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CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY BUFORT COUNTY.
I'M CALLING THE MEETING TO ORDER.
WELCOME TO THOSE PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE AND ONLINE.
UH, I NEED A MOTION FOR ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA, PLEASE.
ANY OPPOSED? I NEED A, A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES.
WE ARE AT UNFINISHED BUSINESS.
AND MR. BOXLEY, YOU'RE GONNA GIVE US AN UPDATE ON WAY FINDING? YES, I AM.
UH, GOOD EVENING TO THOSE WATCHING AT HOME.
AND, UH, THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE.
UM, OUR FIRST ITEM OF BUSINESS UNDER UNFINISHED BUSINESS IS RELATED TO OUR WAY FINDING PROJECT.
UH, WE ARE INCHING CLOSER TO COMPLETION.
UM, WE HAVE HAD A LITTLE BIT OF A DELAY RELATED TO APPLE'S, UH, OPERATING SYSTEM THAT IS CURRENTLY ROLLING OUT A NEW PLATFORM.
THEY DO THIS ABOUT ROUGHLY EVERY THREE YEARS.
THIS NEW UPDATED SAID TO BE VERTICALLY INTEGRATING A LOT OF THEIR SYSTEM SYSTEMS, WHICH WILL ALSO INCLUDE, UH, THE INTEGRATION OF APPLE INTELLIGENCE WILL, WHICH WILL ALSO MAKE IT KIND OF OBSOLETE AS YOU INTEGRATE OTHER, OR TRY TO INTEGRATE OTHER SYSTEMS INTO THAT APPLE IOS.
SO OUR CONTRACTOR IS WORKING THROUGH THOSE ISSUES.
WE'RE VERY CLOSE, BUT OUR REMAINING ITEMS WILL INCLUDE OUR SIGNAGE LOCATION AT EACH OF OUR, UH, STOPS ALONG THE WAY.
UM, AND WE'RE CURRENTLY LOOKING AT, WE'RE PROJECTING AN AUGUST 22ND LAUNCH DATE.
IT'S PROJECTED BECAUSE WE'RE STILL, AGAIN, WAITING TO GET THE FINALS ON THAT OPERATING SYSTEM COMPLETE, AS WELL AS TO COORDINATE OUR CONTRACTOR BEING PRESENT, UH, FOR THAT LAUNCH.
AND SO, AGAIN, THAT'S A TARGET DATE AND I WILL HAVE MORE INFORMATION.
WE HAVE A STANDING MEETING WITH THEM ON FRIDAYS.
AND SO, UM, I WILL BE UPDATING YOU AS WE MOVE FORWARD AND YOU WILL RECEIVE A, UH, CALENDAR INVITE AS SOON AS WE HAVE THAT DATE SOLIDIFIED.
UM, I ALSO HAVE A, UM, WITHIN THAT, UH, WITHIN OUR PRESENTATION, I'D LIKE TO SHOW YOU, UM, WHERE WE LANDED ON SIGNAGE.
UM, THIS IS WHAT, UM, EACH OF THE SIGNS WILL LOOK LIKE.
YOU'LL HAVE ON THE LEFT SIDE THE, UM, THE DOWNLOAD, THE EXPERIENCE GULLAH APP, AND THEN ON THE RIGHT SIDE YOU'LL HAVE THE ACTUAL SITE SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE.
AND THEY EACH HAVE A NUMBER AT THE BOTTOM SO THAT WE HAVE A COORDINATING NUMBER.
UM, AND, AND IT WILL COINCIDE WITH THE WEBSITE AS WELL.
SO, UM, PROBABLY IN THE MONTH OF JUNE, I SENT OUT SOME INFORMATION RELATED TO SIGNAGE TO GET FEEDBACK.
SO, UM, THIS IS HEADED TO FABRICATION AND INSTALLATION AT EACH OF THE SITES ONCE IT'S APPROVED BY OUR, UM, INTERNAL REVIEW PROCESS HERE AT THE TOWN, WHICH WE'VE GOT THAT ON EXPEDITED, UH, ON AN EXPEDITED SCALE.
