2026-08-04 - Personnel and Finance Committee

0:01:26Yeah. [laughter]

0:01:27All right. Uh I'm going to call to order

0:01:29the personal finance committee meeting

0:01:30for Tuesday, August 4th. Uh good morning

0:01:33and welcome everyone that's uh here with

0:01:35us this morning. Uh I'm going to

0:01:36recognize our city manager who's going

0:01:38to give us a a quick update about our um

0:01:40live stream and and videos.

0:01:47Uh thank you uh Councilman Thrift. Um so

0:01:53at the request of council we are

0:01:56currently streaming all of our we're

0:01:59going to starting today we're streaming

0:02:01all of our council meetings there. the

0:02:05uh committee meeting and the briefing

0:02:08meeting will be streamed live on YouTube

0:02:13uh directly. Uh there is a little bit

0:02:16more control that we have on that and

0:02:18because especially the committee meeting

0:02:20is so long um it will be uh served up on

0:02:25a per committee basis. It won't be one

0:02:28long 4hour meeting. It'll be a series of

0:02:30meetings. Um the uh the comment section

0:02:36is turned off uh so so that the public

0:02:40will not be able to comment on the

0:02:41committee meeting or briefing meeting.

0:02:43Um when we uh what that does require

0:02:47though is it's going to require that

0:02:50staff have to come to the front. So if

0:02:54you if staff is not already here when

0:02:56you ask a question we're going to have

0:02:58to get them up here. The other thought I

0:03:01had is we can pass a microphone. Um uh

0:03:05so that's that's something we can try

0:03:07out today. We are broadcasting today,

0:03:10but we did not tell anyone that we're

0:03:12broadcasting today so we can figure out

0:03:14any any glitch type stuff. Um

0:03:18the we are going to be projecting the

0:03:21information that you have up there. Uh

0:03:25we'll also uh we're going to use some of

0:03:27the tools we have here that we don't

0:03:28normally use. uh that will hopefully

0:03:31make it easier for people following

0:03:33along if they want. Uh shouldn't change

0:03:36what you're seeing, but may change what

0:03:39what the public sees if they if they

0:03:40tune in. Um what I'm I would recommend

0:03:44that the council this is your choice but

0:03:48only the council that are in session as

0:03:50committee should have their names uh uh

0:03:55listed shown so that people understand

0:03:58that that's the committee and then

0:04:00everyone else is is part of council but

0:04:02they're not in that committee. Or we can

0:04:05come up with some other way to make it

0:04:07clear who's in the committee and who's

0:04:09not in the committee. uh because when it

0:04:11and we're not going to record votes um

0:04:14like we do at regular council meetings.

0:04:16So uh it may be confusing to people that

0:04:19not everyone's voting. Um the uh I will

0:04:24say that this is taking staff time. Uh

0:04:26this is a uh this is there's someone has

0:04:30to monitor what we're doing in here

0:04:32especially because we go into close

0:04:34session or we potentially have a break

0:04:37for a recess. um those things have to be

0:04:41monitored. So while they're trying to do

0:04:43other work, they also have to keep an

0:04:45ear and a

0:04:47machine near them so that they can see

0:04:50texts and I can get texts. Uh so um the

0:04:55uh uh you know this is going to be a

0:04:57learning process to do this and um all I

0:05:01ask is is that for the most part you do

0:05:03your best to ignore the fact that you're

0:05:05being recorded uh for posterity in that

0:05:08manner because this is the meeting where

0:05:12the sausage is made for council

0:05:14decisions. Um and it's the place where

0:05:18we have the freest flow of information

0:05:22uh on the items that we have and we have

0:05:24a lot of items every month. So um you

0:05:27know that's this is where that's going

0:05:28to take place. So you please need to be

0:05:31active regardless. Uh as far as you know

0:05:36the the reality is is that there are

0:05:40ideas that get thrown out in this

0:05:42meeting that don't become ordinance or

0:05:45don't become policy. But those ideas

0:05:49still need to come out even if it's a

0:05:52crackpot idea because it may spur

0:05:55something else that is the policy that

0:05:58gets used. So you have to keep that in

0:06:00mind. If you stay quiet then nobody else

0:06:03hears your good idea uh and we can't

0:06:06build a a better policy or a better uh

0:06:09ordinance as the case may be. Uh so I

0:06:12I'm strongly ask you to to continue um

0:06:17having that conversation amongst each

0:06:20other when we're discussing items as

0:06:22necessary.

0:06:24And we'll do the best we can to keep it

0:06:27somewhere between the guardrails.

0:06:29>> Perfect. Thank you. And and if you'll

0:06:31remember, council, if you go to speak,

0:06:33just turn your microphone on so that uh

0:06:35they can pick up your your voice on the

0:06:37live stream. Um thank you for for

0:06:40getting all that situated for us,

0:06:42Michael. Um, our first order of business

0:06:45is approval of the minutes for the

0:06:46personnel finance committee meeting from

0:06:47June 2nd, 2026.

0:06:50>> I'll move that we approve our minutes.

0:06:52>> Second.

0:06:53>> Thank you. Those have been approved. I'm

0:06:56going to deviate from our agenda just a

0:06:58little bit. Um, since our presentation

0:07:01number five here from Electus um,

0:07:03governmental affairs, uh, Sam's here, so

0:07:06I want to go ahead and move that to the

0:07:07top of our agenda. Um, Mayor York and I

0:07:10had some time uh last month uh to meet

0:07:14with Sam to talk about uh the

0:07:16possibility of the city of Thomasville

0:07:18having uh a lobbyist in Raleigh. Um so I

0:07:22I know there's been several things that

0:07:24have happened recently that council has

0:07:26not been um extremely happy with uh with

0:07:29our um legislative body there in

0:07:32Raleigh. So, thought it'd be a good good

0:07:34idea to have Sam come and share a little

0:07:36bit about uh the company he represents

0:07:38and how they could possibly help us. So,

0:07:40Sam, if you want to come up and uh share

0:07:42with us, we'd appreciate it.

0:07:52Thank you, Councilman Thrift, Mayor

0:07:53York, and staff for having me here

0:07:56today. It's always good to be back in

0:07:58Thomasville. Um, I just want to start by

0:08:00giving a little bit of my background

0:08:03because I think that's um, as important

0:08:05as anything and it just sort of adds a

0:08:07personal touch to it. Um, I grew up in

0:08:09Fagatville, never had any family here in

0:08:12Davidson County. Did not um, grow up

0:08:14really coming to the Piedmont region

0:08:16whatsoever, but um, I've been working in

0:08:19politics and government for 15 years

0:08:21now. Um and um I went to college in DC

0:08:26at American University, lived up there

0:08:28for six years and um sort of by the

0:08:33grace and luck of God got connected with

0:08:35a man by the name of Ted Bud when he was

0:08:38a year in office. Um had no connection

0:08:41to him or his family. it just he hired

0:08:43me as an intern and a week later when I

0:08:45was wrapping up my last year in college

0:08:49offered me a job and uh I spent seven

0:08:51years with him on staff, three in

0:08:53Washington and four um down here in the

0:08:57state with him and learned a lot about

0:08:59federal budgeting processes and

0:09:02relationships and people along the way.

0:09:05Um, when COVID hit, I made the decision

0:09:08that I was tired of living 300 miles

0:09:11away from all my family and came back to

0:09:14North Carolina. Probably one of the best

0:09:16decisions I've made in my life was

0:09:18getting out of Washington when I did.

0:09:20Um, but I started coming and being

0:09:23engaged and stuff in your city then and

0:09:26built a relationship with Mayor York,

0:09:29Michael, and um, I knew Eddie all the

0:09:32way back when he was at the fire

0:09:33department. Um, so, um, I'm not an

0:09:37expert on your community. I don't live

0:09:39here, but I've continued to follow the

0:09:41news, keep some of the relationships and

0:09:44friendships that I have. And, um, when I

0:09:47came here in my last job, it was

0:09:49abundantly clear, you know, I'm in the

0:09:52business of reading relationships,

0:09:55um, professionally. And it was very

0:09:58clear to me that um not only the county

0:10:02but a certain city down the road gets

0:10:04all the love here. But, uh, it was

0:10:06abundantly clear to me in my last job,

0:10:10um, that you had a good team in place,

0:10:12not just with council, um, but with

0:10:15management, that, you know, they're like

0:10:17the doctors that run the day-to-day

0:10:19operation. Um, in terms of the vision

0:10:22that y'all had, not just with downtown,

0:10:24but in supporting local businesses and

0:10:26industry and investment in um, certain

0:10:30certain infrastructure projects.

0:10:32certainly saw the potential uh that the

0:10:34city had. Um I want to talk a little

0:10:36bit, you know, and I thought a lot. I've

0:10:38been accused of having the memory of an

0:10:41elephant, whether that's good or bad,

0:10:42but when I came and spoke to council on

0:10:46what it would be like to render

0:10:47professional services last year, I

0:10:49certainly understand that that was not

0:10:51the right time for y'all. And the last

0:10:53thing that I would ever want to do is

0:10:55take on a client that's not ready to

0:10:58engage a professional lobbyist because

0:11:00then they're going to be unhappy and

0:11:02it's not going to be a good partnership.

0:11:04You know, timing is everything in this

0:11:06business. And um I was very humbled that

0:11:08staff and council reached out to me a

0:11:11little over a month and a half ago to

0:11:12have this conversation. But one of the

0:11:15questions that was asked to me when

0:11:16thinking back to the January

0:11:18presentation last year, one of the

0:11:21members of council, and I know not all

0:11:23of y'all were on council at that point,

0:11:25asked me, "Well, what results have you

0:11:28delivered?" And that was a great

0:11:29question and one that um you know,

0:11:32honesty and integrity are everything in

0:11:34this business. I hope to play in it long

0:11:35term. And that's a question that you

0:11:37should ask any lobbyist or firm that

0:11:39you're going to hire. And at that point,

0:11:42I replied to that particular council

0:11:44member and said, "Well, I've been at it

0:11:47for two months. I haven't been through a

0:11:48state budget cycle. I've delivered

0:11:50nothing." And u a year and a half later,

0:11:53my boss and I, Dodie Renfer, she's been

0:11:55at this a lot longer than I have. She's

0:11:58got roughly 40 years and I've got 15.

0:12:01So, we're at over 50 years of experience

0:12:03with our firm and government affairs and

0:12:05consulting. We've delivered right over

0:12:08$70 million in a year and a half. And

0:12:11I'm not saying that to brag, but

0:12:12projects like helping local towns and

0:12:16cities with water and sewer, capital

0:12:19infrastructure and transportation

0:12:20projects, helping with uh economic

0:12:24development priorities and pushing those

0:12:25forward. Um done a lot on public safety

0:12:28um for police stations, fire

0:12:30departments. Um, you know, I sort of

0:12:33work with um a mix of different clients,

0:12:37but whoever, if y'all were to hire

0:12:39somebody, area of expertise is extremely

0:12:41important. I contract with seven

0:12:43different municipalities in the state of

0:12:46North Carolina, the largest being

0:12:4833,000, the smallest being uh a

0:12:50population of roughly 800. And all of

0:12:53them, whether it's their boards or

0:12:55needs, um couldn't be more different

0:13:00than one another. But I um hope to be

0:13:03representing local governments for a

0:13:05long time. It's something I'm really

0:13:06passionate about. I love the structure.

0:13:08I love the projects. Um love anything

0:13:11tied to infrastructure and figuring out

0:13:14how to finance something. You know, it's

0:13:16a lobbyist never replaces uh your

0:13:18legislative delegation. I've known

0:13:20Senator Jarvis and Representative

0:13:22Watford for a long time now. Um I've had

0:13:26to go to both of them for different

0:13:28things in the year and a half that I've

0:13:29been lobbying. But um figuring out how

0:13:33to finance projects uh with public

0:13:36dollars is um at the state or federal

0:13:39level. It's like an adult version of

0:13:41puzzles. And I never like doing puzzles

0:13:45or never had the patience for them as a

0:13:47child. But um I like working with my

0:13:50clients to try and city and town

0:13:52managers in particular to try to figure

0:13:54out how to connect those dots, bring

0:13:57them to Raleigh and strategically advise

0:13:59them on what is reasonable and what is

0:14:01not within the internal priorities that

0:14:04the board is trying to achieve. Um I

0:14:08talked a little bit about myself and my

0:14:10background, some of the successes we had

0:14:14um in the most recent state budget. Um,

0:14:17I will say that we're a small firm and I

0:14:19think that's important. When my city

0:14:21manager or the CEO of a company that I

0:14:24represent or a nonprofit that I contract

0:14:26with call me, they're not waiting a week

0:14:28or three to five days for me to get back

0:14:30to them. I have a very personal

0:14:33relationship with all of the clients

0:14:36that I engage with, and that's

0:14:37intentional. Most of them hear back

0:14:39within a couple of hours. Um, when my

0:14:42folks call me 8:00 at night, 5:00 in the

0:14:45morning on the weekend, I get to it. Um,

0:14:49again, I hope to be in this business for

0:14:52a long time. Reputation's everything.

0:14:56Um, I've talked a lot about um, our firm

0:15:00and who we are. Um, I do think that it's

0:15:03important um, for I think just your

0:15:08understanding. Lobbying is extremely

0:15:10competitive. There's roughly 600

0:15:12registered lobbyists in the state. The

0:15:14number of us that go to Raleigh on any

0:15:16given week is even smaller than that. I

0:15:19live in Sanford. I make a point to ride

0:15:21up there every week to work different

0:15:23connections in the building on behalf of

0:15:25the interests that I represent. Just

0:15:28near you, local municipalities with

0:15:30lobbyists. And this is interesting

0:15:31because when I started in the government

0:15:35arena um a little over a decade ago,

0:15:38really the only cities or towns that had

0:15:41lobbyists were the big ones. So my

0:15:43hometown of Fagetville, Charlotte,

0:15:45Durham, Raleigh, that has changed um

0:15:48pretty much overnight. um just near you,

0:15:51High Point, Greensboro, Winston, Salem,

0:15:53Salsbury, Lexington, Jamestown, and

0:15:55Gibsonville all have contracted

0:15:58lobbyists in Raleigh that are up there

0:16:00on a weekly or monthly basis doing their

0:16:02bidding for them. And again, it's not to

0:16:04take away I can't introduce a bill. I

0:16:07can't put anything in a budget, but you

0:16:10work directly with different legislators

0:16:13to try to move projects and priorities

0:16:16forward.

0:16:18Um, I've talked a lot today. I'd rather

0:16:20end it right there and open it up to any

0:16:23questions that y'all have.

0:16:27>> Questions from council. Um,

0:16:32>> I feel like fellow elephant, I feel like

0:16:35when we talked in January last time, a

0:16:38question came up about what you would do

0:16:40if you had competing interests within

0:16:42[clears throat]

0:16:43the municipalities or organizations you

0:16:46represent. The one that comes to mind is

0:16:47Senate Bill 889. There were folks who

0:16:50were all about it and I know here in

0:16:53Thomasville we were not. So if you had

0:16:55two kind of competing interests, how

0:16:58would you manage that?

