[00:00:01]
CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY BUFORT COUNTY.
UH, MY NAME IS MICHELLE MEER, WORKFORCE HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
I'LL BE HERE TAKING THE LEAD WITH THE HOUSING ACTION COMMITTEE MOVING FORWARD, AND I APPRECIATE YOU ALL BEING HERE.
UH, I'LL BE RUNNING THE MEETING UNTIL THE CHAIR IS NOMINATED, WHICH WE WILL DO AFTER SEVERAL INTRODUCTIONS THIS MORNING.
FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS WILL BE TO ADOPT THE AGENDA, WHICH IS BEFORE YOU.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY CHANGES TO THE AGENDA? AGENDA? NO.
UM, MAKE SURE EVERYONE HAS THEIR MICS TURNED ON.
EVERYONE, PLEASE PUSH YOUR MIC BUTTON SO THAT THE LIGHT IS GREEN AND WE ARE ON.
UM, DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY CHANGES TO THE AGENDA? HEARING NONE.
UM, MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE AGENDA? SO MOVED.
NEXT ORDER OF BUSINESS IS TO APPOINT OUR COMMITTEE CHAIR, AND SINCE THIS IS OUR FIRST MEETING SINCE MAY, AND WE HAVE SEVERAL NEW FACES IN THE ROOM, I WOULD LIKE TO, UM, GO AROUND THE ROOM AND GIVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO INTRODUCE OURSELVES JUST TO FAMILIARIZE, UM, EVERYONE WITH WHO IS HERE.
SO, UH, JUSTIN, WOULD YOU LIKE TO KICK US OFF TODAY? UH, THANK YOU, MICHELLE.
I'M AN INDIGO RUN RESIDENT, UH, SINCE 2021.
UM, A LOCAL REAL ESTATE INVESTOR IN BEAUFORT COUNTY, AMONG OTHER PLACES.
UM, I HAVE A CHILD IN PUBLIC SCHOOL, UM, AND AN INTEREST IN HOUSING IN BEAUFORT COUNTY.
I HAVE LIVED ON THE ISLAND FOR ALMOST THREE YEARS NOW IN SEA PINES, AND I AM CURRENTLY A REMOTE WORKER, BUT I'VE WORKED IN MANY SECTORS ON THIS ISLAND AND I'M HAPPY TO BE HERE AND INVOLVED IN SOME LOCAL GOVERNMENT WORK.
I'M THE PROGRAM DIRECTOR FOR HABITAT FOR HUMANITY.
UM, BEEN ON THE ISLAND ALL MY LIFE, GREW UP AROUND HERE, SO, UM, AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS VERY CLOSE DEAR TO US AND HABITAT.
MICHELLE MEER, A 14 YEAR RESIDENT ON THE ISLAND, AND I'M HAPPY TO BE HERE.
I WAS A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER, UH, FOR ABOUT NINE YEARS.
WORKED AT THE CHAMBER, WAS ACCLIMATED INTO THE SPACE OF SMALL BUSINESS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND A LOT OF OUR REGIONAL PARTNERS COLLABORATED TO, UM, MOVE THE NEEDLE IN THE WORKFORCE HOUSING SPACE.
SO I'M HAPPY TO HAVE SUCH A STRONG GROUP AROUND THE TABLE, UH, FOR THIS CONVERSATION.
I'VE BEEN A PROPERTY OWNER ON THE ISLAND SINCE THE 1980S.
MY CHILDREN GREW UP, UH, COMING TO THE ISLAND, AND MY HUSBAND AND I, UH, MOVED HERE DURING THE PANDEMIC.
UH, SO I WORK IN WASHINGTON, DC FOR VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA, AND I ALSO SERVE ON THE LAND MAN MANAGEMENT ORDINANCE COMMITTEE AS THE HOUSING WORKFORCE HOUSING REPRESENTATIVE.
I'VE LIVED HERE PERMANENTLY SINCE 2002.
I'M, UH, LIVE IN HILTON HEAD PLANTATION, AND, UM, I'M A MORTGAGE BANKER AND I'M JUST INTERESTED IN HOUSING AND WORKFORCE HOUSING AND FINDING OUT MORE WHAT WE CAN DO TO HELP.
MY NAME IS MARIANNE O'BRIEN AND I AM A HOMEOWNER IN WARD ONE.
UM, I AM ALSO A REAL ESTATE INVESTOR AND HAVE BEEN A MORTGAGE LENDER HERE ON THE ISLAND SINCE 2006.
AND, UM, I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO PUTTING THAT EXPERTISE AS WELL AS MY INVESTOR EXPERTISE INTO UNDERSTANDING THE NEEDS HERE FOR FOLKS THAT ARE IN NEED OF THE, UM, WORKFORCE HOUSING.
UM, AND JUST A REMINDER, WHEN YOU SPEAK INTO THE MIC, UH, WE WANT THE RECORDING TO PICK UP EVERYONE'S VOICES AND COMMENTARY.
SO AS CLOSE AS YOU CAN, UM, ONCE WE ELECT THE CHAIRMAN AND APPOINT THE CHAIRMAN, I'M GOING TO HAND OVER THIS GAVEL AND A SCRIPT SO YOU WON'T BE, YOU'LL BE WELL TAKEN CARE OF AND YOU WON'T BE FLYING.
UM, MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPOINT A CHAIRMAN OF THE HOUSING ACTION COMMITTEE? I MAKE A MOTION TO APPOINT.
UM, SHE'S NOT HERE TODAY, BUT SANDY GIL IS, SHE'S BEEN AROUND SOME TIME.
I THINK IT IS, UH, UH, IT IS GREAT TO HAVE A COMBINATION OF SOMEBODY WHO UNDERSTANDS THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND SOMEBODY WHO UNDERSTANDS, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, ALSO THE NEEDS IN THE COMMUNITY.
[00:05:01]
HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH SANDY BEFORE THE MEETING AND SHE EXPRESSED, UM, HER DESIRE TO PARTICIPATE, TAKE AN ACTIVE ROLE, BUT SHE DOES NOT HAVE THE TIME COMMITMENT TO DEDICATE TO THE CHAIRMAN ROLE.SO SHE DID TAKE HER NAME OFF OF THE PLATE.
IS THERE ANOTHER, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO HANDLE THAT.
IS THERE ANOTHER NOMINATION? I WONDER IF MR. CASTELLANO IS INTERESTED IN, I I WOULD, I MEAN, I'M HERE.
YOU KNOW, I'M, YOU KNOW, THE ONLY ONE WHO'S BEEN FROM THE PREVIOUS COMMITTEE.
SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, IF THAT'S THE WAY THE COMMITTEE WANTS TO PROCEED, I'M, I'M HERE AGAIN, I WONDER WHY I'M HERE, BUT, UH, MAYBE YOU GUYS DO, BUT YOU KNOW, I REPRESENT ALL THOSE FAMILIES WHO NEED AFFORDABLE HOUSING, WHO NEED WORKFORCE HOUSING, AND I KEEP SHOWING UP TO THESE MEETINGS BECAUSE I CANNOT GIVE UP ON THEM, YOU KNOW? UM, SO, YOU KNOW, I'M OPEN.
UM, NOW I HAVE, YOU KNOW, I THINK I'M AVAILABLE MORE AND I HAVE THE SUPPORT OF OBVIOUSLY MY ED BRENDA DOOLEY.
SO I THINK SHE WOULD, YOU KNOW, SUPPORT ME ON THAT MATTER.
THANK YOU FOR THAT NOMINATION, AND THANK YOU.
I ASKED, DO I HAVE A SECOND? I SECOND THAT.
SIX ZERO IAX, YOU ARE NEW CHAIRMAN.
I'M GONNA PASS THE GAVEL OVER TO YOU, AND HERE IS YOUR SCRIPT NUMBER FOUR.
DO WE HAVE A, UH, WE NEED TO APPOINT A, OBVIOUSLY A VICE CHAIR, SOMEBODY WE CAN WORK WITH, AND THAT WE CAN HELP US GET THINGS ACCOMPLISHED.
UH, DO WE HAVE A MOTION FOR ANYBODY TO JOIN US AS THE VICE CHAIR? UH, UH, UH, BARBARA, UH, SHE'S THE LONGEST RESIDENT IN, UH, ON THE ISLAND.
I THINK THAT'S AN APPROPRIATE, I HAVE A SECOND.
BARBARA, YOU'RE THE VICE CHAIR, SO, WELL, THANK YOU.
I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU.
UM, AND THAT'S PRETTY, OUR AGENDA'S PRETTY SHORT TODAY, SO YES.
UM, SO THE ADOPTION, WE MOVED THAT, I GUESS, BUT A 11 MINUTES.
UM, DID EVERYBODY, DID, WE SHARED THE MINUTES WITH EVERYBODY FROM OUR LAST MEETING.
IT'S BEEN SOME TIME SINCE OUR LAST MEETING, BUT DOES EVERY, DO WE HAVE MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM OUR LAST MEETING? MOTION? DO WE SECOND? ANYBODY SECOND? I SECOND.
IS THAT IT? UM, AND THEN, SORRY, THIS COPY.
WE'LL NOW MOVE ON TO THE PRESENTATION THAT WE HAVE FOR THE WORKFORCE HOUSING PROGRAM PROGRESS UPDATE.
AND MICHELLE, I THINK IS GONNA GIVE US THAT.
UM, SO TODAY, UH, WE HAVE A PRESENTATION TO SUMMARIZE THE WORK AND THE PROGRESS THAT HAS TAKEN PLACE SINCE THE, UM, LAST MEETING MAY OF 2025.
SINCE THAT LAST MEETING, WE HAVE ADOPTED THE TOWN COUNCIL'S STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN, AND LAST WEEK WE HAD A SIX MONTH UPDATE.
SO I REALLY WANTED TO TOUCH BASE ON THE PROGRESS THAT'S BEEN MADE, TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE ONGOING WORKFORCE HOUSING, OPPORTU DEVELOPMENTS, AND THEN GO OVER SOME OPPORTUNITIES FOR THIS COMMITTEE TO TAKE PART IN AND A, IN AN ACTIVE ROLE.
UH, SO GOAL NUMBER EIGHT, YOU ALL ARE VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE INS AND OUTS OF THIS GOAL.
UM, IT SPEAKS DIRECTLY TO THE WORKFORCE HOUSING PLAN FOR, UM, THE TOWN.
I'VE HIGHLIGHTED HERE ON THIS SLIDE, UM, THE IMMEDIATE AND MOST PRESSING ACTION ITEMS OF THIS, OF THIS GOAL.
WE'RE GONNA DIVE INTO, UM, 8.1, WHERE WE'RE ASSESSING AND REVIEWING THE FINDING HOME PLAN, WHICH ESTABLISHES THAT UNIFIED POSITION.
UH, WE'RE GONNA GO INTO 8.2, UM, WHICH IS THE ALIGNMENT OF THIS COMMITTEE WITH TOWN COUNCIL'S DIRECTION.
WE HEARD A LOT OF THAT AT LAST WEEK'S WORKSHOP WHERE, UM, COUNCIL MEMBERS GAVE SOME DIRECTION, GAVE SOME INSIGHT, TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THEY WANTED TO SEE COME OUT OF THIS COMMITTEE.
SO WE'RE REALLY GONNA BE LISTENING TO THAT DIRECTION.
8.3 TALKS ABOUT THE, UM, LET'S SEE, THE, THE HOUSING INDEX.
AND IT SPEAKS ALSO TO A DASHBOARD THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO CREATE AND HAVE AS A RESOURCE FOR THE PUBLIC.
[00:10:01]
HOUSE, IT WILL, UH, PROVIDE AND TELL THE STORY OF WORKFORCE HOUSING IN OUR AREA WITH METRICS, WITH DATA.AND I THINK THE CHARGE OF THIS COMMITTEE IS REALLY GOING TO BRING THAT FORWARD.
SO I'M EXCITED TO, UM, DIVE INTO THAT WITH YOU.
8.4 SPEAKS TO THE NORTH POINT HOUSING, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD NORTH POINT ON JARVIS CREEK.
IT'S GROUNDBREAKING IS LATER THIS MONTH.
SO IT'S, UM, ADVANCED ENORMOUSLY IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE VERY PROUD OF AS A COMMUNITY.
MAYBE AN EXAMPLE THAT WE CAN, UM, DRAW INSPIRATION FROM AS WE MARCH, ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENTS FORWARD.
AND LASTLY, THE PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP TO ADVANCE THE BRYANT ROAD PROJECT.
I THINK THIS IS GOING TO BE SOMETHING THAT, UM, SEQUENCES NOT JUST IN FISCAL YEAR 26, BUT YOU'LL SEE ON THE SLIDE IT SEQUENCES OVER THREE YEARS.
WE'RE IN THE VERY EARLY INFANT STAGES OF THIS RIGHT NOW.
UH, 8.1, JUST REVIEWING THAT, FINDING HOME, WE REALLY WANT TO IDENTIFY THE FOUR PILLARS, COMMUNITY PLANNING, MANAGEMENT, AND REVENUE.
WHEN WE LOOK AT THE COMMUNITY PLANNING PILLAR, WHICH IS ON SLIDE ONE, UH, WE'RE HIGHLIGHTING THE ORGANIZATIONS AND THE GROUPS THAT COME TO THE TABLE.
THEY'RE ARE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION AND ARE SOLVING THE WORKFORCE HOUSING ISSUES IN OUR AREA.
UM, SINCE THIS GROUP MET LAST IN MAY, 2025, THERE HAS BEEN SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IN THIS SPACE.
