Apr 05, 2023 Environmental Commission

I THINK WE'RE BOTH QUITE HONORED TO BE HERE AND ON A SEMI HISTORIC EVENING AS WELL.

SO I'M GONNA TRY TO SAY AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE, FRANKLY, , AS I'M LEARNING THE ROPES FOR THANK YOU TO MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS FOR YOUR PATIENCE AS WE LEARN THE ROPES HERE.

UM, AND I DID, I GREW UP ADJACENT TO AND, UM, HAVE LIVED IN NEXT TO ZILKER PARK ALMOST MY WHOLE LIFE.

SO I'M EXCITED TO BE JOINING TONIGHT.

UM, LET'S SEE.

I WAS BORN A VERY YOUNG, SMALL CHILD, UH, LIVED IN AUSTIN SINCE 1981.

BEEN AROUND THE BLOCK A FEW TIMES.

UH, MY DAY JOB, I DO WORK ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES, SO I'M VERY HAPPY TO LEND MY EXPERTISE HERE.

THANK YOU GUYS.

WELCOME.

UM, ALRIGHT, LET'S, UH, WELL, ACTUALLY, BEFORE WE DO THE PUBLIC COMMENTS, UM, THANK YOU EVERYONE OF THE PUBLIC WHO'S HERE, AND I THINK THERE'S SOME THAT ARE STILL TRYING TO GET IN REMOTELY.

UM, WE, UH, OF COURSE HAVE A VERY BUSY AGENDA TODAY, AND WE ARE EXCITED TO HEAR YOUR COMMENTS.

UM, I'M GOING TO LIMIT THE PUBLIC COMMENTS TO TWO MINUTES INSTEAD OF THREE MINUTES.

UM, SO EVERYONE CAN GET THROUGH THIS PROCESS.

UM, AT THE BEGINNING WE WILL HAVE 10 SPEAKERS JUST FOR GENERAL COMMENTS FOR PUBLIC COMMUNICATION.

UM, YOU ARE WELCOME TO USE THOSE MINUTES AND YOU WILL GET ALL THREE MINUTES, BUT, UH, WE CANNOT, UM, SINCE IT'S NOT A POSTED AGENDA ITEM, WE CANNOT ASK YOU QUESTIONS OR, OR HAVE ANY DIALOGUE IF YOU USE THOSE FIRST MINUTES.

SO, UM, IF YOU'RE HERE ABOUT A POSTED AGENDA ITEM, WHICH MY SUSPICION IS MOST OF YOU ARE, UM, THEN I WOULD REQUEST THAT YOU SPEAK DURING THAT AGENDA ITEM AND YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES.

UM, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DONATE YOUR TIME TO ANOTHER SPEAKER, THAT IS FINE.

UM, AND WE'RE GONNA LIMIT THAT AS THE, THE RECIPIENT SPEAKER HAS AS MUCH AS SIX MINUTES, THEIR OWN TWO AND TWO OTHER PEOPLE GETTING FOUR MORE.

UM, DO ANY COMMISSIONERS HAVE ANY OPPOSITION TO THAT OR ANY DISCUSSION? OKAY.

SO, UH, IF YOU'RE SPEAKING ON A, A POSTED GEN ITEM, PLEASE SPEAK YOUR, YOUR TWO MINUTES.

UM, I AM GOING TO ASK OR HAVE THOSE COMMENTS AT THE BEGINNING.

SO IF YOU'RE HERE, UM, AND YOU, AND YOU NEED TO LEAVE, UM, UH, UH, YOU CAN, YOU CAN MAKE YOUR COMMENTS AND, AND THEN, AND THEN EXIT.

SO, UH, APPRECIATE, DEFINITELY APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE AND WE'LL TRY TO WORK THROUGH THIS AGENDA AS EFFICIENTLY AS POSSIBLE TO GET TO, UH, TO YOUR, UH, TO YOUR ITEM.

UM, ALRIGHT, WE'RE GONNA KEEP MOVING FORWARD, UM, WITH APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES.

SO, UH, DO WE HAVE ANY GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENTS? OKAY, WE DON'T.

[1. Approve the minutes of the Environmental Commission Regular Meeting on March 1, 2023 and Environmental Commission Special Called Meeting on March 29, 2023 (5 minutes)]

WE'VE GOT TWO MEETING MINUTES, UH, THAT ELIZABETH HAS PROMULGATED MARCH 1ST, AND THEN THE SPECIAL CALL MEETING ON MARCH 29TH.

COMMISSIONERS, DO WE HAVE ANY, UH, REVISIONS OR COMMENTS OR DISCUSSION ON EITHER OF THESE MINUTES FROM THE PREVIOUS MEETINGS? MOTION TO APPROVE BOTH SETS OF MINUTES.

SECOND.

ALL RIGHT, WE GOT A MOTION TO APPROVE.

AND A SECOND.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? RAISE YOUR HAND.

I SEE ALL BUT COFER, UM, ALL THOSE OPPOSED AND ALL THOSE ABSTAINING.

RIGHT, UH, THE NEXT ITEM IS AGENDA ITEM TWO, RECOGNITION OF SOME PREVIOUS, UH, COMMISSIONERS, COMMISSIONER AGUIGUI AND BARRETT BIGLER.

UH, WE GOT ONE ABSTENTION, UM, AND, UH, MOTION PASSES.

SO, UH, OTHERWISE, ALL

[2. Recognition of Ana Aguirre and Audrey Barrett Bixler for their service on the Environmental Commission – Katie Coyne, Environmental Officer, Watershed Protection Department (5 minutes)]

YOU WANNA TAKE THIS ONE, KATIE? SURE, I CAN.

I CAN TAKE IT AND THEN PASS IT BACK TO YOU.

AND IF OTHER FOLKS, UH, WANNA OFFER A FEW REMARKS, UH, THAT'S USUALLY VERY WELCOME.

UH, BUT I JUST WANTED TO, TO THANK YOU BOTH FOR YOUR SERVICE TO THE CITY.

UH, AS A FORMER ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSIONER, OH, BY THE WAY, KATIE COIN ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICER.

I SHOULD GET, I SHOULD BE USED TO THAT BY NOW.

UM, AS A, A FORMER ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSIONER, I KNOW THAT YOU ALL HAVE PUT IN A LOT OF HOURS BOTH BEHIND THE SCENES AND IN THESE MEETINGS TO BE EFFECTIVE COMMISSIONERS, AND THAT IS UNPAID, UH, SOMETIMES OFTEN THANKLESS SERVICE WORK TO THE CITY THAT IS, IS IN MY MIND, UM, JUST SO VITAL

[00:05:01]

TO US HAVING GOOD REPRESENTATION OF, OF THE PRIORITIES AND VALUES OF, OF THIS CITY AND ITS RESIDENTS.

AND SO, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.

UH, AUDREY STARTED SERVING ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION IN 2021 AND SERVED AS ONE OF OUR ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION MEMBERS ON THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE THERE.

YOUR EXPERIENCE WORKING IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL SECTOR HAS BEEN A GREAT ASSET TO THE COMMISSION, AND WE APPRECIATE ALL THE TIME THAT YOU'VE DEVOTED.

ANNA HAS BEEN ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION SINCE 2022.

UH, WE KNOW THAT YOU SERVED ON THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT ADVISORY BOARD AND YOUR WORK AS A COMMUNITY ADVOCATE HAS BEEN CLEAR THROUGH AND THROUGH THROUGHOUT YOUR TIME ON COMMISSION, UH, ALWAYS BRINGING THOSE COMMUNITY VOICES AND COMMUNITY PRIORITIES TO THE FOUR, UH, ON, ON THIS COMMISSION.

SO WE THANK YOU FOR THAT MANY OF YOUR CONCERNS FOCUSING ON, ON FLOODING AND HOW WE CAN MITIGATE FLOODING FOR RESIDENTS, UH, LANGUAGE ACCESS, AND MANY OTHER PRIORITIES YOU'VE BROUGHT TO THE TABLE, UH, HAVE BEEN SO HELPFUL.

AND, AND, UH, WE'RE SO GRATEFUL FOR YOUR INSIGHT IN SHARING THAT PERSPECTIVE.

UM, I HAVE A, A FEW CERTIFICATES I'D LOVE TO, TO HAND TO Y'ALL, UH, AND THEN WE CAN MAYBE PASS IT BACK TO, UH, CHAIR RANDBERG.

I BET IF YOU COULD, IF YOU COULD BOTH COME UP, UM, WE, WE'D LOVE TO, TO RECOGNIZE YOU FORMALLY.

IT'S LIKE THREE-DIMENSIONAL, UH, STAGE UP HERE.

UH, YEAH.

THANK YOU COMMISSIONERS.

UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR Y'ALLS SERVICE.

UM, I THINK I SPEAK FOR EVERYONE UP HERE, EXCEPT FOR THE TWO THAT DON'T KNOW YET.

UM, THERE'S A LOT OF HOURS THAT GO INTO THIS.

UM, AND, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE VERY THANKFUL FOR PERSPECTIVE THAT YOU GUYS PRESENTED.

YEAH, THAT WOULD BE FANTASTIC.

YOU'RE LIMITED TO TWO MINUTES EACH.

HERE'S THE SIGN ON.

WELL, I'D LIKE TO TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO LISTEN TO MYSELF SPEAK ONE MORE TIME IN FRONT OF THIS GROUP, , THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A JOKE, .

UM, FIRST I'D LIKE TO THANK THE CITY OF AUSTIN, AND ESPECIALLY THE WATERSHED PROTECTION DEPARTMENT STAFF FOR ALL THE VERY HARD AND THROAT.

SO FOR ALL THE HARD AND THOROUGH WORK THAT YOU ALL DO BEFORE ITEMS EVEN COME BEFORE THE ENVIR ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, UM, YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS ARE INVALUABLE TO THE FUNCTIONING OF THIS BODY.

AND, UM, I'D LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE AND YOUR CADENCE AND ANSWERING OUR MANY QUESTIONS, AND ALSO EDUCATING THIS BODY ON THE CITY'S CODES AND MANY INITIATIVES.

I'D ALSO LIKE TO THANK THE OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSIONERS FOR SHOWING UP AND FOR DOING THIS SERVICE.

UM, YOU GUYS AND THE STAFF ARE HERE BECAUSE YOU ALL CARE.

UM, AS YOU GUYS MAY OR MAY NOT KNOW, MY HUSBAND'S A PROFESSOR AT UT AND THIS WEEK HE HAS SOME PROFESSORS VISITING, UM, ONE FROM SWEDEN, ONE FROM CALIFORNIA.

AND LAST NIGHT THEY WERE ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT THE STRUCTURE OF CITY COUNCIL AND THE ROLE OF BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS.

AND SOMEONE IN A, WHO WAS A PART OF THIS CONVERSATION GREW UP IN EAST AUSTIN.

AND WE WERE TALKING ABOUT, UM, THE RAPID DEVELOPMENT THAT AUSTIN HAS EXPERIENCE AND ALSO THE INFLUENCE OF DEVELOPERS.

UM, AND, UH, THIS PERSON WHO GREW UP IN EAST AUSTIN SAID LAST NIGHT, SHE SAID, I LOVE AUSTIN, BUT I WILL, I WILL KNOW IT'S TIME TO MOVE WHEN THE TREES IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD ARE GONE.

AND ALTHOUGH SHE WAS JOKING, UM, I THINK EACH PERSON IN THIS ROOM CAN RESONATE WITH THAT COMMENT.

I MEAN, WE, WE'LL ALL KNOW IT'S TIME TO MOVE IF, IF THE TREES IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD ARE GONE.

UM, SO I'D LIKE TO LEAVE WITH ONE FINAL COMMENT.

SO WE, AS A COMMISSION, UM, REVIEW, UH, PROJECTS AND, UM, EXEMPTIONS TO CODE, YOU KNOW, ON A, ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS.

AND SO I'D LIKE TO ENCOURAGE THIS GROUP TO ALWAYS CONSIDER AND ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CUMULATIVE IMPACT THAT THESE PROJECTS ARE HAVING, YOU KNOW, ON OUR CITY, ON OUR AIR, ON OUR WATER, ON THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S ABILITY TO BE RESILIENT, TO BE EQUITABLE, UM, TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND TO NATURAL DISASTERS AND, UH, TO THRIVE AS A COMMUNITY.

SO, UM, I LIKE TO THANK YOU GUYS FOR SHARING THIS EXPERIENCE WITH ME.

UM, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, BEING MORE INVOLVED WHEN MY KIDS ARE A LITTLE BIT OLDER.

[00:10:01]

I TOO, ALSO WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO THE STAFF.

YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN AMAZING AND VERY TOLERANT OF ALL OF THE QUESTIONS AND ISSUES THAT I BRING UP.

UM, AND ALSO THANK YOU FELLOW COMMISSIONERS.

I'VE ENJOYED SERVING WITH YOU.

UM, I KNOW YOU HAVE A LOT OF WORK STILL COMING FOR, UH, TOWARDS YOU.

I JUST WANNA SAY, I'VE ALWAYS ADVOCATED FOR THE PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT REPRESENTED AND FOR HEARING.

CAUSE FOR EXAMPLE, I ONLY SEE LIKE TWO PEOPLE OF COLOR ON THE DIAS NOW REPRESENTING.

SO I HOPE FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT ARE, DON'T HAVE THE SAME EXPERIENCES AS I HAVE GROWING UP OF RACISM, INCLUDING INSTITUTIONALIZED RACISM, THAT YOU WILL REMEMBER THAT THOSE OF US THAT ARE NOT REPRESENTED YOU NEED TO DO FOR US.

UM, AND IN LIGHT OF THE COMING IN REGARDS TO, UM, WHEN THE TREES ARE GONE, UM, THAT'LL BE TIME TEMPTING ME TO MOVE.

I'LL LET YOU KNOW THAT WHEN I MOVED TO AUSTIN, THE ONLY PART OF AUSTIN I COULD AFFORD WAS SOUTHEAST AUSTIN AS A SINGLE PARENT WITH THREE LITTLE ONES AT THE TIME.

AT THAT TIME, BULLETS WERE FLYING, A LOT OF GANG ACTIVITY AND DRUG USE WAS HAPPENING IN THAT AREA.

MY KIDS WERE SAYING, MAMA, WE NEED A MOVE.

AND I'M LIKE, NO, THIS IS MY HOME AND I'M NOT MOVING.

AND WE'RE NOT MOVING.

SO FOR THOSE THAT MAY BE THINKING, IF THE TREES ARE GONE, WE NEED TO LEAVE.

NO, NO, NO, NO.

YOU NEED TO STAY AND PLANT MORE TREES IF THEY'RE CUTTING THEM DOWN, PLANT MORE TREES.

SO THAT'S WHAT I WOULD ADVO ASK YOU TO ADVOCATE FOR, FOR THE PEOPLE OF THOSE OF US THAT ARE NOT IN YOUR POSITION AND YOU'RE MAKING POLICY DECISIONS THAT WILL AFFECT US.

I WILL BE SHOWING UP WHEN A HOT TOPIC, UM, COMES UP.

AND NATURALLY I'LL BE STICKING AROUND BECAUSE I DID MY PREPARATION FOR TODAY, BUT I ONLY NOW HAVE TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK TO Y'ALL THIS, THIS AFTERNOON.

SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO VISITING WITH YOU RIGHT LATER ON.

GOT THE NEXT ITEM, UH, IS ANOTHER UPDATE FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICER AND UPDATE ON THE WATERLINE BREAK IN SHO CREEK.

YES, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COMMISSIONERS.

UH, WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR TWO MINUTES.

UH, I'M SURE THERE WILL BE POWERFUL.

UM, WE'VE

[3. Update on the waterline break at Shoal Creek – Katie Coyne, Watershed Protection Department (10 minutes)]

AND GO AHEAD, KATIE.

UH, THANK YOU CHAIR KATIE COHEN, ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICER.

UM, PROVIDING A, A BRIEF UPDATE ON THE SHOLL CREEK WATERLINE BREAK.

UH, ON TUESDAY, MARCH 14TH, A 12 INCH WATERLINE BROKE NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF SHOLL CREEK BOULEVARD AND BULL CREEK BOULEVARD SPILLING APPROXIMATELY 1 MILLION GALLONS OF CHLORINATED DRINKING WATER INTO SCHOLL CREEK.

THE CAST IRON WATER LINE WAS BUILT IN 1954.

THERE HAD NOT BEEN A PREVIOUS BREAK IN THAT SECTION OF PIPE.

WATERLINE BREAKS ARE NOT UNUSUAL, AND THERE, THERE'S AN ESTABLISHED PROTOCOL FOR RESPONDING.

AUSTIN WATER BEGAN IMMEDIATE REPAIRS TO THE WATER LINE.

WATERSHED PROTECTION ASSESSED THE CREEK FOR IMPACTS TO WILDLIFE VISITING THE CREEK ON A DAILY BASIS FOR SIX DAYS.

THE INITIAL SURVEY INCLUDED THE AREA BETWEEN HANCOCK DRIVE AND 38TH STREET.

TCEQ.

AND, UH, TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE WERE NOTIFIED IN TERMS OF IMPACTS, UH, PUBLIC HEALTH.

WE, UH, THERE WERE NO IMPACTS TO PUBLIC HEALTH.

CHLORINATION IS, IS A NECESSARY PART OF KILLING HARMFUL MICROORGANISMS IN DRINKING WATER.

UH, THIS IS NOT A, A HUMAN HEALTH RISK, UH, FROM AN AESTHETIC PERSPECTIVE.

UH, WE DID NOTICE THAT THAT PRESSURIZED WATER CAUSED WATER IN THE CREEK TO BECOME CLOUDY AND TURBID, UH, DUE TO FINE SUSPENDED SEDIMENT PARTICLES.

THOSE PARTICLES GENERALLY SETTLE IN IN A FEW DAYS WITHOUT ANY KIND OF OUTSIDE INTERVENTION.

FROM A WILDLIFE PERSPECTIVE, THE MOST SERIOUS IMPACT WAS TO FISH.

UH, FISH GILLS ARE SENSITIVE TO CHLORINATED WATER.

SOME FISH WILL DIE IMMEDIATELY AFTER EXPOSURE TO CHLORINATED WATER.

SOME WILL DIE AFTER A FEW DAYS AND OTHERS WILL SURVIVE.

BIRDS, REPTILES, MAMMALS, UH, THOSE ARE ORGANISMS THAT AREN'T DIRECTLY AFFECTED BY THIS KIND OF SPILL.

OVER THE COURSE OF A FEW DAYS, WE ESTIMATE MORE THAN 300 FISH DIED.

THIS REPRESENTS ABOUT 0.07% ACCORDING TO OUR ESTIMATE OF THE FISH IN SHO CREEK.

UH, BUT A MUCH HIGHER PERCENTAGE IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA NEAR THE BREAK.

SO UP TO 35% OF THE FISH, IF YOU JUST CONSIDER THAT 200 FEET NEAR HANCOCK DRIVE.

UH, AND THOSE NUMBERS ARE BASED ON PREVIOUS FISH SURVEYS DONE ON SHOLL CREEK AS PART OF, UH, PLANNED FISH RELOCATIONS.

UM, WE RECOMMEND THAT HUMAN INTERVENTION IS NOT NEEDED FOR, FOR SMALL NUMBERS OF FISH KILLED BY CHLORINATED WATER.

UH, PREDATORS OR SCAVENGERS MAY BENEFIT BY CONSUMING THOSE FISH.

THE FISH WILL ALSO DECOMPOSE BY NATURAL PROCESSES.

LARGE NUMBERS OF DEAD FISH MAY CAUSE WATER QUALITY ISSUES AND LOWER DISSOLVED OXYGEN LEVELS DUE TO THE CO DECOMPOSITION PROCESS, UH, DUE TO THE ACCUMULATION OF AN ESTIMATED 300 DEAD FISH IN ONE LOCATION, WE DID SEND OUT WATERSHED PROTECTION CREWS TO REMOVE THOSE FISH.

UM, AND THEY ALREADY HAD A WORK ORDER, UH, TO REMOVE DEBRIS FROM THAT AREA.

SO THEY WERE ABLE TO ALSO REMOVE, UH, THOSE FISH WITHOUT ANY ADDITIONAL, UH, OPERATIONAL OR BUDGETARY IMPACTS TO OUR CREWS.

UH, THE FISH COMMUNITY IS EXPECTED TO RECOVER ON

[00:15:01]

ITS OWN WITHOUT ANY ADDITIONAL INTERVENTION.

IT'S DIFFICULT TO KNOW HOW LONG THIS WILL TAKE SINCE FLOODS AND DROUGHT MAY HAVE AN IMPACT, UH, ON THIS STRETCH OF CREEK.

UH, BUT WE THINK WITHIN A COUPLE OF SEASONS, THE FISH COMMUNITY WILL RETURN TO PREEXISTING CONDITIONS.

UM, WATERSHED PROTECTION HAS RESPONDED TO 51 WATERLINE BREAKS IN 2022.

ONLY ONE OF THOSE RESULTED IN A FISH KILL.

WE KNOW THAT WATERLINE BREAKS CAN CAUSE FISH KILLS IN AUSTIN.

THE IMPACT IS GENERALLY ACUTE, UH, NOT, NOT SYSTEM SCALE IMPACTS RATHER THAN CHRONIC.

UH, AND THE LOCAL ECOLOGY REBOUNDS, UH, SPILLS SUCH AS OIL, OTHER CHEMICALS, UH, THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE'RE MORE WORRIED ABOUT AS WATERSHED PROTECTION.

THEY HAVE MORE POTENTIAL TO CAUSE LONG-LASTING IMPACTS TO THE ECOLOGY OF CREEKS IN MAY THREATEN PUBLIC HEALTH.

THAT'S NOT WHAT OCCURRED IN, IN THIS INCIDENT.

WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE DISCUSSIONS, UH, INTERNALLY ABOUT OUR, OUR PROTOCOL, OUR PROCESS IN COLLABORATING WITH AUSTIN WATER, UH, AND, AND MAKE SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO HAVE THE BEST PRACTICE PROTOCOL IN PLACE FOR EVENTS LIKE THESE.

AND I'M HAPPY TO TRY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS OR, UH, WE'LL CERTAINLY HAVE AUSTIN WATER OR WATERSHED PROTECTION STAFF FOLLOW UP IF THERE'S QUESTIONS I CAN'T ANSWER.

THANK YOU, COMMISSIONERS.

LET'S, LET'S TRY TO KEEP THIS BRIEF, BUT DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR, UH, KATIE ABOUT THE, ABOUT THE SHO CREEKS BILL? DID THE, UH, AUSTIN WATER JUST PREPARE THE BREAK, OR DID THEY EXPECT, INSPECT ANY OF THE WATER LINES OR ANY LENGTH OF THE WATER LINES UP AND DOWN FROM THE BRAKE AND ATTEMPT TO IDENTIFY FUTURE BRAKES? W W WE KNOW THEY IMMEDIATELY REPAIRED THE, THE WATERLINE BRAKE.

I CAN GET YOU SOME MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OTHER PROCEDURES THAT WERE PERFORMED IN TERMS OF INSPECTION.

I, I DON'T HAVE THAT ANSWER OFFHAND.

IT'D BE NICE TO KNOW IF, I MEAN, IF THERE WAS ONE BREAK THERE MM-HMM.

MIGHT BE SUSCEPTIBLE TO HAVE AN ADDITIONAL BREAK IF THEY, YOU SAID THOSE WERE IRON CAST IRON CAST IRON, MM-HMM.

FROM THE FIFTIES.

MOVING ON TO, UH, ANOTHER STAFF BRIEFING.

SO THEY MIGHT BE PRONE TO RUST OR OTHER ISSUES.

IT MIGHT BE INTERESTING TO KNOW IF THEY INSPECTED ADDITIONAL SECTIONS OF THE, UH, WATERLINE TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANY POTENTIAL OTHER PROBLEMS. IF YOU COULD GET US SURE.

YOU KNOW, AN EMAIL OR SOMETHING EXPANDED INFORMATION ON THAT SORT OF THING, IT'D BE APPRECIATED.

ABSOLUTELY.

COMMISSIONER, UH, WE CAN HAVE ELIZABETH FOLLOW UP, UM, DIRECTLY WITH, WITH COMMISSIONERS, UH, WITH FEEDBACK BACK FROM AUSTIN WATER ABOUT WHAT OTHER PROTOCOL MIGHT HAVE BEEN FOLLOWED IN TERMS OF, UH, INSPECTING THE REMAINDER REMAINING SECTIONS WITH PIPE IN THAT AREA.

ANYBODY ELSE? ALL RIGHT.

[4. Staff briefing of Project Connect Light Rail Update – Jen Pyne, Chief of Planning and Risk Management, and Peter Mullan, Chief of Architecture and Urban Design, Austin Transit Partnership (1 hour)]

UM, THIS FROM A, A GREATER CONTEXT, NUMBER FOUR, STAFF BRIEFING FROM PROJECT CONNECT LIGHT RAIL.

UM, THIS IS JUST A BRIEFING, UM, BUT HOPEFULLY WE'LL GET A PRESENTATION AND HAVE SOME QUESTIONS.

UM, NO ACTIONS REQUESTED FROM THE COMMISSION ON THIS ITEM.

PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELVES, AND THEN IF YOU HAVE A PRESENTATION, UH, JACKSON CAN PULL IT UP.

GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY.

UH, THANKS FOR HAVING US.

UH, MY NAME'S JENNIFER PINE, UM, UH, WITH AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP.

I'M AN EXECUTIVE VP FOR PLANNING AND RISK MANAGEMENT THERE.

AND WE'LL JUST INTRODUCE REAL QUICKLY, UM, BEFORE WE GET INTO THE SLIDES WE BROUGHT.

SO, I'M PETER MULLEN.

I'M THE EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT FOR ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN DESIGN FOR AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP.

HELLO, COMMISSIONERS.

I'M LISA STORE, UH, SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM MANAGER FOR AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP.

AND I'M SHAVIA GARD.

I'M THE ENVIRONMENTAL LEAD WITH THE CITY'S, UH, PROJECT CONNECT OFFICE.

HERE WE GO.

WE DO HAVE A BRIEF SLIDE DECK.

UM, WE WERE HERE BACK IN OCTOBER.

UM, SO WE'RE BACK AGAIN, UH, WITH AN UPDATE ON SOME NEW INFORMATION.

IF YOU ADVANCE THE SLIDE, PLEASE.

UH, WE'RE HERE TONIGHT TO TALK ABOUT THE LIGHT RAIL COMPONENT OF THE PROJECT CONNECT PROGRAM.

AND IF YOU RECALL, YOU KNOW, LIGHT RAIL, UM, WILL BE OPERATING, UH, AN EMBEDDED TRACK IN, UH, PUBLIC RIGHTS OF WAY.

UM, IT'LL OPERATE IN ITS OWN EXCLUSIVE GUIDEWAY, SO IT IT'LL BE SEPARATED FROM MOST OTHER TRAFFIC.

LET ME GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.

UH, REALLY EVERYTHING WE'RE DOING ON PROJECT CONNECT, UM, IS, IS ABOUT THAT AND TRYING TO ACHIEVE THAT GOAL BY PROVIDING MORE AND MORE ROBUST TRANSIT SERVICES IN AUSTIN.

UH, SO IN, IN TALKING ABOUT KIND OF THE PATH TO LIGHTRAIL, UH, WE ALWAYS LIKE TO NOTE THE, UH, AUSTIN STRATEGIC MOBILITY PLAN AS A KEY MOMENT WHERE THE MODE SHIFT GOAL WAS ESTABLISHED, BECAUSE,

[00:20:01]

UM, SO AFTER THE VOTE PASSED IN 2020, THAT PROVIDED THE FUNDING FOR, UH, PROJECT CONNECT, REALLY EVER SINCE WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THE LIGHT RAIL PROGRAM, DOING THE ENGINEERING AND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES.

UM, AND AS WE REPORTED LAST FALL, UM, IT WAS REALLY OVER THE SUMMER AS SOME OF THE COST INFORMATION WAS COMING IN, AND IT, IT WAS HIGHER THAN ANTICIPATED, UH, FOR REASONS THAT, UM, THE SAME THAT ARE BEING EXPERIENCED BY OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND IN AUSTIN.

SO WE, UM, OPTED TO REALLY TAKE A LOOK AT THAT AND MAKE SURE THAT THE PROJECT THAT WE PUT FORTH, UH, IS SOMETHING THAT WE KNOW THAT WE CAN DELIVER.

SO WE'RE BACK TONIGHT AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, FIVE OPTIONS FOR THE FIRST PHASE OF THE LIGHT RAIL PROGRAM.

UM, WE'RE IN THE MIDST OF A COMMUNITY, UM, ENGAGEMENT PERIOD, SO IT'S VERY TIMELY TO TALK ABOUT THIS AND A GOOD TIME TO PROVIDE INPUT.

UM, IF WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

THANKS.

UH, BEFORE WE GET INTO THE OPTIONS, I'M GONNA TAKE JUST A MOMENT AND TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE KEY FACTORS THAT WERE CONSIDERED IN, UH, IN HOW, UH, THE EVALUATIONS OCCURRED THAT RESULTED IN THESE FIVE OPTIONS BEING THE ONES THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.

UH, CERTAINLY FINANCIAL VIABILITY.

UH, WE DO HAVE A BUDGET, UM, AND WE NEED TO LIVE WITHIN OUR MEANS.

AND ALSO TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY.

UM, YOU KNOW, THAT ALL THESE OPTIONS NEED TO WORK FROM AN ENGINEERING STANDPOINT.

ANOTHER FACTOR THAT WE NEED TO CONSIDER IS, UH, THE FEDERAL FUNDING, THE FEDERAL GRANT FUNDING THAT WE'RE PURSUING FOR THIS PROJECT THAT WE ARE HOPING WILL PROVIDE ABOUT 50% OF THE CAPITAL COSTS.

UM, FOR THAT, FOR THOSE FUNDS.

WE COMPETE WITH TRANSIT PROJECTS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

IT'S A VERY PRESCRIBED WAY WE KNOW HOW WE'LL BE EVALUATED.

SO AS PART OF THIS PROCESS TOO, WE JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE FELT LIKE ANY OPTION THAT WE PUT FORTH, WE BELIEVE, UH, WILL BE COMPETITIVE FOR THOSE FUNDS.

UH, IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE'VE COLLECTED A LOT OF PLANNING DATA, UM, AND IN, IN CONSIDERING THAT WE ARE THINKING ABOUT, UM, WHAT THE, UH, COMMUNITY VALUES ARE IN AUSTIN THAT OUR PROJECT SHOULD REFLECT.

UM, AND I'LL, I'LL TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE MORE ON THE NEXT SLIDE.

UM, AND BEFORE I DEPART THIS ONE, JUST NOTE THAT ANOTHER REALLY IMPORTANT PIECE OF IT IS THAT LIGHT RAIL IS ONE COMPONENT OF A MULTIMODAL TRANSIT SYSTEM.

AND REALLY, UH, OUR GOAL IS TO HAVE EVERYTHING WORK WELL TOGETHER SO THAT OUR CONNECTIONS ARE AS SEAMLESS AS POSSIBLE.

SO THAT'S WITH LIGHT RAIL AND BUS SERVICE WITH THE RED LINE, AND ALSO WITH, UH, BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN INFRASTRUCTURE THROUGHOUT THE CITY.

SO IF YOU COULD GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.

UH, SO WHEN I'M TALKING ABOUT PLANNING DATA AND COMMUNITY VALUES, UM, I JUST WANNA NOTE A FEW OF THE, THE KEY IDEAS HERE, THINGS THAT WE WERE THINKING ABOUT, UM, IN, IN DEVELOPING THESE OPTIONS.

ONE IS CERTAINLY MOBILITY AND, AND THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE.

UM, WE WANNA PROVIDE A QUALITY TRANSIT PROJECT THAT IS CONVENIENT FOR PEOPLE TO USE.

AND SO WE ARE LOOKING AT THAT BY ESTIMATING WHAT THE PROJECTED RIDERSHIP WOULD BE, UH, AND ALSO LOOKING AT THE, THE QUALITY OF THE DIFFERENT CONNECTIONS WITH OTHER MODES.

ANOTHER IMPORTANT, UH, CONSIDERATION FOR US IS ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITIES.

SO IN, IN LOOKING AT THE STEADY AREA FOR THE LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM, WE'RE LOOKING AT WHERE THE STATIONS MIGHT BE LOCATED, WHO RESIDES THERE, WHO WORKS THERE, WHAT DESTINATIONS THERE ARE TO MAKE SURE WE'RE MAKING, UM, THE BEST CONNECTIONS THAT WE CAN, AND THAT WE'RE BEING RESPONSIVE TO WHAT THE NEEDS ARE.

UH, FOR ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS, A KEY ITEM THERE IS TO REALLY THINK ABOUT MODE SHIFT AND WHAT WE MIGHT ACCOMPLISH THROUGH ANY OF THESE LIGHT RAIL PROJECTS.

UM, AND TO DO THAT, WE CAN LOOK AT, UM, WE CAN PROJECT RIDERSHIP AND PEOPLE WHO WOULD MOVE FROM CARS ONTO TRANSIT AND, AND THINK ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS IN TERMS OF GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS, FOR EXAMPLE.

UH, AND FINALLY, LAND USE AND HOUSING.

UM, WE'RE LOOKING AT LAND USE ALONG, UH, THE LIGHT RAIL CORRIDORS AND LOOKING FOR TRANSIT.

SUPPORTIVE LAND USES THE RIGHT DENSITY AND MIXES OF USES, UM, SO THAT IT'S CONVENIENT FOR PEOPLE TO USE LIGHT RAIL.

UH, AND SPECIFICALLY WE'RE LOOKING AT AFFORDABLE HOUSING.

WE WANNA SERVE AFFORDABLE HOUSING WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, UH, AS BEST WE CAN.

SO WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.

UH, I'M, I'M JUST GONNA, I'D LIKE TO JUST SORT OF FLY THROUGH A COUPLE OF SLIDES HERE TO, UM, SHOW YOU JUST SOME OF THE KEY DATA THAT WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT.

AND, UH, I'LL GO QUICKLY, BUT PLEASE NOTE ALL OF THIS IS ON THE WEBSITE.

UM, IF YOU, UH, SEARCH FOR AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP, YOU'LL FIND IT, YOU'LL FIND THIS INFORMATION IN SO MUCH MORE.

UM, SO POPULATION DENSITY IS A KEY FACTOR FOR US.

IT'S, IT'S A BIG RIDERSHIP DRIVER.

UM, AND SO THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, IS THINKING IT'S NOT JUST THE NUMBERS OF POPULATION, BUT ALSO THE COMPOSITION OF THE POPULATION.

UM, AND LOOKING AT WHO IS LIVING WHERE, AND WHO WOULD REALLY BENEFIT FROM THE SERVICES

[00:25:01]

THAT WE'RE PROVIDING.

IF WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, IT'S EMPLOYMENT DENSITY.

CERTAINLY, UH, A TRIP OFTEN, UH, SERVED BY TRANSIT WOULD BE WORK TRIPS.

AND SO EMPLOYMENT DENSITY IS PART OF OUR, UM, EVALUATION AS WELL.

AND I THINK THE NEXT SLIDE IS PROBABLY AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING MAP.

SO THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE REALLY OF SOME OF THE DATA SETS WE HAVE.

THIS ONE IS SHOWING THE DATA WE HAVE FOR EXISTING SUBSIDIZED HOUSING.

UM, SO IT'S LEGALLY BINDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING, JUST ONE TYPE OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.

SO THE NEXT SLIDE IS, UH, TRANSIT CONNECTIONS.

THIS ONE'S A LITTLE BIT HARD TO READ, BUT IT'S SHOWING THE RED LINE, UM, SOME OF THE HIGHER FREQUENCY BUS ROUTES.

UH, AND WE'RE CONSIDERING, AGAIN, JUST HOW TO MAKE THE, THE BEST, UH, CONNECTIONS WE CAN.

AND THEN THE LAST SLIDE HERE IS BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN INFRASTRUCTURE.

UM, AGAIN, REALLY AT, AT ANY TRANSIT RIDER AT SOME POINT IS A PEDESTRIAN, AND SO WE'RE VERY COGNIZANT OF, OF MAKING IT A GOOD ENVIRONMENT FOR PEDESTRIANS AND BIKES.

SO AT THE NEXT SLIDE, SO HERE ARE THE FIVE OPTIONS.

UM, WE LIKE, AS I MENTIONED, WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A, A, A PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PERIOD.

WE HAD A MEETING TO KICK IT OFF ON MARCH 21ST, UM, AND HAD OVER 500 PEOPLE IN ATTENDANCE, AND WE'VE HAD A LOT OF VIEWS ON OUR VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE AS WELL.

UM, AND SO THESE ARE THE FIVE OPTIONS, AND I WILL STEP THROUGH THEM BRIEFLY, BUT JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA, THEY ALL HAVE KIND OF DIFFERENT ENDPOINTS AND, BUT ALL FIVE OF THESE ARE RIGHT IN THE SAME BUDGET RANGE.

SO YOU CAN KIND OF GET A SENSE FOR WHAT THE DIFFERENT TRADE-OFFS ARE THAT WE'RE CONSIDERING.

UM, THREE OF THESE OPTIONS ARE FULLY AT STREET LEVEL, AND TWO, HAVE SOME COMPONENT OF EITHER AN ELEVATED OR AN UNDERGROUND SEGMENT, UH, AS PART OF THE OPTION.

AND SO YOU'LL SEE, UM, TO BE ELEVATED OR TO BE UNDERGROUND IS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN TO BUILD AT STREET LEVEL.

AND SO THAT'S WHY YOU SEE SOME VARIATION IN LENGTH.

IF WE'RE FULLY AT GRADE, UM, WE'RE ABLE TO, UH, BUILD A, A LONGER LINE WITHIN THE SAME BUDGET CONSTRAINTS.

SO IF WE CAN, UH, GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.

SO THE FIRST ONE, UH, THIS IS FULLY ON STREET, AND THIS WOULD RUN FROM, UH, THE NORTH LAMAR, NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER ON THE NORTH SIDE THERE, UM, DOWNTOWN.

AND THEN, UH, SOUTH OF THE LADY BIRD LAKE, AND CONCLUDING, I CAN'T READ IT THAT FAR, SO HAVE TO LOOK AT MY PLEASANT VALLEY TO PLEASANT VALLEY.

UM, SO THIS WOULD BE, UM, FULLY AT GRADE.

AND IF YOU CAN SEE THE INSET MAPS, UM, THERE'S A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT OPTIONS FOR CROSSING THE RIVER, ONE AT FIRST STREET AND A SECOND ONE OVER AT TRINITY, UM, WHICH IS A LITTLE BIT LONGER, UH, DOWNTOWN.

BUT WE WANTED TO KIND OF KEEP THESE TWO OPTIONS ON THE TABLE.

UH, ONE MORE THING I'LL POINT OUT IS THE, UH, GREEN.AT THE TOP.

THAT IS IDENTIFYING A POTENTIAL LOCATION FOR A MAINTENANCE FACILITY.

UM, OF COURSE, UH, THIS PROJECT, A MAINTENANCE FACILITY HAS TO BE SOMEWHERE, UM, TO MAINTAIN WASH, UH, THE, THE TRAINS EVERY NIGHT.

SO IF WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.

SO THIS ONE IS ALSO, UH, FULLY AT STREET LEVEL, UM, BUT HAS DIFFERENT ENDPOINTS.

THIS ONE WOULD TAKE YOU ALL THE WAY TO THE AIRPORT, UM, FROM THE AIRPORT TO DOWNTOWN, AND THEN NORTH TO ABOUT 29TH STREET.

UM, IN THIS OPTION, THE MAINTENANCE FACILITY IS, UM, AT ABOUT, UH, IT, IT'S NEAR YELLOW JACKET IS THE ACTUAL, UH, CLOSE BY CROSS STREET, BUT IT'S ABOUT AT 71, UM, AND RIVERSIDE.

UM, I GUESS I'LL POINT OUT ONE OTHER THING HERE.

THIS COMPONENT DOES ACTUALLY HAVE AN ELEVATED SECTION OVER NEAR THE AIRPORT, AND THAT'S JUST REALLY DUE TO THE COMPLEXITY OF CONSTRUCTING AROUND THE AIRPORT PROPERTY.

UH, IF WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.

SO THIS ONE IS ALSO FULLY AT STREET LEVEL, BUT IT HAS SORT OF THREE LEGS.

SO THIS ONE WOULD REACH FROM DOWNTOWN TO THE NORTH TO THE SOUTH, AND OVER TO THE EAST.

THE MAINTENANCE F FACILITY LOCATION IS THE SAME AS THE LAST OPTION WE LOOKED AT.

AND ACTUALLY YOU'LL SEE THAT'S THE SAME ONE FOR ALL THE REST OF THEM.

WE REALLY HAVE TWO ON THE TABLE, THIS ONE, UM, NEAR THE AIRPORT COMMERCE, UH, SITE, AND THE ONE UP AT NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER.

UM, SO WITH THIS ONE TOO, WE HAVE THE TWO CROSSING OPTIONS AT FIRST STREET AND TRINITY.

UM, AND I'M TRYING TO THINK WHAT OTHER HIGH POINTS WE'VE DONE.

THE FLEX ZONE.

SO THE FLEX ZONES, THEY'RE A LITTLE HARD TO SEE.

UH, ON

[00:30:01]

THIS SLIDE, HOWEVER, YOU'LL, AT THE NORTH END AND THE SOUTH END, THERE'S A, A GRAY OR FLEX ZONE AREA.

AND SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? UM, WE THINK THAT WITH, WITH THIS OPTION, UM, DEPENDING ON WHICH RIVER CROSSING YOU TAKE, UM, YOU COULD GO MAYBE A LITTLE FARTHER.

THERE'S A LITTLE VARIABILITY IN, IN HOW FAR WE COULD GO.

SO WE JUST WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE'S SOME QUESTION THERE ABOUT WHETHER WE COULD GO ALL THE WAY TO SEE IT'S 45TH OR OR SOUTH DES ST.

EDWARDS.

CAN WE GO, UH, TO THE NEXT SLIDE PLEASE? SO THIS IS THE FIRST OPTION THAT IS NOT FULLY AT STREET LEVEL.

THIS INCLUDES AN ELEVATED PORTION IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA.

UM, HERE WE GO.

I'M SORRY, I JUST CAN'T READ THAT FAR FOR THE STREETS.

SO THE ELEVATED PORTION WOULD GO FROM ABOUT EIGHTH STREET ON GUADALUPE, UM, SOUTH TO AUDITORIUM SHORES.

THERE WOULD BE TWO ELEVATED STATIONS ON THIS, UM, SCENARIO.

AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THE END POINTS ARE A LITTLE BIT CLOSER IN, AND THAT'S REALLY JUST A, A ACCOUNTING FOR THE, THE COST DIFFERENTIAL FOR DOING PART OF THE SYSTEM, UM, IN AN ELEVATED STRUCTURE.

SO ONE MORE, AND IT'S THE LAST ONE OF THE FIVE OPTIONS.

THIS OPTION HAS A SEGMENT THAT IS UNDERGROUND AS WELL AS AN ELEVATED PORTION.

SO THE UNDERGROUND PORTION WOULD GO FROM ABOUT 20TH STREET TO EIGHTH STREET UNDER GUADALUPE, AND THERE WOULD BE ONE STATION UNDERGROUND.

AND THEN THE ELEVATED PORTION WOULD GO FROM ABOUT EIGHTH STREET, UM, ON GUADALUPE DOWN TO AUDITORIUM SHORES, AND THERE WOULD BE TWO ELEVATED STATIONS, SIMILARLY TO THE LAST OPTION, UM, FOR THIS AS WELL AS THE PREVIOUS OPTION.

BOTH MAINTENANCE FACILITY LOCATIONS OVER AT AIRPORT COMMERCE.

UM, I BELIEVE THAT IS THE LAST SLIDE BEFORE WE GET INTO SOME OF THE RENDERINGS.

UM, AND I'M GONNA PASS IT OVER TO PETER TO TALK ABOUT THAT.

YEAH, SO, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S NEW ABOUT THESE OPTIONS IS THE, THE POSSIBILITY OF BEING AT STREET LEVEL DOWNTOWN.

PREVIOUSLY WE WERE, UM, IMAGINING THAT TO BE ALL UNDERGROUND, BUT, UM, GIVEN OUR, OUR DESIRE TO TRY TO OPTIMIZE OUR RESOURCES, WE ARE LOOKING AT OPTIONS THAT ARE ON STREET LEVEL AT DOWNTOWN.

SO THIS IS A VIEW OF WHAT THAT MIGHT LOOK LIKE ON THIRD STREET, UM, WHERE YOU HAVE THE GUIDEWAY, AGAIN, THE TRAINS IN A DEDICATED GUIDEWAY IN THE CENTER OF THE STREET, UM, WITH ONE LANE OF, UH, GENERAL PURPOSE TRAFFIC ON EITHER SIDE OF THE TRAIN.

UM, AND WE ARE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT, I GUESS THE TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, UM, ON, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE IN THE MIDST OF A REVISING AND UPDATING THE COURT TRANSPORTATION PLAN, LOOKING AT ALL THE STREETS DOWNTOWN.

SO OBVIOUSLY THE LOT OF DESIGN WORK HERE, BUT UM, WOULD BE COORDINATED WITH AN OVERALL MOBILITY STRATEGY FOR ALL MODES.

UH, DOWNTOWN NEXT.

SO THIS IS ANOTHER VIEW OF WHAT ON STREET MIGHT LOOK LIKE DOWNTOWN.

THIS IS A VIEW LOOKING NORTHWEST TOWARDS REPUBLIC SQUARE FROM FOURTH STREET IN GUADALUPE.

UM, AND YOU CAN SEE ALSO ON THE RIGHT, THERE ARE LOTS OF PRECEDENTS FOR, UM, ON STREET LIGHT RAIL IN, IN DENSE URBAN AREAS, YOU KNOW, AROUND THE WORLD.

UM, SO WE'RE DRAWING ON THE LESSONS OF THOSE OTHER, UH, LOCATIONS.

UH, NEXT.

SO, UM, THIS IS WE ALL, AS, AS JEN MENTIONED, THERE ARE A COUPLE OF OPTIONS THAT DO HAVE, UM, A PORTION OF THE ALIGNMENT THAT IS EITHER AN ELEVATED OR UNDERGROUND, UM, SECTION.

SO THIS IS A VIEW, SAME VIEW AS THE LAST VIEW, BUT WITH AN ELEVATED STRUCTURE.

UM, LOOKING AT, UH, AGAIN, THERE'S AN ACCESS, UH, STATION JUST NORTH OF REPUBLIC SQUARE, SO YOU CAN START TO SEE THE VERTICAL CIRCULATION UP TO THAT ELEVATED PLATFORM.

UM, SO OBVIOUSLY THERE'S SOME BENEFITS TO BEING ELEVATED IN TERMS OF INCREASED, UH, SPEED BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT IN, YOU'RE NOT, YOU DON'T HAVE TO INTERACT WITH CARS AT INTERSECTIONS.

UM, BUT THERE IS A VERTICAL CIRCULATION ELEMENT THAT YOU HAVE TO ACCOMMODATE, UM, TO BE ABLE TO, UH, USE THE SYSTEM.

AND OBVIOUSLY VISUAL IMPACTS ON THE URBAN REALM THAT WE ARE CONSIDERING AND LOOKING FOR FEEDBACK ON.

UM, NEXT SLIDE.

UH, THIS IS A VIEW, AGAIN AT FOURTH STREET LOOKING SOUTH, UM, DOWN GUADALUPE.

UM, ONE OF THE BENEFITS ALSO HAVE ELEVATED IS THAT IT TAKES UP LESS SPACE ON THE STREET.

SO, UM, WE HAVE AN ADDITIONAL, UH, LANE FOR A DEDICATED BUS LANE IN THIS CASE, UM, WHICH COULD HAPPEN IN THE OTHER, IN THE OTHER, THE ACADE OPTION ALSO.

BUT, UM, IT JUST, THERE'S, THERE'S THREE LANES THAT WE CAN USE AND INSTEAD OF TWO, UM, GO TO THE NEXT.

AND THEN, UH, LOOKING AT HOW THAT ELEVATED STRUCTURE IN THOSE TWO OPTIONS THAT DO HAVE AN ELEVATED STRUCTURE, UM, CROSSES, UH, THE LAKE ON A BRIDGE AT SOUTH FIRST STREET.

UM, AND THEN THERE WOULD BE AN ELEVATED STATION AT AUDITORIUM

[00:35:01]

SHORES PARK.

UH, AND THEN WE WOULD CONTINUE ELEVATED ACROSS SOUTH FIRST, UH, AND THEN TRANSITION TO AT GRADE BETWEEN BARTON SPRINGS ROAD AND SOUTH CONGRESS.

AND YOU CAN SEE THAT KIND OF RAMP DOWN AS WE APPROACH SOUTH CONGRESS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THAT TOP IMAGE.

UM, AND THEN DOWN BELOW YOU CAN SEE SOME IMAGES OF WHAT ELEVATED STATIONS, UM, AND THAT TRANSITION WOULD LOOK LIKE.

SO JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA ABOUT, AGAIN, THIS IS, THESE ARE OPTIONS WE'RE CONSIDERING WITH NO DECISIONS OR RECOMMENDATIONS YET.

UM, BUT WE WANT TO USE THIS PERIOD OF TIME TO GET FEEDBACK FROM THE PUBLIC, UM, ON ALL THESE OPTIONS AND FROM A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES, INCLUDING IMPACT ON THE, ON THE PUBLIC REALM.

UH, NEXT, SO THIS SLIDE IS REALLY, UM, TO, UH, CALL OUT THE WEBSITE WHERE THERE'S A LOT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THESE OPTIONS, INCLUDING RIDERSHIP ESTIMATES AND, AND JUST MORE DATA, UH, AND HOW, UH, THESE DIFFERENT OPTIONS PERFORM, UH, AGAINST CERTAIN CRITERIA.

SO THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE OF THE KIND OF INFORMATION THERE.

AND AGAIN, IF YOU SEARCH FOR AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP, UH, YOU'LL, YOU'LL FIND IT IF WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.

SO WE ARE ASKING FOR FEEDBACK.

WE'VE SET, UM, A DATE OF MAY 2ND AS THE CLOSE OF THIS PARTICULAR COMMENT PERIOD, JUST TO ASSURE THAT, UH, YOUR COMMENTS CAN BE CONSIDERED AS PART OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF A STAFF RECOMMENDATION.

UH, FOLLOWING THAT, UH, THE ATP BOARD WOULD MAKE A RECOMMENDATION FOR CONSIDERATION, UM, BY THE CITY COUNCIL, UH, AND ALSO THE CAP METRO BOARD REGARDING, UH, HOW WE'RE GONNA DEFINE THE FIRST, UH, PHASE OF LIGHT RAIL, UH, TO GO FORWARD.

SO THAT, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.

ONE MORE SLIDE.

OH, SORRY, ONE MORE SLIDE.

THERE'S A VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE TOMORROW, UM, IF YOU'D LIKE TO ATTEND AT FIVE O'CLOCK.

UM, AGAIN, IF YOU GO TO THE WEBSITE, YOU CAN TUNE IN.

UM, AND IT'LL BE, UM, A MORE DETAILED, UH, PRESENTATION THEN WE PROVIDED TONIGHT.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, VERY MUCH APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION.

UM, COMMISSIONERS, UH, DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? SURE.

UM, YEAH, GO FOR IT, PLEASE.

OKAY, WELL, I'LL ALLOW MYSELF BY MENTIONING THAT I SERVE ON THE FINANCE AND RISK COMMITTEE FOR THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP AS PART OF MY OTHER VOLUNTEER SERVICE.

UH, SO NICE TO SEE YOU GUYS.

UM, HOW MUCH, YOU HAVEN'T MENTIONED HOW MUCH RIDERSHIP THERE IS.

I KNOW THAT THAT'S ON THE WEBSITE, BUT HOW MUCH OF DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE IF WE TRAVEL EAST, WEST, DOWNTOWN ON, AND THEN ALSO YOU SHOWED THIRD STREET UP TILL NOW, I THOUGHT IT WAS FOURTH STREET, SO LEMME ANSWER THE PERSONAL ANSWER THE SECOND, LEMME TALK ABOUT RIDERSHIP FOR A SECOND.

SO WE'VE MODELED RIDERSHIP AND AMONG THE FIVE OPTIONS, IT VARIES ON THE LOW END, ABOUT 20,000 ON THE HIGH END, ABOUT 40,000 PER DAY RIDER PER DAY, YES.

AVERAGE RIDERS PER DAY.

UM, AND SO THE SHORTER OPTIONS IN THIS CASE, THE ONE THAT INCLUDES THE UNDERGROUND IN THE ELEVATED IS THE ONE THAT'S MORE IN THE 20,000 RANGE.

UM, AND IT, IT REALLY, UM, THE MORE ACCESS YOU PROVIDE, THE LONGER, THE MORE RIDERSHIP YOU HAVE.

SO, UM, THE NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER AND THE SORT THREE-LEGGED, UH, ON STREET OPTION HAVE THE HIGHER NUMBERS.

BUT I'M ASKING ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOING EAST WEST VERSUS HAVING THE CROSSING AT THE STATESMAN PUD OH, OKAY.

CROSS, YEAH.

CROSSING OVER TRINITY VERSUS THE STATESMAN POD.

SO FIRST, YES.

SO THERE IS, UM, A SITE RIDERSHIP DIFFERENCE, AND THE REASON WHY IS THAT YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL STATIONS AND YOU'RE ACCESSING SOME DIFFERENT AREAS IF YOU GO OVER TO TRINITY BECAUSE YOU GET CLOSER TO THE CONVENTION CENTER AND THE RAINY STREET AREA, WHICH MEANS AN INCREASE IN RIDERSHIP THERE.

YES, RIGHT.

ANOTHER THING I HAD SUGGESTED WAS WE EXPLAINED TO THE PUBLIC ABOUT WHY TRIPS TO THE AIRPORT HAVE A MUCH LOWER YIELD IN TERMS OF RIDERSHIP ON A PER MILE BASIS.

WELL, THANKS WITH YES, THE, THE AIRPORT STATION, UM, IT, IT DOESN'T, UM, MODEL, UH, THE RESULTS DON'T SHOW AS HIGH RIDERSHIP OVER THERE.

UM, IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A SPECIAL GENERATOR THOUGH.

UM, SO THERE'S PROBABLY TRIPS AND SPECIAL, YOU KNOW, TRIPS FROM OUT-OF-TOWNERS PEOPLE GOING TO AND FROM THE AIRPORT, UM, YOU KNOW, IN SPECIAL EVENTS USE THAT THE MODEL DOESN'T SEE VERY WELL.

SO WE ACTUALLY ARE STILL LOOKING INTO THAT.

UM, YOU KNOW, AND ANOTHER NOTE IS, UH, THERE'S A LOT OF AIR, UH, EMPLOYMENT AT THE AIRPORT, AND SO WE'RE ACTUALLY DOING SOME ADDITIONAL ANALYSIS THERE AS WELL.

SO, UM, TO YOU ANSWER YOUR QUESTION ABOUT THIRD STREET VERSUS FOURTH STREET.

UM, SO YES, PREVIOUSLY THE ALIGNMENT WAS ON FOURTH STREET.

ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE'RE RECOMMENDING THIRD STREET IS BECAUSE WHEN YOU GET TO GUADALUPE AND YOU MAKE THE TURN NORTH, UM, YOU ACTUALLY, THAT'S YOU, THERE'S A BIT OF SLOPE ON GUADALUPE, AND THEN IT ACTUALLY GETS QUITE STEEP WHEN YOU GET TO, TO SIXTH STREET.

UM, SO MAKING THE TURN AT A FLATTER ZONE IS ACTUALLY MUCH EASIER BECAUSE IT JUST FACILITATES THE SURROUNDING GRADING.

SO THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS.

[00:40:01]

ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU.

COMMISSIONER PRIMER, UM, COUPLE QUESTIONS.

UH, WHEN IS THIS SUPPOSED TO BE FINISHED? I KNOW NO ONE KNOWS, BUT NEVERTHELESS, JIMMY, WHEN WILL LIGHT RAIL BE OPERATING? YEAH, WHEN CAN I ARRIVE? SO I DON'T KNOW THE EXACT DATE, OF COURSE, BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW WE'RE GONNA DELIVER AND CONSTRUCT IT.

I HAVE MY WATCH HERE, SO, BUT EIGHT TO 10 YEARS REALLY TO DELIVER SOMETHING LIKE THIS.

AND, UH, SO THAT'S THE FULL THING.

IS IT GONNA BE OPENED? UH, ARE ARE VARIOUS STATIONS GONNA BE OPENED INCREMENTALLY? I WOULD NOT EXPECT THAT.

IT, IT'S GOING TO BE MUCH MORE EFFICIENT CONSTRUCTION IF WE OPEN UP THE INITIAL PHASE AT ONCE.

AND, UH, FORGIVE ME, I'M COLORBLIND.

SO, UH, THESE TERMS ARE KIND OF FORMED TO ME, BUT THERE'S ALREADY A RED LINE, RIGHT? YES.

AND WILL THIS BE CONNECTING TO THE RED LINE? IT WILL BE CONNECTING TO THE RED LINE, UM, FOR THE OPTIONS THAT EITHER, UH, GO TO THE CONVENTION CENTER SO THEY HAVE THAT TRINITY CROSSING, OR IF IT GOES UP TO CRESTVIEW.

UM, NOW WE'RE GONNA HAVE A PRESENTATION BEFORE TOO LONG FROM THE, UH, THE PEOPLE, THE Z REVISION PLAN.

AND ONE OF THE ASPECTS THAT THEY ADDRESS IS, UH, TRANSPORTATION TO AND FROM ZER PARK.

AND IF YOU CROSS AT TRINITY, NO ONE'S GONNA WALK 27 MILES OR WHATEVER IT IS, OVER TO ZILKER PARK TO, UH, YOU KNOW, FROM WHEN IT CROSSES OVER AT TRINITY.

UH, SO FROM A ZILKER VISION PLAN PERSPECTIVE, UH, YOU KNOW, CROSSING OVER AT FIRST STREET IS GOING TO BE MORE ADVANTAGEOUS TO REDUCING AUTOMOBILE TRAFFIC OVER TO ZILKER PARK, THEN MOVING IT FURTHER EAST.

UH, AND SO YOU'LL BE A LOT MORE SUPPORTIVE OF THE LONG RANGE GOALS OF, YOU KNOW, THE ZILKER VISION PLAN.

IF YOU MOVE THE SUCKER OVER, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE OF MILES, THEN IF YOU PUT IT OVER THERE AND IT'S A COMMENT RATHER THAN, YOU KNOW, LIKE, GEE, I'M INSISTING YOU MOVE IT, IT'S JUST LIKE, IT'D BE REALLY NICE IF YOU SUPPORTED THE ZER VISION PLAN AS OPPOSED TO LIKE NOT SUPPORTING THE ZER VISION PLAN.

SO WHAT I WOULD SAY IS THAT IN EITHER OPTION, RIGHT, THE, THE, YOU'RE AT LEAST A MILE AWAY FROM ZER PARK, RIGHT? EVEN THE AUDITORIUM SHORES STATION, RIGHT? YEP.

SO I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS I KNOW THAT'S BEEN TALKED ABOUT IS LOOKING AT TRANSIT CONNECTIVITY, UM, FROM SOUTH FIRST OR SOUTH CONGRESS, YOU KNOW, WEST TO GET TO ZILKER PARK.

AND I THINK THAT WOULD APPLY TO EITHER OPTION, RIGHT? AND I THINK WE WOULD BE ABLE TO FACILITATE A TRANSIT IS OUT, UM, WITH EITHER OPTION.

SO I DON'T, I DON'T, I ACTUALLY DON'T THINK IT'S A HUGE DIFFERENTIATOR BETWEEN THE TWO OPTIONS.

SO, WELL, CONSIDERING THE ORIGINAL PLAN CALLED FOR A, UH, TRANSIT STOP AT, UH, BARTON SPRINGS ROAD IN LAMAR, WHICH WAS A LOT MORE CONVENIENT THAN WHAT I SEEMED TO BE SEEING TODAY.

YEAH, THERE'S, THERE'S A, THERE'S A, UM, UH, A METRO RAPID ROUTE THAT RUNS DOWN LAMAR THAT WOULD STOP AT BARTON SPRINGS ROAD LAMAR, SO THAT, THAT STILL WOULD CONTINUE AND BE PART OF THE OVERALL TRANSIT PLAN, BUT WAS NOT PART OF THE LIGHT REP LAND AND SO ISN'T ANYMORE EITHER.

AFFORDABILITY, WHO MOST NEEDS TRANSIT, UM, AT THE SAME TIME THE WORK DOWNTOWN AND SOUTH CONGRESS SEEMS LIKE IT'LL PROBABLY BE PRETTY EXPENSIVE SINCE THERE'S A LOT OF TALK ABOUT TUNNELS OR, YOU KNOW, CAPITAL CORRIDOR VIEWS.

OH, BY THE WAY, THE UH, LOOKS LIKE SOME OF THOSE SUGGESTIONS YOU HAVE ARE GONNA MAKE THE PEOPLE AT DIRTY MARTIN'S REALLY HAPPY, CUZ YOU'RE NOT GONNA HAVE TO TEAR THAT DOWN IN ORDER TO UH, YOU KNOW, BUILD YOUR SAME THING OUT.

ANY, UH, OTHER COMMISSIONER'S, COMMENTS, QUESTIONS? YEAH, FIRST OF ALL, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY THAT UH, ALTHOUGH I HAVE EATEN AT DIRTY MARTINS BEFORE AND I RECOGNIZE THIS PLACE IN HISTORY, IT HASN'T BEEN AROUND SINCE SEGREGATION.

I'M PRETTY SURE THAT NO ONE INVOLVED IN THAT GOT, UH, LOCKED UP FOR DEFINING THE LAW.

SO TAKE THAT WITH WHAT YOU WILL.

UM, YEAH, UM, I'VE BEEN VERY INTERESTED IN THIS PLANE AS OF A LOT OF PEOPLE, A LOT QUOTE UNQUOTE TRANSIT WALKS, WHATEVER THAT MEANS.

UM, MY QUESTION IS AS FAR AS LIKE COST, CUZ I'VE KIND OF THOUGHT, THOUGHT ABOUT THIS FOR A WHILE CUZ I SERVE ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, I JUST HAVE WAY TOO MUCH FREE TIME.

UM, YOU KNOW, SO WE HAVE LIKE THESE DIFFERENT HOT POCKETS RIGHT, THAT WE WANT TO HIT, WHETHER IT'S THE AIRPORT, EAST RIVERSIDE, NORTH LAMAR, SOUTH CONGRESS, YOU KNOW, UT UM, WHILE IT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE TRANSIT THAT CONNECTS EAST RIVERSIDE TO SAY NORTH LAMAR FROM LIKE, UH, REACHING THE MOST AMOUNT OF PEOPLE, UH, AND THINKING ABOUT

[00:45:01]

UM, DO YOU THINK, WELL ACTUALLY THAT'S A, A PRESCRIPTIVE QUESTION, RIGHT? UH, WHAT DO YOU THINK? BUT UH, AS FAR AS LIKE COSTS, DO YOU THINK IT WOULD BE BEST TO BUILD THE MOST EXPENSIVE PARTS NOW GIVEN LIKE INFLATION AND HOW INFLATION IS CONSTANTLY SEEMS TO BE GOING UP, UM, AND THEN SORT OF BUILD EXTENSIONS TO SAY, YOU KNOW, NORTH LAMAR OR, UH, FOR THE ORANGE LINE, RIGHT? OR, UH, THE AIRPORT FOR THE BLUE LINE LATER.

UM, HAS THERE BEEN ANY SORT OF MODELING ON THAT? RIGHT? CUZ IT SEEMS LIKE WE'RE GOING TO GET A PAIRED DOWN PLAN NOW WITH THE OPTION TO PASS BONDS FOR EXTENSIONS LATER ON.

TAKE THAT.

WELL, SO, AND, AND KIND OF WHAT I'M HEARING YOU SAY, AND JUST CORRECT ME I'M WRONG, IS SORT OF, UH, THE QUESTION OF DOES IT MAKE SENSE TO INVEST IN SOME OF THESE GRADE SEPARATIONS NOW AND HAVE A SHORTER PROJECT BECAUSE THERE'S A LONGER TERM BENEFIT.

LINE WHEN THE SYSTEM'S COMPLETING PEOPLE ARE RIDING IT, WHICH THEY DON'T REALLY DO FOR THE RED LINE UNLESS IT'S FOR LIKE A, A SOCCER GAME OR FOR SOUTH BY, UM, RIGHT.

UH, SO, AND THAT'S, YOU KNOW, I MEAN YOU'VE REALLY TOUCHED UPON, I THINK WHAT I WOULD SAY IS SORT OF OUR GRAND TRADE OFF AMONG THESE OPTIONS, WHICH IS KIND JUST HOW TO INVEST THESE FUNDS.

AND SO, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE REALLY BEEN EVALUATING IS, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT ARE YOU BUYING FOR THE GRADE SEPARATION? UM, AND TO TRY TO COMMUNICATE ABOUT THAT SO THAT PEOPLE CAN THINK ABOUT THAT AND, AND PROVIDE COMMENTS ABOUT KIND OF WHAT THEY WOULD VALUE MOST.

SO SOME OF THE REASONS WHY YOU WOULD, YOU KNOW, WANT TO GRADE SEPARATE, MEANING JUST YOU WOULD HAVE THE TRANSIT SYSTEM OPERATE COMPLETELY OUTTA TRAFFIC CUZ YOU'RE UNDERGROUND OR ON LIKE AN ELEVATED STRUCTURE.

UH, ONE REASON, UM, THAT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE HAVE ASKED US ABOUT IS CAPACITY, ARE YOU LIMITING YOUR FUTURE SYSTEM CAPACITY? SO WE'VE DONE QUITE A BIT OF ANALYSIS ABOUT THAT.

UM, AND WE FEEL THAT REALLY ANY OF THE OPTIONS HERE ARE NOT GOING TO LIMIT OUR ABILITY TO MEET THE NEEDS THAT WE'RE FORECASTING, UM, REALLY FOR QUITE SOME TIME, DECADES AND DECADES.

UM, THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS THAT WE CAN DO NOW TOO TO BUILD IN SOME, UM, ACCOUNTING FOR FUTURE CAPACITY THAT MAYBE WE DON'T NEED RIGHT NOW.

HOWEVER WE THINK WE MIGHT DOWN THE ROAD.

AND SO WE CAN MAYBE DESIGN FOR THAT FUTURE CONDITION SO THAT WE CAN BE READY TO ACCOMMODATE IT.

UM, THAT'S THE CASE REALLY UNDER ANY OF THESE OPTIONS.

ANOTHER KIND OF VALUE PROPOSITION OF THE THE GRADE SEPARATION IS RELIABILITY.

UM, HOW WHEN YOU'RE OPERATING THE LIGHT RAIL THERE, YOU IT WILL BE MORE RELIABLE, THE TRAVEL SPEEDS WILL BE A LITTLE BIT FASTER, UM, BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE TO ENGAGE WITH ANY OTHER MODES, YOU KNOW, AT INTERSECTIONS OR ANYWHERE ELSE.

SO WHAT, WHAT IS THAT GAINING IN, IN THIS SITUATION? UH, WE'RE PROBABLY ESTIMATING THAT PROBABLY TRAVEL SPEEDS IF YOUR GRADES SEPARATED MIGHT BE ON THE ORDER OF SAY LIKE 18 MILES AN HOUR THROUGH THE DOWNTOWN AREA.

UM, AND IF YOU ARE FULLY AT STREET, IT'S GONNA BE ON THE ORDER OF LIKE 12 OR 13 MILES PER HOUR.

CUZ YOU HAVE A LOT OF STATIONS DOWNTOWN.

IT'S NOT GOING TO, IT'S NOT A HIGH SPEED SITUATION DOWNTOWN.

UM, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE YOU SO MANY PEOPLE AND THERE'S OTHER THINGS GOING ON AND YOU HAVE MORE STOPS THERE THAN YOU DO IN OTHER PLACES.

UM, SO THOSE ARE JUST KIND OF SOME OF THE THINGS, YOU KNOW, TO CONSIDER IN, IN EVALUATING, YOU KNOW, WHERE HOW DO WE WANNA INVEST THESE FUNDS? AND THEN, THEN THE FLIP SIDE ON THE OTHER SIDE IS THAT IF YOU, IF YOU SPEND LESS ON THAT INITIAL SECTION IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA, MEANING KEEPING EVERYTHING AT GRADE, IT MEANS YOU CAN GO FARTHER OUT WITH THAT FIRST PHASE.

SO IT'S, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE TRADING SOME OF THAT BENEFIT MORE REACH IN THE OTHER OPTIONS.

SO, AND THAT'S EXACTLY THE CONVERSATION THAT WE'RE, WE WANT TO HAVE WITH THE PUBLIC IS WHAT, WHAT DOES THE PUBLIC THINK? RIGHT? IS IT MORE IMPORTANT TO REACH MORE DESTINATIONS NOW? UM, YOU KNOW, OR IS IT MORE IMPORTANT TO, TO HAVE THAT, YOU KNOW, GREAT SEPARATION FEATURE IN THE FIRST PHASE? YEAH, I THINK SOMETHING THAT MIGHT BE INTERESTING TOO IS, YOU KNOW, PRESENTING TO THE PUBLIC, HEY, IF WE DO, LET'S SAY IF WE DO GRADE SEPARATIONS, RIGHT? OR EVEN IF WE DON'T AND WE CHOOSE ONE OF THE OPTIONS THAT DON'T HAVE IT, IF WE ULTIMATELY EXTEND THIS, YOU KNOW, NORTH OR FURTHER EAST TO THE AIRPORT OR WHATEVER, IF WE PICK A PLAN THAT DOESN'T GO FULLY NORTH OR FURTHER EAST, HOW MUCH WOULD THAT COST TO EXTEND IT? WHAT'S THE RIDERSHIP BENEFIT? RIGHT? BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY IF WE SPEND MONEY ON A PLANE THAT GOES FARTHER AND HAS HIGHER RIDERSHIP RIGHT? THEN YEARS DOWN THE

[00:50:01]

YOU CAN POINT TO THE RIDERSHIP AND BE LIKE, HEY, PEOPLE USE THIS, GIVE US MORE MONEY.

RIGHT? WHEREAS SUPPOSE IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING REALLY NICE DOWNTOWN, BUT LESS PEOPLE USE IT RIGHT? THEN PEOPLE WILL COMPLAIN.

ALTHOUGH HONESTLY, IF IT'S THE HIGH, YOU KNOW, HIGH DENSITY DESTINATIONS LIKE, YOU KNOW, SOUTH CONGRESS OR UT UM, OR SOUTH SHORE, RIGHT? UH, THE NEW DOMAIN THAT'S GOING UP AT PLEASANT VALLEY AND RIVERSIDE WILL, WILL EVENTUALLY I'M SURE, RIGHT? THOSE WILL ALSO BE, YOU KNOW, UH, DESTINATIONS THERE VISIT AS WELL.

SO, TOUGH WORK.

GLAD I DON'T HAVE TO DO IT AND I JUST ASK Y'ALL QUESTIONS.

UH, APPRECIATE IT.

IT'S GREAT QUESTIONS.

REMOTE COMMISSIONERS, UH, YOU GUYS HAVE ANYTHING? ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU.

ANYBODY ELSE HERE? YEAH, SURE, GO FOR IT.

HI, COMMISSIONERS HERE AT DISTRICT FLOOR, UM, WHICH IS JUST NORTH OF THE NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER.

I AM CURIOUS HOW FEASIBLE THE MAINTENANCE FACILITY IS AT THE NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER VERSUS THE AIRPORT LOCATION, UH, TO OBTAIN AND, AND TO, YEAH, TO SERVICE, I GUESS TO OPERATE.

SO I, I THINK, UM, BETWEEN THE TWO FACILITIES THERE, THERE'S A LOT OF PARODY BETWEEN THEM, RIGHT? UM, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, THEY'RE BOTH AT THE END OF THE LINE, RIGHT? SO IN SOME WAYS THEY WOULD FUNCTION VERY SIMILARLY, WHETHER IT'S AT THE NORTHERN END OR AT THE EASTERN END OF THE LINE.

UM, YOU KNOW, THE, UM, IN TERMS OF EXISTING CONDITIONS, THERE'S ALSO SOME SIMILARITY IN TERMS OF THE, THE EXISTING USES.

UM, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE BOTH INDUSTRIAL SITES, FOR EXAMPLE, RIGHT? SO WE'RE NOT, UM, DISPLACING HOMES FOR EXAMPLE, IN EITHER OF THOSE SITES.

UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE EASTERN SITE, UH, IS ALSO, UM, GOVERNED BY THE AIRPORT OVERLAY ZONE, RIGHT? SO THAT'S SOMETHING THEY CONSIDER.

SO THAT'S, YOU KNOW, WHICH PROHIBITS RESIDENTIAL ANYTIME IN THE FUTURE AS WELL.

SO, UM, SO, BUT I THINK IT'S, YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE'S, THERE'S PARODY BETWEEN THE TWO SITES, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SOME, SOME DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THEM, BUT, UM, I'M NOT SURE WHETHER, AGAIN, IF THAT'S THE REALLY DIFFERENTIATOR IN TERMS OF THE, THE NATURE OF THE SITES.

OBVIOUSLY THE NEIGHBORHOODS ARE DIFFERENT TOO, SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE, WE'RE ENGAGING WITH THE, THE LOCAL NEIGHBORHOODS, UM, TO GET THEIR FEEDBACK, OBVIOUSLY ON THAT ASPECT OF, OF THESE OPTIONS.

GREAT.

UH, HI.

I JUST HAD, UH, ONE QUESTION THAT, UH, POPPED IN MY HEAD.

UM, I WAS CURIOUS IF Y'ALL, UM, RESEARCH OR SURVEYED LIKE DIFFERENT, UM, TYPE OF EMPLOYERS AND LIKE THAT HAVE LIKE THE, THE MO THE BULK OF, UM, LIKE LARGE NUMBERS OF EMPLOYEES.

LIKE, ONE THING THAT I THOUGHT ABOUT WAS MAYBE STATE AGENCIES OR GOVERNMENT, UM, BODIES, LIKE THEY'RE PROBABLY THE MOST POPULATED, UM, EMPLOYER IN THE CITY IS EITHER A STATE WORKER OR A CITY WORKER.

AND SO I WAS KIND OF CURIOUS IF LIKE ANY OF THAT DATA WENT INTO EVALUATING WHERE, UM, THE STATIONS WOULD BE SET UP OR, UM, WHERE THE LINE WOULD KIND OF GO.

I WOULD SAY WE LOOKED AT OVERALL EMPLOYMENT, UM, AND WE, WE DIDN'T REALLY PARSE OUT, UM, CERTAIN TYPES OF EMPLOYERS LIKE YOU'RE SUGGESTING, BUT I CAN SEE WHY YOU'RE ASKING THAT QUESTION.

YOU KNOW, UM, UH, FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS.

LIKE THEY, THEY COULD BE HIGHER TRANSIT USAGE AMONG THOSE EMPLOYEES FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS.

UM, BUT UM, WE REALLY DID FOCUS ON OVERALL EMPLOYMENT DENSITY.

I THINK IT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY, UM, FOR EXAMPLE, THE, THE OPTION THAT GOES TO THE NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER AND THAT, THAT CORRIDOR IN NORTH LAMAR IS BECAUSE YOU HAVE THAT CONCENTRATION OF, OF, UM, STATE AGENCIES HAVE HAD THEIR HEADQUARTERS, YOU KNOW, NORTH OF THE TRIANGLE, RIGHT? SO THAT'S A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR THAT IS, GOES INTO THE MODEL.

I DON'T KNOW IF WE'VE SURVEYED EMPLOYERS EXACTLY, BUT IT'S CERTAINLY, IT'S A, IT'S A DATA POINT THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S FACTORED IN.

I HAD A COUPLE QUICK QUESTIONS.

UM, WHERE ARE, WHERE ARE WE IN THE NPA PROCESS? IS THIS, ARE THESE THE ALTERNATIVES THAT WE'RE WALKING THROUGH THE NPA PROCESS? CAUSE I KNOW FTA IS GONNA WANT ALL THOSE CHECKLISTS DONE AS WELL.

PAUSED OUR WORK ON THE DRAFT I ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENTS TO MAKE SURE YOU KNOW, THAT WE ARE ANALYZING THE RIGHT THING.

UM, WE'RE STILL IN THE NPA PROCESS.

UM, SO THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, FORMALLY INITIATED IN 2021, UM, WITH SCOPING.

AND YOU KNOW, THERE HAS, I'M SURE YOU'RE AWARE THERE WERE HAVE BEEN A SERIES OF OF PUBLIC MEETINGS, SO WE'RE STILL IN THE PROCESS.

UM, LAST SUMMER, UM, WHEN WE WERE SORT OF ACKNOWLEDGING THE COST ISSUE AND UM, UH, AND OPTING TO SPEND MORE TIME ON PROJECT DEVELOPMENT.

UM, AT THAT TIME WE REALLY

[00:55:01]

AND SO, UM, OUR, OUR GOAL IS TO KIND OF HAVE AFFIRMATION OF THE PROJECT DEFINITION THAT WE'RE GONNA MOVE FORWARD WITH EARLY THIS SUMMER.

UM, AND AT THAT TIME WE WOULD RESUME, UH, THE ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS AND WE WOULD LOOK TO ISSUE A DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT, UM, IN 2024.

UH, SO WE'RE IN, UM, ACTIVE AND, YOU KNOW, REGULAR COORDINATION WITH FTA ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON AND, UH, YOU'LL BE WORKING WITH THEM TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE STEPPING THROUGH THE, THE PROCESS CORRECTLY.

I'M SORRY, BACK HERE.

OH, YES, AND LISA SANG AND WE'LL BE BACK HERE.

AND THAT WAS ONE THING.

YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I WAS FISHING FOR.

WE, UH, WE, UM, YEAH.

YES, WHEN WE WERE HERE IN OCTOBER, YOU KNOW, WE REMEMBER THAT WE DISCUSSED THAT ITEM SPECIFICALLY.

UM, AND THEN, UH, KIND OF TO, TO PIGGYBACK OFF, UH, COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN'S COMMENTS ARE, IS THERE A, A MODAL CONNECTION THAT'S BETTER FOR LIKE THE REPUBLIC SQUARE PARK AREA OR COMING ACROSS AT TRINITY, LIKE FROM NOT GETTING TO THE CONVENTION CENTER OR, YOU KNOW, PICKING THE CONVENTION CENTER OR NOT, BUT IS THERE A, IS THERE AN INTERMODAL, UM, BENEFIT FOR BEING A LITTLE BIT FARTHER WEST OR, THAT'S KIND OF MY GUESS, BUT TELL ME I'M WRONG.

UM, SO I, I WOULD SAY, UH, IF ANYTHING, SO THERE, THERE MAY BE SOME ADDITIONAL BENEFIT TO, TO COMING ACROSS EAST IN PART BECAUSE YOU CONNECT TO THE RED LINE AT THE, AT THE TERMINUS OF THE DOWNTOWN STATION, RIGHT? SO THAT'S ONE.

UM, I THINK, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE, WHEN WE CROSS OVER WEST AND WE THEN HEAD UP GUADALUPE, OBVIOUSLY REPUBLIC SQUARE IS A, IS A, IS A CURRENTLY A, A REALLY MAJOR, UH, BUS NODE, RIGHT? I THINK, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE FIGURE OUT HOW WE ACTUALLY MAKE THE ALIGNMENT AND HOW THAT SHAKES OUT, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF WORK TO LOOK AT WHERE THE BUS STOPS END UP BEING IN RELATIONSHIP TO THE STATION LOCATION, RIGHT? TO FACILITATE THAT, THAT CONNECTIVITY.

UM, SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, THAT CONNECTION BETWEEN THE REPUBLIC SQUARE NODE MULTIMODAL NODE IS ACHIEVABLE IN EITHER OPTION, RIGHT? UM, THE, THE MAIN DIFFERENCE IS YOU GET A LITTLE BIT OF EX EXTRA BENEFIT BECAUSE YOU CONNECT TO THE RED LINE ON THE TRINITY STREET CROSSING.

UM, THE ONLY OTHER THING I WOULD SAY IS THAT IF LOOKING AHEAD TO, INTO WELL FUTURE GOLD LINE, UM, EXPANSION, WHICH AGAIN WAS NOT PART OF THE FUNDED, UM, PORTION OF THE VOTE, UM, IF WE'RE ELEVATED ON THE SOUTH FIRST STREET CROSSING, UM, THEN GETTING ACROSS EAST WEST AND MAKING THAT CONNECTION IS DIFFICULT AND MAYBE PRECLUDED, RIGHT? BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY WE DON'T BELIEVE THAT IT'S VIABLE TO CROSS CONGRESS AVENUE ELEVATED.

SO, UM, IT WOULD JUST REQUIRE PROBABLY A SECOND RIVER CROSSING AT THAT TIME, YOU KNOW, FOR THE FUTURE GOLD LINE.

SO I THINK, AGAIN, THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT ARE FACILITATED BY A TRINITY STREET CROSSING IN TERMS OF, UM, YOU KNOW, OTHER MODES.

AND, AND LAST QUESTION IS, I, I CAN'T IMAGINE THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, SEVERAL OTHER DISEASE WE'RE, WE'RE COMPETING FOR THEIR MONEY FROM FTA, BUT EVERYONE'S DEALING WITH THIS INFLATIONARY INCREASE IN COSTS AND, AND I SUSPECT KIND OF JUGGLING THE SAME, THE SAME.

DO WE GO UNDER, DO WE GO OVER, DO WE STAY AT GRADE? UH, WHAT RESEARCH OR WHAT KIND OF PEER REVIEW CONVERSATIONS HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN HAVING WITH OTHER CITIES AND HOW THEY'RE HANDLING IT, UM, AND WHAT CAN WE LEARN OR TO DO OR NOT DO BASED ON WHAT THEY'RE DOING? WELL, AND THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.

AND JUST THE GOOD CITIES, JUST THE COOL CITIES, NOT THE, JUST THE COOL .

SO, BUT CUZ YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT, YOU KNOW, UH, FTA HAS PROBABLY MORE FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR TRANSIT RIGHT AT THIS MOMENT THAN MAYBE THEY'VE EVER HAD BEFORE.

BUT THERE ARE MORE PROJECTS, UH, IN THAT COMPETITIVE PIPELINE THAN THERE EVER HAVE BEEN BEFORE.

AND I THINK THEY'RE PROBABLY ALL HAVING SOME VARIATION ON THIS EXPERIENCE, YOU KNOW, WITH COSTS, UH, AND OTHER FACTORS BECAUSE SOME OF THESE THINGS ARE JUST UNIVERSAL.

UM, SO WE HAVE BEEN, UM, UH, WE'VE BEEN MEETING WITH SOME CITIES, HOUSTON, PHOENIX, OTHERS, UM, AND, UM, WE'RE ACTUALLY CONDUCTING A WHOLE PEER ANALYSIS RIGHT NOW TO KINDA HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCES IN OTHER PLACES AS WELL.

BUT I, I WOULD SAY THAT IF YOU LOOK AT OTHER CITIES, THERE ISN'T, UM, A MONOLITHIC TREND OR RESPONSE, RIGHT? I MEAN, EVERY CITY'S CONTEXT IS UNIQUE, EVERY CITY'S UNIQUE.

UM, AND YOU LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, SOME CITIES WHICH CONTINUE TO BUILD AT STREET LEVEL, OTHER CITIES HAVE DECIDED THAT THEY'RE REALLY COMMITTED TO GREAT SEPARATION.

UM, IT REALLY VARIES A LOT.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S RIGHT FOR AUSTIN, RIGHT? YEAH.

AND THAT'S THE CONVERSATION WE WANT TO HAVE.

YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK JUST TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION MAYBE WHY THEY PICKED WHAT THEY PICKED.

UM, THAT'S RIGHT.

AND, AND DOES THAT, DOES THAT APPLY TO US? BUT YEAH, TRANSLATING THOSE LESSONS.

UM, THAT'S ALL I'VE GOT.

[01:00:01]

UH, VERY MUCH APPRECIATE YOUR TIME COMING.

ON TO, UH, AGENDA ITEM NUMBER FIVE, UH, DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION, UM, ON THE ECOLOGICAL RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE DRAFT ZUCKER PARK VISION PLAN.

WE HAVE UNTIL MAY 2ND EVERYBODY, SO COMMENT BY MAY 2ND.

UM, ALRIGHT, WE'RE MOVING

[5. Discussion and possible action on the ecological recommendations in the Draft Zilker Park Vision Plan – Gregory Montes, Program Manager II, Parks and Recreation Department, Claire Hempel, Principal at Design Workshop, and Jonathan Ogren, Siglo Group. (1 hour)]

UM, AS I NOTED EARLIER, WE'VE GOT SOME PUBLIC COMMENTS.

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR COMING.

I DO MEAN SINCERELY, THANK YOU FOR COMING AND COMMENTING.

WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH THIS ORDER, UM, FROM TOP TO BOTTOM AND, UH, EVERYONE WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES.

STAFF WILL GIVE YOU A, GIVE YOU A, UM, NOTICE.

AND THEN IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND JUST WRAPPING UP.

UM, AND, UH, WE'LL READ OUT THE NAMES AND IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND, JUST COME UP TO THE PODIUM.

UH, I THINK A COUPLE PEOPLE MAY HAVE PRESENTATION INFORMATION AND, AND GET THAT TO STAFF.

IF YOU DO, UM, YOUR TIME.

WE'LL START WITH THE PRESENTATION INFORMATION.

SO, UM, WHO DO WE GOT FIRST? UM, FIRST UP WE HAVE TANYA PAYNE.

WHAT? WEE WILD SILKK.

UH, YOU HAVE MY SLIDES, I BELIEVE.

OH YEAH.

LOOKING AT THAT.

UM, I, AS, UH, BEFORE I GET STARTED REAL QUICK, I, UM, WAS WONDERING IF I MIGHT BE ABLE TO ASK MS. COFER WHAT HER DAY JOB IS.

, SORRY ABOUT THAT.

NEW HERE I AM COO AT THE TRAIL CONSERVANCY PREVIOUSLY THE TRAIL FOUNDATION.

IT IS ZILKER PARK IS NOT IN OUR DOMAIN.

THEY ARE A MEMBER OF THE COLLECTIVE THOUGH, I BELIEVE.

UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO ON THE CITY OF AUSTIN WEBSITE, THERE ARE TWO SETS OF MEETINGS THAT, UM, DO NOT HAVE EITHER RECORDINGS OR NOTES ON THEM, AND THE OTHERS DO, AND THEY HAPPEN TO BE FROM THE REWILDING GROUP AS WELL.

AND THEN THE OTHER SIDE IS ACL, AND I HAVE THE URL HERE AND I'M WONDERING WHO ATTENDED THOSE MEETINGS.

AGAIN, ON THE WEBSITE THERE IS THESE QUOTES.

UM, THE REWILD ZILKER GROUP HAD ITS MEMBERS HAVE HAD A SIGNIFICANT INFLUENCE ON THE PLAN, WHEREAS ON THE OTHER SIDE, ACL L WAS PRIMARILY, UH, INFORMATION GATHERING, UNDERSTANDING THE FOOTPRINT THEY USE AND HOW TO PAR AND PARK MANAGEMENT.

I'M CURIOUS, WHEREAS THE EVIDENCE, UH, FROM A REWILD ZER POINT OF VIEW, WE, UH, DO NOT SEE THE WORD REWILD ANYWHERE IN THAT REPORT.

AND, UH, IF WE HAD A GREATER IMPACT, THERE WOULD NOT BE AS MUCH CONSTRUCTION.

SO I'M CURIOUS WHY THE PUBLIC WASN'T ASKED IF THEY WANTED A UNIFIED NONPROFIT FOR THE PARK IN NONE IN ANY OF THE SURVEYS, POPUPS, OR OTHER ACTIVITIES.

NEVER DID THIS QUESTION COME UP.

I'M ALSO CURIOUS WHY IN THE SURVEYS AND POPUPS, THEY WERE NEVER ASKED, DO YOU WANT NONE OF THE ABOVE WHEN ASKING ABOUT LARGE CONSTRUCTION PROS PROJECTS? AND THEY ALSO WEREN'T ASKED, DO YOU WANT PARKING GARAGES? NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

HERE'S WHAT THEY WERE ACTUALLY ASKED.

THEY WERE ASKED IF THE, UH, DIFFERENT GOALS MET OR IF THE, UH, THE VISION PLAN MET THE DIFFERENT GOALS.

WELCOME, CENTER AND EVERYTHING.

THAT SURVEY HAD REALLY HIGH DROP OFF RATES.

AND THAT IS SURVEY NUMBER SIX.

SURVEY NUMBER SIX IS THE ONLY ONE THAT ASKED ABOUT THE BIG PLAN, WHICH HAD THE THREE PARKING GARAGES.

PLEASE STEP UP YOUR COMMENTS.

YOUR TWO MINUTES HAVE PASSED.

UH, THANK YOU.

UH, I JUST WAS, UH, WONDERING ABOUT PARKING GARAGES.

AND REGARDING THE COMMISSION'S

THANK YOU MA'AM.

UH, NEXT UP WE HAVE MIKE KDI WITH BARTON SPRINGS CONSERVANCY.

CONSERVANCY.

I THINK WE'VE GOT A, A SLIDE PRESENTATION.

IF YOU COULD ROLL IT UP TO SLIDE FOUR PLEASE.

UM, SLIDE FOUR LOOKS LIKE THIS.

I'VE TRIED TO HAND THIS OUT AS WELL.

UH, WHILE IT'S HAPPENING, I JUST WANTED TO SAY MY NAME IS MIKE K I'M A 50 PLUS YEAR ZER PARK USER, UH, A BOARD MEMBER OF THE BARTON SPRINGS CONSERVANCY AND AN ADVOCACY CHAIR FOR FRIENDS OF BARTON SPRINGS POOL.

[01:05:01]

PRIORITIES FOR PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT AND PROMOTING ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION, I'M HERE TO SPEAK TO YOU ABOUT THE VISION PLANS, NATURE AND ECOLOGY PROVISIONS, WHICH I BELIEVE WILL MAKE ZUCKER PARK SUSTAINABLY GREENER FOR OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY, UM, WITHOUT BELABORING THE SIGLO GROUP'S AMAZING NATURAL RESOURCE INVENTORY, UH, REPORT THAT PROVIDES A BASELINE OF FACTS FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY OF THIS, UH, VISION PLAN.

UH, I ALSO WANTED TO, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, UH, GIVE YOU SOME OF THE INFORMATION THAT IS THE STATISTICS ABOUT THE EC ECOLOGICAL IMPROVEMENT IN THE PARK.

THIS IS A SLIDE PREPARED FOR THE PRESENTATION OF THE PARKS BOARD SHOWING THAT 92 ACRES OF NEW ECOLOGICAL UPLIFT WOULD BE PROVIDED BY THE PLAN AND A REDUCTION OF IMPERVIOUS COVER IN THE PARK BY NINE ACRES.

THIS REPRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT OVER THE CURRENT CONDITIONS OF THE PARK.

THE PLAN ALSO ADDRESSES CLIMATE MITIGATION CHANGE, CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION WITH A 28% IMPROVEMENT IN THE CARBON CAPTURE PERFORMANCE OF THE PARK.

TO ILLUSTRATE THE PARKS, THE PLANS, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENTS.

THE CURRENT PARK CONDITIONS ARE SHOWN IN THE TOP WITH THE PAVED AND UNPAVED PARKING AREAS MARKED WITH RED XS.

IF YOU CAN SEE THAT IS SHOWN IN THE BOTTOM.

THE VISION PLAN IS ACTUALLY REMOVING PARKING FROM THE BUTLER LANDFILL AND POLO FIELD AREAS, AND ALSO FROM THE LUNE PARKING AREAS NEAR THE WATERWAYS.

THEY DO THAT BY CLOSING LUNE TO VEHICLE TRAFFIC.

SLIDE EIGHT NEXT TO HIGH PLEASE.

SO HOW IS ALL OF THIS IMPROVEMENT IN THE ECOLOGY POSSIBLE? IT'S BY CENTRALIZING AND CONSOLIDATING THE EXISTING SURFACE PARKING IN A MORE COMPACT FOOTPRINT OF ANYWHERE FROM ONE TO THREE PHASED, BURIED OR, OR GREEN GARAGES.

THE PLAN DOES SPECIFICALLY RECOMMEND THAT THE NUMBER IN SIZE OF ANY PARKING GARAGES COULD BE REDUCED IF EXTERNAL PARKING SHUTTLE PROJECTS ARE REALIZED.

THAT'S A PLUS.

IN KEEPING WITH THE COMMISSION'S ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PRIORITY, MR. THE PLAN.

MR. THAT'S YOUR TWO MINUTE.

DID YOU MIND WRAPPING UP YOUR THOUGHTS? THANKS.

UH, I WILL, I WILL JUST QUOTE COMMISSIONER BRIMER IN SAYING IT WOULD BE REALLY GREAT IF YOU WOULD SUPPORT THE VISION PLAN RATHER THAN NOT SUPPORTING THE VISION PLAN.

I'M TRYING TO USE THAT .

NEXT UP WE HAVE KAREN BLIZZARD.

GOOD EVENING.

THANKS FOR LISTENING TO US TONIGHT.

I'M KAREN BLIZZARD, THE PROJECT MANAGER OF THE ZILKER COLLECTIVE WORKING GROUP, MADE UP OF 14 ORGANIZATIONS AND TWO BOAT VENDORS WHO OPERATE WITHIN AND ADJACENT TO THE PARK, PROVIDING PROGRAMS, EVENTS, AND AMENITIES TO DIVERSE PARK USERS ACROSS THE CITY.

WE MET FOR A YEAR AND A HALF TO DISCUSS PARK NEEDS AND SHARE FEEDBACK WITH THE DESIGN TEAM.

WE DIDN'T GET EVERYTHING WE WANTED, BUT COMPROMISE IS IMPORTANT IN A COMMUNITY DRIVEN PROCESS.

WE GENERALLY SUPPORT THE VISION PLAN IN ITS FIVE PRINCIPLES, SUSTAINABILITY, EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION, NATURE AND ECOLOGY, AND HISTORY AND CULTURE.

WITH REGARD TO THE GOALS OUTLINED FOR NATURE AND ECOLOGY, THE PLAN ADDRESSES THEM IN THE FOLLOWING WAYS.

ONE, THE PROPOSED WELCOME CENTER WOULD INCLUDE AN INTERPRETIVE PROGRAM TO EDUCATE VISITORS, ESPECIALLY YOUTH, ABOUT THE PARK SENSITIVE FEATURES.

OUR GROUP ALSO RECOMMENDS ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY LANDSCAPING FOR THIS AREA AND PERVIOUS COVER WHERE POSSIBLE.

TWO, THE PLAN INCORPORATES BEST PRACTICES IN GREEN DESIGN AND LAND MANAGEMENT.

THESE STRATEGIES INCLUDE EROSION CONTROL ON THE BANKS OF BARTON CREEK AND REDUCING OVERALL IMPERVIOUS COVER BY NINE ACRES.

THREE, THE GREEN ROOF PARKING GARAGES MR. KHANANI SPOKE ABOUT WOULD REDUCE IMPERVIOUS COVER AND RUNOFF BY CONSOLIDATING PARKING IN A FEW KEY AREAS, CONNECTING THEM WITH THE PARK AND ALLOWING SURFACE LOTS TO BE ROLLED UP.

WE ALSO RECOMMEND THAT THE STRUCTURED PARKING INCLUDE EV CHARGING STATIONS FOUR.

THE PROPOSED LAND BRIDGE WOULD CONNECT BOTH SIDES FOR THE PARK AND ALLOW FOR A SAFE PASSAGE FOR WILDLIFE IN HUMANS.

IN KEEPING WITH THE RIS ECOLOGY AND AESTHETIC, WE RECOMMEND MINIMIZING THE USE OF CONCRETE WHERE POSSIBLE WHILE STILL MAKING IT WHEELCHAIR AND STROLLER ACCESSIBLE.

FINALLY, THE VISION PLAN OUTLINES THE ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES THAT WOULD BE NEEDED BEFORE ANY CONSTRUCTION BEGINS.

WE APPRECIATE THIS DUE DILIGENCE AND RECOMMEND THAT YOU APPROVE THE VISION PLAN TONIGHT.

NEXT UP WE HAVE GORDON KELLY.

HE'S CALLING IN.

MR. KELLY, ARE YOU, UH, ON THE PHONE? AND IF YOU'RE MUTED, PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF IF YOU'RE TALKING.

WE CAN'T HEAR YOU YET.

MR. KELLY, YOU'RE STILL MUTED.

[01:10:01]

HOW'S THIS? WE CAN HEAR YOU NOW.

I'M, THANK YOU.

HAVING TROUBLE WITH, WAS HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE UNMUTING PROCESS.

UM, SO GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.

I'M GORDON KELLY, PRESIDENT OF WATERLOO DISCO GOLF CLUB HERE IN AUSTIN.

AND THE DRAFT VISION PLAN, NATURE AND ECOLOGY IS A GUIDING PRINCIPLE, AND THE VISION PLAN PROTECTS AND ENHANCES THE LAND ELEMENTS BY RETAINING THE DISC GOLF AREA IN ITS CURRENT LOCATION AND PROVIDING A MUCH NEEDED WARMUP AREA.

THE PLAN ALSO PROVIDES PUBLIC HEALTH AND RECREATIONAL BENEFITS TO PARK VISITORS WHO ENJOY PLAYING DISC GOLF IN THE TREE COVERED NATURAL SETTING.

THE PLAN ADVANCES THE NATURE AND ECOLOGY GUIDING PRINCIPLE BY PROTECTING AND ENHANCING THE FORESTED LAND ELEMENTS THAT ARE IMPERATIVE FOR ECOLOGICAL FUNCTION.

IT ALSO ENHANCES THE ADVANCES THE NATURE AND ECOLOGY PRINCIPLE BY PROTECTING THE TREES IN THE DISK GOLF AREA AS NATURAL RESOURCES FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.

WATERLOO DISC GOLF CLUB PARTICIPATED IN THE VISION PLANNING PROCESS TO CONVEY THE PERSPECTIVE AND NEEDS OF THE DISC GOLFERS OF AUSTIN AND CENTRAL TEXAS, AS WELL AS THE VISITING DISC GOLFERS FROM OTHER AREAS OF OUR STATE AND THE COUNTRY.

THE ZER DISC GOLF COURSE BECAUSE OF ITS PROXIMITY TO DOWNTOWN, ITS BEAUTY, ITS HISTORIC NATURE WITHIN THE DISC GOLF WORLD THAT IS, AND IT'S APPEALED TO BOTH BEGINNING BEGINNERS AND EXPERIENCED PLAYERS.

MAKES IT INCREDIBLY POPULAR WITH BOTH LOCAL PLAYERS AND VISITORS.

EXTENSIVE RENOVATIONS OF THE COURSE IN 2014 AND 2015 BY PARKS AND REC DEPARTMENT.

THE WATERSHED PROTECTION DEPARTMENT AND THE WATERLOO CLUB HELP REVITALIZE THE COURSE AND MAKE IT ECOLOGICALLY SUSTAINABLE.

AND THE CLUB AND DISC GOLF COMMUNITY HAVE WORKED HARD SINCE THEN TO KEEP IT THAT WAY.

JUST SINCE 2018, WE'VE HAD 25 WORK DAYS OUT THERE WITH MORE THAN 300 VOLUNTEERS PUTTING IN CLOSE TO 1100 HOURS OF WORK, INCLUDING AT EIGHT DIFFERENT, IT'S MY PARK DAYS.

THERE'S A GREAT PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN AUSTIN PARK FOUNDATION PARKS AND REC, AND WATERLOO APF PROVIDES AND DELIVERS MULCH PARK CREWS, MOVE IT OUT INTO STRATEGIC SPOTS ON THE COURSE, AND THE CLUBS VOLUNTEERS SPREAD IT OUT.

IN THIS WAY, WE PUT DOWN OVER 500 CUBIC YARDS OF HIGH QUALITY MULCH AROUND BOTH TREES AND THE HIGH TRAFFIC AREAS TO HELP PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH OF THE PARK.

UM, THE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH OF ZILKER IS VERY IMPORTANT.

WE URGE YOU, GORDON, THAT IS REQUESTING TWO MINUTES.

COULD YOU PLEASE WRAP UP YOUR THOUGHTS? THANK YOU.

THAT, THAT, THAT IS IT.

WE JUST REQUEST THAT YOU GO AHEAD AND, UH, CONTINUE MOVING DIVISION PLAN FORWARD.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS.

NEXT UP WE HAVE CAROL PHILLIPSON.

HELLO.

THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME SPEAK.

I'M CAROL PHILLIPSON AND I JUST AM CONCERNED.

UM, AS ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSIONERS, YOU HAVE THE POWER AND THE ULTIMATE RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT YOUR ZILKER PARK FROM OVERDEVELOPMENT.

BUT THOSE ONLY INTERESTED IN THEIR BOTTOM LINE, NOT THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF AUSTIN RESIDENTS, WILDLIFE, FLORA AND WATER, NOR ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY.

BUILDING UNDERGROUND PARKING GARAGES AND A WELCOME CENTER OVER RECHARGE ZONES IS INCOMPREHENSIBLE.

IT WOULD BE WISER, WISER TO USE SOME OF THAT MONEY TO PURCHASE LAND UPSTREAM TO FURTHER PROTECT AUSTIN WATER IN-DEPTH STUDIES ARE NE ARE VERY NECESSARY BY THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO PROVIDE ACCURATE CALCULATIONS OF EXISTING AND PROPOSED IMPERVIOUS COVER.

PLUS PROPOSED I COVER IMPERVIOUS COVER WITHOUT THE PRO PROPOSED PARKING.

WITH THESE DRASTIC PROPOSED CHANGES, THE PARK WILL BE TORN UP FOR YEARS, REDUCING PUBLIC USE, DISPLACING WILDLIFE, DESTROYING FLORA AND TREES NEEDED FOR SHADE AND CARBON REDUCTION.

THIS OVERDEVELOPMENT OF HISTORIC ZER PARK TRULY CONCERNS ME AS THIS SELLOUT OF ONE CITY PARK COULD BE THE START OF OTHER CITY PARKS TO FALL TO MONEY SEEKING DEVELOPERS, PROMOTERS, AND PRIVATE INTERESTS.

INSTEAD, FULLY FUND PARED TO MANAGE ALL ASPECTS OF ZILKER.

THIS IS YOUR PARK.

THIS IS OUR PARK.

YOUR ACTIONS WILL AFFECT US ALL NOW AND FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.

DO YOUR JOB, BE RESPONSIBLE, INSIST ON TRANSPARENCY, ACCURATE INFORMATION, THE APPROPRIATE ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES TO MAKE THIS RIGHT DECISION.

LET'S NOT LOSE ZER.

LET'S REWILD ZILKER FOR A BETTER PUBLIC PARK FOR ALL.

OH, NEXT UP WE HAVE, UH, BOBBY RIGSBY.

MR. NICK? YOU'RE STILL MUTED.

UM, NEXT UP WE HAVE GARRETT NICK CALLING IN ON THE PHONE.

GARRETT, ARE YOU THERE,

[01:15:05]

I BELIEVE MR. BUNCH IN FUTURE STAFF IS HAPPY TO DO THAT FOR YOU.

UH, YEAH, CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? YES, SIR.

THAT'S CLIMATE MITIGATION, THAT'S FORWARD THINKING.

OKAY, GREAT.

SORRY ABOUT THAT.

UH, YES, I, I, UM, I'M CALLING IN TO SAY THAT I, UM, I SUPPORT A VISION PLAN FOR ZER PARK, BUT I DON'T SUPPORT THIS VISION PLAN, UH, AS IT'S BEEN PRESENTED.

UH, I'VE PARTICIPATED, UH, IN THIS PROCESS FROM AS EARLY AS THE PUBLIC WAS ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROCESS.

UH, AND AT NO POINT DO I FEEL, BEGINNING WITH THE VERY FIRST, UH, ZOOM MEETINGS THAT THERE WAS EVER, UH, AN OPTION PRESENTED TO THE PUBLIC THAT WASN'T ALREADY LOADED WITH MAJOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS AND THE MOVING OF AMENITIES, MASSIVE, UH, INVESTMENT.

AND, UH, ULTIMATELY WITH THE GOAL OF PUSHING THINGS TOWARDS HAVING SOME SORT OF UMBRELLA NONPROFIT, UH, THAT MANAGES THE PARK.

UH, I FELT VERY MUCH, UH, DECEIVED IN THE PROCESS, UH, WHEN, WHEN THE POLL SHOWED THAT THE PUBLIC WAS AGAINST CERTAIN THINGS LIKE PARKING GARAGES, UH, BUT THAT THEY CONTINUE TO BE PUSHED AS PART OF THE VISION PLAN.

I CAN ONLY IMAGINE THAT, UH, THAT THOSE THINGS ARE STILL IN THE PLAN, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THE ZIR COLLECTIVE HAS PUSHED.

AND SINCE THEY'VE SPENT A LOT MORE TIME SPEAKING WITH THE DESIGN TEAM AND OBVIOUSLY WORKING ON THIS, LIKE THEY SAID FOR YEARS, WHICH MEANS BEFORE THE PUBLIC WAS EVEN INVOLVED, THEY'VE ALREADY REGISTERED A DOMAIN NAME AND BUILT A WEBSITE FOR THEIR UMBRELLA NONPROFIT SINCE BEFORE THE PUBLIC WAS EVEN INVOLVED.

THAT, THAT THESE WERE THEIR PET PROJECTS THAT THEY WANTED NO MATTER WHAT THE PUBLIC, UH, EXPRESSED AS THEIR VISION FOR ZILKER PARK, THERE'S NOTHING INHERENTLY WRONG OR BROKEN WITH ZILKER PARK, UH, THAT NEEDS 200 MILLION TO FIX.

WHAT WE NEED IS A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR ALL PARKS SO THAT PEOPLE DON'T FEEL COMPELLED TO HAVE TO DRIVE ACROSS THE CITY TO GO AND PLAY SOCCER, THAT THEY CAN DO IT IN THEIR OWN NEIGHBORHOOD.

THAT'S EQUITABLE.

UM, THIS, AND AS FAR AS THE ENVIRONMENT, THAT IS YOUR TWO MINUTES.

COULD YOU PLEASE WRAP UP YOUR COMMENTS? THANK YOU.

SURE THING.

UH, I THINK YOU NEED TO TAKE VERY CLOSE LOOK AT THE LEVEL OF CONSTRUCTION AND UPHEAVAL THAT IS BEING PROPOSED, DIGGING HOLES NEXT TO THE SPRINGS, UH, AND REALLY JUST KIND OF MOVING DECK CHAIRS AROUND WHEN, UH, WHEN A LOT OF THAT'S NOT NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE A WONDERFUL PARK THAT'S AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC.

UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU, COMMISSIONERS.

UH, NEXT UP WE HAVE BOBBY LAVINSKY.

OH, NEVERMIND.

MY NAME IS BOBBY LAVINSKY.

I'M WITH THE SA SPRINGS ALLIANCE.

I'M ONE OF THE PESKY SOCCER PLAYERS OUT THERE ON THE, THE FIELD EVERY WEEK.

UM, UH, SINCE THIS IS THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, I'M REALLY FOCUSING ON JUST ONE ISSUE HERE, AND THAT IS THE UNDERGROUND PARKING GARAGE.

I DON'T KNOW WHY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AN UNDERGROUND PARKING GARAGE.

UM, WHEN WE HAVE A VIABLE OPTION IN FRONT OF US, WHICH IS TO EXPAND THE SHUTTLE SYSTEM, ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS FUND IT THERE.

WHEN THE SOCCER STADIUM WAS PROPOSED ON BUTLER, THEY IDENTIFIED 13,000 PARKING SPACES WITHIN A 20 UH, MINUTE WALK.

WE HAVE A MOBILITY PROBLEM IS OKRA PARK NOT A PARKING PROBLEM.

THE OTHER THING THAT I THINK IS KIND OF JUST KIND OF ABSURD WHY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE, UM, PARKING GARAGE IN THIS LOCATION IS IF YOU GO THROUGH THE PROCESS OF ALL THE APPROVALS THAT'LL BE, THAT WOULD BE NEEDED TO MAKE THIS PARKING GARAGE HAPPEN, IT WON'T HAPPEN.

IT'S IN THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE.

IT'S IN THE WATER QUALITY TRANSITION ZONE.

CAN'T PUT PARKING GARAGES IN THERE.

YOU'RE GONNA NEED ENVIRONMENTAL VARIANCES.

WELL, THIS IS A DESIGN CHOICE TO PUT THIS PARKING GARAGE IN THIS LOCATION.

IT DOESN'T MEET THE STANDARD FOR A VARIANCE.

IT NEEDS, UH, MORE THAN FOUR FOOT OF CUT AND FILL.

YOU CAN'T DO THAT WITH THE PARKING GARAGE.

YOU CAN DO THAT DOWNTOWN WHERE YOU PUT, LIKE, MAKE IT A BASE OF A STRUCTURE AND GET A VARIANCE FOR THAT.

IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN IN THIS LOCATION ACCORDING TO THE CITY STANDARDS.

THE CITY NEEDS TO UPHOLD ITS OWN STANDARDS INSTEAD OF TRYING TO RELY ON VARIANCES.

THERE'S

[01:20:01]

A TON OF ILLEGAL PARKING THROUGHOUT THE PARK THAT'S BEING COUNTED AS EXISTING PARKING AND BEING HELD OVER.

WE SHOULDN'T BE SAYING THAT ILLEGAL PARKING IS SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD BE MAINTAINING.

WE WOULDN'T, WE, IF WE, IF A REDEVELOPER CAME IN SAYING THAT SAME THING, WE WOULD TELL THEM THAT THAT'S THE, THAT WOULDN'T WORK.

IT DOESN'T FLY THE POLO FIELD, THE STRATFORD YARD.

THAT'S A ILLEGAL PARKING.

IT'S A VIOLATION OF THE SOS ORDINANCE.

THIS ENTIRE PLAN WOULD LEAD TO A VIOLATION OF THE SOS ORDINANCE.

I REALLY THINK THAT NEEDS TO BE EMPHASIZED.

