President Lynn King called the meeting to order and welcomed all to the Palmera Inn and Suites and Zoom
Kevin Courtney offered the prayer and led the pledge
Announcements:
Next week, November 17, our meeting will be held at the Sand Box
The following week there is no meeting in the morning. we will be delivering holiday baskets at 4:00 from Piggly Wiggly. We will deliver 55 baskets.
Meeting on December 1 is at Coastal Discovery Museum
Creighton Stuckart - water service project - November 18, 3 to 4:30, meet at Honey Horn to bag oysters to help the Outside Foundation. Wear long pants and closed toe shoes, bring gloves and mask.
Kristin Keller - raffle tickets. A sign has been made for the Rec Center, they have been asked to sell 100 tickets. A lot of members have not picked up their tickets yet. We will have a table set up at the Island Rec Center oyster fest to sell tickets.
Sergeant at Arms, Suzi Oliver collected Happy $$
Speaker:
Suzi introduced the speakers from Palmetto Breeze.
photo credit Barry Davis
Mary Lou Franzoni and Brian Sullivan
Palmetto Breeze was started in 1978 to serve Beaufort and Jasper County. Its mission is to provide transportation to bring people to Hilton Head Island for jobs or other reasons. They have responded to needs of the community, based on the 2010 census and studies done by Hilton Head concerning traffic and congestion. There are seven commuter fixed routes to and from Allendale, Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper Counties to Hilton Head Island. Nine routes provide demand response, contract and coordinated transportation service. The service area is 3,267 square miles. Riders say the transit system gives them better employment opportunities, benefits and salaries. In 2020 Breeze has been able to fulfill their mission to connect local residents with their jobs and have continued service despite the pandemic. They follow extra precautions like sanitizing the busses every day, requiring masks to be worn (and offer masks to those that don't have them), having plexiglass panels, and offering hand sanitizer.
photo credit Barry Davis
The Breeze Trolley is seasonal - April through September. One route is followed from Shelter Cove Towne Centre to Coligny. Cost is normally $1 per trip, however during 2020 no fares have been charged. The trolley is funded by the Town of Hilton Head Island and did have some changes to operations this year. Breeze also provides transportation during evacuations, taking residents to shelters. Palmetto Breeze is planning for the future with new routes, with their main purpose being to get people from home to work. Fares are $2.50 to $4.00 one way, with some employers paying this for their employees. They have 38 buses, 10 very large and 4 trolleys. The state DOT is paying for 2 new buses. They are funded on a reimbursement basis on a percentage basis, as well as funds from partners. In the future, if can get dedicated funding, they can move forward with plans. A side benefit for some of their riders is every Thursday Second Helpings donates food which helps riders feed their families. This program started two years ago is is very much appreciated by the riders. For more information about the trolley and Palmetto Breeze services, visit: www.breezetrolley.com and www.PalmettoBreezeTransit.com