[Call to Order]
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GOOD EVENING, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, AND WELCOME TO, UH, WORK SESSION FOR, UH, DECEMBER THE FIFTH, 2023.MR. CHAIRMAN, YOU HAVE A QUORUM.
TODAY WE HAVE, UH, WE HAVE TWO PRESENTATIONS.
[1 * Presentation of the FY 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report. Receive presentation from Leslie Roberts, Partner, Brown, Edwards & Company, L.L.P.]
THE FIRST ONE WILL BE THE ANNUAL COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL REPORT, AND THEN THE HISTORIC, WE'LL HAVE ANOTHER ONE WE'LL CALL THE HISTORICAL HISTORIC TRIANGLE RECREATION FACILITY AUTHORITY, NEIL.SO IT'S DECEMBER, AND THAT MEANS IT'S TIME FOR THE BOARD TO RECEIVE THE, UH, REPORT OF OUR AUDITOR, UH, AND THE REVIEW OF THE ANNUAL COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL REPORT.
UM, SO I'D LIKE, UH, LESLIE ROBERTS, WHO'S THE LEAD, UH, AUDITOR TO COME UP TO THE PODIUM AND PRESENT.
I'LL JUST MENTION THAT, YOU KNOW, EVERY FEW YEARS IT'S, UH, BEST PRACTICE TO CHANGE AUDIT FIRMS. AND SO THIS IS LESLIE'S TEAM'S FIRST YEAR.
AND THE FIRST YEAR ALWAYS PRESENTS A FEW CHALLENGES FOR BOTH THE AUDITOR AND THE STAFF.
I WANT TO THANK TERESA AND CAROLYN AND ALL CAROLYN'S TEAM FOR THEIR GOOD WORK IN GETTING IT TO THIS POINT.
SO, HOPEFULLY LESLIE, ONE OF US CAN FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET YOUR POWERPOINT UP.
WHAT? I DON'T HAVE POWERPOINT.
THAT I'M GONNA BE SHORT AND SWEET.
I'M A PARTNER WITH THE AUDIT FIRM, BROWN EDWARDS, AND THIS IS OUR FIRST YEAR DOING YORK COUNTY'S AUDIT.
SO I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH YORK COUNTY AND EVERYTHING THAT GOES ON HERE, AND A LOT OF WHAT GOES ON HERE AFFECTS ME DRAMATICALLY.
AND SO I'M VERY HAPPY TO BE WORKING FOR THE COUNTY AND WORKING WITH THE COUNTY.
UM, OVERALL FOR A FIRST YEAR AUDIT, THIS WENT REALLY WELL.
I'D LIKE TO COME IN THE, THE FINANCE TEAM, UM, THERESA, CAROLYN, AMY, KATIE, AND HEIDI.
THEY ALL WORKED REALLY HARD AND IT WAS A GREAT COLLABORATION.
AND, UM, AS YOU'LL SEE, THE RESULTS WERE PRETTY GOOD AS WELL.
UM, GASB HAD A NEW PRONOUNCEMENT THAT WE IMPLEMENTED THIS YEAR.
UM, BASICALLY WE DIDN'T IMPLEMENT IT.
THE COUNTY IMPLEMENTED IT AND WE CHECKED IT OUT AND THEY DID A REALLY GOOD JOB.
THIS WAS SIMILAR TO THE LEASES ONE THAT WAS DONE LAST YEAR, AND THIS WAS BASED ON, THIS WAS SUBSCRIPTION BASED.
IT ARRANGEMENTS, BASICALLY JUST LIKE LEASES LAST YEAR.
YOU PUT THEM ON YOUR BALANCE SHEET, ON YOUR STATEMENT AND NET POSITION, AND, UM, PUT THEM ON ASSETS, RIGHT? OF USE ASSETS AND LIABILITIES.
AND THAT WAS ALL DONE WELL, AND WE CHECKED THAT OUT, BUT THAT'S THE ONLY, LIKE, NEW THING THIS YEAR.
UM, JUST GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE REPORTS THAT WE, UM, ISSUE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE AUDIT.
UM, THE BIG ONE IS THE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT, AND HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE THAT WE ISSUED A CLEAN UNMODIFIED OPINION, AND THAT'S THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF ASSURANCE THAT WE CAN GIVE YOU ON YOUR AUDITED, ON YOUR FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.
SO WE WERE ABLE TO COME IN HERE, LOOK AT YOUR FINANCIALS AND SAY THEY PRESENT FAIRLY THE POSITION OF YOUR ASSETS AND LIABILITIES AND YOUR ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR.
SO THAT'S ON, THAT'S PAGES B ONE THROUGH B FOUR.
EXCUSE ME, LESLIE, I SHOULD HAVE MENTIONED THAT.
HAD YOUR RECEIPT
YEAH, SO THAT'S THE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT, AND THAT'S KIND OF THE BOTTOM LINE.
WHERE WE ABLE TO COME IN HERE IS OUTSIDE INDEPENDENT THIRD PARTIES AND LOOK AT YOUR FINANCIALS AND SAY THAT THEY PRESENT FAIRLY.
SO, UM, IF YOU LOOK FURTHER INTO THAT BIG REPORT THAT YOU GUYS HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU, UM, PAGES C ONE THROUGH C 15 ARE MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS.
AND I'M NOT GONNA GO INTO THIS, BUT IT PROVIDES A LOT OF INFORMATION, COMPARATIVE INFORMATION FROM THE PRIOR YEAR, EXPLANATIONS ABOUT WHY THINGS CHANGE, STUFF LIKE THAT.
SO A REAL GOOD HIGH LEVEL READ TO GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT HAPPENED THIS YEAR VERSUS LAST YEAR AND SOME OF THE PLANS.
SO IF YOU READ NO, NOTHING ELSE, I WOULD SAY READ THAT PART OF THE FINANCIALS.
THE BASIC FINANCIAL STATEMENTS START AT D ONE AND GO THROUGH E NINE.
UM, THE FIRST FINANCIAL STATEMENT, THE STATEMENT OF NET POSITION, THIS IS LIKE YOUR BALANCE SHEET FOR A GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY.
YOU'VE GOT YOUR ASSETS, YOUR LIABILITIES, AND WHAT'S LEFT OVER IS YOUR NET POSITION.
UH, YORK COUNTY HAS A VERY STRONG NET POSITION AT THE END OF THE YEAR.
TOTAL DEBT POSITION IS, UM, AS STRONG.
IT'S ABOUT 205 MILLION OF THAT, ABOUT 195 MILLION IS THE NET INVESTMENT IN CAPITAL ASSETS, WHICH ISN'T, UM, THIS ISN'T SURPRISING FOR A GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY.
YOU DO HAVE A LARGE INVESTMENT IN CAPITAL ASSETS.
IF YOU LOOK TO THE NEXT, UM, STATEMENT ON D TWO, THIS IS YOUR, LIKE YOUR INCOME STATEMENT.
IT'S VERY HARD TO READ BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT IT KIND
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OF INAND THAT'S A 13% INCREASE OVER THE PRIOR YEAR.
SO A VERY GOOD PERFORMANCE FOR THE YEAR FOR THE PRIMARY GOVERNMENT.
THE NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS GO FROM PAGE F1 THROUGH F 1 0 2.
I'M NOT GONNA GO INTO THOSE BECAUSE THEY PROVIDE YOU WITH A LOT OF DETAIL ABOUT YOUR POLICIES AND PROCEDURES, YOUR ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES.
AND THEY GIVE A DEEPER DIVE INTO SOME OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT LINE ITEMS. UM, AFTER THE NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS IS YET ANOTHER REPORT ON OUR AUDIT.
THE FIRST REPORT IS OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING.
AND THIS IS IF WE HAD ANY MATERIAL WEAKNESSES, SIGNIFICANT DEFICIENCIES, ANY ISSUES WITH FINANCIAL REPORTING.
ALSO, AT THE END OF THAT REPORT, THERE'S A BUNCH OF PROCEDURES THAT WE DO FOR THE AUDITOR OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTS.
AND IT'S BASICALLY BASED ON THE CODE OF VIRGINIA.
THEY PICK CERTAIN AREAS OF THE CODE AND SAY, WELL, YOU LOOK AT THIS, WILL YOU LOOK AT THAT? AND THERE WAS ONE ISSUE THAT WE CAME IN.
THERE WAS ONE CONFLICT OF INTEREST FORM THAT WAS FILED LATE OUT OF LIKE 35 TESTED.
SO IT WAS 35 OR 36 TESTED, YEAH, OUTTA 35, TESTED.
ONE WAS LATE, AND WE'RE REQUIRED TO REPORT ON THAT.
IT'S NOT A VERY BIG DEAL CONSIDERING ALL THE OTHER THINGS WE DO IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE AUDIT.
UM, THE OTHER REPORT THAT WE PRODUCE, IT COMES RIGHT AFTER THAT, AND IT'S ON M THREE THROUGH M FIVE.
AND THIS IS ON YOUR FEDERAL FUNDS.
WE GO IN AND WE LOOK AT CERTAIN, UM, PROGRAMS THAT YOU PARTICIPATE IN, AND THE ONES THAT YOU, YOU HAVE THE MOST MONEY THAT YOU EXPEND ON, THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT WE ROTATE AND WE AUDIT EVERY SO OFTEN.
SO WE AUDIT THE MAJOR PROGRAMS, THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE CONSIDERED.
AND WE DID NOT HAVE ANY ISSUES WITH THAT.
THAT'S A TOTALLY CLEAN REPORT.
WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY COMPLIANCE ISSUES OR INTERNAL CONTROL ISSUES.
SO THAT'S THE FINAL REPORT WE ISSUE.
AND THEN THERE'S ANOTHER REPORT, AND I'M NOT SURE, IS IT STAPLE THAT THEY WOULD HAVE WITH THEIRS, THE MANAGEMENT LETTER, THE SAAS LETTER.
UM, THIS LETTER IS KIND OF LIKE, UM, COVERS EVERYTHING ELSE.
YEAH, IT SAYS REPORT TO THE BOARD.
AND, UM, BASICALLY THAT ONE HAS CONTACT INFORMATION FOR ME AND THE OTHER LEAD AUDITORS ON YOUR AUDIT.
SO YOU CAN CONTACT US AT ANY POINT IN TIME.
SURE, YOU CAN GET THAT INFORMATION FROM THERESA AND CAROLYN AS WELL.
BUT FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT TO US.
UM, AND THAT INFORMATION'S IN THERE.
ALSO, IF THERE'S ANY SIGNIFICANT ESTIMATES, THERE'S A LETTER, AND THE LETTER IS PRETTY BOILERPLATE.
MOST OF IT IS STUFF THAT WE, THAT ISN'T SPECIFIC TO YOUR COUNTY, IT'S JUST SPECIFIC TO AN AUDIT.
BUT THE THINGS SPECIFIC TO YORK COUNTY ARE, WE DO MENTION THAT WE DID THAT GSB IMPLEMENTATION AND THAT WAS DONE AND IT WAS DONE CORRECTLY.
AND WE ALSO MENTION THE SIGNIFICANT ESTIMATES AND ANY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.
YOU'VE GOT SIGNIFICANT ESTIMATES, LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, THE USEFUL LIFE OF YOUR CAPITAL ASSETS.
WE DON'T KNOW HOW LONG THEY'LL LAST, BUT WE USE HISTORIC LIVES TO DO THAT.
AND YOU ALSO HAVE ESTIMATES ON YOUR PENSION LIABILITY AND YOUR OAB LIABILITY.
ALL OF THOSE ARE ACTUARIAL ESTIMATES.
BUT WE POINT THO ALL THE ESTIMATES OUT IN THAT LETTER.
ALSO, IF WE HAVE ANY SIGNIFICANT DISCLOSURES, WE POINT THOSE OUT.
WE THINK YOUR CAPITAL ASSETS AND YOUR LONG-TERM LIABILITIES DISCLOSURES ARE SIGNIFICANT.
AND THEY'RE IN NOTES FIVE AND SEVEN, SO THEY POINT, THEY'RE POINTED OUT THERE.
UM, IF WE HAD ANY DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED DURING THE AUDIT, WE WOULD MENTION THAT, OF COURSE, WE HAD NONE.
UM, IF WE DID, THAT WOULD JUST BE A FORMALITY.
WE WOULD'VE TALKED TO YOU LONG BEFORE THIS.
IF WE HAD ANY, UM, SIGNIFICANT AUDIT ADJUSTMENTS OR ENTRIES LIKE THAT, THEY WOULD BE INCLUDED.
THE COUNTY MADE ANYTHING THAT WE POSTED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE AUDIT WAS GIVEN TO US BY COUNTY FINANCE.
AND THEN, THEN WE HAD SOME, SOME IMMATERIAL ADJUSTMENTS THAT WE PASSED ON TOO.
AND THERE'S A COPY OF THOSE IN THAT, IN THAT PACKAGE AS WELL.
UM, MANAGEMENT'S REPRESENTATION LETTER, WHICH IS LIKE A HOLD HARMLESS LETTER THAT THEY SIGNED AT THE END IS ALSO A COPY OF THAT IS INCLUDED IN THERE.
UM, BUT OTHER, YOU KNOW, OTHERWISE IT'S PRETTY BOILERPLATE.
AND THERE'S ALSO, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED AT THE END, THERE'S A SECTION THAT GIVES YOU A HIGHLIGHT OF NEW GASBYS COMING UP.
UM, SO IF YOU'RE HAVING TROUBLE SLEEPING SOME NIGHT, YOU DON'T WANNA READ THROUGH THAT.
UM, BUT OTHERWISE, UM, THAT'S ALL I REALLY HAD TO COVER.
I DO WANNA, AGAIN, THANK THE COUNTY STAFF AND, UM, AND LET YOU KNOW THAT THINGS WENT VERY WELL, ESPECIALLY FOR A FIRST YEAR AUDIT.
YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU.
MAY ASK, UH, SHEILA, YOU GOT ANY QUESTIONS? NO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
UH, YEAH, JUST MADE THE COMMENT.
THIS IS THE FIRST YEAR OF THE AUDIT.
IT'S THE FIRST YEAR OF THE AUDIT WITH YOU.
YES, BUT NOT, NOT THE FACT THAT
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EVERY YEAR WE'VE HAD THIS WATERS, BUT OH, NO, NO.I DIDN'T MEAN TO INFER THAT AT ALL.
NO, I JUST MEAN THAT ANYTIME YOU HAVE A CHANGE IN AUDIT FIRM AND YOU HAVE THE FIRST YEAR AUDIT THERE, THERE'S LEARNING CURVES ON BOTH PARTS I WOULD MANAGE.
AND SO IT WENT VERY WELL FOR FIRST YEAR.
HURRY UP THE DEPARTURE OF THIS GUY RIGHT HERE.
IT WENT REALLY SMOOTHLY FOR A FIRST YEAR.
FOR A FIRST YEAR WITH US AUDIT.
HEY, CHAD, YOU GOT ANY QUESTIONS? LET'S TALK INTERNAL CONTROLS FOR A MINUTE.
BUT, UM, IF WE ENCOUNTER ANYTHING, WE WOULD POINT IT OUT.
AND THAT WOULD BE IN THAT LETTER ON THE FINANCIAL REPORTING.
AND WE DID NOT ENCOUNTER ANY ISSUES.
AGAIN, IF WE HAD FOUND ANYTHING THAT WAS A MATERIAL WEAKNESS OR SIGNIFICANT DEFICIENCY, WE'D PROBABLY BE DISCUSSING THAT WITH YOU MUCH EARLIER.
AND THIS WOULD JUST BE A FORMALITY OF, YOU KNOW, PUTTING IT IN WRITING AND ADDRESSING.
BUT NO, WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY OF THAT.
UM, I GUESS I'M CURIOUS, BASED UPON YOUR REVIEW, WHAT CAN THE COUNTY BE DOING IN THE NEXT CALENDAR YEAR TO, TO STRENGTHEN OUR FINANCIAL POSITION? WHAT VULNERABILITIES DID WE HAVE THAT WE MAY NEED TO ADDRESS? WHAT OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT THAT WE CAN, CAN BE WORKING ON? UM, I I, I'D LOVE TO HEAR SOME, SOME FEEDBACK ABOUT THAT.
MAYBE PUT A THOUGHT INTO IT, BUT WE CAN WORK ON YEAH.
YOU PUT SOME THOUGHT INTO IT BECAUSE WE REALLY DIDN'T, THERE WAS NOTHING GLARING.
THAT, THAT I, THAT I WOULD POINT OUT.
YOU KNOW, IT'S ALWAYS A CHALLENGE WHEN YOU HAVE THESE NEW GSS BS.
AND ONE THING THAT I WILL SAY THAT YOU DID VERY WELL THAT SOME, SOME LOCAL GOVERNMENTS DID NOT, WAS THESE IMPLEMENTATIONS.
I MEAN, LEASES WAS HUGE LAST YEAR, AND YOU GUYS BOUGHT SOME VERY GOOD SOFTWARE THAT WAS ABLE TO MAKE THOSE CALCULATIONS, MAKE 'EM ACCURATELY.
AND IT WAS EASY FOR US TO FOLLOW AN AUDIT AND USE THE SAME SOFTWARE FOR THIS MOST RECENT IMPLEMENTATION.
AND I WILL SAY THAT THAT IS A, THAT'S A HEAD AND SHOULDERS ABOVE WHAT SOME OF OTHER LOCAL GOVERNMENTS DID.
UM, WE DID, WE ENCOUNTERED A LOT OF DIVERSITY IN HOW THAT WAS DONE.
AND SO WHAT YOU DID THERE WAS, WAS WELL DONE.
NOW I'D HAVE TO GIVE IT SOME THOUGHT.
'CAUSE WE REALLY DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING GLARING THAT WOULD BE, BUT I WOULD SAY WHEN YOU HAVE THOSE FUTURE IMPLEMENTATIONS, THAT YOU REALLY BE VERY THOUGHTFUL ABOUT IT.
AND I KNOW WE MET WITH, WITH THE, YOUR FINANCE TEAM, WHAT WAS IT BACK IN JUNE, AND YOU GUYS TALKED TO US ABOUT, THEY WERE ALREADY, THEY HAD ALREADY GONE THROUGH THE PROCESS OF ACCUMULATING ALL THE INFORMATION THAT THEY WOULD NEED TO PUT IT IN THERE.
I MEAN, I WAS VERY IMPRESSED WITH THAT.
AND THAT'S NOT WHAT I FOUND, I FIND WITH ALL OF MY GOVERNMENTAL CLIENTS.
RIGHT? BUT, UM, NOTHING GLARING.
I MEAN, THERE'S ALWAYS EFFICIENCIES.
I THINK THAT THE FACT THAT YOU CHOSE TO PURCHASE THAT SOFTWARE AND THE SOFTWARE YOU PURCHASED LED TO A LOT OF EFFICIENCIES AND BE, AND BETTER ABLE TO CONTROL THE PROCESS.
BUT LIKE I SAID, THERE'S ALWAYS OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT.
SO IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN RECOMMEND THAT MAYBE WE CAN FIT INTO OUR WORK OVER THE NEXT YEAR AND WE CAN GET IT WORKED IN, THAT'D BE GREAT.
WELL, I'LL GIVE IT SOME THOUGHT AND, UM, PROVIDE MAYBE SOME VERBAL FEEDBACK TO THERESA AND HER TEAM.
AND SINCE WE WERE SO GOOD, MAYBE YOU COULD CUT YOUR, UH, FEED NEXT YEAR.
WE ALWAYS KNOW THAT WE'RE NOT GONNA DO THAT.
UH, WE HAVE A LOT TO BE PROUD OF STAFF AS, UH, UH, IN USING THE NEW SOFTWARE AND GETTING IT IMPLEMENTED.
UM, EVEN THOUGH HE'S GETTING READY TO BAIL OUT ON US HERE, UH, NEIL DID, UH, STAFF, YOU'RE ON, YOUR LEADERSHIP DID A GREAT JOB OF GETTING THINGS SQUARED AWAY.
CAN I MAKE A COMMENT AND ASK LESLIE ONE QUESTION? UM, YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE A DEGREE IN ACCOUNTING TO UNDERSTAND SOME OF THESE INCOME STATEMENTS AND BALANCE SHEETS.
UH, AND THIS WILL BE POSTED ONLINE TOMORROW, AND SO ANYBODY CAN LOOK AT IT.
AND THERE, THERE'S SOME OF THE, SOME OF THE SCHEDULES ARE REALLY HARD TO UNDERSTAND.
FRANKLY, I DON'T UNDERSTAND SOME OF THEM.
BUT THE BASIC INCOME STATEMENT AND BALANCE SHEETS ARE THINGS THAT ANYBODY CAN LOOK AT, UH, AND HELP YOU UNDERSTAND THE, THE FINANCIAL SOLUTION OF THE COUNTY.
AND LESLIE, YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT GAFE.
I WAS JUST CURIOUS, UH, DO WE KNOW, IS THERE THE NEXT ONE LOOMING DOWN THE PIPE? THERE'S NO BAD ONES LOOMING IN THE NEAR FUTURE, SO I CAN TELL YOU THAT NOW, UM, THERE'S ALWAYS GSS BS IN THE FUTURE, RIGHT? THEY GOTTA GET PAID.
THEY GOTTA KEEP COMING UP WITH THIS.
SO, SO THAT'S THE GOVERNMENTAL ACCOUNTING STANDARDS BOARD.
AND ABOUT EVERY TWO YEARS THEY COME UP WITH A NEW RULE THAT WE HAVE TO COMPLY WITH.
THEY GO TO LIKE A BIG WINE AND CHEESE PARTY, GET
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HERE, BUT I WAS WHEREABOUTS IN HERE? OH, THEY'RE IN THAT, THE ONE THAT'S STAPLED TO WHERE THE BACK IS? OH, NOT, NOT IN THE BOUND FINANCIAL.IT'S IN THE STAPLED, UM, LETTER TO THE BOARD OR CORRESPONDENCE TO THE BOARDS IN THERE.
THERE'S A SECTION THAT'S, I THINK IT'S ENTITLED TO COUNTY MATTERS AND THAT GOES INTO THE GS BS, BUT THEY'RE NOT SOME REAL IMPACTFUL COMING ONES COMING DOWN THE BOARD.
BUT BOY, OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, WE'VE HAD A LOT, A LOT OF ACTIVITY.
WELL, LESLIE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THAT'S A LOT FOR YOU AND, UH, YOUR STAFF, THE WORK YOU DID, AND, UH, APPRECIATE THE REPORT.
[2 Historic Triangle Recreational Facilities Authority. The topic will be introduced by Neil Morgan, County Administrator.]
NEXT, UH, WILL BE, UH, THE HISTORIC TRIANGLE RECREATION FACILITY AUTHORITY.UM, WE HAVE A, A FAIRLY DETAILED PRESENTATION SCHEDULED THIS EVENING.
I'M GONNA START IT, WE'LL CALL ON SOME OTHERS AND THEN IT'LL COME BACK TO ME.
UM, YOU SHOULD HAVE QUESTIONS TO THE EXTENT YOU CAN.
IF YOU WOULD, UM, ANTICIPATE A SECTION FOR QUESTIONS FOR EVERYONE TO ASK AT THE END, BECAUSE
YEAH, I SAW THE, UH, PRESENTATION WAS GIVEN TO JAMES C COUNTY AND, UH, IT WAS A VERY GOOD PRESENTATION.
