Jan 27, 2026 Southern Lowcountry Regional Board

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CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY BUFORT COUNTY.

GOOD MORNING

[I. CALL TO ORDER]

GOOD MORNING.

THANK YOU ALL FOR JOINING US.

LET'S, UH, LET'S GET WARMED UP AND START THIS MEETING.

SO, UH, STEPHANIE, I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE MS. STEPHANIE ROSSI, THE PLANNING DIRECTOR FOR LOOC WHO HANDLES OUR, UH, LOCAL LATS COMMITTEE.

SO, STEPHANIE, IT'S ALL YOURS.

THANK YOU.

UM, BY, OKAY.

ALAN'S NOT HERE.

LARRY, YOU ARE NOW THE CO-CHAIR, SO GET OVER HERE.

.

I ALWAYS NEED ALAN TO TELL ME.

WELL, I'M GOING OFF TRACK.

SO THAT'S YOUR JOB TODAY.

HE NEEDS ANOTHER JOB.

.

SORRY STEPHANIE.

THAT'S OKAY.

PLEASE.

GOOD MORNING.

ALRIGHT, WELL THANK YOU

[III.A. Introduction of Lowcountry Area Transportation Study. Stephanie Rossi, Planning Director]

UM, I'M STEPHANIE ROSSI.

I'M THE PLANNING DIRECTOR WITH LOW COUNTRY COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS.

UM, I WAS ASKED TO COME TODAY TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE MPO, THE METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION THAT SERVES THIS REGION.

UM, OUR, WE ARE, UM, THE, THE MPO IS ESTABLISHED BACK IN ABOUT 20 I LISA HERE, SHE CAN PROBABLY SPEAK FOR ME, , UM, BACK, UM, AFTER THE 2010 CENSUS DESIGN, UM, AND WAS DESIGNATED AS AN URBANIZED AREA FOR THE BLUFF AND HILTON HEAD AREA.

AND THAT, UM, HAPPENS WHEN YOU TRIGGER A POPULATION THRESHOLD OF 50,000 PEOPLE.

SO BACK IN 2013, I BELIEVE IT WAS THE OFFICIAL DESIGNATION.

AND THEN ACTUALLY WITH THE MOST RECENT CENSUS, OUR NORTH OF THE BROAD, UM, UH, CITIES, BEAUFORT AND PORT ROYAL ALSO HAVE, ARE NOW IN URBANIZED, HAVE AN URBANIZED DESIGNATION.

WE ARE STILL ALL WITHIN ONE MPO BOUNDARY AS THE, UH, LOW COUNTRY AREA TRANSPORTATION STUDY.

AND THAT IS THE NAME OF OUR MPO HERE.

THE ROLE OF THE MPO, AND I PROMISE NOT TO QUOTE ANY FEDERAL REGS OR ANY CFRS, UM, BUT IS TO HAVE A CONTINUING, UH, WHERE WE ARE CONSTANTLY UPDATING OUR TRANSPORTATION PLANNING ACTIVITIES AS A COOPERATIVE PROCESS WHERE WE'RE INVOLVING STAKEHOLDERS AND INTENDED TO BE COMPREHENSIVE.

WE'RE NOT JUST LOOKING AT ROADS OR BIKES OR ANY ONE THING.

WE'RE LOOKING AT ALL THE TRANSPORTATION COMPREHENSIVE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM.

UM, THIS I PUT UP HERE, JUST SO YOU DO UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE FUNDED THROUGH TRANSPORTATION LEGISLATION AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL.

UM, THE CURRENT IIJA WILL EXPIRE AT THIS COMING FALL, AND WE ARE NOW IN, THEY'RE ALREADY STARTING TO TALK ABOUT REAUTHORIZATION.

IF YOU DO HAVE ANYBODY'S EAR AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, SENATE OR CONGRESS, UM, IT'S ALWAYS JUST A PLUG TO PUT IN THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE STREAMLINED FUNDING THROUGH THE MPO PROCESS.

BUT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS BEING WORKED ON AS WE SPEAK.

UM, YOU CAN SEE SOMETIMES THERE ARE SOME LAGS.

SO, YOU KNOW, IF POSS YOU KNOW, IT COULD JUST BE THAT THEY, UM, DO A CONTINUING RESOLUTION OR WE'LL ACTUALLY HAVE A NEW LEGISLATION COMING IN THE FALL.

SO IN THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, THERE'S 11 MPOS AND 10 COGS.

NOT ALL MPOS ARE HOUSED AT A COG IN OUR REGION.

THAT IS THE CASE OVERALL.

IN THE UNITED STATES, THERE'S ABOUT 450 MPOS.

AND THIS IS, UM, THE BOUNDARY.

I HAVE THE FULL FOUR COUNTY COG BOUNDARY UP HERE WITH BLUE IS THE LATS, MPO.

SO YOU CAN SEE IT KIND OF GOES ALL THE WAY UP TO 95 AND JASPER COUNTY, AND THEN WHALE BRANCH, AND THEN OUTSIDE.

THAT IS OUR RURAL AREA.

AND IT DOES NOT INCLUDE ST.

HELENA.

IT DOES INCLUDE LADIES ISLAND, BUT NOT ST.

HELENA ISLAND.

SO THAT DESIGNATION IS IMPORTANT, IS THE COG HAS RURAL FEDERAL DOLLARS THAT WE CAN SPEND.

AND THE MPO DOLLARS, THE MPO DOLLARS CANNOT BE SPENT OUTSIDE THAT BLUE LINE.

THE RURAL DOLLARS ARE A LITTLE BIT MORE FLEXIBLE, BUT WE DO TRY TO EMPHASIZE THAT THEY'RE SPENT IN THE RURAL AREA.

SO THE MAKE UP OF THE, UM, MPO IS THAT WE HAVE A POLICY COMMITTEE MEMBER, A POLICY COMMITTEE THAT MEETS EVERY OTHER MONTH.

AND, UM, THERE'S ONE REPRESENTATIVE FROM EACH OF OUR COUNTIES AND THEN THE MUNICIPALITIES WITHIN THAT, AND THEN, OR THEY CAN DESIGNATE THAT ROLE.

SO TYPICALLY IT'S THE MAYOR OR THE COUNTY CHAIR, UNLESS THEY'VE DESIGNATED IT TO ANOTHER COUNCIL MEMBER OR

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THE LATS TECHNICAL COMMITTEE IS MADE UP OF STAFF AND MEETS AS NEEDED.

AND THEN WE HAVE NON-VOTING MEMBERS FROM THE COMMISSIONERS AND, UH, THE DE LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION.

SO THERE'S FOUR RESPONSIBILITIES THAT THE MPO HAS AND AN MPOR SIZE, UH, MPOS THAT ARE A LITTLE LARGER, ABOUT 200,000 AND UP.

THEY DO HAVE ONE ADDITIONAL, UH, REQUIREMENT THAT I DID NOT ADDRESS HERE SINCE IT'S NOT ONE OF OUR RESPONSIBILITIES AT THIS TIME.

BUT, UH, WE ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE A LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN THAT SERVES AS OUR, UH, SORT OF LIKE OUR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, BUT FOR TRANSPORTATION.

AND THAT SERVES A 20, IT MUST BE AT LEAST A 20 YEAR HORIZON.

WE HAVE A-U-P-W-P, IT'S A UNIFIED PLAN WORK PROGRAM, AND THAT'S REALLY NOT OUR MOST EXCITING DOCUMENT THAT WE'VE PRODUCED, BUT IT REALLY IS MORE LIKE MY WORK PROGRAM.

WHAT AM I DOING TO MAKE THE MPO FUNCTION.

AND THEN WE HAVE A PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PLAN THAT IS BASICALLY JUST WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE.

EACH ONE OF THESE DOCUMENTS THAT I'M TALKING ABOUT HAS A, UH, PROCESS TO GO THROUGH PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AND IDENTIFIES WHAT THAT IS.

