[0:10] Silence is commanded by
this honorable commission.
All those having business, draw
[0:15] near.
>> thank you.
You may be seated at this time.
[0:20] while you are being seated
let me ask you to check
[0:24] your electronic devices
including the
commissioners so that it
[0:27] don' t go  off.
All right. Today I got -- I got
[0:34] double power.
I got the high sheriff and I got
[0:37] the chief deputy who here
along with the major and the
[0:40] rest
of ' em.
So and you all know, if your
[0:44] telephone go out to
coleman' s bed and breakfast, it
is going
[0:48] to be trouble getting it
out from there.
All right.
[0:49] you just can' t walk and  pick
it up.
[0:52] they don' t play  that.
All right.
[0:55] I don' t want  you to lose
your electronic devices so
please,
[0:59] ma' am, please, sir,  check them.
Make sure that they don' t go
[1:04] off because silence is
commanded during these
[1:06] proceedings.
Okay.
Today we have a young man that
[1:15] coming to us to bring us our
inspiration, our invocation,
[1:19] one that I have watched grow up.
All right.
[1:22] his uncle and I were the best
ofof when we were high
[1:26] school mates graduating
together, and I
stayed in woodsville more than
[1:32] I stayed in west savannah,
running around there where they
grew up
[1:36] at.
Pastor anthony come to us, he is
the pastor of -- the
[1:41] senior pastor of the beulah
baptist church located on
[1:44] anderson street right at the
railroad track after you pass
[1:51] east broad.
All right.
He comes to us having
[1:59] been married for quite a time.
They are blessed with a
[2:03] daughter and he is a man I know
that
[2:06] knows the gospel, preach the
gospel, and believes in
[2:10] the salvation that the lord
jesus christ has given us.
[2:13] with that, pastor edwards,
I' m going to  ask you to come to
[2:16] the mic.
The mic is yours.
And when you get through
[2:20] with your inspiration, you get
ready for the invocation, if you
[2:24] will ask us, then we will -- let
us
know
[2:26] so that we could stand with you
as you pray.
[2:30] and then after then,
then we will be lead in
[2:33] the pledge by commissioner noha.
All right.
The mic
[2:34] is yours.
>> good
morning, everyone.
[2:35] >> good morning.
>> greetings in the
matchless name of our lord jesus
[2:39] christ.
Here to share words of
[2:43] here to share words of
inspiration, to encourage you as
county commissioners as you
[2:48] start
this session today to govern
the business of our county.
[2:52] as you gather today to govern I
[2:55] want to remind you of
first of all, I want to
[3:00] first of all, I want to
remind you to govern because it
[3:04] is
your great responsibility.
There' s an  authority higher
[3:09] than
you, and that authority is god.
[3:14] so, please, as you come
together today to govern, number
[3:18] one, govern because it is your
would like to
[3:21] would like to
remind you to govern and govern
righteously.
[3:26] we are to do the right
thing because it is simply the
[3:31] right thing
to do. Because at the end of the
day we
[3:36] all will have to give an account
to god when this life is over.
[3:42] I ask that you govern because
it is your responsibility.
[3:46] I ask that you govern
righteously. Last but not least,
I ask
[3:50] that you govern reasonably.
Govern fairly without
partiality, knowing that
[3:56] the constituents of the county
is
dependent upon your decisions.
[4:04] with that being said, I ask
that we stand as we pray this
[4:08] morning.
Let us pray.
Father, as we have gathered
[4:12] in this secluded place
this morning, first of all,
father,
[4:17] we gather to say thank you.
Thank you for
[4:21] another opportunity to be able
to acknowledge you, knowing
[4:24] that life comes from you and you
the freedom that you have given
[4:29] the freedom that you have given
us to be able to gather to
[4:33] handle the business of the
county.
Lord, we acknowledge
[4:35] your presence and your power.
We are asking that you pour
[4:39] out your wisdom upon this
chairman and all of these
[4:42] commissioners.
We are asking for knowledge,
wisdom, that the county of
[4:46] chatham could be better as
they gather to deal with the
[4:50] business of the county.
Lord, thank you once again
for this opportunity to
[4:54] acknowledge
you, for we believe in proverbs
chapter 3, verse 5
[4:59] and 6. Acknowledge the lord,
trust in
him,age knowledge him in all
[5:03] thy ways, and I believe without
a doubt you will direct our
path.
[5:07] have your way today.
These and all blessings we
[5:10] ask in the matchless name of
jesus christ
we pray.
[5:13] amen.
>> amen.
>>
[5:14] commissioner noha.
>> I pledge allegiance to
the flag of the united states of
[5:19] america, and to the republic for
which it stands.
One nation under god,
[5:24] indivisible, with liberty
and justice for
all.
[5:29] >> thank you. You may be seated.
And to pastor edwards, we thank
[5:34] you for taking time out of
your busy schedule to come be
with
[5:36] us. We can' t pay you but
we appreciate you coming
[5:40] and sharing your words with us
and
instructing us in how the
[5:42] lord has
led you. Continued blessing and
keep him,
[5:45] all right, in all of your
endeavors.
Thank you so much for being
[5:49] here.
>> thank
you, sir.
[5:49] >>
roll call.
>>> chester a.
[5:52] ellis, chairman.
>> malinda scott hodge, district
[5:55] >> malinda scott hodge, district
2,
vice-chairman.
[6:00] >> present.
>> dean kicklighter, district
7,
[6:04] chairman pro tempore.
>> he' s
here.
[6:07] >> --
district 3.
>> present.
[6:09] >> brian m. Hussey,
district 4.
