May 17, 2023 Bond Oversight Commission

[CALL TO ORDER ]

[00:00:03]

TINA TO CALL THE ROLL.

SANTIAGO RODRIGUEZ.

PRESIDENT CESAR BEN, PRESIDENT CARL CURRY.

PRESIDENT MICHAEL HAN.

PRESIDENT FRANCOIS LUCA.

EDWARD, EDWARD MCCO.

PRESIDENT JOHN MCNABB.

HERE.

KRISTEN WEAVER, NOT YET, DOESN'T LOOK LIKE.

AND NICOLE RENN.

THAT'S ALL.

DO WE HAVE ANY SPEAKERS SIGNED UP.

NO SPEAKERS.

[1. Approval of the minutes of the Regular meeting of the Bond Oversight Commission on April 19, 2023. ]

UH, DO I HEAR A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES MOVE? IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND.

MOTION AND A SECOND.

ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS, EDITS, OR CORRECTIONS TO THE MINUTES BEFORE WE VOTE? HEARING NONE.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE MINUTES SIGNIFIED BY, IN SOME WAY, BY RAISING YOUR HAND, ARE BY RESPONDING VOCALLY.

AYE.

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES PASSES UNANIMOUSLY.

[2. Staff Briefing from Watershed Protection Department on the 2018 Bond Program for Proposition F relating to flood mitigation, open space, and water quality protection. ]

THE FIRST STAFF BRIEFING IS WATERSHED PROTECTION.

ARE WE READY FOR THAT BRIEFING? UH, HI.

THIS IS DETECTIVE PRESENTER.

SHOULD BE ON THE SCREEN NOW.

ARE YOU THERE? OH, GOOD AFTERNOON.

THIS IS ANNIE VANZANT AND I'M SORRY, I'M HAVING SOME VIDEO PROBLEMS. IS THERE A SETTING THAT I NEED TO USE TO TURN ON MY VIDEO? THERE SHOULD BE A VIDEO BUTTON.

UH, THIS IS THE TECH.

THIS SHOULD JUST BE A, CAN YOU HEAR ME THERE? CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES.

OKAY, .

THANK YOU.

AUDIO'S FINE.

THANKS.

OKAY.

ON MY, OKAY.

WELL GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYBODY.

MY NAME IS ANNIE VANZANT.

UM, THANK YOU COMMISSIONERS FOR HAVING US TODAY.

I AM A, UH, A CAPITAL PROGRAM CONSULTANT WITH THE WATERSHED PROTECTION DEPARTMENT.

AND JOINED WITH ME TODAY ARE PAM KK, A CONSULTING ENGINEER, ALSO WITH WATERSHED PROTECTION AND OUR ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, JANAY SPENCE.

OH, THERE WE GO.

I SAW THE VIDEO SETTING.

OKAY.

UM, WE ARE HERE TO PRESENT AN UPDATE ON THE PROGRESS THAT WATERSHED PROTECTION HAS MADE ON THE 2018 BOND PROGRAMS. AND IF YOU COULD GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

UH, SPECIFICALLY TALKING ABOUT PROPOSITION D, FLOOD MITIGATION, OPEN SPACE AND WATER QUALITY PROTECTION.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO THIS IS THE BALLOT LANGUAGE FOR THE PROPOSITION D AND THE 2018 BOND THAT ALLOCATED 184 MILLION FOR FLOOD MITIGATION DRAINAGE PROJECTS, AS WELL AS OPEN SPACE OR WATER QUALITY PROTECTION LANDS.

UM, THE CONTRACT WITH THE VOTER LINK AT THE BOTTOM IS THE RESOLUTION SET BY COUNCIL IN AUGUST OF 2018.

THAT SET THE REFERENDUM FOR THE NOVEMBER BALLOT NEXT FEE.

[00:05:01]

GOING THE OTHER WAY.

THANK YOU.

THIS IS OUR FINANCIAL STATUS OF THE 184 MILLION.

CURRENTLY, UM, ON THE FAR RIGHT YOU CAN SEE THE TWO PIE CHARTS WHERE THE 184 MILLION IS, UM, ALLOCATED BETWEEN TWO PROGRAMS. SO FIRST FLOOD MITIGATION AND DRAINAGE PROJECTS RECEIVED 112 MILLION.

AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE 72 MILLION FOR OPEN SPACE WATER QUALITY PROTECTION LANDS.

THE ORANGE GRAPH AT THE BOTTOM RIGHT SHOWS THE AVAILABLE BOND BALANCE.

AND SO BETWEEN BOTH OF THOSE PROGRAMS, WE HAVE SPENT ABOUT HALF OF THE FUNDS.

AND SO MOVING BACK TO THE LEFT HAND SIDE, WE ARE 50% COMMITTED OVERALL FOR THE 184 MILLION.

WE CURRENTLY HAVE ALMOST 11.7 MILLION, UM, ALLOCATED OR ENCUMBERED FOR CONTRACTS.

UH, THESE ARE ACTIVE CONTRACTS.

WE HAVE SPENT 80 POINT, ALMOST 80.6 MILLION TO DATE.

SO WE HAVE COMMITTED, UH, 92.2 MILLION AND HAVE 91.8 MILLION APPROXIMATELY REMAINING.

AND OVER THE NEXT FEW SLIDES, I'LL BE SHOWING YOU OUR PLANS FOR ENCUMBERING AND SPENDING THOSE FUNDS, UH, FOR BOTH FLOOD MITIGATION DRAINAGE PROJECTS.

AND THEN WE HAVE SOME SLIDES OVER OPEN SPACE WATER QUALITY PROTECTION LANDS.

NEXT SLIDE.

SO THIS IS A SPENDING PLAN GRAPH AND IT SHOWS OUR EXPENDITURES TO DATE AS WELL AS OUR PROJECTED SPENDING OVER TIME.

AND SO THE NAVY DOT SHOWS OUR BEGINNING BALANCE IN FISCAL YEAR 19 OF THE 184 MILLION, THE NAVY LINE SHOWS OUR ACTUAL EXPENDITURES TO DATE.

AND THEN THE YELLOW AND ORANGE DOTTED LINES SHOW PAST PREDICTIONS THROUGH OUR BUDGETS OF HOW THOSE FUNDS WOULD BE SPENT.

THE GREEN LINE IS OUR PROJECTION FOR THE CURRENT BUDGET, UM, THAT SHOWS WE ANTICIPATE SPENDING THE FUNDS AND BEING 90% COMPLETE WITH THE 112 MILLION FOR FLOOD MITIGATION DRAINAGE PROJECTS BY THE END OF FISCAL YEAR 2025, WHICH IS WITHIN THE EIGHT YEAR TIME PERIOD FOR THE PROGRAM.

YOU MAY NOTICE THAT THIS SLIDE DOES NOT GO DOWN TO ZERO.

AND I HAVE A FOOTNOTE AT THE BOTTOM THAT SAYS $34 MILLION OF THESE FUNDS ARE FOR THE OPEN SPACE PARENT ACCOUNT, AND WE DO NOT CREATE A SPENDING PLAN FOR THOSE FUNDS BECAUSE OF THE SENSITIVE NATURE OF THE REAL ESTATE ACQUISITIONS FOR THAT PROGRAM.

UM, YOU MAY ALSO NOTICE THAT, UM, ON THE PREVIOUS SLIDE I HAD 35.6 MILLION REMAINING FOR OPEN SPACE, AND THIS IS SHOWING 34.

I JUST WANTED TO NOTE THAT THAT 1.6 MILLION ARE FUNDS THAT ARE CURRENTLY TIED UP IN, UH, ONGOING NEGOTIATIONS FOR THAT PROGRAM.

WE HAVE A FEW NEGOTIATIONS FOR LAND ACQUISITION, WHICH I'LL DISCUSS, UM, AT THE END OF THIS PRESENTATION.

BUT WATERSHED IS ALSO IN THE CURRENT BUDGETING PROCESS WHERE WE'RE GETTING READY TO SUBMIT OUR NEXT FIVE YEAR PLAN FOR FISCAL YEAR 24 THROUGH 28.

