* 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. CLOSED [00:00:01] CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY BUFORT COUNTY. GOOD AFTERNOON AND WELCOME TO THE BUFORT COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE. IT SEPTEMBER 20TH, 2023. DO WE HAVE ROLL CALL PLEASE? CHAIRMAN GORDON. HERE. VICE CHAIRMAN GLOVER. HERE. MR. FORD? HERE. MR. ACKER? HERE. MR. WINSLOW? HERE. MR. PERRY? HERE. MRS. ETTE. I SUSPECT SHE'LL BE HERE. OKAY. MR. MANNING? HERE. MR. DANIELS? HE DOES, WAS NOT EXCUSED. OKAY, MR. THANK YOU. THAT MEANS WE HAVE A QUORUM. IT'S CUSTOMARY TO GO AROUND THE ROOM AND INTRODUCE EVERYBODY. STEPHANIE, YOU'RE UP. STEPHANIE ROSKI, COUNCIL GOVERNOR RUST COUNTY ENGINEER. SIERRA HALL COUNTY ENGINEER. ERIC , ENGINEERING AND PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER. WELCOME. OKAY, WILL Y ALL PLEASE RISE WITH ME? HAVE A PLEASURE. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. THANK YOU. PLEASE BE SEATED. IT IS CUSTOMARY TO HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT AND A PUBLIC COMMENT TO AGENDA ITEMS ONLY. I SEE. NOBODY, I THINK IT'S GOING TO TALK TO THAT. SO WE'LL GO BY THAT APPROVAL OF MINUTES. PLEASE NOTE THAT I MAY SHOULDN'T BE IN THERE. IT'S JULY 19TH, 2023, ADAM, FOR A WHILE. IS THERE ANY OBJECTIONS? DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE? SO MOVED. DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. ALL THOSE IN PAPER PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. OKAY, WE'LL START OFF WITH OLD BUSINESS AND MRS. NEWMAN. MS. NEWMAN WAS HERE TO REPRESENT, UH, THE RESIDENT CONSTRUCTION ENGINEER AT, BUT UM, AS IT TURNS OUT, SHE GOT STUNG BY A BEE AND WAS UNABLE TO TEND. AND I BELIEVE YOU HAVE HER SLIDES. YES, SIR. THANK YOU. YES, MA'AM. WHAT UP, JENNY? I I'M JUST LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO SIT. RIGHT. THERE'S ONE RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU. THANK YOU. SHE DID, SHE DIDN'T GO OVER ANY SLIDES, BUT SHE WILL BE ABSENT. BUT ON YOUR POWERPOINT, SHOULD I SHOULD SEE THE ACTUAL PROJECTS, ALSO UPCOMING PROJECTS. AND OUR NEXT MEETING, SHE PROJECT, I'LL TELL YOU WHAT WE'LL DO. WHY DON'T, UM, YOU, IF YOU HAVE HER PHONE NUMBER, OKAY. GIVE HER, GIVE ME HER PHONE NUMBER AND WHAT I'LL DO IS I'LL CONTACT HER OR YOU CAN CONTACT HER. OKAY. AND WHAT I WOULD ASK IS TO HAVE THE SLIDES THAT SHE WAS GOING TO SEND TO YOU. OKAY. AND THEN PROVIDE THE SLIDES TO THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS. YES. IT SHOULD ALREADY BE ON YOUR PACKET. THE LAST TWO PAGES. IT'S IN THE LAST TWO PAGES. YES. YES. THAT'S GOOD. WE'LL TAKE A GO STAB AT THIS. UM, ACTIVE PROJECTS ON 2 78, THERE WAS A BUNCH OF, UH, INTERSECTIONS THAT WE WERE DOING. I THINK EDISTO IS, IS ABOUT FINISHED UP, UM, ROAD RECONSTRUCTION APAC. I DON'T KNOW WHAT STREET THAT IS. IT'S ON AUGUST 2 78. THEY WERE, THERE WAS A PORTION ON THE ISLAND, I THINK THAT THEY WERE, UM, FINISHING IT. IT SAYS IT'S UP THE FINAL INSPECTION. UM, CONTINUING ON, THE NEXT ITEM IS TWO AGAIN, 2 78. THAT CONTRACT ISN'T TO BE DONE UNTIL 2023. APEX A CONTRACTOR, UM, 56, 6 0 4 10 [00:05:02] LIFE IS A CONTRACTOR. AND, UM, TIME ADJUSTMENT APPROVED ASPHALT ROAD. I'M NOT SURE I UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT'S ABOUT. C M R B IS WHAT'S GOING ON. THAT'S EASIER. C M R B IS, IS, UM, THE STATE HAS COMMITTED TOO MUCH TO C M R B AND ARE TRYING TO CHANGE C M R B AND GO TO, UM, AS FOR THAT ASPHALT IN PLACE. OTHERS. NEXT SLIDE IS U S 17 CHARLESTON HIGHWAY. THAT'S BASICALLY STARTS AT THE COLTON COUNTY LINE. COMES BACK FOR HALF A MILE. IT'S IN PRETTY BAD SHAPE, SO, UM, WE DON'T SEE A TIME WHEN IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE DONE. UM, NEXT IS LANZEN. WE GO BACK, UM, WE WANT 7 7 1 69. I'M NOT SURE WHERE LANDS END IS. ISLANDS CAUSEWAY. NEXT IS OUR WAS MONEY THAT WE PUT IN FOR RESURFACING FROM THE C T C. UM, THE LAST LINE IS PEAK PATENT MARKINGS. I THINK THAT'S IT. AND THE LAST SLIDE IS CLOSED. OUR PROJECTS THAT THEY'VE COMPLETED THIS YEAR, SO WE DON'T HAVE TO SEND IT AROUND. THANK YOU. I'LL ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THE BEST I CAN. OKAY. MOVING ON. RUSTY, YOU'RE UP FOR DIRT ROAD PROJECT UPDATE. GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIRMAN COUNCIL, UH, BRIAN HAS ASKED ME TO STAND IN BUDDY'S, UH, OH, UH, GIVE YOU AN UPDATE. UH, DIRT ROAD 53. UH, RAINBOW ROAD IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION AT THIS TIME. UH, INGHAM AND UH, NORTHVIEW ROAD ARE STILL IN DESIGN AND WE'RE WAITING FOR PERMITS. IF EVERYTHING GOES WELL, WE SHOULD START CONSTRUCTION IN THE FALL. YOU ALSO HAVE GOING ON, UM, THREE ROADS ON DUSKY THAT YOU'RE GRAVELING DIRT ROAD 54. THAT'S, UH, FRANCIS JONES CHURCH ROAD AND SCHOOL ROAD. WE NEED TO ADD THAT TO THE, UH, THESE ROADS SHOULD START GRADING A PROCESS, UH, NEXT WEEK. UM, MATERIALS ARRIVING ON EARLY OCTOBER, UH, WITH COMPLETION BY THE END OF THE YEAR. OKAY. QUESTIONS, JOHN, YOU'VE BEEN GONE FOR A WHILE, SO THAT'S WHAT I'M THINKING. I CAN'T GET MY MEMORY , SO I LOST IT. UM, I FORGET IT. I'LL GET YOU NEXT TIME. ALRIGHT. TWICKINGHAM IS, IS COMING UP. YEAH, I WAS THINKING ABOUT THE ONE OVER IN SCOTT PRINCE. UH, IT'S BEEN OUT THERE SINCE I FIRST CAME ON THIS COMMITTEE. WHAT WAS THE, WHAT ARE THE THREE ROADS? RAINBOW ROAD IS IN THE CONSTRUCTION, RIGHT? INGHAM AND NORTHVIEW. NO ONE OF THOSE. UH, THERE WAS ANOTHER ONE. YEAH, IT'S, IT'S IN NEXT YEAR'S PAVING. IT'S IN THE NEXT YEAR'S PAVING PROGRAM. YEAH. THAT'S ALWAYS, EVERY TIME I WELL MENTION, THERE'S ALWAYS A NEXT YEAR PAVING . SO THAT'S THE WAY LIFE IS. I'M SORRY. IT'S, IT'S ON THE LIST ON NEXT YEAR. OKAY. NEXT YEAR. REMEMBER THAT. ALRIGHT, ITEM C, UH, YEAR SIX RESURFACING. THE, UH, RESURFACING