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CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY BUFORT COUNTY TODAY.
CHRISTY PENSKY, CHAIR RE VICE CHAIR, LEN SHOEMAKER.
MEMBER NATE PRINGLE, MEMBER FORMS, UM, AND THE ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA.
DID EVERYBODY GET A CHANCE TO LOOK AT THEM? DO WE DIDN'T SEE ANY CHANGES? I, I DIDN'T, I DIDN'T MOVE.
ALL IN FAVOR? A NATALIE? I ALMOST SAID GOOD EVENING 'CAUSE I'M USED TO SEEING YOU GUYS IN THE EVENING.
HEY, UM, THIS IS THE STATE ACCOMMODATIONS TAX FUNDING FOR THE SECOND QUARTER IN THE FISCAL, WELL, I'M SORRY.
THESE ARE THE REQUESTS THAT WE HAVE FOR THIS QUARTER.
UM, WE HAVE FOUR APPLICANTS WITH A TOTAL REQUEST OF $115,341.
UM, JUST AS A FRIENDLY REMINDER WITH THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
THEY DID APPLY AT THE SEPTEMBER, UM, BUT HAD REQUESTED TO COME BEFORE ATAC THIS QUARTER.
UM, AND THEN FOR STATE ATACS FOR THIS QUARTER, UM, THERE ARE $297,681 AVAILABLE FOR DISTRIBUTION.
UM, AND WE ALSO INCLUDED A LAPSED GRANT AMOUNT OF $5,338 WITH THE BUDGET PROCESS FOR THE TOWN OF BLACKTON.
I WANTED TO INCLUDE THE LOCAL ACCOMMODATIONS PROPOSED BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 25.
IT'LL GO FOR FIRST READING BEFORE TOWN COUNCIL IN MAY.
UM, BUT RIGHT NOW THIS IS WHAT THE PROPOSED BUDGET WILL LOOK LIKE FOR FISCAL YEAR 25.
THIS IS FOR THE LOCAL ACCOMMODATIONS TAX BUDGET.
AND THEN I'M GONNA GO INTO, UM, WHAT MAKES UP SOME OF THE EXPENDITURES AND THEN THE OTHER FUNDING SOURCES THAT WE HAVE TRANSFERS OUT FOR GENERAL FUND AND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS.
AND PLEASE STOP ME IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ALONG THE WAY.
DID YOU, UM, YOU DIDN'T PUT, PUT THIS IN OUR POCKET SO WE DON'T HAVE THIS NO, NO.
THIS IS A, THE PROPOSED BUDGET FOR 25.
SO THIS IS ONLY THE SECOND YEAR THAT WE ARE, THAT WE HAVE BUDGETED LOCAL ACCOMMODATIONS TAX FUNDS.
SO IN THE FIRST COLUMN, YOU SEE 24 IS REVISED BUDGET AND THEN YOU SEE 20 FIVES PROPOSED BUDGET THAT WILL GO INTO EFFECT.
THIS IS NOT LOCAL A TAX MONEY ONLY, IS IT? YES.
AND THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE WHAT THEY ROLLED FROM THE OLD AT TAX WHEN THEY, WHEN THEY TOOK LOCAL AT TAX OUT OF OUR BUDGET.
THIS IS THE, WE'VE ALWAYS HAD THEM SEPARATE.
SO THIS IS THE LOCAL AT TAX REVENUES.
WE, WE'VE ALWAYS HAD THEM SEPARATE, BUT WE WOULD COMBINE THEM WHEN WE WOULD PRESENT THEM TO ATAC IN THE PAST.
SO WE HAD A BALANCE THAT WE WERE CARRYING FOR, FOR LOCAL ATAC.
AND THIS AMOUNT WOULD INCLUDE THE MONEY THAT THEY WOULD'VE CARRIED OVER, THAT USED TO BE UNDER OUR PURVIEW.
THAT WASN'T SO THAT WOULD BE IN FUND BALANCE.
BUT YOU, WE'VE GOT WHAT'S BUDGETED FOR, WE SHOW IT IN 24 AND THEN FOR WHAT'S BUDGETED IN 25.
AND I'LL GO THROUGH THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE WHEN YOU GET A CHANCE.
'CAUSE IT IS THE FIRST TIME WE'VE SEEN IT.
IF WE COULD BE LIKE, WE'LL KEEP YOU GUYS, WE'LL KEEP YOU GUYS INFORMED AS WE PROGRESS ALONG.
THESE ARE VERY, IT'S VERY, VERY EARLY IN OUR BUDGET SEASON, BUT WE WANTED TO PRESENT IT TO YOU AS WE KNOW THINGS ARE GOING ALONG IN THE BUDGET PROCESS.
YEAH, I'D ALSO LIKE JUST A COPY OF IT WHENEVER, YOU KNOW, JUST I'M BETTER WITH THE PAPER IN MY HAND.
SO ONE OF THE TRANSFERS OUT IS
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TO GENERAL FUND.AND SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE PROPOSING $204,203 BEING TRANSFERRED INTO THE GENERAL FUND FROM THE LOCAL ACCOMMODATIONS TAX.
IT WILL HELP SUPPORT OUR WELCOME CENTER THAT IS GONNA BE, UM, PREPARING TO OPEN IN JANUARY OF 2025.
AND THEN ALSO SUPPORT THE, UM, POLICE SERVICES FOR SOME OF THE EVENTS AND FESTIVALS THAT AT TAX, UM, REVIEWS AND, UM, SUBMITS TO OR RECOMMENDS TO TOWN COUNCIL.
THIS IS GONNA BE THE NEW WELCOME CENTER.
WE'RE NO LONGER GONNA SUPPORT THE HAYWARD HOUSE AS OUR, AS OUR WELCOME CENTER.
IS THAT WHAT I, WE POTENTIALLY COULD SUPPORT THEM, BUT THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE PLANNED FOR THE LOCAL AAX FUNDS FOR GENERAL FUND LIE OF, OR IN ADDITION TO THAT WORKS OUT.
SO THIS IS FOR THE LOCAL AT A AND WE HAVE TRADITIONALLY SUPPORTED THE WELCOME CENTER THAT'S BEEN AT THE HAYWARD HOUSE WITH STATE AT TAX.
AND THEN WE ALSO HAD A TRANSFERS OUT TO OUR CIP FUND.
AND ON, LET'S SEE, THE FIRST BLUE COLUMN SHOWS THE LOCAL ACCOMMODATIONS TAX.
SO WE'RE LOOKING TO SUPPORT THE BRIDGE STREET STREETSCAPE, CALHOUN STREET STREET SCAPE PATHWAY, PEDESTRIAN SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS, THE, THE SQUIRE POPE CARRIAGE HOUSE THAT WILL ALSO HOLD THE WELCOME CENTER AND THE SARAH RILEY HOOKS COTTAGE.
AND THOSE ARE GONNA BE FUNDED WITH LOCAL ACCOMMODATIONS TAX FOR 25.
THAT'S WHAT IS PROPOSED IN THE BUDGET.
SO I'M GONNA GO BACK TO WHAT SAM SAID REAL QUICK.
IS THAT WHEN SQUIRE POPE HOUSE IS COMPLETED MM-HMM.
SO THEN THAT WOULD TAKE THAT LABEL AWAY FROM HAYWARD HOUSE AT THAT TIME WHEN IT'S COMPLETED, BUT NOT BEFORE THEN.
AND THEN IN THE LAST COLUMN IS THE TRANSFERRING FROM STATE ACCOMMODATIONS TAX.
SO THERE WAS AN ACT THAT WAS APPROVED FOR A 15% AMOUNT FROM BOTH STATE AND LOCAL ACCOMMODATIONS TAX.
AND WE ARE PROPOSING THAT 15% OF STATE ACCOMMODATIONS TAX GO TOWARDS OUR AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECT.
SO THAT'S WHY YOU SEE THOSE TWO COLUMNS IN THERE.
BUT NONE FROM LOCAL, NOT IN OUR CIP WE ARE PROPOSING 15% FROM THE LOCAL ACCOMMODATIONS TAX TO SUPPORT ITEMS IN OUR GENERAL FUND FOR OUR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAM AND OUR REASON REGIONAL HOUSING TRUST THAT, UM, THAT WE HAVE CURRENTLY GOING ON.
WHAT HAPPENS IF THE, THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECT DOESN'T GET APPROVED OR WE DON'T, IT DOESN'T GO ALL THE WAY THROUGH.
