HEARD ON THE STREET

TOWN OF HILTON HEAD PURCHASES WELCOME CENTER, PLANS A NEW STATE-OF-THE ART FACILITY
The Town of Hilton Head recently purchased the Welcome Center and Coastal Discovery Museum gift shop at 100 William Hilton Parkway for $2.3 million. The deal includes 3.3 acres of land as well as a building which serves as the Island’s primary Welcome Center for visitors.

The Welcome Center, which is operated by the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, will be redesigned as a state-of-the-art facility on a high-traffic parcel of land nestled between Hwy. 278 and the marsh. The existing building, a former restaurant, is in need of extensive renovation.

The Coastal Discovery Museum will relocate its facilities to Honey Horn within the next several years. The chamber will be able to stay on the site for 50 years. The Welcome Center purchase will be paid for through hospitality taxes, which come from a 2% charge on prepared food and beverages.

WORLD’S FOURTH-LARGEST PRIVATELY-OWNED YACHT VISITS SKULL CREEK MARINA
SeaFair’s Grand Luxe, a spectacular 228-foot megayacht, recently docked at Skull Creek Marina on Hilton Head Island, inviting guests to tour the ship’s $400 million floating art show featuring paintings, jewelry and antiques.

The $40 million ship is making stops in various affluent East Coast communities throughout the summer, squeezing a visit to the island between dockings in Savannah and Charleston. Designed by yacht designer Luiz de Basto of Miami, the Grand Luxe features five decks, 28 galleries, two five-star restaurants and three bars, one of which is an open-air champagne and caviar lounge.

A Miami couple who founded the Palm Beach International Fine Art and Antique Fair and organized other international art fairs devised the floating art gallery concept after they sold their business in 2001. The Grand Luxe is the first of five exposition yachts the couple's company plans to develop to host fashion shows, auctions, seminars and private events.

TOWN OF BLUFFTON TO REVITALIZE OLD TOWN WITH STREETSCAPE PROJECT
The Town of Bluffton plans to revitalize Old Town through a strategic Streetscape project. During a recent hearing, town officials unveiled plans for the $3.2 million effort to make Bluffton’s Old Town historic area more attractive to residents and visitors.

The current plans for the Streetscape, which will stretch from Burnt Church Road to Stock Farm, call for approximately 200 additional on-street parking spaces, new sidewalks and new landscaping along sections of the roads. Local residents and businesses welcome the long-awaited revitalization effort.

The first phase of the project, which runs from Burnt Church Road to S.C. Hwy. 46, is expected to begin in September 2008 and be completed by July 2009. The second phase, which runs from S.C. Hwy. 46 to Whispering Pines, is scheduled to begin in January 2009 and be completed a year later. The second phase of the Streetscape project will also include new streetlights and public benches.

ARTS COUNCIL OF BEAUFORT COUNTY TO HOST FIRST ARTS SUMMIT
The Arts Council of Beaufort County will host its inaugural arts summit on August 18 at the Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn on Hilton Head Island. The free event has been designed to unite area artists and to discuss important issues facing the local arts community.

The arts summit will feature expert panels on a wide range of topics including copyright law, ethical behavior, creating partnerships and the economic impact of the arts. The results of a new study by Georgia Southern University on the reach of creative arts and cultural tourism in the local economy will also be announced at the arts summit. A wide range of local artists are expected to attend the event.