[CALL TO ORDER]
[00:00:04]
UM, IT IS 6:04 PM AND I AM CALLING THIS MEETING TO ORDER.
UM, FIRST, UH, BEFORE WE GET TO PUBLIC COMMUNICATION, UM, I'M GOING TO CALL ROLL, UM, STARTING WITH, UH, BOARD MEMBER RANALDI.
UH, BOARD MEMBER OF YELLOW BOWS HERE.
UH, BOARD MEMBER FLOWERS HERE.
BOARD MEMBER TAYLOR? NOT HERE.
UM, NOT HERE SLASH NO LONGER ON THE BOARD.
SO WE ARE GOING TO START OFF WITH PUBLIC COMMUNICATION.
[PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL]
WE DOING JUST THE ITEMS, PUBLIC COMMUNICATION FOR NON-AD AGENDA ITEMS, OR ARE WE DOING ALL PUBLIC COMMUNICATION UPFRONT? SO OUR SUGGESTION IS THAT YOU WOULD DO ALL PUBLIC COMMUNICATION.SO WE'LL START WITH THE 10 ITEMS THAT ARE NOT AGENDA SPECIFIC, AND THEN WE'LL GO RIGHT INTO THE AGENDA ITEMS. OKAY? THANK YOU.
UM, SO EVERYONE WHO COMES UP TO SPEAK WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK AND I BELIEVE THAT THE STAFF WILL BE READING THE NAMES.
JEANIE RAMIREZ FOLLOWING MARK MAY.
MARK MAY, FOLLOWED BY MICHAEL CANDI.
YOU GUYS HAVE SEEN ME A FEW TIMES.
I'M ACTUALLY AN ULTIMATE, UH, FRISBEE PLAYER AT THE PARK.
I HAVE A CONCERNS ABOUT THE NON, UH, PROFITS RUNNING THE PARK AND CERTAINLY ZER 3, 3 51 RUNNING THE PARK.
UH, SO WHY AN UMBRELLA NONPROFIT? WE WERE, WE WERE SOLD WHEN ACL MOVED INTO THE PARK THAT WE GET FUNDING FOR THE PARK.
AND NOW THE, NOW THE FESTIVAL'S GROWN TO TWO, TWO WEEKS AND IS HUGE.
BUT YET AT THE SAME TIME, PART IS NOW UNDER UNDERFUNDED.
AND SO NOW WE NEED AN UMBRELLA NON-PROFIT TO RUN THE PARK.
HOW DID WE GET HERE? WHAT DID WE DO WRONG? OKAY, NEXT, NEXT SLIDE.
I'M ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION OF 3 51.
THIS IS BASICALLY THE SAME GROUP THAT ACTUALLY DEVELOPED THE A VISION PLAN, AND NOW THEY'VE ACTUALLY ORGANIZED THEMSELVES INTO A NON-PROFIT AND WANNA RUN THE PARK.
THERE'S STILL NOT ANY REP REPRESENTATION OF LIKE THE PICKUP SPORTS GROUPS LIKE ULTIMATE SOCCER, VOLLEYBALL.
AND THIS GROUP WAS FILMED, FORMED WELL BEFORE THE PLAN WAS ACTUALLY FINALIZED, BUT THEY WAITED UNTIL AFTER THE PUBLIC COMMENT WAS CLOSED TO MAKE IT CLEAR WHAT THEY WERE DOING.
UH, ALSO THE SURVEY DID NOT INCLUDE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE NONPROFIT RUNNING THE PARK WHEN THEY THEMSELVES KNEW IT WAS THEIR PLAN.
SO I PERCEIVE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST WHEN THE, WHEN THE DEVELOPERS OF THE PLAN ALSO WANNA RUN THE PARK.
WHO DID THEY MAKE THE PLAN FOR? WAS IT THE PUBLIC OR, OR WAS IT THEMSELVES? NEXT SLIDE.
AND IS AKAR 3 51 THE RIGHT FOLKS FOR, FOR THE JOB? THIS GROUP HAS THE SAME LACK OF PARK USER INPUT.
WHERE ARE THE SOCCER GROUPS? THE ULTIMATE GROUPS? THE VOLLEYBALL.
WHY DON'T, WHY DON'T THE ZILKER MINI TRAIN WORK? YOU GUYS KNOW THAT SOME OF THE FOLKS IN A ZUCKER 3 51 CAN'T, CAN'T GET THE TRAIN TO WORK.
THE BARTON SPRINGS BATHHOUSE IS FREQUENTLY IN DIS UH, DISREPAIR.
THIS WHOLE THING ABOUT THE SECRET MEETINGS WITH C3 AND THE LACK OF TRANSPARENCY THAT THEY SHOWED WHEN THEY WERE CLEARLY NEW OF THE PUBLIC, UH, CONCERNS.
THERE'S BASIC MATH ERRORS IN THE MARCH 23RD, A DOCUMENT.
IT SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF POOR MANAGEMENT AND POOR JUDGMENT TO RUN, RUN THE CROWN JEWEL OF OUR PARK WITH 175 MILLION OF INVESTMENT.
WE ALL DESERVE A BETTER STARTING POINT AND A BETTER VISION.
YOU NEED TO, UH, RECOMMEND AGAINST ZILKER 3 51 AS AN UMBRELLA ORGANIZATION.
[00:05:01]
SEE INDICATES THAT THEY'RE UP TO THE TASK.I WOULD ASK THAT YOU, UH, REQUIRE PUBLIC COMMENT AND OF SUPPORT ON THIS TOPIC BEFORE ANY UMBRELLA NONPROFIT IS CONSIDERED.
PLEASE ALSO, UH, RECOMMEND AGAINST PARKING A SOLUTIONS THAT ARE NOT VIABLE AND ARE OVERLY CONTROVERSIAL.
THESE ARE THE ASY MORTON IN THE POLO FIELD.
THERE'S, YOU KNOW, VIABLE OPTIONS TO ADD.
WE CAN RETAIN SURFACE PARKING ON LUNE ROAD.
THERE'S OPTIONS AT OSHA, ET CETERA.
I UNDERSTAND THIS IS JUST A VISION PLAN, BUT IT'S IN EVERYONE'S BEST, BEST INTEREST.
THERE'S A RIGHT WAY AND A WRONG WAY TO ADD PARKING A RIGHT WAY AND A WRONG WAY TO RUN A NONPROFIT.
MICHAEL KADI, FOLLOWED BY LAURA MASSENGALE.
UH, LAURA INGEL, FOLLOWED BY COLLEEN KEPPNER.
ALL RIGHT, SO MY PRESENTATION IS GONNA BE DONE.
UH, WELCOME TO THE BOARD IF YOU WERE BRAND NEW.
UM, I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT OUR, UH, 54 YEAR OLD BUSINESS THAT'S IN ZER PARK.
WE HAVE BEEN DOWN THERE, MY PARENTS, UH, STARTED IT WHEN I WAS FIVE YEARS OLD.
AND, UM, THEY WERE THE FOUNDING FOUNDING MEMBERS OF THE AUSTIN SIERRA CLUB.
AND OUR CONTRACT IS COMING UP NEXT YEAR, AND I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT WE ARE CON WE STILL ARE INTERESTED IN HAVING OUR CONTRACT.
AND I ALSO WANTED TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT, UM, UM, THE MAIN THING I WANTED TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT IS THE PARKING LOT THAT THE VISION PLAN IS TRYING TO GET RID OF.
IT IS EXACTLY, UM, RIGHT BY OUR CONCESSION, BUT IS IT IS ALSO NEXT TO THE HISTORIC PECAN GROVE PECAN, UH, PICNIC TABLES.
AND I FEEL LIKE THIS IS REALLY GOING TO HURT, UM, HURT THE PEOPLE WHO USE THESE PICNIC TABLES.
PEOPLE HAVE BEEN USING THESE FOR YEARS, COMING WITH THEIR FAMILIES TO, UM, HAVE, HAVE CELEBRATIONS.
THEY'VE BEEN COMING FROM EAST AUSTIN OVER HERE.
AND, UM, IT'S JUST, IT'S JUST DISTURBING THAT THEY WANNA TAKE AWAY THE PARK, THE PARKING LOT.
AND LET ME SHOW YOU AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE.
SO HERE'S THE PECAN GROVE PICNIC AREA, AND THEY WANT TO, THEY BASICALLY JUST ERASED THAT PARKING LOT AND, UM, WANNA PUT GRASS THERE.
AND THAT IS, THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE BECAUSE WE HAVE SO MANY PEOPLE WHO USE THAT PARKING LOT.
AND YOU CAN EVEN SEE IN THIS PICTURE THERE ARE FOUR SCHOOL BUSES PARKED THERE.
WHERE ARE THESE PEOPLE GOING TO PARK? UM, AND IN ADDITION TO THAT, WHERE OUR CUSTOMERS GOING TO PARK, WE'VE BEEN THERE FOR 54 YEARS AND WE ARE, UM, WE'RE JUST TRYING TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY AND I THINK IT WOULD REALLY BE DETRIMENTAL IF WE DO NOT HAVE THE PARKING LOT THERE.
SO IF YOU COULD PLEASE ASK THE DESIGN COMMISSION OR THE, UH, ZILKER PARK, UM, VISION PLAN TO, UM, REDESIGN THAT PARTICULAR AREA AND PUT THE PARKING LOT BACK INSTEAD OF JUST ERASING IT.
UM, AND ALSO ABOUT THE WELCOME PLAZA.
I DON'T KNOW WHY THAT'S THERE, UH, WHEN WE ALREADY HAVE A WELCOME PLAZA DOWN, LIKE LESS THAN A THOUSAND FEET AWAY.
AND, UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, I SEE THAT THEY WERE GOING TO PLANT PLAN ON PUTTING, UM, THE ZILKER ZEPHYR CONSTRUCTION YARD OVER THERE.
UM, AND I JUST FEEL LIKE THIS PART OF THE PARK IS BEING TREATED AS, YOU KNOW, JUST A THROWAWAY PART OF THE PARK, BUT IT'S NOT, UM, THERE'S, THERE'S JUST LOTS OF DISRESPECT BEING DONE TO THAT PART OF THE PARK, AND I REALLY WOULD APPRECIATE YOU GUYS REALLY LOOKING INTO IT AND NOT TAKE IT VERY, YOU KNOW, JUST, JUST, OH, THAT LOOKS NICE.
IT'S A WELCOME, PLEASANT, THINK OF HOW IT, IT'S GOING TO AFFECT EVERYBODY WHO USES THAT AREA.
NEXT SPEAKER IS COLLEEN KEPPNER, FOLLOWED BY KEVIN REIS.
SO MY NAME'S COLLEEN KEPPNER AND I LIVE IN DISTRICT THREE.
[00:10:01]
ULTIMATE FRISBEE PROGRAMMING IN THE GREATER AUSTIN AREA.I WAS ALSO A TEACHER AND COACH IN AUSTIN, I S D FOR 18 YEARS.
ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES I'VE SEEN THROUGH DOING THIS WORK IS THE LACK OF PLAYABLE SPACE FOR YOUTH SPORTS PROGRAMS. AND OVER THE LAST TWO DECADES, AS OUR CITY HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY DEVELOPED, THAT'S BECOME A BIGGER AND BIGGER PROBLEM.
I'M DISAPPOINTED THAT THE CURRENT ZILKER VISION PLAN DIDN'T SEEK INPUT FROM YOUNG PEOPLE AND YOUNG ATHLETES, MANY OF WHOM USE ZILKER ON AN ALMOST DAILY BASIS.
UNDER MY ORGANIZATION, WE FORMALLY RESERVE FIELD SPACE BECAUSE WE HAVE THE RESOURCES, THE STAFF, AND THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO DO SO, DESPITE THE LEGITIMATE CHALLENGES IN FINDING AFFORDABLE FIELD SPACE NEARBY.
BUT OUTSIDE OF MY OVERSIGHT, MANY LOCAL SCHOOL-BASED AND YOUTH CLUB TEAMS ARE PLAYER LED AND ORGANIZED.
THESE TEAMS REQUIRE SPACE FOR THEIR PRACTICES, THEIR SCRIMMAGES, AND THEIR SKILLS WORK.
MANY OF THEM ARE NOT ALLOWED TO USE FIELD SPACE AT THEIR OWN CAMPUSES BECAUSE THEY AREN'T A U I L SPORT AND THEY DON'T RECEIVE SUPPORT OR FUNDING FROM THEIR SCHOOLS FOR THAT MATTER.
IN A CITY WHERE EXPANSIVE, ROBUST GREEN SPACE IS SEVERELY LIMITED AND BECOMING MORE.
SO, ZILKER IS A HAVEN FOR KIDS TO ORGANIZE, GATHER, AND PLAY ULTIMATE AND OTHER SPORTS IN A SAFE, CLEAN, WELCOMING, AND MOST OF ALL ACCESSIBLE ENVIRONMENT.
IT EMPOWERS THEM TO BE LEADERS, TO ENGAGE WITH THEIR PEERS, TO BUILD COMMUNITY ACROSS SOCIAL GROUPS, TO ENGAGE WITH THEIR ENVIRONMENT, AND TO TAKE CARE OF THEIR BODIES AND SPIRITS RIGHT HERE IN THE HEART OF AUSTIN.
IT REDUCES BARRIERS OF COST, TRAVEL, AND TIME INCREASING OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNDERREPRESENTED FOLKS TO PARTICIPATE.
IT PROMOTES EQUITY, OUTREACH, INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY IN OUR YOUTH SPORTS.
AND SPECIFICALLY IN ULTIMATE COME TO THE GREAT LAWN ANYTIME.
AND YOU'LL SEE KIDS OF ALL AGES PLAYING ULTIMATE, THROWING A DISC WITH THEIR FRIENDS AND TEAMMATES, OR MEETING WITH A LOCAL COACH OR MENTOR TO PLAN THEIR SEASON.
AS A PARENT, AN EDUCATOR, A COACH, AND A COMMUNITY ORGANIZER, I STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT PROTECTING THIS KIND OF SPACE FOR OUR KIDS IS ESSENTIAL AND SHOULD BE TOP PRIORITY.
ABOVE ALL, OUR CITY'S YOUTH SHOULD BE GIVEN A VOICE IN THESE MATTERS AND WITH RE SPECIFIC RESPECT TO THE ZILKER VISION PLAN.
NEXT SPEAKER, KEVIN RAINES, FOLLOWED BY SCOTT COBB.
HELLO, KEVIN RAINES WITH AUSTIN ROWING.
UH, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR SERVICE AND I WANTED TO JUST MAKE YOU AWARE, GIVE YOU A LITTLE RECAP ON THE AUSTIN, UH, FITNESS FESTIVAL.
WE HAD A FESTIVAL BEACH ON APRIL 15TH AND PARTNERSHIP WITH THE EAST TOWN LAKE CITIZEN NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION.
UM, OUR GOAL WAS TO BRING TOGETHER A NUMBER OF NONPROFITS IN ADDITION TO PARKS DEPARTMENT ORGANIZATIONS, UH, THE TRAIL CONSERVANCY, UH, VETERANS ASSOCIATIONS.
UH, WE ALSO HAD PARTICIPATION FROM THE PART AQUATIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT TO REALLY STRESS ABOUT BRINGING TO EAST AUSTIN THE AWARENESS OF THE SERVICES AND THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF BEING OUTDOORS, BEING IN NATURE, HOW TO ENJOY THE WATER ON A SAFE BASIS.
SO, UH, WE'LL HAVE ONE AGAIN NEXT YEAR.
WE APPRECIATE KIMBERLY AND HER TEAM'S SUPPORT IN ADDITION TO HAVING THE MAC THERE, BEING ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH THEIR PLANS ARE AND THE REC CENTERS.
IT WAS, IT WAS REALLY A FUN DAY WITH ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS AND AS I MENTIONED A LOT ABOUT SERVICES AND BOTH HEALTH, WELLNESS AND OUTDOORS.
WE HAD A LAKE, UH, CLEANUP DAY THAT DAY.
SO WE HAVE, I HAVE, UH, UH, JUST TO, SO, SO YOU CAN SEE WE, UM, PUT OUT AND PROMOTED BOTH IN TERMS OF, UH, SPANISH AND ENGLISH POSTERS THROUGHOUT EAST AUSTIN AT THAT TIME.
I'LL LEAVE SOME HERE WITH KIMBERLY, IF YOU WANT TO TAKE A LOOK.
WE ALSO HAD THE WHY PARTICIPATE, UH, OF THE GROUP.
AND WHAT WE REALLY ENJOY DOING IS, AGAIN, BRINGING THIS KIND OF CRITICAL MASS OF PARK ENGAGEMENT AND ENJOYING THE OUTDOORS AND MAKING THE BROADER COMMUNITY AWARE OF THE SERVICES AVAILABLE TO THEM.
NEXT SPEAKER IS SCOTT COBB, FOLLOWED BY DAVID WEINBERG
[00:15:04]
COMMUNICATION.COME BACK, WE COULD COME BACK, WE COULD DO GENERAL COMMUNICATION.
MR. BOARD MEMBERS PLEASE THAT MR. SCOTT COBB, HE HAS SIGNED UP FOR GENERAL COMMUNICATION AND THEN HE ALSO SIGNED UP FOR ITEM NUMBER FIVE.
SO RATHER THAN COMING BACK, HE'S JUST GONNA TAKE ALL OF THOSE MINUTES AT THIS TIME.
SO, HELLO, MY NAME IS SCOTT COBB.
I WORK AS A LIFEGUARD FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN FOR AT BARTON SPRINGS AND OTHER POLLS LIKE DEEP EDDIE.
I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT GEN, SOME GENERAL COMMENTS ABOUT LIFEGUARDING AS WELL AS SPEAKING ABOUT THE UPCOMING BOARD ELECTION.
UM, AS FAR AS LIFEGUARDING LAST MONTH, I BELIEVE, OR YOU SENT A RECOMMENDATION TO THE CITY MANAGER OF THE NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET BECAUSE THAT WAS A DEADLINE THAT RE THAT RESOLUTION WENT TO THE CITY MANAGER.
UH, IT DID NOT GO, LET'S NOT GO OFFICIALLY TO CITY COUNCIL.
SO I WANNA POINT OUT THAT YOU'RE WELCOME TO WRITE ANOTHER RESOLUTION AND DIRECT IT DIRECTLY TO CITY COUNCIL BECAUSE THEY WILL BE CONSIDERING THEIR PRIORITIES, WHICH ARE ACTUALLY YOUR PRIORITIES RECOMMENDED TO THEM.
AND THEY'RE GONNA BE DOING THAT AFTER THEY GET THE CITY COUNT.
CITY MANAGERS RESOLUTE, UH, BUDGET IN EARLY JUNE.
SO IN THAT TIME PERIOD, YOU CAN SAY TO CITY COUNCIL, WELL, WE'VE SEEN THAT RECOMMENDATION AND WE WANT TO DO SOMETHING MORE.
AND SOME OF THOSE THINGS THAT I WOULD LIKE YOU TO THINK ABOUT DOING MORE OR SOME ISSUES THAT AFFECT LIFEGUARDS THAT WERE NOT IN THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CITY MANAGER.
I LOOKED RECENTLY LOOKED AT THE 2018 PERSONNEL MANUAL FOR TEMPORARY LIFEGUARDS IN THE 2023 MANUAL.
BENEFITS HAVE NOT CHANGED IN THOSE YEARS.
AND IN THE WORKING SESSION OF THE CITY COUNCIL AND I SAW LAST WEEK, THERE WAS INTEREST IN IMPROVING THE LIVES AND THE BENEFITS FOR LIFEGUARDS.
AND SO SOME OF THOSE BENEFITS, UM, THAT COULD BE INCLUDED, INCLUDED, SOME ONE WAS PASSED LAST, LAST, UH, BUDGET FOR DENTAL INSURANCE FOR THOSE LIFEGUARDS WHO ALREADY HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE.
BUT YOU KNOW, OTHER, OTHER BENEFITS THAT WOULD HELP BE HELPFUL OR THINGS LIKE, UH, HOLIDAY PAY.
UH, WE DON'T GET ANY HOLIDAY PAY OUR MANAGERS DO.
THEY GET PAID TIME AND A HALF.
WE JUST GO AND WORK JUNETEENTH.
WE'RE OUT THERE SERVING THE COMMUNITY.
WE'RE NOT GETTING TIME AND A HALF JULY 4TH MEMORIAL DAY.
I'M A VETERAN, NO TIME AND A HALF.
UM, THE ABILITY TO ACCRUE PERSONAL VACATION TIME.
WE CAN CURRENTLY ACCRUE SICK LEAVE.
THANKS THAT WHEN INSPECT BEFORE 2018 HASN'T BEEN CHANGED SINCE, BUT SICK LEAVE IS GREAT.
UH, IF YOU WORK FULL-TIME AS A LIFEGUARD IN THE SUMMER, GET THREE HOURS AND THAT COMES IN VERY HANDY.
BUT WE CAN'T TAKE TIME OFF FOR PERSONAL LEAVE.
AND THAT AFFECTS OUR ABILITY TO QUALIFY FOR HEALTH INSURANCE BECAUSE IF YOU TAKE TWO WEEKS OFF TO GO ON VACATION WITH YOUR FAMILY, UH, YOU ARE LIKELY NOT TO ACCRUE 30 HOURS ON AVERAGE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
AND IF YOU DON'T DO THAT, YOU DON'T QUALIFY FOR THE MOST AFFORDABLE HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN.
SO, I MEAN, I'M GONNA WHERE MY TIME'S AT NOW, BUT THERE ARE OTHER BENEFITS I CAN TALK TO Y'ALL INDIVIDUALLY.
I JUST WANNA POINT OUT YOU HAVE TIME BEFORE CITY COUNCIL COMES UP TO WRITE ANOTHER RESOLUTION.
THE OTHER THING I WANNA TALK ABOUT IS THE BOARD ELECTION CHAIR.
I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF NEW PEOPLE, UH, A COUPLE OF PEOPLE FROM THE OLD BOARD.
THEY DID MORE FOR LIFEGUARDS THAN I THINK IT'S BEEN DONE IN MANY, MANY YEARS.
THEY WERE THE FIRST BOARD TO RECOMMEND A $22 LIVING WAGE.
WE'RE GONNA TRY TO GET IT UP TO 21 OR 22 MAYBE THIS YEAR.
THEY WERE THE FIRST ONE TO RECOMMEND A FULL-TIME LIFEGUARDS.
THEY DID REMARKABLE WORK AND THAT WAS BECAUSE THE LEADERSHIP OF THE CHAIR AND, UM, SOME OTHER MEMBERS ON THAT COMMISSION.
SO WE'RE VERY GRATEFUL FOR THAT.
SO I JUST WANNA POINT OUT WHEN Y'ALL VOTE ON WHO'S GONNA BE CHAIR, YOU DON'T NEED TO LIMIT IT TO PEOPLE WHO'VE BEEN ON HERE FOR A LONG TIME.
YOU SHOULD PICK SOMEBODY OR THINK ABOUT YOURSELF AS CHAIR AND SAY, I WANT TO HELP AQUATICS.
I WANT TO HELP THE PEOPLE WHO WORK IN AQUATICS.
I WANNA MAKE SURE THE POOLS ARE ALL OPEN.
NOT THIS SUMMER, JUST THIS SUMMER, BUT IN PERPETUITY FOR EVERYBODY.
[00:20:01]
SO IF YOU SEE YOURSELF AS THAT PERSON, I URGE YOU TO RUN FOR CHAIR.WE WOULD NEED TO PROGRESSIVE PERSON, AN AGGRESSIVE, AGGRESSIVE PERSON, SOMEONE WHO WILL SET THE AGENDA, THAT WILL HELP US AND HELP AQUATICS.
I MEAN, PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD IS THE STEWARD IN A LARGE PART.
KIND OF A TRY, TRY STEWARDSHIP BETWEEN THE PROFESSIONAL STAFF, CITY COUNCIL AND THE PARKS BOARD.
BUT YOU HAVE AN IMPORTANT ROLE TO PLAY.
SO I URGE YOU TO STEP UP IF YOU SEE THAT IN YOURSELF AS A CHAIR AND SET THE AGENDA TO HELP US AS WE GO FORWARD.
ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
WAS THAT MY THREE MINUTES OR MY SIX MINUTES? ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU.
NEXT SPEAKER IS DAVID WEINBERG, FOLLOWED BY AUBREY RUDDER.
GOOD E WHOA, SORRY ABOUT THAT.
UH, GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.
UM, THE ZER VISION PLAN, IT'S GONNA BE BACK BEFORE Y'ALL NEXT MONTH.
UM, I THINK IT'S PROBABLY PRUDENT THAT Y'ALL DIDN'T HEAR IT TONIGHT, CUZ YOU'VE GOT SOME NEW BOARD MEMBERS ON THE BOARD AND YOU KNOW, IT'S PROBABLY GOOD FOR THEM TO THINK OVER SUCH A BIG PLAN.
AND, UM, I, UH, SO THE NEW BOARD MEMBERS MET ON FRIDAY OF LAST WEEK WITH REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE, UH, PARKS DEPARTMENT AND THE VENDOR, UM, AND TALKED FOR OVER AN HOUR ABOUT THIS PLAN.
AND I WATCHED THAT VIDEO YESTERDAY AND I WANTED TO RESPOND TO A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT WERE SAID IN THE COURSE OF THAT CONVERSATION BETWEEN, UM, PARD AND THE NEW BOARD MEMBERS.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, COMMISSIONER, UH, VILLALOBOS, YOU, YOU ASKED AT ONE POINT, HOW WILL THIS BE FUNDED? AND I GOTTA SAY I'M, I'M JUST GONNA BE HONEST WITH YOU.
I THINK THE ANSWER THAT YOU GOT WAS QUESTIONABLE IN TERMS OF ITS VERACITY.
AND THAT ANSWER WAS ESSENTIALLY, THIS IS GONNA BE FUNDED LIKE OTHER VISION PLANS, WE'RE GONNA HAVE BOND ELECTIONS AND THERE WILL BE MONEY FROM THOSE BOND ELECTIONS GOING TO ZER PARK AND OTHER PARKS AROUND THE CITY.
AND THERE WAS LIKE A, A LITTLE BIT OF A TALK OF MAYBE THERE'LL BE SOME PRIVATE FUNDRAISING, UM, BUT THAT WAS SORT OF CAST TO THE SIDE.
I WOULD TELL YOU IF THIS PLAN IS PASSED BY THE COUNCIL AND IF THESE PROJECTS ARE APPROVED AS SURE AS YOU WERE BORN, THERE WILL BE TONS OF PRIVATE MONEY POURING IN TO FUND THESE PROJECTS.
NOW, DON'T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT.
BETWEEN NOW AND THE NEXT MEETING, MAYBE TALK TO THE AUSTIN PARKS FOUNDATION, THE, UH, BARTON SPRINGS CONSERVANCY, THE ZILKER HIGH HILLSIDE THEATER, AND ASK THEM, DO YOU PLAN TO FUNDRAISE FOR THIS PLAN IF IT PASSES AND YOU SEE WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY? UM, THE OTHER, THE OTHER THING THAT'S REALLY JUST BOTHERING ME FOR THIS WHOLE PROCESS IS, UM, THIS BIG AMPHITHEATER THAT WE'RE BUILDING ON THE GREAT LAWN, AND IT, IT WAS SORT OF, IT CAME UP IN CONVERSATION AND IT WAS KIND OF QUICKLY BRUSHED OVER THAT IN SURVEYS, UH, THAT THE, UM, CONSULTANT HAS DONE.
UH, THEY LEARNED THAT REALLY NO ONE WANTS THE ZILKER HILL HILLSIDE THEATER MOVED TO THE GREAT LAWN.
UM, AND, UH, CLAIRE HEMPLE THEN SAID, THAT WAS JUST ONE POINT OF INFORMATION IN THIS PROCESS.
AND THEN I GUESS THEY GOT A SECOND OPINION AND THOUGHT, HEY, THIS IS A GOOD IDEA.