I MEAN, I'M SURE IT'S GOING TO, BUT WHAT IF IT DOESN'T? THIS IS AN APPROVED PROJECT AND SO WE'RE RECOMMENDING THAT STATE ACCOMMODATIONS TAX, THE 15% GO TOWARDS THIS PROJECT BECAUSE WE ALREADY HAVE IT UNDERWAY RATHER THAN HAVING TO WAIT FOR A PROJECT THAT, UM, MAY NOT COME ON BOARD BECAUSE THERE IS A SENSE THERE'S A SUNSET WITH THIS ACT.
SO DIFFERENT QUESTION THAT WASN'T WHAT I WAS ASKING.
WHAT I'M ASKING IS, I KNOW THAT IT'S APPROVED THROUGH TOWN OF BLUFFTON, BUT DOESN'T HAVE TO GET APPROVED BY THE STATE FIRST FOR, TO USE THE 15% FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
YOU HAVE, THERE'S A, THERE'S A HOUSING ANALYSIS THAT NEEDS TO BE APPROVED IN A, IN A, UM, IN A PLAN.
SO WE HAVE A TIMELINE FOR THAT TO GO BEFORE TOWN COUNCIL AND OUR PLANNING COMMISSION.
SO WHILE THIS ISN'T APPROVED YET, THERE'S STILL SOME STEPS THAT IT HAS TO GO THROUGH.
BUT THIS IS THE PLAN AND THE PROPOSAL FOR THOSE FUNDS.
AND WE KNOW THE LOCATION OF THIS.
IS IT PRIVATE? IT IS 10 95 MAY RIVER ROAD.
DID I SAY IT WRONG AGAIN? MAY RIVER ROAD.
10 95 MAY RIVER ROAD ARE PLEASE.
AND THEN THIS TALKS ABOUT THAT ACT, UM, IT WENT INTO EFFECT MAY 19TH.
UM, WE CAN'T DEDICATE MORE THAN 15%.
UM, AND IT IS AVAILABLE FROM BOTH THE LOCAL AND STATE ACCOMMODATIONS TAX FUNDS AS NOTED, THERE IS A SUNSET.
SO IT WILL EXPIRE ON DECEMBER 31ST IN 2030.
UM, AND IT'S NOT PROPOSED TO GO TOWARDS TRADITIONAL HOUSING COSTS.
UM, AND WHAT WE, AGAIN, WE'RE PROPOSING THE LOCAL ACCOMMODATIONS TAX, UM, TO SUPPORT OUR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAM AND THE REGIONAL HOUSING TRUST FUND.
UM, AND THEN ON THE STATE SIDE, AS MENTIONED BEFORE, UM, THAT 15% GOING TOWARDS THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECT AT 10 95 ME
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ROAD.THIS JUST REAL QUICK, THIS IS A PROPOSAL.
THIS IS THE PROPOSAL STARTING ON IT.
SOME OF THE CIP PROJECTS MAY CHANGE LIKE AS FAR AS FUNDING THE AMOUNTS AND EVERYTHING AS WE SOLIDIFY THE BUDGET, WE WILL ABSOLUTELY KEEP YOU INFORMED IT BEING THE FIRST TIME WE GOT SAW IT.
DO WE HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD TO, UM, UPDATES ON APPLICATION POLICIES, OLD BUSINESS? OKAY.
SO, UH, HILTON HAD BLUFF IN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
I'M WITH THE HILTON HEAD ISLAND BLUFFTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT, UM, AND ALSO MOVE OUR PRESENTATION OUT.
IT WAS MYSELF WHO ASKED FOR THE EXTENSION.
I HAD UNFORTUNATELY SOME HEALTH ISSUES AND, UM, I HAD TO UNDERGO SURGERY.
SO I AM BACK AND READY AT A HUNDRED PERCENT.
SO, UM, THIS REQUEST IS, UM, ON BEHALF OF OUR ORGANIZATION.
I ALSO HAVE MY COLLEAGUE RAY DEAL, WHO IS OUR CONTROLLER HERE, AS LONG AS, AS WELL AS OTHER COLLEAGUES, UM, OF OUR ORGANIZATION WHO SUPPORT, UM, THE TOWN OF BLUFFTON DAY IN AND DAY OUT.
UM, WE'RE HERE REQUESTING THE AMOUNT OF $45,000 FOR OUR OFFICIAL VACATION PLANNER FOR 2024.
AS YOU CAN SEE, THE 20 20 20 20 24 VACATION PLANNER IS A DEDICATED BOOK TO THE TOWN OF BLUFFTON, UM, AND, UM, SURROUNDING AREAS.
AND THAT WAS A PROJECT THAT WE STARTED A FEW YEARS BACK, UM, WITH, UM, MAYOR LISA SKA AND THE TOWN STAFF AT THE TIME.
AND IT HAS CONTINUED FORWARD AND ONLY GROWN IN POPULARITY.
UM, HAS DONE A, A WONDERFUL JOB FROM OUR LENS ON REPRESENTING THE DESTINATION, UM, AND BRINGING, UH, VISITORS A FIRST LOOK AT WHAT SO MANY PEOPLE LOVE, UH, WHY THEY LOVE BLUFFTON AND, UH, WHY THEY CALL IT HOME.
AND SO IT'S BEEN A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY TO WORK SO CLOSELY WITH THE TOWN AND THE TOWN STAFF ON WHAT, WHAT IS IT THAT THEY LOVE ABOUT THE TOWN OF BLUFFTON AND WHAT ARE WE GONNA BRING FORWARD TO THE VISITORS? SO THE PROGRAM REQUEST AMOUNT THAT WE ARE REQUESTING IS $45,000.
UM, THE DURATION OF WHEN WE WORK ON THE PROJECT, UM, IT CARRIED US FROM JULY 1ST, 23 THROUGH THE END OF, UM, DECEMBER, EXCUSE ME, 31ST, 2023.
UM, IN MARKET TIMEFRAME, IT, IT RUNS THE DURATION OF THIS CALENDAR YEAR, JANUARY THROUGH DECEMBER.
AND THE TOTAL UNITS PRODUCED, UM, WERE 30,000 AND THAT'S 30,000 OF THESE BOOKS.
AND WHERE DO YOU SEE THESE BOOKS? YOU SEE THEM THROUGHOUT, UM, ALL OF OUR SOUTH CAROLINA WELCOME CENTERS THROUGH OUR AIRPORTS AT THE SAVANNAH HILTON HEAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, AS WELL AS THE HILTON HEAD AIRPORT.
AND THOSE ARE REQUESTED ON A REGULAR BASIS.
OUR CHAMBER OFFICES, BOTH HERE IN BLUFFTON AND ON HILTON HEAD ISLAND.
ANYTIME THAT A INTERESTED VISITOR OR POTENTIAL VISITOR IS INQUIRING ABOUT BLUFFTON, THEY MAY PICK UP A PHONE, THEY MIGHT WRITE AN EMAIL, THEY MIGHT WALK IN AND WE FULFILL THAT, UM, UPON THEIR REQUEST.
WE TAKE THEM TO ALL OF OUR MEDIA EVENTS OR WHEN MEDIA IS SEEKING INFORMATION ABOUT BLUFFTON, WE, UM, SEND THIS BOOK ALONG.
AND THIS IS ALSO A DIGITAL VERSION AND SO WE CAN SUBMIT TO 'EM DIGITALLY AS WELL.
AND WE TAKE 'EM TO ALL OF OUR TRADE SHOWS WHEN WE WORK ALONGSIDE THE TOWN, UM, TO UNDERSTAND THE COMMUNITY AND THE COMMUNITY'S WANTS FOR WHAT THIS BOOK REPRESENTS.
WE HAVE IDENTIFIED THIS IS THIS PIECE OF, UM, INFORMATION IS ACTUALLY PULLED THROUGH NOT ONLY THIS, THIS LOOKBOOK OR THIS COFFEE TABLE BOOK THAT WE HAVE HERE, BUT IT'S ALSO PULLED THROUGH OUR MARKETING EFFORTS AS A, AS A WHOLE.
SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT OUR MARKETING PLAN, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE IMAGERY THAT WE USE WHEN WE PROMOTE THE DESTINATION, OUR SOCIAL MEDIA, OUR DIGITAL ADS, THESE CORE, UM, AREAS OF FOCUS ARE WHAT WE'RE PROMOTING DAY IN AND DAY OUT, BUT REALLY TAKES CENTER
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STAGE IN THE BOOK.'CAUSE THAT'S REALLY OUR FOUNDATIONAL PIECE, UM, THAT WE HAVE IN MARKET THAT SETS THE TONE FOR THE REST OF OUR EFFORTS.
SO AGAIN, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE TOWN AND THE COMMUNITY, WE HAVE IDENTIFIED THE GULLAH GEECHEE, CULTURAL HERITAGE CORRIDOR HISTORY, CULTURE AND ARTS AS A WHOLE.
