* 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.
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          I'D LIKE TO CALL, TO ORDER THE COMMUNITY SAFETY AND PUBLIC SERVICE COMMITTEE MEETING OF AUGUST THE SIXTH, 2022. 
          UH, TAMMY, IN TERMS OF BOYER, ARE WE IN COMPLIANCE? YES, SIR. 
          WE ARE. 
          UH, WOULD YOU KINDLY DO A ROLL CALL MR. AMES PRESENT MR. LENNOX HERE, MR. STANFORD, MR. HARKINS? YES. 
          ALL PRESENT, SIR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH, NEXT IN TERMS OF PARENTS BY CITIZENS, DO WE HAVE ANY CITIZEN OR CITIZENS THAT WOULD WISH TO COME FORWARD? YES, SIR. 
          I HAVE A FEW CITIZENS HERE SIGNED UP. 
          THE VERY FIRST CITIZEN I HAVE IS NOW. 
          HEY MS. HEY, MY NAME IS NOW. 
          HEY, AND I'M THE CHAIRMAN OF THE GULLAH MUSEUM. 
          AND I'M HERE IN SUPPORT OF THIS WONDERFUL PROGRAM THAT YOU'RE PROPOSING, BUT ONLY IF YOU HAVE A SINCERE INTEREST IN OUR GULLAH COMMUNITY, WE DON'T WANT ANYONE JUST COMING AND GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS OF IT, BUT HAVING A SINCERE INTEREST IN LEARNING ABOUT THE HISTORY AND THE SURVIVAL OF OUR PEOPLE ON HILTON, HEAD ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA. 
          THAT'S ALL I WANT TO SAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OKAY, NEXT, SIR. 
          WE HAVE MR. LAVON STEPHENS MORTY LIVE ON GOOD MORNING, MR. CHAIRMAN. 
          GOOD MORNING COMMITTEE, UH, LAVONNE STEVENS, CHAIRMAN OF THE GULLAH GEECHEE LAND AND CULTURAL PRECEDENT, UH, VATION TASK FORCE. 
          UM, THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK. 
          IT'S COME TO OUR ATTENTION THAT THERE ARE SOME QUESTIONS AND ISSUES ABOUT THE EDUCATION PROGRAM THAT THE TASK FORCE HAS WORKED ON. 
          THE TOWN COUNCIL HAS IDENTIFIED THE GULLAH GEECHEE CULTURE AS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE TOWN'S STRATEGIC PLAN. 
          WE'VE HAD CONSULTANTS OVER THE YEARS, RECOGNIZE THE CULTURE AS AN ENDANGERED CORE VALUE. 
          THE NATIVES OF OUR GULLAH GEECHEE CULTURE HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED AS DISENFRANCHISED PEOPLE. 
          MANY OF US SAY THAT WE LOVE THE GULLAH GEECHEE CULTURE AND THE PEOPLE. 
          THE TOWN HAS ESTABLISHED THE LAND AND CULTURAL PRESERVATION TASK FORCE TO IDENTIFY WAYS TO PROMOTE AND PRESERVE THIS PART OF OUR COMMUNITY. 
          I'VE SERVED ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION FOR SIX YEARS AND NOW HAVE LED THE TASK FORCE FOR THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS. 
          WE HAVE ONCE AGAIN, ENGAGED THE COMMUNITY, PARTICIPATE IN STUDIES AND GATHERED PUBLIC INPUT AND COME UP WITH SEVERAL RECOMMENDATIONS. 
          ALL OF THESE HAVE BEEN APPROVED BY THE TOWN COUNCIL OF THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS. 
          UH, WE HAVE SELECTED, UH, 16 TO BE A TOP PRIORITY. 
          THIS COMMUNITY, INCLUDING MYSELF, ARE WEARY OF PARTICIPATING IN THESE FEW TILE EXERCISES ONLY TO ARRIVE AT OUR POLICYMAKERS TO FIND THAT THERE ARE SO-CALLED QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR WORK. 
          WHAT IS THE REAL PROBLEM HERE? ANYTIME WE SPEAK OF ADVANCING OUR COMMUNITY WITH EDUCATION OF DIVERSITY AND EQUITY, THERE SEEMS TO BE QUESTIONS OR PROBLEMS. IF THIS TOWN, THIS COUNCIL ARE NOT SERIOUS ABOUT CULTURAL PRESERVATION, THEN THAT IS WHAT NEEDS TO BE SAID. 
          WE ARE TIRED OF HIDING BEHIND THE PRETENSE THAT WE WANT TO HELP PEOPLE. 
          THE TASK FORCE AND THE STAFF HAVE WORKED VERY HARD ON THIS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM. 
          YOU AS COUNCIL MEMBERS SHOULD HAVE MORE TRUST AND TRANSPARENCY IN THE WAY YOU WORK WITH US. 
          AT THE LAST MEETING, THIS ITEM WAS NOT EVEN DISCUSSED. 
          THE AGENDA WAS NOT AMENDED AND IT WAS PUSHED ASIDE. 
          I PUBLIC DEMANDS THAT WE WORK IN AN ATMOSPHERE OF TRUST AND TRANSPARENCY. 
          THIS IS A DISTURBING TREND THAT HAPPENS WHEN WE TALK ABOUT EDUCATION, CULTURE, INCLUSION, AND DIVERSITY. 
          THIS TREND OVER THE PERIOD OF HISTORY IS RECOGNIZED AS IGNORANCE AND IGNORANCE PROMOTES HATRED. 
          THEREFORE PEOPLE OF THE NATIVE ISLAND, GULLAH GEECHEE CULTURE OFTEN DO NOT TRUST THE TOWN TO PROTECT AND PRESERVE OUR GULLAH GEECHEE CULTURE. 
          THERE'S A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE WHEN WE APPROACH OUR COMMUNITY, HOW CAN WE AS COUNCIL MEMBERS AND STAFF OPERATE TO PROMOTE AND PRESERVE A CULTURE. 
          IF WE ARE IGNORANT ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN IT, THERE ARE CHALLENGES IN OUR COMMUNITIES. 
          NON-MEC OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN THE GULLAH GEECHEE COMMUNITY. 
          WE ALREADY SEE EXAMPLES OF WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN A DEVELOPER WANTS TO EXPAND THE PROJECT TO ENCROACH 
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ON A TREASURED LOCAL GULLAH CEMETERY, BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TOWN, IT WAS APPROVED. 
          AND NOW WE FACE LAWSUITS IN EFFORTS TO TRY AND UNDO AN UGLY SITUATION. 
          WE ALSO SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN GULLAH BUSINESSES ARE EXPERIENCING ISSUES AND STARTUP AND OPERATIONS. 
          UM, IN RELATION TO NEIGHBORS IN THE COMMUNITY, THESE NEIGHBORS AND DEVELOPMENTS WERE NOT HERE YEARS AGO. 
          THE GULLAH NEIGHBORHOODS AND COMMUNITY HAVE ENJOYED A WAY OF LIFE BEFORE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE TOWN. 
          THE TOWN WAS DROPPED ON TOP OF A CULTURE THAT ALREADY EXISTED HERE FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS. 
          THAT IS WHY THIS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM SHOULD BE MANDATORY FOR THE TOWN COUNCIL AND STAFF. 
          ITS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM SHOULD BE ONE THAT IS EMBRACED AND CELEBRATED. 
          THE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE TOGETHER SHOULD BE RECOGNIZED AND ELEVATED TO A HIGHER PLACE IN OUR COMMUNITY. 
          SOMETHING THAT WE CAN ALL BE PROUD OF, PLEASE STOP, BUT APPEARS TO BE BLATANT DISCRIMINATION. 
          PLEASE STOP WASTING THE TIME OF WELL-MEANING VOLUNTEERS LIKE MYSELF. 
          PLEASE STOP WASTING THE TOWNS RESOURCES. 
          IF WE ARE NOT SERIOUS ABOUT CULTURAL PRESERVATION AND THE ADVANCEMENT OF A COMMUNITY THAT IS DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE. 
          THE OFFICE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS EXPERIENCED SAME CHALLENGES IN TRUE INTRODUCING AN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM THAT INCLUDED DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION. 
          ARE WE GOING TO EXPERIENCE THIS EVERY TIME WE TRY TO MOVE OUR COMMUNITY FORWARD? IF THERE ARE SENSITIVE ISSUES TO DISCUSS, WE NEED TO DISCUSS THAT PUBLICLY AND INTELLIGENTLY. 
          IF THERE ARE SMALL GRAMMATICAL CONCERNS, THEN THAT IS CERTAINLY NOT A REASON TO TABLE THIS ITEM. 
          MANY OF OUR CITIZENS HAVE HELPED TO DEVELOP OUR STRATEGIC PLAN. 
