| Project History |
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The Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park has a long, proud history as Beaufort's main attraction. From its inception in the 1970's to the present day, the park evokes great passion of many citizens and visitors alike. Click below to learn more about the history of this monumental project.
The Early Years |
The Early Years In the late 1960's the Beaufort River, as is borders the buildings along the south side of Bay Street, was a much different place than it is today. The area to the south of the buildings consisted of dilapidated structures, with the River reaching almost to the edge of the buildings. The area had, in previous decades, been a bustle of commercial activity, with shrimp boats and other commercial vessels docking and off loading their merchandise to sell in the community. But by the late 1960's it had fallen into disarray, and was disappearing into obscurity. In the 1970's, then Mayor Henry Chambers began to realize the potential of this jewel in the rough. He envisioned a grand park with magnificent viewsheds of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. After much community discussion, and in the face of many local nay sayers, the Mayor and City Council began to discuss the development of a waterfront park. In 1975, the City commissioned landscape architects Robert Marvin and Associates of Walterboro to develop a site plan for the proposed park. In May of 1976, the plan was completed and the park was ready to be developed. Then, and even by today's standards, the construction was a marvel of engineering. A long dock, or "relieving platform" was constructed to provide a base to fill in with exquisitely landscaped gardens and lawns. Construction was funded through a partnership with the state and federal government. The park was completed in 1977, with the groundbreaking attended by local and national dignitaries, including the late Strom Thurmond, who served as South Carolina's Senator at the time. Throughout the 1980's and 90's the park experienced intense use by residents and visitors alike. The years of wear and tear began to take their toll on the park, and it was showing. Significant deterioration in the park's systems, including irrigation and stormwater management, were causing plant life to wither and structures to deteriorate, as well as regular flooding throughout the park. The City needed to take action before this community resource was lost. In 2000, the City released a request for proposals for the development of a new park master plan, as well as a remediation action plan for improvements to the park. Six firms from across the nation submitted proposals. Sasaki Associates, world renowned park designers, stood out as the obvious choice to bring the park back to life. Sasaki began preparing the master plan and the technical report, which confirmed the City's suspicions about deterioration throughout the park. The report listed serious deficiencies in the structures, stormwater system, electrical systems, and landscaping. In early 2002, the master plan was released. City Council voted to accept the plan with some modifications and to release a request for proposals for implementation. In July of 2002, ColeJenest and Stone of Charlotte were selected to implement Phase I of the Sasaki Plan. Utilizing the guiding principles of creating a signature civic space, a lively urban atmosphere, a diversity of experiences, a close link to the historic district and ease of maintenance, the designers underwent a lengthy public design process including two charettes, and over twenty public input sessions. After nearly two years of public input and design review, City Council adopted an implementation plan and revised master plan for Phase I of the park renovations. In early 2005, the project went out to bid. Utilizing a rigorous pre-qualification of contractors and subcontractors, with oversight by our construction managers, Collins Engineers, the City selected Brantley Construction Company of Charleston as the general contractors for the project. The project is expected to be an 11-month construction process with the grand opening slated for late Summer of 2006. |