[00:00:01]
CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY BEEFER COUNTY.
WELCOME TO ANOTHER EDITION OF COASTLINE TODAY.
WE'RE GOING TO BE TALKING WITH JARED FREELUX, WHO IS THE ASSISTANT COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR OF ENGINEERING FOR BUFORD COUNTY.
AND THAT TITLE BRINGS WITH IT A LOT OF RESPONSIBILITY ON JARED, NOT ONLY HANDLES THE ROADWAYS AND BUFORD COUNTY AND ENSURING THAT THEY ARE MEETING CERTAIN SPECIFICATIONS, BUT HE IS ALSO, UH, HE AND HIS STAFF ARE ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR A STORMWATER RUNOFF AND DRAINAGE HERE IN THE COUNTY, WHICH IS A BIG PROBLEM WITH ALL THE RAINS THAT SOMETIMES WE, UH, WE SEE AS WELL AS THE, UH, UH, AIRPORTS.
SO, UH, IT'S GOOD TO HAVE YOU ON JARED AND, UH, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY.
WE SPOKE A LITTLE BIT BEFORE THE TAPING ABOUT, UM, SOME OF THE DIFFERENT PROJECTS THAT ARE GOING ON AND, UH, IT WAS ABOUT A MONTH OR SO AGO, UM, THAT WE SAW SOME MAJOR RAINS IN BUFORD COUNTY TO THE EXTENT THAT I ACTUALLY SAW SOMETHING I HAD NEVER SEEN OTHER THAN IN A HURRICANE.
AND THAT WAS WHERE HIGHWAY ONE, 70 AND 2 78 MEET AT MCGARVEY IS CORNER THAT, UH, THE, THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT WAS TELLING PEOPLE GO AWAY BECAUSE IT'S FLOODED.
UM, SO YOU ARE PROBABLY NOW FULLY RECOVERED FROM THAT CRISIS.
UH, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO TO KEEP THAT FROM HAPPENING AGAIN? AND YOU'RE LUCKY IT HAS ONLY BEEN YOUR FIRST TIME, CAUSE IT'S HAPPENED SEVERAL TOWNS THERE, UNFORTUNATELY.
UM, AND THAT'S PART OF THE DOD SYSTEM, UH, THAT THEY MAINTAIN, BUT THERE'S PLANNED WORK IN THE AREA BETWEEN DUT AND THE COUNTY, BOTH ROAD WORK AND STORM DRAINAGE WORK.
SO, UM, THAT'S A KNOWN PLOT, UM, AREA OF, OF FLOOD.
SO WE'RE GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT'S INCORPORATED TO ANY PLANS THAT WE HAVE MOVING FORWARD AND ALSO WHERE IT WOULD BE A T UM, AS FAR AS MAINTAINING ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO MAINTAIN THE EXISTENCE SYSTEM TO HOPEFULLY KEEP THAT FROM HAPPENING.
BUT UNTIL WE COME BACK WITH MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS, THERE'S POSSIBILITIES THAT, THAT, THAT COULD HAPPEN UNTIL THOSE IMPROVEMENTS ARE MADE.
UM, AND IT STANDS TO REASON BECAUSE ONE 70 GOES RIGHT UNDER 2 78.
SO I COULD JUST SEE HOW THAT PONDING WOULD OCCUR ON THOSE ONRAMPS AND, UM, UH, WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT TO RE FIX THIS THE RIGHT WAY IS AN INFUSION OF MONEY CAPITAL.
UH, AND ARE YOU PUTTING TOGETHER A PROPOSAL FOR COUNCIL TO APPROVE AND WOULD THIS REQUIRE A BOND REFERENDUM OR, YEAH, POTENTIALLY.
SO, UH, WE ARE WORKING ON, AS FAR AS THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, WE HAVE A LOT OF THINGS KIND OF WORKING TOGETHER CONCURRENTLY BETWEEN THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND OUR IMPACT FEE SCHEDULE, UM, AND OUR CURRENT SALES TAX PROGRAM AND POTENTIAL FUTURE SALES TAX PROGRAM.
UM, AND WHAT PROJECTS WOULD FIT AND MAKE GOOD PROJECTS THAT WOULD ALIGN WITH THOSE, UH, IMPROVEMENT PLANS.
SO
UM, SO IMPROVEMENTS THAT WOULD ADDRESS BOTH, UH, FLOODING AND STORM WATER, BUT ALSO CAPACITY AND SAFETY AS FAR AS TRANSPORTATION CONCERNS, AS FAR AS CAPACITY GOES.
YEAH, WE, WE WIDENED THAT WHAT MAYBE 15 YEARS AGO, AND NOW IT SEEMS TO BE AT CAPACITY AGAIN.
AND UNFORTUNATELY THAT'S, THAT'S PART OF STAYING AHEAD OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE IS WE'VE HAD EXPLOSIVE GROWTH IN THE COUNTY AND SPECIFICALLY IN THE SOUTH PART OF THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE COUNTY.
UM, SO MAKING SURE THAT OUR INFRASTRUCTURE IS NOT JUST GOOD FOR TODAY, BUT INTO THE FUTURE.