A LOT OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND GROUPS, NAMELY COASTAL COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, UM, I'M SORRY, COMMUNITY COASTAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.
THE CCDC HAS STEPPED UP IN A BIG WAY TO PARTNER WITH PRIVATE BUSINESS AND TO BE THAT MISSING PIECE OF THE PUZZLE, UH, TO HELP SOLVE A LOT OF OUR, OUR WORKFORCE HOUSING CHALLENGES.
HABITAT IS, IS ONE OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS AS WELL.
DEEP WELL, UM, COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF THE LOW COUNTRY.
SO WE HAVE A VERY ACTIVE COMMUNITY.
WHEN WE LOOK AT THE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS AND GROUPS, UM, IT'S JUST ENCOURAGING THEM TO PARTICIPATE AND GIVING THEM THE RESOURCES THAT THEY NEED, UM, THE TOOLS THAT THEY NEED TO, TO PARTICIPATE AND STEP UP TO THE PLATE.
UH, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE, THE PLANNING PILLAR, WHICH IS, UH, THE SECOND PILLAR ON THIS SLIDE, WE'RE ALSO IDENTIFYING THE TOOLS AND OPPORTUNITIES AT THE TOWN THAT WILL HELP STIMULATE THAT WORKFORCE HOUSING.
UM, LAST WEEK IN THE WORKFORCE HOUSING, SORRY, THE STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN WORKSHOP, THE OPPORTUNITY THAT THE LMO REWRITE IS PRESENTING WAS HIGHLIGHTED BY COUNCILWOMAN BRYSON AS, UM, YOU KNOW, A POSSIBLE WAY OF, OF IDENTIFYING AREAS ON THE ISLAND WHERE LAND USE COULD BE LOOKED AT, WORKFORCE HOUSING COULD BE IDENTIFIED IN THOSE SPECIFIC POCKETS.
UM, SO WE REALLY NEED TO JUST PEEL BACK THE LAYERS AND UNDERSTAND WHERE THE OPPORTUNITIES, UM, PRESENT THEMSELVES.
IF WE LOOK AT THE NEXT TWO PILLARS, WE HAVE MANAGEMENT AND, UM, REVENUE MANAGEMENT REFERRING TO THE SPECIFIC ROLES AND THE KEY PLAYERS THAT WILL BE STEPPING UP TO, UM, SERVE THE COMMUNITY IN THIS WAY TO, TO REALLY DELIVER THIS WORK.
AND I THINK THIS COMMITTEE MYSELF, UM, STAFF WE'RE LISTENING TO WHAT TOWN COUNCIL WOULD LIKE US, US TO DELIVER, AND GETTING THAT DIRECTION FROM THEM IS, IS AN IMPORTANT STEP IN THIS PILLAR.
FOURTH, WE HAVE REVENUE, UM, SIMPLY SAID, IDENTIFYING FUNDING SOURCES, WHETHER THAT'S STATE, LOCAL, REGIONAL, AND PARTNERING WITH THOSE ORGANIZATIONS, UM, TO INCREASE THE FUNDING, IT HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED AS A PRIORITY IN THE SUCCESS OF THE FINDING HOME PLAN.
UM, AND IN JULY OF 2025, TOWN TOWN COUNCIL APPROVED THE EARMARKING OF 5% OF ATEX DOLLARS.
SO, UM, WE HAVE THAT, THAT FUND, IT'S, IT'S ONE OF SIX THAT IS HELD AT THE TOWN LEVEL.
8.2 SPEAKS TO THE RESOLUTION THAT CREATED THE HOUSING ACTION COMMITTEE, UM, ON MAY 16TH, 2023.
AND CONSISTING OF NO LESS THAN SEVEN, NO MORE THAN 11 MEMBERS, UM, THE RESOLUTION STRESSES THE IMPORTANCE OF ALIGNING THIS COMMITTEE'S CHARGE WITH TOWN COUNCIL DIRECTION.
AND IT'S IMPORTANT SO THAT THE WORK THAT'S DONE RECEIVES THE SUPPORT IN THE COMMUNITY AND THAT'S NEEDED TO IMPLEMENT AND, AND REALLY BECOME ADOPTED.
SO, AS YOU MAY HAVE HEARD ALSO IN LAST WEEK'S WORKSHOP, THERE IS INTEREST IN HAVING A MEMBER OF TOWN COUNCIL POTENTIALLY SITTING ON HOUSING ACTION COMMITTEE AND SERVING AS A LIAISON.
THIS IS JUST AN IDEA WE NEED TO DISCUSS IF THAT DIRECTION IS WHAT THEY WANT.
UM, BUT THESE KIND OF IDEAS ARE COMING FORWARD BECAUSE THEY REALLY WANT THIS COMMITTEE
[00:15:01]
TO ALIGN WITH THEIR DIRECTION, HOW TO DO THAT, INCREASING THE COMMUNICATION, HAVING, UM, CONVERSATIONS IN LINES OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN MAYOR AND CHAIR, COUNCIL MEMBERS, COMMITTEE MEMBERS.UM, WE'RE FACILITATING THAT COMMUNICATION ACTIVELY.
AND WHATEVER YOU NEED FROM ME, WHATEVER YOU NEED FROM STAFF, WE'RE HERE TO HELP SUPPORT THAT SO THAT THE WORK CAN GET DONE.
UM, ANOTHER IDEA THAT WAS PROPOSED, UH, TO ALIGN THAT DIRECTION FROM TOWN COUNCIL WITH THE COMMITTEE WAS IN IDENTIFYING THE BRYANT ROAD PROJECT THAT'S UP AND COMING AND IDENTIFYING POTENTIALLY MEMBERS OF THE HOUSING ACTION COMMITTEE WITH THE EXPERTISE THAT COULD SIT ON THAT ADVISORY BOARD THAT WILL GUIDE THAT WORK FORWARD.
AGAIN, AN IDEA WE NEED TO, UM, DISCUSS THAT IT'S UP FOR DISCUSSION AND, AND CONSIDER HOW THE WORK WILL BE, UM, ELEVATED WITH THAT PARTICIPATION FROM THIS COMMITTEE.
8.3 ADDRESSES THE, UM, NEED TO DEVELOP AND ESTABLISH THE WORKFORCE HOUSING INDEX AND THE DASHBOARD THAT WILL LIVE, UM, AT THE TOWN.
THE IDEA IS TO HELP TELL THE STORY OF WORKFORCE HOUSING AVAILABILITY IN OUR AREA, AND TO HIGHLIGHT THE DATA THAT'S DRIVING, UM, THE STATE OF WORKFORCE HOUSING HERE.
THINGS LIKE AFFORDABILITY, THE COST TO RENT VERSUS OWNERSHIP, UM, THE COMMUTING POPULATION, THE POPULATION THAT DRIVES ACROSS THE BRIDGE EVERY DAY, WHETHER THAT'S THEY LIVE OFF THE ISLAND AND THEY WORK HERE, OR THEY LIVE HERE AND THEY WORK OFF ISLAND.
