Plan to upgrade boat landing brings call for more dock space – Coastal Observer
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Plan to upgrade boat landing brings call for more dock space

State Sen. Stephen Goldfinch and Council Member Bob Anderson exchange ideas about the landing.

Georgetown County’s plans for a $1.5 million renovation of the Murrells Inlet Public Landing to go along with the realignment of the access road were stopped dead in the water by state lawmakers who say the landing’s biggest need is more dock space.

“It’s horrible down there in the summertime. There are fist fights,” state Sen. Stephen Goldfinch said. “We’ve got to come up with a solution.”

The county took ownership of the landing from the state in 2017. This year, the county realigned the access road to the parking lot so it no longer bisects the campus of Belin Memorial United Methodist Church. That $517,290 project used up money provided by the state when the landing was transferred plus another $150,000 in local accommodations tax.

The county wants state funds to replace the three boat ramps and the courtesy docks along with some additional paving. With engineering and permitting, that is estimated to cost $1.4 to $1.5 million.

At a meeting last week between County Council and delegation members, Will Sullivan, the assistant to the county administrator, barely had time to introduce the topic before Goldfinch asked about the courtesy docks.

There is one on each side of the boat ramp. Once boats are launched, the boaters tie up to the docks while they park their vehicle and trailer.

Christian Stevens was aboard a 25-foot SeaPro that tied up Sunday afternoon after a day of fishing. It was there about 15 minutes before it was hauled out at the ramp.

In the summer, there isn’t room for more than four boats to tie up, unless they’re small ones, she said. So boats idle in the creek between Crazy Sister and Mojo’s marinas.

“There’s a long line of boats waiting,” she said.

Adding courtesy dock space “would be super helpful,” Stevens said. “I hope they can do it soon.”

“Keeping the existing facility safe and functioning is the first priority,” state Rep. Lee Hewitt said.  “It would be great to have more access.”

But he also questioned whether there is already more boat traffic in Murrells Inlet than the waterways can handle.

“It is wall to wall boats and people out there,” Hewitt said, adding that is also a cause as well as a result of the overcrowded landing.

There is a channel on the north side of the access  that separates it from Mojo’s. Goldfinch suggested the county extend the courtesy dock space there or consider buying or leasing space at the marina.

“For a million and a half bucks, you might be able to buy a little piece of that marina,” he said.

It was sold for $2.7 million in 2020, according to county property records.

The landing is bordered on the south side by Belin Methodist, and no one thinks the church is likely to allow docks in front of its seawall.

“Belin’s not going to give up that view,” Council Member Clint Elliott said.

He agreed that the county should look at increasing dock space before renovating the landing.

“We can make do with what we’ve got there,” Elliott said.

The estimate for the Murrells Inlet landing anticipates adding more dock space, said Beth Goodale, the county director of Recreation and Community Services, who prepared it.  She was on vacation when the delegation and the council met.

“I do have some idea where maybe you could get some 30 feet here and maybe 20 feet there,” she said this week. “It’s just a matter of getting a funding commitment. That’s the first step.”

The renovations along with any changes will require state and federal permits. There is money in the estimate for the geotechnical and engineering work that must be done before applying for those permits, Goodale said.

The state Department of Natural Resources has $87,600 in its budget for improvements at all the landings in the county this year, she said.

Council Member Bob Anderson, who agreed that dockage in needed at Murrells Inlet, said the problem there is the same one faced at Hagley Landing on the Waccamaw River. 

One difference is that Hagley is used by more county residents.

At Murrells Inlet, “the majority of users come from outside Georgetown County,” Hewitt said.

Goodale agreed.

“It’s a regional destination,” she said, but it’s also one the county is now responsible for maintaining. “It urgently needs to be redone.”

Hewitt said the county can submit funding requests to him and Goldfinch. House and Senate staff review those requests as part of the budget process and, if suitable, suggest where they could fit into agency budgets.

The county also wants money for an extension of Brick Chimney Road around Georgetown and for dredging creeks and channels in Murrells Inlet.

The $37 million dredging project is one the lawmakers have worked on for years.

“Stephen and I have done that for the last five years at least,” Hewitt said.

They have secured over $14 million.

LOCAL EVENTS

Meetings

Georgetown County Board of Education: First and third Tuesdays, 5:30 p.m., Beck Education Center. For details, go to gcsd.k12.sc.us. Georgetown County Council: Second and fourth Tuesdays, 5:30 p.m., Council Chambers, 129 Screven St., Georgetown. For details, go to georgetowncountysc.org. Pawleys Island Town Council: Second Mondays, 5 p.m. Town Hall, 323 Myrtle Ave. For details, go to townofpawleysisland.com.   , .

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