[00:00:04]
[Winter Weather News Conference]
EVERYONE.I'M SPENCER CRONK AUSTIN, CITY MANAGER, AND WE ARE HERE, UH, TODAY TO GIVE SOME PERSPECTIVE ON THE MASSIVE CLEANUP EFFORTS THAT'S BEEN UNDERTAKING AS A RESULT OF THIS HISTORIC WINTER WEATHER EVENT.
I'M JOINED BY ASCHE RALSTON, THE DIRECTOR OF AUSTIN WATER, AND KEN SNIPES, THE DIRECTOR OF AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY.
AND THEY'RE GONNA DESCRIBE A LITTLE BIT OF WHERE WE ARE AND HOW YOU CAN HELP, UH, TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE KEEPING OUR COMMUNITY CLEAN THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE EVENT.
GOOD AFTERNOON, SHAY RAWLES ROLSON, DIRECTOR OF AUSTIN WATER.
UH, THIS SITE IS LOCATED ON AUSTIN WATERS, HORNSBY BEND BIOSOLIDS MANAGEMENT PLANT.
THIS IS WHERE WE TAKE A WASTEWATER SLUDGE FROM OUR WASTEWATER PLANTS AND CONVERT IT TO BIOSOLIDS AND THEN MIX IT WITH YARD TRIMMINGS TO CREATE AN EPA CERTIFIED SOIL CONDITIONER CALLED DILLOW DIRT.
UM, WE EXTENDED OUR DROP-OFF HOURS HERE IN THE LAST SEVERAL DAYS.
AS OF YESTERDAY, WE HAD RECEIVED 758 DROPOFFS FOR 557 TONS OF YARD TRIMMINGS.
UM, IN A NORMAL MONTH, WE RECEIVE ABOUT A THOUSAND DROPOFFS, SO HAPPY TO SEE THAT EVERYONE IS USING THIS FACILITY.
AND WE'LL TURN IT OVER TO OUR COLLEAGUES AT A R R TO DISCUSS MORE.
HELLO, MY NAME IS KEN SNIPES, DIRECTOR OF AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY, AND, UH, HERE AT HORNSBY BEND WHERE MUCH OF THE DEBRIS, UH, ASSOCIATED WITH THE STORM IS BEING BROUGHT.
AND, UH, YOU CAN SEE BEHIND US THERE'S QUITE A BIT OF IT.
WE'RE ALSO HEARING THAT THE LEVELS OF DEBRIS FROM THIS STORM ARE OCCURRING AT UNPRECEDENTED LEVELS.
UH, THE CREWS ARE OUT RIGHT NOW COLLECTING THAT MATERIAL TODAY.
WE HAVE ABOUT 50 CREWS OUT RIGHT NOW.
UH, ARR HAS BROUGHT ON THREE ADDITIONAL CONTRACTORS TO HELP WITH THAT.
EACH OF THOSE CONTRACTORS HAVE BROUGHT FORWARD ABOUT, UH, 10 CREWS EACH.
AND THOSE ARE, UH, INCREASING THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
UH, WE'LL CONTINUE TO BRING THAT MATERIAL, UH, HERE AND, UH, BE IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS.
UH, YOU'LL SEE US OUT AND ABOUT COLLECTING.
UH, WHAT I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW IS THAT IF YOU CAN, WE WANT YOU TO HELP US, UH, EXPEDITE OUR SERVICES BY REMOVING VEHICLES AND OTHER OBSTRUCTIONS AWAY FROM THE CURVES THAT ALLOWS OUR CREWS TO WORK FASTER.
AND ALSO, UH, IF YOU CAN FOLLOW OUR GUIDELINES ON THE WEBSITE AS AS MUCH AS YOU CAN, WE UNDERSTAND IF YOU CAN'T.
UH, BUT IF YOU CAN, THAT HELPS US ALSO, UH, WORK, UH, FASTER AND TO GET TO MORE OF THE HOUSES, UH, AND THE COMMUNITIES, UH, AS POSSIBLE.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND WE APPRECIATE YOUR, UH, HELPING US IN THIS EFFORT.
YEAH, CERTAINLY I SERVE AT THE PLEASURE OF THIS NEW MAYOR AND COUNCIL, AND I'LL BE HAVING THAT CONVERSATION WITH THEM ON THURSDAY.
YOU KNOW, I'M HERE TO REALLY MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE RESPONDING DIRECTLY TO THIS WINTER WEATHER EVENT.
AND SO THAT'S BEEN MY SOLE FOCUS.
I'M VERY GRATEFUL OF OUR INCREDIBLE CITY STAFF THAT HAVE BEEN DOING THE SAME.
UM, BUT I AM LAZ FOCUSED ON GETTING POWER RESTORED TO ALL OF OUR CUSTOMERS AND TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE GETTING THROUGH THIS WINTER WEATHER EVENTS SUCCESSFULLY.
IT SOUNDS LIKE WHAT I WILL SAY IS THAT IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, OUR CITY HAS SEEN SOME INCREDIBLE WEATHER EVENTS.
UH, WE SAW WINTER STORM URI A COUPLE YEARS AGO.
THIS WAS A HISTORIC ICE STORM THAT WE HAVE NEVER HAD IN OUR COMMUNITY.
WE KNOW THAT OUR COMMUNITY IS GONNA BE FACED WITH ADDITIONAL WEATHER EVENTS IN THE FUTURE, AND WE NEED TO DO A BETTER JOB COLLECTIVELY TO PREPARE OURSELVES.
UH, SO AGAIN, MY FOCUS IS SOLELY ON THIS RESPONSE, AND THAT'S WHERE I THINK OUR COMMUNITY'S, UH, FOCUS SHOULD BE AS WELL.
YOU JUST WANT, LET ME BE HONEY.