OUR SPENDING PLAN STILL ALIGNS WITH THE GREEN LINE THAT YOU'RE SEEING HERE, AND OUR PLAN IS TO ENCUMBER ALL OF THE DRAINAGE BO THE DRAINAGE AND FLOOD MITIGATION FUNDS IN CONTRACTS BY THE END OF FISCAL YEAR 2024, SO THAT WE CAN STILL MEET THAT SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETE MILESTONE BY THE END OF FISCAL YEAR 25.

IN THE NEXT SLIDE, THIS, UM, SO NOW WE HAVE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE TWO DIFFERENT PROGRAMS. SO FIRST, 112 MILLION FOR DRAINAGE STORM WATER PROJECTS.

THIS IS THE CRITERIA, UM, IDENTIFIED BY THE BOND ELECTION ADVISORY TASK FORCE IN 2018 WHEN BOND DEVELOPMENT WAS OCCURRING.

UM, IT NOTES THE EIGHT YEAR BOND TIMEFRAME AND EACH YEAR AS NOTED AT THE AT, AT THE END, WE REASSESS OUR BOND ALLOCATIONS FOR PROJECTS TO MAKE SURE WE'RE FOLLOWING WITHIN THIS CRITERIA AS WELL AS ADHERING TO THAT EIGHT YEAR TIMEFRAME.

UH, NEXT SLIDE.

THIS IS A DISTRIBUTION OF OUR PROJECTS FUNDED BY THE $112 MILLION BROKEN OUT BY OUR THREE THREE OF OUR MISSIONS CREEK FLOOD EROSION AND LOCAL FLOOD.

AND I HAVE SLIDES ON PROJECTS, OR I HAVE ITEMIZED THE PROJECTS FOR EACH OF THESE MISSIONS ON THE NEXT THREE SLIDES.

SO NEXT SLIDE.

FIRST WE WILL DISCUSS CREEK FLOOD RISK REDUCTION.

SO THESE PROJECTS ARE FOR, UM, WHEN THERE'S HEAVY RAINFALL AND THE STORM WATER EXCEEDS CREEK BANKS

[00:10:01]

AND SO WE HAVE A VARIETY OF SOLUTIONS TO ADDRESS THIS, UM, RISK, THIS FLOOD RISK, WE HAVE PROPERTY BUYOUTS, UM, CHANNEL WIDENING, LOW WATER CROSSING UPGRADES, REGIONAL POND IMPROVEMENTS, DAM MODERNIZATIONS, UM, AND STORM STORM DRAIN IMPROVEMENTS AS WELL.

WE HAVE, UM, HYPERLINKS TO EACH OF THE PROJECTS ON THE LEFT-HAND SIDE SO THAT YOU CAN ACCESS THE LATEST UPDATES ON EACH OF THESE PROJECTS.

UM, WE HAVE ALSO LISTED THE CURRENT PHASE, APPROXIMATE APPROXIMATE CONSTRUCTION START DATE.

AND THEN WE ADDED A COLUMN FOR BOND FUNDED PHASES AND ACTIVITIES BECAUSE I WANTED TO REINFORCE, UM, THAT WE ARE PLANNING ON ENCUMBERING ALL OF THE BOND FUNDS BY THE END OF FISCAL YEAR 2024.

SO IF YOU WERE CONCERNED ABOUT A FISCAL YEAR 25 OR 26 CONSTRUCTION START DATE, WE JUST WANTED TO OUTLINE THAT WE ARE USING THE BOND FUNDS FOR PERMITTED ACTIVITIES IN OTHER PHASES OF THE PROJECT, BUT WE DO, UM, HAVE FUNDING PLANS TO BUILD THESE PROJECTS AND ACQUIRE ASSETS.

AND THE NEXT SLIDE, THE NEXT SLIDE IS EROSION STREAM RESTORATION PROJECTS.

SO THIS IS WHEN EROSION ISSUES RELATED TO STORM WATER CREATE RISK FOR PROPERTIES AND UM, HOMES.

AND SO WE HAVE ONE PRO, ONE MAJOR PROJECT IN CONSTRUCTION RIGHT NOW, IT BEGAN LAST SUMMER.

AND THEN WE HAVE THREE OTHER PROJECTS, UM, THAT ARE NEARING THE END OF DESIGN GOING INTO CONSTRUCTION FOR JAMESTOWN.

IT'S MOSTLY A STREAM BANK STABILIZATION EROSION RISK MITIGATION PROJECT, BUT IT ALSO INCLUDES STORM DRAIN IMPROVEMENTS AND LOW WATER CROSSING.

SO IT'S REALLY ACHIEVING TWO MISSION GOALS OR PRIORITIES.

UM, AND YOU CAN SEE FOR THAT ONE WE ARE FUNDING, WE ARE USING BOND FUNDS TO FUND DESIGN EASEMENT ACQUISITION AND CONSTRUCTION.

AND THE NEXT SLIDE HAS OUR LOCALIZED FLOOD RISK REDUCTION PROJECTS.

SO LOCALIZED FLOOD RISK IS RELATED TO CREEK FLOOD, BUT LOCAL FLOOD IS WHEN RAINFALL AND RUNOFF IN NEIGHBORHOODS CANNOT GET TO THE CREEK EFFICIENTLY.

AND THAT'S OFTEN BECAUSE THE STORM DRAIN INFRASTRUCTURE IS MISSING OR UNDERSIZED.

AND SO THESE PROJECTS LARGELY FOCUS ON STORM DRAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN NEIGHBORHOODS, BUT THEY MAY ALSO INCLUDE CREEK FLOOD ELEMENTS, UM, SUCH AS REGIONAL POND IMPROVEMENTS.

WE'VE COMPLETED TWO OF THESE PROJECTS TO DATE.

THE REMAINDER PROJECTS ARE IN DESIGN RIGHT NOW.

UM, AND WE HAVE HYPERLINKS FOR ALL, BUT ONE OF THE PROJECTS AND I JUST, UM, AND STAFF IS CURRENTLY WORKING ON BUILDING THAT WEBSITE FOR JANUARY DRIVE STORM DRAIN IMPROVEMENTS.

AND SO WE DO EXPECT IT TO BE AVAILABLE THIS SUMMER.

NEXT SLIDE, MOVING INTO THE 72 MILLION ALLOCATED FOR OPEN SPACE AND WATER QUALITY PROTECTION LANDS.

THIS PROGRAM, UM, HAS BEEN FUNDED BY FIVE BOND PROGRAMS AND TO DATE, IT'S ACQUIRED OVER 34,000 ACRES.

ON THE FOLLOWING SLIDE, WE HAVE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE 2018 BOND AND WHAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH SO FAR.

UM, AND, BUT I WANTED TO NOTE ON THIS SLIDE THAT THIS IS A PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITY BETWEEN MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTS WHERE WATERSHED SEEKS THE LAND ACQUISITION OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH FEE SIMPLE OR CONSERVATION EASEMENTS.

AND THEN AUSTIN WATER WILL MANAGE THE PROPERTIES THROUGH THEIR WILDLANDS CONSERVATION PROGRAM.

NEXT SLIDE.

SO THIS IS A MAP OF THE ACQUISITIONS MADE TO DATE.

I APOLOGIZE IF IT'S DIFFICULT TO READ.

UM, BUT SO FAR WE HAVE SPENT ABOUT HALF OF THE FUNDS AND ACQUIRING ABOUT ALMOST 6,000 ACRES THROUGH EITHER FEE SIMPLE OR CONSERVATION EASEMENTS.

TEAMS ARE, ARE, ARE PROGRAM MANAGERS ARE ACTIVELY PURSUING, UM, OTHER PROPERTY ACQUISITIONS.

UM, THEY ARE HAVING CHALLENGES WITH MARKET PRICES INCREASING AS WELL AS IDENTIFYING LARGE TRACKS OF LAND SO THAT WE CAN MAXIMI MAXIMIZE THE TAXPAYER USE OF FUNDS AND INVESTMENTS WHILE HONORING THE INTENT OF THE BOND.

UM, THE LARGE PARCELS PROVIDE THE HIGHEST AND BEST USE FOR WATER QUALITY PROTECTION, AND THESE FUNDS CAN ONLY BE SPENT

[00:15:01]

BUT IT ALSO HAS A CITYWIDE BENEFIT FOR OUR WATER QUALITY DRINKING WATER.

