[00:00:01]
CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY BUFORT COUNTY AFTERNOON.
[1. Call to Order]
AND, UM, THIS IS THE GALLAH GEECHEE LAND AND CULTURAL PRESERVATION TASK FORCE MEETING, NOVEMBER THE FOURTH, 2024.UM, I WOULD LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER,
[2. Adoption of the Agenda]
AND IF THERE ARE NO ADJUSTMENTS TO THE AGENDA, I'D LIKE TO HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE IT.THE AGENDA THAT'S SET BEFORE US SO MOVED.
MR. WRIGHT HAS SECOND IN FAVOR.
ANY OF THOSE? OKAY, THAT'S UNANIMOUS.
[3. Approval of the Minutes]
THE MINUTES FROM OCTOBER 14TH, AND HOPEFULLY WE'VE HAD A CHANCE TO READ THROUGH THOSE.IF THERE ARE NO CORRECTIONS OR REVISIONS, I WOULD LIKE TO ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF OUR OCTOBER 14TH MEETING.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? NONE OPPOSED.
[4. Staff Report]
VERY GOOD.WE'RE DOWN TO, UH, STAFF REPORTS.
NOW WE HAVE SOME GENERAL STAFF UPDATES.
DID I SAY YOUR LAST NAME RIGHT? YES, SIR.
CHAIRMAN STEVENS TASK FORCE MEMBERS SHA FERRA FOR THE RECORD.
UM, I'M HAPPY TO REPORT TODAY THAT WE DO HAVE PROGRESS, UM, BEING MADE ON DISTRICTS AND THE LMO, UM, AS MISSY SHARED IN THE LAST STAFF REPORT FOR DISTRICTS, WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF SCHEDULING OUR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT MEETINGS.
UM, THESE MEETINGS WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY A SURVEY AS WELL AS STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS.
UM, WE PLAN TO ENGAGE THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND WE'LL INVITE THE TASK FORCE AS WELL TO PARTICIPATE IN THE MEETINGS.
UM, THE MARSHA DISTRICT, SKULL CREEK DISTRICT AND MID ISLAND, AS WELL AS CHAPLAIN, DO HAVE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS IN THEM, AND WE WILL BE, UM, COMMUNICATING WITH THE DISTRICT REGARDING THOSE MEETINGS SPECIFICALLY.
UM, FOR THE LMO, WE DO CONTINUE WORK ON THAT.
THE PRIORITY AMENDMENTS ARE SCHEDULED FOR THE PLANNING COMMISSION IN NOVEMBER WITH THE PUBLIC HEARING BEING HELD IN JANUARY.
THIS WILL INVOLVE, UH, PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AS WELL.
UM, WORK IS CONTINUING WITH THAT, UM, AND WILL INCLUDE INVOLVEMENT WITH THE TASK FORCE ALSO.
UM, THIS WILL FOLLOW THE DISTRICTS IN 2025.
UM, SO THAT'S MY GENERAL UPDATE.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER THOSE.
JUST CURIOUS AS TO THE, THE POTENTIAL TIMING OF THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
UM, UM, RIGHT NOW WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF SCHEDULING THE MEETINGS.
THERE'S A POSSIBILITY THAT, UM, WE COULD HAVE SOME MEETINGS IN 2024.
WE'RE EVALUATING, UM, THE POTENTIAL FOR SHIFTING ALL OF OUR ENGAGEMENT INTO 2025 AND DOING MORE OF A CONSOLIDATED, UM, EFFORT.
SO AS WE FLUSH OUT THE DETAILS OF THAT, UM, WE WILL BE FOLLOWING UP WITH MORE SPECIFICS.
I THINK I'M MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THE TIME OF THE DAY.
UM, RIGHT NOW WE'RE TARGETING AROUND 5:00 PM UM, AND A COUPLE HOUR MEETINGS.
SO BE AROUND FIVE TO SEVEN FOR EACH OF THOSE.
OTHER QUESTIONS? DID HAVE A CHANCE TO SPEAK WITH MISSY AND I KNOW WE ARE WORK IN PROGRESS FOR SURE.
UH, OUR NEXT ITEM IS OUR HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD PERMITTING AND DESIGN STUDIO REPORT.
GOOD AFTERNOON TASK FORCE MEMBERS.
VERONICA GAVIN FOR THE RECORD.
PRINCIPAL PLANNER OF HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS.
SO, FOLLOWING, UM, THE MEETING ON OCTOBER 14TH, WE HAVE RECEIVED ONE NEW REQUEST FOR THE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD PERMITTING AND DESIGN STUDIO.
UM, AND THIS REQUEST INCLUDES GUIDANCE ON DENSITY ALLOWANCES AND CONCEPTUAL SITE PLANNING.
UM, OVERALL, WE HAVE HAD 91 TOTAL, UM, DESIGN STUDIO REQUESTS WITH 67 OF THOSE COMPLETED RIGHT NOW.
UM, A BIG FOCUS IS ON THOSE 16 ACTIVE PROJECTS.
I KNOW THAT WORK IS CONTINUING TOO.
WE DID GET THAT REPORT IN, UH, OCTOBER.
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ANY QUESTIONS FOR VERONICA? I HAVE A QUESTION.YES, MS. WRIGHT? UM, UH, MY QUESTION IS, HOW ARE YOU? CONGRATULATIONS.
AND I'M, WELL, UM, THE THREE ON HOLD, IS THAT PENDING ON COMPLETED THE APPLICATION OR, OR SO THE APPLICATIONS, THE ACT OF PROJECTS THAT ARE CURRENTLY ON HOLD, THAT'S ON THE APPLICANT THEMSELVES? YES, MA'AM.
USUALLY THERE'S ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT THEY NEED TO ATTAIN.
UM, SOMETIMES IT COULD BE FINANCIAL, UM, SITUATION.
SO THEY'RE JUST WAITING IN ORDER TO GET THE FUNDING THAT THEY NEED IN ORDER TO MOVE THE PROJECT FORWARD.
DO YOU HAVE A, A TIME THAT THEY, LIKE A TIME LIMIT HAVING THEM ON HOLD? ARE THEY SIX MONTHS, FOUR MONTHS? DO YOU GIVE THEM NO.
UM, I DON'T, I I NEVER WANT TO PRETTY MUCH, UM, PUT A TIME LIMIT ON, YOU KNOW, REMOVING THEM FROM ON HOLD.
UM, I, MY BIGGEST THING IS JUST TO CHECK IN TO SEE WHERE THEY ARE, BECAUSE OFTENTIMES THEY ARE MOVING FORWARD.
UM, BUT I NEVER WANT TO, UM, KIND OF JUST MOVE THEM OUT OF ON HOLD UNTIL THEY KIND OF GIVE ME THE GO AHEAD.
LIKE, HEY, VERONICA, THINGS AREN'T MOVING FORWARD.
AND I WILL THEN REASSESS WHAT I CAN DO TO KIND OF HELP MOVE IT FORWARD OR EITHER CONNECT THEM WITH ADDITIONAL RESOURCES.
I KNOW ACTUALLY I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH ONE OF THE APPLICANTS, SO THAT IS EXACTLY THE CASE THEORY.
UM, HOW'S THE PROCESS GOING? DO WE HAVE THE RIGHT PROCESS? DO WE NEED TO MAKE ANY CHANGES? ARE WE MARKETING IT, UH, AS WELL AS WE CAN? DO WE NEED TO MAKE ANY CHANGES THERE OR, OR IS IT GOING GOOD? ABSOLUTELY.
SO, UM, WE HAVE INCREASED MARKETING, UM, SINCE THE TIME OF ME TAKEN ON THE POSITION AS FAR AS RACK CARDS.
SO WHEN SOMEONE WALKS INTO TOWN HALL, THEY CAN GRAB THAT, UM, PIECE OF MATERIAL.
UM, WE'VE ALSO HAD, UM, TELEVISION FEATURES REGARDING THE PROGRAM.
ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS, JUST TO MAKE SURE ALL OF YOU ARE AWARE, I AM LOOKING TO RE REVAMP THIS PROGRAM.
UM, KIND OF BRINGING SOME THINGS ONLINE AND STREAMLINING THE PROCESS INTERNALLY.
SO I HAVE BEEN MAKING SOME TRANSITIONS TO MAKE SURE THAT IT IS EFFECTIVE WHEN WE'RE WORKING, UM, COLLABORATING WITH OTHER TEAMS HERE WITHIN THE TOWN.
SO I WILL HAVE ADDITIONAL UPDATES FOR THAT FOR YOU.
MS. SHARON, MAY I ASK, I SEE HERE THAT YOU HAVE, UH, EVERYTHING RECORDED FROM OCTOBER 21 TO OCTOBER 24 MM-HMM.
AND FOLLOWING, UM, TODAY'S MEETING, I'LL GET THIS OUT TO YOU ALL.
UM, I, I HAVE IT BROKEN DOWN BY CALENDAR YEAR.
UM, SO I'LL SHARE THAT WITH YOU AND MOVING FORWARD, UM, IF THAT'S WHAT WE SEE FIT TO KIND OF GIVE IT YEAR TO DATE, WE CAN DO THAT AS WELL.
THERE ARE NO OTHER QUESTIONS ON THAT PARTICULAR ITEM.
MOVE FORWARD WITH THE, UH, HOME AND SAFETY, HOME SAFETY AND REPAIR PROGRAM.
UM, AS OF OUR MEETING ON OCTOBER 14TH, WE HAVE RECEIVED THREE NEW HOME SAFETY AND REPAIR APPLICATIONS, INCLUDING TWO HOME SAFETY REPAIR REQUESTS AND ONE FOR TREE REMOVAL SLASH TRIMMING.