I, I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH TAXPAYER MONEY THAT THE, UH, DESIGN WORKSHOP HAS USED, UM, TO TALK TO THE PUBLIC OVER THE LAST YEAR AND THEN SUMMARILY NOT LISTEN TO THEM ON THIS ISSUE.
THAT, THAT SUGGESTS TO ME THAT THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE GOING ON WITH THIS PLAN.
THAT THERE ARE PROBABLY SOME PRIVATE INTERESTS THAT ARE KIND OF PUSHING THIS THING, UH, DOWN THE ROAD.
SO, UM, IN TERMS OF, UH, THAT ISSUE, I WOULD, I WOULD SAY PLEASE TAKE A LONG HARD LOOK AT WHAT THE PUBLIC WANTS AND WE MAY BE LEARNING SOME MORE ABOUT THAT IN THE NEXT MONTH.
SOME MORE NUMBERS MIGHT BE COMING OUT, UM, BEFORE YOU MOVE AHEAD WITH APPROVING THAT PARTICULAR PROJECT.
NEXT SPEAKER, AUBREY RUDDER, FOLLOWED BY KAYLA REESE.
I AM THE SENIOR MANAGER OVER AT THE AUSTIN ROWING CLUB.
I RUN OUR KAYAK PADDLE BOARD AND TOUR OPERATIONS OVER THERE.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO COME UP AND TELL YOU GUYS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO LATELY.
THIS PAST WEEKEND WAS EARTH DAY.
WE HOSTED A EARTH DAY CLEANUP, UM, IN COLLABORATION WITH KEEP AUSTIN BEAUTIFUL.
WE HAD OVER 200 VOLUNTEERS COME OUT.
UM, WE PICKED UP OVER 400 BAGS OF ALMOST 400 BAGS OF, UH, TRASH AS WELL AS 150 BAGS OF RECYCLING.
AND THEN A TON OF JUST RANDOM BIG ITEMS LIKE SCOOTERS AND CONES AND BINS FROM THE LAKE.
UM, WE ALSO DID THIS ALONG THE TRAIL AND YEAH, IT WAS A, IT WAS A HUGE SUCCESS.
A LOT OF PEOPLE JUST CAME OUT WANTING TO HELP CLEAN UP THE LAKE.
[00:25:01]
WE DO THESE CLEANUPS NOT ONLY ON EARTH DAY, WE DO THESE CLEANUPS BIWEEKLY, UM, WITH LOCAL CORPORATIONS, WITH, UM, CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS FROM UT AS WELL AS ST.AND YEAH, SO NOT ONLY DO WE DO CLEANUPS, WE ALSO DO, UM, OTHER OUTREACH EVENTS.
LATELY WE'VE BEEN PARTNERING UP WITH THE PHOENIX.
THEY ARE A NATIONAL SOBER ACTIVE ORGANIZATION.
UM, WE HOST THEM WEEKLY AND OFFER THEM FREE KAYAK AND, UM, PADDLE BOARD RENTALS.
UM, LASTLY, THANK YOU GUYS ALL FOR WHAT YOU GUYS DO FOR OUR PARKS.
LAST SPEAKER ON GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT IS KAYLA REESE, FOLLOWED BY BEN LIVINGSTON FOR ITEM NUMBER 14.
I'M THE ADVOCACY MANAGER AT AUSTIN PARKS FOUNDATION.
WELCOME TO THE NEW MEMBERS OF THE PARKS BOARD.
UM, WE WANT TO INVITE YOU TO THE PRESS CONFERENCE AT GOLI NEIGHBORHOOD PARK ON TUESDAY, MAY 9TH AT 10:00 AM TO DISCUSS THE 2022 ECONOMIC IMPACT OF A C L FESTIVAL ON THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
CHAIR PROCEEDS FROM THE 2022 A C L FEST IN AUSTIN PARK ASSISTANCE WILL BE ANNOUNCED THEN.
UM, I ALSO WANTED TO GIVE AN UPDATE ON THE PARKLAND DEDICATION BILLS THAT ARE IN FRONT OF THE STATE LEGISLATURE AT THIS TIME.
UM, THERE ARE TWO BILLS, HOUSE BILL 1526 AND SENATE BILL 5 58, HOUSE BILL 1526 HAS MOVED.
UH, IT, IT PASSED IN THE HOUSE AND IS MOVED TO THE SENATE.
UM, IT'S NOW IN THE RESOURCE COMMITTEE WITH THE SENATE AND IT'S EXPECTED AT SOME POINTS WE VOTED ON IN THE, THE SENATE, HOW THE SENATE FLOOR, EXCUSE ME, UM, WITH ALL SIGNS SHOWING THAT IT WILL PROBABLY PASS, IF, IF ANY, EITHER OF THESE BILLS PASS, IT WILL HAVE A DETRIMENTAL IMPACT ON AUSTIN'S ABILITY TO FUND PARKLAND ACQUISITION.
UM, THE CONSERVATIVE ESTIMATE IS THAT OUR PARKLAND, OUR PARKLAND ACQUISITION WILL GO DOWN BY 30% OR MORE.
UM, AND THAT'S GONNA AFFECT ALL OF OUR CHILDREN'S AND OUR FUTURES ABILITY TO HAVE NEW PARKS IN AUSTIN.
UM, SO I REALLY URGE Y'ALL TO LOOK INTO THAT.
AND, UM, AUSTIN PARKS FOUNDATION, WE'VE BEEN ADVOCATING, UM, WITH THE SENATORS AND THE CONGRESSMEN, UM, AND WOMEN TO KIND OF FIGHT THIS AS MUCH AS WE CAN.
WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET ENGAGED WITH OTHER CITIES BECAUSE IT, IT REALLY NEEDS TO ALSO COME FROM THE OTHER CITIES THAT ARE GONNA BE IMPACTED BY THESE BILLS.
SO I WANTED TO GIVE AN UPDATE ON THAT.
BEN LIVINGSTON HAS DONATED HIS TIME TO ANDREA HILL FOR ITEMS 8, 12, 13 AND 14, FOLLOWED BY TERRY ADAMS FOR ITEM 12.
SO DO I GET THE THREE MINUTES FOR EACH ONE? GET A TOTAL OF SIX MINUTES.
I'M A MOSTLY RETIRED ATTORNEY.
I'VE BEEN WORKING AT BARTON SPRINGS POOL FOR ABOUT FIVE YEARS, PART-TIME.
UH, THE CRIME IN HOMELESSNESS, NUMBER EIGHT, NUMBER 13, THEY'RE VERY TIED TOGETHER.
HOMELESS PEOPLE ARE LIVING IN THE PARK.
WE'VE HAD A SERIES OF CAR BREAK-INS THIS PAST FALL ON THE BACK AZ MARTIN PARKING LOT.
WE CALL THE COPS, THEY'D NEVER COME.
WE CALL THE PARK RANGERS EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE.
A GROUP OF HOMELESS PEOPLE LIVE IN THE SCHOOL BUS IN THE BACK PARKING LOT.
THEY DEAL DRUGS OUT OF THE SCHOOL BUS CITY.
SO THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY THE HOMELESSNESS AND CRIME COMMITTEE.
UM, THE OVISION PLAN IS PART OF THE PROBLEM WITH THE POOL AND THE PARKS RIGHT NOW.
THE BATHROOMS IN THE FRONT OF BARTON SPRINGS POOL WHERE PEOPLE ARE STANDING IN LINE TO BUY TICKETS HAVE BEEN BROKEN.
THE MEN'S BATHROOM FOR THREE YEARS, THE WOMEN'S FOR FOR A YEAR AND A HALF.
WHENEVER WE TALK TO AQUATICS, THEY WON'T REPAIR IT CUZ THEY'RE SAVING UP EVERYTHING FOR THE GIANT BATHHOUSE REDO.
MEANWHILE, THERE'S NO BATHROOMS. THEY PUT UP PORTA JOHNS THAT THEY ONLY CLEAN ONCE A WEEK.
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE COME IN THERE ON THE WEEKENDS.
YOU CAN IMAGINE WHAT THAT SITUATION IS.
SO IT'S VERY FRUSTRATING FOR THE EMPLOYEES.
THE AQUATICS DEPARTMENT AND THE PART SPEND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ON THE VISION PLAN, WHICH NONE OF US WHO WORK THERE REALLY WANT.
THEY'RE SPENDING THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS PLANNING THE BATHHOUSE REDO.
UH, WHICH AGAIN, IT WILL BE VERY INCONVENIENT FOR THE CUSTOMERS.
IT WILL INVOLVE MAZU CONSTRUCTION WORK MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO, TO USE THE POOL FOR SOME LONG PERIOD OF TIME.
AND AGAIN, IT'S NOT SET UP FOR THE EMPLOYEES.
AND AS WELL, IT'S VERY FRUSTRATING AS EMPLOYEES, WE HAVE TO EXPLAIN ALL THIS TO THE PUBLIC.
THEY'VE ALSO WASTED SEVERAL MILLION DOLLARS ON A TICKETING SYSTEM THAT BREAKS DOWN DAILY MORE THAN ONCE A DAY.
[00:30:01]
AND NOW THEY HIRE PEOPLE FROM ANOTHER CITY DEPARTMENT PAYING THEM TIME AND A HALF OVERTIME ALL WEEKEND LONG TO SIT OUT THERE FOR EIGHT HOURS A DAY TO REBOOT THE MACHINES.SO OBVIOUSLY THEY DON'T WORK, BUT THEY'RE NOT WILLING TO GET RID OF THEM.
SO THERE ARE MANY DAILY PROBLEMS. AND WHENEVER WE BRING THIS UP TO AQUATICS, OR PARDON, THEIR RESPONSE IS, WELL, YOU KNOW, WE, OUR BUDGET IS LOW.
WE CAN'T REPAIR TOILETS, WE CAN'T DO THIS.
IT'S EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING FOR THE EMPLOYEES AND MOST OF ALL FOR THE PUBLIC.
THE PUBLIC WANTS TO COME BY A HOTDOG.
THERE'S NO CONCESSION STAND BECAUSE THERE WAS A BAD CONTRACT LET OUT.
AND SEVERAL YEARS OF CONTROVERSY ABOUT THAT CONTRACT WHERE THERE WAS NO CONCESSION STAND, THERE'S STILL NO CONCESSION STAND.
PEOPLE LAST YEARS WERE SELLING FOOD OUT OF THEIR VAN IN THE PARK, VIOLATING A LOT OF SYDNEY ORDINANCES AND HEALTH CODES.
BUT THEY WERE DOING IT BECAUSE PEOPLE WERE HUNGRY AND OTHER PEOPLE SAW A NEED AND THEY WERE MAKING MONEY BY SELLING FOOD IN THE PARK ON THEIR OWN PRIVATELY.
THIS KIND OF STUFF NEEDS TO STOP AND IT WOULD STOP IF THE PARKS WOULD DO WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO DO.
PEOPLE WANNA COME TO THE PARK BY A HOTDOG SNOW CONE.
THEY WANNA BE ABLE TO USE THE BATHROOM, THEY WANNA PLAY WITH THEIR DOG ON THE GREAT LAWN, BUT THEY CAN'T FOR MONTHS IN THE FALL BECAUSE C3 OWNS THE PARK.
AND APPARENTLY NOW BEHIND THE SCENES C3 S ANGLING TO OWN THE NONPROFIT SO THAT THEY CAN CONTINUE TO OWN AND CONTROL THE PARK.
THE PARK IS FOR THE CITY, IT'S FOR THE TAXPAYERS.
IT'S NOT FOR A PRIVATE COMPANY.
I HAVE PUT ON EVERYONE'S DESK A LITTLE BRIEF WRITE UP WITH SOME OF THE ISSUES INVOLVED.
IF YOU WANT MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT ME.
I WISH SOMEBODY WOULD COME TO THE PARK ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND SEE WHAT THE PROBLEMS ARE BECAUSE PART UPPER MANAGEMENT AND AQUATIC SUPPER MANAGEMENT NEVER DOES.
UH, THEY'RE FINALLY ARE BEGINNING TO TREAT THE LIFEGUARDS A LITTLE BETTER.
UM, BUT ANYWAY, THEY'RE NOT TREATING THE EMPLOYEES WELL AND THEY'RE NOT MAINTAINING YOUR FACILITIES IS REALLY IMPACTING THE CUSTOMERS.
THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT COME TO MARTIN SPRINGS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD ON SUNDAY, I TALK TO PEOPLE FROM THE NETHERLANDS, FROM GREAT BRITAIN, FROM AUSTRALIA.
IT'S THE JEWEL OF THE CITY AND WE'RE SCREWING IT UP.
IT'S VERY DIS DE DEMORALIZING FOR THE EMPLOYEES AND VERY FRUSTRATING FOR THE CUSTOMERS.
SO I WOULD ASK YOU, FIRST OF ALL, NOT TO LET A PRIVATE CORPORATION DIS DISGUISED AS A NONPROFIT, TAKE OVER THE MANAGEMENT AND ENCOURAGE THE ACTUAL PARTS MANAGEMENT TO SPEND MONEY ON MAINTENANCE INSTEAD OF THESE GLORIFIED SCHEMES.
THE VISION PLAN, THE BATHHOUSE REDO THE NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR THE TICKETING SYSTEM THAT DOES NOT WORK.
THEY'VE POURED A LOT OF MONEY DOWN THE DRAIN AND THEY STILL CAN'T FIX THE TOILETS.
SPEAKING ON ITEM 12, TERRY ADAMS, FOLLOWED BY PAUL THOMPSON.
HI, I'M TERRY ADAMS AND NEW BOARD MEMBERS.
I HEARD YOU SAYING IN THE MEETINGS YOU HAD LAST WEEK WITH CLAIRE HEMPEL AND GREG MONTE, THAT YOU'VE BEEN GETTING A LOT OF COMMUNICATION FROM FOLKS OPPOSED TO THE VISION PLAN.
NOT JUST SPECIFIC ASPECTS, BUT THE WHOLE PLAN.
THE REASON IS BECAUSE WE DON'T TRUST THE VISION PLANNERS AND NOW WE DON'T TRUST OUR PARKS DEPARTMENT EITHER.
WE ARE IN A POSITION OF DEVELOPING A 50 YEAR VISION PLAN UNDER OUR PARKS DIRECTOR WHO IS ADVOCATING FOR A NONPROFIT TO TAKE OVER STEWARDSHIP OF THE PARK.
NOWHERE IN THIS VISION PLAN DO I HEAR DISCUSSIONS OF THE FOLLOWING, FIXING THE EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WAS JUST DISCUSSED IMMEDIATELY TIES TO THE UNIFIED NONPROFIT THAT HAVE EMERGED FROM THE ZILKER IMPACT WORKING GROUP THAT INCLUDE THE NONPROFITS.
SO THE NONPROFITS THAT WERE INVOLVED IN THE ZILKER IMPACT WORKING GROUP HAVE EVOLVED IN THE ZILKER 3 51.
SO ONE OF THOSE MAIN ONES IS THE TRAIL CONSERVANCY.
SO ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION WE HAD A COMMISSIONER VOTING WHO IS THE COO OF THE TRAIL CONSERVANCY ON THE DESIGN COMMISSION.
WE HAD A COMMISSIONER VOTING WHO IS ON THE BOARD OF ZILKER 3 51.
THE VISION PLANNING PRINCIPAL WHO IS DELIVERING THIS PLAN IS THE INCOMING CHAIR OF THE TRAIL CONSERVANCY.
DID SHE MENTION THAT IN THE MEETING LAST WEEK? SO
[00:35:01]
THE ASSUMPTION THAT ACL AND LEGACY NONPROFITS WILL STAY IN THE PARK IS A MAJOR PROBLEM.FOR EXAMPLE, THERE IS CLASSROOM CAPACITY AT THE ZILKER LODGE, BUT IT'S BEING USED FOR THE AUSTIN SUNSHINE CAMP, WHICH IS A GOOD MISSION, BUT THIS IS PRIVATE PROPERTY WITHIN THE PARK.
ALSO, IF YOU GET CAUGHT IN THE RAIN WITH YOUR KINDERGARTNERS, MAYBE THE MACBETH RECREATION CENTER WOULD BE A PLACE THAT YOU COULD GO TO SHELTER.
ANYWAY, I COULD GO ON AND ON ABOUT WHY THE PUBLIC HAS NO CONFIDENCE IN THIS PLAN OR ITS PLANNERS.
BUT MY MAIN MESSAGE IS THAT IF YOU TRY TO FORCE THIS PLAN ON US, WE WILL FIGHT YOU AND WE WILL WIN.
SPEAKING ON ITEM 12, PAUL THOMPSON, FOLLOWED BY PHIL BURNS.
THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO HEAR THIS OUT.
UM, I, UH, I'M, UH, HERE AS MYSELF.
I'M IN, UH, I THINK I'M IN DISTRICT NINE.
UM, AND I'M A LOVER OF THE PARK.
UM, YOU KNOW, ONE STORY I HAVE, I RAISED MY KIDS IN AUSTIN AND THEY WENT DOWN TO THE ROCKS.
AND ONE DAY, UM, MY YOUNGEST DAUGHTER MET A GUY NAMED BEN DOWN THERE.
AND, UM, HE REALLY, HE REALLY BECAME A SPECIAL PERSON IN HER LIFE.
AND, UH, THEN IT TURNED OUT THAT WE LOST BEN.
AND THEN ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CAME FROM THAT IS THAT AFTER WE LOST BEN, SHE FOUND IN HIS JOURNAL THAT THAT DAY AT ZILKER WHEN THEY MET WAS REALLY PRETTY CHILL.
AND SO SHE HAS THAT TATTOOED ON HER BACK TO REMEMBER HER FRIEND BEN.
SO WHAT I'M SAYING IS ZILKER IS IN A LOT OF WAYS THE HEART OF THE CITY IN A LOT OF WAYS.
I'M, I'M IN THE POOL IN THE MORNINGS.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE, WE'VE HEARD FROM PEOPLE THAT ARE BETTER INFORMED ABOUT THE DETAILS THAN I AM.
AND I REALLY THANK THESE GUYS FOR COMING AND SPEAKING UP.
BUT I AM CERTAINLY CONCERNED ABOUT A PLAN THAT SOUNDS LIKE SOFT PRIVATIZATION ABOUT THE HEART OF MY CITY, UM, THAT HASN'T HAD THE TRANSPARENCY AND INPUT FROM CITIZENS AND PEOPLE.
I MEAN, AT A MINIMUM THERE SHOULD BE ANY KIND OF VISION PLAN THERE.
I SHOULD I GO TO THE PART TWICE A WEEK.
I DON'T SEE SOMETHING THAT SAYS, HEY, THERE'S A VISION PLAN.
MAYBE YOU SHOULD CHECK IT OUT AND GIVE YOUR INPUT.
I HAVEN'T SEEN AN AD LIKE THAT OR A BILLBOARD OR A POSTER.
I HAVEN'T SEEN THAT IN, UH, THE REASON I'M HERE TODAY.
I SAW A LETTER TO THE EDITOR IN THE CHRONICLE.
I HAVEN'T SEEN A, YOU KNOW, I HAVEN'T SEEN FULL PAGE ADS ABOUT THIS.
I HAVEN'T SEEN ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
UM, SO THE SOFT PRIVATIZATION BOTHERS ME.
THE NEGLECT OF THE PARK OBVIOUSLY BOTHERS ME CUZ I'M DOWN THERE EVERY TWICE A WEEK.
I NEED TO USE A BATHROOM AND I'D LIKE TO BE ABLE TO BUY A HOT DOG.
I'D LIKE MY LIFEGUARDS TO BE WELL TAKEN CARE OF AND BE ABLE TO, UM, MAKE SURE THAT I'M SAFE AND THAT I CAN ENJOY MY TIME IN THE PARK.
AND CERTAINLY, UM, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M ALL FOR GOING TO GO SEE A ROCK SHOW AND EVERYTHING, BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT THE PARK IS TO THE CITY.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT SOMEBODY SMART CAME IN AND SAID, WE CAN COUNT, WE CAN CAPITALIZE ON THE HEART OF THIS CITY AND MAKE THIS PART OF OUR BRAND.
BUT THE THINGS THAT MAKE ZILKER THE HEART OF THE CITY ARE THINGS LIKE MY DAUGHTER'S MEMORIES THERE.
THINGS LIKE THE FACT THAT THE FOOTBRIDGE SOUTH OF THE POOL IS MY HAPPY PLACE.
UM, IT'S, IT'S SUCH AN IMPORTANT PART OF, OF THE CHARACTER.
I WOULD BEG YOU TO LISTEN TO PEOPLE THAT HAVE THOUGHT MORE ABOUT THE DETAILS AND TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN GET BETTER TRANSPARENCY, DEAL WITH THE NEGLECT IN THE PARK AND KEEP IT AS A CENTER OF THIS CITY.
LAST SPEAKER, PHIL BURNS ON ITEM 12.
I'M A FIFTH GENERATION AUSTINITE AND, UH, THIS IS A PATTERN BY C3.
THEY, THIS IS HOW THEY DO THEIR BUSINESS.
THEY STARTED OFF THEIR BUSINESS BY BUYING UP ALL TICKETS FOR VENUES, INCREASING THE PRICES OF THE TICKETS AND SELLING THEM OFF TO RICH STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY.
SO, UH, I'D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT NOT JUST THEIR TRACK RECORD, THEIR WITH, UH, AUDITORIUM SHORES.
THE SAME THING HAPPENED THERE.
THEY WENT AND THEY, THEY CREATED AN OWN THEIR OWN GROUP THAT WAS AGAINST IT.
THEY PUT THEIR OWN PERSON THAT HAD TAKEN MONEY FROM THEM IN CHARGE OF IT.
IT'S, IT'S A TRAVESTY OF WHAT'S GOING ON.
UH, THIS IS NOT RIGHT AT ALL TO PRIVATIZE THIS PARK IS PATHETIC AND YOU MIGHT AS WELL JUST PRIVATIZE ALL THE PARKS IN THE CITY.
IF YOU PRIVATIZE THIS PARK, C3 NEEDS TO GO.
[00:40:01]
ALL I HAVE TO SAY.THERE ARE NO MORE, THERE ARE NO MORE SPEAKERS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYONE WHO CAME TO SPEAK TODAY.
[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
TO MOVE ON TO APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES.UM, BUT I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE FIRST THAT WE HAVE A COUPLE BOARD MEMBERS, UM, AND ATTENDANCE, UM, WHO WERE NOT HERE WHEN WE TOOK ROLE.
SO BOARD MEMBER TAYLOR, AND WE HAVE A NEW BOARD MEMBER, I BELIEVE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.
UM, WELCOME BOARD MEMBER MERIT.
UM, SO WE HAVE THE, WE WILL BE VOTING TO APPROVE THE MEETING MINUTES, UM, FROM THE MARCH 27TH, 2023 MEETING.
UM, I BELIEVE THAT THE VERSION THAT'S BEEN PRINTED OUT AND SHARED WITH US HAS THE, THE WRONG LIST OF PUBLIC COMMUNICATION SPEAKERS ON IT, BUT THOSE ARE, SO WE SHOULD BE REFERRING TO THE UPDATED VERSION THAT HAS BEEN POSTED ONLINE, THE REVISED DRAFT MINUTES.
SO IT'S BACKUP OH ONE DASH TWO.
SO DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THESE MINUTES? OKAY.
DO I HAVE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND.
BOARD MEMBER OF FLOWERS SECONDS.
[2. Staff Briefing on Project Connect Light Rail Implementation Plan]
NOW MOVE ON TO, UM, THE STAFF BRIEFING ON THE PROJECT CONNECT LIGHT RAIL IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.AND, UM, TO, UM, JUST AS A REMINDER FOR FOLKS ABOUT HOW STAFF BRIEFINGS WORK, THE BOARD MAY ASK CLARIFYING QUESTIONS, BUT WE DO NOT HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY.
WE CAN ASK CLARIFYING QUESTIONS OF THE PRESENTERS, BUT WE DO NOT HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY, UM, TO DISCUSS AMONG OURSELVES.
UH, THANK YOU BOARD MEMBERS FOR YOUR TIME TONIGHT.
I'M THE EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT FOR ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN DESIGN AT AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP.
AND I'M JOINED TONIGHT WITH, UH, MY COLLEAGUE JEN PINE.
I'M A EVP, PLANNING AND RISK MANAGEMENT AT AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP.
WE'RE ALSO JOINED BY YANAS BANKS, WHO IS OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MANAGER, AS WELL AS, UM, RAV, I'M NOT GONNA BUTCHER YOUR LAST NAME, UM, WHO'S WITH THE PROJECT CONNECT OFFICE AT THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
UM, SO WE'RE HERE TONIGHT JUST TO GIVE YOU A BRIEFING ON, UM, WHERE WE ARE WITH LIGHT RAIL, UM, AS PART OF PROJECT CONNECT.
UM, JUST AS A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND, UM, YOU KNOW, LAST SUMMER WE WERE, AS COST ESTIMATING WAS COMING IN ON SOME OF OUR PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING WORK ON THE LIGHT RAIL PROGRAM, UH, RECOGNIZED THAT, YOU KNOW, BASED ON WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE MARKET AND OTHER FACTORS, THAT WE REALLY NEEDED TO TAKE A STEP BACK AND KIND OF RECALIBRATE OUR IMPLEMENTATION PLAN TO MATCH OUR, OUR, UM, OUR FUNDING AVAILABILITY.
AND SO WE'VE TAKEN, YOU KNOW, A FEW MONTHS TO COME UP WITH AN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN THAT INCLUDES, UM, A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PHASING OPTIONS, WHICH WE'LL TALK ABOUT TONIGHT.
UM, AND WE ARE RIGHT NOW IN A PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD, WE LAUNCHED A, WE HAD AN OPEN HOUSE ON MARCH 21ST AT THE CENTRAL LIBRARY.
WE HAD OVER 500 PEOPLE ATTENDING ON A RAINY MONDAY.
UM, SO, UM, OBVIOUSLY THERE'S A LOT OF INTEREST IN THIS PROGRAM, UM, BUT WE'RE IN A PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD ON THE OPTIONS FOR HOW TO MOVE FORWARD WITH LIGHT RAIL.
AND SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE TONIGHT IS TO BASICALLY BRIEF YOU ON THOSE OPTIONS, UM, AND ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE, UM, AS IT AFFECTS, UH, YOU KNOW, THINGS UNDER YOUR PURVIEW.
SO, UM, I'M GONNA PASS IT OVER TO JEN TO TAKE YOU THROUGH THE OPTIONS AND THEN I'LL COME BACK LATER IN THE PRESENTATION.
UM, COULD WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE PLEASE? THANK YOU.
UH, SO I'LL TAKE JUST A SECOND.
WHAT IS LIGHT RAIL? UM, WHAT ARE WE PROPOSING TO DO HERE? UH, SO LIGHT RAIL, IT, IT'S, IT'S DIFFERENT FROM THE RED LINE THAT'S CURRENTLY OPERATING IN AUSTIN.
UH, LIGHT RAIL WOULD BE ON TRACK EMBEDDED IN THE STREETS, IN PUBLIC RIGHTS OF WAY.
UM, IT WOULD OPERATE IN ITS OWN EXCLUSIVE GUIDEWAYS, SO SEPARATE FROM CAR AND OTHER TRAFFIC.
UM, AND IT WOULD OFFER KIND OF A MORE FREQUENT, UM, AND, AND RELIABLE, RELIABLE SERVICE THAN, UM, THE TYPES OF TRANSIT THAT DO RUN IN MIXED TRAFFIC.
SO WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
SO OUR, OUR PATH TO LIGHT RAIL, WE, WE LIKE TO START WITH THE AUSTIN STRATEGIC MO MOBILITY PLAN, UM, WHICH IDENTIFIED, UH, ROBUST GOALS FOR MODE SHIFT.
