Finance Committee

TOWN OF MOUNT PLEASANT, SOUTH CAROLINA FINANCE COMMITTEE Tuesday, June 5, 2018 Municipal Complex, Committee Meeting Room, 3rd Floor 100 Ann Edwards Lane, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 MINUTES PRESENT: Tom O’Rourke, Chair; Joe Bustos, Kathy Landing and Gary Santos STAFF PRESENT: Eric DeMoura, Town Administrator; Marcy Cotov, Chief Financial Officer Mr. O’Rourke called the meeting to order at 9:01 a.m. 1. Approval of Minutes from the May 1, 2018 meeting Mr. Bustos moved for approval; seconded by Mr. Santos. All present voted in favor. 2. Public Comments Jimmy Bagwell, 41 Vincent Drive, representing Save Shem Creek Board of Directors, stated that he would like to address the renourishment of Crab Bank. He stated that no one supports the renourishment of Crab Bank and the preservation of the rookery any more than they do. Also, the viability of Shem Creek itself. What they are concerned about is that the Army Corps of Engineering has not done a modeling project to determine exactly what the impact of the dumping of 660,000 cubic yards of dredge material is going to have on Crab Bank. He said they would urge Town Council and this Committee to look at this very hard. He believes what is  Finance Committee June 5, 2018 Page 2 of 24 needed is an independent study. There are excellent marine engineers right here in Mount Pleasant who have already looked at this project and they are as concerned about it as we are. He said it shows that some of the material can likely migrate north and west into the mouth of Shem Creek toward Hog Island. He said as a boater and a lifelong individual who has been around Crab Bank all his life and shrimped on Shem Creek for a few years, he knows the channels very well and it is getting very shallow out there. He believes the demise of Crab Bank has drifted towards the Shem Creek mouth, as well as Hog Island. He said he would ask this Committee to look at this very hard and believes that the Town needs to have an independent study done to determine exactly what the impact of this is going to be. He said this is not something that is done every day and should not be taken lightly. He said that Shem Creek is likely the biggest economic asset the Town has and draws people here every day to watch the sunset over Shem Creek, as well as the beautiful views from the boardwalk that the Town built. He asked the Committee to make the right decision and do a project that is going to last for a very long time, not just to take care of a problem for a few years. 3. Discussion of federal Crab Bank Renourishment Project Mr. O’Rourke stated that this is the first public discussion of this item since he has been on Council. He stated that he questions why this is in the Finance Committee, as this is coastal science. He stated that all the items Mr. Bagwell mentioned earlier should be looked at. He said that he is not sure this begins in the Finance Committee. He said there are things this Committee does that addresses requests for funding which will come before this Committee. He added that there are Council members that have been discussing this for a number of years that are no longer on this Committee. He suggested taking this item to full Council for discussion by everyone publicly as opposed to this Committee. He believes this is a  Finance Committee June 5, 2018 Page 3 of 24 coastal science project with serious ramifications and does not believe this should be addressed by this Committee. Mr. Bustos stated that he does not have an issue discussing it at this Committee. He said as he understood this, at some point there may be a desire of full Council to have a study accomplished, which will require funding. He said this Committee may make a recommendation to Council whether funding should be addressed for this project, which he believes may be appropriate. He stated that we do not have a Coastal Science committee, so the discussion needs to start somewhere. He stated that Committees are where the discussions should happen prior to making a recommendation to Council. Ms. Landing stated in this particular instance, one of the main items this Committee is tasked with is the merits of spending the funding for a study, which is why Mr. Bagwell presented this information to Committee. She asked if this Committee should recommend to Council to allocate funding to have the experts do the study. She said some may believe the experts are the Army Corps of Engineering and those already working on this project and others believe this is not adequate. She asked if the Town is able to financially accomplish this with the budget that was recently passed and if we are able to do so, then it would be a recommendation to Council. Mr. O’Rourke stated that he is not so sure what the cost will be until we know what it is that is being required; the scope, what is being studied, what is being