SO, UM, FIRST OF ALL, THERE'S SOME WEIRD FEEDBACK GOING ON.
UM, JEANIE, IF YOU WOULD CHECK ON THAT MUCH.
UM, LEMME JUST SAY THAT, UM, FOR ABOUT THREE YEARS WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THE HISTORIC TRIANGLE RECREATION FACILITIES AUTHORITY, UH, PROGRAM.
AND, UH, WE'VE RECEIVED, WE HAVE SENT YOU ALL SEVERAL UPDATES OVER THAT PERIOD OF TIME.
THE PRESENTATION THAT MR. SHEPHERD ALLUDED TO WAS ESSENTIALLY THE JAMES CITY COUNTY VERSION OF WHAT WE'RE PLANNING TO DO TONIGHT, AND THEY JUST HAPPENED TO GO FIRST LAST WEEK.
UH, I JUST WANNA SAY A FEW THINGS ABOUT THE AUTHORITY.
I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE, UH, THE PRESENCE OF MY COLLEAGUES HERE.
UH, IN PARTICULAR, UM, OUR LEADER CHAIRMAN, UH, ANDREW TRAVE, CITY MANAGER, WILLIAMSBURG, WHO'S THE CHAIRMAN OF THE H-T-R-F-A, OUR VICE CHAIRMAN, SCOTT STEVENS, WHO'S THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR, UH, OF JAMES CITY COUNTY.
UH, I ALSO SERVE ON THAT AS A SECRETARY.
BRIAN FULLER IS OUR OTHER REPRESENTATIVE.
AND ROBBIE HUTTON, WHO'S THE DIRECTOR OF PARKS AND REC FOR THE CITY OF WILLIAMSBURG, IS WILLIAMSBURG'S, UH, OTHER MEMBER.
SO ALL OF US HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
AND THE FACT THAT, UH, THEY'RE ALL HERE TONIGHT, I THINK SAYS A LOT ABOUT, UH, HOW IMPORTANT WE THINK THIS IS FOR, UH, THE REGION.
UM, AND, UH, I'LL JUST START BY SAYING WHAT YOU'RE ABOUT TO SEE TONIGHT IS SOMETHING THAT NO ONE OF THESE THREE LOCALITIES COULD DO BY ITSELF.
I ARGUABLY KNOW TWO OF THESE THREE LOCALITIES COULD DO BY THEMSELVES.
SO IF WE'RE GONNA DO THIS, WE HAVE TO ALL BE IN IT TOGETHER.
DID WE GET THE, DO WE HAVE LIKE THE ARCHITECTURAL FIRM HERE AND A FEW OTHERS? OH, YES.
YOU'RE GONNA SEE, UH, SEE 'EM ALL, HUH.
SEE DETAILS OF ALL THAT JUST BIT.
AND, AND SO REALLY, THAT, THAT FIRST SLIDE JUST KIND OF COVERS MM-HMM.
THIS, UM, THIS GIVES YOU A, A SENSE OF HOW LONG THIS TOPIC HAS BEEN OUT THERE.
I WAS TELLING SOMEBODY TODAY, THE FIRST OR SECOND PHONE CALL I RECEIVED ABOUT YOUR COUNTY GOVERNMENT WHEN IT WAS ANNOUNCED I WAS COMING HERE IN 2015, WAS ABOUT THE NEED FOR AN INDOOR SPORTS TOURISM FACILITY IN THE GREATER WILLIAMSBURG AREA.
THIS TIMELINE STARTS IN 2014, BUT I'M PRETTY SURE THIS WAS A TOPIC THAT WAS BEING DISCUSSED EVEN BEFORE THAT.
UM, THERE WERE, UM, VARIOUS FEASIBILITY STUDIES.
THE THREE LOCALITIES WORKED ON IT 'CAUSE IT'S LONG BEEN RECOGNIZED THAT IT WASN'T SOMETHING THAT COULD BE DONE, UH, AS A STANDALONE THING BY ONE COMMUNITY.
UH, WHAT HAS CHANGED TO MOVE THE SITUATION FROM TALK, UH, TO THE POTENTIAL OF ACTION? WELL, THE, THE FIRST CONCRETE THING THAT OCCURRED WAS WHEN SSB 9 42 WAS APPROVED, THERE WAS A REVENUE STREAM FOR TOURISM PROMOTION.
AND THROUGH A WINDING PATH, UM, SOME OF THAT MONEY, UH, FOUND ITS WAY TO THE H-T-R-F-A, WHICH WILL SUPPORT, UH, THE CAPITAL EXPENSE OF THIS PROJECT.
UM, THEY STARTED A PROGRAM TO ENCOURAGE APPLICATIONS FOR, UH, PROJECTS THAT WOULD, UH, ENHANCE TOURISM IN THE REGION.
AND THERE WAS A PROJECT SUBMITTED BY THE HOTEL MOTEL ASSOCIATION, UH, WHICH
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ULTIMATELY, UH, BECAME THE IDEA FOR WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TONIGHT.THE, THE REASON THIS WAS ABLE TO MOVE FROM AN INTERESTING IDEA TO A REAL POTENTIAL PROJECT, I THINK, SORT OF BOILED DOWN TO THREE THINGS.
FIRST OF ALL, WHEN THE CITY OF WILLIAMSBURG BASICALLY COMMITTED TO PROVIDE THE CAPITAL FINANCING MM-HMM,
UM, THAT CHANGED THE CONVERSATION.
'CAUSE THEN WE JUST HAD TO TALK ABOUT HOW ARE WE GOING TO FUND THE OPERATION? OPERATION.
AND THEN THE OTHER PLACE WE WERE ALWAYS CHALLENGED WAS, WELL, WHERE IS THIS FACILITY GOING TO BE? AND, YOU KNOW, EVERY LOCALITY KIND OF MAYBE WOULD BE A LITTLE MORE EXCITED ABOUT IF IT WAS IN THEIR COMMUNITY.
AND YET WE ALL UNDERSTOOD IT NEEDED TO BE SOMEWHERE THAT WAS CONVENIENT FOR NOT ONLY ALL THE RESIDENTS, BUT ALSO MADE SENSE FROM THE TOURIST PERSPECTIVE.
AND SO, WHEN, UM, COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG FOUNDATION AND THEIR, UH, LEADERSHIP SAID, UH, WE WOULD BE OPEN TO LEASING SOME OF THE, UH, VISITOR CENTER PROPERTY, UH, FOR THIS FACILITY, I THINK A, A CONSENSUS KIND OF DEVELOPED THAT, THAT WOULD BE A GREAT PLACE FOR IT.
FIRST OF ALL, IT'S ACCESSIBLE TO ALL THREE COMMUNITIES.
IT'S IN THE MIDDLE OF A TOURIST DRAW.
AND, UH, I SHOULD HAVE HAD A MAP THAT ILLUSTRATES WHERE IT IS.
IT'S ABOUT TWO THIRDS OF THE WAY UP THE COUNTY.
IT'S IN THE CITY OF WILLIAMSBURG, BUT IT'S, IT'S LITERALLY IN WALKING DISTANCE OF THE BYPASS ROAD, YOU KNOW, HOTELS IN YORK COUNTY.
SO, AS THIS BODY KNOWS, UH, WE CREATED THE AUTHORITY IN NOVEMBER OF 21.
UM, WE STARTED WORKING ON, UM, THE VARIOUS ELEMENTS OF, UH, PICKING A DESIGN BUILD PARTNERSHIP.
THAT GROUP LED BY MEB IS HERE TONIGHT.
UH, WE WORKED OUT THE LEASE WITH COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG.
AND, UM, WE'RE CURRENTLY EVALUATING PROPOSALS FOR, UH, OPERATORS OF THE FACILITY.
AND WE'VE GOTTEN TO THE POINT WITH THE DESIGN WHERE WE HAVE, UH, AN ACCURATE COST ESTIMATE.
UH, WE HAVE HAD CONSULTANT ASSISTANCE ON OPERATING COST PROJECTIONS.
AND WE REALLY FEEL LIKE AT THIS POINT, WE UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS PROJECT WOULD LOOK LIKE AND WHAT WOULD BE INVOLVED FOR ALL THREE COMMUNITIES.
UH, SHOULD, UM, EVERYBODY DECIDE TO GO FORWARD TONIGHT, WE'RE NOT ASKING FOR ANY ACTION.
OUR INTENTION IS TO GIVE YOU A PRETTY DETAILED BRIEFING, SEE WHAT QUESTIONS YOU HAVE.
I WILL SAY THAT THE MEMBERS OF THE AUTHORITY BELIEVE THAT WE ARE READY TO PROCEED.
IF THIS BOARD IS SUPPORTIVE OF THE IDEA, UH, WE COULD BE PREPARED TO PUT THIS MATTER ON THE AGENDA AS EARLY AS OUR DECEMBER 19TH MEETING.
OUR NEIGHBORS, I BELIEVE, ARE PREPARED TO MAKE THIS AN ACTION ITEM IN DECEMBER AS WELL.
SO I BASICALLY SAID ALL THAT ALREADY.
WE DO BELIEVE IT'S FINANCIALLY FEASIBLE.
UH, WE DO BELIEVE IT'S GONNA HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ECONOMICALLY.
UM, AND THERE'S REALLY TWO PILLARS TO THIS IDEA.
PROBABLY WHEN I FIRST HEARD ABOUT IT, AND PROBABLY YOUR COUNTY'S, UH, MAJOR INTEREST INITIALLY WAS CREATING ANOTHER TOURISM DRIVER, YOU KNOW, BEYOND COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG AND BUSH GARDENS.
THAT'S LONG BEEN, UH, AN IDEA.
AND THAT CERTAINLY WOULD BE AN IMPORTANT PART OF THIS.
BUT I WOULD SAY AS WE'VE WORKED ON THIS, WE'VE ALL GOTTEN MORE AND MORE EXCITED ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THIS FACILITY TO BE A GREAT, UH, COMMUNITY RECREATION FACILITY AS WELL FOR ALL KINDS OF TEAM SPORTS.
AND SO, UM, BY COMING UP WITH A WAY TO DO IT, THAT CREATES BOTH A NEW TOURIST MAG MAGNET FOR, SO FAMILY FRIENDLY TOURNAMENTS, SORT OF WEEKEND ORIENTED COMBINED WITH, UH, YOUTH AND ADULT LEAGUES FROM OUR THREE LOCALITIES USING IT PRIMARILY DURING THE WEEK.
IT'S A REALLY COOL, UH, COMBINATION OF USES.
AND THE, AND THE TOURISM AND IMPACT PROBABLY MAKES IT LESS EXPENSIVE TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS THAN IF WE WERE JUST TO BUILD IT AS A COMMUNITY FACILITY STANDALONE.
SO WE'RE IN THIS PROVIDING THE OVERVIEW PHASE RIGHT NOW.
AS I MENTIONED, JAMES CITY COUNTY RECEIVED THIS PRESENTATION LAST WEEK.
UH, WILLIAMSBURG RECEIVES IT, I BELIEVE
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MONDAY.AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IF, UH, THE THREE GOVERNING BODIES DETERMINE THAT WE'RE READY TO PROCEED, UH, THE NEXT STEP WITH OUR, UH, DESIGN BUILD TEAM LED BY MEB WOULD BE, UH, REACHING AGREEMENT ON A GUARANTEED MAXIMUM PRICE.
AND WE BASICALLY KNOW WHAT THAT PRICE IS AT THIS POINT.
AND THEN, OF COURSE, PICKING A CONTRACT OPERATOR, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE.
AND AT THIS POINT, UH, I'D LIKE TO TURN IT OVER TO, UH, UM, UH, RICK HIBBETT FROM MEB, WHO'S GONNA INTRODUCE HIS TEAM AND TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UH, THE FACILITY, THE DESIGN, AND THEN ALSO, UH, SOME OF THE ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY.
AND I SHOULD HAVE MENTIONED, UM, LET'S SEE.
UM, THIS IS, UM, WE HAVE, UM, SAMS ANDERSON IS A LEGAL COUNSEL FOR THE H-T-R-F-A.
AND, UM, SHE'S HERE AS PART OF OUR TEAM TONIGHT.
SO, ROBIN HANSON DIDN'T SEE YOU SLIP IN BACK NIGHT.
AND RICK, I HOPE I SET IT UP ON THE FIRST SLIDE FOR YOU.
YOU CAN ADVANCE IT TO THE RIGHT ONE.
THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN, UH, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE TONIGHT.
UM, I, UH, ACTUALLY LIVE IN JAMES CITY COUNTY.
SO I'M A RESIDENT OF THIS COMMUNITY, THIS GREATER WILLIAMSBURG REGION.
SO IT'S AN HONOR TO BE HERE, UH, AND TO UPDATE YOU ON THIS PROJECT AND WHERE IT'S AT CURRENTLY.
UM, AND HOPEFULLY THE, THE FUTURE OF WHAT THIS CAN BE.
UM, AS NEIL MENTIONED, WE'VE GOT A LOT OF MEMBERS OF OUR TEAM HERE TODAY.
AND, UH, THAT TEAM INCLUDES MEB, WHO'S THE DESIGN BUILDER, ME B'S OUTTA CHESAPEAKE, VIRGINIA.
UM, AND, UH, HAS HAS BEEN A LAUNCH DESIGN BUILD WORK THROUGHOUT THIS REGION.
CLARK NIXON IS THE ARCHITECT AND ENGINEER OF RECORD.
UH, WE ALSO HAVE
UH, WE HAVE HENDERSON AS A, AS A PARTNER ON THE SITE AND CIVIL, UH, SIDE OF THE, OF THE, OF THE PROJECT.
THEY'VE BEEN WITH US THROUGH THE PRE-CONSTRUCTION PHASE.
UH, AND THEN VICTUS ADVISOR WHO DOES CONSULTING OWNED THESE TYPES OF FACILITIES ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
UH, THEY LOOK AT ECONOMIC IMPACT, THEY LOOK AT OPERATING PERFORMANCE, UM, AND HAVE REALLY BEEN, UH, INSTRUMENTAL IN, IN HELPING OUR TEAM, UH, FIND THE RIGHT, UH, MODEL.
UH, I WOULD LIKE TO, UH, CLARIFY AND, AND, AND VOICE OUR SUPPORT.
AND THANKS FOR THE AUTHORITY AND THE MEMBERS OF THAT AUTHORITY.
IT'S BEEN A, A TREMENDOUS PROCESS.
THEIR LEADERSHIP AND GUIDANCE HAS, HAS REALLY BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN, IN GETTING US TO WHERE WE'RE AT TODAY.
LOOKING AT OUR SCHEDULE, UH, WE ARE AWARDED THE PROJECT IN THE, UH, THE END OF LAST YEAR.
UH, WE GOT A NOTICE TO PROCEED IN MARCH, AND REALLY DESIGN STARTED IN MAY, UH, WITH THE FORMATION OF THAT DESIGN COMMITTEE.
AS I MENTIONED, DURING SUMMER, WE WORKED TO, TO GET TO A 20% DELIVERABLE.
UH, AND THAT WAS, UH, APPROVED.
AND WE MOVE FORWARD TO 35%, WHICH HAS GOTTEN US TO WHERE WE'RE AT, UH, THIS EVENING.
WE SUBMITTED OUR, OUR PRICING, OUR, UH, ABOUT 168 PAGES WORTH OF DESIGN DOCUMENTS AND SPECIFICATIONS, AND, AND WE'RE PREPARED TO MOVE FORWARD IF THE LOCAL JURISDICTIONS, UH, FUND THE PROJECT AND, AND ARE EXCITED ABOUT DOING SO.
SO, FIRST WE WANTED TO LOOK AT THE ORIGINAL SCOPE, AND THIS WAS PART OF THE RFP PROCESS.
WE LOOKED AT A VENUE THAT WAS APPROXIMATELY 160,000 SQUARE FEET AND INCLUDES 12 BASKETBALL COURTS THAT ARE CONVERTIBLE TO 24 VOLLEYBALL COURTS, UH, AND 36 PICKLEBALL COURTS.
AND WHAT WE WANTED TO INCLUDE WAS STATE-OF-THE-ART SYSTEMS. SO ALL THE ATHLETIC EQUIPMENT IS CEILING MOUNTED.
UH, THAT INCLUDES YOUR BASKETBALL GOALS, YOUR VOLLEYBALL, STANCHIONS, SCOREBOARDS, CURTAIN DIVIDERS, SO THAT WITH THE PUSH OF A BUTTON FROM AN IPAD, THE, THE FACILITY COULD BE TURNED OVER FOR MULTIPLE EVENTS, SIMULTANEOUS EVENTS.
REALLY WHAT YOU'LL SEE THROUGHOUT THIS PRESENTATION IS FLEXIBILITY IS KEY, AND THAT'S WHAT WE WANTED TO DESIGN INTO IT.
UM, SAME THING WITH THE TIP AND ROLL BLEACHERS.
THE ABILITY TO CONFIGURE THE, THE SPACE IN A, IN A WIDE VARIETY OF, OF ARRANGEMENTS WOULD ALLOW FOR THE, THE MOST, UH, USE OF THIS VENUE AND THE FLEXIBILITY OF IT.
THE BASKETBALL COURTS ALONE ARE ABOUT 115,000 SQUARE FEET.
SO THAT'S JUST UNDER THREE ACRES OF MAPLE FLOORING, WHICH IS A LOT OF WOOD FLOORING.
UM, THERE, THERE ARE NO STRUCTURAL MEMBERS THROUGHOUT THE COURT SPACE IN THE MIDDLE.
SO IT'S UNENCUMBERED, WHICH ALLOWS, UM, ALL KINDS OF EVENTS THAT TAKE PLACE.
WRESTLING TOURNAMENTS, FENCING TOURNAMENTS, UH, SPORTS, BASKETBALL, VOLLEYBALL, CHEERING, GYMNASTICS.
ANYTIME YOU PUT A COLUMN IN THERE, IT STARTS TO HINDER YOUR ABILITY TO USE IT.
[00:30:01]
AND THEN AROUND THE HEART OF THE BUILDING, WHICH IS THE 12 COURTS, UH, WE, WE DESIGNED REFEREE CHANGING ROOMS, MEETING ROOMS, FOOD AND BEVERAGE AREAS, STORAGE AREAS, OFFICE ADMINISTRATION, REALLY EVERYTHING THAT THE FACILITY WOULD NEED TO SUPPORT ITSELF.DURING THE INTERIM AGREEMENT, WE WERE ASKED TO LOOK AT SOME ADDITIONAL SCOPES, UM, AND, AND TO ANALYZE THE COST BENEFIT OF DOING SOME OF THESE ITEMS. SO WE LOOKED AT ABOUT 40,000 SQUARE FEET ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMING, A CONVERSION TURF SYSTEM, WHICH IS, UH, BASICALLY WHAT IT IS, IS IT'S A STATE-OF-THE-ART SYSTEM THAT YOU CAN ROLL TURF OUT OVER TOP OF THE COURT SYSTEM.
MM-HMM,
BUT AGAIN, IT CREATES FLEXIBILITY WITHIN YOUR VENUE, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO COMMUNITY AND LOCAL USE.
THERE'S NOT ENOUGH INDOOR TURF IN OUR, IN OUR AREA.
THERE'S A LOT OF DEMAND, BUT NOT ENOUGH, UH, SPACE.
AND, AND, UH, A COMPONENT LIKE THIS WOULD, WOULD PROVIDE THAT.
WE LOOKED AT CLIMBING AND ROCK WALL AND NINJA GYM CLIP AND CLIMB AREAS.
THESE ARE REALLY FUN FOR WEEKEND EVENTS FOR SIBLINGS THAT MAY BE COMING TO VISIT, UH, TO, TO WATCH THEIR OLDER BROTHERS AND SISTERS, UH, PLAY IN A TOURNAMENT.
AND THIS IS A GREAT SPACE TO HAVE THEM GO AND ENJOY TIME.
ALSO GENERATE REVENUE FOR THE VENUE.
UM, I'VE FOUND MYSELF IN THESE TOURING THESE VENUES, AND IT'S, IT'S KIND OF HARD TO GET AWAY FROM 'EM.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE A BLAST.
AND THEN LOOKING AT EXTERIOR ARCHITECTURAL ENHANCEMENTS, THIS FACILITY, AS YOU'LL SEE THROUGHOUT OUR PRESENTATION, UH, IS, IS, IS REALLY, REALLY A BEAUTIFUL PLACE.
AND IT'S, IT'S UNLIKE ANY OTHER SPORTS FACILITY IN THE COUNTRY.
I'VE BEEN TO ABOUT 15 OR 16 OF THESE FROM, FROM CALIFORNIA TO NEW YORK.
AND ARCHITECTURALLY SPEAKING, THIS ONE SETS THE MARK.
AND, AND I THINK WHAT'S KEY ABOUT THAT IS IT'S REALLY GOING TO IMPROVE THE USER'S EXPERIENCE AS THEY COME TO WILLIAMSBURG AND REALLY, UH, UNDERSTAND THE GREATER BURG REGION.
SO, AS MR. MORGAN, UM, MENTIONED, THIS IS AT THE VISITOR CENTER IN COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG.
AND TO GIVE A LITTLE CONTEXT ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT HAND ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE PAGE, YOU CAN SEE COLONIAL PARKWAY ON THE NORTH SIDE IS BYPASS.
THESE BUILDINGS ON THE BOTTOM LEFT ARE THE GROUP ARRIVALS, UH, IN THE CASCADE.
SO KIND OF GIVES A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT TO THE SITE.
UM, WHAT WE WANTED TO DO WITH THE SITE DESIGN WAS TO PUT THE BUILDING IN A LOCATION THAT MAINTAINED AS MUCH OF THE EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE AS POSSIBLE.
UH, THAT WOULD HELP REDUCE COSTS.
IT WOULD ALSO HELP REDUCE, UH, ANY IMPACTS TO THE EXISTING AREAS, THE NATURAL AREAS AROUND IT.
SO WE PLACED THE VENUE IN A, IN A LOCATION THAT WOULD STILL ALLOW ALL THE EXISTING ROADS, ENTRANCES, UH, AND MUCH OF THE PARKING LOTS TO BE UTILIZED IN THE SAME CAPACITY.
ZOOM IN A LITTLE BIT HERE TO THE ENTRY PLAZA.
UH, THIS IS ANOTHER FEATURE OF THE BUILDING THAT'S GOING TO ENHANCE THE USER'S EXPERIENCE.
WE WANTED IT TO BE A SPACE THAT WELCOMED PEOPLE.
IT WAS CLEAR, THIS IS WHERE YOU ENTER THE BUILDING.
UH, IT WOULD BE A, A PLACE FOR GATHERING, WHETHER IT'S DURING EVENTS TO TAKE A BREAK FROM ALL THE WHISTLES AND THE SHOE SQUEAKING, UH, TO MAKE A PHONE CALL TO EAT.
THIS WILL BE A REALLY NICE SPACE TO GATHER AND SPEND TIME IN.
UM, AND, AND A FEATURE OF THE BUILDING THAT SOME OF THE SPORTS CENTERS AROUND THE COUNTRY MISS THE OUTSIDE COMPONENT OF IT.
AND ONE OF THE OTHER TASKS WE HAD WAS TO MAKE SURE THAT WHEN WE DESIGNED THE SPORTS CENTER, IT ALLOWED FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SITE.
