[00:00:04]
[CALL TO ORDER]
WE DO HAVE A FORUM SO WE CAN PROCEED.ALRIGHT, EVERYBODY, IF SHE'S JOIN ME.
TWO, THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
AND TWO, THE REPUBLIC WHICH STANDS.
ONE NATION, NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
ALRIGHT, BEFORE I GET INTO THE AGENDA, I JUST HAVE A COUPLE OF, UH, INTRODUCTIONS AROUND OF OUR GUESTS AND OUR TWO NEW, UH, COMMITTEE MEMBERS FROM THERE'S RESPECT PLANNING COMMISSIONS.
MIKE TOLD ME FROM BUFORT, WENDY ZA FROM FORT ROYAL.
UM, WHY DON'T WE JUST START AROUND IN THE BACK AND GO AROUND THE OUTSIDE AND OUR GUESTS INTRODUCE THEMSELVES.
GOOD MORNING, CHARLIE STONE, BUFORT.
I'M THE DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AT PALMETTO EAST TRANSIT.
CAROL CRUTCHFIELD, BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT MAYOR ANN KRIEGER.
ALCOCK NOAHS TOWN OF FORT ROYAL PLANNING.
UH, BRITTANY BISHOP BEAUFORD COUNTY ENGINEERING.
[2. FOIA – PUBLIC NOTIFICATION OF THIS MEETING HAS BEEN PUBLISHED, POSTED, AND DISTRIBUTED IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE SOUTH CAROLINA FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT.]
BEEN PUBLISHED.UH, WE HAVE THE MINUTES FROM OUR
[3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – MAY 24, 2024]
MAY MEETING.THEY'RE QUITE EXTENSIVE, VERY THOROUGH.
I JUST WANNA INTRODUCE MYSELF.
I'M MITCH MITCHELL ON ZOOM THIS MORNING.
NO, WE DON'T SEE YOUR PICTURE, BUT WE, WE HEAR YOUR WONDERFUL VOICE.
UH, I WAS NOT LISTED ON THE MEMBERS PRESENT LAST MEETING.
WE'LL MAKE WITH THAT CORRECTION.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER AMENDMENTS? AMENDMENT, MOVE.
A OBJECTION? I WASN'T HERE, SO I'M NOT GOING.
I WOULD BEEN SURPRISED IF YOU HAD
UM, THIS IS THE POINT WHERE WE HAVE, UH, OPPORTUNITY FOR CITIZEN COMMENTS.
ANYBODY MAKE A COMMENT NOT RELATED TO THE AGENDA? NOW'S THE TIME.
WE'LL MOVE FORWARD TO OUR NEW BUSINESS,
[5. PALMETTO BREEZE UPDATE – BRIAN SULLIVAN, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS, PALMETTO BREEZE]
UH, AND OUR PRESENTATION OF PALM METAL BREEZE.AN UPDATE, WHAT'S GOING ON, WHAT'S PLANNED AND WHERE WE'RE GOING.
BRIAN, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS BREEZE.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
UM, MARY LOU ELMORE, I USED TO WORK WITH A WOMAN NAMED MARY LOU ELMORE, AND I KEEP SAYING HER NAME.
MARY LOU FRANZO, WHO I'VE WORKED WITH FOR SIX YEARS.
UM, OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR WAS STILL A LITTLE ILL THIS WEEK, SO SHE SAYS HER APOLOGIES THAT SHE CAN APPEAR.
UM, BUT HOPEFULLY I'LL BE A WORTHY SUBSTITUTE.
AND STEPHANIE'S HERE TO KIND OF BACK ME UP A LITTLE BIT 'CAUSE I MIGHT MESS SOMETHING UP.
UM, ANYWAY, UH, MY NAME IS BRIAN SULLIVAN.
I'M DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS.
UM, I'VE BEEN WITH, UH, LRTA PALMETTO BREEZE FOR REALLY SIX YEARS.
THE FIRST TWO YEARS I WAS A MARKETING CONSULTANT WHEN WE STARTED THE TROLLEY SERVICE ON HILTON HEAD.
AND THEN JANUARY, 2020, RIGHT BEFORE THE PANDEMIC BECAME A FULL-TIME EMPLOYEE WITH THE, IT WAS A NEW POSITION.
UM, AS THE AGENCY WAS GROWING, UM, THEY CREATED MY POSITION AND I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH AND FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO GET IT.
I ALWAYS, I ALWAYS THROW THAT IN BECAUSE YOU DON'T ALWAYS HEAR THAT ALL THE TIME RIGHT NOW.
SO, ANYWAY, REALLY HAPPY TO BE HERE.
UM, SO FORGIVE ME IF I HAVE SOMETHING MISUNDERSTOOD OR WHATEVER.
FEEL FREE TO CORRECT ME AND FEEL FREE TO INTERRUPT.
I ACTUALLY DO BETTER IN A CONVERSATIONAL STYLE ANYWAY, SO, UM, YEAH, NEXT SLIDE.
SO FOR THOSE WHO MAY NOT BE FAMILIAR WITH PALMETTO BREEZE, UM, PALMETTO BREEZE TRANSIT, WE ARE THE LOW COUNTRY REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY.
LEGALLY, UH, THE LRTA, WE ARE THE DESIGNATED RECIPIENT OF FEDERAL AND STATE FUNDS FOR THE, THE FIVE COUNTY LOW COUNTRY REGION, WHICH INCLUDES ALLENDALE BUFORT COLLEGE IN JASPER AND HAMPTON.
UH, SO YOU CAN SEE WE HAVE A PRETTY, UH, SPREAD OUT SERVICE AREA.
THE VAST MAJORITY OF THAT IS WHAT WE CALL RURAL SERVICE FOR OUR COMMUTERS.
UM, THE, THE, THE, THE BACKBONE OF OUR, UH, ORGANIZATION ARE THE NINE ROUTES THAT PROVIDE EITHER DEMAND RESPONSE, UH, COMMUTER SERVICES, UM, AND, UH, COORDINATED SERVICES YEAR ROUND.
THE, UM, COMMUTER SERVICES ARE 363 DAYS A YEAR, CHRISTMAS AND THANKSGIVING.
THE ONLY TWO DAYS WE DON'T RUN.
UM, A LOT OF THE SERVICE IS MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY YEAR ROUND.
[00:05:01]
SEASONAL SERVICE ON HILTON NET.IT'S IN THE BROCHURES I BROUGHT HERE.
FEEL FREE TO TAKE, TAKE THOSE AND LOOK AT THOSE.
AND REMARKABLY, IT'S NOT REALLY ALL THAT OUT OF DATE.
UM, WE ARE DUE FOR AN UPDATE 'CAUSE IT'S FOUR YEARS NOW.
BUT FOR THE MOST PART, YOU KIND OF SEE, YOU GET A REAL GOOD PICTURE OF WHAT THE SYSTEM IS REALLY MEANT TO DO.
IT'S BASICALLY BRINGING COMMUTERS FROM THE MORE RURAL AREAS INTO, UH, BUFORD PORT, ROYAL BLUFFTON, AND OF COURSE HILTON HEAD.
AS YOU CAN SEE, THAT'S WHERE THE, THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE COMMUTERS GO IS HILTON HEAD.
SO OBVIOUSLY EVERYTHING ZEROES IN ON BUFORT COUNTY, RIGHT? THAT'S CLEARLY THE FOCUS ARE OTHER FOUR COUNTIES, ALTHOUGH JASPER'S GROWING, UH, FOR POPULATION AND EVERYTHING ELSE, THE OTHER FOUR COUNTIES TO UNDERSTAND THAT, THAT THAT'S THE DESTINATION ESSENTIALLY.
IF YOU WERE TO, WERE TO BOIL IT DOWN.
UM, ESPECIALLY THIS TIME OF YEAR.
UM, WE ARE ALSO, UM, WE WORK WITH THE EOCS FOR BEFORD AND JASPER, AND WE KEEP AN EVACUATION REGISTRY.
IT'S ON EVERY PAGE OF OUR WEBSITE, RIGHT AT THE TOP.
UH, WE'VE GOTTEN A TON OF NEW REGISTRIES THIS YEAR, SO, UH, WE DO EVACUATION.
SO WHAT WE PREFER IS FOR FOLKS WHO THINK THEY MAY NEED ASSISTANCE IN BUFORD OR JASPER ONLY, UM, THAT THEY REGISTER IN ADVANCE.
SO WE HAVE THEM IN OUR DATABASE SO THAT WHEN THERE IS AN EVACUATION, WE KNOW WHO WE'RE SUPPOSED TO PICK UP.
SO WE CAN, WE LITERALLY CALL OUT TO THEM AND ASK IF THEY NEED HELP BECAUSE THEY MAY OR MAY NOT.
UM, SO BASICALLY WE, WE ASK FOLKS TO SPREAD THE WORD BECAUSE IF YOU KNOW A LOVED ONE OR A FAMILY MEMBER WHO MIGHT NEED EVACUATION ASSISTANCE, TRANSPORTATION, GET 'EM ON THE LIST.
THEY MAY, IF THEY DON'T NEED IT.
UM, MATTHEW WAS THE LAST TIME WE HAD TO DO A BIG EVACUATION, BUT WE WERE PREPARED FOR A FEW SINCE THEN.
SO, UH, WE BASICALLY SHIFTED TO A WHOLE DIFFERENT MODE WHEN THERE'S AN EVACUATION OF ANY KIND, OBVIOUSLY, USUALLY.
SO, UM, IN ADDITION TO THOSE, THE BACKBONE, THE COMPUTER SERVICES I, I LISTED HERE, THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE DO IN BEAUFORT COUNTY, UH, THE BREEZE TRIAL LAKE'S, KINDA MY BABY.
I GOT, UH, BROUGHT DOWN HERE BASICALLY TO MARKET AND DEVELOP THAT PRODUCT, UH, FOR, UH, LRTA.
SO THAT IS IN ITS SEVENTH SEASON ON HILTON HEAD.
IT'S, UM, OBVIOUSLY MEANT TO RELIEVE CONGESTION DURING THE HIGH SEASON.
IT RUNS FROM APRIL TO, UH, SEPTEMBER.
UH, AND WE, WE ALWAYS LAUNCH RIGHT BEFORE THE HERITAGE, AND THEN WE CLOSE THE SEASON DOWN IN LABOR DAY.
SO, UM, THERE ARE THOSE ON THE ISLAND WHO WISH IT WERE YEAR ROUND.
UM, AND IF IT WERE UP TO ME, IT WOULD BE, BUT FUNDING, DRIVERS, MAINTENANCE VEHICLES, ALL THOSE THINGS ARE LIMITING FACTORS, BUT VERY POPULAR SERVICE.
UH, BLUFFTON BURIES IS A FAIRLY NEW SERVICE, AND IT'S, IT IS NOT A SUCCESSFUL.
UM, THE BLUFFTON BURIES A MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, UH, EIGHT 30 TO FIVE 30, UH, CIRCULATING FIXED ROUTE SERVICE.
IT'S REALLY MEANT TO BE KIND OF A, TO WORK TO THE, TO THE DOCTOR, TO SHOPPING, THINGS LIKE THAT.
IT'S ON A FIXED ROUTE, BASICALLY.
UM, WE HAVE TWO ROUTES THAT CONNECT AT BUCK WELDER PLACE.
THE MAIN ROUTE TRAVELS, UM, BUCKWALTER AND LOUGHTON PARKWAYS AND AREAS IN BETWEEN.
AND THEN THE, THE SECOND ROUTE, WHICH WE LAUNCHED LAST YEAR GOES INTO OAK T CLOSE TO SUN CITY.
NOT QUITE IN, BUT IT GOES CLOSE TO SUN CITY.
IT GOES ALL THE WAY OUT TO THE HARDEE.
DOES IT GO LIKE TO THE DANGER TWO TANGER OUTLETS? YEAH.
TANGER'S, BASICALLY THE EASTERN END AND THEN, UH, BUCK WALTERS WERE THE MAIN ROUTE IS THE WESTERN END, AND THEN IT CONNECTS OVER TO THE OK T ROUTE.
UM, WE HAVE SOME VERY LOYAL RIDERS THAT THAT DEMAND THE SERVICE.
AND THEN WE HAVE A LOT OF FOLKS WE'D LOVE TO GET OUTTA THEIR CARS.
UM, IF YOU'VE DRIVEN ON BLUFFTON PARKWAY, REALLY ANYTIME, UM, THERE'S DEFINITELY A NEED TO GET SOME TRAFFIC OFF THAT ROADWAY.