measured, etc. He said some people may know what this is. Mr. Santos stated that he was born and raised on Shem Creek and learned how to swim and fish in the Creek. He stated that he has been going out to Crab Bank since it was permissible to do so. He said that the mouth of Shem Creek has been dredged previously and it will silt in again with the larger ships coming. He said we need to find a solution and is not  Finance Committee June 5, 2018 Page 4 of 24 sure there is a solution unless they build some type of wall around it. He said the tides are getting higher and at flood tide when large ships pass, it will throw water off the bank and we will be having the same discussion again in five years. Mr. DeMoura stated that it has been dredged at least once since he has been with the Town of Mount Pleasant. Mr. O’Rourke asked what the cost of dredging is. Mr. DeMoura stated that the cost to the Town was around $300,000. Mr. Santos stated that it will happen again in the next five years when another Council will be discussing this, unless there is another way. He suggested perhaps a riprap or some other type of protection. He said the Army Corps of Engineering or DHEC (Department of Health and Environmental Control), or whoever is responsible for Crab Bank, should be the agency in charge of this study. He said the Town should monitor it and be at the table for discussions, but the Town should not be doing the study since it is not the Town’s property. He believes the Town should be very involved. He is unsure whether the Town should be spending $300,000 when we know this will need to be addressed again in a few years. Mr. Bustos stated that he has met with individuals out of Columbia who do renourishments and spent time with them. He asked them to explain to him how beaches are renourished, which is a very involved process. He stated that they go on the land and look at the beach, then fly over the beaches, take pictures and do a study, and then they have divers find sand that closely matches the sand on the beach. After they find the sand, they then pump the sand and do not pump the sand from any place where the dredge can pick it up and put it on the beach. He said if the Isle of Palms, Fripp Island and Folly Beach follow this process to renourish the  Finance Committee June 5, 2018 Page 5 of 24 sand so that it will be stable, he does not know why Mount Pleasant would want anything less. He stated to dredge spoil out of the harbor and pump it up on Crab Bank is short-sighted. He said if this is going to be done, it needs to be done right. He said dredging the harbor and pumping it up on Crab Bank is not the way to do this. He stated that as a young child he remembers watching the dredge go onto Drum Island and this is not what he wants in the mouth of Shem Creek. Mr. Santos stated that Folly and the other areas Mr. Bustos mentioned do not have 1,000 foot ships throwing 50 foot waves going by trying to make an 8:00 a.m. start at Wando Terminal. He said it is only going to get worse and unless something is done other than sand nothing is going to stop it. He said when there are higher than predicted tides and ships coming through, it is going to throw the water over. He said that the Town needs to have the Army Corps of Engineering, Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), discuss this before anything is done, but it needs to be done soon. Ms. Landing stated that it comes down to whether the Town should hire someone separately. She said we all agree that something needs to be done. She asked if the Army Corps of Engineering and DHEC are already involved in this process. Mr. Santos stated that they own it. Ms. Landing stated that the question is if the Town of Mount Pleasant is going to hire an independent group to come in as experts on behalf of the Town to ensure that the Town’s interests are protected. Mr. Bustos stated that he would like to ask staff to advise this Committee what the process is in order to accomplish the things being discussed, such as a breakwater, the right sand, etc. He said he does not know what the process is to begin this.  Finance Committee June 5, 2018 Page 6 of 24 Mr. O’Rourke stated that the study may be the second step and not the first. He said we all agree that one of the most important assets that the community has is Shem Creek and it is not just economic. He said seeing the sun go down is important and seeing things from a place that the Town just put a tremendous amount of money into with boardwalks is important. He said what the Town needs to do is to ensure that funding is available to make sure it is dredged the way the Town wants it dredged. He believes this is a big deal and needs more than this Committee to discuss how to protect what the Town has. He said we all agree this needs to be protected and it needs to be paid for. He said the Town needs to determine what is needed first and