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CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY BEAUFORT COUNTY.
WE CAN CALL GOOD E IF EVERYONE CAN HEAR US.
'CAUSE I CAN'T SEE IF YOU CAN'T.
UM, WE'RE GONNA CALL THE MARCH 4TH TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING TO ORDER.
I BET YOUR VOICE DOESN'T SOUND GOOD.
THE SPEAKER'S ON BACK THERE IN THE BACK.
I'M THINKING OF ALL YOUR SPACE, AREN'T I? OH, I GOT, LET'S TEST.
AT LEAST I'M STILL, I'M OVER HERE.
NO, I'M, I'M WELL, WE CAN START BY DOING, UM, YEAH, I DON'T LIKE THAT.
THE I AND I DON'T KNOW ANYBODY.
ARE YOU HERE? DISTRICT TWO INTERVIEW.
THAT SOUNDS BETTER, DOESN'T IT? DISTRICT SEVEN.
SO I HAVE THAT, UM, WE'LL STAND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND THEN WE'LL MOVE ON WITH OUR AGENDA.
WE'RE GONNA, WE KNOW THERE'S A FLAG UNLESS PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE.
CHURCH, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH STANDS? ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE FOR THE LIBERTY AND JUSTICE.
THERE WAS A SMALL FLAG AT THE FRONT.
PUBLIC NOTIFICATION OF THIS MEETING HAS BEEN PUBLISHED, POSTED, AND DISTRIBUTED IN COMPLIANCE WITH SOUTH CAROLINA FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT.
OUR FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA.
WHO WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE AGENDA? I'LL MAKE A MOTION.
IS THERE A SECOND? I SECOND IT.
THOSE OPPOSED? THAT'S UNANIMOUS MINUTES WERE SENT OUT MONDAY.
I DID SEND IT AND REMIND EVERYBODY.
UM, IF YOU'VE READ THE MINUTES, AND IF THERE ARE NO, ARE THERE CHANGES? IF NOT, IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE? I HAD ONE SUGGESTION FOR A CHANGE AT THE FIRST SENTENCE, AND I DON'T KNOW WHETHER IT'S CHANGED OR NOT, BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A COPY, BUT THE MINUTES SAID THAT THE MEETING WILL BE HELD, UH, AND IT SHOULD BE CHANGED TO WAS HELD.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT CHANGE WAS MADE OR NOT, BUT THEY NEED TO BE MADE.
SO A CHANGE OF THE, UM, THAT IT WAS HELD NOT WILL BE HELD.
IS THERE A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE MINUTES WITH THAT CHANGE? I MAKE A MOTION.
MR. JONES? IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND.
PARDON? ANY DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR, RAISE YOUR HANDS.
ANYONE WHO WISHES TO SPEAK DURING IN PUBLIC COMMENT WILL LIMIT THEIR COMMENTS TO AGENDA ITEMS ONLY AND SPEAK NO LONGER THAN THREE MINUTES.
SPEAKERS WILL ADDRESS THE BODY IN A RESPECTFUL MANNER, APPROPRIATE TO THE DECORUM OF THE MEETING, REFRAINING FROM THE USE OF PRO PROFANITY, ABUSIVE, OR OBSCENE LANGUAGE.
WE DO HAVE SIGNUP SHEETS WHEN YOU COME IN, AND WE HAVE TWO PUBLIC COMMENTS WHEN YOU COME TO THE PODIUM.
IF YOU COULD STATE YOUR NAME AND, UM, WHAT AREA OR WHAT DISTRICT YOU'RE FROM, WOULD BE WONDERFUL.
CHAIRWOMAN SOKA AND THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THIS COUNCIL, UH, COMMITTEE.
AND THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS FORUM.
MY NAME IS RAY CHIPI AND I'M THE TREASURER OF THE LOW COUNTRY BIKE AND WALK ADVOCATES LOCATED RIGHT HERE IN BLUFFTON.
IN PAST MEETINGS, YOU'VE HEARD ME EMPHASIZE THE SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION'S FULL EMBRACE OF THE COMPLETE STREETS POLICY, WHICH
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THEY ADOPTED IN 2021, FOLLOWING THE UNITED STATES DOT'S POLICY ADOPTION 2015.I MENTIONED THAT THIS POLICY CONTAINS THE EXPLICIT LANGUAGE OF THIS POLICY IS TO MAKE OUR HIGHWAY SYSTEM ACCESSIBLE TO ALL USERS, DRIVERS, PASSENGERS, BICYCLISTS, PEDESTRIANS, AND TRANSIT USERS, KEEPING THE SCTS POLICY IN MIND.
I'D LIKE TO BRING YOU SOME STARTLING STATISTICS.
SOUTH CAROLINA CURRENTLY RANKS SECOND OF THE MOST DANGEROUS STATES FOR CYCLISTS.
SOUTH CAROLINA CURRENTLY RANKS FOURTH FOR THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF BICYCLE FATALITIES PER CAPITA.
FOR PEDESTRIANS, THE OUTLOOK IS JUST AS BLEAK.
SOUTH CAROLINA RANKS THIRD NATIONALLY IN THE LIST OF PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES PER CAPITA.
SOUTH CAROLINA CURRENTLY RANKS 47TH OUT OF 50 STATES IN BICYCLE PEDESTRIAN INFRASTRUCTURE.
THIS IS DOWN THREE POSITIONS FROM 44TH PLACE JUST THREE YEARS AGO.
THIS STATISTIC IS FROM THE 140 6-YEAR-OLD LEAGUE OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS ANNUAL REPORT CARD.
AND THE CRITERIA FOR THIS ABYSMAL STANDING COMES FROM THESE METRICS, INFRASTRUCTURE, FUNDING, SAFETY PLANNING LAWS, AND CAPACITY.
IT'S EASY TO SAY THAT THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA IS DRAMATICALLY BEHIND ALMOST EVERY OTHER STATE AND CYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIAN SAFETY.
THESE STATISTICS SHOULD BE DISTURBING TO ALL OF US WHILE WE LIVE IN PARADISE.
IT'S NO SECRET THAT BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES ARE INCREASING DRAMATICALLY THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES.
FATALITIES HAVE NEARLY DOUBLED IN THE PAST 10 YEARS ACCORDING TO NHTSA, INCLUDING HERE IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
INSTEAD OF GETTING BETTER AT SAFETY, WE ARE GETTING WORSE.
EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM RECOGNIZES THE NEED TO PLAY CATCH UP WITH OUR DISMAL TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM.
I URGE THIS COMMITTEE TO RECONSIDER ANY PROJECTED PROPOSALS THAT DON'T INCLUDE ALL ELEMENTS OF BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN INFRASTRUCTURE PER THE DOT POLICY AND APPROVE ONLY THE PROJECTS THAT CAN HELP MAKE BEAUFORT COUNTY'S ROADWAYS SAFER FOR ALL USERS.
THE LIVES OF OUR FRIENDS, FAMILIES, NEIGHBORS DEPEND ON YOUR INSIGHT AND VISION.
AND AGAIN, IF YOU COULD JUST TELL ME WHO YOU REPRESENT AND WHAT DISTRICT YOU POSSIBLY LIVE IN, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
UH, CHAIRWOMAN SCA COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND GUESTS.
UH, I'M A BICYCLE ENTHUSIAST ADVOCATING FOR BEAUFORT COUNTY TO BUILD MORE PATHWAYS.
TWO WEEKS, THE IDEA OF USING THE PENNY TAX TO RAISE FUNDING TO ACQUIRE EASEMENTS ALONG HIGHWAY ONE 70 TO BUILD AN OFF-ROAD PAVED PATHWAY, UH, AS IT'S WIDENED.
I MENTIONED SEVERAL REASONS WHY THE EASEMENT SHOULD BE ACQUIRED WITH FUNDING FROM THIS PENNY TAX REFERENDUM.
HIGHWAY ONE 70 IS IN THE, UH, BUFORT COUNTY CONNECTS BIKE PLAN.
ONCE BUILT, THE PATHWAY WILL BECOME A SEGMENT OF THE EAST COAST GREENWAY.
IT WILL CONNECT TO THE SPANISH MOSS TRAIL AND IT WILL OFFER, UH, TRANSPORTATION, SAFETY, HEALTH, AND RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES.
PLANNING FOR TOMORROW INCLUDES MANAGING OTHER FORMS OF TRANSPORTATION.
THE E-BIKE REVOLUTION IS NOT GOING TO GO AWAY.
THE MARKET'S PROJECTED TO GROW 10 TO 12% FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS.
COUPLED WITH THE PRICE OF A NEW AUTO OF $50,000, MORE PEOPLE WILL TURN TO ALTERNATIVE FORMS OF TRANSPORTATION.
A 10 MILE RIDE TO WORK THAT TAKES AN HOUR OF HARD WORK NOW BECOMES A 30 TO 40 MINUTE SWEAT FREE RIDE ON AN E-BIKE JOB IS TO SELECT PROJECTS THAT PROVIDE ROAD WIDENING, SAFETY EVACUATION, SIGNALIZATION, AND PAVING DIRT ROADS.
LISTENED TO SEVERAL OF YOU INDICATED YOUR INTEREST IN WIDENING HIGHWAY ONE 70 TO THREE LANES.
I ENCOURAGE YOU TO MAKE THIS WIDENING PROJECT AT THE TOP OF YOUR LIST.
IF YOU DO, THEN A 10 FOOT WIDE PATHWAY ON ONE SIDE COULD BECOME PART OF THIS PROJECT.
AND I ASSUME IF SO, THE EASEMENTS WOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE COST.
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WE HAVE TWO PRESENTATIONS AND COMMITTEE MEMBER DISCUSSION TODAY.UH, THIS IS DEFINITELY, WE'RE STILL IN THE PROCESS OF EDUCATING OURSELVES AND LEARNING MORE.
WE ARE NOWHERE NEAR PRIORITIZING PROJECTS YET.
UM, BUT WE WILL START SEEING MORE INTERACTIVE MAPS AND ITEMS THAT THE WHOLE COMMUNITY CAN LOOK AT AND BE PART OF THIS DISCUSSION AND GIVE ALL OF US INPUT.
UH, SO TODAY WE WERE ASKED BY ONE OF THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS TO GET AN UPDATE ON THE, UM, BUFORT, UM, COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE WITH CRAIG GORDON IN THIS, I DIDN'T SEE HIM WALK IN THIS GROUND.
OH, THERE I LOOKED RIGHT AT YOU.
SO CRAIG'S GONNA GIVE US AN UPDATE ON HIS COMMITTEE.
UM, WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU.
AND IF, DO YOU WANT US TO SAVE QUESTIONS FOR THE LAST OF YOUR PRESENTATION OR ARE YOU OKAY IF WE INTERRUPT YOU? CERTAINLY INTERRUPT THEM.
JUST PULL THAT MICROPHONE UP SO THE COUNTY CAN CAPTURE YOU, CRAIG.
AND SARAH, NO ONE'S ON ZOOM TODAY, ARE THEY? I FORGOT TO ASK.
THE WAY TO START THIS, UH, CONVERSATION THIS AFTERNOON IS I THINK WE, WE'LL DIVIDE IT IN TWO PARTS.
FIRST OF ALL, WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT THE LEGISLATION AND HOW EVERYTHING WAS PUT TOGETHER TO FORM THE CTCS FROM THE BEGINNING.
AND THEN I'M GONNA REVERT TO BEAUFORT COUNTY AND WHAT WE DO IN BEAUFORT COUNTY.
A LITTLE BIT OF, BACK IN 1946, THEY, UH, THEY THOUGHT THEY HAD A GREAT IDEA BY STARTING WHAT THEY CALLED FARM TO MARKET.
THEY STARTED FARM TO MARKET ROADS, MAINTAINING THEM.
THEY ONLY CONTRIBUTED $6 MILLION TO TAKE CARE OF FARM TO MARKET ROADS THROUGHOUT THE STATE.
SO THEY DIDN'T DO MUCH MORE TILL 1951.
1951, THEY DECIDED THEY WOULD DIVIDE UP FUNDING FOR ROADS INTO THREE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES.
AS IT TURNS OUT, A WAS FOR FEDERAL AID FUNDS, B WAS MISCELLANEOUS STATE FUNDS, AND C WAS THE STATE SECONDARY PROGRAM.
UH, IN 1960, THEY EXPANDED FROM PAVING TO INCLUDE CONSTRUCTION.
BUT THE BIG THING THAT HAPPENED IS IN 1976, THE STATE LEGISLATURE PASSED SECTION 12 DASH 28 DASH 27 40 A IN THE SOUTH CAROLINA CO CODE OF LAWS.
THIS ESTABLISHED THE CTC PROGRAM AND HOW IT IS GOVERNED THROUGHOUT THE STATE.
UM, THEY, AT THAT POINT IN TIME, THEY RECOGNIZED THAT DONOR FUNDS WERE OF GREAT IMPORTANCE.
WHAT ARE DONOR FUNDS? BEFORD COUNTY IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE WHERE WE PAY MORE MONEY INTO THE STATE GAS, GASOLINE, SALES TAX THAN WE GET BACK.
SO WHAT THEY DECIDED TO DO WAS TO TRY AND COMPENSATE THE COUNTIES, AND THERE'S 10 OF THEM ALL TOTAL IN THE STATE THAT PAY MORE IN THAN THEY GET BACK.
AND THEY STARTED PAYING FUNDS OUT TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT WAS MORE EQUITABLE.
THAT STARTS THE, HOW THE PROGRAM STARTED FUNDING SOURCE IN 1997, THEY DECIDED THAT THEY WOULD START PAYING INTEREST BACK, UH, WHICH IS KIND OF INTERESTING.
IN 2018, THE GAS TAX WAS PASSED AND THE GAS TAX, IF YOU RECALL, WAS 2 CENTS A GALLON FOR SIX YEARS RAISING IT.
SO THESE ARE THE FUNDS THAT BASICALLY WE DERIVE ALL OUR FUNDING FROM.
NOW, HOW DO YOU MAKE IT EQUITABLE? YOU MAKE IT EQUITABLE.
BY AT LEAST THIS IS THE WAY THE STATE LEGISLATURE, LATE LEGISLATURE SAW IT.
THEY LOOK AT THE NUMBER OF MILES OF FARM TO MARKET.
A THIRD IS THE POPULATION OF THE COUNTY AGAINST THE POPULATION OF THE STATE, THE TOTAL POPULATION OF THE STATE.
AND NUMBER THREE IS THE LANDMASS WE HAVE OF THE COUNTY AGAINST THE LANDMASS
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OF THE STATE.SO THAT'S HOW THE FUNDS WERE ALL ARE ALL DIVIDED UP.
NOW WITH THAT, WE WIND UP WITH THE 46 COUNTIES AND THEY HAVE, YOU HAVE AN OPTION WHETHER YOU'RE SELF-ADMINISTERED OR YOU'RE S-C-D-O-T ADMINISTERED.
BEAUFORT COUNTY, UH, MADE THE DECISION TO BE SELF-ADMINISTERED OF THIS, THE 46 COUNTIES, 25 OR S-C-D-O-T ADMINISTERED AND THE REMAINDER ARE, UH, 21, ARE TAKEN CARE OF BY SELF-ADMINISTRATION.
BUFORT COUNTY, UM, GETS APPROXIMATELY $2.6 MILLION ANNUALLY IN THEIR, OUR, OUR FUNDING AND 687,000 BACK IN DONOR FEES.
NOT A LOT OF MONEY, 3.3 MILLION.
WHENEVER YOU PUT EVERYTHING TOGETHER, AS I SAID, WE'RE GONNA GO BACK NOW AND TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT BEAUFORT COUNTY.
BACK IN, UM, 2015, THE DELEGATION HAD A CHANGE OF HEART, SO TO SPEAK, AND THEY DECIDED THAT THEY WERE GOING TO LET THE COUNTY MAKE APPOINTMENTS TO THE CTC ONE PER DISTRICT.
SO THAT HAPPENED IN 20, UH, 15, 20 16 JANUARY OF 2016, I WAS, UM, ELECTED CHAIRMAN.
AND THAT WAS THE START OF THE BEAUFORT COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE AS WE KNOW IT TODAY.
WHILE I WAS IN DISCUSSION WITH THE COUNTY ENGINEER AT THE TIME, I QUESTIONED, WHY DON'T WE HAVE A ROAD MAINTENANCE PROGRAM? WHY DON'T WE HAVE A PAVING PROGRAM? WHY DON'T WE HAVE SOMETHING TO SHOW HOW OUR FUNDING'S BEING SPENT? HOW DO WE CORRECT THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING? UM, HE KINDA JUST SHOOK HIS HEAD AT THAT POINT AND SAID, UM, WELL, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING ABOUT THAT.
WELL, WE TOOK IT UPON OURSELVES TO FUND, UH, THE FIRST EVER ROAD ANALYSIS.
AND THE ROAD ANALYSIS IS REALLY A NEAT PROGRAM BECAUSE WE HIRED AN ENGINEERING FIRM TO DO OUR ROAD REVIEW.
AND WE HIRED A, A COMPANY OUT OF OF FLORIDA THAT COME IN WITH A SPECIALTY VAN.
IT HAS COMPUTER SETUPS FRONT AND BACK.
IT MEASURED EVERY TYPE OF INFRACTION THAT YOU WOULD HAVE WITH THE ROAD.
AND THEY WENT THROUGH THEN AND THEY COME UP WITH THE TERM PAVEMENT QUALITY INDEX, PAVEMENT QUALITY IS FOR PQI WAS, UH, DEVELOPED FOR ALL OUR ROADS.
AND IT TURNS OUT THAT WE HAD ZERO ROADS THAT WERE EITHER IN THE GOOD OR VERY GOOD CONDITION.
WE HAD FIVE MILES OF VERY POOR.
SO THE ENGINEERING FIRM THAT WE HIRED TOOK IT THE, OUR GUIDANCE AND DIRECTION AND WENT OUT AND DEVELOPED WHAT WE WANTED WAS A FIVE YEAR PROGRAM.
AND THE IDEA OF THE FIVE YEAR PROGRAM WAS, IF WE'RE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT, WE WANT TO KNOW IT.
AND IF WE'RE DOING SOMETHING WRONG, WE SURE WANNA KNOW THAT AS WELL AND COME UP WITH A PROGRAM THAT WE COULD LOOK AT OUR ROADS AND COME UP WITH A, A FORMAL ANALYSIS OF IT.
SO THE FIRST, UH, FIVE YEAR PLAN WAS PUT IN PLACE, UH, IN 2017, AND I'M HAPPY TO REPORT IN 2021 AFTER OUR NEXT REVIEW OF OUR ROADS.
WE WENT FROM HAVING FIVE MILES OF VERY POOR DOWN TO ONE POINT, ONE MILE OF VERY POOR, BUT WE WOUND UP WITH 77 MILES OF ROADS THAT WERE GOOD OR VERY GOOD, WHICH WAS QUITE AN ACCOMPLISHMENT.
AND IT WAS ALSO QUITE AN ACCOMPLISHMENT TO LOOK WITH THE LIMITED DOLLARS THAT WE HAVE, THE CHANGES THAT WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE THAT I SAID IN 1921, UM, ROLL UP AGAIN, THE FIVE YEAR PROGRAM IN 2025, WE HAVE NOW, UH, A COMPANY WORKING WITH US.
IN FACT, IT'S DUE, UH, THIS MONTH, THEIR REPORT ON OUR 10 YEAR PROGRAM, OUR NEXT 10 YEARS AND HOW, AND WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO TO THE COUNTY ROADS.
NOW, ONE OF THE CATCHES THAT'S TYPICAL IN STATE GOVERNMENT, THEY GIVE US AND THEY TAKE US AWAY.
SO THE NEAT THING IS THEY GIVE YOU THE MONEY AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THEY SAY, WELL, WE WANT 33% OF WHAT WE'RE GIVING YOU BACK TO SPEND ON STATE
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ROUTES INSTEAD OF ALL IN COUNTY ROUTES.SO WE'RE REQUIRED BY STATUTE TO SPEND 33% OF THE DOLLARS THAT WE GET ON STATE ROUTES, PRIMARIES AND SECONDARIES.
UM, IN THE VERY BEGINNING, BACK IN 20 16, 20 17, UM, WE GOT SOME NON-RECURRING FUNDS, UM, WHICH LEGISLATURE HAS HA HAS A HABIT OF DOING EVERY COUPLE YEARS TO GIVE US SOME EXTRA FUNDS.
UH, WE KIND OF BROUGHT ALL THESE TOGETHER AND USED THEM TO, TO UM, PAVE, UH, PALMETTO BAY ROAD ON HILTON HEAD.
AND WE GAVE THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD, UM, HALF A MILLION OR $800,000 TO PAVE, UH, POPE AVENUE.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED AS A COMMITTEE EVOLVED, UM, I TRIED GETTING, UH, MEMBERS OF OUR COMMITTEE TO GO OUT AND LOOK AT THE ROUTES THEY HAVE IN THEIR DISTRICT.
AND SOME DID A VERY GOOD JOB OF THAT AND SOME HAD SOME TROUBLES WITH IT.
AND SO IN LOOKING AT, UH, STATE POLICY, UH, THEY HAVE PROCEDURES 83 AND 84, THEY ESTABLISH WHAT ROADS WILL GET PAVED.
