Bluffton aims to beef up rules for public docks, piers

With the recent opening of a new dock and widened boat ramp at Oyster Factory Park — and the potential for increased public access to the May River in the future — Bluffton leaders are developing comprehensive set of rules for the town’s water-related amenities.

The town’s current rules governing the use of docks is fairly outdated and refers “only specifically to the ‘Bluffton Dock,’ ” deputy town manager Scott Marshall said earlier this week.

Town code doesn’t even specify which dock that might be.

“We have a dock on Calhoun Street, we have a dock at Oyster Factory Park and we have a dock at Palmetto Bluff — we also have a couple of (public) boat ramps,” Marshall said.

Current town code “does not address (rules for) boat ramps or piers whatsoever,” he said.

The newly proposed set of rules, which are modeled on Beaufort County’s dock and boat landing regulations, would be “more encompassing that what we currently have,” Marshall said.

In addition to barring camping and fires around public water access areas, the proposed rules would ban obstructing docks and ensure vessels aren’t abandoned or left unattended.

While commercial users would still be allowed to use public boat ramps, the regulations aim to ensure recreational users aren’t squeezed out.

“What we want to prevent from happening is people using the docks to run their business all day every day, seven days a week,” Councilman Larry Toomer said. “That’s not why we built them.”

The proposed regulations would require crabbers or fishermen to clear out from public river access points within 15 minutes so recreational users, such as kayakers or stand-up paddleboarders, aren’t lined up waiting to get into the water.

Kayak tours “are a healthy cottage industry in Bluffton, and that’s one of the things we are proud of,” Marshall said.

While town leaders expressed unanimous support for the new rules earlier this week, Councilman Harry Lutz wondered whether the Bluffton Police Department would be able to enforce them.

Marshall said police officials have reviewed the proposal and determined that “it is sound, and they feel they can enforce the rules.”

Town manager Marc Orlando agreed, saying, “We do have the resources (to enforce the regulations).”

The new regulations will likely go into effect next month once the Town Council has an opportunity to review and vote on the finalized proposal.

This story was originally published July 14, 2016 at 8:36 PM with the headline "Bluffton aims to beef up rules for public docks, piers."