[00:00:01]
CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY BUFORT COUNTY.
[I. CALL TO ORDER]
US TODAY.UM, WE DO NOT HAVE OUR ADMINISTRATORS, THEY'RE, THEY'RE HAVING A, UH, PLAYTIME IN TAMPA THIS WEEK.
UM, DON'T TELL 'EM I SAID THAT.
UM, ANY RATE, UH, WE'LL, WE'LL GET RIGHT INTO IT.
I DO WANT TO MAKE ONE HAPPY ANNOUNCEMENT.
UH, LAST WEEK, JASPER COUNTY PASSED THE CHILDCARE RESOLUTION, AND THAT MEANS WE ARE ALL IN SYNC TOGETHER.
AND NOW I WILL BE TAKING THE NEXT STEP AND HOPEFULLY, WE'LL, I'LL GET SOME, A VOLUNTEER TO HELP ME, AND THAT IS TO TAKE TO OUR DELEGATION AND ULTIMATELY TO THE STATE.
THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO PASSED THAT, UH, RESOLUTION.
[III.A. Beaufort County Single-Use Plastics Survey Results. Juliana Zadik, Environmental Long-Range Planner for Beaufort County]
WITH, UH, WE HAVE OUR TWO COUNTIES THAT ARE PRESENTING TODAY.THE FIRST ONE WILL BE, UH, BY MS. JULIANA ZADIG.
UH, SHE IS THE ENVIRONMENTAL LONG RANGE PLANNER FOR BEAUFORT COUNTY, AND SHE'S GOING TO TALK TO US ABOUT THE SURVEY RESULTS.
THANK YOU, MAYOR WILLIAMS. OKAY.
DO I CONTROL FROM HERE? THANK YOU.
YOU GUYS ARE GONNA, LITTLE SPOILER.
MY NAME, AS YOU ALL HAVE HEARD, IS JULIANA ZEEK.
I AM THE ENVIRONMENTAL LONG RANGE PLANNER FOR BEAUFORT COUNTY, AND IT'S MY PLEASURE TODAY TO UPDATE YOU ALL ON CONSIDERATIONS THE COUNTY IS MAKING FOR AMENDING IT'S 2018 PLASTIC BAG ORDINANCE.
TO DO THIS, I'M GONNA GO THROUGH SEVERAL REASONS WHY IT'S IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR OUR REGION.
I'M GOING TO DISCUSS ACTIONS TAKEN TO DATE.
I'LL GO OVER SURVEY RESULTS AND TALK ABOUT THE IMPLICATIONS FOR POTENTIAL AMENDMENTS TO THE COUNTY'S PLASTIC BAG ORDINANCE.
ONE OF THE FIRST REASONS IT'S IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER REDUCING UNNECESSARY WASTE FROM OUR WASTE STREAM IS THAT WASTE REDUCTION IS A NECESSARY STRATEGY TO PROLONG THE LIFE OF OUR LANDFILL, WHICH IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN BEAU IN BEAUFORT COUNTY ALONE.
LAST YEAR, FISCAL YEAR 24, OVER 150,000 TONS OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE WAS THROWN AWAY, OF WHICH ONLY 12% WAS RECYCLED.
THE FIVE UNNECESSARY SINGLE USE PLASTIC ITEMS THAT BEAUFORT COUNTY IS CONSIDERING AMENDING INTO OUR 2018 PLASTIC BAG ORDINANCE ARE NOT RECYCLABLE THROUGH TRADITIONAL MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE STREAM.
SO AS MUCH AS WE SUPPORT IMPROVING RECYCLING RATES, WE CAN'T DO THAT WITH THESE FIVE ITEMS. UNFORTUNATELY.
ANOTHER REASON WE'D LIKE TO TAKE ACTION ON REDUCING UNNECESSARY SINGLE USE PLASTICS FROM OUR REGION IS THAT THEY HAVE AN IMPACT ON OUR ENVIRONMENT.
SO WHEN THEY AREN'T MAKING IT TO THE LANDFILL, THEY MIGHT INSTEAD MAKE IT INTO OUR ROADWAYS, OUR COMMUNITIES, AND OUR NATURAL AREAS.
IN THIS YEAR ALONE, THE FIRST FIVE MONTHS, NOT EVEN HALFWAY THROUGH THE YEAR, ALMOST 200,000 POUNDS OF LITTER WAS PICKED UP BY BEAUFORT COUNTY LITTER CREWS.
SO WE CAN HELP REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF LITTER BY TAKING ON WASTE REDUCTION STRATEGIES ONCE IN THE ENVIRONMENTS, LITTER HAS FURTHER IMPACTS ON CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE LIKE STORM WATER FACILITIES WHERE THEY MAY CLOG THESE SYSTEMS AND PREVENT THEM FROM DISCHARGING WASTE OR STORM WATER, OR APPROPRIATELY FILTERING IT BEFORE IT GETS OUT INTO OUR ENVIRONMENT.
AND OF COURSE, THESE ITEMS MAY HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE WILDLIFE THAT WE SHARE OUR HOME WITH THROUGH ENTANGLEMENT, ENTRAPMENT, AND STARVATION WHEN THEY EAT THEM, INSTEAD OF THE ITEMS, THE FOOD ITEMS, THEY NATURALLY SHOULD EAT.
AND ONCE THEY GET INTO OUR NATURAL SYSTEMS HERE, PLASTICS PARTICULARLY BEGIN TO BREAK DOWN, AND THEY CAN REACH A FORM CALLED MICROPLASTICS.
THESE ARE MICROSCOPIC LITTLE BITS OF PLASTIC THAT ARE INVISIBLE TO THE NAKED EYE.
WHEN THEY BECOME THAT SMALL IN THE SYSTEM, THEY GET INTO THE FOOD WEB, WHICH MEANS THAT THEY GET INTO OUR FOOD ITEMS. SO MICROPLASTICS HAVE BEEN FOUND IN THINGS THAT WE ENJOY EATING AND CELEBRATING HERE, LIKE SHRIMP, FISH, CRABS, AND OYSTERS.
[00:05:01]
MEANS THAT THESE THINGS ARE GETTING INTO OUR BODIES AS WE CONSUME FOODS THAT HAVE PLASTICS IN THEM.ONCE IN OUR BODIES, MICROPLASTICS ACT AS FOREIGN BODIES.
THEY ARE LINKED WITH HIGHER RATES OF CANCERS AND DISEASES, AND THEY ARE FOUND IN VIRTUALLY EVERY BIOLOGICAL SYSTEM.
SCIENTISTS HAVE LOOKED FOR THEM IN, IN OUR BODIES.
SO THEY'VE BEEN FOUND IN THE HUMAN BRAIN, THEY'VE BEEN FOUND IN LUNGS, KIDNEYS, DIGESTIVE TRACTS AND LIVERS.
THEY'VE BEEN FOUND IN BLOOD, URINE, BREAST, MILK AND STOOLS.
THEY'VE BEEN FOUND IN THE PLACENTA, AND THEY'VE BEEN FOUND IN THE VERY FIRST BOWEL MOVEMENT OF NEWBORN BABIES THAT THEY TAKE IN THE FIRST 24 HOURS OF LIFE, WHICH MEANS THAT THESE PLASTICS ARE ALREADY MOVING THROUGH THIS GENERATION INTO OUR NEXT GENERATION.
AND AS A, A NEW MOM TO A SIX MONTH OLD, THAT'S A BIT ALARMING FOR ME.
SCIENTISTS HAVE FOUND THAT WHEN MICROPLASTICS ARE IN THE PLAQUE IN YOUR ARTERIES, WHICH IT HAS BEEN FOUND THERE, YOU ARE FOUR AND A HALF TIMES MORE LIKELY TO SUFFER HEART ATTACK OR STROKE AS A RESULT OF THOSE FOREIGN BODIES.
SO IT'S A, IT'S A MULTIFACETED ISSUE THAT WE'RE TAKING A LOOK INTO.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, THERE IS NO MEANINGFUL GLOBAL OR NATIONAL ACTION BEING TAKEN ON UNNECESSARY SINGLE USE PLASTICS.
AND WE HAVE FOUND LOCALLY FROM OUR HISTORY AS WELL AS UP AND DOWN THE COAST, THAT LOCAL ACTION IS WHERE THE GREATEST IMPACT LIES FOR THESE ITEMS. SO WITH THAT IN MIND, COUNTY COUNCIL DIRECTED STAFF TO INVESTIGATE WAYS WE COULD CONSIDER STRENGTHENING OUR 2018 PLASTIC BAG ORDINANCE TO DO THIS STAFF PULLED TOGETHER A MULTIDISCIPLINARY WORKING GROUP WITH REPRESENTATION FROM SEVERAL COMMUNITY PARTNERS IN SEVERAL DEPARTMENTS WITHIN BEAUFORT COUNTY.
SO WE HAVE REPRESENTATION FROM OUR SOLID WASTE DEPARTMENT, OUR STORMWATER DEPARTMENT, OUR PUBLIC INFORMATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY DEPARTMENT, AND THE PLANNING AND SEWING DEPARTMENT.
WE ALSO HAVE REPRESENTATION FROM THE PORT ROYAL SOUND FOUNDATION, WHICH IS A BASTION AND PROTECTING THAT MASSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEM THAT AFFECTS ALL OF US HERE IN THE SOUTHERN LOW COUNTRY, AS WELL AS THE KEEP BEAUFORT COUNTY BEAUTIFUL BOARD WHO ARE ON THE FRONT LINES OF MANY OF THOSE LITTER PICKUPS AND KNOW WHAT THESE ITEMS ARE DOING OUT THERE IN OUR ENVIRONMENTS.
AND THE COASTAL CONSERVATION LEAGUE, WHO WAS A PARTNER IN THE ORIGINAL 2018 PLASTIC BAG ORDINANCE THAT WAS ADOPTED COUNTYWIDE IN BUFORT COUNTY BACK IN 2018.
SO WHAT OUR WORKING GROUP HAS DONE IS WE DEVELOPED A SURVEY FOR BUSINESSES SPECIFICALLY AND RESIDENTS OF OUR REGION IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND WHAT OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS WANT US TO DO WITH FIVE UNNECESSARY SINGLE USE PLASTICS.
THESE FIVE UNNECESSARY SINGLE USE PLASTICS ARE THICK PLASTIC BAGS, STYROFOAM TAKEOUT CONTAINERS, STYROFOAM CUPS, PLASTIC STRAWS, AND PLASTIC UTENSILS.
PLASTIC BAGS ARE MADE OUT OF POLYETHYLENE AND STRAWS AND UTENSILS ARE MADE OUT OF POLYPROPYLENE.
THESE ARE THE MOST COMMON TYPES OF MICROPLASTICS FOUND IN HUMAN BODIES ARE COMING FROM THOSE SOURCES, NOT NECESSARILY PLASTIC STRAWS AND, BUT THE SOURCES THAT PRODUCE THOSE.
WHAT OUR SURVEY DID WAS TEST THE REGULATORY PREFERENCES OF OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS, AND IT RAN FROM JANUARY 13TH UNTIL APRIL 3RD.
SO JUST UNDER THREE MONTHS NOW.
IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT TO OUR WORKING GROUP THAT WE GOT AS MANY RESPONSES AS POSSIBLE IN ORDER TO HAVE ROBUST RESULTS, HELPING TO INFORM OUR DECISION MAKING PROCESS.
AND SO WE DEPLOYED A MEDIA AND BUSINESS OUTREACH CAMPAIGN.
THE COUNTY SENT OUT MANY EMAILS THROUGH OUR LISTSERV TO INTERESTED PEOPLE ABOUT THE SURVEY.
SO THEY HAD AN OPPORTUNITY MULTIPLE TIMES TO PARTICIPATE.
WE WORKED WITH OUR PRESS PARTNERS WITH TRADITIONAL MEDIA, SO IT WENT OUT INTO OUR NEWSPAPERS SEVERAL TIMES.