SO WE'RE REALLY HOPING THAT SERVICE, UH, COMES AROUND.
WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY FOCUSING ON IT.
UM, IT'S, IT'S SORT OF OUR ALBATROSS 'CAUSE WE WERE SO SUCCESSFUL WITH THE TROLLEY, AND THIS IS JUST LIKE A, YOU KNOW, COME ON, PEOPLE.
SO WE'RE TRYING REALLY HARD TO, UH, THE FOLKS AT SUN CITY REALLY APPRECIATE IT, THOUGH.
WE ATTACHED THE OCA T ROUTE TO THE MAIN ROUTE, AND WE'RE DEFINITELY GONNA A LOT OF SENIORS DURING THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY.
UH, WE ALSO DO DEMAND RESPONSE SERVICE HERE IN BUFORD AND PORT ROYAL.
THOSE ARE THE SHORT BUSES YOU SEE, UH, RIDING AROUND HERE.
IT'S ESSENTIALLY, IT'S LIKE A DEVIATED FIXED ROUTE.
UM, WE DO HAVE A ROUTE, BUT IT'S NOT LIKE A SCHEDULED STOP TIME, SO IT'S NOT ACTUALLY A FIXED ROUTE SERVICE.
SO WE TAKE CALLS, WE HAVE REGULAR PASSENGERS.
UM, THE DEMAND FOR THAT IS VERY HIGH.
AND SO IN, IN A MINUTE WHEN I TALK ABOUT THE FUTURE, YOU'LL KIND OF UNDERSTAND WHY WE ARE, WE'RE CONVINCED THAT
[00:10:01]
SOME FOOD SERVICE IN THE FUTURE IS GONNA BE VERY SUCCESSFUL.UM, WE DO THIS SAND SHARK SHUTTLE FOR USCB THAT AS A SEPARATE CONTRACT.
UM, THE, IT'S VERY COMMON FOR PUBLIC TRANSIT AUTHORITIES TO CONTRACT WITH LOCAL UNIVERSITY SYSTEMS TO PROVIDE STUDENT, STUDENT OR FACULTY TRANSPORTATION.
SO DURING THE ACADEMIC YEAR, WE CONNECT, WE USED TO CONNECT ALL THE WAY TO HILTON HEAD, BUT IN THE LAST TWO YEARS, WE'VE DONE JUST BEAUFORT TO OFTEN AND BACK AND FORTH.
AND WE DO SOME SPECIAL SERVICES FOR THE UNIVERSITY AS WELL.
AND THEN FOR THE COUNTY, WE MANAGE THE, UM, FERRY ID CARD PROGRAM.
WE DO NOT DO ANYTHING ELSE, UM, THAT WE DO.
JUST THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE ID CARDS, WHICH THIS YEAR WAS, WAS A JOB.
THIS WAS A, IT WAS A BIG JOB THIS YEAR WITH ALL THE TRANSITION GOING ON.
SO, UM, GOD LOVER, OUR RECEPTIONIST HAS GOTTEN TO KNOW PRETTY MUCH EVERY RESIDENT OR OR FAMILY MEMBER ON DFU ISLAND.
SO, UM, ACTUALLY THOUGH IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT PROGRAM, UH, THOSE PEOPLE ARE ESSENTIALLY TRANSPORTATION INDEPENDENT, IF YOU WILL.
SO, UH, WE'RE VERY PROUD TO DO THAT.
SO THE FUTURE, THAT'S THE MOST EXCITING STUFF.
UM, L RT A'S BEEN AROUND SINCE THE 1970S, WE'RE ALMOST 50 YEARS OLD.
IT WAS A VERY SMALL COMMUTER SERVICE BACK IN THE SEVENTIES AND EIGHTIES.
UM, IT GREW TO THE FIVE COUNTIES.
AND EVENTUALLY IN 2014, ACTUALLY THE 2010 CENSUS, UM, HILTON HAD AND LOFTON, THAT AREA BECAME DESIGNATED AS A SMALL URBAN AREA BY THE FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION ADMINISTRATION.
SO IT'S NOT REALLY, REALLY URBAN, BUT IT, IT HAD ENOUGH POPULATION THAT IT QUALIFIED FOR MORE FUNDING.
AND SO IN 2014, WE STARTED PLANNING WITH THE LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES, UM, THE HILTON HEAD AND, AND BLUFFTON, YOU KNOW, WHAT WOULD FIXED DROUGHT SERVICE OR WHAT WOULD MORE SERVICE LOOK LIKE HERE TO ELIMINATE SOME OF THE CONGESTION.
AND THE RESULTS OF THAT ARE THE TROLLEY AND THE BLUFFTON BREEZE SERVICE.
FAST FORWARD TO 2020, THAT CENSUS.
UM, THIS AREA, BEAUFORT, PORT ROYAL IS ALSO NOW AN, A SMALL URBANIZED AREA.
SO OUR SERVICE AREA NOW INCLUDES TWO SEPARATE URBANIZED AREAS, THIS ONE, AND OBVIOUSLY THE ONE THAT WAS THERE IN HILTON HADN'T LUPTON.
SO WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT A MUCH LARGER POT OF MONEY AT THE FEDERAL AND STATE LEVEL IS AVAILABLE TO US.
IT'S ALL POPULATION DRIVEN FOR THE MOST PART.
UM, AND SO THAT'S EXCITING BECAUSE AS LONG AS WE CAN SECURE LOCAL MATCH, WE CAN PROVIDE MORE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SERVICES IN BEAUFORT, PORT ROYAL IN THE SURROUNDING AREA.
SO WE'VE GOT THE URBANIZED AREA HERE, GIVES US THE ACCESS TO THE ADDITIONAL FEDERAL TRANSIT FUNDS, WHICH IS, IT'S EITHER A 50 50 OR AN 80 20 MATCH GENERALLY.
SO A LOT OF PROJECTS, IF AS LONG AS WE CAN SECURE THAT 20%, WE GET ACCESS TO 80% FROM THE FEDERAL AND STATE.
UM, WORKING WITH ELCO, STEPHANIE AND HER GROUP, UH, WE ARE WORKING ON WHAT WE CALL THE NORTH OF THE BROAD, UM, THE, THE NORTH OF THE BROAD TRANSIT PLAN THAT'S UNDER DEVELOPMENT.
UM, WE HAVE SECURED A CONSULTANT AND I THINK WE'RE CLOSE TO A CONTRACT.
SO THAT'S EXCITING BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE, THAT'S WHERE THE PLANNER AND ME GETS REALLY EXCITED BECAUSE THAT'S, THAT'S HOW IT ALL COMES TOGETHER.
YOU DON'T, CAN'T DO ANYTHING WITHOUT A PLAN.
YOU HAVE TO GO OUT TO PUBLIC INPUT.
WE'LL, OBVIOUSLY WE'LL SOLICIT INPUT FROM ALL OF YOU, UM, EVERYBODY UP HERE BECAUSE THE, UM, THE LATENT DEMAND THAT THE UNMET DEMAND UP HERE IS HUGE.
I MEAN, BLUFFTON IS KIND OF HARD TO SEE UP HERE.
IT'S, EXCEPT FOR THE CONGESTION AND THE TRAFFIC ACCIDENT.
IF YOU DRIVE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY IN ANY OF THE MORE POP POPULATED AREAS, YOU SEE IT.
YOU'RE LIKE, WOW, THESE PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE A BUS SYSTEM.
SO, UH, I'M VERY EXCITED TO SEE WHAT THEY COME UP WITH BECAUSE I THINK SOME OF THE THINGS WE THINK MIGHT COME OUT OF THAT, AGAIN, WE DON'T WANNA TELL THE CONSULTANTS WHAT TO DO, BUT I THINK YOU'RE GONNA SEE A ROBUST FIX OUT NETWORK THAT'S CENTERED AROUND BLUFF OR BEAU, I'M SORRY, BEAUFORT.
AND, UM, I, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE SO MUCH SERVICE UP HERE, I HOPE EVENTUALLY THAT IT'LL REQUIRE A TRANSIT CENTER PROBABLY IN BEAUFORD SOMEWHERE.
UM, BUS STOP SHELTERS, WHICH WE DON'T EVEN HAVE IN BLUFFTON OR IN HILTON HEAD.
UM, AND PROBABLY MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS.
SO YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A WHOLE NEW SATELLITE OR PERHAPS EVEN NEW HOME BASE FOR LRTA PALMETTO BREEZE, BECAUSE I THINK THIS SERVICE IS REALLY GONNA GO WELL AND IT'S GONNA START, REALLY START WHAT I WOULD CALL FULLY INTERCONNECTED MOBILITY FOR THE LOW COUNTRY.
UM, I HAD BEEN, UH, UH, CHAIRMAN OF THIS COMMITTEE FOR SOME NUMBER OF YEARS, AND AT THAT TIME I WAS WORKING WITH MARY LOU AND UM, UH, CAME UP WITH A PROPOSAL FOR A, UH, TROLLEY SYSTEM THAT WOULD SERVICE THE PORT ROYAL BUFORD LADIES ISLAND AREA AND ACT AS A, UM, HAVE FEEDER SYSTEM THAT WOULD COME INTO IT SO WE COULD
[00:15:01]
ACCOMMODATE A LOT OF OUR LOW INCOME PEOPLE AS WELL AS, UH, VISITORS.UM, AND THAT WHILE I WAS CHAIR, UH, WAS PRESENTED AND APPROVED BY THIS COMMITTEE, UH, I GOT CANCER, WAS GONE FOR A YEAR NOW, JUST COME BACK, UM, WOULD LIKE TO REENGAGE AND WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, MAYBE SHARE THAT, UH, INFORMATION ABSOLUTELY.
YEAH, WE DON'T WANNA RECREATE ANYTHING.
AND THE CONSULTANTS WILL WANT US TO HEAR THAT AS WELL.
THEY'LL LOOK AT ALL THE DETAIL.
UM, IT'S FUNNY 'CAUSE THE NEXT SLIDE, GO AHEAD AND GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
WE'VE ACTUALLY TAKEN THE LIBERTY OF DRAFTING UP WHAT ESSENTIALLY WHAT IT'LL BE FOR TROLLEY MIGHT LOOK LIKE IF WE WERE TO KEEP, THERE'S, THERE'S REAL SENSE IN KEEPING A HOMOGENIZED FLEET SO THAT YOU CAN SWAP VEHICLES IN AND OUT.
SO WE BASICALLY LAYERED IT OVER THE TOP OF WHAT WE DO IN HILTON HEAD.
UH, WE JUST CAME UP WITH A NAME, RIGHT.
BUT, UM, WE THINK THAT IS A VERY VIABLE SOLUTION AND THAT'S KIND OF WHAT HAPPENS ON HILTON HEAD.
YOU, WE DO HAVE TRANSPORTATION DEPENDENT PEOPLE WHO TAKE THAT TROLLEY SERVICE, IT IS FREE AND THEY LOVE IT BECAUSE IT, WHEN IT'S NOT RUNNING, THEY'RE EITHER BIKING, WALKING, OR TAKING AN UBER OR A CAB.
AND UBERS AND CABS ON HILTON HEAD ARE NOT CHEAP.
WHAT, UM, HOW LATE DO THEY RUN ON HILTON HEAD? WE RUN TILL 10:00 PM SO, SO PEOPLE COULD USE IT TO GO TO THE RESTAURANT? OH YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
AND THEN FRIDAY, SATURDAYS WE RUN TILL 11.
AND OF COURSE WE WOULD STRUCTURE IT HERE, WHATEVER WORKS BEST HERE.
BUT OBVIOUSLY THE BEAVER CORE PROBABLY SIMILAR HOURS.
WE DON'T START OVER THERE TILL ONE.
OH, REALLY? AND THE REASON IS BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE GOLFING, TENNIS, PICKLEBALL, BEACH, WHATEVER.
WE JUST, WE HAD VERY FEW RIDER THE FIRST YEAR WE TRIED IT STARTING AT 10 ROUGH.
SO YEAH, IT'S TERRIBLE OVER THERE.
IT WOULD BE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
SO A TROLLEY, LIKE IF YOU LIVED IN PORT ROYAL OR MOSS OAKS, YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAD STOPS WHERE YOU COULD TAKE THE TROLLEY DOWNTOWN RATHER THAN 'CAUSE PARKING IS AN ISSUE DOWNTOWN, IT WOULD PROBABLY BE A CIRCULATING TROLLEY, WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY WHAT WE DO AT
UNLESS YOU'RE YEAH, THE VEHICLE TYPES MIGHT CHANGE.