          LET'S START LIVING UP TO THOSE CORE VALUES IDENTIFIED IN THAT PLAN. 
          LET'S RESTORE THE PUBLIC TRUST AND LET'S STOP HIDING BEHIND IGNORANCE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MS. LOUISE COHEN PLEASE. 
          DR. 
          COHEN. 
          HELLO EVERYBODY. 
          I AM LOUISE MILLER COHEN. 
          I'M A NATIVE OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND. 
          I'M A MEMBER OF THE FIFTH GENERATION OF MY FAMILY. 
          WELL, LAVONNE HAVE KIND OF SAID IT ALL, BUT UM, I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT, UM, I THINK THEY'LL, I DON'T KNOW THAT WE NEED TO TELL THE STORY OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. 
          I THOUGHT EVERYBODY KNEW THE STORY, HOW OLD PEOPLE WERE BROUGHT HERE FROM AFRICA AGAINST THEIR WILL. 
          AND OF COURSE SOLD OFF ON THE AUCTION BLOCK, UH, CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA AND ELSEWHERE. 
          AND, UM, AND OF COURSE, AND UP ON THESE PLANTATION, LIKE MY GREAT, GREAT GRANDFATHER WAS BORN ON DECEMBER 12TH, 1828 ON ROSE HILL PLANTATION HAD TO ESCAPE FROM THAT PLANTATION TO BE FREE. 
          AND THAT HE DID AFTER THE CIVIL WAR, WE ARE HIS DESCENDANTS. 
          A LOT OF US ARE HERE IN THIS ROOM. 
          AND, UM, SO CAME TO HILTON HEAD ISLAND. 
          AND OF COURSE WHEN LANDS AND THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT THE 40 ACRES AND A MULE THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO GET GIVEN TO THE PEOPLE, WELL, OF COURSE, PRESIDENT LINCOLN DIED. 
          AND A LOT OF THAT WAS THE REVERSE. 
          SO ALL PEOPLE GOT NOTHING, BUT STILL THEY TOOK THAT SAME LITTLE SOMETHING THAT THEY HAD AND THEY HAD, THEY HAD A DESIRE TO BE FREE AND THEY ALSO WANTED TO HAVE SOMETHING TO LEAVE HERE FOR THEIR DESCENDANTS. 
          THAT'S WHAT THEY DID SEIZE THE JUNE'S PURCHASE OR HOOVER 125 ACRES OF LAND. 
          WHEN HE WAS GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO PURCHASE LAND. 
          WILLIAM SIMMONS PURCHASED 15 ACRES ON GUMTREE ROAD. 
          THAT'S WHERE WE ARE TODAY. 
          THAT'S WHERE THE GULLAH MUSEUM IS TODAY. 
          SO WE ARE HERE THEIR DESCENDANTS TO TELL THE STORY, BUT YOU'RE INVITING PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER TO COME TO HILTON AND COME TO PARADISE, COME TO PARADISE AND ENJOY AN EXPERIENCE PARADISE. 
          WELL, I DON'T KNOW, RATHER THAN PEOPLE KNEW WHO THEY WAS GOING TO SEE WHEN THEY, WHEN THEY GOT THE PARADISE, BUT THEY SEE THESE BLACK FACES LIKE MINE AND THEY GOT A BIG OTHER PEOPLE IN THE ROOM, THE NATIVE OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND AND ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE WHO CAME TO HILTON HEAD TO MAKE HILTON AT HOME. 
          I WONDER WHAT THE PROBLEM IS, WHAT THE PROBLEM IS ABOUT TELLING THE STORY ABOUT THESE PEOPLE WHO WERE HERE. 
          WE STILL HERE AND WE'RE GOING TO BE HERE BECAUSE GOD ALLOWED US TO BE HERE. 
          HE ALLOWED US WITHOUT OUT PEOPLE HAD HARDLY NOTHING. 
          THEY TOOK THAT SAME LITTLE SOMETHING AND THEY FOLLOWED THE WORD OF GOD, PROVERBS 13 AND 22 SAIL, GOOD MAN, LEAVING AN INHERITANCE TO HIS CHILDREN'S CHILDREN. 
          THAT'S WHAT ALL PEOPLE 
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DID. 
          AND WE ARE HERE TO TELL THIS STORY. 
          WE HERE TO ENJOY THE LAND PEACEFULLY, LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE, WHO WE INVITE TO COME HERE AND FOR SOMEBODY TO NOT THINK THAT IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE TOWN STAFF AND ALL THE OFFICIALS AND STUFF TO KNOW THE STORY, WHAT'S THE PROBLEM. 
          I WONDER HERE IT IS 2022. 
          WHAT YOU HIDING THE STORY THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO HIDE FROM YOUR CHILDREN AND YOUR GRANDCHILDREN AND GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN THEY GOING TO FIND IT ANYWAY. 
          AND WHEN THEY DO FIND OUT THEY'RE GOING TO FAULT YOU FOR TELLING THEM A LIE. 
          SO WHY DON'T WE DO THE RIGHT THING? AND LET'S ALL OF US WE LIVE IN HERE. 
          LET US LET ALL OF US ENJOY THE LAND. 
          DON'T WAIT UNTIL THE HURRICANE COMING. 
          ALMOST WIPE OURSELVES FOR US TO GET TOGETHER AND PRAY. 
          OKAY? SO I'M HERE THIS MORNING BECAUSE I WANT TO SEE THE RIGHT THING DONE. 
          AND OF COURSE THE TOWN, YOU WERE THE HEAD OF THE HILTON HEAD. 
          SO OF COURSE, WE LOOK TO YOU FOR LEADERSHIP AND WE ASK THAT YOU LEAD US IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, DOING THE RIGHT THING. 
          THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH ABDUL MALIQUE, PLEASE. 
           OF THE 31, SOME ODD SUGGESTIONS THAT WAS SUBMITTED BY THE CONSULTANT AND UNANIMOUSLY ACCEPTED BY THE TOWN. 
          THIS PARTICULAR ITEM, THE EDUCATION OF THE TOWN OFFICIALS AND EMPLOYEES WAS CHARACTERIZED BY THE GOVERNOR'S TASK FORCE. 
          AND I, OTHER OF THOSE DIFFERENT ITEMS AS LOW HANGING FRUIT, IT WAS SPOKEN OF THIS WAY AND THIS WAY, BECAUSE WE THOUGHT THAT IF WE COULD GIVE THAT THE COMMUNITY TO SEE THE PACKAGE FOR ME AND MAY THERE'S, SOME THINGS ARE BEING DONE. 
          NOW WE CAN BUILD UP TRUST CAPITAL BETWEEN THE COMMUNITY AND THE TOWN. 
          25 YEARS OF REPORTS, MASTER PLANS AND INITIATIVES, RAT STUDIES WITH VERY LITTLE RESULTS. 
          YOU CAN IMAGINE THAT THE TRUST LEVEL BETWEEN THE TOWN AND THE GUNNER COMMUNITY WAS CONSIDERABLY LOW OF HAVING A NON-EXISTENT. 
          NOW UNLIKE A REQUEST TO HAVE DESTINY INCREASED OR IN BUFFALO REDUCED, OR ZONING CHANGED. 
          THIS SIMPLE REQUESTS ARE NOT BEING AS NEARLY AS COMPLICATED AS AN ALIEN OR REWRITE. 
          SO IT WOULD SING FIVE YEARS INTO THE CULTURAL PRESERVATION AND THE TASK FORCE SIMPLY ASKED FOR SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS AN ORIENTATION SESSION ON THE HISTORY OF THE GOVERNMENT AND HABITATS FOR THE STAFF AND THE NIGHT, THE REPRESENTATIVES ON THIS ISLAND, AND THEN THIS OBJECTIVE VIEW REALITY, WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW THAT LIFE ON HILTON HEAD, DIDN'T START WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMMUNITIES. 
          THEY ALSO NEED TO KNOW THAT THE CULTURAL AND COMMUNITY SURVIVE OF THE GUNNER FOLKS ON HIM, THAT ISN'T LIMITED TO SINGING THE BEAUTIFUL GOSPEL SONGS, CLAPPING HANDS, COCONUT, SHRIMP, AND GRITS, AND THEN FOMO TOO. 
          WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE LAND HOLDINGS THAT WERE IN THE HANDS OF OTHER FAMILIES PRIOR TO THE INCEPTION OF THE TOWN. 
          THEY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE MINI BUSINESSES AND ENTREPRENEURS THAT WERE ESTABLISHED IN OUR COMMUNITIES THAT MAY A SELF-SUSTAINING, BUT ALSO SERVE AS MODELS FOR US TO FOLLOW MR. FRAZIER, MR. SIMMONS, MR. SINGLETON, MR. DAVID JONES, MR. AHRENS, MR. RODMAN ADDRESSES TRANSPORTATION SERVICES, FARMERS FISHERS SEAMSTRESSES. 
