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[ TOWN OF GREENBURGH OFFICE OF THE TOWN BOARD 177 Hillside Avenue, Greenburgh, NY 10607 Tel: 914-989-1500 Fax: 914-993-1541 Email: JDudek@Greenburghny.com https://ny-greenburgh.civicplus.com/485/Watch-Live-Board-Meetings]
OUR TOWN BOARD MEETING.TODAY'S OCTOBER 19TH AFTER FOUR 30, AND WE'RE GONNA START WITH OUR OPEN MEETING.
AND WE'RE, UM, GONNA HEAR FROM SAM'S CLUB, UM, CHELSEA PENN, DAN GROSS, AND JEREMIAH.
WELL, THANK YOU FOR, UM, FOR ALLOWING US THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK FOR YOU.
UM, LAST TIME WE WERE HERE IN FRONT OF THE BOARD, UH, PHYSICALLY WAS MARCH 11TH OF, UH, 2020.
BASICALLY EVERYTHING KIND OF STOPPED AND SHUT DOWN.
BUT LET ME PLEASE INTRODUCE MYSELF.
I'M COUNSEL OF SAM'S REAL ESTATE BUSINESS TRUST.
I'M HERE TODAY WITH CHELSEA PENN, SENIOR MANAGER FOR REAL ESTATE, AS WELL AS DAN GROSS, WHO'S THE SENIOR DIRECTOR OF FUEL OPERATIONS.
AND IT'S GREAT TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE BACK BEFORE YOU TODAY TO DISCUSS THIS PROPOSAL.
TO REFRESH YOUR RECOLLECTION, SAM'S CLUB SEEKS TO LOCATE AN AUTOMOTIVE FUEL STATION AT A PORTION OF ITS PROPERTY AT 3 3 3 SAWMILL RIVER ROAD.
THE PROJECT INCLUDES THE CONSTRUCTION OF EIGHT NEW GAS PUMPS AT THE EASTERN PORTION OF THE PROPERTY, AND THE RECONFIGURATION OF THE PARKING LOT TO ALTER EXISTING TRAVEL LANES, STRIPING AND TOTAL NUMBER OF SPACES.
WE EXPECT A VERY QUICK CONSTRUCTION TIMEFRAME OF THREE TO FOUR MONTHS START TO FINISH THE APPLICATION.
THAT'S BEFORE THE BOARD IS FOR A TOWN A AMEN, UH, EXCUSE ME, A ZONING TEXT AMENDMENT TO SECTION 2 85 28 OF THE ZONING ORDINANCE TO PERMIT AUTOMOTIVE FUEL STATIONS BY SPECIAL PERMIT IN THE DSS DISTRICT.
IF APPROVED, WE WOULD APPLY FOR BOTH THE SPECIAL PERMIT UNDER THE NEW TEXT AND A VARIANCE FROM THE Z B A FOR VARIATIONS FROM THE APPLICABLE PARKING REQUIREMENTS TO MAINTAIN 4.0 PARKING STANDARD.
I REMIND ALL OF YOU THAT OUR PROPOSAL RECEIVED THE UNANIMOUS APPROVAL OF THE PLANNING BOARD AND WE MAINTAIN AN EXTREMELY COLLEGIAL AND RESPONSIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PLANNING BOARD EACH AND EVERY TIME THE PLANNING BOARD ASKS US TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL ANALYSIS OR RECOMMEND THAT WE HIRE A LOCAL ENGINEER, WE READILY DO DID SO.
EVERY TIME THE PLANNING BOARD REQUESTED THAT WE CONSIDER CHANGES TO OUR PROJECT.
WE AGREED, INCLUDING MODIFICATIONS TO OUR SITE PLAN TO BE CAPABLE OF PROVIDING ELECTRICAL VEHICLE CHARGING STATION FOR BOTH THE BENEFIT OF OUR MEMBERS AND TOWN RESIDENTS.
IN ADDITION TO BEING RESPONSIVE TO BEING RESPONSIVE TO THE PLANNING BOARD, WE'VE BEEN RESPONSIVE TO THIS TOWN BOARD.
EACH TIME YOU AND YOUR COUNCIL HAS ASKED US TO PROVIDE YOU WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR SUBSTANTIVE ANALYSIS, WE'VE READILY DONE SO INCLUDING OUR DETAILED RESPONSE EXPLAINING WHY THE CLAIMS OF THE OPPOSING GAS STATION OWNERS AND OPERATORS WERE UNSUBSTANTIATED.
WHEN WE FIRST DOCUMENTED GAS PRICES IN OCTOBER OF 2020, THE CHEAPEST GAS THAT WAS AVAILABLE AT THE NEW WAS AT THE NEW EXXON STATION AT $2 AND 5 CENTS A GALLON.
AS OF YESTERDAY, LESS THAN A YEAR LATER, THE PRICE FOR A REGULAR GALLON OF GAS AT EXXON INCREASED A STAGGERING 60% TO $3 AND 29 CENTS A GALLON.
AND THAT'S NOT EVEN THE HIGHEST PRICE FOR GAS IN THIS COMMUNITY.
MOBILE RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM OUR SITE IS CHARGING 360 7 A GALLON.
IN MY OPINION, OUR MEMBERS, YOUR CONSTITUENTS WHO OVERWHELMINGLY SUPPORT OUR PROPOSAL OF BEING GOUGED AT THE GAS PUMPS AND HAVE NOT BEEN AFFORDED THE LEVEL OF HEALTHY BUSINESS COMPETITION THAT SAM'S CLUB HAS BEEN SEEKING TO PROVIDE SINCE WE FIRST SUBMITTED OUR APPLICATION.
SAM'S CLUB VALUES ITS GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH THE TOWN AND WE TRULY HOPE OUR RELATIONSHIP WILL BE LONGSTANDING.
SAM'S CLUB PLAYS A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN THIS COMMUNITY ECONOMICALLY IN TERMS OF JOBS AND TAXES, BOTH REAL ESTATE AND SALES TAX.
THE IMPORTANCE OF PROVIDING GAS AT THIS LOCATION.
GAS IS SO CRITICAL TO OUR BUSINESS MODEL.
WE HAVE NOT BUILT A NEW CLUB WITHOUT GAS FOR OVER 15 YEARS.
IN FACT, 87% OF OUR CLUBS OFFER GAS TO ITS MEMBERS, 87%.
THE PROPOSAL IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO SAM'S CLUB.
AND IF THE TOWN BOARD VALUES HAVING SAM'S CLUB IN THIS COMMUNITY, THEN PLEASE MAKE THIS PROPOSAL IMPORTANT TO THE TOWN BOARD.
WE ARE RESPECTFULLY ASKING YOU TO CONSIDER THE SUBSTANTIVE MERITS OF THIS PROPOSAL AND RENDER A FAVORABLE DECISION ON THE MATTER.
AND IN THE EVENT HOWEVER, OF AN UNFAVORABLE DECISION BY THE TOWN BOARD, SAM'S CLUB WILL ENGAGE REAL ESTATE BROKERS TO PURSUE OTHER GAS ENABLED SITES WITHIN THIS STORE'S MARKET.
SO ARE YOU BASICALLY, UM, SUGGESTING THAT
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IF THE TOWN SAYS NO, THAT YOU WOULD THEN POSSIBLY CLOSE UP THE SAM'S CLUB OPERATION? WHAT WHAT I AM SUGGESTING IS THAT I'M OUTRIGHT NOT, I'M DOING MORE THAN SUGGEST, I'M OUTRIGHT SAYING HOW CRITICALLY IMPORTANT GAS IS TO US AND OUR BUSINESS MODEL.WE DON'T OPEN CLUBS AND HAVEN'T FOR A DECADE AND A HALF THAT DON'T HAVE GAS.
AND IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT FITS WITHIN OUR BUSINESS MODEL.
WE CAN'T COMPETE WITH THE OTHER SIMILARLY SITUATED BIGS BOX STORES THAT HAVE GAS.
AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS SITE AND ALL THAT, WE DID ALL THE ENVIRONMENTAL DATA, ALL OF THE PROTECTIONS THAT WE PUT IN PLACE.
THIS IS STATE OF THE ART IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD.
IT'S SUSTAINED HURRICANES, IT'S SUSTAINED TORNADOES.
UM, DAN IS HERE AND CAN SPEAK TO THE MERITS OF ALL OF THIS.
AND, AND THE ONLY OPPOSITION, WELL, I NEED TO BE CAREFUL BY SAYING ONLY OPPOSITION.
THERE WERE PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE THAT HAVE OPPOSED THIS AND THERE WEREN'T VERY MANY OF THEM.
AND I'M NOT KIND TO TO TO BRUSH OVER THAT AT ALL.
THERE WERE SOME PEOPLE, BUT THE MAJORITY OF THE KIND OF COLLECTIVE OPPOSITION WERE FROM GAS STATION OWNERS.
AND WE LOOKED AT THAT AND WE PROVIDE DETAILED ANALYSIS OF WHAT IMPACT, SUPPOSEDLY, IF ANY, WE WE COULD HAVE OR MAY HAVE BASED ON OUR REAL NUMBERS FROM EXISTING CLUBS IN THE DRAW OF RESIDENCE FOR THOSE CLUBS FOR GAS.
AND IT WAS NEGLIGIBLE, MEANING PEOPLE WHO BUY GAS IN THIS, IN THIS COMMUNITY WILL CONTINUE TO BUY GAS IN IN THIS COMMUNITY, IN THIS, FROM THE SAME GAS STATIONS AT A A STAGGERING RATE DEPENDING ON WHETHER THEY'RE WITHIN ONE MILE, THREE MILES OR FIVE MILES FROM THE SITE.
AND IT'S ANYWHERE FROM, AND I DON'T WANNA GIVE YOU THE WRONG NUMBERS 'CAUSE I CAN FLIP TO IT, BUT IT'S ANYWHERE FROM LIKE 91% TO 99% DEPENDING ON HOW FAR OUT YOU GO.
WE'LL CONTINUE TO BUY GAS AT THOSE EXISTING GAS STATIONS BASED ON REAL WORLD EXAMPLES OF OUR STORES.
SO ONLY YOUR MEMBERS WILL BE ABLE TO ACCESS THIS GAS.
SO HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO BE A MEMBER? $50 A YEAR.
$50 A YEAR FOR OUR BASE AND THEN OUR PLUS MEMBERSHIP'S A HUNDRED MM-HMM.
SO YOU HAVE THE PLUS MEMBER AND THEN WHAT WE CALL SAVINGS MEMBERS.
YOU'RE OPENING A MEMBERSHIP AND ARE THERE, ARE THERE MEMBERSHIPS FOR PEOPLE WHO JUST WANT GAS OR YOU HAVE TO BE A MEMBER OF THAT? YEAH.
EITHER A SAVINGS OR A PLUS MEMBER.
AND, AND, UM, WOULD THE ELECTRIC CHARGING STATIONS, UM, UM, THE SAME, THE SAME THING WOULD APPLY TO THE ELECTRIC CHARGING STATIONS? YES.
AND, AND WOULD THEY, IF, YOU KNOW, WOULD THEY BE SUPER CHARGING STATIONS THAT FILLED YOU UP QUICKLY OR WOULD THEY BE I DON'T HANDLE THAT STRATEGY FOR THE COMPANY, BUT I DO, YOU KNOW, SIT, WE, WE ACTUALLY HAVE A, A BOARD, WE SIT ON THE BOARD OF THE, UH, EV, UM, FUELS INSTITUTE FOR MM-HMM.
AND THE ONLY THING WE HAVE PUT IN IS FAST CHARGERS.
SO THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, I, I DON'T, I'M GONNA SCREW UP THE SIGNS HERE, BUT THEY'RE LIKE 150 KW, 20 MINUTE FAST CHARGERS.
BUT THAT'S ALL WE'RE PUTTING IN TODAY.
SO YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO STAY IN SAM'S CLUB FOR FIVE HOURS? NO, IT'S A 20 MINUTE TO GET WHAT, WHATEVER, 70, 80%.
BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, AND THERE WAS SOME, YOU KNOW, AND SOME OF THE OPPOSITION, I MEAN, JUST TO BE QUITE FRANK, SOME OF THE OPPOSITION WAS IN THE HEARING WAS THE EXXON OWNER SAYING WE WERE GONNA UNDERCUT ALL THE LOCAL GAS STATIONS.
YET TODAY THEY'RE 38 CENTS CHEAPER THAN THE BUBBLE ACROSS THE STREET FROM US.
YOU KNOW, I MEAN, THEY CAME IN MM-HMM.
WE'RE ACTUALLY IN MIDDLETOWN AT, AT 3 29 TODAY.
SO, SO WE'RE GONNA BE, WE'RE GONNA BE COMPETITIVE, UH, BUT WE'RE NOT GONNA COME IN AND, AND BE COMPLETELY OUT OF THE MARKETPLACE.
WE HAVE TO, OBVIOUSLY, WE HAVE TO MAKE MONEY RETAILING IF, UH, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A SHAREHOLDER AND WE HAVE TO MAKE MONEY AS WELL MM-HMM.
SO IT'S NOT GONNA BE SOMETHING WE'RE GONNA COME IN AND, AND CUT THE, THE PRICES OUT.
UM, AND, AND DAN'S RIGHT, I MEAN, JUST TO AUGMENT THAT, THE NEW EXXON AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS, WHEN WE FIRST SURVEYED, 'CAUSE THEY WERE UNDER CONSTRUCTION, WAS UNDERCUTTING ONCE THEY OPENED, UNDERCUTTING THE EXISTING GAS STATIONS BY 58 CENTS A GALLON.
THEY'RE THE LOWEST IN THIS COMMUNITY.
AND THEY'RE CONSISTENTLY CUTTING UNDERCUTTING 38 CENTS, 34 CENTS, 40 CENTS, 58 CENTS MM-HMM.
AND THEY'RE THE ONLY, AND BY THE WAY, THEY'RE THE ONLY, THE ONLY GAS STATION IN THIS COMMUNITY THAT OFFERS THE SAME PRICE FOR
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CASH OR CREDIT CARD.EVERYONE ELSE CHARGES 10 CENTS MORE A GALLON IF YOU USE A CREDIT CARD.
BUT WE'VE THOROUGHLY STU WE'VE THOROUGHLY STUDIED THE ISSUES AND WE CAN ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS OR PROVIDE, YOU KNOW, ANO MORE COPIES OF IT TO, TO TO TO YOU IF YOU, IF YOU, IF YOU WISH, WHAT'S THE TAXES THAT YOU'RE PAYING NOW TO THE TOWN? UM, SO IN OUR JULY 28TH CORRESPONDENCE, I BELIEVE THE TAXES WERE 520,000 PETITION IS ANNUAL REAL ESTATE PROP TAX OBLIGATIONS ARE 520,000.
AND WE ESTIMATED THAT OUR REAL ESTATE TAXES WOULD INCREASE BY APPROXIMATELY 55,000.
SO IT'S CLOSE TO, CLOSE TO 600,580, OR IF I'M DOING MY MATH RIGHT, 5 75, 5 80.
SO THE REAL RISK IS IF WE SAY NO TO THIS TOWN, COULD LOSE $600,000 A YEAR IN, IN REVENUE.
AND ABOUT 17% WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, TO THE TOWN.
I HAD ANOTHER QUESTION BECAUSE I REMEMBER, YOU KNOW, THE, HERE, THIS IS JUST A QUESTION THAT'S NOT SAYING YOU HAVE TO AGREE OR DISAGREE, IT'S A CONCEPT.
THERE WERE, UM, THERE WERE A BUNCH OF GAS STATION, YOU KNOW, OWNERS WHO WERE, YOU KNOW, VERY PANICKY ABOUT THEIR BUSINESS.
WE DON'T WANNA LOSE THEM EITHER.
IS THERE ANY WAY THAT YOU COULD SAY, SIT DOWN WITH SOME OF THE, THE STATIONS AND THEY, YOU KNOW, MOST OF THEM HAVE, YOU KNOW, FOOD STORES OR SOMETHING AND MAYBE, MAYBE THERE'S THINGS WHERE THEY COULD, THE IMMEDIATE GAS STATIONS THAT WOULD BE MOST IMPACTED WOULD GET SAY, YOU KNOW, MAYBE SOME ADDITIONAL DISCOUNTS OR WHATEVER.
SO THIS WAY WE COULD SAY, IF WE APPROVE THIS, MAYBE WE COULD DO SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, FOR THEM SO THEY WON'T FEEL THAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE FORCING THEM, YOU KNOW, OUT OF, YOU KNOW, OUT OF, YOU KNOW, OUT OF BUSINESS.
I'M SAYING, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE A REASONABLE SUGGESTION? I WOULD TELL YOU PROBABLY MOST OF 'EM ARE PROBABLY SAM'S CLUB MEMBERS TODAY.
FROM A FOOD SERVICE PERSPECTIVE.
AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE DOING THAT TODAY.
IS THERE LIKE ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU COULD THINK OF? BECAUSE I, AGAIN, IT WOULD BE LIKE, TO ME, YOU KNOW, IT'S SO MUCH EASIER IF, YOU KNOW, WE BASICALLY COULD WALK AWAY AND SAY, OKAY, WE WANT TO HELP YOU.
AT THE SAME TIME, WE WANT THEM TO COME OUT MAYBE A LITTLE BIT AHEAD OF WHERE THEY ARE.
YOU KNOW, NOW, YOU KNOW, IT WOULD MAKE IT EASIER AND WOULD MAKE THE, LIKE THE HEARINGS THAT WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, LESS CONTROVERSIAL AND, YOU KNOW, AND MAYBE, UH, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE, BECAUSE AGAIN, I DON'T WANNA LOSE SAM'S CLUB.
I THINK THE, I THINK THE DIFFICULTY THERE, I MEAN, AND I, I MANAGE THE FUEL BUSINESS, SO I'M THE FUEL GUY.
I MEAN, I MANAGE IT NATIONWIDE FOR WALMART, SAM'S AND OUR LOGISTICS TEAMS. UM, I THINK WHEN YOU GET INTO THAT SCENARIO WHERE YOU WOULD BE DOING SPECIAL DEALS FOR SPECIAL MEMBERS, THAT'S GONNA BE KIND OF GETS INTO A, A GRAY AREA WITH THE CONFLICT OF INTEREST OR FAIR TRADE PRACTICES, ET CETERA.
SO I THINK, I CAN'T SPEAK TO THAT.
I KNOW THAT IN OUR GOVERNMENT RELATIONS WHEN WE DID THE SURVEY THAT WE, YOU KNOW, HAD HAD DISCUSSIONS WITH OUR MEMBERS, WE ACTUALLY HAD OUR GOVERNMENT RELATIONS FOLKS REACH OUT TO EACH OF THOSE FUEL STATIONS AND NONE OF THEM AGREED TO MEET WITH US.
THERE WAS, THERE WAS LIKE VERY LITTLE OR NO INTEREST TO, TO SIT ACROSS FROM THE TABLE AND HAVE THE DISCUSSIONS MM-HMM.
SO I THINK THAT, TO BE HONEST, THAT MIGHT BE FAIRLY DIFFICULT.
AND, AND I THINK, UH, AGAIN, TOO, WE WANT TO BE, WE WANT TO BE IN THIS COMMUNITY AND WE WANT TO SERVE THIS COMMUNITY.
WE'D LOVE TO BE HERE 25 YEARS MORE.
I THINK THE CHALLENGE IS THIS ISN'T A, AND AND IT'S NOT A, I DON'T THINK IT'S A, A THREAT OR ANYTHING.
I THINK IT'S ONE OF THOSE SCENARIOS THAT IF YOU GUYS WERE IN THE SAME SITUATION AS US AND YOU'VE GOT OUR TWO BIGGEST WHOLESALE BOX COMPETITORS THAT ARE IN THE AREA BOTH HAVE FUEL.
THE ONLY ONE THAT DOESN'T WOULD BE COSTCO THAT'S IN YONKERS.
AND THAT ONE THAT CAME UP IN THE HEARING BY ONE TOWN MEMBER THAT SAID, WELL, YONKERS DOESN'T HAVE FUEL AT COSTCO.
I MEAN, THE FACT IS THAT'S A VERY SPECIAL BUILDING THAT'S A UPPER LOWER, UH, BUILD SPECIAL BUILD WITH HOME DEPOT, UH, BUILT ONTO THE COSTCO.
SO I DON'T THINK THAT'S A TRADITIONAL WHOLESALE BOX FROM HOW THEY DID THE DEVELOPMENT THERE.
UH, THEY JUST COULDN'T PHYSICALLY DO FUEL THERE.
'CAUSE THEY WERE DOING AN UPPER LOWER PARKING DECK WITH A, WITH A HOME DEPOT AND DOING A JOINT DEVELOPMENT THERE.
SO, BUT OUR, BOTH OF OUR, YOU KNOW, BOTH OF OUR BIGGEST COMPETITORS IN THIS AREA BOTH HAVE FUEL AND WE DON'T, AND IT, WHO, WHO ARE THEY AND HOW FAR AWAY ARE THEY? THAT'D BE COSTCO, BOTH COSTCO'S AND BJ'S.
YOU'VE GOT ONE RIGHT ACROSS THE BRIDGE HERE.
YOU'VE GOT A COSTCO WITH FUEL, UH, AND THEN THERE'S A BJ'S RIGHT UP THE, THE ROAD.
SO, AND WE, AND WE SHARE THE SAME MEMBER BASE.
SO YOU'RE SAYING THAT YOU'RE, THAT THE GAS THAT YOU WOULD SELL MIGHT NOT EVEN BE CHEAPER THAN THE GAS STATION, THE ADJACENT GAS STATIONS.
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IS THAT WHAT I HEAR YOU SAYING? WELL, I'M NOT SAYING THAT.I THINK WE, WE WILL PUT, I MEAN, PEOPLE PAY FOR A MEMBERSHIP AND THEY EXPECT VALUE WITH THE MEMBERSHIP.
I MEAN, WE'RE GONNA CREATE VALUE WITH THAT MEMBERSHIP AND WE'RE GONNA DRIVE ENGAGEMENT OF OUR MEMBERS WITH FUEL THE SAME AS THE MODEL WOULD ALLOW.
I JUST DON'T THINK YOU'RE NOT GONNA SEE US COME IN AND, AND GIVE UP MARGIN JUST TO BE, YOU KNOW, LOWER, YOU KNOW? RIGHT.
SO PEOPLE ARE PAYING THREE 30, YOURS MAY BE THREE 10 OR $3, BUT IT'S NOT GONNA BE 3 25.
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? IT'S NOT GONNA BE A DOLLAR NINE, I'M TELLING YOU, I DON'T WANNA GET INTO SPECIFIC STRATEGIES, BUT I MEAN, USUALLY WE'RE A PENNY OR TWO CHEAPER THAN THE LOWEST IN THE MARKET.
UM, AND IT'S NOT, I MEAN, BUT THAT'S, THERE'S A LOT OF RULES.
UH, THERE'S A LOT OF REGULATION IN FUEL PRICING THROUGH, LET ME ASK GARRETT, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE PROCESS IF WE WANNA REOPEN THE HEARING? BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE, MAYBE THE PROCESS SHOULD BE, UM, YOU KNOW, TO, UH, AS MUCH AS HE'S GONE QUESTION I, I I ASKED A QUESTION.
OH, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE MAYBE WE SHOULD JUST PUT IT ON THE AGENDA, SET A PUBLIC HEARING AND THEN, YOU KNOW, WE ORIGINALLY, WE, WHEN WE DELAYED THIS, WE SAID WE WERE GONNA PUT IT OFF BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC.
I JUST THINK IF ANYBODY'S IN THE SAME SHOES AS WE ARE, YOU'VE GOTTA MAKE, YOU'VE GOTTA USE ALL THE VARIABLES TO MAKE ANY BUSINESS DECISION YOU HAVE WITH WHAT YOU HAVE FROM A COMPETITION PERSPECTIVE AND WHAT, WHAT WE NEED TO DO FOR OUR BUSINESS.
NOT TO SAY WE MIGHT NOT BE VIABLE WITHOUT FUEL HERE, BUT IT'S DEFINITELY A CONSIDERATION WE HAVE TO LOOK AT.
AND, AND I WOULD ALSO ENCOURAGE THE BOARD THAT, THAT, JUST TO GO TO THE SUPERVISOR'S QUESTION ABOUT PRODUCTS, UM, THE, IT IS MY BELIEF BASED ON MY REVIEW OF PUBLIC RECORDS THAT YOU CAN ALL FIND ON THE INTERNET, THAT MANY OF THE MARKETS THAT ARE WITHIN THE GAS STATIONS IN PROXIMITY TO OUR SITE ARE EITHER OWNED OR CONTROLLED BY AFFILIATE ORGAN BY ONE AFFILIATE ORGANIZATION.
UM, AND SO THEY'RE REALLY NOT MOM AND POP.
WHICH, WHICH AFFILIATION WOULD THAT BE? I, I, COULD WE EITHER BRING THE MICROPHONE CLOSER OR DON'T SAY NO, I, I, I, I, YOU KNOW, I, I DON'T WANT TO MISSPEAK.
BUT I THINK THAT IF YOU REALLY WANTED TO KIND OF LOOK INTO THE RELATIONSHIP OF WHO PROVIDES, WHO PROVIDES, UH, THINGS TO THE STORES AT THESE MARKETS, SOME OF THE GAS STATIONS IN YOUR COMMUNITY, YOU MIGHT WANNA LOOK INTO THE CHESTNUT GROUP.
UM, YOU MIGHT ALSO WANT TO FIND OUT, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THE CONVENIENCE STORES? YES.
THE CONVENIENCE STORES AND AS OPPOSED TO THE FUEL? WELL, I BELIEVE, I BELIEVE THAT THERE IS SOME AFFILIATED ORGANIZATION, BUT I'M NOT IN THEIR CORPORATE BOOKS.
AND YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S NOT MY ISSUE.
BUT I BELIEVE THAT THERE MAY ALSO BE AN AFFILIATE ORGANIZATION SOMEHOW RELATED.
IT COULD BE A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT CORPORATION, BUT THERE MAY BE, UH, A GAS COMPONENT AS WELL.
AND SO, AGAIN, I'M OF THE BELIEF THAT THEY'RE NOT INDEPENDENT, OWNED AND OPERATED MOM AND POP, FOR LACK OF A BETTER EXPRESSION, GAS STATIONS, UM, NOT NECESSARILY ALL OF THEM, BUT SOME OF THEM.
SO, UH, YOU MENTIONED A VERY HIGH NUMBER OF SAM'S CLUBS THAT HAVE FUEL.
YOU MENTIONED THAT IN THE LAST DECADE AND A HALF OR SO, YOU HAVEN'T, UM, PURCHASED ANY LAND, UH, AND BUILT A SAM'S CLUB THAT DIDN'T HAVE FUEL IN THE LAST DECADE AND A HALF.