AND SO REALLY THE PROJECT CONNECT PLAN OF WHICH, YOU KNOW, LIGHT RAIL IS AN IMPORTANT PART, IS ALL ABOUT PROVIDING THOSE ADDITIONAL TRANSIT CHOICES SO THAT PEOPLE CAN, UM, EFFECTIVELY MAKE THAT DECISION TO MOVE
[00:45:01]
OUT OF THEIR CAR AND TAKE A DIFFERENT MODE.UH, SO AS PETER MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, FOR THE LAST I NINE MONTHS OR SO, WE'VE BEEN, UH, DOING THE WORK THAT'S RESULTED IN THESE FIVE OPTIONS FOR THE THE FIRST, UH, LIGHT RAIL PROJECT, THE CORE SYSTEM THAT WE'RE GOING TO SPEAK TO YOU ABOUT TONIGHT.
UM, AND WE ARE TAKING COMMENT THROUGH MAY 2ND AND THEN LOOKING TO MAKE, UM, A DECISION ABOUT THE, THE PROJECT DEFINITION THAT WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO ADVANCE.
UH, SO BEFORE I, WE GET INTO THE OPTIONS, LEMME JUST TALK FOR JUST A MINUTE ABOUT HOW WE GOT THERE.
HOW DID WE DEFINE THESE OPTIONS? UM, AND THERE WERE A NUMBER OF CRITERIA THAT WE APPLIED.
ONE, CERTAINLY FINANCIAL VIABILITY.
ALL THESE ARE WITHIN OUR BUDGET.
UH, THE TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY, ESSENTIALLY FROM AN ENGINEERING STANDPOINT, THEY ALL HAVE TO WORK.
UM, AND THE FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION IS AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF THIS PUZZLE.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR FEDERAL GRANT FUNDING FOR MAYBE ON THE ORDER OF ABOUT HALF OF THE CAPITAL COSTS TO BUILD THE LIGHT RAIL PROJECT.
SO FOR THOSE FUNDS, WE COMPETE WITH OTHER TRANSIT PROJECTS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY, UM, AND WE KNOW EXACTLY HOW WE'LL BE EVALUATED FOR THAT FUNDING.
AND SO, UH, THAT'S BEEN PART OF OUR PROCESS AS WELL TO MAKE SURE THAT ANY OPTION THAT WE PUT FORTH FOR DISCUSSION, UH, WE BELIEVE WOULD BE COMPETITIVE FOR THOSE FUNDS.
THEN BEYOND THAT, WE ARE LOOKING AT A, A WIDE VARIETY OF DIFFERENT DATA ON DEMOGRAPHIC SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS, UM, AND HOW THE LIGHT RAIL WOULD CONNECT WITH THE CURRENT TRANSIT SYSTEM AND WHAT'S PLANNED IN THE FUTURE, UH, AND WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY, UM, AS WE HAVE BEEN OVER THE LAST COUPLE MONTHS AND REALLY THE LAST COUPLE YEARS.
UM, TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT FOR THIS PROJECT TO DELIVER AND TO DELIVER AND WHAT WE SHOULD KIND OF AMPLIFY IN MAKING A DECISION ABOUT WHAT THE CORE SYSTEM LOOKS LIKE.
UH, SO, UM, A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT, UH, WHAT WE WERE CALLING THE COMMUNITY VALUES CRITERIA, WHAT WE MEAN BY THAT AND WHAT WE'RE ASSESSING, UH, AND REALLY ASKING FOR PEOPLE'S FEEDBACK ON AS FAR AS WHAT, FROM AMONG ALL THESE CONSIDERATIONS WE SHOULD PRIORITIZE WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT.
SO AMONG THE THINGS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, ONE, IT'S MOBILITY AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE, AND THAT REALLY MEANS LOOKING AT THE QUALITY OF THE TRANSIT PRODUCT THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO PUT OUT THERE.
UM, WHAT DO WE THINK THE RIDERSHIP WOULD BE? HOW SEAMLESSLY WOULD IT CONNECT WITH OTHER COMPONENTS TO THE TRANSIT SYSTEM? HOW WOULD IT CONNECT WITH THE, UH, BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN INFRASTRUCTURE THAT'S IN PLACE? UM, SO THAT IT'S OVERALL JUST REALLY EASY, CONVENIENT, AND SAFE FOR PEOPLE TO USE.
UH, WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITIES, WHICH MEANS LOOKING AT IF WE'RE BUILDING THE LIGHT RAIL, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE, WHAT'S THE COMPOSITION OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT WOULD LIVE ALONG IT? WHERE ARE THE JOBS? WHERE ARE THE PEOPLE LIVING? ARE WE CONNECTING, UM, PEOPLE TO THE PLACES WHERE THEY NEED AND AND WANT TO GO TO FOR ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS? AT THIS STAGE, UM, WE ARE LOOKING AT A COUPLE OF THINGS, INCLUDING MODE SHIFT, THE EXTENT TO WHICH, UH, PEOPLE WOULD BE MOVING FROM CARS TO TAKING PUBLIC TRANSIT.
UM, WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT ALL THESE OPTIONS IN TERMS OF TRYING TO, UM, AVOID OR MINIMIZE ANY POTENTIAL ADVERSE IMPACT ON SENSITIVE RESOURCES LIKE PARKLAND OR WATER RESOURCES.
UH, AND FINALLY, UH, LAND USE AND HOUSING, UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT EXISTING LAND USE, BUT EVEN PERHAPS MORE IMPORTANTLY, UH, FUTURE LAND USE PLANS TO, UM, MAKE SURE THAT WE'D BE MAKING THIS INVESTMENT IN PLACES, UH, WHERE THE ADJACENT USES ARE REALLY TRANSIT SUPPORTIVE.
WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT WHERE AFFORDABLE HOUSING EXISTS, UM, IN THE CITY BECAUSE THOSE ARE PLACES THAT WE WANNA SERVE.
I'M JUST GONNA FLIP THROUGH A COUPLE OF THESE SLIDES PRETTY QUICKLY.
UH, JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE MAIN DATA SETS THAT WE'VE REALLY BEEN BEEN LOOKING AT.
AND ALL OF THIS IS ON THE WEBSITE, SO IF YOU WANT THIS OR MORE, IT, IT'S ALL THERE.
POPULATION DENSITY IS A BIG DRIVER FOR US.
UM, AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE WANT TO, YOU KNOW, REACH AS MANY PEOPLE AS WE CAN WITH THIS SERVICE.
IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, AND AGAIN, GETTING BACK TO THAT POINT OF THE SORT OF THE COMPOSITION OF THE POPULATION AND NOT JUST THE NUMBERS WHERE PEOPLE ARE LIVING IT, IT'S PART OF OUR FOUNDATIONAL DOCUMENTS TO, UM, BE SURE TO CONSIDER PRIORITY POPULATIONS, INCLUDING BIPO POPULATIONS AND THAT WE'RE SERVING AREAS THAT HAVE BEEN HISTORICALLY UNDERSERVED OR, OR UNDERINVESTED.
EMPLOYMENT DENSITY IS ANOTHER BIG ONE FOR US AS FAR AS, AGAIN, CONNECTING TRIPS AND MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE BUILDING TRANSIT, UM, IN PLACES WHERE PEOPLE NEED TO GO.
UH, HERE'S A SLIDE ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
THIS IS ONE OF SEVERAL DATA SETS THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH, AGAIN, JUST TO, UM, IDENTIFY PLACES THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO SERVE.
THE NEXT SLIDE THANK YOU IS, AGAIN, TRANSIT CONNECTIONS, LOOKING AT WHERE IS THE RED LINE GOING, THE METRO RAPID SERVICES AND LOCAL BUS, UM, MAKING
[00:50:01]
SURE THAT WE ARE MAKING THOSE CONNECTIONS AS BEST WE CAN.AND I THINK THE NEXT ONE IS LOOKING AT TRAILS AND BIKE PATHS.
I MEAN, REALLY ANYBODY WHO'S TAKING TRANSIT, WHO WOULD BE GETTING ON THE LIGHT RAIL AT SOME POINT IS GOING TO BE A PEDESTRIAN, OR PERHAPS THEY RODE THEIR BIKE TO THE TRAIN AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE MAKE FOR A, A SAFE AND CONVENIENT CONNECTION.
SO WE HAVE FIVE OPTIONS FOR OUR CORE SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE BEEN DISCUSSING WITH THE PUBLIC, AND WE WILL STEP THROUGH EACH OF THESE, BUT WE'LL KEEP ALL FIVE OF THEM UP THERE FOR JUST A SECOND TO GIVE YOU THE BIG PICTURE, WHICH IS, SO THESE OPTIONS HAVE DIFFERENT END POINTS.
UM, ALL OF THEM INCLUDE A, A CORE SYSTEM THAT INCLUDES DOWNTOWN, UM, AND CONNECTING TO THE NORTH AND, AND TO THE EAST.
AND SO REALLY THE, THE OPTIONS ARE ALL ABOUT KIND OF WHERE DO WE GO FROM THERE, UH, AND AND WHICH DIRECTION ARE WE GOING TO INVEST AS PART OF THIS, UH, CORE PHASE.
UM, AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE PROJECT IS THE MAINTENANCE FACILITY.
WE HAVE TO HAVE A MAINTENANCE FACILITY FOR THE TRAINS TO GO BACK TO AT NIGHT, UH, FOR MAINTENANCE, FOR WASHING, ET CETERA.
UM, AND SO THE GREEN DOT YOU'LL SEE ON THE MAPS REPRESENTS A POTENTIAL MAINTENANCE FACILITY LOCATION.
AND WE HAVE TWO, UM, THAT WE CAN STEP THROUGH WHEN WE GO THROUGH THE MAPS.
UM, ONE OTHER THING I'LL MENTION JUST ON THE, THE BIG PICTURE IS, SO THREE OF THESE OPTIONS WOULD BE TOTALLY ON STREET, MEANING THAT THE LIGHT ARROW WOULD BE BUILT AT THE STREET LEVEL, UH, AND TWO OF THEM HAVE SOME KIND OF GRADE SEPARATION, MEANING THAT EITHER A PORTION WOULD BE AN ELEVATED STRUCTURE ABOVE THE STREET AND IN ONE OPTION WE HAVE A PART THAT WOULD BE UNDERGROUND IN THOSE CASES.
UM, THAT TO DO THOSE KINDS OF GRADE SEPARATIONS IS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN TO BUILD THAT STREET.
UM, YOU KNOW, ON THE ORDER OF IF, UH, TO BUILD ON STREET IS X TO BUILD ELEVATED STRUCTURE WOULD BE MAYBE THREE TO FIVE X AND EL UH, EXCUSE ME, UNDERGROUND WOULD BE 10 X.
SO IN THE CASES WHERE YOU HAVE UNDERGROUND OR ELEVATED, THAT'S WHY THEY'RE SHORTER LENGTHS OVERALL.
SO CAN WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE? SO WE'LL JUST STEP THROUGH EACH ONE TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA.
AND AGAIN, ALL OF THIS IS ON THE WEBSITE.
UM, IF YOU LOOK UP AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP, YOU KNOW, OR PROJECT CONNECT, YOU'LL FIND IT.
UH, SO THIS FIRST OPTION, UM, IS PROBABLY GOES FARTHER.
IT GOES FARTHER THIS NORTH OF ALL FIVE.
UM, IT, UM, ON THE NORTH SIDE, UH, WOULD TERMINATE AT NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER, UH, WOULD RUN SOUTH TO DOWNTOWN AND THEN EAST TO PLEASANT VALLEY AND RIVERSIDE.
SO THE, THE DOWNTOWN PORTION HERE JUST HAS AN, UH, A SQUARE.
AND IF YOU LOOK TO THE RIGHT, THERE ARE A COUPLE OF INSET MAPS.
SO WE HAVE TWO OPTIONS FOR GOING THROUGH DOWNTOWN.
ONE WOULD BE TO ACROSS THE RIVER AT FIRST STREET, THE OTHER ONE, UH, AT ABOUT TRINITY.
AND SO THOSE TWO DOWNTOWN OPTIONS COULD REALLY WORK IN ANY ONE OF THESE SITUATIONS.
UH, THIS OPTION IS, UM, COMPLETELY AT STREET LEVEL, THE WHOLE BAY.
COULD WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE? SO THIS OPTION SHOWS A SCENARIO IN WHICH WE GO OUT TO THE AIRPORT.
UM, IN, IN THIS CASE, UM, IT WOULD, THE, THE LINE WOULD RUN FROM THE AIRPORT TO DOWN TO AND THROUGH DOWNTOWN AND NORTH TO ABOUT 29TH STREET IN GUADALUPE.
UM, IN THIS CASE TO GET THAT EXTRA MILEAGE OUT TO THE AIRPORT, WHICH IS A FAIRLY COMPLICATED SECTION.
IT JUST MEANS WE CAN GO A LITTLE BIT LESS FAR TO THE NORTH IN THIS OPTION WOULD BE TOTALLY, UM, AT STREET LEVEL.
AND IN THIS CASE WE ARE JUST SHOWING THE OPTION ACROSS THE RIVER THAT IS AT TRINITY.
UM, AND THAT'S REALLY JUST A, A, A CALL BECAUSE IF WE'RE CONNECTING THE AIRPORT, UH, TO DOWNTOWN, IT MAYBE MAKES A LITTLE BIT OF SENSE TO CONNECT IT WITH THE CONVENTION CENTER AND SOME OF THE HOTELS THAT ARE IN THAT AREA.
BUT HONEST, TRULY EITHER CROSSING COULD WORK IN THIS SCENARIO AS WELL.
IF WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, SO THIS ONE, THIS IS THE THIRD, UH, OPTION THAT IS TOTALLY AT STREET LEVEL.
AND THIS ONE, UH, GOES TO THE NORTH, TO THE EAST END TO THE SOUTH.
UM, AGAIN, IN THE DOWNTOWN YOU STILL HAVE THOSE TWO SAME OPTIONS FOR THE RIVER CROSSING.
AND, UM, IN THIS CASE, UH, WE HA ARE SHOWING TO THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH KINDA THAT GRAY AREA.
UH, WE'RE CALLING IT A FLEX SECTION AND THERE'S ENOUGH VARIABILITY DOWNTOWN THAT WE MAY BE ABLE TO GO A LITTLE BIT EXTRA DISTANCE IN ONE DIRECTION OR THE OTHER.
SO WE JUST WANTED TO REPRESENT THAT POSSIBILITY ON THE MAP.
AND, UH, I'M SORRY, I, I MENTIONED THE MAINTENANCE FACILITY EARLIER.
I SHOULD HIGHLIGHT IT ON THESE MAPS.
UM, IN THIS CASE WITH THE GREEN DOT, THE MAINTENANCE FACILITIES OUT BY, UM, UH, 71 IN RIVERSIDE ESSENTIALLY.
AND THIS MAINTENANCE FACILITY IS THE ONE YOU SEE ON FOUR OUT OF THE FIVE OPTIONS.
[00:55:01]
UH, THE VERY FIRST OPTION I SHOWED THAT WENT UP TO NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER, UM, SHOWED A MAINTENANCE FACILITY, UH, APPROXIMATE TO THE NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER.LET ME GO TO THE NEXT SECTION.
SO THIS PARTICULAR OPTION IS, UM, INCLUDES A PART IN DOWNTOWN THAT WOULD BE ELEVATED, SO IT WOULD BE ON STRUCTURE.
UM, AND WE HAVE SOME RENDERINGS THAT WILL GO THROUGH IN A COUPLE OF SLIDES HERE.
BUT IN THIS CASE, UM, THE ROUTE WOULD BE ELEVATED FROM ABOUT EIGHTH STREET ON GUADALUPE, UH, DOWN TO JUST EAST OF AUDITORIUM SHORES.
SO THERE WOULD BE TWO ELEVATED STATIONS.
UM, AND OTHERWISE IT'S, IT'S A LITTLE BIT SHORTER TO THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH THAN THE PREVIOUS OPTION WE SAW.
AND THAT'S REALLY A RESULT OF JUST A LITTLE BIT, UM, HIGHER COST FOR THAT ELEVATED PORTION.
BUT THEN TO THE EAST, IT, UH, WOULD RUN OUT TO YELLOW JACKET, THE SAME MAINTENANCE FACILITY LOCATION THAT WE SAW IN THE LAST OPTION.
AND FINALLY, UH, THE, THE FIFTH OPTION INCLUDES AN UNDERGROUND SEGMENT.
SO THIS OPTION ACTUALLY INCLUDES AN UNDERGROUND, UM, SEGMENT AS WELL AS AN ELEVATED SEGMENT IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
UH, SO IT WOULD INCLUDE ABOUT ONE UNDERGROUND STATION AND THE TWO ELEVATED STATIONS.
AGAIN, IT'S A LITTLE BIT SHORTER TO THE NORTH AND, UM, AND CONTINUING OUT EAST TO THE SAME MAINTENANCE FACILITY LOCATION AS WE'RE IN THE LAST COUPLE OF OPTIONS.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE DONE A LITTLE BIT OF WORK IN TERMS OF UNDERSTANDING WHAT, UM, BEING ON STREET OR ELEVATED DOWNTOWN WOULD LOOK LIKE.
PREVIOUSLY WE WERE CONSIDERING THE DOWNTOWN PORTION OF THE ALIGNMENT TO BE ALL UNDERGROUND.
UM, HOWEVER, THIS IS NOT NEW FOR LIGHT RAIL, YOU KNOW, AND THERE ARE CITIES ALL OVER THE COUNTRY WHERE WE HAVE, UM, ON STREET LIGHT RAIL.
UM, SO THIS IS A VIEW LOOKING ON THIRD STREET, UM, AND YOU CAN SEE THE, THE TRAIN RIDING IN ITS OWN LANE IN THE CENTER OF THE STREET, UM, WAS SPACE ON EITHER SIDE OF IT.
UM, SIMILARLY THIS IS A VIEW OF, UH, LOOKING TOWARDS REPUBLIC SQUARE.
UM, SO TAKING FROM ABOUT FOURTH IN GUADALUPE.
UM, SIMILARLY AGAIN, THE, THE TRAIN, THE INTENTION WOULD BE TO HAVE FOR IT TO RUN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET.
UM, THIS PROBABLY WOULD REQUIRE SOME, SOME AMENDMENTS TO, YOU KNOW, HOW TRAFFIC FLOWS THROUGH DOWNTOWN.
AND SO WE'RE WORKING CLOSELY WITH TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT ON THAT.
UM, WE'RE BENEFITING FROM THE FACT THAT THEY'RE ACTUALLY LOOKING AT ALL OF THE STREETS DOWNTOWN AS A RESULT OF 5 35 AS WELL AS PROJECT CONNECT, UM, AND OTHER BIG PROJECTS, UM, TO REALLY OPTIMIZE HOW THE STREETS ARE USED, BOTH FOR VEHICLES BUT ALSO FOR BIKES AND PRIORITIZING PEDESTRIANS IN EVERY CASE.
SO WE'RE COORDINATING WITH THEM.
UM, SO THIS IS AGAIN, AN ON STREET OPTION OF WHAT THAT MIGHT LOOK LIKE.
UM, AND THEN THIS IS A SIMILAR VIEW OF WHAT THE ELEVATED IN THE ELEVATED OPTION, WHAT THE ELEVATED STRUCTURE MIGHT LOOK LIKE DOWNTOWN.
UM, LOOKING TOWARDS REPUBLIC SQUARE, UM, YOU KNOW, AT THE STATIONS THESE STRUCTURES DO GET A LITTLE BIT BIG BECAUSE YOU'VE GOTTA HAVE SPACE FOR VERTICAL CIRCULATION TO GET UP TO THE PLATFORM.
UM, STAIRS, ELEVATORS, ESCALATORS, ET CETERA.
THEY ALSO LIKE TO BE ENCLOSED BECAUSE, UM, IT HELPS WITH THE RELIABILITY OF THOSE SYSTEMS NOT TO BE, UM, EXPOSED TO THE WEATHER.
UM, SO AGAIN, THIS IS ANOTHER VIEW OF THE STRUCTURE BASICALLY AT THE STATION, UH, LOOKING SOUTHWEST TOWARDS REPUBLIC SQUARE, UM, AND WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE.
UM, THIS IS A, A VIEW OF A STRUCTURE LOOKING SOUTH DOWN GUADALUPE FROM FOURTH STREET.
SO YOU CAN SEE ONE OF THE BENEFITS OF BEING ELEVATED IS THAT YOU DO GET SOME EXTRA SPACE ON THE, ON THE STREET FOR UM, MORE OTHER MODES.
UM, AND YOU ARE, UH, SEPARATED FROM THOSE MODES.
SO THERE IS A BENEFIT TO THE LIGHT RAIL OPERATIONS FROM THAT.
UM, BUT IT DOES HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE, ON THE PUBLIC REALM.
AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE ASKING THE PUBLIC TO WEIGH IN ON IS, YOU KNOW, HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT THOSE IMPACTS AND, YOU KNOW, UM, GET THEIR OPINIONS ON THAT CUZ THEY ARE, THEY'RE NOT INSIGNIFICANT, UM, IN THE ELEVATED OPTIONS.
UM, AND THIS IS AN AREA WHERE I THINK, UH, WILL BE OF INTEREST TO YOU ALL.
UM, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE WE'RE, UH, WE'RE COMING, THOSE RIVER CROSSINGS WOULD BE LOCATED ON THE WEST SIDE IN A NEW BRIDGE ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE SOUTH FIRST STREET BRIDGE.
UM, WE WOULD STAY ELEVATED AND THEN THERE WOULD BE AN ELEVATED STATION, UM, BASICALLY IN VICTIMIZED SHORES PARK.
UM, AND THEN WE WOULD STAY ELEVATED AND THEN, UH, CROSS BASICALLY SOUTH FIRST IN BURTON SPRINGS ROAD AND THEN MAKE A TRANSITION BACK TO ON STREET, UM, BY THE TIME WE GET TO SOUTH CONGRESS.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE, UH, PARKLAND IMPACTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE, THE STRUCTURE, UM, WHICH, YOU KNOW, IF THIS IS THE, THE ALIGNMENT THAT WE GO WITH, UM, OBVIOUSLY WE WOULD BE EVALUATING AND DOCUMENTING AND WORKING WITH THE PUBLIC ON THE DETAILS OF THIS DURING THE ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND THE DESIGN DEVELOPMENT.
UM, AND JUST ONE THING GENERALLY TO SAY, YOU KNOW, WE SPENT
[01:00:01]
A LOT OF TIME IN 2021 AND 22 LOOKING AT SOME OF THE RIVER CROSSING OPTIONS AND SOME OF THE DESIGN DETAILS.THIS PROCESS WE'RE IN RIGHT NOW, WE'VE KIND OF ZOOMED OUT TO LOOK AT THE SYSTEM AS A WHOLE.
ONCE WE DETERMINE WHAT OPTION WE'LL BE PURSUING, OBVIOUSLY WE'RE GONNA GET BACK INTO THOSE DESIGN DETAILS AND CONTINUE THE PUBLIC PROCESS.
SO THIS WON'T BE THE LAST TIME OBVIOUSLY THAT WE'LL BE BACK BEFORE YOU TO TALK ABOUT LIGHT RAIL AND WE'LL BE GETTING INTO, YOU KNOW, MORE DESIGN DETAILS AS THEY, AS THEY RELATE SPECIFICALLY, UM, TO PARKLAND.
SO, UM, JUST TO SAY THAT'S TO COME.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO COLLECT AS MUCH FEEDBACK AS WE POSSIBLY CAN, UM, DURING THIS PROCESS.
THE, THE RESPONSE ACTUALLY HAS BEEN INCREDIBLY ROBUST.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD OVER 10,000 VISITS TO THE WEBSITE AND UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT CLEARLY THERE'S AN APPETITE FOR, UH, FOR MORE PUBLIC TRANSIT OPTIONS.
AND SO WE'RE JUST TRYING TO GET AS MUCH PUBLIC KIM INFO AS WE CAN SO THAT WE CAN FOLD THAT INTO THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION IT'S COMING, UM, YOU KNOW, PROBABLY AT THE END OF MAY.
SO, AND WITH THAT, LOVES TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.
YEAH, LET'S JUMP IN WITH QUESTIONS.
YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO KNOW A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT, UM, HOW YOU WERE REACHING OUT FOR, FOR THE YOUTH'S VOICE.
EDWARDS UNIVERSITY AT HOUSTON? TILTS IN AT SOME OF THESE, THESE PLACES WHERE WE MIGHT GET THAT.
IT'S A GREAT, IT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
UM, AND GIANNIS, IF YOU, IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU WANNA WEIGH IN ON US TOO? CUZ GIANNIS IS OBVIOUSLY SAT THERE IN THE COMMUNITY ALL THE TIME.
WE ARE REALLY TRYING TO MEET, JUST GENERALLY SPEAKING, THE COMMUNITY BROADLY WHERE THEY ARE.
RIGHT? SO GOING OUT TO PEOPLE AS OPPOSED TO, YOU KNOW, MAKING THEM COME TO US.
UM, I KNOW THAT WE DID HAVE AN EVENT AT HOUSTON TILL ITON EARLIER IN THE MONTH, I BELIEVE.
UM, BUT I DON'T KNOW GIANNI, THERE'S SPECIFIC DETAILS ABOUT YOUTH THAT YOU CAN SHARE WITH THE, WITH THE BOARD.
UH, YEAH, WE WERE AT, UH, HOUSTON TILLEN FOR HER EARTH DAY.
WE WERE, WE'VE BEEN THERE FOR SOME OTHER EVENTS.
UM, WE WERE INVITED OUT THERE, SO WE WAS IN THE STUDENT COMMON AREA.
UH, TALKING TO STUDENTS THERE.
WE'VE HAVE MEETINGS AT, UH, UT AS WELL.
WELL, UH, WE'VE BEEN OVER AT ACC UH, LAST WEEK AS WELL, UM, PARTICIPATING.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO GET THEM WHERE THEY ARE.
UH, AND THEN OF COURSE JUST TRYING TO GET SOME ADVERTISEMENTS WHERE THEY ARE READING AND PUTTING STUFF ON FACEBOOK AS WELL AS, UH, TWITTER AND OTHER FORMS OF SOCIAL MEDIA.
AND THEN OF COURSE, THE GOOD OLD FASHIONED SPREAD.
THE WORD, UH, NEVER HURTS EITHER.
SO WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO BE EVERYWHERE WE CAN FIND EVERYBODY, UH, AND JUST TRYING TO GET PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE.
I KNOW THIS IS A QUESTION THAT YOU, YOU GET A LOT, BUT, UM, PHILOSOPHICAL QUESTION.
UH, CITY NEIGHBORHOODS AND DEMOGRAPHICS CHANGE OVER TIME.
AREN'T BUSES MORE FLEXIBLE? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
UM, I'M GONNA LET JEN, WHO'S WORKED IN NO, WORKED WITH THESE SYSTEMS BOTH WITH BUS AND WITH RAIL IN OTHER CITIES, AND TALK ABOUT EXPERIENCE WITH THAT, WHY WE ENDED UP WITH LIGHTNING.
WELL, UH, I CAN, I CAN ANSWER THAT A COUPLE WAYS.
LET ME START WITH THIS, WHICH IS THAT WE ARE CONTEMPLATING A FUTURE CONDITION HERE.
UM, WE'RE LOOKING AT LAND USE FORECASTS, POPULATION FORECASTS, AND REALLY PLANNING, THIS IS A GENERATIONAL TYPE OF, OF PROJECT.
SO WE ARE, YES, WE'RE LOOKING AT EXISTING CONDITIONS, BUT WE'RE ALSO LOOKING TO THE FUTURE AS WELL.
SO OVERALL SORT OF A DECISION OF WHY WOULD YOU PURSUE, YOU KNOW, A BUS PROJECT OR A LIGHT RAIL PROJECT.
UH, SO IN THIS CASE, REALLY THE RIDERSHIP, UM, AND THE DEMAND THAT IS ANTICIPATED DROVE IT BECAUSE, UH, BUS AND LIGHT RAIL, THEY'RE, THEY REALLY WORK.
IDEALLY THEY WORK TOGETHER IN ONE SYSTEM.