WE NEED TO BETTER UNDERSTAND AND WRAP OUR HEAD AROUND THE DATA THAT IS, UM, CREATING THE, THE SITUATION THAT WE'RE FACING.
IT'S GONNA BE AN IMPORTANT TOOL.
UM, AS YOU HEARD IN LAST WEEK'S STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN WORKSHOP, THEY ALL, ALL TOWN COUNCIL MEMBERS IDENTIFIED THIS AS PROBABLY THE BEST OPPORTUNITY FOR THE HOUSING ACTION COMMITTEE TO REALLY ADVANCE, UM, THE WORK, BECAUSE IT REALLY SETS THE STAGE, SETS THE TONE, AND SERVES AS THE FOUNDATION OF THE DECISIONS THAT WILL TAKE PLACE AS PART OF GOAL NUMBER EIGHT, DELIVERY OF THE NORTH POINT NEIGHBORHOOD.
WE ARE CURRENTLY IN PHASE FOUR.
IF YOU'VE BEEN PAYING ATTENTION OVER THE LAST COUPLE YEARS, YOU'LL NOTICE, UM, YOU KNOW, IT HAS ADVANCED, IT HAS BEEN UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED.
AND, UH, IT IS A SUCCESS STORY FOR OUR AREA.
THE PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP THAT WE HAVE WITH ONE STREET RESIDENTIAL OUT OF ATLANTA.
THEY HAVE TAKEN SUCH AN ACTIVE ROLE IN UNDERSTANDING OUR COMMUNITY, UNDERSTANDING WHAT OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS, AND I THINK THEY'VE DONE A GREAT JOB IN, UM, REALLY STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE AND CREATING AN ACTIONABLE SOLUTION, UH, IN THIS NORTH POINT ON JARVIS CREEK.
WE HAVE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE BRYANT ROAD PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP.
UM, THIS IS GONNA BE AN EXCITING OPPORTUNITY FOR THE HOUSING ACTION COMMITTEE.
UH, THE SITE IS OUTLINED ON THE MAP HERE, JUST OFF OF SPANISH MILLS ROAD, AND ADJACENT TO THE MUDDY CREEK NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE CROSS ISLAND, SEVEN ACRES OF TOWN OWNED LAND.
THE RFQ IS OUT BID, IT'S DUE EARLY APRIL.
WE ARE ACTIVELY ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FROM DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS, AND AS YOU HEARD DIRECTLY FROM TOWN COUNCIL MEMBERS LAST WEEK, UM, THEY SUPPORT HOUSING ACTION COMMITTEE'S INVOLVEMENT ON THIS ADVISORY BOARD, WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
UM, BUT THERE'S EXPERTISE AROUND THIS TABLE THAT COULD REALLY ADD VALUE AND ELEVATE THE ENTIRE, UH, DIRECTION OF THIS PROJECT.
PRESENTING INFORMATION RELATIVE TO THE INITIATIVE.
WE'RE CURRENTLY, AS I MENTIONED, UM, THE RFQ IS OUT AND WE'RE IN PHASE TWO.
NEXT, I'D LIKE TO JUST HIGHLIGHT SOME INFORMATION RELATING TO CURRENT WORKFORCE HOUSING, UM, PROPERTIES ON THE ISLAND.
THIS IS A SLIDE THAT WAS DELIVERED AT LAST JULY'S WORKFORCE HOUSING WORKSHOP.
UM, HOUSING ACTION COMMITTEE MEMBERS ALONG WITH TOWN COUNCIL SAT AROUND THIS TABLE, THIS ROOM, AND TALKED ABOUT THESE EXISTING UNITS AS WELL AS THE PROPOSED AND FUTURE UNITS.
SO IT REALLY GIVES YOU, UM, A GREAT HIGH LEVEL BIRD'S EYE VIEW OF THE STATE OF WORKFORCE, HOUSING AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING ON THE ISLAND.
AND YOU CAN SEE IT ON THE, THE SCREEN TO MY LEFT.
UM, IT'S BLURRED OUT ON THE SCREEN BEHIND YOU, BUT WE'RE AROUND 800 TOTAL UNITS IF THE CURRENTLY PROPOSED WORKFORCE HOUSING UNITS, UM, ARE DELIVERED, WHICH IS A, A WONDERFUL STORY TO TELL AND IT SERVES OUR, IT'S, IT'S BEEN PRIORITIZED.
PRIORITIZED, AND IT SERVES OUR COMMUNITY, UM, TO HAVE ALL OF THESE FUTURE PROJECTS IN THE WORKS SUPPORTED
[00:20:01]
BY THE TOWN AND THE COMMUNITY OF THESE FUTURE, UH, PROJECTS.YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THE NOVANT HEALTH FROM HILTON HEAD HOSPITAL, UH, UNIT DEVELOPMENT IS MARCHING FORWARD.
IT WAS JUST APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY AT TOWN COUNCIL FOR FIRST READING AND LATER, UM, THIS MONTH, I BELIEVE IT'S GOING TO, UM, BE HEARD FOR THE SECOND TIME.
IT IS, UM, SINCE OUR LAST MEETING IN MAY, IT WENT BEFORE PLANNING COMMISSION.
IT WENT BEFORE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND PUBLIC SERVICES COMMISSION COMMITTEE, AND IT ALSO WENT TO TOWN COUNCIL RECEIVING UNANIMOUS SUPPORT BECAUSE OF THE WORK THAT THE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PARTNER AND THE PRIVATE BUSINESS DID BEHIND THE SCENES, THE CONVERSATIONS THEY HAD WITH THEIR COMMUNITY, THE CONVERSATIONS THEY'VE HAD WITH THE TOWN, THE WAY THAT THEY'VE UPDATED THEIR PLANS, THEIR CONCEPTUALS REALLY SPEAKS TO, UM, BEING GOOD STEWARDS IN THE COMMUNITY AND ADVANCING A WORKFORCE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT THAT IS MINDFUL OF, OF HILTON HEAD AND REPRESENTATIVE OF, OF THE RESIDENTS WHO LIVE HERE IN THE WORKFORCE.
UP AND COMING, I WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS, UH, AND JUST HIGHLIGHT SOME EVENTS THAT YOU CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF, UH, NAMELY.
AND NEXT THURSDAY, ACTUALLY, WE HAVE THE NORTH POINT GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY, FEBRUARY 12TH AT 1:00 PM PLEASE ARRIVE EARLY.
I THINK WE'RE GONNA HAVE A BIG TURNOUT, UM, BUT IT'S GONNA BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO CELEBRATE.
IT'S GONNA BE A CELEBRATION AND, AND REALLY KICK THINGS OFF IN A, IN A BIG WAY.