IS COMPLETE. UH, BENTON FIELD. I BELIEVE WE HAVE A, UH, UPDATE COMING LATER ON. THAT ONE, OTHER THAN THE RESURFACING IS COMPLETE, YOU'VE DONE THE FINAL PUNCH LIST AND EVERYTHING ON THEM? I BELIEVE WE ARE, WE ARE FINISHED. I, I BELIEVE WE'RE MEETING WITH THE CONTRACTOR TO DO A FINAL WALK. OKAY. QUESTIONS NEXT ITEM D UH, YEAR SIX PRESERVATION. THE, UH, CHIP SEAL IS COMPLETE. WE'RE WAITING ON THE, UH, CONTRACTOR TO FINISH THE PUNCH LIST ON THOSE. UH, MICROSURFACING CRACK SEAL IS COMPLETE AND, UH, PATCHING IS IN PROGRESS. UM, WE'LL START MICROSURFACING WE'LL BEGIN AFTER THE PATCHING IS COMPLETE. I, SINCE, UM, CLARENCE ISN'T HERE, UM, I CAN SAY THIS, THAT, UM, THIS WAS A, UM, TECHNIQUE THAT WE TRIED FROM SCRUB SEAL THAT WE'VE, WHICH IS BASICALLY, UH, THIS IS AN IMPROVEMENT OVER A SCRUB SEAL. UH, WE'RE DOING THESE ON LOW A D T REPS. AND BASICALLY, UM, WE HAD DISTRICT SIX COME DOWN AND TOOK A LOOK AT WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING AND WAS QUITE PLEASED. AND BASICALLY WE'RE DOING A CHIP SEAL WITH [00:10:01] A SMALL AGGREGATE, AND THEN WE'RE COMING BACK OVER AND PUTTING ANOTHER COAT OF ASPHALT OVER THE TOP OF IT. AND REALLY, UH, HAS MADE THE, THE ROADS THAT WE'VE DONE IT ON. UM, MICHAEL BLACK WAS REALLY VERY PLEASED WITH IT. IN FACT, HE SAYS HE WANTS TO START USING IT MORE THROUGHOUT THE, THE TOTAL DISTRICT BECAUSE OF HOW WELL THE PROJECT TURNED OUT FOR US. SO THAT'S, WE TRIED IT. AND, UM, IF YOU WOULD MAKE A NOTE TO BRIAN, UH, FOR OUR NEXT MEETING, IF HE WOULD BRING IN SOME PHOTOS OF IT, I'D APPRECIATE THAT. PHOTOS OF THE CHIP CHIP SEAL, CHIP SEAL PHOTOS, RIGHT? YES, SIR. CRAIG, WILL IT HAVE A LONGER LIFESPAN AND IF THAT, UH, SUPPLEMENTARY TREATMENT WASN'T APPLIED CORRECT, IT WILL HAVE A LONGER LIFESPAN. AND THAT'S REALLY THE, THE GOAL OF IT. YEAH. AND PARTICULARLY IT, IT IS ON ROUTES WITH SUCH A LOW A D T. THESE ARE STATE ROUTES, NOT OUR ROADS. YEAH. AND THESE ARE ROADS THAT THE STATE BY DIRECTIVE 64 AND 65 OF THE STATE DOT'S DIRECTIVES, THESE ARE ROUTES WHICH WOULD NEVER, WOULD'VE BEEN TOUCHED. OH. THAT'S WHY WE'RE TOUCHING THEM. AND THEY WERE, MICHAEL SAID VERY CLEARLY, THESE ARE ROUTES WOULD NEVER MAKE MEET OUR CRITERIA FOR WORK BEING DONE ON IT. YEAH. AND WHEN I TOLD SECRETARY HALL ABOUT IT IN APRIL, SHE WAS ANXIOUS ALSO TO HEAR THE RESULTS. AND I ASKED MICHAEL TO PASS THAT ON UP THE, THE FOOD CHAIN, SO TO SPEAK, BECAUSE IT WAS VERY, VERY WELL RECEIVED. UH, IT, IT GOT ALL SORTS OF, UH, COMPLIMENTS FROM THEM. SO IT'D BE INTERESTING OVER TIME TO SEE IF IT LIVES UP TO ITS EXTRA. IT WILL BE. AND THAT WAS THE IDEA OF IT AGAIN. YEAH. TO ME NOW IT LOOKS NICE AND FEELS NICE AND IT'LL BE INTERESTING TO SEE IF IT REALLY DOES SAVE MONEY OVER TIME. YES. UH, I DO REMEMBER JD WASHINGTON. CHECK THAT OUT FOR ME. WASHINGTON, JD WASHINGTON. IT'S IN, IT'S IN THE NEXT, IT'S IN 55. OKAY. OKAY. I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO KEEP TRACK OF THAT. THAT GUY'S ABOUT 10 YEARS OLDER THAN OKAY. YOU COME IN A LITTLE LATE. BUT I WAS CURIOUS WHAT YOUR COMMENTS WERE ON, WE DID, UM, BIG ESTATE AND A COUPLE OF THE OTHER NETWORKS ERODES IN YOUR DISTRICT WITH, UM, THIS MODIFIED SCRUB SEAL. AND IT WAS GIVEN ALL SORTS OF ACCOLADES ON YOU. I THINK THE LAST TIME SAID IT WAS A, DIDN'T FIX A COUPLE POTHOLES OR SOMETHING, BUT WE GOT ALL SORTS OF ACCOLADES FOR IT. OH, WELL, ME AND BRIAN TALK ABOUT SOME THINGS AND, UM, IT WAS JUST ONE ROAD THAT I WAS WONDERING WHY THEY DID A MOW ROAD THAT HAD SOME POTHOLES IN IT THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. AND THEY, UH, CHIP SEAL THIS ONE ROAD THAT DIDN'T HAVE NO LOT OF HOUSES OR NOTHING ON IT. IT WAS WONDERING WHY THAT ROAD HAD PRODUCT OVER, UM, MORGAN ROAD, WHO'S AND OVER SOME OF WHO OWNS IT. UM, DON'T GO DIGGING. YEAH. YOU GOT ME DIGGING RIGHT NOW. AND I, THE ANSWER IT WOULD BE THE ANSWER IS BECAUSE THESE WERE STATE ROUTES THAT THE STATE WOULD NEVER TOUCH. AND IF IT'S OKAY, IT'S IN YOUR DISTRICT. WE'LL VISIT IT THEN. OKAY. I'M SORRY FOR BEING LATE, BUT YOU KNOW, YOU JUST HIT ME UP. I UNDERSTAND IT'S THE LAST MINUTE THEN. UH, I WASN'T TRYING TO THROW YOU A CURVE. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. ITEM E UH, SIX YEAR, UH, REJUVENATOR, UH, THE REJUVENATOR IS COMPLETE. OKAY. I BELIEVE THAT CLOSES EVERYTHING OUT RUSTY. IS THERE ANY OTHER ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? ERIC? IT'S UP TO YOU NOW. THANK YOU. WELL, CRAIG, JUST ONE THING. I THOUGHT, UM, THE LESS THAN THE LOW A D T ROADS, WE WERE GOING TO OBTAIN COST ESTIMATES FOR THE ROADS THAT WE HAVE SELECTED AT ONE OF OUR LAST MEETINGS. THAT IS CORRECT. OKAY. BRIAN ISN'T HERE TO ANSWER THAT. YEAH, I DON'T KNOW WHERE, I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE WHERE WE'RE AT AS FAR AS COMING UP WITH THOSE NUMBERS, BUT WE WILL, IN THE MEANTIME, WE WILL REPORT BACK PRIOR TO THE NEXT MEETING. YEAH, THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT YOU INDIVIDUALLY PICKED AND I'LL MAKE A NOTE TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT IT HITS BIG TIME THE AGENDA NEXT TIME. SORRY, ERIC, GO AHEAD. NO, YOU'RE GOOD. YOU'RE GOOD. SO THIS IS THE SC ONE 70 NEAR TERM PROJECT AS WELL AS THE TRIANGLE [00:15:01] UPDATE. SO THE GOOD NEWS ON THIS ONE, WE HELD THE PRE-CON, UH, WITH APEC ATLANTIC. THEY WERE THE ONES WHO, UH, THEY WERE THE LOW BID ON THAT CONTRACT. SO AGAIN, SO SMALL SPOT IMPROVEMENTS AT OKAH D CENTER SOUTH, THE INTERCHANGE AS WELL AS ARGENT AND 4 62. SO I HELD THE PRECON ON THAT ONE ON SEPTEMBER 5TH. THEY'RE GONNA GET STARTED ON OCTOBER 23RD WITH THAT PROJECT. WE HAVE GOT THEM WORKING TO FOCUS IN INITIALLY ON THE INTERSECTIONS OF 4 62 AND ARGENT JUST BECAUSE OF THE TRAFFIC SNARLS. IF YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH THERE, UM, RECENTLY, ESPECIALLY IN THE MORNING TIME, YOU'VE SEEN WHAT THAT BACKUP LOOKS LIKE. SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ADDRESSING THAT RIGHT NOW. SO WE'VE ALSO, AS A ENGINEERING GROUP, LOOKED AT THE TRAFFIC SIGNAL TIMING ALONG, ALONG THE CORRIDOR AT ARJUN 4 62 AND MADE SOME TWEAKS THERE AS WELL. BUT THIS, UH, THIS PROJECT WILL COMPLIMENT THAT AND AGAIN, WE WILL, WE'LL HOPEFULLY PROVIDE SOME MUCH NEEDED RELIEF TO, UH, AT LEAST THE ONE 70 AND ARJUN INTERSECTION AS FAR AS TRAFFIC, UH, CONCERNS GO. THERE WAS ONE MORNING LAST WEEK, LIKE SEVEN 15 IN THE MORNING. IT TOOK ME 45 MINUTES TO GO FROM KASI DRIVE TO ABOVE QUALTER. AND THAT WAS WHAT, SO TYPICALLY, AND, AND THE INTERESTING THING ABOUT THAT IS NOTHING HAS CHANGED WITH THE SIGNAL TIMING ALONG ONE 70. THERE'S THAT MUCH MORE TRAFFIC FROM THIS SCHOOL YEAR COMPARED TO LAST SPRING WHEN IT LET OUT. SO NOTHING HAD BEEN CHANGED ALONG THERE. WE SAW THE SAME THING. AND SO THAT'S WHEN WE WENT THROUGH, WE'VE, WE'VE MORE THAN DOUBLED THE AMOUNT OF GREEN TIME THAT WE'RE GIVING TO ONE 70. IT'S HELPED. UM, THAT WAS PROBABLY AFTER ABOUT MIDWEEK LAST WEEK. SO IT'S HELPED, BUT IT'S STILL STILL CONGESTION ISSUES. THE ARGENT PIECE OF THE ONE 70 NEAR TERM PROJECT IS GONNA MAKE ARGENT A DUAL LEFT TURN COMING OFF OF COMING OFF THE ROAD. SO THAT MEANS THAT WE CAN GIVE LESS TIME TO ARGENT, GIVE MORE TIME BACK TO ONE 70 TO HELP, UH, AGAIN, CLEAR THAT UP. OKAY. HAVE Y'ALL DONE ANY TRAFFIC STUDIES ON WHERE ALL THIS TRAFFIC'S COMING FROM? WELL, I MEAN IT'S, YEAH, WE HAVE UPDATED TRAFFIC VOLUMES AS FAR AS WHERE IT'S COMING FROM. WE DON'T HAVE ANY LIKE ORIGIN DESTINATION STUDIES TO KNOW. DID A LOT OF PEOPLE MOVE TO BEAUFORT THAT ARE NOW WORKING IN, IN BLUFFTON? MM-HMM. . UM, TYPICALLY IT TAKES A COUPLE OF WEEKS TO NORMALIZE TRAFFIC OUT AFTER SCHOOL STARTS, BUT YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE WELL INTO WEEK THREE OR FOUR AFTER SCHOOL STARTED AND THE TRAFFIC WAS STILL THERE. SO TYPICALLY PEOPLE FIGURE THEIR SCHEDULES OUT AND MODIFY THAT. BUT, UH, OBVIOUSLY THAT WASN'T HELPING. SO WE'RE, WE HAD TO MAKE SOME MODIFICATIONS. AND AGAIN, THIS PROJECT ITSELF WILL COMPLIMENT ALL THAT BACKGROUND UPDATE FOR YOU. WHEN JENNY WAS AT LOW CALL AND STEPHANIE WAS JUST THAT SHE WAS COMING ON BOARD WITH THE TRANSITION THERE. WE HAD HIRED, THEY HAD HIRED AECOM TO COME IN AND DO THE STUDY. THE AECOM DID A COMPLETE STUDY AND ANALYSIS, BUT IN THAT TIME SPAN, THE THREE OR FOUR YEAR TIME SPAN BETWEEN THE TRAFFIC THAT THAT AREA GETS A TRAFFIC VOLUME OF I 30, 40, 45, 40 TO 45,000 A D T AT, AT ONE 70 AND 2 78, IT, THAT, THAT'S HOW HIGH IT IS AT THAT LOCATION. AND THEIR BOUGHT, UH, THE COUNTY IS PAYING FOR AN UPDATE TO ACOM TO REVISE THAT STUDY AS WE'RE, WE'RE SITTING HERE SPEAKING ACTUALLY. YEAH, THERE ARE A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT STUDIES GOING ON. AND THIS KIND OF LENDS ITSELF TO THE TRIANGLE STUDY IS WE ARE UPDATING AS, AS CHAIRMAN SAID, WE'RE UPDATING THE ONE 70 STUDY, WHICH, UH, WE'RE GOING A LITTLE BIT FARTHER SOUTH TO THE SEAGRASS STATION, UH, INTERSECTION. TY, UH, NOT TIDE WATCH, UM, OH GOODNESS, I'M DRAWING A BLANK ON THE NAME, BUT IT'S AT SEAGRASS STATION, THE ONE INTERSECTION TO THE SOUTH OF OKAD D CENTER SOUTH. IT'S ALSO INCLUDING 4 62. BUT WE'RE LOOKING AT POTENTIALLY RELOCATING 4 62 IN BETWEEN THE A SCHOOL AND JOHN PAUL TO PROVIDE SIGNALIZE ACCESS TO BOTH OF THOSE SCHOOLS. SO I KNOW JOHN PAUL GETS CONGESTED IN THE MORNING. THERE'S SOME SAFETY CONCERNS THAT THEY HAVE WITH PARENTS COMING AND GOING FROM THAT SITE. SO RELOCATING 4 62 IN BETWEEN THOSE TWO SCHOOLS PROVIDES FOR THAT AS WELL AS THE COUNTY JUST PURCHASED A HUNDRED ACRES ON THE OTHER SIDE OF ONE 70 FOR A FUTURE LAW ENFORCEMENT CENTER. SO ALL THAT KIND OF PLAYS TOGETHER INTO JUSTIFYING, UH, A POTENTIAL RELOCATION OF 4 62. LONG STORY SHORT, AECOM IS STUDYING THAT AS A PART OF THE, THE UPDATED STUDY. YEAH. THAT A HUNDRED ACRES IS NOT ONLY JUST FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT YEAH. INITIALLY, BUT IT COULD BE A NEW HOME FOR ADMINISTRATION. ABSOLUTELY. THERE, THERE'S A LOT OF POTENTIAL THERE. UM, THE OTHER ONE THAT I'LL ADD IS WE DID A SIGNAL WARRANT ANALYSIS AT THE INTERSECTION OF OLD FIELD IN ONE 70. IT DOES WARRANT THE SIGNAL THAT HAS, THE PLANS [00:20:01] HAVE BEEN COMPLETED BY AECOM AND SENT UP TO D O T FOR COMMENT. THE THE INTERSECTION IS APPROVED. HOWEVER, WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE FUNDING BECAUSE, UH, HARDY HAS AN AGREEMENT WITH THE DEVELOPER OF EACH AGENT THAT THEY, HE IS SUPPOSED TO BE PAYING FOR THAT SIGNAL. RIGHT. SO AGAIN, WE'RE, WE'RE WORKING OUT THE LOGISTICS OF THAT. SO THAT WILL ALL BE CONTAINED IN THAT, IN THAT UPDATED STUDY. IS IT, IS IT WHAT THE, UH, POINT OR THE QUESTION I HAD WAS IF IT WAS BEING UPDATED BECAUSE ONE OF THE KEY THINGS WAS THE ROAD, THE HIGHWAY WAS TO BE TREATED AS A SYSTEM AND NOT JUST AN IMPROVEMENT HERE AND AN IMPROVEMENT THERE, WHICH USUALLY ADDS BOTTLENECKS AS OPPOSED TO SOLVING THEM. SO I WAS JUST INTERESTED IN WHERE THINGS WERE. ABSOLUTELY. BECAUSE THAT WAS A PET PROJECT SOME YEARS AGO, . ABSOLUTELY. IT ACTUALLY IS THE SHORT TERM OF THE THREE, THE THREE TYPE GROUPINGS. YEAH. THIS WAS THE SHORT TERM, NOT THE INTERMEDIATE AND THE LONG TERM. THE INTERMEDIATE AND LONG TERM I THINK IS GONNA BE TRIED TO FUND WHENEVER THE COUNTY DOES THE ONE IN SALES TAX, UH, FOR VOTING NEXT YEAR. SO IF THAT GETS FUNDED AND IT WILL FUND A WHOLE LOT OF ROAD IMPROVEMENTS BECAUSE I WAS ON THAT COMMITTEE TOO. WELL, AND, AND JUST TO, JUST TO BLEND OR TO, TO LEAD INTO THE TRIANGLE PROJECT REAL QUICK. SO WE'VE GOT AECOM LOOKING AT THAT PARTICULAR PIECE OF THE ONE 