AND SO YOU WOULD TAKE A BUS FOR A MORE LOCAL TRIP.
IT TYPICALLY STOPS MORE OFTEN.
UM, WHEREAS LIGHT RAIL IS A HIGHER CAPACITY SERVICE, UM, THAT WOULD SERVE YOUR CORE ROUTES WHERE YOU HAVE THE MOST RIDERSHIP AND PROVIDES AN OPTION THAT WILL GET PEOPLE TO THEIR DESTINATION FASTER.
UM, AND IN AN ENVIRONMENT LIKE WE HAVE WHERE WE HAVE A LOT OF POPULATION GROWTH, UM, AND A LOT OF TRAFFIC GROWTH, THAT EXCLUSIVE GUIDEWAY, UM, PROVIDES, YOU KNOW, GREATER ASSURANCE THAT WE'RE GOING TO MEET THE RELIABILITY STANDARDS THAT WE SET.
SO THOSE ARE A COUPLE OF THE, THE THINGS I WOULD SAY.
UM, FIRST, COULD YOU TELL ME YOUR METHODOLOGY FOR HOW YOU CALCULATED THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF, UH, DAILY RIDERSHIP FOR THE DIFFERENT ROUTES OR WHERE I CAN FIND IT? I TRIED LOOKING ON YOUR WEBSITE, BUT IT, IT SEEMS QUITE WEIRD.
THERE'S NOT A SEARCH FUNCTION ON THAT WEBSITE.
SEEMS KIND OF ODD, BUT, WHICH, JUST SO WE KNOW WHICH THE, THE ATP, THE,
[01:05:01]
NO, THE PROJECT CONNECT WEBSITE THAT'S REFERENCED AND THERE'S NO SEARCH FUNCTION IN IT, WHICH SEEMS SORT OF ODD.UM, CUZ I THOUGHT, WELL, I'LL JUST SEARCH FOR METHODOLOGY AND I DON'T HAVE TO ASK THIS QUESTION, BUT I COULDN'T FIND IT.
SO, UH, THE QUESTION OF HOW DO WE GET TO THOSE RIDERSHIP ESTIMATES? WE USE A MODEL CALLED STOPS, WHICH IS, IS DEVELOPED BY FTA.
UM, AND, AND THAT GIVES US, UH, THOSE NUMBERS THAT YOU SAW ON THE SLIDES WERE, UM, AVERAGE, UH, WEEKDAY RIDERSHIP NUMBERS.
UM, AND SO, SO SOME OF THE INPUTS TO STOPS ARE POPULATION DENSITY, EMPLOYMENT DENSITY.
UH, WE ALSO PUT IN INFORMATION THAT CAT METRO PREPARES ON ORIGINS AND DESTINATIONS THAT REFLECT LOCAL TRIP PATTERNS, UM, AND HOW IT ASSESSES KIND OF WHO'S GOING TO TAKE TRANSIT AND WHO'S GONNA BE A WRITER.
UM, IT DEPENDS ON A LOT OF THINGS, BUT THEY INCLUDE, UH, KIND OF LOOKING AT THE TRIPS, WOULD, UH, YOU KNOW, A RATIONAL PERSON CHOOSE TO TAKE TRANSIT HERE VERSUS A CAR? AND USUALLY THAT HAS, COMES DOWN TO TRAVEL TIME, BUT IT DOES ALSO CONSIDER THINGS LIKE PARKING COSTS, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, AS PART OF THE OVERALL ATTRACTIVENESS OF, OF A TRANSIT TRIP.
SO IF I COULD JUST SUMMARIZE, IT'S A PREDICTIVE MODEL THAT YOU'RE INPUTTING CURRENT DAY VALUES IN BASED ON SORT OF WHAT CAP METRO ALREADY HAS AND OTHER SORT OF DEMOGRAPHIC VALUES LOCALLY.
UM, AND WE, WE DO PROJECT RIDERSHIP, UM, FOR A FUTURE CONDITION.
SO THOSE NUMBERS YOU WERE SEEING WERE 2040.
UM, SO SECOND QUESTION, UM, A BIT DIFFERENT, BUT, UH, IN TERMS OF CLIMATE CHANGE RESILIENCY, UM, I GUESS ONE OF THE CONCERNS I HAVE WITH AN ON STREETE MODEL THROUGH DOWNTOWN IS WE DON'T EXACTLY HAVE A GREAT SITUATION HERE WITH RAIN AND FLOODING, PARTICULARLY IN THAT AREA, CAN BE REALLY BAD AND CLIMATE CHANGE CONTINUES TO GET WORSE HERE, RIGHT? SO IS THAT SOMETHING Y'ALL ARE CONSIDERING AND YOU KNOW, SORT OF WHAT'S, HOW HAS THAT BEEN CONSIDERED AS YOU'RE CONSIDERING THE DIFFERENT OPTIONS? YEAH, SO, UM, ABSOLUTELY.
UM, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY WE HAVE TO DESIGN, UM, YOU KNOW, TO BE OUTSIDE OF THE FLOODPLAIN.
UM, ONE OF THE, THE ADVANTAGES TO BEING ELEVATED, PARTICULARLY ON THAT SECTION OF THE SOUTH OF THE RIVER, IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE INTERSECTION OF RIVERSIDE AND SOUTH FIRST STREET, IS ACTUALLY THE INTERSECTION OF THREE WATERSHEDS THAT COME TOGETHER.
SO IT'S KIND OF A SUPER FLOODPLAIN.
UM, SO ONE OF THE REASONS TO BE ELEVATED IN THAT LOCATION IS TO BE OUTSIDE OF THAT.
UM, ALTHOUGH, YOU KNOW, WE'VE, SO, BUT EVERYWHERE WE ARE LOOKING AT POTENTIALLY BEING ON STREET, WE'VE LOOKED TO, WE'VE STUDIED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE, YOU KNOW, ABOVE THE FLOODPLAIN LEVELS AS WELL AS, YOU KNOW, WITH A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF FREEBOARD.
AND THAT'S ALSO AN FDA CRITERIA THAT THEY'RE GONNA USE TO EVALUATE OUR PROGRAM AS WELL.
AND I WOULD JUST SAY THAT I THINK THE FLOODPLAIN LEVELS ARE OPEN TO DISCUSSION WHETHER THEY'RE ACCURATE, MORE, AT LEAST 14 AND EVERYTHING.
I WANNA PIGGYBACK ON ONE OF CATHERINE'S QUESTIONS, UH, ABOUT PREDICTING FUTURE RIDERSHIP.
DO YOUR NUMBERS INCLUDE CURRENT BUS RIDER? SO ARE THEY, ARE THEY NEW RIDER OR ARE THEY EXISTING RIDER ON THE SYSTEM? WELL, THAT'S A REALLY GOOD QUESTION, AND IT'S BOTH.
UM, SO WE CAN ESTIMATE THERE WOULD BE SOME CASES PROBABLY WHERE YOU HAVE RIDER ON THE BUS SYSTEM NOW WHO OPT TO, I'M SORRY, UH, MOVING TO, TO PLAYGROUND, I'M SORRY, YES.
SO THERE MIGHT BE SOME CURRENT RIDERS WHO MOVED TO LIGHT RAIL BECAUSE THAT'S A MORE EFFICIENT WAY FOR THEM TO MAKE THEIR TRIP AND OTHERS WON'T, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR VARIOUS REASONS.
AND SO IT, IT DOES INCLUDE BOTH.
AND I'M WONDERING, SO ON THE TWO RED LINES THAT WE HAVE NOW, UM, I'VE SEEN FIGURES PUBLISHED, AND I DON'T RECALL WHAT THEY ARE, THE COST PER PERSON PER RIDE TO THE TAXPAYER BECAUSE WE'RE OBVIOUSLY HEAVILY SUBSIDIZING RIGHT NOW.
SO WHAT IS THAT NUMBER? SORRY, CAN I CLARIFY? YOU ASKING FOR THE COST PER RIDER ON THE RED LINE CURRENTLY MM-HMM.
WHAT? YEAH, WHAT, I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY THE RIDER PAYS A SMALL FEE TO RIDE IT, BUT, UH, THE, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS IT COSTING THE CITY TO PER PERSON PER RIDE RIGHT NOW? YEAH, SO I DON'T THINK WE HAVE THOSE NUMBERS.
I MEAN, WE CAN GO TO, WE CAN FIND OUT FROM CAT METRO WHAT THOSE NUMBERS ARE AND THEY OPERATE THE RED LINE.
UM, THE, YOU KNOW, THE FUNDING FOR CAT METRO'S CURRENT SYSTEM, BUS AND RAIL, IT LARGELY COMES FROM THE SALES TAX PENNY, RIGHT? SO YOU'RE CORRECT THAT IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, THE, THE FEE FOR THE RIDE IS NOT PAYING FOR THE RIDE.
IT'S CERTAINLY, BUT IT'S PAID OUTTA SALES TAX, NOT EX, IT'S A DEDICATED, IT'S A DEDICATED REVENUE SOURCE.
OF COURSE, THE CONCERN IN THE FUTURE IS YOU'RE PLANNING FOR THIS HUGE POPULATION GROWTH AND, UM, I THINK LIGHT RAIL IN OTHER CITIES, IT ENDS UP THE CITY ENDS UP HAVING TO PAY SO MUCH PER RIDER.
UM, WHEREAS WITH BUSES IT DOESN'T COST THAT MUCH.
UM, I WAS GONNA SAY THAT THE, THE FUNDS THAT WERE, WERE PASSED BY VOTERS IN, IN 2020 ACTUALLY ARE INTENDED TO FUND THE OPERATIONS AND
[01:10:01]
MAINTENANCE OF LIGHT RAIL AS WELL AS THESE CAPITAL COSTS.SO THAT'S PART OF OUR FINANCIAL MODEL, AND THAT'S WHERE THAT WOULD BE COMING FROM.
AND THAT WAS THE, THAT WAS ONE AMOUNT, I THINK WHAT THE STATE OF TEXAS JUST TOLD US IS YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO INCREASE THAT AMOUNT WITHOUT ANOTHER VOTE BY THE PUBLIC.
IS THAT RIGHT? IT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
SO WHAT THE VOTERS, SO THIS IS WHAT I HOPE WE, IF WE HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THE LEGISLATURE, WE COULD SPEND A LOT OF TIME ON THAT.
UM, THE, WHAT THE VOTERS VOTED FOR WAS A TAX RATE INCREASE, RIGHT? SO IT WASN'T A BOND, IT WAS A TAX RATE INCREASE, WHICH IS PERMITTED BY STATE LAW.
UM, AND SO THAT IS A, IT'S A FUNDING SOURCE IN PERPETUITY THAT COULD BE USED, UH, BOTH TO FUND CONSTRUCTION AND TO FUND ONGOING, YOU KNOW, OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE, RIGHT.
AND THIS IS ALSO PART OF THE VOTE THAT THAT REVENUE STREAM COULD BE USED AS THE BASIS FOR DEBT ISSU, DEBT ISSUANCE, AND THE ISSUANCE OF BONDS OVER TIME BY ATP TO FUND THE CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION.
UM, THERE IS THE, THE, THERE ARE MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE THAT HAVE CHOSEN TO, UM, TAKE ISSUE WITH THOSE STRUCTURES, EVEN THOUGH, IN OUR OPINION, THEY'RE COMPLETELY CONSISTENT WITH STATE LAW.
SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S A POLITICAL CONSIDERATION.
BUT IT'S, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, ONE OF THE, THE THINGS THAT'S POSITIVE ABOUT WHAT THE VOTERS APPROVED BY OVERWHELMING MAJORITY WAS THIS ONGOING REVENUE STREAM THAT WOULD FUND OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE IN ADDITION TO CAPITAL.
AND, AND I SHOULD ADD ALSO, IT FUNDS CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION OVER TIME, RIGHT? SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE PRESENT THESE CORE SYSTEM OPTIONS, YOU KNOW, IT'S THE FIRST PHASE, RIGHT? BUT THE INTENTION IS WE CAN USE THESE REVENUE STREAM TO BUILD SUBSEQUENT PHASES AS WELL.
UM, I'VE GOT A QUESTION YOU REFERENCED PARTICULARLY WITH THE, I'M CURIOUS, PARTICULARLY WITH THE ELEVATED RAIL, YOU REFERENCED THE IMPACT THAT IT WOULD HAVE ON PARKLAND.
UM, AND I WAS WONDERING IF YOU COULD JUST ELABORATE ON THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE.
I ALWAYS GET A LITTLE NERVOUS WHEN I SEE ELEVATED TRANSIT STRUCTURES.
SO, UM, THE, IN BOTH SCENARIO, RIVER CROSSINGS, RIGHT? WHETHER WE'RE CROSSING ON THE WEST SIDE OF DOWNTOWN, YOU KNOW, NEAR THE SOUTH FIRST STREET BRIDGE OR NEAR TRINITY STREET, UM, AS WE HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN CONSIDERING, UM, THERE ARE IMPACTS TO THE PARKLAND AROUND THE LAKE, RIGHT? THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO MITIGATE.
UM, AND THAT'S ALL, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY FEDERALLY REGULATED THROUGH OUR PROCESS.
SO IT'S A VERY STRUCTURED PROCESS.
UM, IN SOME CASES WHERE WE ARE CROSSING OR IMPACTING PARKLAND, THAT IS PART OF THE FEDERALLY FUNDED LAND CONSERVATION TRUST, WE ACTUALLY HAVE TO REPLACE THAT PARKLAND ONE FOR ONE, RIGHT? IN A SIMILAR, YOU KNOW, OF SIMILAR QUALITY, RIGHT? SO THAT'S A WHOLE PROCESS THAT WE WILL, ONCE WE UNDERSTAND WHAT THOSE IMPACTS ARE, WE WILL HAVE TO MITIGATE THEM WITH APPROPRIATE MEASURES, UM, YOU KNOW, TO BASICALLY MAKE THE CITY WHOLE IN TERMS OF ITS PARKLAND.
UM, SO I THINK THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT'S PART OF THE DESIGN PROCESS AND YOU KNOW, THAT'S OBVIOUSLY AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR, OF THE DESIGN.
WE ALL WANT TO OBVIOUSLY WANT TO MINIMIZE THOSE IMPACTS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, BUT WHERE THERE ARE IMPACTS WE HAVE TO MITIGATE THEM.
CAN YOU ELABORATE ON WHAT YOU MEAN BY THE ELEVATED LIGHT RAIL WOULD BE ENCLOSED? YEAH, SO, UM, ESSENTIALLY IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE ELEVATED LIGHT RAIL, IT'S, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE AN ELEVATED STRUCTURE WHEN YOU COME INTO A STATION, THERE'S A ELEVATED PLATFORM.
THAT PLATFORM WOULD LIKELY BE OPEN TO THE AIR, RIGHT? UM, HOWEVER, IF YOU THINK ABOUT VERTICAL CIRCULATION ELEMENTS TO GET FROM THE GROUND TO THE PLATFORM WILL REQUIRE ELEVATORS, ESCALATORS, UM, STAIRS AS WELL, RIGHT? ESCALATORS AND ELEVATORS, BECAUSE OF THE, THE MECHANICAL COMPONENTS OF THEM DON'T REALLY WANT TO BE EXPOSED TO THE WEATHER BECAUSE THEY, YOU KNOW, YOU GET WATER AND LEAVES IN THEM, AND THEN THEY, THAT'S WHERE THEY, YOU HAVE REPAIR ISSUES, MAINTENANCE ISSUES.
SO PART OF THE STRATEGY IS YOU CREATE, ESSENTIALLY AN ENCLOSURE THAT THEN THOSE VERTICAL CIRCULATIONS ELEMENTS CAN SIT WITHIN.
SO YOU'RE JUST PROVIDING LITTLE EXTRA PROTECTION, PARTICULARLY AT THE GROUND LEVEL FOR THOSE ELEMENTS.
SO I GUESS, UM, THE QUESTION THAT CAME TO MY MIND IS, IF YOU'RE RIDING ON THIS HYPOTHETICAL ELEVATED LIGHT RAIL AS A PASSENGER, WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO LOOK OUT AND SEE THE CITY? OR IS THERE GONNA BE A BIG WALL? OH, YEAH, NO.
SO IF YOU'RE RIDING THE TRAIN AS AN EL ON AN ELEVATED STRUCTURE, YES, YOU CAN SEE THE CITY, I MEAN, THE TRAINS HAVE WINDOWS, AND THEN WHEN YOU COME INTO THE STATION, TYPICALLY.
YEAH, I LOVE THE IDEA OF BEING ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, TO LOOK AROUND AND SEE WHAT'S PASSING BY INSTEAD OF
[01:15:01]
BEING, YOU KNOW, ENCLOSED IN A TUNNEL.SO, BUT I THINK I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU MEAN.
LIKE THE STATION WOULD BE THE ENCLOSED PART.
AND TYPICALLY, IF YOU LOOK AT OTHER CONTEMPORARY EXAMPLES, THOSE BUILT ELEMENTS WANT TO BE LARGELY GLAZED SO THAT YOU CAN HAVE REALLY CLEAR SIGHT LINES IN AND OUT FOR SAFETY PURPOSES AND OTHER REASONS, RIGHT? MM-HMM.
OTHER QUESTIONS FROM, UH, ALRIGHT.
BOARD MEMBER HUG MEN, BUT I'D ALSO LIKE TO HEAR FROM BOARD MEMBERS HAVE NOT SPOKEN YET.
CAN YOU GIVE US A LITTLE BIT OF, UM, THE TIME, I'M SURE THIS IS ON YOUR WEBSITE, BUT THE TIMELINE AFTER THE PUBLIC INPUT PERIOD IS CLOSED ON MAY 2ND.
UM, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT AFTER PUBLIC INPUT CLOSES? SO, UM, I, I THINK WE MENTIONED DURING THE PRESENTATION THAT WE ARE LOOKING TO CONVENE THE JOINT PARTNERSHIP ON, ON JUNE 6TH TO, UM, POTENTIALLY TAKE AN ACTION ON WHICH OPTION WE CONTINUE TO ADVANCE.
FOLLOWING THAT, WE'D CONTINUE WITH PRELIMINARY, EXPLAIN WHAT THE JOINT PARTNERSHIP IS.
SO THE JOINT PARTNERSHIP, UH, CONCLUDES THE ATP BOARD, THE CAT METRO BOARD, AND THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL, UM, WHO TOGETHER WOULD, YOU KNOW, CONSIDER A RECOMMENDATION FOR THE, THE PROJECT TO ADVANCE.
UM, AND THEN FOLLOWING THAT, WE WOULD BE DOING PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING AND WE DO THE ENVIRONMENTAL WORK, UM, REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH NPA AND OTHER, UH, STATUTES.
THAT WOULD PROBABLY TAKE US CERTAINLY INTO 2024.
WE WOULD ANTICIPATE, UH, A DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT BEING ISSUED FOR PUBLIC REVIEW AND COMMENT IN 2024.
UM, AND THEN FOLLOWING THE CONCLUSION OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROCESS, WE WOULD BE INTO FINAL DESIGN AND EVENTUALLY CONSTRUCTION.
SO CONSTRUCTION IS PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, THREE E YEARS AWAY.
THERE MAY BE SOME EARLY, SOME EARLY WORK PARTICULARLY WITH ASSOCIATED WITH UTILITIES.
SO THE FIRST PACKAGE IS YOU HAVE TO, IF THERE ARE UTILITY CONFLICTS, YOU WANNA MOVE THOSE FIRST TO GET THEM OUT OF THE WAY.
UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, CONSTRUCTION IS PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, THREE YEARS AWAY AND WE'RE DECIDING KIND OF THE, THE DELIVERY METHOD THAT'S MOST APPROPRIATE, WHICH WILL HAVE SOME BEARING ON THE SCHEDULE TOO.
UM, SO AIRPORT, UH, THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ON, ON THAT PARTICULAR LINE, I'M THINKING, UH, SO MANY PEOPLE USE RIDESHARE AND THAT'S QUICK AND EASY, UM, LESS TIME TRANSIT, IT'S FAIRLY AFFORDABLE.
SO WHAT WERE YOUR NUMBERS? LIKE, WHAT DOES THE PUBLIC SAY? ARE THEY REALLY WANTING THAT LINE OUT TO THE AIRPORT, OR WOULD THAT BE THE FIRST THING THAT GETS CUT OF ALL THE LINES YOU'VE GOT? YEAH, SO, UM, I WILL SAY THAT THE, THE AIRPORT IS ONE TOPIC THAT WE'VE GOTTEN A LOT OF FEEDBACK ON, RIGHT? AND I WOULD SAY IT'S PRETTY EVENLY DIVIDED.
A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE LIKE, IF YOU'RE GONNA DO THIS, YOU'VE GOTTA GET TO THE AIRPORT, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT BIG CITIES DO, RIGHT? THEY, THEY HAVE A TRANSIT LINE, ONE SEAT RIDE TO THE AIRPORT.
THERE'S A, I WOULD SAY AN EQUAL NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO SAY, YOU KNOW, REALLY OUR PRIORITY NEEDS TO BE EVERYDAY USERS OF TRANSIT, RIGHT? OVER TOURISTS.
SO, BOTH OF WHICH ARE GOOD ARGUMENTS,
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN, UM, IF WE DON'T, AREN'T ABLE TO GET TO THE AIRPORT WITH THE CORE SYSTEM PHASE, YOU KNOW, WHAT OTHER OPTIONS COULD THERE BE TO PROVIDE THAT LAST CONNECTION TO THE AIRPORT, UM, TO FACILITATE A TRANSIT CONNECTION TO THE AIRPORT AND POTENTIALLY, YOU KNOW, ANOTHER KIND OF PHASE OR WAY TO, TO COMPLETE THAT CONNECTION.
I'LL JUST SAY THAT I, I ACTUALLY HAD A SIMILAR QUESTION ABOUT THE AIRPORT, UM, STOP.
UM, I JUST ACTUALLY TOOK THE BUS HOME FROM THE AIRPORT TODAY AND IT'S AWESOME.
UM, NOW THAT WE HAVE TRANSIT LANES ON RIVERSIDE, SO IT WAS SUPER FAST ACTUALLY.
UM, AND LOOKING AT SOME OF THESE OPTIONS THAT, YOU KNOW, GO SORT OF HALFWAY DOWN RIVERSIDE TO THE AIRPORT, YOU KNOW, I WAS THINKING, WELL, DO YOU HAVE TO, IF YOU'RE THEN BUSING, DO YOU GET OFF THE BUS AND THEN LIKE, HAVE TO GET ON THE TRAIN, DO THE TRANSIT LANES FOR THE BUS GO AWAY? YOU KNOW, I HAVE YOU GUYS THOUGHT ABOUT THAT KIND OF INTERPLAY.
SO, UM, IT'S A QUESTION WE GET A LOT, RIGHT? LIKE, WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN TO THE EXISTING BUS NETWORK MM-HMM.
AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THEN JEN MENTIONED EARLIER THAT THE, THE BUS AND THE RAIL NEED TO WORK TOGETHER, RIGHT? THE RAIL CAN'T DO EVERYTHING.
IT'S GONNA BE A, YOU KNOW, PART OF A SYSTEM THAT WORKS WITH THE BUS SYSTEM.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, THE 20, WHICH IS THE, THE BUS TO THE AIRPORT, WHICH IS A LOCAL SERVICE, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S ENTIRELY LIKELY THAT THE 20 WOULD CONTINUE TO RUN ON RIVERSIDE BECAUSE THAT IS MORE FREQUENT STOPS, RIGHT? AND SO, AGAIN, DIFFERENT
[01:20:01]
PEOPLE, DEPENDING ON THEIR JOURNEY, COULD USE THE 20 IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE LIGHT RAIL, YOU KNOW, TO GET WHERE THEY NEED TO GO GO.SO, UM, THE SPECIFICS OF HOW THE BUS NETWORK WILL EVOLVE, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, A LOT MORE STUDY REQUIRED FOR THAT.
UM, DEPENDING ON WHICH OPTION GETS CHOSEN, I THINK WITH ALL OF THEM, WE'VE TRIED TO OPTIMIZE CONNECTION TO THE BUS NETWORK AND LIKELY, YOU KNOW, BUS CONNECTIONS.
UM, BUT CERTAINLY THE DETAILS OF THAT, YOU KNOW, WILL COME AND WILL EVOLVE OVER TIME.
ALSO, BY THE TIME THAT WE'RE, WE'RE IMPLEMENTING, PUTTING THE TRAIN INTO REVENUE SERVICE, YOU KNOW, THERE WILL BE NEW NEEDS THAT THE BUS NETWORK HAS TO SERVE.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE TRY NOT TO PRECLUDE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES, BUT ACTUALLY ENABLE THEM, YOU KNOW, DOWN THE LINE.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT, WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
[3. Staff briefing on Parks and Recreation Department community engagement events, planning updates, development updates, maintenance updates, program updates and administrative updates]
BRIEFING ON, UM, PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EVENTS, PLANNING UPDATES, DEVELOPMENT, MAINTENANCE PROGRAM AND ADMINISTRATIVE UPDATES, UM, FROM THE DIRECTOR.SO BOARD MEMBERS, KIMBERLY MCNEELY SERVING AS THE PARKS AND RECREATION DIRECTOR AS PART OF YOUR PACKET OR ONLINE, YOU'LL SEE POSTED SOMETHING THAT'S CALLED THE DIRECTOR'S REPORT.
IT'S A 26 PAGE DOCUMENT THAT HELPS ALL OF YOU TO KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT, UH, THIS PAST MONTH OR THINGS THAT ARE COMING UP THIS MONTH.
SO I AM NOT GOING TO READ THIS ENTIRE, UH, DOCUMENT TO YOU, BUT I AM GONNA HIGHLIGHT A FEW THINGS.
ONE THING THAT IS NOT IN THE DOCUMENT IS THE DEPARTMENT IS THIS WEEK, UH, THE 24TH THROUGH THE 28TH IS GOING THROUGH ITS FINAL STAGES OF ACCREDITATION.
SO IT HAS BEEN ACTUALLY AN ACCREDITED AGENCY SINCE 2007.
AND SO THIS IS REALLY CALLED RE-ACCREDITATION, WHICH JUST MEANS THAT WE ARE MEETING WITH THE FOLKS THAT ARE PART OF THE NATIONAL RECREATION AND PARKS AS ASSOCIATION, WHO THEN HAVE AN ACCREDITATION PROGRAM TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR DEPARTMENT IS, UH, UTILIZING THE BEST PRACTICES IN THE INDUSTRY AND, UM, DEMONSTRATING THAT IT HAS THE LEADERSHIP QUALITIES TO BE, UH, ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE RECOGNIZED DEPARTMENTS THROUGH THE NATIONAL PARKS AND RECREATION ASSOCIATION.
AND SO WE ARE IN THAT, THAT FINAL STAGES.
WE'VE PUT TOGETHER WHAT THEY CALL A SELF-ASSESSMENT.
WE'VE ANSWERED QUESTIONS, WE'RE PROVIDING EVIDENCE OF COMPLIANCE.
WE HAVE A FEW MORE INTERVIEWS THIS WEEK JUST TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS.
AND THEN IT IS OUR EXPECTATION, FINGERS CROSSED, RIGHT? YOU DON'T WANNA JINX YOURSELF, THAT THEN WE WILL BE RECOMMENDED TO THE, UH, FULL ACCREDITATION BOARD, UH, TO, TO BE AN ACCREDITED AGENCY ONCE AGAIN, AS SINCE WE HAVE BEEN SINCE 2007, WHERE WE WOULD RECEIVE THAT, UM, FINAL ACCREDITATION, UH, BESTOWED UPON US IN, UH, SEPTEMBER OR OCTOBER AT THE NATIONAL RECREATION AND PARKS ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE.
SO, UM, WE'VE, WE'VE DONE ALL THE, THE PRE-WORK, WE JUST NEED THE FINAL STAMP OF APPROVAL.
I'D ALSO LIKE TO LET YOU KNOW THAT IN OUR AUDIENCE WE HAVE, UM, MS. UH, MARTHA LANGFORD, AND SHE IS FROM THE GUS GARCIA RECREATION CENTER.