UM, SO STAFF IS CONTINUING TO NEGOTIATE AND YOU CAN SEE WITH SOME OF THE MORE RECENT ACQUISITIONS, UM, THEY'RE TRYING, THEY'RE SEEING HOW TO EXPAND ON, UH, PREVIOUS ACQUISITIONS.

NEXT SLIDE.

AND THAT BRINGS US TO OUR RESOURCES.

UM, WE HAVE OUR HOMEPAGE LISTED HERE, THE PROJECTS WEBSITE.

SO ALL OF THE PROJECTS WHERE YOU SAW HYPERLINKS BEFORE, YOU CAN FIND THEM ON THE PROJECTS WEBSITE, BUT THIS PROJECT'S WEBSITE IS MUCH LONGER THAN WHAT YOU'VE SEEN TODAY BECAUSE WE HAVE NON BOND FUNDED PROJECTS.

ALSO ON THAT WEBSITE, WE RECENTLY ALSO PRODUCED A C I P PROJECTS BY COUNCIL DISTRICT FOR WATERSHED.

AND SO, UM, WE'VE PROVIDED A LINK FOR YOU THERE.

AND AUSTIN WATER HAS CREATED A REALLY NICE, UH, STORY MAP FOR WATER QUALITY PROTECTION LAND.

SO WE WANTED TO SHARE THAT RESOURCE WITH YOU ALL TOO, AS WELL AS THE PROPOSITION D 2018 BOND HYPERLINK.

SO NEXT SLIDE.

AND WE ARE AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE.

THANK YOU.

ARE THERE QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMISSION? JUST A, JUST A GENERAL QUESTION HERE.

UM, WHAT TYPES OF CHALLENGES ARE YOU UP AGAINST AS FAR AS THE LAND ACQUISITION GOES? UM, I KNOW IT'S FAIRLY COMPETITIVE, RIGHT? AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IF LAND ISN'T, ISN'T IN A, YOU KNOW, A FLOODPLAIN OR ANYTHING, IT'S GOTTA BE EXTREMELY COMPETITIVE IF IT'S, YOU KNOW, POTENTIAL USE FOR RESIDENTIAL OR PLUS, YOU KNOW, TYPE OF DEVELOPMENTS, RIGHT? YES.

THANK YOU.

UM, DEVELOP DEVELOPMENT PRESSURES, UM, DO INCREASE THE MARKET VALUE FOR THE PROPERTIES.

AND SO I THINK THAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IS, UM, JUST INCREASED MARKET VALUES OVERALL.

AND SO, UM, I HAVE HEARD THAT WE HAVE BEEN ASKED FOR A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS TO $200,000 AN ACRE.

UM, AND THAT'S BEYOND WHAT WE'VE HISTORICALLY SPENT.

I HAD ONE QUESTION ON SLIDE FIVE.

YOU, THIS IS A SLIDE THAT PROJECTS THE SPENDING AND, AND I'VE NOTICED THAT YOU, UM, I BELIEVE THE WORDS YOU USED WERE THAT YOU EXPECTED TO ENCUMBER THE FUNDS BY THE END OF FISCAL YEAR 24.

YES, SIR.

AND DOES THAT MEAN THEY'RE, YOU EXPECT CONTRACTS TO BE IN PLACE? YES, SIR.

OKAY.

THANK YOU.

TO CLARIFY, YES, YOU WERE RIGHT ON WITH THAT.

UM, WHEN WE ENTER INTO CONTRACTS, THAT'S WHEN WE UNCOVER THE FUNDS AND ESSENTIALLY EARMARK THOSE FUNDS FOR THOSE SPECIFIC CONTRACTS.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMISSION? YES, I HAD, UH, JUST ONE MORE QUESTION HERE, COMMISSIONER, UM, CURRY.

OH, SORRY TO INTERRUPT.

UM, GO AHEAD.

THE, UH, WANTED TO SEE, SO YOU HAD A SLIDE ON, UH, PROJECT COUPLING, UM, WITH OTHER GROUPS.

ARE THERE ANY OTHER NOTEWORTHY PARTNERSHIPS WITH EITHER FEDERAL DOLLARS OR ANY OTHER STATE DOLLARS AVAILABLE, UM, FOR ANY OF THE SPENDING PROJECTS FOR THESE PROJECTS FUNDED BY 2018 BONDS? UM, NO, BUT WE DO SEEK OUT, UM, EXTERNAL FUNDS AND WE ARE LOOKING, WE HAVE HIRED A GRANT MANAGER IN THE DEPARTMENT TO PURSUE GRANT OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL OF OUR PROJECTS.

UM, AND SO WE DON'T HAVE FEDERAL FUNDS ATTACHED TO, UH, WELL, EXCEPT FOR THE ONION CREEK, UH, THE UPPER ONION CREEK FLOOD RISK REDUCTION BUYOUTS.

THOSE HAVE FEDERAL FUNDS ASSOCIATED, BUT I DON'T BELIEVE WE HAVE ANY OTHER EXTERNAL FUNDING SOURCES FOR OUR OTHER PROJECTS, BUT WE ARE PURSUING THOSE GRANT OPPORTUNITIES ACTIVELY.

OKAY.

THANKS FOR THAT.

IF, IF YOU DO FIND ANY, IT'D BE GREAT TO, TO CALL THOSE OUT AND THE NEXT TIME YOU PRESENT.

THANK YOU.

OKAY, THANK YOU.

I HAD AN ADDITIONAL QUESTION, UH, ABOUT THE WATER QUALITY PROTECTION LANDS.

UM, I WAS CURIOUS, MS. VAN, MS. VANANA, IF YOU'RE, UH, IF YOU'RE AWARE OF SLAUGHTER CREEK TRAIL, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT FOLLOWS UNDER, IT'S IN DISTRICT

[00:20:01]

UM, I BELIEVE IT IS A WATER QUALITY PROTECTION LAND.

I'M NOT 100% ABOUT THAT, BUT I WAS WONDERING IF THAT FELL UNDER, UM, PROPOSITION D NOT FOR THE 2018 BOND PROGRAM, BUT, UM, I DO BELIEVE THAT WAS A PART OF THE WATER QUALITY PROTECTION LAND ACQUISITION THROUGH A PREVIOUS BOND PROGRAM.

AND THE REASON WHY I'M CONFIDENT IN THAT IS BECAUSE, UM, IN VIEWING THAT STORY MAP THAT WE LINKED ON THE LAST SLIDE, IT HAS A MAP OF THAT VERY TRACT WITH THE TRAILS IN IT NEAR CIRCLE C AND SLAUGHTER LANE.

YES.

OKAY.

FANTASTIC.

YES, THANKS FOR CLARIFYING THAT.

UM, AS AN ADDITIONAL QUESTION, UM, I FIND THAT TO BE A REALLY EXCELLENT COMMUNITY SPOT AND JUST A REALLY NICE, UH, WAY OF ALLOWING A LOT OF MEMBERS OF THAT COMMUNITY TO, UM, JUST PARTAKE IN THE OUTDOORS.

AND I WAS CURIOUS WITH ANY OF THESE OTHER ACQUISITIONS, IF THERE IS CONSIDERATION TO DEVELOPING THEM IN A SIMILAR WAY? SO, YOU KNOW, BIKING TRAILS, HIKING TRAILS, UM, THINGS OF THAT NATURE? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.

UM, I THINK IT STARTS WITH THE INITIAL, THE NEGOTIATIONS PER PROPERTY AND THE TYPE OF ACQUISITION THAT IS MADE.

SO IF IT'S FEE SIMPLE, THEN THE CITY OUT OWNS THE PROPERTY OUTRIGHT.

IF IT'S A CONSERVATION EASEMENT, THE PRIVATE LANDOWNER STILL OWNS THEIR PROPERTY, BUT DEVELOPMENT RESTRICTIONS ARE IN PLACE, AND I BELIEVE THAT AUSTIN WATER WILDLANDS CONSERVATION, UM, MANAGES AND ORGANIZES ANY PROGRAMMING FOR THESE LANDS.