UM, SO YEAH, THERE'S POTENTIAL THAT THERE'S MORE CAPACITY NEEDS.
UM, THERE, IN THAT SECTION, DO YOU ANTICIPATE A THIRD LANE OR A SIX LANE IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT BOTH WAYS OR, UM, PERHAPS A PARALLEL ROAD, UH, THERE'S POTENTIAL, UM, RIGHT NOW OUR LATS, SO OUR, OUR LOW COUNTRY AREA, A TRANSIT AUTHORITY, THEY'VE JUST DONE A STUDY IN 2019, UM, TO LOOK AT THAT CORRIDOR ALL THE WAY FROM 2 78 TO 4 62, IT'S ABOUT FOUR AND A HALF MILES.
UM, AND THEY'VE CREATED SOME NEAR TERM AND INTERMEDIATE TERM AND LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS FOR THAT.
UM, AND THE LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS DO CALL FOR A THIRD LANE.
SO SIX LANES, UM, WHETHER THAT GETS IMPLEMENTED RIGHT AWAY OR SOMETIME IN THE FUTURE.
BUT, UM, AS TRAFFIC CONTINUES THERE AS THERE'S GOING TO BE NEED FOR EXTRA CAPACITY, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU DID A FEW YEARS BACK, WHICH I THINK WAS BRILLIANT, WAS ADDING THE BLUFFTON PARKWAY TO HIT 2, 1 70.
ARE YOU FINDING THAT PEOPLE ARE EMPLOYING THAT? ABSOLUTELY.
AND IT WASN'T SOMETHING I DID IS IT'S SOMETHING THAT BE FOR COUNTY AND COUNTY COUNCIL REALLY IS PUT AS A TARGET ON THE WALL.
UM, SO OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS OR SO THAT BLUFFTON PARKWAY HAS BEEN CONSTRUCTED AND THE GOAL, UM, AS THAT IT WOULD BE PROVIDE A SECONDARY ACCESS TO 2 78.
AND WHAT WE'VE SEEN IS THAT INDEED THE LOCALS, UH, USE THAT ROAD AS INTENDED, WHICH GIVES MORE CAPACITY TO,
[00:05:01]
TO DIRECT TRAFFIC, TO, AND FROM HILTON HEAD ALONG TO 78.SO, UH, HAD WE NOT HAD BLUFFTON PARKWAY, YOU WOULD SEE A LOT MORE, UM, TRAFFIC JAM JAMS AND TRAFFIC BACK UP ON 2 78.
SO, SO I SEE THAT BLUFFTON PARKWAY IS DIRECTLY UNDER, AT ONE 70, A UTILITY EASEMENT.
DO YOU ENVISION TAKING THAT ALL THE WAY TO ON 95 AT SOME POINT THERE'S A PLAN FOR THAT? UM, EVENTUALLY, UH, OURS WOULD GO TO THE JASPER COUNTY LINE.
UM, AND AT ONE POINT IT WAS PLANNED THAT IT WOULD TAKE FROM WHERE IT ENDS AT ONE 70 AND JUST GO STRAIGHT.
UH, WE, WE NEED TO STUDY THAT AND SEE IF THAT'S STILL THE AVENUE WHERE THAT WOULD NEED TO GO.
UM, THERE'S SIGNIFICANT WETLANDS, ESPECIALLY ONCE WE GET INTO JASPER COUNTY.
UM, BUT THAT WAS ENVISIONED LONG TIME AGO THAT IT WOULD CONNECT SOMEWHERE TO 95, UH, PROBABLY SOUTH OF THE CURRENT EXIT FIVE OR, UH, EXIT EIGHT ACCESS POINTS.
UM, I HAD SPOKEN TO, UH, ROB, UM, MERCHANT, THE DIRECTOR OF PLANNING AND ZONING LAST MONTH, AND WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND ONE OF THE THINGS I RAN OUT OF TIME AND DIDN'T HAVE A CHANCE TO TALK TO HIM ABOUT IS THE PLANNED EXPANSION OF THE, UH, THE PORT AND WHICH WILL EVENTUALLY BE THE JASPER COUNTY PORT.
UM, WHAT ARE YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT WHAT YOU AND YOUR DEPARTMENT AND BUFORD COUNTY AS A WHOLE NEED TO DO TO PREPARE FOR THAT EVENTUALITY? WELL, AS IT RELATES TO, TO, UH, THE ENGINEERING DIVISION, UM, OURS IS INFRASTRUCTURE.
SO WHATEVER WE CAN DO TO SUPPORT THAT.
SO IF THERE'S GOING TO BE ECONOMIC GROWTH IN BEAVER COUNTY, FROM THE PORTS THAT ARE CREATED IN JASPER COUNTY, UH, OUR INFRASTRUCTURE WILL BE ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE.
SO, UM, CALLED OUT IN THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IS US WIDENING CORRIDOR SPECIFICALLY IN THOSE AREAS.
UM, AND ONE 70 WE JUST TALKED ABOUT, AND THEN POTENTIALLY 46, UH, FROM THE TRAFFIC CIRCLE AT 1 72, THE JASPER COUNTY LINE.