AND Y'ALL SHOULD TAKE YOUR TIME.

THERE'S NO RUSH TO APPROVE THIS PLAN.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO APPROVE IT TONIGHT.

BOBBY, TAKE TIME.

FEEDBACK NEWS UP.

YOU COULD RECORD YOUR COMMENTS.

PLEASE SEND IT BACK.

NEXT UP WE HAVE CHRISTIE VALENZUELA.

GOOD EVENING EVERYONE.

I'M A PUBLIC EDUCATOR HERE IN THE CITY, AND MY FAMILY USES THE PARK FREQUENTLY FOR SOCCER AND OTHER, OTHER, UM, WILD THINGS.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

I WANTED TO ENSURE THAT ZILKER PARK WILL NOT BE BOARDED UP AND UNUSED FOR YEARS AS WAS DONE WITH WATERLOO.

WATERLOO WAS FANCIED UP.

BUT HOW DO WE CELEBRATE THIS COLD AND UNINVITING FEELING I GET WHEN I GO TO WATERLOO? SO I AM PLEADING WITH THE COMMISSION AND WITH THIS VISION PLAN BEING, YOU KNOW, PASSED OR NOT PASSED, LET'S MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T GET ANOTHER WATERLOO PARK PLEASE.

UM, IN THE NEWS, I HEARD ABOUT A SUPER GROUP AND MY FRIENDS WERE TELLING ME ABOUT IT.

UM, THAT SOUNDS LIKE WATERLOO, OUR LOCAL PARK SHOULDN'T BE TURNED INTO HUGE STAGES FOR OUT-OF-TOWNERS AND COMPANIES TO PROFIT FROM.

HOW EXACTLY ARE WE GONNA PROFIT THE CITY PARKS DEPARTMENT IF WE ARE CATERING TO, YOU KNOW, THESE CONCERTS? THE PARKS DEPARTMENT DIDN'T DO THEIR JOB AT WATERLOO, AND THE CITY NO LONGER REALLY RUNS IT.

SO WE NEED TO BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT THAT HAPPENING AGAIN WITH OUR DEAR ZILKER PARK.

UM, WE DO HAVE A PARK DIRECTOR AND WE NEED THEM TO LEAD ON THIS PROJECT.

IT WAS JUST ANNOUNCED IN THE NEWS ABOUT THE SUPER GROUP AGAIN, AND I'M CONFUSED ABOUT IT, AND A LOT OF US ARE CONFUSED ABOUT IT, BUT THE STORY SOUNDS FAMILIAR.

SO IF I HAD A SHARPIE OR A SLIDE, I WOULD SAY, PLEASE NOT ANOTHER WATERLOO.

I VERY MUCH HOPE THAT THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT COME FROM THIS MEETING AND FROM YOU ALL HELP US, AND THAT MONEY'S NOT THROWN AT THIS PARK, UM, THROUGH THIS HODGEPODGE OF PEOPLE.

AND I HOPE THAT THE PARKING SITUATION DOESN'T BECOME A DETERRENT FOR ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED FAMILIES IN AUSTIN BECAUSE I CAN AFFORD THE $5, BUT OTHER FAMILIES MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO, AND THAT THAT MIGHT PREVENT THEM.

AND THAT'S THE ACCESS, UM, INCLUSIVE EQUITY THAT EVERYONE MENTIONS ABOUT PARKS ZILKER WOULD NOT BE ABIDING BY THAT.

SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND I HOPE THAT, UH, WE CAN WORK TOGETHER AND HAVE A WONDERFUL ZILKER PARK, BUT NOT A WATER.

ANOTHER WATERLOO, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS.

NEXT UP WE HAVE CHRISTIE CURTIS.

HELLO, COMMISSIONERS.

MY NAME IS CHRISTIE CURTIS, I'M A MOM.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME HERE.

I FELL IN LOVE WITH ZILKER WHEN I MOVED TO AUSTIN 20 YEARS AGO, AND MY LOVE AND APPRECIATION HAS ONLY GROWN AS I'VE GROWN MY OWN FAMILY HERE, I'M HERE TO TODAY TO SPEAK IN FAVOR OF THE ZILKER METROPOLITAN VISION PLAN.

AS A MOM OF A YOUNG CHILD AND A DOG, AND AS A RUNNER, I APPRECIATE THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENTS, THE VISION PLAN OUTLINES FOR OUR CITY'S MOST ICONIC PARK.

MY HOPE IS THE PLAN WILL BE ADOPTED.

SO THERE ARE SMALL LITTLE AUSTINITES LIKE MY CHILD WILL HAVE A BEAUTIFUL GREEN PARK TO SHARE WITH HER FAMILY.

OUR PARK IS VERY, IS OUR PARK IS BEING LOVED TO DEATH.

AND IF THE PLAN IS NOT ADOPTED, I FEAR WE'RE NOT GONNA HAVE THE ZILKER THAT WE HAVE TODAY.

WILL WE NEED A SORRY.

NERVES.

NATURE AND ECOLOGY IS A GUIDING PRINCIPLE OF THE, THE VISION PLAN, AND THE PLAN IMPROVES THE NATURE AND ECOLOGY OF THE PARK IN SEVERAL WAYS.

FIRST, THE PLAN PROPOSES NEARLY SEVEN MILES OF NEW TRAILS AND A BIKE, PEDESTRIAN BRIT AND BIKE PE BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN BRIDGES AND CONSOLIDATED PARKING SOLUTIONS THAT KNIT THE SEGMENTED PIECES OF ZILKER PARK TOGETHER TO PROVIDE A MORE ACCESSIBLE, SAFE, AND CONNECTED PARK.

ADDITIONALLY, THE PLAN PROPOSES ENHANCING THE TREE CANOPY AND SHADE OVER

[01:25:01]

THE TRAILS.

AND CONSIDERING HOW HOT IT IS IN AUSTIN FOR ABOUT SEVEN MONTHS A YEAR, WE WILL ALL BENEFIT FROM THE EXTRA SHADE.

AS IT STANDS NOW, THE POLO FIELDS ARE BEING DESTROYED.

THE PLAN PROPOSES A CENTRALIZED, CONSOLIDATED, AND PHASED PARKING SOLUTION WITH ONE, MAYBE MORE IF NEEDED, BURIED OR ROOF STRUC GREEN ROOF STRUCTURE, PARKING GARAGES, AND THEY MAINTAIN, NOT INCREASE THE PARKING CAPACITY.

IN ADDITION TO REMOVING PARKING FROM THE BUTLER LANDFILL AND POLO FIELD AREAS, THE VISION PLAN PREVENTS INCREASINGLY COMMON INFORMAL PARKING ALONG THE GRASS AREAS AROUND LUNE ROAD.

BY CLOSING THAT ROAD TO VEHICLES, OUR PARK DESERVES A WELCOME CENTER TO ORIENT AND EDUCATE PARK VISITORS ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT AT ZILKER PARK AND BARTON SPRINGS.

IN KEEPING WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION'S PRIORITY TO PROMOTE ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS IN OUR COMMUNITY, THE VISION PLAN PROPOSES A WELCOME CENTER JUST DOWNSTREAM, WHICH REPOSES EXISTING STRUCTURES TO INCREASE PUBLIC EDUCATION ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES FACING THE PARK, AND HOW WE AS A COMMUNITY CAN STEWARD THE PARK FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.

COULD YOU PLEASE WRAP UP? YOUR TWO MINUTES IS UP.

YES, PLEASE.

THE PARK, THE ZILKER PARK VISION PLAN, BECAUSE IT WILL MAKE ZILKER PARK A MORE SUSTAINABLY, GREENER, INCLUSIVE, ACCESSIBLE PARK FOR ALL OF AUSTIN FAMILIES FOR NOW AND IN THE FUTURE.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS.

NEXT UP WE HAVE GAIL, RALPH, I, I HAVE SOME SLIDES PLEASE.

AND I THINK I HAVE, I WILL NEED SOME MORE TIME AND I HAVE SOME DONATED MINUTES.

DOES THAT NEED TO GO THROUGH YOU? I'M SORRY.

IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND, JUST TELL US WHO, WHO'S DONATING YOUR MINUTES.

BEN LIVINGSTON.

LIVINGSTON WAS THE LAST NAME? YES.

SO YOU HAVE, YOU HAVE FOUR MINUTES, MA'AM.

GREAT.

TO SUNKEN GARDENS, WHICH IS SYNOVIA SPRINGS.

I WANNA FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK AND THE LONG HOURS YOU SPEND ON THESE VERY IMPORTANT TOPICS.

UH, MY NAME IS GAIL ROADIE.

I USE THIS FIRST SLIDE AS A MEANS OF INTRODUCTION.

I, UH, LEAD A VOLUNTEER GROUP, UH, IN ZER PARK AND ADOPT A CREEK PROJECT W I'VE DONE THAT FOR NINE YEARS, AND THIS SLIDE SHOWS, UH, BEFORE AND AFTER, UH, SOME EFFORTS OF OUR WORK OVER THE YEARS.

AND, UM, WE'VE BEEN REALLY PROUD OF THAT WORK AND WE'RE REALLY ENGAGED IN THAT WORK.

AND I WOULD HAVE TO SAY WHAT WE DO IS ESSENTIALLY WE PULL OUT A LOT OF TRASH.

WE TAKE OUT A LOT OF INVASIVE SPECIES, WE PLANT A LOT OF NATIVE SPECIES, AND THEN WE LET MOTHER NATURE DO A LOT OF THE WORK.

UM, THIS IS ESSENTIALLY REWILDING.

AND SO WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR NINE YEARS AND I'D BE GLAD TO ANSWER ANY MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT IF YOU HAVE IT.

BUT MY MAIN POINT TONIGHT IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, WHEN I'M ASKING YOU TO DO TONIGHT, IS TO REMOVE TWO PARKING GARAGES FROM THE PLAN IMMEDIATELY.

AND WHY AM I ASKING YOU TO DO THAT? NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

UM, I WANT TO, UH, DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO AN EVENT THAT HAPPENED IN DECEMBER, 2018 WHEN THERE WERE SEDIMENT PLUMES IN THE POOL.

UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO THIS SHOWS, UH, THE THREE PLUMES THAT OCCUR, THE SEDIMENT PLUMES THAT OCCURRED OVER THREE OR FOUR DAYS.

THE ORANGE LINE SHOWS THE, UH, TURBIDITY A MEASURE OF THE, THE SEDIMENT IN THE POOL.

THESE ARE EXTREMELY HIGH LEVELS, AND IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, YOU'LL SEE HOW HIGH THOSE SAME THREE, UH, PULSES ARE SQUASHED ON THE LEFT NOW.

AND ON THE FAR RIGHT, YOU SEE A, A MUCH LOWER PULSE THAT OCCURRED AFTER A RAIN EVENT.

THAT'S ABOUT THE LEVEL YOU WOULD EXPECT TO SEE.

TO SEE THOSE PLUMES, THOSE LEVELS THAT HIGH IS A SERIOUS INDICATION OF A SERIOUS WATER QUALITY PROBLEM.

WHAT CAUSED IT? NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

THERE WAS A WELL BEING DRILLED NEAR THE ZER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, AND THAT WAS TRACED, UM, THE SOURCE OF THE PLUME WAS TRACED TO THAT DRILLING, WHICH IS THREE QUARTERS OF A MILE FROM BARTON SPRINGS.

UM, SO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

THIS SHOWS HOW CLOSE THOSE PARKING GARAGES ARE TO THE SPRINGS.

THE, UM, UNDERGROUND PARKING GARAGE WILL BE ABOUT 300 YARDS.

THE AS WILL THE LAND BRIDGE, UM, AND THE, UM, GARAGE OFF OF AZ MARTIN WILL BE ABOUT A HUNDRED YARDS

[01:30:01]

SO THOSE ARE VERY CLOSE.

BOTH OF THOSE GARAGES MAY BE DOWN GRADIENT, WHICH WOULD BE GOOD FOR THEM.

HOWEVER, I'VE HAD A GEOLOGIST TELL ME, ONCE YOU START DRILLING, YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU WILL FIND.

I THINK IT'S INCREDIBLY IRRESPONSIBLE TO KEEP THESE GARAGES IN THIS PLAN.

SO NOT TO MENTION, WE CAN ALSO MENTION ALL THE OTHER HYDROLOGIC AND GEOLOGIC FEATURES IN THE PARK AND CULTURAL FEATURES IN THE PARK.

SO I'M ASKING YOU TO REMOVE THOSE, UH, FROM THE PLAN.

I WOULD ALSO MENTION THAT IN ADDITION TO IF YOU KEEP THEM IN THE PLAN, YOU'RE GONNA BE SEEING THIS COME BEFORE THIS COMMISSION AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN FOR FIVE YEARS OR 10 YEARS.

AND HOW MUCH MONEY ARE WE GONNA SPEND ON FEASIBILITY STUDIES BEFORE WE SAY NEVERMIND? CAN WE JUST MOVE ON AT THIS POINT AND NOT INCLUDE THOSE IN THE PLAN? THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

ONE OTHER THING, YOU CAN MENTION CLIMATE 51 TIMES IN THIS REPORT AND YOU CAN SAY 28, 20 8% REDUCTION.

AND IT'S STILL NOT A CLIMATE FRIENDLY PLAN.

NEXT UP WE HAVE ROBIN RADLER.

SOME PEOPLE LOOK AT ZER PARK AND SEE MONEY, AND IT MAKES ME EMOTIONAL TO SAY THAT ACTUALLY, I'M SORRY.

SOME PEOPLE LOOK AT ZER PARK AND SEE WATERSHEDS, REWILDING, WHAT SHOULD BE BEAUTIFUL TREES, KIDS PLAYING SOCCER HAPPENING.

AND WHAT YOU HAVE BEFORE YOU, ON THE ONE HAND, ARE GOOD FRIENDS OF OURS, COLLEAGUES OF OURS, PEOPLE WE'VE DONATED TO, BUT WHO MAKE MONEY OFF THE PARK, INCLUDING ONE COMPANY THAT'S AN $11 BILLION OPERATION NOW.

AND ON THE OTHER HAND, WHAT YOU HAVE AS A PANTHEON, I DON'T INCLUDE MYSELF IN THIS, BUT A PANTHEON OF AUSTIN ENVIRONMENTAL ROCKSTAR, SIERRA CLUB, SOS NA, UH, MASTER NATURALIST, ON AND ON.

IF THIS PLAN WAS SO GREEN, YOU WOULD NOT HAVE EVERY ENVIRONMENTALIST IN TOWN UP HERE CRYING AND BEGGING YOU NOT TO DO THIS.

THIS PROBABLY WOULD'VE BEEN A GREAT PLAN BACK IN 1950.

IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A GOOD PLAN BACK IN 1990, IN 2023 WITH CLIMATE CHANGE BEARING DOWN ON US AND EQUITY ISSUES UP IN OUR GRILL EVERY DAY.

THIS IS A FAIL.

AND WHAT WE'RE HERE ASKING YOU, WE, WE MADE FIVE, FIVE REQUESTS THAT ARE ALL VERY REASONABLE.

IMPERVIOUS COVER, REWILDING KILL THAT, UM, VERY, UM, OFFENSIVE UMBRELLA PLAN.

WE REALLY NEED YOU GUYS.

I'VE DEDICATED MY COMMENTS TO FORMER COMMISSIONER ANNA, UH, FORMER COMMISSIONER AUDREY AND FORMER COMMISSIONER SARAH.

THEY'VE SAT WHERE YOU'VE SAT THERE HERE.

AND I WOULD LIKE TO INSPIRE US ALL TO GREATNESS.

WE'RE CAPABLE OF GREATNESS.

WE HAVE GREAT EXPERTISE.

WE DON'T HAVE TO SETTLE FOR A PLAN THAT IS FAR FROM WHAT WE NEED FOR CLIMATE, FAR FROM WHAT WE NEED FOR EQUITY AND FAR FOR WHAT WE NEED FOR OUR KIDS.

AND I, I'M REALLY GONNA BEG YOU, I I HAVEN'T SPOKEN IN FRONT OF A BOARD OF COMMISSION IN QUITE A FEW YEARS SINCE I WAS SOS CHAIR, BUT I'M GONNA REALLY BEG YOU.

PLEASE DON'T JUST CHECK THE BOX AND SETTLE FOR AN MAYBE OKAY, MAYBE MEDIOCRE PLAN.

LET US GO FOR GREATNESS.

THE CLIMATE NEEDS THAT FROM US AND WE'RE VERY CAPABLE OF WORKING TOGETHER TO ACTUALLY MAKE AN INSPIRING PLAN THAT ALL THESE ENVIRONMENTALISTS WOULD BE APPLAUDING, NOT SCREAMING AT.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

APPRECIATE Y'ALL.

NEXT UP WE HAVE STEPHANIE HOFFMAN.

UH, JUST, I, I'M SORRY, I JUST WANTED TO GET THE, UH, NAME OF THE LAST SPEAKER.

THAT WAS, UH, ROBIN.

AND THE NEXT SPEAKER IS STEPHANIE.

THIS NEXT, UH, SPEAKER IS STEPHANIE HOFFMAN.

MS. HOFFMAN, ARE YOU OKAY? GREAT.

UM, I TRY TO EASE ANXIETY OVER THE WORLD'S HAPPENINGS.

HELLO COMMISSIONERS.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME HERE TODAY.

UH, MY NAME IS STEPHANIE HOFFMAN.

I AM A RESIDENT OF OF EAST AUSTIN FOR THE PAST 15 YEARS.

UM, I AGREE WHOLEHEARTEDLY WITH ROBIN.

I AGREE WHOLEHEARTEDLY WITH GAIL.

UM, THE CUMULATIVE IMPACT OF LOSING TREES FROM THE FORMER COMMISSIONER.

UM, I HAVE PLANTED FOUR TREES.

UM, BUT I AM INTERESTED, UH, IN 100% BACKING THE REWILD ZILKER PLAN, THE PARK VISION PLAN.

[01:35:01]

UH, ZILKER HAS BEEN A SPACE WHERE I TAKE MY KIDS.

THIS IS A PLACE WHERE I, UH, BRING IN MENTAL HEALTH, UH, TO, UM, BRIGHTEN, BRIGHTEN, UM, SOME CLOUDY DAYS, VERY CLEARLY PARKING GARAGES EMIT CARBON, REWILDING ABSORBS CARBON.

JUST REMEMBER THAT WHEN YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT YOUR VOTES, PLEASE.

CLIMATE CHANGES HERE.

AUSTIN SHOULD TAKE THE NUMBER ONE SPOT AND NOT CREATING PARKING GARAGES IN SUCH AN INCREDIBLE SPACE AS ZUCKER PARK, SPECIFICALLY THE UNDERGROUND PARKING GARAGES.

UM, PLEASE REMOVE ALL PARKING GARAGES, PARTICULARLY THE UNDERGROUND GARAGE, AND THAT'S GONNA SAVE US OVER 60 MILLION.

UM, THERE, RECOMMEND THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UM, NOT THE CONSULTANTS PROVIDE AN ACCURATE ITEM BY ITEM CALCULATION OF THE EXISTING IMPERVIOUS COVER, PROPOSED IMPERVIOUS COVER AND THE PURPOSE IMPERVIOUS COVER WITHOUT THE PROPOSED PARKING.

PLEASE REQUEST THE PART AND CITY OF AUSTIN WATERSHED DEPARTMENT PROVIDE A WRITTEN BRIEFING TO YOU REGARDING THE FEASIBILITY AND RELATED COSTS OF THIS.

UM, PLEASE REWILD ZUCKER, PLEASE.

UM, WE HAVE TO DO THIS, UM, FROM THE SPACE OF CLIMATE CHANGE OF COURSE, AND TRY TO COMBAT THAT.

UM, PLEASE CHOOSE THE COST EFFECTIVE CLENT FORWARD PLAN AND CLO CLOSING THE PARK AND CLOSING ACCESS FOR OUR RESIDENCE IS NOT A SOLUTION.

UM, MA'AM, YOUR TIME IS EXPIRED.

COULD YOU WRAP UP YOUR COMMENTS PLEASE? THANK YOU VERY MUCH, PLEASE, REWILD ZILKER.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT.

NEXT UP WE HAVE MARK MAY.

SO I THINK I HAVE SOME SLIDES.

HI.

UM, I'M ACTUALLY MARK, UH, UH, UH, MAY.

SO I'M A PASSIONATE ULTIMATE, UH, FR PLAYER AT THE PARK, AND THAT'S HOW I GOT GOT INVOLVED WITH THE PLAN.

I WAS REALLY, UH, PUZZLED WHEN I SAW IT.

AND THEN I REALIZED WHY IS BECAUSE THERE'S NO ONE THAT USES THE GREAT LAW AND THE WAY I USE IT IN THE, UH, IN THE, UH, COLLECTIVE.

AND SO PEOPLE LIKE ME, UH, IS NOT WHO, WHO THIS PLAN IS FOR.

WHEN I READ THE PLAN, I HEAR THAT, YOU KNOW, Z'S BEING LOVE, UH, TO DEATH, IT'S IN CRISIS.

AND THEN LOOK AT THE, UH, SOLUTION.

AND SO THE, UH, SOLUTION IS TO MOVE THE HILLSIDE THEATER TO A NEW HILL AND MAKE IT SO LARGE IT CAN HOLD UP TO 5,000 PEOPLE.

WE ALSO THINK BECAUSE THE PARKS AND CRISIS, WE NEED TO ADD A, A BRAND NEW WELCOME CENTER WITH A WHOLE, WHOLE LOT OF, UH, CIRCLE DRIVEWAY.

WE ALSO THINK WE HAVE TO ADD THREE PERMANENT PARKING, UH, GARAGES THAT ARE SIZED TO HANDLE THE PEAK AUTOS IN THE PARK, WHICH WE ALL KNOW ONLY ONLY OCCURS 40 OR 50 DAYS A YEAR ON SATURDAY.

AND, UH, SUNDAY WHEN IT'S NICE OUTSIDE, IF YOU LOOK AT THE MONEY, THERE'S $175 MILLION HERE AND MOST OF THAT MONEY IS SPENT ON THE SILLY PROJECTS I JUST WENT THROUGH.

BATHROOMS ARE $900,000, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

TRAILS ARE 300,000.

WE'RE SPENDING MONEY IN THE WRONG SPOT.

THE, UH, SOLUTION DOES NOT MATCH THE PROBLEM.

PLEASE ALIGN WHAT WE'RE GONNA SPEND MONEY ON WITH WHAT THE PROBLEM IS.

NEXT PAGE, UM, I'M ASKING ABOUT IMPERVIOUS, UH, COVER.

SO, UM, FOR SOME REASON THE FIRST FOUR TIMES WE SAW THE PLAN LITTLE CHANGED, BUT LAST NIGHT AT THE UTC MEETING, WHICH I WAS AT, THE NUMBER CHANGED A WHOLE LOT.

SO THESE, UH, SNAPSHOTS WALK YOU THROUGH DIFFERENT, UH, VERSIONS OF THE, UH, PLAN.

SO THEY HAD A, WHAT LOOKED TO ME LIKE A MATH ERROR, UM, WHERE THEY WERE UNDERCOUNTING THE IMPERVIOUS, UH, COVER.

AND IT WAS BASICALLY THE SAME THING.

NEXT, NEXT PAGE, LAST NIGHT, THE NUMBER ONE OF THE COMPONENT NUMBERS DROPPED BY A FACTOR OF THREE.

THAT'S, WOULD YOU MIND WRAPPING THE SCREEN COMMENTS? THAT'S YOUR TIME IN THE, UH, IN OF THE PROGRAMS. WHY IS THAT? THANK YOU.

THANK YOU SIR.

NEXT UP WE HAVE AUDREY BARRETT BIXLER.

I AM AUDREY BA BIXLER, AND I AM A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT FIVE.

AND, UM, THANKS FOR LETTING

[01:40:01]

ME SPEAK.

UM, SO I'M UP HERE TO SAY THAT, UM, I THINK WE KNOW NO MATTER HOW GOOD OUR, OUR INTENTIONS ARE, IT'S, IT'S REALLY HARD TO FOLLOW.

UM, AND BASICALLY ALL OF THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENTS THAT, THAT PEOPLE ARE MAKING DECISIONS ON IN AUSTIN.

AND THAT'S WHY I'M REALLY GRATEFUL FOR THE REWILD ZILKER TEAM FOR HAVING BECOME EXPERTS, UM, IN THIS PROCESS OVER THE, THE PAST TWO YEARS.

AND I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE COMMISSIONERS, UM, HAVE REC THE RECEIVED THE EMAIL THAT CAME ON APRIL 3RD AT, UM, FROM TANYA PAYNE WITH THE, AN ATTACHMENT WITH, UM, RECOMMENDATIONS THAT THE REWILD, UM, ZILKER, UM, TEAM IS PROPOSING.

AND THIS TABLE IS REALLY, UM, USER FRIENDLY BECAUSE IT LINES UP ALL THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS WITH EXACT ITEMS IN THE, UM, CURRENT Z REVISION PLAN, PLAN PROPOSAL.

SO MY REQUEST TO THE COMMISSION TONIGHT IS TO MAKE SURE THAT EACH COMMISSIONER HAS READ THROUGH ALL OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS AND, UM, HAS AND MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, HAS, HAS THEIR, CREATES THEIR, YOU KNOW, OPINION AND MAKE SURE THAT, UM, THAT THESE ARE ALL CONSIDERED BEFORE, UM, VOTING ON WHETHER OR NOT TO MOVE FORWARD.

SO THANK YOU.

NEXT UP WE HAVE SARAH FAUS.

HI, MY NAME IS SARAH FAUST.

I'M A WATER AND ENVIRONMENTAL LAW ATTORNEY.

I'M A FORMER WATER AND WASTEWATER COMMISSION AND A FORMER PARKS BOARD MEMBER.

SO WHEN I SAY I THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND COMMITMENT ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, I REALLY MEAN IT.

WHILE I WAS ON THE PARKS BOARD, I ATTENDED EVERY PUBLIC COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MEETING ABOUT THE VISION PLAN AND I WAS ON THE ZILKER VISION PLAN WORKING GROUP.

I ALSO SUPPORT A VISION PLAN FOR ZILKER PARK, BUT NOT THIS PLAN BECAUSE THE CURRENT DROP VISION PLAN DOES NOT MEET THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY THAT ARE EXPRESSED IN THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SURVEYS AND MEETINGS.

THANKFULLY, YOU ARE ALL HERE TO GUIDE THE FUTURE PATH OF THE VISION PLAN TOWARDS THE ZILKER PARK THAT'S MORE CLIMATE FORWARD, HAS BETTER MOBILITY AND FOCUSES ON FEATURE CITY RESIDENTS CAN USE FOR RECREATION AND COMMUNITY BUILDING, NOT THE LARGE EVENTS AND REVENUE FOCUSED REDEVELOPMENT PLAN.

BEFORE YOU, HOW CAN YOU DO THIS? PLEASE RECOMMEND THAT THE NEW AMPHITHEATER AND ITS IMPERVIOUS COVER ON THE GREAT LAWN, THE UNDERGROUND PARKING GARAGE AND THE BRIDGE OVER LADYBIRD LAKE BE REMOVED FROM THE PLANT.

THESE FACILITIES ARE DESIGNED TO FACILITATE LARGE MONEY MAKING EVENTS AND NOT THE RELAXATION, RECREATION AND EDUCATION OF RESIDENTS.

ON WEEKENDS, THE GREAT LAWN IS PACKED WITH PEOPLE PICNICKING AND PLAYING SPORTS.

WE CAN'T LOSE ONE SQUARE INCH OF THIS PRECIOUS OPEN PARKLAND.

NO ONE IN THE PROCESS ASKED FOR LESS GREAT LAWN.

UM, ONLY 13% OF RESPONDENTS EVEN WERE POSITIVE ABOUT MOVING THE THEATER AND NOT TO THIS LOCATION.

WE CAN'T BUY MORE.

WE ALSO CAN'T REPLACE BARTON SPRINGS IF WE MESS IT UP.

DIGGING AND TESTING ON THE UNDERGROUND PARKING GARAGE.

I WAS AT ALL THE MEETINGS AND THERE WERE NO CALLS TO ACTION AND THERE IS NO ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTIFICATION FOR MORE CONCRETE CONCERT VENUES, LESS LAWN AND A WORSE BARTON SPRINGS.

I SUPPORT THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND RESOLUTIONS FROM THE ZILKER NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE BARTON HILLS NE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION.

IN RE REITERATE THOSE REQUESTS, WHICH ARE TO REMOVE THE UNDERGROUND PARKING GARAGE, RECOMMEND AN ACCURATE IMPERVIOUS COVER CALCULATION BE MADE BY WATERSHED PROTECTION, UH, FEASIBILITY STUDY AND COSTS ON REWILDING.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, TO REMOVE THE UMBRELLA NON-PROFIT RECOMMENDATION FROM THE PLAN.

I'D LOVE TO GIVE YOU MORE BACKGROUND ON THAT AND WHY THE PARKS BOARD VOTED TO INFORM ALL BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS THAT THEY DID NOT SUPPORT THAT RECOMMENDATION AND THINK IT SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM THE PLAN.

NEXT UP WE HAVE DAVID WEINBERG AND I BELIEVE YOU HAVE, UH, FOUR MINUTES.

IF YOU COULD REPEAT THE NAME.

DAVID WEINBERG.

UH, THANK YOU CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS.

MY NAME IS DAVID WEINBERG.

I'M HERE REPRESENTING MYSELF, UH, IN OPPOSITION TO THIS PLAN.

UM, I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE HOW OF THIS PLAN TONIGHT.

I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE WHY, BECAUSE I'M HAVING A REALLY HARD TIME WRAPPING MY MIND AROUND THE WHY

[01:45:01]

OF THIS PLAN.

AND IN MY COMMENTS, I WANNA DO A LITTLE CASE STUDY.

I WANNA FOCUS IN ON ONE PARTICULAR THING.

LET'S LOOK AGAIN AT THIS AMPHITHEATER THAT'S BEING PROPOSED ON THE GREAT LAWN.

IF IT SOUNDS FAMILIAR, THAT'S BECAUSE IT IS.

WE JUST BUILT ONE IN WATERLOO PARK.

I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY AMPHITHEATER IS WE NEED TO BE BUILDING IN CITY PARKS IN AUSTIN, PARTICULARLY PARKS THAT ARE RELATIVELY CLOSE TO ONE ANOTHER.

SO THERE'S THAT SORT OF LIKE FUNCTIONALITY ISSUE, BUT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE ACTUALLY HAVE SOME DATA ON FROM THE VISION TEAM'S PLANNING PROCESS.

AND THAT DATA SAYS 87% OF RESPONDENTS, WHICH IS A BIG SUPER MAJORITY OF THE PUBLIC, SAY WHATEVER YOU DO WITH THE HILLSIDE THEATER, DO NOT PUT IT ON THE GREAT LAWN.

OKAY? THAT'S WHAT, THAT'S WHAT THE PLAN SAYS.

YET WE HAVE IT ON THE GREAT LAWN.

AND, AND THE THING THAT REALLY GETS MY GOAT IS, YOU KNOW, THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM IN WITH THIS CONVERSATION, ANYWHERE IT HAPPENS IS C3 EVENTS, WHICH USED TO BE A LOCAL COMPANY, BUT IN 2014 WAS ACQUIRED BY, UH, TICKETMASTER.

UH, AND THEY ARE NOW SOMETHING OF A CORPORATE MONOPOLY THAT IS UNDER INVESTIGATION BY THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT FOR ABUSE OF THEIR POWER.

BUT I, WHAT CONFUSES ME IS I, WELL, I THINK THEY'VE HAD SORT OF SOMETHING OF A NEFARIOUS INVISIBLE HAND IN THIS ENTIRE PROCESS.

I WAS HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH SOMEONE WHO WORKS FOR C3 AND THEY TOLD ME THEY DON'T WANT THE AMPHITHEATER ON THE GREAT LAWN.

SO BETWEEN THE PUBLIC AND THIS SORT OF TITAN WALKS THE EARTH AND ZILKER FROM A CORPORATE PERSPECTIVE, I DON'T KNOW, KNOW WHY THE HELL THIS THING IS IN THE PLAN.

MAYBE SOMEONE CAN EXPLAIN THAT TO ME, BUT I COMPLETELY LOST ON IT.

UM, SO IF I WERE A COMMISSIONER ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSIONER, ANY COMMISSIONER, A CITY COUNCIL MEMBER SITTING ON CITY COUNCIL BEFORE I APPROVED SOMETHING THAT GOT HYDRAULIC EXCAVATORS OUT DIGGING UP THE GREAT LAWN, I WOULD WANT TO HAVE SOME ASSURANCE THAT THE PUBLIC ACTUALLY SUPPORTED IT.

AND I THINK WHAT WE KNOW CLEARLY IS THAT NOBODY DOES.

UH, NEXT UP WE HAVE KAREN CRUX AND SHE'S CALLING IN KAREN KREPPS.

AM I UNMUTED? YOU ARE AN AUDIBLE.

YOU ARE, BUT MY NAME IS KAREN KREPPS.

I LIVE ON SPYGLASS DRIVE.

I'VE BEEN HERE FOR 30 YEARS AND I'VE SWAM ALMOST EVERY DAY OF THAT PERIOD MO YEAR ROUND AT BARDON SPRINGS.

I WOULD TAKE THE NUMBER 30 BUS TO THE POOL IF IT RAN MORE FREQUENTLY, BUT IT'S VERY INCONVENIENT.

AND I HAVE OVER THE YEARS SEEN TREMENDOUS CONSTRUCTION EFFORTS AROUND THE PARK, WHICH HAVE CLOSED ACCESS TO THE PARK AND MADE IT EXTREMELY UNPLEASANT.

AND I DON'T WANNA SEE MORE OF THEM.

I TRIED VERY HARD TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PUBLIC PRO PROCESS ON THIS VISION PLAN.

I DON'T THINK IT'S A VISION PLAN.

I THINK IT'S PULLING THE WOOL OVER THE PUBLIC'S EYES, AND I HOPE IT WON'T PULL THE WOOL OVER YOUR EYES.

UM, I WENT TO THE OPEN HOUSE AT MCBETH CENTER AND I SPOKE TO CLAIRE HEMPLE WHO RUNS THE DESIGN THING, AND I ASKED HER, HOW CAN YOU DIG THREE STORIES DEEP RIGHT NEXT TO A CREEK? AND SHE SAID, OH, THEY'LL DO AN ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT SURVEY AFTER THIS PLAN IS APPROVED.

AND I'M VERY OFFENDED BY HER ASSUMPTION THAT THIS PLAN WILL BE APPROVED.

UH, IT GOES AGAINST THE PRINCIPLES OF WHAT THE CITY HAS FOR MAKING THE PARK NATURAL AND MORE GREEN.

WE NEED WATER, THOUSANDS AT WORK, BATHROOMS THAT ARE CLEAN.

WE NEED GUARDS THAT ARE PAID WELL.

WE NEED PEOPLE MANAGING ENFORCEMENT SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE A LEGAL PARKING AND WE DON'T NEED TO SPEND $200,000, 200 MILLION ON A CONSTRUCTION PLAN THAT IS CLEARLY DEFINED BY LIVE NATION IN, UH, TO, TO TURN THE PARK INTO A GIANT ENTERTAINMENT CENTER.

HELLO ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION.

NEXT UP WE HAVE MAC RAGSDALE.

I'M MACK RAGSDALE.

I'M A BOARD MEMBER WITH ZILKER THEATER PRODUCTIONS, AND WE ARE THE FOLKS WHO'VE BEEN PUTTING ON FREE SUMMER MUSICALS AT ZER HILLSIDE THEATER FOR THE PAST 64 PLUS YEARS, BRINGING JOY TO THE HEARTS OF UP TO 50,000

[01:50:01]

PEOPLE IN A SUMMER SEASON.

THAT'S FREE SUMMER MUSICALS, NOT A COMMERCIAL INTEREST, NEVER WILL BE IN THE DRAFT VISION PLAN, HISTORY AND CULTURE AS A GUIDING PRINCIPLE.

AND THE VISION PLAN TREATS ZER HILLSIDE THEATER AND OTHER CULTURAL AMENITIES LIKE ZILKER BOTANICAL GARDEN AND AUSTIN NATURE CENTER, AUSTIN NATURE AND SCIENCE CENTER AS HISTORIC AND CULTURAL RESOURCES BY INTEGRATING THEM INTO THE FUTURE LIFE OF ZILKER PARK.

THESE ARE SOME OF THE GREATEST CULTURAL TREASURES THAT AUSTIN HAS TO OFFER.

THE PLAN PROVIDES A NEW LOCATION FOR THE HILLSIDE THEATER ACROSS THE BEAUTIFUL LAND BRIDGE FROM THE CENTRAL PARKING GARAGE.

SO VITAL FOR OUR PATRONS AND OTHER PARK USERS TO CROSS BARTON SPRINGS ROAD SAFELY AND ALLOW ACCESS FOR ALL WITH THEIR STROLLERS AND COOLERS AND, AND BLANKETS FOR A DAY ON THE HILLSIDE.

THIS PROVIDES A SUCCESSFUL BALANCE BETWEEN HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND CURRENT AND FUTURE NEEDS OF THE THEATER.

DIVERSITY AND EQUITY ARE ALSO GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF THE VISION PLAN WITH ITS CENTRAL LOCATION.

THE PLAN LINKS THE THEATER IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE BOTANICAL GARDENS NATURE AND SCIENCE CENTER SO THAT THEY CAN MORE EASILY SHARE PROGRAMMING SPACE.

TOGETHER THESE CREATE VALUABLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ARTISTS, MUSICIANS, AND PERFORMERS.

ZILBER THEATER HAS BROUGHT MUSIC, THEATER AND CULTURE TO A DIVERSE GROUP OF AUSTINITES THAT OTHERWISE WOULD NOT HAVE SUCH AN OPPORTUNITY.

WE SUPPORT THIS PLAN.

PLEASE HELP PUSH IT ACROSS THE FINISH LINE.

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING.

OH, AND, UM, HAVE, HAVE ANY OF Y'ALL ACTUALLY SUFFERED THROUGH THE SUMMER HEAT TO LISTEN TO ONE OF THE SUMMER MUSICALS? SHOW OF HANDS.

OH, THANK YOU.

UH, WE'LL COME OUT THIS YEAR.

IT'S MATILDA KIND OF A DARK COMEDY, AND IF YOU WANNA WALK ON ROLL, YOU'VE GOT MY EMAIL, LET ME KNOW.

THANK YOU, SIR FOR YOUR COMMENT.

NEXT UP WE HAVE LAURA MEENAL AND SHE HAS A PRESENTATION.

HELLO EVERYBODY.

UM, MY NAME IS LAURA INGAL.

I'M THE DAUGHTER OF HOWARD AND DOROTHY BARNETT.

PICTURED HERE WITH ANN KITCHEN AS THEY RECEIVE AN AUSTIN ICONIC BUSINESS PROCLAMATION FOR BEING IN BUSINESS FOR 50 YEARS.

AS FOUNDING MEMBERS OF THE AUSTIN, UH, SIERRA CLUB, THEY HAVE BEEN NATURE LOVERS FOR THEIR ENTIRE LIVES.

IF YOU KNOW MY DAD AT ALL, THEN YOU KNOW HE IS NOT A BOASTFUL MAN.

FOR THE PAST 54 YEARS, HE HAS QUIETLY BEEN PROVIDING FREE BOATING TO ANYONE IN NEED OR WHO WANTS TO DO A CLEANUP.

THAT IS WHY I'M HERE TODAY TO LET YOU KNOW WHO WE ARE.

BOTTOM LINE IS WE LOVE ZER PARK, WE LOVE BARTON CREEK, AND WE LOVE OUR COMMUNITY, WHO LOVINGLY CALL US THE PEOPLE'S BOAT RENTAL.

UM, FOR THE ENVIRONMENT PER OUR CONTRACT, WE ARE OBLIGATED TO RESTORE AND REPAIR THE AREA AFTER FLOODING, WHICH WE HAVE DONE AT OUR OWN EXPENSE AND ARE NOW NOT AT RISK OF LOO, ARE NOW NOT AT RISK OF LOSING EVERYTHING.

WE HAVE TAKEN MEASURES TO ENSURE RESTORATION AFTER FLOODS IS DONE WITH THE CREEK'S ENVIRONMENT IN MIND, KEEPING THE SAFETY OF THE CREEK PEOPLE AND THE INCOMING, UM, INCOME PRODUCING CITY ASSET IN MIND WHEN DOING SO.

SORRY.

HAVE A TYPO.

, PLEASE DON'T MOVE US.

WE HAVE SUCCESSFULLY OPERATED IN THIS PLACE FOR 54 YEARS AND HAVE PAID THE CITY ALMOST $130,000 IN REVENUE.

THIS 2022 YEAR ALONE, MOVING THE LOCATION WILL NEGATIVELY IMPACT REVENUE TO THE CITY AS IT WILL MAKE IT LESS ACCESSIBLE FOR EVERYONE.

THE EASE OF ACCESS TO VOTING AS IT SITS WILL NOW BECOME BURDENSOME TO THE PATRONS OF THE PARK AND THE UNDERSERVED POPULATION WHO USE OUR RENTALS WITH EASE.

CREEKSIDE.

UM, HERE ARE SOME OF THE PEOPLE WE, WE SERVE, UH, THE SUNSHINE CAMP WE SERVE.

COULD YOU WRAP UP YOUR COMMENTS? YOUR TIME IS EXPIRED.

OH, SORRY.

UM, YES, WE SERVE, UH, AN ESTIMATED OVER 20,000 CAMPERS HAVE BEEN PROVIDED FREE BOATING OVER THE YEARS.

FREE RENTALS FOR AUSTIN NATURE AND SIGN CENTER CAPS CAMPS.

BIG BROTHERS AND BIG SISTERS AND JOY FREE BOATING EVERY TIME THEY BRING SOMEONE DOWN TO THE CREEK.

WE HAVE SHARED EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS AND OPPORTUNITIES OVER THE YEARS.

HERE'S THE TEXAS RIVER SCHOOL, COMING DOWN TO OUR CREEK.

UM, CLEAN LADY BIRD LAKE WITH KEEP AUSTIN.

UM, HERE'S ALL THE CLEANUPS THAT WE'VE SPONSORED THROUGH, UH, AUSTIN YOUTH RIVER WATCH,

[01:55:01]

BEAUTIFUL.

AND HERE IS JUST SOME VERBIAGE FROM OUR, UM, OUR WAIVER, WHICH SAYS, WE UNDERSTAND THAT BARTON CREEK IS AN ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE AREA AND WE WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT THEY NEED TO TAKE CARE OF IT AND BRING BACK ALL OF THEIR TRASH, ET CETERA, ET CETERA.

I HAVE LOTS MORE ON THE SLIDE IF YOU WANNA LOOK, BUT, UM, WE SPONSORED, YOU KNOW, ART SPRINGS UNIVERSITY.

UM, PLEASE, I'LL EMAIL YOU THE SLIDE, BUT PLEASE DON'T MOVE US.

AND IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND, PLEASE DO EMAIL THOSE TO ELIZABETH, THE SLIDES TO ELIZABETH, UM, THEN SHE CAN DISTRIBUTE IT TO THE COMMISSION.

NEXT UP WE HAVE KIRK MITCHELL, UH, WHO YOU'RE DONATING YOUR TIME TO MR. BUNCH.

UH, NEXT UP WE HAVE ANNA GIRE.

GOOD EVENING CHAIR AND COMMISSIONERS.

MY NAME IS ANNA GIRE.

I'M A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT TWO IN EAST DAWSON.

I CURRENTLY SERVE AS THE, AS THE IMMEDIATE PASTOR OF THE SOUTHEAST NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN CONTACT TEAM AND AM THE PRESIDENT OF THE AUSTIN NEIGHBORHOODS COUNCIL.

THE A C REPRESENTS NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS ACROSS THE CITY.

ON MARCH 23RD, 2022, WE VOTED ON AND PASSED THE RESOLUTION REGARDING THE REILING OF SILK PARK.

THAT RESOLUTION IS BEING PRESENTED TO YOU.

THIS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS REQUIRES US TO PRESENT AND READ THE PROPOSED LANGUAGE AND POST IT ON OUR WEBSITE AND ALLOWS OUR MEMBERSHIP TO REVIEW AND COMMENT ON THE RESOLUTION THE FOLLOWING MONTH, THE MEMBERSHIP ACT AND VOTES ON THE RESOLUTION.

THE A N C ENDORSED THE RE REVOLVING SILK PARK REPORT AND REQUESTED THAT IT'S RECOMMENDATIONS BE INCLUDED IN THE FINAL DRAFT OF THE SILK MULTI METROPOLITAN PARK VISION PLAN.

WE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHICH RECOMMENDATIONS WERE NOT INCLUDED IN THE SILK PARK VISION PLAN AND WHAT IS THE RATIONALE FOR THIS.

ADDITIONALLY, THE EQUITY OFFICE WAS NOT CONSULTED FOR REVIEW AND COMMENT ON THE DRAFT OF THE PLAN.

THIS PROPOSAL WAS PRESENTED TO THE CONTACT TEAM AND WE WERE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW THIS PLAN WOULD HELP US IN EAST AUSTIN.

HOW ABOUT FREE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION TO ZEGAR PARK? OR EVEN BETTER, HOW ABOUT IMPROVING THE NORTH ONION CREEK METROPOLITAN PARK THAT NOW EXISTS DUE TO THE DEADLY AND CATASTROPHIC 2013 AND 2015 FLOODS? THAT WOULD BE A MOVE THAT WOULD HELP DEMONSTRATE EQUITY.

ON PAGE 209 OF THIS PLAN, THERE IS A REFERENCE TO THE PROPOSED Z PARK UMBRELLA ORGANIZATION.

THIS WAS NOT PRESENTED TO THE CONTACT TEAM.

HOW WOULD THIS ORGANIZATION BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE? THE AUSTIN MONITOR HAD ORGANIZATION HAD ALREADY ESTABLISHED A NON-PROFIT STATUS.

THIS CALLS TO QUESTION THE PUBLIC'S TRUST IN THIS PROCESS, ESPECIALLY JUAN.

IT IS ALREADY DESIGNED TO HELP BENEFIT A CERTAIN FEW.

AGAIN, HOW WILL THIS HELP EAST AUSTIN OR THE REST OF AUSTIN? AGAIN, THE EQUITY OFFICE SHOULD BE CONSULTED.

CLOSING ON PAGES 71 AND 72, PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUES ON THAT.

ON PAGE 85, UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANKS.

WHERE ARE THEY? HOW ARE THEY GONNA BE ENVIRONMENTALLY SAFE? THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION AND SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY.

I RAN OUT OF TIME.

THANK.

NEXT UP WE HAVE BEN THOMPSON AND YOU HAVE FOUR MINUTES.

UH, MY NAME'S BEN THOMPSON.

I LIVE IN DISTRICT TWO.

UM, I'M PART OF THE REWILD GROUP.

UM, I'D LIKE TO THANK ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.

I'D ALSO LIKE TO THANK BOBBY FOR, UH, GIVING ME HIS TWO MINUTES.

UM, SO AS YOU'VE ALREADY HEARD, I WOULD SAY THE BIGGEST DISAGREEMENT, UM, BETWEEN EVERYBODY WHO'S PARTICIPATED IN THIS PLAN AT THIS POINT IS THE PARKING GARAGES, UM, FOLLOWED CLOSELY BY, UM, ANY OTHER NUMBER OF LARGE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS THAT ARE IN THE DRAFT PLAN AT THIS POINT.

UM, WHEN I GO OUT AND TALK TO PEOPLE ABOUT THE PLAN, HOW I FEEL ABOUT IT, THINGS I LIKE ABOUT IT AND THINGS I DON'T LIKE ABOUT IT, UH, ONE OF THE THING ONE OF THE WAYS I DESCRIBE IT IS THAT WE'RE, WE'RE NOT LIKELY TO BUILD OUR WAY OUT OF THE PROBLEMS THAT ARE FACING ZILKER PARK RIGHT NOW, NOR WILL WE BUILD OUR WAY OUT OF THE PROBLEMS THAT THE PARK WILL FACE 50 YEARS FROM NOW.

UM, CLEARLY REASONABLE MINDS, UH, DISAGREE ON THAT QUESTION.

UM, AND AS YOU'VE ALREADY HEARD, THE UH, BASIS OF THAT ARGUMENT IS A SIMPLE ONE.

IT'S THAT, UM, WE CAN CONSOLIDATE SURFACE PARKING INTO PARKING

[02:00:01]

GARAGES.

THAT IS A SMALLER AREA OF IMPERVIOUS COVER AND IMPERVIOUS COVER IS BAD.

I DON'T NEED TO EXPLAIN WHY WE NEED TO REDUCE IT, BUT WE ALL AGREE THAT IMPERVIOUS COVER SHOULD BE REDUCED AT EVERY POSSIBLE OPPORTUNITY.

AND, UH, BUT, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT'S IN THE PLAN IS, HEY, WE DID THE MATH.

IT'S VERY SIMPLE MATH.

WE'RE REDUCING IMPERVIOUS COVER PERIOD.

NO MORE QUESTIONS.

WE HAVE A LOT OF MORE QUESTIONS.

WE HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE GARAGES THEMSELVES, THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT, THEIR IMPACT ON CLIMATE, THEIR FEASIBILITY.

IT'S IN TERMS OF IF THEY CAN EVEN BE BUILT AND IF THEY CAN, SHOULD THEY BE BUILT.

UM, IT'S, UH, AND THEN TO THE QUESTION OF IMPERVIOUS COVER.

WELL, WHAT DOES THE PLAN ACTUALLY SAY ABOUT IMPERVIOUS COVER? UM, I WASN'T AT THE MEETING LAST NIGHT WHEN APPARENTLY SOME OF THE, THE NUMBERS MAY HAVE CHANGED, BUT I'M WORKING ON OFF OF THE, THE DRAFT THAT WAS, UM, PUBLISHED, UM, IN MARCH.

AND IT'S PAGE 1 59 OF THAT VERSION.

AND BASICALLY IT SAYS, UH, 35.92 ACRES OF EXISTING IMPERVIOUS COVER THAT'S NOT CONSISTENT WITH SOME OTHER, UH, INFORMATION.

ALSO, ANOTHER PART OF THE PLANT THAT SAYS 51 ACRES OF IMPERVIOUS COVER.

UM, IT APPEARS THAT THIS NUMBER DOESN'T INCLUDE, UH, MOPAC AND SIDEWALKS WITHIN THE PARK.

UM, BUT IT SAYS, HEY, IN BOLD RIGHT NEXT TO IT PROPOSED 27.

WELL, THERE'S THREE LINES ABOVE THAT, UH, NUMBER THAT DON'T ADD UP TO 27, THEY ADD UP TO, UH, 34 AND CHANGE.

SO AGAIN, I DON'T KNOW IF, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE AT THE POINT OF THIS PLAN WHERE COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE EXPECTED TO LIKE DOUBLE CHECK THE MATH IN THE PLAN AND JUST MAKE SURE IT'S COOL OR SHOULD IT, IT, IT SEEMS LIKE WE'RE MAYBE JUMPING THE GUN IF WE HAVEN'T ANSWERED THOSE SIMPLE QUESTIONS AS FAR AS WHAT ACTUAL IMPERVIOUS COVER REDUCTIONS ARE BEING PROPOSED.

UM, THE GARAGES THEMSELF, THERE'S A BIG QUESTION THERE.

WHETHER A BURIED GARAGE IS IMPERVIOUS, IF IT'S IMPERVIOUS OR PERVIOUS.

UM, SOME MIGHT CALL THIS A GREEN ROOF.

UH, THERE ARE REGULATORY WAYS OF, OF ACCOUNTING FOR THAT.

IN TERMS OF IMPERVIOUS COVER CALCULATIONS, NONE OF THAT IS ACTUALLY IN THE PLAN.

SO WE DON'T KNOW.

WE JUST HAVE TO GUESS.

UM, THERE, IT, THE PLAN ADDS A GOOD BIT OF NEW PAVEMENT.

UM, NOT REALLY CLEAR WHERE THOSE EXISTING SIDEWALKS ARE GOING.

OBVIOUSLY SOME OF THEM ARE GOING.

UM, BUT THE POINT IS WE JUST HAVE, WE HAVE A LOT OF VERY IMPORTANT QUESTIONS ON THAT IMPERVIOUS COVER ISSUE THAT HAVE NOT BEEN ANSWERED IN THE PLAN AND IT SHOULD NOT BE PASSED UNTIL THOSE QUESTIONS ARE ANSWERED.

LANES OF TRAFFIC COMING ACROSS THE BRIDGE.

THANK YOU SIR.

NEXT UP WE HAVE ROY WAGLEY.

OH, WHALEY, WHALEY.

SORRY.

IT WAS WRITTEN IN CURSIVE .

I SWEAR I COULD RECURSIVE TOO.

, IT'S MORE LIKELY THAT IT WAS WRITTEN IN CRAYON, BUT HOW DO Y'ALL, MY NAME IS ROY WHALEY AND I SERVE AS THE CONSERVATION CONSERVATION CHAIR FOR THE AUSTIN REGIONAL GROUP OF THE SIERRA CLUB.

AND I'D LIKE TO START OUT LIKE I ALWAYS DO ON THIS.

NO ONE'S CAR WANTS TO GO TO THE PARK, PEOPLE WANT TO GO TO THE PARK.

WE HAVE TO MOVE TO A TRANSIT SOCIETY THAT CAN GET PEOPLE TO THE PARK AND THERE'S SO MUCH TO SAY AND TWO MINUTES IS NEVER ENOUGH.

SO I'M HOPING Y'ALL WON'T PLAN ON TAKING ANY ACTION ON THIS TONIGHT BECAUSE YOU WON'T HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION.

WE, UH, ARE DOING THIS IN TYPICAL AUSTIN STYLED.

UH, LAST NIGHT I WENT TO A MEETING ON THE, UH, THE RESTORATION OR REPLACEMENT OF THE HISTORIC BRIDGE ENTERING ZER PARK TONIGHT I'M HERE TOMORROW NIGHT.

I WILL BE TAKING PART OF A ZOOM MEETING DEALING WITH PROJECT CONNECT.

ALL OF THOSE THINGS PLAY INTO THIS EXCEPT FOR NOBODY KNOWS THAT AT THE MEETING LAST NIGHT, THE, THE PLANNERS HAD NO IDEA WHAT THE, THE ZILKER PLAN WAS.

THEY'VE GOT THIS ENORMOUS BRIDGE PLANNED ACROSS BARTON CREEK.

THE PEDESTRIAN BIKEWAY IS GOING TO BE, AS THEY TOLD ME, THE SIZE OF THE FLUGER BRIDGE.

AND THEN YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE FOUR

[02:05:01]

AND THE PLAN CALLS THAT WE NARROW THE ROAD THROUGH ZER TO TWO LANES.

NO IDEA HOW TO DEAL WITH THAT.

NO IDEA ON THE IMPERVIOUS COVER THAT THEY ARE ADDING TO THE, THE PLAN BY THE ADDITIONAL SIDEWALKS FOR PEDESTRIANS AND, AND CYCLISTS.

AND THEN TOMORROW NIGHT, I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL ARE AWARE OF IT, I DON'T THINK THEY ARE, THAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT HAVING A TRAIN STOP, A RAIL STOP AT THE LONG CENTER.

