A - Town Council Meetings

SPECIAL TOWN COUNCIL MEETING Tuesday March 12, 2024 4:45 p.m. Municipal Complex, Council Chambers 100 Ann Edwards Lane, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 MINUTES 1. Call to Order 4:45 Mayor Haynie called the meeting to order at 4:45 p.m. Daniel Brownstein, Howard Chapman, Laura Hyatt, Guang Ming Whitley, Jake Rambo, John Iacofano, Gary Santos and Carl Ritchie were all present. 2. Public Comment Marie-Louise Moreto, 1133 Liberty Court stated the arts deserve the same thought, discussion, and planning, including input, that is given to new sports fields and sports facilities. She said for an arts center to succeed, it must work for the art organizations and the individual artists who will use it. She said to her knowledge, no input has been sought either from art organizations, individual artists, or the general public on a community arts center. Ms. Moreto said there also did not appear to be a real plan to move this forward or how it will progress in the long run. She stated her organization, the Mount Pleasant Community Arts Center Committee held a brainstorming session on February 6. She requested that Council reconsider the RFP which was posted on a national hiring platform, but only three applicants applied. She said instead of having an artistic director/operator, she asks that Council consider hiring a cultural planner or specialized theater consultant to guide the process. She said a community arts center can be an economic benefit to the town if it is done right. She urged Council to have the courage and foresight to think long term as a quality arts center will pay for itself many times over in direct and indirect economic impact. Denise Fugo, Executive Director of Housing For All Mount Pleasant, 2222 Ashley River Road stated she wanted to let Council know that the board is supportive of the affordable housing that is recommended on Faison Road, and they hope that project will move forward quickly. Jill Kajouras, 3657 Maidstone Drive said that we are experiencing a desire for the attainable housing project number two for Carolina Park Boulevard when already there is an appreciated, moving forward project of attainable housing on Faison Road. She said the Faison project is thirty-eight acres, although only eleven acres has been approved for housing, which will be thirty units. Ms. Kajouras said the rest of the land has yet to be determined as to what it will be, however, adding in another one hundred units on Carolina Park Boulevard which already has incredibly heavy traffic, is absolutely unwanted by the taxpayers, and she said she would speak again at the next meeting. She said so those who live in Carolina Park, Park West, Charleston National, who have paid dearly for their homes and for which they have worked all of their lives, do not want the second project. She said there is already one in place, and forcing a second is absolutely undesirable. Kevin Cunnane, 3032 River Vista Way said he wanted to speak about the town manager’s contract. He said he was sure there was a compensation study out there that shows what cities he is compared to in the state. He said he thinks he does a good job, but if he is compared to five cities for his role, the police and firefighters should be compared to those cities as well. He said if the town manager gets a three and a half percent raise every year, make sure the firefighters get it and it is not doled out based on favoritism. Mr. Cunnane said when politics enters the role of the manager, speaking about the role, not the current encumbent, it is a very poisonous problem. He said Council is in charge, and there should be safeguards to make sure that politics does not enter that role, and that nobody in elected office is using any town resources for politics. He said in January there was an article put out by the Town that the Mayor is one of the 50 most influential people in Charleston. He asked how that helps us as taxpayers. He said that goes back to not letting the Town be taken over by politics, which is why we have the strong council system. Carol Hallman, Parsonage Woods Lane stated she would like to be sure that we are calling attention to the big picture regarding the proposal for a temporary community arts center as a transition point to possibly a larger facility. She said her biggest concern at this point is that we bring in professional leadership that knows the pitfalls and potential problems if we do not plan for the vision that the RFP set forth which is choral music, orchestra music, visual arts, theater, and so forth. Ms. Hallman said she keeps hearing it called a theater, and that is just a portion of the intended use. She said she hopes that Council will take advantage of the opportunity to hire someone who has the professional experience in Page 2 of 5 seeing the pitfalls and potential obstacles for establishing something that really meets the vision of the RFP. Howard Chapman, 824 Natchez Circle stated he is the Chairman of the Public Services Committee. He stated there has been some information in e-mails and public comments about the efforts that our Public Services made on Saturday with the heavy storm. He said first of all, for those that did not see the news, the storm we had was a record rainfall of over three inches in a short period of time, and it came with a flood tide. He said having been through a number of hurricanes, that flood tide was pretty high, and there is nowhere for the rain to go. He said most importantly, our Public Services employees started on Thursday going out and inspecting the hot spots around town that normally flood. He said they also did the same thing a second time on Friday. Mr. Chapman said on Saturday morning there were trucks and personnel out ready to respond to locations such as Pitt and Ferry Streets, Royall and Williamson, Bowman and the Highway 17 on-ramp, Chimney Bluff Drive, Shem Creek Park parking lot, Rifle Range Road, Mathis Ferry Road, and Long Point Road. He said they were out there when everyone was being told to stay off the roads. Mr. Chapman said our Public Services employees were doing what they could but with three inches of rain and a flood tide, that water was not going to go anywhere. He said the flood tide is causing the water to come in, not go out. He said he is here to thank the Public Services crews who worked very hard over the weekend. Mr. Chapman added that Police and Fire worked hard as well, but they were not being criticized. Barbara Ferris stated she is an artist and a sculptor and said a true arts center for the arts will distinguish Mount Pleasant from other towns. She said this has been under discussion for several years as a temporary space is being considered, and she believes this is a first step in developing an extraordinary city. She said Mount Pleasant is already a financial and retail center, and a center for the arts will enhance residents’ quality of life. Ms. Ferris said the center reaches beyond the ballfields for the youth and will serve the entire community. She said many cities with populations similar to Mount Pleasant in growth potential have built state of the arts centers, and it has been documented that once it is established, the theater and visual arts will bring millions of dollars of revenue into the cities and the business communities. She stated center for the arts will boost the image of Mount Pleasant and spur economic growth. Ms. Ferris said there is a lot of work to be done to have a state of the arts building Page 3 of 5  that will establish the reputation of our city as a cultural arts center. In order to accomplish this, we need to have the Council Members, as our representatives, hire an experienced, professional arts facilitator and consultant. She said this endeavor takes a multitude of skills including individuals who have an understanding for fundraising. She said the establishment of a community arts advisory committee, comprised of local artists and interested citizens, and led by a professional art consultant is necessary. 3. Executive Session Mr. Santos moved to go into executive session for the reasons stated by Mayor Haynie as listed on the agenda, seconded by Ms. Whitley. All present voted in favor. The meeting was adjourned into executive session at 5:01 p.m. a. Discussion of Town Administrator contract b. Discussion of contractual items related to a community arts space c. Discussion of contractual items related to Town owned property on Faison Road d. Consideration of applications to serve on the Planning Commission e. Consideration of applications to serve on the Culture, Arts & Pride Commission 4. Post Executive Session Council may take action on any item, including any subsection of any section, listed on an executive session agenda or discussed in an executive session during a properly noticed meeting. Mayor Haynie reconvened the meeting at 5:50 p.m. stating no votes or action were taken. Mr. Iacofano moved to approve the amended employment contract of the Town Administrator based on the proposed contract provided in executive session, and immediate authorization for the Mayor to execute. Ms. Whitley seconded the motion. Mayor Haynie called for the vote and all present voted in favor. Mayor Haynie stated the next item addressed would be contractual items related to Town owned property on Faison Road. Page 4 of 5  Mr. Rambo moved to proceed as recommended by staff in executive session, seconded by Ms. Whitley. All present voted in favor. Mr. Chapman moved to appoint Ms. Emily Sanford to the Planning Commission, seconded by Ms. Hyatt. All present voted in favor. Ms. Whitley moved to reappoint Cory Alston, Charles Lauer, and Brad Dunnells to seats 5, 6, and 7, and to appoint Keller Mays to seat 3 on the Culture, Arts, and Pride Commission. Mr. Chapman seconded the motion and all present voted in favor. 5. Adjourn There being no further business, Mayor Haynie adjourned the meeting at 5:52 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Christine Barrett Clerk of Council March 12, 2024 Page 5 of 5