SO I'LL PAUSE THERE AND ASK IF ANYONE HAS ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS.
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW YOU'RE PLANNING TO MARKET THIS? UM, IS THERE A PRESS RELEASE THAT IT'S UP AND RUNNING? YES.
UM, AND I'M GLAD THAT WE HAVE A MEMBER OF OUR COMMUNICATIONS TEAM, THE WONDERFUL MS. CAROLYN GRANT HERE THAT HAS BEEN, UM, WORKING WITH US THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS TO, UH, QUEUE UP THAT PRESS RELEASE AND THE LAUNCH AS WE MOVE TOWARDS THAT.
WE WILL ALSO, UM, WE WILL HAVE AN OFFICIAL LAUNCH AT THE, UH, FISHING CO-OP IS OUR PLAN TO HOST THEIR ONSITE IN A EVENING FORMAT SO WE CAN GET MAXIMUM COMMUNICA, UH, PARTICIPATION, NOT COMMUNICATION, BUT PARTICIPATION FROM THE COMMUNITY, UM, ON THAT LAUNCH DATE SO THAT WE CAN RUN A REAL FULL SCALE AD CAMPAIGN.
AND, UM, OUR COMMUNICATIONS TEAM IS WORKING VERY HARD TO ASSIST US WITH THAT.
SO, AND I THINK IT'S PROBABLY IMPORTANT THAT BOARD MEMBERS ARE PRESENT ABSOLUTELY.
I WILL DEFINITELY MAKE SURE THAT IT IS ON YOUR CALENDAR AS WELL AS THE CALENDAR OF TOWN COUNCIL.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THOMAS? I HAVE A QUESTION ON WAY FINDING.
I NOTICED THAT JOE HOPE CEMETERY SIGN WAS THAT UP OR IS UP NOW? DID, DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THAT? WAS THAT PART OF WAY FINDING? I DID NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THAT, BUT I, I WOULD NOT DOUBT THAT IT
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PROBABLY SPREAD THROUGH THE COMMUNITY THAT WE ARE WORKING ON, UM, IDENTIFYING CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT SITES AND, UM, AND CHURCHES AND CEMETERIES WILL BE OUR NEXT FOCAL POINT, UM, AS WE COMPLETE THIS FIRST PHASE.SO, UM, I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT SIGN THERE COMMEMORATING THAT SACRED SPACE.
AND, UM, AND, AND WE WILL HONOR THOSE LOCATIONS IN PHASE TWO.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR MR. BOXLEY ON THIS ISSUE? I'M GONNA MOVE ON TO NEW BUSINESS.
TERRY BRUBAKER COULD NOT BE HERE THIS EVENING, BUT I'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE HIS CONTRIBUTIONS, UM, TO THE CDC.
HE WAS A FOUNDING BOARD MEMBER'S, BEEN HERE FROM THE BEGINNING.
HE IS, HE IS VERY, UM, INVOLVED WITH THIS COMMUNITY EVEN THOUGH HE'S NO LONGER HERE AND HE'S MOVED BECAUSE OF ISSUES, UH, WITH HIS WIFE'S HEALTH.
UH, AND HE FOUND THAT HE CAN NO LONGER BE AN ACTIVE BOARD MEMBER.
BUT TERRY WAS SOMEBODY THAT WAS ALWAYS AVAILABLE TO MR. BLEY, TO MS TO MYSELF.
HE HAD EXCELLENT IDEAS REGARDING, UM, THE CDC INVOLVEMENT WITH THE CORPORATE COMMUNITY HERE.
SO WE HAVE A CERTIFICATE THAT WE WILL BE MAILING TO MR. BRUBAKER, SIGNED BY, UH, OUR MAYOR ALAN PERRY.
AND I'D LIKE TO JUST READ IT SO IT'D BE PART OF THE RECORD.