0:16:59>> That is a great question and I represent

0:17:01um so I've got business in two counties

0:17:04where there could be two obvious

0:17:05conflicts of interest and I'll just it's

0:17:07all public knowledge so I'll go ahead

0:17:08and state it now. I represent the town

0:17:10of Clayton and then the town of Benson

0:17:12and Johnston County. Then down east in

0:17:14Bladen County, I've got Elizabeth Town,

0:17:16which is the county seat in Bladen, and

0:17:18then the town of White Lake. Um there

0:17:20could always be conflicts that arise

0:17:23within particular bills or um just

0:17:28nearby, I guess, priorities on projects.

0:17:31Um with that one, a good rule of thumb

0:17:33and something that we um pretty much

0:17:36enforce as a firm is, you know, you go

0:17:39with whatever client signs you first.

0:17:41And I think I told you the same thing

0:17:43last year. Um, when it came to Senate

0:17:46Bill 889, I represent seven different

0:17:49municipalities. I think you can guess

0:17:51how all of them felt about that. Um, I

0:17:54don't represent a lot of interest in

0:17:56development, real estate, home builders.

0:18:00Um, so I don't know if that helps you at

0:18:03all.

0:18:04>> Cool.

0:18:07>> Other questions?

0:18:10So, if if you look in your packet, you

0:18:11can see the the contract that has uh

0:18:13been proposed there as well as the

0:18:16compensation uh of what it would cost uh

0:18:19the city to to have uh them represent us

0:18:22in Raleigh. So, obviously, we need to um

0:18:26talk about what we um

0:18:28>> I think it's a good idea.

0:18:30>> I guess question for you and maybe too.

0:18:33Is there a project or a initiative that

0:18:36you're concerned about that you feel

0:18:38like we need some extra representation

0:18:40for

0:18:40>> infrastructure

0:18:41>> but like our water which which

0:18:43infrastructure

0:18:44>> the problems we're having in the pilot

0:18:48>> the mortorium that we have in pilot the

0:18:51uh sort of hit and miss in fairrove

0:18:54area. We've got to do something and we

0:18:55got to do it soon cuz we've got a lot of

0:18:57people that that's how they make their

0:18:58living is is building and they can't

0:19:01build on these lots because they can't

0:19:02get taps. So, we need somebody to be

0:19:05lobbying for us to try to get the money

0:19:07to take care of that because as you know

0:19:09what we deal dealt with range road how

0:19:11expensive that is.

0:19:12>> Absolutely.

0:19:13The thing that led me to to kind of

0:19:15prompt the question of should we look at

0:19:18this again was when we were dealing with

0:19:21the items with our state representatives

0:19:24when we were all trying to reach out and

0:19:25let them know how we felt about certain

0:19:27things and it was obvious that we were

0:19:29not making uh

0:19:32any impact there. I told Eddie I said

0:19:35maybe it's time if we can't make an

0:19:36impact maybe we need to uh consult with

0:19:39the lobbyists to try to help us with

0:19:41that. um which just prompted us to say,

0:19:43"Hey, let's talk to him again and bring

0:19:44them to council." It's of course a

0:19:46council decision. So, um

0:19:48>> I guess we've seen a lot of success with

0:19:52Eddie and staff working on funding from

0:19:54the state. Like that hasn't really been

0:19:56a problem or an issue or a barrier. So,

0:20:00I'm wondering if this is a necessary

0:20:02step that we need to take right now. One

0:20:04of the things that I will say, uh,

0:20:07Michael, I don't know if if if this is

0:20:10close by or if you could prepare this

0:20:12for us. Um, if you look at the state

0:20:14budget and see what other cities are

0:20:17given, um, it is very obvious that they

0:20:20have a lobbyist. They they receive more

0:20:23from our legislator.

0:20:26>> Down here, please share. More than

0:20:28happy. So, um, Pace here in Thomasville,

0:20:3150,000, Lexington, 200,000 for Capital

0:20:34Infrastructure, Davidson County Water,

0:20:36200,000, Sheriff's Office and Parks

0:20:38Department, 270,000. Airport 15,000.

0:20:42Booster Clubs for Davidson County

0:20:44Schools, 350,000. Davidson County

0:20:47Schools, another 280,000.

0:20:50A lobbyist does not take away from any

0:20:52of the good work that y'all and your

0:20:55management has done. is to amplify the

0:20:57effort on a weekly basis.

0:21:01>> So, can you kind of tell us what your

0:21:04your day your daily routine kind of

0:21:06looks like as an a lobbyist?

0:21:08>> That's a great question. No one day is

0:21:10alike. [snorts]

0:21:11Um when the legislature is not in

0:21:13session, I'm at home reading, looking at

0:21:16different bills, um talking with new

0:21:19members that are coming in. Like this

0:21:21year for example, you have a ton of

0:21:22members in this region of the state down

0:21:24east in the mountains that are retiring

0:21:26and you have new ones coming in. I'm

0:21:28already working on those relationships

0:21:30in addition to maintaining existing

0:21:32ones. It's all playing the long-term

0:21:34game. Um the short or the long session

0:21:37will start roughly around January 20th

0:21:39of next year. And I'm not waiting until

0:21:42January. I'm not waiting until December

0:21:45to go ahead and go to local legislators

0:21:49for what I need for my clients. All of

0:21:51that leg work, the homework, the

0:21:53preparation, the strategy session, and

0:21:55individual advice to each client begins

0:21:57right now because if you wait till next

0:21:59year, you're going to be right there in

0:22:01line with everybody else. So, um, when

0:22:04they are in session, I'm up there pretty

0:22:06much every Tuesday and Wednesday,

0:22:08occasionally Thursday, depending on the

0:22:10schedule that week in the individual

0:22:11committee hearing rooms watching bills

0:22:15move and listening to the commentary

0:22:17between members because, uh, the devil

0:22:20is always in the details. Um, looking

0:22:23and being able to then report back to my

0:22:25individual uh, managers or clients on,

0:22:28hey, this is moving, this is not. let's

0:22:30not waste our time and effort here, but

0:22:32let's engage this legislator at this

0:22:35time on this issue or um hey, I see this

0:22:39moving really quickly. I need you,

0:22:42Michael, and the mayor, whoever to come

0:22:44to Raleigh immediately to meet with the

0:22:47delegation. Um, it really varies, but I

0:22:49use a lot of the time when they are not

0:22:52um, in Raleigh to travel to my clients

0:22:55to get on teams with them to talk

0:22:57through issues and projects to see what

0:23:00I can do in the I guess you could call

0:23:02it LOL time to move their projects

0:23:05forward and advance them.

0:23:07>> Thank you.

0:23:09So, do you do clients reach out to you

0:23:12with their needs and then you kind of

0:23:15work with the legislation

0:23:18>> on those needs?

0:23:19>> Great question. I So, when a client

0:23:22engages me, the first thing I like to do

0:23:24is within the first really week or two

0:23:27is I travel to them, sit down. I'm very

0:23:29old-fashioned in how I conduct business.

0:23:31I like to sit down and really walk

0:23:34through the priorities. I might want to

0:23:35go to your wastewater treatment plant or

0:23:39look at this transportation project

0:23:42we're asking 500,000 or 2 or3 million

0:23:45for. I don't want to just have surface

0:23:47level information on your project. But I

0:23:51really want to know the nuts and bolts

0:23:53of it so that when I go to Raleigh to do

0:23:55your bidding for you, I'm able to talk

0:23:57about it with confidence and clearly

0:24:00elaborate why the city of Thomasville

0:24:03needs x amount of money for this project

0:24:06and why it's urgent. So, I would sit

0:24:09here and um there have been times in a

0:24:11strategy session, I'll just without um

0:24:15breaching client confidentiality, I had

0:24:17a um another engagement um want $40

0:24:21million last year and that came out

0:24:23during the strategy session. I told that

0:24:26town manager, you're not going to get

0:24:27anywhere near that. But I was able to

0:24:29piece together for that town um $5

0:24:32million on another project um that we

0:24:35pursued. So, um, part of that the onus

0:24:38is on the lobbyist, not so much the

0:24:40client, to level expectations during the

0:24:43strategy session of what's feasible and

0:24:46what's not. Because the last thing I

0:24:48ever want to do is um overpromise.

0:24:53>> Thank you.

0:24:58>> Other questions? So, I think

0:25:00Councilwoman Williams really hit on a

0:25:01really good point with how we have been

0:25:03working with our deputy director with

0:25:05really uh deputy city manager with being

0:25:07able to access some of the grant funding

0:25:09that we have already uh secured from our

0:25:11state and some of the federal. So, um,

0:25:14one of my thought processes is how

0:25:16involved would your firm be in that

0:25:18grant process and, uh, helping our city

0:25:21staff kind of navigate that as well as

0:25:23not just navigating it, but once we get

0:25:25that grant submitted, how does that

0:25:26process look like with you, um, actually

0:25:29advocating on behalf from um, both the

0:25:31state and hopefully the federal

0:25:32government trying to get some of those

0:25:34funds back to us?

0:25:35>> Yes, sir. Um, totally depends on, excuse

0:25:38me, totally depends on the type of

0:25:40client. um with my local governments. Um

0:25:42I'm not a grant consultant. Grants and

0:25:44lobbying in my very humble opinion go

0:25:47hand inand together. Um our firm has a

0:25:50direct partnership uh with one of the

0:25:52top grant consulting firms in the state.

0:25:55And um pretty much when uh it could be a

0:25:59HUD grant, it could be CDBG, it could be

0:26:02NC Commerce, Golden Leaf, anytime I have

0:26:05a existing client that needs help on a

0:26:08grant related project, I know exactly

0:26:11who to refer them to. Um because they

0:26:13have a great track record. They're a

0:26:15smaller firm just like us. They work

0:26:17extremely hard for their clients and

0:26:18they're knowledgeable on deadlines, uh

0:26:21thresholds, opportunities, points of

0:26:23contact. Really what I do um I guess on

0:26:26the lobbying side is when one of my town

0:26:30or city managers comes to me and says,

0:26:34"Hey, we've submitted for uh office of

0:26:36state fire marshall grant. We need

0:26:38$50,000." I go to their legislative

0:26:40delegation or others to get support

0:26:42letters. Um, there are other entities

0:26:45where I may have personal relationships

0:26:47through my 15 years in the business to

0:26:49where I call a board member um or call

0:26:52the head of the organization and say,

0:26:54"Hey, I've got, you know, the city

0:26:57applying for x amount of money. We

0:26:59really need this project." But I don't

0:27:01write grants. Um, that's not my area of

0:27:04expertise.

0:27:06I kind of work it on the back end.

0:27:08>> Perfect. That was a great answer. Thank

0:27:09you.

0:27:10>> All right. I'm a I'm a skeptic of

0:27:12lobbying in general. I don't like it. I

0:27:14don't think it's cool that we have to

0:27:16pay to get the attention from the people

0:27:18who are elected to pay attention to us

0:27:20already. But I know that's not you.

0:27:22You're working within a system that you

0:27:24did not set up.

0:27:25>> I don't disagree with part of that.

0:27:26>> I I don't doubt it. So, what would you

0:27:29say to me?

0:27:31>> Um

0:27:32I would tell you um a couple of things.

0:27:36I would say one, you get what you pay

0:27:38for. Um, you know, I think that I've

0:27:41demonstrated and laid out some questions

0:27:43for y'all to think of in terms of if we

0:27:46are going to move forward with this. Is

0:27:48the gentleman we're talking to

0:27:49experienced

0:27:51in the areas that we may need help with,

0:27:54water and sewer, transportation, um,

0:27:57work. Does he have a he or her have a

0:27:59track record of working with local

0:28:01governments? If so, have they been able

0:28:03to deliver in the state budget? Do they

0:28:06have relationships at the federal level?

0:28:08um in case we get stuck just like we did

0:28:11and didn't have a budget for more than

0:28:12one year. Um you know, I like playing

0:28:17very aggressive and that's not I'm not

0:28:19using that um out of arrogance or or

0:28:23spite, but if my client gets into a

0:28:26bind, you know, I'm always trying to

0:28:28think five steps ahead um of what maybe

0:28:31another lobbyist or firm is doing. This

0:28:33is an extremely competitive industry. I

0:28:36listed some of the local governments

0:28:38just near you that have contracted with

0:28:42outside help. Now, hiring a lobbyist,

0:28:44I'm going to be may be so honest here

0:28:47with this answer that u you may like it,

0:28:50you may not, but hiring a lobbyist is

0:28:52not a silver bullet. If your expectation

0:28:54is let's engage elect affairs or another

0:28:57lobbying firm and immediately get a

0:28:59million dollars, do not hire me. I will

0:29:02tell you that. And that may cost me a

0:29:04contract. I don't care. Hope to be here

0:29:06long term. I'm very honest with

0:29:09everybody I represent. This is the long

0:29:11game. It is positioning you and the

0:29:14city's needs in the best possible light

0:29:17in front of decision makers um not just

0:29:20in the halls of state government, but

0:29:22also the agencies. We have a great

0:29:25relationship with many of the cabinet

0:29:27members and the staff that work at the

0:29:28agencies. And you never know when you

0:29:31may get in an issue with NC Department

0:29:34of Revenue, the Auditor's Office, the

0:29:37Treasurer's Office, um NC Commerce. You

0:29:40just really never know. Um I hate the

0:29:43saying that having a lobbyist is like an

0:29:45insurance policy because I'm not just

0:29:47here if you have an emergency. Um and I

0:29:50don't really work like an insurance man

0:29:53to just talk to you um when you have a

0:29:55problem. I'm very engaged with the

0:29:57people I represent. And I think there's

0:29:59this misconception that lobbyists don't

0:30:02really work that hard. They take

0:30:04vacations all the time and they drink

0:30:06champagne and maybe eat caviar every

0:30:08night. Uh that's not what I signed up

0:30:10for. I work extremely hard. I'm invested

0:30:13in the business that I'm a part of. And

0:30:15I wanted to join a small firm that not

0:30:17only had an exceptional reputation, but

0:30:20that was really rooted in strong work,

0:30:23good results, and loyalty. Um if you

0:30:26don't have that, you have nothing to

0:30:27stand on. So, um, those are a few things

0:30:31that I would tell you. I can't guarantee

0:30:33you success. What I can guarantee you,

0:30:36and you can take this to the bank, is a

0:30:38strong work ethic, loyalty, and

0:30:40commitment to any and every internal

0:30:42city priority. Uh, that would be tasked

0:30:45by not only the council, but by Mike.

0:30:50>> Cool. Thank you.

0:30:52>> Sorry for the long-winded answer.

0:30:54>> No, appreciate it.

0:30:56Um, one question, and this might not be

0:30:58to you, but it might be to our council,

0:31:00but

0:31:02have we talked to any other firms? Um,

0:31:05just talking to one doesn't bring

0:31:08>> Sure.

0:31:08>> enough information to the table for us

0:31:10to make a clear decision on who to hire

0:31:12and who not to hire.

0:31:13>> That's a good question.

0:31:14>> Yeah. La last year, um, council tasked

0:31:18us with, um, talking to several

0:31:20different firms, mayor and I, and and,

0:31:23um, Eddie Michael, you were a part of

0:31:26that, too. We we met with

0:31:29[laughter]

0:31:30>> I drink caviar.

