September 17, 2024 HBNPA Minutes 1. Meeting called to order at 6 pm by Travis Stegal. 2. Dr. Scott Spence, Glynn County School Superintendent, spoke on the proposed redistricting of Glynn schools.  He opened with the statement that ‘nothing has been decided at this time.’ It has only been ‘talk’ at this point. There is a panel of 8 Brunswick residents along with the Board of Education looking at the best way to serve all students.  [ed. note: Dr. Spence is on record as saying that “The committee decided early on that geography and proximity to the schools students attend is more important than demographics.”] There are some parents that find it difficult to get to St. Simons Elementary (SSES).  Glyndale ES will be closed and repurposed.  The county owns 55 acres in the north section of Glynn, they will build a new ES at that location and possibly a MS in the future.  Data shows that the north parts of Glynn are more populated.  Dr. Spence also noted that according to a population estimate study the area south of Gloucester is aging out/the number of school age children is dropping. NPA members noted that more young couples, some with school age children, some not yet, are moving into SOGLO precisely because of the excellent school system (SSES and Oglethorpe) to which their children would attend.  Dr. Spence reported that if attendance to SSES was offered to employees of Sea Island (approx. 2000 employees/approx. 200 children according to insurance data) that SSES would be populated.  Sea Island is the 2nd largest employer in Glynn County.   He disclosed that the after school activities are impacted due to students not having transportation from SSES to home and that 80 students, or their families, do not want to be attending SSES.  NPA attendees reacted with skepticism at this number.  If you choose to attend a school that is out of your area/zone you will not have bus service provided.  The out of zone acceptance rate is 95% and it is based on attendance and other factors.   They are aiming for Fall 2027 school year to begin the new rezoned schools.  Existing students will be grandfathered in at that time.   Various parents raised their concerns regarding real estate values and the quality of education at said affected schools.  They also asked how to find out about to attend the regular Board of Education meetings. [ed. note: This information was not provided at the HBNPA, but BOE member and meeting info is available at: https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/index.aspx?s=4075 The BOE meetings are lived streamed, and can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCokvfLyVqkqkoyo9oSSsqMA/live End ed. note] Send your comments to scott.spence@glynn.k12.ga.us 3. Jason Umfress of PorchFest 2024 gave an update on the Sunday Nov. 10th event.  Hours are noon-6pm, rain or shine.  Free admission. The boundaries are as follows 1st Ave to the South, Mansfield to the North, Albany to the East and Grant to the West. The original and continued aim is keep this a family friendly event with minimal impact on the neighborhood. There are 39 porches thus far and 52 bands.  The attendance at last years festival was estimated at 10,000.  The Brunswick Manor will again host the finale band. An app is coming soon that will enable attendees to see the maps, bands, etc. on their mobile devices. Proceeds are reinvested back in the community. This year they will go to Manna House and Amity House. Volunteers are needed before and day of the event. To donate a porch, band or your time, reach out on porchfestbwk.com. 4. Police dept/Crime update Cpl. Nicole Walker downtown officer reported: 49 incidents in 45 days. By far the largest of these are personal property crimes with people getting into unlocked cars. Chief Kevin Jones: The ‘parking’ at 4th Ave near the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA 1423) building is a problem. 4th Ave/Route 341 is a state road controlled by GA DOT and is patrolled by Brunswick PD. The chief spoke of incidents of early morning erratic driving, speeding, and blocking driveways, thus causing problems for neighbors wrt trash pick up and access to emergency services. Motor vehicles are parking (and, in some instances, driving) on the multi-use paths meant for bicyclists and pedestrians, thus making them unsafe for runners and bicyclists. The major cause for the traffic issues seems to be the way in which the jobs are allocated to the 600 members of the ILA on a daily basis. [ed. note: Members line up in the ILA parking lot for jobs on a First Come, First Served as well as seniority basis. An ILA 1423 staff person noted that they already outgrown their assembly hall.]  ILA members have been notified of citations for illegal parking and signs have been put up. The chief is looking at options for barriers to help reduce both parking issues and the ability for drivers of motor vehicles to drive on the multi-use paths. Patrol officers are there during the hours of meetings and are writing citations. If an incident occurs, call the city police and get info on the license plate if possible. Call 911 if life threatening. The HBNPA steering committee will look into inviting the ILA 1423 President to speak at the next NPA meeting. 5. GA Power Area Manager Dialo Cartwright spoke regarding the numerous perceived outages in SoGlo. He looked at the spreadsheets for our area and announced that bulk replacement is being done to upgrade our electricity.  Some of the causes for outages are downed trees, storms, the length of the storm, flooding and drought.  It was noted that underground utilities are an expensive undertaking, require expensive maintenance and would result in more expensive rates. A few audience members questioned why outages seemed to be in a concentrated block of streets.  Dialo asked that they email him and he would look into the situation.  [ed. note: this is being done by HBNPA with information provided by attendees at the assembly.] To be kept in the outage loop, go to Georgiapower.com and look up outage map and sign up for texts. 6. Mayor Cosby was present to state that the Senate and House versions of city Homestead Exemption legislation are being drafted and he hopes they will be voted on in the next Georgia legislative session which starts on the second Monday in January. The Mayor noted that all five City Commissioners are now behind the passage of a Homestead Exemption for Brunswick. The derelict property issue could be addressed by a ‘blight tax’ where owners are taxed at a different rate.  The Mayor thanked the city commission for money allocated towards the police department, tiny homes and other programs to help the homeless population.  He is trying to keep the section 8 vouchers flexible to be used by all citizens in need.   The Brunswick Landing Marina development of boat storage, housing, retail shops, public board walk and restaurants will take about 20 years to build out the 31 acres completely. The proposed boat dry-stack building height of 65′ was not approved at this time by the City Commissioners when they permitted the change of the property from industrial zoning to MUCCH (Mixed Use Commercial Core & Historic) which has a 45′ height limit. 7. Next Meeting – October 22 at First Presbyterian Church at corner of George and Union Streets. 8. Meeting adjourned at 7:40 pm Respectfully submitted by note takers Stephanie Jacobs and Vickie Bowers, edited by Mary Helan Turner