* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:01] CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY BUFORT COUNTY. I'D LIKE TO CALL US TO ORDER. UH, I AM PEACHES PETERSON, CHAIR OF CDC BOARD. UH, YOU HAVE FOUR BOARD MEMBERS THAT ARE PRESENT, INCLUDING MR. BOXLEY. BEFORE WE GO INTO THE AGENDA, I JUST WANT TO AGAIN, POINT OUT TO THE AUDIENCE THAT MEMBERS THAT ARE PRESENT THAT, UM, THE PUBLIC COMMENT SECTION IS APPEARING AT THE END OF OUR AGENDA AND ARE FOR NON-AG AGENDA ITEMS. AS MR. BOXY GOES THROUGH HIS INFORMATION, HE WILL TAKE TIME TO ASK FOR QUESTIONS AT THE END OF EACH OF THE, OF THE PRESENTATION HE MAKES. SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE CLEAR, UH, ON THAT. SO I'D LIKE A MOTION TO ADOPT THE AGENDA AS PRESENTED. SO, MOVED. SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? A. OKAY. WE'VE HAD APPROVAL OF ADOPTION OF AGENDA. I NEED APPROVAL FOR THE MINUTES. STILL MOVE. SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. SO WE HAVE SOME UNFINISHED BUSINESS ITEMS, WHICH I'M GONNA TURN OVER FOR MR. BOXLEY. HE HAS A NUMBER OF REPORTS THAT HE WANTS TO GIVE, AND PLEASE NOTE THAT AT THE END OF EACH SECTION, YOU, YOU WILL BE ALLOWED TO ASK QUESTIONS. MR. BOXLEY. THANK YOU. UM, THANK YOU ALL, UH, FOR BEING IN ATTENDANCE THIS EVENING, MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY, AND, UH, THANK YOU TO OUR BOARD MEMBERS THAT ARE JOINING US ONLINE. UH, MR. DAVID AMES AND MR. TERRY BRUBAKER. THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE. UM, OUR FIRST ITEM, UH, ON OUR AGENDA UNDER UNFINISHED BUSINESS DISCUSSION OF THE WILLIAM HILTON PARKWAY GATEWAY CORRIDOR, AND THE REMAINING TIMELINE FOR, UM, THOSE OF YOU THAT ARE NOT AWARE. ON FRIDAY, JUNE THE 28TH TOWN COUNCIL, UH, VOTED TO APPROVE MUNICIPAL CONSENT, WHICH, UH, BASICALLY ALLOWS FOR THE PROJECT, THE WILLIAM HILTON GATEWAY CORRIDOR PROJECT TO MOVE FORWARD. UM, THE NEXT STEPS IN THE PROCESS OF THIS PROJECT WILL BE, UM, THE BEAUFORT COUNTY COUNCIL WILL BEGIN A PROCESS OF ADOPTING THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN HILTON HEAD, THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND, AND THE THE BEAUFORT COUNTY COMMISSION. UM, AND AS THAT, AS THAT PROCESS TAKES PLACE, WHAT YOU'LL SEE IS AN AGENDA ITEM ON THE COUNTY COMMISSION'S, UM, AGENDA, UH, BY WHICH THEY WILL APPROVE OR DISAPPROVE OF THAT PROJECT MOVING FORWARD. UM, UPON APPROVAL, THERE WILL BE, UH, A BIT OF TIME BY WHICH THERE WILL BE SOME VALUE ENGINEERING AND, UM, THE, THE ACTUAL DESIGN OF THE PROJECT WILL TAKE PLACE. SO WE'RE STILL QUITE A WAYS AWAY FROM, UM, FROM ANYTHING RELATED TO CONSTRUCTION, UM, ON THAT PARTICULAR PROJECT. BUT THE GOAL FOR TODAY WAS, UM, TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON THE PROCESS REMAINING AND, UM, AND JUST MAKE SURE THAT THE COMMUNITY WAS AWARE OF WHERE WE STAND WITH THAT. ANY COMMENTS FROM OUR BOARD? DO YOU HAVE A PROCESS IN PLACE WHERE YOU'LL BE FORMALLY MONITORING THAT? DO YOU HAVE TIMELINES? SO, I PRESENTLY DO NOT HAVE A TIMELINE BECAUSE WE'RE KIND OF WAITING A, IN A HOLDING PATTERN ON BEAUFORT COUNTY. MM-HMM. . BUT AS THAT INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE, WE'LL BE ABLE TO PUT MORE, YOU KNOW, MORE OF A STREAMLINED PROCESS TOGETHER FOR MONITORING THAT. I'M GONNA ASK THAT YOU LET THE BOARD KNOW WHEN, WHEN THAT OCCURS SO THAT WE CAN FOLLOW UP AS WELL. OKAY. OKAY. IF, UM, AND I WOULD, I WOULD DEFER TO OUR, OUR BOARD MEMBERS THAT ARE TOWN COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, ARE, ARE THERE ANY COMMENTS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE THAT WOULD GIVE SHED A LITTLE BIT MORE LIGHT ON THAT PROCESS? IT COMES WHEN YOU TALK. UM, YOU'VE SUMMED IT UP PRETTY WELL, MR. BOXLEY. UM, THE ONLY PIECE THAT I WILL ADD FROM A PROCESS STANDPOINT IS THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION OBVIOUSLY HAS WORK IN FRONT OF THEM, WAY IN ADVANCE OF THE REST OF THE PERMITTING AND DESIGNING TO DO AS FAR AS THEM HAVING TO SUBMIT TO THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION. SO [00:05:01] THERE'S A PIECE THERE THAT YOU WILL GET A RESPONSE FROM THE FEDS, UM, THAT WILL BE A PART OF THE DISCUSSION AS WELL. UM, NO TIMELINE ON THAT. UM, THAT'S OBVIOUSLY OUT OF OUR HANDS. UM, SO MORE TO COME IS WHAT I WOULD SAY. AND, UM, I TOO WOULD, UM, JUST ENCOURAGE MR. BOXLEY TO KEEP THE BOARD INFORMED ALONG THE WAY. UM, AND I GUESS THE ONLY OTHER THING THAT I WOULD MENTION IN PASSING IS I WANT TO COMMEND MR. BOXLEY IS WORK IN THE COMMUNITY. UM, UM, THIS DISCUSSION AROUND 2 78 WAS VERY DIFFICULT, TO SAY THE LEAST. AND FOR THOSE FAMILIES THAT ARE MOST IMPACTED, UM, THERE WAS A LOT OF ANGST, THERE WAS A LOT OF QUESTIONS, AND UNFORTUNATELY, A LOT OF MISUNDERSTANDING WRAPPED AROUND THIS PROJECT. AND MR. BOXLEY, UM, IN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME WHEN YOU REALLY THINK ABOUT IT AS FAR AS HIS ARRIVAL HERE, UM, WAS ABLE TO, UM, ENTER THAT SITUATION AND BRING FORTH INFORMATION THAT FOLKS KNEW TO BE REAL INFORMATION. UM, SO I COMMEND HIM FOR THAT. UM, I'M NOT QUITE SURE WHERE WE WOULD'VE BEEN WITHOUT HIM HAVING THOSE OPPORTUNITIES AND BEING SO INTENTIONAL ABOUT HAVING THOSE TOUGH CONVERSATIONS. SO, UM, I COMMEND HIM AGAIN FOR THAT. THANK HIM FOR THAT. AND, UM, I'M, I'M HAPPY THAT THE BOARD HAD GIVEN HIM THE, THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT AS WELL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UM, I TOTALLY AGREE WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE JUST SAID. THANK YOU, TOM. WE ALL, WE ALL YOUR DEBT OF GRATITUDE FOR THAT. MY PLEASURE. MOVING ON TO THE NEW BUSINESS. UH, ANY, UH, COMMENT FROM THE, FROM THE AUDIENCE ON AGENDA ITEM, UH, UNFINISHED BUSINESS NUMBER, ITEM NUMBER FOUR. OKAY. SEEING NONE, YOU CAN MOVE ON TO THE NEW BUSINESS, NEW BUSINESS AGENDA. ITEM FIVE, A DISCUSSION REGARDING OUR BUDGET FOR A FISCAL YEAR, UM, 2025. UM, I WANTED TO MAKE SURE AS WE MOVE FORWARD TO BE INTENTIONAL AND TRANSPARENT ABOUT THE COMMUNICATION RELATED TO OUR EXPENDITURES AND THE WAY THAT WE ARE OPERATING. WE'VE