here, they said the initial group would have an average wage of $60,000,” Mayor Williams notes. “Now think about how this whole area originally had survived in just the hospitality industry. They had to drive a long way or bus to Hilton Head and make minimum wage or slightly above. Now all of a sudden right down the road from a large vast area, they’re going to have $60,000 jobs that they can go to.” The central zone will feature Buc-ee’s massive travel center at Exit 8, spanning 46.2 acres and representing only the second such facility in South Carolina following the successful Florence location. The development will create approximately 200 jobs with competitive wages ranging from $16 hourly to over $100,000 for management positions. Northern areas accommodate affluent residential developments that provide the tax base supporting municipal services and attracting quality retailers to the revitalized downtown corridor. BUILDING THE FOUNDATION FOR CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE Hardeeville faces the complex challenge of expanding utilities and transportation networks fast enough to support a population that has nearly tripled in five years. The city works closely with the Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority, which recently completed a $350,000 waterline upgrade and expanded the local water reclamation facility to handle 2.7 million gallons daily, with capacity to reach 4.0 million gallons as growth continues. “The infrastructure is certainly one of our biggest challenges,” Mayor Williams acknowledges. “Water sewer, our projected growth will outgrow the current water sewer. Beaufort-Jasper Water Sewer Authority is working to meet our future demands. We’re not there yet, but that’s a big infrastructure need.” The authority has operated as a bi-county utility serving both Beaufort and Jasper counties since 1954, providing regional coordination for major infrastructure investments. 228 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 09 HARDEEVILLE, SC
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