* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:10] THING IS THURSDAY, JUNE 2ND. AND WE'RE OPENING UP A FALL HAZARD COMMITTEE MEETING. ROLL CALL PLEASE. YES. I JUST HUNG UP FROM, UM, CHAIRMAN WOOD. I'M GOING TO SEND HIM THE EMAIL LINK. HE SAID HE'S OVERLOOKING IT. IF YOU GIVE ME TWO SECONDS, LET ME SEND THAT TO HIM. OKAY. GIVE ME TWO SECONDS. I'LL SEND IT FROM MY CELL PHONE. OKAY, SO YOU WANT TO DO ROLL CALL OR YOU WANT TO WAIT FOR HIM TO GET IN? I'M SORRY. I'LL GIVE HIM A FEW MINUTES. OKAY. VICTOR, WHO'S DOING THE UPDATE ON THE KEVIN HAD A NINE 30 MEETING, BUT HE SHOULD BE GETTING ON. I'M ACTUALLY NOT IN OUR GIRLS MANAGEMENT AREA. SO I CAN'T PEEK AT HIM, BUT I WILL SEND HIM A TEXT RIGHT NOW. I'M OVER IN OUR NEIGHBOR ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT, RIGHT? THE SECOND. ALRIGHT, MR. WOODS IS IN AND MAKE, UH, GWEN SAID SHE WAS JOINING US SO WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO ROLL. VERY GOOD. I THINK KEVIN JUST JOINED TOO. YEP. OKAY. OKAY. ROLL CALL PLEASE. ALL RIGHT. ROLL CALL FOR JUNE 2ND. CHAIRMAN FRED HAMILTON. DAN WOULD HEAR THE NOLA'S POLITE. JOHN NICKEL IS ABSENT. MEG HERE, GRAY STAPLES HERE, AND GLEN CHAMBERS. I WILL ANNOUNCE WHEN GLEN COMES IN. OKAY. CAN I GET A MOTION TO ADOPT THE AGENDA, PLEASE? SECOND AS HABIT. NOW WE NEED A MOTION TO ADOPT THE MINUTES FROM MAY 5TH. NEED A SECOND, SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR. AYE. I JUST HAVE IT. THANK YOU. UM, PUBLIC COMMENTS. DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS? NO, SIR. NOT AT THIS TIME. THANK YOU. OKAY, THEN WE SHOULD MOVE RIGHT INTO, UH, VICTORIA WITH THE OLD AND NEW BUSINESS, PLEASE. ALRIGHTY. CAN EVERYONE SEE THE SCREEN? YES. ALL RIGHT. I'M GOING TO JUMP WHAT WE'VE ALREADY AGREED ON. AND NOW YOU SHOULD BE SEEING OUR MEMO WITH OUR BUDGET UPDATE. AS OF MAY 26TH, WHEN THE REPORT WAS SUBMITTED, THE AVAILABLE BUDGET WAS $57,107 AND 16 CENTS $104,005 AND 84 CENTS HAS BEEN PAID OUT ON ROOFING REPAIRS, SEPTIC PUMP OUTS AND INCOME VERIFICATIONS ARE ESTIMATED SPENDING THAT WAS STILL NOT SENT OUT WAS 24,000 4 97, WHICH WILL BE PAID OUT BEFORE OUR NEXT MEETING. ACTUALLY, THAT'S ALREADY BEEN, UM, PUT IN THE SYSTEM BECAUSE AS YOU ALL KNOW, OUR FISCAL YEAR ENDS ON MONDAY, JUNE SIX, AS OF MAY 26, 39 HOMES HAVE BEEN ASSISTED. THREE HOMES ARE WAITING ON ESTIMATES FROM CONTRACTORS AND THOSE HOMES WILL ROLL OVER INTO NEXT YEAR'S FISCAL YEAR. I'LL GO OVER TO OUR NEXT EXCEL SHEET SCREEN [00:05:01] SO YOU CAN SEE IT THAT WAY. ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT? NO QUESTIONS ALL AS WELL. ALL RIGHT. AT LAST MONTH'S MEETING, WE DID BRING UP SOME, ONE OF OUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS WANTED TO SEE WHAT OUR DIFFERENCE WAS AND OUR DIFFERENT YEARS. UM, SO I DID DO OR PULL SOME INFORMATION BACK FROM 2019 TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY. AND AS YOU CAN SEE, 2019, WE DID NOT AS MUCH, BUT WE DID SOME. SO WE DID 18 HOME REPAIRS, WHICH CONSISTED OF ROOF REPAIRS AND, UM, BROKEN DOORFRAMES, WET FLOOR REPAIRS AND DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE THAT. SO WE DID, UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, 18 THERE IN THE ACTUAL STATEMENT WAS 131,000 4 0 4 PROPERTY CLEANUP, SUCH AS BRINGING IN BIG D UH, TRASH BINS, UM, FOR, UM, WHITE GOODS, NOT LANDSCAPED GOODS, BUT WHITE GOODS, JUST STUFF THAT'S KIND OF HANGING AROUND IN THE YARD THAT RESIDENTS ARE NOT USING. WE DID FIVE HOMES THERE FOR A TOTAL OF 6,000 6, 74 SEPTIC SYSTEM REPAIR. I DON'T BELIEVE WE HAD ANY SEWER CONNECTIONS. SO SEPTIC SYSTEM REPAIR WAS 2005 20. AND JUST TO KEEP IN MIND, I CAME IN IN 2020. I CAME IN UP MARCH OF 2020, RIGHT WHEN COVID STARTED. SO WHEN I GOT THIS POSITION, I DID EVERYTHING FROM HOME BECAUSE OF THE COVID ISSUE. SO I CAME IN ON 2020. SO ANY QUESTIONS FOR 2019 BUDGET AND WE HADN'T ADOPTED THE TREE MITIGATION PROGRAM DOLLARS FOR 2019 YET EITHER ANY QUESTIONS? NO. KEEP GOING. THANKS. ALL RIGHT. SO THEN WE MOVE OVER TO 2020, UM, WHEN COVID WAS UPON US, UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, NUMBERS ARE NOT AS DRASTIC AT ALL. HOME REPAIR HIT 57,164 WITH SIX HOMES, PROPERTY CLEAN UP AND SEPTIC PUMP OUT. WE JOINED THOSE TO HIT TWO 60 WITH SEVEN HOMES AND WE DID NOTHING ELSE. IT WAS A VERY SLOW YEAR. WE ALL KNOW, UM, COMPANIES WERE SHUT DOWN. WE HAD VERY LITTLE COMMUNICATION ON CONTACT WITH ANYONE IN THE OUTSIDE WORLD OUTSIDE OF YOUR HOME ADDRESS. SO THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED IN 20 20, 20 21. WE GOT BACK TO LIFE, DOORS OPENED. UM, PEOPLE NEEDED US. SO HOME REPAIRED JUMPED 93 TO 33 97, 12 HOMES PROPERLY CLEAN OUT EXCEPTED PUMP OUT 1005 43 WITH FIVE. WE PICKED UP OUR TREE MITIGATION, WHICH WE DID NOT, DID NOT DO MUCH WITH THAT ONE. SO AS YOU CAN SEE, THOSE ARE OUR NUMBERS FOR 2021 NUMBERS ARE GOING UP AND THEN I'LL TAKE US BACK UP TOP TO WHAT WE JUST WENT OVER OUR 2022. AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE IS ANOTHER NEED FOR US, A MUCH BIGGER NEED. SO, UM, THAT KIND OF GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT OUR NUMBERS WAS. DIFFERENT SERVICES THAT WE DO OFFER PRICES WENT UP SUCH AS SEPTIC PUMP OUT THAT USED TO BE TWO 60, WHICH NOW IS THREE 50. SO, UM, TREE SERVICES WENT UP AS WELL. WE PRETTY MUCH USE, UH, TWO COMPANIES FOR TREE REPAIR SERVICES. WE GET DIFFERENT QUOTES AND, YOU KNOW, DON'T TAKE THE CHEAPEST ONE, BUT GIVE US MORE FOR THE BOOKS. SO THAT'S WHERE WE STAND. UM, I THINK COUNCILMAN WOULD ASK, YOU KNOW, HOW COME WE'RE GETTING THE DOLLARS OUT, JUST TRYING TO PUSH A LITTLE MORE, AS I KEEP SAYING, GET IT OUT TO THE CHURCHES, PASS IT OUT WHEREVER I AM. I KEEP SOME IN MY CAR. SO IF SOMEONE