NATIONAL HISTORIC REGISTER DESIGNATION, NATURAL BEAUTY, OUR WATERWAYS AND PARKS, LOCAL CULINARY AND LOCAL MARKET EXPERIENCES, FESTIVALS AND EVENTS.
SO AS YOU BROWSE THROUGH THIS BOOK, WHETHER UM, PHYSICALLY OR ONLINE TO THE DIGITAL VERSION, YOU'LL SEE THAT REPRESENTED EACH ONE OF THOSE AREAS REPRESENTED HERE WITHIN THAT BOOK.
HOW DO WE SHOWCASE THAT TODAY DURING OUR REQUEST? REALLY WHEN YOU'RE FLIPPING THROUGH THE VERY, UH, VIVID AND BRIGHT IMAGES THAT ARE BEING BROUGHT TO YOU THAT ARE ALL FROM THE TOWN OF BLUFFTON, YOU'RE SEEING THAT WE WORKED CLOSELY WITH, UM, THE TOWN TO UNDERSTAND THE HISTORICAL PIECES THAT WE WANTED TO PULL FORWARD ALMOST AS IF SOMEONE WERE TO BE WALKING THROUGH THE TOWN.
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT, UM, BLUFFTON BY DESIGN PIECE THERE.
UM, COUNCILWOMAN BRIDGETTE FRAZIER, WE HAVE, UM, INTRICATE STORIES ABOUT WHAT SHE'S DEVELOPING, UM, WITH MA DAISIES AND THE GLA, UM, HERITAGE CENTER THAT SHE'LL BE BRINGING FORWARD HIDDEN TREASURES, WHICH HAS REPRESENTED GREAT, UM, PIECES WITHIN THAT.
AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT INSIGHT AS WELL AS EATING LOCAL.
WE'VE TALKED DEEPLY ABOUT, UM, THE OPPORTUNITY THERE AS WELL.
SO THAT WAS JUST A SNAPSHOT OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO.
THE 45,000 DOES BRING FORWARD THE ACTUAL PRODUCTION OF THE BOOK.
UM, AND WE'VE BROUGHT RAY IN AS WELL TO ASK ANY OF THE FINANCIAL QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE.
BUT IT REALLY IS DEALING WITH JUST THE ACTUAL PRODUCTION OF THE BOOK.
UM, AND WE'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS BEYOND THAT.
YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? NO QUESTIONS.
YOU GOT A FEW QUESTIONS? SURE.
SO, AND FORGIVE ME 'CAUSE SOMETIMES THINGS RUN TOGETHER.
YOU GUYS HAD DONE YOUR DMO PRESENTATION TO US BACK IN.
I HAVEN'T DONE, UH, THE DMO PRESENTATION FOR THIS COMING FISCAL YEAR AS OF YET.
WE'LL BE DOING THAT IN A FEW WEEKS.
THE ONE FOR 20 FOR THE CURRENT YEAR.
Y'ALL PRESENTED TO US AT WHAT TIMEFRAME LAST YEAR? WAIT, IT'S MARCH AND NOW THEY HAVE TO TAKE ME OUT IS MARCH.
IT'S ALWAYS THE FIRST QUARTER.
AND THIS WAS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THAT PRESENTATION AT THE TIME.
THAT Y'ALL WERE GONNA DO THIS BOOK AT THAT TIME.
AND THIS IS OUR THIRD YEAR IN DOING THE BOOK.
UM, SO IT JUST IS NOW A PART OF OUR EFFORTS IN TOTAL.
SO, UM, YES, THIS IS A PART OF OUR OVERALL MARKETING EFFORTS THAT WE DO AND THAT WE PROPOSE.
AND DIFFERENT THAN THE THING Y'ALL DID.
LIKE IT SEEMS LIKE IT WAS FIVE OR SIX YEARS AGO WHEN Y'ALL DID THAT SPECIAL, UM, VERY NUANCED THING.
I WAS A GUN GUARD THAT Y'ALL CAME IN AND DID.
AND IT WAS A VERY SPECIAL, VERY TARGETED FOR OUR AREA.
THAT WE DID IT AFTER THE FACT.
BUT THIS WAS A PART OF YOUR ORIGINAL, UH, DMO EFFORTS WHEN YOU PRESENTED TO US AT THE FIRST QUARTER OR SO OF LAST YEAR, CORRECT? EXACTLY.
SO THIS BOOK HERE IS A PART OF OUR OWN, UM, DMO TOWN OF BLUFFTON ASSETS.
SO THIS, THE VISIT BLUFFTON.ORG WEBSITE, OUR DIGITAL AND SOCIAL ADS, ALL THE ONES THAT WE PRODUCE ON BEHALF OF BEING YOUR DMO AND PROMOTING YOU IN THE OUT MARKETS FOR TOURISM.
UM, SO THIS IS NOT A PARTNERSHIP WITH ANYONE LIKE A GARDENING GUN OR A CONDE NAST.
THIS IS A ANNUAL, UM, BOOK THAT WE PRODUCE TO REPRESENT THE DESTINATION.
SO IF THIS IS ALREADY PART, I DON'T, JUST CONFUSED WHILE WE'RE ASKING FOR MORE MONEY WHEN YOU ALREADY GET THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
AND THAT'S WHERE WE HAVE RAY DEAL
SO FOR THE RECORD, MY NAME'S RAY DEAL.
I'M CONTROLLER AT THE HILTON ISLAND BLUFFTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
SO THIS ASK BEFORE I ANSWER YOUR QUESTION SPECIFICALLY, UM, LAST JUNE OR JULY, UM, OUR CHAMBER USED TO RECEIVE, UH, LOCAL ACCOMMODATION TAXES, 8% OF THE LOCAL ATEX, WHICH WAS ROUGHLY 150,000.
SO WHAT HAPPENED WAS, IN THIS FISCAL YEAR, INSTEAD OF BUDGETING AROUND 500,000 OR SO FOR ATEX, AND THAT'S BOTH STATE AT TAX AND LOCAL ATEX, OUR BUDGET WAS CUT BY ABOUT $150,000.
SO ESSENTIALLY WE WENT FROM 500 ISH TO 350.
SO ESSENTIALLY, YES, WE HAVE PAID FOR THIS BOOK, BUT THIS IS A LITTLE BIT OF A, I GUESS A CLAWBACK JUST TO GET, UH, THE TOWN OF BLUFFTON SPECIFICALLY.
UM, UH, A PORTION OF THE PAYMENT BACK FOR THE, THE, THE BOOK COSTS ABOUT $138,000.
SO WE'RE JUST, AND WE'RE NOT ASKING FOR ANY OF THE, THE PAGES THAT ARE PAID FOR ADS,
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IT'S JUST THE, UM, THE, THE BLUFFTON AND THE BUFORT COUNTY RELATED ADS.SO THAT THAT EQUALS ABOUT $45,000 BECAUSE AGAIN, THE, THE ENTIRE COST OF THE BOOK IS PLUS FULFILLMENT ON TOP OF THE COST OF THE BOOK IS ABOUT 138,000.
SO, SO WE, YOU GUYS CAME TO US PRESENTED AS A-A-A-D-M-O PLAN FIRST QUARTER OF LAST YEAR.
THE PARAMETERS OF YOUR FUNDING CHANGED? YES, SIR.
AT ABOUT THE THIRD QUARTER OF LAST YEAR IS FROM OUR SIDE.
AND THEN THIS WAS JUST TO, TO SOMETHING THAT WAS IN YOUR PLAN THAT WAS UNFUNDED ONCE THOSE CHANGES OCCURRED, Y'ALL JUST TRYING TO MAKE UP THAT SHORTFALL.
BASICALLY THE RULES OF THE, OF THE GAME CHANGED A LITTLE BIT AS FAR AS OUR BUDGET GOES.
AND WHEN WE PRESENTED TO YOU, WE DIDN'T KNOW THAT WE WERE GONNA LOSE ALL THE AT TAX AT, OR EXCUSE ME, THE LOCAL AT TAX AT THAT TIME.
SO THEN THE ONE IN THIS, IN THE BOOK THAT, UM, SAY AT HEART OF THE LOW COUNTRY ARE THE ONES THAT ARE NOT PAID FOR OR THEY ARE PAID FOR.
'CAUSE NOT ALL OF THEM HAVE THE HEART OF LOW COUNTRY WRITTEN ON IT.
SO THE WAY TO DETERMINE IF IT'S AN AD OR NOT A AD OR EDITORIAL OR ADV EDITORIAL IS, UM, IF THEY HAVE A, UM, I'M TRYING TO FIND A PHONE NUMBER OR PHONE NUMBER, UM, WEBSITE, URL AND A SOCIAL HANDLE.
