[00:00:01]
CALL TO ORDER.IT IS SIX OH TWO ON IT IS STILL MONDAY THE 24TH OF OCTOBER.
SO I'M GONNA BEGIN BY CALLING ROLL.
UM, I AM BOARD MEMBER LAURA KATAM SCHEIBEL BOARD MEMBER SARAH FAUST IS NOT HERE TONIGHT.
NINA RINALDI NOT HERE TONIGHT.
CATHERINE FLOWERS IS NOT HERE TONIGHT.
[PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL]
TO BEGIN THE EVENING WITH PUBLIC COMMUNICATION.I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO, UH, CHAIR EMERITUS DON LEWIS
SO WE HAVE, UM, SOME GENERAL COMMUNICATION CHAIR COTTONY, AND WE CAN BEGIN WITH, UH, KAYLA REESE.
I'M THE NEW ADVOCACY MANAGER WITH AUSTIN PARKS FOUNDATION.
I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH Y'ALL, UM, IN THE COMING MONTHS.
AND I WANTED TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE A FEW UPDATES.
UM, THE FIRST ONE IS UNFORTUNATE.
IT'S ABOUT THE ZILKER EAGLE TRAIN.
UM, SAFETY TESTING REVEALED BREAKING PROBLEMS THAT NEEDED TO BE ADDRESSED SO IT WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RUN THIS YEAR.
A COMMITTEE AT APF OF STAFF AND BOARD MEMBERS HAVE BEEN ACTIVELY ASSESSING THE SITUATION AS CHALLENGES HAVE ARISEN AND WILL CONTINUE TO MEET TO EVALUATE THE CURRENT STATUS, WHAT OUR OPTIONS ARE, AND HOW WE'LL MOVE FORWARD TO MAKE THE NEEDED REPAIRS.
GIVEN THE CURRENT STATUS, WE ANTICIPATE THE, THE EARLIEST THE TRAIN WILL BE READY WILL BE FALL 2023.
WE REMAIN COMMITTED TO ENSURING THE ZILKER EAGLE IS PART OF AUSTIN'S FUTURE, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK DILIGENTLY AND TIRELESSLY TO BRING THE TRAIN BACK.
UM, IN MORE POSITIVE NEWS ON NOVEMBER 5TH.
IT'S, UM, IT'S MY PARK DAY, WHICH IS, UM, OUR ANNUAL, UM, EVENT WHERE WE HAVE LOTS OF PEOPLE COME OUT TO WORK ON THEIR LOCAL PARKS.
UM, THIS FALL WE HAVE 99 PROJECTS WAITING ACROSS ALL OF AUSTIN.
UM, AND WE'LL MOBILIZE THOUSANDS OF VOLUNTEERS AND YOU'RE ALL WELCOME TO PARTICIPATE.
UM, NOVEMBER 7TH AT 11:00 AM ALONG WITH PAR, WE ARE HOSTING A RIBBON CUTTING FOR THE IMPROVEMENTS AT GO PARK.
UM, THROUGH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, WE WERE ABLE TO IDENTIFY WHAT AREAS OF THE PARK TO IMPROVE.
THESE INCLUDE A NEW PLAYGROUND, EQUIPMENT FIELD, AND BASKETBALL COURT UPGRADES.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AND DEDICATION TO AUSTIN SPARKS.
HELLO, KEVIN RAINIS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF AUSTIN ROWING.
UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.
I ALSO WANTED TO THANK YOU IN PERSON CUZ I'VE BEEN OUTTA TOWN THE LAST COUPLE OF MEETINGS FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF THE RESOLUTION THAT WENT TO CITY COUNCIL, THAT THEN WAS UNANIMOUSLY PASSED BY CITY COUNCIL TO ENSURE THAT THE AUSTIN ROWING ORGANIZATION HAS A FUTURE HOME UPON DESTRUCTION OF THE WALNUT CREEK BOATHOUSE.
WE'D LOOK FORWARD TO BEING A PART OF THE EAST RIVERSIDE COMMUNITY, WORKING WITH PAR, WORKING WITH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS WITH OUR NEW NEIGHBORS AS WE MOVE INTO THAT AREA.
SO I WANTED TO THANK YOU REALLY LIKE A LOT
SO, AND I KNOW THERE'S BEEN DISCUSSION ABOUT, YOU KNOW, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND SUPPORT IN THAT AREA.
AND I THINK AS MANY AS YOU KNOW, THAT SOME OF YOU ARE NEW, YOU KNOW, FOR 40 YEARS, AUSTIN HAS BEEN VERY, IT'S IN OUR DNA, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, COMMUNITY SUPPORT.
THIS FLYER THAT I'VE MADE, I THINK, UH, PREVIOUSLY THAT MANY OF YOU HAVE SEEN, WE WORK WITH OVER 40 DIVERSE COMMUNITY PARTNERS TODAY ACROSS A WIDE RANGE OF PUBLIC BENEFIT AND SERVICES.
AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO DO THAT IN A NEW LOCATION AND WORKING WITH NEW PARTNERS THAT ARE IN THAT SPECIFIC COMMUNITY DIRECTLY AROUND THE YOUTH HOST.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE FOCUSED ON IS GOOD STEWARDSHIP OF THE BEAUTIFUL ASSET THAT WE HAVE WITH THE WALL CREEK BOATHOUSE FOR AS LONG AS IT EXISTS ANYWAY.
AND SO I'M, I'M PROUD TO SAY FOR THE CITY'S FISCAL YEAR WE CROSSED 3 MILLION IN TOTAL REVENUE FOR THE BOATHOUSE.
ONE OF THE CHARTERS OF THE ORIGINAL CONTRACT WAS MAXIMIZE USE OF THE PUBLIC ASSET FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC.
ONE WAY OF MEASURING THAT IS HOW MANY PEOPLE COME
[00:05:01]
AND PARTICIPATE AND ENJOY THE SERVICES AND AMENITIES THAT ARE OFFERED.SO THE 3 MILLION IS A PRETTY BIG MILESTONE, UH, FOR THE WALLOW CREEK BOATHOUSE.
AND WITH THAT, BECAUSE OF THE REVENUE SHARING, AND I HEAR FROM PAT, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT SOME OF THAT LATER, IS, UH, WE, UH, WROTE A CHECK TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UH, FOR OVER $400,000 THIS FISCAL YEAR.
SO WE JUST, AND THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS, THE PAYING, THE UTILITIES, THE REPAIR, THE REMAIN MAINTENANCE, ALL OF THAT IS HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS MORE.
SO HAVING A SUCCESSFUL OPERATION THAT ALLOWS FOR BROAD ENGAGEMENT WITH THE COMMUNITY VERSUS JUST A BUILDING IS SOMETHING THAT, UH, WE'RE VERY FOCUSED ON AS AN ORGANIZATION AND HAVE BEEN FOR THE LAST 40 YEARS.
SO, UM, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO DOING THAT IN EAST RIVERSIDE COMMUNITY.
IF I MAY, CAN I APPROACH AND THIS HAS BEEN CIRCULATED BEFORE.
SO, UM, VAL PROSAD, ARE YOU HERE? I AM.
SO YOU'RE DONATING YOUR TIME MR. PRAD, TO, TO CL THOSE TWO.
AND YOU JUST WANNA SPLIT IT IN HALF EQUALLY.
SO IN THAT CASE, UM, VICTORIA SALOV, DO YOU WANNA COME OR DO YOU HAVE A PREFERENCE? WHO GOES FIRST? OKAY, CLAIRE, SO YOU'LL HAVE, UM, FOUR AND A HALF MINUTES.
I'M HERE AGAIN ON BEHALF OF FESTIVAL BEACH GARDEN AND PASOS THE FOX.
UM, FIRST I WANNA SAY I'M HEARTENED TO KNOW THAT THE WHOLE BOARD CARES ABOUT, UH, WILDLIFE LIKE THE FOX.
AND I HOPE THAT YOUR COMPASSION CAN DRIVE ACTION AT PARKS ALL ACROSS THE CITY.
UM, THANK YOU ALSO FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF US GARDENERS.
UH, WHEN YOU ASK PAR TO ACT, IT SENDS A STRONGER MESSAGE THAN WHEN WE AS GARDENERS AND CITIZENS ASK, ACT, ASK ALONE.
AND I'VE SEEN, UH, MORE GET DONE AND MORE TRANSPARENCY BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU ALL HAVE BEEN DOING.
UM, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT BECAUSE WE'RE NOT ON THE AGENDA, WE DON'T GET INTO, DON'T GET TO WEIGH IN DURING THE DIRECTOR'S REPORT ABOUT HATCHERY PARK, BUT THERE ARE SOME ERRORS IN WHAT'S BEEN SHARED WITH YOU THUS FAR.
AND I WANNA SUGGEST SOME QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT ASK OF PAR DURING THAT TIME.
SO, UM, FIRST, THE MAP YOU RECEIVED FROM THE PART INVESTIGATION OMITS THE FACT THAT OUR THICKE IS STILL VEGETATED, SO THERE'S STILL FOX HABITAT ON HATCHERY PARK.
UM, SECOND, THE EMAIL REFERENCES CONVERSATIONS WITH THE GARDENERS ABOUT BUILDING HABITAT ON THE GARDEN SIDE.
I'M THE HABITAT LEAD, UH, WITH THE GARDEN.
SO THOSE CONVERSATIONS ARE WITH ME AND OUR SITE MANAGER, JULIO.
SO LET ME GIVE YOU A FIRSTHAND ACCOUNT.
BASED ON TALKS WITH EXPERTS, WE WORRY THAT WITHOUT THE HATCHERY PORK PARK PORTION BEING PROTECTED, THE HABITAT WON'T BE BIG ENOUGH FOR A NEW DEN BECAUSE IT'S A THIRD OF THE SIZE OF THE LI OF THE LITTLE THICKE ON HATCHERY PARK.
WE'VE BEEN TOLD BY OUR EXPERTS THAT THE GARDEN SIDE HABITAT SHOULD STILL ENCOURAGE THESE FOXES TO VISIT US, BUT THE ODDS OF IT SUPPORTING A FAMILY DEN DECREASE BECAUSE IT'S JUST SMALLER.
WE'RE THRILLED AND HONORED TO PROVIDE WHAT HABITAT WE CAN, BUT NO ONE SHOULD ASSUME OR ARREST EASY.
THAT WHAT THE GARDENERS ARE BUILDING WILL SUBSTITUTE FOR PAST'S DEN.
UH, THIRD, THE EMAIL Y'ALL RECEIVE SAYS THE PROPERTY TO THE EAST OF THE GARDEN HAS A NEW OWNER WHO'S, AND THAT'S THE ONE WHO'S DISPUTING OUR PROPERTY LINE.
BUT WE'VE HEARD FROM A REPRESENTATIVE OF SOUTHWEST STRATEGIES GROUP, UH, WHO SAYS THAT THEY ACTUALLY STILL OWN THAT LAND AND WE DON'T SEE ANY PUBLIC RECORDS TO THE CONTRARY.
SO THIS CONTRADICTS PARS REPORT AND THUS I ASK YOU TO ASK PAR WHY WERE THEY TOLD THAT THERE THERE WAS A NEW OWNER WHO PLACED THIS ROGUE PROPERTY STAKE.
WHO IS THAT OWNER? UM, PROVIDE SOME MORE INFORMATION THERE.
FOURTH, I URGE YOU TO ASK PAR WHAT THE SURVEY, UM, THAT ON OCTOBER 31ST WILL BE BASED ON WHERE THEY'RE SURVEYING THE PROPERTY LINE, WHAT EQUIPMENT WILL BE USED AND TO SHARE ANY PLOT, MAPS AND OTHER INFORMATION WITH Y'ALL TO ENSURE THAT NO PUBLIC PROPERTY IS BEING GIVEN AWAY ON YOUR WATCH.
UH, FIFTH, UM, YOU SHOULD ASK PART HOW FAR THE SURVEY WILL EXTEND.
IT SHOULD EXTEND THE ENTIRE EASTERN BOUNDARY IN OUR OPINION, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THE BOUNDARY WITH HATCHERY PARK WILL DETERMINE HOW MUCH SPACE THERE IS LEFT IN THE GARDEN.
FOR HABITAT, WE'VE NOT STARTED ADDING HABITAT BUSHES IN THAT AREA THAT WE'VE RESERVED BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT THEM TO BE ACCIDENTALLY DESTROYED CUZ THE PROPERTY BOUNDARIES OFF.
UM, SIXTH ON THURSDAY, UH, WITH PARS BLESSING, WE INSTALLED A TEMPORARY FENCE ACTUALLY ACROSS THE GAP, UH, TO SECURE THE GARDEN UNTIL THE PROPERTY DISPUTE IS OVER.
AND WHEN WE DID THAT, IT MADE IT CLEAR THAT THERE'S A WIDE STRIP OF LAND ABOUT 10 FEET LONG AND 300 FEET WIDE.
THAT'S THE AREA IN DISPUTE, AND IT GOES STRAIGHT INTO
[00:10:01]
THE PLANT SUBSTITUTE HABITAT AREA.AND THEN SEVENTH, UH, YOU SHOULD ASK ABOUT PARS FOLLOW UP PLAN WITH A FENCE.
AT A MINIMUM, WE THINK THE DEVELOPER SHOULD COMPENSATE THE CITY IF IT WAS WRONG ABOUT THE BOUNDARY WHEN THEY TORE DOWN OUR ORIGINAL FENCE.
UM, AND SO NOW, UH, VICTORIA, I THINK IS GONNA CONTINUE GIVING SOME REMARKS, BUT I WANNA THANK YOU GUYS FOR THE TIME AND THE EFFORT AND THAT YOU GUYS HAVE PUT IN THERE AS VOLUNTEERS TO HELP US WITH THESE ISSUES.
UM, MY NAME IS VICTORIA, SO LOVE AND I'M A FRIEND OF THE FOX AND OF THE GARDEN.
I'LL KEEP GIVING THE REMARKS THAT CLAIRE WAS READING.
SO EIGHTH ASK PART HOW THE GARDENERS CAN PARTICIPATE IN PUBLIC INPUT AND NOTICE PROCESSES IN THE FUTURE.
WE DON'T WANNA BE LEFT OUT OF CONSULTATIONS AGAIN.
ALSO, WE WANNA TALK ABOUT THE EMAIL RESPONSES OR EMAIL RESPONSE OUR SUPPORTERS RECEIVED LAST WEEK THAT SUGGESTS HARD BOARD MEMBERS LACK JURISDICTION OVER THE DEVELOPER IN HATCHERY PARK HABITAT.
THAT'S A DANGEROUS STANCE TO TAKE.
DON'T SAY LACK OF JURISDICTION PREVENTS YOU FROM ACTING.
THE FOX HABITAT IS ON HATCHERY PARK, WHICH REQUIRES A PART APPROVED SITE PLAN.
SO YOU DO HAVE JURISDICTION OVER WHAT DEVELOPERS IN PART DOES WITH EASEMENT PARKS.
AND EVEN IF THE DEN WEREN'T THERE, YOU HAVE JURISDICTION OVER HATCHERY PARK.
A DEVELOPER MUST GET ITS PARK PLANS APPROVED BY PAR, BY PAR PLANNING.
AND PART PLANNING TAKES FEEDBACK FROM FROM CARD BOARD.
YOU EXERCISE THIS JURISDICTION JUST LAST MONTH WHEN YOU WAIT IN ON THE BRODI OAKS PLAN.
NOW, YOU MAY BE LIMITED IN THE TOOLS AND EFFECT YOU HAVE BECAUSE OF THE SPECIFIC FACTS OF THE CASE, BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN YOU LACK JURISDICTION ENTIRELY.
AND IF YOU CARE ABOUT MAKING SPACE FOR WILDLIFE AND IN OTHER PARKS, UH, YOU SHOULDN'T COUCH IT THAT WAY.
WHAT WE HEAR YOU SAY TO US IS PERHAPS THAT YOU ARE HAMSTRUNG HERE FROM HELPING US PRESERVE THE LITTLE THICKET.
MAYBE IT'S NOT WORTH THE POLITICAL CAPITAL.
THE DEVELOPER'S INTRACTABLE THERE AREN'T PART RESOURCES, WHATEVER, BUT BLAME IT ON THE FACTS.
SO IN YOUR DISCUSSION THIS EVENING, PLEASE CLARIFY THAT YOU DO INDEED HAVE JURISDICTION TO WEIGH IN ON WHAT HAPPENS ON EASEMENT PARKS LIKE HATCHERY.
AND DON'T LET ANYONE CONVINCE YOU TO SAY OTHERWISE.
UH, OTHER FOXES WILL THANK YOU TOO.
UH, FINALLY, WE WANNA TAKE THIS PLATFORM TO EXPRESS PRIDE IN ALL THE GARDENERS STRUGGLE ON TOP OF ADVOCATE FOR HABITAT AND DOING NORMAL GARDEN TASKS.
LAST MONTH GARDENS, UH, GARDENERS INSTALLED THE FENCE TO PROTECT THE GARDEN.
GARDENERS DIAGNOSED AND PATCHED THE IRRIGATION SYSTEM, WHICH SPRUNG A LEAK AGAIN FOR THE SIXTH TIME THIS YEAR, UH, GARDENERS BEGAN FUNDRAISING FOR THE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS NEEDED FOR ADDITIONAL FIXES TO OUR WATER SYSTEM, GARDENERS HELD ELECTIONS AND A THANKSGIVING CELEBRATION WELCOMING NEW GARDENERS LEADERS AND COMMUNITY.
AND NEXT MONTH, UH, GARDENERS WILL BE HOSTING 75.
UM, ALL CITY GARDENERS GIVE THIS SORT OF UNPAID LOVE DAILY.
YOU HAVE A GREAT POTEN, YOU HAVE GREAT POTENTIAL PARTNERS IN GARDENERS ALL ACROSS THE CITY TO HELP PEOPLE IN WILDLIFE.
LIKE I HOPE YOU CONTINUE TO ADVOCATE FOR GARDEN GARDENS, THEIR WILDLIFE AND THE POD STAFF THAT SUPPORTS THEM.
OKAY, SO FINALLY WE HAVE ONE ON, UM, ON WEBEX.
UH, CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU.
I'M THE DIRECTOR OF ECOLOGY ACTION.
UH, WE OPERATE THE CIRCLE LAKE ACRES NATURE PRESERVE IN MONS.
OUR PRESERVE SHARES THE BORDER WITH ROY G GUERRERA PARK.
WE MANAGE, OUR PRESERVE IS A COMMUNITY ASSET THAT IT'S FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
WE ALSO DO EXTENSIVE WORK HELPING TO STEWARD EAST END OF GUERRERA PARK, INCLUDING CREATING A TWO MILE HIKING TRAIL, PLANTING MANY HUNDREDS OF NATIVE TREES AND GRASSES CONDUCTING ECOA RESEARCH AND LEADING VOLUNTEERS TO CLEAN UP OVER 2,600 BAGS OF TRASH FROM THE PARK.
IN ADDITION, WE HAVE SECURED ANOTHER QUARTER MILLION DOLLARS IN GRANTS FROM THE TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE FOR FUTURE PARK IMPROVEMENTS.
I HERE TODAY TO ASK FOR YOUR HELP.
FOR SEVERAL YEARS, WE HAVE BEEN THE VICTIMS OF REPEATED THEFT AT SEVERAL ACRES.
SINCE 2018, WE HAVE HAD ROUGHLY TWO DOZEN BREAK-INS AND LOST CLOSE TO $20,000 WORTH OF TOOLS, MATERIALS, AND EQUIPMENT.
I'M ASKING FOR YOUR HELP BECAUSE THE MAIN CULPRITS OF THIS HABITUAL SEPT HAVE BEEN LIVING IN THE PARK IMMEDIATELY BEHIND THE PLAYGROUND USING THIS ENCAMPMENT AS A BASE FOR THEIR THEFT RING.
I'VE HEARD EVERY EXCUSE FROM APD AS TO WHY THEY CAN'T HELP FROM CITY COUNCIL, WON'T LET THEM DO THEIR JOBS.
THEY'VE BEEN DEFUNDED, THEY AREN'T ALLOWED TO POLICE THE PARK.
ALL OF IT IS RIDICULOUS FALSE INFORMATION.
THE MOST RECENT ONE FROM A DETECTIVE IS THAT, QUOTE, MY SITUATION IS THEFT AND I ONLY INVESTIGATE BURGLARIES.
THAT'S AFTER TAKING WEEKS TO RETURN MY REQUEST TO EVEN FILE A CASE.
HE SAID I SHOULD RESUBMIT ANOTHER REPORT.
I'VE REACHED OUT TO PARK RANGERS BUT DON'T HEAR BACK.
SAME FOR THE APD HENRY DISTRICT REP, WHO HAS ROUTINELY, ROUTINELY FAILED TO RETURN CALLS FOR HELP FOR YEARS.
NOW, THE REASON I'M HERE TODAY IS BECAUSE WE RECENTLY HAD AN EXPENSIVE BRIDGE THAT WE COMMISSIONED THE TEXAS CONSERVATION CORPS TO INSTALL IN THE PARK ALONG OUR TRAIL LAST YEAR, DISMANTLED AND MOVED A HALF MILE TO THIS ENCAMPMENT TO
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BUILD A HUT, AN ENTIRE BRIDGE STOLEN WITH COMPLETE IMPUNITY.THEY'VE ALSO STARTED STEALING METAL CAGES THAT PROTECT OUR NEWLY PLANTED TREES IN THE PARK.
THESE ARE PARK ASSETS THAT ARE BEING DISMANTLED AND RUINED TO MAKE AN UNLAWFUL FORTRESS ON PARK PROPERTY RIGHT BEHIND THE PLAYGROUND.
THESE MEN SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO STAY AN ENCAMPMENT BEHIND THE PLAYGROUND.
SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, I WAS WALKING AROUND THE BAMBOO AREA DIRECTLY BEHIND THE PLAYGROUND AFTER A HIKER HIT ME OFF TO OUR STOLEN PROPERTY.
BEING BACK THERE, I FOUND SPENT AK 47 SHELLS.
ANOTHER TIME I FOUND 20 GAUGE SHOTGUN SHELLS.
I NOTIFIED THE CITY AND AGAIN, NOTHING EVER HAPPENED.
NO FOLLOW UPS, NO CALLBACKS, NO CONCERN, NOTHING AGAIN, RIGHT BEHIND THE PLAYGROUND.
IMAGINE THIS SITUATION IN ONE OF THE PLAYGROUNDS YOUR CHILD USES.
IMAGINE SEEING $8,000 WORTH OF YOUR STOLEN POWER TOOLS AND ENCAMPMENT AND NOT GETTING A RESPONSE FROM AD FOR SIX WEEKS LONG AFTER THEY'VE BEEN SOLD OFF.
I HOPE Y'ALL WILL TAKE THIS SITUATION SERIOUSLY AND HELP FACILITATE THE RELOCATION OF THIS ENCAMPMENT AND REQUEST PART WORK WITH ME TO POTENTIALLY RECLAIM WHATEVER PROPERTIES OURS THAT IS STILL SALVAGEABLE.
WE ARE SMALL ORGANIZATION AND THESE THEFT ARE DEBILITATING, BUT THE INDIFFERENCE FROM A P D IS BEYOND INSULTING AT THIS POINT.
I'M ASKING FOR YOUR HELP TO FACILITATE ACTION AND PUSHBACK AGAINST THE ENDLESS EXCUSES FROM CITY AUTHORITIES AND HELP MAKE THE PLAYGROUND AND PARK SAFE.
OKAY, UH, CHAIR THAT IS IT FOR CITIZEN COMMUNICATION.
CAN I GET THE, WHAT WAS THE LAST NAME ON THAT? WAS THAT SPOKE? IT WAS ERIC PAULS, P A U L O S WITH ECOLOGY ACTION.
THANKS TO EVERYBODY WHO'S COME TO SPEAK AND, UM, UH, ON AND CALLED IN ONLINE.
WE APPRECIATE YOUR ATTENTIONS AND YOUR HELP WITH THE PARK SYSTEM.
[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES RIGHT NOW.AND, UM, IS THERE, ARE THERE ANY COMMENTS ON THE MINUTES? DOES EVERYBODY COPY THE MINUTES? YES.
AT THE, EXCUSE ME, AT THE VERY END OF THE MINUTES.
IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S JUST SOME NOTES THERE THAT MAY NOT NEED TO BE IN THE MINUTES UNDER PAGE AFTER THE MINUTES ARE APPROVED.
THAT NOTE AND CHAIR NAME, DO YOU SEE WHAT I'M THIS DOWN HERE.
I ASSUME THIS WILL BE REMOVED, TIM.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR CORRECTIONS ON THE MINUTES? IS THERE A MOVE TO APPROVE THE MINUTES? MOVE TO APPROVE THE MINUTES.
NOW IT'S UNANIMOUS ON THE, THE DIAS AND NOBODY ONLINE, SO I THINK THAT WE APPROVE THE MINUTES.
ALL RIGHT, SO WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO, OH, I'M LOOKING AT THAT ONE NOW.
[2. Staff briefing on the Palm District Plan. Stevie Greathouse, Capital Programming Consultant, Housing and Planning Department.]