AND HERE'S A WONDERFUL IMAGE OF THE, UM, CONCEPTUAL, THE FUTURE PLAN AND WHAT WE, UM, HOPE TO SEE IN MAYBE 18 MONTHS TIME.
I'M, I THINK I READ THAT SOMEWHERE.
I'M NOT PROMISING SOMETHING, UH, OPPORTUNITIES FOR THIS COMMITTEE.
I THINK WHAT WE HEARD IN LAST WEEK'S STRATEGIC PLAN WORKSHOP, BRYANT ROAD IS A BIG ONE.
THE HOUSING DASHBOARD AND HOUSING INDEX, UM, OUR NEXT MEETING, AND WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA ADDRESS THE CALENDAR FOR 2026 LATER IN THE AGENDA.
UM, BUT REALLY DISCUSSING THE ACTION ITEMS FOR THE MAY 5TH MEETING, THE SECOND MEETING, WHAT WE WANT TO ACCOMPLISH, UM, WHAT WE WANT TO FOCUS ON BETWEEN NOW AND THEN.
AND THEN JUST ESTABLISHING THAT, THAT WORK PROGRAM, UM, ALIGNING WITH TOWN COUNCIL'S DIRECTION.
WITH THAT, I WILL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS, UM, AND THIS QR CODE RIGHT HERE WILL TAKE YOU TO THE WORKFORCE HOUSING PROGRAM ON THE TOWN'S WEBSITE.
ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR MICHELLE? IS THERE ANY INPUT THAT WE SHOULD HEAR FROM WHAT THE, I WASN'T ABLE TO ATTEND THE STRATEGIC PLANNING MEETING.
IS THERE ANY INPUT FROM COUNCIL THAT WE SHOULD HEAR? UM, I HAVE VIEWED THAT VIDEO MULTIPLE TIMES AND I HAVE, UM, NOTES THAT I'M ABLE TO SHARE WITH YOU ON THEIR INPUT.
BARBARA, I'LL BE ABLE TO SEND THAT OUT TO THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
WE ALSO HAVE TOWN COUNCIL IN THE ROOM WITH US TODAY, AS WELL AS, UM, MAYOR PERRY.
AND I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, IF THERE IS QUESTION ABOUT THE INPUT, I ENCOURAGE CONVERSATION AND COMMUNICATION UP HERE WITH YOU SO I CAN BE ON THE MICROPHONE.
MARK ORLANDO, THE TOWN MANAGER.
I DON'T THINK LAWANA WILL MIND THAT I'M SITTING IN A CHAIR.
MICHELLE, CAN YOU GO BACK TO THE OVERVIEW OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN? AND, UH, IT IS A GOOD QUESTION.
HELLO EVERYBODY, AND CONGRATULATIONS AND THANK YOU.
SO WHEN YOU LOOK UP HERE, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION, RIGHT? YOU SAID TOWN COUNCIL'S FEEDBACK.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE VERY STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN DRIVEN AS AN ORGANIZATION, RIGHT? WHAT'S OUR MISSION? WHAT'S OUR VISION? WHAT ARE OUR GOALS AND OUR STRATEGIES? AND SO OUT OF THE 10 GOALS FOR THE ORGANIZATION, GOAL NUMBER EIGHT, REGARDLESS OF WHERE IT LANDS, JUST ADVANCING WORKFORCE HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES.
SO ONE THING I THINK YOU ALL HEAR AND SHOULD TAKE AWAY WITH YOU IS THAT THIS REMAINS ONE OF TOWN COUNCIL'S PRIORITIES, RIGHT? THERE'S SECTIONS ON RESILIENCY, GROWTH MANAGEMENT, WHOLE BUNCH OF OTHER SECTIONS.
IF YOU DON'T HAVE A STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN, WE'LL GET ONE FOR YOU ALL.
SO YOU CAN KIND OF SEE HOW THIS STACKS IN THE DECK, BUT WE'RE IN, I THINK I CAN READ THIS, ENHANCED WORKFORCE HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH A BALANCED AND LONG-TERM APPROACH THAT SUPPORTS ECONOMIC VITALITY AND COMMUNITY WELLBEING.
SO PART OF MY RESPONSIBILITY WITH TOWN COUNCIL IS TO IMPLEMENT THESE ACTION ITEMS, RIGHT? AND SO THOSE ARE
[00:25:01]
SPLIT UP INTO ONE, TWO, AND THREE YEAR FISCAL YEAR RESPONSIBILITIES.THE REASON MICHELLE HAS DONE SO WELL BOXING AROUND THOSE FIRST FEW, THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE WHAT'S ON MY PLATE RIGHT NOW, RIGHT? THE ONES IN THE FUTURE, WHILE THEY'RE, THEY'RE SIMMERING, THEY'RE IMPORTANT.
WE'RE LOOKING FOR GRANTS FOR HOME REPAIR.
WE'RE LOOKING FOR GRANTS FOR LATERAL SEWER.
I DON'T KNOW HOW AN ACTION COMMITTEE, LIKE, LIKE YOURSELVES ASSEMBLED, CAN HELP ME WITH THAT.
WE HAVE GRANTS ADMINISTRATOR WITH GREAT FINANCE TEAM.
WE'RE VERY RESOURCEFUL WHERE YOU CAN HELP US.
ONE IS UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A PART OF THE STRATEGY AND REVIEWING FINDING HOME IS PROBABLY ONE OF YOUR FOR FIRST ORDERS OF BUSINESS.
THAT'S WHAT TOWN COUNCIL ASKED ME TO DO.
WE CANNOT IMPLEMENT EVERYTHING AT ONCE IN THAT DOCUMENT.
I THINK THAT WE'RE IMPLEMENTING SOME ELEMENTS.
UM, I THINK YOU CAN ALSO HELP US TO MAKE SURE THAT ANY FUTURE POLICY, MICHELLE MENTIONED THE LAND MANAGEMENT ORDINANCE.
THAT'S MY NUMBER ONE PRIORITY.
UH, WE'VE MADE A LOT OF AMENDMENTS TO, ITS, TO IT LAST YEAR, THE YEAR BEFORE.
TAKE A LOOK AT AT THE LAND MANAGEMENT ORDINANCE TASK FORCE, AND WHERE IN YOUR INVESTMENT ROLE, IN YOUR REAL ESTATE ROLE AND ALL OF YOUR ROLES HELP US UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SEEING FROM A, FROM AN OPPORTUNITY PERSPECTIVE THAT WE SHOULD PERHAPS THINK OF IN THE LAND MANAGEMENT ORDINANCE.
DON'T WANT TO GUARANTEE THAT THAT'S GONNA BAKED IN, BE BAKED INTO THE CRITERIA RIGHT AWAY.