>> here.
[6:13] >> tanya milton, district
5.
>>
[6:14] present.
>> aaron whitely,
district 6.
[6:16] >> here.
>> marsha buford,
district 8.
[6:20] >> here.
Call those
[6:24] call those
who are here to represent the
neo natal intensive care unit as
[6:29] we do the proclamation.
We ask you to come to the mic.
[6:32] anybody you want to bring with
you, now, you can bring them
[6:37] with you.
Yeah, because -- all right.
[6:40] yeah, because -- all right.
I am going to read a portion of
[6:45] this,
all right. And then I will turn
the
[6:46] mic over to you.
All right.
[6:53] >>
yes, sir.
>> let everybody get up here.
[6:57] let me congratulate you first.
I' m going to  start with
that.
[7:01] >> thank
you, sir.
>> I' m going to  tell you why
[7:04] I' m congratulating you.
[7:08] you got
meeting.
[7:12] meeting.
The county of chatham, georgia,
[7:17] proclamation. Whereas, every
year thousands of
infants are born prematurely,
[7:23] or required specialized
medical care in the neo
natal intensive care unit, and
[7:28] these
children demonstrate
extraordinary strength and
[7:32] resilience from
the very beginning of life.
And, whereas, the journey of a
[7:40] neonatal care -- intensive
care family is often filled with
[7:45] uncertainty, hope, courage and
unwavering love, for the
dedicated physicians, nurses
[7:49] or respiratory therapists,
health care professionals who
care
[7:54] for these infants, provide
lifesaving treatment
and compassionate support.
[7:59] now therefore I, chester
ellis, chairman on behalf of
[8:05] the chatham county
board of commissioners, here
[8:10] proclaim september ' 26  as
neonatal
care unit awareness month and
[8:16] saturday, september 26th, as
neonatal care warrior run day
[8:19] in chatham county and encourage
all citizens and residents
[8:22] to recognize the strength and
resilience of neonatal
care warriors, honor the
[8:27] families
and health care professionals
who
[8:29] support them and participate
in efforts that promote
awareness, education, compassion
[8:35] and
hope throughout our community.
In witness here of I here to
[8:41] set my hand and caused the seal
of chatham county, georgia to
[8:45] be affixed this 14th day of
august,
2026.
[8:45] let me just share a
personal story with
you.
[8:48] >>
yes, sir.
>> my older two grands are
[8:52] twins, a girl and a boy,
and they had to go from birth to
[8:57] neonatal care, all right,
in intensive care,
[8:57] that unit. So I know what you
all do in
there.
[8:59] they were small in size.
Even though you don' t
[9:03] recognize that now because the
boy is
[9:06] 6' 4', wears a size  15 shoe,
all right.
[9:10] but to know where those
humble beginnings that he came
from
[9:13] and the work you all do
and thethe program that you all
[9:18] put on,
all right, especially -- I' m
[9:19] going to put up front, too.
Y' all got a warrior run
[9:22] day.
>> I don' t run.
[9:24] >> I don' t run.
Sheriff when he was
[9:28] sheriff when he was
in high school and I cancelled
[9:32] that because tore up my knee.
All right.
But I do encourage the
[9:37] citizens of chatham county to be
a
part and to know how important
[9:41] your efforts are.
All right.
With that having been said,
[9:43] the mic is yours.
I want to say thank you so
[9:45] I want to say thank you so
much to you, our distinguished
[9:50] guests, the board
of commissioners.
Like we really appreciate
[9:51] you guys.
Like we don' t take  it lightly.
[9:55] I think our biggest thing
was five years ago sienna was a
nicu
[10:02] baby, and so she was in nicu.
I was in icu at candler and
[10:07] my husband was in icu at
memorial.
>>
[10:08] wow.
>> our family put up a big
fight, and to go through
[10:13] that, especially going through
it
yourself, every single thing
[10:14] matters, the breaths,
the moments.
Like today sienna is
[10:18] humbling, she is cheering, she
plays basketball, she is
running.
[10:23] those are the things that we
want the community to see,
[10:27] the fight that these
tiniest warriors
put behind. We started out as a
[10:32] nicu
run with our family and today it
is so much
[10:34] bigger. We have partnered with
endurance
rate services, we partnered
[10:38] with st. Joseph candler, we
partnered with house of run.
[10:42] we partnered with so
many different organizations and
we just want everybody to come
[10:45] out.
It is not about the run.
It is not about the walk.
[10:48] it is about us providing
a family so that we can lean
[10:53] on each other during these
times, and this proclamation
isn' t for
[10:57] me, it is not for my
family, it is not for our
[10:59] sheriff because
he' s in  the building to
support,
[11:00] and that means so much to us.
This is what it is all about,
[11:05] us all coming together.
But it is for every nicu
[11:08] baby out here, this proclamation
is
for them.
[11:09] we want to just say thank
you for you all taking the time
[11:14] to hear us or you all taking
the time to even put
[11:16] this proclamation together.
It means the world to us.
[11:17] we would love to have
even
[11:19] even
if it is just a prayer, a phone
call.
[11:24] you hop on our facebook page
and encourage other nicu
families.
[11:28] they' re going  through
times where financially they
need
[11:30] somebody to say, hey, it will
be okay.
Look at the other side.
[11:33] your story can bless
someone else.
We want to say thank you
[11:35] and it is an honor to stand here
before you all
today.
[11:37] >> thank
you.
>>
[11:36] yes, sir.
>> commissioners, let us
do
[11:39] this. Let' s start on  the end
and
move our way down.