UM, IN JULY OF 2024, UM, THE TOWN RELAUNCHED THIS PROGRAM WITH UPDATED INTERNAL PROCESSES TO IMPROVE THE EXPERIENCE FOR APPLICANTS, THE CONTRACTORS, AS WELL AS THE STAFF WHO WORK ON THIS PROGRAM.
UM, AND SINCE THE RELAUNCH PROGRAM, ASSOCIATES HAVE CONDUCTED 56 SITE VISITS, UM, WE'VE COMPLETED 17 PROJECTS AND CURRENTLY HAVE 27 PROJECTS UNDER CONTRACT QUESTIONS ON THAT ITEM.
HOW ARE THE FUNDS LOOKING FOR THE HOME SAFETY PROGRAM, THE ALLOTTED FUNDING BACK IN MAY OF THIS YEAR? UM, WE HAVE TO ENCUMBER THOSE FUNDS BY DECEMBER 31ST.
SO WE WERE ABLE TO, UM, IDENTIFY APPLICANTS WITH COMPLETED PROJECTS TO KIND OF ENSURE THAT ALL THOSE FUNDS ARE ENCUMBERED BY DECEMBER 31ST.
MAY I ASK AGAIN ANOTHER QUESTION.
IN RELATIONSHIP TO THE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE, DO WE HAVE ENOUGH CONTRACTORS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO DO THE WORKS OR,
[00:10:01]
AND ARE YOU STILL ACCEPTING NEW CONTRACTORS? ABSOLUTELY.SO WHEN WE RELAUNCHED THE PROGRAM, I DID AN ADDITIONAL PUSH TO RECRUIT CONTRACTORS FOR THE PROGRAM.
UM, AND TO DATE, WE CURRENTLY HAVE ABOUT FIVE CONTRACTORS WHO WORK WITHIN THE PROGRAM.
UM, WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR ADDITIONAL CONTRACTORS TO BE AFFILIATED WITH THE HOME SAFETY AND REPAIR PROGRAM.
OTHER QUESTIONS ON THIS ITEM? YOU'VE GOT THE NEXT ONE TOO.
WE HAVE RECEIVED A TOTAL OF 45 APPLICATIONS.
UM, 31 JOBS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED.
UM, AND WE HAVE THREE THAT ARE CURRENTLY UNDER CONTRACT RIGHT NOW WITH SIX JOBS PENDING.
UM, AND WE ARE WAITING ON ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR THOSE.
AND HOW MUCH IS IT, YOU SAYS THE ADDITIONAL FUNDING IS 82,000? SORRY, YOU'LL SAY THAT ONE MORE TIME.
ADDITIONAL FUNDING YOU ARE WAITING FOR IS 82,000.
THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE WOULD NEED IN ORDER TO, UM, ADDRESS THOSE SIX JOBS THAT ARE CURRENTLY WAITING.
AND ARE THESE, UM, POTENTIAL HOMEOWNERS WITH THE TOWNS INITIATIVE, OR IS THAT PSD AND TOWN COMBINED? UM, WITH OUR LATERAL SEWER CONNECTION PROGRAM, WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH PSD AS WELL AS DEEP WELL.
SO INITIALLY WHEN THE APPLICATIONS COME IN, THEY START WITH DEEP WELL, UM, AND IF THEY ARE NOT APPROVED THROUGH THEIR PROGRAM, THEY CAN THEN BE TRANSFERRED OVER TO US.
UM, IT'S BASICALLY A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT.
NOW MY LAST QUESTION IS, THOSE SIX JOBS THAT ARE WAITING, ARE THOSE PEOPLE WHO ALREADY PURCHASED A MOBILE HOME THAT ARE WAITING TO PUT IT ON THE LOT? ARE THE PEOPLE WHO ALREADY HAVE A HOUSE THAT ARE IN SEPTIC THAT ARE JUST WAITING TO GET HOOKED UP FOR? UM, THOSE, THOSE ARE USUALLY PEOPLE WHO ARE, UM, WAITING TO MOVE A MOBILE HOME TO A LOT THAT DOES NOT CURRENTLY HAVE THAT SEWER CONNECTION.
UM, I HAVE BEEN ASKING, WELL, KIND OF, UM, JUST KIND OF ENSURING THAT WE ARE INFORMING THOSE WHO ARE LOOKING TO PLACE, UM, MANUFACTURED HOMES HERE ON HILTON HEAD.
IF THEY DO NOT, IF THEY'RE LOOKING TO APPLY FOR THIS PROGRAM TO HOLD OFF ON PURCHASING, BECAUSE ONCE THEY PURCHASE, UNFORTUNATELY, SOME OF THE RETAILERS FOR THESE MANUFACTURED HOMES ARE ASKING THEM TO GET THEM PLACED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
SO FOR THE, UH, SEWER CONNECTION PROGRAM, YOU SAY ALL APPLICANTS START AT DEEP WELL, AND IF THEY CAN'T FUND IT, UH, FOR WHATEVER REASON, QUALIFICATIONS OR WHATEVER, THEN IT COMES TO THE TOWN? YES.
HOW, HOW ABOUT THE, UM, THE HOME SAFETY AND REPAIR, I KNOW DEEP WELL WORKS WITH YOU.
IS, IS THAT SIMILARLY STARTS WITH THEM AND GOES TO YOU OR, OR ARE THOSE SIMULTANEOUS? UM, WITH HOME SAFETY AND REPAIR, IT STARTS WITH US.
UM, UNLIKE LATERAL CONNECTION, THE LATERAL SEW CONNECTION PROGRAM, UM, WE HAVE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH DEEP WELL TO DETERMINE HOW WE CAN COLLABORATE BECAUSE THEY DO SPECIALIZE IN, UM, SOME PROJECTS, WHETHER THAT IS BUILDING PORCHES, UM, AS JUST A PRIME EXAMPLE, IF WE CAN COLLABORATE WITH THEM, WE CAN MAKE, UM, LARGER EFFORTS WITHIN THESE HOMES THAT ACTUALLY NEED REPAIRS.
SO, UM, THAT CAN, THAT CONVERSATION IS CONTINUOUSLY GOING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO BETTER, UM, ADDRESS THESE ISSUES AND COLLABORATE TOGETHER AS A TEAM.
AND I KNOW THAT SOME OF THESE MOBILE HOME DEALERS, THEY WILL FINANCE THE SEWER FOR YOU.
THEY'LL DO LIKE A WHOLE PACKAGE LOAN, FINANCE, THE HOUSE AND FINANCE, THE SEWER AND EVERYTHING.
SO IS THERE ANY WAY WE COULD GET THEM TO FINANCE THAT SEWER CONNECTION? IF WHEN WE GET THE FUNDS, WE WILL PAY THEM BACK, OR, I CAN DEFINITELY LOOK INTO THAT.
UM, I HAVEN'T RAN ACROSS ANY, UM, IN THAT NATURE AT THIS TIME, BUT WE CAN DEFINITELY LOOK INTO IT.
IS YOUR MIC, UM, MS. GARBIN STEWART, HOW ARE WE PUBLISHING, UM, OUR GOODWILL? YOU KNOW, WHEN, WHEN WE HAVE SUCCESSFUL, UH, RATES AND, AND, AND THINGS THAT HAPPEN, YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT, YOU KNOW, PRETTY MUCH ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU'VE BEEN REPORTING ON, HOW ARE WE ADVERTISING THE SUCCESS RATE OF WHAT'S HAPPENING FROM THE TOWN AND, YOU KNOW, THE RECOGNITION AND, AND GIVING BACK, WHETHER OR NOT IT'S DEEP WELL, OR, YOU KNOW, OTHER ENTITIES THAT MAY BE HELPING OUT WITH THIS.
I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE DO DO THAT.
[00:15:01]
SO JUST KIND OF CURIOUS HOW IT IS, IS IT ON THE WEBSITE OR, SO WHEN ANY, UM, WHEN WE DO SITE VISITS, A PART OF THE SITE VISIT, ONE OF THE FORMS THAT, UM, I GO THROUGH WITH EACH APPLICANT IS OUR TOWN OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND MEDIA AND PHOTO RELEASE FORM.SO THIS IS AN OPTIONAL FORM FOR THEM.
IT PROVIDES THEM WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO ALLOW, UM, OUR TEAM, SPECIFICALLY OUR COMMUNICATIONS TEAM TO CONNECT WITH THEM.
UM, AND THEY CAN THEN THEY GIVE US THE APPROVAL TO SHOWCASE THE PHOTOS, THEY WILL GIVE US APPROVAL TO PUBLISH QUOTES, THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
SO I'LL BE WORKING CLOSELY WITH, UM, THE COMMUNICATIONS TEAM AS WE BUTTON UP A FEW MORE OF THESE PROJECTS IN ORDER TO PUSH THE COMMUNICATIONS AND IMPACT OF THE PROGRAM.
I DO, UM, SHARE WITH THE HOMEOWNERS THAT THIS IS OPTIONAL FOR THEM.
HOWEVER, AS WE, UM, LOOK TO ATTAIN ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR THESE PROGRAMS, IT'LL BE IMPACTFUL.
I, I THINK IT'S IMPACTFUL WHEN THEY DO SEE, AND I THINK IT ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO BE MORE, YOU KNOW, WILLING TO ASK FOR ASSISTANCE IF THEY NEED IT, YOU KNOW, UM, AND UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PROCESS IS NOT AS CHALLENGING AS THEY MAY THINK IT WOULD BE.
SO I THINK, I THINK DOING THAT WOULD DEFINITELY HELP THE COMMUNITY AS WELL.