SAYS, HEY, DO YOU HAVE AN APPLICATION? I'M, YOU KNOW, I'M AVAILABLE TO GIVE IT TO THEM RIGHT THEN. UM, SO I THINK IT'S JUST WORD OF MOUTH AND TRYING TO PUSH IT AS MUCH AS WE CAN UPDATE THE WEBSITE INFORMATION, THE TOWN WEBSITE WITH THE PROGRAM THAT WE'RE, THAT WE'RE DOING. SO ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS, VICTORIA. YES. UM, UH, THOUGHT THE, UM, YOU COULD GO UPWARD ON THIS EXAMPLE HERE WHERE YOU HAVE HOME REPAIR 22 NUMBER OF HOUSES ASSISTANT. I THINK YOU COULD DO A SIMPLE BAR GRAPH. OKAY. BACK TO 20, 19, 20 18, YOU COULD PUT YOUR BAR, YOUR BAR GRAPH WOULD GO UP, YOU'D PUT LIKE THE 22 AT THE TOP OF IT, AND THEN UNDERNEATH IT, [00:10:01] YOU COULD PUT THE DOLLARS SPENT, YOU KNOW? UM, AND THEN THAT'S JUST A QUICK LOOK AT, WE COULD ALWAYS SEE WHICH WAY WE'RE GOING. AND THEN ON THE COVID WHEN YOU COULD JUST PUT AN ASTERISK SAYING COVID OKAY, DO YOU WANT ME TO BRING THAT TO YOU NEXT MONTH? OR DO YOU WANT ME TO SIT IN THERE? YEAH, YEAH, NO, THAT WAS NEXT MONTH. IT'D BE FINE. I THINK THAT'S JUST A GOOD LITTLE VISUAL THAT WE CAN ALL JUST QUICK AND IT'S NOT HARD TO DO. OKAY. NO PROBLEM. JUST TO SEE IT A DIFFERENT WAY. AND I JUST WANT TO LET YOU ALL KNOW WHEN CHAMBERS CAME IN, UH, 10, 11 WANTING TO GO IN. SO YES, SIR. I WILL DO THAT. I WILL WORK ON THAT BAR GRAPH AND GET THAT TO US FOR THE MONTH OF JULY. THANK YOU. NOT A PROBLEM. ANYONE ELSE? CHAIRMAN? I PASS IT BACK OVER TO YOU. OKAY. OKAY. VICTOR COULD BE PULLED OUT. I APPRECIATE, UM, YOUR PRESENTATION THERE. DO THEY HAVE ANY, ANY, UH, QUESTIONS FROM ANY COMMITTEE MEMBERS BEFORE WE MOVE ON? I DON'T HAVE A QUESTION, BUT I DO WANT TO ALSO THANK VICTORIA I'VE THEY? UM, THIS IS JUST GOING BACK TO THE OLD, TO THE MINUTES FROM THE LAST MEETING. I DID GET A CHANCE TO READ THAT AND IT WAS SO COMPREHENSIVE. AND I JUST THANK YOU FOR THAT. THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING. YES MA'AM. AND SPEAKING ON THE MEETING FROM LAST MONTH, UM, WE HAD, I THINK IT WAS YOU CHA UH, MS. STAPLES THAT ASKED FOR A HOME OWNER ASSISTANCE FUND. YES, WE DO NOT. THE TOWN DOES NOT HAVE THAT PROGRAM, BUT I DID DO SOME RESEARCH AND, UM, I'LL PUT IT IN THE EMAIL. I PUT IT IN AT ALL. I SENT IT TO YOU GUYS IN AN EMAIL SOUTH CAROLINA HOUSING, SOUTH CAROLINA HOME ON A RESCUE PROGRAM. THEY OFFER FUNDS. AND IF YOU GO TO THE WEBSITE, IT'S A SOUTH CAROLINA HOUSING.COM. THEY HELP YOU WITH DELINQUENT UTILITIES, DELINQUENT PROPERTY, TACKETT TAXES, MORTGAGE, REINSTATEMENT, AND MORTGAGE PAYMENTS. AND I'LL SEND THIS, IT'S A GOVERNMENT. I BELIEVE THIS IS COMING FROM THE OPERA FUNDS. SO I CAN SEND THIS OUT TO YOU. BUT AS, AS A TOWN, WE DO NOT. BUT, UM, IT'S UNLIMITED FUNDS. IT BEGAN IN JANUARY OF 2020, JANUARY 21ST, 2020. AND IT'S EXTENDED UP UNTIL SEPTEMBER 30TH, 20, 26, AS LONG AS FUNDS REMAIN AVAILABLE. SO, UM, I BELIEVE IF YOU GO TO BE FOR JESS POC