AND THEN THE ONE THAT HAS THE MONEY ATTACHED TO IT THAT WE ALL KNOW IS THE TIP, THE TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.

AND THAT IS A FOUR YEAR DOCUMENT WITH, UM, PRO PROJECTS THAT WE'RE GOING TO IMPLEMENT.

SO HOW DO THESE ALL WORK TOGETHER? SO WE HAVE OUR LONG RANGE PLAN AND OUR UNIFIED WORK PROGRAM EACH, UM, INFORMING EACH OTHER.

AND THEN ONCE WE HAVE OUR LONG RANGE PLAN AND OUR UNIFIED PLAN UNIFIED WORK PROGRAM, THOSE FEED INTO THE TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM WHERE THE DOLLARS ARE ACTUALLY BEING SPENT.

SO WE HAVE TO HAVE THAT LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN, IDENTIFY THE PROJECTS THAT GO INTO THE TIP.

THE TIP CAN'T JUST, WE CAN'T JUST WALK IN AND PUT SOMETHING INTO THE TIP.

IT HAS TO BE GO THROUGH A PLANNING PROCESS, WHICH I WILL GO INTO A LITTLE BIT.

SO THE LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN, AS I MENTIONED, IS SORT OF LIKE THAT BLUEPRINT OR LONG RANGE VISION THAT WE HAVE.

IT HAS TO BE UPDATED EVERY FIVE YEARS.

WE'RE, UM, OUR NEXT ONE IS DUE IN MAY OF 2027.

AND I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT IN A MINUTE.

UM, IT LOOKS AT CURRENT TRENDS BASED ON THOSE CURRENT TRENDS.

WE DO FUTURE PROJECTIONS AND THEN THAT ULTIMATELY DECIDES WHAT KIND OF PROJECTS WE NEED TO GO INTO THAT LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN.

THE UNIFIED WORK PROGRAM, I ALREADY ADDRESSED THIS A LITTLE BIT, BUT AGAIN, IT IS ANY FEDERALLY FUNDED PLANNING ACTIVITY TAKING PLACE WITHIN THE REGION USING TRANSPORTATION.

FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION DOLLARS HAS TO BE IDENTIFIED IN THIS PROGRAM.

AND THEN THE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PLAN, AGAIN, THIS IS FOR GOALS THAT FOCUS ON LOOKING AT OUR, UM, IT'S LIKE HARD TO SEE THIS FOCUS ON, UM, INFORMING THE PUBLIC, KEEPING THE PUBLIC INFORMED ON OUR PLANNING PROCESS THROUGHOUT ALL THE PLANNING ACTIVITIES.

AND THEN AGAIN, THE, THE, THE TIP, SO THIS IS A FOUR YEAR DOCUMENT, OR IT HAS TO BE UPDATED EVERY FOUR YEARS.

OUR NEXT ONE IS DUE IN 2028.

UH, THE TIP THAT WE HAVE IN THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA IS FOR 10 YEARS.

IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE A 10 YEAR DOCUMENT, BUT THAT FOUR YEAR IS THE MOST, UM, KEY PART OF IT.

THAT'S WHAT THE FEDERAL HIGHWAYS ARE LOOKING AT FOR THE MOST PART, IS HOW ARE YOU PLANNING IN THAT FIRST FOUR YEAR CHUNK OF YOUR TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.

IT IS A SET FINITE AMOUNT OF MONEY.

WE ARE ALLOTTED $8.5 MILLION ANNUALLY TO GO TO PROGRAM PROJECTS INTO THE TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.

AND THEN THOSE PROGRAM, THOSE PROJECTS MUST COME OUT OF THE LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLANNING PROCESS.

SO AGAIN, I MENTIONED THAT, UM, THE LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN IS, UM, IS REQUIRED TO BE UPDATED EVERY FIVE YEARS.

AND WE ARE JUST KICKING OFF OUR UPDATE THAT'S GONNA BE DUE IN NO LATER THAN MAY OF 2027.

SO WE CURRENTLY HAVE TWO DOCUMENTS.

SO ALL THOSE THAT I, ALL THOSE REQUIREMENTS I JUST WENT THROUGH.

WE HAVE ONE FOR THE URBAN AREA AND THEN ONE FOR THE RURAL AREA.

SO WE HAVE A RURAL LONG RANGE PLAN AND A URBAN LONG RANGE PLAN.

SO WE ARE WORKING ON UPDATING BOTH OF THESE DOCUMENTS AND JUST SELECTED CDM SMITH WORKED, UM, ON, ON US WITH THIS.

AND WE'LL BE WORKING, WE JUST KICKED OFF INTERNALLY WITH THEM ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO.

SO THIS IS, UH, JUST STARTING.

SO THE PROCESS IS GONNA LOOK AT THE DATA GATHERING AND LOOKING AT EXISTING CONDITIONS AND DOING AN ASSESSMENT ON THAT.

PART OF THAT IS THEN TO NEXT GO INTO THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES.

WE'LL DO A CALL FOR PROJECTS, USUALLY THAT LOOKS AT, WE CONTACT ALL OF OUR MUNICIPALITIES AND COUNTIES AND LOOK AT THEIR CIPS AND SEE WHAT IMPORTANT, UM, NEEDS THAT THEY HAVE.

ULTIMATELY LEADS TO MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION RECOMMENDATIONS, PROJECT PRIORITIZATION.

THIS PRO THE PROJECT PRIORITIZATION IS REQUIRED BY, UM, SOUTH CAROLINA DOT.

IT'S NOT A FEDERAL REQUIREMENT NECESSARILY, BUT SOUTH CAROLINA DOT

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AND THEN WE HAVE TO HAVE COME UP WITH A FINANCIALLY CONSTRAINED PLAN AND ULTIMATELY PLAN ADOPTION OPTION.

UH, PART OF THIS, WE'LL LOOK AT KICKOFF.

AGAIN, ALL THOSE CIPS EXISTING PLANS THAT ARE IN PLACE.

WE'RE NOT JUST DOING THIS IN A VACUUM.

WE WANT, WE KNOW THERE'S ALREADY BEEN A LOT OF WORK DONE IN THE REGION AND WE WANNA INCORPORATE THAT INTO THIS PROCESS.

UM, THIS IS ONE OF THOSE FEDERAL THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO DO.

WE HAVE ALL THESE FACTORS THAT WE HAVE TO INCLUDE.

THIS IS, UM, USUALLY THESE ARE WRAPPED INTO OUR GOAL MAKING PROCESS AND THE OBJECTIVES AT THAT POINT.

UM, THESE ARE SEVERAL THINGS THAT EACH ONE OF THOSE FEDERAL LEGISLATION OR FEDERAL ACTS THAT I MENTIONED EARLIER, MAKES, HAS MADE A REQUIREMENT.

I THINK WE ORIGINALLY STARTED OUT WITH FIVE, THEN THE NEXT ONE WE HAD SEVEN.

NOW WE'RE UP TO THIS LIST, UM, HERE THAT ALL OF THESE FACTORS MUST BE INCLUDED OR CONSIDERED WHEN WE'RE DOING OUR TRANSPORTATION PLANNING.

WE'LL ALSO BE UPDATING THE REGIONAL TRAVEL DEMAND MODEL.

THE LAST TIME IT WAS UP UPDATED, WE HAD A BASE YEAR OF 2019.

I THINK A FEW OF YOU COULD PROBABLY THINK WHY THAT MIGHT BE A PROBLEM.

2019 DATA COMPARED TO WHAT WE'RE SEEING NOW IS JUST NOWHERE NEAR WHERE, WHERE WE ARE.

SO WE WILL BE USING A BASE YEAR OF 2024.

WE JUST DON'T THINK 2025 DATA WILL BE READY IN TIME FOR US TO MEET OUR OUR TIMELINE ON THIS AND OUR FUTURE YEAR, OR, UH, A FORECASTED YEAR FOR THIS PROCESS WILL BE 2055.