UH, CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIATION PRESENTED TO TERRY BRUBAKER IN RECOGNITION AND APPRECIATION OF YOUR OUTSTANDING SERVICE AND DEDICATION TO THE BETTERMENT OF OUR COMMUNITY.
THROUGH YOUR COMMITMENT AS A VALUED MEMBER OF THE GULLAH GEECHEE HISTORICAL NEIGHBORHOODS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.
YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS HAVE MADE A MEANINGFUL IMPACT, AND WE SINCERELY THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, EFFORT, AND LEADERSHIP.
UM, SO I HOPE, UH, WE'LL BE SENDING THAT OUT TO HIM, AND I KNOW HE'LL APPRECIATE IT AND WE WISH HIM AND HIS WIFE THE BEST.
UM, MOVING ON TO, UH, OUR NEW BOARD MEMBERS.
WE HAVE ONE RETURNING, UH, MR. DAVID AMES, AND WE ARE SO EXCITED AND HAPPY AND PLEASED THAT YOU ARE BACK WITH US ALL GOOD
AND WE HAVE A NEW, UH, ADDITION AND A FEMALE, AND I'M HAPPY ABOUT THAT TOO.
THERE'S A LOT OF TESTOSTERONE UP HERE.
SO SARAH, I'M GLAD YOU'RE HERE,
SO SARAH COMES WITH A WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT COMMUNITY AND SHE WILL BE HELPED US AS WE EXPAND OUR EFFORTS AT THE CDC.
AND I'M REALLY, REALLY LOOKING FORWARD AND REALLY PLEASED THAT YOU'RE HERE.
AND THEY'VE BOTH GONE THROUGH ORIENTATION SESSIONS WITH THOMAS, SO THEY'RE UP TO SPEED, HONORED TO BE HERE.
UM, FINALLY, I GUESS THIS IS ONE I'LL SHARE WITH WITH THOMAS.
I WANT TO RECOGNIZE MS. VERONICA STEWART AND WELCOME HER TO THE CDC STAFF.
AND WITH THAT, I'LL LET THOMAS TALK ABOUT WHAT SHE'LL BE DOING, UH, AS A NEW STAFF MEMBER.
UM, EFFECTIVE JULY ONE, WHICH IS NOW ROUGHLY, UM, TWO WEEKS AGO, UM, WE WELCOMED, UH, VERONICA STEWART TO OUR CDC TEAM.
HER ROLE HAS TRANSITIONED FROM PRINCIPAL PLANNER AND HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS TO PROJECT MANAGER WITH OUR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.
UH, SOME OF THE REMAINING, UM, ITEMS THAT WILL TRANSITION WITH HER FROM THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT WILL INCLUDE, UM, THE, THE CONTINUED IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT EXIST IN THE GULLAH GEECHEE, UM, LAND AND CULTURAL PRESERVATION TASK FORCE.
UM, JUST FOR A POINT OF CLARITY, THERE WERE 37 IDENTIFIED RECOMMENDATIONS IN THAT STUDY.
23, WHICH ARE ACTIVE, MEANING THAT THEY ARE ACTIVELY BEING PURSUED AND HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, HAVE, HAVE A ACTIVE ROLE, UM, CURRENTLY WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK AND FABRIC OF THE COMMUNITY.
EXAMPLES OF THAT WOULD BE THE GULLAH 1 0 1 REQUIRED TRAINING OF TOWN STAFF, AS WELL AS, UM, UM, PARTICIPATION IN THE GULLAH HERITAGE TOUR.
SO, UM, IDENTIFIED IN THAT TASK FORCE REPORT WAS, UM, CONTINUED CULTURAL EDUCATION, UM, ON THE PART OF TOWN STAFF.
AND SO THIS HAS BECOME WOVEN INTO THE FABRIC OF, OF OUR, UM, OF OUR OPERATIONS FROM A NEW HIRE PERSPECTIVE, WHICH I THINK IS A VERY POSITIVE THING.