SO AS AN EXAMPLE, UM, PAGE 30, UM, HILTON HEAD NATIONAL GOLF, OR ON THE PAGE NEXT TO IT, PALMETTO AXES.
BUT THEN IF YOU WERE TO TURN TO PAGE, UM, GOING BACK FORWARD TO, UM, PAGE 14, THAT PIECE ABOUT GULLAH EXPERIENCE AND MA DA'S PORCH, UM, THAT IS NOT AS WELL AS CITY TREASURE'S
AND THE SAME THING GOES WITH THE WEBSITE, IS THAT CORRECT? THE WEBSITE? WE'RE NOT ASKING FOR FUNDING FOR ZAPPA.
I'M TRYING TO YEAH, NO PROBLEM.
SO THE VISIT BLUFFTON.ORG IS, UM, THE PIECE THAT WE PRODUCE AND MAKE SURE THAT'S MAINTAINED ON BEHALF OF BEING THE DMO.
HOWEVER, THERE ARE ADS SOLD WITHIN THE SITE, UM, THAT, THAT HELP OFFSET THE COSTS OF MAINTAINING THAT SIDE EVERY DAY.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THANK YOU.
EVERYBODY'S BOARD CHECKED? I HAVE, OKAY.
MAY I HAVE A MOTION? I WOULD MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE REQUESTED AMOUNT OF $45,000 FOR THE HILTON HEAD BLUFFTON CHAMBER.
CONVERSE FOR THE OFFICIAL BLUFFTON VACATION PLANNER.
NEXT WILL BE THE GALA TRAVELING THEATER.
I GOT AN EMAIL BEFORE LAST WEEK'S MEETING TO NOT PREPARE ANYTHING BUT COME PREPARED TO ANSWER QUESTIONS.
SO I FOLLOWED THOSE DIRECTIONS.
PERFECT HERE WHEN I WAS HERE THE LAST TIME, YOU ALL LOVED THE PRESENTATION AND THE CONCEPT AND YOU WANTED A SCHEDULE OF I, UH, SCHEDULED DATES, WHICH WE DID INCLUDE IN THE UPDATED PACKET AND NOW WE'RE HERE.
SO I, I'VE GOT A QUICK QUESTION.
SO YOU GUYS INDICATED THAT YOU HAD DONE A PERFORMANCE IN JANUARY 21ST OF THIS YEAR.
AND THAT WAS, AS PART OF THAT WAS, UM, A REQUEST BY THE, UM, BOOKSELLER, THE UM, UM, THE STORYBOOK
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SHOP IS ONE OF YOUR LOCAL BUSINESSES, AND THEY ASKED IF WE MIGHT BE WILLING TO COME AND PERFORM AND HELP THEM KIND OF A DAY EARLY KICKOFF BLACK HISTORY MONTH.AND SO WE DID AGREE TO DO THAT.
AND, AND THAT WAS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND IT WAS, WAS IT ANNOUNCED? I, 'CAUSE WE WERE ALL TALKING, I I DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
UM, THEY HAD HOPED, UM, THAT WE WOULD'VE ALREADY BEEN, UH, RESOLVED THIS BEFORE THAT, BUT IT DIDN'T WORK OUT THAT WAY.
UM, BUT YES, WE STILL HAD THE EVENT.
IT WAS, UM, IT WAS A GOOD EVENT, VERY GOOD TURNOUT.
UM, I THINK WE HAD 15 CAST MEMBERS.
IT WASN'T A FULL PERFORMANCE, BUT IT WAS SINGING AND STORYTELLING AND NARRATIVES.
THE, THE BOOK THAT THEY FEATURED WAS ABOUT, UM, BLACK FARMING IN THE AREA AND UM, UM, FARM, UM, FARMER'S MARKETS.
AND SO WE PARTNERED WITH, UM, THE BOOKSTORE, THE FARMER'S MARKET PEOPLE CAME AND DID A DISPLAY.
AND SO WE PROMOTED THE FARMER'S MARKET AND DID STORYTELLING AND AND THING.
AND THEN THERE WAS, UM, UH, A CATERED MEAL THAT PEOPLE COULD, UM, BUY FOOD GUMBO AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO YES, IT TURNED OUT VERY WELL.
AND I SEE MEETING HERE WITH US LAST TIME WAS VERY FRUIT, VERY FRUITFUL IN THAT YOU
UH, THE OTHER GROUPS THAT WERE HERE OFFERED TO PARTNER WITH US.
UM, SO WE HAVE, UM, NEGOTIATED, UM, WITH THE MAY RIVER THEATER, UH, GROUP.
AND UM, WE ARE DOING THREE SHOWS FOR THEM, UM, IN JULY.
AND THEN WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WITH THE, UM, THE CHRISTMAS PEOPLE THAT YOU ALL, UM, THE, WAS IT CHRISTMAS UNDER BLUFF STARS UNDER BLUFFTON OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT? IT WAS, UM, SO WE SUGGESTED TO THEM THAT PERHAPS IF WE WORKED TOGETHER AND MARKETED SOME THINGS AROUND WHAT THEY WERE ALREADY DOING, THAT MAYBE IT WOULD CREATE MORE HEADS IN BEDS KIND OF THING.
AND IT WOULD GIVE PEOPLE A CHANCE TO STAY LONGER, TO COME EARLIER AND STAY LONGER.
AND SO THEY'RE GONNA BE PERFORMANCES AS WELL AS THE GULLAH CHRISTMAS, UM, AFRICAN MARKETPLACE.
AND UM, THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT A PERFORMANCE AS A PART OF THE UNDER THE STARS AS WELL, SO THAT IT'LL BE A WHOLE, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'LL BE THREE OR FOUR DAYS OR TWO OR THREE DAYS, BUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THAT THERE WOULD BE LIKE A TRIO OF DAYS.
THERE ACTIVITIES GOING ON THROUGHOUT.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE WERE LOOKING ALL ON.
AND THAT'S AT A MINIMUM, I HAVE TO TELL YOU MUCH TOO MUCH OF THE STAFF CHAGRIN.
UM, UH, AUNT PURLEY SUE IS ALWAYS OPEN TO COLLABORATE AND PARTNERSHIPS.
SO WE, THIS IS PUTTING BEFORE YOU THE MINIMUM THAT WE HAVE PLANNED NOW, BUT THERE ISN'T A TIME WHERE WE GO OUT AND PERFORM THAT.
SOMEONE DOESN'T ASK US, CAN YOU COME DO SOMETHING ELSE? AND I HAVE TO SAY THE ANSWER IS USUALLY YES AND UM, WE JUST TRY TO TAKE REALLY GOOD NOTES AND SOMEBODY WHISPER TO SOMEBODY, HEY, PUT THAT ON OUR CALENDAR.
'CAUSE EVENTUALLY WE'LL FIND OUT ABOUT IT.
UM, UM, AND SO THIS WOULD BE THE MINIMUM.
AND WE ALSO HOPE THAT IT'S A A KIND OF A YEAR ONE INVESTMENT.
WE'RE HOPING THAT FROM HERE WE CAN GO TO A MUCH BROADER, UM, SCALE.
SO YOU BE AWARE THAT YOU CAN COME BACK AND ASK FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING AS YOU GUYS GET STUFF.
UM, I WOULD SAY THAT I BELIEVE WE ENCOURAGED YOU GUYS AT YOUR LAST MEETING TO CALL STAFF YES.
AT TOWN TO GET SOME GUIDANCE ON HOW TO RIGHT.
TO PRESENT YOUR IMPACT PROPOSAL.
'CAUSE UM, IN YOURS, I SAW A LOT OF STUFF THAT WAS REQUESTED THAT ISN'T ELIGIBLE.
JUST SO YOU GUYS AWARE THAT WE CAN, WE CAN FUND WHAT WE CAN FUND.
DID YOU, DID YOU TALK TO STAFF ABOUT THIS, UM, IN THAT TIME PERIOD? SO WE, WE DIDN'T TALK DIRECTLY WITH THE STAFF EXCEPT THAT, UM, WE NEGOTIATED THROUGH MAY RIVER FOR THE THINGS FOR THE MAY RIVER.
I, MAYBE I WAS A LITTLE BIT CONFUSED.
I THOUGHT THOSE INSTRUCTIONS WERE FOR THE NEXT APPLICATION SUBMISSION.
I THOUGHT OUR INSTRUCTIONS FOR THIS ONE WAS JUST BRING US A ACCOUNT CALENDAR.
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NUMBER ONE, YOUR BRING THIS ACCOUNT WITH EVENTS WAS DEFINITELY ONE OF YOUR DIRECTIVES.BUT ALSO AS YOU GUYS GO FORTH, YES.
