Ribbon cutting ceremony set for Buckwalter Place Greenway Trail
Public-private partnership steps into Lowcountry nature scene.
Bluffton's new Buckwalter Place Greenway Trail provides residents and visitors a place to get in touch with nature while exercising.
And for those with smart phones, an interpretive walk guide produced by CitiTrex LLC is available for download by scanning a QR code on nature trail signs.
The recently completed trail goes around three sides of Buckwalter Place, a mixed-use development at Buckwalter Parkway and its Bluffton Parkway leg across from the Townes at Buckwalter. The 1.35-mile long trail connects to the pathway along Buckwalter Parkway.
The trail will officially open to the public with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9 a.m. Wednesday at the southern trail entrance near the Buckwalter Place Publix. Then, in a touch suggested by Mayor Lisa Sulka, guests can join her and others in walking the trail.
A public/private partnership between the town and Parcel 6 LLC, the developers of Buckwalter Place enabled the project, said Project Manager Laura Budak of the town Engineering Department.
"This new pedestrian trail … has a mulch surface with short sections of elevated boardwalk. The first two sections of the trail, starting at the southern entrance, near Publix, have been designed to be ADA accessible," she said last week.
"Some of the natural features that can be seen along the trail are: bottomland hardwood forests, wetlands, streams, manmade lagoons and a planted pine forest that was once owned by a paper company. The trail provides excellent passive recreation opportunities, such as birding, photography, nature education, walking and running."
The project budget was $126,079. A grant from the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism grant providing $100,000 and Parcel 6 LLC provided $26,079.
The contractor, JS Construction Services of Ridgeland, was the lowest bidder at $93,650, Budak said.
Surveying, design and engineering was done last spring and summer and construction began last fall, according to a town schedule.
Town staff managed all construction activity and is administering the grant. Beaufort County granted a long-term property easement across a piece of county-owned land in order to make the project possible.
"The final receipts haven't come in yet, but the total expenditures for the project including design, surveying, soil testing, signage, bike racks, etc., should be around $120,000," Budak said.
Both she and Matt Green, Buckwalter Place developer, noted the trail comes with state-of-the-art technology. A multi-media tour of the trail and surrounding area was produced by CityTrex LLC in conjunction with Buckwalter Place developers.
The tour is available for free either on site at the trail via smart phone or online from anywhere. Trail signage tells visitors with smart phones how to to link to the feature.
Green said that "using the launch of the Greenway Trail, Buckwalter Place has created a culture oriented media platform to share local stories of the Lowcountry."
According to an overview he put together, "The Greenway Trail includes state of the art enhanced signage with multimedia interpretation by expert sources." It's available onsite at the trailhead via smartphone and for anyone online.
"The Greenway Nature Trail Interpretation will serve to educate, to entertain, as a point of interest for tourists and as an economic development tool for the community," Green said.
"We grab the attention of mobile users on I-95; they'll learn of a good option to stop, stretch and discover.
"We influence consumers researching a vacation, or students researching nature or the Lowcountry.
By including local authorities and organizations, we all gain exposure and further our goals."
Contact reporter Frank Morris at 815-0813 or frank.morris@blufftontoday.com
SEE TRAIL VIDEO ONLINE
Go online for a 10-minute video sample of the Buckwalter Nature Trail interpretation. The YouTube video produced by CityTrex LLC includes comments by Mayor Lisa Sulka, Buckwalter Place developer Matt Green and a Lowcountry Institute environmental educator.
IF YOU GO
What: Buckwalter Place Greenway Trail ribbon cutting ceremony
When: 9 a.m. Wednesday, after which guests are invited to walk the trail with the mayor and other dignitaries
Where: The southern trail entrance in Buckwalter Place near the Publix on Buckwalter Place Boulevard.
Parking: If you drive there, park in the Publix lot. Cyclists may use the bike racks located at either trailhead
BY FRANK MORRIS
BLUFFTON TODAY