believes a study needs to be done but does not know if it is a study that talks about the effects of the dredging out at Crab Bank. He said the study could be accomplished and provided to DNR (Department of Natural Resources), and they could do nothing. He said this should be a priority and there should be discussions on how to protect our own assets. He thinks that we need to first determine what we are protecting and then looking at all the options of what needs to be done. Ms. Landing stated that she would like to reference Mayor Haynie’s letter to Congressman Sanford where he states, “this is one small expert in regard to concerns about how this silt will act and whether it will accomplish what we would need done for the Town, the Corps and DNR staff advised that they were very willing to consider the possibility of conducting such modeling work themselves, provided that necessary funding, approvals and a method for incorporating future study results could be obtained from Corps staff in positions of higher authority.” She said Mayor Haynie goes on to state, “We sincerely appreciate that offer. It looks like the agencies are already ready and discussing the scope, cost and timeframe for that work.”  Finance Committee June 5, 2018 Page 7 of 24 Ms. Landing stated that the request basically says that “the Town respectfully requests that you investigate Crab Bank nourishment component of the overall Charleston Harbor Dredging project and do all you can to encourage that this more detailed study be undertaken by the Federal Government before proceeding with this beneficial use project. Also, for Congressman Sanford to assist with identifying the necessary funding to allow the Corps to proceed.” She said Mayor Haynie is asking for what already makes sense. Will Haynie, 316 Mallard Court, stated that this is his May 18th letter which is open to the public. He said we held a meeting here at the Town on the 10th of May and had the Army Corps of Engineering, South Carolina DNR, Coastal Conservation League, the Town and residents who reside on Shem Creek. He said one of the eye-opening items for him as a non-engineer is this is not typical of a beach renourishment project, where it is 95% percent sand; this is 65% / 35% and according to the resident engineer who was present at the meeting and hired independently, 35% of the dredge spoil will dissipate upon pumping. He said they are doing the total of 50 acres of land so that there will be an 80 acre sandbar. He said the equivalent of 20 acres of sandbar is going to dissipate at the mouth of Shem Creek and no one knows where it goes. He said the Committee asks whether the Town should pay for funding and said he would be in favor of paying the $80,000 to $100,000 to study this, because if Shem Creek is silted in for recreation or commercial use, the Town will lose more than this very quickly and it will not be good. He said if the Town must go along with their own independent study, he believes we should do so. If we join with others on the study, that is also acceptable; however, we must get the Army Corps of Engineers to recognize the validity of this. He said to address another thing that came out of that meeting, the Army Corps of Engineers will not consider any type of revetment, riprap or anything to contain it, because the cost will  Finance Committee June 5, 2018 Page 8 of 24 be too high. He said the whole thing will cost $4 million dollars as it is to a half-billion-dollar dredge project. He said many were at the beginning of this from the Yorktown and now they want to put $4 million dollars back into the harbor they spent half a billion dollars to dredge it out of and Mount Pleasant is the only municipality with any risk in this. He said it will not affect Charleston, North Charleston or Folly Beach. He said that the Town will pay the price if this is a mistake and does not believe the price of a study is too much for the Town to pay to find out if this is a mistake or not. Mr. O’Rourke asked if Mayor Haynie received a response to his letter. Mayor Haynie responded in the negative and stated that Congressman Sanford did request a tour of the area and they are working on arrangements. He requested going out by boat to look at the project. He stated that he would like to see a functioning rookery, but also needs a functioning Shem Creek and without a proper modeling study no one can guarantee that it is not going to be detrimental. Mr. Santos stated that it is an election year and suggested pushing hard to find out what Congressman Sanford is going to do. He believes the Mount Pleasant residents should ask the Congressman what his plans are. He said this has been out there since the beginning of time and this issue has been going on for a number of years. He said that the Town needs to get the citizens involved as well. He said the Town needs to demand answers. Mr. Bustos made a motion that this Committee recommend to full Council to task staff to bring to full Council a process for studying Crab Bank renourishment; seconded by Ms. Landing. Mr. DeMoura stated that staff has received a proposal from a local firm who is an expert is this field and are prepared to move upon Council’s  Finance Committee June 5, 2018 Page 9 of 24 direction. He said while it has not been fully negotiated, the cost will be roughly between $75,000 and $100,000 and is within this budget year. He added that contingency funds are still available in the current year’s budget if that is Council’s desire. Mr. O’Rourke asked if Mr. Bustos would add to his motion, the protection of Shem Creek as well, not just Crab Bank. Mr. Bustos stated that he believes the study will show Council whether or not it will be damaging to Shem Creek. He said he would like to think this is part of it. Mr. O’Rourke stated that the effects of the larger ships that Mr. Santos mentioned could add an additional impact. He said if there was no renourishment project, the Town will still be negatively impacted by the large ships. He asked Mr. DeMoura how the Town can only choose one firm. Mr. DeMoura stated that the Town can. He stated that the majority of the time, a competitive process is used. He said when you have a firm with experts in the field, they are a local firm, and time is of the essence, the procurement code allows the Town to move quickly with a qualified firm. Mr. O’Rourke asked Mr. Bustos when he would like to have this back. Mr. Bustos stated that his motion is to recommend to Town Council on Tuesday, June 12th. He said following the discussion and a vote by full Council on Tuesday June 12th there will be direction for staff. He said it is a recommendation to Council to task staff to bring the Committee the process. Cheryll Woods-Flowers, 1529 Old Village Drive, stated that she is not an educated scientist or engineer, but would like to thank this Committee for looking at this issue. Like all things that matter, there are pros and  Finance Committee June 5, 2018 Page 10 of 24 cons and much discussion. She stated that she has great experience spending a number of hours at Shem Creek and when there, she is one of the only individuals who actually grew up in the Town of Mount Pleasant. She said most are from other places and what they talk about is how beautiful Shem Creek is, as well as the pelicans and other birds that are so important to Shem Creek. She said that if Crab Bank goes away, it is likely that the pelicans and other birds will disappear. She said if the Army Corps of Engineering is going to be conducting a study, she believes they should be charged with this responsibility. She said they are the experts and understand the Creek and have been working there long enough. She said that if we choose not to utilize them, is the Town sending a message that we do not trust them to make the right decision. She does not see the need to pay an outside entity to come up with a decision. She said the entire Town Council needs to look the citizens in the eye and say that they are committed to saving Crab Bank. She stated that as long as the jetties are there, there will be siltation and will have to dredge as has been the case historically. She said the jetties are not going anywhere, so the dredging will have to happen, because it is the way the harbor is configured and the science works. She stated that no one is more committed to the Creek in terms of the fishing and shrimping than she is and realizes from experience that this is a tough decision. Ms. Landing stated that she truly does not believe these matters are mutually exclusive. She said from the tone of the letter that Mayor Haynie sent which was very thoughtful, he took the time to meet with the conservation groups, as well as the Army Corps of Engineering and other parties. She said the tides are all different today, which is why the Town needs the most up to date information and the best minds to collaborate so that we end up with a solution that solves both issues. She said it will not be permanent, because that is the nature of sand; however, we can all do the best for all the environmental concerns today.  Finance Committee June 5, 2018 Page 11 of 24 Lisa Turansky, residing in the Groves at 1065 Groves Manor Court stated that she is here today playing two roles; one as the Chief Conservation Officer at the Coastal Conservation League (CCL), and the other as a resident of Mount Pleasant. She said that although she does not live on Shem Creek, it still feels like her backyard as she frequents the Creek with her family. She said her children attend the coastal expeditions and naturalist camps and even swim in the Creek. She said that from the perspective of the CCL they are very appreciative of the willingness to consider all aspects of the renourishment project. She said this is a once in a lifetime opportunity with the dredging that is occurring, which has negative impacts in and of itself. She said when you review a study, it needs to be one that acknowledges a “no build” scenario, what will happen if we do not use the dredge material on Crab Bank and we need to have a plan for dredging regardless, because there will be siltation that occurs over time, whether Crab Bank is renourished or not. She said she would also like to echo former Mayor Woods-Flowers’ statement about collaborating with the Army Corps of Engineering and does not feel the Town should waste funding if we can rely on experts who we pay through our tax dollars to do this research and partner as a Town to not only get the research done, but to look at how we move forward with it and maintain it. She asked how to create a project where our businesses continue to thrive, such as Coastal Expeditions and other nature-based businesses along the Creek. She said many people who use the Creek to paddleboard and kayak stop and eat at the restaurants on the Creek, which is an economic hub for the Town as well as an environmental gem for the coast. She said she would like to “get it right” and said the CCL would love to work with the Town moving forward. She stated that she would also like to make one recommendation. If the Corps, DNR and DHEC are able to do a presentation at a Town Council meeting, this would be extremely helpful as there has been extensive study done on  Finance Committee June 5, 2018 Page 12 of 24 the beneficial use in terms of soil and sediment composition, but not the movement which still needs to be researched. Wray Lemke, 450 West Coleman Boulevard, stated that he became involved with this issue a few years ago when the Coastal Conservation League (CCL) asked him to repair a camera out at the Creek. He stated that he is an engineer and electronics expert, not a scientist. He rebuilt the camera and the CCL had it uploaded to the internet. He became more involved with what is happening on Crab Bank and said the biology is amazing to watch. He said the selfless scientists who study this saw something they have never seen before in the behavior from these birds. He said the comment that was made about choosing Shem Creek over the Crab Bank birds, this is not how it works, because you cannot divorce the two. He said the bird and wildlife population is Shem Creek. He said Shem Creek is a working part of Mount Pleasant and defines the Town. He said when he began his business over 39 years ago, you could walk across the Creek on shrimp boats and was different from being a park- like atmosphere now. He said it is a whole unique part of Mount Pleasant. He said that he has been to many places in the world and nowhere has he ever seen the kind of wildlife that he sees in Shem Creek, which is why people come to Mount Pleasant. He said to not back the renourishment would be a disaster as there is nowhere else for these birds to thrive and be protected. He said that the Town cannot split Crab Bank off from Shem Creek as they are melded together. Ms. Landing stated that she wholeheartedly supports protecting and renourishing Crab Bank and protecting Shem Creek for generations to come. She believes that this is how everyone else on this Committee feels. She believes this Committee is being tasked to hire a separate entity, not because they do not trust the Army Corps of Engineering, but to determine if there is funding in the budget to be able to have the  Finance Committee June 5, 2018 Page 13 of 24 Corps and the experts at DNR as well as independent experts. She said this is clearly spelled out in Mayor Haynie’s letter. She stated that for $75,000 she does not believe it is a question. She said we all want what is best for the Town, Crab Bank and Shem Creek. Randy Friedman, 100 Haddrell Street, stated that on the subject of whether a study should be done or not, there is now agreement among all the parties that are affecting this, that a study should be done from the Army Corps on. He said what this Committee should know, as well as Town Council, is that three weeks ago the Army Corps of Engineering was going to proceed to dump all the spoil there without doing a study. He said secondly, while this is not necessarily a question of trust, it is a question of independence and being able to say that we protected the Town through doing a study in the face of a study that is now being offered by the Army Corps who was not going to do a study three weeks ago. He said as to the subject of Crab Bank and where the best place is to try to renourish it, if the material moved to the north and west as CCL is well aware, it is very possible that it will silt in from where Crab Bank currently is to the point where Patriots Point ends. He said when that connection occurs it ceases to be a possible rookery. He said the need for science to participate is critical and the need for it to be independent and controlled by the Town is also critical when the final facts come in. Bret Bennett, 131 Hibben Street, stated that there appears to be far more agreement than disagreement on this topic and agrees with Ms. Landing’s position that there should be a balanced analysis of what works best. He said he believes that the two-part objectives can be achieved, and his view is that we should be as analytical and deliberative as well as methodical, relying on the experts as much as possible to complete the project and avoid any unintended consequences.  Finance Committee June 5, 2018 Page 14 of 24 Nolan Schillerstrom, stated that he is the Coastal Coordinator for the Audubon, South Carolina and protects birds in the places they need and also pride themselves in believing in the balance between humans and nature. He said that he is one of the biologists that has worked out on Crab Bank to count the birds and watch the baby pelicans, black skimmers and royal tern grow up over the past several years. He stated that he would like to speak to the merits of Crab Bank as a rookery and how this helps Shem Creek and to the merits of how much thought the Army Corps has put into the process already. He said it is all in the “Beneficial Use Post 45” document that is available online. He said that he agrees with Ms. Turansky’s suggestion to work with the Army Corps to have a presentation done so they are able to discuss how much thought they have already put into this project. He said Crab Bank is one of very few rookeries that are left in the State. He said the Seabird Sanctuary Islands are the most important places for birds that need it and believes the reason more people are moving here now is because we have all these natural spaces and wildlife today. He stated that renourishment of this sanctuary would benefit the birds that seek these places to reproduce and grow which have declined so heavily. Over the last 40 years in North America these birds have declined by 70%. He said Crab Bank also protects coastal properties in the Old Village and those businesses on Shem Creek, and the habitat boosts Mount Pleasant’s economy and provides educational experiences for local schools. He thanked the Committee and said working with the Army Corps to accomplish this study would be in the best interest for the Town. He said they have a strict vetting process for the data that they will consider. Chris Crolley, 514 Mill Street, stated that he is the owner/operator and chief steward at Coastal Expeditions and has been on the Creek for over 25 years. He said it feels great to know that this Committee believes in Crab Bank and said he received some education today from the  Finance Committee June 5, 2018 Page 15 of 24 Committee on what it takes to take care of yourself. He said that the Town needs to know what is going to happen. He said mirroring Mayor Woods-Flowers’ comments, he would love to hear that Town Council will save Crab Bank and to do a study to determine how that organically fits in to protecting Shem Creek. He said the Town has built a park there and the best view from the park with some binoculars is Crab Bank. He said Crab Bank is an active bird rookery and a world model of wildlife habitat right in the mouth of Shem Creek. He said perhaps the Army Corps was not going to do the study, because it is washing over and away and perhaps adding the spoil will stabilize it and cease to cause the silt. He stated to image the optimistic idea that stabilizing the bank would stabilize the channel in Shem Creek and does not believe anyone has mentioned this yet. He added that this is a historic opportunity and time is of the essence. He said there is a CAP 204 program that provides a 65%/35% match on the funds it is going to take to renourish Crab Bank and the clock is ticking. He would urge the Town to find the funding in this fiscal budget to conduct the study it takes to be mature and relevant to this project, which is to save Crab Bank. He would also urge the Town to find other funding to participate in this project that the majority of the demographic wants to renourish this important bird nesting area. He said he would like to see this discussion continue at full Council and to hear Council members say they are going to save Crab Bank and will deal with the ramifications as they come. He said history will judge this moment on whether Mount Pleasant was willing to save Crab Bank or not. Nancy Swan, stated that she lives off of Two Sisters Creek in Bayview Acres and sits on her porch every morning and looks out at Crab Bank, which brings such joy. She said her husband’s family grew up on the foot of Bank Street where there used to be a road in front of Bank Street. She said people in the Old Village used to have a regatta every Labor Day and would sail around Crab Bank. She said they are the citizens who love Crab  Finance Committee June 5, 2018 Page 16 of 24 Bank and Shem Creek. She said this is a people’s thing and the citizens all love Crab Bank and Shem Creek. She said she sees the black skimmers on the concrete wall coming into the Maritime at the harbor, because they no longer have a home, because they have to leave Crab Bank. She said Crab Bank was a sandbar before it was ever a bank and has always been there. She said when they began the dredging, then it became a Bank. She said as a citizen, she would like to protect Crab Bank, the sandbar that has been here forever. Elizabeth Andereg, stated that she technically lives on Sullivan’s Island and works at Nature’s Adventures on Shem Creek; however, she is a property owner in Mount Pleasant. She stated that Crab Bank is so important, not only for the birds, but for Mount Pleasant. To reiterate what former Mayor Woods-Flowers said, we need Town Council to see this as an important aspect of the Town and a true commitment to saving Crab Bank. She said this island, which was once a mudflat and is now an island, is important to the birds. She said time is of the essence, as Crab Bank is washing away daily. She said time is critical and the Corps has done due diligence and are willing to work quickly to stabilize Crab Bank. She said we must take care of this problem. Ms. Landing stated that she believes the Town should protect Crab Bank and Shem Creek and should be committed to both 100%. She said as a Council member, she is committed and feels certain that most, if not all, Council members feel the same. She said that Mr. O’Rourke is correct in stating that this Committee did not see anything regarding this issue until Mayor Haynie’s letter recently. She said something happened in the process that was already transpiring that made people wonder if it was really the best answer. She said the independent study would not be separate, but in addition to and in collaboration with what was already going to be accomplished.  Finance Committee June 5, 2018 Page 17 of 24 Mr. Santos stated that he agrees with Mr. Bennett’s comments to bring everyone to the table and asked Mr. DeMoura if he would reach out and invite the Army Corps of Engineering, as well as the other stakeholders (DNR, DHEC), to attend the Town Council meeting on June 12th, to know what their thoughts are, as well as Congressman Sanford. He said he can tell the citizens what his thoughts are about this situation. He said there was discussion about dredging; however, the Town pays for the dredging. Mr. DeMoura stated that staff can reach out to the stakeholders. Mr. Bustos stated that the last time Shem Creek was dredged and the boats that had sunk at the docks were removed, the Town was advised that because there were not as many shrimp boats going up and down the Creek, that it would fill in, because there is not enough activity, he asked where the spoil from Shem Creek was pumped to. Mr. DeMoura stated that he does not recall, but said it was much further than Crab Bank. Mr. Bustos stated that Crab Bank and Shem Creek cannot be separated and as an environmental gem, Crab Bank is so important and goes to the heart of why the Town needs an independent study. He said he is retired form the Army and loves the Army Corps of Engineers; however, they are mission driven and does not believe their mission is to save Shem Creek, but to get the channel dredged for shipping in the Cooper River. He said this is simply an add-on and would hate to see Crab Bank as an add-on to any study. He believes the Town needs to have an independent study done in order to know what is best. Mr. O’Rourke asked to restate the motion. Mr. Bustos stated that his motion was: To recommend Town Council to task staff to bring to Council the process for studying Crab Bank renourishment for Tuesday evening.  Finance Committee June 5, 2018 Page 18 of 24 Mr. Santos asked if Mr. Bustos would consider adding to this to bring in the Army Corps of Engineering and the stakeholders to the Town Council meeting on Tuesday, June 12th to update Council on all the information. Mr. Bustos stated that he would like for his motion voted on first and the Army Corps of Engineering and the stakeholders will come to the Town with their best practices. He believes this can be requested separate from the motion. All present voted in favor. Mr. Santos made a motion to extend an invitation to the Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Natural Resources, as well as any other stakeholders involved in this project, to attend the Town Council meeting on June 12th to update Council on their intentions. Ms. Landing asked to include Congressman Sanford. Mr. Santos included Congressman Sanford in his motion; seconded by Mr. Bustos. All present voted in favor. 4. Consideration of a grant of easement to SCE&G for the purpose of installing and maintaining overhead, underground and surface utilities on property owned by the Town of Mount Pleasant located at 1153 Six Mile Road (Mount Pleasant Fire Station 4) Mr. DeMoura stated that staff received a request for an easement by SCE&G. Alan Myrick, Roadway Agent with SCE&G stated that the overall project is the Home Depot being built at US 17 and Six Mile Road. He said the request was made to put the entire overhead lines underground from US 17 along Six Mile Road to Sweetgrass Basket Way. He said the lines feeding the Goodwill and ECCO building as well as the Fire Station 4, will be buried on the south side of the road and the lines along the north side  Finance Committee June 5, 2018 Page 19 of 24 in front of the Home Depot will also be buried. He said the section that involves the Town is the Fire Station, which has an overhead line existing now with a pole, shown by the blue line. Beside the pole is a cabinet and behind that a new transformer will be installed which is indicated by a box with an X and the clearances around this for the easement are shown by 5 feet and 12 feet where the door would open to access the transformer. He stated that the transformer would be installed to feed the fire station. Mr. O’Rourke asked if staff has a recommendation.  Finance Committee June 5, 2018 Page 20 of 24 Mr. DeMoura stated that as the Town understands it now, the power is already underground that feeds Fire Station 4, so this undergrounding is really a benefit to the rest of the roadway more than the Town. He said the Town’s concern is that July 1, 2018, the Town will have funding for a new budget and included in that budget is a rebuilding and enlargement to this Fire Station location. He said the timing of this request is early and said he has two questions; (1) can this wait; and (2) is this location critical and the only location to undergrounding the rest of the roadway. Mr. Myrick stated that to respond to the first question, time is critical to the construction currently ongoing, so this is needed as soon as possible for SCE&G’s purposes. He said in response to the second question, the location fits with what is existing currently. He said the underground line runs from the pole that will be removed and the transformer would take the place of the pole. He said the pole sits on road right-of-way and the guidewires behind the pole is what is on Town property. He said it would improve the property by taking out the guidewires.  Finance Committee June 5, 2018 Page 21 of 24 Mr. DeMoura stated that if Committee is asking staff for a recommendation, the process is that when someone is requesting land of any kind, it must come to the Finance Committee. He said staff is not comfortable at this time with this project and requests more time. He asked Chairman O’Rourke to consider bringing this project back to Finance Committee at their next meeting. Mr. Bustos asked if there is any cost involved to the Town other than the easement. Mr. DeMoura responded in the negative and said what he is most concerned about is the reconstruction of Fire Station 4. He said it will require a retention pond and other items and is not confident that this improvement will not constrain the Town’s ability to properly plan the site. He said staff is feeling rushed to coincide with a commercial project and concerned, because this is not how staff would go about planning the site. Mr. Bustos made a motion to defer until next month; seconded by Mr. Santos. All present voted in favor. 5. Request to purchase an undeveloped 0.2 acre property owned by the Town of Mount Pleasant located near Walt Miller Street Mr. O’Rourke stated that Mr. Oswald came to the Town previously to discuss the parcel, which was an abandoned roadway. He said an appraisal was conducted with the Town selecting the appraiser, and the potential purchaser paid for the appraisal. Mr. Santos stated that this parcel was discussed a few years ago. Mr. DeMoura stated that there was a request by a nearby property owner to purchase a portion of land, but unsure if it was this parcel. Mr. Santos asked about the outcome of that request.  Finance Committee June 5, 2018 Page 22 of 24 Mr. DeMoura stated that the Finance Committee at that time was likely not comfortable moving forward with the sale at that time. He said it never moved forward from Finance Committee. Mr. Santos stated that he is not comfortable moving forward until he understands why.  Finance Committee June 5, 2018 Page 23 of 24 Mr. Santos made a motion to defer until more information is provided by staff as to why the previous sale did not happen, because it may be something Finance Committee needs to know prior to voting on this item; seconded by Ms. Landing. All present voted in favor. 6. Adjourn There being no further business, meeting was adjourned at 10:07 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Barbara Ashe June 5, 2018 Finance Committee June 5, 2018 Page 24 of 24