Jan 15, 2025 Downtown Commission

[00:00:03]

ALRIGHT, LET'S GET

[CALL TO ORDER]

GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY, AND WELCOME TO THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING OF THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION.

IT IS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15TH, 2025, AND IT IS 5:33 PM UH, FIRST THING, ORDER OF BUSINESS IS TO CALL ROLL.

UH, CHRISTIE, WOULD YOU BE KIND ENOUGH? YES.

CHAIR.

AUGUST HARRIS PRESENT.

ED ISHMAEL.

PRESENT.

PETER BRETON.

PRESENT.

DAVID CARROLL.

PRESENT.

LIZ KOEL.

HERE.

MIKE LEVINE.

KIMBERLY LEVINSON.

PRESENT.

CHARLES VETO PRESENT.

SONYA SCHIFFER.

JENNIFER FRANKLIN.

CARL LAROCHE, AMY MOCK, AND CHARLOTTE PATTERSON MAY BE JOINING SHORTLY ONLINE.

NELLIE PAULINA RAMIREZ.

PRESENT.

SPENCER SCHUMACHER.

WE HAVE A QUORUM.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

[PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL]

YES.

CHAIR PHILLIP WILEY.

HE'LL BE SPEAKING FOR THREE MINUTES.

MR. WILEY, YOU HAVE THE PODIUM.

THANK YOU, SIR.

WELL, I ALSO CAME HERE TO THANK YOU ALL, UM, BUT FIRST I WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT YOU'RE MY, ONE OF MY FAVORITE TV SHOWS AND, AND I TRY NOT TO EVER MISS AN EPISODE .

UM, BUT REALLY, I, I DID WANNA COME DOWN AND THANK YOU ALL.

I'VE, I'VE LIVED DOWNTOWN SINCE ABOUT MARCH OF 1992.

AND, UH, IT'S, IT'S A WONDERFUL PLACE.

IT'S A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE.

GREAT PLACE TO PLAY.

SURE.

IT'S WONDERFUL FOR THE PEOPLE THAT GET TO WORK HERE.

UM, AND, AND AS A EX PLANNING MANAGER AND ALLIANCE MANAGER, SOMETIMES I KIND OF STRUCTURE MY THINKING THAT WAY.

SO MY COMMUNICATIONS GOING FORWARD MAY SOUND A LITTLE BIT LIKE THAT.

UM, I REALLY THINK THERE ARE THREE PILLARS AND ALL THREE PILLARS ARE IMPORTANT, AND HAVING A BALANCED, UH, ECOSYSTEM IS REALLY IMPORTANT.

PLAYING OFF EACH OTHER AND MAKING US THE, THE STRONGEST, UH, DOWNTOWN WE CAN BE.

UM, I DIDN'T REALLY WANNA COME HERE AND TELL YOU ABOUT MY VACATION, BUT I CAN'T HELP IT DOING IT A LITTLE BIT.

UM, PARTLY BECAUSE OF THE RELEVANCE.

UH, I, I WENT TO, UH, SEATTLE AT THE END OF, UH, SEPTEMBER.

I CONSIDER SEATTLE TO BE AN EXCELLENT REFERENCE POINT FOR WHERE WE WANNA GO AS A DOWNTOWN IN SO MANY WAYS.

THEY'RE PROBABLY 15 YEARS AHEAD OF US IN MANY WAYS.

IF YOU LOOK AT THE POPULATION CURVE, IF YOU LOOK AT HOW THEY GOT TO THIS POINT WITH SOME OF THE JOB TYPES OF JOBS THAT MOVED TO WHERE THEY ARE, UM, THE ATTRACTIVENESS OF THE CITY, UM, JUST THE, THE BEAUTY OF THE CITY, UH, WHICH WE ALSO SHARE HERE IN AUSTIN.

UM, AND I ALSO THINK THERE'S ANOTHER REALLY GOOD, UH, REFERENCE POINT AS WE THINK ABOUT WHERE WE WANNA BE IN THE FUTURE.

AND THAT'S PHILADELPHIA, WHICH I DON'T KNOW NEARLY AS WELL.

I HAVEN'T BEEN THERE SINCE I WAS ABOUT THREE YEARS OLD.

UM, UH, PHILADELPHIA IS, HAS A LOT OF HISTORIC ASSETS AND WE NEED TO RECOGNIZE THAT THAT'S IMPORTANT TO A LOT OF PEOPLE HERE.

UH, AND WE NEED TO RESPECT THAT AND FIGURE OUT HOW, UH, THOSE COEXIST WITH SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS WE NEED TO DO AS A, AS A CITY.

UM, IN MY LAST 35 SECONDS, I, I WANTED TO TELL YOU ONE OF THE REASONS I THINK SEATTLE IS SO IMPORTANT IS WE START TO THINK ABOUT PLANNING AND DOING A DOWNTOWN PLAN.

SEATTLE HAS A SMALLER DOWNTOWN FOOTPRINT WHERE THEY HAVE 300,000 EMPLOYEES, ABOUT THREE TIMES AS MANY AS WE DO.

THEY HAVE A POPULATION OF 105,000, WHICH IS ABOUT SEVEN TIMES WHAT WE HAVE HERE.

UM, THE PROJECT CONNECT.

PEOPLE THINK WE NEED TO GROW FOUR TIMES AT A MINIMUM ALONG THE, THE RAIL LINES TO SUSTAIN, UH, THAT INVESTMENT.

SO THE RANGE OF FOUR TO SEVEN I THINK IS SOMETHING WE SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT.

AND, UH, UH, AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR, UH, TIME AND SERVICE.

THANK YOU MR. WILEY.

WE APPRECIATE YOU.

ALRIGHT.

[3. Presentation regarding the East 6th Street Pilot Closure and an update on street closure security measures and pedestrian safety equipment, Christopher Juusola, Lieutenant, Austin Police Department.]

UM, WE'VE BEEN JOINED BY CHIEF DAVIS AND IF, IF THAT IS THE WILL OF THE COMMISSION, WE'D LIKE TO HAVE CHIEF DAVIS COME FORWARD AND OKAY.

JOIN US AT THE PODIUM, PLEASE.

THERE BE TWO OF US IF YOU DON'T MIND.

NO, THAT'S PERFECTLY FINE.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND WE APPRECIATE YOUR SERVICE.

[00:05:07]

UM, SO THIS WEEK HAS BEEN, UH, A LITTLE TURBULENT, UH, TO SAY THE LEAST, ESPECIALLY, UH, IN THE WAKE OF EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED, UH, NEW ORLEANS AND LAS VEGAS.

SO I KNOW THAT, UM, THIS COMMISSION, AND WE THANK YOU FOR DOING SO.

FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS, HAVE BEEN VERY GRACIOUS WITH TRYING TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO PURCHASE SAFETY DEVICES FOR SIXTH STREET TO KEEP PEOPLE SAFE AGAIN.

THANK YOU.

UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.

UH, AGAIN, I'M, UH, LIEUTENANT CHRISTOPHER JULA.

I'M THE DOWNTOWN, UH, OPERATIONS LIEUTENANT FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT.

UM, AND SO AGAIN, I WAS REQUESTED TO BRING MORE INFORMATION ABOUT, UH, MERIDIAN BARRICADES, UH, TO PRESENT TO THIS COMMISSION, UH, WITH ME, I HAVE CHIEF DAVIS.

UH, ANOTHER TOPIC OF CONCERN WAS THE, UH, SIXTH STREET OPENING PROJECT THAT WE HAVE GOING ON CURRENTLY.

SO I'M HERE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS.

UM, I KNOW THAT THERE ARE GONNA BE SOME MORE RECOMMENDATIONS TO PURCHASE MERIDIAN BARRICADES AND I CAN REPORT TO THE COMMISSION THAT, UH, ANOTHER, UM, RECOMMENDATION TO PURCHASE THESE DEVICES ISN'T REQUIRED BECAUSE I THINK THAT WE FOUND THE FUNDING TO GO AHEAD AND DO THAT.

