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MAYOR WHITE: Okay.
At this time I’ll have the committee reports.
Carly Strickland in emergency preparedness.
COUNCIL MEMBER STRICKLAND: I spoke to Miss Suzanne Gant today with preparedness. February or March her or her representative is gone try to be here and make a presentation on us for the upcoming year for the changes and all with what the emergency preparedness department is gone be doing. And she said she’d make a point to get back me beforehand, let me know which, which dates is gone be available.
And I would like to say another thing in regards to the police department if I may. I work with them every day and I see them every day and my officers see them every day. And my officers tell me that it’s been such a big change like you’ve never seen between what it used to be with Cottageville policemen coming in and what it is now. So I want to really congratulate the chief on what they’re doing.
MAYOR WHITE: Charlie Cook, public works.
COUNCIL MEMBER COOK: I don’t have anything to report but I do have, I’ve got — We’ve got one of our citizens who wants some — a new light put in. I spoke to you about previous for Mr. Norman (phon.) wants a new light put in across the store. So I’m gone get with SCE&G this coming week.
MAYOR WHITE: Okay. Okay.
Rick Eustler, technology.
COUNCIL MEMBER EUSTLER: I don’t know of any existing concerns. I meant to call Dale Coble, see if he’d come in and done that kind of test rebuild but with the holidays and all I thought I’d give him a break. That’s the only thing outstanding that I was thinking of.
I did have a question. Maybe it’s a technology question and maybe it’s a emergency preparedness question but I noticed the phones and cell phones went out again today for a period of time which left the town without 9-1-1 or any sort of emergency services.
COUNCIL MEMBER COOK: Left everybody without it.
COUNCIL MEMBER EUSTLER: Yeah. Well, I don’t know —
COUNCIL MEMBER COOK: I mean my office was down for almost an hour.
COUNCIL MEMBER EUSTLER: Yeah.
I don’t know what the issue is. I know last time it was equipment malfunction with the phone company’s stuff but that seems to me like that’s a pretty serious issue.
Last time — This was a short outage but last time it was nine or ten hours that it was out. So that’s a long period of time to be without any sort of communications whatsoever.
And so my question’s twofold. One, do you know what happened and, two, does the town have anything beyond the municipal type radios? Do we have any sort of backup plan for any sort of communications systems beyond the cell phones if we have some sort of issue?
Is that — I don’t know if that’s technology or emergency preparedness but, obviously, that’s, that’s — There’s a — There’s a hole there somewhere.
MAYOR WHITE: Okay.
Well, I’ll find out what happened.
Okay. Thank you.
Peggy Thomas, revitalization.
COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS: Our committee was pleased we had such a good Christmas parade. I think everybody will agree that it was a big success and appreciate all the work that was done on it.
And we’re still concerned about trying to have some events in Cottageville that will get more people out than have before. So on the twentieth of this month, which is next Tuesday, at the PTO meeting here at the elementary school, some members of the revitalization committee are gone be there and we thought that we would just ask the parents what would they like to see going on in the community that they would come out, you know, with their children and maybe we could get some ideas from them that would help us to decide what other events that we would like to have. So we’re leaving that open.
We’re always open to suggestions and we’re always open for people to join the committee who’d like to.
So I’m hoping that we’re gonna get some good suggestions and maybe we can do some things with the school when we get all that. That will be a good area that we can work in and having all that area out in front would be good, too. So we’re all — We’re gone be looking at some things like that.
MAYOR WHITE: Okay. Thank you.
Unfinished business, there’s none at this time.
New business is approval of the 2009 town meetings. Does anybody have any, any changes for right now?
As it says at the bottom, dates may change but pretty well stays the same as the first Monday in every month except on the change of July to July 13 and September 14.
COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS: I make a motion the calender be approved.
MAYOR WHITE: Do I have a second?
COUNCIL MEMBER EUSTLER: I second.
MAYOR WHITE: All in favor?
(All council members indicated yes.)
MAYOR WHITE: Ayes have it.
This time we’ll move in to public participation.
Miss Ingrid Whitman (phon.).
MS. WHITMAN: I’m not a speaker but I, I just want to find out in general about the water situation. Where can I inquire if I don’t get any answer, having asked them here?
I’m really concerned about the health, the well water here, the residents, myself and visitors to this town and I’d like to know where I can call to do something about it.
MAYOR WHITE: The best thing that I can — You know, I was — Well, you know, the water and sewer referendum failed and the person that I can recommend that you speak to is — Well, I have his name. I have — It’s Arch Schrader (phon.) at DHEC in Columbia. That’s the person that I’ve spoke to before.
And they have — The way that I understand this works is, actually, DHEC contracts a company and they — They’re the ones that actually do the testing around in to the ground water, the test for it.
And I mean this was something I was concerned about. I haven’t taken any further than what it is right now, especially, you know, I caught a lot of negative input because when we were having the water and sewer referendum. This was supposedly the big point that I was driving home and trying to scare everybody in to water and sewer, which wasn’t a point and all. It was two issues that was kind of bouncing back and forth.