UM, SHE HAS ALSO BEEN VERY, VERY ACTIVE IN, UM, SORTING THROUGH HEIRS PROPERTY RELATED ISSUES THROUGH SOME OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE DESIGN STUDIO, WHICH PROVIDES NO COST, UH, SITE LAYOUT FOR MEMBER, UH, OR FOR INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE PROPERTY OWNERSHIP
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IN THE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS.AND SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS OF, OF SPECIFIC VALUE TO INDIVIDUALS AS THEY LOOK TO DEVELOP THEIR LAND AND, AND NOT HAVING TO SPEND, UM, MONEY UP FRONT SPECIFICALLY ON, UM, ON SITE PLANNING.
SO THIS IS A SERVICE THAT IS OFFERED THROUGH OUR PLANNING DEPARTMENT.
THIS WILL, UH, BE A WAY THAT WE TIE THE CDC AND THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT OF THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD, UH, CLOSE TOGETHER.
SO, UM, I'M SO GLAD TO HAVE HER HERE WITH, WITH US AND WORKING THROUGH THE, UM, WORKING THROUGH OUR PROGRAM PLAN AND WORKING THROUGH OUR STRATEGIC PLAN.
UH, SHE'S ALSO GONNA BE MANAGING, UM, OUR MONEY TALKS FINANCIAL EDUCATION SERIES, WHICH KICKS OFF, UH, OUR SECOND YEAR NEXT TUESDAY, JULY THE 22ND.
SO, UM, SO SHE'S GONNA BE PRETTY BUSY, BUT, UM, WE'LL BE WORKING SIDE BY SIDE TO IMPLEMENT THESE AND OTHER INITIATIVES AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
I'D INVITE YOU UP IF YOU HAVE ANY WORDS THAT YOU'D LIKE TO, LIKE TO GIVE TO OUR BOARD AND IF OUR BOARD HAS ANY QUESTIONS.
VERONICA STEWART, FOR THE RECORD.
UM, THANK YOU ALL BOARD CHAIR PETERSON, UM, CDC AS A WHOLE, AS WELL AS YOU, MR. BOXLEY.
UM, I DO WANT TO SAY THANK YOU JUST FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO ALLOW ME TO SERVE IN THIS CAPACITY WITH THE CDC.
UM, OVER THE PAST YEAR, UM, I'VE HAD THE PLEASURE OF WORKING SIDE BY SIDE WITH MR. BOXLEY ON A FEW INITIATIVES WITHIN OUR HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS, AND WE'VE SEEN SUCCESS.
SO I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THE CDC AS A WHOLE TO MOVE THE STRATEGIC INITIATIVES FORWARD.
UM, SO I RAN INTO A NATIVE ISLANDER LAST NIGHT AT RUBY LEE'S.
UH,
WELL, YOU KNOW,
AND, UM, I THINK THIS IS, THIS IS GOOD FOR ALL OF US.
UM, THE FIRST THING HE SAID WAS, UM, WELL, SOMEBODY WANTED TO BUY THE PROPERTY, BUT WHAT THEY WANTED TO DO, THE TOWN WOULDN'T LET THEM DO.
AND I DIDN'T GIVE TO ANY PARTICULARS ABOUT WHAT THAT WAS.
AND HE THEN SAID, BUT I REALLY DON'T WANNA SELL THE PROPERTY.
I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE DO SOMETHING WITH IT OURSELVES.
SO THAT MY KIDS WILL HAVE SOMETHING DOWN THE LINE.
UM, SO OBVIOUSLY NOT A DEVELOPER, UH, NO EXPERIENCE IN MAKING SOMETHING LIKE THIS COME TO FRUITION.
AND HE SAID, I NEED YOUR HELP.
AND I SAID, DON'T WORRY, I WILL GET YOU IN TOUCH WITH VERONICA STEWART WHO WILL HELP YOU.
SO IT ALL TIES TOGETHER, YOU KNOW, SHE'S A, UH, DEFINITELY A GREAT ASSET TO US.
AND BEING ABLE TO CONNECT BACK TO THOSE THAT ARE LOOKING TO DO SOMETHING FOR LONGEVITY WHEN IT COMES TO GENERATIONAL STAY HERE ON HILTON HEAD IS SO IMPORTANT.