AND I LEFT SOMETHING UP ON YOUR, UH, ON HER BEHALF.
I LEFT A PIECE OF INFORMATION FOR YOU, UM, ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE GUS GARCIA RECREATION CENTER AND ALSO I, I MADE AN EMAIL CONNECTION BETWEEN YOU AND MS. LANGFORD WHO WOULD LIKE TO SHARE INFORMATION WITH YOU ABOUT HOW MUCH SHE CARES ABOUT THE CENTER.
THERE WASN'T SOMETHING ON OUR, UM, PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS, I'M SORRY, SHE WASN'T ABLE TO SIGN UP FOR PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS CUZ WE ONLY TOOK 10 AND THERE WASN'T AN AGENDA ITEM.
SO I SAID THAT I WOULD AT LEAST RECOGNIZE THAT SHE CAME ALL THE WAY HERE, UH, AND, UM, MAKE SURE THAT I MADE THAT CONNECTION WITH YOU.
SO, VERY QUICKLY ON PAGE ONE, PLEASE KNOW THAT THERE IS, UM, A HIGHLIGHT ABOUT THE, UH, PARTNERSHIP THAT THE AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT HAS WITH THE AUSTIN, AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION PARK HAS WITH THE AUSTIN PARKS FOUNDATION AND THE AUSTIN SPURS.
RIGHT? THE SAN ANTONIO SPURS HAS STARTED IN AUSTIN SPURS, AND THEY ARE, UM, REFURBISHING COURTS THROUGHOUT THE SIT THROUGHOUT OUR PARK SYSTEM WITH THE FIRST ONE BEING AT THE DOVE SPRINGS, I'M SORRY, THE, WELL, IT'S THE DOVE SPRINGS DISTRICT PARK,
[01:25:01]
UM, WHERE GEORGE MORALES DOVE SPRINGS RECREATION CENTER IS LOCATED.IF YOU ARE INTERESTED ON FRIDAY, MAY 12TH, THE WOOLDRIDGE SQUARE HISTORICAL MARKER WILL BE DEDICATED ON THAT PARTICULAR DAY, AND YOU ARE MOST WELCOME TO ATTEND.
PLEASE KNOW THAT ON SATURDAY, SO NOW I'M ON PAGE TWO ON SATURDAY, MAY 20TH, THE OAKWOOD CHAPEL RESTORATION WILL HAVE AN ALL TOGETHER HERE MEMORIAL EVENT WHERE WE'LL BE MEMORIALIZING THE INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE, UM, DISINTERRED.
RIGHT? WE WERE, WE TOOK THOSE, THOSE BODIES THAT WE FOUND BECAUSE THE CHAPEL ITSELF, WHEN WE DID THE RENOVATIONS, WE FOUND THAT INDIVIDUALS HAD BEEN BURIED UNDERNEATH THE CHAPEL AND WE REINTERRED THEM.
AND NOW WE'RE GONNA HAVE A CELEBRATION WITH ACTUAL MEMORIAL MARKERS TO CELEBRATE THE LIVES OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO, UM, SET TO REST, NOT UNDERNEATH THE CHAPEL, BUT IN MORE OF A, A PROPER SPACE, UH, BESIDE THE CHAPEL.
UM, I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE VOTED PREVIOUSLY ON THE BRODY OAKS PU AND IT WAS SET TO GO TO COUNCIL MULTIPLE TIMES, AND IT HAS BEEN NOW BEEN, UM, JUST SO YOU KNOW, IT HAS NOW BEEN POSTPONED AND WON'T COME BEFORE COUNSEL UNTIL MAY 18TH.
UM, IF YOU ARE TO, UM, IF YOU ARE TO GO TO PAGE, I'M JUST FLIPPING THROUGH HERE.
IF YOU GO TO PAGE NINE, I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT OUR TEAM PROGRAM HAS BEEN, UH, TAKING INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE TEENAGERS AND PERHAPS EXPLORING COLLEGES.
WE'RE TAKING THEM TO DIFFERENT COLLEGES CAMPUSES, AND THIS TIME WE TOOK THEM TO THE BOBCAT DAY AT THE TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY ON APRIL 15TH, SO WE COULD EXPOSE YOUTH WHO MIGHT NOT NORMALLY BE EXPOSED TO DIFFERENT COLLEGES, AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN ABOUT WHAT THAT EXPERIENCE COULD BE.
THERE WERE MULTIPLE, MULTIPLE, MULTIPLE SPRING FLING EVENTS TO CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAY.
EVERYTHING FROM CARNIVALS TO EASTER EGG, UM, HUNTS TO BUNNY'S, DRESSING UP TO, UM, JUST FUN GAMES THAT FOLKS COULD, UH, PLAY THROUGHOUT THE PARK SYSTEM ALL IN THE MONTH OF APRIL.
UM, I'M ALSO WANNA BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION THAT A MOVIE IN THE NIGHT, UH, ON NIGHT MOVIES AT NIGHT, HAS BEEN STARTED AT THE SOUTH AUSTIN RECREATION CENTER.
SO ON PAGE 12, AND THE NEXT MOVIE IS MAY 12TH, JUST IN CASE YOU'D LIKE TO TAKE YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS TO SEE THE MOVIE.
PLEASE KNOW THAT WE HAD AN ANNUAL SENIOR DAY, PAGE 14 AT VIRGINIA L. BROWN, WHERE, UM, THE, WHEN I SAY SENIORS, WE MEAN HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS CAME AND DID SOME VOLUNTEER DAYS AT, AT BOTH, UH, VIRGINIA L. BROWN, AND AT, UH, DITMAR RECREATION CENTER.
THE O HENRY MUSEUM HAS ITS ANNUAL PUN OFF, UH, ONE OF MY PERSONAL FAVORITES ON MAY 13TH FROM 11 TO SIX.
UH, PLEASE KNOW THAT WE HAVE, AND I KNOW THAT YOU MIGHT BE TALKING ABOUT THIS LATER, ABOUT, UM, SPECIFIC THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THE PARK SYSTEM RELATED TO CRIME OR RELATED TO SOME BAD BEHAVIORS.
PLEASE KNOW THAT IT'S NOT IN THIS REPORT, BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO KNOW THAT WE HAVE BEEN DOING RESEARCH ABOUT CAMERAS.
WE'VE BEEN DOING RESEARCH ABOUT LIGHTS, UM, WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT GATES, WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO SEE IF THERE ARE INDIVIDUALS, UH, CONTRACTED COMPANIES THAT CAN HELP US WITH DIFFERENT SORTS OF SECURITY MEASURES THROUGHOUT THE PARK SYSTEM.
AND WE'LL BE LISTENING TO WHAT IT IS THAT YOU HAVE TO SAY TONIGHT ABOUT YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS, AND THEN BUILDING UPON THAT RESEARCH SO THAT WE CAN COME BACK PERHAPS WITH A MORE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN OR AT LEAST SOME RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HOW WE MIGHT START SOMETHING AS A PILOT PROGRAM BECAUSE WE HAVE 348 PARKS, 20,000 ACRES OF LAND, AND I DON'T THINK WE CAN CAMERA AND LIGHT ANY OF IT TO THE EXTENT THAT SOME INDIVIDUALS, IF WE JUST PUT ONE LIGHT IN OUR RESEARCH, IF WE JUST PUT ONE LIGHT IN CAMERA AND EVERY PARK, THAT WOULD BE AN 8 MILLION INVESTMENT.
AND THAT'S BECAUSE RIGHT NOW WE WOULD HAVE TO RENT THEM BECAUSE WE WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH A WHOLE PERMITTING PROCESS FOR THE INFRASTRUCTURE.
SO WE'RE GONNA BE LISTENING TO WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY TONIGHT AND THEN COMING BACK WITH SOME IDEAS OF HOW WE WOULD WANT TO, UM, IMPLEMENT YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS ALONG WITH THE RESEARCH.
PLEASE KNOW THAT THE MSS BARTOS MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER ON PAGE 19, IT IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION, AND SO IT IS CLOSED, BUT THEY HAVE TAKEN ALL OF THEIR PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE PARK SYSTEM AND THEY ARE OFFERING, UM, PROGRAMS AT VARIOUS RECREATION CENTERS.
AND THEY DID DO A BREAKING BARRIERS LATINX YOUTH CONFERENCE AT THE CARVER MUSEUM IN THE MONTH OF APRIL.
UM, ONE THING ON PAGE, UH, 23 AND 22, 22 23, SORRY.
UH, THE, THE SUMMER PLAYGROUND PROGRAM IS ABOUT TO RAMP UP.
AND SO WE'VE BEEN, UH, SENDING OUT AS AN OUTREACH, UH, WE'VE HAD, UH, WHAT WE CALL THE SUMMER PLAYGROUND POP-UP PROGRAM TO LET PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE MIGHT BE HA WE WOULD BE HAVING A POP-UP PROGRAM IN THEIR AREA SO THEY COULD PRE-REGISTER THEIR CHILDREN TO BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT PROGRAM.
AND ALSO, THE ZILKER SHUTTLE IS GONNA RETURN THIS YEAR, AND THE ZILKER SHUTTLE IS AN ALTERNATIVE TO
[01:30:01]
DRIVING TO ZILKER PARK.YOU CAN DRIVE, UM, TO A, UH, TO THE ONE TEXAS CENTER PARKING GARAGE, THERE'S A SHUTTLE THAT WILL TAKE YOU FREE OF CHARGE.
SO IT'S FREE TO PARK AND IT'S FREE OF CHARGE TO BE ABLE TO TAKE THE SHUTTLE, AND WE WILL DRIVE YOU TO ZILKER.
AND THIS YEAR WE ARE ADDING AN AMENITY SO THAT INSTEAD OF HAVING A SINGLE DROP OFF LOCATION, WE'RE LOOKING TO TRY TO HAVE MULTIPLE DROP OFF LOCATIONS TO MAKE IT AS CONVENIENT AS POSSIBLE.
SO THAT'S IN ADDITION TO, UM, THE THINGS THAT WE DID LAST YEAR.
WE ALREADY STARTED WITH A PRESS RELEASE THE EARLIER THIS MONTH TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE WERE AWARE OF, OF THAT PARTICULAR OPPORTUNITY.
LIFEGUARDING, PLEASE KNOW THAT WE ARE, UM, WE, ALL OF OUR INDICATORS ARE SAYING THAT WE'VE DONE THE BEST.
WE'VE DONE AS MUCH AS WE CAN DO, I WON'T SAY THE BEST, WE'VE DONE AS MUCH AS WE CAN DO AT THIS POINT TO BE ABLE TO, UM, RECRUIT LIFEGUARDS.
SO WE HAVE A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS IN ADVERTISING THAT WE'VE INVESTED IN.
YOU MAY HAVE SEEN SOMETHING IN THE CHRONICLE, THE AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMEN.
YOU'LL SEE, UH, REAL ESTATE SIGNS, BANNERS, THINGS ON TV, THINGS ON, UH, THE AN N P R OR K U T.
WE HAVE A $20 AN HOUR, UH, RATE.
UM, I, I KNOW THAT, UM, YOU, YOU ARE AWARE THAT WE'VE HAVE A TRAINING STIPEND, WE'RE PAYING FOR UNIFORMS. SO WE'VE MADE EVERY EFFORT TO ENSURE THAT OUR SWIMMING POOLS WERE OPEN, UH, THIS YEAR.
ALL OF THEM JUST WANTED TO REMIND YOU ON PAGE 26, THERE'S INFORMATION ABOUT THE BUDGET DEVELOPMENT PROCESS.
IF AS YOU'RE FOLLOWING THAT, UM, OUR TEAM DID, UH, PARTICIPATE IN, UH, A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TRAINING FUNDAMENTALS TO PUBLIC PARTICIPATION.
AND IT'S IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO KNOW THAT LEONA AND MANY OF HER TEAM MEMBERS AT, NOT, NOT LEONA THIS TIME, BUT MANY OF HER TEAM MEMBERS WHO ARE, UM, IN THE FIELD OF ARCHITECTURE AND ENGINEERING, UH, AND SPECIFICALLY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTING, DID ATTEND THE, OUR ATTENDING THE TEXAS AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS.
SO, UH, WE ARE KEEPING UP WITH OUR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.
THE REST OF IT'S IN THE PAPER OR IN THAT DOCUMENT.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME AND I WILL HAND IT OVER BACK TO THE CHAIR FOR THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA.
UM, DOES THE BOARD HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR STAFF ABOUT THIS REPORT? UM, IT'S REGARDING THE FISCAL YEAR 22 ANNUAL CONCESSION REPORT, AND IT'S ALSO ON PAGE 25 WITH THE ZILKER CAFE.
I JUST WANTED TO KNOW IF THE SOLICITATION FOR A LONG-TERM CONCESSION ERROR FOR THE CAFE IS STILL ON TARGET TO BE RELEASED IN MAY? YES.
AND THERE IS A, JUST FOR YOUR INFORMATION, THERE IS A CONCESSION, THERE IS A PORTABLE CONCESSION, SELF-CONTAINED, AND THERE ARE, UM, OTHER SMALLER CONCESSIONERS THAT ARE GOING THROUGHOUT ZILKER PARK TO SELL CERTAIN SORTS OF TREATS, NOVELTIES.
SO THERE IS A CONCESSION SPACE OF, THERE IS A CONCESSION AVAILABLE AT ZILKER.
IT'S JUST NOT IN THE CONCESSION STAND.
IT'S A, IT'S A SELF-CONTAINED TRUCK, I THINK.
SO THERE'S, THERE, PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO GET SOMETHING TO EAT AND DRINK AT ZILKER AT THIS TIME, BUT THAT, THAT ZILKER CAFE WILL ALLOW US TO HAVE A, A MORE, UM, SUBSTANTIAL AND LONGER TERM CONCESSION YEAR.
I APPRECIATE THE CLARIFICATION.
THERE ARE, ARE THERE OTHER QUESTIONS? ONE MORE? YES, GO AHEAD, DIRECTOR.
UM, CAN YOU SPEAK TO, UM, SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WERE POSED BY THE CITIZEN COMMENT, THE, UM, UH, GENERAL COMMENT TONIGHT ABOUT MAINTENANCE AT BARTON SPRINGS? I KNOW I, I WAS THERE WITH YOU AND SEE THE, THE DILEMMA ABOUT THE RESTROOMS AND THE PORTA JOHNS AND SO FORTH.
CAN YOU SAY ANYTHING ABOUT MAINTENANCE THERE OR ABOUT ANY KIND OF UPDATES? SURE.
SO THE BEST WAY TO ADDRESS THAT BOARD MEMBERS IS BECAUSE IT WAS DURING PUBLIC COMMUNICATION.
AND WE DON'T RESPOND, TYPICALLY, WE DON'T RESPOND TO PUBLIC COMMUNICATION.
BUT MY BEST SUGGESTION IS TO ASK FOR THAT INFORMATION AT THE END OF THIS, UM, MEETING.
AND WE CAN EITHER PUT IT, BRING IT BACK TO YOU AS A PRESENTATION OR WE COULD PUT IT TO YOU IN MEMO FORM.
BUT EITHER WAY, YOU'LL GET THE INFORMATION.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? OKAY.
WELL, LET'S MOVE ON TO, UM, ITEM NUMBER
[4. Presentation, discussion, regarding the establishment of an intergenerational resource and activity center at the Nash Hernandez, Sr. building. (Villalobos, Flowers).]
FOUR, UM, WHICH IS PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION, UM, REGARDING THE INTERGENERATIONAL RESOURCE AND ACTIVITY CENTER AT NASH HERNANDEZ SENIOR[01:35:12]
FROM THE INTERGENERATIONAL RESOURCE AND ACTIVITY CENTER ADVISORY GROUP, UH, TO MY RIGHT IS CYNTHIA MCCULLUM AND FROM OPEN DOOR PRESCHOOL, AND ERIN, DR.AARON ALLCON FROM FAMILY ELDER CARE AND, UH, BOARD MEMBER SELMA DELLO.
AND WHAT WE'D LIKE TO DO TONIGHT IS TO GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON RESOLUTION 59 AND TO, UH, FLESH OUT FOR YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW WE'RE, UH, WHAT WE'RE DOING, UH, WITH THE CITY, UH, DIRECTIVE.
AND WE HAVE SLIDES THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO, UH, BRIEFLY REVIEW, BUT I WANTED TO HAVE, UH, CYNTHIA, UH, BEGIN JUST WITH A, UH, AN OVERVIEW, A FURTHER INTRODUCTION, AND THEN I'LL GO THROUGH SOME OF THE DETAILS, RECOGNIZING THAT WE WILL HAVE A, A CONVERSATION ABOUT THIS, CYNTHIA.
SO I'M JUST HERE IN SUPPORT OF, UM, THE PROJECT AS AN INTERESTED, UH, AND HOPEFUL, HOPEFUL, UM, PARTNER ONCE, UM, IT GETS TO THAT POINT.
UH, OPEN DOOR HAS BEEN IN AUSTIN FOR 50 YEARS, AND WE ARE DEDICATED TO SERVING THE FULL COMMUNITY THAT BEGAN AS, UH, SERVING AS AN INCLUSIVE SPACE FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES.
UM, AND NOW WE SERVE CHILDREN AND FAMILIES FROM ALL, UH, COMMUNITIES.
AND THIS IS A PARTICULAR, UH, OF PARTICULAR INTEREST TO US BECAUSE WE HAVE EXPERIENCE IN OUR SCHOOLS, UM, THROUGH A PROGRAM WITH HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES WHERE FOSTER GRANDPARENTS ARE ABLE TO ENTER, UH, AND BE IN OUR CLASSROOMS AND SERVE, UM, SERVE WITH US, UH, TO CREATE A REALLY WONDERFUL, WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT FOR CHILDREN.
SO WE ALREADY HAVE, UM, OUR OWN EXPERIENCES WITH INTERGENERATIONAL, UM, EXPERIENCES AND HOW ENRICHING THEY CAN BE FOR THE CHILDREN IN OUR CARE.
AND SO WHEN WE WERE APPROACHED ABOUT THIS PROJECT, UM, WE ABSOLUTELY SIGNED ON AS A POTENTIAL PARTNER BECAUSE WE FEEL THAT IT IS AN INCREDIBLE WAY TO SERVE, REALLY EXPAND, UM, THE PART OF THE COMMUNITY THAT WE SERVE AND, AND USE THE RESOURCES AND THE EXPERIENCES THAT WE'VE HAD WITH YOUNG CHILDREN, UM, TO ACTUALLY BENEFIT A MUCH WIDER SLICE OF OUR COMMUNITY THAN WE HAVE IN THE PAST.
SO, UM, I WILL ABSOLUTELY LEAVE THE DETAILS OF THE PROPOSAL AND WHERE IT IS IN THE PROCESS TO DOC, UH, BUT I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE EARLY CHILDHOOD PART OF THANK YOU, CYNTHIA.
AND LET'S, UH, TURN TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
I JUST WANNA EMPHASIZE HERE WE'RE FOCUSING ON IMPLEMENTATION AND THROUGH OUR, UH, COORDINATION WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN PART, UH, AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH AND, AND SEVERAL OTHER, UH, DEPARTMENTS.
UH, AND I WILL JUST REVIEW, UH, BRIEFLY, UH, FOR YOU JUST TO SORT OF SET THE BACKGROUND TO WHY THIS, UH, PROJECT, THIS INITIATIVE HAS EMERGED.
WE'RE ALL AWARE THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS RAPIDLY AGING AND IT IS NO LONGER, UH, OR BECOMING INCREASINGLY, UH, UH, NO LONGER SORT OF YOUNG AND HIP, BUT IT'S BECOMING VERY OLD AND NEEDING, UH, A GREAT DEAL OF, OF SERVICES, UH, PARTICULARLY FOR LOW INCOME SENIORS AND FOR, UH, CHILDREN, UH, AND IN LOW INCOME, UH, FAMILIES, WORKING FAMILIES, AND WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN BRING OUR COMMUNITY TOGETHER AS OPPOSED TO TEARING, UH, THEM APART IS WHAT THE ULTIMATE OBJECTIVE OF OUR IRAQ IS.
IT'S GOING TO SERVE, UH, AS A IMPORTANT HUB FOR, UH, A VARIETY OF SERVICES THAT WILL BE ADJACENT TO AFFORDABLE SENIOR HOUSING.
THE DATA HERE TO SHOW YOU IS, UH, MUCH OF IT HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S DEMOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT, BUT THEY'RE QUITE STAGGERING IN TERMS OF WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT REGARDING THE, UH, ABSOLUTE FRAILTY AND BOTH COGNITIVELY AS WELL AS, UH, PHYSICAL MOBILITY IMPAIRMENTS, UH, THAT ARE NEEDING, NEEDING TO BE, UH, ADDRESSED WITH RESPECT TO SUPPORTIVE CARE THAT WILL BE PROVIDED AT THE ADULT DAY CENTER, AS WELL AS CHILDCARE AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO, AGAIN, BRING THESE DIFFERENT GENERATIONS TOGETHER ALONG WITH, UH, AS I'LL DESCRIBE NEXT IN THE NEXT SLIDE, THE, UH, SORT OF PROJECT HISTORY WHERE THIS HAS ALL COME
[01:40:01]
FROM.BECAUSE THIS IS A MODEL, UH, NATIONALLY THAT IS A MAJOR TREND IN WAYS TO OPTIMIZE, UH, SHARED SPACES IN PUBLIC PLACES.
HOW DO WE DO THAT? AND WE STARTED, UH, ABOUT FIVE, UH, FIVE YEARS AGO.
THIS HAS ACTUALLY BEEN GOING ON SINCE THE MAYOR'S TASK FORCE ON AGING BACK IN, UH, 2012, WHERE THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UH, RECOGNIZED THIS DEMOGRAPHIC TREND.
AND THUS, UH, I HAD HAD A MEDIAN INVITED TO, UH, WASHINGTON WITH HARVARD UNIVERSITY AND THE URBAN INSTITUTE ON WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN, UH, LINK AFFORDABLE HOUSING WITH SENIOR SERVICES.
HOW DO WE DO THAT? AND USING AN INTERGENERATIONAL, UH, MODEL TO DO THAT.
WE AGAIN, UM, WITH, WITH BEEN WORKING WITH THE CITY FOR SEVERAL YEARS, UH, THROUGH, UH, DIFFERENT RESOLUTIONS.
AND NOW WE'RE, UH, NOW AT THE PLACE WHERE WE CAN ACTUALLY, UH, FIND THE IDEAL LOCATION, WHICH WE WERE INVITED TO SUBMIT A LETTER OF INTENT FOR THIS NASH, UH, HERNANDEZ SENIOR BUILDING, LOCATED IN THE 78 702 ZIP CODE.
UH, I'VE SORT OF GENERALLY OUTLINED FOR YOU WHY WE NEED THIS.
UH, AGAIN, THIS, THIS MODEL REQUIRES IT TO BE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
CLOSE TO AFFORDABLE, UH, SENIOR HOUSING.
UH, AND THE RBJ CENTER FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING IS ONE PLACE WHERE THERE'S SEVERAL HUNDRED, UH, LOW INCOME SENIORS THERE, WHO THROUGH OUR COMMUNITY OUTREACH OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, EXTENSIVE, UH, HAVE EXPRESSED, UH, A VERY STRONG, UM, SUPPORT FOR THE, A PLACE TO COME TOGETHER WITH YOUNGSTERS.
AND ALSO, UH, RECOGNIZING, OFTEN ASKING US, SAYING, YOU KNOW, WHEN IS THIS GOING TO OPEN? CUZ THEY'RE SO EXCITED ABOUT IT.
AND, UH, AGAIN, THE, IT'S THE IDEA HERE IS HAVING SHARED, UH, SPACE IN PUBLIC PLACES SO WE CAN HAVE A VERY COST EFFECTIVE MODEL, IT MUST BE SUSTAINABLE BECAUSE WE KNOW FROM OUR COMMUNITY OUTREACH THAT MANY OTHER, UH, UM, COUNCIL MEMBERS WANT A IRAQ IN THEIR, THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD, IN THEIR DISTRICT.
SO ULTIMATELY, WE WANT TO SCALE THIS UP ONCE WE BEGIN IN ONE OF THE NEEDIEST AREAS.
THIS IS WHERE IT'S ALL GONNA HAPPEN, WHERE WE'RE GONNA BRING TOGETHER FAMILY ELDER CARE.
HAN IS HERE, UH, WITH US TONIGHT.
HE SERVES ON THE IRAQ EXECUTIVE BOARD.
HAN, WOULD YOU LIKE JUST TO SAY A FEW WORDS IF YOU COULD, ABOUT DR.
LARONE AND I SERVE AS A, UH, CEO OF FAMILY ELDER CARE.
FAMILY ELDER CARE HAS BEEN IN THE COMMUNITY FOR OVER 41 YEARS, PROVIDING SERVICES TO OLDER ADULTS AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.
AND WE ARE VERY EXCITED TO BE PART OF THIS PROJECT, PRIMARILY BECAUSE SERVICE COORDINATION IS ONE OF OUR CORE SERVICES.
WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR MANY YEARS.
WE OFFER THESE SERVICES IN NUMEROUS COMMUNITIES, UM, IN, IN CENTRAL TEXAS, WHICH PROVIDES CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES TO RESIDENT OR FACILITIES THAT NEED A LITTLE BIT OF HELP IN ORDER TO STAY HOUSED AND TO CONTINUE LIVING INDEPENDENTLY ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, UH, DURING MY PREVIOUS APPOINTMENT AS, UH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF, UM, COUNTY AGENCY IN CALIFORNIA, I WAS OVERSEEING THE HEADSTART PROGRAMS OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY.
AND, UH, ONE OF MY INITIATIVES OVER THERE WAS ACTUALLY PRECISELY WHAT, UH, DR.
ANGEL IS DOING IS TO BRING BOTH GENERATIONS TOGETHER, WHICH I THINK THEY WILL BE.
THIS WILL BE A HUGE ASSET FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
YES, MANY CASES THERE WILL BE, UH, WE'RE ENVISIONING MULTIPLE GENERATIONS.
AND JUST TO SORT OF FLESH OUT FOR YOU THIS, UH, DIAGRAM YOU CAN SEE HERE THAT THERE'S AN INTERRELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ALL OF OUR SERVICE PROVIDERS, WHICH INCLUDES ADULT DAY CARE, OUR INTERGENERATIONAL CENTER, THE CHILDCARE CENTER, SERVICE COORDINATION, TELE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH,
[01:45:01]
AS WELL AS SUPPORTIVE CARE, UH, PROVIDED BY, UH, COMMUNITY CARE AND WILL ALSO HAVE, UH, DR.UH, CHARIOT, FORMERLY KNOWN AS DRIVE A SENIOR, UH, PROVIDE, UH, SUPPORTIVE CARE THAT'S ALSO PART OF A LICENSED ADULT DAY CENTER.
WE WILL BE WORKING WITH THE FESTIVAL, BEACH, FOOD FOREST, AS WELL AS ALL THE OTHER, UM, ORGANIZATIONS, UH, IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND FAR BEYOND THAT BECAUSE WE WANT TO REACH OUT TO ALL OF THE NEIGHBORS TO MAKE SURE, AND THROUGH ALL OF OUR ENGAGEMENTS SO FAR THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT THEY'RE, THEY'RE WELCOME.
THERE YOU GET ANOTHER PICTURE OF HOW ALL OF THESE SERVICES, UH, AND SUPPORTS ARE GOING TO, UH, WORK TOGETHER IN TERMS OF PROVIDING BENEFITS.
AND WHAT DO THOSE CONSIST OF? HEALTH BENEFITS? UH, BOTH PHYSICAL AS WELL AS COGNITIVE BENEFITS FOR OLDER ADULTS, BUT FOR CHILDREN, IT ALSO, UM, BENEFITS THEIR LEARNING EARLY ON.