70 CORRIDOR. THERE IS, THERE ARE TWO OTHER, TWO ADDITIONAL LAT STUDIES THAT ARE GOING ON. WELL, THREE ACTUALLY. SO THERE WE HAVE ONE 70 THAT'S GONNA BE STUDIED FROM THE 46 CIRCLE ALL THE WAY TO BOUNDARY STREET. SO ON TOP OF KIND OF OVERLAPPING OVER THE TOP OF THAT, THAT'S A STUDY THAT THAT'S, UH, IS OCCURRING OR WORKING ON, ON GETTING STARTED RIGHT NOW AS WELL AS 2 78 FROM, UH, 95 OR 17 ALL THE WAY TO C PINE CIRCLE. OH. SO AGAIN, ALL THAT WILL BE STUDIED, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, PORTIONS OF THAT HAVE BEEN STUDIED FOR THE, FOR THE TRIANGLE PROJECT. YEAH. BUT THEN THERE'S GONNA BE SOME OVERLAP WITH THE, THE GREATER STUDY THERE AS WELL. UM, SO AGAIN, STILL WORKING OUT THE DETAILS ON THE TRIANGLE. OBVIOUSLY THAT'S A UM, HUNDRED, ABOUT $200 MILLION PROJECT. SO REALISTICALLY WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO HAVE SALES TAX OR SOME OTHER KIND OF GRANT FUNDING TO BE ABLE TO FUND, UH, A LARGE PROJECT OF THAT NATURE. SO MORE TO COME ON THAT. AND ONLY A PORTION OF IT IS IN BUFORT COUNTY, CORRECT? YES. YEAH, AND THAT'S A GOOD POINT. AND, AND HARDY V IS PAYING FOR, STEPHANIE COULD TALK TO THIS AS WELL. UM, HARDY V IS PAYING FOR AN ADDITIONAL STUDY FROM 17 OR I 95 DOWN TO ARGENT. SO THEY, THEY REALIZE AND RECOGNIZE THE CONCERNS ON THAT PARTICULAR PIECE. SO KIMLEY HORN IS PROVIDING THEM A STUDY ON THAT AND THEY'RE PAYING FOR THAT, UM, OUT OF HARDY FUNDS. GOOD. SO GOOD. THAT'S THE UPDATE ON THAT. AND THEN 2 78 BRIDGE STATUS. UM, AGAIN, DON'T KNOW WHERE, WHERE EXACTLY THE TOWN IS GONNA GO ON THEIR PARTICULAR PIECE, BUT OUR STUDY AS FAR AS THE INDEPENDENT STUDY IS JUST ABOUT WRAPPED UP. WE'VE GOT THE DRAFT, UH, WE'VE REVIEWED THAT AND SENT COMMENTS BACK TO C B B, WHO IS THE CONSULTANT THAT'S WORKING ON THAT FOR THE TOWN AND FOR THE COUNTY. UM, THAT WILL BE PRESENTED TO COUNTY COUNCIL ON 9 25. SO ON MONDAY IS WHEN THAT WILL BE PRESENTED HERE, AND THEN IT'LL BE PRESENTED TO THE TOWN ON OCTOBER 3RD. SO AGAIN, AFTER THAT THEN WE'LL MAKE A JUDGMENT AS TO, UH, WHEN THAT GETS ALL, WHEN ALL THE MATERIAL GETS PACKAGED TOGETHER AND GETS SENT UP TO F H W A FOR THE NEXT STEPS. I HAVE A QUESTION. YES, YES, SIR. I NOTICED, AND IT KIND OF SURPRISED ME, MAYBE I WAS NAIVE AND NOT CHECKING ALL MY NOTICES, BUT A NEW TRAFFIC SIGNAL IS GOING UP ON JENNINGS ROAD AND, AND, UH, 2 78. YEAH, THAT'S A GOOD POINT. THAT WAS, SO THE BACKGROUND ON THAT, THERE WERE SOME SAFETY STUDIES THAT HAD BEEN DONE ON JENKINS ISLAND. UM, THEY WERE IDENTIFIED. THEY, I, I BELIEVE THEY WERE PARTIALLY FUNDED. AND THEN THE WHOLE DISCUSSION ABOUT THE 2 78 BRIDGE CAME UP. IT JUST MADE SENSE AT THAT TIME. I, THAT WAS SEVERAL YEARS AGO TO INCORPORATE THOSE INTO THE, THAT OVERALL, UH, 2 78 CORRIDOR BRIDGE PROJECT. THIS WAS A KEY PIECE TO THAT THOUGH, ESPECIALLY AS WE GET INTO CONSTRUCTION ON, ON THE OVERALL BRIDGE TO CREATE SAFE ACCESS FOR THOSE COMING IN AND OUT OF, UH, WEMA HARBOR NEIGHBORHOOD. IT'S ALREADY CONGESTED, OBVIOUSLY, IN THE MORNING AND THE PM UH, AND ESPECIALLY THEN ON THE SATURDAYS WHEN YOU HAVE, UH, TURNOVER. SO AGAIN, AHEAD OF THAT PROJECT, UH, WE HAD SENT A LETTER TO D O T D O T OBLIGED AND THEY SAID, YES, GO AHEAD AND MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT PROJECT. SO THAT SIGNAL IS JUST ABOUT READY TO GO OPERATIONAL, SHOULD BE FLASHING BY SOMETIME NEXT WEEK, AND THEN FULLY OPERATIONAL THE NEXT WEEK. HAS THE IMPACT OF THAT SIGNAL INCORPORATED INTO THE OVERALL STUDY? IT, IT IS, YES. AND SO HILTON HEAD HAS WORKED ON AN ADAPTIVE SYSTEM, ADAPTIVE SIGNAL SYSTEM ON THE, ON THE ISLAND. RIGHT. THIS INITIALLY [00:25:01] IS NOT GONNA BE PART OF THAT. WE, WE WILL ADD THAT INTO IT AT SOME POINT. UM, HOWEVER, THERE'S SUCH LOW VOLUME COMING IN AND OUT OF WINDMILL HARBOR THAT WE WILL GIVE PLENTY OF TIME AND, AND DO OBSERVATIONS OUT THERE TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT DOESN'T SNARL THINGS UP. SO AGAIN, IT'S GOING ON, IT'S TURNING ON IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS. THAT WILL GIVE US PLENTY OF TIME BEFORE TOUR SEASON HITS AGAIN NEXT YEAR TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS ANY MODIFICATIONS WE NEED TO THANK YOU. HILTON HEAD HAS BEEN BEHIND THE SCENES ON THE SINGLE SYSTEMS, AND IT WASN'T UNTIL JUST RECENTLY THAT THEY TURNED, WENT TO A COMPLETE ADAPTIVE SYSTEM. YEAH. WE PAID FOR, ALONG WITH D O T, PAID FOR TAKING 2 78 AND MAKING THE, OUR SIGNALS ALL ADAPTIVE. NOW THEY'RE GONNA BE UPDATED AGAIN WITH A NEW MORE MODERN SYSTEM THAT WE, WE PAID FOR, WE PAID $400,000 OUT OF ABOUT A 700,000 OUT OF THE CTC FUNDS TO HELP ON OUR ADAPTIVE ON 2 78. SO TO STEP THINGS UP AND WE TOOK CREDIT FOR THE STATE FUNDING ON STATE PROJECTS IS HOW IT PLAYED OUT THAT THAT SYSTEM, THAT ADAPT SYSTEM IS, IS WORKING. I'VE HEARD PEOPLE TELL ME AND I'VE NOTICED IT MYSELF ON ON THE ISLAND. ON THE ISLAND, YEAH. YEAH. AND WE'RE, AND WE ARE PLANNING ON EXPANDING THAT. AS CRAIG SAID, WE ALREADY HAD, THERE WAS AN ADAPTIVE SYSTEM FROM ONE 70 ALL THE WAY TO MOSS CREEK. WE ARE PLANNING ON UPDATING THAT TO THE SAME SYSTEM THAT HILTON HEAD IS RUNNING. SO AGAIN, HOPEFULLY THAT WILL BE A SEAMLESS OPERATION ALL THE WAY THROUGH. GOOD. CRAIG, FIRST I, I'M SORRY, ERIC. I MEANT THE SIGNAL THAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT, IT'S GOING ON. FLASHING IS GONNA BE TURNED ON. WHAT IS THAT INTERSECTION AGAIN? UH, IT'S, IT'S AT WINDMILL HARBOR, IT'S GATE, UH, THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT. GATEWAY GATEWAY BOULEVARD. I BELIEVE IT'S C HENDRICK CIRCLE ON ONE SIDE AND GATEWAY ON THE OTHER SIDE. RIGHT? YES. UM, IT'S, IT SOUNDED LIKE YOU WERE, YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT ALMOST TWO PROJECTS, ONE THAT THE COUNTY IS INVOLVED