[11:43] yes, sir.
>> I just want to thank you
[11:47] all for your efforts, for your
my niece was a nicu baby
[11:50] my niece was a nicu baby
for three months, was born at
[11:54] one pound and didn' t think that
she would ever come out and she
[11:57] is
thriving, just got married.
So thank
[11:58] you.
>> such a blessing.
>> yeah, thank you for what
[12:01] you are doing, bringing
attention
to something that is
[12:05] lifesaving work.
These are babies that years
ago they would not even
[12:10] have survived some of
those
conditions. So this is a worthy
[12:14] organization to support.
Thank you so much for what you
do.
[12:16] >> thank
you.
>> thank you for your passion.
[12:20] I have had members of
my family to experience that,
those same
[12:25] things, and it is quite
a struggle but it was a
good
[12:28] struggle. The victory is yours.
Thank you.
>> thank you.
[12:32] >> thank y' all for being
[12:38] here this morning.
Healthy son who spent his
[12:43] healthy son who spent his
first days.
Sorry.
[12:47] thank you.
Y' all are
[12:49] heroes.
>> yes,
[12:54] sir. Thank you.
>> started it, so --
>> where my box at?
[13:02] >> but I too thank you for
what you do.
[13:06] my god daughter, she was
not even four pounds but she
[13:09] stayed in the hospital for
almost 40
days.
[13:10] now, like the chairman said,
you wouldn' t know  it now
because
[13:15] she is 17 years old and probably
pounds.
[13:20] pounds.
So what you do is really
important for life for
[13:24] many
families. So I support you.
[13:25] >>
thank you.
>> and I might
[13:28] run.
For you.
[13:30] for you.
Running.
[13:34] running.
But, no, on a serious tip,
[13:37] to hear all of the stories and I
share a story.
[13:41] my son was a nicu baby and
I remember having to take my
[13:44] wife up there every day and stay
in the car with the girls while
[13:47] she
went to breastfeed him.
So just what you said
[13:52] about words of encouragement,
some words of affirmation to
[13:55] families who are going through
this are very powerful.
And considering that it
[14:00] is children being in
neonatal intensive care units is
a very
[14:04] common thing and it is a
scary common thing, and so I
[14:09] just appreciate you guys
bringing awareness to it.
You know, sharing, you know,
[14:13] the experiences as well, and
I' m glad  to see that your
[14:17] family have -- all of you have
made
[14:19] it out of the icu and are
now chipping into our society.
[14:23] so thank you for what you
do.
>> thank you.
[14:26] and I have not, thank
god, personally had to
experience anything close to
[14:31] what you all
are describing and what
my fellow commissioners
[14:34] are
describing. So I can only just
try to
[14:38] imagine the hardships and
everything, and I just want
[14:42] to say thank you for being
awesome.
[14:43] it is people like y' all
that makes life a better place
[14:46] for
y' all.
[14:47] y' all.
>> thank you.
>> good morning
[14:52] and thank you for being here
thank you for the work and
[14:58] thank you for the work and
the labor of love that you do,
[15:03] such a labor.
Words can never express all
that you do.
[15:06] have had a lot of
experiences, you and I, with the
nicu.
[15:11] and like my colleagues, I
get full thinking of how
[15:16] wonderful it is to see
individuals come
[15:19] up out of the nic unit and then
go on as if nothing ever
[15:24] happened.
But your love is just so
awesome.
[15:27] your passion is awesome.
You do and continue the work.
[15:32] you do and continue the work.
No, I cannot
run. But --
[15:36] >> y' all need to have
a sit-in.
>> or
[15:39] a roll-in. A roll-in
for us.
[15:41] >> let' s sit and talk  about
this and pray.
[15:44] okay. Thank you.
>> thank
you.
[15:47] >> again, let me say I can' t --
for the job you
[15:51] for the job you
do.
>> yes, sir.
[15:53] >> and I think that one of
the things that -- one of the
[15:58] things that is fresh in my mind
all
[16:03] all
right, is that
young younggirl was less than a
[16:07] pound and the
nurse is feeding her,
holding her in her hand.
[16:11] so those nurses and
unit,
[16:16] unit,
too, are -- they have so much
compassion and so much care,
[16:21] you know.
I personally know as lisa,
[16:25] I personally know as lisa,
I said, 'lisa, I saw you feeding
[16:30] davita and I was praying the
whole
while, please don' t drop
[16:32] her, please don' t drop  her.
' but the way they take care
[16:36] of them and then having to
know that your family went
[16:39] through what you went there,
we' re
[16:41] glad that you' re  here and
we encourage all of chatham
[16:46] county to come out and to be a
part of
[16:47] saturday, september the 26th.
All
right.
[16:47] >>
yes, sir.
>> so that we can get to
[16:52] know, because from those
humble beginnings, all right,
many
[16:56] things are done and many things
are accomplished.
[17:00] >> yes.
>> when we all work
together and when we all see our
[17:05] paths
are not different from each
other.
[17:07] it is just that the journey is
different, but then we
[17:11] all intersect and be on the same
page. Again, we say thank you.
[17:13] is the photographer here?
All right.
[17:16] now, what we want you to do is
pick up the proclamation
[17:20] there before you and then make
sure you -- make sure
[17:22] your daughter is out front, but
turn
around
[17:24] and face the clock, if all of
you will.
[17:28] hold the proclamation up so
get the picture for our
[17:36] get the picture for our
archives.
Got it?
[17:40] all right.
With that we thank you all.
Mr. Sheriff.
[17:45] >> yes, sir.