AND IT'S BECAUSE OF THE, THE GUIDANCE IN THAT INTERACTION, THAT SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT THAT'S SO IMPORTANT.
IT ALSO IMPROVES, UH, THE ECONOMIC WELLBEING OF CAREGIVERS WHO ARE PARTICULARLY CHALLENGED THESE DAYS WITH, WITH TAKING CARE OF BOTH, OFTEN THEIR CHILDREN AS WELL AS THEIR, THEIR PARENTS.
SO THIS WILL BE A GREAT WAY IN WHICH, UH, THEY'LL BE ABLE TO GET THE SUPPORT THAT THEY NEED, THEIR CAREGIVER RESPITE.
AND JUST TO SORT OF UNDERSCORE THIS POINT IN TERMS OF HOW THIS MODEL FITS IN WITH, UM, THE GOAL OF THE NA HERNANDEZ BUILDING, THIS SETTING, THE HOLLY SCHWARTZ MASTER PLAN, IMAGINE AUSTIN AND THE AGE FRIENDLY AUSTIN PLAN HAVE ENVISIONED THIS TYPE OF MODEL IN WHICH WE WOULD HAVE THE MAXIMUM COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
AND YOU'LL SEE IN JUST A MOMENT WITH OUR RENDERINGS, HOW ALL OF THIS MENTAL, PHYSICAL, AND SOCIAL BENEFITS OPTIMIZES THE KIND OF BENEFITS THAT, UH, THE RESIDENTS NEED, UH, IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN, GIVEN AGAIN, OUR, OUR RAPID POPULATION AGING.
LET'S SEE THE NEXT SLIDE, AND JUST, THIS IS A CONCEPTUAL DESIGN FOR OUR SPACES.
I WANT TO JUST TO KIND OF SHOW YOU AND HOW IT, IT WOULD LOOK, WE ARE OBVIOUSLY, UM, NEEDING TO WORK, UH, WITH THE CITY TO MAKE SURE THAT IN THE 10,000 SQUARE FEET THAT THE, UH, RESOLUTION 59 HAS, UH, ASKED US TO, UM, MEET THAT, THOSE GUIDELINES SINCE NASH HERNANDEZ IS THAT BUILDING'S ABOUT 9,600 SQUARE FEET, THAT EVERYTHING THAT WE NEED WOULD FIT THERE, INCLUDING THE OUTDOOR SPACE.
AND WE RECOGNIZE THAT THERE, THIS IS PARKLAND.
SO WE WANNA BE VERY ENVIRONMENTALLY PROTECTIVE, AND THAT'S ALL OF THE PHILOSOPHY OF WHAT, UH, WE ARE COMMITTED TO AND WORKING WITH OUR PUBLIC, UH, PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP, UH, WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
AND LET'S SEE, UH, THE NEXT SLIDE, SO I CAN SHOW YOU SOME OF OUR COMMUNITY OUTREACH.
AND THIS HAS INVOLVED, UH, SEVERAL YEARS AGO.
IT WAS, UH, DURING, DURING C O V, UH, POST COVID.
AND WE'VE, UH, REALLY HAD A, A LOT OF, UH, PARTICIPATION.
WE HAVE BEEN WORKING, UH, WITH CITY COUNCIL, UM, ENGAGING, UH, OVER THE, THE PAST COUPLE YEARS.
AND WE CONTINUE TO INTRODUCE THE INITIATIVE TO NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS.
WE'RE, WE'RE STILL ENGAGED WITH THAT.
WE'RE ALSO, UH, WORKING WITH THE CHILDCARE COUNCIL, UH, COMMISSION ON AGING, UM, AND, UH, MANY OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, RBJ, UH, CENTER.
AND, UH, LOOKING AT THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION IN N 7 87 0 2 IN THE HOLLY NEIGHBORHOOD, WE ARE VERY COMMITTED TO WORKING WITH JUSTIN SCHNEIDER, UH, WITH PAR ON, AGAIN, MAXIMIZING OUR COMMUNITY OUTREACH TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS, UH, IMPLEMENTATION IS GOING TO FIT JUST RIGHT.
AND, UH, WE WILL BE DOING THAT UT AUSTIN THROUGH OUR LIVABILITY AND LONGEVITY, A SYMPOSIUM.
THIS, UH, LAST, UH, MONDAY HAD, UH, ALSO ADDRESSED MANY OF THESE ISSUES.
SO WE HAVE A LOT OF POLLING DATA, LOTS OF DATA IN OUR REPOSITORY
[01:50:02]
AT UT AUSTIN THAT REALLY FLESH, THAT REALLY, UH, DESCRIBES IN GREATER DETAIL, UH, WHAT, UH, THE SUPPORT FOR THIS, THIS KIND OF CENTER.YES, THE, THE GOVERNANCE, UH, STRUCTURE WILL BE, UH, ORGANIZED ALONG THE LINES OF AN EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, WHICH WE HAVE NOW, AS WELL AS, UH, A MANAGEMENT, UH, TEAM THAT WILL BE ABLE TO, UH, LINK TOGETHER ALL OF OUR PARTNERS.
AND THESE ARE THE OPERATIONAL, UH, COMMITTEES THAT WILL BE WORKING WITH US.
AND THAT INCLUDES, UH, OPEN DOOR PRESCHOOL, FAMILY ELDER CARE, UH, UH, AUSTIN GROUPS FOR THE ELDERLY IS, IS, UH, WORKING ON, UH, NEW, A NEW ADULT DAY CENTER.
AND THEY ARE IN, UH, CONSIDERING THIS, UH, PROPOSAL NOW AS WE SPEAK, AND ALSO WITH, WITH THEIR BOARD.
AND, UH, ALSO CHARIOT AND UT AUSTIN'S, UH, UH, TELE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROGRAM, MEALS ON WHEELS.
UH, WE'LL BE PROVIDING MEALS FOR NOT ONLY OLDER ADULTS, BUT FOR CHILDREN.
AND THAT W THAT GIVES YOU, SO TO SOME EXTENT WHAT, HOW THIS WILL BE ORGANIZED.
AND, UH, WHEN WE LOOK AT THIS BUDGET, IT'S GOING TO BE, UH, ROUGHLY, UH, FIVE, UH, MILLION 500, UH, THOUSAND DOLLARS.
AND THERE'S CAPITAL EXPENDITURES, UH, THAT, UH, THE CITY OF AUSTIN HAS DESIGNATED, UH, TOWARD, UH, A FACIL TOWARDS RENOVATION OF THE BUILDING BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN, UH, IN TRANSITION, SHOULD I SAY, UH, OVER THE YEARS IT'S CURRENTLY UNOCCUPIED.
AND THIS, AGAIN, THIS PROPOSAL OF HAVING THE OPERATIONAL COSTS COVERED BY OUR PROVIDERS AND, AND, UH, ADDITIONAL, UH, FUNDING, UH, THAT WE NEED TO RAISE IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT THE BUILDING ITSELF IS, WILL BE PROPERLY, UM, MEET ALL THE NEEDS FOR AN INTERGENERATIONAL, UH, RESOURCE AND ACTIVITY CENTER.
THAT ALONG THE LINES, YOU CAN SEE HERE, IT'S ROUGHLY SPEAKING 3300, 30 3 MILLION, $300,000, UH, FOR THE, WHAT AUSTIN HAS PLEDGED.
AND FOR THE PRIVATES, IT'S, UH, AROUND 2 MILLION.
I'D LIKE TO SEE THE NEXT SLIDE, AND YOU CAN, UH, MANY OF US, LORI RENT, UH, UH, PI IS THE, UH, OUR FORMER, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER FOR DISTRICT TWO IS THE CHAIR OF OUR EXECUTIVE, UH, COMMITTEE AND WILL, UH, BE ABLE TO PROVIDE, HE'S PROVIDING THE LEADERSHIP AND THE EFFORT.
UH, LORI RENTERIA IS PROVIDING THE ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT AS WE MOVE FORWARD IN OUR VERY ROBUST AND, UH, COOPERATIVE VOLUNTEER, UH, IRAQ, UH, ADVISORY GROUP.
AND I'M GOING TO STOP THERE NOW AND, UH, SEE, UH, IF YOU MAY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, JUST GO AHEAD WITH QUESTIONS.
I JUST WANNA THANK YOU FOR THIS PRESENTATION AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK.
UM, I JUST WANT THE 5.5 MILLION, CORRECT.
UM, OF WHAT IS YOUR TIMELINE IN TERMS OF RAISING THE, THE DELTA? WE HAVE, UH, IN THE PAST COUPLE YEARS HAD LETTERS OF COMMITMENT AND SUPPORT, AND WE HAVE A WHOLE PACKET OF MATERIALS.
COVID PUT A LITTLE BIT OF A STOPPING PAUSE IN OUR RAISING THESE, THESE FUNDS.
ONE OF THE ISSUES IS, AND SO WE HAVE PARTNERS OUT THERE, INCLUDING ST.
DAVID'S FOUNDATION, UH, A MAJOR SUPPORTER, UH, ANDREW LAVA, UH, HAS BEEN WORKING WITH US OVER THE YEARS.
AND THE KEY HERE IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE RIGHT PLACE.
AND THIS IMPLEMENTATION PHASE THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH, AGAIN, COLLABORATING AND COORDINATING WITH THE OUTREACH AND IMPLEMENTATION WILL INVOLVE A VERY ROBUST FUNDRAISING ACTIVITY.
AND SO IT'S EXCITING BECAUSE IT'S REALLY GOING TO BE ONE OF THE SORT OF PIONEER FACILITIES, NOT ONLY, UH, IN OUR STATE, BUT NATIONALLY.
IT HAS, WE HAVE THE CHIEF ARCHITECT HAPPENS TO BE A DR.
NADA NAI FROM UNIVERSITY OF SAN ANTONIO IS ONE OF THE LEADING, UH, IDC INTERGENERATIONAL DAY
[01:55:01]
CENTER ARCHITECTS, AND SHE'S BEEN VOLUNTEERING HER TIME.SHE SERVES ON THE IRAQ TO MAKE SURE THAT, AGAIN, WE CAN FIT ALL THESE IMPORTANT ELEMENTS THAT WILL, AGAIN, HELP US ACHIEVE OUR GOALS.
AND WHAT A, WHAT MAKES AUSTIN SUCH A, AND WE WANT IT TO BE THE AGE FRIENDLIEST CITY IN THE NATION.
SO I'M ASSUMING YOU'RE ALSO LOOKING AT FEDERAL FUNDS.
WE, I NEEDED TO MENTION THAT THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION, WE'VE BRIEFED THEM SEVERAL TIMES AND THEY'VE WRITTEN A LETTER OF SUPPORT IN THIS PROJECT THEY'RE JUST REALLY EXCITED ABOUT.
SO THEY WILL BE PUTTING THAT IN THE QUEUE FOR THEIR FUNDING BECAUSE IT FITS SO SQUARELY INTO WHAT, WHAT THEY WANT AND WHAT THEY NEED.
AND I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR, UM, ENTHUSIASM FOR THIS PROJECT.
I REALLY LIKE YOUR INTERGENERATIONAL APPROACH.
I THINK THAT'S A BEAUTIFUL MODEL FOR THE OLD AND THE YOUNG TO, TO BE TOGETHER.
UM, QUESTION ABOUT, UH, MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES.
UM, THAT WOULD BE INTEGRAL CARE.
LET ME ACTUALLY BE VERY CLEAR ABOUT THAT.
LET ME BRING SOME CLARITY TO THAT.
IT'S ACTUALLY TELE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH.
IT'S, UH, DESIGNED, UH, BY DR.
NAKEY CHOI AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, STEVE HICKS SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK.
IT'S A NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION EVIDENCE-BASED SCREENING PROGRAM FOR DEPRESSION.
CHOI, AND THIS IS RUN THROUGH ALSO MEALS ON WHEELS OF CENTRAL TEXAS.
SHE'S ON THE BOARD, WILL BE COORDINATING THIS, AND SHE'S WRITTEN A LETTER OF SUPPORT TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
THANK YOU, UM, FOR CLARIFYING THAT.
I'M JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE COUNTY, BECAUSE COUNTY IS WHAT PROVIDES MEN OR HEALTH IN GENERAL FOR THE INDIGENT POPULATION.
AND, UH, YOU HAVE CENTRAL HEALTH LISTED ON HERE AS ONE OF YOUR PROVIDERS, OF COURSE, THAT'S THE COUNTY.
AND I KNOW THAT THERE'S SO MUCH STRUGGLE BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE COUNTY ON WHO'S PAYING FOR WHICH HEALTH SERVICES.
SO, UM, BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE COUNTY LISTED ON YOUR DIAGRAM, I JUST, I JUST WONDERED IF, IF, IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR AGREEMENT WITH THEM IS.
YES, SIMPLY SPEAKING, WE HAVE THE FULL SUPPORT AND A LETTER OF SUPPORT FROM COMMUNITY CARE AS WELL AS FROM CENTRAL HEALTH.
THEY WANT TO WORK WITH US TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE ADEQUATE SUPPORTIVE CARE AVAILABLE AS PART OF NOT JUST THE ADULT, UH, DAY CENTER AND, BUT THE IDC UH, AND WE'LL BE WORKING, WE ACTUALLY HAVE A, A LARGER PROPOSAL AND PROFORMA WITH ALL THE DETAILS OF THE SPACE AND THE AMOUNTS THAT IS NEEDED BY EACH PROVIDER SO THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE IN THE SPACE THEIR, UH, OPERATING NEAT.
SO YES, WE HAVE RECEIVED, UH, A LETTER FROM THE BOARD CHAIR BOARD, UM, THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF, UH, COMMUNITY CARE AS WELL.
AND THIS IS ACTUALLY, THE RELATIONSHIP HAS BEEN SINCE, UH, OVER, AH, SINCE 2017, 18.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? I'VE GOT ONE, THIS IS JUST A POINT OF CLARIFICATION ON THE HANDOUT THAT YOU GAVE US.
UM, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT I UNDERSTAND IT.
THE ESTIMATED BUDGET, UH, ON THE SLIDE THAT YOU SHOWED US FOR THE CAPITAL EXPENDITURE FOR THE STARTUP, UH, FOR CAPITAL EX EXPENDITURE STARTUP WAS 3.7 MILLION.
AND THEN OPERATIONAL COSTS, AND IN-KIND AID BEYOND THAT WERE 1.8 MILLION ANNUALLY.
JUST CURIOUS, UNDERNEATH IT, IT SAYS THE ESTIMATED REVENUE AND INVESTMENT OF 5.5 MILLION HAS 3.3 MILLION COMING FROM THE CITY AND 2.2 MILLION FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
UH, SO THE CITY'S, JUST TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND, THE CITY IS PAYING MOST OF THE STARTUP COSTS, FOR EXAMPLE, IN THAT MODEL, AND THEN ONGOING FUNDS COMING FROM ELSEWHERE AFTERWARDS, PLUS A LITTLE BIT EXTRA FOR STARTUP COMING INITIALLY.
SO THE CITY HAS ALREADY DESIGNATED THIS $3.3 MILLION FOR RENOVATION OF THIS BUILDING.
THE ADDITIONAL FUNDS TO MAKE IT JUST RIGHT WILL REQUIRE E EXTRA FUNDING FROM PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS AND
[02:00:01]
ALSO FROM PRIVATE SECTOR.THE OPERATIONAL EXPENSES WILL BE COVERED BY THE PROVIDERS AS WELL AS FROM ADDITIONAL FUNDRAISING.
AND WE ARE ACTIVE IN MAKING SURE THAT EVERYTHING WILL BE COVERED BECAUSE JUST TO RE UH, UNDERSCORE THIS POINT, WE WANT THIS TO BE SUSTAINABLE AND THERE WILL ALSO BE RESEARCH, UH, OF, UH, TO EVALUATE THAT WHETHER THE, THIS IS ACTUALLY WORKING AS WELL.
IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE, UH, UNDERSTAND THIS CUZ IT'S A NEW MODEL, YOU KNOW, AND WE WANT IT TO, UH, BE SUCCESSFUL.
THE NUMBERS WERE CLOSE, SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTOOD.
ALL RIGHT, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
OKAY, SO WE'RE NOW GOING TO MOVE ON TO OUR DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS, UM, WHICH ARE ALL, UM, RELATED TO, UM, APPOINTMENTS, UM, TO OFFICER POSITIONS AND TO, UM, UH, COMMITTEES, AN ADVISORY BOARDS.
[5. Conduct officer elections for the Chair and Vice Chair of the Parks and Recreation Board.]
UM, SO WE'LL START WITH ITEM FIVE, WHICH IS THE OFFICER ELECTIONS FOR CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR FOR THE PARKS BOARD.UM, THIS PROCESS CAN BE A LITTLE CONFUSING, SO I WANTED TO OPEN WITH JUST AN EXPLANATION OF HOW THIS WORKS.
UM, I KNOW IN THE PAST I'VE BEEN REALLY CONFUSED ABOUT THIS.
UM, BUT ESSENTIALLY THIS OPERATES LIKE ANY OTHER, ANY OTHER, UM, ACTION ITEM.
SO IF YOU WANT TO NOMINATE SOMEONE TO BE THE CHAIR OR THE VICE CHEER, YOU WOULD, YOU COULD NOMINATE YOURSELF, YOU COULD, YOU WOULD MAKE A MOTION, UM, AND THAT WOULD NEED A SECOND.
AND WE WOULD CONFIRM THAT THE PERSON WHO WAS NOMINATED ACCEPTS THE NOMINATION AND THEN WE ALL VOTE ON THAT ONE NOMINATION.
SO THERE'S NOT A PROCESS WHERE EVERYONE WHO WANTS TO BE AN OFFICER IS, YOU KNOW, PUTS THEMSELVES FORWARD ALL AT ONCE AND THEN WE VOTE AMONG THE DIFFERENT CANDIDATES, IT HAS TO BE ONE PERSON AT A TIME.
UM, SO THAT'S, UM, SO THAT'S THE, THAT'S HOW THAT WORKS.
I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION THAT WE HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT THE ELECTION.
SO THAT'S JUST, UM, THAT'S JUST A PROCEDURAL NOTE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW THIS WORKS.
UM, SO THAT WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE ABOUT THAT.
UM, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO OPEN IT UP FOR A DISCUSSION.
UM, SO IF FOLKS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE OFFICER POSITIONS, WHAT THAT ENTAILS, UM, I'D LIKE TO MAKE SURE WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT.
DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO OFFER? UM, NO, I JUST WANTED US TO DISCUSS IT BEFORE WE VOTED.
SO, I MEAN, I DON'T WANNA DO IT
SO JUST PUTTING THAT OUT THERE.
I KNOW I'VE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO TALK TO SOME OF Y'ALL INDIVIDUALLY BEFORE THE WEEKEND STARTED.
UM, I AM INTERESTED IN SERVING AS THE NEXT CHAIR OF THE PRODUCTION RECS BOARD.
UM, I FEEL THAT ONE, UM, I HAVE THE ABILITY JUST TO PROCEDURALLY BE ABLE TO DO THIS, BUT TWO, I DO THINK THAT, UM, WE HAVE A VERY GOOD OPPORTUNITY, UH, THIS UPCOMING YEAR TO REALLY, UH, DO SOME AMAZING THINGS TOGETHER AS A BOARD TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY AND COLLECTIVELY TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR FACILITIES, THAT OUR PARKS ARE ACCESSIBLE, UM, AND ARE REALLY GONNA, UH, BE SHINY EXAMPLES FOR WHERE WE WANT THIS CITY TO HEAD, UH, TOWARDS.
UM, ADDITIONALLY, I THINK THAT IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT ALL VOICES ARE HEARD ON ALL MATTERS, UM, AND THAT NOT ONE VOICE IS EXCLUDED OR ONE VOICE IS ELEVATED OVER ANOTHER.
UM, TO THAT END, UM, YOU KNOW, I LOOK FORWARD TO BEING ABLE TO WORK WITH EACH OF Y'ALL TO BE ABLE TO BRING UP STUFF THAT'S PERTINENT, THE STUFF THAT'S IMPORTANT, UM, AND THAT STUFF THAT'S REALLY GONNA MAKE AN IMPACT, UM, IN YOUR INDIVIDUAL DISTRICTS OR AT LARGE.
UM, BECAUSE ULTIMATELY I THINK THAT, UH, ONCE, UH, WE, UH, ARE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT AND WORK TOWARDS REALLY GREAT, UH, INITIATIVES, UH, WE'RE REALLY MAKING THIS COMMUNITY A MUCH STRONGER, UH, PLACE FOR EVERYBODY.
SO FOR THAT SAID, I AM INTERESTED IN SERVING AS CHAIR FOR THE PARKS AND RECS BOARD.
SO JUST TO KEEP THIS DISCUSSION PERIOD GOING.
UM, DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR BOARD MEMBER OF VILLALOBOS?
[02:05:03]
OH,UM, THIS WOULD BE THE THIRD BOARD THAT I SERVE HAVE SERVED ON.
SO I'VE LY SERVED ON THE COMMISSIONER AND IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS.
AND THEN I ALSO SERVED ON THE ETHICS REVIEW COMMISSION AS WELL.
UM, AND THEN THIS IS THE THIRD BOARD THAT I, THAT I WILL BE SERVING ON.
UM, DO WE HAVE A MOTION? I HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION.
SO DO WE WANNA DO THE CHAIR FIRST AND THEN WE'LL NOMINATE THE VICE CHAIR? I THINK WE CAN DO IT IN ANY ORDER, BUT I'M HAPPY TO SERVE AS VICE CHAIR UNDER PEDRO IF NO ONE ELSE IS INTERESTED IN DOING SO.
WELL, I ACTUALLY HAVE SOMEBODY I'D LIKE TO NOMINATE.
IS THERE SOMEBODY ELSE THAT WANTS TO DO IT? I WOULD BE WILLING TO SERVE AS VICE CHAIR AS WELL.
LET'S, SO I THINK IN THE PAST WE'VE TAKEN THE CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR VOTES SEPARATELY, SO I'D LIKE, LET'S OPEN UP THIS DISCUSSION PERIOD TO ANYTHING THAT Y'ALL WOULD LIKE TO OFFER ABOUT THE VICE CHAIR POSITION.
AND WE CAN ASK Y'ALL QUESTIONS AND THEN WE CAN JUST TAKE THE VOTES ONE AT A TIME.
CAN I CLARIFY JUST ON CHAIR, IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE WHO'S INTERESTED IN SERVING AS CHAIR? I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT'S DUSTED.
HOLLY, WOULD YOU WANT, DO YOU WANNA GO FIRST OR WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO, UM, GO AHEAD.
UM, SO I MEAN, I'VE BEEN ON THE BOARD SINCE, UH, WHAT, MID LAST SUMMER JULY.
UM, PREVIOUSLY I WAS ON BICYCLE ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR SEVEN YEARS.
I SERVED AS VICE CHAIR THERE AND THEN CHAIR AFTERWARDS DURING WHAT WAS, UH, OBJECTIVELY THE MOST PRODUCTIVE PERIOD THE BOARD HAD, UH, IN, IN TERMS OF RESOLUTIONS PASSED.
I SHARE PEDRO'S VISION OF BEING A COLLABORATIVE BOARD.
I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO BRING ALL VIEWPOINTS FORWARD, UM, AND FOR PEOPLE TO FEEL LIKE THEY'RE ABLE TO GET, UH, GET WHAT THEY CAN DONE FOR THEIR CONSTITUENTS, BOTH CITYWIDE AND IN THEIR DISTRICT.
UM, THAT SAID, UH, I'VE HAD MANY LEADERSHIP POSITIONS AND I'M NOT INTERESTED IN A WAR WHATSOEVER.
UM, SO, AND I THINK ANY OF US COULD SERVE IN THE ROLE, UM, SUPPORTIVELY.
SO I'M HAPPY TO DO IT IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT THE BOARD DESIRES.
UH, BUT I AM NOT AT ALL OPPOSED EITHER TO YOUR CANDIDACY.
UM, I HAVE SERVED AS CHAIR OF MY NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION OR PRESIDENT OF MY NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION FOR FOUR AND A HALF YEARS NOW.
AND SO I FEEL LIKE I WOULD BE HELPFUL AS VICE CHAIR OF THIS BOARD AND, UM, FEEL LIKE I HAVE THE TIME AVAILABLE FOR IT.
I KNOW IT'S TIME CONSUMING SOMETIMES TO SERVE AS AN OFFICER ON A BOARD.
SO, UM, WITH THAT BEING SAID, I AM NEW TO THE BOARD, BUT, UH, FEEL LIKE I COULD BRING A LOT OF HELP TO THE BOARD IN THAT POSITION.
DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE FOLKS THAT, UM, PUT THEMSELVES FORWARD FOR VICE CHAIR PEDRO? UM, YOU AND I TALKED OVER THE WEEKEND OR MAYBE FRIDAY, AND I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY, UM, YOUR TIME, THE TIME COMMITMENT FOR THE JOB.
UM, CAUSE I UNDERSTAND YOU, YOU HAVE A FULL-TIME JOB, YOU HAVE OTHER THINGS.
AND SO ONE THING I ASKED YOU THAT I JUST THOUGHT WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING, UH, THAT THE CHAIR WILL DO RIGHT OUT OF THE BOXES DURING THE MONTH OF MAY, UM, SPEND A LOT OF TIME ON THAT VISION PLAN AND, AND HAVE THE BOARD COME TOGETHER WITH CONSENSUS AND, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS TO PRESENT AT THAT MAIN MEETING SO THAT WE DON'T, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T GO TO MIDNIGHT.
UM, AND YOU HAD SAID THAT YOU DID HAVE THE BANDWIDTH.
I JUST KIND OF WANTED YOU TO SPEAK TO THAT, TO THE BOARD BECAUSE I THINK IT'S, IT'S OF CONCERN OF EVERYBODY THAT'S SUCH A BIG ISSUE.
UM, I THINK I AGREE WITH YOUR CONCERN ON THAT.
I THINK THAT COME TOMORROW,
MY OBJECTIVE IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE, UH, AS THE BOARD, AS CHAIR, WE STEWARD A FUNCTIONING AND EFFICIENT MEETING WHERE WE ACTUALLY GET, UH, MOVEMENT ON THE VISION PLAN.
UM, SO I THINK THAT JOB IS SOMETHING THAT STARTS TOMORROW.
AND WHEN WE REACH THE MAY 22ND DATE, I, MY HOPE IS THAT WE'VE EACH HAD CONVERSATIONS, OBVIOUSLY, UH, INDIVIDUALLY OR IN GROUPS OF TWO OR THREE IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT THERE'S SOMETHING OF A COHESIVE OR SOME SORT OF IDEAS THAT ARE GONNA BE PRESENTED IN ORDER TO BE VOTED ON.
UM, IN ORDER TO BE, UH, AND IN ORDER FOR US TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR MEETING ON MAY THE
[02:10:01]
SECOND, ON MAY THE 22ND ISN'T JUST, UH, US DEBATING FOR THE FIRST TIME SOME OF THESE PROPOSALS OR INITIATIVES, BUT RATHER US TRYING TO MAKE SOME HEADWAY AND TAKING INTO FEEDBACK, TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THE FEEDBACK THAT THE COMMUNITY HAS GIVEN US.I HAVE A QUESTION FOR, UM, KIMBERLY.
UM, WE, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS, BECAUSE THERE WAS A LOT OF DISCUSSIONS ABOUT WHO WAS GONNA RUN FOR CHAIR AND YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOME OF US THAT HAVE BEEN HERE FOR A WHILE THAT, UH, UM, BECAUSE IT IS SUCH A TIME COMMITMENT, HAS THERE EVER BEEN A SITUATION WHERE YOU HAVE A, UH, CO-CHAIRS JUST NOT FOR TODAY, BUT I'M JUST FOR FUTURE ELECTIONS? SO TO MY KNOWLEDGE, WE HAD THIS QUESTION ASKED OF OUR, UM, OF OUR CLERK'S OFFICE, AND THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION IS, IS NO, AND IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT IS PERMISSIBLE, BUT PLEASE LET ME GO BACK.