AND AGAIN, I, I JUST WANNA SAY THAT I APPRECIATE YOUR WORK, UM, AND, UH, YOU'RE NOT EXACTLY A, A NEW EMPLOYEE ANYMORE.
YOU'VE KIND OF GOT YOUR FEET ON THE GROUND, AND I KNOW YOU HAVE A LOT OF BALLS IN THE AIR.
UH, SO I JUST APPRECIATE YOUR ATTENTION TO ALL OF THIS, YOU KNOW, UH, THIS GREAT BODY OF WORK.
AND TO MS. WRIGHT'S POINT, UM, THAT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE, UH, LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT WE'RE HAVING SOME SUCCESS OUT THERE AND WE ARE ADDRESSING THINGS AND, UH, THAT WE HAVE SOMEONE HERE THAT THEY CAN COME AND TALK TO ABOUT ANY ONE OF THESE ITEMS. SO AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR GOOD WORK.
OUR NEXT ITEM IS OUR GALA HISTORY AND CULTURAL AWARENESS PROGRAM.
IT'S ANGIE STONE, ASSISTANT TOWN MANAGER.
GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIRMAN STEVENS TASK FORCE MEMBERS.
IT'S MY PLEASURE TO BE HERE WITH YOU TODAY.
UH, JUST WANTED TO BRING YOU UP TO SPEED ON WHERE WE ARE WITH THE, UM, THE GULLAH, UH, CULTURE AND HISTORY, UM, PROGRAM.
UH, AS YOU KNOW, UM, IN 2019, THE REPORT BROUGHT FORTH A RECOMMENDATION.
IT WAS CP SEVEN, UM, INDICATING THAT THERE WAS AN ISSUE, UH, WITH UNDERSTANDING OF, UM, THE GULLAH CULTURE AND HISTORY AND, UH, MAYBE A SENSITIVITY TO, UH, THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY.
THE STRAT, UH, THE STRATEGY, UH, DESCRIPTION WAS TO ENHANCE COMMUNICATIONS, UM, AND TO IMPLEMENT A CRASH COURSE IN GULLAH HISTORY AND CULTURE, UH, TO PROVIDE, PROVIDE A TOUR, UM, FOR FOLKS.
AND THEN, UM, POTENTIALLY TO HAVE, UH, PRESENTATIONS BY, UH, THE GULLAH COMMUNITY TO AGAIN REINFORCE THE, THE HISTORY AND THE CULTURE.
ON, UH, SEPTEMBER 20TH, 2022, TOWN COUNCIL APPROVED THE CONTENT OF THE, UM, OF THE PROGRAM.
AND, UH, SINCE THEN, THE GULLAH TOURS HAVE BEEN IN PLACE.
UH, THOSE HAPPEN QUARTERLY, AND ALL TOWN STAFF HAS BEEN ON THOSE, UH, THOSE TOURS.
THE GULLAH 1 0 1 PROGRAM, UM, YOU ALL THANKFULLY ATTENDED ON, UH, JULY 1ST, I BELIEVE, OF THIS YEAR, AND PROVIDED FEEDBACK.
UH, LEVON, OUR CHAIRMAN STEVENS AND I MET AND DISCUSSED THE FEEDBACK AND SHARED THAT WITH THE, THE CONTRACTOR FOR THAT, UH, PROGRAM.
THE PROGRAM IS NOW READY TO ROLL, AND THIS WEDNESDAY WILL BE THE FIRST, UM, UH, PRESENTATION TO TOWN STAFF.
WE'LL BE CATCHING UP ALL OF THE CURRENT STAFF THAT WILL HAPPEN, UH, QUARTERLY OR SEMI-ANNUALLY, DEPENDING ON THE NEED, UH, TO BRING, UH, NEW FOLKS ALONG WITH THAT.
UM, THE LAST COMPONENT WAS A VIDEO, AND, UM, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THAT FOR A WHILE AS WELL.
UH, WE HIRED A CONTRACTOR TO PRODUCE THAT VIDEO FOR US BACK IN DECEMBER OF 23.
UH, IN 20 IN, UH, EARLY THIS YEAR.
WE, UM, WENT OUT TO TRY TO BEGIN, UH, CREATING THAT VIDEO, AND WE RAN INTO, UM, A LITTLE BIT OF, UH, IT, IT STARTED OFF A LITTLE ROUGH, SO WE HAD, UM, SOME FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY, I THINK, WHO WERE UNAWARE OF THE INTENT AND, UM, WE'RE A LITTLE HESITANT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE VIDEO.
UH, OVER THE COURSE OF TRYING TO, UH, GET THIS PUT TOGETHER, WE LEARNED A FEW THINGS.
UM, THERE HAD BEEN A, AN HONORARIUM THAT WAS DISCUSSED, AND WE FOUND OUT THAT THAT WAS NOT SOMETHING THAT WE COULD, UM, COULD HANDLE DOING.
[00:20:01]
UM, BASED ON FOIA FOR THE TOWN, UH, FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT, THERE WAS NO WAY TO PROMISE THE PARTICIPANTS THAT THAT VIDEO WOULD NOT BE SHARED BEYOND TOWN STAFF.UM, SINCE THAT TIME, WE'VE, UM, CHAIRMAN STEVENS HAS BEEN WORKING IN THE COMMUNITY TO TRY TO, UH, GET FOLKS TO, UH, AGREE TO PARTICIPATE AND HAS HAD SOME SUCCESS.
AND, UM, AT THIS POINT, WE'RE CONTINUING TO TRY TO MOVE THAT FORWARD.
WE HAVE NOT GOTTEN, UM, THE BULK OF THE FOLKS WHO WERE IDENTIFIED BY THIS TASK FORCE AS FOLKS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE.
WE HAVE NOT GOTTEN CONSENT, UM, FROM THEM TO DO SO.
SO AT THIS POINT, WE'RE MOVING THAT FORWARD.
THE OTHER TWO COMPONENTS HAVE, UM, BEEN IMPLEMENTED.
AND, UH, PERSONALLY I THINK THAT THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF HEADWAY MADE IN THE RELATIONSHIP, UM, BETWEEN THE TOWN AND THE COMMUNITY, AND I'M GRATEFUL TO BE A PART OF THAT.
I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU ALL HAVE.
UM, UM, WE'VE BEEN HAVING CONVERSATIONS BACK AND FORTH AND WORKING WITH THAT PIECE.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I LIKE THAT YOU ARE SEEING, OF COURSE, IS THAT WHEN, UH, THE TOURS AND THE, UH, PROGRAM, UM, HAS BEEN PRETTY MUCH IMPLEMENTED WITH TOWN STAFF AND, UH, FOLKS ARE PRETTY, PRETTY EXCITED TO LEARN ABOUT THE ISLAND AND LEARN ABOUT THIS CULTURE.
SO WE ARE, I THINK WE'RE HAVING SOME BETTER RELATIONS, AND AGAIN, TO MS. WRIGHT'S POINT, UH, MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE ADVERTISING THAT PUBLICLY AND FOLKS KNOW THAT, UH, WE ARE MAKING THOSE EFFORTS IN OUR RELATIONSHIP AND HOW WE, UH, INTERACT WITH OUR STAFF.
AND AGAIN, I APPRECIATE YOUR GOOD WORK AND, UH, BETWEEN THE EFFORTS OF THIS TASK FORCE AND, UM, AND THE, THE COUNCIL, UM, PUTTING INTO PLACE THE, THE GULLAH GEECHEE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD CULTURAL OR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, I THINK THERE HAVE BEEN LEAPS AND BOUNDS, UM, FORWARD MOMENTUM FOR, UH, FOR THAT.
SO I APPRECIATE YOUR YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
YOUR FEEDBACK AND ALL THAT YOU HAVE DONE.
JUST, UH, HAVING THE, UH, CDC COME ON BOARD HAS, UH, BEEN A BIG HELP IN SOME OF THOSE AREAS.
THANK YOU FOR TAKING TIME OUT AND BE WITH US AGAIN.
AND I WILL ALSO TAKE THIS TIME TO RECOGNIZE COUNCILMAN BROWN.
UM, AND FOR THOSE OF US WHO'VE BEEN WORKING IN THE COMMUNITY, UM, WE ARE HAVING SOME SUCCESS WITH THAT, SO WE'LL KEEP WORKING ON THAT.
AND YEAH, THERE ARE ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES, UH, THROUGH THE OFFICE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS AND THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION TO CREATE VIDEOS THAT MAYBE HAVE A LITTLE DIFFERENT FOCUS AND A WIDER IMPACT, UM, ON PRESERVING THE CULTURE.
SO THERE'S, THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES THERE, EVEN IF THIS VIDEO DOES NOT, UH, MATERIALIZE, UM, TO, TO MOVE FORWARD WITH, UH, MAYBE A DIFFERENT FOCUS THAT IS OBVIOUSLY SQUARELY ON YOUR YES, SIR.
OH, I WAS JUST CURIOUS AS TO HOW THE VIDEO WILL BE UTILIZED, YOU KNOW, IF AN, IF IT SHOULD COME INTO FRUITION.
UH, THE VIDEO WAS, UM, INTENDED TO INTERVIEW, UM, SOME COMMUNITY MEMBERS ON THEIR, THEIR ACTUAL EXPERIENCE WITH THE TOWN AND WITH, UM, PRESERVING THEIR LAND, UM, QUESTIONS OF THAT NATURE, THOSE TOPICS.
UH, THE, I THINK THE, HANG ON, LET ME, THE TOPICS ARE SIMILAR TO THOSE THAT WILL BE COVERED IN GULLAH 1 0 1.