>> you want to take the mic and
say hello?
[17:51] as our
constitutional officer. Yeah, I
got you in the
[17:55] building now.
>> good morning.
>>
[17:55] good morning.
>> good morning, mr.
Chairman, fellow
[17:59] commissioners, mr. Kaigler, our
county
manager, greetings to each and
[18:03] every
one you.
Let me stop and say I
[18:06] can' t think of  any other place
I
[18:09] would rather be right now than
my
commission board. It is always a
[18:12] pleasure to come
always   you and greet you.
[18:16] I am the sheriff of chatham
serve you
[18:20] serve you
and the needs of our citizens.
Commissioner ted just said
[18:24] it best.
You know, we all have
different paths but the journey
[18:27] is the
same, it' s the same.
We work collectively to --
[18:31] to have a better place for
chatham county.
[18:33] that' s what it is  all about,
the citizens of this county and
[18:37] our ability to serve them and
make life better for them.
[18:40] so, as always, I' m your
sheriff.
[18:41] I' m happy to  serve you.
If you need me or my office,
[18:46] we
are here for you. I have a motto
and I say it
[18:48] everywhere I go, that no
one person can do these things
by
[18:50] themselves, but it is together
and together we can.
Thank you, mr. Commissioner.
[18:55] god bless you all.
With us today.
[18:56] with us today.
The sheriff' s department  is
[19:00] in partnered with them as
well?
>>
[19:00] yes, sir.
>> okay.
I just want to make sure
[19:03] because I know in our blueprint
and
when we did the budget we
[19:08] were included in it.
So thank you for working, and
[19:12] he is one of our constitutional
officers.
[19:14] I don' t see --  I don't see
another.
We thank you.
[19:18] all
right.
>> thank you.
[19:21] >> we thank our partner from --
from one of our municipalities
[19:25] who is always here,
we thank you for being here this
morning.
[19:28] all right.
With that we thank you, sir.
>>
[19:30] thank you.
>> appreciate it.
All right. Getting ready to
[19:33] move on. Let' s call  the
library.
[19:38] library.
All right.
Thank
[19:40] you all.
>>
thank you.
[19:41] >> continued blessing for what
you are doing and
[19:45] how you are
doing it.
>> thank you.
[19:49] >>
good morning.
>>
[19:52] good morning.
>> so today we are going
[19:58] to share the concept design for
the
replacement of oglethorpe
[20:02] library.
>> okay.
>> patrick shay, I' m
[20:04] january shay.
Before I do that, I have
a library commercial.
[20:08] august 31st we are going
to expand library hours across
the
[20:13] system. This is based on the
feedback that we received from
[20:17] our strategic plan that was
the number one thing that people
[20:21] wanted, more library hours.
That also is in line with one of
[20:24] our values, is access.
So we' re  going to provide
[20:28] that starting august 31st.
Another thing I wanted to
[20:32] let you know is this afternoon
carnegie library heritage center
[20:33] carnegie library heritage center
will be celebrating its 112th be
some
[20:37] programming and events
surrounding that,
so if you have time to stop
[20:42] by, that' s from  2:00 to 6:00.
Please stop by.
[20:45] lastly, september is
library card
signup month. That is a national
[20:48] initiative across libraries
across the
country.
[20:53] we are celebrating that one
way by having porch parties.
[20:57] we did that last year.
This year there will be two
[21:01] in chatham county, one at the
bull
street library on september
[21:05] 5th featuring the fabulous
september 12th
[21:10] september 12th
at the southwest chatham library
featuring an r & b concert.
[21:15] there will be food trucks and
a great party.
[21:17] we hope you will come out.
If you do not have a
[21:20] library card we encourage you to
signsign
for a library card and all
[21:22] of your friends and family to
so commercial is over.
[21:25] so commercial is over.
I will turn it over to mr. Shea.
>> good
[21:30] morning, commissioners.
>>
good morning.
[21:33] >> I think there may be
but what I want to do is
[21:39] but what I want to do is
tell you that we are underway.
[21:43] my team is actually in
the process of doing the
construction documents
[21:46] right now.
We are going to get to
[21:50] market before the end of this
of price increases that are
[21:54] of price increases that are
going on right now due to a lot
[21:58] of uncertainty in
construction markets and so
forth.
[22:01] we are on target.
We have been very frugal
[22:07] we have been very frugal
and very careful as we go along.
[22:11] but we' ll skip to  the
pretty pictures because they' re
more
[22:13] fun to look at than it is to
listen to me.
[22:14] >> do we
have those?
>> yes.
[22:15] >> all right.
What do I have
to do?
[22:18] >> let them come out of
come on.
[22:21] come on.
There she go.
They should be able to pull
[22:28] them
up.
Here it comes.
[22:32] >> there we go. Smart people
have helped me.
[22:35] >> y' all got it on a disc or
[22:39] anything?
>> I thought we sent it over.
[22:42] we sent it over I thought but I
drive.
[22:45] drive.
>> he has a jump drive.
>> yes, sir.
[22:47] >> there you go.
>> that works.
[22:48] >> so the site for the library
is actually library the corner
of
[22:52] eisenhower and
waters avenue. You all had the
foresight to
[22:57] buy a bigbig tract of over there
that was once a part of a
[23:01] strip
shopping center. Some of those
buildings
[23:04] have since
been demolished. There we go.
So one of the things that
[23:10] lola and her team including
michael
summers, who has been a great
[23:15] director, asked us to make
sure that as people drove by on
[23:19] eisenhower drive, because it
is setback from the edge of the
[23:23] road, it is kind of across
the eisenhower drive from the
[23:27] county' s complex where the tag
office is and so forth
[23:30] there, that we do something that
was
highly visible and very
[23:33] approachable and attractive.