AND THAT WOULD BE A PERFECT STAGING PLACE FOR PARKING AND, AND, UH, FOR A SHUTTLE TO BRING PEOPLE TO ZER PARK AND TO HAVE A VARIETY OF WAYS TO WORK THAT SHUTTLE SO THAT PEOPLE WITH THEIR PETS CAN BE ON ONE PEOPLE.

MR. MR. WHALEY, CAN YOU WRAP UP YOUR COMPANY PLEASE? ARE YOU SURE? , YOU KNOW, I KEPT TALKING WRONG.

ANYWAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.

DON'T TAKE ACTION TONIGHT PLEASE.

THERE ARE SO MANY MOVING PARTS.

LET'S REALLY WORK THROUGH THIS SO THAT IT IS THE BEST PART FOR EVERYONE IN AUSTIN.

IN ADDITION TO THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS.

NOT EVERYBODY WANTS TO GO TO ZILKER PARK.

THEY WANT TO HAVE SOME OF THE MONEY, LIKE THE 50 MILLION ON THE LAND BRIDGE SPENT ON THEIR PARK.

THANK YOU SIR.

NEXT UP WE HAVE DANIELLA, UH, SILVA.

MY NAME IS DANIELLA SIVA, MY PRONOUNCE HER SHIVA, AND I'M A DIS, UH, RESIDENT OF DISTRICT THREE.

UM, SO ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS ABOUT PERVIOUS COVER IS TO ALLOW WATER TO SEEP INTO THE SOILS BELOW.

SO CREATING A PERVIOUS GREEN SPACE OVER A PARKING LOT SEEMS PRETTY COUNTERINTUITIVE TO THAT PURPOSE.

SO YES, WE MAY GET SLIGHTLY MORE GREEN SURFACE AREA, BUT AT THE COST OF MASSIVE DISTURBANCES TO OUR SOIL HEALTH.

SO IS THAT WORTH IT? PERSONALLY? I DON'T THINK SO.

AND AUSTINITES, AS YOU CAN SEE, ARE TIRED OF THE COMMODITIZATION AND THE PRIVATIZATION OF OUR CITY.

TOO MANY ASPECTS OF THE DRAFT ZILKER VISION PLANS SEEM TO FURTHER PRIVATE PROFITS RATHER THAN EXPANDING PUBLIC GOOD.

I DON'T NEED TO TELL YOU THAT PARKS PLAY A VITAL ROLE IN THE INTERSECTION OF CLIMATE MITIGATION, PHYSICAL AND MENTAL WELLBEING AND COMMUNITY HEALTH.

AS AUSTIN CONTINUES TO DEVELOP AND BECOME A MORE DENSE CITY, WE MUST PRIORITIZE THE PROTECTION OF OUR GREEN SPACES NOW MORE THAN EVER.

SO TO BE CLEAR, I'M A HUGE FAN OF ALL OF THE ECOLOGICAL UPLIFTS IN THE PLAN.

I THINK THEY'RE GREAT.

UM, THAT BEING SAID, I AM HERE IN SUPPORT OF THE ZILKER PARK REWILDING PLAN, AND I ECHO ALL OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE VISION PLAN EDITS.

PLEASE DON'T TAKE ACTION ON THIS TODAY.

TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION WHAT THE COMMUNITY HAS BEEN SHARING WITH YOU.

WHAT OUR NEEDS ARE BECAUSE WE ARE THE ONES WHO PLAN TO BE HER FOR THE NEXT 50 YEARS.

AND WE WANT TO ENJOY BEAUTIFUL, ECOLOGICALLY DENSE PARK FOR THOSE NEXT 50 YEARS.

SO YES TO GREENERY, NO TO CONSTRUCTION.

NEXT UP YOU HAVE MARK WEILER OR WHEELER.

THANK YOU .

HEY GUYS, FIRST OF ALL, THANKS FOR YOUR SERVICE.

YEAH, I AM SO, UH, SO GRATEFUL.

UM, I'M A THIRD GENERATION AUSTINITE.

UH, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY THAN THAT, I HAVE TWO GENERATIONS BEHIND ME.

MY TWO CHILDREN LIVE HERE AND MY GRANDCHILDREN LIVE HERE.

AND WE USED ZER PARK GRANDDAUGHTERS AT THE KITE FESTIVAL LAST WEEK, RIGHT.

UM, BUT ALL THAT THEY SAID, SO I'M AN ENGINEER, RIGHT? AND I KNOW A LOT OF REALLY SMART ENGINEERS.

UH, BUT THE PROBLEM WITH ENGINEERS A LOT OF TIMES IS LIKE THEY DON'T HAVE COMMON SENSE , YOU THINK I'M KIDDING? I KNOW, I KNOW ENGINEERS THAT CAN DESIGN THE BEST WIDGET THAT YOU CAN THINK OF, BUT IT DOESN'T SOLVE THE PROBLEM OR, RIGHT? AND SO I, WHEN I LOOK AT THE, THE PLAN AS IT SITS, I'M LIKE, WHERE'S THE COMMON SENSE? AND IN THIS PLAN, OKAY? AND SO THAT'S ONE THING I WANTED TO MENTION FROM AN ENVIRONMENTAL STANDPOINT.

I WENT AND LIKE JUST FOR MYSELF, I'M LIKE, HOW CLOSE IS THAT PARKING GARAGE ON AZ MORTON TO ACTUALLY TO SUNKEN GARDENS, WHICH IS, I THINK SUNKEN GARDENS SHOULD HAVE A WHOLE LOT MORE EMPHASIS IN THIS, THIS PLAN.

YOU KNOW, IT'S ABOUT A HUNDRED YARDS OR SO FROM THAT PARKING

[02:10:01]

GARAGE.

I MEAN, LIKE, SO THERE GOES MY COMMON SENSE.

IF I'M DESIGNING THIS THING, AM I GONNA PUT A PARKING GARAGE A HUNDRED YARDS AWAY FROM A SALAMANDER HABITAT THAT'S FEDERALLY PROTECTED? I DON'T THINK SO.

RIGHT? AND THE OTHER PART FROM AN ENVIRONMENTAL STANDPOINT IS THAT IF WE, UH, THESE CONCRETE STRUCTURES, I MEAN, MY GOD, CONCRETE IS ONE OF THE WORST CARBON EMITTERS IN THE WORLD WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU BUILD STRUCTURES OUT OF CONCRETE, RIGHT? AND WHEN YOU NARROW BARTON SPRINGS ROAD DOWN TO ONE LANE WITH PARALLEL PARKING, AND YOU BACK UP ALL THAT TRAFFIC, THINK OF ALL THE CARBON, ALL THOSE CARS ARE PUT IN THE, IN THE, IN THE AIR FOR, UH, FOREVER AT THIS POINT.

SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS I WANTED TO DIMENSION, BUT, UH, I WANTED TO SAY SOMETHING ON BEHALF OF MY SON, UM, BECAUSE HE COULDN'T BE HERE TONIGHT.

HE'S 30 YEARS OLD.

UM, AND HE'S LIKE, WHAT? WHY? ALL THE FOCUS ON CARS, DAD, WHY ALL THE FOCUS ON CARS? MY GENERATION, WE'RE NOT GONNA BE DRIVING CARS DOWN TO THE PARK IN NEXT 10, 20, 30 YEARS.

WHY? ALL THE FOCUS ON CARS, DAD.

AND I'LL JUST LEAVE YOU WITH THAT AND THANK YOU.

IS THE TERRACING, THE STADIUM SEATING TERRACING THEY WANT TO DO RIGHT ALONG, UH, BARTON CREEK, JUST BELOW THE SPRINGS.

NEXT UP WE HAVE BILL BUNCH, AND YOU HAVE FOUR MINUTES.

THANK YOU CHAIR BOARD MEMBERS.

UH, I THINK I HAVE ONE OTHER PERSON TO DONATE TIME IF I NEED IT.

I'LL TRY NOT TO.

UH, BILL BUNCH.

I'M EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SAVE OUR SPRINGS ALLIANCE, A REGULAR SWIMMER AT THE SPRINGS.

I RIDE MY BIKE, I WALK IN THE, ON THE TRAILS IN THE PARK, HIKE, UH, PLAY.

AND, UH, I'VE LOVED THE HILLSIDE THEATER FOR MANY YEARS BY MYSELF WITH FRIENDS AND WITH MY YOUNG DAUGHTER.

I LOVE IT BECAUSE IT'S RIGHT NEXT TO THE SPRINGS AND THERE'S BIG TREES THAT WE JUST SPENT A MILLION DOLLARS FIXING IT UP.

THERE'S A NEW BATHROOM THERE, YOU CAN POP INTO THE SPRINGS BEFORE IT STARTS.

YOU CAN POP INTO THE SPRINGS AT INTERMISSION.

UM, IF IT'S MOVED WAY OVER THERE, UH, I DOUBT I'LL EVER GO AGAIN.

UM, I HAVE GIVEN YOU TWO PIECES OF PAPER.

UH, THE FIRST ONE IS THIS SORT OF SIDE BY SIDE.

THAT'S A SIMPLE REFERENCE.

I MEAN, YOU REALLY HAVE TWO VISIONS FOR THE FUTURE OF THE PARK.

ONE IS THE COMMERCIAL MONEY MAKING DEVELOP IT, SPEND 200 MILLION VERSION THAT CAME FROM THE CITY CONSULTANT.

UH, THE OTHER IS THE RE WILD ZER PLAN, WHICH YOU CAN SEE THE DETAILS AND MORE OF INFORMATION ON THE REWAL ZER.ORG WEBSITE.

BUT THIS IS A PRETTY GOOD SUMMARY OF THE KEY POINTS.

UM, REALLY WHAT'S ON THE TABLE THOUGH, FROM THE CITY IS TO CONVERT WHAT SHOULD BE A PUBLIC PARK THAT'S RESTORED WHERE WE ESCAPE FROM DEVELOPMENT.

WE ESCAPE FROM URBAN, UH, NOISE POLLUTION.

WE GET OUTSIDE, WE TOUCH NATURE AND WE PLAY OUTSIDE.

UM, BUT WHAT'S PROPOSED IS TO MAKE IT EVEN MORE OF A YEAR ROUND OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT.

AND THAT'S WHAT ALL THE MONEY'S FOR.

THAT'S WHAT ALL THE PARKING GARAGES ARE FOR.

UH, IT'S ABSOLUTELY IN CONFLICT WITH OUR CITY'S LONG RANGE PARKS PLAN, UH, WHICH YOU'VE HEARD NOTHING ABOUT.

THE BACKSIDE OF THAT SHEET SHOWS YOU THE PUBLIC INPUT ON OUR CITYWIDE LONG RANGE PLAN AND WHAT THE PEOPLE SAID THEY WANT FROM OUR PARKS.

AND IF YOU SPEND SOME TIME LOOKING AT THE, THIS IS A ONE PAGER THAT SUMMARIZED THAT PUBLIC INPUT, YOU'LL SEE THAT THE ZILKER PARK PLAN ON THE TABLE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH OUR OWN OFFICIAL PARKS PLAN FOR THE CITY.

THE SECOND PIECE OF PAPER I GAVE YOU, UH, INCLUDES THIS SLIDE THAT GAIL ROADIE REFERENCED EARLIER, AND I WANTED TO WALK YOU THROUGH IT A LITTLE BIT.

AND THEN IT HAD A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT VERSION ON THE OTHER SIDE.

THIS IS SHOWING GIS DATA THAT WE GOT FROM THE CITY, UH, REPRODUCED.

UH, BUT THE FACILITIES, THE NEW PROPOSED DEVELOPMENTS WE HAD TO DRAW CUZ THEY WOULD ONLY GIVE US A PAPER MAP BECAUSE THEY'RE CLAIMING THAT THE ACTUAL GIS FOOTPRINTS OF THE PROPOSED FACILITIES ARE PRIVATE PROPERTY OF THE CONTRACTOR, EVEN THOUGH WE PAID FOR IT.

AND SO THEY'RE HOLDING THAT AS SECRET INFORMATION UNTIL ATTORNEY GENERAL SAYS THEY HAVE TO RELEASE IT.

SO WE TRACE THE LINES AND CONVERT IT INTO GIS.

AND WHAT YOU SEE MOST PROMINENTLY HERE, JUST TO TOUCH QUICKLY, THE BRIGHT RED

[02:15:01]

THE POOLS UNDER THAT YELLOW AREA, THE PARKING GARAGE YOU SEE IN BLUE, RIGHT ON AZ MORTON IN THE LOWER RIGHT CORNER, AND THEN THE BIG HUGE PARKING GARAGE UP HERE.

YOU ALSO SEE THE BRIDGE OVER THE CREEK.

THEY CALL THE SKY BRIDGE LINKING THE PARKING GARAGE TO THIS GIANT PAVED SEMI-CIRCLE.

THEY'RE CALLING A WELCOME CENTER, UM, MASSIVE CONSTRUCTION ALL WITHIN.

AND THAT'S THIS OVAL LINE IS, THAT'S MY FOUR MINUTES.

I HAVE TWO MORE MINUTES, I BELIEVE FROM ROBIN, TRUSTEE.

WE YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A TOTAL OF SIX.

YOU GOT, YOU GOT, YOU GOT TWO MORE.

SO THAT BIG LOOP WITH THE CROSSHATCHING IS OFFICIALLY FEDERALLY DESIGNATED, UH, SUBSURFACE CRITICAL HABITAT FOR THE AUSTIN BLIND SALAMANDER.

AND YOU CAN SEE THEY WOULD BE TALKING ABOUT MASSIVE CONSTRUCTION IN THAT CRITICAL HABITAT.

THAT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN.

I'M SORRY.

YOU'RE THE ENVIRONMENTAL BOARD AND THEY DIDN'T EVEN BRING THIS ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION TO YOU.

THERE'S NO CLEAR THE SETBACKS ARE HERE THAT ARE ALSO SHOWN.

YOU HAVEN'T BEEN SHOWN THAT THE RECHARGE ZONE IS NOT SHOWN HERE.

IF YOU, YOU FLIP IT OVER THE BLUE, THAT'S THE EDWARDS AQUIFER RECHARGES IT.

AND THE HYDROLOGISTS HAVE ACTUALLY MAPPED THAT MOST OF THE EX ZER PARK, THAT ONCE THE WATER INFILTRATES, IT DOESN'T FLOW TOWARDS THE RIVER, EVEN VERY CLOSE TO THE RIVER, IT FLOWS BACK TOWARDS THE SPRINGS.

SO YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT CONSTRUCTION THAT IS SUBJECT TO THE SOS ORDINANCE, UM, AND STATE AND FEDERAL LAW PROTECTING ENDANGERED SPECIES.

AND THE SPRINGS.

I I'M ABSOLUTELY DUMBFOUNDED THAT A PRIVATE ENTITY THAT WANTS TO MAKE MONEY OFF OF THIS PARK AND HAVE PRIVATE CONTROL OVER THIS PUBLIC PARK THAT'S NAMED BARTON SPRINGS CONSERVANCY, IS ADVOCATING FOR THIS CONSTRUCTION AND THIS EXPENDITURE OF FUNDS.

AND NOT ASKING FOR A PENNY TO HELP US BUY MORE WATERSHED PRESERVE LANDS UP UPSTREAM, UH, BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE.

THAT'S IN IMMEDIATE THREAT OF BEING PAVED OVER FOREVER.

WE'VE SPENT ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF COMMUNITY DOLLARS PRESERVING WHAT THE WATERSHED, BUT WE NEED TO DO A LOT MORE.

AND TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE.

UM, WE NEED THAT MONEY TO SAVE THE SPRINGS.

THAT'S THE WHOLE REASON WE HAVE THE PART HERE.

UM, THE PRIVATE MONEY MAKERS, THE FOR-PROFIT AND NON-PROFIT THAT ARE ALL TIED TOGETHER.

AND JUST TO TRACE THOSE, THAT, THAT, THAT CONNECTION.

I HAVE TWO MORE MINUTES.

THAT'S, THAT'S A, IT'S A TOTAL OF SIX OR OH, I CAN ONLY DO SIX.

YEAH, IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND JUST, JUST WRAPPING UP.

BUT YOU, UM, YOU DON'T HAVE THE INFORMATION TO SUPPORT THIS AND PLEASE DON'T SUPPORT IT.

IT, THERE'S NO WAY IT MAKES ANY ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION SENSE WHATSOEVER.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT.

NEXT UP WE HAVE TERRY ADAMS. HI, I'M TERRY ADAMS. I'M COMING BEFORE YOU TO SAY ZER PARK IS ALREADY A PARK FOR ALL OF AUSTIN.

I HAVE FOUND MY WAY THERE BY FOOT, BIKE AND CAR FOR THE PAST 40 YEARS TO SUBMERGE MYSELF IN NATURAL BEAUTY AND WILDNESS, ATTEND AND VOLUNTEER FOR ACL AND SIT ON THE HILLSIDE AND WATCH THE SUMMER MUSICALS.

WHEN I WAS A CHILD, I WENT ON FIELD TRIPS.

I'M GRATEFUL I WAS ALLOWED TO PLAY IN NATURE.

INSTEAD OF GETTING STUCK BACK IN A CLASSROOM AS A YOUNG ENVIRONMENTALIST, I WAS INSPIRED BY THE FIGHT BACK AGAINST DEVELOPERS WAGE BY CITIZENS OF AUSTIN.

I INCORPORATED THAT AS PART OF MY IDENTITY.

THIS IS THE PLACE WHERE WE FIGHT TO PRESERVE SALAMANDER HABITAT AND SAVE THE SPRINGS AND WHAT THREATENS THEM.

DEVELOPMENT.

DOES IT REALLY MAKE SENSE TO DEVELOP THE PARK THAT HOLDS BARTON SPRINGS TO TEACH PEOPLE WE NEED TO PROTECT THE WATERSHED FROM DEVELOPMENT? DO, DO NOT AS I DO, AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO.

WE ALL KNOW HOW WELL KIDS RESPOND TO THAT MESSAGE.

IF WE WANT TO CREATE FUTURE LEADERS WHO FIGHT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, WE HAVE TO CREATE A CULTURE WHERE WE FIGHT FOR IT.

IT WASN'T THOSE FIELD TRIPS TO ZILKER PARK THAT INSPIRED ME AS A CHILD.

IT WAS PEOPLE STANDING UP AGAINST BIG MONEY CORPORATE INTERESTS.

AND HERE I AM TODAY AND I'M SHOWING MORE LEADERSHIP AND PROTECTING ZER PARK THAN THE PARKS

[02:20:01]

DIRECTOR HERSELF.

WE'RE DEVELOPING A 50 YEAR VISION PLAN UNDER A DIRECTOR WHO DOESN'T WANNA DEAL WITH ZILKER PARK ANYMORE.

MCNEELY CAN'T WAIT TO HAND OVER THE PARK'S DEPARTMENT'S DUTIES TO A UNIFIED NONPROFIT.

THE LEADING MEMBER, WHICH TURNS OUT TO OWN THE A C L FESTIVAL.

ANOTHER WITCH, CLAIRE HEMPLE IS ABOUT TO RESIDE OVER AS CHAIR.

IT'S TIME TO CALL FOR THE RESIGNATION OR REMOVAL OF DIRECTOR MCNELEY BASED ON DERE ELECTION OF DUTY AND THE DOCUMENTED PUBLIC DECEPTION REGARDING MEETINGS WITH THE REWILDING RE REWILDING GROUP AND A C L.

SHE IS UNFIT FOR HER OFFICE AND WE DESERVE BETTER.

NEXT UP WE HAVE STEVE BEERS.

HELLO.

THANKS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK.

UM, I'M GLAD THAT IN AUSTIN, THE PEOPLE ARE STILL THE MASTER AND NOT TICKETMASTER.

JUST FOR A POINT OF COMPARISON, I READ 200 MILLION FOR THIS PLAN THAT SUBTRACTS PUBLIC LAND.

WE ADDED PUBLIC LAND FOR LESS THAN 200 MILLION FOR THE WATER QUALITY PROTECTION LANDS, 29,000 ACRES AND 32,000 ACRES FOR THE BCP.

HERE WE'RE ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT TAKING AWAY LAND FROM PUBLIC USE AND PUBLIC PROTECTION.

UM, WE HAVE THOUSANDS OF SPACES, AS YOU'VE HEARD, UM, ON SPYGLASS SOUTH, MOPAC WALLING, WOOD BARTON SKYWAY.

THOSE OFFICE BUILDINGS ARE CLOSED IN THE EVENINGS AND WEEKENDS FOR THE MOST PART.

INSTEAD OF SHRINKING THE PARK AREA TO GIVE IT OVER TO PARKING LOTS AND PARKING GARAGES.

WHY DON'T WE EXPAND THE PERIMETERS OF THE PARK BY USING EXISTING PARKING SPACES, PAYING THOSE PEOPLE WHERE MAYBE THEY WOULD EVEN DONATE THOSE, THOSE THINGS.

YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT THERE'S ACTIVE USERS.

I'M NOT ABLEIST HERE, AND THERE'S PEOPLE, PEOPLE WHO REALLY JUST WANT TO PARK CLOSE BY AND TAKE OUT THE, THE COOLER, UH, AND THE, AND LET OUT THE KIDS.

AND, AND I GET THAT.

BUT I, BUT I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, THE, THE PROXIMITY OF SOME OF THESE GARAGES THAT ALREADY EXIST MIGHT BE CLOSER TO A LOT OF AREAS IN THE PARK THAN THESE GRANDIOSE PROPOSED CONSTRUCTIONS ARE.

SO I THINK THAT WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS LEASE OR OTHERWISE PURCHASE THOSE SPACES OR, OR MAYBE EVEN CONDEMN PROPERTY AND BUILD A NEW GARAGE IF WE REALLY HAD TO.

AND HAVE A LITTLE SHUTTLE SERVICE THAT GOES EVERY 10 MINUTES DOWN TO THE, THE CENTER OF THE PARK.

UM, OTHER CONCERNS? THERE'S HISTORIC DISTRICT HERE.

HOW ARE YOU GONNA GET AROUND THAT? UM, WHY DO WE PRIVILEGE, UH, DESTINATION TRAFFIC WITH PARKING GARAGES AND SHRINK THE, UM, THE STEVE, YOUR TIME THROUGH TRAFFIC WITH TWO LANES.

IF WE WANT A LAND BRIDGE AND WE WANT TO HAVE TO DISCOURAGE THROUGH TRAVEL, THEN MAKE THE LAND BRIDGE AT GRADE CUT Z BARTON SPRINGS ROAD IN HALF AND BUILD.

SIR, WE NEED YOU TO WRAP UP YOUR COMPANY, BUILD GREEN SPACE ACROSS.

ANYWAY, THIS IS AN OUTRAGEOUS PLANT.

I HOPE YOU REJECT IT.

THEY SPEND 20 MINUTES OF UNSUPERVISED TIME IN, UH, EXCUSE ME, UNSTRUCTURED TIME AND NATURE.

NEXT UP WE HAVE JOE KENDALL.

GOOD EVENING.

UH, MY NAME'S JOE KENDALL AND I WANT TO START BY THANKING YOU FOR YOUR COMMUNITY SERVICE.

UH, I KNOW WHAT IT TOOK FROM YOU TO GET HERE TONIGHT, AND, UH, I CAN'T IMAGINE HOW FREQUENTLY YOU HAVE TO DO IT, SO THANK YOU.

THAT'S, UH, APPRECIATE IT.

UM, I'M THE, UH, FOUNDER AND THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE CHATAUQUA FOUNDATION.

YOU MET ME NOLES BETTER AS THE TEXAS RIVER SCHOOL.

UM, WE'RE A NONPROFIT FOUNDATION, AND WE HAVE A LITTLE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE OF ZILKER PARK BECAUSE FOR THE LAST 32 YEARS, WE'VE TAKEN 13,000 UNDERSERVED YOUTHS TO, UM, LADY BIRD LAKE AND BARTON CREEK, UH, BY CANOES.

UH, THE RESEARCH TELLS US THAT, UH, OUR CH KIDS ARE SUFFERING FROM A NATURE DEFICIT.

UH, THEY DON'T SPEND ENOUGH TIME IN NATURE.

AND THIS IS PARTICULARLY THE, UM, UNDERSERVED POPULATION THAT ALSO, UH, SO THE RESEARCH SUPPORTS THE FACT THAT, UH, THE KIDS WILL DO BETTER ON THEIR STANDARDIZED TESTING IF

[02:25:01]

UM, SO WE WANT TO DO IS SUPPORT, UH, THE REWILDING BECAUSE, UM, I, I'VE SEEN THE KIDS, UH, COME BACK FROM THE TRIPS THEY'VE EXPERIENCED ON THE RIVER.

AND IN THE JOY THAT YOU SEE IN THEIR FACES, THE CONFIDENCE THAT IT BUILDS IS INCREDIBLE.

IT'S LIKE TAKING THEM TO THE MOON.

THEY'VE, THEY'VE NEVER BEEN IN A BOAT BEFORE.

THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO SWIM.

THEIR PARENTS ARE AFRAID OF THE WATER.

THEY'VE PASSED THAT ON TO THEIR KIDS.

AND WE WANT TO DO IS MAKE AND TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY WE CAN TO PROVIDE MORE ACCESS TO NATURE FOR OUR STUDENTS, THEIR CHILDREN.

UH, WE NEED MORE NATURE, NOT MORE CONCRETE, NOT MORE UNDERGROUND PARKING LOTS.

WE ALSO NEED TO ADDRESS THE INEQUALITY.

UH, WE NEED TO WORK HARDER ON GETTING THE PEOPLE TO THE PARKS THAT, UH, NORMALLY WOULDN'T HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY.

UH, SO WE NEED TO KEEP IT AFFORDABLE.

UH, MAKING MORE DAYS FOR, UM, THE, UH, PROFIT MAKERS IS NOT THE ANSWER.

SO PLEASE REJECT THIS.

AND NEXT UP WE HAVE SHELBY ORM, OR ORME.

HI COMMISSIONERS.

UH, THANKS FOR HEARING US SPEAK, AND I HOPE THAT YOU ARE ACTIVELY LISTENING TO THE INCREDIBLE ENVIRONMENTALISTS WHO HAVE TAKEN THEIR TIME OUT OF THEIR DAYS TO BE HERE TODAY.

UM, AND I'M NOT HERE ON THE BEHALF OF ANYONE EXCEPT ZILKER PARK USERS.

I CHANGED MY PLANS TO BE HERE TONIGHT, AND I CAME STRAIGHT HERE FROM RUNNING ERRANDS, WHICH EXPLAINS MY OUTFIT.

BUT I EXPLAINED THAT TO EMPHASIZE HOW DIFFICULT IT IS FOR WORKING CLASS PEOPLE TO MAKE IT TO MEETINGS LIKE THIS.

AND I HOPE YOU'RE AWARE THAT IT IS A PRIVILEGE TO HAVE THE TIME AND ABILITY TO BE HERE TONIGHT.

SO I DECIDED TO SPEAK ON THE BEHALF OF THE THOUSANDS OF FOLKS I SHARE ZILKER PARK WITH.

EVERY SATURDAY MORNING, MY WIFE PLAYS PICKUP SOCCER.

I SIT ON THE SIDELINES AND CHEER.

AND IF YOU SPOKE TO THE COMMUNITY ON PLAN AS BIG AS THIS ONE, IT VERY MUCH, IT VERY MUCH FEELS LIKE THIS PLAN WAS DEVELOPED LONG BEFORE THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF PUBLIC AWARENESS.

UM, AND THE PEOPLE I SHARE ZILKER PARK WITH EACH WEEK HAVE NO AWARENESS OF THIS PROJECT.

AND TO ME, THAT FEELS LIKE THIS PLAN IS THEFT FROM THE PUBLIC TO PLACE IT IN THE HANDS OF PRIVATE INTEREST.

UM, I THINK THAT I THINK THAT PER A PARK, UM, AS BELOVED AS ZILKER, THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE.

AND I URGE YOU TO KEEP, UH, THOSE WHO COULD NOT BE HERE IN MIND AND TO HOLD OFF ON APPROVAL OF ANY DEVELOPMENT UNTIL THERE IS MORE WIDESPREAD PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AWARENESS AS WELL AS A REVISION BASED ON THE ADVICE OF REWILD ZILKER.

UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, UH, FOR ALL THE COMMENTERS AND IF YOU CAME AND DONATED TIME AS WELL.

UM, IT'S, IT'S 8 43.

LET'S TAKE A QUICK, UH, MAYBE FIVE, SIX MINUTE RECESS AND, UM, THEN GET BACK HERE FOR THE PRESENTATION FROM STAFF.

GET THIS MEETING BACK ROLLING AGAIN.

WE'RE GONNA GET STARTED, EVERYONE.

IT IS 8 52.

UM, I'M GONNA RECONVENE THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION AND WE ARE ON AGENDA ITEM FIVE, I BELIEVE.

UH, YES.

AND WE'RE GOING TO HEAR, UH, PRESENTATION FROM STAFF AND THE CONSULTANT TEAM.

THANK YOU, COMMISSIONERS.

I'M GREG WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT.

I AM THE PROJECT MANAGER FOR THE Z PARK VISION PLAN.

I'M JOINED BY CLAIRE HAMPEL, PRINCIPAL WITH DESIGN WORKSHOP, UM, WHO IS THE PRIME CONSULTANT ON THIS VISION PLAN, AND ALSO JONATHAN OGREN WITH C GROUP WHO IS A SUB-CONSULTANT ON THIS VISION PLAN.

SIR, IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND ONE SECOND.

COMMISSIONER THOMPSON, IS THERE A PROBLEM WITH IT? I YOU'RE, YOU'RE MUTED.

YOU CAN SEE THE SLIDES NOW.

[02:30:01]

I APOLOGIZE.

WE COULD NOT SEE WHO WAS SPEAKING.

SORRY, KEVIN, CAN YOU, YOU HAVE HIM SPEAK UP A LITTLE LOUDER? I CAN'T HEAR YOU.

YEP.

JACKSON, IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND CRANK IT UP A LITTLE BIT TOO.

UM, THANK YOU.

UH, AND PLEASE CONTINUE.

UM, JUST AS A A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND, UM, THE CITY OF AUSTIN AS PART OF THIS PROCESS HIRED, UH, CI UH, DESIGN WORKSHOP TO ASSIST THE PARKS DEPARTMENT WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF A VISION PLAN FOR ZER PARK.

UM, MANY OF YOU MIGHT NOT REALIZE THAT OUR FLAGSHIP PARK FOR MUCH OF ITS HISTORY HAS NEVER HAD A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.

SO THIS IS THE FIRST OF ITS KIND.

UM, INTERNALLY, THE DEPARTMENT DID MAKE ATTEMPTS IN THE PAST AND DECADES AGO TO CREATE A VISION FOR ZKO PARK, BUT IT WAS DONE IN-HOUSE AND IT WAS NEVER TO THIS LEVEL, UM, THAT WE HAVE EMBARKED ON FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS.

UM, SO WE HAVE GONE THROUGH, UH, MANY STEPS TO GET TO THIS POINT, BUT THE FACT THAT ZUCKER PARK NEVER HAD A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IS RESULTED IN MANY OF THE ISSUES THAT YOU SEE TODAY ON ANY GIVEN DAY.

AND MANY OF THOSE ISSUES ARE MOBILITY RELATED, UM, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND YOU PROBABLY ARE FAMILIAR WITH THAT AS AN ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION.

AS PART OF THIS PROCESS, WE HAVE, UH, TAKEN STEPS TO LOOK AT, UM, UH, I GUESS IT WOULD BE CALLED A, UM, ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECT AND MOBILITY ASPECT, BUT LOOKING AT THE NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND LOOKING AT A VISION THAT'S CREATED ON, UM, PRINCIPLES AND GOALS.

AND THEN FROM THAT COMING UP WITH RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WERE GENERATED THROUGH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.

AND THEN OF COURSE, WE ALSO HAVE TO REFER TO THE APPROVED AND ADOPTED PLANS THAT APPLY TO OUR DEPARTMENT AND OUR CITY.

SO TONIGHT, I HOPE THAT THE PRESENTATION GIVES YOU A GOOD OVERVIEW OF WHAT WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED IN TWO YEARS.

AND JUST AS A NOTE, UM, WE WOULD LIKE TO LOOK AT A RECOMMENDATION FROM THIS COMMISSION TO SEND TO CITY COUNCIL THUS FAR.

WE HAVE, UH, RECEIVED RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE BICYCLE ADVISORY COUNCIL, AS WELL AS THE PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COUNCIL ON LAST NIGHT, THE URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION.

SO, UH, WITH THAT, I'LL HAND IT OVER TO CLAIRE TO START THE PRESENTATION, AND WE ARE AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.

UM, I DO WANNA POINT OUT THAT WE DO HAVE SOME OTHER TEAM MEMBERS ON THE PHONE, UM, SO I DON'T SEE THEIR NAMES ANYWHERE, BUT THERE ARE SEVERAL TEAM MEMBERS HERE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS SHOULD THEY COME UP.

UM, I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH YOU ALL TONIGHT TO PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF ZILKER METROPOLITAN PARK VISION PLAN.

MY NAME IS CLAIRE HEMPEL, AND AS PRINCIPAL AT DESIGN WORKSHOP, I HAVE BEEN SERVING AS THE LEAD CONSULTANT WITH WORKING WITH PAR ON THE ZILKER PLAN SINCE IT OFFICIALLY KICKED OFF IN FEBRUARY, 2021.

I ALSO SERVE ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION, BUT I AM NOT REPRESENTING THAT BODY HERE TONIGHT.

JONATHAN AND I WILL SPEND ABOUT 15 MINUTES PROVIDING AN OVERVIEW OF THE DRAFT PLAN WITH A FOCUS ON THE ECOLOGY ASPECTS AND WILL ANSWER QUESTIONS AT THE END OF THE PRESENTATION.

THIS IS PUBLISHED ON FEBRUARY 15TH, 2023.

TO START OFF, OUR OVERVIEW ARE OVERVIEW.

TONIGHT, WHAT YOU SEE ON THIS SLIDE ARE THE RESULTS OF A QUESTION ASKED BY A THIRD PARTY UNRELATED TO OUR PLANNING PROCESS, ASKING WHAT PEOPLE THINK THE MOST CRITICAL IMPROVEMENT TO SILK PARK SHOULD BE.

AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, THE ANSWERS ARE SPLIT AND THERE IS NOT ONE RESOUNDING RESPONSE OR IDEA ABOUT WHAT THE MOST CRITICAL IMPROVEMENT SHOULD BE.

THIS IS THE CHALLENGE FACING THE CITY WITH SILK PARK TODAY.

IT IS A BELOVED SPACE WITH MANY DIFFERENT IDEAS ABOUT HOW IT SHOULD BE USED AND IMPROVED.

ZILKER PARK HAS BEEN A DRAW FOR GENERATIONS OF AUSTIN NIGHTS AND THOSE THAT LIVED HERE BEFORE.

IT IS THE HOME OF ECOLOGICAL TREASURES, GATHERING SPACES, PLAY AREAS, AND HOME TO MANY BELOVED FACILITIES AND EVENTS.

EARLY IN THE PLANNING PROCESS, EVEN BEFORE THE CONSULTANT TEAM WAS UNDER CONTRACT, THE FIRST SURVEY TOOK PLACE AROUND THE TIME OF THE START OF THE TRAIL OF LIGHTS OF TW IN 2020.

QUESTIONS ASKING HOW WELL ZER PARK IS MEETING PEOPLE'S NEEDS AND WHY PEOPLE DON'T VISIT, WERE ASKED AMONG OTHERS, HIGHLIGHTING THE CHALLENGES THAT WERE TO BECOME CENTRAL TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS PRESENTED IN THE DRAFT.

NATURAL AREAS AND TRAILS ARE SOME OF THE CURRENT ELEMENTS OF THE PARK THAT MEET PEOPLE'S NEEDS.

BUT PARKING ISSUES, CROWDING ISSUES, AND ACCESS WERE INDICATED AS PROBLEMS TO SOLVE FOR.

OTHER ISSUES ARE EVIDENT AS ONE WALKS AROUND THE PARK, SOME OF WHICH ARE PICTURED HERE, LIKE AREAS THAT SEE INTENSE STORM DRAINAGE AND EROSION PROBLEMS AND INACCESSIBLE AREAS ALONG THE CREEK.

THIS SHOWS A HANDFUL OF THE HUNDREDS OF COMMENTS FROM THE INITIAL SURVEY FOCUSED ON VARIOUS ASPECTS OF THE PARK FROM ECOLOGICAL CONCERNS TO ACCESSIBILITY CONCERNS.

[02:35:01]

THE CHALLENGE IS HOW TO BALANCE THESE INITIATIVES WITH THE OTHER GUIDING PRINCIPLES AROUND EQUITY, THE ENVIRONMENT, SUSTAINABILITY, AND HISTORY AND CULTURE.

THERE HAVE BEEN VISION PLANS DONE FOR DISCREET ELEMENTS IN FACILITIES IN ZER PARK, SUCH AS THE NATURE AND SCIENCE CENTER, THE BARTON SPRINGS POOL AREA, AND THE SUNKEN GARDENS.

BUT THIS IS THE FIRST COMPREHENSIVE PLAN DONE FOR ZILKER PARK AS A WHOLE.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS VISION PLAN IS INTENDED TO BE.

IT WILL OUTLINE THE LONG-TERM, DECADES LONG VISION PRINCIPLES, GOALS, AND STRATEGIES FOR ENHANCEMENT MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION OF THE PARK.

THE VISION PLAN DOES NOT SERVE AS DETAILED DESIGNER CONSTRUCTION PLANS, PLANS FOR DAY-TO-DAY PARK MANAGEMENT AND MAINTENANCE, NOR DETAILED BUDGETING FOR PARK ENHANCEMENTS.

THIS IS HELPFUL TO KEEP IN MIND AS WE GO THROUGH THE RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE DRAFT PLAN.

THE ZILKER METROPOLITAN PARK'S VISION PLAN'S MAIN OBJECTIVE IS TO PROVIDE A VISIONARY FRAMEWORK TO DIRECT THE PRESERVATION FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS IN CARE OF ZILKER PARK.

ZER PARK NEEDS A VISION PLAN TO MAKE SURE IT IS VIABLE AND ACCESSIBLE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.

IT INVOLVES IDENTIFYING THE NEED FOR RECREATIONAL AMENITIES, RECOMMENDING IMPROVEMENTS TO THE PARKS, CURRENT FACILITIES AND PROGRAMS, AND PUTTING AN EMPHASIS ON PRESERVING THE HISTORIC, CULTURAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS.

SUSTAINABILITY, ACCESSIBILITY, EQUITY, NATURE, AND ECOLOGY AND HISTORY AND CULTURE ARE THE FIVE GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR THE GOALS.

THE BEGINNING OF OUR PLANNING PROCESS INCLUDED ESTABLISHING THESE GUIDING PRINCIPLES AND GOALS AND PULLING FURTHER RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONTEXT FROM AFFILIATED CITY ADOPTED PLANS SUCH AS THE URBAN AUSTIN URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES, CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN, THE PAR LONG RANGE PLAN, THE WORKING GROUP REPORT, AND MANY OTHERS.

THE PROJECT TEAM HAS, OR THE TEAM HAS BEEN WORKING ON THE VISION PLANNING PROCESS SINCE FEBRUARY, 2021.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT HAS BEEN CENTRAL TO THE PROCESS THROUGHOUT THE TWO YEAR TIMEFRAME, WHICH PROVED ESPECIALLY CHALLENGING DUE TO COVID ERROR RESTRICTIONS.

DURING THIS TIME, OUR TEAM HAS CONDUCTED OVER A HUNDRED POP-UPS, DOZENS OF SMALL GROUP DISCUSSIONS, TECHNICAL ADVISORY, ADVISORY GROUP MEETINGS, FIVE VIRTUAL COMMUNITY MEETINGS, AND AN IN-PERSON OPEN HOUSE, SIX COMMUNITY SURVEYS, AND ADDITIONAL WORK WITH THE PARKS BOARD WORKING GROUP.

TONIGHT'S HEARING IS ONE TOUCHPOINT IN THE FINAL STAGES OF THE PROJECT WITH OTHER FORTHCOMING BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS HEARINGS, CONCLUDING WITH THE CONSIDERATION OF ADOPTION BY CITY COUNCIL LATER THIS SPRING, EARLY SUMMER.

THE CITY USES THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION SPECTRUM OF PARTICIPATION AS A GUIDE TO FORMING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY.

FROM THIS STRATEGY, THE PLANNING TEAM USED DIFFERENT METHODS OF OUTREACH TO REACH DIFFERENT GROUPS BASED ON THE SPECIFIC GOAL FOR THE LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT AS SHOWN ON THIS SLIDE.

THE DRAFT PLAN WAS RELEASED ON NOVEMBER 15TH, 2022.

THE PLANNING TEAM HELD A VIRTUAL MEETING ON WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7TH, IN AN OPEN HOUSE ON SATURDAY DECEMBER 10TH.

THERE WERE 148 VIRTUAL MEETING PARTICIPANTS IN 130 OPEN HOUSE ATTENDEES AT THE OPEN HOUSE.

THERE WAS REPRESENTATION FROM ALL 10 COUNCIL DISTRICTS WITH ABOUT A QUARTER OF ATTENDEES FROM DISTRICT FIVE.

ALMOST 300 WRITTEN COMMENTS WERE RECEIVED AT THE OPEN HOUSE AND ALL WERE DIGITALLY DOCUMENTED THROUGHOUT THE MONTHS OF DECEMBER AND JANUARY.

FOR THE FINAL COMMUNITY SURVEY NUMBER SIX, THERE WERE NEARLY 27,000 VIEWS OF THE DOCUMENT WITH 2,900 PARTICIPANTS.

AMONG THE PARTICIPANTS, 2300 PEOPLE LEFT COMMENTS, AND ABOUT 30% OF THE COMMENTS ARE FROM ZIP CODES, 78,704 AND 45, WHICH ARE THE AREAS CLOSEST TO THE PARK.

THE TEAM ALSO RELEASED A SEVEN MINUTE VIDEO TO EXPLAIN THE PLAN IDEAS AND RECOMMENDATIONS WITH MORE THAN 6,800 VIEWS.

AT THIS POINT, I'LL HAND IT OVER TO JONATHAN OGREN OF SIGLO, THE PLANS ECOLOGICAL CONSULTANT.

THANK YOU, CLAIRE.

UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR, UH, VOLUNTEERING OF TIME AND YOUR EFFORT ON THIS, AND THANK YOU TO THE PUBLIC FOR COMING OUT AND SPEAKING.

UM, UH, THIS, THIS SLIDE AGAIN TALKS ABOUT THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND SOME OF THE ELEMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN CHANGED SINCE THE LAST COMPONENT OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.

LOOKING AT THE DISC GOLF AREA, THE ROWING DOCK, UM, THE REDUCED SIZE OF THE PLAY SCAPE, UH, AND THE RELOCATION OF THE SPORTS AREA.

NATURE, AND WHAT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT LONG TERM INTO THE FUTURE ABOUT OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR NATURAL LANDS.

I'M GOING TO FOCUS MY TIME ON THE ECOLO ECOLOGICAL UPLIFT COMPONENT OF THE PROJECT.

AND SO THERE'S A LOT OF TERMS THAT ARE BEING THROWN AROUND ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION, ECOLOGICAL HEALTH, ECOLOGICAL FUNCTION, REWILDING, LAND STEWARDSHIP.

THEY HAVE A LOT OF THE SAME ELEMENTS.

UM, AND WHAT IT GOES TO SHOW IS THERE'S A LARGE COMMUNITY WITHIN AUSTIN THAT IS REALLY INTERESTED IN THOSE DIFFERENT COMPONENTS ASSOCIATED WITH HOW WE CARE FOR NATURE, HOW WE'RE INTERACTING WITH

[02:40:01]

UH, IN THIS PROJECT, WE DECIDED ON THE TERM ECOLOGICAL UPLIFT BECAUSE IT SUGGESTS AN ACTION TO MAKE BETTER.

WHILE THERE ARE MANY BEAUTIFUL THINGS ABOUT ZUCKER PARK, IT'S A PLACE THAT LIKE SO MANY PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM I'VE LOVED FOR MANY YEARS, THERE'S MANY PLACES WHERE THOSE NATURAL AREAS NEED OUR HELP.

WE'VE BEEN USING THEM, UTILIZING THEM FOR MANY, MANY YEARS, CENTURIES, IN FACT, AND THEY NEED US TO PAY ATTENTION TO 'EM.

AND LOOKING AT SOMETIMES ACTIVE MANAGEMENT, SOMETIMES PASSIVE MANAGEMENT.

SO HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE THE SUCCESS OF ECOLOGICAL UPLIFT? YOU WOULD BE LOOKING AT THINGS LIKE BIODIVERSITY INCREASE.

YOU WOULD BE LOOKING AT ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS, THINKING ABOUT HOW WATER MOVES THROUGH THE SITE.

YOU WOULD BE THINKING ABOUT THE, THE NUMBER OF SPECIES IN DIFFERENT COMPONENTS GOING FROM A PARKING LOT AREA ALL THE WAY INTO NATURAL AREAS.

WHEN WE'VE LOOKED AT THE SITE, WE'VE BROKEN IT UP INTO FOUR GENERAL CATEGORIES, MEADOWS, UPLAND, WOODLANDS, RIPARIAN, WOODLANDS, AND SAVANNAHS.

EACH OF THOSE TAKES ON DIFFERENT COMPONENTS ABOUT HOW YOU MIGHT RESTORE THOSE, HOW YOU MIGHT CREATE ECOLOGICAL UPLIFT.

THEY ALL TAKE TIME, THEY ALL TAKE PROCESS, THEY ALL TAKE DEDICATION.

UM, IT CAN BE A, UH, A VOLUNTEER EFFORT LIKE, UH, GAIL MENTIONED EARLIER.

IT CAN ALSO BE A PROFESSIONAL EFFORT.

ALSO, WHEN THERE ARE CAPITAL EXPENDITURES IN ANY OF OUR PARKLANDS, UH, WE SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT HOW DO WE GET THE BIGGEST BANG FOR OUR BUCK FOR THE ECOLOGY OF THAT SITE.

THANKS TO THE, UM, THE CITY OF AUSTIN, A NUMBER OF DOCUMENTS THAT TALK ABOUT ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION AND ECOLOGICAL FUNCTION.

UH, THANKS TO THE CITIZENRY, THANKS TO THE FOLKS THAT GAVE INPUT JUST LIKE THEY HAVE TONIGHT.

ECOLOGICAL UPLIFT AND ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION HAVE PLAYED A KEY ROLE IN THIS VISION PLANNING PROCESS.

IT'S RESULTED IN 92 ADDITIONAL ACRES IF THE VISION PLAN IS FULLY IMPLEMENTED TO BE MANAGED PRIMARILY FOR ECOLOGICAL HEALTH.

THAT IS SUBSTANTIAL.

SO WE'RE LOOKING AT 351 ACRES.

CURRENTLY, THERE'S ABOUT 166 ACRES OF NATURAL AREAS.

ADDING ON THAT 92, YOU GET TO 256 ACRES, SO THAT'S ABOUT 73% OF THE TOTAL AREA.

IT'S PRETTY IMPRESSIVE HOW THAT BREAKS DOWN.

YOU GET UPLAND WOODLANDS, AN INCREASE OF 18 RIPARIAN WOODLANDS, AN INCREASE OF 13, UH, MEADOWS AND SAVANNAHS, YOU GET AN INCREASE OF 49.

AND THEN ALSO CANOPY ENHANCEMENT AND GREEN, UH, STORMWATER INFRASTRUCTURE.

SO THOSE ALL WORK IN TANDEM TO MAKE A BETTER SYSTEM, A BETTER EXPERIENCE FOR PEOPLE, UH, BETTER HABITAT, UM, AND WORK TOWARDS MITIGATING CLIMATE CHANGE.

ALSO ON THAT BOTTOM LINE, AND IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS DISCUSSED A LOT, UM, THROUGH THE PUBLIC COMMENTS, IS IMPERVIOUS COVER.

IMPERVIOUS COVER IS A CRITICAL ELEMENT OF ANY SITE.

YOU CAN'T BE THINKING ABOUT THE ECOLOGICAL HEALTH WITHOUT THINKING ABOUT THE IMPERVIOUS COVER.

IT'S EXCITING TO SEE THAT THROUGH THE KIND OF DENSIFICATION OF SOME OF OUR IMPERVIOUS COVER, WE'RE ABLE TO REDUCE THAT FOOTPRINT BY NINE ACRES.

ONE OF THE INTERESTING THINGS THERE IS IT'S PULLING IT AWAY FROM SOME OF THOSE SPRINGS, THE CREEK AND THE POOL ITSELF.

SO IT'S TRYING TO TAKE THE IMPERVIOUS COVER THAT WE HAVE SPREAD OUT IN A SINGLE LAYER THROUGHOUT MUCH OF THE SITE AND INTENSIFYING IT IN THREE PARTICULAR AREAS.

ANOTHER IMPORTANT FACTOR TO REMEMBER WITH THAT IS READING THE VISION PLAN IS CRITICAL, AND THOSE PARKING GARAGES ONLY COME ONLINE IF AND WHEN THEY'RE NEEDED IN A PHASED PROCESS.

IDEALLY, WE'RE ALL MOVING TO TRANSIT, WE'RE MOVING TO AUTONOMOUS CARS.

THOSE PARKING GARAGES AREN'T NEEDED, BUT IF THEY ARE, THIS IS A MECHANISM FOR US TO ACCOMMODATE THE AMOUNT OF CARS THAT ARE GOING THERE TODAY, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME MEETING SOME OF OUR ECOLOGICAL GOALS.

SO AGAIN, THAT NINE ACRES REDUCTION IN IMPERVIOUS COVER IS A BIG DEAL.

TONIGHT, BUT THE FIRST ONE IS BARKING SPRINGS.

UM, I WANTED TO FOCUS, UM, WE ONLY HAVE SO MUCH TIME AND I WANTED TO FOCUS ON ONE PARTICULAR AREA THAT'S WORTH LOOKING AT AND THINKING ABOUT.

IF WE WERE TO GO UP INTO THE GREEN BELT A BIT, IF YOU WENT DOWN THE VIOLET CROWN TRAIL, UM, AT, AT FIRST IT'S KIND OF BRUSH LAND AND IT'S BEEN CLEARED IF YOU LOOK AT HISTORIC AERIALS, BUT IF YOU GET THERE A LITTLE BIT FURTHER, YOU GET TO THESE BEAUTIFUL CANOPY TREES.

AND IN THERE, UH, ECOLOGICAL UPLIFT, ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION, OR REWILDING, WHATEVER YOUR TERM IS, WOULD BE RELATIVELY LIGHT-HANDED.

YOU WOULD EDIT IT, YOU WOULD LOOK AT INVASIVE SPECIES, YOU WOULD TAKE OUT THE INVASIVE SPECIES THERE.

YOU WOULD LOOK TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY EROSION PROBLEMS. YOU WOULD LOOK TO SEE IF THERE'S, UH, DESIRE PATHS OR TRAILS THAT SHOULDN'T BE THERE, AND YOU WOULD MANAGE THAT, AND THAT WOULD BE A RELATIVELY LIGHT LIFT.

CONTRASTING THAT, AND I'M GONNA GIVE YOU TWO CONTRASTS

[02:45:01]

IT'S THE FIRST PLACE I WENT IN 1990 WHEN I CAME TO ZER PARK AS A GRAD, UNDERGRAD AT UT.

UM, IT'S THE PLACE I COULD GO.

I DIDN'T WANT TO PAY THE $3, NOR DID I HAVE THE $3.

JUST LIKE SO MANY PEOPLE THAT GO THERE TODAY.

UM, AND IT IS A PLACE THAT IS BEING LOVED TO DEATH, AND I THINK EVERYBODY CAN AGREE ON THAT.

AND SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT PICTURE ON THE TOP, ALL THE ELEMENTS ARE COMING TO THEIR GATHER RIGHT THERE.

IF YOU GO UP THAT SLOPE TO THE LEFT, YOU HAVE THE RUGBY PARKING, THE STORM WATER FROM THERE IS FLOWING STRAIGHT INTO CULVERTS THAT FLOW STRAIGHT ONTO THE BANKS OF BARTON CREEK.

IF YOU GO TO THE RIGHT, YOU HAVE ENDANGERED SPECIES.

IF YOU GO UPSTREAM, YOU HAVE THE FLOODS THAT COME DOWN WITH BARTON CREEK WHEN IT FLOODS.

AND THEN ON ANY SATURDAY OR SUNDAY, IF YOU GO RIGHT THERE, YOU'RE GONNA SEE A HUNDRED TO A THOUSAND PEOPLE.

THAT SITE AS A NATURAL SYSTEM CANNOT HANDLE THAT MANY INPUTS.

SO GOING TO THE BOTTOM THERE, THINKING ABOUT FORMALIZING THAT WATER ACCESS, THINKING ABOUT HOW DO, DO WE CREATE THESE SMALL ELEMENTS OF NATURE THAT ARE EXPLICITLY AND IMPLICITLY BARRIERED FROM PEOPLE, TRAMPLING THEM.

AND THEN WE ALSO THINK ABOUT THAT, UH, THAT CREEK BANK ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE, IT'S ACTUALLY ON THIS SIDE.

IT'S A HACKBERRY THICKET ON THE OTHER SIDE, IT'S A LARO THICKET.

IT'S BEEN LIKE THAT FOR 50 YEARS, AND IT WILL STAY LIKE THAT FOR ANOTHER 50 YEARS UNLESS WE TAKE INTERVENTION, UNLESS WE TAKE ACTION.

AND ONE WOULD SUGGEST, CONSIDERING HOW DEAR THIS AREA IS TO US, THAT IDEA OF ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION BIODIVERSITY IS SIGNIFICANT ENOUGH HERE.

WE SHOULD SPEND, UH, RESOURCES, TIME, AND EFFORT IN MAKING THAT A BETTER PLACE.

IF WE'RE THINKING 50 YEARS INTO THE FUTURE, OR A HUNDRED YEARS INTO THE FUTURE, WE ALSO HAVE TO THINK ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE.

AND IT TURNS OUT THAT THINKING ABOUT ECOLOGICAL UPLIFT, ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION STARTS TO MEET SOME OF THOSE GOALS.

AND HOW DO WE START TO QUANTIFY THOSE? OR HOW DO WE START TO MEASURE THOSE? OR WHAT WOULD THE CATEGORIES BE? AND WE CAN THINK ABOUT THREE PRIMARY ELEMENTS, UM, AS WE DO IN THE VISION PLAN, ADAPTATION, MITIGATION, AND RESILIENCY.

SO ADAPTATION IS WHAT THE HECK ARE WE GONNA DO WHEN IT'S 110 DEGREES? THE ZER VISION PLAN ANSWERS THAT BY PUTTING MORE AREAS IN CANOPY.

SO THOSE WOODLANDS, RESTORING THOSE WOODLANDS, AS WELL AS THOSE CANOPY ENHANCEMENTS.

