* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.
          [00:01:20]
          MORNING, EVERYONE. 
          THERE YOU GO. 
          UH, GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. 
          [CALL TO ORDER]
UM, AND WELCOME TO THE SECOND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE MEETING. 
          UH, I'LL CALL THIS MEETING OF THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE IN ORDER AT 10:02 AM ON MAY 16TH, 2025 AT AUSTIN CITY HALL. 
          AND A QUORUM IS PRESENT. 
          UH, PRESENT ON THE DIOCESE IS COUNCIL MEMBER SIEGEL, UH, MAYOR PROTE FUENTES, AND COUNCIL MEMBER, OR THE COUNCIL MEMBER JOSE VELASQUEZ. 
          UH, AND UNFORTUNATELY UNABLE TO ATTEND TODAY IS COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, HARPER MADISON. 
          UH, THE NEXT ITEM, UH, UH, IS PUBLIC COMMUNICATION, UH, BUT SADLY, I DON'T THINK WE HAVE ANY SPEAKERS TODAY, SO WE'RE JUST GONNA MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER ONE, UH, WHICH IS TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE MARCH 21ST ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE, UH, MEETING FOR 2025. 
          DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEM ONE? UH, MOTION BY, UH, MAYOR PRO FUENTES, UH, AND SECONDED BY THE COUNCIL MEMBER JOSE VELASQUEZ. 
          UH, ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AND, SORRY. 
          UH, WHERE ARE THE MINUTES? I DIDN'T SEE THEM. 
          ARE THEY REVISED? THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT IN THE BACKUP FOR THE WEBSITE. 
          SORRY TO BE THE FLY. 
          THE WHITEMAN HERE. 
          OH, IS, IS THERE A WAY TO GET THE MINUTES? WE'LL GO. 
          OKAY, GREAT. 
          OKAY, GREAT. 
          UM, WELL THEN I WILL COME BACK TO ITEM NUMBER ONE, I GUESS, AND I'LL ALSO, UM, I, I ALSO WANNA STATE FOR THE RECORD THAT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON, UH, NATASHA HARPER MADISON IS JOINING US, UH, VIRTUALLY FROM, UH, FROM THE DIOCESE. 
          UM, AND LIKE I SAID, WE WILL COME BACK TO ITEM NUMBER ONE ONCE THE THE MINUTES ARE ARE UP. 
          UM, AND WE'RE GONNA SKIP ITEM NUMBER TWO, WHICH IS AN UPDATE ON THE AUSTIN CONVENTION CENTER REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT TO LAST ON TODAY'S AGENDA. 
          SO THE ORDER OF PRESENTATIONS WILL BE THREE, FOUR, AND THEN WE'LL GO BACK TO NUMBER ONE AND THEN TWO. 
          SO MOVING ON TO ITEM NUMBER THREE. 
          [3. Updates on the Austin Bergstrom International Airport: Beyond the Runways - AUS's role in Central Texas Economic Development. [Ghizlaine Badawi, Chief- Aviation].]
ITEM NUMBER THREE IS TO GET UPDATES ON THE AUSTIN BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT BEYOND THE RUNWAYS AUSTIN'S ROLE IN CENTRAL TEXAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. 
          UM, AND FOR THAT, WE HAVE A PRESENTATION BY, UH, GHISLAINE BADAWI, WHO'S THE CHIEF OF A AVIATION AT THE AIRPORT. 
          WELCOME, GOOD MORNING CHAIR AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS. 
          I'M GLA BADI, CEO OF AUSTIN, BERKSHIRE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. 
          THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. 
          I'M EXCITED TO SHARE HOW A US IS DRIVING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AND GROWTH IN OUR REGION NOW AND INTO THE FUTURE. 
          I WOULD LIKE TO BEGIN BY LOOKING AT THE BROADER ECONOMIC ROLE THAT AIRPORTS PLAY ACROSS OUR COUNTRY. 
          I, US AIRPORTS SUPPORTED 12.8 MILLION JOBS AND CONTRIBUTED 1.8 TRILLION IN ECONOMIC OUTPUT LAST YEAR. 
          [00:05:01]
YET THE AIRPORT SYSTEM NEEDS 174 BILLION IN UPGRADES OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. 
          TRAFFIC WILL CLIMB TO ONE POINT BILLION PASSENGERS BY 2040, AND WE USE THIS RULE OF THUMB IN THE AVIATION INDUSTRY. 
          FOR EVERY THOUSAND IN EMPLOYMENTS OR ADDITIONAL PASSENGERS, IT CREATES 1.2 ON AIRPORT JOBS AND SUPPORT 290,000 IN VISITOR SPENDING. 
          SO LET'S DIVE INTO HOW AUSTIN DOES FIT INTO THE NATIONAL PICTURE. 
          A US SITS ON 4,200 ACRES AND SERVE 21.8 MILLION PASSENGERS. 
          IN 2024, WE AVERAGE 520 FLIGHT DAILY FLIGHTS, AND A US PLAYS A VITAL ROLE IN CONNECTING AUSTIN INTO THE WORLD. 
          WE EMPLOY OVER 8,000 EMPLOYEES AT THE AIRPORT. 
          ABOUT 7,000 ARE AIRPORT EMPLOYEES, AND OVER 700 ARE AVIATION EMPLOYEES. 
          A US IS AN ECONOMIC GENERATOR FOR OUR CENTRAL TEXAS REGION. 
          WE'RE SELF-SUSTAINED ENTITY, SELF-FUNDED ENTITY, NO LOCAL TAXPAYERS FUND OUR AIRPORTS. 
          ALL THE REVENUE IS GENERATED THROUGH AIRPORT OPERATION, FUNDED THROUGH THE AIRLINES CONCESSION FEES, PARKING FEES, FAA GRANTS, AND WE HAVE TO REINVEST ALL THE REVENUE AT THE AIRPORTS. 
          WE'RE ALSO A NET NET TAX GENERATOR. 
          THE A US OPERATION PRODUCES MAJOR TAX REVENUE FOR OUR CITY, FOR THE STATE, AND FOR THE FEDERAL COFFERS THROUGH THE SALES OF THE AIRLINE TICKETS. 
          THE PRODUCTS SOLD AT THE AIRPORT, THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY, THE FUEL TAX, ALL OF THESE TAXES DO FLOW TO OUR CITY, STATES AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. 
          SO LET'S QUANTIFY THIS LOCAL IMPACT. 
          IN 2018, TAX DOTS CONDUCTED AN ECONOMIC STUDY, AN ECONOMIC IMPACT OF A US ON OUR REGION. 
          A US IS PRODUCING 7.8 BILLION IN ANNUAL ECONOMIC BENEFITS AND SUPPORTED 74,000 JOBS IN CENTRAL TEXAS. 
          IN 2018, WE SERVED 15 MILLION PASSENGERS. 
          LAST YEAR, WE SERVED ALMOST 22 MILLION PASSENGER. 
          SO YOU CAN SEE HOW THE, HOW THE IMPACTS OF A US HAS GROWN SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THE YEARS. 
          WE'RE WORKING ON AN UPDATED ECONOMIC IMPACT THAT WE CAN SHARE WITH YOU IN THE FUTURE. 
          I WOULD LIKE ALSO TO HIGHLIGHT ALL THE JOBS THAT ARE, THAT ARE PRODUCED THROUGH THE OPERATION OF A US. 
          I TALKED EARLIER ABOUT THE 7,000 AIRPORT JOBS AND 700 AVIATION EMPLOYEES. 
          HOWEVER, THERE IS THE INDIRECT JOBS. 
          THERE IS THE IN INDUCED JOBS, AND I WOULD LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT TWO PROGRAMS AT THE AIRPORT. 
          THE MUSIC PROGRAM SHOWCASING OUR AUSTIN VIBRATE CREATIVE COMMUNITY THROUGH, OVER, THROUGH, OVER MORE THAN 1300 LIVE PERFORMANCES ANNUALLY, AND ALSO CREATED VIRTUAL ARTS INSTALLATIONS. 
          SO LAST YEAR ALONE, A US HOSTED 1,351 LIVE MUSIC PERFORMANCES FEATURING OVER 200 LOCAL BANDS AND MUSICIANS, ALONG WITH 19 ROTATING ART EXHIBITS, AND SHOWCASING THE WORK OF 98 LOCAL ARTISTS AND 99 AREA STUDENTS. 
          THESE NUMBERS UNDERSCORE OUR PROGRAM'S DEEP CONNECTION TO US AND CREATIVE COMMUNITY, AND THE IMPACT IT HAS ON ELEVATING OUR PASSENGER EXPERIENCE. 