UM, AND, AND MAYBE WHAT SOME OF THOSE COMPONENTS COULD BE, WHETHER IT'S TO THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, YOU SEE AN ICE FACILITY OR AN AQUATICS FACILITY, UH, TO, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SCREEN YOU'LL SEE A PERFORMANCE VENUE.
WE, WE WANTED TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT IT ALLOWED FOR FUTURE GROWTH AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENT, UM, AND, AND ALSO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR FUTURE, MAYBE COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT, UH, ON THE SITE AS WELL.
SO THAT'S WHAT YOU SEE HERE ARE JUST SOME PRELIMINARY IDEAS OF WHAT COULD BE, UH, DOWN THE ROAD AS THIS COMPLEX CONTINUES TO GROW.
ALRIGHT, NOW WE GET INTO, UH, THE, THE BUILDING ITSELF.
WE'LL KIND OF WORK AROUND AND WE'LL GO INSIDE.
UH, HERE'S A, A AN OVERVIEW OF THE ENTRANCE.
AND YOU CAN SEE THE, KIND OF THE LENGTH OF THE BUILDING.
IT'S A LONG BUILDINGS, NEARLY 800 FEET LONG, AND THE ARCHITECTURE WAS DONE IN A WAY TO TRY TO BREAK THAT UP.
AND SO THAT IT DOESN'T FEEL AS LONG WHEN YOU'RE, WHEN YOU'RE OUT THERE LOOKING AT IT, UM, FROM, FROM THE PARKING LOT.
WE COME IN A LITTLE BIT CLOSER.
YOU'LL NOTICE THE ENTRANCE HAS A LOT OF GLASS AND WOOD AND, AND, AND SOME BRICK AND METAL COMPONENTS.
WE WANTED THIS TO BE A MODERN FEEL IN WILLIAMSBURG, WHILE ALSO GIVING SOME NODS TO THE HISTORIC NATURE OF OUR AREA.
UM, BUT REALLY ALLOWING THIS TO BE A MODERN VIEW OF THAT AND LET THE HISTORIC AREAS STAND OFF AS HISTORIC.
UM, IN THE BACKGROUND, YOU CAN SEE, UH, ONE OF THE FEATURE GYMS, WHICH IS A ROCK CLIMBING AREA THAT IS STILL BEING VETTED OUT IN DESIGNED, UM, BUT IT GIVES YOU THE IDEA THAT THAT'S A SPACE THAT WHEN YOU PULL UP, YOU'RE GONNA SEE IT'S ACTIVE.
[00:35:01]
A WEEKDAY STANDPOINT, PEOPLE WILL BE IN THERE UTILIZING THAT AND, AND WELCOMES YOU INTO THE SPORTS CENTER.AS WE GO NORTH AROUND THE BUILDING, UH, AGAIN, YOU'LL SEE THE, THE COMPONENTS, THE ARCHITECTURAL COMPONENTS OF BRICK AND, AND METAL AND GLASS AND WOOD.
AND THEN THIS IS ON THE NORTHWEST END OF THE BUILDING.
THIS IS ANOTHER FEATURE THAT MOST VENUES AROUND THE COUNTRY DON'T HAVE ANYTHING CLOSE TO, TO WHAT YOU SEE HERE.
THIS IS WHAT WE CALL THE PATIO PORCH, UH, AND BALCONY AREA.
SO YOU'VE GOT ACCESS TO BOTH THE, THE FIRST FLOOR AND THE ME MEZZANINE LEVEL.
AND, AND THIS WILL BE A GREAT SPACE FOR HOSPITALITY, UH, FOR, UH, A WIDE VARIETY OF EVENTS THROUGH THE WEEK AND THE WEEKENDS.
UM, IT'LL BE A GREAT SPOT TO, UH, TAKE A BREAK.
WE'VE TALKED ABOUT HAVING SOME FIRE PITS OUT THERE THAT YOU COULD GO AND, AND, AND REST.
AND, UH, AND THEN LOOKING AT CORPORATE PRIVATE COMMUNITY EVENTS.
AGAIN, ANOTHER SPACE TO RENT OUT AND ALLOW THE COMMUNITY.
AND THIS IS THE NORTH END OF THE BUILDING.
UM, AND, AND KIND OF CAPPING THE, THE END THAT WILL, UM, FACE WHAT WE HOPE WILL SOON BE, AND, AND THE FUTURE OF A, OF A HISTORIC, UH, PARK COMPONENT OF THIS COMPLEX.
AND THEN BACK A HOUSE, YOU CAN SEE THE, THE LOOP ROAD CONNECTS AROUND.
UM, AND, AND THAT'LL BE THE BACKSIDE OF THE FACILITY.
AND I WILL MENTION THAT THERE'S A, THERE'S A NICE TREE BUFFER BETWEEN BYPASS AND THE BACKSIDE OF THIS VENUE.
IT'S A LARGE BUILDING, SO WE WANTED TO ALSO PLACE IT IN THE SITE THAT WOULD PROVIDE PROTECTION, UH, FROM VIEW SHEDS.
HOPEFULLY I CAN PLAY THIS VIDEO HERE.
WE'LL FLY THROUGH TO GIVE YOU THE WHOLE CONTEXT OF THE BUILDING.
A LOT OF THE GLASS SPACES YOU SEE, YOU'LL, YOU'LL, UM, LOOK AT THE FLOOR PLANS HERE IN A MINUTE.
AND THERE ARE FLEX ROOMS, MEETING SPACES, A COUPLE OF DROP-OFF AREAS.
WE WANTED THERE TO BE TWO ENTRANCES SO THAT IT, THE CROWD WOULDN'T ALL HAVE TO GO TO ONE MAIN ENTRANCE, BUT THERE WOULD BE A COUPLE SPOTS TO ENTER AND EXIT THE BUILDING.
AGAIN, IT'S 800 FEET LONG, SO WE'RE GONNA ENLARGE SOME OF THESE SPACES TO GIVE YOU A BETTER VISUAL OF WHAT THEY ARE.
BUT HERE YOU CLEARLY SEE THE 12 BASKETBALL COURTS.
UH, THE, THESE COURTS ARE SPACED OUT IN A MANNER THAT PROVIDES ALL THE ADEQUATE FREE PLAY SPACE THAT THE, UH, TOURNAMENT DIRECTORS, EVENTS, RIGHT HOLDERS, THEY WANNA SEE.
UM, THIS PROVIDES AMPLE SPACE FOR THAT.
UM, AND CONVERTIBLE 24 VOLLEYBALL COURTS.
THOSE WILL BE FIXED PERMANENT LINES ON, ON THE COURT SYSTEM.
AND THEN WE'LL PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES TO PUT WRESTLING MATS, GYMNASTICS CHAIR, UH, CHAIR, GYMNASTICS, UH, EVENTS ON THERE AS WELL, GOING INTO WHAT WE CALL THE HUB.
YOU CAN SEE THE, UH, THE RECEPTION DESK, UH, THERE, RIGHT AS YOU WALK IN THE DOORS ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE.
THE PURPLE AREAS ARE THOSE FEATURE GYMS OF THE EQUIPMENT CLIMB AND NINJA AREAS.
THE BACK, UH, UH, OF THE BUILDING ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE IS A MULTIPURPOSE SPACE THAT CAN BE BROKEN UP INTO TWO LARGE ROOMS OR ONE VERY LARGE ROOM.
IT CAN ALSO BE OPENED UP TO THE GATHERING SPACE WHERE, UH, THE, THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE AREAS WILL, WILL PROVIDE DINING SPACE.
THERE'S SOME STORAGE IN BACK OF HOUSE AS YOU MOVE BEHIND THE KITCHEN.
UM, SEE IF I CAN GET THE POINTER TO, AND, AND THEN TOWARDS THE FRONT WILL BE ADMIN OFFICE, UM, TICKET BOOTH AND, UH, AND SECURITY SPACES.
THIS IS A, IT, IT'S KIND OF HARD TO SEE BECAUSE THE VENUE'S SO BIG, BUT THIS IN ITSELF IS A VERY LARGE SPACE, VERY OPEN.
UH, IT'LL ALLOW FOR GOOD TRAFFIC FLOW AS PEOPLE ARE WALKING AROUND THE FACILITY.
SO A QUICK LOOK AT THE INSIDE, UH, RENDERING.
AGAIN, ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, THE GLASS IS LOOKING INTO THE FEATURE GYMS. ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE IS THE RECEPTION DESK.
AND AS YOU GO BACK TOWARDS, UH, THE, THE BACK OF THE, THE IMAGE, YOU'LL SEE SEATING, UH, AND DINING, UH, AREAS BACK THERE AS WE GO DOWN THE CORRIDOR.
THE PINK SPACES ARE FLEX ROOMS. AND THESE CAN BE USED FOR HOSPITALITY VENDOR SPACES, COMMUNITY MEETINGS.
AND WE REALLY WANTED TO GIVE ALL THESE, UH, SPACES THE FLEXIBILITY TO, TO BE USED FOR A WIDE RANGE OF ACTIVITIES.
OF COURSE, RESTROOMS AND SOME OF THE CORE COMPONENTS OF THE VENUE THAT WILL SUPPORT OPERATIONS AS WE MOVE TO THE MEZZANINE LEVEL.
UM, IT'S WHAT YOU SEE IN THE BIG YELLOW BOX THAT'S OPEN TO BELOW.
SO AS YOU'RE UP ON THE MEZZANINE, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO OVERLOOK THE COURTS AND SEE THE ACTIVITIES THAT ARE TAKING PLACE THERE ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE VENUE.
SOME MORE MEETING SPACE AND CONFERENCE ROOM SPACE ON THE TOP FLEX ROOMS AS WE GO DOWN.
UH, ADDITIONAL RESTROOMS. AND HERE'S THAT LARGE PORCH BALCONY AREA WITH A LARGE CONFERENCE ROOM THAT WILL OVERLOOK THE COURT
[00:40:01]
SPACE.UH, THIS WILL BE A GREAT SELLING FEATURE FOR THE VENUE.
WHEN, UH, A TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR'S LOOKING TO COME TO WILLIAMSBURG AND HOST THEIR EVENT, THIS WILL BE A GREAT SPOT FOR THE OPERATIONS TEAMS TO SHOWCASE THE VENUE, UM, AND, AND HELP TO, UH, TO DRAW PEOPLE IN ADVANCE TO OUR TOWN.
QUICKLY, I'LL RUN THROUGH SOME OF THE FLEXIBILITY OF THE VENUE.
AGAIN, THIS IS THE STANDARD, UH, 12 BASKETBALL COURTS, 24 VOLLEYBALL COURTS, 36 PICKLEBALL COURTS.
UM, AND THE PICTURE IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT HAND IS A, IS A FACILITY IN HOOVER, ALABAMA, JUST OUTSIDE OF BIRMINGHAM.
AND THEY HOSTED THE, UH, NATIONAL PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENT THERE THIS YEAR.
UM, AND IT WAS A HUGE SUCCESS.
THEY HAD THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ATTEND THAT, UM, THAT EVENT, 32 WRESTLING MATS.
UM, SO LOOKING AT STATE CHAMPION WRESTLING OPPORTUNITIES OR IMITATIONS, NOW WE LOOK AT THE, THE TURF OPTION.
UH, SO THAT FLEXIBLE TURF ROLLOUT, TURF SYSTEM, MM-HMM.
AND DURING THE WEEK, YOU COULD HAVE HALF TURF, HALF COURTS, UH, WHICH WILL PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR LOCAL PROGRAMMING AND THE COMMUNITY TO, TO UTILIZE THIS IN A WIDE VARIETY.
IT COULD BE A FOOTBALL FIELD, IT COULD BE SOCCER FIELDS, IT COULD BE KICKBALL.
THERE'S A WIDE VARIETY OF OPPORTUNITIES THERE.
IF IT'S ROLLED OUT OVER THE ENTIRE FIELD OR COURT SPACE, THIS IS WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE.
UH, AND THESE ARE THREE PRETTY LARGE SOCCER FIELDS.
SO IT, IT REALLY DEPENDS ON ONCE WE FINALIZE THE STRIPING, HOW MANY SOCCER FIELDS WE GET.
BUT YOU CAN SEE, UH, THIS IS A VERY FLEXIBLE AMENITY TO THE BUILDING.
AND THE, THE PICTURE IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT HAND IS A, IS A FACILITY IN BOSTON THAT HAS A ROLLOUT TURF SYSTEM THAT UNDERNEATH THAT IS A TRACK.
SO WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IS THE TURF ROLLED OUT UNDERNEATH.
IT IS ACTUALLY A, A TRACK SYSTEM.
AND IF YOU STRIKE THE ENTIRE FIELD FOR A FOOTBALL, YOU FOOTBALL FIELD, YOU COULD SEE THAT PERSPECTIVE.
AND AGAIN, THE SIZE OF THE BUILDING, YOU COULD FIT THREE BOEING, SEVEN, SEVEN SEVENS IN THE, IN THE VENUE, UM, END TO END.
QUICKLY, I WANNA JUST EMPHASIZE SOME OF THE ECONOMIC IMPACTS.
UH, HVS DID SOME, SOME STUDIES AND, UH, I BELIEVE IT WAS 2021, AND THEY ANALYZED THE ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF WHAT THIS VENUE COULD BE.
UM, THIS WAS ON, ON A SMALLER SCALE, SO THIS IS NOT UPDATED TO THE 200,000 SQUARE FOOT VENUE, BUT 160,000.
BUT THEY ANTICIPATED A 245 SUSTAINABLE JOBS, 1.3 MILLION IN TAXES, UH, 42,000 PLUS IN ROOM NIGHTS, AND $21 MILLION IN ECONOMIC OUTPUT, AND CLOSE TO 600,000 ANNUAL VISITORS, WHICH IS SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF ECONOMIC IMPACT.
VICTUS ADVISORS, UH, HAS ALSO LOOKED AT OPERATING, UH, PROJECTIONS, LOOKING AT REVENUES AND EXPENSES.
UM, AND WE'VE, WE'VE GOT A REPRESENTATION FROM THEIR TEAM HERE TODAY TO, UH, ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE IN RELATIONSHIPS TO THIS.
WHAT YOU SEE HERE IS BASED ON THE 160,000 SQUARE FOOT VENUE, THEY'VE ALSO UPDATED THE PROFORMA TO ALIGN WITH THE 200,000 SQUARE FOOT VENUE THAT IS CURRENTLY UNDER CONSIDERATION.
AND WE CAN COME BACK, UM, YOU KNOW, AT ANY POINT IN TIME.
SO, OUR INITIAL BUDGET WITH THE INITIAL SCOPE OF 160,000 SQUARE FEET, UH, WAS $53,122,000.
THE, AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, THE, UM, DESIGN SCOPE CHANGES, UH, ADDED UP TO THE 26,000,859 FOR OUR NEW BUDGET, UH, OF $79,981,000.
AND I THINK IT'S, IT'S PERTINENT TO SEE WE, WE LISTED OUT SOME OF THOSE ADDITIONAL SCOPE ITEMS, UM, THAT WAS PART OF THAT INCREASE.
I, WHICH INCLUDE THE TURF, THE TURF SYSTEM, THE 40,000 SQUARE FEET, THE ROCK WALL AREAS, AND THE ARCHITECTURAL ENHANCEMENT.
AND, UH, QUICKLY LOOKING AT A SCHEDULE.
SO WE'RE PROJECTING THIS FACILITY TO BE COMPLETE IN Q1 OF 2026.
UH, WE'RE STILL WAITING FOR A COUPLE OF, FOR REVIEW PROCESSES, THE A RB OBVIOUSLY APPROVAL OF FUNDING.
UH, ONCE WE HAVE SOME OF THOSE DATES, WE'LL BE ABLE TO LOCK IN A FINAL, UH, DATE ON, ON THE COMPLETION.
BUT WE'RE, WE'RE ANTICIPATING Q1 OF 2026 THAT GO AGAIN.
SO AS WE SENT IN THE INTRODUCTION, ONE OF THE KEY THINGS THAT'S CHANGED IS WE HAVE THE CAPITAL FUNDING IN PLACE TO BUILD THIS.
SO IF THIS BODY DECIDES TO GO FORWARD, ALONG WITH JAMES CITY AND WILLIAMSBURG, YOUR COUNTY DOES NOT HAVE TO CONCERN ITSELF WITH THE CAPITAL FINANCING OF THIS MAJOR FACILITY.
RIGHT? THE WHY NOT, BECAUSE WILLIAMSBURG IS BASICALLY GONNA PAY FOR THE, THE CAPITAL PART OF THE PROJECT.
OKAY? THAT WAS ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I HAD WITH THE THREE PLAYERS.
[00:45:01]
DOING WHAT AND WHAT'S COST EACH OF THEM? WILLIAMSBURG'S PRINCIPAL ROLE IS PROVIDING THE BULK OF THE CAPITAL FINANCING SUPPLEMENTED BY THE CAPITAL FUNDS THAT THE H-T-R-F-A RECEIVES DIRECTLY FROM THE MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT FUNDS.SO WHAT THE TWO COUNTIES WOULD HAVE TO DO TO MAKE THIS WORK IS COME UP WITH THE OPERATING SUBSIDY FOR THE FACILITY.
SO THAT'S A MUCH, WHILE STILL SIGNIFICANT, A, A MUCH LESS SIGNIFICANT, UH, TASK THAN FINANCING AN $80 MILLION BUILDING.
UM, SO THAT'S, YOU KNOW, REALLY, I DON'T THINK WE WOULD'VE EVER GOTTEN TO THIS POINT, BUT FOR THE CITY'S COMMITMENT FOR THE CAPITAL FINANCING.
SO WE HAVE A, UM, UH, A CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING OF HOW JAMES CITY AND YORK, UH, COULD SHARE THE OPERATING FINANCING.
LET ME JUST SAY, ANYONE THAT WOULD TELL YOU THAT A FACILITY LIKE THIS IN A MICRO SENSE WOULD MAKE MONEY, IS, IS NOT TELLING YOU THE TRUTH.
ANY LARGE COMPLEX LIKE THIS, THE ACTUAL OPERATION OF IT REQUIRES AN OPERATING SUBSIDY.
UH, WHETHER IT'S A PURE COMMUNITY FACILITY OR WHETHER IT'S DESIGNED FOR, YOU KNOW, REGIONAL TEAMS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
THE QUESTION IS HOW DO YOU MINIMIZE THAT? BUT HOW DO YOU RESPONSIBLY PLAN FOR THAT? AND WE'VE HAD A LOT OF GOOD ANALYSIS LOOKING AT THAT.
AND YOU CAN JUST SEE BASED ON THE PROJECTION, UM, THAT, UM, BECAUSE OF THE, SOME OF THE FEATURES OF THIS FACILITY, IT'S ABOUT AS CLOSE TO BREAKING EVEN AS YOU COULD REASONABLY EXPECT FOR A FACILITY LIKE THIS.
BUT WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS WE DON'T WANT TO, WE WANT TO BE VERY CONSERVATIVE IN OUR APPROACH TO FUNDING THE OPERATING COMMITMENT.
UH, WE DON'T WANT TO, UM, LOW BALL WHAT WE THINK IT'S GONNA COST AND THEN FIND OURSELVES ON A PROBLEM A FEW YEARS DOWN THE ROAD, UH, WITH INSUFFICIENT OPERATING FUNDS.
SO, WHICH IS WHAT HAPPENED WITH VIRGINIA BEACH.
VIRGINIA BEACH IS, UH, AND WE HAVE SOME EXPERTS IN THE ROOM THAT CAN TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT.
SOME OF THAT HAD TO DO WITH THEIR CONTRACT OPERATOR.
BUT, SO OUR CONCEPT, AND I BELIEVE, UM, THIS IS MOSTLY I GUESS, UM, YORK AND JAMES CITY, I BELIEVE I CAN SPEAK FOR SCOTT ON THIS, WOULD BE TO, UH, FUND THE OPERATING SUBSIDY IN SUCH A WAY THAT, UH, WE PROBABLY OVERFUNDED IN THE SHORT RUN, WE BUILD UP SOME MAINTENANCE RESERVES MM-HMM.
IT'S NOT AFFIXED TO THE STRUCTURE.
AND THEN, SO BASED ON THE PROJECTIONS, THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE OVER TIME WE WOULD BE ABLE TO LOWER OUR OPERATING SUBSIDY.
BUT, UM, WE ALL UNDERSTAND WE'RE DEALING WITH PROJECTIONS AND TIMES CHANGE, AND THERE'S LOTS OF, YOU KNOW, ASSUMPTIONS.
SO THE BASIC CONCEPT WOULD BE, UH, IN YEAR ONE, UH, WE WOULD PUT IN A HALF YEAR'S WORTH OF OPERATING SUBSIDY.
'CAUSE IN YEAR ONE, THERE'S NOT GONNA BE ANY OPERATION IF THEY'RE GONNA FINISH THE DESIGN AND START THE CONSTRUCTION.
SO UNDER THIS IDEA, UH, IN NEXT FISCAL YEAR, JAMES AND YORK WOULD EACH COME UP WITH 400,000.
AND THEN BETWEEN US IN YEARS TWO TO FIVE, UH, WE WOULD HAVE TO COME UP WITH A TOTAL OF 1.6 MILLION.
UM, WE ENVISION A, WHAT I'M CALLING A SUBSIDIARY AGREEMENT BETWEEN JAMES CITY AND YORK ON HOW WE SHARE THAT.
UH, BUT THERE'S SOME BELIEF THAT BECAUSE OF THE PROXIMITY TO JAMES CITY RESIDENTS, THAT OVER TIME, UH, A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF COMMUNITY USAGE WILL COME FROM JAMES CITY THAN YORK.
UH, BUT WE WOULD HAVE A MECHANISM SO THAT IF THAT MATERIALIZES JAMES CITY WOULD BE PREPARED TO PAY A SLIGHTLY LARGER PART OF THE OPERATING SUBSIDY, UH, THAN YORK.
BUT FOR THE MOST PART WOULD BE WE WOULD NEED PARTNERS AND SHARE.
UM, AND SO, UH, THAT'S WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE.
THE, UM, THE MASTER AGREEMENT.
AND BY THE WAY, UM, UH, THE LAWYERS WERE STILL, UH, WORKING ON THAT.
AND, UM, I DO HAVE HARD COPIES OF THE NEAR FINAL MASTER AGREEMENT, AND I CAN LEAVE THOSE WITH, OF COURSE WE'LL BE SENDING 'EM OUT AGAIN IF, IF Y'ALL DIRECT ME TO GO FORWARD.
BUT IF ANYBODY WANTS TO READ THAT, IT BASICALLY, THERE'S A LEGAL DOCUMENT THAT SAYS ALL THE STUFF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
BUT YOU'RE WELCOME TO HAVE THOSE IF YOU'D LIKE NEIL, ON THAT THIRD LINE, YOU TALKED ABOUT THE JAMES C COUNTY PICKING UP MORE OF THE OPERATING BUDGET OR, BUT YOU'VE GOT US WITH 800,000 THE WAY I READ THIS, AND THEN WITH ABOUT 500,000 LESS SO, UM, THE MASTER AGREEMENT
[00:50:02]
REFLECTS THE FACT THAT WE ALL BELIEVE THAT ONCE WE GET INTO NORMALIZED OPERATIONS AFTER THREE OR FOUR YEARS, UH, THERE'S A GOOD POSSIBILITY THAT THE OVERALL OPERATING SUBSIDY CAN COME DOWN.AND SO THAT'S WHY IT SAYS IT COULD BE A MINIMUM, NOT LESS THAN $300,000 A YEAR FROM EACH COMMUNITY.