AND SO THROUGHOUT OUR COUNTY AND ALL 46 COUNTIES, THEY HAVE DOCUMENTS AND GUIDELINES ON WHICH SAYS THE PRIOR, HOW THEY WILL PRIORITIZE ROADS TO BE PAVED IN THE, IN THE, THROUGHOUT THE STATE.
WELL, WHEN YOU LOOK AT OUR IN ALL SYSTEMS, WE FOUND THAT A DT AVERAGE DAILY TRAFFIC, UM, WE HAVE A LOT OF ROUTES.
DISTRICT ONE, DISTRICT THREE IS AN EXAMPLE THAT HAVE, UH, VERY LITTLE LOW TRAFFIC ON THEM.
AND IT'S MEASURED FROM ZERO TO 500.
THE NEXT MARKING IS 500 TO 2000.
AND WE HAVE ROADS THAT GET VERY LITTLE TRAFFIC.
AND BECAUSE OF THE LOW A DT, THESE ROADS WILL NEVER BE TOUCHED, EVER BE TOUCHED BY DOT.
SO WE DID A POLICY SWITCH AS A COMMITTEE AND SAID, LET'S TAKE OUR 33% AND PUT THESE, PUT THE TO USE ON THE LOW A DT ROUTES, ROUTES WHICH PEOPLE ARE LIVING IN NEIGHBORHOODS STILL NEED THE ROADS TAKEN CARE OF.
UM, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THESE WILL NEVER BE TOUCHED BY THE STATE.
SO BACK IN 2022, WE DID A STUDY ON AND DID A FIRST FIVE MILE STUDY ON ZERO TO 500.
AND UM, WE'VE PUT THAT PRETTY MUCH IN PLACE, UH, 500 TO 2000.
WE DID THE STUDY IN 2023 AND WE STARTED IN 2024.
TO GIVE YOU SOME IDEA OF THE NUMBER OF MILES WE HAVE IN THE COUNTY SYSTEM, WE HAVE ROUGHLY 230 MILES OF COUNTY OWNED ROADS.
WE HAVE OVER 440 MILES OF STATE OWNED ROADS.
SO HAVE A MEASURE OF HOW THE PROGRAM HAS WORKED SO FAR.
UM, WE PUT TOGETHER A LIST OF THE ROADS THAT WE'VE TOUCHED AND OUR TALLY WITH THIS YEAR'S ROADS IN BEING IN INCORPORATED IN IT.
WE HAVE COMPLETED 79.09 MILES OF S-C-D-O-T ROUTES AND WE'VE TOUCHED 189 MILES AND 0.75 OF COUNTY OWNED ROADS.
WHEN YOU ADD 'EM TOGETHER, THAT'S OVER 268 MILES OF ROADS.
THE CTC HAS BEEN ABLE TO TOUCH THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY.
THAT'S QUITE AN ACCOMPLISHMENT AND IT'S QUITE AN ACCOMPLISHMENT THAT WE HAVE NOW NO ROADS THAT ARE IN A VERY POOR CONDITION.
AND I MUST SAY TO YOU WITH A LITTLE BIT OF BRAGGING BECAUSE THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION CALLED ME ASIDE AND SAID, NUMBER ONE, YOU HAVE THE BEST UH, CTC PROGRAM IN THE STATE.
AND NUMBER TWO, YOU HAVE THE BEST ROAD NETWORK MAINTAINED ROAD NETWORK IN THE STATE.
WITH THAT, THAT'S PRETTY MUCH MY PRESENTATION MAYOR COMMITTEE.
IS THERE ANY QUESTIONS? I'LL OPEN IT UP TO THE COMMITTEE.
IF YOU COULD RAISE YOUR HAND SO I CAN MAKE SURE WE'RE NOT ALL ASKING ANY QUESTIONS.
MR. JONES, DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION? YEAH, UH, AND TRY TO, WE GOTTA SPEAK IN HERE SO THEY CAN HEAR US.
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WE HAD, UM, SOME, UH, DURING OUR LAST FEW SESSIONS, UH, REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE STATE SAYING BASICALLY THEY WILL ONLY TAKE CARE OF, UH, BASICALLY INTERSTATE ROADS.SO WHAT ARE THE ROADS? I, I'M A LITTLE CONFUSED.
YOU SAID THERE ARE, THERE ARE SOME ROADS THAT THE STATE, UH, PAVING OR RESURFACING CORRECT.
OTHER THAN THE, UH, INTERSTATES THAT'S HERE IN THE COUNTY.
17 HAVE DONE A GREAT DEAL OF PAVING ON, IN FACT, THEY'RE PAVING IN YOUR DISTRICT, OF YOUR DISTRICT ONE OR TWO.
YEAH, IT'S THREE, THREE DISTRICT ONE, THEY'RE PAVING, UH, FROM BEAUFORT COUNTY LINE BACK FIVE MILES INTO BEAUFORT COUNTY.
UM, WHAT HAPPENS IS, TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND ON STATE ROUTES, UM, THE DISTRICT, DISTRICT SIX OUTTA CHARLESTON, THEY ARE REQUIRED TO PUT TOGETHER A LISTING OF ROADS AND THEY DO IT BY COUNTY.
THEY SUBMIT THOSE ROADS TO THE SECRETARY, AND THE SECRETARY SENDS IT TO THE COMMISSION.
THE COMMISSION HAS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF PROVING THE ROAD PAVING FOR THAT YEAR THAT COMES BACK DOWN TO THE DISTRICT AND THEY HAVE THEIR OWN, UH, TEAM, WHICH TAKES CARE OF MARKETING, UH, PUTTING IT OUT TO BID AND OVERSEEING.
WE HAVE A CONSTRUCTION ENGINEER THAT TAKES CARE OF BEAUFORT COUNTY AND JASPER COUNTY.
UH, JARED HAS A COMMENT, I THINK.
YEAH, I CAN ADD A LITTLE BIT MORE FLAVOR TO THAT FOR YOU IS, SO WHAT CRAIG WIND MENTIONED LAST WEEK, UM, WHEN WE WERE AT PORT ROYAL, THERE'S FOUR PRIORITIES THAT DOT HAS HAD, HAS HAD OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS, WHICH IS INTERSTATE WIDENINGS AND IMPROVEMENTS, UM, SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS, RESURFACING AND BRIDGES.
DOT AS A WHOLE OWNS 90% OF THE ROADS IN THE STATE, INCLUDING OUR COUNTY.
AND SO THEY HAVE A COUPLE DIFFERENT FUNDING POTS.
THEY HAVE A FUNDING POT THAT IS FOR RESURFACING OVERALL, AND THAT'S ONE OF THEIR FOUR PRIORITIES.
AND THERE'S RESURFACING DOLLARS SET ASIDE FOR PRIMARY ROUTES, US 2 78 US ROUTES AND SE ROUTES LIKE ONE 70.
AND THEY HAVE A SEPARATE FUNDING POT FOR SMALLER ROUTES LIKE NEIGHBORHOOD ROADS AND SMALLER ROADS.
AND THEN THE CTC HAS ANOTHER FUNDING POT.
ALL OF THIS FUNDING IS COMING FROM GAS TAX, STATE GAS TAX.
AND SO CTC IS USING THEIRS FOR COUNTY ROADS.
AND THEN THEY'RE REQUIRED 33% THEY CAN SPEND ON ANY OF THOSE DOT ROADS, WHICH IS, THEY'VE OPTED TO USE IT ON THOSE REALLY SMALL, LOW AVERAGE DAILY TRAFFIC ROADS BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH THE STATE HAS FUNDING, THEY'RE REALLY NOT PRIORITIZING FUNDING FOR THOSE.
SO THOSE ARE THE DIFFERENT POTS OF MONEY.
KEEP THINKING, COME BACK WITH OTHER QUESTIONS.
I HAVE THIS QUOTE, A FEW QUESTIONS.
SO HAS THIS TAX, THE 12 CENTS BEEN INCREASED SINCE, UM, WHATEVER YEAR YOU SAID IT STOPPED 20 18, 20, WELL, I THINK IT WAS 2 CENTS A YEAR.
SO THAT WOULD'VE BEEN ENDED IN 2024? CORRECT.
SO HAS IT BEEN INCREASED OR IS IT GONNA BE INCREASED? NOT THAT I'M AWARE OF.
SO IT WAS AT 16 CENTS A GALLON.
WHEN YOU FILL UP FOR THREE GALLONS, 16 CENTS GOES TO THE STATE.
IN 2018, THEY PASSED A 12 CENTS TAX IMPLEMENTED OVER SIX YEARS, TWO PENNIES AT A TIME.
SO THAT 12 CENTS HAS BEEN FULLY IMPLEMENTED AS OF 2024.
SO NOW THE STATE GAS TAX IS 28 CENTS.
SO THERE'S NO DISCUSSION RIGHT NOW ABOUT INCREASING THAT OUT OF THAT 28 CENTS, 28 PENNIES, UM, 3 CENTS GO TO CTC AND SPREAD AMONGST THE 46 COUNTIES SAY THAT.
SO OUT OF THE 28 CENTS CENTS THAT THE STATE COLLECTS ON THEIR STATE GAS TAX, THEY TAKE 3 CENTS OUT OF THAT 28 AND GIVE THAT TO THE 46 CTCS TO SPREAD OUT LOCALLY.
POINT NINE NINE PENNIES, WHICH WE'RE NOT MAKING ANYMORE.
IS GOING, IS DIVVIED UP WHERE WE ARE A RECIPIENT OF THAT'S UNDER THE 46 COUNTIES.
AND THAT EQUALS THE NUMBER YOU GAVE US 2.6 ANNUALLY AND 6 86 IN DONOR FEES.
IS THAT 3.99? THAT DOLLAR AMOUNT TOTAL IS SOMEWHERE AROUND $150 MILLION
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ANNUALLY THAT GOES INTO THE CTC POT.CAN I ASK ANOTHER QUESTION? OF COURSE.
UM, SO YOU HAVE A PRIORITY LIST.
UM, SO DO YOU DIVIDE THAT MONEY, THE 3.3 MILLION I THINK YOU GOT PER YEAR, RIGHT? CORRECT.
DO YOU DIVIDE THAT BETWEEN REPAVING, I MEAN, PAVING, DIRT, ROADS AND RESURFACING? IS THERE SOME TYPE OF, UM, LIKE 50% GOES TO ONE AND 50% GOES TO THE OTHER? NO, MA'AM.
WHAT WE'VE DONE IS WE'VE HAVE TWO PROGRAMS. ONE THAT TAKES CARE OF COUNTY ROADS AND WE'VE BASICALLY PUT $2 MILLION TOWARDS TAKING CARE OF PA PAVING COUNTY ROADS, NO DIRT ROADS, COUNTY ROADS, COUNTY OWNED ROADS.
THE OTHER MILLION DOLLARS, I'M JUST GIVING YOU ROUND NUMBERS, WE SPEND HALF ON ZERO TO 500 A DT AND 500 TO 2000 A DT.
SO YOU'RE NOT SPENDING ANY ON DIRT ROADS? WE ARE NOT.
THAT COMES OUT OF, SO YEAH, SO THE COUNTY, SO CTC IS FOCUSED ALL OF THEIR FUNDING ON RESURFACING ROADS, WHETHER THEY'RE COUNTY OR DOT MANDATED 33%.
THE COUNTY HAS ANOTHER FUNDING POT, WHICH IS CALLED, WE CALL IT OUR TAG FUND.
SO WHEN YOU REGISTER YOUR VEHICLE EVERY YEAR AND RENEW YOUR TAGS, THERE'S A $20 FEE THAT IS ASSESSED THAT GOES INTO A POT.
AND THE COUNTY USES THAT FUNDING SOURCE, WHICH IS ABOUT TWO AND A HALF OR $3 MILLION TO FUND A DIRT ROAD PAVING CONTRACT.
SO COUNTY OWNED DIRT ROADS GET PAVED.
WE DO A YEARLY PAVING THAT GETS ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE ROADS A YEAR, UM, OUT OF THAT $3 MILLION OR, OR PUBLIC VERBIAGE OR PUBLIC COUNTY OWNED DIRT ROADS.
UH, AND I MAKE THIS, EXCUSE ME, UH, NOT REALLY AS A MEMBER OF THE CTC, WHICH I AM, BUT AS A CITIZEN OF BEAUFORT COUNTY, WHAT THE CTC HAS BEEN ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH THROUGH CRAIG LARGELY IS TO TAKE THE ANALYSIS OF WHERE THE MONEY IS SPENT AND PUT IT ON A TECHNICAL, UH, OBJECTIVE BASIS.
SO THAT IN LARGE PART, OR I'D, I WOULD REALLY SAY IN WHOLE THE POLITICS OF, I WANT, I WANT THIS AND I WANT THAT FOR MY DISTRICT HAS BEEN TAKEN OUT OF IT.
AND THE WHOLE PROGRAM RUNS ON THE BASIS OF A SCIENTIFIC TECHNICAL ANALYSIS OF WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE AND CATEGORIZES THOSE AND PRIORITIZES THOSE.
AND SO I THINK THAT WHETHER THE COUNTY KNOWS IT OR NOT, OR THE CITIZENS OF THE COUNTY KNOW IT OR NOT, UH, IT'S REALLY A, A GREAT STEP FORWARD IN TERMS OF TRYING TO BUILD OUR ROAD SYSTEM, WHICH CRAIG HAS INDICATED THROUGH THE, THE, THE COMPLIMENTS FROM THE STATE.
ANY NEW QUESTIONS? AND THEN WE'LL GO BACK AROUND.
I WILL, I WILL SAY THAT, UM, WE WANTED AND MADE A VERY CONSCIOUS DECISION TO TAKE POLITICS COMPLETELY OUT OF IT.
AND BY HAVING, HIRING AN INDEPENDENT ENGINEERING FIRM TO COME UP WITH THE FIVE YEAR PLAN, EACH OF THE FIVE YEAR PLANS, IT TAKES POLITICS AND EVERYBODY, EVERYBODY'S TREATED EQUALLY RATHER THAN PARTISANSHIP BEING PLAYED IN A WAY, SHAPE OR FORM.
MR. REEVES, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW WHETHER YOU HAVE THE ANSWER TO THIS, BUT, UH, I GUESS ONE OF THE REASONS WE'RE IN THIS, UH, COMMITTEE RIGHT NOW IS BECAUSE OF DEVELOPMENT IN JASPER COUNTY AND BEAUFORT COUNTY.
UH, WHEN YOU SEE, UH, WHEN YOU SEE ALL THE DUMP TRUCKS AND DELIVERY TRUCKS ALL OVER THE PLACE, DO THOSE VEHICLES, DO THEY PAY AN EXTRA FEE TOWARDS, INTO SOUTH CAROLINA OR BEAUFORT COUNTY OR JASPER COUNTY FOR THEIR WEIGHT AND BECAUSE THEY'RE, THEY'RE PROBABLY THE ONES THAT DESTROY OUR ROADS.
YEAH, THEY, I WAS TOLD ONE TRUCK IS 600 CARS.
ONE TRUCK DRIVING IS EQUAL TO 600 AUTOMOBILES DRIVING FOR A FEE ON A ROAD FOR A TAG? NO, ON A ROAD.
LIKE IF YOU SEE A DUMP TRUCK GOOD ON THIS ROAD, THAT EQUATES 600 DAILY.
BUT THEY DON'T PAY, THEY DON'T PAY ANYTHING EXTRA.
SOUNDS LIKE THAT TO USE THE ROADS AND BASED ON WHAT THEIR WEIGHT IS OR, OKAY.
I'M SEEING NO ONE THING THAT, UM, COMMON SENSE IT SHOULD
IS STEPHANIE WASI SPEAKING WITH YOU ALL OR HAS SHE SPOKE TO YOU ALL? NEXT MEETING.
[00:35:01]
BIG O WIDER OVERLOOK OF WHAT IS GOING ON BECAUSE OF BACK IN 20 14, 20 15, WE ESTABLISHED, UH, AN MPO METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION, WHICH STEPHANIE OVERSEES, AND THEY ARE DOING THE LONG-TERM PLANNING FOR THAT PICKS UP PARTS OF JASPER COUNTY, HARDY VILLAGE, AS WELL AS, UM, BEAUFORT COUNTY.SO SHE'LL GIVE YOU A GOOD BACKGROUND OF WHAT THE LONG-TERM PLANNING THAT'S BEING PUT IN EFFECT FOR OUR REGION.
I'LL ASK, LET ME ASK AND THEN WE'LL GO BACK AROUND THREE QUESTIONS.
IS THERE A WEBSITE OR SOME KIND OF LINK WE CAN GO TO FOR THE CTC TO SEE HOW YOU RANK AND WHAT THE LIST ARE IS, UM, YOU ALREADY TALKED ABOUT PAVING.
HOW DO WE GET ACCESS TO THE FIVE YEAR PLAN? AND I'LL GIVE YOU A THIRD ONE.
IF WE ARE HERE TO PICK PROJECTS AND TO RANK THEM WHEN WE GET TO SOME REPAVING PROJECTS, HOW CAN WE LOOK AND SEE WHAT THEY ALREADY HAVE FUNDED SO WE CAN SPEND THE MONEY TO O KIND OF LIKE YOUR ZERO TO 500 SO WE CAN PICK OTHER PROJECTS THAT ARE MORE NEEDY.
AND YOU LOOK UNDER THE CTC, OUR PROGRAM IS LISTED UNDER THERE AND OUR FIVE YEAR PLAN IS THERE.
THERE'S ONE THING ELSE THAT I FAILED TO MENTION THAT I I WASN'T, WE HAVE A REQUIREMENT BY THE STATE.
THE STATE REQUIRES US EVERY YEAR TO SUBMIT TO THEM OUR TRANSPORTATION PLAN.
AND OUR TRANSPORTATION PLAN GOES TO THE STATE.
THEY ROLL IT UP FOR THE 46 COUNTIES AND PRESENT IT THEN TO THE STATE LEGISLATURE.
SO THE STATE LEGISLATURE HAS EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN DONE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY.
THEY CAN LOOK AT IT AT ANY GIVEN POINT IN TIME.
THE OTHER THING THAT I WOULD SAY IS, AND IT'S REALLY ONE, UH, YOU'RE SEEING ME SMILE A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE I CAN SAY THIS GOVERNMENT BODY HAS BEEN AUDITED EVERY YEAR.
SO WE HAVE TO BE AUDITED EVERY YEAR BY DOT.
THEY, WE, WE'VE GOT THEM NOW WHERE THEY WE'RE SENDING THEM OUR, ALL OUR DOCUMENTS AND THEY'RE PROCESSING OUR DOCUMENTS.
AND I MUST SAY WE GOT ANOTHER EXCELLENT RATING JUST, UH, WITHIN THE LAST MONTH.
IS THAT TRANSPORTATION PLAN ON THE COUNTY WEBSITE UNDER CTC? YES.
DID YOU HAVE ANYTHING, JENNIFER, MR. JONES? OKAY.
UM, I'VE GOT A COUPLE QUESTIONS.
NUMBER ONE IS THE ML CASE SLASH LANZEN ROAD ON ST.
WAS THAT RES PUTTING THAT PORTION THAT WAS RESURFACED LAST YEAR, WAS THAT FUNDED BY CTC? YES.
SECOND PART OF THAT QUESTION IS WHEN YOU DO THE RESURFACE ON THOSE, IS THAT CONSIDERED A PRIMARY ROAD OR SECONDARY ROAD? ACTUALLY, WE DO BOTH.
SO WHEN YOU DO RE THE RESURFACE LIKE THAT, ARE YOU ALL ALSO ACCOUNTING AND PUTTING IN AS ONE OF THE, UM, UM, PUBLIC SPEAKERS ASK ABOUT, UM, EXTRA FOOTAGE FOR BICYCLISTS? AND BECAUSE THAT ROAD IS, ALTHOUGH IT'S A SECONDARY SLASH PRIMARY ROAD, WE DO HAVE BICYCLING COMPANY, UH, UH, FOLKS THAT COME DOWN FROM LIKE VERMONT OR WHATEVER WITH A GROUP AND, YOU KNOW, AND YOU'RE TRAVELING DOWN THERE.
YOU, YOU, THE THE ANSWER IS, IS VERY SIMPLE.
WHENEVER WE'RE RESURFACING, WE DO NOT HAVE TO PUT ANYTHING ADDITIONAL ON.
IF WE'RE REBUILDING THE ROAD MEETING RECONSTRUCTION, TOTAL RECONSTRUCTION OF A ROAD AND ADDING LANES TO IT, THEN WE ARE REQUIRED TO DO SUCH.
BUT ON OUR PAVING PROJECTS, WE'RE NOT REQUIRED TO ADD BIKE LANES TO IT FOR MY SAFETY SAKE.
SHOULDN'T THAT BE A PART OF IT? I SHOULD SAY THAT WE DO, UH, PICK UP THE SAFETY REQUIREMENTS FOR SIDEWALKS IF SIDEWALKS ARE EXISTING, EXCUSE ME, IF SIDEWALKS ARE EXISTING, WE ARE REQUIRED TO GO IN AND ADDRESS ANY, UH, PROBLEMS WITH SLOPE AND EVERYTHING FOR HANDICAP.
I CAN, I CAN ADD TO THAT A LITTLE BIT TOO.
