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CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY BUFORT COUNTY, UH, FOR THE GULLAH GEECHEE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.
UM, I'D LIKE A MOTION TO ADOPT THE AGENDA.
TO ADOPT THE AGENDA AS SUBMITTED.
ANY OPPOSED? MOVING ON TO APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM THE REGULAR MEETING, UH, OF JULY 24TH, 2024.
OH, I NEED A MOTION TO ADOPT THE MINUTES.
ANY OPPOSED MINUTES ARE APPROVED? SO WE HAVE A SPECIAL, UM, ORDER HERE ON OUR AGENDA, AND THAT IS THE ELECTION OF OFFICERS.
SO WE WILL GO ONE BY ONE, UH, WITH A MOTION TO ELECT.
SO, FOR ELECTION OF CHAIR, I NEED A MOTION OR A NOMINATION.
I MOVE THAT WE, UH, ELECT MME. SHIRLEY PETERSON AS CHAIRPERSON OF THIS COMMITTEE.
I MOVE THAT WE NOMINATE, UH, PASTOR LEWIS JOHNSON.
ALL IN FAVOR? MOTION NOMINATION IS MOVED FOR SECRETARY.
DISCUSSION? HUH?
DID YOU NEED SOME DISCUSSION?
UH, MR. BOXLEY, IF YOU COULD GET US UP TO DAVID WAYFAIR.
AND, UM, FIRST, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE AN OPPORTUNITY TO THANK THE BOARD FOR THEIR SERVICE IN THIS FIRST YEAR.
UM, WE ARE GETTING MOMENTUM MOVING, AND I APPRECIATE ALL OF YOUR DEDICATION AND HARD WORK TO GET THIS ORGANIZATION STARTED.
IT'S BEEN A A VERY, VERY IMPORTANT AND INTERESTING JOURNEY THAT WE'VE EMBARKED UPON SINCE THE FALL OF 2022 WHEN THIS ORGANIZATION WAS ORIGINALLY FORMED, AND, UH, SPENT THE BALANCE OF 2023 SEATING THIS BOARD AND, AND GOING ON A SEARCH FOR AN EXECUTIVE.
SO, AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND CONTINUED UNWAVERING SUPPORT AS WE MOVE FORWARD TO DO THE WORK THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO, UM, OUR UNFINISHED BUSINESS.
TODAY WE HAVE A DISCUSSION REGARDING OUR RFP FOR WAY FINDING.
UM, IF YOU REMEMBER, UH, PART OF OUR PURPOSE REGARDING THE THE MISSION OF THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION IS TO PROMOTE CULTURAL RESOURCES AND PROTECT AND PRESERVE CULTURAL ASSETS WITHIN THE GULLAH GEECHEE COMMUNITY HERE ON HILTON HEAD ISLAND.
UH, WE HAVE SUBSEQUENTLY MOVED FORWARD WITH A PROPOSAL TO PROVIDE WAY FINDING SERVICES, WHICH WILL PROVIDE CULTURAL ENHANCEMENTS, UM, AND ENHANCED VISITOR EXPERIENCE THAT WILL INCLUDE, UH, UH, A DIGITAL MODE OF EXPERIENCE.
SOME OF THE CULTURAL SITES HERE ON HILTON HEAD ISLAND.
UM, OUR CURRENT CONTRACT WILL PROVIDE FOR 10 LOCATIONS, UM, FOR CULTURAL SITES TO BE RECOGNIZED AND ENHANCED THROUGH DIGITAL MEANS.
UM, IN THE MONTH OF JULY AND AUGUST, WE WENT THROUGH AN RFP PROCESS.
UM, OUR, OUR BOARD CHAIR, UH, MS. PETERSON PARTICIPATED WITH US THROUGH THAT PROCESS, AND WE SELECTED A COMPANY CALLED SOLE WHO IS WITH US ON LINE TODAY WITH THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.
MR. UH, CHANGA JACKSON IS PRESENT AND WILL GIVE US A BIT OF AN OVERVIEW ABOUT, UM, HIS COMPANY AND THEIR CAPABILITIES.
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GETTING STARTED WITH THIS PROJECT HERE, UM, IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE.SO, I'M GOING TO PUT THE, AS THE, AS THE ELDERS SAY, I'M GONNA TAKE THE COTTON OUTTA MY EARS AND PUT IT IN MY MOUTH AND INTRODUCE MR. JACKSON TO GIVE US A, A BIT OF A OVERVIEW ABOUT HIS COMPANY.
MR. JACKSON, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US THIS MORNING.
WELL, THANK YOU ALL FOR, UH, FOR HAVING ME.
AND I TRULY DO COUNT IT AS A PRIVILEGE AND AN HONOR, UH, TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE YOU ALL, UM, IN THIS PROJECT.
UM, SO LET ME JUST START OFF WITH A, WITH A LITTLE BIT OF A BRIEF, UH, KIND OF, UH, INTRODUCTION OF MYSELF.
SO MY NAME IS KGA JACKSON, AND, UM, I'M A CALIFORNIA NATIVE.
I AM A CURRENTLY A RESIDENT IN THE WONDERFUL STATE OF OKLAHOMA AND HAVE BEEN HERE, UH, FOR THE PAST 18 YEARS.
AND OUR COMPANY, SO LOSS, UM, HAS BEEN WORKING IN THE, UH, DIGITAL, UH, IMMERSIVE TECHNOLOGY SPACE FOR REALLY OVER 25 YEARS.
UM, I'LL TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT OF OUR, UH, A LITTLE BIT OF OUR STORY AS WE, AS WE MOVE INTO THIS, BUT, UM, FIRST I'LL JUST TELL YOU KIND OF THE UNIQUENESS OF MY NAME BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT TO KIND OF WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH THIS PROJECT.
AND, UH, MY PARENTS TOOK THREE WORDS FROM THE SWAHILI LANGUAGE AND THEY MADE MY NAME.
UM, AND IF YOU'VE EVER HEARD OF THE BUILDING BLOCK GAME, JENGA, JENGA MEANS TO BUILD.
AND SO, UM, I'M AT AN EARLY AGE.
I WAS ALWAYS THE KID THAT WOULD, UM, WHEN WE HAD A RADIO, I WOULD TAKE THE RADIO APART.
WHEN WE HAD A CD PLAYER, I'D TAKE THE CD PLAYER APART.
WHEN WE HAD A WALKMAN, I WOULD TAKE THE WALKMAN APART, AND I ALWAYS WANTED TO TAKE THINGS APART AND PUT THINGS BACK TOGETHER.
AND SO I WAS ALWAYS DRAWN, UH, TO TECHNOLOGY.
AND, UM, AND SO IT IS FUNNY BECAUSE MY VERY FIRST COMPUTER WAS A VIC 20 AND, UH, AVIC, SOME OF YOU OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER THE VIC 20 OF THE COMMODORE 64, THOSE CAME OUT AND, AND MY PARENTS SAVED UP AND THEY GOT ME A VIC 24, UM, FOR CHRISTMAS.
AND WHEN I RECEIVED IT, UH, THE VERY, THE VERY FIRST THING I DID THAT, THAT DAY OUTSIDE OF BOOTING IT UP AND PLAYING WITH IT, AFTER I DID THAT, I TOOK IT APART BECAUSE I WANTED TO KNOW HOW THIS COMPUTER WORKED, HOW COULD IT MAKE THESE WORDS ON THE SCREEN.
NOW, I WILL TELL YOU, THAT WAS THE WORST WHOOPING OF MY LIFE BECAUSE MY PARENTS HAD SAVED UP TO GET THAT COMPUTER FOR ME.
UM, BUT AGAIN, I'VE ALWAYS BEEN DRIVEN BY TECHNOLOGY TO UNDERSTAND, UM, UNDERSTAND HOW IT WORKS.
AND SO MY NAME MEANS TO BUILD.
AND SO IT, IT MEANS TO BUILD, TO BE STRONG AND BE NUMBER ONE.
AND THAT'S WHAT, UH, MY ENDEAVOR TO DO WITH TECH.
BUT IT'S NOT JUST TECHNOLOGY FOR TECHNOLOGY'S SAKE.
I BELIEVE THAT TECHNOLOGY IS A POWERFUL TOOL WHEN IT COMES TO IMPACTING CULTURE, UM, TRANSFORMING EVEN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM.
AND THAT'S WHAT SO LOSS HAS BEEN IN THE BUSINESS OF DOING, UH, OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS.
AND SO, UH, I WANT TO GIVE YOU JUST A LITTLE BIT OF OUR, UH, A LITTLE BIT OF OUR BACKGROUND ON SOME OF THE PROJECTS THAT WE'VE, THAT WE'VE WORKED ON.
UM, WE STARTED, UH, ONE OF OUR MAJOR PROJECTS THAT WE'VE DONE IN THE LAST THREE YEARS.
WE'VE HAD SEVERAL, BUT, UM, SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE REMEMBERED THE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION AROUND, UH, THE TULSA RACE MASSACRE.
WELL, WE WORKED, UH, WITH LOCAL PROJECTS.
LOCAL PROJECTS, DID THE 9 1 1, UM, MEMORIAL AFTER NINE 11.
THEY DID THE DESIGN FOR THE INTERNAL, UH, STUDY OF THE ART MUSEUM WITH THE HOLOGRAPHIC IMAGES THAT SPEAK AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS.
AND WE WORKED WITH THEM TO, UM, KIND OF MAKE AN EXPERIENCE THAT WOULD AUGMENT WHAT PEOPLE WOULD EXPERIENCE ON THE INSIDE OF THE MUSEUM SO THAT WHEN THEY LEFT THE MUSEUM, WE WERE COMMISSIONED WITH MAKING 10 STOPS RIGHT THERE IN HISTORIC GREENWOOD AND ARCHER THAT WOULD ALLOW USERS UPON EXITING THE GREENWOOD RISING MUSEUM, THAT THEY WOULD HAVE AN EXPERIENCE THAT WOULD TAKE THEM INTO A DEEPER LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING THE HISTORY, UNDERSTANDING THE STORIES, UNDERSTANDING WHAT TOOK PLACE.