BUT I THINK THINKING THROUGH THE LMO REVIEWING, FINDING HOME TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ON THE RIGHT TRACK, AND WHAT I THINK IS MOST IMPORTANT ON THIS LIST THAT YOU ALL CAN HELP WITH IS THIS HOUSING INDEX, RIGHT? WE TALK A LOT ABOUT AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING OR WORKFORCE HOUSING, OR SUSTAINABLE OR ATTAINABLE.
IT'S HOUSING, AND THERE'S A CONTINUUM OF HOUSING.
AND WHAT I KNOW THAT WE'RE CHALLENGED WITH HERE ON HILTON HEAD ISLAND IS, IS IT'S, IT'S A, IT'S ENTRY TO THE MARKET, RIGHT? IT'S NOT JUST WHO, WHERE ARE ALL OF OUR HABITAT HOMES? LET'S COUNT THEM AND PIN 'EM ON A MAP.
AND SO WE'VE LEANED ON THE URBAN LAND INSTITUTE'S NATIONAL, UM, INDEX, AND WE'RE DRILLING DOWN INTO A HILTON HEAD ISLAND VERSION OF IT.
AND SO WE CAN COMPARE OURSELVES IN THE NATION, BUT THEN WE CAN ALSO COMPARE OURSELVES OVER TIME IN HILTON HEAD ISLAND.
AND IF YOU ALL HAVE TIME AND WANT TO FOCUS, HELPING US WITH THAT DATA ANALYSIS SO THAT WE TRULY UNDERSTAND WHY IS THERE SUCH A BARRIER TO ENTRY HERE? IT IS WAGE VERSUS HOME.
AND I'VE ALWAYS ARGUED THE FACT IT'S MY HOUSE, A WORKFORCE HOUSING UNIT, SO MM-HMM
BUT WE WON'T COUNT IT ON A MAP IF IT DOESN'T HAVE CERTAIN FEDERAL PARAMETERS TO IT.
SO I, I THINK THIS SHOULD OPEN OUR EYES A, A A LOT AND YOUR HELP AND YOUR WISDOM AND YOUR RESPECTIVE BUSINESSES AND AND REFERENCED AREAS COULD HELP US WITH THAT.
SO, AND THEN LAST BUT NOT LEAST, THE PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP.
IT'S A PROJECT THAT I'VE WORKED ON FOR, UH, A WHILE.
UH, WE'RE ECSTATIC THAT WE HAD A DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT, A 65 YEAR NOW GROUND LEASE, AND WE HAVE WITH MAYOR AND COUNCIL IN THE COMMUNITY, A GROUNDBREAKING NEXT WEEK.
I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S NEXT WEEK.
I GOTTA MAKE SURE I READ MY, UH, SPEAKING NOTES AND MAKE SURE WE'RE READY FOR IT.
MAYOR PERRY AND I NEED TO REHEARSE BECAUSE IT IS A TRUE COMMUNITY CELEBRATION.
UM, NEXT IS BRYANT ROAD, ONCE NORTH POINTS UNDER CONSTRUCTION, AND WE CAN KIND OF STABILIZE AND WE DON'T HAVE TO THINK THROUGH AS MUCH AS WE ARE.
I FEEL LIKE WE'RE PLANNING A, A CHILD'S WEDDING
LET'S DIVE INTO BRYANT ROAD TOGETHER, AND BRIAN AND TOWN COUNCIL HAS SAID OUT LOUD AT THE STRATEGIC PLAN WORKSHOP LAST WEEK TO ME, COULD THERE BE ONE OR TWO PEOPLE FROM THIS COMMITTEE SO THAT THERE'S SOME CONNECTIVE TISSUE BETWEEN WHAT WE'RE DOING AS A PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP BID, RIGHT? WE'RE TAKING SEVEN ACRES.
WE'VE BID IT OUT AS A REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS NATIONALLY, AND WHEN WE BID OUT NORTH POINT, WE, WE HEARD FROM FOLKS AS FAR AS HAWAII TO NEW YORK CITY AND LOCAL, RIGHT? SO WE IMAGINE WE GET THE SAME SIMILAR RESPONSE WITH THIS.
WE NEED YOUR HELP SCOPING SEVEN ACRES ON BRYANT ROAD IN THE MUDDY CREEK HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD, OFF SPANISH WELLS TO START VISIONING AND UNDERSTANDING WHAT THAT HOME OWNERSHIP, RIGHT HOME OWNERSHIP, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD STABILIZATION INVESTMENT LOOKS LIKE.
AND SO WE INTEND TO LOOK FOR AND FIND
[00:30:01]
A DEVELOPER PARTNER THAT DEVELOPS THE SITE PROGRAMS, THE SITE LONG TERM, AND WORKS WITH US TO IMPLEMENT OUR VISION.SO I THINK YOU CAN HELP US WITH THE VISION, AND THEN I'D PROBABLY ASK TOWN COUNCIL TO ADD A A COUPLE OF YOU TO A PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP.
IT'S MORE OF A NEGOTIATION AND TECHNICAL, UH, GROUP THAT HELPED ME WITH NORTH POINT.
I'D LIKE TO CREATE ONE VERY SIMILAR FOR THIS NEXT, FOR THIS NEXT WORK.
SO FINDING HOME, PLEASE REVIEW IT.
IS IT RELEVANT? SHOULD WE MAKE ANY CHANGES? ARE THERE THINGS IN THERE WE SHOULD BE DOING? UM, THE DASHBOARD IS VERY HELPFUL AND MICHELLE CAN WORK WITH, WITH THE CHAIR, AND WITH ALL OF YOU TO START PAIRING THAT INFORMATION OUT.
COME AND CELEBRATE WITH US AT NORTH POINT, BE A PART OF THAT AND KNOW THAT BRYANT ROAD IS OUR NEXT VERY BIG STEP HERE.
HOW WE LOOK AT IT, TRYING TO KEEP IT SIMPLE.
AND, AND PLEASE KNOW THAT EVERYTHING ELSE ON THAT SCREEN IS SHOWING OVER THREE YEARS.
THAT TELLS ME AND IT, AND I THINK IT'S TELLING OF TOWN COUNCIL, THAT'S THE BUSINESS WE'RE IN, RIGHT? SO WE'RE NOT TRYING TO DO SO MUCH AND BEING EVERYTHING TO EVERYBODY.
IT, IT'S MICHELLE AND I FOR THE MOST PART, AND A COUPLE OTHER PEOPLE, BUT, UM, A LOT OF, A LOT OF TEAM IN THE ORGANIZATION IS, IS AROUND THIS.
AND, AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, LOOK AT THOSE KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS.
WE WILL MEASURE OUR SUCCESS OR NOT ANNUALLY.
I DON'T SEE SMILES ACROSS EVERYONE.
YOU GUYS ARE HARD TO READ RIGHT NOW,
I WOULD LIKE TO INVITE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS AT THIS POINT.
I ALRIGHT, WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING, UM, ANY, HAVE YOU? NUMBER SEVEN, NEW BUSINESS.
ALL RIGHT, SO WE, WE, WE'LL MOVE NOW TO NEW BUSINESSES.