SO THOSE, UH, DEVICES ARE GONNA BE PURCHASED, UH, WITH THE INTENT OF KEEPING SOME OF OUR SOFT TARGETS SAFE, UH, IN ANY KIND OF PEDESTRIAN AREA.

AND WE ACTUALLY PURCHASED EXTRA WITH SOME, UM, DIFFERENT CONSIDERATIONS IN MIND, DIFFERENT RACES, UH, DIFFERENT FESTIVALS THAT SPECIAL EVENTS MIGHT NEED TO PROTECT, UH, A GROUP OF PEDESTRIANS, UH, FROM THE THREAT OF VEHICLES AS WELL.

AND SO, UM, BEFORE I GET STARTED, UH, WITH MY PRESENTATION, I'LL PASS IT TO CHIEF DAVIS.

I KNOW THAT SHE WANTED TO SAY A FEW WORDS FOR YOU TOO.

HI, COMMISSION.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME.

AND, AND I WANNA THANK, UM, UM, LIEUTENANT JULA FOR ALL OF HIS LEADERSHIP ON THIS.

AND, AND CERTAINLY I'VE READ THE REPORTS WHERE THIS HAS BEEN RECOMMENDED AND, AND, UM, THIS COMMISSION HAS RECOGNIZED THE NEED FOR THOSE BARRICADES AND HOW IT COULD HELP WITH, UH, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO ON SIXTH STREET AND WHAT THEY DO.

THEY HAVE BEEN DOING UP TO THIS POINT FOR EVERY, UH, FOUR DAYS OUT OF THE WEEK FOR, FOR SEVERAL YEARS.

SO I APPRECIATE THAT AND, AND CERTAINLY THE, THE, UM, NEW ORLEANS INCIDENT HAS, UM, ESCALATED THE NEED.

AND I THINK IT HAS JUST QUITE, UH, CLEARLY SHOWN HOW THESE THINGS COULD HAPPEN AND HOW THEY CAN HELP THE MERIDIAN BARRICADES COULD HELP.

SO WE HAVE FOUND THOSE FUNDS.

UM, I, I'M HAPPY TO REPORT THAT.

AND I AM ALSO HAPPY TO REPORT THAT I BELIEVE THE CITY IS ALSO LOOKING AT PURCHASING SOME FOR NOT JUST A PD, BUT, UM, OTHER AREAS WHERE THERE'S AUSTIN ENERGY OR PUBLIC SERVICES.

THESE BARRICADES CAN BE USED FOR, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALWAYS BLOCKING OFF TRAFFIC, UM, WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO PROTECT WORKERS AND, AND THESE BARRICADES CAN BE ABUSE OF THAT.

BUT I JUST WANNA THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND, AND TRULY RECOGNIZING FOR A VERY LONG TIME THAT THESE, THESE WERE NEEDED.

SO, I'M, I'M HAPPY TO REPORT, UM, AS WELL THAT, THAT THAT IS COMING TO FRUITION.

AND, UH, BEFORE I START WITH A POWERPOINT, UH, CHIEF DAVIS DOES HAVE ANOTHER ENGAGEMENT.

SHE'S GOTTA LEAVE HERE IN A COUPLE OF MINUTES, SO I DID WANT TO GIVE Y'ALL THE OPPORTUNITY TO ASK HER ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT DOWNTOWN THAT Y'ALL MAY HAVE AS WELL.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

I'LL OPEN IT UP TO THE COMMISSION FOR QUESTIONS.

I'M NOT SEEING ANY QUESTIONS.

CHIEF DAVIS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING.

KNOW YOU HAVE A BUSY SCHEDULE.

I KNOW IT WAS A BUSY DAY TODAY WITH, UH, THE PRESS CONFERENCE EARLIER ON THE SIXTH STREET INITIATIVE, AND SO THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING.

WELL, I APPRECIATE THAT, AND I DO, I I DO WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT WHEN IT COMES TO SIXTH STREET AND THE, UM, THIS TRULY IS ABOUT SAFETY AND I THINK GETTING PEOPLE OFF OF THE, OFF OF THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET, UM, AND, AND UNLESS THERE WERE STRUCTURES OR INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE TO TOTALLY BLOCK A VEHICLE, A VEHICLE INTRUSION, THAT THIS IS THE SAFEST THING TO DO.

SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND I'LL TURN THIS OVER TO GI.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

HAVE A GREAT, GREAT EVENING.

AND SO I'LL JUST GO AHEAD AND, UH, PROCEED THROUGH THAT, UH, POWERPOINT SLIDE THAT WAS PREPARED.

AND SO, UH, WHAT WE'RE JUST GONNA TALK, UH, ABOUT HERE IS KIND OF WHAT WE DO EVERY TIME WE COME BEFORE THE COMMISSION.

I'M GONNA RUN THROUGH OUR, UM, STAFFING CURRENTLY IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA.

TALK ABOUT SOME CRIME STATS REAL QUICK, UH, TAKE SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT.

AND THEN THE UPDATES, UH, THAT WERE ASKED SPECIFICALLY WERE ABOUT THE EAST SIXTH STREET PROJECT THAT WE HAVE THAT WE'RE OPENING, UH, AND THE MERIDIAN BARRICADES.

UM, BEHIND ME, I DO HAVE, UH, A MERIDIAN REPRESENTATIVE MICHAEL BOSLER ALSO.

SO IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE DEVICES, HOW THEY WORK, HOW THEY'RE TO BE PLACED, HE'S HERE TO HELP ANSWER SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS AS WELL.

NEXT SLIDE.

UH, THIS IS OUR CURRENT, UH, STAFFING REPORT IN THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT.

CURRENTLY HAVE 1,488, UH, SWORN OFFICERS.

UH, THERE'S OUR OPERATIONAL VACANCY OF 332 OFFICERS.

NEXT SLIDE.

UM, THIS KIND OF SHOWS YOU, UH, THAT OUR TREND IS KIND OF TURNING.

YOU CAN SEE THAT IN 20 22, 20 23, WE HAD A LOT OF RESIGNATIONS COMING FROM, UH, POLICE OFFICERS EITHER RETIRING OR LEAVING THE DEPARTMENT ALTOGETHER LAST YEAR, UM, WE DIDN'T BREAK THE A HUNDRED MARK.

UH, THAT'S A GOOD SIGN.

UH, WE THINK THAT HAVING A NEW POLICE CONTRACT DEFINITELY HELPS, UH, STAY COMPETITIVE WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS SO THAT WAY WE CAN RECRUIT

[00:10:01]

SO WE DO SEE A SHIFT IN THE TREND OF THE NUMBER OF OFFICERS LEAVING AND THERE'S A RENEWED PUSH TO RECRUIT MORE OFFICERS.

NEXT SLIDE.

UH, THIS IS CURRENTLY, UH, CITYWIDE, UH, KIND OF WHAT EACH AREA OF THE CITY EXPERIENCES.

OUR DOWNTOWN AREA COMMAND IS THE LEFT COLUMN UP ON THE SCREEN, AND, UH, IT'S, UH, ACTUALLY GONE DOWN TO ABOUT 65%.

SO, UH, WHEN I FIRST CAME ON, WE WERE STAFFING 85, 90%, BUT, UM, NOW WE CURRENTLY HAVE A STAFFING RATE OF 65% IN DOWNTOWN AUSTIN.

AGAIN, WITH NEW OFFICERS COMING ON AND FEWER LEAVING.

HOPEFULLY WE CAN REVERSE THAT NUMBER TO GO BACK UP.

NEXT SLIDE.

UH, THIS IS OUR, UH, PROPERTY CRIME RATES.