HOW MANY SAM'S CLUBS DID YOU CLOSE BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE FUEL? I WOULD TELL YOU, WE CLOSED 62.
WAS IT 62 CLUBS? ABOUT, UH, UH, WE'VE HAD THREE WAVES OF CLOSING.
SOME OF THOSE STRATEGICALLY WERE FRINGE MARKETS.
SO WE MOVED OUT OF ALASKA AND WASHINGTON STATE JUST BECAUSE THE COST OF OF, OF MANAGING THOSE AND ALL OF THOSE HAD FUEL.
IT'D BE VERY DIFFICULT TO GO AND SAY IT JUST BECAUSE IT DIDN'T HAVE FUEL.
'CAUSE WE WERE LOOKING AT THE HEALTH OF THE PORTFOLIO AND MAKING DECISIONS BASED ON THE ENTIRE PORTFOLIO.
BUT, UH, UH, THERE WAS, THERE WAS MANY OF THOSE THAT DID NOT HAVE FUEL, ACCORDING TO MY CALCULATIONS.
UH, SUBJECT TO FURTHER VERIFICATION, I'D SAY 30% OF OUR STORES THAT DIDN'T HAVE GAS WERE CLOSED WITHIN THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS.
BUT WHAT I JUST HEARD IS 62 CLOSED AND A SUBSET REGARDED THOSE, A SUBSET OF THAT NUMBER WAS.
SO THE FACT THAT YOU WITHOUT GAS, ALRIGHT.
SO THE FACT THAT WE ALLOW YOU TO HAVE FUEL DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN YOU'RE NOT GONNA CLOSE.
I WOULD SAY YEAH, THAT'S PROBABLY TRUE.
SO WHAT THE, THE WELL, I THINK IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT A BOX THAT'S NOT A SELLING POINT.
WELL, LIKE SOME OF THOSE, IF YOU LOOK AT HOUSTON, TEXAS, WE
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HAD OVERBUILT THE I 10 CORRIDOR AND CLOSED HALF THE CLUBS ON THE I 10 CORRIDOR.'CAUSE WE HAD OVER, UH, WE, WE BASICALLY HAD OVERSATURATED SOME MARKETS.
SO IT, YOU KNOW, I THINK WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT THOSE STRATEGIES, I THINK IT'S HARD TO SAY THAT FUEL WAS THE MAIN DRIVER OF THAT.
UH, WE HAD BACK THEN THE URBAN SPRAWL HAD NOT HIT.
THERE WAS A, A REDUCTION IN SOME OF THE, UH, UH, GROWTH IN SUBURBAN, YOU KNOW, IN, IN SOME SUBURB AREAS.
AND WE HAD UNDERPERFORMING CLUBS AND THEN WE HAD SOME, OR WE JUST OVERBUILT IN A CERTAIN MARKET.
AND WE, YOU KNOW, HONESTLY, THE WHOLE STRATEGY WAS AROUND GETTING A HEALTHY PORTFOLIO.
AND WE ACTUALLY DID MORE BUSINESS.
I MEAN, OUR, OUR SALES RECORDS OR PUBLIC INFORMATION, I MEAN, WE CLOSED 62 AND ACTUALLY, UH, GAINED MARKET SHARE AND BUSINESS DOING THAT.
SO IT WAS AN UN WE, WE BASICALLY CUT THE UNHEALTHINESS SIDE OF THE PORTFOLIO AND, AND MANY OF THOSE DID HAVE FUEL, BUT IT WASN'T, THE PRIMARY DRIVER WAS WE WILL NOT OPEN A BOX THAT'S NOT VIABLE TO OUR BUSINESS MODEL.
AND FUEL IS STRATEGIC TO OUR BUSINESS MODEL.
SO ARE WE SUGGESTING THAT WE REOPEN THE HEARING? I THINK WE SHOULD REOPEN THE HEARING.
AND KEN, KEN, COULD YOU BRING YOUR MICROPHONE CLOSER? YEAH, I THINK WE SHOULD REOPEN THE HEARING.
UM, WE DID SAY, UM, YOU KNOW, LAST YEAR, YOU KNOW, OR WHEN THE PANDEMIC STARTED THAT WE WERE GONNA, YOU KNOW, PUT IT OFF DURING THE PANDEMIC MM-HMM.
AND I THINK WE HAVE TO PROVIDE PEOPLE WITH, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO LET THE COMMUNITY KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A CHOICE TO MAKE, BUT THERE'S GONNA BE RAM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S GONNA BE RAMIFICATIONS FOR WHATEVER DECISION WE MAKE.
AND THEN WE HAVE TO JUSTIFY THE DECISION.
WE, YOU KNOW, WE MAKE, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T, IF THEY CLOSE UP AND WE, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T SAY, OH, WE WEREN'T WARNED.
IF IT, IF IT HELPS THE BOARD, THE TEXT, THE TEXT AMENDMENT ENABLES AN APPLICANT TO MAKE AN APPLICATION, AND THE APPLICATION FOR THE SPECIAL PERMIT GETS EVALUATED ON THE MERITS.
IT'S SUBJECT TO THE COMMISSION'S, COMMENTS, INPUT, DESIGN, ACCESS, EGRESS, ALL OF THE ISSUES, PLANTINGS, LANDSCAPING.
BUT WHAT'S BEFORE YOU, IMMEDIATELY, BEFORE YOU, IS THE TEXT TO ALLOW US TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MOVE FORWARD WITH AN APPLICATION FOR A SPECIAL
WHAT, WHAT'S THE PROCESS? IT'S NOT SOLELY YOU, IT'S ANYONE IN THAT'S CORRECT.
IT'S IN THE DSS DISTRICT AND THERE'S A, THERE, THERE ARE OTHER KIND OF SITE CONSTRAINTS WITHIN THE TEXT.
BUT IF YOU, LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, I BELIEVE THE TEXT RIGHT NOW IS WRITTEN TO PROVIDE A FIVE ACRE MINIMUM.
SO WE, WE WANTED TO HAVE SITES, WE WERE ADVOCATING FOR SITES THAT WERE LARGER SO THAT THERE WAS ACCU ACCURATE ENOUGH ONSITE CIRCULATION FOR CARS.
THERE WAS NEVER GONNA BE A BACKUP ON STREETS OR THINGS LIKE THAT.
WE DIDN'T WANT TO PROPOSE A TEXT THAT HAD ADVERSE IMPACTS ON THE COMMUNITY OR THE COMMUNITY CHARACTER.
SO WE WENT WITH A FIVE ACRE STANDARD.
AND SO THAT, SO, BUT IF THE BOARD SAID, WE DON'T, WE DON'T NEED A STANDARD.
WE'VE ANALYZED HOW MANY, UH, AVAILABLE SITES THERE ARE IN THE DSS DISTRICT FOR GAS, BOTH WITH THE ACREAGE STANDARD AND WITHOUT.
BUT AGAIN, IT'S NOT AN AS OF RIGHT.
AND, AND YOU DO HAVE FOUR GAS STATIONS, I BELIEVE MY MEMORY SERVES ME TODAY IN THE DSS DISTRICT THAT ARE NON-CONFORMING.
AND SO THEY WOULD HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY PERHAPS IF THEY MEET THE FINDINGS TO COME BEFORE YOU TO LEGALIZE THEIR USE, ASSUMING THEY'RE NOT LEGAL NONCONFORMING.
BUT WHAT, IN TERMS, I REMEMBER YEARS AGO SOME PEOPLE HAD CONCERNS ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS BECAUSE IT'S CLOSE TO THE SOWA RIVER, YOU KNOW, HOW WOULD YOU RESPOND TO THAT? UH, I THINK WE, I THINK WE DID EARLY ON.
I THAT I THINK TODAY WE'VE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A, UH, I'LL TELL YOU, UH, WE BUILD THE SAME PROTOTYPE NATIONWIDE.
AND WHEN I CAME ON BOARD 20 YEARS AGO TO THE COMPANY, AND WE STARTED THE PROGRAM AT SAM'S CLUB, ONE OF THE THINGS MY BOSS TOLD ME, HE SAID, I DON'T EVER WANT TO SEE US ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE PAPER.
THERE'S ALARMS IN EV UNDER EVERY DISPENSER AND EVERY PIPING SITUATION.
THE PIPING SYSTEMS TRIPLE WALL, THE TANKS ARE DOUBLE WALLED.
THERE'S A, THERE'S A, UH, EXCAVATION LINER.
I MEAN, I'LL TELL YOU WHAT IT, IT IS PUT IN, OUR FUEL STATIONS ARE PUT IN WITH THE, I MEAN, WE DON'T CUT A CORNER ONE ON SPEC OF EQUIPMENT.
AND WE ACTUALLY HAVE A THIRD PARTY COMPANY THAT
[00:25:01]
OVERSEES EVERY CONTRACTOR ON OUR BEHALF TO MAKE SURE EVERY PIECE AND PARK GOES IN.THEY'RE THERE WHEN THE TANKS COME OFF THE TRUCK BEFORE ANY PIPING'S COVERED OR ANYTHING.
SO IT'S ONE OF THOSE FROM A DESIGN AND ENGINEERING MRT, FINE.
IT IS ACTUALLY, IT'S PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST STATE THE ART SYSTEMS THERE IS IN THE GAS STATION INDUSTRY IN THE COUNTRY.
I, I JUST HAVE ONE OTHER QUESTION.
UM, THAT AREA HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN ONE OF THE WORST AREAS IN TERMS OF FLOODING MM-HMM.
IS THERE ANY FLOOD, UH, MITIGATION, UM, BENEFITS TO APPROVING THIS? SO IT'S VERY, IT'S VERY INTERESTING.
UH, UH, I'D LIKE TO ANSWER IT THIS WAY.
IN, IN THE PLANNING BOARD PROCESS, THE PLANNING BOARD RECOMMENDED THAT WE HIRE, UH, PAUL RETI, WHO'S A LOCAL ENGINEER TO STUDY THIS, THAT ISSUE.
AND IN FACT, WE HIRED, UH, MR. PETTI, HE PRODUCED FINDINGS WE SUBMITTED TO THE TOWN, UH, PLANNING BOARD.
AND HIS FINDINGS INDICATED THERE WOULD BE NO DOWNSTREAM IMPACT FROM THIS, FROM OUR GAS STATION OR ANY, IN ANY RELATION TO THE SAWMILL.
IS THERE ANY, LIKE, IMPROVEMENTS IN TERMS OF ADDRESSING THE, YOU KNOW, THE FLOODING, UH, YOU KNOW, WHERE, BECAUSE I'M, I'M TRYING TO ANTICIPATE SURE.
SAY YOU'RE HEARING, SO IF WE WOULD SAY, UH, YOU KNOW, IF, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE PROBLEMS IS EVERY TIME THERE'S A, A MAJOR STORM, WE ALWAYS HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, FLOOD, YOU KNOW, FLOOD PROBLEMS. IF WE WOULD APPROVE THIS, ONE OF THE BENEFITS FOR THE COMMUNITY IS THAT THERE COULD BE SOME FORM OF, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME MITIGATION BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA HAVE IMPROVED DRAINAGE SYSTEMS. UM, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT'S, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE BASICALLY DEVELOPING INSIDE THE FOOTPRINT OF OUR EXISTING FACILITY.
THAT CORNER IS ONE OF THE HIGHEST CORNERS IN THE LOT.
EVEN, UH, LET'S GO BACK A COUPLE MONTHS AGO, HURRICANE SEASON.
I KNOW YOU GUYS, UH, VERY WELL UNDERSTAND THE AMOUNT OF, I MEAN, WE TALKED A HUNDRED YEAR FLOODS.
YOU GUYS HAD A CENTURY FLOOD UP THIS DIRECTION.
UM, ACTUALLY THE CLUB MANAGER WENT OUT AND TOOK PICTURES.
UH, OUR PARKING LOT DIDN'T FLOOD.
OUR LOADING DOCKS DIDN'T FLOOD.
AND THE SAWMILL RIVER STAYED IN THE, IN THERE.
SO TO ANSWER THAT, I'M NOT A, I'M NOT A WATER ENGINEER AT ALL BY ANY MEANS, BUT FROM, I'M NOT SURE WHAT YOU COULD DO FROM THE STORM, STORM, UH, DRAINAGE ASPECT.
IF WE'RE DEVELOPING INSIDE THE FOOTPRINT OF OUR LOT, THAT'S GONNA GONNA SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGE.
YOU KNOW, IT'S GONNA BE, IT'S PROBABLY NOT GONNA SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGE ANYTHING.
WELL, WE WOULDN'T WANT YOU TO ADD IMPERVIOUS SURFACE.
SO, AND, AND WE WOULDN'T, WE WOULDN'T BE, ACTUALLY WOULD BE DECREASING IMPERVIOUS SERVICES 'CAUSE OF OUR LANDSCAPING PLAN.
BUT CERTAINLY THE BENEFIT OF HAVING THIS DISCUSSION WITH YOU IS THIS IS THE TYPE OF THING THAT WE CAN ALL LOOK AT WHEN, UH, A SPECIAL PERMIT IS BEFORE YOU.
BECAUSE IF THERE ARE THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO THE TOWN THAT FLOW FROM THE SITE, ARE INTER INTEGRALLY RELATED TO THE SITE, THEY COME UP IN THE SPECIAL PERMIT REVIEW PROCESS, AND THEN WE LOOK AT IT, YOU KNOW, IT'S, AND THAT'S PART OF THE ITERATIVE PROCESS.
JARED, WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO TELL US EXACTLY, SAY THE PROCESS IF WE HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE STEPS THAT WOULD FOLLOW YEAH, SURE.
TO REACTIVATE THIS DISCUSSION ASSOCIATED WITH THE, UH, ZONING TEXT AMENDMENT.
IT WOULD INDEED BE A REOPENING OF THE PUBLIC HEARING, AND THAT'S OKAY.
SO WE WOULD NOTICE FOR THAT MM-HMM.
I BELIEVE THE PLANNING BOARD'S, UH, RENDERED A RECOMMENDATION.
SO THAT STEP HAS, HAS TAKEN PLACE AND, UH, THAT PUBLIC HEARING WOULD LEAD TO THE TOWN BOARD, UH, CLOSING THE PUBLIC HEARING AT SOME POINT.
AND, AND AS YOU ALWAYS DO, UH, RENDERING A SECRET DETERMINATION, ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS, AND THEN RENDERING A DECISION ON WHETHER OR NOT YOU WOULD WANT TO, UH, MODIFY THE DSS DISTRICT TO ENABLE THIS USE AS A SPECIAL PERMIT ON LOTS OF FIVE ACRES, ALONG WITH SOME OF THE OTHER ASPECTS OF THE, UH, SPECIAL PERMIT THAT ARE PROPOSED IN THE PETITION.
UH, IF THAT WERE TO BE SUCCESSFUL, AS WAS NOTED, UH, SUBSEQUENT STEPS WOULD BE AMENDED SITE PLAN, UH, SPECIAL PERMIT FOR THE USE, AND, UM, SOME ASPECT OF PARKING, WHETHER IT'S A SHARED PARKING REDUCTION OR, UH, PARKING VARIANCE BECAUSE THEY'RE LOSING PARKING SPACES BY VIRTUE OF, UH, THE DEVELOPMENT.
UM, BUT WE WOULD, WE WOULD TAKE A LOOK AT THAT.
UM, I KNOW THAT YOU GET SOME CREDIT FOR THE SPACES THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, ARE STANDING FOR THE, FOR THE ACTUAL GAS STATION.
SO IF THERE'S A NET LOSS, THEN I THINK MAYBE THAT'S WHERE THE, UH, PARKING ISSUE CAME IN, BUT, RIGHT.
UH, AND I KNOW AS PART OF THEIR PETITION, THEY DID LOOK AT THAT, THAT, AND WHICH WAS REVIEWED BY A TRAFFIC CONSULTANT.
SO, UH, THOSE ARE KIND OF THE, THE, THE, THE STEPS THAT WOULD, AND WHAT'S THE, HOW LONG IS THAT PROCESS? WELL, I THINK, UH, EASIER TO ANSWER THE, THE, THE, THE ZONING AMENDMENT ASPECT.
UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK YOU WOULD HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING AND, UM,
[00:30:03]
YOU, YOU, YOU WOULD, WHICH WOULD LEAD TO A DECISION.SO, I MEAN, YOU'RE EITHER GOING TO GRANT OR NOT GRANT THE, THE SPECIAL PERMIT.
SO I DON'T THINK THAT THAT'S A LONG PROCESS.
THE TEXT, THE ZONING TEXT AMENDMENT TO, TO THE APPLICANT'S CREDIT, THEY HAVE DONE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF WORK ON, UH, TRAFFIC STUDIES, ENVIRONMENTAL MITIGATION, UM, AS WELL AS A VARIETY OF OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS.
SO I THINK THAT THAT'S, THAT LEGWORK HAS BEEN DONE.
SO I DON'T IMAGINE A LENGTHY PROCESS.
YOU'RE THE TOWN BOARD'S UNDER NO OBLIGATION, UH, TO APPROVE THIS ZONING TEXT PETITION.
SO IT'S, IT'S REALLY, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE THIS PUBLIC HEARING AND, UM, YOU KNOW, MAKE A DECISION THAT YOU FEEL IS BEST FOR THE TOWN.
YOUR HONOR, I JUST, I HAVE A QUESTION TO FOLLOW UP ON THAT.
UH, THERE WERE A NUMBER OF GAS STATION OWNERS THAT WERE AT THE, THAT HAVE BEEN AT THE PUBLIC HEARING.
AND, UM, HOW DOES THE, THE ZONING TEST AMENDMENT, IF WE PASS IT THE WAY IT IS RIGHT NOW, HOW DOES IT IMPACT THEM? AND, UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S, THEY ARE, I BELIEVE THEY'RE NON-CONFORMING.
SO IF THEY'RE IN THE DSS DISTRICT TODAY, AND THEY'RE NON-CONFORMING, SO THEN IT'S EITHER LEGAL NON-CONFORMING, OR NOT LEGAL NONCONFORMING IT DEPENDING ON WHEN THE USE WAS ESTABLISHED AND THE DATE IN WHICH THE DSS DISTRICT PROHIBITED GAS STATIONS.
AND THAT'S KIND OF A, THAT, THAT'S A KEY DATE.
SO IF YOU'RE IN, IF THE TEXT WERE TO BE PASSED, THEN THE, AN EXISTING GAS STATION TODAY THAT'S IN A NON-CONFORMING USE COULD SEEK CONFORMING USE STATUS BY APPLYING FOR THE SPECIAL PERMIT BEFORE THE TOWN BOARD, AT WHICH POINT THE TOWN BOARD WOULD HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT THE SITE PLAN, MAKE, OR REQUIRE CHANGES ON A PROPOSED SITE PLAN, ASSUMING THAT THEY MEET THE TAX REQUIREMENTS OR GRANT OF VARIANCE FROM THE TAX REQUIREMENTS AND THEY COULD BECOME CONFORMED.
CHAD, I THINK I WOULD DIFFER A LITTLE BIT.
ONLY IN THIS RESPECT AS CURRENTLY COMPRISED, THERE'S A FIVE ACRE MINIMUM MM-HMM.
UH, I'M CERTAIN THAT ALL THE GAS STATIONS ARE ON SITES THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, POSTAGE STAMP, LOTS OF, YOU KNOW, NOT EVEN NEIGHBOR.
SO, WELL, THAT'S WHAT I WAS THINKING.
UM, AS CURRENTLY COMPRISED, I WOULD SAY THOSE EXISTING GAS STATIONS WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO, UH, LEGALIZE THEMSELVES AS SPECIAL PERMIT USE.
HAVING SAID THAT, UH, THE TOWN BOARD ON CENTRAL AVENUE IN THE CA DISTRICT, UH, MANY YEARS AGO, I'D SAY PERHAPS EIGHT YEARS AGO OR SO, UH, OFFERED A, UM, OPPORTUNITY FOR EXISTING GAS STATIONS TO, UH, LEGALIZE THEMSELVES THROUGH A SPECIAL PERMIT PROCESS THAT SUNSETTED PERHAPS AFTER LIKE A SIX MONTH PERIOD.
UM, AND CERTAINLY SOME GAS STATIONS FELT THAT THAT WAS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT, IT, IT TAKE, TOOK THEM FROM A STATUS OF LEGAL NON-CONFORMING IF THAT WAS THEIR SCENARIO, TO HAVING A SPECIAL PERMIT.
SO GOD FORBID THERE WAS A FLUT OR SOMETHING, THEY WERE OUT OF BUSINESS FOR NINE MONTHS.
UM, THEY WOULD NOT CONCEIVABLY BE SUBJECT TO, UH, HAVING, YOU KNOW, THEIR USE.
SO WOULD WE HAVE TO AMENDMENT THEIR USE LEGISLATION? SO YES, THAT RIGHT.
AND THAT, THAT IS SOMETHING WE COULD NOTE AT THE PUBLIC HEARING IF, UM, EXISTING GAS STATIONS HAD INTEREST AND THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT THE TOWN BOARD, UM, YOU KNOW, FELT WAS IMPORTANT.
UH, I I WOULD NOT SAY THAT THAT WOULD NOT BE A BAD STEP TO TAKE.
UH, THINKING ABOUT IT RIGHT NOW, AND I'M GLAD YOU ASKED THE QUESTION, UM, SO THAT, THAT'S CERTAINLY A GOOD CONSIDERATION TO, TO, TO WORK INTO, 'CAUSE THERE WAS A LOT OF TESTIMONY FROM, FROM THOSE GAS STATION OWNER OWNERS.
AND, UH, I I'M SURE THAT IF WE OPEN REOPEN THE HEARING THAT UH, THEY WOULD BE OUT RAISING THOSE ISSUES.
THE PROSPECT OF LEGALIZING EXISTING GAS STATIONS IN THE D DSS DISTRICT, UM, COULD BE SEEN AS A BENEFIT TO THOSE EXISTING GAS STATIONS.
SO TO THE SUPERVISOR'S POINT, IS THERE SOMETHING WE CAN DO THAT WOULD ACTUALLY BE CONCEIVABLY POSITIVE FOR AN EXISTING GAS STATION? RIGHT.
SO, BUT IT ALSO WOULD MAKE IT MORE DIFFICULT AS WE GO MORE AND MORE ELECTRIC AND LESS FUEL TO NOT HAVE THOSE GAS STATIONS THAT ARE NONCONFORMING.
AS, AS WE WILL NEED FEWER AND FEWER OF THOSE GAS STATIONS AT SOME POINT.
AND SO TO LEGALIZE GAS STATIONS THAT ARE SURVIVING QUITE WELL AS LEGAL NONCONFORMING AND SAY, OKAY, WE'RE GOING TO MAKE IT SO THAT YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO STAY, EVEN IF YOU, YOU KNOW, AREN'T SELLING GAS RIGHT FOR A WHILE, THAT THAT COULD BE A PROBLEM.
NOW, IF THEY DON'T SELL GAS FOR SIX MONTHS, THEY DON'T HAVE A RIGHT TO CONTINUE.
SO WHAT WOULD THE, IF YOU MAKE THEM, WHAT WOULD THE PROBLEM, I SUPPOSE IF THE GAS STATION HAD LIKE A AUTO BODY USE AND THEY KIND OF WANT, MAYBE WANTED TO COMBINE THAT.
UM, WHEREAS IF THAT, THAT'S SOMETHING YOU COULD THINK ABOUT STRAIGHT GAS STATIONS VERSUS, UM, AUTO REPAIR IN CONNECTION WITH THE GAS STATION.
I MEAN, ULTIMATELY IF THAT GAS STATION'S NOT GETTING
[00:35:01]
A RETURN ON THEIR INVESTMENT BECAUSE, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S JUST SO MANY ELECTRIC CARS LIKE 15, 20 YEARS FROM NOW THAT YOU WOULD THINK THEY WOULD JUST NATURALLY, YOU KNOW, REMOVE THEMSELVES FROM THE MARKET AND SEEK SOMETHING FOR A RETURN ON INVESTMENT.BUT I, I THINK WE WOULD ALSO THINK ABOUT THAT IN CONNECTION WITH POTENTIALLY LEGALIZING THEM.
SO IT'S, IT'S A, I UNDERSTAND YOUR POINT.
IT'S AN IMPORTANT, IT'S AN IMPORTANT DISCUSSION BECAUSE OUR TEXT IS, IS STRICTLY LIMITED TO THE PROVISION OF, OF FUEL.
IT DOESN'T PERMIT CAR WASHES, IT DOESN'T PERMIT AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR.
IT DOESN'T PERMIT, UM, THE SALE OF A KIND OF CONVENIENCE MARKET.
WE DID THAT SPECIFICALLY TO PRESERVE THE NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTER AND REDUCE THE NUMBER OF TRIPS IN AND OUT.
REALLY, PEOPLE COMING IN TO GET OUR GAS ARE REALLY OUR MEMBERS WHO WOULD, WHO WOULD OTHERWISE EITHER SHOP OR JUST COME AND GET GAS.
BUT, BUT THERE ARE NO ANCILLARY TRIPS FOR OUR PROPOSAL.
SO TO THE EXTENT THAT THE TEXT PROVIDES A WAY FOR EXISTING GAS STATIONS TO ACHIEVE LEGAL CONFORMING STATUS, THOSE GAS STATIONS WOULD'VE TO FIT WITHIN THE RUBRIC OF THE TEXT.
WHEREAS THEY ONLY PROVIDE GAS, OTHERWISE A EITHER A DIFFERENT TEXT OR A MODIFICATION OF THIS TEXT.
IF IT'S IMPORTANT TO THE TOWN BOARD TO LEGALIZE THOSE USES MIGHT BE NEEDED.
WHICH WOULD, I'M JUST POINTING THAT OUT, RIGHT.
WE WOULD TAKE THE LEAD ON THAT.
'CAUSE RIGHT NOW IN THE DSS DISTRICT, THERE'S AN EXPRESS PROHIBITION AGAINST, UH, GASOLINE STATIONS, UM, DESPITE THE FACT THAT THERE'S FIVE OR SIX THAT EXIST IN THE DSS DISTRICT.
I THINK THAT THE IDEA WOULD BE TO, UM, OFFER A LIKE SIX MONTH PERIOD OF POTENTIALLY LEGALIZING THOSE IF THAT WERE DEEMED TO BE GROUND.
I GUESS WHAT I'M TRYING TO, IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE TOWN GUESS IS WHAT ONCE, IF, LET'S SAY FUEL WASN'T SOLD ANYMORE AND WE WENT TO ALL ELECTRIC CARS, WHAT WOULD THEY BE DOING ANYWAY IN THAT, IN THAT DISTRICT IN ORDER TO SAY WOULD BASICALLY CONVERT, THEY WOULD EITHER CONVERT? WELL, THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT.
WHAT WOULD BE THE DOWNSIDE? I'VE RECEIVED PHONE CALLS, UM, AND I THINK WE'LL RECEIVE MORE, UM, WITH INTEREST TO DO A HUNDRED PERCENT ELECTRIC FAST CHARGE STATION.