IT WAS POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA THROUGH US AS WELL AS OUR PARTNERS.
WE ALSO PRINTED FLYERS AND PUT THEM UP IN EVERY PUBLIC LIBRARY IN THE COUNTY.
AND THEN WE SPECIFICALLY WANTED TO TARGET OUR BUSINESSES.
SO WE WORKED WITH BUSINESS PARTNERS, WE WORKED WITH BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS AND CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE, BOTH NORTH AND SOUTH OF THE BROAD TO MAKE SURE THEY LET THEIR MEMBERSHIP KNOW ABOUT THE SURVEY OPPORTUNITY.
AND WE PRINTED PHYSICAL POSTCARDS, WHICH YOU CAN SEE ON THE SCREEN HERE, WITH A QR CODE TO THE BUSINESS SURVEY, AND TOOK THEM DOOR TO DOOR IN BUSINESS DISTRICTS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY IN ORDER TO REALLY TRY AND CANVAS AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE, BRING AS MANY HORSES TO THE WATER AS POSSIBLE.
AND FORTUNATELY, MANY OF THEM TOOK A SIP OF WATER AND SUBMITTED THEIR RESULTS TO THE SURVEY.
SO WE ENDED UP WITH 6,200 TOTAL RESPONSES ACROSS BOTH SURVEYS AND JUST 103 MONTHS.
WHAT YOU CAN SEE ON THE SCREEN HERE ARE THE GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION BREAKDOWNS OF THE SURVEY RESPONDENTS FOR OUR BUSINESS SURVEYS AND OUR RESIDENTS.
AND YOU SEE A TREND THAT MIRRORS ACROSS BOTH DIFFERENT, UH, SURVEY RESPONDENT GROUPS.
AND WE'VE GOT RELATIVELY EVEN DIS UH, GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION REPRESENTED HERE.
SO WE HAVE ABOUT A THIRD OF OUR RESPONDENTS COMING FROM THE HILTON HEAD DUSKY ISLAND AREAS.
WE HAVE ABOUT A THIRD COMING FROM THE BLUFFTON OKEE AREA, AND ABOUT A THIRD COMING FROM THE NORTHERN BEAUFORT COUNTY AREA, WHICH REALLY TRACKS WITH POPULATION
[00:10:01]
TRENDS IN BEAUFORT COUNTY AND SAYS TO US THAT WHAT RESULTS WE'RE GETTING HERE REPRESENTS A GENERAL CONSENSUS ABOUT WHAT TO DO REGARDING THOSE FIVE SINGLE USE UNNECESSARY PLASTICS.SO WE'LL GET INTO THE SURVEY RESULTS.
ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WAS ASKED ACROSS BOTH SURVEYS WAS HOW SUPPORTIVE OR NOT SURVEY RESPONDENTS ARE OF A COMPLETE BAN.
AND THAT WAS PRESENTED IN ALL CAPS SO NO ONE COULD MISS IT IN THE QUESTION ON EACH OF THE FIVE UNNECESSARY SINGLE USE PLASTIC ITEMS. THESE ARE, AGAIN, THICK PLASTIC BAGS, STYROFOAM TAKEOUT CONTAINERS, STYROFOAM CUPS, PLASTIC STRAWS, AND PLASTIC UTENSILS.
WE WERE PRETTY AMAZED TO SEE THE STRONG SUPPORT FOR REGULATION WHEN IT CAME TO RESIDENTS AND THEIR SUPPORT OR OPPOSITION FOR TAKING ACTION ON EACH OF THESE ITEMS, WHICH YOU CAN SEE HERE, THE DARK BLUE IS THE PERCENT OF OPPOSED FOR EACH ITEM OF A BAN ON THAT ITEM.
AND THE BROWN IS PERCENT SUPPORTIVE FOR A BAN ON THAT ITEM.
SO YOU CAN SEE THAT IT'S A LARGE MAJORITY OF INTEREST IN TAKING ACTION ON EACH OF THESE ITEMS. I PULLED OUT THE RESULTS FOR SOUTHERN BEAUFORT COUNTY AS WELL, AND I DID IT FOR NORTHERN BEAUFORT COUNTY WHEN I WAS THERE LAST WEEK, JUST TO SEE HOW IT WAS DIFFERENT OR NOT.
AND WHAT WE'RE FINDING, AND I'LL TOGGLE BACK AND FORTH, SO HOPEFULLY NO ONE GETS ANY MOTION SICKNESS HERE.
BUT WHAT WE FOUND IS ESSENTIALLY THE RESULTS THAT WE SAW REGION-WIDE IN THE COUNTY PRETTY MUCH MIRROR THE RESULTS THAT WE SEE FOR JUST SOUTHERN BEAVER COUNTY.
SO THAT'S SO BLUFFTON AND HILTON HEAD ISLAND AREAS, AND THAT'S FOR OUR RESIDENTS.
NOW, WE ASK THE SAME QUESTION OF OUR BUSINESSES, AND WE STILL SEE MAJORITY SUPPORT FROM OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY WHO RESPONDED FOR TAKING ACTION ON THESE ITEMS THROUGH A COMPLETE BAN ON THEM.
UM, YOU DO SEE A LITTLE BIT MORE SUPPORT FOR OPPO OR A LITTLE BIT MORE OPPOSITION AS WELL.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE LAST TWO ITEMS WHEN COMPARED TO OUR RESIDENTS, YOU HAVE HIGHER RATES OF OPPOSITION FOR TAKING ANY BAN ACTION ON PLASTIC STRAWS AND PLASTIC UTENSILS.
SO THIS STARTED TO INDICATE TO US THAT MAYBE WE NEED TO TAKE DIFFERENT STRATEGIES FOR EACH ITEM.
IT'S NOT A ONE SIZE FITS ALL SOLUTION.
AND I PULLED INFORMATION FOR SOUTHERN BEAUFORT COUNTY AS WELL.
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT IT'S RELATIVELY SIMILAR TO WHAT WE WERE SEEING REGIONWIDE FOR OUR BUSINESSES WITH A LITTLE BIT LESS OPPOSITION HERE IN SOUTHERN BEAUFORT COUNTY ON TAKING A BAN ACTION ON THE LAST TWO PLASTIC UTENSILS AND PLASTIC STRAWS.
SO UNDERSTANDING THAT WE MIGHT NEED TO HAVE DIFFERENT STRATEGIES FOR EACH ITEM.
WE FORTUNATELY HAD THE FORESIGHT TO ASK OUR SURVEY RESPONDENTS HOW WE SHOULD TREAT EACH ITEM, WHAT REGULATORY STRATEGY WAS PREFERRED FOR EACH ITEM, THE OPTIONS THAT WERE PRESENTED.
AND THE QUESTION, JUST SO YOU ALL KNOW, IS WHICH APPROACH DO YOU THINK WOULD BE MOST EFFECTIVE FOR REDU REDUCING THESE NON BIODEGRADABLE ITEMS FROM BEAUFORT COUNTY'S LANDFILL AND ENVIRONMENT? THEY COULD ANSWER FOR EACH ITEM.
AND THEY HAD FOUR CHOICES, NONE OF THESE.
SO TAKING NO ACTION THAT'S PRESENTED, AND THAT'S IN THE LIGHT PEACH COLOR BY REQUEST ONLY, WHICH MEANS THAT YOU WOULD ONLY RECEIVE THESE ITEMS IF YOU ASKED FOR THEM AT AN ESTABLISHMENT THAT PROVIDES THEM.
SO A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THAT IS IF YOU'RE ORDERING A DRINK AT A RESTAURANT, IT DOESN'T AUTOMATICALLY COME WITH A STRAW.
YOU HAVE TO ASK FOR IT OR GET IT YOURSELF DEPENDING ON THE ESTABLISHMENT.
THE LIGHT BLUE IS CUSTOMER FEE.
YOU CAN SEE JUST OUTTA GLANCE HERE THAT THAT IS THE LEAST POPULAR OPTION OF ALL FIVE OF THESE ITEMS. AND THEN BAN.
SO ELIMINATING AND REPLACING THESE ITEMS WITH ALTERNATIVES IS IN THE DARK BROWN.
SO FOUR, OUR THICK PLASTIC BAGS AND OUR STYROFOAM ITEMS, OUR RESIDENTS WERE OVERWHELMINGLY SUPPORTIVE OF TAKING OR HAD A PREFERENCE, RATHER, FOR TAKING A BAN ACTION ON THOSE THREE ITEMS. BUT WHEN IT CAME TO THE PLASTIC UTENSILS AND STRAWS, WE STARTED TO SEE A LITTLE BIT OF DISAGREEMENT HERE WHERE, UH, PLASTIC UTENSILS IS VERY STRONG SUPPORT FOR BUY REQUEST ONLY REGULATION, WHEREAS PLASTIC STRAWS IS KIND OF RIGHT THERE IN THE MIDDLE.
YOU'VE GOT ABOUT THE SAME AMOUNT SAYING BAN THE SAME AMOUNT SAYING LET'S DO BUY REQUEST ONLY.
AND I THINK A HAPPY COMPROMISE THERE WOULD BE BUY REQUEST ONLY.
SOUTHERN BEAUFORT COUNTY RESIDENTS ARE COMING UP WITH RELATIVELY, I MEAN, IT ALMOST MIRRORS IT, IT'S KIND OF UNCANNY.
YOU'RE GETTING REALLY SIMILAR PERCENTAGES HERE IN SOUTHERN BEFORD COUNTY WHEN COMPARED TO THE ENTIRE COUNTY'S RESIDENTIAL POOL THAT'S RESPONDED TO THIS SURVEY.
AND THEN WE ALSO ASK THIS QUESTION OF OUR BUSINESSES, BECAUSE OF COURSE THEY'RE GOING TO FEEL DIFFERENT EFFECTS WITH REGARD TO WHATEVER REGULATORY ACTION IS OR IS NOT TAKEN ON THESE ITEMS. SO WE WANT TO KNOW AND HEAR FROM THEM.
AND WE SAW VERY SIMILAR TRENDS.
SO AGAIN, PLASTIC BAGS, STYROFOAM ITEMS, STRONG SUPPORT FOR ELIMINATING AND REPLACING THESE ITEMS. SO UTENSILS CAME OUT AS BUY REQUEST ONLY ON TOP.
WE SAW MORE SUPPORT FOR BANDS THAN WE DID WITH OUR, UM, COMMUNITY
[00:15:01]
MEMBERS WITH OUR RESIDENTS, WHICH WAS REALLY INTERESTING TO SEE BUSINESSES HAVE A PREFERENCE OVER ELIMINATING THEM ENTIRELY OVER BUY REQUEST ONLY.AND THEN WE TAKE A LOOK AT BEAUFORT COUNTY'S OR SOUTHERN BEAUFORT COUNTY'S BUSINESSES, AND WE'RE SEEING, AGAIN, REALLY SIMILAR RESPONSE RATE HERE, ALTHOUGH JUST BY A TINY BIT.
UM, THE BAN IS COMING OUT ON TOP FOR THE PLASTIC UTENSILS AS FAR AS SOUTHERN BEAUFORT COUNTY BUSINESSES ARE CONCERNED.
THESE RESULTS REFLECT A BROADER REGIONAL TREND UP AND DOWN THE COAST OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
SO HERE YOU CAN SEE THESE FIVE ITEMS HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED BY COMMUNITIES TO THE NORTH OF US AND THE ACTION OR NO ACTION THAT THEY'RE TAKING ON EACH OF THESE ITEMS. BUT WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT, I THINK THE MESSAGE HERE IS THAT A LOT OF THESE ITEMS HAVE ALREADY HAD ACTION TAKEN ON THEM TO THE NORTH OF US, WHICH MEANS THAT IF WE TAKE ANY ACTION HERE, OUR EFFORTS WILL BE AMPLIFIED BECAUSE OF COURSE, OUR ENVIRONMENTS, OUR WATERWAYS, NO, NO, UH, JURISDICTIONAL BOUNDARIES.