UM, AND I WILL JUST SAY, I KNOW, UM, THE NORTHPORT PROJECT YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN WORKING ON FOR A LONG TIME, SO IT IS A CELEBRATION FOR EVERYBODY TO FINALLY GET THERE.
UM, SO THE NEW BUSINESS NOW, UM, CONSIDERATION OF THE MEETING SCHEDULED FOR 2026, UM, FOR THE HOUSING ACTION COMMITTEE.
MICHELLE, UM, I THINK PUT THAT OUT THERE.
YES, WE HAVE IN YOUR PACKETS FOUR MEETING DATES FOR 2026.
AND, UM, I JUST WANTED TO PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ADOPT THOSE MEETING DATES, UM, AS, UH, AS SUGGESTED, DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO ADOPT THE, UH, MEETING DATES, THE AGENDA FOR THE UPCOMING YEAR FOR THIS YEAR? YES.
MOTION, MR. CHAIR, UH, IS THERE, UH, A, A SPECIFIC REASON WHY THIS MEETING IS SCHEDULED AT 10:00 AM MICHELLE, YOU MIGHT HAVE THAT.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT WAS ALWAYS AT THAT TIME THAT WE HAD IT, UH, IN THE PREVIOUS, AND I THINK IT WORKED FOR EVERYBODY, BUT WE CAN CERTAINLY MAKE CHANGES IF IT NEEDS TO BE, WE CAN CHANGE IT IF THE MEETING, IF THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS WOULD LIKE A DIFFERENT TIME.
UM, PLEASE SUGGEST ONE JUST IN THE MIDDLE OF MY WORKDAY.
I JUST GOT STARTED AND THEN I HAVE TO LEAVE AND THEN COME BACK.
BUT IT, IF IT'S CONVENIENT FOR EVERYBODY, I CAN MAKE IT WORK.
BUT IF THERE'S A TIME THAT YOU WOULD PREFER, WELL, I'M, I'M AN EIGHT O'CLOCK OR A FIVE O'CLOCK OR SO,
THAT MAY NOT WORK FOR ANYBODY ELSE.
ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANY DATES? I MEAN, IT WORKS FOR ME, YOU KNOW, IT WORKS FOR ME TOO.
IT'S NOT THAT OFTEN IN, I THINK IF YOU KNOW THE STAFF, I DON'T KNOW HOW IT WORKS FOR YOU GUYS, MICHELLE.
I MEAN, UM, WE HAVE FOUR MEETINGS ON THE CALENDAR, SO LET'S MOVE FORWARD AS SCHEDULED, AND THEN IF WE HAVE ADDITIONAL MEETINGS IN THE FUTURE, WE CAN DEFINITELY WORK THOSE AROUND THE VICE CHAIR AND THE CHAIR SCHEDULE.
I WAS WHISPERING TO ME OVER THERE.
I THOUGHT YOU WERE SAYING A TIME.
YEAH, IT, HOW'S THAT A PRIORITY ARE UH, I WILL, I WILL CLARIFY.
THERE, THERE'S WORK TO DO BETWEEN NOW AND THE MEETING.
WE ARE NOT GONNA ASK YOU TO JUST KEEP COMING TO MEETINGS AND WE'LL MAKE A PRESENTATION AND YOU'LL LEAVE.
RIGHT? THERE'S A LOT OF WORK TO DO AND VET, THAT'S WHY I SAID MICHELLE, WORK WITH THE CHAIR TO GET SOME OF YOUR, YOUR INPUT.
[00:35:01]
THINK JUST COMING TO A MEETING AND, AND PRESENTING IS, IS IS THE ACTIONABLE, UH, PATH FORWARD WE'RE LOOKING FOR FROM YOU.IT'S GOTTA BE A WORKING GROUP.
AND SO I THINK YOU SHOULD HAVE SOME CONFIDENCE THAT WE WILL WORK WITH YOU AND ASK YOU TO HELP US WITH A LOT OF THIS WORK BETWEEN MEETINGS SO THAT WHEN WE COME TO THE MEETING, YOU'RE INVOLVED, YOU'RE INVESTED, AND WE HAVE YOUR HELP.
AS WE'RE MAKING THAT PRESENTATION OF THE COMMUNITY, WE LOOK AT THESE ROOMS AS MAKING THE PRESENTATION OF THE COMMUNITY, NOT MAKING THE PRESENTATION TO Y'ALL.
SO THAT'S GONNA BE MICHELLE'S HARD JOB AND GOOD JOB WITH YOU ALL TO KEEP YOU INVOLVED THAT WAY IF YOU WANNA MEET SOONER AND MORE OFTEN TO GET STARTED.
I THINK THAT'S PART OF YOUR DISCUSSION, RIGHT? WE'RE HERE AT YOUR LEISURE, BUT A LITTLE BIT OF FEEDBACK FROM Y'ALL TODAY IS, IS NEEDED ON THAT AS LIKE COMMITTEE FIELD THAT WE NEED TO HAVE A MEETING PRIOR TO MAY.
JUST, UM, PUTTING OUR PLAN INTO ACTION AND SEEING RESULT.
SO WHATEVER THE COMMITTEE DECIDES, I THINK AT A MINIMUM PEOPLE NEED TO CONSIDER THE, THE, THE, THE PRIORITIES, THE, THE, THE, THE BRYANT ROAD COMMITTEE AS WELL AS THE DASHBOARD.
CONSIDER WHAT THEY'RE GOOD AT AND WHERE THEY CAN ADD VALUE SO THEY CAN AT LEAST IN MAY, UH, BRING IN.
I'D BE LIKE TO INVOLVED WITH THIS INITIATIVE OR THAT INITIATIVE.
UM, UM, AND THEN IN THE INTERIM CONSIDERING, UH, COORDINATING KIND OF, UM, UM, TASKS TOWARDS ACCOMPLISHING THAT.
SO WE CAN HIT MAY WITH KIND OF HIT THE GROUND RUNNING IN MAY AT A MINIMUM.
ALRIGHT, SO WE'LL STAY WITH THE SCHEDULE THAT YOU HAVE PROVIDED US WITH.
YES, AND I, I WILL SAY THAT THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING TO MARK'S POINT IN THE BACKGROUND, THE CONVERSATIONS WE'RE HAVING WITH COUNCIL MEMBERS COMMITTEE, ME MEMBERS INTERNALLY, AND, UM, JUST THE COMMUNICATION THAT I EXPECT TO BE HAVING WITH THEM IS GONNA BE HAPPENING WAY MORE THAN QUARTERLY.
WE'RE GONNA BE TOUCHING BASE FREQUENTLY TO ADVANCE ALL THIS WORK.
UM, SO THERE'S A LOT OF WORK THAT IS DONE BEHIND THE SCENES THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANNA MEET JUST TO MEET, WE WANNA PRESENT.
