* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:01] CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY BUFORT COUNTY. WE OKAY WITH THAT? UM, I COULD DO THAT MORNING. UM, I'M, I'M KEN GURA, UH, THE VICE CHAIR OF THE COMMITTEE. OUR, OUR CHAIRMAN IS NOT ABLE TO BE HERE TODAY, SO I'LL ATTEMPT TO, UH, LEAD THE PROCEEDINGS HERE FOR THE PRESENTATION. UM, OF COURSE, JOINED BY, UH, THESE OTHER GREAT COMMITTEE MEMBERS, UH, ANITA, ANITA SINGLETON PR, UM, MARIE GIBBS, STEVEN GREEN, AND DICK STEWART. SO, THANK YOU ALL FOR, FOR BEING HERE. UM, LET'S START WITH THE PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE. GOT A FLAG BEHIND US. I BELIEVE IT'S BEHIND YOU TO THE FLAG. THE UNITED STATES, STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS. ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. EXCEPT FOR ANNA MARIE. EXCEPT FOR ME. YEAH. ALLISON. UM, ARE WE, UM, ARE WE ALL SET WITH OUR COMPLIANCE WITH FOIA IN TERMS OF OKAY. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE THAT. UH, ONE MODIFICATION BEFORE WE GO TO A PROVIA AGENDA IS WE JUST NEED TO ADD AN AGENDA ITEM, AND THAT IS TO, UH, NOMINATE, UH, A COMMITTEE MEMBER FOR THE LOCAL AT TAX COMMITTEE. SO THIS, THIS GROUP WILL DO THAT. UM, EVERYBODY ON THE COMMITTEE COMFORTABLE WITH THE MODIFICATION OF THE AGENDA. WE JUST NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND TO AMEND THE AGENDA TO ADD THAT, UH, NOMINATION OF A MEMBER MOVED. SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. OKAY. THE AGENDA'S BEEN MODIFIED. UH, SO DO WE NEED TO APPROVE THE NEW AGENDA NOW? OKAY. UM, THEN, UH, AS AMEND, THEN WE NEED TO APPROVE THE AGENDA. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MODIFIED AGENDA? SO, MOVED. SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. OKAY. UM, ALRIGHT THEN WITH THAT, WHY DON'T WE GO AHEAD AND, UM, AND, UH, NOMINATE A COMMITTEE MEMBER FOR THE LOCAL AT ATTACKS. UM, I WOULD LIKE TO NOMINATE DICK STEWART. SECOND. A SECOND. ARE THERE ANY OTHER NOMINATIONS? OKAY. ALL IN FAVOR OF DICK STEWART BEING A COMMITTEE MEMBER FOR LOCAL AT ATTACKS. AYE. AYE. OKAY. SO THANK YOU DICK FOR, FOR PARTICIPATING IN THAT. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. UH, WE NEED A, UH, MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM THE APRIL 15TH, 2025 MEETING. I MOVED SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. OKAY, THEN WE CAN NOW PROCEED WITH THE, THE, THE PRESENTATIONS, UH, FOR THE STATE 2% AT TAX GRANTS. UM, SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE DONE THIS BEFORE, BUT JUST IN CASE IF NOT, UM, WE TRY TO KEEP THESE PRETTY BRIEF. WE'VE, EACH OF US HAS, UM, BEEN ASSIGNED, UM, SOMEONE'S APP OF ALL THE APPLICATIONS INDIVIDUALLY. SO, UH, THEY KNOW WHO THEY ARE AND THEY'LL TAKE THE LEAD ON ANSWERING QUESTIONS, BUT THEY'VE READ, THEY'VE GONE THROUGH YOUR MATERIALS, SO THERE'S NO NEED TO GO THROUGH EVERYTHING IN GREAT DETAIL. REALLY JUST WANT TO PROVIDE, UM, A QUICK HIGHLIGHT AND, UM, WHAT YOU THINK ARE THE MOST PERTINENT POINTS. UM, AND THEN WE, UM, AND THEN WE CAN ASK QUESTIONS. SOUND GOOD? OKAY. AND THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. SO, UM, LET'S START WITH, UH, WITH JANET SMITH. THANK YOU. IT'S, UH, NOT OFFICIAL YET. IT'S AT THE THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. MM-HMM . THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AGAIN. MY NAME IS JANET SMITH. I'M THE SENIOR DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR AT THE ART CENTER OF COASTAL CAROLINA, [00:05:01] AND I'M DELIGHTED TO BE BACK HERE AGAIN TODAY. SO SOON. I WAS IN THE SECOND ROUND OF THE 20 20 20 20 25 GRANTS. UM, AS YOU SAID, YOU, YOU HAVE OUR APPLICATION AND I'M SURE YOU THOROUGHLY READ IT AND ENJOYED EVERY BIT OF IT. SO I JUST WANT TO SUMMARIZE A LITTLE BIT AND THEN OPEN FOR QUESTIONS. UM, OUR REQUEST IS $40,000 FOR OUR MARKETING ONLY BUDGET FOR 2026. WE'RE CELEBRATING OUR 30TH ANNIVERSARY THIS YEAR. WE'RE JUST THRILLED TO BE DOING THAT. UM, WE HAVE A ROBUST AGENDA OF SHOWS AND PERFORMANCES. AS YOU'LL SEE IN THE CALENDAR. MANY ARE ENHANCED WITH LARGE SCALE MUSICALS. WE HAVE EIGHT SOLID PRESENTING ACTS AND WE'RE, WE HAVE OUR TWO FESTIVALS AGAIN THIS YEAR, OUR HOLIDAY KICKOFF AND OUR, UM, VOICES OF GULLAH. SO WE ARE GEARED UP, OUR OPENING NIGHT IS FRIDAY. THIS COMING FRIDAY. WE'VE COME FROM AWAY. SO HOPEFULLY EVERYONE WILL BE ABLE TO SEE IT. IT'S GOING TO BE A VERY, VERY MU MOVING MUSICAL. UM, I'M JUST GOING TO SUMMARIZE REALLY WHAT I THINK ARE THE BIGGEST IMPACT AND THE REASON WHY WE COME TO Y'ALL. THE STATE. UM, WE HAVE A MARKETING BUDGET, AS YOU'VE SEEN OF $276,000. SO OUR REQUEST IS SUCH A SMALL PORTION OF THAT WHY WE DO GET SOME MONEY FROM THE HILTON HEAD A TAX, AND WE'RE HOPING FOR AN AWARD OF, OF 447,000, BUT WE DON'T KNOW BECAUSE THE POT OF MONEY HAS REDUCED THIS YEAR FOR HILTON HAD. BUT OF THAT, WE BREAK IT OUT FOR PROGRAMMING. 60% IS WHAT WE REQUEST. OF THAT 447040% IS MARKETING. SO THAT REALLY LEAVES A GAP FOR, FOR IF YOU DO THE MATH OF ABOUT 90,000 AND WE'RE ASKING FOR 40 FROM THE STATE. UH, WE DON'T GO TO THE OTHER AT TAX VENUES. WE JUST KNOW THERE'S SO MANY NONPROFITS IN OUR COMMUNITIES, SMALLER THAT, THAT REALLY DO NEED THE LOCAL, LOCAL AT TAX DOLLARS. SO WE'RE TRYING TO BE THOUGHTFUL. OUR IMPACT IS SIGNIFICANT ACCORDING TO A CALCULATOR FOR THAT WE USE FOR HILTON AHEAD. OUR IMPACT JUST LAST YEAR ALONE WAS $4 MILLION FROM JUST THE ART CENTER AND WE ALSO CREATED 58 JOBS TO ACCOMMODATE ALL OF THAT IMPACT THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE BEAUFORT COUNTY AREA. WE KNOW THAT WE ARE SERVING OFF ISLAND WITH TOURISM BECAUSE WE, ONE, WE SEE THE BRIDGE TWO, WE KNOW THE HOTEL RATE ON HILTON HEAD IS SEEING LESS SO, BUT WE STILL HAVE A HIGHER RATE. WE STILL HAD 30% OF LAST YEAR'S ATTENDEES, ALL 49,000 THAT WERE ELIGIBLE FOR AT TAX WERE FROM 50 MILE PLUS. SO WE REALLY FEEL LIKE WE'RE MAKING A DENT IN, IN HELPING THE WHOLE ECONOMY. UM, WHERE BROADWAY CALIBER, AS YOU'VE YOU HAVE, YOU'VE SEEN, I, I'VE HOPE YOU'VE EXPERIENCED OUR SHOWS AND, UM, THIS GRANT REALLY IS FOR THE WIDER TOURISM. AS YOU'LL SEE IN THE HEAT MAP, WE'RE REALLY SOLID ON THE UPPER EAST COAST AND THAT'S REALLY A LOT OF WHERE OUR MARKETING GOES UP TO CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA AREA AS WELL AS THE NORTHEAST. WE'RE VERY SOLID GETTING THOSE FOLKS DOWN HERE AND THEY STAY, THEY STAY FOR DAYS, THEY STAY FOR A WEEK. BUT WE ARE WORLDWIDE. WE DON'T HAVE THE WORLDWIDE HEAT MAP, BUT YOU CAN SEE WE'RE ALL THE WAY UP AND WE'RE DOWN TO NASSAU BAHAMAS. SO, UM, WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THAT AND TO BE ABLE TO VISUALIZE THAT IN THIS HEAT MAP. SO TO, UM, BELABOR, I THINK, YOU KNOW, OUR IMPACT, IT'S JUST HOW YOU'RE GONNA DIVVY OUT THE DOLLARS, SO. RIGHT. WELL THANK, AND, AND THE PACKET YOU PROVIDED WAS EXCELLENT. THANK YOU. UM, A LOT OF REALLY GOOD INFORMATION. SO I THINK TO ME, SOME OF THE KEY TAKEAWAYS ARE, UM, YOU'RE, YOU KNOW, IT'S 70,000, 70,000 PARTICIPANTS, RIGHT? WHICH I THINK YOU SAID OF WHICH 40% ARE FROM OUTSIDE THE 50 MILE RADIUS. RIGHT? SO CORRECT. AND THEN, AND THE FUNDS ARE, THE FUNDS ARE ALL ALLOCATED TOWARDS MARKETING. THEY HAVE REQUESTED FUNDS, RIGHT? [00:10:01] CORRECT. ABSOLUTELY. MARKETING 50 MILES PLUS. OKAY. UM, I DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS. DOES ANYBODY HAVE QUESTIONS ON THE COMMITTEE? I DON'T HAVE ANY AT THIS TIME. OKAY. WELL THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THAT'S GREAT. OKAY, NEXT UP, UM, JEN, I DUNNO IF YOU GUYS JUST SAW ME RUN TO THE BACK OF THE ROOM. I'M LITERALLY FIELDING PHONE CALLS TODAY IS ACTUALLY THE START OF OUR FESTIVAL, SO I WILL BE LEAVING HERE AND RUNNING OVER TO GO SET THINGS UP. BUT I AM REALLY PROUD TO PRESENT TO YOU, UH, WE HAVE ASKED FOR $40,000 FOR MARKETING CAMPAIGNS, AND HERE IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF OUR SUCCESS LEVEL. UM, LAST SPRING OR UH, LAST FALL WHEN I APPROACHED THIS COMMITTEE, I GAVE A COMMITMENT THAT I THOUGHT WE COULD DRAW 200 PEOPLE TO OUR FESTIVAL. AS OF THIS MORNING, WE'RE AT 416. UM, THAT COULD POTENTIALLY BE 417. WE'RE GONNA SEE IF THE CATERER WILL ALLOW FOR ANOTHER TICKET THIS EVENING. BUT THE OTHER BIG NEWS IS THAT OUR, OUR, OUR ORGANIZATION FOR THIS SECOND YEAR IN A ROW HAS WON THE LOW COUNTRY'S BEST AWARD FOR BEST LAND TOUR. AND CONSIDERING ALL OF THE WONDERFUL TOURS THAT ARE AVAILABLE HERE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY, WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THAT. SO OUR BRAND AND OUR REPUTATION GOES A LONG WAY. AS FAR AS THE GEOGRAPHIC REGION FROM WHERE THESE FOLKS ARE COMING FROM, IT'S WESTCHESTER, NEW YORK, NEW HAMPSHIRE, AUGUSTA, GEORGIA, DENVER, COLORADO, ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, CLEVELAND, OHIO, GREENVILLE, UH, GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA, RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, HONOLULU, HAWAII, BOISE, IDAHO, SAVANNAH, RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA, SARATOGA SPRINGS, NEW YORK, MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, BILLINGS, MONTANA, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, BAY CITY, MICHIGAN, WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA, JONESBORO, ARKANSAS, LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, DANBURY, CONNECTICUT, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, FREDERICK, MARYLAND, MANHATTAN, ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA, BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA, RENTING, CALIFORNIA, WILLIAMSPORT, MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA, BALTIMORE, WACO, TEXAS, LYNCHBURG, MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY AND CANADA. WE A LOT. VERY DIVERSE . UM, IT'S NOT MY, IT'S NOT MY PACKET. WHO'S UP? I'M SORRY. UM, IMPRESSIVE. THANK YOU. YEAH, SO WE HAVE TRACKING DATA THROUGH OUR BOOKING SOFTWARE. SO I KNOW WHERE ALL OF THE ADDRESSES, UM, FROM BOOKINGS ARE COMING FROM AND WHERE WE CAPTURE THAT. OBVIOUSLY IT'S CONFIDENTIAL, WE DON'T SHARE THAT WITH THIRD PARTIES, BUT THAT'S HOW I WAS ABLE TO GIVE YOU A TRUE LIFE REPRESENTATION OF WHAT WE'LL BE SEEING RIGHT HERE IN OUR COUNTY FROM SEPTEMBER 23RD TODAY UNTIL SEPTEMBER 26TH THIS WEEK, JUST WITH OUR FESTIVAL AND BEING THAT I'VE SPOKEN TO SO MANY OF THESE CLIENTS ON MY OWN, I'VE GIVEN THEM HOTEL RECOMMENDATIONS, I'VE GIVEN THEM PLACES TO DINE OR EAT, UM, PLACES TO SHOP. SO I KNOW THAT PEOPLE ARE BOOKING HOTELS. IT'LL BE INTERESTING TO SEE WHAT ROB COMES UP WITH AFTER HE DOES HIS REPORT AS WELL. SO OUR ORGANIZATION REALLY IS KIND OF, AS I LIKE TO SAY, TAKING FLIGHT THIS EVENING. WE'RE INTRODUCING OUR SITE PLANS. WE ARE ALSO GONNA BE INTRODUCING SOME OF THE OTHER ITEMS THAT WE ARE BRINGING TO OUR CENTER, WHICH INCLUDES AN INTAKE AND TRIAGE CENTER FOR INJURED BIRDS. THIS IS GONNA BE AN ATTRACTION NOT ONLY, UM, FOR PEOPLE HERE IN OUR AREA, BUT FOR FOLKS THAT ARE GONNA COME OUTSIDE. BECAUSE RIGHT NOW WE CURRENTLY HAVE TO TRANSPORT BIRDS TO AUGH, WHICH IS A THREE HOUR AND SEVEN MINUTE RIDE FROM WHERE I LIVE ON HARBOR ISLAND. ONE WAY WE WANNA SAVE MORE BIRDS AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE ABLE TO HAVE SOME OF THOSE BIRDS POTENTIALLY KEPT AT OUR SITE FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES. 'CAUSE THEY WON'T BE ABLE TO BE RELEASED BACK INTO THE WILD. WE'RE GONNA HAVE AN INTERPRETIVE CENTER, INDOOR OUTDOOR CLASSROOMS, A DINING HALL AND FUTURE LODGING. THAT'LL BE FOR OUR WORK, UH, FOR OUR WORKERS AND FOR RESEARCHERS. SO ALL IN ALL, JUST IF WE CAN ATTRACT MORE RESEARCHERS TO OUR AREA AS WELL, THAT'S ALSO GONNA BRING IN, UM, TOURISM DOLLARS REALLY. SO OUR PLAN IS TO MARKET WHAT WE DO AND DO WELL VERY HARD. WE PARTNER WITH THE C-B-V-C-V-B, WE'VE PARTNERED WITH PEACH FROM, UH, SOUTH CAROLINA TOURISM, AND WE WANNA REALLY GET OUR NAME OUT THERE AS YOU KNOW, A FORCE REALLY HERE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY. AND THE NUMBERS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. EXCELLENT. OKAY. ALRIGHT. I'M OFF TO GO SIT UP FOR OUR DINNER TONIGHT. WISH ME LUCK, . GOOD LUCK AND CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU. MM-HMM . OKAY. YOU MOVING RIGHT ALONG HERE. AL GORDON. QUESTIONS? GOOD MORNING. MORNING. AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AT THE [00:15:01] ENCOURAGEMENT OF A MEMBER OF YOUR COMMITTEE. THE HHSO IS PURSUING AN APRIL 8TH, 2026 FREE SYMPHONY UNDER THE STARS CONCERT AT THE FRIPP ISLAND OCEAN CREEK GOLF COURSE. THE PROGRAM ALSO PERFORMED ON APRIL 7TH AT HILTON HEAD ISLAND'S LOW COUNTRY CELEBRATION PARK WILL BE A PART OF THE HHS O'S 250TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBR CELEBRATION OF AMERICA'S INDEPENDENCE. THE CONCERT WILL FEATURE TWO WINNERS FROM SAVANNAH'S AMERICAN TRADITIONS VOCAL COMPETITION GOLD MEDALIST ALICIA FRIS AND BROADWAY'S ALADDIN, MICHAEL MAKO IN AN ARMED FORCES SALUTE, RECOGNIZING ACTIVE SOLDIERS AND VETERANS PATRIOTIC FAVORITES AMERICA. THE BEAUTIFUL BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC AND SUSAN MARCHES WILL HYPE THE SPIRIT WHILE AARON COPELAND STIRRING LINCOLN PORTRAIT, A BOISTEROUS ARRANGEMENT OF THE GULLAH GEECHEE CLASSIC KUMBAYA WITH HHSO. FIDDLERS AND SELECTIONS FROM BROADWAY'S M AND MAN OF LA WILL ROUND OUT THIS AMERICANA TRIBUTE WITH A SECURED COMMITMENT OF $28,000 IN 2% STATE A TAX FUNDING. WE WILL IDENTIFY AND SECURE THE NECESSARY CORPORATE SUPPORT TO ENSURE THE FINANCIAL SUCCESS OF THIS FIRST EVER HHSO PRESENTATION ON FRIPP ISLAND. SALES OF TABLE TICKETS FOR PATRONS PREFERRING NOT TO BRING THEIR OWN CHAIRS AND TABLES WILL COVER THE BALANCE OF REVENUES NEEDED AS 100% OF 2% STATE AT TAX FUNDS NORTH OF ABROAD COME FROM FRIPP ISLAND. THE HHSO IS BRINGING THE MUSIC TO THIS COMMUNITY, EMULATING THE SUCCESSFUL HYBRID MODEL ON HILTON HEAD ISLAND. AND IN BLUFFTON, WE PRESENT THE CONCERT FREE TO APPEAL TO THE GREATEST NUMBER OF AREA RESIDENTS, INCLUDING HERE, THOSE STATIONED AT PARIS ISLAND AND THE MARINE AIR STATION BASE, BUT ALSO MAKING SPECIAL SEATING AVAILABLE TO CORPORATE SPONSORS AND THOSE LOOKING FOR SPECIAL AMENITIES. OUR GOAL IS FOR THIS TO BECOME AN ANNUAL TRADITION WITH POSSIBLE EXPANSION TO OTHER HHSO PRESENTATIONS IN THE GREATER BEAUFORT AREA. BEYOND THIS PERFORMANCE, THE HHSO IS WORKING WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT TO EXPAND ITS YOUNG PEOPLE'S CONCERTS BY PRESENTING A PERFORMANCE ON APRIL 29TH, 2026 OF ITS CARNEGIE HALL PARTNERSHIP, LINKUP CONCERT AT BEAUFORT HIGH SCHOOL'S PERFORMING ARTS CENTER. NEARLY 500 STUDENTS AND CHAPERONES ARE ALREADY REGISTERED. THE HHSO HAS BEEN THE GRATEFUL BENEFICIARY OF SIGNIFICANT GRANTS FROM THIS BODY. FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS, WE HAVE USED THESE FUNDS TO FULFILL TWO CRITERIA OF A TAX GRANTS DIRECTLY DRAWING TOURISTS AND ENHANCING THE EXPERIENCES OF TOURISTS ALREADY HERE. WE HOPE OUR CONTRIBUTION TO THE TOURIST AND VISITOR INDUSTRY WILL ONLY EXPAND WITH THIS NEW PROJECT IN 2026. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT AND FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION OF THIS PROPOSAL. YES, MA'AM. ONE QUESTION. UM, SOUNDS GREAT. EVERYTHING SOUNDS GREAT. UM, HOW, HOW ARE WE GONNA, UH, SO YOUR RESIDENTS FROM FRI ISLAND ARE ONES YOU'RE BASICALLY LOOKING TO BE YOUR AUDIENCE FOR. THAT WILL BE THE PRIMARY SOURCE OF AUDIENCE FOR THAT CONCERT. AND WE ARE WORKING WITH, WE WILL WORK WITH FRIPP ISLAND TO PROMOTE IT AND ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO COME, ESPECIALLY FOR THAT CONCERT AND THAT WEEK. AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS VACANCY AT THAT TIME AND WE DID IT ON A WEEKNIGHT, SO IT'S NOT, UH, IN, YOU KNOW, HITTING THE WEEKEND PEOPLE. JUST TO CLARIFY THOUGH, IT'S, WHEN YOU SAY RESIDENT, IT'S REALLY, IT WOULD BE PRIMARILY, UM, VISITORS YES. WHO ARE RENTING PEOPLE THAT AREN'T, WHO ARE RENTING HOMES. THAT'S WHAT I'M, WHICH DRIVES AT TAX? THE SHORT TERM RENTERS. GOTCHA. OKAY. I'M GOOD. THAT'S THE, THAT WAS WOULD BE ALLOWED ONTO THE ISLAND TO ATTEND THE CONTOUR. I I'VE BEEN TOLD BY THE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER THAT THEY WILL BE ALLOWED ONTO THE ISLAND. HAVE YOU APPLIED FOR THE EIGHT, UM, CDA TAX? WE HAVE NOT APPLIED FOR CITY TAX. OKAY. NO, I'M NOT, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THAT'S ELIGIBLE FOR PERFORMANCES THAT ARE NOT IN THE CITY. IS THAT CORRECT? I, I DON'T KNOW. WE, WE'VE NOT, THAT'S QUESTION, IT MOVES A LITTLE EACH YEAR, SO IT'S YEAH. KIND OF USEFUL TO CHECK IN. YEAH. OKAY. WE DID WANNA MAKE IT SO THAT IT WAS NOT MORE THAN 50% OF THE FUNDING FOR THE, UH, FOR THE PRESENTATION. MIND US AGAIN, WHEN IS THE DATE FOR THE CONCERT? ON FIRST? IT IS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8TH, 2026. THANK YOU. BASICALLY ALL YOUR GUESTS WILL BE STAYING ON FOR ISLAND. OKAY. THAT'S OUR, THAT'S OUR ASSUMPTION. OKAY. IF PEOPLE WANNA STAY OFF ISLAND, THAT WOULD BE FINE TOO. OKAY. BUT IF THEY WANNA STAY ON HARBOR OR OTHER PLACES, THEY CAN MM-HMM . AND WHAT ARE THE USE [00:20:01] OF FUNDS OF THESE FUNDS? WHAT SPECIFICALLY WOULD YOU USE THEM FOR? SO, SO THE CONCERT COSTS, UH, FOR, FOR OUR PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS, UM, IT'S VERY EXPENSIVE TO RENT A TENT AND STAGE AND SOUND AND LIGHTING. SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO IMPORT ALL OF THAT. AND OF COURSE WE'LL BE SPENDING SOME MONEY ON PROMOTION. THANK YOU. ANYTHING ELSE? THANK YOU VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE IT. OKAY. STACEY FLOYD, A COUPLE FLYERS FROM OUR SHERRY PASSED DOWN, DOWN, BUT MY NAME IS STACY FLOYD. I'M THE DEVELOPMENT AND OUTREACH DIRECTOR, UM, FOR MEMORY MATTERS. MEMORY MATTERS IS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION PROVIDING PROGRAMS AND SERVICES TO SUPPORT FAMILIES, INDIVIDUALS AFFECTED BY ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE AND RELATED DEMENTIA. TODAY WE ARE HERE TO TALK ABOUT OUR MOVE YOUR MIND. 5K RUN WALK, WHICH IS MORE THAN JUST A RACE. IT IS A DAY FILLED WITH HOPE, REMEMBRANCE, AND COMMUNITY. EACH YEAR, FAMILIES AND FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS GATHER ON HILTON HEAD ISLAND NOT ONLY TO WALK OR RUN, BUT TO HONOR LOVED ONES LOST TO ALZHEIMER'S OR OTHER DEMENTIAS, AND TO SUPPORT THOSE LIVING WITH IT. TODAY, THE MOVE YOUR MIND. 5K ALSO STRENGTHENS HILTON HEAD AND BLUFFTON BY DRAWING VISITORS INTO THE AREA WHO STAY OVERNIGHT, DYING LOCALLY, AND ENJOY OUR ATTRACTIONS. BECAUSE DEMENTIA TOUCHES SO MANY FAMILIES, THIS EVENT RESONATES DEEPLY AND MOTIVATES PEOPLE TO TRAVEL TO PARTICIPATE NOT ONLY FOR THE RACE ITSELF, BUT BECAUSE IT IS A MEANINGFUL WAY TO SUPPORT A CAUSE CLOSE TO THEIR HEARTS. COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN THIS EVENT HAS GROWN YEAR OVER YEAR. WE JUST HELD THIS EVENT SEPTEMBER THE 13TH WITH OVER 200 RUNNERS AND WALKERS EACH YEAR. PLUS FAMILIES, VOLUNTEERS, AND SUPPORTERS. FAMILIES PLACE TRIBUTE SIGNS WITH NAMES, PHOTOS, AND MESSAGES, INSPIRING PARTICIPANTS THROUGHOUT THE COURSE. FOR MANY, THE EVENT IS BOTH A CELEBRATION OF LIFE AND A MOMENT OF COMFORT, KNOWING THEY'RE NOT ALONE. THIS EVENT ATTRACTED 25 LOCAL SPONSORS, INCLUDING THE BEACH HOUSE, HOTEL, TIKI HUT, AND HILTON HEAD RUNNING COMPANY, WHICH HELPED INCREASE EXPOSURE AND PARTICIPATION. THIS EVENT ALSO ENGAGES LOCAL COMMUNITY GROUPS. THIS YEAR, THE ROTARY CLUB OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND LOW COUNTRY ENVIRONMENTAL CLUB PARTNERED WITH US TO BRING THE QUENCH BUGGY REDUCING WASTE FROM PLASTIC BOTTLES AND PROMOTING ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP. THIS PARTNERSHIP NOT ONLY SUPPORTED OUR EVENT, BUT ALSO HELPED RAISE AWARENESS FOR ANOTHER NONPROFIT WORKING TO KEEP OUR ISLAND BEAUTIFUL SO THAT IT CONTINUES TO ATTRACT VISITORS IN THE FUTURE. WHILE THE EVENT TOUCHES HEARTS ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, IT ALSO HAS A VERY REAL ECONOMIC IMPACT. THIS YEAR, 13% OF PARTICIPANTS TRAVELED FROM MORE THAN 50 MILES AWAY. AND LAST YEAR, 20% TRAVELED FROM MORE THAN 50 MILES AWAY. MANY OF THESE VISITORS STAY OVERNIGHT, DINE LOCALLY, AND SHOP IN OUR COMMUNITY. WE CAN ESTIMATE USING HILTON HEAD'S MID-MARKET LODGING RATE OF 230 NIGHT, $232 A NIGHT. UM, IN SEPTEMBER, LET'S SAY THE EVENT GENERATED, UM, AN ESTIMATE OF BETWEEN 21 AND 30,000 IN LODGING REVENUE. THESE ARE CONSERVATIVE NUMBERS. MANY FAMILIES STAY LONGER, BRING ADDITIONAL GUESTS, AND OFTEN RETURN TO HILTON HEAD AFTER A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE. SORRY, Y'ALL. STRONG MARKETING IS WHAT HELPS BRING THESE VISITORS IN, UM, THIS YEAR, UH, AND LAST YEAR WE USED A NATIONAL PLATFORM CALLED RUNNER SIGNUP. THIS HELPED US REACH, UM, FURTHER THAN WE HAVE EVER REACHED BEFORE. AND IT ALSO TRACKS DEMOGRAPHICS SO WE CAN KNOW WHERE THESE FOLKS ARE COMING FROM. WE USE SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGNS, EMAIL, OUTREACH, PRINT, AND TRADITIONAL MARKETING AND DIGITAL ADVERTISING. WE ARE ACTIVE MEMBERS OF THE HILTON HEAD CHAMBER, BLUFFTON, HILTON HEAD CHAMBER, AND BEAUFORT CHAMBER, WHICH EXPANDS VISIBILITY THROUGH REGIONAL TOURISM AND BUSINESS NETWORKS. MESSAGING HIGHLIGHTED THE FUN FACTOR AND THE BEAUTIFUL BEACH SETTING. PARTICIPANTS ALSO LOVE THE SWAG, BEVERAGE TICKETS, REFRESHMENTS, BOMBAS SOCKS, T-SHIRTS, REUSABLE WATER BOTTLES AND MORE. THIS CREATES A MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE THAT KEEPS PEOPLE COMING BACK AND WHEN THEY COME BACK, THEY LEAVE US WITH FEEDBACK THAT SHOWS JUST HOW MEANINGFUL THIS EVENT IS. BRAD COLE, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF USC BRAIN HEALTH, TRAVELED FROM COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA, SHARED CONGRATULATIONS ON AN AMAZING EVENT THIS WEEKEND. I WANT TO EXPRESS MY PERSONAL GRATITUDE FOR YOUR TIME IN MAKING THE MOVE YOUR MIND EVENT A SUCCESS. I REALLY APPRECIATED YOU MAKING ME FEEL WELCOME AND ALSO GOING OUT OF YOUR WAY TO CONNECT ME WITH VENDORS, PHYSICIANS, AND COMMUNITY LEADERS. I HAVE TO SAY THE NETWORKING AT THE 5K WAS BETTER THAN THE LAST CONFERENCE I WENT TO. AGAIN, THANK YOU BOTH FOR AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE FOR THE COMMUNITY. ANDREA COO OF HEALTHY HABITS SAID WE WANTED TO EXTEND OUR HEARTFELT THANKS FOR INVITING US TO BE A VENDOR. AT LAST WEEKEND'S MEMORY MATTERS. 5K. IT WAS AN ABSOLUTE BLAST. THE BEAUTIFUL WEATHER AND [00:25:01] FANTASTIC VIBES MADE THE EVENT TRULY SPECIAL, AND WE HAD SUCH A GREAT TIME CONNECTING WITH EVERYONE THERE. WE HOPE YOU WERE THRILLED WITH THE TURNOUT AND THE ENERGY OF THE DAY. IT WAS A PLEASURE TO BE PART OF SUCH A MEANINGFUL AND WELL ORGANIZED EVENT. PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO REACH OUT IF YOU'RE PLANNING FUTURE EVENTS AND WOULD LIKE TO BE TO US TO BE INVOLVED. LOVE TO JOIN YOU AGAIN. FEEDBACK LIKE THIS SHOWS THAT THE 5K IMPACTS NOT JUST FAMILIES, BUT ALSO PROFESSIONALS, VENDORS AND BUSINESSES PROVING ITS WIDE REACHING VALUE ACROSS THE COMMUNITY. IN CLOSING THE MOVE YOUR MIND 5K DELIVERS BOTH HEARTFELT COMMUNITY IMPACT AND MEASURABLE ECONOMIC BENEFITS. IT RAISES AWARENESS FOR BRAIN HEALTH, SUPPORTS LOCAL BUSINESSES, AND GIVES FA FAMILIES A WAY TO HONOR THEIR LOVED ONES. THE MOVE YOUR MIND 5K BRINGS OVERNIGHT VISITORS FROM OUTSIDE THE AREA WHO STAY IN HOTELS, DINING RESTAURANTS, AND SHOP IN OUR, OUR COMMUNITY CREATING REAL TOURISM REVENUE IN THE AREA. WITH OUR SIXTH ANNUAL RACE COMING UP SEPTEMBER 19TH IN 2026, WE EXPECT TO GROW THESE NUMBERS THROUGH EXPANDED OUTREACH AND REGIONAL ADVERTISING ALONG WITH OUR NATIONAL RACE PROMOTION PLATFORM. MEMORY MATTERS RESPECTFULLY REQUEST FUNDING OF $4,500 TO EXPAND OUTREACH SO THAT WE CAN ATTRACT EVEN MORE OVERNIGHT VISITORS AND PARTICIPANTS GROWING BOTH THE TOURISM AND COMMUNITY IMPACT OF THIS MEANINGFUL EVENT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UM, JUST A FEW POINTS OF CLARIFICATION. UH, SO, UH, SO THIS WILL BE THE SIXTH ANNUAL, RIGHT? YES. SO YOU'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR A FEW YEARS AND IT'S SUCCESSFUL, WHICH IS GREAT. UH, DO YOU, DO YOU REQUEST FUNDS FROM THE, THROUGH THE HILTON HEAD GRANT PROCESS? WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED FUNDS FROM THE HILTON HEAD GRANT PRIZE. I HAVE PERSONALLY NOT DONE THAT YET. APPLIED FOR THOSE? NO. OR BLUFFTON? MM-HMM . OKAY. UM, YOU PROBABLY SHOULD. , UM, CONCERN IT'S RIGHT THERE IN HILTON HEAD AND THOSE ARE THE HOTELS THAT PROBABLY BENEFIT THE MOST FROM, UM, YOU KNOW, FROM THE, FROM THE PEOPLE THAT ARE COMING IN. UM, AND THEN THE, THE THE $4,500, YOU'RE, THAT WOULD, THAT WOULD, UM, BASICALLY THAT WOULD, UH, BE ADDITIONAL MARKETING FROM WHAT YOU'VE DONE IN THE PAST. THE GOAL WOULD BE, UM, TO WORK WITH THE POST AND COURIER FOR DIGITAL ADVERTISING THAT WOULD HELP US EXTEND OUR REACH AND ALSO APPLY IT TO THAT NATIONAL RUN PLATFORM. WE TRANSITIONED TO THAT PLATFORM TWO YEARS AGO, SO I CAN LOOK AT 24 AND 25 AND I CAN SEE IT SHOWS ME A GRAPH OF WHERE THESE FOLKS ARE COMING FROM. MM-HMM . HOW MANY COME FROM BLUFFTON, HILTON, HEAD, SAVANNAH, AND THEN ALL THE CITIES BEYOND. SO WE'RE ABLE TO TRACK THE DEMOGRAPHICS, SEE HOW MANY ARE, ARE COMING FROM THOSE AREAS. IT GIVES US A LOT MORE. I TRIED TO GO BACK TO 23 WITH THE OLD PLATFORM AND I JUST COULDN'T DO IT UNLESS I LITERALLY WENT THROUGH AND, UM, BUT THIS CREATES GRAPHS AND REPORTS AND IT DOES HELP US A LOT. AND IT'S THE RUNNER. THIS GRANT WOULD POTENTIALLY STANDARD EXTEND YOUR REACH TO GET EVEN MORE PEOPLE FROM OUT OF TOWN TO COME. YES. AND PARTNERING WITH LIKE HILTON HEAD RUNNING COMPANY HELPED A LOT TOO BECAUSE THEY SENT OUT PUBLICITY TO ALL OF THEIR CUSTOMERS, THEIR CUSTOMER BASE, THEY'RE WELL KNOWN. AND THE RACERS WHO ARE TRULY RACERS THAT ARE COMING TO GET TIMED, THEY ARE IN TUNE TO THE RUNNER SIGNUP PLATFORM. THEY'RE IN TUNE TO THE RACES IN THE COMMUNITY. MM-HMM . AND THEN WE HAVE THE OTHER, UH, FRAGMENT OF PEOPLE THAT COME, WHICH ARE THE FAMILIES AND THE SUPPORTERS AND THE PEOPLE WHO, YOU KNOW, ARE BY THE CAUSE. UM, SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF BOTH. OKAY. GREAT. NO OTHER QUESTIONS FOR ME. ANYBODY? UM, WHAT ROUTE DO YOU USE THIS YEAR AND WHAT ROUTE DO YOU ANTICIPATE YOU'LL USE NEXT YEAR? OUR GOAL RIGHT NOW, UM, HILTON HEAD RUNNING COMPANY IS BACK ON BOARD AND I'M WAITING TO HEAR FROM THE BEACH HOUSE RIGHT NOW. UM, THEY'RE CHECKING THEIR SEPTEMBER 19TH TO SEE HOW, HOW FULL THEY ARE AND WHAT THEY'VE GOT GOING ON. BUT OUR GOAL IS TO BE BACK AT THE TIKI HUT AT THE BEACH HOUSE. AND WE RAN, UM, AL FROM HILTON HEAD, A RUNNING COMPANY. HE SETS THE ROUTE AND THEY RAN TO THE RIGHT AND THEN THEY CAME BACK THROUGH THE START FINISH AND RAN BACK DOWN TO THE LEFT AND THEN CAME BACK. SO IT WAS ON THE BEACH. ON THE BEACH, YES. YEAH. YEP. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. HEY, LINDA MILLER WITH, UH, FRIENDS OF HUNTING ISLAND STATE PARK? OR DID WE DO THAT? I, WE PASSED. DID THAT ALREADY. OH NO, THAT'S RIGHT. THAT'S NEXT. HI. HEY. GOOD MORNING GUYS. UM, HEY, WE CAN SEE THE LIGHT AT THE TOP OF THE LIGHTHOUSE SOON. HOPEFULLY THE END OF 25, POSSIBLY EARLY 2026. UM, THEN THERE WILL BE 167 F REFURBISHED STEPS FOR CLIMBING. AGAIN, THE LENS H UH, EXHIBIT HOUSING, WHICH ATAC COUNTY ATAC HELPED FUND IN 2024 IS CURRENTLY UNDER DESIGN BY BENNETT PRESERVATION ENGINEERING IN CHARLESTON. AND THE ALL GLASS FACIL, WE, WE STARTED OFF PUTTING IN A WOOD STRUCTURE, BUT WE WENT INTO A ALL GLASS FAC FACSIMILE OF THE TOP SECTION OF THE LIGHTHOUSE, WHICH WILL HOUSE THE FENNELL LENS. SO IT'S GONNA BE JUST A BASIC DUPLICATE DUPLICATION OF WHAT IS ON TOP. AND THAT HAS BEEN LOCATED AND WILL BE SET NEXT TO THE LIGHTHOUSE ON THE LIGHTHOUSE COMPLEX. WE'RE REALLY EXCITED THAT CONSTRUCTION WILL START BEGINNING, UH, WITH A GROUNDBREAKING IN ABOUT FOUR WEEKS. THE 1875 FIRST ORDER FORNELL LENS WILL BE DISPLAYED INSIDE. THERE ARE ONLY 400 OF THOSE LENSES, SUCH LENSES IN THE UNITED STATES AND SOUTH [00:30:01] CAROLINA'S. VERY EXCITED TO BE PROUD OWNER OF ONE OF THEM. FAHE SPENT $150,000 FOR BUILDING DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN 24 AND 25, WHICH INCLUDED 40,000, UH, $40,000 GRANT FUNDING FROM THE CITY AND COUNTY S-C-P-R-T HAS CONTRIBUTED A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT TO MEET OUR NEEDS SO FAR. SO WE'RE THERE PROJECT 2026, WHAT WE'RE SPEAKING ABOUT NOW IS A LENS ENHANCEMENT, WHICH WILL TAKE THAT FORNELL LENS AND GIVE IT ONE COMPLETE SECTION OF FULL PRISM SO THAT THE VIEWING WILL BE ENHANCED. UM, THERE ARE MANY PRISMS THAT WERE LOST DURING MANY REASONS FOR A LONG TIME IN HISTORY. AND WE HAVE, UM, WE'RE WORKING CURRENTLY WITH A MAN WHO HAS ALSO DESIGNED THE FRAME AND RE AND RESTORED THE ENTIRE FRAME FOR THE LIGHTHOUSE AND DOES ACRYLIC PRISMS. SO THIS IS NOT GONNA BE A VERY BIG EXPENSE. OUR ASK THIS YEAR IS $20,000 FROM COUNTY, AND WE'RE ALSO ASKING FOR $10,000 FROM CITY PRIOR TO COVID. UH, THE RESTORED VISITATION TO BEAUFORD WILL INCREASE SIGNIFICANTLY IN 2026. I MEAN, WE CAN EXPECT A VERY, VERY BIG, UM, UH, LOT OF PEOPLE COMING FOR THE GRAND OPENING CELEBRATION, WHICH WE'RE EXCITED TO BE PUTTING TOGETHER. AND WE THINK THAT MCMASTER WOULD PROBABLY BE THERE PRIOR TO COVID AND THE RESTORATION CLOSURE, THE LIGHTHOUSE HAD HALF A MILLION VISITORS AND IS A MAJOR ATTRACTION FOR SOUTH CAROLINA. AND BEAUFORT COUNTY, HISP IS STILL THE NUMBER ONE STATE VISITED PARK IN SOUTH CAROLINA. ANY QUESTIONS? WHAT'S THE TOTAL PROJECT COST TO FIX THE LENS OR TO GET IT WHERE YOU WANTED TO GET TO? I WOULD SAY, WELL, WE'RE PROBABLY OVER A HALF TO FIX THE LENS OR YEAH. FOR THE LENS PROJECT OVERALL EXHIBIT SPACE, CORRECT? YES. OKAY. UH, PROBABLY THEY'RE INTO ABOUT 500,000. OKAY. SO THIS, AND SO WE FAHE SPENT 150,000 MM-HMM . OF WHICH 40,000 OF AT COUNTY AT ATEX WAS INCLUDED. UH, SORRY, 30,002 YEARS, TWO YEARS AGO. THAT WAS WHERE THAT WENT TO. THAT WAS TWO YEARS AGO IN 24, CORRECT? MM-HMM . SO WE THEN PUSHED IN THE REMAINDER OF THE MONEY THROUGH MEMBERSHIP AND, AND DONATIONS. SO THIS NEXT 20,000, WHERE SPECIFICALLY WHAT'S IT USED FOR? IT WILL BE USED FOR THE FORNELL LENS, JUST THE LENS, NOT THE EXHIBIT SPACE. GOT IT. OKAY. SO IT'LL COMPLETE ONE FULL PRISM MM-HMM . UM, AND IT'S NOT GONNA BE THAT EXPENSIVE. IT'LL PROBABLY BE ABOUT 50,000 AND WILL KICK IN THE REST. GOT IT. SO BASICALLY YOU ARE ASKING FOR THE FUNDING TO COMPLETE THE PREP, THE REPAIR, OR THE LIGHTHOUSE, CORRECT. JUST THE PRISON? CORRECT. OKAY. AND THAT'S 20,000. OKAY. THE WHOLE PROJECT WOULD BE, AS I SAID, ABOUT 50,000. OKAY. THANK YOU. AND THEN THAT WILL COMPLETE THE ENTIRE EXHIBIT AND WE'RE DONE. OKAY. HALLELUJAH. , FINALLY, UH, IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME. QUESTIONS? ANYONE? ONE THING. IT SAYS 25,000 TO REQUEST IT. QUESTION HERE, PLEASE. OH, DID I HAVE 25? YOU'RE RIGHT. OKAY. BRI'S GOT IT. YOU, THE SPREADSHEET SAYS 25,000. YES, YOU'RE RIGHT. YES. I'M SO SORRY. 25 AND IT'S 10,000 FROM CITI. SO FOR A TOTAL OF 35,000. OH, BUT THIS COMMITTEE, YOU'RE ONLY ASKING 25,000. 