          SO WHY IS THIS NECESSARY SHORTLY AFTER THE INCEPTION OF THE OTHER TASK FORCE DOING ONE OF OUR MEETINGS, A HIGH RANKING OFFICIAL ON THE TOWN, JOSH COUSINS IS ON RECORD FOR HAVING MADE A DEROGATORY STATEMENT ABOUT CITIZEN, BECAUSE HE DISAGREED WITH A QUESTION OR A STATEMENT THAT I SAID TO SAID, MAY 
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THIS PARTICULAR TOWN AND FISHER WAS GIVING UP A LOT OF SHIT IN JUNE OF 2019 AND ANOTHER MEAN TOWN I'M TRYING TO BROWN HIM, REFERRED TO THE TASK FORCE. 
          AND IT GOT TO THE CITIZENS AS NEW PAINFUL  DISMISSIVE EXPRESSION THAT SUGGEST THAT US, OUR CONCERN WAS BEING CONSIDERED FURTHER UNDER THE TENURE OF THE SAME ATTENDANT IN TOWN CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER, NAMELY WINDY CONDUCT WENT ONTO THE PROPERTY OF A GORILLA BUSINESS PERSON TO REMOVE SOME SIGNAGE AND PHYSICALLY ASSAULTED THE WIFE OF THAT BUSINESS. 
          WE NEVER KNEW WHAT HAPPENED IN THAT CASE. 
          WE DON'T KNOW IF ANYTHING KIND OF JUST ASKED HIM WAS ENACTED. 
          WELL, WE DO KNOW THIS, THAT SAME ATTORNEY IN FACT TOLD THAT BUSINESS OWNER THAT DAD CAUGHT HIM POSTING POSTING WAS WITHIN THEIR RIGHT TO PUT THEIR HANDS ON HIS WIFE. 
          SO I ASKED HOW MANY OTHER NON PUBLICIZED INCIDENTS HAVE TAKEN PLACE BECAUSE OF AN INSENSITIVITY TOWARDS PEOPLE'S PRESENCE. 
          I FULLY SUPPORT THE AGITATION OF SOUND TAB AND REPRESENTATIVES ON THE HISTORY OF THE UP PEOPLE BECAUSE EDUCATING OURSELVES BEING ONE PHONE IS GOOD. 
          IT'S EXCELLENT. 
          ESPECIALLY IF THE EDUCATION CAN BE VIEWED AS A MEANS TOWARDS INCREASING MUTUAL RESPECT AND MUTUAL REGARD FOR EACH OTHER. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND LASTLY, SIR, WE HAVE BENJAMIN KENNYS MORNING, UH, MR. CHAIRMAN, THANK YOU, UH, MEMBERS, UM, UM, BENJAMIN KENNIS, BEN, IF YOU WILL. 
          UH, I LIVE IN PALMETTO DUNES. 
          UM, I AM PRESIDENT OF THE MILITARY VETERANS COALITION. 
          WE, UH, PARTNER WITH THE, UH, WITH THE TOWN TO PUT ON THE, UH, UH, EVENTS LIKE THE MEMORIAL DAY EVENT, THE VETERAN'S DAY EVENT. 
          AND WE SELL THE BRICKS. 
          UH, I'M ALSO, UH, VICE COMMANDER OF, UH, THE ARTHUR WILEY POST 42 OF THE AMERICAN LEGION HERE IN HILTON HEAD. 
          AND SOME OF YOU, OR SOME IN THE, UH, IN THE, UH, IN THE GALLERY HERE MAY NOT KNOW WHO MR. ARTHUR U. WILEY WAS. 
          UH, HE WAS A NATIVE ISLANDER. 
          HE WAS DRAFTED INTO THE UNITED STATES ARMY, UH, DURING WORLD WAR ONE, SERVED HONORABLY RETURNED HOME AND BECAME SOMEWHAT OF A COMMUNITY ORGANIZER IF YOU WILL. 
          UH, HE, UH, LED THE EFFORT TO RAISE MONEY AND WORK WITH THE COUNTY TO BUILD THE CHERRY HILL SCHOOL OUT ON, UH, ON DILLON ROAD. 
          UM, BUT, UH, POST 42 IS, UH, BECAUSE OF OUR AGE WHERE MOSTLY WHAT I AFFECTIONATELY REFER TO IS JUST SORRY, OH, VIETNAM VETERANS. 
          WE DON'T MATTER ANYMORE. 
          NOT THAT WE EVER DID, BUT WITHIN POST 42, THERE WAS A VERY SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT DO MATTER. 
          AND THAT'S OUR, UH, PREDOMINANTLY NATIVE AMERICAN, UH, MEMBERSHIP. 
          UH, THESE ARE SOME OF THE MOST PATRIOTIC AMERICANS I HAVE EVER MET. 
          AND THESE ARE ALL AMERICANS THAT SERVED THEIR COUNTRY HONORABLY. 
          OFTEN AT TIMES THE COUNTRY DIDN'T SERVE THEM HONORABLY. 
          UM, SO, UM, THEY'RE, THEY'RE AMERICAN HEROES AND THEY'RE PART OF THE FABRIC OF, UH, THE HILTON HEAD COMMUNITY. 
          BUT OFTEN THEIR STORY IS NOT TOLD MANY SHED THEIR BLOOD FOR YOU AND THE CITIZENS OF THIS ISLAND AND INDEED THIS COUNTRY. 
          AND I BELIEVE THE ELECTED LEADERS AND THOSE APPOINTED TO IMPLEMENT OUR LAWS AND OTHER PUBLIC POLICY SHOULD BE AWARE OF THIS HISTORY AND THE CONTRIBUTIONS MADE NOT JUST BY THE GULLAH COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE, AS, AS, AS LARGE AS THAT IMPACT IS. 
          BUT ESPECIALLY OF OUR MILITARY VETERANS HERE, UH, OF THE NATIVE ISLANDER COMMUNITIES, I URGE YOU, I URGE YOU TO VOTE UNANIMOUSLY FOR THE RESOLUTION, UH, THAT WILL AUTHORIZE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GULLAH HISTORY AND EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR TOWN, EMPLOYEES, AND OTHER OFFICIALS. 
          AND I URGE YOU TO VOTE UNANIMOUSLY FOR IT AND TAKE IT BACK TO THE COUNCIL AND URGE THEM TO VOTE UNANIMOUSLY FOR IT. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          THANK YOU, SIR, 
          [00:20:02]
SIR, THAT CONCLUDES APPEARANCE BY CITIZENS. 
          UH, THANK YOU. 
          THE NEXT ITEM ON OUR AGENDA IS COMMITTEE BUSINESS. 
          AND BEFORE US TODAY, WE HAVE A CONSIDERATION OF A RESOLUTION OF THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND AUTHORIZING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GULLAH HISTORY AND CULTURAL EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR THE TOWN, EMPLOYEES AND OFFICIALS. 
          AT OUR LAST MEETING, THERE WERE POINTS OF AMBIGUITY THAT WE FELT APPROPRIATELY TO GET RESOLVED. 
          WE'VE ASKED SHAUN COLLIN, UH, TO PULL TOGETHER THE COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS THAT WERE RAISED AND TO ADDRESS THEM BEFORE OUR COMMITTEE TODAY, I WOULD NOW LIKE TO ASK SEAN TO COME FORWARD AND PRESENT THIS INFORMATION. 
          SEAN, THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN COMMITTEE MEMBERS, SEAN COLIN ASSISTANT TOWN MANAGER, UM, WITH OVERSIGHT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. 
          UM, STAFF IN MY DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN DIRECTLY WORKING WITH THE TASK FORCE OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, UH, INCLUDING DRAFTING OF THIS EDUCATION, UH, AN ORIENTATION PROGRAM FOR THAT'S BEFORE YOU TODAY. 
          UM, THERE WE GO. 
          UM, WHAT'S ASKED OF THE COMMITTEE IS TO CONSIDER A RESOLUTION, UM, TO ADVANCE THE TOWN COUNCIL AUTHORIZING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE HISTORY AND CULTURAL EDUCATION PROGRAM THAT WAS RECOMMENDED BY THE TASK FORCE WAS RECOMMENDED THE TASK FORCE ON JULY 11TH. 
          UM, I DO UNDERSTAND IT WAS ON A COMMITTEE MEETING IN JULY. 
          UM, AND THERE WERE A FEW QUESTIONS THAT, UM, I WILL ANSWER HERE IN JUST A FEW MINUTES. 
          UM, AND THEN HOPEFULLY YOU'LL TAKE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION TO MOVE THIS THING ONTO COUNCIL FOR CONSIDERATION. 