WITH THAT BEING SAID, WE'LL MOVE TO POINT A.
UM, WERE THERE ANY COMMENTS SUBMITTED TO, FOR NON AGENDA ITEMS? UM, YES.
UH, CHET WILLIAMS. CHE, WOULD YOU LIKE TO? OKAY, HE'S PASSING.
UH, WITH THAT BEING SAID, UM, DO I HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN THE MEETING? I SO MOVE.
YOU ARE WATCHING BC TV LIVE, WORK PLAY.
THE COUNTY IS ONE OF THE OLDEST FORMS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN THE UNITED STATES.
EARLY SETTLERS FROM ENGLAND BROUGHT THE TRADITION OF COUNTY GOVERNMENT TO AMERICA.
TODAY, MORE THAN 3000 COUNTY GOVERNMENTS PROVIDE SERVICES THAT AFFECT ALMOST EVERY CITIZEN'S LIFE.
SOUTH CAROLINA'S 46 COUNTIES ARE VERY REPRESENTATIVE OF HOW COUNTY GOVERNMENT HAS EVOLVED NATIONALLY.
THE COUNTY UNIT IN SOUTH CAROLINA WAS REGARDED AS A LOCAL EXTENSION OF STATE GOVERNMENT, BUT A STATE CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM MOVEMENT IN THE EARLY 1970S LED TO THE SOUTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY, PASSING THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT LAW, ALSO KNOWN AS THE HOME RULE ACT.
IN 1975, THE HOME RULE ACT GREATLY EXPANDED COUNTY AUTHORITY AND CHANGED THE NATURE OF COUNTY ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION TO WHAT WE KNOW TODAY.
BEAUFORT COUNTY WENT FROM HAVING A BOARD OF DIRECTORS TO A COUNTY COUNCIL.
MEMBERS OF THE 1975 COUNCIL INCLUDED CHAIRMAN ARTHUR HORN, VICE CHAIRMAN, GRADY THAMES, LEROY BROWN, GARY FORDHAM, WILLIAM GRANT, HARRIET KEISLING, DAVID JONES, BILL MCBRIDE, AND BOOKER WASHINGTON.
AS THE NEW COUNCIL SOUGHT TO DISTINGUISH ITSELF, COUNCIL MEMBERS DESIRED AN OFFICIAL SYMBOL THAT WOULD REPRESENT THE
[00:40:01]
JURISDICTION'S IDENTITY AND UNIQUE CHARACTER COUNCIL APPOINTED AN AD HOC COMMITTEE TO UNDERTAKE THE TASK AND CARRY OUT A CONTEST FOR THE BEST COUNTY SEAL DESIGN.HARRIET KLIN WAS A MEMBER OF COUNTY COUNCIL, AND IT WAS HER IDEA BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING THAT COULD SIGNIFICANTLY IDENTIFY OUR BEAUTIFUL BEAUFORD COUNTY.
WE MET THEN UP AT, UH, I THINK IT WAS A CAROLINA BANK, AND SOME YEARS AGO, BACK THERE ON WEST STREET, AND THEN WE PUT 'EM IN PILES, YOU KNOW, LIKE, GOOD, BAD MAYBE UNTIL WE FINALLY GOT IT DOWN TO THE ONE THAT WE NOW USE.
COUNTY COUNCIL APPROVED THE SEAL COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION, WHICH REFLECTED THE COUNTY'S HISTORY, TRADITIONS, AND NATURAL BEAUTY.
THE SEAL'S COLORS OF BLUE AND GREEN REPRESENT THE COLORS OF THE COUNTY'S OUTDOOR ENVIRONMENT WITH ITS MANY WATERWAYS, MARSHLANDS, AND MARITIME FOREST.
THE FIVE IMAGES WITHIN THE SEAL DEPICT SOME OF THE COUNTY'S DISTINGUISHING FEATURES.
ANCIENT LIVE OAK TREES, THE SEAFOOD INDUSTRY, RICH NATURAL RESOURCES, AND A RARE MARINE ECOLOGY, LOW COUNTRY ARCHITECTURE, AND MILES OF RIVERS, CREEKS, AND INLETS.
I THOUGHT IT ENCOMPASSED WHAT, WHAT WE AS A BODY WERE LOOKING FOR A SEAL THAT WOULD, WHEN YOU LOOKED AT IT AND JUST THOUGHT ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT, IT REALLY COVERS THE ASPECTS OF BEAUFORT COUNTY.
SO HE DID A GOOD JOB OF BRINGING TOGETHER THE THINGS THAT WE, UH, WHOLE SO THERE AND WHAT WE REALLY LIKE ABOUT BEAUFORT COUNTY.
COUNCILMAN BILL MCBRIDE WAS AN OFFICE WHEN THE CONTEST WAS HELD AND WAS PRESENT WHEN THE COMMITTEE REVEALED THE WINNING DESIGN.
I THINK COUNCIL WAS ECSTATIC ABOUT IT.
UH, WE THOUGHT THAT THE, THE SIMS ON THE SEAL REPRESENTED, UM, ASPECTS OF LIFE IN BUTT COUNTY.
THERE IS A SLANG CHANGE IN THE ORIGINAL, UM, DRAFT THAT WAS PRESENTED TO US WHERE YOU HAVE THE SHRIMP BOAT TODAY.
INITIALLY, THAT WAS A PLEASURE CRAFT, A SAILBOAT YACHT TYPE BOAT.
AND, UH, IT WAS CHANGED BY COUNTY COUNCIL BECAUSE WE FELT THAT THE SHRIMP BOAT WAS A BETTER REPRESENTATION, UM, OF A MORE COMPREHENSIVE, UH, ASPECT TO BUT COUNTY LIFE BECAUSE YOU HAD OTHER THINGS ON THE SEAL THAT REPRESENT THE PLEASURE AND RECREATION, THE FISHING AND THE BEACH.
SO THEY THOUGHT THE SHRIMP BOAT, WHICH WAS A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF BEAUFORD COUNTY CULTURE, SHRIMPING, ESPECIALLY AT THAT TIME, WOULD BE REFLECTED ON THE SEAL.
THE WINNER OF THE CONTEST WAS AN ARTIST FROM HILTON HEAD ISLAND, THE LATE LEE PAYNE, WHOSE DESIGN WAS SELECTED FROM MORE THAN 126 CENTURIES SUBMITTED FROM AS FAR AWAY AS INDIANA AND TENNESSEE.
HE WAS AWARDED $250 FOR HIS DESIGN.
BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, HE CAPTURED THE LEGACY OF OUTDOOR BEAUTY, CULTURE, AND HISTORY THAT HELP TO DEFINE IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF LIFE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY.
TO SEE MORE BEAUFORT COUNTY MOMENTS GO TO THE BEAUFORT COUNTY LIBRARY HOMEPAGE AND CLICK ON THE LOCAL HISTORY TAB.