THE PURPOSE OF THOSE CANOPY ENHANCEMENTS IS RECOGNIZING THAT, UH, AGAINST, UH, IMPERVIOUS COVER AND WHEREVER WE'RE WALKING ON THOSE TRAILS, WHICH SOMEONE MENTIONED EARLIER, UH, SHADE ALLOWS US TO USE THOSE MORE TIMES THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

SO AN EXAMPLE OF ADAPTATION MITIGATION, AGAIN, THINKING ABOUT WHILE ZUCKER PARK CAN'T SOLVE ALL THE CITY'S PROBLEMS OR ALL THE WORLD'S PROBLEMS WHEN IT'S ASSOCIATED WITH CLIMATE CHANGE, WE CAN DO SOMETHING THERE.

SO THINKING ABOUT CARBON SEQUESTRATION, THE RESULTS OF THE ECOLOGICAL UPLIFT COMPONENTS RESULT IN A 28% INCREASE IN CARBON STORAGE WITHIN THOSE ACRES THAT ARE RETURNED TO ECOLOGICAL FUNCTION, ECOLOGICAL HEALTH.

FINALLY, RESILIENCY IS THINKING ABOUT, OKAY, CLIMATE CHANGE IS COMING.

HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THESE SYSTEMS ARE SUSTAINABLE OVER TIME? WE'RE GONNA HAVE A DROUGHT, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A FLOOD, WE'RE GONNA HAVE SUSTAINED PERIODS OF HIGH HEAT.

AND SO RESILIENCY SUGGESTS THAT BY U UTILIZING THE WATER, THE AS A RESOURCE, BY CREATING THESE DIVERSE, BOTH SPECIES AND GENETICALLY DIVERSE PLANT COMMUNITIES, THEY CAN SURVIVE.

AND BY CREATING PLACE PLACES THAT ARE SUSTAINABLE AND MEET SUSTAINABLE GOALS, EITHER THROUGH BUILDINGS OR THROUGH LANDSCAPES, WE CREATE RESILIENT PLACES THAT WE GET TO ENJOY FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.

UH, IT WAS AN IMPRESSIVE PLAN.

ONE EXAMPLE OF THAT IS THE SUSTAINABLE SITES INITIATIVE.

UH, THERE'S OFTEN CONFUSION IN WHAT A VISION PLAN IS AS COMPARED TO, UH, ACTIONS ON THE GROUND OR CONSTRUCTION PROCESSES.

AND SO THIS IS REALLY A CONCEPT PLAN.

AND AS PEOPLE HAVE SUGGESTED IN THE PUBLIC COMMENTS, ANY PART OF THIS NEEDS TO GO THROUGH MULTIPLE PROCESSES BEFORE IT'S A CONSTRUCTION PROJECT.

AND THEN THE CONSTRUCTION ITSELF IS A PROCESS AND AN ORDEAL.

YOUR CONTRACTOR, YOUR GENERAL CONTRACTOR, YOUR LANDSCAPE SERVICES PERSON, WHEN YOU'RE DOING THOSE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS ON THE SITE AND SITES IS SOMETHING THAT THE CITY HAS ADOPTED FOR ANY LARGE CAPITAL EXPENDITURES ON PARKS.

WE'VE USED IT A COUPLE TIMES, BOTH AT DELL MEDICAL AND KINGSBURY COMMONS.

UM, UH, KINGSBURY COMMONS.

WE WERE FORTUNATE TO WORK ON THE MASTER PLAN WITH W R T IN 2015.

UH, IT WON AN APA AWARD.

[02:50:01]

I HAVE TO SAY THAT THIS PLAN IN MY MIND, THE WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE WITH FOR IT IS MORE IMPRESSIVE THAN THAT WORK.

KINGSBURY COMMONS IS AN EXAMPLE OF WHERE WE TOOK THAT MASTER PLAN USE SITES AS A FRAMEWORK FOR CREATING A SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE AND PUT IT ON THE GROUND AND PEOPLE ARE ENJOYING IT TODAY.

IT'S PRIMARILY HOUSEHOLD WASTE.

SO I'M GONNA RUN THROUGH, UH, ONE OF THE OTHER, UH, BIG WICKED PROBLEMS ON THE SITE, WHICH IS THE LANDFILL.

SO, UM, EVERYBODY IS FAMILIAR WITH IT.

IT'S ACHE FLAT AREA, ABOUT 15 PLUS OR MINUS 15 ACRES.

UH, IT'S USED AS TEMPORARY PARKING.

IT'S IMPORTANT TO THE AUSTIN NATURE AND SCIENCE CENTER.

IT'S IMPORTANT TO THE BOTANICAL GARDENS.

IT'S WHERE A C L IS STAGED.

UM, IT TURNS OUT THAT IF WE THINK ABOUT IT FOR THE CITIZENRY OF AUSTIN, IF WE THINK ABOUT THE ECOLOGICAL HEALTH OF THIS PARK, THERE'S NO WAY THAT THE BEST USE OF THIS AREA IS ACHE FLAT AREA.

THAT INCLUDES AROUND 15 ACRES RIGHT NEXT TO LADYBIRD LAKE, UH, IN ONE OF THE MOST AFFLUENT CITIES IN THE COUNTRY THAT IS RAPIDLY GROWING AND IN NEED OF MORE OPEN SPACE.

SO THE, THE VISION PLAN CALLS FOR THAT AREA TO BE RESTORED.

NOW, THE ACTUAL WAY IT COULD BE RESTORED, THERE'S A COUPLE DIFFERENT ONES.

IT'S ABOUT A HUNDRED THOUSAND CUBIC YARDS OF WASTE IS THE ESTIMATE.

IT WAS USED FROM 1940 TO 1960.

UM, THE IDEA IS THAT IT COULD POTENTIALLY BE EXTRACTED.

THAT'S LIKE DIGGING THE GARAGE AT THE PUBLIC LIBRARY THAT WAS JUST BUILT.

UH, THAT MAY PROVE TO BE EXPENSIVE OR THERE MAY BE CONTAMINANTS IN THERE THAT MAKE US NOT WANNA REMOVE ALL OF IT OR ONLY REMOVE SOME OF IT.

AGAIN, THAT NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED IN GREATER DETAIL.

ANOTHER OPTION IS TO FIX THE CAP.

AS MANY PEOPLE HAVE NOTED, THE CAP DOES NOT MEET CURRENT STANDARDS AND THEN PILE ON MORE SOIL ON TOP OF THAT, AND THAT ALLOWS US TO RESTORE THE TOP OF THE LANDFILL.

AND SO TWO OPTIONS RIGHT THERE.

THE VISION PLAN THEN RETURNS, WHICH THIS COMES FROM THE WORKING GROUP AS SO MANY OF THE OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE VISION PLAN, UH, UH, COME FROM THE ZER PLAN WORKING GROUP.

THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT THEY ALSO MENTIONED, AND IT WAS, UH, WITHIN THE PUBLIC, UH, FEEDBACK WAS HIGHLY RATED.

THIS RETURNS THAT AREA TO THE CITIZENRY OF AUSTIN.

AND I WANTED TO GO BACK TO THAT AREA, EMBARK SPRINGS AND THE, THE VISUALS THAT, UM, DESIGN WORKSHOP HAVE CREATED A COUPLE THINGS THAT ARE HERE.

AND SOME PEOPLE WOULD SUGGEST THIS IS HEAVY HANDED PERHA, PERHAPS IF YOU'RE USED TO A MORE NATURAL PART OF BARTON CREEK, WHICH I, I LOVE SOME OF THE NATURAL PARTS FLOATING DOWN BARTON CREEK.

UM, BUT WHAT THIS DOES IS THIS ALLOWS US TO ACCOMMODATE THOSE HUNDREDS TO THOUSANDS OF USERS THAT COME THERE ON A WEEKLY BASIS.

AND THEY HAVE THOSE FORMAL AREAS WHERE THEY CAN ACCESS THE WATER, BUT IT ALSO CREATES THOSE POCKETS OF NATURAL AREAS WHERE WE CAN HAVE THOSE NATIVE PLANTS AND PARTS OF THOSE PLANT COMMUNITIES.

BUT IT ALSO, IF YOU LOOK TO THE RIGHT, GIVES US THE IDEA OR THE SUGGESTION IN THIS, THIS IMAGE OF WHERE WE CAN HAVE THOSE COMPLETE PLANT COMMUNITIES.

AND WHILE IT MIGHT NOT BE EXACTLY THERE, BECAUSE THERE'S OTHER PLACES WHERE PEOPLE ARE ACCESSING THE WATER FROM THAT SIDE, THE IDEA THAT WE ARE ABLE TO CREATE THOSE, UH, ROBUST REPAIRING AREAS WITH CATHEDRAL CANOPIES AND UNDERSTORY AND A HERBACEOUS LAYER ALONG BARTON CREEK WOULD BE EXCEPTIONAL AND AN INCREDIBLE PART OF THE VISION PLAN.

SO THIS LOOKS AT SOME OF THE IMPLEMENTATION COSTS, UH, BENEFIT RELATIONSHIPS OF, UH, MANY OF THE ELEMENTS.

BUT THE, UH, VISION PLAN ONES THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH ECOLOGICAL UPLIFT ARE IN GREEN.

UM, AND WE JUST WANTED TO SHOW THIS TO YOU, THINKING ABOUT IMPLEMENTING, UH, A SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT PLAN, UH, MITIGATION OF EROSION ISSUES, MITIGATION OF INVASIVE SPECIES, UH, SMALL SCALE RESTORATION PROJECTS LIKE WERE MENTIONED EARLIER IN THE PUBLIC COMMENT, BUT DUPLICATING THOSE THROUGHOUT THE PARK.

UH, TREE CANOPY ENHANCEMENT DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS, UH, THE RESTORATION OF THE BARTON CREEK AREA, RESTORATION OF THE LANDFILL AREA, WHICH WOULD BE A SUBSTANTIAL CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT.

UM, AND THE RESTORATION OF THE POLO FIELD.

SO PUTTING THOSE INTO SOME TYPE OF COST BENEFITED ANALYSIS, UM, IN MY MIND, THEY'RE ALMOST ALL AT THE TOP.

UM, BUT OF COURSE THERE'S MANY PEOPLE THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THIS PLAN AND MANY VOICES INVOLVED IN THIS PLAN.

AND I BELIEVE WITH THAT, I TURNED IT BACK OVER TO YOU, CLAIRE, THE NEXT SLIDE.

STILL DETERMINING THOSE DATES WITH, UH, CITY COUNCIL.

SO JUST TO CONCLUDE, UM, WE ARE, UM, BEFORE YOU TONIGHT, WE SAW THE URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION LAST NIGHT, AND WE HAVE SEVERAL OTHER BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS TO VISIT WITH.

UM, AND WE WILL BE CONCLUDING, UM, IN EARLY SUMMER, UM, LATE, LATE SPRING.

WE'RE

[02:55:01]

SO WITH THAT, UM, WE ARE AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE.

WE HAVE, UH, MANY OF OUR, OUR CONSULTANT TEAM MEMBERS HERE, UM, MOSTLY ON THE PHONE AND OF COURSE STAFF HERE AS WELL.

THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.

UM, LET'S GO AROUND THE HORN HERE.

UH, I MAY START WITH YOU GUYS REMOTELY.

UM, I'M, I'M GONNA ASK, UH, THAT WE ALL TRY TO STAY ORGANIZED IN, IN, IN OUR, IN OUR COMMENTS AND TRY TO MAYBE GO AROUND ONE FULL ROUND.

UM, AND, UH, IF YOUR QUESTION'S ALREADY BEEN ASKED OF, OF COURSE, MAYBE JUST GET TWEAKS TO IT, UM, AND, AND TRY TO INTRODUCE NEW NOVEL COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS AS WE GO AROUND, UH, REMOTE.

DO EITHER OF YOU GUYS HAVE ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? YES, PAM, PLEASE.

JUSTIN SCHNEIDER, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT CONSULTANT WITH PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT.

UM, MY FIRST QUESTION IS, WAS THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT, UM, APPLICABLE TO YOUR MEETINGS? JUSTIN, DO YOU WANNA COME UP? THERE MAY BE SOME OTHER COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT QUESTIONS.

GOOD EVENING.

SO NO, UH, FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MEETINGS, OPEN MEETINGS, UH, UH, LEGAL REQUIREMENTS DO NOT APPLY.

HOWEVER, WE DO TRY TO DOCUMENT EVERYTHING AND, UH, RETAIN INFORMATION.

SO, UM, OKAY, THANKS.

SO I WOULD LIKE TO JUST COMMENT, UM, BRIEFLY ON THE PROBLEMS WITH THE SCOPE AND THE LACK OF ALTERNATIVE CHOICES AND THE UNDERLYING ASSUMPTIONS AND THE INFORMATION NOT INCLUDED FROM THE PUBLIC WORK.

HELLO? ARE YOU TALKING TO ME? NOPE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE, YOU, YOU STILL GOT IT.

WE CAN HEAR YOU.

WE SAW PICTURES OF DEGRADED AREAS BECAUSE THERE WERE A HUNDRED PEOPLE THERE.

UM, THE INFORMATION NOT INCLUDED FROM THE PUBLIC WORK OF THE PARKLAND EVENTS TASK FORCE, WHICH W I WAS ON FROM SEPTEMBER OF 2015 TO MAY OF 2017.

AND I'M GONNA JUST BRIEFLY GO THROUGH SOME OF THESE THINGS SO THAT YOU WILL UNDERSTAND THAT THERE HAS BEEN A FORMAT FOR THIS THAT DID FOLLOW OPEN MEETINGS AND DID HAVE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, AND DID HAVE, UM, EQUITY ISSUES.

ARA OBSERVED.

UM, THIS PLAN WOULD COST SO MUCH MONEY TO VERIFY THEIR ASSUMPTIONS BECAUSE, UM, I'VE HEARD COMMENTS LIKE FUNDING DETAILS AND CREATE A LANDSCAPE.

WE, WE HAVE ZER, WE DON'T NEED TO CREATE A LANDSCAPE.

I AM, I JUST FIND THIS THING JUST SORT OF AN OXYMORON.

OKAY? I THOUGHT, LET'S SEE, LETTERS OF SUPPORT PROMOTE EXCELLENCE IN THE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT AT ZILKER METROPOLITAN PARK.

SO MY COMMENT TO THAT IS, IF YOU THINK Z IF YOU THINK OF SILK AS URBAN ENVIRONMENT INSTEAD OF A NATURAL ENVIRONMENT, THEN WHY ARE YOU PLANNING ANYTHING THERE? UM, MAKE ZER PARK GREENER.

I I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE PARKING GARAGES.

I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW YOU FEEL THE CARBON SINKS THAT YOU'RE, IT'S NOT MAKING IT GREENER.

IT IS GREEN.

IT NEEDS TO BE TREASURED.

UM, THE DESIGN TEAM'S PROFESSIONALISM THAT GREEN'S ZILKER PARK, THIS JUST, I DON'T KNOW, THE INTEGRITY OF THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT.

THE STATE OF BEING WHOLE ARE UND UNDIVIDED, BUT NATURAL ENVIRONMENT IS ONLY ONE ASPECT OF THE PLAN, AND IT'S NOT THE MAIN ONE.

SO ALL OF THOSE ARE THINGS THAT JUST DID NOT MAKE MUCH SENSE TO ME.

SO THAT PLUS THE, UM, THE SPECIAL EVENTS TASK FORCE, SOME THINGS THAT REALLY JUST STOOD OUT TO ME WAS THAT THE KIOSK VERSUS THE EDUCATIONAL CENTER, WE HAVE SPLASH AND SPLASH HAS ALWAYS BEEN A TEACHING PLACE FOR KIDS.

SO, I MEAN, THERE ARE MANY THINGS THAT WE COULD IMPROVE, BUT THE WAY YOU HAVE SAID ABOUT DOING IT, UM, IS SEEMINGLY UPSIDE DOWN TO ME.

IT HAS VERY LITTLE TO DO WITH THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT THAT WE HAVE.

AND WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT BARKING SPRINGS,

[03:00:02]

SO HOW ARE YOU GOING TO NOT HAVE A HUNDRED PEOPLE THERE? ARE YOU GOING TO CLOSE IT SO THAT YOU CAN IMPROVE IT? OBVIOUSLY, WE ALL KNOW THAT WOULD WORK.

THAT IS NOT REALLY A FUNCTIONAL GOAL BECAUSE THAT IS AN EQUITY ISSUE ON ACCESS.

SO WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO ASK THOSE PEOPLE TO GO? NO, NOTHING LIKE THAT WAS ADDRESSED.

THERE ARE NO ALTERNATIVES IN YOUR PLAN TO, UH, THE NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE NEEDS OF ZER PARK.

SO CURRENTLY, LET'S SEE THE UMBRELLA FUNDING THAT, LET'S SEE IF I CAN GET THIS RIGHT.

WELL, THE FIRST THING I WANNA DO IS A DISCLAIMER AND IT IS, UM, THIS IS FROM SAVE BARTON CREEK ASSOCIATION.

IT'S OUR UNDERSTANDING THAT THE ZILKER PARK NATURAL RESOURCES INVENTORY AND MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES REFERENCE IS MADE THAT ITS CREATION WAS OVERSEEN BY THE BARTON CREEK ASSOCIATION BOARD, SAY BARTON CREEK ASSOCIATION IS NOT AWARE OF ANY SUCH ORGANIZATION AND WAS NOT INVOLVED IN THE CREATION OF THAT DOCUMENT.

FURTHERMORE, UP UNTIL NOW, S B C A HAS NOT TAKEN A POSITION ON THE VISION PLAN.

ANY IMPLICATION BY OTHERS THAT WE HAVE IS AN ERROR.

SO I FIND THIS WHOLE PLAN FUNDAMENTALLY FLAWED IF YOU HAVE TO INFLUENCE PEOPLE BY USING, UH, UNTRUE THINGS.

OKAY? SO THE UMBRELLA FUNDING THAT THE ZER VAT VISION PLAN SAYS, UM, MEANS THAT ALL THE OPERATING NONPROFITS THAT WE RECEIVED LETTERS AND SUPPORT THAT ARE CURRENTLY OPERATING IN ZER PARK WILL BE ABLE TO BE FUNDED BY THE ZER 3 51 GROUP, WHICH WE GOT NOTICE OF TODAY.

SO THEY'RE GOING TO PROFIT.

I DON'T THINK THAT THEIR ENDORSEMENT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED, AND THAT'S UNFORTUNATE BECAUSE SOME OF THESE ARE EXCELLENT GROUPS, BUT I THINK THE WHOLE PROCESS IS SO FLAWED THAT THEY'VE BEEN MISLED.

SO ONE OF MY MAIN COMMENTS IS THAT THIS VISION PLAN, THEIR THREE WHATEVER, WOULD RAISE MONEY, BUT IT DOESN'T, IT'S NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR MAINTENANCE.

SO YOU'RE THE BIG PICTURE PEOPLE AND THE TAXPAYERS ARE THE GUYS THAT ARE GOING TO PAY FOR YOUR, YOUR DREAMS HERE.

THE PROBLEM WITH THAT IS EQUITY.

SO I WOULD LIKE TO JUST POINT OUT A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT I LEARNED FROM BEING ON THE PARKS TASK FORCE FOR OVER A YEAR AND A HALF.

OKAY? MAINTENANCE FEES REFLECT THE DAMAGE AND COST OF AN EVENT VERSUS REGULARLY SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE.

SO CITY OF AUSTIN'S STAFF HAS PEER ASSESSMENT, AND THE ZILKER, UH, VISION PLAN HAS A PRIVATE ASSESSMENT OF, OF THINGS, THE PUBLIC BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES, UH, VERSUS THE PRIVATE REVIEW AND NOT OPEN MEETINGS.

THAT IS JUST SOMETHING THAT IS REFLECTIVE OF YOUR WHOLE PROCESS.

SO IF YOU COLLECT MONEY FOR AN EVENT, WHO PAYS FOR THE MAINTENANCE IF IT'S NOT REGULARLY SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE.

SO THIS IS A LARGE PROBLEM BECAUSE THIS PRESENTS A BURDEN ON THE OTHER PARKS.

SO IF, IF YOU'RE SAYING ZILKER PARK IS SO SPECIAL THAT IT NEEDS, UH, CONSERVANCY, IT NEEDS ITS OWN VISION PLAN, AND THE MONEY THAT'S RAISED THERE GOES BACK INTO ZER PARK BECAUSE IT'S SO WONDERFUL AND WE'RE GONNA CLOSE IT FOR, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS IT AT LEAST ONE MONTH OUT OF THE YEAR FOR EVENTS WHEN YOU WON'T EVEN GET TO GO THERE, YOU HAVE TO PAY TO PLAY.

SO OTHER CITY PARKS WILL SUFFER LESS FUNDING AND ERGO ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION.

SO THE CITY, UM, HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX TRANSFERS FUNDS TO THE 5 0 1 , WHICH WILL BE THE VISION PLAN.

AND THEN THEY WILL FUNDRAISE FROM PRIVATE GROUPS ON BEHALF OF ZER PARK.

SO IT'S BASICALLY, TO ME IT'S PUBLIC VERSUS PRIVATE.

IT'S ACCOUNTABILITY, BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES THAT WE'VE ALWAYS USED

[03:05:01]

AND PEER VERSUS PRIVATE.

SO THE FUNDING MECHANISM MEANS THAT FOR PROFIT BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONALS STEP IN FRONT OF THE CITY WITH NO REVIEW ARE ON, ON SPENDING.

SO, AND YOU DON'T DO MAINTENANCE.

OKAY, GOT IT.

THE AUSTIN STRATEGIC MOBILITY PLAN WAS TASKED TO REDUCE POLLUTANT LOADS IN LADY BIRD LAKE AND OUR CREEKS AND, UH, INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF OPEN SPACE PRESERVED.

SO YOU ARE NOT INCREASING THE AMOUNT OF OPEN SPACE.

THAT IS LIKE ONE OF THE MAIN THINGS THAT CAME OUT OF THE TASK FORCE.

THAT IS WHY WE BUY MITIGATION LAND TO OFFSET THE CARBON FOOTPRINT.

SO YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT AND THE PART OF THE PARK THAT NEEDS IT IS GREAT.

EVERYBODY'S FOR THAT.

AND IF YOU PRESENT THAT, THEN EVERYBODY'S LIKE, OH, THIS IS A GREAT PLAN, BUT YOU'RE BUILDING STUFF IS RIDICULOUS AND NOBODY WANTS IT.

I MEAN, YOU CAN'T DO THAT THERE, IT, IT WILL NOT EVEN BE ALLOWED BECAUSE IT'S FEDERALLY ENDANGERED SPECIES.

SO I DON'T KNOW.

UM, THERE'S LESS IN THE ZER PARK VISION PLAN AND OF IMPERVIOUS COVER THAT YOU ARE NOT MAKING LESS IMPERVIOUS COVER.

YOU ARE NOT INCREASING THE AMOUNT OF OPEN SPACE.

AND THAT WAS THE ONE OF THE NUMBER ONE CRITERIA THAT CAME OUT OF THE, THE SPECIAL EVENTS PARKS TASK FORCE.

OKAY? SO IF YOU DIDN'T INCREASE IT, YOU SHOULD AT LEAST MAINTAIN THAT WAS THE SECOND EDICT, AND YOU ARE NOT MAINTAINING IT, YOU ARE DECREASING IT.

SO, UM, IT ALSO, THE AUSTIN STRATEGIC MOBILITY PLAN WAS TO PUBLISH A CHECKLIST ONLINE FOR TRANSPARENCY.

BUT BECAUSE YOU HAVE NOT FOLLOWED OPEN MEETINGS, YOU DON'T HAVE TO KEEP THOSE RECORDS.

AND WE DON'T KNOW WHERE THAT INFORMATION THAT YOU HAVE IS STORED.

WE DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THAT EXCEPT IN YOUR CHARTS AND GRAPHS.

UM, THE AIR QUALITY IS DESIGNED TO DO VERSUS EVENTS THAT DEGRADATE AIR QUALITY EMISSIONS.

IN REALITY, THE BEST INTENTIONS ARE NOT BASED IN FACTS.

SO DESIGNED TO DO, I MEAN, WE NEED A PEER PROCESS HERE THAT CAN SAY IT'S GONNA HAPPEN.

WE ARE IN CLIMATE CHANGE AND WE CAN'T JUST SAY IT'S DESIGNED TO DO IT.

WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO COUNT ON IT.

AND WE CAN'T DO THAT WITHOUT BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES PEER REVIEW.

AND WE CAN'T, WE CAN'T ALLOW DESIGN TO DO, TO FUNCTION IN OUR PARK.

UM, THE COST OF THE CARBON IMPACT ANALYSIS ON THE PROPOSED BUILT ENVIRONMENT VERSUS NATURAL, SO YOUR LAND, BRIDGES AND UNDERGROUND PARKING ARE GOING TO HAVE, UM, A LARGE CARBON FOOTPRINT.

UM, I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO IMAGINE THE LAND BRIDGE.

I MEAN, IF YOU'RE STUCK IN TRAFFIC, I MEAN, I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE UNDERGROUND PARKING EMISSIONS, HOW YOU'RE GONNA DEAL WITH THAT.

YOU'RE MAKING, UH, HEAT SINK IN A NATURAL AREA.

UM, SO THE OTHER THING IS, UM, THE WATER USAGE ON BUILT ENVIRONMENT VERSUS NATURAL, A NATURAL ENVIRONMENT.

IF WE DO BIO SWALES, IF WE TRY TO DO EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN, WE ALREADY KNOW THAT WE CAN SUCCEED THERE WITH THAT.

BUT, UM, I DIDN'T SEE ANY OF THAT IN YOUR PLAN.

UM, MAYBE THAT'S JUST A DETAIL.

THE NUMBER OF EVENTS, THE PARKS BOARD POLICY IN 1998, ZER COULD HAVE ONE LARGE PRIVATE EVENT PER YEAR.

SO THE CITY IS GOING TO HAVE TO ASSUME THE COST IF THIS IS DEFAULTED AND IF THE CITY HAS TO ASSUME THE COST BECAUSE SOMETHING THAT WAS DESIGNED TO PERFORM, THEN IT'S ON US.

THE SUSTAINABILITY OVERLAY AS AN EQUITY TOOL TO ENSURE THE COMMUNITY VALUES ARE INCLUDED INTO THE PRACTICE ARE NOT GUARANTEED IN THE ZER PARK VISION PLAN.

AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT ABSOLUTELY MUST HAPPEN.

SO, UM, LET'S SEE.

I'LL JUST GIVE YOU A BRIEF RUNDOWN ALSO OF POLICY THROUGHOUT, UM, ZER, UM, THE ADJUSTMENT OR CHANGE

[03:10:01]

AUDITORIUM SHORES 25 EVENT DAYS, NOT EVENTS.

AND ACL MORPHED INTO TWO WEEKENDS, BUT STILL CALLED THEMSELVES ONE EVENT.

SO THE NUMBER OF DAYS OF AMPLIFIED SOUND FIREWORKS ALLOWED.

UM, THE, SO BECAUSE OF ALL OF THESE PROBLEMS, THERE WAS A SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT AND WE RANKED ALTERNATE SITES AND PARKS.

EACH PARK WAS A TIER AND WALTER LONG BOMB JOHN TREVINO, ONION CREEK, UM, THEY WERE DESIGNATED SPECIAL EVENT VENUES FOR SPECIAL EVENTS, GREATER THAN 1000 ATTENDEES, ONE WEEKEND PER EVENT, NO FENCES OR CHARGE VENUE, AND IT PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

SO WE HAVE ALL OF THESE THINGS AND THAT WAS JUST DANCED AROUND IN YOUR, UH, PRESENTATION.

THE GREAT LAWN HAS MAINTENANCE THAT YOU DIDN'T TOUCH WITH A STICK.

AND SO, UH, THE ENVIRONMENTAL TIME FOR THE INVENT AREA TO RECOVER BETWEEN EVENTS WAS ALSO, UM, TALKED ABOUT.

IT WENT FROM ANY NUMBER OF DAYS DOWN TO 24.

AND WE SAID THAT THERE HAD TO BE ENVIRONMENTAL RECOVERY TIME IN BETWEEN EVENTS.

UM, SO ONE COULDN'T BE PLANNED RIGHT AFTER THE OTHER.

OKAY? AND THEN WE DEFINED A NON-COMMUNITY EVENT PAID WITH ALCOHOL.

A NON-COMMUNITY EVENT WAS A PAID WELL YOU HAVE TO PAY TO GET IN AND WHERE THEY SERVED ALCOHOL.

AND SO THE NUM THE, THE NUMBER OF DAYS THE PARK IS CLOSED FOR A NON-COMMUNITY EVENT CREATED CRITERIA THAT WOULD SEND EVENTS TO SPECIFIC PARKS ARE A PARK MATRIX WITH TERMS AND FEES AND REDIRECTING MONEY.

OKAY? SO WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE IS WHO COLLECTS THE MONEY FOR WHAT HAPPENS AT ACL OR WHATEVER.

AND IT GOES TO THESE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO MAINTAIN THEIR PARK ONLY AT THIS POINT IN TIME, THAT MONEY IS DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT ALL THE PARKS IN THE CITY IN SOME FORM OR FASHION, AT LEAST IN THE MISSION STATEMENT.

UH, FOR THE NONPROFITS THAT EXIST NOW, THERE IS EQUITY, IT'S IN THEIR MISSION STATEMENT.

THEY CAN'T NOT BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR THAT.

SO THE PARKS TASK FORCE DECIDES PUBLICLY AND THE ZILKER 3 51 DECIDES PRIVATE.

SO THE PROBLEM IS WE ARE MAKING PRIVATE DECISIONS ON PUBLIC PARKLAND, AND IT'S NOT TO OUR BENEFIT BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ANYONE, WE DON'T HAVE ANYWHERE TO COMPLAIN.

UH, SO THE PARK MATRIX LIMITS THE, OF EACH PARK ESTABLISHES THE USE CONFORM OR GO TO THE PARK THAT OFFERS WHAT YOUR EVENT REQUIRES.

SO AT PRESENT, THE CITY IS MEETING THE DEMANDS INSTEAD OF ESTABLISHING THEM, THE PARKS CONFORM TO THE EVENT INSTEAD OF THE NEEDS OF THE PARK.

ESTABLISHING WHAT'S, OKAY.

SO WHAT WE TRIED TO DO WAS MATCH THE EVENT MISSION TO THE PARK LOCATION THAT WOULD BEST SERVE IT.

AND I SAW NONE OF THAT DISCUSSION IN THIS ZILKER PARK VISION PLAN OR AS I THINK OF IT, THE LACK OF VISION PLAN BECAUSE THAT IS THE MOST PRESSING ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE THAT WE HAVE BEFORE US, IN MY OPINION.

OKAY? TWO OTHER THINGS AND THEN I'M THROUGH THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE SPECIAL EVENTS PEOPLE, UM, AUSTIN CENTER FOR EVENTS INCLUDES THE POLICE PARKS, PUBLIC WORKS VERSUS PRIVATE SECURITY.

SO IF IN YOUR INFINITE WISDOM, THE 5 0 1 THAT YOU CREATED DECIDES THAT WE NEED TO PAY PRIVATE SECURITY, WHO DO WE GO TO? AND WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR INCARCERATION? I MEAN, JUST THINK ABOUT IT.

PARKING ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE A PROBLEM NOW WITH ACL COULD BE PUT IN PRIVATE HANDS AND WE DID NOT WANT THAT.

AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT CAN BE DONE IF THE

[03:15:01]

DECISION IS MADE BY THE PEOPLE THAT WILL RECEIVE THE FUNDING AND IT WILL NOT GO TO MAINTENANCE OF PARKS, IT WILL GO TO MAINTAINING THE STATUS OF EVENTS.

OKAY? ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE THINGS THAT I NEVER THOUGHT OF BEFORE.

I WAS ON THE PARKLAND, UH, THE SPECIAL EVENTS PARKS TASK FORCE.

OKAY? SO THAT IS WHY I'M BRINGING THEM TO YOUR ATTENTION BECAUSE SO MANY THINGS ARE LACKING AND YOUR PLAN, AND YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN THIS CRITERIA BY PEOPLE WHO MET FOR A, A YEAR AND A HALF AND YOU HAVE ADDRESSED VERY LITTLE OF IT.

UM, THIS, THE LINKS, UM, TO STATISTICS GO TO PAR AND THAT SHOULD NOT CHANGE.

AND WE HAVE ALREADY SEEN WHERE THESE, THE AUSTIN, THOSE, THE ZILKER VISION PLAN JUST DELETES STATISTICS THAT ARE NOT PART OF THEIR VISION, OKAY? THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION FUND AND PARKS, UM, THE FEDERAL FUNDING GOES TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND THEN I DON'T KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THAT WITH THE 5 0 1 THAT'S FORMED.

THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY FUND PERCENTAGE GOES TO THE HERITAGE AND PRESERVATION OF ZILKER PARK AND BARTON SPRINGS.

SO WHO'S GONNA GET THE MONEY THERE? UM, THIS WAS POINTED OUT, AND IT'S AN IMPORTANT THING AND EVERYBODY NEEDS TO REALIZE THIS, WALKING FOLKS SPEND MORE MONEY LOCALLY THAN DRIVING FOLKS.

AND SO DESTINATION PEOPLE, AS WAS MENTIONED EARLIER, DESTINATION TRIPS ARE REALLY NOT HELPING THE ECONOMY.

THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY HA TAX HAS HERITAGE GRANTS TO PRIVATE OWNERS.

UM, FOR AN EXAMPLE, PRESERVATION AUSTIN HAS CEMETERIES AND THEY MAINTAIN THEM PRIVATELY.

OKAY? PAR FUNDING INCREASE.

SO ATTRACTIONS AT THE STATE ARE THE STATE CAPITAL IN BARTON SPRINGS, AND THE MONEY SHOULD REFLECT FROM THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX.

THAT IS ANOTHER THING THAT WAS SET FORTH BY THE SPECIAL EVENTS PARKS TASK FORCE.

UM, THE SPECIAL EVENT FEE STUDY, UH, INCLUDED THE PARK IMPROVEMENT FUND, THE HERITAGE SITE, AND TOURISM PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT.

SO FROM THESE THINGS, IF FUNDS ARE RAISED BY A PRIVATE ENTITY, WHO DECIDES HOW THEY ARE GOING TO BE SPENT? AND THIS IS NOT A DETAIL, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE LOOKED INTO.

UM, I REALLY, THERE'S MORE THAT I COULD SAY, BUT I'M JUST APPALLED THAT THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM WAS NOT ADDRESSED.

THE GREAT LAWN YOU DID NOTHING TO BECAUSE YOU SAID THEY MAINTAIN THAT.

WE JUST WANT ALL THE PART AROUND IT.

AND OH, BY THE WAY, WE'RE GOING TO CREATE SOME CARBON SINKS OVER HERE IN HABITAT AND WE WANT YOU TO APPROVE THIS.

IT'S RIDICULOUS.

IT IS JUST UTTERLY RIDICULOUS THAT YOU HAVE SPENT ALL OF THIS TIME AND THIS MONEY ON WHAT WE ALL KNOW NEEDS TO BE DONE.

THE REST OF THE PART NEEDS TO BE MAINTAINED.

WHY DO YOU THINK IT ISN'T DONE FUNDING? AND WHAT ARE THESE PEOPLE GOING AFTER? FUNDING? SO YOU WANT FUNDING TO MAINTAIN THAT, AND THE REST OF IT, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU, IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME.

SO IF WE'RE GONNA GET ALL OF THIS STUFF, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA GET A SUPER DUPER ACL AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE A, AN AMPHITHEATER THAT NO ONE WANTS.

BUT THAT WAS NOT PART OF YOUR, UH, PROCESS IN SAYING, DO YOU WANT A NEW, I MEAN, THE WHOLE PROCESS WAS FLAWED IN THE WAY YOU GATHERED INFORMATION.

AND NOW WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHERE THE MONEY WILL GO AND WHO WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT.

SO ANYBODY CAN SAY, OH, WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT TO REWILD? PART OF, I SAY THAT WAS A TERM THAT WE USED IN THE TASK FORCE AS WELL AND GREENING, BUT WE DID NOT MEAN IT IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM IN THE WAY THAT YOU HAVE SIT, YOU HAVE MEANT IT.

GREENING TO US WAS TO ALLOW THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

[03:20:01]

TO, UH, EXCEL AND YOU WANT US TO PAY FOR LONG-TERM MAINTENANCE IN A SPACE WHERE WE NEED TO LIMIT PEOPLE.

AND THAT WAS NOT ADDRESSED IN AN AREA THAT'S BEING, UH, DEALT WITH WHERE TREES ARE BUILT AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

SO THERE'S NOTHING IN YOUR PARK IN YOUR PLAN THAT WE CAN, I MEAN, IT'S JUST A FEEL GOOD THING AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED.

THERE'S NO MEAT AND POTATOES THERE FOR US TO SINK OUR TEETH INTO AND SAY, OH, THEY'RE GONNA FIX SOME STUFF THAT WE DESPERATELY NEED.

SO THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS.

THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER.

UH, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? COMMISSIONER LES? I DO JUST A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.

SO THANK YOU BOTH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION, UH, OR THANK ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION RATHER.

UM, IT'S VERY INFORMATIVE.

UM, I'LL KEEP THIS PRETTY BRIEF.

I BELIEVE IT'S WELL UNDERSTOOD AT THIS POINT, BUT THIS PLAN IS A VISION PLAN.

WITH THAT SAID, IS IT ACCURATE TO SAY THAT SOME OF THE PRIMARY GOALS AND INTENTS OF THE VISION PLAN ARE TO ULTIMATELY REDUCE IMPERVIOUS COVER AND INCREASE GREEN SPACE AND ECOLOGICAL DIVERSITY WHILE AT THE SAME TIME ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF A GROWING CITY? ABSOLUTELY.

UM, AND THANK YOU FOR NOTICING THAT.

ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU.

SO, REGARDING SOME OF THE PROJECT SPECIFIC CONCERNS, ARE THERE ANY SPECIFIC PROJECTS IN THIS PLAN BINDING IN ANY WAY OR MORE? I GUESS TO EXPAND MY QUESTION, WOULD ANY OF THE DEVELOPMENTS SPECIFIED IN THE PLAN OR ALTERNATIVES THAT MAY EMERGE BE SUBJECT TO LOCAL, FEDERAL, AND STATE ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS? YES.

WELL, WITH THAT SIMPLE ANSWER, UH, I'D JUST LIKE TO SAY THAT AS AUSTIN CONTINUES TO GROW, THE DEMAND FOR OUTDOOR SPACES WILL ONLY INCREASE AS WELL, AND WE NEED TO PREPARE FOR THAT.

THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER.

UM, LET'S GO AROUND THE HORN HERE.

UM, WE CAN START WITH YOU MR. BROWNER.

UH, I'VE GONE THROUGH THE WEBSITE LOTS OF TIMES AND, UH, OH.

UH, COMMISSIONER BRIMER.

UH, LET'S SEE.

FIRST OF ALL, I, WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, MR. KATI, UH, HE DOESN'T HAVE MY PERMISSION TO MISQUOTE ME.

I'M PERFECTLY CAPABLE OF, UH, REPRESENTING MYSELF.

UH, I'D LIKE TO THANK THE DESIGN WORKSHOP FOR PUTTING TOGETHER A VERY, VERY REPRESENTATIVE, UH, DOCUMENT.

UH, THEY DID PULL TOGETHER A LOT OF HISTORICAL INFORMATION FROM THE ZOO PARK NATURAL RESOURCE INVENTORY MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES FROM 2019, AND SOME INFORMATION WITH THE CLIMATE, UH, CITY OF AUSTIN CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN, AND, UH, OTHER SOURCES, UH, ZUCKER PARK WORKING GROUP IN ORDER TO GENERATE THIS.

UM, AND I'D LIKE TO THANK ELIZABETH FUNK, WHO PUT UP WITH A LOT OF BS FROM ME WITHOUT COMPLAINING AT ALL, AT LEAST NOT TO ME.

UH, BUT, UH, THERE'S SOME BIG COMMENTS MADE THAT WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION AND, UH, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THAT.

UH, I SPENT THE PAST FOUR WEEKS GOING THROUGH EVERYTHING I CAN FIND DATED BACK TO 2013 ON VARIOUS PLANS ABOUT ZILKER PARK.

UH, I'VE GONE BACK TO ONLINE RECORDS FOR THE AUSTIN STATESMAN BACK TO 1917, SOME OF WHICH, UH, THE VISION PLAN REFERENCES AS WELL.

UH, I'VE INTERVIEWED MEMBERS OF SOS AUSTIN PARKS FOUNDATION, PARKS BOARDS, SIERRA CLUB, BARTON SPRINGS CONSERVANCY, BULL CREEK FOUNDATION, HOUSTON TILLESON UNIVERSITY, VERY MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL STAFF.

AND I ALSO ATTENDED THE URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION MEETING LAST NIGHT.

SO I'M FAIRLY WELL BRIEFED ON ALL THIS.

SO I THINK I HAVE SOME ABILITY TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE ISSUES.

UH, FUNDAMENTALLY, I BELIEVE THAT, UH, SOME DOCUMENT I READ SAID THAT ZILKER PARK SHOULD TREAT THE PARK AS AN ECOLOGICAL TREASURE WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO INTERACT WITH NATURE WITHOUT COMPROMISING, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL INTEGRITY.

AND SO THAT'S WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR FROM THIS.

UH, ALSO, I BELIEVE A VISION PLAN SHOULD BE TRULY VISIONARY.

IF IT DOESN'T LOOK OUT 50 YEARS, AND IT'S NOT A VISION PLAN, IT'S WHAT YOU CAN SEE LIKE IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

I DON'T WANNA LOOK AT A VISION PLAN AND SEE WHAT IS GONNA HAPPEN IN THE NEXT 15 YEARS, BECAUSE THAT'S NOT A VISION PLAN.

ONE OF THE THINGS I THINK IS A PROBLEM WITH THE PLAN, AND IT'S NOT REALLY A PROBLEM WITH PLAN'S, THE PERCEPTION, UH, I LOOK ONLINE THE WEBSITE, AND,

[03:25:01]

AND, AND, AND WHAT I FOUND WAS, I'VE LOOKED AT A LOT OF THE SURVEYS.

A LOT OF THE SURVEYS AND THE POP-UPS AND EVERYTHING YOU RE THAT YOU REFERENCED, I WENT AND LOOKED AT THERE, THERE WERE SOME HOT LINKS.

YOU COULD ACTUALLY VIEW THE VIDEOS AND YOU COULD, UH, SOME OF 'EM HAD NOTES WHERE YOU COULD LOOK AT THE, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE NOTES THAT WERE TAKEN.

UH, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY WERE TAKEN, BUT THERE WERE TWO THAT WERE NOT DOCUMENTED FULLY.

ONE WAS WITH THE, UH, REWILD ZER PROPONENTS, AND ONE WAS WITH C3 REPRESENTATIVES.

ONE OF THE DOCUMENTS I REVIEWED WAS THE CONTRACT BETWEEN PAR AND, UH, DESIGNWORKS.

UH, AND IT SAID THAT EVERYTHING NEEDED TO BE DOCUMENTED.

NOW, I DON'T KNOW WHEN THE CONTRACT ENDS.

SO TECHNICALLY YOU COULD, YOU KNOW, THE CONTRACT MAY END IN SIX MONTHS AND YOU COULD JUST HAVE IT ALL FILLED OUT BY THEN.

BUT AS I LOOKED AT THIS TODAY, THOSE WEREN'T DOCUMENTED.

IT DIDN'T HAVE A LIST OF ATTENDEES, IT DIDN'T HAVE A LIST OF TOPICS COVERED.

SO BASICALLY YOU HAVE THIS BIG GAP AS TO WHAT'S THERE.

AND YOUR PERCEPTION PROBLEM IS THAT PEOPLE REALLY BELIEVE THAT THERE'S SOMETHING UNDERHANDED GOING ON NOW.

SO THERE, YOU KNOW, I DON'T NECESSARILY BELIEVE THAT'S THE CASE, BUT YOU HAVE A REAL PERCEPTION PROBLEM THAT A LOT OF THE COMMUNITY SEES.

AND SO FROM A PR PERSPECTIVE, YOU GOT A REALLY BAD PROBLEM YOU GOTTA SOLVE.

AND THAT'S SOMETHING YOU ALL HAVE TO SOLVE, NOT ME.

I'M JUST CALLING IT TO YOUR ATTENTION.

YOU GOTTA FIGURE IT OUT.

SCOUT CABIN, THAT SORT OF THING.

NOW, UH, ONTO MY QUESTIONS.

UH, I STARTED NIGHT BEFORE LAST WITH ABOUT 160 QUESTIONS.

UH, LAST NIGHT.

I PAIRED IT DOWN TO 87.

RIGHT NOW I'VE GOT ABOUT 64, AND I CROSSED OUT A FEW OF THEM HERE.

WE'RE GONNA START WITH, AND THEY COVER, UH, JUST ALL SORTS OF STUFF.

BUT I'M GONNA START WITH THIS.

AND TO ME, IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.

DOES, AND I'M GONNA ADDRESS THIS TO, YOU KNOW, CLAIRE AND, AND GREGORY HERE, AND WHOEVER IS APPROPRIATE MAY ANSWER IT.

I DO HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS FOR WATERSHED THAT I'LL CALL OUT SPECIFICALLY, AND I'LL RELY ON YOU TO ANSWER HOWEVER BEST YOU CAN.

WHAT IS THE CARRYING CAPACITY OF THE PARK? AND I ASKED THAT FROM THIS, THIS PERSPECTIVE.

COUPLE OF, UH, MEETINGS AGO, WE HAD, UH, HOUSTON TILTS COME OUT AND TALK ABOUT THE CARRYING CAPACITY OF LAKE AUSTIN.

AND SPECIFICALLY IT HAD TO DO WITH HOW MANY BOATS YOU COULD FLOAT ON THERE BEFORE IT WAS AT CAPACITY.

AND THEY HAD, THEY DID A REALLY NICE STUDY, AND I CONTACTED HOUSTON TILTON, AND THEY SENT ME BACK ALL SORTS OF STUFF THAT WAS CROSS REFERENCED WITH OTHER STUDIES NATIONWIDE ABOUT WHAT BOAT CROWDING ON A LAKE LOOK LIKE.

NOW I LOOK AT ZICA PARK, WHAT IS THE CARRYING CAPACITY OF ZICA PARK? HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN YOU ACTUALLY FIT IN A PARK OVER A YEAR BEFORE? IT IS ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY TRASHED.

AND WE HAD, LAST FIGURE I GOT FOR ACL, THEY HAD 450,000 PEOPLE IN THERE OVER, WHAT, EIGHT OR NINE DAYS? I DON'T KNOW, WHATEVER IT WAS.

AND THEN WE HAVE OTHER EVENTS THAT ATTRACT A LOT OF PEOPLE.

AND THEN WE HAVE THE NORMAL PEOPLE.

SO HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN XTRA PARK SUPPORT IN A YEAR, IN A WEEK IN A DAY? DOES ANY, DOES ANYONE HAVE AN IDEA? SO, IN THE REPORT, IN THE, UM, SITE ANALYSIS PIECE OF IT, UM, OUR CONSULTANT, CHARLIE MCCABE, WHO IS ON THE PHONE TONIGHT, I BELIEVE, UM, HELPED US COME UP WITH, UH, VISITORSHIP NUMBER FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR.

AND THAT WAS IN TALKING WITH DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS OF, OF THE CITY, UH, DIFFERENT FACILITY MANAGERS TO GET TO THAT NUMBER.

UM, CHARLIE, ARE YOU ON THE PHONE? I AM.

DO YOU WANNA EXPAND ON THAT A LITTLE, A LITTLE MORE? YEAH.

SO COMMISSIONER, WHAT WHAT WE LOOKED AT WAS WE LOOKED AT THE, THE POPULATIONS THAT WERE GOING TO EACH OF THE DISCREET SITES.

UH, SO THE POOL, UH, THE NATURE AND SCIENCE CENTER, THE BOTANIC GARDEN, UH, FOLKS USING THE GREAT LAWN, UM, UH, THE PLAYING FIELDS, UH, SUNSHINE CAMP, GIRL

[03:30:01]

UH, AND THAT'S HOW WE KIND OF ARRIVED AT, UH, THE NUMBER, UM, UH, THAT, THAT HAD SOME VARIATION.

UH, WHEN WE WERE DOING THE STATISTICS, WE WERE DOING IT, UH, YOU KNOW, IN THE LATTER STAGES OF THE PANDEMIC.

UM, SO, UH, IN SOME CASES IT WAS, UH, A LITTLE LOW, UH, BASED ON THE FACT THAT THE POOL HAD BEEN CLOSED AT CERTAIN TIMES.

UM, AND THE CITY, THE PARKS DEPARTMENT HAS ACTUALLY INCREASED, UH, THE MAINTENANCE BUDGET, UM, A FAIR AMOUNT.

UH, IF YOU LOOK AT FROM LIKE 2017, IT WAS ABOUT, UH, 1.47 MILLION FOR MAINTENANCE FOR THE ENTIRE PARK.

AND THAT'S A LITTLE OVER 2 MILLION.

UH, IT'S ACTUALLY CLOSER TO 2.4 MILLION NOW IN THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR.

UM, SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S HARD, IT'S HARD TO SAY BECAUSE, UH, THE MORE MAINTENANCE YOU PUT INTO IT, UH, OBVIOUSLY, UM, THE, THE MORE ABLE, YOU'RE ABLE TO COUNTERACT SOME OF THE EFFECTS.

UM, BUT YOU DO HAVE PORTIONS OF THE PARK THAT HAVE BEEN USED, UH, AS OTHER PEOPLE HAVE MENTIONED, UH, FOR PARKING.

UH, AND THAT HAS DEGRADED SOME AREAS.

THERE'S OTHER AREAS THAT HAVE BEEN REVIVED, UM, THROUGH TREE PLANTING AND CANOPY, UH, IMPROVEMENTS AND THAT SORT OF THING.

UM, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, IN, IN THE PARKS WORLD, UM, CARING CAPACITY IS STILL VERY MUCH A GREATLY, UH, DEBATED TOPIC.

UH, AND UNLIKE, UM, THE, UM, THE, UH, STUDY DONE BY HOUSTON TILLSON LOOKING AT WATER, UH, ACCESS AND A NUMBER OF BOATS ON THE WATER AND, AND THAT SORT OF THING, THERE'S, THERE, THERE ARE LESS GOOD STUDIES.

UM, AND IT'S NOT BEEN FOR LACK OF TRYING.

UM, SO I, I DON'T HAVE A, I DON'T HAVE A SPECIFIC ANSWER OTHER THAN WE KNOW WHO, UH, THE NUMBER OF FOLKS THAT COME THERE, AND WE KNOW WHAT IT COSTS TO MAINTAIN THE PARK CURRENTLY AND THE CHALLENGES THAT THE PARK DEPARTMENT HAS.

SO YOU REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT THE CARRYING CAPACITY IS.

OKAY, THAT'S FINE.

UH, NOW WITH RE YES, MA'AM.

UM, IF YOU DON'T MIND, UH, COMMISSIONER BRAMER, I'M GONNA MOVE.

IT'S 9 55.

I'M GONNA MOVE THAT WE EXTEND THE MEETING TO 10, 22ND.

I GOT A SECOND.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? RAISE YOUR HAND.

ALL THOSE, YOU OKAY.

AND SIR, UH, ALL THOSE OPPOSED, UH, ALL.

SO WE HAVE ONE, UH, ONE OPPOSED, UH, ALL THE OTHERS FOR MOTION CARRIES.

PLEASE CONTINUE.

MR. COMMISSIONER MILLER.

UH, THE WELCOME CENTER, I BELIEVE, AND, AND YET A LOT OF REALLY GOOD MAPS IN THERE.

I WAS REALLY IMPRESSED.

UH, THE ONLY SHORTCOMING WAS THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE 'EM KIND OF OVERLAID A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE A MAP HERE AND YOU HAVE A MAP THERE, AND YOU, IT'D BEEN NICE IF THEY OVERLAID, SO I KIND OF DREW SOME IMPRESSIONS OF THEM KIND OF FLIPPING FROM PAGE PAGE, YOU KNOW, SORT OF, SO I MAY HAVE THIS INCORRECT.

BUT ANYWAY, HAVING SAID THAT, IT LOOKED LIKE THE WELCOME CENTER IS IN THE HUNDRED YEAR FLOODPLAIN.

IS THAT CORRECT? NO, 500 YEAR FLOOD PLANE.

I, I DON'T BELIEVE IT'S, NO, WE, OKAY.

SO IT'S, IT'S NOT IN A FLOODPLAIN.

SO THE, THE EXISTING QUA HUT AND YEAH, THE CONS CUT AND ALL THAT SORT OF STUFF.

WELL, YOU'RE GONNA BUILD THE, THE WELCOME CENTER THAT'S NOT IN THE FLOODPLAIN.

THOSE AS HISTORIC STRUCTURES ARE IN THE FLOODPLAIN, BUT THEY WOULD REMAIN WHERE THEY ARE.

AND THEN WE WOULD IMPROVE, MAKE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE WELCOME CENTER SO THAT, THAT IT FULLY APPLIED OR, UM, UM, ADHERED TO LOCAL STATE FEDERAL LAWS.

WELL, OKAY.

AND YOU KNOW, I'VE, I'VE READ THIS SEVERAL TIMES AND, AND IT'S HARD TO GO THROUGH ALL THESE DOCUMENTS AND LEVEL OF DETAIL THAT YOU HAVE, BUT ON PAGE 89, IT SEEMED TO INDICATE THAT YOU'RE GONNA BUILD A WELCOME CENTER ON THE SAME PIECE OF PROPERTY OR SOMETHING WITH THE QUO HU AND STUFF.

IS THAT NOT CORRECT? NO, THAT'S CORRECT.

AND I GUESS I IT, BUT YOU SAY IT'S NOT IN THE FLOODPLAIN, IS THAT RIGHT? THE NEW IMPROVEMENTS ASIDE FROM RENOVATING THE WOULD BE OUTSIDE OF THE FLOOD PLANT.

WITHIN WATERSHED, OR WOULD THIS BE HANDLED BY PARKS PORT? SO HISTORICALLY, WE'VE BROUGHT FORWARD PLANS FOR EROSION CONTROL ALONG THE OUTFALL OF BARTON CREEK.

UH, NOW YOU MENTIONED THAT, UH, UH, THIS IS FOR, UH, WATERSHED ACTUALLY, UH, EROSION CONTROL PLANS FLOW THROUGH THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION.

WE HANDLED ONE OF THOSE IN THE PAST COUPLE OF MEETINGS, I GUESS, WITH COUNTRY CUB CREEK CREEK.

UH, WOULD THAT STILL APPLY TO EROSION CONTROL WITHIN THE PARK? WOULD THAT STILL COME BEFORE US, OR, BECAUSE IT'S IN THE PARK AND THIS IS A CITY PROJECT, WOULD THAT BE HANDLED EITHER ADMINISTRATIVELY

[03:35:01]

UH, BUT LET ME MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND YOUR QUESTION.

DO YOU MIND REPEATING IT? WELL, YEAH, MY, THEY PLAN TO DO A LOT OF EROSION CONTROL.

AND SO WOULD THAT EROSION CONTROL BE RE REVIEWED BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION IF IT WAS WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF THE PARK? NO.

UH, THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD COLLABORATE WITH THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT TO ENSURE THAT THEY'RE MEETING OUR REGULATIONS, UH, AND USING BEST PRACTICES.

