to push construction back.

She said she is waiting for an answer.

“If we can push the opening of that intersection back five or six weeks, even then, that helps our store owners and our business owners considerably downtown,” said Marshall.

Weatherford added that though frustrations aren’t off the table, she is not giving up.

“We have to fix problems every day. You know, we have a staffing situation, we have the waterfront, our staff can’t afford housing.  So, we are very used to fighting battles and so this will just be another one. Unfortunately,” she said.

The city reiterates that downtown will remain open during construction and they are doing everything possible to support parking access, pedestrian traffic, and businesses during the closure.