THE PUBLIC AND STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT WILL BE A LARGE PART OF THIS.

UH, WE'LL HAVE, UM, WITHIN THE LATS MEETING AND PRESENTATION, THERE'LL BE AT LEAST THREE VIRTUAL MEETINGS WITH OUR CONSULTANT TEAM WORKING ON THIS IN ADDITION TO ANY THAT WE HAVE WITHOUT THE CONSULTANT TEAM THERE.

UM, THE CONSULTANT TEAM WILL ALSO BE PRESENTING TO THE POLICY COMMITTEE AT LEAST, UH, TWO TO THREE TIMES THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS.

AND THEN IN TERMS OF PUBLIC MEETINGS, THERE'LL BE TWO PUBLIC MEETINGS.

ONE USUALLY AT THE VERY BEGINNING WHEN WE'RE KICKING THIS OFF, AND THEN THERE'LL BE ANOTHER ONE LATER WHEN WE ACTUALLY HAVE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THEM TO REACT TO.

AND WE'LL BE DOING AN ONLINE SURVEY AS WELL.

SO WE'LL TAKE ALL THAT, THAT, ALL THAT INFORMATION, THE PUBLIC FEEDBACK PROJECT PLANS, THE DATA THAT WE'VE COLLECTED, AND ULTIMATELY COME UP WITH THESE MULTIMODAL PRO UH, TRANSPORTATION RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WILL BE FUNNELED INTO A PLAN.

AND THEN PRIORITIZE.

THIS IS JUST KIND OF A SCHEMATIC, LOOKING AT WHAT THE REQUIREMENTS ARE.

SOUTH CAROLINA, DOT DOES HAVE A PRIORITIZATION PROCESS, UM, THAT WE ARE ALLOWED TO TWEAK IT A LITTLE BIT.

AND WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THAT.

AND WE DO PLAN TO DO THAT.

UM, THE WAY IT'S WRITTEN IN THE DIRECTIVE FROM DOT MIGHT NOT NECESSARILY FIT OUR AREA WHERE THEY'RE WAITING CONGESTION, HIGHER THAN SAFETY, THINGS LIKE THAT.

THESE ARE THINGS THAT WE CAN TAKE INTO ACCOUNT AND BRING IN FRONT OF THE POLICY COMMITTEE TO MAKE SOME TWEAKS AS WE PRIORITIZE THOSE PROJECTS.

AND THEN LASTLY, THE FINANCIAL PLANNING.

WE WILL TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT, UM, KNOWN REVENUES WE HAVE AND, UM, THEN BE ABLE TO COME UP WITH A COST FEASIBLE PLANNING SCENARIO AND WHAT TYPES OF PROJECTS WE CAN ULTIMATELY FUND.

SO WHAT WE DID LAST TIME WHEN WE WERE DOING THE PLAN, IT WAS PRIOR TO THE ELECTION AND BEFORE WE KNEW IF A PENNY TAX WOULD PASS OR NOT.

SO WE ACTUALLY HAD TWO FINANCIAL PLANS.

WE HAD ONE WITHOUT AND ONE WITH.

SO WE MAY DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT THIS TIME, DEPENDING ON THE TIMING AND WHAT WE'LL KNOW COMING FORWARD AFTER THE, UM, NEXT, UH, REFERENDUM.

AND THIS IS IF YOU'RE MORE OF A VISUAL PERSON, THIS IS WHAT THIS WOULD LOOK LIKE TIME-WISE.

UM, YOU CAN SEE THE SURVEY, I'LL BE, UM, LAUNCHED LATER THIS YEAR, MORE TOWARDS THE SUMMER AND BE AVAILABLE FOR SEVERAL MONTHS.

UM, AND THEN A GENERAL TIMING, WE WILL PROBABLY BE KICKING OFF THE FIRST MEETING WITH THE POLICY COMMITTEE LOOKING LIKE MARCH APRIL TIMEFRAME.

AND THE UL UM, ULTIMATELY ADOPTING IN FEBRUARY OUR, WE HAVE TO HAVE IT ADOPTED BY MAY OR WE START HAVING IMPLEMENTA FEDERAL IMPLEMENTATIONS WHERE WE COULD BE, UM, GET A LITTLE, GET IN A LITTLE BIT TROUBLE FROM OUR FEDS.

SO WE DO HAVE A VERY STRICT TIMELINE ON THAT.

SO OUR GOAL IS TO HAVE IT ADOPTED IN FEBRUARY WITH A LITTLE BIT OF WIGGLE ROOM IN THERE IN CASE ANYTHING NEEDS TO HAPPEN OR THERE'S ANY DELAYS ALONG THE WAY.

AND THEN NOW WE JUST WANNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE MONEY.

SO A LOT OF, UM, YOU'VE HEARD ABOUT THE TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PLAN OR THE PROGRAM.

UH, WE HAVE, I JUST SUMMARIZED HERE SOME OF OUR PROJECTS.

SO WE HAVE KIND OF MORE NEAR TERM.

UH, WE, WE HAVE BEEN PRIMARILY FUNDING, ALTHOUGH I MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, THE, UM, MPO HAS BEEN AROUND SINCE 20 13, 20 15 TIMEFRAME.

ULTIMATELY, THE MPO HAS BEEN FUNDING THE US 17 WINDING.

WE ONLY STARTED ACCUMULATING DOLLARS BACK IN, I WANNA SAY 2023.

[00:15:01]

BUT IF, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE WONDERING WHY YOU'RE NOT SEEING A VERY BIG LIST HERE.

THAT IS US 17 WAS A VERY BIG PROJECT FOR AN MPO OF OUR SIZE TO TAKE ON.

WE STILL HAVE THE LEGACY OF PAYING FOR THAT PHASE TWO OR THE BACK RIVER BRIDGE.

AND, UM, THAT WILL BE TAKING UP.

WE'VE ALREADY HAD AN $8 MILLION PLACEHOLDER IN THE TIP FOR THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS.

IT WILL INCREASE TO ABOUT $9.5 MILLION.

AND THEN WE'RE ASKING ELCO TO HELP PAY FOR THE OTHER HALF OF THE PORTION THAT WE WILL BE OWING FOR THAT PROJECT.

WE HAVE THE TRIANGLE PROJECT CURRENTLY IN THE TIP, UM, NOT FULLY FUNDED OF COURSE.

UM, IT, THIS IS GONNA LOOK A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT, UM, IN THE NEXT LATS MEETING WHERE WE'LL BE PROBABLY BE BREAKING THAT TRIANGLE PROJECT AND IT WILL NO LONGER BE A PRI TRIANGLE.

IT WILL BE THE ARGENT PROJECT SEPARATE, PULLED OUT AS IT HAS FULL FUNDING.

AND WE'LL BE PUTTING A LITTLE BIT MORE TRANSPORTATION FUNDING TOWARDS THAT.

AND THEN THE BEAUFORT COUNTY PORTION WILL BE ITS OWN PROJECT SO THAT WE CAN, UM, KEEP THOSE MOVING ALONG WITHOUT ANY DELAYS.

THERE ARE TWO INTERSECTION PROJECTS NORTH OF BROAD.

UM, THE US 21, SE 1 28 HAS ALREADY IN PROGRESS.

AND DO T'S BEEN DOING A FEASIBILITY STUDY ON WHAT IMPROVEMENTS TO DO THERE.

US 21, SC ONE 70 HAS NOT, THAT SHOULD BE KICKING OFF THIS YEAR.

AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE REBO ROAD CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENTS IN THERE, WHICH IS IN 2028.

WE HAVE DONE SEVERAL PLANS AND STUDIES OVER THE LAST COUPLE YEARS.

UM, THREE OF THOSE ARE NOW COMPLETE BLUFFTON PARKWAY STUDY, SC THREE 15 AND SC 46, AS WELL AS THE NORTHERN BEAUFORT TRANSIT STUDY.