OVER IN BEAVER, THEY DON'T DO APPLICATIONS ONLINE. YOU HAVE TO ACTUALLY GO TO THEM. SO, UM, OUR RESIDENTS CAN DEFINITELY BENEFIT FROM THAT. LIKE I SAID, THEY HELPED WITH UTILITIES AND, UH, UH, UH, UMBRELLA OF DIFFERENT THINGS. YOU JUST HAVE TO PROVIDE INCOME WHO ALL LIVES IN THE HOUSEHOLD AND THEY'RE ABLE TO HELP THINGS OFTEN THOSE FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE, BUT I'LL SEND IT IN AN EMAIL. OKAY. THANK YOU. AND ALSO THANK YOU FOR SENDING US THAT, UM, THE AMI WITH THE, UM, BUFORD COUNTY, UM, WHAT DO YOU CALL IT? THE, UM, THE INCOME LIMIT INCOME LEVELS. YES. THANK YOU. MA'AM ANY OTHER THOUGHTS THEN? WE'RE GOING TO, GOING TO BRING KEVIN IN, GIVE US AN UPDATE, KEVIN, IF YOU WILL. YEAH. I'M SORRY. SURE. WHAT DID GENE, UM, I THOUGHT SHE WAS GOING TO GIVE US THE UPDATE ON STATE OF MIND. OH, YES. SORRY. THAT WAS PROMOTED BY TASKING THERE. UM, SO THE, THE, THE STATE OF MIND CONTRACT, UM, IT IS MOVING FORWARD. UM, YOU KNOW, AS OF RIGHT NOW, UM, IT'S STILL IN THE ATTORNEY'S HANDS. UM, WE'VE GOTTEN, UM, THE, THE RIGHTS, UH, TO MOVE FORWARD THE, THE FIRST PHASE AND WHAT THAT DOES IS IT STARTS THE PROCESS OF, OF GETTING THE NECESSARY, UH, DRAWINGS TO PUT TOGETHER. UM, I DON'T HAVE THE EXACT TIMELINE, UM, AT THIS MOMENT, BUT ONCE WE SIT DOWN, UH, GET IT SQUARED AWAY, WE WILL THEN, UM, START BRINGING THIS INFORMATION TO THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING COMMITTEE, UH, JUST TO LET YOU KNOW, BOTH FROM A HORIZONTAL STANDPOINT OF, OF LAND DEVELOPMENT. AND THEN OF COURSE, UH, THE ACTUAL, UH, THE, UM, ACTUAL PLANS THEMSELVES OF THE BUILDINGS. UM, SO WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT THERE YET. UM, BUT WE ARE MOVING FORWARD. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, IT IS, IT'S BEEN A VERY LONG PROCESS, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, W WE ARE, WE ARE MOVING THIS, UH, THIS FORWARD, UM, AND I, THAT EVERYONE'S EXCITED AND, AND WANTING TO, TO, TO GET THEIR HANDS DIRTY ON THIS. BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE DOING IT STEP BY STEP, SO, [00:15:01] OKAY. ANY, ANY, UM, QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS? UM, DAN AND I ARE VERY, UM, UP TO DATE ON THIS PROCESS. WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS HAD THE SAME INFORMATION. UM, AND IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS WE WILL TRY TO GIVE YOU THE BEST ANSWER WE CAN AT THIS TIME. OKAY. UM, I THINK THAT'S, UH, ALL THAT WE HAVE, UM, THAT WE CAN SHARE, UM, ABOUT THE, THE PROJECTS THAT, UM, BUT THERE'S ONE THING I THINK WE COULD ALSO ADD, WE ONLY GOING TO DO ONE, ONE OF THE PROPERTY THAT WE HAVE AT, UM, AT THIS TIME, IS THAT RIGHT? KEVIN? I THINK THE INTENT IS THE 10 95, A MAY RIVER ROAD SITE IS THE ONE TO START WITH, UM, JUST BECAUSE IT'S THE, THE, THE, UM, PROBABLY THE LEAST AMOUNT