25 FROM YOU GUYS YES. FROM THIS COMMITTEE. I'M SO SORRY ABOUT THAT, BUT NO PROBLEM. THE NUMBERS CONFUSE ME EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE. , ANY OTHER QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME? NO, THANK YOU. THANKS GUYS. YOU BET. APPRECIATE IT. PERRYMAN WITH, UH, FRIENDS OF THE SPANISH MOSS TRAIL. GOOD MORNING AND THANK YOU FOR LETTING US MAKE THIS PRESENTATION. MY NAME'S DEAN MOSS AND I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE FRIENDS OF THE SPANISH MOSS TRAIL. THIS YEAR, WE'RE BRINGING YOU A YEAR-ROUND FUNDING PROPOSAL TO PARTNER WITH US TO PROMOTE THE TRAIL IN 2026. MORE THAN A DECADE, WE'VE INVESTED IN THIS YEAR-ROUND PROFESSIONAL WORK AND ITS PROVEN SUCCESS RATE. AND WE BELIEVE 2% AT TAX FUNDING IS ONE OF THE BEST WAYS FOR THE COUNTY AND THE STATE INVEST IN BRINGING MORE PEOPLE TO COME AND STAY. THE IRAN PROMOTION OF THE SPANISH MOSS TRAIL CONTINUES TO BE ONE OF OUR KEY MISSIONS, AS IT IS PROVEN TO ENCOURAGE NEW AND RETURNING VISITORS TO COME STAY LONGER AND ENJOY A RICH EXPERIENCE WHEN THEY'RE HERE. AS YOU KNOW, IN LAST YEAR'S SECOND FUNDING CYCLE FOR 2% AT TAX, THIS COMMITTEE AWARDED [00:35:01] US FUNDING, UH, TO DO THAT FOR A FOUR MONTH PERIOD IN 2025. UH, WE'VE USED THIS FUNDING BETWEEN JUNE AND SEPTEMBER TO CONDUCT REGULAR UPDATES, MAINTENANCE, AND CREATE CONTENT ON THE OFFICIAL SPANISH MOSS TRAIL, UH, PLATFORMS SUCH AS THE SPANISH MOSS TRAIL WEBSITE, FREE MOBILE APP, AND SOCIAL MEDIA. WE FOCUS ON DAILY CORRESPONDENCE WITH PROSPECTIVE VISITORS AS THEY PLAN THEIR VISIT TO BEAUFORT AND COUNTY TO ENJOY THE TRAIL IN OUR COMMUNITY. WE BUILD RELATIONSHIPS AND REGULAR CORRESPONDENCE TO PITCH AND LAND STORIES WITH JOURNALISTS, TRAVEL WRITERS AND BLOGGERS TO SHOWCASE THE TRAIL, PROVIDE VISITOR TAKEAWAY MATERIALS LIKE RACK CARDS, AND ENSURE THE PLACEMENT REPLENISHMENT AT CVB IDENTIFIED VISITOR CENTERS ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST. AND WE PARTICIPATE IN PUSHING SALES OF RAILS TO TRAIL CONSERVANCY GUIDEBOOK FOR THE SOUTHEAST WHERE WE ARE FEATURED ON THE COVER. TODAY I AM HERE TO ASK FOR FUNDING FOR THIS WORK TO BE EXTENDED AND EXPANDED INTO 2026. UH, IN OUR APPLICATION, WE'VE GIVEN YOU A LOT OF DATA POINTS FOR YOU TO SEE ITS VALUE AND SUCCESS RATE, BUT SEVERAL POINTS I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT ARE AS FOLLOWS. AFTER MANY YEARS OF OUR WORK, THE CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU HAS SHARED THAT NEARLY A QUARTER OF THE A HUNDRED THOUSAND TRAIL, A HUNDRED THOUSAND TRAIL USERS ARE VISITORS TO THE AREA THAT'S 25,000 PEOPLE, UM, WITH SIGNIFICANT MAJORITY TRAVELING FROM OUTSIDE SOUTH CAROLINA. UH, AND WITH MARKETS LIKE RALEIGH DURHAM SHOWING NOTABLE GROWTH, THE BROADER TOURISM RESEARCH CONSISTENTLY SHOWS THAT VISITORS WHO ENGAGE IN OUTDOOR RECREATION LAKE TRAILS TEND TO SPEND MONEY DURING THEIR TRIP. THIS IS BECAUSE THEY OFTEN STAY LONGER PURCHASE EQUIPMENT RENTALS AND PART OF THEIR EXPERIENCES WITH DINING, LODGING, AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES. LASTLY, THEY NOTE THAT OUTDOOR RECREATION IS A DIVERSE SPENDING GROUP SPREAD ALL ACROSS ALL AGE RANGES AND SKEWING TOWARD HIGHER HOUSEHOLD INCOMES. IN CONCLUSION, I WANNA SHARE THAT IT COULD BE A BETTER TIME TO INVEST IN OUR, IT COULD NOT BE A BETTER TIME TO INVEST IN OUR NONPROFITS EFFORTS TO HIGHLIGHT THE BEAUFORT COUNTY OWN SPANISH MOSS TRAIL. THERE ARE NOW TWO NEW SEGMENTS THAT ARE UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND, UH, AND WILL BE, UH, AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC BY WINTER 26, BRINGING VISITORS DIRECTLY NOW INTO THE TOWN OF PORT ROYAL AND DIRECTLY UP TO, UH, THE EDGE OF THE CITY OF BEAUFORT ON REBO ROAD. I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE ABOUT OUR PROPOSAL. WE WILL BE SHARING THIS PROJECT WITH THE CITY OF BEAUFORT, UH, AND OUR OWN FUNDS. SO IT'S A THREE PARTY EFFORT. THANK YOU FOR THAT. I REALLY ENJOYED READING THE APPLICATION. UM, A HUNDRED THOUSAND PEOPLE VISITING THE TRAIL. VERY IMPRESSIVE. I'VE NOT TRAVELED YET, BUT I'M GONNA DO IT. AND I AM, I AM. I'M WONDERING, UM, THE 25% OVERNIGHT STAY, YOU HAVE THAT TRACK BY SOME SOFTWARE PROGRAM. UH, THE CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU DOES ALL THIS RESEARCH FOR US. WE, WE, WE DON'T PERSONALLY TRACK THOSE THINGS, BUT IT'S DONE BY THE FOLKS HERE IN BEAUFORT THAT MEASURE THOSE KINDS OF, OF, UH, OF EXPERIENCES. SO THAT'S THE BEST ANSWER I CAN GIVE YOU. OH, SO YOU DON'T HAVE ANY DATA THAT SHOWS THAT, UH, THAT IN HAND MY HAND. WHAT? NO, THE STATE. OKAY. BUT THE, THEY, THE LOCALS CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU DOES. OKAY. UM, UH, SO, UH, I REALLY LOVE THE KIDS IN THE PARK. LOVE THAT ONE. THAT'S IN PROGRESS NOW. YEAH, THAT IS COMING STRONGLY. KIDS. I, I REALLY LIKE THAT PROJECT, BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I APPRECIATE IT. Y'ALL HAVE A GOOD DAY. THANK YOU. BOB WELLS WITH THE CVB. THEY GOTTA MOVE. THEY GOT, THEY GOT MOVED ONE. OH, THEY MOVED ONE. OKAY. THANK YOU. THEN FIVE. HOW ABOUT, UH, CHRISSY COHEN WITH LONG COVE CLUB? GOOD MORNING. I'M CHRISTY COHEN, THE MANAGING DIRECTOR OF THE DARIUS RUCKER INTERCOLLEGIATE AND THE MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR AT LONG COVE CLUB. THE DARIUS RUCKER INTERCOLLEGIATE IS A DIVISION ONE WOMEN WOMEN'S COLLEGIATE GOLF TOURNAMENT, HOSTED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA WITH GRAMMY AWARD WINNING ARTIST DARIUS RUCKER AT LONG COVE CLUB ON HILTON HEAD ISLAND. THE TOURNAMENT IS BROADCAST LIVE FOR THREE DAYS FOR A TOTAL OF 21 HOURS OF TELEVISION COVERAGE ON GOLF CHANNEL. WE ARE PROUD TO SAY IT IS STILL THE FIRST AND ONLY EXCLUSIVELY WOMEN'S COLLEGIATE GOLF TOURNAMENT BROADCAST ON NATIONAL TELEVISION. THE 2026 EVENT [00:40:01] IN EARLY MARCH WILL BE OUR 14TH TOURNAMENT AND THE FIFTH YEAR ON GOLF CHANNEL. WE ARE IN OUR FINAL CONTRACT YEAR WITH NBC UNIVERSAL, BUT WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF SIGNING AN EXTENSION WITH GOLF CHANNEL FOR ANOTHER FIVE YEARS. THE TOURNAMENT IS FUNDED BY A COMBINATION OF SPONSORSHIPS BY STATE AND LOCAL BUSINESSES, A DONATION FROM THE SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF PARKS, UH, RECS AND TOURISM, UH, TOURNAMENT ENTRY FEES PAID BY THE COMPETING UNIVERSITIES, AND A LOCAL AT TAX GRANT FROM THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND FOR MARKETING AND ADVERTISING. ALTHOUGH LONG COVE IS A PRIVATE RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY, WE OPEN OUR GATES TO SPECTATORS FOR THE THREE DAYS OF COMPETITION AT NO CHARGE. EVERY SINGLE SPECTATOR THAT COMES INTO LONG COVE TO WATCH THE TOURNAMENT PROVIDES A SIP, A ZIP CODE THAT IS SORTED AND ANALYZED TO DETERMINE THE EXACT NUMBER OF TOURISTS, VISITORS, AND ISLAND RESIDENTS WHO COME TO THE EVENT. IN 20 25, 70 4% OF OUR SPECTATORS WERE CLASSIFIED AS TOURISTS OR VISITORS. 64% OF THEM WERE FROM STATES OTHER THAN SOUTH CAROLINA. TOP STATES FOR SPECTATORS INCLUDE GEORGIA, PENNSYLVANIA, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, INDIANA, VIRGINIA, AND OHIO. 34% OF SURVEY RESPONDENTS CAME TO THE AREA PRIMARILY TO ATTEND THE DARIUS WRECKER INTERCOLLEGIATE. FOR THE LAST FOUR YEARS, WE HAVE RECEIVED AN AT TAX GRANT FROM THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD. WE USE THOSE FUNDS FOR OUR MAIN MARKETING AND ADVERTISING PROGRAMS, DIGITAL AND PRINT ADVERTISING WEBSITE, SEO RETARGETING ADS, FACEBOOK AND GOOGLE SPONSORED ADS FOR 2026. WE ARE ASKING FOR ACCOMMODATION TAX FUNDS FROM BUFORT COUNTY FOR TWO ADDITIONAL INITIATIVES. THE FIRST IS FOR THE BACK OF THE RANGE DEDICATED PODCAST AND SOCIAL MEDIA PROMOTION FOR THE TOURNAMENT, WHICH WILL REACH APPROXIMATELY 1.25 MILLION VIEWERS. THE SECOND IS FOR A PRINT AD IN LINKS MAGAZINE THAT WILL REACH GOLFERS OUR PRIME SPECTATOR TARGET IN THE EASTERN HALF OF THE UNITED STATES. BOTH OF THE INITIATIVES ARE DIFFERENT THAN ANYTHING WE'VE TRIED BEFORE, AND WE APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ASK FOR THE ADDITIONAL SUPPORT. WE'RE EXCITED TO SEE HOW WE CAN GROW BECAUSE OF THE GOLF CHANNEL'S INVOLVEMENT. THE DARIUS RUCKER INTERCOLLEGIATE PROVIDES AN NATIONAL AND EVEN INTERNATIONAL SHOWCASE THAT CREATES A SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY TO ATTRACT TOURIST VISITORS AND EVEN FUTURE FULL-TIME RESIDENTS OF THE LOW COUNTRY. 70% OF SURVEY RESPONDENTS SAID THAT THEY WERE EXTREMELY OR VERY LIKELY TO RETURN TO THE LOW COUNTRY. WHEN THE DRI IS NOT OCCURRING IN TERMS OF TOURISM RETURN ON INVESTMENT, WE PARTNER WITH THE SEMESTER RESORT AS OUR OFFICIAL HOTEL AND SPECTATORS BOOK AT LEAST 135 ROOM NIGHTS PER TOURNAMENT. IN ADDITION GOLF CHANNEL PERSONNEL BOOK 375 ROOM NIGHTS AT THE OMNI RESORT. WE ALSO BOOK LUXURY RENTAL HOMES FOR EACH OF THE COMPETING TEAMS FOR ANOTHER 64 NIGHTS. UH, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, 50% OF SPECTATORS SURVEYED REPORT THAT THEY RENT LOCAL ACCOMMODATIONS DURING THEIR STAY IN 2024. UH, OUR TOWN OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND AT TAX GRANT TO SPECTATOR RATIO WAS $17 PER TOURIST SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN THE MAJORITY OF OTHER GRANT RECIPIENTS. WE ANTICIPATE, UH, WITH THIS ADDITIONAL AT TAX GRANT FROM BEAUFORT COUNTY, WE CAN INCREASE OUR PERCENTAGE OF OUT-OF-STATE VISITORS BY ADVERTISING ON A MORE NATIONAL SCALE. I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. UH, THANK YOU MR. CHAIRMAN. I'VE GOT A COUPLE, UM, WHICH UNIVERSITIES YOU ANTICIPATE WE'LL PARTICIPATE NEXT YEAR AND WHICH ONES PARTICIPATED LAST YEAR? UH, WE HAVE ACTUALLY, UM, OF THE 1714 WILL RETURN AND WE HAVE, UH, LET GO OF THREE. OUR MAIN GOAL IS TO MAKE THE COMPETITION AS DIFFICULT AS POSSIBLE. SO I THINK IT IS A LIST OF THE GEOGRAPHIC LOCATIONS PEOPLE WOULD BE COMING FROM. OH, I, I CAN GIVE YOU, I CAN PROVIDE A LIST YEAH. BY, BY REFERRING TO THE UNIVERSITY. SO ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. SO WE HAVE A BIG CONCENTRATION IN THE SOUTH, BUT WE GO AS FAR AS BOTH MAJOR UNIVERSITIES IN ARIZONA. IN THE PAST WE'VE HAD UCLA AND OREGON. A LITTLE DIFFICULT FOR THEM WITH THEIR TRAVEL SCHEDULE. UM, ALL THE WAY [00:45:01] REALLY THE WHOLE EASTERN SEABOARD AND AS FAR AS ARIZONA. UM, THE OTHER QUESTION I HAD IS YOU, YOU'RE AWARE THAT PEOPLE STAYING ON HILTON HEAD AND RENTAL ACCOMMODATIONS, THOSE ACCOMMODATION TAXES GO TO THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD? CORRECT. YOU ONLY RECEIVE THOSE THAT ARE HAPPENING OUTSIDE THE, UH, MUNICIPAL LIMITS, WHETHER IT BE BLUFFTON OR HILTON HEAD OR BEFORD FORT ROYAL. I WANNA MAKE SURE YOU WERE AWARE OF THAT AS WE WERE COMPLICATING COMPUTING THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT THAT MIGHT BE HAD HERE. COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND. WE DO KNOW FROM OUR SURVEYS THOUGH, THAT PEOPLE ARE STAYING OFF ISLAND AS WELL. SO THEY ARE ENJOYING BEAUFORT COUNTY. IN ADDITION, UH, IN TERMS OF THE ADVERTISING THAT THE GULF CHANNEL BROADCAST BRINGS TO THE AREA, HUNDREDS OF TIME OVER THE THREE DAYS, THEY ARE NOT SAYING THE WORD, NOT ONLY SAYING THE WORDS HILTON HEAD ISLAND, BUT THEY ARE CONSTANTLY SAYING THE LOW COUNTRY OF SOUTH CAROLINA. SO THAT IS SOMETHING WE DO BRING ATTENTION TO AS WELL. I HAVE NO OTHER QUESTIONS, BUT, BUT YOU CAN SAY THAT THE GREATEST CONCENTRATION OF PEOPLE THAT STAYING AT THE HOTELS IN HILTON HEAD PROBABLY. OKAY. CORRECT. OKAY. YEAH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. UH, BRUCE MURTY WITH THE PAT CONROY LITERACY CENTER. MORNING EVERYONE. MORNING. I AM BRUCE MURTY, AS YOU JUST HEARD, I'M THE DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT FOR THE PAT CONROY LITERARY CENTER. UM, YOU, UH, MANY OF YOU PROBABLY KNOW JONATHAN HAL, WHO'S THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. HE'S BEEN WITH THE CENTER SINCE BEFORE 2016 WHEN WE OPENED. AND, UH, OUR CENTER HAS CERTAINLY BECOME ONE OF THE TOP RANKED TOURISM DESTINATIONS FOR, UH, IN, IN BOTH EXPEDIA AND, UH, TRAVELOCITY. SO WE ARE, UH, PROUD TO BE A PART OF THE COMMUNITY. WE'RE ASKING FOR SUPPORT FOR THIS COMING YEAR'S MARCH 4TH, F-O-R-T-H MARCH 4TH EVENT. IT'S AN ANNUAL EVENT THAT'S BEEN GOING ON FOR ABOUT 10 YEARS NOW. IT'S COMMEMORATING THE ANNIVERSARY OF PAT CONROY'S PASSING ON MARCH FOUR, UH, 2016 BY ENGAGING IN MAJOR THEMES OF HIS WRITING AND TEACHING LIFE, INCLUDING SOCIAL JUSTICE, CONSERVATION, EDUCATION, TRUTH TELLING, AND OF COURSE STORYTELLING. UH, THE PAST ONE IN, UH, MARCH THIS YEAR WAS FULL OF ACTIVITIES LIKE READINGS, TEACHING TOURS, LUNCHEONS, THINGS LIKE THAT. IT WAS SIMILAR TO WHAT WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST AND SIMILAR TO WHAT WE ENVISIONED FOR THIS COMING YEAR IN 2026. UM, IT'LL BE HELD IN 2026, THE FIRST WEEKEND IN MARCH, WHICH IS STILL A QUIET OFF OFFSEASON TIME FOR TOURISM HERE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY. REALLY, WHAT WAS THE AHA MOMENT FOR US AT THE CENTER? AND WHAT LED TO THIS REQUEST WAS THIS PAST YEAR. ONE OF OUR SPEAKERS, THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER, WAS DR. AT OF FIELD'S BLACK, WHO WAS AUTHOR OF COMBI HARRIET TUBMAN, THE COMBI RIVER RAID AND BLACK FREEDOM DURING THE CIVIL WAR. SHE WAS AN AWARDED THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR THIS BOOK AND HER OUTSTANDING WORK AND ORIGINAL CULTURAL CONTRIBUTIONS. AND SHE BROUGHT DOWN THE HOUSE DURING HER SPEECH. THERE WERE DIRECT DESCENDANTS OF ENSLAVED PEOPLE IN THE ROOM AT PENN CENTER WHEN SHE WAS, GAVE HER SPEECH, WHO WERE LITERALLY IN TEARS DURING HER TALK. UM, AS WERE MANY OF THE OTHERS OF US WHO WERE IN THE ROOM. IT WAS OVERWHELMINGLY EMOTIONAL AND POWERFUL AND REALLY SOMETHING THAT SO MANY MORE PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE EXPERIENCED. IT'S THE TYPE OF EVENT WE THINK THAT BEAUFORT COUNTY DESERVES MUCH MORE RECOGNITION AND ATTENDANCE FOR. AND YET, LIKE MOST NONPROFITS, WE ARE, UH, WE OPERATE FRUGALLY. WE'VE NEVER HAD A MARKETING BUDGET TO REACH BEYOND OUR LOCAL AUDIENCE. AND, AND WE DID HAVE, UH, PEOPLE FROM, UH, TOURISTS FROM OUTSIDE MARKETS. BUT WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE MANY MORE WE CAN REACH AND TOUCH DURING THIS WEEKEND IF THEY ONLY KNEW ABOUT IT. WE BELIEVE WE CAN, UH, INCREASE THE ATTENDANCE BY 50% WITH A VERY MODEST, PRIMARILY DIGITAL MEDIA MARKETING CAMPAIGN THROUGH OUR PROPOSED OUTMARKET PROMOTION. MOST OF THESE ADDITIONAL PEOPLE WILL BE FROM 50 PLUS MILES AWAY, THE TOURISTS WHO, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, SLEEP, EAT, AND SHOP IN BUFORT COUNTY. FROM A MARKETING PERSPECTIVE, IT'S PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD. WE WORKED WITH ROB WELLS TO, UH, DEVELOP IT PRIMARILY DIGITAL MEDIA ADVERTISING AND KEY DRIVE MARKETS TARGETING PEOPLE 45 PLUS WITH STRONG HOUSEHOLD INCOMES AND INTEREST IN, UH, HISTORY, LITERATURE, TRAVEL. WE'LL SUPPLEMENT THAT WITH AN EMAIL CAMPAIGN, PUBLIC RELATIONS, AND OF COURSE OUR WEBSITE. AND AS AN OLD AD GUY, I UNDERSTAND OUR PLAN REALLY WELL FROM AN ROI PERSPECTIVE. WE'RE ASKING FOR $12,000 USING ONE SET OF DATA. WE BELIEVE WE CAN PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL 38,750 REVENUE, ABOUT THREE TO ONE, A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN THAT, UH, ROI FOR THIS MODEST [00:50:01] INVESTMENT BY THE COUNTY. BUT ACCORDING TO VISIT BUFORT, THERE'S A SEVEN TO ONE ROI ON TOURISM SPENDING. SO IF YOU USE THAT NUMBER, IT'S $84,000 IN, IN ECONOMIC IMPACT FOR A $12,000 INVESTMENT. SO WE THINK FOR THIS STRONG ROIA MODEST REQUEST, A PROVEN EVENT AND TIGHT DATA COLLECTION ON OUR PART, WE BELIEVE WE CAN REALLY MAKE A MUCH BIGGER POSITIVE IMPACT IN TOURISM SPENDING DURING THIS RELATIVELY SLOW TOURISM PERIOD FOR BEAUFORT COUNTY. SO THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO APPLY FOR THE ATAC FUNDING. WE HOPE YOU APPROVE IT. WE ARE READY FOR QUESTIONS, SO SHOOT, IF YOU HAVE ANY. I SEE, UM, YOU HAVE PROJECTED A LOSS. YES. UM, THAT'S, UH, IN THE PAST, IN PAST YEARS, UH, BECAUSE WE HAVE NOT BROUGHT ANY FUNDING, SO WE PUT A LOT OF EFFORT INTO IT. UM, AND OUR COSTS ARE MUCH HIGHER THAN I THINK WE EVEN PERHAPS REALIZED. THAT'S WHY WE'RE ASKING FOR AT TAX FUNDING FOR THE FIRST TIME. , IT SHOULD BE ABOUT BREAK EVEN. UH, IF WE RECEIVE THE FUNDING, UM, THAT, THAT WE'VE ASKED FOR, THAT'S WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO DO. GET TO BREAK EVEN WHO WILL BE MANAGING THE MARKETING CAMPAIGN. WE'LL WORK WITH ROB WELLS TO DO THAT. UM, ALSO, YOU KNOW, MY BACKGROUND IS MARKETING. UM, I USED TO OWN A MARKETING FIRM, SO I UNDERSTAND THAT PART OF IT WELL. SO I THINK BETWEEN THE TWO OF US, WE'VE GOT THAT COVERED PRETTY EASILY. WILL YOU BE APPLYING FOR THE CITY AT TAX TOO? NOT FOR THIS, NO, NOT THIS ONE. OKAY. IS THERE A REASON FOR THAT? WE APPLIED TO THE CITY FOR SOME OTHER FUNDING, SO, UH, THIS WAS OUR FIRST TIME HERE, SO WE WANTED IT TO BE RELATIVELY SMALL, MODEST AND SEE HOW IT GOES. YOU APPLIED FOR CITY ATEX, BUT FOR SOMETHING OTHER? FOR SOMETHING ELSE? YES. NOT, NOT FOR THE, UH, MARCH 4TH EVENT. WHERE WILL YOU BE HOLDING THE EVENT? PROBABLY THE SAME PLACES THAT WE'VE HELD, UH, BEFORE, UH, AT THE, UH, THE, UM, MARINE CENTER, THE FOUNDATION, WHICH YOU KNOW, OF, UH, PENN CENTER. AND ALSO WE DO TOURS AND THINGS AT, UH, THE CONROY, UH, CENTER ITSELF. SO PROBABLY THOSE THREE LOCATIONS WE'RE STILL WORKING ON IT. WE'RE REALLY AT THE BEGINNING STAGES, THINK OF, YOU KNOW, PUTTING IT TOGETHER FOR 2026. SO WE'RE NOT EXACTLY SURE, BUT HISTORICALLY THAT'S WHERE WE'VE DONE IT THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. RETURN YES, A LITTLE BIT AHEAD, AHEAD OF SCHEDULE HERE. WE'RE SUPPOSED TO TAKE A BREAK, BUT I GUESS WE DIDN'T DO THE CBB EITHER. Y'ALL WANT TO TAKE A BREAK OR YOU WANT TO KEEP GOING? KEEP GOING, KEEP GOING. OKAY. KEEP WELL, LET'S DO THAT THEN. IF, ASSUMING THAT AHAD WARD IS HERE WITH HISTORIC MITCHELL FREEDOM PARK. GOOD MORNING. MORNING. MORNING. JIMMA NAME IS AHAD WARD. I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR HISTORIC MITCHELLVILLE FREEDOM PARK. I'M HERE IN FRONT OF YOU TODAY FOR A REQUEST OF $30,000 TO SUPPORT OUR JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION. UH, THIS WILL BE OUR 12TH ANNUAL CELEBRATION AND, UH, WE'VE BEEN SEEING A STEADY GROWTH WITH OUR, OUR FESTIVAL OVER THE LAST THREE TO FOUR YEARS. UM, THIS IS A MULTI-DAY SITE SITUATION. UM, EVERYTHING IS HAPPENING AT MITCHELLVILLE FREEDOM PARK, BUT WE ARE GOING BACK WITH OUR THURSDAY SLEEPOVER IN THE PARK, WHICH CONTINUES TO GROW IN STATURE. UH, WE HAVE A CHILDREN'S EVENT ON THEIR FRIDAY, AND OF COURSE, UH, THAT IS THE 12TH, 13TH, 14TH. LEMME MAKE SURE I'M GOT THIS RIGHT HERE. I DON'T TRUST MY OWN MEMORY NOW. YES, 11 12TH AND 13TH. UH, THURSDAY, FRIDAY IS THE CHILDREN'S EVENT AND THE DRUM CIRCLE, THE SATURDAY EVENT IS THE BIG EVENT ON THE 13TH. AND THEN FOR THE THIRD YEAR WE ARE DOING A 5K ON THE ACTUAL JUNETEENTH HOLIDAY. AND SO THAT CONTINUES TO GROW AS WELL. WE HAD ABOUT 83 RUNNERS LAST YEAR. WE THINK WE'LL GET TO A HUNDRED NEXT YEAR. UH, THE THING THAT'S BEEN THE MOST IMPRESSIVE ABOUT THE SATURDAY EVENT, WE'VE SEEN 8% GROWTH OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS. UH, SO LAST YEAR SATURDAY EVENT, WE HAD 1,660 PEOPLE COME TO THE PARK. UH, THOSE STATES THAT WE WERE ABLE TO TRACK WERE FROM ALABAMA, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, KENTUCKY, MARYLAND, NORTH CAROLINA, TENNESSEE, AND VIRGINIA. DID SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THIS YEAR WITH, UH, YOUR FUNDING. AND WE BOUGHT AD SPACE ON SPOTIFY AND WE ACTUALLY SAW SOME, SOME NICE NUMBERS FROM THAT. AND SO WE ARE TRYING TO EXPAND AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. WE HAVE BILLBOARDS ON 95 THIS YEAR, UH, RIGHT BEFORE YOU GOT TO THE 4 62 EXIT. UM, SO WE ARE EXPANDING THIS BECAUSE WE ARE SEEING MORE AND MORE PEOPLE GET EXCITED ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR EVENT. AND WE HAVE PEOPLE COMING TO THE ISLAND JUST TO COME TO THIS EVENT, [00:55:01] COMING TO BEAUFORT COUNTY JUST TO SEE JUNETEENTH. AND SO, UM, WE'VE BEEN, WE HAVE A, A NICE RELATIONSHIP WITH A GROUP OF YOUNG WOMEN WHO PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, ARE, ARE GOLDEN AGES WHO HAVE COME TO THIS EVENT FIVE YEARS IN A ROW, UH, FROM UPSTATE NORTH CAROLINA. AND THIS IS THEIR THING THAT THEY DO EVERY SUMMER. AND SO THEY MAKE SURE THEY COME AND SEE US AND TELL US THAT WE'RE BACK HERE AGAIN, Y'ALL. UH, AND SO WE EXPECT THESE NUMBERS TO GROW. THE WAY WE ARE ABLE TO TRACK ALL OF THESE THINGS IS WE HAVE PURCHASED A VERY EXPENSIVE SOFTWARE NAMED PLACER AI, BUT IT DOES A LOT OF GREAT THINGS FOR US. SO WE'RE ABLE TO TRACK ZIP CODES WHERE PEOPLE ARE COMING FROM. I KNOW WE HAVE LARGE CONTENTIONS COMING FROM OUTSIDE THE POOL OF GEORGIA AREA, BUT ALSO FOR SOME REASON THIS EVENT, WE'RE SEEING A DECENT AMOUNT OF PEOPLE, UH, THAT ARE COMING IN FROM THE MID-ATLANTIC STATES AND ALSO NEW JERSEY AND NEW YORK. UH, WE'RE ABLE TO SEE WHERE THEY'RE GOING AFTER THEY LEAVE US. UH, AND WE'RE ABLE TO TRACK OUR NUMBERS THAT WE'RE KEEPING NUMBERS IN HOUSE, WE'RE ABLE TO GO BACK TO THE SOFTWARE AND DOUBLE CHECK WHAT'S ACTUALLY COMING IN SO WE CAN CHECK IT FROM THE WEEK OF IT, GET, WE CAN'T DO THE DAY OF, BUT WE CAN CHECK THE WEEK OF, AND WE CAN GO ALSO DOUBLE TRACK THIS FROM THE YEAR PRIOR. AND THAT'S HOW WE WERE ABLE TO SEE. WE HAD AN 8% BUMP FROM LAST YEAR TO THIS YEAR. AND SO IT'S HELPED US, UH, TREMENDOUSLY. SO, UH, WE'VE GOT A LITTLE BIT OF ROI BACK ON, UM, PAYING FOR THAT SOFTWARE. IT MAKES THIS JOB A LOT EASIER TO FIGURE OUT THE IMPACT THAT WE HAVE ON BEAUFORT COUNTY FOR THIS EVENT. AND WE THINK THIS IS ONE OF THOSE, UH, EVENTS THAT WILL CONTINUE TO GROW, CONTINUE TO PULL PEOPLE INTO THE COUNTY TO COME TO VISIT US. UH, WE HAD, UH, LEILA JAMES LAST YEAR WHO, UH, HAS HER OWN FOLLOWING INCREDIBLE SHOW, THE BEST THING, EVERYTHING HELD OUT AND THE RAIN CAME ABOUT 15 MINUTES AFTER SHE FINISHED PERFORMING. SO , WE SAID GOODBYE, GOT PEOPLE OUT OF THERE. AND THEN, UH, THE, THE CLOUDS OPENED UP. SO WE HAVE A BLESSED EVENT. UH, WE'VE NEVER BEEN RAINED OUT. WE DON'T THINK WE'LL GET RAINED OUT NEXT YEAR EITHER. UH, IT IS ONE OF THE CROWN JEWELS THAT WE THINK IN, IN SOUTH CAROLINA, AND IT WILL CONTINUE TO BE THAT WAY. AND SO WE HERE THIS YEAR ASKING FOR $30,000 TO SUPPORT EVENTS AROUND PRINT, RADIO, TELEVISION, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND THE LIKE TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS EVENT CONTINUES TO GROW AND BRING PEOPLE HERE TO BEAUFORT COUNTY. SO I'LL ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE. UH, THE WELL CONGRATULATIONS ON THE CONTINUED SUCCESS AND GROWTH. THANK YOU. UH, THE, THE 1600 PARTICIPANTS. AND DO YOU, DO YOU HAVE A SENSE OF WHAT PERCENT OF THOSE ARE FROM OUTSIDE THE 50 MILE RADIUS? UH, BASED ON WHAT WE'VE SEEN FROM PLACE HERE, WE'RE LOOKING RIGHT AROUND OF 42%. OKAY. SO BIG JUMP THROUGH. YEAH. MM-HMM . AND SO THAT, THAT'S A BIGGER NUMBER THAN USUAL FOR US. MM-HMM . MM-HMM . AND I THINK IT'S BECAUSE OF SOME OF THE EXPANSIVE THAT, UH, ADS THAT WE DID THIS YEAR, LIKE GOING TO SPOTIFY, DOING THE BILLBOARDS MM-HMM . WE USUALLY HAVE A PRESENCE AT THE AIRPORT THE WEEK OF, AND TRAFFIC WAS A LITTLE HIGH FOR THAT. AND ACTUALLY PEOPLE TELL US, HEY, I SAW YOUR BANNER RIGHT. AND I COME IN AND OUT, SO WE MADE SURE WE STAYED OVER A LITTLE LATER AND, AND CAME OVER TO YOUR EVENT. SO HOPEFULLY THAT WILL CONTINUE TO INCH UP. OBVIOUSLY WE'RE GONNA GET A LOT OF PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE AREA TO COME TO US. UM, BUT THOSE NUMBERS ARE PROBABLY THE HIGHEST NUMBERS WE'VE SEEN OVER THE LAST COUPLE YEARS. AND WHERE'S YOUR SENSE OF WHERE THEY STAY WHEN THEY'RE COMING IN FROM OUT OF TOWN? WELL, FOR US, EVEN THOUGH WE'RE ON HILTON HEAD, THAT IS THE PART OF THE, THE SEASON. AND SO HILTON HEAD HIGH HOTELS ARE USUALLY JAMMED UP. MM-HMM . UM, AND SO WHAT I CAN TELL, WE HAD PEOPLE, UM, IN BLUFFTON MM-HMM . OUTSIDE IN B AND B'S PROBABLY IN RIDGELAND MM-HMM . UH, EVERYTHING THERE SURROUNDING AREAS. UH, WE DID HAVE A FEW PEOPLE THAT CAME IN ON SOME, SOME SITES, BUT WE HAVE SOME PEOPLE THAT COME IN FOR THIS EVENT THAT REALLY CAN'T AFFORD TO DO, UH, YOU KNOW, THE WESTIN DURING THE, THE SUMMER MONTHS. SURE. RIGHT. 'CAUSE IT'S LIKE $500 MM-HMM . SO WE HAD QUITE A FEW PEOPLE THAT STAYED OUTSIDE THE AREA. UM, I DO HAVE SOME NUMBERS THAT TRACK EXACTLY SOME OF THE HOTELS. THE ONLY THING ABOUT THAT SOFTWARE, WE CAN'T GET TOO EXACT ABOUT WHERE THEY'RE STAYING, IT'S GONNA GIVE US THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE. AND SO THAT'S WHY I CAN TELL YOU THOSE OTHER OUTSIDE CITIES. THAT'S A GOOD POINT. AND THE, THE VACATION RENTAL HOUSES THAT TIME OF YEAR ARE PRETTY MUCH WEEK LONG STAYS, SO THEY'RE NOT PROBABLY A GOOD OPTION EITHER. SO IT'S, YEAH. BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT GONNA PAY THE WHOLE WEEK. THEY'RE, THEY'RE COMING FORWARD LIKE THE WEEKEND OR MM-HMM . OR THEY GET THERE THURSDAY AND STAY THROUGH THE DRUM CIRCLE AND ALL THAT, BUT YEAH. THEY'RE NOT GONNA SPEND EXTRA MONEY FOR A WHOLE WEEK. YEAH. SO YOUR YEAH. YOUR POINT IS THAT YOU'RE GETTING SOME HOTEL USAGE OFF THE ISLAND. YEAH. YEAH. OKAY. BECAUSE THEY, THEY HAVE NO CHOICE REALLY. RIGHT, RIGHT. OKAY. UH, ARE THERE ANY FUNDS, UM, GENERATED FROM ANY PROFIT GENERATED FROM THE, THE EVENT OR JUST YEAH. YEAH, THERE'S TICKET SALES, TICKET SALES. WE DO HAVE TICKET SALES THERE. WE SELL MERCHANDISE. UM, THIS YEAR WE GOT OUTTA SELLING SOME OF THE REFRESHMENTS AND SO WE HAD LET THE VENDORS DO IT ALL THAT. 'CAUSE IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A HASSLE FOR US BECAUSE WE DOING TOO MANY OTHER THINGS. BUT WE SEE OUR MERCHANDISE SALES CREEPING UP AND TICKETS WENT FOR THE FIRST YEAR. WE PROBABLY, UH, WERE AT 30% AS FAR AS PRE-SALES FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR WITHIN THE FIRST TWO WEEKS OF THEM GOING [01:00:01] ON SALE. MM-HMM . UM, AGAIN, I GUESS JUST THE, IT'S THE EXPANDED MARKETING. WE STARTED OUT A LITTLE YEAR EARLIER THIS YEAR. MM-HMM . WE HIT SOME ANGLES THAT WE HADN'T BEEN ABLE TO HIT. OF COURSE WE'RE GONNA DO IT AGAIN. 'CAUSE WE SAW, WE DON'T NORMALLY HAVE THAT MANY PRE-SOLD TICKETS, YOU KNOW, BUT WE SOLD, MAN, SOON, WE OPENED IT UP. WE PROBABLY HAD 500 TICKETS SOLD ONLINE WITHIN THE FIRST 10 DAYS, WHICH IS NOT SOMETHING THAT WE NORMALLY DO. MM-HMM . THAT TICKET ALLOWED THEM TO COME IN FOR ALL THE EVENTS, OR IT'S A ONE PRICE EVENT. THE DRUM CIRCLE IS FREE. THAT'S ON FRIDAY. OKAY. SO ANYBODY CAN COME TO THE DRUM CIRCLE. UHHUH , THE SATURDAY EVENT IS THE TICKETED ITEM. THE OTHER THING THAT HELPED US IS LAST YEAR, UH, WE DECIDED TO BUMP THE TICKET DOWN TO $10 FOR OUR, YOU KNOW, THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY THE YEAR BEFORE. RIGHT. AND AFTER WE SAW THE IMPACT OF, UH, QUANTITY SAID, WELL, AND SO WE KEPT IT AT 10 AND WE SAW MORE PEOPLE KEEPING IT AT 10. AND SO WE'LL PROBABLY KEEP IT AT 10 AGAIN, UH, FOR THE SATURDAY EVENT. SO IF YOU WANTED TO SLEEP OVER ON THE THURSDAY EVENT, THERE IS A PRICE FOR THAT. IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW, 30 BUCKS AND IF YOU WANNA BUY A TENT FROM US, IT'S $25. SO WE DO GET REVENUE FROM THAT AS WELL. OKAY. AND THE VENDORS HAVE TO PAY TO BE A PART OF IT. AND YOU'RE, UH, YOU'RE APPLYING FOR $205,000 FROM THE TOWN OF HILTON NET AT TAX, RIGHT? YES. AND DID YOU RECEIVE THAT LAST YEAR? UH, WE RECEIVED ABOUT 190 FROM THE, WE BUMPED IT UP THIS YEAR. UH, THE THING ABOUT THIS EVENT THOUGH, WE DON'T SPEND A LOT OF HILTON HEAD MONEY ON ADVERTISING FOR JUNETEENTH. THAT REALLY GOES TO HELP THE PERFORMERS. YEAH. AND SO WE SPEND THAT ON OTHER SPENDING LIKE PLACER, . RIGHT. THE OTHER ITEMS THAT WE DO, SO THE MAJORITY OF WHAT WE SPEND ON ADVERTISING FOR JUNETEENTH COMES FROM BEAUFORT COUNTY AND ALSO S-C-P-R-T, UM, THE TECH TOURISM ADVERTISING GRANT, WHICH ALLOWS US TO PUT THOSE BILLBOARDS ON NINE FIVE. GOT IT. THANKS. I HAD A COUPLE QUESTIONS. UM, UM, THIS IS FOR THE EVENT AND I'M GLAD TO KNOW THAT. TELL ME WHAT'S HAPPENING AT THE PARK ON THE DAYS WHEN THE EVENT'S NOT OCCURRING. ARE YOU OPEN YEAR ROUND? CAN PEOPLE COME STAY? OH YEAH. PARKING FOR TOUR. OH, WE'RE OPEN EVERY DAY. WE'RE OPEN EVERY DAY FROM, WELL, DURING THIS SEASON, WE'RE OPEN EVERY DAY FROM SIX TO NINE ON THE OFF SEASON TO SIX TO SIX. AND DO YOU HAVE THE ABILITY FOR PEOPLE TO COME IN TOUR BUSES TO STOP AND LET OFF A GROUP OF CHILDREN? ALL THE TIME. IN FACT, WE OFFER GUIDED TOURS EVERY TUESDAY AND THURSDAY AT 10:00 AM AT THE PARK. BUT YOU CAN COME IN ANYTIME YOU WANT TO AND DO TOURS. WE HAVE OTHER PROGRAMS BESIDES JUNETEENTH IN THE PARK. THIS IS JUNETEENTH IS ONE OF OUR FIVE MAJOR PROGRAMS DURING THE YEAR. BUT WE ALSO HAVE CLASSROOMS THAT COME IN. WE HAVE A, UH, A YOUTH PROGRAM CALLED GRIOS CORNER, WHICH IS A LITERACY PROGRAM THAT WE DO UNDER THE BIG OAK TREE. UH, THAT IS FOR GRADES K TO THIRD GRADE. WE DO THAT A LOT. THIS PAST SCHOOL YEAR, WE SAW BY 1800 SCHOOL AGED CHILDREN IN THAT AGE RANGE TO DO THAT. IT'S JUST ONE OF THE MANY PROGRAMS THAT WE OFFER THERE. AND OF COURSE, IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW QUICK COMMERCIAL, NEXT SUMMER WE'LL BE OPENING A ARCHEOLOGICAL RESEARCH FACILITY AT THE PARK, UH, HOPEFULLY SOMETIME SUMMER 26, IF THEY EVER GET ALL THESE, UH, THIS RATE, THIS ROTATE CUTAWAY. AND THAT WILL ALLOW US TO PROCESS ARCHEOLOGICAL FINDINGS ON SITE INSTEAD OF SENDING THINGS OUT. IT'LL HAVE A MULTIPURPOSE SPACE FOR US TO DO PROGRAMS AT THE PARK FINALLY, BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A REAL BUILDING ON THE SITE YET, AND IT'LL HAVE AN OFFICE SUITE. SO WE ARE EXPECTING SOME IMPACT FROM THAT BUILDING TO OPEN UP AS WELL. I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE IT UP BY NEXT JUNETEENTH. I DON'T KNOW IF CONSTRUCTION WOULD ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN, BUT PEOPLE WILL BE ABLE TO SEE THE BUILDING AT LEAST. SO THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS HAPPENING OUT THERE. WE PROBABLY HAVE ABOUT THREE AND A HALF CAPITAL PROJECTS GOING ON RIGHT NOW AT THE SAME TIME, WHICH WAS NOT PLANNED, BUT IT IS WHAT IT IS. UH, AND SO THE PARK CONTINUES TO GROW AND OUR OFFERINGS WILL CONTINUE TO GROW AS WELL. SO, AS MEMBERS OF THIS ATAC COMMITTEE, SHOULD WE, HOW SHOULD WE THINK ABOUT THIS INFANT, THIS EVENT AND THE IMPACT ON FUTURE VISITATION FOR PEOPLE WHO COME TO THIS AREA AND MAY WANT TO COME SEE MR? WELL, FROM WHAT I CAN SEE FROM THE NUMBERS, PEOPLE ARE COMING, ARE GETTING USED TO COMING TO THE PARK BY COMING TO JUNETEENTH. WE HAVE A LOT OF FIRST TIMERS AND THEN THOSE PEOPLE CAN COME BACK. SO FOR US RIGHT NOW, THAT EVENT IS ONE OF THOSE BIG, UH, CAST THE NET OUT WIDE EVENTS THAT BRING PEOPLE INTO THE SPACE. AND ONCE THEY SEE THE SPACE, THEY COME BACK AND DO MORE. THANK YOU. DID I UNDERSTAND YOU TO SAY THAT YOU'VE NOT GOTTEN A LOT OF LOCAL? NO, NO. WE'VE GOT A LOT OF LOCAL, WE'VE GOTTEN A LOT OF LOCAL SUPPORT FOR THIS EVENT. IT'S JUST THAT THIS YEAR THE OUTSIDE NUMBERS WILL LOWER LARGE THAN WE HAVE USED TO BE ABLE TO SEE. AND I THINK IT'S PROBABLY 'CAUSE OF THE ADVERTISING THAT WE SAW, BUT WE ALWAYS HAVE A LOT OF LOCAL SUPPORT GOING TO THESE EVENTS. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? NOT AT THIS TIME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. [01:05:06] MARCY ROY, THE HISTORIC PORT ROYAL FOUNDATION. GOOD MORNING. HI. REPRESENT F WHICH IS THE PORT ROYAL MUSEUM. IT'S A SMALL MUSEUM IN A SMALL TOWN WITH A LARGE HISTORY. UH, WE, UH, HAVE OFFER, UM, WE'RE OPEN FROM, UM, THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY FROM 10 TO THREE. WE, UH, HAVE FREE ADMISSION. WE'RE A VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION. WE'RE A VERY UNIQUE ORG UM, MUSEUM BECAUSE AS PEOPLE COME INTO THE MUSEUM, WE HAVE A DOCENT THAT WELCOMES YOU AND ASKS YOU QUESTIONS AND VERY FRIENDLY, VERY SOUTHERN. UM, AND, UH, UH, WE GET THEM TO WRITE THEIR NAME IN THE BOOK. AND THEN WE SAY, YOU KNOW, PORT ROYAL HAS, UH, HAD SEVEN FLAGS FLOWN OVER IT, THE FIRST ONE IN 1527. UM, AND SO WE OFFER A LOT TO THE COMMUNITY. WE DON'T HAVE AN ROI BECAUSE IT'S FREE IGNITION, BUT WE OFFER MORE. WE SUPPORT OUR BUSINESSES. UM, WE SUPPORT THE MILITARY. UM, AS YOU KNOW, THE MILITARY BASE IS ON, UH, IS IN PORT ROYAL. WE HAVE FAMILIES COMING EVERY WEEKEND TO SEE THE GRADUATIONS. WE ONLY HAVE 109, UH, UH, SHORT TERM RENTALS IN PORT ROYAL. SO THESE FAMILIES ARE THROUGHOUT, UM, BEAUFORT COUNTY. UM, WE ALSO HAVE A LOT OF VISITORS THAT THE CYPRESS WETLANDS, UH, DRAWS IN. AND AS THEY COME IN, THEY CAN SEE THAT THE MUSEUM UP ON THE HILL, UH, WHAT WE'RE OFFERING. OH, ONE OTHER THING I WAS GONNA SAY IS, UH, THERE WAS, UH, UM, UH, WE HAD AN EXEC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR WHO LEFT ABRUPTLY. UM, AND SO THE MUSEUM HAD IT CLOSED FOR A WHILE. UH, THEY HAD, UM, UH, RECEIVED A GRANT FROM YOU FOR AN EVENT, AND WE DID PAY THAT, UM, THAT GRANT BACK BECAUSE WE DID NOT HAVE THE EVENT, UH, 11 MONTHS AGO, WE WERE ABLE TO, UH, REOPEN THE MUSEUM. UH, SINCE THAT TIME, WE'VE HAD 2000 PEOPLE COME IN FROM 44 STATES AND SEVEN COUNTRIES. UM, WE WOULD LIKE HELP BECAUSE PORT ROYAL GIVES US 40,000 A YEAR, UM, WHICH IS ENOUGH FOR US TO KEEP THE DOORS OPEN. UH, IF WE NEED ANYTHING ELSE, WE HAVE TO RAISE THAT OURSELVES. UH, WE WOULD LIKE TO IMPROVE THE MUSEUM. UH, ONE OF THE, AND, AND ACTUALLY THE TOWN OF PORT ROYAL, ONE OF THE ISSUES WE HAVE IS NOBODY KNOWS. HAVE YOU, HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN TO THE MUSEUM IN PORT ROYAL? UH, IT'S IN HARBOR VILLAGE AND IT'S WAY IN THE BACK. SO YOU DON'T REALLY KNOW THAT THE MUSEUM IS THERE. AND ALSO WHEN SOMEBODY COMES IN, UM, ON, UM, REBO, YOU DON'T REALLY KNOW, KNOW THAT IF YOU TURN DOWN PARIS AVENUE, THERE'S A LOT OF BUSINESSES DOWN. AND SO WE WANT TO, UM, PUT SOME SIGNAGE UP SO THAT NOT ONLY THE MUSEUM, BUT OTHER BUSINESSES WILL BE DIRECTED DOWN PARIS AVENUE. UM, WE'RE DO, UM, WE ALSO WANT SOME SIGNAGE ON PARIS AVENUE TO DIRECT PEOPLE INTO THE MUSEUM. SO OUR BIG ASK IS FOR SIGNAGE, UM, TO HELP WITH BOTH BUSINESSES AND THE MUSEUM AND CYPRUS WETLANDS AND THE OTHER 5 0 1 CS THAT ARE IN PORT ROYAL. UM, THE OTHER, UM, PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE IS WE ARE IN A LITTLE TINY BUILDING, UM, WITH NO, UM, ACCESS FROM A, LIKE A WHEELCHAIR. SO YOU HAVE TO KIND OF GO UP SOME LITTLE STEPS TO GET IN. AND A LOT OF TIMES PEOPLE DON'T EVEN KNOW IT'S A MUSEUM. WE HAVE A GLASS DOOR AND PEOPLE ACTUALLY COME UP TO THE MUSEUM AND KIND OF GO LIKE THIS. AND THEY GO, ARE YOU A MUSEUM? AND THEN WE'RE LIKE, YEAH, COME ON IN, COME ON IN. SO WE WOULD LIKE TO PUT A, LIKE A FRONT PORCH THAT HAS A, A WHEELCHAIR RAMP THAT WOULD BE ABLE TO BRING PEOPLE INTO THE MUSEUM. WE ALSO WOULD LIKE TO, UM, BUILD A, A PATH FROM CYPRUS WETLANDS, BECAUSE IF YOU'RE GOING AROUND CYPRUS WETLANDS, YOU CAN SEE THE MUSEUM UP ON THE HILL. BUT THERE'S A FENCE THERE. AND WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A PATH THAT GOES UP TO THE MUSEUM AND BRINGS PEOPLE INTO THE MUSEUM. UM, WE ALSO NEED SOME HELP, UM, WITH, UM, WE'D LIKE TO BRING SOME CONSULTANTS IN TO UPDATE, YOU KNOW, GIVE US IDEAS ON HOW TO CONNECT WITH OTHER MUSEUMS. UM, WE'RE, LIKE I SAID, WE'RE VOLUNTEERS, WE'RE RETIREES. WE, WE DON'T HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE WITH RUNNING A MUSEUM AND WE COULD USE SOME HELP. UM, BOTH, UM, OUR ONLINE PRESENCE AND, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE COULD DO TO, TO BETTER THE, UM, MUSEUM WE'RE [01:10:01] PLANNING ON DOING, UM, TAKING THE FIRST, THERE'S TWO ROOMS IN THE MUSEUM. WE'RE GONNA TAKE THE HALF OF THE FIRST ROOM AND WE'RE GONNA MAKE THAT INTO A VISITOR CENTER. WE'VE GOTTEN THE APPROVAL FROM THE TOWN TO BE THE VISIT, THE OFFICIAL, UH, VISITOR CENTERS OF, OF PORT ROYAL. SO WE'RE GONNA BUILD THAT OUT. AND THEN WE NEED A LITTLE BIT OF HELP WITH SOME OF OUR DISPLAYS TOO. SO THAT KIND OF WRAPS UP WHAT WE'RE ASKING FOR. DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? HOW HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO FOLLOW ANY ECONOMIC IMPACT THAT YOU BRING TO THE COUNTY? SO THE ONLY, UM, WAY THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT IS TO HAVE VISITORS, UM, UH, SIGN IN. UM, WHAT, AFTER I READ THE, THE GRANT, UM, WE ADDED A COLUMN. AND SO WHAT WE'RE ASKING, UH, PEOPLE TO DO IS TO SAY IF THEY'RE STAYING IN BEAUFORT COUNTY OR NOT, BUT WE'VE JUST STARTED DOING THAT. BUT TO COME TO BEAUFORT DIRECTLY TO VISIT, WE'RE, WE'RE JUST, I REALLY, I CAN'T AN ANSWER THAT QUESTION. WE'RE JUST, UM, PROVIDING A MUSEUM AND A VISITOR CENTER. UM, AND, UH, PEOPLE ARE COMING IN AND, AND WE ACTUALLY TELL THEM PLACES TO GO TO SEE. BUT IF YOU'RE ASKING FOR WHAT KIND OF DOLLARS WE'RE, WE'RE GENERATING, UM, IT'S NOT DOLLARS. IT'S GOODWILL. BASICALLY. I'M HEARING THAT YOU ARE ASKING FOR MONEY FOR RENOVATIONS IN THAT EFFECT. YES. OKAY. MM-HMM . AND KEITH AND SIGNAGE. OKAY. WHO OWNS THE BUILDING THAT YOU'RE IN? THE KEITH OWN THE, THE BUILDING. WHAT IS YOUR LEGAL ABILITY TO STAY THERE? DO YOU HAVE A LONG-TERM LEASE OR IF WE PUT IN IMPROVEMENT, WE HAVE A YEARLY DECIDE THE LEASE. SOME, YEAH. WE HAVE A YEARLY LEASE. A WHAT? YEARLY LEASE? A MM-HMM . YEARLY BY YEAR. AND DO, AND SO YOU RENEW EACH YEAR BY MUTUAL AGREEMENT? YES. I THINK YOUR MATERIAL SAID THAT YOU HAD 2000 GUESTS IN THE LAST 11 MONTHS. AND FROM THAT THEY HAD, THEY'D STAYED THERE FROM 44 STATES IN SEVEN COUNTRIES. SO THERE'S DEFINITELY SOME COMING FROM, SOME OF THESE VISITORS ARE DEFINITELY FROM OUTSIDE THE AREA. YES. RIGHT. WE JUST DON'T, AND THEN THAT PART OF YOUR REQUEST FOR THIS FUNDING IS TO ENABLE A TRACKING SYSTEM TO BETTER TRACK THAT GOING FORWARD, RIGHT? MM-HMM . GOT IT. YES. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? NO, I JUST TIME THAT. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. MM-HMM. YOU WANNA TAKE A, TAKE A FEW MINUTES? I WOULDN'T MIND IT. OKAY. LET'S GO STRETCH MINUTE. WE'LL TAKE A 10 MINUTE BREAK. THANK YOU. NO PROBLEM. THREE DS. I'M EBONY HOLMES, FOUNDER OF BLACK MOSES FREEDOM FESTIVAL. HELLO. HELLO. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. YOU CAN, GOOD MORNING. YOU CAN JUMP RIGHT IN. UM, I, I DIDN'T KNOW, I THOUGHT YOU GUYS WERE JUST GONNA BE ASKING ME QUESTIONS. THAT'S WHAT I WAS KIND OF PREPARED FOR, BUT, UM, YES. UM, THE FOUNDER OF THE BLACK MOSES FREEDOM FESTIVAL. GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. UM, THE BLACK MOSES MOSES FREEDOM FESTIVAL IS A HERITAGE HEALTH AND WELLNESS FESTIVAL THAT WAS CREATED IN HONOR OF HARRIET TUBMAN AND THE WORK THAT SHE DID ON THE KOHE RIVER. LIBERATING OVER 740 PEOPLE. UM, I'M A GULLAH GEECHEE DESCENDANT HERE IN BEAUFORT, SOUTH CAROLINA. I DON'T LIVE HERE, BUT MY FATHER, JOHNNY HOLMES, HE DOES LIVE HERE. AND HE WAS BORN ON BLADEN STREET AND, UH, DOWNTOWN BEAUFORT, SOUTH CAROLINA. AND A BLACK MOSES FREEDOM FESTIVAL WAS BORN ON BLADEN STREET IN DOWNTOWN BEAUFORT, SOUTH CAROLINA, AT THE BEAUFORT COUNTY BLACK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. UM, I CREATED THIS FESTIVAL USING THE HISTORY OF HARRIET'S TUBMAN AS A FOUNDATION TO PROMOTE HEALTH AND WELLNESS IN THE LOW COUNTRY FOR GULLAH GEECHEE PEOPLE AND FOR WHOEVER ELSE WANTS TO JOIN US, BUT SPECIFICALLY FOR MY PEOPLE. UM, DURING COVI, I LOST ABOUT SEVEN FAMILY MEMBERS, AND THAT WAS HORRIBLE. ALL THROUGH PREVENTABLE DISEASE. SO THE BLACK MOSES FREEDOM FESTIVAL STANDS FOR UPLIFTING HEALTH AND WELLNESS AS FAR AS YOGA, KAYAKING, WALKING VEGAN, VEGETARIAN FOOD OPTIONS. WE'VE HAD CHEF BJ DENNIS COME AND DO VEGAN FOOD OPTIONS. WE HAD, UM, A YOUNG LADY LAST YEAR WHO DID A DINNER FOR US THAT WAS VEGAN FOOD OPTIONS. AND SO WE'RE JUST TRYING TO [01:15:01] INTRODUCE THOSE TYPE OF THINGS INTO THE CULTURE SO THAT WE CAN HAVE LEGACY AND LONGEVITY. UM, TO ME, GENERATIONAL WEALTH DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU DON'T HAVE HEALTH. SO, UM, THAT'S WHAT THE BLACK MOSES FREEDOM FESTIVAL'S, ONE OF OUR MAIN AIMS IS TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH OUTCOMES. WE READ A REPORT CALLED TOGETHER FOR BUFORT IN 2021. I USED THAT REPORT AS A FOUNDATION TO CREATE THIS FESTIVAL. SO WE'RE ABOUT AGRICULTURAL LIBERATION AND AGRITOURISM. WE'RE ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY, WE'RE ABOUT ECOTOURISM, AND WE DO WALKING TOURS, BUS TOURS, KAYAKING, TOURS. 'CAUSE WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE CATERING TO EVERY LEVEL LEVEL OF MOBILITY. UM, WE HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FESTIVAL SINCE 2022, SO NEXT YEAR WILL BE OUR FIFTH YEAR. NEXT YEAR WILL BE OUR FIFTH YEAR ANNIVERSARY. AND WE HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FESTIVAL WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE COMMUNITY. WE HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO DO THIS. WE WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO THIS WITHOUT THE COMMUNITY 'CAUSE WE HAVE NOT HAD THE FUNDING. BUT GOD WILLING, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE TO GET GIRL TREK, TO GET, UM, THE GULLAH GEECHEE CULTURAL HERITAGE CORRIDOR, THE BEAUFORT COUNTY BLACK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. SO MANY PEOPLE DEDICATED THEIR TIME. BEAUFORT COUNTY BLACK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE DEDICATED THEIR SPACE AND THEIR ENERGY TO THE PURPOSE OF WHAT WE WERE DOING. SO WE HAVE HAD DESCENDANTS OF HARRIET TUBMAN AND FREDERICK DOUGLAS TO BE OUR KEYNOTE SPEAKERS. WE HAVE HAD DR. EDER FIELDS'S BLACK, WHO IS NOW A PULITZER PRIZE WINNER, LEAD OUR KAYAKING. AND THIS WAS ALL DONE WITHOUT FUNDING. SO WE ARE COMING TO YOU GUYS TODAY TO GIVE, TO REQUEST SOME FUNDING SO THAT WE CAN EXPAND TO BE, WE WANNA BE ONE OF THE PREMIER HEALTH AND WELLNESS FESTIVALS IN SOUTH CAROLINA, AND WE SEE THAT HAPPENING. WE HAVE EXPANDED FROM THE BEAUFORT COUNTY BLACK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE INTO THE PENN CENTER. SO NOW WE'RE ON 50 ACRES OF LAND. AND THE PENN CENTER WAS BUILT IN 1862. HARRIET TUBMAN CAME TO BEAUFORT IN 1862. SO ALL OF THESE THINGS HAVE BEEN ALIGNING UP. AND AGAIN, THE PENN CENTER BELIEVES IN WHAT WE'RE DOING. SO THAT'S WHY THEY HAVE GIVEN US THEIR LAND AND THEIR SPACE TO WORK IT OUT AS WELL. SO NOW WE ARE A THREE DAY OVERNIGHT FESTIVAL WHERE WE'RE OFFERING CAMPING AND LODGING AT THE PENN CENTER, BUT THAT IS LIMITED SPACE. SO THERE WILL BE LIMITED PEOPLE THAT CAN STAY ON CAMPUS WITH US. WE'RE OFFERING OVERNIGHT FOR OUR VENDORS AND FOR OUR PATRONS. SO WE HAD A BEAUTIFUL TIME IN JUNE THIS YEAR, JUST AFTER THE FESTIVAL WAS OVER WITH EVERYONE. YOU KNOW, WE HAD A LITTLE FIRE GOING AND JUST CAMPING OUT. AND IT WAS A REALLY GREAT EXPERIENCE. AND I THINK THAT IS ANOTHER THING THAT'S UNIQUE ABOUT OUR FESTIVALS, THAT NOW IT IS OFFERING OVERNIGHT, UM, ACCOMMODATIONS FOR PEOPLE TO COME. BUT LIKE I SAID, THAT'S LIMITED SPACE. AND WITH THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE COMING, WE'LL STILL BE ABLE TO, UH, HAVE PEOPLE THAT ARE STAYING AT THE HOTELS. THEY'RE BUYING FOOD. WE'VE HAD PEOPLE DRIVE DOWN FROM BROOKLYN, NEW YORK. WE'VE HAD PEOPLE FROM MARYLAND. OF COURSE WE HAVE PEOPLE FROM SOUTH CAROLINA, NORTH CAROLINA, FLORIDA, AND GEORGIA. BUT WE'RE ACTUALLY REACHING OUT BEYOND THAT, HAVING PEOPLE COME HERE TO BEAUFORT AND SUPPORT OUR ECONOMY. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE OTHER KEY, UH, PILLARS OF THE BLACK MOSES FREEDOM FESTIVAL IS ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT. SO A LOT OF THE FESTIVALS CHARGE A LOT OF MONEY FOR VENDORS. WE KEEP OUR VENDING FEES AT TWO, $300 FOR FOOD VENDORS AND FOR LOCAL VENDORS BECAUSE WE WANT THEM TO BE ABLE TO NOT ONLY COME AND SELL THEIR PRODUCTS, BUT BE ABLE TO AFFORD TO MAKE A REAL SERIOUS PROFIT WHEN THEY COME TO OUR FESTIVAL. SO WE ARE, UM, WE ARE WORKING ON ACTUALLY HAVING A, UM, A HEADLINER AS FAR AS, LIKE WHEN I DID THE GULLAH, I HOSTED THE GULLAH FEST FOR, UH, DUSKY ISLAND, AND THEY HAD 8 0 3 FRESH COME. AND THE DIFFERENCE THAT THAT MADE WAS PROFOUND. AND SO WE'RE LOOKING TO HAVE A HEADLINER LIKE THAT FOR OUR FESTIVAL FOR 2026 AS WELL. UM, WE HAVE ALSO HAD, LET ME SEE. SO AS FAR AS OUR RETURN ON INVESTMENT, 'CAUSE I KNOW THAT THAT'S ONE OF THE MAIN QUESTIONS THAT YOU GUYS WANT TO KNOW, LIKE, HOW, WHAT'S, WHAT'S THE NUMBERS GONNA LOOK LIKE? SO, UM, WE ARE, WE ARE ASKING FOR $25,000. AND WHEN I DID THE NUMBERS FOR THAT $25,000 BASED ON OUR, UM, OVERNIGHT ATTENDEES, AND A 30% INCREASE WOULD BE ABOUT 360 ATTENDEES. WITH THAT BEING SAID, OVERNIGHT ATTENDEES WOULD BE ABOUT 1,560. THE AVERAGE PARTY SIZE IS TWO PEOPLE PER ROOM. AVERAGE LENGTH OF STAY IS 2.5 NIGHTS. AVERAGE ROOM RATE IS $175 PER NIGHT. AND WHEN WE CALCULATED THE ROOM NIGHTS, THAT'S ABOUT 1,950 ROOM NIGHTS. SO DIRECT LAUNCHING REVENUE CAME UP TO ABOUT $341,000. [01:20:02] SO THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT WAS ABOUT, FOR EVERY DOLLAR THAT THE 2% AD TAX GRANT GIVES THE FESTIVAL, WE GENERATE ABOUT $13 AND 65 CENTS IN DIRECT LODGING REVENUE. SO WE THINK THAT IT WOULD BE, UH, UH, VERY BENEFICIAL FOR YOU GUYS TO FUND US AS WE ARE. THIS WOULD BE OUR FIRST TIME BEING FUNDED. WE HAVE NEVER BEEN FUNDED BY YOU GUYS BEFORE. LIKE I SAID, WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS THROUGH, UH, THE LOVE AND THE SUPPORT OF THE COMMUNITY AND THE RELATIONSHIPS THAT WE HAVE BUILT. AND WE HAVE BUILT RELATIONSHIPS WITH SO MANY PEOPLE HERE. WE HAVE OVER 20 DIFFERENT LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS WHO HAVE SUPPORTED AND CONTRIBUTED TO OUR FESTIVALS THUS FAR. AND IF WE HAD THE FUNDING TO REALLY TRULY PROMOTE OUR FESTIVAL, WE DO FEEL THAT THE BLACK MOSES FREEDOM FESTIVAL HAS A POTENTIAL TO BE AN AMAZING ASSET FOR THE COUNTY OF BEAUFORT. NOT JUST AS FAR AS FINANCIALLY, BUT FOR THE COMMUNITY HEALTH AND WELLNESS WISE AND EXPERIENTIALLY WISE, BECAUSE THE EXPERIENCE OF COMING TO THE BLACK MOSES FREEDOM FESTIVAL IS UNIQUE AND DIFFERENT IN WHAT WE OFFER AS FAR AS THIS FESTIVAL GOES. SO WE DO WORKSHOPS. THERE'S NO OTHER FESTIVAL THAT YOU CAN GO AND MAKE ELDERBERRY SYRUP THAT YOU CAN GO AND MAKE SEA MOSS THAT YOU CAN LEARN ABOUT THE NATURAL HERBS THAT GROW IN THIS AREA AND HOW TO MAKE HEALING ALVES AND MEDICINE OUT OF THEM. UM, WE DO BLACK FILM SCREENINGS. WE HAVE FILLED, UM, SCREENED LUANA GRAVES FILM. WE HAVE SCREENED THE T THE TREE STORY FROM TONY BELL. WE HAVE SCREENED THE NORTH CAROLINA RICE FESTIVALS FILM. AND MR. GEORGE BEATTY, WHEN HE CAME TO OUR FESTIVAL, OUR FIRST FESTIVAL, WHEN HE WENT BACK TO NORTH CAROLINA, HE EXPANDED THAT FESTIVAL IN SUCH A WAY THAT WHEN I CONTACTED THEM, EVEN AFTER HE PASSED AWAY, THEY SAID, YES, WE KNOW YOU, WE WANT YOU TO COME. THEY OFFERED, THEY PAID FOR ME TO COME, LET ME VIN FREE AND ALL OF THAT BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT THAT OUR FESTIVAL, HIM SCREENING THAT FILM WITH US, THE IMPACT THAT IT HAD IN NORTH CAROLINA. SO WE WANNA CONTINUE DOING THE WORK THAT WE HAVE BEEN DOING FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS, AND WE WANNA MAKE OUR FIFTH YEAR REMARKABLE. WE WANT TO MAKE OUR FIFTH YEAR ONE OF OUR BEST YEARS, AND WE REALLY NEED YOUR SUPPORT IN ORDER FOR US TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. SO I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH TIME I TOOK, BUT THAT'S IT. , I'M THE LEAD ON THIS. SO I'LL HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS FOR YOU. AND THANK YOU, UHHUH, FOR YOUR PRESENTATION AND YOUR INTEREST. IT SAID YOU HAD ABOUT 300 ATTENDEES LAST YEAR. MM-HMM . IF YOU DID THESE SCREENINGS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES, WHERE DID YOU DO THEM? SAY IT AGAIN. WHERE DID YOU DO THE SCREENINGS AND THE OTHER ACTIVITIES YOU'VE DESCRIBED HAPPENING? SO WE DID, UM, SCREENINGS, FILM SCREENINGS, WERE IN FRA HALL. AND HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN BE SEATED IN FRA HALL? ABOUT 50 TO 60. MM-HMM . AND YOU'RE INDICATING YOU'RE EXPECTING UP TO 1200 INDIVIDUALS AT THE COMING FESTIVAL. YOU'RE, I GOT A LITTLE CONFUSED ON SOME OF THE NUMBERS THERE. HOW MANY PEOPLE DO YOU THINK WILL BE CAMPING AND OR LODGING AT PENN CENTER? USUALLY ABOUT 50 TO 60. DO THEY PAY AT TAX OR DO YOU KNOW? THEY DON'T, THEY DON'T PAY AAX. OKAY. IS THERE A REASON WHY THEY WOULDN'T PAY IT? I KNOW CAMPERS ON HUNTING ISLAND ARE SUPPOSED TO PAY IT. UM, I'M NOT SURE. I JUST KNOW THAT THE PENN CENTER HAS THEIR, THEIR LAND THERE SET UP, SO THE PEOPLE THAT ARE CAMPING THERE WOULDN'T PAY AAX. BUT, UM, YEAH, THEY, THEY WOULDN'T PAY A TAX. I DON'T, I'M NOT SURE EXACTLY WHY. AND IN YOUR $75,000 BUDGET FOR THE THREE DAYS, THERE'S $20,000 FOR RENT AND FACILITY FEES, THAT'S TO BE PAID TO PENN CENTER FOR THE USE OF THE FACILITIES THERE. IS THAT YES. THAT CORRECT. OKAY. AND IT'S NOT JUST THE RENTAL, IT'S ALSO THE SECURITY TO CLEAN UP ALL OF THAT STUFF IS INCLUDED IN THAT. OKAY. THE, THERE ARE OTHER SORT OF THINGS DOWN IN THE BOTTOM THERE, BUT IT SAID RENT AND FACILITY COSTS. SO THAT'S WHAT I WAS GOING WITH IT. OKAY. YES, SIR. AND SALARY AND STIPENDS IS $20,000? WHO, WHO YOU'RE PAYING? YES, SIR. THAT IS FOR OUR PRESENTERS. THAT IS FOR US BEING ABLE TO SECURE A HEADLINER, LIKE I WAS TALKING ABOUT BEFORE. THAT IS FOR OUR PERFORMERS AS WELL. SO WE HAVE PERFORMERS THAT DO SHOWS ON FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY NIGHT. SO WE HAVE A, A CONSCIOUS HIP HOP NIGHT WHERE IT'S MUSIC AND THEN WE HAVE A OPEN MIC THAT'S POETRY AND THINGS LIKE THAT THAT'S OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. SO WE DO HAVE PERFORMERS THAT PERFORM THERE. WE HAVE PRESENTERS THAT ARE DOING WORKSHOPS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO WE DO HAVE TO PAY FOR THAT. OUR DJ, OUR SOUND PERSON, THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT HAVE TO BE PAID FOR. AND YOU HAVE REQUESTED 25,000 FOR THE COUNTY. WHERE, WHERE WOULD OUR FUNDS BE SPENT? YOUR FUNDS WOULD BE SPENT ON MARKETING. WE NEED THE, WE NEED, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO RUN ADS ON FACEBOOK, ON INSTAGRAM, AND WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO BE ON THE RADIO. WE NEED BILLBOARDS, WE NEED COMMERCIALS. I WAS ASK YOU HAVE SPECIFIC YEAH. IF YOU HAD A MARKETING PLAN YOU COULD SHARE WITH US. I, I UNDERSTAND THAT THE CONCEPTS OF WHAT YOU'RE DOING. I WAS JUST CURIOUS IF YOU HAD DECIDED WHAT ADS IN WHICH LOCATIONS, HOW OFTEN OR HOW YOU'D MAKE THAT DECISION IF THAT . UM, I DIDN'T BRING THAT INFORMATION [01:25:01] WITH ME, BUT I DID SUBMIT A MARKETING PLAN WITH, WITH MY, YEAH, WITH THE, UM, WITH THE REPORT THAT I SENT IN, I DID SEND A MARKETING PLAN. BUT YES, WE WANNA BE ABLE TO RUN OUR THINGS EVERY WEEK. WE WANNA BE ABLE TO RUN ADS ON FACEBOOK WEEKLY. WE WANNA BE ABLE TO BE ON THE RADIO. WE WANT OUR RADIO, UH, AD TO BE IN ROTATION. WE WANT ACTUALLY A BILLBOARD IF POSSIBLE, TO BE PLACED SOMEWHERE IN BEAUFORT, SOUTH CAROLINA OR ALSO, OR IN GEORGIA. AND SO WE'RE LOOKING TO JUST MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE BEING SEEN IN HEARD EVERYWHERE. THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. MM-HMM . WHO WOULD, UM, WHO WOULD MANAGE THE, THE, THIS $25,000 MARKETING BUDGET? OUR MARKETING DIRECTOR, DR. CLAY. OKAY. YOU HAVE A MARKETING DIRECTOR? DR. JF CLAY. MM-HMM . YEAH. HE'S BEEN DOING OUR MARKETING SO FAR. AND HOW ARE YOU TRACKING THESE PEOPLE? THIS, I THINK YOU SAID, WHAT'S THE NUMBER? YOU SAID THEY CAME IN THREE 50 MM-HMM . HOW DO YOU, HOW DO YOU TRACK THE, THE NUMBERS COMING IN FOR THIS EVENT? SO, THE WAY THAT WE'VE BEEN TRACKING IT, WE HAVE PEOPLE SIGN IN AND LIKE WHEN WE WERE AT THE BLACK, UH, COUNTY OF, UM, BEAUFORT COUNTY BLACK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, WE HAD THEM GIVE US THEIR ZIP CODES. SO WE WERE GO USING A ZIP CODE TYPE OF, UM, TRACKER THAT WOULD TELL US WHERE EVERYONE IS COMING FROM AS FAR AS THEIR, AND THEN THEY PUT THEIR NAMES IN. SO WE HAVE THAT, THAT SIGNS IN AT THE EVENT. THEN WE ALSO HAVE OUR WEBSITE WHEN PEOPLE BUY THEIR TICKETS, ALL OF THAT IS TRACKED IN THERE AS WELL. SO WE ALSO HAVE AN EVENTBRITE WHEN EVERYONE BUYS THEIR TICKETS THERE, THEIR INFORMATION IS TRACKED THERE. SO WE USE ALL OF THOSE, UM, OUTLETS FOR TRACKING WHO OUR PEOPLE ARE AND WHERE THEY'RE COMING FROM. YEAH. AND JUST FOR A LITTLE INFORMATION, UM, VENDORS DO PAY ACCOMMODATION, TAXES. YEAH. SAY IT AGAIN. VENDORS DO PAY ACCOMMODATION, TAXES. YEAH. ALL FOR ME. THANK YOU. ANY MORE QUESTIONS? WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NO MORE QUESTIONS. OH, RIGHT NOW. THANK YOU. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. I'D LIKE TO THANK YOUR, YOUR DAD FOR HIS CONTRIBUTION BACK TO THE COMMUNITY. OKAY. UM, RON TUCKER WITH THE BEAUFORT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL. COME ON UP. GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. AND, UH, THANKS AGAIN FOR ALLOWING ME TO, TO BE HERE AND PRESENT THIS, UH, REQUEST. AND, UM, THIS IS A BIG YEAR FOR US COMING UP. UH, EVERY YEAR IS A BIG YEAR, BUT THIS ONE IS OUR 20TH, UH, 20TH ANNIVERSARY. AND, UH, UH, IT IS KIND OF HARD TO BELIEVE, BUT, UH, WE'RE HERE IN, UH, THE LAST TWO YEARS HAVE BEEN PARTICULARLY, UH, GREAT. UH, THE ATTENDANCE HAS BEEN, UH, WAY OVER WHAT WE HAD ANTICIPATED. AND THE, UH, NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT ATTENDED THE FESTIVAL, UH, ACTUALLY IN THE SEATS, UM, WAS, UH, EXCEEDED OUR EXPECTATIONS AS WELL. AND THIS YEAR, UH, WE BASICALLY ARE GONNA DO THE SAME THING WE DID THE LAST TWO YEARS. UH, AS FAR AS MARKETING GOES, UH, WE, WE PRETTY MUCH HAVE FIGURED OUT, UH, DON'T FIX IT IF IT AIN'T BROKE. AND THAT'S, UH, WHAT WE'RE DOING, AGAIN WITH THE SOCIAL MEDIA. UH, WE'VE ACTUALLY ATTRACTED A LOT OF NEW WRITERS, UH, THAT'S HELPING US. UH, WE'RE WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH THE CVB, UH, USING SOME OF THEIR TRAVEL ROUTERS TO HELP US GET THE WORD OUT. UH, WE'RE ALREADY, UH, UH, ARE TOLD THAT A LOT OF FOLKS HAVE ALREADY MADE THEIR RESERVATIONS, WHICH IS GOOD. UH, WE TRACK, UH, ALL OF OUR ATTENDANCE BY PHYSICALLY GETTING THEIR ZIP CODES WHEN THEY COME THROUGH THE DOOR, UH, GETTING THEIR ADDRESSES IF THEY'RE WILLING TO GIVE US THOSE ADDRESSES, AND WE ADD THEM TO OUR DATABASE. UH, WE'VE ALREADY SENT OUT INVITATIONS. WE DID THAT WHEN IN THE PAST WEEK, UH, ALMOST 3000 INVITATIONS WERE SENT AS REMINDERS OF THE FESTIVAL COMING UP. WE KNOW PEOPLE HAVE TO PLAN WAY IN ADVANCE, AND WE'VE WORKED VERY CLOSELY WITH THE HOTELS. UH, HOTELS ARE ALREADY, UH, ANTICIPATING A, UH, GOOD TURNOUT. LAST YEAR WAS THE FIRST YEAR WE ACTUALLY HAD SOME GOOD NUMBERS TRACKED BY CVB. UH, ROB WELLS GAVE US SOME NUMBERS. UH, HOW HE DOES IT, I HAVE NO IDEA, BUT HE TRACKS THE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE THAT ARE ACTUALLY IN THE HOTELS AND WHY THEY'RE HERE. UH, SO IT WAS REALLY GOOD TO BE ABLE TO PINPOINT THAT THEY WERE HERE FOR THE FILM FESTIVAL. UH, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WE'VE ASKED THEM WERE NOT FOR THE FILM FESTIVAL, WOULD YOU BE IN BUQUET, SOUTH CAROLINA IN FEBRUARY? AND THE ANSWER IS NO. THEY'RE HERE SPECIFICALLY FOR THE FILM FESTIVAL. UM, AND WE'VE ATTRACTED A LOT OF PEOPLE. LAST YEAR WE HAD PEOPLE FROM 40 STATES AND FOUR COUNTRIES. UM, THAT WAS OUR FIRST TIME HITTING 40. UH, WE'VE BEEN WANTING TO DO THAT NOW. WE'VE, HOPEFULLY WE REACHED 51 DAY. UH, BUT THAT, THAT HAPPENS IN GREAT. UH, BUT THAT'S, UH, BASICALLY WHAT WE PLAN TO DO IS, UH, [01:30:01] WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING, AND HOPEFULLY WE GET THE WORD OUT AND HAVE A HUGE ATTENDANCE. AGAIN. WE HAVE A LOT OF THINGS PLANNED FOR OUR 20TH ANNIVERSARY, WHICH I DON'T NECESSARILY WANT TO DIVULGE RIGHT NOW BECAUSE IT MAY NOT COME TO PASS. AND I'VE, I'VE LEARNED IF I SPEAK TOO SOON, UH, SOMETHING WILL HAPPEN AND IT WON'T, WON'T HAPPEN. SO, UM, BUT IT SHOULD BE A MEMORABLE EVENT. AND, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS I WILL TELL YOU IS, UH, WE HAVE A HEAVY CONCENTRATION ON SOUTH CAROLINA, SOUTH CAROLINA FILMMAKERS AND MAKING FILMS IN SOUTH CAROLINA, AND PARTICULARLY IN BEAUFORT, UH, WHICH IS WHY WE STARTED THE FILM FESTIVAL IN THE FIRST PLACE, UH, 20 YEARS AGO. UM, ANY QUESTIONS? YES. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT. I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF READING OVER YOUR APPLICATION AND I'M, I'M VERY AMAZED TO SEE FROM 20 2007, FROM 500 TO 13,000, WHAT A GREAT LEAP IN PARTICIPATION IN THIS EVENT. MY QUESTION TO YOU, UM, HOW DO YOU TRACK THE STAY IN HOTELS? 'CAUSE WE REALLY FOCUS ON THAT AND SEEING WHERE MONIES ARE GOING WHEN WE GIVE IT OUT. SO WHERE, WHAT, HOW DO YOU TRACK THAT? YOU'RE ASKING THE STATE HOTEL WHAT HOTEL THEY'RE IN? YES. THE HOTEL STAY. OH, WELL, REALLY WE ASK THEM. UH, WE KNOW THAT, UH, THE HOTELS, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE FOUGHT, UH, YOU KNOW, WITH THE, AS THEY, THE TURNOVER, THE, UH, MARKETING PEOPLE USUALLY TURN OVER PRETTY FREQUENTLY. MM-HMM . AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE TRY TO DO, IF WE TRY TO GET A DATABASE FOR EACH HOTEL, UM, THROUGH THE CVB, WE FOUND OUT THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY THE WAY IT IS. YOU MAY HAVE ONE MARKETING, UH, ONE HOTEL THAT'S HILTON, ONE THAT'S, UH, ANOTHER, UH, COMPANY. AND, UH, THEY DON'T HAVE THE SAME PROGRAMS AS FAR AS TRACKING. WE'VE ASKED THEM TO KIND OF CODE IT. UH, SO WHAT WE DO IS WE FIND OUT WHERE THEY'RE STAYING. WE DEAL DIRECTLY WITH THE, UH, GENERAL MANAGERS OF EACH ONE OF THE HOTELS THAT ARE HERE. NOW I'M TALKING NORTH OF THE BROAD HOTELS. UM, BUT, AND A LOT OF TIMES WHAT WE FIND OUT IS THEY ARE IN AIRBNBS MM-HMM . UM, STAYING AT FRIPP ISLAND, STAYING SOUTH OF BROAD. UH, BUT FOR THE MOST PART IT'S DIRECT COMMUNICATION. WE ASK THEM WHERE THEY'RE STAYING. THAT'S ONE OF THE QUESTIONS WE ASK WHEN THEY CHECK IN. MM-HMM . IF THEY'RE STAYING LOCALLY, STAYING WITH FRIENDS. MM-HMM . UH, THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE FRIENDS HERE THAT, THAT HAS, ARE STAYING WITH THEM AS WELL. SO THAT'S NOT A KIND OF A FINITE THING THAT WE HAVE A HANDLE ON AS FAR AS WHAT HOTEL THEY'RE STAYING IN, BUT, OKAY. UM, 'CAUSE A LOT OF TIMES THE HOTELS DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE HERE FOR. THEY COULD BE HERE FOR MARINE GRADUATION, THEY COULD BE HERE FOR THE FILM FESTIVAL. MM-HMM . UH, USED TO BE THAT THERE WAS NO GRADUATION WHEN WE HAD THE FILM FESTIVAL, WHICH IS ONE OF THE HOTELS WE'RE SO COOPERATIVE IN HELPING US. NOW THAT'S KIND OF CHANGED. SOMETIMES THERE IS A GRADUATION, UH, BUT WE STILL WORK WAY IN ADVANCE OF THAT AS FAR AS GETTING THE WORD OUT AND GETTING A CO-OP PLAN, UH, WHERE THEY HELP US, UH, RECRUIT THEM. THEY OFFER SPECIAL PACKAGES IN SEVERAL, SEVERAL CASES, AND THAT'S, AGAIN, WHAT THEY'RE DOING, UH, AS WELL. SO, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WAS A REAL ANSWER. ANSWER. IT'LL BE NICE IF YOU HAD A PERCENTAGE. IT'LL BE THAT REALLY BE NICE TO HAVE A PERCENTAGE, BUT IT'S FINE. THAT'S FINE. YEAH. YEAH, THAT'S FINE. I DON'T HAVE ANY QUE ANY MORE QUESTIONS. NO QUESTIONS. DOES ANYBODY ELSE? GREAT JOB. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THAT'S ON THE CONTINUED GROWTH. YEAH, THAT'S IT. YES SIR. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. IS DENISE HERE? ALRIGHT. THE ORIGINAL GOAL OF FESTIVAL IS SOUTH CAROLINA AT INCORPORATED. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING TODAY. GOOD. THANK YOU. GOOD. OKAY. MM-HMM . AND ANITA'S GOING TO RECUSE HERSELF FROM, I'M GONNA APOLOGIZE YOU GUYS. I WAS READING. THANK YOU. MM-HMM . OH, THANK YOU. PRETTY ROUGH SIX WEEKS. THANK YOU. AND SEE THAT I JUST HIT A COUPLE OF PLACES THAT I SHOULDN'T HAVE, SO MY APOLOGIES FOR THAT. UM, NOTHING OF SUBSTANCE, MOST OF THEM WERE JUST TYPOS. THE ONE THING THAT WAS OF SUBSTANCE WAS THE ROI FOR THE EVENT, UM, INCREASED BY, UM, FROM, [01:35:01] I THINK I HAD 20.1 TO ONE, AND THIS IS ACTUALLY 28, SO JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT. SO I'M HERE REPRESENTING THE GULLAH FESTIVAL. UM, IN 2026, IT'LL BE THEIR 42ND EVENT. IT'S BECOME A SIGNATURE EVENT OF BEAUFORT COUNTY AND THE BEAUFORT AREA. FOR MANY PEOPLE, IT'S A LIFETIME DREAM TO ATTEND, SORT OF LIKE A HOMECOMING COMING CELEBRATES EVERYTHING THAT MEMORIAL WEEKEND STANDS FOR. I KNOW THERE HAVE BEEN CONVERSATIONS IN THE PAST ABOUT MOVING IT TO A DAY THAT ANOTHER WEEKEND WHERE IT'S LESS POPULATED, BUT IT'S LIKE CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS IN FEBRUARY OR MARCH. YOU JUST CAN'T MOVE CHRISTMAS EVEN THOUGH IT DRAWS A CROWD. AND SO, UM, WE'RE VERY EXCITED AND CONTINUE TO, UM, BRING NEW INGENUITY AND NEW IDEAS AND TO GIVE THE NEW GENERATION OPPORTUNITIES TO, UM, MAKE THE FESTIVAL ITS OWN. AND SO WE'RE EXCITED TO BRING IT BACK AGAIN IN 2026. IT IS A DESTINATION EVENT WHERE PEOPLE PLAN SOMETIME FOR MANY YEARS TO ATTEND. WE STILL HEAR THAT IN THE ANECDOTAL STORIES THAT ARE SHARED DURING THE FESTIVAL, AS PEOPLE TALK ABOUT FINALLY ARRIVING, UM, AT ITS OWN SENSE OF MECCA. UM, JUST BEING ABLE TO BE HERE AND EXPERIENCE THE GULLAH FESTIVAL LIVE FOR THEMSELVES. SO WE HOPE THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO RECEIVE SUPPORT. IT CERTAINLY IS ONE OF THE KEY MORE, UM, KEY EVENTS THAT PEOPLE KNOW THE BEAUFORT COMMUNITY FOR THE LOWCOUNTRY FOR. IN 2025, WE INTRODUCED A FOURTH DAY, A PRE-EVENT ON THURSDAYS, THE ELIMU EXCURSION, WHICH IS A DESIGN DAY FOR EDUCATORS. OUR PURPOSE IN DOING THAT WAS NOT ONLY TO SHOW GROWTH IN THE FESTIVAL, NOT JUST TO FUNDERS LIKE YOU, BUT ALSO TO THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE. BUT PART OF THE GULLAH FESTIVAL'S MISSION, THE ORIGINAL GULLAH FESTIVAL OF SOUTH CAROLINA'S MISSION IS TO EDUCATE, IS TO NOT JUST CELEBRATE THE GULLAH STORY, UM, ONCE A YEAR, BUT TO HAVE SUCH AN IMPACTFUL EXPERIENCE THAT WHEN YOU GO BACK HOME, WHEREVER HOME IS THAT YOU TAKE SOME OF THE GULLAH CULTURE, HISTORY, ART, AND YOU SHARE IT WITH THE COMMUNITIES AND THE PEOPLE IN PLACES THAT YOU FREQUENT AND HOPEFULLY LOVE INTRODUCING. THE ELIMU EXCURSION IS A SPECIFIC EVENT THAT DRAWS IN EDUCATORS AS A CONTINUING EDUCATION EVENT. WE GIVE THEM AN INDIVIDUALIZED TOUR. THEY HAVE A LOW COUNTRY MEAL, THEY HAVE SPECIALIZED WORKSHOPS. WE BRING IN, UH, A SCHOLAR OR BROUGHT IN A SCHOLAR, UM, GAVE THEM RESOURCES AND THINGS AND HELPED THEM CREATE LEARNING MECHANISMS THAT THEY COULD INCORPORATE IN THEIR CLASSROOMS. IT WAS EXTRAORDINARILY WELL RECEIVED. WE HAD A WAIT LIST FOR PEOPLE TO GO BECAUSE IT'S LIMITED SPACE AND, AND OCCUPANCY. UM, AND ALL OF THE EVALUATIONS WERE OFF THE CHART WITH EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT. YES, YES. YES. MORE AND MORE, MORE. IN FACT, THE MOST CRITICAL COMMENT THAT WE GOT WAS THAT THE EVENT NEEDED TO BE LONGER, WHICH CERTAINLY OPENS THE DOOR FOR, UM, IT BECOMING ITS OWN TODAY, PRE-EVENT OR SOMETHING TO THAT NATURE. LAST YEAR, UH, OR IN 2025 THIS PAST SUMMER WHEN WE INTRODUCED THE IMU EXCURSION, WE PICKED THE THEME AROUND THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION AND THE GULLAH PEOPLE'S PARTICIPATION IN IT. THAT CERTAINLY ADDED TO THE EXCITEMENT AND ENTHUSIASM WITH THE ANNIVERSARY COMING UP OF THE ACTUAL CENTENNIAL, UH, CTOR CENTENNIAL IN 2026. WE ARE ANTICIPATING BRINGING THAT THEME BACK AND ELEVATING IT EVEN HIGHER. UM, SO WE [01:40:01] DO THINK THAT IT HAS DRAWN, UM, WE HAD ABOUT 70 PEOPLE IN ATTENDANCE FOR THAT EVENT, AND WE KNOW THAT MANY PEOPLE CAME EARLIER. WE KNOW THAT SOME PEOPLE CAME BECAUSE OF THE EVENT AND THEN STAYED ON FOR THE REST OF THE FESTIVAL. SO WE ARE LOOKING AT WAYS TO EXPAND THE IMPACT OF THAT EVENT AND LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING HOW IT WILL GROW. I'LL STOP THERE AND ALLOW YOU TO SHARE ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. I WAS THE COMMITTEE MEMBER, UH, RESPONSIBLE FOR READING THIS, SO I'LL HAVE A COUPLE, IF YOU DON'T MIND. I WAS LOOKING AT YOUR, UH, 2026 BUDGET, AND THERE'S AN ITEM UNDER REVENUE THAT SAYS FESTIVAL SLASH PAYPAL PAYPAL'S A MEANS BY WHICH PEOPLE PAY IS THAT TICKET SALES TO COME TO THE FESTIVAL, OR, UH, TICKET SALES. THEY COULD ALSO PAY FOR TOURS. THIS IS HOW THE BOOKKEEPER ORGANIZED THE BUDGET. SO I DIDN'T NECESSARILY THROUGH WITH IT, BUT YEAH, IT'S, UM, IT THROUGH PAYPAL, YOU CAN PAY FOR ALMOST ANYTHING THAT IS AVAILABLE THROUGH THE EVENT SALES. SO THIS IS THE MONEY THAT COMES IN THROUGH PAYPAL, THE MONEY. RIGHT. AND SHE, FOR WHATEVER REASON, SEGREGATED IT BY INFLOW AS OPPOSED TO NECESSARY THE CATEGORIZATION OF, UM, REVENUE SALES. RIGHT. AND SO, UH, FUNDING YOU'VE GOT AT TAX FUNDING OF A HUNDRED THOUSAND, THAT'S HOW MUCH THAT'S HOPEFUL FOR 50 FROM YOU? 50 FROM THE CITY. OKAY. AND THE 75,000 FROM THE REVOLUTIONARY SESCO CENTENNIAL COMMISSION LAST YEAR, UH, FOR THE 2025, THEY FUNDED US 70, ROUGHLY $70,000. WE ARE SUBMITTING A, UM, WE DO HAVE A SECOND GRANT FOR 2026 THAT'S PENDING AND PROCESS, AND WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT IT'LL COME IN AT AROUND 75,000. OKAY. AND THEN THERE IS A STATEMENT IN HERE OF PRIVATE FOUNDATION GRANT FOR 30,000 IN CORPORATE SUPPORT AND SPONSORSHIPS. CAN YOU TELL US WHO THE PRIVATE FOUNDATION IS? UM, WE HAVE NUMEROUS FOUNDATIONS THAT FUND THE GULLAH FESTIVAL. OKAY. WE HAVE WORKED WITH SUCH FUNDERS AND HAVE CURRENT, UM, ACTIVE GRANTS WITH, UM, FOUNDATIONS SUCH AS THE DONNELLEY FOUNDATION, UM, COASTAL, UM, COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, UM, SOUTH ARTS ALSO, WE, WE GET FUNDED BY. SO THERE ARE A NUMBER OF THEM. OKAY, THANK YOU. WHICH WILL BE ALLOCATED HERE AS OPPOSED TO OPERATING GRANTS THESIS. THESE ARE SPECIFIC GRANTS FUNDS THEY ANTICIPATE ALLOCATING TO THE ACTUAL FESTIVAL ITSELF. THANK YOU. THEN UNDER CONTRACTUAL SERVICES AND FEES, UM, THERE'S A CONTRACT AND PROFESSIONAL FEE LINE, THEN A CONTRACTUAL SERVICES LINE. IS THAT, UM, YOUR TALENT AND YOUR PERFORMERS OR WHAT, WHAT, DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT IS? THAT EXPERIENCE? YES. I BELIEVE THAT, UM, UH, I WAS ACTUALLY LOOKING AT THAT LAST NIGHT AS WELL. I DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THEIR GENERAL LEDGER, BUT THE BEST THAT I COULD DETERMINE THAT SHE'S BUDGETING. THERE ARE, UM, FEES FOR, UM, WE USE QUITE A FEW, UM, AUDIO TECHNICIANS, LIGHTING, UM, WE USE, UH, SECURITY. WE USE, UH, SOME, UH, ADVERTISING OR, UM, BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS TO HELP, UH, ACHIEVE GOALS. I'M PROBABLY IN THERE SOMEWHERE. WHAT THEY PAY ME TO DO THEIR GRANT WRITING AND, AND, AND BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION TYPE THING. SO, OKAY. MM-HMM . AND THEN DOWN AT THE BOTTOM HERE, UNDER ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION, WE GOT A HUNDRED THOUSAND THERE. IS THAT THE SAME A HUNDRED THOUSAND AT THE ATAC MARKET? CORRECT. YEAH. CORRECT. OKAY. UM, THEN OVER UNDER TOURISM IMPACT, YOU'RE INDICATING THAT THE, UH, FESTIVAL DREW 13,000 PEOPLE WITH 37% IDENTIFIED AS TOURISTS AND 70% OF THOSE TOURISTS TRAVELING FROM OUTTA STATE. SO 37% OF THE 13,000, AND THEN 70% OF THAT, THAT WOULD BE ESSENTIALLY 21% OF THE 13,000 AROUND 262. IS THAT WHERE YOU SEE THAT, OR EXCUSE ME, 2,600 PEOPLE, 4,800 VISITORS, UM, IS THE AMOUNT OVER 50 MILES. MM-HMM . AND 70% OF THAT, THAT'S NOT 3,300. I'D HAVE TO DOUBLE CHECK MY MATH. YEAH. I WAS JUST USING THE 13,000 WITH 37% BEING IDENTIFIED AS TOURISTS, AND THEN 70% OF THOSE, SO I TOOK 13,000 TIMES THE 70%, [01:45:02] UM, WAS IT 70? WELL, IT WAS 70% OF THE 37%. 37. RIGHT. 37%. AND THEN 70% OF THE, OF THAT NUMBER IS 3,300. AND OF COURSE, I WAS ACCOMPANIED IN THOSE CALCULATIONS BY THE INFAMOUS MR. ROB WELLS. OKAY. THANK YOU. UH, I DON'T HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS. UM, ARE YOU APPLYING FOR THE CITY A TAX? OH, YES. OKAY. AND I WAS READING YOUR APPLICATION AND I NOTICED THERE'S A PROFIT OF REVENUE OF $293,500 AND A, UH, THE REVENUE AND A PROFIT WAS $3,150. I'M SORRY, WHAT WAS THAT FIRST NUMBER? I WAS SAYING, UM, THE REVENUE PROJECT REP PROJECTED REVENUE $292,500. YES. AND YOUR PROJECTED PROFIT IS $3,150. $50, YES. FROM THE EVENT UHHUH . AND YOUR QUESTION IS MY QUESTION, I'M JUST, I'M JUST QUESTIONING THAT THAT'S A LARGE PAYOUT IN AND WHAT YOU'RE GETTING BACK. NOT REALLY. YEAH. UM, IN ORDER TO PUT ON A FESTIVAL THAT TIGHT MM-HMM . ESPECIALLY WITH MOST OF OUR FUNDING MM-HMM . BEING REIMBURSEMENT, WE NEED A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF CASH FLOW AFTER THE EVENT. IF THE COFFERS GO DRY ON, LET'S SAY MAY 31ST, RIGHT? THEN HOW DO WE BEGIN TO ENTER CONTRACTS FOR THE FOLLOWING SEASON? WE NEED, AND, AND EVERY NONPROFIT NEEDS, UH, PROFIT. THAT'S A MISNOMER TO THINK THAT NONPROFITS SHOULD BREAK. EVEN IF YOU BREAK EVEN, THAT MEANS YOU'RE ACTUALLY LOSING MONEY, NOR DO YOU HAVE THE CASH FLOW TO OPERATE. LOOK AT THE NUMBERS. UH, BUT ON PAPER AT LEAST, WE WORK VERY, VERY HARD TO CREATE PROFIT. MM-HMM . THAT CREATES CASH FLOW THAT IS REINVESTED OVER THE NEXT NINE MONTHS INTO PRODUCING THE NEXT FESTIVAL. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. MM-HMM . ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THIS APPLICATION? OKAY. MOVE INTO YOUR NEXT APPLICATION HERE FOR THE I DO, I THINK WE'RE GOING RIGHT INTO THE PENN CENTER. JUNETEENTH PENN CENTER. JUNETEENTH, IF YOU'LL GIMME ONE MOMENT TO SHIFT NOTES. I'M CRUISING MYSELF FROM THIS. YES. THIS BACK HERE. THE PENN CENTER, UM, AS YOU KNOW, IS A, A CORNERSTONE OF THIS COMMUNITY AND HAS, CAN CONTRIBUTED IN SO MANY WAYS TO THE CITIZENS OF BEAUFORT COUNTY AND SOUTH CAROLINA, AND EVEN TO OUR NATION. OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS. IT HAS GONE THROUGH SIGNIFICANT LEADERSHIP CHANGES AND, UH, STAFFING CHANGES. AND THEY ARE LOOKING FORWARD, LITERALLY PLANNING FORWARD AND, UM, LOOKING TO DO NEW THINGS, DO SOME OLD THINGS IN NEW WAYS, AND CONTINUE TO ELEVATE THE BRAND AND THE PLACE TO, UM, MAKE SURE THAT THE WORLD KNOWS THE IMPORTANCE AND SIGNIFICANT TREASURE OF THE PENN CENTER. FOLLOWING THE PANDEMIC, THE PENN CENTER, UM, BEGAN A JUNETEENTH FESTIVAL. IT HAS STARTED LOCALLY, BUT THEIR VISION FOR IT IS TO WATCH IT EXPAND. AND AS YOU MAY KNOW AND WANNA EVEN SAY MORE, UM, THE IDEA IS TO GROW THE FESTIVAL SO THAT IT REALLY BECOMES SOMETHING THAT THOSE WHO ARE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY TO ENJOY, PERHAPS THE BEACHES, PERHAPS, UM, TO USE IT AS A LANDING PLACE TO EXPLORE THE LOW COUNTRY MORE FULLY, TO HAVE A CULTURAL EXPERIENCE THAT CELEBRATES THE JUNETEENTH HOLIDAY. AND THEY'RE HOPING TO BEGIN NOT MARKETING IT JUST TO LOCALS, BUT TO OUT OF TOWNERS, EVEN REGIONAL, [01:50:01] OUT OF TOWNERS, PEOPLE WHO ARE LOOKING FOR A SHORT WEEKEND STAY DURING, UM, THE SUMMER HOLIDAYS TO, UM, COME TO THIS AREA TO EXPLORE THIS AREA, TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PENN CENTER, BUT TO ALSO JUST ENJOY ST. HELENA AND BEAUFORT COUNTY. AND SO THEY ARE HOPING THAT YOU WILL HELP THEM BEGIN TO DEVELOP A MARKETING CAMPAIGN AND HELP US TO FUND IT SO THAT THEY CAN EXPAND THEIR REACH FOR THIS, UH, EVENT. WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT JUNETEENTH, UM, CELEBRATIONS THAT HAPPEN REGIONALLY AND OF COURSE AROUND THE NATION. AND WE KNOW THAT THERE, UM, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE'S ONE THAT HAPPENS IN HILTON HEAD, BUT ST. HELENA AND HILTON HEAD ARE MILES APART, UM, ESPECIALLY FOR SOME VISITORS WHO MAY NOT BE AS GEOGRAPHICALLY, UM, UM, EXPLORATORY AS OTHERS. AND SO WE THINK THAT THERE IS A PLACE FOR A JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION THAT BEGINS TO GROW AND ATTRACT REGIONAL PEOPLE TO THIS END OF THE BEAUFORT COUNTY, UM, LOW COUNTRY AND BE ABLE TO HAVE THIS CULTURAL EXPERIENCE WITHIN YOUR BEACH HOLIDAY. AND SO, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR JUNETEENTH EVENT THAT THEY INTEND TO HIGHLIGHT IS ITS ATTRACTION AND FOR FAMILIES AND TO REALLY MAKE IT A FAMILY FRIENDLY, AND NOT JUST FAMILY FRIENDLY, BUT YOUTH, CHILDREN, UM, ACTIVITIES AND ATTRACTIONS TO DRAW THEM IN SO THAT FAMILIES FEEL LIKE THIS IS A GREAT THING TO DO WHILE I'M ON THE HOLIDAY AND WILL BEGIN TO PERHAPS MAKE IT A SIGNATURE ANNUAL EVENT WHEN THEY COME. I'LL STOP THERE AND ASK FOR QUESTIONS. YES, SIR. THIS YOUR FIRST JUNETEENTH NO, THIS IS THEIR, THIS WILL BE 2026 WILL BE THEIR THIRD, IF I'M COUNTING CORRECTLY. THEY'VE HAD IT, I THINK 22, I THINK WAS THE FIRST YEAR. AND SO, OR WAS THIS THE FOURTH? FOURTH? THIS WILL BE THE FOURTH YEAR COMING UP. I HEARD YOU SAY THAT THEY'RE LOOKING TO, SO LOCAL COMMUNITY KNOWS ABOUT IT. HOWEVER, THIS COMMITTEE BASICALLY WANTS TO SEE HOW MANY PEOPLE YOU CAN BRING IN. CORRECT. SO, UH, I'M ALL FOR THE LOCAL, BEING EDUCATED. RIGHT. AND KNOWING AND, AND EVEN ADVERTISING LOCALLY, BUT ABSOLUTELY. UM, HOW HAVE YOU BEEN TRACKING YOUR GROWTH? WELL AS, WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS TO EXPAND BEYOND? SO WHAT I TRIED TO COMMUNICATE WAS FOR THE FIRST THREE YEARS, IT'S REALLY BEEN FOCUSED LOCALLY. BUT WHAT THEY'RE HOPING TO DO GOING FORWARD IS TO EXPAND IT REGIONALLY FIRST. REGIONALLY FIRST. SO WE'RE TALKING SAVANNAH, WE'RE TALKING AUGUSTA, WE'RE TALKING POINTS FROM HERE TO CHARLESTON AND BEYOND LOCAL, YOU KNOW, REGIONAL ATTRACTIONS FIRST. AND WE'D LIKE TO USE THE, AT TAX MONEY FOR ADVERTISING IN A REGIONAL ZONE, LIKE FROM SOUTHERN NORTH CAROLINA DOWN THROUGH MAYBE THE NORTHERN PART OF FLORIDA TO BEGIN TO ATTRACT PEOPLE. THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE ARE LOOKING TO DO. WE'VE USED THE FIRST THREE YEARS AND THEY HAVE STARTED THE EVENT. THEY HAVE BEGUN WITH A LOCAL FOCUS. AND NOW AS THEY MOVE TO THEIR FOURTH YEAR, THEY ARE LOOKING TO EXPAND THEIR REACH. THE FUNDS THAT THEY'RE REQUESTING WOULD BE USED FOR ADVERTISING TO EXPAND THE REACH SO THAT IT IS BEING ADVERTISED. WE WILL STILL REACH OUT TO THE LOCALS, OF COURSE, AND WE WILL USE SOME INVITED MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES, LIKE BY PUTTING OUT A PRESS RELEASE AND GOING ON LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS TO TALK ABOUT THE EVENT AND SO FORTH. LOCAL PEOPLE WILL OBVIOUSLY STILL HEAR ABOUT IT, BUT THESE ADVERTISING DOLLARS ARE SPECIFICALLY FOR THAT TO BRING PEOPLE IN FROM OVER 50 MILES. HAVE YOU, UH, SET ANY GOALS FOR HOW MANY YOU'RE HOPING TO BRING IN THE FIRST YEAR? YOU KNOW, IF THEY CAN FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET CLOSE TO A THOUSAND PEOPLE, THEY'LL BE VERY EXCITED. VERY EXCITED. UM, ROB HAD SAID THAT THEIR, UM, NUMBERS WERE PROBABLY AROUND 500, UM, FOR THE LAST COUPLE YEARS THAT IT HAD GROWN TO ABOUT 500. [01:55:01] AND SO IF THEY'RE ABLE TO BEGIN TO BRING IN THAT KIND OF COMPLIMENT FROM FURTHER, THEY WOULD BE VERY EXCITED. SO, SO MAYBE THE, SO YOU'RE SAYING MAYBE AN ADDITIONAL 500 PEOPLE TO USE THE 10,000 TO GET FIVE MORE. A HUNDRED MORE. GOT IT. THANK YOU. I HAD A COUPLE QUESTION. THAT'S WHAT WE LIED PERIPHERAL SORT OF TO THE EVENT QUESTION YOU JUST DESCRIBED, UH, SOME CHANGES GOING ON IN LEADERSHIP AND THERE'S BEEN SOME OF THAT OFF AND ON IN THE 28 YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN BACK. YEAH. AND THERE'VE BEEN VARIOUS PLANS FOR VARIOUS ACTIVITIES. AND SO AS WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS SITUATION, PART OF IT IS WHAT'S COMING FOR THE FESTIVAL AND PART OF IT IS REASON FOR PEOPLE TO COME TO BEAUFORT COUNTY OR STAY ALONE. AND THE QUESTION I WOULD POSE FOR YOU IS, IF ONE OF US GOT A CALL TOMORROW FROM FRIENDS THAT SAID THEY'RE COMING IN TO BEAUFORT, WHAT, AND THEY, WHAT SHOULD THEY DO? IF THEY WERE TO GO TO PENN TOMORROW, WHAT WOULD BE AVAILABLE TO THEM AND HOW WOULD THEY PARTICIPATE IN PENN CENTER'S PRESENCE? OH, PENN IS OPEN, UH, EVERY DAY, UM, FOR THE MUSEUM TO TOUR THE GROUNDS. THEY EVEN HAVE A DIGITAL, UH, APPLICATION THAT IF YOU SHOW UP FOR SOME REASON AT A TIME WHEN THEY ARE NOT STAFFED, YOU CAN, UM, GET AN ONLINE DIGITAL, UH, TOUR THAT GUIDES YOU TO DRIVE THROUGH THE CAMPUS AND GIVES YOU THE HISTORICAL INFORMATION AND MARKERS. UM, I ACTUALLY TOOK MY FAMILY THERE LAST YEAR FOR, UM, FOUR DAYS WHEN MY FAMILY CAME TO VISIT ME HERE. I ACTUALLY, UH, WENT AND WE, I WANTED MY GRANDCHILDREN TO STAY, UM, IN SOME OF THE PLACES THAT MY HEROES STAYED AND LEARNED THE STORY AND GO THROUGH THE MUSEUM. WHAT'S NICE ABOUT THEIR MUSEUM IS THAT IT'S SMALL ENOUGH AND INTIMATE ENOUGH THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY TAKE LITTLE KIDS. UM, AND SO WE HAD A WONDERFUL, UM, HALF A DAY JUST EXPLORING THE MUSEUM. UM, AND, UM, GOING THROUGH THE BUILDINGS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, EVERY TIME I'M GONNA KIND OF FOCUS JUST A BIT. AND IF A CLASS WANTED TO COME A A SCHOOL BUS OR A TOUR BUS FROM SOMEBODY THAT'S TOURING THE AREA AND SEEING SITE, DO YOU HAVE PLACES FOR THEM TO PARK AND YES. HAVE RESTROOM CAPACITY FOR LIKE THAT? OH YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL. AND THE QUARTERS ARE BEAUTIFUL. THE RENOVATED QUARTERS ARE OUTSTANDING, SO YEAH. AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE PAYING AT TAX IF THEY'RE STAYING THERE OVERNIGHT AS WELL. YEAH, I WOULD, I WILL BE FOLLOWING UP ON THAT WITH DR. UM, DR. ADAMS TO MAKE SURE THANK YOU. BUT I'M SURE THAT'S THEIR INTENT. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ANY, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THIS APPLICATION? EXCUSE ME. COMMITTEE MEMBERS, IF YOU WOULD ALL PULL YOUR MICROPHONES CLOSER TO YOU AND SPEAK INTO THE MIC. WE CAN BARELY HEAR MR. GREEN. YOU NEED TO PULL THE MIC CLOSE 'CAUSE THIS IS BEING RECORDED AND BROADCAST. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OKAY. LET'S, UM, YOU WANNA GO TO THE NEXT APPLICATION, UH, FOR THE, USING YOUR INSTRUCTIONS. YOU ALL HAD INVITED US TO DO A SEPARATE APPLICATION FOR EACH EVENT OR PROJECT. AND SO THIS IS ALSO A PENN CENTER PROJECT. THIS IS FOR THE HERITAGE DAYS, WHICH HAS BEEN A STAPLE EVENT FOR THE ORGANIZATION. UM, AS A PART OF THE HERITAGE DAYS, ONE OF THE WONDERFUL THINGS ABOUT IS IT HAPPENS IN NOVEMBER, SO IT'S DURING THE SHOULDER SEASON, IT IS ALSO A TYPE OF HOMECOMING EVENT, UM, THAT BRINGS A LOT OF CELEBRATION, A LOT OF ENERGY, AND A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO EXPERIENCE, UH, GULLAH CULTURE, LOW COUNTRY CULTURE HISTORY, CULTURE ARTS, JUST ENTHUSIASM OVERFLOWING, UM, IN THAT AREA. THEY BRING IN LOTS OF LOCAL TALENT AND REGIONAL TALENT TO HELP CELEBRATE IT. IT HAPPENS OVER FOUR, SOMETIMES FIVE EVENTS. THEY OFTEN ADD, UM, UH, COMMUNITY, UM, MEALS AND THINGS LIKE THAT WHERE PEOPLE CAN COME AND STAY IN A HOTEL AND ACTUALLY NOT HAVE TO PUT AS MUCH OUT OF POCKET BECAUSE THEY'RE ENJOYING SOME OF THE FREE EVENTS THAT PENN, UH, OFFERS DURING THOSE HERITAGE DAYS. AND SO, UM, WE ARE ASKING YOUR SUPPORT, AGAIN FOR MARKETING AND ADVERTISING. WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE KEY TO BUILDING OUR NUMBERS IS TO USE THOSE ATEX DOLLARS THE WAY THEY'RE INTENDED, WHICH IS TO BRING MORE PEOPLE TO, UM, GET THE WORD OUT, THE ADVERTISING OUT TO BRING MORE PEOPLE HERE. AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT IS INTENDED WITH THIS APPLICATION. AND THE, UH, THIS EVENT IS IN NOVEMBER, RIGHT? CORRECT. IT'S ALWAYS THE SECOND WEEKEND IN NOVEMBER. DO I HAVE THAT RIGHT? YES. I SEE. UM, ON, YES. MY SHEET, IT SHOWS [02:00:01] 10 12 THE SECOND WEEKEND IN NOVEMBER. WELL, THEY, THEY USUALLY START, UM, WHENEVER THE SECOND SATURDAY THAT'S THEY ADVERTISE, BUT WHEN THEY USUALLY FINISH PUTTING THEIR SCHEDULE TOGETHER, THEY ADD THESE OVERFLOW EVENTS ON. I'M INCREASING MYSELF IN THIS APPLICATION. UH, WERE YOU AWARDED CITY AT TAX DOLLARS LAST YEAR? THEY DIDN'T APPLY LAST YEAR, SO AS I SAY, THERE'VE BEEN SOME SHIFTS IN SOME STAFFING AND, AND THINGS LIKE THAT THAT'S GONE ON THAT THEY ACTUALLY DIDN'T DO. UM, MANY APPLICATIONS LAST YEAR. AND THE APPROXIMATE NUMBER OF, UH, PEOPLE YOU THINK THIS IS DRAWING IN FROM OUTTA TOWN? UM, WE THINK THAT THIS EVENT IS DRAWING SOMEWHERE BETWEEN, UH, ONE AND 2000 PEOPLE. UM, AND, UM, THE ONE THING THAT ROB, ROB SAID, SOME OF THE, SO THIS IS, UH, ANECDOTAL INFORMATION THAT I'VE RECEIVED. UM, HISTORICALLY PENN HAS NOT REALLY WORKED WITH THE DM DMO. I DON'T KNOW IF THEY REALLY UNDERSTOOD THAT IT WAS A RESOURCE FOR THEM. AND SO WHEN ROB AND I TALKED ABOUT IT, HE SAID, YOU KNOW, DO THEY WANT US TO START ZERO IN AND A LITTLE BIT MORE ON THAT? LET ME SEE WHAT I CAN FIND. BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T BEEN, SO WE'VE NOW HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH HIM. WE'VE, HE'S HELPING US TO SET GOALS TO TALK ABOUT ADVERTISING AND MARKETING PLANS AND TO DO WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO TRY AND ELEVATE THE EVENT. THE ONE THING THAT HE SAID THAT HE THOUGHT WAS REALLY AWESOME WAS THAT OF THE NUMBERS THAT THEY SEEMED TO HAVE, THAT ALMOST 70% OF THEM WERE FROM, UM, COMING FROM QUITE A DISTANCE AWAY, UH, WHICH, UH, LEADS WELL INTO ASSUMING THAT, UM, THEY NEEDED OVERNIGHT ACCOMMODATIONS AND SO FORTH. SO HE WILL BE, UM, FOLLOWING AND GATHERING DATA ON THIS A LITTLE MORE CLOSELY IN 2025. AND THEN 2026, THIS APPLICATION IS FOR 2026 HERITAGE DAY, NOT 2025. AND THE, UM, REQUESTED FUNDS WOULD BE USED SPECIFICALLY FOR MARKETING. YES, MARKETING. UM, I MAY HAVE PUT A LITTLE SOMETHING LIKE EQUIPMENT IN THERE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, BUT YES, IT'S PRIMARILY FOR MARKETING AND ADVERTISING. YES, THERE ARE A FEW DOLLARS. IT LOOKS LIKE MAYBE ABOUT FIVE OR 6,000. UM, BUT PRIMARILY FOR ADVERTISING. WHAT WAS THE OTHER, UH, USAGE? I THINK IT WAS EQUIPMENT RENTAL. GOTTA FIND THE RIGHT PAGE HERE. I, UM, YEAH, I THINK IT WAS EQUIPMENT RENTAL AND, UM, EVENT, UM, EXPENSES AND SUPPLIES. AND WOULD THE CBB BE MANAGING THE, THE MARKETING SPEND, OR SAY THAT AGAIN? THE, THE $10,000 OF MARKETING SPEND WOULD BE MANAGED BY WHO? I THINK A COMBINATION OF BOTH, YOU KNOW, ROB IS, UH, REALLY TRIES TO HELP US BE SELF-SUFFICIENT. MM-HMM . UH, , HE DOESN'T REALLY, UH, APPRECIATE DOING THE AD BUYS FOR US MM-HMM . BUT HE CERTAINLY IS INSTRUMENTAL IN HELPING US CONNECT WITH THE APPROPRIATE PARTY, SET UP THE MEETINGS, GIVING US A TIP SHEET ON THE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO, UM, UH, NEGOTIATE OR, YOU KNOW, SET UP. SO I WOULD SAY IN CONSULTATION WITH THE DMO, THEY'RE HELPING INFORM THE WHAT TO SPEND IT ON AND RIGHT. WHAT VENDORS TO USE. MM-HMM . GOTCHA. MM-HMM . OKAY. EXACTLY. NO OTHER QUESTIONS HERE. ANYBODY ELSE? THANK YOU. OKAY. WANNA DO THE NEXT ONE HERE? THE, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, I HAVE ONE MORE GULER TRAVELING THEATER, AND I'M GOING TO RECUSE MYSELF FROM THIS. I WAS SORT OF HOPING FOR HER VOTE. , THE GULLAH TRAVELING THEATER IS REQUESTING. UM, DID WE REQUEST 25? HOW MUCH ARE WE REQUESTING? REMIND ME. 36 5 FOR SUPPORT FOR DECORATION DAY 2026 AND, UM, DECORATION DAY. THE PLAY OR THE SHOW IS A FULL STAGE MUSICAL PRODUCTION THAT, UH, BRINGS TO LIFE THE STORY OF THE FOUNDING OF MEMORIAL DAY. IT TELLS THE ROOTS OF ONE OF AMERICA'S MOST TREASURED ANNUAL HOLIDAYS AND BY AND LARGE CELEBRATES, UM, PROBABLY ONE OF THE THINGS THAT NEARLY EVERY AMERICAN FEELS IS, UM, MEANINGFUL. AND [02:05:01] THAT'S THE FOUNDING OF OUR COUNTRY AND THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED AND GIVEN THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE ON BEHALF OF US ALL. AND, UM, IT IS ABSOLUTELY A CORNERSTONE EVENT FOR THE, UM, ORIGINAL GULLAH FESTIVAL OF SOUTH CAROLINA. AND IT IS MADE NEW, UM, EVERY YEAR, AND IT, IT DOESN'T EVER SEEM TO GET OLD. THE AUDIENCES FEVER, UM, WHEN THE PLAY COMES TO AN END IS AS GOOD THE FIRST, AS GOOD TODAY AS IT WAS THE FIRST TIME, UM, THAT I SAW IT. AND I HAVE HAD THE HONOR THE LAST TWO YEARS OF WORKING THE BOX OFFICE, UM, FOR DECORATION DAY WEEKEND. AND I CAN TELL YOU HOW MANY PEOPLE, IT, IT FEELS LIKE EIGHT OUTTA 10 PEOPLE HAVE TRAVELED A GREAT DISTANCE TO COME AND SEE THIS SHOW. UM, LAST YEAR MY QUESTION WAS ALWAYS COME UP WITH TWO QUESTIONS, SO I'M READY WHEN PEOPLE ARE STANDING THERE AND WHILE YOU'RE TRYING TO DO THE ADMIN OF THEIR TICKET, AND IT'S KIND OF THE JEOPARDY MUSIC IS PLAYING IN YOUR EAR, UM, TO, TO ENGAGE THOSE WHO ARE AT THE DESK. AND THIS PAST YEAR I ASKED THEM, IS THIS YOUR FIRST TIME ATTENDING THE SHOW? UM, AND I'M GONNA TELL YOU LIKE EIGHT OUTTA 10 PEOPLE SAID YES. AND I WAS SO SURPRISED THAT PERSON AFTER PERSON, AFTER PERSON, AFTER PERSON, I GREETED SOMEONE WHO FLEW IN FROM THE CAYMAN ISLANDS TO SEE THE SHOW. WE HAD A FAMILY CAME FROM AFRICA TO SEE THE SHOW. THIS IS A SHOW THAT IS UNIQUE, UM, AND IS EDUCATIONALLY AND ENTERTAINMENT WISE, UM, EXTREMELY SATISFYING, AND THE PUBLIC CONTINUES TO BE DRAWN TO IT. WE ARE ASKING THAT YOU FUND US TO HELP US CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE, UM, ADVERTISING REACH OF THE SHOW AND DRAW MORE PEOPLE IN TO IT, INTRODUCE BEAUFORT TO IT AND UM, EXPERIENCE ALSO INDIRECTLY. THE ORIGINAL GULLAH FESTIVAL IS A BACKDOOR PLUS FOR OUR ADVERTISING AS WELL. UM, CAN YOU GIMME A LITTLE BIT OF, THERE'S ADMINISTRATIVE AND INDIRECT COST? YES. THAT'S KIND OF A LARGE PERCENT OF, TO BE INDIRECT ACTUALLY. IT'S PRETTY INDUSTRY STANDARD. THAT'S WHAT THE US GOVERNMENT USES BY AND LARGE FOR MOST OF ITS, UH, GRANT APPLICATIONS. I ADDED THAT IN BECAUSE I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU ALL UNDERSTAND THE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT WE DO TO ADMINISTER THESE PROGRAMS AND THESE GRANTS. AND WHETHER WE INCLUDE IT IN OUR BUDGET OR WE DON'T INCLUDE IT IN OUR BUDGET, WE STILL PAY FOR IT. AND SO AS WE ARE PREPARING OUR GRANT APPLICATIONS, WE HAVE BEEN ADDING THAT IN TO SHOW OUR BUDGET, WHETHER, WE'RE NOT SAYING THAT YOU'RE GONNA FUND IT, BUT WE WANT YOU, WE WANT OUR FUNDERS TO HAVE A BROADER SENSE OF WHAT IT ACTUALLY COSTS US TO PUT THESE PROGRAMS ON. I WANTED TO KNOW SOME OF THE ITEMS THAT MAY BE INCLUDED. RENT, TELEPHONE, INTERNET, OFFICE SUPPLIES, UH, OFFICE MANAGER SALARY, ET CETERA, ET CETERA. SOMETHING THAT, THAT YOU JUST MENTIONED WOULD USUALLY BE LINE ITEMS, BUT, BUT THAT'S OKAY. I DIDN'T THINK YOU WANTED THAT KIND OF EXTRAPOLATION. I, I, NO, WE CERTAINLY ARE. WOULD BE HAPPY TO PROVIDE A VERY DETAILED BUDGET. MY ID, UM, I SAT IN ON, UH, DICK'S WORKSHOP, UM, THAT HE DID WITH THOSE OF US VIRTUALLY BECAUSE I HAD INJURED MY FOOT AND COULD NOT DRIVE AT THAT TIME. UM, AND HE IMPRESSED UPON THOSE OF US WHO WERE ON THE VIRTUAL CALL, THAT BREVITY WAS GREATLY APPRECIATE IT. SO IF YOU'D LIKE MORE, I'M HAPPY TO GIVE YOU MORE. AND I WANNA MAKE SURE I DON'T EXTEND OVER BREVITY FOR THIS . BUT, UM, YOU GOT, UH, SINCE YOU'VE BEEN UP HERE THREE TIMES IN A ROW, FOUR TIMES, UM, YOUR TRACKING METHOD FOR THIS, OTHER THAN MEETING PEOPLE AND QUESTIONING HOW [02:10:01] MANY TIMES THEY'VE BEEN OR IS THEIR FIRST TIME, WE DO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF, OF ROB'S DM UH, DMO SKILLS AND, UM, HE PROVIDES US WITH ALL THE DATA THAT WE USE IN OUR REPORT. GO AHEAD. OH, SO IN THIS PARTICULAR APPLICATION, THE 36,000 IS USED SPECIFICALLY FOR WHAT? UM, ON THE BOTTOM OF PAGE TWO, THE FUNDING REQUEST. MM-HMM . OKAY. SO THAT'S, UH, SO IT'S, IT'S, UH, JUST SO EVERYBODY KNOWS, WE'VE GOT PRINTING AND PROMOTIONS AT 2,500 DIG, DIGITAL MEDIA ADVERTISING, 25,000, THEN RADIO. OKAY. SO IT'S ALL ADVERTISING FOR THIS PARTICULAR EVENT, CORRECT. BECAUSE THIS IS PART OF THE OVERALL OF THE OVERALL FESTIVAL, RIGHT? OF THE ORIGINAL GOLD FESTIVAL? IT'S NOT, NO, IT'S TWO SEPARATE EVENTS. IT'S AN EVENT WITHIN AN RIGHT, BUT IT'S HAPPENING DURING THE SAME TIME. SAME, THE SAME PERIOD, CORRECT. RIGHT. SO SOME OF THE, IT'S, IT, IT'S LIKELY THAT SOME OF THE SAME PEOPLE ARE ATTENDING BOTH, I WOULD ASSUME, RIGHT? YES. YEAH. YES. RIGHT. THERE ARE OFTEN PEOPLE, I WOULD SAY NOT, RIGHT. YOU ASSUME THAT MOST OF THE PEOPLE WE PLEASE GO MM-HMM . YOU KNOW RIGHT. THE WATERFRONT. OKAY. THE, UM, THE FESTIVAL AND USCB. SO IF YOU DO COME TO THE GULLAH FESTIVAL AND YOU'VE BOUGHT A DECORATION DAY PICKET, YOU CAN RIDE THE SHUTTLE FROM THE FESTIVAL TO THE SHOW. SO IT IS CONCEIVED OF AS, AS I SAY, AN EVENT WITHIN THE EVENT. MAKES SENSE. BUT IT'S A SEPARATE TICKETED EVENT. SO YOUR NUMBERS YOU'RE GIVING NOW COME, IS YOU CALCULATED THE DECORATION DAY AND YOU'RE INCLUDING THE TOTAL EVENT WITH THOSE NUMBERS. AM I IF I'M READING THAT RIGHT? THE SHOW THE SHOW, IT'S ALL, IT IS A COMBINATION OF THE TOTAL EVENT, CORRECT. NOT THE SHOW ITSELF. SO THESE NUMBERS ARE NOT THE SAME THAT'S IN THE GULLAH FESTIVAL NUMBERS. RIGHT. THEY'RE TWO SEPARATE NUMBERS. AND ROB IS ABLE TO, WITH HIS AWESOME TECHNOLOGY AND UM, UH, GATEKEEPING, I THINK THEY CALL IT, HE'S ABLE TO ISOLATE THE SHOW AND THE EVENT BASED ON, UH, KNOWING WHAT, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR. SO THESE NUMBERS THAT ARE IN THE DATA FOR THIS APPLICATION ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE GULLAH FESTIVALS. TWO SEPARATE THINGS. OKAY. BUT THEY DO HAPPEN THE SAME WEEKEND. OKAY. I HAD A QUESTION. UM, I RECEIVED AN EMAIL FROM YOU THIS MORNING ABOUT SOME FUNDING ISSUES WITH THE LAST ROUND OF FUNDING. COULD YOU WALK US THROUGH WHAT YOU WERE ASKING? I WAS A LITTLE UNCLEAR. AND TELL US THE STATUS OF THAT SCENARIO. UM, I'M A LITTLE WORRIED I'LL GO OVER MY TIME, BUT I'LL TRY TO BE AS, AS BRIEF AS POSSIBLE BUT ANSWERED. FEEL, FEEL FREE THAT YOU SHOULDN'T, BUT I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO ACHIEVE THERE. UM, WE JUST HAVE ASKED FOR IT TO BE REVISITED. UM, LEMME SEE IF I GOT STRAIGHT. YOU WILL RECEIVE. WE RECEIVED YOU REWARD SOME FUND, WHICH YOU, IT, IT'S BEEN RESCINDED AT THE REQUEST OF YOUR CHAIRMAN, RIGHT. WHO HAS RESIGNED. SO WE RECEIVED A $30,000 AWARD FOR THE 2324 AWARD YEAR. AND WHEN WE SENT, AND THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT THE MONEY CAME OUT LATE, UM, WHEN CAMPBELL, UM, WHEN BRYSON ASKED FOR THE REPORT, UM, I PUT THE NUMBERS TOGETHER AND I SAID, WELL, BRYSON, WE DID NOT SPEND AS MUCH MONEY ON TELEVISION AND SO FORTH BECAUSE WE GOT IT TOO LATE TO, TO NEGOTIATE THE CONTRACT AND MAKE IT HAPPEN. AND SO I ACTUALLY SENT IN A LETTER REQUESTING A BUDGET MODEL. I SAID, COULD I REQUEST A BUDGET MODIFICATION? SHE SAID, SURE, WRITE IT AND SEND IT TO THE CHAIRPERSON. ADDRESS IT TO THE CHAIRPERSON. SO WE DID, WE WROTE A LETTER AND WE SENT TO THE CHAIRPERSON SAYING, IS IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO MOVE THE MONEY AROUND TO SOME SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT CATEGORIES? AND HE WROTE BACK AND SAID, NO. UM, AND, UM, THAT I'D HAVE TO GO BACK AND READ EVERYTHING, BUT BASICALLY IT WAS, NO, AND WE'D ALSO LIKE OUR MONEY BACK BECAUSE YOU CLEARLY DIDN'T DO WHAT YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO DO. AND I SAID, WELL, THAT'S KIND OF ODD. I MEAN, WE HAVE TECHNICALLY TWO YEARS TO SPEND THE MONEY. SO WE WERE JUST HOPING TO MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS TO IT SO WE COULD TAKE MORE ADVANTAGE FOR THE, I GUESS THAT WOULD'VE BEEN THE 24, UM, DECORATION DAY SHOW, UM, TO WHICH WE [02:15:01] GOT A RESPONSE, GIVE US $15,000 BACK, OR WE WON'T FUND YOUR 20 24, 20 25 APPLICATION. AND, UM, I WAS CURIOUS WHY I RECEIVED THAT EMAIL AND WHAT YOU WERE ASKING ME TO DO ABOUT THAT. WE WERE ASKING, I I'M SORRY. I THOUGHT YOU WERE THE CHAIR OF THIS COMMITTEE, SO THAT'S WHY IT WAS ADDRESSED TO YOU. UM, WE, UM, WANTED TO, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND I WERE HOPING TO HAVE A CONVERSATION TO SEE WHAT THE COMMITTEE KNEW OR DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT. THE INFERENCE IN THE LETTER, I BELIEVE I'D HAVE TO GO BACK AND READ IT AGAIN. UM, BUT I BELIEVE THE INFERENCE IN THE LETTER WAS THAT COUNCIL HAD VOTED TO RESEND IT. WHEN I WENT THROUGH COUNCIL RECORDS, I DID NOT SEE ANY RECORD OF THAT CONVERSATION HAPPENING OR A VOTE HAPPENING. AND SO WHEN WE PRESENTED OUR 2024 FINANCIALS TO OUR BOARD AND OUR DEVELOPMENT SCHEDULE OF GRANTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, AT A MEETING THAT WE HAD EARLIER IN THE YEAR, IT CAME UP BECAUSE THE BOARD WANTED TO KNOW, WHAT'S THIS $15,000 COMING OUT OF YOUR GRANT FUNDING FOR LAST YEAR? AND SO WE EXPLAINED TO THEM WHAT HAPPENED, AND THEY WERE LIKE, YOU NEED TO APPEAL THIS. YOU NEED TO GO BACK TO THE COMMITTEE AND GET FURTHER DIRECTION ON THIS. IT DOESN'T FEEL COPACETIC TO US, AND WE'D REALLY LIKE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT IT. WE WOULD EVEN BE HAPPY TO MEET WITH PEOPLE. UM, AND SO WHAT WE WERE HOPING TO DO WAS TO JUST INITIATE A CONVERSATION THAT MIGHT BRING THAT TO CLOSURE AND PERHAPS HAVE IT RESCINDED. WE HAVE EXPENSES, UM, FROM 2025 AND 2024 THAT WENT UNFUNDED AS A RESULT OF THAT MONEY BEING TAKEN AWAY FROM US. AND WE, WHEN THEY WERE TRYING TO, UM, GET THE MONEY BACK, WE WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF PREPARING FOR SEA ISLAND CHRISTMAS 2024, WHICH REALLY DID NOT GIVE US THE TIME TO, I THINK I HAVE THAT STUFF DOWN, BUT THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED. OKAY. AND WE ARE JUST HOPING TO FINISH THAT CONVERSATION BECAUSE WHEN WE DID TRY TO DO AGAIN. OKAY. JUST TO CLARIFY, AGAIN, I HAVEN'T BEEN INVOLVED IN ANY OF THAT CONVERSATION AT ANY TIME. NO. OKAY. SO THIS IS NEWS TO ME. I'VE GOT WHAT YOU, I'M HAPPY TO HAVE THE INFORMATION AND SHARE AND RESIGNED AND THEN BRYON RESIGN. I DON'T WANNA, I DON'T, WE JUST KIND OF WAITED IT OUT MEETING HERE IF THAT'S A MEETING THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN IN ANOTHER TIME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I LOVE COMING TO DECORATION DAY. , DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION ON DECORATION DAY? NO, I LOVE COMING TO THE EVENT. UM, WE LOVE HAVING YOU. YEAH. UHHUH , COME AND BRING YOUR FAMILY. WE DO. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UHHUH , COME. UH, DAVID COYLE IS DAVID COYLE HERE WITH ALTERNATE CO SOCIETY. HERE WE GO. DAVID COYLE. HE'S HOME WITH COVID OH OH. I'M ON HUFF. I AM THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE HILTON HEAD CORAL SOCIETY. THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME STAND UP IN HIS STEAD AND REPRESENT OUR ORGANIZATION. SO FIRST I JUST WANNA MENTION THAT THIS YEAR, THE 25, 26 SEASON FOR US IS OUR 50TH ANNIVERSARY. WE SAY THAT WITH GREAT PRIDE. WE ARE THE LONGEST RUNNING, PERFORMING ARTS AR UH, ORGANIZATION IN THE AREA. SO WE ARE REALLY PROUD OF THAT. ONE THING MAYBE WE'RE NOT SO PROUD OF IS ALL OF OUR PERFORMANCES, ALL OF OUR ACTIVITIES HAVE BEEN IN HILTON HEAD THIS YEAR. FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE ARE VENTURING OUT CROSSING THAT BRIDGE AND TRYING TO SPREAD THE WEALTH OF CHORAL MUSIC. UM, WE ARE DOING IT IN TWO WAYS. JUST TO BACK UP A LITTLE. OUR CONCERT, OUR FIRST CONCERT OF THE SEASON IN HILTON HEAD IS THIS FRIDAY NIGHT. IF YOU'D LIKE TO COME. IT'S, YOU DO HAVE TO CROSS A COUPLE OF BRIDGES. IT'S THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH ON THE ISLAND, AND IT IS, THE THEME IS CELEBRATING UNITY. ONE OF THE THINGS WE DID FOR OUR 50TH ANNIVERSARY IS WE COMMISSIONED A WORK WRITTEN BY Z RANDALL STROOP. AND IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT CHORAL MUSIC COMPOSERS, BLAH, BLAH IN THE UNITED STATES, HIS NAME WOULD POP UP TOP ON THE LIST. HE WROTE A PIECE FOR US CALLED COURAGE [02:20:01] SINGS, WHICH EMBRACES THE COLOR TR GULLAH TRADITION IN THE MUSIC WITH CALL AND RESPONSE. HE EMBEDDED KUMBAYA IN THE WORK. THE TEXT OF THE WORK IS BY OUR VERY FIRST SOUTH CAROLINA POET LAUREATE. IT'S REALLY AN INCREDIBLY MEANINGFUL WORK FOR US. AND ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE ARE DOING WITH HIM IS WE'RE HAVING A WORKSHOP FOR TEACHERS SATURDAY MORNING. AND WE HAVE, AGAIN, SPREAD THE WEALTH. WE HAVE INVITED ALL THE MUSIC TEACHERS IN BEAUFORT COUNTY TO ATTEND. SO AGAIN, SPREADING THE WEALTH THAT'S SPREAD THE JOY AND SPREAD THE WEALTH. SO HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO 2026? WELL, IN FEBRUARY SHOULDER SEASON, WE HAVE THE VIENNA BOYS CHOIR COMING TO BLUFFTON FOR TWO CONCERTS. THEY ARE, TO SAY THE LEAST, A WORLD RENOWNED GROUP. WE HAD THEM 10 YEARS AGO ON HILTON HEAD AND HOLY FAMILY CHURCH, WHICH SEATS A THOUSAND. WE SOLD OUT. WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE GREAT TO AGAIN, MOVE OFF THE ISLAND. OF COURSE, IT'S HARD TO FIND VENUES THAT CONCEDE A THOUSAND PEOPLE, , BUT LOW COUNTRY COMMUNITY CHURCH, WHICH IS A BEAUTIFUL CHURCH RIGHT ON THE EDGE OF BLUFFTON, WILL BE HOSTING US FOR THIS CONCERT, THESE TWO CONCERTS, TWO NIGHTS. UM, WE ARE EXTENDING OUR MARKETING WAY OUT OF THE LOCAL AREA. WE EXPECT TO DO SOME DIGITAL ADVERTISING THROUGH SOME OF THE NATIONAL MAGAZINES. WITH THE HELP OF THE CHAMBER. WE WE'LL BE DOING TELEVISION ADVERTISING. WE REALLY HAVEN'T DONE THAT TILL THIS YEAR. WE HAVE SHARED MARKETING WITH A LOT OF THE OTHER GROUPS LIKE THE HILLMAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA. THEY SEND OUT AN HOUR E-BLAST. WE SEND OUT THEIRS. SO WE ARE TRYING TO COLLABORATE AND COORDINATE WITH PERFORMING ARTS GROUPS IN THE AREA. WE ARE REALLY, REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT. AND I DO WANNA MENTION THAT IF WE, I, I EXPECT WE WILL HAVE PEOPLE COMING FROM CHARLESTON AND PEOPLE COMING FROM SAVANNAH AND FROM COLUMBIA, MAYBE NOT GREENVILLE, BECAUSE THEY ARE DOING ONE OTHER CONCERT IN THE GREENVILLE AREA, BUT THAT WILL BE THE ONLY OTHER ONE IN SOUTH CAROLINA. SO WE ARE EXTENDING OUR MARKETING, AND OF COURSE YOU PROBABLY KNOW IF YOU DRIVE ON 2 78 AT ALL, THAT MOST OF THE HOTELS IN BLUFFTON ARE REALLY NOT IN BLUFFTON. THEY'RE IN GREATER BLUFFTON FROM THE HILTON GARDEN INTO SPARK, THE NEW HILTON PLACE, UH, BY THE KROGER SHOPPING CENTER. ALL THE HOTELS IN OKA T ARE ALL IN THE GREATER BLUFFTON AREA. SO I FEEL THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO FILL THOSE HOTELS RATHER NICELY. DO I HAVE ANY PROOF OF THAT? NO, BUT IT'S MY GUT. I KNOW PEOPLE, WHEN THEY HEAR VIENNA BOYS CHOIR GOING, WHEN CAN I BUY MY TICKETS? WHICH I'M GONNA GO AND I THINK WE SHOULD MOVE TO QUESTIONS JUST BECAUSE SURE. WE'RE ABOUT A HALF AN HOUR BEHIND SCHEDULE. THAT'S MY FAULT. WELL, WELL, THANK YOU. UM, CONGRATULATIONS ON THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THANK YOU. AND I, I SAID TO VIENNA BOYS CHOIR. WOW. AND I, I EVEN, I READ YOU SAID THAT YOU ANSWERED THE QUESTION, YOU DIDN'T HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING, UM, YOUR TWO NIGHT EVENTS. HOW MANY, HOW MANY, HOW MANY GUESTS WILL BE THERE? WELL, SO WE KNOW, EVEN WHEN WE DID THE PERFORMANCE AT THE SOUTH END OF THE ISLAND AT HOLY FAMILY CHURCH THAT WE HAD, 22% WERE TOURISTS. THEY CAME FROM WAY OUT OF THE AREA. MM-HMM . EXCUSE ME. THOUGHT I SHUT IT OFF. AIRPLANE MODE DOESN'T SEEM TO WORK FOR ME ON MY PHONE. , I APOLOGIZE. UM, AND I THINK THERE WERE 43% VISITORS, UH, PEOPLE WHO CAME FROM ACROSS THE, AT LEAST ONE BRIDGE. MM-HMM . SO WE DID DRAW A LOT EVEN IN THAT. I DON'T KNOW HOW WE WILL KNOW OTHER THAN WHEN PEOPLE GET HERE. 'CAUSE WE'VE NEVER DONE ANYTHING OUTSIDE OF THE AREA. OKAY. SO IT IS A CRAPSHOOT FOR US, BUT WE ARE COMMITTED AND WE LOVE THAT CHURCH AND THE FACILITY THEY HAVE. AND WE WOULD LIKE TO, THEIR STAGE IS KIND OF SMALL, SO I'M NOT SURE THAT WE COULD FIT THE MUSICIANS AND THE WHOLE CHORUS THERE. BUT WE ARE LOOKING FOR VENUES TO DO SOME OF OUR CONCERTS. EITHER DOUBLE THEM OUTSIDE THE AREA OR MAYBE DO SOME UNIQUE ONES. BUT YOU DO HAVE TICKET SALES THOUGH, RIGHT? TICKET SALES. OH, ABSO, OH, WE'LL KNOW AFTER THE FACT. YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. [02:25:01] AND TICKS, WHICH IS OUR COM OUR, THE COMPANY WE USE FOR OUR TICKETS DOES RECORD THE, UM, ZIP CODES FOR THE PURCHASER, WHICH AGAIN, IS ALWAYS A FRUSTRATION FOR US. 'CAUSE I LIVE IN BLUFFTON. I ACTUALLY LIVE IN GREATER BLUFFTON, BY THE WAY. . I HAVE FRIENDS COMING, THEY'RE GONNA STAY WITH ME OR THEY'RE GONNA STAY IN A HOTEL. BUT I BUY SIX TICKETS. I HAVE ONE OF OUR CHORUS MEMBERS WHO SAID, I'M GONNA NEED A HUNDRED TICKETS. I SAID, EXCUSE ME? SHE SAID, YES. WELL, MY, SOME OF MY FRIENDS FROM NEW YORK ARE COMING AND SOME OF MY, UH, CHURCH IS COMING FROM SAVANNAH, AND SHE'S GONNA BUY A HUNDRED TICKETS ON HER ZIP CODE. IT'S NOT GONNA SHOW HOW MANY PEOPLE. SO WE ARE GONNA TRY SOME NOVEL APPROACHES THIS YEAR, ACTUALLY ASKING THE AUDIENCE, BECAUSE WE TRIED THE CLIPBOARD THING. BUT, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE, THEY'RE RUSHING TO GET TO THEIR SEATS. THAT DOESN'T HELP. SO I THINK WE'RE GONNA HAVE THE, UH, CONDUCTOR FRIDAY NIGHT SAY, COULD YOU RAISE YOUR HAND IN THE AUDIENCE IF YOU ARE FROM A ZIP CODE NOT, AND LIST THEM AND WE'LL HAVE THE USHERS COUNT HANDS. I THINK THAT'LL BE MORE ACCURATE. SO WE'RE TRYING, AND IT'S $5,000 REQUEST REQUESTING, WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO BE USED FOR? TOTALLY. MARKETING. MARKETING. YEAH. OKAY, THEN. THANK YOU. YOU'RE VERY WELCOME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. CONGRATULATIONS ON THE EVENT COMING UP. SHOULD BE A HIT. MM-HMM . THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YOU BET. HAVE A DAY. I HOPE WE SEE YOU FRIDAY NIGHT OR AT THE VIENNA BOYS COURT. OKAY. WE, IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, WE PROBABLY NEED TO KEEP THE OPENING COMMENTS TO TWO MINUTES AND THEN WE WILL TRY TO, WE'LL HAVE ABOUT THREE FOR QUESTIONS TO TRY TO GET, UH, AT LEAST KEEP IT WITHIN THE FIVE MINUTE ALLOCATION FOR EACH, EACH, UH, SECTION HERE. UM, SO NEXT WE'VE GOT, UM, WENDY WILSON WITH, UH, FRIENDS OF FORT FREMONT. GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. I'M WENDY WILSON WITH THE FRIENDS OF FORT FREMONT. WE ARE AN ALL VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION AND ONE OF OUR DOCENTS ARRIVED IN UNIFORM TODAY, . UM, WE HAVE WORKED WITH BEAUFORT COUNTY FOR OVER 16 YEARS IN PARTNERSHIP TO PROMOTE AND PRESERVE FORT FREMONT. UM, WE, LAST YEAR WE HAD, UH, OVER 5,000 VISITORS FROM 46 STATES AND 13 FOREIGN COUNTRIES, UH, AT A HAS BEEN VERY HELPFUL TO US IN THE PAST TO ENHANCE OUR VISITOR EXPERIENCE, INCLUDING FUNDING A, A VIDEO THAT WE SHOW ALL THE TOURISTS THAT COME INTO THE, UH, HISTORY CENTER, A SELF-GUIDED WALKING TOUR ON A SMARTPHONE THAT VISITORS CAN USE WHEN THE CENTER IS CLOSED. AND, UH, INTERPRETIVE PANELS LAST YEAR, UM, YOU AWARDED US A $12,000 GRANT FOR MARKETING. WE HAVE EXPANDED, EXPENDED HALF OF THAT. SO ABOUT $6,000 HAVE BEEN EXPEND SO FAR THIS YEAR. WE HAVE USED THAT ENTIRELY FOR FACEBOOK ADVERTISING. THAT HAS REALLY SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED, UH, BOTH THE TRAFFIC ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE AND WEBSITE. AND IT ALSO HAS CHANGED THE, THE DEMOGRAPHIC OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE COMING INTO THE CENTER. UH, PEOPLE FROM OUTSIDE THE 50 MILE RADIUS HAVE INCREASED BY 3%. AND WHEN CVB RAN NUMBERS FOR US, THEY SHOWED A DRAMATIC INCREASE FROM AREAS FROM AUGUSTA, GREENVILLE, AND COLUMBIA. SO NOW WE ARE, UH, IN A POSITION TO BUILD ON THIS MOMENTUM. UH, IN APRIL, WE, WE INCREASED OUR OPERATING HOURS, ADDING A, AN ADDITIONAL DAY. SO WE ARE NOW OPEN FOUR DAYS A WEEK FOR VISITORS AT THE HISTORY CENTER. OUR GOAL THROUGH THIS AND THROUGH THIS GRANT REQUEST, IS TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF VISITORS TO, UH, THE FORT FREMONT HISTORY CENTER, AND ALSO CONTINUE TO INCREASE THE HOURS THAT WE ARE OPEN AT THE CENTER. WE'RE GONNA, IS IT OKAY IF WE MOVE TO QUESTIONS? PARDON? IS IT OKAY IN THE INTEREST OF TIME IF WE MOVE TO QUESTIONS? OH, IT'S JUST GETTING TO GOOD PARTS, . SURE. WELL, YOU DID A GREAT JOB AND WE'VE, AND OH, OKAY. WE'VE ALL BEEN ASSIGNED. SO WE, WE WENT THROUGH OF YOUR SUBMISSION PROBABLY, WHICH WE'VE GONE THROUGH, WHICH WAS HOPEFULLY YOU'LL ASK THE QUESTIONS THAT I WANTED TO COVER, . WELL, UM, THE, I THINK THE ONES THAT ARE SOME THAT ARE MOST CRITICAL IS THE, THE, THE REQUESTED SPEND IS ALL FOR MARKETING CORRECT ENDEAVORS. CORRECT. WHICH YOU LISTED OUT CORRECT. IN YOUR, IN YOUR APPLICATION, UM, BETWEEN FACEBOOK ADS, GOOGLE ADS, UM, SOME POST [02:30:01] AND COURIER AND, AND NEWSWIRE SERVICES. SO THAT'S, UM, CORRECT. THAT'S CLEAR. AND IT'S, IT'S REALLY JUST TO INCREASE ADDITIONAL VISITORS. THOSE TARGETS ARE GONNA BE FROM, I MEAN, IS IT LARGELY TARGETED FOR PEOPLE OUT OF TOWN? THE, THE, THE ADVERTISING, IT'S ALL TARGETED FOR PEOPLE OUT OF TOWN. ALL TARGETED. IT'S A BUT IT'S REGIONAL. IT'S GONNA BE REGIONAL. AND WE ARE USING THE SAME VENDORS THAT CBB USES. SO WE ARE GOING TO WORK WITH THEM TO BUILD ON THE ADVERTISING THAT THEY HAVE OUT THERE, MORE SPECIFICALLY TO HISTORY MINDED FOLKS AND FAMILIES. GREAT. AND THEN YOU'VE ALREADY USING THE LAST GRANT, YOU'VE, YOU SPENT, YOU SAID YOU SPENT ABOUT $6,000 AND THEN OVER A LITTLE BIT OVER HALF A YEAR, THAT'S INCREASED YOUR TRAFFIC ALREADY BY ABOUT 3%. EXACTLY. UM, GOOD. UM, THAT'S THE CLARIFICATION I NEEDED. ANY QUESTIONS? I'VE GOT A QUESTION. MY UNDERSTANDING IS IF I RENT A CAR OR HIRE AN UBER, I CAN COME OUT AND TAKE YOUR TOUR WHEN YOU'RE OPEN. BUT IF I OR ANOTHER GROUP ARRIVE ON A TOUR BUS, YOU DO NOT ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN. IS THAT TRUE? AND IS THAT SOMETHING YOU WANT TO CONTINUE? THAT IS NOT EXACTLY RIGHT. RIGHT. WE DO, WE DO WELCOME TOURS, UH, ORGANIZED TOURS. UM, THE COUNTY HAS INSTITUTED A NEW POLICY WHERE THOSE TOUR COMMERCIAL BUSINESSES MUST PAY A FEE AND, UH, GET A PERMIT LICENSE. THAT IS A BIT CUMBERSOME AND WE'RE TRYING TO WORK THROUGH THAT PROCESS. WE DO HAVE A TOUR COMPANY COMING IN TWO WEEKS. UM, SO HOPEFULLY WE'LL BUILD ON THAT. WELL, I GUESS WHERE I'M COMING FROM ON THIS IS THAT IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S A GREAT FACILITY. I'VE BEEN THERE. I APPRECIATE WHAT YOU AND THE OTHER VOLUNTEERS ARE DOING IN THE DOCENTS. THANK YOU. BUT IT SEEMS COUNTERPRODUCTIVE TO INVEST SIGNIFICANT COUNTY FUNDS AND OTHER FUNDS IN IMPROVING THE FACILITY. AND, UH, SIMPLY BECAUSE SOMEONE IS PAYING TO RIDE A BUS INSTEAD OF RENT A CAR OR RENT A TAXI, MAKE THEM REGISTER IN ADVANCE AND PAY A FEE. SO IT SEEMS REASONABLE TO EXPECT THAT IT'D BE IN THE BEST INTEREST OF DEVELOPING THE HUB AND SPOKE TOURISM SO THAT PEOPLE SPEND THE NIGHT HERE AND THEN GO SEE ALL OF OUR ATTRACTIONS, WHICH WOULD INCLUDE YOURS. AND UNDERMINING THAT BY NOT ALLOWING THEM TO DO THAT ON A SORT OF IMPROMPTU BASIS SEEMS TO BE COUNTERPRODUCTIVE. SO I JUST WANTED TO SEE IF YOU AND YOUR FELLOW VOLUNTEERS OPPOSED HAVING THOSE TOUR PEOPLE COMING THROUGH THE FACILITY, OR IF IT WAS JUST WORD OF A ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS, IT COULD BE FIXED. NOT AT ALL. WE WELCOME THEM. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. NICE JOB ON THE APPLICATION. UM, OKAY. UH, ARE YOU OKAY? UH, IF WE KEEP GOING, EVERYBODY. ALRIGHT, SO, UM, WE'RE AT, UH, LAURA WINKLE WITH THE LIBRARIES FOR KIDS INTERNATIONAL. I DON'T GET THAT. ANYWAY, GOOD MORNING. UH, MY NAME IS LAURA WINKLE. I'M THE CEO OF LIBRARIES FOR KIDS INTERNATIONAL. WE ARE A NONPROFIT HERE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY, AND OUR MISSION IS IN AFRICA. UM, I'M HERE TODAY TO REQUEST, UM, 10,500 FOR THE ATEX GRANT TO EXPAND, UM, OUR PROGRAM, SPECIFICALLY AROUND OUR ONE ANNUAL CHARITY EVENT THAT WE HAVE HERE IN BUFORT COUNTY. WE WOULD LIKE THIS MONEY TO, OR WE'RE REQUESTING THIS MONEY TO EXPAND OUR DIGITAL DISPLAY ADVERTISING. UM, HISTORICALLY WE HAVE HAD PEOPLE, UM, DRAWN TO THIS EVENT. IT IS, IT IS NEVER ACTUALLY EXCEEDED 200 PEOPLE, BUT LAST YEAR WE TRACKED, UM, THROUGH OUR DATABASE AND TICKET HOLDERS 16%, UM, WERE TOURISTS THAT FLEW IN FROM 12 DIFFERENT STATES. AND WE PARTNER WITH A INTERNATIONAL NONPROFIT THAT ALLOWS US TO EXPAND THAT AND GROW OUR, OUR TOURISM AND OUR ATTENDANCE. UM, THIS EVENT IS THE ONE EVENT THAT WE PUT ON EVERY YEAR THAT FUNDS OUR PROGRAM A HUNDRED PERCENT FOR A MAJOR PART OF OUR IMPACT AND OUR MISSION QUESTIONS NOW, UM, MORE OF A COMMENT THAN A QUESTION. UM, AGAIN, EXCITED ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING OUT THERE AT THE MARITIME. CAN YOU SPEAK INTO YOUR MIC PLEASE? I'M SORRY I TO SPEAK INTO THE MIC. I'M SORRY. SORRY, SORRY, SORRY, SORRY, SORRY. CAN YOU HEAR ME A LITTLE BIT BETTER NOW? OKAY. YEP, THAT'S GOOD. YEAH. UM, ALWAYS THINGS THAT INCREASE, UH, FAMILY, FAMILY FRIENDLY THINGS. SO I SEE THIS IS FOR, UM, [02:35:06] LET ME RE REPHRASE MY QUESTION. UM, AGAIN, BRINGING IN THIS IS YOUR FUNDRAISER TO BRING IN, UH, FUNDING FOR THIS PROGRAM THAT YOU ALL HAVE? YES. OUR PROGRAM, OUR PROGRAM IS TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO BOOKS. RIGHT. AND ESTABLISH LIBRARIES IN RURAL PARTS IN AFRICA. SO YOUR NUMBERS AGAIN FOR THIS EVENT? THE NUMBERS FOR THE EVENT? MM-HMM . UM, WE'RE LOOKING TO INCREASE OUR ATTENDANCE BY OVER 150 PEOPLE. OKAY. AND NUMBERS AS FAR AS OUR BUDGET GOES, UM, WE, THIS YEAR'S BUDGET IS AT 93,000. HOWEVER, PART OF THOSE NUMBERS ARE, ARE ALREADY HAVE DROPPED BECAUSE OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE, WE RECOGNIZE THAT COULD BE EXPENSES, BUT ARE INCLUDED WITHIN CATERING OR THE VENUE. UM, SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE AT 74,000 AND WE'VE ALREADY FOUND AND RAISED OVER $21,000 TOWARDS THAT EVENT IN, IN KIND AND, AND, UM, MONETARY SPONSORSHIPS. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? I THINK IT'S AWESOME WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND ALWAYS, UM, LOVE THE WORK THAT'S BEING DONE OUT THERE THAT BRING KIDS AND FAMILIES TOGETHER AND GIVE US AN OPPORTUNITY TO INCREASE THE VISIBILITY OF THE MARITIME CENTER ITSELF. SO AGAIN, THAT'S A BIG TOURIST DRAW FOR US. DID YOU APPLY FOR ANY OTHER, UM, GRANTS? WE HAVE NOT, NO. THIS IS ACTUALLY THE FIRST TIME WE'RE APPLYING FOR THE ATEX GRANT. THIS IS OUR FIFTH ANNUAL CHARITY EVENT, AND WE JUST REALIZED THAT WE HAD 12 STATES FLY IN FOR OUR EVENT AND WE HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO GROW THAT SIGNIFICANTLY. UM, WE DO PLAN ON APPLYING FOR A MATCHING GRANT THROUGH DOTERRA HEALING HANDS. UM, THAT IS A GRANT THAT WE PLAN ON DOING A $10,000 MATCH WITH, BUT IT, IT CAN'T BE APPLIED FOR YET. IT HAS TO BE APPLIED FOR EARLY 2026. THANK YOU. ANY QUESTIONS? WELL, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR BEING HERE. APPRECIATE IT. OKAY, NEXT UP WE'VE GOT, UM, ASHLEY WITH THE BUFORD AREA HOSPITALITY ASSOCIATION. GOOD MORNING. AFTERNOON. ALMOST. THIS IS LEGIT. Y'ALL. WE'VE NEVER BEEN IN THIS ROOM. MY NAME IS ASHLEY HOUK. I'M THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE BEAUFORT AREA HOSPITALITY ASSOCIATION. I THINK EVERYONE ON THE PANEL IS FAMILIAR WITH OUR ORGANIZATION AS WELL AS THE FESTIVAL. WE STARTED THE FESTIVAL IN 2021. I'D BEEN WORKING AND LIVING IN THE AREA FOR ONE YEAR EXACTLY. UH, UP UNTIL, YOU KNOW, THE, THE 2021 DATE IN JANUARY FOR THE FESTIVAL. AND EACH YEAR WE HAVE GROWN NUMEROUS LAYERS INTO THE FESTIVAL. THE ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO LIFT JANUARY AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT WE'VE DONE YEAR OVER YEAR. WE ARE NOW COMPARING DECEMBER TO JANUARY, AND WE ARE SEEING THAT WE NEED TO START WORKING ON DECEMBER AND WE NEED TO START GETTING SOME FOLKS HERE IN DECEMBER SO THAT THAT LINE LEVELS OUT THIS YEAR. WE HAVE SOME EXCITING NEW THINGS GOING ON. WE'RE GONNA BE DOING A HIGH END TASTING EVENT THAT CELEBRATES OUR RESTAURANTS, THE TIDES TO TABLES KICKOFF, WHICH IS OUR RESTAURANT WEEK THAT COINCIDES WITH THE FESTIVAL. SO WE'RE GONNA PAIR THAT THE SATURDAY BEFORE. WE'RE GONNA TRY TO GET SOME HEADS IN BEDS THAT WEEKEND. AND WE ARE THE ONLY FESTIVAL IN THE REGION THAT DOES A SATURDAY SUNDAY. WE THINK THAT THAT'S SMART AND, UH, WE WANNA CONTINUE THAT. UM, I CAN KEEP GOING, BUT I KNOW Y'ALL HAVE SOME TIME RESTRAINTS HERE. OKAY, THANK YOU. I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF READING YOUR APPLICATION AND AS I WAS READING IT, I, ON THE KEY IMPACT, I DIDN'T SEE OR READ ABOUT THE PERCENTAGE OF AN INCREASE OF OVERNIGHT STAY IN YOUR APPLICATION. YES. SO WE HAVE SEEN A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN STAY MM-HMM . IN OVERNIGHT STAY ABOUT A 12% INCREASE OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS COMPARED TO THE SIX WEEKS PRIOR IN JANUARY. WE'RE NOW SEEING A 4% TO 7% INCREASE. SO, OKAY. AND WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH THE CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU TO OBTAIN ALL OF OUR DATA ANALYTICS. WE USE THE GEOFENCING TECHNOLOGY, WE DO AD PLACEMENTS IN SPECIFIC LOCATIONS THAT WILL THEN SHOW UP IN THE MARKET TO SEE HOW EFFECTIVE IT'S, IT'S BEING MM-HMM . AND, UH, AND WE LOVE, WE LOVE WORKING WITH OUR CVB. SO WITH THE 7,000 ATTENDEES, WHAT'S YOUR GUESS ON THE PERCENT THAT ARE LIKELY TO RENT A HOTEL? YEAH. WELL SOME OF THOSE ARE PROBABLY DAY TRIPPERS. UM, BUT WE'RE SEEING BETWEEN 30 TO 40% ARE OUT OF MARKET. UM, [02:40:01] WE'VE DEFINITELY GROWN THAT FROM ABOUT 20, 25% THE FIRST FEW YEARS TO NOW WE'RE SEEING CLOSER TO 40%. BUT EVEN IF IT WAS 10%, THAT'D BE 700 700 HOTELERS. RIGHT. YEAH. SO BIG NUMBER FOR JANUARY. YEAH, THAT'S ALL I HAVE IS ANYONE, ANYONE ELSE? THAT'S GREAT. THANKS FOR CONTINUING TO GROW THIS DURING THE, A COLD EMPTY TIME OF THE YEAR. YEAH. WE'RE GONNA FILL UP JANUARY AND THEN WE'RE GONNA START WORKING ON DECEMBER. WE GOT THE FIREWORKS. SO WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE GOING. THANK YOU ALL FOR SERVING ON THIS BOARD AND ALL THAT YOU DO FOR OUR AREA. YOU, YOU MM-HMM . RON JAMES CAMPBELL CHA CHAPEL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT MINISTRY. MORNING. MORNING. I AM RON NEWSOM AND I'M A, UM, UH, FILLING IN FOR RON JAMES. RON IS PRESIDENT OF OUR 5 0 1 C3, UH, AND IS IN CHARGE OF, UH, OUR GRANT WRITING. I AM, I CHAIR THE STEERING COMMITTEE, WHICH IS THE OPERATING ARM OF THE 5 0 1 C3. AND THE COMPONENT OF THAT IS GRANT WRITING. UM, APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE WITH YOU. THE, UM, I'M GONNA ABBREVIATE MY COMMENTS TO MEET THE, UH, TIMELINES THAT JUST BEEN REVISED AND MAY SOUND A LITTLE CHOPPY, BUT HOPEFULLY I CAN GET TO THE POINT. THE, UH, IDEA IS THAT THE HISTORIC CHAPEL, UH, AT THIS POINT, IT'S FOCUSED ON RESTORATION RENOVATION MAINTENANCE IN THE EVENTUAL OPERATION OF THE HISTORIC CHAPEL. WE ARE IN OUR CONSTRUCTION PHASE. UM, PROCEEDS, UH, INITIALLY WERE PROVIDED BY BEAUFORD COUNTY, UH, AND ENABLING US TO MEET THE SOFT COSTS OF $140,000, WHICH THE DETAIL WHICH HAS BEEN PROVIDED. UH, AT THIS POINT WE ARE COMING FORTH TO REQUEST ASSISTANCE WITH THE THIRD PHASE OF OUR CONSTRUCTION PROCESS. AND THIS IS CRITICAL BECAUSE, AND VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT WILL ALLOW US TO LEVERAGE A $219,000 GRANT THAT WE RECEIVE FROM THE, UH, NATIONAL FUND FOR SACRED PLACES. SO THIS FUNDS, ALONG WITH OTHER FUNDS, WILL ALLOW US TO DO, TO DO THAT AND COMPLETE THE THIRD PHASE, UH, IN TERMS OF, UH, PUBLIC BENEFIT. UM, THE IDEA IS THAT AT SOME POINT WHEN WE MOVE INTO THE SECOND PHASE, WHICH IS THE OPERATION OF THE CHAPEL, UM, IT WILL ALLOW US TO EXPLORE THE HISTORY, POST DIALOGUES, LECTURES, DESTINATION WEDDINGS, CONCERTS, AND OTHER EVENTS THAT BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER TO LEARN AND EXPERIENCE UNIQUE, UH, UNIQUE CULTURE. UH, MORE POINTEDLY AT THIS POINT, GIVEN THAT WE ARE IN A CONSTRUCTION PHASE, IS THAT, UH, WE HAVE RECEIVED QUITE A BIT OF ACTIVITY FROM A SOCIAL MEDIA STANDPOINT, JUST BY MERE INQUIRY AND CURIOSITY FROM THE LOCAL AND BEYOND. UH, MORE SPECIFICALLY, UH, DURING THE MONTH OF AUGUST, UH, WE RECEIVED, UH, 54 VISITORS THAT STOPPED BY THE CONSTRUCTION SITE AND CLICKED ON OUR QR CODE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE HISTORIC CHAPEL. UH, ITS HISTORY CONSTRUCTION AND, UH, FUTURE 48 VISITORS DURING THE MONTH OF AUGUST CLICKED ON THE WEBSITE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CHAPEL. UM, FOR THE PAST 12 MONTHS, WE RECEIVED 629 SUCH CLICKS, 69 VISITORS VISIT TO EXPLORE THE HISTORY OF THE CHAPEL. UH, AND THERE WERE 3 736 CLICKS IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS. UH, AND OVER A THOUSAND VISITORS CLICKED AND LISTENED TO MONTHLY UPDATES THAT WE PROVIDE THE CONGREGATION ON THE MONTHLY BASIS. UM, AND WE HOPE TO BUILD UPON THAT IN THE STRATEGIC WAY WHEN WE MOVE INTO THE OPERATION PHASE, WHICH I'D BE MORE THAN GLAD TO ELABORATE ON. SO THE CLOSING, THE $120,000 REQUEST IS, UH, VERY IMPORTANT TO US. IT WILL ALLOW US TO, UH, FULFILL THE MATCHING ASPECTS OF A GRANT THAT WE RECEIVE FROM THE, UH, NATIONAL FUND FOR SACRED PLACES. THANK YOU. I'LL BE GLAD TO ENTERTAIN ANY QUESTIONS? YEAH. I WAS ASSIGNED TO GO THROUGH YOUR APPLICATION, WHICH I DID WITH MY DAUGHTER'S A PRESERVATION DESIGN MAJOR AT SCAD. SO IT WAS FUN TO READ OKAY. THROUGH THIS, UM, ABOUT THIS, THIS, YOU KNOW, AMAZING, UM, YOU KNOW, RESTORATION THAT YOU, YOU'VE EMBARKED ON HERE THAT YOU'RE KIND OF PART OF THE WAY THROUGH. SO THE, THE, THERE'S SIX PHASES, YOU KNOW, 2.1 MILLION IN TOTAL. UM, AND IF ALL WENT AS PLANNED, WOULD IT BE DONE BY THE END OF 2026? OR WHEN WOULD, WHEN WOULD IT BE COMPLETE IF ALL IS DONE BY PLAN AND PLANS HAVE A WAY OF GOING STRAIGHT FROM TIME TO TIME, BUT WE HAVE SET GOALS AND GIVEN THE FUNDING REQUIREMENTS THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE AND THOSE THAT WE [02:45:01] HAVE PENDING, WHICH WOULD INCLUDE THIS ONE, UM, WE THINK IT IS REALISTIC TO THINK IN TERMS OF 2026 MAYBE BEYOND THAT. BUT THAT'S, THAT'S THE GOAL. OKAY. AND THAT'S THE, UH, THE DRIVING FORCE THAT KEEPS THIS ON TASK. RIGHT. AND AND WOULD IT BE, WOULD IT, WOULD, IT WOULD BE AFTER COMPLETION THAT IT MIGHT HAVE A MORE MATERIAL TOURISM IMPACT? CORRECT. BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN PEOPLE WOULD WANNA COME? THAT'S CORRECT. AFTER, UM, YOU KNOW, AS INDICATED, JUST IN THE CONSTRUCTION PHASE IS GENERATED A GREAT DEAL OF, UH, INTEREST MM-HMM SURE. FROM AN OPERATIONAL PHASE, THEN WE WILL HAVE A FULL-TIME PER PERSON THAT WILL SERVE AS THE MANAGER OF THE HISTORIC CHAPEL THAT WILL EXECUTE THE VARIOUS PLANS THAT SOMEWHAT ELABORATE ON EARLIER. UH, AND TO EXPAND OUR NETWORK WITHIN THE A ME CIRCLE, WHICH HAS TWO AND A HALF MILLION MEMBERS, YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. MM-HMM . UH, THAT ALONG WITH WORKING WITH THE BLUFFTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND, UM, OUR OTHER NETWORKS TO, UH, GENERATE THE TYPE OF ACTIVITY THAT WE ENVISION. SO DOES THAT A ME AFFILIATION ALLOW YOU TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, BE ABLE TO REACH THAT AUDIENCE TO INFORM THEM ABOUT, ABOUT THE RESTORATION AND TRY TO ATTRACT THEM HERE OR SPECIFICALLY WITHIN THE STATE? MM-HMM . UH, THE FORMER PASTOR OF CAMPBELL CHAPEL, A ME REVEREND DR. JOHN BLACK IS NOW THE ELDER OF SOME 30 CONGREGATIONS. UM, AND HE'S BEEN REPLACED BY REVEREND FREDERICK WILSON, WHO'S DOING AN INCREDIBLE JOB IN PROMOTING THIS. UH, SO WE WOULD START THERE AND WORK WITHIN OUR BACKYARD, SO TO SPEAK, BEFORE COMMUNICATING, YOU KNOW, BEYOND THAT. UNDERSTOOD. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? WHO ELSE HAVE YOU APPLIED FOR FUNDING FROM BESIDES US FOR A TAX FUNDS? THE, UM, TOWN OF BLUFFTON JUST RECENTLY APPROVED $109,000, UH, FUNDING THAT WILL AGAIN ALLOW US TO LEVERAGE THE INITIAL ASPECT OF $219,000 GRANT. UM, WE ARE APPLYING NEXT WITH BEAUFORT COUNTY IN TERMS OF A AND H TAX CREDITS. UM, I THINK THAT'S IT AT THIS POINT IN TIME. THANK YOU. DID HE CLARIFY THE LOUGHTON, UH, GRANT THAT THEY GOT? WHAT SOURCE OF FUNDS? THOSE WERE, THOSE WERE, BEAR WITH ME NOW. THOSE WERE THE AT TAX. YOU SURE THEY WERE ATACS? WELL, LET ME MAKE, LET ME, LET ME BE CERTAIN BEFORE I SPEAK. I, THEY WERE WITH THE, UH, TOWN OF BLUFFTON PRESERVATION GRANT. OKAY. THAT'S DIFFERENT. THAT WAS 20,000 AND THEN ANOTHER PORTION CAME FROM THE TOWN OF BLUFFTON. YEAH. THE PROBLEM I'M HAVING COMMITTEE FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION WHEN YOU DISCUSS IT IS THAT UNDER THE STATE CODE, UH, FUNDS CAN BE USED FOR CONSTRUCTION MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION OF FACILITIES FOR CIVIC AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING CONSTRUCTION, MAINTENANCE OF ACCESS, AND OTHER NEARBY ROADS AND UTILITIES FOR THE FACILITIES. I'M NOT SURE HOW A CHURCH FITS IN CULTURAL AND CIVIC, UH, FACILITIES. I HAVE TO BE PART OF YOUR DISCUSSION. NOT IN THIS. THANK YOU. AND AT THAT POINT WAS RAISED DURING THE TRAINING SESSION BY RON JAMES AND ADDRESSED BY WAY OF EMAIL TO MAKE C CERTAIN THAT YOU UNDERSTOOD THIS IS CONSTRUCTION AND NOT OPERATION AND THAT WAS AFFILIATED WITH THE CAMPBELL CHAPEL, A ME CHURCH. AND WE'D BE MORE THAN GLAD TO ENGAGE FURTHER IN THAT REGARD. AND I GUESS I, I WOULD WANT TO ASK THE QUESTION, COULDN'T THE CHURCH BE CONSIDERED A CULTURAL CENTER BECAUSE OF ITS HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE? WELL, LET ME MAKE THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE CHURCH AND THE CHAPEL. THE CHAPEL IS A NONPROFIT AND IT IS FUNCTIONALLY, ESSENTIALLY AS A CULTURAL CENTER, BUT AGAIN, A DIFFERENT VENUE. WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT IN MORE DETAIL. UH, LET ME SEE IF THE CHURCH IS RELIGIOUS. UH, LET ME SEE IF I UNDERSTAND. UH, COUNCIL HAS RAISED A GOOD POINT. ARE YOU SUGGESTING YOU HAVE AN EMAIL SERIES OF TRANSACTIONS THAT SAYS THIS IS PERMITTABLE INTERSTATE LAW FROM A CONSTRUCTION STANDPOINT? ARE YOU SUGGESTING YOU HAVE AN EMAIL TRA UH, TRAIL THAT SAYS THAT IS PERMITTABLE? I DON'T WANT GET INTO STATE LAW . BUT THE DISCUSSION WAS SET EARLY ON IN TERMS OF, UH, I THINK LAST YEAR WE PRESENT MADE A PRESENTATION AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT IT WOULD BE BEST IF WE GO TO A AND H TAX, MAKE AN A AND H TAX PRESS REQUEST LATER ON. BUT THEN WE WENT THROUGH THE, UH, RECENT WORKSHOP AND THE QUESTION WAS RAISED AS IT RELATES TO CONSTRUCTION FOR THE CHAPEL AND WE WERE ENCOURAGED TO SUBMIT OUR APPLICATION. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ALRIGHT. AND THANK YOU. [02:50:01] AND AGAIN, WE'D BE MORE THAN GLAD TO DISCUSS THE, THE NUANCE OF THAT, UM, ASPECT OF OUR APPLICATION TO MAKE SURE WE ARE GOING DOWN THE RIGHT PATH. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. IS ROB, UH, ROB'S PUSHED TO ONE RIGHT ON BOTH OF HIS IS, UH, JAMIE PART FROM BUILDING BRIGHTER FUTURES HERE. ALRIGHT. HI, GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. THIS IS MY FIRST TIME HERE IN FRONT OF ACTUALLY ANYBODY. UM, SO MY NAME IS JAMIE PT AND I'VE LIVED IN BEAUFORT FOR ABOUT EIGHT YEARS. AND I'VE WORN MANY DIFFERENT HATS THROUGHOUT THOSE YEARS. OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS, I'VE PUT TOGETHER QUITE A FEW COMMUNITY EVENTS AND IN 2023 I HAD THE BRILLIANT IDEA OF CREATING A MUSIC FESTIVAL. BUFORT OFFERS A VARIETY, EXCUSE ME, BUFORT OFFERS MUSIC FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT. HOWEVER, WE QUICKLY REALIZED THAT A MORE ECLECTIC MUSIC GENRE IS NEEDED. SO IN 2024, THE INAUGURAL MUSIC FESTIVAL OF THE LOW COUNTRY TOOK PLACE. WE CONSULTED WITH THE CITY OF BEAUFORT, ROB WELLS AT VISIT BEAUFORT TO DETERMINE WHAT THE CITY NEEDED, THE CITY OF BEAUFORT NEEDED, UM, TO HELP ATTRACT AND PROMOTE TRAVEL COLLECTIVELY. WE ALL CAME UP WITH THE MONTH OF JUNE. THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE THAT WAS COMPETING WITH A FESTIVAL IN JUNE. AND SO WE DECIDED THE FIRST SATURDAY OF JUNE WILL BE OUR MUSIC FESTIVAL FROM HERE ON OUT OUR PARK DESIGN, WHAT WE DO IS WE BRING NONSTOP LIVE MUSIC THROUGH THE USE OF TWO DIFFERENT STAGES. WE CREATE A CLEAN FOOTPRINT FOR THE PARK TO CREATE A BETTER GUEST EXPERIENCE. WE CHOOSE NOT TO FENCE THE PARK TO ALLOW, COME AND GO FOOT TRAFFIC. WE PROVIDE EXTRA TENTS TO HELP MITIGATE THE HEAT AND THE SHADE. SINCE IT IS IN JUNE, WE RECOGNIZE THAT HEADLINERS ALSO INCREASED ATTENDANCE AND WE WANTED TO CREATE A STAGE FOR LOCAL ARTISTS AS WELL. OUR FIRST YEAR WE HAD A DRUM CIRCLE, BAGPIPES, LOCAL MOTOWN DRUM LINE FROM BATTERY CREEK HIGH SCHOOL AND HEADLINERS THAT INCLUDED CANDACE GLOVER, TONY JACKSON, AND BRUCE. IN THE USA OUR SECOND YEAR, WHICH IS 2025, OUR LOCAL ARTISTS INCLUDE BLUEGRASS, JAZZ FUSION, LATIN MUSIC OR SALSA AND HEAVY METAL HEADLINERS. WERE AGAIN TONY JACKSON. HE'S JUST THAT AWESOME. AND A MICHAEL JACKSON TRIBUTE BAND. WE OFFER AN IMMERSIVE CULTURAL EXPERIENCE THAT PROMOTES A LOT OF REPEAT TRAVEL WORLDWIDE. THERE ARE 32 MILLION PEOPLE THAT TRAVEL TO MUSIC FESTIVALS OFF OF JUST THE NAME MUSIC FESTIVAL. THEIR MEDIAN AGE IS 18 TO 34, WHICH WE ALSO SAW IN OUR FESTIVAL HERE THAT OUR MEDIAN AGE WAS 34. WE HAD 57 ATTENDEES IN A ONE DAY EVENT. 33% OF THOSE WERE VISITORS. OF THE VISITORS, 71% WERE OUTTA STATE AND 45% STAYED OVERNIGHT. THOSE NUMBERS CAME FROM VISIT BUFORT. LOOK, AS WE LOOK AHEAD TO 2026, WE ALWAYS WANNA BRING IN BIGGER TALENT BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THE NAME, THE HEADLINER WILL BRING IN THE VISITOR. WE ALSO PLAN ON USING THE SAME FA FOOTPRINT AND BRING MORE TALENT, MORE VARIETY THAN WE ALREADY HAVE BEFORE. SOME OF OUR LOCAL KUDOS THAT WE'VE HAD IS A FACEBOOK USER TOLD US THAT WE, THAT WE ARE QUICKLY BECOMING THE FESTIVAL TO LOOK FORWARD TO. ONE CO ONE COMMENTED THAT WE HAD VERY DIVERSE CROWDS, WE HAD A LAID BACK COOL EXPERIENCE AND WE WEREN'T UPTIGHT . UM, SO OF COURSE WE, WE WE TOOK THAT. YEP. WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND MOVE TO QUESTIONS. YEP. IN THE INTEREST OF TIME. OKAY. UM, WE GET A LOT OF, UH, PEOPLE WANTING, UH, MONIES AND SOMETIMES WE, WE HAVE MORE REQUESTS A LOT OF TIMES THAN WE HAVE FUNDING. AND SO I'M LOOKING AT YOUR, UM, YOUR BREAKDOWN OF YOUR BUDGET. SO $20,000 GOING TOWARDS YOUR MARKETING. UM, THAT'S DIGITAL MARKETING AND DIGITAL PRINT RADIO. UH, WE WOULD LIKE TO GET INTO THE COMMERCIAL SPACE ON THE TV AND COLLABORATION. ARE YOU WORKING WITH ANY OTHER ORGANIZATION TO KIND OF COLLABORATE ON AS FAR AS AS UM, MAYBE TEAMING UP WITH, UH, ANOTHER ORGANIZATION THAT COULD POSSIBLY HELP TO PROMOTE YOUR FESTIVAL AND SORT OF BROADEN IT LOCALLY? MM-HMM . I WOULD LOVE TO. UM, I HAVE TEAMED UP WITH VISIT BUFORT. THEY HELPED US THE LAST TWO YEARS, UM, WITH [02:55:01] ADVERTISING. UM, THEY KIND OF DID THAT AS AN IN KIND SPONSORSHIP LAST YEAR. UM, WE TEAMED UP WITH, UM, EXPLORE BUFORT CITY OF BUFORT I THIS YEAR. UM, SIDE NOTE IS TONY JACKSON. HIS AUNT IS, UM, MS. HARRIS. AND SO I WOULD LIKE TO TAP INTO THAT AS WELL. UM, SO I AM SO OPEN TO THAT. ABSOLUTELY. AND ALSO LIKE, UM, I THINK THEIR FESTIVAL IS AROUND THAT SAME TIME. 'CAUSE YOU, YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU ALL WERE THE ONLY FESTIVAL, BUT THEIR, BUT THEIR FESTIVAL IS THE, THE BLACK MOSES FESTIVAL. SO I'M JUST SAYING SOMETIMES YOU MIGHT WANT TO LOOK INTO THAT COLLABORATION TO MAYBE GIVE PEOPLE, OFFER PEOPLE SOMETHING ELSE THAT THEY COULD DO THAT WOULD HELP BRING FOLKS TO YOUR FESTIVAL. A HUNDRED PERCENT. I, I, SO NETWORKING. NETWORKING, THAT'S WHAT I WAS ABSOLUTELY. A HUNDRED PERCENT. I, I WANNA BRING SO MUCH VARIETY, UM, BECAUSE AS A FESTIVAL AS A WHOLE, THERE'S NOT A WHOLE LOT OF VARIETY IN HEADLINERS. IN, IN GENERAL. I WOULD LOVE, I MEAN, THAT'S WHY I DID SALSA. THAT'S WHY I DID HEAVY METAL. I DON'T LISTEN TO IT, BUT THERE, THERE WAS A NEED FOR THAT, SO, ABSOLUTELY. YES MA'AM. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. MM-HMM . ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM ANYONE ELSE? AND WHAT, SO WHAT DO YOU THINK THE TOTAL ATTENDANCE WAS THE LAST YEAR? MM-HMM . 5,700 IN ONE DAY. 5,700? YES SIR. GOTCHA. AND, AND WHAT WAS THE ASSUMPTION ON HOW MANY OF THOSE WERE FROM OUT OF TOWN? UM, APPROXIMATELY THE PERCENT, I GUESS 42%. 42%. OKAY. IT WAS 33% VISITORS. MM-HMM . AND OF THE, OF THAT 71% WERE OUTTA STATE AND 45% OF THEM STAYED OVERNIGHT. 45 OVERNIGHT. THANK YOU. THAT'S GREAT. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? NO, NO. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MM-HMM . EVERYBODY OKAY TO KEEP GOING? WE GOOD? ALRIGHT. LET SEE. IS PETE, UH, ? NO. NO. YEAH. IS PEACH HERE? YES, SHE'S, OH, THERE SHE IS. THIS IS VERY DIFFERENT. THIS ROOM IS VERY DIFFERENT. IT IS PEACH MAR, SOUTH CAROLINA LOW COUNTRY TOURISM COMMISSION, THE REGIONAL DMO, UH, BEAUFORT, HAMPTON, JASPER AND COL COUNTIES. UH, YOU HAVE MY INFORMATION THERE. ONE THING THAT I DO WANNA POINT OUT AS, AS WE GO, UM, ONE OF THE CHALLENGES I'VE JUST GOTTEN BACK FROM DC OUR STATEWIDE GROUP IS CALLED SCATTER. AND WE ARE ONE OF 11 REGIONS THAT WE, WE GET FUND SOME FUNDING THROUGH PRT THROUGH THE LEGISLATURE. BUT, UM, WE ARE REALLY KIND, WE CALL OURSELVES THE BOOTS ON THE GROUND FOR PRT, FOR THE THE STATEWIDE GROUP. UH, WE WENT TO, UM, DC AND WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT OUR CHALLENGES. UM, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT RESONATED WITH THEM THIS YEAR THAT I DIDN'T REALLY EXPECT IS A CHALLENGE THAT WE ALL HAVE IN TOURISM AND IN OTHER INDUSTRIES TOO WITH THE GOOGLE, UH, THEIR MODELS. NOW, THAT ZERO CLICK MODEL, UM, IT'S, IT'S NOT STEALING AWAY OUR ORGANIC TRAFFIC, BUT THAT IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT HAS BEEN AFFECTED. IF YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBERS THAT WE HAVE UNDER OUR, UH, RECAP AND, UM, THE, THE, THE RESULTS THAT WE, WE DID FROM THE LAST THING, YOU'LL SEE THAT OUR NUMBERS ON OUR WEBSITE, THE ORGANIC TRAFFIC IS DOWN A LITTLE BIT. NOW WE'VE RECOVERED SOME FROM THAT. BUT IF YOU GO ON YOUR DEVICE AND YOU ASK THINGS TO DO IN BEAUFORT COUNTY AI, BECAUSE THE GEMINI AND WHAT THEY'RE DOING NOW, THEY ARE GOING TO FEED YOU AN ANSWER. AND THAT NEGATES THE ABILITY SOMETIMES FOR THE PEOPLE TO COME TO THE ACTUAL WEBSITES THAT THEY'RE SCRAPING THE DATA FROM. SO THAT'S REALLY SOMETHING THAT'S VERY, VERY IMPORTANT TO US. AND SO NOT ONLY WITH US AS A, AS A REGIONAL DMO, BUT FOR BEAUFORT CVB AND ROB AND HIS GROUP AND THE OTHER PEOPLE THAT ARE USING MONEY TO PUT UP BEHIND PAID ADS AND SOCIAL ADS AND TARGETING AND RETARGETING AND ALL THE THINGS THAT WE DO, ALL THE TOOLS THAT WE USE TO GET PEOPLE'S EYEBALLS. UM, THAT'S, THAT'S A CHALLENGE NOW. SO IT'S VERY, VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE MAINTAIN AND CONTINUE TO PUT MONEY IN TO GOOGLE THROUGH PAID, UM, ADVERTISING AND YOUTUBE AND ALL THESE OTHER THINGS BECAUSE GOOGLE WANTS TO BE NUMBER ONE. AND WITH META AND THE FACEBOOK ADS THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, IT'S A EITHER YOU PAY OR YOU DON'T GET SERVED UP YOUR ADS TO EVERYBODY ELSE. SO I'LL TELL YOU THAT I DO HAVE SOME INFORMATION. WE USE A LITTLE DIFFERENT TOOL THAN ROB DOES. AS FAR AS GEOLOCATION DATA GOES. WE USE A, WHAT'S CALLED A SYMPHONY DASHBOARD. IT'S OUTTA TOURISM ECONOMICS. IT ALLOWS US TO PUT A PIXEL ON OUR WEBSITE AND IF YOU, IN AT THE BOTTOM OF THAT, UM, THE NUMBERS AS FAR AS ECONOMIC IMPACT ON OUR OUR DEAL THERE, UM, YOU'LL SEE THERE'S ABOUT $48 MILLION THAT WE CAN ATTRIBUTE TO OUR WEBSITE ALONE THROUGH 24 25. UM, BECAUSE THAT WEBSITE HAS A PIXEL, LIKE AS I SAID, SOMEBODY GOES TO THE WEBSITE, THEY, THE PIXEL GOES ON THEIR PHONE WHEN THEY COME AND MARKET, THEN YOU CAN, THEY, THEY'RE PINGED AND YOU KNOW WHERE THEY'RE GOING AND YOU CAN TELL WHERE THEY'RE GOING. SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME. AND I WANT, I DID WANT TO TELL YOU, DICK USUALLY ASKS ABOUT, UM, OUR EVENT CALENDAR. IT COMES UP THE THIRD MOST, UM, UH, URL THAT COMES IN AS THE PEOPLE ARE COMING IN. BUT I JUST TO LET YOU KNOW, WE DID DO A, A PRETTY [03:00:01] STRONG CAMPAIGN LAST YEAR ON GULLAH CULTURE. WE HAVE A, A STORY THERE MM-HMM . AND IT WAS ACTUALLY NUMBER TWO. SO WE ALWAYS GET A LOT OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOREST GOV. PEOPLE ARE STILL FASCINATED BY ALL OF THAT. AND THEN OF COURSE, BOTANY BAY AND, AND THE OTHER TREASURES THAT WE HAVE IN THE LOCAL COUNTRY. ALRIGHT, SO WHAT QUESTION YOU GOT YOU POST? YEAH, MOVE ON. LET'S GO TO QUESTIONS. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU FOR THAT. I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF GOING OVER THE APPLICATION. YOU APPLIED EVERY TAX EXCEPT THE CITY AAX. WHY? PARDON ME? YOU DIDN'T APPLY FOR CITY A TAX? YES, I DID. YOU DID. CAN'T SEND YOUR PAPER. BUT YOUR QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS WERE THOROUGH. THOROUGH AND IMPRESSIVE. I ENJOYED READING OVER IT. NO, I, NO MORE QUESTION FOR YOU FROM THIS. VERY WELL PUT TOGETHER. THANK YOU PEACH. COULD YOU KINDA TELL US HOW MUCH OF YOUR FUNDING COMES FROM BEAUFORT COUNTY, INCLUDING MUNICIPAL MUNICIPALITIES AND HOW MUCH FROM THE OTHER COUNTIES THAT YOU REPRESENT? WELL, WE HAVE A MODEL THAT WE UM, THAT JIM, MY PREDECESSOR PUT TOGETHER AND WE ASKED FOR 6% OF WHATEVER THE STATE DOR HAS HAS, UM, SAYING THAT CAME THE YEAR PRIOR. SO WE THINK THAT'S A FAIR AMOUNT TO ASK FOR THE SAME PERCENTAGE ACROSS ALL THE DIFFERENT ONES. UM, SOME WE GET FULL FUNDING, SOME WE GET PARTIAL FUNDING, SOME WE DON'T GET ANY FUNDING AT ALL. SO THAT ALSO ACTUALLY GIVES ME JUSTIFICATION FOR WHEN WE'RE DOING STUFF AND WHEN WE'RE DOING ADVERTISING, THEN I, YOU KNOW, IF BEAUFORT COUNTY AND THE CITY OF BEAUFORT AND PLACES LIKE WALTERBORO THAT FULLY FUNDS US, THEN I CAN REALLY CONCENTRATE ON THOSE WITHOUT HAVING MY HANDS TIED BEHIND MY BACK SAYING THAT YOU'RE NOT DOING EQUAL FOR ALL. THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALRIGHT, WELL THANK YOU. DON'T FORGET TO CHECK THIS BOOK OUT, LYNN AND SEAL SELDEN SOME OF OUR, OUR, UH, LOCAL AUTHORS AT HUNTER THINGS TO DO IN THE SOUTH CAROLINA LOW COUNTRY. WE DID IT CO COLLABORATION WITH THE CITY OF BEFOR, I MEAN WITH BEAUFORT, CBB AND US AND HILTON HEAD. IT'S GOT A LOT OF FUN THINGS TO SEE AND DO, GET IT OUT IN THE MARKET. . THANK YOU. GOOD PLUG. THANK YOU. UM, UH, IS JAMES SCHNEIDER HERE? HILTON HEAD ISLAND LAND TRUST. GOOD MORNING. I'M JOHN SANER. I'M ACTUALLY FILLING IN FOR JIM THIS MORNING, BUT I REPRESENT HILTON HEAD LAND TRUST AND WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND INTERESTS. UH, OVER THE YEARS, AS YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE SUPPORTED OUR EAGLE CAM PROJECT, WHICH IS A UNIQUE, UH, AND SPECIAL, UH, VISION INTO THESE EAGLE CAN, INTO THESE EAGLE NESTS. AND, UH, IT SUPPORTS THE VISIBLE ME MEASURE, UH, INTERESTS OF THE LAND TRUST. AS YOU KNOW, FROM A BACKGROUND STANDPOINT, WE ALSO MAINTAIN AND PRESERVE PROPERTIES ON HILTON HEAD ISLAND, INCLUDING THE FORT HOWELL, UH, PROPERTY AND A COUPLE OF CONSERVATORIES THAT ARE, UH, AIMED AT BOARDWALKS TO BRING PEOPLE OUT AND SEE, UH, THE LOW COUNTRY IN ITS MOST NATURAL FORM. UH, THE EAGLE CAM, UH, DELIVERS TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF VIEWERSHIP. UH, LAST YEAR WE HAD HALF A MILLION, UH, WEBSITE VISITS TO WATCH THE EAGLES, UH, FLEDGE AND HATCH AND FLEDGE THEIR EAGLETS. AND, UH, AT THAT POINT, TO US THIS REPRESENTS A WHOLE NEW FACET OF THE AREA, LOW COUNTRY BECAUSE IT BRINGS THE NE THE NATURAL SIDE OF, OF THIS GREAT ISLAND INTO PERSPECTIVE. WHEN YOU HAVE THAT MANY, UH, WEBSITE VISITS, UH, IT JUST SAYS TO US THAT THERE'S A HUGE INTEREST AND IT REINFORCES IN THE MIND OF THE VISITOR, THE TOURISTS THAT IS OUT THERE SOMEWHERE IN THE, UH, IN THIS COUNTRY. ANOTHER VISIT, THEY COME TO SEE THE I, UH, THE ISLAND, BUT THEY ALSO KNOW THAT THIS IS A WILDLIFE HABITAT. AND TO OUR VIEW, IT IS A WORTHY, UH, ITEM THAT IT SUPPORTS, UH, THE ENTIRE PACKAGE OF, OF WHAT HILTON HEAD'S ALL ABOUT, WHICH IS OUR PRIMARY COMMODITY IS TOURISM. RIGHT? AND, UH, SO IN THAT SENSE, THE EAGLE CAM IS JUST ONE MORE COMPONENT TO BRING PEOPLE IN VIA THE WEB INTO THIS ISLAND AND REINFORCE THE MESSAGE THAT IT'S TIME TO COME BACK. NEXT YEAR. UH, WE'RE REQUESTING, UH, 12,500 TO SUPPORT THIS EXPENSIVE PROJECT, WHICH DOES INVOLVE BOTH CAMERAS, SOME FAIRLY EXPENSIVE COMPUTER GEAR, THE INTERNET CONNECTION AND ONGOING MAINTENANCE AND SUPPORT THROUGHOUT STORMS AND WHATEVER. AND, UH, WE APPRECIATE YOUR SPORT IN YEARS PAST, WHICH INCLUDED A 20,000 GRANT IN 2024 REALLY TO KICK OFF THE SECOND EAGLE CAM. WE HAVE TWO OF 'EM NOW AND, UH, MOSTLY MOST APPRECIATED AND, UH, CERTAINLY IT, IT TO US REFLECTS, UH, AN INVOLVEMENT IN THE LOW COUNTRIES AND WHOLE, UH, TOURISM PACKAGE. SO, OKAY. LET'S MOVE TO QUESTIONS. DO YOU APPLY FOR ANY FUNDING FROM HILTON HEAD? WE DO WORK WITH TOWN OF HILTON HEAD, UH, THROUGH THEIR ATAC GROUP AS WELL. SO, UH, THAT IS ONE OTHER, UH, PART WE ARE ENTIRELY NON-PROFIT AND ENTIRELY SUPPORTED BY GRANTS, DONATIONS AND ANY OTHER FUNDING WE CAN DERIVE FROM OUR MEMBERS, WHICH IS ABOUT 150 [03:05:01] PEOPLE. UH, NOT ENTIRELY BASED IN HILTON HEAD, BUT IN THE BROAD, BROADER COMMUNITY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY, WELL THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME FOR BEING HERE. ANDREA MURRAY FROM FAVORITE CORP MORNING. AGAIN, MY NAME IS ANDREA MURRAY. I'M WITH FAVORITE CORP. I'M HERE TO PRESENT OUR EVENT ENTITLED THE 8 4 3 GOSPEL JUBILEE FESTIVAL. THE EVENT WILL TAKE PLACE RIGHT HERE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY. WE HAVE SCOUTED OUT TWO LOCATION, ONE BEING 22 SAMMY LANE. THE OTHER LOCATION IS THE VACANT LOT ON BER SHAM. WE ARE LOOKING TO HAVE STELLA AWARD-WINNING ARTISTS WHO PERFORM AT THIS EVENT. WE'RE ASKING FOR $20,000 IN AT TAX MONEY TO AID US IN SUPPORT OF SECURING THE ARTISTS ASSIST WITH INTENSIVE MARKETING CAMPAIGN THAT WILL CONSIST OF SOCIAL MEDIA, RADIO, GEOFENCING, DIRECT MAIL, MARKETING, TV, SCREEN STREAMING, EMAIL BLASTS, UM, IN ADDITION TO SECURITY RESTROOMS, ET CETERA. IF WE TALK ABOUT THE BREAKDOWN OF A HUNDRED PERCENT, WE'RE LOOKING AT 70% FOR MARKETING, 10% FOR ARTISTS, 10% FOR FACILITIES, 10% FOR LAW. UH, ONE SECOND. RIGHT. THIS EVENT WILL ATTRACT MUSIC LOVER CHURCHGOERS CHRISTIAN FAITH BASE MEMBERS FROM ALL PARTS OF THE SOUTHEAST WITHOUT CONCENTRATION BEING JACKSONVILLE, ATLANTA, UPPER SOUTH CAROLINA, GREENVILLE, FLORENCE, CHARLOTTE, UH, BRENTWOOD, TENNESSEE AND DETROIT. WE ANTICIPATE A THOUSAND ATTENDEES WITH AN UPWARD OF 2,500 RECORDS. SHOWS THAT WHEN THEY DID AN EVENT SIMILAR TO THIS IN NORTH CAROLINA FOR A THREE DAY SPAN, THEY ATTRACTED 13,000 PEOPLE. I HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH THE SOUTH SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION ORGANIZATION AND THEY HAVE AGREED TO HELP ME MARKET THIS EVENT TO THEIR, UM, CHURCH GOER NETWORK. SO THAT BEING SAID, I WAS ON THE PHONE YESTERDAY WITH PHIL CARAWAY, THE DIRECTOR OF SALES FOR TWO HOTELS AND HOMES, TWO SUITES HERE IN BEAUFORT. SO HE HAS ALREADY GIVEN ME A QUEEN PRICE OF ONE 40 AND A KING OF ONE 30. SO WE TALKING ABOUT THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT SINCE I GOT THOSE NUMBERS AND HE'S GONNA SEND ME A LINK WITH THE CODE ONCE WE CONFIRM THE ARTISTS TO START MARKETING THIS EVENT. WE'RE ESTIMATING 200 ROOM NIGHTS WITH AN AVERAGE OF $135, UM, MAKING IT 27,000 TOTAL ATTENDANCE ON A LOW END A THOUSAND TIMES $34, WHICH I JUST PUT THE PER PERSON DAY, ADDITIONAL SPEND MAKES IT 34,000. SO THE TOTAL IMPACT I'M LOOKING TO HAVE HERE IN BEAUFORT IS 61,000. WITH THE TOTAL ATTENDANCE ROUGHLY, UM, COMING OUT OF TOWN 500 GIVES US A TAURUS PERCENTAGE OF ROUGHLY 50%. IF WE LOOK AT INCREASING THE ROOM NIGHTS, WHICH AGAIN IS ESTIMATED 500 ROOM NIGHTS, AGAIN TAKING THE AVERAGE OF 1 35 GIVEN A 67,500 TIMES THE TOTAL ATTENDANCE OF 2,500 TIMES 34, AND I'M USING THE UPWARD NUMBER, GIVING US 85,000 GIVES US A TOTAL IMPACT OF 152,000 FOR A TOTAL TOUR. UH, TOURIST ATTENDANCE COMING IN OF A THOUSAND GIVES US A 40% SO IT GOES UP, BUT THE PERCENTAGE GOES DOWN A LITTLE BIT. SO WE HOPE THAT YOU FIND THAT THIS EVENT WILL ATTRACT THE NUMBERS THAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR WITH THE HELP OF MARKETING. UM, I'M HAPPY TO SAY WITH THE SUPPORT THAT YOU GAVE ME FOR THE 8 0 3 LOW COUNTRY FESTIVAL, WE HAVE PEOPLE RIGHT NOW THAT ARE BOOKED IN THE HOTEL AT THE HAMPTON INN FROM DETROIT DEARBORN. THEY'RE COMING IN, THEY'RE COMING IN WITH TWO BUSES FROM CHARLOTTE, WHICH IS AMAZING. AND THAT EVENT IS AGAIN SCHEDULED FOR OCTOBER 18TH. BUT WE ARE DOING THIS EVENT HERE IN BEAUFORT. UM, I'VE ALREADY LET THE BAPTIST CONVENTION KNOW THAT THEY CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ADVANTAGE OF THE PENN CENTER HERE. IT'S MORE CULTURAL IN LINE. THEY CAN TAKE THE TOUR, THE FOOD, UM, IS TO DIVE FOR. WE CAN ALSO LOOK AT SOME EXCURSION OF F CRABBING FROM THE NORTHERNERS COMING IN BECAUSE THEY ALWAYS GET A THRILL OUT OF THAT. ONCE AGAIN, MY NAME IS ANDREA. I'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE. SORRY TO MAKE THIS SO QUICKLY, BUT I KNOW Y'ALL TRYING TO GET THE LUNCH. THANKS. I'VE GOT A COUPLE QUESTIONS. YES. YOU LISTED TWO POTENTIAL LOCATIONS. YEP. DESCRIBE THE TWO AND TELL US ABOUT THE PARKING, THE ZONING, THE ACCESS, AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD. OKAY. SO WITH SAMMY 22, SAMMY LANE, THEY HAVE THE PARKING UP FRONT AND TELL PEOPLE WHERE IT IS FIRST, IF YOU WOULD. OKAY. [03:10:01] I GOT MY BEARINGS, BUT IT'S NOT FAR FROM HERE. UM, THEY HAVE A STAGE UP FRONT. IT'S WHERE THEY HAVE A CAR SHOW. THEY ALSO HAVE SOCCER IN THAT LOCATION, BUT THE FIELD IS VERY, VERY LONG AND BROAD. SO THEY'LL BE ABLE TO TURN IN, THEY'LL BE ABLE TO PARK IMMEDIATELY TO THE LEFT AND THEN THE EVENT WILL BE TO THE BACK. ABOUT HOW MUCH PARKING DO YOU HAVE THERE? IT IS ABOUT 200. THE GENTLEMAN SAID THAT WE CAN GET THERE. OKAY. AND THE OTHER SITE, THE OTHER SITE IS THE HEIM VACANT LOT. FROM MY UNDERSTANDING, WHEN WE DID THE SITE VISIT, A LOT OF THE PATRONS THAT COME IN, THEY PARK ON THE SIDE WHEN THEY HAVE EVENTS. SO I WOULD HAVE TO CLEAR A LOT ONCE I SET UP THE TEMPORARY FENCING TO MAKE THAT ANOTHER 200 SPACE OF PARKING THAT PEOPLE CAN ACTUALLY COME ONTO THE SITE AND PARK. AND THEN THE OTHER SPACE WOULD BE THE EVENT SPACE SET UP WITH THE STAGING. THE REASON I'M RAISING THE QUESTION IS THAT NO, NO, NO. THAT'S FINE. THERE, UH, PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SURPRISED WHEN THEY GOT INVOLVED WITH FINDING HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO MEET THE ZONING, THE PARKING, THE ACCESS REQUIREMENTS. AND IF YOU END UP NEAR RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS AND YOU'RE GONNA BE PERFORMING INTO THE EVENING, SOMETIMES YOU CAN HAVE SOME UNPLANNED SURPRISES. I'M GLAD YOUR EVENT THIS MONTH COMING UP NEXT MONTH LOOKS LIKE IT'S GONNA BE VERY POSITIVE AND STUFF, BUT I JUST WANNA RAISE THOSE QUESTIONS FOR YOU IN THAT CONTEXT. AND AS I LOOK AT YOUR BUDGET, YOUR BUDGET FOR, UM, ADMISSION FEES FOR 32,500, I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH YOU'RE CHARGING PER PERSON TO GET INTO YOUR EVENT. RIGHT. THAT'S AN AVERAGE WITH THE VIP TABLES AND THE INDIVIDUAL, UM, TICKET PRICE TO GET IN, WHICH IS ADVANCED TICKETS, AND THEN YOU HAVE THE TICKETS FOR THE DAY OF THE EVENT. SO WE ARE LOOKING AT THREE DIFFERENT PRICES THAT I TOOK AN AVERAGE TO COME UP WITH THAT NUMBER. OKAY. AND THAT'S FOR YOUR EXPENSES. YOU GOT VENUES OF $2,500. AND, UM, I'M JUST CURIOUS, YOU, YOU, YOU, HAVE YOU REACHED ARRANGEMENT ON THAT PRICE FOR SOMEBODY TO USE THOSE, UH, SPACES FOR THAT PERIOD OF TIME? RIGHT. THAT'S ONE OF THE PRICE THAT I WAS GIVEN FROM THE GENTLEMAN THAT IT WOULD BE FOR THAT DAY. OKAY. YEAH. AND, UH, UTILITIES AND THINGS WERE INCLUDED IN THAT SOMEWHERE. WE, OH, IT WOULD BE A PART OF THE PRODUCTION. SO WE WOULDN'T HAVE, UM, A GENERATOR WOULD COME WITH THE PRODUCTION, SO WE WOULD NEED ADDITIONAL EXPENSES FOR THAT LINE ITEM. THAT'S ALL THAT I HAVE AT THIS TIME. AND THIS IS AN OUTDOOR EVENT OR INDOOR EVENT? THIS IS OUTDOOR, YES. I SAID FOR TWO, 2000 FOLLOWING PEOPLE. YEAH. YEAH. OUTDOOR. WOW. HOW ABOUT RESTROOMS? WE ARE ROYAL RESTROOM. THAT'S WHY I WAS ASKING FOR 10% OF THAT TOO. I GOTCHA. I GOTCHA. YES, MA'AM. I GOTCHA. YEAH. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS I HAVE, THAT'S ALL I HAVE. OKAY. WELL THANK YOU AND GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR EVENT. THANK YOU. COMING UP. THANK YOU. ABSOLUTELY. I KNOW YOU GOT A BIG ONE. HILTON. I'M WORKING WITH USCB, SO I'LL HAVE SOME FIRM NUMBERS. THEY GAVE ME A PRICE OF WHAT IT WOULD TAKE TO HAVE SOMEBODY COME OUT THERE AND DO THE SURVEY SO WE CAN GET ACCURATE NUMBERS SO I CAN PRESENT, UM, WHEN IT'S TIME FOR THAT REPORT TO BE SUBMITTED. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. I BET. OKAY. UH, KAT ARMSTRONG WITH PORT WORLD SOUND FOUNDATION. THIS ONE? YOU SKIPPED ONE. I WAS GONNA SAY, I'M SORRY. THINK THERE'S, MAYBE I DID. I'D BE HAPPY TO GO, BUT I DO THINK I'M, NO, MY, MY, UM, MY APOLOGIES. NOPE. UM, CAROLYN LYNN SMITH WITH BASIC ENHANCEMENTS, MY APOLOGIES. I'M REGIONAL COUNTRY. OKAY. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS TARALYN SMITH. UM, I AM A LONGTIME, YOU KNOW, FAMILY MEMBER OF BEAUFORT COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA. I'M A GRADUATE OF BATTERY CREEK HIGH SCHOOL, A GRADUATE OF BENEDICT COLLEGE, WHERE THEY TOLD US TO BE A POWER FOR GOOD IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND SO, UM, TODAY I'M PRESENTING THIS, UH, PROPOSAL OF MERMAIDS IN THE LOW COUNTRY. UM, PLEASE FORGIVE ME, THERE'S ALWAYS A, A LITTLE GIRL INSIDE. AND SO, AS A CHILD, I WAS FASCINATED WITH MERMAIDS AND ALSO FASCINATED WITH THE WORK OF HARRIET TUBMAN AND SUSAN B. ANTHONY TO EMPOWER THE PEOPLE. SO, BEFORE YOU IS A PROGRAM CALLED APEX ACADEMY OF INNOVATION AND ART, AND PRETTY MUCH IT'S A PROGRAM THAT I DEVELOP TO HELP EDUCATE THE PEOPLE, EDUCATE THE CHILDREN IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, THE ARTS AND MATHEMATICS. AND SO THIS PRESENTATION OF THE MERMAIDS [03:15:01] IN THE LOW COUNTRY, YES, IT'S ABOUT, YOU KNOW, MYTHOLOGY AND FOLKLORE, BUT IT'S MORE ABOUT THE SCIENCE. IT'S MORE ABOUT US PRESERVING AND CONSERVING THE WATERS AND THE MARSHES OF BEAUFORT COUNTY AND ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. SO, UM, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE BLACK MOSES FREEDOM FESTIVAL, WE HAVE DONE THIS WORK, UH, FOR FOUR YEARS. UH, 2026 WILL BE THE FIFTH YEAR THAT WE WILL, UM, PRESENT AND ENCOURAGE OUR COMMUNITY FOR HEALTH AND WELLNESS, UH, EDUCATION, UM, FAMILY PRES, UH, PROPERTY PRESERVATION, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WITH OUR VENDORS, THINGS OF THAT NATURE, ENCOURAGING THE PEOPLE IN THIS COMMUNITY TO BECOME EDUCATED, TO BECOME MORE ENTREPRENEURS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. SO THE MERMAIDS OF THE LOW COUNTRY IS A, A THEME THAT WE HOPE WOULD ATTRACT CHILDREN. AND WHEN YOU ATTRACT CHILDREN, YOU ATTRACT THEIR PARENTS AND YOU DEFINITELY ATTRACT OVERNIGHT STAYS. UM, DAY ONE OF THIS EVENT WOULD, UH, INCLUDE, UH, JUST STORIES AND MYTHS ABOUT THE WATER, THE IMPORTANCE OF PRESERVING OUR WATERS. UM, WE ACTUALLY HAVE A, A BOOK, UH, THAT'S ABOUT TO BE PUBLISHED, UH, ABOUT MERMAIDS, TEACHING CHILDREN HOW TO, UH, TEST WATER QUALITY WITH PH STRIPS. UM, WE HAVE SOMETHING ALSO IN THAT BOOK REGARDING, UH, THE IMPORTANCE OF COMPOSTING AND SAVING THINGS THAT COME FROM THE O UH, FROM THE EARTH. THEY SHOULD, THEY'LL RETURN TO THE EARTH. SO, UM, WITH THIS ONE DAY, UM, EVENT, WELL, IT'S ACTUALLY A PART OF A THREE DAY EVENT, BUT ONE OF THOSE DAYS WE'RE GONNA FOCUS ON, UH, LIKE THE ARTS, YOU KNOW, STUDENTS WITH, UM, CREATING, UH, FINDING PEOPLE LOCALLY, THE SCHOOLS, UH, THE LOCAL BUSINESSES HERE IN BEAUFORT TO PROMOTE, HELP US PROMOTE THE MERMAIDS AND THE MARS HERE IN THE LOW COUNTRY. UM, THERE'LL BE STORYTELLING, UM, SPOKEN WORD, CONNECTING TO MERMAIDS, TO THE AFRICAN WAR DEITIES AND THE GULLAH GEECHEE JOURNEY. UM, DAY TWO, OF COURSE, WE'LL BE A PART OF THE BLACK MOSES FREEDOM FESTIVAL AND WHAT WE'RE DOING THERE TO, UM, JUST PROMOTE EDUCATION, HEALTH, AND WELLNESS WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY. UM, THE CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE, WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE TIES TO THE WATERWAYS, WHICH WERE ONCE, UM, ROUTES TO SURVIVAL AND FREEDOM. AND THIS FESTIVAL IS DEFINITELY MOSTLY ABOUT LIBERATION AND, UM, FREEDOM. IS IT, MAY WE ASK A FEW QUESTIONS? SURE. OKAY. UH, SO, UH, IS THIS THE FIRST TIME YOU'VE ACTUALLY DONE THIS PROGRAM? THIS WILL BE THE FIRST TIME THAT WE'VE, UM, DONE IT TO THIS SCALE. SO BACK IN 2022, WE DID DO A SMALL LITTLE EXHIBIT, UM, AT THE BLACK, UH, CHAMBER OF COMMERCE HERE IN BEAUFORT. SO WE HAD A LITTLE SMALL LITTLE ART EXHIBIT. AND, UM, I WAS ACTUALLY IMPRESSED BY HOW MANY PEOPLE WENT THROUGH AND WERE ATTRACTED TO THE MERMAID. SO, UM, I MEAN, I'M NOT REALLY IMPRESSED, BUT, YOU KNOW, I WAS, I WAS LIKE, OH. 'CAUSE IT WAS JUST ME SETTING UP SOMETHING THAT I REALLY LIKED AND ENJOYED, AND THE CHILDREN CAME, MALES, FEMALES, I MEAN, PEOPLE WERE REALLY INTERESTED IN AND ATTRACTED TO THE MERMAID THEME. SO THE, THE, I THINK IF I'M READING THE BUDGET CORRECTLY, UM, WE'VE GOT THE, WE'VE GOT THE, THE ACTUAL PERFORMANCE, $7,500, THEN FARM TO TABLE, AND A AL AGRICULTURE DEMOS. WHAT IS THAT? SO, UM, IN THE PAST WE'VE HAD PARTNERSHIPS WITH LOCAL FARMERS. MM-HMM . THEY WOULD, UM, THEY ACTUALLY DONATED, UM, UH, MATERIALS OR PLANTS FOR OUR, UM, PARTICIPANTS. UM, SO THOSE DEMOS WOULD INVOLVE THE FARMERS COMING, UM, TEACHING THE YOUTH HOW TO THE PROPER WAYS TO PLANT FARMING TECHNIQUES. MM-HMM . THINGS OF THAT NATURE. OKAY. SO THAT'S 5,000. AND THEN THE, UM, AND THEN YOU'VE GOT THE WORKSHOP AND YOUTH ENGAGEMENT FOR 2,500, AND THEN MARKETING PROMOTION 5,000. SO, UM, WHAT'S THE PLAN FOR MARKETING GENERALLY? SO REALLY ALL OF THIS, SO THE WHOLE BUDGET IS, UH, FOR MARKETING. UM, BUT OUR PLAN FOR THAT IS TO, OF COURSE, USE, UH, INNOVATIVE PRACTICES LIKE, UH, FACEBOOK, YOU KNOW, UM, AI, WE HAVE SOME, YOU KNOW, OPPORTUNITIES TO USE AI TO HELP US MARKET. UM, WE'RE DEFINITELY, UH, BOOTS ON THE GROUND TYPE PEOPLE. SO, YOU KNOW, WE PLAN TO GO OUT INTO OUR COMMUNITIES, BRING THEM BACK OVER, YOU KNOW, TO THE PENN CENTER AND [03:20:01] BRING PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, FROM ALL OVER TO SUPPORT US. AND SO, UM, ONE OF OUR MARKETING PLANS WAS TO ACTUALLY, UH, BRING A TOUR BUS FROM, UM, THE ATLANTA AREA, YOU KNOW, THE AREA OF FLORIDA, NORTH CAROLINA. SO THAT'S A PART OF OUR MARKETING PLAN. OKAY. BUT THE 22,500 REQUESTS, 5,000 OF THAT IS ALLOCATED TO MARKETING. RIGHT. AND THE BAL THE BALANCE IS THE OTHER THINGS LISTED? UH, YES. WELL, SO, UM, IN MY MIND, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES YOU HAVE SOMETHING IN YOUR MIND, AND THEN WHEN IT REACHES THE PAPER, IT, SO ALL OF THIS, UM, ALL 22,000 I'M HOPING WILL GO TOWARDS MARKETING. SO FOR OUR MERMAID PARADE, UM, AND THE PERFORMANCES, WE ARE HOPING THAT THOSE PEOPLE THAT WE PARTNER WITH WILL HELP US TO MARKET. SO, UM, I'M THINKING THAT'S WHAT, OKAY. THE GOAL WAS MM-HMM . GOT IT. AND YOU SAID THIS IS, WILL BE IN CONJUNCTION A PART OF THE BLACK MOSES FESTIVAL TOO? UM, OTHER ASPECT OF IT, WE'LL BE RUNNING SOME TOGETHER. YES. SO, UM, USUALLY WE HAVE A AREA CALLED THE ANNUN CORNER, AND THAT'S THE CORNER WHERE ALL OF THE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING HAPPENS. UM, THIS YEAR WE WANT TO EXPAND IT A LITTLE MORE VERSUS HAVING JUST ONE CORNER FOR THE KIDS. WE WANT TO EXPAND MORE AND HAVE SECTIONS AND VENDORS WHO ARE ALIGNED WITH OUR, OUR CONCEPTS. SO WE MAY HAVE A VENDOR THERE WHO, UM, WILL TEACH ABOUT WATER QUALITY, UM, AND WATER TESTING, WATER FILTRATION. WE MAY HAVE A VENDOR OR SOMEONE THERE TEACHING ABOUT, UM, JUST THE ECOSYSTEMS OF THE MARSH HERE IN, UH, THE BEAUFORT COUNTY AREA. AND THESE, UH, THESE ACTIVITIES ARE STUDENT CENTERED. WHERE'S YOUR POPULATION COMING FROM FOR THESE EVENTS? UH, SO THE GOAL IS TO PARTNER WITH SOME SCHOOLS HERE IN, UH, BEAUFORT ST. HELENA ISLAND AREA, UM, ALL THE WAY DOWN TO STEWART POINT. SO I DO HAVE SOME CONNECTIONS. UM, SOME OF MY, UM, CLASSMATES ARE EDUCATORS HERE AND PRINCIPALS, AND SO THAT IS OUR GOAL TO ATTRACT THE STUDENTS FROM THE LOCAL SCHOOLS AND, AND THE SCIENCE AND ART TEACHERS, RIGHT. BECAUSE THEY'RE THE ONES WHO ARE GONNA HELP US FIND THE TALENT AND STUDENTS WHO ARE WILLING TO, UM, PARTICIPATE. AND OF COURSE, THEIR PARENTS WILL COME ALONG AS WELL. WILL THERE BE ANY OVERNIGHT STAY INVOLVED IN THESE EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES FOR THE STUDENTS? WELL, THAT'S, THAT'S THE GOAL. I MEAN, WE'LL BE ON THE PENN CENTER CAMPUS, SO THAT'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM. I DO KNOW IN THE PAST FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE TRAVELING FROM OUTTA STATE, UH, WE'VE ALWAYS, WE SET UP A BLOCK OF, UH, HOTELS, RIGHT? WE'VE SET UP, YOU KNOW, ONE YEAR WE HAD 88 ROOMS, SO WE HAVE A PARTNERSHIP WITH, UH, SOME OF THE HOTELS THAT WILL, YOU KNOW, LEAVE A BLOCK OF SPACE FOR THE VISITORS TO COME AND STAY. BUT WE'RE DEFINITELY ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO STAY. BUT YOU WILL BE USING SOME OF THE SPACE ON PENN CAMPUS TOO? YES, MA'AM. YES. THANK YOU. I HAD A QUESTION. YOU PASSED OUT AT THE BEGINNING OF YOUR PRESENTATION OF THESE SHEETS ABOUT THE APEX ACADEMY FOR INNOVATION. YES. AND ON THE BACK OF THAT, IT REFERS TO THE FACT THAT OVER 60% OF GEORGIA STUDENTS ARE PERFORMING AT BASIC BELOW LEVELS IN READING AND MATHEMATICS. WHAT ARE, WHAT DO YOU WANT US TO TAKE FROM THIS INFORMATION AND WHY DID YOU GIVE IT TO US? WELL, UM, SO ME COMING HERE TODAY IS DEFINITELY, UM, IN MY MIND A, A CEREMONY FOR, UM, JUST DEVELOPING AND PRESENTING THIS PROGRAM, RIGHT? UM, NOW THE BACK OF THAT, IT TALKS ABOUT GEORGIA, BUT THOSE NUMBERS RING ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST. AND SO MY WORK HERE IS GOING TO BE TO HELP THE PEOPLE WHO ARE HAVING CHALLENGES WITH LITERACY, RIGHT? UM, WHO'S HAVING CHALLENGES WITH, UM, MATHEMATICS TO DEFINITELY, UM, GIVE THEM A MORE INNOVATIVE APPROACH, UM, TO GETTING THE LESSONS AND ACTIVITIES THAT THEY NEED. I MEAN, WE'RE HAVING A FESTIVAL, BUT MY MAIN GOAL IS TO EDUCATE THE PEOPLE AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY KNOW THAT, UM, EDUCATION IS THE KEY. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY. CAN I, OF COURSE, COLLECT THOSE? YES. THANK YOU. ABSOLUTELY. I'D LIKE KIND OF A QUICK BREAK IF WE GOT A MINUTE. WE'RE, UH, WELL, I THOUGHT WE'D DO THIS LAST ONE AND THEN BREAK. OKAY. IS THAT OKAY? THAT'S FINE. OVER THIS NEXT ONE AND BREAK. UM, OKAY. NOW, KAT ARMSTRONG. ALL RIGHT. HELLO. UH, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY. I'M NOT GONNA REHASH ALL THE DETAILS OF OUR APPLICATION. I KNOW YOU GUYS HAVE READ IT, YOU KNOW, AS WELL, AND I'M SURE YOU'RE READY FOR LUNCH. UM, THERE'S JUST A FEW [03:25:01] THINGS I WANNA HIGHLIGHT AS WE GO THROUGH THIS. AS YOU GUYS LOOK THROUGH IT TO THE FOUNDATION, OUR MARKETING INITIATIVES AND OUR EXHIBITS REALLY GO HAND IN HAND. WE KNOW THAT WE CANNOT MARKET OURSELVES AS A MUST SEE TOURIST DESTINATION IF WE'RE NOT A MUST SEE TOURIST DESTINATION. AND SO CONSTANTLY REEVALUATING, ENHANCING, AND ADDING TO OUR EXHIBIT OFFERINGS, MAKE SURE THAT WHETHER PEOPLE ARE COMING FOR THE FIRST TIME OR THE HUNDREDTH TIME, THEY WALK AWAY FEELING REALLY IMPRESSED AND SUPPORT FROM STATE AT TAX FUNDS ALLOWS US TO DO THIS CONSTANT ENHANCEMENT OF OUR EXHIBITS AND TO REALLY FOCUS OUR MARKETING INITIATIVES TO SHOW OFF ALL THE AWESOME EXHIBITS THAT WE'RE DOING. SO I HOPE YOU GUYS GOT THE CHANCE TO READ ABOUT THE SUCCESS OF SOME OF OUR PREVIOUS EXHIBIT OR, UM, PREVIOUS MARKETING INITIATIVES. AND WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE MOMENTUM THAT WE'RE SEEING AS WE CONTINUE TO GROW OUR MARKETING INITIATIVES, AND EXCITED TO BUILD ON THAT FOR FUTURE CAMPAIGNS WITH WHAT WE'VE LEARNED FROM EACH OF THESE PREVIOUS ONES. I ALSO JUST WANNA MENTION, I KNOW WE TALK A LOT ABOUT, UM, THE BUFORT CVB. WE'RE REALLY HAPPY TO HAVE A FANTASTIC RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM, BUT WE'RE ALSO REALLY PROUD TO COLLABORATE WITH THE HILTON HEAD ISLAND BLUFFTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, THE OTHER DMO WE RECENTLY APPEARED IN THEIR CHAMBER CHANNEL PODCAST. OUR DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT SERVES ON THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE, AND BOTH D MOS ARE LINKED ON OUR WEBSITE. SO WE'RE REALLY GRATEFUL FOR THE GUIDANCE THAT THE DM OS GIVE US IN OUR MARKETING MARKETING INITIATIVES. WE'RE REALLY GRATEFUL FOR THE CONTINUED SUPPORT OF BEAUFORT COUNTY, AND WE'LL, WE ARE THANKFUL TO YOU GUYS FOR YOUR SERVICE ON THIS BOARD. IF YOU GUYS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER 'EM. SO IT'S A $96,000 REQUEST OF WHICH HALF IS REALLY FOR PURE MARKETING, AND HALF IS FOR EXHIBIT UPDATES, CORRECT? CORRECT. YES. ONE OF WHICH ON THE EXHIBIT UPDATES IS THE, UM, IS PHASE TWO OF THE GULLAH EXHIBIT, RIGHT? YES. THAT'S A, A CHUNK OF THAT. YES. SO HOPEFULLY YOU GUYS HAVE HAD A CHANCE TO COME OUT AND SEE OUR CURRENT GULLAH EXHIBIT. UM, MISS ANITA IS A BIG PART IN MAKING THAT HAPPEN. IT'S A BEAUTIFUL EXHIBIT THAT WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF IN ITS CURRENT STATE. IT IS A REALLY FANTASTIC INTRODUCTION TO THE GOLA CULTURE. WE KNOW FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY THE TOURISTS VISITING OUR AREA, THIS MIGHT BE THE FIRST TIME THEY'RE LEARNING ABOUT THIS AMAZING CULTURE THAT REALLY DEFINES THIS AREA. BUT ADJACENT TO THAT EXHIBIT, IT'S IN A CORNER. UM, THERE'S A WALL THAT IS STILL BLANK, AND WE REALLY WANT TO USE THAT SPACE, MAXIMIZE THAT SPACE TO FOCUS ON THE CONNECTION THAT GULLAH GEECHEE PEOPLE HAVE TO THE WATERS OF THE PORT ROYAL SOUND, WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY OUR PRIMARY FOCUS. SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF ENHANCING THAT EXHIBIT AND REALLY ALIGNING IT WITH OUR MISSION AND OUR WORK. AND OF THE 29,000 ANNUAL VISITORS, WHAT, WHAT PERCENT IS, IS OR VISIT OR OUT OF TOWN VISITORS, DO WE THINK? SO FROM THE SIGN-INS THAT WE GET AT THE MARITIME CENTER, WE ARE, THIS YEAR, I BELIEVE WE'RE AT ABOUT 51% OF THOSE ARE COMING FROM OUT OF TOWN. NOW. THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO SIGN IN TO OUR CENTER. IF WE HAVE A LOT OF LOCALS WHO ARE COMING EVERY WEEK WITH THEIR KIDS, THEY'RE NOT FILLING OUT OUR SIGN IN SHEET EVERY TIME. SO FOR INCIDENTS OF PEOPLE COMING, THERE'S OF COURSE A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF LOCALS. BUT FOR FIRST TIMERS WHO ARE SIGNING IN TO OUR SYSTEM, IT'S BEEN AT ABOUT 49% OR HIGHER SINCE 2020. IT FLOATS RIGHT AROUND 50, GIVE OR TAKE PERCENT OF VISITORS. BUT THE 29,000 INCLUDES THE, OF THE REPEAT LOCAL VISITORS AS WELL. YEAH. SO THE 29,000 IS BASED ON THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT WE SEE. MM-HMM . AND THEN WE KNOW THAT ABOUT 49% OF THAT 29,000 THEORETICALLY ARE COMING FROM OUTSIDE 50 MILES. AND ARE, ARE YOU RECEIVING ANY OTHER GRANTS? YES. SO WE WORK REALLY HARD TO DIVERSIFY OUR FUNDING. WE APPLY FOR CITY AT TAX GRANTS. A LOT OF TIMES THAT GOES ALSO TOWARDS EXHIBITS. UM, WE ALSO RECEIVE DIFFERENT GRANTS FOR PROGRAMS THAT ARE MORE FOCUSED ON OUR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, LIKE FIELD TRIPS AND SUMMER CAMP. UM, AND THIS IS A REALLY HELPFUL ONE FOR US TO BUILD ON OUR MARKETING INITIATIVES. I COMMEND YOU ABOUT PUTTING THAT EXHIBIT TOGETHER. THANK YOU. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT. OKAY, WE'RE GOING TO BREAK. OH, THANK . UM, GO AHEAD. I THINK WE ARE JULIE KONZ WITH THE YMCA. WE. [03:30:06] THANK YOU. MM-HMM . OH, NO, YOU'RE FINE. THANK YOU. GOOD. HI GUYS. CAN YOU HEAR ME? YEAH. YES. SO WE, UM, WROTE FOR A TAX FUNDS IN REGARD TO THE BUFORD RIVER RUN AND SWIM. YOU TALKING TO MIKE? I'M SORRY? ARE YOU TALKING TO MIKE? OH, SORRY, MIKE. YEAH, SORRY. YOU CAN BEND IT DOWN. HUH? BEND IT DOWN. SO YOU, THERE YOU GO. THERE. THAT'S BETTER. NOT TALL ENOUGH. UM, SO THAT TAKES PLACE AT THE OF MAY, BEGINNING OF JUNE. JUST DEPENDING ON WHAT OTHER FESTIVALS AND THINGS ARE GOING ON AT THE TIME. WE TRY TO KEEP IT ISOLATED TO OUR OWN EVENT. TYPICALLY, IT'S BEEN USED, UM, AS A COMMUNITY BASED THING, VERY LOCALIZED. LAST YEAR THE Y BECAME AN AFFILIATE OF USA SWIM. WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANT, , RIGHT UP UNTIL PEOPLE FROM FLORIDA AND NORTH CAROLINA ALL OVER THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA STARTED SHOWING UP AS WELL AS SOME TEAMS IN, IN GEORGIA. I DID NOT START WITH THEM UNTIL AFTER THAT EVENT. SO I'M GETTING ALL OF THIS AS A BACKSTORY AND INFORMATION. AND AS A BUSINESS DEVELOPER, OBVIOUSLY WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT THE DEMOGRAPHICS AND WHO CAN WE CATER TO. UM, AND GIVEN THAT THE Y IS FOCUSED A LOT ON WATER SAFETY, AND THAT EVENT ACTUALLY FUNDS OUR WATER SAFETY PROGRAMMING THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, WHICH DOES ACTUALLY AFFECT OUR TOURIST INDUSTRY HERE, UM, IT'S VITAL, I THINK, FOR US TO UNDERSTAND NOW THAT WE ARE A PART OF THIS AFFILIATE, HOW, HOW ARE WE GONNA GROW IT? WE'RE LOOKING TO MAKE THIS MORE OF A SPECTATOR EVENT, WHICH WE HAVE A TON OF SWIMMERS RIGHT NOW. WE DON'T HAVE A TON OF SPECTATORS. UM, AND THERE'S OBVIOUSLY THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO FLUSH OUT IN THAT. AND SINCE THEY'VE NEVER REALLY DIRECTLY FOCUSED ON THE TOURIST INDUSTRY HERE, THIS IS NOT A HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY. AS YOU CAN SEE, IT'S A SMALL AMOUNT. IT'S REALLY TO START LOOKING AT THESE TEAMS THAT ARE COMING BECAUSE THEY'RE WITHIN DRIVING DISTANCE. ARE THEIR FAMILIES COMING? DO WE NEED TO START BLOCKING ROOMS? DO WE NEED TO DO MORE INFORMATION OUT TO WINSTON-SALEM WHERE THE TEAM COMES, OR JACKSONVILLE WHERE THE TEAM COMES AND FIND OUT HOW LONG ARE YOU STAYING? ARE YOU BRINGING YOUR FAMILY? DO WE NEED TO HAVE FOOD TRUCKS? DO WE NEED TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, STUFF FOR THE KIDS? IT'S NEVER BEEN DATA THAT'S BEEN COLLECTED BECAUSE BY AND LARGE, UP UNTIL THIS YEAR WHEN WE BECAME AN AFFILIATE, OUR RIVER SWIM WAS NEVER KNOWN. SO, UM, IT'S A SMALL AMOUNT OF MONEY AND IT'S REALLY TO TOUCH BASE, LIKE KIND OF GET OUR FOOT IN THE WATER. AND I THINK THAT WE'LL PROBABLY LOOK TO MAYBE EXPAND THAT NEXT YEAR. BUT WE ACTUALLY NEED TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE TOURIST INDUSTRY IS GONNA WORK WITH THE YMCA. SO WE'LL BE PARTNERING, I THINK, WITH LIKE CHAMBERS AND THINGS LIKE THAT AS WE GO. WHAT WAS YOUR ASSIGNED PARTY? AND I'M HAPPY TO BE THAT. I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS AND I CAN TELL BY SOME OF YOUR COMMENTS. YOU MAY WANT TO GO BACK. MR. STEWART, PLEASE USE THE MIC. THANK YOU. I MOVED IT EARLIER 'CAUSE MR. GREEN AND I WERE TALKING ABOUT TTAB AND SO NOW WE'RE COMING . I WAS TRYING TO HELP, BUT THANK YOU. ACTUALLY, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT BRIAN, BUT THAT'S ANOTHER STORY. UM, WHY IS THE IMC, WHY DID YMCA CHOOSE TO BECOME PART OF THE SWIM ORGANIZATION? THE BIGGER ONE. WHAT WAS THE OBJECTIVE? SO THEY ARE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE HEAVILY BASED IN AQUATICS, BUT THEY HAD NEVER HAD A GROUP OF ADULTS THAT PUT TOGETHER A MASTER SWIM TEAM. THEY THE WHY YOU MEAN, I'M SORRY. WHEN YOU SAY THEY, WHY, OR YOU MEAN THIS? THE, THE WHY. SO, SO MEMBERS DRIVE A LOT OF THINGS. IF THEY DON'T PUT TOGETHER TEAMS AND STUFF LIKE THAT, THEN THEY, WE MAY VERY WELL NOT HAVE THEM, BUT A GROUP OF WHY MEMBERS PUT TOGETHER A MASTER SWIM TEAM. THEY DROVE THE Y TO BECOME AFFILIATES. WE ARE OPENING A SECOND SITE, SO WE'RE GONNA PROBABLY BE REPLICATING IT THERE. WHICH SERVICES? MORE BLUFFTON IN THE SOUTHERN SIDE OF BEAUFORT. SO WHAT'S THE OBJECTIVE FOR THE YMCA WITH IT JUST TO SATISFY THOSE MEMBERS? ARE YOU LOOKING TO BECOME A TOURISM ORIENTED SORT OF AN EVENT? NO, WE'RE LOOKING TO CATER MORE TOWARDS HAVING THESE TYPES OF WATER BASED RACES AND EVENTS BECAUSE NOW THAT WE ARE AN AFFILIATE AND WE'RE LEARNING WHAT THEY DO, AND IT'S NATIONAL MM-HMM . WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO ACTUALLY S THEY'RE DOING IT TO THE YMCA WOULD BE FINANCIAL MEMBERSHIP. WHAT MISSION, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT? IT'S OUR MISSION, OUR AQUATICS AND WATER SAFETY IS A PART OF OUR MISSION. SO BEING INVOLVED IN THAT IS A BIG THING FOR US. WE HAVE SOME INTERESTING RACES HERE, SUCH AS CROSS COUNTRY RACES AND OTHER THINGS THAT SELL OUT VIRTUALLY IMMEDIATELY FOR THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT CAN COME. SO I WAS JUST CURIOUS, HOW, HOW BIG DOES THE Y SEE THIS RIVER'S SWIM BECOMING? 'CAUSE SPORTS TOURISM IS A REALLY WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY FOR GROWTH. I'M JUST NOT SURE THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE. WELL, I THINK THAT IS WHAT THEY'RE TRYING, YOU HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND IT'S A FUNDRAISER AT THE END OF THE DAY. SO GROWTH IS A BIG DEAL FOR THEM ON THIS, THIS, RIGHT NOW, THE, THE NET ON THAT'S PROBABLY ABOUT 50 A YEAR. BUT WE ARE, WE ARE EXPANDING IN PARTICULAR IN THE WATER CATEGORY WITH WATER SAFETY IN SCHOOLS NOW FOR SECOND GRADERS AND DOING THE FREE SWIMS THAT WE HAVE [03:35:01] GOT TO EXPAND THAT BUDGET. SO EXPANDING THAT PARTICULAR EVENT EXPANDS THE FUNDING THAT WE HAVE. BUT ASIDE FROM IT, IT DOES ACTUALLY GET US MORE INVOLVED NATIONALLY WITH THE WATER SAFETY ALL AROUND. AND I UNDERSTAND THE PRESENTATION, I DON'T HAVE A LOT ABOUT THE BUDGET, BUT I DO HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS WE WILL BE HEARING SHORTLY FROM THE SPORTS COUNCIL, WHICH IS AN AFFILIATE OF THE CVB ON THE, WHICH IS THE DMO FOR THIS AREA. IS YOUR GROUP WORKING WITH THAT GROUP AT ALL? THEY ARE, BUT NOT IN THE WATER SIDE OF IT. UM, WE HAVE YOUTH SPORTS AND SO OUR, OUR PROGRAM DIRECTORS WORK WITH THEM. BUT OUR AQUATICS DIRECTOR NOT SO MUCH. AND AGAIN, THIS, THIS YEAR, I, I DON'T THINK THEY REALIZE WHEN THEY SET THEMSELVES UP WITH, WITH SWIM USA OR USA SWIM, THAT THIS WOULD BE A BIG GROWTH OPPORTUNITY FOR 'EM. THE RIVER SWIM IS, BUT THAT'S AN EVENT THAT'S BEEN GOING ON FOR A WHILE, RIGHT? IT HAS, IT'S BEEN GOING ON FOR WHAT, LIKE 10 YEARS? I THINK. LIKE I SAID, IT'S LONG BEFORE I STARTED WITH THE Y SO. AND HOW MANY PARTICIPANTS DOES THE RIVER SWIM CURRENTLY YET? RIGHT NOW IT'S ABOUT A, THE TOTAL DRAG IS PROBABLY ABOUT 1 75, BUT THAT INCLUDES THE SMALL AMOUNT OF SPECTATORS THAT WE HAVE, OTHER SUPPORTERS THAT JUST KIND OF COME OUT, PEOPLE WHO DO VOLUNTEERING FOR IT. UM, AND THEN THESE SWIMMERS, SO IS, IN MY UNDERSTANDING, THE OPPORTUNITY HERE IS THAT YOU'VE GOT AN ESTABLISHED EVENT THAT ALREADY OCCURS THAT PEOPLE LIKE, BUT NOW BECAUSE OF THIS BROADER AFFILIATION REGIONALLY, YOU COULD POTENTIALLY MARKET TO THOSE MEMBERS AND OTHERWISE AND OTHER, AND NON-MEMBERS AS WELL IN A RELATIVELY EFFICIENT WAY TO SAY, HEY, COME PARTICIPATE IN THIS EVENT. IT MIGHT DRAW SOME PEOPLE IN FROM OUT OF TOWN BECAUSE IT'S A, IT'S A FUN THING TO DO. YEAH. AND NOT JUST WISES, BUT YEAH, WISES INCLUDED IN THAT. 'CAUSE THEY HAVE SWIM TEAMS AND IT'S A NETWORK, BUT THERE'S MORE THAN IN THAT SWIM. THERE'S MORE THAN JUST THE WISES THAT HAVE SWIM TEAMS. SO YEAH, IT'S HUGE. OKAY. SO AND DOES THIS LEAD TO THINGS LIKE IRON MANS AND OTHER STUFF IN THE FUTURE OR IRON MANS? YEAH. THEY WANNA TURN IT INTO A TRIATHLON. IRON MAN MAKES THAT MAKES ME WANT TO SPARTAN RACES AND ALL THAT STUFF. OR THEY'RE JUMPING THROUGH FIRE. NO, BUT NO, BUT I THINK THEY DO WANT TO, IT'S A RUN AND A SWIM AND IT INITIALLY WAS JUST A SWIM UNTIL PEOPLE STARTED SAYING, WE WANNA DO THE RUN TOO. SO YOU KNOW WHERE THAT'S GONNA GO. RIGHT. IT'LL END UP A TRIATHLON. THAT'S REALLY ALL I HAD. 'CAUSE I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF POTENTIAL SPORTS, BUT TOURS MIGHT JUST DIDN'T KNOW THE WISE INTEREST IN PARTICIPATING. I DON'T THINK THEY KNEW THAT THEY WERE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING EITHER UNTIL THIS YEAR. SO, , I'M GONNA IRRITATE YOU BY DOING WHAT I DO WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE. AND AT SOME POINT, WHEN DID THEY BECOME WE? 'CAUSE YOU'RE, YOU'RE THE WHY, RIGHT? I, YOU KNOW WHAT? I, I AM AND I'VE BEEN WITH THEM FOR SIX MONTHS AND I'VE BEEN SAYING THAT TO MYSELF. STOP SAYING THEY, IT'S WE . THANK YOU. YEAH, THANK YOU. OKAY. IS PATRICK HERE WITH THE BEAUFORT WATER SEARCH AND RESCUE AFTERNOON? I'M PATRICK CANNING. I'M A BOARD MEMBER WITH BEAUFORT WATER SEARCH AND RESCUE. OUR ORGANIZATION IS AN ALL VOLUNTEER AT WATER SEARCH AND RESCUE ORGANIZATION WHOSE PRIMARY MISSION IS TO SUPPORT AND ASSIST LOCAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE AGENCIES IN TIMES OF NEED. IT'S TAKEN YEARS OF COMMITMENT AND HARD WORK BY OUR SQUAD MEMBERS BOTH PAST AND PRESENT TO BUILD AN UNPRECEDENTED RELATIONSHIP OF TRUST AND PROFESSIONAL RESPECT WITH OUR PARTNERS. THE MEN AND WOMEN OF OUR ORGANIZATION DONATE MORE THAN JUST TIME, BUT MISS MOMENTS WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS, COLD DINNERS AND LONG NIGHTS. MUCH OF OUR ORGANIZATION'S SUPPORT AND FUNDING DEPENDS ON CONTINUED RECOGNITION BY LOCAL AND STATE AGENCIES OF THIS HIGH LEVEL OF COMMITMENT, COMPETENCE, AND DEDICATION. OUR ORGANIZATION IS LOCATED HERE IN PORT ROYAL WITH 30 MEMBERS AND SECOND LOCATION IN BLUFFTON WITH AN ADDITIONAL 10 MEMBERS JOINTLY SERVING THE GREATER BEAUFORT COUNTY AREA. DURING THE PREVIOUS 12 MONTHS, OUR VOLUNTEERS HAD RESPONDED TO 97 RESCUE MISSIONS IN OUR LOCAL WATERWAYS TOTALING 2,249 MAN HOURS. THIS REPRESENTS A 65% INCREASE FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR. THIS YEAR, 2025 REPRESENTS A MILESTONE OF ACHIEVEMENT FOR OUR ORGANIZATION AS WE CELEBRATE 50 YEARS OF SERVICE PROTECTING CITIZENS AND THE SAFETY OF OUR WATERWAYS. THE PAST COUPLE YEARS, WITH THE HELP OF OUR COMMUNITY, WE HAVE MADE HUGE STRIDES IN UPDATING OUR EQUIPMENT AND RESCUE CAPABILITIES. I'M HERE TODAY TO ASK THIS COMMITTEE FOR THEIR SUPPORT AND CONTINUING THIS EFFORT. UM, [03:40:01] YOU'RE PART OF THE BEAUFORT COUNTY EMERGENCY OFFICE? NO, WE'RE, WE'RE A SEPARATE ALL VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION. ALL VOLUNTEER. OKAY. WHAT IS THE SPECIFIC USE OF THE PROPOSED 20,000 IS TO, UH, ADD TO OUR FLEET OF BOATS? UH, WE'RE LOOKING, I HAVE TWO APPLICATIONS. ONE'S WITH THE CITY OF BUFORT FOR 17 AND A HALF THOUSAND DOLLARS. THAT'S 50% OF A A, A VALUE OF 35,000 FOR ANOTHER BOAT REPLACEMENT. UH, THE 40,000 OR THE 20,000 I'VE APPLIED TO FOLKS WITH HERE IS FOR A $40,000 PURCHASE FOR, AGAIN, FOR ANOTHER ADDITION HERE. SO, UH, CAN I ASK THE COUNTY TEAM A QUESTION? UM, SO THE APPLICATION, UH, YOU KNOW, IS, IS, YOU KNOW, SAYING THAT THIS, THIS ORGANIZATION IS, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE SUPPORTING A NUMBER OF EVENTS THAT BRING IN TOURISM. THEY HAVE A LONG LIST OF, OF THINGS FROM THE, THE AIR SHOW TO, YOU KNOW, DRAGON BOAT RACES AND ET CETERA, ET CETERA. THE, THE RIVER SWIM THAT WE JUST HEARD ABOUT, AND THERE'S PROBABLY 15 OF THEM ON HERE, UM, IS CAN A, CAN THESE AAX FUNDS BE USED TO BUY THINGS LIKE BOATS FOR SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THAT? IT WOULD BE A UNIQUE, UH, APPROPRIATION OF FUNDS TO ALLOW IT TO GO TOWARDS SOMETHING LIKE THAT. NOW, IF HE HAD A FLEET OF BOATS AND HE NEEDED TO ADD TO IT BECAUSE OF ADDITIONAL TORS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THAT WOULD BE ONE THING. BUT HERE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A BOAT, UM, FOR THAT PURPOSE THERE, AND I'M NOT SURE. SURE. WELL, YEAH. I CAN'T EVEN SAY THAT IT COMES CLOSE TO BEING SOMETHING THAT WE COULD FUND. UH, I, I'M LOOKING THROUGH THE LAW RIGHT NOW TO SEE WHAT WOULD QUALIFY UNDER AND, UH, I JUST DON'T SEE IT QUALIFYING. I'LL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE. BACK WHEN I WAS THE TOWN ATTORNEY, UH, FOR HILTON HEAD, THEY TRIED TO USE, UH, AT TAX FUNDS TO, UH, PURCHASE FIRE TRUCKS. MM-HMM . AND I TOLD 'EM THEY COULDN'T DO THAT BECAUSE IT'S SOMETHING THAT THEY HAD TO PROVIDE TO SERVE THE, UH, THE PUBLIC THERE. NOW THAT'S THEIR RESPONSIBILITY TO PROVIDE THAT, UH, FIRE SERVICE THERE AND THE VEHICLE, STUFF LIKE THAT. THIS IS DIFFERENT. THIS ISN'T A, UH, GOVERNMENT EXPENSE. THIS IS A VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION ASKING TO DO THAT IS WHERE YOU'RE AT. SO IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE'RE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE, BUT IT STILL HAS TO FIT WITHIN THE CATEGORIES HERE. AND IT'S NOT CRIMINAL JUSTICE, IT'S NOT LAW ENFORCEMENT, IT'S NOT FIRE PROTECTION, IT'S NOT SOLID WASTE COLLECTION. IT'S NOT HEALTH FACILITIES, UH, TO SERVE TOURIST OR TOURIST FACILITIES. SO I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE IT IS. IT'S NOT TOUR SHUTTLE TRANSPORTATION. UM, SO I'M JUST HAVING DIFFICULTY FITTING IT INTO A CATEGORY. WELL, THEY, THEY SURE HELP A LOT OF TOURISTS THAT GET STUCK ON, STUCK OUT THERE . I KNOW THAT IT'S MOSTLY LOCAL PEOPLE. LAST YEAR, I BELIEVE THEY TOLD US IT'S MOSTLY LOCALS, WHICH WAS WHY IT WAS DENIED LAST YEAR BY THIS GROUP. OKAY. PLUS THEY WANNA BUY BOAT. UM, I'M, I'M STRUGGLING TO FIND SOMETHING TO CATEGORIZE IT INTO. HE'S, HE'S STILL LURKING. IF A, IF ONE OF THESE EVENTS, UH, NEEDED THEIR SUPPORT, THEY COULD, THEY COULD INCLUDE THAT IN THEIR BUDGET AS A DONATION OR SOMETHING RIGHT. TO SUPPORT THIS ORGANIZATION. WOULD THAT BE APPROPRIATE? THE, THE PROBLEM IS THAT EVERY GRANT THAT WE USE, OR WE GIVE UNDER 2% STATE ATEX FUNDS IS SCRUTINIZED BY TUR AND THEY ARE VERY STRICT TO MAKE SURE IT FITS WITHIN THESE CATEGORIES. RIGHT. THERE IS NO OVERSIGHT FOR THE LOCAL AT TAX, UH, FUNDS. SO THAT MIGHT BE A BETTER AVENUE TO APPLY. AND THOSE APPLICATIONS ARE GONNA BE OPEN, I THINK, IN JANUARY FOR THE COUNTY, IF I'M CORRECT. THAT MIGHT BE A BETTER AVENUE AND A SAFER AVENUE, UM, IF IT WAS APPROPRIATE. THANK YOU. WELL, I THINK BEAUFORD, DIDN'T BEAUFORD CITY GIVE YOU SOME FUNDING? WAS THAT FOR A BOAT? IT WAS, YES. FOR A BOAT. YEAH. WE HAVE, WE HAVE A FLEET OF NINE, NINE AND 10 BOAT. THEY USED THEIR WHAT FUNDS DID THEY USE THOUGH? PARDON ME? WHAT TYPE OF TAX FUNDS DID THEY USE? TAX. A TAX? YEP. THEY MIGHT HAVE USED LOCAL. WE DON'T KNOW. INSTEAD OF STATE. I, WE DON'T KNOW THAT. THE RISK IS, IF TURK DOESN'T APPROVE IT, THEN IT COMES OUT OF THE COUNTY GENERAL FUND AS OPPOSED TO A TAX. UNDERSTOOD. OKAY. IF I MAY COMMENT ON THAT. YEAH, I MEAN I I, I'M QUITE FAMILIAR WITH SECTION I, TITLE SIX, CHAPTER FOUR, ALLOCATION ACCOMMODATION TAX FUNDS, UM, SPEAKS TO THE CONSTRUCTION MAINTENANCE OPERATION FACILITIES FOR CIVIC AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES. UH, WE FEEL UNDER THE GUIDELINES THAT THE STATUTE WILL SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY FROM A TOURISM AND SAFETY STANDPOINT. UM, I BELIEVE, UH, I HAD, I'VE HAD CONVERSATION WITH THE COUNTY [03:45:01] ADMINISTRATOR ON THIS AND HE'S ALL IN FAVOR OF THIS. I THINK IF YOU TAKE A DEEP LOOK AT IT, I THINK YOU'LL, YOU'LL COME TO THE SAME CONCLUSION. APPRECIATE THAT. I THINK THE GRAY AREA IS THAT WE'RE IT VOLUNTEERS? YEAH, BUT WE'RE STILL YOU VOLUNTEERS. WE'RE, WE'RE NOT. WE'RE WE'RE A NON-PROFIT VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION. YEAH. MM-HMM. YOU KNOW? MM-HMM . AND, AND AS FAR AS THE, THE TOURISM, YOU KNOW, IN MY PACKAGE THERE, IT SPEAKS TO, UH, SOME INFORMATION CV, UH, CVP, UH, VCVB HAS PROVIDED US RELATIVE TO THIS. AND IT'S, IT'S PROBABLY VERY CONSERVATIVE, QUITE HONESTLY. I MEAN, WE'RE ON THE WATERWAYS EVERY TIME THERE'S A DOWNTOWN EVENT. WE'RE ON, WE'RE ON THE WATER, WE'RE ON STANDBY. MM-HMM . IF SOMEBODY FALLS INTO THE WATER, WE'RE GONNA BE THE FIRST ONES THERE. MM-HMM . I THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. CAN I, CAN I ASK ONE QUESTION BEFORE, BASICALLY, WOULD AN EMS REQUEST FALL FALL IN WHERE FUNDINGS COULD BE USED IF IT WAS LIKE AN E-M-S-E-M-S WOULD AMBULANCE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT? EMS WOULD NOT QUALIFY FOR ATEX FUNDS. THAT'S A SERVICE THAT HAS TO BE PROVIDED BY THE GOVERNMENT. OKAY. SO LET ME ASK ANOTHER QUESTION. WOULD UM, WOULD LIFEGUARDS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT WOULD THAT IF IT'S PROVIDING SERVICES, UH, ON THE BEACH, UH, BECAUSE OF THE TOURISTS THAT COME IN AND HILTON HAD IS A GOOD EXAMPLE FOR THAT BECAUSE THEY HAVE 2 MILLION TOURISTS COMING A YEAR. SO THEY NEED ADDITIONAL LIFEGUARDS. SO TO THE EXTENT THAT THEY NEEDED ADDITIONAL LIFEGUARDS TO ACCOMMODATE THE TOURISTS COMING IN THERE AND PROTECT THEM, THAT MAY QUALIFY. OKAY. SO THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING WITH THIS. THAT'S ALMOST LIKE THE SAME THING AS LIFEGUARDS IN THE WATERWAYS BECAUSE ESPECIALLY FOR OUR DOWNTOWN AREA, WHICH IS ONE OF OUR MAJOR DRAWS TO BUFORT IS OUR DOWNTOWN AREA. AND IF THEY'RE THERE, SORT OF LIKE LIFEGUARDS TO PROTECT THAT AREA, THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHERE THEY ARE AND WHERE, WHERE, WHERE WE ARE SITTING ON, ON THE, ON THE IS WE DON'T HAVE THE SAND THAT PEOPLE CAN SEE. BUT WOULD THAT NOT BE SORT OF THE SAME THING? THEY'RE SORT OF LIKE LIFEGUARDS THERE TO HELP IF SOMEBODY FALLS IN THE WATER IF SOMETHING HAPPENS LIKE THAT WOULD, I'M JUST ASKING. I'M, 'CAUSE I'M, THE DIFFERENCE IS, THIS IS NOT A, DO YOU RECEIVE ANY REGULAR FUNDING FROM ANY LOCAL GOVERNMENT AS PART OF YOUR BUDGET? DO YOU GET A BUDGET APPROVED BY ANY LOCAL GOVERNMENT? RECEIVE $10,000 STIPEND FROM THE COUNTY OF BUFORT. YOU GOTTA SPEAK INTO THE MIC. SORRY. WE, WE RECEIVE A $10,000 ANNUAL STIPEND FROM THE COUNTY OF BEAUFORT. THAT, THAT PRETTY MUCH COVERS OUR GAS EXPENSE. YEAH. THAT'S, THAT'S ALL WE GOT FROM THE COUNTY OR THE TOWN, CITY? THE COUNTY. YOU MEAN THE CITY OF BUFORT? NO, I MEAN THE COUNTY OF BEAUFORT. I, I DON'T RECALL SEEING IT IN THE BUFORD. NO, I DON'T RECALL THAT AT ALL. WHAT DO YOU I COULD CONFIRM THAT FOR YOU IF YOU LIKE. IT'S, IT'S $10,000 FROM THE COUNTY OF BUFORT. IT'S BEEN A STIPEND WE'VE BEEN RECEIVING FOR SEVERAL YEARS. FIND OUT. I I WOULD JUST ENCOURAGE THE COMMITTEE TO CONSIDER IT. DISCUSS IT, AND THEN MAKE WHAT RECOMMENDATION YOU BELIEVE APPROPRIATE WITH THE JUSTIFICATION AND THE REASONING. THANK YOU. OKAY. APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU. OKAY, LET'S, UH, IS, IS NIKKI HERE FROM THE HISTORIC BLUFFTON FOUNDATION? CHALK IT UP NICK. I'M SORRY. CHALK IT UP. DID I MISS SOMEBODY AGAIN UP? OH GOSH. I'M TERRIBLE. ALRIGHT, I'M SORRY. WE'LL, WE'LL WE'LL GO CHALK IT UP NEXT. GO AHEAD. GO. WE'LL TRADE. YEAH, GO AHEAD. NO. OKAY. UM, GOOD AFTERNOON. DISTINGUISHED MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE ASK MIKE. I'M NIKKI GRAZIANI, THE OPERATIONS MANAGER OF THE HISTORIC BLUFFTON FOUNDATION AT THE HAYWARD HOUSE MUSEUM IN THE OLD TOWN HISTORIC DISTRICT OF BLUFFTON. IT IS A PRIVILEGE TO PRESENT TO YOU THE THIRD ANNUAL UNDER THE ANCIENT OAKS LIVING HISTORY FESTIVAL. TO PREFACE THE PRESENTATION, I MADE A TYPO ON THE APPLICATION. THE SECOND ANNUAL FESTIVAL IS HAPPENING THIS NOVEMBER ON THE EIGHTH. THE THIRD ANNUAL FESTIVAL THAT I'M PRESENTING TO YOU TODAY IS THE WEEKEND OF NOVEMBER 7TH, 2026. IT IS MY PRIVILEGE TO PRESENT TO YOU THE THIRD ANNUAL UNDER THE ANCIENT OAKS LIVING HISTORY FESTIVAL WHERE HISTORY COMES ALIVE. WHERE THE OAKS STAND TALL. IMAGINE BLUFFTON IN THE FALL OF 1860, THE LOW COUNTRY SUNLIGHT AND THE OAK LINE STREETS MERCHANTS SWEEPING THEIR STOREFRONTS, WOMEN'S TENDING GARDENS AND KITCHENS. AND THE CHARLESTON MIL MILITIA CADETS DRILL UNDER THE WATCHFUL EYE OF THEIR COMMANDERS. THIS IS THE WORLD WE ARE TRYING TO BRING TO LIGHT. OVER THE WEEKEND, YOU'LL WITNESS CADETS MARCHING DOWN CALHOUN STREET FIRING, SALUTES, AND LIVING THE DISCIPLINE OF THEIR REGIMENS. YOU'LL SEE REENACTORS SHOWING A DAY IN THE LIFE OF BLUFF AND RESIDENTS PREPARING MEALS, PLAYING MUSIC, PHOTOGRAPHY, BLACKSMITHING, AND CARRYING ON WITH THE ROUTINES THAT KEPT THE TOWN ALIVE. YOU'LL HEAR THE BANJO AND FIDDLE ECHO ACROSS [03:50:01] THE HAYWARD HOUSE GROUNDS AND YOU'LL SHARE A MEAL WITH CADETS AND REENACTORS STILL IN PERIOD ATTIRE. STEPPING INTO A TIME WHEN BLUFFTON MOVED AT A SLOWER YET POIGNANT RHYTHM. THE HISTORIC BLUFFTON FOUNDATION IS PARTNERING WITH THE SOUTHEASTERN COALITION OF HISTORIC REENACTORS KNOWN AS SCAR TO BRING THE COMMUNITY BACK IN TIME. SCAR IS A GROUP OF LIVING HISTORIANS THAT FOLLOW THE TIMES AND TRENDS OF THE TIME PERIOD. THEY ARE RELIVING, THEY'RE A NONPROFIT GROUP WHOSE MEMBERS LIVE UP AND DOWN THE EAST COAST. THE HAYWARD HOUSE IS ABLE TO OFFER THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME TOGETHER TO REENACT THE HISTORY THEY ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT. THEY DO THIS AT NO CHARGE. ALL THEY ASK IS TO BE FED AND HOUSED THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND. THE HBF IS HAPPY AND EAGER TO PROVIDE THAT FOR THEM WHILE ALSO CREATING A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR THE LOW COUNTRY COMMUNITY. THIS YEAR WE ARE ESPECIALLY EXCITED TO HOST CITADEL UPPERCLASSMEN AND PROVIDE THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO PRACTICE BUILDING AND MAINTAINING A FULL CAMP. THIS ASSISTS THEM IN GRADUATION, IN THE CAREER SKILLS THEY WILL NEED WITHIN THE MILITARY FIELD WITH YOUR ASSISTANCE, OUR GOAL IS TO CREATE A PLACE WHERE CITADEL STUDENTS AND REENACTORS CAN, CAN CONTINUE TO COME AND USE THESE RESOURCES WHILE ENGAGING THE PUBLIC IN HISTORY AND EDUCATION. THIS FESTIVAL HAS ALREADY GROWN IN POPULARITY. LOCALLY, WE WANNA CONTINUE TO GROW THIS FESTIVAL TO THE HIGHEST CAPACITY THAT BLUFFING CAN HANDLE BY MARKETING TO THE BROADER SOUTHERN REGIONS FROM ATLANTA, GEORGIA, TO GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA, AND EVERYWHERE IN BETWEEN. TO ACHIEVE THIS, WE HAVE A MARKETING PLAN THAT COMBINES HYPER-LOCAL TACTICS, DIGITAL OUTREACH, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, AND REGION SPECIFIC STRATEGIES TO DRIVE SUBSTANTIAL AWARENESS AND ATTENDANCE ACROSS BLUFFTON, ATLANTA AND GREENVILLE. THE KEY OBJECTIVES OF THIS PROGRAM ARE TO EDUCATE AND SHARE LOCAL HISTORY AND CULTURE TO LOCALS, WHILE ALSO DRIVING LARGE AMOUNTS OF VISITORS TO EXPERIENCE AND LEARN AS WELL. OUR EVENT WILL RUN DURING A PRIME SATURDAY IN NOVEMBER, ENCOURAGING TOURISTS TO STAY OVERNIGHT AT LOCAL ESTABLISHMENTS AND GIVING THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT OTHER LOCAL BUSINESSES AND RESTAURANTS. WE HAVE A COHESIVE AND COMPREHENSIVE BRANDING AND MESSAGING ACROSS ALL HISTORIC BLUFFTON AND SCAR PLATFORMS. THE FESTIVAL WILL BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND FREE TO ATTEND. WE WILL HAVE VOLUNTEERS MOVING THROUGH ALL PARTS OF THE FESTIVAL TO COLLECT ZIP CODES AT RANDOM WITH THE GOAL OF POLLING AT LEAST A HUNDRED PEOPLE, IF NOT MORE, TO GATHER ACCURATE NUMBERS AND PERCENTAGES THAT REFLECT THE DIVERSITY OF THE ATTENDEES. VOLUNTEERS WILL ALSO BE SCATTERED AROUND TOWN TO PROVIDE DIRECTION AND GUIDANCE TO VISITORS THROUGHOUT THE DAY. WE WILL USE OUR CURRENT POOL OF VOLUNTEERS WHO ARE VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE TOWN IN DIRECTING THE PUBLIC THAT EVENING, WE WILL HOLD A TICKETED OYSTER ROAST AS A FUNDRAISING OPPORTUNITY TO SUPPORT THE ONGOING OPERATION FUNDS NEEDED FOR A HOUSE MUSEUM THAT PROVIDES TOURS, INFORMATION, AND INVOLVEMENT TO THE COMMUNITY AND VISITORS ALIKE. TICKETS. IS IT OKAY IF WE ASK A FEW QUESTIONS? YEAH. OKAY. THANK YOU. UH, SO IT'S UH, I MEAN THIS IS FOR THE EVENT ON FRIDAY, RIGHT? AND THEN THAT LEADS INTO THE FESTIVAL ON SATURDAY. IS THAT YES. THE REENACTORS AND EVERYONE ARRIVE ON SITE ON FRIDAY TO START SETTING UP AND THEN UH, AND YOU SELL TICKETS TO IT, CORRECT? JUST TO THE OYSTER ROAST IN THE EVENING. OKAY. ALRIGHT. THE UM, THE WHOLE FESTIVAL WITH THE CADETS MARCHING AND THE REENACTORS TAKING OVER THE GROUNDS AT HAYWARD IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. OKAY. AND THEN, AND HOW MANY PARTICIPANTS DO YOU THINK YOU GET FOR THAT TO WATCH? WE'RE EXPECTING, SO WE'VE HAD THE FIRST ANNUAL, THE SECOND ANNUAL IS HAPPENING THIS YEAR. WE'RE EXPECTING AT LEAST 200 PEOPLE FROM AFTER TALKING WITH OUR MARKETERS. MM-HMM . AND THAT'S WHAT WE CAN, WE ARE EXPECTING THAT. OKAY. UH, AND THEN AND HOW MANY OF THOSE DO WE THINK ARE FROM OUTTA TOWN, WOULD YOU GUESS? I WOULD SAY THE MAJORITY, MAYBE ABOUT 60%. HOW DID FIND OUT ABOUT IT? THEY'RE GONNA FIND OUT ABOUT IT THROUGH OUR MASSIVE DIGITAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN WE'RE GONNA PUT OUT. OKAY. ALRIGHT. AND WHO'S MANAGING THAT CAMPAIGN? TRIAD DIGITAL MARKETING. OKAY. AND HE'LL COVER ALL THE GOOGLE PLATFORMS AND EVERYTHING AND THEN WE HAVE OUR TEAM TO DO OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PROMOTION THAT THEY WILL ASSIST WITH AS WELL. HOW BIG ARE THE GROUNDS OF THE HAYWARD HOUSE? HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN YOU ACCOMMODATE? 300. AND YOU HAD 200 LAST YEAR WE DIDN'T HAVE 200. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE PROJECTING FOR THIS YEAR. AND YOU USED THE PHRASE HIVES CAPACITY. BLUFFTON CAN HANDLE, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? LIKE A WEEK LONG? ALL OUT LIVING HISTORY WITH MULTIPLE EVENTS GOING ON THROUGHOUT THE WEEK IS MY MAIN GOAL. LIKE AT THE END OF THE, AT THE END OF THE LINE. BUT I WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE TO JUST GROW IT MORE AND MORE BY BRINGING IN MORE PEOPLE TO EXPERIENCE THIS AND SCAR THE REENACTORS THAT WE WORK WITH. I MEAN, THEY HAVE A TON OF PROGRAMS THAT THEY RUN ALL THE TIME AND THE TOWN OF BLUFFTON IS INTERESTED, THE PUBLIC IS INTERESTED, SO WE REALLY THINK WE'RE IN HIGHEST CAPACITY IS A WEEK THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO WEEK? YES. FOR THE WEEK. HIGHEST CAPACITY OF BODIES IN A WEEK? YES SIR. THANK YOU. AND WHAT IS THE DATE OF YOUR EVENT AGAIN THIS YEAR? IT WILL BE HAPPENING NOVEMBER 8TH. NEXT YEAR. IT WILL BE HAPPENING NOVEMBER 7TH. OKAY. PROBABLY RUNNING TO HERITAGE DAYS WEEKEND. YEAH. WHICH IS ALWAYS, IT BUILDS IT UP. IT'S MORE [03:55:01] REASON FOR THEM TO VISIT. YEAH. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALRIGHT, WELL THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR EVENT THAT'S COMING UP HERE IN NOVEMBER. QUICK. OKAY. NOW I'M SO SORRY, ELIZABETH, IF YOU'RE HERE FOR, FOR TRUCK. TRUCK. OH, SHE LEFT. CHALK IT OUT. NO, SHE'S IN THE BACK. OH, GOOD. COME ON UP, . GOOD. THANK YOU. SHRIEK. GOOD AFTERNOON. I'M SHEMI WEATHERFORD WITH THE FREEDMAN ARTS DISTRICT. THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US TO PRESENT TODAY AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR PAST INVESTMENT. IT ALLOWED US TO CREATE AN EVENT THAT NOT ONLY CELEBRATED ARTS AND CULTURE, BUT GENERATED MEASURABLE TOURISM AND ECONOMIC IMPACT. WE ARE DEEPLY GRATEFUL FOR THE CONFIDENCE THAT YOU'VE SHOWN IN US, AND WE HOPE TO CONTINUE THE PARTNERSHIP. THIS YEAR. WE ARE REQUESTING $60,000 IN ATEX FUNDING TO HELP US EXPAND OUR REACH OF OUR SIGNATURE EVENT. CHALK IT UP. BUFORT. LAST YEAR AT OUR CHALK IT UP BUFORT FESTIVAL, 40% OF ALL ARTISTS TRAVELED OVER THREE HOURS TO GET TO BUFORT. 70% OF THEM BROUGHT ALONG FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND EVEN FANS WHO STAYED IN OUR HOTELS, ATE AT OUR RESTAURANTS AND SHOPPED WITH OUR BUSINESSES. ACCORDING TO THE CVB HOTEL OCCUPANCY WAS AT 73% AND THE SPENDING IN THE RESTAURANTS ROSE 33% COMPARED TO THE PRIOR FOUR WEEKS. VISITORS CAME FROM AS FAR AS MICHIGAN, WISCONSIN, AND FLORIDA. CHALK IT UP IS MORE THAN JUST ART ON THE STREET. IT'S PERFORMANCE ART THAT INVITES VISITORS TO COME BACK MULTIPLE TIMES OVER THE COURSE OF THE WEEKEND. IT ALLOWS THEM TO SEE HOW THE PIECES EVOLVE, SPEAK WITH THE ARTIST, AND LEARN MORE ABOUT WHERE THEY'RE FROM. IT'S ALSO A CELEBRATION OF CROSS-CULTURAL CULTIVATION. OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE GULLAH GEECHEE HERITAGE CORRIDOR BRINGS TRADITIONAL STORYTELLING AND ARTISANSHIP IN THE SAME SPACE AS MODERN ART. THE TOURS OF OUR HISTORIC FREEDMAN COTTAGES ALSO CONNECTS VISITORS TO BEAUFORT RICH AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY. TO ELEVATE THIS YEAR'S FESTIVAL IN 2026, WE ARE ADDING A NIGHT WITH JONATHAN GREEN OR ANOTHER NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED SOUTH CAROLINA ARTIST. THIS FEATURED EVENT IS DESIGNED TO ATTRACT CULTURAL TOURISTS FROM ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST AND STRENGTHEN BUFORD'S PROFILE AS THE PREMIER DESTINATION FOR ART EXPERIENCES. BASED ON THE SUCCESS OF THE JONATHAN GREEN BALLET LAST YEAR, WHICH WAS OUR FEATURED EVENT OF THE CHALK IT UP FESTIVAL, WE KNOW THAT MARQUEE ARTIST BRING SIGNIFICANT TOURISM AND CREATE STRONG BUSINESS REVENUES. THE INVESTMENT YOU PROVIDED HAS ALL FROM LAST YEAR HAS ALREADY PROVEN VALUABLE. THE FREEDMAN ARTS BOOSTED HOTEL OCCUPANCY, INCREASED RESTAURANT SPEND, DWELL TIME AND PROVIDING LASTED AND PROVIDED LASTING VISIBILITY FOR BEAUFORT AS A CULTURAL DESTINATION. THANK YOU. I GOT A CHANCE TO ATTEND AND IT WAS, I WAS BLOWN AWAY. TOTALLY. THANK YOU. BLOWN AWAY EVERYTHING WAS PART OF IT. OKAY. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? IS THE, I HAVE NO QUESTIONS. THE, YOU, THIS IS THE, UH, IS THIS THE THIRD YEAR? IT IS, YES. AND SO, BUT HOW'S THE GROWTH? HOW WAS THE GROWTH LAST YEAR VERSUS THE FIRST YEAR? TREMENDOUS. UM, WE, DURING THE CHALK, THE CHALK FESTIVAL AT TABBY PLACE JUST THERE, WE DID HAVE IN EXCESS OF 3000 VISITORS AND THOSE VISITORS WERE TRACKED WITH ZIP CODES. MM-HMM . WE COLLECTED ZIP CODE INFORMATION, WHICH SHOWED THAT BETWEEN 37 AND 40% TRAVELED OVER 50 MILES. AND THIS IS SOMETHING, I MEAN, PEOPLE LIKE TO GO TO THESE THINGS RIGHT? IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE COUNTRY. THEY DO. THEY DO. AND THE ARTISTS THAT WE BRING IN, WE BRING IN OVER 60 ARTISTS AND LA UH, AROUND 40 OF THEM, WE WON'T KNOW THIS YEAR UNTIL WE GET 'EM ON. BUT, UM, WE'RE FROM WELL OVER 50 MILES. WE HAD SOME FROM THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, WE HAD SEVERAL FROM UTAH. MM-HMM . UM, AND THESE PEOPLE HAVE SUCH A FOLLOWING. CHALK ART BECAME EXTREMELY POPULAR DURING COVID. UM, AND WE'VE SEEN SORT OF A RISE IN FANS. PEOPLE WANT TO FOLLOW THESE PEOPLE AROUND. THEY HAVE THEIR OWN CORE GROUPS AND WE SAW A LOT OF THAT WHEN THEY CAME HERE IN BEFORD. THAT, [04:00:01] UH, HO HOTEL OCCUPANCY STAT, YOU STAYED 70% IS IS INTERESTING. DOES IT, WAS THERE A, WAS IT DIFFERENT THE FEW DAYS BEFORE OR AFTER? DO YOU HAVE ANY COMPARE FOUR WEEKS PRIOR? UM, SO IT WAS INCREASED. I, THAT'S THE DATA THAT I RECEIVED THAT IT HAD INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THE PREVIOUS FOUR WEEKS. OKAY. THAT'S GREAT. MM-HMM . SO THAT WOULD BE GOOD TO, THAT WOULD BE AN INTERESTING THING TO KNOW WHAT IT WENT FROM AND TO, OF COURSE. AND I WILL TELL YOU, WE HAD, UM, I INCLUDED IN THE PACKET, WE HAD A TREMENDOUS RESPONSE FROM LOCAL BUSINESSES AND WE HAVE SEVERAL TESTIMONIALS THAT TOLD US THAT WE NOT ONLY INCREASED THEIR BUSINESS, SOME OF THEM SAID WE MADE THEIR YEAR, THEY REACHED OUT TO US ASKING HOW THEY COULD GET MORE INVOLVED BECAUSE IT BROUGHT SIGNIFICANT TRAFFIC INSIDE THEIR BUSINESSES. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? DO YOU HAVE ANY SCHOOL KIDS, STUDENTS, UM, PARTICIPATING IN THIS CHALK EPI CHALKY UP EVENT? YES, MA'AM. ABSOLUTELY. OKAY. SO WE HAVE, UM, SEVERAL OF THE HIGH SCHOOLS, THE MIDDLE SCHOOLS. MM-HMM . MM-HMM . UM, THEY BRING ART CLASSES IN MM-HMM . AND THEY COMPETE AGAINST EACH OTHER AND MONIES ARE GIVEN TO THEIR ART TEACHER FOR THE WINNING. AND DO YOU CLEAR A, A PAVEMENT OR A PARKING LOT TO DO THIS? YES MA'AM. WE DO IT IN THE PARKING LOT OF, UH, TABBY PLACE. OKAY. VERY GOOD. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. ALL DONE MCC. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. JUST WANNA SAY IT WAS ABSOLUTELY AWESOME. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. OKAY. KELLY SMITH. KELLY HERE. I, HEY EVERYONE. I KNOW IT'S BEEN A LONG DAY SO, AND I'VE GOT THREE IN A ROW, SO I'M HAPPY TO, UM, GIVE MY TIME BACK TO YOU. UM, I COULD GO OVER A LOT OF THE DIFFERENT CHANGES AND UPDATES THIS YEAR FOR ALL THREE OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS. BUT STARTING OUT WITH, UM, THE CARMINES FOUNDATION, WHICH HANDLES THE HILTON HEAD ISLAND SEAFOOD FESTIVAL. UM, THEY'VE REALLY BEEN DOING A GREAT JOB EXPANDING AND COLLABORATING AND BRINGING ON SOME NEW PROGRAMMING. SO I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ALL YOUR QUESTIONS. I WAS THE LEAD PERSON ON THIS. SO, UH, I HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS FOR YOU. SURE. HOW MUCH DOES THE FOUNDATION GIVE AWAY IN GRANTS EACH YEAR TO VARIOUS PARTIES EACH YEAR? IT DEPENDS. THE TOTAL AMOUNT RANGES FROM 110 TO $150,000 FOR THE YEAR. AND THEN THAT'S DISSEMINATED TO ALL OF THE DIFFERENT, UM, CHARITIES THAT EITHER APPLY OR COME TO US WITH A SPECIFIC PROJECT. UM, THE PORT ROYAL SOUND FOUNDATION RECEIVES ABOUT $20,000 A YEAR AS WELL AS OTHER, UM, ORGANIZATIONS THAT COME TO US. HOW MUCH DO YOU RECEIVE FROM THIS TOWN OF HILTON HEAD? FROM ATAP? IT RANGES YEAR TO YEAR, BUT IT'S, IT FLUCTUATES AND STAYS RIGHT AROUND 150,000 TO 160. JUST DEPENDS ON THE YEAR AND WHAT PROJECTS WE HAVE GOING ON. WELL, THE FESTIVAL'S A GREAT FESTIVAL AND I REALLY LIKE IT. BUT OUR QUESTIONS HERE, INCLUDING A NUMBER OF, DON'T READ ANYTHING INTO THIS, BUT IF WE DIDN'T FUND YOU THIS YEAR, DOES THAT MEAN THAT THE FESTIVAL WOULD BE LESS OR THAT DEAL WORSE TO OTHER CHARITIES? WOULD BE LESS? BOTH. UM, WE, EVERYTHING THAT WE RAISE FROM EACH OF THESE EVENTS GOES INTO THAT PILE THAT WE GIVE BACK. UM, WE LEAVE ABOUT 20 TO 30 IN RESERVES EACH YEAR, BUT, UM, WE WOULD BASICALLY, THE SCHEDULE IS A MONDAY THROUGH SUNDAY AT THIS POINT BECAUSE WE DO WORK ON OUR LOW COUNTRY EXPERIENCES ON THE WATER, WHICH ARE OUT IN THE SOUND. UM, THEY HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO NOT ONLY FISH AND CRAB AND OYSTER AND ALL THE THINGS ALL AT ONCE IN ONE TOUR. UM, BUT THAT ONE IS THREE TIMES A DAY. AND, UM, I THINK THAT ONE SIGNIFICANTLY, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S ONE WE HAVE TO SPEND A LOT OF REALLY GOOD DETAIL MARKETING. A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE INTIMIDATED BY IT. UM, BUT THAT IS 90% OUT OF TOWN GUESTS THAT TAKE THOSE TOURS AS WELL AS OUR TOUR OF HOMES, WHICH HAPPENS AT KSE. UM, THAT'S THEIR MAIN EVENT FOR THE YEAR WHERE WE BRING IN TICKETED, UM, TOUR GUESTS TO COME IN AND DO ALMOST AN ENTIRE AFTERNOON TOUR OF THEIR PROPERTY AND THE HOMES THERE. DESCRIBE FOR US BRIEFLY THE METHOD YOU USE TO TRACK THE PLACE THAT PEOPLE COME FROM. WE DEFINITELY, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, THERE'S A YIN AND YANG. 'CAUSE WE OBVIOUSLY DO THE SURVEY DURING OUR BIGGER EVENTS, BUT WE USE A LOT OF OUR TICKETING DATA TO DO THAT AS WELL. AS WELL AS SOME OF THE AI WHERE WE CAN FOLLOW THROUGH AND SEE WHERE THE CELL PHONES ARE PINGING AND, AND WHAT'S GOING ON IN ALL THE DIFFERENT AREAS. ESPECIALLY FOR THE KSE TOUR AS WELL. WE, WE MATCHED THAT TICKET BUYER UP WITH SOMETIMES THE ADDITIONAL DATA BECAUSE WE'VE FOUND THAT SEVERAL OF THE TICKET BUYERS THAT WERE LOCAL, WERE ACTUALLY BUYING THEM TO BRING FRIENDS FROM OUT OF TOWN. SO PINGING THOSE CELL PHONES IS VERY, VERY HELPFUL TOO. THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL I HAD. MR. CHAIRMAN. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? NOT THIS TIME, NO. OKAY. YOU WANT TO KEEP GOING? SURE. UM, THE NEXT ONE IS THE CONCORD ELEGANCE, I BELIEVE. UM, [04:05:01] WE'VE, WE'VE BEEN HAVING A GREAT PARTNERSHIP, UM, YEAR TO YEAR. THEY'VE BEEN A DONE A REALLY GREAT JOB PARTNERING WITH BOTH OF THE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS ON BILLBOARDS AND EXCITING OTHER THINGS THAT, UM, NOT ANY OF THEM REALLY CAN AFFORD A 12 MONTH RUN ON. SO, UM, THEY'VE BEEN VERY COLLABORATIVE AND WE ARE EXPANDING OUR DRIVING TOUR, UM, WHICH IS ONE THING WE TALKED ABOUT LAST YEAR. UM, WE TYPICALLY INVOLVE DIFFERENT AREAS OF BEAUFORT COUNTY. THE PARTS THAT ARE NEVER SEEN AS MUCH AS OTHERS, UM, HISTORICAL SITES, UM, ALL OF THE DIFFERENT AVENUES AND ESPECIALLY ONE POPULAR ONE THAT KEEPS COMING UP IS DOWNTOWN BEAUFORT AND THE HISTORIC BEAUFORT AREA. UM, IT IS A LITTLE TRICKY BECAUSE IT'S A LOT OF CARS, UM, AND THE MEETUP PLACES, BUT, UM, WE'RE FINDING THAT BETWEEN SOME OF OUR COLLABORATIONS WITH KSE AND OTHER HISTORIC SITES, WE'RE ABLE TO KIND OF ADJUST AND GROW THE DRIVING TOUR EACH YEAR, WHICH HAS ALLOWED PEOPLE TO COME IN ADDITIONALLY ON WEDNESDAY OR THURSDAY. I HAVE APPROVED OF THE, OF THE READING OF YOUR APPLICATION, I NOTICED THE EVENT IS ON HILTON HEAD. YES MA'AM. OKAY. WHAT PERCENT OF THE EVENT AT UH, ATTENDEES BOOK HOTELS IN BEAUFORT FOR OVERNIGHT STAY IN BEAUFORT CITY? I'M NOT SURE, BUT IN BUFORT COUNTY, UNINCORPORATED THE ONES THAT ARE OFF THE ISLAND MM-HMM . UM, TYPICALLY WHAT HAPPENS IS THE WESTIN IS OUR HOST HOTEL FOR THAT EVENT. MM-HMM. THAT FILLS UP VERY QUICKLY WITH OUR EXHIBITORS 'CAUSE WE HAVE OVER 300 OF THEM. SO THEY FILL THAT HOTEL VERY QUICKLY. EVERYTHING ELSE, UM, OUTSIDE OF THERE STARTS TO HEAD TOWARDS THE BRIDGE. WE'VE GOT A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT ACCOMMODATE MORE IN THE HAMPTON INN AND SOME OF THE OTHER ONES THAT ARE OFF ISLAND. LAST YEAR IT WAS A LITTLE LESS, UM, BECAUSE WE HAD TWO OF THOSE SELECT SERVICE HOTELS THAT WERE UN UNDERGOING A REMODEL . UM, BUT NOW THAT THOSE ARE BACK ON, WE'VE, WE'VE SEEN GROWTH THERE. BUT I WOULD SAY AS FAR AS THE ENTIRE WEEK GOES, BECAUSE THEY START COMING IN ON WEDNESDAY, YOU'D PROBABLY SEE ABOUT 30 TO 40% THAT ARE STAYING OUT OFF THE ISLAND, ESPECIALLY FOR THE LONGER VISITS. 'CAUSE THEY, THEY ALSO LIKE RENTAL PROPERTIES AND AIRBNBS AS WELL. I THINK YOU ANSWERED THIS QUES MY NEXT QUESTION BEFORE, BUT THE TRACKING METHOD USED FOR THE HOTELS ARE THE SAME AS WHEN DICK ASKED ABOUT THAT BEFORE? VERY SIMILAR. I MEAN, WE DO RELY ON THE HOTELS INFORMATION ON WHO'S BOOKING THROUGH OUR ROOM BLOCK AND, AND WHO'S COMING IN. I THINK THE GROWTH THERE IS WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO LET OTHER HOTELS BE PART OF OUR EVENT AS WELL AND SELL IT AS LIKE A FEATURED ADDITION TO THEIR ROOM NIGHTS. UM, EVEN IF THEY'RE NOT AWARE OF OUR EVENT. BUT IT'S THE SAME, IT'S A LOT OF THAT AI DATA, A LOT OF THE TICKETING DATA AND EVEN FOLLOWING UP ON THE TICKETING DATA AS WELL WITH THE SURVEY BECAUSE YOU FIND A LOT OF PEOPLE BUY TICKETS FOR FRIENDS OR OTHERS AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THAT WAS REALLY JUST THEIR HOME. AND WHAT FUNDING DO YOU GET FROM HILTON HEAD FUNDING? THERE'S ALSO KIND OF IS A RANGE, IT'S RANGED FROM ABOUT 280 TO THREE 20, JUST DEPENDS ON THE YEAR AND THE PROJECTS. UM, THE TOWN OFTEN SPLITS THAT A BIT. THEY SUPPORT A LOT OF THE TRANSPORT FOR A LOT OF THE VEHICLES COMING IN. MM-HMM . AS WELL AS THE FLIGHTS AND FANCY EVENT, WHICH IS HELD AT THE HILTON HEAD ISLAND AIRPORT. UM, WE'VE, WE'VE COME TO FIND THAT EVEN AS WE GROW THAT AIRPORT ESPECIALLY IS SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO ADVOCATE FOR. UM, WE OBVIOUSLY PARTNER WITH SAVANNAH, BUT THAT, THAT ONE TOO IS VERY IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY AS WE GO INTO THE REMODEL AND EVERYTHING THAT THEY'RE DOING TO EXPAND. SO THOSE TWO INITIATIVES ARE, ARE BIG PART OF WHAT THEY SUPPORT. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALRIGHT, ONE MORE, MORE SAVE THE BEST FOR LAST. UM, THE NATIVE ISLAND, UM, THEY'RE WORKING ON THEIR, I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M SAYING THIS, THEIR 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GULLAH CELEBRATION. UM, I COULD NOT BE MORE PROUD OF THIS ORGANIZATION. UH, JUST TO GIVE YOU SOME BACKGROUND, WHICH ERIC COULD NOT BE HERE TODAY. UM, OTHERWISE IT WOULD BE HIM. BUT, UH, THEY'VE, THEY'VE DONE A REALLY GOOD JOB OF BECOMING MUCH BETTER STEWARDS OF THEIR EVENT. UM, MUCH MORE ORGANIZED AND ABSOLUTELY MORE THOUGHTFUL AND CREATIVE OVER THE LAST TWO AND A HALF YEARS. I'VE SEEN A LOT OF THOSE GROWING PAINS, BUT, UM, THEY'VE BROUGHT IN A HALF A DOZEN NEW BOARD MEMBERS AND HAVE REALLY KIND OF CLUSTERED TOGETHER WHAT THEIR REAL INITIATIVES ARE AND WHAT THEIR PRIORITIES ARE. SO I THINK THIS YEAR'S SCHEDULE IS A REFLECTION OF THAT, UM, THEY'RE TAKING ON NEW PARTNERSHIPS THAT THEY'VE NEVER TAKEN ON BEFORE EVER. UM, ESPECIALLY IN CREATING THE GULLAH VILLAGE THAT THEY'RE GOING TO INSERT INTO THE SEAFOOD FESTIVAL'S MAIN EVENT. UM, IN ORDER TO ELEVATE THAT EVENT AS WELL AND BRING IN ADDITIONAL [04:10:01] EYES. UM, I, I JUST THINK THEY'VE DONE AN AMAZING JOB OF, OF, UH, RISING TO THE CHALLENGE. SO, OKAY. SO THIS IS, UH, THE TWO, THREE, 2000, 3000 ATTENDEES EACH YEAR, RIGHT? IT, IT RUNS FOR THE MONTH IS THAT IT RUNS FOR THE WHOLE MONTH. IT ACTUALLY GETS CLOSER TO 12, BUT DURING THE MAIN WEEK. OH, I SEE. OKAY. IT'S THE TWO TO THREE MM-HMM . AND, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY'RE WORKING ON NOW IS EXPANDING THE ARTS SIDE OF THINGS. UM, THEY REALLY WANNA BE THE STEWARD OF THE MOST AUTHENTIC GULLAH GEECHEE ART, UM, IN THE COUNTY. SO WE'VE PARTNERED WITH DIFFERENT GALLERIES THIS YEAR TO HAVE MORE THAN ONE LOCATION TO GO LONGER THAN A MONTH. UM, AND THEIR GOAL IS TO PARTNER, ESPECIALLY IN THE COMING YEAR, 20 26, 27, IS GOING INTO THAT PARTNERING WITH TANGER OUTLETS AND HOPEFULLY TAKING A SPACE THAT IS NOT BEING USED FOR WHATEVER EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME. AND ALSO INSERTING THE ART THERE, UM, AND ALLOWING MORE ARTISTS TO CONTRIBUTE TO THAT AS WELL. 'CAUSE IT, THE SPACE IS SO MUCH LARGER. SO WHERE ARE THE LOCATIONS AT THE, WHERE, WHERE IT ALL HAPPENS? IT'S VARIOUS LOCATIONS. 'CAUSE IT'S THE ENTIRE MONTH OF FEBRUARY. RIGHT. SO WHAT ARE SOME OF THE, SO SOME OF THEM ARE DISCOVERY? YEAH, SOME OF THEM ARE OUT IN BLUFFTON. UM, WE DO HAVE A NEW, OBVIOUSLY WE'VE GOT A FEW NEW VENUES LIKE MOD DAISY AND SOME OTHER THINGS THAT HAVE JUST NOW COME ONLINE. MM-HMM . AND I THINK THOSE ARE INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THIS ORGANIZATION TOO. OKAY. AND YOU'VE GOT SOME GREAT STATS IN THE APPLICATION ABOUT THE, AT, ABOUT HOW MANY OUTTA TOWN? OH, YES. WE'RE TRACKING THEM LIKE A HAWK. YES. THANK YOU. AND THEY'RE VERY OVERWHELMED BY ALL THE DATA, BUT IT'S A GOOD THING. A GOOD THING. OKAY. ANY, ANY QUESTIONS? A COMMENT? I JUST THANK YOU FOR CELEBRATING THE GOLD CULTURE. I SAID EVERYBODY'S CELEBRATING NOW. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR DOING THAT. I'M JUST, I LOVE, I'M JUST SHOUTING IT. THEY'RE DOING THE JOB. THEY'RE DOING THE HARD WORK. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MM-HMM . THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK, THAT'S IT. ALL RIGHT. SO READY FOR ROB? UH, ROB. ONE MORE. ROB WELLS. WELL, GOOD AFTERNOON. THESE ARE TWO, UH, THANK YOU, UH, ALLISON FOR HELPING ME WITH THE, UH, THE CHANGE IN TIME FOR ME. I HAD SOME PRIOR, UH, COMMITMENTS THAT I NEEDED TO TAKE CARE OF. SO I'LL GO RIGHT INTO IT. I, I USUALLY PRESENT AT THE BEGINNING OF THESE AND I GET TO SET THE STAGE FOR WHAT'S TO COME AND THE PARTNERS THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH, I HOPE THAT THROUGHOUT THE DAY YOU'VE HEARD THAT THERE'S A MAJORITY OF THE FOLKS ASKING FOR FUNDS OR THROUGH THE GRANT PROCESS OR ACTIVELY WORKING WITH THE CONVENTION AND VISITOR BUREAU PER YOUR REQUEST. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE PRIDE OURSELVES WITH, UH, AT VISIT BEAUFORT PORT ON THE SEA ISLANDS IS OUR COLLABORATION WITH THOSE WHO ARE APPLYING, BUT ALSO THOSE STAKEHOLDERS WHO, WHO MAY NOT BE APPLYING AND PROVIDING THEM THE DATA THEY NEED TO MAKE THE MOST INFORMED DECISIONS THEY CAN MAKE FOR THEIR FESTIVAL, EVENT ATTRACTION, HOTEL, RESTAURANT, WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE. UH, A LITTLE OVER, UH, EIGHT YEARS NOW, THE CONVENTION OF VISITOR BUREAU HAS BEEN FOCUSED ON PROVIDING THAT INSIGHT TO NOT ONLY HELP OUR STAKEHOLDERS, LEADERS IN THE COMMUNITY AND OUR COMMITMENT TO, TO THE TOURISM ECONOMY, BUT ALSO TO OUR OWN ORGANIZATION TO MAKE THE MOST STRATEGIC, UH, ADVISE SALES GROUP SALES PLAN THAT WE COULD POSSIBLY MAKE THE LANDSCAPE CHANGES FROM YEAR TO YEAR. BUT WE GAIN MORE AND MORE INSIGHT AS TO THE NUMBERS AND TO WHAT, WHAT THEY DATA IS TELLING US. AND HERE'S SOME COMMON THREADS THAT WE HAVE FOUND OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS, FOUR YEARS, IN FIVE YEARS. THE VAST MAJORITY OF ALL FESTIVALS THAT COME IN THE NORTHERN BEAUFORT COUNTY, THE CORE GROUP OF PEOPLE COME FROM DRIVE MARKETS TO BE EXPECTED SINCE WE ARE A DRIVE MARKET. BUT OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, THIS, AT TAX COMMITTEE YOUTH MEMBERS HAVE, HAVE KIND OF MADE THE FESTIVALS AND EVENTS AND ATTRACTIONS WORK HARDER TO, TO DIVERSIFY WHO THEY BRING IN THE TOWN. AND WE'RE STARTING TO SEE SOME NEW MARKETS CENTERED AROUND THOSE EVENTS. SO KUDOS TO THOSE. I HEARD SHARON TALKING ABOUT THE CHALK ART FESTIVAL AND YOU KNOW, THEY DID A GREAT JOB. DID OCCUPANCY FLOURISH LIKE IT HAS IN THE PAST? OF COURSE IT DID. IT'S A STABILIZED EVENT. BUT WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A NEW EVENT SUCH AS THAT, THE DATA THAT'S BEEN PROVIDED THE LAST FEW YEARS SHOWS THE, THE GROWTH IN THE OPPORTUNITY. AND THEN HOW ABOUT A STRUCTURED EVENT LIKE THE GULLAH FESTIVAL WHO HAVE SEEN CONSISTENT NUMBERS THE LAST TWO YEARS HAVE PUT TOGETHER A STRONG, STRONG PROMOTION PLAN. ALL THAT'S BEEN PROVIDED BECAUSE THE CVB HAS COME TO THIS COMMITTEE ASKING FOR A 2% A TAX GRANT, A [04:15:01] SIZABLE GRANT AT THAT. AND YOU GUYS HAVE FUNDED US VERY WELL AND WE CONTINUED TO SEEK THAT SAME FUNDING SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO PUT PROMOTION DOLLARS TO WORK, BUT ALSO USE THE OTHER FUNDS TO PROVIDE THE DATA THAT THESE FOLKS ARE LOOKING, YOU FOLKS ARE LOOKING. AND ULTIMATELY THE LEADERSHIP AT COUNTY COUNCIL WAS LOOKING TO MAKE SURE WE'RE INVESTING THESE FUNDS WISELY. SO THAT'S MY PLEA TODAY. OUR ADVERTISING PLAN IS A STRUCTURED PLAN. THE FUNDS THAT WE RECEIVE THROUGH THE ATAC PROMOTION GRANT, UM, GO TO FUND AND ADVANCE THE CALLS IN NORTHERN BEAUFORT COUNTY. WHAT A FOCUS ON THE UNINCORPORATED PORTIONS IN NORTHERN BEAUFORT COUNTY, WHICH IS THE TASK HERE. SO WITH THAT, I'LL OPEN UP TO ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE. ANY QUESTIONS? THAT'S IT. ROB. AT VARIOUS TIMES TODAY, WE'VE HEARD PEOPLE SAY THAT THEIR INFORMATION, WHICH THEY ATTRIBUTE TO YOU IS THAT FOR EVERY DOLLAR SPENT ON MARKETING THEY RECEIVE AND THEY RETURN. AND THE NUMBERS VARIED A LITTLE BIT. WHAT'S THE BEST NUMBER YOU CAN GIVE US THAT WE SHOULD BE THINKING? WELL, THE, THE ACTUAL NUMBER THAT WE USE FROM THE CBB IS 11 TO ONE. SO FOR EVERY DOLLAR THAT IS INVESTED, WE'RE GONNA RETURN 11 BACK. AND THAT IS THROUGH ACTUAL TAX RECEIPTS FROM THE LOCAL HOSPITALITY AND STATE ACCOMMODATIONS TAX, ALSO SOME PROPERTY TAX. AND THERE, ACCORDING TO THAT, THAT IS A CONSERVATIVE NUMBER. 'CAUSE SOME NUMBERS SHOW IN THE UNINCORPORATED NUMBER THAT THAT'S ACTUALLY AROUND 13 TO $14, GIVEN WHERE THE FUNDS ARE COLLECTED FROM. AND IN NORTHERN BEAUFORT COUNTY, THEY DO COLLECT A LITTLE BIT MORE TO THE 10 OF 72% OF THE ACTUAL STATE ACCOMMODATIONS TAX FUND. SO WITH THAT SAID, IT'S PROBABLY A LITTLE HIGHER, BUT 11 TO ONE IS THE NUMBER THAT WE USE, UH, IN A PUBLIC SETTING. OKAY, THANK YOU. AND THAT IS, THAT IS GROWING AND WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THAT. WHILE AT THE SAME TIME, LET ME, LET ME CAUTION ONE THING THAT IS, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE IS, IS PREVALENT AS YOU GO INTO DISCUSSIONS, EVENTS AND FESTIVALS HAVE AND PLAY A VERY IMPORTANT ROLE, BUT THEY ARE BUILT OFF A FOUNDATION, A FLOOR OF ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION THAT TAKES PLACE THROUGHOUT THE DESTINATION. MM-HMM . WHICH IS A YEAR-ROUND PROMOTION. AND THE COUNTY AT TAX GRANT HAS ALLOWED THE CVB TO SET A 12 MONTH FLOOR ADVERTISING PROMOTION THAT YOU KNOW IS GONNA BE PRESENT EACH AND EVERY MONTH. AND WITH THAT, I, YOU KNOW, ANSWER ANY MORE QUESTIONS? I'VE GOT ONE. GO AHEAD. WELL, I WAS GONNA MAKE A COMMENT. NOT NECESSARILY, UM, I HAD THE PLEASURE OF BRINGING IN SOME FOLK THREE WEEKS AGO, UH, FOR AN EVENT THAT MY FAMILY WAS HAVING. AND THESE PEOPLE HAD NEVER BEEN TO BEAUFORT, BUT THEY ABSOLUTELY FELL IN LOVE WITH IT. AND I GET A BIG KICK OUTTA BEING ABLE TO SELL MY HOMETOWN. AND SISTER MS. GIBBS DID ONE GREAT JOB OF MAKING THEM FEEL AT HOME. I KNOW THIS MAY NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH WHAT YOU DO, IN PARTICULARLY, HOWEVER, AS PEOPLE WHO COME HERE FALL IN LOVE WITH IT, EVEN OUR LOCAL PEOPLE DON'T KNOW HALF OF WHAT BEAUFORT HAS TO OFFER. SO THIS HAS VERY, HAS A LOT LESS TO DO WITH BEDS, HEADS AND BEDS. BUT TO MAKE EVERY EVENT SUCCESSFUL AFTER, AND DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THE BEGINNING OF THE ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN, BUT AFTER THAT PART IS MET FROM THOSE COMING FROM 50 MILES AN HOUR, I DO BELIEVE WE SHOULD NOT OVERLOOK WHAT ADVERTISING TO OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY IS TO CAP, UM, MAKING THAT EVENT A SUCCESSFUL ONE. HOWEVER WE UTILIZE THAT AND, UH, DEFINITELY WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT IDEAS THAT I HAVE THAT WOULD PUT A CAP ON MAKING THOSE EVENTS, UH, SUCCESSFUL. WELL, I, I APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS. IF I CAN ANSWER REAL QUICK, I AGREE WITH YOU. THE TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT SCHOOL IN SOUTH CAROLINA TEACHES TO THEIR STUDENTS WHEN THEY'RE DOING THE MARKETING PLAN FOR THEIR ATTRACTIONS OR THEIR HOTELS. THAT TYPICALLY THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CVB AND THE DMO IS TO BE OUTSIDE THE REGION PULLING THOSE MARKETS. AND THE CLOSER YOU GET TO THE DESTINATION, YOU START TO SEE THE, THE EVENTS, THE FESTIVALS, THE, THE, THE, THE ATTRACTIONS. UNFORTUNATELY, THE STATE 2% HAS SOME CLEAR GUIDELINES ON WHAT THAT IS. SO WHAT WE'VE DONE OVER THE LAST COUPLE YEARS IS WE HAVE STARTED MAKING SURE THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE UTILIZING THE CDBS PLAN, [04:20:02] WHOMEVER THAT EVENT MAY BE, IF WE PUT THEM IN TOUCH, WE'RE USING LOCAL RESOURCES TO PROVIDE THEM THE OUTLET FOR 50 THOU 50 MILES OUT WHILE PROVIDING THEM A LOCAL PURCHASE WITHIN THAT'S NOT AT AN, AT TAX. A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THAT IS, IS WTOC, AND I'M GONNA GIVE THEM A PLUG, BUT THEIR DIGITAL AD CAMPAIGN TARGETS EVERYTHING OUTSIDE 50 MILE RADIUS. BUT IN RETURN FOR USING THEM AS THE MEDIUM, WE ASK THEM TO PROVIDE LOCAL PROMOTION FOR FREE THAT STAYS WITHIN THE 2% GUIDELINES, BUT ALLOWS FOR PEOPLE, AND THAT'S THE PARTNERSHIP YOU GUYS AND THE, AND COUNCILWOMAN TABER AND COUNCIL, COUNTY COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE ASKED THE CVBS TO DO IS TO WORK HAND IN HAND WITH THE STAKEHOLDERS TO PROVIDE A BETTER RESOURCE FOR EVERYBODY TO USE. AND THAT IS ONE OF THE SOLUTIONS THAT WE HAVE COME UP WITH. AND WE HAVE A HANDFUL OF PARTNERS WHO ARE WILLING TO PROVIDE THAT. AND WE HAVE PROVIDED THOSE TO THOSE, TO THOSE FOLKS WHO HAVE ADVERTISED TODAY WHO ARE ASKING FOR FUNDS IF THEY'VE ASKED THE CBB, THAT'S BEEN OUR PLAN. SO THAT COMES FROM YOUR RECOMMENDATION FROM A COUPLE YEARS AGO WHEN YOU TALKED TO ME IN THE HALL ABOUT LOCAL MARKETING. AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WE TRIED TO CORRECT. THANK YOU. YOU I DO THANK YOU. AND, UH, MAY HAVE A TOOL TO HELP YOU SO SHARE. I LOVE, I LOVE TO HEAR THAT. OKAY. ONE COMMENT I WANT TO INSERT INTO THIS AND GET YOUR FEEDBACK ON IS THAT OVER THE YEARS WE'VE SEEN SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS. I MEAN, MITCHELLVILLE IS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE THAN IT WAS 10 YEARS AGO. AND THANK YOU TO THE COUNTY AND THE CITY TOWN OF HILTON HEAD AND OTHER STATE AND OTHER PEOPLE WHO MADE THAT HAPPEN. THE STATE PRT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH YOUR ORGANIZATION HAS SOME FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR MARKETING AND OTHER ACTIVITIES, SPORTS, TOURISM AND SO FORTH. ONE OF THE INITIATIVE WE HAVE HEARD ABOUT IN THE PAST WAS THE HUB AND SPOKE MARKETING. SO THE STATE OF RELYING ON PEOPLE TO COME FROM CHARLESTON AND SAVANNAH AND HILTON, HEAD TO THE REST OF THE COUNTY, OR MOSTLY FROM CHARLESTON AND SAVANNAH, HAVING THEM STAY HERE AND THEN TAKE DAY TRIPS TO CHARLESTON AND SAVANNAH. SO YOU COULD SEE ALL THAT BEAUFORT COUNTY HAS TO OFFER PLUS THOSE OTHER PLACES. MY, UH, INTEREST IN THAT IS QUITE HIGH BECAUSE I THINK IF WE'RE GOING TO PROTECT THE THINGS THAT ARE SPECIAL ABOUT BEAUFORD COUNTY AND EDUCATE THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE, ONE OF THE WAYS WE FINANCE THAT HERE IS BY USING TOURISM RELATED DOLLARS BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE MAJOR CORPORATE MANUFACTURERS AND SO FORTH. SO FROM A CLIENT EXPERIENCE AND TRYING TO PUT TOGETHER THAT HUB AND SPOKE, WE HEARD TODAY FROM THE MITCHELLVILLE FOLKS ABOUT HOW OFTEN, HOW, HOW THEY'RE OPEN. THEY HAVE PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. WE KNOW COASTAL DISCOVERY PORT, ROYAL SOUND FOUNDATION, THEY DO THAT. WE'VE HEARD FROM PENN CENTER ABOUT, HEY, HOW THEY DO IT. AND THEN I TALKED TO THE FOLKS FROM FORT FREMONT ABOUT THE PROBLEM WITH BUSES THAT IF I RENT A TAXI AND GO OUT THERE, I CAN TAKE A TOUR. IF I RENT A UBER AND GO OUT THERE, I CAN TAKE A TOUR. IF I PAY A BUS TO TAKE ME OUT THERE, I CAN'T DO IT UNLESS I SCHEDULE IT SOME PERIOD OF TIME IN ADVANCE AND PAY A FEE. UH, I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THAT MAKES, HOW THAT RECONCILED WITHOUT DESIRE TO HAVE MORE TRAFFIC AT FORT FREMONT. IF THERE'S, IF I'M MISSING SOMETHING, PLEASE TELL ME. NO, YOU SUMMARIZED IT PRETTY WELL. WE, AND WE'VE ACTUALLY RECEIVED, UH, SOME FEEDBACK FROM THESE GROUPS. SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE TASKED, IT'S IN OUR, IT'S ACTUALLY IN OUR GRANT APPLICATION, IS OUR SALES PROGRAM, WHICH IS A HUB AND SPOKE APPROACH IN WHICH WE HAVE THE MOTOR COACHING GROUP OPERATORS STAY IN OUR AREA AND THEN GO TO THE DIFFERENT PLACES TO MAKE THE ITINERARY WORK. AS TO WHAT MR. STEWART IS TALKING ABOUT, ONE OF THE HICCUPS THAT WE HAVE RUN INTO RECENTLY IS SOMEWHERE PLACE LIKE FORT FREMONT, UM, IN WHICH I CAN GO FOR FREE. MY FAMILY CAN GO AND DRIVE OUT THERE AND WE CAN GO. BUT IF I COME BY BUS, I'VE NOW GOT TO ENDURE SOME SORT OF, UH, ADDITIONAL WORK I HAVE TO DO. AND WHAT'S HAPPENING IS IT'S NOT CLEAR, IT'S NOT CLEAR TO THE TOUR OPERATOR WHO REALIZES THAT IT'S A FREE SITE VISIT. UM, IF THEY DROP 'EM OFF HALF A MILE AND LET 'EM WALK IN, BUT, AND THEY SHOW UP IN A BUS, THEY GOTTA JUMP THROUGH SOME HOOPS. AND IT'S NOT CLEAR THAT PROCESS IS PLAYING OUT THROUGH EMAIL EXCHANGES CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW, WHILE I CAN'T GET INTO THE SPECIFICS OF WHY THAT'S IN PLACE, I WOULD LOVE FOR THAT TO BE CORRECTED SOON BECAUSE THAT IS, UH, THAT IS ANTI, UH, WHAT WE ARE BEING INSTRUCTED TO DO THROUGH THE GRANT PROCESS, WHICH IS TO BE COLLABORATIVE, TO BE, UH, MORE HEADS IN BEDS AND MORE GROUP BASED AND CENTRIC SO THAT WE HAVE LESS IMPACT AS FAR AS, INSTEAD OF THE QUICK EQUATION IS THIS, WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A HUNDRED CARS IMPACT FORT FREMONT OR WOULD YOU LIKE TWO BUSES? WHICH ONE IS LESS IMPACT? THE BUSES ARE, THEY'RE GREENER AND THEY'RE A LITTLE BIT MORE SAFE ON NASCAR. WELL THE, THE SETUP CURRENTLY IS NOT SUITABLE FOR THAT. AND SO WE HAVE SOME WORK TO DO. WELL, I'M PARTIALLY INTERESTED IN THIS AS A BIGGER ISSUE BECAUSE INVESTMENT IN THE PORT, PORT OF FREMONT OF PUBLIC FUNDS HAS BEEN SIGNIFICANT. BUT IF WE WERE TO SEE THAT TREND SPREAD TO OTHER PLACES, MY CONCERN IS THAT IF YOU'RE OUT DOING SOMETHING ON A SATURDAY OR SUNDAY AND YOU WANT TO GO SOMEPLACE AND IT HAPPENS TO RAIN THAT DAY, SO YOU DON'T WANT TAKE AN OUTDOOR TOUR, DOES THAT MEAN YOU PAID A FEE AND SCHEDULE STUFF AND IT'S NO LONGER AVAILABLE? YEAH, THAT'S PROBABLY A DEEPER CONVERSATION ABOUT ONE THAT NEEDS TO BE DISCUSSED. YEAH. OKAY. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? NO. ALRIGHT. YOU'VE [04:25:01] GOT ONE MORE, RIGHT? I DO. I AM ON, I AM SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THE BEAUFORD AREA SPORTS, UH, COUNCIL, UH, AT WHICH I, I AM A BOARD MEMBER OF, AND I TOLD HIM I'D ALREADY BE HERE AND ALLISON SET ME UP TO DO BACK TO BACK. SO I TOLD HIM I'D TAKE CARE OF THE, THE APPLICATION. SO THE APPLICATION FOR THE GRANT IN FRONT OF YOU IS, IS FOR A FACILITIES ASSESSMENT IMPLEMENTATION STUDY. NOW, DO NOT HEAR ME SAY THAT AND THINK, WELL, DIDN'T COUNTY JUST DO A PARKS AND REC STUDY? THEY DID. AND THEY HAVE A GREAT ONE. AND IT'S, IT'S AN IMPLEMENTATION. THIS IS FOR THE ABILITY FOR THE SPORTS COUNCIL TO GO OUT AND RECRUIT SPORTS TOURISM OPPORTUNITIES INTO THE MARKETPLACE. WHAT WE ARE CONTINUING TO RUN INTO IS THAT WE WANT TO PROMOTE ALL OF THE COUNTY FOR THESE SPOTS. IT HELPS THE WHOLE COUNTY. WHEN WE DO THIS, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE RIGHT FACILITY UPGRADES AND WE HAVE THE IMPLEMENTATION TO CARRY OUT THAT MISSION. AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THIS STUDY WILL IDENTIFY. IT WILL TAKE ALL THE INVENTORY THAT'S ALREADY IN PLACE, BUT IT'S USABLE FOR WHAT WE DEEM AS SPORTS TOURISM OPPORTUNITIES. AND THAT CAN BE AS SIMPLE AS THIS GREAT FACILITY THAT WE'RE IN NOW AND ON THIS GREAT CAMPUS THAT WE ARE ON NOW IN WHICH HAS WHAT WE COME TO FIND OUT GREAT BASEBALL FACILITIES AND, AND, AND RECTANGLE SPORTS OPPORTUNITIES. AND WORKING WITH THEM TO IDENTIFY THE ASSESSMENT WILL TELL US OUR COMPETITION SET. IT WILL TELL US OUR MARKETING STRATEGY AND RECRUITMENT PLAN, BUT IT'LL ALSO TELL US IF THERE'S A NEED FOR UPGRADES. IT'S LIKE, HEY, THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT WOULD NEED TO BE ADDED TO SAID BUILDING A GOOD EXAMPLE IS THAT YOU CAN'T PLAY VOLLEYBALL IN THIS BUILDING RIGHT NOW. PLENTY OF ROOM TO HAVE TWO COURTS, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE THE SLEEVES FOR IT. AND SO THESE WOULD BE JUST COMMON THINGS THAT WE DO. THIS IS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THIS, THE WHOLE SPORTS COUNCIL, BUT ALSO IN CONJUNCTION WITH SOME OF OUR OTHER PARTNERS THAT ARE LOOKING TO PARTICIPATE. IT WOULD ALSO HELP US ADDRESS THESE SPORTS TRADE SHOWS AND I BRING THOSE IN. BUT THIS ASSESSMENT IS NOT A FACILITIES PLAN IN THAT REGARD. IT IS FOR ASSESSMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF SET FACILITIES FOR THE USE OF NOT ONLY LOCAL USE, BUT ALSO SPORTS TOURISM AS A CONJUNCTIVE PARK. SO ROB, TODAY WE'VE HEARD ABOUT A RUN ON HILTON HEAD THAT STARTS AND GOES ONE WAY ON THE BEACH, THE OTHER WAY ON THE BEACH AND COMES BACK. UH, WE'VE ALSO HEARD ABOUT A RIVER SWIM THAT'S BIGGER THAN THE FOLKS THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA BE AND PROBABLY HAS THE POTENTIAL TO GET TO BE A LOT BIGGER. IS WOULD THOSE SORTS OF THINGS BE LOOKED AT AS PART OF THIS ACTIVITY? IF YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A BIG RIVER FIN, YOU GOTTA HAVE PACES FOR PEOPLE TO START. PLEASE STOP. I KNOW YOU'VE TRIED TO HAVE SOME, UM, MARATHONS IN THE PAST AND RAN INTO PROBLEMS WHERE ROAD ACCESS AND TRAFFIC HAS BEEN AN ISSUE. WOULD THESE BE THINGS YOU'D LOOK AT AS WELL AS PART OF THIS? ABSOLUTELY. AND THE RIVER SWIM'S A GOOD EXAMPLE. WE, THE SPORTS COUNCIL ACTUALLY PARTNER WITH THE RIVER SWIM, THE YMCA RIVER SWIM SEVERAL YEARS IN A ROW TO MAKE IT MORE THAN JUST A, A LOCALIZED EVENT TO ATTRACT IT TO BE ON ITS OWN SELF-SUSTAINING. A ACTUAL EVENT THAT COULD DRAW TOURISTS FROM, UH, OR VISITORS FROM OUTSIDE THE MARKET. THAT WOULD COME AND INEVITABLY STAY OVERNIGHT. BUT IT DOES IDENTIFY ACCESS POINTS THAT ARE ALREADY OPEN TO THE PUBLIC THAT WE COULD UTILIZE FOR THOSE FACILITIES. UH, AND FOR THOSE SPORTING EVENTS. IS IT FAIR TO ASSUME THIS IS A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT TOURISM OPPORTUNITY THAT THIS PART OF THE COUNTY'S LARGELY MISSING OUT ON CURRENTLY? ABSOLUTELY. IT'S, IT'S, IT'S UM, I DON'T LIKE TO USE THE TERM LOW HANGING FRUIT 'CAUSE IT'S OFTEN MISUSED OR MM-HMM . OR OFTEN OVERUSED. BUT THIS IS ABOUT AS LOW HANGING FRUIT AS YOU'RE GOING FIND RIGHT IN THIS NECK OF THE WOODS IS, UH, WILL THE STUDY, WILL PART OF THE STUDY, UM, DELIVER THE POTENTIAL FOR THE REVENUE POTENTIAL. SO IT'S BASED ON A COMPETITIVE SET, LIKE WHO WE STACK UP AGAINST, WHO WE'RE COMPETING WITH, WHICH IS, YOU'D BE SURPRISED WHO WE WOULD ACTUALLY BE IN COMPETITION WITH. IT WOULD ALSO TALK ABOUT WHAT THE FINANCIAL FEASIBILITY OF, OF SAID EVENTS WOULD BRING FROM AN ECONOMIC IMPACT. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE CBB DOES CURRENTLY IS WE HAVE A SPORTS ECONOMIC IMPACT CALCULATOR. THAT'S NOT OUR CREATION, BUT IT'S DESTINATIONS INTERNATIONAL, WHICH IS THE KIND OF THE MAIN HUB ORGANIZATION OF D OS. THEY HAVE GREAT, A GREAT INTERNATIONALLY WIDE AND USED SPORTS CALCULATOR THAT TELLS YOU THE IMPACT. AND SO WHEN BEAUFORT COUNTY HOSTED HERE AT BURTON WELLS, THE DIXIE YOUTH TOURNAMENT LAST YEAR, WE'RE TALKING A $1 MILLION ECONOMIC IMPACT THAT'S SPREAD ACROSS NOT JUST BEAUFORT, BUT NORTHERN BEAUFORT COUNTY IS UNINCORPORATED. IT FILLED UP BOTH SHORT-TERM RENTALS AND HOTELS AND THE RESTAURANT SPEND AND GAIN IN THAT AREA WAS PRETTY SIGNIFICANT. MM-HMM . BECAUSE THESE FOLKS WERE, WERE, WERE HERE FOR A WHILE AND YOU ASK ANY HOTELIER, SHORT-TERM RENTAL PERSON OR RESTAURATEUR, HEY, THEY BENEFITED GREATLY FROM THE LIFT THAT CAME FROM THE SPORTING EVENT. AND THE BEAUTY HERE IS THAT THEY'RE NOT VEING UP AND DOWN THE ROADS. THEY'RE GOING TO A LOCATION, THIS BEAUTIFUL LOCATION PLAYING THE TOURNAMENT, SPENDING THE TIME GOING BACK TO THE HOTELS, GOING BACK TO THE PLACES THEY'RE STAYING, GOING OUT TO EAT DINNER, AND THEN WE'RE SETTING UP TOURS FOR THEM. WE HAD A WHOLE, YOU KNOW, THREE TEAMS ENDED UP AT HUNTING ISLAND. UH, THESE ARE THE, THIS IS HOW IT WORKS. THEY COME, THEY STAY, THEY SPEND, THEY LEAVE. MAKES SENSE. ROB, IF A PLAN IS CREATED, WE HEARD A TERM EARLY, I DON'T RECALL THE SPECIFIC TERM, BUT IT'S [04:30:01] FUNDING THROUGH THE STATE PARK FOR RECREATION AND TOURISM FOR SOME OF THE THINGS RELATED TO ACTIVITIES. ARE THERE OTHER FUNDS AVAILABLE LIKE STATE FUNDS AND MATCHING FUNDS TO, AND PRIVATE FUNDS TO GET SOME OF THESE FACILITIES IF WE NE NEED UPGRADES AND CHANGES? UH, ABSOLUTELY. YEAH. THERE, THERE ARE SOME STATE FUNDS THAT ARE, UM, RELATED TO SPECIFIC SPORTS PARKS ACTIVITIES AND SOME ARE RELATED TO TOURISM ACTIVITIES. SOME ARE LARGER, THE WHOLE FACILITIES. RIGHT. AND A MORE SHOVEL READY PROJECTS, IF YOU WILL. AND, UH, THOSE COME THROUGH THE DELEGATION. SO WE HAVE A, A STRONG DELEGATION HERE IN BEAVERT COUNTY AND IT COME THROUGH COUNTY COUNCIL MAKE THE DELEGATION REQUEST AND THE REQUEST TO COME UP AND THAT'S HOW IT'S FUNDED. BUT THERE IS A, UH, SOMETIMES THEY REQUIRE MATCHING, SOMETIMES THEY'RE JUST BUDGET DEDICATED MONIES AS WE'VE SEEN THE CASE WITH, UH, UH, SEVERAL CONVENTION CENTER SPACES UP IN GREENVILLE, COLUMBIA GETTING DEDICATED FUNDS OUTTA THE BUDGET. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY. THANK YOU ROB. THANK Y'ALL FOR YOUR TIME. AND THEN I THINK WE'VE GOT ONE MORE. UH, BARRY FLEMING FROM THE LOW COUNTRY GOLF COURSE UNDER ASSOCIATION. AND THEN IS THAT EVERYBODY? OKAY? ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. SAVE THE BEST FOR LAST. NO, I DON'T THINK SO. OF COURSE. YEAH. . HI, MY NAME'S BARRY FLEMING. I'M ACTUALLY A LOCAL, UH, I'M A PGA GOLF PROFESSIONAL. I'M, I'VE BEEN THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE LOW COUNTRY GOLF COURSE OWNERS ASSOCIATION FOR THE PAST 13 YEARS. AND WE'VE BEEN HERE FOR MANY OF THE YEARS, UH, REQUESTING SOME FUNDING. UM, AND I WOULD SAY WHETHER YOU'RE A GOLFER, NOT A GOLFER LIKE GOLFER, DON'T LIKE GOLF, UM, UNFORTUNATELY GOLF IS THE SECOND BIGGEST REASON WHY PEOPLE COME TO BEAUFORT COUNTY WITH BEACHES BEING NUMBER ONE. AND I KNOW WHAT YOU ALL DO IS INCREDIBLE AND I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU DO IT WITH ALL THESE FESTIVALS AND CULTURE AND NOW YOU KNOW, CVBS, BUT THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO. UM, BASICALLY YEAH, WE, WE REQUESTED $20,000 TO HELP EXPAND OUR MARKET. ONE OF OUR MARKETING, IT'S CALLED CONNECTED TV ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN. AND, UH, THAT WILL JUST, LAST YEAR I THINK WE RECEIVED 7,500 OF THE 20,000 WE ASKED FOR, UM, BASICALLY THAT JUST ALLOWS, ALLOWS US TO EXPAND THE MARKETS IN WHICH WE REACH INTO. AND UH, IT'S, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A PRETTY LARGE MARKETING BUDGET. I MEAN, YOU WOULD THINK WE'RE ALMOST LIKE, PEOPLE HAVE ASKED ME, WHY ARE YOU HERE REQUESTING MONEY FOR SOMETHING LIKE GOLF? WELL, MANY YEARS AGO, BASICALLY A CVB AS IN HILTON HEAD OR BEAUFORT OR BLUFF AND HAS TO REPRESENT EVERYONE. THEY HAVE TO REPRESENT THE, ALL THE FESTIVALS, ALL THE HOTELS, THE RESTAURANTS. SO THEY HAVE TO BASICALLY PAINT THE BIG, THE BIG PICTURE. BUT, UH, HILTON HEAD, BEAUFORT COUNTY, BLUFFTON, BUFORT, THEY'RE ALL, WE'RE ONE OF THE TOP GOLF DESTINATIONS IN THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES. AND IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE THAT THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 20 TO 25% OF THEIR ENTIRE MULTIMILLION DOLLAR MARKETING BUDGET GOES TO GOLF. SO THEY MUST THINK IT'S PRETTY IMPORTANT. NOW WE RECEIVE, WE DON'T RECEIVE ANY DIRECT FUNDING FROM THE STATE FOR THAT. IT JUST BASICALLY POINTS THE ARROW AT SOUTH CAROLINA AS A GREAT GOLF DESTINATION. MYRTLE BEACH, FOR EXAMPLE, PROBABLY ABOUT SEVEN OR EIGHT YEARS AGO, PASSED A 1% SALES TAX INCREASE WITHOUT TAKING IT TO REFERENDUM. THEREFORE, I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY DID IT. WE, WE, WE TRIED MANY YEARS AGO TO TRY TO DO THE SAME THING. IT DIDN'T, IT DIDN'T FLY. BUT BECAUSE OF THAT, UH, MYRTLE BEACH BASICALLY NOW HAS JUST, JUST THEIR GOLF MARKETING BUDGET ONLY IS ABOUT FIVE TO $7 MILLION A YEAR. THAT'S NOT FOR THE CITY OF MYRTLE BEACH OR FOR THEIR COUNTY OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, JUST BECAUSE OF THAT. SO COMPETITION WISE, YOU KNOW, MYRTLE BEACH HAS ABOUT 80 GOLF COURSES. WE HAVE 26 AND A HALF GOLF COURSES IN OUR, IN OUR MEMBERSHIP OF WHICH 13 ARE OFF ISLAND, 10 ARE ON THE ISLAND OF HILTON HEAD. AND, UM, I KNOW YOU HAVE SOME FESTIVALS THAT TAKE PLACE ON HILTON HEAD AND, AND OBVIOUSLY PEOPLE STAY ON HILTON HEAD AND YOU DON'T PROBABLY RECEIVE ANY AT TAX DOLLARS FROM THAT. THEY ALSO STAY OUT IN BLUFFTON. I THINK ONE OF MY QUESTIONS I ALWAYS HAVE IS BLUFFTON HAS, IT'S KIND OF STRANGE ON HOW THEIR TOWN OR THEIR TOWN OF BLUFFTON IS, IS CONFIGURED GEOGRAPHICALLY AND WHAT IS ACTUALLY IN CITY LIMITS, WHAT ISN'T. AND WE HAVE A LOT OF COURSES IN THE BLUFFTON AREA THAT FRANKLY WE WENT AND APPLIED FOR, UM, AT TAX DOLLARS FROM THEM SEVERAL YEARS AGO. AND THEY SAID, WELL, YOU ONLY HAVE THREE GOLF COURSES IN, IN THE TOWN OF BLUFFTON, [04:35:01] WHICH KIND OF TURNED ME UPSIDE, DIDN'T, I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY. SO A LOT OF THEM AREN'T IN THERE. UM, SO ANYHOW, GOLF'S IMPORTANT AND AS ARE ALL THE FESTIVALS, THE CULTURE, EVERYTHING. WHAT, WHAT'S, WHAT'S, WHAT'S BEEN THE TREND ON GOLF RELATED TOURISM IN THE LAST SIX OR SEVEN YEARS IN, IN THE, IN BEAUFORT COUNTY? WELL, BECAUSE OF, YOU KNOW, I WOULD HAVE TO SAY BECAUSE OF COVID, I MEAN GOLF ITSELF HAS, HAS GROWN IN LEAPS AND BOUNDS AND WE GREW PROBABLY 20, 20 PLUS PERCENT MM-HMM . IN GOLF. AND, UH, SINCE COVID WE HAVE MAINTAIN, WHICH IS SURPRISING. YOU KNOW, WE THOUGHT OUR NUMBERS WOULD FALL BACK TO, UH, YOU KNOW, 2000, 2001 NUMBERS. THEY HAVEN'T. SO PEOPLE, WHOEVER, WHATEVER NUMBERS THAT WE AS A, THE GAME OF GOLF PICKED UP AND WITH TRAVEL, WE'VE RETAINED IT. WHEN PEOPLE COME INTO TOWN, DO YOU HAVE KIND OF AN AVERAGE OF HOW MANY DAYS THEY STAY, THEY STAY? WELL, I KNOW THEY PLAY AN AVERAGE OF THREE TO FOUR ROUNDS OF GOLF, SO PROBABLY THAT MANY NIGHTS ALSO MM-HMM . UM, HOW DO YOU, HOW DO WE KNOW HOW MANY ARE STAYING OUTSIDE OF 50 MILES? WELL, IF YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE AT ONE OF OUR GOLF COURSES HERE, TYPICALLY THERE'S A LOCAL RATE. IF YOU GO TO ONE OF OUR COURSES IN BEAUFORT COUNTY OR A MEMBER RATE, IF IT HAPPENS TO BE A SEMI-PRIVATE CLUB, AND THEN THERE'S A NON-LOCAL RATE, SO THAT, THAT WAY IN ITSELF, THEY KNOW WHETHER THEY'RE, WE'LL SAY WITHIN 50 MILES OR NOT, JUST BECAUSE OF THE RATE AND THE INCOME THAT THEY TAKE IN. AND I THINK OUT OF, UH, 12 AND A HALF GOLF COURSES, OUT OF OUR 26, WE HAD ABOUT 121,000 ROUNDS OF GOLF, OR TWENTY ONE, A HUNDRED TWENTY 1000 GOLFERS WHO CAME, WHICH IS A LOT. SO FROM, FROM OUT OF TOWN. YES. YES. AND THAT'S ONLY WITH 12 AND A HALF OUT OF 26 AND A HALF COURSES REPORTING. UM, THE BOTTOM LINE IS OUR, OUR, OUR INDUSTRY OR THE GOLF TO OUR BEAUFORT COUNTY PUTS HEADS IN BEDS, THAT'S ALL JUST PUTS HEADS IN BEDS AND HELPS US OBVIOUSLY, UH, INCREASE OUR ADMISSIONS TAXES AND SALES TAXES AND SENDS PEOPLE SHOPPING AND SENDS PEOPLE TO OUR RESTAURANTS PLUS PLUS PLUS. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, ASKING FOR 20,000 IS NOT A VERY LARGE NUMBER AS TO OUR WHOLE MARKETING BUDGET. WE HAVE AN, WE HAVE, UM, UH, I WAS SAYING SOMETHING A FEW MINUTES AGO IS THAT THE REASON THAT WE, THE GOLF COURSE OWNERS ASSOCIATION BASICALLY TOOK OVER THE MARKETING FOR GOLF IS THAT IT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT WE FELT LIKE WE NEEDED TO BE GOLF SPECIFIC AND ALL OF OUR MARKETING BEING GOLF SPECIFIC BECAUSE OF THE IMPORTANCE THAT IT IS TO BEAUFORT COUNTY. AND WE EVEN HAVE OUR OWN GOLF MARKETING COMPANY OUT IN NORTH CAROLINA CALLED IMPACT GOLF MARKETING. THAT E THAT EXECUTES OUR ENTIRE MARKETING PLAN, WHICH IS ABOUT, IT'S ABOUT $450,000. AND A LOT OF THAT IS FROM US. WE, WE FUND A LOT OF THAT OURSELVES. AND WE, FOR WHAT WE'RE ASKING FOR HERE, WE WILL FUND, WE WILL HELP SUPPORT WHATEVER MONEY YOU'RE ABLE TO GIVE TO US. ALSO, ARE THESE TOURNAMENTS TAKING PLACE ON HILTON HEAD OR OTHER PLACES? THESE ARE NOT TOURNAMENTS. THESE ARE JUST EVERYDAY GOLFERS COMING HERE. THEY GOLFERS. OKAY. YEAH. EVERY COMING TO TRIP ISLAND AND STAYING FOR A WEEK AND PLAYING GOLF OR COMING TO, UH, COMING TO STAY IN BLUFFTON OR COMING TO STAY IN BEAUFORT AND PLAYING AT PARIS ISLAND OR JUST WHEREVER THEY PLAY. SO YES, THERE ARE OBVIOUSLY TOURNAMENTS HERE WITH THE RBC HERITAGE, BUT THIS IS JUST YOUR 365 DAYS A YEAR GOLFERS COME TO THIS AREA BECAUSE OF THE HISTORY, 'CAUSE OF THE REPUTATION THAT THIS BEAUFORT COUNTY AND THIS WHOLE MARKET HAS DEVELOPED BECAUSE OF PROBABLY THE RBC HERITAGE. UM, YOU CAN'T PAY FOR WHAT THAT EVENT BRINGS TO OUR AREA. MM-HMM . BUT, UH, HAVING, I'VE BEEN HERE SINCE, OH, ABOUT 1975 EXCEPT FOR ABOUT FIVE YEARS. AND I'VE PLAYED, I'VE TRAVELED THE WORLD. I'VE BEEN FORTUNATE IF I'VE PLAYED ON THE PGA TOUR MYSELF AND, UH, JUST TO COME BACK, I MEAN, WE'RE SO LUCKY TO ME. I SIT HERE AFTER THIS MANY YEARS, WE'RE SO LUCKY BECAUSE BEAUFORT, IT'S, YOU KNOW, THINK OF THE, OUR COUNTY. WE HAVE HILTON HEAD ISLAND, WHICH IS AN ENTITY TO ITSELF. YOU HAVE BLUFFTON AND YOU HAVE BEAUFORT, THE CITY AND THE WHOLE SURROUNDING AREA OVER HERE ON THIS SIDE OF THE BROAD, IT'S AMAZING. IT'S SO DIFFERENT. IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL. AND HOPEFULLY WE KNOW, AND HOPEFULLY BEAUFORT NEVER LOSES MAYBE WHAT THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER, SO A COUPLE OF COMMENTS HAS LOST, UM, JUST FOR THE COMMITTEE'S BENEFIT SINCE I'M IN THIS WORLD IS, UM, IS WHAT'S ONCE SOMETHING GREAT ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR TOURIST IS THEY, THE BIG PUSH IS IN THE SPRING AND THE FALL WHEN WE'RE NOT AS BUSY, WHEN THE, AT LEAST BEACH DESTINATIONS AREN'T NECESSARILY BUSY WITH SUMMER TRAVELERS. SO IT FILLS IN A LOT. IT PUTS HEADS IN BEDS DURING A TIME WHEN YOU'RE NOT AT FULL OCCUPANCY, WHICH [04:40:01] IS, WHICH IS NICE. UM, AND YEAH, AND IT'S, AND WHEN PEOPLE COME HERE, THEY WANT TO COME BACK . SO, I MEAN, I KNOW OUR, OUR GOLF RELATED TOURISM IS UP 50% JUST FROM A YEAR AGO, UH, JUST THROUGH CONTINUING TO TRY TO DRIVE EXPOSURE. SO ANYWAYS, IT'S A, IT'S A, IT'S, IT'S A, IT'S A VERY GOOD PIECE OF BUSINESS WITH STILL A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY TO GROW. SO THANKS FOR EVERYTHING YOU'RE DOING TO DRIVE IT. WELL, NO, THANK YOU ALL. YES, SIR. I WANNA GET JUST ONE ISSUE UP. UM, WE, A COUPLE YEARS AGO, THREE YEARS AGO, IMPLEMENTED A REQUIREMENT THAT PEOPLE COME TO A TRAINING SESSION PRIOR TO APPLYING YOUR GROUP DIDN'T SEND ANYBODY. WAS THAT BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT OR BECAUSE WHEN WAS THIS SOMETHING ELSE HAPPENED? HOW LONG AGO? UH, HOW LONG AGO WAS IT? I MEAN, YOU'RE SAYING WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN TWO OR THREE YEARS AGO? HE CAME TO THE, IT STARTED THE EVENT WAS IN SEPTEMBER. I DON'T, I DON'T EVER MISS, I DON'T EVER REMEMBER MISSING A WORKSHOP. WELL, I THOUGHT HE WAS, HE WAS AT THE VIRTUAL WORKSHOP. OKAY, NEVERMIND THEN. I'M SORRY. I, I DON'T EVER REMEMBER MISSING ONE, BUT, UH, I I ABOUT MISSED THE ONE THIS YEAR THOUGH. I CAN TELL YOU I DID GET THERE LATE, BUT I DID OUT ABOUT MISS THIS ONE. OH, THAT'S, OH, SO YOU WERE THERE JUST DIDN'T, DIDN'T GET SIGNED. OKAY. GOT THAT CORRECT. ALRIGHT, THANK, THANK Y THAT UP. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE IT. MR. CHAIR. CAN I ASK HIM A QUESTION? SIR, CAN I ASK YOU A QUESTION? I'M OVER HERE. I'M ON YOUR WEBSITE. UM, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THESE ARE PRIVATE COURSES? I MEAN, I'M LOOKING AT 'EM AND I LIVE IN SUN CITY, SO I KNOW ALL ABOUT IT, BUT MOST OF THESE ARE PRIVATE. ARE THEY NOT HARBORTOWN, PALMETTO DUNES? YEAH. YEAH. NO, I MEAN THEY'RE INSIDE AN HOA, WHEN I SAY PRIVATE, THE MAJORITY OF THESE ARE INSIDE AN H. LIKE I HAVE THREE COURSES IN AN HOAG. OKAY. WHETHER THEY'RE PUBLIC OR PRIVATE IS IRRELEVANT. THEY'RE IN AN HOA WHAT YOU MEAN THE HOA BENEFITS FROM IT AND THE HOA NOT ELIGIBLE. THE COURT, THE COURSES YOU JUST NAMED ARE NOT OWNED BY THE HA UN, UNLIKE SUN CITY LIKE OURS, OUR OWN. SO WE'RE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR ATEX. RIGHT. YEAH. SO YEAH, SO THEY THEY'RE NOT LIKE THAT. THEY'RE PRI THEIR, THEIR BUSINESS IS AT ALL THESE SEPARATE FROM THE HOA. MAYBE YOU COULD HELP ME WITH THIS THEN. IF SOMEONE IS RENTING A, A FACILITY ON FRI OR FACILITY IN HARBOR TOWN AND THEY'RE JUST THERE AT A SHORT TERM RENTAL OCCUPANT, CAN THEY USE THE GOLF COURSES? OH YEAH, BUT I'M JUST SAYING AN H HOA HOA EXCEPT, EXCEPT MAYBE IN SUN CITY DOES NOT BENEFIT FROM YOU HAVE A-H-O-A-I WOULD IMAGINE, DON'T YOU? YEAH. YEAH. WHICH THEY DON'T BENEFIT FROM OR THEY DON'T PARTICIPATE IN THE REVENUES OF YOUR RESORT? NO, NOR DOES P DUNES, NOR DOES SEA PINES RESORT OR, BUT, BUT, UH, SUN CITY, I WOULD SAY, YEAH, THAT'S COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. BUILT HEAD PLANTATION IN SPRING ISLAND AS AN EXAMPLE, DON'T ALLOW SHORT TERM RENTALS. SO YOU CAN ONLY GO ON THERE IF YOU'RE A GUEST OF ONE OF THE MEMBERS THAT, THAT WHERE YOU WERE TRYING TO GET TO TAB. THAT'D BE A BETTER QUESTION IF WE COULD HEAR YOU. YEAH, BUT CAN YOU PLAY GOLF IF YOU ARE JUST VISITING AS A GUEST? WELL, MY, MY MY MY POINT WAS THAT IF YOU WERE TO GO TO HILTON HEAD PLANTATION, THEY DON'T ALLOW SHORT TERM RENTAL. THE SPRING ISLAND DOESN'T ALLOW. SO THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN ON A COURSE THERE IS IF YOU GO WITH A MEMBER AND IF YOU ARE A LEASING, SHORT TERM RENTAL ON TRIP ISLAND, FOR INSTANCE, ON HARBOR TOWN, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING YOU CAN PLAY ON THE COURSE JUST AS YOU WERE A MEMBER. YES. AND IN HILTON HEAD PLANTATION YOU COULD PLAY AT DOLPHIN HEAD, EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE A MEMBERSHIP YOU CAN PLAY AT BEAR CREEK. UH, COUNTRY CLUB HAD BUILT AND HAD TURNED PRIVATE. UM, WHAT ELSE IS, OH, OKAY. SO MM-HMM. GOTTA PURCHASE A GOLF PACKET TO PLAY. YEAH. ANYTHING ELSE? ANYTHING ELSE? NOPE. NOPE. THANK Y'ALL. THANK YOU BARRY. APPRECIATE IT. ARE WE, OR UH, ANYTHING ELSE WE NEED TO DISCUSS BEFORE WE ADJOURN? WE DO. WE, SO ARE YOU GONNA ADJOURN AND THEN COME BACK TO DO DISCUSSION? WE ARE GONNA SET UP A SEPARATE MEETING FOR DISCUSSION. OKAY. DO YOU HAVE A DATE FOR THAT? SO THAT WE CAN ATTEND? UH, WE, ALLISON'S GONNA HELP US GET THAT SET UP. WE KNOW WE NEED TO DO IT VERY QUICKLY BECAUSE YOUR PLAN IS, THIS COMES TO FINANCE WHEN? THE 19TH, OCTOBER 20TH. OCTOBER 20TH. SO IT'S GOTTA BE THERE BEFORE THAT. OKAY. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO EAT AND JUST COME BACK INTO DISCUSSIONS. AND KEN, YOU'LL HAVE TO DO THE LITTLE WRITEUPS AGAIN. REMEMBER YOU DID THOSE WRITEUPS? I CAN'T. NO. SOMEBODY DID. UM, BUT WHAT'S OPEN? AND WE THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, IT'S GONNA TAKE A MINUTE, LIKE YOU DID THAT. WE SPENT SEVERAL HOURS ON IT LAST TIME. A MINUTE. YEAH. WELL, FOR PLANNING PURPOSES FOR YOUR NEXT MEETING, JUST KEEP IN MIND THAT THAT WRITEUP HAS TO BE SUBMITTED AT LEAST A WEEK PRIOR TO THE 20TH, THAT FINANCE MEETING. SO YOU SHOULD SHOOT FOR [04:45:01] THE FRIDAY BEFORE, WHICH WOULD BE THE I'LL CAN WE PICK A DAY? CAN WE TRY TO PICK A TIME NOW TO WE DON'T, WE DON'T WANNA WAIT TOO LONG. WHY DON'T WE MEET OCTOBER 2ND? THE THURSDAY THE THIRD AND FOURTH IS OUT FOR ME. THURSDAY, YOU SAID IT'S SECOND OCTOBER 2ND. I THOUGHT I, I DON'T KNOW IF I'LL BE ABLE TO DO THE SECOND BECAUSE WE HAVE TO DO A FILMING, SO I HAVE TO GET PREPARED FOR ALL OF THAT. ANYBODY HAVE A PROBLEM WITH OCTOBER 2ND? I DO BE HERE. THAT'S A BIG PROBLEM BECAUSE YOU'RE SPECIAL. I CAN'T DO IT OCTOBER 2ND. ALRIGHT. WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST INSTEAD? WHEN ARE YOU FREE? UM, LET ME LOOK AT MY CALENDAR. I'M FLEXIBLE. BUSY, BUSY. ANYBODY HAVE OCTOBER 6TH MONDAY OR WE ALL SLEEPING OR WE DON'T BUT MY DAY OFF. I KNOW, BUT I'M TALKING ABOUT THE MORNING. I GOTTA DO IT. I'LL DO AT HAVE NO PROBLEM. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE CRACK OF DAWN. IT'S OKAY. I CAN DO OCTOBER 6TH. OCTOBER 6TH LOOKS GOOD. IDEALLY, ALL FIVE OF YOU ARE AVAILABLE BECAUSE YOU ALL HEARD THE DISCUSSION OR THE, UH, PRESENTATIONS HERE? YES. IS THERE ANYONE THAT CAN'T DO OCTOBER 6TH? UM, I THINK I'M JUST CHECKING MY LIST. I YEAH. LOOKING AT STUFF. IS THERE A SPECIFIC TIME? THE SIX, THE SIX COULD WORK FOR ME. 10. OKAY. WHAT'S A GOOD TIME? WHAT'S THE BEST TIME? NINE THREE. GOT, I CAN'T GET MY CRAP DONE BECAUSE ALL THIS STUFF. DON'T GIMME YOUR, WHAT TIME ARE WE SAYING START AT 10? 10 O'CLOCK. 10. I SAID 10 O'CLOCK. TEN SIX. OKAY. I CAN DO 10. AND WHERE ARE WE THINKING THIS GONNA BE? I'M SORRY, WHAT DAY DID YOU SAY WE CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER HERE. OCTOBER, MONDAY, OCTOBER 6TH, SIX AT 10. 10 O'CLOCK. AT 10 O'CLOCK? MM-HMM . AND WE CAN FIND A ROOM SOMEWHERE. WE CAN FIND A ROOM. MM-HMM . AND I CAN GET BACK TO YOU WITH WHERE THE AVAILABILITY IS. WILL THAT BE, UH, RECORDED? WILL THAT BE WHAT RECORDED? BE RECORDED? DO WE NEED TO HAVE ENOUGH ROOM FOR THE PUBLIC TO YES. A PUBLIC MEETING WITH AN AGENDA? YES. WHAT YOU'RE DOING IS REALLY YOU'RE CONTINUING THIS MEETING TO THAT DATE AT THAT TIME. SO WHEN YOU PICK A ROOM, WE MAY HAVE SOME PEOPLE THAT WANNA SIT IN AND WATCH. YEAH. YOU SHOULD SHOOT FOR THE ARTHUR HORN BUILDING SECOND FLOOR WITH A STRAIN. WE SHOULD PUT THINGS UP ON A STRAIN. WELL, ARTHUR HORN BUILDING SECOND FLOOR. THEY COULD DO THE TV REAL, REAL EASILY. WELL THAT'S GOOD. AND THERE'S A CONFERENCE ROOM IN THERE AND THAT'S WHERE THE COMMITTEE MEETINGS ARE AT TWO O'CLOCK. SO IT'S JUST CONVENIENT FOR BROADCAST. OKAY. YEAH. THIS IS DIFFICULT FOR BROADCAST. THEY DID IT LAST NIGHT, BUT THEY HAD TO HAUL ALL THIS IN. YEAH. OKAY. DOES THAT WORK FOR EVERYBODY? FOR ME? FOR ME. THANK YOU FOR ACCOMMODATING OCTOBER SIX AT 10:00 AM IF WE ADJOURN, I'D LIKE TO HAVE A MINUTE OF CONVERSATION OUTSIDE. UM, I I'M WORRIED ABOUT VMO. I'VE BEEN UNABLE TO REACH HIM. I HAVEN'T HEARD FROM HIM. IS THAT, WAIT, CAN WE CLOSE THIS MEETING FIRST? OKAY. THAT'S ALL WE HAD. ADJOURN, UH, I MOVED THAT WE ADJOURN THE MEETING SECOND. OKAY. ALRIGHT, SO BROADCAST. CAN YOU TURN OFF PLEASE? THANKS FOR WATCHING BEAUFORT COUNTY TV. I AM EMORY CAMPBELL AND THIS IS YOUR BEAUFORT COUNTY MOMENT. THE MARSH TACKY IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ASSETS IN THE GULLAH CULTURE. THE MARSH TACKY WAS USED FOR PLOWING, FOR CARRYING PEOPLE TO CHURCH, AS WELL AS TO PULL WAGONS. IT'S A BREED OF HORSE THAT WAS LEFT BY THE SPANISH IN THE 15 HUNDREDS AND SINCE THAT TIME IT HAS BEEN INBRED. MARSH TACKY HAS A NARROW CHEST AND SLENDER LEGS, BUT IT'S VERY TOUGH HORSE. AND BEFORE MODERN DEVELOPMENT, EVERY FAMILY HAD AT LEAST ONE MOSH TACKY. IT WAS LIKE A CAR OR A TRUCK TODAY. AND SO WE HAVE ALWAYS [04:50:01] ADMIRED THE MOSH TACKY. IT IS ALSO ONE OF THE ENTERTAINERS OF THE AREA BECAUSE WE HAD RACES WITH MARSH TACKERS AT LEAST TWICE A YEAR. TODAY, THE MARSH TACKY HAS BEEN PRESERVED BY CERTAIN PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY, THROUGHOUT THE LOW COUNTRY AREA. THIS IS EMORY CAMPBELL AND THAT HAS BEEN YOUR BEAUFORD COUNTY MOMENTS. TO SEE MORE BEAUFORT COUNTY MOMENTS GO TO THE BEAUFORT COUNTY LIBRARY HOMEPAGE AND CLICK ON THE LOCAL HISTORY TAB. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.