SO DOT, THEY HAVE SOME SAFETY STANDARDS THAT THEY TRY TO IMPLEMENT AS THEY DEVELOP PROJECTS, RESURFACING PROJECTS.
SO I, UM, ONE OF THE MAIN ONES THAT THEY'RE REALLY TRYING IS YOU'LL SEE THEM ADD TWO FEET OR THREE FEET SHOULDER, AND THEN THEY'LL PUT RUMBLE STRIPS.
UM, THAT IS MOSTLY FOR VEHICULAR TRAFFIC, SO IT GIVES MORE TIME TO RUN OFF.
[00:40:01]
OCCASIONS, FOR INSTANCE, ON ST.HELEN ON 21 GOING OUT TOWARDS TRIP ISLAND AND HARBOR ISLAND.
WHEN THEY WIDEN THAT TYPICALLY A A, UM, BICYCLE PATH IS FOUR FOOT WIDE, UH, SHOULDER AT A MINIMUM THEY WEREN'T ABLE TO FIT FOUR FOOT, BUT THEY WERE GOING TO DO TWO FEET, BUT THEY WERE ABLE TO ADD THREE FEET
BUT THOSE ARE THE TYPE OF ELEMENTS.
BUT ON A REGULAR RESURFACING PROJECT, UM, YOU NORMALLY DOT DOESN'T MANDATE THAT AND YOU DON'T TYPICALLY SEE ALL THE FOUR FOOT WIDENING.
OKAY, WE'RE GOOD INFORMATION GO AROUND.
UM, SO FACTOR, UM, LISA SKAS QUESTION THE LIST OF ROADS THAT YOU'RE GONNA PAVE AND THE DIRT, I MEAN REPAVE AND THE ROADS THAT YOU ARE GOING TO PAVE THE DIRT ROADS, YOU HAVE A LIST AND, AND IS THAT LIST GONNA CHANGE? BECAUSE IT SAYS IN 2025 YOU'RE DOING A 10 YEAR PROGRAM.
SO IS THAT, IS THAT GONNA CHANGE? AND SO I, WE JUST DON'T WANNA DOUBLE UP AND LIKE YOU SAID, PICK THE SAME PROJECTS THAT YOU'RE ALREADY FUNDING
SO I COULD SEE US WHEN WE GET THROUGH THESE EDUCATIONAL EVENTS.
I WOULD THINK THE COUNTY WOULD GIVE US A LIST OF ALL THESE, NOT JUST MAKING US GO TO A LINK SO WE ARE NOT OVERLAPPING.
I THINK THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
YEAH, AND, AND EVEN SO, CTC HAS A PLAN, UM, THAT'S A GOOD AND ACTIONABLE PLAN.
IF THE COMMITTEE DECIDES TO IMPLEMENT THAT PLAN AND PUT FUNDING TOWARDS IT, THEY'RE GONNA FIND OTHER ROADS TO PAVE.
SO WE'RE NOT GOING TO PUT THE SAME MONEY ON THE SAME ROADS.
UM, SO THEY'VE ALREADY DID A LOT OF THE HOMEWORK AS FAR AS GOING OUT AND GETTING GOOD INFORMATION, UM, TECHNICAL INFORMATION.
SO THAT'S A GOOD PLAN TO BASE RESURFACING ON.
ONE DIFFERENCE ON THIS COMMITTEE VERSUS WHAT CTCS DOING IS CTCS USING TECHNICAL DATA ON A SPECIFIC SUBSET OF ROADS SO THEY'RE NOT AIMING FOR THE PRIMARY ROADS OR THE MAJOR SECONDARY ROADS.
SO IF THERE'S ROADS THAT WANT TO BE CONSIDERED BY THE GROUP, UM, WE CAN COORDINATE WITH DOT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT BOTH PLANNING THE SAME ROAD.
OR IF THEY'RE PLANNING ONE MILE, WE COULD DO THE NEXT MILE.
AND THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE CAN HELP FACILITATE ON THE STAFF SIDE.
DOES THE CTC HAVE BUDGET NUMBERS ESTIMATED NUMBERS OF WHAT IT COSTS? YES.
WITH SOME CONTINGENCY ON IT? YES.
SO SAY THAT THE 10 YEAR PLAN COMES BACK SHORTLY, IT'LL SAY THEIR BUDGETING BASED OFF THEIR KNOWN $3 MILLION A YEAR.
IF THAT TOTAL IS $30 MILLION AND THE COMMITTEE WANTED TO DO THAT, THAT'S GREAT.
AND YOU CAN BASICALLY PUT A SHOT IN THE ARM AND INJECT THAT $30 MILLION AND IMPLEMENT THAT PLAN RIGHT OUT THE GATE.
THEY WOULD COME UP WITH NEW ROADS AND KEEP MOVING WITH A NEW PLAN.
WE WOULD ORDER OURS IF YOU, IF YOU HAD SPECIFIC ROADS IN MIND.
WE GOT SOME NON-RECURRING FUNDS, UM, LAST YEAR AND WE USED IT ON BLUFFTON PARKWAY.
AND WE'RE GONNA LOOK AGAIN, UH, AT OUR NEXT MEETING ACTUALLY MAYBE PICKING UP ANOTHER SECTION BECAUSE WE, WE DON'T HAVE A SURPLUS OF FUNDS, BUT WE HAVE, I THINK ENOUGH FUNDS TO EXTEND AND DO SOME MORE REPAIRS ON BLUFFTON PARKWAY.
SO WE'RE TRYING OUR BEST TO MANAGE OUR DOLLARS THE BEST WE CAN AND GET THE BEST BANG FOR OUR BUCK.
AND SO WE'RE NOT REPEATING ON TOP OF ONE ROAD.
WE WON'T GO BACK AND PAVE IT THE NEXT DAY.
AND THE NICE THING IS, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS HOW THE, THE PRODUCTS WE USE ON ROUTES, WE'RE USING IT TO EXTEND THE LIFE OF THE ROADS.
THAT'S WHAT OUR GOAL IS, TO GIVE US ANOTHER 10 TO 15 OR 20 YEARS OF LIFE OUT OF THE ROAD.
AND THAT'S WHAT IS PUT INTO THE ENGINEERS WHENEVER THEY'RE DOING, HELPING US WITH OUR ANALYSIS.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, MR. TRASK? UM, SO YOUR CTC FUNDS AND C FUNDS ARE TWO ENTIRELY DIFFERENT SEPARATE THINGS, IS THAT RIGHT? RIGHT.
SO THERE APPEARS TO BE SOME LEGISLATION THAT WAS INTRODUCED WITH I THINK SHANNON ERICKSON, AND IT LOOKS LIKE WESTON NEWTON ARE, UH, SPONSORS AND ONE PORTION OF IT, UH, SPEAKS TO THE ABILITY TO BOND C FUNDS.
NOW WOULD IT BE TO, UH, YOUR INTEREST OR ADVANTAGE FOR THE CTC IF, IF THAT WERE ALSO INCLUDED, IF YOUR FUNDS, WOULD THAT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A LARGER POT THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, AS A RESULT OF BONDING
[00:45:01]
TO BE ABLE TO SPEND IT ONCE? I'M GONNA GIVE YOU A PRACTICAL ANSWER.HOW MANY ASPHALT PLANTS ARE IN SOUTH CAROLINA?
AND WE HAVE A TOUGH TIME GETTING CONTRACTORS, MORE THAN ONE CONTRACTOR EVEN TO BID OUR WORK.
WE TYPICALLY WIND UP WITH ONLY TWO CONTRACTORS AND THEY CONTINUE DOING, NOT, NOT ONLY OUR WORK, BUT STATE'S WORK THAT THEY'RE PUTTING OUT TO BID AS WELL.
SO YEAH, THE BONDING'S ONE ISSUE, BUT UH, IT'S NOT GONNA CHANGE REALLY IN REALITY WHO WE HAVE WE'RE DOING BUSINESS WITH.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? AND ALSO THAT COULD HELP OUR COMMITTEE WITH PROJECTS THEY HAVE.
ANYTHING ELSE? UM, CAN I JUST MAKE ONE COMMENT REAL QUICK? YEAH.
UM, JUST WITH YOUR, UM, REPAVING THE STRIPING THAT YOU DO, UM, COULD YOU PUT IT THAT IT'S MANDATORY LIKE MAYBE TWO INCHES WIDER? UM, BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S, YOU SEE ME SMILING.
WE PASSED, UM, TWO MONTHS AGO.
IT WAS IN OUR DECEMBER MEETING, WE PASSED A NEW LAW, WHICH THAT REQUIRES WIDENING OF, UH, PAVEMENT MARKINGS.
AND SO WE'LL BE REQUIRING PAVEMENT MARKINGS TO BE INCREASED.
AND ALL OUR ROADS, COUNTY OWNED ROADS AND STATE ALREADY HAS THEIR REQUIREMENTS SEPARATE FROM OURS.
WONDERFUL TO, TO ADD TO THAT POINT.
UM, JOY IS DOT STANDARD IS FOUR INCH.
UM, YOU'LL SEE ON SOME MAJOR ROUTES THEY'LL DO A SIX INCH.
BUT IF THAT'S A PROJECT THAT THE COMMITTEE WANTED TO DO, UM, DOT PUTS OUT A YEARLY PAVING, I MEAN A STRIPING CONTRACT.
THERE'S TWO TYPES OF STRIPING.
THERE'S PAINT AND THERE'S THERMO, WHICH IS WHICH, THICK, THICK PAINT.
AND THEY PUT THOSE OUT YEARLY AND THEY DO 20% OF THE ROADS ON A ROTATING BASIS.
BUT IF, IF THE COMMITTEE WANTED TO SAY, HEY, WE WANT ALL OF OUR ROADS IN BEAUFORT COUNTY SIX INCHES, AND YOU PUT THE MONEY FOR THAT, THEN THAT'S, THAT'S A SAFETY PROJECT SLASH IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE ON A BRAND NEW PAVED ROAD.
UM, NEXT WE HAVE, WE WERE IN PORT ROYAL LAST WEEK.
WE ARE IN BLUFFTON TODAY AND THE COMMITTEE'S LOOKING OUT ON ONE 70, WHICH IS A PERFECT PLACE FOR US TO TALK ABOUT.
NEXT WEEK IS HILTON HEAD AND THEN THE FOLLOWING WEEK IS BEAUFORT.
UM, SO WE HAVE THE TOWN AND WE HAVE OUR TOWN MANAGER.
AND WHILE HE'S COMING UP, I DID WANNA POINT OUT WE HAVE THE MAYOR OF HARDY HERE.
THANK YOU MAYOR WILLIAMS. AND WE HAVE THE MAYOR OF BL OF, UM, BLUFFTON MAYOR TO WITH COUNCIL.
AND THEN I NOTICED OVER HERE WE HAVE COUNTY COUNCIL CHAIR.
AND OUR ADMINISTRATOR, PAULA BROWN'S ZONE COUNTY.
DID I MISS ANY ELECTED OFFICIALS THAT ARE IN THE ROOM? WE HAVE JASPER.
WE HAVE, UM, MS. KASMAN RAISE YOUR HAND.
AND WE HAVE CHAIR OF DESPERATE COUNTY.
IT'S VERY IMPORTANT, BUT MORE THANK YOU TO THE RESIDENTS THAT ARE COMING.
'CAUSE ALL ARE THE ONES THAT NEED TO GIVE US INPUT TO GET THIS PENNY PASSED.
UM, AND SORRY WE TIMED CONSTRUCTION TO START, BUT OVER THERE, THIS ALL THE SAME TIME WE'RE TALKING, BUT AT LEAST WE HAVE THE MICROPHONE HERE AND UH, HOPEFULLY I WON'T NEED IT TOO MUCH.
I TALK PRETTY LOUD, BUT, UM, SO I'M HAPPY TO BE HERE TODAY TO GIVE, UH, PRESENTATION TO THIS COMMITTEE.
I KNOW YOU ARE TASKED WITH A MAJOR, UH, PRIORITY, WHICH IS TO COME UP WITH A PROJECT LIST TO SHARE WITH COUNCIL.
UM, I'M GONNA MAKE SURE, LET'S SEE.
I'M GONNA GO THROUGH A FEW THINGS TODAY.
I'M GONNA TALK JUST KIND OF WHERE WE ARE WITH BLUFFTON, SOME OF THE PROJECTS THAT ARE GOING ON, THE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS.
I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT THE LATS LONG, LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN BECAUSE THAT IS A PRIORITY THAT WE'RE ASKING THE COMMITTEE TO, UH, TO LOOK AT WHEN IT COMES TO DECIDING WHAT ROADS THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED IN THE FUTURE.
TALK ABOUT A FEW LOCAL PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES THAT, UM, WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE.
SO LUPTON, WE'RE 54 SQUARE MILES AS OF TODAY.
UM, THAT MAKES US, UM, THE FIFTH LARGEST MUNICIPALITY BY POP BY AREA WITHIN THE STATE.
UM, WE'RE ABOUT 40,000 PEOPLE, GIVE OR TAKE RIGHT NOW.
WE'RE THE LARGEST MUNICIPALITY IN THE COUNTY.
I THINK WE'VE PASSED HILTON HEAD AT THIS POINT IN TIME, OR IF NOT WE WILL SHORTLY.
UM, BUT IN GROWTH, WE ARE THE LARGEST.
UM, WE, WE'LL, WE'LL BE THERE SHORTLY.
UM, MORE THAN 1400% GROWTH SINCE 2000.
[00:50:01]
BEEN OUT TO THIS AREA IN A LONG TIME, EVERYTHING THAT YOU SEE OUT HERE HAS BEEN BUILT IN THE LAST PROBABLY THREE TO FIVE YEARS THAT YOU'RE LAYING EYES ON.SO, UH, LOTS OF GROWTH STILL TO COME IN THIS AREA AS WELL.
I'M GONNA GO THROUGH THE FIRST PART OF THE PRE PRESENTATION A LITTLE FASTER, JUST 'CAUSE SOME OF THIS IS BACKGROUND.
BUT, UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, THE TOWN, PRIOR TO ABOUT 1990, WE WERE ONE SQUARE MILE.
WE WERE PRETTY MUCH WHAT YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU THINK OF OLD TOWN.
UM, SINCE THEN, WE'RE NOW EVERYTHING THAT'S IN THE PINK, YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THERE'S STILL A LOT OF AREAS THAT ARE NOT IN THE TOWN THAT WE SURROUND THAT'S UNINCORPORATED, UH, BEAUFORT COUNTY.
UM, THE ONE THING I WOULD POINT OUT IS JUST SOME OF THE MAJOR THINGS WITH THE ROADS AND INTERSECTIONS THAT WE HAVE IN THE TOWN, AND YOU'VE HEARD IT MENTIONED BEFORE, MOST ARE EITHER STATE ROADS OR OWNED BY BEAUFORT COUNTY.
THE TOWN ONLY OWNS 14 ROADS INSIDE THE TOWN LIMITS.
THEY'RE THE ROADS THAT YOU DRIVE ON THROUGH OLD TOWN.
THEN WE OWN HAMPTON PARKWAY AND WE OWN THE ROAD IN FRONT OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT OVER IN BUCK WALTER.
OUTSIDE OF THAT, EVERY OTHER ROAD THAT'S INSIDE OF THE TOWN OF BLUFFTON IS EITHER COUNTY OWNED, STATE OWNED, OR IT'S A PRIVATE ROAD.
THIS ROAD OUT HERE, NEW RIVERSIDE IS ACTUALLY A PRIVATELY OWNED ROAD THAT IS OWNED BY A NEW RIVERSIDE, LLC.
SO WE'RE A LITTLE, LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN A LOT OF OTHER PLACES IN THE COUNTY AND THE STATE, UM, AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE COLORS UP THERE, MOST OF THE MAIN ROADS THAT IT RUN AND SERVICE THE TOWN AREN'T STRICTLY JUST INSIDE THE TOWN LIMITS.
THEY WEAVE IN AND OUT FROM INSIDE THE TOWN TO OUTSIDE THE TOWN LIMITS.
UM, AND MOST OF THE IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE ARE LIMITED TO BECAUSE OF ALL THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS THAT WE HAVE INSIDE THE TOWN.
FOR THOSE THAT DON'T KNOW, 92% OF OUR TOWN LIES IN DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS WHERE WE'VE PLANNED WHERE THE ROADWAYS, THE INTERCONNECTIVITY, THE COMMERCIAL, THE RESIDENTIAL AND EVERYTHING CAN GO WITHIN THE COMMUNITIES.
SO WHEN IT COMES TO TALKING ABOUT WHAT ROAD IMPROVEMENTS CAN BE MADE, IT'S VERY LIMITED BECAUSE OF THOSE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS.
UM, MOST OF THE ROADWAY PLANS HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED FOR 20 PLUS YEARS IN THESE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS.
SO WE'RE REALLY LIMITED TO MOSTLY INTERSECTION SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS AND POTENTIALLY SOME WIDENING WITHIN THE RIGHT OF WAYS THAT COULD HAPPEN.
UM, AND THEN WE HAVE A COUPLE ACCESS MANAGEMENT PLANS THAT BEAUFORT COUNTY HAS ADOPTED, OR IS A, I KNOW THEY'VE DRAFTED SOME, THEY'VE RESEARCHED SOME THAT COVER SOME OF THE COUNTY ROADWAYS THAT THEY HAVE WITH, UM, BUCK WALTER AND THE BLUFFTON PARKWAY.
SO, AS I SAID, WE'RE NOT ALONE IN THIS.
THIS IS THE GREATER BLUFFTON AREA.
WHAT YOU SEE IN THE GREEN ARE ACTUALLY DEVELOPMENTS THAT ARE INSIDE THE TOWN LIMITS, WHICH YOU SEE IN THE BROWN.
THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE COUNTY APPROVED DEVELOPMENT PLANS.
SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT, THE TOTAL NUMBER OF RESIDENTIAL UNITS THAT THE TOWN OF BLUFFTON HAS APPROVED IS 20,853.
THE TOTAL THAT BEAUFORT COUNTY HAS APPROVED IS 20,584.
SO AGAIN, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE GREATER BLUFFTON AREA, WE SURROUND THE SAME ROADS.
WE, OUR, OUR, THE COUNTY, THE TOWN, WE FEED INTO THE SAME ROADS.
AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT EVACUATION ROUTES, I'LL GO OVER THOSE IN A MINUTE HERE.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE ALL THE SAME ROADS THAT WE DRIVE EVERY DAY.
WE'RE VERY LIMITED BASED ON WHAT PEOPLE COME TO LIVE HERE.
OUR QUALITY OF LIFE, THE NATURE, THE RESOURCES THAT ARE HERE.
WE'RE VERY LIMITED ON THE NUMBER OF ROADS THAT YOU CAN TAKE TO GET EAST AND WEST AND NORTH AND SOUTH WITHIN THE TOWN LIMITS.
SO WE DO, LIKE I SAID, WE DO HAVE A LOT OF GROWTH GOING ON.
UM, WE TRACK OUR GROWTH THROUGHOUT THE TOWN.
SO THE AREA THAT YOU SEE THAT'S UP HERE IN THE GREEN, THAT IS OUR FASTEST GROWING AREA.
THAT'S WHERE WE'RE AT RIGHT NOW.
IT'S GROWN, UH, OF THE DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS.
IT HAS 5% OF IT WAS BUILT IN THE LAST YEAR.
UM, WE'RE STARTING TO SEE COMMERCIAL FILL BACK IN ON BUCK WALTER, AND I'M GONNA TALK A LITTLE ABOUT BIT ABOUT SOME OF THOSE.
BUT AS OF RIGHT NOW, WE'RE AT 81% BUILD OUT ON ANY ALLOWED RESIDENTIAL WITHIN OUR DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS.
AND WE'RE AT 32% BUILT OUT ON COMMERCIAL.
SO COMMERCIAL LAGS BEHIND, THEY WANT THE POPULATION.
SO WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF COMMERCIAL TO COME IN BEHIND OUR RESIDENTIAL.
SO I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE, UH, MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS THAT ARE GOING ON IN THE TOWN AND JUST HOW THEY'RE GONNA IMPACT THE ROADWAYS THAT WE ALREADY HAVE AND WHY.
YOU'RE GONNA SEE SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE'RE, UM, THAT I'M GONNA ADDRESS.
SO I'VE GOT SEVEN AREAS I'M GONNA GO THROUGH HERE.
I JUST HAVE A PICTURE, I'M GONNA HIGHLIGHT 'EM.
SO THE FIRST ONE HERE IS UP ON BUCK WALTER.
UM, THE ONE THING I WOULD POINT OUT AS WELL IS YOU'LL SEE THE COLOR CODES UP THERE.
[00:55:01]
TAKE OUR GROWTH FRAMEWORK AND WE'VE IDENTIFIED AREAS WHERE WE WANNA SEE MORE DENSE DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE TOWN.THOSE AREAS ARE THE COLOR CODED ONES THAT BRIGHT.
THERE'S A BRIGHT RED ONE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE, THAT'S BUCK WALTER.
IT'S BEEN PLANNED TO BE THE CENTER OF TOWN FOR 25 YEARS, AND THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE GONNA SEE A LOT OF GROWTH TAKING PLACE RIGHT NOW BECAUSE IT'S BEEN PLANNED TO HAVE THAT DENSE COMMERCIAL GROWTH THERE.