THESE TROLLEYS WERE SECURED FOUR OR FIVE YEARS AGO.
SEVEN YEARS AGO, TROLLEY THAT YOU COULD TAKE.
WELL, WE THINK IT WOULD FIT, RIGHT? I MEAN, IT'S JUST A BUS.
ONCE THEY GET ON AND OFF, THEY KIND OF FIGURED OUT.
SO IT'S A LOT MORE FUN TO RIDE.
AND AS I ALWAYS SAY ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA, WHEN PEOPLE ASK ABOUT IT, I ALWAYS SAY, KIDS OF OLLIE JUST DIG THE TROLLEY.
AND, UM, NOT THE MOST COMFORTABLE RIDE.
I MIGHT, ANNA, WE TALK ABOUT THIS ALL THE TIME,
SO IF YOU'RE ON THERE FOR MORE THAN 15, 20 MINUTES, YOU'RE LIKE, GOLLY.
UM, BUT THERE'S A SOLUTION FOR THAT IF YOU'RE LOOK AT SOME PADDING.
BUT, UM, YEAH, I, I MEAN THERE'S NO DOUBT THAT THAT WOULD BE SORT OF THE CENTER OF IT.
SORT OF THE HUB AND THEN FEEDERS THAT MIGHT BE SMALLER BUSES.
THERE'S A THING IN THE INDUSTRY NOW CALLED MICRO TRANSIT, WHICH SOUNDS ALL FANCY, BUT IT'S REALLY JUST, UM, TECHNOLOGY DRIVEN, DEMAND RESPONSE SERVICE.
SO YOU WOULD USE, MAYBE IT WOULD HAVE A NEW APP, SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE WOULD USE TO BOOK.
YOU COULD EVEN TIE IT IN WITH UBER AND LYFT SO THAT IF YOU HAD AN OUTLIER, THEY COULD GO TO THE APP, REQUEST A TRIP.
AND IF WE CAN'T DO IT, THEY GET AN UBER OR A LYFT DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF SERVICE.
OF COURSE, WHEN, WHEN I WAS WORKING WITH MARY LOU, UM, IT WAS DECIDED THAT FOR OUR AREA TO DO A LOOP, UH, WE'D PROBABLY NEED TWO TROLLEYS SO THAT THEY COULD CIRCULATE OPPOSITE SIDE.
AND YOU WOULDN'T HAVE THAT LONG OF A WEIGHT.
AND THERE WOULD HAVE TO BE A THIRD ONE THAT WOULD BE A, UM, UH, UH, REPLACEMENT.
YOU WANNA KEEP THE FREQUENCY HIGH ENOUGH THAT'S HI, HAD WE HAVE THAT EXACT THING, KEEP THE FREQUENCY HIGH ENOUGH.
UM, AND KEEP IT SIMPLE, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE A LOT OF VISITORS, WHICH BUFORT DOES HAVE VISITORS TOO.
IT'S EASIER IF IT'S EVERY HOUR OR EVERY HALF HOUR.
THEY CAN UNDERSTAND THAT EASILY.
AND IT'S PHENOMENAL BECAUSE WE TELL PEOPLE YOU SHOULD NEVER WAIT MORE THAN 29 MINUTES 'CAUSE IT'S 30 MINUTE, UH, PICKUP TIMES.
AND THAT'S GENERALLY TRUE UNLESS TRAFFIC, WHICH LAST NIGHT WAS HORRIFIC AS WELL, THE RAIN.
BUT, UM, YEAH, SO WE'VE GOT THAT.
YOU'VE GOT THE UNIVERSITY, WHICH IS A, IT'S A TRIP GENERATOR FOR DOZENS OF REASONS, NOT JUST THE STUDENT STUFF THAT WE ALREADY DO.
UM, AND IT'S GROWING, RIGHT? UNIVERSITY'S GROWING.
UM, ONE THING THAT MOST TRANSITS DO REALLY WELL, WE DO NOT YET IS TRANSIT SERVICE FOR MILITARY AND THEIR FAMILIES.
I MEAN, THIS IS A MILITARY AREA, WHY ARE WE NOT DOING THAT? RIGHT? I'M KINDA SORT OF CRITICIZING OURSELVES.
BUT IT'S, IT'S ALL FUNDING DRIVEN.
SO THIS, UM, ADDITIONAL POT OF MONEY THROUGH THE FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION WILL OPEN UP THE ABILITY FOR US TO DO WAY MORE FOR THE MILITARY.
UM, AND THEN ANY FIXED DROUGHT SERVICE WE DO.
SO THE, UM, TROLLEY AND HILTON HAD THE BLUFF AND BREEZE SERVICE, AND THEN OUR WALTERBORO WORKS UP IN COLLAGEN.
[00:20:01]
THOSE ARE FEDERALLY FUNDED FIXED ROUTE SERVICES.SO WHAT COMES WITH THAT THEN IS A MANDATE FOR A DA SERVICE WITHIN THREE QUARTERS OF A MILE OF THOSE ROUTES.
SO SAME SERVICE HOURS TO DATES WITHIN THREE QUARTERS OF A MILE.
IF THERE'S SOMEONE WHO'S SU UM, QUALIFIES FOR A DA, THEY CAN REQUEST AN A DA PICKUP, UH, TRIP.
AND SO WE DON'T HAVE A TON IN HILTON HEAD, BUT BLUFFTON IS GROWING.
WE ARE GETTING MANY, MANY, MANY, MANY, MANY MORE, UH, A DA REQUESTS IN, IN BLUFFTON.
WE ANTICIPATE, AND I'M SURE OUR PLANNERS WILL TELL US THAT AND HAVE A TON OF THEM HERE AS WELL, BECAUSE PEOPLE DO QUALIFY.
UH, IT'S NOT, THAT'S NOT FOR EVERYBODY, BUT THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT REQUIRES THAT.
SO, SO WE WOULD DEFINITELY HAVE A DA PARATRANSIT SERVICE WITHIN THREE QUARTERS OF A MILE OF ALL FIXED ROUTE SERVICE.
SO WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE PLAN AND THE CONSULTANT, THEY WOULD LOOK AT THE FUNCTIONAL NEEDS OF A DA AND SO FORTH WITHIN THE AREAS OF STUDY? YEAH, IT'S, UM, THE STUDY KIND OF, I SAY BROAD, BUT IT, WE, WE LOOK AT MICRO TRANSIT, LOOKING AT FIXED ROUTE TRANSIT, THE FACILITIES THAT MAY NEED TO EXIST HERE OVER, IT'S A PLAN.
SO OVER THE GROWTH, YOU KNOW, POTENTIAL GROWTH.
AND WE'D ALSO JUST TO START OUT LOOK AT WHAT THEY CAN DO WITH WHAT THEY ALREADY HAVE BASED ON THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE AND THEN WHAT WE COULD DO, WHAT WE WOULD NEED TO GROW.
SO IT'S, UM, IT WOULD COVER A, A WIDE RANGE OF NEEDS UP IN THIS AREA AND DOVETAIL INTO THE EXISTING SERVICES AS WELL.
ONE OF THE BIGGEST QUESTIONS WE GET IS CONNECTIVITY, ESPECIALLY HILTON, AT BLUFFTON.
BUT WE GET A LOT OF YOU FOR BLUFFTON HILTON HAD, AND THE ANSWER WE HAVE TO GIVE 'EM IS EITHER A COMMUTER BUS EARLY IN THE MORNING OR LATE THE AFTERNOON OR NOTHING.
AND PEOPLE GO, WHAT? AND YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO'VE, I ALWAYS SAY IN BLUFFTON IN PARTICULAR, YOU HAVE TWO TYPES OF PEOPLE AND THERE'S VERY FEW IN BETWEEN.
YOU HAVE THE SORT OF THE, THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN IN BLUFFTON THEIR WHOLE LIFE AND LIKE, WHY DO WE NEED A BUS? WHO WANTS A BUS? WE NOT NEW YORK CITY, WE WE'RE BLUFFTON.
AND YOU HAVE THE OTHER PEOPLE WHO ARE TRANSPLANTS AND THEY'RE LIKE, WHERE'S THE BUS
BUT, UM, YEAH, I MEAN WE, THE, THE, THE NEW RIVERSIDE AREA DOWN THERE IS EXPLODING.
I CAN, I MEAN, I DRIVE THROUGH THERE, I'M LIKE, OH MY GOSH, THERE'S SOMETHING NEW EVERY DAY.
WE GET THAT REQUEST ALL THE TIME.
I MEAN, WE CAN'T, WE'RE JUST NOT THERE YET.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THOSE THINGS WILL COME.
BUT I THINK IF YOU HAD AN INTERCONNECTED SYSTEM WHERE YOU CAN CONNECT EASILY ON, ON A PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVE BETWEEN BUFORT, BLUFFTON AND HILTON HEAD, IT'S INCREDIBLY VIABLE, I THINK INCREDIBLY FINE FOR, FOR RESIDENTS AND VISITORS.
BRIAN, THE STUDY THAT YOU MENTIONED EARLIER, UH, YOU TALKED ABOUT STUDYING AROUND BUFORD AND PORT ROYAL.
IS THAT JUST LIMITED TO THE PORT ROYAL ISLAND PORTIONS, OR IS IT LADIES ISLAND TOO? BECAUSE WHAT WE'RE REALLY INTERESTED IN IS REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF TRIPS BACK AND FORTH.
IT WILL, BECAUSE THAT'S PART OF THE, IT'S ALL FROM THE, FROM THE CENSUS STANDPOINT.
SO EVEN THE, EVEN WHAT WE REFER TO AS VERY RURAL ARE PART OF THAT URBAN AREA PER THE CENSUS.
'CAUSE THEY'LL, THEY'LL DO A BROADER, I THINK WHAT STEPHANIE WAS SAYING, IT'LL BE A LITTLE BIT BROADER THAN THE WHOLE AREA.
LIKE WE, THE STUDY THAT DID, UM, L HILTON HAD WITH THE AECOM SEVERAL YEARS AGO, IT HAD ALL SORTS OF, AND EVEN TALKED ABOUT GOING TO THE SAVANNAH AIRPORT, LIKE GETTING AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT TO DO A RUN TO FROM AIRPORT.
WE KIND OF THREW THAT OVER HERE.
ANYWAY, THE POSSIBILITIES ARE HUGE.
AND SO THIS IS, THIS IS, AND THE PUBLIC OUTREACH FOR THIS STUDY HAS TO BE REALLY GOOD.
AND I CAN'T WAIT BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA GET SO MANY GREAT, SO MUCH GREAT INPUT.
UM, THE FUNDING IS THE HARD PART.
AND SO WHAT WE'RE DOING, UM, OUR DIRECTOR OF FINANCE, SHE IS FAST AND FURIOUS FOR ING GRANT MONEY.
THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE HAVE TO SPEND THE GRANT MONEY.
WE HAVE SEVERAL YEARS IN MOST CASES TO USE THAT MONEY FROM THE FEDERAL, UH, TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION.
SO SHE, IN FACT, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT YESTERDAY CERTAIN THINGS AND SHE SAID, WELL, WHAT WOULD WE USE THAT FOR? AND I SAID, I MEAN, WE DON'T KNOW.
WE'RE STUDENT LOOKING AT IT GOING, WELL, WE'RE GONNA NEED A FACILITY, WE'RE GONNA NEED BUSES.
SOME OF THE BUSES HAVE AN 18 MONTH LEAD TIME.
SO, UM, YOU WANNA DO SOMETHING BY 2026, YOU SHOULD BE ORDERING A BUS.
NOW, UM, IN SOME CASES, NOT ALL, BUT SOME CASES, SO, AND SPECIALTY VEHICLE LIKE THAT, DEFINITELY 18 MONTHS.
I THINK IT TOOK TWO YEARS, I THINK ORIGINALLY FOR THAT.
AND THEN DURING COVID IT WAS HORRIFIC.
BUT THIS IS COMPATIBLE WITH OUR STRATEGIC PLAN IN THIS CITY.
AND I CAN TELL YOU, WE WILL, WE WILL HELP PUSH BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY THE INFORMATION OUT TO GET, APPRECIATE THAT PARTICIPATION IN THE STUDY.
THAT'S, THAT'S HOW IT WORKED IN HILTON PENN.