          NOW, I WOULD LIKE TO DIVE INTO THE NUMBERS. 
          WE HAVE OVER 90 NONSTOP DESTINATION, AND THIS INCLUDE ALSO THE SEASONAL SERVICE THAT WE PROVIDE AT THE AIRPORT. 
          WE AVERAGE 520 DAILY OPERATIONS AT THE AIRPORT. 
          THAT INCLUDES THE DEPARTURES AND THE ARRIVALS. 
          WE HAVE 18 CARRIERS THAT ARE HELPING US CONNECT AUSTIN TO THE WORLD. 
          WITH 14 INTERNATIONAL DESTINATIONS AND OVER 300 MILLION POUNDS OF CARGO THAT WAS PROCESSED AT THE AUSTIN AIRPORT LAST YEAR. 
          WE HAVE A DIVERSE, UH, GROUP OF AIRLINES FROM INTERNATIONAL TO ULTRA LOW COST TO LEGACY, UH, AIRLINES, 18 AIRLINES, PLUS OUR CARGO OPERATION SHOWCASING AMAZON, FEDEX, DHL AND UPS. 
          THIS MAP KEEPS GROWING AS, AS WE EXPAND, 
          [00:10:01]
OUR FACILITIES WILL EVEN EXPAND THE CONNECTIVITY MORE. 
          THIS YEAR ALONE, WE EX WE EXPANDED SERVICE TO NEW CITIES AND INCREASED FREQUENCY TO MORE POPULAR, UM, ROUTES. 
          WE ALSO SUPPORT ALL THE INTERNATIONALLY ATTENDED EVENTS, HOSTED OUR BY OUR CITY, OUR CITY HOUSE, DIFFERENT SPORTING EVENTS, MUSIC EVENTS, AND WE ARE PROUD TO BE PART OF THAT JOURNEY AND WHERE THAT FIRST AND ALSO LAST IMPRESSION OF US AND FOR THESE VISITORS. 
           NOW, I WOULD LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT OUR EXPANSION PROGRAM AND HOW WE ARE GOING TO, UH, INCREASE AND IMPROVE THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF A US THROUGH OUR JOURNEY. 
          WITH A US PROGRAM THAT WAS LAUNCHED IN 2024, WE'VE HOSTED MULTIPLE INDUSTRY EVENTS AND INITIATIVES TO CONNECT OUR PRIMES TO THE SUBCONTRACTORS, TO ATTRACT MORE PRIMES TO WORK HERE IN AUSTIN AND JOIN US IN TEXAS. 
          AND OUR OUTREACH EVENTS ATTRACTED MORE THAN 1700 ATTENDEES. 
          WE HOSTED SIX OPEN HOUSES AND INDUSTRY DAYS, AND OUR TEAM ALSO ATTENDED 35 LOCAL AND NATIONAL EVENTS. 
          AND DURING THESE EVENTS, THEY DIS THEY DISPLAYED EXHIBITS SERVED ON PANELS AND PRESENTATIONS TO, TO GARNER THE OF NATIONAL PRIME FIRMS TO MOVE TO TEXAS. 
          AND AS A RESULT, WE COMPLETED ALL THE PROCUREMENTS LAST YEAR. 
          AND I WANT TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR THEIR SUPPORT. 
          THIS WAS A VERY AGGRESSIVE SCHEDULE, AND WE'RE ABLE TO HIRE ALL THE DESIGN FIRMS AND ALL THE CONSTRUCTION FIRMS. THIS APRIL, WE HOSTED OUR RUNWAY TO OPPORTUNITIES EVENTS TO CONNECT OUR PRIME FIRMS THAT WE HIRED IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR WITH OUR LOCAL SUBCONTRACTORS, WITH OVER 250 POTENTIAL SUBCONTRACTORS, 50 REGISTERED ONSITE. 
          AND THAT'S JUST THE BEGINNING. 
          AND I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THE PARTNERSHIP WITH SMBR. 
          AND I KNOW THAT ED COMPOST IS WITH US HERE TODAY. 
          I JUST WANT TO THANK HIM AND HIS STAFF FOR THE PARTNERSHIP AND THE SUPPORT. 
          THIS IS ONE OF THE EVENTS THAT WE'LL BE HO HOSTING EVERY YEAR FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS. 
          THIS LIST IS JUST SHOWCASING SUB SOME OF THE SUBCONTRACTING NEEDS THAT WE WILL NEED FROM, FOR OUR PROGRAMS, WE'LL NEED EVERY TRADE, EVERYTHING FROM CIVIL CONSTRUCTION TO IT SYSTEM, MEANING THERE IS ROOM FOR EVERY BUSINESS, ALL TYPE OF BUSINESSES, ALL SIDES OF BUSINESSES TO BE ENGAGED AND PARTICIPATE IN OUR PROGRAM. 
          AND TO SUPPORT THIS WORKFORCE PIPELINE. 
          WE'RE INVESTING IN TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT. 
          WE'RE PROUD TO PARTNER WITH WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS CAPITAL AREA TO SUPPORT THE INFRASTRUCTURE ACADEMY. 
          A S STAFF ARE ACTIVELY INVOLVED, AND WE ARE CO-DEVELOPING A MARKETING CAMPAIGN TO RAISE AWARENESS AND CONNECT JOB SEEKERS WITH AVIATION CONSTRUCTION OPPORTUNITIES AND WORKING ON AN APPRENTICESHIP AT THE AIRPORTS. 
          NOW, I'D LIKE TO PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF OUR PROGRAM, AND WE'RE HAPPY TO SEE THE COLORS CHANGE IN THIS MAP. 
          CURRENTLY, WE HAVE SEVEN PROJECTS UNDER CONSTRUCTION THAT THOSE ARE ALL THE PROJECTS HIGHLIGHTED IN PURPLE. 
          FIVE PROJECTS IN DESIGN, AND ONE PROJECT IN CONS IN IN PROCUREMENT. 
          THIS WILL BE BRINGING TO COUNCIL THIS SUMMER. 
          WE ARE LEVERAGING EVERY NEAR TERM PROJECT TO PROVIDE THE RELIEF AS SOON AS POSSIBLE WHILE DESIGNING AND CONSTRUCTION THE LARGE EXPANSION PROJECT. 
          THESE PROJECTS ARE INTERDEPENDENT, SPECIFIC PROJECTS MUST BE COMPLETED. 
          BEFORE WE CAN BEGIN OTHERS, I WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE EXAMPLES. 
          THE MIDFIELD TAXIWAYS, THOSE ARE THOSE CONNECTIONS AT THE TOP OF THE MAP THAT LOOKS LIKE HIGHWAYS. 
          WE HAVE TO COMPLETE THAT PROJECT FIRST BEFORE WE CAN BUILD THE NEW CONCOURSE B, BECAUSE THE CONCOURSE B WILL BE CONSTRUCTED ON TOP OF THE CURRENT MIDFIELD TAXIWAYS. 
          ADDITIONALLY, ANOTHER EXAMPLE WILL BE THE GARAGE. 
          WE HAVE TO DEMOLISH THE RED GARAGE BEFORE WE CAN BUILD THE NEW DEPARTURE HALL. 
          SO IT'S HARD TO OVERSTATE THE MONUMENTAL CHALLENGE WE HAVE BEFORE US AS WE BRING THIS CONCEPT TO LIFE. 
          WE'RE GOING TO EFFECTIVELY BE BUILDING NEW AIRPORTS, ALL WHILE OPERATING AN UNDERSIZED AIRPORTS IN THE SAME FOOTPRINT. 
          THIS WILL BE THE LARGEST CAPITAL PROJECT AT, AT THE AIRPORT SINCE IT WAS CONSTRUCTED AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST CAPITAL PROJECTS OVER UNDERTAKEN BY THE CITY, AND ONE OF THE MOST COMPLEX EXPANSIONS THAT'S 
          [00:15:01]
IN THE AIRPORT INDUSTRY. 
          A US EXPANSION REPRESENTS MORE THAN 4 BILLION INVESTMENT WITH OVER 1 BILLION INDIRECT LABOR COSTS. 
          WE CURRENTLY HAVE OVER 1400 CONSTRUCTION JOBS ACTIVE AT THE AIRPORT, AND WE'RE EXPECTED TO ADD 1200 MORE THIS YEAR. 
          THIS YEAR ALONE. 
          THIS PROJECT, RANGING FROM BAGGAGE HANDLING SYSTEMS TO NEW CONCOURSES, ARE VITAL TO OUR GROWTH AND REPRESENT REAL ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY FOR AUSTINITES. 