AND LIKE THAT WOULD BE THE SOLE USE.
SO I THINK THE NATURAL EVOLUTION, RIGHT, YOU KNOW, WOULD BE A REPLACEMENT OF STRAIGHT GASOLINE STATIONS WITH A HUNDRED PERCENT, UM, YOU KNOW, FAST CHARGE AND THE TECHNOLOGY WILL GET BETTER AND COMBINED WITH CONVENIENCE STORES AND WHATNOT.
AND IT WOULD ACTUALLY BE KIND OF A COMPARABLE EVOLUTION.
UM, SO THAT WOULD BE INTERESTING.
I, I, I COULD SEE THAT HAPPENING.
WELL, I WAS JUST WONDERING WHAT WOULD BE THE DOWNSIDE TO IT? THAT'S, THAT'S MY ONLY QUESTION.
THE EV DISCUSSION'S A VERY INTERESTING ONE.
'CAUSE I SIT ON SEVERAL COMMITTEES AND BOARDS AS YOU LOOK, 'CAUSE WE'RE IN THE FUEL BUSINESS AND FUELING OUR MEMBERS.
AND IF OUR MEMBERS ARE MOVING TO EV WE'RE GONNA MOVE THERE.
I THINK, UH, THERE'S A LOT OF, I I THINK THE, THE FRONT PAGE HYPE IS MUCH BIGGER THAN THE SCIENCE BEHIND IT RIGHT NOW.
SO JUST IF, IF WE PUT THINGS INTO PERSPECTIVE, RIGHT? CALIFORNIA'S THE MOST AGGRESSIVE RIGHT NOW.
OUTLAWING INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES DOING THIS, THIS, YOU KNOW, UH, OUTLAWED LAWNMOWERS.
UM, THE CHALLENGE IS AS YOU WORK THROUGH THAT, EVEN CALIFORNIA TODAY DOES NOT KNOW HOW THEY CAN GET THERE.
THE, THE REGULATION AND THE CARS GOING OUT THERE, WHATEVER IS WELL BEYOND THE INFRASTRUCTURE TODAY.
IF THE, IF CALIFORNIA MET ALL THEIR TARGETS FOR EVS, THEIR GRID CAN'T HANDLE IT.
THERE'S A 15% SHORTFALL ON THEIR GRID.
SO THEN THEY'RE, THEY'RE WORKING, OKAY, WHAT DO WE, WE HAVE TO DO TO UPGRADE OUR GRID SO WE CAN EVEN HANDLE THAT? THEY'RE HAVING ROLLING BROWNOUTS TODAY.
YOU'VE GOT, UH, MANY PEOPLE ARE GONNA JUST CHARGE AT HOME, BUT THEY'RE EVEN TALKING COMMERCIALLY.
HOW DO WE HANDLE THIS IN A GRID SPACE WHERE WE MAY HAVE TO PUT GIANT BATTERY BANKS IN OUR FACILITIES JUST TO BE ABLE TO HANDLE FAST CHARGERS DURING NON-PEAK HOURS? 'CAUSE THE GRID ISN'T MATURE ENOUGH THERE.
THERE'S ALSO THIS SCENARIO BETWEEN COBALT AND LITHIUM AND BATTERIES.
AND THERE IS NO NEW BATTERY TECHNOLOGY YET.
YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO, HOW ARE WE GONNA ENGINEER AROUND THE BATTERY TECHNOLOGY TODAY? HYDROGEN MAY STILL END UP BEING THE LONG PULLING THE TENT THERE EVENTUALLY FOR AUTOMOBILE LIGHT DUTY USE.
BECAUSE EVEN WITH ALL THE TARGETS MET, YOU KNOW, LITHIUM AND COBALT ARE IN TWO PRIMARY AREAS IN THE WORLD.
THE CONGO AND ARGENTINA AND BOTH OF 'EM HAVE A LOT OF, A LOT OF CHALLENGES AROUND HOW EITHER OF THEM, AND THERE'S NOT ENOUGH NATURAL RESOURCE TO EVEN HANDLE THE DEMAND OF WHAT WE HAVE LEGISLATIVE WISE TODAY IN THE US LET ALONE THE WORLD AS EUROPE'S ELECTRIFYING AS ALL THESE THINGS.
SO, UM, EVEN IF ALL THE AGGRESSIVE TARGETS IN PLACE RIGHT NOW, BY 2040, WE'RE STILL 80% IN FOSSIL FUEL FOR LIGHT DUTY USE, PERIOD.
I MEAN, WITH ALL THE AGGRESSIVE TARGETS MEANT,
[00:40:01]
SO I'LL TELL YOU, I HAVE A A, A TWO AND A HALF YEAR OLD GRANDSON, AND I WILL TELL YOU, WE'RE PROBABLY GONNA HAVE, WE WOULDN'T BE LOOKING AT PUTTING A NEW FILLING STATION IN WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING THE LONG-TERM RAMIFICATIONS OF PUTTING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS INTO A PROJECT.SO WHEN SOMEBODY SAYS, HEY, THEY'RE OUT LONG COMBUSTION ENGINES, WHY ARE WE EVEN, WE DON'T EVEN NEED FUEL STATIONS ANYMORE.
ACTUALLY, THE TECHNOLOGY AND THE ABILITY TO UPKEEP WHERE THE CONSUMER'S GOING AND TECHNOLOGY'S GOING, WHETHER IT'S IN ALTERNATIVE FUELS, WE'RE GONNA NEED EVERY HYDROCARBON WE HAVE, WHETHER IT'S SYNTHETIC DIESEL WE'RE USING IN OUR FLEET RIGHT NOW THAT'S USING SEND DIESEL IN CALIFORNIA, AND WHETHER IT'S THE NEXT GENERATION OF LIQUID FUELS THAT ARE MADE FROM CELLO MATERIAL, WHETHER IT'S MOVING TOWARDS HYDROGEN OR WHATEVER, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO, LOTS OF COMPLEX CHALLENGES.
AND I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE FOCUSING ON EV 'CAUSE EV IS THE, IS THE TECHNOLOGY OF THE DAY.
IT'S IF I WANT TO GO GET A TESLA TODAY IF I WANT TO DO THIS.
BUT THERE IS SO MANY DIFFERENT COMPETING OBSTACLES AND VARIABLES TO SUCCESS THAT I JUST DON'T, I I WANT YOU GUYS TO UNDERSTAND HOW, AND THIS IS A GLOBAL PROBLEM, IT'S NOT A US PROBLEM AS WE'RE EMERGING IN THIS, SO ARE EMERGING COUNTRIES, ET CETERA, AS WE TACKLE CLIMATE CHANGE, AS WE TACKLE THESE.
SO, YOU KNOW, MANAGING, YOU KNOW, THE HYDROCARBONS THE BEST WE CAN AND WHETHER IT'S CAFE STANDARDS OR WHETHER IT'S, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER NEW EMERGING TECHNOLOGY.
BUT THERE'S A, THERE'S, THERE'S WAY MORE QUESTIONS THAN THERE ARE ANSWERS TODAY TO THE PROBLEM.
I HAD A, SORRY, ARE WE ALL IN FAVOR OF REOPENING THE HEARING? THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON NOW FOR NO, A FEW YEARS, A WHILE.
AND, AND I THINK, I THINK, I THINK WE ARE GENERALLY SUPPORTIVE OF, OF, YOU KNOW, CONTINUING THE CONVERSATION.
UM, BECAUSE IT'S VERY IMPORTANT.
WE APPRECIATE SAM'S CLUB AND THE COMMUNITY, UM, AND, UM, BECAUSE WE DID HAVE OUR LAST MEETING RIGHT BEFORE EVERYTHING SHUT DOWN, IT SORT OF TRUNCATED THE COMMUNITY'S ABILITY TO, TO DISCUSS THE TOPIC.
SO I THINK THAT SHOULD BE OUR, OUR OUR NEXT MOVE.
I JUST HAVE JUST ONE OTHER QUESTION.
UH, WE'RE TRYING TO, I'M WORKING WITH A GROUP THAT'S TRYING TO LIKE TRAIN PEOPLE WHO ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, ON JOBS OF TOMORROW.
AND I'M WONDERING IF SAM'S, THIS IS REALLY A LITTLE OFF TOPIC OF SAM'S CLUB OR WALMART'S, IF YOU HAVE ANY TRAINING PROGRAMS ON, UH, FOR, UH, FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WHO MIGHT WANT TO LEARN HOW TO, UH, UH, REPAIR ELECTRIC CARS OR, UH, OR YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S LIKE A TRAINING, ANY, ANY JOB RELATED, YOU KNOW, PROGRAMS. BECAUSE I, I SORT OF FEEL THAT IF WE COULD WORK, SAY WITH THE COMMUNITY CENTER AND, AND MAYBE COME UP WITH A, A PROGRAM WHERE WE'RE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE ELECTRIC, UH, YOU KNOW, CHARGING TECHNOLOGY OR ANY OTHER OPPORTUNITY OR ANY OTHER, IF YOU ACTUALLY LOOK ONLINE AT OUR CORPORATE WEBSITE, WE PROBABLY HAVE THE STRONGEST SECONDARY EDUCATION SCENARIO FOR OUR ASSOCIATES.
AND IT'S NOT OUTSIDE OF OUR ASSOCIATES RIGHT NOW, BUT YOU CAN GET, UH, A MULTITUDE.
THERE'S 35 OR SO DIFFERENT DEGREES THAT WALMART WILL FULLY PAY FOR PART-TIME AND FULL-TIME ASSOCIATES THAT WILL FULLY PAY SECONDARY EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES.
SO THEY'RE, THAT'S, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S, THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO OUR COMPANY.
IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO OUR CULTURE.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING OUTSIDE OF, I'M SURE THERE'S LOTS OF GRANT PROGRAMS, ET CETERA, UH, MR. FINER.
BUT, UH, I CAN TELL YOU CORPORATELY WE PROBABLY HAVE ONE OF THE STRONGEST CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAMS THERE IS IN THE COUNTRY.
AND WE CAN, WE CAN, WE CAN GET YOU SOME AND THAT'S ALL AVAILABLE.
BECAUSE MAYBE ONE OF THE THINGS WHERE WE CAN MAKE THIS LIKE A REAL WIN-WIN FOR, UH, YOU KNOW, FOR THE COMMUNITY IS WE COULD TRY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE COULD TRY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'VE BEEN MEETING GARRETT AND I ON, UH, WITH PEOPLE WHO WANNA SET UP A CO-OP AND MAYBE WE COULD TRY, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, CREATING, UM, IDENTIFYING PEOPLE WHO ARE LOOKING FOR WORK, UH, HAVING SOME TRAINING PROGRAMS, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY CENTER AND YOU KNOW, THEN IT BECOMES EVEN A, A, A, YOU KNOW, A BIGGER WIN.
BECAUSE THEN WHEN WE HAVE THE HEARING, WE COULD SAY, THIS ISN'T, THIS IS A PARTNERSHIP THAT THE TOWN COULD CREATE WITH, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, WITH, YOU KNOW, WITH THE COMMUNITY.
AND WE WANT TO GIVE PEOPLE WHO ARE LOOKING FOR JOBS GREAT OPPORTUNITIES.
SO I THINK THAT YOU, THAT THAT COULD BE A, A GREAT SELLING.
MAYBE IF YOU COULD EVEN GET ME IN ANY INFORMATION, UH, WE'LL LOOK IT UP.
MAYBE GARRETT, WHEN WE HAVE OUR FOLLOW UP MEETINGS, WE COULD DISCUSS THIS ALSO WITH, WITH OUR LITTLE, YOU KNOW, WORKING GROUP.
SO WHEN WOULD YOU WANT TO SCHEDULE THE HEARING? HAVE TO NOTICE IT.
NO, BUT I'M TALKING ABOUT WHEN WOULD WE WANT TO, DO WE WANT TO LIKE, TEND TO, SO YOU WALK OUT
[00:45:01]
SO YOU KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOME FOLLOW UP.I MEAN, DO WE WANT TO SCHEDULE, PICK A TAKE? YOU KNOW, DO WE WANT TO HAVE LIKE A TARGET DATE? NOW ARE YOU GUYS STILL DOING ZOOM HEARINGS OR ARE THEY IN PERSON? BACK TO IN PERSON.
AND GARRETT, WHILE YOU'RE, WHILE YOU'RE KIND OF TRYING TO, JUST LOOKING THAT UP.
UM, I, THERE ARE FOUR GAS STATIONS IN THE DSS DISTRICT TODAY THAT ARE NON-CONFORMING.
UM, AND YOU'RE RIGHT, THEY DON'T MAKE THE MEET THE FIVE ACRE STANDARD, BUT IF THE BOARD WERE TO AMEND THE TEXT SO THAT YOU DID AWAY WITH THE FIVE ACRE STANDARD, UM, THEN, OR YOU MADE A MODIFICATION TO THE TEXT THAT ALLOWED FOR EXISTING GAS STATIONS OF NO ACREAGE TO APPLY, THOSE FOUR COULD CONCEIVABLY, IF THEY MET THE BOARD'S REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SPECIAL PERMIT, IN YOUR JUDGMENT, THEY COULD BECOME LEGAL COMPLIANT GAS STATIONS.
YOU MEAN THAT WOULD BE FUEL ONLY? UH, THAT WOULD BE FUEL.
I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY OF THEM WOULD DO THAT SINCE THEY CAME IN SAYING HOW IMPORTANT IT WAS TO HAVE A CONVENIENCE STORE.
I THINK IT WOULD BE A SEPARATE PROCESS.
MIGHT BE A SEPARATE PROCESS ENABLING GAS STATIONS.
BUT WE'VE IDENTIFIED, SORRY, YOU MENTIONED WE'VE GOT A HEAD START.
YOU MENTIONED 2040, LIKE AS IF THAT'S A LONG TIME AND ZONE.
UM, AND IT'S THE TOWN WHEN THESE GAS STATIONS GO OUT OF BUSINESS AND THEY JUST WALK AWAY, UH, THE TOWN IS THE ONE THAT GETS STUCK WITH A PROPERTY THAT NOW HAS FUEL TANKS IN THE GROUND.
AND WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO WITH THEM.
WE'VE HAD EXPERIENCES WITH THAT IN THE PAST.
AND SO WHEN I RAISED WHY WOULD WE TAKE SOMETHING THAT'S WORKING NOW, THEY'RE ALLOWED TO STAY IN, IN EXISTENCE, BUT IF THEY GO OUTTA BUSINESS FOR 2, 3, 5 YEARS, WE DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE COMING BACK.
THEY CAN STAY LIKE THAT FOREVER.
AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN WE HAVE TANKS IN THE GROUND THAT WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH.
IF THEY'RE NON-CONFORMING LIKE THEY ARE NOW AND THEY GO OUT OF BUSINESS FOR SIX MONTHS, WE CAN GO AFTER 'EM RIGHT AWAY, GET THOSE TANKS OUT OF THE GROUND.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S THE POINT THAT I WAS RAISING.
I THINK ONE OF THE CHALLENGES ON OLDER STATIONS TOO IS THEY THE INSURANCE FRONT OF GROUND STORAGE TANKS.
AND MOST OF THE UNDERWRITERS NOW ARE NOT UNDER UNDERWRITING A TANK THAT'S BEEN IN THE GROUND 30 YEARS AND YOU CAN GO BUY SOME OF 'EM.
AND SOME OF 'EM WERE PUT IN, IN 19 88, 89 MM-HMM.
SO THEY MAY, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER WE PUT A FUEL STATION IN OR NOT, I WILL TELL YOU SOME OF THE, THE OLDER TANK CHALLENGE IS A CHALLENGE STATION FROM, FROM THE WHOLE INDUSTRY RIGHT NOW.
'CAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF STATIONS THAT ARE OUT THERE WITH 30 YEAR OLD TANKS THAT ARE, NOBODY'S GONNA WRITE THEM AN ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY, WHICH THEY'RE REQUIRED TO HAVE BY LAW.
AND DAN WILL TELL YOU, IT'S NOT JUST THE TANKS ON THOSE OLDER STATIONS, IT'S THE PIPING, IT'S EVERYTHING.
WOULD IT MAKE SENSE TO HAVE THE SCHEDULE, THE HEARING FOR IF WE NEXT WEEK, IF WE SCHEDULE FOR SAY, NOVEMBER 10TH? I'M JUST THROWING OUT, YOU KNOW, JUST ASKING IF THAT NOVEMBER TENTH'S A TUESDAY THAT WORKS FOR ME.
I MEAN, WOULD THAT BE THE RIGHT TIMETABLE? BECAUSE I'M THINKING IT'S, UH, BEFORE THE BUDGET PROCESS REALLY GETS STARTED.
AND THEN IF WE, I MEAN THE, WE, IT JUST SO YOU HAVE AN IDEA FOR THE CALENDAR.
WE HAVE NOVEMBER 10TH, THEN WE USUALLY MEET NOVEMBER, UH, 22ND, WHICH IS THE MONDAY BEFORE, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, THANKSGIVING.
AND THEN, UH, WE USUALLY, THIS IS THE BUDGET SEASON, SO THEN WE GET USUALLY SIDETRACKED ON, YOU KNOW, BUDGET ISSUES.
BUT YOU KNOW, WE SOMETIMES, LIKE A HEARING LIKE THIS COULD BE POSTPONED FOR LIKE, YOU KNOW, COUPLE MONTHS.
SOMETIMES WE, WE ADJOURN IT FOR A HEARING OR WHATEVER.
I MEAN, WHAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S, WHAT'S THE, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE I WHEN CAN WE, WHEN CAN WE AFFORD THE, UH, PROPERLY INFORM THE PUBLIC THAT'S, THAT'S THE
WELL, WE COULD BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, I COULD TAKE THIS, UH, YOU KNOW, THE LINK TO THIS MEETING.
UH, WE COULD POST THAT ON THE, YOU KNOW, TOWN WEBSITE.
UH, DO WE HAVE A LIST OF, UM, UH, WHO SPOKE AT THE LAST TEARING GARRETT? YES.
SO I, I WOULD THINK THAT WE SHOULD, YOU KNOW, NOTIFY ALL THE PEOPLE WHO SPOKE AT THE LAST TEARING.
AND WE COULD DO THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, ALMOST IMMEDIATELY.
AND WE COULD REFERENCE, YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS MEETING AND THEN WE COULD, UM, WHAT ARE WE MEETING THE, UH,
[00:50:01]
NOTICE REQUIREMENTS TOO, 10 DAYS? WELL, WE, WE WOULD BE THEN WE WOULD BE POSTING IT AT, WE, WE ARE HAVING ONE MORE MEETING NEXT WEEK.BUT WE HAVE, WE WE HAVE STILL HAVE TO PUT IT ON THE CALENDAR.
NO, NEXT WEEK IS JUST SUFFICE.
RESOLUTION SETTING, PUBLIC HEARING.
10 27 WOULD SUFFICE FOR 1110 PUBLIC HEARING.
AND WE COULD POST THE SIGN AT THE PROPERTY LIKE WE DID LAST TIME.
SAVE TRAVEL, STAY HEALTHY, ALL OF YOU PLEASE.
UM, CLIFF ISN'T HERE, RIGHT? HE'S ON, HE'S ON ZOOM, BUT HE'S NOT ON MUTING.
BEFORE WE START, DO WE WANT TO SOLIDIFY THE NOVEMBER 22ND DATE AS A MEETING DATE? WAIT, CLIFF IS STILL TALKING.
LEMME SEE IF I CAN, UM, I WANNA OUT, I NEED BE ABLE TO SEE MY FACE.
I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH NOVEMBER 22ND.
OKAY, WELL WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THE ROOM IS AVAILABLE.
WE TALKED ABOUT IT TODAY BUT WASN'T SURE.
UM, THE DATE FOR THE SECOND APPEAR FOR HAVING THIS OPPORTUNITY, UM, A COMMUNITY, ALL YOUTH EMPOWERMENT AND APPRENTICESHIP.
COULD YOU SPEAK UP? CLIFF? CLIFF, COULD YOU SPEAK UP A LITTLE BIT? HEAR ME? JUST SPEAK AS LOUD AS YOU CAN, RIGHT? CAN YOU HEAR ME BETTER NOW? MUCH BETTER.
A COMMUNITY CENTER WALL YOUTH EMPOWERMENT AND APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM.
ACKNOWLEDGE THE SUPPORT OF PARENTS AND OR GUARDIAN AND A CHILD EDUCATION AND SEEK A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CHILD FOR PRIVATE DEVELOPERS AND FAMILY.
IN ESTABLISHING A BETTER FUTURE FOR YOUTH THROUGH ACADEMIC SUPPORT, MENTORING AND JOB TRAINING, RESEARCH, RESEARCH SHOWED THAT ADOLESCENT WHO PARTICIPATE IN QUALITY AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM HAVE HIGHER SCHOOL ATTENDANCE AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND ARE LESS LIKELY TO BE INVOLVED IN RISKY BEHAVIOR DURING AFTERSCHOOL HOURS.
IN ADDITION, ADOLESCENTS WHO PARTICIPATE IN APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM OFFERED BY DEVELOPERS BENEFIT FROM TRAINING AND LOCAL JOBS THAT ARE, ARE GENERATED TO BENEFIT OF THE COMMUNITY AND LOCAL BUSINESS.
A COMMUNITY CENTER WITHOUT WALL YOUTH EMPOWERMENT AND APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS OFFER A BROAD RANGE OF EDUCATIONAL, RECREATIONAL AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES AS A WELL, AS WELL AS JOB TRAINING TO INTEGRATE WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE SCHOOL DAY WITH THE, WITH THE WORK WORK COMMUNITY CENTER WITHOUT WALL YOUTH EMPOWERMENT AND APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM ALSO PROVIDE WORKING PARENTS WITH A SAFE PLACE FOR THEIR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS TO LEARN PURPOSE.
PURPOSE OF A COMMUNITY CENTER WITHOUT WALL YOUTH EMPOWERMENT APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM IS TO IMPLEMENT PROGRAM OUTSIDE OF REGULAR SCHOOL HOURS THAT OFFERS STUDENT JOB TRAINING AS WELL AS ACADEMIC.
IN RECENT YEARS, THE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATE IN THE GREENBERG CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAVE HOVER ABOUT 90% THOUGH FOR BLACKS AND LATINO YOUTH, IT IS CLOSER TO 60%.
THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY RESOURCE AT THE THIRD OF THE YOUNG COMMUNITY CENTER IS IN AN ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED LOCATION, BUT 64% OF STUDENTS RECEIVE FREE OR REDUCED LUNCH IN EFFORT TO BRIDGE THE EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC GAP.
A COMMUNITY CENTER WITHOUT WALL YOUTH EMPOWERMENT AND APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM WILL OPERATE UNDER THE, UNDER THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY RESOURCE AT THE 30 D YOUNG COMMUNITY CENTER AS WELL AS THE TOWN DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND REC.
SO LET ME SEE IF I CAN GET MY FACE BACK TO Y'ALL.
[00:55:01]
TALKED TO, UM, JERRY BURNS, PARKS AND REC COMMISSIONER, UM, JOE DE, THE DEPUTY, TERRENCE JACKSON, COMMISSIONER OF THE THERE, THE YOUNG COMMUNITY CENTER.THEY BOTH LOVE THE IDEA, UH, BRINGING ALL OF US TOGETHER.
I ALSO END UP, I ALSO END UP HAVING, UM, I WORKED AT FORT PARKS REC AND MR. FINER KNOWS THAT HE ALWAYS BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE OF ME WITH ALL THE PROGRAMS I HAVE DONE AND HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL.
I UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S ALWAYS ABOUT MONEY AND IT'S ABOUT THE BUDGET, BUT WHEN THE TOWN REALLY WANT TO TAKE CARE OF SITUATIONS, THEY FIND A WAY TO FIND MONEY AND WHAT BETTER WAY TO USE TO TAKE CARE OF OUR USE OF YOUNG ADULTS.
UM, I WAS LISTENING TO EARLIER WHEN Y'ALL WAS TALKING ABOUT SAM CLUB, MR. FINALLY Y'ALL'S ASS AND LIKE, CAN Y'ALL BRING JOBS? SO I ALREADY TALKED TO BRIGHTVIEW, YOU KNOW, AND I'M LOOKING FOR THE TOWN TO PUT IN THE BUDGET AND I, I HOPE Y'ALL ALL GOT A COPY OF, OF WHAT I PROPOSED, PUT IN THE BUDGET.
AND IF I CAN DO AT LEAST START A PILOT PROGRAM, AND I'M SURE WITH ALL THESE DEVELOPMENTS COMING IN AND THEY'RE GETTING THE MAJOR CONTRACTS, THEY WOULDN'T HAVE A PROBLEM HELPING KEEP THIS PROGRAM GOING.
BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT AND I THINK IT'S A WIN-WIN SITUATION FOR ALL OF US.
THE TOWN BOARD, THEY'RE THE YOUNG COMMUNITY CENTER IN PARKS AND REC.
BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THE TOWN AND MR. FINDER, YOU ARE LIKE TALKING ABOUT EVERY TIME IT COMES A BLACK YOUTH, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE, THE YOUNG COMMUNITY CENTER.
WELL, THERE'S A WHOLE, THERE'S ALL DING GAMUT OF YOUTH OUT THERE AND THERE'S THERE THERE'S NEVER TOO MANY PROGRAMS TO HELP OUR YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS.
AND I WOULD LOVE TO DO A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE, UM, TOWN AND JERRY AND TERRANCE ALREADY UNDERSTAND WHAT I, I MET WITH THEM AND THEY LIKE IT, BUT THEY TALK ABOUT MONEY, WHICH PEOPLE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT.
AND I THINK THAT, UM, THIS WOULD BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL OF US.
IT'S, UM, I REALLY, REALLY LIKE THE PROPOSAL.
CAN I ASK YOU A QUESTION? DO YOU ALREADY HAVE IDENTIFIED A GROUP OF STUDENTS THAT WOULD BE READY AND BE ABLE TO ENTER TO THE PROGRAM? YES.
THEY HELPED ME OUT WITH THE ALL LIVES CARE MATTER.
I MEANT TO, UM, SEND SOME PICTURES TO GARRETT SO HE COULD POST 'EM UP.
I GOT ABOUT 20 KIDS THAT EVERY SAY THEY SEE ME BECAUSE THEY WALK UP AND DOWN THE STREET.
THIS NOT TO SAY THAT THE, THE UM, THERE, THE YOUNG COMMUNITY CENTER'S NOT DOING NOTHING, BUT THERE'S A CERTAIN AREA OF KIDS WHO'S NOT BEING SERVICED TO.
AND I THINK THAT WITH, WITH MY HELP AND WORKING WITH THE PARKS AND REC AND WORKING WITH THE THEORY YOUNG COMMUNITY CENTER, WE COULD CAPTURE ALL.