UM, SO IT IS SORT OF A REINFORCEMENT THROUGH PERSONAL EXPERIENCE RATHER THAN A PROGRAM PRESENTED IN A CLASSROOM TYPE STATUS OR A CLASSROOM TYPE SCENARIO.
SO WE'LL FOCUS ON GULLAH CULTURE, UH, THE SETTLEMENT OF GULLAH PEOPLE AND HILTON HEAD, UM, SETTLEMENT OF THE 14 HISTORIC COMMUNITIES, UH, CHALLENGES TO NATIVE ISLAND LAND RETENTION AND SUSTAINABILITY.
UM, SO AGAIN, IT IS THE, THE SAME TOPICS THAT ARE COVERED IN THE 1 0 1.
MY QUESTION IS, IS REALLY MORE OF ONCE IT'S PRODUCED.
HOW WOULD IT, HOW WOULD IT BE USED? WOULD IT BE, UH, SOMETHING THAT A PERSON CAN GO TO A WEBSITE OR A QR CODE AND I DUNNO, HOW WOULD YOU USE IT? THIS VIDEO IS INTENDED SOLELY FOR, UH, EMPLOYEE OKAY.
SO WE, WE HAVE THE TOUR THAT EVERYONE, UH, TAKES.
THEN WE WILL HAVE GULLAH 1 0 1 THAT EVERYONE WILL ATTEND.
AND THIS WOULD'VE BEEN A THIRD COMPONENT THAT WOULD BE, UH, USED IN ORIENTATION OF NEW EMPLOYEES.
IT WAS NOT INTENDED TO BE RELEASED PUBLICLY.
UM, HOWEVER, WE FOUND OUT THAT WE CAN'T PREVENT SOMEBODY FROM ASKING FOR IT AS A FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUEST, FOR INSTANCE, BECAUSE IT IS PART OF OUR EMPLOYEE ORIENTATION PROGRAM, IT COULD BE RELEASED.
I I WAS GLAD TO HEAR THAT THE VIDEO'S NOT
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GONNA STOP THE PROGRAM FROM MOVING FORWARD.UM, THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S GOOD TO KNOW BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I, I GUESS, LIKE YOU SAY, FOIA SORT OF, UM, COMMAND CERTAIN THINGS.
AND ALSO, I, I WAS PROBABLY MORE CURIOUS THAN NOT WHO WERE THE PARTICIPANTS THAT FELT THEY COULDN'T SHARE SOME OF THE HISTORY.
I WOULD FIND THAT A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
'CAUSE I THINK MOST PEOPLE, MOST OF US WHO LIVE HERE, UM, ARE PRETTY, UH, PROUD MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY AND OF OUR HISTORY.
SO I'M JUST WAS CURIOUS AS THOSE PARTICIPANTS WHO WERE NOT WILLING TO SHARE.
UM, BUT NONETHELESS, YOU KNOW, I'M JUST GLAD THAT DON'T, THAT THE VIDEO'S NOT GOING TO STOP THE PROGRAM FROM MOVING FORWARD.
IT HAS, UH, A LOT OF OTHER GOOD COMPONENTS THAT I THINK WOULD SERVE, UH, SERVE VERY WELL.
LET ME JUST SPEAK TO THAT FOR A MINUTE.
UH, UH, I WANNA CLEAR UP A LITTLE BIT OF OUR LANGUAGE.
UM, WE, WE ARE GOING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE VIDEO.
UM, I KNOW THERE'S SOME FOLKS WHO ARE NOT AS COMFORTABLE AND, UH, WE DO HAVE QUITE A FEW PEOPLE WHO HAVE ALREADY AGREED TO PARTICIPATE.
UM, SO WE WILL PRODUCE THE VIDEO IN SOME FORM OR FASHION, AND WE'RE STILL HOPING TO GET SOME KEY MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY, UH, TO PARTICIPATE.
I'M GLAD TO SEE DR. COHEN HERE.
WE'VE HAD SOME GOOD CONVERSATIONS BACK AND FORTH JUST TO GET SOME CLARIFICATION.
AND THE ONE THING ABOUT OUR CULTURE I CAN SPEAK TO, I KNOW, IS THAT WE ALWAYS RESPECT, UM, OUR ELDERS AND WE, WE LOVE TO HAVE THEIR BLESSING AND THEIR INPUT.
UM, AND, BUT HOWEVER, WE WILL TALK ABOUT THE CULTURE AND THE COMMUNITY, AND WE HOPE WE GET SOME OF THOSE KEY PEOPLE TO PARTICIPATE.
SO, UH, BUT THE VIDEO, UH, WILL BE, WILL, WILL HAPPEN.
SO, UH, AND ONE OTHER POINT I I THAT I THINK IS IMPORTANT THAT WE, WE RECOGNIZE THAT, YOU KNOW, SUCH VIDEOS, UM, YOU KNOW, HAVE, UH, SAY HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE AS WELL, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO I WOULD HOPE WOULD BE, UH, VIDEOED OR WHO WOULD PARTICIPATE, YOU KNOW, WE ARE THANKFUL TO HAVE THEM HERE AND, YOU KNOW, AT SOME POINT WHEN THEY'RE NO LONGER HERE, YOU KNOW, THOSE KINDS OF VIDEOS WILL, WILL STAND TO REPRESENT THE CULTURE FOR MANY, MANY YEARS TO COME.
SO, UM, AND I GUESS, LIKE CHAIRMAN SAID, YOU KNOW, IT, IT IS GOING TO MOVE FORWARD.
SO I THINK THERE'S A SIGNIFICANT, UM, UH, THING TO HAPPEN IF WE COULD, YOU KNOW, FIND PEOPLE WHO WOULD BE WILLING TO SHARE THE HISTORY AND RECORD IT FORM BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IT WOULD BE, UM, SOMETHING THAT WOULD, WOULD, WOULD LAST, YOU KNOW, IT COULD BE ABLE LET US SHOW OUR HISTORY AS WELL.
AND, UH, THERE, YOU KNOW, THE MORE I LOOKED INTO THIS, THE MORE I FOUND THAT THERE ARE, THERE IS VIDEO FOOTAGE, UM, FROM OVER TIME THAT HAS CAPTURED SOME OF THAT HISTORY AND CULTURE.
AND, UM, WE'LL BE LOOKING INTO HOW DO WE DO SOMETHING, UM, MORE OF A CULTURAL PRESERVATION, UH, PIECE THAN AN EMPLOYEE ORIENTATION PIECE.
SO, BUT TO YOUR POINT, TO PRESERVE THE CULTURE AND TO CAPTURE THE STORIES OF THOSE FOLKS WHO NONE OF US WILL ALWAYS BE HERE, RIGHT? BUT TO CAPTURE THE HISTORY AND THE, THE IMPORTANT EXPERIENCE OF THOSE COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT, UM, ARE ELDERS IN THE COMMUNITY AT THIS POINT.
AND WE CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE THE, UH, HESITATION TO PARTICIPATE BECAUSE IN THIS DAY AND AGE THAT WE LIVE IN AND FROM OUR PAST EXPERIENCES, WE KNOW THAT OUR IMAGES AND OUR STORIES HAVE BEEN EXPLOITED AND EVEN MISINTERPRETED.
SO AGAIN, THAT'S LIKE, WE WANNA JUST MAKE SURE WE'RE VERY CLEAR AND ABOUT HOW IT'S GONNA BE USED AND WHERE IT'S GONNA BE HOUSED AND, AND WHAT THE PURPOSE OF IT IS.
UM, IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO SAY THAT THIS IS ONE OF OUR RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE TASK FORCE.
SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THE TASK FORCE IS ASKING FOR.
IT'S NOT NECESSARILY THE TOWN THAT'S DOING THIS IS WHAT TASK FORCE IS DIRECTING STAFF TO DO.
UM, BUT, AND AGAIN, ON THE OTHER HAND, WE ARE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT HOW WE, UH, UH, PROCEED WITH THAT.
AND I KNOW THERE WAS A LOT OF MISUNDERSTANDING ABOUT WHAT WAS GONNA HAPPEN, HOW IT WAS GONNA HAPPEN, AND COMPENSATION AND, AND HOW IT'S GONNA BE USED AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO, UH, THE LAST THING WE'VE LEARNED A LOT DO IS, IS PERPETUATE ANY DISTRUST OR ANY, UM, ILL WILL, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT IS THE LAST ABSOLUTE LAST THING THAT WE WANT TO DO AS WE TRY TO, UH, CREATE THIS PROGRAM BASED ON YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS IS TO CAUSE HARM.
THAT IS DEFINITELY NOT THE INTENT.
IT IS TO HONOR THE CULTURE AND THE, THE HISTORY THAT'S HERE.
HI, ANGIE, HOW ARE YOU? GOOD, HOW ARE YOU? I, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO MAKE A COMMENT THAT, UM, I, I WANTED TO SAY, UH, THANK YOU TO, UH, ANGIE STONE WITH THE, UH, GULLAH HISTORY AND CULTURAL AWARENESS
[00:30:01]
PROGRAMS THAT THE TOWN HAS PUT IN PLACE FOR OUR COMMUNITY.UM, AND JUST TO SAY THAT IT DOES WORK AND IT IS WORKING IN TERMS OF COLLABORATIONS.
AND, UH, I DO WANNA POINT OUT MOST RECENTLY THAT WE HAD OUR, UH, WE AS IN MITCHELLVILLE HAD A FEM SERIES, AND THE CDC WAS A, WAS A PART OF THAT AS WELL.
UM, AND ALSO, UM, WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF HAVING A TRAVELING EXHIBIT THAT THE CULTURE OF, OF, UH, THE CULTURAL CENTER IS ALSO GONNA BE A PART OF THAT AS WELL.