ALL THOSE HAVE BEEN COMPLETED WITHIN THE LAST YEAR.

BEAUFORT COUNTY IS MANAGING THREE OF THESE PROJECTS FOR US.

UM, THE US 2 78 CORRIDOR STUDY, SC ONE 70 QUARTER STUDY, AND THE ITS MASTER PLAN.

AND THOSE ARE, UM, MOVING ALONG, UH, US 2 78 JUST HAD A PUBLIC COMMENT OR PUBLIC MEETINGS OVER JUST BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS.

AND SC ONE 70 SHOULD BE HAVING SOME PUBLIC MEETINGS COMING UP SOON.

AND THEN WE HAVE THREE TOWARDS THE BOTTOM HERE THAT HAVE NOT KICKED OFF YET AND ARE STILL IN, UM, PLANNING STAGES.

THE SC ONE 70 MULTI-USE PATH FEASIBILITY STUDY IS THAT LOOKING AT THE SPINE THAT WAS IDENTIFIED IN THE BUFORT CONNECTS BIKE PLAN THAT, UM, I'M JUST WAITING FOR SOME PAPERWORK BACK FROM DOT TO MOVE THAT ONE ALONG AND START ADVERTISING FOR A CONSULTANT.

AND THEN THE LAST TWO BRIDGE FEASIBILITY STUDIES, UM, WERE SLATED FOR 2027.

NO, THE TIP IS NOT JUST OUR, SO THOSE ARE PROJECTS THAT ARE FUNDED BY OUR $8.5 MILLION THAT WE'RE ALLOTTED EACH YEAR.

THE, THE TIP ALSO INCLUDES ANY FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION, FEDERALLY FUNDED TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS.

SO IT ALSO INCLUDES TRANSIT FUNDING, INTERSTATE PROJECTS, BRIDGE PROJECTS, SAFETY, TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES.

UM, PAVEMENTS IS IN THERE AS KIND OF MORE OF A LUMP SUM.

WE DON'T KNOW, YOU KNOW, I DON'T HAVE EXACT ROAD LOCATIONS OF WHERE EACH PAYMENT PROJECT IS, BUT THOSE ARE IDENTIFIED AS WELL BY COUNTY.

AND THEN WE HAVE, UM, THE CARBON REDUCTION PROGRAM.

ANY OTHER FEDERAL FUNDS, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, WE WERE AWARDED A PROTECT GRANT, DIDN'T REALLY FIT IN ANY OF THE OTHER BOXES.

SO IT'S IN THIS OTHER CATEGORY AS BEING A NEW DISCRETIONARY PROGRAM.

AND THEN A LOCAL PROJECT OF REGIONAL SIGNIFICANCE CAN ALSO BE IDENTIFIED IN THE, UM, THE TIP AS WELL.

UM, SOMETIMES YOU WANNA DO THAT IF YOU'RE APPLYING FOR FEDERAL DISCRETIONARY GRANTS TO HAVE A PROJECT SHOWN IN YOUR TIP ALREADY.

IT KIND OF MAKES, IT SHOWS THAT IT HAS REGIONAL IMPORTANCE AND AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL.

SO THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT COULD BE DONE.

SO THAT WAS ALL I WAS GONNA TALK ABOUT FOR THE TIP.

UM, MPO, IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS, THE, UH, ANALYSIS.

YES.

UM, CAN YOU REGIONAL ITS WHAT, WHAT DOES ITS STAND FOR? SORRY.

THAT'S OKAY.

IT'S INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS. SO THEY'RE DOING A STUDY, A MASTER PLAN FOR BUFORD AND JASPER COUNTY THAT WOULD IDENTIFY I IDEAL LOCATIONS FOR COORDINATED SIGNAL TIMING, MESSAGE SIGNS, ANYTHING THAT'S KIND OF MORE OF LIKE A TECH VERSION OF TRANSPORTATION THAT WOULD HELP THE TRAVELING PUBLIC.

OKAY, THANK YOU.

AND STEPHANIE, UH, WOULD YOU ALSO EXPLAIN, YOU MENTIONED THE TECHNICAL COMMITTEE.

WOULD YOU EXPLAIN WHO'S ON THAT AND HOW THAT INTERACTS WITH THE POLICY COMMITTEE? UM, SO THE TECHNICAL COMMITTEE IS MADE UP OF SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS OR YOUR STAFF LEVEL FOLKS.

SO, UM, THAT'S EITHER YOUR PLANNING STAFF OR YOUR ENGINEERING STAFF, IF YOU

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AND THE, WE TEND TO MEET AS NEEDED, BUT WHAT THEIR ROLE IS, IS TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE POLICY COMMITTEE ON, UM, SOME OF THE PLANNING ACTIVITIES THAT WE'RE DOING.

SO THEY PLAYED A LARGE ROLE IN SOME OF OUR CORRIDOR STUDIES, UM, AS A SOUNDING BOARD.

AND, UM, THROUGH THE UPDATE OF THE, UH, PLAN, WE'LL BE REACHING OUT TO THEM.

ANY OF YOU OUT THERE THAT , LET'S SEE.

I'LL BE REACHING OUT TO YOU TO COLLECT DATA AND GET INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR MUNICIPALITIES AND JURISDICTIONS.

SPECIFICALLY.

EACH JURISDICTION POINTS A MEMBER TO THE POWERS TO THE TECHNICAL COMMITTEE.

OKAY.

EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS THAT.

ALRIGHT.

UM, FIRST QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD.

AND I SEE MR. MOORE, YOU ARE ON THE BOARD.

DON'T, DON'T TRY TO HIDE BACK THERE.

SO YOU CAN, YOU CAN HAVE A SEAT UP HERE, .

I'M INVITED TO THE TABLE TRYING.

YEAH, I CAUGHT SIGHT OF YOU, UM, FROM THE BOARD.

ANY QUESTIONS? I HAVE ONE, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS GONNA BE A GOOD QUESTION OR NOT, AND IT MAY BE HARD TO ANSWER, SO FORGIVE ME IF THAT'S THE CASE.

I'M JUST CURIOUS.

SO WHEN YOU'RE, WHEN YOU'RE PLANNING THESE LONG RANGE PROJECTS LIKE, UM, YOU KNOW, INTO 2030 AND 2040 BEYOND, DO YOU, AND IF SO, HOW DO YOU CONSIDER THE FUTURE OF TRANSIT AND WHAT IT MAY LOOK LIKE AND HOW IT MAY DIFFER FROM WHAT WE SEE TODAY? IF SOME OF THOSE TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS WOULD BE, UM, WOULD BE DIFFERENT.

IS THAT, IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE? UM, IT DO CHANGES IN TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY OR, YEAH, SO AS, AS MOBILITY AND TRANSIT OPTIONS CHANGE, UM, YOU KNOW, CARS DRIVING THEMSELVES OR WHAT, WHATEVER THAT IS AND WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN THE FUTURE.

WHEN YOU'RE THINKING THIS FAR AHEAD, HOW DOES THAT PLAY INTO, UM, YOUR DECISION FOR, FOR PLANNING? YEAH, THAT'S A, THAT IS A GOOD QUESTION AND IT IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFICULT TO ANSWER.

I MEAN, THE PLAN IS UPDATED EVERY FIVE YEARS, SO ULTIMATELY WE SAY IT'S GONNA HAPPEN IN 2055.

IT'S GONNA CHANGE FIVE YEARS FROM NOW.

AGAIN, WE'LL KEEP ROLLING, KEEP THAT ROLLING.

BUT THE, UM, WE'LL ADDRESS SOME OF THOSE ISSUES, BUT I'M NOT SURE HOW SPECIFIC WE CAN GET.

'CAUSE WE DON'T ACTUALLY HAVE ANY OF THOSE ACTIVELY IN OUR AREA.

LIKE DRIVING DRIVERLESS CARS AREN'T ACTIVE IN OUR AREA CURRENTLY.