CONTINUE JUST UNDERSTAND THAT STAFF IS RIGHT, UNDERSTANDS HOW TO DO THIS AND CAN GIVE YOU A LOT OF GUIDANCE ON HOW TO, TO, TO HELP YOU WITH THE APPLICATION TO BE MORE SUCCESSFUL.
AND I ABSOLUTELY HAVE PLANS FOR THAT.
BUT AS I WAS WORKING ON IT, I KEPT REMINDING MYSELF THAT YOU TOLD ME NOT TO CHANGE ANYTHING BUT THE CALENDAR.
SO I DIDN'T CHANGE ANYTHING BUT THE CALENDAR FOR THIS TIME.
ANY OTHER, I'M REALLY, UNFORTUNATELY THIS WORKS SOMETIMES GOOD AND BAD, REALLY GOOD AT FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS, UM, AS I UNDERSTAND THEM.
AND SO AND SO YOU JUST SAID DO THIS FOR HERE AND THEN DO THIS GOING FORWARD.
THANK ANYBODY HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THANK YOU SO MUCH.
YOU NEED TO TALK TO HER BEFORE YOU LEAVE THIS LADY
MAY I HAVE A MOTION SIT? I THINK I, OH, I THOUGHT WE ALREADY DID THAT.
I WOULD GUESS I WOULD MAKE THE MOTION TO, UM, UH, UH, THANK YOU.
I WOULD MAKE THE MOTION TO APPROVE THE ELIGIBLE EXPENSES IN THE APPLICATION FOR GULLAH TRAVELING THEATER INCORPORATED.
THAT TOTAL AMOUNT THAT'S ELIGIBLE FOR EIGHT TAX FUNDING WOULD BE $9,750.
ANY DISCUSSION? I JUST WANNA SAY I THINK IT WOULD BE A GREAT EVENT AND, AND HOPEFULLY THOSE FOLKS CAN GET TOGETHER AND, UM, WORK WITH STAFF AND OF COURSE OUR OTHER FESTIVALS THAT WE HAVE IN TOWN AND, AND BECOME A REGULAR PART OF WHAT WE SEE HERE IN BLUFFTON.
MARY, WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME UP THE REST OF THE MEETING?
UH, WE ARE NOW AT OLD TOWN BLUFFTON MERCHANT SOCIETY, MARY O'NEILL.
SO DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? WE, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU NOTICED, BUT IN THE BUDGET WE LEFT A LOT OF MONEY THAT OBVIOUSLY WE NEVER END UP WITH AT THE END OF THE YEAR, BUT WE HOPE TO BRING IN UM, 21,000 AND THEN 9,600.
AND I DID PUT FOR SIX MONTHS FOR THOSE ADS.
AND BECAUSE RIGHT NOW I DON'T HAVE A NEW, UM, WEBSITE.
I'M GLAD I JUST PUT SIX MONTHS.
UH, I WAS VERY CONSERVATIVE BUT THAT, SO WE WOULD BE BRINGING IN 30,000, UH, 600 AND THAT LEAVES US MONEY AT THE END OF THE YEAR BECAUSE AS EVERYTHING'S GOING UP AND NOW THAT I DON'T HAVE OUR NEW WEBSITE, I'M NOT REAL SURE WHAT WE'RE DOING.
SO, UM, IS IN FACT, IN FACT, YOU KNOW, IF YOU LOOKED AT THOSE NUMBERS, YOU CASE YOU WERE QUESTIONING, WELL THESE DIDN'T ADD UP.
I JUST WANTED A LITTLE POCKET OF MONEY AT THE END TO MAKE SURE WE COULD COVER ALL EXPENSES.
SINCE EVERY TIME YOU TURN AROUND, EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE GOING UP IN ADVERTISING.
UH, MY ONLY QUESTION IS THAT YOU DID KINDA HIT ON THE HEAD THAT WE, WE AUTHORIZE UMPTEEN DOLLARS EACH, EACH EACH YEAR FOR YOU GUYS.
AND IT SEEMS LIKE A PORTION OF IT GETS SPENDED IN UN EXPENDABLE.
SO YOU'RE LOOKING NOW AS SIX MONTH KIND OF A BUDGET TO OH NO, THIS IS OUR YEARLY BUDGET.
SO YOU'RE ASKING FOR 28 5 FROM YOU ALL.
SO, AND THAT'S DOUBLE A BLAST YEAR, CORRECT? BECAUSE NOW WE HAVE MORE MEMBERS SO WE'RE BRINGING IN MORE INCOME
[00:35:01]
SO I CAN ASK FOR MORE SO WE CAN ADVERTISE MORE.IN THE PAST WE ONLY HAVE 50 MEMBERS, SO WE'RE UP TO 70 AND WITH ALL THE NEW, SINCE I WAS KICKED OUTTA MY SHOP, WE NOW HAVE THE CHARLESTON SHOE COMPANY THERE.
I MEAN THERE'S BUSINESSES COMING IN ALL OVER.
SO I TOLD 'EM THAT THAT WAS PART OF THE DEAL.
THEY HAD TO JOIN OLD TOWN BLUFF AND LARGEST IF THEY WERE GONNA TAKE MY SPACE.
SO I'M SURE YOU MADE THAT HAPPEN TOO.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? MAY I HAVE A MOTION PLEASE? I MOVE THAT WE APPROVE THE BUDGET, UM, REQUESTED BY THE, YOU HAVE 28,500 REQUESTED, UM, BY THE TOWN OF LUPTON, UM, AS A DESK OR MERCHANT SOCIETY.
ANY SERGEANT? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE.
WELL, I KNOW, I THOUGHT I ALREADY GAVE THIS IN, BUT I GUESS I DID TOO.
AS LONG AS THEY SAY THE SAME THING, YOU'RE GOOD.
I'M SURE THEY DO, FOR SURE THEY DO.
SO AGAIN, WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO BRING MORE TOURISTS IN.
UM, AND WE DID, SINCE WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE VACATION PLANNER, THAT IS OUR, RIGHT NOW OUR BUDGET COVERS THIS FOR OUR OUT OF TOWN ADVERTISING BESIDES DIGITAL, WITH THE OTHER PRINT ADS, UM, WE COULD EXPAND IT.
I WAS VERY CONSERVATIVE AGAIN ASKING FOR, YOU KNOW, MORE MONEY BECAUSE WE ONLY PROVED THAT WE GOT 23% WERE TOURISTS LAST YEAR.
COULD THERE HAVE BEEN MORE? POSSIBLY WE DID IT ON THE SHUTTLE.
NOT EVERYBODY TAKES THE SHUTTLE, BUT THAT'S STILL THE EASIEST WAY THAT WE CAN COLLECT ZIP CODES.
YOU CAN HIRE SOMEONE LIKE ME WHO KNOWS EVERYBODY IN TOWN TO GO DOWN THERE.
IF I SEE SOMEONE I DON'T RECOGNIZE, ASK THEM, OKAY, YOU'RE HIRED.
WE JUST HAPPEN TO BE AT THE UH, SEAFOOD FESTIVAL IN HILTON HEAD THIS WEEKEND.
AND LITERALLY WE TALKED TO PEOPLE WHO CAME FOR THE FESTIVAL THEY HAD AND WORKED THEIR WAY AROUND IT.
BUT IT WAS ME AND OF ALL PEOPLE CHRIS CORCORAN STANDING THERE AND WE FIGURED, OH, WE DON'T KNOW THAT PERSON.
AND IT REALLY WAS A BUNCH OF TOURISTS.
OH, WE DIDN'T TALK TO THE PEOPLE WE KNEW.
DEFINITELY TOURISTS COME FOR OUR FESTIVALS HERE IN BLUFFTON TOO.
IT'S THERE REMEMBER SEEMS LOAD, ESPECIALLY IN THESE DAYS.
'CAUSE WHEN I GO DOWN IN THAT FESTIVAL, IT'S NOT LIKE THE OLD DAYS WHEN WE WALK DOWN THE STREET, EVERYBODY.
WELL WHEN YOU WALK IN A RESTAURANT, I, MIKE AND I ALWAYS USED TO SAY WE KNEW EVERYBODY.
YOU WALK IN ANY OF OUR PLACES NOW YOU DON'T KNOW ONE PERSON IN THERE.
SO, WHICH IS A GOOD THING FOR BLUFFTON.
AND I TOTALLY FEEL THAT ROTARY MAYFEST AND THE SEAFOOD FESTIVAL AND OLD TOWN BLUFFTON MERCHANTS, WE'VE REALLY WORKED HARD TO BRING THOSE TOURISTS IN.
AND THEN A LOT OF PEOPLE BUY HOMES HERE TOO.