SO WHATEVER'S HAPPENING NEARBY WITH NEIGHBORS WILL DEFINITELY HELP AS WELL TO ANY ACTION WE'RE TAKING HERE THROUGH OUR SURVEY AND THROUGH THESE PRESENTATIONS, WE'VE ALSO HEARD CONCERNS ABOUT COSTS.
NOW, THIS IS TAKING A LOOK AT GLOBAL AVERAGES OF ECO TABLEWARE VERSUS TRADITIONAL PLASTIC PRICING.
AND WHAT YOU CAN SEE WHERE THESE GLOBAL AVERAGES ARE CONCERNED IS THAT IT'S REALLY ONLY PENNIES DIFFERENCE WHAT YOU CAN GET IF YOU TRANSITION OVER TO ECO TABLEWARE.
THE MOST EXPENSIVE DIFFERENCE SHOWN ON THIS SCREEN IS A THREE PENNY DIFFERENCE.
AND THAT'S BETWEEN THOSE NINE BY NINE THREE COMPARTMENT CLAMSHELL TAKEOUT CONTAINERS.
I AM ALSO OUR GROUP, OUR WORKING GROUP HAS PULLED INFORMATION FROM LOCAL BUSINESSES WHO ARE ALREADY MAKING THIS TRANSITION TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THEIR SOURCES PRICING ARE.
AND SO WE ARE PULLING THAT LOCAL INFORMATION FOR YOU ALL.
AND WHEN I COME TO YOUR, YOUR BOARD OR YOUR COUNCILS FOR EACH MUNICIPALITY, I WILL BRING THAT WITH ME.
I'M JUST NOT QUICK ENOUGH TO GET IT IN SINCE FRIDAY TO TODAY.
I'LL HAVE THAT INFORMATION FOR YOU.
BUT A REALLY IMPORTANT THING TO NOTE IS THAT BUY REQUEST ONLY IF THAT IS ADOPTED, DOES NOT REQUIRE GETTING RID OF PLASTIC FORKS AND CUTLERY AND PLASTIC STRAWS.
IT ONLY REQUIRES THAT THEY'RE NOT AUTOMATICALLY GIVEN OUT.
AND SO YOU SEE A COST TO SAVINGS FOR BUSINESSES THERE BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE TO STOCK AS MUCH.
THEY'RE NOT GIVING AWAY AS MUCH, AND THEY ALSO DON'T HAVE TO TRANSITION TO A POTENTIALLY MORE EXPENSIVE ECO-FRIENDLY ITEM.
AND THERE ARE OF COURSE, THOSE LONG-TERM SAVINGS THAT WE DISCUSSED AT THE TOP WHERE IF YOU'RE REDUCING YOUR WASTE STREAMS, YOU'RE REDUCING THE IMPACT ON YOUR LANDFILL AND PROLONGING ITS LIFE SAVING MONEY SO WE DON'T HAVE TO EXPORT WASTE.
AND YOU'RE, OF COURSE HELPING TO, UH, PROTECT YOUR STORMWATER INFRASTRUCTURE AND ANY OTHER HEALTH IMPACTS AND COMMUNITY IMPACTS FROM LITTER.
NOW, AS FAR AS BUY REQUEST ONLY GOES, WE WERE REALLY CURIOUS TO SEE HOW SUCCESS SUCCESSFUL AN ORDINANCE FOR BUY REQUEST ONLY COULD BE.
AND WE LOOKED AT SOME CASE STUDIES AND PULLED THIS ONE FROM RED BANK, NEW JERSEY, WHICH WAS FOR AN ORDINANCE THAT WAS ADOPTED LAST YEAR.
THIS, THIS ORDINANCE REQUIRED THAT FOR TAKE OUT MEALS ONLY.
UM, RESTAURANTS WOULD NOT AUTOMATICALLY GIVE AWAY CONDIMENT PACKETS AND WOULD NOT AUTOMATICALLY GIVE OUT PLASTIC UTENSILS.
SO THAT WAS THAT SPECIFIC ORDINANCE.
WHAT THEY FOUND IN JUST UNDER A YEAR AFTER ADOPTING IT AND GOING AND TALKING TO RESTAURANTS WHO WERE IMPLEMENTING THIS NEW REGULATION, THAT IS THAT ONLY 6% OF THEIR CUSTOMERS WERE ASKING FOR THOSE ITEMS IN THEIR TAKEOUT ORDERS, WHICH MEANS THERE WAS A 94% REDUCTION IN THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WALKING AWAY WITH PLASTIC CUTLERY.
AND THE TAKEOUT, UM, CONDIMENTS, THEY DID THE MATH FOR CUTLERY ALONE.
THIS EQUATED TO OVER 1.5 MILLION PIECES OF PLASTIC CUTLERY BEING REMOVED FROM THE WASTE STREAM, WHICH EQUATED TO OVER 10,000 POUNDS OF WASTE REMOVED FROM THAT WASTE STREAM THAT WAS FOR 16 RESTAURANTS IN LESS THAN A YEAR.
SO IMAGINE WHAT WE COULD DO HERE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY, TAKING INTO CONDITION, UH, CONSIDERATION THE STRAWS AND THE CUTLERY REGION-WIDE.
WE COULD HAVE A REALLY BIG IMPACT WITH JUST BUY REQUEST ONLY.
SO THE SURVEY RESULTS ARE REALLY CLEAR FROM OUR RESIDENTS AND OUR BUSINESSES.
THERE'S A PREFERENCE TO ELIMINATE AND REPLACE STYROFOAM CUPS, STYROFOAM TAKEOUT CONTAINERS, AND THICK PLASTIC BAGS.
AND THERE IS A PREFERENCE TO USE A BUY REQUEST ONLY ORDINANCE FOR PLASTIC CUTLERY AND PLASTIC STRAWS.
SO THIS IS THE PROCESS THAT OUR WORKING GROUP IS GOING THROUGH, AND RIGHT NOW WE'RE AT THE STEP WHERE WE'RE GOING OUT AND PRESENTING TO ALL OF OUR 2018 PARTNERS IN THE PLASTIC BAG ORDINANCE.
AND SO THAT'S WHY I AM HERE TODAY TO UPDATE YOU ALL ON THESE EFFORTS.
WE WOULD LOVE AND ARE WELCOMING FEEDBACK FROM OUR MUNICIPALITIES TO UNDERSTAND ANY OTHER CONSIDERATIONS WE SHOULD BE TAKING IN AS WE BEGIN THE AMENDMENT PROCESS.
WE WON'T START DRAFTING THOSE AMENDMENTS UNTIL WE FINISH GOING TO ALL OF THOSE 2018 PARTNERS, SO WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CAPTURING THOSE VOICES AND MAKING APPROPRIATE CHANGES.
[00:20:01]
AND WE, OF COURSE, WANT PARTNERSHIP IN THIS.IF BEAUFORT COUNTY IS THE ONLY ENTITY THAT ADOPTS ANY CHANGES TO THAT 2018 PLASTIC BAG ORDINANCE, THE IMPACT IS GOING TO BE PRETTY SMALL COMPARED TO WHAT WE COULD DO IF ALL OF US WEREN'T IN IT TOGETHER.
AND SO WE'RE LOOKING FOR PARTNERSHIP FROM OUR PREVIOUS PARTNERS IN THIS TO CONTINUE THESE WASTE REDUCTION STRATEGIES.
ONCE THE ROADSHOW IS OVER, WE'LL START DEVELOPING OUR AMENDMENT LANGUAGE AND THEN WE'LL BEGIN CREATING THAT IMPLEMENTATION PLAN, WHICH THE SURVEY ASKED FOR COMMENTS FROM RESPONDENTS.
AND WE'RE USING A LOT OF THOSE COMMENTS TO HELP INFORM THIS IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.
SOME IDEAS THAT WE ALREADY HAVE IN THE HOPPER ARE IMPLEMENTING A TRANSITION PERIOD WHERE IF IT'S ADOPTED, IF A NEW AMENDMENTS ARE ADOPTED, THEY DON'T GO INTO EFFECT IMMEDIATELY.
THERE IS A TEMPORAL TRANSITION IN PLACE TO HELP BUSINESSES MAKE THE CHANGES THEY MAY NEED TO MAKE.
AND WE DID THIS IN 2018 WITH THE PLASTIC BAG ORDINANCE.
WE ALSO ARE GOING TO TIE IN OUR GREEN BUSINESS PROGRAM.
WE HAVE A NEW, UM, COMPOSTING PILOT PROGRAM THAT'S GOING TO PLAY A ROLE IN THIS FOR ANY CHANGES WE MAKE.
WE'RE GETTING TOGETHER GRANT INFORMATION TO HELP PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT IF IT'S NEEDED FOR ANY OF THE BUSINESS, IF TRANSITIONS ARE COMING DOWN THE LINE WITH ANY AMENDMENTS THAT ARE ADOPTED.
AND WE'RE DEVELOPING EDUCATION OUTREACH AND TRAINING PROGRAMS TO HELP THROUGH ANY CHANGES THAT MIGHT BE ADOPTED.
SO ALL OF THAT'S BEING CONSIDERED NOW, AND WE ARE OF COURSE INTERESTED IN ANY FEEDBACK, UM, AND OTHER THINGS THAT WE SHOULD BE INCORPORATING AND CONSIDERING.
BEFORE I ASK FOR QUESTIONS, THIS IS THE SOURCES SLIDE.
THIS IS JUST, IF YOU'RE LIKE ME AND YOU WANNA DIG INTO THE WEEDS OF SOME OF THE INFORMATION I CITED, YOU'D LIKE TO SEE IT FIRSTHAND.
I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND THAT I'M RIGHT THERE WITH YOU, WHICH IS WHY WE HAVE THIS SLIDE.
IN ADDITION TO OUR SOURCES, WE ALSO HAVE IN THE CORNER A LINK TO THE FULL SURVEY RESULTS REPORT.
THIS INCLUDES EVERY QUESTION THAT WAS ASKED ON THE SURVEY.
I ONLY PRESENTED TO YOU ALL ON TWO QUESTIONS, AND THERE WERE SEVERAL OTHERS THAT YOU MAY WANNA TAKE A LOOK AT THAT PERTAIN MORE TO BEHAVIOR.
SO HOW OFTEN ARE BUSINESSES GIVING AWAY THESE ITEMS? HOW OFTEN ARE RESIDENTS RECEIVING THEM? WHAT DO THEY DO WITH THEM AFTER THEY GET THEM? THAT KIND OF THING.
AND WITH THAT, IF THERE ARE QUESTIONS, I AM READY TO RECEIVE THEM.
UM, I WILL OPEN IT UP FIRST FOR, UH, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
ANY QUESTIONS FOR JULIANA? JULIAN, I'VE MENTIONED THIS BEFORE, BUT IF WE IMPLEMENT WHAT YOU'RE, UM, I GUESS PRESENTING HERE, HOW MUCH LONGER, UH, IN TERMS OF THE LIFE OF THE LANDFILL WILL WE GET OUT OF THIS? SO THE REPORT THAT I QUOTED FROM WAS OUR 24 FISCAL YEAR 24, UM, STATE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES REPORT ON THE STATE OF SOLID WASTE THROUGHOUT THIS, THE STATE, AND AT THAT TIME, BEAUFORT COUNTY, THE LANDFILL THAT BEAUFORT COUNTY USES, WHICH IS OF COURSE IN JASPER COUNTY, HAS SIX YEARS LEFT ON IT BASED ON TODAY'S RATES OF WASTE DISPOSAL.
SO IT DOESN'T TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION ANY MORE, ANY INCREASES TO THOSE WASTE RATES.
UM, AS OUR AREA GROWS NOW, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE HICKORY HILL LANDFILL HAS OR IS IN THE PROCESS OF RECEIVING A PERMIT TO INCREASE THEIR CAPACITY, WHICH GIVES US A 15 ADDITIONAL YEARS.