SO HAVING THOSE COLLABORATIONS, UM, WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT.
UM, AND, UH, ONE OF THE MOST, I WOULD SAY, UH, SIGNIFICANT PIECES, UH, PERSONALLY IS THAT, UM, HISTORIC MITCHELLVILLE FREEDOM PARK HAS A SIGN THAT ACTUALLY POINT TO THE PARK, WHICH IS ONE OF THE BROWN HISTORICAL SIGNS THAT YOU SEE ON THE HIGHWAY.
AND IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, IS THAT THE FIRST HISTORIC SIGN OF THE GULLAH CULTURE IS ON HILTON HEAD, OR IS THERE ANOTHER, I KNOW THAT CULTURE, HHI HAVE THEIR SIGNS, BUT IT'S NOT THE BROWN HISTORIC SIGNS.
I BELIEVE THAT IT IS, IT IS THE FIRST ONE, AND ANGIE STONE IS TO BE THANKFUL FOR DOING THAT FOR US.
AND I COMMEND YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING, AND WE'RE VERY PROUD TO HAVE THAT AS A PART AND HOPING THAT THE OTHER SIGNIFICANT HISTORIC SITES ON THE ISLAND CAN BE RECOGNIZED WITH THOSE HISTORIC SIGNS BECAUSE THERE ARE OTHER ENTITIES AROUND THAT HAVE SIGNS UP.
BUT, YOU KNOW, IT'S 2024 AND FINALLY GOT A SIGN UP, AND I'M REALLY HAPPY ABOUT THAT.
AND I'M JUST SO GRATEFUL THAT WE WERE ABLE TO GET THAT DONE.
AND WE HAVE SO MANY OTHERS THAT NEED TO GO OFF THE GULLAH MUSEUM AND, YOU KNOW, OTHER SIGNS THAT NEED TO GO OUT FOR HISTORIC CHURCHES.
SO, UM, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE RECOGNIZE THAT IT IS A BEGINNING AND BECAUSE OF THIS PROGRAM THAT IS WORKING, AND THANK YOU.
I SHOULD ALSO SHARE THAT I WAS ABLE TO, UH, SPEAK WITH ANOTHER MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY, UH, REPRESENTING, UM, DR. CAMPBELL.
AND, BUT AGAIN, IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF GETTING SOME CLARIFICATION AND UNDERSTANDING ABOUT HOW, UH, THE STORIES WOULD BE TOLD AND IMAGES USED.
AND IN THIS VIDEO, WE'RE SIMPLY ASKING FOR THREE TO FOUR MINUTE INTERVIEWS.
IT'S NOT THAT WE ARE ASKING ANYONE TO GIVE AWAY THEIR CONTENT OR THEIR STORY OR THE, THE, THE HISTORY, WHETHER IT BE, UH, ANY OF OUR HISTORICALLY, UH, SENSITIVE CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS IN THE COMMUNITY.
BUT THAT WAS VERY HELPFUL TO ME.
AGAIN, TRYING TO JUST UNDERSTAND HOW WE NAVIGATE THIS AND THE INTENT OF IT, AND WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR IS THE OUTCOME, AND THAT'S A BETTER RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TOWN STAFF AND OUR GULLAH CULTURAL, I WOULD SAY WE'RE WELL ON OUR WAY.
UH, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? UM, BUT BEFORE YOU LEAVE THOUGH, I DO WANT TO ASK IF DR.
COY HAS A QUESTION OR A COMMENT IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK? YOU KNOW, I'LL PUT YOU ON THE SPOT IN A MINUTE.
I WAS GONNA SAY
ON
I WAS SUPPOSED TO SAY ANYTHING, BUT, UM, YOU BROUGHT SOMETHING OUT THAT I DIDN'T HEAR BEFORE.
NOW I, I JUST LISTEN AND I DIDN'T WRITE IT DOWN, BUT IT CLICKED THAT I NEED TO HAVE ANOTHER CONVERSATION WITH YOU.
UM, BECAUSE THE WORD OF GOD SAY, ABOVE ALL, GET UNDERSTANDING.
SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON.
AND I DO, LET ME SPEAK FOR MYSELF.
I NEED TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT'S GOING ON AND, UM, AND THERE ARE NO HIDDEN AGENDAS, YOU KNOW? AND, UM, AND THEN WHEN I FIND THAT OUT, THEN I CAN MOVE ON WITH MY DECISION.
AND OF COURSE, I'M SAYING IT LIKE THIS AND I'M, I'M, I'M MOVING SLOW BECAUSE OF THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED IN THE PAST.
SO, UM, THAT CAUSED ME NOT TO BE SO QUICK TO SAY YES.
SO, UM, I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY UNDERSTAND THAT LOUIS IS NOT HOLDING BACK ON SOMETHING THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE I KNOW IT IS, BUT IT'S JUST WHEN, WHEN I MOVE, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING.
AND THAT'S WHY YOU HEAR THE QUESTION OF HOW IS THIS VIDEO GOING TO BE USED? AND I HEARD THE ANSWER, THERE'S NO PROMISE THAT IT WOULDN'T GO ELSEWHERE OTHERWISE.
SO, UM, SO ANYWAY, YOU HAVE TO TAKE THINGS LIKE
[00:35:01]
THAT INTO CONSIDERATION BECAUSE OF SOME THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED TO US, BECAUSE SOME OF US HAVE BEEN EXPLODED.AND THAT'S THE REASON THAT WHY I AM WALKING VERY SLOW.
AND I WAS WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THIS, UM, THIS COMMITTEE UNDERSTAND WHY LOUISE IS TAKING THE STAND THAT SHE'S TAKEN.
BUT THEN YOU DID SAY SOMETHING THAT MAKE ME KIND OF GONNA CHANGE MY MIND.
I, I APPRECIATE THAT AND I APPRECIATE YOU.
YOU KNOW, IF YOU LOOK AT SOME OF THE NOTES FROM THAT PARTICULAR, UH, RECOMMENDATION, UH, WE NAMED SPECIFIC PEOPLE IN SPECIFIC ORGANIZATIONS, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT WE WANTED TO HAVE INCLUDED.
I'M SURE YOUR NAME WAS MENTIONED VERY SPECIFICALLY.
UM, AND AS YOU SAID, UH, AND AS I'VE SAID, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE CLEAR UNDERSTANDING.
THERE'S NOTHING I WOULD SAY, UH, BEHIND YOUR BACK THAT I WOULD NOT SAY TO YOUR FACE.
SO WE ARE NOT TRYING TO SNEAK SOMETHING PAST YOU OR THE GULLAH MUSEUM OKAY.
AND I'M HAPPY TO HAVE ANOTHER CONVERSATION WITH YOU, AND I APPRECIATE YOU HAVING AN OPEN MIND TO THAT.
NOT NECESSARILY ANDREW, BUT I THINK, UM, I THINK, UH, JOYCE MENTIONED ABOUT ONE OTHER LITTLE BROWN HISTORICAL MARKER.
I THINK THERE'S ONE ON SPANISH ROSE ROAD THAT SORT OF RECOGNIZES, UM, MY GRANDFATHER'S HISTORICAL MARKER.
OH, SO THERE IS, THERE, THERE IS ANOTHER ONE.
THAT, UH, AT LEAST ONE MORE THAT WE HAVE.
SO, SO THEY SECOND AND YOU WERE FIRST GO OUT YEAH.
OKAY, THE NEXT ITEM WE HAVE ON OUR AGENDA IS THE HOUSING ACTION COMMITTEE UPDATE.
MR. QUINCY WHITE, THE CHIEF HOUSING OFFICER, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
UH, SO GOOD AFTERNOON, UM, CHAIRMAN STEVENS AND TASK FORCE MEMBER.
SO I'M JUST GONNA GIVE A BRIEF UPDATE IN REGARDS TO HOUSING.
UH, THE LAST TIME WE'VE MET, UM, I BELIEVE IT WAS THE EARLY PART OF THE YEAR, I JUST STARTED MY POSITION.
SO WE DO HAVE QUITE A FEW THINGS TO GO OVER ON A HIGH LEVEL.
SO I WAS ABLE TO PRESENT, UM, EARLIER PART OF THE YEAR, UM, AT THE BLUFFTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE POWER HOUR, UH, TO DISCUSS AGAIN, HOUSING INITIATIVES, HOUSING PROGRAMMING, AND WHAT ARE WE DOING ON THE ISLAND IN REGARDS TO WORKFORCE HOUSING.
SO THAT WAS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR FROM, UH, COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS ON, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT THEY HAD IN REGARDS TO HILTON HEAD AND WORKFORCE HOUSING.
AND I WAS ABLE TO PROVIDE A HIGH LEVEL PRESENTATION IN REGARDS TO THAT.
UM, I WAS ALSO ABLE TO PRESENT AT THE PUBLIC, UM, POLICY COMMITTEE OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, ALSO DISCUSSING AND EMPHASIZING ON ONGOING WORK OF WORKFORCE HOUSING HERE ON THE ISLAND.
SO IN SEPTEMBER WE WERE ABLE TO HOST TWO SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EVENTS, UM, ONE IN JONESVILLE AND ONE IN MUDDY CREEK.
UM, SO IN JONESVILLE WE HAD ABOUT 114 RESIDENTS ATTENDING EVENT.
WE HAD ABOUT 25 STAFF MEMBERS PARTICIPATE AND PROVIDING, UM, A OVERVIEW IN REGARDS TO PROGRAMS AND SERVICES HAPPENING ON A TOWN LEVEL.
AND FOR MUDDY CREEK ON SEPTEMBER 12TH, WE HAD ABOUT 82 ATTENDEES AND ABOUT 30 STAFF MEMBERS.
