Surfside Beach leaders weigh hefty price tag on new municipal complex

SURFSIDE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - Surfside Beach Town Council has narrowed down to three options for the design of a new municipal complex to be included in the budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year.

All of them will cost over $14 million, something leaders say will be a challenge to pull off.

“Grants to actually pay for the bricks and mortar is very hard to find,” said Town Administrator Gerald Vincent.

The complex would stand at the corner of Pine and Poplar Drives. The set of buildings would include a new police station, court, and council chambers.

Vincent says $2.3 million from the American Rescue Fund will go towards the project, but the town still has to come up with $12 million extra.

“We can definitely contact our congressman and our state senators to see what money’s available for communities,” said Vincent.

WMBF News spoke with several residents who did not want to go on camera. They said no matter how much the complex may be needed, they can’t justify the price tag.

Council members like Chris Stamey threw out other options to make the price more manageable.

“Would it be any cheaper to do one building, one single building, that would house police station and court chambers in one building? Would there be any benefit to doing that?” asked Stamey.

A representative for the architecture firm, Creech & Associates, said one building is an option, as well as building in phases instead of all at once.

Vincent said he does not recommend the town inch any closer to its debt capacity, but he is trying to find a solution.

“There are other ways to get a project like this built, and that’s what I’m working on now,” said Vincent.

No votes were taken during Tuesday night’s town council meeting, and it is unclear when the council will take up the issue again.

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