UM, SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN WRITE UP AND CONSIDER.

BUT I'M NOT SURE THAT LIKE WE'D BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY AS LIKE A FUNDED PROJECT NECESSARILY.

SO, AND MAYBE THAT IS, I GUESS, THE PURPOSE FOR WHY IT WOULD BE UPDATED EVERY FIVE YEARS.

I WAS JUST CURIOUS AT HOW YOU PLAN FOR, YOU KNOW, LONG, LONG RANGE PROJECTS LIKE THAT.

THANK YOU.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? ANY QUESTIONS FOR, FROM THE PUBLIC? OKAY, STEPHANIE,

[III.B. Introduction of Lowcountry Council of Government Executive Director. Hank Amundson, Executive Director]

UM, I ALSO WANTED TO INTRODUCE, HEY AMERSON.

HE IS OUR NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AT THE LOW COUNTRY COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENT.

UM, HE, YOU KNOW, BETTER THAN I DO , BUT I DIDN'T GIVE HER A BIO TO READ.

I'LL JUST KEEP IT SHORT.

I'VE BEEN TOLD FROM THE BEGINNING TO KEEP IT SHORT, UH, WHETHER IT'S AT BOARD MEETINGS OR PRESENTATIONS, BUT I'VE BEEN IN THE REGION FOR ABOUT 16 YEARS.

I'VE KNOWN A LOT OF YOU GUYS, WHETHER IT'S WORKING AT IN CITY GOVERNMENT WHEN I WAS IN COL COUNTY IN WALTERBORO OR COUNTY GOVERNMENT AT BEAUFORT COUNTY.

AND THIS IS ACTUALLY MY SECOND TOUR OF DUTY AT THE COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS 10 YEARS AGO.

I WORKED THERE FOR FIVE YEARS RUNNING THEIR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND AGING SERVICES DEPARTMENTS.

AND I'M EXCITED TO COME BACK.

I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS JOB FOR A LONG TIME.

I WORKED FOR THE PREVIOUS DIRECTOR BEFORE SABRINA WAS NAMED CHRIS BICKLEY FOR TWO AND A HALF YEARS.

I WORKED FOR SABRINA FOR TWO AND A HALF YEARS AND HAVE HAD A LOT OF TIME TO LEARN IN BETWEEN.

AND I'M EXCITED TO WORK WITH TALENTED PEOPLE LIKE STEPHANIE OR MICHELLE OR MOLINA.

UH, AND ESPECIALLY, UH, LETITIA SCOTLAND IS OUR SENIOR, OUR AGING SERVICES DIRECTOR.

OUR, I HAVE A HEART FOR THE HUMAN SERVICES, WHICH IS WORKFORCE AND AGING, AND I'M EXCITED TO SEE THAT THEY'RE GROWING A LOT MORE INTO THE SOUTHERN PART OF BEAUFORT COUNTY AND OUT INTO THE RURAL AREAS.

UM, SO WE'RE GONNA KEEP FOCUSING ON THAT, BUT ADDITIONALLY, WITH THE TECHNICAL THINGS, WE'RE GOING TO FIND MORE WAYS TO WORK WITH MUNICIPALITIES AND COUNTY GOVERNMENTS.

YOU GUYS WILL SEE ME AT THESE KIND OF MEETINGS AND, UH, STAFF.

I'LL BE REACHING OUT JUST TO SEE HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE THE REGION BETTER.

THANK YOU, HANK.

UM, ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE PUBLIC? LET YOU OFF THE HOOK.

THAT WAS EASY.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND GOOD LUCK.

UM, NEXT THE,

[III.C. Overview of Environmental Dangers of Balloon Releases. Jenn Clementoni, Executive Director for Carolina Night Birding Center]

[00:25:01]

UM, AND SHE'S GONNA TALK ABOUT BALLOON RELEASES AND HER CONVERSATIONS WITH BUFORT, A BAR ROAD, WHICH IS AN OKEE ON HIGHWAY ONE 70.

IT'S ACROSS THE HIGHWAY FROM THE PORT ROYAL SOUND FOUNDATION AND MARITIME CENTER.

OUR PROJECT IS ACTUALLY BEING MADE POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF THE GENEROSITY OF SOME DONORS WHO DONATED THAT LAND TO US.

THEY ARE ALSO THE SAME FOLKS THAT DONATED THE LAND TO THE PORT ROYAL SOUND FOUNDATION.

SO WE ARE VERY, VERY EXCITED.

WE WILL BE BUILDING AN EDUCATIONAL CAMPUS, BUT OUR BIGGEST TASK IS BUILDING AN INTAKE AND TRIAGE CENTER FOR INJURED BIRDS.

NOW I LIVE ON HARBOR ISLAND AND ANYBODY THAT'S BEEN TO CHARLESTON OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, THE TRAFFIC CONTINUES TO GROW.

IT TAKES ME SIX HOURS ROUND TRIP TO DRIVE TO AUGH RIGHT NOW, WHICH IS THE CLOSEST REHAB CENTER.

SO WE ARE HOPING TO BRIDGE THAT GAP, HOPE, SAVE MORE BIRDS.

WE'LL HAVE AN INTERPRETIVE CENTER, UH, INDOOR OUTDOOR CLASSROOMS, AND WE WILL BE HAVING A SOFT OPENING IN THE NEXT MONTH OR TWO.

WE'RE JUST WAITING FOR OUR MOBILE OFFICE.

SO WE ARE HERE TO TALK ABOUT BALLOONS, AND WE JUST HAD AN EVENT ON FRIDAY EVENING, AND I ASKED EVERYONE IN THE AUDIENCE HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE LOCAL TO THE BEAUFORT AREA.

WE HAD, WE HAD 139 PEOPLE THERE AND 16 RAISED THEIR HANDS AND SAID THAT THEY WERE LOCAL.

SO THAT JUST SHOWS THAT THE WORK THAT OUR ORGANIZATION IS DOING AND INITIATIVES LIKE THIS ARE SO IMPORTANT BECAUSE MANY PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND OUR LANDSCAPE AND WHAT IT MEANS.

SO BALLOON FACTS, YES, WHAT GOES UP MUST COME DOWN.

SO IT MIGHT SEEM LIKE A HARMLESS PRACTICE, BUT WHAT HAPPENS IS MANY OF THESE BALLOONS ARE ENDING UP IN OUR TREES IN OUR MARSHES.

SEA TURTLES THINK THAT THESE ARE JELLYFISH THAT IS ACTUALLY THEIR MAIN SOURCE OF FOOD.

AND SO THAT BECOMES A PROBLEM.

DOLPHINS, SHARKS, THEY ARE KNOWN TO KILL LIVESTOCK.

THEY'RE KNOWN TO CAUSE POWER OUTAGE.

SO THAT IS A LOSS FOR CONSUMERS AND FOR RESIDENTS AS WELL.

NOW, BEING THAT MY SON IS A CITY OF BEAUFORT POLICE OFFICER, DO I EXPECT HIM AND HIS COLLEAGUES TO BE CHASING PEOPLE DOWN WHEN A BALLOON GOES ASTRAY WHEN YOU'RE WALKING OUT OF PUBLIX? NO, I DO NOT.

THIS IS ABOUT EDUCATION.

AND SO WE WORKED WITH THE CITY OF BEAUFORT FOR THEM TO UNDERSTAND WHERE SOME OF THIS DATA WAS COME FROM, UH, CAME FROM.

I ALSO WANT TO MAKE, UM, SOME POINTS HERE.

WHAT DID WE SEE ONCE THE CITY OF BEAUFORT INSTITUTED THIS POSITIVE? I WILL TAKE A 90% FAVORABILITY ON ONLINE ENGAGEMENT FROM PEOPLE ANY DAY.

AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, YOU CAN SAY THAT THE SKY IS BLUE ONLINE AND PEOPLE ARE GONNA ARGUE WITH YOU RIGHT NOW ONLINE.