AND SO WE USED, UM, UM, AUGMENTED REALITY TECHNOLOGY, WHICH IS BASICALLY WHERE YOU TAKE DIGITAL CONTENT AND YOU DISPLAY DIGITAL CONTENT INTO THE REAL WORLD.
AND WE USE THE AUGMENTED REALITY TO HAVE A WALKING TOUR APP WHERE YOU WOULD WALK OUT OF GREENWOOD, UH, RISING MUSEUM.
AND AS YOU WALK DOWN GREENWOOD AND ARCHER, THERE WAS THESE MARKERS THAT WE PLACED ON THE GROUND AT THESE VERY HISTORIC SPOTS.
AND WHAT WE WOULD DO IS, UH, WE WOULD HAVE EXPERIENCES AT EACH STOP THAT WOULD TELL THE STORY.
SO WE HAD SOUNDSCAPING, UM, WHICH IS JUST BACK THE BACKGROUND MUSIC.
WE HAD AUDIO NARRATION FROM VOICE ACTORS.
WE HAD, UM, DIGITAL CONTENT THAT WE RECREATED.
FOR INSTANCE, WE AT THE SPOT WHERE DREAMLAND THEATER USED TO ACTUALLY STAND, WE RECREATED DIGITALLY WHEN A USER COULD PICK UP THEIR TELEPHONE.
UH, THEY WOULD PICK UP THEIR PHONE AND THEY WOULD STAND AT THAT SPOT WHERE DREAM, WHERE DREAM LAMB THEATER WAS.
AND WHEN THEY LOOKED THROUGH THEIR PHONE, THEY SAW A LIFE SI A LIFE SIZE RENDERING OF DREAM LAMB THEATER, THAT THEY COULD ACTUALLY WALK IN AND THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO TAKE THEIR PHONE.
AND THEY HAD AUDIO NARRATION, AND THEY LEARNED THE HISTORY OF DREAM LAMB THEATER.
THEY COULD SEE THE MOVIES THAT WERE PLAYING DURING THAT TIME.
UM, AND SO WE DID THIS AT 10 DIFFERENT LOCATIONS AS YOU WALKED, UM, AROUND HISTORIC GREENWOOD.
AND IT GAVE USERS A, A A WAY TO KIND OF GLANCE BACK IN TIME.
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AND SO IT WAS ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT IT BROUGHT THEM INTO THE RICHNESS OF, OF THE STORY OF AMERICA'S NOT SO BEAUTIFUL PAST.BUT ALSO IT WASN'T JUST TO HIGHLIGHT, UM, THE EVENTS OF THAT DAY, BUT IT WAS A WAY TO CREATE WHAT I CALL POSITIVE DISCOMFORT.
I LIKE TO USE TECHNOLOGY TO CREATE POSITIVE DISCOMFORT.
AND THAT'S WHERE, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU MAY GET SOME INFORMATION THAT MAKES YOU FEEL A CERTAIN TYPE OF WAY, BUT, BUT IT'S, IT'S ALL ABOUT, UM, HAVING SYMBOLIC ACTION AND WHAT CAN MOVE YOU TO DO SOMETHING POSITIVE HERE AND NOW.
AND SO IN THE GREENWOOD PROJECT, THINGS THAT WE DID WAS, ONE, THERE WAS ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS, UH, HISTORICAL PHOTOS AROUND THAT, UM, TIMEFRAME IS, IS A PHOTO OF THE STATE, RIGHT? THERE ARE GREENWOOD ON ER, IF YOU LOOKED UP THE TULSA RACE MASSACRE, IT'S PROBABLY GONNA BE THE NUMBER ONE IMAGE THAT YOU SEE, BUT IT JUST SHOWS THE DEVASTATION OF WHAT HAPPENED ON THAT DAY.
BUT THERE WAS A SAFE ON THE GROUND.
AND WHEN I SAW THAT PICTURE AND I SAW THE SAFE, UH, THE DOOR WAS MISSING.
AND SO WHAT THAT SPOKE TO ME INSTANTLY WAS THAT AS SAFE IS MEANT TO KEEP THINGS PROTECTED AND KEEP THINGS SAFE.
AND SO NOT ONLY WAS THERE GREAT VANDALISM AND, YOU KNOW, AND DEVASTATION, BUT SOMEONE WENT THROUGH GREAT EFFORT TO TAKE THE DOORS OFF OF THIS METAL SAFE.
AND SO ONE OF THE STOPS RIGHT AFTER YOU LEAVE THE, THE MUSEUM, ONE OF THE FIRST STOPS THAT YOU TAKE IS THAT WE RECREATED THAT SAFE IN THE EXACT SAME SPOT THAT IT EXISTED A HUNDRED YEARS EARLIER.
AND SO, AS IT TELLS THE STORY, WHAT IT GIVES YOU THE ABILITY TO DO IS PICK UP ITEMS THAT WERE LITTERED AROUND THE SAFE AND PLACE THEM BACK IN THE SAFE.
SO A USER IS ABLE TO GO THERE, THEY'RE ABLE TO USE THEIR PHONE, THEY'RE ABLE TO SEE THAT, AND THEY'RE ABLE TO PLACE ITEMS BACK INSIDE OF THE SAFE AS A, A ACTIVE SYMBOLIC ACTION.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT I MEAN BY CREATING SOME POSITIVE DISCOMFORT, BECAUSE SOME OF THE IMAGERY WASN'T GREAT, BUT, UM, THE, THE ABILITY FOR YOU TO SAY, WHAT CAN I DO RESTORATIVELY TODAY? AND SO THAT WAS A PROJECT THAT WE, THAT WE DID THAT HAS SIMILAR TECHNOLOGY THAT WE'RE GONNA BE USING IN THE PROJECT THAT WE DO FOR YOU GUYS.
UM, ALSO, UH, FOLLOWING THAT UP, WE DID OUR NEXT PROJECT, WHICH WE ARE STILL IN THE PROCESS OF, WHICH IS AROUND THE CIVIL RIGHTS TRAIL.
SO WE'RE WORKING WITH, UH, MAYOR BOWSER, UH, WE'RE WORKING WITH, UH, DESTINATION DC AND IT'S A PROJECT CALLED 51 STEPS TO FREEDOM.
AND WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH 51 STEPS TO FREEDOM IS WE'RE TAKING 51 STEPS THROUGH THE, UH, CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.
AND WE ARE TELLING SOME OF THE MOST LITTLE KNOWN STORIES, UM, THAT EXISTED FROM, UH, FROM THAT DAY.
AND SO, UH, VERY SIMILAR TO THE WAY FINDING IT IS, UM, ACTUALLY, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE CHRONICLING THE STORIES OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS.
YOU KNOW, IMAGINE GOING TO FREDERICK DOUGLASS'S HOUSE, AND WHEN YOU HOLD UP YOUR PHONE, YOU CAN SEE FREDERICK DOUGLASS COMING OUT OF THE HOUSE WITH, UM, HIS, HIS WHITE WIFE, DECLARING THAT, YOU KNOW, FREEDOM FOR ONE MEANS FREEDOM FOR ALL.
AND SO THERE'S STORIES AROUND THIS MOVEMENT, UM, THAT PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW THAT PETER SISTERS, WHO WERE THE FIRST BLACK CHAMPIONS, SO WE KNOW VENUS AND SERENA WILLIAMS, BUT MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THAT THE PETER SISTERS WHO GREW UP IN GEORGETOWN WERE THE VERY FIRST BLACK TENNIS CHAMPIONS.
AND SO WE'RE TAKING, UH, THE TECHNOLOGY AND WE'RE TAKING 51 STEPS THROUGHOUT ALL OF DC TO HELP SUPPORT TOURISM, TO HELP SUPPORT BUSINESSES, TO HELP TAKE PEOPLE ON THE JOURNEY OF HISTORY, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME GIVING THEM EXPOSURE TO LITTLE KNOWN STORIES, UM, THAT CAN, THAT THAT CAN INSPIRE THEM AND, AND GIVE THEM HOPE.
AND SO THAT'S THE TYPE OF TECHNOLOGY THAT, THAT WE'RE BRINGING INTO THIS.
UM, I'LL GIVE YOU ONE MORE EXAMPLE.
UH, WE, WE JUST FINISHED A PROJECT WITH THE JEWISH FEDERATION WHERE WE, UM, THE SENATE, UH, HERE IN, UH, OKLAHOMA PASSED, UH, SENATE BILL 1671, WHICH WAS A BIPARTISAN BILL THAT WAS PASSED TO, UM, INSTITUTE HOLOCAUST TEACHING AND EDUCATION ACROSS THE ENTIRE STATE.
AND SO WE WON THAT, UM, CONTRACT, AND WE JUST COMPLETED THAT PROJECT WHERE WE BUILT OUT AN AUGMENTED REALITY APP THAT THE SCHOOLS CAN USE ACROSS ALL OF THE, UM, UM, JUNIOR HIGH AND HIGH SCHOOLS WHERE THEY CAN, UM, HAVE A TOOL THAT HELPS THEM ADEQUATELY TEACH THE EVENTS SURROUNDING THE HOLOCAUST.
UH, WE, WE INSTITUTED, UH, TESTIMONIES FROM, UH, EVA UNTERMAN, WHO'S THE LAST LIVING SURVIVOR OF THE HOLOCAUST, UM, LIVING HERE IN OKLAHOMA.
AND WE TOOK HER VOICE, WE TOOK HER STORY, AND WE BROUGHT IT TO LIFE, AND WE INCORPORATED IT INTO THE APP SO THAT THE STUDENTS WOULD HEAR FROM AN ACTUAL SURVIVOR, UM, AS THE STORY WAS BEING TOLD.