SO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, AND I'M SURE THAT YOU'LL HELP US MOVE THINGS ALONG.
UM, WE MENTIONED, UM, THE, UM, WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE HELPING PEOPLE SITE PLAN, UH, TRIGGERED A THOUGHT IN MY MIND, UH, DRIVING UP, UM, DIFFERENT ROADS.
I'VE NOTICED, UM, A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF, UH, TRAILERS ON PROPERTIES THAT MAKES SENSE IN THE NEAR TERM.
BUT TRAILERS BECOME OBSOLETE AND TRANSITIONING INTO PERMANENT HOUSING MAY BE AN OBJECTIVE FOR NATIVE ISLANDERS TO CONSIDER.
IF IT IS, I WONDER IF THERE ISN'T SOMETHING THE CDC CAN DO TO CREATE A FUND MATCHING SITE DEVELOPMENT FUND THAT MIGHT ALLOW OWNERS OF PROPERTY TO MORE QUICKLY, UH, TRANSITION TO THE KIND OF HOUSING THEY PREFER.
IF, IF THEY DON'T PREFER TO CHANGE, THAT'S, THAT'S THEIR BUSINESS.
BUT I'M JUST THINKING THAT THERE MAY BE A MECHANISM NOT ONLY FOR SITE PLANNING, BUT SITE DEVELOPMENT WITH MATCHING FUNDS TO ACCELERATE THAT PROCESS.
UM, ONE THING I WILL SHARE JUST QUICKLY AND EASILY, UM, TO PIGGYBACK OFF OF WHAT YOU JUST SAID, OFTENTIMES WHEN
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I AM WORKING WITH PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNERS, FINANCES ARE USUALLY THE BIGGEST HURDLE.SO IF WE COULD FIND A WAY TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN, I THINK THAT WOULD DEFINITELY BE IMPACTFUL HERE WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY.
I THINK IT WOULD, I THINK IT WOULD MEET A BROADER ISLAND-WIDE OBJECTIVE AS WELL.
YOU STARTED TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE FINANCIAL EDUCATION PROGRAM YOU WANNA CONTINUE.
UH, WE'LL MOVE RIGHT INTO ITEM D, UM, WHICH IS OUR, UM, ROUND TWO YEAR TWO OF OUR FINANCIAL EDUCATION SERIES, UH, TITLED MONEY TALKS.
UM, AGAIN, I'D LIKE TO THROW A, A PLUG OUT TO OUR COMMUNICATIONS TEAM, UH, LED BY, UH, MS. MS. GRANT HERE, WHO, WHO SENT ME A MESSAGE OR ACTUALLY CALLED ME THIS MORNING ASKING, DID YOU HAVE YOU, HAVE YOU SENT OUT A, A A A EMAIL? HAVE YOU, HAVE YOU BEEN PLUGGING THE PLUG IN THE FLYER? YOU KNOW, IT'S A WEEK AWAY, LESS THAN A WEEK AWAY.
SO, UH, SO THANK YOU MS. GRANT FOR, UH, FOR CONTINUALLY, UM, UH, ADVOCATING AND ADVERTISING ON OUR BEHALF.
BUT OUR FINANCIAL EDUCATION SERIES LAST YEAR RAN FROM JUNE JULY THROUGH NOVEMBER, UM, AND IT WAS VERY WELL RECEIVED.
UM, IT MEETS OUR STRATEGIC ACTION GOAL NUMBER FOUR, WHICH IS INCREASING ACCESS TO CAPITAL AND FINANCIAL EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES.
UM, WE ARE VERY THANKFUL FOR OUR PARTNERS IN THIS, WHICH ARE TD BANK AS WELL AS THE, THE HILLS AND HEAD ISLAND RECREATION CENTER AS OUR LOCATION.
AND, UM, THEY'VE BEEN GREAT PARTNERS TO WORK WITH, UM, IN DELIVERY OF THESE EVENTS.