OF TECHNICAL ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH IT. UM, SO THE, THE GOAL IS TO START, START THE CONTRACT, UM, AND START THE PROCESS WITH THAT ONE. AND THEN AS, AS WE'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH THAT ONE, WE'RE KIND OF, UM, BRINGING THE OTHER PROJECTS ALONG. SO THAT WAY THERE'S ANY ISSUES THAT WE SEE WITH THIS 10 95 1, WE CAN ADJUST IT. SO THAT WAY WE'RE MAKING SURE THAT EVERYTHING IS CORRECTED ON THE NEXT, UH, TWO THAT ARE MOVING THROUGH. OKAY. AND THAT IS THE ONE WHERE IT'S APPROXIMATELY THE 12 SINGLE FAMILY UNITS THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO DO. OKAY. EVERYONE WANTS ME WITH THAT. UM, YOU KNOW WHAT, I, I KNOW YOU'VE GIVEN US THE, A SYNOPSIS OF WHAT THIS IS. I REALLY AM. THAT'S WHEN I FIRST CAME IN IN OCTOBER THE LAST TIME I THINK WE TALKED ABOUT IT. COULD WE GET, COULD YOU GIVE US JUST A RECAP OF WHAT IS THE STATE OF MIND CONTRACT MR. CHAIRMAN OR, OR KEVIN? KEVIN, I'LL LET YOU TAKE THAT. SO THE CONTRACT IS, IS WITH STATE OF MIND, LLC, FOR, UM, FOR THEM TO, TO CONSTRUCT AND THEN MANAGE THE, UH, THE VARIOUS PROPERTIES THAT THE TOWN OWNS. UH, ONE OF THEM BEING 10 95 MAY RIVER ROAD, AND THAT'S APPROXIMATELY 1.7 ACRES, WE'RE ANTICIPATING 12 SINGLE FAMILY HOMES. UM, THE OTHER SITE IS, UM, UP ON BLUFFTON ROAD ACROSS FROM THE BURNT CHURCH DISTILLERY. UM, THAT'S LAND THAT THE TOWN HAS OWNED FOR DECADES, UM, AND JUST RECENTLY, UM, WAS CONTIGUOUS. SO WE WERE ABLE TO ANNEX IT INTO THE TOWN. UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 UNITS THERE WITH A MIX OF POTENTIAL SINGLE FAMILY, UM, MAYBE TOWNHOMES AND OR APARTMENT STYLE UNITS. UM, AND THEN THE LAST, UH, LOCATION IS, UM, THERE'S A SMALL, UH, GREEN PARK AT THE CORNER OF DR. MELLENCAMP AND BLUFFTON ROAD THAT THE TOWNHOMES DO A SMALLER UNIT OF, UM, ANYWHERE BETWEEN FOUR AND SIX UNITS, UH, AT THAT LOCATION. UM, IT STILL HAS TO BE DETERMINED AS WE START MOVING FORWARD WITH THE ACTUAL DESIGN OF THEM. AND IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT WE DO OWN PROPERTY OUT IN THE WILLOW RUN TRACT OF, UM, OFF OF 2 78, UM, FOR POTENTIAL UNITS. BUT AT THIS TIME UNTIL DEVELOPMENT MOVES CLOSER TO THAT PIECE, IT'S JUST FROM A FINANCIAL STANDPOINT, IT'S, IT'S NOT POSSIBLE TO DO THAT. UM, WE'RE LOOKING AT MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF INFRASTRUCTURE, UH, IN ORDER TO GET TO THE SITE. SO, UM, THAT'S JUST KIND OF LIKE A QUICK, QUICK SYNOPSIS AS, UM, COUNCILMAN HAMILTON STATED YOU WORK, WE'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH THAT 10 95 FIRST. UM, SO WE'RE GETTING ALL OF THE, UM, DOCUMENTS IN PLACE. UM, SO IT'S A, IT'S A STEP PROCESS WITH THE CONTRACT AND THAT ALLOWS, ALLOWS US TO GET THE, UM, GET THE PROPER PERMITS AND THEN MOVE TO THAT NEXT STEP OF ACTUALLY STARTING CONSTRUCTION. AND HOW FAR OUT DO WE THINK WE WOULD BE