YOU SEE ANOTHER ONE THAT'S IN YELLOW RIGHT HERE AT THE TRAFFIC CIRCLE.
AGAIN, IT'S BEEN PLANNED TO HAVE THE DENSE COMMERCIAL RIGHT HERE AT THIS INTERSECTION FOR 20 PLUS YEARS SINCE THIS DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT HAS BEEN IN, IN EXISTENCE.
SO WHEN YOU SEE A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT, THEY'RE GOING INTO THE AREAS THAT THEY WERE DESIGNED AND PLANNED FOR 25 YEARS AGO WHEN THESE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS WERE ADOPTED.
SO UP ON BUCK WALTER, WE HAVE FOUR MEDICAL CENTERS THAT ARE GETTING READY TO GO IN, UH, TWO THAT ARE THREE THAT ARE UNDER CONSTRUCTION, ONE THAT'S GOING THROUGH THE PERMITTING PROCESS RIGHT NOW.
THEY'RE ALL RIGHT AT THE INTERSECTION OF BLUFFTON PARKWAY AND BUCKWALTER.
UM, WE HAVE BEAUFORT MEMORIAL THAT'S BUILDING THEIR HOSPITAL FOR THE SOUTHERN BEAUFORT COUNTY.
IT'S GOING UP RIGHT NOW, IT'S A HUNDRED THOUSAND SQUARE FOOT HOSPITAL.
WE HAVE, UH, NOVA HEALTH STANDALONE MEDICAL, UH, EMERGENCY ROOM SIMILAR TO WHAT THEY HAVE IN TIDE WATCH.
IT'S GOING DIRECTLY ACROSS THE STREET FROM WASHINGTON SQUARE.
UM, WE HAVE, UM, NOVANT THIS BUILDING LOOK, THEY'RE GOING THROUGH THE PERMITTING PROCESS FOR A HOSPITAL DIRECTLY ACROSS, UH, BLUFFTON PARKWAY FROM WHERE BEAUFORT MEMORIAL IS BUILDING RIGHT NOW.
IT IS PLANNED TO BE THREE TIMES LARGER THAN THE BEAUFORT MEMORIAL HOSPITAL.
UM, AND THEN WE HAVE A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN MUSC AND BEAUFORT MEMORIAL THAT'S GOING AT THE SAME INTERSECTION WHERE IT'S GONNA BE OFFICE SPACE FOR MUSC TO HAVE DOCTORS THAT PEOPLE HAVE TO DRIVE TO CHARLESTON RIGHT NOW.
THEY'LL COME DOWN HERE AND HAVE OFFICE HOURS INSIDE OF BLUFFTON TO SERVE SOUTHERN BEAUFORT COUNTY.
SO WE'RE SEEING A LOT OF MEDICAL GROWTH.
THAT'S GONNA BE REALLY OUR MEDICAL HUB AND PROBABLY THE MEDICAL HUB FOR SOUTHERN BEAUFORT COUNTY IN THAT AREA RIGHT THERE.
THIS IS JUST A COUPLE EXAMPLES.
THE TOP ONE IS THE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL THAT'S UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
THE BOTTOM ONE IS THE RENDERING FOR, OR THE, THE SITE LAYOUT FOR THE NOVANT HOSPITAL THAT'S GOING IN ACROSS THE STREET FROM IT.
THE OTHER ONE'S IN THE SAME AREA I MENTIONED A MINUTE AGO IS WASHINGTON SQUARE.
THIS IS IF YOU DRIVE THROUGH, IT'S WHERE, UM, LOW COUNTRY, UH, FRESH IS.
IT'S ALSO WHERE THE STARBUCKS JUST OPENED.
THERE'S SOME SHOPS THAT JUST OPENED.
THERE'S A, UH, A CHILD, UH, UM, CHILDCARE FACILITY ABOUT TO START CONSTRUCTION AT BRIGHT BEGINNINGS.
NOT BRIGHT BEGINNINGS, UH, ARD SCHOOL.
YEAH, IT'S GETTING READY TO BUILD THERE.
UM, SO THERE'S STILL LOTS OF DEVELOPMENT LEFT TO GO INTO THERE.
AND INSIDE OF BUCK WALTER THE TOWN HAS AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECT GOING ON.
WE JUST, UH, ARE FINISHING UP OUR BUILDING 100, WHICH IS THE NEXT PHASE OF DON RYAN CENTER, WHERE WE'LL ACTUALLY HAVE OFFICE SPACE.
AND WE ACTUALLY HAVE A CHILDCARE GOING IN THE BOTTOM CALLED BRIGHT BEGINNINGS.
UM, BUT THERE'S ALSO, IT'S VERY SIMILAR TO, UM, MAGNOLIA.
IS IT MAGNOLIA OR MYRTLE THAT THE COUNTY HAS BEHIND YOUR OFFICES.
MYRTLE, MYRTLE PARK PARK RIGHT BEHIND, UH, THE COUNTY, UH, BUILDING OFF OF UH, BLUFFTON PARKWAY.
SO THOSE ARE UNDER CONSTRUCTION RIGHT NOW AND ARE MOVING FORWARD ACROSS THE STREET BETWEEN BEAUFORT MEMORIAL, BEAUFORT COUNTY, BLUFFTON, AND, UM, WATER COOPER, WHERE THEY'RE LOOKING TO BUILD 160 AFFORDABLE HOUSING, UH, APARTMENTS ACROSS THE STREET AND A SMALL MEDICAL OFFICE.
I HAVE ALL THOSE PARTNERS UP THERE BECAUSE THE COUNTY IS ACTUALLY, THEY WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LAND.
WE WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT UNITS AND WATER COOPER IS THE ONE THAT'S GONNA BE DOING THE CONSTRUCTION OF THAT.
UM, NOW WE'RE BACK OUT HERE WHERE WE ARE AROUND THE TRAFFIC CIRCLE.
YOU HAVE NEW RIVERSIDE VILLAGE, WHICH IS RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET.
I HEARD SOME CAME EARLY AND HAD SOME LUNCH OVER THERE.
SO AGAIN, STILL SOME, UH, COMMERCIAL LEFT TO FINISH OUT OVER THERE, BUT I STARTED HERE ALMOST FIVE YEARS AGO WHEN I SHOWED UP, IT WAS COMPLETELY SAND.
SO ALL OF THAT HAS BEEN CONSTRUCTED IN THE, WITHIN THE LAST FOUR, FOUR YEARS ACROSS THE STREET FROM IT.
YOU HAVE MAY RIVER CROSSING, WHICH IS WHERE PUBLIX IS, AND THERE'S STILL A FEW MORE OUT PARCELS AND COMMERCIAL SPACES LEFT TO FILL IN RIGHT HERE AROUND THIS TRAFFIC CIRCLE.
LASTLY, WE HAVE A COUPLE MORE SCHOOLS THAT ARE UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
AND AGAIN, I THINK SCHOOLS PROJECTS BECAUSE WE HAVE GOTTEN TO THE POINT WHERE SO MUCH OF OUR, UH, TRAFFIC IN THE MORNINGS AND IN THE AFTERNOONS ARE UP AND DROP OFF FOR SCHOOLS.
AND THE BLUFFTON SCHOOL COMPLEX, WHEN YOU SEE THE MAY RIVER, UH, HIGH SCHOOL, IT'S VERY BUSY INTERSECTIONS THAT NEED TO BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT FOR.
SO THE FIRST ONE WE HAVE HERE IS A EARLY CHILDHOOD SCHOOL.
THAT'S EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER THAT'S GOING OUT, UM, ON, UH, BLUFFTON PARKWAY RIGHT NEXT TO RIVER RIDGE.
[01:00:01]
AND THEY'RE GETTING READY TO START CONSTRUCTION ON IT OUT HERE ON NEW RIVERSIDE.THEY HAVE A NEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL THAT'S GOING IN DIRECTLY.
UM, IT DIDN'T ADVANCE GOING IN DIRECTLY BESIDE MAY RIVER HIGH SCHOOL.
UM, SO THEY HAVE SOME INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS THEY'LL BE MAKING THERE, AND EVENTUALLY THERE'LL BE A RED LIGHT AS PART OF THE, THE DEVELOPMENT THERE.
BUT, UM, AGAIN, THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND BECAUSE PEOPLE TO ACCESS THAT SCHOOL, UM, IF THEY'RE NOT WITHIN ON NEW RIVERSIDE, THEY HAVE TO COME THROUGH THE TRAFFIC CIRCLE UP HERE OR THEY HAVE TO COME IN OFF OF PALMETTO BLUFF ROAD.
SO AGAIN, TO NOT, NOT A LOT OF PATHS TO GET IN.
THERE'S UM, ONLY ONE OR TWO ON MOST AREAS THAT YOU DRIVE WITHIN THE TOWN.
SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT LATS AND I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT THE LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN THAT LATS HAS PUT INTO PLACE.
UM, WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS FOR A WHILE WITH THE COUNTY AND WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT INTERNALLY WITH, UH, OUR COUNCIL JUST BASED ON THE FACT THAT WHEN IT FIRST CAME UP THAT THE COUNTY WAS LOOKING AT A PENNY TAX AND WE WERE TRYING TO, UM, TALK ABOUT TRANSPORTATION, PENNY OR A CAPITAL PENNY.
THIS IS THE PLAN THAT HAS BEEN ADOPTED AND PUT TOGETHER BY EVERY COUNTY AND MUNICIPALITY WITHIN BUFORT AND JASPER COUNTY.
UM, IT IS, IT'S PUT TOGETHER BY A BOARD.
IT'S HAD STUDIES THAT GO ALONG WITH IT, HAS COMMUNITY INPUT.
IT HAS, UM, RECOMMENDATIONS THAT LOOK OUT FOR A LONG TERM PLAN TO GO OUT ALL THE WAY TO 2045.
SO IT WAS A 25 YEAR OUTLOOK OR A LITTLE LONGER ACTUALLY, UM, WHEN IT WAS ADOPTED.
SO A LOT OF WHAT'S IDENTIFIED IN HERE HAS ALREADY BEEN STUDIED OR IT HAS ALREADY BEEN IDENTIFIED WITH A COST ESTIMATE, INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS, WHAT IT'S GONNA TAKE TO MAKE THESE IMPROVEMENTS.
UM, THE ONE THING I WILL ALSO SAY ABOUT IT IS IF YOU DRIVE THROUGH ANYWHERE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY AND YOU SAY, MAN, I REALLY WISH THIS ROAD HAD SOMETHING DONE TO IT, IT'S PROBABLY ALREADY IN THIS PLAN, IT'S PROBABLY ALREADY BEEN IDENTIFIED.
THE OTHER THING THEY'VE DONE, AND I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT HOW THEY, UM, HAVE SET IT UP, IS THEY'VE SET IT UP IN PHASES.
THE FIRST ONE THEY DID WAS A 22.
AND YOU'RE GONNA SEE OLDER DATES HERE 'CAUSE NOTHING HAS BEEN UPDATED YET.
THEY'RE GETTING READY TO UPDATE THE LONG TERM, THE LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN HERE.
I THINK STARTING IT'S EITHER THIS YEAR OR YEAH, SO THEY'LL ADOPT IT NEXT YEAR.
THERE'LL BE AN UPDATED PLAN, BUT THEY BROKE IT UP INTO ABOUT FOUR YEAR CLUSTERS, WHICH WORKS REALLY WELL WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW YOU WANT TO DO A TRANSPORTATION PENNY.
AND WHETHER YOU WANT TO GO FOUR YEARS, EIGHT YEARS, HOWEVER LONG YOU WANT TO GO.
BUT ALSO WHEN YOU START PRIORITIZING PROJECTS, THEY'VE ALREADY DONE ALL THAT THEY'VE ALREADY GONE THROUGH WITH THE COMMITTEE, THEY'VE ALREADY ADOPTED A PRO A PLAN THAT ACTUALLY PRIORITIZES AND SETS WHICH PROJECTS NEED TO BE ADDRESSED SOONER RATHER THAN LATER.
SO WHAT I HAVE APPEARS, THE ONES THAT WERE IDENTIFIED FOR, UH, 2022 THROUGH 2025, THE ONES STRUCK OUT IN RED AREN'T IN BUFORT COUNTY.
SO THEY REALLY DON'T AFFECT OUR PENNY TAX.
THE ONE THING I WOULD SAY IS THERE'S A COUPLE ON THERE LIKE ARGENT, THERE'S A COUPLE ON THERE, LIKE FOUR 60, UH, 4 60, 3 15 AND 46 THAT MAY BE IN THE JASPER COUNTY, UH, PENNY THAT THEY APPROVED LAST YEAR.
THAT NEED TO BE, WE WOULD SAY, NEED TO BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION BECAUSE IF YOU'RE GONNA WIDEN A ROAD AND THEN BOTTLENECK IT BACK SOON AS IT HITS THE COUNTY LINE, YOU'RE NOT REALLY SOLVING A PROBLEM.
YOU'RE JUST MOVING THAT PROBLEM BACK TO WHERE IT'S GONNA BOTTLENECK AGAIN.
SO, UM, BUT THE ONES IN RED ARE ONES THAT ARE IN JASPER COUNTY.
UM, THE ONE THAT WITH THAT HAS THE YELLOW CHECKS BESIDE IT, THE STUDIES ARE EITHER IN, ARE IN PROGRESS, UM, THEY'RE DOING A STUDY ON 2 78 RIGHT NOW THAT'S IN PROGRESS.
SO IF IT TOUCHES 2 78, IT'S ALREADY MOVING FORWARD.
THE ONES THAT ARE IN GREEN ALREADY HAVE A CORRIDOR STUDY THAT'S BEEN COMPLETE.
AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS THEY'VE STUDIED THE TRAFFIC PATTERNS, THEY'VE DONE PUBLIC COMMENT, THEY'VE, UM, IDENTIFIED RECOMMENDATIONS THAT NEED TO BE DONE TO ADDRESS WHATEVER SHORTCOMINGS THAT ARE THERE.
UM, WHAT BENEFITS WOULD BE TO THE FIXES IDENTIFIED A BUDGET.
AND, UM, THE NEXT STEPS WOULD BE THEN TO GO INTO PLANNING, ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION.
SO THERE'S ALREADY SEVERAL OF THESE THAT YOU'RE GONNA SEE THAT HAVE HAD THESE STUDIES DONE, WHICH WOULD MAKE THEM A LOT QUICKER TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS AND HAVING TO START FROM SCRATCH AGAIN.
UM, SO SOME OF THOSE THAT YOU'LL SEE UP ON HERE ARE, UM, US 2 78 FROM SPANISH WELLS TO SEA PINES 21 AND 20 AND 1 28 INTERSECTIONS.
ONES THAT ARE BENEFICIAL FOR US, THE 1 70 46 FROM THE ROUNDABOUT TO, TO THE JASPER COUNTY LINE.
IT'S IN THOSE FIRST PROJECT LIST.
UM, THAT'S ONE THAT WOULD GREATLY BENEFIT THIS AREA.
UM, AND THEN YOU SEE SOME OTHERS IN THERE, UM, FOR THE, FOR THE FIRST, UH, FOUR YEARS WHEN YOU GET INTO THE SECOND FOUR YEARS AS AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE THERE'S QUITE A FEW STUDIES THAT HAVE BEEN COMPLETED AND THERE'S SOME THAT ARE IN THE COUNTY LINE.
[01:05:01]
AND, AND JARED, I'LL HAVE TO LEAN ON HIM BECAUSE ONE OF THE ONES I STRUCK OUT IN GREEN IS THE 2 78, 1 70 INTERCHANGE.AND I KNOW SOME WORK'S BEEN DONE THERE, SO I STRUCK THROUGH AND SAID COMPLETE, BUT I'M NOT SURE IF IT'S A HUNDRED PERCENT COMPLETE.
WE'VE GOT A MIDTERM THAT IS BEING DEVELOPED RIGHT NOW, SO, RIGHT.
SO THERE, THERE'S MAYBE MORE TO THAT.
UM, BUT IF YOU DRIVE THROUGH THE 1 72 78 INTERCHANGE, YOU CAN SEE A LOT OF THE WORK THAT'S ALREADY BEEN DONE FOR SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS THERE.
UM, THIS ALSO TAUGHT, MOSTLY EVERYTHING YOU SEE IN THE GREEN ON HERE THAT'S BEEN STUDIED IS ONE 70.
AND AGAIN, I'M SURE Y'ALL ARE GONNA HEAR FROM EVERYBODY.
UM, IT'S, AGAIN, WHEN YOU TRY TO MOVE PEOPLE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY, NORTH OR SOUTH OR EAST OR WEST, THERE'S VERY LIMITED ON THE NUMBER OF ROADS THAT YOU CAN DO THAT.
UM, AND THEN THE, UM, YELLOW ONE IS, AGAIN, TWO, ANYTHING ON 2 78.
THAT'S THE BLUFFTON PARKWAY STUDY THAT WAS DONE AND COMPLETED, I THINK IN SEPTEMBER OR AUGUST OF LAST YEAR.
UM, GOING BACK, I DID PUT SOME NUMBERS IN THERE.
SO IF YOU LOOK ON THE PROJECTS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED IN 22 THROUGH 25, REMOVE THE ONES THAT ARE COMPLETE, THE ONES THAT ARE NOT IN THE COUNTY, IT TOTALS $140 MILLION, GIVE OR TAKE.
IF YOU DID A 10% INCREASE FROM WHEN IT WAS STUDY WAS COMPLETED, A 10% CONTINGENCY, WE'RE TALKING $168 MILLION TO COMPLETE ALL THOSE PROJECTS.
IS IS THAT EVERY PROJECT THAT'S NOT STRUCK THROUGH? THAT'S EVERY PROJECT THAT'S NOT STRUCK.
WHEN YOU GO TO THE NEXT FOUR YEARS, AND YOU LOOK AT 2026 THROUGH 2030, THAT TOTALS $384 MILLION.
AGAIN, THAT'S IF YOU ADD IN A 10% INCREASE FOR COST OVER THE LAST ABOUT THREE YEARS, AND YOU ADD IN A 10% CONTINGENCY, WHEN YOU TOTAL ALL THE PROJECTS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED FROM 2022 TO 2030 THAT WERE IDENTIFIED IN THE LONG TERM LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN, IT TOTALS ABOUT $550 MILLION.
UM, SO AGAIN, I THINK THAT IS A GOOD BASELINE FOR WHAT THE COMMITTEE MAY BE LOOKING AT FOR THE TERMS, FOR THE AMOUNT OF FUNDS THAT MAY BE GENERATED FOR PROJECTS THAT ALREADY HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED TO HIT AREAS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE COUNTY.
BECAUSE IF YOU LOOK THROUGH HERE, YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THESE AREN'T IDENTIFIED JUST FOR ONE SPECIFIC AREA.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE IDENTIFIED TO ADDRESS 21.
THEY'RE IDENTIFIED ADDRESS, 2 78, 1 70, UH, NEW CONSTRUCT, NEW NEW ROADS UP IN, UH, BEAUFORT PORT ROYAL AREA.
THEY, THEY DIDN'T, IT'S NOT JUST FOCUSED ON ONE SPECIFIC AREA IN THE COUNTY.
UM, SO I'M NOT GONNA TALK ANYMORE ABOUT LATS BECAUSE YOU'RE GONNA HEAR ABOUT THAT FROM STEPHANIE AND YOU CAN ASK HER ALL THOSE GREAT QUESTIONS.
NEXT, WHAT, TWO WEEKS NEXT WEEK WHEN YOU'RE ON HILTON HEAD.
UM, WHAT I WANNA TALK ABOUT NOW IS SOME LOCAL PROJECTS THAT KIND OF COME OUT OF THERE, AND THEN SOME THINGS TO TAKE AWAY.
SO SOME ADDITIONAL THINGS TO CONSIDER IS EVACUATION ROUTES.
THESE ARE THE EVACUATION ROUTES FOR SOUTHERN BEAUFORT COUNTY, REALLY FOR BEAUFORT COUNTY.
IF YOU NOTICE, LIKE I SAID, WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO MOVE PEOPLE EAST AND WEST AND NORTH AND SOUTH, YOU'RE VERY LIMITED ON ROADS THAT YOU CAN DO.
SO TO GET PEOPLE FAR ANYWHERE IN THE COUNTY.
YOU CAN SEE ONE 70, YOU CAN SEE 17, YOU CAN SEE 95, 46.
THOSE ARE THE EVACUATION ROUTES THAT WE HAVE TO MOVE PEOPLE THROUGH IN THE COUNTY TO SHOULD THERE BE ANOTHER, HER, ANOTHER MATTHEW THAT'S LOOKING TO COME.
UM, AND IT'S BEEN, WE'RE GOING ON CLOSE TO 10 YEARS NOW SINCE MATTHEW, SINCE THAT TIME, WE'VE PROBABLY DOUBLED IN POPULATION.
UM, THAT'S NOT TO INCLUDE WHAT HILTON HEAD HAS DONE, BEAUFORT, PORT ROYAL, THE UNINCORPORATED AREAS TO MOVE PEOPLE ON AN EVACUATION ROUTE.
TO ME THAT IS ONE OF THE MOST SERIOUS THINGS THAT WE NEED TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT PROJECTS IS THE SAFETY OF THE CITIZENS DURING A NATURAL DISASTER.