UM, IT WAS FUNNY BECAUSE BEFORE I GOT INVOLVED, UM, THE URBAN AREA WAS BOTH HILTON, PENN AND BLUFFTON.
AND SO THEY WERE KIND OF PITTED AGAINST EACH OTHER.
UNOFFICIALLY, RIGHT? YOU WERE LIKE, WHO'S GONNA COME TO THE TABLE FIRST? WELL, HILTON HAD HAD ALREADY DONE
[00:25:01]
THE, THE CIRCLE TO CIRCLE STUDY THE CITY, THE TOWN DID, RIGHT? AND SO THEY HAD THAT PIECE OF PLANNING DONE.AND IN THAT PLANNING IT SAID YOU SHOULD DO A RUBBER TIRE TROLLEY ON POPE AVENUE.
BASICALLY WAS SORT OF THE, THE INITIAL THOUGHT.
AND SO THEN HEADS GOT TOGETHER AND THAT POPPED TO THE TOP.
UM, BLUFFTON HAD TALKED ABOUT DOING A CIRCULATING TROLLEY IN OLD TOWN.
THEY CAME, THEY WALKED AWAY FROM THE TABLE.
AND SO WHEN, AT ONE POINT WE THOUGHT BLUFFTON WAS GONNA BE FIRST, AND THEN HILTON HAD KIND OF CAME TO THE TABLE AND AGREED TO BE THE LOCAL MATCH.
AND THAT'S HOW THAT SERVICE CAME ABOUT.
THEY ALSO HAD LOOKED AT DOING IT THEMSELVES BECAUSE CITIES AND TOWNS CAN DO THAT IF THEY WANT, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THE MONEY.
SO THEY LOOKED AT IT THEMSELVES, THEY KNEW WHAT THEY WANTED AND WENT, OH WHOA, THOSE ARE $400,000 VEHICLES, UH, AND WHERE ARE WE GONNA MAINTAIN 'EM? AND ALL THIS OTHER STUFF.
SO IT WAS WAY QUICKER AND EASIER TO WORK WITH THE TRANSIT AUTHORITY.
THAT'S A KIND OF, IN A NUTSHELL, IT'S NOT ALL THE DETAIL, BUT UM, I DID INCLUDE ON THE NEXT SLIDE, LET ME, IS WHEN I THINK I START.
OKAY, SO I, I'VE LEFT OUR BUDGET NUMBERS IN HERE.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT TO TALK BUDGET NUMBERS OR NOT, BUT I LEFT THEM IN HERE IN CASE YOU DID.
UM, THIS IS OUR, UH, REVENUE PROJECTIONS FOR 2025, WHICH IS A LITTLE BIT OF A WILD ASS.
YOU KNOW WHAT? BECAUSE THE FEDERAL GRANTS HAVE NOT BEEN TOTALLY DETERMINED YET.
SO WE RAN FORWARD WITH WHAT WE HAD FOR 2024, SO THAT THIS IS ALL SUBJECT TO CHANGE, BUT UM, IN ORDER TO GET BUDGETS TOGETHER AND THEN GO TO OUT TO THE FIVE COUNTIES IN THE TWO, TWO MUNICIPALITIES THAT HELP WITH LOCAL MATCH, WE HAD TO GET A NUMBER, RIGHT.
UH, AND THIS IS JUST OUR RURAL SERVICE BY THE WAY.
AND THEN THE NEXT SLIDE, LIBBY HAS, UM, OH, AND BY THE WAY, I'M GONNA APOLOGIZE.
I ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE IN MY OFFICE I'M WORDS AND PICTURES.
I CAN, I KNOW THE NUMBERS, BUT YOU GUYS SPEAK TO THE NUMBERS WAY BETTER THAN I DO.
SO BEAR WITH ME IF I MAKE A MISTAKE.
UM, SO WE TALKED ABOUT THE, HOW THE POPULATION DRIVES, ESPECIALLY THE URBAN SHARE OF THE LOCAL MATCH.
UM, YOU CAN KIND OF SEE HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED.
UM, HILTON HAS LOST A LOT OF POPULATION, UM, GOING INTO 2025.
SO TOWN OF BLUFFTON IS UP MORE.
AND THEN OBVIOUSLY BUFORT COUNTY'S UP MORE.
AND THAT'S JUST BASED ON THE POPULATION DIVIDE IN THE URBAN AREA.
OBVIOUSLY THAT'LL CHANGE WITH A NEW URBAN AREA 'CAUSE WE HAVEN'T STARTED INCORPORATING HOW THAT ALL WORK SHAKES OUT.
WHAT'S THE DATE OF THE NUMBERS ON THE LEFT? SEE? UH, I THINK IT'S 2022 OR 23.
SO OUR NEW FINANCE DIRECTOR SAID WE NEED TO LOOK AT THAT.
'CAUSE WE KNEW IT HAD CHANGED.
SO, UM, UNFORTUNATELY IN THE SENSE IT, IT WAS TO THE BENEFIT OF HILTON HAD BECAUSE THEY HAD LESS OF A LOCAL MATCH.
KIND OF WEIRD, BUT BROUGHT BLUFFED MORE TO THE TABLE.
THIS IS A URBAN REVENUE SUMMARY.
AS YOU CAN SEE, FARES TINY NUMBER.
THE TROLLEY SERVICE ON TIL NET'S FREE.
THE BLUFFTON SERVICE IS FREE UNTIL THE END OF SEPTEMBER.
AND IF THEN, AND, UH, ASSUMING OUR BOARD, UM, APPROVES GOING TO A FAIR, IT'LL BE A DOLLAR A TRIP.
UM, SO THOSE FARES ARE ALMOST ENTIRELY THE, THE CIRCULATING SERVICE YOU SEE HERE AND THE COMMUTER SERVICE THAT WE DO.
AND THEN YOU SEE THE FEDERAL GRANTS AND ALL THE LOCAL MATCH.
WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE LOCAL MATCH HERE IN A SECOND.
SO THIS IS THE, THE BREAKDOWN OF RIDERSHIP BY COUNTY.
AND THEN WE HAVE THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD IN THERE BECAUSE THAT IS ESSENTIALLY THE TROLLEY SERVICE.
SO WE BREAK THAT OUT SEPARATELY.
UM, BUT YOU CAN SEE BEAUFORT COUNTY IS THE VAST MAJORITY OF RIDERSHIP.
BEAUFORT COUNTY IS, IS THE BIGGEST PARTNER FOR RURAL FUNDING.
SO WE BREAK THEM OUT SEPARATELY AND THEN WE COMBINE ALL THE OTHER LOCAL PARTNERS.
SO OF THE FIVE COUNTIES AND TWO MUNICIPALITIES, UH, BEAUFORT COUNTY IS BY FAR THE LARGEST FOR THE RURAL FUNDING.
THEN YOU KIND SEE THE STATE AND FEDERAL SHARE.
YOU DON'T DO IT THROUGH THE REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY.
UH, THIS IS, I LIKE THIS CHART.
UM, IT REALLY KIND OF SHOWS, UH, THE, THE, THE GROWTH OF POPULATION OF BEAUFORT COUNTY BEAUFORT ISS, THE RED.
AND YOU KIND OF SEE HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED.
IT ACTUALLY WENT, IT DIPPED DOWN FOR SOME REASON BETWEEN 22 AND 23, BUT, UM, NOT MUCH.
AND UM, YOU CAN SEE HOW IT'S JUST GROWN.
IT'S ALL THOSE PEOPLE COMING DOWN.
UH, SO THIS WAS OUR BUDGET REQUEST AND I, I THINK THE BUDGET HAS NOT BEEN APPROVED YET UNLESS I MISSED SOMETHING.
BUT THE, THE REQUEST, OUR REQUEST WAS INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET.
SO, UM, THE TOTAL, UH, WAS ACTUALLY FOR 2025 IS 5 55.
AND THEN THIS WAS A SHORTFALL FOR 2024 THAT AT THIS POINT, THE COUNTY
[00:30:01]
HAS AGREED TO INCLUDE IN 2025 BUDGET.UM, SO YEAH, SO THANKS YESTERDAY.
THANK YOU WITHOUT, UH, NEXT SLIDE.
SO THAT'S OUR FACILITY WITH THE, UM, THE URBAN VEHICLES THAT WE USE OVER IN THE BLUFFTON ELEMENT AREA.
DO THOSE TROLLEYS? I CAN'T TELL THEY HAVE, UM, SOME PEOPLE PUT THEIR BICYCLES.
EVERY VEHICLE WE OPERATE WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE SMALL LITTLE EASY BREEZE VANS, WE DO HAS A BIKE RACK FOR TWO BIKES.
UM, I ALWAYS, TODAY, NOW STANDARD SIZE BIKES 'CAUSE ANYTHING WITH A FAT TIRE DOESN'T FIT.
THEY HAVE THOSE RACKS, BUT THEN THE, THE REGULAR TIRE DOESN'T FIT AS WELL.
SO IT'S KIND OF A CONUNDRUM, BUT YEAH.
YEAH, YOU WOULD, YOU WOULD WANT BIKE RACKS FOR THE, AND THEY'RE USED, THE COMMUTER BUSES USE 'EM.
I'M AMAZED HOW MANY COMMUTERS USE THEM.
RYAN, YOU MENTIONED A CONTRACTOR CONSULTANT COMING ON BOARD.
DO YOU HAVE A, UH, ANTICIPATED TIMELINE FOR THE RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS COMPLETION? ABOUT A YEAR THAT WE'RE KIND SAYING? YEAH.
UM, I ACTUALLY JUST GOT A CALL FROM DOT.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE GOING THROUGH OUR CON THEY HAVE TO APPROVE ELK CO'S AGREEMENT WITH THE CONSULTANT.
SO THEY'RE JUST REVIEWING THAT RIGHT NOW.
AS SOON AS THEY, WE GET THE THUMBS UP, WE CAN SIGN AND START THE PROJECT.
SO I'M HOPING WE'RE ACTUALLY GONNA START KICKING OFF THE NEXT MONTH OR SO.
UM, AND IT'S ABOUT A 12 MONTH PROJECT.
IT'S A LOT OF, LOT OF, LOT OF T'S AND I'S CROSSED THE BOTTOM.
I I DO JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU THOUGH TO THE CITY OF BUFORT, PORT TOWN OF PORT ROYAL AND THE COUNTY ALL CONTRIBUTED MATCH TO THIS STUDY TOO.
SO, AND YOU ALL WILL BE REACHING OUT TO YOU FOR YOUR AND THE FIRM THAT WAS SELECTED.
RSH, WE'VE WORKED WITH THEM BEFORE.
WE DID, WE HAVEN'T USED IT YET.
WE, 2021 WHEN THE AIRPORT ON HILLHEAD, THE COUNTY'S AIRPORT, UH, GOT SO BUSY, THERE WAS AN IMMEDIATE REQUEST, UM, FOR SOMETHING, SOME SORT OF FIXED ROUTE SERVICE THAT WOULD, THAT WOULD GET PEOPLE TO AND FROM HILLHEAD AIRPORT.
SO WORKING WITH RSS AND H KIND OF ON THE FLY, IT WAS REALLY QUICK BY OUR STANDARDS.
I THOUGHT IT WAS EXTREMELY FAST.
AND WE HAVE AN ON THE SHELF PLAN FOR, UH, CIRCULATING SERVICE THAT WOULD KINDA BE CENTERED AROUND THE HILTON HEAD AIRPORT.
SO WE'RE KIND OF WAITING FOR ALL THE CHANGE THERE AND HOPEFULLY SOME EMPLOYMENTS AND ALL THAT KIND OF FUN STUFF SO THAT THE PARKING LOT IS FULL.
AND THAT WE WANNA OFFER LIKE A $5 OP OPTION, UM, FOR FOLKS IF THEY'RE WILLING TO WAIT FOR A FIXED ROUTE SERVICE TO COME THROUGH THE AIRPORT, PARTICULARLY IN THE HIGH SEASON.
SO WE HAVE IT SITTING THERE WAITING AND THEY DID A BANG UP JOB.
THEY'RE OUT OF SAVANNAH OR THE, THE STAFF THAT WE USE ARE OUT SAVANNAH AND, UM, AND THEY KNOW HILTON HEAD, THEY KNOW BEAUFORT COUNTY, THEY KNOW EVERYTHING.
SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO A REALLY QUICK START ON THAT.
AND, UM, AND I THINK THEY KNOW SOME OF THE PLAYERS TOO.