AGAIN, THAT'S BASED ON TODAY'S RATES OF WASTE DISPOSAL, NOT FUTURE RATES.
UM, BUT 15 YEARS IS REALLY A SHORT TIMEFRAME, RIGHT? SO ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO HELP PROLONG THAT AND MAKE THAT LAST AS LONG AS POSSIBLE BY STEMMING THE FLOW OF UNNECESSARY WASTE IN OUR AREA, AND THEN OF COURSE, RECYCLING WHERE WE CAN ON THE OTHER END WOULD REALLY HELP TO HELP SAVE COSTS IN THE LONG RUN HERE IN BUFORT AND JASPER COUNTIES.
UH, JUST A REMINDER FOR ANYONE WHO, UM, MAKE SURE YOU'RE TALKING INTO THE MIC AND THE GREEN LIGHTS BLINKING, JOSH? YEAH, MY, MY GREEN LIGHT KEEPS GOING OUT.
I GUESS WE'LL SEE IF IT STAYS ON.
UM, IS IT MAYBE ACTIVATED BY VOICE? ITS OKAY.
UM, SO FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU.
UM, MAYOR ACTUALLY SENT THIS OVER LAST NIGHT, SO I HAD TIME JUST TO BRIEF IT, BUT GREAT.
I WILL ADMIT THAT I HAVEN'T HAD TIME TO DIVE INTO SOME OF THE SOURCES THAT YOU'VE CITED, WHICH I THINK IS EXCELLENT TO HAVE THAT ON THE BACK END.
UM, SOME CONCERNS THAT I HAVE, ONE IS THE FACT THAT THERE ARE STILL, I KNOW 6,000 IS, IS GOOD FOR RESPONDENTS, HOWEVER, IT DOESN'T REPRESENT EVEN JUST 3% OF OUR, OUR POPULATION.
SO THERE'S STILL A VERY UNTAPPED AMOUNT OF FEEDBACK THAT WE DON'T HAVE.
I DON'T KNOW, UH, WHAT THOSE BUSINESSES WERE THAT WERE SURVEYED, AND MAYBE THAT IS IDENTIFIED IN THE SOURCES, BUT WAS IT PRIMARILY RESTAURANTS THAT YOU WERE ENGAGING IN, OR WAS IT JUST BUSINESSES IN GENERAL? BECAUSE THERE WILL BE BUSINESSES THAT ARE AFFECTED IN A MUCH MORE SERIOUS WAY SHOULD SOMETHING BE IMPLEMENTED.
UM, AND AND I SAW MENTION IN HERE OF, UM, A CUSTOMER
[00:25:01]
FEE, UNDOUBTEDLY, IF WE PUT SOMETHING IN PLACE THAT RAISES THE COST FOR THESE BUSINESSES, IT'S GOING TO BE OFFSET TO THE CONSUMER.SO WITHOUT SEEING, UH, COST ANALYSIS, WHICH I THINK YOU SAID YOU WERE GONNA BRING THAT TO THE MUNICIPALITIES TO KIND OF GIVE A BETTER IDEA OF WHAT THAT IMPACT WILL BE, I THINK THAT'S GREAT.
I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THAT BECAUSE THAT IS ONE OF THE TRUE CONCERNS THAT I HAVE.
I WOULD NOT WANT TO DO SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA MAKE IT EVEN HARDER FOR A SMALL BUSINESS TO THRIVE HERE.
AND THE REALITY IS, IS THIS, THIS WILL BE, AND I THINK YOU DID A GOOD JOB HIGHLIGHTING WHERE IT WILL HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT, BUT WE COULD TAKE THE PLASTIC BAGS OUTTA THE GROCERY STORES.
EVERYTHING THAT WE PUT INSIDE OF THE PAPER BAG IS STILL WRAPPED IN PLASTIC.
WE STILL NEED TO ADDRESS THE FACT THAT MOST OF THE LITTER IS FLYING OUTTA THE BACK OF A TRASH TRUCK ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.
SO THAT STILL NEEDS TO BE MITIGATED.
AND THEN I DID HAVE, UM, I, I FOUND IT INTERESTING.
IT LOOKED LIKE THE RESPONDENTS ON ST.
UM, NOT SURE EXACTLY WHAT THE POPULATION IS, BUT THAT DOESN'T REPRESENT A LARGE NUMBER.
AND I KNOW THAT, UM, THERE IS A TRUE CONCERN WITH HOW MUCH TRASH IS JUST DUMPED INTO THE BACKYARDS AND BURNT IN ON, ON ST.
AND IT'S ALMOST AS IF SOMETIMES WE TURN A, A BLIND EYE TO THAT WHEN IN FACT IT HAS A TREMENDOUS NEGATIVE IMPACT ON OUR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT.
SO ADDRESSING SOME OF THESE THINGS ARE GOOD, BUT I THINK THAT WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF BIG ISSUES TO TACKLE IN REGARDS TO, TO LITTER.
AND I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR PRESENTATION TO THE MUNICIPALITIES LATER.
AND, UM, JUST SO YOU ALL ARE AWARE, WE WORKED WITH THE BUSINESS AREA HOSPITALITY ASSOCIATION AND THE SURGE RESTAURANT GROUP.
SO THAT'S NORTH AND SOUTH OF BROAD, IN ADDITION TO THOSE CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE.
SO WE WERE TRYING TO TARGET RESTAURANTS, AND THEN THE DOOR-TO-DOOR CAMPAIGN THAT WAS EMPLOYED WAS IN THOSE CENTRAL BUSINESS CENTERS.
AND SO, UH, CHRIS CAMPBELL, WHO'S ON THE KEEP BUFORT COUNTY BEAUTIFUL BOARD, AND HERE IN THE AUDIENCE WAS ONE OF THOSE MEMBERS WHO WENT OUT DOOR TO DOOR, AND I'M SURE COULD GIVE YOU MORE INFORMATION AFTERWARDS ABOUT WHO IT SPECIFICALLY HE WAS GOING TO.
ANYONE ELSE? I GOT ONE, UM, GREAT PRESENTATION.
I'M JUST CURIOUS, SINCE THE 2018 BAN THAT WE PRETTY MUCH ALL SUPPORTED, DO WE HAVE ANY DATA TO SAY IT'S WORKING? IT HELPED.
UM, HOW MUCH OF, YOU KNOW, WITH, WITH THAT, DO, DO WE KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE COMPLYING OR WHAT PERCENTAGE? DO YOU HAVE ANY, ANY ANYTHING TO TELL US? LIKE, IT'S WORKING, BUT WE NEED TO DO MORE, OR IT'S NOT BEING, IT'S NOT WORKING, YOU KNOW, JUST SOMETHING ON WHAT WE'VE ALREADY GOT IN PLACE? YES.
UH, WELL, SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, ANECDOTALLY, WE HAVE INFORMATION.
DO WE HAVE HARD NUMBERS? THAT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE CURRENTLY, BUT WE CAN PULL OUR RESOURCES AND SEE WHAT WE CAN FIND OUT.
I, FROM MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, SEE A LOT OF BUSINESSES USING PAPER BAGS, BUT THERE ARE STILL SOME HOLDOUTS FROM OUR BIG BOX STORES USING THOSE THICK PLASTIC BAGS, WHICH IN OUR SUMMARY OR IN OUR SURVEY RESULTS FROM THE COMMENTS WE RECEIVED, WAS A REALLY BIG THEME.
PEOPLE ARE REALLY UPSET WITH THOSE THICK PLASTIC BAGS.
AND THAT BECOMING SOMETHING THAT WE SEE MORE OFTEN AFTER WE ADOPTED THE 2018 ORDINANCE.
NOW, THE 2018 ORDINANCE THAT IS LEGAL, THOSE THICK PLASTIC BAGS.
SO NOBODY IS NOT IN COMPLIANCE THERE.
SO AS FAR AS COMPLIANCE RATES GOES, IT'S RELATIVELY HIGH FROM ANECDOTAL EXPERIENCE AND MOVING AROUND THE AREA, WE DON'T SEE THOSE THIN PLASTIC BAGS LIKE WE USED TO.
UM, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS AT A MINIMUM THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO HERE IS ADDRESS THE THICK PLASTIC BAGS, BECAUSE IT DOES SEEM TO CIRCUMVENT THE INTENT OF THE 2018 ORDINANCE.
AND BEAUFORT COUNTY'S NOT, UM, ALONE IN SEEING THAT HAPPEN.
THAT HAPPENED UP AND DOWN THE EASTERN SEABOARD WHEN PLASTIC BAGS, UH, ORDINANCES WENT INTO PLACE IN COASTAL COMMUNITIES.
AND I TALKED WITH FOLKS UP IN NEW ENGLAND WHO SAW THE VERY SAME THING HAPPEN, AND THEY TOLD US HOW THEY TRIED TO ADDRESS IT, AND WERE ABLE TO AT LEAST ADDRESS THOSE THICK PLASTIC BAGS.
AND NOW WE HAVE LOCAL EXAMPLES TO THE NORTH OF US IN THE CHARLESTON AREA.
BUT TO YOUR POINT, I THINK THAT INFORMATION WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL TO HAVE.
AND SO WE CAN PULL AND SEE WHAT WE CAN GET RIGHT NOW.
I, I NEVER UNDERSTOOD WHY YOU, WE BANNED THE THIN ONES AND ALLOWED THE THICK ONES BECAUSE BY VOLUME AND BY MASS, THERE'S FOUR TIMES AS MUCH ACTUAL PLASTIC, RIGHT.
AND AS THEY ARE IN THE THIN ONES, IT WAS A MISTAKE, A BIG MISTAKE.
AND WE DIDN'T REALIZE THAT THE, THAT THAT WAS A GO AROUND WHEN THE, WHEN I WAS AROUND, WHEN THE ORDINANCE WAS DRAFTED.
AND WE, WE DIDN'T REALIZE THEY WOULD DO THAT.
WE NEVER, WE WOULD'VE WORDED IT DIFFERENTLY, UH, FOR SURE.
AND SOME OF THE COMMUNITIES THAT ADOPTED IT LATER LEARNED FROM PEOPLE LIKE US ARE MISTAKES.
[00:30:01]
YES, MARY? YES.YES, PAT, AS I SAID BESIDE CHAIR HOWARD, I, UH, I'M NOT HESITANT TO ASK THIS QUESTION, BUT, UH, THANK YOU FOR THE NEXT STEPS AND THANK YOU FOR THIS EXCELLENT REPORT.
UM, WHAT'S YOUR TIMING OR PROJECTED TIMING FOR WHEN, UH, THE COUNTY COUNCIL MIGHT CONSIDER ADOPTION? YES.
SO OUR ROADSHOW, WE'RE GOING THROUGH RIGHT NOW, WE'LL WRAP UP AT THE END OF NOVEMBER.
WE WOULD LIKE TO TAP NEIGHBORS IN JASPER COUNTY, IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED.
UM, NO PRESSURE, BUT I WILL BE REACHING OUT TO SEE IF YOU'D LIKE US TO PRESENT TO YOU ALL ON THIS.
UM, SO THAT MAY PROLONG IT A LITTLE BIT, BUT RIGHT NOW WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS BEGINNING TO DRAFT OUR AMENDMENTS, UM, PROBABLY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR WITH THE UPCOMING HOLIDAY SEASON.
AND SO THEY WOULD BE COMING TO COUNTY COUNCIL NEXT YEAR.
I DON'T HAVE AN EXACT DATE FOR YOU YET, UM, BUT THAT'S WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW.
DO YOU TALK, YOU HAD THE SURVEY GO OUT.
DID YOU EVER TALK TO PEOPLE DIRECTLY ABOUT THIS? I PERSONALLY DID NOT, BUT I KNOW THAT OUR WORKING GROUP MEMBERS WERE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY TALKING WITH PEOPLE ABOUT THIS, NAMELY BUSINESSES TALKING ABOUT THIS.