THIS ACTUALLY CREATED A TON OF FAVORABILITY FOR THE CITY BECAUSE IT A, SHOWED THEIR COMMITMENT TO THE ENVIRONMENT.

AND THIS WAS A REALLY SIMPLE THING.

AND HERE'S WHY I DECIDED TO SEPARATE THIS FROM THE FOLKS THAT ARE TRYING TO INSTITUTE PLASTIC BAG OR STRAW BANDS.

WHY? BECAUSE WHEN YOU TAKE AWAY AN OPTION FROM A CONSUMER, LIKE A PLASTIC BAG OR A STRAW, THEY GET ANGRY.

THEY DON'T LIKE THAT.

THEY THINK THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS OVERSTEPPING AND OVERREACHING.

AND WHILE I DO BELIEVE THAT THOSE ARE ISSUES IN THEIR OWN RIGHT, THIS IS SEPARATE, THIS IS A SEPARATE ISSUE.

WE'RE NOT ASKING YOU TO NOT BUY BALLOONS, WE'RE ASKING YOU NOT TO RELEASE THEM INTO THE AIR AND CAUSE LITTER AND DESTRUCTION.

SO THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED TO POINT OUT.

WE'RE NOT ASKING FOR A CONSUMER GOOD TO BE TAKEN AWAY.

AND THIS IS SO IMPORTANT TO OUR AREA BECAUSE FIRST OF ALL, TOURISM IS A HUGE DRIVER OF THE ECONOMY IN THIS AREA.

SECOND, SO ARE OUR CONSUM, OUR OUR COMMERCIAL FISHERMEN, OUR BOAT TOURS, OUR DOLPHIN TOURS.

I JUST DID A REEL A FEW WEEKS AGO HIGHLIGHTING THIS BAND.

AND WE WERE AT CANNON PARK RIGHT AT THE BASE OF THE WOODS MEMORIAL BRIDGE.

AND I TEXTED JOSH TO TELL HIM THERE WAS A BALLOON RIGHT IN THE MARSH BEHIND US.

IT COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE PERFECT TIMING.

SO WE PUT THE DRONE

[00:30:01]

SO YOU MIGHT NOT UNDERSTAND THAT THOSE THINGS ARE THERE, BUT AS THE TIDES EBB AND FLOW THROUGHOUT THE DAY, YES, THEY ARE AT MY HOME ON HARBOR ISLAND.

I'VE HAD A BALLOON SITTING IN MY LIVE OAK.

NOW WE'RE GOING ON SIX YEARS.

WE CAN'T REACH IT, WE CAN'T GET TO IT.

IT DOES NOT BREAK DOWN.

AND SO THIS IS BASICALLY THE GEOGRAPHIC AREA OF THE WATERWAYS AND WETLANDS OF THE CAROLINA BITE.

THE CAROLINA BITE IS CONSISTED OF EVERYTHING FROM THE ST.

HELENA SOUNDS TO THE SAVANNAH RIVER IN BEAUFORT AND JASPER COUNTIES.

SO JUST QUICK, YES, OVER 100 BIRDS MIGRATED THROUGH OUR AREA FROM AUGUST THROUGH NOVEMBER 15TH OF THIS PAST YEAR.

YOU CAN ACTUALLY SIT OUTSIDE ON SOME NIGHTS AND HEAR THESE BIRDS.

THEY ALL MIGRATE AT NIGHT FOR MULTIPLE REASONS, BUT AGAIN, ELIMINATING ANOTHER ISSUE FOR THEM WHEN IT COMES TO GETTING TANGLED, SWALLOWING SOMETHING IS A WIN-WIN.

AND YES, BECAUSE BIRDS ARE DISAPPEARING AT ALARMING RATES, WE LOSE A BILLION BIRDS EACH YEAR FROM DIFFERENT CAUSES, WHETHER IT BE WINDOW STRIKES OR FROM INGESTING RODENTICIDES PLASTICS, THINGS LIKE BALLOONS, ET CETERA.

I'M JUST GONNA SKIP THROUGH THIS AND GET TO THE DATA.

NOW, YOU MIGHT ASK YOURSELF, WELL JEN, WHY DO YOU ONLY HAVE DATA FROM THE BEACHES? BECAUSE THIS DATA COMES FROM THE SOUTH CAROLINA AQUARIUM, AND IT COMES FROM PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF AND OTHERS, TURTLE VOLUNTEERS.

WE GO OUT EVERY DAY FROM MAY 1ST UNTIL OCTOBER 31ST EVERY YEAR.

AND WE'RE THE ONES THAT ARE COLLECTING THE TRASH ALONG OUR BEACHES.

CAN YOU IMAGINE IF WE HAD DATA FROM PEOPLE THAT WERE COLLECTING IN PARKS WHEN THEY DO ROADSIDE CLEANUPS? A LOT OF THOSE PEOPLE DO FEED THIS DATA BACK.

BUT YOU CAN SEE HERE ALL OF THE NUMBERS.

AND IN 2024, WE HAD A VERY LARGE INCREASE.

DON'T FORGET BETWEEN 20 AND 21, 22, WE KIND OF HAD THOSE COVID YEARS.

SO A LOT OF PEOPLE WEREN'T GOING OUT.

BUT THE STATISTICS IN BEAUFORT COUNTY ALONE COMPARED TO CHARLESTON AND BERKELEY COUNTIES WERE THE HIGHEST OF BALLOON TRASH IN THIS AREA.

CLEMSON, CLEMSON KNEW THAT THEY WERE DOING SOMETHING WRONG AND THEY INSTITUTED A BAN OF RELEASING 10,000 BALLOONS AT EVERY ONE OF THEIR HOME GAMES.

AND THEY HAVE STOPPED DOING THAT BECAUSE THEY KNOW THAT THIS IS A BAD PRACTICE.

NOW, WE LET FLORIDA BEAT US.

WE DON'T LIKE THAT.

BUT GOVERNOR DESANTIS INSTITUTED A COMPLETE BAN ON JULY 1ST, 2025 IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA, BECAUSE AGAIN, HE UNDERSTOOD AND WORKED WITH LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS LIKE MYSELF TO KNOW THAT YES, THEIR SEA TURTLE POPULATION, THEIR BIRD POPULATION, THEIR LIVESTOCK POPULATION WAS GONNA BE AFFECTED.

AND SO HERE ARE SOME OF THE STATES THAT HAVE TAKEN ACTION HERE.

HERE ARE SOME OF THE CITIES.

AND YES, WE HAVE THE LITTLE FIREWORK SIGN NEXT TO THE CITY OF BEAUFORT THAT WENT INTO EFFECT THIS YEAR ON JANUARY 1ST.

AND THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE SAYINGS BECAUSE THIS IS VERY TRUE FROM THEODORE ROOSEVELT, IS THE WILDLIFE AND NATURE CANNOT SPEAK FOR ITSELF.

SO WE MUST AND WE WILL.

AND WHO ARE WE PROTECTING? HERE'S SOME PHOTOS THAT I, ALL OF THE PHOTOS IN THIS PRESENTATION, BY THE WAY, ARE THINGS THAT I'VE TAKEN MYSELF THROUGH OUR AREA.

AND YOU CAN SEE ANYTHING FROM THE WHITE PELICANS TO THE OSPREY WHEN THEY'RE GRABBING FISH, WHEN BRINGING IT BACK TO THE NEST.

DOLPHINS ARE WINTERING TUNDRA SWANS THAT COME FROM THE ARCTIC.

OUR BROWN PELICANS, THERE ARE ONLY 88 LEFT OF THIS PIPING PLOVER UP HERE IN THE BREEDING POPULATION IN THE GREAT LAKES.

AND THEY WINTER RIGHT HERE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY.

DOUBLE CRESTED COMRADES.

I'M SURE A LOT OF YOU GUYS ARE SEEING THEM RIGHT NOW.

