Surfside Beach announces new date for pier dedication ceremony

SURFSIDE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) - The Town of Surfside Beach has announced the next step toward opening its long-awaited pier.

The town announced Friday that a dedication ceremony will be held Monday at noon. Officials also noted that the pier and pier parking lot will not be open for the ceremony. Those attending are being asked to use surrounding parking lots and areas, such as the parking lot on nearby Yaupon Drive.

Surfside Beach Mayor Bob Hellyer and members of town council are expected to be in attendance. The ceremony will also include an unveiling of the pier’s plaque.

The announcement comes days after WMBF News obtained documents highlighting reasons for the pier’s delays. Among those documents was an engineering report stating that progress on the project “was not yet to the level of substantial completion.”

Some of the key items in question involved railings, walking surfaces, stairs as well as needed guard rails and handrails.

It’s unclear how many of the items and code compliance issues have been completed or fixed since the report.

The pier was originally destroyed by Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and has been closed ever since.

The town also pushed back its original dates for a dedication ceremony and soft opening earlier this month. No replacement date for the latter has been announced.

Stay with WMBF News for updates.

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