          OKAY. 
          I DO WANT TO, UM, GO BACK A LITTLE BIT AND, UH, AND JUST REMIND COUNSEL THAT WHEN THE GULLAH GEECHEE TASK FORCE WORKED WITH A WALKER CONSULTANT TO DEVELOP, UM, THE, THE, THE REPORT, UH, THERE WERE MANY RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WERE INCLUDED. 
          TOWN COUNCIL ASKED THE TASK FORCE TO, TO GO BACK AND HELP PRIORITIZE WHAT THEY THOUGHT WERE TOP RECOMMENDATIONS. 
          SO THE OVERALL WE'RE REDUCED TO 16 PRIORITY RECOMMENDATIONS, UM, CULTURAL PRESERVATION DASH SEVEN RECOMMENDATION FOR OFFICIALS AND IT EXPANDED THE SCHOOL TEACHERS, BUT WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THAT HERE. 
          WE'RE TRYING TO TALK ABOUT IN-HOUSE TOWN, UM, OFFICIALS AND STAFF, UM, TO REALLY GAIN A BETTER UNDERSTANDING AND AWARENESS OF CULTURE AND HISTORY. 
          UM, ESPECIALLY AS YOU INTERACT WITH OUR CUSTOMERS AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY, I'VE HAD THE PLEASURE OF MEETING ALMOST EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM AND WORKING WITH MANY OF THOSE IN THIS ROOM. 
          UM, I'M CERTAINLY BETTER OFF, UH, IN MY POSITION HAVING A, UM, AND I LEARN EVERY DAY, BUT A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE HISTORY AND WHAT THE DNA OF HILTON HEAD, UM, INCLUDING THE GALA, THE GULLAH CULTURE, NATIVE ISLAND, UH, COMMUNITY ISSUES. 
          UM, AND I BELIEVE WE'RE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, UH, TO PROVIDE BETTER CUSTOMER SERVICE, UM, ACROSS THE BOARD TO EVERYONE IN OUR COMMUNITY. 
          UM, I'M NOT GOING TO GO THROUGH THIS IN MUCH, TOO MUCH DETAIL, BUT THIS WAS, UM, KIND OF THE HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THE PACKET. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, REALLY THERE WAS AN INITIAL, UM, UH, ORIENTATION AND EDUCATION SESSION, UM, THAT WOULD BE MEANT FOR, UH, FOR EVERY, FOR ALL STAFF, UH, FOR, UM, FOR ALL OFFICIALS OF THE TOWN, AGAIN, TO, TO CREATE AN AWARENESS AND YOU CAN SEE THE TOPICS SETTLEMENT OF THE GULLAH PEOPLE ON THAT ISLAND, ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES, THE ECONOMIC IMPACT, UM, THAT THE GULLAH, UH, THE CULTURE HAS HAD OVER THE YEARS AND CONTINUES TO HAVE ON HILTON HOT HELTON HAD A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE CULTURE IN GENERAL, UNDERSTANDING OF THE HISTORIC COMMUNITIES THAT WE HAVE, THE SNARK NEIGHBORHOODS, UM, ON HILTON HEAD, WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE CHALLENGES TO LAND RETENTION FOR NATIVE ISLANDERS AND SUSTAINABILITY. 
          UM, WE HAVE AGAIN, THEN IMPROVING OUR SERVICE. 
          UH, WE'VE HAD ROUGHLY 30 FOLKS COME THROUGH THE, UM, THE DESIGN STUDIO, UM, THAT WE'VE CREATED HERE RECENTLY TO HELP PROVIDE ASSISTANCE WITH LAND AND OTHER, UM, ISSUES THAT, THAT ARE, THAT FOLKS HAVE BEEN FACED OVER THE YEARS. 
          UM, AND THEN PROPOSED PUBLIC POLICY INITIATIVES FOR HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS, UM, INCLUDED IN HERE. 
          WE ADOPTED A FAMILY SUBDIVISION, THE COMPOUND, UH, HERE, UM, UH, TO AMEND THE LMO. 
          AND THERE'S OTHER 
          [00:25:01]
THINGS THAT WE IDENTIFY THROUGH DESIGN STUDIO THAT MAY BE APPROPRIATE CONSIDERATIONS. 
          AND AT ONCE THEY HAVE THE SORT OF AWARENESS ORIENTATION, THERE'S SOME OPPORTUNITIES FOR ONGOING EXPOSURE. 
          I'LL TELL YOU THAT THE TOWN LEADERSHIP TEAM, UM, TOOK THE GALO TOUR, UM, UH, SEVERAL WEEKS AGO. 
          AND I THINK WE ALL GAINED, UM, EX UH, GAINED A LOT OF VALUE IN THAT TOUR AND GAINED A DEEPER APPRECIATION OF BEING ABLE TO GO OUT AND, UM, AND HAVE A GUIDED TOUR. 
          UM, IT CERTAINLY PROVIDED, UM, A MUCH DEEPER CONTEXT FOR US THEN THERE'S A, THE GULLAH MUSEUM, UM, AND THE GULLAH HERITAGE  MENTIONED, CERTAINLY MITCHELLVILLE. 
          UH, WE HAVE AN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH AHMAD AND THE EFFORT OF, UM, UM, AT THE, UH, HISTORIC, UH, METRO FREEDOM PARK. 
          SO IT'S REALLY AN AWARENESS. 
          IT'S A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING. 
          UM, WITHOUT THIS, IT IT'S A LITTLE DIFFICULT, UM, TO PROVIDE THE TOP LEVEL BEST-IN-CLASS CUSTOMER SERVICE THAT WE NEED TO BE DOING AS A, AS A STAFF AND ORGANIZATION. 
          WELL, LET ME GO, BEFORE WE GO ONTO THE NEXT STEP, THERE WERE A FEW QUESTIONS THAT WERE SUBMITTED BY COUNSEL SINCE THE LAST, UM, SINCE IT WAS ON THE AGENDA BACK IN JULY AND MR. CHAIRMAN, UH, I'LL LEAVE IT UP TO YOU IF YOU'D LIKE ME TO RUN THROUGH THESE AND I'M HAPPY TO DO SO, BUT I'LL DO IT YOUR DIRECTION. 
          YEAH, I, I THINK, UH, IF YOU'D RUN THROUGH THEM, THAT THAT WOULD BE FINE, PLEASE. 
          YES, SIR. 
          AND I'LL BE AS BRIEF AS I CAN, UM, BECAUSE THE RESPONSES ARE RELATIVELY STRAIGHTFORWARD, UM, AND BRIEF AS WELL. 
          UM, THERE WAS A QUESTION ABOUT THE PURPOSE OF THE, TO PROVIDE EMPLOYEES AND OFFICIALS WITH AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE HILTON ISLAND, VELA HISTORY AND CULTURE, AND TO ESTABLISH EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION AND SERVICE. 
          THERE WAS A GOAL WHICH, WHICH IS IT, OR IS IT BOTH? AND I THINK IT'S BOTH, I THINK WITH DEEPER UNDERSTANDING AWARENESS AND APPRECIATION OF HISTORY AND CULTURE, UM, PROVIDES BETTER, MORE EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION TO, UH, THE CITIZENS OF HILTON HEAD, UM, FOR OTHERS THAT COME HERE THAT DON'T HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING, WHETHER IT BE A DEVELOPER OR, OR OUR NEW RESIDENT, UM, IT HELPS US IN OUR COMMUNICATION AND SERVICE TO ALL, UM, THAT COME IN CONTACT WITH THE ORGANIZATION. 
          SO I THINK IT'S BOTH ON THE, ON THOSE FRONTS, UM, ALSO TO FIND EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION AND SERVICE BY WHO AND FOR WHO I THINK EVERYONE THAT HAS A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING, A WILLING WILL IMPROVE THEIR COMMUNICATION AND SERVICE TO OTHERS. 
          I MEAN, UM, I, YOU KNOW, I TEACH MY CHILDREN THE IMPORTANCE OF GULLAH CULTURE AND THEY'VE EXPERIENCED IT. 
          AND SO I THINK THEY'RE BETTER COMMUNICATORS WITH THEIR PEERS AND THE FOLKS THAT THEY COME IN CONTACT WITH AS WELL. 
          UH, THERE WAS A QUESTION ABOUT FINANCING SOURCE, UH, FOR THIS ORIENTATION. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, THIS W WE HAVE A, A PRETTY, UM, WIDE ONBOARDING PROGRAM HERE WITH ORIENTATION ON MANY, MANY, UH, ELEMENTS. 