UM, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THERE ARE VOLUNTEER GROUPS THAT GO TO SOME OF THEM, BUT I'M NOT SURE ABOUT THE RECREATIONAL FACILITIES ON THE DIFFERENT PARCELS.

IT'S, UH, I SUSPECT IT MIGHT BE A PARCEL, A CASE BY CASE BASIS.

OKAY.

AND IF THEY ARE NOT OWNED BY A PRIVATE LANDOWNER OR SOMETHING OF THAT NATURE, UM, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT COULD BE POTENTIALLY PURSUED AS IN TERMS OF DEVELOP, DEVELOPING THE RECREATIONAL COMPONENT OF IT IF IT'S OWNED BY THE CITY? I WOULD HAVE TO LOOK INTO THAT, BUT I CAN LOOK INTO THAT AND, UM, AND SEND YOU A, GIVE YOU A RESPONSE.

OKAY.

AWESOME.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMISSION ON THIS PRESENTATION? IF NOT, THANK YOU.

WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT STAFF

[3. Staff Briefing from the Emergency Medical Services Department and the Austin Fire Department on the 2018 Bond Program for Proposition F related to public safety.]

HELLO ALL.

UM, THIS IS TINA VAN, WE WITH FINANCIAL SERVICES.

I'M JUST GONNA KICK THIS, UH, UH, KICKSTART THIS FOR THE DEPARTMENT, UH, RIGHT QUICK.

UM, UH, CHIEFS, UH, JHA AND, UH, JACK SK IS GO WILL BE JOINING US.

UM, AS SOON AS I FINISH TALKING ABOUT THE FINANCIAL SLIDES, GO AHEAD AND MOVE FORWARD ON THE SLIDES.

ONE MORE.

ALL RIGHT.

SO WHAT OUR DEPARTMENTS ARE HERE TODAY TO BRIEF YOU ON IS THE 2018 BOND PROPOSITION F FOR PUBLIC SAFETY.

THIS IS SPECIFIC TO FIRE AND EMS, UM, AND BY OUR CONTRACT GUIDANCE DOCUMENTS SUCH AS OUR CONTRACT WITH THE VOTERS.

THIS IS AN EIGHT YEAR PROGRAM.

UM, THE PROPOSITION IN TOTAL IS 38 MILLION WITH AN ALLOCATION BY DEPARTMENT OF 13 MILLION FOR FIRE AND 25 MILLION FOR EMS. UM, I'D JUST LIKE TO INTERJECT HERE THAT, UM, GIVEN THAT THE WHOLE SET OF THESE BOND PRO PROPOSITION PROJECTS ARE CRITICAL PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITIES AND THE RENOVATIONS TO THE FACILITIES ARE NEEDED TO ADDRESS THE FUNCTIONALITY ISSUES AND TO EXTEND THE USEFUL LIFE OF THE FACILITIES.

UM, STAFF FROM PUBLIC WORKS, FIRE AND EMS AND FINANCIAL SERVICES, UH, RECENTLY WORKED TOGETHER TO IDENTIFY A FUNDING SOLUTION TO SOME SHORTFALLS THAT THEY WERE HAVING.

AND COUNCIL TOOK ACTION ON MAY 4TH FOR AN ADDITIONAL 17 MILLION BACKED BY THE FUTURE ISSUANCE AND CERTIFICATES OF OBLIGATION.

UM, AND SO WHAT THIS WILL ALLOW TO HAPPEN IS THE COMPLETION OF MANY OF THE PROJECTS THAT YOU WILL BE BRIEFED ON HERE SHORTLY.

UH, NEXT SLIDE.

[00:25:04]

SO THROUGH THE END OF MARCH.

UM, CURRENTLY WE'RE AT 8.1 MILLION SPENT AND 11.8 MILLION OR 31% AUTHORIZED IN COMMITMENTS, AND WE'VE ALSO ISSUED 9,450,000, UH, TO DATE FOR THIS PROPOSITION.

NEXT SLIDE.

THIS IS OUR SPIN DOWN TRENDS.

UM, WE HAVE SEEN, SEEN IN THE PAST SOME STEEP PROJECTIONS JUST DUE TO THE EFFICIENCY OF HOW THE, UH, PROJECTS ARE BEING PACKAGED TOGETHER.

AND WHILE THE PRIOR YEAR PROJECTION SHOWED THAT WE HAVE MISSED, UH, SOME OF THE, THE SPENT DOWN IN THE PAST, UH, THE DEPARTMENTS WILL BE ABLE TO BRIEF YOU ON THE, UH, PROGRESS, UH, WHERE WE'RE AT NOW.

THANK YOU.

GOOD AFTERNOON, COMMISSIONERS.

MY NAME IS ERIC J*****S AND I'M A DIVISION CHIEF WITH AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY EMS. I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT AN OVERVIEW ON OUR STATION PROJECTS, UH, RE ASSOCIATED WITH THE 2018 PUBLIC SAFETY BOND, AND I'LL BE RECAPPING THE STATUS ON THEM AS WELL AS PROVIDED AN UPDATE ON OUR STATION RENOVATIONS AT THIS POINT.

UH, IN THE OPENING SLIDE THAT'S SHOWING RIGHT NOW, YOU CAN SEE THE LOCATIONS OF OUR SIX STATIONS THAT MAKE UP THE EM S PORTION OF THE BOND.

THIS INCLUDES THREE STANDALONE EMS STATIONS, AS WELL AS THREE JOINT FACILITIES WHERE EMS IS CO-LOCATED WITH THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT.

THESE STATIONS ARE LOCATED IN ALL PARTS OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND SPANNING MULTIPLE COUNCIL DISTRICTS AND IN A REALLY DIVERSE COMMUNITY AS AS A WHOLE.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

OUR FIRST M S STATION, UH, IS A STANDALONE STATION OVER ON AIRPORT IN THE MUELLER SUBDIVISION.

AND IT IS, UM, IT WAS A, UH, BOND THAT WAS DONE TO GO AHEAD AND ADDRESS ROOF CONCERNS THAT WERE, UH, ORIGINALLY WITH A STATION THAT CREATED SIGNIFICANT FLOODING DURING HEAVY RAIN AND EVENTS LIKE THAT CANOPY AND A SYSTEM OF GUTTERS WAS CONSTRUCTED AND WAS COMPLETED IN 2020.

SO THIS PROJECT OUT OF THE 2018 BOND PUBLIC SAFETY IS ACTUALLY COMPLETED RE RESOLVED THE ISSUE, AND THERE HAVE BEEN NO SIGNIFICANT FLOODINGS, UH, SINCE THE WORK IS COMPLETED.

UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

OUR NEXT STATION IS OUR OLDEST STANDALONE EMS STATION, E EMS STATION, ONE ON SOUTH FIRST STREET NEAR BEN WHITE.

STATION ONE WAS BUILT IN 1983 AND AT THE TIME WAS THE ONE OF THE FIRST FREESTANDING E M S STATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES ITSELF.

UH, THE MEN MAJOR RENOVATIONS TO THIS STATION WILL INCREASE THE SIZE OF THE LIVING QUARTERS AND EXPAND THE STATION TO ACCOMMODATE TWO AMBULANCES AND THE DISTRICT COMMAND UNIT, AS WELL AS ADDRESS A D A ACCOMMODATIONS AND OUR NEEDS WITH OUR BUSIEST STATION IN SOUTH AUSTIN.

UM, IN FACT, YOU CAN SEE THE TWO N SETSS, UH, THE INCREASED SIZE OF THE STATION WITH THE THREE BASE FACING OUT AS OPPOSED TO THE OLDER STATION AND THE SMALL INSET.

UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

GIVEN THE HISTORY OF THIS STATION AND IT BEING ONE OF THE FIRST STANDALONE STATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES, OUR DEPARTMENT HELD BACK IN NOVEMBER OF 2021 A GOING AWAY, GATHERING, BRINGING BACK FORMER AND RETIRED EMPLOYEES AS WELL AS CURRENT EMPLOYEES TO GO AHEAD AND SEND OFF THE STATION STYLE.

ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS, AS IS SHOWN HERE IN A PICTURE ON THE LOWER LEFT, IS THEY HAD AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL, UH, PERFORM RETIRED AND CURRENT MEMBERS TO GO AHEAD AND SIGN THE WALL ON THE E M S STATION THERE.

UM, THAT WALL HAS ACTUALLY BEEN PRESERVED AND RETAINED NOW AND WILL BE INCORPORATED INTO DISPLAYS INSIDE THE STATION, ALONG WITH OTHER MORE NOTABLE PIECES OF THE STATION FROM THE PAST, BRINGING BOTH THE PAST, THE PRESENT, AND THE FUTURE TOGETHER.

UH, CURRENTLY THE GENERAL CONTRACTOR HAS RECENTLY COMPLETED THE DEMOLITION STAGE OF THIS STATION.

SO THAT LITTLE PICTURE YOU SAW IN THE PREVIOUS SLIDE IS ACTUALLY NOW JUST A FEW STUDS AND SOME FOUNDATION LEFT OVER, SO IT'S READY FOR CONSTRUCTION.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

OUR NEXT STATION IS EMS FIVE AT NORTH LAMAR AND KENNY GLA.

THIS STANDALONE STATION IS OUR SECOND OLDEST STATION ON BEING ONLY A COUPLE YEARS, UH, NEWER THAN STATION ONE, AND IT'S BEING TRANSFORMED FROM A TWO BASE STATION, A SMALLER STATION TO A FOUR BASE STATION, WHICH INCLUDES SPACE FOUR TWO AMBULANCES, A COMMANDER OR OUR ON-DUTY SHIFT CHIEF, AND THEN EVEN A COMMUNITY HEALTH MENTAL, UH, COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDIC MENTAL HEALTH RESPONDER UNIT.

SO THIS STATION EXPANSION REALLY EXPANDS OUR CAPABILITY OF DELIVERING SERVICES INTO THE NORTH CENTRAL PORTION OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

THE STATION HAS HAD THE DEMOLITION PHASE COMPLETED IN THE FALL OF 2022, SO WITH THE RECENT APPROVALS OF, UH, THE NOTICE TO PROCEEDS WE'RE LOOKING FOR.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

NEXT SLIDE IS SHOWING

[00:30:01]

IT'S CO-LOCATED WITH THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT ON RESEARCH BOULEVARD NEAR METRIC.

THE EMS CREW CORS WERE IN ADDITION TO THE STATION, UH, THE ORIGINAL FIRE STATION AND IS IN NEED OF SIGNIFICANT RENOVATION TO ACCOUNT FOR SOME ISSUES WITH THE BUILDING.

UH, IN FACT, THE ORIGINAL, OR EXCUSE ME, THE, THE EXPANSION, THE ADDITION TO THE EMS STATION IS, IS ACTUALLY FALLING AWAY SLIGHTLY OVER THE YEARS FROM THE ORIGINAL FIRE BUILDING.

SO ADDITIONALLY, IT'LL GIVE EXPANDED CREW LI QUARTERS, LIVING QUARTERS AND ADA ACCOMMODATIONS AND, UH, INCREASED LIVING SPACE.

IT'S VERY IMPORTANT BEC TO US WITH THIS STATION BECAUSE THIS STATION HAS NOW BECOME ONE OF OUR BUSIEST STATIONS IN E M S ECLIPSING SOME OF OUR CENTRAL E M S UNITS IN CALL VOLUME.

EXPANDED SPACE AND INDIVIDUAL BEDROOMS OF THE MEDICS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT WHEN YOUR TIME AND STATION IS VERY LIMITED DUE TO THE CALL VOLUME.

THIS STATION IS DUE TO BEGIN DEMO DEMOLITION AND CONSTRUCTION, UH, IN JUNE COMING UP NEXT MONTH.

UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

NEXT SLIDE IS SHOWING EMS STATION 10.

IT IS UP ON DUVAL ROAD, UH, NEAR RESEARCH EAST OF RESEARCH BOULEVARD.

IT'S ALSO CO-LOCATED WITH THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT AND LIKE EMS STATION SEVEN, IT WAS IN ADDITION TO THE ORIGINAL FIRE STATION AND WAS ACTUALLY PLACED IN A BACK PORTION OF THE PROPERTY IN A LIMITED AREA OF SPACE, UH, WITH A SMALLER CREW QUARTERS A, UM, DORMITORY THAT WAS A ALL PERSONNEL DORMITORY IN THE SMALLER APPARATUS BAY.

UH, OVER TIME DUE TO CHANGES IN DIMENSIONS OF OUR AMBULANCES, UH, ESPECIALLY WITH THE WHAT WE CAN CURRENTLY DELIVER FOR OUR PATIENTS IN THOSE AMBULANCES, UH, THE EXISTING EM, MS. BAY IN THE BACK, WHICH IS SHOWING IN THE LITTLE TINY INSECT PICTURE, UH, IT BECAME UNUSABLE AND FOR OUR CURRENT AMBULANCES.

SO WE ACTUALLY HAD TO MOVE THE AMBULANCES INTO THE MAIN BAY WHERE FIRES APPARATUS IS LOCATED AT, AND THAT PUTS A, UM, A SERVICE CAPABILITY TWIST ON IT FOR BOTH FIRE AND EMS BY TAKING UP AN ADDITIONAL BAY THAT THEY'D BE USING.

UH, THE DEMOLITION WAS COMPLETED IN 2022 AND CONSTRUCTION WITH THE, UH, ISSUANCE NTP AND EVERYTHING SHOULD START SOON.

UM, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

AND THE LAST STATION PART OF THIS PRESENTATION IS OUR EMS STATION 13, LOCATED OVER ON EAST RUNDBERG BETWEEN I 35 AND CAMERON ROAD.

UH, AS WITH THE OTHER TWO STATIONS THAT I JUST SPOKE ABOUT, EM, S 13 WAS AN ADDITION, UH, TO THE BUILDING MANY YEARS BEF UH, THAT WAS BUILT MANY YEARS BEFORE THAT.

UNFORTUNATELY, THE CONSTRUCTION MEANT THAT THE ONLY WAY THE STATION FOR THE PERSONNEL TO GET FROM EMS CREW QUARTERS TO THE APPARATUS BAY WAS TO CROSS THROUGH A RESTROOM.

UH, NOT THE BEST OF OPTIONS FOR OUR DI DIVERSE WORKFORCE OR FOR OUR MEN OR WOMEN, UH, UTILIZING THAT STATION.

THE RENOVATIONS OF THIS STATION WILL ADD A LARGER LIVING QUARTERS AND INDIVIDUAL BEDROOMS, AS WELL AS A DIRECT PATHWAY THAT DOES NOT GO THROUGH ANY RESTROOM.

UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

AND THE LAST PORTION OF THE PRESENTATION KIND OF TOUCHES ON SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE'VE SEEN SINCE WE, UH, PRESENTED HERE THE YEAR BEFORE ON THE 2018 PUBLIC SAFETY BOND AND NOW TO TODAY.

UH, SOME OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES THAT WE'VE FACED HAVE BEEN, UM, MAINTAINING OUR RESPONSE COVERAGE IN THE AREAS, THESE AREAS OF THE CITY, WHICH HAVE, UH, HIGHER CALL VOLUMES OR IF NOT EXTREMELY HIGH CALL VOLUMES, AND YOU'D BE ABLE TO STILL MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT QUARTERS FOR OUR CREWS, UH, AS THEY GO ABOUT THEIR WORK AND THEIR DUTY.

UM, OUR BUSIEST STATIONS, IN FACT, EMS ONE, FIVE AND SEVEN, UH, HAVE BEEN ACCOMMODATED BY PLACING TEMPORARY TRAILERS AT THOSE, UH, STATION PROPERTIES.

UH, THE ONE IN THE IMAGE RIGHT NOW THAT YOU'RE SEEING THE LARGER IMAGE IS EMS FIVE UP IN, UH, CANNING AND LAMAR, THE SMALLER IMAGES, UH, ON THE AUSTIN WATER PROPERTY BEHIND OUR STATION ONE.

UM, THE TRAILERS HAVE CREATED SOME THEIR OWN HURDLES, UH, AS WE'VE HAD TWO UNITS NOW IN THEM.