IN AND ONE THAT HILTON HEAD IS SORT OF INVOLVED IN. AND I THINK YOU SAID, AND I I HOPE MY HEARING WAS CORRECT, THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE AN IDEA ABOUT WHICH WAY THE TOWN IS GONNA GO. DID YOU MAKE, IS THAT WHAT YOU SAID? THAT THAT'S CORRECT. SO THE TOWN WAS A PART OF THE INDEPENDENT STUDY THAT WE PROCURED AS THE COUNTY, WHICH WAS C B B, AT A FIRM OUT OF ST. LOUIS, UM, TO DO THE INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF, UM, THE, THE WORK THAT'S BEEN COMPLETED THUS FAR ON 2 78. THE TOWN WAS A PART OF THAT. THEY WERE PARTY TO THAT, AGREEABLE TO THAT. HOWEVER, I DO BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE MOVING FORWARD WITH A, AN AN ADDITIONAL INDEPENDENT REVIEW. UM, SO AGAIN, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT, WHAT THAT MEANS FOR THE STATUS OF THE PROJECT. HOWEVER, THEY'VE MADE COMMENTS, THE TOWN REPRESENTATIVES HAVE MADE COMMENTS, THEY'VE BEEN PRESENT, UM, DURING THIS ENTIRE PROCESS. AND AGAIN, IT'S BEEN A, IT'S BEEN A POSITIVE PROCESS. SO WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT AT THE CONCLUSION OF THIS, WHEN THAT'S PRESENTED TO COUNTY, UH, TO TOWN COUNCIL ON OCTOBER 3RD, THAT WE CAN MOVE FORWARD, BUT WE'RE NOT CONFIDENT ON THAT. DOES, IS THERE A DATE THAT HILTON HEAD IS SUPPOSED TO GIVE AN ANSWER ON, LET'S JUST SAY THE ROADWAY PROJECT THROUGH STONY AND WHATEVER, OR ARE THEY GONNA CONTINUE CONSULTANT SHOPPING? I MEAN, WHAT, WHEN ARE, UM, DO THEY HAVE A DATE THAT THEY'RE GOING TO GIVE AN ANSWER AS TO WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN ON THAT SECTION? I THINK THE ONLY, THE DATE THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW IS, UH, IS OCTOBER 3RD. OKAY. AND I THINK THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE WILL, WE WILL ASK THE QUESTION FOLLOWING THAT AND FOLLOWING BASICALLY THE QUESTIONS THAT COME UP TO THE CONSULTANT AT THAT POINT, UH, ABOUT POTENTIALLY MOVING FORWARD WITH, UM, WITH THE FONZI AND SENDING THAT OFF TO F H W A. IS, IS THAT GONNA BE, THAT DATE GONNA BE CONSISTENT WITH HIRING ANOTHER CONSULTANT AT THIS TIME? I DON'T KNOW THE DATE ON HIRING THEIR OTHER CONSULTANT. SO THEY, UH, THEY HAVE, AGAIN, THEY'VE BEEN A PARTY TO, TO OUR REVIEW. THEY KNOW THE DEADLINE AND THE DATES THAT, UH, OF THE, OF THE PRESENTATION TO COUNTY COUNCIL AS WELL AS TO THEIR COUNCIL. I DON'T KNOW AT THIS POINT ON THE DATE ON THEIR SELECTION, FROM MY UNDERSTANDING, THEY HAVE NOT, THEY ARE NOT CURRENTLY UNDER CONTRACT WITH ANYONE TO PROVIDE THAT ADDITIONAL STUDY. IF, IF THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD SAYS NO TO THE PROJECTS, TO THE PROJECT. AND YOU SAID SOMETHING ABOUT THE COUNTY'S PART MM-HMM. , WHAT [00:30:02] IS THE COUNTY CONSIDERING GOING AHEAD WITH? SHOULD THE TOWN SAY NO ON AFTER YOU GET ACROSS THE BRIDGE, SO TO SPEAK? I THINK THAT QUESTION IS OUTTA MY PAY GRADE. I THINK THAT WILL, I THINK OUTTA EVERYBODY'S, I THINK THAT WOULD BE DISCUSSED THOUGH AT THAT PRESENTATION FOR TO COUNTY COUNCIL ON THEIR, THEY'LL, THEY WILL BE ULTIMATELY THE ONES TO DECIDE AND MAKE THAT DETERMINATION ON WHAT STEPS TO MOVE FORWARD WITH, UH, AT THAT PRESENTATION ON MONDAY. I THINK, CRAIG, I THINK THE ANSWER IS THAT A SEAT RIGHT HERE MIGHT BE RESERVED FOR YOU NEXT MONDAY. AND I SAY THAT NOT IN ALL TOTAL SERIOUSNESS. I THINK AS WE SIT HERE, AS THEY APPOINT US, OUR COUNTY COUNCIL MEMBERS APPOINT US, AND I THINK THE VOICE SHOULD BE MADE TO YOUR COUNTY COUNCIL MEMBER ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF PROCEEDING ON WITHOUT HILTON HEAD, IF THAT MEANS IS YOUR WISHES. BUT THAT IS CLEARLY, BUT WHAT, WHAT IS, WHAT IS THE DEPARTMENT'S POSITION ON GOING AHEAD WITH A NICE LOOKING BRIDGE AND NOT HAVING A SIX LANE SECTION ON THE ISLAND? I MEAN, I I'M ASSUMING THAT THE COUNTY'S POSITION IS, IS WE'RE GONNA BUILD A NEW BRIDGE. I MEAN, DOES THE DEPARTMENT AGREE WITH THAT OR ARE THEY GONNA SPEND $40 MILLION TO REPLACE THE PROJECT THAT THIS ALL STARTED WITH? I DON'T, I DON'T THINK WE'RE AT THE I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA GIVE YOU A BREAK. YEAH, I'M SORRY YOU WALKED IN AT THE WRONG TIME. I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA DIAL THAT UP. COME ON UP. JARED, I'M GOING TO VOW YOU UP FOR THIS. HOW WAS A SMART MOVE TAKING THE LONGER WALK? GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO THINK , I DIDN'T CATCH THE FIRST PART. SO GO AHEAD, CRAIG. THE QUESTION, IF, IF, IF THE, IF THE TOWN, I WAS ASKING ERIC AND HE GAVE AS MUCH INFORMATION AND, AND INFORMATION THAT I'M CONFIDENT IS TRUE, BUT WHAT IF THE, WHAT IF THE TOWN SAYS NO AFTER THEY'VE FINISHED THEIR CONSULTANT SHOPPING? UM, WHAT IS THE COUNTY AND THE DEPARTMENT GOING TO PROCEED WITH? BECAUSE I GUARANTEE IF I WAS STILL ON THE COMMISSION AND THE TOWN SAID NO, I WOULD BE VERY, VERY RELUCTANT IN SPENDING A COUPLE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS ON BUILDING A SUPER BRIDGE AND WHATEVER. I'D SAY WE'RE GONNA SPEND OUR $40 MILLION AND REPLACE THE ONE BRIDGE. SO WHAT, WHAT'S THE INTENT OF THE COUNTY AND THE STATE AS IT RELATES TO WHAT'S, WHAT IS OUR PROJECT? YEP. THE PROJECT NOW IS THE FULL PROJECT. WE'RE MOVING ALONG WITH ALL FRONTS ON THAT CASE. UM, THE PENDING THE, THE STUDY THAT WE HAVE THAT'S ABOUT TO BE PRESENTED, THE INDEPENDENCE, JOINT INDEPENDENCE STUDY, UM, AT THAT POINT, WE'LL, WE'RE GONNA PREPARE TO SUBMIT THE FSI, UM, SO WITH, TO THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY FOR THEIR CONSIDERATION. SO WHEN YOU SAY YOU ARE GONNA GO FOR THE FONZI APPROVAL, YOU ARE GOING FOR THE HOLE FROM, LET'S JUST SAY THE BRIDGE YEP. IN THE SIX LANE SECTION DOWN TO THE PARKWAY? THAT'S CORRECT. AND WHAT HAPPENS LATER IF, IF, IF THE TOWN DOES NOT GIVE