Shriners opt out of parking agreement

MOUNT PLEASANT — After discussing the issue with Town Councilman Nick Collins, the Omar Shrine Temple has decided that it will not provide parking for Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge walkers.

"They refuse to work with us. It's a shame. It would have been a win/win for everybody," Collins said.

High-ranking Shriner Verle Bohrn, who holds the position of Temple recorder, said the Shrine Temple is too busy with its own events and rentals to open its parking lot to bridge walkers. The Temple, located near Coleman Boulevard on Patriots Point Boulevard, is booked for events every weekend for the next two years, he said.

"Our position is that we have rentals. It's full right now for a party tonight. We just don't have the room. The parking that we have here is for The Point Grill and Omar Shrine members," Bohrn said.

Bridge walkers now use the road shoulders on Patriots Point Boulevard near Coleman Boulevard for parking, a situation police describe as dangerous. The town has said it will stop letting people park along the boulevard shoulders when its Memorial Waterfront Park opens in late spring or early summer.

When that happens, people who walk the bridge could leave their cars at the new park and pay up to $1 per hour for a space there, the town administration has suggested. Town Council has not voted on a parking fee.

The Shrine Temple has a sprawling parking lot that can accommodate about 300 cars. It is located about 500 feet from Coleman Boulevard. Most bridge walkers park within 500 feet of Coleman Boulevard on both sides of Patriots Point Boulevard along the road shoulders. That leaves them with a short trek to the pedestrian and bike lane adjoining the northbound lanes of the bridge.

The town's new park is next to the bridge southbound lanes. Parking at Memorial Waterfront Park would mean a longer walk to the bridge pedestrian lane by way of a new Wingo Way extension. The town offers bridge walker parking on Patriots Point Boulevard about 1.5 miles from Coleman Boulevard near Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum.

Police Chief Harry Sewell recommended that the town eliminate parking on Patriots Point Boulevard shoulders except during special events. Town Administrator Mac Burdette concurred. Motorist and pedestrian safety was the primary concern cited.

Parking fees under consideration for Memorial Waterfront Park would be one way to recoup the estimated $350,000 annual cost of operating and maintaining the new $14 million, 14-acre park.

The park will have a 1,200-foot pier and bait and tackle shop managed by Charleston County Parks and Recreation. It also will have a playground, a sweetgrass basket makers' pavilion, a visitors center and a war memorial.

Reach Prentiss Findlay at 937-5711 or pfindlay@postandcourier.com.