IT WOULD BE SHOWN ON A SITE PLAN, IT WOULD BE A PART OF A TYPICAL REVIEW PROCESS.

AND AS LONG AS THEY'RE DEVELOPING WITHIN REGULATIONS THAT WOULD BE ADMINISTRATIVELY APPROVED, UH, ACCORDING TO THE BEST PRACTICES OUTLINED IN OUR CODE AND CRITERIA MANUAL.

SO UNLESS THEY HAD TO, IF THEY REQUIRED A VARIANCE, WOULD IT COME FOR SURE.

THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S ALL I NEED TO KNOW.

UH, ARE THE REST, THERE'S MULTIPLE RESTROOMS YOU'RE GONNA BE CONSTRUCTING.

ARE THEY GONNA BE PERMANENT STRUCTURES OR ARE THEY PORTA-POTTIES, OR WHAT THE VISION PLAN, UH, CEASE THOSE AS PERMANENT STRUCTURES.

UH, OKAY.

UH, ARE YOU CONSIDERING COMPOSTING TOILETS IN ANY OF THIS? WE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT THAT DURING OUR PLANNING PROCESS.

UM, WE HAVE A TEAM, M E P, MECHANICAL ELECTRICAL PLUMBING ENGINEER.

UM, AND THE, THE CODE CURRENTLY, UM, PREVENTS COMPOSTING TOILETS FROM HAPPENING IN THE PARK.

I CAN'T QUOTE THE CODE, BUT IT DID COME UP AS A POTENTIAL ROADBLOCK FOR THAT HAPPENING IN THE PARK.

UM, BUT IT IS SOMETHING THAT IS DEFINITELY, UM, SEEN AS BENEFICIAL FOR THE PARK IF WE CAN OVERCOME THE CODE THAT WOULD PREVENT IT FROM HAPPENING.

WELL, IF YOU'RE, I UNDERSTAND CODE ISSUES THEN, SO CODE ISSUES CAN BE FIXED, BUT IF YOU'RE DOING A VISION PLAN AND YOU'RE REALLY VISIONING COMPOSTING AND ALL THAT OTHER KIND OF REALLY FUN STUFF, UH, COMPOSTING TOILETS WOULD BE USEFUL.

UH, THIS IS PERHAPS AN UNANSWERABLE QUESTION, BUT IT'S DIRECTED AT, UH, PERHAPS GREGORY, UH, THE ZILKER PARK WORKING GROUP WAS SUPPOSED TO, UH, WORK WITH, UH, TCEQ ON THE BUTLER PARK LANDFILL IN 2019, UH, ON A STUDY OF, OF BUTLER LANDFILL AS A, UH, YOU KNOW, TO GET RID OF THAT.

DID YOU ALL COMPLETE THAT STUDY? THE PARKS DEPARTMENT? YEAH, THAT'S WHAT IT SAID IN, UH, THE ZULE PARK WORKING GROUP.

DID YOU ALL COMPLETE THAT STUDY? I'M NOT AWARE THAT OUR DEPARTMENT DID.

I, I KNOW THAT WATERSHED PROTECTION IN KATIE, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE AWARE OF YOUR DEPARTMENT'S INVOLVEMENT, BUT I KNOW THAT, UH, CHRIS HARRINGTON, I KNOW HAD WORKED ON THE LANDFILL A LITTLE BIT, BUT I'M NOT AWARE OF OUR DEPARTMENT TAKING THE LEAD ON THAT IN HAVING COMPLETED THAT STUDY.

I DON'T KNOW IF, KATIE, IF YOU HAD ANY COMMENTS OR THOUGHTS ON CHRIS'S.

I, I WOULD'VE TO FOLLOW UP ON, ON THAT, I'M NOT AWARE OF ANY STUDY THAT HAS OCCURRED.

AND I WOULD ALSO SAY THAT IN TERMS OF REMEDIATION OF THAT NATURE, WE WOULD ALSO COORDINATE WITH OUR BROWNFIELD FOLKS IN OUR AUSTIN RESEARCH RECOVERY DEPARTMENT.

ON PAGE 46 OF THE, UH, VISION PLAN, UH, IT MENTIONS, UH, A GOAL OF ZILKER PARK TREE CANOPY COVER AS BEING X X X X X.

UH, IS THAT ROMAN NUMERALS, OR WOULD THERE SUPPOSED TO BE A REAL NUMBER THERE? UM, YES, THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A REAL NUMBER.

THAT WOULD BE A TYPO.

NOW, A HUNDRED YEARS FROM NOW? AND THAT IS A CARBON SUM, UH, AND JUST A PLACE THAT PEOPLE CAN ENJOY AND INCREDIBLE NATURAL BEAUTY SOON.

WOULD YOU KNOW WHAT THE REAL NUMBER IS SUPPOSED TO BE? UM, WITHOUT LOOKING AT THE PAGE AND THE CONTEXT? I, WELL, IT SAYS X X X X, SO, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE MUST HAVE THE REAL NUMBER SOMEWHERE.

UH, I, I CAN GET YOU, UH, ANOTHER NUMBER FOR WHAT THAT IS.

I THINK THE GOAL, AGAIN, WE'RE, WE'RE STILL MAKING CHANGES TO THAT, AND THAT'S LIKELY WHY THAT WAS IN THE VISION PLAN AND X X XX.

UM, THERE'S A COUPLE DIFFERENT GOALS WE CAN THINK ABOUT.

SO, UM, UH, UH, 50% BY 2050 IS SOMETHING THE CITY IS.

YEAH, I, I UNDERSTAND THAT.

UM, AND WE CAN SUBSTANTIALLY, UM, BE OVER THAT AT ZILKER.

AND SO, UH, WE'LL COME BACK TO YOU WITH A NUMBER OF WHAT THAT GOAL COULD BE, AND IT WOULD BE AN ASPIRATIONAL GOAL.

AGAIN, THINKING, I LOVE YOUR CHALLENGE OF THIS IS NOT JUST FOR TOMORROW OR 10 YEARS FROM NOW, BUT WHAT ARE WE THINKING ABOUT 50 YEARS FROM

[03:40:01]

I UNDERSTAND.

I APPRECIATE YOUR, YOUR GETTING THAT A NUMBER BACK, BUT WE'RE VOTING TONIGHT, SO EMAILING ME NEXT MONTH IS NOT TERRIBLY USEFUL.

YEAH, I'LL, I'LL PICK UP MY COMPUTER RIGHT WHEN WE START LOOKING.

UH, OKAY, SO IT SAYS, VISION PLAN MENTIONS PLANTING 200 TREES OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS.

UH, THE VISION PLAN ON ONE SEVEN PAGE 1 71, REFERENCES TABLE 5.2 OF THE, UH, MRI.

IT WOULD'VE BEEN NICE IF YOU INCLUDED THAT TABLE WITHIN THE VISION PLAN, SO SOMEONE DIDN'T HAVE TO GO BACK TO OR LOCATE, GO TO THE TROUBLE, LOCATE THE NATURAL RO RESOURCES INVENTORY THAT WAS DONE BY YOUR COMPANY A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO.

I, I HAPPENED TO HAVE HAD IT CUZ I WENT TO THE TROUBLE TO TRACK ALL THIS STUFF DOWN.

UH, SO ANYWAY, THERE'S THAT, UH, YOUR, UH, THE URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE AND ONE OF THE SPEAKERS EARLIER MENTIONED THIS, AND SO I'D LIKE YOU TO COME UP WITH SUMMARY.

THERE WAS A DISCREPANCY AMONG THE IMPERVIOUS COVER NUMBERS, AND I WAS BUSY TAKING NOTES ON SOMETHING ELSE, SO I DIDN'T GET THE EXPLANATION.

BUT YOU ALL CAME UP WITH AN EXPLANATION OF THE IMPERVIOUS COVER DISCREPANCY LAST NIGHT IN THE URBAN TRANSPORTATION MEETING.

COULD YOU SUMMARIZE THAT FOR EVERYONE ELSE? BECAUSE IT WAS BROUGHT UP BY ONE OF THE SPEAKERS EARLIER AND, UH, YOU ALL KNOW BETTER THAN I DID.

YES, YES.

THERE ARE SEVERAL DRAFTS OF THE PLAN, AND WE'VE BEEN MAKING TWEAKS TO THE PHYSICAL PLAN, WHICH HAS AFFECTED THE NUMBERS, AND THOSE NUMBERS HAVEN'T BEEN QUITE UPDATED AS THEY SHOULD HAVE AS WE'VE PRODUCED THESE DRAFTS.

SO THAT'S WHY THE NUMBERS HAVE BEEN FLUCTUATING AS WE HEAD TOWARDS THE, THE FINAL DRAFT.

UH, HOW ARE YOU GONNA PLAN TO IRRIGATE THESE TREES AND, AND FOR THAT MATTER, ALL THE OTHER STUFF, WHAT'S YOUR, UH, STRATEGY FOR, UH, WATERING ALL THIS STUFF? UM, IT'LL RE REALLY DEPEND ON SITE SPECIFIC PROJECTS.

I THINK GOING, UH, BACK TO THE OTHER COMMISSIONER'S QUESTION ABOUT, THIS IS A CONCEPT PLAN, YOU'RE GONNA GO DOWN AND SO IN ON PROJECTS WHERE THERE'S CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS, YOU'LL LIKELY HAVE READILY AVAILABLE IRRIGATION.

UM, AND THAT'LL BE A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN WATER SOMETHING EVERY DAY.

SO YOU COULD PUT A THREE INCH CALIPER TREE IN THE GROUND.

BUT THEN WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT SOME OF THESE OTHER AREAS, KIND OF ALONG BARTON CREEK, FURTHER INTO THE GREEN BELL, IF YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT DOING AN ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION PROJECT OUT THERE, YOU'RE GONNA WANT TO GO DOWN TO SMALL SEEDLINGS OR SAPLINGS AND YOU'RE GONNA PLANT MORE AND YOU'RE GONNA REALIZE THERE'S GONNA BE MORTALITY, WHICH IS A COMMON PRACTICE WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT RESTORATION.

UH, IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S USED THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF AUSTIN AS WELL.

SO IT'S KIND OF A BALANCE AND IT'S A, A PROJECT SPECIFIC APPROACH THAT YOU MIGHT TAKE.

THERE'S OTHER PLACES WHERE YOU CAN LOOK AT TEMPORARY IRRIGATION.

UM, AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE THERE, UH, UM, FOR THREE YEARS.

UH, SITES PROJECTS ARE ONLY SUPPOSED TO BE TEMPORARILY IRRIGATED UNTIL AFTER ESTABLISHMENT.

AND SO IF YOUR LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO REDUCE YOUR WATER DEMANDS ON YOUR LANDSCAPES, AGAIN, SITE CERTIFICATION, WHICH THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS REQUIRING ON ALL LARGE CAPITAL PROJECTS WITHIN PARKS, UM, IS, IS GONNA MAKE THE ANSWER TO THAT.

ANYTHING THAT YOU'RE IRRIGATING, YOU'RE ONLY IRRIGATING FOR THREE YEARS.

SO ALL YOUR, EVERYTHING YOU'RE PLANNING, YOU'RE NOT GONNA IRRIGATE FOR MORE THAN THREE YEARS, IF I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING CORRECTLY.

IS THAT RIGHT? THAT, THAT'S THE SITE'S REQUIREMENT.

AS A PRECURSOR TO THE, TO THE, UH, TO THIS, YOU KNOW, Z PARK VISION PLAN.

UH, NOW I ALSO SAW A THING OUT OF THE, UH, ZUCKER PARK WORKING GROUP FROM, UH, SEPTEMBER 1ST, 2019 WITH THE DATE OF THE DOCUMENT, CITY STAFF WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE A PLAN TO REMOVE THE BONEYARD BY, OH, I'M SORRY.

CITY STAFF'S SUPPOSED TO HAVE A PLAN TO REMOVE THE BONEYARD BY SEPTEMBER 1ST, 2019.

DOES ANYONE DID CITY STAFF AND THE WORD WAS CITY STAFF, SO IT DIDN'T MENTION A SPECIFIC DEPARTMENT, THE TERM CITY STAFF WAS THERE, DID CITY STAFF ACTUALLY DO THAT, OR IS THE AREA I THINK YOU'RE REFERRING TO IS JUST WEST OF MOPAC ALONG? UH, YEAH, I KNOW WHERE IT IS.

AND THAT AREA IS, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THE DEPARTMENT IS NOT USING IT, UM, FOR STAGING AREAS, UH, FOR MATERIALS ANY LONGER.

YEAH, I UNDERSTAND THAT.

BUT THAT'S NOT EXACTLY WHAT I ASKED.

THERE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A, UH, PLAN TO REMOVE IT, UH, BY, AVAILABLE BY SEPTEMBER 1ST, 2019 UP PER THE, THE WORKING GROUP.

I GUESS HERE'S THE THING THAT I'M KIND OF GETTING WITH THE ZILKER PARK WORKING GROUP, I SUPPOSE CITY COUNCIL PUT ALL THIS TOGETHER AND SAID EVERYONE GET IN THE ROOM AND COME OUT WITH A NARROW PLAN

[03:45:01]

AND THEY CAME OUT WITH, YOU KNOW, LIKE SIX OR EIGHT SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS.

IT WOULD APPEAR THAT THEY WERE STUDIOUSLY IGNORED BY EVERYONE WHO WAS REMOTELY CONNECTED WITH IT.

AND CUZ THAT'S KIND OF THE DRIFT I'M GETTING, BUT THAT'S OKAY TOO.

UH, OKAY, ON PAGE 1 69, IT REFERENCES OF THE, OF THE Z PARK WORKING PLAN, IT REC, UH, REFERENCES THE TOXIC RUNOFF, UH, FROM THE, UH, PISTOL RANGE IS, UH, WHAT'S THE, WHAT'S THE PLAN FOR THAT? I MEAN, WHEN YOU MAKE SOMETHING LIKE, WE GOT TOXIC RUNOFF, HAS ANYONE TESTING FOR THAT NOW TO SEE WHAT THE SCOPE OF THAT IS, WHERE IT'S GOING, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S, WHAT'S THE PLAN FOR HANDLING THIS? NOW? FIRST OF ALL, LEMME PREFACE THIS BY SAYING I UNDERSTAND WHAT A VISION PLAN IS.

I WAS A COMPUTER CONSULTANT FOR MANY YEARS.

I'VE WRITTEN VISION PLAN, SO I UNDERSTAND WHAT A VISION PLAN IS.

BUT TYPICALLY YOU, WHEN YOU WRITE A VISION PLAN, YOU GIVE LIKE, OKAY, HERE'S SOME SUGGESTED DIRECTIONS THAT YOU GO AND, AND LIKE, WELL, YOU KNOW, THIS SORT OF THING.

DON'T GO HERE, GO OVER HERE, HERE'S LIKE FIVE OPTIONS, THIS SORT OF THING.

SO WHAT'S THE PLAN FOR A HOLD HANDLING TOXIC RUNOFF FROM THE PISTOL RANGE? WELL, IN DIVISION PLAN WE ARE, BECAUSE THAT IS LOCATED WITHIN THE PRESERVE.

SO RIGHT NOW, UM, I DON'T, I DON'T THINK THE DEPARTMENT HAS ACTUALLY DONE ANY STUDIES TO SEE WHERE THE RUNOFF IS AND HOW CONTAMINATED IT IS.

I THINK THAT IN THE VISION PLAN, WE ARE ENVISIONING TO NOT USE THAT AREA AS A, A PISTOL RANGE, OBVIOUSLY, BUT I MEAN, WE'RE, IT'S WITHIN THE, THE, THE PRESERVE.

SO WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND KEEP IT AS AN OPEN SPACE.

AND BEFORE WE CAN DO ANY IMPROVEMENTS THERE THOUGH, WE WOULD HAVE TO DO AN ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY.

SO, I MEAN, BUT YOU'RE NOT TESTING TO SEE IF ANY CURRENT RUNOFF IS POLLUTING ANYTHING ELSE, IS THAT CORRECT? NOT, NOT THAT I'M AWARE OF WITHIN OUR DEPARTMENT, NO.

OKAY, THAT'S FINE.

UH, IS ANYONE TESTING THE BUTLER LANDFILL OR ANYTHING? UH, THERE WAS SOME STUDIES THAT SAID IN THE PAST THAT THERE WAS NO, UH, NO, YOU KNOW, LEAKS FROM THAT, BUT THERE WAS ALSO SOME QUESTION ABOUT HOW THIS WOULD PLAY OUT IN THE FUTURE.

HAS ANYONE DONE ANY STUDIES SINCE THEN TO SEE IF THE BONEYARD OR, UH, YOU KNOW, THE BUTLER LANDFILL WAS CREATING ANY PROBLEMS? SAY, I MEAN, THEY'RE ADJACENT TO, UH, LADY BIRD LAKE.

HAS ANYONE LOOKED INTO THAT FROM THE PARKS DEPARTMENT? YEAH, WELL, ANYONE, BUT YOU'RE THE PARKS DEPARTMENT.

IT IS A PART, RIGHT.

BUT, SO YES, BUT I, I'M NOT AWARE OF OUR DEPARTMENT DOING ANY TESTS OR MONITORING.

SO NO TESTS ARE BEING DONE.

THAT'S FINE.

UH, NOW ARE THERE, I ASSUME YOU'RE DOING TESTING OF EAST CREEK, AND DID YOU, SO I DON'T KNOW THE EXACT CHRONOLOGY OF THIS, BUT A PHASE ONE EVALUATION WAS DONE OF THE THREE SITES THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.

THE PISTOL RANGE, UH, THE BONEYARD AND THE LANDFILL.

AND SO THAT WAS DONE, UH, PROBABLY MOTIVATED BY THE ZILKER WORKING GROUP.

UH, STARTING OFF THE VISION PLANNING PROCESS.

IT IS ESSENTIALLY A CULMINATION OF ALL THE STUDIES THAT HAVE DONE BEFORE.

AND THE GOAL THERE IS FOR THE VISION PLAN, WHAT WE WANT TO DO WITH THE AREA TO FIGURE OUT WHERE TO GO NEXT.

UM, IT'S A LARGE DOCUMENT, IT'S A TECHNICAL DOCUMENT.

UM, I, I WOULDN'T WANT TO GIVE YOU A SUMMARY OF ALL THE SPECIFICS ASSOCIATED WITH IT, BUT THE GENERAL UNDERSTANDING WAS THE, UM, UH, THE, THOSE EL ALL THREE OF THOSE ELEMENTS NEED TO BE DEALT WITH IN SOME WAY.

UM, THE LANDFILL ITSELF, WHILE IT LIKELY DOES HAVE SOME CONTAMINANTS, FURTHER STUDY NEEDS TO BE DONE TO UNDERSTAND THE HARM THEY COULD POTENTIALLY CAUSE RIGHT NOW.

AND IF THERE IS HARM IN EXTRACTING THAT, UH, THE, THE, UM, MATERIAL THAT'S IN THERE, IT'S GENERALLY HOUSEHOLD MATERIAL FROM THE FORTIES TO THE SIXTIES.

AND SO IT'S ONE OF THOSE PLACE THAT'S AN ACUTE ISSUE THAT WILL HAVE TO BE STUDIED MORE, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT HAS TO BE ADDRESSED IN THAT PHASE ONE STUDY LINED OUT ALL THE STUDIES THAT HAPPENED BEFORE THAT GAVE THE CITY THE INFORMATION THAT THEY NEEDED TO, UM, SAY, OKAY, WE WE'RE, WE'RE PREPARED, WE'RE THINKING OF A VISION, WE'RE GONNA BE READY TO GO TO TAKE ACTION WHEN THE TIME COMES.

THE AMOUNT OF RESOURCES YOU HAVE, AND DETERMINE WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH THOSE RESOURCES.

ON PAGE 1 71 OF THE VISION PLAN, UH, IT SAYS BARTON CREEK SLOPE EROSION.

UH, IT REFERENCES BARTON CREEK SLOPE EROSION.

UH, IS THE INTENT TO CORRECT ALL OF THAT EROSION OR HIT AND MISS OR WHAT'S, WHAT'S THE OVERALL PLAN FOR THAT? UH, UM, SO AGAIN, YOU WOULD WANT TO GO THERE, UNDERSTAND

[03:50:01]

RIGHT? SO YOU'D PROBABLY TAKE A TRIAGE EFFECT.

YOU WOULD ALSO WANT TO THINK ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING UP SLOPE THAT'S CAUSING THAT EROSION.

AND SO, UM, ANYBODY WHO WALKS DOWN THERE CAN SEE THAT THERE IS, UH, CULVERTS THAT ARE FALLING OFF THE SIDE OF THE, THE BANK.

UM, AND THERE'S GOLLY EROSION HAPPENING.

THERE'S ALSO SHEET EROSION COMING DOWN AS WELL AS SMALL RS THAT ARE OCCURRING.

SO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU WOULD WANT TO DO IS FIGURE OUT HOW MANY RESOURCES YOU HAVE AND WHERE YOU CAN FIRST ADDRESS THAT.

AND SO, TO GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE OF THAT, IS IT A CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT THAT'S GOING ON RIGHT NOW? WHILE WE WERE INFORMED ABOUT IT, IT'S NOT REALLY ASSOCIATED WITH, UH, THE ZER VISION PLAN IS LOOKING AROUND, UH, SUNKEN GARDEN.

SO THEY'RE LOOKING AT THE EROSION ISSUES THAT ARE HAPPENING THERE.

UM, BECAUSE THE FALL OF THE CREEK IS TOO GREAT OF A SLOPE FOR THE SALAMANDER, SO THEY'RE GONNA DIVERT THAT SLIGHTLY, UM, IN ONE DIRECTION TO MAKE IT.

SO THE SLOPE OF THE WATER COMING OUT OF SUNKEN GARDENS IS A LITTLE BIT LESS.

SO IT IS BETTER SALAMANDER HABITAT.

AND THEN THEY'RE ALSO GOING TO HAVE TO IMPROVE THE EDGE OF BARTON CREEK THERE.

THEY'RE ONLY GONNA IMPROVE A CERTAIN COMPONENT OF IT BECAUSE THAT IS ALL THE RESOURCES THEY HAVE FOR THAT CAPITAL PROJECT.

SO ANY PROJECT THAT YOU WERE DOING DOWN THERE, THE, THE AMOUNT OF ISSUES, PARTICULARLY ON BARTON CREEK THAT YOU NEED TO ADDRESS ARE SO LARGE THAT YOU WOULD WANNA LOOK AT THE AMOUNT OF RESOURCES YOU HAVE AND DETERMINE HOW YOU GET YOUR BEST VALUE OUT OF THOSE RESOURCES.

UH, THIS BEING A VISION PAN, LOOKING AHEAD AND WITH CLIMATE CHANGE BEING A REAL PROBLEM, UH, YOU DON'T MENTION USING SOLAR POWER TO POWER EVERYTHING WITHIN THE PARK, ESPECIALLY ALL THE FIXED FACILITIES.

THIS SEEMS TO BE A REALLY MAJOR DEFICIT.

UH, IS THERE ANY REASON WHY YOU DIDN'T LOOK AT SOLAR POWER? AS YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY FOR THE NEW FACILITIES, I UNDERSTAND RETROFITTING THINGS IS A PROBLEM, HAVING PUT SOLAR PANELS ON MY HOUSE, BUT THE INCREMENTAL COSTS ON THE NEW FACILITY IS SOMEWHAT LESS BECAUSE YOU BUILD IT IN THERE ALREADY.

IS THERE ANY REASON WHY SOLAR POWER IS NOT CONSIDERED? I THINK WE HAVE A BROAD STATEMENT ABOUT GREEN BUILDING STANDARDS, BUT WE CAN TAKE THAT AS A, A COMMENT TO STRENGTHEN THAT RECOMMENDATION.

BROAD STANDARDS ARE NICE.

I LIKE SPECIFICS.

I'M KIND OF LIKE A DETAIL ORIENTED PERSON.

YES, SIR.

UH, NOW ARE YOU PLANNING USING CATCHMENT WATER FOR LIKE, IRRIGATION OR ANY OTHER PUR PURPOSES? CAUSE I DIDN'T SEE THAT REALLY MENTIONED ALL THERE, ALL THERE, THERE WAS A PICTURE ON, UH, PAGE 180 THAT SEEMED TO BE A CATCHMENT WATER CONTAINER.

THAT WOULD BE A STRATEGY THAT WOULD COME OUT OF A SITES, UM, SUSTAINABLE SITES INITIATIVE CERTIFIED PROJECT.

OR IT COULD HAVE BEEN A RECOMMENDATION AS JUST LIKE YOU RECOMMEND USING, UM, A, UH, YOU KNOW, A, UH, RAIN GARDEN IN THE, UH, GREAT LAWN AREA AS A RECOMMENDATION.

YOU COULD HAVE ALSO RECOMMENDED, YOU KNOW, CATCHMENT WATER AS A SOLUTION AS WELL.

UH, NOW WITH REGARD TO THE QUONSET HUT, UH, YOU MENTIONED THAT THERE WAS A NATURAL GAS CONNECTION THERE AND IT WAS UNCLEAR AS TO WHETHER YOU'RE MAKING RECOMMENDATION OR JUST REFERENCE.

YOU SEEM TO INDICATE IN THE, IN THE DOCUMENT THAT IT COULD BE USED FOR, YOU KNOW, HEATING IT OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

BUT IT, IT WASN'T LIKE YOU RECOMMENDED LIKE, OH, LET'S GO DO THIS GIVEN THE CONTROVERSIES WITH, UH, NATURAL GAS THESE DAYS.

WHY WOULD, YOU KNOW, IT WOULD SEEM TO ME YOUR YOUR THE FIRST RECOMMENDATION IS LIKE, LET'S RIP THIS OUT AS BEING LIKE A TOXIC WASTE HAZARD AND THAT ANY EXISTING NATURAL GAS CONNECTIONS BE TERMINATED AS WELL BEING CONTRARY TO CLIMATE CHANGE.

SO THAT SEEMS TO BE A DEFICIENCY IN THERE AS WELL.

COMMISSIONER, I DON'T WANNA INTERRUPT, BUT I JUST WANNA REMIND THE CHAIR THAT WE'RE RUNNING UP ON TIME.

YEP.

OKAY, LET'S, UM, IT'S 17 AFTER.

LET'S, UH, I MOVED THAT WE EXTEND FOR ANOTHER 15 MINUTES TO 10 35.

ALL RIGHT, WE GOT A SECOND FROM SULLIVAN.

UM, AND ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? RAISE YOUR HAND.

YOU UP? YOU, YOU'RE IN BREMMER.

UNANIMOUS.

I'M GONNA MOVE ON TO SOMETHING ELSE.

UH, I'M GONNA MOVE ON TO PARKING A LOT OF PEOPLE.

MARK, UH, COMMISSIONER BROER.

YEAH, IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND, JUST TRY TO, I'M GONNA TRY TO COLLAPSE IT HERE, SO I'M GONNA THAT'D BE GREAT.

SKIP SOME OF THE, UH, THINGS.

UH, SEEPS OR CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONES OR TRANSITION ZONES OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT THAT MIGHT IMPACT THE VIABILITY OF THOSE, UH, PARKING GARAGES? THEY WOULD, LIKE WE MENTIONED IN THE PLAN, ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES WOULD HAPPEN AT THE TIME OF DESIGN OF THOSE ELEMENTS FROM THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE TO US.

CONCERNS.

UH, IT SEEMED TO ME THAT THERE'S SOME REALLY BAD PROBLEMS WITH CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONES.

UH, THE EDWARDS, A AFER RECHARGE ZONE, EVERYTHING LIKE THAT WITH ALL THOSE PARKING GARAGES.

IS THAT NOT CORRECT? IF I READ THE OVERLAYS OF THE MAP CORRECTLY, WE USED THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAD THROUGH GIS AND KEPT THE STRUCTURES OUT OF CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONES AND BUFFER ZONES.

SO YOU BELIEVE THAT THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE,

[03:55:01]

NOW THAT WAS NOT APPARENT THAT THOSE ARE ISSUES, BUT ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES WOULD BE NECESSARY.

UM, I WAS DISAPPOINTED IN THE URBAN TRANSPORTATION MEETING LAST NIGHT THAT, UH, THE ORDER ONLY TRANSPORTATION THAT WAS REFERENCED WAS INTERNAL TO THE PARK.

IF WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO MINIMIZE THE USE OF AUTOMOBILES IN THE FUTURE, IF WE DON'T ADDRESS THE ACCESS AND PART OUTSIDE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE KINDA LIKE, WELL, WE'RE DOOMING OURSELVES TO CARS FOREVER.

UH, YOU KNOW, WE, THERE WAS NOTHING MENTIONED ABOUT, UH, TRYING TO LEVERAGE CAT METRO OR, UH, PROJECT CONNECT OR UBER OR ANY OTHER METHOD OF TRYING TO COLLECT PEOPLE FROM OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY TO GET OVER THERE.

NOW, GREG, WHEN I SPOKE TO YOU AFTER THE MEETING LAST NIGHT, YOU SAID THAT WAS OUTSIDE OF YOUR BAILIWICK IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE.

I THINK THAT'S A SERIOUS PROBLEM BECAUSE, UH, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE TRYING TO MINIMIZE THE USE OF AUTOMOBILES AS A PRIMARY METHOD OF GETTING TO THE PART, UH, IF YOU DON'T ADDRESS IT, IT'S KIND OF LIKE, WELL, WHAT'S THE POINT? THOSE ELEMENTS ARE IN THE PLAN.

I, I DIDN'T SEE THEM REALLY ADDRESSED WITH ANY SPECIFICITY.

I SAW THEM ADDRESSED KIND OF LIKE REALLY BROADLY.

UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS BROUGHT UP, UH, IN THE URBAN TRANSPORTATION MEETING WAS SOMETHING ABOUT, WELL, THEY USED A, UH, YOU KNOW, THEY WERE USING A SHUTTLE FROM ONE TEXAS CENTER.

UH, BUT SOMEONE IN THE, ON THE, ON THE URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE SAID, WELL, THEY GOTTA BE CAREFUL.

GOOD SARI BEEN PROMISED TO 25 OTHER PROJECTS THAT THAT WAS GONNA BE USED.

AND SO IT HAD TO BE CAUTIOUS ABOUT OVER PROMISING THE CAPACITY OF THAT GARAGE.

SO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S JUST AN ISSUE.

NOW I'VE GOT EQUITY ISSUES WITH THIS.

UH, SOMEONE WHO, UH, WHO WAS SPEAKING, UH, MENTIONED THAT PARKING IS SEEN AS A RACIAL AND AN EQUITY ISSUE BY SOME.

AND THERE'S A LONG STORY.

THAT WAS ONE OF THE COMMENTS THAT WAS MENTIONED.

I WENT THROUGH TWO OF THE SURVEYS AND I READ EVERY COMMENT IN THERE AS OPPOSED TO THE COLLECTED SUMMARY THAT WAS ABOVE.

AND ONE WOMAN MENTIONED THAT, UH, THERE WAS A RACIAL EQUITY ISSUE WITH THAT.

SO, UH, WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND IS, IS IT A RACIAL EQUITY ISSUE THAT SHE CAN'T GET HER SOCCER TEAM TOIL HER PARK? OR ARE WE LOOKING AT A SEPARATE BUT EQUAL SITUATION WHERE, WELL, SHE HAS A PARK WHERE SHE LIVES, BUT IT'S SEPARATE BUT EQUAL AND SHE JUST WANTS TO GO TO A BETTER FACILITY AT ZILKER.

AND SO WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND BETTER HOW THIS IS ALL WORKING OUT.

UH, I'VE TALKED TO SOME PEOPLE AND THEY DON'T FEEL THEY ARE WELCOME IN ZILKER BECAUSE THEY ARE RACIAL MINORITIES.

DOES THE PARKS DEPARTMENT UNDERSTAND WHY THAT IS THE CASE? I, I THINK THAT'S A, A COMPLICATED ANSWER BECAUSE I THINK THAT UNFORTUNATELY OUR CITY'S HISTORY, WHICH INCLUDES THE PARK SYSTEM, HAS CLEARLY DRAWN THOSE HARD LINES.

UM, AND THE PARK DEPARTMENT IN THE CITY IN THE PAST PROVIDED RECREATIONAL PARKS AND FACILITIES FOR THOSE MINORITIES THAT LIVED IN OUR CITY, AND THEY WERE TREATED AS SEPARATE BUT EQUAL.

AND THEIR EVIDENCES OF THOSE PARKS STILL TODAY BECAUSE THEY'RE STILL IN OPERATION IN MANY OF THE FACILITIES.

SO I THINK THE DEPARTMENT CLEARLY UNDERSTANDS THE HISTORY, THE RACIAL HISTORY THAT HAS EXISTED IN OUR CITY.

AND THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE TOOK INTO ACCOUNT IN THIS PLANNING PROCESS BECAUSE WE SPENT QUITE A BIT OF TIME WITHIN THOSE DISTRICTS, UH, DISTRICTS ONE THROUGH FOUR TO, TO CONNECT WITH THOSE POPULATIONS TO HELP THEM CONNECT TO THIS PLANNING PROCESS.

BRING UP IS, UH, THIS, A LOT OF COMMENT WAS MADE ON THE PARTNERSHIPS, AND I COULD ASK QUESTIONS, BUT I CAN KIND OF SUM IT UP LIKE THIS.

WELL, ONE OF THE THINGS I NOTICED ABOUT THE GROUP THAT, UH, AND I, LIKE MANY OF THE, PROBABLY MOST OF THE OTHER COMMISSIONERS GOT, UH, EMAILS FROM PEOPLE IN SUPPORT OF THE VISION PLAN.

I NOTICED NONE OF THEM CAME FROM ORGANIZATIONS THAT I WOULD PERCEIVE JUST BY LOOKING AT THE TITLES OF THEM.

THERE WASN'T ANY SUPPORT FROM SOMEONE LIKE EAST OF I 35.

NOW THAT'S JUST A COMMENT AND YOU CAN GO ON FROM THERE.

THE LAST THING I WOULD LIKE TO, UH,

[04:00:01]

UH, AUSTIN PARKS FOUNDATION WAS GIVEN A SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT CONTRACT BY THE CITY AT THE RECLAMATION PARKS BOARD TO GET THE SILICAL TRAIN RUNNING.

AND THIS WAS DONE BECAUSE IT COULD BE DONE FASTER THAN DOING IT AS A OPEN BID.

THE, THE STANDARD PRACTICE FOR THIS.

SO IT WASN'T A COMPETITIVE THING.

SO THE AUSTIN PARKS FOUNDATION GAVE A SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT TO SOMEONE IN ARIZONA THAT DELIVERED A NON-WORKING TRAIN.

SO NOW A COUPLE OF YEARS LATER, WE HAVE NON-WORKING TRAIN BURIED IN THE GROUND SOMEPLACE SUPPOSEDLY BEING WORKED ON.

IF YOU LOOK AT NON-PROFITS, AND I'M PICKING ON THE US PARKS FOUNDATION, NOT CUZ IT'S THE ONLY NON NON, YOU KNOW, THE ONLY NON-PROFIT AROUND IT IS THE LARGEST.

THEY ARE, THEY HAVE A BOARD THAT IS, YOU DON'T KNOW WHO THEY ARE.

I MEAN, YOU GO THERE, THEY'RE LISTED, THEY'RE NOT, THEY'RE NOT ACCOUNTABLE TO ANYONE IN THE CITY, OKAY? THEY'RE NOT ELECTED BY ANY OF US THERE.

THERE'S NO MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE PARKS DEPARTMENT.

THERE'S, I'M NOT ON THE BOARD.

THERE'S NO ONE THERE.

THEY P**S AWAY MONEY ON A TRAIN THAT DOESN'T WORK AND THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE ACCOUNTABLE TO ANYONE ABOUT IT.

UH, YOU KNOW, YOU JUST DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT.

YOU SEARCH THROUGH THEIR WEBSITE AND I SPENT AN ENTIRE AFTERNOON AND THEY'RE VERY INFORMATIVE ABOUT ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW THEY SELECT THEIR PROJECTS.

THEY HAVE VERY PRETTY PICTURES OF EVERYTHING, BUT YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW PROJECTS ARE SELECTED, HOW THEY PRIORITIZE.

YOU DON'T KNOW IF THEY MAP TO WHAT THE CITY WOULD SELECT BASED UPON NEED.

THEY DON'T MEET ANY EQUITY REQUIREMENTS THAT I CAN SEE IN THERE.

AND YOU WANT TO HIRE, YOU WANT TO HANDLE THE WHOLE THING.

YOU ALL OF ZILKER TO THEM.

AND I CAN'T POSSIBLY SEE A PROBLEM WITH THAT.

AND IF YOU DON'T, THEN THERE IS SOMETHING FUNDAMENTALLY WRONG WITH THIS.

NOW I KNOW THE CITY COUNCIL HAS PASSED A RESOLUTION ORDINANCE OR WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT.

YOU WANT TO GO THIS WAY.

AND JUST BECAUSE THE COUNCIL VOTED ON IT DOESN'T NEED TO MEAN IT DOESN'T NEED TO BE REEXAMINED MORE CAREFULLY BECAUSE WE ARE TURNING THE KEYS OF THE CITY OVER TO, OR THE KEYS OF Z FIRE OVER TO AN UNELECTED GROUP OF PEOPLE TO MANAGE THE WHOLE KIT AND CABOODLE.

AND IT HAS NO CONTROLS ON IT AT ALL.

AND IF THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT TO DO, THEN GO FOR IT.

UH, DAVE SULLIVAN, DISTRICT NINE.

UM, A COUPLE OF THE THINGS THAT I HEARD THAT CONCERNED ME WERE, UH, LOSING THE, UM, THE BOAT, UH, FACILITY THERE THAT, UM, WE HEARD FROM THE OPERATOR ABOUT, UH, IS THAT A TRUE FACT? NO, THEY'RE NOT BEING MOVED OUT OF THE PARK BECAUSE OF THE FLOOD ISSUES AND THE EROSION ISSUES AT THE CREEK.

WE MOVED THEIR FACILITY UP TO BE INCLUDED WITH THE WELCOME CENTER AND IT WAS TO BE DETERMINED DEPENDING ON CITY CONVERSATIONS, WATERSHED PROTECTION DEPARTMENT AND THE OPERATOR IF THE BOATS NEEDED TO BE CLOSER TO THE WATER OR UP CLOSE TO THE FACILITY WHERE TICKETING AND THINGS WOULD HAPPEN.

UM, SO IT'S LEFT FLEXIBLE IN THE PLAN BASED ON DISCUSSIONS AT THE TIME THAT THAT WOULD HAPPEN, BUT THEY'RE STILL IN THE PARK.

KNOW, UM, RENOVATED, UM, HOW WE CAN COORDINATE THE PROPOSAL THAT COMES OUT OF THIS VISION PLAN PLUS WHAT ATDS LOOKING AT FOR THAT SECTION OF BARN SPRINGS ROAD, BECAUSE THEY ALSO ARE LOOKING AT THAT.

UM, ANOTHER CONCERN WAS THE POINT, I THINK IT WAS, UM, MR. WHALEY MENTIONED THE, UH, LACK OF COORDINATION BETWEEN THE REBUILDING OF THE BRIDGE OVER THE CREEK AT BARTON SPRINGS ROAD VERSUS NARROWING THE ROAD.

MM-HMM.

, WHAT, WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THAT? SO THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT IS LEADING THE, THE BRIDGE PROJECT AND THE PROJECT MANAGER IS ON OUR TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP.

UM, ALSO ATTENDING THEIR MEETINGS.

UM, I KNOW THEY HAD A COMMUNITY MEETING LAST NIGHT, BUT, UM, WE HAVE HAD DISCUSSIONS WITH, UM, THE BRIDGE CONSULTANT THAT WAS HIRED BY PUBLIC WORKS AND, UH, LIKE I SAID, THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT HAS ATTENDED OUR TECHNICAL ADVISOR GROUP MEETINGS AND THOSE ARE POSTED ON THE WEBSITE.

SO WE ARE COORDINATING TO A BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW THE BRIDGE, WHETHER IT'S REPLACED OR, YOU

[04:05:01]

SO THERE'S ACTUALLY LIKE THREE DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE HAVING TO COORDINATE THE FINAL CROSS SECTION OF THAT ROADWAY.

SO, RIGHT.

WELL, WELL, THE PROBLEM IS THAT THIS IS ONLY A, THIS IS ONLY A VISION, WHEREAS THAT'S ACTUALLY A CIP P PROJECT THAT'S POTENTIALLY ALREADY PLANNED AND SCHEDULED.

SO, I MEAN, CAN THAT BE PUT ON HOLD TO A FUTURE YEAR OR WOULD THAT SCREW UP WHAT ATD IS TRYING TO DO? WELL, I MEAN, I THINK THAT THAT'S PROBABLY A DISCUSSION BETWEEN THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT AND ATD, WHICH IS NOW ONE DEPARTMENT.

WHICH IS PROBABLY A GOOD THING.

UM, THEY CAN BETTER COORDINATE THAT, UM, BECAUSE IT IS A LIVE PROJECT IN ATD IS STUDYING THE ROADWAY.

I'M SURE THERE'S GONNA BE SOME BETTER COORDINATION ABOUT THAT.

AND I THINK RICHARD MENDOZA, THE DIRECTOR FROM PUBLIC WORKS ATD IS, IS AWARE OF THAT NOW.

BUT I, I I WILL SAY THAT FOR OUR, OUR PURPOSES FOR THE VISION PLAN, WE DID MEET WITH ATD STAFF THAT WERE ON THE TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP AND PUBLIC WORKS.

ANOTHER THING WITH REGARD TO THE PARKING GARAGES, UM, I DIDN'T RE SEE IN THE PLAN A WAY TO SPECIFICALLY SEQUENCE THEM SO THAT THE ONE NEAR MOPAC WOULD COME FIRST AND THEN ANOTHER ONE CLOSER TO THE CREEK WOULD COME SECOND.

AND THE LAST ONE WOULD BE ON NANCY MORTON.

BUT WOULD THAT BE WHAT YOU WOULD DO THE, THE PRIORITIZATION OF THE, THE PARKING GARAGES? THE ONE UNDER MOPAC WOULD DEPEND ON TEXT DOT, CT, RMA COORDINATION, COLLABORATION, THEN MOVING FORWARD ON THE SOUTH MOPAC EXPRESSWAY PROJECT.

SO THAT ONE IS, THE TIMING IS A LITTLE IN THE AIR OF WHEN THAT COULD HAPPEN.

UM, THE UNDERGROUND PARKING GARAGE OFF OF BARTON SPRINGS ROAD, THUS BECOMES THE PRIORITY BY DEFAULT ALMOST BECAUSE OF THE COMPLICATIONS OF THE CT RMA COORDINATION.

UM, BUT IF THAT PROJECT STARTED MOVING FORWARD, MAYBE THE MOPAC ONE GETS BUILT FIRST.

MM-HMM.

, UM, THE AZ MORTON GARAGE IS LOWEST ON THE PRIORITY JUST BECAUSE IT IS ONE OF THE MOST COMPLICATED, UM, LOCATIONS.

UM, SO, BUT THE, THE PLAN AND THE PROJECTS IN THEIR IMPLEMENTATION ARE MEANT TO BE FLEXIBLE BECAUSE OF ALL OF THESE FORCES THAT THE CITY SOMETIMES DOESN'T CONTROL OF WHEN PROJECTS MOVE FORWARD AND FUNDING.

AND I IMAGINE THAT SOME OF THE TESTING WOULD BE TO LIKE SINK A NARROW WELL, TO SEE WHETHER THE TURBIDITY IN THE, IN THE, UH, POOL INCREASED FROM THAT.

SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

UM, MY LAST POINT WOULD BE, UM, IF WE, IF WE PASSED THIS TONIGHT, OR EVEN IF WE POSTPONED IT THERE, I WOULD'VE ASKED THAT WE WOULD, UH, INCLUDE A RECOMMENDATION TO SEND IT TO THE CITY'S EQUITY OFFICE, UM, FOR THEM TO REVIEW IT FOR OUR EQUITY.

THAT'S ALL I HAVE.

I'LL BE BRIEF.

UM, FIRST OF ALL, I GUESS JUST THE IMPERVIOUS COVER QUESTION GOT ME A LITTLE BIT TURNED AROUND EARLIER.

CAN YOU REAFFIRM SORT OF JUST THE REDUCTION OF IMPERVIOUS COVER AND IF THOSE GREEN PARKING STRUCTURES ARE INCLUDED IN THAT THE, UM, IMPERVIOUS COVER IS REDUCED BY NINE ACRE? YES.

UM, AND THE SECOND PART OF YOUR QUESTION WAS THE, ARE ARE THE GREEN PARKING STRUCTURES INCLUDED IN IMPERVIOUS COVER OR IS THAT, SO THE PARKING GARAGE UNDER MOPAC? NO, THAT, THAT IS IMPERVIOUS COVER.

IT'S UNDER MOPAC.

THE AZ MORTON PARKING GARAGE IS IMPERVIOUS COVER, THE UNDERGROUND PARKING GARAGE.

I THINK WHAT WE'VE GONE BACK IN IS ADDED THAT TO IMPERVIOUS COVER.

ORIGINALLY WE ENCOUNTERED IT AS PERVIOUS COVER, UM, BUT WE'VE BEEN LOOKING A LITTLE BIT CLOSER AT THE CODE AROUND THAT, AND SO WE'VE TAKEN THAT ONE OFF THE TABLE AS FAR AS IMPERVIOUS COVER, JUST THE UNDER.

COMMISSIONER, REAL QUICK, I APOLOGIZE FOR THE INTERRUPTION.

UH, WE GOT TWO MINUTES.

UM, I PROPOSE THAT WE EXTEND FOR ANOTHER 15 MINUTES TO 10 52ND.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? RAISE YOUR HAND.

BRIER, ARE YOU IN? ALL RIGHT, UNANIMOUS.

IS THAT CORRECT? CORRECT.

SORRY, .

OF COURSE.

UH, AND THEN JUST A QUICK CLARIFICATION IS WILL, SO MY SENSE IS THESE CAPITAL PROJECTS DO COME BACK TO US LATER AS THEY GET FURTHER IN TOWARDS DESIGN, DESIGN DEVELOPMENT, AND THAT THIS IS A FRAMEWORK AND WE'RE JUST LOOKING AT THE ECOLOGICAL RECOMMENDATIONS.

[04:10:01]

ANY PROJECTS THAT WOULD COME FROM THE VISION PLAN WOULD GO THROUGH THEIR OWN ENGAGEMENT PROCESS, DESIGN PROCESS COSTING.

UM, AND I UNDERSTAND TONIGHT THIS IS A FOCUS ON THE ECOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF THE PLAN.

THOSE ARE MY ONLY TWO QUESTIONS.

AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

UH, MELINDA SHIRA, COMMISSIONER FOR DISTRICT FOUR, I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL OF THE TIME THAT YOU PUT INTO THIS VISION PLAN.

I KNOW THAT THE CITY AND ITS RESIDENTS REALLY WANT TO INVEST IN OUR PARKS AND WE ENJOY GOING TO OUR PARKS VERY MUCH.

UM, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS IN THE PLAN THAT THEY ALL LOOK GREAT.

I DO SHARE THE CONCERN ABOUT THE COMMERCIALIZATION OF THE PARK WITH THE 5,000 ATTENDEE THEATER, UM, AND THREE PARKING GARAGES.

I AM CONCERNED THAT IT, IT'S JUST GOING ABOVE AND, AND, AND BEYOND AND REALLY THINKING ABOUT EQUITY ACROSS THE CITY AND ALL OF OUR PARKS.

UM, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE DRAFT PLAN, UM, CLARIFY THE IMPERVIOUS COVER, SO THAT'S INCLUDED.

UM, WHEN IT COMES TO PRIORITIZATION OF THE VISION PLAN, I WOULD LIKE TO UNDERSTAND HOW THAT, UM, IS PLANNED.

IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT YOU CAN ADD, LIKE WHAT ARE THE PRIORITY ASPECTS OF THE PLAN? IS IT THE ECOLOGICAL FACTORS, IS IT THE HILLSIDE THEATER AND THE KIND OF COMMERCIALIZATION ASPECTS OF THE PLAN? I LIKE TO KIND OF STILL GOING ALONG WITH THIS WHOLE IDEA OF EQUITY AND IN ALL OF THE PARKS ACROSS OUR CITY.

UM, YOU KNOW, I TEND, I I VISIT OUR SCHOOL PARKS MORE THAN ANYTHING, AND THEY ARE, ARE CITY PARKS.

THEY'RE OWN, UM, MOST OF THEM IF, IF, I DON'T KNOW THE PERCENTAGE, BUT MOST OF THEM ARE PAR PARKS, UH, AT LEAST IN PARK.

AND I THINK THAT WE NEED A VISION PLAN FOR OUR SCHOOL PARKS FIRST, UM, AND PRIORITIZE THAT FIRST.

UM, SO I JUST REALLY WANT TO, TO STRESS THAT.

AND THE FUNDS THAT ARE, UM, PLANNED TO BE RECEIVED WITH THE COMMERCIALIZATION OF THE, WITH THE PARKING OF ZILKER PARK, THEY SHOULD NOT JUST GO TO REINVESTING IN ZER PARK, BUT THEY SHOULD GO, UH, INTO THE OTHER PARKS THROUGHOUT THE CITY AND JUST AGAIN, STRESSING SCHOOL PARKS IN OUR, IN OUR LOCAL PARKS MORE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

RISHI.

DO YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTION? OH, YEAH.

UM, FIRST OF ALL, YOU KNOW, I'D LIKE TO THANK, UH, YOU KNOW, UM, CITY STAFF, YOU KNOW, UH, THE CONSULTANTS.

UM, I'D LIKE TO THANK THE COMMUNITY THAT SHOWED UP FULLY EXPECT Y'ALL TO SHOW UP NEXT TIME WE TALK ABOUT BARTHOLOME OR, YOU KNOW, UH, GIBBONS, UH, PAN M ZARAGOZA COULD GO ON.

UM, BUT THAT'S JUST ME BEING PETTY.

UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK, UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN I THINK ABOUT ZILKER, YOU KNOW, I'VE LIVED IN THE CITY SINCE FIRST GRADE.

I'VE LIVED IN, UH, YOU KNOW, I CAME FROM BRUSHY CREEK AND DRIPPING SPRING, SO I'M WARY, I'M VERY AWARE OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE TO TAKE THEIR CARS TO GET HERE.

NOW I'M A CITY SLICKER, UH, THAT LIVES ON THE EAST SIDE, SO NOW I CAN TAKE PUBLIC TRANSIT.

SO I'M VERY AWARE OF TRYING TO CUT DOWN ON, UH, YOU KNOW, GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AS WELL.

I'M ALSO A MUSICIAN, YOU KNOW, ME AND MY FRIENDS, WE PLAYED ACL, WE'VE PLAYED BLUES ON THE GREEN.

SO WHILE WE'RE APPRECIATIVE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT COME, UH, FROM, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY PUTTING IT ON, I THINK, YOU KNOW, AS A, A BROWN MUSICIAN THAT'S IN A GROUP THAT'S, YOU KNOW, PRIMARILY, UH, BLACK AUSTIN KNIGHTS, YOU KNOW, I THINK WHEN YOU LOOK AT C3, YOU LOOK AT WHO ACTUALLY RUNS IT.

YOU KNOW, YOU GO ON LINKEDIN, YOU LOOK THEM UP, IT'S LIKE 90% PEOPLE OF EUROPEAN DESCENT, RIGHT? SO WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT PEOPLE WHO PROFIT FROM THE PARK, AGAIN, WE APPRECIATE THE MONEY THAT THEY PUT INTO THE PARK, BUT IT'S NOT LIKE THEY'RE DOING THIS FOR FREE, RIGHT? THEY ARE OWNED BY LIVE NATION, WHICH IS A PUBLICLY TRADED COMPANY.

UH, SO THEIR MAIN FOCUS IS GOING TO BE ON SHAREHOLDERS, RIGHT? ALSO, YOU KNOW, THEY ARE FROM THE COMMUNITY, SO THEY DO, YOU KNOW, WANT TO UPLIFT THE COMMUNITY IN SOME RESPECTS.

BUT, YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE ARE DEFINITELY SOME, UH, SOME SERIOUS QUESTIONS THERE.

UM, SOMEBODY I THINK EARLIER MENTIONED, UH, WATERLOO PARK, UH, WHICH I WAS LIKE, I KIND OF LIKE WATERLOO PARK, IT'S NOT REALLY THAT BAD.

UM, YOU KNOW, AND SHE MENTIONED

[04:15:01]

THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A, A WATERLOO PARK CONSERVANCY CONSERVATORY, I FORGET THE ACTUAL WORD, RIGHT? UM, AND I THOUGHT THAT WAS INTERESTING THAT SHE MENTIONED THAT BECAUSE, UH, YOU KNOW, STEPHANIE BEJA BEHA, I FORGET EXACTLY HOW YOU SAY HER NAME, UH, PLEASE FORGIVE ME, STEPHANIE ANDT.

UM, YOU KNOW, THEY USED TO WORK AT THE ATX MUSIC OFFICE AND THEN, YOU KNOW, SHE LEFT THERE TO WORK AT THE WATERLOO CONSERVANCY.

AND SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, HAVING, IF WE DO HAVE SOME KIND OF LIKE NONPROFIT, UH, THAT RUNS THIS PARK, RIGHT? I THINK, UH, TO COMMISSIONER BREMER'S POINT, LOOKING AT WHO IS ACTUALLY THE MEMBERS OF THIS, RIGHT? IS IT EQUITABLE? IS IT DIVERSE? IS IT REPRESENTATIVE OF AUSTIN? AND THAT, YOU KNOW, UM, I THINK THAT'S A QUESTION I WOULD DEFINITELY HAVE.

UM, I THINK THERE ARE SOME DEFINITE QUESTIONS ALSO ABOUT C3 S RELATIONSHIP TO THE WHOLE PARK.

AND AGAIN, YOU KNOW, C3 HAS DONE, ME AND MY FRIENDS A LOT OF FAVORS.

THEY PUT US ON COOL SHOWS, SO I GET IT.

BUT, UM, I THINK, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THIS CITY, UH, I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD DEFINITELY TAKE VERY SERIOUSLY, UH, ONTO THE ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTIONS.

UM, SO IF THE DECREASE IN IMPERVIOUS COVER IS CONTINGENT ON BUILDING PARKING GARAGES, RIGHT, TO CUT DOWN ON THE PARKING SPOTS THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW, HOW LONG WOULD IT TAKE BASED ON THIS LIKE ADDED GREEN SPACE THAT, YOU KNOW, SERVES AS A CARBON SINK OR WHATEVER, UH, HOW LONG WOULD THAT PROCESS TAKE FOR IT TO ACTUALLY COUNTERACT THE EMISSIONS, YOU KNOW, FROM THE CONSTRUCTION? UH, HAS ANY MODELING OF THAT HAVE BEEN SHOWN? BECAUSE I THINK IF IT'S LIKE A REASONABLE NUMBER, RIGHT? YOU CAN POINT TO THAT AND BE LIKE, HEY, PARKING GARAGE GOOD.

IF IT TAKES LIKE A THOUSAND YEARS PARKING GARAGE, PROBABLY BAD.