AT THAT END POINT WHERE WE'RE STARTING CONSTRUCTION? I HATE TO SAY THIS, BUT WITH THE CLIMATE THAT IT IS TODAY, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL, TELL YOU, I COULD, [00:20:01] I COULDN'T GIVE YOU A TIMEFRAME. UM, THERE'S, UH, YOU KNOW, MONTHS LEAD TIME ON JUST GETTING WINDOWS FOR PROJECTS. SO, UH, YOU JUST, EVEN, YOU KNOW, I WAS IN A MEETING WITH A, A BUILDER TODAY, SAME THING WHERE, YOU KNOW, HE'S SEVEN MONTHS OUT ON SOME ITEMS JUST BECAUSE HE DOESN'T HAVE THE MATERIALS. SO, UM, I DON'T WANT TO GIVE YOU A TIMEFRAME AND THEN IT'S JUST NOWHERE CLOSE TO. OKAY. AND HOW LONG HAVE WE BEEN WORKING WITH STATE OF MIND ON THIS? UM, IT IS, UM, IT'S BEEN A LITTLE WHILE. UH, WE'VE, IT'S BEEN ABOUT TWO YEARS AND YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER COVID HIT, SO WE HAD, UM, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF ISSUES WITH THAT, SO. OKAY. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. THANK YOU. UM, THOSE ARE ALL GREAT QUESTIONS. ANYONE ELSE? OKAY. SORRY. GWEN HAS A QUESTION IN THE CHAT, JUST FOR CLARIFICATION. STATE OF MIND ONLY HAS ONE CONTRACT ON 10 95, 12 UNITS, NOT ON THE REST OF THE PROPERTIES, CORRECT? CORRECT. CORRECT. WELL, THEY ARE, THEY'RE CONTRACTED TO WORK ON THE OTHER PROJECTS. SO WE'RE FOCUSING ON THE 10 95 FIRST. OKAY. I HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION. DOES THIS, THIS, THE TOWN KNOW THAT WE ARE ACTIVELY WORKING WITH THEM ON, ON THE 10 95 MAY RIVER ROAD. IS THERE ANY, UH, PUBLICATION OR IS THIS STILL JUST WITHIN THE COUNCIL? WHEN YOU SAY THE TOWN, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THE COMMUNITY? YES. OKAY. UM, OTHER THAN WHAT WE, YOU KNOW, OUR MEETINGS, UH, UH, PUBLIC MEETINGS IS THIS IT'S ON THE COUNTY CHANNEL IS, UM, AND, AND WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING THIS, LIKE KEVIN SAID FOR MORE THAN TWO YEARS. SO, UM, AS FAR AS THERE BEING ANY OTHER MEANS OF COMMUNICATING WITH COMMUNITY, UM, I THINK FOR ME, ONCE WE GET SOME MOVEMENT, ONCE WE GET CONTRACT SEALED AND APPROVED, IF YOU WILL, AND ACTUALLY GROUNDBREAKING, I THINK, UM, THAT'S WHEN I WOULD LIKE FOR THE MESSAGE TO BE A LOT LOUDER, BECAUSE THEN PEOPLE CAN START APPLYING, UH, PREPARING THEMSELVES, UM, BUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE HOME OWNERSHIP, BUT RIGHT NOW IT'S, UH, I BELIEVE IT'S TOO EARLY FOR SOMEONE TO AND WITH. AND THERE'S TOO MANY UNKNOWNS RIGHT NOW FOR SOMEONE TO SAY, UM, THAT'S WHERE I WANNA, I WANNA LIVE. I THINK I WAS, UH, TALKING MORE ABOUT THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE, KNOWING THAT, YOU KNOW, THE THINGS ARE MOVING FORWARD BECAUSE, UM, THE, THE GROUND NOISE IS THAT THIS IS BECOMING TOWN FOR THE RICH AND FAMOUS AND OTHER PEOPLE ARE NOT BEING CONSIDERED AVERAGE INCOME. PEOPLE ARE NOT IN CONSIDERATION. SO I JUST WANT TO PUT THAT OUT