SO, UH, THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE WILL LOOK AT FROM AN INFRASTRUCTURE STANDPOINT TO SUPPORT FUTURE GROWTH, WHETHER IT'S IN THE COUNTY OR OUTSIDE THE COUNTY IN JASPER COUNTY, YOU'RE A CIVIL ENGINEER.
HOW DO YOU LIKE TRAFFIC CIRCLES? I THINK THEY FUNCTION AT A, UH, A SIGNIFICANT, UM, MANNER.
UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE MAY BE A LITTLE CONFUSING SOMETIMES, BUT, UH, THEY, THEY FIT THE NEED.
THEY'RE NOT THE ONE SATISFIED AT ALL FOR EVERY INTERSECTION.
UM, BUT THEY DO REDUCE THE SEVERITY OF CRASHES.
I, I WAS REALLY, UH, A SKEPTIC WHEN THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT PUTTING THE TRAFFIC CIRCLE OR A ROUNDABOUT OR THE ROTARY, WHATEVER TERM YOU WANT TO USE ON LADY'S ISLAND.
UH, IT IS JUST BEEN MARVELOUS AND I DON'T HAVE NEAR THE AMOUNT OF STALL TIME THAT I USED TO HAVE.
I GOT TO ADMIT THERE WAS A FUNNY INCIDENT WHEN IT FIRST OPENED UP, THERE WAS THIS POST ON FACEBOOK OF A GUY THAT LIVED ON THE CORNER AND HE HAD A VIDEO CAMERA ON ONE GUY WHO IS TAKING LIKE FOREVER TO VENTURE INTO THE CIRCLE AND HE WAS GIVING THIS RUNNING DIALOGUE.
AND FINALLY, AFTER ABOUT 10 MINUTES, THE GUY GOT THROUGH IT.
AND I THINK PEOPLE, ONCE THEY GET USED TO IT, DO SEE THE BENEFITS OF IT.
AND TO MY KNOWLEDGE, I HAVE NOT SEEN ANY ACCIDENTS THERE, CERTAINLY NOT NEAR THE AMOUNT OF ACCIDENTS THAT ARE AT LADY'S ISLAND PARKWAY AND SEA ISLAND OR LADY'S ISLAND DRIVE AND SEE ON PARKWAY.
UH, SO, YOU KNOW, IF I COULD PUT IN MY 2 CENTS WORTH, I'D SAY PUT MORE ROADS.
WELL, AND I APPRECIATE THAT SUPPORT, BUT THEY, AGAIN, THEY'RE NOT ALL ONE SIZE FIT ALL.
AND THEY DO WORK REALLY WELL WHEN YOU HAVE THE SAME TRAFFIC AND PEOPLE LEARN THE BEHAVIOR.
UM, THAT'S SOME OF THE BEST SETTINGS, UM, BUT THEY, THEY CAN'T HANDLE AS THE VOLUME OF TRAFFIC.
SO IF WE COULD HAVE A BIG ONE, LIKE LADIES ALLEN AND, UM, SEATTLE AND PARKWAY, MAYBE THAT ONE'S NOT BEST SUITED FOR TRAFFIC CIRCLE BECAUSE OF THE CONGESTION FACTOR, BUT WHERE THERE WERE PLAUSIBLE.
WE, UH, WE DEFINITELY TAKE THEM IN EVALUATE THAT VERSUS A SIGNAL.
I AM GLAD TO SEE THAT YOU'RE DOING SOME THINGS LIKE, YOU KNOW, ADDING A THIRD LANE, WHICH WAS DONE AT THAT INTERSECTION C ON A PARKWAY AND LADY'S ISLAND DRIVE.
AND, UM, YOU'VE MADE SOME OTHER CHANGES AT, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, PARRIS ISLAND GATEWAY AND ONE 70, UM, UH, IS THERE A DEVELOPMENT THAT'S GETTING READY TO GO ACROSS FROM, UH, CROSS CREEK? SO, YES, UH, THAT'S IN CITY OF BUFORD.
UM, THOSE IMPROVEMENTS WERE MADE SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS WERE MADE BY DDOT.
UM, BUT THOSE ARE, AGAIN, SOME SAFETY MECHANISMS, AS WELL AS SOME CAPACITY MECHANISMS. UH, WE WERE ACTUALLY LOOKING AT A STUDY, UH, WITH THE CITY OF BUFORD.
WE HAVE A CURRENT ACCESS MANAGEMENT PLAN IN THAT AREA.
UM, BUT IT HASN'T BEEN UPDATED IN QUITE A WHILE.
SO WE'RE WORKING THROUGH UPDATING THAT WE TRYING TO GET AHEAD OF FUTURE DEVELOPMENT
[00:10:01]
AS IT MAY TAKE PLACE.SO AGAIN, TRYING TO MAKE SURE THE INFRASTRUCTURE READY AND AVAILABLE FOR DEVELOPMENT, BUT ALSO MAKE SURE THAT WHEN IT DOES COME, THAT IT'S IN A SAFE AND, UH, HAS ENOUGH CAPACITY.
