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CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY BUFORT COUNTY MEMBER THAT IS ON ZOOM.
UM, ELIZABETH, UM, WITH DISTRICT FOUR AND ELIZABETH, WE CAN'T SEE YOU.
UM, SO IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, I'M NOT SURE HOW TO GET YOU TO SHOW US, UNLESS YOU CAN GO ON VIDEO.
IF, IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION THERE.
IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION, GET ON VIDEO AND WE'LL, SOMEBODY WILL WATCH FOR YOUR HAND TO BE RAISED.
UM, I'M CALLING THE MARCH 11TH TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING TO ORDER.
DISTRICT THREE, DISTRICT FOUR, WHICH IS ELIZABETH DISTRICT FIVE.
DISTRICT SEVEN, DISTRICT EIGHT HERE.
MR. PERRY IS ASKING TO SIT IN HIS PLACE.
UM, REPRESENTATIVE FROM BUFORT, REPRESENTATIVE FROM PORT ROYAL HERE.
AND, UM, GARY MIGHT HAVE TO LEAVE RIGHT AT TWO.
SO JUST WANTED YOU TO KNOW IF HE SNEAKS OUT.
BLUFFTON HERE IN HILTON HEAD ISLAND.
LET ME SAY THAT I WANT TO APOLOGIZE FOR MISSING LAST WEEK'S MEETING.
UH, BUT DURING THE MEETING I WAS UNCONSCIOUS IN SURGERY, SO I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN MUCH GOOD.
I DID FOLLOW UP ON WHAT HAPPENED.
IT WAS GREAT WORK BY THE COMMITTEE.
AND I DIDN'T GAVEL THE MEETING TO OPEN.
UM, IF WE CAN STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.
THE FLAG IS BEHIND THE COLUMN TO MY LEFT.
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES, STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT HANDS ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
UNDER ITEM THREE, AND FOR THE COMMITTEE, YOU REALLY DO HAVE TO GET CLOSE TO THIS MICROPHONE WHEN YOU TALK.
UH, FOR YOUR NOTIFICATION, PUBLIC NOTIFICATION OF THIS MEETING HAS BEEN PUBLISHED, POSTED, AND DISTRIBUTED IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE SOUTH CAROLINA FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT.
UM, ON TO ITEM FOUR, THE AGENDA HAD WAS SENT, UM, LAST WEEK ALONG WITH THE MINUTES.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR GETTING THOSE OUT SO QUICKLY.
IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE AGENDA? SO MOVED.
IS THERE A SECOND? UM, ANY DISCUSSION? SORRY, I GOTTA FILL THIS OUT.
ALL IN FAVOR? RAISE YOUR HANDS.
UM, THE MINUTES WERE SET OUT FRIDAY, UM, IF YOU HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK THEM OVER OR ANY CHANGES TO THE MINUTES, IF NOT, IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE? SO MOVED.
ANY DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR, RAISE YOUR HANDS.
THAT'S UNANIMOUS PUBLIC COMMENT.
PUBLIC COMMENT IS FOR ANYONE WHO WISHES TO SPEAK, UM, DURING THIS PERIOD.
BUT WE ASK YOU LIMIT YOUR 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 PROFANE, ABUSIVE, OR OBSCENE LANGUAGE.
IF YOU FEEL YOU'RE GOING OVER, PLEASE GET WITH THE ANYONE ON THIS COMMITTEE AND WE CAN FILL OUT A FORM FOR YOU ON A PROJECT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
BUT WE'RE GONNA BE VERY STRAIGHT WITH THE THREE MINUTES.
UM, RESPECTFULLY, WE'RE GONNA BE STRAIGHT ON THE THREE MINUTES.
SO WE HAVE ONE THAT SIGNED UP.
AND AGAIN, IF YOU COULD FOR THE RECORDING, STATE YOUR NAME AND WHERE YOUR, WHAT DISTRICT OR WHAT AREA YOU'RE FROM.
SUE RODMAN, UH, DISTRICT 1111 HERE ON THE ISLAND.
UH, WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT THE, UH, BRIDGES AND THE, THE REFERENDUM.
I SPOKE WITH YOU A COUPLE OF, UH, WEEKS AGO AND I THANK YOU FOR THAT TIME.
UH, I'VE STARTED TO ENGAGE, UH, WITH DOT, WITH THE, UH, COUNTY AND WITH THE, UH, TOWN COUNCIL.
UM, THE MORE AND MORE I WATCH THIS, I THINK IT'S HIGHLY DOUBTFUL THAT THE REFERENDUM IS GOING TO PASS IF WE CONTINUE TO LEAVE FIXING THE BRIDGES OFF OF THE RELU REFER REFERENDUM.
TWO INTERESTING HAVE HAPPENED AS YOU LOOK AT IT.
UM, IN RECENT TIMES LEADING UP TO WHEN THE PROJECT STARTED, THE TRAFFIC WAS INCREASING.
IF YOU LOOK AT IT OVER THE LAST
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6, 7, 8 YEARS, THE TRAFFIC IS ACTUALLY LEVEL AND IT'S DECREASING.THAT MEANS WE DON'T HAVE TO GO FROM FOUR TO 11 LANES, WE JUST NEED TO GO FROM FOUR TO SIX.
AND THAT WILL GIVE A LEVEL OF SERVICE INCREASING FROM D TO B.
THE SECOND PIECE IS THE BRIDGE IS BEING DESIGNED SO IT'S WIDE ENOUGH IF WE EVER WERE TO BUILD THE WESTBOUND LANES, THAT THERE'LL BE ROOM FOR TWO LANES IN EACH DIRECTION ON THE, THE BRIDGES.
AND THEN WE WOULD NOT, THAT WOULD GIVE US THE SIX AND WE WOULD NOT NEED TO EVER BUILD THE WESTBOUND LANES IN TERMS OF THE CONFIGURATION, THE, UH, CURRENT BRIDGES, YOU'D PROBABLY LEAVE ONE OF THOSE FOR THE ACCESS TO PINCKNEY ISLAND.
AND SECONDLY, WHAT YOU COULD TAKE A PORTION OF THE SUPERSTRUCTURE OF THE EASTBOUND BRIDGES AND ACTUALLY SALVAGE THAT AND LEAVE WOULD EITHER BE A COMBINATION OF A BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN TRAIL CONNECTING THE MAINLAND WITH THE ISLAND, OR AT A MINIMUM A SERIES OF, UH, UM, FISHING PIERS.
NOW, COST-WISE, THERE'S TWO MAJOR FACTORS.
ONE IS OBVIOUSLY WHEN YOU WIDEN THE BRIDGE, ADD 24 FEET TO IT FOR TWO LANES, THAT'S AN INCREASE COST.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE WOULD BE ELIMINATING THE INTERSECTION AT PINKNEY ISLAND.
AND YOU NEVER REALLY WANT TO HAVE AN INTERSECTION IN THE MIDDLE OF A BRIDGE COMPLEX.
UM, SO MY GUESS IS WE'RE SOMEPLACE IN THE 30 TO 50 MILLION RANGE TO ADD THAT IN.
SO I THINK PART OF THE SOLUTION TO PASSING THE REFERENDUM IS TO ACTUALLY FIGURE OUT WHAT THE COST IS, IF THIS OR EVEN A BETTER SOLUTION EMERGES SO THAT WE CAN, UM, PASS THE REFERENDUM.
IT'S AN ALLOCATION WITHIN THE REFERENDUM.
I THINK IT MAKES THE GATEWAY A LOT MORE AESTHETICALLY PLEASING, WHICH HAS ALWAYS BEEN IMPORTANT TO HILTON HEAD.
WE GET A PERMANENT SOLUTION NOW MEETING THE ORIGINAL SAFETY AND CONGESTION REQUIREMENTS, WHICH WAS THE REASON THE REFERENDUM WAS DONE EIGHT YEARS AGO.
AND, AND ESSENTIALLY YOU'RE LOOKING AT INVESTING MAYBE 30 TO 50 MILLION, BUT YOU'RE GONNA SAVE 10 TIMES THAT AMOUNT BY AVOIDING BUILDING THE BRIDGE.
SO I THINK THE CHALLENGE TO YOU ALL, I WOULD HOPE THAT YOU WOULD ACCEPT THAT WE MAY HAVE A PROBLEM AND SECONDLY, UH, GET THE ENGINEERS TO EVALUATE IT.
BUT THANK YOU VERY MUCH MADAM CHAIR.
BEFORE WE START, UM, WITH OUR PRESENTATIONS, I DO WANNA THANK ALL OF YOU FOR ATTENDING.
I'VE SEEN SOME REGULAR FACES, UM, THAT HAVE TRAVELED A A BIT ACROSS BEAUFORT COUNTY TO BE AT ALL OF THEM, SO THANK YOU.
AND I ALSO SEE THE MAYOR OF HILTON HEAD AND MOST, IF NOT ALL OF THE TOWN COUNCIL MISSED THE YOU, YOU GOT A LOT OF THEM THOUGH.
UM, AND WE HAVE COUNTY COUNCIL, UM, TAB.
AND I DON'T THINK I MISSED ANYBODY HOLD YOUR HAND.
AND, UM, JUDGE IS SITTING HERE IN MR. PERRY'S POSITION, SO THANK YOU AS WELL.
WE'VE HAD A LOT OF QUESTIONS WITH THIS COMMITTEE.
WE'VE LEARNED, WE'VE HEARD FROM TWO MUNICIPALITIES, PORT ROYAL AND BLUFFTON, AND WE ARE HEARING FROM HILTON HEADS, UM, COUNCIL TODAY.
A LOT OF QUESTIONS OF THIS COMMITTEE WERE ON THINGS THAT REALLY OCCURRED AFTER THE 2018 PENNY WAS PASSED.
UM, COVI HAPPENED, UM, BUT WE ALSO WERE IN FULL GEAR WITH LOW COG WHO IS RUNNING OUR MPO AND LATS, WHICH IS A LONG RANGE AREA TRANSPORTATION STUDY, WHICH IS RUN BY ELECTED OFFICIALS ACROSS THE COUNTY.
UM, AND STEPHANIE IS GONNA BE ABLE TO HELP US TODAY 'CAUSE SHE IS POINT WITH LOW COUNTRY COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS WHO RUNS LATS.
SO NO FURTHER ON THAT LOW COUNTRY AREA TRANSPORTATION STUDY PRESENTATION.
STEPHANIE ROSSI AND STEPHANIE.
SO ARE YOU OKAY DURING IT? IF QUESTION IF THEY HAVE QUESTIONS, WE CAN INTERRUPT YOU.
SO IF Y'ALL JUST KIND OF GIVE ME THE EYE, WE WILL, UM, NOTE NOTICE YOU AND WE CAN ASK STEPHANIE QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME TODAY.
AND YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO TALK REALLY CLOSE INTO THAT.
CAN Y'ALL, AND LET ME KNOW IF Y'ALL CAN'T HEAR HER.
I KNOW I'M NOT THE LOUDEST PERSON NOW I'M ECHOING.
SO, UM, I AM THIS LO I'M THE PLANNING DIRECTOR AT THE LOW COUNTRY COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS AND WE STAFF LATS.
UM, YOU CAN SEE IN THE PRESENTATION SLIDE, SORT OF THE FEDERAL SPEAK AS TO WHY LATS EXISTS.
SO, UM, EVERY, ONCE A POPULATION OR, UH, THROUGH THE URBAN, ONCE A POPULATION HAS REACHED
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AN URBANIZED AREA OR THAT THRESHOLD OF 50,000, UH, IT IS REQUIRED FEDERALLY TO HAVE AN MPO FORMED.SO THIS OCCURRED BACK IN 2015 WITH THE HILTON HEAD, BLUFFTON AREA, AND THEN IN 2020 THE PORT ROYAL AND CITY OF BEAUFORT AREA BECAME THEIR OWN URBANIZED AREA.
SO THESE, UM, BACK IN 2015 OFFICIALLY, UM, THE MP OS KICKED OFF.
I BELIEVE THERE'S A LOT OF LEGWORK THAT WENT INTO THAT.
SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE THAT I WAS NOT HERE AT THAT TIME.
BUT FOLKS SUCH AS LISA AND EVERYONE GOT THE, UH, MPO OFF THE GROUND.
THE PURPOSE OF THE MPO IS TO HELP GUIDE HOW FEDERAL DOLLARS THAT COME TO THE REGION ARE SPENT.
AND IT IS THROUGH A CONTINUING, WE CALL THE THREE C'S, THE CONTINUING COOPERATIVE AND, UM, COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH.
SO, UM, SOME OF THIS SLIDE IS A LITTLE BLOCKED, BUT UH, JUST THIS IS JUST TO SHOW HOW WE'RE FUNDED.
WE'RE FUNDED THROUGH FEDERAL LEGISLATION, THROUGH SURFACE TRANSPORTATION ACTS THAT COME THROUGH.
CURRENTLY WE ARE UNDER THE IIJA OR THE BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE ACT, WHICH DOES EXPIRE THIS COMING SEPTEMBER.
SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS CURRENTLY BEING DISCUSSED AS PART OF REAUTHORIZATION OR THEY'LL DO A CONTINUING RESOLUTION.
UH, JUST HIGHLIGHT THERE ARE 11 MPOS IN THIS STATE.
WE ARE NO LONGER THE SMALLEST BY ANY MEANS BECAUSE OF WHAT HAPPENED
UM, WHEN WE FIRST STARTED OUT IN 2015, WE WERE THE SMALLEST.
AND WE ARE NOW PROBABLY, UM, SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE, CLOSE TO THE, YOU KNOW, BOTTOM OF THE MIDDLE.
BUT IN THE MIDDLE, UH, THIS IS THE BOUNDARY AREA.
IF YOU CAN SEE, UM, THERE'S THE BLUE BOUNDARY THAT IS LATS.
THE REST, THE RAIN MAINING COUNTY AREA IS COVERED BY THE COG.
THE COG GETS RURAL TRANSPORTATION DOLLARS AND THOSE ARE WITHIN THE GREEN BOUNDARY.
SO WE ARE THIS YELLOW BOUNDARY HERE THAT GOES UP JUST PAST, UM, UM, WHALE BRANCH AND, BUT DOES NOT GO ALL THE WAY INTO, UH, FRI AND HILL ST HALL.
UM, THIS JUST, UH, CO DID THE MIC GO OUT? OH, THERE WE GO.
UH, SO OUR MEMBERS INCLUDE THE URBANIZED AREAS OF JASPER COUNTY, BEAUFORT COUNTY.
WE HAVE, UH, REPRESENTATION FROM PALMETTO BREEZE ON THE BOARD, AND THEN THE TOWNS OF PORT ROYAL HILTON HEAD BLUFFTON IN THE CITIES OF HARDY AND BEAUFORT.
THOSE ARE OUR VOTING MEMBERS ON THE COMMITTEE.
WE ALSO HAVE A TECHNICAL COMMITTEE, WHICH IS MADE UP OF LIKE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS OR THE ENGINEERS AND PLANNERS ON STAFF AT THOSE AGENCIES.
AND THEN WE ARE REQUIRED PART OF THAT, THOSE THREE C'S I MENTIONED AT THE BEGINNING, THAT CONTINUING COOPERATIVE COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH.
WE HAVE THESE FOUR THINGS THAT WE ARE REQUIRED TO DO WITH THAT AS AN MPO.
SOME LARGER MPOS ACTUALLY HAVE A FIFTH REQUIREMENT.
UM, I'M REALLY ONLY GONNA TALK ABOUT TWO OF THESE TODAY BECAUSE THEY'RE THE PROBABLY THE MOST RELEVANT TO WHAT YOU WANNA, UH, LEARN ABOUT.
BUT THE LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN, THAT IS OUR PLANNING, OUR, OUR MAIN PLANNING DOCUMENT, SORT OF OUR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN THAT A CITY WOULD HAVE.
THIS IS FOR WHAT WE HAVE FOR REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLANNING.
AND THEN THE GRAY BOX AT THE BOTTOM, THAT IS OUR TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PLAN.
SO ONCE YOU HAVE A PLAN IDENTIFIED IN YOUR LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN, IT CAN BE PROGRAMMED WITH ACTUAL DOLLARS INTO THAT TIP OR THE TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.
SO, UM, I ALSO HAVE THE ACRONYMS SPELLED OUT HERE.
SO IF I ACCIDENTALLY SLIP AND SAY LRTP OR TIP THESE, THIS IS YOUR, YOUR, YOUR GLOSSARY HERE.
UM, THE OTHER TWO, UM, WE OF COURSE HAVE A PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PLAN THAT ALL THESE DOCUMENTS, UM, ARE SUBJECT TO.
AND THE UPWP, WHICH IS A BASICALLY A WORK PROGRAM.
THIS IS WHAT I'M GONNA DO INTERNALLY TO MAKE THESE THINGS HAPPEN.
SO I WASN'T GONNA FOCUS ON THAT AS MUCH TODAY.
THIS IS JUST LAYS OUT KIND OF HOW THESE DOCUMENTS ALL FEED TOGETHER.
OF COURSE, THAT ORANGE BOX, THAT'S THAT LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN, OUR MAIN KEY DOCUMENT, WHICH THEN FEEDS INTO THE TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM AND ULTIMATELY INTO THE GREEN BOX, WHICH IS THE STIP THAT IS THE STATE TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.
SO ANYTHING THAT THE MPOS ARE DOING WITHIN THE STATE, ALL EVERY STATE HAS A STIP.
AND THE, ALL THESE REGIONAL TIPS FEED INTO THAT STATE TIP T AT THE END OF THE DAY.
UM, THE LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN, OOPS, I JUST DID THAT.
I KNEW I WAS GONNA GET CAUGHT UP IN MY OWN SLIDES.
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SO THE LONG RANGE, UH, TRANSPORTATION PLAN AS I'D MENTIONED, THAT IS OUR BLUEPRINT FOR THE AREA.IT IS REQUIRED TO COVER A MINIMUM OF 20 YEARS, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE DO IT.
IT IS UPDATED EVERY FIVE YEARS.
WE ARE ACTUALLY RIGHT NOW ENTERING INTO UPDATING THAT AN UPDATE PROCESS.
UNFORTUNATELY, OUR UPDATE PROCESS IS GONNA BE A LITTLE BIT BEHIND THIS, YOUR PROCESS.
BUT OF COURSE ONE CAN FEED OFF THE OTHER.
OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, BASED ON PRIORITIES THAT YOU ALL COME UP WITH.
UM, WE TAKE INTO ACCOUNT CURRENT TRENDS.
WE LOOK AT POPULATION JOBS, HOUSEHOLD SIZE, ECONOMIC INFORMATION, AND WE, UH, ALSO CREATE A TRAVEL DEMAND MODEL.
AND THAT TRAVEL DEMAND MODEL LOOKS AT WHAT KIND OF TRANSPORTATION IS GOING HAPPENING ON OUR SYSTEM RIGHT NOW, LOOKS AT CONGESTION AND THEN IT FORECASTS IT OUT BASED ON THOSE CURRENT TRENDS AND DATA THAT WE HAVE COLLECTED.
THEN THE TIP IS, UM, WHAT IS, IS THE TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM? THIS IS A SHORTER TERM DOCUMENT.
UM, IT HAS TO BE UPDATED EVERY FOUR YEARS.
YOU'LL SEE THAT OURS IS A 10 YEAR DOCUMENT.
IT IS A 10 YEAR DOCUMENT, IT GOES OUT THROUGH, IT WAS CREATED IN 2024, GOES OUT THROUGH 2033, BUT IT IS STILL UPDATED EVERY FOUR YEARS.
SO THAT IS WHAT'S IN THERE NOW, COULD, YOU KNOW, AND THAT WOULD BE UPDATED AGAIN IN ABOUT TWO YEARS, WE'LL BE LOOKING AT CHANGE, UM, REVAMPING THAT AS WELL.
SO NOTHING IS REALLY STATIC AND JUST SITS, WE, WE CONTINUALLY, AS PART OF THAT CONTINUING PROCESS UP, UPDATE THESE DOCUMENTS TO MAKE SURE WE'RE REFLECTING CHANGES SUCH AS WHAT HAPPENED IN 2019 THROUGH 2021.
SO, YOU KNOW, THE LAST PLAN UPDATE WE DID WAS IN, UM, WAS IN, WE WAS ADOPTED IN 2020, BEGINNING OF 2022 BASED ON 2019 DATA.
SO I THINK MANY CAN SEE, UNFORTUNATELY WE COULDN'T USE 2020 DATA BECAUSE IT WAS COMPLETELY SKEWED BY COVID.
AND UM, JUST THERE WAS A LOT OF THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN THAT SHORT TIMEFRAME THAT REALLY CHANGED HOW TRANSPORTATION, I MEAN, I NOTICED JUST DRIVING TO WORK THE DIFFERENCE THAT YOU COULD SEE ON THE ROADS.
SO WE HAVE TWO DIFFERENT DOCUMENTS WE'RE FOCUSING HERE ON THE LATS UPDATE, BUT WE HAVE A RURAL TRANSPORTATION PLAN AND THE LATS ONE, WHICH COVERS THAT URBAN AREA OR THE MPO THEN.
SO THIS IS PART OF THE PROCESS.
I'VE JUST, THIS IS ALSO WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE DOING AS WE UPDATE OUR PLAN, BUT JUST WANNA TALK TO YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW, WHAT GOES INTO THE PLAN PROCESS ITSELF.
I MENTIONED THAT THERE'S A LOT OF DATA GATHERING.