THE REASON I'M SAYING THIS IS WHEN YOU GO TO THE RESTAURANTS, RIGHT? AND THIS TAKEOUT, WHY WOULD THEY NOT WANT TO JUST ASK THAT QUESTION? DO YOU WANT SILVERWARE OR NOT? I MEAN, THAT YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO REGISTRATION.
I MEAN, ANY KIND OF ORDINANCE JUST TO IMPLY, IMPLY TO THEM OR TALK TO THEM AND SAY, HEY, IT'S GONNA BE CHEAPER IF YOU JUST ASK THE QUESTION.
I KNOW EXPERIENCE WORKING IN THE FOOD AND BEV INDUSTRY, WE ARE ALL ABOUT HOSPITALITY.
SO IF WE CAN SUPERSEDE ANY OF YOUR NEEDS, WE WILL DO IT.
UM, SO THAT, THAT MAY BE WHY RESTAURANTS DO THIS.
BUT TO YOUR POINT, IT WOULD SAVE A LOT OF MONEY AND A LOT OF WASTE IF THINGS WERE HELD BACK, UNLESS PEOPLE DO IT OR DO NEED IT.
I DO SEE SOME RESTAURANTS DOING THIS ALREADY, BUT IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT A TREND HAS BUTTE OR COUNTY OR, BUT ANYBODY PUT A, UH, PROGRAM TOGETHER TO EDUCATE THE GREEN BUSINESS PLAN OR PROGRAM THAT'S BEING PULLED TOGETHER WILL HELP ACHIEVE SOME OF THESE GOALS THROUGH AN EDUCATION CAMPAIGN.
JUST A QUICK, UM, THOUGHT WITH THESE STRAWS AND SOME OF THOSE ITEMS, UM, WORKING, UH, UM, BANNING WITHIN A CERTAIN AREA OF WATERWAY.
SO IF A, IF A RESTAURANT IS RIGHT THERE AT A WATERWAY, IF IT'S, UH, ON THE BEACH, UM, KIND OF BANNING, CREATING SOME KIND OF A LIMITATION AS TO WHAT THEY CAN SERVE THERE, BECAUSE A LOT OF IT DOES COME FROM RIGHT THERE ON SITE.
SO JUST A, A THOUGHT THANK YOU.
ANYONE ELSE FROM THE BOARD BEFORE I TURN IT OVER TO THE PUBLIC? ANYONE FROM THE PUBLIC, PLEASE COME TO THE MICROPHONE.
HE, MR. MAYOR, HOW LONG DID IT TAKE? A FEW MINUTES.
JUST SO HAPPENS, MY DISCUSSION GROUP WAS A STEP AHEAD OF YOU THIS MORNING.
YOU HAVE A DISCIPLE AND CONVERT WHO LED THE MEETING.
SHE WENT THROUGH YOUR, YOUR PRESENTATION, THE WHOLE PRESENTATION.
AND WHAT SHE DOES, SHE TAKES A FABRIC BAG TO GROCERY STORES TO PUT HER VEGETABLES IN.
SHE TAKES UTENSILS WITH HER IN CASE THERE'S PLASTIC UTENSILS.
SHE, WE ARE MET, MET AT A PLACE TODAY THAT USE HUNDREDS OF STYROFOAM CUPS AND TAKEOUTS.
SHE'S TRYING TO GET THEM TO GO TO OTHER CONTAINERS.
AND SHE WENT ON AND ON WITH WHAT SHE DOES.
SHE HAS A CONTAINER FROM A TAKEOUT CONTAINER FROM CRACKER BARREL THAT'S REUSABLE, TAKES THAT WITH HER, TAKES IT HOME, WASH THAT OUT, USE IT AGAIN.
SO YOU HAVE ONE DISCIPLE WHO'S DOING ALL THAT SORT OF THING.
BUT HER BIG THING IS DON'T GIVE IT TO PEOPLE LIKE THE MASK FOR THE STRAWS.
AND THE OTHER THING WE CONCLUDED WAS INDIVIDUALS HAVE SO MANY OTHER THINGS ON THEIR MIND THAT THIS IS PROBABLY THE BOTTOM OF THEIR TOTEM POLE, BUT BUSINESSES WE THINK ARE A PLACE TO GO TO RELIEVE, SAVE A LOT OF PLASTIC.
THAT GOOD ENOUGH? MR. MAYOR? MAY, MAY, I, YOU WERE JUST ABOUT, UH, I WAS GOING TO CUT YOU OFF,
YOU, YOU, YOU SLIPPED UNDER THE WIRE.
ANYONE ELSE FROM THE PUBLIC I'D LIKE TO SPEAK? YES, SIR.
I'M THE CHAIRMAN OF KEEP BEAUFORT COUNTY BEAUTIFUL.
AND I WAS, UH, HELPED WITH ALL OF THE, UH, QUESTIONNAIRES AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
AND, UM, I'M ALSO ON THE BOARD OF PALMETTO PRIDE, UH, STATE AGENCY FOR LITTER AND, UH, THESE KIND OF CONTROLS.
[00:35:01]
BUSINESS DOWNTOWN, UH, BLUFFTON WENT TO EVERY BUSINESS.I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I REALIZED WHAT I WAS DOING, AND I WENT TO EVERY BUSINESS IN DOWNTOWN BEAUFORT, GAVE THEM A COPY OF THE, THE, UH, QUESTIONNAIRE AND WENT TO EVERY BUSINESS AGAIN IN BLUFFTON.
I I WAS WONDERING, WOULD SOMEBODY SAY SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, AND IT WASN'T, IT WAS REALLY A GREAT, UH, RESPONSE TO THESE QUESTIONS.
AND I THINK WE ALL KNOW THAT, UH, THESE, NO MATTER HOW THESE PLASTICS AND THESE STYROFOAMS AND ALL THESE OTHER THINGS GET INTO OUR WATERWAYS AND ONTO OUR STREETS AND EVERYWHERE ELSE, WE ARE GONNA HAVE TO SLOW IT DOWN.
AND BEAUFORT COUNTY, AS WE ALL KNOW, IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACES IN THE WORLD.
UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, JULIANNA.
THIS WAS VERY, UH, IMPRESSIVE.
AND I THINK THAT, UH, THE JURISDICTIONS OF, UH, JASPER COUNTY WOULD LOVE TO HEAR IT.
YOU GONNA TALK TO BUCKY'S
AND BEFORE I TURN IT OVER TO JASPER COUNTY, UM, JUST ONE ANECDOTE.
UM, AND JULIANA AND CURRY, COULD WE GET THESE ON THE WEBSITES THAT THEY WERE VERY, UH, IMPORTANT TO GET THEM ON THE WEBSITES? UM, I HAD BREAKFAST WITH A GUY WHO WAS OBSESSED WITH STYROFOAM BECAUSE, AND I DON'T, I'D NEVER CHECKED OUT THE SCIENCE, BUT HE SAID THAT STYROFOAMS ARE AN OIL-BASED PRODUCT, AND THOSE OILS ARE, ARE ACTIVATED WHEN THE HEAT HITS THE STYROFOAM.
SO IF YOU PUT SOMETHING IN THERE, IT, IT ACTIVATES THE OILS, WHICH GETS INTO THE FOOD THAT'S IN THE STYROFOAM.
SO COFFEE, UM, A MEAL WOULD GET THOSE, OILS WOULD GET.
AND OF COURSE, OIL IS NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU WANT TO TAKE AS PART OF YOUR REGULAR DIET.
NOW, I NEVER CHECKED OUT THE SCIENCE, BUT JULIANA, YOU MAYBE YOU WANT TO CHECK OUT THE SCIENCE.
I, I'M DEFINITELY CURIOUS, NOW THAT YOU'VE SAID THAT.
I KNOW THAT ALL FIVE ITEMS ARE, ARE PETROL BASED, UM, ITEMS, BUT I, I HAVEN'T TAKEN THAT.
BUT THAT'S, UH, THAT'S SOMETHING I WOULD BE, UH, CURIOUS TO HEAR THE RESULTS OF YOUR INVESTIGATION, SIR.
I JUST HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION FOR YOU, PLEASE.
WHEN YOU WERE SPEAKING ABOUT THE NEWBORN BABY.
HOW DID THAT HAPPEN? WAS THAT GENETICALLY TRANSFERRED FROM THE MOTHER? IT'S, OR, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE NEWBORNS DON'T NORMALLY RIGHT? IT'S FOOD.
IT'S THE FOOD MOVING THROUGH MOM INTO THE BABY AND YOUR UTERO.
AND SO THAT FIRST STOOL IS REFLECTIVE OF THOSE MEALS THAT THEY'VE HAD AND HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO PASS YET.
UM, SO, UH, LIKE I SAID EARLIER, IT'S FOUND IN PLACENTA AND IT'S MOVING THROUGH OUR DIGESTIVE TRACT.
SO IT'S GETTING INTO THOSE BARRIERS.
SO IT'S DEFINITELY CROSSING BARRIERS IN THE DIGEST, DIGESTIVE TRACT, AND GETTING INTO, UM, THE FOOD SOURCES FOR BABIES IN UTERO.
I WOULD THINK THAT'D BE A PRETTY STRONG CAMPAIGN, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE WE ALL KNOW WHO, HOW WE ALL FEEL ABOUT OUR KIDS.
UM, EDUCATING THAT POINT WOULD HELP SOME, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NEVER GONNA ELIMINATE IT, BUT THAT AWARENESS WAS, WAS VITAL.
[III.B. Jasper County Transportation Sales Tax Project Update. Andy Fulghum, Jasper County Administrator and Jim Iwanicki, Jasper County Engineer]
AND I THINK THIS IS GREAT THAT WE'RE HEARING FROM BOTH COUNTIES TODAY.UH, THE, AS WE ALL KNOW, IN NOVEMBER, JASPER COUNTY PASSED THE TRANSPORTATION SALES TAX, UM, AS PART OF THE ORDINANCE THAT CREATED THAT SALES TAX, THERE WAS A, UH, PROVISO PUT IN THERE THAT, UM, A BODY BE FORMED TO RECOMMEND TO THE COUNTY COUNCIL, THE ACTIONS FROM THE SALES TAX.
THAT BODY CONSISTED OF BOTH MAYORS AND THE COUNTY CHAIR AND A MEMBER OF THE SCHOOL BOARD.
OF COURSE, THE SCHOOL BOARD HAS BEEN DISSOLVED BY THE STATE CURRENTLY.
SO THERE'S NOW THREE MEMBERS, UH, COUNTY CHAIR, UH, KEMP, UH, CHAIRS THAT COMMITTEE.
AND, UH, HE HAS BEEN VERY INSISTENT THAT THE PUBLIC BE AWARE, AND THESE ARE PUBLIC MEETINGS, AND HE'S HELD THEM,
[00:40:01]
UH, BIMONTHLY, AND THEY WILL GO MONTHLY WHEN NECESSARY.SO, HAVING SAID THAT, UH, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO, UM, MR. ANDY FULHAM, THE JASPER COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR, AND JIM IWANICKI, THE JASPER COUNTY ENGINEER.
ANDY, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US THIS MORNING.
I WANT TO LET THE RECORD SHOW I'M NOT IN TAMPA.
I UNDERSTAND YOU'RE MISSING A LOT OF FUN, ANDY.
I I'VE MISSED THE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY.
HE, NOT THE FUND MAYOR, BUT THANK YOU.
UH, I THINK MAYOR SAID IT BEST.
THIS IS A FUN THING TO TALK ABOUT.
THIS 2024 TRANSPORTATION SALES TAX SLASH GREENBELT PROGRAM, UH, FOR JASPER COUNTY.
