SURFSIDE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – Part of the pier in Surfside Beach will be torn down Monday. According to Mayor Bob Childs, it has been deemed a safety hazard.
Hurricane Matthew destroyed a lot of the pier. Engineers, who were brought in to assess the damage after the storm, are now saying 865 square feet of the remaining pier will need to be torn down as soon as possible.“There’s a lot of loose lumber there and they think this could be very dangerous,” said Mayor Bob Childs. “If we get a wind or some kind of minor storm then a lot of that would break loose.”
The mayor said people are always asking him when the pier is going to be rebuilt, and he wants to remind everyone that they are working diligently to make sure it can be done as quickly as possible.
It’s not clear how much this deconstruction project is going to cost, but the mayor said they are hoping to get as much government funding as possible.“We’re hoping that this is part of the refunding that we get from FEMA,” said Mayor Childs. “There’s not a day that goes by that we’re not doing something toward getting that pier started and finished.”
WBTW talked with people in Surfside Beach who said it’s good the town is tearing down part of the pier for safety reasons. Others say they just want to be able to move forward in having a new pier to enjoy.“Hopefully back to the way it was, and they can find some means of funding to just really make it happen,” said Murrells Inlet resident and frequent pier visitor Dave Coyle.
The deconstruction is expected to start Monday morning and a portion of the beach near the pier will be blocked off until the project is finished.