BEEN DELIBERATE ABOUT OUR SPENDING AS, UM, AS WE'VE RAMPED UP OUR SERVICES. UM, AND SO IF YOU'LL TAKE A LOOK AT THE, AT THE ACTUAL, UH, BUDGET ITEMS, WE HAVE NOT SPENT MUCH MONEY AT ALL. WE'VE BEEN, AGAIN, PRETTY INTENTIONAL. UM, AND THE EXPENDITURES THAT WE HAVE, UM, ACCRUED ARE REALLY BASED IN, UH, EXPENDITURES FOR SALARY, EXPENDITURES FOR SOME SMALL EXPENDITURES AROUND PRINTING OFFICE SUPPLIES, ET CETERA, KNOWING THAT THE BULK OF OUR WORK WOULD BE COMING, UM, AS WE MOVED BEYOND THE, UM, THE HIGHWAY PROJECT. AND AS WE WERE ABLE TO FORMALLY ORGANIZE AND LOOK AT SOME, SOME PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE ON THE BOOK, SOME THAT WE'LL BE DISCUSSING A LITTLE BIT LATER, UM, HERE THIS EVENING. BUT, UM, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE, AS YOU LOOK AT THAT, AT, AT THE ACTUAL LINE ITEMS, UM, AND THE BUDGET ITEMS, WE HAVE, UM, MONEY SET ASIDE IN OUR BUDGET FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. UM, AND WE ALSO HAVE MONEY SET ASIDE FOR OUR, UH, THE STONY IMPROVEMENT, UH, GRANT. AGAIN, WE'LL BE DISCUSSING SOME OF THAT HERE IN A MOMENT, BUT, UM, JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE, ARE ACTIVELY COMMUNICATING, UH, WHERE WE STAND PRESENTLY. SO ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? I HAVE A QUESTION OR A GENERAL COMMENT ON PAGE ONE. UNDER GENERAL CONTINGENCY. YES. UH, YOU SET ASIDE MON FUNDS THERE. UH, CAN YOU DEFINE FOR US WHAT THAT IS FOR GENERAL CONTINGENCY? I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT AS WE MOVE FORWARD AND AS WE START THE PROCESS OF, UM, AGAIN, OUR AGENDA ITEM LATER AS WE DISCUSS IN THE STONY, UM, THE STONY COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT GRANT PROGRAM, THAT WE WOULD HAVE ENOUGH FUNDS, YOU KNOW, SHOULD WE RUN OVER, YOU KNOW, AS WE BEGIN THE PROCESS OF WORKING WITH, UM, PROPERTY OWNERS, HOMEOWNERS IN THE STONY COMMUNITY TO BEGIN TO MITIGATE, UM, EMISSIONS, TO MITIGATE SOUND. UM, JUST IN CASE, YOU KNOW, WE DIDN'T BUDGET ENOUGH INITIALLY THAT WE WOULD HAVE ENOUGH IN A CONTINGENCY. SO IT'S, IT'S NOT MONEY THAT HAS BEEN SPENT, NOT MONEY THAT I, I NECESSARILY ANTICIPATE SPENDING, BUT I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD THAT CUSHION. THERE'S [00:10:01] A LOT OF WORK TO BE DONE. UM, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A COMMUNITY THAT HAS BEEN IMPACTED, UM, SINCE THE FIRST BRIDGE WAS BUILT, AND THERE ARE SEVERAL NEEDS THAT EXIST THERE. UM, BUT WE, WE ALSO UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, AS, AS, AS COUNCILMAN BROWN MENTIONED BEFORE, THERE'S A, THERE'S A PROCESS THAT'S GOING TO TAKE PLACE AND IT'S, IT'S, IT'S GONNA BE SOMEWHAT OF A, A, A LONG PROCESS BEFORE WE GET TO CONSTRUCTION. BUT BY THE TIME WE MOVE THROUGH DESIGN, UM, PERMITTING, ET CETERA, AND ACTUAL, YOU KNOW, SHOVELS IN THE GROUND IN THAT AREA, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE SOME FUNDING IN PLACE SO THAT WE CAN WORK ON THE CIVIL SIDE OF EVERYTHING AS WELL. THERE ARE SEVERAL, UH, FAMILIES, UH, PROPERTY OWNERS THERE THAT, UM, THAT NEED SLOPING AND GRADING, ET CETERA, THAT HAS BEEN NEGLECTED FOR AT LEAST THE LAST TWO HIGHWAY PROJECTS. SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE TO PROVIDE SOME, SOME LEVEL OF FUNDING THERE TO BEGIN TO, UM, TO MAKE RIGHT SOME OF THOSE, UH, SOME OF THOSE ISSUES. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. MAY I? YES. UH, THOMAS, UH, WHAT WOULD BE A REALISTIC TIMEFRAME WHERE YOU BEGIN TO DEFINE SPECIFICS ON WHAT THE GULLAH COMMUNITY AND FAMILY MEMBERS WANT ON THEIR PROPERTY OR NEED ON THEIR PROPERTY? THANK YOU. UM, SO WE HAVE ACTUALLY BEGUN THAT PROCESS. UM, AND WE'VE, WE'VE STARTED TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS, UM, YOU KNOW, AS EARLY AS DECEMBER OF 2023 RELATED TO, YOU KNOW, DRIVEWAYS, UM, YOU KNOW, NEW, UM, NEW DRIVEWAYS, NEW, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS RELATED TO DEVELOPMENT AND REMOVAL OF EXISTING STRUCTURES, UM, YOU KNOW, CREATING, CREATING DIFFERENT, UM, DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR FUTURE LAND DEVELOPMENT, HIGHEST AND BEST USE. SO WHETHER THAT IS, UM, PUTTING TOGETHER THE PIECES, UH, THE, THE INFRASTRUCTURE PIECES, WATERLINE, SEWER LINE UPGRADES, ET CETERA, SO THAT, UM, FAMILIES CAN BEGIN TO CONSTRUCT RENTAL UNITS ON THEIR PROPERTY. YOU KNOW, WE, WE'VE HAD THOSE CONVERSATIONS. HOWEVER, YOU KNOW, THE NEXT PHASE OF THAT, NOW THAT WE ARE MOVING FORWARD IS TO BEGIN TO GET, YOU KNOW, DRILLED DOWN INTO THE DETAILS. SO, UH, MY GOAL IS TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THOSE HIGHER LEVEL MEETINGS THIS FALL. DO YOU FEEL AS THOUGH YOU HAVE THE CONTEXT IN THE FIELDS OF CONSTRUCTION DEVELOPMENT, SO ON, OR DO YOU NEED ASSISTANCE IN IDENTIFYING THEM? I COULD DEFINITELY, YOU KNOW, USE SUPPORT. I DO HAVE SOME CONTACTS, BUT I DON'T, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M PRETTY SURE THAT THERE IS A LOT THAT I DO NOT KNOW IN THAT AREA, GIVEN THE, THE SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME THAT I'VE BEEN HERE. SO I WOULD DEFINITELY BE LEANING INTO, TO YOU AND OTHERS IN THE COMMUNITY TO, TO HELP. I, I, I BRING IT UP BECAUSE EVEN THE BOARD MAY NOT HAVE THE CONTEXT, AND WE MAY HAVE TO SEEK THAT ASSISTANCE ELSEWHERE. MM-HMM. . CORRECT. I HAVE BEEN MAKING SOME CONTACTS THOUGH, AND, AND I'M, I'M CONFIDENT THAT WE WILL, WE WILL GET, WE WILL GET THERE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. SO THIS IS A FOLLOW UP TO WHAT DAVID JUST SAID. UM, AT SOME POINT IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL FOR THE BOARD TO KNOW SPECIFICALLY WHAT KIND OF CONTACTS YOU NEED AND WHEN YOU NEED THEM, SO THAT IF WE NEED TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE, WE'LL KNOW A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT YOUR TIMEFRAME, THE SPECIFICS OF YOUR TIMEFRAME. OKAY. DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM COMMENTS? UM, YEAH, SO I'M OKAY WITH THE, UM, OBVIOUSLY PREVIOUSLY APPROVED BUDGET AND, UM, THE EXPENDITURES THUS FAR. UH, I KNOW THAT, UH, A, A GOOD