* 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. [00:00:01] CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY BEAVER COUNTY TO, UH, BRING THE MEETING TO ORDER, UH, THE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD TODAY, MONDAY, JULY 18TH. UM, LET ME STAND AND WE HAVE FLAG DO THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT SAYINGS ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. SO INTRODUCTIONS. UH, UM, MY NAME IS ANTOINETTE. I MANAGE ALL THE SWIMMING POOLS, NOT WATTS, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, CHUCK. I CAN SOMEBODY FOR COUNTY CITIZENS. GREAT. WELL MACOLA TIM SMACKS. HELLO, CAVE REPRESENTATIVE COUNTY SCHOOLS, ERIC PRIESTER SELF, AND I APPRECIATE HER, UH, SOUTH OF THE PROVINCE. WELL, UM, I'M SOMEONE, UH, GET A MOTION HERE TO APPROVE OUR AGENDA. I'LL MOVE SECOND ON FAVOR. BOTH. OKAY. PUBLIC COMMENT. I PRESUME. ARE YOU HERE FOR PUBLIC? COVID OH, GOOD, GOOD, FANTASTIC. ALL RIGHT, SO YOU HAVE NO PUBLIC COMMENT, UH, REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF THE, UH, MINUTES. I MOVE THAT WE APPROVE THE MINUTES AS PRESENTED SECOND. THEY MISS THEIR CORRECTIONS BEING MADE ALL IN FAVOR. AYE. OPPOSED. OKAY. I WOULD, BEFORE WE MOVE ON, UH, HOW, HOW HAS THE, UH, I KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT INCREASING, I THINK UNIFORMING THE FEES HERE, THE REGISTRATION FEES, THE I WON'T COMPLAIN. OKAY. VERY GOOD. WE'LL START WITH LYNN BROWN AND GIVEN AN UPDATE. I KNOW I'VE GIVEN YOU ALL AN UPDATE OF THE OPENING AND THEN THE EQUIPMENT COMING IN. SO I JUST THOUGHT I'D GIVE A FINAL UPDATE AND JUST KIND OF SHOW YOU WHERE OUR USAGE HAS BEEN AND TO SEE THAT IT HAS BEEN INCREASING. UM, SO WE ARE GETTING USE OUT OF THE CENTER, UM, ATLANTA BROWN. SO I JUST KINDA WANTED YOU TO BE ABLE TO SEE ARE THOSE, ARE THOSE, UH, JUST NUMBER OF VISITS PER MONTH MEMBERSHIP CHECK-INS OKAY. SO IN MAY, IF, IF I, IF I WENT THERE FIVE TIMES AND MY REFLECTED ONCE OR FIVE TIMES. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THAT'S NOT A HUGE ROOM EITHER. ISN'T UM, THAT, THAT WAY ROOM'S ACTUALLY PROBABLY THE SAME SIZE AS THE ONE AT BURTON WELLS ON THE PROBLEM MIGHT BE EVEN A LITTLE BIT BIGGER THAN BUCK WALTER AND SEND IT TO US. IS IT, IS IT BEING USED TO, TO WHAT PERCENT OF CAPACITY AT THIS POINT, I MEAN, 5 94 ON SUMMERS, THERE'S A MOSTLY YOUNG PEOPLE THAT ARE COMING. I'VE SEEN OLDER. PEOPLE ARE JUST GETTING MORE AWARE OF IT BECAUSE YOU CAN PICKLEBALL, THEY'RE STARTING TO PICK UP AND THEN YOU GOT THE BASKETBALL PLAYERS, THE KIDS PLAYING BASKETBALL AND STUFF. SO, UM, BE FOR TENNIS COURT UPDATES, AS YOU CAN SEE, UM, MOVING ALONG THE RAIN HASN'T HELPED ANYTHING. UM, BUT THEY ARE STEADY MOVING FORWARD WITH THE PROJECT. SO, UM, HOPEFULLY BY NEXT MEETING WE WILL SEE SOME CONCRETE DOWN AND SOME PROCESS PROGRESS ON IT. UM, BATHROOM UPDATES, UM, THEY'RE WAITING ON, GIVE FOR JAZZ FOR WATER. THEN ONCE WE GET THE APPROVAL THROUGH THEM, THE RFP IS TO BE ADVERTISED THIS MONTH. IT'LL GO THROUGH, UM, THE END OF AUGUST AND THEN WE'LL GO TO COMMITTEE, UM, FOR APPROVAL SEPTEMBER THE 15TH. SO ONCE THAT GETS DONE, WE WILL SEE BATHROOMS, HOPEFULLY. UM, I'M GOING TO SAY OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, BY THE TIME THEY GET EVERYTHING OUT THERE AT OLD BURTON WELLS AND, UM, WESLEY, FELIX, OF COURSE BRUCE CENTER. LIKE, [00:05:02] SO THOSE ARE THE TWO PLACES THAT WERE, BUT IN THE BATHROOMS, UM, YEAH, UM, BLOCKED AND FULL UPDATE, I'VE KIND OF GONE BY THERE, SNUCK IN PEEK AROUND. UM, SO LOOK PRETTY GOOD. UM, THE RUSTED, UM, BEANS HAVE BEEN, A LOT OF THEM HAVE BEEN REPLACED, SO THAT, THAT PART OF IT'S LOOKING GOOD. UM, THEY GOT THEIR LAST DELIVERY OF BOLTS THAT ARRIVED JUNE THE 27TH. OF COURSE WE ALL KNOW HOW THINGS ALREADY GET. UM, UM, THEY'RE PAINTING THE PURLINS. UM, THE LAST PURLINS WILL BE INSTALLED IN THE ROOM IN PLACE, CONTINUED, AND THEY'RE STILL ON SCHEDULE TO BE COMPLETED BY MEG MID AUGUST. SO THEY'RE MOVING ALONG WITH IT. UM, LIKE I SAID, I HAVEN'T BEEN SNEAKING BY THERE AND GOING BY, SO WHEN YOU SAY PURLINS, ARE THOSE THE CROSS BRACES, THE METAL BEAMS UP FROM THE, UH, THAT ARE THE SIDE BY SIDE VERSUS THE THEY'RE ACTUALLY DOING YEAH. THEY'RE THE SMALLER ONES THAT ARE DOING THE ROOF. AND WHAT, W WHAT DOES THAT, WHAT ARE WE DOING WITH THE INSULATION THERE? IS THAT JUST NOT GOING TO BE INSULATED OR HOW IS IT GOING TO BE SPLIT? I DON'T REMEMBER. I KNOW ONE TIME THEY'VE TALKED ABOUT THE SPRAY INSULATION, BUT THEY ARE GOING TO BE REPLACING THE HPAC SYSTEMS, SO ALL OF THAT'S GOING TO BE DONE. UM, AND THOSE ARE, THAT'S STILL A METAL ROOF, CORRECT. OKAY. YEAH. WELL, IT'S AND PULLS YOUR SHADY AS POLE IS NOTHING BUT SURROUNDED BY PINE TRACE. THEY'RE STILL ON SCHEDULE. UM, OUR SENIOR PROGRAM SAYING YOUR PROGRAM STARTED JULY 1ST, STARTED OFF A LITTLE SLUG. UM, BUT QUICKLY WE, UM, BOOKER T'S EXAMPLE, WE STARTED WITH FIVE SENIORS. WE'RE UP TO 29. UM, BLUFFTON IS UP THE 31 SENIORS THAT WAS, UM, WHEN COUNSELING ON AGING HAD IT, IT WAS CLOSED, UM, WAY BEFORE COVID, THEY PROBABLY MIGHT HAVE 10 SENIORS. UM, IT IS UP AND WE ADDED TWO MORE JUST SINCE FRIDAY. UM, BARTON WELLS IS AT 27 PORT. ROYAL'S A LITTLE SLOW, AND SCOTT'S A LITTLE SLOW WITH 14, BUT AT THE ST. HELENA, UM, SENIOR CENTER THAT WE'RE RENTING FROM THE COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH, IT THAT ONE'S DOING WELL, IT WAS ALREADY DOING WELL. UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, UM, WE'VE KINDA TAKEN A DIFFERENT APPROACH WITH THEM. IT'S NOT JUST GO IN, SIT DOWN SAYING, EAT AND TALK AND GO HOME. UM, WE HAVE BEEN KEEPING THEM ACTIVE. THEY DO A MONTHLY CALENDAR. UM, THEY SEND ME VIDEOS WHERE THEY CREATED TRIVIA GAMES ON THE TV. UM, THEY HAVE GOT, UM, THEY SIT DOWN AND DRAW THE OTHER DAY. THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT HOW THEY DREW OUT OF A BASKET. TELL ME ABOUT YOUR DAUGHTER, OR TELL ME ABOUT YOUR SON. TELL ME ABOUT YOUR AUNTS. TELL ME WHERE YOU'VE TRAVELED. SO THEY SIT DOWN AND TALK AMONGST THEMSELVES AT DIFFERENT THINGS. AND THAT'S PART OF THE GAMES. UM, THEY'VE DONE A PLANNINGS, UH, THEY'VE BEEN DOING BAKING. UH, THEY GOT JEWELRY-MAKING COMING UP. UM, THEY'RE STAYING VERY BUSY. THEY'RE EXTREMELY HAPPY, AND THE NUMBERS ARE REFLECTING THAT. SO, UM, WE'RE KEEPING THEIR MINDS ACTIVE AS WELL AS JUST GETTING THEM THERE. MS. RIVERS, UM, BLOCKED IN CENTER AS 104 YEARS OLD. AND, UM, SOON AS I GOT THERE, SHE SAID, HONEY, I