STAFF BRIEFINGS.SO IF WE HAVE FIRST, UM, THE STAFF BRIEFING ON THE PALM DISTRICT PLAN WITH MR. GREATHOUSE, CAPITAL PROGRAMMING CONSULTANT HOUSING AND PLANNING, OR STEVIE, I'M SORRY, MS. MS. GREATHOUSE, I APOLOGIZE.
I'M MISS GREATHOUSE, UM, DIVISION MANAGER WITH THE HOUSING AND PLANNING DEPARTMENT.
UM, OUR BOARD MEMBER IS GLAD TO BE HERE WITH YOU.
I'M GONNA GIVE A BRIEF PRESENTATION OVERVIEW OF WHERE WE'RE AT ON THIS INITIATIVE AND THEN OPEN IT UP TO QUESTIONS.
UM, HOPEFULLY HONORING YOUR TIME.
I'M A DIVISION MANAGER WITHIN THE HOUSING AND PLANNING DEPARTMENT.
UM, DURING THIS PRESENTATION, I'M GONNA BRIEFLY PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF OUR PLANNING PROCESS, SHARED WITH YOU WHAT WE HEARD FROM THE COMMUNITY, UM, PRESENT A VERY HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF THE DRAFT PLAN, AND THEN HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS.
AND NEXT, THE GOAL OF THE PALM DISTRICT PLANNING INITIATIVE IS TO ENGAGE STAKEHOLDERS AND THE PUBLIC TO DEVELOP A SHARED VISION FOR AN AREA OF DOWNTOWN THAT HAS A RICH HISTORY AND THAT WE KNOW IS EVOLVING QUICKLY.
THE STUDY AREA FOR THIS PLANNING PROCESS EXTENDS ROUGHLY FROM 15TH STREET TO LADYBIRD LAKE AND TRINITY STREET TO IH 35.
THIS AREA OF DOWNTOWN IS GROUND ZERO FOR A NUMBER OF SIGNIFICANT PUBLIC INVESTMENTS ANTICIPATED OVER THE YEARS AHEAD, UM, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE RECONSTRUCTION OF IH 35, IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROJECT CONNECT TRANSIT SYSTEM, COMPLETION OF WATERLOO GREENWAY, UM, INCLUDING IMPROVEMENTS TO PALM PARK.
IN ADDITION TO INITIATING A PLANNING PROCESS, THE RESOLUTION THAT WAS ADOPTED BY CITY COUNCIL IN 2019 PROVIDED DIRECTION ON SEVERAL ADDITIONAL ITEMS THAT ARE MOVING FORWARD INDEPENDENTLY.
AND THE PLANNING PROCESS IS INFORMED BY AND WILL INFORM THE OTHER WORK REFERENCED IN THE RESOLUTION.
SINCE THE BEGINNING OF 2021, WE HAVE WORKED TO ENGAGE STAKEHOLDERS, UNDERSTAND EXISTING CONDITIONS, SUPPORT, COORDINATION OF RELATED INITIATIVES, AND TO DEVELOP A SHARED VISION FOR THE DISTRICT THAT BUILDS ON WORK ALREADY UNDERWAY.
UM, WE RELEASED THE PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT OF
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THE PALM DISTRICT PLAN, UM, EARLIER THIS MONTH, UM, AND ARE, UM, HOPING TO BE ABLE TO GO TO PLANNING COMMISSION THIS MONTH.AND THEN, UM, CITY COUNCIL FOR ADOPTION CONSIDERATION IN DECEMBER.
THROUGHOUT THIS, THIS PROCESS, WE'VE APPROACHED THE WORK THROUGH AN EQUITY LENS AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO BE GUIDED BY EQUITY GOALS AS WE MOVE THROUGH IMPLEMENTATION.
THROUGHOUT 2021 AND 2022, WE CONDUCTED A NUMBER OF SIGNIFICANT PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES THAT I'LL TALK ABOUT IN THE FOLLOWING SLIDES.
IN LARGE PART TO TARGETED OUTREACH SUPPORT THAT WE RECEIVED, UM, FROM OUR CONSULTANT, MARTHA CORA, PARTICIPATION IN THE SURVEYS HAS BEEN FAIRLY DIVERSE.
UM, PARTICULARLY, UM, WITH THE SORT OF EXTRA OUTREACH TO THE HISPANIC AND LATINX COMMUNITIES, UM, WE RECEIVED 55% OF INDIVIDUALS PARTICIPATING IN THE VISIONING SURVEY IDENTIFIED AS EITHER HISPANIC OR LATINX.
IN JUNE OF 2021, WE HOSTED TWO WELL-ATTENDED VISIONING FORUMS. RECEIVED OVER 372 UNIQUE COMMENTS ABOUT HOW THOSE PARTICIPATING IN THOSE FORUMS WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE PALM DISTRICT EVOLVE OVER TIME.
UM, A LOT OF THE CONVERSATION REALLY FOCUSED AROUND, UM, THE SORT OF, UH, CULTURAL, UM, HISTORY OF THE PLACE AND SORT OF EMPHASIZING THAT AND THE WORK THAT WE DO ACROSS ALL ASPECTS.
THROUGH, THROUGH INDIVIDUAL INTERVIEWS AND FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSIONS, OUR CONSULTANT, MARTHA CERA AND HER TEAM, REACHED OUT TO A VARIETY OF KEY ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS, UM, REPRESENTING EAST AUSTIN, MEXICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY, AS WELL AS THOSE WITH CULTURAL TIES TO THE DISTRICT.
THE RESULTS OF THIS WORK WERE INCORPORATED INTO THE LISTENING REPORT, UM, WHICH IS AVAILABLE ON THE WEBPAGE THAT I'LL GIVE YOU HERE IN A MINUTE.
UM, AND WE'LL ALSO BE DOCUMENTED IN A FINAL REPORT, UM, PREPARED BY THE CONSULTANT THAT WILL BE SHARED VIA THE PROJECT WEBPAGE.
UM, WE ALSO HAD A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS, UM, WHO THROUGH THEIR COMMUNITIES BY DESIGN PROGRAM, UM, THEY PROVIDED RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ARE SUMMARIZED IN THE LISTENING REPORT AND PRESENTED IN A DETAILED RECOMMENDATIONS REPORT FROM THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS, ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE PROJECT WEBPAGE.
UM, KEY IDEAS FROM THAT AIA WORK INCLUDED BEING SUPER INTENTIONAL WITH CULTURE AND PLACE MAKING THROUGH PUBLIC ART AND LEVERAGING PUBLICLY CONTROLLED SITES TO ACHIEVE THE VISION.
THE PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT OF THE PALM DISTRICT PLAN INCLUDES A VISION AND DESIRED OUTCOMES FOR THE PALM DISTRICT.
IT IDENTIFIES A PREFERRED, UM, DEVELOPMENT SCENARIO AND MAKES RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACTIONS THAT SHOULD BE TAKEN TO MOVE TOWARDS THE VISION AND THE PREFERRED SCENARIO.
THE VISION FOR THE DISTRICT IS REALLY THAT IT BECOME A VIBRANT, HISTORIC HUB OF DOWNTOWN, WHERE THE PASS IS HONORED, CULTURE IS CELEBRATED, AND THE FUTURE IS SHAPED.
AND THE VISION RELIES ON BALANCING INHERENT CONFLICTS WITHIN THE DISTRICT IN A WAY THAT ALLOWS THE CREATION, OR ALLOWS THE TENSION ACTUALLY TO SUPPORT THE ONGOING DYNAMISM OF THE PLACE WHERE DENSE TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT IS BALANCED WITH HISTORY AND NATURAL SPACES, UM, WHERE IT'S A DYNAMIC PLACE GROWING AND EVOLVING WHILE ACTIVELY SERVING FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE HISTORICALLY CALLED THE PLACE HOME AND CULTIVATING CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION THROUGHOUT.
NEXT SLIDE, THE EL THE, THE VISION IS BROKEN UP INTO FOUR THEMATIC ELEMENTS.
THE FIRST ELEMENT REALLY LOOKS AT ENSURING THAT GROWTH IN THE DISTRICT WILL PROVIDE A PROSPEROUS FUTURE FOR LONG TIME RESIDENTS, UM, LONG TIME AND RECENT RESIDENTS AND ESTABLISHED AND NEW BUSINESSES.
THE SECOND ELEMENT OF THE VISION, UM, CALLS FOR ENSURING THAT THE DISTRICT BECOMES A CULTURAL DESTINATION THAT CELEBRATES ITS MULTICULTURAL HERITAGE.
THE THIRD ELEMENT OF THE VISION CALLS FOR STRENGTHENING THE PHYSICAL, CULTURAL, AND SOCIAL CONNECTIONS WITHIN DOWNTOWN AND BETWEEN EAST AUSTIN AND DOWNTOWN.
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, UM, THE FOURTH ELEMENT CALLS FOR PRESERVING AND ENHANCING THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT BY RESTORING EXISTING NATURAL AND OPEN SPACES AND PURSUING HIGH STANDARDS OF SUSTAINABLE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT, UM, WITH A FOCUS ON GRAIN INFRASTRUCTURE THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT.
THE DRAFT VISION FRAMEWORK IDENTIFIES APPROXIMATELY 50 DESIRED OUTCOMES.
ACROSS THESE FOUR THEMES, THE DESIRED OUTCOMES VARY AND LEVEL OF DETAIL, UM, AND IN SOME CASES, WORK IS ALREADY UNDERWAY THAT WILL MOVE TOWARDS A PARTICULAR OUTCOME.
IN SUMMER OF 2022, WE PARTNERED WITH THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE WHO RETAINED SURA ROBINSON TO SUPPORT A SCENARIO PLANNING ACTIVITY THAT LED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THREE WHAT IF SCENARIOS FOR HOW THE DISTRICT MIGHT DEVELOP OVER TIME.
UM, AT THE CONCLU, THE TEAM HOSTED SIX WORKSHOPS WITH KEY STAKEHOLDERS IN AUGUST AND WORKED TO IDENTIFY FEASIBLE WAYS THAT THE DISTRICT COULD DEVELOP OVER TIME TO MOVE TOWARDS THE ASPIRATIONS THAT ARE EXPRESS EXPRESSED IN THE VISION FRAMEWORK.
[00:25:01]
AT THE CONCLUSION OF THESE WORKSHOPS, THE TEAM DEVELOPED THREE USER EXPERIENCE FOCUSED, UM, SCENARIOS AROUND THE CONCEPTS OF LIVING IN THE DISTRICT, WORKING IN THE DISTRICT, AND PLAYING IN THE DISTRICT.THE PREFERRED SCENARIO THAT'S INCLUDED IN THE DRAFT PLAN BUILDS ON THE LIVE, WORK AND PLAY SCENARIOS, AND IS GUIDED BY THE RESULTS OF A SURVEY WHERE RESPONDENTS WERE ASKED TO RANK SCENARIOS AND TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK.
MOST RESPONDENTS FAVORED THE LIVE SCENARIO AND EMPHASIZED THE DESIRE FOR MORE HOUSING IN THE FUTURE GROWTH OF THE PALM DISTRICT, ALONG WITH SUPPORTIVE CULTURAL USES, UM, THAT WOULD SUPPORT FOLK, ADDITIONAL FOLKS LIVING IN THAT DISTRICT.
THE PREFERRED SCENARIO, UM, WHICH IS PRESENTED IN THE DRAFT PLAN, ENVISIONS THE PALM DISTRICT AS A THRIVING 24 HOUR A DAY COMMUNITY PRIORITIZES STRATEGIC PLACEMENT OF GOODS AND SERVICES, PRIORITIZES MIXED USE BUILDINGS WITH GROUND FLOOR SPACE FOR RETAIL.
UM, CREATES NEW WORK OR PRACTICE SPACES FOR THE, FOR PALM DISTRICT'S, CREATIVE AND INVA CREATIVE AND INNOVATION INDUSTRIES, UM, AND SUPPORTS NEW TOURISTS AND ENTERTAINMENT INVESTMENTS.
UM, IT'S ALSO BUILT OBVIOUSLY ON THE SPINE OF THE WATERLOO GREENWAY, WHICH IS PROBABLY NEAR AND DEAR, UM, TO THIS BOARD'S HEART.
AND THEN THE PLAN, UM, INCLUDES AN IMPLEMENTATION SECTION, WHICH SORT OF DIVES INTO THE DETAILS OF ACTIONS THAT WOULD BE TAKEN TO IMPLEMENT THE DESIRED OUTCOMES.
UM, THE IMPLEMENTATION SECTION ALSO TEES UP A CONVERSATION AROUND IMPLEMENTATION GOVERNANCE.
UM, AT A MINIMUM THE HOUSING AND PLANNING DEPARTMENT WOULD BE MONITORING PLAN IMPLEMENTATION AS WE DO WITH OTHER SMALL AREA PLANS.
BUT THERE HAS BEEN, UM, QUITE A BIT OF CONVERSATION IN THE COMMUNITY WITH A DESIRE TO POTENTIALLY IDENTIFY A NEW ORGANIZATION, UM, THAT COULD SHEPHERD IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PLAN ACROSS ALL OF THE DIFFERENT ASPECTS, INCLUDING THE NATURAL, CULTURAL AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT ASPECTS OF THE PLAN.
SO, CALENDAR WISE, PUBLIC REVIEW, DRAFT PLAN, UM, THAT WE DEFINITELY INVITE YOU ALL TO TAKE A LOOK AT, UM, IS AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW.
WE'RE ASKING FOR COMMENTS ON THAT PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT PLAN BY THIS FRIDAY, BUT NEVER FEAR.
WE WILL BE PUBLISHING A RECOMMENDED DRAFT, UM, NEXT WEEK.
THAT WILL THEN BE THE DRAFT THAT KIND OF MOVES THROUGH THE, UM, PLANNING COMMISSION AND COUNCIL ADOPTION PROCESS.
SO FEEL FREE IF YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO REVIEW IT BY FRIDAY, GREAT.
PROVIDE, YOU KNOW, FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE COMMENTS TO STAFF OR I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AND TAKE COMMENTS TONIGHT.
UM, AND IF YOU DON'T GET THROUGH IT
UM, WE WILL BE ASKING CITY COUNCIL TO, UM, CITY COUNCIL WILL BE HOSTING A HEARING AND CONSIDERING ADOPTION OF THE PLAN AT THEIR DECEMBER 1ST MEETING.
UM, AND THEN WE'LL BE MOVING INTO IMPLEMENTATION ACTIVITIES, UM, IN 2023.
AND FINAL, AND YOU CAN FIND ALL OF THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROJECT@SPEAKUPAUSTIN.ORG SLASH PALM DISTRICT.
OR YOU CAN ALSO PROVIDE EMAIL, PHONE, UM, FEEL FREE TO CALL ME MAILING OR VIA EMAIL TO ME AS WELL.
UM, AND WITH THAT, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS OR TAKE ANY FEEDBACK YOU'D FEEL LIKE PROVIDING THIS EVENING.
ANYBODY ON THE BOARD HAVE A COMMENT OR QUESTION? MAYBE SOME MORE DETAIL ON THE, THE GOVERNANCE OPTIONS SECTION WHERE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE NEW ORGANIZATION THAT WOULD TRY AND SHEPHERD THROUGH THE DIFFERENT IMPLEMENTATION PHASES.
MAYBE JUST A BIT MORE BACKGROUND ON THAT AND WHAT KIND OF RISKS A NEW ORGANIZATION WE TRY AND ALLEVIATE.
SO THIS IS A DISTRICT THAT IS NOT WANTING FOR ORGANIZATIONS.
UM, SO PALM DISTRICT HAS THE WALLER CREEK LOCAL GOVERNMENT CORPORATION.
IT'S GOT WATERLOO GREENWAY, IT'S GOT DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE, YOU KNOW, COVERS A, UM, IT'S GOT A TOUR ZONE, SO THERE COULD BE SOME AUSTIN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION INVOLVEMENT.
SO IT'S NOT A, IT'S NOT A DISTRICT THAT'S LACKING ORGANIZATIONS, BUT WE, AND YOU KNOW, THE MAC AND UM, MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER OBVIOUSLY HAS A BOARD OF ITS OWN, SO THERE'S A LOT OF CITY INTERESTS IN THE DISTRICT AS WELL, CONVENTION CENTER.
UM, BUT WE DID HEAR QUITE A BIT OF INPUT FROM COMMUNITY OF SORT OF A DESIRE TO KEEP US HONEST ON MOVING FORWARD WITH THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ARE BEING MADE IN THE PLAN AND TO COORDINATE ACROSS ALL OF THOSE MAJOR, UM, ASPECTS OF WORK THAT ARE MOVING FORWARD.
SO THERE WAS LOTS OF COMMUNITY DESIRE TO POTENTIALLY EVEN CREATE A NEW ORGANIZATION, UM, THAT WOULD BE ABLE TO SHEPHERD IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PLAN AND KIND OF COORDINATE ACROSS WATERLOO, GREENWAY AND CONVENTION CENTER AND IH 35 RECONSTRUCTION AND ALL OF THE SORT OF BIG THINGS THAT ARE MOVING IN THE DISTRICT TO MAKE
[00:30:01]
SURE THAT THOSE DESIRES, UM, AROUND PRESERVATION AND DESIRES AROUND CULTURAL ACTIVATION, UM, REALLY KIND OF ROSE TO THE TOP OF, OF SOME OF THOSE OTHER EFFORTS AND TO COORDINATE ACROSS THEM.UM, WHAT WE ARE RECOMMENDING IS REALLY TO HAVE SOME, POTENTIALLY HAVE SOME CONVERSATIONS WITH THE EXISTING GOVERNANCE STRUCTURES THAT ALREADY EXIST TO SEE IF THERE IS A POSSIBILITY OF BROADENING THE SCOPE OF THOSE, UM, YOU KNOW, OR SETTING ASIDE A, LIKE IF IT WAS DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE AS AN EXAMPLE, HAVING A COMMITTEE THAT WAS SPECIFICALLY FOCUSED ON THIS DISTRICT RATHER THAN NECESSARILY LIKE RECREATING THE WHEEL.
UM, SO WE WILL BE, UM, WORKING, UH, IN, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS AND THE STAKEHOLDERS THAT ARE IN THE DISTRICT, UM, OVER THE MONTHS AHEAD TO, TO TRY TO IDENTIFY WHETHER THERE IS AN OPTION, UM, FOR, FOR REPURPOSING CHANGING THE SCOPE OF CREATING A COMMITTEE OF ONE OF THOSE EXISTING ENTITIES TO BE ABLE TO SHEPHERD THE PLAN FORWARD.
UM, I DON'T THINK STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION IS GONNA BE TO CREATE A NEW BODY BECAUSE IT FEELS LIKE THERE'S A LOT OF BODIES ALREADY WORKING IN THIS SPACE.
UM, BUT WE WANT TO HONOR THE, THE INPUT THAT WE'VE RECEIVED THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE SOMEBODY, UM, OTHER THAN JUST PLANNING STAFF WORKING TO COORDINATE ACROSS ALL OF THOSE MAJOR, UM, EFFORTS AND INITIATIVES THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THIS ONE VERY SMALL PART OF DOWNTOWN AUSTIN.
I HAVE A QUESTION, UM, ON YOUR CHART, PAGE 26, YOU MENTIONED THE CAP AND STITCH.
SO PALM DISTRICT BUTTS UP AGAINST I 35.
IT JUST MAKES SENSE THAT YOU WOULD INCORPORATE ANY PARKLAND THAT ARISES OUT OF THAT.
SO WHAT WOULD YOUR PLANS BE? BECAUSE THAT REALLY IS THE LINK BETWEEN THE, YOU KNOW, THE EAST SIDE.
YEAH, SO THE PLAN, THE PALM DISTRICT PLAN PRESENTS A FEW SCENARIOS JUST FOR SORT OF ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES THAT WOULD HAVE, UM, A BLEND OF, UH, PARKLAND BASED CAPS AND POTENTIALLY SMALL BUILDINGS THAT COULD PROVIDE SOME ADDITIONAL, UM, EITHER RETAIL SPACE OR CULTURAL SPACE IN ADDITION TO JUST STRAIGHT PARKLAND.
THAT'S A CONCEPT THAT CAME OUTTA THE PALM DISTRICT PLAN.
UM, BUT I DO WANT TO CAUTION THAT THE PALM DISTRICT PLAN KIND OF THE, THE VISION AND INFORMATION, ONCE COUNCIL ADOPTS THIS IN DECEMBER, WE'LL BE FLOWING INTO A MUCH MORE FOCUSED COMMUNITY CONVERSATION AROUND CAPPING AND STITCHING.
UM, THAT'S BEING LED OUT OF OUR, UM, QUARTER PROGRAM OFFICE WHO I THINK IS JUST ABOUT TO, IF THEY HAVEN'T ALREADY GONE OUT WITH INITIAL PUBLIC SURVEYING, TO REALLY START TO HAVE A LARGER PUBLIC CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT, WHAT KIND, WHAT CAPS WEAR, HOW WE PROGRAM THEM, UM, HOW WE FUND THEM.
SO THE, THE PALM DISTRICT PLAN IS KIND OF THE BEGINNING OF A CONVERSATION, BUT OUR HOPE IS THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO TURN THE DRAFT PLAN AND KIND OF THE GUIDANCE AROUND PARTICULARLY CULTURAL USES CONNECTIONS ACROSS I 35, UM, HOW THE GREEN SPACE MIGHT INTERACT WITH THE OTHER GREEN SPACES THAT ARE ALREADY IN THE DISTRICT LIKE WATERLOO GREENWAY AND PALM PARK, UM, AND BE ABLE TO HAVE THAT SORT OF BROADER DISTRICT SCALE CONVERSATION INFORM THE MORE SPECIFICS THAT ARE GONNA COME OUT OF THE QUARTER PROGRAM OFFICE LED COMMUNITY CONVERSATION.
IT'S GONNA BE A LONG AND FASCINATING CONVERSATION, HOPEFULLY NOT TOO LONG, BUT THANKS.
ANY, ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS OVER HERE? UH, I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, BUT, UH, THANKS FOR COMING TO PRESENT AND I HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW THE ENTIRE DRAFT PLAN, BUT LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT
UM, AND I DID WANNA SAY, I JUST, I WROTE THIS DOWN CUZ I REALLY LIKE THAT VISION STATEMENT THAT Y'ALL HAD IN THE PLAN.
THE PAST'S HONORED CULTURE IS CELEBRATED AND FUTURE IS SHAPED.
SO, UM, YEAH, LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING MORE ABOUT IT.
AND I DIDN'T GET ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE PLAN.
I THINK IT WAS POSTED LATE, BUT IF I DIDN'T JUST SEE IT BEFORE, BUT I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUICK QUESTIONS.
UM, ONE OF THEM IS, IS ANYONE ALREADY WORKING ON SOME SORT OF A HISTORY WALK OR SIGNAGE OR AN, ANY KIND OF ILLUMINATION ALONG LOWER WALLER CREEK? SO THERE'S TWO THINGS.
ONE IS THE WATERLOO GREENWAY PROJECT PROCEEDS AND DESIGN.
I THINK THEY'RE ALMOST, I THINK THEY'RE OUT TO BID NOW FOR THE CONFLUENCE PORTION OF THE WATERLOO GREENWAY PROJECT, WHICH BASICALLY IS THE, UM, PORTION OF WATERLOO GREENWAY AND THE POTENTIAL FUTURE TRAIL SYSTEM THAT'S SOUTH OF PALM PARK TO THE TIE IN THE CONFLUENCE WITH LADYBIRD LAKE.
UM, AND DEFINITELY TRAILS AND SIGNAGE ARE ALL ENVISIONED TO BE SOMETHING THAT WILL BE PART OF THAT.
UM, IS, IS THAT ALREADY THAT PHASE OF WATERLOO GREENWAY? I BELIEVE THEY'RE OUT TO BID AND THAT CONSTRUCTION ACTUALLY IS BEGINNING.
UM, I'M WORRIED ABOUT THE SIGNAGE EARLY.
THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE PATH THOUGH IS MY QUESTION.
SO THE, SO SIGNAGE ALONG WATERLOO GREENWAY, THERE WILL BE SIGNAGE ALONG WITH IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GREENWAY PROJECT.
[00:35:01]
UM, I MEAN THEY'LL BUILD THE TRAILS AND THEN PROVIDE SIGNAGE ON THE TRAILS.IN ADDITION TO THAT, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, UM, HAS PROVIDED SOME PRELIMINARY SIGNAGE RELATED TO THE MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL, UM, RESOURCES THAT ARE IN THE AREA.
THEY'VE ACTUALLY PROVIDED SORT OF INTERIM SIGNAGE THAT'S OUT THERE TODAY, UM, AND ARE WORKING ON A PROJECT TO DEVELOP A CULTURAL WAY FINDING PROGRAM THAT WOULD POTENTIALLY DEVELOP ADDITIONAL SIGNAGE MOVING FORWARD.
UM, AND I KNOW THAT THE GREENWAY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HAVE BEEN, AND OUR FOLKS AT AT PAR AS WELL AS WATERSHED THAT WORK ON THE GREENWAY PROJECT HAVE ALL BEEN TRYING TO COORDINATE TO FIGURE OUT HOW ALL THOSE VARIOUS SIGNAGE, UM, REGIMES ARE GOING TO WORK TOGETHER.
BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY WE, YOU KNOW, WE'LL HAVE ONE SET OF SIGNAGE KIND OF FOLLOWING THE, THE WATER OF THE GREENWAY AND THEN IF THEY, WE BRING IN CULTURAL SIGNAGE THAT'S SORT OF INTERSECTING ACROSS IT FOR THE CULTURAL RESOURCES LIKE THAT.
THERE'S AN INTERESTING POTENTIAL THERE OF HAVING DIFFERENT FLAVORS OF LINEAGE FOR DIFFERENT THINGS.
UM, SO I KNOW COORDINATION IS HAPPENING BETWEEN BOTH OF THOSE EFFORTS AND SIGNAGE IS DEFINITELY A NEAR TERM, UM, THING THAT YOU'LL SEE ON THE GROUND FOR BOTH.
SO THAT'S ED D PART AND WATERLOO GREENWAY WORKING ON THAT? YEAH.
MY OTHER QUESTION IS, IS THIS GOING TO BE COMING BACK TO US FOR RECOMMENDATION BEFORE COUNSEL? IT WILL NOT BE.
IS THERE A REASON FOR THAT? UM, THE ONLY STATUTORY, ACTUALLY, THIS IS GONNA BE COMING AS AN AMENDMENT TO THE IMAGINE AUSTIN PLAN AND THE PLANNING COMMISSION IS REALLY THE, THE BODY THAT WE, UM, NEED TO GET A RECOMMENDATION FROM FOR THAT.
I DON'T KNOW THAT YOU'RE POSTED FOR, I DON'T THINK YOU'RE, I THINK YOU'RE JUST POSTED FOR A BRIEFING THIS EVENING, ALTHOUGH I DON'T KNOW THAT FOR CERTAIN.
YEAH, IT'S THE FIRST WE'VE SEEN IT.
THAT'S WHY I WAS CURIOUS IF IT WAS PLANNING TO COME BACK WITH THAT.
YEAH, AND I DON'T THINK WE, WE HAD NOT BEEN ABLE TO DO A BRIEFING WITH YOU ALL PREVIOUSLY, BUT WE HAVE PROVIDED SEMI-REGULAR UPDATES TO BOARD AND COMMISSIONS AND SHARED THE DOCUMENT OUT.
WE ACTUALLY KICKED OFF THE PLANNING PROCESS, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, BACK IN EARLY 2020, UM, AND THEN HAD COVID KIND OF STOP US IN OUR TRACKS AND THEN WE REBOOTED THE, THE KIND OF KICKOFF OF THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROCESS AT THE BEGINNING OF 2021.
UM, WE HAVE BEEN DOING OUR BEST TO SHARE INFORMATION, UM, WITH ALL OF THE RELEVANT BOARDS COMMISSIONS, UM, BUT HAVE NOT NECESSARILY BEEN INVITED FOR BRIEFINGS AT EVERY SINGLE STAGE OF THE PROCESS.
SO APOLOGIES FOR THIS BEING KIND OF THE FIRST TIME THAT WE ARE STANDING BEFORE YOU BRIEFING YOU, WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO COME BACK WITH THE FINAL THING? YEAH, I'D BE HAPPY TO COME BACK AND PROVIDE A BRIEFING FOR SURE.
I'D LIKE TO SEE IT AND, UM, I, I KNOW I WOULD YES.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE WHAT COMES UP.
YEAH, I HAVE A, I HAVE A, YEAH, I HAVE AN AX TO GRIND THERE, SO
YEAH, AND I'M, I'M HAPPY TO, TO PROVIDE THAT PRESENTATION.
UM, PARTICULARLY IF WE, IF IT'S HAPPENING ON INTO NEXT YEAR, I'D BE HAPPY TO EVEN TRY TO DO A VERY FOCUSED, LASER FOCUSED AND TARGETED PRESENTATION ON THE PARKS RELATED ELEMENTS OF THE PLAN.
WHICH I APOLOGIZE FOR TONIGHT'S NOT HAVING BEEN THAT THAT'S OKAY.
AND MAYBE WE CAN PUT THAT, SO WE'LL KEEP THAT ON THE, ON THE HORIZON.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION TONIGHT.
UM, NO, IT'S JUST SO ONE, YEAH, I APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION.
UNDERSTAND THIS IS ON THE DISTRICT PLAN AND THAT AT SOME POINT ANY OF THE PARK ITEMS THAT WILL COME THROUGH THAT WILL BE, THAT WILL INVOLVE SOME DECISION MAKING OR APPROVAL OF ANY SUBSEQUENT PLANS FOR SURE.
SO I, I APPRECIATE THAT INFORMATION.
UM, DO YOU HAVE A QUICK QUESTION ON, OR A COUPLE QUICK QUESTIONS? SO ON THE OVERALL PLAN, AND YOU, YOU DID ANSWER IT WITH IT UPDATING THE 2012 IMAGINE AUSTIN PLAN.
SO THAT WAS HELPFUL CAUSE I WAS LIKE, OKAY, HOW DO WE LOOK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHO'S GONNA BE IMPLEMENTING WHAT IT WAS, IS JUST GOING TO GO AHEAD AND DRIVE PUBLIC DECISIONS AND INVESTMENTS.
UM, AND SO THAT'S AN ANSWER YES.
GOING THROUGH THE ACTION PLAN.
BUT WHEN I LOOK AT VERTICAL MIXED USE THAT IS PROGRAMMED IN HERE, WILL THERE BE, UM, SOME RECOMMENDED CHANGES TO CODE THAT'S GONNA BE NEAT TO HAPPEN? YEAH, THAT'S A A GOOD QUESTION.
SO THE PREFERRED SCENARIO THAT'S PRESENTED SHOULD DEFINITELY BE SEEN AS KIND OF AN ASPIRATIONAL SCENARIO THAT WE WOULD NEED TO TAKE STEPS TO HAVE HAPPEN.
LIKE THE, THE MAP AND THE SCENARIO ALONE WON'T MAKE THOSE STEPS HAPPEN.
MOST OF THIS AREA IS ALREADY COVERED BY CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT ZONING.
UM, MUCH THE AREA IS ALREADY COVERED BY OUR EXISTING DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS PROGRAMS AND THAT, THAT'S KIND OF THE REGULATORY, THERE'S, THAT'S WHAT'S THERE.
UM, WE DO PLAN SOME OF THE IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS THAT WILL BE COMING BACK WITH NEXT YEAR.
UM, WE ARE PLANNING TO INITIATE A CODE AMENDMENT THAT WOULD, UM, AT LEAST INCORPORATE SOME STANDARDS THAT CAME OUT OF THE WALLER CREEK DESIGN GUIDELINES RELATING TO BUSINESS, RELATING TO BUILDING SETBACKS ALONG THE CREEK, UM, THAT WERE STANDARDS THAT GOT AS FAR AS BEING INCLUDED IN DRAFT TWO OF THE LDC REWRITE PROJECT BEFORE THAT PROJECT GOT PAUSED.
SO THAT'S SORT OF THE, THE SPECIFIC KIND OF SHORT TERM,
[00:40:01]
UM, IMPROVEMENT.THE PLAN COULD GUIDE FUTURE CONVERSATIONS AROUND DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS.
UM, WE ARE NOT PLANNING UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE PALM DISTRICT PLAN TO INITIATE AN AMENDMENT TO DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS, BUT THE PLAN, IF WE'RE DOING AN AMENDMENT TO THE OVERALL THE PLAN COULD ACTU COULD ABSOLUTLY DRIVE THAT.
UM, AND THEN I ALSO WANTED TO JUST SORT OF MENTION AS PART OF THE ANSWER TO THE, THE KIND OF QUESTION COORDINATION WITH THE PARKS PIECE OF IT, UM, WE HAVE HAD STAFF, UM, SEVERAL STAFF FROM SEVERAL DIFFERENT PORTIONS OF PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT THAT HAVE BEEN SERVING ON THE PLANNING TEAM, UM, TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP FOR THIS EFFORT AND HAVE HAD A CHANCE TO SORT OF REVIEW AND PROVIDE FEEDBACK ON ALL OF THE LANGUAGE.
SO IF YOU SEE PARKS RELATED LANGUAGE IN THERE, UM, IT'S AT LEAST BEEN VETTED BY PARKS DEPARTMENT STAFF THAT'S NOT, UM,
SO I, I DEFINITELY WANNA KINDA LET Y'ALL KNOW THAT, THAT THAT CONVERSATION COORDINATION HAS BEEN HAPPENING.
AND I GUESS THE LAST THING YOU, WHEN WE THINK OF PALM DISTRICT, THE NUMBER ONE THING THAT I'VE HEARD OVER THE, THE, THE YEARS BEING ON THE BOARD HAS BEEN OF COURSE RELATING TO WHAT HAPPENS WITH PALM PALM SCHOOL AND YOU KNOW, AND SO I KNOW THERE'S THAT PUSH AND PULL BETWEEN THE COUNTY.
HAS THERE BEEN, AND I THINK I'VE LOST TRACK OF WHAT'S HAPPENED GOING THROUGH COVID.
UM, I KNOW I ATTENDED A LOT OF THOSE MEETINGS ORIGINALLY AND THERE'S SO MUCH PASSION AND SO MUCH HISTORY WITHIN, UH, AUSTIN'S LATINO COMMUNITY, PARTICULARLY EAST AUSTIN COM COMMUNITY WHO FELT BIFURCATED FROM THEIR SCHOOL AND THEIR COMMUNITY AND THEN, YOU KNOW, FURTHER, YOU KNOW, DISPLACE, UM, OR IF YOU'RE IN THE CASE OF RAINY STREET, YOU KNOW, REALLY SEPARATED, UM, BACK IN THE DAY.
SO HAS, IS THERE AN UPDATE THAT YOU CAN PROVIDE ON ANY DISCUSSIONS? YEAH, WE, I MEAN THE TRAVIS COUNTY, UM, AT THE STAFF LEVEL IS DEFINITELY A PARTNER OF THIS PLANNING PROCESS.
THEY'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN PROVIDING INPUT AND FEEDBACK AND INVOLVED IN THE STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOPS THAT WE HAD TO DEVELOP THE PREFERRED SCENARIO.
UM, THERE IS SORT OF LANGUAGE THAT RELATES TO THE TRAVIS COUNTY OWNERSHIP OF THE PALM SCHOOL SITE.
THEY OBVIOUSLY ARE STILL THE OWNERS OF THE SITE.
UM, AT THIS POINT THE TRAVIS COUNTY FUNCTIONS HAVE MOVED OUT OF THAT SITE AND ARE OCCUPYING THE, THEIR NEW BUILDINGS IN THE AIRPORT BOULEVARD CAMPUS.
UM, AND TRAVIS COUNTY ANTICIPATES, UM, GOING THROUGH A PROCESS TO DETERMINE SORT OF FUTURE DISPENSATION OF THE SITE AND HOW THEY'RE GONNA APPROACH IT.
UM, AND THE PALM DISTRICT PLANNING INITIATIVE WILL DEFINITELY GUIDE, PROVIDE INPUT TO THAT PROCESS, BUT THAT WILL BE AN ADDITIONAL, UM, PUBLIC PROCESS THAT THE COUNTY WILL BE HOSTING.
SO AS FAR AS THE DIRECTION UNDER THE PLAN WAS THERE, BECAUSE YOU HAD SO MANY OF THE, THE REAL COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE, ARE FOCUSED LIKE A LASER ON THAT PARCEL PART OF IT, WERE THEY SEEING THE OPPORTUNITY TO TIE INTO THE PARK LAND THAT'S RIGHT NEXT TO IT, RIGHT PALM MM-HMM.
UM, PALM PARK IS OBVIOUSLY CITY OWNED ASSET.
UM, IT'S A PORTION OF THE WATERLOO GREENWAY.
WE ARE ACTUALLY EXPECTING THAT WATERLOO AND THE CITY WOULD PARTNER ON DESIGN OF THAT, UM, BEGINNING AS SOON AS FALL OR MOVING INTO JANUARY.
PALM SCHOOL SITE, TRAVIS COUNTY OWNED THAT TIMING MAY BE VERY SIMILAR ON THE COUNTY'S SIDE.
SO I THINK THAT WHAT WE HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR FROM THE PUBLIC IS MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE DESIGNING THOSE TWO TOGETHER.
AND I THINK WE'RE CAPABLE OF DOING THAT, UM, WITH, EVEN WITH TWO DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS OWNING THE TWO PARCELS, UM, THE HOW YOU DO THAT TOGETHER PIECE WAS REALLY ALL OVER THE BOARD.
WE HAD COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT WERE LIKE SQUEEZE HOUSING ON, ON EVERY, YOU KNOW, LIKE, YOU CAN DO THAT AND STILL PUT HOUSING ON THAT SITE.
UM, THEN WE HAD OTHER COMMUNITY MEMBERS FEELING LIKE THERE SHOULD BE NO ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT ADDED TO THE SITE OTHER THAN PROVIDING ADDITIONAL GREEN SPACE.
UM, AND THAT THE, THE PALM SCHOOL BUILDING SHOULD BE A HUNDRED PERCENT USED FOR CULTURAL USES.
SO YOU'LL SEE THAT IN THE, THAT IN THE DISTRICT PLAN THAT WE HOPE, HOPE WILL BE ABLE TO GUIDE THE CONVERSATIONS THAT BOTH THE COUNTY IS HOSTING AND THE CONVERSATION THAT THE GREENWAY IS HOSTING AROUND PALM PARK.
UM, BUT I THINK THE MAIN GOAL IS JUST THAT THOSE TWO CONVERSATIONS HAPPEN IN CONCERT WITH ONE ANOTHER AND NOT IN A VACUUM.
THANKS FOR YOUR TIME AND WE'LL LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING IT MORE DEPTH.
[3. Staff briefing on trash in creeks. Andrew Clamann, Environmental Scientist Sr., Watershed Protection.]
WE'RE MOVING ON TO ITEM UH, THREE UNDER STAFF BRIEFINGS, WHICH IS STAFF BRIEFING ON TRASH AND CREEKS FROM ANDREW.AND I'M SORRY, I'M NOT SURE HOW TO PRONOUNCE YOUR LAST NAME.
[00:45:05]
FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST.UH, HE IN THE WATERSHED PROTECTION.
SO I'M SORRY IF YOU COULD TELL US HOW TO PRONOUNCE YOUR NAME.
UH, SO, UH, YES I AM FROM WATERSHED PROTECTION.
I'M IN A SMALL GROUP CALLED APPLIED WATERSHED RESEARCH.
UM, WE'RE THE TEAM, MY TEAM AT LEAST DOES A LOT OF THE WATER QUALITY MONITORING IN THE LAKES, IN THE CREEKS WE BRING YOU THINGS LIKE SIANO TOXINS, BLUE GREEN ALGAE AND UH, AND OTHER EMERGING CONTAMINANTS AND FUN STUFF LIKE THAT.
UH, BACK IN 2020, UH, CITY OF COUNCIL, UH, STARTED TO UH, GET MORE INTERESTED IN THE, WHAT IT WAS, THE PERCEIVED INCREASE IN TRASH AND CREEKS AND JUST TRASH AROUND TOWN IN GENERAL AND ALSO SCOOTERS.
AND SO THEY, UH, C I R 2 2 34 IF YOU COULD.
UH, HAD A LOT A LAUNDRY LIST OF DELIVERABLES AND MOST OF THOSE WERE, UH, PROVIDED THEM EARLY ON.
BUT, UH, THE ONE THING THAT WE COULDN'T DO RIGHT AWAY WAS PROVIDE THEM WITH, UH, THIS CURRENT DATA AND TR AND MAPS AND LIKELY SOURCES.
UH, WE LOOKED THROUGH ALL OUR PREVIOUS DATA, WE COULDN'T, UH, PROVIDE THAT KIND OF THING AND THERE WAS NO BENCHMARK REFERENCE POINT TO KNOW WHETHER IT'S INCREASING OR NOT.
I'D BEEN LOOKING IN THESE CREEKS FOR 18 YEARS, THAT 160 SITES AROUND TOWN TAKING WATER QUALITY AND I HADN'T PERSONALLY SEEN ANY INCREASE IN TRASH OVER THOSE ALMOST TWO DECADES.
UH, BUT I DIDN'T WANNA SAY THAT WAS THE CASE CUZ I'D ONLY SEEN THESE, UH, SITES OVER AND OVER.
SO WE NEEDED TO EMBARK ON MORE SCIENTIFIC, UH, STUDY THAT COULD GIVE US, UH, STATISTICALLY RELEVANT AND, UH, CORRELATIONS.
UH, IN ADDITION, THEY WANTED A BENCHMARK REPORT.
LOOK AROUND AT ALL THE CITIES AND EVEN GLOBALLY AND SEE WHAT ARE OTHER CITIES DOING? HOW ARE THEY APPROACHING THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE WE'RE NOT ALONE IN THIS, IN THIS BATTLE AGAINST TRASH.
UH, NORMALLY WHEN YOU HAVE A CONTAMINANT OR A POLLUTANT, IT'S PRETTY EASILY YOU IDENTIFY WHERE A SOURCE IS AND THEN YOU GO UPSTREAM AND YOU DOWNSTREAM AND YOU SEE WHAT IS THE DELTA INDIFFERENCE.
AND THEN YOU CAN DECIDE, WELL THAT IS THE PERCENT CONTRIBUTION FROM THAT SOURCE.
UH, TRASH DOESN'T MOVE THAT WAY IN THE CREEKS.
UH, THE VERY BUILDING OUR STORM INTENSITY, A SMALL, A SMALL RAIN LIKE WE GOT RECENTLY WOULD BRING TRASH TO A CREEK.
A LARGE RAIN LIKE WE MIGHT GET TONIGHT, WOULD WASH TRASH OUT OF THE CREEK AND ALL THE WAY TO LADY BIRD, UH, A HORSE.
THE VARIABILITY IN STREAM CHARACTER, IF YOU GOT A LITTLE WALNUT OR SOME OTHER AUSTIN CHALK, LIMESTONE BASED CREEK TRASH WOULD JUST MOVE THROUGH.
YOU NEVER SEE TRASH THERE AT ALL BECAUSE IT JUST MOVES.
AND OTHER CREEKS, BARTON CREEK AND OTHER NATURAL AREAS THAT HAVE A LOT MORE, UH, WHAT CALLED STREAM ROUGHNESS.
THE, THE WOODY VEGETATION TRASH ACCUMULATES AND IT GROWS THERE OVER TIME AND IT MAY JUST ACCUMULATE THERE OUTTA VIRTUE OF THAT'S WHERE THE TRASH STOMPS AND IT DOESN'T MOVE FROM THERE.
UH, SO WE DID A COUPLE PILOT STUDIES AND TRIED TO ASSESS THIS BUT IT DIDN'T WORK.
AND SO WE REALIZED THE ONLY WAY TO GET A GOOD HANDLE ON THIS IS THROUGH BRUTE FORCE.
AND SO WE PICKED 20 CREEKS, 110 MILES AND WE MADE OBSERVATIONS EVERY 30 FEET CUZ A LOT CAN ACTUALLY CHANGE IN 30 FEET.
UH, WE DIDN'T LOOK JUST LIKE IN THE CREEK.
WE LOOKED OUT INTO THE, UH, WHAT ABOUT A ONE OR TWO YEAR FLOOD PLANE, NOT ALL THE WAY TO THE A HUNDRED YEAR FLOOD PLANE, BUT WHAT NORMALLY MOVES THROUGH IN A BIG STORM.
UM, IN THIS AREA, UH, YOU CAN SEE THE BLACK LINES.
THAT'S A, UH, AN ACCUMULATION OF ALL THE 19,000 4 67 DATA POINTS THAT WE TOOK IN THOSE AREAS REPRESENTING MOST OF THE LARGE STREAMS IN THE AUSTIN CITY LIMITS, UH, NORTH, SOUTH, EAST AND WEST.
UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT WAS SCOOTERS IN CREEKS.
OF COURSE, THEY'VE GOT BATTERIES AND OTHER ELECTRONICS, UH, NOT UNLIKE A LOT OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF TRASH THOUGH, UM, AND WE DIDN'T FIND THAT MANY.
UH, WE DID FIND 21 IN THIS AREA.
UH, AUSTIN, UH, THREE 11 HAS BEEN VERY A GOOD PARTNER WITH ATD, UH, TO CREATE A, UH, A POINT, UH, IN THEIR MOBILE APP THAT YOU CAN JUST REPORT THE LOCATION.
ATD THEN WORKS WITH A VENDOR, THE VENDOR COMES, HAS A VERY SHORT TIME PERIOD TO COME AND GET IT.
AND, UH, WE FOUND THAT, UH, THAT EXPERIENCE WAS VERY REWARDING FOR ME BECAUSE THAT PROCESS IS, UH, VERY EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE.
UM, AND I'D LIKE SHOULD JUST PUT THAT IN, UH, CONTEXT.
THOSE 21 SCOOTERS IS IN, UH, PUT THAT IN CONTEXT OF OVER FIVE TO 700 SHOPPING CARTS THAT WE FOUND IN THE CREEK.
SO SHOPPING CARTS, ALTHOUGH MAYBE NOT A, AS MUCH OF A POLLUTANT SOURCE CUZ THEY'RE PRETTY STABLE.
UH, AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE WORSE.
UH, THIS IS THE SCORECARD WE USE.
YOU CAN SEE THE SCORECARD IS BROKEN UP INTO THREE BINS BASED ON THAT AESTHETICS.
IT ALSO HAS A COMPONENT OF VOLUME, THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF TRASH IF YOU WERE TO ACTUALLY PUT IN A CONTAINER AND ALSO EFFORT.
HOW MANY MINUTES WOULD IT TAKE TO CLEAN UP? SO THERE'S MULTIPLE WAYS YOU CAN USE THIS, UH, SCORING ASSESSMENT AT THE SAME TIME OF JUST GIVING A SCORE, WHICH IS KIND OF A ONE DIMENSIONAL, UH, SCIENTIFIC APPROACH.
WE ALSO LOOKED AT THE DIFFERENT SOURCES AT THAT SITE.
IF THERE WAS ANY UNAMBIGUOUS SOURCE, YOU COULD SEE A DUMPSTER WAS OVERFLOWING WITH TRASH INTO THE CREEK.
WE CALLED THAT A SOURCE IF THERE WAS AN ENCAMPMENT WITHIN THAT 30 FOOT REACH THAT WAS A SOURCE.
PROPERTY MANAGEMENT, I'LL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE.
UH, AN APARTMENT COMPLEX OR A COMMERCIAL FACILITY HAS A, A PARKING LOT AND THEY LOSE A LEAF BLOWER TO GET THE LEAVES OUT.
WELL, IN ADDITION TO LEAVES, THERE'S ALSO TRASH IN THE PARKING LOT.
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT MIXED IN WITH THE LEAVES ALL PILED UP AT THE EDGE.
IF IT'S ON A CREEK AND THERE'S NO BARRIER, THAT IS A, THAT IS A SOURCE.
SO OF ALL THESE SOURCES, UH, WE CHOSE TO LOOK AT, OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE MORE SOURCES THAN THAT, BUT OF THESE SOURCES, UH, WE COULD THEN PARSE OUT WHICH ONE WAS THE MOST, UH, FREQUENT OF OCCURRENCE, WHICH ONE HAS THE LARGEST CONTRIBUTION.
[00:50:01]
A, UH, A DISTILLATION OF THAT INFORMATION.I DON'T WANT YOU TO TAKE THIS TOO FAR BECAUSE THERE'S UH, SOME, SOME ATTRIBUTES THAT DETRACT FROM THIS RESULT.
UH, ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, YOU SEE A PIE CHART OUT OF, UH, BY SHEER NUMBER OF OCCURRENCE, ENCAMPMENTS WAS ABOUT TWO THIRDS OF THE SOURCES.
NOW THAT'S, THAT'S A RESULT OF BIAS, THOUGH WE'RE IN A CREEK.
GREEN BELTS AND CREEKS ARE LARGELY WHERE YOU FIND ENCAMPMENTS IN, IN CULVERTS AND UNDER BRIDGES AND STUFF.
SO BY VIRTUE OF WHERE WE WERE, YOU WOULD EXPECT THAT TO BE THE LARGEST.
UM, OTHER, UH, THINGS LIKE OVERFLOWING DUMPSTERS AND, AND HISTORIC DUMP SITES THAT ARE BEING UNEARTHED BECAUSE OF EROSION WE'RE ALSO MAJOR PLAYERS.
AND IF YOU'LL NOTICE THE, UH, BOX AND WHISKER GRAPHS ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE, THOSE SHOW YOU THE MEDIUM VALUE AS A, AS A HORIZONTAL LINE.
THE RANGE AS A VERTICAL LINE, THE PERCENTILE AS, UH, AS THE COLORED BOXES.
YOU CAN SEE THAT BASICALLY ALL THOSE OTHER SOURCES, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE OUTFALL OR TRIBUTARY SOURCE, BASICALLY HAD ABOUT THE SAME MEDIAN VALUED ABOUT THE SAME RANGE AND, AND ABOUT THE SAME, UM, IMPACT.
AND WHAT THAT SAYS IS THAT, AS FAR AS WE CAN TELL BASED ON THIS, THE RESULTS OF THIS STUDY, IT DIDN'T MATTER WHETHER IT WAS AN ENCAMPMENT OR AN OVERFLOWING DUMPSTER OR PROPERTY MANAGEMENT AT THAT SITE, THE CONTRIBUTION AT THAT SITE WAS EFFECTIVELY THE SAME.
AND YOU CAN IMAGINE, UH, A, A PICKUP TRUCK DRIVES UP, OPENS HIS BACK, DUMPS A WHOLE BUNCH OF BAGS OF TRASH.
THAT'S A LOT OF TRASH AND ONE PARTICULAR INSTANCE.
AND, UH, OF COURSE WITH GROWING POPULATION, ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE HAPPENING AT AN INCREASING RATE.
SO IT, IT DOESN'T, UH, IT, IT, IT, I BELIEVE IT THAT THIS IS AN INCREASING PROBLEM OVER TIME BY SHEER VIRTUE OF GROWTH.
SO TO WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE IN GIS, NOW ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE, YOU CAN SEE IT'S KIND OF A HEAT MAP.
THE RED BEING THE WORST, THE YELLOW BEING THE BEST.
YOU CAN SEE THERE ARE MULTIPLE NODES IN THESE AREAS.
IF YOU COMPARE THAT TO THE ACTUAL SOURCE TYPES THAT ARE IDENTIFIED AT THOSE LOCATIONS AND NEARBY LOCATIONS ON THE RIGHT SIDE, THIS IS A UPPER SHOLL CREEK BY THE WAY.
UH, THE PINK LITTLE, UH, REC, UH, SQUARE IS AN ENCAMPMENT.
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT IN CAM IS ASSOCIATED WITH A HIGH INTENSITY SITE.
NO JOKE, I'M SURE YOU GUYS ARE NO, ARE VERY FAMILIAR WITH THIS PHENOMENON.
IF YOU LOOK DOWN THE REST OF SHOLL CREEK, THERE ARE OTHER NODES AND NONE OF THOSE OTHER NODES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH ENCAMPMENTS.
SO THERE ARE MULTIPLE SOURCES THAT ARE JUST AS SERIOUS A PROBLEM AS ENCAMPMENT.
UM, ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, YOU'LL SEE A MAP THAT CAN BE ACCESSIBLE, UM, FOR ANYBODY IN THE CITY.
UM, HOPEFULLY, UH, WE, WE'VE GIVEN THIS TO OUR PARTNERS AT ARR AND OUR PARTNERS AT K A AND THEIR OTHER ORGANIZATIONS.
THIS GIVES YOU THAT KIND OF POINT IN TIME.
THIS WAS JUST BETWEEN NOVEMBER AND APRIL OF THIS WINTER, A POINT IN TIME MAP OF WHERE THE HOTSPOTS ARE.
AND SOME PEOPLE SAY, WELL, THAT'S GREAT, BUT NEXT STORM, THAT ALL CHANGES.
AND I DON'T BELIEVE THAT'S TRUE BASED ON SOME OF THE THINGS WE FOUND OUT HERE.
THIS IS THE MESSIEST, UM, DATA, UH, DATA GRAPHS THAT I'VE EVER HAD.
I, I FIGURED WITH 19,467 DATA POINTS, I COULD MAKE SOME REALLY GOOD CORRELATIONS.
UM, IN FACT, YOU WOULD ASSUME THAT AS WATERSHEDS GET BIGGER FROM UPSTREAM TO DOWNSTREAM, YOU'D HAVE MORE AND MORE TRASH, MORE STUFF, MORE TRASH, MORE LAND USE, MORE PEOPLE, MORE CARS, MORE EVERYTHING, MORE TRASH.
ABOUT HALF OF THE CREEKS GOT CLEANER AS YOU WENT DOWNSTREAM, WHICH DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE.
MOST CREEKS, AS YOU CAN SEE, JUST HAD A BIG MESS OF DATA EVERYWHERE.
AND THAT BASICALLY MEANS TO US IS THAT WHERE THE TRASH IS IN A CREEK IS NOT REFLECTIVE OF THE SOURCES UPSTREAM.
WHAT THAT MEANS THOUGH, IS THAT THERE, THERE ARE THESE STREAM ROUGHNESS PLACES WHERE ALL THE, WHERE ALL THE TRASH ACCUMULATES.
AND SO YOU CAN'T REALLY POINT FINGERS AT THIS PLACE.
UH, SO, UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
I'M GONNA TRY TO GO THROUGH THIS AS FAST AS POSSIBLE.
CAUSE THIS IS, I'M GONNA TRY TO MAKE IT MORE GERMANE TO PARKS AND LESS TO THE CITYWIDE THING.
BUT, UH, WE CAN NOW TAKE THIS DATA THOUGH AND PUT IT IN OUR GIS LAYERS.
WE'VE GOT ALL THESE GIS LAYERS, TRANSPORTATION, LAND USE.
WHERE ARE THE PARKS, WHERE ARE THE PEOPLE, WHERE ARE THE ROADS? WHERE ARE ALL THESE DIFFERENT THINGS? SO WHERE, WHERE ARE THESE CORRELATIONS? YOU CAN AGGREGATE THE DATA.
YOU CAN HAVE 300 FOOT BUFFERS, 3000 FOOT BUFFERS.
WE LOOKED AT THIS WAY SIX WAYS FROM SUNDAY AND COULDN'T FIND ANY CORRELATIONS WITH THAT IS DEPRESSING FOR ME BECAUSE I WAS HOPEFUL AFTER THIS LARGE EFFORT, I COULD SAY SILVER BULLET HERE, SILVER BULLET THERE, FIX THIS, TWEAK THIS, YOU'RE DONE.
WE CAN'T, EVEN IF YOU WERE TO SOLVE SOMETHING LIKE HOMELESSNESS OR IF YOU WERE TO SOLVE SOMETHING LIKE RULES FOR PROPERTY MANAGEMENT OR SOLVE ALL THE DUMPSTERS, YOU WOULD STILL HAVE THIS PROBLEM.
SO, UH, WE HAVE TO HAVE THIS MULTIFACETED APPROACH AND IT'S GONNA BE EXPENSIVE, BUT HOPEFULLY WE CAN DO THIS SMARTER AND MORE STRATEGICALLY BASED ON SOME OF THIS INFORMATION.
UM, ONE OF THE PEOPLE, UH, PEOPLE SAID, UH, OKAY, SINGLE USE, UH, RESIDENCES.
IF YOU HAVE AREAS WHERE PEOPLE HAVE HOMES, THEY'RE MORE VESTED IN THEIR CREEK AS OPPOSED TO, UH, APARTMENTS OR A MULTI-USE OR COMMERCIAL.
NONE OF THOSE LAND USES HAD A BIT OF DIFFERENCE.
UH, YOU CAN SEE SOME SLIGHT TREND LINES, BUT THEY WERE NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT PARKS.
FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU HAD A A A, AN AGGREGATION, THAT WAS 100% PARKS VERSUS AN AREA THAT WAS 0% PARKS.
SO YOU CAN'T SAY THAT THE MORE PARK OR THE MORE SINGLE FAMILY OR THE MORE MULTIFAMILY, NOTHING MATTERS.
THE TRASH IS IN THE CREEK FROM ALL OF US, AND IT MOVES THROUGH THE CREEK AND IT STICKS IN SOME PLACES.
[00:55:01]
SO WHAT WAS THERE IN THE CREEK? UM, THE, OH, OKAY.IT DOESN'T MATTER WHETHER IT'S, IT'S HOUSEHOLD OFFICE CAMPING, RETAIL, RECREATION, RESTAURANTS, LANDSCAPES, CONSTRUCTION, EROSION, STABILIZATION, ROADWORK INFRASTRUCTURE, ENERGY TOYS, LOTS OF TOYS, LITTLE NERF BULLETS.
I FOUND ABOUT A THOUSAND LITTLE NERF BULLETS.
ALL THESE THINGS ALL ARE IN OUR CREEKS.
IF YOU CAN BUY IT IN THIS TOWN, IF IT'S IN YOUR HOUSE, IF YOU'VE SEEN IT BEFORE, IF YOU'RE AWARE OF THE ITEM, IT'S IN OUR CREEKS AND IT'S VERY DEPRESSING.
BUT THE MOST COMMON ITEM WERE THESE SINGLE USE PLASTICS.
AND THAT'S KIND OF WHAT I START TO ATTRIBUTE OUR PROBLEM TO.
IT'S NOT SO MUCH A SOCIETAL PROBLEM OF HOMELESSNESS OR POOR RULES OR LACK OF ENFORCEMENT OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
IT'S BASICALLY OUR DISPOSABLE SOCIETY.
WE HAVE THINGS ONCE WE THROW 'EM AWAY AND THEY DON'T GET TO THEIR PROPER PLACE, THEY FLOAT AROUND AND WE SEE THEM.
SO THESE SINGLE USE PLASTICS BEING THE MOST COMMON ITEM, UH, SEEMINGLY THE EASIEST TO CLEAN UP, THE LESS THE LEAST VISUALLY OFFENSIVE, BUT THE MOST UBIQUITOUS AND PROBABLY THE MOST DIFFICULT TO GET RID OF.
OH, AND AGAIN, 500 SHOPPING CARTS.
I, I'M GONNA DO SOMETHING ABOUT SHOPPING CARTS BEFORE I RETIRE.
76% OF THE TRASH IN THE CREEKS BY VOLUME IS FOUND AT 10% OF THE PLACES THERE ARE THESE HOTSPOT, THESE NODES.
AND I THINK NOT ONLY ARE THESE AREAS OF ACCUMULATION, BUT ALSO DISTRIBUTION.
WHEN SOMETHING ACCUMULATES OVER SEVERAL SMALL STORMS, THEN A LARGE STORM PUSHES IT DOWNSTREAM.
SO MAYBE INSTEAD OF, UH, HITTING, HITTING, HITTING SITES OF, OF PEOPLE'S INTEREST, UH, TO CLEAN UP, MAYBE WE SHOULD MORE, UH, MORE EVEN MORE STRATEGIC AND HIT THE SITES WHERE THINGS ACCUMULATE AND THOSE HAVE TO PROPAGATE, UM, THAT TRASH DOWNSTREAM DURING THE NEXT STORM.
UM, A LOT OF PEOPLE WOULD SAY, WELL, LET'S CUT ALL THE, UH, TREES OUTTA THE CREEKS AND NO TRASH AND CREEKS.
BUT THEN OUR LAKE FILLS UP WITH THE TRASH, WHICH IS EVEN HARDER TO GET OUT.
SO THE FIELD REPORT, BASICALLY, UH, IT PROVIDES A LOT OF DIFFERENT RECOMMENDATIONS AT MANY DIFFERENT SCALES, ALL THE WAY FROM A SITE SPECIFIC PLACE.
LIKE I FOUND A PLACE ON NORTHERN TAYLOR SLEW WHERE I SAID, WE NEED TO HAVE A CREW COME HERE AND CLEAN THIS UP.
IT'S CAUSING A PROBLEM, UH, ALL THE WAY TO LIKE LARGER, UH, COORDINATED EFFORTS WITH PARTNERS AND EDUCATION, OUTREACH, ENFORCEMENT, OTHER THINGS.
SO THERE IS LOTS OF RECOMMENDATIONS IN JUST THAT, UH, SCIENTIFIC REPORT.
UM, WE HAVE A BENCHMARK REPORT, TOO, THAT REACHED OUT TO, BROUGHT A, A WONDERFUL HUMAN BEING, LELA GOSICK OUT OF RETIREMENT, JUST TO DO THIS REPORT FOR ME.
AND, UH, SHE BASICALLY SAID THAT IF YOU LOOK AT ALL THE DIFFERENT STRATEGIES PEOPLE ARE DOING, IT BOILS DOWN TO THREE MAJOR CATEGORIES.
NUMBER ONE, EXTRACTION THE EXPENSIVE ONE.
THIS IS THE ONE THAT'S COSTING PART HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ANNUALLY.
IT'S THE BRUTE FORCE HIRING SUBCONTRACTOR, GETTING PEOPLE TO GO AND PULL THINGS OUT.
UM, IT'S DANGEROUS, IT'S HAZARDOUS, IT'S UNPLEASANT WORK.
IT'S UNTHINK WORK, AND IT TAKES A LOT OF MANUAL LABOR.
UNFORTUNATELY, THERE'S NO, UH, NEW GIMMICKY, UH, ROBOTS OR TOOLS OR, OR STRUCTURAL CONTROLS THAT CAN, THAT CAN DO THAT WORK LIKE A, LIKE A HUMAN BEING CAN.
THE SECOND GROUP IS INTERCEPTION.
THIS IS WHERE YOU, UH, YOU KNOW, THE TRASH IS ON THE LANDSCAPE AND IT'S GETTING TO THE CREEK.
HOW CAN WE KEEP IT FROM GETTING TO THE CREEK? SO WE'VE GOT A LOT OF WATER, UH, WATER QUALITY CONTROLS, THESE, UH, DETENTION PONDS, WATER QUALITY PONDS THAT ARE INTERCEPTING STORM FLOW.
CAN WE BETTER USE THOSE THINGS TO BASICALLY, UH, UH, INTERCEPT TRASH FROM GETTING, OF COURSE, YOU'VE GOT EDUCATION AND ENFORCEMENT AND, AND OTHER TYPE OF THINGS, JUST CLEANING UP THE LANDSCAPE ITSELF.
AND THEN THIRDLY, THERE'S SOURCE REDUCTION.
AND THIS IS WHERE I THINK, UM, THE MOST BANG FOR THE BUCK CAN BE ACQUIRED.
IF WE CAN SOMEHOW OR ANOTHER START TO REDUCE OUR DEPENDENCY ON ALL THIS DISPOSAL SOCIETY AND SINGLE USE PLASTICS, YOU CAN BASICALLY TURN OFF THE VALVE OF THE TRASH.
YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO CLEAN IT OUTTA THE CREEKS, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO INTERCEPT IT.
OF COURSE, THE APPROACH, THERE HAS TO BE ALL THREE.
YOU CAN'T PUT ALL YOUR EGGS IN ONE BASKET, BUT YOU DON'T WANNA SPEND YOUR TIME CLEANING TRASH OUTTA THE CREEKS FOR YOUR ENTIRE LIFE WITHOUT TRYING TO ATTRACT IT FROM THE OTHER, UH, THE OTHER VALVES.
WE ARE HOPEFUL THAT WE CAN FIND SOME KIND OF NEW INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY THAT, UH, FIELD OPS OR, OR ARR COULD USE TO SOMEHOW ANOTHER GATHER SOME OF THIS TRASH MORE EFFICIENTLY.
UH, IN OUR AREA, WE CAN'T, DUE TO THE WAY OUR STORMS ARE, AND THE WAY OUR VEGETATION IS ABOUT 80% OF THE STORM DEBRIS IS, IS JUST, UH, LEAVES AND STICKS AND TWIGS AND LOGS AND ORGANIC MATTER, WHICH IS ACTUALLY GOOD FOR THE STREAM.
FIFTH STREAM, YOU WANNA KEEP THAT ORGANIC MATTER IN THERE, BUT SEPARATING IT OUT IS DIFFICULT.
SO REALLY, ELBOW GREASE IS WHERE IT'S AT.
UM, UH, WATER WHEELS AND OTHER, UH, LARGE TYPE THINGS ON THE LAKE, TYPE THINGS ON THE LAKE TO TRY TO GAUGE THESE THINGS WON'T REALLY WORK IN OUR AREA AS WELL.
JUST BASICALLY HOW OUR, OUR CREEKS AND LAKES ARE SITUATED.
UH, THE BOOMS AND TRASH TRAPS, OF COURSE, THE BOOMS ARE BEING USED ON, ON THE LAKE RIGHT NOW.
AND THE FIELD OPS FUEL LAKE CREW THAT GOES AND CLEANS THOSE UP ARE USING THOSE.
THAT'S ABOUT AS GOOD AS IT GETS WE COULD FIND ACROSS THE NATION.
UM, THERE ARE SOME INTERESTING NOVEL IDEAS OUT THERE THAT, UH, THAT WE FOUND THAT ARE WORTH LOOKING AT.
UM, THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVING FUN CLEANING UP TRASH.
IT BRINGS THE PUBLIC AWARENESS.
AND I THINK WHEN PEOPLE START HAVING TO CLEAN UP, UH, THEY START TO CHANGE BEHAVIORS AND PATTERNS IN THEIR, IN THEIR OWN LIVES.
[01:00:01]
FISHING.UH, THERE'S OTHER NEW ONE CALLED, UM, PLUGGING, WHICH STARTED IN SWEDEN INSTEAD.
THIS IS BASICALLY, UH, AN INCENTIVE THAT WHEN YOU'RE GOING OUT JOGGING TO PICK UP TRASH, I GUESS IT'S PICKING UP LITTER WHILE YOU JOG.
UM, EITHER WAY, THERE'S, UH, PLACES LIKE IN CHICAGO, THEY'VE GOT FREE KAYAKS FOR CLEANUP, UH, COMMITMENT.
THIS IS MAYBE SOMETHING WE CAN WORK WITH OUR, OUR VENDORS AND OUR PARTNERS.
JUST HAVING MESH BAGS ON YOUR KAYAK TO PUT YOUR TRASH AT, WHERE ELSE ARE YOU GONNA PUT YOUR TRASH? THERE'S NOBODY RECEPTACLES IN THE LAKE.
SO I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF SMALL THINGS WE CAN DO TO, TO TWEAK THIS TO HELP, UH, THE GREATER PROBLEM.
AND THEN, OF COURSE, INTERCEPTION.
YOU CAN MAKE RULES TO THE COWS COME HOME, BUT IF, UH, THERE'S NO ENFORCEMENT TO TO BACK THAT UP, OR IF THEY, IF THE RULES THEMSELVES, UH, FALL SHORT OR, OR AREN'T ABLE TO, TO GRAB, HARNESS ALL THAT, UM, WHY EVEN DO IT? UM, SHOPPING CART RETENTION, OF COURSE, YOU HAVE THESE FIVE TO 700 SHOPPING CARTS.
I'D LOVE TO SEE, GET OUT OF OUR CREEKS.
MAYBE WE COULD HAVE A, A PROGRAM WHERE THE VENDOR, IF IT'S A, UH, A SPECIFIC, UH, IDENTIFIABLE VENDOR OF THE TRAP SHOPPING CART, THAT'S THEIR PROPERTY, MAYBE THEY GO GET IT NOW THEY'RE INTERESTED, I'M SURE IN NOT LOSING SHOPPING CARTS EITHER THAT'S LOST RENT REVENUE TO THEM.
UH, AREAS LIKE PITTSBURGH AND, AND, UH, SOME PLACES IN THE NORTH HAVE ALWAYS HAD THIS PROBLEM.
YOU HAVE TOKEN PUT YOUR TOKEN IN, YOU GET YOUR SHOPPING CARTS, YOU GET YOUR TOKEN BACK.
UM, OR, UH, TECHNOLOGIES THAT LOCK TIRES WHEN YOU TRY TO TAKE 'EM OFF PREMISES.
OR THERE'S, UH, SEVERAL DIFFERENT, UH, IDEAS THERE WHERE, UH, WE CAN RETAIN MORE OF THESE SHOPPING CARTS ON SITE AND NOT HAVE THEM REMOVED.
AND OF COURSE, THERE'S LOTS OF PROGRAMS. UH, NEW BRONSVILLE WAS LIST CAN WAS ADMIRABLE, UH, PHILADELPHIA'S SUITE PROGRAM.
THERE'S LOTS OF DIFFERENT PROGRAMS OUT THERE WHERE THEY, UH, USE KIND OF A CONCERTED EFFORT.
AND THEN, UH, INTERCEPTION, OF COURSE, IT'S ALSO ABOUT, UH, UH, NOT JUST A CAPACITY OF SOMETHING, BUT THE PROXIMITY TO IT AND THE ACCESSIBILITY.
UM, EVERY TIME WE'VE, WE'VE FOUND SOME NEW INNOVATIVE, UH, STRATEGY LIKE SOLAR COMPACTING BINS, THAT JUST MEANS THAT DURING THE DAY IT SQUISHES THE TRASH DOWN.
YOU HAVE TO GO TO THAT, UH, YOU HAVE TO VISIT THAT LESS OFTEN TO REMOVE THE TRASH.
UM, WE, WE, I SAW ONE, UH, ADOPT A DRAIN IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS ONE.
INSTEAD OF A ADOPT A CREEK, YOU COULD ADOPT A TRAIN.
MAYBE THIS IS A BUSINESS WOULD ADOPT THE DRAIN IN FRONT OF IT AND HAVE SOME KIND OF A, UH, SO WE BROUGHT THAT, HEY, LET'S DO THAT.
OUR EDUCATION DEPARTMENT HAS ALREADY THOUGHT ABOUT IT.
THEY'RE GONNA BE IMPLEMENT, THEY'RE ALREADY IMPLE IMPLEMENTING IT NOW, AND THEY'RE GONNA ROLL IT OUT IN A LARGER CAPACITY LATER.
SO I, I WAS VERY ENCOURAGED, UH, AT OUR, AT ALL THE CITY DEPARTMENTS THAT THEY'RE REALLY STARTING TO, THEY HAVE BEEN DOING THESE THINGS ALREADY.
THEY HAVEN'T, UH, THEY'RE NOT SITTING AROUND WAITING TO, FOR, FOR US TO GO OUTTA THOSE REPORT.
OF COURSE, TRAVIS COUNTY, IF YOU HAVE LOTS OF, UH, ILLEGAL DUMPING, TRAVIS COUNTY WORKS WITH THEIRS THING, WE HAVE FREE DUMP DAYS.
BUT SOURCE REDUCTION, I THINK, WHICH IS, IT IS KIND OF THE ULTIMATE, UH, THE ULTIMATE WEAPON HERE.
UM, NEW BRAUNFELS, OF COURSE, UH, LOOK UP THE CAN BAN.
IT'S, IT'S, IT'S PRETTY GREAT.
AND IT WAS HELD UP IN TEXAS COURTS, WHICH IS AMAZING.
WE, OF COURSE, TRIED OUR BAG BAN, AND THAT DIDN'T WORK BECAUSE, UH, TEXAS DOESN'T WANT US TO REGULATE OUR CONTAINERS.
UH, FLORIDA ACTUALLY TRIED THE SAME THING WITH CONTAINERS, BUT, UH, THEY'RE APPROACHING IT NOW FROM A DIFFERENT ANGLE.
INSTEAD OF SAYING IT'S A CONTAINER.
FOR EXAMPLE, STYROFOAM IS A POLLUTANT, AND THEY'RE GONNA REGULATE IT AS A POLLUTANT, THAT'S AN ANGLE THAT YOU CAN TAKE THAT IS NOT PROHIBITED.
SO I THINK THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS TO SKIN THAT CAT.
AND I THINK POLITICALLY, THERE ARE OPTIONS HERE, BUT JUST, UH, REDUCING OUR DEPENDENCE ON BOTTLES.
FOR EXAMPLE, AUSTIN WATER IS HAVING MORE WATER STATIONS, SO WHERE WE CAN USE OUR WATER BOTTLES OVER AND OVER AGAIN INSTEAD OF JUST TAKING ONE DRINK AND THROWING IT AWAY.
SO, UH, THE SUMMARY HERE IS THAT THE TRASH THAT'S THERE, THERE'S NO ONE PERSON TO BLAME, THERE'S NO ONE TYPE TO BLAME, THERE'S NO ONE SOURCE TO BLAME.
UM, OF COURSE, SOME SOURCES ARE MORE SALIENT AND MORE OFFENSIVE THAN OTHERS, BUT IT'S GOTTA BE UNDERSTOOD THAT THIS IS A COMMUNITY PROBLEM.
AND THAT, AND THIS TRASH THAT'S ROLLING THROUGH OUR CREEKS AND STOPPING IN OUR PARKS IS NOT JUST FROM ONE SOURCE, IT'S FROM MANY DIFFERENT SOURCES.
WE HAVE TO ATTACK IT FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE.
UM, WE DO HAVE A LOT OF PARTNERS.
K A, UM, THERE'S JUST A, A WHOLE BUNCH OF VOLUNTEER GROUPS.
UH, OF COURSE THE PARKS, UH, THE PARKS, UH, TRAILS.
SO THERE'S LOTS OF IMPROVEMENT, THOUGH, I THINK WITH NOT JUST INNOVATION, BUT WITH COORDINATION.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE LACK IS THAT WE DON'T HAVE ONE CENTRALIZED, UM, ENTITY THAT GRABS THE EFFORTS FROM ALL THESE PEOPLE AND TRIES TO, UH, KIND OF ACT AS A SYMPHONY TOGETHER TO TRY TO MOST STRATEGICALLY, UM, ATTACK THIS PROBLEM.
SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE WORKING ON PROVING THAT EFFICIENCY TO NOT JUST EXTRACT IT, TO INTERCEPT IT AND REDUCE IT.
UM, THE CITY COUNCIL WAS PRESENTED WITH THIS INFORMATION, AND THEY WANTED US TO COME BACK WITH, UH, A LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS.
SO I, I DON'T HAVE FOR YOU TODAY WHAT I THINK Y'ALL SHOULD DO, WHAT I THINK WE SHOULD DO, WHAT I THINK OTHERS SHOULD DO.
UH, WE'RE GONNA PUT THAT TOGETHER AND WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS WITH ARR IN THE PARKS DEPARTMENT AND OTHER GROUPS AND FIELD OPS, AND FIND OUT WHAT IS FEASIBLE, WHAT IS, UH, WHAT IS THE BEST BANG FOR OUR BUCK AND, AND WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT THIS NEXT SLIDE? ABOUT THE LAST ONE.
HUGE AMOUNT OF THANKS TO A LOT OF PEOPLE.
OUR GIS PEOPLE WERE, WERE WONDERFUL.
UH, THE PEOPLE ACTUALLY GETTING DIRTY IN THE CREEKS TO DO THIS IS WONDERFUL.
AND WE HAVE A LONG LIST, AND I CERTAINLY APOLOGIZE TO GROUPS THAT ARE NOT LISTED HERE.
THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THIS TOWN THAT ARE HELPING CLEAN UP TRASH, AND I THANK THEM ALL FOR
[01:05:01]
THAT.AND, UH, ALL THE PROGRAMS LEAVE NO TRACE THAT, UH, THE PARK DEPARTMENT IS VERY ADMIRABLE.
SO I, I, I DO THINK THERE ARE LOTS OF NEW THINGS THAT ARE COMING ONLINE.
UH, OF COURSE, AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY HAS A TEAM NOW CALLED THE CLEAN CREEKS CREW.
I THINK A DOZEN OR SO PEOPLE, UM, THAT ARE, ARE PAID TO, TO GO OUT AND, AND DO SOME OF THIS DIRTY WORK.
THEY JUST CAME ONLINE NOW LAST DECEMBER, AND THEY'VE BEEN GETTING AROUND AND WE'RE ALL WORKING TO KIND OF COORDINATE WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO MAKE USE OF THEIR TIME AS WELL AS OTHER TIMES AND, UM, O OTHER, OTHER PARTNERS.
UH, SO AT THIS TIME, I WILL ENTERTAIN QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR OUR PRESENTATION.
UM, DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
THIS PRESENTATION HAS BEEN SO INFORMATIVE AND EDUCATIONAL, SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE WORK THAT Y'ALL HAVE ALL PUT INTO IT.
UM, I, FIRST OFF, I HAD A QUESTION.
UM, HOW DID YOU SELECT THE CREEKS THAT Y'ALL DID THE RESEARCH IN? IT'S AN EXCELLENT QUESTION.
SO I DIDN'T WANT TO, UH, IF I CHOSE A WATERSHED, I DIDN'T WANT TO EMIT ANY PART OF THAT WATERSHED.
I WANTED TO GO FROM THE HEADWATER TO THE MOUTH.
SO I CHOSE WATERSHEDS BASED ON THEIR LOCATION WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS.
YOU KNOW, WE CAN GET OUT TO THE E GGA, BUT WE HAVE LESS CONTROL IN THE EJ.
SO IN THE CITY LIMITS IS WHERE I WANTED TO LIMIT THOSE PRIMARILY.
AND I WANTED TO CHOOSE WATERSHEDS THAT WERE BOTH NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, AND WEST, DOWNTOWN RURAL.
I WANTED TO CHOOSE WATERSHEDS THAT WENT FROM LIKE BULL CREEK THROUGH LARGE PRESERVES, BUT THEN ALSO THROUGH THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT.
SO WE CHOSE THOSE 20 CREEKS, UM, BASED ON THEIR LOCATION IN THE CITY, AND DUE TO THE FACT THAT THEY'RE KIND OF THE, UH, THE LARGER WATERSHEDS.
UM, AND THEN DID Y'ALL DO ANY LOOK AT ANY CORRELATIONS, UH, GEOGRAPHICALLY AS FAR AS LIKE DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE CITY, ZIP CODES, ANYTHING LIKE THAT? YEAH, SO AS YOU IMAGINE, MOST OF THE HOTSPOTS ARE KIND OF URBAN.
THE HIGHER THE DENSITY AREA, OBVIOUSLY THAT AREA ALSO HAPPENS TO BE BY VIRTUE NOT SO MUCH, BUT POPULATION, BUT BY THE FACT THAT IT'S OLDER DEVELOPMENT, SO THERE'S LESS WATER QUALITY CONTROLS.
THE NEWER THE AREA, THE MORE WATER QUALITY CONTROLS, THE MORE PROGRESSIVE JUST THE LAYOUT, THE WIDER THE BUFFERS ON CREEKS ARE.
SO THERE'S, THERE'S THIS COMPETING, UM, PERSPECTIVE THAT NEWER DEVELOPMENT IS BETTER, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, NEWER DEVELOPMENT IS ALSO IN, IN NEWER OUTSIDE LAND.
SO THERE YOU CAN PARSE THOSE TOGETHER.
AS FAR AS GEO UH, GEOGRAPHY, IF YOU LOOK AT THE, THE WORST CREEKS, I'M GONNA USE THAT WORD LOOSELY, BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE HIGH, THE CREEKS ARE THE HIGHEST AMOUNT OF TRASH DENSITY PER UNIT AREA.
SO THE BOTTOM LINE IS NOTHING CORRELATES.
IT, IT'S ALL BASICALLY BE THE STREAM ROUGHNESS THAT THE TREES GRAB THE TRASH.
WELL THOSE ARE ALL MY QUESTIONS.
AND LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING THE CREEKS CLEANED UP ONE DAY.
SO, UH, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
I THINK IT WAS FASCINATING, KIND OF TERRIFYING, BUT, BUT FASCINATING.
AND I'M REALLY, I KNOW IT MUST HAVE BEEN A REALLY, UM, WORK INTENSIVE RESEARCH PROJECT.
AND I, AND I'M GRATEFUL THAT Y'ALL TOOK THE TIME TO DO IT, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S VERY VALUABLE FOR EVERYBODY IN OUR COMMUNITY TO BE AWARE.
SO I HAD A, A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.
ONE WAS, YOU GAVE A LOT OF EXAMPLES OF WHAT YOU FOUND IN THE CREEK.
DID YOU FIND ANYTHING THAT WAS LIKE TOXIC, UH, CHEMICALS, ANYTHING THAT WOULD, YOU KNOW, REALLY MAY MAYBE HAVE A STRONGER IMPACT ON THE QUALITY OF THE, THE WATER WHEN YOU WERE LOOKING? SO, UH, OF COURSE I WORK WITH THE, THE TEAM, THE WATER QUALITY COMPLIANCE.
AND WHEN WE DID FIND THINGS WE CALL PRETTY MUCH EVERY DAY ON THIS WALK, I WOULD CALL SOMEBODY, EITHER THE SPILLS TEAM OR I WOULD CALL THE ENVIRONMENTAL ENFORCEMENT TO COME DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
OR I WOULD CALL 3 1 11 OR I, EVERY DAY I'D WALK OUT THERE, I'D SEE SOMETHING NEW AND LOTS OF CALLS WERE MADE.
SO HOPEFULLY THERE'S LOTS OF RESOLUTIONS, UM, HAPPENING AS FAR AS, UH, LIKE ACUTE POLLUTANTS LOADS, IT'S HARD TO, IT'S HARD TO, UM, RATE THOSE.
IF YOU FIND A BATTERY, YOU KNOW, LIKE A, A 12 VOLT BATTERY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, IF IT'S UP ON THE BANK, IT'S NOT MUCH OF A WATER QUALITY PROBLEM UNTIL IT INTERACTS WITH A FLOOD WATER.
SO A, AN ITEM IN THE CREEK WOULD BE BAD.
UM, I DID FIND A LOT OF BATTERY TYPE THINGS.
A LOT OF, UH, UH, ELECTRONICS AND ELECTRONICS HAVE A WHOLE MESS OF WEIRD CHEMICAL, UH, METALS IN THEM.
UM, MOST OF THESE ITEMS THOUGH, ARE MORE, UM, INSIDIOUS IN THE POLLUTANT TYPES THEY MAKE.
AND A LOT OF THESE THINGS, UH, ARE EMERGING CONTAMINANTS THAT WE DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT.
UM, THE PFOS, THE PFO OS, THINGS THAT ARE TELON RELATED, UH, THESE ARE THE, THEY CALL THEM THE FOREVER CHEMICALS.
THERE'S A LOT OF THAT IN OUR CREEKS.
IT'S IN THE DRINKING WATER AS WELL.
UM, SO IT'S HARD FOR ME TO, TO SAY RANK ONE OVER THE OTHER.
THERE'S A LOT OF ISSUES IN OUR CREEKS.
SO, AND THAT KIND OF FEEDS INTO MY MY NEXT QUESTION, WHICH IS, UM, YOU CAME OUT WITH SOME, IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'VE COME UP WITH SOME RECOMMENDATIONS,
[01:10:02]
WHICH IS GREAT.AND I HOPE THOSE GET LOTS OF PUBLICITY AND PEOPLE TAKE THOSE VERY SERIOUSLY.
DID YOU ALSO LOOK AT, AT THE IMPACT AND SAY, IF WE CONTINUE ON THIS PATHWAY, THESE ARE THE IMPACTS THAT ARE HAPPENING NOW AND THIS IS WHAT WE MAY SEE IN THE FUTURE WITH ON WILDLIFE, ON OUR, UM, ON OUR PARKS, ON OUR, YOU KNOW, OUR WATER QUALITY AND WATER SAFETY.
WE DID NOT, BUT I HAVE ABOUT 15 DIFFERENT IDEAS TO DO THOSE.
ONE OF THOSE IS MICROPLASTICS.
OF COURSE, THIS IS A, A NEW BUZZWORD THAT'S COMING OUT.
WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS ON, UH, ON THE BENT THAT COMMUNITY THAT THIS, THE LITTLE CRITTERS IN THE MUD AND STUFF LIKE THAT WITH MICROPLASTICS.
SO WE'VE GOT A, UH, WE'VE GOT A STUDY COMING UP WITH THAT.
WE GONNA PARTNER WITH UT ON MICROPLASTICS.
SO IT GENERATED A LOT OF IDEAS AND WE'RE GONNA PROCEED FORWARD, UH, TRYING TO EVALUATE THOSE, BUT GOOD.
AND MY FINAL QUESTION IS ON WHEN BOARD MEMBER DECARLO WAS ASKING ABOUT GEOGRAPHIC, UM, DISPARITIES, IF THERE WERE DIFFERENCES, JUST WHAT ON, I THINK IT'S SLIDE EIGHT, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT SLIDE, AND IF YOU LOOK AT IT, YOU WHERE YOU CAN SEE IT, I THINK IT GETS, UH, MORE RED THE MORE TRASH THAT'S, OR THAT IS SEEN IN IT LOOKS, I MEAN, IT LOOKED TO ME LIKE WE, IF YOU GO OVER TO, AND OF COURSE I WAS PROBABLY LOOKING AT MY DISTRICT, WHICH IS 10.
IT LOOKED LIKE THERE WASN'T AS MUCH RED IN, IN THE PARTS OF WEST AUSTIN.
AND SO IT'S, IS THAT JUST BECAUSE WHAT YOU SAID, IT WAS NEWER DEVELOPMENT, SO IT'S NOT AS IMPACTED, BUT IT JUST LOOKED LIKE ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE, KINDA LIKE ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE EQUITY THINGS WHERE YOU SEE EAST AUSTIN, IT'S GOT ALL THIS YEAH.
TRASH IN THE CREASE AND NOT SO MUCH IN WEST AUSTIN.
THERE ARE A LOT OF PRESUMPTIONS THAT WERE MADE BEFORE.
UH, WE WENT INTO THIS AND WE FOUND THAT NONE OF THOSE PRESUMPTIONS WERE NECESSARILY TRUE.
UM, NOW THAT YOU'D SEE, UH, FOR LARGE PRESERVES, FOR EXAMPLE, BULL CREEK HAS LARGE TRACKS OF LANDS THAT ARE IN PRESERVED THAT VIRTUALLY HAVE NO SOURCE OF TRASH.
WE STILL FOUND TRASH ON THEM, BUT YEAH, YOU, AS YOU WOULD ASSUME, LARGE PRESERVES, WIDE BUFFERS, LIKE GREEN BELTS, LARGE RIGHT.
GREEN BELTS, UH, AREAS THAT ARE NOT ABLE TO BE DEVELOPED DUE TO STEEP SLOPES AND DENSE VEGETATION, UH, DEFINITELY DON'T MOVE A LOT OF THAT TRASH.
SO YOU, I THINK WHAT WE FOUND IS NOT SO MUCH A SOCIOECONOMIC TREND AS IT WAS A PHYSICAL FRAME.
THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE PRESENTATION.
CERTAINLY, UM, VERY INTERESTING PRESENTATIONS.
AND, UM, ONE OF THEM IS, I THINK YOU SAID THAT PAR SPENDS HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS A YEAR ON CLEANUP.
SO, UH, THAT'S ALWAYS MY, MY GO-TO IS THE FISCAL SIDE OF THINGS.
I KNOW, CAUSE I, I WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH THE OTHER ONES FOUNDATION MM-HMM.
AND SO, UM, TO ME, I, I'M, I'M ALSO WORKING IN ENCAMPMENTS.
AND SO TO ME, I THINK, UM, IT SHOULDN'T, COULDN'T THERE BE A BIGGER PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN OUR HOMELESS NEIGHBORS WHO NEED A JOB AND, UM, THAT CLEANUP, YOU KNOW, I'M LIKE, I MADE NOTES ALREADY.
I'M GONNA TALK TO THE OTHER ONES CHRIS BAKER TOMORROW AND SAY, YOU KNOW, ANY IDEA HOW BAD OUR TRASH SITUATION IS.
UH, CUZ THERE'S KIND OF SADLY AN ENDLESS SUPPLY OF LABORERS, UM, OUT THERE.
AND IF WE NEED TO EXPAND THAT OPERATION AND SAVE PARDON MONEY ON AN ANNUAL BASIS BY HIRING OUT INSTEAD OF USING OUR OWN EQUIPMENT IN OUR OWN HIGHLY PAID LABOR.
UM, I WAS IN NEW YORK CITY LAST WEEK AND I SAW A NUMBER OF HOMELESS PEOPLE WALKING AROUND WITH HUGE TRASH BAGS FULL OF SINGLE USE PLASTIC.
AND SO THEY HAVE A PROGRAM THERE WHERE THOSE HOMELESS KNOW WHERE TO GO AND TURN THOSE BAGS IN AND GET MONEY.
UM, SO ANYWAY, JUST, I'D LOVE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP YOU HAVE WITH THE OTHER ONE'S FOUNDATION AND CAN WE EXPAND THAT AND SAVE HARD MONEY? IF I COULD CLONE THAT ORGANIZATION AND PUT THEM EVERYWHERE.
UH, THEY'RE A WONDERFUL ORGANIZATION AND, AND I DON'T, UH, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW THAT, UH, THOSE, I DON'T KNOW IF THEY COULD SCALE THEIRS OR IF WE COULD HAVE MULTIPLE ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THAT.
BUT THAT WOULD BE A WONDERFUL THING.
THEY'RE A VERY EFFECTIVE GROUP.
ANYBODY ELSE? WHAT A GREAT PRESENTATION.
AND YOU ARE JUST A FANTASTIC PRESENTER.
SO I, I ENJOYED IT, UM, A LOT.
AND, AND SO THANK YOU FOR THAT.
SO I, I APPRECIATED THE POSSIBLE PROGRAMMING AND SYSTEM SOLUTIONS AND THERE IS A LITTLE BIT OF GOOD NEWS, I THINK, LIKE PARTICULARLY WITH OUR, OUR, OUR CONCESSIONAIRES MM-HMM.
SO I, FOR GOSH, OVER 15 YEARS WHEN I WANT TO GO PICK UP TRASH, I CAN, I'LL GO TO ARC OR TRC OR,
[01:15:01]
OR, UM, YOU KNOW, WHICH ANY OF 'EM I'VE DONE AND I'VE SAID MY PICKUP TRASH ON THE, ON THE LAKE AND THEY'VE GIVEN IT FOR FREE.SO I'M HOPING THAT THAT'S ALWAYS AN ONGOING THING.
UM, SO IT MAY BE JUST SOMETHING WE NEED TO TOUT MORE OR MAYBE EVEN DO AN INCENTIVIZE WHEN WE DO CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS THAT THEY CAN GET SOME SORT OF REIMBURSEMENT FOR THAT LOST COST OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
DID YOU HAVE AN IN, IN GOING TO THE SHOPPING CARTS? DID YOU DO AN INVENTORY? UH, WHICH SHOPPING CARTS LANDED THE MOST? IF THERE WAS ONE THING THAT I COULD DO ALL OVER AGAIN, IT WOULD BE TO NOT, NOT JUST, NOT JUST GPS TO SHOPPING CARTS, BUT THEN, UH, PUT THE VENDOR NAME ON THEM JUST LIKE WE DID WITH, WITH SCOOTERS.
I HAD NO IDEA WHAT I WAS GONNA FIND.
SO I I, ONE OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS, IF THERE ARE FUTURE STUDIES OR FOLLOW UP STUDIES FOR THIS ONE, THAT'S, THAT'S THE ONE THING I WOULD LIKE TO DO.
I DON'T HAVE ANY, ANY, UM, SURE.
DATA TO GIVE YOU ON THAT THOUGH.
NO, I WAS JUST CURIOUS CUZ I MEAN, I JUST, AS YOU WERE LOOKING, I WAS LIKE, WELL, IS THERE, THERE MUST BE AN 800 NUMBER OR SOMETHING, BUT I COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING.
UM, AND THEN THE OTHER THING, WHEN I NOTICE OVER AT THE GREEN BELT, WE HAVE SOME AREAS THAT ARE HEAVILY USED AND EVEN WHEN WE HAVE A DUMPSTER AT TIMES THAT DUMPSTER GETS FILLED.
AND A LOT OF TIMES IT'S WITH ILLEGAL DUMPING, YOU KNOW, YOU FIND A SOFA IN IT.
BUT I MEAN, IS THAT PART OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS? MAYBE JUST THE SIZE OF THE RECEPTACLE AS WELL? I KNOW, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE, IF YOU'RE DOING THAT SOLAR, THE SOLAR COMPACTION ONE MM-HMM.
BUT I HAVE TO THINK DIFFERENT TYPES OF THE YEAR IS, IS A MAJOR REASON AS WHY WE HAVE THAT.
AND UH, ONE OF THE THINGS WE, WE SPECULATE IS THAT EVEN IF YOU HAD A RECEPTACLE, IT WAS THE PROPER SIZE FOR MAJORITY OF THE YEAR, YOU HAVE AN EVENT OR FESTIVAL OR VENUE AND ALL OF A SUDDEN IT'S UNDERSIZED.
UM, THERE AREN'T MANY RULES WE FOUND ASSOCIATED WITH THAT.
IT'S PRIMARILY THE, UH, THE OWNER OR THE COMMERCIAL ENTITY SELECTS THE SIZE OR THE, WELL, I'M EVEN THINKING OF THE PARKS BECAUSE WHEN WE HAVE SO MUCH REGARDING THE GREEN BELT, I CAN SEE US HAVING THAT ISSUE WHERE WE DON'T HAVE THAT REAL INTENTIONALITY, YOU KNOW, 330 DAYS OF THE YEAR, IT'S FINE MM-HMM.
BUT I, I REALLY DO APPRECIATE IT AND I COULD SEE, YOU KNOW, WHAT IT MADE SENSE FOR DISTRICT DATE, WHICH IS WHERE I LIVE.
UM, I SEE WILLIAMSON CREEK NEAR THE Y BEING A MAJOR PORTION.
AND THERE WE DO HAVE ENCAMPMENTS.
WE ALSO HAVE JUST THE TRASH COMING OFF OF TWO 90 AND 71.
A LOT OF THOSE BARRIERS THAT YOU SPOKE OF.
SO, I MEAN, I'VE DONE A LOT OF TRASH PICKING UP OVER THE YEARS THERE AND SO EVERYTHING, IT JUST RINGS SO TRUE.
ONE MORE QUICK QUESTION ON THE THREE 11 APP MM-HMM.
UM, WHAT IF, WHAT IF IT INCLUDED SHOPPING CARTS? BECAUSE EVERYBODY SEES SHOPPING CARTS ON THE SIDES OF THE ROADS AND IN THE WOODS.
I LITERALLY SAW THREE OF THEM DOWN
UM, SO THAT'S REALLY EASY TO, TO REPORT THE SHOPPING CARTS AND GET THOSE PICKED UP BEFORE THEY GET DOWN IN THE CREEK.
UH, THAT'S AN INTERESTING IDEA.
SO THE NICE THING ABOUT THE SKIS WAS IT, PARDON ME, WE HAD AT TD WHO HAS THE, THE CONTRACTS WITH THE VENDORS, SO WE HAVE A DIRECT LINE.
UM, SO I DON'T THINK THAT PROCESS WOULD EXIST NECESSARILY FOR A, A SPECIFIC RETAIL TO GO AND RECOLLECT THEIR ITEM.
BUT, UH, IT'S, IT'S WORTH THINKING ABOUT IF WE COULD FIND A WAY TO WORK WITH THAT VENDOR.
I MEAN, IT'S SOMETHING LIKE, UH, HEB HAS BEEN A WONDERFUL PARTNER DURING THE BAG BAND AND THE BAG BAND WAS OFF.
AND SO I THINK THERE IS A OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO WORK WITH SOME OF, UH, SOME OF THE VENDORS.
IF, IF WE, IF IF WE NOTIFIED THEM, MAYBE THEY WOULD VOLUNTARILY GO GET IT.
SO I'M NOT SURE IF THAT'S A THREE 11 APP, IT, IT MAY BE A THREE 11 APP THING, BUT WE'D HAVE TO KIND OF LAY THE GROUNDWORK FOR THAT RELATIONSHIP FIRST.
BUT IT'S, IT'S A WONDERFUL IDEA AND BELIEVE ME, I SHOPPING CARTS IS, IS, IS KIND OF FIRST ON MY LIST OF THE THINGS TO GET OUT OF OUR CREEKS.
IF PEOPLE HAVE THOUGHTS ABOUT HOW THESE CAN BE RESOLVED, WHERE WOULD BE A PLACE YOU RECOMMEND THAT THEY CALL AND OR WRITE IN THEIR IDEAS? THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY MOVING PARTS TO PEOPLE, UH, TAKING THEM OUTTA TRASH.
UH, I WOULD SUGGEST PROBABLY ARR JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE REALLY ON THE FRONT LINES IN THE, IN THE CLEAN CREEKS CREW IS, IS, IS AVAILABLE.
I, I THINK, I'M NOT SURE IF THEY ARE THE BEST PERSON TO, TO TALK TO, BUT,
[01:20:01]
UH, I THINK THEY'RE PROBABLY THE MOST PROMINENT ENTITY IN THE, IN THE BATTLE AGAINST THIS.IF THERE ARE NO MORE QUESTIONS, I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME VERY MUCH.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK ON THAT.
[4. Staff briefing on procurement policies, procedures, and practices for the City of Austin. Cyrenthia Ellis, Procurement Manager, Financial Services Department.]
RIGHT.AND WE'RE MOVING ON TO STAFF BRIEFING ITEM FOUR.
UM, THIS IS A STAFF BRIEFING ON PROCUREMENT POLICIES, PROCEDURES, AND PRACTICES FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
UM, IT SAYS CINTHIA ELLIS, BUT UM, IS IT INSTEAD SOMEBODY ELSE? OH, SOTIA IS ONLINE, YES.
HELLO, SOTIA, ARE YOU THERE? OH, THERE YOU ARE.
UM, SHE'S THE PROCUREMENT MANAGER FINANCIAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT.
YOU'RE ON MUTE, WE CAN'T HEAR YOU, BUT, UM, WE WILL BE TALKING ABOUT THE PRESENTATION THAT WE, WE DEVELOPED.
THE PRESENTATION WAS, WAS PRETTY MUCH DE UH, DEVELOPED OFF OF QUESTIONS THAT WE HAD HAD REGARDING SOME, UM, QUESTIONS WHICH YOU ALL WERE ASKING REGARDING THINGS THAT'S GOING ON WITH THE, WITH THE, UH, PROCUREMENTS CENTRAL PROCUREMENT.
SO AS, UM, AS I SAID BEFORE, I AM WITH THE CENTRAL PROCUREMENT, I'M THE PROCUREMENT MANAGER AND WE DO THINGS AS CATEGORIES IN MY CATEGORIES IS GENERAL SERVICES.
AND WITHIN THAT GENERAL SERVICES CATEGORY WE WORK ON THINGS LIKE CONSULTANTS.
WE WORK ON REVENUE CONTRACTS AND WE HAVE VARIOUS OTHER, UM, ITEMS, BUT A LOT OF, UH, PARKS, UH, PROJECTS ARE WITHIN MY CATEGORY.
AND I THINK THE MAJORITY OF THE PROJECTS, THEY ARE SHARED ACROSS THE BOARD, BUT THAT'S WHY I'M HERE TO SPEAK TODAY.
SO THE FIRST QUESTION WE NEEDED TO, WE HAD BEEN ASKED, AND WE'RE GONNA GO TO THE NEXT ONE PLEASE, WAS UH, BASICALLY WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO DO A SOLICITATION? BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS ON HOW, UM, WHY DOES IT TAKE SO LONG AND WHAT GOES ON? AND THIS, WHAT WE GAVE HERE IS JUST REALLY A DRAFT.
THIS, UM, YOU'RE LOOKING AT A DRAG, I'M SORRY, I DID NOT PUT THE WORD DRAFT ON THERE, BUT IT'S A DRAFT OF WHAT WE DO WITH OUR PROCUREMENTS AND WHAT WE HAVE THE VARIOUS PROCUREMENTS IS INFOR IFB IS AN INFORMATION FOR BIDS, AN RFP IS A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS, AND THEN AN RFQ S IS A REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS.
AND EACH ONE DIFFERS A LITTLE BIT OF WHAT, BASICALLY ON WHAT YOU'RE ASKING.
I DON'T KNOW, UM, IF YOU ALL ARE FAMILIAR WITH THOSE TERMS AND I CAN EXPLAIN TO YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE, BUT I DON'T WANT TO INSULT YOU BY GIVING YOU, UM, GIVING YOU THE MORE OF A GENERAL QUESTION.
BUT USUALLY IVS ARE WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO PURCHASE SPECIFIC ITEMS AND YOU WANT, AND WE USUALLY WITH THE, IF NOT USUALLY WITH AN IFB, WE GO WITH THE LOWEST COST OF THE PERSON THAT IS ABLE TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS.
AND WHEN WE LOOK AT IT IN PART, IT CAN BE A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS.
IT CAN BE THINGS LIKE, UM, SLIDES, THINGS LIKE GLASSES OR THINGS, ANYTHING THAT YOU WOULD NEED THAT'S A GOOD AND THAT IS SUPPORTED OR THAT THE PARKS BOARD MIGHT, THE PARKS DEPARTMENT MIGHT NEED.
THEN WHAT WE CALL GOALS AND NO GOALS IS BASED ON THE SMD R DETERMINATION OF IF THIS IS A GOOD, THAT REQUIRES, UM, SUB-CONSULTANTS TO HELP SUPPLY THOSE GOODS.
AND SO WE HAVE THE GOALS AND NO GOALS.
AND USUALLY WHEN YOU'RE DOING WITH THE IFB, THE ESTIMATED TIMELINE, AND AS I SAID, THIS IS A DRAFT, BUT THE ESTIMATED TIMELINE IS USUALLY 120 DAYS.
THE IFB WITH GOALS IS 125 AND THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT DETAILS THAT GO INTO THE PROCESS, OVERALL PROCESS.
SO IT'S NOT JUST, I HAVE AN IDEAL, LET'S GO OUT AND GET IT.
THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT, UM, THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT SCH UH, A LOT OF DIFFERENT SCHEDULES THAT WE HAVE TO DO A LOT OF DIFFERENT ORDINANCE.
WE HAVE TO, NOT ORDINANCE, BUT RULES THAT WE HAVE TO MAKE TO, AND THEN WE ARE GOVERNED BY WHAT WE CALL 2 52.
SO WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE APPLY THOSE DIFFERENT RULES WHEN WE ARE DOING OUR DIFFERENT, UM, SOLICITATIONS.
THE RFP IS A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS AND THIS IS WHERE WE'RE ASKING A VENDOR TO TELL US HOW THEY PLAN ON DOING OR MEETING THE REQUIREMENT AND WHAT WILL BE THE PRICE.
AND THAT CAN GET INTO SOME VERY, VERY HIGH DETAIL TYPE OF QUESTIONS, SCOPE OF WORK, UM, SOLICITATIONS, DIFFERENT TYPES OF QUESTIONS.
AND THOSE ARE MORE OF OUR FORMAL KIND OF SOLICITATIONS AND THOSE TAKE A LITTLE BIT LONGER.
SO IT'LL, IT'LL TAKE USUALLY BETWEEN 170 AND 180 BUSINESS DAYS TO COMPLETE.
THEN WE HAVE A RFQ S WHICH IS A REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS.
AND WHAT WE'RE ASKING HERE IS FOR VENDORS TO RESPOND, HOW THEY HAVE DEMONSTRATED EXPERIENCE TO DO THE WORK THAT HAS BEEN, UH, REQUESTED.
[01:25:01]
SO LIKE WITH PAR, HOW, HOW DO YOU DO THIS? HOW HAVE YOU DONE IT IN THE PAST? WE DON'T ALWAYS KNOW WHAT WE WANNA DO, BUT SHOW US THAT YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO HELP US THROUGH THIS PROCESS, THE ABILITY TO WORK WITH US ON THIS PROCESS BASED ON YOUR PAST EXPERIENCES.YOU COULD ALMOST CALL IT LIKE A RESUME.
AND YOU HAVE TO GIVE A LOT OF DEMONSTRATED EXPERIENCE.
YOU HAVE TO, UH, SHOW WHAT YOU DID IN DIFFERENT, UM, ORGANIZATIONS AND YOU, AND WE DO EVALUATION CRITERIA AND EVERYTHING LIKE THAT.
AND THEN THE RF Q S WITH GOALS IS THE SAME THING.
SOME THINGS REQUIRE THAT WE HAVE SUB-CONSULTANTS A PART OF THE SOLICITATION AND OTHERS DO NOT.
AND SO THAT IS ONE OF OUR MOST TECHNICAL ONES.
AND USUALLY IT TAKES BETWEEN 185 AND 195 DAYS.
THE, THE UNIQUE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A RFP AND A RFQ S IS THAT THE RFP, THE VENDOR RESPONDS WITH THE PRICE AND WE USE THAT PRICE AS AN EVALUATION FACTOR WITH, UM, HOW THE OTHER VENDORS RESPONDED.
BUT THE RFQ S S WE ARE ONLY LOOKING AT THEIR, UM, QUALIFICATIONS AND THEN ONCE THE RECOMMENDED VENDOR IS SELECTED, WE GO BACK AND NEGOTIATE THE PRICE.
AND SO THAT'S A REAL SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE RFP AND THE RFQ.
ONE OF THE QUESTIONS WAS, UM, WE HAD TO ADDRESS WAS FAC, CENTRAL PERCY CONTRACT MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES.
BASICALLY WHAT DO WE DO AS FAR AS CONTRACT MANAGEMENT AND THE PROCUREMENT SPECIALIST IS THE POINT OF CONTACT THAT REALLY, UH, OVERSEES THE CONTRACTS AND WHAT THEY US, WHAT THEY WOULD DO IS AMEND CONTRACTS FOR CHANGES, VENDOR NAME CHANGES, EXTENSIONS AND RENEWAL INCREASES TO CONTRACT SPENDING, ADDING DEPARTMENTS TO EXISTING CONTRACTS AND PRICE CHANGES WAS PERMISSIBLE.
BUT THE ONE THING THAT WE DIDN'T SAY HERE THAT I'M NOTICING, THEY ALSO EXECUTE THE CONTRACT.
SO ONCE THE SOLICITATION IS, UM, SELECT, ONCE WE HAVE A RECOMMENDATION, THEN WE GO TO COUNCIL AND THE, AND THE COUNCIL APPROVES THE RECOMMENDATION, THE CONTRACT IS EXECUTED.
SO THAT'S ALL A PART OF THE CONTRACT MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES.
AND, AND THEN LASTLY, WE HAVE THE CONTRACT TERMINATIONS WHERE THE COMMUNICATIONS TO THE CONTRACTOR, UM, WHAT'S GOING ON WHEN THE CONTRACT IS ENDED.
THERE WAS A QUESTION ON WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A REVENUE CONTRACT AND EXPENDITURE CONTRACT? AND THAT'S A VERY VALID QUESTION AND THE REASON I SAY IT'S A VALID QUESTION IS BECAUSE PART IS ONE OF THE FEW, UH, DEPARTMENTS THAT HAS AN EXTENSIVE AMOUNT OF REVENUE CONTRACTS VERSUS EXPENDITURE CONTRACTS AND REVENUE CONTRACTS ARE PROCESSED IN A SIMILAR MANNER AS EXPENDITURE CONTRACTS, BUT THEY DIFFER A LITTLE BIT BY WHAT THEY DO.
THE VERBIAGE USE IN A SOLICITATION CHANGES TO REVENUE RATHER THAN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED.
AND THE REASON THIS IS, IS BECAUSE WE ARE ASKING, WE ARE, WE GO TO COUNCIL, WE ARE SAYING THIS IS WHAT WE EXPECT THE REVENUE TO BE.
WE ARE GOING TO GO OUT, WE'RE GOING TO WORK WITH A VENDOR AND THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE COSTS ASSOCIATED TO PROVIDING US A SERVICE.
BUT AFTER THE COSTS ARE ALL SAID AND DONE, THERE SHOULD BE SOME ADDITIONAL REVENUE.
AND SO THAT IS, THEY WILL HAVE A REVENUE.
THE AMOUNT TO NOT TO EXCEED IS AN EXPENDITURE AMOUNT BECAUSE WE'RE BASICALLY SAYING THIS IS THE SERVICE THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE AND IT'S GOING TO COST THE CITY TO DO IT.
SO WE WILL HAVE A AMOUNT TO NOT EXCEED.
NEXT, WE HAVE A REVENUE IS DETERMINED BY THE ESTIMATED AMOUNT THE CITY WILL RECEIVE AS A RESULT OF THE CONTRACT VERSUS AN ESTIMATED AMOUNT THAT THE CITY WILL SPEND USING A CONTRACT.
SO I JUST GAVE YOU THAT, UM, EXPLANATION WHAT THE TWO OR HOW THE TWO DIFFER.
AND WITH THE EX A REVENUE CONTRACT, AN EXPENDITURE CONTRACT, THE VENDOR WITH THE HIGHEST PRICE REVENUE VERSUS THE LOWEST COST EXPENSE IS USED AS EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR SELECTING A CONTRACTOR.
IF YOU KNOW, IF YOU REMEMBER I SAID WE DO AN R F P AND THE RFP, YOU'RE LOOKING AT WHAT THE VENDOR, WHAT THE PRICE THE VENDOR IS GOING TO CALL GIVE US TO PERFORMANCE SERVICE WITH THE REVENUE WE'RE LOOKING AT HOW MUCH WE CONSIDER, HOW MUCH THE REVENUE IS GOING TO BE GENERATED BY THE CITY AFTER THE SERVICES AFTER THE COST FROM THE VENDOR IS COMPLETED.
PARAMETERS FOR WRITING GEN REVENUE GENERATED CONTRACTS.
FIRST OF ALL, THE PARAMETERS ARE PRETTY MUCH THE SAME FOR, UM, WRITING A REVENUE GENERATING CONTRACT IS THAT THE PROCUREMENT SPECIALIST OR THE CENTRAL PROCUREMENT GETS INVOLVED WITH CONTRACTS WHERE THE AMOUNT IS OVER $5,000.
REVENUE DEPOSITS TO THE CITY MUST COINCIDE WITH
[01:30:01]
THE ORDER IS ESTABLISHED BY THE VARIOUS CITIES, STATE AND FEDERAL AGENCIES.UM, THERE'S CERTAIN THINGS THAT I, AND I I'M SURE YOU ALL ARE FAMILIAR WITH IT, BUT THERE'S CERTAIN THINGS THAT WE CANNOT DO BASED ON THE ORDINANCE WITHIN THE CITY.
AND SO, AND THERE'S CERTAIN REVENUES THAT WE CANNOT, UM, HAVE IF IT DOES NOT, UM, MEET THE ORDINANCE.
AND SO AS WE KNOW, ONE OF THOSE, THE BIG THINGS, AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT AND NEXT SLIDE IS THE CUP.
YOU KNOW, THE CONSUMERATION I'LL, I'M NOT GONNA BOX THAT UP, I'M GONNA JUST LET IT GO.
BUT YOU ALL ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE CUP AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HAVE GONE ON WITH THE CUP.
AND SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS WHEN WE TALK ABOUT MUST COINCIDE WITH ORDERS ESTABLISHED BY THE VARIOUS CITIES, STATE AND FEDERAL AGENCIES IN THE NET CONTRACT AMOUNT IS NOT AN EXPENSE TO THE CITY NEXT PLACE.
HOW DOES ALCOHOL SALE CUP IMPACT THE WRITING OF A REVENUE GENERATED CONTRACT? FIRST OF ALL, THE CITY WOULD WANT TO HAVE THE CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT IN PLACE BEFORE SOLICITING FOR A SUCH A CONTRACT.
IF THE CUP IS NOT GRANTED, ALCOHOL SALES CANNOT OCCUR ON THAT SITE AND THE SOLICITATION SHOULD BE REFLECTIVE OF THIS RESTRICTION.
THIS IS BECAUSE ALCOHOL SALES PROVIDE HIGH PROFIT MARGINS AND CAN BE A CRITICAL FOCUS OF HOW A VENDOR PLANS HIS PROFIT.
NEXT, PLEASE CONTRACT EXECUTION AUTHORITY.
AS I SAID BEFORE, THE CENTRAL PROCUREMENT OFFICER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR CONTRACTS EXECUTED BY THE CITY IN ACCESS OF $5,000 AND HAS FINAL OVERSIGHT OF THE CONTRACT.
SO WE WORK TOGETHER WITH ALL THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS.
WE GET THE SCOPE, WE GET, WE HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THEY NEED AND WE TOGETHER, WE GO OUT, WE DO A SOLICITATION, WE EVALUATE THE SUBMITTALS, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE CONTRACT WILL BELONG IN THE CENTRAL PURCHASING OFFICE.
AND SO THAT WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT HAPPENS TO THAT CONTRACT.
DEPARTMENTAL DIRECTORS AND THEIR DESIGNEES HAVE DELEGATED AUTHORITY TO EXECUTE CONTRACTS UNDER $5,000.
AND THEN AT SOMETIMES THERE'S SOME DEPARTMENTS HAVE DELEGATED AUTHORITY TO EXECUTE CONTRACTS OF A SPECIFIC TYPE.
SO THEREFORE, AND THE REASON I'M SAYING THAT IS, BUT IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY APPLY TO THE PARKS DISTRICT.
BUT THE REASON I'M SAYING THAT IS YOU MIGHT HEAR WHERE SOME DEPARTMENTS HAVE, UH, ARE ABLE TO WRITE THEIR OWN CONTRACTS, BUT THOSE THAT ARE ABLE TO WRITE THEIR OWN CONTRACTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN GIVEN DELEGATED AUTHORITY EARLIER ON BEFORE THEY ARE ABLE TO JUST WRITE A CONTRACT.
AND SO IF A CONTRACT HAPPENS TO GET EXECUTED THAT DOES NOT FALL WITHIN THE DELEGATED AUTHORITY OF A DEPARTMENT OR WAS NOT EXECUTED BY ONE OF THE PROCUREMENT SPECIALISTS OR SOMEONE THAT HAS DELEGATED AUTHORITY WITHIN A PROCUREMENT OFFICE, THAT REALLY IS AN INVALID CONTRACT.
AND SO WE ALWAYS, ALWAYS NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PERSON THAT'S EXECUTING THE CONTRACT HAS THE AUTHORITY TO DO SO.
WELL THEN I THINK THAT'S, I THOUGHT WE HAD A QUESTION SLIDE.
SO I JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU A HIGH LEVEL.
WE, WE, WE WERE ANSWERING, WE WERE, THE PRESENTATION WAS BASED ON QUESTIONS THAT WE RECEIVED.
SO I JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU A HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF WHAT THOSE QUESTIONS WERE AND WHAT THEY MEANT.
AND THEN DO YOU ALL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? OKAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.
UM, I'M GONNA DRAW EVERYBODY'S ATTENTION.
I HAD WRITTEN A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS BACK.
THERE'S A QUESTION, AN ANSWERED REPORT THAT WE HAVE PRINTED HERE AND I APPRECIATE, I BELIEVE ALL OF YOU LADIES CHIMED IN ON HELPING MAKING THIS, UH, GETTING SOME ANSWERS HERE.
UM, ARE THERE ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS THAT WE WANTED TO BRING UP? ANNA? UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, I WAS WONDERING HOW BIG OF A ROLE DOES, UM, COMPARISON TO OTHER TEXAS CITIES, UM, PLAY IN IN DETERMINING UM, OR SELECTING THE, THE REVENUE FOR REVENUE GENERATING CONTRACTS? ARE YOU SPEAKING TO BEEF SPECIFICALLY AS FROM A PROCUREMENT PERSPECTIVE OR ARE YOU WANTING TO SAY FROM PAR? BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO IN THE PROCUREMENT IS THAT WE DO LOOK AT WHAT OTHER CITIES ARE DOING PRIOR TO, UM, DOING ANY TYPE OF SOLICITATIONS, BUT THE OVERALL SCOPE OF WORK AND HOW THEY GO ABOUT THAT, THAT WOULD COME FROM THE PARK DEPARTMENT OR FROM THE PARKS DEPARTMENT.
UM, THEN YES, THEN THAT CAN BE ANSWERED
[01:35:01]
BY PAR, BUT YEAH, I MAINLY, NOT NECESSARILY LIKE WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE CONTRACTS, BUT HOW, HOW, YOU KNOW, WHAT UM, WHAT THE COST THAT WE'RE TRYING TO GET WOULD BE, IF THAT MAKES SENSE.AND THEN THAT, THAT IS SOMETHING I WOULD HAVE TO DIVERT TO PAR.
I GUESS I JUST NEED TO CLARIFY THE QUESTION.
SO ARE WE LOOKING AT WHAT SIMILAR, UM, CITIES ARE MAKING ON REVENUE GENERATING CONTRACTS OR, UM, YEAH, I GUESS I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION.
LIKE, UM, WHAT IS, YOU KNOW, SAN ANTONIO CHARGING THEIR VENDORS FOR RENTING KAYAKS OR FOR WELL VENDING KAYAKS? RIGHT.
SO, UM, SEVERAL SIMILAR CITIES, THEY HAVE DIFFERENT WAYS THEY APPROACH THEIR PARTICULAR VENDORS.
UM, A LOT OF THEM RUN UNDER CONSERVANCY TYPE, UM, ACTIVITY.
SO WHEN WE LOOK AT THAT, THAT'S USUALLY CONSERVANCIES THAT ARE GENERATING REVENUE THAT WAY.
UM, SAN ANTONIO, THEY HAVE, UM, I ACTUALLY HAD, UH, RECENTLY PARTICIPATED IN ONE OF THEIR PROCUREMENTS.
I CAN'T REALLY GO INTO THE DETAILS, BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT SOME OF THE THINGS THEY DO IS THEY HAVE TEMPORARY CONCESSIONS AND SO THEIR REVENUE IS VERY DIFFERENTLY STRUCTURED THAN HOW WE DO OURS AS A PERMANENT CON OR AS A A LONG TERM CONCESSION.
FIGURE OUT HOW MUCH WE'RE LIKE RELYING ON, ON WHAT OTHER CITIES ARE DOING, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE MAYBE THEY'RE ALL PRETTY DIFFERENT, SO WELL YEAH, AND THEY CAN BE STRUCTURED DIFFERENTLY IN, IN HOW THEY'RE, EVEN THE CONTRACTS MAY BE UNDER A CONSERVANCY OR, OR A FOUNDATION AND THAT TYPE, WHEN IT'S LIKE THAT THEN THEIR REVENUES ARE SHARED WITH THE FOUNDATION OR THE CONSERVANCY AND THEN DISTRIBUTED HOWEVER THEY DETERMINE.
UM, AND, UM, FOR, FOR THE, UM, CONTRACTS THAT, THAT HAVE THE GOALS IN WHICH A SUB-CONSULTANT IS NEEDED, UM, IS THAT BA HOW IS IT DETERMINED IF A SUB-CON CONSULTANT IS NEEDED? IS THAT BASICALLY IF THERE'S A SERVICE THAT, THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN OR THAT PAR, YOU KNOW, CAN'T COMPLETE WITHIN THAT DEPARTMENT, IS THAT WHEN A SUB-CON CONSULTANT IS REQUIRED? NO, NOT ACTUALLY.
A SUB CONSULTANT IS DECIDED, UM, BASED ON THE NUMBER OF COMMODITIES THAT ARE ASSOCIATED TO THE PARTICULAR SCOPE OF WORK FOR THAT PARTICULAR PROJECT, AND THEN IT IS EVALUATED BY THE SMALL MINORITY BUSINESS RESOURCE AND THEY DETERMINE IF SUB-CONSULTANTS WOULD BE NECESSARY OR NOT BASED ON THEIR CALCULATIONS OF WHAT THEY SEE AS AVAILABILITY FOR PROVIDING CERTAIN WORK AND, UM, VARIOUS OTHER POINTS THAT COINCIDE WITH SMALL MINORITY BUSINESS RESOURCE.
SO, AND UH, BOARD MEMBER, ARE YOU JUST TALKING ABOUT THE REGULAR CONSULTANT THAT WE WOULD CONTRACT OUT WITH? OKAY, SO THAT WOULD BE A PRIME CONSULTANT.
AND SO I KNOW THIS IS WHEN YOU REALLY GET INTO THE PROCUREMENT LINGO AND IT GETS A LITTLE, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO REALLY BATHE IN IT AS IT WERE.
AND SO THE SUB CONSULTANT IS UNDERNEATH A PRIME CONSULTANT FOR WHATEVER THAT SERVICE IS.
AND SO EXACTLY WHAT OUR SPEAKER HAD SAID, IT LOOKS FOR LIKE THE COMMODITY CODES, WHAT'S THE OPPORTUNITY BASED UPON AVAILABILITY.
BUT WHEN WE ARE LOOKING AT, SAY, THE VENDOR IN THE CASE OF A CONCESSIONAIRE, THAT WOULD BE A PRIME CONTRACTOR, UM, THE CONSULTANT WOULD BE PROBABLY THE SERVICE, LIKE ANYTHING LIKE A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES.
UM, AND SO IF IT'S THE CON CONCESSIONAIRES A CONTRACT, I MEAN A, THE SERVICE PROVIDER, THEN IT, IT COULD FALL UNDERNEATH THAT.
YEAH, WELL, PROFESSIONAL SERVICES IS USUALLY DEALING SPECIFICALLY WITH ENGINEERS AND IT'S MOSTLY DEALING WITH PEOPLE WITH ENGINEERS AND, UM, ARCHITECTS AND PERSONS WITH LICENSES IN GENERAL SERVICES IS, UM, ANYONE ELSE THAT DOESN'T FALL UNDERNEATH THAT CATEGORY.
SO OUR PRIME, OUR PRIME VENDORS, AND YOU'RE CORRECT WHEN, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU SAY THAT THEY'RE AT A PRIME, UM, PRIME CONSULTANT, THEY ARE, UM, THEY CAN BE A PROFESSIONAL SERVICE OR THEY CAN BE A JUST WHAT WE CALL GENERAL SERVICES WITH A SPECIALTY THAT THEY OFFER.
AND WE WILL BE CONTRACTING WITH THAT PARTICULAR PERSON TO PROVIDE SPECIFIC SERVICES AND THEY WOULD WORK WITH THE SUB-CONSULTANTS THAT HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED BY THE SMALL MINORITY BUSINESS RESOURCE GROUP TO COMPLETE THE PROJECT AND THEY ESTABLISH SN B R ESTABLISHES THE GOALS THAT SHOULD, UM, THE, THE MINIMUM GOALS FOR, UM, USING THEIR SERVICES, THE SUB-CONSULTANT AND, AND SO THAT, SO UNDER A TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE 2250 FORBES, WHICH IS GOVERN THE RFQ FOR THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
[01:40:01]
YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT ON, ON ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES.AND THEN THE OTHER SERVICES WHERE YOU DON'T HAVE TO STAMP SOMETHING, PROVIDE YOUR CERTIFICATION, THAT WOULD GONNA BE THOSE GENERAL SERVICES.
AND THEN WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MEETING THE GOALS, THOSE ARE SUB-CONSULTANTS OR SUB CONSULTANTS OR SUBCONTRACTORS WHO'VE GONE THROUGH A PROCESS FOR CERTIFICATION THAT THEY ARE A HISPANIC MALE OWNED BUSINESS AND WOMEN OWNED BUSINESS.
AND THEN THE, I GUESS THE OTHER THING I WANTED TO GIVE MY THOUGHTS ON, I DON'T KNOW IF CLARIFICATION FOR ME, BUT WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT A CONCESSION CONCESSIONAIRE REVENUE SORT OF CONTRACT, WE'RE PUTTING IT OUT THERE OFTEN, OR WE CAN PUT IT OUT THERE OFTEN IS THIS IS THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS THAT WE'RE SEEKING AS FAR AS THE AMOUNT OF PERCENTAGE REVENUE TO THE CITY AT WITH THESE TIERS.
AND THEN WHEN IT GOES OUT, IT'S ONE OF, CAN BE ONE OF THE, THE, UH, EVALUATION CRITERIA IN WHICH THAT VENDOR IS SELECTED.
IT OTHER COULD BE THE CAP, THE CAPACITY TO DO THE WORK THEY'RE DEMONSTRATE AND BEING DEMONSTRATED BY THEY'VE DONE IT ELSEWHERE.
SO THOSE ARE ALL PART OF THAT CALCULATION.
AND THEN THE LENGTH OF CONTRACT, UM, IS ONE OF THOSE DISCUSSIONS THAT WE ALWAYS WANT TO BE ABLE TO THINK ABOUT IN TERMS OF WHAT'S THE INVESTMENT WE'RE ASKING THAT VENDOR TO MAKE.
SO IF IT'S A VERY SUBSTANTIVE LIKE, AND SAY LIKE THE TEXAS ROWING CENTER, WHEN THEY'RE GONNA DO THIS MAJOR DOC, WE WANT TO HAVE A A LONG ENOUGH PAYBACK PERIOD IN WHICH THEY CAN RE KEEP THAT INVESTMENT.
IS THAT ALL FAIR? THAT IS DEFINITELY RIGHT ON POINT.
I MEAN BESIDES FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS TO YOUR, UM, THE QUESTIONS REPORT, BUT WE CAN, YOU CAN GO OVER THOSE.
ANYBODY ELSE? NO, I, I HAD A FOLLOW UP QUESTION FOR YOU HERE.
SO IN THE BACKUP, THE, UH, FOR THOSE LISTENING IN, WE HAVE BACKUP MATERIAL FOR QUESTIONS THAT I HAD PUT OUT.
UM, AND THEY HAVE BEEN ANSWERED.
SO THIS IS A FOLLOW UP QUESTION ON QUESTION NUMBER EIGHT.
SO I HAVE A QUESTION FOR, UM, ON QUESTION NUMBER EIGHT WITH MONITORING CONTRACT COMPLIANCE.
AND I THINK I HAVE THIS QUESTION BECAUSE AS A PARKS BOARD MEMBER, YOU KNOW, WE HEAR FROM COMMUNITY ABOUT, UM, THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON AT DIFFERENT PARKS THAT THEY MAY NOT BE IT AND COMMUNITY MAY NOT BE HAPPY ABOUT OR HAS CONCERNS ABOUT.
AND SO WITH THIS COMPLIANCE, UM, IS, I MEAN THEY'RE MONITORED BY PARKS, IS THERE GUIDANCE THAT IS PROVIDED TO THESE VENDORS WITH THE CONTRACT? LIKE IF YOU'RE GONNA PUT TOGETHER AN EVENT, THERE'S A CERTAIN, YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THERE IS COMMUNITY AROUND YOU AND THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS THAT PROBABLY ARE GONNA IMPACT THEM, AND YOU, YOU WANT TO KIND OF HAVE SOME GUIDELINES IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT, BECAUSE I THINK IF THAT HAPPENS, AND I'M NOT SURE IF IT DOES OR NOT, BUT THAT WOULD REALLY MITIGATE ALREADY SOME OF THESE SITUATIONS THAT WE HEAR FROM AND, AND SAVE PROBLEMS DOWN THE ROAD.
BUT I THINK, UM, FROM WHAT I'VE HEARD THAT, THAT THAT MAY NOT BE HAPPENING.
SO I WONDER IF THAT DOES HAPPEN AND IF SO, UM, HOW THAT WORKS.
AND THEN WITH THIS, UM, COMPLIANCE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF VENDORS OUT THERE AND IT'S A LOT OF MON MONITORING CAN BARELY TALK TO DO.
AND SO, UM, I'M JUST NOT SURE HOW MUCH IS JUST KIND OF GIVEN TO THE VENDORS AND EXPECTING THEM TO USE GOOD FAITH AND, AND WHETHER HOW REALLY, UM, SOLID THIS COMPLIANCE IS.
AND THAT'S, I'M JUST FACING THAT NOT TO AS A CRITICISM, BUT JUST BASED ON CONVERSATIONS WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
WELL, WE CAN ONLY SPEAK TO OUR, OUR VENDORS AND OUR CONCESSIONAIRES AND THE FINANCIAL SERVICES PERSONNEL, WHERE ARE THE ONES WHO MONITOR CLOSELY THOSE CONCESSIONS.
BUT BEFORE WE PUT OUT ANY KIND OF SOLICITATION, ONE OF THE PIECES OF INFORMATION IS THAT THEY MUST ABIDE BY ALL PARK RULES AND WE GIVE THEM THE PARK RULES AND THEN IF THERE'S SOME KIND OF COMPLAINT, THEN WE HAVE A PERSON ON OUR STAFF WHO IS ASSIGNED TO WORK WITH EACH ONE OF THESE CONCESSIONAIRES AS WE SAID, AND MEET WITH THEM QUARTERLY AND ALSO ON A DAY TO DAY BASIS IF THERE'S SOME PROBLEMS WITH THEM AS WELL.
OF COURSE, WE DON'T OVERSEE ALL THE VENDORS IN FINANCIAL SERVICES.
WE A LOT OF TIMES DEPEND ON OUR FELLOW HARD, HARD TEAM MEMBERS TO WORK CLOSELY WITH THOSE VENDORS IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS.
BUT AS FAR AS THE TOWN LAKE VENDORS, WE'RE VERY, VERY INVOLVED IN THAT.
AND, AND I'D JUST ALSO LIKE TO ADD, AND IF IT'S A,
[01:45:01]
AN ISSUE WHERE, UM, IT REQUIRES, UM, ADDITIONAL INVOLVEMENT, WE WOULD INVOLVE CORPORATE PURCHASING AS WELL.SO, AND SO DO YOU PROVIDE GUIDELINES AS FAR AS, AS FAR AS IF YOU, SO THE GUIDELINES ARE THE SCOPE OF, FOR EXAMPLE, I THINK THIS QUESTION REFERENCED, UM, EVENTS.
IF YOU, YOU SAID FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU HAVE FOUR EVENTS A YEAR, DO YOU PROVIDE GUIDELINES FOR THESE ARE, UM, I DON'T KNOW, HELPFUL HINTS ABOUT NOISE LEVELS, ABOUT LIGHTS, ABOUT TRUST PICKUP, ABOUT NUMBERS, CROWD CONTROL, ANYTHING LIKE THAT? SO WE PROVIDE THE, UM, TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE CONTRACTS, THE RESPONSIBILITIES UNDER THE SCOPE OF WORK, AND THEN THEY ARE REQUIRED TO FOLLOW ANY CITY ORDINANCE THAT'S IN PLACE.
SO THAT IS A RESPONSIBILITY OF THAT VENDOR AS WELL.
AND THAT ISN'T THE SCOPE OF WORK AS WELL.
I, I I GUESS I'M JUST HERE MIXED THINGS FROM COMMUNITY THAT DON'T REALLY FOLLOW THAT THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENS.
THAT'S WHY I'M, I'M JUST WONDERING ABOUT THE COMPLIANCE PART.
SO, SO, AND, AND YOU KNOW, IT DEPENDS ON WHAT THE PARTICULAR AGREEMENT IS.
AND WE RECEIVE A MONTHLY REPORT FROM EACH ONE OF THOSE VENDORS AND WE TRACK CLOSELY WHICH EVENTS THEY'VE HAD AS, AS FAR AS THAT MM-HMM.
SO I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING AND IT SOUNDS LIKE, YOU KNOW, WITH, WITH YOUR EXCLAMATION, UGH, I CANNOT TALK TO THAT.
I APOLOGIZE YOUR EXPLANATION THAT, UM, IT SOUNDS GOOD.
I GUESS I'M JUST TRYING TO KIND OF UNDERSTAND THAT IN RELATION TO THE CONVERSATIONS THAT I HAVE WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS ABOUT CERTAIN THINGS THAT HAPPEN, SO THAT IS, DOESN'T FOLLOW THAT, THAT, UM, THEY DON'T FEEL LIKE THAT THAT'S HAPPENING.
SO I, I JUST WANNA, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT'S HAPPENING.
I THINK YOU KNOW, THESE, AND I'VE SAID THIS BEFORE, THAT THESE ARE, UM, THESE BELONG TO THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN AND IT IS REALLY, AND PART OF OUR ROLE IS PARKS BOARD, IS TO TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE, TRY TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN SO THAT IT REALLY BENEFITS ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS, NOT JUST JUST CERTAIN PEOPLE THAT ARE ATTENDING AN EVENT, BUT EVERYBODY AROUND IT TOO.
AND SO I'M JUST TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE, UM, THAT THOSE THINGS HAPPEN.
SO, DID YOU WANNA SAY SOMETHING, SUSAN? I WAS JUST GONNA GIVE YOU THE ASSURANCE IF YOU HAD MORE SPECIFIC DETAILS ABOUT WHICH PARTICULAR VENDOR OR CONCESSIONAIRE OR THE SPECIFIC COMPLAINTS, UM, PLEASE LET OUR STAFF KNOW AND, UM, WE'LL BE SURE TO MAKE WHATEVER FOLLOW UP.
I WILL, I WILL, I'LL BE, I WILL FOLLOW UP WITH THAT AND LET YOU KNOW FOR SURE.
AND THEN THERE WAS ONE WE'RE WAITING ON, UM, QUESTION NUMBER FOUR, WHAT ARE THE RULES GOVERNING WHAT THE CITY CAN EARN FROM A VENDOR? AND SO WE'LL FOLLOW UP ON THAT WHEN WE HEAR FROM YOU.
WE'LL, IF WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT, YES.
ONCE WE HAVE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THAT, WE'LL PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS TONIGHT? OKAY.
THANK YOU ALL VERY, VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND I APPRECIATE ALL THE ANSWERS BEHIND THE SCENES AND AS WELL AS MS. ELLIS, UH, YOUR PRESENTATION TONIGHT.
[5. Staff briefing on Parks and Recreation Department community engagement events, planning updates, development updates, maintenance updates, program updates, administrative updates, and Hatchery Park. (SD23 Strategies: Health & Environment, Culture & Lifelong Learning; PARD Long Range Strategies: Relief from Urban Life, Urban Public Spaces, Park Access for All) Presenter(s): Liana Kallivoka, Assistant Director, Parks and Recreation Department.]
WE ARE COMING TO THE STAFF BRIEFING ON PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EVENTS, PLANNING UPDATES, DEVELOPMENT UPDATES, MAINTENANCE, MAINTENANCE PROGRAM, ADMINISTRATIVE UPDATES, AND HATCHERY PARK.SO, UM, I BELIEVE, UH, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR CALCA IS HERE TONIGHT TO GIVE OUR PORT A REPORT.
UM, SO YOU HAVE RECEIVED IT, A LENGTHY REPORT, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT JUST A FEW THINGS.
UM, THERE IS AN EVENT, UH, THAT WILL BE HELD ON NOVEMBER 7TH AT GVA NEIGHBORHOOD PARK, AND IT'S GONNA BE A REBOUND CUTTING, UH, EVENT FOR THE INNOVATION OF THE PLAYGROUND AND THE INSTALLATION OF A NEW MULTIPURPOSE FIELD.
I'M HIGHLIGHTING BECAUSE IT'S A PROJECT THAT HAPPENED WITH MANY, UM, PARTICIPANTS AND, UM, MANY, UH, CONTRIBUTORS.
SO FUNDING CAME FROM, UH, APF BOARD DESIGNATED AUSTIN CITY LIMITS FUNDING FROM TRUST GRACE FOUNDATION, J PAUL COMPANY, UH, HERSHEY FUNDING URBAN FORESTRY GRANT,
[01:50:01]
AND, UH, AND HEARTLAND DEDICATION FUNDING.UM, THERE IS ON NOVEMBER 17TH, THERE IS THE, UM, ASIAN AMERICAN RESOURCE CENTER, PHASE TWO DESIGN REVEAL, AND IT'S GONNA BE A HYBRID MEETING.
YOU, YOU HAVE THE INFORMATION, UH, EITHER FOR THE IN-PERSON, UH, EVENT AND THE ZOOM REGISTRATION.
SO THAT, UH, SHOULD BE, UM, INTERESTING TO, TO FIGURE OUT, TO UNDERSTAND WHERE WE ARE WITH THE DESIGN AND HOW, UH, WE WILL TRY TO MOVE FORWARD.
UH, THERE ARE PLENTY OF, UM, UPDATES REGARDING THE PROJECTS, AND I HOPE THAT YOU WILL NOTICE SOME OF OUR UPDATES FOR, UH, POLLS, UM, THAT ARE COMING UP ON PAGE 10.
I WOULD LIKE TO DRAW YOUR ATTENTION ON THE FIRST EVER, UM, PRESCRIBED BURN AT ONION CREEK WILDLIFE, UH, SANCTUARY THAT HAPPENED, UH, FROM THE DEPARTMENT.
AND THIS IS, AGAIN, AN EVENT, A, A BURN THAT, UH, WAS, UH, PLANNED AND REVIEWED AND PERMITTED, UH, WITH THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT.
AND IT WAS IMPLEMENTED CAREFULLY, AND IT DOES NEED CAREFUL PLANNING AND MULTI-AGENCY, UH, COLLABORATION IN ORDER TO DO THAT.
IT'S ALSO, YOU HAVE INFORMATION ABOUT THE LAND MANAGEMENT PLAN, WHICH IS COMING TO FRUITION FOR, UM, A ON HOW TO MANAGE MORE THAN 10,000 ACRES OF NATURAL SPACES, UH, SO THAT WE, UH, NOT ONLY PRESERVE AND PROTECT THEM, BUT WE ALSO MEET MULTIPLE GOALS WITH OUR LONG RANGE PLAN AND THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN.
A LOT OF EVENTS, UH, YOU WILL SEE, UH, FROM THE PARK, UH, FOR, FROM THE REC CENTERS, A LOT OF THEM ARE, UM, FROM A, A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT, UM, UH, SUBJECTS AND HALLOWEEN CELEBRATIONS.
AND, UH, I WILL JUST CLOSE WITH, UM, A POSITIVE NOTE ON THE LAST PAGE REGARDING THE GOLF REVENUES.
UM, AND THEY CLOSE THE FISCAL YEAR, THE DIVISION WITH 1.5 MILLION ABOVE THE ANTICIPATED REVENUE, 2 MILLION IN PROFIT, AND IT'S ONLY THE SECOND YEAR IN THEIR HISTORY THAT ARE, UH, SURPASSING THE 10 MILLION, UM, DOLLAR MARK.
I WILL LET YOU, UH, DECIDE WHAT'S OF INTEREST WITH WITHIN THE REPORT.
SO, ONE MORE SUBJECT THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO, TO DISCUSS AND SHARE INFORMATION THAT HAS BEEN, UM, PARTIALLY SHARED WITH THE BOARD BEFORE HAS TO DO ABOUT THE HATCHERY PARK.
AND OF COURSE, WE, WE HEARD FROM, UM, UM, THE, THE SPEAKERS BEFORE.
SO THE DEPARTMENT, UM, HAS BEEN ENGAGED WITH THE DEVELOPER, THE GARDENERS AND COMMUNITIES, STAKEHOLDERS OVER A NUMBER OF YEARS.
WHAT THE REQUIREMENT FROM THE DEVELOPER IS TO CONSTRUCT AND MAINTAIN, UH, A PARK THAT IS ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC.
AND WE ANTICIPATE THAT THAT WILL, THE PARK WILL BE CONSTRUCTED WITHIN THE NEXT TWO TO THREE YEARS.
UM, THE DEVELOPER HA DURING THIS PROCESS HAS WORKED WITH THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITY, UM, AND THE STAKEHOLDERS TO DESIGN THE PROPOSED PARK.
UH, AND IT'S OUR UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS, THROUGH THIS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, THE DESIGN OF THE PARK IS, UM, ACCEPTABLE TO, TO THE COMMUNITY AND THE STAKEHOLDERS.
NOW, WE, WE ARE AWARE THAT GARDENERS HAVE ASKED ADDITIONAL, UM, UH, HAD ADDITIONAL DEMANDS FROM THE DEVELOPER, AND WE HAVE DISCUSSED THOSE.
HOWEVER, IT'S NOT THE DEPARTMENT'S.
UM, WE DON'T HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO ASK THE DEVELOPER TO COMPLY WITH THOSE, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE SOME OF THIS CAME AFTER THE AGREEMENT HAD BEEN REACHED ABOUT THE PARK DESIGN.
NEVERTHELESS, WE ARE, UM, CONTINUING THE, THE ENGAGEMENT MEETINGS.
AND AS A RESULT OF THOSE, THERE ARE A FEW THINGS THAT HAVE COME OUT.
SO THE DEPARTMENT HAS, THERE WASN'T A QUESTION ABOUT THE BOUNDARIES.
AND IN ORDER TO CLARIFY THAT, THE DEPARTMENT HAS ASKED THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT TO CONFIRM THE PROPERTY BOUNDARIES, AND WE EXPECT TO GET THE RESULTS BY THE END OF THE
[01:55:01]
MONTH, UM, OF OCTOBER, WE HAVE, UM, AGREED AND WE PLAN TO INSTALL A FENCE ALONG THE BOUNDARY AS IT HAS BEEN REQUESTED BY THE COMMUNITY GARDEN STAKEHOLDERS.WE ALSO HAVE AGREED TO ESTABLISH, UM, A FOX HABITAT ON PARKLAND TO ALLOW FOR THE FOX TO MOVE TO THIS NEW AREA.
THAT WILL, UH, WILL BE THE, THE NEXT, THE, THE NEW HABITAT.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO ALSO FOCUS ON TWO ITEMS THAT WE HAVE BEEN AND CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE DEVELOPER.
ONE IS TO, UM, CREATE A CONNECTION, UH, A CONNECTIVE TRAIL BETWEEN THE TWO PROPERTIES.
UH, A TRAIL THAT WILL CONNECT THE PARK, WHICH IS GONNA BE ON PRIVATE PROPERTY, UH, TO THE COMMUNITY GARDEN, THE FOOD FOREST, AND EVENTUALLY TO THE HIKE AND BIKE TRAIL BY THE LAKE.
UM, AND WE HAVE BEEN, UH, WE CONTINUE TO DISCUSS MORE, UH, INFORMATION WILL COME OUT WHEN WE ARE CLOSE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PARK.
AND THE SECOND ITEM HAS TO DO WITH, UM, PROVIDING, UH, WATER CONNECTION TO, TO THE COMMUNITY GARDENS.
AND THIS IS, THIS HAS, THERE HAVE BEEN DISCUSSIONS DURING THE LAST, UH, YEAR BETWEEN THE DEPARTMENT, THE DEVELOPER AND WATERSHED PROTECTION THAT, UM, THEY ARE OUR PARTNERS AND SUPPORTING US IN THIS EFFORT.
AND WHAT WE ARE DISCUSSING IS PRO, UH, FOR THE DEVELOPER TO HELP THE DEPARTMENT TO PROVIDE A WATER CONNECTION TO THE SYSTEMS THAT ARE GONNA BE INSTALLED IN THE, IN THEIR PROPERTY, AND HAVE CONNECTED TO SYSTEMS INSTALLED, UH, WITHIN THE COMMUNITY GARDEN.
AND USE THE STORM WATER THAT WILL BE STORED IN THOSE SYSTEMS TO, UH, AS A SOURCE, AS A WATER SOURCE FOR THE GARDEN.
THIS HAS BEEN, UM, IMPORTANT AND SUPPORTED BY, UM, THE DEPARTMENT AND, UM, AND THE COMMUNITY GARDENS.
AND WE HOPE THAT WE WILL SEE FOR OUTCOME TO THAT.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS NOT BEING DONE OFTEN, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE WE ARE SHARING, UM, WATER BETWEEN TWO PROPERTIES.
BUT WE HAVE, UM, SUPPORT FROM THE WATERSHED DEPARTMENT AND FROM THE FORWARD THINKING, UM, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR IN MIKE KELLY.
AND, UH, WE HOPE THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO GET TO, TO A GOOD OUTCOME.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S MY, UM, MY SUMMARY.
AND, UM, AGAIN, IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, UH, WE'LL BE HAPPY TO TRY TO PROVIDE ANSWERS AS THEY COME.
I, I WOULD LIKE A QUICK CLARIFICATION.
ONE THING I WAS TALKING TO DIRECTOR MCNELEY ABOUT WAS THAT, UM, RICARDO SOLIS HAD ALREADY GIVEN A PLOT, SO I JUST WANNA CLARIFY.
WHAT SHE TOLD ME WAS THAT THE GARDEN HAD ENCROACHED BEYOND THE PARKLAND AND WAS ON WHAT IS NOW THIS DEVELOPER'S PROPERTY.
IS THAT THE CASE THAT, SO THERE WAS AN ENCROACHMENT THAT, UH, CAME TO OUR ATTENTION SEVERAL YEARS AGO, AND THIS WAS BEFORE THE CONSTRUCTION STARTED.
AND BASED ON THE SURVEY THAT WE DID AT THE TIME, THERE WAS AN ENCOURAGEMENT AND GARDENS HAD TO MOVE, UM, WHICH WAS CORRECTED.
IT WAS NOT A, AN EASY DECISION.
UM, BUT IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS DEMONSTRATED, DEMONSTRATED TO US, AND WE HAD TO ABIDE BY THE BOUNDARIES OF THE TWO PROPERTIES.
SO THEY TALKED TODAY IN GENERAL COMMUNICATIONS.
I'M SORRY, I JUMPED IN THE HEAD OF EVERYBODY ELSE, BUT I'LL OH, PLEASE.
UM, THERE, THE, THE PEOPLE FROM THE GARDEN COMMUNITY CAME AND TALKED ABOUT A 10 FOOT, I'M, I'M NOT SURE I'M UNDERSTANDING WHAT THIS 10 FOOT, UH, NO MAN'S LAND IS.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT IS? MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THERE WERE SOME STAKES THAT WERE PUT ON THE GROUND.
WE DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT THE STAKES MEAN.
UH, AND WE DON'T KNOW WHETHER THEY ARE ON THE BOUNDARY OF ONE PROPERTY OR THE OTHER.
WHAT WE ARE GOING TO FIND OUT THROUGH THE SURVEY IS WHERE THE BOUNDARIES ARE, AND BASED ON THAT, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A FENCE THAT WILL SIGNAL THE BOUNDARY OF THE COMMUNITY GARDENS.
AND THEN, I GUESS AS LONG AS I'M TALKING, I'M GOING TO ASK MY OTHER QUESTION, WHICH IS, UM, HOW WOULD IT BE BEST FOR THE COMMUNITY TO CONTINUE TO BE INVOLVED IN SOME OF THESE DECISIONS, THE GARDEN COMMUNITY? HOW WOULD THE PARKS DEPARTMENT LIKE THAT TO HAPPEN? WELL, UM, WE HAVE THE COMMUNITY GARDENS GROUP, AND, UH, I WOULD SUGGEST THROUGH,
[02:00:01]
UM, THAT GROUP WOULD BE THE BEST WAY TO, TO HAVE THAT INVOLVEMENT WE'RE WE DO NOT STOP COMMUNICATION.WE JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WHAT WE ARE ASKING AND THE WAY THAT WE INTERACT WITH THE OWNER OF A PRIVATE PROPERTY NEXT TO US IS REALISTIC AND WE DO NOT OVERSTEP.
I'M GONNA OPEN THE FLOOR TO OTHER BOARD MEMBERS WHO MIGHT HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS.
SO THE OWNER, IS THAT SOUTHWEST STRATEGIES OR IS IT A DIFFERENT GROUP? SO, I, I UNDERSTAND THAT DAVE STOK IS THE REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE OWNER FOR THE RBJ DEVELOPMENT.
AND FROM DAVE, WE LEARNED RECENTLY THAT, UH, ANOTHER PART OF THE DEVELOPMENT HAD BEEN SOLD, AND THERE IS A NEW OWNER THERE.
I DO NOT KNOW THE NAMES, AND I WILL BE HAPPY TO FIND OUT THESE THINGS FOR YOU.
SO I, I ASSUME THAT WE DON'T KNOW WHO IT IS.
WE HAVEN'T BEEN IN COMMUNICATION WITH THEM, RIGHT? NO, WE HAVE NOT.
UM, DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION ON, UM, SO LET'S SEE.
SO THE FOX HABITAT IS THAT, I JUST WANNA CLARIFY, IN THE PARK OR IN THE GARDEN, WHERE DO YOU HAVE THAT RIGHT NOW IS IN THE AREA THAT HAS BEEN WHERE THE FUTURE PARK IS GOING TO BE.
SO IT'S WITH, SO IT'S NOT ON PARKLAND, IT IS ON PRIVATE PROPERTY.
SO IT'S ON, SO IT'S NOT IN THE GARDEN, IT'S ON PRIVATE PROPERTY.
AND SO, BUT THAT PROPERTY IS GOING TO BE HATCHERY PARK, THAT PROPERTY? WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A PUBLIC EASEMENT ON THE PROPERTY.
I'M SORRY, THE, I, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A PUBLIC EASEMENT ON THE PROPERTY.
OH, IT'S GONNA BE A PUBLIC EASEMENT.
AND THAT'S WHERE THAT YES, YES, WHERE THE WILL BE ON THE PUBLIC EASEMENT.
AND THAT'S WHERE THE HATCHERY PARK IS GOING TO BE.
SO HATCHERY PARK, JUST FOR MY CLARIFICATION, IS HATCHERY PARK THE, THE NAME OF THE NEW PARK, OR IS THAT PART OF THE PARK LAND? IT'S THE NAME OF THE NEW PARK.
AND IT'S GOING TO BE, UM, IT'S GOING TO BE A EASEMENT, AND THE PARK IS A POCKET PARK THAT WILL BE USED BY BOTH THE, UM, RESIDENTS OF THE DEVELOPMENT AS WELL AS THE PUBLIC.
AND SO THAT, AND SO THIS PARK WILL BE MANAGED BY THE DEVELOPER OR THE LAND? IT'S GONNA BE MANAGED, MAINTAINED BY THE DEVELOPER? YES.
AND, AND THE SURVEY, I KNOW THAT THEY HAD CONS.
COULD YOU JUST EXPAND A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE SURVEY? I KNOW THEY HAD CONCERNS ABOUT THAT IN THIS CASE.
UM, WE HAVE, WE ARE COLLABORATING WITH PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.
THEY HAVE A SURVEYING GROUP, AND WE WILL BE USING THEIR SERVICES IN ORDER TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY.
AND THAT'S GOING TO, TO COME, I THINK YOU SAID AT THE END OF THE MONTH IS SHOULD HAPPEN BE SURVEY'S MONDAY? YES, ON MONDAY.
IT IS ALMOST THE END OF THE MONTH.
AND, UM, IS THERE ANY KIND OF TIMEFRAME FOR ANY OF, OF ALL OF THIS, THE DEVELOPMENT, THE CLEANUP, THE, I'M NOT AWARE OF THE TIMEFRAME THAT WE NEED TO CREATE THE NEW HABITAT SO THAT, BECAUSE THE OLD ONE IS GONNA BE CLEAN, BUT WE CAN, WE CAN FIND IT.
I THINK WE PROBABLY DO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME, BUT LET ME CONFIRM ON THAT.
UM, REGARDING THE, THE SYS TURNS, RIGHT, THE CONNECTION OF THE WATER SYS TURNS, UM, DO YOU KNOW IF THAT'S AN OFFER OR IS IT PART OF LIKE A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDINGS OR SOME OTHER STRONGER AGREEMENT? OR IS IT MERELY AN OFFER TO ALLOW THAT SISTER IN CONNECTION? THIS WAS AN IDEA ACTUALLY THAT THE DEVELOPER HAD FLOATED EARLY ON, BUT, UM, IT WAS DIMMED, UM, UN UNREALISTIC AND, UH, IT WAS NOT PURSUED.
AND LATER BECAUSE OF THE NEEDS AT THE GARDEN FOR WATER ALWAYS GROW, IT CAME BACK ON THE SURFACE AND WE HAD A, AND NOW WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF PURSUING.
[02:05:01]
ENGINEERING WORK THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN, AND EVENTUALLY IT WILL END UP WITH, UM, AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE PARTIES.BUT ALL OF THIS IS STILL IN PROGRESS.
UM, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, WE THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS NOT DOABLE, BUT, UM, DURING THE LAST YEAR, WE, WE HAVE MADE PROGRESS.
BUT SO IT'S AN OFFER, IT'S NOT ANY KIND OF LEGALLY BINDING AGREEMENT AT THIS POINT? CURRENTLY? NO.
ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? OKAY.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR BRIEFING, AND WE
[6. Presentation, discussion and possible action regarding a recommendation to City Council to approve the amended Joint Use Agreement between Austin Independent School District and the City of Austin. (SD23 Strategies: Health & Environment, Culture & Lifelong Learning, Govt that Works for All; PARD Long Range Strategies: Relief from Urban Life, Operational Efficiency, Park Access for All, Program Alignment) Christin Chute Canul, Program Manager II, Parks and Recreation Department]
WILL MOVE ON TO, I HAVE TOTALLY LOST EVERYTHING ON MY DESK HERE.UM, THE, WE'RE MOVING ON TO THE DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEM THIS EVENING.
UM, PRESENTATION, DISCUSSION, AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING A RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL TO APPROVE THE AMENDED JOINT USE AGREEMENT BETWEEN AUSTIN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
UH, THIS IS PART OF THE SD 3 23 STRATEGIES, UM, AND WE HAVE CHRISTINE SHOOT, KAUL PROGRAM MANAGER FROM PARKS AND REC TO PRESENT TONIGHT.
HI, HOW ARE Y'ALL? UM, SO I'M CHRISTINE, SHOOT KAUL AND I MANAGE THE COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM, WHICH ENCOMPASSES SEVERAL PROGRAMS INCLUDING, UM, AUSTIN CITY'S CONNECTING CHILDREN TO NATURE INITIATIVE AND THE PAR PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM.
TODAY, I'M GONNA GIVE YOU A PRESENTATION ON OUR LONG TIME PARTNERSHIP WITH A I S D THROUGH THE JOINT USE AGREEMENT BETWEEN PAR AND THE AUSTIN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT.
UM, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE NOT AWARE, PAR AND A I S D ENTERED INTO A JOINT USE AGREEMENT IN 1961, AND IT WAS LAST UPDATED IN 1984.
A SCHOOL PARKS THAT ARE JOINTLY OWNED BY A I I A I S D AND THE DEPARTMENT ARE MANAGED UNDER A JOINT USE AGREEMENT, THE J A, THIS WAS LAST UPDATED IN 1984, AND THE G J A WAS ORIGINALLY DESIGNED TO CREATE POLICY AND PROCEDURES REGARDING LONG-RANGE PLANNING, SITE SELECTION, ACQUISITION DESIGN, PROGRAM MAINTENANCE, AND FINANCE.
IN 2017, THE DEPARTMENT AND A I S D BEGAN MEETING TO REVIEW AN UPDATE THE 1984 J A NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
SINCE 1984, THERE HAVE BEEN SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO HOW EACH OF THESE ENTITIES OPERATE WITHIN JOINTLY OWNED PROPERTIES, AS WELL AS ECO FEATURES BEING ADDED TO THE SITES.
THE GOAL FOR THE CURRENT REWRITE OF THE AGREEMENT IS TO LOCATE CURRENT INEFFICIENCIES IN THE OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE OF THESE SITES, DEVELOP CLEAR ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES, DEVELOP DESIGN STANDARDS THAT ARE SHARED BETWEEN BOTH ENTITIES, AND CREATE A STREAMLINED, CONSISTENT AND TRANSPARENT PROCESS FOR THE PUBLIC REGARDING THE MANAGEMENT OF THESE SITES.
SO, UM, SCHOOL PARKS ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
UM, AS YOU SEE ON THIS SLIDE, UH, SCHOOL PARKS PROVIDE AN OUTDOOR SPACE TO THE PUBLIC DURING NON-SCHOOL HOURS.
ON THIS SLIDE, YOU'LL SEE MANY OF THE BENEFITS OF SCHOOL PARKS AND OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH A I S D, BUT I WANNA HIGHLIGHT A FEW OF THEM.
SCHOOL PARKS ARE SPREAD ACROSS THE CITY AND PROVIDE ACCESS TO PARKS IN MANY OF OUR PARK DEFICIENT NEIGHBORHOODS.
SCHOOL PARKS HELP FURTHER GOALS, PARS GOAL TO PROVIDE ALL COMMUNITY MEMBERS A PARK WITHIN A 10 MINUTE WALK.
AS YOU SEE FROM THE 2021 MEMO I WE PROVIDED IN BACKUP SCHOOL, PARKS CAN SERVE AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE COMMUNITY, CITY, AND NEIGHBORHOOD TO LEVERAGE RESOURCES AND COLLABORATE ON IMPROVEMENTS FOR STUDENTS AND THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITY TO ENJOY THE CITY'S CONNECTING CHILDREN TO NATURE INITIATIVE HAS LED EFFORTS TO DEVELOP TWO GREEN SCHOOL PARKS TO DATE AT BARRINGTON AND WOOLDRIDGE WITH SANCHEZ SLATED TO BEGIN DEVELOPMENT IN EARLY 2023.
THE UPDATES PROVIDE THIS MAP OF THE 21 SCHOOL PARKS.
UM, THE LAST SCHOOL PARK WAS ADDED TO THE INVENTORY IN 1991, AND, UH, SCHOOL PARKS ARE INCLUDED IN DISTRICTS 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, AND 10.
THE UPDATES, UH, PROVIDED AS I MENTIONED CLARITY IN REGARDING THE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES.
WE'VE DESIGNED DESIGN STANDARDS FOR A I S D IN PAR TO A JOINTLY USED.
WE'VE INCORPORATED JOINT FEASIBILITY REVIEW PROCESSES FOR COMMUNITY INITIATED PROJECTS AND INCLUDED AGREEMENT OVERSIGHT AND MANAGEMENT PROCEDURES IN THE AGREEMENT.
UM, AS I MENTIONED, BOTH PAR AND A I S D HAVE CREATED FEASIBILITY REVIEW PROCESS SINCE 1984, AND FOR PROJECTS ON PARKLAND AND A I S D SCHOOL PARKS, PAR
[02:10:01]
AND A I S D MUST REVIEW AND JOINTLY APPROVE OF PROJECTS ON SCHOOL PARKS THROUGH THIS JOINT USE AGREEMENT.SO, THE JOURNEY BEGAN IN 2017 WITH OUR PARTNERS AT A I S D, AND WE'RE EXCITED TO BE PRESENTING TO YOU ALL TODAY.
THE AGREEMENT IS SET TO GO TO A SCHOOL BOARD, UM, IN NOVEMBER AND COUNCIL IN DECEMBER AFTER EXECUTION PAR AND A I S D WILL MAKE LIVE A NEW WEBPAGE WITH DETAILS ON THE SCHOOL PARKS, THE JOINT USE AGREEMENT, AND HOW THE COMMUNITY CAN PARTNER, PARTNER WITH PAR AND A I S D AT A SITE.
THE AGREEMENT WILL BE MANAGED BY THE COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM.
SO TODAY I'M REQUESTING THE PARKS BOARD MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO MAYOR AND COUNCIL IN SUPPORT OF THE RENDED JOINT USE AGREEMENT BETWEEN AUSTIN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THE CITY OF BOSTON.
ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
UM, BOARD MEMBERS, ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? I'M HAPPY TO MOVE ON THE MOTION FOR ANY DISCUSSION OR NOT.
SO I'M HAPPY TO GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON THE QUESTION OKAY.
OR MAKE A MOTION, IF THERE'S JUST A SECOND WE CAN HAVE THE CONVERSATION SINCE THIS IS POSTED FOR ACTION.
DOES THAT SOUND GOOD? ONE SECOND.
WELL, I'LL, I'LL GO AHEAD AND I'LL MAKE, I'LL MAKE THE, THE MOTION, UM, SORRY, I'M PULLING IT UP.
SO, UH, PARKS AND RECOMMENDATION BOARD MAKES RECOMMENDATION, OR I MOVE TO MAKE RECOMMENDATION TO THE CITY COUNCIL TO APPROVE THE AMENDED JOINT USE AGREEMENT BETWEEN AUSTIN PENN SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
SO, SECOND BOARD MEMBER LEWIS.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION ON THE MOTION? AWESOME, THANK YOU.
AND THIS MAY NOT BE GERMANE BECAUSE IT'S NOT PARKLAND, BUT I'M CURIOUS.
THERE HAVE BEEN, UM, SOME PEOPLE ASKING FOR YEARS ABOUT THE BEHIND WHAT'S NOW A I S D HEADQUARTERS.
THEY OWN A LITTLE PIECE OF PROPERTY THAT IS THE HEADWATERS FOR BLOOD CREEK, AND I AM CUR, I, I JUST THROW THAT OUT THERE.
I DON'T KNOW THAT THAT'S ANYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH THIS ORDINANCE OR NOT, BUT IT, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO DO WITH THIS AGREEMENT, BUT I, WE ARE AWARE OF THAT AND I KNOW A I S D HAS, UM, SOME PLANS TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE THAT A RECREATIONAL SPACE, BOTH FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE WORKING IN THE BUILDING AS WELL AS IN THAT AREA.
UM, I HAVEN'T RECEIVED AN UPDATE ACTUALLY SINCE BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC AND THEN A LOT OF WHAT THE DISTRICT WAS WORKING ON.
BUT THAT WAS, THAT'S WITHIN THEIR PURVIEW, AND IT HAS BEEN, THEY HAVE BROUGHT THAT UP AS A, SOMETHING THEY WOULD LIKE TO DO IN THE FUTURE.
SO, UM, LET'S CALL THE BOAT THEN.
OH, ACTUALLY, JUST TO THAT, SO WHEN THEY DO, THEY ORIGINALLY SAID THEY WERE GONNA LEAVE IT AS HEADWATERS BACK IN 2017, AND THAT THEY WERE GONNA DO THE MODIFICATION OF, I GUESS THERE'S THE, UM, WHERE THEY PREPARE THE FOOD IS RIGHT OVER LIKE THE BUILDING NEXT TO IT MM-HMM.
SO I'M HAPPY TO CALL AND REMIND SOMEBODY OVER THERE,
UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME ON THIS.
AND, UM, FOR YOUR PRESENTATION AND, AND THE, UM, MOTION PASSES.
UM, WE ARE INTO THE WORKING GROUP AND COMMITTEE UPDATES.
[7. Update from South Central Waterfront Advisory Board. (Part 1 of 2)]
AM FIRST ON THE LIST HERE WITH THE UPDATE FROM SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT ADVISORY BOARD.UM, WE HAD A LONG, LONG, LONG MEETING, UM, ON LAST WEEK.
IT WASN'T ON THE TRADITIONAL DAY.
UH, BUT ANYWAY, IT, IT, UM, WA HAD TO DO WITH BOTH, UH, LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE DISCUSSIONS AS THAT'S BEEN KICKED DOWN THE ROAD BY CITY COUNCIL AND THAT WAS PART OF SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT DEVELOPMENT.
SO THERE'S CONCERN ABOUT THAT.
UM, THE, UH, BUT THAT'S STILL UP IN THE AIR THAT DID NOT, WE DID NOT COME TO AN AGREEMENT ON THAT.
AND THE OTHER QUESTION, UM, IS STILL IN THE COURTS WITH THE CITY COUNCIL, IT'S BEEN KICKED TO THE NOVEMBER 3RD MEETING.
I BELIEVE I HAD TO BE OUT OF TOWN ON LAST THURSDAY WHEN THEY HAD THE BOARD MEETING, THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING APP, APOLOGIZE FROM SPEAKING, UM, CITY COUNCIL MEETING.
I JUST WATCHED THE, THE FOLLOW UP.
BUT, UM, THAT'S COMING UP AGAIN FOR SECOND READING ON, I BELIEVE, THE 3RD OF NOVEMBER.
DOWNTOWN COMMISSION IS KIM TAYLOR.
I DON'T BELIEVE SHE'S HERE AND DOESN'T HAVE A REPORT.
UM, MR. DEPALMA, DO YOU HAVE AN UPDATE FROM JOINT SUSTAINABILITY? UH, CHAIR, UM, WE FAILED TO MEET QUORUM BY ONE PERSON WHO SAID THEY WERE GONNA BE ON, AND SO THERE IS A SUBSEQUENT MEETING
[02:15:01]
THIS WEDNESDAY.[10. Update from Zilker Park Vision Plan Working Group.]
ZILKER PARK VISION PLAN WORKING GROUP.DO WE HAVE ANY UPDATE ON THAT? I DIDN'T GO.
UH, WE, WE DID HAVE A MEETING AND IT WAS, IF I CAN REMEMBER, IT'S BEEN A, IT FEELS LIKE IT'S BEEN A WHILE.
UM, WE WENT THROUGH THE NEXT STEPS AND TALKED ABOUT ENGAGEMENT, AND IT ALL WENT, I THOUGHT PRETTY WELL THERE WASN'T SEEN ANY CONCESSION, BUT UNFORTUNATELY I DIDN'T BRING ANY NOTES RELATING TO THE EXACT ACTION ITEMS. BUT WE'LL SEE IT COMING FORWARD, UM, SOON AND SOON ENOUGH.
I, I IMAGINE, UM, THERE'S GONNA BE, I BELIEVE, A DRAFT IN NOVEMBER, A DRAFT PLAN IN NOVEMBER.
IF I DON'T, THAT'S WHAT I SAW TOO.
[11. Update from Crime and Law Enforcement in Parks Working Group.]
CRIME AND LAW ENFORCEMENT IN THE PARKS WORKING GROUP? YES.WE HAVE HAD TWO MEETINGS AND WE'VE EXPANDED OUR GROUP.
WE HAVE THREE POLICE OFFICERS, ONE, UM, PARK RANGER, AND THEN OF COURSE A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION.
AND WE'RE STILL KIND OF IN THE PROCESS OF JUST TRYING TO, WELL, WE'VE KIND OF COMPLETED THE PROCESS.
WE'VE GOTTEN A LOT OF INFORMATION FROM THE POLICE OFFICERS AND FROM THE PARK RANCHERS ABOUT, UM, CRIME IN THE PARKS, WHAT IT WAS, WHAT THE PATH LOOKED LIKE, WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE.
NOW, WE'VE ALSO, WE, YOU KNOW, LOOKED AT THE CRIME, UM, CRIME PARKS DASHBOARD THAT WAS JUST RECENTLY CREATED.
AND SO WE'RE NOW KIND OF AT OUR NEXT MEETING, WE'RE GONNA TRY TO REALLY COME UP WITH SOME WORK ON THE RECOMMENDATIONS AFTER LOOKING AT ALL THE BACKGROUND INFORMATION.
SO IT IS, UM, WE'RE GETTING THERE.
I DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE MEMBER, UM, MOORE, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD TO THAT? NO, THAT'S A GOOD SUMMARY.
[7. Update from South Central Waterfront Advisory Board. (Part 2 of 2)]
GONNA SKIP BACK TO NUMBER SEVEN AND SAY ONE MORE THING.UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS DISCUSSED WAS THE TURS, UM, AND THE, UM, SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT ADVISORY BOARD, THE CHAIR WAS WANTING TO GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON THE TURS BECAUSE HE FELT LIKE THE FUNDING WOULD AT LEAST START TO BE PUT INTO THE DISTRICT.
UM, SO THAT, THAT'S ALSO UP FOR GRABS STILL, THAT THAT DID NOT COME TO, WE DID NOT COME TO AGREEMENT YET ON THAT.
[12. Update from the Homelessness Working Group.]
WORKING GROUP NUMBER, ITEM NUMBER 12, MS. HOMAN? YES.UH, WE ARE MEETING AGAIN THIS THURSDAY.
UM, THAT WILL BE OUR SECOND MEETING.
AND, UM, VERY ACTIVE GROUP, I'D SAY EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK.
UM, WE'VE GOT TWO MEMBERS ON OUR BOARD HERE, RICH AND KATHERINE FLOWERS.
UM, AND THEN MEMBERS OF THE HOST TEAM TWO CONSTABLES.
SO WE'RE WORKING WITH THE COUNTY, WE'RE WORKING WITH THE STATE.
WE'RE TALKING TO PRIVATE LANDOWNERS.
WE'RE TALKING TO COUNTY ABOUT LAND.
UH, WE'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH, WITH THE NEED FOR SANCTIONED CAMPGROUNDS.
SO, UM, THE BOARD BOARD MEMBER HUDMAN IS, THERE'S A LOT OF CREDIT ON MOVING THIS FORWARD.
SHE SPENT AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF TIME TALKING WITH ALL THE DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDER GROUPS DURING THIS WHOLE PROCESS.
[13. Update from the Aquatics Working Group]
WORKING GROUP.UH, I GUESS, UM, BOARD MEMBER BERNARD WAS GONNA REPORT, BUT I'LL, I'LL TELL YOU THAT WE MET THIS LAST WEEK AND, UM, I HAVE TO COMPLIMENT DIRECTOR MASSEY.
HE HAD A LOT OF REALLY GOOD IDEAS THAT WERE ALREADY IN THE WORKS.
HE'S GOING TO BE TAKING OVER THE OVERSIGHT OF AQUATICS.
THEY'RE LOOKING FOR A NEW AQUATICS DIRECTOR.
UM, BUT HE WAS ALREADY ON BOARD WITH A LOT OF THINGS, THINKING ABOUT, UH, DOING, UH, SOME VERY PROGRESSIVE IDEAS TO REACHING OUT TO SOME OF THE SCHOOLS AND, AND, AND THINKING ABOUT WAYS TO GET ONBOARD, UH, TO ONBOARD MORE LIFEGUARDS EARLY ON.
AND, UM, WE HAVE SOME GROUP ASSIGNMENTS TO TALK TO, UM, HIGH SCHOOL GUIDANCE COUNSELORS TO TRY TO ENCOURAGE.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT WAS THAT, UM, STUDENTS ARE OFTEN ENCOURAGED TO GO OUT AND GET THESE INTERNSHIPS IN HIGH SCHOOL, BUT A LOT OF TIMES THE INTERNSHIPS IN HIGH SCHOOL DON'T REALLY BUY THEM MUCH.
AND WE WERE TRYING TO, UM, TALK ABOUT HOW OUR OWN EXPERIENCES WITH OUR OWN KIDS SOMETIMES, UM, HAVING A SOLID JOB LIKE THIS, ALL THE, ALL THE BENEFITS THAT IT DOES GIVE YOUR KIDS TO HAVE THIS EXPERIENCE, UM, HAVING A REALLY RESPONSIBLE JOB.
SO WE, WE AGREED THAT WE WOULD BE TRYING TO REACH OUT TO SOME OF THE COLLEGE, THE HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE COUNSELORS,
SO, UM, I THINK THAT'S ENOUGH FOR THAT.
SORRY, I'M BUYING TIME TO SEE IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE I WAS SUPPOSED TO REMEMBER, BECAUSE THAT WAS, UH, GONNA BE NANCY.
[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
AGENDA ITEMS, WE'LL MOVE ON TO THAT.DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANYTHING THEY WOULD LIKE TO BRING UP? UH, ANNA?
[02:20:02]
UM, I JUST WANTED TO ADDRESS THE, THE, UM, CONCERNS THAT WERE BROUGHT UP FROM ERIC WITH THE DIRECTOR OF ECOLOGY ACTION AT ROY G GROW PARK.YOU KNOW, I TAKE MY CHILDREN TO THAT PLAYGROUND PRETTY FREQUENTLY, AND WE HAVE WALKED THAT TRAIL BEHIND IT, UH, A FEW TIMES.
SO, UM, IT'S CONCERNING THAT, YEAH, THE, THE MATERIALS THAT THEY'RE USING TO MAKE THE IMPROVEMENTS ARE BEING, UH, TAKEN.
SO I DON'T REALLY, I GUESS, KNOW WHAT THE UH, ITEM IS, BUT I GUESS JUST SEEING HOW PAR CAN, CAN HELP ALLEVIATE THOSE CONCERNS.
I THINK THAT WE SHOULD FOLLOW UP ON THAT.
I CAN ADD A LITTLE BIT TO THAT.
OF COURSE, G**O WAS A HEEL INITIATIVE, CLEARED PARK, AND, UH, WHETHER IT'S HEAL CLEARING THE PARKS OR WHETHER IT'S THE STATE CLEARING THE PARKS, UM, THERE IS SOME TRICKLE BACK IN.
AND SO, UH, THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THAT PARK.
AND SO ENFORCEMENT IS THE ISSUE.
UM, AND WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS PROBABLY CONTACT THE HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE, BECAUSE THAT'S WHO'S GOING TO ENFORCE A HEALED CLEARED PARK.
THAT SOUNDS, THAT'S SOMETHING TO PUT ON THE AGENDA.
WERE THERE ANY ADDITIONAL CONCERNS? I HAD ONE, YES.
I JUST, AND THIS IS NOT REALLY A STAFF THING, BUT FROM PARKS FOUNDATION, AND, AND THAT IS JUST TO, TO GET JUST A LITTLE MORE DETAIL ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THIS SILK EAGLE.
I KNOW THAT I GET, UM, COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT ARE ALWAYS ASKING, WHEN IS THE TRAIN GONNA REOPEN? WHEN IS IT? AND I JUST, I GUESS I JUST DIDN'T GET ENOUGH INFORMATION FROM HER CITIZEN COMMUNICATION THAT REALLY EXPLAINED WHY FIXING THESE BREAKS IS GONNA TAKE A WHOLE YEAR BEFORE IT'S GONNA, UM, OPEN UP AGAIN.
SO I, I'D LIKE TO JUST GET A LITTLE MORE INFORMATION SO I CAN HAVE A DEVELOP, HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING.
WOULD YOU LIKE THAT TO BE AN ACTION ITEM, OR WOULD YOU LIKE THAT TO BE JUST TO REPORT? JUST TO REPORT IS FINE.
UM, IF THERE IS NOTHING ELSE, I WILL ADJOURN THE MEETING.
THANK YOU EVERYBODY FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT.
AND ALL THE CITIZENS THAT CAME FOR THEIR COMMUNICATION.