AND I GIVE YOU ALL OF THAT JUST TO SAY THAT EVEN IN THE, IN THE MIDST OF A WAY FINDING APP THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT WITH YOU ALL, UH, THIS IS, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS IS IN OUR WHEELHOUSE.
THIS IS WHAT WE, THIS IS WHAT WE DO.
WE, WE LOVE BRINGING HISTORY TO LIFE.
UM, WE LOVE, UH, TAKING THE STORIES THAT ARE, UM, THAT ARE KNOWN AND TAKING THE STORIES THAT ARE NOT KNOWN AND BRINGING THEM TO, TO VIEWERS AND VISITORS IN A WAY THAT THAT COMPELS THEM TO, UH, TO BE TOUCHED BY IT, TO BE INSPIRED BY IT, AND, AND HOPEFULLY TO BE, TO BE, TO BE MOVED BY IT.
AND SO WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY EXCITED.
THIS IS A, LIKE I SAID, A GREAT OPPORTUNITY.
WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO, UH, TO GETTING GOING, UH, WITH THIS, WITH YOU ALL.
AND, UM, IT'S GONNA BE A GREAT, IT'S GONNA BE A GREAT, GREAT, GREAT TIME AND A GREAT PROJECT.
AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO MAKING OUR FIRST TRIP OUT THERE, UH, TO
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GET OUR BOOTS ON THE GROUND, UH, HERE WITHIN THE NEXT MONTH AND START MEETING WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS.BECAUSE WHAT WE, WHAT WE'VE LEARNED IN THE MIDST OF DOING PROJECTS LIKE THIS IS THAT WE DON'T WANNA DO SOMETHING TO THE COMMUNITY.
WE WANNA DO SOMETHING WITH THE COMMUNITY.
AND SO WE WANNA GET THE COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED.
WE'RE NOT GONNA COME IN AND JUST PICK OUR STOPS AND SAY, HEY, WE'RE GONNA DO THIS HERE.
WE'RE PUTTING THIS, HERE IT IS.
WHAT WE'RE AFTER IS HEARING FROM THE COMMUNITY, HEARING THE STORIES, HEARING THE, UH, THE ATTRACTIONS AND THE PLACES THAT NEED TO BE HIGHLIGHTED, HIGHLIGHTING BUILDINGS THAT MAY NOT EXIST ANYMORE, THAT WERE A PART OF THE CULTURE AND THE COMMUNITY AND THE HISTORY SUCH AS THE SCHOOLHOUSE AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE, BRINGING THOSE THINGS BACK TO LIFE.
WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY TO BE ABLE TO BRING, UH, HISTORIC PLACES AND, AND BUILDINGS BACK TO LIFE SO THAT PEOPLE CAN EXPERIENCE THEM TODAY.
AND THEY CAN LEARN THE STORIES AND THEY CAN LEARN THE HISTORY.
AND WE KNOW THAT, THAT WHEN THAT HAPPENS, UM, THAT IT, IT JUST BRINGS IN A DEEPER COMMUNITY CONNECTION.
AND INDIVIDUALS ARE, UM, UM, THEY'RE INSPIRED BY IT.
AND SO, SO THAT'S, THAT'S KIND OF ONE OF THE, WHAT WE'RE WE'RE HOPING TO, TO ACCOMPLISH WITH THIS IS WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT IN THIS WAY, FINDING EXPERIENCE, UM, WE, WE TELL THE STORIES.
WE WANNA INVOLVE NOT ONLY THE COMMUNITY, BUT WE LIKE TO INVOLVE HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS.
UM, IF THERE ARE STUDENTS THAT ARE, UM, INTERESTED IN TECHNOLOGY, WE ARE A TECH COMPANY.
AND SO WE WORK ACROSS MANY DISCIPLINES AND CLOUD COMPUTING AND AUGMENTED REALITY, VIRTUAL REALITY, UM, AND, AND, UH, AND STREAMING AND ALL OF THOSE TYPE OF THINGS.
AND SO IF THERE ARE, UH, PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY WHO ARE INTERESTED IN THOSE TYPE OF FIELDS, UM, WHEN WE DO A PROJECT, WE DON'T JUST USE OUR TEAM, BUT WE LIKE TO SET UP LIKE INTERNSHIPS.
WE LIKE TO SET UP, UM, A WAYS FOR, UH, FOR OTHER INDIVIDUALS TO GET INVOLVED AND LEARN.
BECAUSE WHO KNOWS IN THE MIDST OF THIS PROJECT, IT MIGHT INSPIRE THEM TO GO INTO A TECH FIELD.
AND SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT AS WELL.
UM, AS WE, AS WE COME INTO THERE AND START WORKING, UH, WORKING ON THIS.
'CAUSE THAT'S A FIRE HYDRANT OF A, OF AN INTRO.
ANY, ANY QUESTIONS OR ANYTHING THAT ANYBODY WANTS TO TOSS AT ME, BECAUSE THAT IS A FIRE HYDRANT, AND YOU MAY HAVE SOME THOUGHTS.
OVERVIEW QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD.
I, I DON'T REALLY HAVE A QUESTION AS MUCH.
SO A COMMENT, UM, FIRE HYDRANT OF AN, OF AN INTRO THAT'S, THAT'S PRETTY GOOD.
UH, LET ME SAY, WHEN, WHEN YOU HAVE PRESENTERS, YOU, YOU, YOU TAP INTO THE PASSION AND THE ENERGY THAT COMES FROM THE PRESENTATION, AND I COULD TELL THE MORE YOU TALK, THE MORE IMPASSION YOU, UH, YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU BECAME IN YOUR PRESENTATION.
SO IT'S, IT'S NOT, IT'S, IT'S NOT, UM, AN OCCUPATION FOR YOU.
AND, AND SO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT YOU SAID, UH, THE INTERACTIVE PART IS, IS, IS AWESOME BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE VISUAL LEARNERS AND, AND THE HAND KNOWN TOUCHY FEELY THING WOULD BE GREAT.
UM, KUDOS TO YOU FOR THE EFFORTS THAT YOU HAVE AND THE SUCCESS THAT YOU'VE HAD THERE.
UH, WE'LL LOOK FORWARD TO YOU BRINGING THAT SAME TYPE OF ZEAL HERE TO THE ALLEN.
UM, AND YOU HAD ME GOOGLING THE PETER SAYS, I NEVER HEARD OF THEM, BUT WHEN, AS SOON AS YOU MENTION THEM, THANK GOD FOR GOOGLE, AND SAYS, OH MY GOD, LOOK AT THE TIDBITS OF INFORMATION THAT'S THAT'S THERE THAT WE KNOW NOTHING ABOUT.
SO, UM, JUST IN THIS MOMENT, JUST IN THIS LITTLE PRESENTATION, I WALKED AWAY EDUCATED, MORE EDUCATED THAN WAS WHEN I CAME IN.
SO I, I THINK IF THAT'S WHAT THE EXPERIENCE AND THE TAKEAWAY MOVING FORWARD, UH, WE'RE IN FOR A GOOD RIDE.
AND I, I APPRECIATE YOU SAYING THAT BECAUSE THAT IS, THAT'S WHAT I ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE.
I SAID, I'VE ALWAYS BEEN A TECHNOLOGIST, BUT IT'S NOT TECH FOR JUST TECH'S SAKE.
THIS IS THE, THIS IS A POWERFUL TOOL THAT, AND JUST, YOU HEAR ME SAY THIS PHRASE, TECHNOLOGY GETS PEOPLE'S ATTENTION, BUT THE STORY IS WHAT CAPTURES THEIR HEART, RIGHT? AND SO WE USE THE TECHNOLOGY JUST TO GET PEOPLE'S ATTENTION, WHETHER IT'S FOR TOURISM, WHETHER IT'S FOR EDUCATION, WHETHER IT'S FOR VISION CASTING, THE TECHNOLOGY IS GONNA CAPTURE THEIR ATTENTION, BUT IT'S THE STORIES THAT WE CAN TELL THAT WILL CAPTIVATE THE HEART AND LEAD TO CHANGE.
AND THAT'S WHAT I BELIEVE THAT THIS PROJECT HAS THE, THE ABILITY TO OFFER, UH, TO THE CITIZENS THAT LIVE THERE AND TO THE GU GEECHEE PEOPLE AS WELL.
UM, NICE TO MEET YOU, MR. JACKSON.
WHAT I TOOK AWAY FROM, UM, YOUR COMMENTS WAS, I'M ENCOURAGED ABOUT, UM, THERE'S LIKE STRUCTURES THAT ARE NO LONGER HERE THAT WE GREW UP WITH.
UM, SO TO BE ABLE TO POTENTIALLY LIKE RECREATE SINGLETON BEACH, RECREATE APES, RECREATE BURKES BEACH, I MEAN THAT
I'M, I'M, I'M EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
SO JUST, YEAH, JUST WANTED TO JUST SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, FEEDING OFF MR. PASTOR JOHNSON, LIKE THAT'S MY SORT OF TAKEAWAY
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HERE.UM, SO LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU OVER THE NEXT, I'M NOT SURE HOW LONG THE PROJECT'S GONNA TAKE, BUT, UM, YEAH, I LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING AND WORKING WITH YOUR TEAM.
SIR, CAN YOU SPEAK TO, UH, BRIEFLY, UM, UH, ABOUT OUR PROJECT TIMELINE? YOU MENTIONED, UM, SCHEDULING WITHIN THE NEXT MONTH TO COME DOWN.
UM, AND I THINK WE, UH, UH, LANDED ON ABOUT A, A 90 DAY, UH, WINDOW OF DEVELOPMENT, UM, WITH, OF COURSE SOME BACKEND, UM, UH, CHECKS AND BALANCES AND, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WORKING THROUGH ANY TYPE OF, OF GLITCHES OR WHATNOT THAT MAY OCCUR.