WE LOOK AT EXISTING CONDITIONS AND WE'RE IN THAT PROCESS RIGHT NOW FOR THE, THE UPDATE WE'RE WORKING ON.
WE DEVELOP GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF COURSE, AND THEN WE ALSO REACH OUT TO OUR MUNICIPALITIES AND COUNTIES TO DO A CALL FOR PROJECTS.
AND THIS HELPS US SEE WHAT'S IN YOUR CIPS AND WHAT ARE YOUR PRIORITIES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALSO REFLECTING THAT IN THE LONG RANGE PLAN.
THEN THERE'S ALSO MULTI-MODAL TRANSPORTATION RECOMMENDATIONS THAT MAY COME OUT OF THE PLAN THAT HAVEN'T BEEN DEVELOPED YET.
I'LL TOUCH ON THAT IN A MINUTE.
AND THEN IT IS, DEV ULTIMATELY GOES INTO A FI, FISCALLY CONSTRAINED FINANCIAL PLAN AND THEN IT IS ADOPTED.
SO THAT IS KIND OF OUR, YOU KNOW, QUICK TIMELINE.
UM, SOME OF THE THINGS WE LOOK AT BEFORE WE DEVELOP, YOU KNOW, AS PART OF OUR PLAN REVIEW, WE LOOK AT THE REGIONAL PLANS, ALL THESE CORRIDOR PLANS.
SINCE THE LAST PLAN UPDATE, WE'VE DONE A SAFETY ACTION PLAN.
WE'VE ALSO, WE'RE ABOUT TO COMPLETE A TRANSPORTATION RESILIENCE IMPROVEMENT PLAN.
SO THESE ARE NEW TOOLS THAT WE CAN USE TO HELP INFORM THE LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLANNING EFFORT.
WE REVIEW THE TIP AS WELL, ANYONE'S COMPREHENSIVE PLANS, BIKE PLANS, ANYTHING THAT HAS BEEN DONE IN THE REGION THAT COULD POTENTIALLY INFORM THE PROCESS.
WE ARE ALSO, THERE'S NO SHORTAGE OF FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS WITH MPOS.
'CAUSE WE ARE, I, I'M AVOIDING SPEAKING ANY CFRS OR ANYTHING, BUT WE ARE ONE OF THEM DO.
IT DOES REQUIRE THAT WE CONSIDER IN THE PLANNING PROCESS THESE FACTORS WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT PLANNING, WE DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO ADDRESS AND SPECIFICALLY HIT EVERYONE.
AND WE CAN OF COURSE PRIORITIZE THESE WITHIN OUR GOALS AND OBJECTIVES REGIONALLY.
BUT THESE ARE SOMETHING THAT THEY'VE COME OUT AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL THAT THEY'VE WANTED MPOS TO ADDRESS.
AND I THINK EACH, UM, NEW, UM, STATE, UH, EACH NEW TRANSPORTATION ACT HAS ADDED ONE OR TWO
SO THE LIST ORIGINALLY WAS LIKE SIX.
I THINK WE'RE GROWING FROM THAT QUITE A BIT.
SO THE NEXT THING I WANTED TO SHOW IS JUST I MENTIONED WE HAVE A TRAVEL DEMAND MODEL.
THIS IS SORT OF WHAT THE RESULTS WOULD LOOK LIKE WHEN YOU'D RUN THAT.
YOU WOULD, THE CURRENT MODEL IS BASED ON 2019 DATA AS I MENTIONED, WHICH WE ALL CAN, I THINK AGREE THAT IS A BIT OUTDATED.
WE'RE GONNA BE UPDATING THAT WITH 2024 AS OUR
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BASE YEAR AND WE WILL BE PROJECTING WHAT WOULD HAPPEN ON THE SYSTEM IF WE DID NOTHING.WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE IN 2055? THIS ONE IS LOOKING AT WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF WE DID NOTHING IN 20 TO 2045.
UM, AND THEN OF COURSE THERE'S A PUBLIC INFORMATION PROCESS WHEN WE DO THIS.
WE USUALLY DO A SURVEY, HAVE, UH, WE'LL HAVE TWO PUBLIC.
WE'VE, IN THE LAST ROUND WE HAD TWO PUBLIC MEETINGS, EVEN THOUGH WE WORKED THROUGH COVID, WE DID HAVE VIRTUAL MEETINGS.
IT WAS AWKWARD, BUT WE DID IT.
THEN LASTLY, ALL THIS IS KIND OF FUNNELED INTO, WE HAVE ALL OUR, OUR OUTREACH, WE'VE DONE THE PREVIOUS PLANS, WE'VE, AND THEN ALL THE DATA ANALYSIS PLUS EVERYTHING IS FUNNELED INTO ULTIMATELY COME UP WITH THESE MULTIMODAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE PLAN.
YEAH, A QUESTION STEPHANIE? UM, I COULDN'T REALLY READ THE LEGEND ON THE MAP.
CAN YOU GO BACK TO THE PREVIOUS MAP? YEAH.
WHAT ARE THE RED LINES? THE NOTING? UM, THAT MEANS THE VOLUME CAPACITY RATIO AND I'M LIKE, I SHOULDN'T JUST LOOK AT 'EM.
AND THEN YELLOW'S KIND OF LIKE GETTING THERE.
GREEN IS WHAT, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY FREE FLOWING TRAFFIC AND THEN THE RED IS THE BAD AREA.
SO GIVES A FOCUS OF WHAT THE FUTURE PREDICTION IS FOR OUR CURRENT ROADS.
AND THIS WAS BASED ON OLDER DATA 18.
SO THE, THE GREEN, EVERYTHING COULD HAVE GONE UP A COLOR, BUT AT LEAST WE KNOW WHAT WAS RED THEN.
MR. REEVES, UH, IS THAT, UH, IS, IS THAT ANNUAL VOLUME OR IS IT TAKEN LIKE IN THE SUMMERTIME TO INCLUDE ALL THE TOURIST AND, UH, YEAH, IT'S THERE.
THIS IS BASED OFF LIKE, UM, TRUTH, A GROUND TRUTH ON, UM, THE ADTS THAT THE DOT DOES.
SO IT IS AN ANNUAL AVERAGE? YEAH, ANNUAL AVERAGE.
WHAT YEAR IS ALL THAT? IS THAT 2055 OR IS IT NO, THIS WOULD BE THE 2019 DATA AND THE 2045.
I KNOW, BUT YOU'RE ES LIKE IF WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT, THAT IS WHAT IS GONNA OCCUR IN WHAT YEAR? 2045 LEADING UP TO 2045.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? YES, JUDGE CHAIR.
MR. FREEMAN, UH, IN WHAT YOU MAY HAVE SAID THIS AND I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT HEARING IT WHEN YOU SAID IT.
WHAT YEAR, IF IT'S 2019, IS IT BEING UPDATED AND WE WILL HAVE A NEW MODEL OUT.
I'M SORRY? WHEN WILL THE NEW ONE BE DONE? UM, SO THE MODEL, I HAVE TO GO BACK AND I DON'T KNOW IF I BROUGHT THE SCHEDULE WITH ME.
UM, THE FINAL PLAN IS GOING TO, HAS TO BE ADOPTED BY FEBRUARY, 2027.
SO I KNOW THAT SOUNDS FURTHER OUT.
THE MODEL'S GONNA BE DONE SEVERAL MONTHS BEFORE THAT BECAUSE WE NEED THAT TO INFORM THE DECISIONS THAT GO INTO IT.
WELL, WILL YOU HAVE ANY ESTIMATED, I MEAN I, WE ARE LOOKING AT MOVEMENT, YOU KNOW, QUALITY OF LIFE, ALL THE THINGS YOU SAY, BUT IS THERE SOME ESTIMATE YOU'LL HAVE BEFORE MAY 11TH OF THIS YEAR?
YEAH, I'LL DOUBLE CHECK ON THE AND GET BACK WITH BEFORD COUNTY STAFF, LIKE, YOU KNOW, IF WE'LL HAVE ANYTHING USEFUL.
BUT WE KNOW THE, WE KNOW WHAT COULD HAPPEN IF WE DIDN'T DO ANOTHER UPDATE.
MR. REEVES, STEPHANIE, CAN WE GET A COPY OF THAT MAP? YEAH.
AND THIS IS ALL WITHIN THE LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN.
THESE MAPS ARE IN THE PLAN THAT'S POSTED ON OUR WEBSITE.
COULD YOU SEND THIS PRESENTATION TO THE COUNTY AND THEN THEY CAN PUT IT IN OUR DROPBOX? 'CAUSE THAT'S A 400 PAGE PLANT.
SO I THINK THAT MAP'S IMPORTANT.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS WHILE WE HAVE HER STOPPED? OKAY, THANK YOU STEPHANIE.
I, WHERE WAS THAT? ALL RIGHT, SO PROJECT PRIORITIZATION.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS, SOUTH CAROLINA, THE STATE DOT REQUIRES US TO HAVE A PRIORITIZATION PROCESS.
THIS IS NOT SPECIFIC TO ALL MPOS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
THIS IS SPECIFIC TO SOUTH CAROLINA.
SO THEY PASS STATE LEGISLATION THAT REQUIRES THAT WE PRIORITIZE PROJECTS AND THEY'RE PRIORITIZING CATEGORIES OR BUCKETS OF EITHER WHAT'S A CONSIDERED A SPOT TREATMENT OR AN INTERSECTION INTERCHANGE.
UH, ROADWAY WIDENING WOULD BE THE ANO ANOTHER BUCKET AND OR CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENTS.
AND THE OTHER BUCKET IS A BRAND NEW ROADWAY OR JUST A NEW ROAD THAT DIDN'T EXIST BEFORE.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS WE DID FOR WHEN WE UPDATED, WE CREATED THE PREVIOUS PLAN AND WE'LL BE DOING WITH THE NEXT PLAN, IS WE HAD TO RUN IT THROUGH A PROCESS.
THE PROCESS IS NOT SUPER CLEARLY DEFINED.
LIKE WE HAVE SOME FLEXIBILITY WITHIN HOW WE CAN DO THAT.
AND UM, SO, BUT EACH OF THESE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES THAT ARE LISTED HERE, SO EXAMPLE, TRAFFIC VOLUME, CONGESTION, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS,
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UM, CONNECTIVITY, FINANCIAL VIABILITY, THOSE ARE ALL DIFFERENT CRITERIA THAT WE HAVE TO LOOK AT OR ADDRESS.THE STATE SORT OF LAYS OUT THE CRITERIA AND THEN IT'S A LITTLE BIT UP TO US TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO POPULATE THAT DATA.
SO, UM, THEN WE CREATED, UH, THERE AND THEN THEY'RE WEIGHTED.
SO, YOU KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, WE MAY, WE WE ALSO HAVE THAT FLEXIBILITY TO INCREASE THE WEIGHT.
SO SAFETY COULD BE INCREASED IN WEIGHT IN THE FUTURE.
MAYBE WE DIDN'T RANK IT HIGH ENOUGH.
THOSE ARE SOME FLEXIBILITIES WE HAVE WITHIN THIS PRIORITY SYSTEM.
SO THAT WAS RUN, UM, ALL THE PROJECTS WERE RUN THROUGH THAT WITH THE LAST PLAN UPDATE.
LEMME, LEMME STOP JUST MM-HMM
AND I'M GONNA SPEAK LIKE NO ONE'S KNOWN ABOUT THIS.
JUST SO FOR CLARITY, SO THESE ARE WEIGHTED TO GET ON THE STIP OR TIP NOT TO GET FUNDING.
THESE ARE TO NOT, NOT FOR THE TIP, BUT FOR THE LRT PIECE, BUT L FINANCIAL PLAN.
BUT IT BUT IT DOESN'T, IF THEY'RE OWN IT, IT DOESN'T GUARANTEE FUNDING TO GO WITH IT.
'CAUSE THERE COULD STILL, I MEAN OUR NUMBER FIVE TOP 10 PROJECTS COULD ALL BE WELL OUTSIDE OUR MEANS FINANCIALLY.
SO THEN WE JUST HAVE TO GO DOWN THE LIST TO THE NEXT THING.
SO, AND I TALKED ABOUT THE MONEY.
SO, UM, THE LAST STEP IN THIS PROCESS IS COMING UP WITH A FINANCIALLY FEASIBLE PLAN.
SO WHEN WE WERE DOING THE PLAN LAST TIME, IT WAS RIGHT BEFORE THE PREVIOUS TIME A PENNY TAX WAS BEING BROUGHT FORWARD.
WE CREATED ONE LIST THAT WAS FINANCIALLY CONSTRAINED WITHIN THE LIMITS OF WHAT FEDERALLY CAME TO THE MPO.
WE, THERE WASN'T A LOT OF, THERE'S NOT A LOT OF OTHER REVENUE SOURCES IN THIS REGION.
AND THE OTHER UM, PROJECT LIST WE DID IS, WAS MORE, IT WASN'T A WISHLIST, IT WAS FINANCIALLY CONSTRAINED ON THE, UM, ESTIMATION IF A PENNY TAX WAS TO BE APPROVED, WHAT THE LIST AND THERE WAS A DRASTIC DIFFERENCE.
THAT'S SOMETHING YOU'LL HAVE TO TAKE.
I, YOU KNOW, DON'T HAVE THAT IN MY HEAD, BUT THEY, IT, YOU KNOW, EVEN WITH THE PENNY TAX, I THINK THERE WAS STILL QUITE A BIT UNFUNDED, BUT IT'S FUNDED SIGNIFICANTLY MORE THAN THE FUNDED PROJECTS AND THAT'S OVER 20 YEARS.
SO IT'S FINANCIALLY CONSTRAINED OVER 20 YEARS.
IT'S NOT, UM, PER PROJECT EVERY, YOU KNOW, PHASE OF THAT.
IT'S LOOKING AT HOW THE FUNDS ARE ACCUMULATED OVER THOSE YEARS.
AND THERE IS, UH, A LITTLE BIT OF, UM, THEY DO INCLUDE SOME ESTIMATION THAT ARE, RIGHT NOW WE GET $8.5 MILLION ANNUALLY TO THE MPO AS NOT A LOT, BUT THERE IS SOME ASSUMPTIONS MADE IN THAT 20 YEAR TIME PERIOD.
WILL, IT'LL GET BUMPED UP A LITTLE BIT EACH, YOU KNOW, TIME THAT THE, A NEW TRANSPORTATION ACT COMES INTO PLAY.
THERE'S ALWAYS HOPE THAT WE'LL GET MORE MONEY FUNNELED TO THE, TO THE REGION.
HANFORD, ANOTHER QUESTION PLEASE.
YEAH, I THINK I HEARD YOU JUST SAY THAT LATS HAS A LIST OF PROJECTS PRIORITIZED, ASSUMING A NEW PENNY TAX.
IS THAT CORRECT? YEAH, WELL PRE THE PREVIOUS PENNY TAX 'CAUSE WE DID THIS IN 20, 21, 22 WHEN WE CAME UP WITH THIS LIST.
ALRIGHT, SO THAT LIST IS AVAILABLE TO US.
YEAH, IT'S IN THE PRO IT'S IN THE PLAN AND I CAN SHARE THAT AS LISA SA FOCUS, THE PLAN IS VERY LENGTHY.
UH, SO SOME, YEAH, VERY HELPFUL.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS WHILE SHE ANSWERED ONE? UM, ONE, ONE THING REAL TO THINK ABOUT TOUCHING ON, UM, YES, THIS WAS ESTABLISHED 15, BUT PROBABLY UP TO, AND I'M NOT THERE ANYMORE, BUT WE USED, THEY'RE CALLED GUIDE SHARE THE MONEY THAT YEAH, WE'RE GIVEN AND IT WAS DEDICATED TO 3 15 17.
THE BACK ORDER BRIDGE, WHICH Y'ALL SEE ONE DAY WILL BE FINISHED.
ARE YOU ABOUT TO DO THAT? I WAS, BUT THAT'S WHERE ALL OF OUR MONEY WENT.
AND I DON'T KNOW WHEN THAT'S GONNA END, BUT THAT'S WHY YOU'RE FINANCIALLY CONSTRAINED.
THERE'S A, YEAH, THERE'S A GLIMMER OF HOPE
SO BACK WHEN LISA WAS INVOLVED AND FOLKS, WE WERE, I THINK THE MPO WAS ONLY GETTING, UM, 4 MILLION SOMETHING AND THE COG WAS GETTING ABOUT TWO.
IT, IT WAS DISMAL, UM,
AND THAT TOOK, UM, A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WAS ALREADY BUILT UP WITHIN THE, THE COFFERS FOR BOTH THOSE AGENCIES AND FUTURE YEARS.
SO WE ACTUALLY WERE IN, I GUESS I WOULD SAY DEBT OR IN A PAYBACK PROGRAM UNTIL 2023 FOR THE MPO AND 2024 ISH FOR THE COG.
SO WE ARE ACCUMULATING DOLLARS AGAIN AND WE HAVE MONEY SITTING THERE THAT HAS BEEN ASSIGNED TO NEW PROJECTS.
SO THE US 17 WIDENING, AS YOU CAN SEE, IS NEARING ITS COMPLETION AND UM, IT'S NOW CALLED ONE OF OUR LEGACY PROJECTS.
PART OF THAT LEGACY PROJECT IS
[00:30:01]
WE DO HAVE TO PAY FOR THE BACK RIVER BRIDGE.THE WAY IT WAS WRITTEN UP IS THAT IT WAS A PHASE TWO OF THE WIDENING PROJECT.
SO THAT IS STILL IN OUR TIP, BUT UM, THE MORE INFORMATION WILL COME OUT ABOUT THAT IN THE NEXT MONTH.
BUT WE DO HAVE SOME COST ESTIMATES ON THAT NOW FINALLY.
AND IT
UM, DEEP BREATH FOR ME,
SO THAT HAS BEEN IN OUR TIP FOR A WHILE AND HAS TAKEN UP QUITE A BIT OF, QUITE A BIT OF OUR DOLLARS.
SOME OF THE OTHER PROJECTS, THIS IS WHAT'S ACTUALLY MADE IT FROM THE LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN INTO OUR TIP.
UM, WE HAVE SOME TRIANGLE, UM, DOLLARS IN THERE.
UM, THAT'S GONNA CHANGE A LITTLE BIT AT THE NEXT LATS MEETING, ASSUMING IT'S APPROVED.
COULD YOU EXPLAIN THAT? 'CAUSE QUESTIONS FROM THIS COMMITTEE ARE, ARE WE APPROVING PROJECTS AND ARE WE GONNA HURT JASPER VICE VERSA? YEAH, SO THE WAY, RIGHT NOW WE'RE LOOKING AT THE TRIANGLE PROJECT, I THINK, ARE YOU ALL FAMILIAR? IT'S THE, THE PORTION OF ARGENT THEN ARGENT, UM, THE COMPLETE PORTION OF ARGENT, THEN 2 78 FROM ARGENT TO ONE 70 AND THEN ONE 70 FROM 2 78 TO ARGENT.
SO YEAH, OUR TRIANGLE, WELL IT, I I DON'T HAVE THE DETAILS ON A A ALL THE PARTS AND LIKE WHAT'S GONNA CHANGE, I'M JUST DESCRIBING IN GENERAL THE, THE, HOW THE FUNDING IS GONNA BE ALLOCATED.
JASPER COUNTY GOT FUNDS THROUGH THEIR PENNY TAX TO PAY FOR ARGENT.
SO THAT'S GONNA BE BROKEN OUT AS ITS OWN SEPARATE PROJECT AND THE MP O'S GONNA HA, UM, IN THEORY IF IT'S PASSES HELP PAY FOR A LITTLE BIT OF THAT.
WE ALREADY HAD MONEY DESIGNATED AS THE TRIANGLE PROJECT, BUT WE'RE BREAKING IT OUT NOW JUST BECAUSE OF NOW THAT THEY'RE, THEY'RE RUNNING FORWARD, THEY'VE GOT SOME MONEY SO THEY'RE GONNA GO AND THAT'S SOMETHING THE FEDERAL HIGHWAYS LIKES TO SEE IS RATHER THAN US PUTTING A LITTLE BIT OF DOLLARS IN TO DO DESIGN, THEY LIKE TO SEE US PUT MONEY IN CONSTRUCTION AND SAY WE'RE DONE.
SO WE NOW HAVE A FULLY FUNDED ARGENT PROJECT WITH THE MONEY THEY HAVE FROM THEIR PENNY TAX AND THEN A LITTLE BIT OF MPO MONEY TO HELP KEEP, GET THAT ACROSS THE FINISH LINE.
THEN THE OTHER PIECES OF THE BUFORT COUNTY PORTIONS OF THE TRIANGLE PROJECT, UM, WE'LL HAVE SOME DESIGN DOLLARS IN THERE FOR THAT AS WELL.
WE ALSO HAVE TWO INTERSECTION PROJECTS THAT HAVE FUNDING, UM, FROM ALL THE WAY FROM DESIGN TO CONSTRUCTION THAT ARE IN THE TIP CURRENTLY.
AND THEN THERE IS, UM, REBEL ROAD IMPROVEMENTS, BUT THAT'S IN 2028.
SO I, I DON'T, IT'S A LITTLE FURTHER OUT.
WE'VE DONE A LOT OF PLANNING AND A LOT OF STUDIES IN THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS.
WE DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF MONEY AND WE ALSO DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF DIRECTION.
SO THIS, WE DID A LOT OF STUDIES TO HELP US KNOW WHEN WE HAVE THESE OPPORTUNITIES, WHEN FUNDING COMES AVAILABLE OR GRANT OPPORTUNITIES, WE NOW HAVE A STUDY THAT SHOWS WHAT WE NEED AND WHERE WE CAN DO THAT.
SO WE HAVE A LOT OF REFERENCE INFORMATION IN THESE STUDIES TO HELP PROVIDE GUIDANCE ON SOME PROJECTS.
AND SOME OF THESE STUDIES DO PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS ON, YOU KNOW, A SHORT TERM, MIDTERM, LONG-TERM RECOMMENDATIONS AND, AND THE TIMING WHEN IT WOULD MAKE SENSE TO DO THEM RE'S QUESTION.
SO ALL THESE PLANS AND STUDIES, ARE THOSE ALL BEEN STUDIED? YEAH.
SO YOU CAN SEE ANY PLANS ON ALL OF THAT? YEAH, YOU CAN SEE WHERE I HAVE COMPLETE ON SOME A FEWER ARE STILL ONGOING.
UM, AND THERE'S A COUPLE THAT HAVEN'T KICKED OFF YET.
THE FEASIBILITY STUDIES ON THE BRIDGES, UM, AND THE MULTI-USE PATH HASN'T IS JUST ABOUT TO KICK OFF.
SO IF YOU SAY COMPLETE, THAT'S A PLAN ALONG WITH A COMPLETED STUDY.
THE TRIANGLE PROJECT AT THE TOP I THINK WAS IN THE LATS TIP.
THAT'S THE TOTAL PROJECT COST.
BUT THERE, RIGHT NOW IN THE TIP THERE IS MONEY IN THERE FOR DESIGN.
SO A COMPLETE PROJECT WOULD BE DESIGN RIGHT AWAY CONSTRUCTION, WE DON'T HAVE ALL THOSE PIECES FILLED IN YET.
BUT UM, SO JASPER COUNTY IS GONNA FUND PART OF THAT.
THAT'S WHY IT'S BEING PULLED OUT AS ITS OWN SEPARATE PROJECT WITH ITS OWN DOLLAR.
YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THAT IS COMPARED TO THE 249 MILLION? I DON'T REMEMBER OFFHAND AND I DON'T WANNA MISSPEAK, SO, OKAY.
SECONDLY, FOR THESE STUDIES THAT ARE COMPLETE, DO YOU ACTUALLY HAVE, UM, I BELIEVE THE PARK BLUFFTON PARKWAY HAD ACTUALLY DOLLARS, HOW MUCH IT WAS IN PHASES OF ZERO TO FIVE YEARS, FIVE TO 10, WHATEVER.
UM, DOES THE THREE 15 AND THE OTHER ONES, THE NORTHERN BUFORT TRANSIT HAVE ACTUAL PRICING? THEY HAVE COST ESTIMATES, YEAH.
IS THAT OUT TO BID PRICING OR IS THAT JUST UM,
[00:35:01]
I MEAN IT'S COST, YOU'D HAVE TO LOOK FOR EACH STUDY TO SEE WHAT YEAR, YEAR THEY BASED IT ON AND FIGURED OUT WHAT, LIKE IF THEY DID INFLATION OUT TO A, YOU KNOW, A MIDTERM OR A LONG TERM.AND, AND ON THIS JUST TO HELP WITH, UM, MS. CO'S QUESTION WHAT WE WERE TOLD BY THE COUNTY AND JARED'S NOT HERE, SO I'M GONNA SAY BRIAN, WE HAVE ENGINEERS KIND OF ON CALL THAT WILL GIVE US CURRENT ESTIMATES WITH CONTINGENCIES.
SO I WOULDN'T PAY SO MUCH ATTENTION ON REALLY WHAT JASPER'S PAYING PERHAPS, BUT MAYBE KNOW THAT THEY'RE, IT'S IT'S IN THE QUEUE, BUT ANY COST ONCE WE GET THEM A NARROWED DOWN LIST, MAYBE NOT THE LIST.
WE'RE WORKING ON ESTIMATES FOR ANY PROJECTS THAT ARE GONNA BE RECOMMENDED AND THEY'RE GONNA INCLUDE UH, SOME PERCENTAGE FOR UTILITIES RIGHT AWAY.
AND I BELIEVE WE'RE BASING 'EM ON 2030 NUMBERS.
SO THERE'S GONNA BE A FEW YEARS OF INFLATION IN THERE, UM, TO GET IT READY FOR BID.
SO THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF CONSERVATIVENESS IN THERE.
SO WHEN Y'ALL GO ON OUR DROPBOX AND YOU SEE ALL THESE STUDIES, WHICH I DID OVER THE WEEKEND AND THEY'RE ALL THERE, UM, REALLY MAYBE DISREGARD THE COST BUT GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF SOMEWHAT OF AN ESTIMATE, BUT THEY'RE NOT UP TO DATE NUMBERS.
NOT WHAT BRIAN'S GONNA GET US UP TO DATE WITH CONTINGENCY PERCENTAGES.
THAT WOULD BE THE BEST WAY TO GO, RIGHT? YES.
LET ME GET MR, IS THERE ANY WAY THAT LOCO CAN PRIORITIZE SOME OF THESE? I MEAN THERE ARE SO MANY ITEMS IN EACH OF THESE STUDIES.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, LAST NIGHT THE CITY OF BEAUFORT PASSED A RESOLUTION FOR ITS HOPEFUL LIST, IF YOU WILL.
WELL THEY DIDN'T INCLUDE THE LATS, UH, PROVISION FOR PEDESTRIAN SAFETY CROSSINGS ON CARTER AT AND BOUNDARY STREET.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THEY JUST WEREN'T AWARE OF IT, BUT IT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL TO ME AND PROBABLY TO THE COMMITTEE AT LARGE IF THERE WAS SOME MEANS THAT YOU COULD PRIORITIZE SOME OF THESE PROJECTS THAT WE COULD CONSIDER 'EM AND WORK 'EM IN.
THAT'S WHAT WE'LL BE DOING WITH THE LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN.
IT'S JUST, WE CAN'T, IT'S HARD TO UPDATE WITH EVERY STUDY WE DO.
SO WE UPDATE EVERY FIVE YEARS.
WE DO DO AMENDMENTS, UM, WHEN NEEDED WHEN SOMEONE BRINGS AN AMENDMENT TO US TO UPDATE THE PLAN.
BUT YEAH, IT'S, BUT YOU DO HAVE A PRIORITIZED LIST PRIOR TO THIS UPDATE.
AND THAT IS REALLY US GOING BACK TO OUR MUNICIPALITIES AND WITH THE COUNTY BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE MAYBE I, SO FAR EVERYONE'S WORKED OFF THE LIST.
I HAVEN'T SEEN THE CITY OF BEAUFORT LIST YET.
UM, THAT'S JUST MY THOUGHT ON IT.
IT, I THINK WE'VE GOTTA PRIOR LOOK AT WHAT SHE PRIORITIZED AND THEN ONCE WE'RE THROUGH ALL OF THIS EDUCATION, LOOK AT THE LIST AND COMPARE IT TO WHAT THEY HAD PRIORITIZED TWO YEARS AGO OR FOUR YEARS AGO, WHICH IS A LONG TIME AGO.
YEAH, BECAUSE PEOPLE KEEP COMING HERE AND THE ROADS CONTINUING.
YOU HAD A QUESTION? ONE MORE QUESTION.
YOU'RE HAVING A ONE 70 CORRIDOR STUDY TONIGHT AND TOMORROW NIGHT? YEP.
BEAUFORT COUNTY IS ACTUALLY, I'M NOT TRYING TO PASS THE BUG
SO WOULD THAT BE SOMETHING THAT IS GOING TO WANT TO BE INCLUDED IN THIS SALES TAX? 'CAUSE IT'S WIDENING COMPLETELY FROM 46 ALL THE WAY TO BOUNDARY STREET? UM, THAT IS QUESTION.
I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL SAW THIS, YOU GUYS
UM, SO I, ANYWAY, I DID YOU COULD YOU MAYBE MAKE SURE YOU GET EVERYBODY'S EMAIL SO THAT, I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY ELSE GOT THIS BESIDES ME.
THE, THE COUNTY SENT IT, I FORWARDED IT TO THE COUNTY AND THEN UM, I THINK SARAH FORWARDED IT, FORWARDED IT ALL OF US LAST WEEK.
I'VE SEEN EACH MUNICIPALITY POSTED UM, THE THIS CAME FROM YOU.
YEAH, I PERSONALLY SENT IT OUT TO ASSIST THE COUNTY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION SO FAR.
UM, LAST WEEK I SPOKE WITH BRIAN REGARDING THE ACCURACY OF ESTIMATES OF PROJECTS AND STUFF.
GOING BACK TO THE 2018 REFERENDUM.
THE UM, THE INFLATION OF COURSE WAS HUGE BUT LOOKING FORWARD AT THE 2024 UH, PRESENTATION OF THAT TAX THAT DID NOT PASS THOSE THREE PROJECTS WERE ALSO INCLUDED BACK IN THERE AND HAD A VERY LARGE PRICE TAG ON THEM.
UM, SO MY POINT HERE IS THE ACCURACY OF
[00:40:01]
THE ESTIMATES AND I JUST WANTED TO BRING IT UP 'CAUSE I DID SPEAK TO BRIAN ABOUT IT.UM, I DON'T KNOW WHO IS HIRED, WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE AND IF THE PROJECT BEFORE THE SHOVEL GOES IN THE GROUND IS RE-ESTIMATE GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF TIME, I JUST WANT TRANSPARENCY AND ACCURACY TO BE BROUGHT FORWARD SO PEOPLE THAT ARE VOTING ON SOMETHING WILL FEEL MORE CONFIDENT IF IT, IF IT COMES TO VOTE.
OH IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'LL HAVE THE ON-CALL.
UM, AND AGAIN, YOU KNOW, THE ESTIMATES THAT WE'RE HAVING PREPARED ARE GOING OUT TO 2030 FOR IT TO ADJUST FOR INFLATION.
UM, AND BUT THESE ARE GONNA BE CONCEPT ESTIMATES BASED ON THE CO CONCEPT.
SO AS WE GET FURTHER INTO DESIGN, WE GET TO A 30% DESIGN, UM, WE'LL GET A BETTER COST ESTIMATE, THEN A 60% DESIGN GET A, A MORE ACCURATE COST ESTIMATE.
SO YOU KNOW, THE ESTIMATES THAT WE'RE PREPARING NOW ARE BASED ON CONCEPTS OF PROJECTS THAT WILL CONTINUE TO BE EVOLVED AS THE PROJECT GOES AND GETS CLOSER TO BEING SHOVEL READY.
BUT WE CAN DEFINITELY MAKE SURE THAT THOSE ARE CONTINUED TO UPDATE.
SO THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? YES, THANK YOU.
I JUST HAVE A COUPLE SLIDES LEFT.
THIS UM, SO I TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE TIP ABOUT WHAT DOLLARS THE MPO HAS THE DISCRETION OF ASSIGNING PROJECTS TO.
THERE'S ALSO OTHER FEDERAL PROJECTS IN THERE THAT ARE REALLY PROJECTS THAT ARE COMING OUT OF THE STATE AND THE STATE HAS THEIR FEDERAL DOLLARS THAT THEY HAVE THE DISCRETION TO ASSIGN DOLLARS TO.
SO WE ALSO HAVE TRANSIT FUNDING AND YOU KNOW, I 95 WINDINGS IN THERE OF COURSE.
UM, 2 78 CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENTS, THOSE ARE ALL IN THERE AS WELL.
UM, THE STATE HAS A SAFETY PROGRAM, A BRIDGE PROGRAM AND A PAYMENT PROGRAM.
SO EACH OF THOSE HAVE SEVERAL PROJECTS LISTED OUT IN THAT.
BUT THAT IS BASED ON, THEY HAVE THEIR OWN PRIORITY AND RANKING SYSTEM THAT THEY DO THAT WE REALLY DON'T HAVE SAY IN THEY, BUT WE INCLUDE THOSE IN OUR TIP.
THE CARBON REDUCTION PROGRAM, I INCLUDED THAT AS WELL.
BRIAN HAD MENTIONED THERE WAS SOME COMMENTS ABOUT, UM, SIGNAL RETIMING.
UM, WE DO HAVE SOME DOLLARS TO DO RISK SIGNAL RETI, BUT WE ARE UM, WE SELECTED CITY OF BEAUFORT, HILTON HEAD AND BEAUFORT COUNTY TO DO THAT IN.
AND IT'S JUST BEEN A, WE HAVE TO USE THE DOTS, UM, THEIR PROCUREMENT AND THEIR ON-CALL PROCESS.
SO IT'S BEEN A LITTLE, WE'RE GET THERE.
UM, BUT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS IN THE HOPPER AS WELL.
UM, AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE SOME OTHER FUNDS THAT HAVE COME TO US THROUGH DISCRETIONARY GRANTS THAT WE'VE BEEN AWARDED IN THE REGION.
AND THEN UM, I WAS TALKING WITH BRIAN AND HE MENTIONED THERE WERE SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SAFETY ACTION PLAN.
AND REALLY QUICKLY, THAT WAS A PROJECT WE WERE AWARDED DISCRETIONARY FUNDS TO THE REGION TO DO THIS PLAN.
THE PLAN WAS TIED TO A VERY SPECIFIC PROGRAM THAT CAME OUT OF THE BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE ACT CALLED SAFE STREETS FOR ALL THAT PROGRAM IS NOW, I GUESS ESSENTIALLY WOULD SAY DONE, I MEAN PROJECTS ARE STILL ACTIVELY GOING ON, BUT THEY HAD FIVE YEARS OF FUNDING AND THAT FIFTH YEAR HAS ALREADY COME AND GONE.
WE WERE AWARDED FUNDS IN THE FIRST YEAR AND TO DO THIS PLAN, THE PLAN ALLOWED YOU TO THEN GO BACK AND APPLY FOR FUNDS TO IMPLEMENT ONCE YOU HAD THE PLAN IN PLACE.
WE'RE VERY HOPEFUL THAT THE REAUTHORIZATION WILL INCLUDE SAFETY.
IT IS AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, IT'S STILL BEING TALKED ABOUT QUITE A LOT.
IT MIGHT LOOK A LOT DIFFERENT 'CAUSE I'M SURE THE NEW ADMINISTRATION WOULD LIKE TO MAKE IT LOOK MORE LIKE THEIRS THAN THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION.
SO THERE'LL BE SOME CHANGES I'M SURE.
BUT PART OF THAT PROCESS IS TO GO IN, WE DID THIS AS A FOUR COUNTY AND SO IT MIGHT BE A LITTLE MORE DILUTED THAN WHAT YOU WOULD SEE IN YOUR OWN MUNICIPALITY, BUT WE LOOKED AT ALL FOUR COUNTIES, DEFINED A HIGH INJURY NETWORK.
UM, AND THAT WAS OUT OF, YOU KNOW, THOUSANDS OF ROADWAY SEGMENTS AND WE NARROWED IT DOWN TO EIGHT, UH, ULTIMATELY 86 SEGMENTS.
THIS IS BASED ON DATA AND INFORMATION THAT WAS COLLECTED THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS.
SO THEY WERE LOOKING AT CRASH DATA, BUT THE PLAN LISTS OUT 150 PROJECTS THAT REC PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS WITH COST ESTIMATES, LOCATIONS, AND A JUSTIFICATION AS TO WHY THE PROJECT COULD TAKE PLACE THERE TO IMPROVE SAFETY.
75 OF THOSE PROJECTS ARE WITHIN THE LATS REGION OR THE, UM, MPO 42 OF THEM ARE IN BUFORT COUNTY AND THEN EACH PROJECT HAS A CUT.
UM, GOSH, I'M SORRY I'M WRONG.
UM, SO THIS WAS HOW WE BROKE DOWN THE DIFFERENT, UM, UH, MAPPING FOR WHICH WHERE THE SEGMENTS ARE.
AS YOU CAN SEE IT'S A LITTLE DENSER IN THE, UM, URBAN AREA.
AND THEN WE HAVE 150 OF THOSE PROJECTS THAT ARE MAPPED.
WE HAVE A LITTLE INTERACTIVE MAP WE HAVE ONLINE, SO YOU CAN JUST KIND OF CLICK ON THE LINKS AND IT'LL POP UP THE INFORMATION.
AND THIS IS, UM, EACH PROJECT IN HAS A CUT SHEET LIKE THIS.
IT HAS A DIAGRAM OF THE LOCATION EXPLAINS, UM, WHAT KIND OF
[00:45:01]
SAFETY ISSUES ARE TAKING PLACE AT THAT.UM, THIS IS ACTUALLY I THINK A PROJECT THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN IN THE 2018, BUT IT WAS ALSO FLAGGED AGAIN IN THE SAFETY ACTION PLAN.
SO THERE ARE, THERE IS SOME DEFINITE CROSSOVER BETWEEN SOME OF THESE SAFETY ACTION PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS AND PROJECTS THAT ARE ONGOING AND RECOMMENDATIONS WITHIN THE REGION ALREADY.
SO HAVE YOU ACTUALLY DONE ANY OF THESE PLANS THAT Y'ALL HAVE MADE ALL THESE PLANS? SO THE MPO DOES NOT OWN OR OPERATE ANY, SO IT'S REALLY UP TO THE MUNICIPALITIES AND THE COUNTY TO TAKE IT AND RUN WITH IT AND TRY TO IN ATTEMPT TO IMPLEMENT.
THE COUNTY DID APPLY FOR IMPLEMENTATION DOLLARS IN THE LAST ROUND.
UM, I DON'T BELIEVE THEY WERE SUCCESSFUL.
I MEAN THE IMPLEMENTATION DOLLARS WERE VERY, ARE VERY COMPETITIVE AS YOU CAN IMAGINE.
IT'S NATIONWIDE AND EVERYBODY WANTS
SO, UM, BUT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS, YOU KNOW, ON THE BOOKS AS AS WELL AND WILL FEED INTO THE LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN AND HOPEFULLY TAKE A LOOK AT IT FOR YOUR, SO THE MONEY THAT WAS ALLOTTED FROM THE FEDERAL, WHICH RAN OUT, THAT WAS JUST TO DO THE STUDY, THAT WASN'T TO ACTUALLY FUND ANYTHING.
SO WE WERE AWARDED A SPECIFIC GRANT TO DO A PLAN AND WE'VE COMPLETED THAT.
THE, THE FEDERAL PROGRAM ALSO HAD IMPLEMENTATION DOLLARS YOU COULD GO BACK AND APPLY FOR.
AND THAT PROGRAM, AS I SAID IT, IT WAS FIVE YEARS, THE FIFTH YEAR ALREADY HAS TAKEN PLACE.
I'M HOPEFUL THAT THAT PROGRAM'S GONNA BE RE RENEWED, MAYBE LOOK DIFFERENT, BUT THE REQUIREMENT TO GET MONEY OUT OF THAT PROGRAM WAS TO HAVE A SAFETY ACTION PLAN.
YEAH, A LOT OF PLANS TO GET MONEY.
SO IT'S A LOT OF, WE HAVE TO HAVE A PLAN TO DO THE NEXT, THEY JUST WANNA SHOW THAT YOU HAVE DONE YOUR DUE DILIGENCE AND YOU'RE NOT JUST LIKE SOMEONE CALLED YOU UP AND SAID PEOPLE DRIVE TOO FAST THERE, DO SOMETHING
THEY WANNA SHOW THERE'S DATA BEHIND IT.
UM, SO SOME OF THESE PROJECTS FROM THE SAFETY ACTION PLAN OR SOME OF THE OTHER VANS, UH, PLANS THAT STEPHANIE'S MENTIONED, WE ARE CURRENTLY IN DESIGN ON.
SO WE'RE TAKING THE NEXT STEP TO GET IT CLOSER TO SHOVEL READY.
SO WE ARE MOVING ON SOME OF THESE DIFFERENT PROJECTS IN THESE PLANS.
UM, AND THEY'RE AT DIFFERENT STAGES.
UM, AND GOING BACK TO THE ONE 70 MEETING, SO ONE OF THOSE MEETINGS IS GONNA BE TONIGHT AT PALMETTO ELECTRIC FROM SIX TO EIGHT AND THE UH, ONE TOMORROW IS GONNA BE AT ROBERT SMALLS ACADEMY IN BEAUFORT FROM SIX TO EIGHT AS WELL.
SO, AND THAT WAS SENT OUT TO US.
I KNOW WE'RE GETTING A LOT OF EMAILS, BUT I I'M TRYING TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE ONE SARAH SENDS 'CAUSE SARAH WILL SEND OUR MINUTES AND OUR AGENDA.
BUT WHENEVER I SEE SOME OR IF ANY OF Y'ALL SEE SOMETHING THAT COMES ACROSS YOUR EMAIL, I WOULD FORWARD IT TO SARAH AND JARED AND BRIAN AND ASK 'EM TO SUBMIT IT TO THE COMMITTEE.
'CAUSE IF YOU CAN GO, THEY'RE GREAT.
UM, IF YOU CAN'T GO, I'M SURE THEY'RE PUBLICIZED, THEY'RE TELEVISED SOMEWHERE, WHICH WE CAN FIND IT.
SO ALL THE ONE 70 INFORMATION IS ON OUR WEBSITE AS WELL.
SO YOU CAN, AND THAT'S LOW COUNTRY COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS, LCG, IT, WE WILL GET THE.ORG, WE'LL GET THE UM, WEBSITE TO YOU
I THINK WHAT WE'RE GONNA NEED FROM THE COUNTY IS OF ALL OF THESE LISTS, YOU'VE DONE YOUR HOMEWORK ON IT, YOU'VE DONE THE STUDIES, THEY'RE GETTING CLOSE TO SHOVEL READY, WHICH GIVES THE CITIZENS SOME, SOME, UM, COMFORT THAT WE ARE GONNA DO THESE BECAUSE THEY, MAYBE IT'LL ELIMINATE A LOT OF THE TIMING OF DESIGN AND SOMETIMES WE'RE GONNA HAVE DESIGN.
BUT IS THERE A FORMULA IF THE PENNY DID PASS THAT THEN THE, UH, LATS WOULD HAVE A SOURCE OF FUNDING TO HELP.
I'M TRYING TO SPREAD THIS PENNY AS FAR AS POSSIBLE IF IT PASSES.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO WITH JASPER COUNTY AND ARGENT.
SO THEY HAVE HAD MOST OF THE MONEY OR THEY PROBABLY, THEY IT'S HELPING THEM, IT'S HELPING THEM LEVERAGE THEIR TAX, THEIR PENNY TAX.
SO ABOUT A, A SMALL PORTION WILL GO INTO THE CONSTRUCTION FOR, FROM LATS.
I WAS AT, I DID AN UPDATE TO BLUFFTON LAST NIGHT AND I HAD A QUESTION.
IF YOU COULD ESTIMATE, AND I'M NOT GONNA HOLD YOU TO IT, BUT SAY THE PENNY DOESN'T PASS, WHAT IS THE TIMEFRAME THAT YOU WOULD FORESEE TO GET THESE FINANCIALLY CONSTRAINED PROJECTS FUNDED? AND I THINK THAT'S GONNA BE A REALLY IMPORTANT QUESTION.
'CAUSE IT YOU, IT DEPENDS WHICH PROJECT SPECIFICALLY WE'RE DUMP JUMPING INTO, BUT FIVE TO 10 YEARS, LOW TO HIGH.
YEAH, I MEAN IT'S A 20 YEAR PLAN.
SO THEY'RE SPREAD OUT OVER 20 YEARS.
AND I WILL SAY ONE OF THE THINGS DOT IS WITH THE US 17 WIDENING, THEY KIND OF LET US BANK OUR MONEY FOR A FEW YEARS.
THEY'RE NOT REALLY LIKING THAT ANYMORE.
SO THEY'RE, SO IF YOU HAVE, YOU KNOW, YEAR ONE BY YEAR FOUR
[00:50:01]
THAT YOU'VE, YOU, YOU'RE SPENDING, YOU'RE OBLIGATING THOSE FUNDS INTO A PROJECT RATHER THAN WAITING 10 YEARS TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, SIGNIFICANTLY MORE MONEY TO DO A BIGGER PROJECT.SO THAT MAKES IT A LITTLE, A LITTLE TIGHTER FOR US AS WELL.
AND THEN FINALLY, HELP US WHAT, BECAUSE THIS IN 18 WE WERE PAYING THREE 15 AND BACKWATER BRIDGE.
WE DIDN'T HAVE MONEY THROUGH LATS.
BUT WHAT ARE THE PROS OF WORKING OFF, UH, THE LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN? NOT IN TOTAL, BUT TO USE IT AS A BASIS.
WHAT ARE THE PROS AND MAYBE THE CONS? PROS.
THE IDEA IS IT'S THE REGION'S MAKING DECISION.
YOU DON'T HAVE FEDERAL HIGHWAYS OR STATE DOT NECESSARILY COMING IN AND TELLING YOU WHAT TO DO WITH THOSE DOLLARS AND HOW TO SPEND THEM.
BECAUSE WE HAVE OUR OWN PRIORITIES, THEIR, THEIR PRIORITY LIST.
LIKE I SAID, THEY HAVE A, A BRIDGE PRIORITY RANKING SYSTEM.
WE HAVE A LOT OF BRIDGES, BUT MAYBE ALL OF OURS ARE LIKE DECENT SHAPE AND WE DON'T EVEN MAKE THE CUT ONE YEAR.
I, I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T, YOU KNOW, QUOTE ME ON THAT.
I'M JUST SAYING THAT THAT'S AN EXAMPLE.
THEY HAVE THEIR OWN RANKING SYSTEM FOR THE ENTIRE STATE.
SO WE WANNA LOOK, THIS GIVES US THE OPPOR, EACH OF THOSE MPOS THAT ARE FORMED TO LOOK AT WHAT'S IMPORTANT REGIONALLY.
ANY QUESTIONS? UH, STEPHANIE GENERAL, LEMME START OVER HERE.
LAST WEEK AT THE PRESENTATION IN BLUFFTON, WE WERE GIVEN A SLIDE REPRESENTATION AND I HAD QUESTIONED, UM, A CATEGORY THAT WOULD SHOW US MAYBE IF SOMETHING IN PARTICULAR WAS AN EVACUATION ROUTE.
MM-HMM
HOW IMPORTANT THAT WOULD BE TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
THEY DEFERRED ME TO YOU, STEPHANIE, SO I'M HERE ASKING
YEAH, SO WHEN WE DO THIS PROCESS, UM, I BELIEVE, I CAN'T REMEMBER EXACTLY WHICH CATEGORY IT MIGHT BE UNDER ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS, IT COULD FIT IN A FEW DIFFERENT ONES.
WE ACTUALLY INCLUDE LIKE, IS IT A FREIGHT ROUTE, IS IT AN EVACUATION ROUTE? SO IT'S RANKED AND FLAGGED WHEN IT GETS SCORED IN THIS PRIORITIZATION PROCESS.
SO WHEN IT ULTIMATELY COMES OUT THAT THAT END IN THE SLIDE YOU HAVE, YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE, YOU MIGHT HAVE LOST THAT INFORMATION, BUT THAT IS CONSIDERED WHEN IT'S SO WE WOULD LOOK UNDER ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT.
WELL, NO, I JUST SAY WE'VE ALREADY CONSIDERED THAT WHEN WE'VE DONE I, I'LL HAVE TO GO AND DIG THROUGH AND F FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW, IF WE HAD A LIST OF PROJECTS, I THINK BETWEEN THE COUNTY AND I, WE COULD FIGURE OUT WHICH ONES HAD EVACUATION ROUTES AND OTHER THINGS FLAGGED ON THEM.
AND AND THAT'S A, YOU KNOW, IT'S A BIG REPORT AND I'VE PROBABLY READ IT OFTEN OVER THE MANY YEARS I WAS THERE.
BUT I'M FINE WORKING WITH THE COUNTY 'CAUSE I DID IT.
I COPIED, I WENT THROUGH THE 400 PAGES AND I COPIED THE MAPS FOR ALL OF OUR AREAS.
MINUS AND, AND JASPER'S GONNA BE IN IT.
BUT WE CANNOT LOOK AT JASPER, WE CAN ONLY LOOK AT BEAUFORT COUNTY
UM, I'M HAPPY TO GET WITH BRIAN OR OR SOMEONE TO GET THOSE AND GET IT IN ONE DOCUMENT FOR EVERYONE.
'CAUSE IT IS A LENGTHY, LENGTHY STUDY.
I MEAN REPORT THE LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN, BUT GIVE US FEEDBACK.
SO ONE OF THE DOCUMENTS THAT SHE WOULD LIKE WOULD BE SHOWING THE CRITERIA AND THE PERCENTAGE THAT YOU HAVE BASED ON THAT SLIDE.
AND YOU THINK YOU HAVE THAT IN THE STUDY? I DON'T REMEMBER SEEING THAT.
WELL, I'D HAVE TO GO BACK AND LIKE, YOU KNOW, FOR EACH WROTE PROJECT, WE CAN THEN SAY, YES, THIS IS AN EVACUATION ROUTE.
I MEAN, THAT WOULDN'T BE TOO HARD.
UH, STEPHANIE, A FEW MINUTES AGO YOU MENTIONED STATE FUNDED PROJECTS.
UM, THOSE STATE FUNDED PROJECTS WOULD NOT APPEAR ON THE LATCH PRIORITY LIST, WOULD THEY? UM, NO.
NOT UNLESS THEY'RE USING FEDERAL DOLLARS.
SO IF THEY'RE USING FEDERAL DOLLARS, THEN THEY HAVE TO BE INCLUDED IN THE TIP AND THE LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN AS WELL.
BUT THEY'RE SEPARATE IN THE SENSE WE'RE NOT USING OUR GUIDE SHARE REGIONAL MOBILITY DOLLARS ON THEM.
SO, WELL, WE'RE CHALLENGED HERE TO COME UP WITH A LIST OF PROJECTS WITHIN THE COUNTY AND WE'RE TRYING TO, I'M, WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THINGS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED, WHAT THINGS SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED.
IT SEEMS TO ME THE STATE FUNDED PROJECTS SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED.
IS THAT CORRECT?
I MEAN THE, THE, THE WAY IT'S ORGANIZED RIGHT NOW, THE TIP, THE TOP PART OF THE TIP IS ALL THE PROJECTS THAT IS BEING FUNDED SPECIFICALLY THROUGH LATS.
UM, I'LL HAVE TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE PLAN ITSELF.
I THINK MOST OF WHAT YOU'RE GONNA FIND IN THERE DOES NOT ARE PROJECTS THAT ARE UNFUNDED OR, I MEAN, IT, THAT THAT WAS FOUR YEARS, FIVE YEARS AGO.
SO SOME OF THEM MAY HAVE LIMPED ALONG, YOU KNOW, SINCE THEN, BUT PROBABLY IS THERE A PLACE TO GET THAT LIST?
[00:55:01]
YEAH, IT'S, IT'S GONNA BE IN THE LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN.I'M JUST TRYING TO THINK HOW IT'S ORGANIZED.
LIKE HOW WOULD IT GET THAT TO YOU? TO US, YEAH.
I THINK WE'RE GOING THROUGH IDENTIFYING WHICH PROJECTS TO INCLUDE IN THIS NEW PENNY.
UM, MS. CO, UM, TWO QUESTIONS.
UM, ONE, SO IN THE STUDY YOU HAVE FISCALLY CONSTRAINED PROJECTS AND YOU HAVE WITH THE SALES TAX.
SO WHO CHOSE THE ADDED ADDITIONAL PROJECTS TO GO IN THERE WITH THE SALES TAX? WAS THAT THE LATS COMMITTEE WAS DETERMINE THAT? UM, IT WAS A COMBINATION OF, UM, THE SAME PROCESS THAT WE USED TO SELECT ALL THE PROJECTS.
I MEAN, EVERYTHING'S DUMPED IN AT ONE TIME.
IT JUST, ONE LIST HAS MORE MONEY.
SO WE WERE ABLE TO PULL MORE PROJECTS INTO THE FUNDED PART OR THE FINANCIALLY CONSTRAINED PART.
SO THERE'S ALSO ANOTHER LIST AT THE BACK OF THE PLANE I HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT THAT'S CALLED ILLUSTRATIVE.
UM, AND THEN, UM, SECONDLY, IN LOOKING THROUGH THAT LIST, A LOT, A LOT OF THE THINGS, THE MAJORITY I THINK SAY THAT THEY'RE ALL NEW LOCATIONS.
LIKE THEY'RE NEW ROADS AND WE'RE SUPPOSED TO NOT BE PUTTING NEW ROADS INTO THE SALES TAX.
SO MAYBE IF YOU SEND THE LIST, PROBABLY THOSE SHOULD BE OFF THE LIST.
WHAT YOU CAN DO IS TAKE A LOOK AT THE LIST AND USE IT AS A TOOL TO GUIDE YOU ON YOUR DECISION.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? STEPHANIE? I'LL LOOK DOWN THIS ROW.
ANYONE OVER HERE? UM, OKAY, SO I HEARD THE COMMITTEE WANTS THE LIST OF THE STATE SAFETY PROJECTS AND I WILL LOOK UNDER THE LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN FOR THE PROJECTS AND HAVE THE CRITERIA RANKING WITH SAFETY, EVACUATION ROUTE AND OTHER THINGS.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? STEPHANIE? THAT WAS GREAT.
UM, AND WHEN ARE YOUR MEETINGS, MAYBE TELL US THAT ARE WHAT IS A MEETING BETWEEN NOW AND MAY 11TH? THE NEXT MEETING IS MARCH 27TH TO, UM, TYPICALLY THEY'RE ON A FRIDAY, BUT GOOD FRI WE'RE AVOIDING GOOD FRIDAY.
UM, BUT TYPICALLY THEY'RE IN FEBRUARY, APRIL, JUNE, AUGUST, OCTOBER AND DECEMBER.
SO MARCH 27TH, THEN MARCH 27TH AT 10 O'CLOCK AT THE TCL? THE THE, THE CULINARY SCHOOL, RIGHT? OH, THE CULINARY SCHOOL.
AND THEN APRIL, DO YOU HAVE THE DATE? WELL, IT, IT WON'T, THERE WON'T BE IN APRIL BECAUSE IT'S, IT WON'T, YEAH.
SO, SO A MEETING, DO YOU PUB DO YOU STREAM IT OR DO YOU RECORD IT? WE, WE'VE HAVEN'T BEEN STREAMING IT.
UM, THE MARCH 27TH WILL BE, I HAVE A ZOOM OPTION.
UM, 'CAUSE WE HAVE TWO SPEAKERS THAT ARE ZOOMING IN.
UH, WE'LL GET YOUR INFO IF THIS COMMITTEE WANTS TO GET ON ZOOM, IF ANYONE, AT LEAST THEY'LL HAVE THE ACCESS.
UM, AND I DID GET THE RANKING OF SORTS FROM THE TOWN OF BLUFFTON LAST NIGHT, SO I'LL SEND THAT TO EVERYBODY.
I ASKED THEM, UM, WITH THE PRESIDENT UPDATE I GAVE THEM.
UM, NEXT WE HAVE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD MUNICIPAL PRESENTATION AND THEY WERE KIND ENOUGH TO PRINT IT OUT.
SO WE HAVE ANOTHER HARD COPY OF THIS AS WELL.
MAYBE INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO ALL OF US.
UM, MADAM CHAIR COMMITTEE MEMBERS, I APPRECIATE YOU LETTING ME BE HERE.
I'M THE ASSISTANT TOWN MANAGER HERE IN A TOWN OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND.
UH, IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE TODAY.
YESTERDAY AT THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING, UH, THE CITY COUNCIL ADOPTED A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF PROJECTS TO RECOMMEND TO THIS COMMITTEE FOR CONSIDERATION IN THE UPCOMING, IN THE PROPOSED, UM, TRANSPORTATION SALES DOCS.
SO THAT RESOLUTION IS IN FRONT OF YOU.
UH, IT LISTS OUT THE PROJECTS THAT WILLIAM HILTON PARKWAY CORRIDOR, SPECIFICALLY THE SQUIRE POPE AND SPANISH WELLS INTERSECTIONS, GUMTREE ROAD IMPROVEMENTS, MAIN STREET IMPROVEMENTS, THE WILLIAM HILTON PARKWAY, CHAPLAIN CORRIDOR, AND SEA PINE CIRCLE.
UM, THERE ARE ALSO SEVERAL CONDITIONS THAT THEY PUT INTO THE RESOLUTIONS THAT THEY'RE ASKING THE COMMITTEE TO RE REQUEST THE COUNTY TO CONSIDER, UH, MOST.
AND FIRST AND FOREMOST IN THAT LIST IS THAT THERE'S SUPPORTING THESE PROJECTS.
THERE ARE NO WAY TAKING A POSITION ON THE SALES TAX ITSELF.
UM, THERE ARE SICK, THERE ARE, UM, SEVEN CONDITIONS, UH, THAT THEY, BUT I, I WON'T READ THROUGH THEM FOR YOU HERE, THAT THAT WOULD BE, UH, NOT A GOOD EFFICIENT USE OF OUR TIME.
BUT I WANTED TO POINT THOSE OUT TO YOU.
THAT IS MORE THAN JUST A LIST OF PROJECTS.
THEY HAD SOME REQUESTS AS WELL.
[01:00:01]
SO OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, UM, SEVERAL WEEKS, THE STAFF HAS BEEN WORKING DILIGENTLY TO, UH, DEVELOP, UH, PROJECT SYNOPSIS FOR, FOR THIS COMMITTEE.AND THEN WE GOT, UM, SOME GUIDANCE FROM THE COUNTY, UH, ABOUT TWO, TWO WEEKS AGO ON HOW THE, HOW WE SHOULD PROCEED.
UH, SO WHAT WE'RE GONNA TRY TO ACCOMPLISH TODAY IS TELL, UH, TELL YOU A LITTLE ABOUT, UH, GET A SHARED UNDERSTANDING OF THIS REFERENDUM AND WHAT WE NEED TODAY.
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR ISLAND, UH, THE PROPOSED PROJECT LIST.
UH, AND IN THAT WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT THE PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT, SOME OF THE SAFETY ENHANCEMENTS, AND ANY OF THE SUPPORTING DATA WE COULD MUSTER TO SHOW YOU, UH, WHY THAT PROJECT IS A PRIORITY TO, TO THE TOWN.
AND THEN WE'RE OPEN TO SOME DISCUSSION AND, AND, UM, QUESTIONS.
SO JUST A LITTLE BIT, UH, ABOUT WHAT GUIDANCE WE RECEIVED FROM THE COUNTY.
UH, YOU ALL HAVE PROBABLY SEEN THESE EMAILS.
AND BASICALLY THE NUTSHELL VERSION OF THIS IS THEY WANTED IT IN THREE BASIC PAR CRACK CATEGORIES, WIDENING PROJECTS, SAFETY AND INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS, RESURFACING AND DIRT ROAD PAVING PROJECTS.
SO ABOUT THE WORK THAT YOU ALL HAVE BEEN DOING SO FAR, UH, WHICH IS A LOT.
AND AGAIN, WE THANK YOU FOR THE TIME THAT YOU'RE PUTTING INTO THIS.
UH, UH, YESTERDAY, AS I SAID, THE TOWN COUNCIL HAD, UH, THEIR COUNCIL MEETING AND, AND VOTED ON A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF SIX PROJECTS.
UH, THEN THE TOWN COUNCIL, THEN YOUR COMMITTEE MEETS TODAY HERE IN THE TOWN COUNCIL CHAMBERS, AND THEN SO FORTH INTO THE, THE OTHER MUNICIPALITIES UP INTO THE, YOU GUYS YOU FOLKS HAVE THE, UH, THE WONDERFUL TASK OF PUTTING TOGETHER A FINAL LIST TO PRESENT TO THE COUNTY.
I DO NOT ENVY YOU, UH, OF A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HILLHEAD ISLAND.
I KNOW YOU WERE ALL FAMILIAR WITH THIS, BUT, UM, JUST A LITTLE BIT, UH, ABOUT THE STORY.
WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO TELL ABOUT WHY THE SPECIFIC PROJECTS WE'RE SELECTING ARE IMPORTANT TO US.
WE HAVE A POPULATION OF JUST OVER 38,000 PEOPLE, BUT WE ALSO GET 2.67 MILLION VISITS A YEAR.
THAT'S INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE COMING TO THE ISLAND.
THOSE PEOPLE MAY COME MULTIPLE TIMES, BUT THIS IS, UH, THE 2025 PRELIMINARY NUMBERS.
I SHOULD PUT THAT CAVEAT IN THERE.
THAT, UH, BUT IT IS RANGES FROM THAT 2.6 TO 2.8 MILLION VISITS A YEAR, WHICH IS A LOT.
AND IT BRINGS A LOT OF PRESSURE ON THE SYSTEM COUNTYWIDE, WE KNOW THAT.
BUT IT ALSO PUTS A LOT OF PRESSURE ON THE SYSTEM HERE WITHIN, WITHIN THE TOWN.
LITTLE ABOUT, ABOUT THE HOME OWNERSHIP.
ON, ON THE ISLAND, WE HAVE 79% HOMEOWNERS, 21% ARE RENTERS.
UH, WE DO HAVE, UH, HOUSING UNIT OR, UH, WE MEDIUM HOME VALUE OF 687,000.
UM, AND ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE SEE WITH THIS IS THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE COMING IN HERE TO WORK, UH, THAT NUMBER IS STARTING.
AND SO WE GET A LOT OF TRAFFIC IN THE MORNING, AS YOU KNOW, AND IT'S, AND ON AND ON THE WAY OFF THE ISLAND IN THE EVENING FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE COMING HERE JUST TO DO THEIR JOBS AND LEAVE SOME OF OUR OWN EMPLOYEES, A LOT OF OUR OWN EMPLOYEES THAT, THAT MATTER.
THE TOURISM INDUSTRY IS, IS A, IS A HEAVY ONE HERE.
ONE OF THOSE IS THE, THE OVERNIGHT VISITATIONS THAT WE SEE, THE NUMBER OF BUSINESSES.
WE HAVE, 14,604, UH, BUSINESSES, AND 707,368 SHORT TERM RENTALS HERE ON THE ISLAND.
AND IT, IT BRINGS A LOT OF TRAFFIC TO THE SYSTEM.
AM I POINT THE WRONG WAY? THERE WE GO.
LET ME ASK YOU WHILE YOU'RE GETTING THAT.
ARE YOU OKAY IF WE STOP YOU WITH QUESTIONS OR DO YOU WANNA GO THROUGH YOUR PRESENTATION? YOU'RE FINE.
YOU CAN STOP ME AT ANY MOMENT.
WE'LL ANSWER THE QUESTION TO THE BEST WE CAN.
YEAH, I'LL JUST GET MY ATTENTION.
SEAN, I HAD HAD A QUESTION, SORRY TO INTERRUPT.
I WAS SPEAKING WITH BRIAN EARLIER.
I NOTICED HE HAD QUOTED A FIGURE, UM, OF SOMEWHERE AROUND 60% OF A DOLLAR WAS BASED ON VISITORS TAX BEING PAID INTO THE PENNY TAX.
AND HE SAID HE WOULD FIND OUT LIKE WHAT BREAKDOWN THAT IS, UH, LOOKING LIKE CURRENTLY, THAT IT
[01:05:01]
WOULD BE PAID BY THE VISITORS, WHAT THEIR CONTRIBUTION WOULD BE HAPPEN OFF THE TOP OF THAT.WONDERFUL HEAD OF YOURS TO KNOW, UM, WHAT THAT MIGHT BE.
WE DO NOT, WE HAD A LENGTHY DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT.
I DON'T HAVE A GOOD ACCURATE NUMBER FOR YOU THAT I WOULD WANT TO GIVE YOU RIGHT NOW ON THE SPOT.
UH, BUT I THINK ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WE ASKED IN THE REFERENDUM WAS KIND OF A DIFFERENT FORM OF THAT SAME QUESTION.
IS WHAT PERCENT OF THE, OF THE SALES TAXES GENERATED WITHIN THE TOWN LIMITS OF, OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND VERSUS THE COUNTYWIDE? AND THEN WHAT PERCENTAGE THEN IS COMING BACK IN AS FAR AS PROJECTS? SO THAT WAS THE QUESTION THAT THEY HAD.
SO IT'S KIND OF THE SAME DOWN WITH VISITORS.
YOU KNOW, OUR NUMBERS HAVE BEEN TRENDING BACK DOWN, WHICH IS TOTALLY FINE, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IT'S LIKE, IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING PALATABLE TO JUSTIFY AND UNDERSTAND, UH, AS A TAXPAYER, THE REFERENDUM, THEY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT PORTION BREAKDOWN.
UM, I THINK THAT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL.
HOW MUCH IS COMING FROM THE PEOPLE WHO ARE ACTUALLY VISITING THE AREA? YES, I UNDERSTAND.
AND, AND, UM, WE HAVE TO, I THINK IN A PAST MEETING, I THINK JARED SAID, WE HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL.
WE CAN'T, IF WE SAID 60% AND IT WAS REALLY 54% WE'RE GONNA GET CAUGHT.
AND I THINK JARED AT THAT TIME MENTIONED, WE SAY A MAJORITY OF THE PENNY, BUT IF HE CAN GET US A NUMBER AND IS OKAY WITH US USING IT, I WITH YOU.
WE JUST HAVE TO BE CAREFUL WHAT WE'RE ALL, WHAT WE'RE ALL EDUCATING AND A RANGE TOO.
I'M NOT, I, YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE ARE FEET TO THE FIRE.
PEOPLE GIVE ME A RANGE, AT LEAST TO BE ABLE TO MAKE A FAIR PRESENTATION.
UM, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING IS CHANGEABLE THESE DAYS.
SO, YOU KNOW, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I THINK SOME RANGE WOULD BE NICE.
WHEN I WAS INVOLVED IN CHATHAM COUNTY, GOTTA TALK IN THE MICROPHONE, JERRY, SORRY.
WHEN I WAS INVOLVED IN CHATHAM COUNTY'S, UH, SALES TAX DEAL FOR THEIR TRANSPORTATION ISSUES, THE NUMBER WAS 60%.
AND I THINK THAT'S A GOOD NUMBER.
SO I, THIS SLIDE IS JUST THE SAME RESOLUTION THAT YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU, BUT IT IS, UH, THE, WHICH LISTS OUT THE PROJECTS THAT I JUST, UH, SPOKE TO EARLIER MM-HMM
BUT WE CAN, WE CAN JUMP INTO WHERE THOSE AT.
SO THIS IS THE, THIS IS THE ISLAND AND WHERE THESE PROJECTS LAY OUT IN THE GEOGRAPHY OF THE ISLAND S SQUARE, POPE SPANISH WELLS, ALONG THE 2 78 CORRIDOR GUMTREE ROAD, MAIN STREET IMPROVEMENTS, UH, WHERE THE CHAPLAIN CORRIDOR PORTION OF 2 78.
AND THEN CINE CIRCLE, WHAT OUR WONDERFUL STAFF DOES A LOT IS THEY COLLECT DATA AND, UH, ACCIDENT DATA IS SOMETHING THEY PAY ATTENTION TO.
THIS IS A HEAT MAP SHOWING THE VEHICULAR CRASHES OVER A FIVE YEAR PERIOD, 2020 TO 2025.
AND YOU CAN SEE WHERE THE, THE BRIGHTEST COLORS ARE WHERE WE HAVE THE MOST ACTIVITY.
AND THEY DO ALIGN WITH THE PROJECT AREAS THAT WE'RE WE'RE SUGGESTING.
AND THIS IS THE, UH, SPANISH WELLS AND SQUIRE POPE AREA, UH, PROJECT.
UH, AND THOSE TWO BRIGHT STARS, YOU SEE THERE ARE THE INTERSECTION OF SQUIRE, POPE AND SPANISH WELLS ALONG THE 2 78 CORRIDOR.
THE WILLIAM HILTON PARKWAY CORRIDOR COMING OFF THE BRIDGE.
THOSE ARE THE TWO HEAVIEST AREAS WHERE WE SEE, UM, A LOT OF VEHICULAR ACCIDENTS OVER THIS.
UH, I THINK IT'S EIGHT YEAR PERIOD, 2016 TO 2024.
WE HAD 1,108 COLLISIONS, SIX FATALITIES, TWO OF THEM INVOLVING PEDESTRIANS AND, UM, MAJOR INJURIES THAT WERE 81 IN THOSE TWO INTERSECTIONS.
UM, THESE TWO INTERSECTIONS MAKE UP MORE THAN 40% OF ALL COLLISIONS.
SO THAT'S WHY WE INCLUDED THEM IN THIS PROPOSAL.
ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS IS, HERE WE GO.
UH, LOOKS LIKE SEAT BY AND CIRCLE IS ANOTHER HOTSPOT FOR Y'ALL.
HOW MANY COLLISION? HOW MANY, UH, WE'LL GET TO THAT ONE.
UH, I THINK WE HAVE SOME DATA BREAKDOWNS.
AND IF I DON'T HAVE IT ON THE BOARD, I HAVE SOME REALLY WONDERFUL STAFF PEOPLE BEHIND ME THAT I'LL, THAT I THAT THINK ABOUT THIS DATA ALL THE TIME.
SO, UH, SO THE SQUIRE POPE AT WILLIAM HILL PARKWAY INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS, UH, THE PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT IMPROVED TRAFFIC FLOW AT A KEY GATEWAY INTERSECTION.
ANYONE THAT'S TRAVELED THAT AREA DURING
[01:10:01]
THE BUSY TIMES KNOWS HOW MUCH THAT CAN BE.JUST BUMPER TO BUMPER INCHING ALONG, UH, TRAFFIC AND IT CAN GIVE YOU FRUSTRATING, UH, REDUCE CONGESTION, VEHICLE VEHICULAR DELAYS DURING THE PEAK HOURS, ENHANCE SAFETY FOR DRIVERS, BICYCLISTS, AND PEDESTRIANS, SUPPORT RESIDENTS, BUSINESSES AND VISITORS BY MAINTAINING RELIABLE AND SAFE MOBILITY.
WE TALKED ABOUT THAT, GETTING TO AND FROM WORK, JUST THAT ONE SIMPLE TASK EVERY DAY CAN BE FRUSTRATED BY SITUATIONS THAT WE HAVE AT THESE TWO INTERSECTIONS.
STRENGTH AND CONNECTIONS IN NEARBY NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS AND COMMERCIAL AREAS.
WE DON'T WANT, WE WANT THE TOWN TO BE ABLE TO COME TOGETHER, NOT BE SPLIT UP BY A LARGE CORRIDOR THAT RUNS THROUGH NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE ABLE TO GET WHERE YOU WANT TO GO WITH BY ANY MODE NECESSARY.
UH, DECREASED VEHICULAR CONFLICT POINTS TO REDUCE CRASH RISK, IMPROVE VISIBILITY FOR DRIVER CYCLISTS, PEDESTRIANS AT THE, IN, UH, APPROACHING THAT INTERSECTION IS TO PROMOTE TRAFFIC CALMING THROUGH CLEAR AND MORE ORGANIZED LANE CONFIGURATION.
SPEED IS THE NUMBER ONE CONTRIBUTOR TO ALL ACCIDENTS.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS WE WANNA DO IS MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE, UH, THAT UNDER CONTROL.
SO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE VIOLATING THAT SPEED LIMIT, UM, TO A SEVERE DEGREE AREN'T, ARE, AREN'T ABLE TO DOMINATE THE ROADWAY.
TECHNOLOGY IS WONDERFUL UNTIL IT ISN'T.
SO THE YELLOW HIGHLIGHTED AREA RIGHT THERE IS THE, THE FOOTPRINT OF THE PROJECT, UH, THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
AND YOU CAN SEE ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING AROUND THAT AREA.
UM, YOU'VE GOT WILDHORSE ROAD BOYS AND GIRL CLUB, A NEW PARK THAT'S BEING BUILT BY THE TOWN HILL, THE TAYLOR FAMILY PARK AT THE TOP OF THE SCREEN THERE, THE GULLAH MUSEUM, GUMTREE ROAD OVER HERE, BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOLS CAMPUSES OVER THERE.
UM, GOT THE OLD SCHOOL HOUSE PARK, WHICH THE COASTAL DISCOVERY, UM, MUSEUM AND ALL THIS ACTIVITY THAT'S HAPPENING AROUND IT.
PLUS YOU ADD IN ALL THE DAILY TRAFFIC AND VISITOR TRAFFIC.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S A USER ERROR ON MY PART OR WHAT.
SPANISH WELLS, SAME AREA OF, OF THE TOWN.
THE SAME ISSUES THAT WE'RE HAVING.
WHAT ARE THE HOTSPOTS IN THAT HEAT MAP? AGAIN, THE SAME IDEA IS APPROVED TRAFFIC FLOW, GETTING PEOPLE TO AND FROM IS A PRIORITY, BUT ALSO, AND, UM, ENHANCING, BUT ENHANCING SAFETY FOR DRIVERS, BICYCLISTS, AND PEDESTRIANS.
SO IT'S NOT JUST A VEHICULAR SAFETY, BUT WE HAD TWO PEDESTRIANS KILLED IN THIS AREA.
SO WE WANT TO, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT DATA GETS IMPROVED UPON AND SUPPORTING RESIDENTS AND BUSINESS STRENGTHENING NEARBY NEIGHBORHOODS IN SCHOOLS AND THE COMMERCE AREAS, AND DECREASE THOSE VEHICULAR VEHICULAR CONFLICT POINTS.
SO WHENEVER VEHICLES COME IN CONFLICT WITH EACH OTHER, A PEDESTRIAN OR BICYCLE THING, BAD THINGS CAN HAPPEN.
THERE'S, YOU'RE DIS DISTRACTED DRIVING OR, OR IT'S JUST YOU'RE DRIVING TOO FAST OR YOU DIDN'T SEE SOMEONE.
UH, SO THIS IS, THIS IS THE SORT OF THING WE WANTED TO TRY TO REDUCE THOSE RISKS BY DESIGN.
SO, UM, THE IDEAS IN, IN A FATALITY IN AN ACCIDENT IS A TRAGEDY, RIGHT? MM-HMM
PEDESTRIANS IN MY BOOK, RISE TO A DIFFERENT LEVEL.
I LOOK AT THAT INTERSECTION AND I'M SEEING SOMEONE, OR IMAGINE SOMEONE TRYING TO CROSS SIX LANES OF TRAFFIC ON A CHAINED, UH, WALKWAY WITH SIX LANES Y PLUS A LITTLE BIT OF MEDIAN.
IS IT, IN YOUR OPINION, THAT FLYOVERS NEED TO BE DONE? OR WHAT'S THE REMEDY HERE? I I'VE SEEN SOME OF YOUR ENHANCEMENTS, BUT WITHOUT SPECIFICITY, WE, I HESITATE TO GET INTO THE SPECIFICITY NUMBER ONE, BECAUSE THEY ARE DOING SOME CURRENT STUDIES OF THIS AND TRYING TO DEVELOP WHAT THE BEST OPTIONS ARE.
BUT, AND WE DON'T, I DON'T WANT TO GET AS BOGGED DOWN TODAY.
AND, AND WHAT SURE IS IT, IS IT A, IS IT A FLYOVER? IS IT JUST ENHANCED, UM, CROSSWALKS? WHAT'S, BECAUSE AGAIN, THAT'S GONNA GET COSTLY.
THE LAR THE, THE MORE FANCY THE, THE REMEDY, THE MORE COSTLY IT IS.
BUT WE, WE WANT, WE'RE THINKING IN TERMS OF WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO SHORT TERM AND LONG TERM IS THIS SOMETHING COULD BE PHASED.
SO WE DON'T HAVE, WE DON'T WANNA GIVE AN ANSWER WITHOUT HAVING A LOT MORE DISCUSSION WITH THE NEIGHBORHOODS, WITH THE, WITH THE CITY COUNCIL AND STAFF BEFORE WE WERE ABLE TO SAY, THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO.
'CAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF WORK TO BE DONE FOR, TO MAKE THAT DECISION.
BUT YOU'RE, YOU SEE THE SAME EXACT SAME THING.
WE'RE SEEING THAT'S NOT AS, SO YES.
AND THAT WAS A VERY GOOD QUESTION BECAUSE BEFORE STAFF CAN GET US NUMBERS ON, BECAUSE WE ARE GONNA HAVE TO DETERMINE THE TIME AND THE AMOUNT, THE STAFF'S GONNA
[01:15:01]
NEED MORE SPECIFICS TO BE ABLE TO GET THEIR ENGINEERS TO PRICE THAT OUT.SO KIND OF THINK THROUGH THAT.
IF THESE ARE VERY IMPORTANT, UM, YES MA'AM.
'CAUSE WE DON'T HAVE, WE DON'T KNOW A NUMBER IF WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT, WHAT IT POSSIBLY COULD BE, PAYING ASPHALT'S CHEAP, BUT IS THAT GONNA SOLVE THE PROBLEM, RIGHT.
MS. ERICKSON, DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION? ARE WE IN THE PROCESS OF STUDIES ON ANY OF THESE THINGS RIGHT AT THE MOMENT? IT ALL OF THIS, LIKE, WOULD YOU MIND LETTING US KNOW IF THERE'S CURRENTLY A STUDY BEING PERFORMED WHERE WE ARE IN THE MIX OF THINGS? THERE, THERE, THERE ARE A COUPLE THINGS HAPPENING.
THE STUDY, THE, THE CORRIDOR ITSELF, AND WE HAVE A, A CORRIDOR MASTER PLAN PROCESS THAT'S BEEN UNDERWAY FOR, UM, A COUPLE YEARS NOW.
THAT IS NOT QUITE COMPLETED YET, BUT THAT'S THE, YOU KNOW, A LARGER, UH, ISLAND WIDE THING.
AND THERE'S A LOT OF WORK BEING DONE ON ALL THE OFF, YOU KNOW, THE, NOT JUST ON THE CORRIDOR ITSELF, BUT THE, THE ROADS THAT GO OFF OF IT THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT WHERE WE'RE BUILDING NEW PARKS, WE'RE SEEING SCHOOLS HAPPEN, NEW RESIDENTIAL AREAS AND HOW WE CAN ENHANCE THE PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE SAFETY PLUS THE VEHICULAR SAFETY GUMTREE ROAD.
YOU'LL SEE THAT AS AN EXAMPLE HERE LATER IN THE PRESENTATION.
AND I THINK ALSO IDENTIFYING WHICH PROJECTS WOULD DIRECTLY FEED INTO AND EASIER PROCESS GOING FORWARD TO THE NEW BRIDGE PROJECT.
YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE PRIORITY, I GUESS, IF YOU WILL, NUMBER ONE, IF WE COULD DO ANYTHING BEFORE THAT PROCESS COURSE THAT'S PIE IN THE SKY, ISN'T IT? SO, AND IF THAT'S PRECISELY WHAT THEY'RE WORKING THROUGH AT THIS TIME AND IS THIS SOMETHING THAT THEY NEED TO GET, YOU KNOW, SHOW TO THE COUNCIL AND THEN THE NEIGHBORHOODS AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, UH, WE'VE GOT THAT BUY-IN FIRST.
AND SO, BUT THAT'S ALL HAPPENING RELATIVELY QUICKLY OVER THE NEXT, OVER THIS NEXT YEAR.
SO LOT GOING ON, BUT, BUT WE NEED TO KNOW BY THE END OF APRIL
SO WE'RE PUTTING Y'ALL ON THE SPOT.
I THINK WE HAVE MORE INFORMATION IN THAT TIMEFRAME, BUT YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THESE THINGS ARE ALWAYS FLUID AND DYNAMIC.
I COULD GIVE YOU PRICING NUMBERS RIGHT NOW, NOW, BUT I'M GONNA BE WRONG AND WE CAN
BUT IT'S, WE WILL HAVE, THANK YOU AGAIN.
THIS IS THE, UH, SAME MAP AS BEFORE, SHOWING THE SPANISH WORLD, UH, PROJECT LIMITS.
UH, AND WHERE THAT PLAYS INTO, YOU KNOW, OF COURSE WHEN WE'RE GOING THROUGH THIS, THE QUESTION ABOUT THE BRIDGE, WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE BRIDGE PROJECT, HOW DOES THIS TIE IN, THAT SORT OF THING.
SO COME TREE ROAD, AND AGAIN, UH, IN REFERENCE TO MY, MY COLLEAGUE DOING THE LATS PRESENTATION BEFORE WE DID, WE HAVE BEEN MONITOR, WE, WE WERE LOOKING AT THE LATS PROGRAM WHEN WE'RE DECIDING ON ALL THESE PROJECTS AND, UM, WHEN WE COULD DIRECT A DIRECT, UH, PROJECT NUMBER THAT'S EXACT SAME PROJECT THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT FROM THE LATS.
WE DID PLUG THIS NUMBER IN THE, UH, GUMTREE ROAD IMPROVEMENTS.
SO THIS IS SOMETHING, AN AREA WHERE WE'RE SEEING A LOT OF NEW THINGS HAPPEN IN, IN, IN AND AROUND IT.
SO WE'RE WANT, WE WANTING TO IMPROVE SAFETY AND TRAFFIC FLOW.
SO IMPROVE THE OVERALL FUNCTIONALITY ALONG THE CORRIDOR, RECONFIGURE INTERSECTIONS TO ENHANCE TRAFFIC OPERATIONS AND REDUCE DELAYS, UH, UPGRADE PATHWAYS AND CROSSWALKS TO SUPPORT SAFER TRAVEL FOR PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLISTS, PROVIDE SAFER ACCESS TO BUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL CAMPUSES AND NEARBY RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS.
THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE, SEE WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA BE SEEING A BIG INCREASE IN, IN THIS GENERAL AREA.
SO IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S VERY BIG CONSIDERING TO US.
AND AGAIN, REDUCING THE NUMBER OF CONFLICT POINTS.
UH, IMPROVE VISIBILITY AND ACCESS FOR PEDESTRIAN ENHANCED PATHWAY CROSSING FEATURES TO CREATE SAFETY, MORE PREDICTABLE TRAVEL.
THIS IS THE, UH, THE, AGAIN, THE YELLOW OUTLINE IS THE PROJECT FOOTPRINT.
UM, BUT YOU CAN SEE ALL THE SURROUNDING AREA, ALL THE ACTIVITY THAT'S HAPPENING.
THERE'S A LOT OF NEW THINGS HAPPENING, PARTICULARLY THE TAYLOR FAMILY PARK AGAIN.
UM, AND NOT TO, NOT TO MENTION THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB, WHICH IS ALREADY THERE AND THE SCHOOL CAMPUS, WHICH IS THERE.
BUT WE HAVE ALL, UM, UH, ALL THE OFF FLOW FROM FROM FROM A SPANISH WELLS AND, UH, SQUIRE POPE AND ALL THAT COMING OFF THE CORRIDOR COMING INTO THE ISLAND IS ALL RIGHT THERE AS WELL.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH POINT AND WHAT THAT'S GOING TO MEAN.
UH, MR. STANFORD, THE, UH, THE NORTH POINT DEVELOPMENT, WHICH IS A WORKFORCE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT THAT'S, THAT'S HAPPENING, IT'S JUST, WE HAD THE GROUNDBREAKING A FEW WEEKS AGO.
UH, WILL BRING A LOT OF FAMILIES AND, AND YOUNG CHILDREN TO THIS AREA.
'CAUSE THERE'LL BE AVAILABLE HOUSING AT AFFORDABLE LOW AT, UH, WORKFORCE AFFORDABILITY LEVEL THAT WILL, UM, UH,
[01:20:01]
BE RIGHT NEAR THE SCHOOL, THE SCHOOL CAMPUS.SO THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT OF PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC, WHICH ARE KIDS ON BICYCLES AND WALKING.
AND SO THIS IS, THIS IS A PROJECT THAT'S A REAL HIGH PRIORITY FOR US IN OUR CIP.
SO THE PROJECT IN FACT IS ADJACENT TO THE, THE, UH, POST OFFICE.
AND SO THOSE STUDENTS BE COMING ACROSS THE ROAD, COMING OUT OF THEIR HOMES, GOING INTO MM-HMM
WHERE, WHERE IS IT ON THE MAP? WHERE TO THE LEFT OF THE YELLOW LINE GOING BACK.
IF YOU GO BACK, YOU'LL SEE IT ON THAT MAP RIGHT HERE.
SO TO THE UNDERNEATH WHERE IT SAYS WHP AT SPANISH WELLS, LOOK RIGHT BELOW IT AND IT'S ADJACENT TO THE POST OFFICE IS NORTH POINT ON JARVIS CREEK.
I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THAT, RIGHT? WHY DID YOU PUT THE, UM, THERE'S A ROAD COMING OUT OF THAT NOW, GOING RIGHT ONTO 2 78, RIGHT? WHERE YOU'RE COMPLAINING ABOUT ALL THE TRAFFIC.
I MEAN, WAS THERE NOT ANOTHER, COULD HAVE NOT COME THROUGH LIKE THE BACK OF THE POST OFFICE TO GET IN AND OUT OF THAT DEVELOPMENT AS OPPOSED TO OUT POURING OUT ONTO 2 78? AM I WRONG? I'M GONNA DEFER TO JEFF, BUT I I THINK WE NEED TO ZOOM IN A LITTLE BIT TO, SO JEFF INGER, UH, ENGINEERING DIRECTOR FOR THE TOWN.
JUST TO CLARIFY THE WAY THAT THE NORTH PORT ON JARRIS CREEK PROJECT FITS IN THERE, OF COURSE THE GRAPHIC IS VERY LARGE, SO WE HAD TO MAKE OUR TEXT BOX BIG ENOUGH FOR YOU TO SEE IT.
BUT IT DOES, IT HAS EXISTING RIGHT IN RIGHT OUT CONNECTIONS TO WILLIAM HUNTIN PARKER RIGHT NOW.
BUT THE MAIN ACCESS IN AND OUT IS GONNA BE DIVERTED INTO COOPERATION WITH AN AGREEMENT WE'VE MADE TO PURCHASE SOME LAND FROM THE POST OFFICE SO THAT WE CAN GET THAT TRAFFIC OVER TO GUMTREE.
UM, SO MAKE US SAFER IN AND OUT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT.
AND THAT'S SPEAKS AGAIN TO THE IMPORTANCE OF THE GUMTREE PROJECT TO US.
THE SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS THERE ARE, ARE CRITICAL TO MAKING THIS WHOLE THING BE SUCCESSFUL.
BUT THAT'S A WRITE IN, WRITE OUT WILL BE, IT WILL HAVE.
AND THEN THERE'S ONE OUT I'M SURE IS A CONSTRUCTION THERE.
BE ONE, ONE WRITE IN, WRITE OUT.
BUT, BUT MOST OF YOUR ACCESS IS GONNA BE RELY ON THE CONNECTION WE'RE GONNA MAKE THROUGH THE LAND WE'RE PURCHASING FROM THE POST OFFICE AND GETTING OVER TO GUMTREE.
WHAT IS THE, UM, AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC DO YOU THINK WILL ADD TO THAT AREA? TRIPS IN THE MORNING, THE PEAK HOUR TRIPS IN THE MORNING WILL BE, UM, RELATIVELY MINOR.
IT'S A LOT MORE OF THE PEDESTRIAN AND ALTERNATE USERS OF THE CORRIDOR.
PROBABLY 70 TO 80 PEAK HOUR TRIPS IN THE MORNING AND 80 TO 90 PEAK HOUR TRIPS IN THE AFTERNOON COMING IN OUTTA THOSE 157 NEW UNITS.
I'M SORRY, I MUST HAVE MISSED IT.
WHAT WAS THE, YOU SAID RELATIVELY MINOR, BUT TO ME, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS.
SO THE PEAK HOUR, THE PEAK HOUR TRIPS IS WHAT WE LOOK AT WHEN THE HIGHEST POINTS OF CONGESTION.
UM, THAT'S NOT TO SAY WE DON'T CONSIDER WHEN SCHOOL LETS OUT IN MIDDAY PEAKS AS WELL, BUT THE TWO TOUCH POINTS WE LOOK AT ARE WHAT ARE THOSE TRIPS LOOK LIKE IN THE MORNING AND WHAT DO THEY LOOK LIKE IN THE AFTERNOON RUSH HOUR AND THOSE COMPARED TO THE OVERALL VOLUMES IN THE AREA.
ABOUT 70 TO 80 NEW TRIPS IN THE MORNING, IN AND OUT AND 80 TO NINE NEW TRIPS IN THE AFTERNOON, IN AND OUT.
GIVE YOU A SENSE OF THE, OF I APPRECIATE IT AND I KNOW HE HAS QUITE A FEW MORE SLIDES TO GO, SO WE'LL, WE'LL GIVE YOU A MINUTE TO GO THROUGH.
NO, YOU'RE ASKING GREAT QUESTIONS.
MAIN STREET, UM, THE MAIN STREET IMPROVEMENTS, UH, DOES A COUPLE OF THINGS.
SO ONE, IT IS, IT IMPROVES THE TRAFFIC FLOW OF ENHANCING A PARALLEL THOROUGHFARE ALONG 2 78 REDUCES CONGESTION OF VEHICLE DELAYS WITH PEAK TRAVEL PERIODS BY ALLOWING FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T WANT TO GET ONTO 2 78 TO BE ABLE TO GO FROM ONE POINT TO ANOTHER, UH, ALONG THE CORRIDOR AREA.
BUT PARALLEL TOO, UH, ENHANCED SAFETY FOR DRIVERS, BICYCLISTS, AND PEDESTRIANS.
AND AS WE LOOK AT THE, AT THE DESIGN OF THIS, UH, PROJECT, WE, WE WE'RE THINKING ABOUT HOW DO WE GET PEDESTRIANS.
THERE'S SCHOOL AREA, THERE'S SCHOOL, UM, CAMPUS THERE, THERE'S HOSPITAL AT ONE END.
SO WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE THINKING ABOUT HOW DO WE HANDLE THE BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC AND KEEP 'EM SAFE WITH THE VEHICULAR TRAFFIC IN THAT AREA.
UH, DECREASED VEHICLE CONFLICTS, AGAIN, WE CAN KEEP PEOPLE OFF OF COMING IN AND OUT OF 2 78 THAT ARE ONLY GOING A SHORT DISTANCE IN THAT REGION.
THAT'LL BE VERY HELPFUL TO THAT AND THE TRAFFIC CALMING TO, TO HELP SLOW THE TRAFFIC INTO THE AREA.
AS THE DEVELOPMENT HAPPENS IN THAT AREA, THE, THE MAIN STREET CORRIDOR ITSELF CAN GET DANGEROUS.
[01:25:01]
YOU ALWAYS WORK THROUGH DESIGN TO HELP, UH, KEEP, KEEP THE, KEEP IT A LOT SAFER.THIS IS THE, UH, CORRIDOR LIMITS OF THE IN YELLOW AGAIN, UH, SHOWING ALL THIS STUFF, ALL THE ACTIVITY AROUND IT, YOU KNOW, IN THAT SAME GENERAL VICINITY WHERE WE WE'RE GONNA SEE A LOT MORE THINGS HAPPENING AND WE ALREADY SEE A LOT OF TRAFFIC FLOW IN THE AREA.
SO YOU GOT NOVANT HEALTH ON THE ONE END AND BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL CAMPUS ON THE OTHER WITH HILTON HAD PLANTATION UP, UP ABOVE ON AT THE TOP THERE.
AND, UH, AGAIN, THE NEW DEVELOPMENT AT NORTH POINT HAPPENING NEARBY AS WELL.
SO WILLIAM HILTON PARKWAY, CHAPLAIN CORRIDOR, AGAIN PART OF LATS, UH, UH, PROGRAM.
UH, THE SAME CONCEPTS YOU'LL SEE CONSISTENTLY THROUGH EACH ONE OF THESE.
IMPROVED TRAFFIC FLOW FOR A KEY INTERSECTIONS ON HILTON HEAD ISLAND.
ENHANCED SAFETY FOR DRIVERS AND BICYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIANS, ALL THESE SAME THEMES, STRENGTH AND CONNECTIONS IN NEIGHBORHOODS AND SUPPORT BUSINESSES AND, AND, UH, VISITORS AND MAINTAIN SAFE MOBILITY.
AGAIN, DECREASING TRAFFIC CONFLICTS AND IMPROVE VISIBILITY FOR DRIVERS, BICYCLES, PEDESTRIANS, AND PROMOTE TRAFFIC CALMING.
THIS IS THE, UH, THE CORRIDOR ITSELF, UH, OUTLINED IN YELLOW, THAT SECTION OF THE CORRIDOR THAT WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE ADDRESSING DURING THIS PHASE OF, OF OUR WORK.
SEAN, IS THAT A PROJECT WHERE YOU EXPECT THE RESULTS TO BE THE SAFE STREETS CONCEPT? UM, I THINK IT IS MORE OF JUST ENHANCING THE SAFETY OF THE, OF THE CURRENT SYSTEM AS, I CAN'T SPEAK TO THAT SPECIFICS YET.
OH, MR. REEDS, SEAN, DO YOU HAVE, DO Y'ALL HAVE SIDEWALKS? ALL THESE YELLOW MARKS THAT Y'ALL GOT, ARE THEY SIDEWALKS ON ALL THOSE ROADS? THE YELLOW MARKS DO NOT INDICATE ON THESE MAPS DO NOT INDICATE SIDEWALKS.
THERE IS SOME, IN SOME OF THE PLACES THERE ARE SIDEWALKS, SOME PLACES ARE TRAILS IN SOME PLACES WHERE WE, WE WE'RE CONS, IS THAT A PRIORITY FOR Y'ALL CONSIDERING UH, IN SOME OF THE AREAS, YES.
ADDING ADDITIONAL PEDESTRIAN ACCESS VIA TRAILS AND SIDEWALKS OR ENHANCING WHAT'S ALREADY THERE.
SO, BUT IN SOME CASES IT'S NOT, IT JUST DEPENDS ON WHICH PROJECT WE'RE REFERRING TO.
SO THE UPPER LEFT HERE IS, UM, MULTIPLE ACCESS POINTS ALONG THAT SECTION OF THE CORRIDOR IS SOMETHING WE IDENTIFY AS PROBLEMATIC VEHICLE INTERACTIONS, PEDESTRIAN VEHICLE INTERACTIONS, BICYCLE INTERACTIONS, ALL THOSE YELLOW DOTS INTER UM, INDICATE ACCESS POINTS ALONG THAT AREA.
SO THE PROJECT IS, IS INTENDED TO HELP RESOLVE SOME OF THAT.
AND THEN BICYCLE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY.
SO BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN CRASHES IN THE IN FATALITIES AND MAJOR INJURY IN FROM 2014 TO 2022.
THE LARGE, UH, PINS, UM, REPRESENT A FATALITY AND THE SMALLER ONES REPRESENT, UM, A MAJOR INJURY.
SO IT IS AN AREA THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED OF FROM A SAFETY ASPECT AS A HIGH PRIORITY.
SO IS THAT AREA, IS THAT AT THE NORTHRIDGE, THE, THE RED ON THE RIGHT WITH THE BICYCLE IMP OR WHERE WHERE THAT, THAT'S A, THAT'S RIGHT NEAR FOLLY FIELD ROAD.
OH, THAT'S NEAR FOLLY FIELD ROAD.
IS THAT HUGE DENSITY IN THERE? LIKE WHAT, CAN YOU GIVE US LIKE ONE OR TWO REASONS WHY THAT HAS IS LIKE THAT? I MEAN OTHER THAN ERROR ON EITHER, YOU KNOW, EITHER SIDE, LIKE WHAT MAKES IT A HOT SPOT? WELL, I THINK IT'S JUST INCREASED TRAFFIC FLOW IN THAT, THAT AREA AND WHAT THE OTHER THING WE'RE SEEING ON FOLLY FIELD ROAD IS THERE'S SOME NEW DEVELOPMENTS HAPPENING ALONG THERE, WHICH IS GONNA INCREASE THE, UM, TRAFFIC FLOW FROM FOLLY FIELD ON AND OFF OF 2 78.
SO THAT INTERACTION RIGHT THERE AT THAT INTERSECTION IS GOING TO GET, UM, IT'S GONNA GET WORSE.
IT'S GONNA GET THAT NUMBER'S GONNA GO UP.
UM, SO WE'RE LOOKING AT FO FIELD ROAD IMPROVEMENTS, UH, AND SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS AND UH, SPEED REDUCTIONS AND UH, DIFFERENT TYPES OF THINGS.
BUT, UH, THAT'S IN THE WORKS AS WE SPEAK.
BUT THE, UM, THAT IS THAT SECTION RIGHT THERE IS BECAUSE IT'S THAT AREA HAS, HAS THE DENSITY POPULATION OR THE
[01:30:01]
NUMBER OF PEOPLE AT ONCE ENTERING THAT PARTICULAR INTERSECTION.I WOULD, I WOULD ALSO ADD, NOT LIVING HERE, BUT I DID, JUST THE NUMBER OF SHORT TERM RENTALS THAT ARE THERE.
I WOULD SAY THE SIDE COLIGNY, THAT IS A REALLY MAJOR SPOT OF BIKERS.
FOLLY FIELD, SHORT TERM GOING DOWN TO CHAPLAIN, ALL THE PUBLIC BEACH ACCESSES ARE THERE, THERE'S A LOT GOING ON IN A WHOLE REGION THAT DOESN'T SURPRISE ME.
THAT WHOLE AREA ACCESS TO, UM, PATHWAYS AND TRAILS AND THINGS LIKE THAT WOULD CERTAINLY, IF THEY'RE NOT THERE WOULD BE A HIGH PRIORITY I WOULD THINK.
YOU CALL A TRAIL WHAT YOU CURRENTLY HAVE.
I CALL IT A PATHWAY, BUT IS IT A, I'M GONNA HAVE TO ASK MY ENGINEER WHAT, WHAT TERMINOLOGY HE PREFERS, BUT, BUT IF THERE'S A PATHWAY YOU WOULDN'T WANT TRAIL 'CAUSE YOU ALREADY HAVE A PATHWAY.
THAT IS TYPICALLY WHAT WE USE.
WE'LL GET THE NOMENCLATURE DOWN AND GET A PATHWAY.
SO YOU FIND CIRCLE, UM, LIKE I CAN, THIS IS PROBABLY ONE A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE FAMILIAR WITH.
IT'S A BUSY AREA AND UH, IT WAS DESIGNED, UH, FOR TRAFFIC FLOW WHEN THERE WAS A, UH, A DIFFERENT CONFIGURATION OF ROADS AND, UH, WE'VE SEEN SOME CHANGES IN THE TRAFFIC FLOWS RECENTLY AND IT'S, IT'S AN INTERESTING PHENOMENON.
SO AGAIN, IMPROVE, IMPROVE THE TRAFFIC FLOW IN THE AREA, REDUCE CONGESTION AND ENHANCE SAFETY FOR BICYCLERS AND PEDESTRIANS.
UH, SUPPORT RESIDENCES AND BUSINESSES AND MAINTAIN RELIABLE, SAFE MOBILITY.
AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, GETTING BACK AND FORTH IN THAT WHOLE AREA IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ALMOST THE ENTIRE, ENTIRE ISLAND.
AND STRENGTHENING CONNECTIONS IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS, DECREASING THOSE CONFLICT POINTS AND IMPROVING VISIBILITY AND PROMOTING TRAFFIC CALMING.
SO THIS IS A, A ROUNDABOUT AS YOU KNOW, THE YELLOW INDICATES THE, UM, PROJECT FOOTPRINT.
SO YOU GOT ALL A LOT OF TRAFFIC COMING IN AND OUT OF SEA PINES AS YOU CAN IMAGINE.
UH, THEN A LOT OF TRAFFIC FLOWING INTO KIG AND OUTTA KIG AND THEN ALL THE WAY UP THE 2 78 CORRIDOR AS WELL.
SO IT'S GOT A LOT OF, A LOT OF HIGH VOLUME INTAKE INTO THE SYSTEM.
JOHN, SPEAKING OF C PINE CIRCLE, UM, THAT IS AGAIN A STATE HIGHWAY.
THE STATE IS UNDERTAKING A STUDY, UH, OF POSSIBLE IMPROVEMENTS TO THAT.
CAN YOU GIVE US ANY INFORMATION ON THAT? UH, WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS THAT WE ARE, UM, WORKING ON AN AGREEMENT WITH DOT TO BRING TO THE COUNCIL FOR CONSIDERATION TO WHERE THEY WOULD DO THE STUDY THEMSELVES AND WE WOULD HAVE A FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION, BUT THAT'S, UM, UH, YET TO BE COMPLETED.
UM, THE, THE AGREEMENT, UH, IT'S THEIR LAWYERS SEND IT TO OUR LAWYERS AND THEY SEND IT BACK.
SO IT'S, THAT'S WHERE THAT'S AT.
LAWYERS ARE NEVER A PROBLEM, BUT I UNDERSTAND THEY'RE ALWAYS MAKE IT FUN.
UM, THAT TRAFFIC CIRCLE WAS UPDATED LIKE YEARS BACK.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT YEAR THAT THAT WAS DONE? 'CAUSE IT USED TO, I MEAN, UPDATED AT SOME POINT BECAUSE ARE YOU, I'M GONNA HAVE TO DEMONSTRATE MY IGNORANCE OF THAT AGAIN BECAUSE I'M RELATIVELY NEW, BUT, UH, MY TRAFFIC ENGINEER HAS BEEN HERE AND HE MAY KNOW THAT, THAT THAT TIME.
SO JEFF, IF YOU WOULD PLEASE JOIN US.
SO ABOUT 2005 ISH WHEN WE CONVERTED IT, UH, AT THAT POINT IT WAS A TWO LANE ROUNDABOUT AND, AND THAT WE WERE HAVING TROUBLES WITH THAT.
OF COURSE, IF MODERN ROUNDABOUTS A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN ROUNDABOUTS USED TO BE, IT'S UM, JUST PAINTING US UP WITH LINE AND HAVING TWO LANES.
BUT MODERN ROUNDABOUT DESIGN, IF, IF, IF CONSIDERATIONS WERE TO MAYBE GO BACK WITH MORE CAPACITY AT THE INTERSECTION, IT WOULD BE DONE IN A DIFFERENT MANNER THAN IT WAS DONE 20 YEARS AGO BEFORE IT WAS, UM, CONVERTED BACK TO A ONE LANE.
IT'S ALL ABOUT TRUSTING THE SAFETY, BALANCING THE SAFETY AND THE CONGESTION ISSUES AT THE SAME TIME.
SEAN, I NOTICED THAT YOU DON'T HAVE LIKE THE OFFICE PARK PROJECT OR ANY OTHER PROJECTS THAT ARE PROJECTED WITH START DATES OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT IN THAT AREA, JUST BECAUSE I USED TO LIVE IN SEA PINES, FOLLOWED THAT, UM, AREA AT WELL, UM, THAT ALSO WILL PROVIDE MORE CONGESTION AND THINGS TO THAT AREA ON POPE AVENUE AS WELL AS THE GREENWOOD DRIVE AREA.
SO PARTICULARLY, UM, THE GROWTH AND CHANGES IN
[01:35:01]
THAT AREA ADD INTO THE STRESS OF THAT CIRCLE.I DO NOT DISAGREE WITH ONE, BUT YES MA'AM.
SO THIS, THIS IS THE HEAT MAP SHOWING IT IS A HOTSPOT FOR, FOR, UH, ONE OF THE HIGHER AREAS THAT HAS THE HIGHEST NUMBERS OF ACCIDENTS IN THE TOWN JUST DUE TO THE VOLUME, UH, AND UH, THE AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC THAT HAS TO COME INTO A VERY SMALL AREA FROM FOUR DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS.
IT'S VERY INTERESTING LITTLE BIT OF DATA THAT WE, WE HAD TO LOOK AT AND MY TOWN ENGINEER HAD A, UH, IN INTRODUCED ME TO, TO THE, THE, THE HISTORY BEHIND THE CROSS ISLANDS PARKWAY AND HOW THIS ALL HAS, I'M SORRY, HERE WE GO.
I'M NOT ACTUALLY RUNNING THAT
SO, AND, AND HOW TRAFFIC FLOW HAS CHANGED IN THE GIANT, UH, DIAMOND OF, OF ROAD STRUCTURES THAT WE HAVE LEADING INTO THE AREA.
SO THESE GRAPHS, UM, AND JEFF WILL CORRECT ME IF I GET THIS WRONG, BUT WE'RE SEEING WHERE THE CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY IS IN AN UPWARD TREND SLIGHTLY.
AND, UH, BUT THE WILLIAM HILTON PARKWAY IS, IS, HAS A DOWNWARD TREND AS PEOPLE USE THAT CORRIDOR TO GET TO THIS AREA.
AND SO WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS THE, THE VOLUME ON THE CIRCLE ITSELF MAY BE STABILIZED, BUT THE VOLUME OF IT COMING IN FROM A DIFFERENT DIRECTION HAS CHANGED.
SO GETTING OUTTA SEA PINES, YOU GOT A LOT MORE TRAFFIC COMING FROM THE LEFT THAN YOU USED TO HAVE AND THAT MAKES IT VERY DIFFICULT.
'CAUSE YOU KNOW, PEOPLE DON'T, THEY DON'T WAIT, THEY DON'T SLOW DOWN.
THEY ZIP THROUGH THAT, THAT CIRCLE.
SO IT MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO ENTER AND THAT CAUSES BACKUP.
AND THAT'S JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT WE'RE SEEING WITH THE OLDER DESIGN, AS JEFF MENTIONED, OF THE, OF THE TRAFFIC CIRCLE THAT WE HAVE THERE RIGHT NOW VERSUS WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE INTO THE FUTURE.
AND THAT IS, UH, WE HAVE, UH, AGAIN, TRYING TO GET THE STUDY DONE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S THE BEST SOLUTION AND THAT IS GONNA BE A CHALLENGE IN AND OF ITSELF.
SO THE NEXT STEPS THAT ARE COMING UP AGAIN TODAY, WE'RE HERE TALKING ABOUT THIS.
YOU ALL HAVE YOUR, YOUR NEXT MEETINGS, UM, UH, IN APRIL AND MAY.
AND TO WRAP UP YOUR WORK BY THE END OF APRIL IS, IS A SERIOUS CHALLENGE ON YOUR PART.
AND OF COURSE THE FINAL RECOMMENDATION IS TO THE COUNCIL ON MAY 11TH.
WE, WE DO YOU MISSED A DATE? WE HAVE THE CITY OF BEAUFORT NEXT WEDNESDAY.
IT'S GONNA BE AT CITY HALL, UM, BUT ALL YOUR OTHER DATES ARE RIGHT ON.
ANY QUESTIONS MAYBE THAT WEREN'T ASKED? I'LL LOOK THIS BESIDE ANYTHING OVER HERE, MR. FOREST, GOING BACK TO THE, UH, SEA PINE CIRCLE.
UH, YOUR SECOND BULLET POINT, REDUCED CONGESTION, THAT'S A PRETTY INTERESTING TYPE OF SCENARIO OR PROBLEM AS IT RELATES TO A ROUNDABOUT.
UM, CERTAINLY RIGHT AWAY ISSUES THERE IS GOING TO BE A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM AS IT RELATES TO IMPROVEMENT.
I KNOW YOU SAID YOU DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENTS AS IT RELATES TO BE IN SPECIFIC MM-HMM
AND I'M ONLY ASKING IN A CONCEPT SORT OF WAY, WOULD REMOVING THE ROUNDABOUT BE AN ALTERNATIVE THAT WOULD BE LOOKED AT OR IS THAT COMPLETELY OFF THE TABLE? THAT IS A QUESTION I CANNOT ANSWER 'CAUSE THAT IS NOT SOMETHING I, I COULDN'T EITHER, BUT THAT'S OKAY.
UH, EVEN, EVEN IF, EVEN IF I WERE AUTHORIZED TO ANSWER SOMETHING LIKE THAT, I DON'T KNOW IF I COULD, CONCEPTUALLY RIGHT NOW, I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO THINK THAT THROUGH IN A SHORT, SHORT TIME PERIOD.
THAT WOULD BE A LONG, A LONG THOUGHT PROCESS AND DISCUSSION WITH THE ENGINEERS AND THAT WELL, I, I THINK MY POINT IS YOU'RE VERY, VERY LIMITED ON WHAT YOU CAN DO ON A ROUNDABOUT AND CERTAINLY THE RIGHT OF WAY ISSUES ARE GONNA BE CONSTRAINTS.
LASTLY, ON THE 2 78 PROJECT, ESPECIALLY, UM, AT SQUIRE POPE AND WHATEVER, I WOULD HOPE YOU WOULD ALSO LOOK IN YOUR ANALYSIS OF WHAT TO DO THERE, WHAT THE CONCEPTS WOULD BE THAT YOU WOULD LOOK AT THE IMPROVEMENTS THAT WERE PROPOSED IN THE GATEWAY CORRIDOR STUDY AND SO ON.
AND, AND CAN WE USE THAT, I MEAN, WE'RE GONNA NEED TO KNOW KIND OF ESTIMATES AND THAT'S WHERE THE COUNTY'S GONNA WORK REALLY HARD.
CAN WE USE THE DE CONCEPTUAL FROM THE CORRIDOR STUDY TO PRICE OUT A POSSIBILITY
[01:40:01]
OF WHAT IT WOULD ESTIMATED CHAIR SCO IF I, I I SAW THEM SAY NO WHEN YOU, YOU SAID REMOVE TRAFFIC CIRCLE HEARD.AND CHAIR WILL WE, WE WILL REACH OUT JUST LIKE ALL THE OTHER MEETINGS, UM, COUNTY STAFF TO TOWN STAFF TO TRY TO WORK THROUGH SOME OF THE SPECIFICS OF THE PROJECTS AND WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING TO ACCOMPLISH SO WE CAN GET THOSE ESTIMATES GOING AND MAKE SURE WE'RE MEETING THE THREE CRITERIA THAT COUNCIL SET FORTH.
AND, AND MY COMMENT WAS ONLY RELATED TO THE TWO SPECIFIC INTERSECTIONS, NOT RE-LOOKING AT SOMETHING THAT COULD OPEN A WHOLE NEW BO CAN OF WORMS. GREAT QUESTIONS FROM EVERYBODY.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THIS SIDE? NO, I JUST HAVE REAL, REAL QUICK, LEMME JUST GO MR. WOOD, YOU AND THEN GO AHEAD, MS. GO AHEAD.
ON, ON THE, ON THE COUNCIL'S RESOLUTION ON NUMBER FOUR WHERE YOU HAVE A STIPULATION THAT THE MONIES COLLECTED IN THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD BE RETAINED IN THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD AND SPENT HERE AND ANY OVERAGES WOULD THEN BE RELEASED TO THE, AFTER THE ALL YOUR PRODUCTS WERE FUNDED, BE RELEASED TO THE COUNTY.
IF THAT'S THE SCENARIO THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH.
AND I ASSUME THE CITY OF BEAUFORT WOULD TAKE THAT APPROACH, MAYBE THE TOWN OF BLUFFTON.
I MEAN, IS THAT WHAT WE'RE GOING TO END UP DOING HERE? BECAUSE I, I FIND IT VERY INTERESTING THAT, THAT WE WOULD ISOLATE EACH MUNICIPAL, WE'RE GONNA DO THAT BY EACH DISTRICT THEN WHERE WE'RE HAVING A PERCENTAGE ALLOCATED TO EACH OF THE, OF THE DISTRICTS AND TOWNS.
THAT'S, TO ME, SEEMED LIKE COUNTER BEING COUNTERPRODUCTIVE IN AT, AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL.
I MEAN, I THINK THAT WOULD ALSO, I JUST SAW THIS IN BRIAN'S KIND OF ANSWER.
I THINK THAT'D ULTIMATELY BE A COUNCIL DECISION WHEN IT GOES BACK TO FORM THE ACTUAL REFERENDUM.
Y'ALL COULD, YOU KNOW, GIVE A RECOMMENDATION ON THAT IF YOU WANT.
BUT, UM, YEAH, I THINK THE TASK HERE IS TO COME UP WITH PROJECTS AND A LENGTH OF TAX AND THEN, UM, BUT THAT'S A RECOMMENDATION.
IF YOU FELT LIKE GIVEN YOU COULD, IT CERTAINLY SEEMED LIKE IT COMPLICATES THINGS EVEN TO THE FACT THAT THEY WANNA SET UP THEIR OWN ACCOUNT.
I, I MEAN MAYBE THEY SHOULD DO THIS INDEPENDENTLY.
I I I DON'T THINK HOPEFULLY THE, I I WOULD QUESTION ONLY IN THAT, ARE WE GOING TO TRY TO APPLY THAT THROUGH THE, TO THE OTHER MUNICIPALITIES AND OTHER DISTRICTS? IT SEEMS, DOESN'T SEEM TO BE VERY PRUDENT.
I'M GONNA GO TO MS CO FIRST 'CAUSE SHE HAD A QUESTION THEN.
TWO, TWO, WELL, TWO, I'M, I'M NOT, I'M ON BOARD WITH THE, I DON'T THINK THAT IT SHOULD BE SPLIT BETWEEN, GIVEN TO CERTAIN.
I DON'T, I THINK IT SHOULD BE A COUNTYWIDE THING AND STAY IN THE COUNTY.
UM, BUT THE GATEWAY CORRIDOR STUDY, IS THAT AVAILABLE SOMEWHERE TO LOOK AT? NOT YET.
IT'S NOT COMPLETED YET, BUT IT'S WILL BE.
I THOUGHT THERE WAS A CORRIDOR STUDY.
OH, THE, THE, THERE IS, YEAH, THERE IS A CONCEPTUAL, I I WORKED ON IT FOR A YEAR.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW, WHERE, WHERE IS THAT? WE'LL GET IT ON THE LIST TO GET EVERYBODY.
OKAY, SO I'M GONNA WRITE, I, I APOLOGIZE.
I WAS REFERRING TO ANOTHER NO, NO, NO, NO PROBLEM.
MR. FOREST AND THEN MS. ERICKSON AND THEN I SEE THE MAYOR, BUT LET ME GET THESE TWO QUESTIONS FIRST.
YOU KNOW, I HAD THE SAME CONCERN ON THE RESOLUTION OR WHATEVER THIS IS, AND I WOULD HOPE THAT OUR OTHER MUNICIPALITIES DON'T FOLLOW SUIT, BUT IF YOU DO, THAT'S YOUR, UM, BUT I TOOK IT A LITTLE DIFFERENT BECAUSE I WAS PROBABLY LOOKING AT IT FROM A REVERSE POINT OF VIEW.
DOES THAT MEAN THAT THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD DOESN'T WANT NON-CORPORATE SALES TAX COLLECTIONS TO BE USED ON THEIR PROJECTS? 'CAUSE THAT'S HOW I READ IT, BUT I'M NOT SURE.
UM, I, I THINK THIS IS GOING TO THE COUNTY FOR THE COUNTY TO DECIDE AND WE NEED TO STAY IN OUR LANE OF PROJECTS.
UM, I'LL, I WILL TELL YOU THE TOWN OF BLUFFTON IS NOT ASKING THAT.
BUT IF WE GO BACK, AND I KNOW YOU HAVE A QUESTION, THE WHOLE, I THINK THIS GROUP AND WHAT I TALKED ABOUT IN BLUFFTON WAS THIS GROUP AND HOW DEDICATED THEY ARE AND WHERE YOU COME FROM ALL PARTS OF LIFE BACKGROUNDS, UM, CIVIL ENGINEERS.
BUT I THINK WE ARE ARE SHOWING THAT YOU CAN PUT TRUST BACK IN OUR COUNTY.
AND I THINK A LOT OF THIS IS FROM MAYBE THE LACK OF TRUST OVER PAST PENNIES.
I DON'T, I DON'T, I'M JUST KIND OF THINKING THROUGH IT, BUT I DO THINK THIS RESOLUTION IS FOR THE COUNTY TO DISCUSS MAYBE NOT SO MUCH US AND WE CAN PUT IN OUR 2 CENTS OF WHAT WE THINK AND THEN LET THE COUNTY LISTEN TO US ON OUR SUGGESTIONS.
IF I'M WRONG, I'LL LET BRIAN JUMP IN.
UM, LET ME ERICKSON AND UNMUTE MS. ERICKSON.
I PERSONALLY LIKE THIS AND WHAT, AND THE REASON WHY I LIKE THIS IS I SPOKE TO SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THIS LAST WEEK.
UM, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT, YES, IN THE TRUST FACTOR, UM, IN TRYING TO PASS ANYTHING GOING FORWARD.
UM, IF THIS IS WHAT HILTON HILL HEAD FEELS THAT THEY NEED, THEN YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE OF HILTON HEAD, WHICH WHICH THEY'RE APPOINTED BY
[01:45:01]
NEED THE TRANSPARENCY.THEY NEED TO KNOW THAT MONEY IS BEING MOVED AS IT'S COLLECTED AND PROJECTS ARE BEING DONE.
AND I'LL JUST ADD, UM, ON THE 2018 PENNY, WE DO GIVE QUARTERLY UPDATES TO OUR COUNCIL AND THE NEXT UPDATE, WE'LL ACTUALLY BE NEXT WEEK FOR THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2027 AT THE PFC MEETING.
SPEAKING TO THAT TOO, BRIAN, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I, UM, HAVE BEEN A LITTLE BIT DISAPPOINTED IN IS THE PENNY.COM WEBSITE.
I THINK IT COULD BE USED IN A FASHION AS BETTER TO BRING UNITY IN BEHIND THE MONEY GOING FORWARD TO TAKE BEAUFORT COUNTY FORWARD AND, UM, ACTUALLY PUT DOWN THE PROJECT, PUT DOWN WHAT MONEY'S COMING IN, UM, PROJECTED DATES UPDATED AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
I WAS SHOCKED WHEN I WENT A COUPLE WEEKS AGO AND PULLED IT UP AND THERE WAS ONE PROJECT MENTIONED THAT IT WAS DONE.
THIS IS 2018 AGAIN, SO THANK YOU.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO, UH, JUMP ON BOARD WITH MR. WOODS THERE AND, AND, UH, MR. FOREST THAT THIS IS, THIS SEEMS NARROW THOUGHT, UH, ON, ON THE TOWN'S PARK TOWN OF HELTON HEAD.
IF EVERY TOWN DOES THIS, WE'RE GONNA BE SILOED.
IT KIND OF DEFEATS THE PURPOSE OF WHAT THIS COMMITTEE DOES.
UH, THIS COMMITTEE IS SUPPOSED TO BRING PROJECTS TO THE COUNTY AND THE COUNTY WILL VOTE ON IT.
SO ANYONE THAT SILOS, IT'S MY OPINION, BUT A LEGAL, UH, MINE WOULD HAVE TO ANSWER THAT BETTER THAN I, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO STICK TO OUR TASK AT HAND.
AND THAT'S DEVELOPING PROJECTS WITH LIST AND, AND ESTIMATES TO PRESENT THE COUNTY.
AND I'D LEAN BACK TO BRIAN AND STOP ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT WE WILL RECOMMEND TO THE COUNTY OUR LIST AND WE CAN DEFINITELY USE ANYTHING THAT ANY COUNTY OR MUNICIPALITY SENDS US.
THEY HAVE EVERY RIGHT AS A ELECTED BODY TO MAKE THEIR THOUGHTS KNOWN.
UM, AND WE CAN, WE'RE GONNA HAVE SO MANY PROJECTS, SO MANY PROJECTS.
SO I THINK NARROW IT DOWN AND THEN DEAL WITH WHAT COUNTY OR TOWNS MAY HAVE REQUESTED BECAUSE IT ALL SAYS, REQUESTED ISN'T A DEMAND, BUT IT IS, IT SPEAKS A LOT INTO LET'S BUILD TRUST WITH OUR CITIZENS, UM, AND WITH OUR TOWNS AND AT THE COUNTY MOVE US FORWARD.
MAYOR, DID YOU WANNA SAY SOMETHING? YOU'RE STANDING UP.
SO, UH, FOR THE RECORD, ALAN PERRY, MAYOR OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND, UM, 2018 THERE WAS $80 MILLION WAS ALLOCATED TO THE CORRIDOR AND THAT A CORRIDOR INCLUDED A GOOD PORTION ON HILTON HEAD ISLAND THROUGH THAT SECTION OF THE CORRIDOR.
STEVE RILEY, THE FORMER TOWN MANAGER, HIS SON WAS KILLED AT SQUIRE POPE ROAD OF THAT $80 MILLION, WE'RE NOT GETTING ANY OF THAT $80 MILLION FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
SO YOU ASK WHY ARE WE, WHY DID COUNCIL SAY THIS? IT DIDN'T PASS IN 24 BECAUSE OF TRUST.
SO HOW DO WE PUT TRUST BACK INTO IT? AND IF YOU WANT THE RESIDENTS OF HILTON HEAD TO VOTE FOR IT, THERE'S GOTTA BE SOME ASSURANCE THAT THE FUNDS WILL BE UTILIZED WHERE THEY'RE APPROPRIATED BASED OFF OF THE PROJECTS.
AND THAT IS THE QUESTION THAT'S COMING AROUND.
UM, I THINK IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT WHEN YOU ALLOCATE FUNDS TO PROJECTS, THAT THEY GO TO THOSE PROJECTS.
IT MAY NOT NECESSARILY GO TO THE, TO OUR BANK ACCOUNT, BUT IT'S GOTTA GO TO THAT PROJECT.
IT'S GOTTA BE IDENTIFIED FOR THAT PROJECT AND NOT TAKEN AWAY AND UTILIZED FOR ANOTHER PROJECT.
SO WE'RE STARTING FROM ZERO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT HILTON HEAD ISLAND, YET THE BRIDGE COMES TO HILTON HEAD AND IT'S 330 WHATEVER MILLION DOLLARS, BUT WHAT IS HILTON HEAD ISLAND GETTING FOR IT? WHAT ARE WE HAVING TO PAY TO MARRY INTO THAT EXPANSION OF THE BRIDGE? SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS HOW WE IMPROVE OUR TRAFFIC FLOW, IMPROVE OUR SAFETY FACTORS IN BOTH PEDESTRIAN, BICYCLE AND VEHICULAR.
SO YOU LOOK AT THAT AND YOU GOTTA THINK ABOUT WHY THINGS DIDN'T PASS.
AND IT IS TRUST AND THAT'S WHY Y'ALL ARE ALL HERE TO HELP BUILD THAT TRUST FOR OUR COUNCIL LAST NIGHT AS WE VOTED ON THIS, IT WAS HOW DO WE PROTECT OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR DOLLARS AND OUR CITIZENS? SO I JUST WANNA PUT THAT ON THE RECORD.
MAYBE IT'S SOMETHING ALL OF YOU WERE THINKING AND SEAN, IT MIGHT BE YOU.
UM, I SEE THE TOWN MANAGER, MR. ORLANDO, GOOD TO SEE YOU HERE.
TIMING OF THE PROJECTS AS IT RELATES TO THE BRIDGE.
NOW THE BRIDGE AND ALL THE INFO I'VE SEEN IS GONNA BE 2030 SOMETHING.
UM, HOW DO YOU SEE IF THIS PENNY HAS PASSED THIS COUNTY COUNCIL? UM, WHICH Y'ALL, YOU GOTTA GO BACK.
[01:50:01]
LEADERSHIP IN COUNTY COUNCIL.WE HAVE NEW LEADERSHIP IN THE ADMINISTRATION, WE HAVE WONDERFUL STAFF THAT WAS NOT YEAR IN 18 THAT IS COMMITTED TO FINISHING THESE PROJECTS.
THERE ARE PROJECTS THAT TOOK 13 YEARS AFTER THE 2006 PENNY, SEVEN YEARS AFTER THE COLLECTION ENDED THAT GOT COMPLETED.
BUT WE HAVE TO GO, WE YOU'RE OF THAT MIND, YOU KNOW, THE EASEMENTS AND THE PROPERTY, YOU KNOW, THE UTILITY, EVERYTHING IT GOES INTO IT.
WE WE'RE PROBABLY NOT GONNA SEE A LOT OF WORK ON THIS PENNY FOR A YEAR, BUT THAT'S PART OF THE ADVOCACY AND THE EDUCATION THAT I THINK COUNTY COUNCIL WILL FIGURE OUT HOW TO PARTNER WITH.
BUT HOW DO YOU TIME THE PROJECT, SAY THE BRIDGE IS GOING ON IN 30, WOULD YOU SEE IF YOUR SQUARE POPE WAS PART OF OUR LIST, WOULD THAT BE SOMETHING YOU WOULD EXPECT TO DO LATER ON TO COMPLIMENT THE BRIDGE OR DOES IT INTERFERE DOING IT NOW PRE BRIDGE? I GUESS THAT'S HOW, WHAT I'D LIKE TO KNOW ON, ON RANKING THESE THINGS.
I DON'T, THE, THE PROJECTS THAT WE PROPOSE HERE ARE NOT MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE OF THE BRIDGE.
SO IT DOESN'T HAVE TO HAPPEN FIRST FOR US TO DO THOSE.
THESE WOULD ACTUALLY, YOU PROBABLY WANNA BE AHEAD OF THE GAME.
SO WE'RE WORKING AT, UM, SOFT COSTS TO, UH, DEVELOP THE PROJECT, UH, PLANS, UH, RIGHT NOW TO TRY TO GET, GET A BETTER IDEA OF WHAT THE, UH, ACTUAL PROJECT WOULD LOOK LIKE.
AND IT, THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS TO, TO DEAL WITH THAT IN EACH DIFFERENT, UH, INTERSECTION.
SO, UH, YOU GOT PERMITTING AND, AND AND UH, UH, PLAN DESIGN AND ALL THOSE SORTS OF THINGS THAT HAVE TO HAPPEN.
AND THEN THAT CAN TAKE UP TO TWO YEARS, YOU KNOW, THEN YOU'RE ONTO CONSTRUCTION.
AND THAT'S GREAT FOR EDUCATING ALL OF THE COUNCILS, ALL ALL THE ELECTED OFFICIALS.
IF THESE WERE DONE AND WE'RE LIKE, GOSH, THESE ARE GREAT, LET'S DO 'EM.
IT MAY BE TWO YEARS BEFORE THEY EVEN SEE A SHOVEL IN THE GROUND.
SO BECAUSE OF THE PLANNING AND THE ENGINEERING AND THE RIGHT, THE CAVEAT IS DEPENDING ON THE PROJECT, DEPENDING ON, ON, ON WHAT THE LEVEL OF FUNDING IT IS.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS MR. REEVES? I'LL JUST ADD TO THAT WITH AND SPECIFIC TO THE BRIDGE, SEEING HOW IT IS GOING THROUGH A FEDERAL PROCESS, WE JUST NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT ANY PROJECTS GOING ON AROUND THE BRIDGE DON'T AFFECT THAT PERMITTING THE FEDERAL PROCESS.
SO WE JUST NEED TO MAKE SURE THERE'S COORDINATION THERE.
SO, SO ONE OF THE KEY COMPONENTS I SEE IN THIS WHOLE DEAL IS, UH, THE TIMEFRAME.
AND I MEAN IF, I MEAN THERE ARE SO MANY PROJECTS, TOWN OF BEAUFORT, THE TOWN OF BLUFFTON, TOWN OF PORT ROYAL OKEE, 1 72, 78.
I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S UNBELIEVABLE HOW MUCH MONEY WE NEED TO DO THESE PROJECTS.
AND UH, I MEAN IF WE THINK WE'RE GONNA GET THIS DONE IN EIGHT YEARS OR FIVE YEARS OR 10 YEARS, I MEAN, WILL THE PUBLIC, WILL THE PUBLIC, UH, DO A DEAL FOR 25 YEARS? I MEAN, I THINK IT'S A, IT IS GONNA BE A 25 YEAR DEAL TO GET ENOUGH MONEY TO FINISH ALL THESE PROJECTS.
MAKE HILTON HEAD HAPPY, MAKE BLUFFTON HAPPY, AND US ON ONE 70.
I MEAN, YOU TALKING ABOUT A LOT OF MONEY HERE.
YEAH, IT, YOU KNOW, THE, THE THOUGHT BEHIND A PENNY, WHICH I'VE LEARNED THROUGH THE YEARS IS YOU GET PROJECTS DONE, BUT THEN YOU'VE ALWAYS, SAVANNAH DID IT, IT MAY A CONTINUATION OF ANOTHER PENNY VOTE, BUT SAVANNAH WAS 25 YEARS.
IF YOU LOOK AT CHARLESTON, I MEAN THEIR LAST PENNY SALES TAX DEAL WAS, I THINK IT WAS 20 YEARS.
NOW THEY'RE ON A 25 YEAR DEAL.
OKAY? THEY KNOW, THEY KNOW HOW MUCH MONEY IT'S GOING TO TAKE AND WE'RE IN THE SAME BOAT.
I MEAN, AND WHETHER THE, YOU KNOW, WHETHER THE PUBLIC IS GOING TO SAY, OKAY, UH, I'LL GO FOR 25 YEARS, I DON'T KNOW, BUT 60%, 60% OF THE MONEY RAISED COMES IN BY TOURISM PEOPLE THAT ARE COMING THROUGH OUR COUNTY.
AND UH, IT'S REALLY A PRETTY GOOD DEAL, Y'ALL.
ANY OTHER QUE THANK YOU MR. REEVES.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? CAN I MAKE A POINT? YOU MAY.
UM, JUST THAT THE, UM, THE DATA COLLECTED, I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU, THE 60%, I'D LIKE TO SEE THE DATA BEHIND THAT TO, TO BACK UP THE TOURISM DOLLARS, I MEAN OUR PENNIES.
AND UM, AS FAR AS I, THE WHOLE PROJECT THING, IF THERE'S ALL THESE PROJECTS THAT ALL THE MUNICIPALITIES WANT TO HAVE DONE AS OPPOSED TO LIKE ONE 70 AND THE MAJOR THINGS THAT MOVE TRAFFIC FROM HILTON HEAD TO BLUFFTON TO SAVANNAH TO HARVILLE, UM, I MEAN, WOULD IT BE SOMETHING FOR THE MUNICIPALITIES TO THINK ABOUT TO DO THEIR OWN LITTLE LOCAL 1% TAX TO
[01:55:01]
RAISE THE FUNDS AND FUND THOSE SMALLER PROJECTS THEMSELVES? I DON'T THINK LEGALLY WE CAN DO THAT, CAN WE? YEAH, I BELIEVE THE, UM, ABILITY TO LEVERAGE A 1% SALES TAXES SPECIFIC TO COUNTIES.'CAUSE WE ARE, THIS IS EDUCATING ALL OF US ON, ON EVERYTHING.
UM, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS WE ADJOURN? WELL, ONE SECOND.
BEFORE WE DO THAT,
UM, WITH THAT WHOLE BRIDGE PROJECT, WE KNOW THAT FUNDING WAS AN ISSUE.
SO AS WE, AS WE AS COUNCIL LAST NIGHT TALKED, THE PENNY IS JUST ONE TOOL IN THE TOOLBOX.
THERE ARE OTHER THINGS THAT HAVE TO BE CONSIDERED FOR FUNDING.
SO THAT I WANT, IT'S NOT LOOKING, IF IT'S GONNA COST US $200 MILLION, WE MAY NOT BE LOOKING FOR THE FULL $200 MILLION.
WE'D LIKE TO HAVE IT, BUT THE REALIST SIDE OF IT IS THAT IF IT DOESN'T CREATE OR THE PEOPLE DON'T VOTE FOR THAT.
SO I JUST, I WANNA MAKE THAT CLEAR THAT IT IS A, IT CAN ALSO BE UTILIZED AS AN ADDITIONAL FUNDING SOURCE FROM THE STATE.
THIS, SO A COUPLE THINGS JUST FOR BACKGROUND.
I DID READ, I READ THROUGH THIS QUICKLY AND I'M SORRY I DIDN'T READ IT ALL, BUT I JUST GOT IT THIS MORNING.
UM, I, I WOULD THINK A LOT OF THIS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF A COUPLE THINGS COULD BE CONSIDERED.
I DO THINK A PRO, UM, A COMMITTEE POST US COULD GET TOGETHER WITH ELECTED OFFICIALS TO GO OVER PROJECTS AND SEE WHERE THEY ARE.
WE DID IT IN THE SIXTH PENNY WITH BEAUFORT TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY GROUP AND IT WAS, UH, YOU WERE AROUND THEN, IT WAS A MONTHLY PRINTOUT.
NOW EVERYTHING'S SO DIGITAL OF CUT SHEETS AND WHERE WE ARE AND WHAT WERE ALL THE FEES WERE THERE, IMPACT FEES OR THE PENNY STATE FUNDS, YOU KNOW, IT BREAKS IT DOWN.
SO I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE'LL LEARN AFTER THE CITY OF BEAUFORT PRESENTS NEXT WEEK BECAUSE WE'LL HAVE BEEN EDUCATED ON EVERY PART OF THIS COUNTY AFTER NEXT WEDNESDAY.
UM, I WOULD SUGGEST TOO, IF PEOPLE ARE TALKING TO YOU, FILL OUT THAT FORM, UM, THAT BRIAN HAD A PROJECT FORM, THE COMMITTEE HAS THOSE FILL 'EM OUT SO HE CAN GET IT ON OUR LIST.
UM, WHAT ELSE AM I MISSING? AND I JUST WANT TO FOLLOW UP TO THE MAYOR'S STATEMENT, JUST SAYING, I MEAN, YEAH, THIS IS JUST ONE PART OF THE PARCEL.
UM, AS STEPHANIE MENTIONED EARLIER, THE ONE 70 PROJECT THAT EVERYBODY HAS MENTIONED THAT'S GOT FUNDING AND THE TIP FOR IT.
SO, YOU KNOW, OUR COMPONENT FROM SALES TAX IS JUST GONNA BE A PART OF IT.
SAME THING TO THE MAYOR JUST MENTIONED GOING BACK TO THE BRIDGE FROM THE PREVIOUS SALES TAX.
I MEAN WE SAW HYPERINFLATION DUE TO COVID, THAT 80 MILLION FOR THE BRIDGE IS STILL THERE AND YOU KNOW, THERE'S BEEN OTHER PEOPLE CONTRIBUTING TO, FROM THE STATE AND THE SIB.
UM, SO YEAH, I MEAN THE MONEY THAT'S RAISED BY SALES TAX IS JUST ONE PORTION OF IT, AND IT CAN BE LEVERAGED FOR MATCH OR WHATEVER YOU MAY NEED.
SO BRIAN, WILL THAT BE INFORMATION WE'LL HAVE OR WE TO GIVE, GIVE A LIST OF WHATEVER THE NUMBER IS, 10 PROJECTS ON EITHER SIDE OF THE BROAD.
UM, AND THEN WOULD YOU COME BACK TO US JUST 'CAUSE SOMEWHERE WE GOTTA FIGURE OUT NUMBER OF YEARS AND HOW MUCH, AND WILL YOU GIVE US GUIDANCE AS TO IF WE GET THIS PASSED, THEN THE OTHER FACTORS COULD PLAY IN TO SPEND? YEAH, THAT'S SOMETHING ON THE RIGHT PROJECT.
THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN DEFINITELY GIVE GUIDANCE ON.
SO UNCLEAR TO ME STILL LIKE HOW TO DO THAT, BUT THERE ARE OTHER FUNDING SOURCES.
YEAH, I THINK WE WOULD NEED TO GET A PROJECT LIST AND THEN WE CAN DEFINITELY GIVE GUIDANCE AND LOOK AT SOME OF THAT.
SO, AND LISA, THE LET GET, GRADY HAD RAISED THIS HAND.
MR. WOODS, GO AHEAD REAL QUICK.
I KNOW EVERYBODY'S READY TO GO EARLIER.
SEAN, YOU, YOU GAVE, UM, YOU SAID 2.67 MILLION PEOPLE ARE COMING ONTO THE ISLANDS TOURISTS.
AND HOW MANY ARE DRIVING IN VERSUS COMING IN BY AIR? DO WE KNOW WHAT, WHAT THAT BREAKDOWN IS? I, I DO NOT HAVE THAT BREAKDOWN, BUT WE CAN ASSUME IT'S PROBABLY 80% OR, OR SOME BIG NUMBER THAT'S DRIVING.
AND THOSE FOLKS ARE COMING IN OFF THE INTERSTATE.
THEY'RE DRIVING ACROSS JASPER COUNTY, THEY'RE DRIVING ACROSS 2 78, 1 78.
THEY ALL HAVE TO GET ACROSS THOSE AREAS TO GET TO THE BRIDGE TO COME ONTO HILTON HEAD.
SO WE, THE JOEYS WANT, WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT TOO.
THEY'RE NOT JUST JUST DROPPING IN HILTON HEAD, THEY'RE DRIVING ACROSS OTHER PARTS OF BEAUFORT AND JASPER COUNTY THAT'S HAVING IMPACT ON THOSE ROADS AND, AND CREATING THE PROBLEMS THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S THE BIGGER PICTURE I'M THINK WE NEED TO KEEP SIGHT OF.
AND THE, UM, PRINTOUT HERE, THE RESOLUTION, THE TOWN GAVE FIVE, UM, DIFFERENT PROJECTS AND THOSE ARE NOT IN AN ORDER OF RANKING OF IMPORTANCE.
IS THAT CORRECT? YOU JUST WANTED TO MAKE THAT CLEAR? THANK YOU.
DID YOU SAY IT IS NOT, IT'S, IT'S NOT, IT IS NOT.
[02:00:01]
UM, YES, THAT, I MEAN, THINKING HIGH UP, THIS TRAFFIC AFFECTS EVERY ONE OF OUR RESIDENTS IN BEAUFORT COUNTY.THE TRAFFIC ON ONE 70 ARE THE RESIDENTS IN PORT ROYAL IN BEAUFORT THAT ARE TRAVELING DOWN ONE 70 TO GO TO WORK SOMEWHERE.
I'M NOT GONNA SAY IF THEY TURN NORTH OR SOUTH.
UM, PEOPLE COMING TO THE ISLAND ARE COMING THROUGH A LOT OF PLACES, FOUR DIFFERENT EXITS, WHETHER THEY'RE COMING FROM FLORIDA OR NORTH CAROLINA OR AN AIRPORT.
SO I THINK THAT'S REALLY GOOD FOR US TO LOOK AT WHAT CAN RAISE ALL SHIPS AND THEN HELP THESE MUNICIPALITIES AND THESE SMALLER COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE NEEDS TOO.
AND HOW DO WE FILTER THAT IN AS WELL TO HOPEFULLY HAVE EVERYONE BE VERY SUPPORTIVE AND WANT TO HELP US EDUCATE AND OR ADVOCATE THIS PENNY AND IS MR. REEVES, LET GET LET ME GET, LET ME GET JAY AGAIN.
SO SHAWN, UH, THESE ARE YOUR PRIORITIES.
THEY'RE NOT AN ORDER OF PRIORITY? NO, MA'AM.
NO, BUT YOU KNOW, YOU'D LIKE THAT YOU'D LIKE TO HAVE ALL OF THESE? YES, SIR.
WAIT, WAIT, Y'ALL, WE HAVE JUDGE KLEIN IS ONLINE.
UM, WE HAVE, UM, JUDGE KLEIN AND WE HAVE, UH, ELIZABETH, DO Y'ALL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ANYONE? JUDGE KLEIN, ANYTHING? CAN YOU HEAR ME AT THIS POINT? YES.
I, I'VE BEEN LISTENING FOR QUITE A WHILE.
UH, ONE THING I WANT TO CAUTION, UH, UH, THIS IS MY SECOND OR THIRD GO ROUND AND THIS EFFORT, FIRST I WANT TO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, IT, IT, WE KEEP SAYING THAT THE OTHER, THE PRIOR REFERENDUM WAS IMPEDED LACK OF TRUST.
LET'S NOT FORGET THAT THE DAVIS REFERENDUM KILLED THAT REFERENDUM.
WE DID A GREAT JOB ON PUTTING THAT PROJECT TOGETHER.
AND WHEN THE DAVIS REFERENDUM CAME ON BOARD, IT KILLED IT BECAUSE THE PUBLIC WILL NOT VOTE FOR TWO MAJOR REFERENDUM BACK TO BACK.
THE NEXT THING IS, AT SOME POINT WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO PICK A FORK IN THE ROAD AND SAYS WE CANNOT ACCEPT ANY MORE SUGGESTIONS FOR PROJECT.
UH, WE HAVE NINE EACH, EACH COUNCIL DISTRICT HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE.
EACH MUNICIPALITY HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE.
AND I, WE, I THINK IF WE HAVE THE AL REPRESENTATIVE WORK WITH THIS DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE AND FUNNELING THINGS THAT WAY, AND THE SAME THING WITH THE MUNICIPALITIES, BUT IF EVERY JOHN Q PUBLIC IS GOING TO GIVE US SUGGESTIONS, WE WILL NEVER GET ANYTHING DONE.
UH, THIS IS A ENORMOUS PROJECT.
IT'S GONNA TAKE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF, UH, DISCUSSION, GIVE AND TAKE AND RECKONING.
I THINK I'M SUGGESTING THAT WE LOOK AT A, A, THE NUMBER OF YEARS AND A TOP DOLLAR FEE AND WORK BACKWARDS SO THAT AS WE MOVE FORWARD, THAT GIVE US A BETTER GUIDANCE.
BECAUSE RIGHT NOW WE ARE ACTING LIKE, OKAY, HEAVEN IS THE HEAVEN IS THE HIGH LIMIT, SO EVERYBODY CAN KEEP DUMPING INTO THE BASKET.
UH, WHEN WE APPROACH THE HIGHER PROJECT, THAT'S HOW WE DID IT.
WE HAD A, WE KNEW WHAT WE COULD PUT, HOW BIG THE BASKET WAS, SO WE KNEW WHAT WE COULD PUT IN IT, AND WE WORKED TOWARD PUTTING THE BASKET AFTER ESTABLISHING THE BASKET LIMITS.
SO I'M JUST THROWING OUT THOSE SUGGESTIONS.
UH, I WILL SAVE ANY ADDITIONAL THING FOR OUR NEXT MEETING.
AND THANK YOU FOR, UM, BEING ONLINE.
ELIZABETH, DID YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? NO QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME, BUT I DEFINITELY, UH, APPRECIATE BOTH PRESENTATIONS.
WELL, WE'RE GONNA HAVE THE CITY OF BEAUFORT NEXT WEEK, AND WE'RE GONNA GIVE THEM THE SAME RESPECT AS WE'VE DONE THE OTHER THREE, SO THERE WILL BE MORE PROJECTS.
UM, DID YOU TALK TO THE MAYOR ABOUT THE FORMAT? UM, MR. WOODS.
UM, AND WE ARE MEETING MARCH 18TH, NEXT WEDNESDAY AT CITY HALL IN BEAUFORT.
AND THEN OUR WORKING MEETINGS, I THINK ARE WHERE WE'RE GONNA SEE WHERE WE WANNA, WHAT DO WE WANNA DO FOR MONEY PROJECTS? WHAT DO WE WANNA DO? AND THOSE ARE GONNA BE NORTH OF THE BROAD AND SOUTH OF THE BROAD.
[02:05:01]
UM, THE END OF MARCH AND THE, I MIGHT HAVE THE WRONG MAP, BUT IT'S GONNA BE FIVE 30 TO SEVEN 30 TO GIVE THE RESIDENTS TIME TO COME AND LISTEN.I KNOW THIS IS DURING THE WORKDAY, BUT IT JUST WORKS WITH OUR STAFF AND EVERYONE ON THIS COMMITTEE.
SO, UM, BEFORE WE ADJOURN, I DO HAVE PROJECT SHEETS IF Y'ALL WANT THEM.
IF YOU ARE HEARING FROM YOUR COMMUNITY AND YOU WANNA PUT SOMETHING ON IT, THIS WILL GO TO STAFF AND THEY WILL ENTER IT IN OUR SPREADSHEET TO, TO START GETTING CALLS ON IT.
SO I'LL LEAD THESE RIGHT HERE IF Y'ALL WANT IT.
HANNAH, WHEREVER HANNAH IS, WANTS TO INTERVIEW WHOEVER AT THE END OF THIS MEETING.
AND IF THERE'S NOTHING ELSE, IS THERE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? SO MOVE.
I KNOW, BUT I WANT, I, YOU, I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE.
YOU'RE WATCHING BEAUFORT COUNTY TV.
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 THE LOCAL EXTENSION OF STATE GOVERNMENT, BUT A STATE CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM MOVEMENT IN THE EARLY 1970S LED TO THE SOUTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY, PASSING THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT LAW, ALSO KNOWN AS THE HOME RULE ACT.
IN 1975, THE HOME RULE ACT GREATLY EXPANDED COUNTY AUTHORITY AND CHANGED THE NATURE OF COUNTY ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION TO WHAT WE KNOW TODAY.
BEAUFORT COUNTY WENT FROM HAVING A BOARD OF DIRECTORS TO A COUNTY COUNCIL.
MEMBERS OF THE 1975 COUNCIL INCLUDED CHAIRMAN ARTHUR HORN, VICE CHAIRMAN, GRADY THAMES, LEROY BROWN, GARY FORDHAM, WILLIAM GRANT, HARRIET KEISLING, DAVID JONES, BILL MCBRIDE, AND BOOKER WASHINGTON.
AS THE NEW COUNCIL SOUGHT TO DISTINGUISH ITSELF, COUNCIL MEMBERS DESIRED AN OFFICIAL SYMBOL THAT WOULD REPRESENT THE JURISDICTION'S IDENTITY AND UNIQUE CHARACTER COUNCIL APPOINTED AN AD HOC COMMITTEE TO UNDERTAKE THE TASK AND CARRY OUT A CONTEST FOR THE BEST COUNTY SEAL DESIGN.
HARRIET KLIN WAS A MEMBER OF COUNTY COUNCIL, AND IT WAS HER IDEA BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING THAT COULD SIGNIFICANTLY IDENTIFY OUR BEAUTIFUL BEAUFORD COUNTY.
WE MET THEN UP AT, UH, I THINK IT WAS A CAROLINA BANK AND SOME YEARS AGO, BACK THERE ON WEST STREET.
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 FORESTS.
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 RARE MARINE ECOLOGY, LOW COUNTRY ARCHITECTURE, AND MILES OF RIVERS, CREEKS, AND INLETS.
I THOUGHT IT ENCOMPASSED WHAT, WHAT WE AS A BODY WAS LOOKING FOR A SEAL THAT WOULD, WHEN YOU LOOKED AT IT AND JUST THOUGHT ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT, IT REALLY COVERS THE ASPECTS OF BEAUFORT COUNTY.
SO HE DID A GOOD JOB OF BRINGING TOGETHER THE THINGS THAT WE, UH, WHOLE SO THERE
[02:10:01]
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 SIMS 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 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 BEAUFORD 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 BEFORD COUNTY CULTURE, SHRIMPING, ESPECIALLY AT THAT TIME, WOULD BE REFLECTED ON THE SEAL.
THE WINNER OF THE CONTEST WAS AN ARTIST FROM HILTON HEAD ISLAND, THE LATE LEE PAYNE, WHOSE DESIGN WAS SELECTED FROM MORE THAN 126 CENTURIES SUBMITTED FROM AS FAR AWAY AS INDIANA AND TENNESSEE.
HE WAS AWARDED $250 FOR HIS DESIGN.
BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, HE CAPTURED THE LEGACY OF OUTDOOR BEAUTY, CULTURE, AND HISTORY THAT 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.