Editor’s Note: Sunshine Request makes no claim as to the veracity of any statements or information contained in any of the requests, or public records, we receive.
Other (indicate in message) Submitted: January 19, 2026 | Updated: March 10, 2026
(January 2026) Request for Town of Pacolet, SC: Publicly available documentation related to The Pacolet Thread.
Good afternoon, Toni, Jennifer, Patrick, Mayor, (Records Officer / Custodian(s) of these Records),
I reviewed your records request form at https://www.townofpacolet.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/FOIA-Request.pdf. However, by Law, this type of info is not required in order for you to process a public records request. Additionally - my request literally does not “fit” into the form. Therefore, I can’t submit my request to you in your preferred format. I’m submitting it to you all directly, as you are the primary custodian(s) of these records, and by Law are now obligated to proceed to fulfill the request.
Please reply promptly to the following public records request, which I’m making in accordance with SC Public Records Law.
Related to the bylaws of Pacolet Thread, the nonprofit organization referenced during the Town Administrator’s report at the June 01, 2023 Town Council meeting and in subsequent public meetings.
During the June 01, 2023 Council meeting, it was stated that:
“The nonprofit organization named the Pacolet Thread, which was started last fall, has been approved by the IRS as an approved 501(c)(3). The board is currently made up of five seats that can be expanded as the need arises. The bylaws state that two of these seats are for Pacolet Town Council Members appointed by the Council.”
Additionally, during the November 13, 2025 Council meeting, the Town Administrator stated that he started the Pacolet Thread nonprofit (is the incorporator or registered agent) and serves on its board. These public statements indicate that a current set of bylaws exists and is readily available.
For purposes of clarity regarding the nonprofit’s structure and governance, I am requesting the following public record:
– * The electronic copy of the current bylaws of Pacolet Thread, including any provisions addressing:
– * The composition of the board of directors, including any designated seats for Town Council members or Town officials
– * The general roles and responsibilities of officers and board members
This request is limited to an existing document. I am not requesting an in-person inspection, printed copies, compilation of information, or the creation of any new record. I request that any responsive document be provided electronically, such as by PDF.
Because this request is for a single, specifically identified record that has been referenced in public meetings and is known to exist, fulfillment should not require any search, retrieval, redaction, or compilation. Accordingly, I respectfully request that no fees be assessed for this request.
If the Town determines that a fee will nevertheless be applied, please provide a written explanation identifying:
1. The specific actions you believe are required to locate or retrieve this document, and
2. The specific provisions of the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act and the Town’s adopted fee schedule relied upon to assess such fees.
This request is made for noncommercial purposes in the public interest and not for sale, resale, or any commercial use. Thank you for your assistance and for your cooperation in providing clarity regarding the governance structure of Pacolet Thread.
————————————
Please note that by submitting this request, I’m NOT agreeing to pay any potential fees or associated costs related to my request. If it isn’t possible to process the request without incurring fees, then please let me know the itemized potential cost and explanations for those charges upfront, and DO NOT proceed until I respond.
I don’t believe that by Law I’m required to provide a name or address to associate with a public records request, but in order to move things along I’d like to clarify that this request is being made by:
Sunshine Request
PO Box 17391
Asheville, NC 28816
The request has been sent solely by me and my email address [email protected] . If anyone other than that email address contacts you to pursue a similar request, it did not come from me. Please do not commingle or treat that as an alteration or cancellation of my request – I intend to continue to pursue my request.
Thank you for your assistance!
** Sunshine Request (www.sunshinerequest.com) makes no claim as to the veracity of any statements or information contained in any of the requests, or public records, we receive.
Status: Government Denied Request
Documents:
Activity:
-
March 10, 2026 5:46 pm
3 months ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Patrick Kay <[email protected]> cc: Toni Kirby <[email protected]>, Jennifer Gilbert <[email protected]>, [email protected], [email protected]
date: Mar 10, 2026, 5:46 PM
subject: Re: Public records request. (January 2026) Request for Town of Pacolet, SC: Publicly available documentation related to The Pacolet Thread.Good evening,
I submitted a valid public records request to your offices on January 19th. By Law, the Town of Pacolet, SC is obligated to fulfill the request.