AGAIN, ENGAGING WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO SPEAK MORE IN REGARDS TO WHEN IT CAME TO SPECIFICALLY WITH MUDDY CREEK, WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH THE TOWN ON PROPERTY, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES THAT WE PLAN ON DOING THROUGHOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO TO THAT END, UM, ONE OF THE ITEMS THAT WE HEARD IN THE MUDDY CREEK COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EVENT WAS THE NEED FOR A COMMUNITY CLEANUP.
UH, SO WE ARE SCHEDULING A COMMUNITY CLEANUP FOR NOVEMBER 16TH AT 8:00 AM TO 12 NOON.
UH, THIS IS OUR OPPORTUNITY FOR VOLUNTEERS, STAFF MEMBERS AND RESIDENTS TO WORK HAND IN HAND CLEANING THE COMMUNITY, BUT ALSO FOR US AS STAFF MEMBERS TO HEAR FEEDBACK, UM, FOR RESIDENTS AND REGARDS TO SOME OF THE ITEMS THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN AS PART OF OUR OVERALL NEIGHBORHOOD STABILIZATION PLAN.
SO WORK IS ONGOING IN REGARDS TO THAT NEIGHBORHOOD STABLE, UH, STABILIZATION PLAN.
UH, SO WE ARE PLANNING TO HAVE A COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDER GROUP BE A COMPONENT OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THAT PLAN TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE ON THE RIGHT TRACK.
UM, SO WE PLAN TO MEET WITH INTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS, INTERNAL DEPARTMENTS, UH, COMMUNITY MEMBERS AS WELL.
UH, THERE, THERE SHOULD BE SEVERAL ENGAGEMENT EVENTS SCHEDULED THROUGHOUT THE MONTH, UH, TO ASSURE AGAIN THAT WE'RE MEETING THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY AND THE COMMUNITY'S EXPECTATIONS ARE INCORPORATED INTO THE PLAN.
SO, UM, SINCE WE'VE LAST MET, UH, THE NORTH PORTING, UH, WORKFORCE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT WAS FULLY EXECUTED.
UM, OF COURSE NORTHPOINT WILL BE, UM, EXCLUSIVELY WORKFORCE HOUSING WITH ROUGHLY 150 TO 170 WORKFORCE HOUSING UNITS.
UM, 1, 2, 3 BEDROOM UNITS GEARED TOWARDS THE WORKFORCE HERE ON THE ISLAND.
SO WE'RE OF COURSE EXTREMELY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
SO THAT REALLY INCLU, UH, WELL, LET ME TAKE A STEP BACK.
THERE ARE SOME UPCOMING EVENTS THAT I WOULD LOVE TO SHARE WITH YOU.
[00:40:01]
HOUSING SYMPOSIUM ON NOVEMBER 12TH THAT WILL BE LED BY THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF THE LOW COUNTRY.UM, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN ATTENDING, I'LL SHARE THAT INFORMATION WITH MS. GAVIN TO SHARE WITH YOU ALL AS WELL.
UM, AND AGAIN, WE ARE SCHEDULING OUR COMMUNITY CLEANUP EVENT ON NOVEMBER 16TH FROM 8:00 AM TO 12 NOON.
UM, WE PLAN TO MEET AT THE, UM, TOWN ON PROPERTY AT 30 BRYANT ROAD.
UM, WE SHOULD HAVE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS THE OUTSIDE FOUNDATION, UM, I TOO ALSO PARTICIPATING IN THAT EVENT.
UM, OUR CHIEF ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICER WILL ALSO PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF THE IMPORTANCE OF RECYCLING AND KIND OF LEAD OUR DISCUSSION BEFORE WE ACTUALLY GO OUT AND START THE STREET SWEEPS.
UM, THE COMMUNITY CLEANUP WILL HAVE A THREE TIER, IT'LL BE A STREET SWEEP, IT'LL BE A MOBILE RECYCLING CENTER AND A SMALL DEBRIS PICKUP WITH A LARGER DEBRIS PICKUP SCHEDULED IN JANUARY.
WE ALSO EXPECT TO DO A COMMUNITY CLEANUP IN JONESVILLE ALSO, UM, TENTATIVELY SCHEDULED FOR THE EARLY PART OF NEXT YEAR.
SO THAT, THAT CONCLUDES MY UPDATES.
MR. HINTS THOUGHT, UH, DON'T KNOW IF IT'S A GOOD ONE OR NOT, BUT, UM, FOR FUNCTIONS LIKE THE, UH, MUDDY CREEK CLEANUP, WOULD IT BE A THOUGHT THAT, THAT OUR COMMITTEE WOULD MAN A, A TENT TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ON OUR, ON OUR VARIOUS, UH, SERVICES, YOU KNOW, THE HOOKUPS, THE, YOU KNOW, HOUSING, UM, JUST EVERYTHING THAT WE, WE DO AS A COMMITTEE TO, TO HELP GET THAT INFORMATION OUT AND ENABLE, UM, FOLKS FROM THAT COMMUNITY ASK QUESTIONS.
I THINK THAT'S AN EXCELLENT IDEA.
UM, A COMPONENT OF BOTH THIS COMMUNITY CLEANUP AND OUR LAST COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EVENT WAS TO INTERACT WITH RESIDENTS TO LET THEM KNOW AND INFORM THEM IN REGARDS TO SOME OF THE PROGRAMS AND SERVICES WE HAVE HERE ON THE TOWN LEVEL.
SO IF YOU ALL ARE INTERESTED IN HAVING A TABLE AT THE EVENT, JUST PLEASE LET US KNOW, COORDINATE WITH MYSELF OR MS. GAVIN AND WE'LL MAKE SURE IT HAPPENS THERE.
DO WE HAVE SOME TYPE OF BROCHURE THAT WE CAN MAKE UP, OR FOR THE EVENT? I MEAN YOU A TENT, BUT I'M TALKING ABOUT A BROCHURE OF ALL THE SERVICES THAT WE COULD PROVIDE.
UM, SO WE DO HAVE FLYERS, UH, THAT HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE DIFFERENT SERVICES, THE PROGRAMS, UH, WE PROVIDE HERE ON THE TOWN LEVEL.
UM, IT WOULD BE THE SAME INFORMATION THAT WAS SHARED AT THE ENGAGEMENT EVENT.
UM, AND THE LAST COUPLE OF, UH, ENGAGEMENT, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MEETINGS, WE, THEY WERE PRETTY WELL PUBLICIZED, UH, FOLKS IN THOSE AREAS KNEW WHAT WAS HAPPENING THERE.
BECAUSE, UH, UM, IT'S NOT REALLY A CONCERN.
THEY JUST DON'T WANNA CATCH PEOPLE BY SURPRISE OF COURSE.
AND THAT THEY KNOW THAT THIS IS GONNA BE HAPPENING IN THEIR COMMUNITY.
I MEAN, I KNOW FOR MYSELF, WHEN I HAVE SOMEBODY TO COME TO CLEAN MY HOUSE, I LIKE TO CLEAN IT BEFORE THEY GET THERE.
SO, UH, MAILERS AND FLYERS WILL BE SHARED TODAY.
UM, THERE WILL BE ROADSIDE THROUGHOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD AS, AS WELL, UH, ASSURING THAT FOLKS ARE AWARE OF THE COMMUNITY CLEANUP.
UM, THERE WILL BE A ROBUST OUTREACH EFFORT, UH, KNOCKING ON DOORS, PASSING OUT FLYERS, AND WE WANNA ENSURE THAT ALL THE NEIGHBORHOOD MEMBERS ARE AWARE.
UH, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO COMPOSE A SMALLER GROUP OF COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS TO HELP US GET THE WORD OUT.
UM, SO WE'RE ACTUALLY PLANNING ON MEETING SOMETIME THIS WEEK AT THE TOWN OWNED PROPERTY TO GO THROUGH LOGISTICALLY HOW THE EVENT'S GONNA LOOK AND AGAIN, FURTHER GET THE WORD OUT.
AND TO MR. HESS'S POINT AND MR. CAMPBELL'S POINT TO, UM, WE, I'M ASSUMING WE'RE JUST BY DEFAULT ONE OF THOSE STAKEHOLDER GROUPS AS WELL, OUR TASK FORCE, UH, AND WHICH I THINK IS A GREAT POINT BECAUSE NOT EVERYBODY REALIZES THAT THIS TASK FORCE EVEN EXISTS.
SO IF WE CAN HAVE A PRESENCE THERE, UM, AND LET FOLKS KNOW THAT WE WE'RE ANOTHER ARM OR LEG THAT CAN HELP, UH, WITH PHYSICAL CLEAN UP AND OUR PHYSICAL PRESENCE, BUT ALSO, BUT THEY KNOW SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT THIS TASK FORCE IS DOING AS WELL TO BENEFIT THOSE COMMUNITIES.
WE WOULD, UH, REALLY APPRECIATE THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, GETTING THE WORD OUT, HELPING US WHEN IT COMES TO, YOU KNOW, BEING OUT IN THE COMMUNITY, ENGAGING IN THE COMMUNITY, CLEAN UP, UM, I THINK YOU ALL AS AN INPUT AND PRESENCE, UH, WILL BE INVALUABLE.
UM, AND JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE ON THAT POINT, AS WE'VE ALWAYS SAID BEFORE, UM, UH, WE CAN PUT IT ONLINE, WE CAN PUT IT ON A COMPUTER, WE CAN SEND FLYERS, WE CAN DO ALL OF THAT.
BUT IN OUR CULTURE, A LOT OF TIMES, UH, THAT SHADE TREE CONVERSATION FROM SOMEBODY THAT THEY KNOW AND LOVE AND TRUST MM-HMM.