MAY I GET A MOTION THAT WE ACCEPT, UH, OFF THE RULE CLUB FOR REQUEST FOR 15,000? I SECOND? ANY DISCUSSION? I WOULD, I WOULD SAY THAT YOU'RE, I KNOW THAT YOU ONLY GET A PERCENTAGE OF THE FACILITIES, BUT IT IS AN ELIGIBLE EXPENSE.
UH, BUT YOU KNOW, YOU DO HAVE TO PROVE THAT.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S WHAT, WHY YOU DIDN'T ASK FOR THAT PART OF IT.
WE DID ASK FOR SHUTTLES THOUGH, SO, BUT WE'D ONLY GET LIKE 23% PAID FOR ON, THAT'S, UH, THAT'S TOURIST TRANSPORTATION.
I DON'T SEE THAT IN YOUR REQUEST, BUT I SAW IN YOUR REQUEST AND YOU'RE ELIGIBLE TODAY, MR. SIR? I SAID SHUTTLES.
SO YOU, YOU WOULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE PERCENTAGE OF BOTH THE FACILITIES FOR CULTURAL EVENTS AND FOR THE SHUTTLES.
WHICH WOULD THE ADDITIONAL $10,000 TO YOUR, YOUR REQUESTED AMOUNT, WHICH I BELIEVE CAME FROM OFF OF YOUR PAPERWORK OF $15,000 15,000 WAS ALSO FOR SHUTTLES.
[00:40:01]
YEAH.HOW WERE THE FUNDS USED ADVERTISING AND SHUTTLES? THAT WAS FROM LAST YEAR AND YEAH, WE GOTTA VOTE ON THAT ONE BEFORE WE CAN MAKE A NEW ONE.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF 15,000 SAY AYE.
I, I WOULD MAKE THE MOTION THAT SINCE THEY'RE ELIGIBLE FOR ADDITIONAL, UM, EXPENSES AND AMOUNTS THAT IN ADDITION TO THE 15,000 FOR ADVERTISING, THAT WE INCLUDE THE $5,000 FOR FACILITIES FOR CULTURAL EVENTS ALONG WITH THE 5,000 REQUESTED FOR TOURIST TRANSPORTATION FOR A TOTAL OF 25,000.
YOU'LL HAVE TO EXPLAIN ALL THIS TO ME LATER BECAUSE I DIDN'T QUITE GET THAT.
WELL, I'LL BE IN TROUBLE IN A LITTLE WHILE.
SO, UM, I JUST HAVE A QUESTION REAL QUICK BEFORE WE, UH, ADJOURN.
WHAT POSITION IS OPEN ON OUR COMMITTEE? WE HAVE, IT'S A HOSPITALITY SEAT.
SO WE MIGHT HAVE AN APPLICANT HOPEFULLY THIS WEEK.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD TO THIS MEETING? UH, MAY I GET A MOTION TO ADJOURN? I ADJOURN.
UH, I WE'RE, WE'VE GOT A LOT TO TALK ABOUT AND WE'RE GONNA TRY TO TALK ABOUT IN A, ALL OF THIS IN A VERY SMALL KIND OF PRESENTATION TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC ABOUT WHAT WE WANT TO DO.
UH, IF Y'ALL REMEMBER, UH, WE STARTED WORKING ON A NEW SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER OPPORTUNITY LAST YEAR.
UM, BECAUSE WE KNEW, AND WE HAVE KNOWN THAT TRYING TO RECRUIT LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS TO BE CLASS ONE CERTIFIED, WHICH IS WHAT THE STATE REQUIRED.
UH, YOU KNOW, TO BE IN OUR SCHOOLS AS SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS, WHICH ARE, IS, IS A SPECIAL, I THINK WE ALL AGREE THAT THAT IS REALLY A SPECIAL CANDIDATE, UH, THAT WE CONSIDER TO BE THAT CLOSE AN ASSOCIATION TO OUR KIDS.
UM, AND, BUT WE KNOW THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER PROGRAM BECAUSE OF THE SAFETY FACTORS IT CREATES, NOT ONLY IN OUR SCHOOLS, BUT WHAT OUR WHAT WHAT OUR COMMUNITIES AS WELL, BECAUSE THE SCHOOL IS A MELTING POT OF THE COMMUNITIES THAT WE SERVE.
SO HAVING THAT RIGHT PERSON IN THAT JOB AND THAT ROLE TO PROVIDE SECURITY TO OUR KIDS LEADERSHIP, TO OUR KIDS, UH, AND GIVING THE CONFIDENCE TO THE STAFF TO WORK IN THE SCHOOLS.
I MEAN, IT'S IMPORTANT TO FIND THAT RIGHT PERSON.
SO IT'S DIFFICULT TO FIND A CLASS ONE OR IN A CLASS ONE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER, FOR THOSE THAT DON'T KNOW, IS ONE THAT GOES TO THE ACADEMY FOR 12 WEEKS, SPENDS 12 WEEKS FOR THE MOST PART IN COLUMBIA.
WE DO SOME OF THE TRAINING HERE LOCALLY, BUT EVERYTHING ELSE, UH, HAS TO BE DONE IN COLUMBIA.
AND THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT WE'RE TRYING TO ATTRACT TO BE SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS THAT REALLY DON'T WANT TO GIVE UP THEIR LIFE AND THEIR FAMILY TO GO TO COLUMBIA AND GO THROUGH BOOTCAMP TO BE A CLASS ONE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER.
SO I HAD OUR TRAINING STAFF PUT TOGETHER A TRAINING SYLLABUS FOR A, WHAT WE CALL A CLASS THREE.
UH, AND IT WAS A CLASS THREE DESIGNATION FOR SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER.
WHAT THAT DID IS IT ALLOWED US TO CREATE A TRAINING SYLLABUS THAT WE COULD TAKE A PERSON, UM, YOU KNOW, OF, OF ANY AGE.
UM, AND THAT WE WOULD BRING THEM INTO LAW ENFORCEMENT ENVIRONMENT, YOU KNOW, WITH BLUFFTON OR BEAUFORT OR PORT ROYAL OR THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE.
UH, AND WE WOULD TRAIN THEM HERE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY.
ALL OF THEIR TRAINING WOULD BE DONE RIGHT HERE.
UH, IT WOULD BE EIGHT WEEKS, MAYBE A LITTLE MORE THAN EIGHT WEEKS OF TRAINING.
UH, WE WOULD LIKE TO START THIS, UH, THE, OUR FIRST CLASS.
[00:45:01]
WE'D LIKE TO START IT IN JUNE.UH, THAT WAY WE CAN GET 'EM THROUGH THE PROGRAM AND BE READY FOR DEPLOYMENT, UH, WHEN SCHOOL STARTS IN AUGUST.
UH, I, I THINK IT'S AN AWESOME PROGRAM.
WE, WE, WE SENT THE TRAINING SYLLABUS TO THE ACADEMY THAT TRAINS ALL OF OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
THEY APPROVED IT, UH, WITH THE BLESSING OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA TRAINING COUNCIL.
SO WE ARE READY TO GET THIS THING MOVING AND GET IT STARTED.
AND I THINK FOR US, UH, WE JUST NEED TO KIND OF TELL OUR CITIZENS, YOU KNOW, WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR? UH, THE ROLE IS SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER.
IT'S A CLASS THREE LAW ENFORCEMENT DESIGNATION.
UH, IT'S A UNIFORM POSITION, IT'S AN ARMED POSITION.
UH, THEY HAVE ARREST POWERS, UH, AND THEY HAVE ALL THE POWERS OF ANY OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER ON THE SCHOOL GROUNDS, UH, THAT THEY'RE ASSIGNED TO.
SO WHAT DO YOU THINK, JOE, SHERIFF? I THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA, AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING LEAD ON THIS.
UM, WE HAVE FOUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN BLUFFTON THAT CURRENTLY ARE NOT STAFFED BY CLASS THREE OR HIGHER OFFICERS.
AND I THINK THAT THIS PROGRAM IS GONNA ATTRACT PEOPLE TO THESE POSITIONS AND IT'S GONNA PROVIDE MORE OF A SECURITY BLANKET FOR OUR SCHOOLS TO INCLUDE OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
SO WE'RE DEFINITELY EXCITED ABOUT IT.
WE'RE EXCITED TO BE PART OF IT.
WHO, WHO DO WE WANT TO ATTRACT? I THINK WE'VE GOT A, WE'VE GOT AN ENORMOUS NUMBER OF RETIRED MILITARY FOLKS HERE.
THEY MAY HAVE CHILDREN IN OUR SCHOOLS AND WITH THE, WITH THE PROGRAM THAT YOU WERE ABLE PUT TOGETHER, UM, THEY'LL BE HOME WHEN THEIR CHILDREN ARE HOME, NOT IN SCHOOL.