          UH, THIS WOULD BE A COMPONENT OF THAT ORIENTATION THAT WOULD BE HANDLED, UH, PRIMARILY THROUGH THE TOWN AND OUR HUMAN RESOURCE DEPARTMENT AND, AND INCLUDED IN THE ORIENTATION AND ONGOING TRAINING, UM, OUR EDUCATION FOR STAFF. 
          UM, I THINK I COVERED THE NEXT QUESTION ABOUT EDUCATE AREA SCHOOL TEACHERS. 
          THIS IS APPROPRIATE FOR THE TOWN. 
          UH, WE'RE FOCUSING THIS PROGRAM AND THE RECOMMENDATION TO COMMITTEE AND COUNCIL ON STAFF AND, AND OFFICIALS HERE AT THE TOWN. 
          UM, NOT, NOT SCHOOL TEACHERS AT THIS TIME. 
          UH, THERE WAS A QUESTION ABOUT TRAIN VERSUS, UH, ORIENT, UM, AND IT SUGGESTED ELIMINATING TRAIN. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, I THINK THIS IS AN EDUCATION PROGRAM. 
          THIS IS ALL ABOUT EDUCATING, UM, NOT NECESSARILY TRAINING, BUT I THINK IT'S PROVIDING TOOLS AND BACKGROUND, UH, TO HELP FOLKS BE BETTER COMMUNICATORS AND PROVIDE BETTER SERVICE. 
          I THINK IT'S MORE OF AN EDUCATION COMPONENT, UH, FAMILY COMPOUNDS IN SOME DIVISIONS, THERE WAS A JUST SUGGEST TO, OF ELIMINATING IT. 
          I JUST WANT TO REMIND, UM, THE COMMITTEE THAT THOSE CHANGES WERE OUT OF FIVE THROUGH LMO CHANGES. 
          UM, AND SO WE WOULDN'T SUGGEST ELIMINATING IT. 
          UM, I THINK BUILDING ON WHAT WE HAVE IN OUR, UH, AT OUR DISPOSAL NOW AND MODIFYING TO DELIVER BETTER SERVICE AS WE MOVE AHEAD. 
          AND THEN THERE WAS A QUESTION WHY THIS HAS ALREADY BEEN APPROVED BY TOWN COUNCIL. 
          UM, I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, GOSH, I STARTED ALMOST 16 YEARS AGO. 
          I REMEMBER ON MY FIRST DAY GETTING THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, THE ROUTE AT THE RESPONSE TO THE ROUTE OUT THE WARD ONE MASTER PLAN, STONY INITIATIVE, CHAPLAIN INITIATIVE, THIS, IN MY OPINION, THIS HAS BEEN PART OF, UM, AN ONBOARDING AND ORIENTATION, BUT, BUT IT'S BROUGHT MORE INTO FOCUS, I THINK WITH THIS, UM, AS A 
          [00:30:01]
SPECIFIC ELEMENT TO INCLUDE AS PART OF OUR ONBOARDING, UM, WHEN I CAME ON BOARD, UM, IT MAY HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT THAN SOMEONE IN IT. 
          THEY MAY NOT HAVE BEEN GIVEN THOSE SAME, UM, UM, DOCUMENTS AND BACKGROUND, UH, TO HELP SERVE IN THEIR POSITIONS. 
          BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR EVERYONE IN THE ORGANIZATION TO HAVE A SHARED UNDERSTANDING. 
          UM, COUNCIL DID APPROVE THE REPORT. 
          UM, I THINK WHEN THE VOTE OF SEVEN ZERO BACK IN 2019 ON THESE RECOMMENDATIONS, UM, AND THIS IS DELIVERY OF THE, OF THE PROGRAM TO THE COMMITTEE AND COUNCIL, UM, TO INCORPORATE INTO ITS OPERATIONS THROUGH THE TOWN MANAGER, UM, PROGRAM APPEARS MANDATORY FOR TOWN COUNCIL AND STAFF, UH, CONSIDER VOLUNTARY. 
          UM, I BELIEVE THAT THE STAFF, UH, ORIENTATION AND AWARENESS SHOULD BE PART OF THE MANDATORY ONBOARDING AND ORIENTATION. 
          I CERTAINLY CAN'T TELL TOWN COUNCIL, UM, WHAT TO DO, UH, BUT I THINK IT WOULD BE A BENEFIT TO ALL IN THE ORGANIZATION, WHETHER AT THE ELECTED, UM, LEVEL, UM, OR A STAFF LEVEL, BUT, UH, AND THEN SHOULD TOWN TOWNSHIP ENCOURAGE ALL GROUPS TO SHARE THEIR HISTORY OF HILTON HEAD, NOT JUST ONE GROUP. 
          UM, I CERTAINLY RESPECT THAT COMMENT. 
          I THINK THAT THE GULLAH CULTURE AND HISTORY ARE AGAIN PART OF THE DNA, UM, AND TO NOT PROVIDE, UM, THIS AS A, AS A COMPONENT FOR AWARENESS AND EDUCATION, UM, WOULD, WOULD PROVIDE, UM, A GAP IN OUR, IN OUR KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING TO PROVIDE THAT SERVICE AND COMMUNICATION TO A KEY COMPONENT OF THE COMMUNITY AND BE BETTER AMBASSADORS AGAIN, UH, TO SERVE ALL HERE ON THE ISLAND. 
          UM, THOSE ARE ALL THE QUESTIONS. 
          THOSE ARE MY, THE RESPONSES THAT WERE DRAFTED ON MY RESPONSES, BUT THE RESPONSES THAT WERE DRAFTED, UM, AND, UH, UH, AS, UM, SORT OF ANSWERS AND CLARIFICATION ON THOSE COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS. 
          UM, I CAN ANSWER MORE QUESTIONS. 
          I'M HAPPY TO SPEAK AS LONG AS YOU'D LIKE ME TO BE HERE. 
          WE'VE GOT A BIG CROWD. 
          UM, THEY MIGHT BE HUNGRY FOR LUNCH. 
          I DON'T KNOW, BUT, UM, I THINK YOU'VE HEARD, I THINK YOU'VE HEARD FROM ME, I'M SORRY, MR. HARKINS, I'M SORRY. 
          ONE LAST COMMENT. 
          I SUPPORT THIS, UM, RECOMMENDATION BEING PART OF ORIENTATION FROM, UH, FOR MY STAFF AND HOPEFULLY THAT IT'S PART OF THE, THE BIGGER ORGANIZATION RECOMMENDATION FOR ALL STAFF. 
          UM, I DO WANT TO MENTION THAT, UM, CHARLES' COUSIN, MY COUSINS, MY PREDECESSOR BROUGHT IN SOME FOLKS TO SPEAK, UM, AND PROVIDE AWARENESS TO THE DEPARTMENT, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. 
          UH, WE HAD LUNCH, UH, WE HAD A COUPLE OF SPEAKERS, UM, COME IN AND GIVE US THAT BACKGROUND AND UNDERSTANDING. 
          SO I APPRECIATED THAT WHEN I WAS WORKING UNDER HIS TUTELAGE. 
          SO, UM, THIS REALLY KIND OF FORMALIZES IT AND MAKES IT PART OF OUR ORGANIZATIONAL EXPECTATIONS. 
          SO, UM, MR. HARKINS SAYS IF, UH, THE NEXT STEPS ARE THE COMMITTEE'S CONSIDERATION TO RECOMMEND THIS TO COUNCIL COUNCIL. 
          AS I UNDERSTAND IF, IF THAT, IF COMMITTEE TAKES THAT ACTION, IT'LL BE A BRIEF LATER TODAY, UM, AT THE TOWN COUNCIL MEETING, AND THEN IT WOULD BE PLACED ON THE AGENDA FOR CEP 20, SEPTEMBER 20TH FOR TOWN COUNCIL CONSIDERATION. 
          I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY MORE QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. 
          UH, THANK YOU, SEAN. 
          AND IT, IN MY OPINION, THAT THEY CALL A HISTORY AND CULTURAL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM. 
          THAT'S BEEN ADVANCED IS A TREMENDOUS RESOURCE FOR THE COMMUNITY, UH, AND MERITS OUR SUPPORT. 
          I AM ONLY ONE OF THE COMMITTEE. 
          I'M GOING TO TURN IT TO, UH, OUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS TO SHARE THEIR OPINION, AND THEN HOPEFULLY LEADING TO A EMOTION IN AND THE SECOND. 
          AND THEN I WILL OPEN IT UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. 
          UH, IF I MAY, UH, DAVID, UH, MAY I BEGIN WITH YOU PLEASE? THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN. 
          I'M GOING TO FRAME THIS PROPOSAL DIFFERENTLY. 
          I SEE IT AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THIS COMMUNITY TO DISTINGUISH ITSELF, TO BE THE CASTLE ON THE HILL, TO ASPIRE TO SOMETHING THAT IS GREATER THAN OUR OWN SELF-INTEREST IN AND OF ITSELF. 