YOU KNOW? UM, IS, HAVE Y'ALL GIVEN SORT OF ANY THOUGHT TO NUMBERS THAT COULD, YOU KNOW, EXPLAIN TO LIKE A, A JOE BLOW LIKE ME, WE HAVEN'T DONE THAT LEVEL OF MODELING, UM, JUST A HIGH LEVEL WITH THIS BEING A VISION PLAN, BUT IT, IN JUST ONE COMMENT ON KIND OF CLIMATE CHANGE MODELS, GENERALLY, YOU HAVE TO HAVE GREATER DETAILS ON BUILDINGS TO UNDER FOR THEM TO BE VALID.

AND, UH, WE DON'T HAVE THE KIND OF DETAILS THAT YOU WOULD NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE ACTUAL, UH, ISSUES ARE WITH CLIMATE AND THE BUILDINGS.

SO, UM, IT'S, AND, AND EVEN FOR THAT MATTER, IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT NATURAL AREAS AND CARBON SEQUESTRATION MODELS, THEY'RE ALL OVER THE PLACE.

AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THE SCIENCE IS STILL OUT ON.

PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND IT BETTER.

UM, WE USED A MODEL THAT WAS FROM, UH, DEVELOPED BY A GROUP CALLED SASAKI, UM, FOR THE NUMBER THAT I GAVE YOU EARLIER, WHICH WAS A 28% INCREASE IN CARBON SEQUESTRATION IN THOSE NATURAL AREAS.

YOU KNOW, I THINK, UM, ANOTHER SORT OF POINT, RIGHT, IS IF WE SPEND THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY ON, YOU KNOW, PARKING ENHANCEMENTS, YOU KNOW, UNDERGROUND GARAGES, YOU KNOW, STRUCTURES, UM, AND INSTEAD SPEND THAT MONEY SINCE IT'S BASICALLY CITY MONEY, RIGHT? ON, UH, YOU KNOW, BETTER PUBLIC TRANSIT IN THE AREA, RIGHT? HOW'S THAT, WHAT ARE THE TRADE OFFS THERE FROM AN ENVIRONMENTAL STANDPOINT AND THEN ALSO FROM A CIVIC STANDPOINT, RIGHT? I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING, UH, DEFINITELY WORTH EXPLORING.

I THINK ANOTHER THING WORTH EXPLORING, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE LIKE A GIANT HULKING PARKING SPOT, A PARKING LOT RATHER CALLED, YOU KNOW, BARTON CREEK MALL.

THAT'S LIKE A 10 MINUTE DRIVE FROM THERE.

SO I THINK BEING ABLE TO USE THAT AS SOME KIND OF LIKE SHUTTLE STAGING THING, RIGHT? UM, SHOOT, BUILD A PARKING GARAGE THERE.

IT'S THE CONCRETE'S ALREADY THERE, YOU KNOW, NOBODY REALLY CARES ABOUT, AH, NO, I'M KIDDING.

I'M FROM THE SOUTH SIDE, SO MY FEELINGS OF BARTON CREEK MALL ARE VERY COMPLICATED.

UM, YEAH.

UM, I THINK THOSE WERE MY ONLY, UH, QUESTIONS.

UM, ALTHOUGH I AM KIND OF CURIOUS IF Y'ALL COULD EXPLAIN SORT OF WHAT ROLE C3 HAS HAD IN THIS, RIGHT? BECAUSE IT, IT SEEMS SOMETIMES THAT THEY'RE KIND OF LIKE THE ILLUMINATI, RIGHT? AND THEN OTHER TIMES IT KIND OF SEEMS LIKE THEY JUST THROW SHOWS, RIGHT? BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK GROWING UP HERE, RIGHT, YOU ALWAYS HEAR THESE STORIES OF WHENEVER IT RAINS, YOU KNOW, ACL TURNS INTO A, A GIANT, YOU KNOW, WHAT SHOW.

UM, YOU KNOW, AND SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, I HAVE A LOT OF FRIENDS THAT WORK ON ZILKER OR YOU KNOW, ON THE ACL STUFF WHEN THEY'RE BUILDING UP AND BREAKING DOWN, RIGHT? SO THERE IS SORT OF THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, ECONOMIC FISCAL ASPECT OF WHAT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE CAN GAIN, ESPECIALLY, YOU KNOW, ESSENTIALLY, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU COULD QUOTE UNQUOTE CALL, YOU KNOW, LOW SKILL LABOR, RIGHT? UM, BUT AT THE SAME TIME AT WHAT OPPORTUNITY COST, YOU KNOW? SO IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND SORT OF EXPLAINING THE ROLE THAT C3 HAS HAD IN THE, UH, THE VISION PLAN OR SORT OF LIKE WITHIN THE DIFFERENT CONSULTANCIES, I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE WOULD FIND THAT RELATIVELY ENLIGHTENING.

APPRECIATE IT.

PARK FOR THAT PART OF THE YEAR.

SO, UM, WE MET WITH A LOT OF STAKEHOLDERS THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS AND C3 HOSTING THE ACL EVENT, UM, AS A MAJOR USE WITHIN THE

[04:20:01]

WE MET WITH THEM TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT HOW THEY PUT ON THE SHOW, WHERE THEY STAGE, HOW THEY USE THE PARK, SO THAT WE COULD THINK ABOUT THAT IN THE CONTEXT OF THE ECOLOGICAL IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE'RE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE MOBILITY IMPROVEMENTS, HOW, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WE TALK TO THEM ABOUT IS HOW DO THEY GET PEOPLE TO THE PARK, THOSE MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF PEOPLE THAT COME INTO THE PARK FOR THE EVENT.

SO WE MET WITH THEM I THINK THREE TIMES OR SO THREE OR FOUR TIMES.

UM, THEY WERE PART OF A SMALL GROUP TOWARDS THE BEGINNING OF THE PROJECT WHERE WE TALKED WITH SEVERAL EVENT PROMOTERS, UM, AND THEN WE FOLLOWED UP WITH THEM AS WE HAD MORE QUESTIONS DURING THE PLANNING PROCESS.

YEAH, FOR SURE.

AND I GUESS ONE MORE QUESTION HAS POPPED IN MY MIND SINCE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT EVENTS.

YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THE OTHER BIG EVENT, UM, IS, YOU KNOW, TRAIL OF LIGHTS.

UM, I SAW ON THE VERY DETAILED FORM THAT COMMISSIONER B BRIMER GAVE THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER BRIMMER, UM, THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, ONE RECOMMENDATION POSSIBLY RIGHT, WAS TO MOVE TRAIL LIGHTS TO, UH, GUERRERO PARK.

UH, ALTHOUGH KIND OF WHEN I THINK ABOUT THAT, I'M JUST LIKE, SO WE WANT A TRASH GUERRERO PARK INSTEAD OF PARK, BUT WHATEVER.

I REMEMBER ACTUALLY WORKING SECURITY FOR TRAIL LIGHTS WHEN I WAS IN ROTC MY FRESHMAN YEAR AT MCNEIL, BUT THAT'S NOT HERE NOR THERE.

UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, C3 ACL, RIGHT? IT'S SORT OF LIKE THE BIG EVENT.

OBVIOUSLY TRAIL OF LIGHTS IS ANOTHER BIG EVENT.

UM, WHAT SORT OF THOUGHTS HAVE Y'ALL HAD ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THAT WITHIN THE VISION PLAN? UM, ANY THOUGHTS? BECAUSE LIKE, OBVIOUSLY IT WAS LIKE DRIVE THROUGH ONE YEAR, RIGHT? EVERYONE, UH, LOCKDOWN IS APPARENTLY OVER, SO NOW WE'RE GOING TO GET BACK IN PERSON.

AUSTIN'S POPULATION HAS GROWN VASTLY SINCE THEN.

UH, SO I'M CURIOUS AS TO HOW THE VISION PLAN SORT OF ENVISIONS, UH, THIS EVENT AS WELL, WHETHER AT ZILKER OR ELSEWHERE.

UM, THE PLAN IS SOMEWHAT AGNOSTIC ON WHETHER THE EVENTS LIKE ACL OR TRAIL OF LIGHTS SHOULD MOVE TO ANOTHER PARK.

UM, THERE'S COUNCIL DIRECTION, UM, AROUND ACL OF HAVING THAT AS AN EVENT IN THE PARK AND TRAIL OF LIGHTS.

UM, WE HEARD COMMENTS FROM PEOPLE THAT SAY THEY SHOULDN'T MOVE, BUT THERE'S ALSO A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT DON'T VISIT ZILKER ANY OTHER TIME OF THE YEAR EXCEPT TO GO TO TRAIL OF LIGHTS.

SO, UM, IT'S IN THE PARK.

THE LUNE ROAD WHERE IT SETS UP CURRENTLY, UM, IS CLOSED TO VEHICLES ON AN EVERYDAY BASIS, BUT THE LOOP REMAINS, UM, FOR EVENTS LIKE TRAIL OF LIGHTS TO BE ABLE TO SET UP ON THAT AREA, BUT EVERYDAY USE WOULD BE PEDESTRIANS AND BIKES.

SOUNDS GOOD.

APPRECIATE IT.

AND I JUST WANTED TO, TO SPEAK REAL QUICKLY TOO, WE HEAR A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT EQUITY AND, AND, UH, CONNECTIONS AND, AND EVEN THOUGH I'M DEFINITELY OF EUROPEAN DESCENT, NO QUESTION ON THAT.

I, I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE MY TEAM THAT DOES OUTREACH ACROSS THE COMMUNITY AND THE CONVERSATIONS AND THE ONGOING, UM, CHALLENGES WE FACE THROUGHOUT ZILKER AND THE HISTORY.

AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I DON'T HAVE PERMISSION TO NAME DROP WITH THE CONVERSATIONS WE'VE HAD, BUT I DEFINITELY ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THOSE EQUITY AND INCLUSION MEETING CONVERSATIONS.

TAKE A LOOK AT THE, THE NOTES FROM THE COMMUNITY AMBASSADORS AND TO, TO YOUR POINT ABOUT WHO MAKES THE MONEY, RIGHT? THAT'S A REAL QUESTION.

AND THOSE ARE QUESTIONS THAT NEED TO CONTINUE TO BE ASKED.

AND WHERE THE PLAN DOES ADDRESS THAT IS WE NEED TO GET MORE PEOPLE IN THE PARK WHO ARE MAKING MONEY AND CONNECTING AND MORE PEOPLE IN THE PARK WHO CAN MAKE MONEY TO UPLIFT THE COMMUNITY.

SO WE'RE TALKING LOCAL VENDORS WHO REPRESENT ALL ASPECTS OF AUSTIN.

SO I WAS TALKING WITH A KOREAN FOOD TRUCK OWNER THE OTHER DAY, AND HE'S LIKE, YOU KNOW, I WANT TO OFFER MY OFFERINGS IN ZILKER TOO, BUT IT'S SO LIMITED.

AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE HEAR WHEN WE HAVE EQUITY AND INCLUSION MEETINGS IS THEY SAY, YOU WANT TO UPLIFT THE BLACK COMMUNITY IN AUSTIN.

YOU WANT TO UPLIFT THE BROWN COMMUNITY IN AUSTIN.

THEN YOU MAKE SURE THAT SOME OF THAT MONEY THAT'S IN ZILKER CAN SUPPORT THE COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT AUSTIN.

SO THAT IS ONE OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS THAT IN THE CONCESSIONS ASPECT THAT WE DO WANT TO ADDRESS.

AND THAT IS A KEY EQUITY CONVERSATION.

AND I WAS ACTUALLY, UH, IN A TRAINING WITH THE EQUITY OFFICE, UH, A COUPLE DAYS AGO WHEN WE GOT THE QUESTION, DID WE ASK THE EQUITY OFFICE TO REVIEW THE PLAN? AND, AND I, WE, WE DID A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HOW EQUITY HAS BEEN USED AND WEAPONIZED IN THIS CONVERSATION AROUND ZILKER.

AND THERE'S NO QUESTION THAT WE ARE CONTINUING TO TRY TO DO BETTER AND THAT I WANTED TO DO BETTER, BUT I'M ALSO VERY PROUD OF THE WORK THAT, THAT MY TEAM HAS DONE TO REACH ALL PARTS OF AUSTIN AND TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT.

AND SO, LOTS OF WORK TO BE DONE AND LOTS OF CONVERSATIONS TO

[04:25:01]

BE HAD, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO MORE FOR SURE.

AND I SWEAR TO GOD, THIS IS MY LAST QUESTION, BUT YOU DID BRING SOMETHING IN MIND REAL QUICK.

I'M SORRY, I'M GONNA JUMP IN HERE.

UH, IT'S, WE HAVE ONE MORE MINUTE.

UM, I'M GONNA, I MOVE THAT WE EXTEND 10 MORE MINUTES TO 11:00 PM ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ALL RIGHT.

LOOKS LIKE EVERYBODY.

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS. WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT KIND OF STRUCTURE IS UNDERNEATH THAT PART, UM, WITHOUT DOING SOME KIND OF ECHOLOCATION AND TO, TO PROPOSE EVERYTHING TO REVOLVE AROUND THAT COMMERCIALIZATION AND THE AMOUNT OF BUILDING THAT WOULD TAKE PLACE, UM, IN, IN EVERYTHING ELSE THAT IS DESIGNED, JUST SEEMS KIND OF ASKED BACKWARDS TO ME.

SORRY.

GO.

I REALLY APOLOGIZE, BUT THIS WILL BE MY LAST QUESTION.

UH, THIS ACTUALLY WAS SUPPOSED TO BE MY FIRST QUESTION, BUT, YOU KNOW, THINGS GET JUMBLED AROUND WHEN, UH, YOU START TALKING AND THE MICROPHONE'S IN YOUR FACE.

UM, SO YOU BRING UP A GOOD POINT, RIGHT? BECAUSE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT HISTORICALLY, THE ORIGINAL STAKEHOLDERS OF THIS LAND, I BELIEVE ARE LIKE THE COMANCHE TRIBE, RIGHT? HAS ANYONE ACTUALLY REACHED OUT TO THEM OR THEIR DESCENDANTS OR THEIR PEOPLE, RIGHT? BECAUSE WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, THE STATE OF TEXAS REALLY ONLY HAS THREE NATIVE AMERICAN RESERVATIONS, AND THEY'RE NOT IN CENTRAL TEXAS.

THEY'RE ALL SPREAD OUT NEAR, LIKE NEW MEXICO, LOUISIANA, OKLAHOMA.

UM, YOU KNOW, I GREW UP, YOU KNOW, I REMEMBER THEM SAYING LIKE, YEAH, THE TONKAWA, THE APACHE, THE COMANCHE OR THE ORIGINAL PEOPLE THAT LIVED HERE, RIGHT? AND CLEARLY, UH, SOMEBODY HAD THE, WAS LIVING THERE BEFORE, UH, THIS ER OR BARTON OR THIS, THAT, AND THE THIRD, ROBERT E. LEE, RIGHT? I DON'T THINK HE LIVED HERE, BUT THERE'S STILL STUFF NAMED AFTER HIM.

UM, YOU KNOW, THE MOODY FAMILY, RIGHT? THE LIST GOES ON.

UM, YEAH.

SO I WAS WONDERING, YOU KNOW, HAS ANYONE TALKED TO THE, THE COMANCHE PEOPLE ABOUT THE VISION PLAN? WHAT WOULD THEY WANT? RIGHT? WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP THEM? RIGHT? RIGHT.

WE REACHED OUT TO, TO SEVERAL ORGANIZATIONS, SEVERAL REPRESENTATIVES, UM, AND WE DID HAVE REPRESENTATIVES FROM REPRESENTING THE, THE, THE TEXAS AREA FOR THE TONKAWA TRIBE.

AND THEY'RE EVEN BASED IN OKLAHOMA.

SO EVEN THE TEXAS REPS ARE UP IN OKLAHOMA, RIGHT? AND SO WE, WE DEFINITELY REACHED OUT, WE MADE CONNECTIONS, ESPECIALLY WITH THE, THE BIG POWWOW THAT HAPPENS AT THE TEXAS, UH, OR AT THE TRAVIS COUNTY EXPO CENTER.

UH, AND, AND YOU KNOW, THAT'S THAT CONVERSATION WHEN YOU'RE REACHING OUT, HOW ARE WE FOLLOWING UP? AND THAT'S, THAT'S ALWAYS A CHALLENGE.

AND SO I, I THINK THAT, UH, WE STILL HAVE MORE WORK TO DO ON THAT.

SO REACHING OUT'S NOT ENOUGH, AND I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT FOR SURE.

PERSONALLY, I FEEL LIKE IT SHOULD BE NAMED COMANCHE PARK INSTEAD OF THE LOCAL PARK, BUT I DON'T GOT THE LAND AND I DON'T GOT THE MONEY.

APPRECIATE IT.

IF YOU WANT TO USE 'EM ALL.

UM, , WELL, NOT REALLY.

UM, RACHEL SCOTT, DISTRICT TWO, UM, AGAIN, I WANT TO THANK, UM, UH, PARTICULARLY THE, THE, UH, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO, UM, CAME OUT, UH, TO THIS, UM, FAR DISTANT, UH, PART OF AUSTIN TO, UH, TO MAKE SOME COMMENTS AND, UM, SO IMPRESSED BY, UH, THE, UH, UM, EMOTIONAL INVESTMENT AND, AND, UH, THE, THE CONCERNS THAT, THAT, UM, EACH OF YOU, UH, RAISED IN YOUR COMMENTS.

AND THANK YOU TO, UM, UH, UM, UH, FOR THE, UM, BRIEFING THAT, THAT, UH, NEW DESIGN HAS, UH, HAS GIVEN US.

UH, I'M, I'M PERPLEXED, UM, THOUGH BY, BY THAT, IN THAT, UM, I DIDN'T HEAR IN YOUR PRESENTATION, UM, ANYTHING ABOUT ANYTHING EXCEPT, UM, THE RESTORATION ASPECT, WHICH I LIKE AND IS, IS REASONABLE AND, AND, UH, NECESSARY AND IN MY OPINION.

BUT I ENVISION A PARK AS A PLACE WHICH IS A NATURAL LAND WHERE PEOPLE CAN FORGET THAT THEY ARE IN AN URBAN ENVIRONMENT AND ENJOY NATURE.

UM, I, I THINK THE GREAT LAWN IS VERY VALUABLE TO, UH, PEOPLE WHO USE IT.

I THINK THE TRAILS ARE VERY VALUABLE.

I, UM, THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBT THAT, THAT THE BARTON SPRINGS, UH, UH, IS, UM, IS AN AREA THAT, THAT AUSTIN, UH, RESIDENTS ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT PRESERVING.

AND IT'S IN, IN THE BIT OF RESEARCH THAT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO, UH, LAND HAS BEEN BOUGHT QUITE A DISTANCE AWAY FROM, UM, UH, WHERE THE PARK IS IN ORDER TO PRESERVE THE WATER THAT COMES PERCOLATING THROUGH TO COME BACK WELL BACK UP AS BARTON SPRINGS.

I, UM, I THINK IT'S UNCONSCIONABLE TO, UM, TO, TO CONSIDER, UH, PUTTING, UM, BUILDING STRUCTURES AS CLOSE AS IS RECOMMENDED, UH, OR, OR, UH, IN ENVISIONED, UH, TO THE, THAT CLOSE TO BARTON SPRINGS.

I JUST, I CAN'T SEE ANYTHING THERE EXCEPT PROBLEMS, UH,

[04:30:01]

UH, I, I WOULD, I WOULDN'T WANT ANY OF THOSE BUILDINGS THERE PERSONALLY.

UH, IT'S BEEN WELL KNOWN AND PROVEN THAT THAT PARKS SERVE THE PURPOSE OF, UM, IMPROVING, UM, THE, UH, THE MENTAL HEALTH OF THE PEOPLE WHO, WHO USE IT.

UM, IT IMPROVES, UH, STUDENTS, UH, SCORES AND, AND IN SCHOOL BECAUSE THEY ARE, THEY HAVE THAT RESPITE THAT, THAT PLACE TO GO TO.

UM, I CAN'T HELP BUT THINK ABOUT THE TIME I'VE SPENT IN CENTRAL PARK, WHICH IS KIND OF THE NATION STANDARD FOR GREAT PARKS, AND THAT'S NOT RUN BY C3 OR, OR A, UH, A COMMERCIAL ORGANIZATION.

IT'S, I MEAN, PARKS SHOULD BE RUN BY THE CITY, UH, FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE CITY.

THAT'S MY NUMBER ONE MAIN CONCERN.

I, I, I SEE THIS AS, AS GOING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, BRINGING PEOPLE BY CAR TO THE COMMISSION, TO THE, TO THE PARK IS IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF WHAT CLIMATE CHANGE TELLS US.

WE, IF WE WANT TO BE, UH, IMPROVING THE CARBON, UH, FOOTPRINT, WE NEED LESS CONCRETE.

WE NEED LESS CARS.

WE NEED, UM, WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE DISCONNECT BETWEEN WHAT WE HEARD FROM THE TRANSPORTATION AND THEIR, THEIR TRANSPORTATION PLAN DOESN'T SEEM TO EVEN HAVE THOUGHT OF THE CONCEPT OF BRINGING PEOPLE TOWARDS THE PARK.

THEY'RE GOING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS.

THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT EVEN THINKING ABOUT BRINGING PEOPLE TO THE PARKS.

BUT THERE ARE COMMERCIAL GROUPS, UH, UH, THERE ARE, UM, PLACES LIKE, UM, PUB, UH, PUBLIC, UM, UH, PLACES SUCH AS THE, UH, VARIOUS, UH, AIRPORTS AROUND THE, THE COUNTRY THAT HAVE FIGURED OUT THAT YOU CAN PARK IN ONE PLACE AND YOU CAN, YOU CAN HAVE CONTINUOUS SHUTTLES THAT GET PEOPLE FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER.

UM, THERE ARE HOS LOCAL HOSPITALS THAT ARE USING SHUTTLES SO THAT PEOPLE CAN GET FROM A FAR AWAY PARKING AREA, UH, TO, UH, UH, THE PLACE WHERE THEIR MEDICAL, UH, UH, FACILITY IS LOCATED.

SO, SO, UM, THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE, WHERE I SEE THE FUTURE GOING.

I DON'T SEE IT AS GOING TO UNDERGROUND PARKING.

AND, AND, UH, I, I THINK WE'VE GOT ENOUGH VENUES FOR, UM, FOR, UM, USING, UH, UH, LAND, UH, FOR, UH, THE KIND OF PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENT THAT HAPPENS.

WE'VE GOT A C L U, UM, WITH, WITH A ACL, I SHOULD SAY, , SORT OF LIKE NAACP AND NCAA.

I GET THEM CONFUSED AND, YOU KNOW, LIKE NOBODY ELSE DOES, BUT I DO.

UM, SO, UM, I JUST, I JUST SEE A COMPLETE DISCONNECT BETWEEN THIS AS A VISION, UH, FOR WHAT, WHAT I THINK OF AS A PARK, UM, WITH WHAT I THINK, UH, THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN HAVE SAID THAT THEY WANT, AND MANY OF PEOPLE OF AUSTIN HAVEN'T WEIGHED IN BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO IDEA THIS IS EVEN GOING ON 6,000 PEOPLE COMPARED TO A POPULATION OF 1 MILLION.

I DON'T, I DIDN'T TAKE THE TIME TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE PERCENTAGE IS OF THAT, BUT IT'S, IT'S A VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE, AND IT, AND IT, AND IT'S 30% YOU HAVE TOLD US IS PEOPLE WHO LIVE RIGHT AROUND THE PARK.

SO OF COURSE, THEY'RE GONNA BE A LITTLE MORE, UH, HAD A CHANCE TO, TO, TO BE AWARE THAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE LOOKING AT A VISION FOR ZILKER PARK.

AND ZILKER PARK IS THE PREMIER PARK FOR THIS ENTIRE CITY.

AND IT, AND IT NEEDS MORE THAN ANYTHING TO BE PROTECTED IN THE, IN THE PARTS THAT YOU'VE TALKED ABOUT FOR PROTECTING IT, REPLANNING, PUTTING IN NATIVE SPECIES.

IMAGINE HOW MUCH MORE OF THAT.

YOU TALKED ABOUT HAVING A LIMITED BUDGET FOR THAT.

IMAGINE HOW MUCH BUDGET YOU WOULD HAVE IF YOU'RE NOT BUILDING, SPENDING, UH, MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ON UNDERGROUND PARKING

[04:35:01]

AND, AND, UH, WELCOME CENTER.

I HAVE NEVER USED A WELCOME CENTER AT ANY PARK I'VE EVER GONE TO.

I DON'T SEE THAT A PARK NEEDS, UH, UH, NEEDS, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

AND YES, I KNOW THE TIME IS LIMITED.

HOLD ON.

LET, LET ME YES, IT, IT CAN GET 10 MORE MINUTES.

UH, UH, I, I MOVE THAT WE, UH, EXTEND TO 1115 SECOND PRIMER YOU IN.

ALL RIGHT, I SEE YOU UNANIMOUS.

OF WHAT PARKS DO, BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE TRUE VALUE LIES IN THE PARK.

PLEASE CONTINUE.

I, I AGREE WITH, UH, THE CONCERNS THAT, UM, UM, JUST ALL, JUST ABOUT ALL OF THE CONCERNS THAT JUST ABOUT EVERYONE HAS RAISED.

UH, UM, BUT MOST OF ALL, I, I CAN'T HELP BUT, UM, SEE THIS AS SOMETHING THAT IS APPARENTLY MORE DRIVEN BY THE COMMERCIAL NEEDS OF A, OF A, OF A PRIVATE GROUP THAN BY THE NEEDS OF, UH, THE PUBLIC NEEDS OF A PUBLIC GROUP OF A, OF A MILLION PEOPLE IN A, IN A GROWING CITY.

UM, AND WE NEED, WE NEED THIS, WE NEED THIS SPACE DESPERATELY BECAUSE OF CLIMATE CHANGE.

AND WE HAVE TO ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT FOR EVERYTHING THAT WE DO, MUCH, IT'S GOING TO BE DESTROYED BECAUSE WE'RE LOOKING AT MORE AND MORE VIOLENT, UM, WEATHER.

WE'VE, WE'VE SEEN WHAT'S HAPPENED TO TREES, UH, FROM THE ICE STORM.

I PERSONALLY HAD TO PAY, I DON'T KNOW, $500 TO GET, UH, MY LIVE OAK TREE TRIM, UM, ALL OVER THE CITY.

PEOPLE HAVE BEEN HAVING TO DO THAT.

SO FOR EVERYTHING THAT WE DO THAT'S POSITIVE, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE, WE'RE GONNA HAVE ONE STEP BACKWARDS THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO OVERCOME.

AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO BE THINKING IN OUR VISION ABOUT THESE KINDS OF PROBLEMS IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN THE WHOLE CITY, INCLUDING THE PARKS ARE THE LITTLE TINY ISLANDS THAT WE HAVE TO TRY TO OVERCOME MORE AND MORE DEVELOPMENT.

SO, UNLESS I SEE, UM, INCORPORATED, UH, GETTING RID OF, UM, THE PRIVATE MUSIC VENUE, GETTING RID OF THE UNDERGROUND PARKING, GETTING RID OF THE WELCOME CENTER, UM, CONNECTING THE TRANSPORTATION NEEDS TOGETHER, BECAUSE HOW CAN YOU KNOW WHETHER YOU NEED A BRIDGE, A LAND BRIDGE, AND WHAT IT'S GOING TO CONNECT TO? UNLESS YOU KNOW WHETHER OR NOT YOU'RE GONNA HAVE THE PARKING BRIDGES, UNLESS YOU KNOW, WHETHER YOU'RE GONNA EXPAND OR CONTRACT THE ROADS, UNLESS YOU KNOW WHETHER OR NOT YOU'RE GONNA HAVE SHUTTLES AND WHERE THEY'RE GONNA GO, GO TO AND FROM, AND HOW PEOPLE ARE GOING TO USE THEM, AND WHERE IN THE PARKS THEY'RE GONNA DO THEM AND WHAT THEY WANNA BRING TO THE PARK.

I WANNA BRING A BICYCLE ONE DAY.

MAYBE I WANNA BRING A CANOE ANOTHER DAY AND, AND A KAYAK AND ANOTHER CANOE.

BUT I THINK THAT THE VARIOUS PEOPLE THAT USE THE PARK HAVE DISPARATE NEEDS.

AND I HAVE SEEN THESE WORK, I'VE, I'VE BEEN ON RAG BY WHERE, UM, YOU CAN GET ON A SHUTTLE AND YOU CAN PUT YOUR BICYCLE IN THE BACK ON A, ON A STRUCTURE THAT'S BUILT FOR BICYCLES.

IT COULD BE BUILT FOR BICYCLES AND CANOES AND KAYAKS, AND, UM, THAT'S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE, AND IT'S NOT EXPENSIVE.

AND SPEAKING OF WATERLOO, UM, I, I, I HEARD THAT, AND I, I THOUGHT, WELL, WHAT'S, WHAT IS, WHAT'S THAT ABOUT? WELL, IT, IT TOOK 10 YEARS FOR THAT PARK TO BE BUILT, AND DURING THAT 10 YEARS, IT WAS SHUT DOWN.

WELL, YOU KNOW, NAPOLEON'S WATERLOO IN 1815, YOU KNOW, KIND OF COMES TO MIND.

UH, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT ACTUALLY WATERLOO IS, WAS NAMED BECAUSE WE HAVE, I MEAN, WE COULD, COULD BE IN THE NETHERLANDS.

WE HAVE SO MANY WATERWAYS HERE, IT'S UNBELIEVABLE.

BUT I DON'T WANNA SEE THIS PARK SHUT DOWN FOR 10 YEARS, CUZ I'LL PROBABLY, I COULD POTENTIALLY BE DEAD BY THEN, AND I WOULD NEVER GET TO SEE THE, SEE THE, THE RESULTS OF THIS, UH, WONDERFUL VISION.

SO I, WHAT, YOU KNOW, I WANT PEOPLE TO THINK IN TERMS OF CAN THIS BE DONE IN PARTS? AND WHAT PARTS ARE IMPORTANT AND HOW CAN WE KEEP USING THIS PARK, YOU KNOW, WELL, YOU CAN'T SHUT DOWN BARTON CREEK FOR 10 YEARS WHILE YOU COME UP WITH THIS, THAT, AND THE OTHER.

SO I AM WILLING TO VOTE FOR, UH, WE, YES, BARTON CREEK NEEDS TO BE, NEEDS TO BE REVITALIZED.

BARTON CREEK, SPRING, ZER PARK, AND BARTON CREEK CREEK SPRINGS NEEDS TO BE PROTECTED WITHIN IT.

UM, I WILL SUPPORT A PLAN WHICH GETS RID OF THE THINGS THAT ARE NOT, UH, RELATED TO WHAT PARKS SHOULD DO, YOU KNOW, AND, AND, AND THE NATURAL PARTS

[04:40:01]

UM, AND THOSE, AND I, AND I, I JUST WANNA SEE, I WANNA SEE THIS DONE IN A WAY WHICH MAKES SENSE.

AND THE PUBLIC TONIGHT MADE IT QUITE CLEAR THAT THEY DON'T THINK IT MAKES SENSE.

AND I HAVE TO AGREE THAT, THAT IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME.

AND, AND I NEED TO SEE IT CHANGED IN ORDER TO, TO VOTE FOR IT TO GO FORWARD.

BECAUSE, BECAUSE WHAT AM I VOTING FOR? IF I DO, I'M, I'M VOTING FOR CHAOS.

I'M VOTING FOR SOMETHING THAT I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT IT IS.

AND THAT, THAT BOTHERS ME.

UM, I'M, I'M WELCOME.

ANY COMMENTS FROM YOU? UM, I'VE ALREADY HEARD COMMENTS, UM, THAT PRETTY MUCH SAY THE SAME THING FROM THE PUBLIC AT LARGE.

SO IF, IF THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE PRESENTING TONIGHT WOULD LIKE TO, I DO WANNA COMMENT ON THE TRANSPORTATION PIECE OF THE PLAN.

UM, WE HAVE, UH, UH, PLANS FOR EXTERNAL SHUTTLES THAT WOULD BRING PEOPLE FROM OUTER AREAS, MOSTLY DOWNTOWN AND AREAS EAST OF THE PARK INTO THE PARK.

AND THEN ONCE IN THE PARK, THERE'S AN INTERNAL CIRCULATOR THAT'S DIAGRAMMED THAT WOULD BRING PEOPLE, UM, TO VARIOUS DESTINATIONS WITHIN THE PARK.

UM, WE ALSO INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF TRAILS THAT ARE IN THE PARK FOR MULTIMODAL, UM, ACCESS.

WE HAVE, UM, SIX BRIDGES THAT CONNECT THE AREAS OF THE PARK THAT WOULD MAKE IT EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO REACH THE PARK FROM OUTER AREAS AND NOT HAVE TO, AND CHOOSE TO NOT HAVE TO DRIVE.

UM, AND WE ALSO HAVE AN EXPANSION OF THE ZILKER EAGLE ALIGNMENT ALONG THE NORTHERN AREA OF THE PARK.

THAT WOULD BOTH BE A RECREATIONAL RIDE, BUT A WAY FOR PEOPLE TO GET AROUND TO THE AREAS OF THE PARK.

WHAT, WHAT, WHAT IS THE, THE, UH, ZER EAGLE? YES.

WELL THANK YOU FOR THAT.

AND, UH, THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS.

IS DEFINITELY ONE OF THE, THE OVERWHELMING COMMENTS WE HEARD AND WHAT WE SAW, UM, IN, IN COMMUNITIES, UM, THROUGHOUT.

HELLO.

UM, SO ONE THING THAT I WAS KIND OF CURIOUS ABOUT WAS I SAW THAT IT WAS 16,000, UM, RESPONSES IN THE SURVEY.

AND I, I REALIZED LIKE AUSTIN HAS A METRO OF LIKE 2 MILLION.

AND SO I WAS KIND OF WONDERING IF Y'ALL DID DEMOGRAPHICS ON WHO RESPONDED IN THE SURVEY? LIKE WHICH COMMUNITIES WERE THEY PEOPLE OF COLOR MOSTLY, ARE YOU HAVE THOSE PERCENTAGES? AND ALSO WITH THAT, UM, JUST OUTTA EQUITY CONCERNS, IF ANY OF THOSE WERE BROUGHT UP WHEN Y'ALL SURVEYED PEOPLE.

LIKE WERE THEY STATING SPECIFIC THINGS? LIKE, THIS IS AN ISSUE I SEE IN PARKS.

WILL YOU ADDRESS THIS FOR OUR COMMUNITY? YEAH.

UH, WE WERE FAIRLY ON PAR WITH CITYWIDE SURVEYS, WHICH IS TO SAY THEY'RE NOT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CITY.

THEY OVERREPRESENT PEOPLE WHO LOOK LIKE ME AND WHO ARE 40 AND ABOVE.

SO, UM, THAT, THAT RANGED ANYWHERE BETWEEN, YOU KNOW, UM, I GUESS ON OUR BEST ONE AS FAR AS IDENTIFYING AS WHITE, I THINK IT WAS 65%.

UM, AND THEN ARE OUR WORST ONE, IF YOU INCLUDE PEOPLE WHO DON'T RESPOND AND ASSUME THEY'RE A EUROPEAN DESCENT, THEN IT WOULD BE 90%.

AND WE SEE THAT REFLECTED WITH, UM, THE, THE GEOGRAPHY OF WHO RESPONDED.

AND, AND THIS IS FAIRLY STANDARD WITH SURVEYS, UH, ACROSS THE CITY.

SO I LIKE THE QUESTION OF HOW DO WE LOOK AT THE DATA AND WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO DISAGGREGATE THE DATA.

UM, WHEN I'M DISAGGREGATING THE DATA, WHETHER IT BE ALONG RACE AND ETHNICITY, WHETHER IT BE ALONG INCOME, I'M LOOKING AT DIFFERENCES, UH, I'M LOOKING AT WHERE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE 100% WHERE IT MIGHT BE SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT.

AND THEN, LIKE YOU POINTED OUT, LOOKING AT COMMENTS.

AND THEN WE ALSO NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT SINCE WE DO HAVE SIGNIFICANT OVERREPRESENTATION, HOW DO WE ACCOUNT FOR THAT IN OUR CONVERSATIONS? IF WE'RE DOING POPUPS IN DIFFERENT PLACES, WHAT ARE THE CONVERSATIONS WE'RE HAVING THERE? UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, PARKING IN PARTICULAR, THAT WAS ONE OF THE, THE BIG THINGS WE HEAR.

WE, WE KNOW THAT IF YOU CAN WALK TO THE PARK, YOU DON'T NEED TO DRIVE.

AND SO THAT'S SIGNIFICANT.

BUT WE HEARD OVERWHELMINGLY ANYTIME WE WERE NOT NEAR THE PARK THAT WE NEED TO HAVE PARKING AND WE NEED TO HAVE MORE PARKING.

EVEN IN THAT, THAT, THAT, UM, SURVEY THAT WAS DONE, UH, BY NOT LEAV, THE AUSTIN MONITOR, YOU KNOW, THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE WAS PARKING.

UM, AND, AND THAT'S ONE OF THE MAIN ISSUES THAT'S CAUSING ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION IN THE PARK IS BAD PARKING.

UM, AND SO THAT

[04:45:01]

UM, AND THEN WHENEVER WE HAVE THE, THE SMALL GROUPS, WHENEVER WE MEET WITH SOME OF THE, THE RESIDENTS WHO LIVE NEARBY, BUT MAYBE ON A HAKA PROPERTY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, IT'S HOW DO WE HAVE BETTER REPRESENTATION IN THE PARK, WHETHER IT BE THROUGH CONCESSIONAIRES OR WHETHER IT BE THROUGH STORYTELLING, AND HOW DO WE TELL THE HISTORY AND THE STORIES, NOT JUST OF THE BARTONS AND ZILKER, BUT OF DESEGREGATION OF, UH, THE, THE, THE SWIMS THAT TOOK PLACE OF THE ONGOING SWIMMING THAT HAPPENS BY PEOPLE OF COLOR, AND HOW DO WE BRING MORE PEOPLE INTO THE CONVERSATION? AND, YOU KNOW, PERSONALLY, I, I WOULD LOVE IT IF WE COULD ALL TAKE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, BUT WHAT WE ALSO HEARD IS THAT THAT BURDEN OFTEN FALLS ON BLACK AND BROWN PEOPLE ON EAST AUSTIN TO TAKE PUBLIC TRANSIT.

UM, AND THAT'S ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE HEARD IN THE CONVERSATION.

WELL ALSO LIKE TRANSPORTATION AFFORDABILITY IS LIKE, I MEAN, THAT'S HOW YOU DISENFRANCHISE PEOPLE.

AND LIKE, IF YOU HAVE LIKE ALL THESE, I KNOW THE CITY SEEMS TO BE GOING TOWARDS THE CONCEPT OF LIKE BUILDING MORE AND MORE GARAGES, BUT THEN LIKE THEY'RE TAKING AWAY FREE PARKING AND LIKE REPLACING IT TO, OH, YOU HAVE TO PAY THE PARK FOR LIKE, JUST TO DO AN HOUR, AARON, OR LIKE 15 MINUTES.

AND, AND WE DEFINITELY HEARD, I MEAN LIKE EVEN LIKE THE PARKING HERE.

LIKE IF YOU SEE THAT SIGN, I'M LIKE, GOOD LORD, IT'S $24 FOR THREE HOURS.

LIKE, IT'S LIKE INSANE.

IN THE GARAGE.

I'M LIKE, AND I'M JUST LIKE, WHO COMES UP WITH THAT IDEA? LIKE THE CHARGE THAT MUCH FOR THE PARKING? NO, AND THAT, AND THAT'S A REALLY GOOD POINT.

AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE CONVERSATIONS THAT THIS STILL STICKS OUT ON MY MIND.

IF, IF YOU'RE GOING TO CHARGE FOR PARKING IN THESE SPACES, THEN YOU'RE TELLING ME YOU DON'T WANT ME THERE.

UM, RIGHT.

AND THEN OTHER CONVERSATIONS WHERE I'M NOT GONNA GO TO ZILKER, SO I DON'T WANT TO PAY FOR ALL THE WHITE PEOPLE GOING TO ZER.

SO, SO IT'S, IT, IT IS JUST LIKE EVERYTHING IN ZILKER, THERE'S, THERE IS THIS, THIS DEEP EMOTIONAL CONNECTION TO, TO MY VISION.

AND EVEN WE, WE HEARD FROM SEVERAL PEOPLE ABOUT WHAT YOUR VISION OF A PARK IS, AND THAT'S NOT THE SAME VISION OF WHAT A PARK IS FOR OTHER PEOPLE THROUGHOUT AUSTIN.

UM, AND, AND SO THAT IS ONE OF THE ONGOING CHALLENGES THAT, THAT WE FACE AS, AS A CITY AND, AND IN THIS PARK IN PARTICULAR, IS WHAT IS A PARK AND WHO IS IT FOR? AND HOW ARE WE MAKING IT ACCESSIBLE FOR ALL PEOPLE? AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE ONGOING QUESTIONS WE HAD IS HOW DO WE MAKE ZILKER MORE WELCOMING FOR ALL? ALL RIGHT.

AND ANOTHER THING I THOUGHT ABOUT WAS HOW, UM, LIKE EVENTS ARE, OR, UM, EQUITY AVENUES, AND I'M JUST LIKE, OKAY, WELL, WE HAVE ACL, WE HAVE TRAIL LIGHTS, TRAIL LIGHTS, LIKE I'M, I'M AUSTIN NATIVE.

I GREW UP GOING TO TRAIL LIGHTS, SO I REMEMBER WHEN IT WAS FREE, WHEN YOU COULD WALK THROUGH, WHEN YOU COULD DRIVE THROUGH WHEN IT WAS FREE, WHEN THEY HAD A SHUTTLE AT ONE TIME, YOU COULD, YOU PARK AND THEN HE HOP ON THE SHUTTLE AND IT TOOK YOU AROUND.

LIKE, SO I'VE SEEN IT BE LIKE ALL TYPES OF THINGS.

AND NOW IT'S LIKE PAID AND YOU BUY TICKETS AND IT'S LIKE 30, 20 TO 30 BUCKS.

AND I'M JUST LIKE, I MEAN, YOU'VE ALREADY, I LOVE TRAIL LIGHTS.

I HAVE FRIENDS THAT WORK ON THAT, BUT LIKE NOW IT'S KIND OF LIKE, WOW.

I MEAN, I THINK OF PEOPLE WITH LIKE MULTIPLE KIDS OR WANNA DO LIKE FAMILY OUTINGS AND THEY'RE LIKE DROPPING LIKE A HUNDRED DOLLARS JUST TO GO YEAH.

SEE, LIKE, YEAH, DO LIKE A 15 MINUTE WALKTHROUGH IN, IN, IN PROGRAMMING AND EVENTS THAT, THAT REPRESENT COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT AUSTIN, WHETHER THEY BE BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES, WHETHER THEY BE OTHER ETHNIC COMMUNITIES, REFUGEE COMMUNITIES.

THESE ARE THINGS THAT, THAT WE HEAR.

LIKE, THIS IS HOW YOU MAKE ZILKER WELCOMING FOR ALL.

AND SO THEN HOW DO WE MAKE THE SPACE AND THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THAT? AND I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE ONGOING QUESTIONS.

BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE, JUST LIKE IN THE TIMEFRAME THAT ACL HAPPENS AND THEN TRAIL LIGHTS, IT'S, IT'S PRETTY MUCH SIX MONTHS.

AND SO IT'S KIND OF LIKE YOU HAVE LIKE THE OTHER SIX MONTHS, IT'S LIKE, OKAY, IT'S FROZEN, MAYBE AND THEN LIKE SCORCHING HOT SUMMER.

AND THEN, YEAH.

SO IT'S KIND OF LIKE WE'VE ALREADY LOST THE PARK FOR HALF THE YEAR BASED OFF AFFORDABILITY OR LIKE JUST NOT BEING ABLE TO DO STUFF AT IT.

UM, I'M GONNA JUMP IN REAL QUICK.

UM, IT'S, WE GOT TWO MINUTES.

UM, I'M GONNA MOVE TO EXTEND TO 1130 AND I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO NOT, YOU'RE DOING

[04:50:01]

GREAT.

UM, BUT, UH, LET'S SEE IF WE CAN GET OUTTA HERE BEFORE TOMORROW SECOND.

UH, WE WANT SECOND THAT SINCE PERRY'S PREOCCUPIED.

UM, LIKE WHAT ELSE WAS I LOOKING TO LOOK AT? UM, SO RESTORING OF THE CAP.

I KIND OF HAD, UM, QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT BECAUSE I, LIKE, I WALKED THE TRAIL AND SO I KIND OF KNOW WHERE THE, I KNOW WHERE THE AREA IS AND LIKE, IT'S LIKE WETLAND ISH OR TREES HAVE KIND OF GROWN THROUGH IT.

SO I'M KIND OF CURIOUS, HAVE DOES THAT, DOES, WILL THAT ENCOUNTER ANY OPPOSITION FROM TREE ORDINANCES? LIKE, CUZ YOU WOULD HAVE TO CLEAR OUT THOSE TREES RIGHT? TO KIND OF BUILD UP THAT CAP TO REPLACE, TO REPAIR IT.

IF ANYTHING WAS DONE THERE, IT'D BE A LARGE PROJECT.

RIGHT? UM, AND SO THAT WOULD BE STUDIED IN DETAIL.

UH, AND SO THERE WOULD BE A PATH FORWARD.

UH, A HYPOTHETICAL COULD BE, UM, IT'S STUDIED.

IT IS DECIDED THAT IT, NONE OF THE MATERIAL'S GONNA BE REMOVED.

UM, IT'S GONNA BE FULLY RESTORED.

YOU WOULD THEN BRING THE CAP UP TO CURRENT, UH, REGULATIONS.

UM, IT COULD BE MEAN THAT YOU WOULD HAVE TO GET RID OF SOME TREES.

THAT'S A GREAT POINT.

UM, AND THEN YOU WOULD RE-VEGETATE ON TOP OF THAT.

AND SO THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE AN EVALUATION, PARTICULARLY ON THAT, UM, LAKESHORE SIDE.

ARE THERE ISSUES THERE THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE ADDRESSED OR ON WHAT WOULD BE THE, UM, EASTERN SIDE? UM, OR COULD YOU LEAVE THOSE AS IS AND JUST DO THE, UH, CAP, UM, UH, CHANGES ON THE AREA THAT'S CURRENTLY CLEAR? SO THAT'D BE THAT, THAT'D HAVE TO BE SOMETHING THAT'S STUDIED IN GREATER DETAIL TO KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT.

AND I JUST WANTED TO SAY LIKE, I REALLY DO LIKE THE IDEA OF MAYBE EXPLORING SHUTTLES, UM, JUST THINKING OF LIKE TIMES I'VE DONE A C L, LIKE THEY HAVE THEIR SHUTTLE SYSTEM, LIKE ON POINT.

SO IF ANYTHING, MAYBE LIKE LEARN FROM THAT SHUTTLE SYSTEM AND SEE IF THERE'S A WAY TO ACTUALLY KIND OF INCORPORATE THAT FOR NORMAL PARK USE.

THE, UM, THE CITY PART PILOTED A, A SHUTTLE PROGRAM FROM ONE TEXAS CENTER, WHICH IS A CITY OWNED FACILITY GARAGE DOWN THE, THE ROAD.

UH, LAST SUMMER FREE SHUTTLE RIDE, THEY HAD ABOUT 500 RIDERS AND THEY JUST RECEIVED THE FUNDING TODAY TO DO THAT AGAIN, THIS PROGRAM THIS SUMMER FROM MEMORIAL DAY TO LABOR DAY.

AND THAT'S ALL THAT IT HAD.

THAT HASN'T BEEN ASK YET.

UM, THANK YOU GUYS FOR BEING HERE.

UM, THANKS FOR ANSWERING ALL THE QUESTIONS, UH, PUBLIC THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE EARLY, STAYING STICKING AROUND.

UM, THANKS WATERSHED STAFF.

YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN FIELDING A LOT OF QUESTIONS FROM US OVER THE LAST MONTH, IF NOT MORE.

UM, THANKS COMMISSIONERS FOR STICKING AROUND.

UH, MANY OF MY QUESTIONS GOT ADDRESSED AND I DID NOT START WITH 137 AND WHITTLE THEM DOWN TO 32 OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

UM, SO I REALLY ONLY HAVE ONE QUESTION THAT I, THAT I DON'T THINK'S BEEN PARTIALLY ADDRESSED.

AND, AND IT'S, UH, A A TIMING QUESTION.

UM, I'M NOT GONNA REFERENCE THE PAGES, BUT THERE'S A, A PROJECT TIMELINE THAT KIND OF WALKS THROUGH YEARS ONE, ONE THROUGH THREE NEAR TERM MIDTERM LONG TERM.

UM, AND THE LAND BRIDGE IS NEAR TERM, UM, BUT STRATFORD DRIVE REALIGNMENT IS LONG TERM.

HOW DOES THAT, HOW, HOW, HOW DOES THAT WORK? OR HOW IS THAT NOT, HOW DO THEY NOT HAVE TO HAPPEN AT THE SAME TIME? SO STRATFORD DRIVE REALIGNMENT HAS TO BE COORDINATED WITH TEXT CT RMA, WHICH IS WHY THAT PROJECT GOT PUSHED OUT.

UM, THE PLAN WORKS IF STRATFORD DRIVE DOESN'T REALIGN OR DOESN'T REALIGN FOR A LONG TIME.

UM, THE DESIGN OF THE LAMB BRIDGE WOULD JUST HAVE TO TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT.

UM, BUT THE STRATFORD DRIVE REALIGNMENT, THAT'S WHY THAT IS PUSHED OUT SO FAR BECAUSE THAT IS A TRICKY COLLABORATION.

KNOW, KIND OF IN THAT LITTLE GAP BETWEEN, UH, OR THE OVERPASS IS STILL THERE SOUTH OF BARTON SPRINGS ROAD OR YEAH, CORRECT.

UM, WHICH LEADS ME TO, ACTUALLY, I LIED.

I HAVE TWICE AS MANY QUESTIONS AS I THOUGHT.

UM, I IN THAT TEXT DOT RMA COLLABORATION, WAS THERE ANY THOUGHT OR, UH, HAS THERE BEEN ANY DISCUSSION WITH THEM ABOUT PARKING UNDER MOPAC? WHAT I WOULD SAY SOUTH OF, UH, OF, UH, THE NATURE CENTER? YOU

[04:55:01]

IMMEDIATELY SOUTH OF BARTON SPRINGS.

SO WE INDICATE SURFACE PARKING IN, IN THAT AREA ON THE PLAN.

SO THAT WOULD ALSO NEED TO BE COORDINATED WITH TEXT OUT, RIGHT? UM, YES, BUT NOT AS MUCH COORDINATION AS A, UH, A VERTICAL STRUCTURE.

UM, BUT SURELY, UH, AN AGREEMENT OF SORTS OF, UM, LICENSE AGREEMENT TYPE OF THING.

THANKS.

AND THEN OF COURSE, SAFETY, PEDESTRIAN SAFETY CROSSINGS COMING FROM THAT AREA INTO THE PARK, UH, ACROSS THAT FRIO ROAD.

UM, WITH THAT, UH, THE 11 MINUTES, WHAT WE DO NOT, THIS IS NOT A PUBLIC HEARING, CORRECT.

UM, I HAVE DROPPED IN A MOTION, UM, UH, AND I'M GONNA READ IT OFF AND SEE IF IT GETS A SECOND.

UM, AND THEN WE GO THROUGH THE PROCESS, UH, NEW NEWBIES.

UM, WE GO THROUGH A PROCESS OF THEN HAVING DISCUSSION ABOUT THE CONTENT, UM, AND POSSIBLY ADDING SOME THINGS, MOVING SOME THINGS, CHANGING, SOME THINGS PROPOSING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THINGS.

AND, UM, AND WE CAN SEE HOW THAT GOES.

UM, SO, UH, I'M GONNA READ THIS AND, UH, TRY TO READ IT PRETTY SLOW.

UM, AND, YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY CAN FOLLOW MY WORKS.

APRIL 5TH, 2023, UH, SUBJECT TO DRAFT ZER PARK VISION PLAN.

WHEREAS THE CITY OF AUSTIN PARKS AND REXS DEPARTMENT HAS UNDERGONE A MULTI-YEAR VISIONING PROCESS FOR ZER PARK AND PREPARE TO DRAFT ZORO METROPOLITAN PARK VISION PLAN, WHEREAS THE ENVIRONMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION HAS RECEIVED A PRESENTATION ON THE CURRENT STATUS OF THE DRAFT VISION PLAN, RECEIVED PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE DRAFT VISION PLAN, AND REVIEWED THE MARCH, 2023 VERSION OF THIS PLAN.

WHEREAS THE STATED PRIMARY GOAL OF THE DRAFT VISION PLAN IS TO DEVELOP A VISIONARY FRAMEWORK FOR THE PARK AND TO, AND THE DRAFT VISION PLAN INCLUDES THE HISTORY OF OKRA PARK, PURPOSE GUIDING PRINCIPLES AND VISION AND GOALS OF THE PLAN, SITE ANALYSIS AND NEEDED ASSESSMENT, GOVERNMENT ENGAGEMENT MAY, SORRY, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, THE VISION PLAN ITSELF, IMPLEMENTATION, AND SOME APPENDICES.

WHEREAS THE DRAFT VISION PLANS INCLUDE ENVIRONMENTAL SITE ASSESSMENT, ANALYSIS OF GENERAL ECOLOGY OF THE PARK, ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION FROM HISTORIC LAND, USE THE REVIEW OF THE EDWARDS AQUIFER PLANT COMMUNITIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS, WHEREAS THE DRAFT VISION PLAN INCLUDES ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLEMENTATION, INCLUDING REDUCTION IN IMPERVIOUS COVER, BANK STABILIZATION OF BARTON CREEK BELOW BARTON SPRINGS ECOLOGICAL UPLIFT ON LANDFILL AREAS, DRAINAGE ENHANCEMENT INFRASTRUCTURE SUCH AS RAIN GARDENS AND OTHER PERMANENT STORM WATER ATTENUATION IMPROVEMENTS, TREE CANOPY ENHANCEMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION MEASURES.

THEREFORE, THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION ADOPTS RECOMMENDS THE ADOPTION OF THE DRAFT SOER VISION PLAN WITH THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS.

NUMBER ONE, PARD CONTINUED TO CONDUCT PUBLIC HEARINGS, INCORPORATING PUBLIC COMMENTS AND SEEK CITY COUNCIL APPROVAL DURING THE DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF VARIOUS ELEMENTS OF THE DRAFT VISION PLAN AS THEY BECOME MORE DETAILED AND FINALIZED.

NUMBER TWO, FOR PROPOSED SUBSURFACE IMPACTS BEYOND 15 FEET BELOW GRADE, ANYWHERE IN THE PARK OR BEYOND SIX FEET BELOW GRADE.

WITHIN US FISH AND WILDLIFE DESIGNATED CRITICAL HABITAT FOR THE AUSTIN BLOWING SALAMANDER PARD WILL CONDUCT DETAILED HYDROGEOLOGIC, GEOPHYSICAL AND GEOTECHNICAL STUDIES TO CONFIRM NO IMPACT TO THE FLOW HABITAT AND QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF WATER DISCHARGING AT BARTON SPRINGS AND AUSTIN BLIND SALAMANDER SITES.