AND, UM, AND I'VE ALWAYS SAID, YOU AND I HAVE HAD THIS CONVERSATION, SHERIFF, WE, WE NEED TO GET INTO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IF WE, IF WE WAIT UNTIL HIGH SCHOOLS WERE TOO LATE.
I'M, I'M GLAD THAT YOU TOOK THE LEAD ON IT.
I'M, I'M EXCITED TO SEE IF WE CAN GET SOME PEOPLE IN.
BUT I REALLY THINK THE YOUNG RETIRED MILITARY PEOPLE ARE, THEY'RE JUST MADE FOR THIS, YOU KNOW, AND WE'VE GONE THROUGHOUT OUR CAREERS, UH, IN THE COUNTY OF BEAUFORT AND WE'VE HAD CONVERSATION AFTER CONVERSATION WITH DIFFERENT PEOPLE THAT SAY, YOU KNOW, I'M RETIRED, I'D LIKE TO FIND SOMETHING TO DO.
AND THEN YOU START TALKING TO 'EM AND THEY'RE A RETIRED TEACHER OR RETIRED LAW ENFORCEMENT, RETIRED FIRE DEPARTMENT, RETIRED MILITARY, RETIRED BANKERS, RETIRED, I MEAN, RETIRED, THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER.
AND THEY'RE STILL, STILL AT AN AGE THAT THEY COULD, UM, THEY COULD DO THIS JOB WITH NO PROBLEM AT ALL OF ANY KIND.
UM, AND THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT, THAT I'D LIKE TO SEE.
I'D LIKE TO SEE, UH, THOSE THAT ARE STILL, THAT STILL FEEL LIKE THEY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE, THAT MAYBE HAVE ALWAYS LOOKED AT LAW ENFORCEMENT AS BEING A JOB, BUT BECAUSE OF THE PAY AND BECAUSE OF THE, YOU KNOW, THE WORKING CONDITIONS AND FAMILIES AND, AND ALL THAT, THEY JUST DIDN'T WANNA DO IT.
BUT HERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY, UH, TO MAKE $45,000 A YEAR STARTING PAY TO WORK BASICALLY THE SCHEDULE OF THE TEACHING AND SUPPORT STAFF OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, WHICH IS A PRETTY GOOD SCHEDULE.
IT IS, UH, TO HAVE BENEFITS, UH, TO BE IN A RETIREMENT SYSTEM AND TO BE ABLE TO BRING THEIR MATURITY, UH, THEIR LIFE EXPERIENCE AND, AND YOU KNOW, TO TO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AGE KIDS WHO WILL BENEFIT GREATLY FROM JUST HAVING THAT OPPORTUNITY TO SOCIALIZE AND BE AROUND, UH, THESE FOLKS THAT BRING A LOT TO THE TABLE.
AND I, WE, IN OUR COMMUNITIES, YOU TAKE BLUFFTON AND BEAUFORT AND, AND IN THE COUNTY AND THEN IN PORT ROYAL, THOSE PEOPLE ARE HERE.
AND THEY'RE LOOKING FOR THINGS TO DO.
AND I JUST THINK THIS IS AN AWESOME OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO, YOU KNOW WHAT, JUST DO IT KINDA LIKE NIKE.
UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S, THE TRAINING IS, I THINK THEY'LL ENJOY THE TRAINING.
AGAIN, IT'S ALL DONE RIGHT HERE.
THEY, THEY'LL STAY AT HOME, THEY'LL SLEEP IN THEIR OWN BED, THEY'LL HAVE THEIR OWN PILLOW, AND THEN THEY CAN COME TO TRAINING.
AND ONCE THEY'RE CERTIFIED, UH, THEN THEY'LL START THE SCHOOL YEAR, UH, AUGUST OF THIS YEAR.
SO, I MEAN, I KNOW YOUR COMMUNITY REPRESENTS THAT OPPORTUNITY AS WELL.
SO WHAT ELSE, WHAT ELSE DO YOU THINK THIS, UM, THIS PROGRAM'S GONNA DO IN TOTALITY FOR WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH? I THINK, I THINK THIS PROGRAM, ONE WILL BE ABLE TO GET US OVER THE TOP.
I THINK WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET, WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET A POLICE OFFICER IN EVERY SCHOOL IN BEAUFORT COUNTY, WHICH IS IMPORTANT.
A POLICE OFFICER AND I, AND I, AND YOU KNOW, WE, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS, THERE'S A LOT OF TRAINING THAT GOES ALONG WITH THIS JOB.
THERE IS, YOU KNOW, THIS IS NOT A SECURITY OFFICER.
THIS IS A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER, UH, THAT'S GONNA BE WELL TRAINED, UH, IN THIS.
AND I, I THINK THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THAT'S, IT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
AND I THINK WITH THE YOUNG CHILDREN TARGETING THE RETIREES MM-HMM.
WHETHER THEY'RE RETIRED TEACHERS, RETIRED
[00:50:01]
MILITARY IS IMPORTANT.THEY'VE GOT THE LIFE EXPERIENCE FOR THE, FOR THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
AND, AND TO GET THAT STARTED OFF.
SO I THINK
POSSIBLY A THIRD COMING ON BOARD.
I'VE GOT NINE JOE, I HAVE FOUR.
SO I MEAN, IN TOTAL, AND HERE'S THE THING.
IT, IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU WORK AT THE CITY OF BEAUFORT OR THE TOWN OF BLUFFTON, UH, OR PORT ROYAL OR FOR THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE.
YOU KNOW, WE WANT YOU TO COME TO WORK.
AND LAW ENFORCEMENT TO BE A CLASS THREE SRO, DOESN'T MATTER WHERE YOU GO, DOESN'T MATTER WHO YOU ARE EMPLOYED BY.
THE WORK ENVIRONMENT'S BASICALLY THE SAME.
IT MAY BE A DIFFERENCE IN UNIFORM THAT YOU WEAR AT THE SCHOOL THAT YOU'RE ASSIGNED TO, UH, THE PAY.
I MEAN, EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE BASICALLY THE SAME.
SO ALL WE WANT PEOPLE TO DO IS PUT THEIR APPLICATIONS IN, GIVE US THE OPPORTUNITY TO SIT DOWN AND EXPLAIN THE PROGRAM IN DETAIL.
AND IF YOU REALLY HAVE AN INTEREST IN IT, UH, THEN LET'S, LET'S, LET'S GET STARTED.
AND, AND ONE THING THAT I WANT TO HIT ON IS THIS PROGRAM IS IMPORTANT AND, AND REASON BEING IS NONE OF OUR KIDS SHOULD FEEL AFRAID GOING TO SCHOOL.
UM, THEY SHOULD BE GOING TO SCHOOL TO LEARN AND NOT QUERYING ABOUT THEIR SAFETY.
UM, AND WHAT THIS DOES IS THIS PROVIDES ANOTHER LAYER OF SAFETY FOR ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS, ESPECIALLY THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
UM, IT ALSO PROVIDES PEOPLE WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO MENTOR THESE YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN.
AND SO, LIKE THE SHERIFF SAID, IF YOU TRULY WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE, UH, THIS IS A POSITION THAT YOU REALLY, REALLY WILL BE MAKING A DIFFERENCE.
I JUST HOPE THE APPLICATION START POURING IN.
AND IF YOU GET MORE THAN THAN YOU NEED THEN AND, AND WE NEED TO GO TO BEAUFORT OR WE NEED TO GO TO, UH, THE, THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE OR, OR PORT ROYAL, WE JUST NEED, WE NEED TO PUT THESE PEOPLE TO WORK.
WE NEED TO FILL THESE VACANCIES, UH, AND LET'S MAKE OUR SCHOOLS IN BEAUFORT COUNTY AS SAFE AS THEY POSSIBLY CAN.
AND I THINK THE UNIQUENESS OF THIS PROGRAM, THESE OFFICERS WILL BE TRAINED BY PEOPLE THAT HAVE CHILDREN IN THESE SCHOOLS.
THEY HAVE THE SAME DESIRES, THE OUTCOMES THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.
SO I'M, I'M LOOKING FORWARD, LOOKING FORWARD TO IT.
WELL, I MEAN, THE GREAT THING ABOUT IT IS THAT WE ARE, WE WILL BE DOING THE TRAINING TOGETHER.
IF YOU GET, IF YOU GET, IF YOU HIRE ONE OR TWO AND YOU HIRE FOUR AND YOU KNOW, AND I CAN FILL THE NINE THAT WE NEED, WE'RE ALL GONNA BE TRAINING TOGETHER.
SO THIS IS GONNA BE ONE TRAINING SYLLABUS TO BENEFIT, UH, THE SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER PROGRAM.