BUT, UH, CAN YOU SPEAK TO THE TIMELINE BY WHICH YOU CAN, UM, IMPLEMENT THIS, THIS APPLICATION? ABSOLUTELY, ABSOLUTELY.
UM, SO YES, OUR, OUR TIMELINE IS, IS PRETTY AGGRESSIVE WITH US COMING OUT THERE IN OCTOBER.
UM, UH, BEING OUT THERE FOR, YOU KNOW, THREE, FOUR DAYS, HAVING A HOST OF MEETINGS, GATHERING ALL THAT, THE, THE FEEDBACK THAT WE NEED TO START STORYBOARDING AND, UM, BUILDING OUT THE, THE STRUCTURE OF THE APP.
UH, WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING AT, UM, HOPEFULLY HAVING IT FINISHED BY, UH, MARTIN LUTHER KING'S, UH, BIRTHDAY.
AND SO THAT IS OUR AGGRESSIVE TIMELINE.
AND SO LITERALLY, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DID IS WE, WE, WE CLEARED THE PATH, RIGHT? FOR THIS PROJECT.
THIS IS, UH, THIS IS IMPORTANT.
AND SO WHEN WE STARTED OCTOBER, FROM THE TIME THAT WE HIT THE GROUND AND HAVE THE MEETINGS AND START GATHERING INFORMATION, WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA BE WORKING FULL TIME ON THIS, OUR FULL, UM, OUR FULL TEAM.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE HERE, OUR TEAM IS HERE IN, UH, IN TULSA.
UM, AND, AND SO, WE'LL, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT MAKES IT EASY FOR US.
'CAUSE WE'RE RIGHT HERE, WE CAN BUILD TOGETHER WHEN WE SHOW UP THERE, WE CAN DO SOME BUILDING OUTTA CONVERSATION.
THERE'S THINGS THAT WE CAN DO.
UM, BUT WE, OUR EXPECTATION IS THAT WE WOULD HAVE A DEMO PROJECT, A DEMO PRODUCT, UH, WE, I WOULD SAY POST THANKSGIVING, WE WOULD HAVE, UH, PROBABLY SEVERAL STOPS THAT ARE ABLE TO BE VIEWED IN FROM A DEMO PERSPECTIVE THAT YOU SEE KIND OF, UH, WHAT WHAT WE'VE COME UP WITH FOR THOSE THINGS, UH, WITH THE COMPLETION HAPPENING IN, IN JANUARY.
AND SO WE'LL BE RELEASING THE APP, UM, ON IOS AND ON ANDROID, UM, OF COURSE.
AND, UM, LIKE WAS MENTIONED, WE WILL HAVE 10 STOPS.
THERE WILL BE, UH, NARRATION, THERE WILL BE, UH, WE'RE HOPING TO HAVE LIVE INTERVIEWS.
WE'RE HOPING TO CAPTURE INTERVIEWS OF, OF, UH, FOLKS THAT ARE, THAT ARE LIVING THAT MAY HAVE STORIES THAT WE CAN ARCHIVE SOME OF THOSE THINGS.
UM, WE RECEIVED SEVERAL, UM, WE, WE RECEIVED STORIES THAT WERE FROM INTERVIEWS FROM PEOPLE WHO HAD PASSED AWAY, BUT ALSO INTERVIEWS FROM, UH, FROM LIVING SURVIVORS OF THE RACE MASSACRE BEFORE THEY PASSED.
AND WE IN, WE IMPLEMENTED THOSE INTO THE APP.
UM, AND SO ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE GONNA BE, UH, IN INSTITUTED IN THOSE BEFORE, BEFORE MARTIN LUTHER KING, MARTIN LUTHER KING SAY, UH, GOOD MORNING.
NICE TO MEET YOU, MR. JACKSON.
AND, UH, PLEASURE TO MEET YOU, TO MEET YOU, UH, BEEN IMPRESSED WITH YOUR, YOUR FIRE THUS FAR.
AS YOU PLAN YOUR TRIP AND AS YOU AND BOXLEY, UH, WORK TOGETHER TO PLAN YOUR STAKEHOLDER, UH, MEETINGS, I'M STRONGLY ENCOURAGING US TO ENGAGE WITH OUR YOUNG PEOPLE AS WE ARE DOING THIS.
UM, OBVIOUSLY THE ELDERS ARE GOING TO HAVE THE STORIES AND THE HISTORIES, OKAY? MM-HMM.
BUT THERE'S SOME YOUNG PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT GONNA REMEMBER SINGLETON BEACH OTHER THAN WHAT YOU SEE NOW, WHICH IS MASSIVE HOMES ON THE BEACH THAT ARE BEING USED FOR SHORT TERM RIDDLES, FOR THE MOST PART, RIGHT? UM, HOWEVER, YOU KNOW, AS I, AS I'VE SORT OF JOURNEYED AND SPOKEN WITH YOUNG PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY ARE VERY INTERESTED IN SOME OF THE HISTORY, PARTICULARLY SOME OF THE BUILDINGS, THE THINGS THAT YOU COULD REACH OUT AND TOUCH, THAT EVEN IN THEIR LIFETIME THEY'VE SEEN GO AWAY, RIGHT? UM, SO THE, THE WHOLE PREMISE OF THIS, THIS ORGANIZATION, THIS EFFORT IS FOR SUSTAINABILITY.
SO WE'RE DOING IT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, RIGHT? SO I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE INTIMATELY INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS MOVING FORWARD, UH, SO THAT THEY TAKE SOME OWNERSHIP OF IT AND IT GIVES THEM BETTER OPPORTUNITY.
YOU, YOU SAID POSITIVE DISCOMFORT.
I MEAN, THAT, THAT'S GOING TO CONTINUE TO HAPPEN FOR GENERATIONS.
AND IF THE YOUNG FOLKS CAN UNDERSTAND THAT AND BE ABLE TO HANDLE CONVERSATIONS THAT MAY BE UNCOMFORTABLE, BUT THERE'S GONNA BE A POSITIVITY ACTION AS A RESULT OF THAT, I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT.
SO I JUST ENCOURAGE US TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE TOUCHING WITH, WITH THE YOUNG, YOUNGER GENERATION HERE AS WE GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS.
HER AND HEARD AND RECEIVED, SIR.
[00:25:01]
AND, AND AS, AND AS MENTIONED, UM, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE GOALS AND HOPES THAT I WOULD HAVE, UH, WORK WITH MR. BOXLEY IS THAT, UH, EVEN FROM, YOU KNOW, FOR MANY OF THE LOCAL INSTITUTIONS, SCHOOLS, OR WHATEVER, UM, IT WOULD BE THAT IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE FOR US TO TEAM UP SOMEHOW, UM, TO BE ABLE TO INVOLVE THEM IN ON THE JOURNEY, WHETHER WE WORK WITH THE SCHOOL OR THE DISTRICT, UM, TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, A SKYPE SESSION IN, YOU KNOW, IN, IN THE CLASSROOM, AND MAYBE HAVE LITTLE MINI TEAMS THAT ARE DOING, HELPING US WITH RESEARCH, OR WE'RE TEACHING THIS SOME OF THE TIDBITS OF HOW WE'RE PULLING STUFF TOGETHER.AND I, I BELIEVE THAT THAT'S, THAT'S GONNA MAKE THIS BECOME MORE THAN JUST A PROJECT, BUT IT'S, BUT THEY, THE COMMUNITY WILL HAVE OWNERSHIP, RIGHT? AND THAT'S, UH, FROM, YOU KNOW, FROM THE YOUNGEST ALL THE WAY UP THROUGH.
SO, DAVID, DID YOU HAVE A COMMENT? YES, I DO.
PROBABLY OBVIOUS I'M NOT A GULLAH
UM, AND PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN YOUR STATEMENT THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE, UH, SOME STUDENTS GET INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS.
AND, AND I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
UH, WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN ON YOUR TIMELINE? OH, EXCELLENT.
THANK FOR ASKING THAT QUESTION.
SO, UM, FIRST, UM, IT WOULD BE EITHER LEVERAGING THE CONNECTIONS THAT YOU HAVE WITH, WITH, WITH, IT'S GONNA BE STUDENTS FROM, UM, UH, POST-SECONDARY OR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS.
IT REALLY DOESN'T, I'D SAY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND ABOVE ARE PROBABLY OF THE PRIMARY TARGET IN THIS REALM, BECAUSE I BE, YOU KNOW, WE COULD POINT THEM TOWARDS CAREER PATHS, LIKE FROM, 'CAUSE WE, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO, IF WE GET CONNECTION WITH STUDENTS, WE CAN FIND OUT WHERE THEIR PASSIONS AREAS, LIKE, FOR INSTANCE, IF A STUDENT, IF THERE WERE STUDENTS WHO REALLY LIKED MUSIC, RIGHT? WE COULD HAVE THEM BE A PART OF OUR SOUND ENGINEERING TEAM TO HELP MAKE THE SOUNDSCAPING, UM, MUSIC THAT GOES UP UNDER AUDIO NARRATION.
LIKE, SO IT REALLY IS, UM, THE FIRST STEP WOULD BE LET'S CONNECT IN, WHETHER IT'S WITH THE HIGH SCHOOL OR IF IT'S, UM, OR, OR SECONDARY WHATEVER, TO SAY, OKAY, THIS IS A PROJECT THAT'S COMING.
LET'S FIGURE OUT HOW WE, UM, WE GET ADMINISTRATION ON BOARD WITH, UH, COMMUNICATING TO THE STUDENT POPULATION THAT, HEY, THERE'S GONNA BE THIS PROJECT.