0:31:32>> Drink caviar and eat champagne.

0:31:34>> You drink and eat champagne.

0:31:36>> Council council had asked us to meet

0:31:38with um different firms and bring back a

0:31:41recommendation which is what we what we

0:31:43did. We brought Sam last year as well.

0:31:45This year, uh, we also met with a few

0:31:47different, uh, firms and and based on

0:31:50what what we heard in those meetings, we

0:31:53felt like, uh, Sam would be our best

0:31:56option, but we're happy to bring those

0:31:57before council if we need to.

0:32:00>> I would love to see some of those other

0:32:01ones. um just just to make sure like

0:32:03Councilwoman Dana said um uh make sure

0:32:06the process one is open and transparent

0:32:08with making sure we're ensuring that

0:32:09we're doing our due diligence, but also

0:32:11to see with some of those other ones cuz

0:32:12I know we definitely do have some local

0:32:14obvious here um as well. And I think

0:32:16that's equally as important as well to

0:32:18be able to have people that are already

0:32:19in your community doing some of that

0:32:21work um and seeing and comparing that

0:32:23with this amazing presentation that we

0:32:25also had today. And I do appreciate

0:32:26really um you doing your research and

0:32:29bringing us back some of those hard

0:32:30facts and numbers. uh this app this

0:32:32morning. That was really good.

0:32:34>> Good deal. All right. Thank Sam, thank

0:32:36you for for coming and present to us

0:32:38today.

0:32:38>> Thanks, Sam.

0:32:40>> Thank you.

0:32:42>> If you will um if you want me to get

0:32:45with you and Eddie and we get those

0:32:49places scheduled.

0:32:50>> Yeah. And if you have other lobbyists

0:32:54that you know of that you want to be

0:32:56included in any sort of review, let us

0:33:00who they are.

0:33:04>> You said there's only a couple thousand

0:33:07a couple hundred of these.

0:33:09>> All right, good deal. Okay, I'm going to

0:33:12jump back up to item number two, which

0:33:14is uh consideration approval of budget

0:33:16amendment 2027-P2-01.

0:33:19I'll recognize our finance director this

0:33:22morning.

0:33:26>> Good morning, mayor and council.

0:33:28>> Good morning. Uh, as we discussed at

0:33:30last month's committee meeting, um, this

0:33:32amendment actually brings to fruition,

0:33:35um, the transfer of funds from pay as

0:33:37you go capital and our current budget to

0:33:40fund four of the positions that were

0:33:41included in the initial hiring freeze.

0:33:44That's two police officers, a parks and

0:33:46recreation worker, and a streets laborer

0:33:48position. So, this is four out of the

0:33:5011. Um the total transfer amount is

0:33:53$214,43

0:33:56which includes rescending the capital

0:33:58funding for a boat trailer in the fire

0:34:00department, new computers in the MIS

0:34:02department, childc care building

0:34:04renovations and a truck in the

0:34:06recreation department and a garage door

0:34:08range and sprayer at the golf course

0:34:10also in the recreation department. So if

0:34:12you're on board with that, we'll need to

0:34:14move this to briefing.

0:34:15>> What's the pleasure of the committee?

0:34:17>> Motion to move to to briefing.

0:34:20>> Second. That has been moved to briefing.

0:34:24All right. Item number three is

0:34:25discussion of the new finance dashboard.

0:34:28>> Um the city manager requested we revise

0:34:30and simplify the monthly financial

0:34:32reporting we provide to you all. It's

0:34:34currently about 50 to 60 pages or so for

0:34:37the revenues and expenses monthly. U

0:34:39this would condense it into basically a

0:34:41two-page dashboard for the revenues and

0:34:43expenses. Uh one for each fund, the

0:34:46general fund and the water and sewer

0:34:47enterprise fund which included revenues

0:34:49and expend. It's a copy is in your

0:34:51packets. Um believe this is a template

0:34:55he used at a previous employer. Um our

0:34:59financial analyst, Jennifer Anderson, is

0:35:00in the audience. She's been able to

0:35:02actually replicate this dashboard with

0:35:05data from our from our financial system.

0:35:07Um she's worked hard on that to to put

0:35:10it into this format. As you can see,

0:35:12it's a much condensed summary. Um and it

0:35:15provides all of the relevant

0:35:16information. We can always um upon

0:35:19request provide some more in-depth

0:35:21documentation if you'd like to see it

0:35:23monthly. Um but I think everybody's on

0:35:26board that this would reduce the amount

0:35:28of of paper that you get in the packet

0:35:30and um would be an added addition a

0:35:33great addition to the monthly council

0:35:35agenda.

0:35:36>> I love this. Would you tell us what the

0:35:38colored dots represent on the

0:35:40>> uh the colored dots represent um so for

0:35:43instance if we are

0:35:45on the positive side for revenues if

0:35:47we've brought in more than uh our budget

0:35:50you're going to see a green. If we're

0:35:52under budget you'd see a red. Um if

0:35:54we're trending in the right the first

0:35:56column with the difference is

0:35:58essentially based on um the amount of

0:36:01revenue divided by our total budget at

0:36:04this time last year. And if we're ahead

0:36:06of that this year from a trending

0:36:07perspective, you'll see a green there.

0:36:10Under you'll see a red. And this does

0:36:12fluctuate monthly. I wouldn't get too

0:36:14worried about uh individual indicators

0:36:16each month. Um you know, we have our

0:36:18finger on the pulse of this quarterly.

0:36:20And so if there are any issues, we'll

0:36:22we'll let you know as well if we don't

0:36:24think we're we're trending the way we

0:36:25need to on revenue or we're trending um

0:36:28from a negative perspective on expenses.

0:36:30>> Now, would this

0:36:31>> Oh, sorry, Mayor. But this replace our

0:36:34normal what we get or is this just going

0:36:36to be an added addition?

0:36:38>> It'll replace the revenue and

0:36:39expenditure documentation you get

0:36:41monthly which is about 50 or 60 pages.

0:36:43You'll still get a trial balance of all

0:36:44the accounts, balance sheet accounts and

0:36:46revenues and expenditures but it will

0:36:48replace the revenues and expenses.

0:36:51>> And again, if you do want to see the old

0:36:53version, you can reach out to the

0:36:55finance department. We can always

0:36:56provide that if you wanted to to see it.

0:36:59>> Uh does this represent the the figures

0:37:01here? the amount that came in in July

0:37:04>> through

0:37:04>> the one in your packet is an example for

0:37:07May of from May of last year.

0:37:09>> Um but she did get July's in for your

0:37:12>> Yeah, I have I have the current

0:37:15>> Okay.

0:37:15>> the first month.

0:37:16>> Uhhuh. So, uh, it it seems to me that

0:37:20this probably reflects a lower a much

0:37:23lower collection rate in July because of

0:37:25the delay in getting bills out maybe.

0:37:29So, bills have not even mortgage

0:37:30companies and things like that that you

0:37:32would generally get in in July.

0:37:34>> Correct. Those bills are set to go out

0:37:36in mid August and normally they would

0:37:38have already been sent out by now.

0:37:39>> So, this is probably much less than we

0:37:41would normally expect to see.

0:37:43>> I wouldn't worry about the property tax

0:37:44figure right now. Yeah, definitely maybe

0:37:46a couple of months from now. Um, but not

0:37:48right now. What what it's trying to do

0:37:50is uh with the data that we have that

0:37:54was used to create this is that instead

0:37:57of just dividing

0:38:00instead of just dividing the the the the

0:38:02year up into 8%

0:38:05monthly parts, it looks at the overall

0:38:08expenditures

0:38:10um as it flows through and and revenues

0:38:13as it flows through the year so that you

0:38:16get a more accurate you because in some

0:38:19ca we pay all of our insurance property

0:38:21insurance first. So a lot of departments

0:38:25have a lot higher expenditures because

0:38:27we're paying all those first. So maybe

0:38:29at 15 or 16 or 20%. Um but as the year

0:38:34goes on those expenses are now taken

0:38:37care of and and we move further into the

0:38:39year that moderates. Revenues are the

0:38:42same way. um you know every month we get

0:38:45different monies uh but we don't get

0:38:48utilities except for quarterly so

0:38:50there's a big you know so you'll see a

0:38:52zero for for utilities for three months

0:38:55um and then suddenly we'll get money ABC

0:38:58doesn't finish to the end of the year uh

0:39:00and pay out so things like that get

0:39:04adjusted by the work that that Jennifer

0:39:07is doing to account for that so that

0:39:10when you look at the comparisons

0:39:12year-over-year year. It's a little bit

0:39:14more accurate. So, you can see exactly

0:39:16what the mayor just pointed out.

0:39:17Something's going on in the property

0:39:19tax. Now, if we didn't know that there

0:39:21was an issue with property tax, we'd be

0:39:23like, "Huh, that's odd. You know, people

0:39:26aren't paying their property tax. We

0:39:27need to watch that." But we know what

0:39:29the issue is. It's the because the bills

0:39:31haven't been made. Now, if we're get to

0:39:34January and we're still significantly

0:39:37under, you know, then there's cause to

0:39:39worry. Uh but that's what this would

0:39:41this will help us show versus just

0:39:43looking at it as a monthly

0:39:46you know accounting of it without uh

0:39:49taking in that previous year activity

0:39:52>> as a balance.

0:39:55>> That's really cool.

0:39:58>> Is this just in Excel?

0:40:00>> It is an Excel. Yeahing

0:40:01>> comes from multiple reports that come

0:40:03out of our system. It's not easy to put

0:40:04together.

0:40:04>> I was about to say certainly not

0:40:06>> looks easy but it's not.

0:40:08>> Yeah. The easier it looks, the more

0:40:09complicated it is on the back.

0:40:10>> That's crazy.

0:40:12>> Any other questions about that?

0:40:14>> All right. Thank you for sharing that

0:40:15with us.

0:40:15>> Very cool.

0:40:16>> And no action is needed on that. Um it's

0:40:19not a formal item. So,

0:40:20>> thank you. [snorts]

0:40:21>> Um All right. Item number four,

0:40:23consideration of resid's capitalization

0:40:24and depreciation policy.

0:40:27>> Um essentially, um and this will be uh

0:40:32effective as of July 1st, 2027, but we

0:40:35have it prepared. Jennifer worked hard

0:40:37on this as well. Um, finance determined

0:40:41the need to revise our existing

0:40:43capitalization and depreciation policy.

0:40:45An example is included of our current

0:40:47policy is included at the back of that

0:40:48item in your packets. Um, we needed a

0:40:51policy that that was clearer, more

0:40:54thorough, and that incorporated new

0:40:56governmental accounting standards board

0:40:58requirements set after our existing

0:41:00policy was last revised and approved by

0:41:02you all uh in February of 2020.

0:41:05[clears throat]

0:41:06The latest revision was obviously

0:41:07prepared by Jennifer. As I mentioned,

0:41:09it's based on the existing industry

0:41:11standards and new Gazsby requirements

0:41:13for capitalizing leases and

0:41:15subscription-based information

0:41:17technology arrangements. In general, a

0:41:19capitalization and depreciation policy

0:41:21defines which business purchases are

0:41:23recorded as long-term assets, meaning

0:41:25they're capitalized, not expensed in the

0:41:28year in which you purchase it, and which

0:41:30are immediately expensed that year. It

0:41:33establishes objective thresholds and

0:41:35useful life criteria, spreading the

0:41:37assets cost across its lifespan through

0:41:40depreciation to accurately reflect the

0:41:42value on our financial statements. Um, a

0:41:45solid capitalization and depreciation

0:41:46policy sets clear rules for how the

0:41:48organization handles these types of

0:41:50long-term purchases and it avoids

0:41:52guesswork which can lead to inconsistent

0:41:54treatment treatment and errors in

0:41:56financial reporting. So, as you can see,

0:41:59it's much more thorough. It defines

0:42:01categories for our city purchasers and

0:42:04department directors. And essentially

0:42:06what we did is just modernized this. We

0:42:08built in created a new category for

0:42:12intangible assets such as software. Um

0:42:15in the past we've used $10,000 which is

0:42:18this the same threshold for equipment.

0:42:21Um we're now taking that to $50,000

0:42:24which better represents the average cost

0:42:27uh of such agreements that we've entered

0:42:29into the last few years. Um and it's

0:42:32[clears throat] also under our

0:42:33materiality threshold which is basically

0:42:36what the auditors look at to determine

0:42:38what they're going to review. Our

0:42:40materiality threshold is $60,000. Um so

0:42:43we have run this by our auditors. They

0:42:45see no issues with it. Um, it's a much

0:42:48improved policy. And again, since we're

0:42:51having it approved now, the only caveat

0:42:53is it will not go into effect because

0:42:55we've already started the fiscal year.

0:42:57You need these policies to be consistent

0:42:58for an entire fiscal year, July 1st to

0:43:01June 30th. So, you're going to go ahead

0:43:02and approve it in August. Um, but we

0:43:05will not implement it until July 1st,

0:43:072027.

0:43:08There any questions?

0:43:09>> Questions?

0:43:11>> All right. What's the pleasure of the

0:43:12committee?

0:43:13>> Move the briefing.

0:43:14>> Second. That has been moved to briefing.

0:43:18Thank you, Thomas. Appreciate it.

0:43:19>> Thank you, Thomas. Thank you, Jennifer.

0:43:20>> Thank you so much.

0:43:21>> All right, we are um we've already

0:43:23handled item number five. So, item

0:43:25number six is update on the Carver Park

0:43:26and Strickland Center uh redevelopment.

0:43:29Recognize our parks and rec director.

0:43:31>> Yeah, looks really good.

0:43:36>> Good morning, everyone. How are y'all

0:43:37doing? We'll try to get the tech working

0:43:40here. It should.

0:43:49Last time my iPad acted funky, so I got

0:43:52nervous about it.

0:43:53>> There you go.

0:43:54>> There we go. Okay.

0:43:56>> All right. So, um I put together a

0:43:59little bit of presentation for everyone

0:44:00on um uh the process of the Carver Park

0:44:04and Strickland Center renovation um

0:44:06update. and I wanted to go over the

0:44:09entire conceptual process of what we've

0:44:11been through. I know a lot of you have

0:44:12been involved with that, so I appreciate

0:44:13it. Um, and and the support of what

0:44:16we've done with the community to get to

0:44:17where we are today. Um, the first thing

0:44:20I wanted to talk about briefly uh were

0:44:23the engagement efforts with the surveys

0:44:25and the different um, uh, community

0:44:27groups and focus groups that we hit

0:44:28during the process. I know that was a

0:44:30concern prior to the conceptual design

0:44:32and we really wanted to make sure that

0:44:33we got the community involved with the

0:44:35option to uh participate within our

0:44:38survey process online plus the in-person

0:44:41surveys and and um activities that we

0:44:43did at the center. Um as you can see we

0:44:47had some folks uh the the left side of

0:44:49the screen is the regional Strickland

0:44:51Center community engagement report. Uh

0:44:52this was a very innovative um uh

0:44:55community engagement where folks came

0:44:57in, received money, and they put money

0:44:58in pots where they would prefer to see

0:45:00it. Uh engaged with our design team with

0:45:03different examples of what could be at

0:45:05the park. Um and then the right side uh

0:45:08of the screen are the demographics from

0:45:10our online surveys. Uh we had a little

0:45:13overund uh plus attend the on-site

0:45:17center and then over 200 um right at 200

0:45:20participants for the online survey as

0:45:22well to get engagement from the

0:45:23different ages um for input of what

0:45:28folks would want to see at the

0:45:29renovations for the park and at the the

0:45:31center. So that that actually is uh

0:45:34something that we're pretty happy with

0:45:35uh and got a a very uh diverse age group

0:45:39participation with our online survey. So

0:45:41that was neat to see. Um but we we added

0:45:44some photos as you can see. This is the

0:45:46engagement process uh at the center. Um

0:45:49community members came out uh and within

0:45:51there you'll see boards and different

0:45:53stations that they were able to see

0:45:55examples of exterior uh concepts, park

0:45:58concepts as well as interior concepts.