          IT MAY NOT BE THE ANSWER, BUT IT DOES HAVE BENEFITS TO THIS COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE, AS A PLACE TO LIVE. 
          IT HAS BENEFITS TO ITS INDIVIDUAL CITIZENS. 
          I CAN SPEAK FROM MY OWN PERSONAL 
          [00:35:01]
STANDPOINT, I HAVE BECOME A BETTER PERSON BECAUSE OF MY RELATIONSHIPS, THE NATIVE ISLANDERS, THE GULLAH GEECHEE COMMUNITY ON THIS ISLAND. 
          IT'S A BENEFIT TO OUR ECONOMY BECAUSE THE BRAND DISTINGUISHES US FROM OTHER PLACES. 
          WE CANNOT OVERLOOK THE COMMUNITY, THE INDIVIDUAL CITIZEN, OR THE ECONOMY WITHOUT RISKING THIS COMMUNITY'S FUTURE. 
          I'D LIKE TO EMPHASIZE THE PEOPLE, TO PEOPLE, RELATIONSHIP OF WHAT THIS PROPOSAL REALLY MEANS. 
          IMAGINE FOR A SECOND, THAT YOU ARE ENTERING A NEW COMMUNITY OR SOMEBODY'S HOME. 
          I THINK MOST OF US WERE BROUGHT UP TO ENTER THAT COMMUNITY OR THAT HOME WITH OPEN EYES, AWARENESS, RESPECT, SENSITIVITY, ISN'T THAT REALLY WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TODAY WITH THIS EDUCATION TRAINING, ALL THOSE WORDS ARE LOADED. 
          WE HAVE TO GET BEYOND THAT. 
          ALL WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS UNDERSTAND ONE ANOTHER BETTER AWARENESS, RESPECT, SENSITIVITY. 
          THAT'S ALL WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IN THE EARLY YEARS OF THE PDS ON HILTON HEAD ISLAND. 
          I DIDN'T INTERACT DIRECTLY WITH NATIVE ISLANDERS BECAUSE I WAS BEHIND A GATE AND WE DIDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT A TOWN. 
          WE HAD THE COUNTY TELLING US WHAT TO DO OR WHAT NOT TO DO, AND CANDIDLY, THEY LEFT US ALONE. 
          SO IF WE WERE BUILDING A COMMUNITY BEHIND THE GATE, WE WERE DOING IT ON OUR OWN TIME. 
          BUT IN 1983, THIS COMMUNITY WAS CHALLENGED BY DECIDING WHETHER OR NOT IT WAS GOING TO BE A COMMUNITY OF 28,000 ACRES OR WHETHER IT WAS GOING TO BE A COMMUNITY OF 21,000 ACRES, ESSENTIALLY BEHIND THE GATES ZONING WAS INTRODUCED TO THIS COMMUNITY, NOT WITH FULL UNDERSTANDING OF THE IMPACT ON THE EXISTING CULTURE. 
          IN OTHER WORDS, THOSE OF US WHO CAME TO THE ISLAND ENTERED THIS COMMUNITY, THIS HOME WITHOUT AN AWARENESS, WITHOUT RESPECT, WITHOUT SENSITIVITY TO WHAT WAS ALREADY HERE IN 1995. 
          AND SEAN HAS ALREADY MENTIONED THIS. 
          THERE WAS THE RUDAT ROUDETTE STUDY, AND THERE WAS THE NATIVE ISLANDERS RESPONSE TO THAT ROUTE AT STUDY, WHICH WAS IGNORED BY THE LEADERSHIP AGAIN, WITHOUT AWARENESS, WITHOUT RESPECT, WITHOUT SENSITIVITY. 
          I REMEMBER OTHER TIMES IN THIS COMMUNITY, WHEN THERE WAS A CONTROVERSY ABOUT THE SMOKE THAT WAS WAFTING TOWARDS HILTON HEAD PLANTATION FROM THE BURDEN, UH, BURNING OF LEAVES WHEN FISHER AND WHEN NATIVE ISLAND HAD FISHERMEN WERE BEING TOLD THEY COULDN'T FISH OFF THE BEACH. 
          WHEN A NATIVE ISLANDER WAS TOLD AND REPRIMANDED FIRST FEEDING STALE BREAD TO HIS PIGS. 
          THOSE WERE CRITICISMS ON THE PART OF LEADERSHIP IN THIS TOWN BECAUSE OF A LACK OF AWARENESS, RESPECT, AND SENSITIVITY. 
          THAT'S ALL WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TODAY. 
          I URGE US TO SIMPLIFY OUR LANGUAGE, TO TALK TO US, TO EACH OTHER, AS PEOPLE NOT AS ABSTRACT IDENTITIES, SIMPLIFY OUR LANGUAGE, SIMPLIFY US, HOW WE INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER. 
          ALL WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS KNOWLEDGE 
          [00:40:01]
SO THAT WE CAN RELATE TO ONE ANOTHER WITH AWARENESS, RESPECT, AND SENSITIVITY. 
          THANK YOU, TOM LENNOX, PLEASE. 
          YOUR THOUGHTS. 
          THANK YOU, BILL. 
          I HAVE FOLLOWED THE PROGRESS AND THE EVOLUTION, UH, OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS COMING FROM THE TASK FORCE LED BY LAVONNE, UH, FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. 
          AND I THINK, UH, THAT THE FINAL PRODUCT, AS IT PERTAINS TO THIS EDUCATION PROGRAM, UH, THE GOALS BEING TRUE, PROVIDE THE TOWN EMPLOYEES, UH, AND OFFICIALS WITH AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE GULLAH, GEECHEE HISTORY AND CULTURE, UH, AS WELL AS FUTURE. 
          AND THE SECOND, UH, GOAL IS TO ESTABLISH AN EFFECT OF ONGOING COMMUNICATION, UH, BETWEEN ALL COMMUNITIES. 
          UH, I THINK THE GOALS ARE BOTH APPROPRIATE, UH, AND NOBLE. 
          AND I THINK THE EVOLUTION OF THIS IS NOW TO THE POINT, UH, WHERE WE NEED IMPLEMENTATION. 
          THANK YOU, TOM GLENN, PLEASE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, I HAVE ONLY LIVED HERE FOR 16 YEARS. 
          I'VE BEEN COMING HERE PRETTY MUCH ALL MY LIFE, BUT I'VE ONLY LIVED HERE FOR 16 YEARS. 
          AND IN THAT TIME I'VE MADE A LOT OF FRIENDS AND MANY OF MY FRIENDS IN THE GULLAH COMMUNITY COMMUNITY ARE HERE TODAY. 
          AND I'M GLAD TO SEE YOU HERE SUPPORTING THIS EARLY ON IN MY CAREER ON TOWN COUNCIL, THE CONCEPT OF APPROVAL OF THE OVERALL GULLAH GEECHEE, UH, PROJECT, UM, AS RECOMMENDED BY LAVON STEVENS CAME BEFORE US FOR A VOTE. 
          I'M PROUD TO SAY THAT I VOTED FOR THAT. 
          AT THAT TIME, I CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THAT, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO THE OPPORTUNITY OF SUPPORTING THIS ACTION AS THE NEXT STEP IN THE IMPLEMENT IMPLEMENTATION OF THAT PROGRAM. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH, THANK YOU, GLEN. 
          NOW MOVING TO THE COMMITTEE AS A WHOLE, IS THERE A MOTION COMING FORWARD TO CONSIDER A RESOLUTION OF THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND AUTHORIZING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DOLLAR HISTORY AND CULTURAL EDUCATION PROGRAM? SO THE TOWN, EMPLOYEES AND OFFICIALS, I WOULD SHOW MOVE THAT SECOND. 
          UH, NOW I'D LIKE TO OPEN IT UP TO THE PUBLIC FOR COMMENT, PLEASE. 
          MR. HALL. 
          I'M SORRY. 
          IT'S A LITTLE AWKWARD BECAUSE I'M NOT THERE, BUT UH, RECOGNIZE PEOPLE PLEASE. 
          I'VE LIVED HERE FOR 47 YEARS. 
          I HAVE MADE MANY NATIVE FRIENDS. 
          THE FACT IS EVERYBODY HAS TO UNDERSTAND OUR PROBLEMS. OUR HOUSING, TRAFFIC AND OVERDEVELOPMENT HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY ONE THING, NO MASTER LAND PLAN DONE FOR THE LAST 45 YEARS BY STEVE RILEY AND KICKED THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD. 
          POLITICIANS, IT'S ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE AS BLUFFTON CONTINUES. 
          IT'S AT A CONTROLLED DEVELOPMENT, ONE ROAD, ONE BRIDGE TO 95 THAT DOES NOT WORK FOR WHAT WE HAVE ALLOWED. 
