At the Feb. 25 Isle of Palms City Council meeting, Interim City Administrator Douglas Kerr provided an update on ongoing beach preservation efforts. In response to continued erosion along the Beachwood East block, the city has purchased 50 additional sandbags as part of an emergency effort to protect the area since the last allocation.
Kerr also announced that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has begun delivering sand to the Breach Inlet end of the island. Once enough sand accumulates, the city will relocate sandbags previously placed along this stretch to Beachwood East. Moving and reusing existing sandbags will cost less than a quarter of purchasing new ones. This process is expected to begin in March, followed by berm restoration efforts in April.
The city has also requested additional engineering services from Thomas & Hutton as part of the larger Waterway Boulevard Pathway Widening and Tidal Inundation Mitigation Project. The initiative aims to widen the pathway between 21st and 41st avenues from five to eight feet, allowing it to serve as a multi-use path while also raising it to function as a tidal barrier capable of withstanding sea level rise and extreme tides of up to seven feet.
The additional services include new drainage infrastructure at Hole 8 of the Wild Dunes Golf Course. This requires a third easement plat, adding $25,000 to the project’s most recent $238,200 budget.
Addressing concerns over the expenditure, Mayor Philip Pounds clarified, “We’re not paying for golf course improvements; we’re paying for flood mitigation along the Waterway Boulevard path, which is a much bigger project.”
Councilmember Katie Miars echoed his statement, adding, “Once we get this done, it’s hugely beneficial to us. It’s very well spent.”