AND SO THE ANSWER TO THE ORIGINAL QUESTION IS NO, THERE HASN'T BEEN CO-CHAIRS.
AND THE SECOND PART OF IT IS, I THINK THE RE PART OF THE REASON WHY WAS CUZ IT WAS NOT PERMISSIBLE.
BUT I WOULD NEED TO RESEARCH THE, THE REASON WHY BEFORE I PUT THAT IN.
I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY ALREADY TO KNOW FOR FUTURE KNOWLEDGE BECAUSE IT IS, LIKE I SAID, IT IS A HUGE TIME COM UM, COMMITMENT.
AND SO WE WERE JUST CURIOUS AND NO ONE KNEW THE ANSWER TO THAT.
SO THANK YOU THAT THAT MAY BE, UM, WE MAY HAVE TO REFERENCE OUR BYLAWS FOR THAT TO SEE IF, IF WE COULD HAVE LIKE, EVEN A CO-VICE CHAIR POSITION, WHICH WOULD BE HELPFUL, ESPECIALLY WITH THE TIME COMMITMENT INVOLVED.
BUT WOULD THAT BE IN THE BYLAWS FOR THE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD? YEAH, WE COULD CERTAINLY LOOK IT UP.
AGAIN, UH, MY RECOLLECTION IS WE'VE ALREADY ASKED, WE'VE ASKED THIS QUESTION ONCE BEFORE, AND THE ANSWER WAS THAT IT'S NOT PERMISSIBLE, BUT I WOULD HAVE TO DO THE RESEARCH IN ADVANCE TO FULLY ANSWER YOUR QUESTION.
UM, AND I, I DON'T BELIEVE IT'S PERMISSIBLE.
I DID NOT DO THAT BYLAWS AS WRITTEN.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE CITY CLERK WOULD SAY.
AND ALSO, JUST TO CLARIFY THE, THE TERMS FOR THE CHAIR AND VICE IS ONLY A YEAR.
SO, YOU KNOW, YOU, IT'S, UM, YOU'RE NOT GONNA BE STUCK DOING EITHER OF THESE JOBS FOREVER,
SO, UM, IT'S NOT, NOTHING IS PERMANENT HERE.
SO DO WE HAVE ANY MORE, UM, DISCUSSION BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO THE, THE, UH, MOTIONS? WELL, BEFORE YOU'RE NO LONGER OUR CHAIR, I'D JUST LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.
YOU'VE BEEN HERE FOR LITTLE, LITTLE OVER FOUR YEARS, RIGHT? MM-HMM.
YOU GOT HERE RIGHT BEFORE I DID.
IT'S BEEN A, IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE TO SERVE WITH YOU AND I'M SORRY TO SEE YOU GO CAUSE I KNOW YOU'RE, THAT YOU'RE OH, THANK YOU.
PLANNING AND ROLLING OFF SO WELL, AND I JUST WANNA RECOGNIZE TOO THAT IT'S BOARD MEMBER BARNARD'S, UM, FINAL MEETING.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE.
I WANNA SAY THANK YOU AS WELL.
IF WE'RE DONE WITH DISCUSSION, OKAY, I'D LIKE TO NOMINATE PEDRO FOR CHAIR OR CHAIRMAN OR WHATEVER I'M SUPPOSED TO CALL HIM.
UH, COUNSEL WHAT? COMMITTEE? PERSON.
UM, SO I'M NOMINATING, UH, PEDRO VILLALOBOS TO SERVICE CHAIR FOR THE NEXT YEAR.
LOOKS LIKE THAT PASSES UNANIMOUSLY.
AND I'D LIKE TO NOMINATE HOLLY REID AS THE VICE CHAIR.
HOLLY, YOU CAN VOTE FOR YOURSELF.
UM, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT PASSES.
UM, IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S A, OKAY.
UM, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO NOMINATE BOARD MEMBER FLOWERS FOR VICE CHAIR.
DO WE HAVE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND.
ALL IN FAVOR? CAN WE VOTE AGAIN? SECOND VOTE.
YOU CAN DEFINITELY VOTE AGAIN.
ALL IN FAVOR? UM, DO WE HAVE ANY VOTING IN OPPOSITION? I'M JUST NOT VOTING.
DO WE HAVE ANY ABSTAINING? WE HAVE BOARD MEMBER TAYLOR'S ABSTAINING.
EVERYONE ELSE'S VOTING FOR FOR ABSTAINING.
SO THAT MOTION PASSES WITH BOARD MEMBER TAYLOR
[02:15:01]
AND BOARD MEMBER REID ABSTAINING.ALRIGHT, SO, UH, BOARD MEMBER FLOWERS IS WILL BEGIN AS VICE CHAIR.
ALRIGHT, WELL THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR, UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR PARTICIPATING IN, UM, IN THIS DISCUSSION PROCESS AND IN THIS, UM, THE VOTING PROCESS.
AND THANK YOU TO, UM, THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO PUT THEMSELVES FORWARD AS A CANDIDATE.
UM, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE EVERYONE SHARING, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THEIR BACKGROUND IN ORDER FOR, UM, THE BOARD TO BE ABLE TO MAKE A, UM, UH, A MORE INFORMED DECISION.
UM, THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE'VE NECESSARILY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO IN THE PAST.
SO, UM, THIS IS REALLY HELPFUL.
UM, ANYTHING ELSE PROCEDURALLY THAT WE NEED TO DO TO WRAP UP THE CHAIR ELECTIONS? I THINK YOU ALL COVERED IT.
IT'S TURNED OVER TO HIM, RIGHT? HMM? I THINK YOU TURN IT OVER TO HIM NOW.
I THINK IT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE DID BEFORE.
NOT GETTING RID OF ME SO FAST.
[6. Discussion and possible action regarding appointments to the Parks and Recreation Board Contracts and Concessions Committee. Two vacant seats.]
SO ITEM SIX.UM, WE ARE, UM, UH, GOING TO DISCUSS AND POSSIBLY TAKE ACTION ON, UM, APPOINTMENTS TO THE CONTRACTS AND CONCESSIONS COMMITTEE, UM, WHICH HAS TWO VACANT SEATS.
UM, AND I'M HOPING THAT KIMBERLY CAN SHARE A LITTLE BIT OF INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT THE CONTRACTS AND CONCESSIONS COMMITTEE DOES, UM, AND YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT OUR RESPONSIBILITIES ARE.
SO, UM, PER THE BYLAWS, THE CONTRACTS AND CONCESSION COMMITTEE, UH, DOES A COUPLE OF THINGS.
IT, IT TAKES A LOOK AT OUR AGREEMENTS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH INTERLOCAL AGREEMENTS.
I'M LOOKING AT SUZANNE SO THAT SHE CAN MAKE SURE THAT I'M, I'M CORRECT, TAKES A LOOK AT OUR AGREEMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH INTERLOCAL AGREEMENTS, PROVIDES INPUT ON SCOPE OF WORK FOR, UH, FOR CONCESSION AGREEMENTS THAT WILL GO OUT TO, UM, TO BID AND THEN ALSO MAKES A RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD ONCE THAT THOSE BIDS HAVE COME BACK, UM, MAKES A RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD AS TO WHETHER OR NOT, UH, THEY AGREE WITH OR SUPPORT THAT PARTICULAR CONCESSION.
AND THEN, AND THEN, I'M SORRY, YOU'LL MAKE THE RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL WHETHER TO ACCEPT THAT PARTICULAR, UH, THAT PARTICULAR BID.
THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S ABOUT IT.
UM, SO YOU'RE GIVING US INFORMA INPUT ON SCOPES OF WORK AND YOU'RE HELPING US, UM, APPROVE OR, OR MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL SPECIFICALLY ON CONCESSION CONTRACTS AND ON INTERLOCAL AGREEMENTS.
I WANNA ADD TOO THAT, UM, ON THE CONTRACTS AND CONCESSIONS COMMITTEE, WE'VE ALSO HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO, UM, UM, REQUEST, UM, STUDIES AND FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT SOME OF THE, UM, ISSUES THAT WE'VE HAD WITH, WITH CONTRACTS.
UM, SO ONE EXAMPLE IS THE, UM, THE ENVIRONMENT, THE STUDY THAT WAS DONE ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF, UM, UH, THE VARIOUS TYPES OF RECREATION ON LADY BIRD LAKE.
UM, WHICH, YOU KNOW, UM, WE HAD SOME COMMITTEE MEMBERS THAT WERE REQUESTING MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THAT.
AND THAT BECAME A STUDY THAT THE PARKS BOARD THAT THE PARKS DEPARTMENT COMMISSIONED, UM, WITH RESEARCHERS FROM HOUSTON TILTS AND UNIVERSITY.
UM, AND SO THEY, UM, UH, SO THAT, THAT WHOLE PRESENTATION THAT WE GOT ABOUT, UM, THOSE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS WAS A RESULT OF ACTION THAT WAS TAKEN BY THE CONTRACTS AND CONCESSIONS COMMITTEE.
SO I THINK IT'S, IT'S DEFINITELY AN OPPORTUNITY TO DIVE INTO, UM, YOU KNOW, PARTICULAR ISSUES THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT WE MIGHT BE CONCERNED AROUND WITH, WITH CERTAIN CONCESSIONS.
UM, SO IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN DIGGING DEEPER INTO, UM, YOU KNOW, INTO HOW TO MAKE PARTICULAR CONCESSIONS BETTER OR, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE JUST INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT IT, THAT'S, UM, THAT WOULD BE A GOOD COMMITTEE TO SERVE ON.
SO IS ANYONE INTERESTED IN NOMINATING THEMSELVES OR SOMEONE ELSE TO SERVE ON THIS COMMITTEE? I'LL NO.
NOMINATE HOLLY REID TO SERVE ON THIS COMMITTEE.
I WOULD LIKE TO SERVE ON THIS COMMITTEE.
IS THAT, UM, MAY I CONSIDER THAT A SECOND BOARD MEMBER REID? YES.
UM, IS ANYONE ELSE INTERESTED IN SERVING ON THIS COMMITTEE? YEAH, I WOULD BE INTERESTED.
DO WE HAVE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND.
ALL IN FAVOR? ALL RIGHT, THAT PASSES UNANIMOUSLY.
BOARD MEMBER REID AND BOARD MEMBER BECKER COMMITTEE.
[02:20:02]
SO THE COMMITTEE IS BOARD MEMBER TAYLOR, BOARD MEMBER VILLALOBOS ME BOARD MEMBER REID AND BOARD MEMBER BECKER.AND THEN ARE YOU BOARD MEMBER ARE ROLLING OFF ROLLING OFF? YEAH.
UM, AND THEN WHEN I ROLL OFF, THERE WILL BE ANOTHER OPEN, OPEN POSITION.
[7. Discussion and possible action regarding an appointment to the South Central Waterfront Advisory Board.]
IS DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION, UM, REGARDING AN APPOINTMENT TO THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT ADVISORY BOARD.UM, AND I KNOW THAT TIM DOK SENT SOME INFORMATION TO THE BOARD ABOUT THIS ADVISORY BOARD AND WHAT'S INVOLVED, I CAN'T REMEMBER IT, THE INFORMATION OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.
UM, BUT, UM, I WOULD, UH, I THINK KIMBERLY, CAN YOU, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU CAN SPEAK TO ABOUT THAT, UM, THAT ADVISORY BOARD OR THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE? YEAH, SO YOU ALL MAY REMEMBER THAT THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT, UM, BECAME WHAT WAS ALSO SYNONYMOUS SYNONYMOUSLY KNOWN AS THE, UM, STATESMAN PUD.
SO THE STATESMAN PUD HAS SINCE PASSED AND NOW YOU HAVE A PUT ORDINANCE THAT, UM, THAT IS GOING TO DICTATE THE DEVELOPMENT IN THAT SPACE.
HOWEVER, I BELIEVE THAT THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT ADVISORY BOARD CONTINUES TO BE IN PLACE TO BE ABLE TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS AS TO, UH, THE DEVELOPMENT AT THAT SPACE, BE ABLE TO PROVIDE ADVICE, GIVE FEEDBACK ABOUT, UH, THAT, HOW THAT IS GOING TO BE DEVELOPED.
AND ALSO, WE ALSO NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT IS NOT JUST THE STATESMEN, IT'S BEEN USED SYNONYMOUSLY, BUT THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT INCLUDES OTHER, UH, PORTIONS OR OTHER PARCELS OF LAND.
AND SO THERE MAY BE, UH, ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS THAT WILL COME UP.
AND, AND SO IT'S REALLY ABOUT HOW THAT SPACE IS DEVELOPED FOR THE COMMUNITY.
IT IS, UH, AT DISTRICT NINE, I THINK IT'S STILL, EVEN WITH THE COUNCIL REDISTRICTING, MOVING THE BOARD BOUNDARIES, IT IS A DISTRICT, IT STILL REMAINS IN DISTRICT NINE.
AND I BELIEVE THAT CHAIR BOARD MEMBER COTTON SHAL WAS THE, UH, REPRESENTATIVE.
AND I, I DON'T THINK THAT WE HAVE DISTRICT NINE HERE TONIGHT.
I ONLY SAY THAT FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.
UM, BUT THAT'S BASICALLY MEETING WITH, UM, OTHER, IT'S NOT JUST, UM, OTHER ENTITIES FROM OTHER, I MEAN OTHER INDIVIDUALS FROM OTHER COMMISSIONS.
IT'S ALSO NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHER, UM, NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE ALSO PART OF THIS ADVISORY GROUP, TO MY RECOLLECTION.
SORRY, CAN I ASK A QUESTION? DIRECTOR MCNELEY.
UM, SO DO WE KNOW IF THERE'S A DISTRICT NINE APPOINTEE THAT'S LIKE, BEEN CHOSEN BUT JUST HASN'T YET BEEN SEATED? THAT IS TRUE.
SO IT'S JENNIFER FRANKLIN AND SO SHE HAS BEEN CHOSEN AND I JUST BELIEVE, I BELIEVE SHE WAS JUST, OH, HERE SHE IS.
I WAS GONNA SAY, I BELIEVE SHE WAS JUST HERE.
IT'S JUST THAT SHE WASN'T ABLE TO, I DON'T JUST, I DON'T WANNA SPEAK FOR YOU, BUT I DON'T THINK YOU WERE ABLE TO COMPLETE YOUR TRAINING IN TIME.
SHE JUST WASN'T ABLE TO COMPLETE HER TRAINING IN TIME.
I DON'T, I KNOW THAT DISTRICT NINE WAS THE PRIOR REPRESENTATIVE.
I, I DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE'S INTERESTED IN BEING ON IT.
IF NOT, MAYBE THIS IS SOMETHING WE CAN TAKE UP AT THE NEXT MEETING.
SHOULD THE INCOMING DISTRICT NINE REPRESENTATIVE BE INTERESTED IN THIS POSITION? WE COULD CERTAINLY MOVE TO POSTPONE THIS ITEM AND JUST TAKE IT UP AGAIN NEXT MONTH.
I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO POSTPONE THE ITEM AND TAKE IT UP NEXT MONTH.
ALL IN FAVOR TO POSTPONE UNTIL NEXT MONTH.
[8. Report of Recommendations by Crime and Law Enforcement in Parks Working Group. Presenter(s): Nancy Barnard, Parks and Recreation Board]
MOVING ON TO WORKING GROUP, GROUP RECOMMENDATIONS.UM, SO BOARD MEMBER BARNARD HAS A RECOMMENDATION TO PRESENT ON BEHALF OF THE CRIME AND LAW ENFORCEMENT IN PARKS WORKING GROUP.
UM, SO WE FORMED A WORKING GROUP CONSISTING OF MYSELF, UM, TWO OTHER PARKS AND, UH, RECREATION BOARD MEMBERS, SOMEONE FROM THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION, UM, THREE OFFICERS FROM THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT, UM, IN ONE OF OUR PARK RANGERS.
AND AS ALL OF YOU KNOW, CRIME HAS BEEN INCREASING IN PARKS, UM, JUST IN PRETTY MUCH EVERY AREA.
UM, I KNOW A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, JUST NEAR ME IN NORTHWEST PARK, UH, SOMEONE SET FIRE TO ALL THE TRASH CANS IN THE RECYCLING BINS, WHICH, AND THEY COMPLETELY MELTED DOWN TO THE GROUND.
UM, ONE OF THE PROBLEMS IS THAT WE USED TO HAVE THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT
[02:25:01]
HAD A, UH, POLICE PARKS UNIT THAT WOULD RESPOND TO THIS, TO THESE SORT OF CRIMES.AND THEY ARE LIKE, JUST REALLY, REALLY SHORT ON, UH, OFFICERS RIGHT NOW.
AND AS A RESULT, THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO RESPOND TO THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THE PARKS.
AND SO IT'S SORT OF BECOME THIS LAWLESS LAND, UM, WHERE THERE'S CRIME AND THERE'S NOT REALLY ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT.
UM, BEYOND JUST HAVING MORE EYES ON THE PARK AT THIS POINT, THAT'S GONNA BE THE MOST HELPFUL THING.
UM, SO WE PRETTY MUCH DECIDED THAT LIKE EVERYTHING WAS KIND OF BIGGER THAN WE HAD ANTICIPATED.
AND AS RE AS A RESULT, OUR RECOMMENDATION IS TO HAVE CITY COUNCIL LOOK INTO THIS FURTHER BY FORMING A, UH, TASK FORCE OF THEIR OWN TO LOOK AT THE FUNDING AND REINSTATEMENT OF A PARKS POLICE UNIT.
AGAIN, WE DON'T HAVE ANY POLICE OFFICERS RESPONDING RIGHT NOW, UM, TO INCREASE FUNDING TO EXPAND OUR PARK RANGER PROGRAM.
UM, AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE NEED, UH, ADDRESSING THE IMPACT OF THE UNHOUSED COMMUNITY IN OUR PARKS.
AGAIN, THIS IS A REALLY BIG PROBLEM THAT GOES BEYOND, UH, THE SCOPE OF OUR CAPABILITIES.
IMPROVEMENTS OF LIGHTING, SIGNAGE, SECURITY EQUIPMENT WITHIN OUR PARK SYSTEM.
UM, AGAIN, IT'S A BIG EXPENSE.
UM, AND REALLY WHAT, WHAT THAT'S ALL TRYING TO DO IS, AGAIN, ALLOWING MORE EYES ON ALL OF THE PARKS AND ENSURE THAT RESOURCES ARE DISTRIBUTED EQUITABLY ACROSS PARK SYSTEMS IN ALL PARTS OF THE CITY.
SO DID I READ THE RECOMMENDATION OR LET'S, UM, CAN WE JUST ASK QUESTIONS AND DISCUSS? YES.
SO I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.
UM, APPRECIATE YOUR WORK ON THIS.
UM, I KNOW THIS IS A BIG ISSUE THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT.
I'M CURIOUS, UM, I, AND I, AND I THINK PART OF THIS IS ON ME, I WASN'T EVEN AWARE SORT OF WHO WAS ON THIS GROUP, BUT I'M CURIOUS IF YOU INVOLVED ANY, ANYONE OUTSIDE OF A P D, LIKE SOME NON-POLICE SOLUTIONS OR SOLUTIONS THAT WOULD BE LIKE MUTUAL AID.
LIKE BASICALLY I'M CONCERNED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UH, PERHAPS INCLUDING FOLKS ON THE TASK FORCE THAT ONLY REPRESENT ONE PERSPECTIVE OF HOW YOU MIGHT, UH, CONDUCT SORT OF ENFORCEMENT OR MITIGATION.
UM, I'M TRYING TO THINK OF WHO ELSE WE HAD.
YEAH, AND I, SO I GUESS MY, MY, UM, HESITATION WOULD BE, UM, I, I'M A LITTLE CONCERNED WITH THE LANGUAGE AND THE RECOMMENDATION MM-HMM.
BUT, UM, THE FACT THAT IT SPECIFICALLY SAYS YOU'D ADDRESS FUNDING AND REINSTATEMENT OF A PARKS POLICE UNIT INSTEAD OF EXAMINING WHETHER OR NOT WE MIGHT REINSTATE A PARKS POLICE UNIT, JUST BECAUSE I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT.
UH, IT'S IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT PEOPLE WHO, WHO ARE, YOU KNOW, ONE COULD ARGUABLY SAY THE MOST HARMED BY OVER ENFORCEMENT WERE NOT REALLY REPRESENTED IN THIS PROCESS.
AND SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT A LITTLE BIT MORE INCLUSIVE OF PERHAPS OTHER SOLUTIONS THAT MIGHT GET TO THE, THE SAME GOAL, UM, OF REDUCING WHAT I, AND I, I I THINK CRIME IS ALSO SORT OF AN INTERESTING WORD, RIGHT? LIKE, I WOULD THINK ABOUT IMPROVING SAFETY PERHAPS INSTEAD OF REDUCING CRIME.
SO, UM, IF I MIGHT ADD TO THAT, I THINK, UH, PERHAPS A BULLET ITEM AROUND SORT OF EXPLORING, UH, OPTIONS FOR OTHER DIVERSIONARY TACTICS FOR INDIVIDUALS, FOR EXAMPLE, UNHOUSED INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE NOT NECESSARILY, UH, LIKE POLICE ORIENTED COULD POTENTIALLY BE REALLY USEFUL.
THERE HAVE BEEN SOME SUCCESS WITH THAT IN OTHER COMMUNITIES AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTS, PARTICULARLY AROUND PUBLIC HEALTH.
AND I THINK IT WOULD BE VALUABLE TO LOOK AT THOSE AND GET A SENSE FOR IF THOSE MIGHT BE, UH, MORE EFFECTIVE.
WHAT ABOUT IF WE, UM, I GUESS THIS IS REALLY GETTING INTO THE SPECIFIC LANGUAGE HERE OF THE RESOLUTION, BUT I THINK THAT ONE WAY TO ADDRESS BOTH OF YOUR CONCERNS THAT WE'RE BROUGHT UP BY, UM, BOARD MEMBER BECKER AND BOARD MEMBER FLOWERS IS, UM, THE TASK FORCE IS, UM, UM, CURRENTLY IT SAYS THE FORM OF PARKS CRIME TASK FORCE THAT WOULD PUT MUCH NEEDED RESOURCES INTO THIS EFFORT AND WOULD BE TASKED WITH ADDRESSING THE FOLLOWING.
AND THEN THAT HAS BULLET POINTS LIKE FUNDING AND REINSTATEMENT OF A PARKS POLICE UNIT INCREASED FUNDING TO GREATLY EXPAND OUR PARK RANGER PROGRAM, UM, ADDRESSING THE IMPACT OF THE UNHOUSED COMMUNITY IN OUR PARKS.
AND A COUPLE MORE ITEMS, UM, PERHAPS WE COULD, INSTEAD OF SAYING ADDRESSING, WE COULD SAY EVALUATING.
SO WE'RE NOT SAYING THAT ANY OF THESE THINGS,
[02:30:01]
THESE AREN'T SPECIFIC ISSUES OR SOLUTIONS THAT THE TASK FORCE IS GOING TO BE ADVOCATING FOR, BUT THEY'LL BE EXAMINING, UM, AND EVALUATING THOSE IDEAS.AND WE COULD CERTAINLY ADD ANOTHER BULLET POINT TO THAT SAYS, YOU KNOW, LAW, NON LAW ENFORCEMENT BASED SAFETY, UM, LIKE TACTICS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
UM, DOES THAT, WOULD THAT ADDRESS, UM, SOME OF THOSE CONCERNS? YEAH, I THINK IT WOULD, FOR ME, I GUESS AN ADDITIONAL ONE THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE PERHAPS IS, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT LAST BULLET IS IMPORTANT ABOUT EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION, BUT I WOULD ALSO LIKE A BULLET POINT THAT SAYS SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT OF, YOU KNOW, INCLUDING VOICES OF INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE, UM, DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED BY OVER ENFORCEMENT.
BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT, I MEAN, TO, UH, UH, I DON'T KNOW WHY I CAN'T GET THIS RIGHT COMMITTEE PERSON TULANE'S POINT.
UM, I DON'T THINK IT'S ALWAYS THE RIGHT SOLUTION TO SEND SOMEONE INTO THE SYSTEM FOR SOMETHING THAT MIGHT BE A MINOR INFRACTION, RIGHT? THERE ARE OTHER POSSIBLE WAYS IT COULD BE HANDLED.
AND I THINK UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT ON PEOPLE IS IMPORTANT, UM, TO HAVING A FULL PICTURE OF HOW ENFORCEMENT, UH, SORT OF AFFECTS INDIVIDUALS.
UM, SO LIKE RESTORATIVE JUSTICE WOULD BE A POTENTIALLY GOOD WAY OF LOOKING AT IT OR, UH, YOU KNOW, HARM REDUCTION.
THERE ARE SEVERAL DIFFERENT OPTIONS, BUT I'D LIKE THAT TO BE INCLUDED AS ANOTHER BULLET.
PERSONALLY, I THINK KIND OF TO PIGGYBACK OFF OF THAT, I THINK MAYBE WHAT, WHERE YOU NEED TO ADD ON HERE IS JUST LIKE A BULLET ITEM INDICATING THAT, UM, SAYING LIKE, WORKING, WORKING WITH, UM, ISN'T THERE AN OFFICE OF HOMELESS, UH, OF, OF, UH, OR ON HOUSE SERVICES, AN OFFICE IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN? I THINK THERE IS, YEAH.
WORKING WITH THE HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE TO ADDR TO, WHAT DID WE SAY? UM, TO, WHAT DID YOU SAY THE WORD WAS? NOT ADDRESSED, BUT, OH, TO EVALUATE.
EVALUATE TO EVALUATE STRATEGIES, TO, TO ADDRESS, TO, TO, TO INVESTIGATE CHARGES, TO EVALUATE HOUSING SOLUTIONS IN PARK, UH, UNHOUSED, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
I'LL COME BACK TO TELL YOU THE EXACT WORD.
AND WHAT DID YOU WANT? WHAT DID, HOW DID YOU WANNA WORD IT? HIM OR ME? YOU OKAY? YEAH.
UM, YEAH, I THINK, I THINK IF I WAS GONNA WRITE A BULLET, I WOULD SAY PASSWORD EVALUATING THE FOLLOWING.
UM, YEAH, IT SORT OF, IT'S HARD TO FIT INTO EVALUATING.
UM, MAYBE YOU COULD PUT THE IMPACT OF ENFORCEMENT BASED SOLUTIONS ON INDIVIDUALS WHO DISPROPORTIONATELY EXPERIENCING EXPERIENCE THEM WOULD GET TO MY POINT.
I'M SORRY, CAN YOU SAY THAT AGAIN? YEAH,
AGAIN, THE IMPACT OF ENFORCEMENT BASED SOLUTIONS ON THOSE WHO DISPROPORTIONATELY EXPERIENCE THEM.
I MEAN, THAT'S A LITTLE VAGUE, BUT I THINK IT GETS MY POINT ACROSS CHAIR.
CAN I ASK, UM, BOARD MEMBER BARNARD A QUESTION? MM-HMM.
SO GLASS ALL OVER THE PARKING LOTS.
I'M JUST CURIOUS ABOUT HOW MANY CALLS TO 9 1 1 AND 3 1 1 FROM PARKS LIKE CRIMES AND PARKS HAS BEEN HAPPENING VERY RECENTLY.
YEAH, SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE DON'T HAVE AN ANSWER TO.
AND WHEN WE, UH, AND PART OF IT IS THERE'S A COUPLE OF ISSUES.
ONE OF THEM IS THAT A LOT OF TIMES, UH, WHEN CALLS ARE MADE, UH, THEY'RE GIVEN LIKE AN INTERSECTION MM-HMM.
UM, AND SO SOMETIMES THAT FALLS OUTSIDE JUST OUTSIDE OF THE PARK OR ON THE PARK BOUNDARIES.
AND SO IT'S REALLY HARD TO TELL, LIKE I THINK WHAT SOMETIMES WHAT CALLS ARE COMING IN SPECIFICALLY FOR PARK RELATED STUFF.