0:46:01Uh and they were um able to to walk

0:46:05through the room at their own pace,

0:46:06discuss with our design team of what

0:46:08could possibly be. Uh but it was also a

0:46:11good opportunity for us to just speak to

0:46:12the community about the entire

0:46:15initiative and um why uh we're

0:46:18addressing uh the Strickland Center and

0:46:20and hoping to improve it obviously into

0:46:22the future um for our community. Uh we

0:46:25also did the localized focus groups.

0:46:27Those were held here on site uh where we

0:46:29had some stakeholders and staff. Our

0:46:32recreation committee were involved in

0:46:33that process. Um we also had staff and

0:46:36community members involved in the

0:46:38process. um and uh all some of the folks

0:46:42from our community who actually grew up

0:46:44using the park and were able to come and

0:46:46give perspective on the history of it as

0:46:48well as um their experience there and

0:46:51what they would like to see in the

0:46:52future. Uh just to note really neat

0:46:55about this um three individuals in this

0:46:58picture, Jerry Hines, most of you know

0:47:00lifeguarded at the former Carver Park

0:47:02pool. uh Willie Baxter uh in the

0:47:04Burgundy was a part of the Regginal

0:47:06Strickland committee uh that put

0:47:08together renaming the facility that was

0:47:10on site uh for Reggie Strickland and

0:47:12then uh Reggie's dad is actually there

0:47:14in the blue. That's Mr. Cal Richardson

0:47:16and he is a proud senior club member as

0:47:18well. So uh he was able to participate

0:47:21uh in those focus groups which is really

0:47:23neat to hear their perspective um on the

0:47:26process.

0:47:28So, and just to to get everybody updated

0:47:30again on the the site and what what is

0:47:32there uh currently this is the the

0:47:34facility that we're looking to uh move

0:47:36on from uh in in the concept of the new

0:47:39facility. Um this is a uh brick

0:47:42structure that is an enclosed metal

0:47:44building um from the former memorial

0:47:46park that was moved to Carver Park in

0:47:48the late 40s. that was bricked in then

0:47:51in the um the late 40s and has served

0:47:54the community ever since for the last 70

0:47:56plus years. Um it has done very well uh

0:47:59for our community, but as you can see

0:48:01the gutter system sits on top of the

0:48:03exterior. Um that's because it is a

0:48:06brick facade. It's not a real brick

0:48:08building. Um and it is why we had to

0:48:10look we're at an impass for the

0:48:12facility. It it's not expandable or

0:48:15buildable upon. Um, interiorly, uh, it's

0:48:18a low ceiling, um, with tile floor, uh,

0:48:22open space and, uh, restrooms in the

0:48:24rear. Uh, small kitchenet and things in

0:48:26the back. Um, and on the wall, you'll

0:48:28see some, uh, ability to honor Reggie,

0:48:31uh, and his legacy for our community.

0:48:34Um, but, uh, it is also a smaller

0:48:37building, um, that sees a lot of use and

0:48:40has a lot of history in our community.

0:48:42Um but it has reached a point where um

0:48:44it's no longer updatable. Um so that's

0:48:48where uh the council has tked us to go

0:48:50with this concept. Um

0:48:53so any questions about the the surveys

0:48:56or any of that before we move to the

0:48:58concept?

0:48:59>> I would just say it was a great turnout

0:49:00when when we had the community um

0:49:03meeting down there where they could give

0:49:05their input. There's a constant stream

0:49:07of folks who who came in and gave their

0:49:10input. It was really nice to see.

0:49:12>> Definitely. And no questions, but I

0:49:14definitely appreciate how intentional

0:49:16you have been with really including each

0:49:18of these members that you're talking

0:49:19about within this process, ensuring that

0:49:21their voices are heard throughout it. We

0:49:23were talking about in the beginning, but

0:49:24you've really did an amazing job of

0:49:25being intentional about it. So, I wanted

0:49:26to make that comment as well, Cory.

0:49:28Great job.

0:49:28>> Thank you. And and we we owe a lot of um

0:49:31we have a great uh design team that have

0:49:34a lot of experience with it and helping

0:49:36us do that. um and and our our staff

0:49:38have been great about getting out and

0:49:41getting the word out to to folks to be a

0:49:42part of the the process. So, we are on a

0:49:45schedule and obviously with the um the

0:49:47the local commerce funding and the

0:49:50things that we're helping to or

0:49:52utilizing to help make this process come

0:49:53to fruition. Um we're on a tight

0:49:56timeline. We understand that. Um but we

0:49:58have we have completed the concepts um

0:50:00and are working on our probable cost and

0:50:04our uh delivery package hopefully to

0:50:06even bump up uh you see that October 1st

0:50:08we're hoping to even bring that tighter

0:50:11into September uh to keep us in line uh

0:50:14with the the state grant funding that'll

0:50:17keep this process rolling. So we are a

0:50:19little bit at hyper speed. Um, this is

0:50:22just a brief overview on uh the square

0:50:26footage of the facility. Uh, we're

0:50:28looking at about a 5,000 foot facility.

0:50:31Um, it when you see the conceptual

0:50:34pictures, everyone's going to see

0:50:35they're like, man, that's the Greensburg

0:50:37Coliseum. No, it it is a it is a 1500

0:50:41square foot um uh multi-purpose event

0:50:43space uh with some different rooms

0:50:45within it uh utilizing the lobby uh to

0:50:48be a part of the the entry and process.

0:50:52Um along with the history component and

0:50:55telling the story of the park. Uh we

0:50:57have a big opportunity with history

0:50:58walls and things of that nature. Uh

0:51:00within that um we found some old Kodak

0:51:03chrome uh 35 millimeter um film that are

0:51:07pictures from Carver Park in the 50s and

0:51:0960s. Really neat stuff. Uh and a lot of

0:51:12our local community members have things

0:51:14that they can share with us to help make

0:51:16that that happen. Uh but I wanted to put

0:51:18the the functional areas on here just to

0:51:21make sure um we keep that in mind when

0:51:24you see it. I 1,500 ft² is very similar

0:51:27to the size of the community room of

0:51:29Ballpark uh the Ballpark community

0:51:31center. So that's a 1400 ft square. This

0:51:34is more of a rectangular space. Uh but

0:51:37that that's what I would encourage

0:51:39everyone to keep in mind as we see the

0:51:41conceptual uh designs. Um so uh one

0:51:45thing about the park uh and we'll get

0:51:47into a little bit more. I did get an

0:51:48updated site plan. Um uh but we do we

0:51:52are impacted uh with some of the funding

0:51:54with the restrictive covenant uh about

0:51:56the 100redyear and 500year flood planes.

0:51:59Um the building design was completely

0:52:03outside of that. Uh but what we learned

0:52:06from our team being on site as well as

0:52:09conversations with our community is that

0:52:12the center of the park was the pool. Uh

0:52:14which is why your parking lot was

0:52:15designed the way it is. uh and why um it

0:52:20really kind of flows to the middle. Uh

0:52:21so our architects and and our uh

0:52:23landscape engineers have looked at it

0:52:25and thought the best thing to do would

0:52:27be to move the facility to the middle of

0:52:29the park um to help see it from Do

0:52:33Street um see it when the weather is

0:52:36correct uh from Salem Street uh but also

0:52:40just centralize the main feature of the

0:52:44space. Um so uh proximity-wise and we

0:52:47have a floor plan that we'll hit on. Uh

0:52:49it would place um the the facility

0:52:52within the center of the park. Um so

0:52:56without [clears throat] further ado, the

0:52:58first con the the conceptual design that

0:53:00has been created is this facility here.

0:53:02Um this is a again 1500 square foot open

0:53:07room. Um uh it is a facility where you

0:53:12would enter um with lots of natural

0:53:15light. Um keep the glass theme

0:53:18throughout from more natural light. Um

0:53:23I would also caution that this is a

0:53:26conceptual design. Our park

0:53:27superintendent saw all the bushes and

0:53:29about collapsed, but I said that doesn't

0:53:31mean we're going to have all those

0:53:33bushes, Randy. Uh but uh there is some

0:53:36obviously some AI functionality to

0:53:38however they designed this. Uh but this

0:53:41is the conceptual thought that could fit

0:53:43there um and utilize an outdoor patio

0:53:46space um to to really gain elevation in

0:53:50the park. Um Carver Park is one of our

0:53:54most naturally

0:53:56beautiful park spaces with the tree line

0:53:59uh and all the properties that we own on

0:54:01the north side of the creek. um in the

0:54:04fall and in the summer and fall the

0:54:06trees are beautiful. Uh so this would be

0:54:08a great way to incorporate um space

0:54:13outside uh while kind of expanding your

0:54:16footprint of a facility that's a little

0:54:18bit still smaller. Uh one thing that you

0:54:20do see though there is height. Uh

0:54:23because of the grade of the the park

0:54:26space um when you ride down do street

0:54:29you want to be able to see it. Um, so

0:54:31right now when you ride down Dog Street

0:54:33and you look uh you see our centralized

0:54:37uh flag pole and then the top of the

0:54:39shelter. So the conversation was a

0:54:41little bit of grading and things could

0:54:43really expose the facility coming down

0:54:46uh the street there. Um another view of

0:54:49it is here. There's more of a entryway

0:54:52there. Um, and again, these are

0:54:55conceptual, uh, but, uh, it's

0:54:57[clears throat]

0:54:58something that when you have a smaller

0:55:01facility, what we were getting feedback

0:55:03from the community is you want it to

0:55:04feel open. Um, and one thing that we've

0:55:08learned in this facility, I think these

0:55:10are 12 to 14. Um, and then our other

0:55:13rooms about 20 ft, but when you have

0:55:15height in your rooms, uh, you really

0:55:18open up a space that is smaller. Um, so

0:55:21we want to utilize that ability within

0:55:24this facility uh to to make it feel open

0:55:28uh and inviting um for the different

0:55:30type of programming and events that

0:55:32happen on site. So um

0:55:35this is a better look at the floor plan

0:55:38and what it would consist of. Um it

0:55:41would be an entry lobby um I can zoom in

0:55:45here. an entry lobby vestibule with

0:55:47history walls that are added within. Um

0:55:50if you've ever been to High Point City

0:55:52Lake, uh their new facility, they did a

0:55:54fantastic job from the conception of

0:55:56that park until the opening of their

0:55:59facility of a history wall that was uh

0:56:02designed with photos, articles, and uh

0:56:06local local quotes and testimony from

0:56:08our residents. Um, so that's a huge

0:56:12opportunity uh with the park space in

0:56:14the facility. Entering in, you'd have an

0:56:17office um uh for staff, men's and

0:56:21women's restrooms that have access in

0:56:22the lobby and or the uh event space,

0:56:25which is a really nice um uh added

0:56:29amenity to where you didn't have to

0:56:30leave your event to use the restroom

0:56:33into the lobby. You could stay within

0:56:34the facility. uh warming kitchen uh very

0:56:37much in the um uh

0:56:41allah ours here uh that's the industrial

0:56:43fridges and ability to heat food and

0:56:45cater um not necessarily a oven at this

0:56:48facility new uh but um the ability for

0:56:51folks to have their events uh and then

0:56:53janitor closet IT closets storage

0:56:55closets and then all that footprint

0:56:57outside uh one of the things that with

0:56:59the patio they were discussing is if

0:57:01they grade it and build it correctly

0:57:04which is what we want. Uh obviously,

0:57:07[laughter]

0:57:07uh they better anyways, but it you'd

0:57:10have a lot of height. Uh so that hill

0:57:12has a big depth. At some points of that

0:57:14patio, you could feel like you're 40t in

0:57:16the air. Uh and you don't get that in

0:57:18Thomasville. Uh in a lot of our park

0:57:20spaces, very linear, flat park spaces.

0:57:24Um with a view over the creek and that

0:57:27kind of thing. I mean, really, really

0:57:29something that we don't have. Uh which

0:57:31is what we've kind of hit on during the

0:57:32process, too. like let's you don't want

0:57:34to build the aquatic center at Carver

0:57:36Park. You want to build a facility with

0:57:38its own uh you know personality and and

0:57:42and use. Um one thing that we did learn

0:57:45that was very successful here though is

0:57:47the exterior restroom. And so we did ask

0:57:49to incorporate an exterior restroom on

0:57:51the back side of the facility. Um so um

0:57:54or the side of the facility. That way

0:57:56for our park use, you could still have

0:57:59access, the little ones and families

0:58:01could have access to a restroom as we do

0:58:02on the rear of this facility. So, we

0:58:04didn't have a restroom at our playground

0:58:07because we constructed this. We do have

0:58:09a restroom at our playground now on the

0:58:11rear of our our facility.

0:58:13>> Um, any questions on those things?

0:58:16That's more of the building specific or

0:58:18any comments on the building specific?

0:58:20And I do have an updated site plan

0:58:21because I know we had some flood plane

0:58:23points.

0:58:25It looks great. I mean, this is a little

0:58:30>> It looks massive. It's like,

0:58:33>> you know, ju just kind of

0:58:35>> thinking about um former councils and

0:58:38the current council. I think it says a

0:58:40lot about the direction of our city when

0:58:42we go from several years ago not having

0:58:44a new recreation uh development or or

0:58:48new building constructed in 70 plus

0:58:50years and now we've got an aquatic

0:58:52center and we're we're building

0:58:53something down there in uh Carver Park.

0:58:56I think it speaks a lot to the vision of

0:58:59our council that we're trying to support

0:59:01recreation and and make sure our youth

0:59:03and our community have uh good things to

0:59:06do in nice places. So, good work.

0:59:08>> I would like to add

0:59:09>> for the community.

0:59:10>> Yes. Yes. I would like to add that um it

0:59:13also speaks of unity

0:59:14>> talking to your mom.

0:59:16>> It okay.

0:59:23>> It [snorts] also speaks of unity in our

0:59:26town because what it's doing is bridging

0:59:30is is bridging the sides that never

0:59:33existed before. So I I'm very humbled uh

0:59:37and grateful that this and you all are

0:59:41doing it. I feel like crying. I do. So

0:59:45I'm grateful.

0:59:46>> Thank you.