UH, MEDIC FIVE HAS ACTUALLY BEEN IN THEM FOR A NUMBER OF MONTHS NOW.

UM, SO W WE'VE BEEN HAVING TO KIND OF ADJUST AS, AS WE GO ALONG IN ADDRESSING CONCERNS, ADDRESSING ANY ISSUES THAT WE HAVE WITH, UH, TRAILER STATIONS AS WE GO AHEAD AND STILL PROVIDE COVERAGE IN THESE AREAS.

UM, AND LIKE ANY MAJOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS WHEN THE CITY OF AUSTIN EMS IS NOT, WITHOUT HAVING DELAYS, UH, AND OTHER ISSUES, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO ITEMS LIKE TEMPORARY FACILITY TRAILERS, WHICH HAVE TO HAVE FIRE SPRINKLER SYSTEMS DEDICATED, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE LIKE THAT, WHICH WE'VE GONE THROUGH ON A, ON A PERSONAL NOTE, AS I FINISH UP, UM, BEING A MEMBER FOR OVER 27 YEARS WITH AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY M S, I'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK IN ALL OF OUR STATIONS THAT ARE A PART OF THIS BOND PROJECT, UH, BOTH AS A PARAMEDIC TRAINING OFFICER, RESCUE MEDIC, AND A COMMANDER.

UH, AND NOW IN CHIEF, OUR EMPLOYEES WORK A LARGE PORTION OF THEIR LIVES, UH, OUT OF THESE STATIONS, AND IT REALLY BECOMES A SECOND HOME FOR THEM.

SO THE RENOVATIONS THAT ARE PART OF THIS BOND PROJECT ARE CRUCIAL FOR THEM TO GO AHEAD AND CONTINUE AND BE ABLE TO SERVE FOR OUR DEPARTMENT.

NOW, I'D LIKE TO TURN OVER TO MY, THE PRESENTATION TO MY COLLEAGUE FROM THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT.

[00:35:02]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALLOWING US TO BE HERE TODAY.

HAVE A PREPARED STATEMENT AND THEN WE'LL GET INTO THE SLIDES.

THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE BOND OVERSIGHT COMMISSION AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN FOR THEIR ONGOING SUPPORT AND EFFORTS TO ENSURE THE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE, UH, A F D FIRE STATIONS.

THE 2018 BOND HAS BEEN AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY, AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT, THE BOND HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL TO ESTABLISHING WHAT WE CALL THE DEFERRED MAINTENANCE PROGRAM AND ENSURING FUTURE AND PRODUCTIVE COLLABORATIONS WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN BUILDING SERVICES DIVISION IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN, IMPROVE AND MODERNIZE OUR FIRE STATION.

THE DEFERRED MAINTENANCE PROGRAM SIMPLIFIES THE PROCESS TO ADDRESSING ONGOING MAINTENANCE ISSUES, AS WELL AS PROVIDE A RELIABLE AVENUE FOR A F P TO ACCOMPLISH SIGNIFICANT RENOVATIONS FOR OUR EXISTING STATIONS THAT ARE DESPERATELY IN NEED.

THE DEFERRED MAINTENANCE PROGRAM HAS TWO MAIN PARTS, DM ONE, UH, WHICH IS, UH, SPECIFIC SCOPE PROJECTS THAT ADDRESS LIKE AND KIND DEFICIENCIES THAT A LONG, EXCUSE ME, NEGLECTED.

YES.

SORRY TO INTERRUPT.

THE, THE AUDIO IS REALLY TOUGH TO HEAR.

I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S JUST .

OKAY, SORRY.

I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT.

THE DEFERRED MAINTENANCE ONE PROJECTS ARE SPECIFIC IN SCOPE THAT ADDRESS LIKE AND KIND EFFICIENCIES THAT HAVE LONG BEEN NEGLECTED.

EXAMPLES OF DM ONE PROJECTS ARE DRIVEWAY REPLACEMENTS, OVERHEAD DOOR REPLACEMENTS, H V A C REPLACEMENTS, KITCHEN CABINETS AND APPLIANCE UPGRADES, FLOOR REPAIRS AND ROOF REPLACEMENTS.

DEFERRED MAINTENANCE TWO PROJECTS WITH CHIEF, WITH THAT CHIEF JACK VASQUEZ MENTIONED, AND I'LL DISCUSS AS WELL, UH, INCLUDE LARGER, MORE COMPREHENSIVE RENOVATIONS, UM, THAT PUT TOGETHER MAJOR UPGRADES FOR THE ENTIRE BUILDING.

FIRE STATION 18 25, 23, AND FIRE STATION EIGHT.

UH, WE'LL LOOK AT SOME OF THESE PROJECTS, BUT THEY'RE AFFECTED DIRECTLY BY THIS BOND.

UH, AS MENTIONED, THE DEPTH AND BREADTH AND IMPACT OF THE, UH, 2018 BOND FOR THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN PROFOUND TO DATE.

THE EIGHT 18, UH, 2018 BOND HAS TOUCHED 25 FIRE STATIONS REPRESENTING 48% OF OUR INVENTORY.

SO ON BEHALF OF THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

UH, IF WE COULD GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

AS MENTIONED, THE DEFERRED MAINTENANCE PROGRAM IS AN, IS AN INNOVATION, INNOVATIVE COLLABORATION WITH, UH, THE BUILDING SERVICES DIVISION AND ALLOWS US TO CREATE SMALL AND LARGE TAILORED PROJECTS, UH, TO FIX OUR FIRE STATIONS.

UH, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

UH, THIS SLIDE BREAKS DOWN THE, UH, DEFERRED MAINTENANCE ONE AND DEFERRED MAINTENANCE TWO PROJECTS.

UH, WE CAN LOOK AT A HOST OF DIFFERENT THINGS, KITCHEN REMODELS, REFRESH PAINT, NEW WINDOWS, THINGS LIKE THAT WE CAN, UH, PARRET DOWN OR MAKE IT AS LARGE AS WE WANT.

THERE'S A TON OF FLEXIBILITY AND, AND WE'RE REALLY, REALLY GRATEFUL FOR THAT.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

THE DM TWO PROJECTS ARE ALL, UH, WORKING TOWARDS LEAD SILVER, UH, CERTIFICATION THAT'S UPGRADING THE ENERGY HEALTH MATERIALS, BETTER LAND USE AND WATER USE THROUGHOUT THESE FACILITIES.

UH, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

AS MENTIONED, UH, THE DEFERRED MAINTENANCE PROJECTS ARE REALLY TOUCHING EVERY PART OF THE CITY, UH, EVERY UH, EVERY DISTRICT.

I, I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW IMPORTANT THIS PROJECT IS TO US.

IT'S JUST REALLY, REALLY WONDERFUL.

NEXT SLIDE.

A BIG TOUCH WITH THE DEFERRED MAINTENANCE.

ONE LEVEL ONE PROJECTS HAS BEEN TO UPGRADE OUR KITCHENS.

THE KITCHENS REMAINS THE HEART OF OUR FIRE STATIONS, AND IT'S WHERE WE ALL GET TOGETHER AND, UH, SPEND A LOT OF OUR TIME.

AND IF THEY'RE RUNDOWN AND IF THEY'RE A MESS, UH, THAT'S NO GOOD.

SO BEING ABLE TO SPRUCE 'EM UP AND MAKE 'EM BETTER, IT, IT, IT'S JUST THAT IT'S SO IMPORTANT.

I CAN'T EXPLAIN, UH, OVERHEAD DOORS ARE ALSO A BIG PROBLEM.

IF YOU'RE NOT AWARE, THE LEAD TIMES ON OVERHEAD DOORS IS ABOUT SIX MONTHS RIGHT NOW.

