Hilton Head Island’s St. James Baptist Church and Cherry Hill School to be Relocated with $4 Million Earmarked Funds from Sen. Tom Davis

Hilton Head Island’s St. James Baptist Church and Cherry Hill School to be Relocated with $4 Million Earmarked Funds from Sen. Tom Davis

One of the most eminent figures in South Carolina, Senator Tom Davis, has secured funding for the construction of St. James Baptist Church and the relocation of Cherry Hill School situated on Hilton Head Island. The allocated funds are part of this year’s state budget and amass to the tune of $4 Million. However, additional funding of estimated $5 millions is still needed for the entire project, according to officials.

Historic Churches and Schools In Line with Airport’s Runway Protection Zone

In recent years, the runway expansion of Hilton Head Airport has affected several neighboring institutions and localities. One of the many places standing in jeopardy includes St. James Baptist Church, the oldest continuously operating cultural cornerstone in Mitchelville established for freed slaves back in 1886. The Cherry Hill School, built in 1937 and currently the last remaining schoolhouse exclusively built for African American children on the island also has been influenced by the expansionist plans of the airport.

A 700-foot runway extension finalized in 2018 by Hilton Head has since posed a problem for these historical structures. This longer runway now allows larger planes to land, which unfortunately has compelled the runway protection zone to encompass both, the church and the school. Despite official recommendations from Federal Aviation Administration that buildings in this zone ought to be vacant, the congregation of St. James Baptist Church continues to meet within the building, as they haven’t been provided with any alternate sanctuary so far by the county.

Future Plans

Jared Fralix, assistant county administrator for Beaufort County and the lead for this project, is working alongside a team of engineers and design professionals. Their shared goal is to construct comprehensive planning and cost guidelines that can be presented to the town and county councils. This will assist the local governing bodies in determining additional funding needs and project timelines.

As revealed by Fralix, the future site for the relocated church and school will be on town-owned land within the Union Cemetery. Out of the total projected cost of $8 to $10 million dollars for relocation and construction, the funds stand just above $5 million when we factor in the earmarked sums from the state budget and a collective amount of $300,000 contributed by the county and town. Fralix is engaged in strategizing plans to seek FAA’s stake in the project, in hopes of receiving further funding towards construction and relocation costs. He astutely points out though, that FAA’s potential funding contribution may not bridge the entirety of the remaining financial gap.

With the coordinated efforts of primary stakeholders, namely FAA, Hilton Head Airport, and the representatives of town and county, last year, Fralix was able to generate substantial traction for this project. He affirms, “There’s more momentum that’s been made over the last nine or ten months than what’s been made over the last several years, and so we hope to build off that in the coming months.”