AND I HAD IT, UH, SELECTED TO SHOW WHAT PROPERTY CRIME LOOKS LIKE 20 23, 20 24.

UM, IT'S PRETTY ABOUT THE SAME AS IT WAS LAST YEAR.

YOU CAN COMPARE ALL THE CRIMES FROM THE RIGHT TO THE LEFT.

THERE'S NOT MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE.

WE DID HAVE SOME PICKPOCKETING, UM, ISSUES GOING ON ON WEST SIXTH STREET THAT WE TARGETED AND THAT HELPED BRING THE CRIME DOWN A LITTLE BIT AT THE END OF THE YEAR.

NEXT SLIDE.

UH, THESE ARE OUR VIOLENT CRIMES, 23 TO 2024 COMPARISON.

AGAIN, THEY'RE PRETTY, UH, CONSISTENT, UM, ACROSS THE BOARD.

UH, THERE'S NO MAJOR INCREASES OR DECREASES TO REALLY REPORT THERE.

UH, NEXT SLIDE.

UH, ONE MORE, I THINK I HAVE A DUPLICATE.

THERE WE GO.

UH, THESE ARE CRIMES AGAINST SOCIETY.

UM, IT'S A DIFFERENT CATEGORY, BASICALLY.

THIS HAS DRUGS AND WEAPONS CHARGES IN IT, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT, UH, FOR THIS YEAR WE WERE MAKING MORE ARRESTS, UH, FOR DRUG DEALING AND WEAPONS CHARGES ON SIXTH STREET.

SO WE TALKED ABOUT A HUGE PUSH TO TRY TO GET MORE GUNS OFF THE STREET, AND ESPECIALLY OFF SIXTH STREET.

SO WE CAN AVOID SOME OF THOSE SHOOTINGS, UH, THAT WE HATE TO SEE COME UP ON THE NEWS FROM TIME TO TIME.

UM, THEY'RE LESS FREQUENT THAN THEY USED TO BE, AND IT'S BECAUSE OFFICERS ARE OUT THERE, UH, LOOKING FOR THESE TYPES OF CRIMES IN PARTICULAR.

NEXT SLIDE.

UH, THE EAST SIXTH STREET, UH, PROJECT.

UH, THIS IS A, UH, CITYWIDE EFFORT BETWEEN MANY DEPARTMENTS.

UH, MAINLY, UH, EMS, FIRE TRANSPORTATION DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT.

THE POLICE DEPARTMENT ARE ALL WORKING TOGETHER TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO CHANGE SIXTH STREET.

YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THIS STREET PARTY THAT HAPPENS EVERY SINGLE WEEKEND AT NIGHTTIME, AND THERE'S A BUNCH OF FIGHTS THAT COME UP ON THE INTERNET.

I'M PRETTY SURE ALL OF YOU HAVE SEEN SOME OF THOSE FIGHTS.

UM, AND BASICALLY IT'S TO TRY TO CHANGE THAT ENVIRONMENT.

WE DON'T WANT PEOPLE HANGING OUT IN THE STREETS FIGHTING.

UM, WE DO WANT PEOPLE GOING FROM BUSINESS TO BUSINESS, UH, YOU KNOW, ENJOYING DIFFERENT TYPES OF BUSINESSES DOWNTOWN, NOT JUST SHOT BARS.

UM, SO THIS IS AN EFFORT TO TRY TO ONE, BOTH INTRODUCE VEHICULAR TRAFFIC TO THE AREA, UH, TWO, TO REVITALIZE IT TO SOMETHING THAT'S SAFER TO PEDESTRIANS AT THE SAME TIME.

SO YOU'RE GONNA SEE THAT OUR PLAN, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF ANY OF YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO DRIVE ON SIXTH STREET TODAY.

YOU'LL SEE CHANGES, UH, TO THE AREA.

AND SO BASICALLY WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO IS FROM THURSDAY TO SUNDAY NIGHT, IT'S ALREADY BEEN INSTITUTED ON THURSDAYS AND SUNDAYS.

AND THIS THURSDAY IS THE FIRST DAY WE'RE GONNA OPEN IT UP TO ALL FOUR DAYS.

UM, IT'S GOING TO BE WESTBOUND TRAFFIC ONLY THAT'S ALLOWED TO DRIVE DOWN SIXTH STREET.

THERE'S GONNA BE THREE LANES FOR THAT TRAFFIC ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE STREET.

YOU'RE GONNA NOTICE THAT THERE'S SOME PYLONS, RUBBER CURBS AND FENCES THAT ARE GOING TO BE ACTING AS AN EXPANDED SIDEWALK TO GIVE PEOPLE MORE ROOM TO WALK FROM PLACE TO PLACE.

UM, THE SIDEWALKS DOWN THERE AREN'T TOO WIDE ON THEIR OWN.

AND THIS IS WHAT WE HAD TO DO TO TRY TO MAKE ROOM FOR PEDESTRIANS, UH, SO THAT WAY WE COULD BE SURE THAT THEY ARE NOT GOING TO BE HIT BY VEHICLES AND THAT THEY HAVE ENOUGH TIME, UM, AND SPACE TO, UM, BE OUT SAFELY IN THE PUBLIC.

SO WE CREATED THESE WIDER SIDEWALKS.

UM, YOU'RE GONNA SEE THAT THERE'S RUBBER CURBS INSTALLED IN THE GROUND.

THEY'RE ABOUT A FOOT HIGH.

THESE ARE DESIGNED TO TRY TO KEEP VEHICLES FROM CROSSING OVER INTO THOSE PEDESTRIAN AREAS AND HITTING PEDESTRIANS.

UH, TOMORROW WE'RE GONNA HAVE SOME FENCES DELIVERED.

UM, THOSE ARE GONNA BE PUT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CURB TO BE BETWEEN THE CURB AND THE BUILDING.

AND THESE ARE DESIGNED TO KEEP PEOPLE OUT OF THE VEHICULAR TRAFFIC LANES.

SO WE CAN'T HAVE INTOXICATED PEOPLE WANDERING TO THE ROAD.

WE WON'T HAVE FIGHTS, UH, SPILLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC SO PEOPLE GET HIT BY CARS.

UM, WE FORESEE THAT UBERS LYFTS RIDE SHARES DIFFERENT, UH, PEOPLE DRIVING IN THOSE LANES WILL PROBABLY BE STOPPING AND SLOWING DOWN TRAFFIC.

SO, UM, WE THINK THAT THAT ALONG WITH TIMING THE LIGHTS DIFFERENTLY IS GOING TO CREATE SLOWER TRAFFIC.

SO WE SEE LESSER RISK FOR, UM, VEHICLES INTERACTING WITH PEDESTRIANS IN THE AREA.

UM, THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS, WE'RE GONNA HAVE CRIME ANALYSTS THAT ARE GONNA BE ANALYZE DIFFERENT MEASURES OF SUCCESS TO SEE, UM, EXACTLY HOW THIS IS GOING.

UM, THESE MEASURES OF SUCCESS IS, DOES THIS HAVE

[00:15:01]

SO WE CALL THOSE RESPONSE TO RESISTANCE INCIDENTS.

UH, BASICALLY A USE OF FORCE.

SO WE'RE HOPING THAT THERE'S LESS OF THOSE THAT OFFICERS HAVE TO GET INVOLVED IN.

UH, WHEN THAT HAPPENS.

UH, THERE'S LESS NEGATIVE INTERACTIONS WITH CITIZENS.

THERE'S ALSO LESS OFFICER INJURIES.

SO WE'RE HOPING THAT THAT HAS SOME POSITIVE IMPACT THERE.

WE'RE ALSO GONNA BE MONITORING OUR COLLISION DATA, UH, SEE WHAT KIND OF COLLISIONS HAPPEN THERE WHEN WE'RE OPENING THE STREET.

AND WE HAVE ALSO, UM, BEEN IN TALKS WITH STAKEHOLDERS.