THE, GIVE THEIR PERMISSION TO DO THAT AT THAT POINT, UM, THAT'LL BE IN CONSIDERATION WITH FEDERAL HIGHWAY. SO WE'LL WORK WITH FEDERAL HIGHWAY WITH THAT SITUATION IF THAT ARISES. AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, TO, WHAT I THINK YOU'RE TRYING TO GET TO, IF ALL THIS FAILS AND WE CAN'T PUSH FORWARD, UM, D O T IS COMMITTED TO REPLACE THE ONE FAILING OR NOT FAILING, BUT THE ONE BRIDGE THAT'S IN NEED OF REPA REPLACEMENT, I DON'T WANNA PUT YOU ON THE SPOT, BUT IF, IF, IF YOU HAD THE HAMMER AND THE TOWN SAYS NO TO THE SIX LANE SECTION AND YOU HAD A PROJECT THAT'S GONNA COST A COUPLE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS JUST TO REPLACE THE BRIDGE AND DO WHATEVER, WHATEVER, WHATEVER, WOULD YOU STILL GO AHEAD WITH THE PROJECT HAVING A SIX LANE BRIDGE AND FOUR LANES ON THE ISLAND? IT DOESN'T. OR DID YOU REPLACE THE BRIDGE? THE BRIDGE IN ITSELF IS, IS A WORTHWHILE PROJECT IN REPLACING HOWEVER, THE, THE ISSUE THAT WOULD STAND IS THEN THE NEPA DOCUMENT AND THE LOGICAL TERMINI. SO EXACTLY, BECAUSE THEY WOULD SAY BUILDING A BRIDGE TO GO A DEAD END IS NOT A LOGICAL TERMINI. THAT'S CORRECT. SO EVEN IF THERE'S A DESIRE BY THE STATE AND THE COUNTY TO [00:35:01] MOVE FORWARD, THERE WOULD BE AN ISSUE REGARDING THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY AND THE ZI DECISION OR ENVIRONMENTAL DECISION, UM, BECAUSE OF THAT LOGICAL TERMINI. AND IF THAT WAS NOT AVAILABLE, AND IN MY EXPERIENCE, I WOULD THINK THAT YOU'D HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME CONVINCING THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION THAT THAT'S A LOGICAL TERMINI. THAT'S CORRECT. AND, AND IF, AGAIN, IF THAT LOGICAL TERMINI IS NOT, IF JUST REPLACING THE BRIDGE AND YOU DON'T HAVE LOGICAL TERMINI, THAT'S ONE, JUST REPLACE THE BRIDGE BY ITSELF CHANGES THE PURPOSE AND NEED, WHICH MEANS YOU RESTART OVER THE ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENT AS WELL, AND THEN TO SIZE IT JUST TOWARDS THE PROJECT. SO, UM, THERE ARE RAMIFICATIONS IF WE GET TO THAT. UM, THE INTENT IS THAT WE'RE GONNA MOVE FORWARD WITH THE SUBMITTAL OF THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY AT THE CONCLUSION OF, OF THIS STUDY. IF THAT'S YOUR INTENT. 10TH, WHAT DATE WOULD YOU LIKE TO START CONSTRUCTION ON THIS PROJECT? RIGHT NOW OUR SCHEDULED DATE IS 2020, END OF 24 25. UM, THAT'S PURSUANT THAT WE CAN FINISH THE DESIGN AND FINISH THE RIGHT OF WAY ACQUISITION AND PUT IT OUT THE BID. SO, UM, AND THEN THE, THE FINAL COMPLETION WILL BE THE END OF 2028. IF WE HAVE MATERIAL CHANGES OR MATERIAL, UM, ISSUES REGARDING TO THE SCHEDULE BETWEEN HERE AND NOW. THAT DATE MIGHT BE IN JEOPARDY. MR. CHAIRMAN, I THINK I'VE TAKEN IN ENOUGH. THANK YOU. YOU WILL. MR. PERRY, DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION? I DO. UM, ASSUMING THAT YOU GO FORWARD, AND THIS IS NOT TO NOT TRY TO PUT YOU GUYS ON THE SPOT, BUT ASSUMING THAT YOU GO FORWARD WITH THE BRIDGE AND WHAT'S SUPPOSED TO TAKE PLACE ON THE ISLAND, WHERE DO YOU STAND ON THE MONEY NOW? ESTIMATE, ORIGINAL ESTIMATE VERSUS YOUR CURRENT ESTIMATE OF HOW MUCH IT'S GONNA COST GIVEN INFLATION AND YEAH, THE LATEST ESTIMATE WE HAVE IS AT THE TIME OF THE, THE UPDATED MODIFIED, UM, PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE. RIGHT. UM, AND IT'S APPROXIMATELY $330 MILLION AND WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY $300 MILLION. SO THERE'S A $30 MILLION GAP THERE TODAY. UM, AS IT STANDS INSIDE OF THAT THOUGH, UM, WE STILL HAVE A 30% DESIGN SET. SO THERE'S A FAIR AMOUNT OF CONTINGENCY INTO THE COST ESTIMATE AS IT STANDS. SO EITHER BETWEEN THE, A REFINED DESIGN, THERE MAY BE A REDUCTION OR ADDITION. AND BETWEEN NOW AND WHEN WE GET STARTED, UH, THERE MAY BE A REDUCTION OR ADDITION AS FAR AS INFLATIONARY MEASURES. SO, UM, BUT THAT'S WHERE WE ARE WITH OUR LATEST COST ESTIMATE AND OUR AVAILABLE FUND. SO IS THERE, IS THERE A THOUGHT, I'VE HEARD ONE THOUGHT AS TO HOW YOU'RE GONNA RAISE THAT DELTA, AND I'VE HEARD YOU HIT, YOU HIT IN BETWEEN WITH THE TWO NUMBERS THAT I'VE HEARD. I HEARD 20 AND I HEARD 40, SO YOU HIT IT RIGHT ON 30 . UM, IS THERE AN, IS THERE A PATH FORWARD THAT YOU'VE IDENTIFIED TO RAISE THAT ADDITIONAL MONEY? THE, THE TWO, UM, YOU MAY HAVE IDENTIFIED FUNDING SOURCES THAT, THAT ARE PRESENTLY, UM, THAT WOULD BE SUB SUBSTANTIAL WORTHWHILE, UM, WOULD BE A SUBSEQUENT SALES TAX. OKAY. OR FEDERAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES. SO YOU HAVE, OTHER THAN THE SALES TAX, YOU DO HAVE SOME DISCRETIONARY GRANT OPERATING. OKAY. AND SENATOR DAVIS ALSO COMMITTED TO FUNDING, TRYING TO GET FUNDING OUTTA D O T TO HELP WITH THAT DELTA AS WELL. YEAH, . OKAY. UM, ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. THANKS MUCH. YOU'RE WELCOME. NEXT ITEM, ITEM H IS BENTON FIELD ROAD AND DEVELOPING. I'M, AND MY NAME'S UNDERNEATH IT AND I'M, I'M BRINGING IT UP. AND ERIC AND RUSTY, UM, I HAVE TALKED LENT ABOUT MOVING THIS ALONG. I BASICALLY WENT SO FAR AS TO SAY TO BRIAN, BRIAN, WE NEED TO GET THE CONSTRUCTION CREW THAT'S GONNA DO THE CONCRETE WORK STARTED THIS WEEK. THAT WAS HIS MARCHING INSTRUCTIONS. AGAIN, MY CONCERN IS I'VE GOT A COMMITMENT FROM THOMAS FOR, UH, 110 YARDS OF CONCRETE AT 200 BUCKS A YARD. AND SO I'M REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THAT PROJECT NOT MOVING AND GETTING IT DONE AND TAKING CARE OF ALSO PALMETTO BREEZE. YEAH, RIGHT. SO ANY SHORTFALL THAT WE HAVE IN THE WAY OF CONCRETE, UH, PUBLIC WORKS HAS AGREED TO PICK UP CORRECT THAT DELTA TO TAKE CARE OF THAT. AND THEN I CHECKED WITH BRIAN, THE LATEST FROM BLYTHE IS THEY HAVE IT ON THEIR SCHEDULE AND POTENTIALLY GETTING STARTED AS EARLY AS, UH, [00:40:01] THE FIRST WEEK OF OCTOBER. OKAY. SO THAT IS THE GAME