THOUGHT I WAS GOING DOWN AT, YOU BROUGHT THIS PROGRAM BACK. SO THEY ARE JUST THRILLED TO DEATH THAT WE'RE DOING THIS. AND, UM, THE BLUFFTON LOCATION. UM, LIKE I SAID, WITH THE NUMBERS THEY'RE GROWING SO FAST OVER THERE, IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE WHEN THE VOTER REGISTRATION MOVES OUT, WE'RE GOING TO MOVE THEM INTO THE BIG CENTER ROOM AND THEN TURN THE SENIOR ROOM INTO LIKE A SEWING, UM, ROOM FOR THEM SO THAT THEY HAVE MORE ROOM OVER THERE. HOW MANY CAN WE ACCOMMODATE, ET CETERA? I MEAN, IT'S LARGE. SO I MEAN, WE CAN EASILY ACCOMMODATE 110 YEARS IF WE HAD THEM. IT'S A LARGE CENTER, YOU KNOW, CAUSE YOU'VE GOT THE BACK ROOM, THE SIDE ROOM YOU'VE GOT UPSTAIRS WITH THE ART ROOM. YOU'VE GOT THE BIG ROOM. UM, YOU'VE GOT THE BIG FRONT OFFICE ROOM, SO THERE'S PLENTY OF ROOM THERE. SO IF WE NEED TO ADD FACILITIES, WE'LL DO IT. YEAH. THIS HAS BEEN GREAT. IT'S JUST, WE'VE BEEN LETTING THE COMMUNITY KNOW ABOUT THIS. WE HAVE BEEN. UM, SO THE BOOKER T UM, CHRIS, WHEN HE GETS OFF, HE HAS BEEN VISITING THE CHURCHES. UM, HE HAS BEEN GOING TO THE CHURCHES ON SUNDAYS AND TALKING TO THEM, UM, MA MARY BOWLES, UM, SAME THING WITH HER SCOTT LOCATION. UM, BUT, UH, EVEN OUR, UM, PUBLIC LINT INFORMATION OFFICER, HE IS BLASTING IT OUT THERE. UM, I DID, I DID AN INTERVIEW FOR, UM, THINK IT WAS W HHI ONE OF THOSE. SO WE'VE REALLY BEEN GETTING THE WORD OUT THERE. WE'VE GOT PROGRAMS. MATT MET WITH SPINNAKER, UM, IS IT SPINNAKER, SPRINGER? UH, EVERYBODY [00:10:01] KEEPS TELLING ME IF YOU GO IN A NURSING HOME, THAT'S WHERE YOU WANT TO GO. THEY HAVE THE BEST BAR. THEY'RE ALWAYS HAPPY WHEN YOU WALK IN THERE, BUT THEY ARE, UM, THEY'VE GOT OUR BROCHURES, THEY'RE PASSING THE WORD AROUND. THEY WANT TO PARTNER WITH US AND GET ALL THE SENIORS TOGETHER AND DO EVENTS. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE, WE'VE REALLY BEEN WORKING TO GET THE WORD OUT AND WE'RE SUPER EXCITED ABOUT IT. IT'S HOPEFULLY GOING TO BE A REALLY GOOD PROGRAM. UM, THE MASTER PLAN UPDATE AS OF JULY THE SIXTH, WE HAD 163 SURVEYS COMPLETE THAT WENT OUT. UM, THE GOAL IS TO GET AT LEAST 300 BACK. UM, IT'S BEEN VERY SLOW. SO THEY REACHED OUT TO US AND AD WAS PLACED ON FACEBOOK AND MORE SURVEYS WERE MAILED OUT. UM, I'M GETTING COMPLAINTS FROM CITIZENS THAT THE SURVEY WAS WAY TOO LONG. UM, BUT WE ALSO HAVE IT, YOU KNOW, ONLINE STILL SO THAT PEOPLE CAN GO ONLINE AND FILL IT OUT ONLINE. UM, BUT YOU KNOW, THEY GOT TO ASK THE QUESTIONS AND GET WHAT THEY NEED OUT OF IT. SO, UM, THEY WENT, THEY DIDN'T GET AS MANY BACK AS THEY THOUGHT THEY TOOK ANOTHER CHUNK OF A HUNDRED AND MAILED THEM OUT. SO HOW MANY DID THEY MAIL UP ORIGINALLY? I THINK THEY MAILED OUT 400 WITH THE HOPE OF GETTING 300 BACK. AND, UM, THEY HAD ONLY HAD 163. SO I WAS GOING TO SAY THAT THAT'S PRETTY AGGRESSIVE THOUGHT THAT YOU'D GET 75% RESPONSE RATE. WELL, YOU KNOW, WE FELT LIKE WE ADVERTISED ENOUGH TO GET PEOPLE INVOLVED IN IT. UM, ONE OF MY EMPLOYEES, I ACTUALLY GOT ONE AND HE SAID IT WAS PRETTY LONG, BUT HE DID GO AND GET IT DONE. SO THAT WAS A COMBINATION OF MAIL LAB AND ONLINE, SIR. CORRECT. SO ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO FILL OUT THE SURVEY CAN GO ONLINE AND DO IT, RIGHT? IT DOESN'T WEIGH AS MUCH AS THE MAIL-OUT SURVEY, THE ONLINE DOESN'T WEIGH AS MUCH AS THE MAIN. WOW. BUT IT DOES WEIGH YOU MEAN WAY IN TERMS OF HOW THEY LOOK AT THE RESPONSES. SO HOW MANY, UM, WHAT, HOW LONG ARE WE GOING TO CONTINUE TO DO THIS? UM, THEY'RE STAYING ON SCHEDULE. SO I THINK IT WAS OCTOBER THAT WE WERE SUPPOSED TO, THEY'RE GONNA HAVE EVERYTHING COMPLETE TO REPORT BACK THE COUNCIL. SO WE'RE STAYING ON SCHEDULE WITH IT. SO WHO'S ELECTED FOR THE MAILERS ARBITRARY OR THEY, THEY HIRE A COMPANY THAT DOES THAT. YEAH. YOU KNOW, THAT WAS QUESTION THAT I HAD AS WELL. I MEAN, IT'S JUST TOTALLY RANDOM. IT IS COMPLETELY RANDOM. YEAH. YEAH. IT'S TOTALLY RANDOM. AND THAT IT'S A COMPANY THAT THAT'S ALL THEY DO IS MAIL OUT. SO YEAH. DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY WERE ONLINE VERSUS THE ACTUAL NAIL? THEY DON'T TELL US ANYTHING. WE'RE NOT INVOLVED IN THAT THAT'S THEIR JOB AND THEIR PROCESS MINE. DO THE WHY IS THAT THE ONE MAILED OUT WAY MORE THAN ONCE TO ONLINE? THEY EXPLAINED THAT IN THE, THE, UM, YEAH. THAT ANYBODY CAN JUST GO ON AND FILL OUT THE ONLINE SURVEY A HUNDRED TIMES OR 200 TIMES SO FORTH. RIGHT. THE RANDOM SENT OUT. IT'S JUST ONE, ONE PERSON DOES THAT. YEAH. BECAUSE I COULD GO OUT AND GET 400 TENNIS PLAYERS AND SAY, GIVE ME YOUR NAME, ADDRESS, AND LET ME FILL IT OUT FOR YOU BECAUSE WE WANT MORE TENNIS. SO THEY LOOK AT THAT AND KNOWING THAT THAT CAN BE DONE, IT MAY BE HELPFUL TO SAY THAT THE COMMENTS ARE NOT WEIGHING DIFFERENTLY, BUT STATISTICALLY THEIR WEIGHT A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE OF THE CONTROL. RIGHT. BUT THEY LOOK AT ALL OF THE COMMENTS. YEAH. THANKS A LOT. OKAY. AND SO WHEN THESE ARE MAILED OUT, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE STANDARDS ARE GOING UP TO, WHAT ERA YOU DON'T, YOU JUST DON'T HAVE TO SQUINT OUT TO BUFORD COUNTY. UM, I THINK THAT THEY KNEW THEIR AREAS OF INTEREST AND THEY SENT SO MANY TO EACH AREA. SO IT'S UP TO THE CITIZENS TO ULTIMATELY RESPOND. UM, LIKE I SAID, I CAN TELL YOU, UM, I HAD A LADY CALL ME WHEN THAT LAST WEEK. AND SHE SAID, YEAH, SHE WAS NOT FILLING OUT THE SURVEY. IT WAS WAY TOO LONG. AND HERE'S WHAT SHE WANTED TO SEE BILL. AND I JUST FORWARDED IT TO THE CONSULTANT. WELL, THE SURVEY WAS GENERATED FROM ALL OF THE MEETINGS AND EVERYTHING ELSE. SO EVERYONE WAS ABLE TO COME OUT AND WANT, WANTED TO, AND WAS ABLE TO INTERACT. AND THEN BASED ON THAT, SO THIS IS OKAY THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE PROCESS, THEY WERE STILL ABLE TO GO ON, RUN IN THERE. RIGHT. RIGHT. WELL, THIS IS THIS COMPANY THAT WAS HIRED THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD THAT'S BEING, THAT'S BEING DONE. SO WE SHOULD BE, BUT WE CAN HAVE, WE CAN HELP THAT PEOPLE DON'T FILL THINGS OUT. THAT'S [00:15:01] A LITTLE TOO LONG, THE PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE THAT VOTE. SO YEAH. YEAH, EXACTLY. PEOPLE WOULD FILL OUT SURVEYS JUST LESS THAN THAT AND ADULTS. SO, UM, RECENTLY WE DISCOVERED THAT, UM, DURING OUR CURRENT CHURCH SOFTBALL LEAGUE, UM, WE HAD A GUY THAT WENT AND CHANGED HIS CHILD'S BIRTHDAY SO THAT HIS CHILD COULD PLAY IN THE DIRT SLEEK. SO WE'VE ALWAYS HAD THE CURRENT BLUFFTON OPENLY LEAGUE HAS BEEN