UM, TO ADD SOME CONTEXT AS A DIRECT RESULT OF OUR ACTIVITIES IN FINANCIAL EDUCATION LAST YEAR, UH, THREE NEW BUSINESS CHECKING ACCOUNTS WERE OPENED.
TWO MERCHANT SERVICES POINT OF SALE, UH, ACCOUNTS WERE OPENED.
UH, TWO PERSONAL CHECKING ACCOUNTS WERE OPENED, AND ONE $50,000 SMALL BUSINESS LINE OF CREDIT WAS OPENED.
SO WHILE THESE ARE, YOU KNOW, BABY STEPS THAT WE'RE STARTING OUT WITH, THESE ARE RESULTS AND THEY'RE TANGIBLE.
AND SO WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO GROWING THIS.
UM, AS WE MOVE FORWARD, UM, ALL OF OUR SESSIONS, AGAIN, WILL BE HOSTED AT THE ISLAND REC CENTER, 5:30 PM TO 7:00 PM 20 WILBORN ROAD.
UM, AND OUR DATES THIS YEAR, AS YOU SEE ON THE FLYER, JUNE, JULY, THE 22ND FRAUD AWARENESS, UH, WHICH IS A VERY BIG DEAL THESE DAYS.
UM, UM, AUGUST THE 19TH, LENDING AND NAVIGATING ACCESS TO CAPITAL, UM, IN A, IN A CHANGING CLIMATE.
SEPTEMBER THE 16TH, SEPTEMBER THE 16TH, WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY HERE WHERE WE ARE CREATING A NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA SCHOOL OF LAW THAT WILL COME IN AND PRESENT TO OUR ENTREPRENEURS AND SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS ABOUT THE LEGAL ASPECTS OF BUSINESS OWNERSHIP.
AND THEN WE'LL HAVE A TAX PROFESSIONAL THERE TO PRESENT ON THE OTHER HALF ABOUT THE TAX IMPLICATIONS OF OWNING YOUR OWN BUSINESS.
UM, OCTOBER THE 21ST, WE HAVE NON-TRADITIONAL LENDING.
THIS WILL FEATURE THE CLIMB FUND, WHICH IS A FUND BASED OUT OF CHARLESTON, UH, SOUTH CAROLINA, UH, NON-TRADITIONAL LENDING.
THEY CAN FILL THE GAP, OFTEN FILLING THE GAP WHERE, UH, TRADITIONAL BANKS ARE NOT ABLE TO UNDERWRITE LOANS.
AND SO I THINK THAT THIS IS, UH, THEY PRESENTED LAST YEAR AS WELL.
AND SO THIS IS A WELCOME ADDITION TO OUR FUNDING INFRASTRUCTURE.
UH, AND THEN ON NOVEMBER THE 18TH, AGAIN, EMPHASIZING THE PARTNERSHIP AND THE STRENGTH OF THE PARTNERSHIP THAT WE HAVE WITH THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD, UM, DOING BUSINESS WITH THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD PROCUREMENT STRATEGIES.
AND WE'LL FEATURE, UM, SOME OF OUR MEMBERS FROM THE PROCUREMENT DEPARTMENT AND THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT THAT WILL BE THERE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AND ASSIST OUR SMALL BUSINESSES IN, UM, WALKING THROUGH THE PROCESS OF BECOMING, UM, REGISTERED WITH THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD.
SO, UM, THAT'S OUR LAYOUT FOR OUR, UH, 2025 FINANCIAL EDUCATION SERIES.
WE'RE EXCITED IT START KICKS OFF NEXT TUESDAY, FIVE 30.
THE TOPICS ARE GREAT, ESPECIALLY THE FRAUD.
I WAS CURIOUS, MR. BOXLEY, OF THE TOPICS, UH, WHEN OF THESE SORT OF GENERATED THROUGH DISCUSSIONS THAT YOU HAD AT THE LAST SERIES? THEY WERE, YES.