SENATOR, UH, SENATOR DAVIS HAS, UM, I THINK ANOTHER MILLION DOLLARS THAT'S GONNA BE PUSHED DOWN FROM THE STATE. UM, I DON'T KNOW THE PARTICULARS OF THAT, IF THAT'S, UH, A GRANT FROM A PARTICULAR DEPARTMENT OR, OR WHAT. UM, BUT OUR STRATEGIC PLAN DOES SPEAK TO US CONTINUING TO RAISE MONIES AND, UM, I'M JUST PUTTING A PLUG IN TONIGHT, UM, THAT, YOU KNOW, WE PUT SOME EMPHASIS ON, ON, ON THAT EFFORT AS FAR AS RAISING ADDITIONAL FUNDS. [00:15:01] UM, OBVIOUSLY, UM, FOLKS ARE GOING TO WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE SPENDING YOUR FUNDS ON, BUT BASED ON WHAT'S IN FRONT OF US, UM, WE WILL BE SPENDING PRETTY READILY, UM, AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT WE HAVE, HAVE, UH, UNPEELED HERE. UH, SO, UM, AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME, UM, MADAM CHAIR, I WOULD, I WOULD ASK THAT WE SORT OF HUDDLE TOGETHER TO TALK ABOUT FUTURE FUNDING AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE AND HOW WE ACCOMPLISH THAT GOAL. GOOD. VERY GOOD COMMENT. AND TO THAT POINT, UM, THAT IS, THAT IS, UH, A PATHWAY THAT I'VE ALREADY STARTED TO TRAVEL DOWN. UM, WE HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, TO YOUR POINT, UM, MR. MR UH, OR SENATOR DAVIS HAS BEEN VERY, VERY GRACIOUS AND SUPPORTIVE OF OUR EFFORTS, UM, AND HAS, UH, PLEDGED, UH, SOME FUNDS FOR US FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025 MOVING FORWARD. UM, UM, AND WE ALSO ARE, UM, IF YOU, YOU KNOW, IF YOU NOTICE, UM, TOMORROW, AND THIS IS AN AGENDA ITEM FOR LATER, WE, WE'VE GOT A, A COMMUNITY PARTNER THAT WE'RE BUILDING A RELATIONSHIP AND, UH, BUILDING A RELATIONSHIP WITH IN TD BANK. AND SO, UM, I'M ALSO, UM, IN THE PROCESS OF, UM, REVIEWING A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT GRANT OPPORTUNITIES TOO. SO, SO THAT PROCESS IS TAKING PLACE IN REAL TIME, UH, UM, AND MORE TO COME ON THAT IN THE FUTURE. BUT YES, I DEFINITELY, UM, UH, WOULD APPRECIATE, UM, YOU KNOW, SUPPORT, GUIDANCE, HELP IN THAT AREA. WE ALSO, AGAIN, LET'S, LET'S NOT FORGET THAT WE, WE HAVE AN ACCOUNT WITH THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF THE LOW COUNTRY, UH, FOR INDIVIDUALS TO BE ABLE TO MAKE, UH, UH, TAXABLE DONATIONS, UH, TO THE CDC TO SUPPORT THE WORK THAT WE DO. THANK YOU. WHAT OTHER QUESTIONS DO WE HAVE FROM THE PUBLIC ON THIS ITEM OR COMMENT HEARING ON, WE'LL MOVE ON TO, UM, POINT B. ALRIGHT. WAY FINDING SOLUTION. SO WE ARE MOVING ON TO, UH, FIVE B, WHICH IS WAY FINDING. SO, UM, BASED ON OUR STRATEGIC PLAN, UM, THAT WE APPROVED AND ADOPTED EARLIER THIS YEAR, UM, THE STABILIZATION AND PRESERVATION OF OUR HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS WAS ONE OF OUR PRIORITIES. UM, WE HAVE SINCE, UH, RELEASED A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR A SOLUTION THAT WILL ALLOW US TO DIGITALLY CAPTURE AND PRESERVE, UM, THE CULTURE, THE GULLAH CULTURE THROUGH A MEANS BY WHICH, UH, IS, IS IDENTIFIED AS WAYFINDING. AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE IS UTILIZING, UM, QR CODES TO BE ABLE, UH, TO ENHANCE THE TOURISM EXPERIENCE IN OUR CULTURAL AREAS. SO IF YOU WOULD IMAGINE, UM, WALKING PAST, UM, SAY, UM, THE FORM OF, OF, UH, THE FISHING, UH, THE FISHERMAN'S CO-OP, UH, WHICH IS, UM, OVER ON SQUIRE POPE ROAD AND, UH, IS NOW IDENTIFIED AS A ROWING SAILING CENTER, AND THERE WAS A QR CODE THERE THAT YOU COULD SCAN WITH YOUR MOBILE DEVICE AND BE ABLE TO PULL UP ARTICLES, UH, FROM 1969 AND 1970 THAT EXISTED IN JET AND EBONY MAGAZINE, AND TOLD THE STORY OF, OF HOW, UH, THE, THE FISHERMEN'S CO-OP, UH, ROAD, UH, UP THE EASTERN SEABOARD, UM, TO THE DEPARTMENT OF, UM, WHAT WAS IT, THE, THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND BASICALLY STOPPED THE BASF PLANT. SO, SO BEING ABLE TO UTILIZE TECHNOLOGY IN THE TELLING OF OUR HISTORY IS WHAT THIS RFP IS, UM, IS IN PLACE TO DO THIS. RFP WAS ISSUED, UH, IT OPENED ON JUNE THE 14TH AND CLOSED ON, UH, JULY THE 11TH. WE ARE CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF REVIEWING THOSE REQUESTS FOR PROPOSALS AND SCORING THEM, AND WE ANTICIPATE, UM, AN AWARD OF CONTRACT, UH, AUGUST, THE 1ST OF AUGUST. UM, AND THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE ARE IN THAT PROCESS. AND, UM, I'M, I'M REALLY PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT THAT, UH, ABOUT BEING ABLE TO UTILIZE, UTILIZE THE TECHNOLOGY IN, IN THE CULTURAL PRESERVATION OF, OF GULLAH HISTORY. UM, DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? I HAVE A COMMENT. UM, I'M ONE OF THE REVIEWERS AND EACH OF THE APPLICATIONS INDICATE A DIFFERENT TIMEFRAME OF, AS REGARDING AS TO WHEN THEY CAN GET THIS UP AND RUNNING, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE MOST OF THEM ARE SAYING WITHIN THE SIX TO NINE MONTH PERIOD OF TIME, WHICH I [00:20:01] THINK IS OUTSTANDING, TO BE ABLE TO GO THROUGH AND ACTUALLY HOLD UP YOUR PHONE AND ACTUALLY GO TO THESE POINTS WITHIN THE GULLAH COMMUNITY AND HEAR ABOUT THE CULTURE AND THE IMPACT OF THE CULTURE TO THE REST OF THE ISLAND. UM, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WILL BE UTILIZED THAT MR. BOXY DID NOT TALK ABOUT IS THE STORIES THAT PEOPLE HAVE AND ACTUAL PEOPLE WHO HAVE, WHO LIVE HERE TELLING THOSE STORIES IN THEIR OWN VOICES, WHICH IS REALLY IMPORTANT. NOT HAVING AN ACTOR TELL THE STORY, BUT ACTUALLY HAVING FOLKS FROM MY GULLAH COMMUNITY THAT WILL BE IDENTIFIED LATER, TELLING THE STORIES AND THE HISTORY. I THINK THAT MAKES IT VERY REAL, AND I THINK IT, IT MAKES IT VERY AUTHENTIC. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, ADAM. CHAIR. I HAVE A COMMENT. YES. UH, I THINK ONE OF THE TRAPS THAT WE'VE ALWAYS SEEMED TO GET OURSELVES INTO ON THE ISLAND IS DOING THING IN ISOLATION OF OTHER GROUPS. UM, I'VE ALREADY SPOKEN TO THOMAS ABOUT THIS. UH, THERE'S, OF COURSE, MITCHELLVILLE. THERE ARE A LOT OF CULTURAL ASSETS ON THE COMMUNITY. THERE'S, UH, COASTAL DISCOVERY MUSEUM. THERE'S THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, THERE'S THE, THERE ARE THE BYPASS. AND SO I I, I'M ENCOURAGING US AS A BOARD AND THOMAS AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR EXECUTIVE, TRY TO THINK OF THIS AS A NETWORK OR A SYSTEM OF EDUCATION FOR PEOPLE WHO LIVE ON THE ISLAND AND PEOPLE WHO VISIT THE ISLAND. THANK YOU. WELL SAID. AND I THINK THAT'S AN IMPORTANT POINT BECAUSE, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU BROUGHT UP MITCHELLVILLE, AND I KNOW MITCHELLVILLE WILL BE DOING THE SAME KIND OF WAYFARING EXERCISE. UH, AND I THINK MR. BOXLEY, ARE YOU NOT IN COMMUNICATION WITH THOSE ENTITIES? I AM. I'M IN COMMUNICATION WITH MITCHELLVILLE, WITH, UH, MR. UH, WARD OVER AT MITCHELLVILLE, AS WELL AS, UM, I THINK THAT THAT QR CODE WAS CREATED, UH, BY THE TOWN, UM, THE CULTURAL, THE, THE DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS. AND SO, UM, THIS IS, UM, A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN, THAN, AND IT'S, IT'S ENHANCED. IT HAS A FEW MORE BELLS AND WHISTLES, IF YOU WILL, THAN, UM, THAN WHAT I'VE, WHAT I'VE SEEN IN, IN CURRENT EXISTENCE. SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AUGMENTED REALITY, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT VIRTUAL REALITY, UM, UH, COMPONENTS AS WELL. SO, BUT, BUT TO YOUR POINT, I, I, I AGREE THAT, UM, THAT THERE IS SOME CROSS, SOME, SOME CROSS, UH, ORGANIZATION, UH, WORK THAT CAN BE DONE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE, YOU KNOW, MAXIMIZING THE POTENTIAL OF THESE, THESE TOOLS. AND I KNOW THAT ONE OF THE CONCERNS MR. BOXLEY IS INVOLVING OUR YOUTH ON THE ISLAND IN DOING THESE KINDS OF THINGS. AND, UH, I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR YOUTH TO BE UP IN FRONT AND CENTER IN THIS, IN ESTABLISHING THIS AND HELPING WITH IT. I THINK IT, IT COULD BE SOMETHING THAT, UH, COULD BE DONE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE HIGH SCHOOLS, THE LOCAL HIGH SCHOOLS, AND THEIR STUDENTS. SO I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT COMPONENT OF IT. IT, IT ABSOLUTELY IS, UM, UH, A VERY YOUTH CENTRIC, UM, PROJECT IN THAT, YOU KNOW, UM, YOUNG PEOPLE THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY NAVIGATE IN AND, AND, AND MANAGE, MAINTAIN, AND LIVE IN THAT DIGITAL WORLD. AND SO I THINK THAT THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO TIE THEM DIRECTLY BACK TO, TO THE CULTURE. SO I'M EXCITED ABOUT IT. WHAT QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS DO WE HAVE FROM, UM, OUR COMMUNITY? ANY HEARING? NONE. THEN WE WILL GO ON TO GOT ONE. OH, SORRY. THAT'S OKAY. UM, I'M HAPPY TO HEAR THAT THE, UH, DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONTENT WITHIN THE PROGRAM IS GOING TO BE MORE SO GRASSROOTS THAN ANYTHING. I THINK THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT. UM, HOW, HOW MANY RESPONSES DO WE GET? IT WAS 11, I THINK. GOOD. OKAY. UM, SORRY, MAN. I'M ALWAYS LIKE, SORRY, I'M ALWAYS DOWN THE STREET A LITTLE BIT. UM, THAT'S OKAY WITH ME. IT, IT SEEMS AS IF THIS PROGRAM WILL HELP TO SUPPORT THE, SOME OF THE EFFORTS THAT THE TOWN HAS BEEN HAVING WITH OUR DESIGNATED MARKETING ORGANIZATION AS FAR AS HIGHLIGHTING, UM, MORE THAN BEACH GOLF, TENNIS, AND SO ON, ON HILTON HEAD AND THE CHAMBER, DMO, UM, ON A REGULAR BASIS MAKES PRESENTATIONS OR REPORTS TO TOWN COUNCIL AS FAR AS THOSE EFFORTS ARE CONCERNED. [00:25:02] ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY MENTIONED AT THE LAST REPORT WAS THAT THEY ARE STARTING TO GET MORE HITS AROUND ARTS AND CULTURE IN PARTICULAR, UM, THE, THE, THE, THE GULLAH, UH, ASPECT. BUT BEING ABLE TO HAND THAT OFF TO SOMEONE, UM, AS FAR AS A PLACE TO GO ONCE A VISITOR HAS RECOGNIZED THAT THIS EXISTS, UM, IN OUR AREA, UM, HAS BEEN SOMEWHAT OF A CHALLENGE. RIGHT. UH, SO, UM, I, I, I'M PROPOSING, UM, AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME THAT WE ASK THE QUESTION OF OUR DMO AS TO WHAT THIS PARTNERSHIP IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE. OKAY. UM, AS AN EXAMPLE, UH, WHEN WE START TO TALK ABOUT OUR ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP AND, UM, THE CHAMBER TAKING A, A LEAD AND TELLING THAT STORY, WE HAVE PLACES AND ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE SEA TURTLE PATROL, UM, THERE IS A BOUND PARTNERSHIP THERE, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT STORY IS TOLD AND MAKE SURE THAT OUR VISITORS ARE EDUCATED AS THEY COME TO HILTON HEAD WHEN IT COMES TO OUR PROTECTION OF SEA TURTLES. AND THAT'S GREAT. UM, WITH THE MISSION OF THE CDC AND THE MISSION OF THE DMO, I JUST SEE A VERY IMPORTANT PARTNERSHIP ON THE HORIZON THERE. AND, UM, I'D LIKE TO SEE US EVOLVE INTO THAT, UM, AS WE MOVE THESE TYPE OF PROGRAMS ALONG. THANK YOU. I THINK THAT'S AN EXCELLENT POINT. YEAH. I THINK THAT WE, WE DO HAVE, UM, FOR LACK OF A BETTER, UH, ANALOGY, MEAT ON THE BONE, UH, WITH OUR DMO. UM, AND NOT ONLY IN, IN THIS AREA, BUT AS WE LOOK AT, UH, AT MARKETING, UH, MARKETING FOR, UH, GULLAH BUSINESSES, AS WE LOOK AT, UH, YOU KNOW, TO YOUR POINT, UH, BEING ABLE TO, UH, YOU KNOW, AS TOURISTS, UM, ARE PLANNING THEIR TRIPS TO BE ABLE TO BE OUT ON THE FRONT SIDE OF THAT, UH, WITH, WITH THE ARTS AND CULTURE OF THE GULLAH COMMUNITY, UM, ALSO BEING, UM, MARKETED AT A HIGH LEVEL. SO I, I THINK THAT THERE, THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL OPPORTUNITIES THAT EXIST THERE. UM, THE POWER OF THIS TECHNOLOGICAL PIECE IS THE ABILITY TO ALSO, UH, YOU KNOW, AS, AS TOURISTS RETURN HOME, TO BE ABLE TO LIKE PHYSICALLY SHOW, YOU KNOW, THEIR, THEIR, UM, FRIENDS AND FAMILY, UM, WHAT THEY EXPERIENCED, UM, WHILE THEY WERE HERE IN REAL TIME, YOU KNOW, THROUGH THEIR DEVICES. SO I THINK, I THINK THERE'S MORE TO COME THAT'S, THAT'S PRETTY EXCITING IN THAT AREA. ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD MEMBERS? ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM THE COMMUNITY ON THIS ITEM? YES, MA'AM. CAN YOU COME UP AND IDENTIFY YOURSELF PLEASE, JUST FOR OUR RECORDS? HI, I AM ELIZABETH VALENCIA AND I REPRESENT THE WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION HERE, THE NATURE EXPLORATION GROUP. I THINK I REALLY LIKE THE QR CODE PROGRAM BECAUSE WE HAVE HAD A LOT OF TROUBLE GETTING CONNECTED TO THE COMMUNITY. UM, I HOPE THAT YOU WOULD INCLUDE MUSIC FROM THE YOUNG PEOPLE IN EACH OF THESE QR CODE LOCATIONS, BECAUSE I THINK THE GOAL OF MUSIC IS SO MUCH A PART OF THE CULTURE, AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT I DEEPLY APPRECIATE WHEN I HEAR THINGS, SO I JUST ASK THAT WE LOOK AT THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THAT'S A WONDERFUL IDEA. THANK YOU FOR THAT. WHAT OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS DO WE HAVE? AND WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM FIVE C, WHICH IS THE STONY COMMUNITY IMPACT GRANT. ALRIGHT, SO, UH, ITEM FIVE C STONY COMMUNITY, UH, IMPACT, UM, AS PART OF OUR, UH, STRATEGIC PLAN, WE FURTHER COMMITTED AND IDENTIFIED, UH, THE NEED TO SUPPORT THE STONY COMMUNITY THROUGH, UM, THROUGH THE HIGHWAY PROJECT AND THE IMPACTS THAT IT HAS HAD IN THE PAST. UM, WE, IF YOU REMEMBER, WE STARTED DISCUSSING THIS, UM, WITHIN, WITHIN THREE TO FOUR WEEKS OF MY ARRIVAL HERE DURING THE STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS, AS WE DISCUSSED, UM, OUR GOALS AND OBJECTIVES FOR THIS CURRENT YEAR. UM, AND IT WAS IDENTIFIED THAT THAT STONY HAD BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED, AND REGARDLESS OF THE OUTCOME OF THE [00:30:01] HIGHWAY EXPANSION PROJECT, UH, THAT HAS BEEN PROPOSED, AND, UM, UH, TOWN COUNCIL, UM, AGREED TO MOVE FORWARD THAT THERE STILL NEEDED TO BE WORK DONE IN THE STONY COMMUNITY TO IMPROVE THAT. SO WHAT THIS REPRESENTS, UH, THIS, THIS AGENDA ITEM REPRESENTS, UM, IS, IS MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE MOVING FORWARD OR JUST, UM, MOVING FORWARD IN THE APPROPRIATE WAY TO SUPPORT THE HOMEOWNERS, UM, PROPERTY OWNERS IN THE STONY COMMUNITY THAT HAVE BEEN NEGATIVELY IMPACTED BY FU UH, BY PAST, IN PREVIOUS ROUNDS OF, UM, OF HIGHWAY EXPANSION. UM, WE'VE HEARD, UM, THROUGH THE PROCESS OF THE HIGHWAY EXPANSION OF THE IMPACTS OF WHETHER THAT IS, UH, THE GRADING AND DRAINAGE, WHETHER THAT IS EMISSIONS, WHETHER THAT IS NOISE. WE'VE, WE'VE HEARD FROM THE FAMILY MEMBERS DIRECTLY. WHAT WE THOUGHT WOULD BE A GOOD, UH, MOVE FORWARD IMMEDIATELY WOULD BE TO WORK WITH THE STONY COMMUNITY MEMBERS, THE FAMILY MEMBERS, UM, THAT HAVE AN IMMEDIATE NEED THAT WON'T BE IMPACTED BY THE FUTURE, UM, CIVIL WORK, ET CETERA, UH, OF THE HIGHWAY AS IT MOVES FORWARD. SO THAT BEING EMISSIONS, THAT BEING NOISE MITIGATION, THOSE ARE SOME LOW HANGING FRUITS, IF YOU WILL, THAT WE CAN BEGIN TO WORK ON, UM, HERE IN THE NEXT, UH, 60 TO 90 DAYS TO BEGIN TO, TO HELP TO, TO REPAIR SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN DONE. SO, UM, I'LL BE WORKING OVER THE, I'VE ALREADY BEGAN THE PROCESS AGAIN OF MOVING THIS PIECE FORWARD, WORKING DIRECTLY WITH OUR PROCUREMENT DEPARTMENT, UH, AT THE TOWN TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE PUTTING TOGETHER AN APPROPRIATE, UM, PACKAGE, A APPLICATION PACKAGE FOR THE FAMILIES THAT WE'LL BE, UH, SUPPORTING. WE, WE ALSO, UM, UM, WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO, AGAIN, TO GET THIS PROGRAM UP AND RUNNING FOR IMMEDIATE IMPACTS THAT, UM, UH, SOMETHING THAT CAN BE DONE IMMEDIATELY FOR THE COMMUNITY THAT HAS BEEN, UM, SUFFERING THROUGH THIS FOR YEARS. SO, UH, ANY QUESTIONS? HAVE YOU SPECIFICALLY IDENTIFIED THOSE FAMILIES AND WHAT THEIR NEEDS ARE? I THINK YOU HAVE, BUT I JUST NEED TO, I HAVE IDENTIFIED AT LEAST SIX, UM, AND WE ARE, YOU KNOW, ONCE, I'M SURE ONCE WORD SPREADS, YOU KNOW, WE'LL HAVE OTHERS THAT WILL ALSO, YOU KNOW, BE LOOKING, UH, LOOKING AT HOW WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO, TO SUPPORT THEM. OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM BOARD MEMBERS? YEP. MADAM CHAIR. UM, MR. BOXLEY IS, UH, IS TOUCHING ON SOME OF THE, UM, IMMEDIATE FACTORS THAT COULD, UH, IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE IN THAT AREA. I, I, I WANNA DIVE A LITTLE BIT DEEPER FOR, UH, THE BOARD'S SAKE. UM, AS WE WERE HAVING OUR DELIBERATIONS AT COUNCIL AROUND THE 2 78 PROJECT, UM, WE REFERENCING THE STONY INITIATIVE PLAN, UM, THAT WAS ADOPTED IN 2003, AND I, I GOT A COMMENT FROM A COMMUNITY MEMBER ASKING ME IF THAT PLAN WAS STILL RELEVANT. NOW, I'M NOT QUITE SURE WHAT THE INTENT OF THE QUESTION WAS, BUT MY RESPONSE IS, AND WAS THAT THERE ARE STILL PROPERTY OWNERS AND FAMILY MEMBERS THAT ARE LIVING IN THAT AREA THAT PARTICIPATED IN THAT PLAN. AND THERE ARE A FEW KEY COMPONENTS THAT WERE MISSING AS FAR AS IMPLEMENTATION OF THAT PLAN. UM, ONE IS POLITICAL WILL, LET'S FACE THAT AS A FACT. AND THE OTHER IS SORT OF THE EXPERTISE WITHIN THE FAMILY UNITS TO EXECUTE AS WELL. UM, SO I KNOW THAT MR. BOXLEY HAS BEEN HAVING THESE CONVERSATIONS AROUND LONG-TERM PLANNING, UM, AND YOU HAVE SPOKEN TO SOME OF THE IMMEDIATE FIXES, BUT I JUST WANT THE BOARD TO UNDERSTAND, AND THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE TO UNDERSTAND THAT BECAUSE OF THAT LACK [00:35:01] OF EXPERTISE WITHIN THE FAMILY UNITS IS WHY WE HAVE NOT SEEN MOVEMENT AS WELL. SO THESE GRANT PROGRAMS WILL ALSO HELP TO SUPPORT THEM BEING ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH BRINGING EXPERTISE AND RESOURCES TO THE TABLE. UM, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO, UH, ARTICULATE THAT, UM, PUBLICLY, UM, BECAUSE AS I'VE SAID IN THE PAST, UH, WE TEND TO TRY TO PUT THE FOLKS IN THAT COMMUNITY IN ONE BOX AND THINK THEY ALL WANT THE SAME THING AND IT'S NOT THE CASE. THAT'S RIGHT. UH, SO HELPING THEM TO MOVE THROUGH THOSE DISCUSSIONS WITH FOLKS THAT HAVE DONE IT BEFORE WITH FOLKS THAT KNOW SOME OF THE PITFALLS AND OPPORTUNITIES IS GOING TO FURTHER THAT COMMUNITY. UH, SO, UM, AGAIN, UM, I'M APPLAUD MR. BOXY FOR HIS EFFORTS, BUT I WANT TO SAY THAT PIECE OUT LOUD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR THAT COMMENT. AND, AND YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT THERE. THERE ARE SEVERAL PIECES. UM, I WAS HAVING A CONVERSATION EARLIER ABOUT, UH, HEIRS PROPERTY. I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE, UM, IN A, IN A, IN HEIRS PROPERTY RELATED, UM, DIVE. UM, AND, AND YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SO MANY, SO MANY COMPONENTS WHEN WE, WHEN WE BEGIN TO SPEAK OF HOW DOES, UM, A LANDOWNER, HOW DOES A FAMILY, UH, BEGIN TO MOVE INTO, UH, HIGHEST AND BEST UTILIZATION OF THEIR PROPERTY. SO SOME OF WHAT WE CAN PROVIDE LOOKS LIKE, UM, UH, SOME HEIRS, PROPERTY RESEARCH, UH, SUPPORT FOR THAT. SOME OF IT LOOKS LIKE, UH, YOU KNOW, SUPPORT FOR, UM, LAND APPRAISALS AND DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT COMPONENTS THAT ARE NECESSARY TO MOVE DOWN THAT PATHWAY, UM, DOWN THAT PATHWAY TO HIGHEST AND BEST USE. SHOULD THE FAMILY DESIRE THAT, OR IF IT'S, IF THE FAMILY IS JUST DESIRES TO MAINTAIN HOMESTEAD, THEN, THEN MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE SUPPORTING, UH, THOSE EFFORTS AND DESIRES AS WELL. 