SO IT'S GONNA BE EASIER FROM A, A STAKEHOLDER STANDPOINT THERE.
NOW I SAY EASY, BUT THAT'S, I'M CUTTING A CHECK FOR THEM, SO I SHOULDN'T SAY THAT.
BUT OBVIOUSLY WE'RE GONNA DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO EXPEDITE THAT.
AND LIKE I SAID, WE RELY ON, UM, ALL STAKEHOLDERS, ALL FIVE COUNTIES ULTIMATELY.
BUT, YOU KNOW, BEAUFORT COUNTY IS, AND THAT STUDY'S CLEARLY UP HERE NORTH OF BROAD.
SO THE QUESTIONS I JUST QUICKLY, UM, UH, I APPRECIATE IT.
I WANT TO JUST FOLLOW UP ON WHAT SCOTT HAD ACTUALLY ASKED YOU EARLIER, UH, OF THE GREATER AREA OF, UM, OF THE, OF NORTHERN BE COUNTY, WHICH WOULD INCLUDE LADIES ISLAND AND MOST OF THE, UM, SCENARIO I'VE SEEN, UM, I WANT TO GO UP TO, UM, IT'LL BE A HARRIS TEETER AND WAL GREEN RIGHT NOW, BUT, UM, LOOK AT, UM, TRYING TO EXTEND THAT LITTLE EASTWOOD TO WALMART.
YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD HELP A LOT.
WALMARTS ARE ALMOST ALWAYS ON A TRANSIT ROUTE.
I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S VERY RARE UNLESS IT'S A VERY, UH, RURAL AREA.
BUT EVEN ALL THE WALMARTS HERE ARE ON SOME SORT OF, HAVE SOME SORT OF SERVICE NOW.
UM, WELL REALLY THEY ALWAYS DID.
BUT NOW, LIKE HARDY VILLE AND, UH, WALMART BLUFF AND HAVE MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY HOURLY SERVICE.
SO, UM, THE, THE HILTON HEAD BLUFFTON CHAMBER IS TRYING TO WORK WITH THEIR MEMBERS TO GET TO, BASICALLY TO TRY SOME PILOT PROGRAMS FOR ESSENTIALLY LIKE AN EXPRESS COMMUTER SERVICE, PROBABLY FROM THE HARDY, UH, WALMART SUPER CENTER.
'CAUSE THEN YOU'RE NOW IT'S QUICKER, RIGHT? BECAUSE OUR, OUR COMPUTER SERVICE TAKES A WHILE TO GET TO AND FROM.
I MEAN, SOME OF THOSE FOLKS FROM WAY OUT THERE COME, THEY RIDE FOR TWO HOURS EACH WAY.
SO IF YOU COULD FIND A WAY TO GET SOME OF THOSE FOLKS TO THE ISLAND QUICKER TO THE JOBS, UM, THE PASSENGERS ARE FASCINATING TO TALK TO THAT AND THAT, AND AGAIN, THE, UM, THE CONSULTANT WILL WILL TRY TO TALK TO AS MANY POTENTIAL PASSENGERS AS THEY CAN.
'CAUSE THEY WANNA KNOW IF THIS IS GONNA BE SUCCESSFUL OR NOT.
AND THAT KIND OF INPUT IS EXACTLY WHAT
[00:35:01]
WE NEED.'CAUSE IT'S, YOU KNOW, YOUR AREA.
WAY BETTER THAN THAT WE DO IN THE CONSULTANT.
SO THAT'S WHERE THE PUBLIC OUTREACH IS GONNA BE CRITICAL FOR THIS.
THE OTHER THING I'LL THROW IN TOO, UM, MOST TRANS AUTHORITIES, LARGER ONES ACROSS THE COUNTRY HAVE WHAT WE CALL DEDICATED FUNDING.
MAYBE YOU'VE HEARD THIS BEFORE.
AND SO EVERY YEAR WE GO, AS WE SAY IT HAT IN HAND TO ALL FIVE COUNTIES AND TWO MUNICIPALITIES GIVE THEM THOSE NUMBERS AND HOPE THEY PAY.
UM, YOU, YOU GUYS ARE GONNA BE GREAT TOWN OF HILTON AND TOWN OF BLUFFTON ARE REALLY GREAT.
THE OTHER COUNTIES, NOT ALWAYS, THEY'RE GONNA BE CONSISTENT.
AND SO THE YEAR GOES BY AND WE'VE ONLY GOTTEN HALF OF WHAT THEY COMMITTED TO PAY.
THE, UM, SALES TAX REFERENDUM INCLUDES WHAT THEY CALL MASS TRANSIT TO THE TUNE OF 80 MILLION OVER 10 YEARS.
UM, A BIG CHUNK OF THAT WOULD GO TO THE LRTA AND WOULD SERVE AS LOCAL MATCH.
SO DO THE MATH TAKE 10 MILLION SAY OF THAT MONEY THAT OPENS UP 90 MILLION OR, OR 80 MILLION, EXCUSE ME, MORE IN MONEY WE CAN GET FROM THE FEDERAL AND STATE HAD A QUESTION IT LOOKED LIKE, IF I REMEMBER RIGHT, THE STATE DOESN'T CONTRIBUTE A LOT OF TIME.
THE STATE'S CONTRIBUTION, I'M GONNA OFFEND SOMEBODY, SORRY.
OUR BOARD CHAIR, UM, AND ONE OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS WERE AT A LEGISLATIVE DAY.
THOSE CONVERSATIONS HONESTLY JUST HAVEN'T HAD BEEN HAD.
UM, COLUMBIA GETS IT, CHARLESTON GETS IT, BUT EVERYBODY ELSE IS STILL SORT OF JUST TRYING TO GET TO THE TABLE.
SO THE STATE KNOWS IT'S A DEFICIENCY.
UM, WE WORK WITH THE STATE TRANSIT ASSOCIATION AS MUCH AS WE CAN TO KIND OF AFFECT THAT CONVERSATION.
AND THEY'RE GONNA TAKE NOTICE EVENTUALLY.
I MEAN, THEY'RE LOOKING AT, THEY SEE THESE NUMBERS TOO, RIGHT? SO WE HAVE TWO URBANIZED AREAS NOW IN THE LOW COUNTRY, WHEREAS WE HAD ZERO 15 YEARS AGO.
SO THAT MEANS THERE'S THAT MUCH MORE MONEY AND THE STATE NEEDS TO BE A PARTNER AND MOVE THAT STUFF FORWARD.
THEY HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
AND THEY ARE, I WANNA SAY THEY'RE ONE OF THE WORST STATES, I THINK OUT OF THE 50 STATES.
I MEAN THEY'RE, THEY'RE CON STATE CONTRIBUTION'S NOT AS HIGH.
DO, DO WRITERS' FAIRS OFFSET THE MUNICIPALITIES IN ANY WAY? NO, HONESTLY, NO.
UM, WE DO BUDGET FOR FAIRES OF COURSE, BUT OUR FAIR RETENTION'S VERY LOW.
AND AS I ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE, ANY OF OUR SERVICES, WHETHER THERE'S A FAIR OR NOT, WE'RE MORE ABOUT THE BUTT IN THE SEAT, A SAFE RIDE, A CONVENIENT RIDE, AND A, AND A PASSENGER COUNT SO THAT WE, WHEN WE REPORT OUR PASSENGER COUNTS TO THE FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION, THEY KNOW THAT THE, THE MONEY THAT THE, THE FEDERAL TAXPAYERS ARE PAYING IS GOING TO ACTUAL TRANSPORTATION PEOPLE ARE USING.
SO WE WORRY LESS ABOUT THE FAIR.
DO WE WISH WE COULD DO MORE WITH FAIRES? OF COURSE EVERYBODY WOULD, WOULD LIKE TO DO THAT.
WE HAVEN'T HAD A FAIR INCREASE SINCE 20 14 15.
YOU GOT A OFFER FOR A FREQUENT RIDER DISCOUNT? WE DO.
WE ACTUALLY JUST CHANGED MOBILE APPS.
UM, IT'S A THING CALLED TOKEN TRANSIT, UM, BUT YOU CAN BYPASSES OTHERWISE AS WELL.
AND UH, SO WE HAVE WEEKLY AND MONTHLY PASSES FOR ANYTHING THAT HAS A FAIR THAT THAT'S ACTUALLY, I HAVEN'T GOT A LARGE AMOUNT OF CALLS ON THIS, BUT, UH, FOLKS THAT ARE ON A FIXED INCOME OR, OR ELDERLY MM-HMM.
IN FACT, THE BE LOOKING AT THAT TOO BECAUSE THEY BUILDING BUDGET AS WELL, ESTIMATED BUDGETS AND OBVIOUSLY WE'LL MAKE SOME INTO THAT, THAT, UM, IT'S GONNA DEPEND ON THE, RIGHT NOW WE DO NOT HAVE A POPULATION THAT HAS A FAIR THAT WOULD QUALIFY FOR THAT.
THAT PROBABLY CHANGES WHEN WE GET INTO SOMETHING MORE ROBUST UP HERE.
AND JUST A FOLLOW UP ON, ON ALICE'S QUESTION, UM, REGARDING THE STATE INVOLVEMENT, IS OUR LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION FAMILIAR WITH WHERE YOU'RE GOING WITH THIS AND THEIR PLANNING? OH, ABSOLUTELY.
TOM DAVIS IS A HUGE SUPPORTER FIRST OF ALL.
UM, AND, AND, AND SO WE CAN'T COMPLAIN TOO MUCH ABOUT OUR REPRESENTATION, IT'S JUST THE APPETITE OF THE STATE TO FUND IT.
UM, COMET THE, THE SURFACE IN COLUMBIA HAS A PENNY SALES TAX, SO THEY HAVE A DEDICATED FUNDING SOURCE AND, AND IT'S A PRETTY POPULOUS AREA, SO THEY, IT, IT WOULD BE VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT WOULD HAPPEN HERE.
SO IT'S UM, RICHLAND COUNTY, BUT, BUT COMMON SERVICES GOES BEYOND RICHLAND COUNTY, BUT THAT RICHLAND COUNTY PENNY TAX AND IT'S ONLY FOR TRANSIT.
NOW WE'RE NOT ASKING FOR THAT, BUT, UM, WE'D LOVE IT, UM,
BUT UM, ANYWAY, I MEAN WE LOVE THE TAX, THE SALES REFERENDUM PLAN.
AND IT'S HONESTLY, IT'S THE FIRST TIME THAT PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION HAS REALLY BEEN, UH, WHOLEHEARTEDLY INCLUDED IN ANYTHING.
JASPER COUNTY HAS A REFERENDUM AS WELL, BUT IT'S ALL ROADS.
ALRIGHT, NO FURTHER QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR, THANK YOU.
WE'LL LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR UPDATES AND YEAH, ABSOLUTELY FOLLOW.
[6. UPDATE ON 2024 TRANSPORTATION SALES AND USE TAX PROJECTS – BRITTANEE BISHOP, ENGINEERING PROGRAM AND FINANCE MANAGER]
[00:40:01]
UP, UH, IS AN UPDATE ON THE 2024 TRANSPORTATION, SALES AND USE TAX.UH, BRITTANY IS HERE TO GIVE US AN UPDATE OF THE LATEST.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME AGAIN.
OKAY, SO ON MONDAY, BEAUFORT COUNTY COUNCIL PASSED THE THIRD AND FINAL RATING OF A PROPOSED 2024 SALES TAX TO BE ON BALLOT THIS NOVEMBER.
UM, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING A LOT WITH THE CONSTITUENTS AND OUR COUNCIL AND STAFF IN ORDER TO COME UP WITH THIS ALTERNATIVE.
ORIGINALLY IT WAS A 15 YEAR ALTERNATIVE AT 1.625 BILLION.
UH, WHAT WE'VE HEARD FROM THE CITIZENS OF THE COUNTY WAS THAT THAT WAS TOO LONG AND TOO MUCH.
SO THERE WERE OTHER ALTERNATIVES THAT WERE TAKEN A LOOK AT.
UM, A 12 YEAR SALES TAX WOULD'VE GENERATED 1.2 BILLION.
A 10 YEAR SALES TAX WOULD'VE GENERATED, UM, 950 MILLION AND AN EIGHT YEAR SALES TAX WOULD GENERATE 725 MILLION.
SO WITH THE 10 YEAR, UH, SALES TAX PROGRAM, UM, THE FIRST PRIORITY OF THE WHOLE ENTIRE PROGRAM IS TO ENSURE THAT THE 2018 SALES TAX PROGRAM IS FULLY FUNDED.
