Capitol riot fallout causes public dispute in Bluffton
Bluffton Today
Contentious national debates following the U.S. Capitol riot have reared their head in the Lowcountry. A Bluffton musician who attended the rally that preceded the riot, a Bluffton town councilwoman calling for venues to stop offering him gigs, and supporters of both exchanged dissent this week.
On Jan. 6, thousands of people who believe President Donald Trump’s unproven assertions that widespread fraud impacted the 2020 election attended demonstrations outside the Capitol while Congress was holding certification hearings.
The gatherings turned into a violent insurrection and occupation of the federal building that left five dead, including a police officer, before the Capitol was cleared and Congress completed the election certification that night.
Bluffton Town Council to continue with online meetings
Bluffton Today
Town of Bluffton officials continue to take a cautious approach when it comes to attendance for public meetings during the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite some optimism at recent Town Council meetings about the prospect of returning to Town Hall for sessions at the start of 2021, council will continue to meet online for the time being, Mayor Lisa Sulka said.
Amid concerns about gatherings during the pandemic, council has been holding its meetings online since March.
“I probably jumped too fast and I shouldn’t have,” Sulka said. “You know, I just want some normalcy back. The (Beaufort County) Board of Education meet (in person), Hardeeville (City Council) meet (in person). I just can’t get that agreement from all of our council right now and I sure don’t want to start this year off divisive.”
Bluffton town manager resigns, accepts Hilton Head Island position
Bluffton Today
The town of Bluffton confirmed this week that town manager Marc Orlando resigned Monday and accepted the same position with the town of Hilton Head Island.
News of Orlando s departure first surfaced during a Dec. 30 meeting in which Hilton Head Island Town Council voted 5-1 to offer him a contract.
A day later, Bluffton Mayor Lisa Sulka said she had found out about Orlando s interest in the job that week, saying she was in shock.
Sulka said she expects Bluffton Town Council to address how to proceed with the opening at its next meeting Jan. 12 and said it s likely council will appoint an interim town manager. She added that deputy town manager Scott Marshall makes sense.
Garvin-Garvey House renovation receives fourth state award
Bluffton Today
The town of Bluffton s rehabilitation of the Garvin-Garvey House was recognized last month with its fourth statewide award since the project s 2017 completion.
The South Carolina chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIASC) awarded Charleston historic preservation firm Meadors Inc. a Citation Award for Adaptive Reuse and Preservation for the project at its annual award ceremony in November, the town said.
The town contracted Meadors Inc. and its architects and historic preservationists for research and the blueprint for the Garvey-Garvey House’s preservation and rehabilitation.
Members of the AIASC award panel said, “The Garvin-Garvey House was on the verge of collapse. The rehabilitation represented an intensive and thorough investigation of the remnants to understand the original construction and its details.