We still have an underground storage tank issue in town and at this time, you know, it’s really in DHEC’s hands and I know that’s not real comforting but that’s — And I’m concerned, too, because I’m just more or less like you, where the underground storage tank issues that I’m right down the street from it and that’s the area that they say is traveling and I really do need to follow up with it more.
The only thing is, is I catch a lot of — You know, a lot of times I catch the flack that says that I’m using this to go ahead and protray that there’s something wrong with our water.
The only concern I have is that if there is something wrong I want to know because I drink it, too.
MS. WHITMAN: I’m too scared to drink the water; I certainly don’t drink it but, also, I don’t know if people are aware of the infection can cause just by taking a simple bath and that’s happened to me before. I had quite a bladder infection that could be caused by bath water from the well.
I just want to bring that to attention.
MAYOR WHITE: One other thing that I will do is I will contact Arch Schrader and I’ll have some information for the February meeting and let you know, you know, what I found out from his office and I will go ahead and see what I can get.
COUNCIL MEMBER EUSTLER: George, is there certain number that people can call or company that, you know, where people can independently have their water tested?
MAYOR WHITE: Well, you know, I’ve actually seen signs around town but the situation is there, is that, from what I understand when I was doing research on it, you actually have to request besides just — Like a lot of times what they test for is chloroform or E. coli but, really, what you have to do is you have to have the test for petroleum based material.
COUNCIL MEMBER EUSTLER: Is that something that you request through DHEC, that you take a jug of your water and mail it off to them or how does that work? Are they the right people?
MAYOR WHITE: I really don’t believe that, you know, it’s fair to say that DHEC is not the right people but I know that General Engineering Labs is the lab that I contacted in Charleston and I really believe that they were the ones that, you know, they tested for the most bang for your buck.
COUNCIL MEMBER EUSTLER: Well, that would be at least a solution for people that were to have their wells tested, to have some sort of status on where they’re at, if we could provide them at least that phone number.
Maybe we could get those guys to come down or something and talk to us.
MAYOR WHITE: I have a — In fact, excuse me, I’ve spoke to them and I have a contact name for General Engineering Labs which I can get for you.
They’re actually located down in Charleston near Cosco on Savage Road.
MS. WHITMAN: And it’s not just for myself. I mean it should concern everybody.
COUNCIL MEMBER EUSTLER: Well, you figure public water and sewer’s tested regularly and I’ve never tested my well since I moved in. So it’s probably due. For the sake of my children and my wife and myself and I’ve been sick all 2008. I kind of blame it on daycare and other things you get with the toddler but why not check all the sources? You know, it’s something that needs to be looked into.
I want to know, too, is the point.
MAYOR WHITE: I’ll see what I can find out for February. I’ll have some contact information.
And, also, Ingrid, I do know where you live so I can — I can drop that, when I get the information I’ll be glad to drop it off to you.
MS. WHITMAN: Thank you very much.
And I have just one other concern. I acknowledge good work that’s being done by the police department but it seems that speeding, stopping cars has increased terribly. Not terribly, increased an awful lot lately. I’ve been — I’m not around that much but I’ve been here now continuously since beginning December and every day the sirens going past my house and on many occasions it’s — the cars are just stopped right in front of my house and the tickets are right in front of my house and on one occasion even inside my driveway and my neighbor’s driveway and I really don’t think that’s a good image.
And it’s disturbing; I really don’t enjoy that. If that could be done in a different manner.
And, also, the citizens in Walterboro, in Summerville, everybody seems to know about Cottageville traffic, traffic stop. I don’t know if you’ve heard, like to project this image of, you know, here going through Cottageville.
MAYOR WHITE: You know, I know, I understand what you’re saying but I also understand and I — My concern is, is that I really — I’ve really been very proactive with the police department as to try to eliminate the speed trap reputation but, also, I cannot accept anybody in this town doing 10 miles over the speed limit.
My concern is, is that I have elderly people that I have to watch out for and I already have discussed with the chief and what, you know, they, they do write warnings; I know that but, I’m sorry, I will not back down on the police as far as, I know that we have that reputation.
I have — They are pretty well under the same guidelines as what the state highway patrol does but when I see what goes on in court here and what the people are charged with, I’m sorry, I won’t back down because the first time we have somebody get killed in here and I have to listen to it at a meeting. Or one of my officers, something happens to them, I’m sorry, I just — I know it’s an inconvenience.
I can tell where you live at and try to keep them from pulling in front of your house but, honestly, if I have to answer for a speed trap and it saves somebody’s life versus, you know, saying that, you know, I let everything go by here but what I see that comes in here is, I mean, tickets that are in excess of 10 miles an hour and then, you know, we have them up in the 70-mile-an-hour range and, and I have no mercy for them.
You know, we have a very strict judge now and I support him 100 percent and I mean I live right on the main street, too. I’m not trying to inconvenience anybody but when — This is a very big curve here. It’s — You know, you really can’t see real well and I do worry about those things.
MS. WHITMAN: I do worry about my business image, too, and, you know, constantly there’s a police car in front of my house or in my driveway. It doesn’t look too good for my business, either.
MAYOR WHITE: Well, I —
MS. WHITMAN: People could think there’s continuously trouble, you know, in that house
or . . .
MS. MCMILLAN: I walk six miles every other day and sometimes cars drive so fast that I can’t even get the color of the car and I’m talking like I’m at Subway, walking past Subway.
MAYOR WHITE: Let’s get back on to the public participation list. Cheryl, I’ll get to you.
MS. FRAZIER: Well, it is about this and it really disturbs me to hear people calling us a speed trap and everything. The speed limit signs are out there; it’s posted and it can’t be a speed trap town if you’re going the speed limit signs that are posted. That’s what I wanted to say.
I get tired of it and I tell people that tell me that you obey the speed limits laws they wouldn’t be pulled.
MAYOR WHITE: Okay.
MS. FRAZIER: I’m sorry, it just — It makes my blood boil to hear us called a speed trap town when — if the signs wasn’t posted, it’d be one thing but the signs are posted and you’re notified before you get to the 45 that it’s going to a 45. The only other thing that could be done was a sign be posted out there that there’s going from 45 to 35.
I’m sorry.
MAYOR WHITE: Okay. Thank you.
MS. FRAZIER: I just couldn’t let that go.
MAYOR WHITE: Mr. Null.
MR. NULL: Yes.
I just wanted to comment and give her, you’ve got to look at it from the officers’ safety; you can’t let the car keep on going. Then you’re endangering everybody and you’ll be in the paper for a lot worse.
I don’t care if they stop them all day in front of my place.
MS. SISK: George, may I say something?
MR. NULL: But it’s for the officers’ safety. You can’t let — You know, when car, after he sees the blue lights and he continues on, that’s the time the officer gets scared and me, too, because then you’re looking at a chase, you know, and everything else.
So —
MS. WHITMAN: We don’t have that much space in the driveway, so no other car can come in, either.
MS. SISK: George.
MAYOR WHITE: Yes.
MS. SISK: Mary Ruth Sisk.
She speaks of the sirens. As anyone that knows where I live at, I’m — I could walk to the fire department. I get the ambulance and fire truck sirens day and night but it doesn’t bother me one bit because I know they’re out there to help someone and if you have a problem, lady, get some earplugs.
MAYOR WHITE: Okay.
Moving on, Debra Hardwick.
MS. HARDWICK: I only signed up for one thing but I did have a couple of things. The big thing was the girls from Cottageville Elementary that are in the honor choir will be singing with the entire honor choir and I have an invitation for all of you to come. It’s at the Embassy Suites. So if you do get a chance, it’s February 7 at 9:30 a.m. So if you do get a chance to go, please go see these girls.
It’s more than just these girls; it’s the whole state honor choir and it is, it is a big — They have to audition. It’s a big deal for them to be in this.
And the other thing, the second thing was the traffic on — I know you get tired of me hearing — saying this but the traffic on Griffith Acres, the big trucks are still rolling, rolling, rolling and they haven’t slowed down a minute and I wanted to know where we were with that.
And the other thing, I know y’all were thinking about getting the school ready for the municipal building but, you know, we had just had those wonderful murals painted in that lunchroom and they were very expensive and so I know one time I heard someone say about painting over those murals and I know it’s not really conducive or judicial looking but they were very nice murals and I just ask if, when you’re making your plans that you not really paint over all of them. Or any of them.
But then some more about the traffic.
MAYOR WHITE: Okay. Thank you.
At this time I’m make a motion to go in to executive session.
COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS: I make a motion we go in to executive session.
MAYOR WHITE: Oh, I’m sorry, I’ll entertain a motion. Thank you.
COUNCIL MEMBER STRICKLAND: I second.
MAYOR WHITE: All in favor?
(All council members indicated yes.)
MAYOR WHITE: Now, I just want to inform everybody that we have down here that it will last approximately 45 minutes. There will be no formal action taken. This is concerning personnel matters, a briefing from the chief to council and we’ll just be coming out for adjournment.
Thank you very much.
(Council went in to executive session at 7:50 p.m. and returned to open session at 8:30. Council Member Thomas made a motion to adjourn. Council Member Eustler seconded.)
– Meeting adjourned at 8:35 p.m. –

I, the undersigned Donna Hartley, Official Court Reporter and Notary Public, do hereby certify that the foregoing is a true, accurate and complete transcript of record of all the proceedings had at the Town Council Meeting for The Town of Cottageville, South Carolina at Cottageville Town Hall on Monday, November 17, 2008.
I further certify that I am neither of counsel nor kin to any person attending this meeting nor am I interested in any manner of its outcome.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and seal this twenty-second day of November 2008.
Notary Public for South Carolina
My Commission Expires April 23, 2017