0:59:48>> From the departmental standpoint and I

0:59:49know our community standpoint, the you

0:59:51can't get things done without a

0:59:52supportive council. So we greatly

0:59:54appreciate uh y'all's vision and helping

0:59:56us um be able to do that. So, um, and I

1:00:00love really seeing the idea and really

1:00:02being able put the vision in into

1:00:04reality. Um, now I know some of the

1:00:06ideas that we were having at the the

1:00:07concept meetings and things, we're

1:00:09trying to figure out what would this

1:00:11space like I know you're talking about

1:00:12with the views and all that stuff, but

1:00:13when I'm thinking about the programming

1:00:15and things that we will really kind of

1:00:16run out of this for our kids, um, how we

1:00:19thought about how this space will and

1:00:21with the design that we've kind of

1:00:23brought up, how that would be conducive

1:00:25with the programming that we're trying

1:00:26to specifically be able to do with the

1:00:28Strickland Center, the new center.

1:00:30>> Yes. So, the the good thing about the

1:00:32space is, and we've talked about that

1:00:33because it is a limited size, but if you

1:00:36do write with the storage and and you're

1:00:38functional, um we were having some

1:00:40conversations yesterday with staff about

1:00:41the flexibility of TVs on rollers and

1:00:44things to bring in. We have a young

1:00:45men's group that meets. Uh we're

1:00:47starting the cultural arts programming,

1:00:48but we're finding out that we have a lot

1:00:50of um with the with the shift of the

1:00:53Central Rec campus and the side room.

1:00:55You know, we talked about some of the

1:00:56expenditures that were kind of pausing,

1:00:58but our child care is really taking over

1:01:00that rental space and we talked about

1:01:01that. We're we're finding that we're

1:01:03we're programming and we need more areas

1:01:06to put meetings or or to put a program

1:01:10that comes they seek our our department

1:01:12out to partner for a program and then

1:01:14we're finding where where and when to

1:01:16put them. Um the ballpark community

1:01:18center now is you've got three different

1:01:20veteran groups at it that are meeting.

1:01:22We've got, you know, our line dancing

1:01:24classes in the evening and things in the

1:01:25uh the the morning uh with our seniors.

1:01:28So, it this will be able to be used in a

1:01:30lot of different ways. We've talked

1:01:31about too with the schools potentially

1:01:34um with our middle school age uh and we

1:01:36talked about CIS um offering an after

1:01:39school program or things of that nature

1:01:41to even talk about drop offs uh with the

1:01:43school system. So, you know, we want it

1:01:46we don't want it to be dormant. Our

1:01:47cheerleaders and things practice at the

1:01:49current Strickland Center. Um, that

1:01:51would be something that would be great

1:01:52to continue obviously. Um, but we want

1:01:56it to be an active center and that's why

1:01:58you see some of those staff spaces as

1:02:00well because you would need that little

1:02:02office for potentially utilizing some of

1:02:05our program coordinator to be on site

1:02:07and be a hybrid. Um, now if it was

1:02:09staffed daily, it's the same challenge

1:02:11as the aquatic center. That's the staff

1:02:14person obviously. Um but um I think too

1:02:18what you'll see is some of the site plan

1:02:21will show how the park will activate

1:02:23because I think what's interesting about

1:02:24this process and we talked about it uh

1:02:26previously um is that it was so the park

1:02:31was it's uh the ribbon cut in 1948 and

1:02:34it served um through the late 70s before

1:02:37the Strickland Center before the center

1:02:40was renamed to the Strickland Center.

1:02:42However, prior to that pool programming,

1:02:45Tiny Tots programming, there was a

1:02:47center director on site, Charles Little,

1:02:48that we've learned a lot more about. We

1:02:50hope to kind of focus on. We had great

1:02:52conversations about the first ever

1:02:53center director at Carver Park in

1:02:55honoring his legacy. He died young,

1:02:57which is um impactful to some of the

1:03:00folks that came down to share their

1:03:01stories. And it's like, well, that shows

1:03:04that

1:03:05the park was active in itself, too. It

1:03:08wasn't just the facility that was

1:03:10active. And so when you see some of the

1:03:12site plan, you're like, "Okay, well that

1:03:14investment within the area, it's it's

1:03:17very similar, I mean, to the impact that

1:03:19you see of the site here is that we had

1:03:22a lot of folks say, well, you build a

1:03:23new playground when we built the aquatic

1:03:26center, but it that's the same

1:03:28playground that was here. We just

1:03:29exposed it. So now our site is more

1:03:31active. That playground is more used

1:03:33than ever because of the new

1:03:34construction. And so

1:03:37the facility I think would be a catalyst

1:03:39for the whole park to be active. Um so I

1:03:42do expect to see an uptick in in that

1:03:45activity within the facility for direct

1:03:48programming but also the indirectly

1:03:51managed access. Um so there's a variety

1:03:55of different things I think

1:03:56>> and I love that explanation Corey. Um

1:03:58and again just make sure I'm wrapping my

1:04:00head around it. um ensuring so because

1:04:03one of the things I was thinking about

1:04:04where really we were talking about with

1:04:06the Strickland Center and how active the

1:04:07community really played a part in the

1:04:09center um with this space are you seeing

1:04:12that this space would allow for that

1:04:14same level of programming or are you

1:04:16thinking because we're this will be more

1:04:18like an event space more of an open area

1:04:20to allow for us to be able to have more

1:04:23options for people to be able to rent

1:04:24different venues that we're going to

1:04:26have more space over at our central

1:04:28campus to be able to do more of that

1:04:29programming. Like when I'm saying

1:04:30program, I'm thinking things like uh

1:04:32computer labs because I know at the uh

1:04:34ideas we had different things where our

1:04:36kids could actually um get some of the

1:04:38services and resources that you know we

1:04:39don't currently have within some of our

1:04:41uh centers and things like that. So I'm

1:04:43that's what I'm trying to think about

1:04:45>> through technology we could be very

1:04:47creative within the facility to not be

1:04:50so the space I don't want it to be just

1:04:52a rental facility. I don't I don't think

1:04:54that's what it not with this investment.

1:04:55That doesn't make sense. But I think

1:04:57that we have to be thoughtful on how you

1:05:00impact the space. Like you couldn't just

1:05:02set up, in my opinion, four rows of

1:05:03tables in there that are permanent,

1:05:04>> right?

1:05:05>> But how are we functional within our

1:05:08tech

1:05:09>> in our room? How how do you set your

1:05:11tech up to be able to serve a gaming

1:05:13night? Okay. Well, if we have some TVs

1:05:16placed within the room, as we do here,

1:05:17that don't impact that fit within the

1:05:19facility,

1:05:21there you go. So, use that tech. So tech

1:05:24will be a part of it to be functional

1:05:25for our kids. I I definitely think cuz

1:05:27one of the things was gaming. I mean it

1:05:29was like well how do you do that? Well

1:05:31you know a couple TVs on rollers that

1:05:33come out and take the room over. We're

1:05:35really good our staff are really good at

1:05:39flipping spaces and turning them into

1:05:41what they need to be for programming. So

1:05:44while that those rooms rent, our young

1:05:46men's group meet in there too and they

1:05:48use that tech to figure out how, you

1:05:50know, for classes, for activities, for

1:05:53whatever. Um, and so I do think that

1:05:57within this space, it's very similar to

1:06:00the ballpark center that it can be

1:06:01programmed and it can be programmed in a

1:06:03variety of ways. I mean, your art, your

1:06:05cultural art class could be held within

1:06:07there, but if you got that many windows,

1:06:09you could be painting the natural land.

1:06:12I mean, you could do a landscape

1:06:13painting with your instructor there on

1:06:15site, you know. So, I think um I don't

1:06:18think it should be just a rental. I do

1:06:20think it needs to be active and that's

1:06:22on us to do. I mean, that was the

1:06:24challenge of this facility. Once you

1:06:25build it, you got to

1:06:26>> operate it.

1:06:27>> Well, and Cory, correct me if I'm wrong.

1:06:29my my involvement with this project with

1:06:31being the parks and recck um liaison for

1:06:34council. Um I know first plans were kind

1:06:37of get to get a site plan and see what

1:06:39the building was going to look like and

1:06:41then see what of those components we add

1:06:43to the interior based on cost and and

1:06:46community needs. So, some of the things

1:06:48that were on that survey like reading

1:06:50nooks or gaming labs, whatever it may

1:06:53be, um kind of threw the concept, get

1:06:55our building the the

1:06:58um kind of our our map for the whole

1:07:00park and then see what of those features

1:07:03we can put in there.

1:07:04>> I think we learn

1:07:06correct and I think that we learned from

1:07:08this process. I know that Michael led a

1:07:11presentation uh at at our rec conference

1:07:14about how many hats can a facility wear,

1:07:16[clears throat]

1:07:16>> right? And that that's any building that

1:07:18we build. We don't have as many as High

1:07:20Point. We don't have as many as other.

1:07:22Now, we're blessed to have the ones we

1:07:23do because there are some communities

1:07:24don't have any. Uh and so, but how many

1:07:28ways can it be used? How many ways can

1:07:30the spaces be used? Um is always at the

1:07:34forefront of what we're doing. Um

1:07:37because

1:07:38>> I mean this would expand the opportunity

1:07:41for micro camps within the summer. So,

1:07:44we are really good at a traditional

1:07:46summer camp. However, now with our new

1:07:49staff person, she's been running, you

1:07:51know, the um accessible fun on the runs

1:07:53and those type of things. Well, you

1:07:55could do a week art camp here. You could

1:07:58do a week cooking camp here. you could.

1:08:00These type of things are things that our

1:08:03staff are thinking of because again with

1:08:06y'all your support and the investment,

1:08:10it's our responsibility to make sure

1:08:11that we take that and run with it to

1:08:14continue to program. Our program

1:08:16division is a big thing of what we do,

1:08:17>> right?

1:08:17>> So, we need to make sure we're utilizing

1:08:19those resources to to not have an idle

1:08:22facility, make sure the community is

1:08:24being served by it.

1:08:24>> Right. And I I appreciate that

1:08:26explanation really because I really

1:08:27wanted to make sure with like you said

1:08:28with the level of investment that we're

1:08:30putting inside the circles and I'm

1:08:31really happy that we're being able to

1:08:32get the opportunity to do that. But I

1:08:33think in part of that we have to ensure

1:08:35that we're doing it justice by ensuring

1:08:37that this this building will be able to

1:08:39be fully functional long after any of us

1:08:41here even on council or in this room

1:08:43will be able to to really be able to see

1:08:45that. And so that's where I'm asking

1:08:46some of these questions um with being

1:08:48able to to think through how we'll be

1:08:50able to see this space maybe even in the

1:08:52future as well. Um, and I know you you

1:08:54said about not having too many hats on

1:08:55the building. Um, and I definitely agree

1:08:57with that. And thinking about, you know,

1:08:58some of that history and then some of

1:09:00the things that we currently don't have

1:09:01already here in the city of Thomasville

1:09:03have I know some of the people in the

1:09:05concept and meetings and things when I

1:09:07was talking to when I got the chance to

1:09:08go there were talking about how

1:09:10important that water aspect was down to

1:09:12the Strickland Center. And so um

1:09:14currently since the uh we have such an

1:09:16amazing facility up here at the aquatic

1:09:18center that does uh make it a little bit

1:09:20more difficult now when it comes to the

1:09:22swim times and and things like that uh

1:09:24when we have to close pool maintenance

1:09:26all all the other rest that we're our

1:09:28kids are not having I guess access to a

1:09:30a pool quote unquote per se. So have we

1:09:33thought about what kind of similar as

1:09:36aspects that we could kind of include in

1:09:38here if it could be like splash pads or

1:09:40whatever else that

1:09:41>> we have. We have talked about the

1:09:43potential and now some of this is cost

1:09:45right you know um but you know one thing

1:09:48about the this facility here you know

1:09:51seven days a week you know I think

1:09:53Evander and I did the math the other day

1:09:55it's 100 days during the summer of

1:09:57access uh but you know but the timely

1:10:00access of like a splash pad these are

1:10:03within operating hours that you have

1:10:05access so what we've talked about is

1:10:07potentially the ability so and I wish I

1:10:09had the photo not on a not on a um

1:10:13[clears throat]

1:10:1435 millimeter chrome uh thing, but it's

1:10:18there was a beautiful fountain on the

1:10:20former pool. Uh and we've talked about

1:10:22hopefully potentially being able to

1:10:24recreate that of some sprayout features

1:10:26are potentially something that we could

1:10:29consider. where and how that fits on the

1:10:32site and some of the things that were

1:10:33now impacted by the flood plane um is a

1:10:38bit of a challenge uh but not something

1:10:40that's not just undoable. Um but some of

1:10:45the levels of aquatics

1:10:48infrastructure,

1:10:50they can they can be a straight through

1:10:51water that's city water spraying out of

1:10:53the ground. Uh that's that's not

1:10:55recyclable. That's you're using that

1:10:57water. Then what you get into um at

1:11:00other splash pads that are out similar

1:11:03to the county and other communities that

1:11:04you've seen um like ours here at the

1:11:07front of our pool are are a pool. Once

1:11:09you do that, you've built into a

1:11:11cyclical system that's chlorinated

1:11:12that's it's running with a CPO. It is

1:11:15operated via aquatics directors and

1:11:19things of that nature. But there are

1:11:21ways that the water could be

1:11:24implemented. And we've we've had those

1:11:26discussions and I I mean we can bring

1:11:27that up for sure. Um but because that

1:11:30was something that the community has

1:11:31mentioned,

1:11:31>> right?

1:11:32>> Mhm.

1:11:32>> I appreciate.

1:11:32>> Yeah, of course. Of course.

1:11:35>> Any other questions?

1:11:37>> All right. Thank you, C.

1:11:38>> I do want

1:11:39>> I do want to point out there is a

1:11:41limited I I know that $3.2 million is a

1:11:45big number. Uh but it's not that big

1:11:47when you're looking at this type of

1:11:48development. So there's there is going

1:11:52to be a phased project. Uh we're going

1:11:55to do as much of it as we can with the

1:11:57building being the primary point, but

1:12:00everything, you know, anything that's a

1:12:02significant cost is a phase 2, phase

1:12:05three situation. There's nothing being

1:12:07planned on the north side of the creek.

1:12:09Uh we're not even sure if we can build a

1:12:11bridge across it. Uh so there's a large

1:12:14piece of land that that's way out in the

1:12:16future. Um and again because of the

1:12:20flood plane stuff we're having to move

1:12:21things around that co there's going to

1:12:23be a cost involved. There's also a lot

1:12:24of topo that we have to address and

1:12:26walls cost money. Uh retaining walls

1:12:29cost money. Um so so just take that in

1:12:32uh you know take that all into it

1:12:34because our main focus is to get the

1:12:37Strickland Center rebuilt and then the

1:12:40other functions keep keep as much

1:12:43functionality as possible. This is going

1:12:45to be a phased event unless

1:12:48>> and just brief

1:12:49>> hire somebody and get some more money.

1:12:51>> Briefly, that's the that is the the site

1:12:54design that came in late afternoon after

1:12:56the 500y year. If you see the light area

1:12:59here, um that is your 500year flood

1:13:03plane. So those are the things that are

1:13:05impacting due to the funding. Um kind of

1:13:07shifting the space where you may have a

1:13:10natural trail system down in the uh kind

1:13:13of gully area is what I kind of call it

1:13:15down in the gulch. Um but then it

1:13:17transitions the park and potentially

1:13:19replaces the playground where the

1:13:21facility used to be. Um adds a

1:13:24basketball court at the other end. But

1:13:26as Michael said and I would I would from

1:13:30our experience here, there is elevation

1:13:32and site work challenges here, but some

1:13:34of the reconfiguration could add close

1:13:36to 60 to 70 parking spots and more

1:13:41centralized location. Um, and as you see

1:13:43the rain garden there and things of that

1:13:45nature are ways to um

1:13:48offset some of the because you you don't

1:13:50it's not the fancy stuff, but the

1:13:52waterershed has to go somewhere off the

1:13:54facility. So it's you can't put that

1:13:56down in the flood pl the flood plane is

1:13:59big. Um and but but it didn't it was not

1:14:02the end of the world for the it's

1:14:04actually an opportunity just to adjust.

1:14:06We just pivot a little bit. So

1:14:09>> exciting stuff.

1:14:11>> All right. Thank you, Corey. I

1:14:12appreciate it.

1:14:13>> Thank y'all very much.

1:14:19>> All right. Um item number seven is

1:14:21presentation of Thomasville Main Street

1:14:22updates. I recognize our city manager.

1:14:27>> Thank you. Um

1:14:29Tammy Joyce is actually at a Main Street

1:14:32program conference uh that started

1:14:35today, so she is not able to be here. Um

1:14:38the uh

1:14:40I'm trying to get to her report. Um and

1:14:44at that conference she's making an

1:14:46annual report on our uh Main Street

1:14:49program that uh that what obviously was

1:14:52a draft form so she didn't want to uh

1:14:54submit it to you yet. Uh so that will be

1:14:57presented in September. Um she did have

1:15:01a couple of items that she wanted to uh

1:15:03uh point out to you. Um the uh uh event

1:15:09at um the women's club la uh two

1:15:12weekends ago uh generated almost $20,000

1:15:16in uh donations for the palace theater

1:15:20which is allowing uh PACE to hire an

1:15:23architect to do more of the interior

1:15:26design work. Uh it was very successful.

1:15:28Um I know some some folks were there. Um

1:15:32I'm sorry. I think I just blew by when I

1:15:34was looking.

1:15:41Um,

1:15:42so that was very exciting. Uh, we had a

1:15:45ribbon cutting yesterday for the uh the

1:15:48new uh hot dog place. Uh,

1:15:53>> chair big chair dogs, not Chair City.

1:15:55It's Big Chair Dogs.

1:15:57>> Um, uh, that went into where the antique

1:16:00store used to be. uh down uh below

1:16:02Commerce. Um the uh uh the other

1:16:06properties are still being developed

1:16:08that have the facade covers on them.

1:16:11They're still uh being worked on. Um

1:16:14they're having to, you know, get

1:16:16architects and and get some engineering

1:16:18work done on those on those properties.

1:16:20U but effort is continuing. Um the uh um

1:16:30there was one oh uh there may be news

1:16:33regarding a sale of a important property

1:16:37downtown uh that that's been for sale

1:16:39for a long time uh that maybe uh have a

1:16:43train change of ownership. Uh hopefully

1:16:45it'll continue to to be an active site

1:16:48near our downtown. I don't want to

1:16:49disclose that because I don't have

1:16:50permission to to disclose it. Um but

1:16:53that that's a good news. Um and then um

1:16:57we've done we're you know we're still

1:16:59working on the Pace Park. We'll have a

1:17:01complete update for you on Pace Park

1:17:03phase one at in the September's meeting

1:17:05also uh to move uh to show where that

1:17:08project is moving towards and hopefully

1:17:11we'll be doing some bidding work on that

1:17:12in the uh well I know we'll be doing

1:17:14bidding work uh come this fall on that

1:17:17project.

1:17:18>> So those are the updates from Main

1:17:20Street. Did she give us any update about

1:17:22uh the Kenny store or in that building?

1:17:24>> Um she there is someone looking at it.

1:17:27They're looking at secondf flooror uh

1:17:29housing u as part of the design. Uh so

1:17:33there is someone actively looking at it.

1:17:35Uh but as of yet there's no official uh

1:17:39sale andor project.

1:17:41>> I know there were quite a few updates

1:17:43they were wanting to do to that

1:17:44building. It needed some significant

1:17:46work done to it. So

1:17:48all right. Thank you. Um,

1:17:52next item uh is our economic mobility

1:17:54update. So, I'll recognize our economic

1:17:56mobility uh program manager.

1:18:03>> Good morning.

1:18:04>> Good morning.

1:18:05>> City Council.

1:18:08>> Um, Emma is going to be passing out like

1:18:10an updated version of our

1:18:12[clears throat] um of our deck. I added

1:18:15a couple of things that I failed to do

1:18:17that at the beginning.

1:18:20Um,

1:18:21>> thank you.

1:18:23>> And I'll have a couple of different

1:18:29flyers that you'll see that we'll talk

1:18:31about that this morning. So, you'll see

1:18:33Emma Anderson. She is our economic

1:18:35mobility program intern. She's been with

1:18:37us this summer. Her last day will be on

1:18:40the 15th of August for her first phase,

1:18:43but we'll talk a little bit more about

1:18:45that here soon. Um, so I wanted to kind

1:18:47of go back to the basics and kind of

1:18:49understand what my position is, what do

1:18:52we do, how important it is, and why am I

1:18:54here, right? Um, a lot of people don't

1:18:56know what I do. Um, I've referred to as

1:18:59um, do you do wheelchairs because you

1:19:01mobilize people? So, I wanted to make

1:19:03sure and take the opportunity to make

1:19:06sure that we continue talking about this

1:19:08because it's not a concept that is

1:19:10everywhere. Um, in North Carolina,

1:19:13there's only two of us right now doing

1:19:14this concept, which it's always existed.

1:19:17It's just never had an actual title. Um,

1:19:20so economic mobility connects residents

1:19:22with opportunities to help them advance.

1:19:24That's the gist of it. Um, it matters

1:19:27because equitable access empowers

1:19:29residents to thrive and belong. And once

1:19:31we're thriving and belonging, we're

1:19:32going to make our economic mo um,

1:19:34they're going to move up the economic

1:19:36mobility scale.

1:19:41What does it mean for Thomasville? It

1:19:43means that residents have better access

1:19:45to resources, information, and pathways

1:19:47to stability, meeting them where they're

1:19:49at, no matter where they are. It also

1:19:51means connecting residents and small

1:19:53businesses to more training, visibility,

1:19:55funding opportunities, and connection.

1:19:58It also helps build city systems which

1:20:00provide pro provides for stronger

1:20:02partnerships, clearer communication and

1:20:04datainformed decisions and create an

1:20:07long-term impact where community

1:20:09informed priorities can be tracked,

1:20:11improved and sustained. In summary,

1:20:14economic mobility works to help the city

1:20:16move from individual programs to a

1:20:19coordinated strategy that is beneficial

1:20:21to all of our residents. The main goal

1:20:24really is to identify what residents

1:20:26need most. align partners around those

1:20:28priorities and turn momentum into

1:20:30measurable outcomes.

1:20:35Economic mobility uses the Urban

1:20:37Institutees upward mobility framework

1:20:40that you see up here. Um, for those of

1:20:42you you might not know, the Urban

1:20:44Institute is a nonpartisan research

1:20:46organization in Washington DC that

1:20:48provides data and analyzes to help

1:20:51policymakers, leaders, and communities

1:20:54tackle complex social and economics

1:20:56challenges. This framework gives local

1:20:59leaders a data-driven tool to measure,

1:21:02plan, and improve social and economic

1:21:05mobility from poverty while centering it

1:21:07in racial equity.

1:21:12Um, and here are I just we just came up

1:21:14with a demographics for Thomasville kind

1:21:16of like telling you what the what

1:21:19Thomasville looks at a glance where we

1:21:21can see that Thomasville is a home to

1:21:22nearly 28,000 residents and reflects a

1:21:25diverse multigenerational community.

1:21:28This data helps us better understand who

1:21:30we serve and ensure our programs,

1:21:32partnerships, and services respond to

1:21:34residents needs.

1:21:39what we're doing right now. Um these are

1:21:41our programs right now that we have. So

1:21:44we have our internship program. So

1:21:46economic mobility um internship program

1:21:48gives gives students hands-on local

1:21:50government experience while supporting

1:21:52research outreach events and program

1:21:54development. This is what Emma has been

1:21:56doing with us um since she joined. Um

1:21:59we've also been having the launch of Ana

1:22:02Thomasville class as you are very well

1:22:04aware of it. She Emma is right here next

1:22:06to me because she will present to you

1:22:08about what we're doing in launch and

1:22:09what where we're going with that or the

1:22:11next steps on that. Um our codeesign so

1:22:14this is a new initiative um codeesign is

1:22:17really get engaging with residents not

1:22:21community leaders but residents that are

1:22:23actually going through um different

1:22:26barriers. They in turn instead of doing

1:22:29surveys and getting paper surveys

1:22:30because you're never going to get who

1:22:32really needs the services the most to

1:22:34fill out those surveys, they actually go

1:22:36into the community within their own

1:22:38networks that have those barriers which

1:22:41it be it could be home, it could be um

1:22:45work, it could be education, it could be

1:22:47anything. So they go and have these

1:22:49conversations in depth with different

1:22:51folks and then we kind of provide for

1:22:54them to do this many times as we need in

1:22:57order for us to come up with a final

1:22:59final plan and we'll talk a little bit

1:23:00more about code design here in a second.

1:23:02Um another initiative that we're doing

1:23:04is we're partnering with the lean

1:23:06property. So we are looking and

1:23:09analyzing the properties that have

1:23:11existing leans. We're kind of looking at

1:23:14what they need, whether they may be

1:23:16connections to the good neighbor

1:23:18program, whether they need to be um

1:23:20giving the information on a toolbox

1:23:22initiative, whether we need to acquire

1:23:24those properties and then, you know, go

1:23:27with our partner like Home Solutions at

1:23:28Davidson County to help us repurpose the

1:23:30ones that have an existing structure, um

1:23:33if they are vacant. So, there's like

1:23:35four different pots on that. So, we're

1:23:37starting that process. We'll have more

1:23:38updates to follow throughout the the

1:23:40rest of the year on that. And then of

1:23:42course we also do department

1:23:44collaboration where economic mobility is

1:23:46really embedded in all of the

1:23:48departments to make sure that we're

1:23:50reaching every single resident in all

1:23:52aspects of this.

1:23:55Our internship program um we have Emma

1:23:58who has joined us from NC State

1:24:00University. She is a rising senior. Um

1:24:03she's conducted the analysis for launch

1:24:05of an ata Thomasville. She supported the

1:24:06program development and um evaluation

1:24:09and she's demonstrated exceptional

1:24:11professionalism, initiative and strong

1:24:13ability to learn quickly. Um what's next

1:24:16for Emma? She is going to continue her

1:24:19internship with us um remotely through

1:24:22the month month of December. She will

1:24:24have less hours, but she will be working

1:24:26with us on different programs that we

1:24:27still can um she can help me collaborate

1:24:30and finalize and bring to fruition. So,

1:24:33she'll have um she'll be with us until

1:24:35December. Um so, we're very excited that

1:24:38she's accepted that and that we continue

1:24:40to have this impact with her. Um and now

1:24:42she is going to come up here and discuss

1:24:45a little bit about what launch of.

1:24:49Good morning, mayor, city council

1:24:52members, city staff, and everyone in

1:24:54attendance. Like she said, my name is

1:24:56Emma Anderson and I'm a rising senior

1:24:58majoring in environmental science at NC

1:25:01State University. This summer, I've had

1:25:03the amazing opportunity to intern with

1:25:05the city of Thomasville under Adalia in

1:25:08the economic mobility office. When I

1:25:11first accepted this internship, I

1:25:13expected to spend most of my time

1:25:14working behind the scenes on

1:25:15administrative tasks. While I certainly

1:25:17do that, my experience has become so

1:25:20much more than I imagined. I help

1:25:22coordinate many aspects of the launch of

1:25:23Bonsza program, making sure documents

1:25:26are organized and accessible, assisting

1:25:28with program logistics, and

1:25:30communicating with our cohort

1:25:31participants to ensure everything runs

1:25:33smoothly. I also want to mention that

1:25:35I've had the opportunity to work on a

1:25:37separate project with Michael, which

1:25:39also has allowed me to broaden my

1:25:41experience further.

1:25:43What I didn't expect was how invested I

1:25:45would become, not only in the work

1:25:47itself, but in the people in the in the

1:25:49community. As someone who's grown up in

1:25:51Thomasville and went to East Davidson

1:25:53High School, this internship has given

1:25:55me real professional experience and

1:25:56allowed me to build a more meaningful

1:25:58connection with Thomasville. It has also

1:26:00opened my eyes to career paths I've

1:26:02never seriously considered before,

1:26:04especially within local government. I've

1:26:06seen firsthand how local governments can

1:26:08create opportunities, strengthen

1:26:10communities, and make a lasting

1:26:11difference in people's lives. Many of

1:26:13you may already be familiar with

1:26:15Launchza, but for those who aren't, I'd

1:26:17like to share a little bit more about

1:26:18what makes this program so special.

1:26:21Launch of a free 8week small business

1:26:24accelerator designed to help current and

1:26:26aspiring entrepreneurs turn their ideas

1:26:28into successful, sustainable businesses.

1:26:32Throughout the program, participants

1:26:33receive business education, mentorship,

1:26:36financial literacy training, networking

1:26:39opportunities, and access to valuable

1:26:41community resources. They develop

1:26:43business plans, refine their marketing

1:26:45strategies, strengthen their financial

1:26:47knowledge, and prepare to confidently

1:26:49present their businesses during a pitch

1:26:51competition. The impact of this program

1:26:53goes far beyond the classroom. Strong

1:26:56small businesses create jobs, strengthen

1:26:58our local economy, and build vibrant

1:27:00communities. When local entrepre When

1:27:03local entrepreneurs succeed, Thomasville

1:27:06also succeeds. Programs like Launch of

1:27:08gives individuals the knowledge,

1:27:10confidence, and resources they need to

1:27:11build businesses that not only support

1:27:13their families, but also contribute to

1:27:15the long-term growth of our city. The

1:27:18results speak for themselves. Since the

1:27:20program began, we've celebrated 60

1:27:22graduates, awarded 23 grants, and

1:27:25invested a total of $34,000 into local

1:27:27entrepreneurs. Those numbers represent

1:27:30much more than statistics. They

1:27:31represent dreams becoming reality,

1:27:34businesses opening their doors, families

1:27:36creating new opportunities, and people

1:27:38believing in themselves.

1:27:42One of my favorite things about Launchza

1:27:44is that it doesn't end after graduation.

1:27:46Even after participants complete the

1:27:488-week program, we continue to support

1:27:49them. We host networking events, connect

1:27:52them with community partners, and

1:27:54regularly share funding opportunities,

1:27:56educational resources, and business

1:27:58development opportunities.

1:28:00The relationships we built don't end

1:28:02after eight weeks and they continue to

1:28:03grow. Personally, this program has had a

1:28:07um a tremendous impact on me. I've

1:28:09joined the team toward the end of cohort

1:28:112, so I wasn't there from the very

1:28:12beginning, but it only took a few days

1:28:14before I found myself fully invested in

1:28:16these entrepreneurs and their journeys.

1:28:19Getting to know these business owners

1:28:21has opened my eyes to everything

1:28:23happening here in Thomasville. I've seen

1:28:25incredible creativity, resilience,

1:28:27determination, and passion. Every

1:28:29participant has a unique story, and

1:28:31watching them support one another

1:28:32throughout the program has been

1:28:33inspiring. Their success has become

1:28:36something I genuinely care about. I want

1:28:38to see every one of these businesses

1:28:40continue to grow and thrive because I

1:28:41know the positive impact they will have

1:28:43on this community. Working with Launch

1:28:46has given me hope for Thomasville's

1:28:48future and show me what's possible when

1:28:49people are given right support and

1:28:51opportunities. And thankfully we're just

1:28:54getting started.

1:28:56Our next launch of session begins on

1:28:58September 17th where we will bring both

1:29:01cohorts one and cohorts 2 for more

1:29:03specialized um educational

1:29:06opportunities.

1:29:07Participants will have access to

1:29:09expanded networking, additional

1:29:10community resources, and another

1:29:12exciting pitch competition with larger

1:29:15grant opportunities but a higher level

1:29:17of competition. It's exciting to see

1:29:19this program continue to evolve and I'm

1:29:21looking forward to seeing what's this

1:29:24next chapter brings for both our

1:29:26entrepreneurs and our communities. As I

1:29:29close, I'd like to say thank you. I'm

1:29:31incredibly grateful to Adalia for giving

1:29:34me the opportunity to be a part of this

1:29:35work and for being such an outstanding

1:29:37mentor throughout my internship. I'm

1:29:40also thankful for the city of

1:29:41Thomasville for investing in programs

1:29:43like Launchza and for allowing students

1:29:46like me to gain meaningful and hands-on

1:29:47experience. I've learned far more than I

1:29:50ever expected this summer and I leave

1:29:51each day inspired by the work being done

1:29:53here. I look forward to continuing my

1:29:55internship in the fall, watching these

1:29:57businesses grow and seeing Thomasville

1:29:59continue to become an even stronger,

1:30:01more connected, and more thriving

1:30:03community. So, thank you all for your

1:30:05time.

1:30:07[applause]

1:30:11She was very nervous about doing this,

1:30:13but she did exceptionally well. She did

1:30:15amazing.

1:30:15>> You did a great job.

1:30:16>> Great.

1:30:17>> And she has been a true asset. Like a

1:30:19lot of the things that I have that are

1:30:21in my brain that I want to get to that I

1:30:23can never get to, I can always say,

1:30:24Emma, can you create this? And she will

1:30:26do it in a fly. Like I say, please can

1:30:28you create this PowerPoint that we need

1:30:30to put in there and use your creativity.

1:30:33I just need to look at it once. and it's

1:30:35really it's it's elevated my work and

1:30:38it's allowed me to do more that I need

1:30:40to do. So, thank you Emma so much.

1:30:42>> Um so then um I did want to mention one

1:30:46other aspect of launch that even um went

1:30:48into what um some of the judges that we

1:30:51had were from the Rotary Clubs and Lions

1:30:54Club and they were really excited to

1:30:56kind of see this. One of the things that

1:30:57we will have coming up is the we'll

1:31:00we'll present the top six winners during

1:31:03the Rotary meeting on August 26th.

1:31:06They'll be able to provide a launch for

1:31:08them to showcase some of their talents

1:31:11with, you know, the the three of the

1:31:13ones that we have for food. And then

1:31:15others are going to be participating in

1:31:16that by giving some giveaways. They

1:31:18they're really excited. they get to

1:31:20present about two to three minutes which

1:31:22helps them even u more with whatever

1:31:25they're going to be coming up in pitch

1:31:27number two um in the end of the fall. So

1:31:29we're really excited for those

1:31:30opportunities and for the um the rest of

1:31:34Thomasville to believe in this program

1:31:35to continue building on it because I

1:31:37think it's still kind of evolving. Um

1:31:39we're bringing more things. We're doing

1:31:41more um connecting with the school

1:31:43systems now trying to make sure that we

1:31:45have that workforce. I've learned about

1:31:47a new program last yesterday that we'll

1:31:50try to kind of see what we can do with

1:31:51that with our small businesses. So, it's

1:31:54been a great opportunity. But back to

1:31:56what code design is. So, this is my new

1:31:58our new initiative. One of the things

1:31:59that we're working on. Um I want to make

1:32:01sure right that we understand what

1:32:03codeesign is. It took me um about five

1:32:05meetings because we are in the cohort

1:32:08that I'm in for special assistance.

1:32:10We're actually the first cohort to

1:32:11implement this because we all need to be

1:32:14implementing this. But there's they're

1:32:16still working on a guide for this and

1:32:18it's not um an easy concept to

1:32:20understand because normally when you

1:32:21think about community engagement, you

1:32:23think about surveys, you think about

1:32:24these different things and this is a

1:32:26really intentional way to do it. Um what

1:32:29does it mean is um residents identify

1:32:31their experiences, needs and barriers

1:32:33between economic mobility. They combine

1:32:36the knowledge and data, their knowledge

1:32:37and they and the data that we have out

1:32:39there with the urban institute, with the

1:32:41census data. There's a lot of different

1:32:43um components to that. And then um we

1:32:45also have what is called a work group.

1:32:48So we'll have the codeesign team which

1:32:50is made out of like 10 to 12 residents

1:32:52that will we're identifying um who I'm

1:32:54going for to this is the um our elect

1:32:57our housing authority home solutions um

1:33:00DC connect some of those folks that

1:33:02really work with some of these um folks

1:33:04that have been in the barriers currently

1:33:06are in barriers and they kind of say

1:33:08well in a perfect world if Thomasville

1:33:10did this it might help me go here um and

1:33:15then that's what we're going to gather

1:33:16from them going out and having these

1:33:18deep, meaningful conversations and then

1:33:20we co-create solutions. Participants

1:33:22directly identify Thomasville's top

1:33:25priorities and what we're trying to get

1:33:26out of this codeesign process is that

1:33:28they're going to help me identify the

1:33:30top three priorities for economic

1:33:31mobility and how we can implement

1:33:34programs or enhance some of the programs

1:33:36that we already have in place for this.

1:33:39What it does not mean and we will be

1:33:41very clear about this is that it does

1:33:43not mean that participants approve city

1:33:45policy or control city funding. Um final

1:33:49decisions remain with the city

1:33:50leadership and the city council.

1:33:52However, it ensures that the

1:33:54recommendations are shaped by the people

1:33:56who experience issues and understand the

1:33:58community meaning that we are going to

1:34:00get their input rather than us thinking

1:34:02well let me examine all this data and

1:34:04this is what we think we need to do.

1:34:06We're getting input directly from our

1:34:08from our citizens. Um what we're going

1:34:10to be doing in this codeesign process is

1:34:12that next week um I'm in the process of

1:34:14finalizing the the folks that are going

1:34:16to help us with this. Some of the

1:34:18funding that I have for my um my

1:34:20position allows me to give some stipens

1:34:23to some of these folks because these

1:34:25folks are you know they're experiencing

1:34:27a lot of different issues. So for them

1:34:29to come out and me asking them for two

1:34:31hours and five hours we are going to be

1:34:34giving them a stipen um for

1:34:36participating in the in the meetings.

1:34:38how we come up with this typen and the

1:34:40guideline that I've been given is that

1:34:41we look at the livable wage here in

1:34:43Thomasville and we kind of adjust it

1:34:45along those lines. So we do it as at an

1:34:47hourly rate. So they're not only going

1:34:49to be compensated for coming to the

1:34:50meetings like for two hours, we need to

1:34:53identify what barrier they would have in

1:34:55order for them to come. So if it's child

1:34:57care, do I can I pay the babysitter

1:34:59directly? If it's gas, can I give you a

1:35:01gas card so you can get here? We will

1:35:03provide them a meal and then we'll task

1:35:05them with some questions for like a

1:35:07couple of weeks and we'll say hey these

1:35:08are the questions that we want to know

1:35:09about go and engage with people have

1:35:12deep meaning meaningful conversations

1:35:14it's not a checklist they come back and

1:35:17then they'll be given up until five

1:35:19hours with a stipen as well and they'll

1:35:22come back to us they'll give us this

1:35:24data this data will be in turn then

1:35:26given to a work group which will include

1:35:28some of those agencies that are looking

1:35:31at these issues already which will give

1:35:33them even it's sort of like co-creating

1:35:36an ecosystem within us that nobody is

1:35:38doing things solops but we're like

1:35:40getting that information we're giving it

1:35:42to the agencies that provide some of

1:35:44these services and then they are going

1:35:46to come up with more questions and then

1:35:48we task them again and again so we do

1:35:50this through the whole um through August

1:35:53through October and by November we

1:35:55should be able to build a consensus and

1:35:57develop goals strategies partnerships

1:35:59and measures of success so then we'll we

1:36:01will finalize our um framework, our

1:36:04economic mobility framework that we'll

1:36:06use. But the economic mobility

1:36:09framework, how we're going to do it is

1:36:10very intentional. It's not going to be

1:36:13just for the 18 months that I'm here,

1:36:15right? Because that could be easy. I

1:36:17could do do a quick win and we'll be

1:36:19happy. But what happens after that? We

1:36:21want to make sure that we develop a

1:36:23framework that is intentional that we

1:36:25can use over and over again in order for

1:36:27us to gather those projects. So we will

1:36:29have that at the end of this Um, so

1:36:32that's code design. In terms of

1:36:34department collaboration, what we've

1:36:36done is we've collaborated with the fire

1:36:38department. We we um have done some work

1:36:41with the Mexican firefighters as well as

1:36:43a collaboration with the fire marshall's

1:36:45office where they had a checklist. We

1:36:47kind of looked at it to make sure that

1:36:49it was um translated into Spanish. That

1:36:51way when they go, they can just give

1:36:52them the checklist in Spanish and they

1:36:54don't they avoid that back and forth um

1:36:56conversation and it makes it more

1:36:57efficient for them. um with the police

1:36:59department. We're really excited because

1:37:01we'll have a really long day. Um Emma,

1:37:02we'll have a really long day today

1:37:04because we will be at the National Night

1:37:06Out um with our economic mobility um uh

1:37:09office as well during National Night Out

1:37:12and with the purchasing department. We

1:37:14also did the vendor fair with the the

1:37:16first one. It was very wellreceived. I

1:37:18did get some comments and feedback back.

1:37:20Um they all really enjoyed it. They like

1:37:22the collaboration. They especially

1:37:25enjoyed the fact that leadership was

1:37:27there. they were able to be in win room

1:37:29and they were really um surprised that

1:37:32all of them showed up. So, they were

1:37:33really really excited and I think it was

1:37:36a fantastic event. Um with downtown

1:37:38Thomasville, we're working on different

1:37:39groups and cities so we can make sure

1:37:41that some of these um businesses like

1:37:43Big Chair Dogs, they were a recipient to

1:37:45one of our grants. They were our second

1:37:47place grants. So, they won $2,500 in

1:37:50this round. Um it was great. Um, and

1:37:53then we also are working with what the

1:37:54palace would look like for the um the

1:37:57Christmas stuff that some of

1:37:59[clears throat] our vendors from our

1:38:00launch program will go in there and

1:38:02we're identifying those as we speak. And

1:38:04then of course we did the first

1:38:05proclamation with downtown Thomasville

1:38:07to support the and promote local

1:38:09businesses in May. Um so that we we will

1:38:12keep that in mind going forward. Um

1:38:14looking ahead, we have a our codeesign

1:38:17kickoff meeting process on August 12th.

1:38:19Um, we have our Thomasville ice cream

1:38:21social in order to prepare them for the

1:38:23group two session two. We've invited

1:38:26everybody. So, I welcome you to all

1:38:28come. Please come at least just pop in.

1:38:30It's really important. Um, I often get

1:38:34asked where is the city council, right?

1:38:35And I always say, but they already

1:38:37believe in this because they invested in

1:38:39this. But I think sometimes when seeing

1:38:41you at an event, you know, sometimes

1:38:44people think that you're like

1:38:45unreachable and untouchable because it's

1:38:47intimidating. um to reach out to at city

1:38:50council especially if you don't have

1:38:51like that connection. So coming to these

1:38:54um events would be most ve very very

1:38:57welcoming. Even if you just pop in for

1:38:59five minutes, it doesn't matter. You

1:39:02don't have to stay for the whole time.

1:39:03It's very informal. There's no

1:39:04presentation. So I welcome you to come

1:39:06to that. Um I'm also excited to tell you

1:39:08that I will be presenting at the

1:39:10National Economic Mobility Conference at

1:39:13the ICMA. Um I will be one of their

1:39:15speakers actually in our cohort for

1:39:18National League of Cities. I'm the only

1:39:19speaker for that. I submitted our

1:39:21program and they picked us. So, I get to

1:39:23speak at that event um about it. So, I'm

1:39:26very very looking forward to it and

1:39:27excited. Um yes. So, I'll make sure that

1:39:31I report back with our findings and then

1:39:34and I get a whole 45 minutes. So, I'm

1:39:36excited. [laughter]

1:39:39>> They asked me if I if I if I was able to

1:39:41fill the 45 minutes. I said, "Yeah, no

1:39:43worries." I'm sure you know why now. And

1:39:45our launch of violence ascension will

1:39:47start on on September 17th through

1:39:49October 8th. I welcome you to come at

1:39:52any point in time. Our meetings are from

1:39:55um Thursdays from September 17th through

1:39:58October 8th. um from 6:30 to 8:30 even

1:40:02if you just pop in kind of see what

1:40:03we're doing you know get a feel of it

1:40:05because I think a lot of these folks if

1:40:07you have access to them or the leaders

1:40:09that you that are within your networks

1:40:12is really really important that they

1:40:13continue to support this um because we

1:40:15get different opportunities for our

1:40:17program and that's how we grow it. Um

1:40:19our pitch competitions will be from the

1:40:2115th through the 22nd. Again when you

1:40:23come to these things you don't have to

1:40:24stay for the whole two hours. a pop in

1:40:27for the first 15 minutes would be more

1:40:29than enough. Um, so thank you so much. I

1:40:32appreciate your time.

1:40:35>> And I did I did forget to say we um our

1:40:37awesome intern also made this flyer

1:40:39which is what we're going to be giving

1:40:40out during National Night Out. Um this

1:40:43if you have anybody that wants to be

1:40:45part of Launch Chavansa for next spring,

1:40:48what we're doing is we're already

1:40:49building our registration form and our

1:40:51our base. We already have about 10 to 20

1:40:54people that want to join, but make sure

1:40:56that you give out this flyer. This is

1:40:57the the the code for them to register.

1:41:00So, thank you so much.

1:41:01>> Thank you so much, Adelia. And where's

1:41:03the location that these meetings are

1:41:04going to be held for?

1:41:05>> Um, the meetings for the fall are going

1:41:07to be so far it depends on how many

1:41:10people we're going to get because from

1:41:12the first cohort and I'm sorry, I forgot

1:41:14about that. The 20 22 from the first

1:41:17cohort and 37. So, we were maybe looking

1:41:20at the ballparks to do those. um the

1:41:22last time that I I was speaking to Molly

1:41:24about it because this might not be

1:41:26sufficient for that, but I will have

1:41:28those details um within the next few

1:41:30weeks.

1:41:30>> Thank you.

1:41:31>> Thank you so much.

1:41:32>> Thank you so much.

1:41:33>> Good deal.

1:41:33>> All right, we're going to uh deviate

1:41:35from our agenda. Um I'm going to ask

1:41:38that personnel finance uh recess and

1:41:40switch over to transportation since we

1:41:43have a guest here for a presentation.

1:41:45>> Motion to recess personnel finance.

1:41:47>> Second.

1:41:47>> Thank you. We are recessed.

1:41:49>> All right. I'm going to call the

1:41:50transportation committee.

00:26All right, we are back. Um I'm going to

00:28call us back to order from Reese says

00:30for personal finance committee meeting.

00:32Um the next item is item number nine on

00:34our agenda, economic development update

00:37uh from our city manager.

00:41>> Thank you. Uh I I did want to point out

00:43uh for those that had not met Jennifer

00:45Anderson before, she has been with us

00:48for about a year uh doing excellent work

00:51in our finance department. Uh a lot of

00:52analysis type activity. Um very helpful.

00:56What we didn't realize when we hired her

00:58that we would end up with a two-for-one

01:00deal because Emma is her daughter.

01:05So we're we're quite thrilled

01:06[clears throat] to have uh both of them

01:08working for us uh right now um in two

01:11areas [clears throat] unrelated to each

01:13other, but uh important to the city.

01:17All right. So uh

01:19the economic development, I know we went

01:21into a lot of detail in the with the

01:23economic mobility. We've talked about

01:25Main Street. We'll have a bigger report

01:27next week. This is more of just an

01:30overall economic development, community

01:33development uh information for you just

01:36to to put things in perspective.

01:38Um

01:39the the total So this is in your

01:42package. Uh this is for fiscal year 26,

01:46so it ended June 30th um and uh

01:50the total valuation of commercial

01:54projects is $13 million

01:58of investment into the city of

01:59Thomasville in these various

02:02areas. Basically, there's an auto repair

02:04shop. Mohawk has expanded. There's

02:08the kids dental

02:09uh

02:10uh

02:11expanded. We had apartments

02:15and and things of that nature. So, you

02:17know, a lot of activity going on. We

02:20also had commercial upfits 22 of those

02:24which total $3.8 million.

02:27But the real number that's that is

02:30pretty amazing and this is where we get

02:32into the whole infrastructure issue

02:35is 218

02:37new house permits.

02:40218

02:42We probably went 15 years without 200

02:47homes being built in the city.

02:49>> build them fast enough right now.

02:50>> No, they can't. They can't. But this is

02:52this is the driving force behind the

02:54infrastructure issue that we've run

02:57into.

02:58And nobody saw this coming and that's

03:00you know, maybe that's on us, but

03:03the

03:04it was it was

03:06building and then

03:09COVID and especially after COVID it just

03:11exploded.

03:12So, that's you know, that's $63 million

03:15worth of investment

03:18you know, into these homes. Now whether

03:21you know, and some of that of course

03:22will translate over into tax dollars,

03:26but this is also properties that are

03:28outside the city limits that are

03:32that are in our ETJ area. So, we have

03:34building code and zoning responsibility,

03:37but we don't but there's not

03:39property taxes that are not within our

03:40municipal limits. Which is the big one

03:43is the one down on Kennedy Road.

03:46Um

03:50You can see we this is using new

03:52reporting. You can see all of the the

03:54various permits that have been issued

03:56and the and how much we collected from

03:58them in this package.

04:00So, I don't want to go over in detail,

04:03you know, what they look like, but

04:04that's that's what's going on there. The

04:06other item that I wanted to show you and

04:08this is this is not a public-facing

04:11dashboard. This is from the Economic

04:13Development Commission from the county.

04:16Um is projects active projects in the

04:20city of Thomasville.

04:22What that means is by active project is

04:25that somebody

04:27either locally or within

04:31or

04:32someone has contacted this the county

04:34regarding a project that could be in our

04:39jurisdiction. Doesn't mean that it comes

04:42to fruition. Um and most of these don't

04:45come to fruition, but it means that

04:47there was an attempt to locate a

04:50business or to expand a business here in

04:52town. Um and right now they're tracking

04:55that that there are 15 projects

04:58uh $370 million of potential investment.

05:01Now,

05:02um

05:04these projects, like I said, don't come

05:06to always to fruition. We don't always

05:08know who's in contact cuz they haven't

05:10made the

05:12the contact with us through the county

05:15for economic development incentives and

05:17and things of that nature. But, uh

05:20this is basically reported from Sorry.

05:25Um

05:27from them. Now, this is uh

05:37>> [snorts]

05:40>> They have responded to 98

05:44in the county.

05:45Different requests RFI stands for

05:48request for information. Basically, it's

05:50it's a business looking for land

05:53or if they're expanding what they're

05:55looking for. So, a lot of these

05:59are related to the fact that the

06:04You know, these are these are put being

06:05pushed out by the state mostly. The

06:10Um,

06:11the effort here is that someone's

06:14looking for a piece of land and we think

06:16we have it somewhere in Guilford

06:19Davidson County.

06:21And that within Davidson County

06:24that then it all just

06:26depends on what else is out there that

06:28they're interested in. Whether it's a

06:30green field, whether it's an existing

06:32building, whether it's

06:34whether there's the right amount of

06:35water or sewer

06:37electricity. Those are the big players

06:40in land,

06:43power, water, sewer. But, water and

06:46sewer is becoming not as important

06:48because more and more places are able to

06:53recycle a lot of their water, especially

06:55cooling water and things of that nature.

06:57There's some new laws that are coming

06:59down from the state regarding usage of

07:03water

07:04but especially for data centers.

07:07There was a heavy interest in a data

07:09center in Davidson County that would

07:12have potentially been on our sewer

07:15system down on the 64 corridor.

07:18That project has has gone away. It was a

07:21huge investment but it also would have

07:22been a huge impact. And there's a lot of

07:27discussion about data centers. You know,

07:28the county is looking at doing a

07:30moratoria on data centers.

07:32Other jurisdictions, I think I saw

07:35Trinity may pass a

07:37moratoria on data centers. I didn't know

07:39that they were

07:40being considered for one, but

07:42the

07:44So, data centers are sort of going to

07:47work itself out as far as rules and

07:50regulations for those cuz the state is

07:52very interested in it. And those data

07:54centers, just be clear, are all related

07:57to AI. You need a lot of power and you

08:00need a lot of

08:02computer power to

08:04to run those data centers and that takes

08:07a lot of water for cooling purposes.

08:10A lot of that water gets recycled in the

08:13system, so it's not like they're drawing

08:14a

08:15lot of water, but they

08:17they want to have as much water as

08:19possible in case there's a backup

08:21failure type situation. So, like you

08:23would have a sprinkler system and then

08:24another sprinkler system, you know, they

08:27want the same sort of thing for cooling

08:29purposes because as those servers cost

08:32so much, they got to keep them cool. So,

08:35that's, you know, that's but that's a

08:37whole 'nother realm of development.

08:40That's not generally what we are seeing

08:43in our immediate area of development.

08:46Ours is more rehab

08:48or redevelopment of existing sites or

08:51additions to existing sites, things of

08:53that nature. But I wanted you to see the

08:57types of activity that's going on

09:00so that you're aware that that

09:02it is happening. We do we

09:05Thomasville does face issues with the

09:08ability to get a lot more industrial

09:11within our area because we don't have

09:13large tracts of land available that and

09:17we're talking large tracts of land, like

09:18500 acres, 1,000 acre

09:21tracts of land. Most of our stuff is

09:26reuse sites and many, many of the

09:29buildings that we have, even if they're

09:31only 30 years old, 20 years old, don't

09:34meet the standards that they're looking

09:37for now. Um whether it's ceiling height

09:40uh is a big deal.

09:41Uh how much how the spacing is within

09:44the building.

09:45Um you know, really affect things. Like

09:48you look at the the the some of the

09:50warehousing sites that we have that are

09:52active warehouses.

09:54Uh but they're underutilized because you

09:57can't do as much in those spaces as you

10:00can in a new modern building. Um so

10:03that's what we're faced with from that

10:04industrial side.

10:06Um

10:08So that's that's where we stand. The

10:10other item that I want to point out is

10:12that we talked about doing an economic

10:15development plan, a strategy plan uh for

10:18economic development.

10:20That got cut out of the budget uh

10:22because of all the other cuts that we

10:24made. That got left on the table. So

10:27staff will do its best to try to put

10:29something together over the next uh

10:31couple months, but uh unless the council

10:36provides funding, we won't we won't be

10:39able to move forward on an economic

10:40development plan uh

10:42outside the organization.

10:46So I'm going to have any questions?

10:48>> First of all, that's a bummer. Um second

10:51of all, I thought we were going to have

10:52code basics.

10:54>> Oh no.

10:55Oh no, no, no. Code Code names are still

10:59still required.

11:01So

11:03>> Anything else?

11:04>> No. I appreciate the support.

11:07>> Okay.

11:08>> Good day.

11:08>> [clears throat]

11:09>> Um item number 10, if you'll remember a

11:11few months ago I just mentioned I wanted

11:12to put a placeholder on our agenda that

11:14if there's anything from your um

11:17committees that you're the liaison for,

11:19if you'd like to share with us any

11:21updates uh or things going on you you

11:23would like council to be aware of, uh

11:25now would be the appropriate time to do

11:27that. Uh I don't mind um going first and

11:30sharing a little bit. Um

11:32as you can imagine the Parks and Rec uh

11:35committee is is heavily focused on the

11:37Strickland Center and Carver Park right

11:38now. Uh so that's been uh a large part

11:41of uh what we talk about when we meet.

11:45Uh and the other uh committee that I am

11:47on is the Lake Thom-A-Lex Commission. Um

11:50and and I know you guys have uh been

11:53caught up today on some of the things

11:54we're facing out there with the

11:56engineering study for

11:58uh the repairs to the dam. Am I

12:00forgetting anything else, Morgan,

12:02Michael? Playground? Playground. We're

12:04going to update the uh playground. Uh

12:07anytime money is spent uh on on Lake

12:09Thom-A-Lex, it's divided up between um

12:13Lexington, Thomasville, and and Davidson

12:15County. Uh we do hold the funds uh for

12:18that uh commission, but it's um

12:21a three-part effort there where they all

12:23contribute.

12:24>> When it comes to the park space

12:26>> When it comes to the park space, yeah.

12:28>> Any uh

12:29work [clears throat] that's done on the

12:31lake itself, including the dam, is a is

12:34between Lexington and Thomasville.

12:37So, there's two different functions.

12:39>> Correct.

12:40>> Davidson County is only parkland.

12:43And usage of the lake for fishing and

12:45>> [clears throat]

12:46>> Yeah.

12:46>> The other county, I mean, we welcome

12:48Davidson County.

12:49>> Sure.

12:50No, that's a good point. Thank you for

12:51for clarifying that. Um

12:54I think that covers my my two

12:56committees. Is there anything from other

12:58committees?

12:59>> The planning board hasn't met recently.

13:00We got meeting coming up, but we haven't

13:02had a lot to do. Chuck's here. He'll

13:03tell you we haven't had much going on.

13:08>> Um tourism

13:10We have a 2:50 committee meeting coming

13:12up on August 19th. We are headway on

13:16Everybody's Night. Um it's coming up

13:18September 25th, and we are definitely

13:19looking for sponsorships

13:21um to support Everybody's Night. And we

13:24are also starting our Christmas parade

13:27meetings, and we're also looking for

13:29sponsorships for the Christmas parade.

13:31>> We'll thank you.

13:34>> One thing on that, the lights at the

13:36water tower that were part of the 250 we

13:41we're working with local lighting

13:42company. They brought in regional

13:44lighting company to look at it, and they

13:47have not been able to figure out how to

13:49do it, and are now reaching out to folks

13:52that put lights on sports facilities.

13:55So, uh

13:57I'll be honest with you,

13:59there's almost no way we're going to be

14:00able to do this for $10,000. So, we can

14:02either stop that project and redirect

14:05those funds somewhere else,

14:07or create some other form of of

14:11lighting there that doesn't cost that

14:14type of money, or put the money into

14:16something else from a project point of

14:18view, but

14:19I'm not expecting us to be able to get

14:21out for $10,000.

14:23>> Maybe if you want to put us a few things

14:25together and bring back next month some

14:26prices and options.

14:28>> Okay.

14:31>> I'm on the golf committee, and they are

14:33looking for Am I correct, Michael, that

14:35they are looking for a couple positions

14:37out there?

14:38>> They do have offered

14:39They do have authorization Oh, no, no,

14:42no. No,

14:43maybe part-time,

14:44but there's right now they do have

14:47positions

14:47>> Correct. And and inside the

14:50They're looking for like a golf cart

14:52person.

14:53>> Yeah, probably part-time.

14:54>> position.

14:55>> positions, yes.

14:57>> And just utilize our golf course. It's a

15:01really good form of exercise

15:04and mind therapy.

15:07That's it.

15:11>> Eric, do you have anything from Okay.

15:15>> Historic preservation is meeting met

15:18is meeting this month met last month as

15:20well, and they're still doing the great

15:21work. Um, but no things to update us.

15:24>> Perfect.

15:25>> Y'all heard a little bit about Pace.

15:26They raised almost $20,000 with bingo.

15:29Thank you, Dana, and thank you, Mayor,

15:31for going to that. I hated to miss it,

15:33but I'm really glad that it went so

15:34well. So,

15:37I think the next step is to get some

15:38architectural drawings for the Palace,

15:41which will be really exciting. Oh my

15:43god.

15:44Um, do y'all hear that?

15:45>> Yes.

15:46>> Okay. I thought I was losing my mind.

15:48Um, I think that's it for Pace. The ABC

15:51board wrapped up, met their budget. They

15:53send us a lot of money every year, like

15:55a lot of money. So, I'm very thankful

15:57for them. Buy local.

15:59>> Yes.

16:00So, what is small?

16:01>> No, I can't discuss that.

16:04>> [laughter]

16:05>> Anything else from council on on their

16:08liaison committees?

16:10All right. Uh, the next item is a closed

16:12session, uh, for several different

16:14things here. Uh,

16:16uh, let's see. Disclosure of honorary

16:18degree scholarship, prize, or similar

16:20award. And we also have a, uh,

16:23personnel matter to discuss as well. If

16:24I could have a motion to go into closed

16:26session.

16:26>> So moved.

16:27>> Second.

16:29>> All right.