UH, THEY WANTED US TO GET A HOLD OF THEIR SALES DATA TO SEE HOW THIS IMPACTS THEIR BUSINESS IN THE AREA.

NEXT SLIDE.

UM, THESE ARE THOSE DEVICES I WAS TALKING ABOUT, UM, JUST FOR A, A VISUAL REPRESENTATION SO YOU CAN GET A BETTER IDEA OF WHAT YOU'RE GONNA SEE OUT THERE.

AGAIN, THOSE RUBBER CURBS, UH, AND PYLONS ARE ALREADY INSTALLED BY THE TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.

AND THOSE FENCES THAT YOU SEE THERE, UM, THEY'RE THE SAME ONES THAT WE SEE FOR SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST.

UH, IF YOU'VE EVER VISITED DURING THERE, UM, WE USE THOSE FOR SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST.

WE FIGURE THAT THOSE ARE THE FAMILIAR THINGS, UH, PEOPLE ARE USED TO SEEING IN THE AREA.

SO WE CONTINUE TO USE THOSE, UM, AS AGAIN, WE ARE FAMILIAR WITH THOSE.

UM, IN ADDITION TO SOME OF THESE DEVICES, TRANSPORTATION CAME IN AND REPAINTED, UH, DIFFERENT, UH, CROSSWALKS.

THEY MADE 'EM WIDER AND BRIGHTER.

AND THEY'RE ALSO GOING TO BE RES STRIPING SIXTH STREET, AL, UM, ALSO SO THAT WAY, UM, THE LANES ARE MORE VISIBLE TO DRIVERS IN THE AREA.

WE ALSO, UM, THOUGHT ABOUT, UH, ENFORCING TRANSPORTATION LAW, UH, DIFFERENT LAWS IN THE AREA.

UM, WE'RE MOST CONCERNED WITH DWIS, UH, INTOXICATED DRIVERS IN THIS AREA.

SO WE WILL ALSO HAVE OFFICERS MONITORING THIS AREA FOR ANY KIND OF, UM, CAR CLUBS THAT MIGHT BE ENGAGING ANY ILLEGAL ACTIVITY.

UM, WE'VE HAD THOSE CONCERNS IN THE PAST, DRUNK DRIVERS, SO THEY'LL BE ENFORCING TRAFFIC LAWS, UM, IN NUMBERS AS WELL DURING THIS, UH, PERIOD.

NEXT SLIDE.

UH, THIS IS THE TRAFFIC PLAN.

UM, THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN BETWEEN RED RIVER AND BRAZO STREET.

UM, MAINLY OUR FOCUS IS THE THREE AND 400 BLOCK.

THAT'S WHERE THE MOST, UH, BARS ARE OPEN ON ANY GIVEN WEEKEND NIGHT.

UM, THE 200 AND 500 BLOCKS ARE PART OF THIS, UH, BUT YOU'RE GONNA SEE CURBS THAT AREN'T AS BIG AS THE ONES IN THE THREE AND 400 BLOCK.

AND, UH, WE ACTUALLY ALLOW PARKING IN THE TWO AND 500 BLOCK ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE STREETS.

NEXT SLIDE.

UM, PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE COMING UP ON OUR RADAR.

UM, WE'RE GONNA BE ENDING THIS WHEN OUR SPRING FESTIVAL SEASON STARTS.

SO WHEN SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST KICKS UP, UM, WE'RE GONNA NOT BE ABLE TO DO THIS.

THERE'S GONNA BE TOO MANY PEOPLE IN THE AREA.

SO WE'RE GONNA GO BACK TO CLOSING THIS.

AND I KNOW THAT THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE HAS ASKED US TO TRY TO LOOK AND SEE HOW WE CAN KEEP THIS GOING AFTER.

SO BY SOUTHWEST IS, UH, OVER, UM, CHIEF DAVIS WAS HERE.

THERE'S A, UH, HUGE EFFORT RIGHT NOW.

SHE'S LOOKING AT WAYS TO INCREASE POLICE STAFFING IN DOWNTOWN OVERALL.

UM, SHE'S COME UP WITH SOME WAYS TO DO THAT, THAT'LL BE REVEALED LATER.

AND THERE'S GONNA BE SOME CHANGES TO OUR DOWNTOWN AREA.

WE'RE GONNA BE ENCOMPASSING, UH, SOME, SOME ADDITIONAL AREAS TO INCLUDE AROUND THE CAPITOL AND WEST, UH, OUT TO MOPAC.

SO THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME CHANGES IN STAFFING INTO OUR OVERALL DOWNTOWN AREA.

NEXT SLIDE.

UM, WE DO HAVE A NEW COMMANDER.

UH, IT'S MARK CLEMENS.

HE HAD TRAINING THIS WEEK.

UM, HE SENDS HIS, UH, REGARDS, HE COULDN'T BE HERE, BUT HE WILL LIKELY BE HERE FOR FUTURE MEETINGS.

AND AGAIN, THERE'S MY CONTACT INFORMATION.

UH, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS GOING FORWARD, UM, WE CAN, UH, CHAT ONLINE AND DO IT THROUGH EMAIL.

UM, IS IT OKAY IF I INVITE MR. BOSLER UP OR DO Y'ALL WANT TO ASK QUESTIONS OF ME ABOUT, UH, ANY OF THOSE? WHY DON'T YOU INVITE HIM UP AND IF, IF THE COMMISSION HAS QUESTIONS, THEY CAN ANSWER SIMULTANEOUSLY.

EXCUSE ME.

GOOD EVENING.

GOOD EVENING.

THANKS FOR HAVING ME.

I'M GLAD YOU'RE HERE.

UH, QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMISSION? YES, YES, COMMISSIONER, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

AND LIEUTENANT, JUST SOLA, THANK YOU AS ALWAYS FOR BEING HERE.

UM, I THINK THE POLICE CHIEF MENTIONED THAT THERE WERE OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS LOOKING AT PURCHASING MERIDIAN BARRIERS.

DO WE KNOW WHICH DEPARTMENTS HAVE MADE THOSE INQUIRIES AND HOW MANY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT? UM, SO, SO NO.

SO I RE WHAT WHAT I DID WAS I RECOMMENDED A, UM, A SIXTH STREET, UH, SECURITY WRAP WITH OUR DEVICES.

MM-HMM .

UM, EVERYTHING THAT WOULD BE NEEDED TO FULLY WRAP THE, THE EIGHT BLOCK AREA THERE.

UM, AND THEN JUST IN UNDERSTANDING AND LIVING IN AUSTIN MYSELF, UH, THE AMOUNT OF FESTIVALS AND MOVIE PREMIERES AND EVERYTHING,

[00:20:01]

UM, AND SO I GAVE A A SECOND QUOTE, UM, TO A PD AS WELL SAYING I WOULD RECOMMEND HAVING A, A ANOTHER KIT OF, OF, OF OUR EQUIPMENT TO BE ABLE TO, TO SECURE EVENTS ALL AROUND THE CITY.

UM, AND INCLUDED A FEW DIFFERENT GATES THAT WE HAVE THAT ARE LARGER, UH, THAT WE USE AT LARGE PARADES, LIKE THE ROSE PARADE, FOR EXAMPLE.

UM, JUST, IT, IT'S, UH, IT, IT'LL COVER YOU FOR ANY TYPE OF, UM, UH, UH, EVENT VENUE, UM, FOOTPRINT THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT.

AND SO JUST IN THE, UH, IN THE INTEREST OF WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE NEWS RIGHT NOW AND IT BEING TOP OF MIND TO PEOPLE, UM, AND THIS BEING A CITY WHERE THERE IS A LOT GOING ON AND A LOT OF INTERACTION WITH PEDESTRIANS AND, AND VEHICLES, UM, YOU KNOW, WE JUST, WE SAW THE FATALITY IN SOUTH BY LAST YEAR.