AGE 18 TO BE ABLE TO PLAY WITH THE ADULT SOFTBALL BECAUSE YOU DO HAVE PEOPLE OUT THERE 40, 50 YEARS OLD. UM, SOMEHOW THE CURRENT CHURCH LEAGUE AGE RULES STILL STATED 16. UM, SO HE WAS UPSET. HE CHANGED HIS CHILD'S BIRTHDAY TO 16, EVEN THOUGH HIS CHILD WAS 15. UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE SLOWLY DISCOVERING WITH THE CHURCH LEAGUE IS IT'S NOT A TRUE CHURCH LEAD THE WAY THAT IT USED TO BE USED TO BE YET TO BE A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH, TO PLAY IN THE LAKE OR PLAY ON THE TEAM. UM, NOW THEY'RE OUT KIND OF RECRUITING PEOPLE TO PLAY ON THEIR CHURCH. THEY'RE CRAZY. WELL, SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IS JUST, UM, NEXT SUMMER, JUST DOING AN OPEN LAKE FOR SOFTBALL, UM, OVER HERE IN BUFORD AND DOING AWAY WITH HAVING TO HAVE THE CHURCH, IF THEY WANT TO GET THEIR JERKS GROUP. AND, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE PUTTING IN A TEAM AND THEN JOIN OTHERS, BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE LABELED AS A CHURCH. UM, SOME OF OUR CONCERNS, AND I THINK WE ONLY HAD LIKE FOUR KIDS IN THERE THAT I WANTED TO BRING FORWARD TO THE BOARD IS TO GET THE THOUGHTS AND WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THE AGE. UM, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE EXPLAINED TO HIM THE 16 YEAR OLD, EVEN A 15 YEAR OLD OUT THERE PLAYING BALL WITH YEAH. A 30 YEAR OLD, 35 YEAR OLD. AND THE SAFETY OF IT WAS NOT SOMETHING THAT WE THOUGHT WAS A GREAT IDEA. WELL, I MEAN, MY JUST FLYING OVER AT 30,000 FEET, UM, 16 SEEMS OKAY TO ME, IF IT'S, THIS IS JUST THE OPENLY, THIS IS NOT THE GOLD LEAGUE SILVERLAKE, OR IS THIS OPEN ANY TALENT WELCOME CAN BE IN THIS LEG. OKAY. CAUSE THERE ARE SOME EXTREMELY TALENTED PEOPLE. UM, SO HOW MANY WE'RE TALKING FOR PEOPLE THAT WERE IN THE CHURCH LEAGUE THAT WERE 16, THAT'S THE CHURCH LEAGUE IN, IN WHAT YOU'RE RECOMMENDING IS WE ELIMINATE THE CHURCH LEAGUE. WE'RE GOING TO THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT INTO NEXT YEAR IS JUST DO AWAY WITH THE NAME CHURCH LEAGUE AND JUST DO OPEN SOFTBALL LEAGUE. UM, HOPEFULLY WE CAN A FEW MORE TEAMS BY DOING IT THAT WAY. UM, BUT THE CHURCHES CAN STILL BRING IN THEIR OWN GROUP AND JOINING UP CAUSE YOU JOINED ADULT SOFTBALL AS A TEAM. SO NO MATTER HOW THEY DO IT, THEY CAN STILL JOIN IT AS A TEAM. THEY CAN STILL HAVE THEIR CHURCH REPRESENTED AS THE TEAM, YOU KNOW, BUT, UM, IT, WE, IT'S KIND OF SLOWLY AND SO THAT THEY THEY'VE STARTED ALLOWING OTHER PEOPLE TO JOIN JUST BESIDES CHURCH MEMBERS. SO IF WE DO IT AS AN OPENLY, WE'RE HOPING IT'LL KIND OF BUILD THE LAID BACK. HOW MANY, HOW MANY TEAMS DO WE HAVE IN EACH OF THOSE LEAGUES RIGHT NOW IT'S ONLY ONE LAKE WITH THE BLOOD. I MEAN BLOOD AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE, WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, NEARLY 40 TEAMS FOR THE CHURCH, LIKE EVERY YEAR WITH AROUND FIVE, SIX TEAMS EVERY HERE AND THEN THEY JUST PLAY EACH OTHER. CORRECT. SO WE'RE HOPING IF WE DO IT AS AN OPENLY, THAT MORE PEOPLE LOSE THE CHURCHES, IF YOU DO THE, NO, THERE'S SOME CHURCHES I PLAY IN THE BRONZE LEAGUE AND OFTEN THEY JUST STOP CONTAINING, YOU KNOW, TO ME, I MEAN 16 F TO ME, IT'S MORE OF A LIABILITY ISSUE THAN ANYTHING ELSE. AND IF SOMEONE'S UNDER 18, THEN I WOULD PRESUME THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO HAVE PARENTAL, YOU KNOW, PARENTAL, UH, WAIVER SIGNED AND WHATEVER ELSE. I MEAN, SO WHAT DOES, I MEAN, WE, WE DON'T HAVE INSURANCE FOR THIS, DO WE? SO, I MEAN, IT'S NOT LIKE LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL OR NOT LILY DIXIE OR WHATEVER, WHERE WE, WE ACTUALLY HAVE AN INSURANCE POLICY. RIGHT. SO I DON'T, WHAT ARE FEELINGS FROM EVERYBODY ELSE? SO IS 16 NIGGLY AND ADULT 18, 17 ON YOUR TEXAS, YOU STILL HAVE THE WAIVER I SAW THEY GET INJURED, THEN THEY'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEY CALL HEALTH. EVERYBODY FILLS OUT SPORT. NO, IT'S JUST, I MEAN, WE'VE SEEN SOME, I COULD SHOW YOU SOME PICTURES. WE HAVE SEEN SOME PRETTY BAD ACCIDENTS OUT THERE AND YOU KNOW, ABOUT KIDS GETTING HIT BY FALLS, TRAVELING AT VERY HIGH RATES OF SPEED. RIGHT. AND YOU GOT A 16 YEAR OLD OUT THERE THAT, UM, THAT IS HIT BY A BALL FROM A 30 YEAR OLD THAT'S IN THEIR PRIME, [00:20:01] YOU KNOW, A LINE DRIVE. WELL, I PLAYED BOTH, I PLAYED TRUMP, BUT I THINK THAT IF WE HAD 16, SORRY. YEAH. SO, SO, UH, WE APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE. UM, BUT UH, THERE WAS, UH, A POINT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. SO WHEN WE'RE, WE'RE TALKING HERE, IT'S, IT'S REALLY JUST THE, UH, THE GROUP. OKAY. THAT'S FINE. OKAY. THAT'S FINE. I UNDERSTAND PAGE VERIFICATION, HOW I SHOULD HAVE ADDRESSED THAT TO YOU AS WELL. SO YEAH, WE DO. WE CHECK DRIVER'S LICENSE AND THAT'S HOW WE DISCOVERED THAT THE JOB WAS 15. YEAH. BECAUSE WE DO SEE THAT YEAH. ADULTS CAN BE, WHAT AGE DOES YOUR, A PERSISTENT BUFORD? RIGHT. SO WHAT AGE DOES SHOULD BE FOR FACEBOOK? SO HE HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY AS A, AS, AS NOT A CRITERIA FOR LIKE A 16 AND UNDER TEAM OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. SOFTBALL. WELL, NO, AND WE HONESTLY, LIKE I SAID, OUT OF FIVE TEAMS AND SOME OF THE TEAMS HAVE, UH, 30 PLAYERS ON THE TEAM, WE HAVE FOUR OF THEM. UM, BUT THAT AGE FROM THE 16 TO 18, YOU JUST DON'T SEE A LOT OF PARTICIPATION ANYWAY. UM, WE'VE OFFERED IT IN BASKETBALL. WE'VE OFFERED IT IN PLENTY OF SPORTS. UM, WE COULD OFFER A 16 TO 18 YEAR OLD D SOFTBALL LEAGUE AND I GUARANTEE YOU, WE WOULDN'T GET ONE TEAM. WE'D HAVE FOUR GUYS, BUT DO WE, DO WE HAVE INITIAL AN ISSUE THEN WITH LEGAL? I GUESS IT'S QUESTIONED. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE, PEOPLE ARE MAKING THESE DECISIONS TO GO OUT AND PLAY REGARDLESS OF THEIR SKILL LEVEL. SO YOU COULD HAVE SOMEONE OUT THERE THAT'S 25 AND THAT'D BE VERY GOOD SOFTBALL PLAYER AND HE COULD GET HIT IN THE MIDDLE OF FOREHEAD WITH LINE DRIVES. YEAH. AND WE CAN ASK, I MEAN, WE, WE HAVE TO, ON OUR END, LOOK AT THE SAFETY SIDE OF IT. RIGHT. AND THAT'S WHY, YOU KNOW, BY THIS GUY, HE'S LIKE, MY KID TURNS 16, 10 DAYS FROM THE CUTOFF. WHY CAN'T HE PLAYS A 15 YEAR OLD? AND THEN YOU HAVE A PARENT THAT HAS A 14 YEAR OLD THAT MOM'S ADULT SALT, BUT I DON'T WANT TO PLAY ANY OTHER SPORT. WHY CAN'T HE PLAY TOO? IT'S KIND OF LIKE, WHEN DOES IT STOP? SO IT'S AN ADULT LEAGUE SOFTBALL. OUR EYES IS JUST, AND BLESS THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, WHITE, MATT SAID HE WAS 10 DAYS BEFORE TURNING 16. AND YOU KNOW, HE WENT INTO THIS WHOLE SPILL ABOUT HOW, YOU KNOW, HIS KIDS, VERY ATHLETIC, BUT HE JUST BOUGHT HIS KID BRAND NEW GLOVE AND A BRAND NEW CLEATS. WELL, YOU KNOW, SO WHAT'S YOUR ALL'S RECOMMENDATION. WE'VE GOT, WE STUCK TO THE 18, HOW THE 16 EVER GOT IN THERE. SO, SO, SO, SO 18 IS 18 IS OUR, IS OUR EXISTING REGULATION AS RIGHT NOW. SO YOU DON'T NEED US TO REAFFIRM THAT. YOU JUST NEED TO JUST CONTINUE ON WITH YOUR, I MEAN, YOU DON'T NEED A MOTION FROM US TO CONTINUE ON WITH WHAT YOU HAVE. NO, I JUST WANTED TO BRING IT BECAUSE IT IS AN ADULT LEAK. I MEAN, AN 18 IS AN ADULT. YOU NEED ANYTHING ON THE CHANGE FROM A CHURCH TO AN OPEN LEAK DECISION ON YOUR BEHALF. AND YOU KNOW, I MEAN, IF Y'ALL WANTED TO VOTE ON IT, BUT MAINE, WELL, MY THOUGHT ON A CHURCH LEAGUE IS I THINK THAT IF, IF, YOU KNOW, IF, IF THERE WAS A CHURCH LEAGUE AND IT WAS HANDLED AND THE RULES WHERE YOU NEED TO, YOU KNOW, BE GOING TO THE CHURCH, NOT THAT YOU NEED TO SHOW THEM A MEMBERSHIP CARD OR SOMETHING ELSE, IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THE CHURCH IS WANTING TO DO. I MEAN, I LIKED THE APPROACH THAT SHE'S PRESENTED, UH, OF DOING THE OPENLY, BECAUSE I THINK IT OPENS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR MORE TEAMS TO PARTICIPATE. CAUSE RIGHT NOW IT'S CLOSED OFF FOR BUFORD TO JUST BEING CHURCH. OH, THIS IS STRICTLY BUFORD. YEAH. OKAY. WHICH TO ME A CHURCH CAN STILL SIGN UP IN AN OPEN LEADER LIKE THEY DO IN BLUFFED. SURE. THAT'S SURE. BUT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THE CHURCH LEAGUE BY, BY VIRTUE OF YOU CONSOLIDATING THE CHURCH LEAGUE INTO A BUFORD OPENLY OR WHATEVER. THEN AT THAT POINT, THE CHURCH LEAGUE GOES AWAY AND BECOMES AN ADULT. WE DON'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH 16 BECAUSE YOU'RE ELIMINATING. CORRECT. OKAY. IS THERE A WAY TO ELIMINATE THE LEAGUE? I'M SORRY, CORRECT. CORRECT. I WAS GOING TO ASK, IS THERE CROSS BRAGGING WITH THIS LEAGUE, LIKE NORTH AND SOUTH ABROAD TWO WEEKS PLAY OR, AND THEY KNOW, SO, UM, AND UM, THE BLUFFTON OPEN LAKE HAPPENED SPRING AND FALL AND THE VIEW FOR LEAGUE HAPPENED SUMMER. SO, SO THERE'S THREE DIFFERENT LEAGUES BASICALLY FOR THE ADULTS. SO, AND THEY CAN, ANY OF THEM JOIN ANY, I THINK YOU MIGHT GET SOME TEAMS FROM THE BLUFFTON DEPLOYS AND THAT YOU'VE HEARD. OKAY. SO YOU DON'T NEED ANY ACTION BY US. OKAY. [00:25:08] IT'S GOOD TO SEE EVERYONE, UH, JUST WRITE DOWN SOME OF THE REGISTRATION INFORMATION OF, YOU KNOW, LAST TIME WE MET, UM, SUMMER BASKETBALL WAS ENDING AND WE WERE STILL IN THE LATE REGISTRATION PERIOD. WE ENDED UP WITH 160 KIDS AND BUFORD, UH, SUMMER BASKETBALL, WHICH IS, UM, ALMOST DOUBLE WHAT WE HAD THE YEAR BEFORE. UM, BIG INCREASE OF NUMBERS. I KNOW BASEBALL AS WELL. WE, UH, AS Y'ALL KNOW, WE STARTED OUT BASEBALL ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO. HAD, WE'VE HAD LITERALLY FOUR TEAMS ABOUT 44 PLAYERS EVER SINCE WE STARTED, THEY ALMOST DEALT WITH THIS YEAR FOR THE SUMMER. THEY, THEY PLAYED DURING THE SUMMER AND THE FALL. UM, WE'RE UP TO, YOU KNOW, 17 NOW AND 79 PLAYERS. SO IT'S, UH, IT'S REALLY GROWN. UH, ADULT CHURCH SOFTBALL IS A SHAMPOO. JUST SPEAKING ABOUT, UM, WE HAVE FIVE TEAMS THIS YEAR. WE'VE BEEN FIVE OR SIX TEAMS EVER SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE. SO IN FIVE YEARS, SO 117 PARTICIPANTS FOR ADULT TERTIARY CELL PHONE BUFORD, UM, FOR BLOCKED AND, UH, HUGE INCREASE AS WELL, HAVE 383 SUMMER BASKETBALL PLAYERS, WHICH, UM, I THINK THAT'S INCREASED BY 120 PLAYERS FROM THE YEAR BEFORE OR 140, I BELIEVE. SO IT'S REALLY SOCCER. BASKETBALL TOOK OFF THIS YEAR, I THINK, AS Y'ALL SEEN, EVERYBODY'S READY TO GET OUT AND HAVE IT GET THE KIDS OUT INTO THE, AGAINST THE NUMBERS HAVE SKYROCKETED OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF SEASONS, UM, ESPECIALLY IN THE SPRING AND THE, NOW THE SUMMER, UH, JUST ABOUT STARTED DON'T CO-ED KICKBALL. UH, WE HAVE 17 SIGNED UP A SIX PARTICIPANTS, SO IT HAS BEEN, UM, PRETTY GOOD LEAKS, UM, THAT HAS BEEN CONSISTENT AROUND SIX OR SEVEN TEAMS SINCE WE STARTED A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, WE'RE PLAYING THAT, YOU KNOW, IN SUMMER. AND IT'S GOT SO LARGE THAT WE PLAYED IN THE WINTER TOO. NOW IN BLUFFTON, WE WERE TRYING, AS, Y'ALL PROBABLY REMEMBER FROM LAST, UH, LAST MEETING TO GET, UM, ADULT DODGE BALL THAT KIND OF, WE DIDN'T HAVE IT. I THINK WE HAD THREE PEOPLE SIGN UP, SO, AND, UH, IT WAS KIND OF SURPRISING CAUSE I LAGO TALKED ABOUT IT. I THINK IT'S JUST YOU WE'RE, WE'RE HAVING A LOT OF OPTIONS NOW, ADULT BASEBALL, SOFTBALL, KICKBALL, THERE'S SO MANY THAT ARE THAT AGE BRACKET. YOU KNOW, IT'S MORE OF A, YOU KNOW, 20 TO 35 KIND OF AGE, PROBABLY THERE'S A LOT FOR THEM TO DO NOW BESIDES, YOU KNOW, THE NORMAL GOING OUT TO THE BEACH, THINGS OF THAT NATURE. SO WE JUST CAN'T GET IT OFF THE GROUND THIS SUMMER. SO WE'LL SEE IF WE MIGHT TRY SOME OTHER SEASON AND THEN A FALL YOU SPORTS REGISTRATION ENDS FRIDAY, AUGUST 5TH, UH, WITH LATE RACE REGISTRATION THE NEXT WEEK. AND THE NUMBERS ARE LOOKING PRETTY GOOD RIGHT NOW. SO I SUPPOSE THAT WOULD GET FALSE SEASON AS WELL. ARE WE, UH, OBVIOUSLY OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, IT'S BEEN WAY UP, BUT HOW ARE WE VERSE WE'RE PRE COVID NUMBERS? ARE WE WAY ABOVE THOSE? YEAH. OH YEAH. WAY ABOVE THEM. I THINK, I THINK THE SPRING, I THINK ALMOST EVERY SPORT IN BOTH LOTS AT MBU FOR OR LARGER THAN PRETTY COVID. I THINK WHAT TUNE OUT 2019, ESPECIALLY SOCCER SUMMER BASKETBALL KEEPS GOING. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE ROUGHLY 800 KIDS IN THE, IN THE FALL. I MEAN, IN THE WINTER THAT PLAY SUMMER BASKETBALL, BUT WE'VE BARELY BEEN, I DON'T EVEN THINK I BOUGHT TWO. WE DID OVER 200, MAYBE A LITTLE OVER 200. UM, SINCE, UH, SINCE WE STARTED SUMMER BASKETBALL AND THOSE NUMBERS ARE HUGE AND B FOR ALL, HAS REALLY GROWN UP. I REMEMBER WHEN WE FIRST STARTED, STARTED BASKETBALL AND I HAD 30 KIDS AND WE'RE UP TO 160, WHAT'S THE AGE DISTRIBUTION AS AN EQUALLY AMONGST THEM OR IS IT MORE YOUNGER KIDS OR? OKAY, SO WE, IN, FOR SUMMER, WE DON'T EVEN HAVE THE YOUNGER AGE GROUPS. WE STARTED SEVEN. WE HAVE HAD SOME TALL, MAYBE NEXT YEAR SINCE THE NUMBERS ARE SO BIG THAT INCLUDE YOUNGER KIDS. WE'VE HAD SOME PARENTS THAT WANT US TO MAYBE START AT FIVE OR EVEN FOUR, LIKE WE NORMALLY DO, BUT RIGHT NOW WE'RE JUST DOING SEVEN TO 12. SO WE HAVE A PRETTY CONDENSED IT'S ONLY, YOU KNOW, FIVE YEARS OF AGES. SO FOR THOSE NUMBERS, IT'S PRETTY SOLID. I THINK IF WE DID GO EVEN YOUNGER, UM, IT COULD BE, IT ALMOST WOULD BE TOO PIG, UM, FOR STAFFING WISE AND THEN WE PROBABLY WOULD WANT, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, IF THAT'S WHAT THE PEOPLE WANT AND WE'LL GIVE IT TO THEM, I'LL SAY THAT I THINK IT'LL BE GOOD. AND THEN FOR THE, UH, DIXIE JUNIOR BOYS AND BOYS STATE TOURNAMENT, UH, THAT WAS LAST, YOU KNOW, LAST WEEK, JULY 9TH THROUGH THE 14TH, IT WAS A GOOD TOURNAMENT. IT WAS REALLY WET AS YOU KIND OF SEE IN THE PICTURE DOWN HERE WITH THE JEREMY WHEN SOMEBODY TOOK AND, UH, WE WERE OUT THERE AND AS Y'ALL KNOW, IT'S NOT JUST THE MAINTENANCE GUYS OR ATHLETICS GUYS. WE ALL GET ON THE FIELD SHANNON, UH, TO HELP OUT ON TO, UH, GET THE FIELDS READY. SO IT WAS, UH, IT WAS A TRYING TO TURN AROUND AND THERE WAS MULTIPLE THERE'S MULTIPLE DAYS THAT WERE OUT THERE TWICE. YOU KNOW, WE GET OUT THERE AND GET THE FIELDS READY BECAUSE OF RAIN AND THEN IT RAN AGAIN AND WE GET BACK OUT THERE AND GET THE FIELDS READY AGAIN. SO, UH, I THINK EVERYBODY WAS PRETTY TIRED COUNTY, DEFINITELY GOT THEIR MONEY'S WORTH. I WAS LAST WEEK. UM, THE JUNIOR BOYS CENTRAL CLEMSON WERE THE CHAMPIONS AND OUR BUFORD COUNTY, UH, 13 YEAR [00:30:01] OLDS WERE THE RUNNER UPS. AND THAT'S A, THAT'S THE PICTURE BELOW HERE. UM, THEY, THEY DIDN'T REALLY WELL CENTRAL CLOSE TO TOWN. IT WAS JUST REALLY GOOD. UM, AND THE DIXIE BOYS HILTON HAD ONE, THEY HAD HAD A GREAT TEAM AS WELL, UH, FOR THE 13 AND 14 YEAR OLDS IN CASEY WEST COLUMBIA WAS THE RUNNER-UPS. AND JUST TO GIVE HER A BY IDEA, UM, THE COUNTY SHOUTING GUYS DO A GREAT JOB, ALLOWING, YOU KNOW, COMING OUT THERE AND BROADCASTS AND GAMES FOR US. UH, SCOTT GAVE US SOME, UH, STATS OVER, UM, 32,000 PEOPLE WATCH THE GAMES, BASICALLY 32,000 CLICKS VIEWS AND THEN OVER 4,700 HOURS OF VIEW TIME. SO THAT'S PRETTY IMPRESSIVE FOR A STATE TOURNAMENT. UM, AS SCOTT SAID, I THINK, YOU KNOW, FOR THE WORLD SERIES, WE USUALLY HAVE UPWARDS OF 50,000, BUT FOR A STATE TOURNAMENT, UM, YOU KNOW, WHERE, YOU KNOW, IT IS STILL VIRTUALLY LOCAL. A LOT OF OUR TEAMS ARE LOCAL. SO THEY'RE ABLE TO COME TO, THERE IS A LOT OF VIEWS, UM, ON THE COUNTY CHANNEL, BUT DEFINITELY IT DEFINITELY WORKED OUT REALLY WELL AND WE ENJOYED HOSTING AS ALWAYS. ALL RIGHT. ANY QUESTIONS? OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. SO THIS IS OUR INFORMATION ABOUT OUR BATTERY CREEK POOL. OUR BETTER CRICO HOURS ARE UNTIL OUR WELCOME POOL OPENS BACK UP MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, WE ARE FROM 8:00 AM TO 12:00 PM AND THEN FROM 1:00 PM TO 7:00 PM. AND THEN ON SATURDAYS, WE HAVE OUR INFLATABLES FROM 10 30 TO FOUR 30, UM, FOR OUR BOCA CLASSES, THEY ARE TUESDAYS AND THURSDAY, SIX 15 TO 6 45. AND THEN WE HAVE OUR DIFFERENT SWIM TEAMS. WE HAVE OUR FENCE SWIM TEAM, MONDAY, WEDNESDAYS AND FRIDAYS FROM FOUR 30 TO SEVEN 30 AND THEN THE HIGH SCHOOL'S ABOUT TO START UP FOR THEIR SEASON. AND THEN IT WILL BE ON TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS, FOUR 30 TO SEVEN 30 AS WELL. SO THE FENCE HAD BEEN TRAVELING OVER TO BATTERY CREEK AND IN THAT RELATIONSHIP WAS GOING JUST FINE. GOOD, GOOD. WITH THE HIGH SCHOOL PRACTICE TIMES THEY'RE ONLY, ONLY TWO DAYS OR THEY WILL. THOSE ARE THE TWO COMPETITION DAYS, TUESDAY, TUESDAY IN PARIS. NO, THEY'RE ALLOWED MORE DAYS. BUT THE THING IS, IS THAT THE COACH, HE COACHES BOTH FINS AND THE HIGH SCHOOL. SO TO MAKE IT EASIER SCHEDULING WISE, THAT'S THE TIMEFRAME THAT HE CAME UP BECAUSE THIS IS ALSO BLUFFTON HIGH SCHOOL COMING OVER TO THAT SIDE BECAUSE THE BLUFFTON POOL'S CLOSED AND THE MAY RIVER HIGH SCHOOLS COMING OVER AS WELL TO THE BATTERY CREDIBLE. UM, SO WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE REOPENED BLUFFED AND THEN BATTERY CRITICALS TO BE AT BATTERY, THE BATTERY CREEK HIGH SCHOOL TEAM THERE. YEAH. AND THEN, UH, BLUFFTON AND MAY RIVER WILL BE AT OFTEN POOL ALONG WITH FINS, CORRECT? YES, BUT THE SWIM TEAM SEASON FOR THE HIGH SCHOOL IS SUCH A SHORT TIMEFRAME. SO IT JUST DEPENDS ON WHEN THE BLOCK AND PULL REOPENS TO WHEN THEY GO BACK. WELL, BRANCH, YOU HAVE A TEAM HARWELL BRANCH AND BATTERY CREEK. SO ARE YOU FOR POOL? THE HOURS ARE MONDAY, WEDNESDAYS AND FRIDAYS, 8:00 AM TO 12 AND THEN ONE TO SEVEN AS WELL. AND THEN WE HAVE OUR BOGA CLASSES, SIX 15 TO 6 45 MONDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS. AND WE ALSO OFFER OUR WATER WHERE WE HAVE CLASSES MONDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS, ONE 30 TO TWO 30. I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE PEOPLE POOL. COULD YOU EXPLAIN YOUR REGISTRATION AND SIGN UP, UH, PROCEDURES? I GOT A CALL FROM THE SMALLS AND I DIRECT HER BACK TO, TO, TO, UH, UH, PARKS AND RECREATION TO THE STAFF. AND THEN SHE RUNS A DATE HERE AND SHE WANTED TO BRING ALL HER KIDS ASSUMING THE KIDS FOR POOL. AND SHE GOES TO THE DRAWBACK ABOUT, SHE COULD ONLY SIGN UP ONE OR TWO, UH, PARTICIPANTS IN THE CLASS AND I WOULDN'T PREVENT IT, HANDED THAT ON INFORMATION. SO I JUST REFER TO HER BACK TO, TO YOU. I'M PRETTY SURE Y'ALL GOT PHONE CALLS. YEAH. SO I TOOK THAT BACK TO LEGAL AND IT'S NOT LEGAL FOR, UM, KENNY TO COME IN AND SIGN MY CHILD UP AND SAY, IT'S OKAY FOR MY CHILD TO SWIM. SO WE EXPLAINED TO HER OVER THE PHONE AND HE DID, UM, AS SHE HUNG UP ON HER AND REFUSED TO SPEAK TO HER, UM, THAT SHE NEEDED TO GET EACH PARENT TO GO ONLINE AND CREATE AN ACCOUNT AND TO HAVE THE PARENTS TO SIGN THOSE WAFERS FOR THEIR KIDS. UM, SHE DIDN'T WANT TO HEAR IT. UM, SHE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY SHE COULDN'T SIGN UP ALL THOSE KIDS. AND, UM, I EXPLAINED TO HER THAT I HAD ALREADY BEEN BACK TO LEGAL WITH IT, HAD ALREADY SPOKEN WITH LEGAL ABOUT IT. AND, UM, LEGAL, DID THE WAIVERS APPROVED THE WAIVERS AND SAID, NO, THAT ABSOLUTELY NOT. [00:35:01] YOU CANNOT SIGN UP ANYBODY ELSE'S CHILD. THE PARENT IS LEGALLY THE ONE THAT'S RESPONSIBLE AND HAS TO LEGALLY SIGN THE WAIVER. THAT MAKES SENSE. I JUST DIDN'T KNOW. SO YEAH. THANK YOU. UM, OUR OUTDOOR POOL, LYNN BROWN, THE HOURS ARE TUESDAYS THROUGH SATURDAYS, 10 TO 12 AND THEN ONE TO SEVEN. AND THEN ON SUNDAYS WE WERE OPEN ONE TO SEVEN HOW'S HOW'S THE PARTICIPATION AT LYNN BROWN. LYNN BROWN WAS PRETTY GOOD, MR. POPULAR, VERY POPULAR. UM, SO A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE JUST WANTING TO KNOW WHEN THE SLIDE'S OPENING, BUT THAT'S THE ONLY COMPLAINT THAT THEY'VE EVER HAD FOR THAT WHOLE THAT'S IN ENGINEERING AND A LITTLE BIT OF LEGAL, SO MAY HAVE TO REPLACE IT. SO THE CLASSES THAT WE OFFER, ALL OF OUR POOLS, WE OFFER GROUP IN PRIVATE SWIM LESSONS YEAR ROUND. UM, WE ALSO OFFER A SHIRK IMPROVEMENT CLASS. THAT'S YEAR-ROUND NORMALLY THE STROKE IMPROVEMENT IS FOR ADULTS. UM, AND THEN WE OFFER CPR CLASSES BY APPOINTMENT AND THEN OUR NEXT LIFE RUNNING CLASSES, OUR VIEW FOR POOL, WHICH IS AUGUST 5TH THROUGH THE 12TH. WE'VE HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE INTERESTED IN THE CLASS. SO HOPEFULLY WE'LL HAVE A BIG DROUGHT FOR CLASSES, UM, 15 TO TAKE THE CLASS AT 16 WORK FOR THE COUNTY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? FOOTBALLS. OKAY. YES. IT'S 78 YEARS OLD AND GET LIKE, OKAY. SO, UM, EMPLOYEE UPDATE, UM, ADMIN, UH, WE ARE, WE'VE BEEN FULL-TIME STAFF. WE WERE FORTUNATE ENOUGH WITH ONE OF OUR, UM, PART-TIME STAFF. THAT'S WORKED FOR ME FOR 15 YEARS THAT DECIDED THAT SHE WAS GOING TO GIVE UP THE SCHOOL SYSTEM AND COME FULL TIME. SO WE WERE SUPER THRILLED ABOUT THAT. UM, SHE IS NOW FULL-TIME AT BURTON WELLS AND, UM, WE'RE JUST, WE'RE DELIGHTED TO HAVE HER AFTER THEIR, UM, THE TWO FULL-TIME POSITIONS THAT WE'RE SEEKING ARE SO THAT WE CAN OPEN UP LATER IN THE EVENINGS AND ON SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS AGAIN TO THE PUBLIC. SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR AT THIS POINT. THAT WAS A JULY 1ST BUDGET APPROVAL. IS THAT IT FOR US HERE IN BURTON RULES FOR BUFORD AND BLUFFTON? YES. OKAY. SO, SO YOU'RE LOOKING FOR PEOPLE TO WORK EVENINGS AND WEEKENDS, IS THAT SPECIFICALLY, UM, THEY'LL WORK LIKE THE AFTERNOON, STARTING FROM 12 TO EIGHT. YEAH. AND WEEKENDS, UM, LIFEGUARDS SPIN A MAJOR STRUGGLE. UM, AND OF COURSE, IF YOU GO ON GOOD MORNING, AMERICA, YOU HEAR ALL ABOUT IT. SO WE'RE STILL FIVE FULL-TIME OPEN. UM, AND FOUR PART-TIME, BUT AS ANNIE JUST SAID, HOPEFULLY WITH THE CLASS SIDE UP, WE'LL GET SOME MORE PEOPLE. UM, WE KIND OF STARTED THIS PROGRAM A FEW YEARS AGO WHERE WE'LL PAY FOR THE CLASS. IF YOU COME TO WORK FOR US AND YOU SIGN A CONTRACT THAT YOU'LL BE THERE A YEAR AND WE'LL PRORATE IT IF YOU LEAVE. SO THAT KIND OF HELPS GET PEOPLE RECRUITED, UM, TO COME WORK $175, UM, MAINTENANCE. WE HAVE FOUR POSITIONS LEFT TO FILL. UM, IT'S BEEN, IT'S BEEN A LITTLE DIFFICULT, BUT I'M CHECKING. I WORKED THROUGH, UM, UM, PROGRAM AND, UM, GOT SOME OF OUR STAFF WITH SOME TRAINING TO BE ABLE TO RETAIN THEM. SO, UM, WE ENDED UP WITH A GREAT PERSON, UM, THAT CAME TO WORK FOR US THAT HAD A LANDSCAPE COMPANY HE'S BEEN AMAZING. HE JUST STARTED AS A CREW LEADER AND WE WERE ABLE TO FILL HIS POSITION TOO. SO WE'RE DOING PRETTY GOOD AS FAR AS THAT GOES, UM, ATHLETIC, UM, AND THEY KNEW BUDGET. WE HAD ANOTHER ASSISTANT ATHLETIC MANAGER APPROVED, SO THEN WE'LL HAVE ONE NORTH AND ONE SOUTH, UM, TO HELP US OUT. SO, UM, THAT POSITION WILL BE, UM, WE'RE ACTUALLY INTERVIEWING TOMORROW, SO HOPE TO FILL THAT POSITION THIS WEEK. AND, UM, THEN WE'LL HAVE, WE STILL HAVE ONE ATHLETIC SUPERVISOR AND WE HOPE TO GET THAT FILLED THIS WEEK. AND THEN OUR RECORDS, WE HAVE FOUR POSITIONS TO FILL, FORTUNATELY WITH OUR SENIOR PROGRAMS. WE DID GREAT DID WHERE YOU DID REALLY WELL WITH THOSE, THOSE FILLED UP QUICKLY. AND I THINK WE ENDED UP WITH A GREAT GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF WENT, LIKE I SAID, WITH CHRIS AND THE BOOKER T AREA, HE KIND OF LIVES OUT THERE. SO HE'S BEEN RECRUITING THROUGH THAT. UM, MARISSA LIVES IN THE PORT ROYAL AREA, UM, TILLY LIVES IN THE BLUFFTON AREA, MARY LIVES IN THE ST. HELENA AREA. AND THEN WE WERE ABLE TO KEEP THE ONE LADY AT ST. HELENA THAT WAS ALREADY WORKING. SO IT'S WORKED OUT REALLY WELL FOR US NEXT MEETING [00:40:01] THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER THE FIRST IN BLUFFTON, THIS LABOR DAY WEEKEND IS IT, YOU LIVE IN THE PARADISE BANK AND I HAVE TO GO ANYWHERE. OKAY. ANY QUESTIONS, EVERYBODY, SHE ENDED FORWARDED, UH, INFORMATION ABOUT THAT PUMP TRACK. AND IT SEEMS TO ME AFTER MR. STEFANIC CAME LAST TIME DIDN'T WE INDICATE THAT THAT'S ISN'T THAT IN THE MASTER PLAN. SO THERE IS A, THERE IS A BMX TYPE TRACK IN THE BURDEN WELLS MASTER PLAN. YES. YES. I THINK THEY WANT ONE IN BLUFFTON, BUT WE WON'T BASEBALL FIELDS AND WE WANT A LOT OF THINGS, BUT WE GOT TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THERE'S LAND. AND I KNOW THIS ISN'T ON THE RECORD, BUT WE, WE HAD HAD A FEW OTHER POTENTIAL DONATIONS OF LAND. THOSE HAVE GONE BY THE WAYSIDE. IS THAT CORRECT? GOING TO HAVE Y'ALL KNOW ANYONE THAT WANTS TO DONATE SOME LAND. WE'LL TAKE IT. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. ANYTHING ELSE FOR THE GOOD OF THE ORDER? I KNOW YOU CAME IN LATER, SIR. DO YOU WANT TO IDENTIFY YOURSELF ALL OVER ONE? IF YOU DON'T MIND? UH, LET ME SIT, STAY DOWN. YEAH, SURE. WELL, THANK YOU. UM, SHOULD I, HEY, MY CHILDREN PARTICIPATE IN THE REC PROGRAM, FOOTBALL SOFTBALL, AND THEY'LL BE PLAYING, UM, THIS FOLDING, UH, FOOTBALL AND SOFTBALL AGAIN, I'M SORRY, BASKETBALL THAT WE PLAY A SMALL, UM, I AM, YOU KNOW, I'M A, I'M AN ADVOCATE FOR MY COMMUNITY. I FEEL LIKE, UH, THERE'S A, I'M A PART OF THE SOLUTION. SO MY, AND WE DO A PROBLEM IN MY AREA. AND SO, UH, THE SOLUTION, I FEEL LIKE THIS TO GET, JUST TO GET REC INVOLVED. AND OF COURSE, TO BE A PART OF THAT, I FEEL LIKE I NEED TO WORK IN MY INSIDE TO SEE WHAT I CAN DO TO GET SOME THINGS GOING ON WITH IT. WHERE YOU, WHERE YOU COMING TODAY TO BE PART OF PUBLIC COMMENT TODAY. NO, ONE'S COMING TODAY TO UNDERSTAND YOU SEE, OKAY. IF I JUST WANT TO GIVE YOU AN OPPORTUNITY, IF YOU, I MEAN, I, MORE THAN ANYONE CAN UNDERSTAND GETTING HUNG UP IN TRAFFIC, COMING FROM SOUTH OF THE BROAD, THE KID HERE. SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAD AN OPPORTUNITY SURE. WHERE MY COMMENT WOULD BE THAT, UH, I, UM, I APPRECIATE SO FAR EVERYTHING THAT PARKS AND REC IS DOING, UH, WITH MY, UH, ESPECIALLY MY CHILDREN. I APPRECIATE SOME OF THE NEW PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE GOING UP AND I APPRECIATE, UH, BEING ABLE TO ALLOW THE COMMUNITY TO TAKE THEM TO BE INVOLVED WITH, UH, THE FUTURE. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, MY, UH, GOAL IS WHERE I'M LIVING IS TRY AND GET A LOT OF THOSE YOUTH INVOLVED IN PARCEL RISK, BECAUSE I APPRECIATE, AND I LOVE EVERYTHING I SAW WITH THE, UH, THAT TOURNAMENT. AND I S I, UM, I ACTUALLY, UM, PUT A COMMENT IN THAT I WOULD LOVE TO SEE MORE TEAMS OUT HERE AND THEN COME AND CAME BACK TO, HEY, LET'S, LET'S GET ME INVOLVED. SO, UH, SOMEONE REPLIED GOOD. THAT'LL HELP. SO THAT'S WHAT I'M, THAT'S WHAT THAT'S FOR. AND, UH, WELL, GOOD. WELL, YOU'RE WELCOME ANYTIME. THANK YOU, THURSDAY AND THURSDAY. SO, JENNIFER, WHAT ABOUT YOU? YEAH, I WANTED CLARIFICATION ON THE SURVEY. HOW MANY SURVEYS ARE NEEDED TO BE RETURNED IN ORDER FOR IT TO BE STATISTICALLY THAT I DIDN'T ASK THEM THAT THEIR GOAL WAS 300 PLUS 300. OKAY. CAN I HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN SECOND? ALL IN FAVOR. AYE. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU ALL. HI, I'M TONY HAWK AND YOU'RE WATCHING THE COUNTY CHANNEL. THIS IS LARRY ROLAND. THIS IS THE BUFORD COUNTY MOMENT. THE SUBJECT OF THIS MOMENT IS THE PHOSPHATE INDUSTRY LOST TO FOLKS TODAY, BUT THE ARTIFACTS, THE PHOSPHATE INDUSTRY ARE AROUND US. IF WE LOOK FOR THEM, PHOSPHATES WERE KNOWN IN SOUTH CAROLINA BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR. THEY WERE FIRST DISCOVERED UP AROUND SOMERVILLE AND NORTH OF CHARLESTON. IT'S KNOWN AS MORAL AND BENEATH THE MORROW WAS THE PHOSPHATE ROCK [00:45:01] GEOLOGISTS AND SCIENTISTS KNEW ABOUT IT. PHOSPHATE WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO THE AGRICULTURAL OF THE SOUTH, BECAUSE IT IS THE BASIS OF MOST FERTILIZER AND MANY OF THE COTTON LANDS OF THE OLD SOUTH, WHERE MUCH EXHAUSTED BY THE COTTON INDUSTRY BEFORE THE WAR. SO AFTER THE CIVIL WAR, THE PHOSPHATE INDUSTRY WAS INTRODUCED FIRST IN CHARLESTON IN 1867, AND THEN LOOKING FOR BEDS OF HIGH CONTENT PHOSPHATE ROCK. THESE PHOSPHATE EXPLORES AND ENTREPRENEURS DISCOVERED BUFORD COUNTY. THE NEXT 30 YEARS, BUFORD COUNTY BECAME THE PRIMARY SOURCE OF PHOSPHATE IN THE UNITED STATES. AND ONE OF THE RICHEST SOURCES OF PHOSPHATES KNOWN IN THE WORLD BETWEEN 1870 AND 1900. THIS BECAME THE CENTER OF THE MINING. PART OF THE PHOSPHATE INDUSTRY. MANY OF THE FERTILIZER FACTORIES WERE IN CHARLESTON, BUT THE MINING AND THE PHOSPHATE WORKS AS THEY CALL THEM WHERE THEY BROKE THE ROCK DOWN INTO POWDER AND THE PURE PHOSPHATE AND SHIPPED IT OUT. THOSE INDUSTRIAL CENTERS WERE MOSTLY IN BUFORD COUNTY AT THE HEIGHT OF THIS INDUSTRY IN THE 1880S, 3000 BUFORD TONES WERE EMPLOYED IN THE PHOSPHATE BUSINESS. IT PAID GOOD WAGES, $5 A DAY. IN MANY CASES WAS A RULE OF THUMB WHEN THE PHOSPHATE BUSINESS BEGAN IN THE 1870S, THAT THE RICHEST VEINS OF PHOSPHATE WERE UNDERWATER UNDER THE COOSAW RIVER, UNDER THE BUFORD RIVER, UNDER BATTERY CREEK. SO INITIALLY LOCAL SEA ISLANDERS WOULD DIVE DOWN FOR THE ROCK AND FILL UP BASKETS AND THEN GET PULLED UP IN A ROPE, NOT ONLY LIMITING THE DEPTH TO WHICH THEY COULD MINE AT, BUT LIMITING THEIR HEALTH AS WELL, GOING UP AND DOWN, BUT VERY QUICKLY IN THE 1870S ENGINEERS DISCOVERED THAT THEY COULD BUILD VERY LARGE UNDERWATER STEAM POWERED DREDGES ON FLOATING BARGES. AND SO THEY BEGAN TO MECHANIZE THE INDUSTRY AND RATHER THAN EMPLOYING FEWER PEOPLE THAT ACTUALLY EMPLOYED MORE, MORE THAN HALF OF THE PHOSPHATE PRODUCED IN THE UNITED STATES AND 80% OF THE PHOSPHATE PRODUCED IN SOUTH CAROLINA CAME FROM BUFORD COUNTY. THE PHOSPHATE INDUSTRY BETWEEN 1870 AND 1900 WAS THE LARGEST INDUSTRY IN THE HISTORY OF BUFORD COUNTY AND THE LARGEST MINING INDUSTRY IN THE HISTORY OF THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA. AND PEOPLE HAVE PRETTY MUCH FORGOTTEN ABOUT IT, BUT IT WAS THE SOURCE OF GREAT PROSPERITY IN BUFORD COUNTY, BETWEEN 1870 AND 1890. THE POPULATION OF BUFORD COUNTY GREW BAY STREET BECAME A FINANCIAL AND COMMERCIAL CENTER. PHOSPHATE WORKS IN OTHER WORDS, FACTORIES WHERE THEY BURN THE PHOSPHATE ROCK AND BROKE IT DOWN INTO POWDER. WE'RE LOCATED ON SPANISH POINT. WE'RE LOCATED ON LUCY CREEK AND THE LARGEST WAS LOCATED FIRST ON COOSAW PLANTATION. AND THEN OUT AT THE END OF CHISHOLM HIGHLAND ON SUMMERHOUSE PAULINE ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE COOSAW RIVER, SMALLER PHOSPHATE COMPANIES AND PHOSPHATE RIDGES, AND THE TUGBOATS AND THE SUPPORT SYSTEMS THAT HAD TO SUPPORT THIS INDUSTRY FOR 30 YEARS WERE AN ENORMOUS BOON TO BUFORD COUNTY. BENCHLEY THE SMALLER PHOSPHATE COMPANIES WERE CONSOLIDATED INTO ONE VERY LARGE COMPANY CALLED THE COOSAW MINING COMPANY. THE COOSAW MINING COMPANY BY 1892 WAS THE LARGEST PHOSPHATE MINING COMPANY IN THE UNITED STATES. BUT IN THOSE SAME YEARS IN 1888, RICHARD VEINS AND PHOSPHATE WERE DISCOVERED DEER TAMPA, FLORIDA. AND DURING THE 1890S, THE PERCENTAGE OF PHOSPHATE EXTRACTED FROM BUFORD COUNTY DECLINED, AND THE PERCENTAGE OF PHOSPHATE DISCOVERED AND EXTRACTED FROM FLORIDA AND OTHER PLACES LIKE NEAR NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE WAS RICHER PHOSPHATE. AND EVENTUALLY IT PUT THESE PHOSPHATE MINES OUT OF BUSINESS PHOSPHATE IN BUFORD COUNTY. THE RIVER ROCK AS IT WAS CALLED IN THOSE DAYS WAS 60% PURE PHOSPHATE, WHICH IN 1870 WAS THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY. BY 1888, THE FLORIDA ROCK WAS 80% PURE PHOSPHATE. AND THE ECONOMICS OF THAT SIMPLY PUT THE RIVER COUNTY PHOSPHATE BUSINESS OUT OF BUSINESS. COOSAW MINING COMPANY STOPPED MINING IN 1905. THE VIRGINIA CAROLINA COMPANY TRIED TO CONSOLIDATE SOME OF THE OLD WORKS AND FINALLY WENT BANKRUPT IN 1914. AND THAT WAS THE BITTER END OF THE PHOSPHATE BUSINESS CONSEQUENCES OF THE END OF THE PHOSPHATE BUSINESS WAS THE BEGINNING OF THE GREAT EXODUS OF THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN POPULATION OF THE SEA ISLANDS WITHOUT GOOD WAGE JOBS BEGAN TO MOVE NORTH AND DEEP POPULATED MUCH IN BUFORD COUNTY. BUT THE OTHER EVENT WHICH HASTENED THE DEMISE OF THE PHOSPHATE INDUSTRY IN BEAVER COUNTY WAS OF COURSE, THE GREAT HURRICANE OF 1893, WHICH WAS ONE OF THE 10 LARGEST HURRICANES AND MOST DESTRUCTIVE HURRICANES EVER TO HIT THE UNITED STATES KILLED AS MANY AS 2000 PEOPLE ON THE SEA ISLANDS AND WRECKED THE PHOSPHATE FLEET. SO THE INVESTORS IN PHOSPHATE FLEET MOVED THEIR CAPITAL TO FLORIDA, AND THE PHOSPHATE [00:50:01] BUSINESS DECLINED B FOR COUNTY. THIS IS LARRY ROLAND. THIS HAS BEEN A BUFORD COUNTY MOMENT TO SEE MORE BE FOR COUNTY MOMENTS, GO TO THE BUFORD COUNTY LIBRARY HOMEPAGE AND CLICK ON THE LOCAL HISTORY TAB. HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN BUFORD COUNTY. YOU FORGET COUNTY BEGAN THE ADOPT A HIGHWAY PROGRAM IN 1988. IT WAS ACTUALLY ESTABLISHED AS A PILOT PROGRAM. AND, UH, SINCE THEN IT'S EXPANDED TO 46 COUNTIES AROUND THE STATE. SO WE