ONE, AND I THINK IT REPRESENTS, UH, A GREAT EXAMPLE OF TEAMWORK IN PUTTING TOGETHER THE PROGRAM, UH, TEAMWORK IN DOING THE PUBLIC EDUCATION AND GETTING THE PROGRAM ADOPTED THROUGH REFERENDUM.
AND THEN, UH, OF COURSE, MOVING FORWARD NOW AS WE'RE WORKING ON THE ROAD PROJECTS, UH, THE, THE ENTIRE, UH, PROGRAM, UH, IS PROPOSED TO, UM, NET $470 MILLION.
UH, AND THAT'S A BIG NUMBER OVER 15 YEARS.
IT'S A BIG NUMBER FOR JASPER COUNTY.
UM, BUT WE LEARNED, UH, TO DO THAT BECAUSE WE HAD A PREVIOUS, UH, TRANSPORTATION SALES TAX PROGRAM BACK IN 2016.
AND WE, IT WAS THE FIRST ONE WE'D EVER DONE, AND WE UNDERESTIMATED IT WAS, UH, FOR A 10 YEAR PERIOD AND A A $30 MILLION DOLLAR AMOUNT.
AND WE REACHED THE $30 MILLION IN ABOUT FIVE AND A HALF YEARS.
AND SO WE LOST OUR OPPORTUNITY.
THERE WAS DISCUSSION AT THAT TIME, SHOULD WE EXTEND THAT CURRENT SALES TAX AS IT WAS MOVING FORWARD, OR SHOULD WE WAIT AND DO A NEW ONE? WE DECIDED TO WAIT AND DO A NEW ONE BECAUSE WE WANTED TO WORK WITH BEAUFORT COUNTY AND PERHAPS DOING ONE IN CONJUNCTION WITH BUFORT COUNTY.
SO, UH, WHILE THAT WAS GOING ON, WE KNEW THE COUNTY COUNCIL WANTED US TO PURSUE ONE IN 2024.
UH, WE HAD THE GOOD FORTUNE OF BEING ABLE TO WORK WITH BUFORT COUNTY AND THEIR STAFF, SPECIFICALLY MR. JARED FRA, AND WORKING, UH, IN TANDEM ON DEFINING ROAD PROJECTS.
WE WERE ALSO WORKING ON A IMPACT FEE STUDY COUNTYWIDE.
AND SO ROADS WERE A BIG, UH, PORTION OF THAT.
SO WE HAD A TWO YEAR ADVANTAGE STARTING TO WORK IN 2022 ON THE PROJECT OF WORKING WITH THE MUNICIPALITIES TO DEFINE THE ROAD PROJECTS.
UH, MS. JENNIFER BRAGG IN THE BACK OF THE ROOM WITH, UH, JAY BRAGG CONSULTING HELPED US WITH THAT EFFORT AND COSTING OUT THE POTENTIAL PROJECTS.
SO WE HAD ALL OF THOSE ROAD PROJECTS DEFINED, UH, IN AGREEMENT WITH ALL THE STAFF MEMBERS FROM BOTH MUNICIPALITIES AND THE COUNTY GOING FORWARD, WHICH WAS A HUGE ADVANTAGE.
UH, ONCE THAT WAS BROUGHT FORWARD.
THE COUNTY COUNCIL WANTED TO PURSUE THE GREEN BELT ELEMENT, UM, THAT WAS GOOD FOR JASPER COUNTY BECAUSE WE HAD A LOT OF SYNERGY AT THE TIME WITH SOME MAJOR CONSERVATION PROJECTS HAPPENING.
OF COURSE, THE GREEN BELT APPEALED TO THE VOTERS WHO WANTED TO CONTINUE THAT.
UH, THE ROAD PROJECTS, UH, APPEALED TO THOSE FOLKS THAT HAVE BEEN MOVING HERE AND EXPERIENCING THE TRAFFIC ISSUES.
THE GREEN BELT PROGRAM, WE'RE NOT GONNA TALK ABOUT IN DETAIL TODAY BECAUSE THE GREEN BELT PROGRAM IS YET TO BE ADOPTED BY THE COUNTY COUNCIL.
UH, BUT IT HAS BEEN DEVELOPED, IT'S BEEN DEVELOPED BY STAFF.
AND, UM, WITH PARTICULAR HELP FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNITY, SPECIFICALLY MS. KATE SCHAFER WITH THE OPEN LAND TRUST HAS BEEN TREMENDOUS IN HELPING US DO THAT.
WE'VE LEARNED FROM OTHER COUNTIES AND HOW THEY'VE DONE IT.
SO WE'VE CREATED OUR FIRST GREEN BELT PROGRAM.
THAT PROGRAM HAS BEEN SIFTED THROUGH THE TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE, UH, THAT THE MAYOR SPOKE OF.
AND THEY HAVE, UH, BEAT IT UP, RECOMMENDED IT, AND MADE IT BETTER.
AND IT IS GOING TO BE GOING TO COUNTY COUNCIL FOR A WORKSHOP WITHIN A MONTH OR TWO.
SO THAT'S THE STATUS OF THE GREEN BELT PROJECT.
THE ROAD PROJECTS, THE $376 MILLION POTENTIALLY OVER THE 15 YEARS, UH, APPROVED BY THE VOTERS.
THE WHOLE THING, UH, ROUGHLY 55, 50 6%, UH, APPROVAL, WHICH IS BIG IN JASPER COUNTY, HAD A BIG TURNOUT AT THE ELECTION.
I THINK THERE WAS 68% OF REGISTERED VOTERS CAME OUT FOR THE LAST ELECTION.
SO IN JASPER, WE KNOW WE'RE ABOUT 36,000 STRONG.
UM, SO THAT WAS A GOOD TURNOUT FOR, FOR US.
AND AS THE MAYOR SAID ABOUT THE TRANSPORTATION SALES TAX COMMITTEE, THEY'VE MET SIX TIMES SINCE THE CREATION OF THIS.
THAT WAS PART OF THE REFERENDUM.
PART OF THE ORDINANCE IS TO HAVE THIS COMMITTEE THAT WOULD REVIEW ALL THE PROJECTS, MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS.
UH, THEY'VE DONE SOME PRETTY BIG WORK IN SIX MEETINGS.
THEY HAVE, UH, PREPARED RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE COUNTY COUNCIL ON ROAD PRIORITIES.
THEY HAVE HAD INPUT IN THE SELECTION OF THE PROGRAM MANAGER FOR THE ROAD PROJECTS.
THEY HAVE DEVELOPED, UH, THE GREENBELT PROGRAM.
[00:45:01]
UH, THE PROPOSAL IS THAT THE TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE WILL ALSO SERVE AS THE GREENBELT ADVISORY COMMITTEE, AS THOSE PROJECTS ARE ADVANCED.AND JUST, UH, LAST, AT THEIR LAST MEETING, THEY REVIEWED THE BONDING REQUIREMENTS, THE REFERENDUM, THE VOTERS APPROVED, UH, UP TO $150 MILLION BOND ISSUANCE.
OF COURSE, THOSE WILL BE SERIALIZED BOND ISSUANCES.
AND THE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE REVIEWED ALL THAT INFORMATION WITH OUR FINANCIAL FOLKS, AND THEY ARE RECOMMENDING THE FIRST ISSUANCE, WHICH WILL BE GOING TO THE COUNTY COUNCIL IN, UH, HOPEFULLY LATER THIS MONTH.
SO THAT'S SORT OF A SUMMON SUMMARY OF WHERE WE ARE WITH, WITH THE, UH, PROGRAM.
WE'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS AT THE END OF THE PRESENTATION ABOUT THE FORMULATION OF IT, UH, WHAT WE DID, THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.
UH, BUT GOING FORWARD, UH, THE STAR OF THE SHOW IS MR. UH, JIM IKI, AND HE'S THE COUNTY'S DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING SERVICES.
OF COURSE, JIM, THIS IS JIM'S PROGRAM.
AND SO HE'S BEEN WORKING WITH THE PROGRAM MANAGER THAT'S BEEN HIRED TO START TO WORK ON THESE ROAD PROJECTS, AND I WANNA LET HIM PROCEED.
OF COURSE, AGAIN, WE'LL BOTH BE AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS AT THE, AT THE CONCLUSION.
UM, SO, UH, THERE WERE 16 ROAD PROJECTS THAT WERE PART OF THE REFERENDUM.
I DID NOT TRY TO LIST ALL 16 OF THEM HERE.
UH, THIS IS WHAT THE, UH, COMMITTEE THOUGHT WERE THE, UH, THE TOP.
AND THIS IS WHAT WE'RE CURRENTLY, UH, WORKING TOWARDS.
ARGENT BOULEVARD IS, OF COURSE, NUMBER ONE.
UH, THAT IS THE, UH, WHERE WE'RE PUTTING ALL OUR EMPHASIS ON RIGHT NOW.
THE NEXT TWO PRIORITIES ARE THE US 2 78, UH, CORRIDOR.
UH, BUT BASICALLY IT IS FROM THE COUNTY LINE OUT TO, UH, I 95.
UH, THE NEXT PRIORITY IS EXIT 18.
INTERCHANGE THERE WITH, UH, US, UH, 17.
UH, THE I 95 PROJECT WILL BE TAKING CARE OF THE RAMPS, BUT WE'RE, THIS PROJECT WILL BE SPECIFICALLY LOOKING AT THE INTERSECTION OF, UH, THE, UH, THE ROADS AS THEY COME INTO THAT INTERCHANGE.
UH, THE NEXT ONE IS LEVY ROAD.
UH, THE STATE DID, UH, RESURFACE THAT RECENTLY.
UH, BUT AGAIN, THAT IS STILL A PRIORITY, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, WE, UH, PUT SOME ADDITIONAL ASPHALT OUT THERE.
AND THEN, UH, THE SC UH, 3 36, UH, IMPROVEMENTS AT GRANVILLE ROAD ARE, ARE THE PRIORITIES THAT, UH, UH, THE, UH, COMMITTEE GAVE US.
AND, UH, COUNCIL HAS APPROVED, UH, THE GREEN BELT INITIATIVES.
UH, THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT WERE LISTED IN THE, UH, THE ORDINANCE.
AGAIN, AS ANDY SAID, WE ARE, UH, WORKING TOWARDS, UH, MAKING THAT HAPPEN THROUGH COUNTY COUNCIL AND, UH, THE COMMITTEE.
AND SO, UH, PURCHASING A PROPERTY FOR CONSERVATION EASEMENTS, CREATING PASSIVE AND ACTIVE GREEN SPACES, UH, PROTECTING NATURAL RESOURCES, PROTECTING AGRICULTURAL AND HERITAGE SPACES, AND SCE A CORRIDORS.
UM, OUR PROGRAM MANAGER IS, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE CONSULTING ENGINEERS.
UM, THEY WERE, UM, THEY'RE GOING TO HELP US, UH, GET THIS PROGRAM, UH, STARTED.
UH, WE HAVE A CONTRACT WITH THEM FOR, UH, FIVE YEARS.
AND, UH, WITH POSSIBILITY OF EXTENDING THAT AFTER THE FIVE YEARS.
UM, THE CURRENT AGENDA IS AS FOLLOWS.
UM, THEY ARE WORKING ON DEVELOPING A WEBSITE.
UH, WE TALKED ABOUT TAGLINES AND LOGOS AT OUR LAST, UH, MEETING.
AND, UH, HOPEFULLY WE WILL, UH, FINALIZE THAT WITHIN THE NEXT MONTH OR SO.
UH, SO THAT WE CAN START, UH, WORKING, UH, WITH OUR PUBLIC COMMUNICATION PLAN.
THEN GETTING A WEBSITE ESTABLISHED.
UH, THERE IS ALSO A HOTLINE THAT'S BEING ESTABLISHED THAT YOU CAN CALL IN ON THE PHONE AND IT WILL BE MANNED, UH, 24 7, UH, TO AT LEAST FIELD QUESTIONS AND GET THAT INFORMATION TO, UH, PROPER PEOPLE TO, TO ANSWER 'EM, UH, ROADWAY WISE AND PROJECT WISE.