The Law does not require any additional “verification process” as you previously suggested, so it’s unclear why I was asked to provide you with a government ID, additional sworn statement, etc.
Regardless, I have provided you all the necessary information required by Law several times now, and have not received any response to my emails on Jan. 28, Feb. 05, or Feb. 12.
Your refusal to clarify your position on this matter, or to respond to my emails, constitutes an unjustified 1.50 month delay in the production of records — which, trial courts have found is tantamount to a denial.
Having made reasonable efforts to follow up, and having received no response since January 28th, I will now mark this request as having been “Denied” by your organization.
~ Sunshine Request
** Editor’s Note: This info. comes from our FAQs page:
☀️ Who should I contact if I think there are results of requests that have been improperly disclosed or should be redacted?
The results of all Completed requests are published on our site, and have been provided to Sunshine Request directly by the disclosing government agency (government entity).
Sunshine Request’s policy in situations involving an alleged improper disclosure is to refer you to the disclosing agency (government entity). If any party feels that an alleged improper disclosure has taken place, please contact the disclosing agency (government entity) directly.
If the disclosing agency, after a review of your case, determines that confidential information was improperly disclosed, and notifies us of such disclosure, we will then be able to review your case.
Similarly — Sunshine Request has reviewed any info given to us from Town of Pacolet, SC to determine if it satisfied the initial request. We make no claim as to the veracity of records / responses we receive from Entities. If you have reason to believe that Town of Pacolet, SC has improperly disclosed (or is not disclosing) all available public records in accordance with SC Public Records Law, we encourage you to reach out to them directly.
Thank you for using Sunshine Request!
Status: Government Denied Request -
February 12, 2026 12:47 pm
4 months ago
from: Jennifer Gilbert <[email protected]> via co1pr03cu002.outbound.protection.outlook.com
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
date: Feb 12, 2026, 12:47 PM
subject: Automatic reply: Public records request. (January 2026) Request for Town of Pacolet, SC: Publicly available documentation related to The Pacolet Thread.I’m currently out of the office until Monday 2-16. If you need immediate assistance, please call 864-474-9504.
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Patrick Kay <[email protected]>
cc: Toni Kirby <[email protected]>, Jennifer Gilbert <[email protected]>, [email protected], [email protected]
date: Feb 12, 2026, 12:47 PM
subject: Re: Public records request. (January 2026) Request for Town of Pacolet, SC: Publicly available documentation related to The Pacolet Thread.Good afternoon Toni, Jennifer, Patrick, Mayor, Tom,
I haven’t received a response to my messages on Jan. 28 or Feb. 05.
I submitted a valid public records request to your offices on January 19, 2026 – and by Law the Town of Pacolet, SC is obligated to proceed to work on the request. I am a real “person” as defined by SECTION 30-4-20.(b), and I’m not imprisoned in South Carolina or any other state as outlined in SECTION 30-4-30.(A)(1). The Law does not require the additional “verification process” you previously outlined, so it’s unclear why you’re suggesting I need to provide you with a government ID, additional sworn statement, etc.
I have provided you with all the necessary info required by Law. Having received no response since January 28th, if I don’t hear back by Feb. 27, I will need to mark this request as having been “Denied” by your organization.
Trial courts have found that an unjustified 1 month delay in the production of records is tantamount to a denial.
Thank you.
Status: Follow up -
February 5, 2026 2:35 pm
4 months ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Patrick Kay <[email protected]>
cc: Toni Kirby <[email protected]>, Jennifer Gilbert <[email protected]>, [email protected]
date: Feb 5, 2026, 2:35 PM
subject: Re: Public records request. (January 2026) Request for Town of Pacolet, SC: Publicly available documentation related to The Pacolet Thread.Good afternoon Patrick, all others CCed,
I’m following up on my last message (Wed, Jan 28 @ 2:00pm), as I have not received a response.
I provided you with the necessary information, and I attest that I am not imprisoned in South Carolina, or in any other state for that matter.
I understand you’ve said incarcerated individuals are exempted from the right to request public records. However, the law does not require the additional “verification process” you’ve outlined above. I’m unsure why you’re suggesting in this particular instance that I should have to provide you with a government ID, additional sworn statement, etc. It isn’t necessary by Law, and you have responded to records requests I’ve sent Pacolet SC before.
I have provided you with any necessary info (in both my initial email, as well as the one sent on Jan. 28) by Law, and you are obligated to proceed to fulfill my request without further delay.
Please confirm the request has begun processing.
I will follow up again in 1 week if I don’t hear anything else.
Thank you.
Status: Follow up -
January 28, 2026 2:00 pm
4 months ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Patrick Kay <[email protected]>
cc: Toni Kirby <[email protected]>, Jennifer Gilbert <[email protected]>
date: Jan 28, 2026, 2:00 PM
subject: Re: Public records request. (January 2026) Request for Town of Pacolet, SC: Publicly available documentation related to The Pacolet Thread.Good afternoon,
As indicated in my initial email:
I reviewed your records request form at https://www.townofpacolet.
com/wp-content/uploads/2023/ 05/FOIA-Request.pdf. By Law, some of that info is not legally required in order for you to process a public records request. I’ve submitted a valid records request to you all directly, as you are the primary custodian(s) of these records, and by Law are now obligated to proceed to fulfill the request. I’ve simply requested an electronic copy of an electronic record, if one exists. I have not asked for the opportunity to come in person to “inspect”, nor to obtain a printed copy of, this electronic record. I’m requesting explicitly that any responsive info be provided to me via the electronic medium / electronic format in which the copy of this record already exists.
——
As I said before – by Law I am not required to provide you with a name or address to associate with a public records request. But in order to move things along I’d like to clarify, again, that this request is being made by (me):
Name: Sunshine Request
Address: PO Box 17391 Asheville, NC 28816
Email: records@
sunshinerequest.com I am the person / individual making this request. That is all the information you need. Please proceed without further delay.
If you are unable to fulfill any or all parts of this request, or refuse to fulfill the request, please specifically cite where a reason for denial is justified under Records Law.
Thank you.
Status: Clarification Provided -
January 28, 2026 1:21 pm
4 months ago
from: Patrick Kay <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>, Toni Kirby <[email protected]>
cc: Jennifer Gilbert <[email protected]>
date: Jan 28, 2026, 1:21 PM
subject: RE: Public records request. (January 2026) Request for Town of Pacolet, SC: Publicly available documentation related to The Pacolet Thread.To whom this may concern:
In your email you referred to yourself as “me” but without providing a name. We will need you to fill out the attached form to provide us more information about yourself. If you are unwilling to fill out the attached form, then we will need to at least know the person’s name requesting the information so not to violate SC Code 30-4-30(A)(1) which states that the right to inspect, copy, or receive an electronic transmission of any public record on a public body “…does not extend to individuals serving a sentence of imprisonment in a state or county correctional facility in this state.” While you could tell me that you aren’t one of these individuals, we would need a sworn statement that the person requesting this information is the same person sending this email and we will need to have verification with a government ID to ensure that we are not providing this information to an individual that this right of FOIA does not extend to. We would accept a document signed and notarized that would provide the identity of the person requesting this information so that we can cross reference that name with each of the 46 county correctional facilities in this state as well as the 21 state correctional facilities. Once we receive the notarized document identifying the person or persons requesting the information and we have verified that this person or persons does not qualify as an individual that does not have the right to inspect, copy, or receive an electronic transmission of any public record on a public body, then we can provide you a determination letter based on the amount of time and cost to provide you the information which you request. We look forward to your response so that we can begin serving you.
Patrick Kay
Town Administrator
Town of Pacolet, South Carolina
**Editor’s Note: Please see the 1 file referenced (“FOIA Request.pdf”) at top left in our Documents section.
Status: Response Received from Government -
January 19, 2026 3:26 pm
5 months ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Toni Kirby <[email protected]>
cc: Jennifer Gilbert <[email protected]>, Patrick Kay <[email protected]>, Ned Camby <[email protected]>
date: Jan 19, 2026, 3:26 PM
subject: Public records request. (January 2026) Request for Town of Pacolet, SC: Publicly available documentation related to The Pacolet Thread.Good afternoon, Toni, Jennifer, Patrick, Mayor, (Records Officer / Custodian(s) of these Records),
I reviewed your records request form at https://www.townofpacolet.com/
wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ FOIA-Request.pdf. However, by Law, this type of info is not required in order for you to process a public records request. Additionally – my request literally does not “fit” into the form. Therefore, I can’t submit my request to you in your preferred format. I’m submitting it to you all directly, as you are the primary custodian(s) of these records, and by Law are now obligated to proceed to fulfill the request. Please reply promptly to the following public records request, which I’m making in accordance with SC Public Records Law.
Related to the bylaws of Pacolet Thread, the nonprofit organization referenced during the Town Administrator’s report at the June 01, 2023 Town Council meeting and in subsequent public meetings.
During the June 01, 2023 Council meeting, it was stated that:
“The nonprofit organization named the Pacolet Thread, which was started last fall, has been approved by the IRS as an approved 501(c)(3). The board is currently made up of five seats that can be expanded as the need arises. The bylaws state that two of these seats are for Pacolet Town Council Members appointed by the Council.”
Additionally, during the November 13, 2025 Council meeting, the Town Administrator stated that he started the Pacolet Thread nonprofit (is the incorporator or registered agent) and serves on its board. These public statements indicate that a current set of bylaws exists and is readily available.
For purposes of clarity regarding the nonprofit’s structure and governance, I am requesting the following public record:
– * The electronic copy of the current bylaws of Pacolet Thread, including any provisions addressing:
– * The composition of the board of directors, including any designated seats for Town Council members or Town officials
– * The general roles and responsibilities of officers and board members
This request is limited to an existing document. I am not requesting an in-person inspection, printed copies, compilation of information, or the creation of any new record. I request that any responsive document be provided electronically, such as by PDF.
Because this request is for a single, specifically identified record that has been referenced in public meetings and is known to exist, fulfillment should not require any search, retrieval, redaction, or compilation. Accordingly, I respectfully request that no fees be assessed for this request.
If the Town determines that a fee will nevertheless be applied, please provide a written explanation identifying:
1. The specific actions you believe are required to locate or retrieve this document, and
2. The specific provisions of the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act and the Town’s adopted fee schedule relied upon to assess such fees.
This request is made for noncommercial purposes in the public interest and not for sale, resale, or any commercial use. Thank you for your assistance and for your cooperation in providing clarity regarding the governance structure of Pacolet Thread.
————————————
Please note that by submitting this request, I’m NOT agreeing to pay any potential fees or associated costs related to my request. If it isn’t possible to process the request without incurring fees, then please let me know the itemized potential cost and explanations for those charges upfront, and DO NOT proceed until I respond.
I don’t believe that by Law I’m required to provide a name or address to associate with a public records request, but in order to move things along I’d like to clarify that this request is being made by:
Sunshine Request
PO Box 17391
Asheville, NC 28816
The request has been sent solely by me and my email address [email protected] . If anyone other than that email address contacts you to pursue a similar request, it did not come from me. Please do not commingle or treat that as an alteration or cancellation of my request – I intend to continue to pursue my request.
Thank you for your assistance!
** Sunshine Request (www.sunshinerequest.com) makes no claim as to the veracity of any statements or information contained in any of the requests, or public records, we receive.
Status: Sent to Government -
January 19, 2026 3:23 pm
5 months ago
Submitted to Sunshine Request
Status: Pending