AND, UM, SO I DO HAVE ALREADY LIKE, ABOUT 20 KIDS WHO'S READY AND CAN'T WAIT TO BE A PART OF IT.
AND, UM, I TALKED TO, AND I, WHEN I TALKED TO JERRY AND JOE, THEY GOT PLENTY OF PICTURES OF THE SUCCESS THAT I HAVE DONE.
AND THEY, THEY, THEY, THEY BOTH LIKE IT.
UM, COMMISSIONER JACKSON AND BARNES, THEY BOTH LOVE IT.
AND I TALKED TO THE WINSTON ABOUT IT TOO, AND SHE, AND SHE LIKED IT.
WOULD YOU PROVIDE US WITH, UM, LIKE, UH, REPORTING ON THE SUCCESSES AND WHAT THEY'VE, WHAT THEY'VE DONE, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, OBSTACLES, UM, IF WE INCLUDE FUNDING IN THE BUDGET FOR THIS, YES, I WILL.
AND, UM, I DON'T CALL THEM CHILDREN, UM, AT RISK, I CALL 'EM CHILDREN WITH POSSIBILITIES BECAUSE I'M ONE OF THEM.
AND IT SHOWS THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY LIKE DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH THAT THEY LOOKING AND, AND IT IS BORDERLINE IF THEY WALK UP AND DOWN AND NOBODY'S, THEY COULD EASILY GET CAUGHT UP IN GANG TEEN PREGNANCY AND SO ON AND SO FORTH.
AND I ALSO WOULD BRING SPEAKERS IN.
UM, GARY, NO, I GOT THE CARPENTRY UNION WHO'D WANNA WORK WITH ME.
LEWIS SANCHEZ, HE'S ELECTRICIAN AND THEY GOT THE UNION OVER THERE ON BLOOMINGDALE.
[01:00:01]
HE'D BE WILLING TO BRING PEOPLE IN TO TALK TO THE YOUTH.I HAVE SOMEBODY TO DO, UM, FINANCIAL, UM, LITERACY, WHICH IS MAJOR BECAUSE WE DON'T TEACH OUR KIDS HOW TO BUDGET THAT MONEY AND HOW TO GET GOOD CREDITS, ALL THESE THINGS FOR HELP.
AND THEY HAVE A SECTION THREE THAT SAY THAT SUPPOSED TO BE A COMMITMENT WITH GIVING LOCAL PEOPLE WORK AND THE DEVELOPMENT.
AND I THINK WE MISSED THE WALL AND DROPPED IT WHEN THE SENIOR CITIZEN COMPLEXES GETTING BUILT UP AND NOBODY FROM THE COMMUNITY GOT ANY WORK OR APPRENTICESHIP.
AND THEY ALSO HAVING THE SCATTER SITES, ALL THESE LOCATIONS THAT WE COULD HAVE YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS.
'CAUSE KIDS WANT JOBS WHEN THEY 15, 16.
THEY WANT TO MAKE MONEY AND WHAT'S BETTER? PEOPLE PUSH EDUCATION.
I'M PUSHING TRADES AND I GOT PEOPLE WHO'S WILLING TO TRAIN THE, UM, YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS.
YOU SAID YOU SPOKE TO WINSOME.
DID SHE IDENTIFY ANY GRANT OPPORTUNITIES, UH, FOR FUNDING? WELL, SHE WAS ASKED, SHE WAS SAYING THAT MR. FINER, UM, SHE, SHE WAS LOOKING AND SHE, SHE TOLD ME SHE WAS GONNA TALK TO, UM, JERRY AND, AND TERRANCE.
BUT YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY GOT THEIR BUDGET AND I WAS HOPING MR. FINER COULD PUT IT INTO THE BUDGET THIS YEAR BEFORE HE DO IT OCTOBER 31ST.
AND THEN ONCE IT'S IN THERE, I'D LEAST SHOW A PALLET PROGRAM TO SHOW THAT IT'S NEEDED AND THAT IT'S WANTED, AND THEN WE COULD GO ON FROM THERE.
IS, UH, THE COUNTY GONNA CONTRIBUTE ANY, AS WINSTON LOOKING TO FIND MONEY? IS THE COUNTY, UH, YOU MENTIONED A WHILE BACK THAT THE COUNTY WOULD CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS THIS.
HAVE YOU, UH, GOTTEN ANY COMMITMENTS FROM THE COUNTY OR ARE YOU ASKING THE TOWN TO CONTRIBUTE THE WHOLE THING? WELL, I'M ASKING Y'ALL TO, TO CONTRIBUTE WITH YOUR, I WOULD LIKE Y'ALL CONTRIBUTE.
I'M MEETING, UM, COUNTY EXECUTIVE GEORGE LAMER SATURDAY MORNING, AND I'M BRINGING IT UP TO HIM AGAIN AND WE MEETING, BUT I'M HOPING THAT THIS IS IN GREENBERG AND THAT THE TOWN BOARD AND, AND THE OTHER DEPARTMENT WILL WANT TO, WILL WANT TO DO THIS EVEN IF MR. LAIR DON'T DO IT.
BUT I'M HOPING THAT IT IS LIKE ABOUT 80% THAT HE WILL HAVE YOU SPOKEN TO ASK A QUESTION? JUST ACTUALLY THIS IS, THIS IS TO THE WO TO PAUL, THE ZUCKERBERG PROGRAM.
HOW DO WE FUND THAT? THEY DON'T FUND, I SAID, HOW DID WE FUND IT? THE PROGRAM, UH, THE ZUCKERBERG, UH, WE BASICALLY HAD ONCE SOME SHE CONTRIBUTED TOWARDS, UH, YOU KNOW, TOWARDS THE PHILANTHROPY DEPARTMENT CAME UP WITH SOME FUNDS.
ZUCKERBERG PROGRAM WAS A GRANT.
BUT YOU KNOW, WHAT I'M WONDERING IS, UH, WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO, UM, UM, YOU KNOW, SPEAK WITH, UM, MAYBE ALFREDA WILLIAMS AND, YOU KNOW, SEE ALSO, AND SEE IF THE COUNTY WOULD, YOU KNOW, WOULD LIKE PARTNER WITH US? UH, BECAUSE THEY MAY HAVE SOME, YOU KNOW, SOME PROGRAMS THROUGH THEIR, UH, YOUTH OFFICES AND JOB DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS AND, YOU KNOW, MAYBE, UM, IF YOU'D LET THEM KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, THE TOWN WOULD CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS IT, UH, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THEY WOULD, YOU KNOW, I WOULD THINK THAT THERE'S A, A DECENT CHANCE THAT THEY WOULD EITHER COME THROUGH.
WE COULD ALSO BE ASKING FOR C WELL, C D B G.
IT'S PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, TOO LATE, YOU KNOW, FOR THAT.
BUT, YOU KNOW, I, I WOULD THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, IF WE WORK WITH THE COUNTY, WE COULD PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, MAKE THIS HAPPEN.
YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA AND I THINK THAT IT, YOU KNOW, I THINK YOU'RE, YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN, UH, CREATIVE AND COME UP WITH GOOD INITIATIVES AND, YOU KNOW, I FEEL THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, ANYTHING THAT WE COULD DO THAT COULD HELP, UH, HELP PEOPLE, YOUNG PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, ACHIEVE THEIR DREAMS IS SOMETHING I THINK THAT'S A GOOD INVESTMENT.
HEY, CLIFF, IN ADVANCE OF THIS, IN ADVANCE OF THIS MEETING, I'VE ALREADY REACHED OUT TO WINSOME AND ASKED HER JUST TO SEE WHAT GRANTS ARE.
SOME POSSIBILITIES ARE OUT THERE.
SO I KNOW SHE'S, AS SOON AS AFTER THIS MEETING, I'LL, I'LL MAKE SURE I GO BACK TO HER.
BUT I'VE ALREADY REACHED OUT TO HER AND SPOKE TO HER ABOUT IT.
BUT I WOULD, I WOULD DEFINITELY LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE TOWN TO TAKE A HARD LOOK AND, AND, AND THE BEST, AND I'M NOT ASKING FOR THAT MUCH MONEY.
AND I GAVE EVERYBODY THE, UM, PROPOSAL.
YOU SEE, IT'S NOT REALLY THAT MUCH MONEY.
AND IF I, WHEN I DO MEET WITH COUNTY EXECUTIVES ON GEORGE LAIR, I'M HOPING THAT IT COULD GO A COUPLE OF YEARS.
THAT THEY COULD TAKE A YEAR AND THE TOWN TAKE A YEAR SO WE COULD MAKE THIS WORK
[01:05:01]
BECAUSE THE YOUTH IS WALKING UP AND DOWN AND IT IS HANGING OUT AND THEY COME TO ME AND THEY LIKE SAYING, HEY, WHEN, WHEN YOU GOING TO BRING THE PROGRAM? YOU TOLD YOU WAS GONNA BRING ME? I TOLD 'EM, HEY, BE PATIENT.YOU KNOW, BUT HOW PATIENT CAN KIDS BE? BECAUSE, UM, ANOTHER THING I WAS LOOKING AT, UM, THE MULTIPURPOSE PLACE, UM, CENTER UP AT PARKS AND REC, BECAUSE THEY DON'T REALLY, UM, I COULD PROBABLY GO IN EARLIER WITH THE KIDS TO GET 'EM HOME.
'CAUSE I KNOW THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY RESOURCE AT THE 30, THE YOUNG COMMUNITY CENTER HAVE A LOT OF PROGRAMS AND THE SPACE IS, IT AIN'T TOO MUCH AVAILABLE.
AND THAT'S WHY I SAID A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE THREE OF US WOULD BE BEAUTIFUL.
CAN I MAKE A SUGGESTION, YOU KNOW, TO THE BOARD AND YOU CAN TELL ME IF YOU THINK THIS IS REASONABLE OR NOT.
LET'S SAY I PUT IN THE BUDGET, UM, YOU KNOW, 15, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE BETWEEN NOW AND END OF THE YEAR.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I'VE INDICATED I'M GONNA COME IN WITH A BUDGET WITH A 0% TAX INCREASE.
SO, YOU KNOW, SO THAT'S, YOU KNOW, SO TOUGH WHAT I PUT IN 15,000.
AND THEN BETWEEN NOW AND END OF THE YEAR WHEN WE, YOU KNOW, APPROVE THE BUDGET, WE COULD WORK TO SEE IF WE COULD GET GRANTS.
UH, WE COULD WORK WITH WINSOME AND WE COULD ALSO WORK, UH, TO SEE IF MAYBE THE COUNTY WOULD COME UP WITH FUNDING.
AND THEN WE'LL SEE WHERE WE ARE.
YOU KNOW, IN DECEMBER, THE BOARD COULD ALWAYS MODIFY THE, YOU KNOW, THE BUDGET IF WE'RE NOT SUCCESSFUL.
BUT THIS WAY I'M SHOWING THIS WAY, CLIFF COULD GO TO THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE AND TO ALFREDA WILLIAMS AND SAY, LISTEN, WE ALREADY GOT A COMMITMENT FROM THE TOWN FOR HALF OF THIS.
YOU KNOW, COULD YOU CUT? YEAH.
AND THE DOLLAR AMOUNT, WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, A BILLION DOLLAR BUDGET WITH THE COUNTY IS NOT, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, IT IS NOT A LOT.
BUT I THINK THAT IF, IF WE SAY WE WANT TO DO THIS TOGETHER, YOU KNOW, AND, AND THE TOWN IS, YOU KNOW, SOMEWHAT COMMITTED TO THIS, IS COMMITTED TO THE, THE CONCEPT, I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD HAVE A, A CHANCE OF GETTING FUND, YOU KNOW, FUNDS.
AND THEN I COULD ALSO SPEAK TO ONE, WE, WE COULD SPEAK TO WINSOME AND SEE IF SHE COULD GET, IF THE PHILANTHROPY OFFICE COULD, YOU KNOW, HELP COME UP WITH, YOU KNOW, THE REST ALSO.
I MEAN, WOULD THAT MAKE SENSE? I MEAN, DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY CLIFF? COULD YOU, COULD YOU CLARIFY? IT SAYS THAT THE $30,000 COVERS 34 WEEKS, BUT IT LISTS THAT THE PROGRAM RUNS FROM JANUARY 1ST TO MAY 31ST, WHICH IS 20 WEEKS.
BUT WHEN WE, WHEN I FIRST WROTE THIS, UM, MR. LAIR, THEY WAS GONNA GIVE ME SOME COVID MONEY, AND THEN ONCE THEY GOT, THEN IT ENDED UP, THEN I SAID I COULD GO FROM JANUARY.
'CAUSE I ORIGINALLY WAS GOING TO DO IT, UM, NOVEMBER ON.
MORE TECHNICALLY THAT, THAT'S WHY IT GOT BOUGHT.
BECAUSE I ALREADY HAD THE PROPOSAL WRITTEN UP AND THAT'S HOW IT WAS MORE TECHNICALLY, I SHOULD HAVE SAID FIVE MONTHS AS OPPOSED TO 20 WEEKS.
BUT, 'CAUSE IT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN 20 WEEKS.
BUT IS THAT, IS THAT THE IDEA? IT'S JANUARY ONE TO MAY 31ST.
BECAUSE USUALLY SUMMERTIME KIDS WAS INVOLVED IN A WHOLE LOT OF PROGRAMS, RIGHT? MM-HMM.
WHEN I, YOU KNOW, TELL UM, ROBERTA WHERE TO PUT THE MONEY.
WHY DON'T YOU CHECK FOR THE COMMISSIONERS, RIGHT? YEAH.
HAVE A DISCUSSION WITH THEM FIRST.
WHY DON'T YOU, WHY DON'T WE HAVE A DISCUSSION WITH THEM? RIGHT.
ALSO, THIS HAS TO BE, WE'RE ASKING FOR THIS TO BE, UH, ALLOCATED A DESIGNATED, YOU KNOW, PROGRAM.
SO IF WE PUT THE FUNDS IN THIS, AND WE BASICALLY WANT CLIFF TO BE THE ADMINISTRATOR OF IT, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S NOT REALLY A COMMUNITY CENTER.
IT'S NOT REALLY A PARKS PROGRAM BECAUSE HE'S RUNNING THIS AND WE'RE BASICALLY, BUT IT'S GOING BE, HE'S, HE'S ASKING FOR DISASTER TO UNDER THE AUSPICES OF BOTH DEPARTMENTS.
DEPARTMENTS, RIGHT? YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I'M LOOKING THE DOOR.
WHICH, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT? WE'RE GOOD.
WHAT DO YOU KNOW? WELL, AND HERE'S MR. JACKSON.
READY? ACTUALLY, WE'RE ACTUALLY HAVING A CON COME ON IN.
YOU GUYS CAME AT THE RIGHT TIME.
SO WE'RE HAVING, SO CLIFF ABRAMS. CLIFF ABRAMS IS ON THE LINE YET.
HAVE YOU SEEN, HAVE YOU SEEN HIS PROPOSAL? I HAVE SEEN HIS PROPOSAL.
THE CONCEPT IS ACTUALLY, UH, AN INTERESTING CONCEPT.
IT'S GOING AFTER IN, IN A GROUP THAT HE SAYS, AND I CAN AGREE, HAS MAYBE NOT FELT WELCOME, IF THAT'S THE RIGHT WAY TO SAY IT OR NOT, WILLING TO PUT THROUGH THE PROPER PAPERWORK SO THEY CAN COME FOR FREE AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
[01:10:01]
HE HAS A POSSIBILITY OF REACHING A GROUP THAT WE'VE HAD SOME DIFFICULTY WITH.WE CONTINUE TO WANT TO TRY AND DO THAT.
BUT IF THAT'S THE FACT, THAT'S THE FACT.
UM, THE PROGRAMS THAT HE'S OFFERING ARE PROGRAMS THAT ARE, UH, CURRENTLY HAPPENING.
UM, SPECIFICALLY ONE, THE TEEN LOUNGE THAT YOU ALL ATTENDED, WHEN WE GOT THE GRANT FOR THAT AND ALL THAT, IT STARTED IN OCTOBER AND THEN WAS GROWING AND ENDED 'CAUSE OF COVID.
AND WE'RE LOOKING TO BRING THAT BACK AS SOON AS POSSIBLE WITH SOME NEW, UH, DIFFERENT TYPE OF PROGRAMMING AND ALL.
BUT IT'S ALSO THE PIECE THAT WE FIGHT WITH THAT.
UM, THE KIDS DON'T WANT SO MUCH STRUCTURE,
THEY WANT TO BE ABLE JUST TO DO WHAT THEY WANT TO DO.
AND KIDS WANNA DO THAT SO MUCH MORE.
YOU KNOW, THEY WANNA TURN THE LIGHTS OFF, PLAY WITH THEIR PHONES AND, AND KIND OF DO NOTHING.
AND I'M UNDERSTANDING THAT, THAT THERE, THERE'S TIME FOR THAT.
YOU KNOW, THEY DO NEED TO HAVE THAT KIND OF TIME, BUT THERE ALSO IS TIME THAT IT'S A DIFFERENT TYPE OF LEARNING AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE FOR.
THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE'VE GOTTA DO.
SO IT'S, IT'S BALANCING ALL OF THAT.
DO YOU THINK THERE'S A GRANT FUNDING THAT? REAL PLEASE.
UM, I DON'T THINK KIDS IS LOOKING AT, TO TURN LIGHTS ON AND OFF AND JUST ACT SILLY.
THEY'RE LOOKING FOR STRUCTURE, BUT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR STRUCTURE THAT INTEREST TO THEM.
SOMETIMES WE WANT THEM TO COME WHERE WE THINK THEY ARE INSTEAD OF COMING WHERE THEY AT TO BRING 'EM WHERE WE ARE.
AND THEY, IT IS ALL TYPE OF PROGRAM AND IT IS DIFFERENT, UM, SCHEMES.
'CAUSE THE FIRST THING KIDS WANT IS TRUST.
AND YOU HAVE TO GET THEIR TRUST.
SO EVERYBODY JUST DON'T COME AND EVERYBODY AIN'T FOCUSED.
THEY, THEY TEENAGERS, YOU KNOW, AND THEY, AND I HAD SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMS AND JERRY AND JOE VOUCHED FOR ME AND MR. FINER THAT, UH, WE HAD THE YOUTH EMPOWERMENT.
THEY HAD TO DO A VOCABULARY WORD THAT WERE JUST DUES TO BE A MEMBER.
THEN THEY HAD TO PUT IT IN A SENTENCE.
AND WE HAD OVER 30 SOMETHING KIDS COMING ON A REGULAR BASIS.
SO THEY LOOKING FOR STRUCTURE, THEY LOOKING FOR TO BE CHALLENGED AND WE DON'T NEED TO SET THE BAR SO LOW WINDOW.
THERE ARE THOSE THAT ARE LOOKING TO BE CHALLENGED AT ALL.
AND THOSE ARE THE ONES WE'RE GETTING AT THE MOMENT.
THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT ARE PUSHING FOR, THOSE ARE THE ONES ON OUR COMMISSIONER'S, YOUTH COUNCIL, THOSE IN THAT TEEN YOUTH PROGRAM, WE WERE ACTUALLY TRYING TO LET THEM BUILD IT.
WE DID NOT WANT TO GET INVOLVED TOO MUCH.
SAY, WHAT DO YOU ALL WANT? YOU ALL BUILD IT.
WE'RE JUST HERE TO GUIDE AND GIVE ASSISTANCE WHEN YOU ASKED FOR.
SO, SO I, I'M IN AGREEMENT WITH YOU ON THAT.
I, BUT, BUT WHAT, WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY IS THAT, UM, THEY, THEY ARE HERE, THEY ARE LOOKING MM-HMM.
I'M NOT SAYING THAT THE, THE, I DON'T WANT THE SENATOR TO THINK I'M TALKING ABOUT.
I'M NOT SAYING Y'ALL DON'T DO GREAT WORK.
BUT THERE ARE, BUT TRUTH IS TRUE.
THERE'S A BUNCH OF KIDS THAT DON'T FEEL WELCOME.
AND I TOLD YOU THAT THE OTHER DAY WE WAS TALKING.
'CAUSE I FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE GOING IN THERE SOMETIMES.
SO I CAN ONLY IMAGINE HOW THE YOUTH WITH WHOSE POSSIBILITIES, HOW THEY CAN FEEL AND THEY COME TO ME.
AND IF WE WANT TO HAVE A DISCUSSION AND HAVE AN OPEN SESSION AND LET THEM SHARE HOW THEY FEEL, I'M WILLING FOR THAT TOO.
I DEFINITELY, IT'S NOT TO SAY THAT THIS IS NOT DOING NOTHING.
SO I DON'T WANT YOU TO THINK THAT I DON'T NO, YOU DIDN'T, YOU DEFINITELY DIDN'T SAY THAT.
ONE THING I WOULD ASK AND, AND AN OPEN FORUM LIKE THAT, IF WE CAN GET THOSE KIDS TO COME IN AND, AND DO THAT, I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THAT.
I I AM NOT ONE TO SAY THAT, UM, I I'M A BED OF ROSES AND I DON'T STINK
BUT ONE QUESTION I ASK, WHAT ARE, ARE THESE KIDS ALSO POSSI POSSIBLY CONNECTED TO THE HOUSING AUTHORITY PROGRAMS? DO THEY JOIN THOSE PROGRAMS AS WELL? WELL, THE HOUSING AUTHORITY DON'T HAVE NO PROGRAMS RIGHT NOW.
THEY HAD THAT, THIS LET ME SHARE.
THEY HAD A, THEY HAD A DROP-IN CENTER AND THAT PROGRAM, THE DROP-IN CENTER, THEY STARTED THAT.
AND I CALLED IT READ AND REC WHEN THEY CAME IN AND THEY HAD TO READ FOR A HALF HOUR, THEN THEY COULD GO IN THE COMPUTER LAB.
AND THEY HAVEN'T BEEN WITH A PROGRAM WITH THE, UM, HOUSING AUTHORITY IN ALMOST A YEAR NOW.
AND I STARTED THAT PROGRAM UP AT THE HOUSING AUTHORITY IN 1991.
WELL, WITH COVID, EVERYBODY'S KIND OF BEEN PUSHED OFF AND SLOW DOWN ALL CLIFF.
WELL, CLIFF, CLIFF, CLIFF, I JUST WANT TO SAY, I THINK WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE AND WE GOTTA MOVE ON.
AND I, AND YOU KNOW, I THINK, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A COMMITMENT ON THE PART OF THE SUPERVISOR AND I'M WILLING FOR THAT, BUT I DON'T WANT JACKSON
[01:15:01]
TO SAY BECAUSE UP AT THE HOUSING AUTHORITY, YOU KNOW, YOU NEED TO TAKE A WALK ONCE IN A WHILE UP THERE AND SEE WHAT'S GOING ON.AND THIS IS BEFORE COVID AND THE AGE I'M GOING AFTER, THEY DEAL WITH KIDS MORE SEVEN YEARS OLD THAN 12.
WELL, LET'S SAY I PUT, WHAT I, I'D LIKE TO DO IS I'D LIKE TO PUT 15,000, YOU KNOW, IN THE BUDGET, WHICH IS HALF.
AND THEN BETWEEN NOW AND DECEMBER, WE WILL SEE IF WE COULD IDENTIFY, YOU KNOW, 15,000 FOR THE, THE REST, WHICH COULD BE THROUGH S OR THROUGH THE COUNTY OR WHATEVER.
AND I'M SORRY, THIS 15,000 IS GOING WHERE AND FOR WHAT WELL, THEY'RE GONNA HAVE A DISCUSSION WITH YOU AND JERRY AS TO WHERE IT GO, WHERE TO PUT IT.
ADDITIONAL, AND I, I WOULD SAY CLIFF HAD VERY COMPLIMENTARY THINGS TO SAY ABOUT BOTH YOUR PROGRAM AND JERRY'S PROGRAM.
AND WE'VE BEEN AT THIS FOR A WHILE.
I KNOW THAT THE BOARD MEMBERS WANNA MOVE ON.
SO, CLIFF, LET ME JUST ASK, IF I PUT IT IN THE BUDGET, YOU KNOW, WOULD WANNA PUT IT LIKE AS A DESIGNATED, UH, YOU KNOW, DESIGNATED PROGRAM.
SO I WOULD, YOU KNOW, I'D PUT A LINE ITEM SAYING COMMUNITY WITHOUT WALLS.
THEN LET'S SAY TO ROBERTA, YEAH, IF THAT'S OKAY.
SO WHY DON'T I DO THAT? AND THEN MEANWHILE, WHY DON'T YOU SPEAK TO ALFREDA AND GEORGE LATIMER AND SAY YOU HAVE LIKE HALF OF IT.
AND THEN WE'LL SEE BETWEEN NOW AND THE BUDGET TIME WHEN WE HAVE TO APPROVE THE BUDGET IF, UH, WE COULD COME UP WITH THE WHOLE PACKAGE.
BUT, YOU KNOW, I I, I DEFINITELY WOULD WANT TO HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, LIKE PERIODIC REPORTING AND KNOW HOW MANY PARTICIPANTS, UH, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE GONNA BE DOING THESE PROGRAMS, I REALLY WANT TO SHOW PEOPLE THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT YOU KNOW, WAS SUCCESSFUL AND THERE WAS MONITORING AND UM, YOU KNOW, THE SUCCESSES AND THE FAILURES, EVEN IF NOT, NOT EVERY STUDENT, NOT EVERY PERSON WHO PARTICIPATES IS GONNA WORK OUT.
SO IF YOU COULD IDENTIFY WHY YOU THINK FOR SOME PEOPLE IT'S NOT WORKING, THAT ALSO IS INFORMATION THAT I THINK IS BENEFICIAL.
SO WE DON'T EXPECT EVERYTHING TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
CLIFF, HOW ARE YOU MAN, IT'S DAVE, REGINA.
UM, AND, AND PAUL, JUST TO ASK A QUESTION HERE, $15,000 BEING ADDED TO THE BUDGET WILL BE ADDED.
IS CLIFF AN EMPLOYEE OF THE TOWN IN GREEN? UH, AN EMPLOYEE OF THE TOWN IN GREENBURG WHEN IT COMES TO LEGALITIES? THIS IS, THIS IS A CONTRACT.
THIS WOULD BE A CONTRACTUAL, ISN'T THIS A CONTRACTUAL, YOU KNOW, PROGRAM, TIM? IT'S NOT.
I THINK WE ING HAVE TO DISCUSS THAT.
LOGISTICS NEED TO BE WORKED OUT.
WE'LL WORK IT OUT BECAUSE WORK, THIS IS A PILOT.
THIS IS NOT AN ALL ONGOING, IT'S A PILOT.
SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, SO IF HE STARTS IT, THEN HE CAN, YOU KNOW, THEN AFTER THAT WE CAN SEE HOW IT GOES.