AND WE ARE, LOOK, WE'RE LOOKING FOR PEOPLE WHO WANNA BE INVOLVED, AND WE ARE, WE EVEN PUT IN OUR BUDGET TO PAY A STIPEND TO THOSE WHO PARTICIPATE.
SO, UM, THERE'S TONS OF WAYS TO DO IT, BUT WE, WE ALLOCATED A PORTION OF THE BUDGET BECAUSE WE'RE LIKE, YES, THEY'RE GONNA GET WORLD CLASS, UM, EXPERIENCE TO TECHNOLOGY THAT IS THE EMERGING TECH OF THE, OF THE FUTURE, BUT WE ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE TEACH THEM AND SHOW THEM THAT THEIR TIME IS VALUABLE, RIGHT? THAT, UM, IF THEY'RE DOING SOMETHING, IF THEY'RE PUTTING OUT WORK, THAT THEIR TIME IS VALUABLE, THAT NEEDS TO BE IN THERE.
SO IT'S THAT CONNECTION WITH THE SCHOOLS.
UM, WE NEED TO DEVELOP, UM, A SYSTEM BY WHICH, IF THERE'S AN APPLICATION PROCESS, IF THERE'S OVERWHELMING RESPONSE, UM, FROM THERE, OUR TEAM, WE'VE GOT THE EXPERTISE.
WE'VE JUST SO YOU KNOW, UM, WE'VE BEEN DOING TECH EDU TECH AND EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS IN THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA FOR THE PAST 18 YEARS.
UM, WE'VE BEEN FUNDED THROUGH THE 21ST CENTURY COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTER GRANT, WHICH IS THE MO IT'S A TECHNICAL GRANT.
UM, WE ARE THE LARGE, WE ARE THE LONGEST FUNDED, UH, ENTITY IN THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA.
AND I THINK WE ARE THE SECOND LONGEST FUNDED IN THE NATION.
UM, SO DOING TECH EDUCATION WITH STUDENTS, AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO VERY, VERY WELL.
I THINK, I THINK ONE, ONE, UM, THING THAT MIGHT HELP US, UH, EXPEDITE THIS, WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO SEND US, UH, A VERY BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE OPPORTUNITY AND WHAT YOU WOULD DESCRIBE AS THE, UM, PARTICIPATION OF STUDENTS? AND I, I'M MAKING THE ASSUMPTION THAT IT'S GOING TO BE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS PROBABLY IN THE JUNIOR AND SENIOR YEAR, BUT I'LL LET, I'LL LET THE EDUCATORS MAKE THAT DECISION BASED ON WHAT YOU WRITE US.
I CAN GET A ONE PAGE AND SEE YOU PRETTY QUICKLY.
UM, UH, I, I'VE BEEN ON THE ISLAND FOR FIVE DECADES NOW AND HAVE WATCHED, UM, VERY SIGNIFICANT GULLAH ELDERS PASS.
AND, AND I THINK THAT THIS REPRESENTS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO CAPTURE A HISTORY THAT MAY NOT BE IN A BOOK MM-HMM,
UH, SO I, I THINK THIS IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT THAT WE DO TALK TO THE ELDERS.
I THINK THEIR IMAGES OF WHAT USED TO BE MAY BE IMPORTANT TO COMMUNICATE.
UM, ABSOLUTE, YOU MENTIONED 10
[00:30:01]
LOCATIONS.UH, ARE YOU TALKING TO, UH, MITCHELLVILLE? ARE YOU TALKING TO THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE? ARE YOU TALKING TO THE ARTS COMMUNITY? HOW, HOW ARE WE LEVERAGING THE CONSTITUENTS OF OTHER, UM, ORGANIZATIONS ON THE ISLAND TO MAXIMIZE THE IMPACT OF THIS? I CAN ANSWER THAT.
I THINK, I THINK THAT'S, YEAH, I CAN JUMP IN AND ANSWER A, A PART OF THAT, UH, QUESTION.
DAVID, I HAVE BEEN IN CONVERSATION WITH MITCHELLVILLE, UM, AS FAR AS THE, THE FREEDOM PARK, AND, AND I KNOW THAT THEY HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH ANOTHER ENTITY IN SOME SIMILAR WORK, BUT I KNOW THAT IT'S NOT AT THE DEPTH AND THE LEVEL THAT, UM, OUR PROPOSAL, UH, PRESENTS.
AND SO, UH, WE WILL BE HAVING FURTHER CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM.
A MATTER OF FACT, AS WE BEGIN TO PLAN THESE STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS, I, I'VE HAD AN INITIAL CONVERSATION WITH AHAD ABOUT THIS, AND I WANT HIM TO BE PRESENT WHEN WE BEGIN TO HAVE THESE STAKEHOLDER, UM, THESE STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS BECAUSE WE HAVE NOT SOLIDIFIED ALL 10 OF THOSE LOCATIONS.
AND WE WILL BE ACCEPTING FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY.
AND, UH, PART OF THE CONVERSATION THAT MR. JACKSON AND I HAVE HAD, UM, UH, PREVIOUSLY IS TO HOST A FACT FINDING MEETING DURING OUR OCTOBER MEETING NEXT MONTH, WHICH IS A, A PUBLIC, UM, UH, COMMUNITY-BASED MEETING IN THE EVENING AND TURN OVER PART OF THAT PARTICULAR MEETING INTO A FACT FINDING TYPE OF, UH, OF, UH, MEETING FOR, FOR US TO, TO GATHER SOME INPUT FROM THE COMMUNITY RELATED TO THE SPOTS, THE STOPS.
YEAH, I DEFINITELY WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO SPEAK TO THE CHAMBER AND SEE HOW WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO LEVERAGE WHAT MR. JACKSON IS PRODUCING FOR A BROADER AUDIENCE.
I MEAN, A SIGNIFICANTLY BROADER AUDIENCE.
I DON'T KNOW THE APPLICATION OF THAT, BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT.
AND THEN, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, WE HAVE IN THE PAST NOT OPTIMIZED OUR LEVERAGING OF DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS, AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT I'M ENCOURAGING.
UM, CAN WE HERE ON HILTON ED ACCESS WHAT YOU HAVE DONE IN TULSA AND GREENWOOD? ABSOLUTELY, IF I CAN.
UM, I ACTUALLY JUST FINISHED THE ABILITY TO PORT THE TECHNOLOGY SO THAT YOU COULD HAVE, UM, I COULD GRANT USERS THE ABILITY TO EXPERIENCE, UH, ANY OF THE AUGMENTED REALITY THINGS.
SO I CAN, UM, SEND THAT INFORMATION OVER TO MR. BOXLEY.
UM, YOU WOULD ONLY NEED TO DOWNLOAD THE, FOR INSTANCE, FOR GREENWOOD, THE 10 STOPS, YOU WOULD NEED TO DOWNLOAD THE GREENWOOD RISING APP, SO ANYBODY CAN DOWNLOAD THAT.
UM, PRIOR TO NOW, THE ONLY WAY THAT PEOPLE WOULD BE ABLE TO EXPERIENCE IT WOULD BE TO COME TO TULSA, BUT SINCE WE'RE DOING THIS PROJECT, I CAN GRANT, UM, ACCESS TO A PRIVATE DIRECTORY THAT WOULD ALLOW YOU AS BOARD MEMBERS, UM, UH, TO BE ABLE TO EXPERIENCE IT.
WHEN WE COME IN OCTOBER, I WILL BE BRINGING ALSO, UH, FOR THE COMMUNITY, I WILL BE BRINGING A DEMO PACKAGE OF ALL 10 STOPS.
I WILL LITERALLY BE BRINGING HISTORIC GREENWOOD AND ARCHER THERE, AND SO THEY'LL GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE IT AS WELL.
SO DOWNLOAD THE APP AND I'LL CREATE A PRIVATE DIRECTORY THAT ANY OF YOU ALL WOULD BE ABLE TO ACCESS AND SEE THE EXPERIENCE.
DO YOU RECOMMEND THAT THE SITES BE SEEN SEQUENTIALLY? ARE YOU TELLING A AGGREGATE STORY OR ARE THEY INDEPENDENT OF ONE ANOTHER? THAT'S A GREAT, GREAT QUESTION.
SO, UM, THE WAY THAT WE, WE TRY TO DESIGN THIS IS THAT BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THERE'S SO MANY DIFFERENT ASPECTS TO A STORY, UH, WE WANNA, WE ALWAYS TRAIN DESIGN TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERY STORY CAN STAND ON ITS OWN IF IT NEEDS TO BE.
SO WE'RE NOT GONNA DESIGN IT IN A WAY THAT IT MUST BE SEQUENTIALLY FOLLOWED.
LIKE THERE, YOU KNOW, THERE'LL BE STOPS, LET'S JUST SAY NUMBER ONE THROUGH 10.
UM, BUT, UM, DEPENDING ON WHERE THEY ARE FROM IN THE GEOGRAPHIC REGION, WHATEVER, IF A PERSON MAY STARTS AT STOP NUMBER FOUR, IT'S NOT GOING TO, UM, BE LIKE THEY MISSED SOMETHING BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T DO STOPS ONE, TWO, AND THREE.
SO WE, WE TRY AND MAKE INDEPENDENT ASPECTS OF THE STORY AS PART OF THE DESIGN, UM, FEATURE WHEN WE, WHEN WE PLACE, UH, THESE ITEMS OUT THERE.
YES, I UNDERSTAND HOW INDIVIDUALS WOULD BE ABLE TO TAKE, UH, THIS OPPORTUNITY.
UH, BUT I'M ALSO JUMPING AHEAD.
WE DO HAVE ORGANIZATIONS ON THE ISLAND THAT, UH, TOUR ALREADY, AND THEY COULD PARTICIPATE WITH YOUR APP AS WELL, SO, ABSOLUTELY.
BEFORE WE GO TO ANDRE, JUST LET ME JUST SAY THIS.
WHEN WE, WHEN MR. JACKSON PRESENTED, AND I THINK WE SAW FIVE COMPANIES, THREE.
WE NARROWED IT DOWN TO THREE FINALISTS, CORRECT.
UM, HE DID SHOW SOME OF THE AUGMENTATION
[00:35:01]
THAT THEY HAD DONE.UM, THOMAS AND I ARE NOW WORKING ON THE SCHEDULE OF WHAT WILL HAPPEN, AND WE'VE INCORPORATED SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THIS COMMITTEE HAS ALREADY TALKED ABOUT, SO KNOW THAT THAT WILL BE COMING TO YOU, UH, AND THAT WHEN THEY HIT THE GROUND ON OCTOBER, IT WOULD BE A FULL DAY, UH, TALKING TO COMMUNITY, TALKING TO US, TALKING TO OTHER STAKEHOLDERS, IS JUST A COUPLE OF THOUGHTS.
IS IT, OR QUESTIONS, IS THIS SOMETHING THAT WE, WE CHARGE PEOPLE TO USE, OR IS IT LIKE A FREE RESOURCE? SO THIS WILL BE, UM, FOR VISITORS, UM, IT, IT'LL BE A FREE APPLICATION, UM, AND IT'LL BE A WAY FOR THEM TO EXPERIENCE, UM, THE CULTURAL HISTORY, THE SITES, ET CETERA.
SO IT'S, IT'S TOTALLY FREE FOR VISITORS AND, UM, AND USERS THAT ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT ARE VISITING THE ISLAND.
AND THEY WOULD HAVE TO, LIKE, THEY HAVE TO, SO THE 10 SITES, THEY WOULD HAVE TO GO TO THAT SITE AND THEN CONNECT WITH THE APP, OR IS IT YOU CAN, WE DON'T, WE'RE NOT THAT FAR YET.
SO WE'RE, WE'RE NOT THAT FAR YET.
BUT THAT, THAT'S ONE WAY TO ACCESS IT.
WE, WE HAVE BEEN IN DISCUSSIONS ABOUT OTHER, OTHER MEANS BY WHICH TO ACCESS THOSE TYPES OF, UM, UH, ACCESS THE SITES AND THE STOPS, BUT IT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE INVOLVED IN THAT, BUT WE'LL, WE'LL DEFINITELY GET DOWN INTO THE WEEDS WITH THAT, UM, IN OCTOBER.
AND WHAT, AND WHAT SORT OF HAS MY MIND TURNING AS SORT OF DAVID MENTIONING LIKE THE CHAMBER AND HOW WE INTERACT WITH THE CHAMBER OR, UM, HISTORICAL SOCIETY, OR EVEN ALL OF OUR RESORTS THAT SORT OF, THEY TALK ABOUT AND ABOUT HILTON HEAD OR ABOUT HISTORY.
SO, UM, I WAS JUST TRYING TO THINK OF LIKE, WELL, IF I'M ON THE SEA PINES WELL WEBSITE AND I GO TO THE HISTORY, AND THEN LIKE, DO WE CONNECT IN THERE? UH, I'M JUST TRYING TO THINK OF THE LEVEL OF LIKE, YEAH, YEAH, THERE WE GO.
YOU, YOU'RE MOVING IN THE, IN THE, IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
AND MR. JACKSON CAN SPEAK TO THIS, UH, MORE INTELLIGENTLY THAN I CAN BEING AS THOUGH THAT HE'S, HE'S, UH, DEVELOPED THESE PROJECTS, BUT THERE IS A, A, AN IMPORTANCE, UH, IN THE RELATIONSHIPS THAT YOU HAVE WITH THE RESORTS, ET CETERA, SO THAT THEY CAN KIND OF DRIVE THE TRAFFIC TO THE SITES AS WELL.
RIGHT? SO, UM, SO THERE IS A WAY WITH THE TECHNOLOGY TO GEO-FENCE AND JUST DO ALL DIFFERENT TYPES OF THINGS TO ATTRACT, UM, A ATTRACT THE TOURISM TRAFFIC.
BUT IT ALL STARTS WITH THE, THE, THE POINT OF ORIGIN, RIGHT? WHETHER THAT'S, WHETHER, WHETHER THAT IS WHERE THE TRAVELER OR THE VISITOR IS COMING FROM OR WHERE THEY'RE DESTINED TO END UP.
SO THINK ABOUT THE POINT OF ORIGIN WHERE THEY'RE VISITING US FROM THEIR HOMETOWN, AND THEN THE POINT OF, UH, DESTINATION HERE ON THE ISLAND.
SO IF WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, A QR CODE, FOR EXAMPLE, IN A LOBBY OF, OF ESTA OR THE WEST END THAT SAYS, UM, EXPERIENCE, GULLAH HISTORY, UH, DOWNLOAD THIS APP, YOU KNOW, AND THEN IT, IT JUST POPS UP DIFFERENT YEAH.
THAT'S, THAT'S JUST AN EXAMPLE OF, OF WHAT THIS CAN DO, BUT WE'LL GET INTO THE WEEDS OF, OF WHAT WE WANT IT TO LOOK LIKE, UM, AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
WOULD THAT BE A CORRECT, UM, EXPLANATION, MR. JACKSON? ABSOLUTELY.
AND, AND, AND LIKE YOU, LIKE YOU SAID, WITH SUBOXONE, THERE, THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS TO DO IT, AND I FEEL LIKE, UH, THE CONVERSATION HAS TO HAPPEN FIRST BECAUSE AGAIN, IN, IN MY EXPERIENCE FROM GREENWOOD TO DC WITH THE CIVIL RIGHTS
SO I FEEL LIKE WHAT WE HAVE TO DO IS DO A LOT OF LISTENING FIRST WHEN WE FIRST GET THERE, AND ONCE WE LISTEN AND WE KIND OF GET THE PULSE OF THE PEOPLE, WE WILL BE ABLE TO DETERMINE WHAT TECHNOLOGY IS THE BEST TECHNOLOGY THAT'S GONNA FIT, UM, AND SERVE THE COMMUNITY WELL, BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS TO DO IT.
AND SO WE'LL, WE'LL HEAR THE VOICES AND, AND, AND MAKE THE DETERMINATIONS FROM THERE.
SO WE HAVE A FULL PLETHORA OF, OF GREAT TOOLS AT OUR DISPOSAL.
UM, I, I'M SORT OF PICKING UP ON THE CONVERSATION HERE, AND I WANT TO CRYSTALLIZE SOMETHING.
UM, OBVIOUSLY, UH, WE, UH, WE, WE AS A, A TOWN HAVE BEEN HAVING, UM, SORT OF DIFFERENT CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR DESIGNATED MARKETING ORGANIZATION CHAMBER AROUND, UH, SORT OF HIGHLIGHTING SOME OF THE OTHER ASSETS ON HELTER HEAD OUTSIDE OF BEACHES AND GOLF.
AND CULTURAL TOURISM IS, IS ONE OF THEM.
AND, UH, AS COUNCILMAN AMES AND MYSELF RECEIVE REPORTS FROM THE DMO, UH, THEY'RE TELLING US THAT THEY
[00:40:01]
NOW ARE SUPPLYING THIS OFFERING TO THE WORLD, AND PEOPLE ARE COMING AND LOOKING FOR THAT OPPORTUNITY, BUT IT'S FALLING SHORT AS TO WHERE THEY GO NEXT.OKAY? SO THEY GO TO THE CHAMBER'S WEBSITE, THEY FIND OUT ABOUT ARTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY, BUT THEN THEY SORT OF NOT FIND ANYTHING FROM THERE.
AND I THINK THIS IS DEFINITELY AN OPPORTUNITY.
UM, SO BACK TO CRYSTALLIZING THIS, I, I, I, I THINK IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE, MADAM CHAIR, IF THE COMMITTEE AGREES THAT AT A PARTICULAR TIME THROUGH THIS PROJECT, WE MEMO THE CHAMBER AS TO WHAT WE ARE DOING AND EXPECTATIONS ALONG THE WAY.
UM, I KNOW THAT MR. BOXLEY HAS BEEN HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM, UM, BUT I'M JUST TRYING TO ELEVATE THIS A BIT.
UM, SO THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, ALL, ALL STAKEHOLDERS ARE UNDERSTANDING THE SIGNIFICANCE AND THE IMPORTANCE.
I THINK THAT IS, UM, MORE THAN APPROPRIATE THAT WE KEEP THE CHAMBER INVOLVED WITH EXPECTATIONS FROM THEM, AND WE'LL MAKE SURE WE DO THAT.
SO, THE 10, RIGHT? IS THE 10 ARBITRARY, LIKE, BECAUSE THERE'S, LIKE, THERE ARE PLACES THAT ARE MISSING, BUT THEN THERE ARE PLACES THAT ARE HERE, RIGHT? SO I WAS JUST THINKING AGAIN, LIKE THE CEMETERY IN HARBORTOWN, RIGHT? LIKE THAT'S A PRIME ONE, BUT WE HAVE OTHER CEMETERIES THAT HAVE THIS.
SO, SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, UH, 10 WAS ALWAYS JUST A STARTING POINT IN MY MIND, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THERE ARE SO MANY SIGNIFICANT CULTURAL RESOURCES AND, AND PLACES THAT EXIST HERE ON THE ISLAND TEND REPRESENTED A STARTING POINT.
UM, AND WE CAN REVISIT, UM, UH, AT A LATER DATE.
UM, THE ADDITION OF OTHER LOCATIONS.
I'M, I'M, YOU KNOW, I DON'T THINK MR. JACKSON WOULD HAVE A PROBLEM WITH ADDING AND ANY MORE LOCATIONS, YOU KNOW,
BUT, UM, NO SE IN ALL SERIOUSNESS, WE WENT THROUGH A, A, A PROCESS, AND I'D LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE MS. GAVIN, VERONICA GAVIN HERE, UM, WHO WAS OUR, OUR PLANNER, OUR OUR PLANNER IN THE, THE GULLAH GEECHEE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS.