WELL, AS WITH ANY CAPITAL PROJECT, THE, UH, THE, THE QUESTION THAT ALWAYS ARISES IS SHOW ME THE MONEY.
SO TO BRING ABOUT SOME OF THESE THINGS, LIKE THE DRAINAGE ISSUE AT MCGARVEY CORONER, OR SOME OF THESE ANTICIPATED GROWTH CONCERNS, UH, ARE YOU PROPOSING PERHAPS, UH, FLOATING A BOND? UH, POTENTIALLY THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT MECHANISMS AND WE'RE LOOKING AT ANY AND ALL OF THEM.
SO, UM, CURRENTLY WE HAVE A CURRENT ONE SINCE ANY PENNY SALES TAX, THAT'S BEEN AN EFFECTIVE METHOD TO INFRASTRUCTURE THERE'S, THERE'S BONDING CAPACITY, JUST REGULAR GEO BOND AND CAPACITY THERE'S IMPACT FEES THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE.
UM, SO WE'RE LOOKING AT UPDATING OUR IMPACT FEE LIST.
UM, THERE'S ALSO DEALING WITH OUR STATE AND FEDERAL, UH, OPPORTUNITIES WOULD FEDERAL HIGHWAY AND DDOT.
UH, THERE'S A NEW INFRASTRUCTURE BUILD AS BEING DISCUSSED, UH, AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL.
SO, UH, WE'RE EXPLORING ANY AND ALL OF THOSE OPPORTUNITIES, AS WELL AS, UH, AT THE STATE LEVEL.
AGAIN, THE, THE STATE INFRASTRUCTURE BANK HAS BEEN SOMETHING WE'VE BEEN SUCCESSFUL WOULD OBTAIN OBTAINING FUNDING THROUGH.
THE OLD SAYING IS ONCE YOU PASS AN EXTRA SENATE CENT SALES TAX, IT NEVER GOES AWAY.
BUT I THINK IN THIS CASE, IT PROBABLY MAKES SENSE CAUSE WE'RE AT WHAT 7 CENTS NOW IN 7% OF BUFORD COUNTY.
AND, UH, IF THAT 1% COULD BE DEDICATED TO MAINTAINING THE INFRASTRUCTURE, THE ROADWAYS AND ALL THAT, UH, I CAN'T HELP, BUT THINK THAT WOULD BENEFIT US IN THE LONG RUN.
THAT'S BEEN THE MOST SUCCESSFUL SALES TAX THAT WE'VE HAD HERE IN BEAVER COUNTY HAS BEEN, UM, TRANSPORTATION BASED.
I THINK EVERYBODY CAN SEE THE NEED FOR IT.
UM, AND SEE WHAT THE RESULT OF THE IMPROVEMENTS THAT ARE MADE.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING DEFINITELY THAT WE'LL PROBABLY LOOK TO.
JARED, WE'RE GOING TO ASK YOU TO IN JUST A MINUTE, TAKE OFF YOUR ENGINEER'S HAT, UH, ROADWAY, HAT, AND PUT ON YOUR AIRPORT HAT, UH, BUT UH, WE'RE GOING TO BREAK AWAY.
AND THEN WHEN WE COME BACK, WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT, UH, AIRPORT INFRASTRUCTURE AND SOME OF THE DEVELOPMENTS THAT ARE TAKING PLACE AT BOTH THE EXECUTIVE AIRPORT AND THE HILTON HEAD AIRPORT STAY WITH US.
DID YOU KNOW, DRAGGING CHAINS IN SPARKING WILDFIRE AND PREVENT WELCOME BACK TO COASTLINE.
WE'RE TALKING TO JARED FREELUX, WHO IS THE ASSISTANT COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR OF ENGINEERING.
AND, UH, ASIDE FROM DEALING WITH STORMWATER RUNOFF AND ROADWAYS, ONE OF THE AREAS THAT YOU'RE INVOLVED WITH JARED IS THE AIRPORT.
AND, UM, MAN, IT'S EXCITING TO SEE WHAT'S GOING ON, PARTICULARLY AT THE HILTON HEAD AIRPORT, WHERE THERE WAS THIS MASSIVE EXPANSION, NOT TOO LONG AGO.
UM, UH, AND I SAW IT LAST MONTH THAT IT WAS ANNOUNCED THAT UNITED AIRLINES IS NOW GOING TO MAINTAIN YEAR ROUND THEIR DIRECT FLIGHT FROM HILTON HEAD TO WASHINGTON DC.
SO HOW DOES THAT ALL FIT INTO YOUR, UH, THE GROWTH HAS BEEN EXPLOSIVE? NO DOUBT.
UM, THERE'S BEEN SOME GROWING PAINS, UM, BUT WE'RE WORKING TO ADDRESS THOSE PAINS.
UH, WE'VE BEEN WORKING OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS TO DEVELOP A TERMINAL DESIGN FOR OUR PROJECT, UH, TO EXPAND THE EXISTING TERMINAL.