UH, WE'VE BEEN ABLE, UH, TO CHANGE OUT A HOST OF OVERHEAD DOORS TO THIS PROJECT, AND IT'S BEEN REALLY, REALLY HELPFUL, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN GET OUT THE DOOR, GO ON OUR CALLS.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

WE HAVE A LOT OF INFRASTRUCTURE, UH, WITH OUR DRIVEWAYS, WITH THE HEAVIER WEIGHT OF THE VEHICLES, WE'RE SEEING DEGRADATE DEGRADATION IN A LOT OF OUR OLDER DRIVEWAYS AND THE DEFERRED MAINTENANCE PROJECTS, UH, WITH A COLLABORATION WITH STREET AND BRIDGE HAS ALLOWED US TO UPGRADE OUR DRIVEWAYS VERY EFFICIENTLY, VERY EFFECTIVELY.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

THE FIRST OF OUR DEFERRED MAINTENANCE LEVEL TWO PROJECTS WAS FIRE STATION.

UH, THIS IS PERSONAL FAVORITE OF MINE.

I WAS ASSIGNED HERE TWICE, UH, AND IT WAS IN BAD, BAD NEED OF REPAIR.

WE WERE ABLE TO GO IN, DO AN ENTIRE RENOVATION.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE CLEAN OUT, UH, GUT THE ENTIRE BUILDING, UH, REFINISH IT WITH, UH, NEW CABINETS, NEW UH, UTILITIES, UH, NEW LIFE SAFETY, UH, UPGRADE OUR, UH, PLY EVENT SYSTEM, WHICH IS IMPORTANT FOR OUR CANCER

[00:40:01]

UH, AND NOW WE HAVE ANOTHER NEW STATION, UH, ESSENTIALLY THAT'LL LAST US ANOTHER 25, 30 YEARS.

NEXT SLIDE.

AS CHIEF UH, MENTIONED, WE ARE ALSO COLLABORATING ON OUR FIRE STATION 78, 10 25, AND 1323 STATIONS.

I WON'T REITERATE IT, BUT, UM, THESE, UH, COLLABORATIONS, UM, ARE LONG OVERDUE, LONG, LONG OVERDUE.

UH, FIRE STATION 78 IS A, UH, SIGNIFICANT HUB ON THE 180 3 CORRIDOR, 180 3 MOPAC CORRIDOR.

UM, WE'RE ANTICIPATING, UH, SUBSTANTIAL COMPLETION NEXT YEAR.

AND, UH, THIS PROJECT, UH, HAS NOTICE TO PROCEED AND SHOULD BE GETTING UNDERWAY SHORTLY.

NEXT SLIDE.

ALL OF THESE THAT I'M GONNA SHOW YOU NOW ALL HAVE NOTICED PROCEED AS MENTIONED BEFORE, THIS PARTICULAR BUILDING WAS DEMOLISHED AT THE END OF LAST YEAR.

UM, THIS WILL PROBABLY BE THE ONE THAT GETS, UH, STARTED.

FIRST, IT'S GONNA PROVIDE, UH, UH, QUALITY STATION FOR BOTH EMS AND FIRE.

UH, THIS IS ALSO A LOCATION FOR OUR A AIP PPP PROJECT, AND WE'RE PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT, UH, THIS PARTICULAR PIECE THAT'S GONNA END UP IN THE TOWER.

SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO SEE IT FROM THE ROADWAY.

AND THEN FINALLY, OUR LAST SLIDE, UH, THIS PARTICULAR, UH, STATION, AS THE CHIEF MENTIONED, UH, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE, UH, THE MEN AND WOMEN OF OFFICER TRAVIS COUNTY EMS HAD TO PASS THROUGH A MEN'S LOCKER ROOM IN ORDER TO GET TO THE AMBULANCE.

SO, UH, THIS WAS A STATION THAT DESPERATELY NEEDED REPAIR, AND THIS ONE, UH, IS ALSO GONNA BE UNDERWAY EARLY NEXT MONTH.

THAT CONCLUDES, UH, MY PORTION OF THE PRESENTATION.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR, UH, FIRE EMS, PLEASE.

ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMISSION? YES, COMMISSIONER CURRY.

THANK YOU.

UM, THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION.

UM, LOOKS LIKE THINGS ARE PROGRESSING ALONG AS PLAN, UH, WHICH IS GREAT.

JUST HAD, UH, A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.

ONE, UM, YOU KNOW, USING YOUR EXPERTISE, HOW, HOW ARE THESE DEVELOPMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF NEW FACILITIES, KEEPING UP WITH NOT JUST THE POPULATION GROWTH, BUT WITH TECHNOLOGY? UM, ARE WE, AS THE CITY OF AUSTIN, ARE WE KEEPING UP WITH DEMAND? IS TECHNOLOGY, ARE WE, ARE WE HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AS FAR AS THE SAFETY CONCERN? UM, DIS POSED, SIR, IF YOU COULD BE A LITTLE BIT MORE SPECIFIC.

DO YOU HAVE, DO YOU HAVE EXAMPLES OF TECHNOLOGY THAT YOU'RE INTERESTED IN? WELL, JUST, JUST, NO, I'M JU I'M JUST TO SAY, ARE WE KEEPING UP WITH TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES IN SAFETY, UM, AND FIRE SUPPRESSION IN GENERAL? SO, UH, WITH REGARD TO FIRE SUPPRESSION, UM, I'LL SPEAK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT, UM, ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND SAFETY.

SO CANCER PREVENTION IS A BIG, UH, CONCERN, UH, FOR PUBLIC SAFETY.

AND YES, SIR, THESE, UH, STATIONS WILL ALL BE PROVIDED, UM, SUPPLIED WITH, UH, WHAT WE CALL, UH, CLIMB VENT SYSTEMS, WHICH IS OUR VEHICLE EXHAUST SYSTEMS. WE'RE ALSO GONNA HAVE SEPARATE PPE STORAGE FOR BOTH EMS AND FIRE, SO THAT, UH, UH, OUR TURNOUTS THAT GET DIRTY AT A FIRE STAY SEPARATE ARE SEPARATELY VENTED.

UH, WE ARE ALSO GOING TO DO SEVERAL, UM, UH, WHAT WE CALL FATIGUE MANAGEMENT, UM, ENHANCEMENTS.

WE HAVE ADVANCED ALERTING AT, UH, FIRE STATION EIGHT FOR SURE.

UM, FIRE STATION 23 IS ALSO GONNA HAVE THAT, THAT'S MOSTLY IMPORTANT AT MULTIPLE UNIT STATIONS WHERE IF ONE UNIT GETS DISPATCHED, THE OTHER UNIT DOESN'T GET WOKEN UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.

SO THOSE ARE JUST A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING.

UM, AND THEN BUILDING SERVICES IS ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE USING L E D LIGHTING, LOW FLOW, UH, UH, WATER UTILITY, UH, ITEMS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

SO THERE'S, THERE'S QUITE A BIT OF TECHNOLOGY, UH, IN THESE DESIGNS.

AND ADDITIONALLY GREAT ON, ON THE STATION DOORS ON WHERE, WHERE IT'S POSSIBLE WITH THESE STATIONS.

WE'RE INSTALLING THE, UH, TRIFOLD DOORS THAT OPEN UP HORIZONTALLY AS OPPOSED TO GOING UP AND TRACKING UP INTO THE CEILING, WHICH ACTUALLY DECREASES THE AMOUNT OF LIFE AND, OR EXCUSE ME, DECREASES THE AMOUNT OF WEAR AND TEAR ON THE GARAGE DOOR.

AND ALSO THE SAFETY ASPECT IS A LOT SAFER THAN BRINGING THE ENTIRE GARAGE DOOR UP ABOVE YOU.

SO WE'RE, WE'RE POSSIBLE WITH THE RENOVATIONS, THOSE ARE BEING, UH, RETROFITTED AS WELL.

GREAT.

THANKS FOR, FOR SHARING THOSE DETAILS.

I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT THE, THE TEAM HAS PUT THROUGH, UM, IN THE NEWER CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS AS IT AS IT RELATES TO THE DOORS.

UM, I BELIEVE A YEAR AGO OR SO, UH, BOTH DEPARTMENTS PRESENTED AND WE BRIEFLY TALKED ABOUT THE, THE SIZE OF THE VEHICLES, RIGHT? AND HOW THE NEW CONSTRUCTION IS KIND OF FUTURE-PROOFED.