'CAUSE IT'S NOT A ONE SIZE FITS ALL OR A ONE ANSWER FOR, FOR EVERY FAMILY, UH, SITUATION AT ALL. THANK YOU, MR. SUB BOX. YOU HAVE A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT'S GOING ON. WE APPRECIATE THAT. WHAT OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS DO WE HAVE FROM BOARD MEMBERS? ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC ON THIS ITEM? HEARING NONE, WE WILL GO ON TO THE PUBLIC COMMON AREA. HAVE WE RECEIVED, WE GOT ONE MORE. OH, ITEM D, SORRY, I FORGOT THAT ONE. . IT'S OKAY. ITEM D FIVE D. AND THIS IS, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S, THIS IS ONE THAT, UH, UH, REF REFLECTS, UH, DIRECTLY TO, UH, AND, AND EVERYTHING THAT WE DO, UM, IS, IS DIRECTLY TIED TO OUR STRATEGIC PLAN, AS WELL AS THE STRATEGIC PLAN OF THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND. AND SO, UM, THIS PARTICULAR, UM, AGENDA ITEM IS RELATED TO, UM, OUR UPCOMING FINANCIAL EDUCATION SEMINAR SERIES THAT BEGINS TOMORROW. SO I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE SURE AND INVITE ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO BE IN ATTENDANCE THERE AS WELL. TOMORROW EVENING AT 5:00 PM AT THE ISLAND REC CENTER, WE WILL KICK OFF, UM, OUR COMMUNITY, UH, EDUCATION SERIES. AND SO WE IDENTIFIED IN OUR STRATEGIC PLAN ACCESS TO CAPITAL AS, AS SOMETHING THAT WAS IMPORTANT FOR US TO WORK TOWARDS, UH, WITH OUR COMMUNITY. SO, UM, AND I, I'D LIKE TO, TO THANK OUR PARTNERS IN, UH, THE ISLAND REC CENTER FOR PROVIDING US A LOCATION, UH, AS WELL AS OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH TD BANK. THAT WILL BE, UH, FACILITATING OUR SERIES. AND AGAIN, UH, WE'VE GOT A SERIES OF FIVE WORKSHOPS. UM, EACH OF THEM WILL BE IN THE SAME LOCATION AT THE SAME TIME. UH, 5:00 PM TO 6:30 PM AUGUST, THE, UH, WELL TOMORROW JULY THE 25TH. THEN OUR NEXT SESSION, AUGUST THE 13TH, SEPTEMBER THE 10TH, OCTOBER THE EIGHTH, AND NOVEMBER THE 12TH. UM, BUT OUR GOAL THROUGH THIS IS TO, UM, INCREASE ACCESS TO CAPITAL FOR, UM, FOR THE COMMUNITY AND, UM, FOR POTENTIALLY DEVELOPMENT OF, UH, THE POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT OF SMALL BUSINESSES. AND SO, UM, IF YOU LOOK, TAKE A LOOK AT THE TOPICS. UH, TOMORROW'S TOPIC IS APPLYING FOR FINANCING. UM, IN AUGUST WE'VE GOT BUSINESS OPERATIONS DAY-TO-DAY BUSINESS OPERATIONS. UM, THEN WE'VE GOT, UH, AGAIN, ACCESS TO CAPITAL, SMALL BUSINESS LINES OF CREDIT, AND THEN COMMERCIAL LENDING. AND SO WHAT WE WANNA BE ABLE TO DO IS TO PROVIDE A KNOWLEDGE BASE AS WELL AS A CONNECTIVITY TO, UM, A LENDING INSTITUTION, UH, THAT EXISTS [00:40:01] WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, UM, THAT CAN PROVIDE SOME SUPPORT AND, AND TO CONTINUE TO BUILD UPON THAT RELATIONSHIP. I THINK THAT'S OUTSTANDING. COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FROM OUR BOARD? UM, I, I DO HAVE A THOUGHT. UM, SO WE COME UP WITH GREAT IDEAS TO EDUCATE PEOPLE, AND WE HAVE THE MEETINGS AND VERY FEW PEOPLE SHOW UP. UM, I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU THINK IS GOING TO HAPPEN TOMORROW, BUT I'M THINKING THAT RATHER THAN IT IS JUST BEING A LECTURE ADD TO IT, AN ACTUAL PRACTICAL ASPECT WHERE YOU'RE ACTUALLY GIVING THESE PEOPLE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO, GO FOR A LOAN. UM, IN OTHER WORDS, MAKE IT, MAKE IT AS REAL AS POSSIBLE SO THEY GO INTO THE COMMUNITY AND SAY, THIS IS AMAZING WHAT I AM NOW ABLE TO DO, RATHER THAN JUST A LECTURE. SO IT'S, IT'S, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF I'M COMMUNICATING THAT, BUT, UH, THOMAS, TO THE EXTENT THAT YOU CAN MAKE IT A WIN FOR THE PEOPLE WHO PARTICIPATE, I THINK IT WOULD HELP IN THE MARKETING OF THE PROGRAM. UH, STEP TWO AND THREE. THANK YOU. UH, I WANT TO ADD A LITTLE BIT MORE TO MR. AM'S THOUGHT PROCESS THERE. UM, I, YOU HAVE TO KEEP VERY, VERY FRONT OF MIND THAT, UH, FOLKS WITHIN THE GULLAH COMMUNITY ARE GOING TO BE VERY LEERY WITH TAKING FIRST STEPS, UM, JUST BECAUSE THERE'S A, A TRUST ISSUE THAT CONTINUES TO LINGER. WHAT I'M SUGGESTING ALONG WITH MR. AMES COMMENT IS THAT THOSE THAT DO SHOW UP, WE CAPTURE THEIR INFORMATION IN A WAY THAT WE WILL GO START TO HAVE SOME OF THOSE TABLETOP CONVERSATIONS THAT MR. BOXLEY HAS BEEN HAVING WITH FOLKS IN THE STONY COMMUNITY. UM, TO ME, WE'RE POTENTIALLY SCRATCHING THE SURFACE HERE, BUT I THINK WE ARE OPENING DOORS FOR MR. BOXLEY TO START TO EDUCATE AS TO WHAT THE POSSIBILITIES ARE AND HOW THE CDC CAN HELP MOVE YOU ALONG. OKAY. UM, SO I JUST STRONGLY ENCOURAGE THAT WE CAPTURE THAT INFORMATION WHILE WE'RE THERE AND SET SOME MAYBE FOLLOW UPS, UH, WITHIN HOMES, BECAUSE I THINK FOLKS ARE MOST COMFORTABLE WHEN YOU'RE HAVING THESE TYPE OF CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM IN THEIR FAMILY VERSUS IN A PUBLIC SETTING. UM, SO, UH, THAT, THAT WOULD BE, UM, A CHARGE THAT I WOULD ASK THE BOARD TO, TO GIVE MR. BOXLEY THROUGH THIS EFFORT. I AGREE WITH WHAT YOU BOTH HAVE SAID, AND, BUT TO ADD ON TO IT, WE COULD EVEN TO TAKE, UH, MR. AMES, UM, THOUGHT FURTHER AND MR. BROWN'S THOUGHT FURTHER. THEY COULD BE AMBASSADORS IN THE COMMUNITY ONCE THEY GO THROUGH THE TRAINING TO REALLY TALK THROUGH IN SOME KIND OF MARKETING EFFORT, WHAT HAS HAPPENED, YOU KNOW, WHAT THEIR EXPERIENCE WAS AND WHAT HAS HAPPENED. ADDITIONALLY, HAVE WE SET UP VIDEO RECORDINGS FOR THESE SESSIONS, OR