BUT WHAT I'M SAYING IS IF WE GO FORWARD, WE NEED TO BE PREPARED TO COME UP WITH 800,000 A YEAR IN YEARS TWO THROUGH FIVE.
AT YEAR ONE, WE ONLY COME UP WITH A HALF THE AMOUNT 'CAUSE IT WON'T BE OPERATIONAL YET.
AND THEN THERE WOULD BE A MECHANISM.
SO ONCE WE HAVE PROGRAMS GOING, UH, FOR THE COMMUNITY PROGRAMS, YOU'D SIGN UP THROUGH YOUR OWN PARKS AND REC DEPARTMENTS, AND WE WOULD HAVE DATA ON, YOU KNOW, HOW MANY YOUR COUNTY RESIDENTS ARE PARTICIPATING AND HOW MANY JAMES CITY AND HOW MANY WILLIAMSBURG.
AND THEN WITHIN, UH, SOME FAIRLY TIGHT PARAMETERS, WE COULD SHARE THE COST A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY OVER TIME.
SO THE THINKING THERE IS THAT THIS WOULD BE THE MASTER AGREEMENT, THE FUNDING AGREEMENT WOULD BE 30 YEARS.
AND THE THINKING IS YOU GET OUT 5, 6, 7 YEARS, YOU'RE PROBABLY NOT GOING TO NEED TO CONTINUE TO PUT $800,000 A YEAR INTO IT.
BUT WHAT THIS SAYS IS UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE WOULD EITHER COUNTY PAY LESS THAN 300,000.
SO THAT'S A, THAT'S KIND OF WHAT BOTH OF THEM COULD FALL WITHIN THAT CATEGORY.
SO, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE DOING THESE PROPOSALS NOW, YOU KNOW, TO, TO GET EVERYBODY'S INPUT.
UM, WHAT WE WOULD DO IF YOU ALL DIRECT US TO GO FORWARD IS ALL THREE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS WOULD HAVE TO EXECUTE THE MASTER FUNDING AGREEMENT, WHICH IS THE DOCUMENT THAT IS IN YOUR FINAL FORM THAT I'VE GOT FOR YOU.
UM, THERE WOULD BE A, A SECOND, UH, SUBSIDIARY AGREEMENT THAT'S REFERENCED IN THAT, THAT WOULD BE BETWEEN JAMES CITY AND YORK TO DEFINE HOW WE SHARED THE OPERATING, UH, COMMITMENT AS I, AS I JUST SPOKE ABOUT.
AND THOSE WOULD BE THE, THE TWO MAIN ACTIONS.
I DID WANT TO JUST SAY A FEW OTHER THINGS, UM, THAT, THAT HAVEN'T BEEN COVERED SO FAR THAT I THINK YOU, YOU WOULD PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, END UP WANTING TO KNOW, OR YOU MIGHT EVEN ASK A QUESTION ABOUT THE, UM, 800,000 IN INITIALLY, OR, YOU KNOW, 400,000 IN THE FIRST YEAR, 800002ND YEAR, A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY.
UH, WE HAVE, OF COURSE, FOR SEVERAL YEARS BEEN THINKING THAT WE HOPED THIS WOULD HAPPEN, AND WE'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT HOW MIGHT WE PAY FOR IT.
AND, UM, IT IS MY BELIEF THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF OUR OPERATING CONTRIBUTION CAN COME FROM OUR TOURIST FUND.
RECALL THAT 60% BY STATE LAW, 60% OF THE LODGING TAX HAS TO BE SPENT ON TOURIST PROMOTION ACTIVITIES.
AND SINCE THE END OF COVID, THE TOURIST FUND HAS BEEN, YOU KNOW, RUNNING A SURPLUS.
SO, UM, HOW MUCH A SURPLUS? UH, WELL, IN THE LAST FISCAL YEAR, IT WAS ABOUT A HALF A MILLION DOLLARS.
AND SO FOR EXAMPLE, UH, FOR NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET, IF WE GO FORWARD, THIS WOULD HAVE NO IMPACT ON THE GENERAL FUND.
WHAT PART OF THE, HOW, WHAT PART OF THE ROOM TAX OR THE HOTEL TAX GOES TO THE TOURIST FUND? 60%.
NO, IT GENERATES QUITE A BIT MORE THAN THAT.
THAT'S THE SURPLUS THAT'S BEEN GENERATING.
SO IN OTHER WORDS, RIGHT NOW WE COULD PAY FOR ALL THE THINGS WE'RE PAYING FOR WITH THAT, AND WE WOULD HAVE A HALF MILLION TO PUT TOWARD THIS.
SO THE, THE, THE, OKAY, MYA IS THE SURPLUS.
IS THAT MONEY, UH, IN, IN THE, IN THE BASIC AMOUNT THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, WHICH I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE TOTAL NUMBER IS, BUT, UM, WOULD THAT BE GO, WOULD THAT GO TOWARDS THIS FACILITY? UM, IT, IT COULD.
I MEAN, BUT SO, UM, AND THERESE WOULD'VE TO HELP ME OUT, ALL THE THINGS THAT WE SPEND IN THE TOURISM MONTH, TOURISM FUND, ALL THE THINGS WE DO WITH IT, BUT THE TOURISM FUND HAS A CASH BALANCE.
AND SO FOR, LET'S SAY MARK'S WORKING ON A BUDGET, YOU KNOW, NEXT YEAR, THE YEAR AFTER THAT, MY POINT IS THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE OPERATING CONTRIBUTION FROM YORK CAN BE FUNDED TO FROM THE TOURISM FUND.
NOW, I'M NOT GONNA SAY A NO RESPONSIBLE OFFICIAL WOULD EVER SAY, I GUARANTEE YOU THAT IT WOULD ALWAYS COVER A HUNDRED PERCENT.
YOU KNOW, THERE COULD BE A, A BAD RECESSION OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
LIKE ALL OF A SUDDEN WHEN COVID HIT, YOU KNOW, THE TOURISM FUND, YOU KNOW, CRASHED AND THEN IT BOUNCED RIGHT BACK.
BUT WHAT I'M SAYING IS, OVER THE LIFE OF THIS PROJECT, BY AND LARGE, WE CAN AFFORD OUR OPERATING SUPPORT THROUGH THE LOING TAX AND THE TOURISM FUND.
SO, AND I, I NEVER GET THE ACTUAL NUMBERS OF, OF MEMBER
[00:55:01]
OF ROOMS AND ALL THAT, BUT I KEEP, I HEAR THAT YORK COUNTY HAS THE BULK OF THE HOTELS AND WE HAVE RESTAURANTS.AND I KNOW JAMES, I MEAN, I KNOW WILLIAMSBURG HAS A LOT OF RESTAURANTS, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THEIR HOTELS.
AND, AND THEN IT CAME UP WITH JAMES C COUNTY IS, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY POINT TO US AS HAVING, HAVING ALL THE HOTELS.
WELL, SO I'M, YOU KNOW, THAT'S AN INTERESTING CONVERSATION.
AND I MEAN, THAT'S A GROSS OVERSIMPLIFICATION, BUT TO SOME DEGREE THAT IS TRUE.
AND THAT IS WHY, YOU KNOW, LIKE A CITY LIKE VIRGINIA BEACH, WHEN THEY DECIDED TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS, ALL OF THOSE RESOURCES WERE GOING INTO ONE PLACE.
AND SO THEY SAID, ALL RIGHT, WE'RE GONNA TAKE A LITTLE PIECE OF THAT AND DIVERT IT TO THIS.
FOR US, IT'S A MUCH MORE COMPLICATED EQUATION BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IT TAKES ALL THREE PLAYERS WHO HAVE ALL THESE DIFFERENT PARTS AND LOOKING OUT 10 YEARS, 20 YEARS, HOW WILL THE MIX OF RESTAURANTS AND HOTELS AND RETAIL CHANGE OF, OF, OF COURSE IT WILL, IT IS TRUE THAT RIGHT NOW MANY OF THE CONVENIENT, MODERN HOTELS THAT WOULD BE CONVENIENT TO THIS FACILITY OR IN YOUR COUNTY NOW, YOU KNOW, OVER 10 YEARS THAT, YOU KNOW, OF COURSE COULD CHANGE.
THERE'S KIND OF A LIFECYCLE IN HOTELS, YOU KNOW, NEW ONES COME IN DIFFERENT PLACES.
UM, BUT THE POINT IS, UM, AND YOU KNOW, YOU ALL, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS A LOT, EVERY MAJOR TAX WE HAVE, EVEN THE REAL ESTATE TAX IS THERE'S A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF OUR MAJOR REAL ESTATE TAX PAYERS THAT ARE, THAT ARE TOURIST BASED.
UM, BUSINESS PROFESSIONAL LICENSE TAX AND MEALS TAX AND CIGARETTE TAX.
THE SALES TAX, UH, ALL OF OUR TAXES ARE ENHANCED BY TOURISM.
SO IF THIS PROJECT STRENGTHENS TOURISM BY 10% IN GREATER WILLIAMSBURG, YOU KNOW, THE, IN A MACRO SENSE, WE BENEFIT, I, I KIND OF GOT OFF MY POINT WHEN I WAS SAYING, IF ANYBODY'S BEING TRUTHFUL ABOUT THIS, THE, THE FACILITY IN A MICRO SENSE WILL NOT MAKE MONEY.
BUT IN A MACRO SENSE, IF YOU SAY, WHAT IS THE IMPACT ON, UM, THE GREATER WILLIAMSBURG ECONOMY, UH, YOU KNOW, IF A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TOURISTS EITHER COME THAT WOULDN'T OR STAY LONGER, THAT SPREADS THROUGHOUT OUR BUDGETS AND OUR ECONOMY.
BUT I, BUT I'M NOT TRYING TO SELL THIS JUST ON THAT, AND THE, THE COMMUNITY USE OPPORTUNITY HERE IS VERY SIGNIFICANT.
NOW, IT IS TRUE THAT THE MAJORITY OF OUR POPULATION, YOU KNOW, IS SOUTH OF YOURTOWN, BUT THIS IS NOT AT THE FAR NORTH END OF THE COUNTY.
IT'S, IT'S IN REASONABLE DRIVING DISTANCE OF MOST OF OUR CITIZENS.
AND THE, AND THE THING FOR COMMUNITIES THAT'S EXCITING IS, UM, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW, UH, IF, YOU KNOW, YOUR LEAGUE PLAY, IN MANY CASES IS LIMITED TO THE PEOPLE IN A PARTICULAR LOCALITY.
AND SO OUR VISION WOULD BE YOU SIGN UP AT YOUR LOCAL PARKS AND REC PLACE, BUT THE LEAGUES ARE ALL MIXED TOGETHER.
SO YOU'D BE PLAYING WITH KIDS OR ADULTS FROM ALL THREE COMMUNITIES, YOU KNOW, A BIGGER COMPETITION BASE, A BIGGER POOL, UH, YOU KNOW, PRETTY EXCITING.
THERE'S, THERE'S ONE OTHER POINT I WANTED TO MAKE AND, AND I REALLY WANT TO THANK, UH, MY COLLEAGUES IN, IN WILLIAMSBURG AND JAMES CITY FOR CONSIDERING THIS.
AS WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS, I SAID, LOOK, IF WE DO THIS, THIS IS A, I BELIEVE IT'S A GOOD THING.
IT'S IMPORTANT FOR ALL OF THIS, UM, BUT IT'S A LONG-TERM COMMITMENT.
UH, WOULD YOU CONSIDER CHANGING OUR CITIZENS' ACCESS TO SOME OF YOUR MM-HMM.
UH, UH, SCOTT IS PREPARED TO RECOMMEND THAT THEY CHANGE THEIR ACCESS RULES, UH, FOR THE, UH, RECREATION CENTER, RECREATION CENTER SO THAT YOUR COUNTY RESIDENTS COULD BE MEMBERS, UH, AT THE SAME FEE BASIS AS, UH, JAMES CITY OF WILLIAMSBURG.
I THINK THAT'S A REALLY GOOD FAITH, VERY GOOD FAITH THING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER FOR THE LONG HAUL, AND THAT KIND OF EVENS THE PLAYING FIELD ON SOME OTHER THINGS.
SO, UM, SO AGAIN, UH, THIS IS AT YOUR POINT TO ASK ALL OF US ANY QUESTIONS YOU WANT ABOUT THIS.
THE AUTHORITIES HOPE IS THAT YOU GREEN LIGHT US TO, UH, SCHEDULE THIS ACT.
MAY I, LET'S GO AROUND AND START THE CONVERSATION HERE.
STEVEN, I KNOW YOU ALWAYS GOT A MILLION QUESTIONS.
SO, WHAT IS THE PURPOSE, AND I, I'LL ASK THIS TO EVERYONE.
WHAT'S THE PURPOSE OF THE SPORTS COMPLEX? I, MY ANSWER
[01:00:01]
AND, AND OTHERS MIGHT FEEL FREE TO SPEAK UP AS THERE'S TOO, UH, FOR ME, WHEN ALL THIS STARTED, THE NUMBER ONE PURPOSE WAS TO CREATE A NEW, UH, BASE ATTRACTION FOR THE GREATER WILLIAMSBURG TOURISM ECONOMY, TO SUPPLEMENT BUSH GARDENS AND COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG.UH, BECAUSE OVER THE LAST 30 OR 40 YEARS, TOURISM IN GREATER WILLIAMSBURG RELATIVE TO OTHER PLACES HAS BEEN IN DECLINE.
AND I BELIEVE, UM, SOMETHING LIKE THIS THAT BRINGS FAMILY ORIENTED, UH, TEAM CLUBS, SPORTS TYPES OF ACTIVITIES, UM, IS THE KIND OF ATTRACTION THAT WE NEED TO KEEP OUR TOURIST ECONOMY STRONG.
SO THAT'S THE NUMBER ONE REASON FOR ME.
AND THE SECOND REASON IS THERE'S NO WAY I THINK THAT YOUR COUNTY WOULD EVER BUILD AN INDOOR FACILITY LIKE THIS FOR OUR CITIZENS, JUST AS A STANDALONE THING THAT OUR CITIZENS COULD USE, EVEN THOUGH WE WOULD ALL AGREE IT WOULD BE A, IT WOULD BE A GREAT ASSET, BUT THE, THE COST AND THE EXPENSE AS A GOONE THING JUST FOR COMMUNITY USE WOULD PROBABLY BE, YOU KNOW, TOO BIG OF A BITE FOR US TO TAKE ON.
SO THE SECONDARY PURPOSES, UM, AND THIS IS ONE OF THE GOOD THINGS ABOUT TOURIST ORIENTED THINGS, IS IT ALSO CREATES NICE THINGS FOR OUR OWN RESIDENTS.
SO THE SECONDARY PURPOSE WOULD BE, UH, COMMUNITY USE, RIGHT? SO I THINK THAT'S THE RIGHT ANSWER.
I THINK TO, TO A LESSER EXTENT ADDITIONAL RECREATIONAL FACILITY IN THAT PART OF THE COUNTY, OR THAT PART OF THE AREA MAKES A LOT OF SENSE.
BUT TO LARGE EXTENT, HOW MUCH MONEY IS THAT GONNA INJECT INTO THE ECONOMY? HOW DOES THAT HELP OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY ACROSS THE THREE LOCALITIES? HOW DOES THAT DERIVE TAX REVENUE BACK INTO THE DIFFERENT LOCALITIES AS WELL? SO, SO I THINK, I THINK THAT'S THE RIGHT ANSWER, AND THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE RIGHT FOCUS TO HAVE ON, ON FACILITY.
UM, CAN I PUT ONE CAVEAT, NOT, NOT A CAVEAT, JUST KIND OF UNDERSCORE WHAT YOU JUST SAID.
WHAT WAS IT? IT'S THE, WHAT, TOP EIGHT OR SIX BUSINESSES OF YORK COUNTY, UH, SEVEN, SEVEN OF THE 13 LARGEST REAL ESTATE TAXPAYERS IN YORK COUNTY ARE TOURIST ORIENTED BUSINESSES.
SO EVEN THE REAL ESTATE PART OF OUR TAX BASE IS ENHANCED BY RIGHT INVESTMENTS.
UNDERSTAND, THAT'S AN IMPORTANT POINT.
BUT AGAIN, AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT'S ABOUT IN INJECTING MONEY INTO THE ECONOMY THAT COMES BACK INTO THE COUNTIES AS TAX REVENUE THAT HELPS WITH THE, THE, UM, THE CITIZENS' TAX BURDEN.
IT KEEPS OUR OTHER, KEEPS OUR OTHER TAXES LOWER THAN THEY OTHERWISE WOULD.
UM, SO ANOTHER QUESTION AGAIN, TO THE GREATER ROOM.
SO THIS IS ABOUT A HALF HOUR AWAY FROM THE BOO WILLIAMS SPORTS COMPLEX.
HOW IS THIS FACILITY TO GONNA BE ABLE TO COMPETE AGAINST THAT FACILITY THAT KINDA OFFERS SIMILAR TYPE OF, UM, FUNCTIONALITY? YOU KNOW, HOW, HOW IS THERE ROOM FOR, FOR BOTH IN, IN WITHIN A HALF HOUR DRIVE OF ONE ANOTHER? UH, AND I'M THINKING MAYBE, UH, BRIAN CONNOLLY FROM VICTUS MIGHT WANT TO COMMENT ON THIS.
MY OWN SENSE OF THAT, BECAUSE OF COURSE THE, THE AUTHORITIES TALKED ABOUT THINGS LIKE THAT OVER THE LAST COUPLE YEARS IS ONE OF THE THINGS I'VE ABSORBED IN ALL THAT IS IF YOU BUILD SOMETHING LIKE THIS IN A PLACE THAT'S ALREADY HUGELY POPULAR TOURIST DESTINATION MM-HMM.
AND, AND SO WHEN, YOU KNOW ALL THE NATIONAL, UH, GROUPS THAT PLAN TOURNAMENTS ARE PLANNING THOSE TOURNAMENTS, IT'S JUST LIKE, WHERE DOES YOUR PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY PICK A CONVENTION? UH, YOU KNOW, RIGHT.
YOU TEND TO GO TO PLACES THAT, THAT WOULD BE A NICE PLACE TO GO.
AND I BELIEVE THAT'S PART OF THE ANSWER.
HE'S THE PRINCIPAL AT VICTUS WHO IS THE, THE FEASIBILITY CONSULTANT THAT WAS ORIGINALLY WORKING FOR THE CITY AND HAS SUBSEQUENTLY BEEN WORKING FOR THE, THE AUTHORITY.
SO, UH, I'M WITH VICTUS ADVISORS.
WE STARTED WORKING ON THIS PROJECT IN 2020, UM, DOING THE INITIAL MARKET AND FINANCIAL STUDIES FOR THE CITY OF WILLIAMSBURG AT THE TIME.
AND NOW WE HAVE BEEN CONSULTING, UH, DIRECTLY TO THE AUTHORITY FOR THE PAST SIX MONTHS OR SO, SIX TO EIGHT MONTHS.
AND SO NEIL IS CORRECT THAT WHEN YOU LOOK AT DESTINATIONS FOR SPORTS, NOBODY, NOBODY EVEN SAID THAT PHRASE 10 YEARS AGO, SPORTS DESTINATIONS.
UM, THERE WERE PLACES SOME IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE THAT HAD A BIG BARN WITH SOME COURTS IN IT AND, UM, OTHER PLACES WHERE ALL THEY HAD WAS HIGH SCHOOL GYMS AND THE TOURNAMENTS WOULD SCRAPE TOGETHER IN ANY COMMUNITY, WHATEVER THEY COULD GET TO, UM, TO PUT TOGETHER THESE EVENTS.
[01:05:01]
NOW THE, THE COMMUNITIES THAT DO BEST IN SPORTS TOURISM, IN OTHER WORDS THAT DIDN'T EXIST 10 YEARS AGO, IS BY CREATING, UM, CREATING SPORTS STORES AND DESTINATIONS.WHAT THAT MEANS IS NOT JUST HAVING THE INVENTORY OF COURTS OR FLAT FLOOR SPACE OR, UM, WHATEVER THE AMENITY THE AMENITIES ARE THAT ARE ACTUALLY ATTRACTING THOSE PARTICULAR TOURNAMENT EVENTS.
IT'S ALSO HAVING THE OTHER THINGS THAT GO ALONG WITH THE TOURISM PIECE OF IT.
SO IF THE WHOLE FAMILY IS GETTING IN THE MINIVAN AND DRIVING FIVE HOURS ON A FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND SPENDING THE WHOLE WEEKEND IN, UH, IN THIS AREA FOR A TOURNAMENT, YOU NEED TO HAVE THE HOTELS NEARBY.
UH, IT'S ALSO HELPFUL IF YOU HAVE, UM, FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT TYPE ATTRACTIONS IN, IN THE REGION.
SO, LIKE NEIL SAID, JUST WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT WHERE YOUR ASSOCIATION IS GONNA GO FOR, FOR, UH, A CONVENTION, SOME OF THAT SAME SAME LOGIC GOES INTO DETERMINING WHERE THESE EVENTS GO.
SO WHEN WE TALKED TO SPORTS EVENT ORGANIZERS, THEY SAID, OH YEAH, OUR, OUR FAMILIES WOULD LOVE TO GO TO WILLIAMSBURG.
THERE'S, THERE'S SO MUCH TO DO THERE.
UM, AND WE KNOW YOU HAVE GREAT FAMILY FRIENDLY HOTELS AND, AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
UM, SO THAT'S A BIG PART OF IT.
AND THEN ON THE, THE MARKET DEMAND SIDE, UM, WE DID OUR STUDY, OUR, OUR ORIGINAL STUDY AND THE STUDIES WE REVISED.
SINCE THEN, WE'VE INVENTORIED NOT JUST WHAT'S, WHAT'S AVAILABLE, UM, IN THIS TIDEWATER REGION.
UM, WE'VE ALSO INVENTORIED WHAT OTHER FACILITIES ARE COMPETING WITHIN A FIVE TO SIX HOUR DRIVE TIME RANGE FOR TOURNAMENTS.
UM, AND SO ALL OF OUR DEMAND ESTIMATES AND USAGE ASSUMPTIONS THAT HAVE GONE INTO, UH, THE MODELS FOR THIS FACILITY WERE BUILT OFF OF WHERE THIS PARTICULAR FACILITY FITS INTO THE COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE.
SO, UM, WE DIDN'T JUST PULL THESE NUMBERS OUT IN THE VACUUM.
WE ESTIMATED THESE NUMBERS BASED UPON ALL OF THE COMPETITION THAT EXISTS LOCALLY, REGIONALLY, AND, AND WITHIN THAT FIVE TO SIX HOUR SPORTS TOURISM RANGE SPORTS.
WHAT WAS YOUR, WHAT WAS YOUR ANSWER WHEN YOU SAY YOU DID THE RESEARCH? WHAT, WHAT, SO HOW DOES THIS PLAY OUT? UM, IT'S IN ALL OF THE, THE USAGE PROJECTIONS AND OPERATING MODELS AND, UH, FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE WE PUT TOGETHER ARE ALL BASED UPON THAT, THAT ANALYSIS.
