The company that manages the City of Beaufort’s downtown marina, Safe Harbor Marinas, plans to invest more than $7.5 million on a marina expansion and upgrades over the next two years.
Safe Harbor has leased the marina from the City since July 2019. In a recent presentation to Beaufort’s City Council, it detailed various expenses it has incurred to bring maintenance up to date, including $124,500 to replace 30 moorings.
Safe Harbor outlined an ambitious plan for future improvements that would include:
- A new floating dock system that would contain a welcome center, pump-out station and diesel and gasoline fuel dispensers
- Resized slips to accommodate larger vessels
- A new ADA-compliant gangway
- 2,496 linear feet of flexible side tie berthing to host transient vehicles
Also in the downtown Beaufort marina upgrades project will be a new office and bathroom facilities, currently located onshore, that will float on the water. The marina can hold as many as approximately 100 boats on any given day, with some parked in boat slips all year-round.
Earlier in 2021, the company was awarded a $1.5 million federal grant through the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. It matched that with $2.4 million, for a total of $3.9 million to go toward its proposed improvements at the marina.
Safe Harbor Marinas manages 125 marinas, including Charleston and Skull Creek on Hilton Head Island. In 2019, it signed a 10-year lease with the City of Beaufort. The City receives a percentage of the revenues generated at the marina, and is not responsible for maintenance or improvements to the marina.