CAN WE DO THAT? IS THAT POSSIBLE? THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, UM, WE DEFINITELY ARE WORKING TOWARDS FOR THE AUGUST SESSION. WE DON'T CURRENTLY HAVE THAT CAPABILITY, BUT THAT'S A CONVERSATION THAT I WAS ACTUALLY HAVING EARLIER THIS WEEK ABOUT, UM, ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT WE CAN, YOU KNOW, CAPTURE THESE SESSIONS. I MEAN, IT'S GONNA REQUIRE, UM, A LITTLE BIT OF, UH, COORDINATION BETWEEN, UH, TD BANK AND, UM, AND OUR ORGANIZATION. BUT THE MECHANISM FOR CAPTURING, UH, PARTICIPANT INFORMATION IS ALREADY IN PLACE. UM, IN REGARDS TO OUR MARKETING EFFORTS. OUR WONDERFUL COMMUNICATIONS TEAM HAS BEEN, UM, EXTREMELY SUPPORTIVE AND, AND WALKING IN LOCKSTEP WITH US AS WE WORK TO GET THE WORD OUT. UM, AND I'M, I'M EXTREMELY CONFIDENT ABOUT OUR ABILITY TO, UM, TO MOVE FORWARD NOT ONLY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF, UH, SMALL BUSINESS AND THE SUPPORTS FOR SMALL BUSINESS, BUT YOU KNOW, ALSO THROUGH, UM, YOU KNOW, THE DEVELOPMENT OF, OF, TO YOUR POINT, UH, MADAM CHAIR, UM, AMBASSADORS THAT WE CAN LEAN UPON, [00:45:01] UM, TO, TO GO OUT AND, AND TELL THE STORY AS WELL. SO I, I THINK THAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT, WE'VE, WE SPENT A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME WORKING ON ONE ON ONE ISSUE, RIGHT? MM-HMM, . MM-HMM. . AND NOW WE'RE ABLE TO, TO MOVE INTO SOME OTHER THINGS THAT I THINK WILL BE EXTREMELY EXCITING FOR THE COMMUNITY. SO I'M, I'M, I'M HAVING FUN WITH THIS ONE. UM, LET ME, LET ME ADD, UM, ONE, I THINK WAY THAT I WOULD LIKE TO CRYSTALLIZE IT. I THINK WE SHOULD BE FOCUSED ON RESULTS. MM-HMM. AND THE, AND THE, THE PROCESS GETS TO RESULTS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. SO IT'S NOT JUST EDUCATION, IT'S, WE'RE, WE'RE PROVIDING AN AVENUE TO FOR RESULTS. AND I THINK THAT IS GOING TO SELL THE REST OF THE COMMUNITY TO PARTICIPATE. MM-HMM. . MM-HMM. . AGREED. SO AGREED. VERY GOOD POINT. AND, AND JUST JUST SO YOU'RE AWARE, AT A, AT A, UM, AT A DEEPER LEVEL, UM, I'M WORKING WITH SOME OF THE EXECUTIVE TEAM WITH, UH, WITH TD BANK AS WELL, TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE SOME OF THOSE HIGHER LEVEL, UH, WINS. SO MORE TO COME ON THAT. I, I CAN'T SPEAK TO IT JUST YET, BUT, UH, MORE TO COME ON THAT. GOOD. THANK YOU. THIS IS A, THIS IS A VERY EXCITING THING. IT'S VERY EXCITING. MM-HMM, . YEAH. WE CAN MOVE PAST TONY JUST A LITTLE BIT. WHAT, UH, QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS DO WE HAVE FROM THE COMMUNITY ON THIS ITEM? HEARING NONE, I THINK WE THEN NOW ARE READY TO GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT. UM, DO WE HAVE ANY FORMS THAT WERE FILLED OUT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT? OKAY. RIGHT. ANY PUBLIC COMMENT? I WILL JUST ASK IN GENERAL, SINCE WE HAVE A SMALL GROUP, HEARING NONE, THEN WE ARE AT A POINT OF ADJOURN. SO MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? MOVE SECOND ON THAT SECOND. ALRIGHT. WE ARE ADJOURNED AT SIX 40. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR ATTENDANCE. YOU'RE WATCHING BEAUFORT COUNTY TV, LIVE, WORK, PLAY AT LAST, THE MEMORABLE SEVENTH DAWNED UPON US, BRIGHT AND SERENE, NOT A RIPPLE UPON THE BROAD EXPANSE OF WATER TO DISTURB THE ACCURACY OF FIRE FROM THE BROAD DECKS OF THAT MAGNIFICENT ARMADA, TWO O'CLOCK HAD NOW ARRIVED WHEN I NOTICED OUR MEN COMING OUT OF THE FORT, WHICH THEY HAD BRAVELY DEFENDED FOR FOUR AND A HALF HOURS AGAINST FEARFUL ODDS. THE BATTLE OF PORT ROYAL, IT IS TRUE, HAS BEEN LOST. ON NOVEMBER 7TH, 1861, CONFEDERATE FORCES WERE DEFEATED AT THE BATTLE OF PORT ROYAL, ONE OF THE FIRST NAVAL BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR. HILTON HEAD AND LATER BEAUFORT AND PORT ROYAL FELL TO UNION TROOPS. PLANTERS ABANDONED THE SEA ISLANDS AND THOUSANDS OF ENSLAVED PEOPLE ESCAPED FROM BONDAGE. HILTON HEAD ISLAND BECAME THE HEADQUARTERS FOR THE US ARMY'S DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH. BY FEBRUARY, 1862, THERE WERE OVER 600 FORMER SLAVES SEEKING REFUGE IN UNION ARMY CAMPS ON THE ISLAND. MAJOR GENERAL ORMSBY MITCHELL PROPOSED TO CREATE A TOWN FOR THE ESCAPED SLAVES ON CONFEDERATE GENERAL THOMAS DRAYTON'S FISH HALL PLANTATION. THE TOWN WAS CALLED MITCHELLVILLE, WE'RE STANDING ON HILTON HEAD ISLAND IN THE ENCAMPMENT OF MITCHELLVILLE. IT WAS A FREEDMAN'S VILLAGE BUILT IN NOVEMBER OF 1862. THESE WERE PEOPLE WHO WERE DESCENDANTS OF SLAVES WHO'D BEEN ENSLAVED IN THIS COUNTRY FOR OVER 400 YEARS. [00:50:01] NEVER KNEW WHAT IT WAS TO BE FREE, BUT WHEN GENERAL ALMS BE MITCHELL GAVE THE DIRECTION THAT THIS TOWN SHOULD BE BUILT, THAT IT WOULD BE A GREAT EXPERIMENT AND FREEDOM FOR PEOPLE. MITCHELLVILLE WAS, UH, A VERY LARGE PLANNED, BUILT COMMUNITY. IT WAS AT LEAST TWO MILES LONG BY ABOUT A MILE WIDE, SEVERAL HUNDRED HOUSES. UH, JUST THIS PART OF THE SITE WE'RE WORKING ON NOW HAD AT LEAST 36 OR 38 HOUSES ON IT. THE NEW RESIDENTS OF MITCHELLVILLE SET TO WORK BUILDING THEIR OWN HOMES. THEY BUILT A CHURCH, ELECTED TOWN OFFICIALS DEVELOPED LAWS, AND REQUIRED EVERY CHILD TO ATTEND SCHOOL. MITCHELLVILLE WAS THE FIRST SELF-GOVERNED, FREED MEN'S COMMUNITY IN THE UNITED STATES. SO THEY BUILT A TOWN, WHICH I UNDERSTAND HAD BROUGHT BOULEVARDS HOUSES WERE ON QUARTER ACRE LOTS. THEY THEMSELVES BUILT THE HOUSES THAT THEY LIVED IN FROM THE MATERIALS THAT WERE GIVEN TO THEM BY THE UNITED STATES ARMY. AND TO THINK THAT THEY WERE THE ONES WHO CREATED THE FIRST COMPULSORY EDUCATION SYSTEM IN THE SOUTH. THE PEOPLE OF MITCHELLVILLE WORKED FOR THE UNION ARMY DURING THE WAR. AND THE SUBSEQUENT OCCUPATION. WHEN THE ARMY LEFT HILTON HEAD IN 1868, MOST JOBS WENT WITH IT. MITCHELLVILLE SOON DECLINED FROM NEARLY 3000 RESIDENTS TO JUST A FEW FAMILIES. BY 1880, IT CEASED TO BE A TOWN. BY THE MID 1950S, ONLY HILTON HEAD'S, OLDER RESIDENTS REMEMBERED MITCHELLVILLE AND ITS IMPORTANT HISTORY. THE STORY OF MITCHELLVILLE NEVER REALLY WENT AWAY. HOWEVER, UH, OVER THE YEARS, AS OLDER PERSONS DIED WHO WERE MORE FAMILIAR WITH MORE HISTORICAL DETAILS, IT WAS PASSED ON TO OTHERS. HOWEVER, IT