          THIS LACK OF MASTER LAND PLAN HAS SEVERELY IMPACTED THE GULLAH COMMUNITY AND ALL COMMUNITIES. 
          THIS COUNCIL CONTINUES AS CORRUPTION. 
          IT'S TAX ROBBERY CAUSED BY ZERO FULL TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY, FRAUDULENT INTERNAL HIRED FINANCIAL AUDITS, NO FORENSIC AUDITS THAT HAD MILLIONS OF ILLEGAL ISSUE AND USE OF TAX FUNDS. 
          AND ALSO THEY REFUSE FOIL LAWS, PROCUREMENT LAWS THEY'VE CAUSED MANY STATE AND FEDERAL VIOLATIONS BY OTHERS TO OUR TAX FUNDS. 
          ALL TAXPAYERS IN OUR GULLAH COMMUNITY HAS HAD ENOUGH OF THIS COUNCIL'S CORRUPTION THAT HAS FAILED ALL OF US. 
          YOU VIOLATE YOUR CAMPAIGN PROMISES TO SPEND A PROVEN GUARD, TAX MONEY LIKE YOUR OWN. 
          YOU ABUSE ALL OF US LIKE THE GAME OF MONOPOLY AND FUNNY MONEY, NOT HARD EARNED TAX MONEY. 
          WE MUST START VOTING ALL THOSE PROVEN, DISHONEST AND CORRUPT OUT OF OFFICE. 
          I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO VOTE FOR JOANNE SHACK FOR THE NEW MAYOR TO REPLACE JOHN MCCANN, WHO IS PROVEN CORRUPT, ALAN PERRY, A LONG TIME INSIDER PROVEN CORRUPT, STEVE ARNOLD, A TAX COMMITTEE, AND KIM LICHENS PROVEN CORRUPT. 
          AND, AND, AND IF THEY WILL, ARE WILLING TO AGREE TO CHANGE THEIR WAYS WE COULD RECONSIDER MR. AMES, I'VE LISTENED TO YOUR HEARTFELT SPEECHES FOR YEARS. 
          IT DOES. 
          IT DOES NOT MATCH YOUR ACTIONS. 
          [00:45:01]
IT'S SICKENING. 
          THE NATIVE COMMUNITY AND OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY HAS LISTENED TO THIS SMOOTH TALKING FOR 47 YEARS BY YOU AND OTHER KICK THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD, POLITICIANS. 
          AND IT JUST GETS WORSE. 
          THE FACT IS YOU'RE CORRUPT AND YOU VOTE TO ALLOW OUR MONIES TO BE ROBBED. 
          AND YOU KNOW IT NOW, IF ANYBODY CALLED ME IN THIS ROOM, CORRUPT AND DISHONEST, I WOULD FILE A LAWSUIT AGAINST THEM. 
          AND I CHALLENGE ANYBODY IN THIS ROOM TO CALL ME A LIAR AND CORRUPT, LIKE I'M CALLING THESE PEOPLE. 
          DOES ANYBODY BELIEVE I'M A CORRUPT AND A LIAR? OF COURSE NOT BECAUSE I'M NOT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          IS THERE ANYONE ELSE THAT WAS JUST TO SPEAK TO THEM OR ADDRESS THE COMMITTEE? DR. 
          CAMPBELL? GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          AND I, UH, THANK YOU FOR MOVING ME UP TO ADOPTER. 
          I'M JUST MORRIS CAMPBELL. 
          UM, IT'S CHAIRMAN AND COMMITTED. 
          LET ME JUST COMMEND YOU ON THE ACTION THAT YOU'VE JUST TAKEN. 
          I HAD A DIFFERENT SPEECH, BUT YOU ALL MAKE ME TEAR THIS SPEECH UP, BUT CERTAINLY, UH, I SORT OF EXPECTED YOU TO DO WHAT YOU DID AS FAR AS BEING VERY MUCH IN TUNE AS TO WHAT SHOULD BE DONE PRIOR TO THE INCORPORATION OF HILTON HAD A LOT OF DELL'S DOES ON THE ISLAND THAT ARE NO LONGER WITH US BASICALLY SAID, AND I THINK DAVID REFLECTED ON IT AND A FEW MORE PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE. 
          SO WELL AWARE OF WHAT WAS SAID WAS THAT AS THIS TOWN GROW AND BECOME A TOWN IS GOING TO BECOME A TOWN THAT IS NOT GOING TO BE SENSITIVE TO EVERYONE ON THE ISLAND. 
          AND IT'S NOT GOING GIVE A HOOT ABOUT GULLAH PEOPLE AND GALA PEOPLE ARE GOING TO JUST BASICALLY BE FORGOTTEN AND THROWN AWAY. 
          THANK YOU ALL FOR AT LEAST CONTINUING YOUR EFFORT TO MAKE THAT STATEMENT A LITTLE BIT, NOT, UH, THE REAL STATEMENT THAT, UH, IT WAS SET OUT TO BE, UH, WE THINK THAT, UH, WHAT YOU ARE DOING OR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE THE DAY IS A POSITIVE STEP AND CONTINUING TO EFFORT TO EDUCATE PEOPLE. 
          UH, WE ALL KNOW THAT KNOWLEDGE IS POWER AND THOSE FOLKS WHO ARE GOING TO BE SERVING US SIZE, TOM STOP, AND YOU AS AN ELECTED OFFICIAL OR VOLUNTEERING ON THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS OF THE TIME, CERTAINLY THE MORE YOU KNOW ABOUT THE PEOPLE YOU'RE SERVING, THE BETTER YOU CAN SERVE. 
          THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT. 
          THAT'S WHAT WE THINK THAT LIFE IS ALL ABOUT. 
          IF WE CAN JUST WALK IN ANOTHER PERSON'S SHOES FOR A LITTLE WHILE, WE CAN GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THAT PERSON AND WHERE THAT PERSON IS COMING FROM. 
          I COMMEND YOU FOR NOT FOLLOWING FOR NOT FOLLOWING DOWN THE ROAD OF OUR COUNTRY AS TO WHERE IT'S GOING. 
          AS FAR AS DIVISIVENESS IS VOICE, HEY, IT IS VOICE IN SENSITIVITY. 
          AND AS THOSE THINGS THAT ARE REALLY DIVIDING US AS A COUNTRY AND IN THE WORLD, UM, YOU'RE MAKING A GENUINE EFFORT TO MAKE OUR LITTLE ISLAND, WHICH IS ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE, NOT ONLY FOR THE TURTLES AND THE OTHER WILDLIFE AND THE PLANTS, ET CETERA, BUT ALSO FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT, UH, UH, SPECIES ON THIS ISLAND. 
          AND THAT'S THE PEOPLE OF THE ISLAND. 
          I THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE. 
          AND WE CERTAINLY HOPE THAT YOU WILL CONTINUE TO LOOK AT THE PEOPLE. 
          AND WHEN WE STOOD UP, PEOPLE WERE TALKING ABOUT EVERYONE BECAUSE IF YOU HEARD, I HEARD AND WHEN I HEARD YOU CERTAINLY HEARD, SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WHAT YOU'RE DOING. 
          ARE THERE OTHERS THAT WOULD LIKE TO COME FORWARD? MR. BARNWELL? GOOD EVENING. 
          MY NAME IS THOMAS C BARNWELL JR. 
          I WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS AS OTHERS. 
          EXCUSE ME, MY SINCERE, THANKS. 
          NOT ONLY TO THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE PRESENTLY SERVING ON TOWN COUNCIL WITH AN OPEN MIND AND A WILLINGNESS TO BE OF SERVICE TO ALL OF THE RESIDENTS AND TAXPAYERS LIKE A SMALL TAX PAYER AS MY FAMILY, THE BARN ROAD FAMILY ON HILTON HEAD FOR YEARS. 
          UH, I'LL DEVIATE FOR ONE QUICK SECOND AND SAY SOMETHING 
          [00:50:01]
THAT I DON'T NORMALLY GO TO. 
          AND THAT IS BEHOLD HOW GOOD AND PLEASANT IT IS FOR BROTHER-IN-LAW TO DWELL TOGETHER IN UNITY. 
          I WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS SPECIAL, THANKS TO ALL THOSE WITH MINOR EXCEPTIONS WHO HAVE INDICATED AND DR. 
          KORN, ESPECIALLY AS A DESCENDANT. 
          AND I WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS SPECIAL, THANKS TO COUNSEL PERSON, DAVID AMES, FOR REMEMBERING MANY OF THE DAYS THAT HAS BEEN DIFFICULT. 
          OF COURSE, YOU LEFT OUT B A S F AND CBI, CHICAGO BRIDGE AND IRON. 