PARD WILL PROVIDE THESE STUDIES AND PRESENT THEIR FINDINGS TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION AND CITY COUNCIL AND SEEK COMMENT AND RECOMMENDATION OF THESE ACTIONS PRIOR TO CONSTRUCTION.

NUMBER THREE, IF APPROVED, THE, THE CITY SHOULD COMMENCE COORDINATION WITH TEXDOT AND OR CT RMA REGARDING PARKING UNDER THE MOPAC HAND, STRATFORD REALIGNMENT WITHIN 30 DAYS OF THE PLAN APPROVAL.

NUMBER FOUR, THE DRAFT PLAN SHOULD CLARIFY THAT IS PROVIDE MORE DETAILS OF THE IMPERVIOUS COVER CALCULATIONS INCLUDED IN THE PLAN.

NUMBER FIVE, PRIOR TO CITY COUNCIL FINAL DECISION, THE DRAFT VISION PLAN SHOULD BE SUBMITTED TO THE CITY EQUITY OFFICE FOR REVIEW AND COMMENT AND THEIR FINDINGS PRESENTED TO COUNSEL.

NUMBER SIX, THE IMMEDIATE PROPOSED BARTON SPRINGS ROAD BRIDGE IMPROVEMENT PROJECT SHOULD BE CONSISTENT WITH THE DRAFT VISION PLAN, SPECIFICALLY THE LANE CONFIGURATION BRIDGE PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS, AND ENVISIONED PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS IN

[05:00:01]

THE DRAFT VISION PLAN.

AND, UH, NUMBER SEVEN, THE SPECIAL EVENTS IN PARKS TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS SHOULD BE INCORPORATED INTO THE DRAFT VISION PLAN.

I'LL SECOND.

ALL RIGHT, WE'VE GOT A MOTION AND A SECOND.

UM, ANY DISCUSSION CHAIR? YES.

CAN I ASK YOU WHAT THE SOURCE IS OF THE TWO DEPTHS THAT YOU QUOTED UNDER ITEM NUMBER, UH, TWO, UH, ARBITRARY, UH, DEEP AND NOT AS DEEP .

BUT THAT'S UP FOR DISCUSSION.

THE, AND THE FOR, FOR EVERYBODY'S, UH, KNOWLEDGE, THOSE WERE FOR PROPOSED SUBSURFACE IMPACTS BEYOND 15 FEET BELOW GRADE, ANYWHERE IN THE PARK AND BEYOND SIX FEET BELOW GRADE WITHIN US FISH AND WILDLIFE CRITICAL HABITAT FOR THE OFFICE.

AND BLIND ATOR.

CAN WE GO WITH 16 FEET AND SEVEN FEET? THAT SOUNDS GREAT.

JUST CHECK.

I MEAN, IT THAT IN IN TURN WOULD MAKE THEM LESS RESTRICTIVE.

I MEAN, THAT WOULD MEAN THAT FOR ANY EXCAVATIONS OF THAT DEPTH OF A DEEPER DEPTH THAN THAT WOULD TRIGGER THESE REVIEWS.

SO IF YOU WANTED TO BE MORE RESTRICTIVE THAN IT WOULD BE MORE SHALLOW, I WOULD SAY.

I THINK WE'VE BEEN SHALLOW ENOUGH.

ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? YEAH, SCOTT, I WOULD LIKE TO, UM, INCLUDE A, I WOULD LIKE TO, UM, INCLUDE A, UM, BASICALLY I'M, I DON'T SEE THE NEED FOR CONSTRUCTION.

UM, I DON'T SEE THE NEED FOR THE UNDERGROUND PARKING.

I DON'T SEE THE NEED FOR A WILCOM CENTER, AND I DON'T SEE THE NEED, UH, FOR, UH, A NEW, UM, EXPENSIVE, UM, UH, PLACE FOR A, A PRIVATE GROUP TO, UH, TO PUT ON, UM, MONEY MAKING, UM, UH, MUSICAL EVENTS.

UM, SO I, I CAN'T SUPPORT, UM, THE PROPOSAL WITHOUT JUST SAYING, THINK OF HOW YOU COULD USE THAT MONEY IF, IF YOU USED IT ON SIMPLY RESTORATION OF THE AREAS THAT HAVE BEEN, UH, DEGRADED, RESTRICTING THE, THE AREA TO NO PARKING, NO ILLEGAL PARKING, NONE OF THAT.

AND FINDING WAYS TO, TO, UH, USE THE SHUTTLES IN, IN, UH, EXISTING SURROUNDING PARKING.

UM, RATHER THAN DOING THAT, THAT KIND OF CONSTRUCTION.

PLUS, I THINK THE PUBLIC COMMENTS, UH, ARE CORRECT THAT, THAT IT'S JUST NOT, THAT'S JUST NOT GOING TO FLY.

YOU CAN'T PUT, YOU CAN'T PUT CONSTRUCTION THAT CLOSE TO, UH, UH, CRITICALLY ENDANGERED, UM, WILDLIFE SUCH AS THE, UH, THE SALAMANDER.

AND IT'S NOT JUST THAT IT'S THE SALAMANDER, IT'S THAT THIS IS OUR DRINKING WATER SUPPLY.

THIS IS, THIS IS A PRISTINE PLACE THAT WE ENJOY AND WE TREASURE BECAUSE OF WHAT IT IS.

AND, AND ALL OF THIS CONSTRUCTION HAS SO MANY DRAWBACKS.

IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A DRAWBACK IN ITS COST.

AND, AND WHEN YOU CONSIDER HOW, WHAT OTHER THINGS WOULD COST, IT'S A DRAWBACK IN THAT, UM, IT, IT WILL TAKE TIME AND CON AND IT'S A JOB BACK IN THAT CONSTRUCTION OF ANY SORT CLOSE TO BARTON SPRINGS COULD VERY, VERY LIKELY RESULT IN TURBIDITY AND DESTRUCTION OF BARTON SPRINGS ITSELF.

I'M, I'M GONNA INTERRUPT YOU REAL QUICK.

UH, AND TABLE THIS MOTION THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW, AND MO MAKE A SECOND MOTION, UH, TO EXTEND FOR 10 MORE MINUTES TILL 1140 SECOND.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF EXTENSION TO 1140.

GOT WE UNANIMOUS.

I WOULD, I WOULD LIKE A VISION PLAN, WHICH, UM, UM, DOES, DOES NOT INCLUDE, UM, BEING, UM, UH, HANDED OVER TO A PRIVATE ENTITY TO MAKE MONEY.

SO Y SO TO, TO YOUR, WHAT IS THE CONDITION THAT YOU'RE PROPOSING TO EMPLOY? WELL, I WOULD,

[05:05:01]

I WOULD LIKE TO GET RID OF THE, UH, GET RID OF THE, UH, THE CONSTRUCTION, WHICH I DON'T SEE THE NEED FOR, AND WHICH I THINK IS, IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.

JUST IMAGINE THE CONSTRUCTION AND, AND, UH, AND A STORM COMING UP AT THE SAME TIME.

AND WHAT THE RESULT IS, WAS WOULD NECESSARILY BE, IT'S JUST AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS PROPOSITION.

I JUST DON'T SEE ANY PLACE FOR IT.

SO YOUR MOTION IS TO ADD A CONDITION THAT THE PLAN DOES NOT INCLUDE THE, UH, UMBRELLA NON-PROFIT RIGHT.

AND CONSTRUCTION RIGHT WITHIN THE PARK.

JU JUST A REMINDER CHAIR, UH, THAT AT THIS POINT, THAT MOTION IS THE, IT IT IS OWNED BY THE ENTIRE BODY OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSIONS.

THERE NEEDS TO BE UNANIMOUS SUPPORT FOR THOSE ADDITIONS, FOR THOSE TO BE ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS.

SO HAVING THAT BE THE CASE, UM, UN UNDERSTOOD.

UH, DOES ANYONE, IS ANYONE OPPOSED TO THAT ADDITIONAL CONDITION? I THINK IT'S, I THINK, WELL, SINCE THINGS ARE KIND OF GO OPEN, IF I MAY, WELL, HOLD ON, HOLD ON.

WE GOTTA, WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH THIS ONE FIRST.

AND THEN WE CAN GO BACK TO THE, WELL, UH, UM, CAN WE DO ONE CONDITION AT A TIME? YES, MA'AM.

UH, SO, UH, NICHOLS, YOU WERE, DID YOU, UH, STATE OR WHAT, WHAT, WHAT DO YOU WANNA SAY OPPOSED? IT SOUNDS LIKE THIS CONDITION JUST BE A SEPARATE MOTION ENTIRELY.

IT'S NOT COMPATIBLE WITH THE MOTION THAT YOU LAID OUT PRI PRIMARILY, AND IT'S THE OUT OF NO MEANS OF DISRESPECT TOWARD THE CONDITIONER, BUT JUST SAYING THAT IT'S KIND OF ANTITHETICAL AND A BIT, YEAH.

UH, SO NOW FOLLOWING THE PROCEDURES, WE VOTE ON ADDING THIS CONDITION, THIS, UH, COMMISSIONER SCOTT'S CONDITION, AND, AND THAT IS JUST A VOTE FOR ADDING THIS CONDITION TO THE MOTION.

SO WHAT IT SOUNDS, ELIZABETH FUNK WATERSHED, IT SOUNDS LIKE THIS IS A, UH, AMENDMENT IS THE WAY YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IT.

SO IF THAT'S THE CASE, AND IF ANYBODY OBJECTS, WHICH COMMISSIONER NICHOLS DID, THEN THE WHOLE BODY HAS TO FORMALLY VOTE ONE AT A TIME AT THE, FOR THE DIFFERENT AMENDMENTS.

SO STARTING WITH, I THINK YOU SAID THE OVERREACHING MY BRAIN'S BLURRY THE, WELL, YES, THE CONSTRUCTION, BUT THEN ALSO THE, UM, THE NON-PROFIT UMBRELLA.

SO TO, TO REPEAT AND TELL ME IF I GET THIS WRONG, BUT THE, THE AMENDMENT WOULD BE TO ADD A CONDITION TO REMOVE THE UMBRELLA NONPROFIT AND TO NOT HAVE ANY CONSTRUCTION WITHIN THE PARK, TO NOT HAVE THE MAJOR CONSTRUCTION, THAT'S THE LARGE CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS AND, AND THE WELCOME CENTER AND, AND, UM, THE PARKING GARAGES.

THERE WOULD BE, OKAY, SO THAT WOULD BE AN AMENDMENT THEN.

SO TO NOT HAVE THE LARGE INFOR, THE LARGE CONSTRUCTION, UM, ASPECTS OF THE VISION PLAN.

UM, I, I SEE YOU THOMPSON ONE SECOND.

UH, INCLUDING THE PARKING STRUCTURE, THE WELCOME CENTER, AND THE VENUE.

UM, UH, SO NOW, UH, DO YOU HAVE A COMMENT ABOUT THIS AMENDMENT, THOMPSON? CORRECT? YES.

I THINK IT'S INCOMPATIBLE WITH YOUR AMENDMENT.

SO THIS, AND SO I THINK THAT WE SHOULD CALL THE QUESTION ON WHAT YOU SAID AND THEN CONSIDER A NEW RESOLUTION THAT IS MORE COMPATIBLE BECAUSE THE PLAN THAT PUT WAS PUT BEFORE US INCLUDES THOSE THINGS, AND YOU CAN'T VOTE FOR IT TO GO FORWARD.

DO YOU SEE MY PROBLEM? IT'S LIKE A CONUNDRUM.

WE'RE CREATING.

STAFF IS NODDING AND GONNA HELP US CHAIR AS CALEB CHIP AND WATERSHED PROTECTION.

SO ESSENTIALLY WHAT, UH, COMMISSIONER SCOTT IS OFFERING IS A SUBSTITUTE MOTION.

SO WHAT WE WOULD DO IN THIS CASE IS GO AHEAD AND VOTE ON THE ADDITIONS THAT SHE'S PROPOSING TO THE BASE MOTION.

IF THAT MOTION CARRIES, THEN YOU WOULD PROCEED.

IF IT FAILS, THEN YOU GO BACK TO THE BASE MOTION AND, UM, CONSIDER IT CON CONSIDER IT OR VOTE ON IT.

SO I'M GONNA TRY TO REPEAT THAT BACK AND TELL ME IF I GET IT WRONG.

SO WE VOTE ON THE AMENDMENT THAT SCOTT'S PRESENTED, AND IF IT PASSES WITH SIX VOTES OR MORE, THEN IT IS ADDED TO THE MOTION OR IT REPLACES THE PREVIOUS MOTION.

IN THAT CASE, IT'S, SO THEN

[05:10:01]

AND YOU CAN CONTINUE DISCUSSING THE MAIN MOTION, AND THEN YOU WOULD VOTE ON THE MAIN MOTION WITH THE ADDITIONS.

SO TO COMMISSIONER THOMPSON'S COMMENT, I GUESS THERE, I GUESS WE WOULD THEN FURTHER DISCUSS COMMISSIONER THOMPSON, THE ELEMENTS THAT ARE CONFLICTING, I GUESS, UH, IN WITHIN THE, THE PRE THE, THE ENTIRE MOTION.

DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? COMMISSIONER THOMPSON? I, I THINK THAT HER RECOMMENDATIONS ARE ANTITHETICAL TO SAYING THAT WE WANT THE PLAN TO GO FORWARD.

IF, IF THAT'S THE CASE, YOU CAN VOTE ON EACH AMENDMENT SEPARATELY SINCE THERE IS OPPOSITION IN, IN TWO FORMS. AND IF THOSE FAIL TO PASS, UH, THIS WILL BE MOOT AT THAT POINT.

SO THE FIRST VOTE WOULD BE ON SCOTT'S AMENDMENT, AND THE SECOND VOTE WOULD BE ON, SHE HAS TWO AMENDMENTS.

DO EACH OF THEM SEPARATELY GO THROUGH ONE BY ONE AND VOTE ON EACH AMENDMENT TO THE EXISTING MOTION ON THE TABLE? AND THOSE TWO AMENDMENTS ARE ONE, ONE WAS ON NO CONSTRUCTION, ONE ON, NO, NO.

UMBRELLA.

ORGANIZATION.

ALL RIGHT, I HEAR YOU.

THAT SOUNDS GOOD.

SO WE ARE GOING TO VOTE, UM, TO ADD TO THE MOTION THAT'S, UM, IN FRONT OF US THAT THERE WE, THAT, THAT THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOMMENDS THAT THERE NOT BE AN UMBRELLA NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION OVERSEEING THE PLAN OR AS, AS DETAILED IN THE DRAFT PLAN.

AND WE'RE GONNA GO AROUND AND DO ROLL CALL FOR THIS CUZ KAYLA TOLD ME I HAVE TO , UH, UM, DISCUSSION.

IS THERE A DISCUSSION OF THIS ELEMENT FIRST, OR ONCE IT BECOMES PART OF THE MOTION, THEN WE DISCUSS, WAS THERE A SECOND? DID WE SECOND ? ALL RIGHT.

SO MOTION BY SCOTT.

SECOND BY SHERA.

THANK YOU, ELIZABETH.

I AM OPPOSED.

HOLD, HOLD ON, HOLD ON.

COMMISSIONER THOMPSON, KEVIN'S GONNA GIVE US SOME INSTRUCTION COUNT SECONDING BY THAT, IT'S YOUR PREROGATIVE IF YOU WANNA HAVE DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM, RECOGNIZING WE'RE FAR PAST OUR PROJECTED SCHEDULED TIME.

WE'RE GONNA DISCUSS VERY QUICKLY BECAUSE I THINK IT'S EFFICIENT USE OF OUR TIME.

SO, UM, IF YOU HAVE A COMMENT ABOUT THE MOTION THAT IS SUBSTANTIVE TO YOUR VOTE, UM, THEN PLEASE, UH, RAISE YOUR HAND AND WE CAN GO, UH, I'LL JUST SAY, YOU KNOW, I WOULD LIKE A COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS TO BE PROVIDED FOR THE STRUCTURES AND ALSO FOR THE CONSERVANCY.

I THINK IN GENERAL, SORT OF LIKE BLANKET STATEMENT BANDS OR PREROGATIVES ARE KIND OF TOUGH TO DEAL WITH THE OVERARCHING IMPLICATIONS, ALTHOUGH, HEY, WE'RE JUST THE ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL, SO WHO REALLY CARES ABOUT US? RIGHT? UM, THAT'S MY PERSONAL VIEW AND I, AND I WOULD, UH, I'D BUILD ON THAT, UM, HEARING, UH, COMMENTS FROM, FROM, UH, THE PUBLIC AND FROM THE COMMISSION.

I THINK THERE'S SOME, UH, CONCERN ABOUT, UH, THE TRANSPARENCY OF, OF SUCH AN ORGANIZATION.

AND, AND I WOULD BE MORE INCLINED TO, UM, ARTICULATE EXACTLY WHAT TRANSPARENCY WE WANT RATHER THAN SAYING WE, WE, WE DON'T WANT, WE DON'T WANT, UH, WHAT WE DON'T WANT, UH, KIND OF CATEGORICALLY.

SO THAT'S KIND OF MY 2 CENTS ON THE MATTER.

I BELIEVE THAT PARKS BOARD MADE THE SAME, UH, THE SAME MOTION, EXCEPTED THE SAME DEAL.

THAT THERE NOT BE A UMBRELLA GROUP.

I'M GOING TO KIND OF BACK UP A LITTLE BIT HERE TO YOUR ORIGINAL MOTION.

OKAY? WE GOTTA ADDRESS THIS AMENDMENT.

I'M GONNA ADDRESS IT REAL QUICKLY.

UH, I'M NOT GONNA SUPPORT YOUR ORIGINAL MOTION.

UH, I GAVE YOU A LIST OF MOTION OR LIST OF CONSIDERATIONS TO INCLUDE THAT I WOULD INSIST BE PART OF THE RECOMMENDATION.

AND UNLESS MOST OF THEM, A SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF THEM ARE INCLUDED, I CANNOT SUPPORT APPROVING THIS AT ALL.

AND I DISTRIBUTED A LIST TO ALL THE PEOPLE.

AND, UH, CHAIR, UM, I APOLOGIZE FOR INTERRUPTING.

WE HAVE TWO MINUTES TILL THE PUB TILL IT ENDS.

UM, IT'S 10 30, OR IT'S 1138.

I'M MOVED THAT WE EXTEND TO 1150.

SECONDED.

YOU SECONDED IT.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, RAISE YOUR HAND.

MOTION PASSES.

UM, CON CONTINUE PLEASE.

ELIZABETH

[05:15:01]

EMAILED IT TO EVERYONE.

SO, UH, COMMISSIONER THOMPSON AND, UH, NICHOLS HAS COPY IN THEIR CITY EMAIL.

UH, YES.

AND, AND, AND TO SPEAK TO THAT DIRECTLY, I ENVISIONED A, A, A BEGINNING A MOTION THAT THEN WE ADD ELEMENTS TO.

SO, UH, IF WE'RE GONNA GO THAT DIRECTION, THEN I, YOU KNOW, WE, WE CAN GO FORWARD.

BUT I, YOU KNOW, JUST ON YOUR MOTION ALONE, I, I'M NOT GONNA UNDERSTOOD.

UNDERSTOOD.

ANY OTHER DISCUSSION AS IT RELATES TO, UH, THE MOTION, THE AMENDMENT THAT IS BEFORE US TO ADD A CONDITION THAT THERE BE NO UMBRELLA NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION OVERSEEING IT? YES.

COMMISSIONER THOMPSON.

CAN YOU, UM, I MIGHT WELL SUPPORT, SUPPORT THE AMENDMENTS.

I DIDN'T SUPPORT THE ORIGINAL MOTION.

AND SO THAT IS MY CONUNDRUM.

I AM HOPING THAT COMMISSIONER SCOTT WILL, UH, UNDERSTAND THAT I DO SUPPORT HER POSITION, BUT I'M NOT VOTING FOR YOUR ORIGINAL MOTION.

SO I THINK THAT WE SHOULD, UH, NOT SUPPORT ORIGINAL MOTION AND ASK COMMISSIONER SCOTT TO PLEASE RESERVE HER FOR A NEW MOTION THAT WE CAN SUPPORT U U UN UNDERSTOOD.

UM, WE'RE, YOU'RE NOT BEING ASKED TO VOTE ON THE MOTION IN, IN ITS ENTIRETY, BUT JUST THE SIMPLE AMENDMENT OF COMMISSIONER SCOTT'S INFORMATION.

WELL, I'M CONFUSED BECAUSE I DO SUPPORT THAT, BUT I DON'T SUPPORT YOURS.

WELL, I I, WE, YOU'LL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE DOWN THE MOTION IN ITS ENTIRETY AFTER THIS MO MOTION ON THE AMENDMENT.

DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? SO BY VOTING FOR COMMISSIONER SCOTT'S AMENDMENT DOES NOT RE IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU ARE ALSO VOTING FOR THE MOTION IN ITS ENTIRETY.

EXACTLY.

SO IS THAT A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT TO YOU? WE'RE MOVING FORWARD AS IF IT'S AN AMENDMENT, AND THEN WE WILL DEAL WITH THE WHOLE MOTION AND CONTINUE TO DISCUSS IT AFTER THAT AMENDMENT EITHER IS ADDED TO IT OR DOES NOT GET ADDED TO IT.

SO LET'S VOTE, LET'S, LET'S, LET'S GET THIS, AT LEAST THIS VOTE DONE.

SO, UM, WE'RE GONNA GO AROUND THE HORN.

WE'RE VOTING TO INCLUDE COMMISSIONER SCOTT'S AMENDMENT TO THE MOTION, AND HER, UM, AMENDMENT SPECIFICALLY IS TO NOT HAVE AN UMBRELLA NONPROFIT OVERSEEING OR AS, AS, AS ARTICULATED IN THE DRAFT PLAN.

UH, I'M GONNA DO ROLL CALL HERE.

SO, NICHOLS, HOW DO YOU VOTE? NAY.

UM, THOMPSON? YES.

UH, KREK? I'M ABSTAIN.

SCOTT? YES.

YOU'RE RECORDING THESE, ELIZABETH, IS THAT CORRECT? OKAY.

SO IT, IT IS ADDED.

SO NOW THE MOTION IS ALL OF THE CONDITIONS THAT I READ OUT.

AND, AND IT NOW INCLUDES THAT THERE IS NO UMBRELLA NONPROFIT.

WE HAVEN'T VOTED ON THE SECOND ONE YET.

SO NOW WE'RE VOTING ON COMMISSIONER SCOTT'S SECOND MOTION, WHICH IS THAT, AND TELL ME IF I GET THIS WRONG, THAT THE LARGE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE VISION PLAN.

UH, MOST NOTABLY THE WELCOME CENTER, THE PARKING GARAGES, AND THE, UH, THEATER.

ANY BRIEF DISCUSSION ON THIS? RESERVE A SECOND.

NO, THERE'S NOT BEEN A SECOND.

COMMISSIONER THOMPSON, I SECOND IT AND I ALSO WANT TO DISCUSS IT.

UM, SO IT'S SECONDED.

YOU WANT TO DISCUSS IT? WE'RE GONNA TABLE THAT FOR TWO SECONDS, AND I'M GONNA EXTEND US, I MOVE THAT WE EXTEND PAST 1145 TO 1159.

UH, AND SECOND.

ALL RIGHT, SO WITH THE MOTION OF EXTENDING TO 1159, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR RAISE YOUR HAND.

WELCOME TO THE COMMISSION, MAYOR,

[05:20:01]

UH, THAT ALL CARRIES.

AND, UH, COMMISSIONER THOMPSON, YOU HAD, UH, YOU WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS THE ADDITIONAL MOTION IN ENLARGING LARGE BUILDING, UH, THINGS THAT WERE INCLUDED IN THE PLAN.

DID WE ALSO INCLUDE THAT WE DID NOT WANT THE BRIDGE DESTROYED? IS THAT PART OF THE CONDITION? IS THAT PART OF HER RECOMMENDATION? I, I, I DON'T BELIEVE SO, AND I BELIEVE IT'S NOT INCLUDED BECAUSE IT'S NOT IN THE PURVIEW OF THE DRAFT PLAN THAT'S IN FRONT OF US.

BUT I DID TRY TO INCLUDE A COMMENT, UM, IN OUR CONDITIONS THAT THEY BE INTEGRATED, IF THAT MAKE SENSE.

SO WE'VE GOT A MOTION FOR NO CONSTRUCTION WITHIN THE VISION PLAN.

LET ME REPHRASE THAT.

OF THE BIG CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES, PARKING GARAGES, WELCOME CENTER THEATER, UM, LANDBRIDGE AND LANDBRIDGE.

UH, WE ARE GOING TO NOW VOTE TO ADD THIS TO THE MOTION.

I JUST WANNA BE CLEAR, IS THE LANDBRIDGE INCLUDED IN THE MOTION OR NOT? NOT THE LANDBRIDGE ACCORDING TO THE COMMISSIONER.

SCOTT, ACCORDING TO THAT WAS NOT MY UNDERSTANDING EITHER.

I DID NOT CONSIDER THAT A, A STRUCTURE IN THE SAME SENSE.

UM, COMMISSIONER NICHOLS.

SO COMMISSIONER SCOTT'S MOTION IS TO NOT INCLUDE THE WELCOME CENTER, THE PARKING GARAGES, AND THE THEATER.

UM, WE ARE NOW GONNA DO ROLL CALL AGAIN.

NAY.

COMMISSIONER THOMPSON? YES.

UH, JUST GOOD, JUST GO AROUND THE HORN.

JUST SAY YOUR NAME AND SAY YES OR NO.

ABSTAIN.

HARRIS COMMISSIONER KREI, WHATEVER.

YOUR, THAT'S A YAY.

FROM SCOTT ABSTAINING.

THIS IS RAM AND SHERRA.

COFER, NO SULLIVAN, NO.

SO WE ARE BACK TO THE MOTION THAT I ORIGINALLY READ OUT WITH THE ADDITION OF NO UMBRELLA, UH, NONPROFIT.

ARE THERE OTHER ADDITIONS THAT ANY COMMISSIONERS WOULD LIKE TO MAKE? I CIRCULATED A LIST OF, I DUNNO, 29 ITEMS THAT, UH, I CONSIDER TO BE IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO INCLUDE.

I INCLUDE THE GOALS OF EACH CONDITION AND WHETHER OR NOT THEY ADDRESS THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

AND MANY OF THESE THINGS WE HAVE ADDRESSED BEFORE, I WOULD SAY THE FIRST HALF WE'VE INCLUDED IN SOME FORM OR ANOTHER ON MANY, MANY OTHER THINGS THAT WE'VE ADDRESSED.

THINGS LIKE WIRING, PARKING, GARAGES FOR ELECTRIC, ELECTRIC VEHICLES REQUIRING EV CHARGING STATIONS TO BE ALREADY IN THERE.

OTHER THINGS ARE ADDRESSED LONG-TERM.

THINGS LIKE COMPOSTING, TOILETS, SOLAR ENERGY, UH, YOU KNOW, CO YOU KNOW, CATCHMENT, RAINWATER.

THESE ARE ALL GIMMIES FROM THE CONTEXT OF A VISION PLAN.

SO I WOULD SAY OUT OF THE, OUT OF ALL 29 OF THESE THINGS, THE FIRST 15 ARE, YOU KNOW, ARE EASY.

DO, DO YOU WANT TO READ THEM IN BRIAN? YES, I WILL.

SO I WOULD LIKE TO ADD, AND I KNOW SOME OF THESE ARE CONTRADICTORY TO MAYBE SEMI CONTRADICTORY, BUT IT DEPENDS UPON HOW EVERYONE GOES FORWARD.

THE FIRST ONE IS PARKING GARAGES WILL BE COMPLETELY WIRED FOR EV THE SECOND IS, HOLD ON, HOLD ON REAL QUICK.

UM, STAFF, DO WE NEED TO VOTE THESE IN? CAN WE VOTE THESE IN AS A, AS A COMBINED ELEMENT? LET, LET'S TRY TO GROUP ONES THAT ARE PARTS, PARTS OF THE HOLE.

WE CAN, WE CAN GROUP THEM IN.

SO THE FIRST THREE HAVE TO DO ELECTRIC VEHICLES.

SO ALL GARAGES WILL BE REQUIRED TO BE COMPLETELY WIRED FOR EV AND HALF OF THEM BE HAVE CHARGING STATIONS AND ALL OTHER PARKING IN THE PARK MUST BE HALF

[05:25:01]

WIRED FOR EV.

SO DOES THAT, ANYONE WANT TO SECOND THAT MOTION? SECOND.

SO WE'VE GOT A MOTION THAT ALL PARKING GARAGES IF BUILT ARE WIRED FOR EV.

HALF OF THE SPOTS IN THOSE PARKING GARAGES ARE SET UP WITH CHARGERS.

AND THAT HALF OF ALL OTHER SPOTS IN THE PARK ARE WIRED FOR EB.

AND FOR THE CONTEXT, IN OUR WORLD OF ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, THAT MEANS MORE OR LESS WIRED FOR MEANS THE WIRES ARE THERE AND, AND YOU CAN PLUG ONE IN WHEN, WHEN THE TIME'S NECESSARY.

JUST TO BE CLEAR CHAIR, AS LONG AS NO ONE'S OPPOSED TO AMENDMENTS, YOU CAN MOVE FORWARD, UH, WITHOUT HAVING A VOTE HAPPEN.

SO IF, IF NOT, YOU CAN DO THESE SUBSECTIONS, MAKE SURE NO ONE'S OPPOSED, MOVE FORWARD.

IS ANYONE OPPOSED? ANY OPPOSITION TO THE THAT ADDITION? HAVING HEARD NONE, WE'RE MOVING FORWARD.

UH, THE NEXT ITEMS HAVE TO DO WITH, UH, THINGS LIKE, UH, SOLAR PANELS, WATER CATCHMENT, AND COMPOSTING CHAIR.

I APOLOGIZE, BUT IF, IF, IF, IF YOU'RE GONNA READ IT INTO THE FULL RECOMMENDATION BEFORE WE TAKE THE VOTE, THAT'S FINE, BUT I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT IT'S READ INTO THE RECORD FOR THE PUBLIC CUZ THEY DON'T HAVE THAT SHEET OF PAPER.

DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? OKAY.

SO YES, IMPLEMENT SOLAR PANEL ON ALL BUILDINGS, IMPLEMENT RAINWATER CATCHMENT ON ALL BUILDINGS, AND REQUIRE ALL RESTROOMS, NOT NEAR EXISTING WATER PIPES.

BE COMPOSTING.

OKAY, LET'S, LET'S STOP ON THOSE THREE.

AND THE, I'M GONNA TO CLARIFY THAT LAST ONE.

ALL RESTROOMS NOT NEAR WASTEWATER PIPES TO BE COMPOSTING.

I DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH ALL THE TIME.

YOU'RE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE DOING GREAT.

UM, ALRIGHT.

ANY OPPOSITION TO ANY OF THESE POINT OF CLARIFICATION WITH IMPLEMENT SOLAR PANELS ON ALL BUILDINGS EXISTING, NEW, NEW EXISTING, WHATEVER.

EVERY BUILDING OUT THERE HAS GOTTA HAVE SOME KIND OF PANEL ON IT.

UM, ALRIGHT.

ANY OPPOSITION? ARE WE CONCERNED ABOUT FEASIBILITY OF ANY OF THESE THINGS SINCE THEY WEREN'T VET CHAIR? I'M WILLING TO YIELD THE FACT THAT IF YOU HAVE A 100 YEAR OLD HERITAGE OAK COVERING A TREE, THAT YOU DON'T CUT IT DOWN IN ORDER TO PUT IN SOLAR PANELS.

AND, UH, KATIE COIN ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICER, ULTIMATELY, UH, THIS, THIS BODY PROVIDES RECOMMENDATIONS.

THEY'RE NOT, UM, THESE ARE NOT POLICIES MANDATES.

YOU ARE, YOU CAN'T DIRECT STAFF THAT THEY HAVE TO DO SOMETHING.

ULTIMATELY, THEY NEED TO FOLLOW COUNCIL DIRECTIVE ON WHAT HAPPENS WITH THIS PLAN AND CHAIR.

THIS IS ALSO A VISION PLAN.

SO WE'RE NOT, WE DON'T HAVE A PLAN.

WE'RE NOT COSTING THESE THINGS.

SO AS A VISION, YES.

SO IF WE WERE TO PUT THE PHRASE AS A VISION ON THE FRONT OF YOU, EVERY ONE OF THOSE, THOSE THREE ADDS A VISION, IMPLEMENT SOLAR PANELS IN ALL BUILDINGS? NO.

I MEAN, THIS IS A VISION PLAN THAT WE'RE VOTING ON.

WE'RE VOTING ON A VISION PLAN.

WE'RE INCLUDING THIS AS PART OF THE VISION PLAN.

SO THE COUNCIL MAY OR MAY NOT ADOPT THE ENTIRE VISION PLAN, OR THEY MAY ELECT TO CHERRY PICK ITEM ONE, THREE, AND NINE AND THROW AWAY THE REST.

SO LET'S, LET'S MOVE FORWARD.

IS THERE ANY OPPOSITION OR, OR CONTINUE? UH, PLEASE, COMMISSIONER, IF YOU HAVE, ALL RIGHT.

SO WE'RE NOT GONNA, I'M NOT GONNA HEAR THAT AS OPPOSITION, SO WE'RE JUST GONNA INCORPORATE THOSE THREE.

WAS THOSE, WERE THOSE READ INTO THE RECORD SUFFICIENTLY? KAYLA.

ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU.

I'M ASSUMING WE'RE DONE WITH PARKING GARAGES SINCE WE DECIDED TO KILL THEM ALL.

IS THAT, OR DID WE, I FORGET THE PARKING GARAGE AMENDMENT DID NOT GET INCLUDED, SO THEY ARE NOT DEAD.

SO IF WE SAY ELIMINATE A GARAGE, THAT MAY MEAN 10 MORE DAYS A YEAR.

SO I PROPOSE WITH REGARD TO THE PARKING GARAGES, WITH ALL DUE DEFERENCE TO YOUR RECOMMENDATION THAT THE PARKS DEPARTMENT DO A STUDY TO UNDERSTAND HOW MANY PARKING SPOTS ARE REQUIRED, NOT HOW MANY ARE ALREADY THERE.

THE EXISTING RECOMMENDATIONS, REPLACE THEM, NOT DETERMINE HOW MANY ARE NEEDED TO FURTHER EXPLAIN, THERE'S CERTAIN NUMBER OF DAYS A YEAR THAT EVEN THE ENOU, THE AMOUNT THAT THEY HAVE NOW IS INSUFFICIENT.

[05:30:03]

THE AMOUNT ARE, YOU KNOW, THE YOU KNOW, THEY'RE INSUFFICIENT NUMBER OF PARKING SPACES.

SO WE NEED A STUDY TO DETERMINE HOW MANY SPACES ARE REQUIRED.

INDEED.

THAT MAY SHOW WE NEED TWO PARKING GARAGES, OR FOUR, THAT THE, THAT THE DRAFT, THAT THE VISION PLAN INCLUDE THAT STUDY A STUDY TO, TO DETERMINE THE REQUIREMENT, HOW MANY SPOTS ARE REALLY NEEDED.

AND ONCE WE DO THAT, THEN WE CAN DECIDE HOW MANY GARAGES WE NEED.

UM, I HAVE A QUESTION.

SO ARE YOU TALKING LIKE THE MINIMUM REQUIRED AMOUNT OF PARKING OR LIKE, OPTIMAL AMOUNT OF PARKING? OR EFFICIENT OR LIKE, YOU KNOW, I'M JUST CURIOUS.

OPTIMAL.

GOTCHA.

GOOD.

ANY OPPOSITION TO THAT INCLUSION? WELL, CHAIR, I'LL ALSO POINT OUT THAT BECAUSE THAT'S IN THE, IT'S IN THE LAST PHASE, THEN THAT MAKES, IT MAKES SENSE TO DO THIS.

NOT JUST GO AHEAD AND APPROVE IT NOW, BUT BECAUSE THAT'S IN THE LAST PHASE OF THE PLANNING, THEN IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO DO THIS SUGGESTION.

ALRIGHT, WE'RE MOVING FORWARD.

SOMETHING WE HAVE DONE IN THE PAST.

HOLD ON REAL QUICK.

HOLD ON.

SO I'M NOT SEEING ANY OPPOSITION TO INCLUDING THAT INTO THE PLAN.

WE'VE REQUIRED DARK SKIES LIGHTING FOR MANY OTHER DEVELOPMENTS IN THE PAST.

THIS SHOULD BE NOT, NOT A PROBLEM.

SO THAT ALL EXISTING AND NEW STRUCTURE.

ALL NEW, ALL NEW STRUCTURES.

ALL NEW.

DOES THIS INCLUDE THE TRAIL OF LIGHTS PLACED? YEAH, THE TRAIL OF LIGHT SHOULD BE DARK LIGHT.

DARK SKIES COMPLIANT.

ALL NEW LIGHTING BEING ALL NEW PERMANENT LIGHTING.

SHOULD BE DARK SKIES COMPLIANT.

I WOULD SAY WITH, AND I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF THIS IS IN CONFLICT, BUT WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE MOON TOWER, IS THAT, I'LL GIVE YOU THE MOON TOWER.

I JUST FEEL LIKE WE'RE GONNA BE IN A LOT OF TROUBLE.

I'M OKAY.

YOU CAN HAVE THE MOON TOWER BACK.

UM, ANY OPPOSITION TO NEW BUILDINGS HAVING DARK SKY LIGHTING? SEEING NONE.

WE MOVE ON.

WE SHOULD HAVE BUTTERFLY GARDENS, WHICH WERE NOT REFERENCED IN THE VISION PLAN.

AND WE SHOULD HAVE A COMMUNITY GARDEN INCORPORATING BUTTERFLY GARDENS AND COMMUNITY GARDENS INTO THE VISION PLAN.

ANY OPPOSITION TO THAT? ARE WE CONCERNED ABOUT TIME? DO WE NEED TO CALL FOR AN UP OR DOWN VOTE AT THIS TIME? OR IS THIS GONNA CAUSE US TO DELAY? WE'RE GONNA KEEP GOING.

WE'RE, BUT THANK YOU.

I WANT TO STUDY FROM, I WOULD LIKE THE VISION PLAN TO STUDY THAT OUTLINES ALTERNATIVE METHODS OTHER THAN VEHICLES.

AND HOW MANY, IF YOU BUILD A BRIDGE ACROSS AT BLUE NEF POINT, YOU'RE GONNA GET X NUMBER OF BICYCLISTS ACROSS HOW MANY LESS CARS DO THAT TRANSLATE TO.

SO THEREFORE, HOW FEW PARKING SPOTS DO WE NEED? SO IF WE DO CERTAIN THINGS WITH CAP METRO AND WITH BY REIMPLEMENTING DILL AS A FREE TRANSIT SERVICE, HOW MANY CARS CAN WE REDUCE BY MASSAGING THINGS? THE PLAN INCLUDE A STUDY FOR STUDY FOR PARKING, SPOT REDUCTION BY IMPLEMENTING MASS TRANSIT, OTHER TRANSIT MODES, OTHER TRANSIT MULTIMODAL THINGS.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS, BUT THEY USE IT A LOT.

CHAIR, WE HAVE TWO MINUTES.

LET'S TABLE THIS MOTION.

UH, I MOVE, UH, TO EXTEND INTO TOMORROW, UM, TO, UH, 1210.

SECONDED.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR.

CONGRATULATIONS.

YOU GUYS REALLY SIGNED UP.

WELL, TIME IS PERFECT.

SO WE'RE GOING UNTIL 1210, AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STUDY OF ANY EVENT THAT ATTRACTS MORE THAN 50,000 PEOPLE A WEEK.

AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STUDY OF ANY EVENT THAT ATTRACTS MORE THAN A 50,000 PEOPLE A WEEK.

THAT, THAT IS, THAT'S IT.

IT GENERATE TOXIC WASTE? DO WE, WHAT'S, YOU KNOW, ALL THAT SORT OF STUFF.

THE IDEA BEING, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH TRASH DOES IT GENERATE? DOES

[05:35:01]

UM, CHAIR, I, I THINK WE ALREADY HAVE THAT INFORMATION.

I DO BELIEVE THE CITY DOES A, TAKES A LOOK AT HOW MUCH TRASH IS CREATED DURING A C L AND THEY DO A, UH, THEY LOOK AT HOW MUCH RECEDING THEY HAVE TO DO IN THE LAW, GREAT LAWN AND, AND WHATNOT.

I, I BELIEVE WE ALREADY HAVE THAT INFORMATION.

THEN THEY REALLY, THEN ALL THEY HAVE TO DO IS PULL IT OUT OF A FILING CABINET.

MAYBE JUST THAT THEY PROVIDE IT AS PART OF THE VISION PLAN, THEN THEY STICK IT IN THERE OR SOMETHING.

I'M OKAY WITH THAT ALL.

YEAH, WE CAN IF THEY'VE GOT IT.

UH, THIS WILL, YOU DON'T LIKE THIS ONE.

LET'S JUST, WE'VE ALREADY DISCUSSED THIS.

YOU RIGHT THERE.

WE NEED TO TOLL BARTON SPRINGS ROAD TOLL.

IS THERE ANY OPPOSITION TO THAT? SHERIFF? I'D JUST LIKE TO VOICE THE, THE PURVIEW OF THIS COMMISSION IS ENVIRONMENT.

IT REDUCES AIR POLLUTION, IT REDUCES MASS TRA, IT IMPROVES THE USE OF MASS TRANSIT AND GENERALLY IMPROVES THE OVERALL SAFETY OF THE PARK BY REDUCING THE NUMBER OF VEHICLES THAT GO THROUGH THERE AND ALLOWS PEOPLE TO MORE SAFELY CROSS BARTON SPRINGS ROAD.

UM, SO IT'S A PICK, PICK YOUR RESPONSE.

I, I'M GOING TO, BUT IF YOU DON'T WANNA INCLUDE IT, I'M OKAY WITH IT.

I, I, I SAY THAT I'M, UH, AGAINST THAT AMENDMENT.

I DON'T, I'M OKAY WITH THAT.

UH, WE ALREADY DID THAT, THAT, UH, UM, AND WE DID THAT.

UM, I'M PRETTY MUCH GOOD WITH EVERYTHING ELSE.

I LIKE THE ALLOW ACCESS TO THE ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED ONE.

WELL, YOU CAN, UH, GO FOR IT.

CORRECTION AT IT.

WOW.

I FEEL SO SPECIAL.

FIRST OF ALL, THIS IS NOT MY IDEA.

THIS IS COMMISSIONER BREMER'S IDEA, BUT I DO LIKE HIS IDEA OF, UM, YOU KNOW, THE PRICE FOR PARKING, UH, WITH DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE TO, YOU KNOW, THE ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED.

I THINK THAT TOTALLY MAKES SENSE.

ESPECIALLY LIKE, YOU KNOW, COMMISSIONER, UH, BEDFORD.

I WAS ABOUT TO SAY COMMISSIONER PERRY.

UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK WHEN HE TALKED ABOUT, YEAH, RIGHT.

UM, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT GROUPS OF PEOPLE BEING ABLE TO FEEL LIKE THEY'RE INVITED TO ZILKER AND NOT HAVE LIKE, AN ECONOMIC BARRIER.

UM, I'M TOTALLY COOL WITH THAT.

SHOOT, IF YOU'RE ON FOOD STAMPS, USE THE, USE THE PARK FOR FREE.

WHY NOT? ARE YOU PAYING FOR PARKING? WE DON'T NEED YOUR MONEY.

WE WANT THE RICH PEOPLE'S MONEY.

NOT THE POOR PEOPLE'S MONEY.

ALTHOUGH, HEY, DON'T, THE, THE STATE OF TEXAS PROBABLY DISAGREES WITH ME THERE.

SO THE AMENDMENT IS TO THE PLAN, INCLUDE AN ELEMENT FOR ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED PEOPLE TO HAVE DISCOUNTED PARKING IF IT'S CHARGED.

IS THAT YES.

SOUNDS DOPE TO ME.

AND IF WE CHARGE OTHER PEOPLE PARKING, THEN WE CHARGE IT IN THE SAME MANNER THAT AIRPORT PARKING IS CHARGED.

SO THAT IF YOU PARK CLOSE IN, IF WE CHOOSE TO BUILD A UNDERGROUND PARKING LOT THAT IS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PARK, WHICH MAKES IT CONVENIENT TO GO ANYWHERE, THEN YOU PAY $15 AN HOUR.

SO LIKE, EXPLORING A TIERED SYSTEM KIND OF.

IF YOU PARK UNDER MOPAC AND YOU HAVE TO WALK SIX MILES TO GET SOMEPLACE, YOU PAY A BUCK.

AND IF YOU PARK AT TWO O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING, YOU PAY A BUCK.

SO LIKE A TIERED AND A, A TIERED SYSTEM THAT INCLUDES ELEMENTS OF HOW CLOSE PROXIMITY YOU ARE, BUT ALSO PROXIMITY, TIME OF DAY.

AND IF YOU ARE DISADVANTAGED ECONOMICALLY, YOU GET FREE OR REDUCED WHATEVER.

WHATEVER.

SOMEONE WORKS OUT.

WHAT ABOUT, UM, HAVING IT BE LIKE, LIKE MAYBE, CAUSE I THINK ABOUT LIKE WHEN SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST HAPPENS, OR ACL HAPPENS, LIKE YOU SEE THE PARKING LOTS, LIKE GO UP IN PRICE.

WHAT ABOUT CHARGING DURING THOSE EVENTS VERSUS LIKE, WELL, MY UNDERSTANDING, WHICH IS NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH THE TRUTH IS THAT, UH, THOSE PARKING SPOTS ARE SOLD AS V I P PACKAGES.

UH, SO WHEN YOU BUY A V I P PACKAGE WITH AN ACL THING, YOU GET A PARKING SPOT.

NOW HOW THAT'S HANDLED IS A CONTRACT WITH THE CITY, I SUSPECT.

SO THAT'S OUTSIDE OUR PURVIEW.

LET'S JUST, LET'S JUST TRY TO ROLL FORWARD WITH SOMETHING ALONG THE

[05:40:01]

LINES OF TIERED PARKING.

IF PARKING'S, THE PRICES ARE TIERED AND THERE'S A, AN ELEMENT FOR, UH, REDUCED RATES FOR, UH, ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED.

SOUNDS GOOD TO ME.

ANYBODY OPPOSED TO THAT? OH, MY LAST ONE IS NO LIQUOR.

SO LET'S, I KNOW, UH, KHI REALLY HATES THAT.

UH, HEY MAN, YOU GOTTA GET JOE ROGAN WASTED OVER AT ZER.

YEAH, WELL, YOU GOTTA GET WASTED BEFORE YOU GO OVER THERE.

NOW REMEMBER, THERE'S OTHER HALLUCINOGENS THAT I DIDN'T ADDRESS.

I'M JUST SAYING WE GOT, WE GOT, WE WHERE'S TOMORROW ALREADY? UM, SO NO LIQUOR SALES.

YOUR YOURS IS NO PERMANENT ONSITE LIQUOR, NO PERMANENT ONSITE LIQUOR SALES PER, SO THERE COULD BE, UH, SPECIFIC EVENT RELATED LIQUOR SALES.

WELL, I, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING, AGAIN, NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH THE TRUTH THAT THERE ARE EVENTS LIKE ACL THAT HAVE TEMPORARY PERMITS TO SELL LIQUOR.

IT IS ALSO MY UNDERSTANDING THAT NO OTHER CITY PARK ALLOWS THE CONSUMPTION OF LIQUOR.

SO THIS IS JUST MAKING SURE THAT ZILKER IS IN LINE WITH EVERY OTHER CITY PARK.

FOR MY OWN EDIFICATION, CAN SOMEONE DRAW THE, THE CONNECTION BETWEEN ENVIRONMENT AND THIS? I'M GONNA PARTICULAR ITEM, I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA JUST SAFETY, I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA OBJECT TO THAT, NOT BECAUSE I WANT TO DRINK LIQUOR HER EVERY DAY, BUT BECAUSE I THINK IT'S OUTSIDE OF THE LANE THAT WE WE'RE, WE'RE IN.

I'LL DEFER TO THE, I ALSO BELIEVE THEY, THEY SELL ALCOHOL AT REPUBLIC SQUARE.

UM, SO, OKAY.

IF THAT'S YOUR DEAL, FINE.

I'M FLEXIBLE IF NOTHING ELSE.

ANY, WE CAN GET TOGETHER AND GET HOPELESSLY DRUNK AT ZILKER.

ANY OTHER, UH, AMENDMENTS? I GUESS I HAVE ONE, AND THAT'S JUST TWO.

IT, THIS IS KIND OF DIFFICULT, BUT I WOULD SAY AN AMENDMENT TO REMOVE THE 5,000, UH, PERSON THEATER SPECIFICALLY.

WAS, WASN'T THAT ONE OF THE ONES WE APPROVED WITH, BUT IT, SHE SAID NO CONSTRUCTION AND THAT'S JUST NOT, THAT DOESN'T, OKAY.

I'LL, WE DID NOT AGREE WITH THAT, SO, OKAY.

I'LL JUST, I'LL GO WITH THAT.

SPECIFICALLY FOR THE 5,000 THEATER, I MEAN, IT'S JUST NO, NOT A PROBLEM.

I JUST DIDN'T WANT IT DUPLICATED SOMETHING WE'VE ALREADY DONE.

SO, UH, COMMISSIONER, COMMISSIONER SCOTT, GOT YOUR SECOND? YES.

COMMISSIONER THOMPSON.

YOU'RE, YOU'RE MUTED.

UH, MA'AM.

SHE SECONDED IT.

I WAS GOING TO, BUT I'M ALSO WONDERING, CAN WE ADD THE LAND BRIDGE TO THAT? LET'S DO 'EM ONE AT A TIME.

UM, UH, IS THERE ANY OPPOSITION TO ADDING TO THE MOTION THE REMOVAL OF A 5,000 PERSON VENUE AT THE, AT THE PROPOSED LOCATION IN THE DRAFT PLAN? I OBJECT.

SO, UH, LET'S VOTE.

UM, SO THE MOTION, THE AMENDMENT BEFORE US IS TO THAT THE DRAFT PLAN DOES NOT INCLUDE A 5,000 PERSON VENUE AT THAT LOCATION.

AND WE'RE GONNA DO ROLL CALL, CUZ THAT'S GONNA MAKE IT EASIER FOR ELIZABETH THIS MORNING, WHICH HE'S DOING THIS LATER TODAY.

UM, UH, NICHOLS NAY.

TOMS THOMPSON? YES.

KREK.

I SUPPORT ABSTINENCE ON THIS.

UM, THOMPSON HAD A MOTION TO REMOVE THE LAND BRIDGE FROM THE DRAFT PLAN.

IS ANYONE OPPOSED TO THAT? YES.

LET'S VOTE THIS ONE.

WE NEED A SECOND.

UM, I SECOND IF YOU NEED IT.

YOU GOT IT.

YOU SECOND THE MOTION TO REMOVE THE LAND BRIDGE.

I SECOND.

SO WE CAN VOTE IF WE NEED A SECOND.

WE'RE GONNA TABLE THIS WHOLE FUN THING AND WE'RE GONNA EXTEND A REALLY HOPE FOR THE LAST TIME TO 1220.

DOES ANYONE SECOND MY MOTION TO EXTEND TO 1220? SEGUNDO? GIVE THAT TO COHI.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, RAISE YOUR HAND.

I TAKE THAT AS A YES.

WE'RE EXTENDING TO 1220.

UM, SO THERE IS A MOTION THAT NEEDS A SECOND TO REMOVE THE LAND BRIDGE FROM THE DRAFT

[05:45:01]

PLAN.

DOES ANYONE WANT TO SECOND THAT MOTION? I'LL SECOND THE MOTION TO VOTE BRIM OR SECOND IT.

SO IT, AND THERE HAS BEEN NOTED OPPOSITION TO THAT, OR DOES ANYONE, IS ANYONE OPPOSED TO THE LANDBRIDGE REMOVAL REMOVAL OF THE LANDBRIDGE FROM THE PLAN? I OBJECT.

SO NOW WE VOTE TO THE, WHAT WE'RE VOTING ON IS AN AMENDMENT TO REMOVE THE LANDBRIDGE FROM THE DRAFT VISION PLAN.

NICHOLS, HOW DO YOU VOTE? NAY THOMPSON? YES.

ON A BROKEN RECORD, I ABSTAIN.

YOU VOTE NO SCOTT VOTES? NO.

I VOTE NO TO NOT REMOVE IT.

NO PROFER? NO SULLIVAN? NO BRIER? NO.

SO THAT DOES NOT PASS EVEN.

I COULD FIGURE THAT MATH OUT.

ANY MOTION? COMMISSIONER SCOTT, COULD YOU TURN YOUR MICROPHONE ON? THANK YOU.

I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO REMOVE THE WELCOME CENTER.

IS THERE A SECOND FOR THAT MOTION? I'LL SECOND IT.

ANY, UH, ANYONE OPPOSED TO THE AMENDMENT OF REMOVING THE WELCOME CENTER FROM THE MOTION I OBJECT.

SULLIVAN OBJECTS.

WE VOTE, UM, ON THE MOTION TO, OR THE AMENDMENT TO REMOVE THE WELCOME CENTER FROM THE DRAFT PLAN.

NICHOLS.

HOW DO YOU VOTE? NAY THOMPSON? YES.

THAT IS, YOU ARE VOTING FOR THE MOTION TO REMOVE IT.

I'M VOTING FOR THE MOTION TO REMOVE.

MOTION FAILS.

ARE WE READY TO VOTE ON THE BIG, BIG, BIG THING IN FRONT OF US? ALL RIGHT, LET'S GO AROUND THE HORN AND DO THIS.

UH, SO IT'S OFFICIAL AND IT MAKES IT EASY FOR ELIZABETH.

ARE YOU GONNA READ THE WHOLE THING? HECK NO.

TECHNO.

UM, JUST, JUST ASK, UM, ALL THE THINGS I READ, ALL THE THINGS HE ADDED.

THE ONE THING WE ADDED OVER HERE ABOUT NO UMBRELLA NONPROFIT.

UM, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, LET'S JUST DO THIS BY HANDS AND SEE IF WE CAN PULL IT OFF.

UH, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION IN FRONT OF US.

RAISE YOUR HAND.

1, 2, 3, 4, 6.

ALL THOSE OPPOSED? OKAY.

WE HAVE ONE OPPOSITION AND EVERYONE ELSE VOTES FOR IT.

UM, MOTION PASSES.

UH, THANK YOU EVERYONE.

THANK GOD I GOT COMPLETE.

THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.

THANK YOU STAFF FOR COMING.

THANK YOU STAFF FOR, WE'VE GOT MORE THINGS I'M SURE, BUT I WANT TO THANK EVERYTHING BEFORE THE ROOM CLEARS OUT HERE.

UH, PUBLIC.

THANK YOU FOR COMING.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR, UH, FOR YOUR PATIENCE AND FOR STICKING AROUND.

UM, ALRIGHT, LET'S KEEP GOING.

COMMITTEE

[COMMITTEE REPORTS]

REPORTS.

DO WE HAVE ANY COMMITTEE REPORTS? NO.

ABSTAIN.

NO, I'M JUST KIDDING.

UH, IT'S 12, 12 ON.