UM, I KNOW, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO EVACUATING, I WASN'T HERE FOR MATTHEW, BUT IF WE HAD TO EVACUATE TODAY FOR SOMETHING YOU'RE TALKING, IT COULD BE HOURS TO DAYS BEFORE WE COULD GET PEOPLE OUT THROUGH SOME OF THESE ROADWAYS BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE TO MOVE.
UM, BUT SO OTHER THING I WOULD SAY I WOULD RECOMMEND TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION, AND IT'S A LITTLE BLURRY, IS ACCIDENT HOTSPOTS.
I KNOW THE COUNTY TRACKS THESE.
IF YOU GO INTO ANY OF THE LAT STUDIES, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY'LL IDENTIFY IS HEAT MAPS OF WHERE TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS ARE OCCURRING.
THIS IS JUST THE TOWN LIMITS OF BLUFFTON AND WHERE IT'S WHITE, IT'S WHERE THEY'RE THE WORST.
SO YOU'LL SEE BUCK WALTER, YOU'LL SEE ONE 70, YOU'LL SEE DOWN 46, 2 78 AGAIN EVERYWHERE THAT IF YOU DROVE AND YOU THOUGHT THERE'S PROBABLY A LOT OF ACCIDENTS HERE, THAT MAP IS GONNA SHOW THAT THERE WERE A LOT OF ACCIDENTS THERE.
[01:10:01]
WHEN YOU START TALKING ABOUT INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS THAT ARE IDENTIFIED, THESE ARE THE INTERSECTIONS THAT PROBABLY NEED TO HAVE THE HIGHEST PRIORITY WHEN IT COMES TO ADDRESSING OMI, BECAUSE THESE ARE OUR MOST DANGEROUS INTERSECTIONS.FEDERATION IS SOME PROJECTS THAT JUST SKIRT SOME OF THE LONG RAIN TRANSPORTATION PLANS.
THIS IS ONE, SO WE KNOW THERE'S MAY RIVER TRAFFIC CIRCLE HERE.
I MENTIONED THAT THERE WAS A STUDY DONE BY LATS TO LOOK AT WIDENING FROM THE TRAFFIC CIRCLE OUT TO THE COUNTY ROAD.
ON A SEPARATE PORTION OF THAT, THEY LOOKED AT MAKING INTERCEPT IMPROVEMENTS AT SOME OF THE INTERSECTIONS THAT GO EAST, THAT ADDRESSED, UM, WHERE STAR, I THINK A STARDUST COMES IN STAR LANE, UM, GIBB IT AND PALMETTO BLUFF ROAD.
ARE THEY IDENTIFIED SOME INTERSECTIONS THERE? I WOULD, WE WOULD ASK THAT YOU TAKE THOSE INTO CONSIDERATION AND NOT JUST NECESSARILY STOP AT THE ROUNDABOUT, BUT TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION SOME OF THOSE INTERSECTIONS THAT ARE DANGEROUS THAT GO RIGHT BEYOND THERE.
YOU SAW SOME OF THOSE, WHEN WE LOOK AT THOSE HOTSPOTS RIGHT THERE WHERE PALMETTO BLUFF ROAD COMES IN, THERE'S A HOTSPOT THERE, UM, TO MAKE SURE YOU TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THOSE INTERSECTIONS THAT GO, GO BEYOND JUST THE TRAFFIC CIRCLE.
UM, BACK IN 2023 WHEN THIS WAS PRESENTED BY, UM, LATS AT A PUBLIC MEETING, IT WAS ESTIMATED THAT IT WAS GONNA TAKE ABOUT $9 MILLION TO ADDRESS THOSE THREE INTERSECTIONS.
THEY DID SHOW 'EM AS ROUNDABOUTS, WHETHER THEY NEED TO BE ROUNDABOUTS, WHETHER THEY NEED TO BE RED LIGHTS, SIGNALIZE, WHATEVER IT IS.
I, WE BELIEVE THAT THAT'S A PRIORITY THAT WE WOULD ASK Y'ALL TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION FOR INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS.
AND LOOK AT WHAT, AGAIN, THIS WAS IN 2023, UPDATED NUMBERS AS A PROJECT MOVES FORWARD, IT MAY CALL FOR DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT IMPROVEMENTS AT THOSE INTERSECTIONS.
ANOTHER ONE THAT'S LOCAL IS THE BLUFFTON PARKWAY.
UM, DURING THE STUDY THAT WAS COMPLETED IN JULY OF 2025, THEY IDENTIFIED NEAR TERM AND YOU HEARD JERRY KINDA TALKING ABOUT THAT NEAR TERM MIDTERM, LONG TERM OR REALLY THEY DID MIDTERM, NEAR TERM AND LONG TERM THEY IDENTIFIED.
UM, UM, NEAR TERM IS YEARS ONE THROUGH FIVE.
AND THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT WE WOULD ASK Y'ALL TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION BECAUSE REALLY THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE LIFE OF THIS PENNY IF IT GOES, IS AROUND THAT YEAR, ONE TO FIVE.
UM, THEY BROKE THE STUDY UP INTO FOUR DIFFERENT QUADRANTS GOING ALL THE WAY FROM, UM, ONE 70 ALL THE WAY TO THE FLYOVER AT TWO SEVEN, WHERE 2 78, UH, WHERE IT MERGES IN WITH 2 78 AT THE BRIDGE.
UM, AND DURING THAT TIME, OVER THE LAST SIX YEARS, WHEN THEY PULLED THE NUMBERS BETWEEN THE WHOLE PARKWAY, THERE WERE 1800 CRASHES, FIVE FAT TALLIES, AND 26 PEDESTRIAN, BI OR BICYCLE, UM, ACCIDENTS THAT TOOK PLACE ON THAT, ON THAT SECTION.
UM, WE WOULD ASK THAT Y'ALL LOOK AT THE SHORT TERM RECOMMENDATIONS.
THEY ONLY IDENTIFIED SHORT TERM RECOMMENDATIONS AND THE TWO MIDDLE SECTIONS, WHICH ARE QUADRANT TWO AND THREE.
AND FOR YEARS ONE THROUGH FIVE, QUADRANT TWO IMPROVEMENTS WERE $700,000.
QUADRANT THREE WERE 5 MILLION, 245 THOU THOUSAND DOLLARS.
AND THOSE WERE THINGS LIKE, UM, I'LL SHOW 'EM TO YOU ON THE NEXT SLIDE.
UH, MOSTLY INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS.
AND THEN THE OTHER THING WE WOULD RECOMMEND, JUST LIKE WE TALKED ABOUT THE TRAFFIC CIRCLE HERE, NOT JUST STOPPING RIGHT AT THE EDGE OF IT, IS TO CONTINUE, IS LOOK AT THE, UH, ROUNDABOUT THAT'S AT BLUFFTON PARKWAY AND UM, AND BLUFFTON ROAD BECAUSE THAT IS ONE OF, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE HEAT MAP FOR THE COUNTY, FOR THE AMOUNT OF ACCIDENTS, THAT'S ONE OF THE HOTTEST ONES THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE COUNTY BECAUSE OF THE AMOUNT OF, UM, ACCIDENTS THAT TAKE PLACE AT THAT INTERSECTION.
NOW THEY'RE VERY LOW IMPACT BECAUSE IT IS A TRAFFIC CIRCLE, BUT THERE ARE A NUMBER THAT TAKE PLACE AND WHEN ONE HAPPENS, IT BACKS UP BLUFFTON PARKWAY, IT BACKS UP MAY RIVER ROAD AND IT BACKS UP 2 78 BECAUSE IT PUSHES EVERYBODY UP TO THOSE OTHER WAYS TO, TO HAVE TO GET AROUND.
UM, THE RECOMMENDATION FOR THAT WAS A LITTLE OVER 900, 9 MILLION, $250,000 FOR THOSE INTER INTERSECTION FOR THAT DROUGHT, FOR THAT ROUNDABOUT IMPROVEMENTS.
UM, SO THE ENTER WHAT THEY RECOMMENDED FOR YEARS, UM, ONE THROUGH FIVE FOR QUADRANT TWO AND THREE ARE ON THE NEXT SLIDE.
AND YOU CAN SEE THEY'RE MOSTLY THINGS LIKE TAKING FULL TURN INTERSECTIONS AND MAKING 'EM RIGHT IN AND RIGHT OUT ONLY WE HAVE ONE THAT'S GOTHY ROAD RIGHT BY THE TRAFFIC CIRCLE.
WE HAVE A LOT OF ACCIDENTS THAT TAKE PLACE BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO GO ACROSS FOUR LANES OF TRAFFIC, RIGHT WHERE THE ROUNDABOUT IS DUMPING OUT ONTO IT.
AND THERE'S A LOT OF INCIDENTS THAT TAKE PLACE RIGHT THERE.
SO ONE OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS IS SIMPLY TO MAKE THAT A RIGHT IN, RIGHT OUT TO REDUCE THAT LEVEL OF CONFLICT THAT TAKES PLACE.
AGAIN, SMALL IMPROVEMENTS, LOW COST, BUT A VERY MUCH A SAFETY IMPROVEMENT FOR, UM, FOR THE CITIZENS.
UM, BUT YOU CAN GO THROUGH HERE AND SEE THAT THE BIGGEST, UH, COST IN HERE IS ACCESS
[01:15:01]
MANAGEMENT IMPROVEMENTS AT OLIVER COURT, PERSIMMON STREET, THAT'S A RED LIGHT WHERE WE HAVE A LOT OF BUSINESSES THAT TAKE PLACE RIGHT NEAR BETWEEN THE TRAFFIC CIRCLE AND UH, SIMMONS V UM, ONE OTHER THING THAT WOULD RECOMMEND IS IN TRAFFIC IS INTELLIGENT TRAFFIC SIGNALIZATION.UM, I'VE HAD A BRIEF CONVERSATION WITH JARED ABOUT THAT AND I'M GONNA LEAN ON HIM 'CAUSE I'M NOT A TRAFFIC ENGINEER.
YOU'RE GONNA GET OUTTA MY LEVEL OF EXPERTISE OUTSIDE OF SAYING I THINK IT NEEDS TO BE DONE BETWEEN THE AMOUNT OF ACCIDENTS THAT WE HAVE TAKE PLACE BETWEEN THE TOURISM THAT COMES THROUGH, BETWEEN JUST ANYTHING THAT CAN HAPPEN ON A GIVEN DAY.
BEING ABLE TO HAVE A TRA UH, SIGNALIZATION SYSTEM THAT CAN TALK AND ADJUST AND COMMUNICATE WITH ITSELF IS TO ME A, A BENEFIT.
UM, BUT LIKE I'VE TOLD JARED, I DON'T KNOW WHETHER HOW THAT WORKS.
IF THERE'S SOME BIG BRAIN SOMEWHERE THAT CONTROLS EVERYTHING OR WHETHER IT'S BASED ON EACH INDIVIDUAL INTERSECTION OR WHETHER IT NEEDS TO BE ITS OWN PROJECT THAT Y'ALL CONSIDER THAT'S NOT IDENTIFIED ANYWHERE SPECIFICALLY.
BUT WHEN YOU GO INTO THE LATS PROJECT, SOME OF THEM IDENTIFY AND, UH, THE ITS AS PART OF THE ACTUAL PROJECT.
SO THE QUESTION, AND THIS AGAIN, WOULD BE A QUESTION FOR THE COUNTY AND JARED, IS WHETHER ITS JUST NEEDS TO BE A PART OF EVERY RECOMMENDED PROJECT.
SO IF WE'RE GONNA FIX 2 78, WE'RE GONNA FIX ONE 70, WE'RE GONNA FIX 46.
DO WE JUST GO AHEAD AND SAY THAT ANY SIGNALIZE INTERSECTION BECOMES PART OF AN INTELLIGENT TRAFFIC SIGNALIZATION SYSTEM? UM, HOWEVER THAT'S ADDRESSED, AGAIN, IT GETS BEYOND MY AREA OF EXPERTISE.
GETS MORE INTO JARED AND THE ENGINEERS TO TALK ABOUT THAT.
BUT, UM, SOMETHING THAT I THINK WOULD BE BENEFICIAL OR WE THINK WOULD BE BENEFICIAL AS YOU CONSIDER, UH, THE PROJECTS THAT YOU UNDERTAKE OR YOU RECOMMEND.
UH, LASTLY, WE HAVE ACCESS MANAGEMENT PLANS.
THIS IS ONE ON BUCK WALTER THAT SHOWS A CONNECTION BETWEEN, UH, WASHINGTON SQUARE AND, UM, BLUFFTON.
UM, NOT BLUFFTON, BUCK WALTER.
UM, THESE PLANS ARE SET UP TO PROVIDE INTERCONNECTIVITY.
LIKE I SAID, WE'RE, WE'RE VERY LIMITED ON THE NUMBER OF ROADS THAT WE CAN BUILD, BUT WHAT WE HAVE PLANNED FOR IS INTERCONNECTIVITY BETWEEN A LOT OF THE DEVELOPMENTS TO MAKE SURE THAT IF YOU WANT TO DRIVE ALONG BUCK WALTER, YOU CAN DRIVE THROUGH MANY OF THE AREAS UP THERE AND NEVER HAVE TO GET BACK ON BUCK WALTER TO GET BACK INTO THE TRAFFIC.
UM, SO WE'VE IDENTIFIED A LOT OF THOSE CONNECTIVITIES FOR BUCK WALTER AND BLUFFTON PARKWAY.
THERE'S, UM, PLANS THAT HAVE BEEN SET IN PLACE OR STUDIED BY THE COUNTY.
WE WOULD ASK THAT YOU TAKE THOSE INTO CONSIDERATION.
SO IF YOU START LOOKING AT INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS ON SAY LIKE BLUFFTON PARKWAY OR BUCK WALTER, THAT THOSE ACCESS MANAGEMENT PLANS BE CONSIDERED AS PART OF THAT, UM, LIKE I SAID, THEY THEY ALSO PROVIDE ALTERNATIVE ROUTES SHOULD THERE BE AN ACCIDENT AT AN INTERSECTION TO BRING PEOPLE AROUND THE ACCIDENT, UM, WITHIN THE SAME AREA.
AND, UM, THERE ONE SOMETHING THAT CAN BE COMPLETED QUICKLY AND HAVE A LARGE IMPACT FOR SMALL FINANCIAL, UM, COST.
I'LL SUM UP WITH SOME JUST KIND OF TO SUM EVERYTHING UP WITH SOME, SOME KEY TAKEAWAYS.
AND THEN I'LL BE MORE THAN GLAD TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS OR TALK ABOUT ANY, UM, THING THAT YOU MAY HAVE.
AND LIKE THE MAYOR, OR EXCUSE ME, FORMER MAYOR SOKO SAID, WE HAVE MAYOR TOMER, COUNCILMAN WOODS STANDING UP THERE.
I'M SURE IF THEY CAN ANSWER ANYTHING, THEY'LL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO AS WELL.
UM, SO JUST TO SUM UP TONS OF GROWTH THAT HAVE TAKEN PLACE IN THE LAST 10, 20 YEARS IN BLUFFTON.
STILL MORE TO GO, NOT JUST HERE, IT'S IN THE SURROUNDING REGION.
WE KNOW WHAT HARDY VILLAGE'S GONNA BE.
IT'S THEIR TRAFFIC, OUR TRAFFIC, WE'RE GONNA BLEED INTO EACH OTHER.
UM, THERE'S A LOT OF GROWTH TO TAKE PLACE IN SOUTHERN BEAUFORT COUNTY THAT NEEDS TO BE PLANNED FOR.
THE ONE THING THAT'S NICE IS ABOUT HOW WE'VE PLANNED FOR GROWTH HERE IS WE KNOW WHAT'S COMING.
SO WE KNOW WHAT WE NEED TO BE PLANNING TO ACCOMMODATE FOR THE NUMBER OF, UH, PEOPLE, THE NUMBER OF BUSINESSES AND HOW THEY CAN INTERCONNECT.
THE LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN HAS IDENTIFIED KEY PROJECTS THAT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO THIS REGION AND THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE COUNTY, THEY'VE STUDIED MANY.
AND THE ONE THING THAT THEY WILL ALLOW, BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN IDENTIFIED, THEY'VE BEEN ADOPTED, THEY'VE BEEN STUDIED, AND THIS IS ONE THING THAT OUR COUNCIL HAS DISCUSSED, IS IT WOULD ALLOW THE COUNTY TO BOND THE MONEY UP FRONT AND START THESE PROJECTS SOONER NOW THAT WE ON THE ONES THAT NEED TO BE DONE WHILE THE OTHER PROJECTS ARE BEING STUDIED AND PLANNED FOR THAT MAY NOT ALREADY HAVE THIS DONE.
SO AGAIN, THE SOONER WE CAN MOVE FORWARD, THE QUICKER WE CAN GET PROJECTS DONE, THE MORE THE CITIZENS CAN SEE THE WORK AND GET THE BENEFIT OF THE IMPROVED TRAFFIC.
UM, THE IMPROVED ROADWAY SYSTEM, UM, THE PROJECT'S IDENTIFIED IN THE LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN, THEY HIT ROADWAYS INTERSECTIONS THAT ARE ALREADY AT OR OVER CAPACITY.
MO WHEN YOU GO BACK AND LOOK AT THE STUDIES, MOST INTERSECTIONS ARE ALREADY AT LIKE DS AND FS OR THEY'RE GONNA BE WITHIN THE NEXT 10 TO 20 YEARS, AND THEY'VE IDENTIFIED WAYS TO BRING THOSE DOWN.
[01:20:01]
UM, WE TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THE LOCAL PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED THAT WE HOPE Y'ALL TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION.AND OUR, WE CAN GET Y'ALL ANY LIST OR ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE ON THAT.
UM, THERE WERE THREE CATEGORIES THAT THEY ASKED US TO STAY WITHIN, WHICH ARE WIDENING AND SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS OR INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS.
MOST EVERYTHING THAT WE, I TALKED ABOUT TODAY HITS ALL THREE OF THOSE, ALL, ALL THREE OF THEM FOR EITHER SAFETY WIDENING OR INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS.
UM, AND THEN THE, THE OTHER THING WE WERE AT, I WOULD ADD IS LOOK AT PROJECTS WHERE FUNDS CAN BE STACKED.
YOU HEARD FROM CTC, WE KNOW WE HAVE IMPACT FEES WHERE THEY HAVE A CAPITAL PROJECTS LIST THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED.
IF YOU CAN STACK THE MONEY, WHETHER IT'S, LIKE JARED SAID EARLIER, IF THERE'S A 10 YEAR PLAN TO PAVE ROADS AND Y'ALL CAN FIX IT, THEN THEY CAN MOVE ON TO THE 10 TO 20 YEAR PLAN AND START WORKING ON THAT.
AND Y'ALL CAN, YOU KNOW, KNOCK THINGS OUT.
IF WE HAVE CIP THAT HAVE BEEN PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED IN THE TRANS IN THE IMPACT FEE FUNDS, THAT'S FUNDS THAT CAN BE PUT WITH THIS AND HELP PROJECTS MOVE FORWARD FASTER OR BE ABLE TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU HEARD EARLIER, LIKE COMPLETE STREETS, MULTI-PURPOSE PATHS AND MAKE 'EM, UH, A BIGGER PROJECT.
UM, THE LAST THING I WOULD ADD IS, AND I THINK YOU HEARD THIS AS WELL FROM VAN, IS OUR TOWN COUNCIL HAS NOT DISCUSSED THIS IN A, A COUNCIL MEETING OR DONE ANY KIND OF RESOLUTION OR ANY OF THAT YET.
WE WERE ASKED TO COME AND PRESENT, BUT WE HAVEN'T HAD A COUNCIL MEETING SINCE THEN.
SO, UM, THIS HAS BEEN SHARED WITH OUR COUNCIL, UM, ASKED THEM FOR INPUT.
WE'VE, AGAIN, THE LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN IS WHAT OUR COUNCIL HAS REALLY LEANED ON BECAUSE WE HAD, WE AS PART OF LATS HAS ADOPTED THAT SAYING THAT THESE ARE THE PROJECTS THAT NEED TO BE COMPLETE FOR THE REGION.
AND I KNOW I TALKED PROBABLY MORE THAN I SHOULD HAVE, BUT I'LL BE MORE THAN GLAD TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
AND I THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THE TIME TO SPEAK TO Y'ALL TODAY AS Y'ALL CONSIDER THE PROJECT LIST.
MR. TRASK, AMONGST THE VARIOUS PROJECTS YOU'VE IDENTIFIED, UH, IS YOUR, I'M SPEAKING TO MICROPHONE MIKE HERE.
DO, DO YOU EXPECT YOUR COUNSEL TO RANK THE VARIOUS PROJECTS FOR AS TO PRIORITY? I, I MEAN THAT, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO ME LIVING IN NORTHERN BEAUFORT COUNTY, FOR EXAMPLE.
WELL, SO THE QUESTION IF YOU WANT THEM, WOULD LIKE THEM TO RANK WOULD BE WHETHER YOU WOULD RATHER THEM COME UP WITH LOCAL PROJECTS THAN THIS AREA THAT THEY WOULD PUT AN ORDER OF ONE THROUGH FIVE.
OR WOULD YOU RATHER THEM SAY, THESE ARE PROJECTS YOU ARE RECOMMENDING, HERE'S HOW WE WOULD RANK THOSE PROJECTS.
WELL, I, I WOULD HOPE THAT THEY WOULD, THAT THEY WOULD HELP US JUST A BIT OR HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHAT, UH, THE LOCALS HERE, THE OFFICIALS HERE WOULD CONSIDER TO BE THEIR PRIORITY LIST.
SO I DON'T THINK THEY WOULD HAVE AN ISSUE WITH THAT.
WE JUST HAVEN'T HAD THE OPPORTUNITY OR THAT REQUEST MADE.
UM, MS. SKA IS GONNA BE AT THE COUNCIL MEETING ON TUESDAY NEXT WEEK TO GIVE AN UPDATE TO THE COUNCIL.
AND THAT CAN BE A CONVERSATION THAT WE CAN HAVE THERE.
AND THEN WE CAN MAYBE PUT A WORK SESSION TOGETHER.
THE, THE KEY IS, IS THE TIMING OF WHEN YOU NEED THAT LIST.
SO WE WOULD NEED A, WE WOULD NEED A DATE TO KNOW YOU NEED THIS PRIORITY LIST BY X SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE COUNSEL HAS A CHANCE TO SIT DOWN AND ACTUALLY HAVE THAT CONVERSATION.
AND I THINK WE NEED THE COMMITTEE TO AGREE THAT THAT'S WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT BECAUSE I THINK WE ARE HERE TO DO THAT.
BUT I DO, I WOULD LIKE TO, WE DIDN'T ASK VAN THAT QUESTION LAST WEEK, BUT MAYBE WE DO ASK THEM TO, I THINK THEY'RE ALL IMPORTANT.
BUT I CAN SAY IT, THE COUNCIL MEETING THAT THIS COMMITTEE HAS ASKED EACH TOWN, UM, TO DO THAT, THAT MEANS IS IT FEASIBLE TO PAY FOR EVERYTHING ON THE WISHLIST? WELL, THAT'S WHAT WE ARE GONNA DISCUSS ONCE WE LEARN FROM ALL THE MUNICIPALITIES IN THE COUNTY, WHAT THEIR WISHLIST IS, AND THEN WE'LL DETERMINE THE LENGTH AND THE AMOUNT OF PENNY AND ALMOST BACK IN TO, I'M GUESSING I'VE NEVER BEEN ON THIS COMMITTEE BEFORE, SO I'M ONLY GUESSING THAT WE'D LOOK AT EVERYTHING, SEE WHAT'S A PRIORITY, SEE WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO MOST, WHERE EVERYONE HAS SOMETHING, UM, AND THEN BACK INTO IT.
BUT I CAN ABSOLUTELY ASK THAT THE COMMITTEE WANTS THESE MUNICIPALITIES IN THE COUNTY TO RANK.
WE, IF THAT'S WHAT Y'ALL WANT, WE CAN ASK THEM TO DO.
SO I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT YOU SET PRIOR, YOU SET PARAMETERS, BECAUSE IF YOU TELL US TO RANK AND WE COME UP WITH A BILLION AND A HALF DOLLARS AND FIVE PROJECTS, YOU'RE PROBABLY GONNA SAY WE CAN'T DO THAT.
SO WE WOULD NEED SOME PARAMETERS TO GIVE TO COUNCIL AND SAY, GIVE US YOUR TOP FIVE.
YOU HAVE A NOT TO EXCEED BUDGET OF $300 MILLION TO ACCOMPLISH THOSE FIVE, RANK 'EM ONE THROUGH FIVE.
BUT IF YOU JUST SAY, GIVE US A LIST OF ONE THROUGH 10 PROJECTS THAT YOU WANT, WE MAY GIVE YOU A $2 BILLION WORTH OF PROJECTS THAT YOU KNOW, YOU'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO GET TO.
[01:25:01]
REALISTICALLY, 'CAUSE I MEAN THE 1 CENT TAX IS NOT GONNA PROVIDE, YOU KNOW, A BIG POT OF MONEY.I MEAN WE'VE, WE'VE GOT A ZILLION AND ONE PROJECTS TO CONSIDER, UM, FROM EVERY PART OF BEAUFORT COUNTY.
AND SO IT WOULD HELP US BE ABLE TO HELP OUR COUNTY, UM, COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO GAVE US THE TASK TO BE ON THIS COMMITTEE IS TO GET WHAT YOU'RE BASICALLY YOUR TOP FIVE, YOUR YOUR TOP 10 OR WHATEVER, SO THAT WE CAN RANK ORDER WHEN WE PUT THEM AGAINST THE MATRIX OF FROM OTHER AREAS WE'LL KNOW, YOU KNOW, WHERE YOU FALL OUT.
AND, AND SO THAT'S WHY WHEN I TALKED ABOUT THE LIST IN HERE, I TALKED ABOUT LATS AND THE, AND LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN BECAUSE THEY'VE ALREADY DONE THAT AND THEY'VE PRIORITIZED THEM BASED ON WHAT YOU JUST OUTLINED.
AND THEY HAVE DONE THAT THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE COUNTY, THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE MPO, THE, THE PLANNING AREA AND NOT JUST ONE AREA.
AND THAT'S WHY I USE THE NUMBERS, BECAUSE WHEN YOU LOOK AT EVERYTHING THEY IDENTIFIED FOR THE FIRST EIGHT YEARS, IT WAS ABOUT $550 MILLION.
IF YOU INCLUDE A 10% CONTINGENCY IN A 10% GROWTH FOR COST, IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A SIX, SEVEN YEAR PENNY AND YOU'RE GONNA CREATE, CREATE $650 MILLION, THERE'S A PROJECT LIST RIGHT THERE.
UM, WHEN YOU ADD IN A FEW, WHETHER IT'S SURFACING OR WHATEVER YOU WANT TO DO, YOU STILL HAVE SOME ROOM IN THERE.
BUT AGAIN, THAT'S WHY I USE THAT AS A BASIS BECAUSE THAT'S BEEN ADOPTED BY EVERY COUNTY AND MUNICIPALITY WITHIN THE REGION TO SAY THIS IS A PRIORITY FOR COMPLETION.
AND, AND THOSE LISTS COVER MORE.
THERE'S SOME I NOTICED IN IT, 'CAUSE I READ THAT, THAT SAY BEAUFORT COUNTY, PORT ROYAL BEAUFORT, I MEAN THEY'RE GONNA BE SOME PROJECTS THAT COVER MUNICIPALITIES AND THE COUNTY, LIKE AT STATE, I THINK THE ONES THAT Y'ALL HAD ASKED ME TO SUPPORT VERY LITTLE IS IN THE TOWN LIMITS.
IT'S MORE COUNTY ROAD, STATE ROADS, UM, HILTON HEAD, BLUFFTON, THERE WAS ONE OVER HERE.
THEN I'LL COME TO YOU CHERRY, MR. PERRY, AND THEN I'LL COME TO YOU.
I ESSENTIALLY HAD THE, EXCUSE ME, I ESSENTIALLY HAD THE SAME REQUEST AS PRIORITIZATION.
UH, AND I, I THINK ONE WAY TO LOOK AT IT IS JUST FEDERAL GOVERNMENT USED TO HAVE SOMETHING CALLED ZERO BASED BUDGET.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT EXISTS ANYMORE.
BUT THE CRITERIA WAS IF YOU CAN DO ONE THING, WHAT WOULD THAT BE? IF YOU CAN DO TWO THINGS, WHAT WOULD THAT BE? AND SO WHAT I PERSONALLY AM LOOKING FOR FROM EACH MUNICIPALITY IS WHAT THEY WANT TO HAVE DONE, BECAUSE YOU'RE CERTAINLY MORE FAMILIAR WITH BLUFFTON THAN I AM.
UH, AND PROBABLY ANYBODY ELSE EXCEPT FOR THIS GENTLEMAN.
UH, AND SO WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK IS YOUR TOP PRIORITY.
AND THEN SOME IS GONNA MAKE THE CUT AND SOME IS NOT GONNA MAKE THE CUT.
BUT WE WANT TO KNOW, WE WANT YOUR INPUT.
WE WANT YOUR HONEST OPINION OF WHAT THAT'S GONNA BE.
I THINK OUR COUNCIL WOULD BE HAPPY TO DO THAT.
AGAIN, I WOULD JUST SAY SET PARAMETERS ON EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT.
SO YOU GET THE SAME THING FROM ALL OF US TO BE ABLE TO CONSIDER MR. RES.
UH, YOU, YOU STATED THAT, UH, YOU HAVE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS, THE TOWN OF BLUFFTON, 20,020,000 RESIDENTIAL UNITS.
SO BEAUFORT COUNTY'S GOT 20,000.
YOU DIDN'T, YOU DIDN'T QUOTE UH, HOW MANY COMMERCIAL UNITS? SO OUR COMMERCIAL IS BASED ON, UM, ACRES.
SO IF YOU HAVE LIKE A HUNDRED ACRE PARCEL, YOU MAY HAVE A HUNDRED ACRES OF COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT.
PRETTY MUCH A HUNDRED ACRE, UH, PER ACRE GETS YOU ABOUT 10,000 SQUARE FEET OF COMMERCIAL WITH THE PARKING AND EVERYTHING THAT GOES ALONG WITH IT.
UM, I CAN GET YOU THAT INFORMATION.
UM, I CAN TELL YOU EXACTLY HOW MANY ACRES COMMERCIAL, MY POINT POINT, BUT I, I CAN TELL YOU ALSO ALL, ALL OF OUR COMMERCIALS NEVER GONNA BE BUILT.
UH, MY POINT IS, UH, HARDY'S GOT 70,000 MM-HMM
SO WE'RE AT, YOU KNOW, A HUNDRED AND 110,000 RESIDENTIAL BEFORE COMMERCIAL.
CAN YOU GIVE ME AN IDEA OF WHAT THE TIMEFRAME TO BUILD OUT ALL THIS? SO FOR US, WE'RE DOWN TO PROBABLY NEXT 10 YEARS.
LIKE, UM, THE BIGGEST ONE WE HAVE LEFT TO BUILD OUT IS GONNA BE PALMETTO BLUFF.
THEY HAVE 4,000 RESIDENTIAL UNITS, BUT THEY ONLY BUILD A COUPLE A HUNDRED A YEAR AT THE MOST.
BUT THE MAJORITY OF OUR TOWN WILL BE BUILT OUT IN THE NEXT SEVEN TO 10 YEARS RESIDENTIAL WISE.
SO THE REASON FOR MY QUESTION IS, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS WE HAVE TO LOOK AT IS HOW LONG WE NEED TO DO THIS, YOU KNOW, 1 CENT SALES TAX.
AND IT LOOKS LIKE, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT WHAT A 20 YEAR BUILD
[01:30:01]
OUT FOR THE TOWN.FOR RESIDENTIAL, WE'RE PROBABLY SEVEN TO 10 FOR COMMERCIAL.
SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT HARDY V IS.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT RIDGELAND IS AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT BEAUFORT IS, BUT YOU KNOW, WITH, WITH THAT MANY, WITH THAT MANY PEOPLE OR RESIDENTIALS BEING BUILT HERE, IT LOOKS LIKE A LONGER TIMELINE THAN WHAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT.
THAT'S, THAT'S COUNTY COUNCIL'S DECISION.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
I APPRECIATE THE QUALITY OF IT AND THE TIME YOU PUT INTO IT.
UM, A COUPLE QUICK QUESTIONS HERE.
UM, ON THIS LA SLIDE THAT'S DATED, THAT'S STATED THAT 22 THROUGH 25 MM-HMM
WHEN IT TALKS ABOUT THE DIFFERENT PROJECTS, UM, AND THE PROJECT TYPE, IT DOESN'T REALLY SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THE SCOPE OF THE PROJECT.
FOR ME PERSONALLY, SAFETY VERSUS MOVEMENT OF TRAFFIC NEEDS TO BE COMMUNICATED WITH US.
SAFETY IS A HUGE PRIORITY FOR THE RESIDENTS HERE.
AND I THINK, UM, MANY WOULD SHARE THAT THAT WOULD MOVE UP IN THE LINE OF WHAT THEY WOULD SUPPORT OVER SOMETHING AS FAR AS MOVEMENT, TRUTH BE TOLD.
UM, I WOULD SAY THAT IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR THAT, KNOWING THAT STEPHANIE'S GONNA BE COMING IN A WEEK, THAT JAR COULD PROBABLY ASK.
'CAUSE THIS I JUST PULLED OUT, THIS IS LITERALLY TWO PAGES FROM THE PROBABLY 200 PAGE DOCUMENT, SEVEN
UM, WITHIN EACH ONE THERE'S ACTUALLY A PROJECT DESCRIPTION THAT IDENTIFIES ALL OF THAT.
BUT STEPHANIE, SHE MAY BE ABLE TO BRING COPIES OR MAY BE ABLE TO ADDRESS SOME OF THAT IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS NEXT WEEK.
UM, ESPECIALLY KNOWING WHAT'S THERE NOW.
AND ONE OTHER QUESTION TOO, GOING BACK TO THE 2018 REFERENDUM, UM, AND WHAT WAS INCORPORATED INTO SIDEWALKS, PATHWAYS, THAT TYPE OF THING.
WAS, UM, ANYTHING APPROPRIATED BASED ON THAT THAT NEVER WAS COMPLETED? OR IS THERE ANYTHING COMPLETED OUT OF THAT FOR BLUFFTON? SO THAT TOUCHES THE TOWN.
THERE'S ONLY ONE AND THAT'S DOWN BURNT CHURCH ROAD.
AND I THINK THEY'RE GETTING READY TO DO THE SIDEWALKS, BUT THERE WAS A WIDENING AND SIDEWALKS THAT WAS APPROVED IN THERE.
BUT I THINK, JARED, YOU CAN CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT THE WIDENING Y AREN'T MOVING FORWARD WITH, BUT THEY'RE LOOKING TO START THE SIDEWALKS.
ARE YOU GONNA DO IT IN CONJUNCTION WITH AJOY? NOY? AJOY IS ALREADY MOVING, SO IT'S IN.
BUT IT'S DESIGN RIGHT NOW THEY Y HAVE PUBLIC MEETING ON THAT TOO.
IT'S, IT'LL BE A SIX FOOT, UM, SIDEWALK ON ONE SIDE OF THE ROAD ALONG, UM, THAT SECTION ROAD AND, AND JUST A PORTION OF, OF BURNT CHURCH IS IN THE TOWN RIGHT THERE BY AL JOY.
THEN THE REST OF IT AS YOU GO NORTH IS IN THE COUNTY.
AND I KNOW THE COUNTY HAS, THEY DON'T HAVE LAND, BUT THERE'S LAND UP THERE THAT IS IN A DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT THAT CALLS FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT UP THAT WAY.
UM, BUT YEAH, THAT'S THE ONLY THING THAT WAS IN THE 2018 THAT WAS WITHIN THE BLUFFTON AREA.
THAT HASN'T BEEN DONE YET IN OUR TOWN LIMITS.
WE DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING IN THE TOWN LIMITS.
AND THAT'S THE ONLY THING THAT TOUCHES IT.
UM, JUST IN LOOKING AT ALL THIS, ARE YOU ADDRESSING THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF ALL THIS, THESE ROADS, LIKE THIS ACCESS MANAGEMENT IN PARTICULAR, THIS ONE ON BUCK WALTER, I THINK Y'ALL ARE ALREADY DOING THE ONE THAT'S BETWEEN MM-HMM
WASHINGTON SQUARE, WASHINGTON TWO SQUARE.
SO THAT SHOULDN'T EVEN BE A PROJECT 'CAUSE YOU'RE ALREADY DOING IT, RIGHT? WELL, IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE STARTED SOON.
US AND THE COUNTY HAVE CONTRACTED WITH THE DEVELOPER TO MOVE FORWARD WITH GETTING THAT DONE.
BUT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD, THAT'S CLEARLY GOING THROUGH A TON OF WETLANDS RIGHT THERE.
WELL, JUST TO REMEMBER, WHEN YOU SEE A DASH LINE, THAT'S NOT EXACTLY WHERE IT'S GONNA GO.
IT'S JUST SHOWING THAT THEY'RE, UM, PLANNING FOR A CONNECTION THAT SHOULD MAKE THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THOSE TWO POINTS.
THAT DOESN'T MEAN IT'S GONNA FOLLOW, IT MAY RUN THROUGH A PARKING LOT THAT'S UP ON THE FRONT OF THE ROAD, BUT IT'S A CONNECTION THAT MAY TAKE, IT MAY GO THROUGH THE CHURCH PARKING LOT TO AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING PARKING LOT TO A HOSPITAL PARKING LOT, BUT IT, IT, IT'S A CONNECTION THAT CAN BE MADE THROUGH THERE.
JUST BECAUSE THAT LINE IS A STRAIGHT LINE DOESN'T MEAN THAT'S THE DIRECTION THE ROAD WILL FOLLOW.
IT'S JUST, IT IS JUST A, IT'S JUST THESE TWO POINTS SHOULD TOUCH AND THAT'S THE STRAIGHT LINE.
DOESN'T MEAN THAT IT IS GONNA HAPPEN THAT WAY.
BUT ALL THAT AREA IS REALLY, REALLY WETLANDS IN THERE, IN THE BACK OF IT.
THE FURTHER EAST YOU GO, THE WETTER IT GETS.
AND THEN ON YOUR 32% DEVELOPMENT, ARE YOU, UM, CONSIDERING ALL THE IMPACTS OF THAT, UM, DEVELOPMENT ON THE MAY RIVER AND YES, MA'AM.
[01:35:01]
I WOULD RECOMMEND, IF YOU WANT, WE JUST DID TWO STUDIES THAT WERE UPDATED LAST YEAR THROUGH OUR WAY PACK, WHICH IS OUR, UM, THE ONE THAT STUDIES THE ENVIRONMENTAL.UM, WE DID AN UPDATE ON THE MAY RIVER BASELINE STUDY WHERE WE COMPARED IT FROM THE LAST 20 YEARS TO CURRENTLY.
AND WE ALSO HAD A STUDY DONE TO SHOW, UM, WHAT REMAINING DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS WE HAD LEFT TO BE BUILT, THE LAND THAT WAS LEFT TO BUILD ON AND ACTUALLY TO SHOW THAT ALL OF IT CAN BE DONE WITHOUT IMPACTING WETLANDS, THE RIVER AND ALL OF THAT.
SO WE HAD THAT STUDY UPDATING COMPLETED AND PRESENTED TO WAY PACK.
I WANNA SAY IT WAS IN LIKE JUNE OR JULY OF LAST YEAR, BUT IT'D BE ON, IT'S ON OUR WEBSITE.
UM, AND I'LL TELL YOU, IF IT COMES TO IMPACT IN THE MAY RIVER, THE MAYOR'S NOT GONNA LET IT HAPPEN.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? DID YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE? OH, LET'S GO MR. FORREST, I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THIS IS A QUESTION FOR STEPHANIE OR NOT, BUT YOU TALKED ABOUT THE LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN AND YOU WERE YES, SIR.
IN THE ADOPTED FINANCIALLY CONSTRAINED PLAN.
THE FINANCIALLY CONSTRAINED, AND IT'S ACTUALLY, I DON'T THINK I, I MAY HAVE CUT THAT OFF WHEN I COPIED IT.
IT ACTUALLY SAYS SALES TAX RENEWAL AT THE TOP OF IT, IT DOES AT THE TOP.
SO THEY WERE ANTICIPATING A FUNDING SOURCE OF THAT TO BE ABLE TO HELP ADDRESS THESE PROJECTS.
SO THE FINANCIALLY CONSTRAINED PLAN INCLUDES THE MONEY THAT POSSIBLY COULD BE RAISED.
SHOULD A BALLOT QUESTION PASS THIS YEAR THERE, THAT FUNDING HAS BEEN INCLUDED.
YEAH, THERE WAS TWO VERSIONS, HAD A LONG RANGE PLAN.
UM, WHEN WE DID IT, WE WERE SETTING, THIS WAS BEFORE THE 2022, THERE WAS DISCUSSION OF A SALES TAX, UM, AND THEN LATER IN 24 AND THEN NOW IN 26.
BUT, UM, SO THEY WERE THE LONG RANGE PLAN UP TWO WAYS.
ONE, JUST WITH LATS FUNDING WHAT WAS AVAILABLE, AND THEN ONE WITH JASPER AND BEAUFORT COUNTY SALES TAX FUNDS IF AVAILABLE.
SO THOSE PLANS ARE CONSTRAINED IN THAT.
AND THEN NOTHING MAKES IT TO THE NEXT DOCUMENT, THE TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PLAN TIP, UM, UNLESS IT ACTUALLY HAS VERY SPECIFIC MONEY, UM, SET ASIDE FOR IT.
BUT THAT, THAT STUDY THAT FROM WHERE I PULLED THAT IS SIMILAR TO, IT WAS A SIMILAR PROCESS TO WHAT Y'ALL WERE DOING NOW.
AND AGAIN, WHY I THINK THAT'S A, AN IDEAL THING TO LOOK AT.
AND THEN STEPHANIE CAN PROBABLY TALK ABOUT IT AGAIN MORE, BUT I IS THAT A FINANCIALLY CONSTRAINED PLAN OR ARE THESE ILLUSTRATIVE PROJECTS THAT COULD GO IF THERE ARE ADDITIONAL FUNDS AVAILABLE? NO, THEY WERE FINANCIALLY CONSTRAINED AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE CHART, IT ACTUALLY SAYS FINANCIALLY CONSTRAINED PROJECTS, SALES TAX RENEWAL WOULD BE THE FUNDING TO MAKE 'EM NOT FINANCIALLY CONSTRAINED.
BUT STUDIES MAY HAVE BEEN DONE ALREADY ON THEM.
THEY, THEY MAY HAVE PAID FOR THE STUDY ASPECT, WHICH MOVES IT TO A QUICKER RESOLUTION OF SEEING PROGRESS.
I, I GUESS MY DEFINITION OF A FINANCIALLY CONSTRAINED PLAN IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN THAT.
SO, SO MY MY THOUGHT OF IT IS, IS IN OTHER WORDS, THERE'S NO MONEY, BUT THESE ARE PROJECTS THAT NEED TO BE DONE, BUT WE HAVE NO MONEY TO COVER 'EM UNLESS, UNLESS WE CAN DO SOMETHING LIKE THE TE THE, THE REFERENDUM TO GET A, TO GET THE FUNDS TO MAKE 'EM HAPPEN.
FOR EXAMPLE, IF THERE WAS $3 BILLION WORTH OF PROJECTS IN THE REGION OVER THE NEXT 25 YEARS, WE DIDN'T HAVE $3 BILLION TO PUT ASIDE, BUT BETWEEN, UM, THE REGULAR LATS FUNDING, THE JASPER COUNTY AND BEAUFORT COUNTY SALES TAX, COLLECTIVELY MAYBE THERE WAS A BILLION DOLLARS.
SO THE PLAN THAT'S REFERENCED IN THE FINANCIALLY CONSTRAINED PLAN IS NOT $3 BILLION WORTH OF PROJECTS.
AND THOSE AREN'T THE RIGHT NUMBERS.
I'M JUST USING AN EXAMPLE AND NONE OF IT'S EVEN ATTAINABLE UNLESS THEIR REFERENDUMS PASSED.
BUT THAT WAS THE, THE, THE, UM, PROCESS.
AND THOSE WOULD BE GOOD QUESTIONS FOR STEPHANIE NEXT WEEK.
REALLY FROM MY PARTICULAR PERSPECTIVE, SOMEONE SHOULD TELL STEPHANIE THAT MY QUESTIONS ARE GONNA BE ON THE FINANCIALLY CONSTRAINED PLAN AND DOES FHWA ACCEPT SOMETHING THAT MAY HAPPEN IN NOVEMBER OF THIS YEAR? AND MY ANSWER IS PROBABLY NO.
THEY'RE PROBABLY NOT TOO HAPPY WITH BEING A FINANCIALLY CONSTRAINED PLAN.
AND ALSO FOR STEPHANIE, SHE JUST SHOULD BE PREPARED ON THE SAFETY ASPECT OF THESE PROJECTS, UM, AS WELL.
SO WE DON'T CATCH HER OFF GUARD.
WE'LL GIVE HER A HEADS UP ON, I THINK SHE SHOULD BE PREPARED BOTH THE FINANCE AND THE SAFETY.
[01:40:01]
I'M LOOKING OVER HERE.ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE TOWN? ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? QUESTION? THIS CIRCULAR PICTURE THAT YOU DID, IS THIS THE ROUNDABOUT AT 46 AND OR IS THIS THE ONE OUT HERE THAT'S BLUFFTON? NO, THAT'S, UH, BLUFFTON? NO, THAT, THAT'S A PICTURE OF THE ONE THAT'S A, A RENDERING FOR THE ONE AT BLUFFTON PARKWAY AND BLUFFTON ROAD.
THAT'S WHAT FROM THE AIR, THE 46 AND BLUFFTON PARKWAY LOOKS LIKE.
THAT'S WHAT THEY PROPOSED FOR THE IMPROVEMENTS WITH THE DEDICATED RIGHT LANES IS THE ROUNDABOUT, THE IMPROVEMENTS.
IT'S A, IT'S A VISUAL OF WHAT IT SHOULD BE.
THAT WAS WHAT WAS IN THE STUDY FOR THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT THEY HAD FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO MAKE IT THAT ROUNDABOUT.
BUT THIS IS THE ONE THAT'S DOWN ON THE PARKWAY, NOT LIKE RIGHT OUT HERE, RIGHT? NOT, NO, NOT THIS ONE.
AND IS THE ONE OUT HERE GONNA LOOK LIKE THIS ONE? UH, NO.
THEY, THE STUDY GAVE TWO DIFFERENT OPTIONS FOR IT.
THEY GAVE IT AN OPTION TO EITHER BE SIGNALED OR TO IMPROVE THE ROUNDABOUT.
IT'LL BE UP TO THE ENGINEERING AND DESIGN TO FIGURE OUT WHICH WAY TO GO ON THAT.
SO AGAIN, I'M NOT HERE TO SAY WHETHER IT'S GONNA BE HOW IT NEEDS TO BE BUILT, JUST THAT IT'S A PROJECT THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED.
THE STUDY HAS IDENTIFIED HOW AND WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE.
IT'S GONNA BE UP TO THE ENGINEERING AND THE A, THE ENGINEERING AND UM, PLANNING TO DECIDE WHAT THE BEST IMPROVEMENT IS TO MOVE FORWARD.
'CAUSE AGAIN, SOME OF THESE WERE DONE THREE YEARS AGO AND THINGS MAY HAVE CHANGED, PRIORITIES MAY HAVE CHANGED.
UH, BEST PRACTICES MAY HAVE CHANGED.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THANK YOU STEVEN.
WE HAVE GONE AROUND THE ROOM, ALL THE MEETINGS, UM, TO SEE IF THERE ARE ANY NEW, UM, FAULTS.
HAVE YOU HEARD ANYTHING FROM YOUR COMMUNITY, WHAT Y'ALL WOULD LIKE TO SEE? UM, WE'RE GETTING A LOT OF EDUCATION THAT PROBABLY SEEMS LIKE IS JUMBLED, BUT WHEN WE CAN GET IT FINITE DOWN, BUT IT'S GOOD EDUCATION AND WE'RE ASKING QUESTIONS THAT HONESTLY ARE NOT UNDER OUR PURVIEW, BUT IT'S EDUCATING US AND I LEARNED A LOT.
SO, UM, ANY OTHER THOUGHTS WILL GO AROUND? IF I COULD QUICKLY JUST TO SET IT, 'CAUSE I KEEP HEARING SPREADSHEETS AND I KEEP HEARING RANKING.
WE HAD A CITIZEN LAST WEEK HANDED ME A SPREADSHEET OF AN IDEA AND I PASSED IT ON TO JARED.
AND IT'S BASICALLY A SPREADSHEET THAT'S SORTABLE, AN EXCEL SHEET WHERE YOU COULD SORT THE COLUMNS.
THE THOUGHT IS TO PUT ALL THE PROJECTS, COUNTY'S GONNA ENGINEER OUT ALL THE COST.
SO YOU'D HAVE A COLUMN FOR ESTIMATED COSTS, MAYBE A COLUMN FOR ESTIMATED START TIME, A COLUMN OF WHAT DISTRICT IT COULD HELP MAYBE DISTRICTS, A COLUMN THAT SAYS WHERE IT CAME FROM, WHETHER IT'S A LAT STUDY OR THE COMMUNITY.
I MEAN, JUST A SERIES OF COLUMNS THAT YOU COULD ACTUALLY, WE COULD HAVE ON THE SCREEN AND SORT.
AND I THINK THAT'S GONNA GIVE US SOME MILD RANKING AND IT'LL GIVE US DOLLARS.
BUT I'VE HEARD FROM TWO PEOPLE, IF THE GOAL IS TO GET TO THESE MUNICIPALITIES AND SAY, JUST GIVE US YOUR TOP THREE, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO DO 10 FROM BLUFFTON OR 10 FROM BUFORT.
BUT RANK 'EM, NOT EXPECTING TO GET A LOT OR ANY, BUT TO GIVE US SOME GUIDANCE.
'CAUSE I FEEL WE'RE GONNA HAVE A HUNDRED PROJECTS AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO FIGURE OUT THE NUMBER OF PROJECTS, THE AMOUNT, BUT WE, WE CAN'T DO IT JUST SITTING HERE.
I THINK WE NEED IT ON PAPER ON TOP OF THE GIS MAP BECAUSE THAT, THAT'S GONNA TAKE A LOT OF MANEUVERING TO ON THAT MAP.
BUT I THINK IT'S WONDERFUL FOR SOME OF US AND IT'S FRUSTRATING FOR SOME OF US.
SO I'LL GO AROUND THE ROOM AND JERRY HAS HIS HAND UP, SO I'M GONNA START WITH YOU JERRY, AND I'LL GO THIS WAY.
I THINK, I THINK THE TOWN OF BLUFFTON, UH, DID A GOOD JOB BY GIVING THIS TO US.
I THINK THAT, I THINK THAT ALL THE MUNICIPALITIES, BEAUFORT, FORT ROYAL HILTON HEAD, I MEAN THIS IS BASICALLY AN IDENTIFICATION OF WHAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE.
I MEAN, WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO RAISE ENOUGH FUNDS TO COVER EVERYTHING, BUT, YOU KNOW, ALL THE MUNICIPALITIES OUGHT TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS AND GIVE IT TO US.
I MEAN, IT'S SO YOU CAN SIT HERE AND THUMB THROUGH IT.
YOU CAN READ IT AND SEE, YOU KNOW, SEE WHAT THEIR DEVELOPMENT IS GOING TO BE.
AND IT, IT WOULD ALSO BE NICE IF WE COULD GET SOMETHING FROM HARDY V AND RIDGELAND BECAUSE THEY'RE, THEY'RE DRAMATICALLY IMPACTING THE ROADS IN BEAUFORT COUNTY DRAMATICALLY.
AND I THINK STEPHANIE IS GONNA HAVE A BIGGER PICTURE OF HARDY V AND JASPER, BUT WE CAN ABSOLUTELY ASK THEM.
ANYTHING ELSE FROM YOUR COMMUNITY SIDE THAT YOU WANNA, THAT YOU THINK IS WORTHY OF PRICING OUT, LOOKING AT EVERYTHING GOOD SO FAR? NO, IT'S NOT
[01:45:01]
OH, I, WELL I'VE BEEN ON IT ALL DAY TOO TODAY.IT'S SEVEN O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING, SO
OKAY, SO I'M GONNA PUT ONE 70 IS IMPORTANT.
MR. JONES, ANYTHING IN ADDITION? ANY QUESTIONS OR NEEDS OR, WELL, UH, AGAIN, MY PRIMARY, AND I'VE MENTIONED IT AT PREVIOUS MEETINGS, UM, BUT TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, NO, I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING ADDITIONAL.
JENNIFER, I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW THE GROWTH IN EACH OF THE AREAS SO THAT WE CAN ALSO UNDERSTAND, UM, THE NEEDS THAT ARE HAPPENING.
YOU KNOW, A LOT OF US HAVE AN IDEA, BUT IT'S NICE TO SEE PUT IN WRITING OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, THE EXPONENTIAL GROWTH IN BLUFFTON HAS BEEN HUGE.
I MEAN, THAT'S QUITE SURPRISING TO SEE THE NUMBER IN BLACK AND WHITE, SO I APPRECIATE THAT.
'CAUSE THAT IS SUPER IMPORTANT.
ALSO, THE IDENTIFICATION OF ROADS THAT ARE IMPACTED BASED ON, UM, EVACUATION ROUTES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
I THINK WHEN EACH, UM, MUNICIPALITY COMES FORWARD, IF THERE'S A ROAD THAT IS IN AN EVACUATION ROUTE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, IT WOULD BE NICE TO KNOW, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE ASKING FOR IMPROVEMENTS THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S SUPER IMPORTANT THAT THAT ROAD IS, UM, TAKEN CARE OF FOR SURE.
UM, AND I'M EXCITED FOR NEXT WEEK TO, OR NOT NEXT WEEK, BUT THE NEXT MEETING TO HOST IN HILTON HEAD.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, I THINK THAT THE CONCEPT OF THE SPREADSHEET THAT YOU MENTIONED EARLIER, I THINK WOULD BE VERY BENEFICIAL FOR THIS ENTIRE COMMITTEE.
I HOPE WE COULD POSSIBLY PURSUE THAT MOVING FORWARD.
UM, SECOND THING I'VE GOT, UH, MORE OR LESS, UH, QUESTIONS IN OUR MEETING DURING THE EIGHT ON THE 18TH, MR. BAUER HAD MENTIONED THERE WERE NINE WARRANTS FOR, UM, PLACING STOPLIGHTS AT INTERSECTIONS.
I WAS CURIOUS IF YOU COULD, MR. BAUER, YOU COULD POSSIBLY ELABORATE ON THAT SECOND PART OF THAT QUESTION.
IS THE CRITERIA THE SAME FOR TRAFFIC CIRCLES AS IT IS FOR STOPLIGHTS? UM, HOW, HOW ARE, HOW IS THE DECISION MADE TO GO WITH THE STOPLIGHT OR THE TRAFFIC CIRCLE? SO THAT, AND ADD WHAT THE COST DIFFERENCE IS FOR EACH TWO, I THINK WOULD BE HELPFUL.
I FEEL LIKE THIS COMMITTEE IS MORE VISUAL THAN, THAN GOING AND CLICKING LINKS AND LOOKING, I'VE CLICKED ON MOST OF 'EM, BUT I KNOW YOU'VE SENT THEM, BUT IT'S GOOD FOR THEM TO REFERENCE THAT.
ANYTHING ELSE? LAST THING I WANT TO JUST MENTION.
UH, YOU KNOW, IN IN, IN GETTING OUT AND TALKING TO COMMUNITIES IN THIS BLUFFTON PARTICULARLY A LOT OF CONCERN ABOUT HIGHWAY 46 AND, AND WHAT WE COULD OR COULD NOT POSSIBLY DO.
SO 46 AND AGAIN, ONE 70 ALSO A VERY, VERY HOT ISSUE.
HAVE THEY MENTIONED THE LITTLE, I CALL IT THE BABY TRAFFIC CIRCLE.
HAD THEY MENTIONED THAT IN YOUR OUT ABOUT THERE, THERE'S CONCERN ABOUT THE ADDITION OF TRAFFIC CIRCLES.
THERE'S CONCERN ABOUT POSSIBLY EVEN WIDENING 46.
UM, SO I JUST, THERE ARE, THERE ARE RESIDENTS THAT ARE CONCERNED ABOUT OUR TRAFFIC SITUATION, BUT AT THE SAME TIME THEY'RE CONCERNED ABOUT JUST MAINTAINING THE CHARACTER OF BLUFFTON.
THANK YOU, MR. TRASK, ANYTHING? I'VE GOT A QUESTION ABOUT THESE INTELLIGENT, UH, TRAFFIC SIGNALS.
BRIAN, UH, I, I TAKE IT, THIS IS, UH, IN ORDER TO MOVE VEHICLES MORE EFFICIENTLY, IT SEES A CAR THAT'S JUST SITTING WHERE OTHERWISE AT A REGULAR SIGNAL YOU MIGHT SIT FOR A PERIOD OF TIME BEFORE IT CHANGES.
THESE THINGS ARE ABLE TO DETECT THAT AND, AND MOVE TRAFFIC MORE EFFICIENTLY.
IS THAT THE WAY IT WORKS? YES.
SO THERE'S SEVERAL VERSIONS OF INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS. UM, EVERY SIGNAL THAT'S OUT THERE RIGHT NOW HAS A VERSION OF TECHNOLOGY.
SO IT'S ACTU MOST OF THEM ARE ACTUATED.
SO YOU PULL UP, IT DOESN'T GO TO THE NEXT PHASE IF THERE'S NOT A CAR SITTING THERE.
SO, UM, MOST OF OUR SIGNALS ARE SMART.
UM, THE HILTON HEAD HAS DONE A VERSION WHERE THEY'VE MADE IT, WHERE IT AUTOMATICALLY MOVES.
UH, IT HELPS IN SOME CASES, BUT NOT ALL CASES.
SO THEN THE BIGGEST THING THAT WE DON'T HAVE IN THE COUNTY DOTS AWARE OF IT, AND WE'RE WORKING A, A ARCHITECT AND A PLAN FOR IT IS THE SIGNALS AREN'T NECESSARILY CONNECTED.
SO TWO 70 EIGHT'S A GOOD EXAMPLE.
UM, THE SIGNALS, WE'LL DO A TIMING EVERY COUPLE YEARS, AND AFTER A CAR PULLS UP ON THE EDGE ROAD AND GETS IT OUTTA SYNC WITH THE REST OF THEM, THEY EVENTUALLY GET OUTTA SYNC
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AND THEN WE'LL RETIME THEM.IF WE HAD FIBER CONNECTING THOSE SIGNALS, THAT WOULD BE AN INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION PROJECT, THEN WE COULD SYNCHRONIZE THOSE SIGNALS MUCH MORE.
UM, UH, DURING ON TIME VERSUS EVERY THREE YEARS.
WELL, THE, FOR EXAMPLE, THE ONE, YOU KNOW, MANY SIGNALS IN THE, IN THE CITY OF BEAUFORT WHERE I LIVE DON'T SEEM TO WORK THAT WAY.
YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU SIT FOREVER IN SOME CASES.
SO ARE THOSE, ARE THOSE ALREADY DESIGNED AS INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS OR NOT? OR AM I MISSING THAT? YEAH, SO SOME OF THE, NONE, NONE OF THE ONES OUTSIDE OF HILTON HEAD HAVE THAT PROPRIETARY SOFTWARE.
HE'D PROBABLY GIVE A BETTER ANSWER.
YEAH, SO THE ONES, UM, SPECIFICALLY ON LIKE BOUNDARY STREET, THEY'RE COORDINATED, BUT THEY'RE NOT RUNNING IT ADAPTIVE.
SO THEY ARE ALL, UM, ESSENTIALLY HAVE A CLOCK IN THERE AND THEY'RE ALL SET, YOU KNOW, PUSH GO AT 12 O'CLOCK.
AND SO THEY'RE ALL RUNNING ON A TIME COORDINATION, BUT THEY'RE NOT RUNNING AN ADAPTIVE SYSTEM WHERE THEY'RE LOOKING AT THE AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC COMING THROUGH AND ADJUSTING THE TIMINGS PER THE VOLUME OF TRAFFIC, WHICH IS SIMILAR WHAT HILL AND HEAD HAS, WHERE IT IS ADAPTING TO THE TRAFFIC FLOW, HOW MUCH THE MAIN, HOW MUCH TIME THE MAIN LINE GETS VERSUS THE SIDE STREET.
WELL THIS, THIS MAY BE A LITTLE BIT OFF SUBJECT, BUT, UH, DO YOU HAVE ANY NOTION OF WHAT IT WOULD COST TO RETROFIT, UH, TO THIS UPGRADED SYSTEM? I DON'T HAVE ONE FOR COUNTYWIDE.
UM, AND ONE PER, PER, YOU KNOW, JUST A BALLPARK, YOU KNOW, FOR, FOR A GIVEN INTERSECTION.
I DON'T KNOW PER INTERSECTION.
'CAUSE WE DON'T HAVE IT IN THE COUNTY RIGHT NOW.
UM, THAT'S PART OF WHAT LATS IS STUDYING RIGHT NOW.
THEY'RE DOING A ITS MASTER PLAN STUDY THAT IS LOOKING AT, UM, THINGS THAT COULD BE IMPLEMENTED COUNTYWIDE FOR ITS AND THAT MAY INCLUDE SIGNAL ADAPTIVE SYSTEMS. IT MAY INCLUDE MESSAGE BOARDS.
BUT, SO, AND TO THE QUESTION EARLIER ABOUT WHETHER WE SHOULD DO JUST ADD IT TO EACH INTERSECTION OR DO A SIGNIFICANT COUNTYWIDE, UH, ITS THAT'S ONE THING THAT'S GONNA COME OUTTA THAT STUDY IS, IS IT A SPOT LOCATION, IS IT COUNTYWIDE? IT'LL PROBABLY MORE LIKELY BE A CORRIDOR WIDE APPROVED APPROACH.
WE'D GO DO ALL THE SIGNALS ON ONE 70 OR 2 78 VERSUS COUNTYWIDE, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA COME OUTTA THAT STUDY WHEN IT'S DONE.
I WANNA THANK LIEUTENANT HILTON.
UM, FINAL, I'M BLUFFING FOR HOSTING TODAY AND I APOLOGIZE FOR MISSING LAST WEEK.
I, I AGREE WITH WHERE PAUL WENT.
I THINK THAT, UH, UH, THAT WHAT WE HAVE IN FRONT OF US FROM THE TOWN OF BLUFFING IS VERY HELPFUL, BUT IT NEEDS TO BE BOILED DOWN AND BE PRIORITIZED.
I DON'T THINK, IF THEY CAN'T PRIORITIZE, I THINK WE WOULD BE MORE, UM, DISADVANTAGED TO TRY TO PRIORITIZE ON THEIR BEHALF.