THIS IS, UH, THAT'S A VERY GOOD, ACTUALLY, THE NOVEMBER 18TH SESSION WAS ONE THAT KEPT BUBBLING UP ABOUT, WELL, HOW DO I GET, UM, INTO PROCUREMENT WITH THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND? THAT'S ONE.
AND THEN, UM, I'VE, I'VE HAD SOME CONVERSATIONS WITH SOME OF THE, UH, YOUNG PROFESSIONALS IN THE COMMUNITY AND, AND IT WAS RELATED TO TAXING AND HOW DO I STRUCTURE MY
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BUSINESS APPROPRIATELY SO THAT I'M NOT IN TROUBLE, UM, AT THE END OF MY, UH, OPERATING YEAR, MY FISCAL YEAR WITH TAXES.AND SO, UM, I'M EXCITED ALSO ABOUT, UH, THE RELATIONSHIP THAT WE'RE FORMING WITH, UM, WITH THE SCHOOL OF LAW AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA TOO.
SO, UM, I'M, I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS PROGRAM MOVING FORWARD, AND I WANNA MAKE THIS PART OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE ON AN ANNUAL BASIS.
UM, SO YEAH, THIS IS GONNA BE A GOOD YEAR.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE, IN THE FLYER, YOU'VE GOT COUNCILMAN BROWN SITTING IN THE BACK THERE.
THOMAS, UH, I, UM, WELCOMED YOUR, UH, SYNOPSIS OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
UH, DAVE, DOES THE COMMUNITY KNOW ABOUT THEM? WE HAVE, I HAVE NOT GONE ON A VICTORY LAP, IF, IF YOU WILL, ABOUT THAT.
BUT, UM, MAYBE IT IS TIME TO, TO DO A VICTORY LAP.
ARE WE TRACKING WHAT HAPPENS? WE, WE HAVE THE NEW BUSINESSES THAT STARTED WITH THE LAST CLASS.
ARE WE DOING ANY KIND OF FOLLOW UP OR TRACKING OF THOSE BUSINESSES? I HAVE BEEN DOING SOME FOLLOW UP, SOME PERSONAL FOLLOW UP.
UM, THAT'S A VERY GOOD POINT NOW THAT WE, UM, NOW THAT I HAVE, UM, SOME HELP, UM, UM, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, ANOTHER STRONG ADVOCATE FOR BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITY.
AND SHE, UH, AND, AND, AND MS. STEWART ACTUALLY HAS BEEN WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH SOME OF THE YOUNG PROFESSIONALS IN THE COMMUNITY AS WELL.
SO, SO THIS WILL, AGAIN, THIS WILL BE A VERY, VERY STRONG CONNECTION POINT, UM, AS WE MOVE FORWARD AND LOOK TO COLLECT MORE DATA, YOU KNOW, UH, RELATED TO THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS THAT WE'RE ABLE TO ACHIEVE THROUGH THIS PROGRAM.
WHAT OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS DO YOU YEAH, YOU KNOW, JUST BECAUSE WE'RE COMING OFF OUR STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN DISCUSSION LAST NIGHT, UM, YOU KNOW, KEEPING THOSE KPIS RIGHT, SO THAT WE SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING EVERY YEAR AND, AND THAT'S HOW WE, WE, UH, JUDGE THE SUCCESS OR FAILURE OF WHATEVER, UH, PROJECT IT IS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON.
BUT FROM A STANDPOINT OF THE BUSINESSES THAT OPEN UP AND CREATING THAT DATABASE, UM, TO, TO UNDERSTAND THE TRIALS, THE ERRORS, UH, THE TRIBULATIONS, UH, THE SUCCESSES THAT THEY EXPERIENCE, UM, SHOULD BE ABLE TO, TO BE UTILIZED TO HELP MODIFY THIS PROGRAM AND MAKE IT BETTER AS WE GO ON.
SO I JUST, I, I WOULD, I WOULD REALLY STRING ON THAT.
UM, AND, AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, I'M SITTING HERE THINKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE LEADERSHIP CLASS, THE, THE, THE, THE, THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE DOES RIGHT.