UM, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE, UH, RECOMMENDED AS MUCH AS WE COULD TO KEEP PEOPLE SAFE HERE.

AND SO, UM, THE O THE OTHER AND, AND PLEASE STEP IN IT, I, I THINK IT WAS, UH, THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION OR, OR THE DOWN THE SIXTH STREET SIDE WAS LOOKING AT THE INITIAL QUOTE, AND THEN THE REST WAS ALSO TO A PD.

BUT, BUT REALLY FOR ANY PART OF THE CITY, I, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE HERE TO, TO SPEAK TO ANYONE THAT WILL SPEAK WITH US AND, AND TO SHOW THEM, UM, OUR BARRICADES.

WE'RE PASSIONATE ABOUT IT AND WE JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THEY'RE OUT.

PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT THEY ARE THERE, THAT THEY CAN HELP, UM, AND, UH, THEY'RE EASILY DEPLOYABLE, UM, AND, AND SOMETHING THAT WE CAN TRUST IN.

I HAVE A FOLLOW UP.

UH, YES, SIR.

UM, SO I ASSUME THAT THERE'S BEEN QUITE A BIT OF INTEREST IN YOUR BARRIERS AROUND THE COUNTRY.

YES, SIR.

WHAT IS THE DELIVERY DATE, ANTICIPATED DELIVERY DATE FOR THE, I THINK IT'S 90 THAT HAVE BEEN PURCHASED? YES, SIR.

UH, SO TYPICALLY OUR DELIVERY DATE IS 45 TO 60 DAYS.

WE'RE STILL HOLDING IT 45 DAYS RIGHT NOW.

UM, I HAVE BEEN CHECKING WITH OUR, WITH OUR PRODUCTION TEAMS TO SEE IF THERE IS ANY DELAY WITH, UH, WITH THE INCREASED URGENCY AROUND THIS.

AND THERE IS NOT.

WE HAVE MULTIPLE MANUFACTURING SITES AROUND THE COUNTRY THAT WE, UM, THAT WE WORK WITH, UH, TO PROVIDE THESE.

UM, AND THEN IN THE INTERIM, WE'VE BEEN, I'VE BEEN, UH, LEAVING MY ENTIRE, UH, BARRIER KIT THAT I HAVE HERE IN TOWN OUT ON THE SIDEWALKS FOR SIXTH STREET, SO THAT THERE ISN'T THE, UH, THE INCURSION TO GO UP AND AROUND STREET SIGNS OR, OR POLICE CRUISER OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT AS WELL, JUST TO, TO KEEP YOU THE WHOLE POINT IS WHILE THINGS ARE BEING MADE AND, AND BEING SHIPPED OUT, AND THEN THE WHOLE PROCESS IS GOING THROUGH THAT, YOU GUYS STILL ARE PROTECTED.

UM, AND WE'RE ABLE TO TO HELP THERE.

SO, UM, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING IN THE INTERIM, ANY WAY WE CAN.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

OTHER QUESTIONS? YES, COMMISSIONER? UM, THIS IS MORE GENERALLY ABOUT PEDESTRIAN CROSS CROSSWALKS AND, UM, UH, TURN YOUR MICRO OH YEAH, SORRY.

THIS IS MORE GENERALLY ABOUT PEDESTRIAN CROSSWALKS.

UM, AND I WANTED TO KNOW, I KNOW THAT YOU GUYS MENTIONED THAT THERE WERE, UH, MORE PROMINENTLY PAINTED CROSSWALKS, UM, POTENTIALLY WIDENED CROSSWALKS.

IS THAT CORRECT? WHERE THEY WIDENED? UH, THEY'RE JUST WIDENED BY THE PAINT.

BY THE PAINT.

IT'S ON THE GROUND.

SO, UH, YOU KNOW, USUALLY YOU WOULD SEE A CROSSWALK THAT'S A NORMAL SIZE.

WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE IS ACTUALLY DOUBLE WHAT IT USED TO BE.

SO IT'S, IT'S MUCH MORE VISIBLE.

UM, I MENTIONED THAT TRAFFIC'S ONLY GOING WESTBOUND IN THIS PROJECT.

MM-HMM .

UM, THE REASON FOR THAT IS WE'VE TRIED THIS IN THE PAST AND WHEN WE OPENED IT UP AND WE HAD TRAFFIC MOVING IN ALL DIRECTIONS, OFFICERS WERE ACTUALLY THEN TASKED WITH DIRECTING TRAFFIC AND MAKING SURE PEOPLE GOT ACROSS THE STREET SAFELY.

SO THIS PLAN ONLY ALLOWING TRAFFIC TO GO WESTBOUND ONLY CAUSES THE ISSUE OF PEDESTRIANS INTERACTING WITH VEHICLES AS THEY CROSS FROM NORTH TO SOUTH.

OKAY.

SO, UM, IT KIND OF ELIMINATES HALF OF THE PROBLEMS. OKAY.

UM, AND SO WE'RE HOPING THAT WITH MORE VISIBILITY AND OFFICERS TRYING TO DRAW ATTENTION TO IT, IT'S LESS OF A PROBLEM, UM, AS IT HAS BEEN YEARS PAST WHEN WE DID TRY THIS.

SO, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M UNDERSTANDING, THERE WILL BE NO CROSS TRAFFIC FROM BRAZOS FROM THE CROSSING STREETS AT SIXTH STREET? CORRECT.

OKAY.

UH, ONCE YOU GET ON SIXTH STREET FROM RED RIVER, YOU'RE FORCED TO GO ALL THE WAY DOWN TO BRAZO STREET AND OUT TO CONGRESS.

OKAY.

BUT IF YOU'RE ON BRAZOS AT SECOND AND YOU'RE TRYING TO DRIVE TOWARDS SIXTH, YOU'RE GONNA BE ROUTED AROUND IT.

WE'RE GONNA ROUTE AS USUAL.

OKAY.

I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY UNDERSTOOD THAT.

'CAUSE I WASN'T, THAT WASN'T ENTIRELY CLEAR IN THE, IN THE, IN THE INITIAL ROLLOUT THAT I HEARD.

AND THEN YOU ALSO MENTIONED UBER AND LYFT.

UM, AND ARE THERE PLANS TO ROLL OUT SOME SORT OF ALTERNATE PICKUP LOCATION, UM, UH, A BETTER DROP OFF LOCATION, STOPPING TRAFFIC ALONG SIXTH STREET FOR, YOU KNOW, AT VARIOUS INTERSECTIONS SEEMS UNSAFE.

I KNOW THE CAPITOL HAS, UH, THE CAPITOL HAS THAT PICKUP DROP OFF SPOT AT LIKE, WHAT IS IT, 14TH OR SOMETHING WHERE YOU CAN DROP OFF IF, 'CAUSE YOU CAN'T DRIVE ALL THE WAY UP TO THE CAPITOL.

ARE THERE PLANS FOR ANYTHING LIKE THAT IN ALTERNA? YEAH, THERE ARE PLANS TO

[00:25:01]

UH, THE PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE IS THAT THERE'S STATE LAW THAT SAYS WE CAN'T REGULATE WHAT THEY DO.

UM, SO LIKE YOU WERE MENTIONING, WE CAN PROVIDE SUGGESTIONS AND GIVE THEM AREAS TO DO IT AND WE PLAN ON DOING THAT.

UM, BUT REALISTICALLY, UM, WE KNOW THAT PEOPLE, UH, IN UH, DO WHATEVER THEY WANT SOMETIMES.

SO WE FIGURE THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE DROPPING OFF AND PICKING UP PEOPLE WHEN THEY'RE LEAVING FROM BAR CLOSED.

THEY'RE GONNA BE WANT TO PICKED UP RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE BAR OR THEY'RE GONNA DEMAND TO BE LET OUT RIGHT THERE.

AND THE DRIVER'S PROBABLY GONNA DO IT 'CAUSE THEY DON'T WANT THEIR RATING TO BE DIMINISHED ON THEIR APP.

SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA TRY OUR BEST TO COMMUNICATE WITH THEM AND GIVE THEM BEST PRACTICES.

OKAY.

AND THEN MY LAST QUESTION BEFORE I GIVE IT, UH, GIVE UP THE MIC IS JUST WITH REGARDS TO ANY SORT OF VALET AT VARIOUS ESTABLISHMENTS, I DON'T KNOW HOW COMMON VALET IS, UM, THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.

UM, BUT ARE THOSE BEING RESTRICTED? ARE, ARE THOSE PARKING LANES BEING RESTRICTED FOR THEM AS WELL? SO THE WHOLE AREA WAS CLOSED BEFORE, SO, UH, NOBODY WAS ON SIXTH STREET LOOKING FOR VALET THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHTS.

UH, WE DID HAVE THE VALET, UH, COMPANIES SET UP ON THE SIDE STREETS AND WE STILL ALLOW THEM ACCESS TO GET CLOSE TO SIXTH STREETS.

SO IF, UH, LIKE A RESTAURANT LIKE PARKSIDE, THEY WOULD BE ALLOWED TO COME IN OFF SAN JACK AND, AND DO THE VALET OFF OF THERE.

UM, WITH THOSE OPEN PARKING AREAS THAT I SHOWED ON THAT MAP EARLIER, THERE IS AN OPTION IF, UM, AND IT HAS BEEN DISCUSSED IF A WHOLE BUNCH OF, UH, RESTAURANTS OR BUSINESSES WANTED TO COME TOGETHER AND OFFER A VALET SERVICE FOR EVERYBODY, UM, THERE'S TALKS ABOUT DOING THAT AS WELL WITH, UH, STAKEHOLDERS AND COMMUNITY.

OKAY.

THANK YOU.

OTHER QUESTIONS? UH, QUICK QUESTION ON, UH, OUR FAVORITE SUBJECT SCOOTERS WITH , THIS NEW FENCED AREA, AN EXPANDED, I GUESS CONSTRICTED AREA FOR PEDESTRIANS, UH, WITH SIXTH STREET REOPENING.

UH, HAS THERE BEEN SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT GEO-FENCING THAT AREA OFF ENTIRELY FROM SCOOTERS OR RESTRICTING IT FROM THE, IN THE PEDESTRIAN AREAS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT? YEAH, THERE ABSOLUTELY HAS BEEN THOSE DISCUSSIONS.

UM, WE FIND THAT THE GEO-FENCING, WE ARE ALLOWED TO GEO-FENCE THE SCOOTERS AND DEVELOP REGULATIONS FOR THE SCOOTERS THEMSELVES.

UM, BUT SOMETIMES THE GEO-FENCE GOES AWAY AND WE START NOTICING SCOOTERS.

SO WE'LL TRY TO DO OUR BEST TO GET THEM OUT OF THE AREA AND TRY TO MAKE CONTACT WITH SOME OF THOSE COMPANIES AND GET THAT GEOFENCE REESTABLISHED.

OKAY.

I THINK THAT WOULD BE A PRIORITY.

AND UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES, I DO HAVE ONE MORE COMMISSIONER.

UM, SO I THINK, SO BY SOUTHWEST STARTS MARCH 7TH.

SO WILL THE BARRIERS BE HERE BY THEN? I, I CAN LET MY CLIENTS .

UH, HOPEFULLY I HAVE A MEETING, UM, WITH SPECIAL EVENTS OFFICER CORY JEWEL NEXT WEEK TO, UH, REPLAN.

WE ALREADY HAD A WHOLE PLAN, UM, SO BY SOUTHWEST TYPICALLY RENTS FROM US THROUGH THE, THROUGH THE EVENT COMPANIES.

SO WE'VE DONE THAT MULTIPLE YEARS IN A ROW.

UM, AS WELL AS ACL WE HAVE A WHOLE NEW, WE'RE GONNA GET TOGETHER TO FI PUT A WHOLE NEW PLAN TOGETHER, BOTH ON THE CLOSURE SPOTS AND WHAT IS NEEDED VERSUS WHAT YOU GUYS WILL ALREADY HAVE, UM, WITH THAT PLAN.

SO, UH, E EVERYTHING'S KIND OF IN MOTION RIGHT NOW AND IT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT WE'RE, THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.

RIGHT.

UH, AS SOON AS HE GETS BACK INTO TOWN.

THANK YOU.

ALRIGHT.

UH, YES.

OH, SORRY.

COMMISSIONER KOAL.

I'M SORRY.

I APOLOGIZE.

NO PROBLEM.

NO PROBLEM.

MINE IS QUICK.

UM, AND OFFICER GILO, THANK YOU AS ALWAYS FOR PRESENTING TO US.

WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME.

MINE IS LESS OF A QUESTION AND JUST KIND OF MORE OF A COMMENT, UM, JUST FROM MY OTHER COMMISSIONERS TOO.

I, I'D LIKE US TO WORK TO FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE OFFICER GI AND HIS TEAM PUT TOGETHER THIS MERIDIAN, UM, BRIEFING FOR US A COUPLE TIMES AND A COUPLE TIMES WE DRAFTED A RECOMMENDATION FOR COUNCIL TO PUT AWAY FUNDS FOR THAT AND IT TOOK CHIEF DAVIS WORKING ALONGSIDE THEM TO DO THAT.

AND I JUST, I WANNA CALL THAT OUT AS AN ISSUE THAT I SEE AND I'D LOVE FOR US TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO REMEDY THAT.

SO IN THE FUTURE WHEN, UM, WHEN OUR, YOU KNOW, FOLKS AT A PD NEED SUPPORT, WE CAN BE, UM, WE CAN BE A LITTLE BIT MORE HELPFUL.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

YES, COMMISSIONER.

UM, SO I'M FAMILIAR A LITTLE BIT THAT THERE ARE SOME LOCAL LANDOWNERS THAT ALSO SEE THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO RESET THE, THE CULTURE OF SIXTH STREET.

IT, IT'S A PROBLEM AND IT'S UNFORTUNATE THAT THERE'S A, A LOT OF NEED FOR POLICE IN THE AREA AT THOSE TIMES OF DAYS, UH, TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEMS THAT ARE HAPPENING.

IT'S A DIFFICULT CHOICE TO MAKE.

I I DON'T ENVY UN PEDESTRIAN SIXTH STREET DURING THOSE TIMES.

UM, IS THERE A THOUGHT THAT IF THE, THE SPREAD OF BUSINESSES CHANGES FROM THE CURRENT VERY ALCOHOL HEAVY, YOU KNOW, SET THAT AND NEW PEOPLE COME IN AND ARE BETTER BEHAVED, THAT WE MAY MOVE TOWARDS

[00:30:01]

AND WHEN WE LOOK AT LIKE NEW ORLEANS, LIKE THE PROBLEM WAS, IS IT, IT'S A STREET MEANT FOR VEHICLES AND, UH, IT'S ALLOWED TO WHERE PEOPLE CAN CROSS IN THE STREET.

IT'S NOT SAFE.

AND WHAT WE HAVE CURRENTLY IS NOT SAFE AND IT HASN'T BEEN SAFE.

THE ONLY THING THAT WE HAD WERE THOSE PLASTIC VISUAL DETERRENTS.

AND ANYBODY COULD HAVE COME IN THERE AND TAKEN OUT A LOT OF PEOPLE.

I REALLY FEEL LIKE MOVING PEOPLE OUT OF THE STREET TO WHERE THEY SHOULD BE ON THE SIDEWALK AND GIVING THEM A WIDER SIDEWALK IS THE SAFER CHOICE HERE.

I'M NOT TRYING TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT CAN BE IN AN AREA BY ANY MEANS.

AND I WOULD AGREE THAT HAVING A MORE VIBRANT COMMUNITY WITH DIFFERENT BUSINESSES, UM, IS, IS THE WAY TO GO HERE.

I, I AGREE.

I, I HOPE THAT MOVING FORWARD PEOPLE HAVE THEIR SPACE AND CARS HAVE THEIR SPACE.

UM, SIXTH STREET IS ONE OF THE VERY FEW, I WOULD SAY LIVELY AREAS OF TOWN, UNFORTUNATELY THAT LIVELINESS COMES WITH, YOU KNOW, DIFFICULTY AND, AND CRIME AND BAD BEHAVIOR.

UM, I'M HOPING WE CAN MOVE TOWARDS PUTTING IN PERMANENT INFRASTRUCTURE TO PEDESTRIANIZE THAT AREA AND FRANKLY, OTHER AREAS OF DOWNTOWN BOLLARDS MORE THAN JUST BARRICADES THAT ARE MOVABLE.

UH, THAT'S MORE OF A COMMENT RATHER THAN, THAN A QUESTION.

BUT I, I WOULD AGREE WITH YOU.

UM, AND YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU GO TO DIFFERENT, UH, ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICTS IN ANY OTHER CITY, WHETHER IT'S, UH, DOWNTOWN LAS VEGAS OR NASHVILLE, YOU NOTICE THAT THEY ACTUALLY LIKE PUT BOLLARDS AND STUFF ON THE STREET AND THEY WERE CONSIDERING SOME OF THESE IN THE DESIGN.

AND I KNOW THAT WITH, UH, THE NEW CITY MANAGER, THAT THIS IS A HUGE PUSH THAT THEY CURRENTLY HAVE AND THESE CONVERSATIONS ARE HAPPENING NOW.

SO THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT WHAT IT'S GOING TO LOOK LIKE PERMANENTLY IN THE FUTURE.

'CAUSE THIS IS JUST A TEMPORARY SOLUTION.

UM, AGAIN, IT'S, UH, GOING BACK AND FINDING THE FUNDING AND, AND DOING THE PLANNING AND GETTING IT RIGHT.

SO I LOOK FORWARD TO A SAFE SIXTH STREET .

AMEN.

COMMISSIONER RAMIREZ, AND I JUST, I HAD A FOLLOW UP QUESTION JUST ABOUT, UM, TRACKING AND METRICS AND WHAT YOU GUYS WILL BE LOOKING AT.

UM, WHAT, WHAT TRACK, WHAT SORT OF METRICS WILL YOU GUYS BE TRACKING TO, TO GAUGE SUCCESS WITH REGARDS TO THIS PROJECT? BOTH, YEAH, I, I HAD COVERED THAT, UM, A LITTLE BIT.

AGAIN, IT'S THE, THE CRIME RATE, UH, IT'S OUR OFFICER'S USE OF FORCE, UH, THAT'S GOING ON DOWN THERE.

UM, IT'S OUR OFFICER'S INJURY RATES, COLLISION DATA.

WE WERE ALSO GONNA TEAM UP WITH EMS AND FIRE TO SEE WHAT KIND OF EMERGENCIES THEY'RE RESPONDING TO, HOW IT AFFECTS RESPONSE TIMES FOR ALL AGENCIES ACROSS THE BOARD.

AND I MENTIONED LOOKING AT THE, SOME OF THE SALES FIGURES FROM THE STAKEHOLDERS WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS ASKED OF US AND WE WERE HAVING STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS AS WELL.

SO, SALES FIGURES FROM THE PARS? CORRECT.

OKAY.

OKAY.

THANK YOU.

ALRIGHT.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH AGAIN.

WE ALWAYS APPRECIATE YOUR SERVICE AND YOUR TIME HERE.

UH, AS YOU KNOW, AND I THINK AS EVERYBODY KNOWS, PUBLIC SAFETY IS A PRIORITY OF THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION.

AND AS, AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS EXPERIMENT AND UH, UH, FIND OTHER NEEDS, PLEASE DO COME BACK TO US AND LET US KNOW HOW WE CAN BE OF ASSISTANCE.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

ALRIGHT.

THANK YOU EVERYBODY FOR GOOD DISCUSSION.

THE NEXT ITEM

[2. Presentation on the Waterloo Greenway Conservancy by Melissa Ayala, Vice President of Government Relations, Waterloo Greenway Conservancy.]

WE HAVE MELISSA ALA, VICE PRESIDENT OF GOVERNMENT RELATIONS FOR THE CONSERVANCY.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

WE APPRECIATE YOUR BEING HERE.

I THOUGHT THAT THE HAVING, UH, AN UPDATE ON THE WATERLOO GREENWAY WOULD BE A GREAT WAY TO START, UH, 2025.

SO ABSOLUTELY.

TELL US GREAT THINGS.

YEAH.

WELL, GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS AND THANK YOU CHAIR FOR HAVING US.

UM, WE'RE EXCITED TO SHARE UPDATES ABOUT OUR CURRENT PROJECT PHASES.

UM, I KNOW YOU WERE INTERESTED IN RECEIVING AN UPDATE ON OUR PALM PARK DESIGN PROCESS.

UM, SO I'LL TALK THROUGH A LITTLE BIT OF THAT AND WE'LL ALSO GET INTO, UM, OUR CURRENT PHASE OF CONSTRUCTION RIGHT NOW.

UM, AND I'LL LET MY COLLEAGUE INTRODUCE THEMSELVES AS WELL.

HEY Y'ALL.

JOHN RIGGIN.

I'M THE CHIEF PLANNING AND DESIGN OFFICER WITH WATERLOO GREENWAY.

GLAD TO BE HERE TONIGHT AND GIVE Y'ALL SOME UPDATES.

ALRIGHT, SO, UM, IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR, WATERLOO GREENWAY.

WE'RE A NONPROFIT AND WE WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN ON THE RESTORATION OF OUR PARK SYSTEM AND WALLER CREEK THROUGH THE EASTERN SECTION OF DOWNTOWN.

THIS IS AN OVERVIEW OF THE FULL PROJECT VISION.

UM, IT'S NOT ALL COMPLETE, UM, BUT WE'RE WORKING ON IT IN PHASES.

UM, SO TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE MAP, YOU CAN SEE WATERLOO

[00:35:01]

UM, WE RECENTLY COMPLETED A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EFFORT ON PALM PARK, UM, WHICH, UH, YOU SEE THE ARROW POINTING TO.

AND WE'RE CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION AT OUR SOUTHERN, UM, PHASE OF THE PROJECT, WHICH IS, UH, ADJACENT TO LADY BIRD LAKE.

UM, I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE ENGAGEMENT PROCESS, UM, BUT WE ALSO WANTED TO SHARE THAT OUR ENGAGEMENT REPORT IS AVAILABLE ONLINE AND HAS A LOT OF DETAIL ABOUT OUR PROCESS TO ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY, UM, PLACES THAT WE WENT TO SHARE INFORMATION, UM, SPECIFIC STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK.

UH, SO A LOT OF GOOD INFORMATION THERE THAT HAS BEEN SHARED WITH OUR DESIGN TEAM TO INFORM THE DESIGN OF PUMP PARK.

SO, LIKE I MENTIONED, UM, WE RECENTLY COMPLETED OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PHASE.

UM, THIS TOOK THREE PHASES OF WORK, UM, AND TOOK, UM, A BIT OVER SIX MONTHS FOR US TO COMPLETE.

UM, WE WENT BACK TO CONNECT OUR CURRENT ENGAGEMENT WITH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT THAT WE STARTED IN 2016.

UM, AT THAT TIME WE PAUSED THE DESIGN OF PALM PARK AS THE FUTURE OF PALM SCHOOL WAS BEING RE-ENVISIONED.

UM, AND NOW WE'RE EXCITED TO GET STARTED AGAIN ON, ON OUR, UM, DESIGN TOWARDS CONSTRUCTION.

AS OUR CURRENT PHASE OF CONSTRUCTION COMPLETES OUR VISION IS TO TURN OVER TO PALM PARK AND CONTINUE OUR WORK THERE.

AFTER THAT, UH, THIS IS A TIMELINE SHOWING OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS.

UM, WE DID MANY DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES TO GET COMMUNITY FEEDBACK, UM, INCLUDING TABLING AT EVENTS, BLOCK WALKING, UM, DIGITAL PROMOTION, INDIVIDUAL STAKEHOLDER CONVERSATIONS, UM, TO TRY TO REACH AS MANY FOLKS AS WE CAN IN THE COMMUNITY.

UH, WHAT RESULTED FROM THAT? UM, THESE ARE SOME NUMBERS ON THE SCREEN.

UM, WE DID SOME SMALL GROUP CONVERSATIONS.

UM, WE DID AN ONLINE SURVEY AND LIKE I MENTIONED, TABLING AND POP-UP EVENTS TO TALK TO FOLKS INDIVIDUALLY.

UH, WE WERE ABLE TO REACH OVER 2000 FOLKS.

UM, SO WE WERE REALLY EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO TALK TO A VARIETY OF PEOPLE, UM, INCLUDING PALM SCHOOL ALUMNI.

IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT TO US TO BE ABLE TO HEAR FROM FORMER STUDENTS, UM, AND FOLKS WHO HAVE, UH, MEMORIES AND CONNECTION TO THE HISTORIC PALM SCHOOL, WHICH IS LOCATED NEXT TO PALM PARK.

THESE ARE, UM, THIS IS AN OVERVIEW OF SOME OF THE ZIP CODES OF OUR PARTICIPANTS.

UM, AS YOU'LL SEE, UM, DOWNTOWN IS REPRESENTED IN OUR ZIP CODES, UM, BUT ALSO SOUTHEAST AUSTIN.

UM, SO YOU'LL SEE SOME OF THOSE ZIP CODES.

UM, AND IT WAS INTENTIONAL FOR US TO CONNECT WITH FOLKS IN THESE COMMUNITIES.

AS WE KNOW, FOLKS WHO USED TO LIVE IN DOWNTOWN OR EAST OR EAST AUSTIN HAVE NOW MOVED EAST AND SOUTHEAST.

UM, SO WE WANTED TO HOST OPPORTUNITIES SPECIFICALLY IN SOUTHEAST AUSTIN TO MAKE SURE WE COULD CONNECT WITH COMMUNITIES SOME OF OUR KEY THEMES, UM, THAT HAVE COME UP AND WE WILL TALK THROUGH IN OUR CONCEPT DESIGN AS WELL.

UM, AT A HIGH LEVEL, IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR US TO CONNECT TO THE HISTORY OF PALM PARK AND PALM SCHOOL.

UH, FOLKS WERE REALLY INTERESTED IN SEEING COMMUNITY AND CULTURE AND HISTORY REPRESENTED IN THE FUTURE PHASE OF OUR DESIGN.

UM, AND, AND A LOT OF INTEREST IN SEEING IT, UH, CONTINUE TO HAVE A CONNECTION WITH FAMILIES AND BE A FAMILY FRIENDLY SPACE IN THE FUTURE.

UM, SO MORE, UM, THEMES HERE ABOUT SPECIFIC FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY, UM, IDEAS LIKE, UM, ART PROGRAMS, UM, ALSO HONORING THE HISTORY OF SOME PARTICULAR, UM, FEATURES IN THE PARK, INCLUDING THE PALM PARK POOL IN THE SHELTER HOUSE.

AND WE INCORPORATED THAT INTO OUR CONCEPT DESIGN.

UM, I WON'T GO INTO DETAIL HERE, BUT JUST AN OVERVIEW OF SOME OF THE PLACES WE WENT AROUND TOWN TO TALK TO FOLKS, SOME PICTURES.

WE HAD SOME REALLY GOOD CONVERSATIONS WITH FOLKS INCLUDING, UM, TALKING TO FOLKS AT OUR ANNUAL CREEK SHOW EVENT AS WELL.

AND I'LL PASS IT OVER TO JOHN.

ALRIGHT, THANKS MELISSA.

WELL, I'M GONNA WALK Y'ALL THROUGH WHERE WE LANDED WITH THE CONCEPT DESIGN.

SO AS MELISSA MENTIONED, WE HAD THIS, YOU KNOW, THOUSANDS OF POINTS OF DATA FROM OVER 2000 COMMUNITY MEMBERS ENGAGED.

AND OUR DESIGN TEAM LED BY MICHAEL VAN VALKENBERG AND ASSOCIATES, UH, WORKING WITH OUR, OUR TEAM AND OUR PARTNERS AT PARD AND WATERLOO GREENWAY CONSERVANCY SORTED THROUGH THAT DATA, UM, AND GROUPED IT AND WORKED TO HAVE THAT DATA INFORM THE

[00:40:01]

SO I'M GONNA WALK Y'ALL THROUGH THE CONCEPT DESIGN AND SINCE THEN WE'VE CONTINUED TO EVOLVE THE DESIGN AND ARE COMING UP ON OUR SCHEMATIC DESIGN MILESTONE, WHICH FOR REFERENCE IS AROUND, YOU KNOW, 30% COMPLETE FOR DESIGN.

SO THINGS HAVE BEEN ADVANCING ALONG WELL.

SO AGAIN, FOR CONTEXT, WHICH IS REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT WITH THE SITE, UH, OBVIOUSLY IT'S CURRENTLY ADJACENT TO THE HIGHWAY AND, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE CHANGES COMING HOPEFULLY TO THAT IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

UH, IT'S ALSO VERY IMPORTANTLY ADJACENT TO PALM SCHOOL.

SO A LOT OF OUR ENGAGEMENT AND HISTORICAL RESEARCH FOCUSED ON THAT TIE.

AND THEN RIGHT NEXT TO IT, AS MELISSA POINTED OUT, WE HAVE THE SECOND PHASE OF, UH, CONSTRUCTION, WHICH WE CALL THE CONFLUENCE, WHICH IS CURRENTLY BEING EXECUTED.

AND THEN, YOU KNOW, CLEARLY IN, IN THIS AREA SURROUNDED BY A LOT OF DEVELOPMENT HAPPENING.

SO REALLY WORKING WITH THE SURROUNDING CONTEXT IS IMPORTANT.

SO ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS WE DID, UH, WAS LOOK AT ALL THOSE INPUTS THAT REALLY INFORM OR CONSTRAIN THE DESIGN OF THE SITE.

I WON'T GO THROUGH ALL OF THESE, BUT YOU KNOW, THE, THE MAJOR KIND OF OVERVIEW ON THIS IS LEVERAGING THE EXISTING HISTORIC AND CULTURAL ASSETS, UH, YOU KNOW, WORKING AROUND SOME OF THE PHYSICAL BARRIERS.

AND THEN ALSO IF WE ARE GOING TO BRING FAMILIES AND CHILDREN ACTIVITIES INTO DOWNTOWN, WHICH YOU'LL SEE MAKING SURE WE MAKE THAT A SAFE AND WELCOMING EXPERIENCE AND SOME DESIGN CUES ARE NEEDED IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT, UH, BOTH PHYSICALLY AND IN TERMS OF HOW WE SIGNAL TO THE COMMUNITY, THIS IS A PLACE FOR FAMILIES.

SO, GROUPING ALL THE THEMES, UH, WE, WE CAME UP WITH THESE FIVE THEME AREAS FROM THE HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF COMMENTS.

SO IN THE FULL REPORT THAT MELISSA MENTIONED THAT YOU CAN FIND ONLINE, YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE ALL OF THE COMMENTS.