I MEAN, THIS IS GOING TO BE, THIS, THIS PROGRAM IS FOR SOUTH CAROLINA AS A WHOLE.
THIS IS NOT JUST FOR BEAUFORT COUNTY.
BUT I'M EXCITED THAT WE'RE GOING TO START THIS AND INITIATE, YOU KNOW, THE SRO CLASS THREE POSITION HERE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY.
AND WE'RE GONNA SHOW THE STATE THAT WORKS.
AND THE GREAT THING ABOUT THE TRAINING TOGETHER, SHERIFF, IS YOU'RE CREATING A NETWORK BEFORE YOU EVEN GET STARTED.
SO YOU'RE GOING TO KNOW PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT SCHOOLS WHERE IF YOU CAN RUN INTO A PROBLEM, YOU HAVE SOMEBODY ELSE THAT YOU CAN CALL AND GET SOME ADVICE OR TALK TO THEM ABOUT THINGS GOING ON IN THEIR SCHOOL AND CURRENT TRENDS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THEIR SCHOOL.
SO IT'S A GREAT COLLABORATION OF ALL THREE DEPARTMENTS IN THE ENTIRE COUNTY GETTING TOGETHER BECAUSE HAVING THAT NETWORK AND PEOPLE THAT YOU CAN RELY ON FOR ADDITIONAL ADVICE IS INVALUABLE.
WELL, I TELL YOU WHAT I MEAN, I WANT, I WANT PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO, TO MAKE THOSE PHONE CALLS OR GO ONLINE AND RESEARCH, YOU KNOW, UH, JUST THE, THE, THE CLASS THREE SRO, UH, THROUGH ALL AGENCIES.
SO I THINK LINDSEY, IF WE CAN, I MEAN AT THIS POINT, I THINK IF WE PUT THAT INFORMATION ON THIS VIDEO FOR BLUFFTON BEAUFORT, PORT ROYAL AND THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE WEBPAGE AND PHONE NUMBERS, UH, I THINK WE'LL HOPEFULLY WE'LL START GETTING CALLS.
THAT SOUND GOOD TO Y'ALL? YES SIR.
WHAT IS A SUPER MOON? THIS TERMINOLOGY BECAME COMMON IN POPULAR MEDIA ONLY A FEW YEARS AGO, BUT YOU'VE PROBABLY SEEN HEADLINES ABOUT THIS PHENOMENON.
A SUPER MOON OCCURS WHEN THERE'S A NEW OR A FULL MOON.
AND THE MOON'S CLOSEST APPROACH TO EARTH HAPPENS AT THE SAME
[00:55:01]
TIME.YOU MAY ALREADY KNOW THAT THE MOON'S ORBIT IS NOT PERFECTLY CIRCULAR AROUND THE EARTH.
AND WHEN THE MOON IS THE FURTHEST FROM EARTH IN ITS ORBIT, THAT'S CALLED APOGEE.
AND WHEN THE MOON IS CLOSEST TO EARTH IN ITS ORBIT, THAT'S CALLED PERGE.
BEFORE SUPER MOON WAS A COMMON TERM, THESE ASTRONOMICAL EVENTS WERE CALLED PERGE FULL MOON OR PERGE NEW MOON.
BUT SUPER MOON SOUNDS A LOT MORE EXCITING.
COMPARE THE APPEARANCE OF AN APOGEE FULL MOON AND A PERGE FULL MOON IN THE SKY.
A PERGE FULL MOON CAN APPEAR 14% WIDER AND 30% BRIGHTER THAN AN APOGEE FULL MOON.
THE FULL SUPER MOON LOOKS PARTICULARLY LARGE AT NIGHTFALL WHEN THE MOON FIRST RISES.
THIS IS CALLED THE MOON ILLUSION.
SO WHAT'S HAPPENING IS THAT OUR BRAINS SEE THE MOON CLOSE TO OTHER OBJECTS FOR SIZE REFERENCE, AND IT SEEMS REALLY LARGE.
BUT ONCE IT GOES UP HIGHER INTO THE SKY AND IT'S NOT NEAR ANYTHING ELSE, UH, IT SEEMS MUCH SMALLER THAN IT ACTUALLY IS.
BUT YOU CAN SEE FOR YOURSELF THAT THE CHANGE IN THE MOON'S APPARENT SIZE IS JUST AN ILLUSION.
JUST TAKE A PIECE OF PAPER, ROLL IT UP INTO A TUBE, AND TAPE IT SO THAT THE MOON JUST FITS INTO YOUR TUBE.
LOOK AT THE MOON AS IT FIRST COMES UP OVER THE HORIZON, AND THEN LOOK AGAIN A FEW HOURS LATER, AND YOU'LL SEE THAT THE SIZE DOESN'T CHANGE.
TIDAL HEIGHTS ARE AT THEIR GREATEST WHEN THE MOON, THE EARTH, AND THE SUN ARE ALL IN ALIGNMENT, SUCH AS DURING A NEW MOON OR A FULL MOON.
SPRING TIDES, A FULLER NEW MOON AND THE PERIGEE OF THE MOON COINCIDE ABOUT THREE TO FOUR TIMES PER YEAR.
DURING THOSE TIMES, THE HEIGHT OF THE ALREADY LARGER THAN USUAL SPRING TIDES IS ACCENTUATED EVEN MORE BY THE MOON'S CLOSER PROXIMITY TO EARTH.
THESE PEREGIAN SPRING TIDES OR SUPER MOON SPRING TIDES ARE ALSO CALLED KING TIDES.
KING TIDES USUALLY HAPPEN ON THE DAY OR TWO AFTER THE SUPER MOON, RATHER THAN ON THE EXACT SAME DAY.
KING TIDES CAN GIVE US A CLUE ABOUT WHICH AREAS WILL BECOME PERMANENTLY INUNDATED AS SEA LEVEL CONTINUES TO RISE, AND ALSO WHICH AREAS WILL EXPERIENCE MORE FREQUENT AND MORE INTENSE FLOODING.
THE LOW COUNTRY REGION HAS SEEN A RELATIVE SEA LEVEL RISE OF ABOUT ONE FOOT IN THE LAST 100 YEARS.
DUE TO A COMBINATION OF GLOBAL SEA LEVEL RISE AND GROUND SUBSIDENCE, KING TIDES CAN REACH ONE AND A HALF TO TWO FEET ABOVE AVERAGE HIGH TIDE HEIGHT.
SEEING THE FLOODING FROM A KING TIDE IS A LITTLE LIKE LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE AND SEEING THE POTENTIAL RESULTS OF A ONE TO TWO FOOT RISE IN SEA LEVEL.
DUE TO GRADUAL SEA LEVEL RISE, DATA SHOW KING TIDES ARE GETTING HIGHER AND OCCURRING MORE OFTEN.
INFRASTRUCTURE PROBLEMS, FLOODING, LOCALIZED DAMAGE, AND TRAFFIC ISSUES ARE ALL BYPRODUCTS OF THIS PROCESS.
AND PLANNING FOR COMMUNITY RESILIENCY BECOMES AN IMPORTANT TASK SINCE MORE THAN HALF THE WORLD'S POPULATION LIVES IN COASTAL AREAS.
THE KING TIDES PROJECT IS AN INTERNATIONAL CITIZEN SCIENCE PROJECT THAT IS USING PHOTOGRAPHY DURING KING TIDES TO DOCUMENT FLOODING EVENTS, AREAS AT RISK FOR SEA LEVEL RISE, AND WHAT FUTURE SEA LEVEL RISE MIGHT LOOK LIKE.
PARTICIPANTS IN THE PROJECT CAPTURE PHOTOS OF AREAS IN THEIR LOCALITY THAT EXPERIENCE FLOODING AND EROSION AT THE PEAK OF KING TIDES, AND THEN SUBMIT THEM ONLINE TO A DATABASE TO RECORD AND DOCUMENT EFFECTS OF FLOOD RISK IN COASTAL AREAS.
PROVIDE COMPARISONS FOR THE FUTURE AND VALIDATE MODELS WITH WHAT IS HAPPENING IN REALITY.
AND SOUTH CAROLINA, THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL IS LEADING THE SOUTH CAROLINA KING TIDES INITIATIVE, AND YOU CAN HELP BY SUBMITTING PHOTOS THROUGH THE APP FOUND ON MY COAST.ORG/SC.
SUPER MOONS ARE NOT ONLY A BEAUTIFUL SITE, BUT THE RESULTING KING TIDES AFFECT THE LOW COUNTRY'S COASTAL AREAS AS WELL.
NEXT TIME WE HAVE ONE OF THESE SUPER ASTRONOMICAL EVENTS, GO OUT AND SEE WHAT OBSERVATIONS YOU CAN MAKE.