AND THEN HBS RAN THE ECONOMIC IMPACT, UM, MODEL OFF OF OUR USAGE PROJECTIONS FOR THE FACILITY.
I, HE'S NOT ANSWERING THE QUESTION.
WELL, SO THE, THE SPORTS DESTINATION, I UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT, RIGHT? YEAH.
YOU, YOU GOT COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG, YOU GOT HISTORIC YORKTOWN, YOU GOT BUS GARDENS, YOU GOT WATER COUNTRY, YOU GOT SOME GREAT SHOPPING AND SO FORTH.
SO THEY GO, HEY, A FAMILY GOES, WELL IF WE'RE GONNA CHOOSE A BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT TO GO TO, LET'S GO THAT WAY.
UM, BUT DOES THAT REALLY PLAY OUT IN REALITY? 'CAUSE I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN NEW SPORTS FOR A WHILE AND I'VE BEEN TO A LOT OF TOURNAMENTS AND SEE 'EM DEVELOP AND BY AND LARGE WHAT I SEE PARENTS DO, THEY MAKE A COUPLE OF VALUE DECISIONS.
ONE, HOW MUCH IS THE TOURNAMENT? IS IT GONNA COST TO ENTER THE TOURNAMENT? HOW MUCH IS THE HOTEL ROOM AND SO FORTH.
AND THEY TEND TO GO TO THE LEASE EXPENSIVE OPTIONS.
AND THE IDEA OF WE'RE GONNA HAVE ALL THESE THINGS TO DO AND RALLY DOESN'T WORK OUT BECAUSE THEY'RE SO BUSY WITH THE TOURNAMENT AND JUST TRYING TO EAT AND GET SLEEP AND GET READY FOR THE NEXT STAGE TOURNAMENT.
THEY DON'T HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ACTUALLY GO DO ALL THOSE THINGS.
I HAVE A, I HAVE A GOOD FRIEND OF MINE, HIS DAUGHTER IS, UH, DOES TRAVELING FIELD HOCKEY.
THEY COME TO THIS AREA SEVERAL TIMES DURING THE YEAR.
THEY'RE BOUGHT, THEY HAVE THE FIELD ALL DAY LONG, GO BACK TO THE HOTEL THE NEXT DAY, ALL THE FIELD ALL DAY LONG, THEN THEY GO HOME.
BUT THEY, THEY'RE THE HOTELS HOTEL.
BUT AS FAR AS THE SPORT DOESN'T REALLY PLAY OUT IN REAL LIFE.
THAT DOES THE, DO WE HAVE DATA THAT, THAT THAT SHOWS THAT IT WORKS OUT? LIKE WE THINK IT DOES.
SO THERE'S, SO WHEN A FAMILY TRAVELS TO GO TO A TOURNAMENT, IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT EACH INDIVIDUAL FAMILY THAT MAKES THE DECISION WHERE THE TOURNAMENT IS GOING TO BE HELD.
SO IT'S THE TOURNAMENT ORGANIZERS THAT RUN THESE TOURNAMENTS THAT NEGOTIATE WITH THE DIFFERENT LOCATIONS, YOU KNOW, A YEAR IN ADVANCE ABOUT WHERE THAT DESTINATION'S GONNA BE.
UM, SO THEY'RE, THEY'RE MAKING THE DECISIONS BASED UPON DIFFERENT FACTORS, UM, THAN JUST, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE FAMILY MIGHT SELECT.
SO, UM, AND THEN ONCE THE FAMILY'S THERE, WE, WE DO HAVE DATA FROM EVENTS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY WHERE IF IT'S A BETTER DESTINATION, A MORE ATTRACTIVE DESTINATION FROM A TOURISM STANDPOINT, MORE PEOPLE WILL TRAVEL.
SO INSTEAD OF JUST, UM, ONE PARENT OR ONE CHILD, YOU MIGHT GET THE WHOLE FAMILY GOING AND THEY MIGHT GO A DAY EARLY OR STAY A DAY LATER.
SO THERE ARE IMPACTS, UM, FROM IT BEING A BETTER OVERALL TOURNAMENT TOURISM DESTINATION AS WELL.
A LOT OF TIMES, A LOT, A LOT OF TIMES THEY DO, THEY, THEY COME FROM THE TOURNAMENT, BUT INSTEAD OF LEAVING SUNDAY NIGHT, THEY'LL STAY SUNDAY NIGHT AND THEY'LL GO TO BUSH GARDENS OR THEY'LL GO TO THE OTHER THINGS ON MONDAY OR THEY'LL COME A DAY EARLIER.
SO MY KIDS TRAVELED, WE ALWAYS DID THAT.
WE TACKED ON 'CAUSE WE ALREADY HAD THE COST OF GOING THERE.
[01:10:01]
SO ADDING THE EXTRA DAY OR TWO WAS, WAS GREAT TO DO.AND WE DID THAT AND WE, THAT'S HOW WE PLANNED OUR VACATIONS.
A LOT OF TIMES THAT'S A LEG UP OUR AREA HAS OVER OTHER AREAS.
WE HAVE, WE HAVE THAT BUILTIN THINGS AT A PLACE LIKE SOME OF THE PLACES IN SOUTH CAROLINA, OR I WON'T CALL SOME OF 'EM OUT, BUT ALL THEY HAVE IS A SPORTS FACILITY.
SO THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE COMING AND GOING AND, AND GETTING THE HECK OUT OF THERE.
BUT OKAY, THEY'LL STAY LET'S, LET'S GET NOTHING.
YOU GOT A QUESTION RELATING TO WHAT HE'S ASKING? YEAH, IT'S RELATED.
THIS DISCUSSION SO FAR ON THE SUBJECT WOULD INDICATE THAT THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF THIS COMPLEX IS TO DRAW TEAMS FROM AFAR.
UH, BECAUSE THIS IS A INCREDIBLE FIRST CLASS FACILITY.
LET'S NOT FORGET THE PENINSULA CITIZENS AND THE 200, TWO 50,000 PEOPLE WE HAVE HERE THAT CAN'T AFFORD TO TRAVEL FROM LA TO WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA
OTHERWISE, WE'RE GONNA BE WILD IN WHAT'S THE PRIORITY? IS, IS THE PRIORITY OF THIS, THIS ORGANIZATION OUT IN THE MIDWEST WANTING TO COME HERE BECAUSE IT'S A GREAT PLACE TO VISIT? OR IS THE PRIORITY OF THE LOCAL PROGRAMS THAT ARE ONGOING OVER TIME? AND HOW DO WE SORT THAT OUT? SO IT CAN BE BOTH.
AND IN FACT, THAT'S, THAT'S THE MODEL THAT WE'VE RECOMMENDED FROM THE BEGINNING, GOING BACK OVER THREE YEARS NOW, IS WHAT WE CALL A HYBRID MODEL.
AND THE REASON THAT HYBRID, LOCAL AND TOURISM MODEL WORKS IS BECAUSE THE VAST MAJORITY OF TOURNAMENT ACTIVITIES IS GONNA BE ON THE WEEKENDS.
UH, THE VAST MAJORITY OF, OF, OF TOURNAMENTS THAT WOULD BE HELD THERE WOULD BE TWO OR SOMETIMES THREE DAY TOURNAMENTS, RIGHT.
MAYBE IN THE SUMMER WHEN KIDS ARE OUTTA SCHOOL, YOU MIGHT GET A HAND, YOU KNOW, A HANDFUL OF FOUR OR FIVE DAY DURING THE SUMMER.
UH, BUT BY AND LARGE YOUR WEEKENDS ARE FOR ECONOMIC IMPACT AND TOURNAMENT GENERATION, YOUR WEEKDAYS, WHICH IS REALLY MORE SO, YOU KNOW, AFTERNOONS AND EVENINGS DURING THE WEEK IS GONNA BE ENTIRELY LOCAL USE.
SO IT'S WHAT WHAT WHAT WE'VE FOUND IS COMMUNITIES THAT INVEST IN FACILITIES LIKE THIS, UM, LOOKING FOR ECONOMIC IMPACT AND, AND, AND TOURISM DOLLARS ARE ALSO PROVIDING A WORLD-CLASS, UH, FACILITY FOR USE DURING THE WEEK BY THE LOCALS.
I THINK THE OTHER, THE OTHER KEY TO THAT TOO IS FAMILIES THAT ARE HERE, FAMILIES THAT ARE HERE LOCALLY SPEND LESS MONEY GOING TO OTHER CITIES WITH TRAVEL SPORTS BECAUSE THEY'VE GOT ONE HERE.
SO THEY CAN ACTUALLY SAVE A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY BY NOT GOING AND SPENDING HOTELS.
AND IN OTHER CITIES THEY CAN STAY CLOSER TO HOME 'CAUSE THERE'S MORE EVENTS THAT TAKE PLACE TRAVEL OFTEN.
SO IT, IT IS A COST SAVINGS THERE.
AND I WILL SAY THE OTHER DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BOO WILLIAMS, AND THIS IS DESIGN.
SO THE EXPERIENCE THAT YOU HAVE WHEN YOU'RE IN THE VENUE MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE.
BOO WILLIAMS HAS EIGHT BASKETBALL COURTS, BUT THEY'RE, THEY'RE REALLY TIGHT SPACING.
WHEN YOU'RE IN THERE, THEY DROP THE CURTAINS DOWN, YOU'RE BASICALLY RUNNING RIGHT BESIDE OF EACH OTHER.
SO, UM, VERSUS THE DESIGN OF THOSE TWO VENUES, PEOPLE ARE GONNA PICK THIS ONE OVER THAT ONE, UM, JUST BY THE EXPERIENCE THAT GOING AFTER THERE.
GETTING INTO THE NUTS AND BOLTS.
SO IF I WAS READING THAT ONE CHART CORRECTLY, I MEAN WE, OVER A 30 YEAR PERIOD, YOU KNOW, WE COULD BE LOOKING AS MUCH AS 23 AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS IN OPERATING EXPENSES THAT WE PAY OUT BETWEEN US AND JAMES CITY COUNTY HAS $47 MILLION OVER A 30 YEAR PERIOD.
UM, YOU KNOW, IF I DID MY MATH RIGHT, AND THAT'S A, THAT'S A BIG CHUNK OF CHANGE TO THE POINT WHERE YOU NEED TO START ASKING, WHAT ELSE COULD WE DO WITH THAT, WITH THAT TYPE OF MONEY? IS, IS THAT THE BEST USE OF THAT FUNDS? NOW IF 90% OF THAT COMES FROM THE TOURISM FUND, SO BASICALLY IT'S FUNDING ITSELF 'CAUSE IT'S INJECTING THAT MONEY IN INTO THE ECONOMY AND, UM, SO IT'S COME AND SO THE OPERATING EXPENSES IS COMING BACK AFTER THAT.
AND THAT HAS TO BE ADDITIONAL MONIES INTO THE TOURISM FUND, NOT THE MONIES THAT WE HAVE IN THE TOURISM FUND DAY.
YOU CAN'T, WE CAN'T RELY ON THE TOURISM FUNDS THAT EXIST TODAY.
IT HAS TO GROW IN, IN THAT, YOU KNOW, TO THAT EXTENT TO TO, TO FUND THIS.
IF WE'RE PULLING MONEY THAT EXIST TODAY, THEN IT'S NOT BEING SUCCESSFUL.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE WE'RE USING MONEY THAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE PAYING FOR TOURISM FOR.
SO, CAN I COMMENT ON THAT? 'CAUSE YEAH, GO AHEAD.
BECAUSE I, I THINK THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.
UH, IT WAS, UH, I BELIEVE IT WAS THE ODU ECONOMIST THIS WEEK TALKING ABOUT TOURISM AROUND HERE.
MOST OF THE COMEBACK IN THE LODGING TAX SINCE COVID HAS BEEN HIGHER PRICES ON ROOMS. MM-HMM.
AND WHAT HE SAID WAS THE GROWTH OPPORTUNITY IS, IS HIGHER ROOM USAGE, WHICH AT LEAST, YOU KNOW, IN THEORY AND IT IS AT A HIGHER PRICE AND A HIGHER PRICE.
BUT WE SORT OF GOT THE HIGHER PRICE, BUT WE STILL GOT PLENTY OF VACANCIES.
AND SO I, I THINK THE AUTHORITY BELIEVES THIS IS THE KIND OF FACILITY THAT BUMPS UP USAGE, USAGE, WHICH IN FACT GROWS THE TOURISM FUND.
SO IF WE'RE GOING TO DO, IF WE'RE GOING TO DO THIS, WE NEED TO PUT CONTROLS
[01:15:01]
IN PLACE AND WHATEVER MEMORANDUM, MEMORANDUM IN THE STANDARD COME OUT WITH THAT, WE DO THIS WITH THOSE ADDITIONAL FUNDS.THAT'S THE, WE MEASURE THE SUCCESS AGAINST ONE.
HOW MUCH LOCAL DO WE GET, AGAIN, TO A LESSER EXTENT, TO A GREATER EXTENT.
IS IT FUNDING ITSELF? AND IF SO, WE CAN CONTINUE WITH IT.
BUT IF WE START HAVING TO PULL IN TOURISM DOLLARS FROM OTHER SOURCES, OR HEAVEN FORBID WE GET INTO OUR OP OUR OWN, UM, OUR ANO OUR NORMAL BUDGET TO, TO PAY FOR IT, THAT'S A HUGE PROBLEM.
SO WE NEED TO PUT SOME CONTROLS IN PLACE TO MAKE SURE THAT IT GETS, IT'S PAID FOR BY ITS OWN SUCCESS.
AND, AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THAT 30 YEAR COMMITMENT TOO.
'CAUSE UM, TO ME IT NEEDS TO PROVE ITSELF BEFORE WE MAKE A COMMITMENT LIKE THAT.
SO, SO, SO THE PRACTICAL PROBLEM WITH THAT IS, UM, IF THE CITY OF WILLIAMSBURG IS GOING TO, YOU KNOW, PROVIDE THE MONEY TO MAKE THAT PAYMENT, THEY'VE GOT TO KNOW THAT THE COUNTIES ARE WITH THEM.
NOW WE DO ANTICIPATE, UH, JAMES CITY AND YORK HAVING A, EVERY FIVE YEARS UPDATING, UH, OUR SHARED OPERATING COSTS, YOU KNOW, BASED ON USAGE.
AND THAT'S OUR, OUR PRELIMINARY AGREEMENT.
UM, SO LIKE I SAID, I MEAN THE, THE TOURISM FUND SHOULD BE POI, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T PREDICT THE FUTURE AND EVERYTHING THAT COULD HAPPEN, BUT THE TOURISM FUND IS POSITIONED TO CARRY THE BULK OF THIS COST FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE.
THAT'S, THAT'S AS, THAT'S AS FAR AS I CAN HONESTLY, YOU KNOW, ANSWER UN UNDERSTAND THAT.
'CAUSE LIKE YOU SAY, WE DON'T KNOW WHENEVER RECESSION OR ANYTHING ELSE MAY HAPPEN, BUT WE GOTTA INSULATE THE, THE LOCAL TAXPAYER DOLLARS FROM PAYING FOR THIS.
LIKE WE'RE ALL CONFIDENT THAT IT WILL WORK OUT.
WE GOT, WE GOTTA PUT SOME CONTROLS IN PLACE.
'CAUSE I GUARANTEE THAT SOME POINT IN, IN A FEW YEARS BACK, THERE WAS A GROUP OF PEOPLE SITTING AROUND A TABLE IN VIRGINIA BEACH FEELING ALSO CONFIDENT ABOUT THIS AND MOVING FORWARD WITH IT.
AND TURNED OUT THE FUTURE DIDN'T WORK OUT LIKE, LIKE THEY THOUGHT IT WAS.
AND, AND NOW IT'S A HUGE PROBLEM NOW, AND I KNOW THIS IS, I KNOW IT'S NOT AN APPLE TO APPLE COMPARISON, BUT MY POINT IS, PEOPLE WERE CONFIDENT THAT THAT WAS GONNA BE SUCCESSFUL, PAID FOR ITSELF, SO FORTH AND SO ON.
NOW THAT, NOW THAT'S A BIG TICKET ITEM TO GET OUT OF IT.
WE NEED TO PUT INS, INSTALLATIONS IN PLACE, CONTROLS THE PLACE THAT WE DON'T FALL VICTIM TO THAT AS WELL YEAR AFTER YEAR, DECADE AFTER DECADE, WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE.
SO, SO WE DO HAVE SOME, UH, INFORMATION.
BRIAN, YOU MIGHT WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT, BUT I WANT TO BUT ON THE TALK TO, LET'S TALK TO HIS QUESTION FIRST.
YOUR, HIS COMMENT, UM, 'CAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS YOU SAID RIGHT OFF THE RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PRESENTATION IS THAT THIS FACILITY BASICALLY HAS TO BE SUBSIDIZED.
THAT'S WHERE WE'RE GETTING THAT RATING REQUEST.
SO THE QUESTION, AND EVEN EVEN IN THE COMMENTS YOU MADE, YOU AND YOU AS AN ADMINISTRATOR, I WOULD EXPECT YOU TO SAY NOTHING LESS, IS THAT YOU CAN'T GUARANTEE ANYTHING.
RIGHT? I MEAN, WE KNOW WHAT WE'VE GOT.
WE KNOW THE MONEY WE'VE PUT TO END TODAY.
WE KNOW WHAT THE AGREEMENT'S GONNA BE.
WILLIAMSBURG'S GONNA BILL THE PLACE BASICALLY.
AND, UM, AND THEN WE'RE GONNA KEEP HELP WITH JAMES CITY COUNTY TO KEEP IT OPERATING.
BUT IN, IN THE WHOLE THING IS, IT'S ALL PREDICATED ON, I I GUESS A CONSERVATIVE, UH, ASSESSMENT OF WHAT WE'RE GENERATING IN REVENUE.
AND THE, AND THE STATE IS, STATE HAS SAID YOU CAN'T SPEND THIS MONEY ON ANYTHING ELSE BUT TOURISM.
SO I SEE THAT THERE'S PROBABLY A, A, A VENEER HERE THAT, THAT THIS THING COULD SWING MAYBE A LITTLE BIT INTO EXTRA MONEY NEEDS TO BE PUT INTO THE SYSTEM SOMEHOW.
IT'S A LITTLE BIT, I'M TALKING, YOU KNOW, MAYBE A COUPLE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS.
I'M NOT TALKING LIKE HALF A MILLION OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT SOMETIMES.
BUT, BUT IT MAY HAVE TO HAVE AT TIMES, MAYBE A LITTLE BOOST.
BUT THEN OTHER TIMES IT MAY GENERATE, THE TOURISM REVENUE MAY GENERATE MORE THAN, THAN WHAT'S NEEDED.
I MEAN, THAT'S, I JUST SEE IT KIND OF FLUCTUATING.
SO I CAN'T SAY WE CAN GUARANTEE THAT THERE'S NEVER GONNA BE A TIME WHEN WE HAVE TO THROW SOME MONEY INTO IT.
COULD I MAKE A COUPLE COMMENTS OR REACTION TO WHAT YOU SAID? SURE.
SO, SO ONE THING IS, UM, YOU KNOW, WE ARE VERY CONSCIOUSLY ERRING ON THE SIDE OF THE LARGER CONTRIBUTION IN THIS FIRST FIVE YEARS.
EVEN THE, THE LONG TERM THIRD YEAR AGREEMENT SAYS IT COULD GO DOWN TO AS LITTLE AS 300,000 ADJUSTED FOR INFLATION.
AND WE DON'T KNOW WHETHER THAT COULD HAPPEN OR NOT, BUT BASED ON VICTUS PROJECTIONS, IT MIGHT VARY.
WELL, SO THE RISK OF A WORST CASE SCENARIO, YOU KNOW, IS PROBABLY NOT THAT BAD BECAUSE THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF MONEY, IF IT WENT DOWN FROM 800 TO 400 OR 500,
[01:20:01]
IT WOULD BE MORE COMFORTABLE IN TERMS OF THE, THE TOURISM FUND.THE OTHER THING I WOULD SAY IS WHAT WALT WAS TALKING ABOUT IS THE COMMUNITY USE PART.
UM, AND WE HAVE NEVER DONE THAT.
BUT ANOTHER SCENARIO AS TIME GOES ON IS THIS FACILITY IS VERY POPULAR WITH OUR RESIDENTS FOR THEIR USE.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE WANT A BIGGER PIECE OF IT FOR THAT, WHICH WOULD THEN BE A DIFFERENT DISCUSSION ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW WE'RE PAYING FOR IT.
AND, AND YOU KNOW, IF IT GETS POPULAR LIKE THAT, YOU HAVE THOSE DISCUSSIONS AND, AND IT'S INTERESTING.
WE KNOW WE CAN HAVE THOSE DISCUSSIONS.
WE WANT TO CO IF WE WANT TO CONTRIBUTE MORE BECAUSE WE GET MORE USELESS.
BUT THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CONVERSATION, IF YOU WANNA CONTRIBUTE LESS 'CAUSE WE'RE NOT GETTING USAGE, THAT'S A LOT HARDER CONVERSATION TO, TO BE HAD.
SO, BUT THE OTHER, THE OTHER PIECE IS, AND I KNOW BRIAN HAS DIRECT KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THIS, IS THE NOTION THAT THE VIRGINIA BEACH FACILITY HASN'T WORKED OUT.
THE, THE, THE CORE PURPOSE OF GENERATING THAT FACILITY AND BRINGING THE TOURNAMENTS IS, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, WORKING OUT EXTREMELY WELL.
IT HAS MORE TO DO WITH HOW THEY ORGANIZE THEIR OPERATOR AND THEIR FUNDING.
BUT IF, IF WE GOT A MINUTE, YEAH, YOU CAN SHARE THAT.
BUT AGAIN, DON'T, DON'T GET TOO HUNG UP ON THE COMPARISON THAT MY POINT IS
IT'S GONNA BE A MONEY MAKER REVENUE INJECT INTO THE CA INTO THE COMMUNITY.
AND NOW, SO IT, IT HASN'T, SO THE PROJECTIONS, AGAIN, PROJECTIONS WERE ONLY AS GOOD AS THE DATA THAT WE HAVE AT THE MOMENT THAT WE HAVE IT.
THE PROJECTIONS WERE ACTUALLY CORRECT AND THEY'VE EVEN EXCEEDED OUR PROJECTIONS IN TERMS OF ECONOMIC IMPACT.
WHERE IT WENT WRONG WAS THE, UH, OPERATING AGREEMENT THAT WAS NEGOTIATED WITH THE OPERATOR THAT THE CITY COUNCIL SELECTED.
SO, UH, I'LL, I'LL START BY SAYING WE ORIGINALLY PROJECTED ABOUT 35,000 INCREMENTAL HOTEL NIGHTS WOULD BE GENERATED BY THE VIRGINIA BEACH SPORTS CENTER EACH YEAR.
AND, UM, THE GOAL OF THAT FACILITY WAS NOT JUST TO GENERATE INCREMENTAL HOTEL NIGHTS, BUT IT WAS TO GENERATE INCREMENTAL HOTEL NIGHTS DURING THE OTHER NINE MONTHS OF THE YEAR OUTSIDE OF, UH, MEMORIAL DAY, THE LABOR DAY, THE BEACH SEASON.
'CAUSE THEY WANTED TO FILL IN THE LOW OCCUPANCY RATES DURING THOSE OTHER TIMES OF YEAR.
SO PRIOR TO THE OPENING OF THE FACILITY, UH, THE, THE OCCUPANCY RATE IN THE OFF SEASON CITYWIDE WAS ABOUT 30%.
AND LAST YEAR, UH, POST THE VIRGINIA BEACH SPORTS CENTER, HAVING NOW BEEN O HADN'T BEEN OPEN FOR ABOUT TWO YEARS, IT JUMPED TO 45% IN THE OFF SEASON IN TERMS OF INCREMENTAL HOTEL NIGHTS GENERATED.
WE ESTIMATED ABOUT 35,000 A YEAR LAST YEAR.
THEY GENERATED 50,000 INCREMENTAL HOTEL NIGHTS, UH, THROUGH THAT FACILITY.
AND THAT WAS JUST AUDITABLE HOTEL NIGHTS, MEANING THAT THAT'S WHAT WAS ROOM BLOCKED DIRECTLY THROUGH THE FACILITY.
SO IT'S PROBABLY EVEN HIGHER THAN THAT.
UM, AND THIS YEAR, BASED UPON BOOKINGS ALREADY FOR THE NEXT YEAR, THEY'RE PROJECTING ABOUT 60,000, UM, HOTEL NIGHTS.
SO FROM AN ECONOMIC IMPACT STANDPOINT, IT'S DONE EVERYTHING WE PROJECTED AND MORE.
UM, WHAT HAPPENED WAS THE, THE OPERATING AGREEMENT THAT CITY COUNCIL NEGOTIATED WITH, UH, THE, THE OPERATOR WHO HAS NOW BEEN TERMINATED, UM, WAS VERY UNORTHODOX.
UM, IT WAS NOT AN INDUSTRY STANDARD OPERATING AGREEMENT.
AND, UM, I THINK WE HAVE A SLIDE THAT I CAN, I HOPE SO.
I WAS LOOKING, THE LAST ONE SHOULD BE, SHOULD BE RIGHT THE EDGE, THE LAST ONE OVER EACH OF THE LAST TWO YEARS.
UH, EACH SPORTS MANAGEMENT, WHO'S THE OPERATOR? WELL, THAT'S THE OPERATOR FOR, UH, VIRGINIA REEF SPORTS CENTER.
THEY REPORTED PUBLICLY A $1.3 MILLION OPERATING LOSS EACH YEAR, BUT HALF OF THAT, APPROXIMATELY HALF OF THAT WAS THEIR MANAGEMENT AND INCENTIVE FEES PAID TO THE OPERATOR.
THAT IS NOT AN INDUSTRY STANDARD PAYMENT TO AN OPERATOR.
AND HOW'D THAT DEPRECIATION WORK IN THERE TOO? WASN'T THAT PART OF IT? YEAH,
SO, UM, MARKET RATE FOR MANAGEMENT FEES IS CLOSER TO, DEPENDING ON THE SIZE OF THE FACILITY, ABOUT 150 TO $250,000 PER YEAR.
THEY WERE RECEIVING OVER $650,000 A YEAR THAT, THAT WENT INTO THE EXPENSES SIDE.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S HALF HALF YOUR OPERATING OPERATING LOSS RIGHT THERE, THE OTHER HALF.
UM, INSTEAD OF THE CITY AS PART OF THE CONSTRUCTION PROJECT, PURCHASING AND OWNING ALL OF THE FURNITURE FIXTURES AND SPORTS EQUIPMENT, BASICALLY EVERYTHING THAT MAKES THAT BUILDING INTO A FUNCTIONING SPORTS CENTER, UH, THE OPERATOR,
[01:25:01]
UH, BORROWED MONEY TO BUY THE FFF AND E AND BRING THAT TO THE TABLE.AND THEY WERE THEN REPORTING DEPRECIATION FOR THE FFF AND E ON THEIR, ON THEIR STATEMENT ON A SEVEN YEAR STRAIGHT LINE BASIS.
AND IT WAS ABOUT FOUR AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS IN FFF AND E THAT WAS THE OTHER 650,000.
SO IF YOU BACK OUT THE 650,000 IN, IN FFF AND E, BECAUSE THAT'S ONE OF THE FEW BUILDINGS I'VE EVER SEEN WHERE THE, THE CITY SPENT, YOU KNOW, ALL THIS MONEY TO BUILD A, A FACILITY AND THEN HAD THE, HAVE THE OPERATOR WHO'S ON A SHORT TERM CONTRACT OWN WHAT MAKES IT A SPORTS CENTER.
UM, IN THIS CASE, THE AUTHORITY WILL OWN THE F, F AND E.
THERE WILL BE NO DEPRECIATION EXPENSE PUT ON THERE.
UM, AND THEN THE, THE MANAGEMENT FEES WILL BE IN LINE WITH INDUSTRY STANDARDS.
SO IF YOU LOOK AT VIRGINIA BEACH SPORTS CENTER, YOU TAKE OUT THE DEPRECIATION, YOU ADJUST TO A, A TYPICAL MANAGEMENT FEE.
THEIR OPERATING LOSS, EACH OF THE PAST YEARS WOULD'VE BEEN ABOUT 200 OR 300,000 PER YEAR.
AND AGAIN, I KNOW IT'S A, NOT AN APPLE'S APPLE COMPARISON, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF OPTIMISM GOING IN, DIDN'T ALL WORK OUT BECAUSE OF DECISIONS THAT WERE MADE AND NOW THERE THERE'S A HUGE FINANCIAL IMPACT BECAUSE OF THAT.
I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T SIT HERE X NUMBER OF YEARS DOWN THE ROAD HAVING THAT SAME DISCUSSION.
WELL, AND THE MAJORITY I UNDER YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
AND I THINK, I KNOW THAT THE AUTHORITY IS MAKING DECISIONS THE RIGHT WAY.
AND YOU TALK ABOUT THAT, THAT FINANCIAL COST, UM, ABOUT 75%, 70% OF THAT, THAT PAYMENT WAS TO PURCHASE THE FFF AND E WHICH THEY SHOULD HAVE OWNED IN THE FIRST PLACE.
SO IT WAS REALLY THAT ONE AND A HALF MILLION, UM, THAT THEY PAID ALL OF THE OUTSTANDING BILLS THAT ESM HAD JUST STOPPED PAYING.
IF I, IF I COULD, UH, DREW AND SCOTT, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT IN OUR MODEL, PART OF OUR OPERATING CONTRIBUTION WILL GO TO PAY FOR THOSE VERY THINGS.
ALSO, THE EXTRA MONEY THAT'S GETTING PAID IN THE FIRST FIVE YEARS GOES INTO A RESERVE FUND.
LET ME, LET ME, LET ME WRAP UP WITH, UM, TO ME THE RIGHT WAY TO DO THIS FOR OUR, FOR YOUR COUNTY'S CONTRIBUTION OF THE OPERATING EXPENSES IS THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF THAT 85, 90%, 87%, WHATEVER THAT NUMBER IS, WILL NEED TO COME FROM THE ADDITIONAL TAX REVENUE GENERATED FROM THE ADDITIONAL USAGE OF HOTELS AND MEALS AND ALL THE OTHER STUFF IN BACK INTO THE COUNTY THAT WE USE TO PAY FOR THOSE OPERATING EXPENSES.
AND, AND WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE TIED TO THAT.
AND, AND, AND I GET SOMETHING MAY COME UP ON A GIVEN YEAR, BUT I'M TALKING BIG PICTURE THAT THAT'S WHERE THAT MONEY COMES FROM, THAT WE DON'T CANALIZE OTHER TOURISM FUNDS TO PAY FOR IT.
AND WE CERTAINLY DON'T GET IN OUR GENERAL FUND TO PAY FOR IT BECAUSE WE GOT OTHER THINGS TO PAY FOR IT IN OUR GENERAL FUND.
SO WE NEED TO PUT MECHANISMS IN PLACE IN THE AGREEMENT TO ADDRESS THAT SOMEHOW OR ANOTHER BEFORE WE MOVE FORWARD.
AND TIED TO THAT, I REMEMBER FROM, UH, JAMES CITY COUNTY, UH, UM, THE PRESENTATION, THE QUESTION CAME UP WAS HOW DO YOU DETERMINE WHAT HE JUST ASKED FOR? I MEAN, THAT'S THE BIG QUESTION.
I'M, I MEAN, I MEAN, HOW, HOW DO YOU DETERMINE WHAT THE BENEFIT, I MEAN, WE SAYING, WE'RE SAYING WE SEE THE, YOU SEE THE BENEFITS OF THIS IS A NICE PLACE, IT'S GREAT OUR TOURISM, WE GOT, UH, OUR LOCAL FOLKS CAN GO THERE.
BUT IN THE END, HOW DO YOU DETERMINE THAT THIS THING IS GENERATING ENOUGH REVENUE TO PAY FOR ITSELF? BECAUSE I MEAN, I THAT'S, THAT'S, SO IT'S WHAT'S THE BENEFIT? IT'S, IT'S, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY IN ABSOLUTE TERMS, THE STUDIES THAT WERE DONE THAT THIS SLIDE REFERENCES IN MY OPINION, ARE RIDICULOUSLY CONSERVATIVE.
UM, YOU KNOW, IN THE FOOTNOTES IT SAID IT DOESN'T INCLUDE MEALS TAX BECAUSE THEY HAD NO WAY TO SEPARATE WHAT MEALS TAX WENT TO EACH OF THE THREE LOCALITIES.
BUT LET'S TAKE THE CASE OF YOUR COUNTY, AS WE WERE TALKING EARLIER, EVERY SINGLE MAJOR REVENUE LINE ITEM, THE TOP 10 REVENUE LINE ITEMS IN OUR BUDGET, ALL THE, THE TOURISM ECONOMY IS A DRIVER IN EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM.
REAL ESTATE, BUSINESS, PERSONAL PROPERTY, MEALS, SALES, LODGING, CIGARETTE, UH, I THINK THAT'S ALL OF 'EM.
AND SO IF, IF, UM, IF THIS PROJECT BRINGS IN TWO OR 3% MORE TOURISTS ACROSS ALL OF THOSE REVENUE LINE ITEMS, WE BENEFIT.
AND, AND THAT DOESN'T EVEN BEGIN TO CAPTURE THAT.
UM, BUT IT GIVES US SOME SENSE.
I MEAN, WHAT USED FOR YEARS, I MEAN, WALT WHEN BACK 20 YEARS AGO ALMOST MM-HMM,
[01:30:01]
REMEMBER JUST GOING ON AND ON ABOUT THIS.I MEAN, THOSE WERE INDICATORS FOR US, RIGHT? I THINK THAT'S, I THINK, I THINK I WOULD ANSWER YOUR, IF YOU WERE TO ASK ME YOUR QUESTION, I WOULDN'T ANSWER THAT QUESTION AND GO, ALRIGHT, ON THE WEEKENDS THAT A TOURNAMENT IS IN TIME, HOW MUCH USAGE, HOW MUCH REVENUE INCREASES ACROSS THOSE, THOSE, UH, THOSE TOURISM, UM, FACTORS.
AND THEY GO, HEY, YOU KNOW, WHEN THE TOURISM, WHEN WHEN THE CONS, THE TOURNAMENTS ARE IN TOWN, YOU SEE A 20% BUMP IN HOTEL USAGE AND RATES AND FOOD AND WHATEVER, AND GO, OKAY, WELL, SO IT'S A, YOU KNOW, YOU SAY WHAT'S, IT'S A 20% EJECTION OR WHATEVER THE NUMBER IS, 2% OVER THAT, THAT CAN BE TRACKED DOWN.
OVER TIME YOU CAN DEFINITELY MEASURE LIKE WHAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT IN VIRGINIA BEACH.
I GUESS JUST TO BE TRUTHFUL WITH YOU THOUGH, STEVEN, I MEAN, IF WE MAKE A COMMITMENT TO BE A PARTNER IN THIS FROM THE AUTHORITY STANDPOINT AND FROM OUR NEIGHBORS STANDPOINTS, THEY JUST NEED TO KNOW, YOU KNOW, ARE WE IN, CAN THEY COUNT ON US OR NOT? WE CAN'T HAVE A MECHANISM THAT SAYS, YOU KNOW, IF IT DOESN'T WORK OUT LIKE WE PROJECTED, WE'RE OUT.
'CAUSE WE CAN'T LEAVE OUR NEIGHBORS IN THE LURCH.
I MEAN, WE'VE GOTTA EITHER BE IN OR OUT.
I, I, BUT MARK POINTS OUT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE TRIED TO DO THAT BY HAVING A FLOOR AND A CEILING TO OUR CONTRIBUTION.
YOU KNOW, THE ABSOLUTE WORST CASE SCENARIO IS OUR CONTRIBUTION, UH, CAN'T BE, BUT SO BIG MM-HMM.
AND, UM, SO, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING'S A PROJECTION.
UH, BUT AS I SAID, I FEEL LIKE FOR PLANNING PURPOSES, IT'S VERY FAIR AND ACCURATE TO SAY THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF THIS, IF WE GO FORWARD, CAN BE COVERED BY OUR TOURISM FUND NOW AND IN THE FUTURE.
AND, AND, AND I, AND I GET WHAT YOU'RE SAYING THE SAME TIME TOO, WE HAVE A COMMITMENT TO OUR CITIZENS THAT IF IT DOESN'T WORK OUT WHAT'S THE ESCAPE PLAN AND THAT WE'RE NOT LOCKED INTO A LOSING PROPOSITION FOR 30 YEARS.
THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE SWEET SPOT.
WE NEED, WE NEED TO FIND, AND, AND IF EVERYBODY'S COMPETENT, THIS WILL WORK OUT.
LIKE IT SHOULD THEN DOING SHORT TERM COMMITMENTS TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERY X NUMBER OF YEARS IS, IS PERFORMING LIKE IT SHOULD AND YOU CONTINUE IT ON, THEN THAT'S FINE.
I MEAN, WE, A LOT OF OTHER CASES IN, IN THE REST OF THE WORLD, THAT'S HOW YOU, YOU MAKE COMMITMENTS.
UM, AS, AS PERFORMANCE, UH, MEETS EXPECTATIONS, THEN YOU CAN CONTR YOU CONTINUE YOUR CONTRIBUTION, YOUR INVESTMENT.
IF PERFORMANCE DOESN'T MEET EXPECTATION FOR A LONG ENOUGH PERIOD OF TIME, THEN YOU GO, THIS ISN'T WORKING OUT.
WE NEED, WE NEED TO DO THIS SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
YOU NEED TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
BUT, YOU KNOW, IF YOU MAKE A COMMITMENT TO THESE OTHER TWO MUNICIPALITIES, YOU JUST DON'T WALK AWAY.
YOU CAN'T DO THAT BECAUSE YOU'LL NEVER, EVER AGAIN HAVE ANYBODY TRUST YOU.
WELL THEN WHAT'S THE, OKAY, SO THEN WHAT'S THE INCENTIVE TO ALWAYS PERFORMING YEAR AFTER YEAR? WELL, IF, IF, YOU KNOW, YOU GOT A BLANK CHECK FOR 30 YEARS.
WELL, I MEAN, I GUESS THE, THE QUESTION IS INCENTIVE FOR WHOM, BECAUSE WE WOULD BE RUNNING THIS AS A SHARED AUTHORITY FROM THE THREE LOCALITIES.
I THINK AS IT'S STRUCTURED, WE ALL HAVE THE SAME INCENTIVES.
NOW, WILL WE LEARN THINGS? WILL MISTAKES BE MADE? WILL DIFFERENT STRATEGIES HAVE TO BE EMPLOYED? WILL THE UPS AND DOWNS? SURE.
I MEAN, I THINK THE PRACTICAL PART OF THIS IS, UH, WHILE WILLIAMSBURG'S PLEDGE PLEDGING THE CASH FOR THE CAPITAL BY AND LARGE, UM, THE FINANCING VEHICLE WOULD BE A REVENUE BOND ISSUED BY THE AUTHORITY.
AND NOBODY'S GONNA BUY THE BOND.
IF, YOU KNOW, SOMEWHERE IN THE FINE PRINT IT SAYS, YOU KNOW, IF WE DON'T LIKE IT OUT THERE BY THREE YEARS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE PULLING THE PLUG.
I JUST, YOU JUST CAN'T FINANCE IT THAT WAY.
BUT, BUT YOU KNOW, YOU STILL MAKE YOUR, YOU STILL HAVE OTHER THINGS THAT, I MEAN, THE IDEA, YOU MAKE ADJUSTMENTS AND YOU FIGURE OUT WHAT'S, WHAT'S GOING WRONG? WHAT'S, WHY DIDN'T YOU, WHY AREN'T WE GETTING WHERE WE ARE, WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE, WHAT ADJUSTMENTS DO WE HAVE TO MAKE? IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO BE MONEY, AND MONEY COULD BE AN INDICATOR, BUT IT COULD BE SOMETHING THAT THE, THAT THE FACILITY IS NOT BEING USED PROPERLY.
IT'S NOT BEING ADVERTISED PROPERLY.
IT COULD BE A WHOLE BUNCH OF THINGS.
WELL, THERE'D BE WAYS OVER IN VARIOUS PERIODS OF TIMES TO GET A NEW OPERATOR.
IF WE, IF THE AUTHORITY DECIDED THE OPERATOR WE SELECT WASN'T WORKING OUT, YOU KNOW, CHANGE THE INCENTIVE STRUCTURE, THERE WOULD BE ALL KINDS OF MANAGEMENT ADJUSTMENTS THAT WOULD BE POSSIBLE.
I GUESS THE BIG PICTURE, IF I WAS A PRIVATE INVESTOR BEING APPROACHED TO COMMIT 23 AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS OVER 30 YEARS TO PAY FOR THIS, AND I HAD TO MAKE A DECISION, WELL, YES OR NO FOR 30 YEARS, AND I'M LOCKED INTO THAT, I DON'T THINK I'LL BE MAKING THAT DECISION AS, AS A PRIVATE INVESTOR.
I WOULD NEED SOME WAYS TO, TO EVALUATE THAT OVER TIME AND MAKE SURE IT'S MEETING EXPECTATIONS.
AND IF YOU CAN'T FIND A WAY TO DO THAT, THEN I, I CAN'T JUST KEEP DUMPING GOOD MONEY AFTER,
[01:35:01]
AFTER, AFTER BAD.THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S MY, THAT'S MY DILEMMA.
THAT'S THE SAME DECISION THAT, THAT EVERY COMMUNITY WE WORK WITH, BASED ON ANY LARGE CAPITAL PROJECT FACILITY, WHETHER IT'S A LIBRARY, UM, WHETHER IT'S A POOL, WHETHER IT'S A PARK SYSTEM WITH THOSE, FOR SOME REASON WITH THOSE TYPES OF THINGS I JUST MENTIONED, UM, YOU KNOW, IF YOU DECIDED TO DO WELL, OKAY, YOU KNOW, WE JUST WANNA DO OUR OWN SMALLER RECREATION FACILITY THAT'S JUST GONNA SERVE THE NEEDS OF, OF OUR, OUR COUNTY CITIZENS.
YOU SPEND $30 MILLION ON A NEW FACILITY, YOU ISSUE BONDS THAT YOU HAVE TO PAY TWO OR $3 MILLION A YEAR DEBT SERVICE ON THAT.
AND THEN YOU HAVE TO BUDGET FOR THE FACT THAT THAT FACILITY MIGHT LOSE $500,000 A YEAR.
SO YOU'RE GETTING THAT FACILITY, BUT YOU'RE NOT HAVING TO PAY THE CAPITAL COST.
YOU'RE ONLY BUDGETING FOR THAT, THAT LOSS.
SO THERE, THERE IS, I I RIGHT, I I I UNDERSTAND THAT.
BUT, AND FOR SOME REASON, NOBODY, WHEN WE WORK ON THESE TYPES OF FACILITIES, IT'S DIFFERENT WHEN YOU HEAR A TALK ABOUT A LIBRARY OR TALK ABOUT, UM, UH, A PARK BECAUSE NOBODY SAYS, YEAH, NO, NOBODY SAYS, WELL, HOW AM I GONNA EVALUATE IF THIS IS, IS BREAKING EVEN ON A QUALITY OF LIFE OR THINGS LIKE THAT.
THEY SAY, OH, WELL, AND IT'S A PARK, IT'S A LIBRARY.
WHEREAS WITH THESE, UH, PEOPLE TEND TO DO EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE DOING, BUT THEY SAY, WELL, HOW DO I KNOW THAT IT'S PAYING FOR ITSELF? HOW DO I KNOW, YOU KNOW, FOR THEIR TAXES? IT'S, IT'S HELD AT A DIFFERENT STANDARD, EVEN THOUGH IN A LOT OF WAYS IT'S, IT'S A, YOU'RE GONNA GET ALL THE BENEFITS OF A, A RECREATION CENTER THAT COUNTIES BUILD ALL THE TIME, PLUS YOU'RE GONNA GET THE ECONOMIC IMPACT AND ALL THOSE OTHER BENEFITS, AND YOU'RE GONNA GET IT AT A REDUCED COST.
FRANKLY, I HAD THE SAME QUESTIONS ABOUT THOSE OTHER PROGRAMS AS WELL.
DID YOU, DID IT GET ENOUGH USE OUT OF THE SIDEWALK? IF NOBODY USES SIDEWALKS A FAILURE.
IF IT USED, IF IT'S ALWAYS FULL OF PEOPLE, THEN IT WAS A, IT WAS, IT WAS SUCCESS.
SO I'VE ALWAYS ASKED THE SAME QUESTION.
I LIVED IN TEXAS FOR FIVE YEARS BASED ON THAT BATTERY.
WE SHOULD A LOT MORE PICKLEBALL, COURTS,
AND ONE QUESTION THAT, THAT YOU JUST HIT ON, ON PARKS NOW, WE SPENT, IF I RECALL, ABOUT $19 MILLION ON THE, ON THE MAC.
WE FINANCED $14 MILLION OF IN BONDS.
HOW IS THIS FACILITY GOING TO IMPACT THAT FACILITY? WE GET MORE, WELL, I MEAN, BRIAN, BRIAN'S PROBABLY THE BEST ONE TO ANSWER THAT, BUT I MEAN, FUNDAMENTALLY AN OUTDOOR FACILITY IS A DIFFERENT MARKET, A DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCE.
UM, AND, AND YOU ALSO REMEMBER WHEN WE BUILT THE MAC, THE PRIMARY NEED TO BUILD THE MAC WAS WE NEEDED IT FOR OUR OWN PROGRAMS. WE, WE NEEDED ACTUALLY 17 FIELDS VERSUS THE 13 WE BUILT JUST TO MEET THE CURRENT DEMAND OF, OF PROGRAMS THAT WERE GOING ON AT THAT TIME.
WE KNEW THERE WOULD BE SOME TOURNAMENTS.
WE WOULD KNEW THERE WOULD BE SOME AND SLAM SOME OTHER THINGS GOING ON.
BUT WE NEEDED IT JUST TO, WELL, IT'S PRETTY, YEAH.
WE, WE WERE LOOKING AT 6,500 EVENTS A YEAR.
I MEAN, THAT WAS WHAT WAS ADVERTISED.
BUT, AND THERE'S A BIG REPORT ONLINE THAT WE COMMISSIONED A FEW YEARS AGO.
SO THE DEBT SERVICE PART OF THAT'S PROBABLY JUST ABOUT PAID OFF, BUT WE LIVE WITH A PERMANENT OPERATING SUBSIDY OF SOME SIGNIFICANCE.
AND ONE OF THE BENEFITS, IT WAS JUST A DECISION WE MADE TO BUILD AND OPERATE IT.
ONE OF THE BIG BENEFITS BESIDE PROVIDING A FACILITY FOR SPORTS WAS THAT PEOPLE DID OTHER THINGS LIKE GARDENING AND WHATEVER DOWN THERE.
BUT IT'S, UH, INTERESTING THAT WHEN THEY SELL HOMES IN THE AREA MM-HMM.
THIS COULD POSSIBLY BE AS KIND OF THE SAME THING.
BUT ANYWAY, UM, LET'S GO AHEAD.
YOU GOT ANYTHING YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT? YEAH, STEVE DID A NICE JOB OF ASKING A LOT OF THE QUESTIONS THAT I WAS GONNA ASK.
UM, BUT MINE WERE GONNA BE MORE COMMENTS.
UM, AND I, I WISH THAT WE HAD MADE THE EXTERIOR OF THIS BUILDING LOOK MORE COLONIAL IN KEEPING WITH COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG AND, UH, MANAGER VETE.
UH, I HAVE NOT BEEN, UH, HAPPY WITH ANY OF THE EXTERIORS OF ANY OF THE, UH, BUILDINGS THAT WE HAVE, UH, COME UP WITH FROM, UH, BATHROOMS ON THE BEACH TO, UH, LIBRARIES, TO SHERIFF'S OFFICES.
SO DON'T, DON'T TAKE THIS PERSONALLY, BUT I WOULD'VE LOVED TO SEEN SOMETHING MORE IN KEEPING WITH THE COLONIAL, UH, STYLE.
AND YOU NEED GO AND DESIGN TEAM.
YOU NEED TO GO NO FURTHER THAN DOWN TO CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT UNIVERSITY TO SEE THE FREEMAN CENTER, WHICH IS VERY MUCH, UH, DESIGNED SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU PROPOSED, ALTHOUGH MUCH SMALLER.
AND, UH, THEY HAVE A NICE COLONIAL, UH, TRADITIONAL FACADE ON THE OUTSIDE
SO, UH, HAVING SAID THAT, I WANT TO TELL A A WELL, JUST A, A A, UH, I GOT A CALL LAST WEEK FROM, UH, A BUDDY OF MINE IN BIRMINGHAM AND HE LIVES VERY CLOSE TO THE HOOVER FACILITY, UH, WHICH YOU'VE MENTIONED.
AND HE SAYS THAT'S JUST JAMMED UP.
HIS SON WAS COMING UP TO CHARLOTTESVILLE TO PLAY IN A, UH, TOURNAMENT, A LACROSSE TOURNAMENT.
SO WE WERE TALKING, HE SAYS, YOU KNOW, I PLAY A LOT.
I'LL GO, UH, ON THE WEEKENDS AND THINGS.
[01:40:01]
LAST YEAR HOW MUCH MONEY DID YOU SPEND? AND IN TOURNAMENT TOURISM, THINGS LIKE THAT, HE SAID $48,000, VERY EXPENSIVE THAT HE SPENT.SO I SAID, WOW, THIS IS, YOU KNOW, YOU REALLY MUST LOVE YOUR SON
UM, THAT'S THE MARKET SEGMENT YOU WANT.
SO, SO ANY, ANYWAY, UM, SUNDAY, UM, UH, TALKING TO ANOTHER FRIEND OF MINE AND SHE'S TALKING ABOUT, SHE'S GETTING READY TO GO FOR A CHEER COMPETITION AND SHE'S GETTING READY TO SPEND $2,800 ON THIS CHEER COMPETITION.
SO WE'RE, PEOPLE ARE OUT THERE SPENDING THIS MONEY AND IT'S, IT'S THERE.
WE JUST NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A FACILITY THAT'S ACCOMMODATING THE MOST EVENTS THAT WE CAN.
AND WE HAVE A COMPETENT MANAGEMENT COMPANY AND WE NEED TO GO OUT THERE AND GRAB IT.
THE PEOPLE ARE TRAVELING, THE PEOPLE ARE SPENDING THIS MONEY.
AND I THINK WE NEED TO GET, I THINK IT'S A TRAINING THAT WE NEED TO GET ON.
THE LAST THING I'LL SAY IS I LOOK AT THIS SORT OF LIKE A MARRIAGE BETWEEN THE THREE COMMUNITIES AND I'D LIKE TO DO A LITTLE BIT MORE, UH, IN THE PRENUP.
AND I'LL HELP WITH THE, IN CASE WE HAVE TO DO A DISILLUSION, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE EVERYBODY THINKS IT'S ROSY GOING IN.
BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, FIVE YEARS, SEVEN YEARS DOWN THE ROAD, UH, LET'S KINDA LOOK AND, AND SEE, UH, WORST CASE SCENARIO.
BUT I THINK THIS THING'S GONNA BE A, A BIG ASSET FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
I THINK IT'S GONNA HELP WITH TOURISM.
I THINK IT'S GONNA BE A REVENUE GENERATOR.
AND I THINK IT'S GONNA BE A FACILITY THAT THE PEOPLE IN DISTRICT ONE IN GOD'S COUNTRY ARE GONNA USE A LOT, A LOT MORE THAN THE PEOPLE IN DISTRICT THREE.
BUT, UH, THEY'RE GONNA APPRECIATE IT AND IT'S GONNA REALLY FILL SOME VOIDS.
YOU MENTIONED THE MAC AND THAT'S ANOTHER FACILITY THAT WHEN, UH, Y'ALL FIRST BUILT, FIRST BUILT IT.
I WAS NOT A BIG FAN OF IT, BUT YOU KNOW, MY SON GOES OUT THERE, PLAYS SOCCER.
I MEAN, IT'S JUST PEOPLE NEED, THESE FACILITIES HAVE COME TO EXPECT THESE FACILITIES AND WITH THIS FACILITY WITH A TOURISM AND AN ECONOMIC GENERATOR, I THINK IT'S A WIN-WIN ALL THE WAY AROUND.
SO, AND WE GOT I 64 BEING WIDENED ALL THE, THE WAY TO RICHMOND SO'S WIDE ALL THE WAY TO RICHMOND.
GETTING HERE IS GONNA BE GREAT.
YOU KNOW, I'D JUST LOVE TO GET, YOU KNOW, PART OF THAT $48,000, MY OLD ROOMMATE, UH, SPENT ON HIS, UH, SONS LACROSSE, UH, VENTURES LAST YEAR.
SO WELL, YEAH, I I KIND OF WISH YOU HAD NOT MENTIONED DISTRICT ONE.
'CAUSE NOW THE REST OF THIS BOARD WILL WANT TO CHANGE THE LOCATION FROM WHERE WE'RE GOING.
ALRIGHT, WELL I'LL GO UP THERE TO PLAY PICKLEBALL AND I LIVE IN DISTRICT FOUR
WE, WE, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF TALK TONIGHT.
BACK TO YOU BACK A LOT OF TALK TONIGHT.
WHOLE BUNCH OF CONCEPTS AND IDEAS.
THE MEMORANDUM THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT EARLIER, THE, THE DRAFT, AS SOONER WE GET IT, THE BETTER OFF.
I THINK WE'LL PASS IT OUT AT THE END OF THE MEETING IF YOU'D LIKE.
YOU WON'T HAVE THE MEMORANDUM DONE BASED ON THESE COMMENTS.
WELL, THE AGREE, THE THE THE DRAFT AGREEMENT EXISTS YEAH.
SHEILA, I, I LISTEN TO WHAT YOU SAY.
UH, AND, BUT YOU, YOU, YOU CAN'T JUST SAY IT, IT WHAT'S WHAT IF IT'S GONNA HAPPEN.
YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT WHAT WE'RE SERVING, WHAT WE'RE, WHAT WE'RE DOING FOR OUR PEOPLE NOW.
AND I THINK THAT IF WE WANNA KEEP YOUNG PEOPLE HERE, IF WE WANT MORE PEOPLE TO COME IN, WE HAVE TO GIVE THEM SOME ACTIVITIES.
WE HAVEN'T, WE HAVE NOT BUILT A RECREATION CENTER.
THE WAY WE HANDLED IT BEFORE IS THAT WE SUPPORTED THE YMCA, BUT THERE'S BEEN A NEED OUT THERE FOR A LONG TIME.
AND IT'S A VISION, AND YOU HAVE TO HAVE A VISION FOR WHAT THE FUTURE MAY HOLD.
AND I SUPPORT THIS COMPLETELY.
I THINK THAT THEY PAID ATTENTION TO THE DETAILS AND OUR COMMITMENT IS FROM THE TOURISM FUND.
AND NOWHERE DOES IT SAVE THE MONEY'S COMING FROM ANY OTHER PLACE, BUT COMING FROM THE TOURISM.
AND IF WE CAN LOCK IT INTO THAT SOMEHOW, THEN, THEN WE'RE GOOD.
WELL, THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
SO, UM, BUT I APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS BECAUSE WE HAVE TO LOOK AT BOTH SIDES OF THE COINS.
BUT I, I FEEL AS YOU DO, UH, CHAD, THAT UH, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE, WE NEED AND I START TO LOOK MORE COLONIAL.
RIGHT? WELL, YEAH, BUT I, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS, WHAT I REALLY LIKE SO MUCH IS THAT WE, WE AS A COMMUNITY, COMMUNITIES ARE WORKING TOGETHER BECAUSE STANDING ALONE, WE COULDN'T DO IT BY OURSELVES, BUT TOGETHER WITH THE OTHER JURISDICTIONS, WE CAN OFFER SOMETHING REALLY SPECIAL FOR OUR FAMILIES.
[01:45:01]
THINK, UM, EVERYBODY'S REALLY, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S VERY INTERESTING, UM, UH, PROGRAM.IT'S, IT'S GONNA, IT'S GONNA BE A BENEFIT FOR OUR COMMUNITIES.
IT'S GONNA BE A BENEFIT FOR THE WHOLE COUNTY.
IT'S GONNA BE A BENEFIT FOR THE WHOLE REGION.
UM, AND IT'S GONNA FIT NICELY WITH THE OTHER, OTHER THINGS WE HAVE GOING ON UP THERE, ESPECIALLY IN GOD'S COUNTRY WITH, UH, WITH, YOU KNOW, THE, UH, BUSH GARDENS THING AND, AND WATER.
THE WATER COUNTRY THING AND, AND GOLF THING.
AND SO I THINK IT'LL, IT'LL, I THINK IT'LL WORK OUT PRETTY WELL FOR EVERYBODY.
WE'VE BEEN HISTORICALLY, UM, YORK COUNTY'S BEEN VERY CONSERVATIVE OVER THESE.
UM, I WAS SITTING THERE THINKING OF THE, UH, I, THE VIRGINIA BEACH ACTION DOESN'T SURPRISE ME.
I MEAN, IT'S LIKE SOMEBODY GOT SOLD A BILL OF GOODS.
THEY HAD TWO OTHER COMPANIES COME IN THAT OFFERED A REASONABLE, REALISTIC APPROACH TO IT.
AND THEY WENT WITH A PIE IN THE SKY APPROACH.
AND, YOU KNOW, IF IT LOOKS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, YOU KNOW, PROBABLY IS, AND NOW THEY PAY, THEY'RE PAYING MILLIONS TO BUY OUT OF THE SYSTEM.
UM, AND I ALSO THINK ABOUT, UH, IT DOESN'T JUST HAPPEN, UH, BUT LOCALLY, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, I THINK OF THE STATE GOVERNMENT AND I, AND EVERY TIME I THINK ABOUT THAT ELIZABETH RIVER BRIDGE OR THE TUNNEL, WHEN YOU LOCK IN FOR 50 YEARS, 16 OR YEAH, 13 POINT A HALF PERCENT INTEREST, UH, ALONE.
I MEAN, HELL, I'LL BUY INTO THAT.
AND, UH, AND WHAT HAPPENS IS THAT THEY, UH, AND IT HAD A BUMP UP AS A BUMP UP ALL THE WAY THROUGH IT.
AND SO THE BUY OUT OF THAT IS, IS GONNA, IS COST MILLIONS TO BUY OUT OF IT.
SO, AND THAT HAPPENED, UM, THAT HAPPENED AT THE STATE LEVEL.
AND, AND WHEN YOU, I MEAN, A LOT THESE ROAD PROJECTS, AND IF YOU GO OVER TO THE WEST SIDE, UH, SOUTH SIDE OF THE STATE HERE, WHERE THEY WERE GONNA PUT A BYPASS THROUGH THERE, THEY DROPPED $300 MILLION.
AND DEBORAH EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT THE ISSUE THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WOULD ROLL IN ON 'EM ABOUT YOU'RE NOT GONNA DAMAGE ALL THE WETLANDS.
AND SO WE LOST $300 MILLION OUT OF THAT.
SO THAT'S WHY WE, WE, WE TAKE A HARD LOOK AT ALL THIS STUFF AND, UH, I THINK THAT IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU GOT THE RIGHT EXPERTS IN HERE AND YOU DON'T LIKE THE, YOU KNOW, NOT ENOUGH WOOD OR ENOUGH BRICK, OR DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH SMOKE COMING OUT THE TOP.
I MEAN, IT HAPPENS
SO RIGHT NOW, GAME PLAN, UM, I, YOU'VE BEEN GIVEN THINGS THAT WILL FIT INTO, I THINK, UH, A, UM, WE'LL BRING THIS UP ON THE 19TH.
AND, UM, IT'LL BE ON THE AGENDA AND WE'LL SEE, GET, UH, GET WHATEVER, YOU KNOW, THEY TRY TO ANSWER WHATEVER QUESTIONS.
THEY'RE STILL HANGING OUT THERE.
I THINK, UH, JAMES CITY COUNTY WILL PROBABLY COME.
THEY'LL COME IN AFTER US OR BEFORE OR BEFORE YOU'VE BEEN GIVEN DIRECTIONS ON THE AGENDA.
SO IT'LL BE THE LAST ONES THEN.
SO, UM, BUT IT WAS GOOD PRESENTATION.
IT'S BEEN ON FOR A LONG TIME AND THAT UNFORTUNATELY, AND I GOT TO HEAR BOTH, BOTH JAMES CITY, COUNTY, AND OURS.
SO I THINK THIS IS REALLY GOOD.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS BEFORE WE GO ON? AND I'M JUST GONNA PASS OUT THIS SURE.
THE LAWYERS MIGHT STILL CHANGE A FEW WORDS.
AND THEN OF COURSE, WE'LL SEND IT OUT AGAIN AS PART OF THE AGENDA.
SO I'M JUST GONNA SEND A FEW ROUND.
I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU WERE GONNA PASS OUT.
I THOUGHT YOU WERE
[CONSENT CALENDAR]
ALRIGHT, LET'S, WHILE YOU'RE DOING THAT, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON TO THE CONSENT AGENDA.UH, ITEM NUMBER THREE IS APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FOR THE SEPTEMBER AND 19TH AND OCTOBER 3RD, 2023 AND 17TH.
ALSO, UH, 23, 20 23, UH, MEETINGS, UH, ANNUAL REVIEW, REVISION OF THE BOARD POLICY.
UH, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE WAS ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT.
UH, PUBLIC SEWER EXTENSION AGREEMENT FOR F MILL.
I GUESS THEY'RE KIND OF MOVING, KIND OF GETTING SOMEWHERE ON THAT.
AND THEN NUMBER SIX IS COMMENDATION OF RETIRE RETIRED EMPLOYEES.
UM, ANY, ANYBODY WISH TO PULL ANY OF THOSE? CAN YOU, UH, REAL QUICK? I, I'LL WHICH ONE ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? ONE I'M LOOKING FOR IS, UH, JUST TO KIND OF GIVE US A QUICK AND DIRTY ON THE, UH, UM, THE BOARD POLICIES.
ANYTHING CHANGE IN THERE? SIGNIFICANT? UH, JUST TO COMMENT, UM, YOU KNOW, IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS THIS BOARD WILL NOT BE THIS BOARD.
AND SO MY, MY QUESTION WAS, UH, I HAD DISCUSSION TODAY WITH A COUPLE CITIZENS OF THE COUNTY.
WHY ARE WE PUSHING, CHANGING, YOU KNOW, POLICIES WHEN A BRAND NEW BOARD IS COMING IN IN TWO WEEKS OR THREE WEEKS? WELL, THAT'S WHY I ASK IF THERE'S A SIGNIFICANT POLICY CHANGE IN YOUR YEAH.
I MEAN, I DON'T REALLY BELIEVE THEY'RE VERY SIGNIFICANT.
YOU KNOW, IT'S, UH, IT'S HOW DO YOU SORT OF KEEP DOING THE BUSINESS OF THE COUNTY AND FIGURING OUT WHAT OUGHT TO BE DELAYED AND WHAT OUGHT TO PROCEED.
[01:50:01]
NO CLEAR LINE THERE.I MEAN, A LOT OF THESE THINGS ARE JUST THINGS THAT YOU ADOPTED IN THE BUDGET LAST YEAR.
THE POLICIES ARE RIGHT, YOU KNOW, ADJUSTING FEES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
EVERY YEAR, UH, STAFF IDENTIFIES DIFFERENT PRACTICAL THINGS THAT NEED TO HAPPEN, LIKE THE FREIGHT SHED.
APPARENTLY OUR RULE WAS WE DIDN'T LET PEOPLE STAY LONG ENOUGH FOR WHAT THEY WANTED FOR A WEDDING.
AND SO, I MEAN, HONESTLY, IF YOU WANT TO PUT IT OFF THE WORLD WON'T COME TO AN END.
WELL, I DON'T THINK IT'S ANYTHING THAT ANYBODY WOULD BE TOO UPSET ABOUT THOUGH, BUT, WELL, I JUST WOULD ASK, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN YOU AND THE STAFF, YOU KNOW, WERE, WERE BRINGING THESE POLICY CHANGES OUT, WAS THERE ANY ONE OR MORE KIND OF CONTR CONTROVERSIAL, UH, RESULT IN FIST FIGHT OR WELL, THE CURSING AND COLORING AND SCREENING? NO, NO.
I MEAN, THAT'S WHY WE, WE TRY TO HIGHLIGHT THE ONES THAT ARE AT LEAST WORTHY OF COMMENT HERE ON THIS SUMMARY PAGE.
AND, AND I, I WENT THROUGH THEM THINKING OF IS THERE ANYTHING MAJOR HERE THAT WE OUGHT TO WAIT ON AND I DON'T BELIEVE SO.
YOU KNOW, OF COURSE WE'RE ON THE INSIDE AND IT MIGHT LOOK DIFFERENT TO US.
THAT'S WHAT, BUT AGAIN, IT'S A, IT'S A YEARLY.
THAT'S, I WAS JUST ASKING IF THERE WAS ANY, I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING.
I DIDN'T, THERE WERE A HANDFUL OF FEED CHAIN.
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME THAT WE, WE SEE WHAT HAPPENS IS A LOT OF THOSE ARE IN THE BUDGET AND THEN THE POLICY CHASES, THE BUDGET CHANGES.
BUDGET, UH, BEEN MOVED BY, UH, MR. GREEN.
MOTION MADE BY MR. GR IS TO APPROVE THE CONSENT CALENDAR AS SUBMITTED.
[Additional Item]
SO, UH, LET'S GO WITH SHEILA.INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, EXCEPT WITH THE VACO CONFERENCE, I WAS TALKING TO ONE OF THE VENDORS AND HE WAS SHOWING ME HOW MUCH, UH, IT WOULD, HOW NOT? THAT'S NOT THE WAY TO PUT IT UP.
YOU KNOW WHAT, EVERY SCHOOL ZONE YOU HAVE SIGNS UP AND SAY THAT, UH, 25 MILES AN HOUR IN THE SCHOOL ZONE WHEN THE LIGHTS ARE ON, AND HOW MANY PEOPLE GO THROUGH THAT.
AND THEY'RE NOT FINE FOR IT, BUT I UNDERSTAND JURISDICTIONS ARE BEGINNING TO MONITOR THAT.
I THINK CHESAPEAKE HAS DONE IT NOW, AND I THINK PORTSMOUTH IS LOOKING AT IT ALSO.
AND I HAVE A FEELING THAT OUR SHERIFF WILL PROBABLY BE BRINGING IT TO US ALSO.
I DIDN'T QUITE UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU JUST SAID.
BECAUSE NOBODY'S GETTING TAXED FOR, I MEAN, THERE'S, THERE'S A FINE, IF YOU GO THROUGH A, I THINK IT'S A HUNDRED DOLLARS, I'M NOT REALLY SURE.
SO WE HAVE GOES PHOTO CAMERA DOING THAT HERE.
WE DON'T, BUT THAT'S WHAT THE
THERE'S, THERE'S A COUPLE OF VENDORS OUT THERE WHO ARE SAYING AROUND VIRGINIA, UH, GO WITH US AND WE'LL PUT UP THESE CAMERAS.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY THEY'LL PAY FOR THEMSELVES WITH THE FEES WE COLLECT.
AND I KNOW THE SHERIFF HAS BEEN DISCUSSING THAT.
UM, IF Y'ALL ARE FAMILIAR WITH PHOTO RED, IT'S SIMILAR.
AND I WOULD EXPECT WITHIN A FEW MONTHS YOU'LL BE HEARING FROM THE SHERIFF ABOUT THAT.
YOU'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THE FLOCK CAMERA.
IT'S A, UM, IT'S A, IT'S A, A SPECIALIZED ENFORCEMENT IN A SCHOOL ZONE.
BUT THERE ARE A BUNCH OF PROCEDURES.
LIKE YOU HAVE TO HAVE A SWORN LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER REVIEW THE VIDEO, EVEN IF A VENDOR DOES IT.
AND SO THERE'S SOME OPERATIONAL IMPLICATIONS AND YOU GOTTA DECIDE WHERE TO DO IT.
AND I, I BELIEVE, UH, SHERIFF MONTGOMERY'S PROBABLY GONNA BRING IT TO MARK AND YOU ALL SOMETIME IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.
AND, AND THERE'LL BE SOME THINGS YOU'LL HAVE TO THINK ABOUT.
YOU KNOW, SOME FOLKS WON'T NECESSARILY, I, I IMPLEMENTED PHOTO RED.
SOME FOLKS AREN'T ALL THAT THRILLED WITH, UH, YOU KNOW, SORT OF ROBOTIC, UH, CAMERA ENFORCEMENT.
UH, AND, UM, SO, BUT IT IS POPULAR.
THERE'S ANOTHER VERSION OF IT WHERE THEY'RE DOING IT ON SCHOOL BUSES.
SO I WOULD, YOU'LL BE HEARING MORE ABOUT THAT.
ANYTHING ELSE? NO, THAT'S ENOUGH FOR NOW.
THIS IS, UH, SOMEBODY HANDED ME A, A INTERESTING PIECE OF, OF LITERATURE TODAY, UH, ADDRESSED TO THE HONORABLE KAREN MECK AND THE HONORABLE CHEF MILLER.
UH, AND IT WAS SIGNED BY, OF COURSE, KEVIN MILLER, THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION.
SECRETARY OF, UH, TRANSPORTATION.
THOMAS AND TRADE FOR KAREN AND TRANSPORTATION
[01:55:01]
FOR MILLER.AND, UH, IN THIS 12 OR SO PAGES, THERE WAS EXCERPTS OF THE STATE'S APPROVED BUDGET.
AND AS I READ THROUGH IT, THAT'S THE REASON IT WAS GIVEN.
IS THAT THERE APPEARS TO BE A FATE ACCOMPLI RELATIVE TO PRINCESS CRUISE LINE.
NOW WE'RE THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.
YOU WOULD THINK WE WORK FOR THE CI THIS COUNTY WHEN MAJOR ISSUES COMING FORWARD.
THE COUNTY, UH, DECISIONS ARE GENERALLY MADE BY THE HIGHEST RANKING ELECTED BODY US.
AND SO MY QUESTION IS HOW, IN THE MINUTES OF THE, THE ANNUAL APPROVED BUDGET FOR THE STATE, THERE'S MAJOR CO UH, COMMENT IN HERE THAT SUGGESTS THERE'S BEEN MONEY APPROVED TO BUILD A, A PIER FOR THE CRUISE LINE.
MONEY APPROVED FOR TRANSPORTATION, HOLD PEOPLE FROM YORK, YORKTOWN TO WILLIAMSBURG, UH, WHEN THESE SHIPS COME IN HERE AND DOCK, WE NEVER ADDRESSED THE ISSUE WITH THE BOARD.
WELL, YOU KNOW, WE GET, WE GET ELECTED BY THE CITIZENS OF THE COUNTY, RIGHT? WE HIRE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR WHO WORKS, I THINK FOR US PRIMARILY, BUT WE'RE WORKING FOR THE CITIZENS.
AND HOW CAN SOMETHING AS IMPORTANT AND AS MAJOR AS A DECISION RELATIVE TO CRUISE LINES AFTER, FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF MEETINGS, WE HEARD HUNDREDS, MAYBE NOT HUNDREDS, BUT A HELL OF A LOT OF COMMENTS BY THE CITIZENS OF THE COUNTY THAT SAID, WE DON'T WANT IT.
AND WE NEVER HAD AN OPEN DISCUSSION AS TO WHETHER OR NOT WE SHOULD APPROVE THE CRUISE LINES COMING INTO, UH, YORKTOWN OR NOT.
IT'S, I THINK, I THINK IT'S UNFAIR.
BUT THE POINT OF IT IS, RIGHT NOW, AS I READ THE STATE'S APPROVED BUDGET, THERE IS A MILLION BUCKS BEING SET ASIDE FOR THAT TRANSPORTATION.
YOU KNOW, PEOPLE COME OFF THE BOAT, THEY GET ON A BUS, MOVE ON UP TO THE ECONOMIC PART OF THE, OF THE COUNTY, UH, AND WELL OVER, UH, $10 MILLION TO BUILD A PEER.
WHY HAVE WE HAD A DISCUSSION ON THIS? WE MAY HAVE HAD SOME ANECDOTAL DISCUSSION, BUT WE HAVEN'T HAD ANY DISCUSSION LEADING TO LET'S TAKE A VOTE AS TO WHETHER OR NOT WE'RE GONNA GO WITH WHAT THE CITIZENS WANT, IF THAT'S WHAT THEY WANT OR DON'T WANT.
AND IT REALLY IRRITATED ME TO, TO GET READ THIS THING SAYING, LOOK, I GOT, I GOT ELECTED FOR 28 YEARS, OR SEVEN, FOUR TIMES, UH, YEARS TO SUPPORT, REPRESENT THE BEST INTEREST OF THE CITIZENS.
AND I THINK THAT'S BASICALLY WHY WE'VE ALL RAN.
WE HIRE WHOEVER'S IN THAT SEAT OVER THERE TO BASICALLY DO WHAT WE NEED TO GET DONE.
UH, AND HE'S GOT A VERY PROFESSIONAL STAFF TO MAKE SURE WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE FOR THE CITIZENS.
BUT HOW CAN SOMETHING LIKE, AS THE EXPENSE ASSOCIATED WITH CRUISE LINES COMING TO YORKTOWN, WHEN THE LAST COUPLE OF MEETINGS WE'VE HAD, WE'VE HAD A LITANY OF PEOPLE COME UP TO THE PODIUM AND SAY, I DON'T WANT IT.
AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE FADE COMP, THE FADE
I'M JUST SHARING THIS WITH YOU.
YOU KNOW, I'M ON MY WAY OUT AFTER 28 YEARS ON THIS BOARD.
YOU'RE PROBABLY HAPPY TO KNOW THAT.
BUT THE POINT OF IT IS, I JUST WANT TO SAY WE GET ELECTED BY 75,000 PEOPLE AT ROUND NUMBERS, OKAY.
TO REPRESENT THEIR BEST INTEREST.
AND NORMALLY WHEN THERE'S MAJOR ISSUES, WE HAVE A HEARING, UH, YOU KNOW, WE, WE, WE KNOCK OURSELVES OUT, TRY TO GET TO THE BEST, BEST DECISION, AND WE MAKE A, WE TAKE A VOTE.
NOTHING HAS OCCURRED RELATIVE TO, UH, LISTENING TO THE CITIZENS AND TAKING A VOTE AS TO WHERE THE FIVE OF US STAND RELATIVE TO WHETHER IT'S PRINCESS OR WHETHER IT'S MANY VIKING OR WHOEVER.
UH, IT'S, IT'S NOT FAIR TO APPROXIMATELY 75,000 PEOPLE.
AND THERE HAD TO BE A LETTER SIGNED BY SOMEBODY IN THIS COUNTY TO THE, THE COMM, THE SECRETARY OF, UH, COMMERCE, SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION FOR THIS ALLOCATION OF DOLLARS OVER 10 MILLION BUCKS.
WHEN YOU THROW IN THE MILLION DOLLARS FOR TRANSPORTATION FROM YORKTOWN TO WILLIAMSBURG, HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN? HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN WHEN THERE'S FIVE OF US THAT REPRESENT THE CITIZENS? NOT TWO, NOT ONE, AND CERTAINLY NOT THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR.
THEY GOT THE GREEN LIGHT BY, FROM ONE OR MORE PEOPLE FROM THIS BOARD.
'CAUSE I THINK HE'S A VERY, VERY CAUTIOUS GUY IN THE ROLE THAT HE PLAYS.
BUT I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU, WE LISTEN TO PEOPLE.
WE'VE HEARD VERY LITTLE FROM OUR CITIZENS IN SUPPORT OF WHETHER IT'S PRINCESS OR, OR, OR VIKING OR OCEANIA OR WHOEVER.
[02:00:01]
THE, THE STATE'S BUDGET THAT, THAT, UNLESS WE TURN IT OFF, WILL GO TOWARD THE BUILDING OF A PIER.UH, THE, THE, THE CREATION OF WHAT, WHAT THE, THE, THE LANGUAGE SAYS.
THEY CALLED IT AN INLAND PORT.
INLAND PORT, I GUESS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT YOUR TOWN.
UH, AND, UH, IT'S UNFAIR TO OUR CITIZENS.
THIS IS ONE, PREVENT MY SPLEEN, UH, ON YOU CAN'T DO THAT.
YOU KNOW, WE WERE ELECTED BY CITIZENS.
WE REPRESENT THE CITIZENS' BEST INTEREST.
AND WE CAN HAVE LITTLE, UH, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE I'M THE CHAIR THIS TIME AROUND.
YOU'RE THE CHAIR, YOU'RE THE CHAIR.
THIS IS MY, AND THEREFORE THIS IS MY DOMAIN TO MAKE DECISIONS LIKE THAT.
OKAY, CHAD, JUST LIKE TO SAY, THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF EXCITING THINGS HAPPENING IN YORKTOWN.
UH, STARTING WITH LAST WEEKEND WE HAD THE ANNUAL CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING AND THE NEXT DAY WAS THE LIGHT OF BOAT PARADE.
UH, EVERYBODY ENJOYED THEMSELVES.
AND PLEASE COME ON DOWN TO YORKTOWN TO ENJOY SOME OF THE HOLIDAY FESTIVITIES.
UH, THERE'S SOME MARKETS GOING ON THIS WEEKEND AND, UH, I DO NOT HAVE THE SCHEDULE IN FRONT OF ME, BUT I THINK THERE'S SOMETHING FRIDAY, FRIDAY NIGHT, UH, ENCHANTED EVENING.
OR IS THAT THE TIMEFRAME? MUSIC SOUNDS RIGHT, MU MUSIC AND ALL SORTS OF THINGS.
THERE'S SO MUCH GOING ON IN YORKTOWN IN MY COLLEGE CHRISTMAS MARKETS.
IT'S GREAT MEAN, IT'S JUST, PLEASE, IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN DOWN HERE, PLEASE CHECK, COME ON DOWN.
SO LET ME SHIFT AWAY FROM MY HEAVIER CONVERSATION DISCUSSION EARLIER.
LET'S TALK ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE.
UM, WE'RE COMING INTO PROBABLY MY FAVORITE TIME OF THE YEAR, CHRISTMAS TIME.
UM, I'M ALWAYS LOOKING FORWARD TO IT.
A LOT OF GOOD TIME WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS IS KIND OF UNWIND, RELAX FOR A WHILE.
GET, GET THE, UH, UH, ENERGY BUILT BACK UP FOR THE COMING YEAR AND SO FORTH.
BUT THERE, BUT ALSO NEED TO KEEP IN MIND THAT AS WELL AS SOME OF US AND THIS ROOMMATE HAVE THINGS WORKING FOR US DURING THIS TIME OF THE YEAR, THERE ARE THE FOLKS THAT, UH, COULD USE SOME HELP.
AND THERE ARE LOTS OF AVENUES LOCALLY.
AND, BUT WHAT I WANNA HIGHLIGHT HERE IS, AND IT'S KNOWS PROBABLY EVERYBODY KNOWS ABOUT IT, BUT JUST KIND OF HIGHLIGHT IT, IS THE MARINE CORPS RESERVES TORCH FOR TASK PROGRAM.
UM, THEY, THEY COULD USE SOME HELP, UM, CONTRIBUTE TO IT.
UH, EASY TO GET TO TOYS FOR, TO STOCK ORG.
UH, BEEN AROUND FOR A LONG TIME.
WHATEVER DONATIONS THAT YOU MAKE THERE, OR IF YOU HAVE A NEED, GO THERE AND TELL 'EM WHAT YOU NEED HELP WITH AND THEY CAN TRY TO HELP FULFILL THAT.
SO, UH, JUST KEEP EVERYBODY IN MIND.
THERE ARE 19 DAYS, SIX HOURS, FIVE MINUTES, AND 42 SECONDS LEFT TILL CHRISTMAS TIME THAT YOU HAVE TO HELP OUT THERE.
SO IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR AN AVENUE TO HELP OUT, OR IF YOU NEED SOME HELP YOURSELF, REACH OUT TO TOYS FOR TOSS.ORG AND UM, SEE IF YOU CAN'T CONTRIBUTE OR GET SOME ASSISTANCE FROM THEM.
SO MAKE THE HOLIDAYS GOOD FOR EVERYBODY.
HOW MANY DAYS IT IS NOW? 19 DAYS, SIX HOURS, 22 SECONDS.
UM, YEAH, IT'S, UH, THIS TIME OF THE YEAR IS A LOT OF JOY.
EVERYBODY'S, EVERYBODY'S GOING OUT BUYING PRESENTS OR JUST ENJOYING THEMSELVES HOPEFULLY.
UM, BUT I ALMOST HATE TO BRING IT UP, BUT IT'S, BUT IT'S, SOMETHING'S VERY, VERY IMPORTANT.
THERE ARE A LOT OF SCAMMERS OUT THERE THAT ARE, THAT ARE REALLY DOING A NUMBER ON FOLKS.
THE OTHER DAY WE HAD A ELDERLY PERSON RIPPED OFF TO THE TUNE OF $97,000.
OVER, OVER, UH, A THREE, THREE EVENTS THAT WERE ALL RELATED.
AND THEY OCCURRED, I THINK WITHIN A DAY AND A HALF.
AND SHE, WHERE THIS PERSON, IT STARTED OFF WITH HER COMPUTER AND, YOU KNOW, OCCASIONALLY YOU GET ON THE, GET ON A SITE AND YOU, YOU GO, WELL, THIS LOOKS INTERESTING.
YOU CLICK ON IT AND ALL OF A SUDDEN IT SAYS, YOUR COMPUTER'S LOCKED UP.
YOU GOTTA GO SOMEWHERE TO GET IT UNLOCKED.
DON'T SHUT IT DOWN, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.
SO SHE BID AND, UH, ENDED UP, UM, I CAN'T GET THE WHOLE STORY CORRECT, BUT IT WAS SOMETHING TO DEAL WITH MICROSOFT.
AND, UH, AND, UM, SO IT WAS BASICALLY SHE CALLED THE PERSON AND MICROSOFT SAID THAT, YEAH, YOU'VE YOUR COMPUTER'S.
THERE'S SOME, YOU'VE DONE SOMETHING TO YOUR COMPUTER.
YEAH, YOUR SYSTEM'S NOW LOCKED UP, WHATEVER.
AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE WHOLE STORY BEHIND IT, BUT SHE ENDED UP GIVING THEM ABOUT RIGHT THAT, THAT TIME, ABOUT $34,000 IN CASH.
UM, THEY THEN WENT TO, UH, ALMOST IMMEDIATELY OR THEREAFTER, A PERSON SUPPOSEDLY FROM THE SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION CALLED THAT SHE HAD A PROBLEM NOW WITH SOCIAL SECURITY AND SHE ENDED UP GIVING 'EM ANOTHER PILE, THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS AND THEN
[02:05:01]
FINISHED IT ALL OFF.ANOTHER PERSON CALLED, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT BUREAU THAT ONE'S SUPPOSED TO BE.
BUT IN THE END, SHE LOST $97,000 IN CASH.
DON'T EVER, EVER GIVE ANYBODY THAT SHOWS UP AT YOUR DOORSTEP CASH.
OKAY? BECAUSE IT'S JUST CALL THE POLICE AND LET 'EM COME OUT.
UM, AND THAT WAS JUST THE HIGH ONE.
THERE'S A BUNCH OF 'EM, A BUNCH OF 'EM, A BUNCH OF CITIZENS UNDERNEATH THAT FIGURE THAT ARE LOSING THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO THESE SCAMMERS.
NOW, YOU MAY RECALL A WHILE BACK THAT ONE OF OUR CITIZENS, WELL-RESPECTED, KNOWLEDGEABLE PERSON.
AND THE PERSON CAME BY AND, UM, COLLECTED THE MONEY ON A MOTORCYCLE AND DROVE OFF, OKAY.
AND GAVE HIM THE MONEY IN CASH, WELL USE OF THE FLOCK CAMERA.
THEY WERE ABLE TO IDENTIFY THAT THEY COULD RELATE TO THIS PERSON, TO ANOTHER VEHICLE.
AND THEN, UH, THEY TRACKED THE PERSON ALL THE WAY UP TO, I THINK IT'S VERMONT.
WELL COME TO FIND OUT THEY'RE RIPPING SOMEBODY OFF TO THE TUNE OF $16,000 IS A MISDEMEANOR IN VERMONT.
SO OUR SHERIFF'S BEEN TRYING TO GET THEM TO ARREST THE PERSON UP THERE.
AND THEN SO WE CAN BRING 'EM DOWN HERE IN TRY 'EM.
WELL, THEY'RE NOT, THEY'RE NOT HELPING VERMONT.
THE POLICE ARE JUST NOT DOING IT.
UM, THERE'S, I MEAN, IT'S A MISDEMEANOR.
SO WHY SHOULD, WHY DO THEY WANT TO GO THROUGH ALL THE TROUBLE? THAT'S THE PROBLEM WE HAVE.
UH, WHEN YOU TRY TO, YOU TRY TO GET SOMETHING DONE AND YOU'RE IN A STATE.
WE ARE, YOU KNOW, STATES ARE ALL INDEPENDENT ENTITIES AND, UH, AND WE HAVE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, BUT IN THE END, THE LAWS, UM, AND YOU, I'M LOOKING AT THREE LAWYERS HERE, YOU KNOW, THE INS AND OUTS AND THE TWISTS AND THE BANGS AND WHATEVER.
IT'S TRYING TO GET STUFF, TRYING TO GET YOUR MONEY BACK.
UM, SO DON'T FALL TO THESE SCAMMERS.
IF IT LOOKS, I MEAN, SOMEBODY CALLS YOU UP ON A PHONE AND, UH, TELLS, SOUNDS LIKE YOUR SON, SOUND LIKE YOUR DAUGHTER OR WHOEVER.
AND IF IT'S A POLICE, IF THEY SAY THAT THEY'RE IN A POLICE STATION OR WHATEVER, WELL THEN DON'T WAIT TO LET A OFFICER GET ON THE PHONE.
YOU GO AND CALL, HANG UP AND THEN CALL THE POLICE OFFICER OR CALL THE, THE STATION OR CALL OUR POLICE AND THEN CHECK ON 'EM.
'CAUSE THAT'S ANOTHER SCAM THAT'S GOING AROUND.
I JUST, IT'S JUST DISGUSTING THAT PEOPLE WILL DO THAT.
SO IF YOU'RE, IT IS JUST GONNA HAPPEN AND IT'S GONNA CONTINUE TO HAPPEN.
UM, THAT SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT'S TRYING TO DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO STOP IT, BUT BEING RIGHT OFF, RIGHT OFF THE FRONT, RIGHT UP THE FRONT, RIGHT.
YOUR COMPUTER, IT'S, YOU ARE THE ONE THAT'S GONNA GIVE THE MONEY TO SOMEBODY.
I'M JUST TELLING YOU, JUST DON'T DO IT.
AND, UH, THAT WAY IT'LL, YOU KNOW, IT'LL STOP IT RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING.
ANOTHER THING TOO IS I'VE GOT A, I'VE GOT A REPORT.
I, AND I'M NOT GONNA SAY WHAT BUSINESS IT IS, BUT IT WAS IN THE CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS AND A PERSON, UH, ENDED UP GOING TO SUPPOSEDLY A REPUTABLE BUSINESS PERSON, UH, BUSINESS HERE AND ENDS UP WITH A WHOLE, AND IT ENDS UP WITH A BATHROOM THAT THEY CANNOT USE.
FOR SIX MONTHS THEY'VE BEEN UNABLE TO USE THE BATHROOM BECAUSE THE CONSTRUCTION WAS SO POOR.
THEY END UP A HOLE IN THE WALL OF THEIR HOUSE, EXTENDS ALL THE WAY TO THE OUTSIDE THROUGH THE BATHROOM.
SO YOU, SO THERE'S A HOLE YOU CAN LOOK THROUGH IT.
UM, THE, TO THE TUB IS SITTING, IS IS SUSPENDED IN THE AIR.
IT IS NOT, THERE'S NOTHING UNDER IT.
AND THEN THEY TRY TO GET THE, THE SUPPOSED, UH, REPUTABLE, UH, DEALER TO COME BACK, COME BACK, NOT HAVE IT.
AND THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS I WANTED TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT INDIVIDUALLY IS WHAT WE TALKED GO TO, GO TO SMALL CLAIMS COURT TO TRY TO GET YOUR, YOUR, UH, GET YOUR MONEY BACK ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT THEY LAWYERED UP.
AND SO EVIDENTLY YOU CAN'T TAKE THE, YOU CAN'T A CLAIM CARD.
SO WHAT THEY DO IS THEY JUST, YOU END UP SPENDING MORE MONEY ON A LAWYER THAN YOU WOULD FOR THE ORIGINAL, UH, BUSINESS ORIGINAL PROBLEM.
SO THE QUESTION THAT WILL COME, I WANT, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT AND WHAT RECOURSE DO WE HAVE? BECAUSE YOU CAN'T USE THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU FOR ANY OF THIS STUFF.
I MEAN, THERE'S A THING UP IN THE STATE, THAT OFFICE UP THERE THAT CAN FIND, UH, FOR SOME KIND OF CONSTRUCTION VIOLATIONS OR LICENSE, IT COSTS MAYBE FIVE, $6,000.
BUT WHEN YOU SPEND 20, 30,000, $40,000 ON A PROJECT, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE, YOU'RE OUTTA MONEY.
AND I DON'T WANNA SEE THAT HAPPEN TO CITIZENS IN OUR COUNTY AT ALL.
[02:10:01]
I DON'T KNOW WHAT EVEN WE HAVE TO START SOMEHOW.DOES THAT, DOES THAT BUSINESS HAVE A BUSINESS LICENSE TO OPERATE IN THE COUNTY? YES.
SO THE QUESTIONS, I'VE GOT A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS.
SO HOW WE CAN PROTECT OUR CITIZENS? 'CAUSE IF WE GOT COMPANIES DOING THAT IN, IN, IN OUR YORK COUNTY, I WANT TO, I WANT TO TAKE SOME ACTION TO BE ABLE TO SHUT 'EM DOWN AND I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO THAT.
BUT WE, THAT'S SOMETHING WE'LL, WE NEED TO LOOK AT MR. SHEPHERD.
I HAD HEARD A STORY ABOUT A LOCAL CONTRACTOR WHO FAILED TO PERFORM, UH, AN OUR COUNTY ATTORNEY TOOK THIS LOCAL CONTRACTOR TO TASK ON HIS PROMISES.
AND UH, THE JUDGE ACTUALLY ENDED UP PUTTING THIS LOCAL CONTRACTOR IN JAIL.
SO ERIC, WELL I THINK WE'VE GOT ANOTHER, OUR COUNTY ATTORNEY HAS BEEN ENFORCING.
UH, THROUGH THE BUILDING CODE.
SO JUST DON'T WATCH THE SCAMS. WATCH, YOU KNOW, WATCH WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
'CAUSE THERE'S ALWAYS SOMEBODY, YOU KNOW, TRYING OUT THERE TO TAKE MONEY AWAY FROM YOU.
I MIGHT JUST THROW THIS ON THE TABLE.
AND, UH, IT'S A TWO WORD THAT, UH, ATTACK CALLED PRO BONO.
OUR ATTORNEYS OUT THERE THAT WILL DO SOME WORK WHILE THEY LIKE TO GET PAID.
THEY MIGHT DO A PRO BONO, WHICH MEANS DO IT WITH NO FREE, THERE'S NO FEE.
THERE'S A LOT OF TWISTS AND TURNS TO THAT BECAUSE THIS ONE INDIVIDUAL WENT TO ABOUT 11 ATTORNEYS AND THEN WHEN THEY FOUND, YEAH, WE'LL DO IT.
AND THEN WHEN THEY FOUND OUT WHO IT WAS, IT WAS LIKE, IT WAS LIKE, OH, WE CAN'T DO IT.
WE GOT A RELATIONSHIP WITH THAT PERSON.
SO THEN YOU GOT ANOTHER PROBLEM.
SO ANYWAY, UM, WE'VE GOTTA, WE GOTTA, YOU KNOW, WE GOTTA FIGURE SOME SOLUTIONS.
SO, UM, THE NEXT REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS WILL BE HELD AT 6:00 PM ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER THE 19TH.
THAT'LL BE OUR LAST MEETING OF THE YEAR.
WE'LL BE SAYING GOODBYE TO MR. ZUMBA,
AND ALSO WE'LL BE SAYING GOODBYE TO IL MORGAN.
WHAT? MR. GREEN STILL BE IN THE FOOD CHAIN HERE.
THERE'LL BE SO WE GOT A LOT OF CHANGES TAKING PLACE.