IT WAS A, THESE ARE JUST IN TERMINAL THAT WAS BUILT IN THE NINETIES, UH, AS 20,000 SQUARE FEET.
AND, UH, IT REALLY HASN'T HAD A WHOLE LOT OF UPDATES SINCE THEN.
AND OVER THE TIME WE'VE NOW, AS YOU MENTIONED, HAVE, UM, DAILY JET TRAFFIC FROM ALL THREE OF THE MAJOR AIRLINES, UM, AND A LOT MORE PASSENGER COUNT.
SO THE NEW PROJECT IS A, IS A $50 MILLION TERMINAL EXPANSION, AND IT'LL GO FROM 20,000 TO 60,000 SQUARE FEET.
DOES THAT IN ADDITION, UH, THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE PUTTING IN INCLUDE ANY ADDED RUNWAY? NO.
SO WE ACTUALLY EXPANDED THE RUNWAY A FEW YEARS BACK, UM, AND THAT WAS PART OF THE REASON WE'VE SEEN THIS GROWTH.
[00:15:01]
FOR, FOR JETLINERS TO, TO RECOGNIZE THIS AS A, AS AN AIRPORT THAT THEY COULD FLY INTO.UM, SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE FOCUSED ON THE TERMINAL.
UM, WE ACTUALLY HAVE A APRON EXPANSION IN THE BACK OF THE TERMINAL RIGHT NOW THAT GIVES SOME MORE CONCRETE FOR THE, FOR THE JUSTICE SYSTEM.
AND THEN WE'LL JUST BE EXPANDING THE TERMINAL.
AND THEN AT SOME LATER POINT DOWN THE ROAD, WE'LL HAVE TO STRENGTHEN THE EXISTING RUNWAY.
SO WE'RE STARTING TO GET MORE JET AND BIGGER AND HEAVIER JET.
SO THERE'LL BE MORE, UH, ASPHALT NEEDED TO STRENGTHEN THEIR OWN WAY.
YEAH, THE HILTON HEAD AIRPORT IS UNIQUE IN THAT IT SITS IN THE HEART OF THE CITY OR THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD.
AND, UH, YOU SEE INCREASINGLY METROPOLITAN AREAS ANYWAY, WANTING TO OFFLOAD THEIR AIRPORTS WAY OUT.
SO, YOU KNOW, DENVER INTERNATIONAL COMES TO MIND AND REAGAN, UH, UH, IS NOW DALLAS AIRPORT IS THE ONE THAT PEOPLE ARE CHOOSING OVER REAGAN NATIONAL, UH, IN WASHINGTON, DC.
UM, DO YOU SEE, AT LEAST IN THE SHORT RUN THAT THE HILTON HEAD AIRPORT BEING WHERE IT'S LOCATED RIGHT OFF OF MATTHEW'S DRIVE BEING A PROBLEM? UM, NO.
I MEAN, I THINK IT'S GOING TO PLAY TO OUR ADVANTAGE RIGHT NOW.
UH, THE AIRPORT THAT WE HAVE, THAT'S OUTSIDE THE ISLAND AND OUTSIDE THE AREA IS SAVANNAH AND THAT'S IN A WHOLE NOTHER STATE AND THEN A WHOLE NOTHER COUNTY.
SO WE HAVE THAT KIND OF OUTSIDE AIRPORT TO FLY INTO, BUT WHAT HILTON HEAD IS, IS A DIRECT DESTINATION.
SO, UM, SOMEBODY THAT WANTS TO COME THERE AND COME STRAIGHT THERE WITHOUT MUCH TRAFFIC, THAT'S GOING TO PLAY DECK EXACTLY TO THOSE VISITORS.
SO, SO TAKING THAT TO THE NEXT STEP, GETTING, GETTING BACK TO ROADS, UM, WITH THE POTENTIAL ADDED TRAFFIC THAT WOULD COME FROM THE AIRPORT GOING ON TO 2 78, UH, WE'VE BEEN READING IN THE PAPER THAT DDOT IS GETTING READY TO ROLL OUT THE NEW BRIDGES TO HILTON HEAD.
UH, HAVE YOU LOOKED OVER THOSE PLANS AND, UH, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT, YEAH, SO THAT'S A, THAT'S A COUNTY SALES TAX PROJECT.
SO DEITY IS WORKING ALONG WITH BEAVER COUNTY AND THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD.
WE'RE ALL THREE WORKING TOGETHER ON THAT.
UM, AND SO THAT PROJECTS INDEPENDENT FROM THE AIRPORT.
UM, WE HAVE ROAD TRAFFIC TO DEAL WITH GETTING ON AND OFF THE ISLAND.
SO, UM, THE FIELD, THE FOLKS THAT'LL BE TRAVELING VIA AIRPLANE MORE THAN LIKELY WON'T BE TRAVELING OVER THE BRIDGE, BUT THE FOLKS THAT LIVE HERE LOCALLY, UM, OR SERVICE THE ISLAND, THOSE ARE THE FOLKS THAT'LL, THAT'LL REAP THE REWARDS FOR THE, THE EXPANDED FOOTPRINT THERE WITH THE 2 78.