WERE FIRST ONE IN THE STATE TO UTILIZE THE ADOPT A HIGHWAY PROGRAM. WE HAVE 82 GROUPS IN BUFORD COUNTY, AND, UH, WE HAVE QUITE A DIVERSE GROUP. WE HAVE CHURCH GROUPS, WE HAVE FAMILIES, WE HAVE MILITARY GROUPS. WE HAVE FRIENDS THAT UNITE BUSINESSES, SERVICE GROUPS. WE HAVE A LOT OF HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATIONS THAT GET TOGETHER AND WANT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE, UM, APPEARANCE OF THE ENTRANCE TO THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD. SO, UH, BUT THEY'RE ALL DIFFERENT SIZES. IT CAN ACTUALLY BE FROM WE, WE HAVE A FAMILY OF TWO, UM, UP TO, I THINK OUR LARGEST GROUP HAS BEEN 46 VOLUNTEERS. THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENT TO BE AN OFFICIAL ADOPT A HIGHWAY PROGRAM IS FOUR LITTER PICKUPS A YEAR, BUT WE HAVE SUCH GREAT VOLUNTEER GROUPS THAT MANY OF THEM CHOOSE TO CONDUCT MONTHLY PICKUPS BECAUSE, UH, THEY REALIZED THAT DOM LITTER IS LIKE A DOMINO EFFECT. ONCE IT STARTS TO PILE UP, IT JUST CONTINUES TO INCREASE AND INCREASE. SO THEY WANT TO STOP THE LITTER PILEUPS AND KNOW THAT IF THEY DON'T GET OUT THERE WITHIN A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME, IT WILL JUST CONTINUE TO GROW AND GROW AND GROW. SO WE PROVIDE ALL THE SUPPLIES NEEDED FOR THE ADOPT A HIGHWAY PROGRAM, UH, BETWEEN DBOT AND THE COUNTY. WE PROVIDE THE ORANGE LITTER BAGS THAT SAY ADOPT A HIGHWAY. WE PROVIDE ORANGE VEST, WE PROVIDE THE GLOVES AND WE PROVIDE GRABBERS. WE ALSO PROVIDE LITTER PICKUP AHEAD, SIGNS GROUPS, SELECT AN AREA THAT THEY'D LIKE TO ADOPT. THEN THAT NEEDS TO BE A TWO MILE AREA. AND THEN THE VOLUNTEERS ALL SIGN A FORMAL AGREEMENT, AND THAT IS A TWO-YEAR COMMITMENT. AND ONCE THAT'S THEN SENT TO THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, AND ONCE THEY APPROVE IT AND THE GROUP CAN CONDUCT SO LITTER PICKUP, THEY WILL THEN ORDER A SIGN IN RECOGNITION OF THE GROUP. AND SO THEY DO NEED A TWO-YEAR COMMITMENT TO BE ABLE TO GIVE THAT KIND OF EXPOSURE. AND THANK YOU FOR A GROUP TO HAVE AN ADOPT A HIGHWAY SIGN, WHICH MOST OF OUR GROUPS REALLY APPRECIATE WELL ADOPT. A HIGHWAY INITIATIVE WAS DEVELOPED WHEN A CONCERNED CITIZENS BECAME VERY, UH, WORRIED ABOUT THE INCREASE OF LITTER ON OUR ROADWAYS. AND ONCE AGAIN, THE STATE AND THE COUNTY DID NOT HAVE THE RESOURCES TO CLEAN UP. SO THIS OFFERED A WAY THAT VOLUNTEERS COULD BECOME INVOLVED IN ADDRESSING THE LITTER PROBLEM. SAY THERE ARE GROUPS THAT HAVE BEEN WITH US FROM 1988. UH, THEY JUST REALIZED THE IMPACT IF THEY DON'T PICK IT UP. FOR INSTANCE, UH, WITHIN THIS LAST YEAR, WE PICKED UP OUR VOLUNTEERS DONATED 4,000 HOURS AND JUST WITHIN THE LAST YEAR, THEY PICKED UP 80,000 POUNDS OF LITTER. SO YOU CAN IMAGINE OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS, IF THAT HAD NOT HAPPENED, HOW MUCH LITTER WOULD BE PILED UP ON THE ROAD. SO I THINK THAT A LOT OF OUR GROUPS, UH, MOST OF OUR GROUPS CONTINUE BECAUSE THEY REALIZE HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO KEEPING OUR COMMUNITY CLEAN AND JUST WANT TO ELIMINATE THE NET NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF LITTER. YOU KNOW, THEIR CLEANUPS INCREASE OUR PROPERTY VALUES. THEY INCREASE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, TOURISM. AND SO THEY JUST WANT TO KEEP THOSE, UH, BENEFITS GOING FOR ALL THE CITIZENS. I WANT TO PRESENT THE LOWER REGIONAL GROUP LEADERSHIP AWARD TO THE DELTA ISLAND, ADOPT A HIGHWAY VOLUNTEERS, JUST A FEW WORDS. DELTA ISLAND RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN PICKING UP LITTER SINCE 2004. I THINK THAT SOUNDED RIGHT, OR THEY'RE EXTREMELY ORGANIZED 1994. SO I WALKED BY DECADE, RIGHT? [00:55:01] I APOLOGIZE. 1994. UM, THEY'RE EXTREMELY ORGANIZED. THEY HAVE SPECIFIC ZONES FOR VOLUNTEERS, IF I'M WRONG, JUST CORRECT ME, UH, AND USE THEIR OWN SPECIAL EQUIPMENT, UH, OR LET HER PICK UP THE VOLUNTEERS FROM DEL TALK OVER AND ABOVE WHAT IS REQUIRED TO BE AN ADOPTED HIGHWAY GROUP BY CLEANING THREE MILES OF ROADWAY EVERY MONTH, IS THAT CORRECT? SIX MILES OF ROADWAY ADOPT A HIGHWAY, ASKED GROUPS TO COMMIT, TO PICKING UP LITTER ON TWO MILES OF ROADWAY. BUT FOUR TIMES A YEAR, DELTA VOLUNTEERS ARE CONSISTENT AND PERSISTENT IN THEIR BATTLES TO FIGHT LITTERS. THEY AVERAGE 30 IS THIS RIGHT? 30 VOLUNTEERS A MONTH. WE GET HER TO SPEECH, RIGHT? NO, NO, THAT'S FINE. THAT'S GREAT. A THIRD 55 55 VOLUNTEERS A MONTH AND HAVE DONATED AN AVERAGE OF 360 HOURS A YEAR. IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS, THEY PICKED UP 28,000 POUNDS OF LITTER. DOES THAT SOUND OKAY? RIGHT FROM HIGHWAY 21, SEATTLE, THE PARKWAY, THIS IS A VERY HEAVILY TRAVELED ROADWAY. YES. IT'S ALSO A VERY HEAVILY LITTERED ROADWAY BECAUSE SHE WOULD AGREE WITH THAT. UH, KEEPING THIS SECTION OF THE HIGHWAY CLEAN IS IMPORTANT. SO VISITORS GET A BETTER IMPRESSION OF YOU FOR COUNTY AS THEY TRAVELED TO HUNTING ISLAND, UH, FRIPP ISLAND OR CORRESPOND PEOPLE, COUNTY COUNCIL IS PROUD TO PRESENT THE 2018 SOUTH CAROLINA, LOWER REGIONAL GROUP LEADERSHIP AWARD TO TODD. IF Y'ALL EVERYBODY, COULD DOCTOR COME ON UP, JUST TELL US WHO YOU ARE. TELL US ABOUT WHO YOU ARE. I'M NEVILLE PATTERSON. UM, I LIVE THAT DOT TILE. I'M BILL CARPENTER ALSO DROPPED OFF I'M TED BARTLETT. I MANAGE THE COMMUNITY IN THE CLUB OUT ON DELTA. ANYTHING, IF YOU'D LIKE TO SAY ABOUT THIS, ABOUT OUR PROGRAM SUGGESTIONS, CRITICISMS, OR ANYTHING YOU WANT TO SAY WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM DO I HAVE TO HAVE THE CHANCE TO BE HERE AND APPRECIATE THE RECOGNITION, UM, FOR MANY YEARS, AND, UH, WE'LL TRY TO KEEP AT IT FOR MANY MORE. UM, IT'S ALWAYS A CHALLENGE TO GET ENOUGH VOLUNTEERS TO FILL IN THE GAPS WHEN PEOPLE RETIRE FROM OUR PROGRAM, BUT WE'RE, WE'RE WORKING AT THAT. AND THIS SORT OF THING IS BOUND TO HEALTH. I'D LIKE TO COMMENT ON THE WORK THAT THE COUNCIL IS DOING AND THE LEADERSHIP NEEDED. AND, UH, A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE THE COMMUNITY BEHIND YOU IN YOUR EFFORTS. SO KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. I THINK THEY'VE COVERED. IT REALLY IS BEEN A PROPITIOUS PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND OUR VOLUNTEERS TOGETHER TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM OF LITTER IN A VI IN A VIABLE WAY TO BENEFITS ALL OF THE RESIDENTS WOULD BE FOR COUNTY AND THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN BUFORD COUNTY. * 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.