The New Pavers on Folly's Center Street Have a Drainage Job

"It's not glamorous. But we also know this project has been a long time coming, and Folly will be better for it." Kristina Ogden, who owns Drop-In, said that to the Folly Current in August. At the time, the Center Street Stormwater Infrastructure Improvements Project was close to done and the street was still a maze of fencing and rerouted sidewalks.

She used the word "glamorous," but the finished street looks pretty good. Pale pavers line the curbs, palmettos are back, new lights are up, and the engraved bricks have been put back in place. The pavers, the planted beds and the new parking surfaces are part of a system built to handle water on Folly's main street. The bricks, palmettos and lights were the finishing work laid over it. Knowing what each piece does helps explain why the street looks the way it does now, and why your usual parking spot may have moved.

The street reopened on October 1

ABC News 4 reported the project complete on Thursday, October 1. The city scheduled a ribbon cutting for 3 p.m. that day at Center and Cooper. The mayor, City Council, project engineers and the Folly Association of Business were all expected to attend. The October Folly Current carried the business association's own welcome-back note, which says construction on Center Street "is complete" and thanks residents for their patience.

Mayor Chris Bizzell told the Folly Current the city expected the work to take about 16 months, so one summer was going to be disrupted no matter when it started. He said the timing was set by the grant, not by the city. "We're looking at what, $12 million? Folly Beach can't foot that bill," he said. Live 5 News reported that about $8 million of that came from the state's SCIIP program.

What each piece is for

The Folly Current listed the full scope in August. Here is how the parts you see connect to the parts you don't:

• Underground: large new storm drain pipes, new stormwater lines, and check valves meant to clear standing water after high tides or heavy rain.
• Rain gardens: planted bioretention cells along the street that soak up runoff before it reaches the pipes.
• Pervious PowerBLOCK pavers: paving that lets rainwater through. These are the pale blocks you now walk and park on.
• Permeable parking: parking spaces surfaced so water drains into the ground below them instead of sheeting toward the street.
• New asphalt, reinstalled engraved bricks, more palmettos and new street lighting: the finishing work on top, done once the drainage system was in.

The first four items are drainage. The last line is everything put back on top. Much of what looks like decoration, starting with the pavers and the planted beds, is part of how the street handles water.

Mayor Bizzell told Live 5 News he expected the new system to cut the time it takes to drain a storm from about 12 hours to about three. That was a forecast made before the project was finished. Public Works Director Eric Lutz gave the Post and Courier an early report from the summer: during one downpour, water kept flowing and the system did not back up. No local outlet has yet reported how the finished system handled a fall storm. The 12-to-three estimate gives you something to compare against after the next heavy rain.

Where the parking went

The permeable parking explains why parking changed. The city's project page lists 39 new parallel spaces in the project area and four spaces removed from Center Street, a net gain of 35. According to ABC News 4, the pervious parallel spaces were added on side streets next to Center Street. Center Street lost a few curb spaces, and the blocks just off it picked up more than it lost. The city page was written during construction and doesn't say how many of the new spaces are permeable, so treat the 39 as the project's planned layout.

Parking prices also shift with the season. Here is where things stand in early October:

Some on-street spots have their own year-round rates, so check the sign where you park.

Telling city spaces from private lots is the subject of a separate debate. In September, Council considered Ordinance 013-26, which would require privately operated lots to post their rates, hours, payment methods and contact information at their entrances or prominently online, and to say they are not run by the city. Will Sneed, who owns Red Shed Parking, told Live 5 he had "no problem with this ordinance as long as all privately owned lots show their prices on the street." On October 5, ABC News 4 reported that Council decided to study the proposal further. For now, nothing has been adopted, and the sign at each lot entrance is still the only guide.

The businesses that stayed open through the summer

The construction hit Center Street hardest at the busiest time of year. One number from the summer shows the gap. Mayor Bizzell told the Folly Current that the traffic counter on the bridge logged more cars this year than at the same point last year. He also said that didn't mean business was up on Center Street, where the work was concentrated. Owners along the street described the gap in their own terms, from blocked sidewalks to diners crossing to the other side.

These are the places the Folly Current talked to, and the ones you'll pass on the new pavers:

1. Coconut Joe's, at Center Street and West Ashley Avenue, owned by Perry Freeman.
2. The Washout, owned by Greg Marshall, who told the paper he expects the project to help business over the long run.
3. Drop-In, where Kristina Ogden said business held up well through the summer.
4. Shoobie's Ice Cream and The Pineapple Hut, both owned by Cody Brooks. The Pineapple Hut sits between West Erie and West Cooper.
5. Surfer Betty, a boutique in a trailer that opened next to The Pineapple Hut this year. Co-owner Melissa Anderson told the paper, "This year more than any year it's important to support your local businesses on Folly."
6. Flipper Finders, Richard Brendel's boat tour and kayak rental near the island entrance. He told the Folly Current he used the year to remodel the shop.

Two newer businesses opened nearby while the street was torn up. 3 Gulls Creamery opened just before the Fourth of July at 105 E. Huron Ave. Owner Rusty Fogle runs it with his family and offers 44 ice cream flavors plus hot dogs. At the pier, Koko's on the Pier opened March 25 in the former Pier 101 space.

The first weeks on the finished street

The city's first move after construction was to help businesses recover. For the October 3 Mermaids & Mateys festival, the city covered admission for up to 6,000 people with reserved tickets. It also funded free vendor spaces on Center Street and nearby side streets for brick-and-mortar shops, restaurants and bars. FAB Events Coordinator Kelly Travers told the Folly Current the goal was to "boost spending directly into our island businesses."

There's also a small change at the counter. The business association's October note says local businesses will no longer hand out straws and stirrers automatically. You can still ask for one.

The parking and pavers are in place now, the drainage system still has to get through its first fall storm, and the next big community date is Folly Beach Porch Fest on Saturday, November 7, from noon to 5 p.m., with music on five residential stages.

If you own on Folly and want to talk about what the rebuilt Center Street could mean for your property, Kim Meyer would be glad to walk the side streets with you. Let's Connect.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.