          THAT IS FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WANT TO WORK RESEARCHER. 
          AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WOULD LIKE TO RESEARCH A DOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T KNOW THEN WAS IN EXISTENCE TO HILTON HEAD ISLAND, FISHING COOPERATIVES, AND I'M THE LAST PERSON STANDING. 
          AND I'VE ONLY BEEN ON THIS ISLAND FOR 87 YEARS NOW OF THAT GROUP THAT TOOK A TRUCK BROKE. 
          AND THE DAUGHTER OF THE OWNER OF THE BOAT IS IN THIS AUDIENCE TODAY. 
          HIS NAME WAS DAVID JONES. 
          HIS NAME WAS MENTIONED EARLIER THAT BOAT GOING TO WASHINGTON AND THE CREW AND THE  AND THE CONSORTIUM THAT CAME TOGETHER TO TAKE THAT ACTION WAS THE KIND OF ACTION THAT I HOPE NOT ONLY THIS COUNCIL WILL DO THE RESEARCH AND STAFF AND TRY TO REMEMBER AND UNDERSTAND THAT AT THAT POINT IN LIFE, THIS COMMUNITY HAD AN INTEREST IN TRYING TO UNIFY, SAVE THE COMMUNITY AND TRY TO IMPROVE THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL. 
          I CERTAINLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO VOTE POSITIVE TODAY AND ASKED YOU TO ASK ALL THE COUNCIL MEMBERS TO PLEASE CONSIDER VOTING POSITIVE FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO DWELL TOGETHER IN UNITY. 
          THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO APPEAR YES, SIR. 
          YES, SIR. 
          YES, SIR. 
          MS. SELLERS SELLERS. 
          I'M GOING TO BE VERY BRIEF BECAUSE I'M SURE EVERYBODY WANTS TO GET OUT OF HERE FOR LUNCH. 
          BUT WHAT I DO WANT TO SAY IS I APPRECIATE THE, YOUR COMMENTS, UM, MR. AMES, AND THOSE OF THE COMMITTEE, BUT I ALSO WANT TO REMIND YOU AND REMIND THE TOWN AND WHOEVER'S LISTENING THAT THE GULLAH COMMUNITY AND THE PEOPLE, A LOT OF THE FAMILIES THAT ARE IN THIS ROOM WERE ON THIS ISLAND PRIOR TO DEVELOPMENT IN THE, AND WE ALL LOVE AND APPRECIATE THE BEAUTY THAT SURROUNDS US EVERY SINGLE DAY, BECAUSE IF THE GULLAH COMMUNITY WASN'T HERE AND DIDN'T PROTECT THE ISLAND, THE WAY THAT THEY DID AND LOVE IT, THE WAY THAT THEY DID, WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ENJOY WHAT WE HAVE TODAY. 
          AND EVERYONE NEEDS TO KNOW THAT FROM THE TOWN STAFF TO THE IVAN COMMUNITY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          WOULD ANYONE ELSE LIKE TO COME FORWARD? YES. 
          YES, SIR. 
          WE HAVE ONE MORE AND I APOLOGIZE. 
          I MS. STEVENS. 
          HELLO. 
          AND THANK YOU, MR. AMES, THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND WORDS THAT YOU PRESENTED. 
          I WOULD LIKE TO SAY AS THE DAUGHTER OF DAVID JONES, WHO OWNED A CAPTAIN, DAVE, THAT WENT TO WASHINGTON AS HIM BEING A MEMBER OF FORMER MEMBER OF THE FISHING CO-OP AS EVERYTHING THAT HAS BEEN TAKEN FROM THE GULLAH COMMUNITY HERE, FROM THE LANGUAGE IN THE SCHOOLS TO LAND, TO BUSINESSES, NOT BEING HERE ON HILTON HEAD ISLAND. 
          AT ONE TIME, THE GULLAH COMMUNITY WAS THE MAJORITY OF EVERYTHING THAT CHARLES FRAZIER CREATED WAS AMAZING, BUT WE DID GET FORGOTTEN. 
          WE WERE FORGOTTEN ALONG THE WAY, AND IT WOULD BE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER, TO TEACH, TO EXPAND. 
          AND AS YOU SAID TO BUILD ON THAT COMMUNITY, IT'S IMPORTANT TO DO SO, 
          [00:55:01]
SO THAT WE DON'T LOSE ANY MORE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          IS THERE ANYONE ELSE, ANY OTHER COMMENT, PLEASE? PATSY. 
          PATSY BRYSON, PLEASE. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          SORRY ABOUT THAT. 
          UM, I'M NOT HERE TO BRING YOU PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY SANDWICHES. 
          ALTHOUGH MY MOM HAS A DAYCARE CENTER DIRECTOR WOULD BE DOING THAT. 
          I'M HERE TO HONOR MY SISTERS AND BROTHERS IN THIS COMMUNITY AS A CO-FOUNDER OF THE COALITION OF ISLAND NEIGHBORS. 
          WE SUPPORT THIS PROGRAM, THE WORK OF THE TASK FORCE. 
          AND WE THANK YOU FOR MOVING THIS FORWARD. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I CAN'T. 
          I'M SORRY. 
          OH, SORRY. 
          MR. BOARD EMAD WARD. 
          UH, MOD WAR FOR THE RECORD. 
          I'LL MAKE THIS QUICK AS WELL. 
          I WANT TO THANK THIS COMMITTEE FOR MOVING IN THIS DIRECTION. 
          UH I'LL JUST TO TAKE IT FROM ANOTHER ANGLE IN THE WORK THAT I'M DOING, WE'RE SEEING THE IMPORTANCE OF THE GO-LUCKY JEEP, A HERITAGE OF PEOPLE WHO ARE JUST BEGINNING TO LEARN IT. 
          AND SO WHEN THEY COME LOOKING FORWARD IN THE LOW COUNTRY, WE TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL THE PEOPLE WHO WILL SEE THEM COMING ONTO OUR FAIR ISLAND, UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF IT AS WELL. 
          SO I'M HAPPY TO SEE THAT IT'S MOVING IN THIS DIRECTION BECAUSE THE STRONGER WE ARE UNIFIED AROUND THIS IMPORTANT CULTURE, WHICH REALLY UNDERGIRDS EVERYTHING WE DO ON HILTON, THEN, UH, THEN THE BETTER IT WILL BE GOING FORWARD. 
          AS WE'RE TRYING TO PUSH LITTLE PROJECTS LIKE THIS THING I MIGHT BE WORKING WITH OVER THERE, AROUND THE CORNER, UH, MITCHELLVILLE IT'S PART AND PARCEL OF THAT HISTORY. 
          AND IF WE ACCEPT THAT HISTORY AS BEING A PART OF ALL OF OURS, AND AT THE SAME TIME, ACKNOWLEDGING THE CULTURE THAT REALLY LIVES IN IT EVERY DAY, WE CAN ONLY GET STRONGER AS A COMMUNITY. 
          AND SO I THINK IT PUTS OUR BEST FOOT FORWARD THAT WE'RE DOING THINGS IN THIS WAY, SO THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE COMING HERE TO WORK, UNDERSTAND WHAT REALLY HAPPENED ON THIS OUT OF. 
          SO I'M VERY HAPPY TO SEE IT, MOVE IT IN THIS DIRECTION, AND WE HOPE THAT IT WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE IN THIS DIRECTION AT THE TOWN COUNCIL LEVEL. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          SORRY. 
          THAT LOOKS LIKE IT COMPLETES EVERYBODY WHO WANTS TO SPEAK. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU BOTH. 
          IT'S IT'S CLEAR TO ME, AND I THINK BY COLLEAGUES THAT THIS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM THAT'S BEING ADVANCED, UH, CAN IN FACT LEAD TO GREATER UNDERSTANDING AND RESPECT FOR EACH OTHERS AND CERTAINLY AN ENHANCEMENT OF A COMMUNITY LOVE AMONG ALL ON THIS ISLAND. 
          UH, WE HAVE A MOTION BEFORE US IT'S BEEN, UM, MADE AND SECONDED. 
          UH, TAMMY, I'D LIKE TO CALL FOR THE VOTE PLEASE. 
          SURE. 
          MR. AMES, MR. STANFORD FOR THE MOTION, MR. LENNONS. 
          YES. 
          MR. HARKINS. 
          YES. 
          MOTION CARRIES, SIR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH, THANK YOU FOR THE, UH, UNANIMOUS, UNANIMOUS VOTE. 
          AND IF THERE'S NOTHING ELSE TO COME BEFORE THIS BODY OF WE STAND THAT YEARN AND WE WANT TO THANK THE PUBLIC FOR YOUR ACTIVE PARTICIPATION. 
          THANK YOU. 
* 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.