UM, BUT NO, WE, WE, THAT WAS SOMETHING WE SHOULD HAVE LOOKED INTO.
SO THAT MIGHT, SHOULD THE 9 1 1 CALLS THAT MIGHT BE, UM, SOMETHING THAT THE, THAT THE TASK FORCE COULD ADDRESS.
AND UM, I THINK THAT WOULD BE A GOOD, I KNOW THAT'S CODE ENFORCEMENT ALSO NON-EMERGENCY CALLS AND
[02:35:01]
THEN ALSO EMERGENCY CALLS, BUT TO, TO HAVE SOME SORT OF, UM, STATISTICS OR SOME SORT OF DATA ABOUT WHERE THOSE CALLS ARE COMING FROM AND IF IT IS SOMETHING WITHIN ONE OF, IN OUR PARKS WOULD BE GREAT TO KNOW.UM, I HAVE ONE OTHER QUESTION.
DO WE HAVE A, COULD YOU, CUZ I'M NEW ON THE BOARD, DO YOU, COULD YOU GIVE MORE DETAIL ABOUT WHY, IF IT HASN'T COME UP ALREADY, WHY THE, UM, PARKS POLICE WERE DIS DISBANDED IN 2020? I, IT'S JUST REFERENCED HERE AND I FEEL LIKE FOR MORE DEFENSIBILITY IN THIS DOCUMENT, IT WOULD HELP TO POTENTIALLY, DEPENDING ON WHAT IT IS, POTENTIALLY HELP TO ADDRESS SOME OF THAT IN THE DOCUMENT.
I'M CURIOUS HOW MANY OF THEM WERE THERE? I MEAN, I BELIEVE IT WAS A DEFUNDING ISSUE.
AND THEN THEY LOST A LOT OF THEIR FUNDS AND THAT'S WHEN THE, WHEN THEY DISBANDED IT.
BUT HOW, LIKE, DO, DO WE KNOW HOW BIG THAT FORCE WAS? THE PARKS POLICE? SHE'S, SHE'S WORKING.
WHILE WE'RE WAITING, I, AND I'M SORRY TO KEEP ON THIS, BUT I DID GET A LOT OF CITIZEN COMMUNICATION ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR POSTED THING.
UM, IF WE COULD RENAME IT THE PARK SAFETY TASK FORCE, THAT WOULD MAKE ME FEEL A LOT BETTER ABOUT THE RECOMMENDATION IN GENERAL.
I KNOW THAT SEEMS MINOR, BUT LANGUAGE MATTERS.
I JUST HAVE A QUESTION ON THE, UM, SAFETY TASK FORCE DATA AND COMMUNITY REPORTING.
WHAT WAS THE COMMUNITY REPORTING THAT WE'RE REFERENCING IN THE RATIONALE IN THE SECOND, THE SECOND PARAGRAPH? IN THE SECOND PARAGRAPH? YEAH.
UM, SO THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, UH, PUT TOGETHER A CRIME DASHBOARD MM-HMM.
UM, THE, THE PROBLEM WITH IT THOUGH WAS THAT IT ONLY REFLECTED CRIMES IN WHICH THE POLICE WERE IN, WHICH A REPORT HAD BEEN FILED TO THE POLICE.
AND SO WHAT IT DIDN'T REFLECT WAS ALL THE ACTUAL CRIMES THAT WERE HAPPENING, IN PART BECAUSE A LOT OF THE CRIMES THAT HAVE HAPPENED THE POLICE NEVER RESPONDED TO.
AND SO IT, YOU KNOW, IT LIKE, IT WASN'T AN ACCURATE REPRESENTATION.
I HAVE A QUESTION WITH THE PARKS.
UM, I, I JUST HAD A QUESTION ABOUT THE PARK RANGERS.
WHAT LIKE, LEVEL OF AUTHORITY DO THEY HAVE? LIKE WHAT ROLE DO THEY SERVE AS A SUBSTITUTE? WELL, I THINK BASICALLY THEIR EYES ON THE PARK, I DON'T THINK THEY HAVE ANY RECOURSE TO REALLY ENFORCE ANYTHING, BUT YOU CAN CORRECT ME.
SO THEY ARE ABLE TO SAY, PLEASE STOP DOING WHATEVER IT IS THAT YOU'RE DOING.
AND THEY USE EDUCATION TO TRY TO HELP PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THEM NOT TO HAVE THEIR DOG OFF LEASH OR SMOKE OR WHATEVER THE THING IS THAT IS, UH, IS BREAKING THE RULES.
UM, THE ONLY ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITY THAT THEY HAVE IS PARKING TICKETS.
SO THEY CAN WRITE A PARKING TICKET.
WE DID HAVE A PARK RANGER GET PUSHED INTO BULL CREEK BY, UM, I THINK SOMEBODY WHO THEY WERE TRYING TO SPEAK TO ABOUT BREAKING THE RULES A FEW YEARS AGO.
SO IT WAS DURING COVID, RIGHT? YEAH, IT WAS, UM, YEAH, SO THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE NOT, PEOPLE ARE NOT INTIMIDATED BY THEM.
IF WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT AS A, A BENCHMARK OF THE YEAH.
THEY'RE THE LIKE THE LEVEL OF AUTHORITY THAT I THINK PEOPLE PERCEIVE THEM TO HAVE.
HOW, HOWEVER, TO THE POINT THAT, UM, YOU, I, I DON'T DISAGREE WITH WHAT YOU YOU SAID, BUT THEY ARE GOOD, THEY ARE, UM, VALUABLE INDIVIDUALS AS FAR AS IT AS EYES AND EARS ON THE PARK.
SO BY WAY OF EXAMPLE, IF YOU MAYBE READ THE MEMO ABOUT RAINY STREET, THEY'RE PARTICIPATING AS A TEAM MEMBER IN THAT, IN THAT, UM, INITIATIVE IN THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO LOOK AROUND AND THEY HAVE DIRECT CONTACT WITH, UM, INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE PART OF LAW ENFORCEMENT.
SO IF THEY SEE SOMETHING SUSPICIOUS, IF THEY SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING, WHICH IS HELPFUL, BUT TO THE POINT YOU'RE, YOU'RE RIGHT, THEY'RE NOT, THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO PHYSICALLY ENFORCE WHATEVER IT IS THAT THEY MAY SEE.
SO THEY, THEY HAVE A, UM, THEY HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY.
IT'S JUST NOT AN ENFORCEMENT, UH, AUTHORITY ROLE.
SO BOARD MEMBER BARNARD, I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN TYPING, IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'VE BEEN TYPING IN THE DOCUMENT YEAH.
AND INCORPORATING OUR SUGGESTIONS.
I'M WONDERING IF YOU CAN MAYBE READ BACK, UM, ANY PLACES IN THE DOCUMENT WHERE YOU HAVE CHANGED, UM, THE TEXT, UM, TO KIND OF GO WITH OUR DISCUSSION, PARTICULARLY THE LAST SET OF BULLET POINTS AND THE PROCEEDING PARAGRAPH UNDER RATIONALE.
[02:40:01]
OKAY.SO LIKE THIS, I HAVEN'T DONE THAT PART YET, BUT YOU THINK
JUST LOOK LIKE YOU WERE TYPING THAT ON YOUR SHOULDER.
BUT, UM, SO I CHANGED IT TO SAY, RESOLVE THAT, THAT THE PARK PARKS BOARD RECOMMENDED THAT THE CITY COUNCIL FORM A PARKS SAFETY TASK FORCE INSTEAD OF, UM, A PARKS CRIME SAFETY.
WHAT DID IT SAY BEFORE? PARKS CRIME TASK FORCE, UM, RESEARCH INTO THREE 11 AND 9 1 1 CALLS REPORTING SAFETY CONCERNS IN PARKS OR CRIME IN PARKS.
THAT'S ONE OF THE BULLET POINTS.
IF, IF THAT WOULD BE POSSIBLE.
UM, OR EVALUATE, MAYBE EVALUATE THREE 11 AND NINE ONE CALLS.
WELL THE TOPS GONNA SAY EVALUATING, ISN'T IT? YEAH.
LIKE WITH EVALUATING THE FOLLOWING.
SO YOU PROBABLY DON'T WANNA USE EVALUATING AGAIN JUST THREE 11.
THREE 11 AND 9 1 9 1 1 CALLS TO AUSTIN POLICE OR TO COCO COMPLIANCE IN AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT OR JUST ABOUT, DON'T YOU? YEAH, JUST 3 11 9 1 1 CALLS.
I THINK IT'S OKAY TO SAY EVALUATING TWICE.
LIKE THIS IS WHAT I WAS THINKING.
THAT'S WHAT DON'T WANT, DON'T, DON'T WANT THIS TO BE LIKE THE SAME THING.
I THINK THESE CONCERN CONCERNS.
YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I WAS JUST ASKING.
SO THREE 11 AND 9 1 1 CALLS REGARDING SAFETY CONCERNS AND PARKS WORKING WITH THE HOMELESS.
WAIT, EVALUATING THE FOLLOWING.
WAYS TO WORK WITH THE HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE TO YEAH.
EVALUATE STRATEGIES FOR THE UNHOUSED.
STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS AT PARKS BY WORKING WITH THE AUSTIN HOMELESS STRATEGIES OFFICE.
YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO JUST SLOW, SLOW DOWN.
SO STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS AT PARKS.
THE AUSTIN HOMELESS STRATEGIES OFFICE.
SO PEDRO, WERE YOU THEN WANTING TO DELETE THE, ADDRESSING THE IMPACT OF UNHOUSED COMMUNITY IN OUR PARKS OR, YES.
SO IT'D BE LIKE REPLACING THAT.
AND THEN I NEED TO GET YOURS AGAIN CUZ I COMBINED IT AS IT ENSURE, ENSURE THAT RESOURCES ARE DISTRIBUTED EQUITABLY ACROSS PARK SYSTEMS IN ALL PARTS OF THE CITY.
AND THEN DO YOU WANT ME TO, I THINK IT'S A NEW BULLET.
I THINK THAT BULLET IS BULLET GOOD.
I THINK, AND NOW I'M NOT GONNA REMEMBER WHAT SAID IT WAS LIKE SORT OF WRITTEN DOWN, LIKE EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF ENFORCEMENT BASED SOLUTIONS ON THOSE WHO DISPROPORTIONATELY EXPERIENCE THEM.
SO I GUESS WE DON'T NEED TO EVALUATE IF WE'VE ALREADY GOT EVALUATING UP THE TOP YEAH.
YOU PUT THE EFFECT OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
YEAH, THE VERBS ARE ALL MESSING ME UP HERE.
UM, IMPACT OF INHOUSE COMMUNITY IN OUR PARKS.
I CAN TAKE THAT ONE OUT, I THINK.
SO LET'S SEE, LET ME PUT THIS DOWN HERE.
SORRY, Y'ALL, AND THEN YOU'RE COPYING COPY PASTING THE BULLETS AND THEN DOWN HERE COPYING THEM DOWN TO THE SECOND BULLET SECTION.
IT'S THE BULLETS AND THE LINE BEFORE, RIGHT? YEAH, THE BULLETS, THE WHOLE THING.
OH, THE WHOLE LINE COPIED DOWN.
CAN YOU REREAD THAT, THAT RECOMMENDATION PARAGRAPH AND THE BULLETS BACK TO US? YEP.
UM, SO THE PARK, THE PARKS BOARD RECOMMEND THAT THIS CITY, THAT CITY COUNCIL FORM A PARKS SAFETY TASK FORCE THAT WOULD PUT MUCH NEEDED RESOURCES INTO THIS EFFORT AND WILL BE TASKED WITH THE EVALUATING THE FOLLOWING FUNDING AND REINSTATEMENT OF A PARKS POLICE UNIT THREE 11 AND 9 1 1 CALLS REGARDING SAFETY CONCERNS IN PARKS STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS AT PARK.
BY WORKING WITH THE AUSTIN HOMELESS STRATEGIES OFFICE, INCREASED FUNDING TO GREATLY EXPAND OUR PARK RANGER PROGRAM.
IMPROVEMENTS OF LIGHTING, SIGNAGE, SECURITY EQUIPMENT WITHIN OUR PARK SYSTEM, UM, TO EVALUATE YEAH.
[02:45:01]
LANGUAGE HAS GOTTA BE CHANGED ON THAT ONE.I'M TRYING TO FIGURE THAT OUT HERE.
UM, EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION, EQUITABLE EVERYTHING UP TO EQUITABLY AND EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION ACROSS PARK SYSTEMS OR EQUITABLE RESOURCE DISTRIBUTION.
AND THAT WOULD SAY THE SAME THING, BUT WITH THE CORRECT STRUCTURE.
UM, EQUITABLE RESOURCE DISTRIBUTION ACROSS PARK SYSTEMS IN ALL PARTS OF THE CITY AND THE IMPACT OF ENFORCEMENT BASED SOLUTIONS ON THOSE WHO DISPROPORTIONATELY EXPERIENCED THEM.
COULD YOU REREAD THE LAST BULLET? I'M SORRY.
DIDN'T THE IMPACT OF ENFORCEMENT BASED SOLUTIONS ON THOSE WHO DISPROPORTIONATELY EXPERIENCED THEM? I THINK I WOULD ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO, UM, ADOPT THIS RECOMMENDATION AS AMENDED.
DO WE WANNA CHANGE THE SUBJECT AT THE TOP TO SAFETY IN PARKS OR SOMETHING? BECAUSE THIS IS NOT JUST ABOUT CRIME AND LAW ENFORCEMENT.
IT'S CERTAINLY NOW WITH I CAN DO THAT, THOSE BULLETS.
I MEAN, THAT'S WHAT I WOULD LIKE, BUT I ENTERTAIN OTHER SUGGESTION.
SO WE'RE CHANGING THE TITLE, THE SUBJECT TO SAFETY IN PARKS.
DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THAT THIS RECOMMENDATION HAS AMENDED OR ARE THERE FURTHER CHANGES THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO MAKE? I JUST, I WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE LOOKING AT PARAGRAPH FOUR AND THE RATIONALE, UM, WHERE IT NOTES THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THEN THE PARK RANGER'S LACKING OFFICIAL AUTHORITY.
DO WE WANNA PUT ANYTHING ABOUT THE PRE BUT THEIR PRESENCE SERVES AS, I DON'T KNOW.
I MEAN, I JUST WANNA POINT THAT SINCE WE'VE CHANGED A LOT OF THE THE BULLETS SURROUNDING THE POLICE, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS IN LINE WITH WHAT WE'RE, DO YOU HAVE SOME RECOMMENDED LANGUAGE THAT YOU'D LIKE TO SUGGEST TO INSERT THERE? I'M READING IT RIGHT NOW, SORRY.
AND THEN, YEAH, AND NOW THE THIRD ONE IS, IS KIND OF OFF TOO, RIGHT? BECAUSE I MEAN, I THINK, I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE TO HAVE HERE IS THE SUBSTANCE OF THE RECOMMENDATION.
I THINK THAT, I MEAN, I THINK THE OTHER STUFF IS JUST THE ICING ON THE CAKE, FRANKLY, THE RATIONALE.
UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, I WILL DEFER TO THE BOARD ON IF WE FEEL LIKE WE NEED TO CHANGE THAT TO BE, I GUESS, MORE SUPPORTIVE OF THE RECOMMENDATION BE BEFORE WE WANNA PASS IT.
WOULD IT BE OKAY TO THEN JUST STRIKE SOME OF THAT LANGUAGE IF IT'S NOT NECESSARY RATHER THAN TRYING TO REWRITE SOMETHING? UM, YEAH, I MEAN YOU COULD, AGAIN, I'M NOT GLAD I'M EDITING ON THE SPOT.
AND ACTUALLY YEAH, THAT THIRD ONE JUST TRAILS OFF.
IT DOESN'T EVEN, IT'S NOT EVEN A COMPLETE SENTENCE AT THE END.
IT SAYS, AND FOUND THAT MAYBE WE NEED TO PICK THIS UP NEXT MONTH.
MY PERSONAL FEELING IS THAT WHILE I APPRECIATE THAT THIS IS GOING TO MAKE NEXT MONTH'S MEETING POTENTIALLY EVEN LONGER.
I THINK THAT THERE'S JUST ENOUGH CHANGE HERE THAT IT MIGHT BE CHALLENGING FOR ALL OF US TO PASS THE RESOLUTION AS IS.
WELL, I MEAN, I WOULD, UH, YEAH.
I MEAN, MY PREFERENCE WOULD BE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN TONIGHT, BECAUSE I KNOW IT'S BOARD MEMBER BARNARD'S LAST MEETING, AND I THINK SHE'S SORT OF THE REMAINING GROUP MEMBER FROM THIS.
SO I, YOU KNOW, IF WE NEED TO LIKE, STRIKE A LOT OF THE IMPERFECT LANGUAGE FROM THE RATIONALE, I'M, I'M FINE WITH VOTING FOR IT WITH LIKE MINIMAL RATIONALE AS LONG AS THE SUBSTANCE OF THE RECOMMENDATION IS THERE.
I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT, NANCY.
JUST, JUST, JUST, THIS IS GONNA BE QUICK ON THAT THIRD PARAGRAPH.
YOU'LL JUST FIX IT IF YOU JUST, UH, YOU JUST DELETE THOSE LAST THREE WORDS AND THAT YEAH.
OH, I DID, I JUST PUT, YOU KNOW, IN THE GROUP STUDY RECENT HISTORY OF OUR SAFETY, THAT'S THE THIRD PARAGRAPH ISSUE.
DO WE WANNA, UM, DO WE WANNA STRIKE, UM, PARAGRAPH FOUR FROM THE, UH, RATIONALE? I DON'T THINK YOU CAN DO THAT AND HAVE IT, YOU KNOW, UM, IT'S KIND OF AN IF IF THIS, THEN THIS AND YEAH.
WHY THE WORKING GROUP WAS CREATED.
I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT PARAGRAPH FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH.
I MEAN, IT'S JUST REALLY THE STREET THINGS COULD, COULD YOU ADD LIKE A UNIFORMED PRESENCE IN THE PARKS AND AN IMPORTANT POINT OF ESCALATION FOR SAFETY ISSUES TO THIS? THAT SOUNDS GREAT.
[02:50:01]
SORRY, SAY THAT AGAIN.UM, AND THEN AN IMPORTANT POINT OF ESCALATION FOR SAFETY ISSUES IN THE PARKS.
AND WHAT IMPORTANT ESCALATION POINT OF ESCALATION AND POINT ESCALATION FOR SAFETY ISSUES IN THE PARK POINT OF ESCALATION FOR SAFETY ISSUES IN THE PARKS.
THERE'S NOT A BOARD, DO WE ALWAYS DO THE AND IT'S WAY MORE EFFECTIVE.
BECAUSE YOU CAN, YOU KNOW, ACTUALLY SEE IT.
SO WHEREAS IN 2020, THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT'S PARK POLICE DIVISION WAS DISSOLVED AND THE PARK RANGERS SERVE AS A UNIFORMED PRESENCE IN POINT FOR ES OF ESCALATION FOR SAFETY ISSUES IN THE PARKS.
CURRENTLY THERE ARE, UH, THERE ARE OVER 300 PARKS AND FURTHERMORE, THE PARK RANGER'S LACK OFFICIAL AUTHORITY TO ENFORCE COMPLIANCE OF MOST LAWS.
UM, I'M WILLING TO ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO, UM, TO APPROVE THIS RECOMMENDATION AS AMENDED.
I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THIS RECOMMENDATION AS RE REC, UH, AMENDED.
AND THANK YOU FOR EVERYBODY THAT HAD, UM, CHANGES AND SUGGESTIONS TO THE LANGUAGE.
UH, SO NOW OUR LAST FEW ITEMS ARE WORKING GROUP UPDATES.
UM, SO I'M JUST GONNA GO DOWN THIS LIST AND IF YOU, THERE'S NO UPDATE, THAT'S TOTALLY FINE.
UM, UPDATE FROM THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT ADVISORY BOARD.
WE DON'T HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE FOR THAT.
[10. Update from Downtown Commission. (Taylor)]
FROM THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION BOARD MEMBER TAYLOR.UPDATE FROM THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY
[11. Update from Joint Sustainability Committee. (Bazan, Becker)]
COMMITTEE BOARD MEMBER BAAN.WE ARE AWAITING OFFICIAL CONFIRMATION, SO, OKAY.
[12. Update from Zilker Park Vision Plan Working Group. (Taylor)]
FROM THE ZILKER PARK VISION PLAN WORKING GROUP.UH, WE HAVEN'T HAD A MEETING A MONTH.
BUT I DO HAVE A LOT TO SAY ABOUT THE ZER PARK VISION PLAN.
WELL, I LOOK FORWARD TO NEXT MEETING.
[13. Update from the Homelessness Working Group. (Hugman)]
THE HOMELESSNESS WORKING GROUP.UM, I, LISTENING TO THE DISCUSSION ON, ON SAFETY IN PARKS, UM, I'LL COMMENT BECAUSE IT'S PART OF MY UPDATE.
MAYOR WATSON WANTS TO ENFORCE THE CAMPING BAN.
DIFFERENT OPTIONS ARE BEING CONSIDERED, AND I'M WORKING WITH THE STATE AND THE MAYOR'S OFFICE ON SOME OF THOSE OPTIONS.
THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY FOR ALL MEMBERS OF THE HOMELESSNESS WORKING GROUP IS A CAMPUS IN AUSTIN THAT OFFERS HOPE AND HEALING WHERE SERVICES CAN BE SCALED.
SO THE BIGGEST PROBLEM WE HAVE WITH, WITH CARING FOR OUR DOWNTRODDEN IS OUR SERVICES.
WE'RE WOEFULLY SHORT ON MENTAL HEALTH, UM, SOBRIETY, LIFE TRAINING SKILLS, ALL OF THAT TO HELP OUR, OUR DOWNTRODDEN.
BUT WHEN YOU HAVE A CAMPUS, YOU CAN SCALE.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE PUSHING FOR.
AND WE ARE WORKING, AS I MENTIONED, WITH THE STATE ON THAT.
WE'RE ALSO WORKING WITH A LOT OF PRIVATE PARTNERS RIGHT NOW.
ONE IN PARTICULAR THAT'S VERY INTERESTING IS THEY'VE COME FORWARD TO OUR GROUP AUTONOMOUS INSTITUTE.
AND WHAT THEIR GOAL IS, IS TO PROVIDE AN INTELLIGENT INFRASTRUCTURE IN EAST AUSTIN TO RAISE UP EAST AUSTIN, UH, AND, AND MAKE TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE IN IN THOSE POCKETS WHERE IT, IT IS, UM, HARD TO COME BY IN ORDER FOR AN, UM, AUTONOMOUS INSTITUTE TO DO THEIR WORK.
IT'S A LOT OF, A LOT OF NETWORK GROUNDWORK.
THEY NEED A BIG LABOR FORCE, AND THEY CAME TO US BECAUSE THEY WANT TO PARTNER WITH RECOVERED ADDICTS IN LABOR JOBS.
SO HOW WONDERFUL WOULD THAT BE? UM, SO WE'RE HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH ESPERANZA, THE OTHER ONE'S FOUNDATION, BRINGING IN AUTONOMOUS INSTITUTE AND, UM, AND SOME OTHER ORGANIZ NON-PROFITS THAT ARE FOCUSED ON, UM, JOB SKILLS TRAINING FOR VETERANS.
[02:55:01]
UM, SO A LOT'S HAPPENING THERE.I THINK I, BUT I CAN SAY WE WORK CLOSELY WITH HOMELESS STRATEGY AND ABOUT THE, THE SAFETY IN OUR PARKS, OR LACK THEREOF.
THEY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH BANDWIDTH.
I'M WEEKLY, I AM WITH THE CONSTABLES GOING INTO THE ENCAMPMENTS.
AND SO, UH, UNTIL WE HAVE A PLACE OF HEALING, A PLACE TO TAKE OUR HOMELESS, WE, WE, YOU KNOW, THE PROBLEM WILL CONTINUE.
AND SO IT'S AFFECTS EVERY ONE OF OUR WORKING GROUPS.
I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S ABOUT IT.
BOARD MEMBER HAMAN, UM, BOARD MEMBER BARNARD, DO
[14. Update from the Aquatics Working Group. (Barnard)]
YOU HAVE AN UPDATE FROM THE AQUATICS WORKING GROUP? I DON'T, BUT I DO HAVE A CONCERN SINCE I'M ROLLING OFF THE BOARD.I THINK THAT'S A GOOD SEGUE ACTUALLY TO, YEAH.
WE SHOULD TALK ABOUT FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. UM, AND I WOULD JUST LIKE TO, TO ROLL
[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
INTO THE FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS BY SAYING, UM, YEAH.WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE TO JUST PERHAPS IN THE, IN THE JUNE MEETING HAVE LIKE A, I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY,
SO IF ANYBODY IS INTERESTED IN DOWNTOWN COMMISSION, LOT OF FUN THINGS HAPPEN.
I'M, SO, I'M HAPPY TO GIVE THAT TO SOMEBODY ELSE.
SO FOR, LET'S GO DOWN, LET'S JUST GO IN ORDER HERE FROM, FROM MY LEFT TO RIGHT.
AND THEN WE'RE GONNA, LET'S TALK ABOUT FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING.
BOARD MEMBER REID, ONCE WE GET PAST SILVER PART VISION PLAN,
I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT WANNA HA ASK US TO ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS ON THE BATHHOUSE, THE BARTON SPRINGS BATHHOUSE AND RENOVATIONS.
IT WOULD, IT WOULD BE GREAT TO HAVE AN UPDATE ON THE RENOVATIONS ON THE BATHHOUSE AND PARTICULARLY THE RESTROOM SITUATION THAT WAS DISCUSSED EARLIER.
IF I MAY SUGGEST, CAN WE, WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE TO HAVE THAT AT THE JUNE MEETING? SURE.
I MEAN, WE WILL JUST, WE'RE, IT IS GETTING PUT IN THE MINUTES AS FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS, AND THEN IT'LL BE UP TO YOU AS CHAIR TO FIGURE OUT THE CAN'T, THEY CAN JUST EXACTLY INFORMATION BECAUSE WE WANT THAT INFORMATION BEFORE THE NEXT MEETING, FOR THE NEXT MEETING.
WE CAN PUT IT IN A MEMO OR EMAIL.
AND THEN CHAIR ALSO, UM, WE WANTED TO HAVE THE APPOINTMENT TO THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT ADVISORY BOARD.
WHEN BOARD MEMBER, OUR NEW BOARD MEMBER FROM DISTRICT NINE WILL BE WITH US.
UM, UH, DIRECTOR MCNEIL AND I HAVE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THIS, BUT I CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR AN UPDATE ON THE MONUMENT, UM, IN BARTHA HALL, NEW PARK.
UH, AND THEN I WOULD ALSO LIKE AN UPDATE, UH, REGARDING THE REC CENTER.
UH, I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS CALLED NOW.
YOU DID LIKE A, YOU'RE LOOKING AT ALL THE REC CENTERS, UH, GAP ANALYSIS.
CAP ANALYSIS, UM, UH, JUST AN UPDATE ON WHERE THAT IS AND WHEN WE CAN EXPECT IT.
BOARD MEMBER VILLALOBOS, NONE FOR ME AT THIS TIME.
WE NEED TO VOTE ON THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION.
POSITION, BUT ALSO, UM, I WOULD LIKE, BECAUSE WE ARE GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT ZER PARK VISION PLAN THAT WE'RE VOTING ON THAT IN THE NEXT MEETING.
I WOULD ACTUALLY LIKE A COPY OF THE CONTRACT WITH THE AUSTIN PARKS FOUNDATION AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
PLEASE, IF WE COULD GET, THERE'S, THERE'S SOME SORT OF CONTRACT.
SO THERE'S A, THERE'S A RELATIONSHIP AS IT RELATES TO INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS OKAY.
[03:00:04]
OKAY.UH, THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED.