The City of Georgetown has been looking for years at ways to fund the dredging of the harbor adjacent to Front Street that is now too shallow for most larger boats to use. This problem costs the city a lot of money in lost revenue each year because many boaters have to bypass the city and travel to other places where the waters are deeper.
Now, it appears a funding source has been secured. U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham has announced Georgetown is included in a 2024 fiscal year spending package that was recently approved by the U.S. Senate.
According to a press release listing the cities that will receive funds, Graham says the City of Georgetown will receive $6.5 million to go towards deepening the harbor. The harbor has not been dredged since 2008.
In January, we spoke with Georgetown’s Main Street Director Al Joseph about the importance of getting the harbor dredged. A month before our conversation, a tall ship – a replica of the Nao Trinidad – visited Georgetown but could not dock next to Front Street because the water was too shallow for the ship to navigate:  https://youtu.be/BYkiX8V-l4A