UM, SHE PARTICIPATED IN THE RFP PROCESS AND THE SELECTION PROCESS, AND WE HAD, WE HAD 13, UM, 13 APPLICANTS AND WHITTLED IT DOWN TO THREE FINALISTS.
AND, AND MR. JACKSON, UH, ROSE TO THE TOP FROM THOSE THREE.
SO, UM, I'M VERY CONFIDENT THAT WE'LL END UP WITH A, WITH A, WITH A FINE WORLD-CLASS PRODUCT.
BUT TO YOUR POINT, MR. WHITE, WE, WE DEFINITELY NEED TO BE THINKING ABOUT, UH, OTHER LOCATIONS AND OTHER STOPS AS, AS WE MOVE FORWARD SO THAT WE TELL THE WHOLE STORY.
AND JUST TO ADD TO THAT, WE DID HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR FROM EACH ONE OF HIS TEAM MEMBERS.
SO THAT WAS VERY HELPFUL WITH THEIR EXPERTISE IN, IN WHAT THEY DO TO MAKE THIS PROJECT COME TO LIFE.
MR. BOXLEY, DO YOU HAVE HIM, OH, SORRY, GO AHEAD.
SO I'M GONNA, WELL, THAT WAS, I, UM, I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME TODAY, MR. JACKSON.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE, MY BOARD IS EXCITED ABOUT THE WORK TO BE DONE.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITIES, AND I WILL BE POLLING THEM ALSO, UH, AS WE MOVE FORWARD TO KIND OF GET SOME FURTHER DETAILS ABOUT, UM, ABOUT SOME OF THE, YOU KNOW, THE THINGS THAT WE MAY NEED TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION FOR YOUR VISIT.
AND WE'LL BE PUTTING TOGETHER, UM, AN ITINERARY, UH, FOR YOU AS WELL, YOU AND, AND YOUR TEAM, UH, UPON ARRIVAL.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN, LESLIE.
BEFORE HE LEAVES, UM, I, I DO WANT TO EMPHASIZE TO THE DEGREE WE CAN HAVE HIS DESCRIPTION OF, UH, A STUDENT'S OPPORTUNITY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, I WILL PERSONALLY INTERACT WITH THE DIFFERENT SCHOOLS TO EX TO, UH, UM, EMAIL THAT AND COMMUNICATE WITH THE HEADMASTERS AND THE PRINCIPAL.
AND WE HAVE ALSO ALREADY STARTED THAT PROCESS AS WELL.
I'M, I'M IN COMMUNICATION WITH, UH, SOME FOLKS HERE ON HILTON HEAD, UH, WITH THE HIGH SCHOOL, UH, THAT WORK WITH YOUTH.
SO WE DEFINITELY WILL GET THAT DONE.
AND WE'LL LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR HELP IN MAKING SURE THAT HAPPENS.
WELL, THANK YOU ALL AGAIN FOR THE OPPORTUNITY.
I LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING YOU FACE TO FACE AND BRINGING THE TEAM OUT THERE AND, UM, EMBARKING ON THIS JOURNEY TOGETHER.
AND JUST KNOW, WE, WE ALWAYS DESIGN WITH, UH, EXTENSIBILITY.
SO WHEN YOU, I LOVE THE, THE CONVERSATION OF ALREADY LOOKING TOWARDS THE FUTURE OF, WE KNOW THAT
[00:45:01]
THERE'S 10, BUT WE'RE GONNA DO A REALLY GREAT JOB WITH THESE 10.AND, AND THE DESIRE FOR MORE IS GONNA BE THERE, BUT WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA DESIGN THE APP IN A WAY THAT WE CAN ADD IN OTHER STOPS, YOU KNOW, PRETTY EASILY AS, AS THAT NEEDED RIGHTS NEEDS A RIGHT.
SO THANK YOU ALL AGAIN FOR YOUR TIME AND FOR, UM, JUST YOUR PASSION AND MAKING SURE THAT THE STORIES ARE TOLD, THE COMMUNITY'S TOUCHED.
AND SO I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU SOON.
I'M HAPPY TO SEE BOARD THAT YOU ARE EXCITED ABOUT THIS BECAUSE I LEFT THE ROOM JUMPING UP AND DOWN ALMOST.
THE PRESENTATION WAS, AND THEY DID A GOOD JOB.
UH, AND I THANK YOU TOO FOR, WE HAD A GOOD TEAM WHEN WE SAT THROUGH THESE PRESENTATIONS, THERE WAS A VERY GOOD TEAM, AND IF ONE OF US DIDN'T THINK OF THE APPROPRIATE QUESTION TO ASK THE OTHER WOULD, SO I THINK WE'VE MADE A GOOD DECISION AND I'M HAPPY TO SEE THAT YOU ALL ARE SUPPORTIVE.
NOT THAT THIS IS THE CRITERIA, BUT WERE THERE, WERE THERE ANY LOCAL GROUPS? WERE THERE ANY, WHAT LOCAL COMPANIES THAT SUBMITTED THE CLOSEST, UH, COMPANY WAS BASED OUTTA NORTH CAROLINA.
AND, WELL, NO, I TAKE THAT BACK, GREENVILLE.
THERE WAS, THERE WAS A COMPANY BASED OUTTA GREENVILLE THAT APPLIED AS WELL.
SO WE HAD ONE GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA, AND, UH, FROM CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS BEFORE WE MOVE ON? THEN? I'M GONNA OPEN IT UP FOR PUBLIC CON UH, COMMENT ON ANY NON AGENDA ITEMS. THERE WERE MADAM CHAIR, THERE WERE NO REQUESTS TO SPEAK, THERE WERE NO REQUESTS, NO REQUEST TO CORRECT TO SPEAK.
ALRIGHT, SO WE'RE AT THE POINT OF ADJOURNMENT.
YOU HAVE OH, UM, YES, I'M SORRY.
UM, MR. BOXLEY MENTIONED, UM, THIS IN EFFECT OUR YEAR ANNIVERSARY AND THAT, UH, WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED MUCH, UH, IT SEEMS TO ME AS THOUGH THE BOARD OUGHT TO HAVE SOME KIND OF FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY TO ASSESS HOW WE ARE BEING PERCEIVED AND WHAT THE COMMUNITY THINKS OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS ARE.
I AGREE, MR. BOXLEY, WE CAN DEFINITELY ARRANGE FOR THAT TO HAPPEN.
AND JUST, UH, SO YOU ARE AWARE, UM, YOU KNOW, WE WERE APPROACHING THE HOLIDAY SEASON PRETTY FAST, UM, AND WE ARE WORKING TO PUT TOGETHER A, UM, A HOLIDAY RECEPTION AND WE CAN KIND OF INCORPORATE SOMETHING LIKE THAT, UH, PRIOR TO THE GATHERING AND ALSO USE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS, UM, SOME OF THE, THE WINS THAT WE'VE HAD, UM, AS WELL AS, UH, RECEIVE FEEDBACK AND, UM, AND LOOK TOWARDS THE FUTURE AND, AND LOOK AT WHAT OUR COMMUNITY WOULD LIKE TO SEE US DO AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
SO THAT'S, UM, WE'LL BE PUTTING TOGETHER A SAVE THE DATE FOR THAT PROBABLY SOMETIME, UH, TOWARDS THE FIRST PART OF DECEMBER TO STAY OUT OF THE WAY OF THE LATTER PART OF THE MONTH AS PEOPLE BEGAN TO TRAVEL AND VISIT WITH FAMILY, UH, FOR CHRISTMAS.
BUT, UM, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, UH, MS. IRVIN AND I HAVE, UH, BEEN WORKING ON.
SO, UM, MORE TO COME ON THAT LATER.
I, I THINK, I THINK FROM THE COMMUNITY STANDPOINT, AND HERE I'M TALKING ABOUT THE COMMUNITY PER SE, IT'S PROBABLY MORE IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO HEAR THAT THEY HAVE BEEN HEARD THAN FOR THEM TO LEARN WHAT WE PERCEIVE WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED.
I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO ADD, BEFORE WE ADJOURN THAT, UM, ON OUR, UH, WE'VE BEEN HOSTING A FINANCIAL EDUCATION WORKSHOP SERIES, UM, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE, UM, THE ISLAND REC CENTER AT TD BANK.
UH, WE'RE HOSTING SESSION NUMBER THREE ON SEPTEMBER THE 25TH, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER THE 25TH, 5:00 PM UM, AND THE GUEST, UH, WILL BE, UH, FROM THE CLIMB FUND AS WELL AS, UM, A GENTLEMAN FROM TD BANK'S COMMUNITY REINVESTMENT ACT, UM, OFFICE.
SO AGAIN, THAT'S, UH, SEPTEMBER THE 25TH.
WEDNESDAY, UH, AT THE ISLAND REC CENTER AT 5:00 PM UH, MR. BROWN, UH, HAS, HAS BEEN IN ATTENDANCE AND, UH, I APPRECIATE YOU, UH, COMING OUT AS WELL AS, UH, MS. GAVIN AND, UH, MS. IRVIN.
SO, UM, THIS IS PART THREE OF A FIVE PART SERIES, SO TRIGGERED ANOTHER THOUGHT, IF I MAY.
UM, THE SOUTH CAROLINA HOUSING FUND USUALLY HAS SOMETHING IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF $23 MILLION TO DISTRIBUTE FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS.
UH, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE BUFORT HOUSING TRUST IS NOW THE REGIONAL SPONSOR FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF THOSE FUNDS.