AND OF COURSE, NOT TOO LONG AGO, YOU, YOU COMPLETED THE PROJECT THAT DUMPED BLUFFTON PARKWAY INTO THE CURRENT 2 78 BRIDGE.
SO NOW YOU GO AHEAD AND YOU ADD, UH, AN ADDITIONAL BRIDGE OR A NEW BRIDGE, AND, UM, YOU'RE STILL LEFT WITH, ONCE YOU GET OFF THE BRIDGE, 2 78 IS STILL FOUR LANE OR TWO LANES, TWO WAYS.
UH, DO YOU ENVISION SEEKING, UH, SUPPORT FOR WIDENING 2 78? YEAH.
SO RIGHT NOW, WHAT A VOT HAS BEEN GOING THROUGH THE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT PROCESS FOR THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF OR TWO YEARS.
UM, AND THEY JUST RELEASED THE PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE AND OUT OF THAT IS AN EXPANDED FOOTPRINT.
IT'S ONE STRUCTURE, UM, JUST SOUTH OF THE EXISTING TWO BRIDGES.
UM, SO IT WOULD HANDLE THAT ADDITIONAL CAPACITY FROM THE CURRENT 2 78, UM, COMING FROM BLUFFTON AS WELL AS THE BLUFFTON PARKWAY WHERE IT FEEDS INTO 2 78.
SO THAT'S, WHAT'S OUT THERE RIGHT NOW AS THE PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE AND, UM, DUT AND AGAIN, THE COUNTY AND THE TOWN ARE WORKING TOGETHER TO BRING THAT TO RESOLUTION.
SO WE CAN START, UH, THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION ON THAT PROJECT.
DO YOU HAVE A PROJECTED START TIME? UH, YEAH, OUR GOAL IS OVER THE NEXT TWO OR THREE YEARS THAT WE WOULD WORK THROUGH THE DESIGN AND THE RIGHT OF WAY ACQUISITION AND GET STARTED PROBABLY, UH, 20, 24 WITH A THREE YEAR CONSTRUCTION TIMEFRAME.
I REMEMBER WHEN WE, UH, WERE JUST ABOUT TO OPEN THE BLUFFTON PARKWAY TIE IN, WE ACTUALLY DID THE, UM, UH, COASTLINE SITE THERE.
SO MAYBE YOU'LL GIVE US AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO IT ON THE NEW BRIDGE.
SO, UH, ASIDE FROM BEING INVOLVED IN, UH, CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT OR ACTUALLY, UH, TRANSPORTATION AND STORMWATER AND AIRPORTS, YOU'RE ALSO, UH, WORKING ON A FACILITIES MASTER PLAN, UH, FOR BUFORD COUNTY.
TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT.
YEAH, THAT WAS SOMETHING, UH, IS A PLAN THAT HAS BEEN INITIATED ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO.
UM, WE HAVE A LOT OF BUILDINGS IN OUR FACILITIES THAT WE MANAGEMENT THAT WE TAKE CARE OF, UH, COUNTY FACILITIES AND SOME OF THEM.
UM, OH, SO YOU'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT REPLACEMENT TO THE ARTHUR WARN BUILDING INSTEAD OF OUR DIVISION.
UM, THAT'S, THAT'S COMING HERE SOON AND IT'S A FEW MONTHS, WE'VE HAD SOME SETBACKS, SOME COVID RELATED SETBACKS AS FAR AS TIMING
[00:20:01]
AND SOME OTHER SETBACKS.UH, BUT WE LOOK TO HOPEFULLY HAVE AN AD IN THE NEXT COMING A COUPLE OF MONTHS.
UM, BUT YEAH, SO WE'VE, WE HIRED A CONSULTANT TO COME AND TAKE A LOOK AT ALL OUR FACILITIES.
AND THEN THROUGH THAT, HELP US IDENTIFY WHAT NOT ONLY OUR SPACE NEEDS ARE TODAY AND IF THEY'RE BEING MET, BUT WHAT THEY'LL BE IN THE NEXT 30 YEARS.
SO THEY'VE TAKEN A LOOK AT OUR GROWTH AND IN THE GROWTH OF THE COUNTY TO SEE THAT WE HAVE ENOUGH CAPACITY TO SERVICE, UM, ALL THE PEOPLE THAT, THAT USE THE COUNTY SERVICES AND IN THE SPACES THAT THEY NEED TO FACILITATE THOSE SERVICES.
UM, SO THEY HAVE PRESENTED A FACILITIES, MASTER PLAN, A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT OPTIONS AND VARIATIONS OF BUILDINGS AND SIZES THAT WE NEED.
AND NOW WE'RE, AS STAFF ARE WORKING ON PROVIDING A RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL ON HOW WE WOULD ACTUALLY ATTACK THAT, UM, PLAN AND WHAT BUILDINGS WE WOULD BUILD FIRST AND HOW THOSE PROJECTS WOULD COME TO THEM.