THERE, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST ROAD NOISE. OKAY. WELL, AND I'M GLAD YOU SAID THAT BECAUSE, UM, THAT'S, THAT IS, UM, THE PERCEPTION THAT, UM, THE WAY, THE WAY THE TOWN IS MOVING, UM, AND, AND THE COST OF REAL ESTATE. UH, YES. SO, UM, BUT THERE ARE OTHER AVENUES THAT WE, UM, THAT I FEEL THE MENTIONED, LIKE, SO LOCAL TALKS ABOUT, UM, A HOUSING TRUST FUND AND, AND HOW, UM, SOME OF THE ERP MONIES CAN BE USED TO HELP WITH AFFORDABLE HOUSING FROM EAST JEWISH JURISDICTIONS. SO THERE ARE SOME, UM, SOME OTHER AVENUES OF GETTING THE WORD OUT THAT YES, WE, WE REALIZED THERE IS A AFFORDABLE, UM, SHORTAGE, AND AS OF THERE'S EFFORT MADE, UM, REASONABLE [00:25:01] TO TRY TO ADDRESS IT, UM, I THINK BLUFFTON HAS BEEN MORE AGGRESSIVE THAN ANY OTHER JURISDICTION. HOWEVER, UM, WHILE WE HAVE THESE, UM, OTHER FUNDING MECHANISM IN PLACE, IT MIGHT HELP US A LITTLE BIT MORE IF WE, IF WE, IF WE MOVE NOW AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF, UM, SOME OF THOSE, UM, AMERICAN RESCUE, UM, PLAN, UM, FUNDS. OKAY. HANDS UP. YES, SIR. TRY AGAIN UP ON GRACES. CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? YES. CAN YOU HEAR ME OKAY. I JUST WANTED TO SAY TO GRACE THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE UNDERSTAND YOUR PERCEPTION AND IT'S NOT JUST A TOWN PROBLEM. IT'S A REGIONAL PROBLEM. UH, YOU KNOW, ALL ACROSS THE COUNTY AND IT'S EVEN SPILLING INTO JASPER COUNTY. AND, UM, SO WE'RE AWARE, I MEAN, IT'S DIFFICULT TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT, YOU KNOW, WHEN THE COST OF HOUSING RISES CONSTANTLY, BUT, UH, SO IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT JUST A TOWN ISSUE. IT'S EVERYWHERE AROUND HERE. WE'RE ALL DEALING WITH IT. THANK YOU, SIR. GRACE IN YOUR FIELD AND, UM, IN YOUR WORLD, UM, GIVES US A WHOLE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE. AND THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS I'M GLAD YOU ON BOARD IS GIVE US A PERSPECTIVE ON THE REAL ESTATE MARKET, BEING A REALTOR YOURSELF. SO IT HELP US, OR YOU CAN HELP US. UM, SOMETIMES WHEN, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, UM, CONVERSATION OR THERE'S, UM, OPPORTUNITIES. SO ALWAYS CHIME IN, ALWAYS FEEL LIKE WHENEVER YOU HAVE, UM, THE OPPORTUNITY TO, TO EDUCATE US, WE, I CERTAINLY WOULD APPRECIATE IT. ANYONE ELSE? OKAY. IT'S BEEN GOOD CONVERSATIONS. AND, UM, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOU GUYS BEING HERE NEXT MONTH. HOPEFULLY, UM, WE'LL HAVE BETTER HANDLE ON THE CONTRACT OR THE AGREEMENT WITH STATE OF MIND TO SHARE WITH YOU. UM, FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT TO VICTORIA OR MYSELF IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER CONCERNS. UM, THANK YOU FOR, FOR YOUR TIME. AND THIS MEETING IS NOW ADJOURNED. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.