‘Critical issues’ causing delays to Surfside Beach Pier construction, mayor says

SURFSIDE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) – More issues are causing delays to the new Surfside Beach Pier, according to the town’s mayor.

Surfside Beach Mayor Bob Hellyer addressed the recent delays that were discussed during the town council meeting on Tuesday in his weekly Facebook update. The town council’s agenda on Tuesday did not list “pier discussion” as one of the items, but Hellyer posted that leaders didn’t learn there would be another delay until earlier in the week. He said once the council learned about another delay they notified the public of its concerns.

He said there are two critical issues that are impacting the pier construction: the fire suppression system and the security system.

Hellyer said the fire suppression system requires a schedule for inspections to be conducted to ensure public safety.

As for the security system, the town had originally decided that it would be installed after construction was completed.

But Hellyer explained that cost to put in a security system after construction turned out to be “astronomical.” After further evaluation, the town council decided to have the security system installed during construction to save money.

“It is unfortunate, but delays like these are problems that every construction project must deal with,” Hellyer said.

In February, the town’s mayor said the project was entering its final steps and expected construction to wrap up on April 16. Now with the delays, that date will change, but a new date has not been announced.

The new Surfside Beach Pier has been nearly seven years in the making after the first pier was destroyed by Hurricane Matthew.

The Surfside Beach Pier Committee is set to meet on Monday, March 20. On the agenda, committee members are expected to talk about the grand opening plan for the new pier.

Copyright 2023 WMBF. All rights reserved.