SO THERE IS CURRENTLY A DEFICIT, UM, ON THE US 2 78 CORRIDOR FOR 190 MILLION WITH THE TALK WITH S-E-D-O-T AND COUNTY REPRESENTATION.
UM, IF WE CAN COME IN WITH SOME ADDITIONAL FUNDS AND S-E-D-O-T AND THE S WOULD ALSO LOOK AT MATCHING THOSE FUNDS WITH ADDITIONAL FUNDS ON THEIR END.
THE LADIES ISLAND CORRIDOR PROJECTS, UM, IS A $40 MILLION DEFICIT WITH TODAY'S CURRENT ESTIMATIONS.
UM, WITH THE INFLATION THAT WE HAVE BEEN SEEING OVER THE YEARS, WE'VE INCREASED THAT UP TO 60 MILLION JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD COSTS FOR ANY ADDITIONAL, ANY ADDITIONAL COSTS FOR THAT PROGRAM, WHICH WAS NINE PROJECTS ON LADIES ISLAND.
THE SIDEWALK'S A MULTI-USE PATHWAY.
UH, WE ESTIMATE ABOUT $3 MILLION IN DEFICIT.
UM, RIGHT NOW FOR ALL 24, UM, WE ARE CURRENTLY ACTIVELY WORKING ON 15 OF THOSE.
UM, TWO HAVE BEEN, THREE HAVE BEEN COMPLETED.
ONE'S CURRENTLY IN CONSTRUCTION AS WE SPEAK.
SO WE'RE HOPING THAT WE CAN FILL THAT PROGRAM THERE WITH GREEN BELTS.
JUST LIKE WITH THE GREEN SPACE REFERENDUM, UH, OUR ENVIRONMENT IS SOMETHING THAT IS VERY SENSITIVE TO OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, SO WE ARE LOOKING TO FUND 50 MILLION OUT OF GREEN BELTS FOR THAT MASS TRANSIT AS, UH, YOU SPOKE TO THAT BRIAN, UH, MASS TRANSIT CAN INCLUDE OUR BUS AND TROLLEY SERVICES, OUR AIRPORT SERVICES AND OUR FERRY SERVICES.
THE TRIANGLE PROJECT, WHICH IS, UH, A LITTLE ACTUAL TRIANGLE, UH, ONE 70 FROM ARGENT TO 2 78.
2 78 FROM ONE 70 TO ARGENT AND THEN ARGENT BOULEVARD.
UM, IT'S WHAT THE ENGINEERS DEEMED THE TRIANGLE.
UM, AND THAT IS LOOKING AT $120 MILLION.
UH, THAT IS NOT GONNA BE THE FULL COST OF THE PROJECTS.
NONE OF THESE COSTS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE, UM, REFERENDUM IS GONNA BE ABLE TO BE THE TOTAL COST OF THE PROJECT.
BUT WE NEED FUNDS AS THE COUNTY IN ORDER TO LEVERAGE GRANT FUNDING AND OPPORTUNITIES FROM BOTH THE STATE AND FEDERAL LEVELS.
WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON A STUDY RIGHT NOW TO BE, UM, FINALIZED.
UM, THIS IS TO FUND SOME OF THE IMPROVEMENTS THAT ARE ALONG THAT ROUTE FROM THE, UH, BELL BRIDGE DOWN TO BOUNDARY STREET, THE SC 46 IMPROVEMENTS.
WE'VE CURRENTLY WORKING ON A TRAFFIC STUDY FROM THE ROUNDABOUT TO BURN TO BURNT CHURCH ROAD.
UM, WE ARE ALSO, UM, NOT BURNT CHURCH, I APOLOGIZE, UH, TO BUCKWALTER PARKWAY.
UM, SO THERE WAS SEVERAL ALTERNATIVES FOR DIFFERENT INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS ALONG THAT CORRIDOR.
UM, ALONG WITH THE WIDENING FROM THE ROUNDABOUT TO THE JASPER COUNTY LINE.
AND AS WE, YOU SPOKE EARLIER WITH JASPER COUNTY HAVING THEIR PENNY ALSO, THEY'RE LOOKING AT DOING IMPROVEMENTS ON THEIR SIDE OF 46 UP TO THREE 15.
UM, SAFETY AND TRAFFIC FLOW, THIS ONE HAS A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS AND THIS IS BECAUSE OF A COUPLE DIFFERENT REASONS.
ONE, WE DON'T KNOW EVERY SINGLE SAFETY ISSUE THAT IS OUT THERE IN THE COUNTY RIGHT NOW.
WE'RE CURRENTLY DOING SOME STUDIES, UM, WITH ELCO FOR A, UH, SAFETY, UM, ACTION PLAN.
YEAH, SAFETY ACTION PLAN WHERE WE'LL BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY SOME OF THOSE FOR TODAY'S DEMANDS AND FOR FUTURE WITHIN THE 10 YEAR PROGRAM.
DIRT ROAD PAVING AND ROAD RESURFACING.
DIRT ROAD PAVING IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY TO NORTH OF BROAD AS THAT'S WHERE THE MAJORITY OF OUR DIRT ROADS ARE.
AND THEN ROAD RESURFACING IS THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE ENTIRE COUNTY.
UH, FOR YOUR STATE MAINTAINED, YOUR COUNTY MAINTAINED AND YOUR MISS MUNICIPALITY MAINTAINED ROADS, THE PATHWAY PROJECTS, WE'VE GOT THE BEAUFORT COUNTY CONNECTS PLAN THAT WAS ADOPTED, I BELIEVE IN 2022.
UM, AS SOON AS, AS WE'RE COMPLETE WITH THE 2018 24 PROJECTS, WE'LL BE USING THAT, UM, PLAN IN ORDER TO IMPLEMENT THE REST OF, UM, THE PROJECTS FOR MUNICIPALITY.
WE'VE GOT HILTON, WE'VE GOT EACH ONE OF THEM AT $30 MILLION HILTON HEAD.
UM, INSIDE OF THE ORDINANCE THAT HAS BEEN DRAFTED.
THAT IS TO ENSURE THAT WE INCLUDE SEA PINE CIRCLE FOR BLUFFTON.
THERE'S AN INSURANCE THAT WE ARE NOT INCLUDING BLUFFTON PARKWAY FIVE FEET.
AND FOR NORTH OF ABROAD, THE STIPULATION IS ONE, UH, $10 MILLION TO GO TOWARDS THE CITY OF BEAUFORT.
[00:45:01]
TO GO TOWARDS PORT ROYAL.AND THEN $10 MILLION IN UNINCORPORATED AREAS NORTH OF ABROAD.
RESILIENCY AND EMERGENCY EVACUATION PROJECTS, 55 MILLION.
THESE ARE GONNA BE YOUR MAIN ROUTES.
UM, AND ALSO LOW-LYING CORRIDORS.
UM, THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY THERE ARE MANY CAUSEWAYS THAT ARE BELOW GRADE AND SEE SIGNIFICANT FLOODING, ESPECIALLY DURING TIDAL, UM, MAJOR TIDAL EVENTS AND RAIN.
UM, SO THAT IS A FUNDING SOURCE THAT WILL BE ABLE TO USE IN ORDER TO FIX THOSE PROBLEMS. THIS REFERENDUM HAS BEEN RECOMMENDED THAT WE HAVE A COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT.
UM, SO WE WILL BE WORKING IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, UM, TO HAVE, YES, THANK YOU.
UM, TO HAVE, UM, A VOLUNTEER GROUP, ONE THAT IS NOT, UM, DOES NOT HAVE MEMBERS THAT ARE ELECTED OFFICIALS OR STAFF FROM THE LOCAL ENTITIES.
UM, IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE
ONE FOR THE PROPOSED 2022 REFERENDUM THAT DID NOT PROCEED.
AND THEN WITH THE 2024 REFERENDUM THAT SAYS OVERSIGHT.
YOU SAID ADVISORY THOUGH? THOSE OVERSIGHT OVERSIGHT.
THAT IS DEFINITELY A DIFFERENT DESCRIPTION.
SO ALL OF THIS WAS APPROVED YESTERDAY, OR I'M SORRY, ON MONDAY OF THIS WEEK.
YOU CAN GO BACK AND YOU CAN LISTEN TO THAT DISCUSSION ON THE BE, UH, BEAVERT COUNTY, UM, TV SHOW OR ON OUR YOUTUBE PAGE.
WE ALSO, UM, HAD THE FULL DISCUSSION WHERE WE WENT OVER ALL OF THIS, UM, AT A JUNE 4TH, UH, SPECIAL CALLED PUBLIC FACILITIES COMMITTEE MEETING.
IN LIGHT OF THE, UH, PREVIOUS PRESENTATION, DO THE REBO ROAD AND 21 PROJECTED DESIGNS HAVE BUS STOPS AND PULL OFFS, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'LL BE COORDINATED.
SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE JUST IN THE PLANNING.
SO THE PLAN IS A GUIDING DOCUMENT TO HELP US IN DESIGN THOSE TYPES OF, UM, THOSE TYPES OF ALTERNATIVES CAN BE LOOKED AT WHILE WE GO THROUGH THE DESIGN PROCESS AND COORDINATION WITH PALMETTO BREEZE.
FIVE B IS THAT TOTALLY THE COUNTY DOES NOT SUPPORT FIVE B.
WHERE WILL THIS ONCE, IF THIS HAS PASSED, WHERE WILL RESOURCE START? BECAUSE OUR ROADS ARE VERY BAD YET.
SO CURRENTLY OUR ROAD RESURFACING IS, UM, AN IS RECEIVED.
THE WAY THAT THAT PROGRAM IS FUNDED, IT'S A FIVE YEAR PROGRAM.
AND CURRENT FUNDING FOR THAT IS OUR GAS TAX THAT IS BROUGHT DOWN FROM THE GAS AND DISTRIBUTED WITH ALL 46 COUNTY BASED ON YOUR POPULATION, YOUR LAND, UM, YOUR LAND VOLUME, AND THE AMOUNT OF ROADS WITHIN YOUR COUNTY'S INFRASTRUCTURE.
UM, SO WITH OUR CTC, WE ANNUALLY RECEIVE ABOUT 2.5 BILLION, A MILLION DOLLARS, UM, IN ORDER TO DO ROTARY RESURFACING.
UM, SO WE DO HAVE A FIVE YEAR PROGRAM THAT WE WORK OFF OF.
AND, UM, WITH SOME ADDITIONAL FUNDS WE'LL BE ABLE TO MORE RAPIDLY GET THOSE COMPLETED.
WHAT ABOUT THE, THE FEDERAL DOLLARS THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO COME TO THE STATE FOR TALKING ABOUT RURAL TRAFFIC? YES.
SO WE HAVE BEEN RECEIVING, UM, THE LAST TWO YEARS WE RECEIVED ONE TIME NON-RECURRING FUNDING.
UM, AND THOSE ARE BEING USED TOWARDS OUR FIVE YEAR PROGRAMS AS WELL.
AND THEN WE, ONCE WE ARE, UM, THROUGH GOING TOWARDS MAYBE THE LAST TWO YEARS OF OUR FIVE YEAR PROGRAM, WE DO A REEVALUATION OF OUR ROAD NETWORK AND THEN WE MAKE SUGGESTIONS FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
SO, AND THE SAME THING WITH DIRT ROAD PAVING.
WE ALSO HAVE A FIVE YEAR DIRT ROAD PAVING PROGRAM, BUT WITH THE MONEY THAT WE HAVE FROM LOCAL FUNDS, UM, WE ARE ONLY ABLE TO, UH, PUT OUT ONE PROJECT OR ONE ADVERTISEMENT PER YEAR.
AND THAT INCLUDES SOMEWHERE BETWEEN, UH, THREE AND FOUR DIRT ROADS A YEAR.
SO THIS, THAT, THAT FUNDING SOURCE WILL ALLOW US, UM, TO EXPEDITE THOSE TWO PROGRAMS THAT ARE ALREADY ESTABLISHED IN THE PAST, THE COUNTY HAS REACHED OUT TO THE MUNICIPALITIES AND, AND WITH REFERENCE TO NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND PRIORITIES.
AND THAT, THAT'S GONNA CONTINUE, THAT IS GONNA CONTINUE.
AND ALL THAT IS PROVIDED THROUGH THE, THE BEAUFORD COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE.