A FEW WEEKS AGO, I MENTIONED THAT THE, THE CITY OF BUFORD, UH, THEY HAD A RETREAT.
THEY HAD FIVE OR SIX OF, UH, OF THEIR TRAFFIC ISSUES THAT, THAT THEY WANTED TO, YOU KNOW, TO PRESENT.
I'M GONNA GO BACK AND ASK THE COUNCIL AND, AND THE, UH, CITY MANAGER TRY TO PREPARE SOMETHING FOR THE MEETING IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS.
I THINK IT'D BE VERY HELPFUL AND I HOPE THAT EACH MUNICIPALITY CAN DO THE SAME THING.
WE'LL PUT THAT YOU'RE GONNA DO IT.
MR. PERRY, ANYTHING IN ADDITION? JUST EXCUSE ME, IS JUST ONE, UH, COMMENT.
I, UH, EVEN THOUGH I LIVE ON HILLS AND HEAD, UH, I WOULD REALLY SEE THE AREA SOUTH OF THE BROAD, INCLUDING BLUFFTON, BUT, AND, AND, UH, THE WIDER AREA AS PROBABLY THE MOST CHALLENGING THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO ADDRESS AS A COMMITTEE.
AND, AND THAT'S BECAUSE IT'S GROWING SO FAST.
UH, AND THAT'S BECAUSE IT'S, YOU KNOW, A A, A HICCUP IN BOSTON IS GOING TO AFFECT THE, THE LIFESTYLE, UH, AND THE LIFE EXPERIENCE OF THE REMAINDER OF THE COUNTY BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, FOR HILTON HEAD, WE RELY UPON, UH, THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN BLUFFTON FOR A LOT OF THINGS.
AND IF THEY CAN'T GET THERE OR IF THEY'RE HAVING PROBLEMS GETTING THERE, THEN THAT'S NOT GONNA BE GOOD FOR THE, FOR THE LIFESTYLE OF THE COUNTY.
SO I THINK THIS AREA IS THE MOST, PROBABLY THE MOST CHALLENGING WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH AS A GROUP THAT AFFECTS THE WHOLE COUNTY.
I'LL JUMP IN AND THEN WE'LL GO FINISH UP AND THEN WE'LL GO BACK AROUND.
QUE I THINK, STEPHANIE, WHAT PROJECTS JASPER IS DOING NOW THAT COMPLIMENT WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.
I THINK THAT'S A GOOD THING FOR HER TO ANSWER SAFETY.
WHERE'S THE SAFETY COMPONENT IN ANY OF THESE? SOUNDS LIKE GRADY AND I ARE GONNA GO TO BEAUFORT AND BLUFFTON ABOUT RANKING.
I WOULD ASK YOU MAYBE GO TO VAN VAN'S GONNA GIVE US SOMETHING MORE FORMAL ANYWAY.
AND THEN HILTON HEAD, UM, GLEN'S NOT HERE, BUT COULD YOU REACH OUT TO HILTON HEAD TO EXPLAIN, I'M SURE IF MARK'S DOING IT, IT'LL BE SOMETHING LIKE THIS, UM, IS IF THE ITS
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WAS ON THE LIST, WOULDN'T YOU THEN ESTIMATE THE COST OF IT COUNTYWIDE FOR US TO SEE THE COST OF IT? WOULD WE, WOULD WE GET THAT GOING? HOW WOULD WE KNOW WHAT IT COSTS? UM, SO THAT'S, UH, WE SHOULD BE, THEY'RE TRYING TO SCHEDULE PUBLIC MEETINGS NOW FOR THE THREE STUDIES THAT ARE GOING ON THROUGH LAST ITS BEING ONE OF THEM.SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DEFINITELY TALK TO THE CONSULTANT ABOUT ONCE WE HAVE THE PUBLIC MEETING AND MAYBE HAVE A BETTER IDEA OF WHERE WHAT'S GONNA COME OUTTA THAT STUDY, WE CAN ASK THEM TO START WORKING UP THE COST ESTIMATE FOR IT.
UM, SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE PROBABLY DON'T HAVE NOW.
WE CAN PROBABLY TRY TO GET YOU A GENERAL RANGE OF WHAT IT MAY COST PER INTERSECTION TO DO ADAPTIVE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
BUT HOPEFULLY ONCE WE HAVE THAT PUBLIC MEETING, WE CAN HAVE A BETTER IDEA OF WHAT THE OVERALL COST FOR THE ITS IS GONNA BE.
WILL IT BE DURING OUR REIGN OF OUR, IT SHOULD BE, THEY'RE WORKING TO SCHEDULE THOSE NOW.
SO IT WOULD BE, UH, THIS MONTH OR NEXT MONTH.
I, I WOULD BELIEVE ON ITS ONE OF THE LIKE M GOALS THAT YOU GET TO AND CHARLESTON HAS IT, DOT OBVIOUSLY HAS IT.
UM, BUT WHEN YOU'RE MANAGING SIGNALS TO BE ABLE TO MANAGE 'EM REMOTELY IN A TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT CENTER, WE DO NOT HAVE THAT CAPABILITY.
AND OUR SIGNALS AREN'T SET UP YET BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE CENTRAL MAINFRAME, THE CENTRAL COMPUTER, UM, THEY'RE NOT SPEAKING TO A CENTRAL COMPUTER SO THAT NO, THAT IT'S IMPORTANT.
UH, I DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S A PROJECT THAT SET UP THE TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT CENTER, SO WE'RE NOT AT THAT PHASE YET.
THAT'S LIKE TWO OR THREE STEPS AWAY.
SO THE STEP THAT'S PRESENTLY WHERE YOU GUYS ARE SITTING DEVELOPING A PROJECT LIST IS PROBABLY COORDINATING A FEW CORRIDORS TO HELP WITH SOME SYNCHRONIZATION.
ALSO, SIGNAL TIMING JUST IN GENERAL IN SOME OF THE SMALLER AREAS ARE GOOD, EASY, LOW COST, HIGH BENEFIT TO MOVE TRAFFIC WITHOUT WIDENING.
SO THOSE ARE, WE COULD PROBABLY PICK LIFT PROJECTS THAT ARE IN THE DRAFT OF THE STUDY SO FAR AND THAT'D BE THE BEST WAY FOR US TO OFFER SOME.
WELL I WAS JUST THINKING FOR THIS COMMITTEE TO RANK, I THINK WE'RE GONNA REALLY HAVE TO LOOK WHAT'S GONNA GET THE RESIDENTS EXCITED.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT IS MAYBE IMPROVEMENTS DO AND SIGNALIZATION COULD BE IN A STUDY AND IT COULD BE FUNDED.
SO YEAH, AND THAT'S REALLY ALL I HAVE.
I'LL GO AROUND AND COME UP WITH OTHER QUESTIONS.
ANYTHING FROM YOUR DISTRICT, MS. CO? UM, NO, I JUST DO THINK THAT THE, THE INTELLIGENT OR THE WHATEVER ITS IS IS IS REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT'S, YOU DO A LOT, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT LIKE IT'S WIDENING ROADS OR WHATEVER, BUT THE MOVEMENT OF AND SAFETY ISSUES, I THINK, I THINK IT'S, UM, LIKE REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE INCLUDE THAT A, A, A GOOD CHUNK OF MONEY INTO TO GETTING THAT ACCOMPLISHED.
YOU KNOW, JUST EVEN IN LIKE THE BEAUFORT, PEOPLE SIT AT LIGHTS ALL THE TIME AND WE'LL TRY TO GET YOU A LIGHTS AT A BETTER ESTIMATE PER SIGNAL, BUT JUST IN GENERAL FOR A REGULAR SIGNAL AT ANY INTERSECTION, I MEAN EACH OF 'EM HAS A CONTROLLER THAT'S ABOUT 30,000 GIVE OR TAKE.
AND THEN JUST, IF YOU'RE GONNA GO PUT VIDEO OR RADAR DETECTION ON THERE, WHICH IS WHAT YOU WOULD NEED FOR ADAPTIVE SIGNAL, YOU'RE LOOKING ANYWHERE 20 TO 40,000 PER SIGNAL.
SO THAT'S JUST, YOU KNOW, FOR A SIGNAL AS IS.
SO WE CAN TRY TO REFINE THAT MORE FOR A TRUE ADAPTIVE, UM, AND GET THAT FOR YOU.
BUT THAT'S JUST KIND OF A, A GENERAL ESTIMATE.
ANYTHING MR. FORREST, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, UH, MOST OF THE COMMENTS I GET IS HOW COME THE TRAFFIC BACKS UP TO JOHN PAUL TWO EVERY MORNING ON ONE 70? SO ONE 70 SEEMS TO BE THE CONSENSUS WINNER.
PROBABLY THE OTHER THING THAT PEOPLE TALK TO ME ABOUT IS THERE'S SOME SORT OF CONCERN ABOUT THE SCOPE OF THE REVISED SCOPE OF THE 2 78 PROJECT AND HOW DID WE LOSE THE WESTBOUND LANE AND SO ON.
SO I, I GUESS THEY'RE THE TWO THINGS THAT I HEAR THE MOST.
I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANYBODY THAT I'VE TALKED TO WHO DOESN'T BELIEVE THAT THAT SHOULD BE THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY.
AND LASTLY, AS FAR AS ITS IS CONCERNED, I WOULD MUCH RATHER SEE A LINE ITEM THAT COULD BE AN EXAMPLE OF $30 MILLION BECAUSE ITS TECHNOLOGY GOES MUCH BEYOND SIGNALIZATION AND SO ON, SUCH AS MANAGEMENT CENTERS, SUCH AS BOARDS AND SO ON.
SO I'D LIKE TO SEE A LINE ITEM THAT WOULD JUST IDENTIFY WHAT ITS POSSIBLE IMPLEMENTATIONS WE COULD TAKE UNDER.
AND THEN WE'LL GO AROUND WE, IT IS 3 0 2, BUT ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? LET'S THROW 'EM OUT.
UH, BRIAN, UH, CAN YOU TELL ME, UH, THREE SIGNALS, UH, ARGENT BOULEVARD, OLD FIELD AND 4 62,
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UH, CAN THEY BE SYNCHRONIZED? CAN THEY, CAN ANYTHING BE DONE TO MAKE THOSE SIGNALS WORK TO MOVE THE AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC IN THE MORNING FASTER THAN? SO THOSE THREE SIGNALS, THEY ARE SYNCHRONIZED.WE DID THAT, UH, LAST YEAR, I BELIEVE.
SO WE'LL HAVE THEM CHECK IT, MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE, ALL THE CLOCKS ARE STILL MATCHING, SOMETIMES THEY LAG HERE OR THERE.
UM, WE'RE ALSO GETTING TO THE POINT WE FOUND, UM, WE ACTUALLY TIMED 'EM A COUPLE TIMES.
WE FOUND THAT THERE'S A 20% INCREASE IN TRAFFIC FROM THE OFF SEASON AND THE WINTER TO THE SPRING SUMMER SEASON.
SO WE'RE PROBABLY GETTING INTO THAT SPRING SUMMER SEASON.
SO, AND THERE WAS, YOU KNOW, IT WAS A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF CARS, 20%.
SO WE HAVE A OFF SEASON TIMING PLAN AND A IN-SEASON TIMING PLAN, SO IT MAY BE TIME FOR US TO SWITCH TO THAT IN SEASON ONE, SO WE'LL CHECK IT.
IF ANYTHING ELSE, YES, I KNOW GLEN'S NOT HERE, BUT I JUST WANTED TO SPEAK TO THE 2 78 CORRIDOR AREA.
UH, ONCE AGAIN, UM, ORIGINALLY IN THE 2018 REFERENDUM, IT WAS WORDED AS SUCH AS THE 2 78 CORRIDOR AREA.
THEN ALONG THE WAY IT BECAME $80 MILLION JUST FOR THE BRIDGE.
AND RIGHT NOW WE'RE FACING A HUGE, HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY TO PROVIDE SAFETY AND CONNECTIVITY THROUGH A 2 78 CORRIDOR PROJECT THAT WE NOW ARE HAVING TO TRY AND COME UP WITH THE FUNDS OURSELVES.
SO I REALLY WANT THAT TOP OF MIND FOR EVERYBODY.
I THINK THAT'S REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT.
THE OTHER THING IN CONSIDERATION IS TO SEE IF THERE IS A WAY IN COLLECTING THE FUNDS FOR DIFFERENT PROJECTS.
IF A REFERENDUM WAS PASSED, THAT MONEY COULD BE SLID OVER TO THE DIFFERENT PRINCIPALITIES AS PROJECTS MAY BE READY TO SHOVEL READY.
THAT THOSE THINGS COULD GO AHEAD AND GO ON FORWARD AND NOT BE SUCH A HUGE LAG TIME THAT THERE COULD BE A LOCKBOX OR SOME TYPE OF WHATEVER IT IS, NOT FAMILIAR WITH IT, BUT THAT MONEY WOULD THEN TRANSFER OUT TO THE TOWN OR THE CITY OR WHATEVER IT IS, AND THEY CAN GO AHEAD AND START MANAGING THOSE PROJECTS SO THAT THE CITIZENS SEE THE DIFFERENCE IN A MORE TIMELY FASHION.
BECAUSE ONCE AGAIN, WE'RE 2018 REFERENDUM, IT'S NOW 2026, AND WE REALLY DON'T HAVE MUCH TO SHOW.
AND I'LL JUST, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'RE FURTHER ALONG WITH PLANNING FOR THIS ONE.
TALK HERE, BRIAN, PAST, OH, SORRY.
BUT, UM, WHAT I WOULD SAY IS, YOU KNOW, WITH THE THREE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF PROJECTS, YOU HAVE WIDENINGS INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS AND RESURFACING.
SO, AND PART OF THAT IS RESURFACING CAN GO ALMOST IMMEDIATELY.
UM, IF IT'S SOMETHING LIKE 2 78 OR ONE 70 MAY TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF PLANNING, BUT, YOU KNOW, OTHER SMALLER ROADS, WE CAN GET THAT OUT QUICKLY AND GET GOING.
INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS DEPENDING ON WHAT IT IS.
MAYBE NOT TO THE SAME EXPEDIENCY AS RESURFACING, BUT WE CAN HIT THE GROUND RUNNING WITH THAT THEN.
AND THEN WITH, UH, STUFF THAT'S GONNA NEED MORE DESIGN, THE ONE 70, THE TWO 70 EIGHTS, YOU KNOW, THAT CAN FOLLOW UP TOWARDS THE END AS WE'RE GOING THROUGH THE DESIGN WHILE THE RESURFACING IS HAPPENING.
SO WITH THE THREE CATEGORIES, IT KIND OF LENDS ITSELF TO STAGING THAT WAY.
SO TO FOLLOW UP, JUST TO KIND OF UNDERSTANDING THAT, 'CAUSE I DID GET A CALL FROM A COUNCILWOMAN ON HILTON HEAD.
WOULD WE PASS 20 PROJECTS? I'M JUST GUESSING ALL ACROSS THE COUNTY, THE COUNTY'S TAKEN POINT ON IT.
WHEN WILL YOU NEED MUNICIPAL? ARE YOU THINKING THE MUNICIPALITIES WOULD TAKE ON THE PROJECT FOR THE WORK THAT'S IN THEIR AREA, OR IS THE COUNTY GONNA MANAGE ALL OF THIS? BECAUSE I DID GET A QUESTION ON ESCROWING MONEY, I DON'T KNOW HOW A, THAT'S JUST SO LEGAL IF WE GET TO IT, BUT HOW DID, HOW DO Y'ALL SEE THESE PROJECTS BEING DONE? YEAH, WE'LL WORK WITH EACH MUNICIPALITY.
SOME MUNICIPALITIES ARE GOING TO HAVE MORE CAPABILITIES THAN THE OTHER.
AND SO IF THEY CHOOSE, THE COUNTY WILL PLAN TO DO THE WORK IF THEY CHOOSE TO OR DESIRE TO.
THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN WORK OUT PROBABLY ON A PROJECT BY PROJECT BASIS.
UH, THE FUNDS WILL COME INTO THE COUNTY, UH, AS FAR AS, WE PROBABLY WON'T ADVANCE ALL THE FUNDS.
WE'LL, WE'LL OWN THE FUNDS AND THEN DISTRIBUTE AS, AS PROJECTS ARE DEVELOPED.
UM, AND, AND TO SPEAKING TO MS. HARRISON'S POINT, UM, AS FAR AS, THERE'S A SECONDARY QUESTION THAT IT'S NOT NECESSARILY THE COMMITTEE.
YOU CAN MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL, BUT COUNCIL DECIDE WHETHER WE BOND A CERTAIN PORTION OR ALL OF THE PORTIONS.
SAY YOU SELECT A NUMBER OF YEARS AND AMOUNT TO BE, UH, COLLECTED,
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WHETHER THEY HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO BOND IT, THAT'S THE SECOND QUESTION RIGHT BEHIND IT.AND IF THEY DO THAT, THEN WE CAN GET STARTED ON PROJECTS.
UM, THAT HASN'T BEEN AN ISSUE FOR OUR COUNTY RELATIVE TO SOME OTHER COUNTIES BECAUSE OUR FUNDS COME IN SO QUICKLY.
IT'S A GOOD THING, GOOD PROBLEM TO HAVE.
UM, THAT WE HAVEN'T ALWAYS NEEDED TO BOND IT.
AND WILL YOU ASK THIS COMMITTEE POST RECOMMENDATION TO COUNTY, IS THERE ANY ROLE FOR YOUR EXPECTING OF US AFTER, LIKE WHO WILL SET ASIDE AND RANK PROJECTS ON WHAT STARTS FIRST? OR DO YOU EXPECT US TO GIVE THAT, LET'S SEE, ONE IN EACH AREA START AT THE SAME TIME? OR WHO, WHO IS GONNA DO THAT? JUST, I'M JUST CURIOUS.
YEAH, I THINK REALLY IT'S GONNA COME DOWN TO WHAT'S SHOVEL READY AND WHAT CAN HIT THE STREET.
AGAIN, RESURFACING SOMETHING THAT WE CAN PUT OUT THERE RELATIVELY QUICKLY.
I MEAN, IF Y'ALL WANNA PROVIDE A RECOMMENDATION, WE CAN DEFINITELY INCLUDE THAT.
BUT I THINK A LOT OF IT WOULD COME DOWN TO JUST TIMING WHAT'S READY TO GO.
I MEAN, WE, A PROJECT COULD BE PRIORITIZED WANT FIRST, BUT IT COULD HIT RIGHT AWAY OR HAVE A, YOU KNOW, A GAS LINE UNDER THAT NO ONE KNEW ABOUT THAT'S GONNA SLOW IT DOWN.
SO WE CAN DO A PRIORITY, BUT IT'S REALLY GONNA COME DOWN TO WHAT'S SHOVEL READY, UM, AND WHEN CAN IT GO.
SO, AND WE'LL KNOW THAT HOPEFULLY IN THE SPREADSHEET WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WHAT'S SHOVEL READY, WHAT'S TIME.
AND WE HAVE MUCH AS WE CAN A DRAFT OF THE SPREADSHEET OF WHAT THE COUNTY PUT ON THE GIS AND THEN WHAT WE HEARD FROM TOWN OF PORT OIL.
SO WE'LL PASS THIS OUT RIGHT NOW AND THEN WE'LL SEND ELECTRONIC FILE AND THEN WE'RE GONNA KEEP WORKING ON THE COLUMNS.
UM, KNOW THAT THIS IS DRAFT, WE DON'T EVEN HAVE THE DOLLAR FIGURES YET LOADED UP, BUT JUST SO YOU CAN SEE WHAT WE'RE WORKING TO, AND WE'LL GET THIS UPDATED EACH WEEK AND SEND IT OUT.
DO YOU WANT SUGGESTIONS FROM US TO LIKE CRITIQUE IT? ANY, ANY SUGGESTIONS YOU WANT, JUST EMAIL THAT TO US AND THEN WE CAN START TWEAKING THIS.
WE, THIS IS YOUR SPREADSHEET TO USE AND MANIPULATE.
WE JUST WANT TO GIVE YOU ALL THE INFORMATION IN WHATEVER MOST APPLICABLE.
AND, AND AS WE GET COST ESTIMATES, WE'LL ADD THEM IN THERE AND YOU WILL SEE A SHEET IN THERE THAT SAYS DIRT ROADS.
SO WHAT WE HAVE DONE IS ALL THE DIRT ROADS THAT CURRENTLY WE HAVE FULL RIGHT OF WAY FOR, WE HAVE ADDED THEM ONTO THE GIS LAYER AND INTO THE EXCEL FILE, SO YOU CAN SEE THOSE AS WELL.
IS THERE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? I MAKE A MOTION WE ADJOURN.
YOU'RE WATCHING BEAUFORT COUNTY 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.
BUFORT 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 KAISER LING, 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 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 K WAS A MEMBER OF COUNTY COUNCIL, AND IT WAS HER IDEA BECAUSE
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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 THE, 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, HOLD SO DEAR AND WHAT WE REALLY LIKE ABOUT BEAUFORT COUNTY.
COUNCILMAN BILL MCBRIDE WAS IN 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 SEMINARS ON THE SEAL REPRESENTED, UM, ASPECTS OF LIFE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY.
THERE IS A SLIGHT 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 AND 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 OF BEFORD 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 SALE.
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 HELPED 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.