BUT WE DO, UH, WE CAN TO ASSIST YOU AND STAFF IN THIS, THIS EFFORT.
[00:45:01]
JUST WANNA ADD TO THAT MAYBE THAT WE CAN COLLABORATE AS WELL WITH THE CDC.I'M GONNA PUT THAT, PUT THEM ON THE SPOT WITH THAT AS WELL AND WE CAN ALL BE UNDER THE SAME TENT.
SO, YOU KNOW, JUST TO KIND OF, YOU KNOW, LET THE, UH, COMMUNITY KNOW THAT WE ALL WORKING ON THE SAME AND I THINK THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT TOO, QUINCY, TO SHOW THE COLLABORATION OF, OF THE DIFFERENT ENTITIES THAT WE DO HAVE HERE AT THE TOWN.
I THINK A THEME OF BOTH THE ENGAGEMENT EVENT AND THIS EVENT IS FOR US TO ENSURE THAT COMMUNITY MEMBERS KNOW THAT THEY'RE HEARD, THAT WE'RE HEARING THEM AND WHERE WE'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH SOME OF THE EFFORTS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO.
ARE YOU TALKING TO MORE OF THE CHURCHES, THE LOCAL CHURCHES TOO? YES.
SO WE'VE BEEN REACHING OUT TO SOME OF THE LOCAL CHURCHES AS WELL.
UM, SOME OF THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE DONE COMMUNITY CLEANUPS IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD BEFORE, WE WANT THEM TO BE ENGAGED WITH US, IF NOT NOW IN NOVEMBER AND THEN POSSIBLY IN JANUARY WHEN WE COME BACK.
THE, UH, THE JONESVILLE PROPERTY THAT, THAT YOU DISCUSSED, THAT IS TOWN ON PROPERTY AS WELL, ISN'T IT? IT IS, YES.
I HAVE ONE QUESTION ABOUT THE HOUSING UNITS.
DID YOU MENTION 150 TO MAYBE ONE 70 UNITS? YEAH.
IN REGARDS TO THE NORTH POINT DEVELOPMENT, UM, THERE'S SOME RANGE BETWEEN 150 TO 170 UNITS.
WHAT'S WHAT'S THE, UM, TARGETED, GROUNDBREAKING AND COMPLETION OF THAT PROJECT? UM, UH, I WANNA MAKE SURE I, I UNDERSTOOD.
ARE YOU SAYING THE ESTIMATED TIMELINE IN REGARDS TO COMPLETION? YEAH.
UM, IT'S KIND OF HARD START, START TO FINISH.
UH, SO IT'S KIND OF HARD TO SAY THAT AT THIS POINT.
UM, YOU KNOW, I WANT TO, I DON'T WANT TO GIVE OUT THE WRONG DATE, BUT I CAN CERTAINLY CIRCLE BACK WITH YOU, UM, ONCE WE HAVE THAT INFORMATION.
AND IN THE FUTURE, ARE YOU GONNA PLAN ON DOING, UM, COMMUNITY CLEANUPS IN OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS? YES.
UH, WE HAVE HAD THOSE DISCUSSIONS IN REGARDS TO MOVING THIS AROUND THE ISLAND TO AREAS THAT MAY NEED IT.
UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH MR. WHITE FOR YOUR REPORT AND YOUR GOOD WORK.
NEXT ITEM WE HAVE ON OUR AGENDA, UM, IS TOWN OPEN POSITIONS UPDATE MS. GAVIN.
SO WE DO HAVE SOME CURRENT OPEN POSITIONS HERE AT THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND.
UM, THE THREE DEPARTMENTS THEY COME FROM, UM, WE HAVE OPEN POSITIONS IN PLANNING, WE HAVE OPEN POSITIONS IN FINANCE AS WELL AS FIRE AND RESCUE, FIRE RESCUE.
UM, WITHIN THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT WE HAVE, UM, AN ASSISTANT PLANNING DIRECTOR POSITION AVAILABLE, A BUILDING INSPECTOR POSITION AVAILABLE, AS WELL AS A COMMUNITY PLANNING MANAGER FOR FINANCE.
WE HAVE AN ASSISTANT FINANCE DIRECTOR POSITION AVAILABLE, A BUDGET ANALYST, UM, A REVENUE SERVICES SUPERVISOR, AS WELL AS A SHORT TERM RENTAL COORDINATOR WITHIN FIRE AND RESCUE.
WE HAVE A 9 1 1 PUBLIC SAFETY TELECOMMUNICATOR POSITION AVAILABLE.
UM, A COMMUNITY RISK REDUCTION SPECIALIST AS WELL AS A FIREFIGHTER SLASH EMT POSITION AVAILABLE.
AND ALL OF THESE POSITIONS, UM, ANY OPEN POSITIONS AT THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD ARE ALWAYS A AVAILABLE ON THE WEBSITE, JUST SO PEOPLE KNOW, YOU KNOW, HOW LONG THOSE POSITIONS BEEN OPEN.
UM, I DO NOT HAVE, UM, AN ACCURATE, UM, TIME OF WHEN THEY ALL HAVE BEEN OPEN, BUT I CAN GIVE THAT TO YOU IF YOU OTHER QUESTIONS.
I GUESS I'M ALWAYS THE LAST PERSON TO KNOW.
BUT, UM, OBVIOUSLY VERONICA, SOME THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING FOR YOU THAT I'M NOT AWARE OF.
SO I'M JUST GONNA SAY MY, UH, CONGRATULATIONS AS EVERYBODY ELSE.
SO
THERE ARE NO MORE QUESTIONS ON THAT ITEM THEN.
[6. Public Comment - Non Agenda Items]
HAVE IS, UH, PUBLIC COMMENT.BEFORE I GET TO THAT THOUGH, I, FROM TIME TO TIME, WE'LL ASK OR ALLOW THE PUBLIC TO SPEAK TO ANY OF THE PREVIOUS ITEMS WE HAD, AND I DID NOT DO THAT BEFORE, SO I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY WANT HAD A QUESTION ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE WE'VE DISCUSSED HERE.
UM, FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ON NON AGENDA ITEMS, THIS IS THE TIME THAT ANYONE FROM THE PUBLIC CAN ASK ABOUT A NON AGENDA ITEMS. KAREN, DID WE HAVE ANY SUBMISSIONS FOR? WE DON'T.
AND ANYBODY HERE THAT'S PRESENT? OKAY.
[00:50:01]
AGAIN, I WANT TO THANK COUNCILMAN BROWN AND MR. BOXLEY FOR BEING HERE WITH OUR TOWN STAFF AND OF COURSE, COUNCILOR CHET WILLIAMS IS ALWAYS HERE TO HELP AND SUPPORT AND GIVE US SOME GUIDANCE.DR. COHEN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENCE AND THE GENTLEMAN IN THE BACK, UH, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AS WELL.
I KNOW THAT I KNOW EXACTLY WHO YOU ARE, BUT IT'S SO FEW OF US.
I FEEL LIKE I CAN PERSONALIZE THIS MEETING.
UM,
UH, MR. HINTS FOR STAFF'S SAKE ASKED A QUESTION ABOUT MAYBE INCLUDING SOME OF THE OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS, UH, FOR OUR AGENDA.
I, I EXPLAINED THAT WE WERE, WE HAVE A PRIORITY LIST I KNOW THAT WE'RE WORKING ON, AND I BELIEVE HIS QUESTION, I CAN MAYBE WE CAN ARTICULATE A LITTLE BETTER THAN I THAN I CAN ABOUT OTHER AGENDA ITEMS THAT WE MIGHT BE TRYING TO, UH, TAKE ON HERE IN THE NEXT, IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
I ALSO, UH, LET HIM KNOW THAT STAFF HAS THEIR HANDS FULL NOW WITH THE PRIORITIES THAT WE HAVE IN FRONT OF US.
BUT JUST A COMMENT, UM, IF THERE'S NO OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, I, AGAIN, I APPRECIATE THE INPUT FROM MY COLLEAGUES AND FOR CERTAINLY HELPING PUT SOME OF THESE AGENDA ITEMS AND QUESTIONS TOGETHER.
IN PARTICULAR, MR. CAMPBELL HELPED ME A LOT THIS TIME.
SO, UH, WHEN I REACH OUT AND SAY, HEY, WHAT WOULD WE LIKE TO SEE ON THE AGENDA? UM, YOU'VE BEEN SO, SO KIND TO HELP GIVE, GIVE ME SOME THOUGHTS AND IDEAS ABOUT THAT.
UH, ANOTHER LITTLE HOUSEKEEPING QUESTION IS THAT, UM, I'M NOT LOOKING AT OUR MEETING CALENDAR RIGHT NOW.
DO WE HAVE A MEETING SCHEDULED IN DECEMBER OR IS THAT WE DO.
UH, I'M JUST THINKING IN TERMS OF THE HOLIDAYS AND ALL OF THAT, IF THAT MIGHT BE ONE WE MIGHT CONSIDER, UH, CANCELING UNLESS SOMEONE HAS SOME, A BURNING DESIRE, BUT WE CAN HAVE THAT CONVERSATION NOW FOR MONDAY, DECEMBER THE SECOND.
DECEMBER 2ND, DECEMBER THE SECOND.
EARLY THAT MIGHT BE A CONSIDERATION, RIGHT? THERE ARE NO OTHER QUESTIONS, NO OTHER COMMENTS.
WE ARE DOWN AT THE END OF OUR AGENDA AND I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR ADJOURNMENT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
YOU'RE WATCHING BEAUFORT COUNTY TV, LIVE, WORK, PLAY.
HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOLS.
ACCESS, EQUITY, AND FLEXIBILITY.
BUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT STRIVES EVERY DAY TO ACHIEVE IN YOUR CHILD'S EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT.
MY NAME IS COLLEEN BECK UN BARSKI, AND I'M THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY FOR BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOLS.
MARK CHOHAN, OUR TECHNOLOGY SERVICES OFFICER, WILL BE JOINING ME.
WE WANNA GIVE YOU A GLIMPSE INTO OUR TECHNOLOGY, VISION, SUPPLIES, AND SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS AND FAMILIES DURING COV AND BEYOND.
OUR TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY TEAMS WORK HARD TO MAKE SURE YOUR STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO ENGAGE IN LEARNING ACCESS NECESSARY MATERIALS, AND ARE ABLE TO BUILD ESSENTIAL SKILLS TO ENABLE STUDENTS TO BE COMPETITIVE NOT ONLY IN THEIR EDUCATION, BUT IN THE ADVANCEMENT OF COLLEGE AND CAREER.
WE STRIVE TO PROVIDE STUDENTS ACCESS TO HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE THAT WILL PREPARE THEM FOR THEIR PATHS AHEAD.
IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING THAT TECHNOLOGY IS A CRITICAL COMPONENT TO A SUCCESSFUL LEARNING EXPERIENCE REGARDLESS OF THE ENVIRONMENT.
WE BELIEVE THAT STUDENTS SHOULD HAVE ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY THAT WILL BEST PREPARE THEM WITH THE SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE TO ENTER COMPETITIVE FIELDS WHEN THEY GRADUATE.
OUR TECHNOLOGY TEAM WORKS HARD TO MAKE SURE TEACHERS HAVE MANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO ENSURE THEY STAY CURRENT ON HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, AND TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION PRACTICES.
OUR EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY COACHES MEET WITH TEACHERS REGULARLY AND ASSIST THROUGH MULTIPLE VIRTUAL METHODS TO PROVIDE TRAINING, ASSIST WITH PLANNING, AND HELP BUILD THEIR CAPACITY FOR UNDERSTANDING BEST PRACTICES.
WHEN INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY BY WORKING SIDE BY SIDE, WE ARE ABLE TO BUILD A STRONG FOUNDATION FOR STUDENT LEARNING WITH TECHNOLOGY, AGE APPROPRIATE ACCESS TO HARDWARE AND MEANINGFUL SOFTWARE.
ALONG WITH UNDERSTANDING OF THE BALANCE OF SCREEN TIME SUPPORTS THE WHOLE LEARNER THROUGH THIS PERIOD OF TECHNOLOGY DRIVEN INSTRUCTION, WE WANT TO ASSURE YOU THAT ACCESS, EQUITY AND FLEXIBILITY ARE THE DRIVING FORCE FOR
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OUR STUDENTS.LET'S START BY LOOKING AT ACCESS.
INTERNET CONNECTIVITY IS REQUIRED OF TECHNOLOGY-DRIVEN LEARNING, HIGH-SPEED INTERNET IS IDEAL FOR AT-HOME LEARNING SO THAT STUDENTS CAN ACCESS COURSEWARE AND STREAMED LESSON.
HOWEVER, WE KNOW THIS IS NOT ALWAYS A POSSIBILITY FINANCIALLY OR GEOGRAPHICALLY IF YOUR FAMILY DOES NOT HAVE HIGH SPEED INTERNET.
LOCAL SERVICE PROVIDERS HAVE LOW COST OPTIONS FOR QUALIFYING FAMILIES, AND WE CAN DIRECT YOU TO THOSE RESOURCES.
QUALIFYING FAMILIES MAY GAIN ACCESS TO MOBILE HOTSPOTS PROVIDED BY THE STATE AT THEIR LOCAL SCHOOLS.
APPLICATIONS FOR MOBILE HOTSPOTS WILL BE PUBLISHED VERY SOON AND WILL BE FOUND ON OUR DISTRICT WEBSITE.
WE HAVE WORKED TO EXPAND OUR WIRELESS COVERAGE ON SITE BY ADDING WIRELESS ACCESS TO OUR SCHOOL PARKING LOTS.
FAMILIES MAY DRIVE UP AND PARK IN SCHOOL PARKING LOTS TO DOWNLOAD OR UPLOAD MATERIAL VIA SCHOOL WIFI ON THEIR DISTRICT ISSUED DEVICES.
WE CONTINUE TO LOOK AT AND ADVOCATE FOR WAYS TO MAKE INTERNET ACCESS EASILY AVAILABLE FOR OUR STUDENTS.
SINCE 2012, BCSD HAS BEEN A ONE-TO-ONE DISTRICT PROVIDING EACH STUDENT WITH A DEVICE TO ENHANCE, ENGAGE, AND EXTEND THEIR LEARNING DURING COVID.
THIS HAS ONLY GROWN ALL BCSD ENROLLED STUDENTS WILL HAVE ACCESS TO A DISTRICT ISSUED DEVICE.
K THROUGH TWO STUDENTS WILL RECEIVE AN IPAD TO TAKE HOME.
WHILE OUR THREE THROUGH 12 STUDENTS WILL RECEIVE A WINDOWS BASED LAPTOP.
WHILE STUDENTS MAY HAVE ANOTHER DEVICE AT HOME, WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO CHECK OUT A-B-C-S-D DEVICE.
THIS DEVICE WILL GUARANTEE ACCESS TO DISTRICT SUPPORTED SOFTWARE.
IT WILL SIMPLIFY TEACHERS' ABILITY TO SUPPORT THE STUDENT THROUGHOUT THE SOFTWARE PLATFORMS AND PROCESSES.
IT ALLOWS FOR FILTERED INTERNET AND POLICIES ENFORCED TO ENSURE CYBER SAFETY AND CYBERSECURITY.
AND IT WILL ALSO ENSURE HARDWARE SUPPORT FROM OUR TECHNOLOGY SERVICES TEAM.
IF YOU CHOOSE TO USE YOUR OWN DEVICE, OUR TECHNOLOGY SERVICES TEAM WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SUPPORT YOUR MACHINE SHOULD SOMETHING GO WRONG.
FAMILIES ARE REQUIRED TO PAY A $20 TECHNOLOGY USAGE FEE PER STUDENT.
HOWEVER, WE DON'T WANT THIS TO CAUSE FINANCIAL HARDSHIP.
IF YOU HAVE DIFFICULTY COVERING THAT COST, YOUR SCHOOL'S SOCIAL WORKER CAN ASSIST YOU WITH APPLYING FOR A WAIVER.
WE WANNA BE SURE TO ADDRESS SCREEN TIME AS THIS IS AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT TO ONLINE LEARNING, WHETHER A HUNDRED PERCENT VIRTUAL OR NOT.
BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT WANTS TO EMPHASIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATING THE WHOLE CHILD.
AND THIS INCLUDES OFFLINE LEARNING.
SO WE DO NOT EXPECT STUDENTS TO BE ONLINE SIX TO EIGHT HOURS A DAY.
WE DO EXPECT STUDENTS TO BE ENGAGED IN ONLINE LEARNING LESSONS THAT ARE APPROPRIATE IN LENGTH FOR THEIR AGE, BUT TO ALSO ALLOW FOR INDEPENDENT OFFLINE LEARNING AND WORK THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
THIS WILL LOOK DIFFERENTLY BY GRADE LEVEL AND ANY CONCERN SHOULD BE BROUGHT TO YOUR CHILD'S TEACHER.
LASTLY, WE WANNA MAKE SURE YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
WE UNDERSTAND THE PRESSURES YOU ARE FEELING, AND WE WANT TO MAKE TECHNOLOGY USE AS SMOOTH AS POSSIBLE.
WE HAVE WORKED HARD TO EMPOWER OUR TEACHERS TO ASSIST YOU AND YOUR STUDENTS.
THROUGH REMOTE LEARNING, TEACHERS WILL BE ABLE TO ASSIST WITH SOFTWARE SUPPORT AND TECHNICAL ISSUES.
SO ALWAYS CONTACT YOUR TEACHER FIRST.
HOWEVER, SHOULD THE NEED SURPASS THE TEACHER'S ABILITY, THEY WILL SUBMIT A TICKET FOR DISTRICT TECHNOLOGY STAFF TO FURTHER ASSIST ONSITE DEPOT SERVICE CENTERS WILL ALSO BE AVAILABLE THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT FOR HARDWARE SUPPORT OF DISTRICT ISSUED DEVICES.
WE KNOW TECHNOLOGY ISSUES WILL HAPPEN AND OUR TEAM IS AVAILABLE TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A FUNCTIONING MACHINE FOR LEARNING LOCATIONS AND TIME WILL BE POSTED BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS.
OUR EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY TEAM IS WORKING ON TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR FAMILIES AS WELL AS A WEBSITE CREATED DIRECTLY FOR STUDENTS AND FAMILIES.
THIS SITE WILL BE DESIGNED TO GUIDE YOU THROUGH TUTORIALS, VIDEOS, AND RESOURCES TO SUPPORT YOUR STUDENTS THROUGH THEIR ONLINE LEARNING EXPERIENCES WITH BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT.
DETAILS WILL BE POSTED AS SOON AS THEY ARE AVAILABLE.
WE KNOW THAT COVID-19 HAS CHANGED SO MUCH, BUT WE WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT THOUGH THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT MAY HAVE CHANGED, THE DEDICATED TEACHERS AND STAFF IN BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS NOT.
WE ARE READY TO SUPPORT YOU WHILE YOU SUPPORT YOUR STUDENTS IN ANY ENVIRONMENT, AND THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOLS.