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GOOD TO SEE YOU.[Speakers: Kirk Watson – Mayor Morteza Farajian – USDOT, Build America Bureau Paige Ellis – Mayor Pro Tem, District 8 ]
DOING GREAT.DO YOU HAVE ANOTHER PEN FOR ME? OH, OKAY.
HEY, LINDSAY, YOU GUYS OUGHT BE IN THIS PICTURE.
NO, Y'ALL GET, OUGHT TO GET BEHIND.
WHEN WE DO THE SIGNING, WHAT WE'LL DO IS WE'LL HAVE EXECUTIVES GO BEHIND THEM WHILE THEY DO THE ACTUAL SIGNING WRITING PART.
LATER, SHE SAID LATER I DID MAKE DIRECT EYE CONTACT WHEN I TOLD
NOW SHE, HE'S, SHE'S, THEY'RE, THEY'RE STAGE MANAGING SOMETHING ELSE.
WE'LL LET THEM DO THAT REMARKS ON THEIR OWN.
WE'RE GONNA DO REMARKS FIRST AND THEN WE'LL, WE'LL PULL THEM IN AND SOUNDS GOOD.
I'M GONNA LET YOU KICK IT OFF.
I'M WEL, FIRST OF ALL, LET ME, LET ME WELCOME, UM, UH, FROM THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND THE, UM, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE BUILD AMERICA BUREAU, MORTEZ FARIAN, WHO'S THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AS I SAID, AND IS BEEN A FRIEND TO AUSTIN, TEXAS FOR, UH, QUITE A WHILE NOW.
UH, NOT ONLY AS SOMEONE THAT THAT, UH, PAYS ATTENTION TO WHAT IT IS THAT WE'RE ATTEMPTING TO DO IN AUSTIN, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO INFRASTRUCTURE, BUT ALSO AS SOMEBODY THAT'S, UH, HAPPY TO BE AN ADVISOR, SOMEONE THAT'S HAPPY TO PROVIDE COUNSEL WHEN WE, WHEN WE NEED IT.
WE'RE ALSO JOINED BY MAYOR PRO TIM PAGE ELLIS.
UM, AND SHE'S WITH US HERE TODAY BECAUSE WE'RE, UH, ANNOUNCING SOMETHING THAT IS UNIQUE.
UH, THE ONLY KIND OF THING IN AMERICA RIGHT NOW, UH, WAS CITIES AND SOMETHING THAT WE'RE VERY, VERY PROUD OF.
SO, DOCTOR, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, UH, FOR HAVING ME HERE TODAY.
UH, IT'S, UH, NOT THAT OFTEN WHEN THEY SIT BETWEEN TWO MAYORS, UH, TO GOOD MAYORS.
UH, I'M, I'M, UM, VERY HAPPY TO BE HERE TODAY ON BEHALF OF, UH, US DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, THE BUILD AMERICA BUREAU IS PROUD TO SIGN, UH, THIS EMERGING PROJECT AGREEMENT WITH CITY OF AUSTIN.
UM, WE HAVE DISCUSSED SOME OF THE PROJECTS YOU HAVE, UM, IMPRESSIVE PROGRAM OF PROJECTS, A SYSTEM OF PROJECTS.
WE DON'T LOOK AT THEM AS INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS.
AND, UH, MANY OF THOSE PROJECTS ARE HIGHLY ALIGNED WITH, UH, STRATEGIC GOLDEN OBJECTIVES THAT US DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION HAS.
SO WE ARE PROUD TO PARTNER WITH YOU TO ADVANCE THESE PROJECTS, UH, MORE EFFECTIVELY, MORE EFFICIENTLY.
THE GOAL IS TO WORK WITH ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS, CREATE PARTNERSHIP AT VARIOUS LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT WITH FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UH, WITH, UH, STATE, UH, AGENCIES, UH, COUNTIES, UH, NEIGHBORING CDS, OR ANYONE ELSE WHO WILL BE IMPACTED BY THESE PROJECTS, WHO WILL BE EITHER BENEFITED BY THESE PROJECTS OR SOMEHOW, UH, RELATED TO THESE PROJECTS.
WE WANT TO BRING THEM ALL TO THE TABLE, WORK WITH THEM, AND FIND A WAY THAT WE CAN MOVE THESE PROJECTS FORWARD MORE EFFECTIVELY, MORE EFFICIENTLY.
AS I SAID EARLIER, UH, WE ARE PROUD FOR THIS PARTNERSHIP.
UH, WE ARE READY TO WORK WITH YOU TO BRING THESE PROJECTS TO FRUITATION.
THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF IT, THE FIRST STEP, BUT IT'S AN IMPORTANT STEP BECAUSE, UM, THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS AGREEMENT IS IN WORKING CLOSELY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE EXPLORE ALL OPTIONS, NOT ONLY TO BUILD THESE PROJECTS AND DELIVER THEM, BUT BUILD THEM AND DELIVER THEM IN THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY.
IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT BUILDING 22 BILLION WORTH OF PROJECTS.
WE WANT TO FIGURE OUT EFFICIENCIES.
WE WANT TO EXPLORE OPPORTUNITIES TO DO IT THE RIGHT WAY.
UH, AND ESPECIALLY THAT IT, THEY TOUCH ON SO MANY STRATEGIC GOALS.
SAFETY, RESILIENCY, UM, TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT.
UM, THOSE ARE ALL THE CRITICAL, UH, POINTS THAT WE ARE WORKING WITH OTHER CDS.
AND WE HOPE THAT DISAGREEMENT, WHICH BY THE WAY IS THE FIRST ONE WITH A CD, COULD BECOME AN EXAMPLE THAT OTHER CITIES WOULD FOLLOW.
I LOOK FORWARD TO WORK WITH YOU AND YOUR TEAM.
MY TEAM IS READY TO SUPPORT YOU IN THIS ADVENTURE.
AND WE APPRECIATE AND ON BEHALF OF, UH, MEMBER OF TIM ELLIS AND THE ENTIRE CITY COUNCIL AND THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE, JESUS GARZA, WHO'S OUR INTERIM CITY MANAGER, WE'RE, WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS.
UM, AS, AS IT WAS POINTED OUT, UM, THIS IS A, A GROUNDBREAKING INITIATIVE.
UH, WE ARE THE FIRST CITY THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF US DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION HAS ENTERED INTO THIS SORT OF AGREEMENT.
AND I THINK IT MARKS THE BEGINNING OF AN INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN US.
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IT WILL BE, I THINK, THE FOUNDATION FOR WHAT WE'LL SEE AROUND THE COUNTRY WHEN IT COMES TO BIG INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS, HOW YOU DO THEM, UH, WHERE YOU ACCELERATE THEM, HOW YOU MAKE THOSE IMPROVEMENTS SO THAT IN A RAPIDLY GROWING REGION LIKE THIS, WE'RE ABLE TO, TO MOVE WITH THE URGENCY THAT THE PEOPLE OF THIS AREA, UH, DESERVE.UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WANNA POINT OUT, AND, AND OF COURSE THE REASON, PART OF THE REASON HE'S HERE IS THAT RIGHT NOW IN, IN THE, IN THE CENTRAL TEXAS REGION, BUT IN AUSTIN IN PARTICULAR, WE HAVE A WHOLE BUNCH GOING ON WHEN IT COMES TO TRANSPORTATION.
BUT EVERYTHING FROM, UH, THE, THE AIRPORT TO PROJECT CONNECT TO THE CORRIDOR PROJECTS, UH, THERE'S A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON.
AND AS HE POINTED OUT, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CLOSE TO 25 BILLION OF PROJECTS THAT ARE IN THE, THE PIPELINE.
SO HOW DO WE DO THAT BETTER? HOW DO WE DO IT MORE EFFICIENTLY? HOW DO WE, UH, MAKE SURE THAT THE DEVELOPMENT IS DONE IN A WAY THAT'S, UH, THAT IS CUTTING EDGE? AND SO, UM, I I'M, I'M PLEASED WE'RE WHERE WE ARE.
I DO WANT TO SAY, UM, AS SOMEBODY THAT'S, UH, NOW BEEN IN, UH, THIS OFFICE A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, UH, THIS, WHAT WE'RE DOING TODAY, A LOT OF PEOPLE DESERVE A LOT OF CREDIT.
AND, UM, AND, AND THE MAYOR PRO TIM WILL TELL YOU THAT, THAT WE GOT HERE NOT, UH, IN JUST A LITTLE SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, BUT WE GOT HERE OVER A NUMBER OF YEARS AND, AND A NUMBER OF ELECTIONS THAT THE, THE PUBLIC VOTED FOR, UH, WANTING US TO DO, WANTING, UH, GOVERNMENT TO DO RIGHT BY THAT.
SO I WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO PAST, UH, CITY COUNCILS THAT HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN THIS, IN, IN DOING WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO GET TO THIS POINT.
AND, AND MAYOR STEVE ADLER, UH, MY, MY PREDECESSOR IN THIS POSITION.
SO, UH, WE'RE EXCITED TO PARTNER WITH THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION.
THE IDEA THAT AUSTIN TEXAS, WHICH WE KNOW IS A UNIQUE PLACE, UH, IS THE FIRST TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS.
AND I, I'M, I'M PLEASED TO GET THE OPPORTUNITY AS MAYOR OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO SIGN, UH, THIS AGREEMENT WITH THE, UH, BILL, UH, BILL AMERICA BUREAU OF THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION.
SOME OF THE EXECUTIVES THAT HAVE WORKED ON ALL THIS ARE, ARE BEHIND US, AND WE APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT CITY PROFESSIONAL CITY STAFF HAS PUT INTO THIS.