SO THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING YOU'D LIKE TO, UH, PURSUE
[00:50:01]
IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY.I HAVE A COUPLE THINGS, UM, NOT TO PUT YOU ON THE SPOT, BUT, UH, JUST A COUPLE QUICK UPDATES ON THE, WHERE THINGS ARE WITH THE PARKWAY CORRIDOR PROJECT.
HAS THERE BEEN ANY MOVEMENT THERE, AND THEN ANY FEEDBACK ON THE, THE STONY IMPACT GRANTS OR ANY UPDATES THERE? GOOD QUESTION.
SO CURRENTLY WHERE WE ARE WITH WILLIAM HILTON PARKWAY, UM, THE COUNTY HAS RECEIVED INFORMATION FROM OUR TOWN COUNCIL REGARDING, YOU KNOW, MUNICIPAL CONSENT.
UM, AND THEY, I DON'T THINK THAT THEY HAVE VOTED ONE WAY OR THE OTHER JUST YET.
I WOULD DEFER TO OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS HERE ON THE BOARD AS TO WHERE THEY ARE IN THAT PROCESS.
I'VE BEEN TRYING TO WATCH AN AGENDA, UH, LOOKING FOR AN AGENDA ITEM, BUT I HAVEN'T AS OF YET SEEN ONE FOR BEAUFORT COUNTY.
UH, YEAH, BEAUFORT COUNTY HAS NOT, UH, AGREED TO ALL 18 ITEMS ON OUR MOU AND THEY'RE IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO DECIDE HOW TO HANDLE THAT.
SO NO, THAT ACTION HASN'T BEEN TAKEN.
REGARDING STONY, UH, IMPACT GRANTS, NOVEMBER IS WHEN I'M TARGETING TO HAVE AN APPLICATION PROCESS, AN OFFICIAL APPLICATION PROCESS TOGETHER, UH, FOR THOSE STONY IMPACT GRANTS.
UM, BEHIND THE SCENES, I HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH PROPERTY OWNERS IN THE STONY AREA TO, UH, TO WORK WITH THEM ON ASSESSING THE VALUE OF THEIR PROPERTY FOR PERSONAL REASONS, NOT, YOU KNOW, NOTHING NEFARIOUS IN REGARDS TO THE CDC, UM, PURCHASING PROPERTY, BUT JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT PROPERTY OWNERS ARE BEGINNING TO THINK IN TERMS OF VALUATION OF THEIR PROPERTY FOR FUTURE HIGHEST AND BEST USE.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I HAVE BEEN WORKING IN THE STONY COMMUNITY WITH MEMBERS, UH, WITH, WITH PROPERTY OWNERS THERE.
A COUPLE OTHER THINGS CAME TO MIND, UM,
UM, AND I THOUGHT THE TURNOUT FOR BOTH WAS GREAT.
UM, JUST TO SEE ALL THE TOWN TEAMS OUT THERE TO SEE RESIDENTS ENGAGING.
UM, I THOUGHT THAT WAS A GOOD EXERCISE AND THAT WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO LIKE, ENGAGE AND HAVE EVENTS THAT WAY TO GET FEEDBACK FOR SPECIFIC PROJECTS THAT, OR SPECIFIC INVESTMENTS THAT THE TOWN IS LOOKING AT GETTING, LIKE GOING TO THE COMMUNITY VERSUS ASKING EVERYBODY TO COME HERE.
UM, I THINK THAT'S A, IT WAS A GOOD, IT WAS A GOOD EFFORT.
UH, WE, WE SPENT, UM, A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME IN PLANNING THAT MS. GAVIN LED A LOT OF THAT EFFORT AS WELL AS MR. WHITE, UM, OUR, OUR, UM, DIRECTOR OF HOUSING.
AND SO, UM, WE'RE EXCITED TO, TO HOST MORE EVENTS LIKE THAT BECAUSE IT, IT, IT REALLY DOES SPEAK VOLUMES WHEN WE SHOW UP IN THE COMMUNITY.
SO, SO DEFINITELY LOOKING FORWARD TO MORE OPPORTUNITIES LIKE THAT.
ANY OPPOSED? THEN WE ARE ADJOURNED.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENDANCE.
YOU'RE WATCHING BEAUFORT COUNTY TV, LIVE, WORK, PLAY.
HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOLS.
SEVENTH GRADE LEFT IN MIDDLE SCHOOL.
I'M LIKE A GHOST FROM UNDERWATER.
YOU CAN'T SEE ME, BUT I'M THERE.
INVISIBLE UNLESS CLOSELY LOOKED AT CLEAR, SEE THROUGH.
I'M LIKE AN UNSEEN CREATURE, NEVER KNOWING WHERE I END UP.
ONE MOMENT I'M THERE AND THE NEXT I'M GONE.
I'M A SIGHTLESS, SOULLESS, SLIMY, SQUISHY, STINGING, STRANGE JELLYFISH.
RIVER OF WOODS IS ACTUALLY A NATIONAL PROGRAM THAT BEFOR COUNTY SCHOOLS
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HAS ADOPTED.THIS IS OUR THIRD YEAR TO DO RIVER WOODS.
IT'S A PROGRAM THAT FOCUSES ON ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION WITH STUDENTS GOING OUTDOORS, STUDYING THEIR LOCAL WATERSHEDS, AND THEN GOING BACK INTO THE CLASSROOMS, SHOWING WHAT THEY'VE LEARNED, MAKING IT VISIBLE THROUGH POETRY AND ART.
I FOUND IT IN A, UM, THE BUTTERFLY GARDEN.
OUR STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT OUR WATERWAYS AND THE NATURE LIFE IN OUR FLOW COUNTRY.
UM, WE ARE WRITING ABOUT WHAT WE SEE AND WE ARE DRAWING WHAT WE SEE AS WELL.
THESE RIGHT THERE THAT THE
UH, THE MEDIUMS VARY FROM PAINT ACRYLICS TO OILS, TO COLLAGES TO PIN AND INK.
THAT IS FREE RANGE FOR THE TEACHERS TO CHOOSE.
UM, THE SUBJECT MATTER CAN BE ANYTHING AS LONG AS IT PERTAINS TO THEIR LOCAL ENVIRONMENT.
FLY FLY OAK A HOME FOR TWO VOICES BY VANESSA DIAZ AND LIZZIE RHODES.
SEVENTH GRADE LEFT TO MIDDLE, SLOWLY GROWING, CREEPS UP, CREEPS UP FROM A TINY SEED.
TIME PASSES BY AS IT GROWS TALLER AND TALLER.
ITS BRANCHES FLOWING IN THE WIND, IT'S BEAUTY CAVING IN THE LIMBS.
START TURNING GRAY AND, AND SOON NO SUNLIGHT WILL BE, WILL BE LEFT FOR THE LIVE OAK AS IT IS BEING CUT.
TELL THE STORY OF THE OLD OAK TREE.
ALRIGHT, SO WE'VE GOT SOME WATER COMING FROM THE ATLANTIC OCEAN.
IT'S MIXING WITH FRESH WATER COMING FROM OUR RIVERS AND STREAMS AND THIS BIG MIXING BOWL.
AND WE CALL THIS AREA AN
WE ACTUALLY LEARNED LIKE LOTS OF STUFF, WHAT KIND OF DEATH IT HAS, UM, HOW MANY, HOW MUCH SALT THERE IS, UM, WHAT KIND OF FISHES, AND PRETTY MUCH WE LEARNED OF, UH, TYPE ONE TYPE OF SHRIMP THAT I NEVER EVEN HEARD IS CALLED THE THUMB.
OH, WE WERE LEARNING ABOUT THE PORT ROYAL ESTUARY AND IT, I THOUGHT IT WAS PRETTY AWESOME OF THEIR PET.
AND I'M GONNA PASS HIM AROUND SO YOU CAN SEE HIM UP.
IT REALLY, UH, GETS THE KIDS THINKING ABOUT THE LOCAL WATERSHED AND HOW MUCH IT IMPACTS OUR LIVES ECONOMICALLY AND CULTURALLY AND, AND SCIENTIFICALLY.
UH, IT ALLOWS THE ARTS AND SCIENCE AND THE, UH, ENGLISH DEPARTMENTS TO WORK TOGETHER TO CREATE SOMETHING THAT'S JUST VERY UNIQUE.
AFTER SEVERAL MONTHS OF LEARNING, THE STUDENTS CULMINATE WITH AN ART SHOW, AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE A STUDENT PUBLICATION.
THERE'S A GREAT DEBT OF COMPETITION THAT GOES INTO THIS.
HUNDREDS OF HUNDREDS OF ENTRIES ARE SUBMITTED FROM THE SCHOOLS.
UM, IT'S TOUGH TO MAKE IT INTO THE STUDENT PUBLICATION.
I THINK THIS YEAR WE HAVE ABOUT 85 POEMS, ABOUT 83, UM, ARTWORKS THAT HAVE BEEN SELECTED.
AND WE HAVE A 96 PAGE FULL COLOR PUBLICATION CALLED RIVER OF WORDS, MUSINGS ON POOR OIL SOUND.
CONGRATULATIONS TO HANNAH VAN DAM.
IT FITS SO WELL INTO SCIENCE STANDARDS, PARTICULARLY FOR SEVENTH GRADE.
AND WE HAVE THE WONDERFUL SCIENCE TEACHERS THAT ARE ON BOARD WITH GETTING THE KIDS OUT OF CLASSROOM.
THE, THE CHILDREN LEARN SO MUCH ABOUT THE LOCAL WATERSHED THROUGH ACTUALLY PUTTING THEMSELVES RIGHT INTO THE ENVIRONMENT.
UM, THIS IS, THIS IS WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT.
UM, STUDENTS HAVE TO SEE THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CONTENT AND, AND IT, IT BECOMES MEANINGFUL.
IT BECOMES MEANINGFUL TO THEM, AND THEY ALSO SEE THEIR CONTRIBUTION IN OUR SOCIETY.
AND THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOLS.