* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.
          [00:00:01]
          CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY BEAUFORT COUNTY. 
          CALL THIS JOINT 
          [1. CALL TO ORDER: Alice Howard, Chair]
MEETING OF COUNTY COUNCIL AND THE, UM, BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD TO ORDER. 
          PLEASE RISE FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. 
          I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS. 
          INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND MS. BROCK, HAS THIS BEEN ADVERTISED IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT? ALL RIGHT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, L- LET'S DO AN APPROVAL 
          [4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA]
OF THE AGENDA AND THEN WE'LL GO AROUND AND LET EVERYBODY INTRODUCE THEMSELVES, INCLUDING STAFF. 
          DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE AGENDA? SO MOVED. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          AND A SECOND? MR. GLOVER. 
          ALL IN FAVOR BY SHOW OF HANDS APPROVE THE AGENDA. 
          ONLINE. 
          AND THAT IS UNANIMOUS. 
          WE HAVE FOUR PEOPLE ONLINE. 
          WE HAVE COUNCILMAN PASSIMENT. 
          WE HAVE, UM, VICE CHAIR DAVID CARR OF THE SCHOOL BOARD, ELIZABETH HAY, AND WILLIAM SMITH ONLINE. 
          SO WE HAVE FOUR ONLINE. 
          SO AT THIS TIME, UM, LET'S START WITH THE STAFF OVER HERE. 
          IF YOU COULD INTRODUCE YOURSELVES. 
          AND, AND LEADER, I'LL SAY LEADERS. 
          Y'ALL ARE LEADERS, YOU KNOW, THE COU - UH, THE BOARD AND LEADERS OF OUR COUNTY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          FRANK RODRIGUEZ, SUPERINTENDENT OF BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT. 
          MIKE MOORE, BUFORD COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR. 
          MELO LEE, DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT. 
          RICK BROWN, FOX AND RECREATION, BUFORD COUNTY. 
          CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER OF BUFORD COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT. 
          FRANK FACILITIES BUFORD COUNTY. 
          ROBERT YETZE, FACILITIES AND CAPITAL PROJECTS FOR BUFORD COUNTY. 
          MARK CHOHAN, TECHNOLOGY SERVICES OFFICER. 
          ALICE WALTON, CHIEF HUMAN RESOURCE OFFICER WITH THE COUNTY SCHOOL. 
          I'M JUSTIN COMING IN. 
          OKAY. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          SO LET'S START WITH COUNCILMAN DAWSON AND GO AROUND AND INTRODUCE OURSELVES. 
          COUNCILMAN GERALD DAWSON, REPRESENTATIVE OF DISTRICT ONE. 
          PASTOR ISAAC GORDON, REPRESENTATIVE OF DISTRICT 1'S SCHOOL BOARD. 
          UH, DAVID. 
          OAK LEVER, BEAUFORT COUNTY COUNCIL, DISTRICT THREE. 
          WILLIAM SMITH, BUFORD COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT, UH, DISTRICT THREE. 
          DISTRICT FOUR. 
          VICTOR NAY, SCHOOL BOARD DISTRICT FIVE. 
          CARLTON DALLAS, DISTRICT EIGHT CHAIR OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD. 
          UH, ALICE HOWARD, DISTRICT FOUR, CHAIR. 
          HENRY TAVERNICK, DISTRICT SIX, VICE CHAIR OF COUNTY COUNCIL. 
          MARK LAWSON, DISTRICT NINE, COUNTY COUNCIL. 
          ALFONSO SMALLS, BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD, DISTRICT SIX. 
          DR. 
          CHRISTINE AQUADS, DISTRICT NINE, SCHOOL BOARD. 
          Y'ALL MADE IT OVER THE 278 BRIDGE FOR THE ALONE HILTON HEAD, UH, INGRID BOATWRIGHT, DISTRICT 11, UH, BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          THIS IS... 
          WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO DO THIS MEETING FOR SEVERAL MONTHS AND HERE WE ARE. 
          IT'S GREAT. 
          OKAY. 
          ALL THE MEMBERS ONLINE, IF YOU COULD INTRODUCE YOURSELVES, STARTING WITH, UM, COUNCILMAN PASSIMENT. 
          YES. 
          JOE PASSMANT, UH, BEAUFORT COUNTY COUNCIL DISTRICT FIVE. 
          DAV- DAVID CARR? YEAH, HI. 
          DAVE, DAVID CARR, UH, BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD, DISTRICT SEVEN. 
          ELIZABETH HAY. 
          HELLO, ELIZABETH HAY, SCHOOL BOARD DISTRICT NUMBER 10. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          AT THIS TIME, WE WILL, UH, UH, IF THERE'S ANY PUBLIC COMMENT FROM... 
          DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT IN THE BACK? IN THE FRONT? IN THE BACK? NO? READY? 
          [00:05:02]
OKAY. 
          WELL, THANK YOU. 
          UH, GOING 
          [6.a. Update from Superintendent, Dr. Frank Rodriguez, about test scores and progress for BCSD 
students]
ON WITH THE AGENDA, UM, 6A IS A UPDATE FROM, UM, SUPERINTENDENT DR. 
          FRANK RODRIGUEZ ABOUT TEST SCORES AND PROGRESS FOR BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT STUDENTS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          WE, UM, JUST RECENTLY RECEIVED THE, UH, REPORT CARD RATING AND, AND, UH, UPDATES FROM THE SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. 
          AND, UH, AS PART OF, OF THAT, I THINK THERE IS SOME GOOD NEWS AND SOME POINTS OF CELEBRATION. 
          AND AS I SAY, EVERY TIME I GO THROUGH THIS, UM, WE PAUSE FOR A SECOND TO CELEBRATE THE GOOD NEWS, BUT, UH, WE HAVE TO GET BACK ON A HORSE AND GET BACK TO WORK BECAUSE THERE'S ALWAYS A LOT MORE PROGRESS TO MAKE. 
          SO, UM, WITH THAT IN MIND, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND, UH, IF WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, THIS IS OUR STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS THAT WE SET, UH, SEVERAL YEARS AGO, 75, 75, 92. 
          SO WE'RE TRYING TO REACH A 75, UH, E - IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS, 75 IN MATHEMATICS, AND A 92 GRADUATION RATE FOR, UH, FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. 
          WHAT YOU SEE HERE IS THE, THE RATINGS. 
          LAST YEAR, THERE WERE THREE, UH, BELOW AVERAGE, UH, UH, RATED SCHOOLS IN THE, UH, SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. 
          YOU NOTICE THERE, UH, THERE ARE TWO NOW. 
          UM, WE HAVE, UH, BATTERY CREEK AND ROBERT SMALLS LEADERSHIP ACADEMY, AND WE HAVE SOME SPECIFIC INTERVENTIONS AND WORK THAT WE'RE PUTTING IN PLACE THERE. 
          YOU CAN SEE, UH, THE DISTRIBUTION AND ALL THE WAY TO THE LEFT, UM, BELIEVE THIS IS, UH, THE LARGEST NUMBER OF EXCELLENT RATED SCHOOLS, UM, THAT THE DISTRICT'S HAD. 
          THREE OF THOSE YOU CAN SEE ARE EXCELLENT RATINGS FOR THE FIRST TIME. 
          ANY QUESTIONS? SO WE'LL JUMP INTO SOME OF THE DATA FROM, UH, FROM THE STATE DEPARTMENT IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS. 
          UH, YOU CAN SEE, UH, THE PERCENTAGE THERE, AND I MIGHT HAVE TO GET UP, UH, UH, CLOSER, BUT, UM, AND THEN YOU SEE IN MATH, UH, MATH HAS BEEN THE, THE MOST DIFFICULT, UH, SINCE THE PANDEMIC, UH, ACROSS THE COUNTRY, UH, TO MOVE. 
          AND SO, UH, WE STILL SEE, UH, I- IN THAT EFFORT AS WE'RE CLIMBING OUT WHILE WE'RE MAKING PROGRESS, UM, THAT'S BEEN A LITTLE BIT MORE DIFFICULT CERTAINLY TO MOVE THAN IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS REALLY ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND YOU CAN SEE, UH, FOR THE STATE ITSELF, UH, AS WELL. 
          UM, GO AHEAD. 
          UH, THIS IS, UH, IN SCIENCE, IN SE READY SCIENCE, THIS IS COVERING OUR, UH, FOURTH AND SIXTH GRADE. 
          UH, AND YOU CAN SEE IN THESE, IN ALL OF THESE SO FAR, WE'RE, UH, CERTAINLY OUTPERFORMING THE STATE. 
          GO AHEAD. 
          UH, YOU CAN SEE, UH, IN, UH, ENGLISH TWO, UH, AND THEN WE HAVE ALGEBRA. 
          ALGEBRA, UH, GETS A LITTLE ASTERISK. 
          YOU SEE, UH, UH, THERE'S A BIG JUMP THERE, ABOUT A 20 POINT JUMP IN ALGEBRA. 
          UH, A REASON I, I GIVE IT AN ASTERISK, JUST LIKE I GAVE IT IN ASTERISKS LAST YEAR. 
          LAST YEAR, WE HAD A SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER PER - NUMBER OF STUDENTS, UH, TESTING IN ALGEBRA LAST YEAR, AND THIS YEAR, UH, A SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER NUMBER OF STUDENTS TESTING, AND THAT IS BECAUSE THE STATE IS UNDERGOING A CHANGE IN THE PATHWAYS IN MATHEMATICS. 
          SO WHERE HISTORICALLY, UH, YOU WOULD'VE, YOU MAY HAVE REMEMBERED YOU TOOK ALGEBRA IN NINTH GRADE, AND THEN YOU TOOK GEOMETRY. 
          WELL, THE STATE'S TRANSITIONED WHERE IT'S NOW GEOMETRY IN NINTH GRADE AND YOU HAVE ALGEBRA IN 10TH GRADE. 
          AND SO YOU SEE, AS A RESULT OF THAT TRANSITION, THAT AFFECTS, UH, THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS, AND THERE'S A FLUCTUATION IN THAT, UH, IN TERMS OF STUDENTS TESTED. 
          SO, UH, PREPARING FOR SUCCESS, THIS IS OUR BIOLOGY AND US HISTORY. 
          THEN YOU HAVE, UH, MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS. 
          THIS IS AN AREA FOR US THAT, THAT WE'RE ZEROING IN ON, UH, AND A CONCENTRATION WE'RE ZEROING IN ON, UH, DEFINITELY TO HELP IMPROVE THE, UH, THE OUTCOMES THERE BECAUSE WE HAVE ABOUT 20% MORE, UH, WE HAVE, I'M SORRY, WE HAVE DOUBLE THE NUMBER OF MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS THAN THE STATE HAS. 
          AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS, THESE ARE STUDENTS RECENTLY ARRIVED, SO THERE'S A LANGUAGE, UH, ACQUISITION TIME PERIOD THAT, UH, THAT IT TAKES IN ORDER TO DEVELOP YOUR ORAL LANGUAGE SKILLS. 
          AND TYPICALLY, YOU KNOW, FIVE YEARS IS BEING, IS, IS BEING GENEROUS, BUT IT TAKES AT LEAST THAT, ALL RIGHT? AND SO, BUT THEY START TESTING THE MOMENT THEY GET HERE IN THAT VERY FIRST YEAR. 
          SO THEY'RE EMBEDDED IN THE, IN THE EQUATION, UH, AS WELL. 
          SO THAT'S 
          [00:10:01]
ONE AREA THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT TRYING TO DEVELOP AND FIND WAYS AND STRATEGIES TO ACCELERATE, UH, THEIR PROGRESS. 
          GRADUATION RATE, UH, IT'S A 91.1% GRADUATION RATE. 
          UH, THIS IS, UH, THE HIGHEST THE SCHOOL DISTRICT'S EVER HAD. 
          UH, IN ADDITION, UH, I STARTED OFF WITH ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS AND MATHEMATICS. 
          BOTH OF THOSE ARE THE HIGHEST THE SCHOOL DISTRICT'S EVER HAD. 
          THE HIGHEST ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS, THE HIGHEST MATH SCORES THE DISTRICT'S EVER HAD, THE HIGHEST GRADUATION RATE THE DISTRICT'S HAD. 
          UH, THIS IS, UH, COLLEGE OR CAREER READINESS, AND SO THIS IS IMPORTANT. 
          THIS IS ALSO, UH, THE HIGHEST THE SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS EVER HAD, UH, IN, IN THIS AREA AS WELL. 
          SO THERE'S A LOT OF PROGRESS AND A LOT OF MOVEMENT TOWARDS ACHIEVING THE HIGHEST SCORES WE'VE EVER HAD. 
          NOW, LIKE I SAID, WE RECOGNIZE THERE'S ALWAYS ROOM TO GROW AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR MORE GROWTH, AND WE'RE AFTER THAT BECAUSE WE'VE SET BOLD GOALS AT 75, 75, 92. 
          THIS IS A HIGH SCHOOL SUCCESS INDICATOR. 
          SO THIS IS, UH, UH, WHERE STUDENTS ARE ON TRACK FOR GRADUATION FROM THE MOMENT THEY ENTER IN NINTH GRADE, AND THEN 10TH GRADE, AND THEN 11TH GRADE, AND THEN ULTIMATELY GRADUATE. 
          SO, UH, THIS IS AN AREA THAT THE STATE MONITORS AND TRACKS, AND IT'S PART OF THE REPORT CARD RATING. 
          SO AN OVERALL SUMMARY, YOU CAN SEE, UH, WITH, FROM 25 TO 26, WE INCREASED THE NUMBER OF EXCELLENT RATED SCHOOLS, AND YOU CAN SEE, UM, THAT WE DECREASED THE NUMBER OF SCHOOLS AT BELOW AVERAGE. 
          THESE ARE, IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS, SCHOOLS AND THE DISTRICT ITSELF IS ON HERE THAT HAVE ACHIEVED THE HIGHEST SCORES THAT SCHOOL HAS EVER ACHIEVED IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS. 
          AND THIS IS FOR MATH, UH, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IS ON THERE AS WELL, ACHIEVING THE HIGHEST WE'VE EVER, WE'VE EVER ACHIEVED, AND YOU CAN SEE, UH, THESE OTHER SCHOOLS ARE, ARE ON THERE ON THAT TRACK. 
          DR. 
          LEE, OUR DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT, IS GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME OF THE STRATEGIC SUPPORT FOR SCHOOLS. 
          ALL RIGHT, GOOD EVENING. 
          SO AS DR. 
          RODRIGUEZ SAID, WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO, BUT WE'VE BEEN DOING A LOT OF THINGS FOR OUR SCHOOLS. 
          SO OUR STRATEGIC SUPPORT, WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF THE SCHOOL LEVEL SUPPORT. 
          OUR ADMINISTRATORS, OUR TEACHERS, OUR COACHES, AND OUR, UM, STAFF MEMBERS ARE WORKING VERY HARD. 
          WE HAVE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES WHERE TEACHERS MEET AND THEY GO THROUGH, UM, INSTRUCTION IN WAYS THAT THEY CAN IMPROVE THEIR INSTRUCTION IN THE CLASSROOM. 
          THEY SPEND A LOT OF TIME LOOKING AT DATA ANALYSIS AND REALLY LOOKING AT WAYS THAT WE CAN IMPROVE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL. 
          WE HAVE DIFFERENTIATED SUPPORT BASED ON WHAT THE SCHOOL NEEDS, BASED ON WHAT TEACHERS NEEDS, AND BASED ON WHAT STUDENTS NEED. 
          AND THEN WE PROVIDE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT BASED OFF OF THE NEEDS THAT THEY HAVE AND WHAT WE DIAGNOSE. 
          AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL, WE HAVE A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH. 
          WE HAVE MANY DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS. 
          WE HAVE THE INSTRUCTIONAL SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT'S LED BY DR. 
          STRATOS. 
          WE HAVE OUR STUDENT SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT'S LED BY DR. 
          COX, AND THAT ENCOMPASSES THE, UM, EXCEPTIONAL LEARNERS DEPARTMENT. 
          WE HAVE OUR, UM, SUPERINTENDENT DEPARTMENT. 
          WE HAVE THREE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS THAT WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH OUR SCHOOLS. 
          WE ALSO HAVE THREE TRANSFORMATION SPECIALISTS, AND THEY'RE WORKING WITH THOSE SUBGROUPS THAT DR. 
          RODRIGUEZ SPOKE OF EARLIER, OUR MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS AND OUR EXCEPTIONAL LEARNERS. 
          AND THEN WE HAVE OUR HR DEPARTMENT THAT WORKS WITH OUR INDUCTION TEACHERS. 
          SO WE'RE PROVIDING A LOT OF SUPPORT THAT'S DIFFERENTIATED AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL. 
          SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO, WE HAVE INSTRUCTIONAL REVIEWS, AND THAT TEAM, THAT CROSS-DEPARTMENTAL TEAM GOES INTO THE SCHOOL LEVEL, AND WE GO AROUND TO THE CLASSROOMS, WE DO OBSERVATIONS, WE HAVE DATA ANALYSIS, AND WE COME BACK AND WE LOOK AT WHAT THE SCHOOLS CAN WORK ON. 
          THEY DEVELOP, UM, A, A PLAN OF ACTION FOR THE YEAR. 
          AND THEN THROUGH THAT SCHOOL YEAR, ANYBODY THAT'S COMING IN TO PROVIDE SUPPORT IS BASED ON THAT S - THAT SUPPORT AND THE PLAN THAT THEY COME UP WITH. 
          WE HAVE MONITORING MEETINGS. 
          SO SOME OF OUR SCHOOLS ARE TIERED AND THEY NEED A LITTLE BIT MORE SUPPORT. 
          SO WE HAVE MONITORING MEETINGS THAT ARE ON A CADENCE OF EVERY THREE WEEKS. 
          AND WE DO BASICALLY WHAT WE DO WITH THE INSTRUCTIONAL REVIEW, EXCEPT THAT IT'S ABOUT A HALF A DAY AND IT'S VERY TARGETED. 
          WE, WE WORK VERY CLOSELY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE ADMINISTRATION CAN WORK ON FOR THE NEXT THREE WEEKS TO STAY VERY FOCUSED AND TARGETED FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT. 
          WE HAVE DATA COMMS WHERE OUR ADMINISTRATORS COME AND THEY GO THROUGH THEIR DATA WITH OUR SENIOR STAFF AND OUR DEPARTMENTS, AND THEY TALK ABOUT WHAT IT IS THAT THEY NEED AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL, WHETHER THAT'S FOR FACILITIES, WHETHER THAT'S WITH BUDGETARY 
          [00:15:02]
ITEMS THAT THEY NEED, AND THE INSTRUCTIONAL DEPARTMENTS THAT THEY NEED. 
          AND AT THE END OF THE YEAR, WE HAVE ALL OF THAT SUPPORT THAT WE PROVIDE ALL YEAR LONG, BUT AT THE END OF THE YEAR, ABOUT EIGHT WEEKS OUT FROM TESTING, IT'S ALL HANDS ON DECK. 
          SO ANY EMPLOYEE THAT'S WORKING IN THESE DEPARTMENTS THAT HAS A TEACHING CREDENTIAL, TEACHING CERTIFICATE, WE ARE DEPLOYED OUT TO SCHOOLS. 
          SO LAST YEAR, I WAS FORTUNATE. 
          I WENT TO WELLBRANCH ELEMENTARY AND I TAUGHT THIRD GRADE MATH FOR A WHILE. 
          SO WE DO THAT A COUPLE DAYS A WEEK FOR A COUPLE HOURS, AND THAT PROVIDES SUPPORT FOR OUR TEACHERS. 
          IT PROVIDES SUPPORT FOR OUR STUDENTS. 
          WE'RE ABLE TO WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH OUR STUDENTS IN SMALL GROUPS AND GIVE THEM A LITTLE BIT OF EXTRA HELP, BUT IT ALSO KEEPS US IN TUNE AS TO WHAT OUR SCHOOLS NEED, AND IT PUTS US BACK IN THE CLASSROOMS SO THAT WE ARE ABLE TO HELP SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS AND OUR SCHOOLS, UM, AT A BETTER, BETTER, TO HELP IMPROVE THEM, UM, FOR THEIR SCHOOL S- SCHOOL REPORT CARD, BUT ALSO FOR SCHOOL, STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT. 
          SO AS DR. 
          RODRIGUEZ SAID, WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO THAT, BUT THAT'S SOME OF THE SUPPORT THAT WE PROVIDE THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR. 
          THANK YOU, DR. 
          LEE. 
          UM, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE. 
          UH, SO COMING BACK TO OUR STRATEGIC PLAN GOAL OF 75, 75, 92, UM, THIS IS, THESE ARE THE TARGETS THAT, THAT WE HAVE SET. 
          WE KNOW THEY'RE HIGH, WE KNOW THEY'RE, THEY'RE BOLD AND AUDACIOUS GOALS, BUT I JUST THINK YOU HAVE TO HAVE THEM THAT HIGH BECAUSE, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU MOVE FURTHER, THE HIGHER YOUR GOALS ARE, YOU KNOW? AND, AND SO THAT'S REALLY AN IMPORTANT PIECE TO US. 
          UH, AND SO LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW WE'RE DOING ON THAT TRACK TO, UH, 75, 75, 92. 
          THE TOP BAR IN, UH, IN YELLOW IS OUR GRAD RATE, AND YOU CAN SEE, UH, WE ARE ON THE TRAJECTORY THAT THOSE LINES ARE THE TRAJECTORY NECESSARY TO GET TO 75, 75, 92. 
          SO THAT TOP LINE HAS A 92% GOAL. 
          WE ARE ABOVE, UH, THE TRAJECTORY RIGHT NOW, WHICH IS A GOOD PLACE TO BE, RIGHT? SO WE JUST NEED TO KEEP WORKING, KEEP PLUGGING AWAY, AND WE'RE AT 91.1, AND I KNOW THAT SEEMS LIKE 92 IS A PIECE OF CAKE BECAUSE IT'S RIGHT THERE, BUT I PROMISE YOU, IN MOVING GRADUATION RATES, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 IS A HEAVY LIFT. 
          SO WE MOVED O - MORE THAN ONE PERCENTAGE POINT LAST YEAR, AND, UH, AND THAT'S REALLY TARGETED WORK IN TRACKING STUDENTS DOWN, CHASING THEM DOWN, UH, AND, AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE DOING WHAT THEY'VE GOTTA DO IN ORDER TO, UH, UH, COMPLETE THEIR REQUIREMENTS FOR, FOR GRADUATION AS WELL. 
          IN ELA, YOU CAN SEE WE'RE, WE'RE ON THE TRAJECTORY. 
          UH, WE KEEP GROWING. 
          UH, WE'VE BEEN EVERY YEAR, REALLY THE PANDEMIC DIDN'T SLOW US DOWN VERY MUCH HERE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY ON ELA. 
          WE HAVE KEPT GROWING AND PUSHING THE NEEDLE, AND, UH, WE REMAIN ON A TRAJECTORY, UH, TO HIT THAT 75. 
          IT'S GONNA GET, YOU KNOW, UH, MORE DIFFICULT THE FURTHER ALONG WE GET ON EACH OF THESE SCORES, BUT, BUT, UH, WE'RE CERTAINLY COMMITTED TO DOING IT, AND YOU CAN SEE WE'RE IN A GOOD PLACE AND WE'RE, WE'RE RIGHT ON TRACK. 
          ON THE MATH, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, THAT'S THE ONE IMPACTED THE MOST. 
          AND SO TO GET, TO GET THE 75, UM, YOU CAN SEE THAT ON OUR TRAJECTORY, WE'RE, WE'RE, UH, A BIT BELOW OF WHERE WE NEED TO BE, EVEN THOUGH WE'RE GROWING, RIGHT? SO WE MOVED ABOUT THREE OR FOUR POINTS LAST YEAR, FROM LAST YEAR TO THIS YEAR, UH, WHEN THE REPORT CARD CAME OUT. 
          SO THERE WAS THREE TO FOUR POINTS IS, IS, IS GOOD PROGRESS, ALL RIGHT? BUT WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA NEED TO MOVE THE NEEDLE, UH, EVEN MORE, UH, UH, TO GET, TO GET ON TRACK. 
          SO THAT'S REALLY, UH, AN IMPORTANT, I THINK, NOTE TO, TO HAVE ON THAT TRAJECTORY. 
          UH, WE'RE COMMITTED TO DOING IT. 
          WE'RE, UM, WE'VE PILOTED A FEW PROGRAMS LAST YEAR THAT, THAT WE SAW SOME VERY GREAT, UH, RESULTS OUT OF IN MIDDLE SCHOOL. 
          AND, UH, AND SO THAT'S THE APPROACH WE'RE TAKING, RIGHT? WE TAKE A CAUTIOUS APPROACH, WE PILOT SOMETHING. 
          IF IT, IF IT SEEMS TO YIELD, THEN WE EXPAND IT MORE, RIGHT, RATHER THAN GOING ALL OUT, AND THEN IF IT DOESN'T HAVE RESULTS, YOU'VE, YOU'VE COMMITTED YOURSELF DOWN THE ROAD. 
          SO THROUGH PILOT, WE CAN SEE WHICH ONES ARE YIELDING BETTER RESULTS, UH, AND, AND GET A BETTER IDEA ON RETURN ON INVESTMENT SO WE CAN THEN, UH, UH, PUSH HARDER IN THAT AREA IF IT SEEMS TO YIELD THE RESULTS WE'RE AFTER. 
          AND SO, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING CLOSELY AT THAT, BUT WE ARE MAKING PROGRESS IN MATH, AND YOU'LL SEE THAT IN A SECOND IF YOU, IF YOU GO ONTO THE NEXT SLIDE. 
          SO THIS IS THE SAME INFORMATION, BUT IT'S, UH, IT'S MORE OF IN A TABLE FORMAT. 
          SO YOU CAN SEE OUR TARGET ON THE TOP, ACROSS, ACROSS THE TOP, YOU CAN SEE WHERE WE CURRENTLY STAND, YOU CAN SEE THE CURRENT DIFFERENCE FROM WHERE WE NEED TO BE. 
          SO YOU CAN SEE WE'RE 13 POINTS AWAY IN ELA, WE'RE 25 POINTS AWAY IN MATH. 
          UM, IF YOU... 
          IN 2024, 
          [00:20:01]
THE DISTRICT WAS AT 55.6, AND YOU CAN SEE TODAY WE, WE'RE AT 61.9. 
          YOU CAN SEE IN MATH, WE WERE AT 44.9, WE'RE NOW AT 49.7. 
          SO YOU SEE WE'RE MAKING PROGRESS. 
          WE NEED TO ACCELERATE THAT PROGRESS IN MATH A LITTLE BIT MORE THOUGH. 
          AND THEN YOU SEE WE'RE AT 88.6 IN THE GRAD RATE AND, UH, IN 24 AND TODAY WE'RE AT 91.1. 
          WHAT YOU SEE HERE IS EVERY GRADE LEVEL BY THE, FROM THIRD GRADE TO EIGHTH GRADE THAT TAKES SC READY BY THE FOLLOWING SUBGROUPS, ALL HISPANIC OR BLACK SUBGROUP AND OUR WHITE SUBGROUP. 
          AND YOU CAN SEE THAT ALMOST EVERYTHING THERE IS 2026. 
          THERE'S A FEW OF THEM THAT ARE 2025, BUT ALMOST EVERYTHING IS 2026. 
          WHAT THAT'S SHOWING YOU IS WHAT YEAR WE GOT THE HIGHEST FOR THAT SUBGROUP THAT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS EVER GOTTEN. 
          AND YOU CAN SEE IN THE LAST TWO YEARS, WE'VE HIT EVERY ONE OF THOSE CELLS, BUT ESPECIALLY ALMOST ALL OF THEM ARE IN 2026. 
          LET'S LOOK AT THAT FOR MATH. 
          A YEAR AGO, YOU WOULD HAVE SEEN FOUR OF THOSE THAT WERE HIGHLIGHTED IN BLUE. 
          THIS YEAR, YOU SEE HOW MANY MORE WE'VE COVERED IN SCORING THE HIGHEST THE SCHOOL DISTRICT'S EVER HIGHER, UH, EVER SCORED FOR EACH OF THOSE SUBGROUPS AT EACH OF THOSE GRADE LEVELS. 
          S- SO THERE'S BEEN, BEEN QUITE A BIT OF PROGRESS AND SUCCESS, UH, ACROSS OUR SCHOOLS, EVEN THOUGH WE'RE STILL DRIVING ON, ON THIS ONE. 
          YES. 
          GO AHEAD. 
          CHOOSING A SCHOOL IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST DECISIONS A FAMILY CAN MAKE. 
          SO HERE'S THE QUESTION. 
          WHY ARE MORE FAMILIES CHOOSING PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN BEAUFORT COUNTY? BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE OPPORTUNITY LIVES, WHERE CHAMPIONSHIP ATHLETES COMPETE, WHERE FUTURE ENGINEERS, ARTISTS, AND ENTREPRENEURS GET THEIR START, WHERE STUDENTS ARE CHALLENGED, SUPPORTED, AND PREPARED FOR THE REAL WORLD WITH TOP TEACHERS, POWERFUL PROGRAMS AND OUTCOMES THAT RIVAL ANY OPTION. 
          THIS ISN'T JUST A SCHOOL SYSTEM, IT'S A LAUNCHPAD. 
          LET'S GO PUBLIC. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM... 
          I DO. 
          YES, MA'AM. 
          SO, UM, I WAS ONE OF THE ONES THAT... 
          I'M ALWAYS INTERESTED TO WATCH YOUR SCORES. 
          I LOVE YOUR 75, 75, 92. 
          THAT'S BEEN EVERY YEAR WE TALK ABOUT IT, SO I'M GLAD YOU'RE INCHING UP AND YOU'RE RIGHT. 
          NOW YOU'RE UP BY TENSE. 
          BUT I REALLY ENJOYED LISTENING TO WHAT YOU'RE, UM, DOING TO HELP TEACHERS. 
          IT DOESN'T MAKE ME MISS MY CLASSROOM DAYS, TRUST ME, BUT I LOVE YOUR FOCUS ON DATA, YOUR INSTRUCTIONAL REVIEWS, YOUR CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONS, AND I REALLY LOVE THE CENTRAL OFFICE PERSON, PEOPLE ARE STATIONED IN THE SCHOOLS TO SUPPORT THE TEACHERS DOING THE ALL HANDS ON DECK. 
          THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. 
          UM, I WOULD HAVE NEVER GONE IN A THIRD GRADE CLASSROOM. 
          YOU COULD KEEP THAT ONE. 
          I WOULD DO MIDDLE SCHOOL, BUT I APPLAUD YOUR CENTRAL OFFICE STAFF FOR DOING THAT. 
          I THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA. 
          I'M ALWAYS EXCITED TO LISTEN ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING, AND I WONDER IF YOU COULD EXPLAIN BRIEFLY THE IMPACT ON THIS DISTRICT WITH THE, WHAT THE STATE PASSED WITH ALLOWING STUDENTS FROM NEIGHBORING DISTRICT TO COME TO YOUR SCHOOL. 
          YEAH. 
          SO THAT'S A, A GREAT QUESTION. 
          AT THE MOMENT, UH, IT HASN'T BEGUN, ALL RIGHT? SO YOU, SO YOU'RE NOT CURRENTLY SEEING AN IMPACT FROM THAT. 
          UM, IN, IN JANUARY, UH, WE, WE'VE GOT, UH, A LOCAL PLAN THAT, UH, WE HAD SUBMIT TO, TO THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF ED AROUND THAT. 
          AND, AND THEN THAT LOCAL PLAN, UH, ONCE, ONCE APPROVED BY THEM, IS ONE THAT WOULD, WOULD, WOULD BE WHAT WE UTILIZE, UH, IN TERMS OF WHEN STUDENTS COME IN. 
          ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO US IS TO MAKE SURE THAT A LOCAL BEAUFORT COUNTY STUDENT IS NOT DISADVANTAGED OR MISSING OUT ON AN OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE A STUDENT FROM ANOTHER, UH, COUNTY OR COMMUNITY IS, IS LOOKING TO FIND, UH, UH, AN EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE HERE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY. 
          SO, SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS, IS BUILT INTO OUR PLAN TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, OUR LOCAL BUFORD COUNTY STUDENTS ARE NOT DISADVANTAGED IN ANY WAY BY, UM, BY, BY WHAT THE OPPORTUNITIES THE STATE IS, IS PROVIDING, UH, UH, STATEWIDE. 
          SO AT THE MOMENT, UH, IT HASN'T BEGUN. 
          AT THE MOMENT, UH, WE DON'T HAVE AN IMPACT, UH, TO REALLY TALK ABOUT JUST YET. 
          IF I REMEMBER DURING ONE OF YOUR MEETINGS, YOU TALKED ABOUT THE COST TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND WHAT THE PARENT WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THAT. 
          YES. 
          SO AS A PART OF THAT, THE STATE, UH, PROVIDES, UH, JUST AS AN EXAMPLE, SAY $7,500 PER STUDENT. 
          SO WHATEVER THE COST IS, RIGHT, WHICH IS MORE THAN THAT TO EDUCATE A STUDENT, ALL RIGHT, UM, UH, THAT MONEY WOULD COME, WOULD TRAVEL WITH THE STUDENT, AND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 
          [00:25:03]
WHAT THAT COVERS, WHAT THE COST OF EDUCATING A STUDENT IS IN A PARTICULAR DISTRICT WOULD BE, UH, WHAT PARENTS HAVE TO PAY. 
          I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR - SO THAT, THAT, SO IN OTHER WORDS, YOU'RE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE GONNA PAY, UH, TO MEET THE COST OF EDUCATING A STUDENT, UH, IN A COUNTY. 
          WHAT'S YOUR COST PER PUPIL FOR IT, FOR IT TO EDUCATE? UM - JUST BALLPARK IT. 
          TANYA? 16. 
          16,000? OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ANY OTHER MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL OR THE BOARD HAVE QUESTIONS? YES. 
          M. 
          CAN YOU HEAR ME? OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, DR. 
          RODRIGUEZ, I, UM, I ADMIRE YOUR GOALS, YOUR, UM, YOUR, YOUR TARGETED NUMBERS, AND, UM, I AGREE WITH YOU. 
          IF YOU DON'T HAVE A NUMBER OUT THERE, UM, TO REACH FOR, TO, TO REACH FOR, UM, YOU'RE GONNA FIND YOURSELF WHERE YOU ARE TODAY, UM, AND YOU'RE JUST MOVING, GUESSING WHERE YOU WANNA GO. 
          SO I, I JUST WANNA COMMENT, UM, TO, ON YOU AND ENCOURAGE YOU TO CONTINUE THAT, THAT EFFORT. 
          I DO... 
          I'VE ALWAYS BELIEVED THAT, UM, THE PRINCIPAL IS THE KEY INSTRUCTIONAL LEADER, UH, IN A, IN A SCHOOL. 
          AND NOW YOU ARE DEMONSTRATING THAT YOU HAVE INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS THROUGHOUT THE SYSTEM, SO I MUST COMMEND YOU ON THAT. 
          MR. GLOVER, I WANNA JUST BRIEFLY THANK YOU FOR MAKING THAT, THOSE COMMENTS, BECAUSE YOU, YOU'RE, YOU'RE 100% CORRECT. 
          THE, THE PRINCIPAL AS THE INSTRUCTIONAL LEADER IN THE SCHOOL IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT. 
          THE TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOM, INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT. 
          AND I THINK WHAT, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S BEEN IMPORTANT TO US AND WE'VE BEEN DOING IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF, UH, OF PEOPLE HEADED INTO ADMINISTRATIVE ROLES IN, UH, IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. 
          AND SO WE'VE BEEN DEVELOPING, UH, DONE, DONE A, UH, I THINK A, A MUCH BETTER JOB IN TERMS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF INDIVIDUALS PREPARING TO TAKE ON THOSE LEADERSHIP ROLES IN SCHOOLS. 
          AND, AND I THINK WE'VE, UH, E- EVEN DOUBLED DOWN ON OUR PREVIOUS EFFORTS THIS YEAR WITH A NEW LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM THAT WE RECEIVED A GRANT FROM THE SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. 
          AND, UH, AND THAT WORK HAS ALREADY BEGUN, UH, AND, AND IT BUILDS A STRONGER BENCH WITH, WITH A STRONGER GROUP OF PEOPLE READY TO TAKE ON, UH, THOSE IMPORTANT SEATS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I, UH, YES, SIR. 
          NO, YOU GO AHEAD, DAVE. 
          I'M GONNA TRY TO BE LOUD ENOUGH TO BE RIGHT NEAR ME. 
          UM, HAS THERE BEEN AN INCREASE IN... 
          YEAH, HAS THERE BEEN AN INCREASE IN HOMESCHOOLING OR ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLING OPTIONS HERE IN BEAVER COUNTY THAT YOU'RE AWARE OF? YEAH, I THINK WE SEE, UH, UH, AN INCREASE IN TERMS OF, UH, PARENTS CHOOSING, UH, AN INTEREST IN, UH, HOMESCHOOL OR ONLINE. 
          ONE OF THE CHALLENGES WITH THAT, THAT WE FIND IS THAT, UH, A- AT FIRST, YOU KNOW, IT... 
          AND, AND THIS IS A GENERAL STATEMENT, SO IT'S, IT'S NOT TRUE FOR EVERY CASE, RIGHT? UH, OBVIOUSLY, DEFINITELY, RIGHT? BUT, BUT WE DO FIND THAT AS STUDENTS, UH, UH, GET FURTHER ALONG IN THEIR EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE, THE HARDER THE MATERIAL BECOMES, RIGHT? AND THEN A LOT OF TIMES, UH, STUDENTS RETURN TO, TO THE SCHOOL. 
          AND, AND WHAT WE FIND IS A LOT OF TIMES AS THEY RETURN, EITHER A YEAR OR TWO YEARS LATER, UM, A, A LOT OF TIMES THEY'RE NOT ON GRADE LEVEL. 
          AND SO THAT, THAT REQUIRES US, UH, TO THEN DO, UH, ADDITIONAL WORK IN CATCHING THEM UP, UH, TO, TO GRADE LEVEL. 
          GOTCHA. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YES, SIR. 
          AND GOING BACK TO HOMESCHOOLING, I, I MET SOMEONE RECENTLY THAT HAD PARTICIPATED IN... 
          SHE WAS HIGH S - HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS WHEN SHE WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL, BUT SHE WAS HOMESCHOOLED. 
          HOW... 
          DOES, DOES THE SCHOOL DISTRICT TRACK THOSE COSTS FOR, UH, THE HOMESCHOOL CHILDREN THAT ARE PARTICIPATING IN, UM, VARSITY SPORTS IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM? UH, NOT NECESSARILY THAT, THAT COST ITSELF, BUT THE LEGISLATION PROVIDES THE OPPORTUNITY FOR, UH, FOR HOMESCHOOL STUDENTS, UH, TO PARTICIPATE IN, IN LOCAL SCHOOL EXTRACURRICULARS. 
          AND THEN TRY OUT JUST LIKE OTHER, OTHER PEOPLE. 
          CORRECT. 
          OKAY. 
          YES, SIR. 
          MS. SMITH? UM, I JUST WANT TO COMMENT ON TERMS OF THE, UH, HOMESCHOOL, UH, QUESTION THAT, UH, MR. ASKED. 
          UM, I JUST, YOU KNOW, UH, JUST IN TALKING TO, UH, TALKING TO A COMMUNITY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE PRIVATE SCHOOL, THE PRIVATE SECTORS, AND HOW MANY STUDENTS ARE, ARE, WHETHER THEY'RE LEAVING THE DISTRICT AND GOING TO THOSE SECTORS, BUT, UM, UM, 
          [00:30:01]
WHEN WE UNDERSTAND WHERE, WHERE THIS, WHERE SOME OF THIS ORIGINATED FROM, UH, DURING TIME OF COVID. 
          WHEN, WHEN CERTAIN PARENTS HAVE DIFFERENT OPTIONS AND THAT'S REALLY WHERE, THAT WAS WHERE THEY WERE ABLE TO BUST THAT BUBBLE AND REALLY OPEN, GET OPEN TO SOME OF THOSE DIFFERENT OPTIONS AND DIFFERENT THINGS. 
          BUT AS WELL, BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT AS A HOLD IN TERMS OF ACROSS THE COUNTRY, YOU LOOK AT CERTAIN CERTAIN JOBS AT THAT TIME OF COVID, THEY CHANGE BEING IN THE ACTUAL OFFICES AND VERSUS ALLOWING PEOPLE TO WORK FROM HOME AND IT'S CHEAPER AND WORKED OUT. 
          SO DIFFERENT, IT TOOK DIFFERENT MEASURES. 
          AND, AND, AND MY POINT OF SAYING THAT IS, IS THAT IT JUST DIDN'T HAPPEN HERE. 
          IT HAPPENED ACROSS THE, ACROSS THE COUNTRY. 
          AND IT ALSO HAPPENED IN THE, IN THE, IN THE WORK, IN, IN THE WORK, IN THE WORK FIELD AS WELL AS WELL AS THE SCHOOL FIELD. 
          BUT ONE THING I CAN SAY IS THAT WE'RE DEFINITELY STRIVING TO KEEP OUR STUDENTS. 
          SO THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE GOOD THING. 
          BUT I JUST WANTED TO, JUST SOME, UH, FOOD FOR THOUGH IN TERMS OF UNDERSTANDING AND PROCESSING THOSE NUMBERS. 
          ANYONE ONLINE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? WE'RE READY TO GO ON TO THE NEXT ITEM. 
          I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO INTRODUCE IN THE BACK, WE HAVE ALL OF THE TOWN COUNCIL FROM THE TOWN OF PORT ROYAL AND THE, UM, CITY MANAGER, VAN WILLIS, SITTING IN THE FRONT ROW THERE. 
          SO WELCOME. 
          UM, ARE YOU, THIS, THE NEXT ONE 
          [6.b. Discussion on Multi-County Industrial Park (MCIP) ]
IS THE DISCUSSION ON THE MULTI-COUNTY INDUSTRIAL PARK AND, UM, WHO WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THE LEAD ON THAT? I THINK WE'RE GOING TO HAVE DIFFERENT PEOPLE SPEAK. 
          IS THERE ANYONE WHO WANTS TO LEAD OFF? YOU? MS. CROSBY. 
          USE YOUR MIC. 
          YES, THANK YOU. 
          MRS. CROSBY COMING UP. 
          YEAH. 
          TESTING. 
          GOOD EVENING. 
          UH, ONCE AGAIN, UM, I'M TANYA CROSBY, THE CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER FOR THE BUFORD COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT. 
          I WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT WE'VE MADE IT EXTRA COLD IN HERE THIS EVENING SO WE COULD RUSH THE MEETING LONG FOR YOU. 
           JUST TEASING. 
          UM, SO, UH, IT WON'T BE ANY SURPRISE THAT I'M GONNA BE SP- SPEAKING, UM, BASED ON THE INTERESTS OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT THIS EVENING. 
          SO I HAVE A FEW POINTS I'D LIKE TO MAKE REGARDING THE TOWN OF PORT ROYAL MCIP AND ITS EFFECTS ON THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. 
          UM, JUST SOME BACKGROUND FIRST. 
          UH, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT SIGNED A RESOLUTION IN 2012 TO REDIRECT A CAPPED AMOUNT OF $300,000 PER YEAR OF SCHOOL DISTRICT FUNDING FOR 20 YEARS TO THE TOWN FOR A REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT. 
          14 YEARS HAVE PASSED, NO BONDS HAVE BEEN ISSUED, NO PROJECTS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED. 
          FUNDS WERE, UH, HAVE BEEN RETURNED, UH, TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AT THE REQUEST OF OUR FINANCIAL ADVISOR, UH, OF 1.2 MILLION DOLLARS, UH, OF WHICH NO INTEREST EARNINGS, UH, ARE, ARE IDENTIFIED, UH, IN THAT REIMBURSEMENT. 
          OUR REPORTING REQUIREMENTS TYPICALLY IN, IN ALL OF THE TIFS THAT I HAVE SEEN OVER THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, I'VE BEEN WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR 25 YEARS THIS MONTH. 
          UH, IN THE 10 YEARS I'VE BEEN IN MY ROLE, I HAVE SEEN TWO PRESENTATIONS REGARDING THIS TIF, UM, AND ANY INFORMATION, UH, AFFECTED BY THAT, ANY TAX REVENUES, INTEREST EARNINGS, EXPENDITURE PROJECTS, UH, EXPENDITURES BY PROJECT. 
          UH, CONSIDERING THE SIZE OF THIS PROJECT, UH, I THINK TAXPAYERS DESERVE TO KNOW WHERE THE MONEY IS BEING SPENT. 
          SO WE NEED TO HAVE MORE, UH, TRANSPARENT COMMUNICATION REGARDING, UH, ANY TIFS OR MCIP AGREEMENTS OR ANY OTHER AGREEMENTS WHERE FUNDS ARE, ARE PROVIDED FROM THE VARIOUS ENTITIES. 
          UH, NONE OF THE DOLLARS IN THE MCIP PROPOSAL THAT IS BEING, UH, UH, PROVIDED ARE DEDICATED TO INSTRUCTIONAL FACILITIES. 
          THE MOST RECENT TIFS THAT ARE 2018 AND PRIOR HAVE ALL INCLUDED INSTRUCTIONAL FACILITIES FOR STUDENTS. 
          THAT'S THE NEW RIVER TIF, THE TOWN OF BLUFFTON TIFF, TOWN OF HILTON HEAD TIF, ALL INCLUDED, AND THE T - UH, TECHNICAL COLLEGE OF THE LOW COUNTRY CULINARY INSTITUTE ALL INCLUDED INSTRUCTIONAL FACILITIES THAT BENEFITED OUR STUDENTS. 
          UH, THE TOWN OF, UH, PORT ROYAL FUNDS WILL BE REDIRECTED FROM STUDENTS AND TEACHERS TO PARKS, PATHWAYS, RECREATION, AND INFRASTRUCTURE. 
          THE REQUEST IS BEING MADE AND ASKED OF COUNTY COUNCIL, THIS REQUEST DIRECTLY AFFECTS STUDENTS. 
          IN ADDITION, $100,000 OF THIS REQUEST WOULD GO TO JASPER COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR SIGNING AN AGREEMENT. 
          UH, 55,000 OF THAT WILL BE COMING FROM THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. 
          SO HOW DOES IT IMPACT US? UH, THE DISTRICT IS CURRENTLY WORKING UNDER A STRAINED 
          [00:35:01]
OPERATING BUDGET. 
          OUR STATE AND FEDERAL REVENUES ARE FALLING. 
          JUST A MILLION DOLLARS FELL, UH, THIS YEAR IN TITLE I ONLY. 
          UM, SO THAT IS DIRECTLY IMPACTING OUR SCHOOLS. 
          SO THE SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS THAT THEY WERE, UH, BUYING AT OUR TITLE ONE AT OUR MOST HIGH POVERTY SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN, UH, LIMITED ONLY TO THE STAFFING THAT THEY ARE CURRENTLY, UM, OR HAVE AT THEIR SCHOOLS. 
          UH, WE HAVE SLOWER GROWTH IN OUR LOCAL TAX REVENUE. 
          I'M BEGINNING TO SEE A DECLINE IN THAT GROWTH. 
          SO NOT A DECLINE IN REVENUE, BUT A DECLINE IN HOW IT'S GROWING FROM YEAR TO YEAR. 
          IT'S BEGINNING TO SHOW, UH, IT PEAKED, UH, RIGHT AFTER COVID, AND NOW THAT IS, IS, UH, DECLINING EACH YEAR. 
          UH, NEW FACILITIES, UH, ARE OPENING IN OUR NEXT BUDGET YEAR, INCLUDING NEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND A REBUILT MIDDLE SCHOOL AND TWO NEW CAREER TECHNICAL CENTERS AT TWO OF OUR HIGH SCHOOLS. 
          THEY ARE GOING TO ADD 75,000 SQUARE FOOT, FOOT NET. 
          UH, LADIES ISLAND MIDDLE WILL ACTUALLY DECLINE THE SQUARE FOOTAGE OF THE BUILDING, UH, BUT THAT NETTED WITH THE OTHER ADDITIONS WILL BE 75,000 SQUARE FEET OF SPACE TO MAINTAIN CLEAN AND POWER IN THE NEXT BUDGET YEAR. 
          SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE INCREASES IN THERE. 
          RISING COSTS CREATE PRESSURES TO INCREASE WAGES. 
          OUR GASOLINE IS AT AN ALL TIME HIGH AND AFFECTS EVERYTHING WE PURCHASE, ESPECIALLY CONSTRUCTION. 
          ADDITIONALLY, A SALARY STUDY IS SLATED FOR OUR NEXT BUDGET YEAR, MAKING, UH, SEVERAL, IT'S, IT'S BEEN SEVERAL YEARS SINCE WE HAD ONE THAT WILL AFFECT CL - UH, NON-TEACHERS, SO NON-CERTIFIED STAFF. 
          IT WILL BE, UH, UH, CLASSIFIED SALARY STUDY AND ADMINISTRATORS. 
          THE COST OF THESE KNOWN INCREASES ARE APPROXIMATELY $10 MILLION OF WHAT WE WILL DEFINITELY SEE AS AN INCREASE IN THE NEW YEAR THAT IS NOT INCLUDING THE CONTRACTUAL INCREASES AND OTHER, UH, COSTS THAT WE HAVE. 
          LEGISLATIVE RESTRICTIONS LIKE PANIC ALERT SYSTEMS AND UNFUNDED MANDATES LIKE PAID PARENTAL LEAVE ALL CREATE SIGNIFICANT AND UNIQUE CHALLENGES TO OVERCOME IN FUTURE BUDGET YEARS. 
          AND SIMILAR TO THE PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTIONS FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS THAT WERE REDIRECTED AWAY FROM OUR DOLLARS, THIS MCIP IS AN OBSTACLE OF OUR GOAL OF COMPETING WITH OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN THE MOST TALENTED TEACHERS, WHICH IS A COUNTYWIDE GOAL AND OBJECTIVE FOR US. 
          SO THIS TOWN, UH, HAS ANOTHER OPTION. 
          STATE LAW DOES A LAW FOR THE ISSUANCE OF AN INSTALLMENT PURCHASE REVENUE BOND. 
          IT CAN BE A, AN, UH, ONCE A YEAR, UM, INCREMENTAL BORROWING, UH, AND IT WOULD BE A PAY AS YOU GO. 
          THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IS NOT ALLOWED TO DO, DO THIS. 
          UH, THEY WERE, IT WAS, UH, RESTRICTED SEVERAL YEARS AGO. 
          WE PAID OFF OUR INSTALLMENT PURCHASE BOND LAST YEAR. 
          UM, ALTHOUGH IT'S NO LONGER FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO UTILIZE THIS METHODOLOGY, IT IS AVAILABLE TO OTHER MUNICIPALITIES AND COUNTIES. 
          ACCORDING TO, UH, THE TOWN'S FINANCIAL REPORT FOR FISCAL YEAR 25, THEY HAVE A DEBT CAPACITY OF $3.6 MILLION, MORE THAN ENOUGH TO COVER ANNUAL PAYMENTS TO FUND THE PROJECT. 
          THIS REQUEST IS, WOULD IMPOSE A COUNTYWIDE TAX TO PAY FOR TOWN'S REDEVELOPMENT PROJECTS FOR CONSTITUENTS THAT MAY NEVER USE THOSE SERVICES. 
          UH, THERE'S ALSO A HOUSE BILL, UH, IN PLACE, AND IN JANUARY IT WAS INTRODUCED, BILL 4808, IF YOU'D LIKE TO LOOK AT THAT, UM, UH, IT'S ON THEIR WEBSITE. 
          IT WAS INTRODUCED AND REFERRED TO THE HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE IN JANUARY OF THIS YEAR. 
          IF ENACTED, THE BILL WOULD REQUIRE COUNTIES TO OBTAIN THE CONSENT OF EACH AFFECTING TAX, AFFECTED TAXING ENTRY, ENTITY BEFORE CREATING A JOINT INDUSTRIAL PARK. 
          WITH THIS LEGISLATION STILL PENDING, UH, THE TIMING OF THIS REQUEST IS, UM, IS INTERESTING. 
          IN CLOSING, UH, THE AMOUNT REQUESTED MAY SEEM SMALL, BUT EVERY DECISION SETS A PRECEDENT FOR THE NEXT ONE. 
          I ALWAYS SAY THAT IN EVERY DECISION THAT I MAKE, I KNOW THAT IT MEANS THAT I HAVE TO BE CONSISTENT WITH THE DECISIONS GOING FORWARD. 
          APPROVING THIS REQUEST OPENS THE DOOR FOR OTHER MUNICIPALITIES AND MCIPS TO COME BEFORE YOU SEEKING THE SAME ARRANGEMENT, LIKELY TO BE AT A LARGER COST. 
          OVER TIME, THOSE DECISIONS COULD ADD UP TO A SIGNIFICANT SUM OF MONEY. 
          IT IS NOT THE ROLE OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT TO FUND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. 
          IT IS OUR ROLE TO EDUCATE STUDENTS AND DEVELOP A FUTURE WORKFORCE TO HELP THAT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. 
          EVERY DOLLAR THAT'S REDIRECTED FROM AWAY FROM OUR, THAT MISSION IS A DOLLAR TAKEN FROM OUR CLASSROOMS AND OUR STUDENTS. 
          THAT CONCLUDES MY COMMENTS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU, MR. CROSBY. 
          UM, COUNCIL AND BOARD MEMBERS, QUESTIONS? YES, COUNCILMAN BARTHOLOMEW. 
          YES. 
          UH, THANK YOU FOR THAT. 
          AND, 
          [00:40:01]
YOU KNOW, I'VE HEARD A COUPLE NUMBERS THROWN AROUND. 
          I'VE SEEN THE PRESENTATIONS, BUT HOW MUCH, I GUESS APPROXIMATELY, WOULD THAT, WOULD THIS MCIP TAKE FROM YOUR BUDGET ON, OVER THE 20 YEARS? WELL, IF YOU DIVIDE THE FIVE AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS OF THE 10 MILLION THAT'S REQUESTED, UM, THAT WOULD BE ABOUT $200,000 A YEAR IN PRINCIPAL ONLY. 
          SO THERE WOULD BE INTEREST ON TOP OF THAT AS WELL. 
          SO, UH, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE INTEREST RATES, THAT WOULD DEPEND ON WHAT THE INTEREST RATES WOULD BE. 
          SO COULD IT BE AS MUCH AS 300,000, UH, PER YEAR? AND, UM, SO THOSE WOULD COME OUT OF BOTH SCHOOL OPERATIONS AND SCHOOL DEBT SERVICE. 
          AND OUR DEBT SERVICE MILLAGE IS ALREADY ESTABLISHED AND CONSISTENT, NOT, NOT PLANNING TO INCREASE. 
          SO, UH, WE WOULD HAVE TO UPDATE ANY PROJECTIONS IN FUTURE YEARS. 
          WE WOULDN'T BE UNABLE TO DO THAT FOR THE CURRENT YEAR. 
          SO, UM, WE WOULD HOPE THAT THOSE WOULD MEET THE EXPECTATIONS OF OUR PRINCIPAL AND INTEREST PAYMENTS IN OUR DEBT SERVICE FUNDS. 
          IF, IF THIS WERE TO PASS, UH, WE WOULD HAVE TO RE - GO BACK AND REVISIT THOSE CALCULATIONS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? OH, YES. 
          OH, ANYONE, ANYONE ON THE COUNCIL OR THE BOARD? THANK YOU. 
          UM, AS COUNTY COUNCIL KNOWS, I'VE OPPOSED THE MCIP, UH, THAT WAS REQUESTED BY USCD AND THIS IS A VERY SIMILAR ARGUMENT. 
          THIS IS NOT ABOUT THE PROJECT ITSELF, IT'S ABOUT THE PRINCIPLE OF HOW WE'RE RAISING MONEY. 
          UM, BEFORE I WAS ON THE SCHOOL BOARD, UH, BACK IN, I THINK, 2019 WHEN DR. 
          RODRIGUEZ WAS NEW TO THE DISTRICT, THE DISTRICT WAS NOT IN GOOD SHAPE. 
          WE HAD NOT PASSED A REFERENDUM IN 10 YEARS. 
          UH, MY CHILDREN WERE IN THE SCHOOLS. 
          THERE WERE RATS IN THE BUILDINGS. 
          IT FLOODED. 
          THERE WERE FIELDS THAT WERE UNPLAYABLE AND WE COULDN'T RAISE MONEY. 
          WHAT DR. 
          RODRIGUEZ DID, I ACTUALLY FIRST MET HIM AT MY NEIGHBORHOOD. 
          HE WENT TO EVERY SINGLE NEIGHBORHOOD IN BEAUFORT COUNTY AND TALKED TO ANYONE WHO WOULD LISTEN ABOUT THE REFERENDUM. 
          AND, UH, IT WAS NOT A PARTICULARLY WELL ATTENDED. 
          MY NEIGHBORHOOD WAS NOT FLUSH WITH FAMILIES AND CHILDREN, BUT THE 20 PEOPLE THAT WERE THERE WERE IMPRESSED AND TALKED TO THEIR NEIGHBORS ABOUT THE REFERENDUM NEEDS THAT WE HAD. 
          AND HE DID THIS AT MEETINGS, AT CHURCHES, AT ANY EVENT. 
          AND THAT WAS A LOT OF HARD WORK. 
          AND THE SCHOOL BOARD, ONCE I WAS ON THE SCHOOL BOARD, UM, WE REALLY DONE A GOOD JOB IN SUPPORTING THE EFFORTS IN PROVIDING OVERSIGHT AND ACCOUNTABILITY, BUT GENERALLY NOT GETTING IN THE WAY OF THE SUPERINTENDENT'S GOALS BECAUSE WE AGREED WITH THEM AND BECAUSE THEY WERE SO TRANSPARENTLY EXPRESSED. 
          SO WE PASSED THAT FIRST REFERENDUM. 
          FOUR YEARS LATER, WE PASSED THAT REFERENDUM FOR 400... 
          I CAN'T REMEMBER. 
          400 AND CHANGE, MILLION DOLLARS - 439. 
          BY THE HIGHEST MARGIN. 
          WHAT WAS IT? 439. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I KNEW THERE WAS A THREE IN THERE, BUT I DON'T WANNA GAMBLE. 
          UM, BUT WE, BY, BY A REALLY HIGH MARGIN, EVERY DISTRICT ACROSS OR EVERY VOTING DISTRICT WAS IN SUPPORT OF THIS REFERENDUM BECAUSE THE GROUNDWORK WAS LAID IN. 
          COUNTY COUNCIL NOW IS, PEOPLE ARE DESPERATELY LOOKING FOR ROAD IMPROVEMENTS. 
          I JUST DROVE OVER HERE FROM HILTON HEAD, PASSED MANY, MANY BOTTLENECKS, PROBLEMS. PEOPLE ARE GETTING IN ACCIDENTS. 
          I HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE BRIDGE. 
          AS AN EMPLOYER, I HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE BRIDGE. 
          SO WE WANT THAT REFERENDUM TO PASS. 
          IT'S IMPORTANT AND IT'S NEEDED. 
          IT DIDN'T PASS TWO YEARS AGO. 
          I DON'T THINK IT'S BECAUSE THE PEOPLE OF BEAUFORT COUNTY DON'T WANT THE ROAD IMPROVEMENTS, NOR DO I THINK IT'S THAT THE PEOPLE OF BEAUFORT COUNTY, AS A MAJORITY, WOULD OBJECT TO A PENNY TAX. 
          I THINK IT IS CONCERN ABOUT TRUST AND ACCOUNTABILITY. 
          MY PROBLEM WITH THIS, AND UH, COLONEL GEIER AND TANYA CROSBY WILL BLOW IT OUT OF THE WATER IN TERMS OF ALL THE DIFFERENT FINANCIAL MECHANISMS. TO ME, THE PROBLEM WITH THIS IS YOU'RE CUTTING THE VOTERS OUT OF THE EQUATION. 
          IF YOU WANT PARKS, GO TO THE PEOPLE THAT ARE GONNA VOTE FOR THE PARKS, GO TO THE PEOPLE IN THE MUNICIPALITIES, GO TO THE PEOPLE IN COUNTY AND CONVINCE THEM WHY THE PARKS ARE A GOOD IDEA. 
          THE MCIP BASICALLY, IN MY OPINION, THE SCHOOL BOARD'S DONE A REALLY GOOD JOB OF RAISING MONEY AND BALANCING OUR BUDGET AND WE'RE IN GOOD SHAPE AND WE HAVE THE TRUST OF, UH, OF THE CONSTITUENTS. 
          I CAN SPEAK FOR MY CONSTITUENTS AND OTHER PARENTS IN THE SCHOOL. 
          WE HAVE A, THEY HAVE A HIGH LEVEL OF CONFIDENCE IN DR. 
          RODRIGUEZ, IN TANYA, IN THE BOARD THAT WE'RE DOING. 
          THE CLOCK COMMITTEE I THINK WAS A HUGE ADVANCE. 
          SO MY PROBLEM IS WHEN YOU DO THESE MCIPS, I THINK YOU'RE SKIRTING THE VOTERS AND IT MAKES PEOPLE HAVE LESS CONFIDENCE IN THE TRANSPARENCY OF WHAT WE'RE DOING. 
          AND IT IS SORT OF A WAY FOR SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T WANT TO TAKE IT TO THE, THE VOTERS AND DO THE HARD WORK AND MAKE THE ARGUMENT DAY IN AND DAY OUT OF SAYING, "WELL, THE SCHOOL BOARD'S GOT $300,000 A YEAR THEY CAN SPARE." BUT AGAIN, I THINK THE PROBLEM IS THIS IS THE SECOND ONE IN 20, IN 12 MONTHS THAT HAS COME UP. 
          THERE ARE OTHER PROJECTS OUT THERE IN OTHER MUNICIPALITIES. 
          IF WE SAVE THIS ONE, HOW DO YOU TURN DOWN THE NEXT ONE? EVERY MUNICIPALITY IN THIS COUNTY AND THE COUNTY ITSELF NEEDS FUNDING TO MAINTAIN THE GROWTH. 
          WE DO NOT NEED TO ATTRACT THE DEVELOPERS. 
          THE DEVELOPERS PAID $9 MILLION FOR THIS PROPERTY IN 2017 AND 
          [00:45:01]
IT WAS SOLD FOR $20 MILLION A FEW YEARS LATER. 
          PEOPLE WANT TO BE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY. 
          WHAT WE NEED IS TRANSPARENCY WITH THE VOTERS AND WE NEED TO DO THINGS CORRECTLY. 
          AND THEN I THINK THE COUNTY WILL START TO SEE THAT IT WILL NOT BE SO DIFFICULT TO GET THE VOTERS TO, UM, SUPPORT THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE DESPERATELY NEED. 
          SO MY POINT IS NOT ABOUT HOW MUCH MONEY OR WHAT POT IS COMING OUT OF MY, MY REQUEST TO COUNTY COUNCIL IS DO THIS IN A WAY THAT INVOLVES THE VOTERS, IS TRANSPARENT, AND THEN YOU'RE ACCOUNTABLE TO THE VOTERS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND COUNCILMAN PASSIMIT IS ONLINE. 
          HE RAISED HIS HAND. 
          YES. 
          UM, I, I'VE HEARD NUMBERS THROWN AROUND. 
          THE $200,000 IS AN ANNUAL AMOUNT OF MONEY YOU WOULD BE EXPECTED TO PUT IN FOR THIS MCIP FOR A PERIOD OF TIME UNTIL THE MCIP IS FILLED, FOR A BETTER, LACK OF A BETTER TERM. 
          AND THEN YOU WOULD REAP THE BENEFITS OF THE COMMERCIAL THAT IS GOING TO BE DEVELOPED ON THIS PROPERTY. 
          UH, AM I CORRECT IN ASSUMING THAT? SO IT WILL BE 200,000 PLUS INTEREST. 
          SO I, THAT'S AN UN- UNKNOWN FIGURE. 
          SO YES, SIR. 
          UH, HOWEVER - OKAY. 
          ANY HOME, UH, RESIDENTIAL HOMES IN THAT PROPERTY, IN THAT, UH, GEOGRAPHIC AREA WOULD NOT, WE WOULD NOT RECEIVE BENEFIT FROM THOSE SINCE THEY ARE EXEMPT FROM SCHOOL OPERATING TAXES. 
          AND I UNDERSTAND THAT. 
          YOUR PRIMARY SOURCE OF REVENUE FOR OPERATIONS IS THE COMMERCIAL AND RENTAL PROPERTIES. 
          AND YOU SAID, UM, THAT, UH, THAT IS SLOWING DOWN? THE GROWTH, UH, THE GROWTH IN THE COUNTY IS SLOWING. 
          SO WHEN I SAY, UM, THE GROWTH AND THE VALUE OF THE MILL IS GROWING, IT IS SLOWING. 
          OKAY. 
          BECAUSE WE, UH, RECEIVED A REPORT FROM, UH, THE DEPARTMENT OF, UM... 
          HOLD ON A SECOND. 
          LET ME GET THAT. 
          UH, THE ECONOMIC UPDATE WAS GIVEN TO THE SOUTH CAROLINA ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES TODAY, AND IN PARTICULAR, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BEAUFORT COUNTY. 
          BEAUFORT COUNTY'S COMMERCIAL AND RENTAL PROPERTIES ARE NOW 46% OF THE AMOUNT OF MONEY RAISED. 
          THAT IS UP FROM 2016 BY ALMOST 3%. 
          THE BEAUFORT COUNTY IS THE SECOND HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF PROPERTY TAX REVENUE IN THE STATE. 
          THE $200,000 THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT ALSO CAN BE FUNDED, I BELIEVE, BECAUSE I ASKED THAT QUESTION, FROM OTHER SOURCES. 
          ACT 388 SAYS THAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO GET THE MONEY FROM 6%, AND WE KNOW SOMETIMES THERE IS A CHANGEOVER FROM 6% TO 4%, WHICH LEAVES YOU WITH A GAP. 
          THERE IS MONEY SET ASIDE TO FILL THAT GAP. 
          AN MCIP WOULD BE APPROPRIATE UNDER THAT. 
          OKAY. 
          ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? YES. 
          NO, YOU GO AHEAD, SIR. 
          OH, YOU WANT - YEAH, GO AHEAD. 
          ARE YOU SURE? I'M, I'M TRYING TO DEFER TO MY GUESTS. 
          NO, UH, WE JUST HAD THE, A, THE PRO AND CONS, SO GO AHEAD WITH - ALL RIGHT. 
          THEN I'M - THAT'S SO NICE. 
          AND, UH, I'M HAPPY TO, UH, TO WEIGH IN. 
          UH, I THINK THE DISCUSSION IS A LITTLE BIT TOO PEDESTRIAN AT THIS POINT IN TERMS OF WHERE THE FUNDING IS GONNA COME FROM. 
          I THINK THE BIGGER QUESTION IS A MORE STRATEGIC ISSUE. 
          WHY WERE SCHOOLS, PUBLIC SCHOOLS CREATED ALMOST 140 YEARS AGO? IT WAS NOT TO FUND DEVELOPMENT IN PRIVATE, INDEPENDENT TOWNS, MUNICIPALITIES. 
          IT WAS TO EDUCATE AMERICAN STUDENTS. 
          THE VALUE OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM NATIONWIDE IS THAT IT INCULCATES COMMON ETHICS, MORALS, WAYS OF INTERACTING SO THAT WE AS A NATION CAN BE SMOOTHLY EFFICIENT AS WE GO FROM STATE TO STATE. 
          AND AS THAT EVAPORATES AND PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE REDIRECTED FROM DOING THEIR BASIC RAISON D'ETRE, THAT MEANS THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO VEER AWAY FROM WHY YOU ARE CREATED. 
          HAVING LIVED IN OTHER COUNTRIES, I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT WHEN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEMS FAIL OR THEY SHOW REGRESSION, SOCIETY ALSO 
          [00:50:01]
SHOWS REGRESSION. 
          AND I THINK US ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT WHERE IT COMES FROM, AGAIN, IS A LOWER LEVEL OF DISCUSSION. 
          WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT AS DOLLARS ARE MOVED FROM PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO OTHER OPTIONS, THAT WE'RE NOT STARVING BECAUSE THE COMPETITIVE NATURE OF THOSE OTHER OPTIONS IS BEING SUPPORTED BY THE STATE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, EVEN THOUGH THE SOUTH CAROLINA CONSTITUTION SAYS THAT MONEY CANNOT BE DIRECTED TO THAT PARTICULAR, UH, EFFORT. 
          SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE UNDERSTAND WHY YOU'RE HEARING SO MUCH PASSION IN THE SPEAKER'S VOICE. 
          THE OTHER THING IS THAT, UH, NEW LEGISLATION CONTINUES TO MOVE WHAT PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAVE TO DO. 
          HOW MANY OF YOU KNOW THAT THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM FEEDS GROWN ADULTS DURING THE SUMMER? OH, VERY FEW HANDS. 
          WHERE IN THE HECK IS THAT NOTED THAT PUBLIC SCHOOLS, THAT'S OUR REMIT. 
          YOU WANT US TO EDUCATE OUR KIDS. 
          YOU WANT US TO EDUCATE YOUR KIDS. 
          YOU WANT US TO PREPARE THOSE KIDS FOR WHATEVER THE FUTURE IS GOING TO HOLD. 
          THAT'S THE STRATEGIC REASON YOU CREATE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 
          YES, I KNOW PEOPLE LOOK AT US AND SAY, "BOY, YOU FOLKS GOT A LOT OF MONEY." WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO PREPARE... 
          I WON'T SAY PARASITIC, BUT WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO ATTRACT THAT AND USE IT FOR OUR OWN REASONS. 
          THAT IS NOT WHAT PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE ACCOUNTED, ARE CREATED FOR. 
          SAFE HARBOR, WHO OWNS SAFE HARBOR? ANYBODY KNOW WHO OWNS THAT PARTICULAR - BLACKROCK. 
          BLACKROCK. 
          OKAY. 
          ANOTHER LADY WHO IS PROFICIENT IN THE INVESTMENT ARENA, I'VE, YEARS AGO WHEN FACEBOOK CAME OUT, I WAS, AS AN ACCREDITED INVESTOR, I PASSED ON FACEBOOK BECAUSE I COULDN'T SEE HOW IN THE HECK THEY'RE GONNA MAKE MONEY WHEN ALL YOU'RE DOING IS INCREASING YOUR SUBSCRIPTION. 
          I'M A CASH FLOW TYPE PERSON. 
          AND SO BLACK, UH, BLACKROCK OWNS SAFE HARBOR. 
          GOOGLE BLACKROCK, LOOK AT THEIR FINANCIALS. 
          BLACKSTONE, OKAY, BLACKSTONE, LOOK AT THE FINANCIALS AND SEE EXACTLY HOW MUCH CAPITAL THEY HAVE ON THEIR BALANCE SHEET. 
          THEY DO NOT NEED BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT'S CAPITAL TO CREATE WHAT YOU WANT. 
          NOW, THE OTHER POINT I'LL MAKE AND I'LL CONCLUDE, THAT PARCEL OF A WATERFRONT PROPERTY THAT'S UNDER CONSIDERATION FOR ADVANCEMENT AND REDEVELOPMENT, A SMALL PORTION OF THAT IS OWNED BY SAFE HARBOR. 
          AND SO THAT IS SOMETHING TO ALSO KEEP IN MIND. 
          I'M JUST SHARING SOME RESEARCH THAT HAS SHOWN THAT IN PARTICULAR, UH, THERE ARE PRIVATE INDUSTRIES, PRIVATE ENTITIES THAT CAN ACTUALLY FUND THIS AND IT WON'T EVEN MOVE A NEEDLE IN THEIR FINANCIALS. 
          SO THANK YOU. 
          UH, I TURN IT OVER TO WHOMEVER'S NEXT. 
          MR. LAWSON. 
          UH, YEAH. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND, AND I, I, I DID JUST PASS OUT SOME, SOMETHING TO EVERYBODY THAT, THAT'S OUT THERE. 
          DON'T THINK I'M THIS SMART. 
          I MEAN, IF I WAS AVAILABLE WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL, I WOULD'VE BEEN VALEDICTORIAN, BUT, UH, TH- THIS IS NOT THE CASE TODAY. 
          UM, BUT AGAIN, I WAS JUST GOING BACK AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, UH, BUDGET AND MIL - AND MILLAGE HISTORY FOR THIS, FOR THE, UH, SCHOOL DISTRICT, BECAUSE WHEN I CAME ON 2019, I REMEMBER IT BEING THAT 103, 104. 
          BUT I'M IN SUPPORT OF THIS, AND THE REASON I'M IN SUPPORT IS BECAUSE COUNCILS BEFORE ME, COUNTY COUNCILS, VOTED TO APPROVE THIS. 
          UM, THIS SCHOOL BOARD, PREVIOUS SCHOOL BOARD ALSO VOTED TO APPROVE THIS, UM, UH, YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS AGO, BUT AGAIN, WAS NOT PUT INTO PLACE. 
          UM, SO YOU LOOK AT, AT... 
          AND AGAIN, I UNDERSTAND THAT WHATEVER'S TALKING ABOUT WHEN IT COMES TO NEW ONES THAT ARE COMING UP, AND, AND AGAIN, I'M NOT SURE I WOULD SUPPORT ANY NEW ONES COMING UP, BUT AGAIN, THIS BEING SOMETHING THAT WAS PUT IN PLACE TO HELP THE TOWN OF PORT ROE, UH, IN, IN PAST YEARS AGREED UPON, UM, A- AND AGAIN, SOMETHING THAT, THAT, UM, AT THAT TIME, THEY THOUGH WAS A, A, A WONDERFUL THING. 
          AND IF YOU GO BACK AND LOOK, AND THE REASON I PULLED THIS UP, AND AGAIN, THIS IS AI, I'M SURE MS. MS. CROSBY CAN TEAR THIS APART IF SHE LOOKS AT IT AND GOES THROUGH IT. 
          I EXPECT THAT, BUT AGAIN, I'LL GET HER THAT AND, AND SHE CAN LOOK AT IT. 
          B AGAIN, THIS IS WHAT CAME DIRECTLY FROM AI, AND IT WAS SOMETHING I DID RIGHT BEFORE I GOT HERE. 
          I WANT TO GO BACK AND SEE WHAT THE BUDGET WAS FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, UM, BACK AT THAT TIME, UH, IN THE 2012 TIMEFRAME, YOU KNOW, ALSO WHAT THEIR, THEIR DEBT SERVICE WAS AT THAT TIME. 
          AND AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE THOSE THINGS FOR YOURSELF. 
          I'M NOT GONNA, I'M NOT GONNA BRING THOSE UP. 
          UM, BUT AGAIN, UM, I AM FOR THIS. 
          I'M GONNA REMAIN FOR THIS. 
          I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS WONDERFUL FOR THE TOWN OF PORT ROYAL. 
          UH, YES, IT IS AFFECTING THE SCHOOL BOARD'S BUDGET, UM, BUT AS, UH, MR. BARTHOLOMEW, UH, KINDA POINTED OUT, UM, THEY GO AND THEY DEVELOP THIS PROPERTY, THE TAXES THAT WILL COME OFF THIS, BECAUSE AGAIN, THERE ARE SOME RESIDENTS THERE, BUT SOME OF THOSE WOULD BE SECOND HOMEOWNERS, EVERYTHING 
          [00:55:01]
ELSE COMMERCIAL, UM, IS GONNA BE A, A TAX BASE, UH, FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. 
          AND I THINK THAT THAT WOULD ACTUALLY HELP TO ACCELERATE THE MONIES THAT COME BACK EVEN QUICKER IF THIS PROPERTY IS DEVELOPED. 
          YOU'LL SEE A, A LARGER, UM, AMOUNT OF TAXES COMING FROM THIS AREA WHEN IT'S DEVELOPED AND IT HAPPENS QUICKER. 
          SO AGAIN, UH, I WANNA REMAIN FOR IT. 
          UM, AGAIN, I, I, I, WHAT I LOVE WITH BEAUFORT COUNTY WITH US HERE IS THAT, UM, WE CAN TALK AND DISAGREE, BUT STILL REMAIN, YOU KNOW, FRIENDS AND STILL TALK ABOUT THINGS AND STILL VOTE ON THE NEXT THING THAT COMES ALONG. 
          THANK YOU, MARK. 
          UM, ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR DISCUSSION? YES, MA'AM. 
          UH, THANK, THANK YOU, CHAIR HOWARD. 
          WELL, MR. LAWSON, I VOTED FOR YOU, BUT I DISAGREE WITH YOU. 
          I ALSO REPRESENT DISTRICT NINE, AND FOR ALL THE REASONS, UH, THAT HAVE BEEN SAID, UH, I DO NOT THINK THIS IS THE WAY THAT, UH, THE, THIS PROJECT SHOULD BE FUNDED. 
          IT SHOULD NOT BE TAKING FUNDS FROM OUR, OUR CHILDREN, OUR STUDENTS, AND CLEARLY, UH, DR. 
          RODRIGUEZ AND HIS STAFF HAVE ACCOMPLISHED, UH, A GREAT AMOUNT IN THE LAST, UH, FIVE AND SIX YEARS THAT HE'S BEEN HERE, BUT THERE'S A LOT MORE TO ACCOMPLISH. 
          AND MY UNDERSTANDING FROM OUR, UM, DISCUSSION OF THIS BACK ON MAY 19, 2026, WHEN THE BOARD VOTED UNANIMOUSLY THAT THEY DID NOT SUPPORT THIS MCIP FOR, BUT THAT WAS PROPOSED FOR PORT ROYAL, WAS THAT THE 2012 AGREEMENT HAD EXPIRED. 
          I BELIEVE IT EXPIRED AFTER, UH, 12 YEARS, AND SOMEBODY CAN CORRECT ME IF THAT'S NOT CURRENT, IF THAT'S NOT RIGHT. 
          BUT WHEN A CONTRACT EXPIRES, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT, THAT YOU HAVE TO HONOR IT AFTER THAT. 
          THAT'S JUST, TO ME, THAT'S, THAT'S JUST, THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS. 
          IT'S LIKE IF YOU HAD A, WANTED TO BUY A HOUSE, YOU KNOW, WHEN THE PRICE WAS X AND YOU DIDN'T ACT ON IT, YOU CAN'T GO BACK 12 YEARS LATER AND SAY, "I'M GONNA BUY YOUR HOUSE NOW FOR THAT AMOUNT OF MONEY." I MEAN, THAT'S AS SIMPLE AS IT GETS, BUT I, I DO NOT SUPPORT THIS. 
          I DO NOT THINK THE, UM, THE CONSTITUENTS IN, IN OUR DISTRICTS WOULD SUPPORT THIS. 
          IT'S, IT'S, I WOULD SAY IT'S DECEITFUL. 
          GREAT, THANK YOU. 
          ANYONE ELSE? ANY COMMENT? DID YOU - MR. CHAIR, I DID PREPARE COMMENTS. 
          UH, CHAIRS AND MEMBERS OF BOTH COUNCILS, I APPRECIATE THE COUNTY'S INTEREST IN IMPROVING ITS WATERFRONT AND EXPAN - AND EXPANDING ITS PUBLIC ACCESS. 
          THOSE ARE WORTHWHILE GOALS. 
          HOWEVER, I OPPOSE THE MCIP. 
          UH OPPOSE THE MCIP PROPOSED AS PRESENTED BECAUSE, UH, TWO IMPORTANT QUESTIONS STILL NEED TO BE CLEAR. 
          PUBLIC ANSWERS, UH, NEED TO BE, NEED TO BE GIVEN. 
          FIRST, WHAT MAKES THIS A SUBSTANTIVE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE COUNTIES? UH, I UNDERSTAND THE STATE LAWS AL- ALLOW THE DEVELOPMENT TO BE LOCATED ENTIRELY IN ONE COUNTY, BUT MY CONCERN IS WHETHER THE NEIGHBORING COUNTY'S PARTICIPATION BRINGS MEANINGFUL RESPONSIBILITIES AND REGIONAL BENEFITS, OR PRIMARILY SATISFIES A REQUIREMENT FOR USING THE FINANCING STRUCTURE. 
          RIGHT NOW, IT'S A LEGAL KICKBACK, BUT IT'S JUST A KICKBACK FOR USING JASPER COUNTY. 
          OKAY, CAN WE USE YOUR NAME ON THIS PAPERWORK AND WE'LL GIVE YOU A 1% KICKBACK? I, I, I DON'T KNOW THAT THEY BRING ANYTHING SUBSTANTIVE TO THE DEAL. 
          COUNCILOR SHOULD EXPLAIN WHAT THE PARTNER AND COUNTY CONTRIBUTES, WHAT IT RECEIVES, AND WHAT THE ARRANGEMENT BENEFITS FOR BUFORD COUNTY TAXPAYERS. 
          COMMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE THAT, WELL, THIS WILL HAPPEN, THIS WILL HAPPEN, THIS WILL HAPPEN. 
          WE CAN WISH IN ONE HAND AND WHATEVER IN THE OTHER AND SEE WHICH ONE FILLS UP FIRST, BUT I, I DON'T SEE, YOU, WE DON'T HAVE A CRYSTAL BALL. 
          WE CAN SAY THAT, OH, THIS SHOULD HAPPEN, BUT WE DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. 
          WE DON'T KNOW THAT WE'RE GONNA RECEIVE THIS REVENUE. 
          WE, WE DON'T KNOW THAT SOME OF THESE HOUSES ARE GONNA BE SECOND HOMES IN THIS AREA. 
          WE DON'T KNOW ANY OF THAT. 
          WE'RE JUST ASSUMING, AND I, I, I DON'T THINK IT'S, UH, WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TAXPAYER'S MONEY, I THINK THOSE ARE BLIND ASSUMPTIONS. 
          SECOND, I'M CONCERNED ABOUT PROTECTING SCHOOL, OUR SCHOOL DEBT SERVICE REVENUE. 
          WHEN WE PASSED OUR, OUR REFERENDUMS, WE MADE A PROMISE, WE MADE A PROMISE THAT WE WOULD NOT RAISE THE MILLAGE, AND WE'VE KEPT THAT PROMISE. 
          I WASN'T HERE FOR THE FIRST ONE, BUT I WAS HERE FOR THE SECOND ONE, AND WE'VE KEPT THAT PROMISE. 
          W - IF THIS HAPPENS AND REVENUE IS DIVERTED AWAY FROM OUR DEBT MILLAGE, THEN GUESS WHAT? WE'RE S- STUCK IN A BIND, AND NOWHERE ON THE TAX BILL DOES, DOES IT GONNA SAY, IS IT GONNA SAY MILLAGE INCREASE FOR PORT ROYAL EXPANSION? NO, IT'S GONNA SAY SCHOOL DEBT SERVICE, AND THEN IT'S GONNA LOOK LIKE WE BROKE OUR WORD, AND THAT IS ABSOLUTELY NOT OKAY. 
          THAT IS NOT OKAY. 
          THIS, THIS ARRANGEMENT REDIRECTS REVENUE AWAY FROM OUR BOND DEBT SERVICE, AND THOSE, THOSE OBLIGATIONS REMAIN UNLESS THE, THE, THE LOST REVENUE IS REPLACED AND IT'S EXPECTED TO, IT'S EXPECTED TO, BUT WE DON'T KNOW. 
          WE DON'T KNOW. 
          I KNOW, I DON'T, I WANNA SEE SOME NUMBERS. 
          HAS ANYBODY DONE THE MATH ON THIS? OR WE JUST SAID, "WELL, OKAY, WE GOT SOME PERCENTAGE AND THIS, OH YEAH, AND IT LOOKS NICE. 
          THESE AREN'T THE DROIDS YOU'RE LOOKING FOR." NOWHERE IN THE TAXPAYER'S ANNUAL BILL TAX WILL STATE THE MILLAGE. 
          I'M NOT SUGGESTING THAT OUTCOME IS THE INEVITABLE. 
          I'M ASKING COUNCIL TO ESTABLISH WHETHER IT'S POSSIBLE TO PROVIDE FORCIBLE PROTECTION AGAINST IT. 
          GO TO THE TAXPAYERS, ASK THEM, AND THE TAXPAYERS DON'T WANT IT, THEN THE COMMUNITIES DON'T GET IT. 
          THIS IS NOT, THIS IS NOT AN OKAY WAY OF DOING THIS. 
          THIS IS SUBVERTING THE TAXES, THE TAXPAYERS. 
          IT'S, IT'S MAKING DEALS BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. 
          IT'S OKAY. 
          [01:00:01]
COMMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE THAT BASICALLY SAYS $200,000 IS NOMINAL FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. 
          UH, A FOOTBALL PROGRAM COSTS ABOUT $50,000 A YEAR. 
          WHICH ONE OF, WHICH ONE, WHICH OF OUR FOUR FOOTBALL PROGRAMS ARE YOU GONNA SIDELINE FOR 10 YEARS? IT ALSO REPRESENTS THREE TEACHERS. 
          ARE YOU GONNA FIRE THREE OF OUR TEACHERS? 'CAUSE WE RUN A BALANCED BUDGET. 
          ARE YOU GONNA, ARE YOU GONNA SI - ARE YOU GONNA FIRE THREE OF OUR TEACHERS? I HOPE IT'S NOT SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS. 
          WE'RE ALREADY SHORT ON THOSE. 
          I WOULD LIKE TO MENTION, UH, ALSO THAT, UH, SINCE I'VE BEEN ON THE BOARD, THE COUNTY COUNCIL UNANIMOUSLY DECIDED TO GIVE US FISCAL AUTONOMY. 
          IF THAT'S STILL THE SENTIMENT, PLEASE LEAVE OUR MONEY ALONE. 
          OKAY, THANK YOU. 
          MADAM CHAIR? OH, OKAY. 
          GO AHEAD, MS. BROWN. 
          CHAIRMAN DALLAS, I JUST LOOKED UP BLACKSTONE. 
           OKAY. 
          THE WORLD LARGEST ALTERNATIVE ASSET MANAGEMENT COMPANY, 1.4 TRILLION IN ASSETS. 
          I VOTED FOR THIS LAST NIGHT. 
          I WILL NOT BE VOTING FOR IT AGAIN. 
          AND THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT UP, MR. DALLAS. 
          GOVERNOR? YES, THANK YOU. 
          SO, UM, I DON'T REMEMBER WHO SAID IT, BUT THIS REMINDS ME OF THE USCB PROJECT. 
           OKAY. 
          OKAY? AND YOU ALL KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT THAT AND I WAS NOT IN FAVOR OF THAT. 
          AND I SAID AT THE TIME, AS, UH, MR. NAY SAID, "TAKE IT TO THE VOTERS. 
          ASK THE VOTERS IF THEY WANT IT." AND I WOULD SAY THE SAME FOR THIS. 
          UH, YOU'RE RIGHT, IT IS A LACK OF TRANSPARENCY WHEN YOU JUST PUT IN AN MC - CIP. 
          THE VOTERS HAVE NO IDEA WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, AND WE'RE JUST GONNA SHOW IT, SHOW UP ON THE TAX BILL AS INCREASED MILLAGE. 
          AND THEN NEXT YEAR, AND I THINK COLONEL GEIER SAID THIS AT OUR MEETING, NEXT YEAR YOU ALL WILL STAND IN FRONT OF COUNTY COUNCIL AND SAY, "WE HAVE TO RAISE MILLAGE." AND THEN COUNTY COUNCIL'S GONNA SAY, "OKAY, WE'LL LET YOU RAISE MILLAGE AND THEN WE'LL TAKE THE HIT ON THE TAX BILL TOO, BECAUSE WE RAISE MILLAGE." AND YOU'RE RIGHT, WE WANTED TO GIVE YOU FISCAL AUTONOMY. 
          WE PUSHED AND PUSHED. 
          THE DELEGATION'S NOT IN FAVOR OF IT, BUT THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF FISCAL AUTONOMY. 
          AND SO I AM VOTING NO. 
          AND I'VE SAID IT THREE TIMES AND THEY ALL KNOW THAT. 
          THE OTHER BOARD OR C - YES, SIR. 
          COLONEL? UM, COUNCILMAN BARTHOLOMEW ASKED ME A QUESTION AT THE FINANCE, COUNTY FINANCE COMMITTEE SAID, "HAS ANY OF THESE MCIPS BENEFITED ANY SCHOOL DISTRICT?" WELL, I CHECKED. 
          I DIDN'T KNOW THE ANSWER, SO I. 
          IS IT ON NOW? I DON'T THINK SO. 
          JUST. 
          CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? YEAH. 
          OKAY. 
          PERFECT. 
          SO COUNCILMAN BARTHOLOMEW, YOU ASKED ME IF ANY MCIP EVER PROVIDED ANY BENEFIT TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. 
          I DIDN'T KNOW THE ANSWER. 
          SO I, I SPOKE TO BRIAN NURIC, OUR FINANCIAL ADVISOR TODAY. 
          HE SAID, "WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE MCIPS IN THE STATE?" I SAID, "I KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. 
          THAT'S WHAT I DO." I SAID, ANSWER THE QUE - I ASKED THE QUESTION, "HAS ANY SCHOOL DISTRICT BENEFITED FROM AN MCIP?" ANSWER, "NONE." ANSWER, "NONE." NOW, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, BRIAN, WHO I TRUSTED WAS HE WAS RIGHT, I WENT TO AI, META AI. 
          AND HERE'S WHAT IT TOLD ME. 
          I HAD TO BE VERY SPECIFIC. 
          I SAID, "BEAUFORT AND, UH, STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, THIS IS WHAT I GOT." AND IT MENTIONED THE PORT ROYAL, UH, MCIP. 
          SO IT'S PRETTY UP TO DATE. 
          IT SAID, UM... 
          OKAY. 
          UH, OKAY. 
          IT SAID, IT SAID, "MULTI-COUNTY BUSINESS PARKS, THE MAIN SC TOOL, SOUTH CAROLINA TOOL. 
          THIS FLEXIBILITY MAY LOWER THE PRIVATE PARTY'S TAX PAYMENT WHILE STILL FUNDING SCHOOLS. 
          THE CURRENT LAW REQUIRES EACH EFFECTIVE SCHOOL DISTRICT RECEIVED A REVENUE SHARE EQUIVALENT TO WHAT IT WOULD HAVE RECEIVED HAD THE PROPERTY TAXES NOT, UH, JOINT, HAD NOT BEEN ESTABLISHED. 
          SOUTH, SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN SOUTH CAROLINA DON'T CONTROL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVES. 
          BY STATE LAW, COUNTIES CONTROL THEM. 
          FEE IN LIEU OF TAX, SPECIAL SOURCE REVENUE CREDITS, AND MULTI-COUNTY 
          [01:05:01]
INDUSTRIAL PARKS. 
          AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS LOSE REVENUE PASSIVELY WITH NO SAY." SO THEY THEN HAD AN EXAMPLE. 
          AND THE EXAMPLE WAS BERKELEY COUNTY THAT THEY USED. 
          AND THIS IS WHAT THEY SAID. 
          "THE COUNTY PROVIDED TAX BREAKS SINCE 2015 THAT BROUGHT IN AN ESTIMATED $3.5 BILLION WORTH OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND 8,500 NEW JOBS, INCLUDING A $1 BILLION VOLVO PLANT AND A $600 MILLION EXPANSION OF GOOGLE'S DATA CENTER. 
          THE STUDY THAT CITES IT NOTED, NOTED THAT BERKELEY COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS REPORTED A $43.5 MILLION PER YEAR IN FOREGONE REVENUE DURING THE ABATEMENT PERIOD. 
          BUT PLANTS WILL ENTER THE TAX ROLLS AT FULL VALUE. 
          SO IN, THIS WAS A 20-YEAR DEAL. 
          SO IN 2035, WE'LL GET SOME MONEY. 
          BERKELEY COUNTY WILL GET SOME MONEY. 
          THEY WON'T GET PAID BACK FOR THE 34, 43,000 OR $43 MILLION A YEAR. 
          WE WON'T GET THAT BACK. 
          WE'LL GET THE REVENUE STARTING IN 2035 IF VOLVO'S STILL AROUND AND IF THE DATA CENTER IS STILL GOING. 
          SO THIS IS NOT A GOOD DEAL. 
          AND WE'VE, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT TRANSPARENCY AND IT'S NOT TRANSPARENT. 
          IT'S HIDDEN. 
          IT'S A HIDDEN TAX, PERIOD. 
          AND I WILL TELL YOU, I WILL TAKE IT AS A PERSONAL, UH, GOAL TO MAKE SURE THAT THE TAXPAYERS IN HILTON HEAD, IN BLUFFTON, IN YEMASI AND BUFORD ALL HEAR ABOUT THIS TO KNOW, OH, BY THE WAY, YOU'RE GONNA BE PAYING FOR INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TOWN OF PORT ROYAL. 
          IS THAT OKAY WITH YOU? IF IT IS OKAY WITH YOU, FINE. 
          YOUR, YOUR COUNTY COUNCIL IS APPROVING IT OR YOU CAN TELL YOUR COUNTY COUNCIL MEMBER, DON'T SUPPORT THIS. 
          THIS IS NOT GONNA BE HELD, THIS IS NOT GONNA BE A SECRET DEAL. 
          WE'RE NOT GONNA LET IT BE SECRET. 
          SO BE PREPARED FOR THE FLACK. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          ANY, UM, OTHER COMMENTS FROM BOARD OR COUNCIL MEMBERS? THIS HAS BEEN A VERY GOOD DISCUSSION, A LOT OF GOOD INFORMATION WE GOT ON THIS SUBJECT AND I APPRE - I REALLY APPRECIATE THE FRANKNESS FROM THE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS AND WHERE THEY, WHAT THEY THINK ABOUT IT AND, AND ALL THE, ALL THE DATA THAT WAS PRESENTED, UM, BY MS. CROSBY TOO. 
          DO YOU HAVE A COMMENT? YES, SIR. 
          UM - COUNCILMAN GLOVER? RIGHT. 
          UM, MS. CROSBY, UM, MENTIONED THE, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, THE TIF, UH, FROM THE PREVIOUS, UH, ERA. 
          AND YOU MENTIONED THAT THERE'S A DEFICIT THAT HAS NEVER BEEN PAID. 
          UH, UH, CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT OR DID I HEAR THAT RIGHT OR... 
          I'M NOT TOO SURE. 
          THE TIF REVENUES HAVE BEEN REPAID. 
          THEY WERE $1.2 MILLION. 
          UM, ALTHOUGH OVER SERIES OF YEARS, THERE ARE NO INTEREST INCOME IDENTIFIED IN THOSE DOLLARS AS WELL. 
          SO IT'S IDEN- IDENTICAL TO THE TAX TREASURER'S INFORMATION. 
          SO IF THEY'RE INCLUDED, I DIDN'T SEE ANY RECORD OF ANY INTEREST, UH, THAT WAS INCLUDED. 
          SO THERE HAD TO BE INTEREST EARNINGS ON A SERIES OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OVER THOSE YEARS, UH, THAT BEGAN TO REPAY BACK ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, OUR NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA 
          [6.c. Discussion of shared facilities between Beaufort County and the Beaufort County School District ]
IS DISCUSSION OF SHARED FACILITIES BETWEEN BEAUFORT COUNTY AND THE BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT. 
          I THINK THIS HAS BEEN A, A TOPIC THAT WE'VE BEEN WANTING TO TALK ABOUT FOR A WHILE. 
          MR. SMITH HAS BROUGHT IT UP AT OUR COUNCIL MEETINGS. 
          UM, I, I'D LIKE TO FIND OUT WHO'S GONNA TAKE THE LEAD ON THE DISCUSSION, MR. MOORE. 
          YES, WE HAVE FACILITY STAFF HERE PREPARED. 
          THIS IS A SHARED FACILITIES BETWEEN BEAUFORT COUNTY AND THE BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT. 
          I KNOW OUR PARKS AND RECREATION DIRECTORS HERE TOO, UM, TO ANY... 
          GOOD EVENING. 
          HOW ARE Y'ALL WITH, UH, FACILITIES AND CAPITAL PROJECTS? UM, CURRENTLY WE ARE WORKING TOWARDS RENOVATING THE BEAUFORT HIGH SCHOOL, 
          [01:10:01]
UH, POOL. 
          THIS IS A PROJECT THAT HAS, UH, BEEN IN THE WORKS FOR SOME TIME. 
          WE JUST RECENTLY FINISHED UP THE BLUFFTON PROJECT AND WE HAVE, UH, THREE SCHOOLS THAT WE BASICALLY HAD PUT OUT, UM, FOR DESIGN, WHICH WOULD'VE BEEN THE, UM, BLUFFTON POOL, BUFORD HIGH SCHOOL POOL, AND BATTERY CREEK POOL. 
          BUFORD HIGH SCHOOL IS NEXT ON THE LIST. 
          UH, IT IS FUNDED, UH, CURRENTLY IN THIS YEAR. 
          IT IS READY TO GO OUT FOR BID, AND WE ANTICIPATE TO HAVE, UH, HOPEFULLY A, A AMICABLE CONTRACT, UM, SOMETIME IN THE SPRING AND CONSTRUCTION STARTING THEREAFTER. 
          AND, UH, POSSIBLE, UH, POSSIBLY THAT THE, UH, CONSTRUCTION WOULD START BEFORE THE SUMMER SO THE POOL WOULD BE CLOSED DURING THE SUMMER AND ABOUT A 12-MONTH PROJECT. 
          WE WOULD THEN, UH, THERE IS FUNDING IN FY28 TO CONTINUE ON WITH THE BATTERY CREEK, UH, POOL AND ANY DESIGN EFFORTS THAT ARE NEEDED. 