So we' ve  kind of
designed something that as
[23:38] people drive
by, especially at night but
in the daytime as well,
[23:41] they' re going  to look over
there.
[23:42] they' re  going to say, ooh,
what is that?
[23:45] ooh, maybe that' s the new
library we heard about.
[23:48] so it is going to be
very
[23:50] very
inviting.
Here' s another view
[23:54] that' s a little  more zoomed in.
One of the things that' s
[23:59] going to be very unique about
this
building is that it is not
[24:00] going to be built with
structural steel or structural
concrete.
[24:04] it is going to be done with mass
timber.
[24:09] now, mass timber is an old
technology that' s become
[24:13] much more mainstream right now
where
[24:16] lumber is taken and it is glued
and laminated up together.
[24:22] so the beams and the columns and
the slabs are all going to
[24:27] be out of georgia wood that' s
been
laminated, and it is
[24:29] actually inherently fireproof.
If you have a question
[24:30] about that, I can tell you.
But the idea is when
[24:34] you approach this building,
whether
you' re from the outside or  the
[24:37] inside, it is going to be
all about wood, and to the
[24:40] maximum extent possible it is
going to be about wood that' s
[24:43] harvested in georgia.
We know we have a lot of
[24:45] people that are in the timber
that are struggling because of
[24:48] that are struggling because of
the changes with the closure of
[24:51] the paper plants, and so this is
going to provide some help
for them.
[24:55] but it is a relatively
new technology.
[24:59] now, not far from here over on
oglethorpe square there' s
[25:03] a hotel that' s just  about
finished, and it was
[25:07] built entirely out of mass
timber,
this same system.
[25:10] and from the time that
it went from just a slap to
[25:15] where it was
completely under roof, only
took six-and-a- half weeks for
[25:18] that whole process and it was
erected by four people.
[25:21] so rather than having
concrete trucks come in the
middle of the
[25:24] night and wake everybody up in
the neighborhood, this
[25:27] system was all precut in a
factory and
assembled like in parts.
[25:32] it is not 3d printed but it
is the closest thing to it.
[25:36] it is very, very attractive.
We all know you are
[25:38] surrounded by beautiful wood
look better.
[25:41] look better.
There' s the a minute entrance.
Oh, yeah.
[25:48] fair enough. Michael reminds me,
we were
also able to win a
[25:52] $25,000 grant from the georgia
forestry foundation
specifically for this project
[25:57] by using this mass timber.
They will be featuring it
[26:01] all over the country really.
As a matter of fact I will
[26:05] be giving a tour
to a congressional delegation
here in another
[26:06] couple of weeks, and I have
shown it to
a 'wall street journal' reporter
[26:11] as well.
It is going to be
something that' s a
[26:13] real statement. This is the main
entrance.
Another great feature of
[26:17] this project is there' s a
central
courtyard.
[26:21] if you all have been out to the
chatham county health department
headquarters, named
[26:25] after dr. Fay, there' s a
central
[26:29] cord yard in that and people use
that to circulate around and it
[26:33] brings daylight into the center
of the building.
We decided to use
[26:36] something similar on this
particular project.
There you can see from the roof,
[26:40] and thanks to you and a
program you are undertaking I
will
[26:42] be working with jackie jackson
and with your solar provider,
cherry
[26:47] street, so there will be
a relatively large amount of
[26:50] solar on the roof.
That' s going to  be
[26:53] something that is going to be
similar
[26:55] to the program that you' re
instituted across the county.
[27:00] it is going to help the
library with their electric
bills
[27:02] and make this a
wonderfully sustainable place
deep into
[27:06] the
future. You can also see on this
that
[27:09] in addition to the
central courtyard that' s in  the
[27:12] middle we also have some other
courtyards that will be
very
[27:15] attractive. One of the other
entrances
that you will be able to see
[27:20] this
library from is coming in off
of waters avenue.
[27:23] it is pretty hard to make
a left-hand turn on eisenhower
[27:27] to get back up intointo
site because of the traffic
[27:29] that' s on
there. Waters
avenue, the traffic is a little
[27:32] bit slower.
A lot of people will turn in
[27:35] off waters avenue and we wanted
that to be a very attractive
view,
[27:38] and it will be the side that
has the community facilities.
[27:42] this isn' t a
typical old- fashioned library
like the
[27:44] ones that I grew up with
that' s just  an archive for
[27:47] books.
It will be a great
archive for books, it is going
[27:50] to be
a great play to be able to get a
book
[27:52] and check it out and bring
it back later, but it is also
[27:57] going to be a community center.
It also will be a place that
[28:01] invites people to come in
for events that could be in
[28:03] the evening when the library
itself
is closed. This is the side and
[28:06] this is
the view of the community
gardensgardens face that part of
[28:10] the
community. To give you an idea
of how
[28:13] much wood there' s going to  be
on
[28:15] the inside of the building, you
can
see here we have wood slaps
[28:18] for the ceilings.
We have wood beams and
wood columns, and you can
[28:23] see the courtyard is off to the
right.
[28:25] the entrance is off to the
left and the place is just
[28:29] going to be a real showcase for
the
wood that' s manufacturedmanufac
[28:32] tured
harvested in georgia.
There' s your  central courtyard.
[28:35] it is going to be a great place.
I don' t know.
[28:39] some day I bet there will be a
wedding there.