OTHER QUESTIONS? YEAH, ACTUALLY, DO WE HAVE A WEBSITE FOR THIS YET? WE DO.
I I WAS GONNA SPEAK YES, CORRECT.
SO ALL OF THIS INFORMATION IS@BEAUFORTCOUNTYPENNY.COM.
THAT IS GOING TO BE THE HOMEPAGE FOR OUR CURRENT 2018 PENNY AND ALL FUTURE PENNIES, UM, THAT ARE ADOPTED.
SO, UM, LIBBY, IF YOU WOULD GO TO BACK TO THE SECOND TAB FOR ME AND THEN JUST CLICK ON, UM, THE HOME REAL FAST.
SO THIS IS JUST THE FRONT VIEW OF OUR WEBSITE, UM, ALL OF THE INFORMATION THAT'S CURRENTLY HAPPENING, ANY PUBLIC MEETINGS, ANY THINGS THAT WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED ARE OUR MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS ARE SHOWN HERE.
UM, WITH THIS ROTATING, IF YOU CLICK ON REFERENDUMS,
[00:50:02]
THIS IS GONNA SHOW YOU ALL OF OUR TST PROGRAMS. SO THE ONE THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY PROPOSING IS HERE, AND YOU'LL SCROLL DOWN FOR ME, AS YOU'LL SEE HISTORICALLY IN BEAUFORT COUNTY.SO WE'RE PROPOSING FOR 2024, KEEP GOING.
THE LA THE CURRENT ONE WE'RE WORKING ON IS 18.
SO BEFORE 18, THE LAST ONE THAT WE HAD WAS 2006 AND THEN THE NUMBER ONE WAS I BELIEVE 1998.
SO ALL OF THAT INFORMATION IS HERE.
OUR CURRENT PROJECTS WE ARE WORKING ON IS ONLY STRICTLY THE 2018 PROJECTS.
AND OUR MEETINGS TAB, THIS IS ALL OF THE PRIOR MEETINGS THAT WE HAVE HELD, UM, PUBLICLY.
UM, ALL OF THE INFORMATION AND MATERIALS ARE STILL POSTED ON THE WEBSITE.
AND THEN IN OUR RESOURCE TAB, IN OUR RESOURCE TAB, WE ARE STILL WORKING ON GETTING MONTHLY REPORTS UP TO DATE.
UM, WHEN COVID HIT, UH, THINGS KIND OF SHAKED US UP.
WE ARE STILL WORKING ON GETTING THIS SECTION UP TO DATE, BUT ALL OF THE 2024 PROPOSED REFERENDUM ITEMS ARE THERE.
UM, STARTING WITH THE MEMO FROM OUR SALES TAX COMMITTEE, UM, THE INFORMATION HANDOUT THAT WE'VE USED AT PRIOR PUBLIC MEETINGS, THE ORIGINAL PROPOSED AND, AND THE PRESENTATION ALONG WITH TODAY'S MODIFIED IT IS ALL THERE.
AND THEN FOR THE 2018 REF, UH, REFERENDUM, WE'VE GOT THE ORDINANCE, BALLOT BALLOT QUESTION, UM, AND ANY OTHER RESOLUTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN ADOPTED BY OUR COUNTY COUNCIL.
UM, WE HAVE THE STATE TREASURER'S REPORT.
SO EVERY TIME THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED, UM, OUR QUARTERLY, UM, OUR QUARTERLY MONEY, WE HAVE KEPT THAT COMPLETELY UP TO DATE.
THERE'S A MAP THAT ALSO SHOWS WHERE ALL THE PROJECTS ARE LOCATED AND THEN ANY STUDIES THAT WE HAVE COMPLETED AS A PART OF ANY OF THE REFERENDUMS. GREAT RESOURCE.
SO THERE'S A TON OF INFORMATION ON HERE.
YOU CAN ALSO SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER.
UM, BACK ON, IT'S, I BELIEVE DOWN AT THE BOTTOM OF EVERY PAGE.
IS ANYONE DOING A PRESS RELEASE ON THIS WEBSITE AFTER THE PASSING, THE REFERENDUM? UM, I DON'T KNOW IF A SPECIFIC, I DON'T BELIEVE A SPECIFIC PRESS RELEASE HAS OCCURRED, BUT EVERY SINGLE TIME THAT WE HAVE ADVERTISED FOR ANY, UM, ANY OF OUR PUBLIC MEETINGS OR ANY INFORMATIONAL UPDATES, WE ASK PEOPLE TO GO TO THIS WEBSITE AND THEN YOU CAN JOIN THE MAILING LIST.
IS THERE A WAY TO ALSO BOLD SOMEWHERE THAT NO ELECTED OFFICIALS ARE GONNA BE SERVING ON THAT CITIZENS OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE?
THAT YES, THAT MAKES THAT MUCH MORE SELLABLE REP.
SO, SO SPEAKING OF THAT, WE'RE, WE'RE FOUR MONTHS OUT FROM, FROM THE REFERENDUM? THAT'S CORRECT.
SO, UM, WHAT IS THE PUBLIC EDUCATION? I DIDN'T SAY ADVOCACY, PUBLIC EDUCATION, STRATEGY, EDUCATION.
AND HOW CAN WE HELP IN THE MUNICIPALITIES WITH THAT? UM, SO WE HAVE BEEN SPEAKING, I'VE BEEN TALKING WITH JARED ABOUT THAT.
SO WE ARE COMING UP WITH SOME TYPE OF EDUCATIONAL PLAN, UM, IN ORDER TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE KEEPING OUR CITIZENS AWARE OF WHAT A SALES TAX IS, HOW IT'S COLLECTED, AND HOW WE PROPOSE TO IMPLEMENT IT.
WE STAND READY TO HELP, JUST THANK YOU.
HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE NUMBERS FOR EACH THING? WAS THERE, LIKE, WAS THERE A PROPOSAL FOR EACH THING THAT WAS ESTIMATED IN HOW MUCH INFLATION? UM, SO I CAN'T, WE HAVE PUT INFLATION INTO THE NUMBERS, LIKE I SAID, WITH A LOT, WITH THE MAJORITY OF THE PROJECTS.
IF YOU'LL GO BACK TO THE SALES TAX HANDOUT.
UM, SO I'LL TELL YOU RIGHT NOW, I MEAN, WE'RE ACTIVELY WORKING ON SOME PROJECTS.
SO FOR THE U UH, THE SC 46 IMPROVEMENTS, WE ARE CURRENTLY IN DESIGN FOR THE WIDENING SECTION AND WORKING ON THE TRAFFIC ANALYSIS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE CORRIDOR UP TO, UM, BUCK WALTER PARKWAY.
UM, SO IN THOSE STUDIES THEY ARE GIVING US COSTS FOR THOSE IMPROVEMENTS, UM, FOR REBA ROAD AS WE'RE WORKING THROUGH THAT STUDY AS WELL.
UM, THERE ARE SOME ESTIMATED COSTS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THAT.
THE TRIANGLE PROJECT, I BELIEVE WE ESTIMATED THAT TO BE $280 MILLION.
UM, THAT IS JUST BASED ON THE DATA TODAY THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED ON ANY OF OUR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS, UM, PLUS THE INFLATION OVER THE YEARS.
WITH YOUR STATEMENT WHERE YOU SAY THAT SOME OF THE PROJECTS ARE NOT FULLY FUNDED, BUT ARE, CREATE THE IDEAS TO CREATE THEM FROM THE STANDPOINT OF ENGINEERING AND DESIGN TO THE POINT THAT MORE FUNDING SOURCES ARE AVAILABLE.
SO SIMILAR TO THE WAY THAT US 2 78 CORRIDOR PROJECT, WE STARTED WITH OUR FUNDS HERE AT THE COUNTY IN ORDER TO GO REACHING FOR OTHER OPPORTUNITIES IN WHICH WE GOT FROM THE C.
HOWEVER, THE LADIES ISLAND CORRIDOR PROJECTS PLAN IS INTENDED TO BE MORE ROBUST BECAUSE IT IS THE FOLLOW UP AND COMPLETION OF THE 2018.
THE $40 MILLION THAT WAS THE 2018, UM, ALLOCATION, UM, IT DID NOT INCLUDE RIGHT OF WAY.
IT DID NOT INCLUDE UTILITY COORDINATION AND IT DID NOT INCLUDE LANDSCAPING.
SO THERE WAS ALREADY A DEFICIT THERE.
WE HAVE, FOR FOUR YEARS IN A ROW, WE HAVE APPLIED TO WHAT IS CALLED THE
[00:55:01]
RAISE GRANT, UM, THE FORMER TIGER GRANT.AND UNFORTUNATELY WE'RE UNSUCCESSFUL IN EACH OF OUR ATTEMPTS.
UM, WE CONTINUE ALL, WE CONTINUE FOR ALL OF THE REFERENDUM PROJECTS.
WE ARE ALWAYS SEEKING GRANT OPPORTUNITIES.
WE RECEIVED ABOUT $3.5 MILLION IN ORDER TO SUPPORT THE LAUREL BAY PRO PATHWAY PROJECT.
UM, WE HAVE $1.3 MILLION FOR THE ALL JOY SIDEWALK PROJECT.
UM, AND THEN WE HAVE TWO C-B-D-C-D-B-G GRANTS, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANTS, UM, FOR TWO OTHER PATHWAY LOCATIONS.
IT'S COUNTY RESTRICTED BY THE NUMBER OF PROJECTS ON CDBG.
AND, AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG ON THE LADIES ISLAND, UH, GRANT, THE ATTEMPTS TO GET GRANT FUNDING.
UH, THE RESPONSE WAS WE'D HAVE TO START OVER IN ACCORDANCE WITH THEIR POLICY OR GUIDELINES OR SOMETHING.
SO THAT IS IF WE'RE SEEKING FOR FEDERAL FUNDS, FOR FEDERAL FUNDING, FOR FEDERAL FUNDS, THE RAISE GRANT, UM, WE STILL ARE OPEN TO RECEIVE THE RAISE GRANT.
UM, BUT WE JUST HAVE NOT BEEN SUCCESSFUL.
WE ALWAYS GET THAT WE'VE DONE A GREAT APPLICATION, BUT THAT THERE WERE OTHER PROJECTS THAT WERE MORE PRIORITY THROUGHOUT, THROUGHOUT THE NATION.
I THINK, I THINK THE MOST VAGUE ONE, NOT VAGUE, THAT'S THE WRONG WORD.
AND THERE'S MORE UNKNOWNS, I THINK THERE.
IT SAYS THAT THERE IS A SPECIFIC STATEMENT IN SHOWING THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GREEN AND THE GREEN BELT.
THAT'S IN THE NARRATION, WHICH IS GREAT.
MORE FLEXIBILITY WITH GREEN BELT.
ARE THERE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS? I THINK CHARLIE HAD ONE.
YEAH, I, I HAD A QUESTION ON THE RESILIENCY BUCKET.
UM, AND I WAS CURIOUS IF THE COUNTY'S RECENT WORK WITH THE SEA GRANT CONSORTIUM, IF THAT WAS INFORMING SOME OF YOUR DECISIONS AROUND THE RESILIENCY BUCKET.
AND THEN ALSO ARE YOU WORKING WITH SOUTH CAROLINA'S OFFICE OF RESILIENCY AT ALL FOR THAT SECTION? SO, BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW THE FIRST ORGANIZATION YOU SAID, I WILL SAY NO, THAT THE COUNTY DOES NOT
THAT WAS NOT THE REASON OF THE RESILIENCY.
FOR THE SECOND PORTION, YES, WE ARE, WE ARE IN COMMUNICATIONS WITH SED T'S DEPARTMENT ALONG WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONAL GROUPS SUCH AS THE RAY.
WELL WE ALSO GOT A PROTECT GRANT TO DO SIMILAR TO VULNERABILITY.
SO FOR
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, BRITTANY.
I TRY TO PROMOTE IT AS MUCH AS I CAN.
WE'LL GET SOMETHING OUT THAT, BYE.
ALRIGHT, WE'RE COMING UP ON THE WITCHING HOUR.
UH, BUT WE HAVE TWO THINGS LEFT TO DO.
UM, AS YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN VACANT IN
[7. ELECTION OF VICE CHAIR]
THE VICE CHAIR POSITION SINCE THE DISSOLUTION OF THE METROPOLITAN PLANNING COMMISSION.AND SO, UH, THERE'S A QUESTION OF FULFILLING THAT SEAT.