          WE HAVE TAKEN EACH ONE, UH, IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THEM, THEY ARE ALL VERY SIMILAR IN DESIGN, AND WE HAVE TAKEN WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED FROM THE PREVIOUS ONES AND APPLIED THEM TO EACH OF THE PROJECTS MOVING FORWARD. 
          SO BEAUFORT HIGH SCHOOL, WE'RE HOPING TO, UH, MAKE IMPROVEMENTS PAST WHERE WE WENT WITH BLUFFTON. 
          IT IS GONNA BE AN EXTENSIVE RENOVATION THAT WILL INCLUDE, UH, NEW ROOFING, UM, MEMBERS THAT ARE RUSTING OUT DUE TO THE HUMIDITY CONTROL, UH, RESURFACING THE POOL SURFACE, THE POOL DECK, THE BATHROOMS, THE OFFICE FACILITIES, THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL, THE HVAC SYSTEMS, UM, A VERY EXTENSIVE RENOVATION. 
          AND, UH, AGAIN, WE ANTICIPATE THAT THAT SHOULD START SOMETIME IN THE SPRING, UH, WITH A SUCCESSFUL BIDDING PROCESS. 
          THE BEAUFORT HIGH POOL? BEAUFORT HIGH, THAT'S CORRECT. 
          ALL RIGHT, LET'S... 
          QUESTIONS ABOUT THOSE THREE FACILITIES THAT ARE USED BY THE SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR SWIMMING CLASSES, SWIM, SWIM TEAM. 
          I THINK THE OTHER PART OF THE SHARED FACILITIES HAS TO DO WITH, UM, WHAT WILL SMITH HAD BROUGHT UP TO US DURING PUBLIC COMMENT A FEW TIMES. 
          DO YOU WANNA... 
          OH, GO AHEAD. 
          YOU SAID BETTER THAN I DO. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, WELL, UM, WHAT I'VE ALSO BROUGHT OUT TO THE COUNTY COUNCIL WAS THAT IN TERMS OF, OF SHARED FACILITIES IS THAT ALL, ALL, ALL OF THESE FACILITIES THAT WE HAVE ARE, ARE PRETTY MUCH THE TAXPAYERS THAT WE WANT TO GET THE BEST U- UTILIZATION OUT OF OUR FACILITIES AS POSSIBLE IN TERMS OF GYMNASIUM. 
          SO OVER THE SUMMER, I WENT TO A COUPLE OF BASKETBALL GAMES AND RECREATIONAL GAMES, AND WHAT HAPPENED WAS, BEING THAT THEIR, THEIR, THEIR, THEIR FACILITIES WERE IN, WERE IN USE OF DIFFERENT THINGS WERE GOING ON, THE KIDS COULD NOT PRACTICE AT... 
          THEY COULD NOT PRACTICE BECAUSE... 
          THEY COULD NOT PRAC- PRACTICE BECAUSE THE, AT THE FACILITIES THAT THEY HAD, KIDS WERE HAVING GAMES BECAUSE THEY HAD SO MANY GAMES. 
          THERE WERE NO FACILITIES WHERE THEY WERE, WHERE THEY WERE ABLE TO PRACTICE, PRACTICE AT. 
          AND SO GROWING UP, WHAT I REMEMBER IS THAT, UH GYM WAS, UH, A, WAS A, WHICH WAS A BEAVER COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT SCHOOL, BUT IT WAS ALSO IN THE AFTERNOONS AFTER A CERTAIN, AFTER A CERTAIN TIME, MAYBE AFTER SIX O'CLOCK OR SO, IT WAS A FACILITY FOR BEAUFORT COUNTY PARKS AND RECREATIONAL, UH, UH, PARKS AND RECREATION. 
          SO THEREFORE, WE, THE KIDS COULD GO RIGHT THERE IN THEIR INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITIES AND THEY COULD HAVE THOSE PRACTICES, AND THAT WAS CONVENIENT FOR PARENTS, BUT ALSO WE SHARE FACILITIES VERSUS BUYING AND SPENDING MONEY AND BUILDING OTHER, OTHER FACILITIES BECAUSE BASICALLY EVERY, EVERYONE KIND OF, WE KIND OF SHARED FACILITIES. 
          AND I, I THINK IT, IT WOULD BE A, A C - A COMPANY, IT WOULD BE VERY IMPORTANT UPON US TO BE ABLE TO SHARE FACILITIES IN TERMS OF MAKING, SAYING, "HEY, LOOK HERE, WE WANT COUNTY COUNCIL ONLY OWN FACILITIES, BEAVER COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT ON THEIR OWN FACILITY. 
          I THINK WE SHOULD PULL OUT, PULL THE RESOURCES BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, THESE ARE, THESE ARE ALL, THESE ARE... 
          EVEN THOUGH WE'RE ALL ELECTED OFFICIALS, TECHNICALLY SPEAKING, THESE ARE DIRECTLY NONE OF OUR FACILITIES. 
          THESE ARE THESE ARE VERY MUCH SO TAXPAYERS' FACILITIES. 
          SO WHICH WE TALKING ABOUT... 
          I, I LISTENED TO THE LAST CONVERSATION TALKING ABOUT, UH, ADJU- ADJUSTING THE, UM, THE MILLAGE AND DIFFERENT THINGS AND TRYING TO KEEP THE, THE, THE PRICE LOW ON TAXPAYERS. 
          OKAY, WELL, LET'S, LET'S, LET'S SHOW THEM AND LET'S START WITH THE FACILITIES AND LET'S, LET'S FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN SHARE THE FACILITIES IN TERMS OF WHAT WE HAVE BEC - UH, IN TERMS OF WHAT WE HAVE AND HOW WE CAN BEST MANAGE OUR FACILITIES AND WE CAN SHARE IT AND STAY AND STILL GET THE END GOAL IN MIND IN TERMS OF KEEPING PEOPLE SAFE AND BEING ABLE TO POOL OUR RESOURCES. 
          BECAUSE WHEN YOU LOOK AT SOUTH OF THE BROAD, SOUTH OF THE BROAD MAY HAVE DIFFERENT FACILITIES AND HAVE DIFFERENT RESOURCES AND A DIFFERENT FINANCIAL MECHANISM AND, AND RESOURCES OVER THERE THAT THE NORTH OF THE BROAD DOES NOT HAVE. 
          AND THEY HAVE, AND THEY ALSO, THEY HAVE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS AND THEY HAVE MORE, MORE AND MORE FACILITIES IN TERMS OF THE YMCA AND DIFFERENT THINGS IN TERMS FOR THE, FOR, FOR THE, FOR THE DIFFERENT AREA OF, UH, POCKETS OF, OF PEOPLE. 
          SO I THINK IT'S VERY, UH, IT'S VERY MUCH IMPORTANT THAT WE FIGURE OUT A GAME, A, A GAME PLAN TO WHEN WE CAN ACTUALLY POOL OUR RESOURCES AND ACTUALLY SERVE THE PEOPLE IN, IN TERMS EVEN OF THE POOL. 
          THE, THE QUESTION IS TOO, UH, A COUPLE YEARS AGO, I, I TALKED TO THE GENERAL OVER AT, UH, PARRIS ISLAND AND YESTERDAY WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THEY, THEY HAVE A PROGRAM THAT TEACHES, TEACHES, UH, KIDS 
          [01:15:01]
HOW TO SWIM. 
          MM-HMM. 
          WE HAVE POOLS. 
          THERE'S NO REASON WHY WE SHOULD HAVE TO GO ON PARIS ISLAND AND DID, AND, AND, AND, AND, UH, AND, UH, TEACH OUR KIDS HOW TO SWIM IN WHICH, WHICH STARBASE, IT'S CALLED STARBASE, THAT'S ALL, THAT'S ALSO A PROGRAM. 
          BUT IMAGINE IF YOU HAD STAR, IF YOU HAD STARBASE IN PLACE, AND YOU ALSO HAVE BEAUFORT COUNTY IN PLACE WHERE YOU, EXCUSE MY BAD, WHERE YOU'RE TEACHING KIDS HOW TO SWIM, NOW YOU, NOW YOU, NOW YOU'RE REALLY ACTUALLY GETTING GREAT USES AT ALL YOUR FACILITIES AND, AND, AND YOU'RE TEACHING MORE KIDS SAFETY MECHANISM ON, ON SWIMMING, BECAUSE YOU'LL BE SURPRISED OF HOW MANY KIDS IN BEAUFORT COUNTY WHO CAN'T SWIM. 
          AND, AND I, AND I- I THINK YOU DO HAVE A SWIM PROGRAM IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM THOUGH. 
          RIGHT, RIGHT, BUT, BUT I, I... 
          RIGHT, RIGHT, BUT I'M TALKING ABOUT AS A, A WHOLE, SO HOW STARBASE WORKS IS THAT A WHOLE GRADE LEVEL, THEY GO AND THEY ROTATE ON SWIMMING. 
          AND, AND, AND, AND IF, AND IF WE DO, I'M NOT SURE THAT WE HAVE A STAR-BASED TYPE PROGRAM IN THE DISTRICT AND IF I, AND IF, AND IF I DO, THEN I, I DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING, BUT THAT'S, THAT, THAT... 
          I'M TALKING MORE OF THAT, OF THAT LEVEL OF SWIMMING WHERE THE WHOLE GRADE LEVEL AND THE WHOLE SCHOOL GOES AND, AND, AND, AND DO THAT AND TAKE THAT, TAKE THAT ON AS, AS A, UH, AS, AS A, AS A CLASS. 
          UM, LET'S, LET'S GO BACK - AND, AND I DIGRESS, I DIGRESS FROM THERE. 
          LET, UM, MR. ERIC BROWN SPEAK ABOUT SHARED WHAT THE FACILITIES THE COUNTY HAS THAT, UM - YES, GOOD, GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          ERIC BROWN, PARKS AND RECREATION DIRECTOR. 
          SO OCTOBER 15TH, 2024, UM, WE HAD A COUNCIL THAT SIGNED AN AGREEMENT WITH SHARED USAGE WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT. 
          AND SINCE OCTOBER OF 24, WE HAVE SHARED USAGE OF OUR FACILITIES AS WELL AS OUR BALL FIELDS, AND WORKING WITH DR. 
          CAVE, WHO IS THE DIRECTOR FOR ALL ATHLETICS IN THE, IN THE, UM, SCHOOL DISTRICT, WE HAVE MULTIPLE SCHOOLS COMING IN AND USING OUR FACILITIES AS FAR AS OUR GYMNASIUMS. WE GO OUT AND USE THEIR FACILITIES IN RETURN WHEN THE KIDS ARE NOT THERE. 
          OVER ON ST. 
          HELENA ISLAND, WE JUST HAD A SUMMER CAMP PROGRAM THERE AT ST. 
          ELE - ST. 
          HELEN ELEMENTARY, WHICH WAS A SHARED USAGE, UM, PROGRAM. 
          SO WE HAVE SHARED USAGE PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT OUR COUNTY WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT, AS WELL AS SWIMMING. 
          WE OFFER SWIM LESSONS, UM, TO ALL OF OUR POOLS WITH ALL OF OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT, UM, CHILDREN COMING OUT TO USE THOSE FACILITIES AS THEY ARE SIGNED UP THROUGH OUR, UM, AQUATICS MANAGER. 
          AND SO WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT THE SHARED USAGE THAT WE HAVE WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. 
          EVERY YEAR, DR. 
          CAVE INVITE US OUT TO ATTEND THE, UM, OPENING OF ALL OF THE, UM, DISTRICT, UH, DIRECTORS OF, UH, A- ATHLETIC DIRECTORS IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, AND WE GO OUT AND WE MEET WITH THEM, AND THEY COME AND TELL US WHAT THEY NEED IF THERE'S AN OVERFLOW WITH ATHLETICS IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. 
          SO WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT OUR, UM, SHARED USE AGREEMENT THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE, UM, FOR SOME YEARS, AND WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT WHERE WE'RE HEADED WITH OUR SHARED USE AGREEMENT AS WE HAVE MORE BALL FIELDS THAT WILL COME ON BOARD IN THE NEAR FUTURE. 
          UM, AND SO WE'RE EXCITED. 
          WE ALSO HAVE ON ST. 
          HELEN ISLAND WHERE OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS, UM, SOFTBALL PROGRAMS ARE USING OUR BASEBALL FIELDS, WHICH IS, UM, NORTH OF BROAD. 
          SO WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THE SHARED USE AGREEMENT. 
          WE LOOK FOR, UM, MORE THINGS TO HAPPEN. 
          WE ALSO, NORTH OF THE BA - BROAD RAN A, UM, A BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT INSIDE OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT BECAUSE ONE OF OUR GYMNASIUMS, WHICH WAS, UM, OUR LYNN BROWN FACILITY WAS DOWN, SO WE ACTUALLY USED THE SCHOOL SYSTEM TO RUN ONE OF OUR BA - OUR BALL TOURNAMENTS. 
          SO WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT IT. 
          WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THAT, AND IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS THAT, UM, WE'RE NOT ADDRESSING, UM, WE'LL BE GLAD TO ADDRESS IT AS A PARKS DEPARTMENT. 
          UM, YOU GUYS CAN CALL US AND SET UP A MEETING WITH US, AND WE'LL BE GLAD TO, UM, DO THAT. 
          DR. 
          CAVE IS A PART OF OUR PARKS AND RECREATION, UM, BOARD, AND, UH, WE MEET EVERY OTHER MONTH, AND HE GIVE US A LIST OF SCHOOLS THAT MAY NEED USAGE OF GYMNASIUMS OR FIELDS AND VICE VERSA. 
          SO WE HAVE A GREAT PARTNERSHIP THAT WE'RE... 
          THAT WE HAVE ESTABLISHED, UM, SINCE 2024, AND WE JUST LOOK FOR BETTER THINGS TO HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE. 
          WE ALSO HAVE AN ADAPTIVE PROGRAM WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, UM, WITH, UM, DR. 
          RODRIGUEZ. 
          AND, AND SO WE, WE HAVE A PROGRAM THAT WE RUN THROUGH OUR DEPUTY DIRECTOR, SHANE, AND IT'S A, IT'S AN AMA- AMAZING PROGRAM AT, UM, OUR BLUFFTON FACILITY. 
          SO SHARED USE AGREEMENT IS WELL IN EFFECT. 
          WE'RE HAPPY ABOUT IT. 
          WE LOVE IT, AND WE CAN'T WAIT UNTIL, UH, THE NEW YEAR COMES ABOUT AND OUR NEW BALL FIELDS ARE OPEN SO THAT WE CAN HAVE MORE SHARED USE AGREEMENT. 
          AND IF THERE'S SOME SCHOOLS THAT'S MISSING THE MARK OR NOT GETTING, UM, EITHER SWIM LESSONS OR, UH, ATHLETIC PLAY, THEN WE NEED TO BE INFORMED OF THAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          HOW MANY - OKAY. 
          OH, HOW MANY FIELDS ARE GONNA BE OPEN WITH BURKHALTER WHEN THAT'S COMPLETED? WE'RE GONNA HAVE FOUR NEW MULTIPURPOSE FIELDS OPENING IN 2027, 2028. 
          OKAY. 
          [01:20:01]
AND THAT, THOSE WOULD BE OPEN, OF COURSE, PART OF THE SHARED USE? THE SHARED USE, YES. 
          OKAY. 
          YES, SIR? I KNOW THIS IS WORKING. 
          YEAH, IT'S WORKING NOW. 
          I, I WANNA THANK YOU. 
          DURING ROBERT SMALL'S, UH, UH, RECONSTRUCTION, AND WE HAD TO TEAR DOWN ALL THE, UH, UH, ATHLETIC FIELDS, UH, YOU ALL STEPPED UP AND, UH, ALLOWED US TO USE BURTON WELLS, UH, SYSTEM, UH, FOR ALMOST OVER A YEAR, UH, WHILE THAT WAS GOING ON, AND IT'S DEEPLY APPRECIATED. 
          AND, UH, MR. TERRANCE, THE PRINCIPAL OF, UH, ROBERT SMALLS, UH, WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU KNEW THAT, UH, YOU'RE ALWAYS WELCOME, UH, TO, TO COME AND USE THEIR FIELDS AS WELL AS TRYING TO PAY THAT BACK A LITTLE BIT. 
          I THINK WE DID. 
          I THINK, UH, JUST THIS PAST SEASON, WE DID USE THE, UH, ROBERT SMALLS, UM, FACILITIES. 
          I THINK DR. 
          RODRIGUEZ WANTED TO S - I WAS JUST GONNA, UH, JUST SAY SOMETHING SO I DON'T GET IN TROUBLE WHEN I GET HOME. 
           SO, MR. BROWN WAS TALKING ABOUT AN ADAPTIVE SPORTS PROGRAM. 
          THAT IS SOMETHING THAT MY WIFE STARTED. 
          SHE GETS THE CREDIT, SIR, NOT ME. 
          YES, YES. 
          I STAND CORRECTED. 
          AND I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I'M OKAY WHEN I GET HOME. 
          AND, AND, UH, BUT SERIOUSLY, I, I, UH, I VOLUNTEER THERE. 
          BUT YOU SHOULD KNOW, THERE ARE A LOT OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS THAT, THAT VOLUNTEER, UH, AT THAT ADAPTIVE SPORTS PROGRAM THAT MR. SHANE, UH, DOES REALLY AN AMAZING JOB ON, ON YOUR TEAM. 
          AND, UH, UM, AND IT'S JUST A, AN IMPORTANT PROGRAM THAT WAS MISSING IN THE COMMUNITY. 
          UH, MY WIFE SAW IT AND, UH, SAW THE NEED AND, AND, YOU KNOW, SHE PLUGGED IT WITH, UH, UH, MR. SHANE FROM THE, FROM THE COUNTY. 
          AND IT'S HELPFUL TO OUR COMMU- COMMUNITY OF SPECIAL NEEDS FAMILIES. 
          UM, AND SO IF YOU EVER GET A CHANCE TO, TO SEE IT, UH, YOU SHOULD, YOU SHOULD TAKE A LOOK, BECAUSE IT'S PRETTY AWESOME. 
          OH, OKAY. 
          OH, MR. LAWSON. 
          I JUST, I JUST WANNA SAY THAT, UM, I HAD FOUR CHILDREN THAT ALL ATTENDED PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 
          UH, I GOT TWO GRANDCHILDREN NOW THAT ARE ATTENDING PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 
          I THINK I, UH, ONE CHILD THAT WAS THE FIRST, FIRST CLASS OF, UH, MCCRACKEN. 
          I HAD A CHILD THAT WAS THE FIRST CLASS OF, OF BLUFFTON HIGH SCHOOL, SO BEEN VERY INVOLVED. 
          BUT, UM, BACK 15, 20, 10 YEARS AGO, EVERYONE WAS LIKE, "WHY HASN'T THIS HAPPENED?" SO I'M NOT SURE WHAT TOOK SO LONG, BUT AGAIN, IT'S AN INCREDIBLE THING AND I APPRECIATE EVERYONE'S RESPONSE AND, AND AGAIN, IT'S, IT'S A GIVE ON BOTH SIDES. 
          SO AGAIN, UM, I THINK IT'S ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL AND I THINK IT'S THE BEST THING, UM, A- AS, AS WE TALKED TO SMITH SAID THAT IT, IT IS TAXPAYERS' MONEY. 
          IT'S, IT'S THEIR FIELDS, IT'S THEIR SCHOOLS, IT'S, IT'S THEIRS. 
          SO AGAIN, UH, I THINK IT'S INCREDIBLE AND I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS LONG OVERDUE, AND I'M GLAD TO SEE IT HAPPENING. 
          IT'S WORKING, AND I, I... 
          WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY SOMETHING TOO? BUT I CAN DEFER TO YOU. 
