Posted on September 8, 2020
SURFSIDE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) – The Surfside Beach mayor said town leaders are on track to picking a company to rebuild the pier.
The Surfside Beach Pier was destroyed almost four years ago when Hurricane Matthew hit.
A workshop was held Thursday on the Pier Restoration Project where leaders discussed the evaluations completed and other costs for the project.
There are three companies being considered for the major project by town leaders: Cape Romain Contractors, Consensus Construction and Orion/FBI.
Surfside Beach Finance Director Diana King explained the funding that is allocated for the building of the pier, along with other expenses.
King explained that the town has enough money, based on the current bids, to build the pier without raising taxes.
Leaders also heard from the architect and engineering firm associated with the project. Surfside Beach Mayor Bob Hellyer said there was one question that they couldn’t answer, but they assured leaders they would provide an answer by Friday afternoon.
Hellyer said if all information is provided then the town council will be able to award a bid at Tuesday’s meeting.
Meanwhile, the interim town administrator gave an update on the town’s request for an extension on the FEMA grant.
A major portion of the pier restoration funding is coming from a FEMA grant, but the construction must start before Oct. 15 or the town will lose the funding.
The administrator said the request for the extension was forwarded from the state level to the federal level for review.
Hellyer hopes that if the town awards a bid on Tuesday, then the FEMA extension will not be required.
Source: wmbfnews