UM, IF AGREEABLE TO THE MUNICIPALITIES, I'D LIKE TO PROPOSE THAT WE MAKE, UH, BOTH, UH, FORT ROYAL AND BUFORT TWO VICE CHAIRS, AND WE HAVE THE ANNUAL ROTATION AMONG THE THREE, UH, PLANNING COMMISSIONS IN THE NORTHERN CORRIDOR IN BUFORD COUNTY, FORT ROYAL AND BEFORD.
IS THAT, UH, SOMETHING THAT'S ACCEPTABLE OR YOU WANNA DISCUSS IT OR VOTE ON IT? I JUST NOMINATE SCOTT.
IF WE, WE HAVE TO CHANGE ANYTHING, ALL I ON THAT ONE.
IF WE HAD TWO VICE CHAIRMANS, I THINK THAT'S A GREAT IDEA.
THERE'S NOTHING IN THE NORTHERN REGIONAL PLAN THAT SAYS HOW MANY YEAH.
CC I THINK IT'S TOTALLY APPROPRIATE.
I THINK THAT WOULD WORK VERY WELL.
I THINK GIVEN THAT THAT MAYOR ER'S NOT HERE, HE SHOULD BE A VICE CHAIR
WELL, CAN I HAVE A MOTION TO, TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN AND APPROVAL, I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO, UM, HAVE TWO VICE CHAIRMANS, UH, ONE BEING THE CITY OF BEAUFORT PLANNING CHAIRMAN, CHAIRMAN AND OR DESIGNEE.
AND THE SECOND, THE CHAIRMAN OF THE FOR ROYAL PLANNING COMMISSION OR DESIGNATION.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? OPPOSED? DONE.
[8. LIST OF FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
LIST OF FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS, UM, WITH YOUR AGENDA THAT CAME, THE WHOLE LIST THAT WE'VE GOT.WE'VE GONE THROUGH A FEW OF THOSE, BUT WE'VE HAD SOME UPDATES.
WHAT I'D LIKE TO IS WE COULD PICK A, THE SUBJECT FOR NEXT MONTH'S MEETING AND SUBSEQUENTLY FOR AUGUST, IF WE COULD, ANY, ANY SUGGESTIONS ON THE LIST OF THAT? WE HAVE, WE HAD SEVERAL ADDITIONS, AS YOU CAN SEE AT THE BOTTOM COUPLE FROM THE MILITARY, WHICH ARE APPRECIATED.
ANY SUGGESTIONS? UH, I THINK WE NEED TO BE REALLY CONSCIOUS OF THE EDUCATION ELEMENT
[01:00:01]
OF THE, THE REFERENDUM.I MEAN, THAT MAY BE, THAT MAY NEED TO BE A PRIORITY FROM THE STANDPOINT OF NERV PS UM, CONVERSATION.
IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THE ONLY THING, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO, WE NEED TO WRITE HERD ON THAT TO MAKE SURE THAT, AND I KNOW THAT THE COUNTY AND THE CHAMBERS ARE, ARE TALKING NOW, BUT I THINK WE JUST WANNA BE KEPT REALLY ON TOP OF HOW DIRECTION IS, IS THAT YEAH, FROM THE STANDPOINT OF THE, OKAY.
SO WE CAN ASK FOR AN UPDATE ON THAT.
YOU WANNA DO THAT NEXT MONTH OR DO YOU WANNA I THINK IT SHOULD BE IN THAT, THE AGENDA FOR NEXT MONTH FOR SURE INCLUDE THAT, THE EXPANSION OF, OF THE EDUCATION ELEMENT OF THE TRANSPORTATION REFERENDUM.
I THINK WE'VE GOTTA KEEP, WE GOTTA, WE GOTTA KEEP THAT FRONT AND CENTER.
DO YOU THINK IT'D BE SOMEBODY FROM THE CHAMBER TO COME IF WE, IF THE PARTNERSHIPS ARE FORMED TO THE DEGREE THAT IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO HAVE THAT.
I KNOW IT'S GONNA BE A COLLECTIVE, BUT YOU KNOW, IF THEY'RE, IF THEY'RE COMFORTABLE WITH IN, IN COOPERATION WITH ALL OF US FROM THE STANDPOINT OF HOW THEY WANT TO PROCEED.
'CAUSE WE'VE ONLY GOT, YOU KNOW, AT THIS POINT WE'RE GONNA BE AT 90 DAYS.
SO IT'S GOTTA BE OUT THERE AND IT'S GOTTA BE STRONG.
SO OTHER SUBJECTS, ANYBODY WANT TO ADD A SUBJECT TO THAT YOU, IF WE HAVE, DO YOU WANNA ADD SOMETHING? I'M SORRY.
YEAH, I, I WOULD LOVE TO PRESENT.
UM, I SEE ON THE SCREEN IT SAYS WATER QUALITY ISSUES AND CAPACITY FEE CONCERNS.
BUT MY PRESENTATION WILL PROBABLY BE AROUND THE EXCITEMENT OF OUR CIP AND SOME OF OUR EXPANSION PROJECTS ALONG WITH COORDINATION WITH THE MILITARY AND A NEW UNDERSERVED COMMITTEE.
I'M, I'M GONNA HAVE A LITTLE POSITIVE APPROACH.
THE EXCITEMENT OF THE, ALRIGHT, WE'LL ADD THAT TO THE LIST.
UM, BUT FOR NEXT MONTH, HOW ARE WE DOING? IT'S NOT WHAT YOU SAY, IT'S HOW YOU SAY IT.
RIGHT CHARLIE? THE EXCITEMENT.
MAKE SURE THE EXCITEMENT IS IN THE AGENDA.
I DON'T THINK WE'D HAVE ANY OTHER TIME.
THERE'S PLENTY MORE THAT WE NEED TO KEEP DOING, BUT, WE'LL, ALRIGHT.
HOW DO YOU FEEL, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO HEAR ABOUT NEXT MONTH? THOSE TWO ITEMS? THOSE TWO ITEMS. TWO ITEMS. WHOLE HOUR.
CHARLIE, CAN I ASK ONE QUESTION? SORT OF? SURE.
AND I PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE DONE THIS IN PUBLIC COMMENT AND, AND I APOLOGIZE IF YOU'LL GIVE ME A LITTLE PERSONAL ELEMENT HERE.
JUST BECAUSE THE TRAFFIC SIGNALING ON LADIES ISLAND, WE NEED TO ADDRESS THIS.
UM, AND I WILL, I WILL SAY, AND I'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH DOT AND I AND I AM, AND, AND WITH CITY OF BEAUFORT, WHO ALSO HAPPENS TO TAKE CARE AND MAINTAIN THE LIGHT SYSTEMS. THE NEW LIGHTS ON LADIES ISLAND AT THE INTERSECTION OF SEATTLE LADIES ISLAND DRIVE DO NOT WORK.
I MEAN THEY, THE TURN RIGHTS AND THE GREEN DIRECTIONS ARE, ARE SOMEWHAT OKAY BECAUSE YOU'RE DOING TURNS THOSE TURNS.
BUT THE LEFT AND RIGHT, THE LEFT TURNS ONTO SEA.
SAM'S POINT ROAD FROM SEA ISLAND AND FROM INTO LADIES ISLAND DRIVE FROM SEA ISLAND ARE INEFFICIENT.
THEY BACK UP THE, THE STACKING WAY BEYOND, I MEAN TWO, THREE AND FOUR INTERSECTIONS ALL THE WAY DOWN ALMOST TO THE MIDDLE SCHOOL AT TIMES AND ALL THE WAY DOWN BEYOND RECO ON THE SINGLE LANE SECTIONS OF THE HIGHWAY.
AND THEY ARE NOT PEAK TIMES THAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.
AND I VIDEOED AND SENT THE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT A VIDEO.
'CAUSE I USE THAT ROAD EVERY DAY 15 TIMES A DAY, AND I CAN SIT AT THAT ROADWAY AND VIDEO, THE FIVE CARS CAN GET THROUGH THE TRAFFIC WITH A SINGLE LANE STACKING ON THE TRAFFIC COMING OFF OF THOSE ISLANDS AND COMING ONTO THE ISLANDS.
THE RESIDENTIAL POPULATION ON LADIES ISLAND, IT IS INEFFICIENT.
IT NEEDS TO BE DOUBLED AT LEAST, MAYBE TRIPLED.
AND THEY NEED TO EVALUATE EXACTLY THE LOADS IN THAT AREA BECAUSE THEY ARE BLOCKING THE INTERSECTIONS AND IT'S CREATING A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE.
AND HARRIS TEETER JUST OPENED, CAME BEFORE YESTERDAY.
SO JUST IMAGINE WITH THE RIGHT HAND TURN.
SO I, I KNOW THAT THE CITY OF BUFORT, IT'S TRAFFIC OPERATIONS ALONG WITH COORDINATION WITH THE COUNTY'S TRAFFIC OPERATIONS HAVE BEEN GOING OUT THERE IN ORDER TO ADDRESS IT.
I'M NOT SPECIFICALLY SURE WHAT IS HAPPENING, WHETHER IT'S A TIMING ISSUE OR IF THERE'S DETECTION OUT IN THE ROAD OR SOMETHING GOING ON IN THE CABINETS.
THE LONG-TERM PLAN FOR THOSE IMPROVEMENTS IS GONNA BE DUAL LEFT TURNS.
UM, GOING ONTO SAM'S POINT OFF OF LA OFF OF SEA ISLAND PARKWAY, AND THEN DUAL LEFT OFF OF SEA ISLAND PARKWAY ONTO LADIES ISLAND DRIVE.
UM, THAT PROJECT, ONCE AGAIN IS IN DEVELOPMENT.
WE, WE'VE ASKED FOR SOME DESIGN EXCEPTIONS, UM, JUST TO INCLUDE INSTEAD OF CONCRETE MEDIAN, UH, LANDSCAPED MEDIANS, UM, JUST FROM PUBLIC COMMENT THAT WE HAVE HEARD OVER THE TIME.
UM, BUT THE IDEA FOR THE REFERENDUM, UM,
[01:05:01]
ON LADIES ISLAND WAS THAT WE, WE WORKED ON THE ACCESS ROAD.WE'RE WORKING ON 'EM ALL AT THE SAME TIME, BUT GETTING THE ACCESS ROADS COMPLETED FIRST.
THAT WAY WHEN WE COME IN WITH THAT MAINLINE CORRIDOR, THAT THERE IS RELIEF, UM, FOR PEOPLE TO CONTINUE TO TRAVEL THROUGHOUT THE AREA.
AND I TOTALLY AGREE WITH ALL OF THAT.
THAT WILL BE SAFE IF THEY WILL JUST BE MORE RECEPTIVE TO, AND I'M NOT THIS ON YOU, BRITTANY.
BUT I MEAN, I CAN TALK WITH NATE AND THOMAS.
WE REALLY NEED TO ADDRESS IT BECAUSE IT IS BEFORE, AND I, MY VIDEOS WERE BEFORE HARRIS TEETER EVEN OPENED MM-HMM.
AND THE, THE STACKING THAT OCCURS ON BOTH LAVY ISLAND DRIVE AND SANS POINT ROAD, I MEAN, ON SEA ISLAND PARKWAY AND SANS POINT ROAD IS UNREASONABLE.
HELENA LAST NIGHT AND JUST GETTING THROUGH THERE, EVEN AT THREE O'CLOCK, IT, IT WAS, AND THAT'S THE POINT.
IT'S NOT EVEN THE PEAK PER SE.
AND IT WILL BE IT ANYWAY, I'LL SPEAK WITH THOMAS AND NATE, LIKE WE TALKED ABOUT THAT MONDAY.
SOME ATTENTION ON IT RIGHT HERE.
PUT IT ON YOUR CALENDAR PLEASE.
EXCITING NOT DREARY PRESENTATIONS.
AND, UH, IF THERE'S NO FURTHER, YES.
SO THE SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF AFFAIRS MILITARY ENHANCEMENT FUND GRANT IS I THINK, GONNA HAVE ABOUT $5 MILLION IN IT.
SO THEIR NEXT APPLICATION DEADLINE IS SEPTEMBER 1ST.
SO I CAN SEND INFORMATION ABOUT THAT.
BASICALLY, ANY PROJECT THAT COULD HELP MILITARY QUALITY OF LIFE OR ENHANCE THAT WOULD INCLUDE THE, IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING, WE, WE CAN SEND SOMETHING UP.
IS THAT A 20 ALL ANY FURTHER COMMENTS? MASTER PLAN.