Up on the north end, the new sand in Reach 1 is done and Reach 2 was down to its last few days of pumping as of the city's October 19 update. The city scheduled Earth Balance crews to start planting dunes across Reaches 1 and 2 on Monday, October 26, and the work should take about six days. Sand fencing goes in once the materials arrive. The next stretch on the city's schedule runs the other way, toward the Isle of Palms Pier and Breach Inlet, once the dredge returns from Charleston Harbor.
Mayor Phillip Pounds put the season simply in his October message. He asked islanders to "support our local businesses now that our large crowds are gone for the season." The crowds leave, and the work starts. The beach, the Rec Center courts, the EV chargers and soon the marina parking lot have all been scheduled into the months when fewer people are using them. Each project is moving through the island in turn, and the calendar for November sits around them.
The beach finishes in two halves
Contractor Marinex has been placing sand in three reaches since summer. Reach 1 ran from near Mariner's Walk north to Ocean Point Drive. Reach 2 started near the Wild Dunes Property Owners Beach House and moved south to 56th Avenue. The city's October 19 update said Reach 2 was more than 93 percent complete. Only about four days of pumping were left before the dredge moves to Reach 3 on the South End. Rough seas had sent the dredge into Charleston Harbor, and Marinex expected to restart on Reach 3 before the end of October.
| Reach | Stretch | Where it stands heading into November |
|---|---|---|
| Reach 1 | Near Mariner's Walk north to Ocean Point Drive | Sand complete; dune planting scheduled from October 26 |
| Reach 2 | Wild Dunes Property Owners Beach House south to 56th Avenue | More than 93 percent complete as of October 19; planting follows |
| Reach 3 | Midpoint between 5th and 7th Avenues, north to the pier, then south to Breach Inlet | Remobilization expected before the end of October |
Reach 3 starts at a midpoint, which matters if your beach walk crosses it. Sand goes down first between 5th and 7th Avenues and moves north to the pier. Then the work turns around and heads south to Breach Inlet. The city's tentative timeline gives Reach 3 about 45 days and lists December 15 for demobilization. That timeline also showed a November 1 start, and the October 19 update has already moved that earlier. So treat every date as dependent on the weather, and check the city's beach restoration page before you head out.
The beach stays open the whole time. Only the active construction zone is fenced off, and sand walkovers let beachgoers cross the pipes to reach the water. The Post and Courier reported the same thing during Reach 2: the beach stayed accessible except near the work zone. In practice, the north end is the finished beach this November, and the south end is the one still being built.
The calendar moves to 28th Avenue
With the south end under construction and the beach work on the move, the island's community calendar is centered on the Recreation Center at 24 28th Avenue. The last farmers market of the season was October 15. After that, the dates on the city's special events page are smaller and mostly in the middle of the island.
- Saturday, October 31, 4 to 6 p.m. The Halloween Golf Cart Parade & Carnival at the Recreation Department, with a drive-through haunted house, inflatables, food vendors and trick-or-treat bags.
- Monday, November 2. The Speaker Series continues with Savannah Jennings of Therapy Group of Charleston on how relationships shape children's mental health.
- Thursday, November 5, 5 to 7 p.m. A community Town Hall with Mayor Pounds and City Council in the Rec Center's Magnolia Room. You can watch the livestream or send comments in advance.
- Thursday, November 12. Sea Stroll & Learn: Whales, led by Barrier Island Eco Tours.
- Saturday, November 14, 9 to 11 a.m. Coffee & Canines at the Bark Park behind the Rec Center. It's free, with acoustic music from Daniel Patrick and coffee from the Rec Center.
Coffee & Canines is a good morning to see the Rec Center's upgrades. In his October message, the mayor said the old tennis courts there have been replaced with new surfaces. The city expects them to hold up better, play better and need less upkeep over time.
The calendar's next big date lands back at Front Beach. The Holiday Street Festival runs Saturday, December 5, from 2 to 7 p.m., with vendors, activities, Santa and a tree lighting at 5:30. On the city's tentative timeline, that's ten days before the dredge is due to leave.
What opened while the sand was moving
The off-season has also changed which businesses are open on the island. At 1012 Ocean Boulevard, Papi's Taqueria said its last day would be November 2, 2025, after eight years. Lucky Dog News reported it at the time. The same outlet reported that Heavy's Barburger planned to move into the space, with the same burger-and-bar menu as its other locations. The Post and Courier named John and Brenda Haire as the owners behind it. Heavy's is now open there with an upstairs patio facing the ocean. Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, it's closed Mondays, Heavy's Hour runs 4 to 5 p.m. on weekdays, and it doesn't take reservations. For anyone walking the Reach 3 work through December, that patio looks out over the same stretch of beach.
Farther inland, Ben & Jerry's is back, at 1400 Palm Boulevard, Suite G. The Post and Courier announced in January that it would return at Ocean Park Plaza. At Island Center, construction recently finished on a Tesla Supercharger station near the Harris Teeter. The mayor's message calls it the answer for EV drivers who until recently "may have had a hard time finding a charging station" on the island.
In the same October message, the mayor quoted a passage from the magazine Sullivan's Island and IOP Living about how the island has changed since Wild Dunes arrived in the 1970s:
It has the feel of a destination, but it is still very much a place where people live their lives.
The marina's turn comes in January
The last stop in this sequence is at 41st Avenue. The city's public dock at the marina, 50 41st Avenue, has been renovated. It's free to use every day from sunrise to sunset, with resident-only parking and paid parking. The Outpost, the marina store run under a lease assignment to Morgan Creek Marina, lists hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Breakfast runs 8 to 11 and lunch 11 to 3. Islander 71 Fish House and Raw Bar is open 4 to 9 p.m. on weekdays and noon to 9 p.m. on weekends. It closes for Thanksgiving. Barrier Island Eco Tours, the group leading the November 12 whale stroll, also runs its tours from the marina.
The marina parking lot is next on the city's list. The bid covers new parking and driveways, plus grading, drainage, paving, ADA parking and access, curbs, gates, fencing, signs and markings. Five firms bid. Whitestone Construction came in lowest at $365,000 with both alternates included. The next-lowest bid was Icon Contracting's $522,180. The City Administrator's October 12 memo recommended Whitestone for $472,193. That figure adds $51,263 for Addendum 1 work left out of the original bid and a proposed $55,930 change order for a dumpster enclosure and a bike path. Even with those additions, the recommended contract came in about $50,000 under the second-lowest bid alone.
Earlier council minutes said City Council would consider a bid recommendation in October. The bid documents set the work window between January 1 and February 28, 2027. The contractor has to keep temporary access and an ADA-compliant public route open throughout construction. More is coming after the lot. Earlier council minutes said the city will likely receive a $150,000 state earmark for public greenspace at the marina. Marina dredging is still in permitting.
If you're weighing a project of your own on the island this winter, the timing questions on these city projects apply to private ones too. Should a renovation, a new build or a sale start in the quiet months, and where does each crew fit on the calendar? Oliver and Yolanda Caminos at St. Germain Properties work through those questions with Isle of Palms owners, builders and buyers every season. Request a Private Consultation to plan yours.