AND UH, WE'LL BE BACK IN TOUCH.
SO SURPRISED WE'RE AGREEING THAT HE
YEAH, WE JUST, WE'RE JUST WRAPPING UP.
I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND I APPRECIATE Y'ALL EVEN TAKING CONSIDERATION FOR US.
SO NEXT, UM, WE HAVE AN EXECUTIVE SESSION.
UM, TO DISCUSS, UM, PERSONNEL ISSUES INVOLVING PARTICULAR PEOPLE AND FOR LEGAL ADVICE.
ARE YOU MAKING A MOTION? YEAH, I MAKE THE MOTION.
[01:35:39]
SO[01:35:39]
THAT'S,[01:35:50]
SO[01:35:50]
WE READY?SO WELCOME TO OUR TOWN BOARD MEETING.
TODAY'S OCTOBER 19TH AFTER FOUR 30, AND WE'RE GONNA START WITH OUR OPEN MEETING.
AND WE'RE, UM, GONNA HEAR FROM SAM'S CLUB, UM, CHELSEA PENN, DAN GROSS, AND JERE, JEREMIAH, KEN RIVER.
WELL THANK YOU FOR, UM, FOR ALLOWING US THE OPPORTUNITY TO, UM, LAST TIME WE WERE HERE IN FRONT OF THE BOARD IN PHYSICALLY WAS MARCH 11TH OF, UH, 2020.
BASICALLY EVERYTHING KIND OF STOPPED AND SHUT DOWN.
BUT LET ME PLEASE INTRODUCE MYSELF.
I'M COUNSEL OF SAM'S REAL ESTATE BUSINESS TRUST.
I'M HERE TODAY WITH CHELSEA PENN, SENIOR MANAGER FOR REAL ESTATE, AS WELL AS DAN GROSS, WHO'S THE SENIOR DIRECTOR OF FUEL OPERATIONS.
AND IT'S GREAT TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE BACK BEFORE YOU TODAY TO DISCUSS THIS PROPOSAL.
TO REFRESH YOUR RECOLLECTION, SAM'S CLUB SEEKS TO LOCATE AN AUTOMOTIVE FUEL STATION AT A PORTION OF ITS PROPERTY AT 3 3 3 SAW MILL RIVER ROAD.
THE PROJECT INCLUDES THE CONSTRUCTION OF EIGHT NEW GAS PUMPS AT THE EASTERN PORTION OF THE PROPERTY, AND THE RECONFIGURATION OF THE PARKING LOT TO ALTER EXISTING TRAVEL LANES STRIPING AND TOTAL NUMBER OF SPACES.
WE EXPECT A VERY QUICK CONSTRUCTION TIMEFRAME OF THREE TO FOUR MONTHS START TO FINISH THE APPLICATION.
THAT'S BEFORE THE BOARD IS FOR A TOWN.
UH, EXCUSE ME, A ZONING TEXT AMENDMENT TO SECTION 2 85 28 OF THE ZONING ORDINANCE TO PERMIT AUTOMOTIVE FUEL STATIONS BY SPECIAL PERMIT IN THE DSS DISTRICT.
IF APPROVED, WE WOULD APPLY FOR BOTH THE SPECIAL PERMIT UNDER THE NEW TEXT AND A VARIANCE FROM THE Z B A FOR VARIATIONS FROM THE APPLICABLE PARKING REQUIREMENTS TO MAINTAIN 4.0 PARKING STANDARD.
I REMIND ALL OF YOU THAT OUR PROPOSAL RECEIVED THE UNANIMOUS APPROVAL OF THE PLANNING BOARD AND WE MAINTAIN AN EXTREMELY COLLEGIAL AND RESPONSIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PLANNING BOARD EACH AND EVERY TIME THE PLANNING BOARD ASKS US TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL ANALYSIS OR RECOMMEND THAT WE HIRE A LOCAL ENGINEER, WE READILY DO DID SO EVERY TIME THE PLANNING BOARD REQUESTED THAT WE CONSIDER CHANGES TO OUR PROJECT, WE AGREED, INCLUDING MODIFICATIONS TO OUR SITE PLAN TO BE CAPABLE OF PROVIDING ELECTRICAL VEHICLE CHARGING STATION FOR BOTH THE BENEFIT OF OUR MEMBERS AND TOWN RESIDENTS.
IN ADDITION TO BEING RESPONSIVE TO BEING RESPONSIVE TO THE PLANNING BOARD, WE'VE BEEN RESPONSIVE TO THIS TOWN BOARD.
EACH TIME YOU AND YOUR COUNSEL HAS ASKED US TO PROVIDE YOU WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR SUBSTANTIVE ANALYSIS, WE'VE READILY DONE SO INCLUDING OUR DETAILED RESPONSE EXPLAINING WHY THE CLAIMS OF THE OPPOSING GAS STATION OWNERS AND OPERATORS WERE UNSUBSTANTIATED.
WHEN WE FIRST DOCUMENTED GAS PRICES IN OCTOBER OF 2020, THE CHEAPEST GAS THAT WAS AVAILABLE AT THE NEW WAS AT THE NEW EXXON STATION AT $2 AND 5 CENTS A GALLON.
AS OF YESTERDAY, LESS THAN A YEAR LATER, THE PRICE FOR A REGULAR GALLON OF GAS AT EXXON INCREASED A STAGGERING 60% TO $3 AND 29 CENTS A GALLON.
AND THAT'S NOT EVEN THE HIGHEST PRICE FOR GAS IN THIS COMMUNITY.
MOBILE RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM OUR SITE IS CHARGING 360 7 A GALLON.
IN MY OPINION, OUR MEMBERS, YOUR CONSTITUENTS WHO OVERWHELMINGLY SUPPORT OUR PROPOSAL OF BEING GOUGED AT THE GAS PUMPS AND HAVE NOT BEEN AFFORDED THE LEVEL OF HEALTHY BUSINESS COMPETITION THAT SAM'S CLUB HAS BEEN SEEKING TO PROVIDE SINCE WE FIRST SUBMITTED OUR APPLICATION.
SAM'S CLUB VALUES ITS GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH THE TOWN AND WE TRULY HOPE
[01:40:01]
OUR RELATIONSHIP WILL BE LONGSTANDING.CLUB PLAYS A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN THIS COMMUNITY ECONOMICALLY IN TERMS OF JOBS AND TAXES, BOTH REAL ESTATE AND SALES TAX.
THE IMPORTANCE OF PROVIDING GAS AT DISLOCATION GAS IS SO CRITICAL TO OUR BUSINESS MODEL.
WE HAVE NOT BUILT A NEW CLUB WITHOUT GAS FOR OVER 15 YEARS.
IN FACT, 87% OF OUR CLUBS OFFER GAS TO ITS MEMBERS.
THE PROPOSAL IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO SAM'S CLUB.
AND IF THE TOWN BOARD VALUES HAVING SAM'S CLUB IN THIS COMMUNITY, THEN PLEASE MAKE THIS PROPOSAL IMPORTANT TO THE TOWN BOARD.
WE ARE RESPECTFULLY ASKING YOU TO CONSIDER THE SUBSTANTIVE MERITS OF THIS PROPOSAL AND RENDER A FAVORABLE DECISION ON THE MATTER.
AND IN THE EVENT HOWEVER, OF AN UNFAVORABLE DECISION BY THE TOWN BOARD, SAM'S CLUB WILL ENGAGE REAL ESTATE BROKERS TO PURSUE OTHER GAS ENABLED SITES WITHIN THIS STORE'S MARKET.
SO ARE YOU BASICALLY, UM, SUGGESTING THAT IF THE TOWN SAYS NO, THAT YOU WOULD THEN POSSIBLY CLOSE UP THE SAM'S CLUB OPERATION? WHAT WHAT I AM SUGGESTING IS THAT I'M OUTRIGHT NOT, I'M DOING MORE THAN SUGGEST, I'M OUTRIGHT SAYING HOW CRITICALLY IMPORTANT GUESS IS TO US AND OUR BUSINESS MODEL.
WE DON'T OPEN CLUBS AND HAVEN'T FOR A DECADE AND A HALF THAT DON'T HAVE GAS.
AND IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT FITS WITHIN OUR BUSINESS MODEL.
WE CAN'T COMPETE WITH THE OTHER SIMILAR SITUATED BIGS BOX STORES THAT HAVE GAS.
AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS SITE AND ALL THAT, WE DID ALL THE ENVIRONMENTAL DATA, ALL OF THE PROTECTIONS THAT WE PUT IN PLACE.
THIS IS STATE-OF-THE-ART IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD.
IT'S SUSTAINED HURRICANES, IT'S SUSTAINED TORNADOES.
UM, DAN IS HERE AND CAN SPEAK TO THE MERITS OF ALL OF THIS.
AND, AND THE ONLY OPPOSITION, WELL, I NEED TO BE CAREFUL BY SAYING ONLY OPPOSITION.
THERE WERE PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE THAT HAVE OPPOSED THIS AND, AND THERE WEREN'T VERY MANY OF THEM.
AND I'M NOT KIND TO TO TO BRUSH OVER THAT AT ALL.
THERE WERE SOME PEOPLE, BUT THE MAJORITY OF THE KIND OF COLLECTIVE OPPOSITION WERE FROM GAS STATION OWNERS.
AND WE LOOKED AT THAT AND WE PROVIDE DETAILED ANALYSIS OF WHAT IMPACT, SUPPOSEDLY, IF ANY, WE WE COULD HAVE OR MAY HAVE BASED ON OUR REAL NUMBERS FROM EXISTING CLUBS IN THE DRAW OF RESIDENCE FOR THOSE CLUBS FOR GAS.
AND IT WAS NEGLIGIBLE, MEANING PEOPLE WHO BUY GAS IN THIS, IN THIS COMMUNITY WILL CONTINUE TO BUY GAS IN IN THIS COMMUNITY, IN THIS, FROM THE SAME GAS STATIONS AT A A STAGGERING RATE DEPENDING ON WHETHER THEY'RE WITHIN ONE MILE, THREE MILES OR FIVE MILES FROM THE SITE.
AND IT'S ANYWHERE FROM, AND I DON'T WANNA GIVE YOU THE WRONG NUMBERS 'CAUSE I CAN FLIP TO IT, BUT IT'S ANYWHERE FROM LIKE 91% TO 99% DEPENDING ON HOW FAR OUT YOU GO.
WE'LL CONTINUE TO BUY GAS AT THOSE EXISTING GAS STATIONS BASED ON REAL WORLD EXAMPLES OF OUR STORES.
SO ONLY YOUR MEMBERS WILL BE ABLE TO ACCESS THIS GAS.
SO HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO BE A MEMBER? $50 A YEAR.
$50 A YEAR FOR OUR BASE AND THEN OUR PLUS MEMBERSHIP'S A HUNDRED MM-HMM.
SO YOU HAVE THE PLUS MEMBER AND THEN WHAT WE CALL SAVINGS MEMBERS.
ARE THERE, ARE THERE MEMBERSHIPS FOR PEOPLE WHO JUST WANT GAS OR YOU HAVE TO BE A MEMBER OF THAT? YOU HAVE TO BE A FULL MEMBER.
EITHER A SAVINGS OR A PLUS MEMBER.
AND, AND, UM, WOULD THE ELECTRIC CHARGING STATIONS, UM, UM, THE SAME, THE SAME THING WOULD APPLY TO THE ELECTRIC CHARGING STATIONS? YES.
AND, AND WOULD THEY, IF, YOU KNOW, WOULD THEY BE SUPERCHARGING STATIONS THAT FILLED YOU UP QUICKLY OR WOULD THEY BE I DON'T HANDLE THAT STRATEGY FOR THE COMPANY, BUT I DO, YOU KNOW, SIT, WE, WE ACTUALLY HAVE A, A BOARD, WE SIT ON THE BOARD OF THE, UH, EV, UM, FUELS INSTITUTE FOR MM-HMM.
AND THE ONLY THING WE HAVE PUT IN IS FAST CHARGERS.
SO THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, I, I DON'T, I'M GONNA SCREW UP THE SIGNS HERE, BUT THEY'RE LIKE 150 KW, 20 MINUTE FAST CHARGERS.
BUT THAT'S ALL WE'RE PUTTING IN TODAY.
SO YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO STAY IN SAM'S CLUB FOR FIVE HOURS? NO.
IT'S A 20 MINUTE TO GET WHAT, WHATEVER, 70, 80%.
BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS SOME, YOU KNOW, AND SOME OF THE OPPOSITION, I MEAN, JUST TO BE QUITE FRANK, SOME OF THE OPPOSITION WAS IN THE HEARING WAS THE EXXON OWNER SAYING WE WERE GONNA UNDERCUT ALL THE LOCAL GAS STATIONS.
[01:45:01]
THEY'RE 38 CENTS CHEAPER THAN THE MOBILE ACROSS THE STREET FROM US.WE'RE ACTUALLY IN MIDDLETOWN AT, AT 3 29 TODAY.
SO WE'RE GONNA BE, WE'RE GONNA BE COMPETITIVE, UH, BUT WE'RE NOT GONNA COME IN AND, AND BE COMPLETELY OUT OF THE MARKETPLACE.
WE HAVE TO, OBVIOUSLY, WE HAVE TO MAKE MONEY RETAILING IF, UH, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A SHAREHOLDER AND WE HAVE TO MAKE MONEY AS WELL.
SO IT'S NOT GONNA BE SOMETHING WE'RE GONNA COME IN AND, AND CUT THE, THE PRICES OUT.
UM, AND, AND DAN'S RIGHT, I MEAN, JUST TO AUGMENT THAT, THE NEW EXXON AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS, WHEN WE FIRST SURVEYED, 'CAUSE THEY WERE UNDER CONSTRUCTION, WAS UNDERCUTTING ONCE THEY OPENED, UNDERCUTTING THE EXISTING GAS STATIONS BY 58 CENTS A GALLON.
THEY'RE THE LOWEST IN THIS COMMUNITY.
AND THEY'RE CONSISTENTLY CUTTING UNDERCUTTING 38 CENTS, 34 CENTS, 40 CENTS, 58 CENTS MM-HMM.
AND THEY'RE THE ONLY, AND BY THE WAY, THEY'RE THE ONLY, THE ONLY GAS STATION IN THIS COMMUNITY THAT OFFERS THE SAME PRICE FOR CASH OR CREDIT CARD.
EVERYONE ELSE CHARGES 10 CENTS MORE A GALLON IF YOU USE A CREDIT CARD.
BUT WE'VE THOROUGHLY STU WE'VE THOROUGHLY STUDIED THE ISSUES AND WE CAN ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS OR PROVIDE, YOU KNOW, ANO MORE COPIES OF IT TO, TO TO TO YOU IF YOU, IF YOU, IF YOU WISH, WHAT'S THE TAXES THAT YOU'RE PAYING NOW TO THE TOWN? UM, SO IN OUR JULY 28TH CORRESPONDENCE, I BELIEVE THE TAXES WERE 520,000 PETITION IS ANNUAL REAL ESTATE PROP TAX OBLIGATIONS ARE 520,000.
AND WE ESTIMATED THAT OUR REAL ESTATE TAXES WOULD INCREASE BY APPROXIMATELY 55,000.
SO IT'S CLOSE TO, CLOSE TO 600,580, OR IF I'M DOING MY MATH RIGHT, 5 75, 5 80.
SO THE REAL RISK IS IF WE SAY NO TO THIS TOWN COULD LOSE $600,000 A YEAR AND IN REVENUE AND ABOUT 17% WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, TO THE TOWN.
I HAD ANOTHER QUESTION BECAUSE I REMEMBER, YOU KNOW, THE, HERE, THIS IS JUST A QUESTION.
IT'S NOT SAYING YOU HAVE TO AGREE OR DISAGREE, IT'S A CONCEPT.
THERE WERE, UM, THERE WERE A BUNCH OF GAS STATION, YOU KNOW, OWNERS WHO WERE, YOU KNOW, VERY PANICKY ABOUT THEIR BUSINESS.
WE DON'T WANNA LOSE THEM EITHER.
IS THERE ANY WAY THAT YOU COULD SAY, SIT DOWN WITH SOME OF THE, THE STATIONS AND THEY, YOU KNOW, MOST OF THEM HAVE, YOU KNOW, FOOD STORES OR SOMETHING AND MAYBE, MAYBE THERE'S THINGS WHERE THEY COULD, THE IMMEDIATE GAS STATIONS THAT WOULD BE MOST IMPACTED WOULD GET SAY, YOU KNOW, MAYBE SOME ADDITIONAL DISCOUNTS OR WHATEVER.
SO THIS WAY WE COULD SAY, IF WE APPROVE THIS, MAYBE WE COULD DO SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, FOR THEM SO THEY WON'T FEEL THAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE FORCING THEM, YOU KNOW, OUT OF, YOU KNOW, OUT OF, YOU KNOW, OUT OF BUSINESS.
I'M SAYING, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE A REASONABLE SUGGESTION? I WOULD TELL YOU PROBABLY MOST OF 'EM ARE PROBABLY SAM'S CLUB MEMBERS TODAY.
FROM A FOOD SERVICE PERSPECTIVE.
AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE DOING THAT TODAY.
IS THERE LIKE ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU COULD THINK OF? BECAUSE I, AGAIN, IT WOULD BE LIKE, TO ME, YOU KNOW, IT'S SO MUCH EASIER IF, YOU KNOW, WE BASICALLY COULD WALK AWAY AND SAY, OKAY, WE WANT TO HELP YOU.
AT THE SAME TIME, WE WANT THEM TO COME OUT MAYBE A LITTLE BIT AHEAD OF WHERE THEY ARE.
YOU KNOW, NOW, YOU KNOW, IT WOULD MAKE, IT WOULD MAKE THE, LIKE THE HEARINGS THAT WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, LESS CONTROVERSIAL AND YOU KNOW, AND MAYBE, UH, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE, BECAUSE AGAIN, I DON'T WANNA LOSE SAM'S CLUB.
I THINK THE, I THINK THE DIFFICULTY THERE, I MEAN, AND I, I MANAGE THE FUEL BUSINESS, SO I'M THE FUEL GUY.
I MEAN, I MANAGE IT NATIONWIDE FOR WALMART, SAM'S AND OUR LOGISTICS TEAMS. UM, I THINK WHEN YOU GET INTO THAT SCENARIO WHERE YOU WOULD BE DOING SPECIAL DEALS FOR SPECIAL MEMBERS, THAT'S GONNA BE KIND OF GETS INTO A, A GRAY AREA WITH THE CONFLICT OF INTEREST OR FAIR TRADE PRACTICES, ET CETERA.
SO I THINK, I CAN'T SPEAK TO THAT.
I KNOW THAT IN OUR GOVERNMENT RELATIONS WHEN WE DID THE SURVEY THAT WE, YOU KNOW, HAD HAD DISCUSSIONS WITH OUR MEMBERS, WE ACTUALLY HAD OUR GOVERNMENT RELATIONS FOLKS REACH OUT TO EACH OF THOSE FUEL STATIONS AND NONE OF THEM AGREED TO MEET WITH US.
THERE WAS, THERE WAS LIKE VERY LITTLE OR NO INTEREST TO, TO SIT ACROSS FROM THE TABLE AND HAVE THE DISCUSSIONS MM-HMM.
SO I THINK THAT, TO BE HONEST, THAT MIGHT BE FAIRLY DIFFICULT.
AND, AND I THINK, UH, AGAIN, TOO, WE WANT TO BE, WE WANT TO BE IN THIS COMMUNITY AND WE WANNA SERVE THIS COMMUNITY.
WE'D LOVE TO BE HERE 25 YEARS MORE.
I THINK THE CHALLENGE IS THIS ISN'T A, AND AND IT'S NOT A, I DON'T THINK IT'S A, A THREAT OR ANYTHING.
I THINK IT'S ONE OF THOSE SCENARIOS THAT IF YOU GUYS WERE IN THE SAME SITUATION
[01:50:01]
AS US AND YOU'VE GOT OUR TWO BIGGEST WHOLESALE BOX COMPETITORS THAT ARE IN THE AREA BOTH HAVE FUEL.THE ONLY ONE THAT DOESN'T WOULD BE COSTCO THAT'S IN YONKERS.
AND THAT ONE THAT CAME UP IN THE HEARING BY ONE TOWN MEMBER THAT SAID, WELL, YONKERS DOESN'T HAVE FUEL AT COSTCO.
I MEAN, THE FACT IS THAT'S A VERY SPECIAL BUILDING THAT'S A UPPER LOWER, UH, BUILD SPECIAL BUILD WITH HOME DEPOT, UH, BUILT ONTO THE COSTCO.
SO I DON'T THINK THAT'S A TRADITIONAL WHOLESALE BOX FROM HOW THEY DID THE DEVELOPMENT THERE.
UH, THEY JUST COULDN'T PHYSICALLY DO FUEL THERE.
'CAUSE THEY WERE DOING AN UPPER LOWER PARKING DECK WITH A, WITH A HOME DEPOT AND DOING A JOINT DEVELOPMENT THERE.
SO, BUT OUR, BOTH OF OUR, YOU KNOW, BOTH OF OUR BIGGEST COMPETITORS IN THIS AREA BOTH HAVE FUEL AND WE DON'T AND WHO, WHO ARE THEY AND HOW FAR AWAY ARE THEY? THAT'D BE COSTCO, BOTH COSTCO'S AND BJ'S.
YOU'VE GOT ONE RIGHT ACROSS THE BRIDGE HERE.
YOU'VE GOT A COSTCO WITH FUEL, UH, THEN THERE'S A BJ'S RIGHT UP THE, THE ROAD.
SO, AND WE, AND WE SHARE THE SAME MEMBER BASE.
AND SO YOU'RE SAYING THAT YOU'RE, THAT THE GAS THAT YOU WOULD SELL MIGHT NOT EVEN BE CHEAPER THAN THE GAS STATION, THE ADJACENT GAS STATIONS.
IS THAT WHAT I HEAR YOU SAYING? WELL, I'M NOT SAYING THAT.
I THINK WE, WE WILL PUT, I MEAN, PEOPLE PAY FOR A MEMBERSHIP AND THEY EXPECT VALUE WITH THE MEMBERSHIP.
I MEAN, WE'RE GONNA CREATE VALUE WITH THAT MEMBERSHIP AND WE'RE GONNA DRIVE ENGAGEMENT OF OUR MEMBERS WITH FUEL THE SAME AS THE MODEL WOULD ALLOW.
I JUST DON'T THINK YOU'RE NOT GONNA SEE US COME IN AND, AND GIVE UP MARGIN JUST TO BE, YOU KNOW, LOWER, YOU KNOW? RIGHT.
SO PEOPLE ARE PAYING THREE 30, YOURS MAY BE THREE 10 OR $3, BUT IT'S NOT GONNA BE 25.
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? IT'S NOT GONNA BE A DOLLAR NINE, I'LL TELL YOU.
I DON'T WANNA GET INTO SPECIFIC STRATEGIES, BUT I MEAN, USUALLY WE'RE A PENNY OR TWO CHEAPER THAN THE LOWEST IN THE MARKET.
UM, AND IT'S NOT, I MEAN, BUT THAT'S, THERE'S A LOT OF RULES.
UH, THERE'S A LOT OF REGULATION IN FUEL PRICING THROUGH, LET ME ASK GARRETT, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE PROCESS IF WE WANNA REOPEN THE HEARING? BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE, MAYBE THE PROCESS SHOULD BE, UM, YOU KNOW, TO, UH, AS MUCH AS HE'S GONE TO I I, I ASKED THE QUESTION OH YEAH.
BECAUSE MAYBE WE SHOULD JUST PUT IT ON THE AGENDA, SET A PUBLIC HEARING AND THEN, YOU KNOW, WE ORIGINALLY, WE, WHEN WE DELAYED THIS, WE SAID WE WERE GONNA PUT IT OFF BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC.
I JUST THINK IF ANYBODY'S IN THE SAME SHOES AS WE ARE, YOU'VE GOTTA MAKE, YOU'VE GOTTA USE ALL THE VARIABLES TO MAKE ANY BUSINESS DECISION YOU HAVE WITH WHAT YOU HAVE FROM A COMPETITION PERSPECTIVE AND WHAT, WHAT WE NEED TO, TO DO FOR OUR BUSINESS.
AND, AND I WOULD ALSO ENCOURAGE THE BOARD THAT THAT, JUST TO GO TO THE SUPERVISOR'S QUESTION ABOUT PRODUCTS, UM, THE, IT IS MY BELIEF BASED ON MY REVIEW OF PUBLIC RECORDS THAT YOU CAN ALL FIND ON THE INTERNET, THAT MANY OF THE MARKETS THAT ARE WITHIN THE GAS STATIONS IN PROXIMITY TO OUR SITE ARE EITHER OWNED OR CONTROLLED BY AFFILIATE ORGAN BY ONE AFFILIATE ORGANIZATION.
UM, AND SO THEY'RE REALLY NOT MOM AND POP STORES.
WHICH, WHICH AFFILIATION WOULD THAT BE? I I, I COULD WE EITHER BRING THE MICROPHONE CLOSER OR DON'T SAY THAT? NO, I, I, I, YOU KNOW, I, I DON'T WANT TO MISSPEAK.
BUT I THINK THAT IF YOU REALLY WANTED TO KIND OF LOOK INTO THE RELATIONSHIP OF WHO PROVIDES, WHO PROVIDES, UH, THINGS TO THE STORES AT THESE MARKETS, SOME OF THE GAS STATIONS IN YOUR COMMUNITY, YOU MIGHT WANNA LOOK INTO THE CHESTNUT GROUP.
UM, YOU MIGHT ALSO WANT TO FIND OUT, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THE CONVENIENCE STORES? YES.
THE CONVENIENCE STORES AND AS OPPOSED TO THE FUEL? WELL, I BELIEVE, I BELIEVE THAT THERE IS SOME AFFILIATED ORGANIZATION, BUT I'M NOT IN THEIR CORPORATE BOOKS AND YOU KNOW, AND, AND THAT'S NOT MY ISSUE.
BUT I BELIEVE THAT THERE MAY ALSO BE AN AFFILIATE ORGANIZATION SOMEHOW RELATED.
IT COULD BE A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT CORPORATION, BUT THERE MAY BE, UH, A GAS COMPONENT AS WELL.
AND SO, AGAIN, I'M OF THE BELIEF THAT THEY'RE NOT INDEPENDENTLY OWNED AND OPERATED.
MOM AND POP, FOR LACK OF A BETTER EXPRESSION, GAS STATIONS, UM, NOT NECESSARILY ALL OF THEM, BUT SOME OF THEM.
SO, UH, YOU MENTIONED A VERY HIGH NUMBER OF SAM'S CLUBS THAT HAVE FUEL.
YOU MENTIONED THAT IN THE LAST DECADE AND A HALF OR SO, YOU HAVEN'T, UM, PURCHASED ANY LAND, UH, AND BUILT A SAM'S CLUB THAT DIDN'T HAVE FUEL IN THE LAST DECADE AND A HALF.
HOW MANY SAM'S CLUBS DID YOU CLOSE BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE FUEL? WILL I WOULD TELL YOU, WE CLOSED 62.
[01:55:01]
CLUBS ABOUT, UH, UH, WE'VE HAD THREE WAVES OF CLOSING.SOME OF THOSE STRATEGICALLY WERE FRINGE MARKETS.
SO WE MOVED OUT OF ALASKA AND WASHINGTON STATE JUST BECAUSE THE COST OF OF, OF MANAGING THOSE AND ALL OF THOSE HAD FUEL.
IT'D BE VERY DIFFICULT TO GO AND SAY IT JUST BECAUSE IT DIDN'T HAVE FUEL.
'CAUSE WE WERE LOOKING AT THE HEALTH OF THE PORTFOLIO AND MAKING DECISIONS BASED ON THE ENTIRE PORTFOLIO.
BUT, UH, UH, THERE WAS, THERE WAS MANY OF THOSE THAT DID NOT HAVE FUEL, ACCORDING TO MY CALCULATIONS.
UH, SUBJECT TO FURTHER VERIFICATION, I'D SAY 30% OF OUR STORES THAT DIDN'T HAVE GAS WERE CLOSED WITHIN THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS.
BUT WHAT I JUST HEARD IS 62 CLOSED AND A SUBSET REGARDED THOSE, A SUBSET OF THAT NUMBER WAS.
SO THE FACT THAT YOU WITHOUT GAS, RIGHT? SO THE FACT THAT WE ALLOW YOU TO HAVE FUEL DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN YOU'RE NOT GONNA CLOSE.
I WOULD SAY YEAH, THAT'S PROBABLY TRUE.
SO WHAT THE, THE WELL, I THINK IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT A BOX THAT'S NOT A SELLING POINT,
'CAUSE WE HAD OVER, UH, WE, WE BASICALLY HAD OVERSATURATED SOME MARKETS.
SO IT, YOU KNOW, I THINK WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT THOSE STRATEGIES, I THINK IT'S HARD TO SAY THAT FUEL WAS THE MAIN DRIVER OF THAT.
UH, WE HAD BACK THEN THE URBAN SPRAWL HAD NOT HIT.
THERE WAS A, A REDUCTION IN SOME OF THE, UH, UH, GROWTH IN SUBURBAN, YOU KNOW, IN, IN SOME SUBURB AREAS.
AND WE HAD UNDERPERFORMING CLUBS AND THEN WE HAD SOME WHERE WE JUST OVERBUILT IN A CERTAIN MARKET.
AND WE, YOU KNOW, HONESTLY THE WHOLE STRATEGY WAS AROUND GETTING A HEALTHY PORTFOLIO.
AND WE ACTUALLY DID MORE BUSINESS.
I MEAN, OUR, OUR SALES RECORDS ARE PUBLIC INFORMATION.
I MEAN, WE CLOSED 62 AND ACTUALLY, UH, GAINED MARKET SHARE IN BUSINESS DOING THAT.
SO IT WAS AN UN WE, WE BASICALLY CUT THE UNHEALTHINESS SIDE OF THE PORTFOLIO AND, AND MANY OF THOSE DID HAVE FUEL, BUT IT WASN'T, THE PRIMARY DRIVER WAS WE WILL NOT OPEN A BOX THAT'S NOT VIABLE TO OUR BUSINESS MODEL.
AND FUEL IS STRATEGIC TO OUR BUSINESS MODEL.
SO ARE WE SUGGESTING THAT WE REOPEN THE HEARING? I THINK WE SHOULD REOPEN THE HEARING.
AND KEN, KEN, COULD YOU BRING YOUR MICROPHONE CLOSER? YEAH, I THINK WE SHOULD.
THE HEARING, UM, WE DID SAY, UM, YOU KNOW, LAST YEAR, YOU KNOW, WHERE, WHEN THE PANDEMIC STARTED THAT WE WERE GONNA, YOU KNOW, PUT IT OFF DURING THE PANDEMIC MM-HMM.
AND I THINK WE HAVE TO PROVIDE PEOPLE WITH, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO LET THE COMMUNITY KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A CHOICE TO MAKE, BUT THERE'S GONNA BE RAM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S GONNA BE RAMIFICATIONS FOR WHATEVER DECISION WE MAKE.
AND THEN WE HAVE TO JUSTIFY THE DECISION.
WE, YOU KNOW, WE MAKE, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T, IF THEY CLOSE UP AND WE, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T SAY, OH, WE WEREN'T WARNED.
IF IT, IF IT HELPS THE BOARD, THE TEXT, THE TEXT AMENDMENT ENABLES AN APPLICANT TO MAKE AN APPLICATION, AND THE APPLICATION FOR THE SPECIAL PERMIT GETS EVALUATED ON THE MERITS.
IT'S SUBJECT TO THE COMMISSION'S, COMMENTS, INPUT, DESIGN, ACCESS, EGRESS, ALL OF THE ISSUES, PLANTINGS, LANDSCAPING.
BUT WHAT'S BEFORE YOU, IMMEDIATELY, BEFORE YOU, IS THE TEXT TO ALLOW US TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MOVE FORWARD WITH AN APPLICATION FOR A SPECIAL.
WHAT, WHAT'S THE PROCESS? IT'S NOT SOLELY YOU, IT'S ANYONE IN THAT'S CORRECT.
IT'S IN THE DSS DISTRICT AND THERE'S A, THERE, THERE ARE OTHER KIND OF SITE CONSTRAINTS WITHIN THE TEXT.
BUT IF YOU, LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, I BELIEVE THE TEXT RIGHT NOW IS WRITTEN TO PROVIDE A FIVE ACRE MINIMUM.
SO WE, WE WANTED TO HAVE SITES, WE WERE ADVOCATING FOR SITES THAT WERE LARGER SO THAT THERE WAS ACCURATE, ACCURATE ENOUGH ONSITE CIRCULATION FOR CARS.
SO THERE WAS NEVER GONNA BE A BACKUP ON STREETS OR THINGS LIKE THAT.
WE DIDN'T WANT TO PROPOSE A TEXT THAT HAD ADVERSE IMPACTS ON THE COMMUNITY OR THE COMMUNITY CHARACTER.
SO WE WENT WITH A FIVE ACRE STANDARD.
AND SO THAT, SO, BUT IF THE BOARD SAID, WE DON'T, WE DON'T NEED A STANDARD.
WE'VE ANALYZED HOW MANY, UH, AVAILABLE SITES THERE ARE IN THE DSS DISTRICT FOR GAS, BOTH WITH THE ACREAGE STANDARD AND WITHOUT, AND IT'S NOT AS OF RIGHT.
AND, AND YOU DO HAVE FOUR GAS STATIONS, I BELIEVE MY MEMORY SERVES ME TODAY IN THE DSS DISTRICT THAT ARE NON-CONFORMING.
AND SO THEY WOULD HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY PERHAPS IF THEY MEET THE FINDINGS TO COME BEFORE
[02:00:01]
YOU TO LEGALIZE THEIR USE, ASSUMING THEY'RE NOT LEGAL NON-CONFORMING.WELL, IN TERMS, I REMEMBER YEARS AGO SOME PEOPLE HAD CONCERNS ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS BECAUSE IT'S CLOSE TO THE SOWA RIVER, YOU KNOW, HOW WOULD YOU RESPOND TO THAT? UH, I THINK WE, I THINK WE DID EARLY ON.
I THINK TODAY WE'VE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A, UH, I'LL TELL YOU, UH, WE BUILD THE SAME PROTOTYPE NATIONWIDE.
AND WHEN I CAME ON BOARD 20 YEARS AGO TO THE COMPANY, AND WE STARTED THE PROGRAM AT SAM'S CLUB, ONE OF THE THINGS MY BOSS TOLD ME, HE SAID, I DON'T EVER WANT TO SEE US ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE PAPER.
THERE'S ALARMS IN EV UNDER EVERY DISPENSER AND EVERY PIPING SITUATION.
THE PIPING SYSTEMS TRIPLE WALLED, THE TANKS ARE DOUBLE WALLED.
THERE'S A, THERE'S A, UH, EXCAVATION LINER.
I MEAN, I'LL TELL YOU WHAT IT, IT IS PUT IN, OUR FUEL STATIONS ARE PUT IN WITH THE, I MEAN, WE DON'T CUT A CORNER WAND ON SPEC OF EQUIPMENT.
IT'S TOP OF THE LINE BEST IN, AND WE ACTUALLY HAVE A THIRD PARTY COMPANY THAT OVERSEES EVERY CONTRACTOR ON OUR BEHALF TO MAKE SURE EVERY PIECE AND PARK GOES IN.
THEY'RE THERE WHEN THE TANKS COME OFF THE TRUCK BEFORE ANY PIPING'S COVERED OR ANYTHING.
SO IT'S ONE OF THOSE FROM A DESIGN AND ENGINEERING, MR. FINER, IT IS ACTUALLY, IT'S PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST STATE THE ART SYSTEMS THERE IS IN THE GAS STATION INDUSTRY IN THE COUNTRY.
I, I JUST HAVE ONE OTHER QUESTION.
UM, THAT AREA HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN ONE OF THE WORST AREA OF THE WORST AREAS IN TERMS OF FLOODING MM-HMM.
UH, UH, I'D LIKE TO ANSWER IT THIS WAY.
IN, IN THE PLANNING BOARD PROCESS, THE PLANNING BOARD RECOMMENDED THAT WE HIRE A PETTI WHO'S A LOCAL ENGINEER TO STUDY THIS, THAT ISSUE.
AND IN FACT, WE HIRED, UH, MR. PETTI, HE PRODUCED FINDINGS WE SUBMITTED TO THE TOWN, UH, PLANNING BOARD.
AND HIS FINDINGS INDICATED THERE WOULD BE NO DOWNSTREAM IMPACT FROM THIS, FROM OUR GAS STATION OR ANY, IN ANY RELATION TO THE SAW MOTOR.
IS THERE ANY LIKE, IMPROVEMENTS IN TERMS OF ADDRESSING THE, YOU KNOW, THE FLOODING, UH, YOU KNOW, WHERE, BECAUSE I'M, I'M TRYING TO ANTICIPATE.
SO YOU'RE HEARING, SO IF WE WOULD SAY, UH, YOU KNOW, IF, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE PROBLEMS IS EVERY TIME THERE'S A, A MAJOR STORM, WE ALWAYS HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, FLOOD, YOU KNOW, FLOOD PROBLEMS. IF WE WOULD APPROVE THIS, ONE OF THE BENEFITS FOR THE COMMUNITY IS THAT THERE COULD BE SOME FORM OF, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME MITIGATION BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA HAVE IMPROVED DRAINAGE SYSTEMS. UM, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT'S, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE BASICALLY DEVELOPING INSIDE THE FOOTPRINT OF OUR EXISTING FACILITY.
THAT CORNER IS ONE OF THE HIGHEST CORNERS IN THE LOT.
EVEN, UH, LET'S GO BACK A COUPLE MONTHS AGO, HURRICANE SEASON.
I KNOW YOU GUYS, UH, VERY WELL UNDERSTAND THE AMOUNT OF, I MEAN, WE TALKED A HUNDRED YEAR FLOODS.
YOU GUYS HAD A CENTURY FLOOD UP THIS DIRECTION.
UM, ACTUALLY THE CLUB MANAGER WENT OUT AND TOOK PICTURES.
UH, OUR PARKING LOT DIDN'T FLOOD.
OUR LOADING DOCKS DIDN'T FLOOD AND THE SAWMILL RIVER STAYED IN THE, IN THERE.
SO TO ANSWER THAT, I'M NOT A, I'M NOT A WATER ENGINEER AT ALL BY ANY MEANS, BUT FROM, I'M NOT SURE WHAT YOU COULD DO FROM THE STORM STORM, UH, DRAINAGE ASPECT.
IF WE'RE DEVELOPING INSIDE THE FOOTPRINT OF OUR LOT, THAT'S GONNA GONNA SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGE.
YOU KNOW, IT'S GONNA BE, IT'S PROBABLY NOT GONNA SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGE ANYTHING.
WELL, WE WOULDN'T WANT YOU TO ADD IMPERVIOUS SURFACE THAT COULD MAKE IT WORSE.
AND WE WOULDN'T, WE WOULDN'T BE, ACTUALLY WOULD BE DECREASING IMPERVIOUS SERVICES 'CAUSE OF OUR LANDSCAPING PLAN.
BUT CERTAINLY THE BENEFIT OF HAVING THIS DISCUSSION WITH YOU IS THIS IS THE TYPE OF THING THAT WE CAN ALL LOOK AT WHEN, UH, A SPECIAL PERMIT IS BEFORE YOU.
BECAUSE IF THERE ARE THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO THE TOWN THAT FLOW FROM THE SITE ARE INTER INTEGRALLY RELATED TO THE SITE, THEY COME UP IN THE SPECIAL PERMANENT REVIEW PROCESS, AND THEN WE LOOK AT IT, YOU KNOW, IT'S, AND THAT'S PART OF THE ITERATIVE PROCESS YARD.
WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO TELL US EXACTLY, SAY THE PROCESS OF WE HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE STEPS THAT WOULD FOLLOW YEAH, SURE.
TO REACTIVATE THIS DISCUSSION ASSOCIATED WITH THE, UH, ZONING TEXT AMENDMENT.
IT WOULD INDEED BE A REOPENING OF THE PUBLIC HEARING, AND THAT'S OKAY.
SO WE WOULD NOTICE FOR THAT MM-HMM.
I BELIEVE THE PLANNING BOARD'S, UH, RENDERED A RECOMMENDATION.
SO THAT STEP HAS, HAS TAKEN PLACE AND, UH, THAT PUBLIC HEARING WOULD LEAD TO THE TOWN BOARD, UH, CLOSING THE PUBLIC HEARING AT SOME POINT.
AND, AND AS YOU ALWAYS DO, UH, RENDERING A SECRET DETERMINATION, ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS, AND THEN RENDERING A DECISION ON
[02:05:01]
WHETHER OR NOT YOU WOULD WANT TO, UH, MODIFY THE DSS DISTRICT TO ENABLE THIS USE AS A SPECIAL PERMIT ON LOTS OF FIVE ACRES, ALONG WITH SOME OF THE OTHER ASPECTS OF THE, UH, SPECIAL PERMIT THAT ARE PROPOSED IN THE PETITION.UH, IF THAT WERE TO BE SUCCESSFUL, AS WAS NOTED, UH, SUBSEQUENT STEPS WOULD BE AMENDED SITE PLAN, UH, SPECIAL PERMIT FOR THE USE, AND, UM, SOME ASPECT OF PARKING, WHETHER IT'S A SHARED PARKING REDUCTION OR, UH, PARKING VARIANCE BECAUSE THEY'RE LOSING PARKING SPACES BY VIRTUE OF, UH, THE DEVELOPMENT.
UM, BUT WE WOULD, WE WOULD TAKE A LOOK AT THAT.
UM, I KNOW THAT YOU GET SOME CREDIT FOR THE SPACES THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, ARE STANDING FOR THE, FOR THE ACTUAL GAS STATION.
SO IF THERE'S A NET LOSS, THEN I THINK MAYBE THAT'S WHERE THE, UH, PARKING ISSUE CAME IN, BUT, RIGHT.
UH, AND I KNOW AS PART OF THEIR PETITION, THEY DID LOOK AT THAT AND WHICH WAS REVIEWED BY A TRAFFIC CONSULTANT.
SO, UH, THOSE ARE KIND OF THE, THE, THE STEPS THAT WOULD, AND WHAT'S THE, HOW LONG IS THAT PROCESS? WELL, I THINK, UH, EASIER TO ANSWER THE, THE, THE, THE ZONING AMENDMENT ASPECT.
UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK YOU WOULD HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING AND, UM, YOU, YOU, YOU WOULD, WHICH WOULD LEAD TO A DECISION.
SO I MEAN, YOU'RE EITHER GONNA GRANT OR NOT GRANT THE, THE SPECIAL PERMIT.
SO I DON'T THINK THAT THAT'S A LONG PROCESS.
THE TEXT, THE ZONING TEXT AMENDMENT TO, TO THE APPLICANT'S CREDIT, THEY HAVE DONE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF WORK ON, UH, TRAFFIC STUDIES, ENVIRONMENTAL MITIGATION, UM, AS WELL AS A VARIETY OF OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS.
SO I THINK THAT THAT'S, THAT LEGWORK HAS BEEN DONE.
SO I DON'T IMAGINE A LENGTHY PROCESS.
YOU'RE THE TOWN BOARD'S UNDER NO OBLIGATION, UH, TO APPROVE THIS ZONING TEXT PETITION.
SO IT'S, IT'S REALLY, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE THIS PUBLIC HEARING AND, UM, YOU KNOW, MAKE A DECISION THAT YOU FEEL IS BEST FOR THE TOWN.
YOUR HONOR, I JUST, I HAVE A QUESTION TO FOLLOW UP ON THAT.
UH, THERE WERE A NUMBER OF GAS STATION OWNERS THAT WERE AT THE, THAT HAVE BEEN AT THE PUBLIC HEARING.
AND, UM, HOW DOES THE, THE ZONING TAX AMENDMENT, IF WE PASS IT THE WAY IT IS RIGHT NOW, HOW DOES IT IMPACT THEM? AND, UH, IT, YOU KNOW, IT'S, THEY ARE, I BELIEVE THEY'RE NON-CONFORMING, CORRECT? THEY'RE NON THAT'S GOOD QUESTION.
SO IF THEY'RE IN THE DSS DISTRICT TODAY, AND THEY'RE NON-CONFORMING, SO THEN IT'S EITHER LEGAL NON-CONFORMING OR NOT LEGAL NON-CONFORMING, DEPENDING ON WHEN THE USE WAS ESTABLISHED AND THE DATE IN WHICH THE DSS DISTRICT PROHIBITED GAS STATIONS.
AND THAT'S KIND OF A, THAT'S A KEY DATE, RIGHT? SO IF YOU'RE IN, IF THE TEXT WERE TO BE PASSED, THEN THE, AN EXISTING GAS STATION TODAY THAT'S IN A NON-CONFORMING USE COULD SEEK CONFORMING USE STATUS BY APPLYING FOR THE SPECIAL PERMIT BEFORE THE TOWN BOARD.
AT WHICH POINT THE TOWN BOARD WOULD'VE AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT THE SITE PLAN, MAKE, OR REQUIRE CHANGES ON A PROPOSED SITE PLAN, ASSUMING THAT THEY MEET THE TAX REQUIREMENTS OR GRANT OF VARIANCE FROM THE TAX REQUIREMENTS AND THEY COULD BECOME CONFORMED.
CHAD, I THINK I WOULD DIFFER A LITTLE BIT.
ONLY IN THIS RESPECT AS CURRENTLY COMPRISED, THERE'S A FIVE ACRE MINIMUM MM-HMM.
UH, I'M CERTAIN THAT ALL THE GAS STATIONS ARE ON SITES THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, POSTAGE STAMP, LOTS OF, YOU KNOW, NOT EVEN, THAT'S WHAT I WAS THINKING.
UM, AS CURRENTLY COMPRISED, I WOULD SAY THOSE EXISTING GAS STATIONS WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO, UH, LEGALIZE THEMSELVES AS SPECIAL PERMIT USE.
HAVING SAID THAT, UH, THE TOWN BOARD ON CENTRAL AVENUE IN THE CA DISTRICT, UH, MANY YEARS AGO, I'D SAY PERHAPS EIGHT YEARS AGO OR SO, UH, OFFERED A, UM, OPPORTUNITY FOR EXISTING GAS STATIONS TO, UH, LEGALIZE THEMSELVES THROUGH A SPECIAL PERMIT PROCESS THAT SUNSETTED PERHAPS AFTER LIKE A SIX MONTH PERIOD.
UM, AND CERTAINLY SOME GAS STATIONS FELT THAT THAT WAS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT, IT, IT TAKE, TOOK THEM FROM A STATUS OF LEGAL NON-CONFORMING IF THAT WAS THEIR SCENARIO, TO HAVING A SPECIAL PERMIT.
SO GOD FORBID THERE WAS A FLUT OR SOMETHING, THEY WERE OUT OF BUSINESS FOR NINE MONTHS.
UM, THEY WOULD NOT CONCEIVABLY BE SUBJECT TO, UH, HAVING TO, YOU KNOW, THEIR, THEIR, SO WOULD WE HAVE TO AMENDMENT THEIR USE MENTAL LEGISLATION? SO YES, THAT RIGHT.
AND THAT, THAT IS SOMETHING WE COULD NOTE AT THE PUBLIC HEARING IF, UM, EXISTING GAS STATIONS HAVE INTEREST AND THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT THE TOWN BOARD, UM, YOU KNOW, FELT WAS IMPORTANT.
UH, I I WOULD NOT SAY THAT THAT WOULD NOT BE A BAD STEP TO TAKE.
UH, THINKING ABOUT IT RIGHT NOW, AND I'M GLAD YOU ASKED THE QUESTION, UM, SO THAT, THAT'S CERTAINLY A GOOD CONSIDERATION TO, TO, TO WORK INTO, 'CAUSE THERE WAS A LOT OF TESTIMONY FROM, FROM THOSE GAS STATION OWNER OWNERS AND, UH, I I'M SURE THAT IF WE OPEN REOPEN THE HEARING THAT UH, THEY WOULD BE OUT RAISING THOSE ISSUES.
THE PROSPECT OF LEGALIZING EXISTING GAS STATIONS IN THE D D S DISTRICT, UM, COULD BE SEEN AS A BENEFIT TO THOSE EXISTING GAS STATIONS.
SO TO THE SUPERVISOR'S POINT, IS THERE SOMETHING WE CAN DO THAT WOULD ACTUALLY BE CONCEIVABLY
[02:10:01]
POSITIVE FOR AN EXISTING GAS STATION? RIGHT.SO, BUT IT ALSO WOULD MAKE IT MORE DIFFICULT AS WE GO MORE AND MORE ELECTRIC AND LESS FUEL TO NOT HAVE THOSE GAS STATIONS THAT ARE NONCONFORMING.
AS, AS WE WILL NEED FEWER AND FEWER OF THOSE GAS STATIONS AT SOME POINT.
AND SO TO LEGALIZE GAS STATIONS THAT ARE SURVIVING QUITE WELL AS LEGAL NON-CONFORMING AND SAY, OKAY, WE'RE GOING TO MAKE IT SO THAT YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO STAY, EVEN IF YOU, YOU KNOW, AREN'T SELLING GAS RIGHT FOR A WHILE, THAT THAT COULD BE A PROBLEM.
RIGHT NOW, IF THEY DON'T SELL GAS FOR SIX MONTHS, THEY DON'T HAVE A RIGHT TO CONTINUE.
SO WHAT WOULD MAKE PROBLEM, WHAT WOULD THE PROBLEM, WHAT WOULD BE THE PROBLEM? MM-HMM.
UM, WHEREAS IF THAT, THAT'S SOMETHING YOU COULD THINK ABOUT STRAIGHT GAS STATIONS VERSUS, UM, AUTO REPAIR IN CONNECTION WITH THE GAS STATION.
I MEAN, ULTIMATELY IF THAT GAS STATION'S NOT GETTING A RETURN ON THEIR INVESTMENT BECAUSE, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE'S JUST SO MANY ELECTRIC CARS LIKE 15, 20 YEARS FROM NOW THAT YOU WOULD THINK THEY WOULD JUST NATURALLY, YOU KNOW, REMOVE THEMSELVES FROM THE MARKET AND SEEK SOMETHING FOR A RETURN ON INVESTMENT.
BUT I, I THINK WE WOULD ALSO THINK ABOUT THAT IN CONNECTION WITH POTENTIALLY LEGALIZING THEM.
SO IT'S, IT'S, I UNDERSTAND YOUR POINT.
IT'S AN IMPORTANT, IT'S AN IMPORTANT DISCUSSION BECAUSE OUR TEXT IS, IS STRICTLY LIMITED TO THE PROVISION OF, OF FUEL.
IT DOESN'T PERMIT CAR WASHES, IT DOESN'T PERMIT AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR.
IT DOESN'T PERMIT, UM, THE SALE OF A KIND OF CONVENIENCE MARKET.
WE DID THAT SPECIFICALLY TO PRESERVE THE NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTER AND REDUCE THE NUMBER OF TRIPS IN AND OUT.
REALLY PEOPLE COMING IN TO GET OUR GAS ARE REALLY OUR MEMBERS WHO WOULD BE, WHO WOULD OTHERWISE EITHER SHOP OR JUST COME AND GET GAS.
BUT, BUT THERE ARE NO ANCILLARY TRIPS FOR OUR PROPOSAL.
SO TO THE EXTENT THAT THE TEXT PROVIDES A WAY FOR EXISTING GAS STATIONS TO ACHIEVE LEGAL CONFORMING STATUS, THOSE GAS STATIONS WOULD'VE TO FIT WITHIN THE RUBRIC OF THE TEXT, WHEREAS THEY ONLY PROVIDE GAS, OTHERWISE A EITHER A DIFFERENT TEXT OR A MODIFICATION OF THIS TEXT.
IF IT'S IMPORTANT TO THE TOWN BOARD TO LEGALIZE THOSE USES MIGHT BE NEEDED.
WHICH WOULD, I'M JUST POINTING THAT OUT.
WE WOULD TAKE THE LEAD ON THAT.
'CAUSE RIGHT NOW IN THE DSS DISTRICT, THERE'S AN EXPRESS PROHIBITION AGAINST, UH, GASOLINE STATIONS, UM, DESPITE THE FACT THAT THERE'S FIVE OR SIX THAT EXISTS IN THE DS DISTRICT.
I THINK THAT THE IDEA WOULD BE TO, UM, OFFER A LIKE SIX MONTH PERIOD OF POTENTIALLY LEGALIZING THOSE, IF THAT WERE DEEMED TO BE, I GUESS WHAT I'M TRYING TO, IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE TOWN GUESS IS WHAT, ONCE, IF, LET'S SAY FUEL WASN'T SOLD ANYMORE AND WE WENT TO ALL ELECTRIC CARS, WHAT WOULD THEY BE DOING ANYWAY IN THAT, IN THAT DISTRICT IN ORDER TO STAY BASICALLY CONVERT, THEY WOULD EITHER CONVERT.
WELL, THAT'S WHAT WHAT I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, WHAT WOULD BE THE DOWNSIDE? I'VE RECEIVED PHONE CALLS, UM, AND I THINK WE'LL RECEIVE MORE, UM, WITH INTEREST TO DO A HUNDRED PERCENT ELECTRIC FAST CHARGE STATION.
AND LIKE THAT WOULD BE THE SOLE USE.
SO I THINK THE NATURAL EVOLUTION, YOU KNOW, WOULD BE, UH, REPLACEMENT OF STRAIGHT GASOLINE STATIONS WITH A HUNDRED PERCENT, UM, YOU KNOW, FAST CHARGE AND THE TECHNOLOGY WILL GET BETTER AND COMBINED WITH CONVENIENCE STORES AND WHATNOT.
AND IT WOULD ACTUALLY BE KIND OF A COMPARABLE EVOLUTION.
UM, SO THAT WOULD BE INTERESTING.
I, I, I COULD SEE THAT HAPPENING.
WELL, I WAS JUST WONDERING WHAT WOULD BE THE DOWNSIDE TO IT? THAT'S, THAT'S MY ONLY QUESTION.
THE EV DISCUSSIONS A VERY INTERESTING ONE.
'CAUSE I SIT ON SEVERAL COMMITTEES AND BOARDS AS YOU LOOK, 'CAUSE WE'RE IN THE FUEL BUSINESS AND FUELING OUR MEMBERS.
AND IF OUR MEMBERS ARE MOVING TO EV WE'RE GONNA MOVE THERE.
I THINK, UH, THERE'S A LOT OF, I, I THINK THE, THE FRONT PAGE HYPE IS MUCH BIGGER THAN THE SCIENCE BEHIND IT RIGHT NOW.
SO JUST IF, IF WE PUT THINGS INTO PERSPECTIVE, RIGHT? CALIFORNIA IS THE MOST AGGRESSIVE RIGHT NOW.
OUTLAWING INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES DOING THIS, THIS, YOU KNOW, UH, OUTLAWED LAWNMOWERS.
UM, THE CHALLENGE IS AS YOU WORK THROUGH THAT, EVEN CALIFORNIA TODAY DOES NOT KNOW HOW THEY CAN GET THERE.
THE, THE REGULATION AND THE CARS GOING OUT THERE, WHATEVER IS WELL BEYOND THE INFRASTRUCTURE TODAY.
IF THE, IF CALIFORNIA MET ALL THEIR TARGETS FOR EVS, THEIR GRID CAN'T HANDLE IT.
THERE'S A 15% SHORTFALL ON THEIR GRID.
SO THEN THEY'RE, THEY'RE WORKING, OKAY, WHAT DO WE HAVE TO DO TO UPGRADE OUR GRID SO WE CAN EVEN HANDLE THAT? THEY'RE HAVING ROLLING BROWNOUTS TODAY.
YOU'VE GOT, UH, MANY PEOPLE ARE GONNA JUST CHARGE AT HOME, BUT THEY'RE EVEN TALKING COMMERCIALLY.
HOW DO WE HANDLE THIS IN A GRID SPACE WHERE WE MAY HAVE TO PUT
[02:15:01]
GIANT BATTERY BANKS IN OUR FACILITIES JUST TO BE ABLE TO HANDLE FAST CHARGERS DURING NON-PEAK HOURS? 'CAUSE THE GRID ISN'T MATURE ENOUGH THERE.THERE'S ALSO THIS SCENARIO BETWEEN COBALT AND LITHIUM AND BATTERIES.
AND THERE IS NO NEW BATTERY TECHNOLOGY YET.
YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO, HOW ARE WE GONNA ENGINEER AROUND THE BATTERY TECHNOLOGY TODAY? HYDROGEN MAY STILL END UP BEING THE LONG POLE IN THE TENT THERE EVENTUALLY FOR AUTOMOBILE LIGHT DUTY USE.
BECAUSE EVEN WITH ALL THE TARGETS MET, YOU KNOW, LITHIUM AND COBALT ARE IN TWO PRIMARY AREAS IN THE WORLD.
THE CONGO AND ARGENTINA, AND BOTH OF 'EM HAVE A LOT OF, A LOT OF CHALLENGES AROUND HOW EITHER OF THEM, AND THERE'S NOT ENOUGH NATURAL RESOURCE TO EVEN HANDLE THE DEMAND OF WHAT WE HAVE LEGISLATIVE WISE TODAY IN THE US THAT ALONE THE WORLD AS EUROPE'S ELECTRIFYING AS ALL THESE THINGS.
SO, UM, EVEN IF ALL THE AGGRESSIVE TARGETS IN PLACE RIGHT NOW, BY 2040, WE'RE STILL 80% IN FOSSIL FUEL FOR LIGHT DUTY USE, PERIOD.
I MEAN, WITH ALL THE AGGRESSIVE TARGETS MEANT.
SO I WILL TELL YOU, I HAVE A, A, A TWO AND A HALF YEAR OLD GRANDSON, AND I WILL TELL YOU, WE'RE PROBABLY GONNA HAVE, WE WOULDN'T BE LOOKING AT PUTTING A NEW FILLING STATION IN WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING THE LONG-TERM RAMIFICATIONS OF PUTTING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS INTO A, A PROJECT.
SO WHEN SOMEBODY SAYS, HEY, THEY'RE OUT LONGING, COMBUSTION ENGINES, WHY ARE WE EVEN, WE DON'T EVEN NEED FUEL STATIONS ANYMORE.
ACTUALLY, THE TECHNOLOGY AND THE ABILITY TO UPKEEP WHERE THE CONSUMER'S GOING AND TECHNOLOGY'S GOING, WHETHER IT'S IN ALTERNATIVE FUELS, WE'RE GONNA NEED EVERY HYDROCARBON WE HAVE, WHETHER IT'S SYNTHETIC DIESEL WE'RE USING IN OUR FLEET RIGHT NOW THAT'S USING SIN DIESEL IN CALIFORNIA.
AND WHETHER IT'S THE NEXT GENERATION OF LIQUID FUELS THAT ARE MADE FROM CELLULITE MATERIAL, WHETHER IT'S MOVING TOWARDS HYDROGEN OR WHATEVER, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO, LOTS OF COMPLEX CHALLENGES.
AND I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE FOCUSING ON EV 'CAUSE EV IS THE, IS THE TECHNOLOGY OF THE DAY.
IT'S IF I WANT TO GO GET A TESLA TODAY IF I WANT TO DO THIS.
BUT THERE IS SO MANY DIFFERENT COMPETING OBSTACLES AND VARIABLES TO SUCCESS THAT I JUST DON'T, I I WANT YOU GUYS TO UNDERSTAND HOW, AND THIS IS A GLOBAL PROBLEM, IT'S NOT A US PROBLEM AS WE'RE EMERGING IN THIS, SO ARE EMERGING COUNTRIES, ET CETERA, AS WE TACKLE CLIMATE CHANGE, AS WE TACKLE THESE.
SO, YOU KNOW, MANAGING, YOU KNOW, THE HYDROCARBONS THE BEST WE CAN, AND WHETHER IT'S CAFE STANDARDS OR WHETHER IT'S, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER NEW EMERGING TECHNOLOGY.
BUT THERE'S A, THERE'S, THERE'S WAY MORE QUESTIONS THAN THERE ARE ANSWERS TODAY TO THE PROBLEM.
ARE WE ALL IN FAVOR OF REOPENING THE HEARING? BECAUSE THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON NOW FOR, YOU KNOW, A FEW YEARS, A WHILE.
AND, AND I THINK, I THINK, I THINK WE ARE GENERALLY SUPPORTIVE OF, OF, YOU KNOW, CONTINUING THE CONVERSATION.
UM, BECAUSE IT'S VERY IMPORTANT.
WE APPRECIATE SAM'S CLUB AND THE COMMUNITY, UM, AND, UM, BECAUSE WE DID HAVE OUR LAST MEETING RIGHT BEFORE EVERYTHING SHUT DOWN, SORT OF TRUNCATED THE COMMUNITY'S ABILITY TO, TO DISCUSS THE TOPIC.
SO I THINK THAT SHOULD BE OUR, OUR OUR NEXT MOVE.
I JUST HAVE JUST ONE OTHER QUESTION.
UH, WE'RE TRYING TO, I'M WORKING WITH A GROUP THAT'S TRYING TO LIKE TRAIN PEOPLE WHO ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, ON JOBS OF TOMORROW.
AND I'M WONDERING IF SAM'S CLUB, THIS IS REALLY A LITTLE OFF TOPIC OF SAM'S CLUB OR WALMART, IF YOU HAVE ANY TRAINING PROGRAMS ON, UH, FOR, UH, FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WHO MIGHT WANT TO LEARN HOW TO, UH, UH, REPAIR ELECTRIC CARS OR, UH, OR YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S LIKE A TRAINING FOR ANY, ANY JOB RELATED, YOU KNOW, PROGRAMS. BECAUSE I, I SORT OF FEEL THAT IF WE COULD WORK, SAY WITH THE COMMUNITY CENTER AND, AND MAYBE COME UP WITH A, A PROGRAM WHERE WE'RE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE ELECTRIC, UH, YOU KNOW, CHARGING TECHNOLOGY OR ANY OTHER OPPORTUNITIES, ANY OTHER, IF YOU ACTUALLY LOOK ONLINE AT OUR CORPORATE WEBSITE, WE PROBABLY HAVE THE STRONGEST SECONDARY EDUCATION SCENARIO FOR OUR ASSOCIATES.
AND IT'S NOT OUTSIDE OF OUR ASSOCIATES RIGHT NOW, BUT YOU CAN GET, UH, A MULTITUDE.
THERE'S 35 OR SO DIFFERENT DEGREES THAT WALMART WILL FULLY PAY FOR PART-TIME AND FULL-TIME ASSOCIATES WILL FULLY PAY SECONDARY EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES.
SO THEY'RE, THAT'S, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S, THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO OUR COMPANY.
IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO OUR CULTURE.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING OUTSIDE OF, I'M SURE THERE'S LOTS OF GRANT PROGRAMS, ET CETERA, UH, MR. FINER.
BUT, UH, I CAN TELL YOU CORPORATELY, WE PROBABLY HAVE ONE OF THE STRONGEST CONTINUING
[02:20:01]
EDUCATION PROGRAMS THERE IS IN THE COUNTRY.AND WE CAN, AND WE CAN, WE CAN GET YOU SOME, AND THAT'S ALL AVAILABLE.
BECAUSE MAYBE ONE OF THE THINGS WHERE WE CAN MAKE THIS LIKE A REAL WIN-WIN FOR, UH, YOU KNOW, FOR THE COMMUNITY IS WE COULD TRY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE COULD TRY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'VE BEEN MEETING GARRETT AND I ON, UH, WITH PEOPLE WHO WANNA SET UP A CO-OP AND MAYBE WE COULD TRY, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, CREATING, UM, IDENTIFYING PEOPLE WHO ARE LOOKING FOR WORK, UH, HAVING SOME TRAINING PROGRAMS, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY CENTER AND YOU KNOW, THEN IT BECOMES EVEN A, A, A, YOU KNOW, A BIGGER WIN.
BECAUSE THEN WHEN WE HAVE THE HEARING, WE COULD SAY, THIS IS A, THIS IS A PARTNERSHIP THAT THE TOWN COULD CREATE WITH, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, WITH, YOU KNOW, WITH THE COMMUNITY.
AND WE WANT TO GIVE PEOPLE WHO ARE LOOKING FOR JOBS GREAT OPPORTUNITIES.
SO I THINK THAT YOU, THAT THAT COULD BE A, A GREAT SELLING.
MAYBE IF YOU COULD EVEN GET ME ANY INFORMATION, UH, WE'LL LOOK IT UP.
AND MAYBE GARRETT, WHEN WE HAVE OUR FOLLOW UP MEETINGS, WE COULD DISCUSS THIS ALSO WITH, WITH OUR LITTLE, YOU KNOW, WORKING GROUP.
SO WHEN WOULD YOU WANT TO SCHEDULE THE HEARING? HAVE TO NOTICE IT.
NO, BUT I'M TALKING ABOUT WHEN WOULD WE WANT TO, DO WE WANT TO LIKE, TEND TO, SO YOU WALK OUT SO YOU KNOW THAT YOU, THERE'S SOME FOLLOW UP.
I MEAN, DO WE WANT TO PICK A TAKE? YOU KNOW, DO WE WANT TO HAVE LIKE A TARGET DATE? NOW ARE YOU GUYS STILL DOING ZOOM HEARINGS OR ARE THEY IN PERSON? BACK TO IN PERSON.
AND, AND GARRETT, WHILE YOU'RE, WHILE YOU'RE KIND OF TRYING TO, JUST LOOKING THAT UP.
UM, I, THERE ARE FOUR GAS STATIONS IN THE DSS DISTRICT TODAY THAT ARE NONCONFORMING.
UM, AND YOU'RE RIGHT, THEY DON'T MAKE THE MEET THE FIVE ACRE STANDARD, BUT IF THE BOARD WERE TO AMEND THE TAX SO THAT YOU DID AWAY WITH THE FIVE ACRE STANDARD, UM, THEN, OR YOU MADE A MODIFICATION TO THE TEXT THAT ALLOWED FOR EXISTING GAS STATIONS OF NO ACREAGE TO APPLY, THOSE FOUR COULD CONCEIVABLY, IF THEY MET THE BOARD'S REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SPECIAL PERMIT, IN YOUR JUDGMENT, THEY COULD BECOME LEGAL COMPLIANT GAS STATIONS.
YOU MEAN THEY WOULD BE FUEL ONLY? UH, THAT WOULD BE FUEL.
I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY OF THEM WOULD DO THAT SINCE THEY CAME IN SAYING HOW IMPORTANT IT WAS TO HAVE, HAVE A CONVENIENCE STORE.
YEAH, I THINK IT WOULD BE A SEPARATE PROCESS.
IT MIGHT BE A SEPARATE PROCESS.
AND YOU MENTIONED WE'VE GOT A HEAD START.
YOU MENTIONED 2040, LIKE AS IF THAT'S A LONG TIME.
AND ZONING 19 YEARS IS NOTHING.
UM, AND IT'S THE TOWN WHEN THESE GAS STATIONS GO OUT OF BUSINESS AND THEY JUST WALK AWAY, UH, THE TOWN IS THE ONE THAT GETS STUCK WITH A PROPERTY THAT NOW HAS FUEL TANKS IN THE GROUND.
AND WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO WITH THEM.
WE'VE HAD EXPERIENCES WITH THAT IN THE PAST.
AND SO WHEN I RAISED WHY WOULD WE TAKE SOMETHING THAT'S WORKING NOW, THEY'RE ALLOWED TO STAY IN, IN EXISTENCE, BUT IF THEY GO OUTTA BUSINESS FOR 2, 3, 5 YEARS, WE DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE COMING BACK.
THEY CAN STAY LIKE THAT FOREVER.
AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN WE HAVE TANKS IN THE GROUND THAT WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH.
IF THEY'RE NON-CONFORMING LIKE THEY ARE NOW AND THEY GO OUT OF BUSINESS FOR SIX MONTHS, WE CAN GO AFTER 'EM RIGHT AWAY, GET THOSE TANKS OUT OF THE GROUND.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S THE POINT THAT I WAS RAISING.
I THINK ONE OF THE CHALLENGES ON OLDER STATIONS TOO, IS THE, THE INSURANCE UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANKS.
AND MOST OF THE UNDERWRITERS NOW ARE NOT UNDER UNDERWRITING A TANK THAT'S SPINNING THE GROUND 30 YEARS AND YOU CAN GO BUY SOME OF 'EM.
AND SOME OF 'EM WERE PUT IN, IN 19 88, 89.
SO THEY MAY, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER WE PUT A FUEL STATION IN OR NOT, I WILL TELL YOU SOME OF THE, THE OLDER TANK CHALLENGE IS A CHALLENGE STATION, UH, FROM, FROM THE WHOLE INDUSTRY RIGHT NOW.
'CAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF STATIONS THAT ARE OUT THERE WITH 30 YEAR OLD TANKS THAT ARE, NOBODY'S GONNA WRITE THEM AN ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY, WHICH THEY'RE REQUIRED TO HAVE BY LAW.
AND DAN WILL TELL YOU, IT'S NOT JUST THE TANKS ON THOSE OLDER STATIONS, IT'S THE PIPING.
WOULD IT MAKE SENSE TO HAVE THE SCHEDULE, THE HEARING FOR IF WE NEXT WEEK, IF WE SCHEDULE FOR SAY, NOVEMBER 10TH? I'M JUST THROWING OUT, YOU KNOW, JUST ASKING IF THAT NOVEMBER TENTH'S A TUESDAY THAT WORKS FOR ME.
NO, NO, THAT'S WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10TH.
I MEAN, WOULD THAT BE THE RIGHT TIMETABLE? BECAUSE I'M THINKING IT'S, UH, BEFORE THE BUDGET PROCESS REALLY GETS STARTED.
AND THEN IF WE, I MEAN THE, WE, IT JUST SO YOU HAVE AN IDEA FOR THE CALENDAR.
WE HAVE NOVEMBER 10TH, THEN WE USUALLY MEET NOVEMBER, UH, 22ND,
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WHICH IS THE MONDAY BEFORE, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, THANKSGIVING.AND THEN, UH, WE USUALLY, THIS IS THE BUDGET SEASON, SO THEN WE GET USUALLY SIDETRACKED ON, YOU KNOW, BUDGET ISSUES.
BUT, YOU KNOW, WE SOMETIMES, LIKE A HEARING LIKE THIS COULD BE POSTPONED FOR LIKE, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES WE, WE ADJOURN IT FOR A HEARING OR WHATEVER.
I MEAN, WHAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S, WHAT'S THE, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE I WHEN CAN WE GET, WHEN CAN WE AFFORD THE, UH, PROPERLY INFORM THE PUBLIC? THAT'S, THAT'S THE
WELL, WE COULD BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, I COULD TAKE THIS, UH, YOU KNOW, THE LINK TO THIS MEETING.
UH, WE COULD POST THAT ON THE, YOU KNOW, TOWN WEBSITE.
UH, DO WE HAVE A LIST OF, UM, UH, WHO SPOKE AT THE LAST HEARING? GARRETT? YES.
SO I, I WOULD THINK THAT WE SHOULD, YOU KNOW, NOTIFY ALL THE PEOPLE WHO SPOKE AT THE LAST TEARING.
AND WE COULD DO THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, ALMOST IMMEDIATELY.
AND WE COULD REFERENCE, YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS MEETING AND THEN WE COULD, UM, WHAT ARE WE MEETING THE, THE, UH, NOTICE REQUIREMENTS TOO? 10 DAYS? WELL, WE, WE WOULD BE THE, WE WOULD BE POSTING IT.
WE, WE ARE HAVING ONE MORE MEETING NEXT WEEK.
BUT WE HAVE, WE YOU HAVE STILL HAVE TO PUT IT ON A CALENDAR TO NO, NEXT WEEK IS JUST SICE IF YEAH.
RESOLUTION SETTING, PUBLIC HEARING.
10 27 WOULD SUFFICE FOR 1110 PUBLIC HEARING.
AND WE COULD POST A SIGN AT THE PROPERTY LIKE WE DID LAST TIME.
UM, CLIFF ISN'T HERE, RIGHT? HE'S ON, HE'S ON ZOOM AND HE'S NOT ON MUTING.
HOW YOU DOING CLIFF? I'M DOING GREAT.
HOW EVERYBODY DOING? ALRIGHT, WE'RE UP TO YOUR TOPIC.
BEFORE WE START, DO WE WANT TO SOLIDIFY THE NOVEMBER 22ND DATE AS A MEETING DATE? WAIT, CLIFF IS STILL TALKING.
LEMME SEE IF I CAN, UM, I'M ROLL OUT.
I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH NOVEMBER 22ND.
OKAY, WELL WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THE ROOM IS AVAILABLE.
WE TALKED ABOUT IT TODAY, BUT WASN'T SURE THE DATE FOR THE, FOR HAVING ME MEETING THIS OPPORTUNITY.
UM, A COMMUNITY STILL ABOUT YOUTH EMPOWERMENT AND APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM.
COULD YOU SPEAK UP? CLIFF? CLIFF, COULD YOU SPEAK UP A LITTLE BIT? HEAR ME? JUST SPEAK AS LOUD AS YOU CAN, RIGHT? CAN YOU HEAR ME BETTER THAN THAT? MUCH BETTER.
A COMMUNITY CENTER WALL YOUTH EMPOWERMENT AND APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM.
ACKNOWLEDGE THE OF PARENTS AND OR GUIDING AND A CHILD EDUCATION AND SEEK THE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CHILD, PRIVATE DEVELOPERS AND FAMILY.
IN ESTABLISHING A BETTER FUTURE FOR YOUTH THROUGH ACADEMIC SUPPORT, MENTORING AND JOB TRAINING RESEARCH.
RESEARCH SHOWED THAT ADOLESCENTS WHO PARTICIPATE IN QUALITY AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS HAVE HIGHER SCHOOL ATTENDANCE AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND ARE LESS LIKELY TO BE INVOLVED IN RISKY BEHAVIOR DURING AFTERSCHOOL HOURS.
IN ADDITION, ADOLESCENTS WHO PARTICIPATE IN APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM OFFERED BY DEVELOPERS BENEFIT FROM TRAINING AND LOCAL JOBS THAT ARE, ARE GENERATED TO BENEFIT OF THE COMMUNITY AND LOCAL BUSINESS.
A COMMUNITY CENTER WITHOUT WALL YOUTH EMPOWERMENT AND APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM OFFER A BROAD RANGE OF EDUCATIONAL, RECREATIONAL AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES AS A WELL, AS WELL AS JOB TRAINING TO INTEGRATE WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE SCHOOL DAY.
WITH THE, WITH THE WORK WORLD.
COMMUNITY CENTER WALL YOUTH EMPOWERMENT AND APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM ALSO PROVIDE WORKING PARENTS WITH A SAFE PLACE FOR THEIR
[02:30:01]
CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS TO LEARN PURPOSE.PURPOSE OF A COMMUNITY CENTER WALL YOUTH EMPOWERMENT APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM IS TO IMPLEMENT PROGRAM OUTSIDE OF REGULAR SCHOOL HOURS THAT OFFER STUDENT JOB TRAINING AS WELL AS ACADEMIC.
IN RECENT YEARS, THE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATE IN THE GREENBURG CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT HAVE HOVER ABOUT 90% THOUGH FOR BLACKS AND LATINO YOUTH, IT IS CLOSER TO 60% THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY RESOURCE AT
THE YOUNG COMMUNITY CENTER IS IN AN ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED LOCATION, BUT 64% OF STUDENTS RECEIVE FREE OR REDUCED LUNCH IN EFFORT TO BRIDGE THE EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC GAP.
A COMMUNITY CENTER WITHOUT WALL YOUTH EMPOWERMENT AND APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM WILL OPERATE UNDER THE, UNDER THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY RESOURCE AT THE 30 D YOUNG COMMUNITY CENTER AS WELL AS THE TOWN DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND REC.
SO LET ME SEE IF I CAN GET MY FACE BACK TO Y'ALL.
SO, UM, I HAVE ALREADY TALKED TO, UM, JERRY BURNS, PARCEL REC COMMISSIONER, UM, JOE D THE DEPUTY TERRENCE JACKSON, COMMISSIONER OF THE AIR, THE YOUNG COMMUNITY CENTER.
THEY BOTH LOVED THE IDEA OF BRINGING ALL OF US TOGETHER.
I ALSO END UP, I ALSO END UP HAVING, UM, I WORKED AT FORT PARKS REC AND MR. FINER KNOWS THAT HE ALWAYS BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE OF ME WITH ALL THE PROGRAMS I HAVE DONE AND HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL.
I UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S ALWAYS ABOUT MONEY AND IT'S ABOUT THE BUDGET, BUT WHEN THE TOWN REALLY WANT TO TAKE CARE OF SITUATIONS, THEY FIND A WAY TO FIND MONEY AND WHAT BETTER WAY TO USE TO TAKE CARE OF OUR YOUTH THAN YOUNG ADULTS.
UM, I WAS LISTENING TO EARLIER WHEN Y'ALL WAS TALKING ABOUT SAM CLUB TO FINDING Y'S ASS AND LIKE, CAN Y'ALL BRING JOBS? SO I ALREADY TALKED TO BRIGHTVIEW, YOU KNOW, AND I'M LOOKING FOR THE TOWN TO PUT IN THE BUDGET.
AND I, I HOPE Y'ALL ALL GOT A COPY OF, OF WHAT I PROPOSED TO PUT IN THE BUDGET.
AND BEFORE I CAN DO AT LEAST START A PILOT PROGRAM.
AND I'M SURE WITH ALL THESE DEVELOPMENTS COMING IN AND THEY GETTING THE MAJOR CONTRACTS, THEY WOULDN'T HAVE A PROBLEM HELPING KEEP THIS PROGRAM GOING.
BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT AND I THINK IT'S A WIN-WIN SITUATION FOR ALL OF US.
THE TOWN BOARD THERE, THE YOUNG COMMUNITY CENTER AND PARKS AND REC.
BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THE TOWN AND MR. FINDER, YOUR, LIKE TALKING ABOUT EVERY TIME IT COMES TO BLACK YOUTH, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE THEORY OF THE YOUNG COMMUNITY CENTER.
WELL, THERE'S A WHOLE, THERE'S ALL DIFFERENT GAT OF YOUTH OUT THERE AND THERE'S THERE THERE'S NEVER TOO MANY PROGRAMS TO HELP OUR YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS.
AND I WOULD LOVE TO DO A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE, UM, TOWN AND JERRY AND TERRANCE ALREADY UNDERSTAND WHAT I, I MET WITH THEM AND THEY LIKE IT, BUT THEY TALK ABOUT MONEY, WHICH PEOPLE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT.
AND I THINK THAT, UM, THIS WOULD BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL OF US.
IT'S, UM, I REALLY, REALLY LIKE THE PROPOSAL.
CAN I ASK YOU A QUESTION? DO YOU ALREADY HAVE IDENTIFIED A GROUP OF STUDENTS THAT WOULD BE READY AND BE ABLE TO ENTER TO THE PROGRAM? YES.
THEY HELPED ME OUT WITH THE ALL LIVES CARE MATTER.
I MEANT TO, UM, SEND SOME PICTURES TO GARRETT SO HE COULD POST THEM UP.
I GOT ABOUT 20 KIDS THAT SAY THEY SEE ME, COURSE THEY WALK UP AND DOWN THE STREET.
THIS NOT TO SAY THAT, THAT THE, UM, THE YOUNG COMMUNITY CENTER'S NOT DOING NOTHING, BUT THERE'S A CERTAIN AREA OF KIDS WHO'S NOT BEING SERVICED TO.
AND I THINK THAT WITH, WITH MY HELP AND WORKING WITH THE PARKS AND REC AND WORK THEM WITH THE, THE YOUNG COMMUNITY CENTER, WE COULD CAPTURE ALL.
AND UM, SO I DO HAVE ALREADY LIKE ABOUT 20 KIDS WHO'S READY AND CAN'T WAIT TO BE A PART OF IT.
AND, UM, I TALKED TO, AND I, WHEN I TALKED TO JERRY AND JOE, THEY GOT PLENTY OF PICTURES OF THE SUCCESS THAT I HAVE DONE.
[02:35:01]
THEY, THEY, THEY BOTH LIKE IT.UM, COMMISSIONER JACKSON AND BARN, THEY BOTH LOVE IT.
AND I TALKED TO WINSTON ABOUT IT TOO.
WOULD YOU PROVIDE US WITH, UM, LIKE, UH, REPORTING ON THE SUCCESSES AND WHAT THEY'VE, WHAT THEY'VE DONE, UM, AND YOU KNOW, OBSTACLES, UM, IF WE INCLUDE FUNDING IN THE BUDGET FOR THIS, YES, I WILL.
AND UM, I DON'T CALL THEM CHILDREN, UM, AT RISK, I CALL 'EM CHILDREN WITH POSSIBILITIES BECAUSE I'M ONE OF THEM.
AND IT SHOWS THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY LIKE DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH THAT THEY LOOKING AND, AND IT IS BORDERLINE IF THEY WALK UP AND DOWN AND NOBODY'S CAPTURING THEM, THEY COULD EASILY GET CAUGHT UP IN GANG TEEN PREGNANCY AND SO ON AND SO FORTH.
AND I ALSO WOULD BRING SPEAKERS IN.
UM, GARY KNOW I GOT THE CARPENTRY UNION WHO'D WANNA WORK WITH ME.
UM, YEAH, BOBBY KNOW LEWIS SANCHEZ, HE'S AN ELECTRICIAN AND THEY GOT THE UNION OR THEY ON BLOOMINGDALE.
HE'D BE WILLING TO BRING PEOPLE IN TO TALK TO THE YOUTH.
I HAVE SOMEBODY TO DO, UM, FINANCIAL, UM, LITERACY, WHICH IS MAJOR BECAUSE WE DON'T TEACH OUR KIDS HOW TO BUDGET THAT MONEY AND HOW TO GET GOOD CREDITS.
AND THEY HAVE A SECTION THREE THAT SAY THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE A COMMITMENT WITH GIVING LOCAL PEOPLE WORK AND THE DEVELOPMENT.
AND I THINK WE MISSED THE WALL AND DROPPED IT WHEN THE SENIOR CITIZEN COMPLEXES GETTING BUILT UP AND NOBODY FROM THE COMMUNITY GOT ANY WORK OR APPRENTICESHIP.
AND THEY ALSO HAVING THE SCATTER SITES, ALL THESE LOCATIONS THAT WE COULD HAVE YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS.
'CAUSE KIDS WANT JOBS WHEN THEY 15, 16, THEY WANT TO MAKE MONEY AND WHAT'S BETTER.
I'M PUSHING TRADES AND I GOT PEOPLE WHO'S WILLING TO TRAIN THE, UM, YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS.
YOU SAID YOU SPOKE TO WINSOME.
DID SHE IDENTIFY ANY GRANT OPPORTUNITIES, UH, FOR FUNDING? WELL, SHE WAS ASKED, SHE WAS SAYING THAT MR. FINER, UM, SHE, SHE WAS LOOKING AND SHE, SHE TOLD ME SHE WAS GOING TO TALK TO, UM, JERRY AND, AND TERRENCE.
BUT YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY GOT THEIR BUDGET AND I WAS HOPING MR. FINDER COULD PUT IT INTO THE BUDGET THIS YEAR BEFORE HE DO IT OCTOBER 31ST.
AND THEN ONCE IT'S IN THERE, I'D LEAST SHOW OUR PALLET PROGRAM TO SHOW THAT IT'S NEEDED AND THAT IT'S WANTED AND THEN WE COULD GO ON FROM THERE.
IS UH, THE COUNTY GONNA CONTRIBUTE THEN AS WE LOOKING TO FIND MONEY? THE COUNTY, UH, YOU MENTIONED A WHILE BACK THAT THE COUNTY WOULD CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS THIS.
HAVE YOU, UH, GOTTEN ANY COMMITMENTS FROM THE COUNTY OR ARE YOU ASKING THE TOWN TO CONTRIBUTE THE WHOLE THING? WELL, I'M ASKING Y'ALL TO, TO CON CONTRIBUTE WITH YOUR, I WOULD LIKE YOUR CONTRIBUTE.
I'M MEETING, UM, COUNTY EXECUTIVE GEORGE LAMER SATURDAY MORNING AND I'M BRINGING IT UP TO HIM AGAIN AND WE MEETING, BUT I'M HOPING THAT THIS IS IN GREENBURG AND THAT THE TOWN BOARD AND, AND THE OTHER DEPARTMENT WILL WANT TO DO THIS EVEN IF MR. LAIR DON'T DO IT.
BUT I'M HOPING THAT IT IS LIKE ABOUT 80% THAT HE WILL HAVE YOU SPOKEN TO.
THAT'S A QUESTION NEW JUST ACTUALLY THIS IS, THIS IS TO THE BOY WILL TO PAUL, THE ZUCKERBERG PROGRAM.
HOW DID WE FUND IT? THEY DON'T FUND.
I SAID, HOW DID WE FUND IT? THE PROGRAM, UH, THE ZUCKERBERG, UH, WE BASICALLY HAD ONCE SOME SHE CONTRIBUTED TOWARDS, UH, YOU KNOW, TOWARDS THE PHILANTHROPY DEPARTMENT CAME UP WITH SOME FUNDS.
WAS IT A GRANT? ZUCKERBERG PROGRAM WAS A GRANT.
BUT YOU KNOW, WHAT I'M WONDERING IS, UH, WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO, UM, UM, YOU KNOW, SPEAK WITH, UM, MAYBE ALFREDA WILLIAMS AND YOU KNOW, SEE ALSO AND SEE IF THE COUNTY WOULD, YOU KNOW, WOULD LIKE PARTNER WITH US? UH, BECAUSE THEY MAY HAVE SOME, YOU KNOW, SOME PROGRAMS THROUGH THEIR, UH, YOUTH OFFICES AND JOB DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS AND YOU KNOW, MAYBE, UM, IF YOU'D LET THEM KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, THE TOWN WOULD CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS IT, UH, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THEY WOULD, YOU KNOW, I WOULD THINK THAT THERE'S A DECENT CHANCE THAT THEY WOULD, YOU KNOW, COME THROUGH.
WE COULD ALSO BE ASKING FOR C WELL, C D B G IT'S PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, TOO LATE, YOU KNOW, FOR THAT.
BUT YOU KNOW, I I WOULD THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, IF WE WORK WITH A COUNTY, WE
[02:40:01]
COULD PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, MAKE THIS HAPPEN.YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA AND I THINK THAT IT, YOU KNOW, I THINK YOU'RE, YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN, UH, CREATIVE AND COME UP WITH GOOD INITIATIVES AND YOU KNOW, I FEEL THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, ANYTHING THAT WE COULD DO THAT COULD HELP, UH, HELP PE YOUNG PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, ACHIEVE THEIR DREAMS IS SOMETHING I THINK THAT'S A GOOD INVESTMENT.
HEY CLIFF, IN ADVANCE OF THIS, IN ADVANCE OF THIS MEETING, I'VE ALREADY REACHED OUT TO WINSOME AND ASKED HER JUST TO SEE WHAT GRANTS ARE.
SOME POSSIBILITIES ARE OUT THERE.
SO I KNOW SHE'S, AS SOON AS AFTER THIS MEETING, I'LL, I'LL MAKE SURE I GO BACK TO HER.
BUT I'VE ALREADY REACHED OUT TO HER AND SPOKE TO HER ABOUT IT.
BUT I WOULD, I WOULD DEFINITELY LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE TOWN TO TAKE A HARD LOOK AND, AND, AND THE BEST, AND I'M NOT ASKING FOR THAT MUCH MONEY.
AND I GAVE EVERYBODY THE, UM, PROPOSAL AND YOU SEE IT'S NOT REALLY THAT MUCH MONEY.
AND IF I, WHEN I DO MEET WITH COUNTY EXECUTIVES ON GEORGE LAIR, I'M HOPING THAT IT COULD GO A COUPLE OF YEARS.
THAT THEY COULD TAKE A YEAR AND THE TOWN TAKE A YEAR SO WE COULD MAKE THIS WORK BECAUSE THE YOUTH WAS WALKING UP AND DOWN AND THEY JUST HANGING OUT AND THEY COME TO ME AND THEY LIKE SAYING, HEY, WHEN, WHEN YOU GOING TO BRING THE PROGRAM YOU TOLD YOU YOU WAS GONNA BRING? AND I TOLD 'EM, HEY, YOU PATIENT.
YOU KNOW, BUT HOW PATIENT CAN KIDS BE? BECAUSE, UM, ANOTHER THING I WAS LOOKING AT, UM, THE MULTIPURPOSE PLACE, UM, CENTER UP AT PARKS AND RED, BECAUSE THEY DON'T REALLY, UM, I COULD PROBABLY GO IN EARLIER WITH THE KIDS TO GET 'EM HOME.
'CAUSE I KNOW THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY RESOURCE AT THE 30 YOUNG COMMUNITY CENTER HAVE A LOT OF PROGRAMS AND THE SPACES, IT AIN'T TOO MUCH AVAILABLE.
AND THAT'S WHY I SAID A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE THREE OF US WOULD BE BEAUTIFUL.
CAN I MAKE A SUGGESTION, YOU KNOW, TO THE BOARD AND YOU CAN TELL ME IF YOU THINK THIS IS REASONABLE OR NOT.
LET'S SAY I PUT IN THE BUDGET, UM, YOU KNOW, 15, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE BETWEEN NOW AND END OF THE YEAR.
AND UH, YOU KNOW, I'VE INDICATED I'M GONNA COME IN WITH A BUDGET WITH A 0% TAX INCREASE.
SO, YOU KNOW, SO THAT'S, YOU KNOW, SO TOUGH.
WHAT IF I PUT IN 15,000 AND THEN BETWEEN NOW AND END OF THE YEAR WHEN WE, YOU KNOW, APPROVE THE BUDGET, WE COULD WORK TO SEE IF WE COULD GET GRANTS.
UH, WE COULD WORK WITH WINSOME AND WE COULD ALSO WORK, UH, TO SEE IF MAYBE THE COUNTY WOULD COME UP WITH FUNDING.
AND THEN WE'LL SEE WHERE WE ARE.
YOU KNOW, IN DECEMBER, THE BOARD COULD ALWAYS MODIFY THE, YOU KNOW, THE BUDGET IF WE'RE NOT SUCCESSFUL.
BUT THIS WAY I'M SHOWING THIS WAY, CLIFF COULD GO TO THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE AND TO ALFREDA WILLIAMS AND SAY, LISTEN, WE ALREADY GOT A COMMITMENT FROM THE TOWN FOR HALF OF THIS.
YOU KNOW, COULD YOU CUT? AND THE DOLLAR AMOUNT WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, A BILLION DOLLAR BUDGET WITH THE COUNTY IS NOT, YOU KNOW, YOU IT IS NOT A LOT.
BUT I THINK THAT IF, IF WE SAY WE WANT TO DO THIS TOGETHER, YOU KNOW, AND, AND THE TOWN IS, YOU KNOW, SOMEWHAT COMMITTED TO THIS, IS COMMITTED TO THE, THE CONCEPT, I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD HAVE A, A CHANCE OF GETTING, YOU KNOW, FUNDS.
AND THEN I COULD ALSO SPEAK TO WIN.
WE, WE COULD SPEAK TO WINSOME AND SEE IF SHE COULD GET, IF THE PHILANTHROPY OFFICE COULD, YOU KNOW, HELP COME UP WITH, YOU KNOW, THE REST ALSO.
I MEAN, WOULD THAT MAKE SENSE? I MEAN, DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY, UH, CLIFF, COULD YOU, COULD YOU CLARIFY? IT SAYS THAT THE $30,000 COVERS 34 WEEKS, BUT IT LISTS THAT THE PROGRAM RUNS FROM JANUARY 1ST TO MAY 31ST, WHICH IS 20 WEEKS.
BUT WHEN WE, WHEN I FIRST WROTE THIS, UM, MR. LAIR, THEY WAS GONNA GIMME ME SOME COVID MONEY AND THEN ONCE IT GOT, THEN IT END UP, THEN I SAID I COULD GO FROM JANUARY.
'CAUSE I ORIGINALLY WAS GOING TO DO IT, UM, NOVEMBER ON.
THAT'S WHY, THAT'S WHY IT GOT BOUGHT.
BECAUSE I ALREADY HAD PROPOSAL WRITTEN UP AND THAT'S HOW IT WAS MORE TECHNICALLY I SHOULD HAVE SAID FIVE MONTHS AS OPPOSED TO 20 WEEKS.
BUT, 'CAUSE IT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN 20 WEEKS.
BUT IS THAT, IS THAT THE IDEA? IT'S JANUARY ONE TO MAY 31ST.
'CAUSE USUALLY SUMMERTIME KIDS IS INVOLVED IN A WHOLE LOT OF PROGRAMS, RIGHT? MM-HMM.
WHY DON'T YOU CHECK WITH COMMISSIONER? RIGHT.
I HAVE A DISCUSSION WITH THEM FIRST.
WHY DON'T YOU, WHY DON'T WE HAVE A DISCUSSION WITH THEM? RIGHT.
ALSO, THIS HAS TO BE, WE'RE ASKING FOR THIS TO BE, UH, ALLOCATED DESIGNATED, YOU KNOW, PROGRAM.
SO IF WE PUT THE FUNDS IN THIS AND WE
[02:45:01]
BASICALLY WANT CLIFF TO BE THE ADMINISTRATOR OF IT, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S NOT REALLY A COMMUNITY CENTER.IT'S NOT REALLY A PARKS PROGRAM BECAUSE HE'S RUNNING THIS AND WE'RE BASICALLY, BUT IT'S GOING BE HE'S ASKING FOR DISASTER UNDER THE AUSPICES OF PARKS DEPARTMENTS, RIGHT? YEAH.
THAT'S WHAT HE I'M LOOKING TO GO.
WHICH, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT? WE'RE GOOD LETTING DO YOU KNOW.
READY? ACTUALLY, WE'RE ACTUALLY HAVING A CON COME ON IN.
YOU JUST CAME AT THE RIGHT TIME.
SO WE'RE HAVING, SO CLIFF ABRAMS. CLIFF ABRAMS IS ON THE LINE YET? YES.
THE CONCEPT IS ACTUALLY, UH, AN INTERESTING CONCEPT.
IT'S GOING AFTER IN, IN A GROUP THAT HE SAYS, AND I CAN AGREE HAS MAYBE NOT FELT WELCOME, IF THAT'S THE RIGHT WAY TO SAY IT OR NOT, WILLING TO PUT THROUGH THE PROPER PAPERWORK SO THEY CAN COME FOR FREE AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
HE HAS THE POSSIBILITY OF REACHING A GROUP THAT WE'VE HAD SOME DIFFICULTY WITH.
WE CONTINUE TO WANT TO TRY AND DO THAT.
BUT IF THAT'S THE FACT, THAT'S THE FACT.
UM, THE PROGRAMS THAT HE'S OFFERING ARE PROGRAMS THAT ARE, UH, CURRENTLY HAPPENING.
UM, SPECIFICALLY ONE, THE TEEN LOUNGE THAT YOU ALL ATTENDED.
WHEN WE GOT THE GRANT FOR THAT AND ALL THAT, IT STARTED IN OCTOBER AND THEN WAS GROWING AND ENDED 'CAUSE OF COVID.
AND WE'RE LOOKING TO BRING THAT BACK AS SOON AS POSSIBLE WITH SOME NEW, UH, DIFFERENT TYPE OF PROGRAMMING AND ALL.
BUT IT'S ALSO THE PIECE THAT WE FIGHT WITH THAT.
UM, THE KIDS DON'T WANT SO MUCH STRUCTURE
THEY WANT TO BE ABLE JUST TO DO WHAT THEY WANT TO DO.
AND KIDS WANNA DO THAT SO MUCH MORE.
YOU KNOW, THEY WANNA TURN THE LIGHTS OFF, PLAY WITH THEIR PHONES AND, AND KIND OF DO NOTHING.
AND I'M UNDERSTANDING THAT, THAT THERE, THERE, THERE IS TIME FOR THAT.
YOU KNOW, THEY DO NEED TO HAVE THAT KIND OF TIME.
BUT THERE ALSO IS TIME THAT IT'S A DIFFERENT TYPE OF LEARNING AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE FOR.
THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE'VE GOTTA DO.
SO IT'S, IT'S BALANCING ALL OF THAT.
DO YOU THINK THERE'S A GRANT FUNDING THAT REAL PLEASE.
UM, I DON'T THINK KIDS ARE LOOKING AT THE TERM LIGHTS ON AND OFF AND IT'S ACT SILLY.
THEY'RE LOOKING FOR STRUCTURE, BUT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR STRUCTURE THAT INTERESTED THEM.
SOME, SOMETIMES WE WANT THEM TO COME WHERE WE THINK THEY ARE INSTEAD OF COMING WHERE THEY AT TO BRING 'EM WHERE WE ARE.
AND THEY, IT'S ALL TYPE OF PROGRAM AND IT IS DIFFERENT, UM, SCHEMES.
'CAUSE THE FIRST THING KIDS WANT IS TRUST AND YOU HAVE TO GET THEIR TRUST.
SO EVERYBODY JUST DON'T COMMENT.
THEY, THEY TEENAGERS, YOU KNOW, AND THEY, AND I HAD SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMS AND JERRY AND JOE VOUCHED FOR ME AND MR. FINER THAT, UH, WE HAD THE YOUTH EMPOWERMENT.
THEY HAD TO DO A VOCABULARY WORD THAT WERE JUST DUE TO BE A MEMBER.
THEN THEY HAD TO PUT IT IN A SENTENCE AND WE HAD OVER 30 SOMETHING KIDS COMING ON A REGULAR BASIS.
SO THEY LOOKING FOR STRUCTURE, THEY LOOKING FOR TO BE CHALLENGED AND WE DON'T NEED TO SET THE BAR SO LOW WITH THEM.
THERE ARE THOSE THAT ARE LOOKING TO BE CHALLENGED AT ALL.
AND THOSE ARE THE ONES WE'RE GETTING AT THE MOMENT.
THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT ARE PUSHING FOR IT.
THOSE ARE THE ONES ON OUR COMMISSIONER'S, YOUTH COUNCIL, THOSE IN THAT TEEN YOUTH PROGRAM, WE WERE ACTUALLY TRYING TO LET THEM BUILD IT.
WE DID NOT WANT TO GET INVOLVED TOO MUCH.
SAY, WHAT DO YOU ALL WANT? YOU ALL BUILD IT.
WE'RE JUST HERE TO GUIDE AND GIVE ASSISTANCE WHEN YOU ASKED FOR IT.
SO, SO I I'M IN AGREEMENT WITH YOU ON THAT AND THAT'S THE WAY TO DO IT.
I, BUT, BUT WHAT, WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY IS THAT, UM, THEY, THEY ARE HERE, THEY ARE LOOKING MM-HMM.
I'M NOT SAYING THAT THE, THE, I DON'T WANT THE SENATOR TO THINK I'M TALKING ABOUT.
I'M NOT SAYING Y'ALL DON'T DO GREAT WORK.
BUT THERE ARE, BUT TRUTH IS TRUTH.
THERE'S A BUNCH OF KIDS THAT DON'T FEEL WELCOME.
AND I TOLD YOU THAT THE OTHER DAY WE WAS TALKING BECAUSE I FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE GOING IN THERE SOMETIMES.
SO I CAN ONLY IMAGINE HOW THE YOUTH WITH WHOSE POSSIBILITIES, HOW THEY CAN FEEL AND THEY COME TO ME AND IF WE WANT TO HAVE A DISCUSSION AND HAVE A OPEN SESSION AND LET THEM SHARE HOW THEY FEEL, I'M WILLING FOR THAT TOO.
IT'S NOT TO SAY THAT THIS IS NOT DOING NOTHING.
SO I DON'T WANT YOU TO THINK THAT I DON NO, YOU DIDN'T.
YOU DEFINITELY DIDN'T SAY THAT.
ONE THING I WOULD ASK AND, AND AN OPEN FORUM LIKE THAT, IF WE CAN GET THOSE KIDS TO COME IN AND, AND DO THAT, I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THAT.
[02:50:01]
UM, UH, I AM A BED OF ROSES AND I DON'T STINKRIGHT? BUT ONE QUESTION I WILL ASK, WHAT ARE, ARE THESE KIDS ALSO POSSIBLY CONNECTED TO THE HOUSING AUTHORITY PROGRAMS? DO THEY JOIN THOSE PROGRAMS AS WELL? WELL, THE HOUSING AUTHORITY DON'T HAVE NO PROGRAMS RIGHT NOW.
THEY HAD THAT, THIS LET ME SHARE.
THEY HAD A, THEY HAD A DROP-IN CENTER AND THAT PROGRAM, THE DROP-IN CENTER, THEY STARTED THAT.
AND I CALLED IT READ AND REC WHEN THEY CAME IN AND THEY HAD TO READ FOR A HALF HOUR, THEN THEY COULD GO IN THE COMPUTER LOT.
AND THEY HAVEN'T BEEN WITH A PROGRAM WITH THE, UM, HOUSING AUTHORITY IN ALMOST A YEAR NOW.
AND I STARTED THAT PROGRAM UP AT THE HOUSING AUTHORITY IN 1991.
WELL, WITH COVID, EVERYBODY'S KIND OF BEEN PUSHED OFF AND SLOW DOWN, I THINK.
AND LEMME THIS WELL, CLIFF, CLIFF, CLIFF, I JUST WANT TO SAY, I THINK WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE AND WE GOTTA MOVE ON.
AND I, AND YOU KNOW, I THINK, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A COMMITMENT ON THE PART OF THE SUPERVISOR DON'T WANT, AND I'M WILLING FOR THAT, BUT I DON'T WANT JACKSON TO SAY BECAUSE UP AT THE HOUSING AUTHORITY, YOU KNOW, Y'ALL NEED TO TAKE A WALK ONCE IN A WHILE UP THERE AND SEE WHAT'S GOING ON.
AND THIS IS BEFORE COVID AND THE AGE I'M GOING AFTER, THEY DEAL WITH KIDS MORE SEVEN YEARS OLD THAN 12.
WELL, LET'S SAY I PUT, WHAT I, I'D LIKE TO DO IS I'D LIKE TO PUT 15,000, YOU KNOW, IN THE BUDGET, WHICH IS HALF.
AND THEN BETWEEN NOW AND DECEMBER WE WILL SEE IF WE COULD IDENTIFY, YOU KNOW, 15,000 FOR THE, THE REST, WHICH COULD BE THROUGH BRI OR THROUGH THE COUNTY OR WHATEVER.
AND I'M SORRY, THIS 15,000 IS GOING WHERE AND FOR WHAT? WELL, THEY'RE GONNA HAVE A DISCUSSION WITH YOU AND JERRY AS TO WHERE IT SHOULD GO.
SO WHERE WE PUT, BUT IT'S NOT COMING OUT.
AND I WOULD, I WOULD SAY CLIFF HAD VERY COMPLIMENTARY THINGS TO SAY ABOUT BOTH YOUR PROGRAM AND JERRY'S PROGRAM.
AND WE'VE BEEN AT THIS FOR A WHILE.
AND I KNOW THAT THE BOARD MEMBERS WANNA MOVE ON.
SO, CLIFF, BUT LET ME JUST ASK, IF I PUT IT IN THE BUDGET, YOU KNOW, WOULD WANNA PUT IT LIKE AS A DESIGNATED, UH, YOU KNOW, DESIGNATED PROGRAM.
SO WOULD, YOU KNOW, I'D PUT A LINE ITEM SAYING COMMUNITY WITHOUT WALLS.
SOMETHING LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW, THEN LET'S SAY TO ROBERTA YEAH.
SO WHY DON'T I DO THAT? AND THEN MEANWHILE, WHY DON'T YOU SPEAK TO ALFRED AND GEORGE LATIMER AND SAY YOU HAVE LIKE HALF OF IT.
AND THEN WE'LL SEE BETWEEN NOW AND THE BUDGET TIME WHEN WE HAVE TO APPROVE THE BUDGET IF, UH, WE COULD COME UP WITH THE WHOLE PACKAGE.
BUT YOU KNOW, I I, I DEFINITELY WOULD WANT TO HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, LIKE PERIODIC REPORTING AND KNOW HOW MANY PARTICIPANTS, UH, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE GONNA BE DOING THESE PROGRAMS, I REALLY WANT TO SHOW PEOPLE THAT YOU KNOW, THAT YOU KNOW IS SUCCESSFUL AND THERE WAS MONITORING AND UM, YOU KNOW, THE SUCCESSES AND THE FAILURES, EVEN IF NOT, NOT EVERY STUDENT, NOT EVERY PERSON WHO PARTICIPATES IS GONNA WORK OUT.
SO IF YOU COULD IDENTIFY WHY YOU THINK FOR SOME PEOPLE IT'S NOT WORKING, THAT ALSO IS INFORMATION THAT I THINK IS BENEFICIAL.
SO WE DON'T EXPECT EVERYTHING TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
JOB CLIFF, HOW ARE YOU MAN? IT'S DAVE REGINA.
UM, AND PAUL, JUST TO ASK A QUESTION HERE, $15,000 BEING ADDED TO THE BUDGET WILL BE ADDED.
IS CLIFF AN EMPLOYEE OF THE TOWN IN GREEN? UH, AN EMPLOYEE OF THE TOWN OF GREENBURG WHEN IT COMES TO LEGALITIES WORKING WITH KIDS.
THIS WOULD BE A CONTRACTUAL ISN'T THIS A CONTRACTUAL UNIT PROGRAM, TIM? IT'S NOT.
I THINK WE CONTRACTING HAVE TO DISCUSS THAT.
DON'T WANNA MAKE ANY COMMITMENT.
LOGISTICS NEED TO BE WORKED OUT.
HAVE TO LY HAVE TO BE A CONTRACT.
WE'LL WORK IT OUT BECAUSE THIS IS A PILOT.
THIS IS NOT AN ALLONE, IT'S A PILOT.
SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, SO IF HE STARTS IT, THEN HE CAN, YOU KNOW, THEN AFTER THAT WE CAN SEE HOW IT GOES.
AND UH, WE'LL BE BACK IN TOUCH.
WE JUST, WE'RE JUST WRAPPING UP.
I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND I APPRECIATE Y'ALL APPRECI TAKING CONSIDERATION FOR US.
SO NEXT, UM, WE HAVE AN EXECUTIVE SESSION.
UM, TO DISCUSS, UM, PERSONNEL ISSUES INVOLVING PARTICULAR PEOPLE AND FOR LEGAL ADVICE.
YOU MAKING A MOTION? YEAH, I MAKE THE MOTION.
[02:55:01]
ALL IN FAVOR.