THERE'S ALWAYS PLANNING GOING ON IN THE BACK OF, UH, ALL OF THE DIFFERENT PROJECTS THAT YOU'RE INVOLVED IN ASIDE FROM THE DAY TO DAY IMPLEMENTATION AND OPERATIONS THAT YOU GUYS HAVE AT LEAST SOME GROUP THAT'S LOOKING FORWARD, 20, 30 YEARS.
THAT'S A NASTY SOUNDING THING.
UH, WHAT DO YOU DEAL WITH SOLID WASTE? WOW.
SO AGAIN, WE'RE WORKING ON A PLAN.
UH, WE HAVE A PLAN AND EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE WORKING ON, UM, BUT A WAY IT'S A TO HAND OUR WASTE BETTER.
SO, UM, RIGHT NOW WE'VE MADE A COUPLE OF IMPROVEMENTS, INCLUDING THE DECALS WITH OUR, WITH OUR CONVENIENCE CENTERS, BUT THAT'S JUST THE FIRST OF MANY IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE HOPE TO MAKE OVER THE COMING YEARS.
OUR GOAL IS TO BE MORE RESPONSIBLE WITH OUR WASTE AND, AND ACTUALLY VIEW IT RIGHT NOW.
IT'S, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO, IT'S A BY-PRODUCT AND WE'D LIKE TO TRY TO CHANGE THAT INTO A RESOURCE AND HOW DO WE DO THAT? HOW DO WE, UH, KEEP TRASH FROM, FROM GOING INTO OUR LANDFILLS AND BE MORE RESPONSIBLE, UH, IN A MORE SUSTAINABLE APPROACH.
SO WE'RE EVALUATING THAT THERE'S DIFFERENT COMPONENTS THAT WOULD MAKE UP A SUSTAINABILITY PLAN AND CAMPUS, AND WE'RE TRYING TO IDENTIFY WHERE THAT WOULD BE AND WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE.
AND, AND, UM, SO WE'RE WORKING ON THAT DILIGENTLY RIGHT NOW.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR, UM, EVALUATION OF THE DECAL PROGRAM? SO OUR GOAL WITH A DECAL PROGRAM WAS TO MAKE SURE THE RIGHT USERS USE IT AND TO KEEP THE ONES THAT AREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE OUT THERE.
SO THE, THE CONVENIENCE CENTERS ARE INTENDED FOR RESIDENTIAL WASTE ONLY, UH, AND RESIDENTIAL MEANING FROM BUFORD COUNTY RESIDENTS.
SO WE HAD A LOT OF OUT-OF-TOWNERS THAT WERE USING IT AS WELL AS CONTRACTORS.
SO THE DECALS WERE ISSUED IN AND, UM, PROVIDED TO FOLKS THAT ARE RESIDENTS, YOU JUST APPLIED.
UM, SO IT'S BEEN ACTUALLY VERY SUCCESSFUL IN ACCOMPLISHING THE GOAL AT HAND WHAT IT'S ALSO GIVEN US AS METRICS.
SO NOW WE HAVE DATA ON WHAT, WHEN PEOPLE ARE DUMPING THEIR WASTE, WHERE THEY'RE COMING FROM.
SO WE CAN USE THAT AS WE START BUILDING OUT OUR PLAN, UM, AND THE SUSTAINABILITY CAMPUS WHERE IT NEEDS TO WHERE'S THE MOST OF OUR WASTE GENERATED.
UH, SO DISPOSAL IS A BIG COST, BUT TRANSPORTATION'S ANOTHER LARGE COST.
SO IF WE CAN, IF WE CAN SITE OUR CAMPUS SUCH THAT WE CUT DOWN ON TRANSPORTATION, WE'VE REDUCED SOME, SOME COST EFFICIENCIES.
I WAS DISAPPOINTED YOU CLOSED DOWN THE GROVER HILL, UH, TRANSFER STATION, BECAUSE THAT WAS ONE I USED OFTEN ON MY WAY TO WORK.
UM, BUT I HAVE TO SAY THAT I'VE BEEN PLEASANTLY SURPRISED AT THE, UH, ABILITY TO FLOW THROUGH THE LADIES ISLAND ST.
I THOUGHT FOR SHERO DECALS WERE GOING TO BE SITTING THERE LOOKING AT TRAFFIC ALL THE WAY BACK TO, YOU KNOW, PUBLIX.
NO, WELL, WE HAD, WE DEFINITELY HAD STRUGGLES INITIALLY AS WE IMPLEMENTED IT.
UM, THE, THE GROUP, THE CONSULTANT THAT HELPED US IDENTIFY THE DECAL SYSTEM ALSO LOOKED AT OUR CONVENIENCE CENTERS AND, UM, ANALYZE THEM AS FAR AS HOW MUCH WAS GETTING WHAT TRAFFIC AND THAT'S WHERE A COUPLE OF THOSE WERE SHUT DOWN BECAUSE THEY WERE LOWER USE OR DIDN'T HAVE CHANCE TO EXPAND ON.
THEY ARE CONSTRAINED BY DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES.
UM, SO THEY HELPED US LOOK AT THAT HOLISTICALLY.
SO THAT'S WHERE ALL THOSE CLOSINGS CLOSINGS CAME ABOUT.