          WELL, I JUST HAVE ONE MORE COMMENT. 
          I CAN REMEMBER IT MANY YEARS AGO, BEAUFORT MIDDLE, YOU WEREN'T ALLOWED TO WALK ON THE TRACK EVEN BECAUSE OF THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE COUNTY AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. 
          THERE WAS SOME KIND OF RIFT THERE, AND THANK YOU, DR. 
          RODRIGUEZ, AND THANK YOU, MR. BROWN, ERIC BROWN, FOR MAKING THIS WORK. 
          IT'S, IT'S, UM, EVERYONE SHOULD BE ABLE TO USE THESE FACILITIES. 
          WE ALL PAID FOR THEM. 
          YEAH, I JUST WOULD LIKE TO SAY, MR. BROWN, THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING THAT IT SEEMS LIKE AN ANSWER HAS BEEN ARRIVED AT BACK IN 2024. 
          THE PART - THE PARTIES THAT ARE INVOLVED ALREADY HAVE GOOD COMMUNICATION LINES, SO I PERSONALLY WOULD ENCOURAGE THE TWO PARTIES AND THE INDIVIDUALS OF THOSE TWO PARTIES TO CONTINUE TO WORK TOGETHER TO ENSURE OUR STUDENTS AND PEOPLE OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT ARE OPENING UP THEIR HANDS AND HEARTS TO YOU AND THE, UH, COUNTY RECREATION. 
          SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH, SIR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, OKAY. 
          LET ME LET MR. NADIN KNOW. 
          OKAY. 
          UH, I'M JUST GONNA, LIKE, MANIFEST THIS AND THROW IT OUT THERE. 
          UH, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO, I'M PUTTING IT OUT IN THE UNIVERSE, THE DAY THAT WE CAN, UH, ENTER INTO A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE COUNTYWIDE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER. 
          THANK YOU. 
           UM? NO. 
          A- ABSOLUTELY NOT. 
          I, I WOULD LOVE A COUNTYWIDE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER. 
          OH, YOU WANT THE COUNTY TO CREATE? NO, NO, NO. 
          I'M NOT SAYING IT HAS TO BE THE COUNTY. 
          I'M JUST SAYING THAT, UH, IF IT COMES FROM THE SCHOOL, IF IT COMES FROM THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THEN THE COUNTY WANTS TO USE IT, I'M JUST THROWING IT OUT IN THE UNIVERSE. 
          OKAY. 
          WE, WE NEED A COUNTYWIDE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER. 
          HE'S A DRUMMER. 
          SO HE'S A MUSICIAN. 
          MUSICIAN. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, WILLIAM AND THEN DAVID. 
          AND, AND I DO UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE AN, AN MOA, BUT THE QUESTION STILL LIES THEN. 
          IT BRINGS ME, ME PERSONALLY, IT BR - AND, AND, UH, BECAUSE I'VE BEEN ASKED, BECAUSE I'VE SAT IN THE GAMES, IT'S DIFFERENT THAN HEARING, HEARING IT COMING FROM MR. FROM MR. UH, BROWN. 
          BUT THE QUE - THE QUESTION IS THEN, IF, IF WE HAVE AN MOA, WHY WERE THOSE PARENTS TOLD THAT THEY, THAT THERE WAS NO OTHER FACILITY TO USE IN THE COUNTY FOR THOSE KIDS TO PRACTICE AT DURING, DURING, DURING THOSE GAMES? I, 
          [01:25:01]
I, AND NOT ONLY DID I SAY, AND THAT, AND, AND THAT QUESTION WAS POSED TO ME, BUT, UH, THE FORMER COUNCILMAN, UH, CON - COUNCILMAN MR. GLAZE, THAT QUESTION WAS FORMED TO HIM TO, WAS FORMED TO HIM TOO. 
          SO TO HEAR THIS MOA IS ONE THING, BUT THE QUESTION BECOMES, ARE WE GETTING, ARE WE GETTING THE BEST UTILIZATION, UH, OUT OF IT? BECAUSE I ALSO TALKED ABOUT, UH, WE, WE, AND I, AND I ALSO HEARD HIM TALK ABOUT THE, UH, THE SWIMMING PROGRAMS. IT'S DIFFERENT WHEN YOU HAVE SWIMMING PROGRAMS WHEN YOU CAN AFFORD THEM VERSUS THE PROGRAM THAT YOU'RE HAVING THAT WITH A PROGRAM AS IN STAR BASE, PARENTS DON'T HAVE TO AFFORD IT. 
          THOSE KIDS ARE ALLOWED TO HAVE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES DURING SCHOOL AS A PART OF THEIR CLASS AND A PART OF THEIR STRUCTURE BECAUSE WE LIVE AROUND WATER AND WE'RE SURROUNDED IN BUFORD COUNTY AROUND WATER. 
          SO EVERY, EVERY PARENT HERE DOES NOT HAVE THE RESOURCES OR THE FINANCIAL BACKGROUND TO TEND, TAKE THEIR KIDS TO A YMCA AND GET, AND GET, AND GET THOSE SWIMMING, SWIMMING LESSONS. 
          SO THEREFORE, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE MOA, THEN, THEN, THEN LET'S GO DEEPER AND DIG INTO THAT. 
          AND, AND, AND, AND IN TERMS OF THE QUESTION BECOMES AS FROM, FROM THE TOP, SO FROM THE BOARD, THE TWO BOARDS, WHAT DO WE WANT TO SEE IN THAT MOA? I RESPECT MR. BROWN AND MR. CAVE WORKING, BUT WHEN MY CONSTITUENTS COME TO ME AND THEY HAVE A CONCERN ABOUT THIS, THEN I'M GOING, I'M, I'M GONNA BRING IT TO, I'M GONNA BRING IT TO THIS FULL BOARD. 
          AND SO MY QUESTION IS, IN TERMS OF UTILIZATION, ARE WE GETTING THE, GETTING THE RIGHT UTILIZATION OFF OF IT? WHAT THEY, WHAT MR. BROWN IS TALKING ABOUT IS TEAMS, AND I'M AWARE OF THEM HELPING US OUT DURING THE TIME OF ROBERT SMALLS, AND I'M AWARE OF LAIZON MIDDLE SCHOOLS USING, USING THEIR, USING THEIR FIELDS BECAUSE FOR, FOR A COUPLE YEARS, ACTUALLY FOR A COUPLE, FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW, OUR BASEBALL FIELD AT AISON, LAZANO MIDDLE SCHOOL WAS, WAS NOT IN GOOD SWING IN TERMS OF THERE WERE PLACES WHERE KIDS COULD POSSIBLY HURT THEMSELF ON, ON THE, UH, ON THE BASEBALL FIELD. 
          SO IT WAS, IT WAS VERY SA- SAFETY AND CONCERN FOR US TO, FOR US TO A - TO, UH, PULL OUR RESOURCES THERE. 
          BUT THE, BUT, BUT THE MAIN QUESTION IS, ARE WE REALLY GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND BECAUSE JUST SCRATCHING THE SURFACE IS ONE THING, BUT ARE WE, ARE WE PROVIDING THE SERVICES FOR OUR CONSTITUENTS THAT, THAT WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO? SO I, I, I HEAR HIM, I THANK HIM FOR THOSE SERVICES, BUT THERE ARE MORE SERVICES THAT I FEEL THAT AS A COUNTY COUNCIL AND AS A SCHOOL BOARD THAT WE CAN DO IN, IN, IN, IN TERMS, AND THAT WE OWE OUR CITIZENS. 
          SO I, I JUST WANNA VERY PUT THAT OUT THERE. 
          IT, IT SOUNDS GOOD, BUT I JUST HAVE TO BE REAL, BE, BE REAL ABOUT IT IN TERMS OF BEING IN THOSE GAMES AND HEARING THOSE PARENTS SAY, "WELL, BFI HAS A GYM, UH, LESI MIDDLE SCHOOL HAS A GYM, AND RIGHT NOW, THE, THE NEW LESI MIDDLE SCHOOL IS GETTING BUILT." SO WHAT HA - WHAT'S HAPPENING IS THAT THANK GOD THAT WE REMODELED THE GYM OVER AT HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL YEARS AGO, SO, SO NOW FOR VOLLEYBALL SEASON, THEY WENT AND THEY USED, UTILIZED THAT GYM. 
          SO WE'VE BEEN COM - GOING BACK TO THE COUNTY AGAIN, ASKING THEM FOR, CAN WE, COULD WE USE ANOTHER GYM? SO I, I JUST WANNA KEEP THE MAIN THING, THE MAIN THING AND UNDERSTANDING. 
          I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S AN MOA, AND I KNEW THAT PRIOR TO COMING IN TODAY, BUT ARE WE GETTING THE BEST UTILIZATION OF OUR MO, UH, OUR MOAS IN TERMS OF RESOURCES AND, AND ARE WE OFFERING THINGS? AND, AND THERE WAS ALSO ANOTHER QUESTION IN TERMS OF THE, UH, THE SUMMER CAMP. 
          THE SUMMER CAMP HAVE PHASE ONE AND PHA - AND PHASE TWO TALKING ABOUT THE, THE, THE PRICES OF SUMMER CAMPS. 
          SO COULD, COULD, COULD WE HAVE MORE SUMMER CAMPS IN, IN, IN MORE OF OUR SCHOOLS? SO THAT, THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE JUST, THOSE ARE JUST, I MEAN, I'M, I'M, YOU HAVE TO ANSWER TODAY. 
          I'M JUST PUTTING THOSE, THOSE ARE SOLID QUESTIONS. 
          IF YOU, IF YOU COME TO, IF YOU COME TO MY MEETING OR YOU COME TO MY COMMUNITY, MY COMMUNITY ASKS ME QUESTIONS AND I'M NOT GONNA SIT BACK AND HOLD BACK AND GET EXCITED AND, AND I'M GONNA BE REAL ABOUT IT AND TELL WHAT THE CONCERNS ARE IN TER - IN TERMS OF WHAT THAT LOOK LIKE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN DAVID. 
          AND THEN, UM, COUNCILMAN GL- GLOVER? YEAH, JUST REAL QUICK, I REMEMBER PUTTING THE AGREEMENT IN PLACE, UM, AND I'M, I'M TRYING TO GO BACK AND REMEMBER THE HISTORY OF IT. 
          UM, I BELIEVE WE WERE CHARGING EACH OTHER FOR ANY TIME WE USE IT, SO WE'RE JUST INVOICING EACH OTHER. 
          RIGHT. 
          UM, BUT SINCE IT'S BEEN IN PLACE, AND I, AND I'M SORRY, I DON'T HAVE THE, THE TERMS RIGHT IN MY HEAD, IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I'VE READ IT, UH, BUT GIVEN THE TWO YEARS THAT IT'S BEEN IN PLACE, UH, ARE THERE ANY IMPROVEMENTS THAT NEED TO BE MADE TO IT? ARE THERE ANY FUNDING SHORTFALLS? HAVE WE FOUND THAT THERE'S INCREASED WEAR AND TEAR ON ANY FACILITIES, BOTH IN OURS AT THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS? THERE, THERE'S NO FUNDING ATTACHED TO THEM. 
          RIGHT. 
          I REMEMBER THAT, BUT IS THERE ANYTHING THAT, ANY SHORTFALLS THAT - NO SHORTFALLS IN ALL, UH, BEAUFORT COUNTY DISTRICT CHILDREN ARE, COME TO SWIM LESSONS AT FREE OF CHARGE. 
          THERE'S NO CHARGE FOR THAT. 
          THAT'S IN THE AGREEMENT, SO, UH, $2. 
          NO, NO, NO. 
          NO, IT'S FREE OF CHARGE GRADERS. 
          ALL THIRD GRADERS. 
          ALL THIRD GRADERS ARE FREE OF CHARGE. 
          SO, UH, THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, OUR, OUR THIRD GRADERS, UH, UH, GO TO THE SWIMMING POOLS, UH, IN BEAUFORT COUNTY AND, UM, AND, AND THEY GET, UH, SWIMMING LESSONS, UH, OUR THIRD GRADERS AT, AT, AT OUR SCHOOLS. 
          I CAN FINISH REAL QUICK, BUT, UH, GOING BACK, ARE THERE ANY IMPROVEMENTS THAT YOU SEE THAT NEED TO BE, OR MODIFICATIONS TO IT THAT YOU SEE BASED ON THE TWO YEARS THAT IT'S BEEN IN PLACE? NO, I THINK WE'VE PUT IN A MODIFICATION FOR THE POOLS, UM, AND SINCE THEN, THERE HAS BEEN NO ISSUES ON BOTH SIDES. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ALL RIGHT, COUNCILMAN GLOVER. 
          I THINK YOU ASKED, UM, SOME OF THE CONCERNS 
          [01:30:01]
UM, I THINK MR. CARLTON BASICALLY, UM, SUMMARIZED WHERE WE WERE TWO YEARS AGO IN 24 WHEN THE CONVERSATION CAME UP. 
          AND AS I REMEMBER, UM, IT WAS AN IMPASSE, UH, DISCUSSION, BUT THERE WAS A MOA BETWEEN THE STAFF MEMBERS, UH, AT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. 
          AND THAT'S WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW. 
          SO I SEE IT AS A SIGN OF IMPROVEMENT, PROGRESS, AND I THINK WE JUST NEED TO CONTINUE TO WORK TOWARD THAT END. 
          WE DO HAVE LIMITED RESOURCES IN OUR COMMUNITY. 
          I MEAN, GYMNASIUMS ARE NOT, YOU KNOW, ALL OVER THIS PLACE. 
          SO WE GOT LIMITED RESOURCES AND YET WE'RE STILL GROWING LIKE, UH, WE SHARED BY THE SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT WE'RE STILL GROWING. 
          AND, UM, UM, THOSE, THOSE RESOURCES IS GONNA BE, UH, STRESSED. 
          BUT I LOOK TO YOU STAFF MEMBERS TO DO THE BEST YOU CAN TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY BECAUSE THOSE, THOSE, THOSE FACILITIES ARE PAID FOR, LIKE MR. SMITH SAID, BY TAXPAYERS, WHETHER IT'S AT THE SCHOOL OR IT'S WHETHER AT THE, UH, PARKS AND REC, UM, IT'S PAID BY THE TAXPAYERS AND STUFF. 
          AND LET'S TRY TO UTILIZE THEM AS BEST WE CAN. 
          AND IF IT REQUIRES FUNDING, LET US KNOW, UH, TO MAINTAIN THEM, ET CETERA, ET CETERA. 
          UM, UM, THE BIBLE SAYS YOU HAVE NOT BECAUSE YOU ASKED NOT, SO YOU GOTTA ASK NOW. 
          LET US TELL YOU NO, WE CAN'T DO IT BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE FUNDS. 
          AND ASK US FOR THE FUNDS TO IMPROVE OR DO WHATEVER YOU NEED TO DO TO PROVIDE THE SERVICES THAT WE CAN FOR OUR KIDS. 
          UM, I JUST MADE ONE COMMENT. 
          UM, THE, UM, S- SPLASH PAD, I THINK IT'S CALLED, RIGHT? FORT ROYAL. 
          SPLASHPAD, UM, I HEARD IS A BIG SUCCESS. 
          I THINK SO. 
          I'M LOOKING AT THE FORT ROYAL RESIDENCE, BUT EVERY TIME I DRIVE BY IT, IT'S, IT'S PRETTY BUSY, WHICH IS ANOTHER GOOD EXAMPLE OF, UM, SCHOOL PLAYGROUNDS USED BY PEOPLE ON THE WEEKENDS. 
          SO LET'S, I GUESS LET'S MOVE ON TO 
          [6.d. Discussion of the Lobeco Library 
]
THE NEXT ITEM, DISCUSSION OF THE LOBICO LIBRARY. 
          THIS IS IN, UM, COUNCILMAN DAWSON. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH, UM, MR. BROWN. 
          UH, IN GERALD DAWSON'S DISTRICT, AND I REMEMBER THREE YEARS AGO WE MADE A FIELD TRIP, COUNCILMAN DAWSON, MYSELF AND, AND, UM, AND COLONEL GUYER, WE WENT OUT THERE. 
          UH, I THINK SOME OTHER STAFF HAVE BEEN OUT THERE SINCE. 
          SO, UH, I'M LOOKING TO OUR ADMINISTRATOR. 
          DO YOU WANNA TAKE A LEAD ON THIS? YES, MADAM CHAIR. 
          SO WE HAVE, BASED ON COUNCIL'S DIRECTION, MADE SOME INITIAL, UM, SURVEYS OF THE, UH, SITE AND WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF LOOKING TO EXPAND THE LIBRARY AT LOBICO. 
          IT'S A VERY EXCELLENT FACILITY, BUT IT'S ALSO SMALL AND THERE'S CONCERNS ABOUT THE SIZE. 
          SO, UM, I'M GONNA ASK AUDRA TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE, BUT PART OF THE PROCESS, WE'VE HAD THIS GO TO THE LIBRARY BOARD TO BASICALLY LOOK AT THIS TO SEE WHAT DO THEY THINK ABOUT THIS, UM, ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT, AS WELL AS WE'VE HAD SOME PRELIMINARY DISCUSSIONS WITH DR. 
          RODRIGUEZ ABOUT, UM, THE POTENTIAL USE OF THE FACILITY AND THE EXISTING LEASE. 
          SO, UM, I THINK, AUDRA, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO YOU, UH, AT THIS POINT. 
          GOOD EVENING. 
          YES, WE, UM, AT A FINANCE COMMITTEE IN AUGUST, COUNCIL GAVE DIRECTIVE TO HAVE ADMINISTRATION LOOK INTO POSSIBLY EXPANDING THE LI - LOBICO LIBRARY. 
          UM, WE STARTED HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. 
          WE DID BRING IT TO THE, UM, LIBRARY BOARD. 
          UM, THEY DID DISCUSS IT AT THEIR FACILITIES COMMITTEE MEETING ON OCTOBER 7TH. 
          THEY REQUESTED ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM THE DIRECTOR REGARDING DATA, AND IT IS SCHEDULED TO GO BEFORE THE ENTIRE LIBRARY BOARD ON NOVEMBER 18TH. 
          COULD YOU EXPLAIN TO ALL OF US HOW, WHAT THE J - HOW THAT BUILDING'S ORIENTED? I MEAN, IT'S ONE BUILDING, BUT IT'S LIKE THE - IT'S ACTUALLY TWO BUILDINGS. 
          TWO BUILDINGS, OKAY. 
          YES. 
          CURRENTLY WHERE THE LOBICO LIBRARY DI - IS, IT'S ABOUT A 3,000 SQUARE FOOT BUILDING. 
          AND THEN NEXT TO THAT, THERE'S A BREEZEWAY THAT CONNECTS TO THE, THE OLD SCHOOL, WHICH IS ABOUT 5,000 SQUARE FEET. 
          SO THAT IS THE BUILDING THAT WE ARE POSSIBLY LOOKING AT EXPANDING THE LIBRARY SERVICES TO. 
          UM, I APPRECIATE, UM, UH, 
          [01:35:01]
THE ADMINISTRATOR AND, AND STAFF FOR TAKING THE INITIATIVE TO ACTUALLY, UM, LOOK INTO THIS, INVESTIGATE IT AND, UH, COMMUNICATE WITH THE LIBRARY BOARD TO SEE HOW WE CAN MOVE THIS PROJECT FORWARD. 
          UM, AS YOU SAID, STATED, AUDRA, UH, THE LIBRARY IS RELATIVELY SMALL. 
          I MEAN, SMALL TO THE POINT WHERE IF I WANTED TO HOLD A COMMUNITY EVENT OUT THERE, IT, IT WOULD HOLD ABOUT 10 PEOPLE AT THE MOST. 
          AT THE MOST, 10. 
          YES, SIR. 
          AND SO IT'S RELATIVELY SMALL. 
          SO WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE THIS, UH, TAKE THIS LIBRARY AND THE, UH, OLD, UH, LEBICO SCHOOL, ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, UH, AND ACTUALLY, UH, EXPAND THE LIBRARY INTO A PART OF THAT, WHICH I'LL LEAVE THAT UP TO STAFF AS TO HOW YOU CONFIGURE IT. 
          BUT CERTAINLY WE NEED MORE SPACE IN THE LIBRARY OR, OR EVEN A COMMUNITY ROOM IN THE OTHER PART OF THE BUILDING SO THAT WE COULD HOLD COMMUNITY EVENTS, COMMUNITY MEETINGS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. 
          OR SOMETIMES THEY HAVE SUMMER, SUMMER PROGRAMS FOR THE CHILDREN AND DUE TO THE LIMITED SPACE, THEY HAVE TO TAKE THOSE ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE. 
          BUT IS, UM, IF, IF THE LIBRARY BOARD VOTES TO GO FORWARD WITH IT, UM, I GUESS THE NEXT, WHAT WOULD BE THE NEXT STEP? AN ESTIMATE OF COSTS FOR RENOVATION? I GUESS ADMINISTRATION WILL BRING THAT BACK TO COUNCIL AND THEN WE WILL GET FURTHER DIRECTION ON, YOU KNOW, FUNDING. 
          YEAH, WE WOULD BRING THAT BACK TO YOU ALL. 
          I THINK THE TASK WAS TO GO LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, WORK WITH THE LIBRARY, LOOK AT THE FACILITY AND WE'LL COME BACK, PROVIDE YOU WITH AN UPDATE AND THEN GET ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE AS FAR AS - AND CURRENTLY IT'S USED, IS IT USED FOR ANYTHING CURRENTLY OR IS IT EMPTY? YOU, YOU'RE, YOU'RE SPEAKING ABOUT THE PORTION THAT'S, THAT'S NOT, YEAH. 
          UM, THAT IS, UH, UH, WITH HEAD START. 
          DR. 
          RODRIGUEZ, YOU CAN'T HEAR YOU WELL BECAUSE YOU'RE GOING IN AND OUT. 
          YEAH, IT'S CURRENTLY, UH, IN A LEASE WITH HEAD START, UM, BUT HEAD START USES IT AT THE STORAGE, UH, SPACE RIGHT NOW. 
          IT SAYS THE PARK THERE. 
          YEP. 
          SO, SO IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, OCCUPANCY AND IT BEING USED FOR SOMETHING. 
          ANY QUESTIONS? YES, SIR. 
          IS, IS THAT LEASE WITH EOC, UM, IN PERPETUITY OR IS, IS, DOES IT COME TO DEADLINE AT SOME POINT IN TIME? JUST CURIOUS, THAT'S ALL. 
          UM, THE CURRENT LEASE THAT WE HAVE, UH, WITH BEAUFORT-JASPER EOC WAS SIGNED IN 2022 AND IS A 25-YEAR LEASE, SO IT'S THROUGH 2047. 
          UM, WE CAN DISCONTINUE THE LEASE AT ANY TIME WITH A 90-DAY NOTICE. 
          SO, UM, THO - THAT IT WOULD BE OUR OPTION. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? COUNCILMAN DAWSON, ANY LAST REMARKS, UH, OH, YES, MA'AM. 
          UM, THANK YOU, CHAIR HOWARD. 
          UH, A FEW YEARS AGO, I TOURED THE, UM, THE LOBICO SCHOOL WITH DR. 
          RODRIGUEZ AND WITH, UM, ROBERT OTTING, WHO JUST SPOKE. 
          AND, UM, CERTAINLY MY BACKGROUND IS NOT CONSTRUCTION AND RENOVATION, BUT IT, IT'S, I WOULD BE SURPRISED IF IT WOULD BE RECOMMENDED FOR, THAT IT WOULD BE COST-EFFECTIVE TO, UH, RENOVATE IT. 
          IT REALLY, UH, I DON'T KNOW, TO ME, SEEMS LIKE IT WOULD BE PROBABLY A SMARTER MOVE MAYBE TO, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANNA KEEP THE SHELL OR SOMETHING. 
          I'M SURE IT HAS SOME SENTIMENTAL VALUE, UM, UH, SINCE IT'S, I BELIEVE, BEEN THERE SINCE AT LEAST THE 1940S. 
          UM, AND, UH, BUT I DON'T THINK, UH, THERE'S MUCH TO, UH, SALVAGE INTERNALLY, I WOULD SAY. 
          THAT'S JUST MY OPINION. 
          I WOULD, I WOULD SAY THAT'S AN ACCURATE COMMENT BASED ON OUR LOOK AT THE FACILITY. 
          IT WOULD BE QUITE AN INVESTMENT FOR THE COUNTY TO BRING THAT BACK UP TO STANDARDS. 
          BUT THOSE ARE THE THINGS WE'LL HAVE TO GET GUIDANCE FROM COUNCIL ON MOVING FORWARD. 
          AND APPROXIMATELY HOW MANY AC - I MEAN, IT'S A, IT'S A LARGE ACREAGE THERE TOO, SO I, I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW, FIVE, FOUR OR FIVE ACRES? OR IS IT THAT LARGE? MAYBE THREE ACRES? I DON'T KNOW IF YOU, IF YOU ALL KNOW. 
          YEAH, I'M NOT QUITE SURE ON THE ACREAGE OF THE PROPERTY. 
          I, I, I, UM, I DON'T THINK IT'S FIVE ACRES. 
          I'M NOT QUITE SURE ON THE ACREAGE OF THE PROPERTY. 
          OKAY. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          UH, YES, COUNCILMAN SMITH. 
          I MEAN, BOARD MEMBER. 
          UH, NO, NO PROBLEM. 
          UH, WELL, MY, MY, MY, ONE OF MY QUESTION WOULD BE JUST, UM, WHAT, WHAT'S THE HISTORY OF THE BUILDING AND WHAT, UH, WHAT, WHAT DOES IT CONSIST OF IN, IN, IN TERMS OF, UM, THAT, I THINK THAT WOULD BE ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE MAJOR MOVES TO SEE, YOU KNOW, UH, 
          [01:40:01]
IN, IN TERMS OF, UH, LIKE ST. 
          HELENA GYM, FOR INSTANCE. 
          ST. 
          HELEN GYM CAME FROM SAINT LA HIGH SCHOOL, SO THAT WAS HISTORY IN TERMS OF RE- RESTORING AND RENOVATING AND WE RENOVATED THAT. 
          AND THEN WE, WE'RE VERY HAPPY WITH THAT. 
          SO I JUST WANNA PUT THAT OUT THERE. 
          I'M NOT SURE WHETHER WHAT THAT BUILDING WAS, BUT THAT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT 1940S. 
          DAWSON CAN ANSWER THAT QUESTION, I THINK. 
          IT'S THE, IT'S THE OLD - CAN, CAN YOU SPEAK INTO THE MIC, COUNSEL DALTON? CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, SIR. 
          CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, SIR. 
          YEAH. 
          AS I SAID EARLIER, IT'S THE OLD, UH, LA BICO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DURING THE, UH, TIME OF SEGREGATION. 
          THAT WAS THE, UH, UH, QUOTE UNQUOTE WHITE SCHOOL AND, UH, UH, BLACKS WE HAD THE DAVIS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. 
          AND SO, UM, UH, AFTER INTEGRATION, UH, STARTED THEN, UH, THAT SCHOOL WAS BASICALLY ABANDONED. 
          AND SO, UM, IT'S JUST THERE AND WE, THE COUNTY UTILIZED PART OF IT FOR THE LIBRARY. 
          AND SO THE REST OF IT, AS HAS BEEN SAID, IS, UH, VERY, UH, DETERIORATED AS FAR AS THE INTERIOR'S CONCERNED. 
          UM, THE, UH, THE, UH, THE BATHROOM AND THE, AND THE, UH, DRAIN FIELDS, UH, UH, SEPTIC TANKS, UH, IT'S PROBABLY MALFUNCTIONING BY NOW. 
          UH, SO IT, IT WOULD, IT WOULD TAKE SOME, UH, SOME, UM, EXTRA WORK ON BEHALF OF THE COUNTY TO ACTUALLY, UH, RENOVATE IT AND, AND GET IT BACK UP TO, TO APART. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH - AND MADAM CHAIR, THE, THE BIGGEST ISSUE WITH THE BUILDING IS THE ROOF. 
          THE ROOF HAS DETERIORATED TO THE POINT WHICH THERE'S DAMAGE TO, AT LEAST APPARENT FROM LOOKING INTO THE BUILDING. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MADAM CHAIRMAN, UH, WASN'T THAT SCHOOL ALSO, UM, USED FOR, UH, UH, SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS? OR THAT WAS NOT THE SITE? LAWRENCE, UH, HE USED TO WORK WITH, UH, JASPER. 
          LACK OF BETTER WORDS, THEY USED TO REFER TO IT AS PETER. 
          YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT. 
          OKAY. 
          COUNTY WOULD TRANSPORT THOSE STUDENTS THAT HAD, UM... 
          YEAH, I JUST WOULD LIKE TO SUGGEST THAT, UM, WE SORT OF RUN IT THROUGH THE HISTORICAL SOCIETIES TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S NO SIGNIFICANT HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE THAT, UM, IS A TRIGGER. 
          UH, AND THEN SUBSEQUENTLY LOOK AT, UM, THE GROWTH IS COMING INTO THE NORTHERN PART OF BEAUFORT COUNTY. 
          ALL YOU GOTTA DO IS DRIVE UP TO WALTERBORO AND LOOK AT THE BUSINESSES THAT ARE COMING IN THERE, UH, THAT WERE NOT THERE BEFORE. 
          AND IF YOU ARE ADDING THAT NORTHERN, UH, GOING TO 95, THAT'S ACTUALLY MORE CONVENIENT TO GET TO THE JASPER, NOT THE JASPER TERMINAL, THE, UH, SAVANNAH, UH, TERMINAL. 
          SO THERE'S SOME ATTRIBUTES TO BE USED IN SELLING THAT TO RECRUITING BUSINESSES AND ENTITIES TO COME INTO THAT NORTHERN AREA. 
          IF THAT LOOKS PROMISING, THEN THERE'S A POSSIBILITY YOU COULD S - UH, SAVOR AND SAVE THE HISTORICAL ELEMENT OF IT, AND THEN YOU COULD PUT A SITE OUT THERE THAT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO THE COUNTY IN TERMS OF IF YOU WANT, UH, POOLS OUT THERE THAT WOULD DRAW AND BE ATTRACTIVE TO YOUNG STUDENTS MOVING IN. 
          SO THERE'S SOME UPSIDE THAT POTENTIALLY COULD BE EXPLORED. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ANY OTHER COMMENTS ABOUT THE LOBICO LIBRARY? YES. 
          THAT'S... 
          YES, SIR. 
          UM, THAT'S MY DISTRICT AS SCHOOL BOARD AND, UM, JUST SO LET ME READ SOME STUFF THAT THE LIBRARY HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHING. 
          UM, THE LABICO LIBRARY PROVIDES COMPUTERS, ACC - INTERNET ACCESS, READING MATERIALS FOR OUR KIDS, THE MEETING SPACE, COMMUNITY PROGRAMS DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR AND THROUGH THE SUMMER. 
          MY KIDS, WHEN THEY WENT TO SCHOOL, ATTENDED THIS LIBRARY, MY GRANDKIDS ATE SUMMER LUNCH , YOU KNOW, FROM THE, FROM THE LIBRARY. 
          BUT, AND I'D LIKE TO THANK MS. JONES, WHO'S IN THE AUDIENCE, NOT A DIRECTOR, WHO HAS DONE AN AWESOME JOB WITH THAT LIBRARY. 
          AND I, I ADORE THE LIBRARY BECAUSE IT REMINDS ME OF THE LIBRARY I GREW UP IN, IN NEW YORK. 
          I CAN GO IN THERE AND PULL A BOOK OFF AND READ IT. 
          AND THAT'S WHAT I THINK OUR STUDENTS NEED NOW. 
          THEY NEED HANDS-ON, PUT THEIR HAND ON THE BOOK AND READ IT. 
          AND THANK YOU, MS. JONES, FOR THAT. 
          WE'LL LOOK FORWARD TO GETTING THE REPORT BACK FROM THE FULL LIBRARY BOARD AND IT'S... 
          THE TIMING IS GOOD BECAUSE A BUDGET... 
          WE'RE STARTING BUDGET PLANNING NOW, SO WE'LL SEE WHAT, SEE WHAT THEY RECOMMEND. 
          YES, SIR, COUNCILMAN DAWSON. 
          MADAM CHAIR, JUST FOR CLARITY SO THAT WE ALL UNDERSTAND, THE LIBRARY IS NOT BEING DEMOLISHED. 
          UNDERSTOOD. 
          OKAY. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          OKAY. 
          WE LOOK FORWARD TO ANOTHER REPORT ABOUT IT. 
          UH, THIS HAS BEEN A GREAT MEETING. 
          UH, THAT WAS THE LAST ITEM ON OUR AGENDA TONIGHT. 
          UH, WE, WE... 
          MANY OF US WON'T BE HERE IN JANUARY, BUT WE HOPE THIS WILL CONTINUE, UH, MAYBE MORE THAN JUST ONCE A YEAR. 
          WE'LL TRY TO DO IT MORE OFTEN, CHAIR. 
          UM - 
          [01:45:01]
ABSOLUTELY. 
          YEAH. 
          AND, UM, MAYBE MID-YEAR AND, AND END YEAR MIGHT WORK. 
          SO, UH, AGAIN, THANK YOU. 
          I KNOW IT TOOK A LOT OF COORDINATION TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN, AND I APPRECIATE THE COUNTY STAFF AND THE SCHOOL BOARD STAFF. 
          UH, AND WE ARE GOING TO ADJOURN. 
          THERE BEING NO FURTHER BUSINESS. 
          THANKS FOR WATCHING BEAUFORT COUNTY TV. 
          EARLY VOTING IN SOUTH CAROLINA IS OPEN FOR TWO WEEKS. 
          VOTERS CAN VISIT ANY EARLY VOTING CENTER IN THEIR COUNTY DURING THE EARLY VOTING PERIOD, PRESENT THEIR PHOTO ID, AND VOTE USING THE VOTING SYSTEM, LIKE THEY WOULD AT THEIR POLLING PLACE ON ELECTION DAY. 
          FOR STATEWIDE GENERAL ELECTIONS, EARLY VOTING IS MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY, 8:30 AM TO 6:00 PM. 
          VOTING IS CLOSED SUNDAYS AND STATE HOLIDAYS. 
          FOR ALL OTHER ELECTIONS AND PRIMARIES, EARLY VOTING IS MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, 8:30 AM TO 5:00 PM. 
          VOTING IS CLOSED WEEKENDS AND STATE HOLIDAYS. 
          FOR RUNOFFS, EARLY VOTING IS WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, THE WEEK BEFORE THE DAY OF THE RUNOFF. 
          VISIT SCVOTES.GOV FOR MORE VOTING RESOURCES. 
          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 3,000 COUNTY GOVERNMENTS PROVIDE SERVICES THAT AFFECT ALMOST EVERY CITIZEN'S LIFE. 
          SOUTH CAROLINA'S 46 COUNTIES ARE VERY REPRESENTATIVE OF HOW COUNTY GOVERNMENT HAS EVOLVED NATIONALLY. 
          THE COUNTY UNIT IN SOUTH CAROLINA WAS REGARDED AS A LOCAL EXTENSION OF STATE GOVERNMENT, BUT A STATE CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM MOVEMENT IN THE EARLY 1970S LED TO THE SOUTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY PASSING THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT LAW, ALSO KNOWN AS THE HOME RULE ACT IN 1975. 
          THE HOME RULE ACT GREATLY EXPANDED COUNTY AUTHORITY AND CHANGED THE NATURE OF COUNTY ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION TO WHAT WE KNOW TODAY. 
          BEAUFORT COUNTY WENT FROM HAVING A BOARD OF DIRECTORS TO A COUNTY COUNCIL. 
          MEMBERS OF THE 1975 COUNCIL INCLUDED CHAIRMAN ARTHUR HORN, VICE CHAIRMAN GRADY THAMES, LEROY BROWN, GARY FORDHAM, WILLIAM GRANT, HARRIET KEISERLING, 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 KEISLING WAS A MEMBER OF COUNTY COUNCIL, AND IT WAS HER IDEA BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING THAT COULD SIGNIFICANTLY IDENTIFY OUR BEAUTIFUL BEAUFORT COUNTY. 
          WE MET THEN UP AT, UH, I THINK IT WAS A CAROLINA BANK AND SOME YEARS AGO BACK THERE ON WEST STREET, AND THEN WE PUT THEM IN PILES, YOU KNOW, LIKE GOOD, BAD, MAYBE, UNTIL WE FINALLY GOT IT DOWN TO THE ONE THAT WE NOW USE. 
          COUNTY COUNCIL APPROVED THE SEAL COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION, WHICH REFLECTED THE COUNTY'S HISTORY, TRADITIONS, AND NATURAL BEAUTY. 
          THE SEAL'S COLORS OF BLUE AND GREEN REPRESENT THE COLORS OF THE COUNTY'S OUTDOOR ENVIRONMENT WITH ITS MANY WATERWAYS, MARSHLANDS, AND MARITIME FOREST. 
          THE FIVE IMAGES WITHIN THE SEAL DEPICT SOME OF THE COUNTY'S DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: ANCIENT LIVE OAK TREES, THE SEAFOOD INDUSTRY, RICH NATURAL RESOURCES AND A RARE MARINE ECOLOGY, LOW COUNTRY ARCHITECTURE, AND MILES OF RIVERS, CREEKS, AND INLETS. 
          I WAS REALLY IMPRESSED. 
          I THOUGHT IT ENCOMPASSED WHAT THE... 
          WHAT WE AS A BODY WERE LOOKING FOR, A SEAL THAT WOULD... 
          WHEN YOU LOOKED AT IT AND JUST THOUGHT ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT, IT REALLY COVERS THE ASPECTS OF BEAUFORT COUNTY. 
          [01:50:01]
SO HE DID A GOOD JOB OF BRINGING TOGETHER THE THINGS THAT WE, UH, HOPE SO DEAR AND WHAT WE REALLY LIKE ABOUT BEAUFORT COUNTY. 
          COUNCILMAN BILL MCBRIDE WAS IN OFFICE WHEN THE CONTEST WAS HELD AND WAS PRESENT WHEN THE COMMITTEE REVEALED THE WINNING DESIGN. 
          I THINK COUNCIL WAS ECSTATIC ABOUT IT. 
          UH, WE THOUGHT THAT THE, THE SIMMERS ON THE SEAL REPRESENTED, UM, ASPECTS OF LIFE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY. 
          THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANGE IN THE ORIGINAL, UH, DRAFT THAT WAS PRESENTED TO US WHERE YOU HAVE THE SHRIMP BOAT TODAY. 
          INITIALLY, THAT WAS A PLEASURE CRAFT, A SAILBOAT AND YACHT TYPE BOAT. 
          AND, UH, IT WAS CHANGED BY COUNTY COUNCIL BECAUSE WE FELT THAT THE SHRIMP BOAT WAS A BETTER REPRESENTATION, UM, OF A MORE COMPREHENSIVE, UH, ASPECT OF BEAUFORT COUNTY LIFE BECAUSE YOU HAD OTHER THINGS ON THE SEAL THAT REPRESENT THE PLEASURE AND RECREATION, THE FISHING, AND THE BEACH. 
          SO THEY THOUGH THE SHRIMP BOAT, WHICH WAS A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF BUFORD 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.
* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.