Interview Part II: A Look Ahead
Written by Matt Richardson
Photography by Matt Richardson
hat is Bluffton?
“Bluffton is a series of villages that are interconnected from highway 170, Buckwalter, the Shultz tract to highway 46 and beyond.”
So says Mayor Hank Johnston, who this year steps down after serving in the executive position of our quiet, but steadily growing riverside town. There is merit to these words, for over the past ten years Bluffton has grown under his leadership and in many ways has changed forever from what it used to be. In many ways, however, it still remains the same little crossroads inhabiting its spot in time and space beneath the swaying Spanish moss of the South Carolina Lowcountry.
Since 1997, Hank Johnston has served two years as mayor Pro-Tem and two terms as mayor of Bluffton. All leadership leaves results in its wake. Good or bad, people and places are affected by the impact of personality, decisions and vision... or a lack thereof. With Hank, not one of these was lacking. In fact, so many changes have taken place in and around Bluffton during his terms as mayor that his successor has big shoes to fill, even if he or she decides not to continue the work that has been started.
Since the turn of the millennium, Bluffton has seen unprecedented growth. New homes, businesses and civic projects have sprung up where pine forests and quiet streets have been. People have flooded in from all parts of the country to live and work in an ever-popular coastal environment. Managing this growth has not been easy, but it has been necessary to keep the town alive and to make way for the next phases of life to come.
What will the future of Bluffton be? What steps will a new mayor need to take to be ready for the challenges of the next few years? I sat down with Mayor Hank and he spoke at length about the past, present and future of our town.
According to Hank, the new mayor will need to do three things:
Know the “big picture” of Bluffton’s history and growth.
Expand the town council and, if possible, include representatives from old town and the African American community.
Include the improvements made through Hank and the administrative team already in place.
Part of the “big picture” of managing the development of the town has been to make sure that ratios were kept in line. Hank described the concept of having homes and commercial space coincide, to space growth out in workable patterns and distances. Homes needed to be close enough to shops, restaurants and businesses to allow for convenience. The goal has been to have anything a resident needed within five minutes from their home. This meant that other arteries were needed besides 278 and May River Rd. Since homes build up faster than commercial space, a good look was required at residential and business needs.
With new homes and new people comes the need for new jobs and new schools, and vice versa. A major challenge will be an effort to provide the right atmosphere and opportunity for professional and technical companies to come to Bluffton. A tech park on Buckwalter with companies like CareCore has potential to bring hundreds of jobs into Southern Beaufort County. To get and keep these companies will require a long-term commitment to providing the right opportunities. This, along with the Jasper port terminal and other future projects will have a lasting impact on the life of Bluffton.
The new mayor will be challenged to keep the interconnected “villages” of Bluffton together through bike paths, greenways, parks and pedestrian friendly roads. Hank says that the town needs more streetscape innovation and completion of works like Oyster Factory Park. New schools being built will need to be accessible from the neighborhoods they serve and the new jobs and commercial space will need to cater to the possibility of workers walking, biking or driving far less in their daily commute. Today’s workers are more tech-savvy and prefer being closer to home, Hank says, spurring the need for live-work structures like The Promenade and other developments.
Life is changing, the world is changing and according to Mayor Hank, Bluffton will need to adapt. Keeping the old parts of Bluffton unique will be a particular challenge to the new mayor. Old Town has its own flavor and changes already underway will need to be closely managed to keep the spirit of Bluffton alive. The May River, too, will need to be a focus. A water management committee, working with local and state agencies and proper ordinances is now in place to continue to improve water quality in the river and govern the runoff that flows into it. The unique ecosystem of the May River, actually a saltwater estuary and not a true “river” (no fresh water source) at all, must be preserved to ensure the survival of the delicate wildlife and marsh habitat.
Hank says that the new mayor needs to consider the impact of all the “what-ifs” on the river, the town and the people. What if the new port terminal does not occur as planned? With the future widening of the Panama Canal, larger ships will require a deeper Savannah River and this affects the economy and the land. What if an environmental disaster occurs, either natural or man-made? Everyone thinks of and prepares for hurricanes, but take for example an oil spill. Mayor Hank remembers the relatively small oil spill in the May River and how it took a long time for the government to respond adequately. The new mayor will need to work to continue to streamline the government process, work with the proper agencies and give the town the teeth to do what is needed for self-preservation. This will take a lot of time, effort and continual work.
Mayor Hank Johnston has worked hard to serve Bluffton through some very challenging and exciting times. He is convinced that even better things lie ahead for our quiet river town. As for him, he will finally slow down and become the retiree he set out to be over a decade ago.
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