UM, BUT YEAH, THE GOAL WITH THE DECALS IS THAT WE CAN CYCLE PEOPLE THROUGH THERE EFFICIENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY.
AGAIN, KEEP OUT THE FOLKS THAT AREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE USING OUR CENTERS AND MAKE SURE THE BEAVER COUNTY RESIDENTS ARE THE ONES THAT ARE GETTING THAT OPPORTUNITY.
ALL RIGHT, WE'RE GETTING CLOSE TO CHRISTMAS.
DO YOU HAVE A CHRISTMAS WISHLIST FOR WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE IMPLEMENTED IN THE COUNTY? LIKE I SAY, WE HAVE A WHOLE HOST OF THINGS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON IN THE ENGINEERING DIVISION FROM AIRPORTS TO SOLID WASTE, THE ROADS INFRASTRUCTURE.
SO JUST DEVELOPING OUR PLANS AND THEN FINDING THE MATCHING FUNDS.
SO, UM, FUNDING, I KNOW SANTA DOESN'T ALWAYS BRING MONEY, UM, BUT IF WE, IF WE CAN GET MONEY UNDER THE CHRISTMAS TREE, I THINK THAT'LL REALLY HELP, UH, TAKE ALL THESE VISIONS AND PLANS AND REALLY BRING THEM TO LIFE FOR BEAVER COUNTY.
JARED FREELUX THANKS FOR JOINING US.
WE'VE BEEN TALKING WITH JARED FELIX, WHO IS THE ASSISTANT COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR FOR THE ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT IN BUFORD COUNTY, TALKING ABOUT WASTEWATER AND AIRPORTS AND FUTURE ROAD EXPANSIONS.
AND, UH, YOU'VE GOT A LOT ON YOUR PLATE, SO THANK YOU FOR
[00:25:01]
ALL THAT YOU DO.AND THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FOR ANOTHER EDITION OF COASTLINE.
WE HOPE YOU'LL BE HERE AGAIN NEXT MONTH, WHEN WE HAVE ANOTHER EXCITING GUEST I'M JOE BOGUS, AND I'M A VOLUNTEER WITH THE BUFORD COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM FOR THE PAST SEVEN YEARS, I'VE BEEN A BOARD MEMBER AND MOST RECENTLY FINANCE CHAIR FOR THE COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM.
THIS HAS BEEN A VERY REWARDING AND ENRICHING EXPERIENCE, ESPECIALLY SINCE I BEGAN THE BOARD, MY BOARD TERM, DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE GREAT RECESSION WHEN HE HAD VERY FEW BOOKS AND VERY FEW VISITORS, BUT OVER TIME, THE BOARD AND LIBRARY LEADERSHIP HAD MANAGED TO REBUILD OUR FINANCE, THAT WE'RE SPENDING MORE MATERIALS NOW THAN EVER BEFORE, AND IN A GREATER VARIETY, BOTH HARD COPY AND DIGITAL GROWTH IN BUFORD COUNTY MEANS THAT WE HAVE TO CAREFULLY HUSBAND OUR RESOURCES.
AND THIS IS WHERE VOLUNTEERS IN THE LIBRARY PART DO MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE.
SUSAN AND I HAVE BEEN HERE FOR 18 YEARS AND WE KNOW THE POSITIVE IMPACT LIBRARIES CAN MAKE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
TODAY'S LIBRARY IS A NEW TOWN HALL, FULL OF VIBRANT MIXTURE OF PROGRAMS AND OFFERINGS.
AS A BOARD MEMBER, I KNOW FIRSTHAND THE IMPACT THAT WE CAN MAKE AND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO HAVE PEOPLE SPEND THEIR TIME AND TALENTS ON MAKING BUFORD COUNTY A BETTER PLACE.
THIS IS OUR HOME, AND THIS IS WHY I MAKE THIS INVESTMENT IN BOTH MY TIME AND MEN IN MY COMMUNITY.
THIS VERY BRIEFLY IS WHY SERVE, WHY I'M ASKING YOU TO CONSIDER SPENDING YOUR TIME ALSO FOR THE BUFORD COUNTY LIBRARY.
A LISTING OF BUFORD COUNTIES, AGENCIES, BOARDS, AND COMMISSIONS, OR TO FILL OUT AN APPLICATION VISIT WWW.BUFORDCOUNTYT.GOV, BACKSLASH BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS.
THIS IS THE SALTMARSH, ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND PRODUCTIVE HABITATS ON EARTH.
IT'S HOME TO AN INCREDIBLE DIVERSITY OF MARINA, VERTEBRATES, FISH, AND EVEN REPTILE SPECIES LIKE THIS DIAMOND.
PACTERA MANY OF THE ANIMALS THAT LIVE HERE, GROW UP IN THIS SPARTINA TYNA NURSERY BEFORE THEY MOVE INTO THE RIVERS SOUNDS AND OPEN OCEAN.
JOIN US FOR COASTAL KINGDOM, A FIELD TRIP TO THE LOW COUNTRY, AND A CHANCE TO MEET SOME OF THE ANIMALS THAT LIVE HERE.