[28:41] I bet somebody will get
married in that courtyard, and
then they
[28:44] will be able to go into
the community rooms and have
[28:46] their wedding reception.
They will be able to use this
[28:48] as a place where the library
really becomes the center of
the community.
[28:51] south side needs
this. There are a lot of
[28:55] great churches that are there
but not
everybody goes to church
[28:57] unfortunately.
They need to have someplace
else they can go to have these
[29:01] kind of events.
You also will be able to do
[29:04] town hall meetings, mr.
Chairman,
and it will be a great facility
[29:07] for public gatherings.
These are the reading rooms.
[29:12] this is the adult reading room.
A lot of daylight, but it
[29:16] is north light so we will have
a lot of natural light in
[29:19] the space.
It is going to have great
acoustics, too.
[29:20] so our theme for the
overall project that we worked
with lola
[29:24] and her team to develop
this is going to be that third
[29:29] this is going to be that third
place, that calm place where
[29:34] you can go and kind of get away
from
[29:35] all of the other things that
are distractions, and be able to
[29:38] enjoy a good book or have a
good
[29:40] conversation. This is a view of
the children' s
[29:44] reading area, and this is also a
great place
[29:45] for our young people to be able
to
[29:47] come. I know there' s a lot of
emphasis now, as there well
[29:51] should be,
on youth literacy.
We are trying to make
[29:52] sure that our young people are
able
[29:55] to learn how to read and keep
up with what is going on in
[30:00] their education and in the rest
of
the world.
[29:59] there' s also  going to be a
this is another great feature of
[30:04] this is another great feature of
this particular library that' s
[30:08] different than your typical
library.
So there' s going to  be a
[30:11] room where you can go and maybe
there will be a 3d printer that
[30:16] you can use there or maybe
that will be the place where you
[30:18] can do
an art project or, you know, be
able to set up
[30:23] functions, teaching, cooking
demonstrations. There could be
any number of
[30:26] things, but there will be
a maker space in the center.
[30:31] you can see it also
overlooks the central courtyard.
Everything has a chance on
[30:34] the inside to also spill over
into
an outdoor space so you can
[30:37] have both indoor and outdoor
aspects of the
[30:41] same events. This is the north-
facing entrance.
This will be the entrance
[30:46] that' s on  the community side.
This entrance would, for
[30:50] example, be facing planet
fitness.
[30:53] it also will be very attracting.
As I said before, it is
[30:57] going to be set up so that the
library
functions where the book
[30:59] archive is could be closed down
at
night but the rest of the
[31:02] community center could be open.
And other things.
[31:04] and other things.
We didn' t put any art on
[31:08] this, but this is what it looks
like
to come through that
[31:10] entrance, be able to have
displays or
demonstrations. Also, if you are
[31:14] using
the community rooms for sort of
convention kind of
[31:18] atmosphere, this would be a
great place
for the pre- function and be
[31:22] able
to have where people gather
before they go into the main
[31:25] rooms.
These are your
community rooms. I want you to
[31:27] imagine
yourself being able to come here
for
[31:30] movie night or be able to
come here for that wedding
[31:34] reception
or for that public hearing
that you want to have, that
[31:39] helps our
community to understand how
good their government is.
[31:45] it also is bathed in that
wonderful, natural north light.
[31:49] we call it god' s light for
a
[31:50] reason. This is the floor plan,
and
[31:56] I can dwell on that, but what
I would rather do is let myself
[32:01] and lola and michael, if
necessary, answer any
questions you might have.
[32:02] I can explain to you how
the building is laid out if
[32:05] that' s
particularly important to
you, or how it is going to
[32:09] be furnished or any other
aspect.
We are well on track.
[32:12] it is going to be a wonderful
place, and I think it will
[32:16] be the kind of place that you
and your kids and grandkids will
[32:23] be very proud of.
>> all
right. Commissioner milton,
[32:28] go.
>> thank you, mr. Chairman.
What' s your
[32:32] opening date?
>> that' s a good one.
[32:33] >> I try it all the time.
Thank you
for that.
[32:37] >> so here is the
schedule
[32:40] overall. We will finish up
construction
documents and get it out to
[32:45] bids by the end of this year.
Assuming that the bid
[32:49] opening goes well, it probably
will
[32:51] take about 15 months to build.
So I would say about the
[32:56] middle of the year in 2028, not
2027.
[32:56] so about the middle of the
year in 2028 is when you can
[33:01] look forward to a grand opening.
>> and will you be taking art
donations?
[33:05] >> absolutely. Absolutely.
I think that, you know, art is
[33:09] something that we want to
make sure is thought of
throughout
[33:12] the facility, that there' s
the opportunity to display it
[33:16] and there' s an  opportunity
to showcase it, there' s
[33:20] an opportunity for gallery
showings. Then there' s also a
place or
[33:22] two for a permanent collection.
You would need to speak with
lola about
[33:27] that.
>> you probably remember the
artist, right?
[33:28] >> I
sure do.
>> so I have to get his
[33:31] stuff out
of storage.
>> nice.
[33:31] >> it will be ten years in
march.
>> brilliant.
[33:36] >> and that will be a great
home for some
of it.
[33:38] >> oh, man.
I' m telling you,  that would be
wonderful.
[33:42] >> we just need to find a
place to store it until you are
[33:45] ready
to open.
>> a
[33:44] great concept. That' s
wonderful.
>> good deal.
[33:48] >> any other
questions?
>> that is correct.
[33:51] >> anybody?
You go, mr.
Noha.
[33:52] >> thank you.
It is a
beautiful building. I' m
[33:57] building a cabin right
now and it is completely out
of
[34:00] wood.
>> yeah.
[34:03] >> so I think it is going to
be a
[34:07] great addition to district one.
>> I' m proud that
it is.
[34:10] >>
claiming ownership. Anyway,
commissioner
[34:13] hodge.
>> thank you, chairman.
I just want to acknowledge how
[34:18] thoughtful this design is.
Me, especially in a day and
[34:23] me, especially in a day and
time where literacy is so
[34:27] important and we are seeing
libraries
that are closing nationwide, and
[34:33] for us to take on a project
like this, this is extremely
[34:37] thoughtful, how it serves
the entire community.
It is meeting modern needs in
[34:42] a space such as this, it is
making
a library so much more
[34:47] relevant than what it has been
in
the past because, you know,
[34:50] times have changed
so much. So this is -- I' m so
[34:54] impressed with this.
I have been impressed with
the library services in general,
[34:58] but this is just
really impressive.
>> this is
[35:01] your visionary.
>> yes.
>> I' m just  holding the
[35:04] pencil.
>> yes,
I' m aware.  This is impressive.
[35:08] >> outdoor space and how
we' re  doing that to
[35:11] save money --
>> oh, yeah.
Fair enough.
[35:11] so the budget was
actually established a little
over
[35:16] two years ago, maybe getting
close to
three years. So at the time that
[35:21] we
originally did our first
design for the building it was a
[35:24] bit
larger than what it is right
now because e inflation has
[35:28] slowly shrunk the building a
little bit.
Interior spaces cost on
[35:33] the order of about $500 a
square foot to build
[35:37] as well. But outdoor spaces even
if they' re  done very well are
[35:41] maybe $100 a square foot.
That' s one of  the reasons
[35:44] that you see these
interrelationship of indoor and
outdoor space.
[35:47] our outdoor spaces in savannah
are probably usable around
[35:51] 300 days a year, and this is a
way we can stretch the dollars
[35:55] and also leverage up the
experience.
People love it.
[35:57] the image of a live oak tree
and a child sitting underneath
[36:01] of it
book has been a great
[36:05] book has been a great
inspiration to us.
>> commissioner, yes, sir.
[36:10] sounds like a
great collaborative effort but,
honestly, I have never known
[36:18] mr. Shea to do anything halfway.
Thank y' all for your efforts.
[36:23] the other question, is this
the location that the movie
theater used to
[36:26] be at?
>> yes.
>> that' s where it is going to
[36:26] sit, right
there?
>> it is not sitting on
[36:28] exactly the site where the movie
theater was, but it is on the
same
[36:32] piece
of property.
>> okay.
[36:33] >> actually, this is sort
of sitting in the middle
[36:37] of what right now is a giant
asphalt parking
lot.
[36:38] >> right.
>> so the building is going
[36:41] to replace some of the parking
spaces.
>> good.
[36:42] >> they' re way
over parked.
>> yeah.
[36:44] >> you still will be over
parked considerably once the
[36:48] building is there and a leave
over on
the order of about 100
[36:51] parking spaces if the county
decides to
develop the remainder of the
[36:55] property.
>> excellent.
I promise y' all don't want
[36:57] any of my
artwork.
>> it is right next to -- it is
[37:00] right next to the national guard
armory.
That' s where the
[37:04] property is.
>> yes.
>> anybody else?
[37:03] all right.
You know we will be having two
[37:05] you know we will be having two
town
[37:10] halls. So one will be for the
public so
[37:14] that they will be able
to discuss and give their
[37:18] feedback on the design.
We are displaying some of the
[37:22] design at the oglethorpe
mall location starting on
monday.
[37:25] if people cannot attend one
of the town halls they will be
able
[37:29] to write down whatever
feedback or input they want to
share.
[37:32] they will be having
another meeting with the vendors
of
[37:35] that strip mall because we want
to assure them that the coming
[37:39] of this library is going to be
a benefit to them and not a
[37:42] detriment. So we will be holding
that
town hall as
[37:43] well.
>> okay.
Anything else?
[37:48] yes. Go ahead,
commissioner.
>> absolutely beautiful.
[37:51] >>
thank you.
[37:54] >> I' m just  curious.
How many square
[37:58] feet will be under roof, heated
and
cooled?
[38:01] >> 17,000.
>> wow.
Nice.
[38:04] >> 17,000 and about another
4,000 of outdoor space.
[38:07] we will be a little over
20,000 square feet, just not all
under
[38:12] roof.
>> do you know by chance when we
built the one at savannah
[38:17] mall, how many square feet was
in that, do you remember?
[38:18] >> I don' t recall  when that
I know the building quite well.
[38:22] I know the building quite well.
It is much smaller than this.
It
[38:27] is not?
>> oglethorpe mall branch
is
[38:27] there now.
>> about 7,000.
>> okay.
[38:31] wonderful. This will be
massive then.
>> yes, this will be a game
[38:36] changer.
>> very nice.
>> yeah.
[38:35] >> thank
y' all.
>> thank
[38:36] you.
Thank you.
[38:40] thank you.
>> commissioner milton I' m
[38:43] like, I' m waiting on  it to come
out of
the ground.
[38:45] >> I' m waiting every day,
I
promise you.
[38:47] >> I' m looking forward to  it.
Thank you so
much.
[38:49] >>
thank you.
>> appreciate it.
[38:50] all right.
We don' t have  any
chairman' s items on,
[38:58] commissioner items. The item
will remain on the table, until
[39:02] will remain on the table, until
the staff gets back to us with
[39:07] the reports we need from them.
Action.
[39:18] action.
Appointment of brittany sal li
to the library
[39:22] board.
Motion.
[39:25] motion.
>> and
second.
[39:31] >> motion and second
that ms. Ms. Salley be appointed
to
[39:35] the board.
Please cast your vote.
To request board approval
[39:38] of following amendments
and
transfer. One in general fund,
[39:43] a, transfer
contingencies to park
[39:48] contingencies to park
position.
[39:51] position.
[39:54] or development and prevention
from blueprint grant contingency
[39:59] from blueprint grant contingency
to
chatham, savannah authority
[40:04] for the homeless, project
hope water.
C, appropriate funds, balance
[40:11] of $62,500, to increase
the homeless, project hope
[40:16] the homeless, project hope
water. D,   transfer $46,240
from
[40:21] voter registration
professional service to
temporary employment
[40:24] salaries.
Settlement fund.
[40:31] settlement fund.
Increase revenue and
expenditures, $179,552. Three,
[40:37] in the special
service district fund,
appropriate fund
[40:41] balance of $165,000 to
increase fire department
uniform.
[40:47] four, the capital improvement
$248,000 from
[40:53] $248,000 from
fire department vehicle project.
[41:00] fire department vehicle project.
B, increase revenue and
expenditures, $276,565 to
[41:06] establish the early childhood
learning center project.
Is there a
[41:10] motion?
>> motion.
>> second.
[41:09] >> properly motioned
and seconded that the request
be granted.
[41:13] ready for the question?
Please cast
your votes.
[41:15] >>
reset.
>> got
[41:20] to clear. Yeah, I got it.
Now cast your votes.
[41:26] now cast your votes.
Waiting on three.
[41:32] all right. The action calendar.
May I have a motion to accept
[41:36] the action calendar in
its entirety.
Moved, chairman.
[41:39] >> properly motioned
and seconded we accept the
action
[41:43] calendar in
its entirety. Any questions?
[41:48] hearing none, please cast
your votes.
Need to reset.
[41:51] okay.
There are no first readers.
[41:58] okay. We go to second readers.
Let me read it into
[42:02] the record and then we will have
[42:02] public
r.
[42:08] r.
Peterson, is proposing to
rezone 8804 whitfield avenue
[42:11] from
residential, one family
residential and
[42:16] environment overlay to business
[42:26] limited environment overlay.
Z-0426-000. 623.
[42:32] z-0426-000. 623.
02020.
[42:37] 02020.
The mpc recommends scenario
with alternative approval.
[42:42] district one, all right.
Having read that, let me have
[42:46] a motion to open up the public
hearing.
>>
[42:47] motion.
>> second.
>> properly motioned
[42:49] and seconded that we open up
the
[42:53] public hearing. Are you ready
for the question?
Please cast
[42:57] your votes. Okay.
Is there anyone in the
[43:01] is there anyone in the
audience who want to speak on
this petition?
[43:06] is there anyone in the
would want to speak on this
[43:08] would want to speak on this
petition?
Is there anyone in the
[43:13] audience
petition?
[43:15] petition?
Hearing none
--
[43:17] >> should
be closed.
>> seeing
[43:19] none, motion?
>> motion
to close.
[43:21] >> second.
>>
properly motion and second that
[43:24] the public hearing be
ready for the question? Please
[43:28] ready for the question? Please
cast your votes.
[43:32] three.
All right.
Good.  Now with that we will
[43:36] have the
presentation from the mpc.
No.
[43:39] do they need
the --
>> no.
[43:44] >> all right, all right.
So we understand.
[43:49] now, the motion -- let me have a
motion and second.
[43:53] first we need to recommend the
denial, right?
[43:58] >>
no.
>> and then --
[44:01] yeah, right.
>> --
>> okay.
[44:04] >> what
[44:10] you really want to do is you
a motion to approve the new
[44:15] a motion to approve the new
zoning, which is pud and
[44:19] eo, which is environmental --
>> okay.
You got it?
[44:20] all right.
Do a motion.
>> being it is in
[44:23] my district.
>> yes.
>> I have had no input from
[44:29] the public on this.
This for some time and been good
[44:34] this for some time and been good
[44:38] neighbors, and I hope that
[44:41] they continue that trajectory.
[44:45] I will make a motion that we
environmental overlay for this
[44:49] environmental overlay for this
piece of property at 8804
whitfield avenue.
[44:54] >> second.
>> all right.
[44:56] properly motioned and
second that we approve.
Is that -- did he cover
[45:01] it all?
>> now you got a question about
[45:00] >> now you got a question about
[45:05] it?
Actually in the agenda items and
[45:09] actually in the agenda items and
it is listed as staff' s
recommendation.
[45:14] >> as staff recommend, yes.
>> okay.
[45:17] >> all right so that' s
added too.
[45:23] now any -- got the motion,
got the second.
Please cast your votes.
[45:28] all right.
Thank you, sir.
[45:29] thank you, sir.
Made it
easy.
[45:32] >>
good job.
>> with that we come to
[45:36] you, mr.
Manager.
>> I don' t have  any
[45:40] additional information items
other
than what we' ve  discussed in
[45:44] pre- meeting, sir.
>> all right.
So having known that, there
[45:48] is a need for us to have an
executive
[45:52] session. May I have a motion to
do so.
>> motion.
[45:53] >> second?
>>
to discuss --
[45:54] >> personnel.
>> litigation,
personnel and --
[45:56] >> and
land acquisition.
>> yeah, acquisition. All right.
[46:04] motion and second. Please cast
your votes.