WAS NEVER REALLY PUSHED VERY, VERY HARD. THERE'S STILL A NEED TO REACQUAINT THE CURRENT NEW GENERATION. ALL OF THE NEW RESIDENTS OF HILTON HEAD NEED TO BE TOTALLY AWARE OF THE RICH, TRUE HISTORY OF HILTON HEAD. IN THE 1980S, ARCHEOLOGISTS FOUND REMNANTS OF MITCHELLVILLE AND RECORDED IT AS AN ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE. THE SITE WAS LISTED ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES IN 1988. IN 2012, EXTENSION OF THE HILTON HEAD AIRPORT RUNWAY REQUIRED ARCHEOLOGISTS TO RETURN TO MITCHELLVILLE AND STUDY AREAS THAT WOULD BE AFFECTED BY CONSTRUCTION. THERE'S A LOT THAT WE KNOW ABOUT MITCHELLVILLE, BUT THERE'S VERY MUCH THAT WE DON'T KNOW. WE HAVE GOOD MAPS OF MITCHELLVILLE AS IT WAS LAID OUT, AS THE STREETS WERE LAID OUT IN THE GRID AND THE HOUSES WERE BUILT ON IT. THERE WERE DIFFERENT BUILDINGS, BUT WE DON'T KNOW SPECIFICALLY WHERE EACH BUILDING WAS. WE KNOW WHERE SOME OF THE STOCKYARDS AND THE, UH, CATTLE PENS AND, AND DIFFERENT FACILITIES WERE. BUT WE DON'T KNOW IF INDIVIDUAL HOUSES WERE ACTUALLY CONSTRUCTED. WAS THIS A CONCEPT MAP THAT THIS WAS THE PLAN THAT THEY INTENDED TO BUILD? OR IS IT, UH, ACTUALLY WHAT WAS BUILT, IT WAS SIMPLY THE MAP, A DOCUMENT OF WHAT WAS ACTUALLY THERE IN 1864. THAT'S ONE OF THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO ANSWER OUT HERE ON OUR ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE. ALTHOUGH PHOTOGRAPHS, MAPS, AND HISTORICAL ACCOUNTS GIVE US GLIMPSES OF MITCHELLVILLE, THERE ARE MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW THE TOWN WAS BUILT AND WHAT DAY-TO-DAY LIFE AT MITCHELLVILLE WAS LIKE THAT. ONLY ARCHEOLOGY CAN ANSWER. BUT WE'RE HERE AT, UH, PART OF THE HISTORIC MITCHELLVILLE. UM, AND WHAT YOU SEE AROUND YOU IS A SERIES OF TWO METER BY TWO METER EXCAVATION UNITS PUT TOGETHER IN WHAT WE CALL A BLOCK. WE'RE TRYING TO UNCOVER AS MUCH OF THIS HOUSE THAT WE THINK IS HERE AS POSSIBLE, NOT FIND MUCH. WHAT WE'RE FINDING IS WHERE THESE HOUSES ARE OR WHERE THE ARTIFACTS ARE. IN SOME SITES, THERE'S STUFF SCATTERED ALL OVER THE PLACE. THAT'S NOT THE CASE IN MITCHELLVILLE. MITCHELLVILLE IS REALLY MAYBE 20 YEARS AT THE MOST OF OCCUPATION, AND THEN IT'S GONE. IT'S DISSIPATED AS A TOWN. THAT'S ANOTHER QUESTION. YOU KNOW, DID SOME PEOPLE LIVE ON PAST 1880S? AND WHERE DID THEY CHOOSE TO LIVE? FEATURES ARE SOIL STAINS, ARCHITECTURAL REMNANTS, STORAGE PITS, AND GARBAGE DUMPS. ARCHEOLOGISTS DISCOVERED 85 FEATURES AT MITCHELLVILLE. YOU SEE THE NICE SHARP EDGES ON THIS. THIS IS A HOLE THAT'S BEEN DUG AND THEN FILLED FULL OF GARBAGE. SOME OTHER THING WE'VE SCRAPED OFF THAT PLAZA ON THAT OVERBURDEN. THIS TAN SOIL HAS NEVER BEEN DISTURBED BY HUMANS BEFORE. THIS SOIL HAS, THAT'S A FILLED IN HOLE. SO YOU ARCHEOLOGISTS WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CHOICES PEOPLE [00:55:01] MADE, THE KINDS OF HOUSEHOLD GOODS THEY HAD, THE KINDS OF FOODS THEY ATE, AND HOW THEY ORGANIZED THEIR HOMES AND LIVES. YOU HAD PEOPLE THAT WERE MOVING FROM ENSLAVEMENT WITH, HAD NOTHING TO A FREE MARKET ECONOMY. THEY HAD TO SPEND THEIR MONEY ON FOOD AND CLOTHING AND THE THINGS THAT EVERYBODY NEEDS TO LIVE, BUT THEY'RE HAVING MONEY TO SPEND. THEY HAD DISPOSABLE INCOME FOR THE FIRST TIME. SO ONE OF THE INTERESTING QUESTIONS THAT WE AS ARCHEOLOGISTS WANT TO KNOW IS WHAT WERE THEY BUYING? WHAT DID THEY CHOOSE TO BUY WITH, WITH THEIR MONEY? UH, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE DON'T REALLY KNOW. ARTIFACTS OR OBJECTS MADE OR USED BY PEOPLE. THEY'RE THE CLUES ARCHEOLOGISTS USE TO UNDERSTAND ACTIVITIES THAT HAPPENED IN THE PAST. OVER 20,000 ARTIFACTS WERE FOUND AT MITCHELLVILLE. THIS IS, OH, I FOUND THIS IN THE BACK THERE. THIS WAS NEAT. YOU KNOW, ANYBODY KNOW WHAT THAT IS? THAT'S A INK. WELL, OH, WOW. THAT'S A LITTLE INK. WELL, BEAUTIFUL. SO REMEMBER THE STORY OF THE CHILDREN WERE REQUIRED TO GO TO SCHOOL. I MEAN, THINK ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS TO PEOPLE THAT BY LAW WE'RE NOT ALLOWED TO READ AND WRITE. AND, UH, NOW THEY GET TO, NOW THEY GET TO READ AND WRITE. AND SO THESE ARE THE KIND OF ARTIFACTS THAT TELL A TREMENDOUS STORY AND, AND, UH, AND AN EXHIBIT, AND WE CAN TELL THAT KIND OF THING. SO EVEN THOUGH IT'S A SMALL THING, IT IT, IT REALLY ALLOWS US TO CONNECT WITH PEOPLE OF THE PAST. YEAH, THE FIELD INVESTIGATIONS ADJUST THE FIRST STEP IN THE WORK BEING DONE TO STUDY THIS PORTION OF MITCHELLVILLE. ALL OF THE DATA AND ARTIFACTS GATHERED DURING THIS WORK WILL BE ANALYZED AND INTERPRETED. THE RESULTS WILL BE PRESENTED IN A WRITTEN REPORT THAT CAN BE SHARED WITH OTHER RESEARCHERS AND THE PUBLIC. I MUST SAY THAT WHEN I VISITED THE ARCHEOLOGY SITE, I WAS AWED. I DIDN'T EXPECT TO SEE THE EXPANSE OF WORK THAT WAS GOING ON. AND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT ALL THAT'S BEING UNCOVERED, I FELT AS IF I WAS ON HALLOW GROUND. I'M A PERSON THAT I HAVE TO SEE AND TOUCH. AND WHEN YOU HAVE SOMETHING, WHEN I HAVE SOMETHING TANGIBLE IN MY HANDS AND I CAN JUST FEEL IT. AND I WAS ABLE TO SHARE THAT YESTERDAY WITH HAVING A PIECE IN MY HAND. IT WAS AMAZING. IT WAS AMAZING. IN THE FUTURE, THE MITCHELLVILLE PRESERVATION PROJECT PLANS TO DEVELOP AN EXTENSIVE LIVING HISTORY PARK TO INTERPRET DAILY LIFE AT HISTORIC MITCHELLVILLE. SO WHAT I SEE MITCHELLVILLE BEING IS A PLACE WHERE STUDENTS IN ALL OF THE SCHOOLS IN BEAU COUNTY CAN COME ON FIELD TRIPS AND EXPERIENCE WHAT IT WAS LIKE THEN. WE ARE VERY PLEASED THAT MITCHELLVILLE AS SEEN TODAY, IS COMING ALIVE AGAIN IN HISTORY, IN REALITY, UH, THERE IS A GREAT NEED FOR MITCHELLVILLE STORY TO BE IN THE TEXTBOOKS AND OF COURSE TO BECOME A MAJOR PART OF THE AMERICAN HISTORY, A PART OF THE HISTORY THAT ALL AMERICANS CAN ENJOY AND, AND CONTINUE TO APPRECIATE. UH, BECAUSE WE SEE IT AS THE DAWN OF FREEDOM HERE ON HILTON HEAD. THE AVERAGE TEXT TAKES YOUR EYES OFF THE ROAD FOR NEARLY FIVE SECONDS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THAT'S ENOUGH TIME TO TRAVEL THE LENGTH OF A FOOTBALL FIELD. STOP THE TEXTS, STOP THE WRECKS. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.