GREAT EGRETS, KIND OF THE SYMBOL OF THE LOW COUNTRY.

AND AGAIN, JUST WANNA REITERATE, THIS IS ABOUT LIVESTOCK, OPEN LAND, POWER LINES, BUSINESSES, TREE CANOPIES.

WE CAME UP WITH ALTERNATIVES.

A LOT OF GROUPS WILL APPROACH YOU AND SAY, YOU MUST DO THIS AND YOU MUST DO THAT.

AND THEY DON'T COME TO THE TABLE WITH ALTERNATIVES.

WELL, WE DID.

AND WE'RE ALSO WORKING WITH THE CITY ON IMPLEMENTING SOME OF THIS.

SO BLOW BUBBLES INSTEAD.

I THINK THAT'S A LOT MORE FUN ACTUALLY.

BUT PLANT A TREE OR A NATIVE FLOWER SPECIES.

CREATE A MEMORY GARDEN.

PAINT ROCKS.

IF YOU'RE FINANCIALLY CAPABLE, DONATE OR CREATE A SCHOLARSHIP IN YOUR LOVED ONES.

HONOR, CREATE A MEMORY, HAVE A GATHERING EVERY YEAR INSTEAD OF JUST THIS ONE TIME CAUSE OF SENDING OUT BALLOONS.

THIS WAS JUST SOME OF THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.

AND I WANNA THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION, AND I'M HERE TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS IF ANYONE HAS.

THANK YOU, JEN.

YOU'RE WELCOME.

I PROMISED YOU I'D BE QUICK.

THAT THAT WAS QUICK AND I NOTICED A LOT OF, UM, CITIES IN ALONG THE COAST IN NEW JERSEY.

YEAH.

[00:35:01]

AND LIKE I SAID, BECAUSE THESE TRAVEL THOUSANDS OF MILES, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN END UP INLAND RIGHT HERE.

THEY DO, THEY DON'T JUST STAY ALONG THE COAST.

OKAY.

UM, I'LL OPEN IT UP FOR QUESTIONING FROM THE BOARD.

I'LL JUST MAKE A COMMENT REALLY QUICK.

ONE, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, JAN, AND FOR BEING HERE THIS MORNING.

UH, THIS WAS KIND OF LOW HANGING FRUIT FOR THE CITY BECAUSE WE HAD AN ORDINANCE IN PLACE THAT RESTRICTED, UH, BALLOON RELEASE ON CITY OWNED PROPERTY.

SO JUST TWEAKING THAT A BIT AND MAKING THAT ACROSS THE BOARD AND THE CITY WAS PRETTY EASY.

BUT I DID SHARE WITH YOU MAYOR, UM, THE ORDINANCE THAT WE PASSED, JUST SO THAT YOU CAN HAVE IT IN CASE, UM, ANYBODY ELSE IS INTERESTED.

SO I DID EMAIL YOU THAT THIS MORNING.

YEAH.

AND THE REASON THAT THIS REALLY KIND OF STARTED TO COME TO A HEAD WAS I HAD STARTED GETTING MESSAGES ABOUT A MASS BALLOON RELEASE THAT WAS HAPPENING IN THE CITY AND THERE WAS NOTHING THE CITY COULD DO ABOUT IT.

AND, UM, PEOPLE WERE REALLY ANGRY.

AND IT, IT HAS JUST BECOME, YOU KNOW, A MORE OF A HABIT.

AND NOW AGAIN, WITH EDUCATION, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GONNA WALK INTO SOME OF YOUR FOOD STORES AND THEY'RE SELLING BALLOONS.

I'M ACTUALLY GONNA BE APPROACHING THEM NOW, JUST THE ONES THAT ARE IN THE CITY JUST TO PUT UP HOPEFULLY SOME SIGNAGE, JUST SAYING, HERE'S SOME ALTERNATIVES.

YOU KNOW, DON'T JUST RELEASE THEM.

AND IT REALLY IS A GOOD CONVERSATION TO START HAVING ABOUT EDUCATION OVERALL, OVERALL WHEN IT COMES TO THE ENVIRONMENT.

SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME TODAY.

YOU'RE WELCOME.

WELL, WELL YOU OFF THE HOOK.

.

WELL, YOU KIND OF ANSWERED MY QUESTION A LITTLE BIT THERE.

IN YOUR LAST COUPLE OF MINUTES, WHAT DO YOU DO? WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST? WHAT ARE YOU GOING? I MEAN, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? BAN THE SAIL OF BALLOONS? ARE WE GOING TO NO, JUST A PUBLIC OUTREACH AND EDUCATE PEOPLE AS TO THE IMPORTANCE OF NOT RELEASING THEM.

WHAT, WHAT ARE, WHAT IS, WHAT'S WORKING IN OTHER PLACES THAT YOU COULD SUGGEST? SO IT DEFINITELY IS A LOT OF BOOTS ON THE GROUND EFFORT GOING TO THE LOCAL SCHOOLS AND TO LOCAL COMMUNITY GROUPS.

UH, A LOT OF SOCIAL MEDIA, UM, PRESS RELEASES AND THEN JUST INFORMATION.

WE'RE WORKING HOPEFULLY WITH THE CITY ON, UM, POTENTIALLY INSTALLING LIKE A BALLOON RELEASE DROP POINT IN ONE OF THE PARKS.

UH, JUST WITH A LITTLE BIT OF SIGNAGE SO THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND LET'S DO THIS INSTEAD.

AGAIN, THOSE ALTERNATIVES THAT I PROVIDED, WE'RE HOPING THAT WE CAN PUT THOSE IN SOME OF THE STORES AND SOME OF THE COMMUNITY GROUPS WHERE THIS IS HAPPENING.

I CAN TELL YOU THAT ONE OF THE BIGGEST UPTICKS THAT WE SEE ON OUR TURTLE PATROL IS ALWAYS A GRADUATION SEASON.

UM, YOU KNOW, WE GET TONS OF BALLOONS THAT SAY, CONGRATULATIONS GRADUATE.

IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW, UM, FRUSTRATING.

BUT I JUST FOUND BALLOONS LAST WEEK AND LORD KNOWS HOW, YOU KNOW, OLD THEY ARE, BUT REALLY IT'S GONNA BE A LOT OF BOOTS ON THE GROUND.

THIS IS JUST A SIMPLE THING TO SAY, JUST LIKE YOU TELL PEOPLE IT'S LITTERING TO THROW A BOTTLE ON THE GROUND IN A PARK.

THIS IS THE SAME THING, EXCEPT IT'S DON'T RELEASE THIS INTO THE AIR 'CAUSE IT IS GONNA END UP COMING DOWN.

WE ARE NOT THE TYPE OF ORGANIZATION THAT'S LOOKING TO BAN ANYTHING.

UM, WE DON'T WANNA TAKE AWAY THE OPTION FOR A CONSUMER.

GOOD BALLOONS ARE KIND OF LIKE, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING THAT YOU GROW UP WITH.

UM, BUT UNDERSTANDING THAT WE HAD POSITIVE WINS IN THE FORM OF FEEDBACK, UM, BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT TAKING AWAY AN OPTION FROM SOMEONE.

IT'S A SIMPLE TOOL TO SHOW YOUR COMMITMENT TO THE ENVIRONMENT WHILE YOU ARE ENGAGING WITH THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF, YOU KNOW, PROTECTING THIS ENVIRONMENT WE LOVE SO MUCH.

AND WHAT I'LL, WHAT I'LL DO FOR THE BOARD MEMBERS, I'LL MAKE SURE THAT, UM, UH, CURRY, IF YOU AND CINDY COULD, UM, GET THE ORDINANCE OUT TO EVERY JURISDICTION AND THEN ONE OF THE PURPOSES, EVERY JURISDICTION CAN LOOK AT THAT ORDINANCE AND DECIDE FOR YOURSELF WHETHER IT'S APPLICABLE OR WE CAN EACH HAVE THE CHOICE OF MODIFYING IT TO OUR PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCE.

MM-HMM .

SO, UH, WE'LL MAKE SURE WE GET THAT OUT.

YES.

AND I'M HAPPY TO COME PRESENT TO ANY OF YOUR LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES OR ORGANIZATIONS.

JUST PLEASE REACH OUT TO ME.

OKAY.

NOW, UM, WE'LL OPEN IT UP TO THE PUBLIC.

I SEE, UH, FORMER MAYOR SALKA HERE.

SHE PROBABLY GOT CLEMSON DO, UH, BAND.

THIS WAS THAT, WAS THAT YOU? UH, LISA? I DIDN'T HEAR YOUR, I DIDN'T HEAR WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT ME.

WHAT'D YOU SAY? I SAID THE, THE CLEMSON BAND WAS PROBABLY, UH, WE STOPPED OUR LUM 20 YEARS AGO.

SEE, I KNEW IT WAS YOU WHO DID THAT.

NO, I HAVE NOTHING.

UM, WE NOW HAVE, UH, THE, THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PUBLIC TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS OF JEN.

[00:40:01]

COULD YOU COME FORWARD AND SPEAK INTO THE MICROPHONE AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF? HEY, JEN, I, I, THIS IS GRANT MCCLURE WITH THE COASTAL CONSERVATION LEAGUE.

UM, JUST WANTED TO COMMEND YOU FOR YOUR WORK ON, UH, GETTING THIS ORDINANCE PASSED IN THE CITY OF BEAUFORT.

AND I'M HOPEFUL THAT OTHER MUNICIPALITIES WILL, WILL FOLLOW SUIT AND, AND, AND EVEN MAYBE POSSIBLY THE COUNTIES.

UM, AND SO IT'S, IT'S REALLY GREAT WORK.

UM, BUT I SEE BALLOONS AS, AS ONE SMALL PIECE OF THE PUZZLE HERE.

MM-HMM .

UM, THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER, YOU KNOW, WASTE, UM, THAT'S GETTING INTO OUR MARSHES, INCLUDING THOSE PLASTIC BAGS, STYROFOAM, CLAM SHELLS MM-HMM .

AND ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, STRAWS, AND I KNOW YOU WERE KIND OF PARSING OUT THE TWO ISSUES, BUT, UH, I KIND OF SEE THEM AS AS INTERRELATED.

AND SO I'M HOPEFUL THAT AS BEAUFORT COUNTY CONSIDERS ADOPTING, UH, AMENDING THEIR PLASTIC ORDINANCE TO ADDRESS SOME OF THOSE ITEMS, UH, WE CAN HAVE THE BUY-IN FROM, FROM THE BIRDING CENTER.

AND, UM, YOU KNOW, I, I SEE THESE ISSUES AS INTERRELATED AND I KNOW YOU'RE PARSING THEM OUT, BUT, UH, PERSONALLY, I I THINK WE NEED TO BE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO PROTECT OUR WILDLIFE.

AND SO AGAIN, I THINK IT'S GREAT EFFORT AND I APPLAUD YOU FOR IT, BUT I JUST HOPE THAT WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE, THE ENTIRE PICTURE HERE.

AND SO JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU AND, AND WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT, UH, AS WE, UH, MOVE THESE CHANGES FORWARD IN THE COUNTY, HOPEFULLY IN THE SPRING, UM, WE CAN HAVE EVERYBODY ON BOARD, INCLUDING THE MUNICIPALITIES.

SO THANK YOU.

APPRECIATE IT.

YEAH, I MEAN, IT'S DEFINITELY A STEPPING STONE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

UM, HONESTLY, GRANT, AND WE CAN TALK ABOUT THIS LATER, BUT BASED ON THE FEEDBACK I RECEIVED FROM OUR STATE LEGISLATORS, UM, THAT'S THE REASON THAT I SEPARATED THAT OUT.

SO YOU CAN READ BETWEEN THE LINES THERE.

UM, AND THAT'S JUST HONEST FEEDBACK.

I'M HAPPY TO DISCUSS IT WITH YOU, BUT YOU KNOW, THERE'S LOTS OF PROBLEMS. YEAH.

I MEAN, ANYONE THAT'S BEEN TO CYPRUS WETLANDS, THAT IS A STORM WATER MANAGEMENT AREA, AND I CRINGE BECAUSE YES, I SEE LOTS OF STYROFOAM CUPS AND THINGS COMING THROUGH BECAUSE IT'S STORM WATER MANAGEMENT, BUT THIS IS JUST, TO ME, A LITTLE BIT OF A SIMPLER SOLUTION BECAUSE IT'S NOT TAKING AWAY THAT CONSUMER GOOD OPTION.

BUT WE CAN HAVE A CONVERSATION FOR SURE.

SURE.

YEAH, I APPRECIATE IT.

THANK YOU.

YOU'RE WELCOME.

ANYONE ELSE FROM THE PUBLIC WHO'D LIKE TO ASK A QUESTION OR MAKE A COMMENT FOR JEN? JEN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

AND JOSH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BRINGING THIS ISSUE FORWARD FOR THE, UH, FOR THE BOARD.

OKAY,

[III.D. Overview of E-Bike Dangers. Councilmember Dan Wood, Town of Bluffton]

THANK YOU, MAYOR.

UM, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT FOR I BEGIN, THIS IS GONNA BE SHORT.

IT'S NOT SCIENTIFIC.

UM, I'M NOT ANTI, UH, E-BIKES OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, THAT IS NOT THE POINT OF THIS DISCUSSION TODAY.

IT'D BEEN BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION.

UH, A LOT OF US, UH, ON TOWN COUNCIL IN BLUFFTON.

WE'VE SEEN 'EM ALL OVER OUR COMMUNITY.

I BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE HOLIDAY PERIOD, THERE WAS A PROLIFERATION OF E-BIKES EVERYWHERE.

I THINK EVERY KID SEEMED TO GET ONE.

AND ACTUALLY I'VE SEEN AS MANY AS 20 TOGETHER AT A TIME.

AND THEY'RE DOING THE WHEELIES DOWN THE MAIN STREET AND HAVING A GOOD TIME, BUT THEIR KIDS AND THEY'RE NOT REALLY DOING ANYTHING WRONG.

SO MY GOAL TODAY IS JUST TO MENTION THIS, PUT IT ON THE RADAR, AND WE'LL SEE IF THERE'S INTEREST IN TALKING ABOUT IT FURTHER.

THE MAYOR WILL ASK THAT QUESTION.

UM, IT'S JUST TO KEEP EVERYBODY SAFE.

THAT'S THE MAIN POINT.

SO ANYWAY, WITH THAT, UM, CAN'T SEE WHERE IT'S ON THE SCREEN.

THERE.

HERE WE GO.

SO THIS TALKS ABOUT WHAT AN E-BIKE IS.

I THINK EVERYBODY HAS SEEN THEM BY NOW.

THERE ARE THREE CLASSIFICATIONS, UM, PRIMARILY THE ONE AND THE TWO.

THE THREE'S THE FASTEST.

THEY DO IT.

THE STATE, UH, CLASSIFIES THEM ESSENTIALLY AS A BICYCLE.

SO THEY HAVE THE SAME RIGHTS AS A BICYCLE, WHICH MEANS THEY CAN RIDE 'EM ON THE ROADS IN PLACES LIKE THAT WHERE THEY'RE ALLOWED.

UM, IT'S MEASURED BY THE WATTS OR ONE HORSEPOWER.

AND THEN, UM, I WANTED TO SAY THAT, UM, WELL, I ALREADY DID SAY THAT THEY'RE, THEY'RE LISTED BASICALLY AT THE STATE LAW AS A BICYCLE.

SO LET'S SEE, THE NEXT ONE YOU SEE HERE, THE THREE DIFFERENT CLASSES, EXCUSE ME.