[00:45:01]

WELL, I WOULD SAY IN, IN FROM AN EMS ASPECT IN THE INDUSTRY, UH, AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY EMS, WITH THE CAPABILITY WITH, WITH ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT THAT WE'RE PLACING ON THE AMBULANCES THESE DAYS WITH IT, WITH VENTILATORS, WITH ULTRASOUNDS, WITH ADDITIONAL, UH, WITH NOW WITH BLOOD ACTUALLY BEING ON OUR COMMAND UNITS AND STUFF, UH, THE ABILITY TO PROVIDE THAT OUT OF HOSPITAL, BRING THE HOSPITAL TO THE PATIENT, THAT WITH THE B WITH WHAT WE HAVE AT AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY, WE'RE ABLE TO PUT ALL OF THAT INTO THE AMBULANCE AS THEY'RE DESIGNED.

AND THE AMBULANCES TODAY ESPECIALLY ARE EXTREMELY SAFE FOR THE PATIENT AND THEIR PROVIDERS IN THE BACK.

BEFORE IT WAS JUST MORE OF KIND OF KEYED IN ON THE PATIENTS ALONE, AND THE PROVIDER WAS LIKE A PING PONG BALL IN THE BACK THERE IF THEY DIDN'T PUT THEIR SEATBELT ON.

NOW, WITH DESIGNS OF OUR AMBULANCES, THE AMBULANCES ARE BEING DESIGNED WITH CAPTAIN'S CHAIRS IN THE BACK.

THEY'RE COMPLETELY MOVABLE AND COMPLETELY CAN KEEP THE PROVIDER FIVE POINTED IN WITH A SEATBELT SYSTEM AND ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF THEM AND KEEP EVERYONE IN THE, IN THE BACK, WHETHER IT'S AUSTIN FIRE PERSONNEL PROVIDED ASSISTANCE TO US OR OUR MEDICS IN THE BACK OF THE PATIENT, EXTREMELY SAFE.

SO THAT'S WHY THE AMBULANCES HAVE GOTTEN SLIGHTLY BIGGER, UH, OVER THE YEARS, IS BECAUSE TO HAVE THAT SAFETY, UH, CAPABILITY AND TO KEEP THE MEDICS SAFE, THAT'S WHAT WE'VE GOT.

BUT THE STATIONS THEMSELVES, A LOT OF THE RENOVATIONS WE'RE ACTUALLY EXPANDING THESE BAYS TO WHERE THE STATION BAYS ARE ACTUALLY CAN ACCOMMODATE EVEN LARGER AMBULANCES IF THE INDUSTRY WENT TO EVEN LARGER AMBULANCES.

THAT'S SOMETHING WE'VE FACED IN THE PAST WITH THESE STATIONS AND ALSO WITH SOME OF OUR PREVIOUS BOND STATIONS, IS THE STATIONS WERE SO SMALL, YOU WERE HAVING TO TAKE AND MODIFY BACK BUMPERS ON AMBULANCES JUST TO BE ABLE TO FIT THE AMBULANCE IN THE GARAGE DOOR OPENING.

SO TODAY, UH, WITH THESE LARGER STATIONS, WE'RE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE DIFFERENT STYLES OF VEHICLES, DIFFERENT STYLES OF WHETHER WE NEED TO PUT A COMMAND UNIT IN THERE, WHETHER WE NEED TO PUT AN AMBULANCE IN THERE, OR WHETHER WE NEED TO STACK, YOU KNOW, A RESCUE BOAT BEHIND AN AMBULANCE.

THESE STATION RENOVATIONS ALLOW FOR THAT.

NOW SIR, REGARD JUST ONE LEVEL, OH, GO AHEAD.

SORRY.

REGARDING FIRE, I, I'D REALLY LIKE TO SAY THAT WE'VE MAXED OUT ON THE SIZE OF OUR VEHICLES.

UM, I'D, I WOULD BE MY HOPE, UH, REGARDING THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT, WE'RE LOOKING AT SOME ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE MODELS THAT WOULD ACTUALLY BRING OUR VEHICLE SIZE, UH, SMALL, IT MAKE IT SMALLER.

UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT WHAT WE'RE CALLING A SQUAD, UH, MODEL, WHICH WOULD BE ESSENTIALLY, UH, A FOUR DOOR, UH, PICKUP TRUCK, UH, WITH CAPABILITIES, UH, MUCH LIKE A BRUSH TRUCK.

SO WE'RE LOOKING AT A LOT OF DIFFERENT, UM, AVENUES, UM, TO TAKE THE WEAR AND TEAR OFF OF OUR LARGER VEHICLES, NOT REQUIRE THAT LARGER SIZE.

WE'RE ALSO EXPLORING THE IDEA OF SOME INFILL STATIONS, WHICH WOULD NOT BE A STANDALONE STATION, WOULD BE SOMETHING MAYBE IN A, IN A, UH, BUILDING, WHICH IS GONNA REQUIRE A SMALLER FOOTPRINT FOR US.

UH, VERY NEW VERY, UH, INNOVATIVE IDEAS.

ON THE FLIP SIDE OF THAT COIN IS THE IDEA OF, UM, ELECTRIC VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY.

AND ONE OF THE CHALLENGES WITH ELECTRICAL VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY IS THEY ARE VERY HEAVY, THEY'RE PHYSICALLY VERY HEAVY, AND THEY REQUIRE A LARGE, UH, UH, ELECTRICAL INFRASTRUCTURE.

SO WHILE WE DO HAVE SOME THINGS THAT ARE GONNA GO TOWARDS THE SMALLER SIDE OF THINGS, IF WE DO LOOK MORE AT, UH, ELECTRIC VEHICLES, THAT'S GONNA HAVE SOME SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS IN THE FUTURE.

THANK YOU.

AND THEN JUST, JUST ONE LAST QUESTION ABOUT PERMITTING.

I SAW THAT AS ONE OF THE BULLET POINTS, AND WE HAVE THAT AS A FUTURE AGENDA ITEM HERE TO DISCUSS, BUT I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT, THAT YOU AREN'T RUNNING INTO ANY PERMITTING, UH, DELAYS FOR ANY CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS, UM, AS THEY RELATE TO HEALTH AND SAFETY.

SO, UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT QUESTION, AND I DO APPRECIATE THE, UH, RECOLLECTION OF OUR CON OUR DISCUSSION BEFORE WE HAVE, UM, UH, NEW LEADERSHIP IN PLACE THAT IS, UH, BEEN MADE AWARE OF THOSE ISSUES AND I BELIEVE DIRECT, UH, LATER ON, UH, THIS AFTERNOON OR VISIT WITH Y'ALL.

UH, WE ARE, UH, WE ARE SEEING A LOT OF IMPROVEMENT IN THAT AREA, AND WE'RE VERY HOPEFUL FOR SOME, UH, UH, WHAT I WOULD CALL FOCUS STRATEGIC DIRECTION, UH, IN THAT AREA.

SO I WOULD SAY, AND, AND AGAIN, THE PROJECTS THAT WE PRESENTED TO YOU TODAY ARE ALL PERMITTED, UH, NOTICE TO PROCEED AND READY TO GO.

SO AT THIS MOMENT RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE NOTHING OUTSTANDING, BUT THANK YOU FOR YOUR QUESTION.

OKAY, GREAT.

THANK YOU.

JUST NO QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMISSION.

I, I HAVE A QUESTION.

YES, MA'AM.

[00:50:01]

IF IT'S A MORE GENERAL ISSUE WITH A STATION, LET'S SAY, LIKE AN HVAC ISSUE, THEN IT WILL GENERALLY GO THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT THAT'S, UM, WHAT YOU CALL, SAY MOST EFFECTIVE.

YEAH, THE MOST EFFECTIVE DEPARTMENT.

YEAH.

SO, UM, BUT FOR THE MOST PART, YOU KNOW, WE KIND OF WORK TOGETHER AS BOTH DEPARTMENTS TO ADDRESS ANY FACILITY NEEDS, BUT FOR SMALLER THINGS, STUFF THAT MIGHT OCCUR IN, IN MY SIDE OF THE STATION, UH, OR MY CREW QUARTERS, THEN WE'LL ADDRESS THAT FROM AN E M S SIDE OF THINGS.