Mount Pleasant Youth Council

TOWN OF MOUNT PLEASANT, SOUTH CAROLINA MOUNT PLEASANT YOUTH COUNCIL Thursday, November 4, 2021 5:00 PM Mount Pleasant Municipal Complex Council Chambers 100 Ann Edwards Lane, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 MINUTES Ms. Turner called the meeting to order at 5:02 p.m. Graci Canon, Adam El Hassan, Grace Griffin, Willa Jones, McClain Stoklosa, Caroline Tiller, Chad Weis, McKenna Young, Garrett Griffin and Cally DeMoura were all present. Geneiva Kowbiedu was absent. 1. Public Comments [None] 2. Approval of the minutes from the October 18, 2021 meetings Ms. Turner moved to approve the minutes, seconded by Mr. El Hassan. All present voted in favor. 3. Discussion and possible action regarding the outdoor basketball court project Ms. Sims stated the Town has a GoFundMe account. She said there are a few different fundraisers currently underway and it is simple to set up. She said after speaking with the Recreation Department, they expressed concern about this conflicting with their existing sponsorships which pay for the youth athletic programs. The solution is to stick with strictly donations, and as an expression of appreciation, a plaque would be installed listing all of the donors. The names would also be listed on the GoFundMe page, as well as the Town’s web page. Ms. Sims stated there is a state law that Town Staff must certify that we are not professionally fundraising, and she would like to state on the record that if this is something Youth Council wants to pursue, they must do the fundraising. Ms. Sims stated the Recreation Department was notified of a potential grant opportunity. New constructions projects are allowed to be considered and the maximum amount is $300,000, or it can go up to $500,000 if an argument is made that the project makes a regional  Mount Pleasant Youth Council November 4, 2021 Page 2 of 4 impact. The Finance Department is currently reviewing and the Recreation Department will handle the application if it is determined to be feasible. Ms. Turner asked how much money is needed to fund the basketball court project and Ms. Sims stated the cost would be about $150,000. Discussion was held as to what types of entities to contact to potentially donate to the construction of the basketball courts. Ms. DeMoura asked if the Youth Council could request that the Town budget be expanded to cover the cost. Ms. Sims said a letter could be sent to Town Council to request that it be considered. Ms. Turner asked if the fiscal year ends June 30 and Ms. Sims responded in the affirmative, adding that the budget process starts early in the calendar year. Mr. El Hassan asked if the funds were raised, would we have to keep waiting on them to start based on the other projects. Ms. Sims stated if the funds are raised while the contractor is on site working, a change order can be issued to begin work on the project. Ms. Turner moved to continue forward with the outdoor basketball court as one of the priority projects, seconded by Mr. El Hassan. The motion passed with Ms. DeMoura and Mr. El Hassan voting no and all others present voting in favor. 4. Discussion and possible action regarding a letter to the State Legislators regarding mental health resources in high schools Youth Council members discussed the need for mental health resources in high schools. Ms. Sims stated the bill in question had not made it out of committee before the session ended so it will need to be refiled at the beginning of the next session. Ms. Sims said she could identify the original sponsor of the bill and write them a letter as well as to our legislative delegation. Ms. Turner moved to write a letter of support to the State Legislators to request that state funding be provided for a certified mental health counselor in every public high school, seconded by Mr. El Hassan. All present voted in favor.  Mount Pleasant Youth Council November 4, 2021 Page 3 of 4 Ms. Sims asked if they wanted to her to draft the letter and send it to them for review. Ms. Turner, Ms. Canon and Mr. El Hassan said they would be willing to assist with drafting the letter. 5. Discussion and possible action regarding the winter quarterly service project Ms. Tiller said Ms. Kowbeidu sent her some information that Operation Christmas Child has a collection day on November 15, and Mr. Rob Fowler is a contact for Toys for Tots. Ms. Kowbeidu sent Ms. Tiller an e-mail contact for Head Start as well. Ms. DeMoura said she worked with a group in the past called Adopt a Classroom and she would send Ms. Sims the contact information for them. Ms. Sims asked about the Youth Council Members’ schedules through the end of December and said she would look at these organizations to come up with a holiday themed project. Ms. Tiller asked if collection drives within the schools could be used as a service project. Ms. Sims responded in the affirmative saying collections boxes could be placed and photo ops could be arranged. 6. Continued discussion on other priority projects and quarterly service events Ms. Sims stated there is a possible date change coming for the Sweetgrass Half Marathon and she would keep everyone posted. She asked Ms. Garrett to keep everyone informed as to collection and packing dates for the hotel toiletries. Ms. Garrett said they are moving forward with getting the name branded to start with partnering with hotels and having packing parties. Ms. Sims stated Ms. Turner and Ms. Young had recently received prestigious recognitions on Instagram and asked if anyone else had been recognized. She said the Town Communications department could give recognition for accomplishments and send out information on the basketball court fundraising. Ms. DeMoura asked if it would be possible to talk to the newspaper about the basketball court fundraising, Youth Council as a whole and the GoFundMe page. Ms. Sims responded in the affirmative and recommended getting some bullet points put together before anyone speaks to the media.  Mount Pleasant Youth Council November 4, 2021 Page 4 of 4 7. Adjourn There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:41 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Christine Barrett Clerk of Council November 4, 2021