THEY'RE WORKING ON PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING FOR ARGENT.
UH, THE OTHER THING THAT, UH, IS REALLY EXCITING IS HARDY V HAS GOT SOME IMPACT FEE PROJECTS GOING ON, UH, AT, UH, JOHN SMITH ROAD, UM, AND THE INTERSECTION OF 2 78.
SO WITH THE STATE HIGHWAY, UH, DEPARTMENT, WORKING ON THE EXIT, UH, EIGHT INTERCHANGE, THERE WAS GOING TO BE THREE LANES AT THE INTERCHANGE, AND THEN IT WAS GONNA SLIDE DOWN TO TWO LANES, AND THEN IT WAS GONNA WIDEN OUT TO THREE LANES AT THE INTERSECTION.
SO WE ARE GOING TO WORK TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET THAT THREE QUARTERS OF A MILE IN BETWEEN THOSE TWO PROJECTS DONE.
SO AT LEAST WE GOT THREE LANES GOING IN EACH DIRECTION ALL THROUGH, UH, THE JOHN SMITH INTERSECTION.
SO WE'RE GONNA BE WORKING WITH, UH, HARDY TO, UH, TRY TO DEVELOP A, UM, IGA
[00:50:01]
INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT SO THAT, UH, THEIR, THEIR ENGINEERS AND THEIR DE ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT IS CURRENTLY WORKING ON THAT INTERSECTION.AND SO THAT WE WILL HAVE, UH, ONE ENGINEERING FIRM, AND WE'RE NOT TRIPPING OVER EACH OTHER.
UM, AS ANDY SAID, UH, WE'RE WORKING ON, UH, THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROGRAM, RULES AND PROCEDURES FOR THE GREEN BELT, AND, UH, THAT SHOULD BE COMING HERE IN THE NEXT MONTH OR SO.
THAT WAS VERY GOOD SUMMARY OF, UH, OF WHAT YOU'VE DONE.
UM, I ALSO SUGGESTED THAT, UM, THAT COMPANY, THE ACRONYM RIGHT NOW IS ICE, AND I THINK PERHAPS WE COULD COME UP WITH A BETTER ACRONYM.
SO I HAVE SUGGESTED THAT, UM, YOU NOTICED THAT WAS NOT IN THE POWERPOINT
YEAH, NO, YOU, YOU LISTED IT ALL OUT.
UM, ANYWAY, I'LL NOW OFFER THE BOARD TO, UH, ASK ANY QUESTIONS OF ANDY AND JIM.
YEAH, UH, I'M SURE THAT THE BIG QUESTION IS WHAT'S THE TIMING TO SEE SOME OF THIS COMING TO FRUITION? UM, I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF WORK THAT GOES INTO IT, BUT FROM, FROM THE DESIGN, UH, ENGINEERING TO SHOVELING THE GROUND, ESPECIALLY AT, AT ARGENT, BECAUSE THAT SEEMS TO BE THE, THE HOTTEST, UH, PINPOINT AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN
I, SO ALL OF THESE PROJECTS ARE ON THE STATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM, SO ALL 16 OF THE PROJECTS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED ON THE ROADSIDE.
SO AGAIN, WE, WE ARE WORKING WITHIN THE, THE, UH, SC O RULES.
UH, WE ARE ALSO GOING TO BE USING FEDERAL MONEY ON, UH, A LOT OF THESE PROJECTS.
SO AGAIN, WE, WE GOTTA FOLLOW THOSE RULES.
AND SO WHEN YOU FOLLOW THOSE RULES, THOSE TAKE A LITTLE BIT LONGER TO MAKE SURE ALL THE BOXES ARE CHECKED.
AND AGAIN, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE CHECK THOSE BOXES SO WE CAN USE THEIR MONEY AND EX EXTEND WHAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE TO DO.
OTHER THINGS ON THE LIST THAT ARE FURTHER DOWN THERE, THERE ARE ALSO, ALAN, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS.
WHILE THAT ENGINEERING IS TAKEN PLACE, THERE'S ALREADY WORK, UH, AND APPROVE LIGHT AT SHORTCUT ROAD.
UH, WE'RE WAITING FOR APPROVAL AT SUN CITY FOR THAT LIGHT, WHICH WAS PART OF THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT WITH, WITH PULTE.
AND ALSO, UH, THE STATE HAS JUST RECENTLY RECEIVED AT LEAST TWO BIDS, UH, THAT, THAT LAST I SAW FOR ARGENT AND 2 78, UH, WHICH WE ALL KNOW IS, IS LITERALLY A DEATH TRAP RIGHT NOW.
SO THE STATE HAS APPROVED A LIGHT THERE.
SO IN ADDITION TO WHAT JIM AND ICER WORKING ON, THERE'S THOSE THREE PROJECTS THAT WILL ALSO IMPACT ARJUN BOULEVARD THAT ARE ALREADY IN PROGRESS.
AND AGAIN, THE, THE CITY OF HARDY V IS, IS WORKING ON THOSE THINGS.
AND WE'RE NOT DOING THIS IN A VACUUM.
WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE COORDINATING AND THAT, UH, WE'RE USING ALL THE DOLLARS WISELY.
AND SO THAT WE, WE'RE GONNA MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T TRIP OVER EACH OTHER IN GETTING STUFF DONE OUT ON ARGENT.
ON, ON THE PROJECT WITH ARGENT ROAD IS, I SAW SOMETHING LIKE FIVE LANES OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, FOUR TO FIVE LANES.
WHERE ARE YOU GONNA SQUEEZE THAT THING IN THERE? 'CAUSE THAT'S PRETTY TIGHT AND BEEN DEVELOPED, AND PLUS LOW LAND ON BOTH SIDES, AND THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME ENGINEERING DONE.
THERE NEEDS TO BE, TAKE A LOOK AT THAT, WHAT THAT, WHAT WAS ON THAT LIST WAS IN THE REFERENDUM.
SO AGAIN, THAT, THAT, THAT IS THE GOAL.
AGAIN, AS WE DEVELOP THOSE ENGINEERING PLANS, WE WILL SEE WHAT WE CAN FIT IN THE THREE POUND BAG AND, UH, WE'LL GO FROM THERE.
SO THE CONSTRUCTION BEING DONE CURRENTLY ON 2 78 FROM EXIT EIGHT IS HARDY'S CONSTRUCTION? NO, THE, UM, HARDY V THROUGH IMPACT FEES WAS GIVEN $8 MILLION AS PART OF THE MORGAN TRACK DEVELOPMENT, THAT THAT HAD TO BE DONE PRIOR TO ANY DEVELOPMENT AT FURTHER DEVELOPMENT AT THAT INTERSECTION.
SO OUR ENGINEER HAS ALREADY STARTED WORK ON USING THAT $8 MILLION.
DOT HAS APPROVED A LIGHT, THERE ARE ADDITIONAL TURNING LANES, LENGTHENING LANES, AND ALSO, UH, ADDING LANES AT THAT INTERSECTION AT JOHN SMITH ROAD.
THAT $8 MILLION WILL COVER THAT.
SO NOW, UM, THE COMMITTEE AGREED THAT TO COORDINATE THAT WORK THAT IS ALREADY STARTED BY THE CITY OF HARDY BILL WITH THE MONEY FROM
[00:55:01]
THE REFERENDUM AND WHAT DOT'S PLANNING TO SPEND AT EXIT EIGHT, COMBINING THAT INTO ONE COORDINATED PROJECT.WELL, IT WAS QUITE IMPRESSIVE.
UM, I GOT OFF EXIT EIGHT AT NINE O'CLOCK THE OTHER NIGHT AND TOOK ME 40 MINUTES TO GET TO SUN CITY'S GATE.
SO THEY'RE DEFINITELY WORKING HARD AND BLOCKING UP TRAFFIC.
WELL, YOU KNOW, THEN YOU'VE REALLY, THAT'S CUT DOWN THE AMOUNT OF TIME.
UM, BUT THERE'S ALSO AT NIGHT AFTER SEVEN O'CLOCK TAB, UH, DOMINION IS DOING WORK ON THAT EASTBOUND LANE AS WELL.
SO THAT'S NOT ALL ROAD CONSTRUCTION.
AND ANDY JUST ASKED ME, WERE YOU BLINDED BY THE LIGHTS? ABSOLUTE
IT'S LIKE DAYTIME OUT THERE, UM, AT NINE O'CLOCK AT NIGHT.
SO TO KEEP ON SCHEDULE NOW, LET'S OPEN IT UP TO THE PUBLIC AND, UH, JOE, LET SOMEBODY ELSE GET UP FIRST.
THE ONLY QUESTION I HAD WAS, YOU HAVE TO GET TO THE MICROPHONE.
FORGIVE ME, ANDY, THIS IS NOT ON YOUR TOPIC, MR. MAYOR, DID YOU BRING YOUR BOTS OF CHOCOLATES WITH YOU? WE'D ALL LIKE TO PARTICIPATE IN THOSE, PLEASE.
ANYONE ELSE FROM THE PUBLIC LIKE TO FOLLOW THAT UP? OKAY.
UM, JIM, ANDY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
AND OF COURSE, UM, I KNOW YOU'RE CREATING, AS YOU SAID, YOU'RE CREATING A WEBSITE, SO THAT'LL BE UP THERE AS WELL.
UM, NEXT ON OUR AGENDA IS TO, UM, IS THE
[IV.A. November Agenda]
NOVEMBER AGENDA AND ALSO THE 2026 MEETING SCHEDULE.UM, AS A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, WE, UH, WANTED TO ACCOMPLISH BY GETTING UPDATES FROM EVERY JURISDICTION, UH, THAT GOT SWITCHED AROUND BECAUSE OF THE MANAGERS BEING AWAY.
UM, BUT ONE SUGGESTION IS TO HAVE TO CONTINUE THAT WE'VE HEARD FROM HARDY V TO OFFER BLUFFTON AND HILTON HEAD, UH, TO TAKE NOVEMBER.
AND, AND I THOUGHT IT PROBABLY WOULD BE A WISE, ALTHOUGH IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE TO PUT BUFORD AND PORT ROYAL TOGETHER AND PUT BLUFFTON AND HILTON HEAD TOGETHER, BUT THAT'S UP TO THE BOARD TO DECIDE.
IS THERE ANY, UM, FEELINGS OR SUGGESTIONS ABOUT NOVEMBER'S AGENDA TO ME? OKAY, MR. MR. MAYORS
UM, BUT I'M GONNA PUT IT BACK AROUND YOUR NECK.
UM, MR. MAYOR AND MR. MAYOR, WOULD YOU LIKE TO ACCEPT THAT, UM, NOVEMBER AGENDA OR, UM, MR. MAYOR, WOULD YOU PREFER TO BE NOVEMBER LET'S OFF ABROAD GO FIRST.
UM, I, I I THINK WE COULD BE PREPARED TO GO, DON'T YOU ANGIE? YEAH.
I, I THINK, I THINK STEVEN WAS READY THIS MONTH BEFORE HE REALIZED, UH, ABOUT THE, OKAY.
SO, WE'LL, I HAVE A QUICK COMMENT IF THAT'S OKAY.
UM, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE WOULD BE ANY BENEFIT TO THIS, AND I DON'T WANNA OVERSTEP, 'CAUSE I KNOW THIS IS THE COUNTY'S PROJECT WITH A REFERENDUM, BUT WOULD THERE BE VALUE IN BRINGING A DISCUSSION, JUST KIND OF RECAPPING WHERE COUNTY COUNCIL IS ON THE TRANSPORTATION SALES TAX REFERENDUM IN 2026 FOR BUFORT COUNTY? AND IF THERE WOULD, THEN I DON'T KNOW WHERE WE COULD WORK THAT IN, IF NEXT MONTH IS SOUTH OF BROAD AND THEN WE DON'T HAVE A DECEMBER MEETING, AND THEN WE MEET IN JANUARY, AND THAT'S NORTH OF BROAD, THAT PUTS US AT FEBRUARY.