PLAN FOR RIGHT NOW. SO WE'VE MADE THE FUNDING HOLE AND WE HAVE A, UH, PROJECT TIMELINE. SO GETTING STARTED AT THE BEGINNING OF OCTOBER, IT'S THE LAST OF OUR CONTRACTS THAT WE HAVE TO CLOSE OUT AND I'M TRYING TO GET IT CLOSED OUT. YEAH. AND THAT ONE WAS A, FOR EVERYONE, IT JUST A LITTLE BIT TRICKY IN THE WAY THAT WE HAVE THOMAS CONCRETE ON THAT ROAD AS WELL AS PALMETTO BREEZE. SO THAT ROAD HAS REALLY TAKEN A LOT OF HITS, UH, AS FAR AS, UM, JUST THE AMOUNT AND THE VEHICULAR WEIGHT THAT'S ON THAT PARTICULAR ROAD. SO THERE'S AREAS THAT ARE, ARE JUST NOT GOOD FOR ANY KIND OF JUST SIMPLE OVERLAY. SO WE'RE GOING FULL DEPTH, CONCRETE PATCHING ON A LOT OF IT, AND THEN, UH, ASPHALT IN BETWEEN. SO THAT WAS THE REASON FOR IT BEING BROUGHT UP. AND I APPRECIATE YOUR, YOU'RE WELCOME. UPDATE NUMBER SIX, NEW BUSINESS ADDITIONAL C T C FUNDING. YOU'LL SEE ON YOUR SCREEN, WE GOT THE STATE LEGISLATURE STEPPED UP AND PROVIDED AN ADDITIONAL 20 MILLION LAST, THE YEAR BEFORE THEY DID 200 MILLION. SO THEY GOT SOME ADDITIONAL FUNDS AND ADDITIONAL FUNDS WAS ROUGHLY $480,000 TO US. THEY, CHAD MOVED AROUND THE PERCENTAGE ON IT, AND THAT MEANS THAT THE DOLLAR AMOUNT THAT WE'RE GOING TO GET DOES NOT HAVE TO BE USED ON FEDERAL PROJECTS. NOW I, I HAVE NOT, UM, SPOKEN EVER FOR MY DISTRICT, AND I'M GONNA BE PARTICULAR TO DO THAT AT THIS POINT IN TIME. WE HAVE TAKEN BLUFFTON PARKWAY AND BLUFFTON PARKWAY WAS DESIGNED, THE DISTRICT PORTION OF IT WAS BUILT ABOUT 10 YEAR, 12 YEARS AGO. AND IT STARTS AROUND BUCK ISLAND AND GETS DOWN AROUND SIMMONS WAS, I THINK, THE FIRST STRETCH. AND I'VE HEARD FROM BRIAN TALKING ABOUT THE FACT THAT, UM, THE ROAD WAS A 20 YEAR DESIGN, BUT AT 10 YEARS WE'RE ALREADY HITTING MORE THAN THE TRAFFIC. THE ROAD WAS DESIGNED FOR A YEAR AND A HALF AGO. WE, TWO YEARS AGO, WE MICRO RESURFACED A GOOD PORTION OF, OF, UM, LUPTON PARKWAY. WE HAD A STORM COME IN AND A STORM DROPPED IN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, MORE THAN TWO OR THREE INCHES OF RAIN. AND IF YOU'VE DRIVEN TO BOSTON PARKWAY, THAT ORIGINAL SECTION HAS A LOT OF AREAS THAT HAVE, HAS EXPOSED IT RAVELED AND NEEDS ATTENTION. WELL, THE FULL-TIME STAFF HAS HEARD MY PLEA AND BASICALLY TO LOOK AT IT AND THEY'VE HIRED A M T TO GO AND ANALYZE THE, THAT SECTION OF THOSE SECTIONS OF ROAD TO SEE WHAT CAN BE DONE TO REPAIR. IT'S THE ONLY PLACE ON BLUFFTON PARKWAY THAT REALLY HAS ANY REAL ISSUES. AND I WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST FOR THE COMMITTEE TO CONSIDER TO PROVIDING THAT ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR REPAIRING OF BLUFFTON PARKWAY. SO RATHER THAN IT'S ONE OF THE MOST HEAVILY TRAVELED STREETS IN, UM, ALL OF BUFORD COUNTY AND IT'S A MESS RIGHT NOW. AND WITH THAT, WE'LL TRY TO GET THE FUNDING OUT OF IMPACT FEES TO OFFSET THE DOLLAR CONSIDERATION FOR IT. SO I'LL OPEN THAT UP FOR CON CON CONSIDERATION. I, I THINK THE $470,000 WOULD BE A GOOD INVESTMENT FOR BLUFFTON PARKWAY. YOU LOOKING FOR A MOTION? YES. I SO MOVE YOUR WORDING. DO I HAVE A SECOND, SECOND DISCUSSION? YES. JENNY, I HAVE A QUESTION. ARE THERE, WHAT WOULD THE ALTERNATIVE, UH, PROJECT BE FOR SPENDING THAT MONEY? WHATEVER WE DECIDED. SO, I MEAN, THERE'S NOTHING LINED UP. THAT'S WHY I WAS WONDERING IF WE WERE GONNA DECIDE BETWEEN TWO OR THREE. OKAY. YES SIR. IS IT, IS IT A PRIORITY OF THE COUNTY? YES. AND I KNOW YOU'RE, I KNOW THE SECTION YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT. IT'S, IT'S IN VERY BAD CONDITION. THE HOPE IS THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO DO MAJOR MILL AND FILL. WHAT, WHAT KIND OF, WELL, FIRST OF ALL DOES THE FOUR, I HOPE I DIDN'T MISS THIS, BUT IS THE $470,000 IMPACTING ANYTHING ELSE [00:45:01] ON OUR PLATE? NO. WHAT KIND OF OF TIMEFRAME ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? AND IS THERE GOING TO BE, ARE WE APPROVING IT OR IS WE'RE APPROVING TO GO AHEAD AND TAKE A LOOK AT IT AND SEE WHAT'S NEEDED AND HOW MUCH IS IT GONNA COST? THE ANSWER IS THEY'VE ALREADY APPROVED THE CONTRACT. THEY, IN FACT, THE A M T HAD A PERSON TODAY LOOKING AT BLUFFING PARKWAY TO COME UP WITH RECOMMENDATIONS. I'M SIMPLY SAYING THE BIRDS NEEDS REPAIRED AND I THINK WE CAN CONTRIBUTE TO 472,000 OR FOUR 70,000 AND WHETHER IT'S A MILLION, BRIAN HAD DONE A, AN ESTIMATE THAT WAS SOMETHING TO THE TWO UNDER $2 MILLION TO MAKE THE REPAIRS FROM THE FULL DISTANCE. SO WE'RE ONLY CONTRIBUTING A, A PORTION OF WHAT THE TOTAL REPAIR COSTS AND WHO'S, WHO'S THE COUNTY IS DOING THE REST OF IT, THE COUNTY'S DOING THE REST. WILL THE COMMITTEE BE RECOGNIZED AS PROVIDING THAT MONEY? WE'LL SEE TO THAT, BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE THIS COMMITTEE GET SOME NICE POSITIVE RECOGNITION ABSOLUTELY. IN THE AREA. FURTHER DISCUSSION, MR. CHAIRMAN, JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THE LANGUAGE IS CLEAR ON THE MOTION, SIERRA, THAT WE KNOW THIS 47,000 IS FOR REPAIRS. 470 2004 72,000 IS FOR REPAIRS UP BLUFFTON PARKWAY UP BLUFFTON PARKWAY FROM, UM, BUCK ISLAND DOWN TO VILLE. OKAY. I TAKE THAT BACK. IT GOES DOWN TO THE TRAFFIC ROUNDABOUT. ROUNDABOUT. OKAY. SO IT'S FROM BUCK ISLAND TO THE ROUNDABOUT? YES. THAT'D BE PER THE COUNTY'S ASSESSMENT OF THE CORRECT, THE PROPER AIRS. AND, AND WHEN COULD THIS GET UNDERWAY? THIS YEAR, IF NOT THIS YEAR. NEXT, NEXT SPRING GETS A DARN NEED. OKAY. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. THOSE OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. I HAVE A, I, EXCUSE ME, I DON'T KNOW WHERE A SECOND. I HAVE, UM, WASAW WASAW ROAD. WASAW PARKWAY. EXCUSE ME. UM, HIGH TIDE IS, THAT THING IS OVERFLOWING. WHERE DO I, HOW DO, WHERE DO I, WHO DO I GO TO SEE ABOUT GETTING THAT ELEVATED? I SAW IS THAT'S OVER THERE IN ST. . WE'LL TALK ABOUT IT. OKAY. WE'LL LOOK IT UP. OKAY. THAT, BUT COME ON, THERE'S SEA LEVEL RISE. JUST REAL QUICK ON THAT. SO A PORTION OF THE, OF THE 2024 SALES TAX THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, THERE'S A PORTION OF THAT FOR RESILIENCY. WE'RE ALSO IDENTIFYING GRANT FUNDING FOR RESILIENCY TO DO A STUDY ON ALL THE, THE ROADS THAT ARE, THAT ARE OVER TOPPING DURING, UH, TIDE EVENTS. MM-HMM. . SO AGAIN, WE'RE, WE'RE WORKING ON THAT. THAT WILL DELIVER US OR GIVE US THE LIST SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU ALL HAVE WITH THE ROADS TO BE ABLE TO ITEMIZE WHAT THE, WHAT THOSE ROADS ARE AND PRIORITIZE THOSE FOR THAT RESILIENCY POT OF FUNDING FOR, UH, POTENTIAL FUTURE SALES TAX AS WELL AS GRANT FUNDING. YEAH. 'CAUSE THAT'S THE ONLY WAY TO SET THESE PEOPLE ON THIS ISLAND AS A WAY OFF OF THE ABSOLUTELY. YOU KNOW, SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OKAY. I'M GONNA WRAP TOGETHER, UH, THE REPORT ON THE ANNUAL PERCENTAGES AND THE TREASURER'S REPORT. AND MR. BACKER, YOU'RE UP. OKAY. UM, WANTED TO DO A WRAP UP ON, UH, FISCAL YEAR 23. IT'S CLOSED OUT. EVERYTHING IS, UH, BEEN ACCOUNTED FOR, UH, SIERRA AND I GOT TOGETHER ON THAT. UM, SO THAT YEAR IS COMPLETE. AND JUST SOME GENERAL HIGHLIGHTS. YOU KNOW, WE, UH, WE STARTED THE YEAR WITH A BALANCE OF ABOUT $4.7 MILLION ON HAND. UM, MAJOR, MAJOR REVENUE SOURCES WERE, UH, DONOR BONUS OF $434,000. AND THEN THE ONE TIME ALLOCATION FROM THE $200 MILLION THAT CAME, UH, FROM STATE D O T TO THE COUNTIES, OUR PORTION WAS 5.7 OR ALMOST $5.8 MILLION. SO FOR THE YEAR WE HAD, UH, TOTAL REVENUES OF ALMOST $8.8 MILLION. [00:50:02] UH, WE'VE PAID OUT ON PROJECTS, UH, JUST A LITTLE OVER $4 MILLION. SO WE ENDED THE FISCAL YEAR WITH A, WITH A BALANCE OF ABOUT 9.4 MILLION. UH, SIERRA AND I FOUND A LITTLE GLITCH IN THE FORMULA. SO IT'S, SEE IT SHOULD BE A LITTLE BIT HIGHER THAN THAT, BUT IT'S IN THE $9 MILLION RANGE OF WHERE WE, WHERE WE ENDED THE YEAR. UM, 2024 IS JUST, JUST GETTING STARTED AND, UH, WE ONLY HAVE REALLY HAVE ONE MONTH OF, OF, UH, UP TO DATE DATA ON THAT. SO THERE'S NOT A WHOLE LOT TO SAY ABOUT THAT. THERE WILL BE ANOTHER ONE TIME THAT CRAIG JUST TALKED ABOUT BEFORE AND 70 MILLION. SO THAT COMES FROM THE, THE LATEST, UM, GIFT FROM THE, FROM THE STATE D O T. UM, I AT THIS MOMENT DO NOT HAVE, UH, ANYTHING TO REPORT ON THE ANNUAL PERCENTAGES, MR. CHAIRMAN, THAT WOULD, UM, I WOULD ASK FOR YOU TO PUT THAT IN THE TOP OF YOUR LIST THAT MEASURES AND, AND AGAIN, WE'RE REQUIRED BY STATE STATUTE TO SPEND 33% OF OUR FUNDING ON, UM, OR STATE PROJECTS AND THE 67% TO BE SPENT ON COUNTY PROJECTS. AND WE WERE VERY CLOSE TO DOING THAT. NOW. I BE BETWEEN NOW AND THE NEXT MEETING, I'M GOING TO ASK THE FULL-TIME STAFF TO LOOK AT POSSIBLY MOVING UP. UM, OUR, OUR PAVING SCHEDULE IN YEAR SEVEN AND EIGHT. WITH THE BALANCE THAT WE HAVE, WE'RE ONLY ALLOWED TO MAINTAIN A BALANCE OF 300% OVER WHAT THE ANNUAL IS. SO IF YOU GO TO 300% AND WE GET THREE POINT, UM, 5 MILLION ROUGHLY ANNUALLY, THAT GETS US UP TO ABOUT 10 MILLION. SO WE'RE PUSHING WHAT WE CAN KEEP IN OUR POCKETS LEGITIMATELY WITHOUT GETTING IN TROUBLE WITH D O T. SO AT OUR NEXT MEETING, WE WILL BE DISCUSSING MAYBE MOVING SOME PROJECTS FORWARD. SINCE WE'RE SITTING WITH A BALANCE OF ROUGHLY 8 MILLION, EIGHT, $9 MILLION. WE NEED TO BE SPENDING MORE OF OUR MONEY. WE DON'T WANT TO GIVE ANY MONEY BACK. THAT'S THE FACT WE DON'T WANT TO TODAY. WE'LL BE COMING AFTER FOR THAT. IF WE DO, I ED, WE CLOSE OUT AGAIN. UM, PUBLIC COMMENT NUMBER EIGHT TO AGENDA ITEMS ONLY. IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT, MR. CHAIRMAN? IF I MAY, I DON'T KNOW WHETHER PUBLIC COMMENT IS, IF, IF, UM, IF I MAY ASK A FAVOR OF THE COUNTY. IT HAS TO DO WITH TWO INTERSECTIONS, 2 78 AND SUN CITY BOULEVARD AND 2 78 AND COASTAL CAROLINA HOSPITAL. NOW I REALIZE THAT'S IN JASPER COUNTY AND THE INORDINATE AMOUNT OF GROOMING TIME GOING TO SUN CITY BOULEVARD AND THE LOCAL STREETS SERVING THE HOSPITAL AND WHATEVER. I'M TALKING ABOUT FIVE 30 IN THE MORNING. AND IF WE COULD TAKE A LOOK AND SEE WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THOSE TWO INTERSECTIONS AND WORK WITH OUR FRIENDS FROM JASPER COUNTY ON, ON THE OTHER ONE. AND YOU COULD GET BACK TO ME AND TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON AT FIVE 30 IN THE MORNING. THERE IS SIGNIFICANT BACKUPS AGAIN AT FIVE 30, ESPECIALLY AT THE ONE AT COASTAL CAROLINA HOSPITAL. I MEAN THE, THE LEFT TURN SIGNALS SOUND FEELS LIKE THEY, THEY LAST AN INORDINATE AMOUNT OF TIME. AND I'M WONDERING IF SOMEBODY HAS WORKED ON THESE TWO SIGNALS AND THE ONE AT SUN CITY BOULEVARD. AGAIN, THERE'S A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF GREEN TIME GOING TO SUN CITY BOULEVARD RATHER THAN THE 2 78. SO I'M ASKING FOR A FAVOR, IF YOU COULD GET BACK TO ME AND LET ME KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THOSE TWO INTERSECTIONS, I'D CERTAINLY APPRECIATE IT, SIR. ITEM NUMBER NINE, CHAIRMAN'S COMMENTS. AND, UM, MY CHAIRMAN'S COMMENTS ARE GONNA BE LIMITED TO ONLY ONE ITEM TODAY. AND THIS ISN'T A SCHOOLING, BUT I SIMPLY SAY TO YOU AS A REMINDER, IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE TARDY, PLEASE CALL. IF YOU'RE GOING TO MISS A MEETING AGAIN, PLEASE NOTIFY ME. THAT'S THE WAY IT'S WRITTEN IN OUR TRANSPORTATION PLAN. IF YOU'RE GONNA MISS A MEETING, IT'S NOT, NOT A BIG DEAL, JUST LET ME KNOW. AND THE REASON YOU'RE GONNA BE MISSING THE ME MEETING, [00:55:01] BUT OTHERWISE YOU'LL BE SHOWN AS MISSING WITHOUT BEING EXCUSED. SO I'M JUST SHARING THAT WITH EVERYBODY. IT MAKES IT MUCH EASIER TO COUNT NOSES AND NO THAT I'M GONNA HAVE A QUORUM AT A MEETING. SO WITH THOSE COMMENTS, MEETING'S ADJOURNED. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.