YOU KNOW, GET SOME OF THE, THE NATIVE ISLANDERS IN THERE.
UM, THERE'S IN THE, THE AMBASSADOR PROGRAM THROUGH THE U-S-C-A-B, YOU KNOW, UTILIZING THESE OTHER AVENUES TO, TO REALLY GET, UH, INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY ASPECT.
AND BECAUSE THAT'S, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN A CHALLENGE OVER THE YEARS AND, UM, I THINK THAT COULD BE A GREAT STEPPING STONE TO HELP IMPROVE THAT.
SO I, I, I AGREE WITH THE MAYOR, YOU KNOW, UM, QUITE OFTEN, YOU KNOW, IN, IN MY LINE OF BUSINESS, I WILL RUN INTO PEOPLE THAT ARE VISITING AND THEY HAVE NO CLUE THAT FOLKS LIVE HERE.
I ALSO RUN INTO PEOPLE THAT HAVE LIVED HERE FOR YEARS AND NEVER KNOW THAT COLOR PEOPLE HAVE LIVED HERE.
SO, UH, THE TWO ORGANIZATIONS THAT YOU MENTIONED, UM, THEY ARE CONTINUING TO BRING IN NEW PEOPLE TO THE AREA TO GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING.
SO IF WE CAN MAKE A CONNECTION THERE, I THINK THAT WILL SERVE AS WELL.
AND I'M CERTAIN THERE'S OTHER ORGANIZATIONS AS WELL.
I DON'T WANNA LEAVE ANYBODY OUT, BUT THOSE ARE THE TWO THAT CAME TO MIND.
UM, INTO QUESTIONS FOR MR. BOXLEY.
WE'RE AT, UH, ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, AND I NEED A MOTION TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION.
MOTION TO COME OUT OF EXECUTIVE SESSION.
ANY OPPOSED? THERE WAS, UM, A LOT OF INFORMATION SHARED.
IT WAS A GOOD SESSION, BUT WE HAVE NO ACTION FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION.
UM, I NEED A MOTION FOR ADJOURNMENT.
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THANKS FOR WATCHING BBC.BT VI REMEMBER CAMPBELL AND THIS IS BEAUFORD COUNTY MOMENTS.
WANT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT FOOD TODAY? THE FOOD HAS BEEN A GREAT PART OF OUR LIFE IN TERMS OF GATHERING FOOD AND PREPARING THEM.
OUR FOOD IS BASED ON THE LAND AND THE SEA.
THE LAND FOOD HAS ALWAYS BEEN RICE.
WE DON'T FEEL WE HAVE EATEN DINNER UNLESS WE'VE HAD RICE.
RICE WAS MIXED WITH VARIOUS ITEMS FROM THE SEA, LIKE OYSTERS OR SHRIMP.
AND WHEN THEY'RE COOKED WITH RICE IN ONE POT, WE CALL IT A RICE OR SHRIMP OR AN OYSTER PERLOW.
AND THEN WE HAVE THE WATERMELONS AND THE SWEET POTATOES.
SWEET POTATOES WAS ALWAYS EATEN WITH FISH AND FRESH FISH WITH GRAVY AND A SWEET POTATO.
OKRA HAS ALWAYS BEEN A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF OUR FOOD WAYS WE, WE, WE RAISED AS WELL AS WE PREPARE THEM WITH SHRIMP AND TOMATOES, AND SOME PEOPLE WOULD CALL THAT A GUMBO.
AND THAT'S WHAT EXACTLY WHAT IT IS.
AND SO ENJOY THE FOOD OF THE LOW COUNTRY BECAUSE IT'S BEEN VERY MUCH A PART OF OUR HISTORY.
THIS HAS BEEN YOUR BEAUFORT COUNTY MOMENT.
TO SEE MORE BEAUFORT COUNTY MOMENTS GO TO THE BEAUFORT COUNTY LIBRARY HOMEPAGE AND CLICK ON THE LOCAL HISTORY TAB.