SO WE LOSE A LOT OF VALUABLE TIME IF WE DON'T DECIDE TO DO THAT.
I WILL, I'LL DEFER TO, WE HAVE THE COUNTY CHAIR AND, UH, I, I DID OFFER THIS MONTH, BUT THEY, I, AND I DON'T WANNA PUT WORDS IN THEIR MOUTH, BUT I'M NOT SURE THEY'RE PREPARED.
WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT PREPARED.
WE'VE MADE VISITS WITH ALL THE MAYORS IN, UM, THE COUNTY TO, AND WE ARE NOW TRYING TO GET THE PULSE OF OUR COUNTY COUNCIL ON WHAT THEY WANT TO DO AFTER THEY GET THE SUMMARY OF THOSE MEETINGS.
UM, SO WE'RE NOT PREPARED YET TILL WE
[01:00:01]
TALK TO OUR FULL COUNSEL.IS THAT GOOD? DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT TAB? YEAH, BUT THIS MEETING WILL BE THE END OF NOVEMBER.
WE SHOULD BE, WE CAN GET A VERY BRIEF UPDATE.
IT'LL BE A BRIEF UPDATE, NOT DETAIL.
SO, UM, WHAT WE'LL DO IS, UH, I'LL, I'LL SET THE TIME LIMIT FOR BLUFFTON AND HILTON HEAD ACCORDINGLY, AND, AND LEAVE, UM, UH, SOME TIME FOR THE COUNTY TO GIVE OUT JUST A BRIEF UPDATE.
SO, AND, AND WE MET WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT TOO, WHICH WAS VERY EYE-OPENING.
UM, JUST LEAVE THAT TEASER OUT THERE.
I, I THINK WE ALL GOT TICKLED.
UM, OKAY, SO THAT WILL BE THE NOVEMBER AGENDA.
[IV.B. 2026 Meeting Schedule]
TO YOU ALL, UM, SOME AGENDA ITEMS FOR 2026.SO I'D LIKE TO LEAVE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME SO THAT, UM, WE CAN COME UP WITH A LIST.
WE'VE DONE THIS IN THE PAST, A LIST OF AGENDA ITEMS FOR 2026 SO THAT ONCE I KNOW THE, UM, WHAT THE BOARD IS INTERESTED IN, I CAN START WORKING, GETTING THEM SET UP FOR 2026.
SO I'LL GIVE THAT TO YOU AS WELL.
YOU ALSO IN YOUR AGENDA PACKET, WERE GIVEN, UM, DATES FOR 2026.
ARE THERE ANY, UM, ANY, UH, CONFLICTS THAT ANYBODY COULD SEE IN THAT, IN THAT LIST? AND IF YOU DON'T KNOW SITTING HERE, PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AT IT AND SEND ME AN EMAIL AND LET ME KNOW IF THERE'S, YOU SEE ANY POTENTIAL CONFLICTS FOR 2026.
UM, AS PART OF THE LIST FOR 2026, AS YOU RECALL, WE DID, UH, INVITE A SUBCOMMITTEE ON A GROUP, UM, THAT WORKED ON A 20 YEAR PLAN.
THEY HAVE SUBMITTED A FINAL REPORT TO ME.
I HAVEN'T FORWARDED TO ANYBODY, BUT I THOUGHT THAT, UM, THEY DID PUT A LOT OF WORK IN THAT AND THEY SHOULDN'T, UH, HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE A FINAL REPORT AND THEN, UH, THE BOARD CAN DECIDE WHAT TO DO WITH IT AT THAT POINT IN TIME.
ONE OF THE SUGGESTIONS WAS ALSO THAT, UH, YOU PREVENT PRESENT YOUR SURVEY THAT YOU TOOK THIS PAST, UH, YEAR, UM, REGARDING THE TRANSPORTATION TAXES.
SO THAT MIGHT BE, SO WE DON'T HAVE TO DO ANY ORDER OF THESE AGENDA ITEMS OTHER THAN WHAT THE BOARD WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FIRST.
SO JUST GIVE THAT SOME THOUGHT BETWEEN NOW AND NOVEMBER, MAYOR, UH, HAVING LISTENED TO THE PRESENTATION BY JASPER COUNTY TODAY ON UPCOMING TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS AND KNOWING VARIOUS JURISDICTIONS HAVE OTHERS, IT MIGHT BE GOOD TO PUT TOGETHER SOME SORT OF MAP OR A LIST OF ALL THOSE DIFFERENT PROJECTS GOING WITHIN OUR SOLO SOCO AREA SO WE HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE VIEW OF WHAT TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS ARE BEING PLANNED OR IN THE WORKS.
THAT'S A GOOD, THAT'S A GOOD IDEA.
I KNOW JIM HAS JASPER COUNTY AND ALICE, YOU HAVE THE, THE PROJECTS LEFT FROM, WOULDN'T LATS HAVE ALL THAT TOGETHER? YEAH, AND THEY WOULD HAVE WHAT? THERE ARE A LOT OF PROJECT ON, ON LATS THAT, UM, ARE APPROVED PROJECTS, BUT DON'T HAVE FUNDING ATTACHED TO 'EM.
UM, BUT AS ONE OF THE SUGGESTIONS OF, UM, FOR THE AGENDA FROM, UH, MR. STEVE WAS TO INVITE LATS AND LOCO TO COME AND GIVE US A PRESENTATION ON ALL THE, UH, TRI-COUNTY PROJECTS, UM, THAT DON'T NECESSARILY, THEY'RE PROJECTS APPROVED BUT DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE FUNDING AND THAT, THAT MIGHT BE HELPFUL.
SO THEY'LL, I'LL I'LL PUT THAT ON THE LIST THAT I'LL SEND OUT PRIOR TO NEXT MEETING OF ALL THE POTENTIAL, UH, AGENDA ITEMS FOR 2026.
AND ONE MORE IDEA, BECAUSE WE'RE LOOKING AT, UM, A LOT OF GROWTH IN OUR AREA IS THAT I KNOW A LOT OF THE WATER AND SEWER ENTITIES ARE ALSO HAVING PROJECTS IN THE LIST GETTING READY TO COME ONLINE.
UM, I THINK, UH, BEAUFORT, JASPER WATER AND SEWER AUTHORITIES WORKING ON A MASTER PLAN, SO IT'D BE GOOD TO LOOK AT THAT KIND OF INFRASTRUCTURE AS WELL.
I JUST ADDED THAT TO ADD THAT TO THE LIST AND BETWEEN, AGAIN, NOW AND NOVEMBER, ANY OTHER IDEAS,
[01:05:01]
UH, PLEASE FORWARD 'EM TO ME AND I'LL MAKE SURE THEY'RE ON THE LIST THAT WE'LL PRESENT THE NEXT MEETING.HAVING SAID THAT, MR. MAYOR, MAYOR, MAKE SUGGESTION, DOES WE WANNA VOTE ON WHETHER WE WANT TO HEAR FROM THIS GUY
PLEASE GET UP TO THE MICROPHONE, MR. WOOD.
UM, WE UNDERSTAND THE SEVERITY OF THE DEBATE ABOUT THE TRANSPORTATION PENNY TAX AND THAT DEBATE PRIMARILY FOCUSES ON STATE ROADS AND IT'S A SUGGESTION, BUT, UH, BEAUFORT COUNTY JUST DID A, UM, A SURVEY, I GUESS FOR LACK OF A, A STUDY ON THE PARKWAY.
AND, UM, I THINK THOSE OF US THAT HAVE LIVED HERE A VERY, VERY LONG TIME.
REMEMBER, ONE OF THE REASONS THAT PARKWAY WAS BUILT IS THERE WAS A PERIOD OF TIME YOU COULDN'T GO OUT ON A SATURDAY AND GET ON 2 78 BECAUSE OF THE TRAFFIC GOING TO HILTON HEAD.
SO IT WAS GRIDLOCK SO THAT THE COUNTY AND THEIR WISDOM BUILT THAT PARKWAY, WHICH IS INSTRUMENTAL TO ALL OF US.
SO THE POINT I'M TRYING TO MAKE IS WHEN 2 78 GRIDLOCKS BLUFFTON GRIDLOCKS ON THE PARKWAY, YOU CAN'T MOVE THE OLD CITY SHUT DOWN.
OR IF THERE'S GRIDLOCK ON THE PARKWAY, THEN THERE'S MORE TRAFFIC ON 2 78.
SO EVEN THOUGH THE TRANSPORTATION TAX WILL NOT ADDRESS THIS, I THINK IT'S GOOD FOR US TO BE LOOKING LONG TERM BECAUSE THE NUMBERS THAT EXIST IN THE STUDY THAT THE COUNTY DID IS BETWEEN 210 AND $280 MILLION OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME.
AND SO WE REALLY NEED TO START HAVING THE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THOSE ROAD, THAT ROAD, THE PARKWAY.
BUT ALSO, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE OTHER ARTERIAL ROADS IN THE COUNTY.
UM, WE ALL KNOW THAT THE PARKWAY MOVES TRAFFIC FROM SAVANNAH AND HARDY V UH, AND OTHER LOCATIONS TOWARDS HILTON HEAD AND FROM BUFORT THROUGH THE PARKWAY TO OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTY.
SO IT'S AN INSTRUMENTAL ROAD AND I JUST THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO BE TALKING ABOUT SO WE CAN FIGURE OUT LONG TERM WHAT WE MAY TRY TO ACHIEVE.
I, I THINK THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT ARE ON THE LATS TIP.
SO, UM, I THINK GETTING LATS IN HERE COULD, WOULD PROBABLY BE EDUCATIONAL.
THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR COMING.
YOU'RE WATCHING BEAUFORT COUNTY TV, LIVE, WORK, PLAY.
I AM DENNIS ADAMS, AND THIS IS A BUFORT COUNTY MOMENT.
FOREST GUMP, THE PRINCE OF TIDES, THE GREAT SANTINI.
THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE BIG HOLLYWOOD MOVIES FILMED IN BEAUFORT COUNTY DURING THE 1980S AND 1990S.
BUT THE EARLIEST BIG SCREEN PRODUCTION, A SHOT HERE DATES BACK NEARLY A CENTURY.
LATE IN NOVEMBER, 1917, AMERICAN FEATURE FILMS OF GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA SENT A COMPANY OF ACTORS ON LOCATION TO ST.
HENA ISLAND AND AMONG THE ANTEBELLUM MANSIONS OF BEAUFORT.
IN THE WORDS OF THE BEAUFORT GAZETTE, THE RISE AND FALL OF THE CONFEDERACY IS ONE OF THE MOST REMARKABLE AND STUPENDOUS MOTION PICTURE SCENARIOS EVER ATTEMPTED BY ANY DRAMATIST.
IT CERTAINLY WAS A COSTUME DRAMA WITH OVER 640 PIECES OF PERIOD CLOTHING SHIPPED IN FOR THE ACTORS.
JOINING THE PRODUCTION JUST BEFORE FILMING WAS ONE WILLIAM CUNNINGHAM OF PEERLESS FILM COMPANY OF LOS ANGELES.
HE LENT A HOLLYWOOD TOUCH TO THE PRODUCTION.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE FILM HAS DISAPPEARED.
IT WOULD SEEM THAT THE STUDIO EXAGGERATED ITS CLAIMS OF THE MOST IMPRESSIVE MOVING PICTURE SINCE THE BIRTH OF A NATION.
I'M DENNIS ADAMS, AND THIS HAS BEEN YOUR BUFORT COUNTY MOMENT.
TO SEE MORE BUFORT COUNTY MOMENTS GO TO THE BUFORT COUNTY LIBRARY
[01:10:01]
HOMEPAGE AND CLICK ON THE LOCAL HISTORY TAB.