          SO LET ME TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR NEAR TERM PROJECT THEN THAT WILL ENHANCE THE PASSENGER EXPERIENCE BY NEXT YEAR BAGGAGE HANDLING SYSTEM. 
          THIS IS 1.5 MILE OF NEW CONVEYORS PROCESSING CAPABILITY OF 4,000 BAGS PER HOUR. 
          AND THIS NEW SYSTEM WILL MEET THE DEMAND OF OVER 30 MILLION PASSENGERS. 
          WE COMPLETED PHASE ONE LAST YEAR, AND WE ANTICIPATE COMPLETING PHASE TWO BY THE BEGINNING OF NEXT YEAR. 
          AND WE'LL BE WORKING ON PHASE THREE INTEGRATED BAGGAGE HANDIN SYSTEM THAT WILL CONNECT THE BAGS FROM THE NEW AD HALL ALL THE WAY TO CONCOURSE B. 
          AND THAT'S THE RCA THAT WILL BE BRINGING TO COUNCIL THIS SUMMER WESTGATE'S EXPANSION. 
          THIS PROJECT WILL ADD THREE GATES THAT WILL OFFSET THE CLOSURE OF GATES IN THE MIDDLE WHEN WE BUILD THE TUNNEL. 
          AS YOU CAN SEE IN THIS PICTURE, MORE MODERN HALLROOM AREAS, NEW CONCESSION, NEW PUBLIC ART INSTALLATION BY LOCAL ARTISTS, AND MORE AMENITIES FOR OUR PASSENGERS, SUCH AS NUKE WHITE SPACE THAT COULD SERVE AS SENSORY ROOM, PRAYER OR MEDITATION SPACE PLAY AREA FOR OUR YOUNG AT HEARTS AND AN OUTDOOR PUBLIC PATIO. 
          AND THIS PROJECT IS ANTICIPATED TO BE COMPLETE BY Q1 OF 26 ATRIUM INFILL. 
          WE DID BREAK GROUND ON THIS PROJECT THIS WEEK. 
          WE'RE ADDING ADDITIONAL 12,000 NEEDED Q IN SPACE IN THE DEPARTURE AREA BETWEEN THE TWO MIDDLE, UH, CHECKPOINTS AT THE TERMINAL. 
          THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE THE MUCH NEEDED Q IN SPACE AREA TO ENSURE THAT PASSENGER NO LONGER NEED TO WAIT OUTDOORS. 
          AND THIS PROJECTS WILL FEATURE A PUBLIC ART INSTALLATION BY LOCAL ARTISTS, THE WEST INFILL. 
          THIS PROJECT WILL BE COMPLETE IN Q1 OF 26, WHERE ADDING 75,000 SQUARE FEET OVER FOUR LEVELS, FEATURING NEW SECURITY CHECKPOINT, NEW CLUB, NEW TICKET COUNTERS, AND ADDITIONAL SUPPORT SPACE. 
          THE YELLOW GARAGE, ESTIMATED COMPLETION OF PHASE ONE BY NEXT YEAR. 
          AND FULL COMPLETION OF THE PROJECT BY 2027, WE HAVE TO REMOVE THE RED GARAGE TO MAKE ROOM FOR THE NEW ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE HALL. 
          AND WE'RE BUILDING THIS GARAGE TO OFFSET THAT CLOSURE AND ALSO MEET THE CURRENT AND FUTURE DEMAND OF EMPLOYEE PARKING AS WELL AS PASSENGER PARKING MIDFIELD. 
          TAXIWAY IS AN ENABLING PROJECT, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER. 
          WE HAVE TO COMPLETE THIS PROJECT BEFORE WE CAN START THE CONSTRUCTION ON THE CONCOURSE B. 
          THIS PROJECT IS ESTIMATED TO BE COMPLETE BY 27. 
          IT'S UNDER CONSTRUCTION RIGHT NOW, AND IT IS A PROJECT THAT WILL GIVE US THE ABILITY TO SAFELY MOVE THE AIRCRAFT TO THE NEW CONCOURSE. 
          CONCOURSE B IS THE MOST ANTICIPATED PROJECT THAT WILL FEATURE MORE THAN 20 GATES. 
          WE'RE STILL FINALIZING THE GATES. 
          WE SOUGHT AUTHORITY LAST YEAR FOR 20 GATES, AND WE'RE WORKING WITH OUR AIRLINE PARTNERS. 
          IT'LL BE MORE THAN 20 GATES. 
          ONCE WE FINALIZE THE NUMBER, WE'LL COME BACK TO COUNCIL FOR ADDITIONAL AUTHORITY AND RESIZE ALL THE, ALL THE PROJECTS. 
          THIS PROJECT WILL ENHANCE THE PASSENGER, UH, ACTIVITY AND EXPERIENCE AT OUR AIRPORT. 
          IT, WE WILL ADD MORE CONCESSIONS, MORE LIFE STAGES, MORE PUBLIC OUT INSTALLATIONS, ALL THE THINGS THAT OUR PASSENGERS LOVE ABOUT OUR AIRPORT. 
          THE ADDITIONAL GATES WILL ALSO HELP US CONNECT US INTO THE WORLD WITH MORE NONSTOP FLIGHT TO CONNECT OUR COMMUNITY. 
          THE NEW ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE HALL, IT'S THE MOST TRANSFORMATIVE AND YET THE MOST DISRUPTIVE PRO UH, PROJECTS DURING CONSTRUCTION. 
          THIS PROJECT WILL MODERNIZE THE FRONT DOOR OF A US, WHICH IS TRULY THE FRONT DOOR OF AUSTIN AND CENTRAL TEXAS FOR MILLIONS OF TRAVELERS EVERY YEAR. 
          THIS PROJECT WILL INCLUDE NEW CURBSIDE, NEW ENHANCED TICKETING, CONSOLIDATED SECURITY, CHECKPOINT, BAGGAGE AREA, MORE 
          [00:20:01]
CONCESSION SPACES AND PUBLIC ART INSTALLATION. 
          THIS IMP THIS IMPROVEMENTS MAKE THE TRAVEL EXPERIENCE MORE ENJOYABLE AND CAN LEAVE A POSITIVE IMPRESSION ON VISITORS AND LOCALS ALIKE. 
          WITH THE ABILITY TO SUPPORT MORE FLIGHTS OUT OF AUSTIN, INCLUDING INTERNATIONAL DESTINATIONS, THE NEW FACILITIES WILL HELP US BOOST LOCAL TOURISM HOSPITALITY INDUSTRIES AND BRING WIDER EXPOSURE TO THE CULTURE AND THE RECREATIONAL OFFERING. 
          THERE ARE OTHER PROJECTS, MORE UTILITY PROJECTS THAT I'M NOT FEATURING TODAY IS THE CENTRAL UTILITY PLANT AND THE CAMPUS-WIDE UTILITIES. 
          THOSE PROJECTS WILL BE COMPLETE IN 28 TO SUPPORT THE ADDITIONAL CONCESSIONS AND BEYOND THE CONSTRUCTION. 
          WE'RE ALSO CREATING SPACE FOR OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES IN OUR TERMINAL. 
          WE'RE EXPANDING OUR EX CONCESSION PROGRAM, ACTIVELY RECRUITING LOCAL AND DIVERSE VENDORS FROM FOOD AND BEVERAGE TO VENDING, TO RENTAL CAR SERVICES. 
          WE'LL BE HOSTING NUMEROUS EVENTS TO TALK ABOUT OUR PROGRAM, TO SHOWCASE ALL THE NEW AMENITIES THAT WE ARE ADDING, AND ALSO TO HELP WITH THE CONNECTION AND HELP OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES UNDERSTAND HOW TO OPERATE AT THE AIRPORTS. 
          CONCOURSE B, AS I MENTIONED, WILL ADD MORE THAN 20 GATES AND INCREASE A US CAPACITY BY MORE THAN 40%. 
          THIS MEANS MORE DIRECT CONNECTIONS DOMESTICALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY AND MORE JOBS ACROSS EVERY PART OF OUR AIRPORT OPERATION. 
          WE'RE TARGETING NEW ROUTES TO ASIA, SOUTH AMERICA, MIDDLE EAST, WHILE DEEPENING OUR DOMESTIC CONNECTIVITY. 
          AND THIS BRINGS ME TO THE END OF, OF MY PRESENTATION. 
          THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION, AND I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU FOR THE PRES. 
          UH, THERE YOU GO. 
          UH, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP. 
          UH, COLLEAGUES. 
          DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? UH, MAYOR. 
          OH, VICE CHAIR AND MAYOR B. 
          THAT'S VICE-CHAIR. 
          YES. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU CHAIRMAN. 
          UM, JUST WANTED TO APPRECIATE, UH, GI ELAINE'S, UH, PRESENTATION AND LEADERSHIP AT THE AIRPORT. 
          COLLEAGUES. 
          AS YOU CAN SEE, IT'S INCREDIBLE FOR US TO HAVE THIS ECONOMIC IMPACT IN OUR COMMUNITY, TO HAVE THE AIRPORT ACTIVELY UNDERGOING EXPANSION PROJECT THAT'S GONNA BENEFIT SO MANY LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES. 
          I THINK YOU MENTIONED OVER 400 MILLION IN CONTRACTING OPPORTUNITIES FOR LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES TO PARTICIPATE. 
          AND THOSE ARE MEANINGFUL OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR COMMUNITY. 
          AND AS PART OF THIS ACTIVE CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM, I DO ALSO WANNA HIGHLIGHT, WE HAVE THE BETTER BUILDER PROGRAM AS PART OF IT TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE A SAFE WORKPLACE FOR OUR WORKERS AND FOR ANYONE WHO IS AT OUR AIRPORT. 
          THAT IS A TOP OF MIND FOR US. 
          UM, SINCE WE HAVE YOU HERE, WOULD YOU LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT ANY ONGOING ISSUES THAT WE'RE FACING AT THE AIRPORT, PARTICULARLY THE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER AND THE SHORTAGES THAT WE ARE EXPERIENCING AT THE AIRPORT AND HOW, UM, WE'VE BEEN ADDRESSING IT? YEAH, THE THANK YOU, UM, VICE CHAIR FOR, FOR THIS QUESTION. 
          THE, THE SHORTAGE OF A, WHAT WE CALL A TC, THE TRAFFIC CONTROLS IS A NATIONWIDE ISSUE. 
          WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE FIA, WE PROVIDED INPUT ON OPPORTUNITIES AND SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO IMPROVE THE SYSTEM. 
          AND ALSO WE'VE BEEN, UH, SHARING OUR CONCERNS ABOUT THE IMPACTS WHENEVER THERE IS A GROUND STOP OR THERE IS WHAT WE CALL THE REDUCING THE ARRIVALS TO OUR AIRPORTS. 
          SO THAT'S AN ONGOING ISSUE. 
          IT'S IMPACTING A LOT OF AIRPORTS. 
          THE GROUND STOPS ARE HAPPENING AT OTHER LARGE AIRPORTS EVERY DAY. 
          WE KNOW WE'RE NOT EXPERIENCING THEM EVERY DAY, BUT IT'S A, IT'S A BIG CONCERN OF OURS, AND WE'RE WORKING WITH FAA TO ENHANCE THAT. 
          WE ARE, UH, ENCOURAGED BY THE COMMENTS AND ALSO THE IMPROVEMENT THAT SECRETARY DFI SHARED A FEW WEEKS AGO AND WILL CONTINUE OUR ADVOCACY TO ENSURE THAT THE A S AIRPORT HAS ADEQUATE STAFFING. 
          THAT'S RIGHT. 
          AND FROM THE LAST UPDATE I RECEIVED, WE HAVE ABOUT HALF OF THE AMOUNT OF PERSONNEL NEEDED FOR OUR AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER. 
          UH, IT STILL CONTINUES TO BE VERY ALARMING. 
          THE, THE STAFFING SHORTAGE THAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING, NOT ONLY AT OUR AIRPORT HERE IN AUSTIN, BUT AT AIRPORTS NATIONWIDE. 
          AND I CONTINUE TO CALL ON THE ADMINISTRATION TO ENSURE THAT THEY ARE ADEQUATELY ADDRESSING THE CRISIS THAT WE HAVE FOR US TO HAVE SAFE AIR TRAVEL. 
          UM, AND THAT IS, THAT IS AN AREA WHERE WE REALLY NEED THE FEDERAL ADMINISTRATION TO LEAN IN ON AND TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE THE NECESSARY PERSONNEL. 
          UM, WHILE WE'VE HAD A FEW GROUND STOPS ISSUED, I ANTICIPATE WE'LL CONTINUE TO HAVE MANY MORE ISSUED AT OUR AIRPORT UNTIL WE GET THE PROPER PERSONNEL IN PLACE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER SIEGEL, 
          [00:25:01]
THANK YOU CHAIR, AND THANK YOU CHIEF FOR THE PRESENTATION. 
          UM, FIRST, UH, JUST A CLARIFYING QUESTION FOR CONCOURSES B UH, HOW WILL YOU GET THERE? I'M LIKE LOOKING AT THE IMAGES, I'M LIKE, UH, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE'LL GET THERE AS TRAVELERS. 
          YES. 
          LET ME JUST BACK UP. 
          CAN YOU, CAN WE POST THE PRESENTATION BACKGROUND PLEASE? WE WILL HAVE AN UNDER UNDERGROUND TUNNEL CONNECTING THE CURRENT TERMINAL TO THE CONCOURSE V. 
          OKAY, GREAT. 
          SO LIKE, UH, MAYBE MOVING WALKWAYS, THINGS OF THAT NATURE. 
          YES. 
          SO THIS PICTURE FEATURES THE TWO CONCOURSES. 
          SO IT WOULD BE AN UNDER, UM, UNDERGROUND TUNNEL THAT, AND WE WILL PROVIDE THE CONNECTIVITY WITH ESCALATORS ELEVATORS, AND ALSO WE'LL BE SHOWCASING, UH, AN, AN ART INSTALLATION IN THE TUNNEL TO ENHANCE THE, THE PASSENGER EXPERIENCE. 
          WE'RE LOOKING ALSO INTO ADDING, MOVING WALKWAYS IN ADDITION INTO EXPLORING GOLF CARTS. 
          IT WILL BE SHORT WALK IN DISTANCE, BUT WE WANT TO PROVIDE ALL THE AMENITIES FOR OUR CUSTOMERS. 
          WONDERFUL. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND THEN, UM, I APPRECIATE MAYOR PRO TEM, UH, HIGHLIGHTING THE BETTER BUILDER PROGRAM WITH THE CONTRACTORS, AND, UH, REALLY APPRECIATE THAT YOUR REPORT HIGHLIGHTS THE INFRASTRUCTURE ACADEMY. 
          UH, I GUESS I'M WONDERING IF Y'ALL HAVE THOUGHT MORE ABOUT, UM, IF THERE'S ANY PERMANENT POSITIONS, UH, YOU KNOW, SKILLED TRADES TYPE WORK THAT MIGHT, UM, RESULT FROM THIS EXPANSION AND WHETHER THE AUSTIN INFRASTRUCTURE ACADEMY MIGHT BE ABLE TO PROVIDE TRAINING FOR WORKERS TO GET INTO THOSE JOBS. 
          HAVE YOU, DO YOU HAVE MORE TO SHARE ON THAT? YES, WE'RE WORKING WITH THEM ON THAT, IDENTIFYING THOSE TRADES THAT ARE NEEDED TO OPERATE AND MAINTAIN THE AIRPORT AND ALSO, UH, FOR THE CONSTRUCTION AND, AND WORKING ON AN APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM. 
          OKAY. 
          WONDERFUL. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH, THANK YOU COMMITTEE MEMBER. 
          UM, DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? I DO HAVE ONE QUE OH, UM, COMMITTEE MEMBER HARPER MADISON. 
          THANK YOU CHAIR. 
          I APPRECIATE IT. 
          IT'S ACTUALLY NOT EVEN A QUESTION SO MUCH AS A REQUEST. 
          THERE WAS ONE SLIDE I DIDN'T WANNA DIG THROUGH THE BACKUP AND GO THROUGH THE SLIDE SHOW TO PULL OUT THAT ONE SLIDE. 
          THERE WAS ONE SLIDE THAT I WAS TRYING TO TAKE A PICTURE OF. 
          IT WAS ONE RIGHT BEFORE THE TOP OF THE SLIDE SAID INFRASTRUCTURE ACADEMY. 
          IT WAS THE ONE WITH ALL THE BULLETS WITH ALL OF THE TRADES. 
          COULD I SNEAK A PEEK AT THAT REAL QUICK SO I COULD JUST CATCH A PICTURE OF IT? YEAH. 
          I'M INSPIRED BY HOW MANY TRADES ARE FEATURED HERE FOR NO OTHER REASON, FOR CONTEXT, WHILE Y'ALL ARE PULLING THAT UP. 
          UM, I THINK ONE OF MY SINGULAR BUDGET AMENDMENTS THIS YEAR IS GONNA BE ADJACENT TO THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING AROUND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. 
          UM, WORKFORCE THAT WE'RE CALLING TRANSITIONAL. 
          UM, TRANSITIONAL WORKFORCE IS APPLICABLE UNDER A, A MYRIAD OF CIRCUMSTANCES, BUT, UH, A LOT OF THE TRANSITION IN WORKFORCE THAT I FEEL VERY STRONGLY ABOUT US MAKING ADJUSTMENTS AROUND IN OUR COMMUNITY AND BEYOND IS, YOU KNOW, RETURNING FOLKS. 
          UM, AND, AND RECOGNIZING THAT. 
          SO LOOK AT ALL OF THESE JOBS, RIGHT? THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS THAT THE CONVERSATION THAT WE'RE HAVING, THESE ARE ALL, YOU KNOW, UM, FOR CONSIDERATION. 
          SURE. 
          BUT FOR CONTEXT, JUST SO Y'ALL KNOW, A LOT OF WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON IN THIS TRANSITIONAL WORKFORCE STUFF IS STUFF THAT'S NOT ON THIS LIST. 
          YOU KNOW, LIKE I'VE GOT FRIENDS THAT MAKE SIX FIGURES AS SERVERS AND FIVE STAR DINING SCENARIOS, BUT MOST PEOPLE AREN'T RECEIVING THAT KIND OF TRAINING OPPORTUNITY. 
          SO JUST REALLY WANTING US TO, AS WE THINK ABOUT WORKFORCE, THINK ABOUT ALL THE OPPORTUNITIES AND REALLY BE THINKING ABOUT PEOPLE GETTING CAREERS OUT OF THE OPPORTUNITY AND NOT SO MUCH JUST JOBS. 
          YOU GUYS ARE WELCOME TO KNOCK OFF THE SLIDE. 
          I GOT THE PICTURE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU, CHAIR. 
          I APPRECIATE Y'ALL. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND WE'LL FOLLOW UP WITH YOU, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER TO GET MORE INFORMATION. 
          GREAT. 
          UH, THANK YOU. 
          COMMITTEE MEMBER. 
          UM, I JUST HAVE ONE QUESTION KIND OF GOING OFF OF WHAT, UH, THE VICE CHAIR HAD ASKED ABOUT, UH, SAFETY AS IT AS IT RELATES TO AIR TRAVEL. 
          I KNOW THE FAA CAME OUT, UM, AND, AND THEY, THEY, THEY HAD A STATEMENT OUT 20 HOURS AGO, ACCORDING TO THIS TWEET, UM, ABOUT CUTTING SOME FLIGHTS TO SOME MAJOR AIRPORTS, UM, BECAUSE OF STAFFING ISSUES AND OTHERS. 
          ARE WE EXPECTING ANY, ANY CUTS OF DESTINATIONS OR, NO. 
          OKAY. 
          NOT AT THIS TIME. 
          UH, THE, THE COMMENTS WERE ABOUT NEWARK AIRPORTS. 
          YEAH. 
          YEAH. 
          UH, ALL THE AIRPORTS IN THE EAST COAST, NEWARK, JFK, LAGUARDIA, BOSTON AIRPORT, WASHINGTON MM-HMM . 
          THEY'RE SLOT CONTROLLED AIRPORTS BECAUSE THE AIRSPACE IN THAT AREA IS VERY CONGESTED. 
          SO THOSE AIRPORTS ARE ALREADY SLOTS CONTROLLED AND THE COMMENTS FROM THE FA TO EITHER CONTROL IT MORE BECAUSE THEY'RE HAVING, UM, STAFFING SHORTAGE. 
          MM-HMM. 
          NEWARK IS ONE OF THE AIRPORT THAT HAS BASICALLY GROUND, GROUND STOP EVERY SINGLE DAY. 
          GREAT. 
          WELL, I APPRECIATE THAT CLARIFICATION. 
          I'M FLYING INTO THAT REPORT IN A MONTH, SO HOPEFULLY MY FLIGHT IS NOT CANCELED OR DELAYED OR, OR ANYTHING OF THAT SORT. 
          UH, WELL, I APPRECIATE YOUR, ONCE AGAIN, YOUR LEADERSHIP AND I APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, WELL, COLLEAGUES, WE ARE GOING TO ITEM NUMBER FOUR 
          [4. Briefing on E3 Alliance’s Workforce Readiness Collaborative Initiatives. [Karl Nichols, VP of Investor Development- E3 Alliance].]
NEXT, WHICH IS A BRIEFING ON E THREE ALLIANCES WORKFORCE READINESS 
          [00:30:01]
COLLABORATIVE INITIATIVES. 
          AND WE'LL HAVE A PRESENTATION BY CARL NICHOLS, WHO'S THE VP OF INVESTOR DEVELOPMENT AT E THREE ALLIANCE. 
          UH, WELCOME. 
          THERE WE GO. 
          HEY, GOOD MORNING. 
          MY, MY NAME IS ACTUALLY KYLE SIP. 
          I'M THE SENIOR DIRECTOR OF POST-SECONDARY WORKFORCE READINESS STANDING IN TODAY. 
          CARL IS HERE, I'M STANDING IN TODAY AS WELL FOR RICHARD TAGLE, OUR PRESIDENT. 
          GREAT, THANK YOU. 
          IF YOU LEAN INTO THE HEB METAPHOR WITH ME, THE CENTRAL MARKET IS ON THE SHELF AND YOU GET TO GET TO ENJOY SOME HILL COUNTRY FAIR TODAY. 
          SO WE'LL DUMP JUMP RIGHT INTO JUST A LITTLE BIT OF OVERVIEW ABOUT WHO WE ARE AS E THREE ALLIANCE AND THEN JUST WANTED TO SHARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON IN CONCERT WITH NOT JUST THE INFRASTRUCTURE ACADEMY, BUT IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO THAT AND OUR AUSTIN REGIONAL MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION. 
          BUT, BUT WHO WE ARE, UH, WE ARE A CRADLE TO CAREER. 
          WE ARE A CRADLE TO CAREER PLACE-BASED PARTNERSHIP, AND SPECIFICALLY WITH A FOCUS ON THE LONG-TERM INVESTMENT IN THAT INTERSECTION BETWEEN K 12 AND POST-SECONDARY. 
          UH, ONE OF THE RESEARCH PIECES THAT WE LEAN INTO QUITE A BIT, AND YOU MIGHT'VE HEARD THIS, YOU MIGHT'VE SEEN THE TATTOOS. 
          YOU MIGHT HAVE, YOU MIGHT'VE SEEN SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS AROUND THAT. 
          IN THE CENTRAL TEXAS METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREA, STUDENTS WITHOUT, OR LEARNERS WITHOUT A POST-SECONDARY CREDENTIAL HAVE A 12% CHANCE OF EARNING A LIVABLE WAGE. 
          SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT WHAT IT TAKES TO THRIVE HERE, ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE FOCUS ON QUITE A BIT IS WHAT ARE THE INSERTION POINTS IN THAT ZERO THROUGH WORKFORCE JOURNEY IN THAT CRADLE TO CAREER SIDE WHERE WE NEED AN EXTRA HAND, WHERE WE NEED A TRANSITION SUPPORT SERVICE, WHERE WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHERE THE PARTNERSHIPS ARE, WHAT ARE GOING TO LIFT UP THE OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR, OUR STUDENTS HERE IN CENTRAL TEXAS. 
          SO THAT, TO SAY IT SUPER PLAINLY, YOU CAN LIVE HERE, TRAIN HERE, AND THRIVE HERE. 
          THAT'S, THAT'S BEEN OUR GOAL FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. 
          THE WAY THAT WE GO ABOUT THAT IS VERY FOCUSED ON TRANSFORMATION THROUGH DATA AND COLLABORATION. 
          WHEN WE HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE CRADLE TO CAREER FOCAL POINTS THAT WE'VE GOT, UH, PLEASE KNOW BEHIND THAT, THERE'S A COALITION BUILT IN ALMOST EVERY ONE OF THESE BUCKETS THAT WE'RE GONNA TALK THROUGH. 
          THERE'S PRESCRIBED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE THAT WE TALK THROUGH IN ALMOST EVERY ONE OF THESE BUCKETS. 
          BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, THERE'S A SEAT AT THE TABLE FROM COMMUNITY, FROM CIVIC LEADERS, FROM PARENTS AND STUDENTS FOR OUR K 12 EDUCATION LEADERS, FOR OUR POST-SECONDARY LEADERS, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, JUST FOR THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE, WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WHAT IT TAKES TO LIFT THAT WILL LIFT THE RISING TIDE OR BE THE RISING TIDE. 
          UM, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THAT FULL SCOPE, UH, IN BEING CRADLE TO CAREER, UH, TIP OF THE CAP TO THE UNITED WAY AND THE CITY IN PROPOSITION A, IN, IN GETTING THAT EARLY CHILDHOOD COMMITMENT, THAT IS A LONG-TERM INVESTMENT IN A COMMUNITY THAT WE WILL DEFINITELY SEE IN OUR OWN RESEARCH. 
          WE HAVE SEEN THE OUTCOMES FROM. 
          WE WILL SEE THAT MANY YEARS DOWN THE ROAD, BUT WE KNOW THAT THE LONG-TERM PLAY IS SECURE. 
          MOST IMPORTANTLY, THAT LEANS RIGHT INTO SYSTEMS ALIGNMENT, WHERE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WHAT IT TAKES TO STAY ENGAGED IN SCHOOLS, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, WHAT IT MEANS TO MITIGATE SOME OF THE THINGS LIKE CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM. 
          UH, LET'S BE REAL ABOUT THE EDUCATOR PREP PIPELINE AS WELL. 
          AND SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THAT BUNDLE OF WORK. 
          THERE'S A LOT OF COALITION BASED EFFORT THERE IN THAT, THOSE LAST FOUR BULLETS, MIDDLE SCHOOL PATHWAYS. 
          UM, I'M OBLIGATED AS A FORMER MATH TEACHER TO GO INTO THE IMPORTANCE OF MATH HERE. 
          BUT WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT SENATE BILL 2 1 2 4 FROM OUR MOST RECENT LEGISLATIVE SESSION HERE IN TEXAS, THAT OPT OUT IS THE WAY THAT IT'S BEEN CALLED. 
          JUST TO GET IT ON THE RECORD TOO, IT WAS ACTUALLY JUST CASUALLY REFERRED TO AS THE NERD BILL, AND I'M HERE FOR IT BECAUSE IT WAS ABOUT GETTING MORE STUDENTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE IN MATH, ADVANCED MATH PATHWAYS WHILE IN MIDDLE SCHOOL. 
          AND SUPER FRANKLY, IT WAS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR STUDENTS WHO HAD ALREADY DEMONSTRATED PERFORMANCE. 
          THEY JUST DIDN'T GET THE INVITE TO ADVANCED MATH. 
          AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT ONE OF THE MOST SINGULAR IMPORTANT INDICATORS FOR LONG-TERM POST-SECONDARY AND WORKFORCE SUCCESS, PARTICIPATION AND SUCCESS IN ALGEBRA ONE CONTINUES TO BE ONE OF THOSE CORNERSTONES. 
          AND WE'VE GOT A, A MAJOR COALITION EFFORT, UM, BOTH IN TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, DIRECT SERVICE, AND THEN JUST IN OUR, OUR MATH PATHWAYS WHERE IT'S POST-SECONDARY AND SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS ALL SITTING TOGETHER AND WORKING ON THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF WHAT IT WOULD TAKE TO ENSURE WRAPAROUND SUPPORT SERVICES. 
          UH, KNOWING THAT HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION IS A MARK, ONE OF THE KEYS THAT I WOULD CONTINUE TO SAY FOR US AS A PLACE-BASED PARTNERSHIP IS THAT'S THE HORIZON. 
          WE WANT TO MOVE AWAY FROM THAT HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION IS NOT THE UNIQUE VALUE PROPOSITION OF K 12. 
          THAT K 12 BECOMES THE CATALYST TO A CREDENTIAL IN A CREDENTIAL THAT MATTERS. 
          AND THAT HORIZON LEADS TO LONG-TERM ECONOMIC HEALTH AND SUSTAINABILITY FOR THE INDIVIDUAL AND SUCCESS. 
          AND SO PART OF THOSE LAST TWO BULLETS WHEN WE TALK ABOUT POST RE, POST-SECONDARY READINESS AND WORKFORCE READINESS, 
          [00:35:01]
PART OF MY JOB AS THE SENIOR DIRECTOR OF BOTH OF THOSE IS LOOKING AT MAKING SURE THERE'S SYNONYMOUS, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT WORKFORCE READINESS, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT POST-SECONDARY READINESS. 
          MUCH IN THE SAME, YOU COULD ATTUNE THAT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT HAVE TO BE COVARIANT TO EACH OTHER AS WELL. 
          AND SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THESE PARTICULAR SCOPES, WE DO CONVENE DISTRICTS BOTH INSIDE AND AROUND THAT AUSTIN MSA TO FOCUS ON OPTIMIZATION OF POLICY EFFORTS, THE HOUSE BILL THREE COLLEGE AND CAREER MILITARY READINESS OUTCOMES BONUS, WHICH IS A, A SELF-SUSTAINING FUND AND SAY IT WELL TOO. 
          IT IS THE ONLY MODEL IN THE COUNTRY WHERE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES CAN IN EFFECT SEEK OUTCOMES, GET ENROLLED AND COMPLETE OUTCOMES, AND PAY IT FORWARD TO THEIR OWN DISTRICTS. 
          THAT IS A VERY UNIQUE MODEL THAT IS VERY POWERFUL HERE IN TEXAS AND TIP OF THE CAP TO CENTRAL TEXAS. 
          WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE URBAN MSAS ALL ACROSS THE STATE, CENTRAL TEXAS IS EONS ABOVE. 
          AND THAT STARTS WITH THE CONNECTION TO INSTITUTIONS LIKE AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE, LIKE TEXAS, TEXAS STATE TECHNICAL COLLEGE, AS WELL AS ST. 
          ED'S, HOUSTON, TILLS AND CONCORDIA, AND SEVERAL OTHER PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS AROUND THE AREA, TEXAS STATE INCLUDED. 
          WHEN WE THINK ABOUT WORKFORCE READINESS, WE'RE ALSO TALKING ABOUT WHAT IT TAKES TO BUILD INTO THAT POST-SECONDARY READINESS, THE COLLEGE CREDIT BEARING OPPORTUNITIES THAT LEAD TO POST-SECONDARY CREDENTIALS. 
          SO IF YOU CONFIRM ME, SO ON THIS ONE, ONE I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT WAS WORKFORCE READINESS RELATED TO ADVANCED MANUFACTURING. 
          YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD THAT TERM IN CENTRAL TEXAS A LITTLE BIT. 
          A LOT OF IT IS THE 46 BILLION REASONS THAT CAME FROM THE CHIPS ACT AND POURING INTO THE MULTINATIONAL COMPANIES AND THE FORTUNE 100 COMPANIES THAT RELOCATE HERE, SPECIFICALLY AROUND WHAT IT WOULD TAKE TO BUILD A GUARANTEED AND VIABLE WORKFORCE INTO THOSE JOBS OR INTO THOSE, INTO THOSE, UM, COMPANIES IN THEIR DEVELOPMENT. 
          WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE DESIGN PREMISE THAT WE WERE LOOKING AT IN ADVANCED MANUFACTURING TO SAY, IT'S SUPER PLAINLY, IF WE COULD SPEND 10,000 HOURS OF FOCUS ON ONE WORKFORCE PIPELINE, WHAT COULD WE ACCOMPLISH? AND MY TEAM, WHO'S HERE TODAY, WE SAT DOWN AND SAID, WHAT COULD WE ACCOMPLISH WITH THAT 10,000 HOURS? AND WHO NEEDED TO BE A PART OF THAT JOURNEY? OUR GOAL THAT YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN WAS VERY MUCH RELATED TO COULD WE GUARANTEE AND START UNDERSTANDING THE DEPTH AND COMPLEXITY OF WHO'S IN THAT WORKFORCE PIPELINE FROM THAT MIDDLE SCHOOL, HIGH SCHOOL, POST-SECONDARY, AND ULTIMATELY EARLY ONSET CAREER? AND THEN IF WE WERE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND WHO, WHAT COULD WE DO ABOUT IT AND HOW COULD WE ENSURE AND MITIGATE ATTRITION? AND ULTIMATELY, IN OUR FIRST YEAR OF WORK, AND THIS IS A BY NO MEANS, UH, AN E THREE ALONE, PART OF OUR JOB IS TO LIFT AND SET THE TABLE FOR OTHERS TO HELP LIFT AS WELL, WHERE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AUSTIN REGIONAL MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION, WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS, CAPITAL AREA AND RURAL CAP, A-C-C-T-S-T-C, TEMPLE COLLEGE, MULTIPLE SCHOOL DISTRICTS, UNITED WAY. 
          WE'VE GOT A TON OF FOLKS AT THE TABLE IN THE CBO SPACE AND NONPROFIT SPACE. 
          AND IN JUST ONE YEAR'S WORTH OF EFFORT, WE'VE ALREADY SEEN THAT WE'VE GOT 3,300 GUARANTEED ENROLLMENTS IN THAT PIPELINE. 
          THE, THE CHALLENGE BEING TO WHAT DEGREE TOWARDS EMPLOYMENT AND THEN ULTIMATELY RETENTION THROUGH THE GOAL OF 10,000 STUDENTS IN THE PIPELINE OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT FIVE YEARS IS WHERE WE FEEL PRETTY AGGRESSIVE ABOUT THIS WORK. 
          SPECIFICALLY WHEN WE JUMPED INTO IT, 20,000 JOBS WAS THE ESTIMATION IN THE ADVANCED MANUFACTURING SECTOR HERE IN CENTRAL TEXAS. 
          AND I RECOGNIZE THAT, AS I SAY, ADVANCED MANUFACTURING, WE ALL HAVE A DIFFERENT CONSTRUCT OF WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. 
          THAT WAS PROBABLY THE FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANT UNDERTAKING, IS WE NEEDED TO DO NUMBER TWO FIRST, THAT WE HAD TO HAVE A REGIONALIZED DEFINITION OF WHAT ADVANCED MANUFACTURING ACTUALLY IS. 
          AND AGAIN, IN FRANKNESS DEMYSTIFY, THE OCCUPATIONAL REALITY MANUFACTURING IN CENTRAL TEXAS IS NOT MAKING WIDGETS. 
          IT'S MAKING A DIFFERENCE. 
          AND IT'S DOING SO ON CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY THAT MOST OF THE TIME IS UNIQUE TO CENTRAL TEXAS. 
          AND THIS IS ABOUT THAT OPPORTUNITY WHERE THE UNITED STATES AND TEXAS AS THAT LARGEST ECONOMY AND FRANKLY CENTRAL TEXAS AS THE CAPSTONE OF THAT IS THE WAY AND THE SWAY OF WHAT MANUFACTURING CAN LOOK LIKE AS WE RECONVEY THAT, RE RECAPTURE THAT, IF YOU WILL, IN THE UNITED STATES. 
          FOR US, IN BRINGING TOGETHER THESE FOUR FOCUS AREAS, THIS IS ACTUALLY A SUBCOMMITTEE EFFORT. 
          UH, WE ACTUALLY BROUGHT TOGETHER THESE FOUR GROUPS AND IT WAS, COULD WE GET A VERY CLEAR AND COMPELLING, WHICH WE HAVE CROSS-SECTION AND INTERSECTION BETWEEN A HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE THAT LENDED ITSELF TO COLLEGE CREDIT BEARING COURSES THAT ALIGNED TO POST-SECONDARY CREDENTIALS THAT THE SEMICONDUCTOR INDUSTRY, FOR EXAMPLE, COULD, COULD AGREE THAT WE SEE THOSE SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES ARE REQUIRED. 
          AND THEN IN TURN IT WAS WHAT'S THE ACTUAL OFF RAMP INTO WHAT'S THE OFF RAMP INTO 
          [00:40:01]
INDUSTRY? WHAT'S THE UPSKILLING OPPORTUNITY? AND IF I, IF I COULD DO THE, THE HILL COUNTRY FAIR VERSION OF NUMBER ONE FOR SURE. 
          IT'S THE CREDIT BEARING OPPORTUNITIES ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. 
          AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS THERE'S, THERE'S PLENTY OF UPSKILLING PROGRAMS AND THERE'S A LOT OF UPSKILLING PROGRAMS. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANT TO CHARGE AND THEN CONTINUE TO PUSH IS THAT'S NOT THE CEILING. 
          THAT'S GOT TO BE THE FLOOR. 
          THAT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THESE CONTINUING ED OPPORTUNITIES, THEY ARE PERFECT STARTERS, BUT THEY ARE NOT LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS. 
          SO WE'VE GOTTA BE VERY CLEAR IN OUR DESIGN AND THE STACKABILITY OF WHAT IT TAKES TO GO FROM CONTINUING ED NON-CREDIT TO, FOR CREDIT TO CREDENTIAL COMPLETION. 
          AND IT STARTS FOR THE LONG TERM IN A MIDDLE SCHOOL AND A HIGH SCHOOL. 
          IT ENDS WITH SOME SEAT TIME AND SOME COMPLETION BEFORE, DURING, OR AFTER HIGH SCHOOL WITH A STOP AND POST-SECONDARY. 
          AND ULTIMATELY IT LEAN, IT LENDS ITSELF INTO THAT UPWARD MOBILITY THAT IS CONNECTED TO A CAREER, NOT JUST A JOB. 
          PART OF OUR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING. 
          AND NUMBER TWO, AGAIN, WAS UNDERSTANDING SOME OF THE HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN ON WHAT IT TAKES TO ENTER THE WORKFORCE AND SPECIFICALLY, WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS THAT WE NEED TO AMPLIFY. 
          MENTORSHIP CONTINUES TO POP UP AT THE TOP, REPRESENTATION CONTINUES TO POP UP AT THE TOP. 
          BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, AND I THINK THIS IS A WIN FOR CENTRAL TEXAS SCHOOLS AND CENTRAL TE TEXAS PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS IN GENERAL, IT'S THAT THERE'S A DESIRE TO BELONG AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE. 
          AND WE ARE FINDING THAT ACROSS MULTIPLE COMPANIES HERE IN CENTRAL TEXAS. 
          AND IF, AGAIN, IF K TWELVE'S CHARGE IS TO CHANGE THE HORIZON FROM HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION TO BEING A CATALYST TO CREDENTIAL THE BOOK INTO THAT. 
          AND THE ONLY WAY THAT THAT ACTUALLY WORKS IS WHEN OUR INDUSTRY EMPLOYERS SEE THEMSELVES ACTIVELY INVESTING IN PUBLIC ED AS A SOLUTION WITH AN ACTUAL TANGIBLE ROI AND NOT JUST A SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY. 
          AND WE CONTINUE TO SEE COMPANIES AND, AND TIP OF THE CAP TO SOME THAT REALLY LEAN INTO THESE PARTNERSHIPS AND SEE IT AS A VIABLE STRATEGY FOR THEIR PLACEMENT. 
          YOU HEARD ABOUT THE INFRASTRUCTURE ACADEMY AS AND AUSTIN STROM AND ITS CONNECTION TO THE INFRASTRUCTURE ACADEMY. 
          ALL OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING HERE IS IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO THAT AS WELL, WHERE WE THINK ABOUT WHAT IT TAKES IN THE SKILL TRADES THAT SHOWED UP ON ONE OF THE SLIDES WHERE IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE BUILDING AND PRODUCTION OF THE MANUFACTURING ENTITIES THEMSELVES. 
          IT'S ABOUT THE LONG-TERM OUTCOME AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE IN THE TRANSFERABILITY OF THOSE SKILLS, WHICH MEANS NUMBER THREE IS SUPER IMPORTANT THAT ONE OF THE MITIGATING FACTORS WE HAVE TO CONTEND WITH AS A REGION IS ACCESSIBLE TRAINING FACILITIES THAT AREN'T JUST ON THE 35 CORRIDOR. 
          WHEN WE TALK ABOUT BRINGING THESE OPPORTUNITIES AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES TO THE COMMUNITY BASE, WHAT THAT ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE, WE'RE MODELS LIKE ACCS ACADEMY MODEL IMPACT ACADEMY, WHERE THEY'RE ABLE TO PICK UP AND MOVE TO LOCAL HIGH SCHOOLS AND OFFER THAT TRAINING BOTH BEFORE AND DURING AND AFTER THE DAY SO THAT IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE K 12 STUDENTS AT THAT POINT WHERE IT'S AN UPSKILLING OPPORTUNITY FOR ADULTS. 
          AND ACC HAS BEEN A MAJOR, MAJOR CATALYST IN ALL OF THIS. 
          AND ALL, AGAIN, IN, IN THINKING ABOUT A WORKFORCE PIPELINE, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THESE FOUR TENANTS TOGETHER, IT IS ABOUT THE OVERALL ALIGNMENT BETWEEN THE THREE LEGS OF THE STOOL, IF YOU WILL, K 12 POST-SECONDARY AND WORKFORCE. 
          BUT IT'S ABOUT AN ACTUAL CLEAR AND COMPELLING UNDERSTANDING ON WHAT IS REQUIRED, WHAT ARE THE OUTCOMES AND WHAT ARE THE NEEDS. 
          IT'S ABOUT THE ACCESSIBLE TRAINING FACILITIES. 
          AND THEN IT'S A GUARANTEE THAT WE HAVE THE VIABLE AND CREDENTIALED HUMAN RESOURCE TO TRAIN THE POTENTIAL OF 20,000 JOBS. 
          WHEN WE STARTED THIS PROJECT, IT WAS 20,000 JOBS. 
          THE GOALPOST KEEPS MOVING AS MORE COMPANIES CONTINUE TO RELOCATE HERE, IT FEELS LIKE WE'RE AT THAT 30 TO 35,000 JOB MARKET WITHIN THE NEXT 10 YEARS IN JUST MANUFACTURING ALONE, WHICH HAS SOME VERY CLEAR AND COMPELLING ADJACENCIES TO THE INFRASTRUCTURE AS WELL. 
          WHEN WE GET INTO THE SPACE THAT'S NEXT. 
          OUR DESIGN PREMISE THE ENTIRE TIME WAS IF WE SPENT THIS 10,000 HOURS AS LEARNERS AND SPECIFICALLY AS STRATEGIC THINKERS, OUR ROLE IS NOT JUST DOING FOR THE WORKFORCE PIPELINE FOR ADVANCED MANUFACTURING, FOR THE SAKE OF IT. 
          IT'S WHAT OF THESE FOUR TENANTS ARE KEY TO REPLICATION WHEN WE ATTACH 'EM TO OTHER FOCAL POINTS WHEN WE ATTACH 'EM TO OTHER WORKFORCE CLUSTERS. 
          SO YOU SEE THAT WE'RE MOVING INTO ALLIED HEALTH AND SPECIFICALLY IT BOTH REGIONS OR BOTH WORKFORCE PIPELINES IN THE CENTRAL TEXAS AREA THAT NEED A LITTLE BIT OF A SHOT IN THE ARM, BUT ALSO PUN INTENDED THERE, BUT ALSO A, A CHANCE TO, TO REALLY DEMYSTIFY WHAT IT TAKES, WHAT IS THE TIME 
          [00:45:01]
TO CREDENTIAL, WHAT IS THE TRANSACTIONAL REQUIREMENT TO GET IN AND DO SO WHERE OUR LEARNERS CAN SEE THEMSELVES WEARING THAT JACKET, WALKING AROUND IT, AND ULTIMATELY BEING SUCCESSFUL IN WHAT IT TAKES TO THRIVE HERE. 
          ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I, I DID NOT HAVE ON THE PRIOR SCREEN THAT I MUST NOTE IS THAT A KEY FACTOR IN THESE FOUR TENANTS OF REPLICATION IS ONLY AS GOOD AS A POINTED WORKFORCE INTERMEDIARY THAT SERVES AS THE TIP OF THE SPEAR AS WE HAVE TERMED IT, THAT AN ENTITY LIKE AN AUSTIN REGIONAL MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION, WHO WE ARE A, A MAJOR PARTNER OF BECAUSE WE WANT TO INVEST IN THEIR VISION AND LIFT UP FOR THE LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY OF THEIR WORKFORCE PIPELINE. 
          WHAT THAT WORKFORCE INTERMEDIARY AND TIP OF THE SPEAR LOOKS LIKE IN THESE OTHER TWO AREAS AS WELL, WHERE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A TEXAS HEALTH INSTITUTE WHERE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A CENTRAL TEXAS HEALTHCARE PARTNERSHIP, THAT THESE ARE OUR FOLKS THAT SEE THE LONG-TERM INVESTMENT AND SEE THE INTERSECTIONALITY BETWEEN POST-SECONDARY AND SECONDARY, AND SPECIFICALLY THAT OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL KIDS CAN TRY THE JACKET ON IN A CAREER IN TECHNICAL EDUCATION. 
          AND OUR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS CAN WEAR THAT JACKET INTO APPRENTICESHIPS, INTO WORK-BASED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES THAT OFFER THEM ACCESS TO COLLEGE CREDIT AND ULTIMATELY LEND THEMSELVES INTO THE TRANSITION SUCCESSFULLY INTO A CAREER. 
          THAT WAS A THOUSAND WORDS YOUR WAY ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE ARE DOING IN THIS PIPELINE. 
          BUT THIS, REMEMBER, THIS IS JUST THE BACK END OF THIS BECAUSE THIS IS THAT CRADLE STICK CAREER. 
          THESE ARE JUST THOSE LAST TWO BULLETS OF THE SEVEN THAT WE SHOWED. 
          WE ARE SUPER EXCITED TO CONTINUE TO WORK INTO OUR NEXT PHASE, WHICH IS WE, WE'VE UNDERTAKEN A, A WORKFORCE LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS, WHICH WE'VE DONE PASSIVELY OVER THE COURSE OF, OF THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, BUT IN DOING SO, WE'VE ALSO CENTERED IT WITH SOME OPPORTUNITIES FOR SOME OTHER ENTITIES HERE IN CENTRAL TEXAS. 
          AND THAT LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS, AND I'M GONNA LET PRISCILLA FO IS OUR SENIOR DIRECTOR OF POLICY GIVE YOU THE, THE HEADS UP ON THAT IS IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE WHAT IT'S ABOUT, WHAT ARE THE ACTUAL INVESTIBLE TENANTS THAT WE NEED TO LIFT UP TO SAY IT PLAINLY. 
          WHAT ARE THE AREAS THAT THE LIGHT DOES NOT SHINE AND WHERE DO WE NEED TO SHINE MORE LIGHT ON IT? AND WHAT ARE THE PROGRAMS THAT CAN ACTUALLY CHURN OUT OF VIABLE ROI AND WHAT OF THOSE PROGRAMS GO FROM LITTLE P TO CAPITAL P POLICY AND ESPECIALLY IN THE PLAYBOOK OF THE STATE POLICY PIECE, WHAT THAT ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE. 
          GOOD MORNING. 
          I THOUGHT I WAS ONLY GONNA BE HERE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. 
          UH, KYLE IS A HARD SHOW TO FOLLOW UP. 
          UM, BUT AS HE MENTIONED, WE ARE, UM, CURRENTLY COMPLETING A LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS OF THE WORKFORCE IN CENTRAL TEXAS, BUT MORE SO IN THE TIE-INS BEGINNING TO, EXCUSE ME, TO EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION CARRYING THROUGH THAT CRADLE TO CAREER TO POST-SECONDARY WORKFORCE AND READINESS AND REALLY LOOKING AT THE NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITIES, UM, THAT TRICKLE DOWN INTO THE NEEDS OF, UM, OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS, OUR CAMPUSES AND OUR STUDENTS. 
          RIGHT? SO WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO TO MOVE THEM FORWARD TO ENSURE THAT THEY CAN, UM, BE EDUCATED HERE IN CENTRAL TEXAS WELL TO THRIVE AND TO LIVE AND TO GROW AND ALSO TO, UM, CONTRIBUTE BACK TO OUR CENTRAL TEXAS COMMUNITY. 
          UH, WITHIN THOSE LINES, WE ARE LOOKING AT THE OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE TO THESE KIDDOS. 
          AS KYLE MENTIONED EARLIER, UM, WITHIN THE NEXT 10 YEARS, WE WILL NEED 35,000, UM, JOBS. 
          WE WILL NEED TO MEET THE NEED FOR THE $35,000, UH, 35,000 JOBS, UM, IN CENTRAL TEXAS. 
          UM, AND LOOKING AT THOSE, UH, WORKFORCE INITIATIVES THAT ARE BRAIDED INTO OUR CURRENT GOALS AND OUR CURRENT OUTCOMES, BUT ALSO TYING IN THE LEGISLATIVE POLICY, UH, WHERE WE SIT RIGHT NOW, UH, ENDING THE 89TH SESSION, LOOKING AT THE BILLS AND THE LEGISLATION THAT DIRECTLY AFFECTS, UM, AGAIN, OUR COMMUNITIES AND OUR SCHOOLS AND OUR STUDENTS AND HOW WE CAN LOOK AT THOSE, UM, GROWTH OUTCOMES. 
          UM, THE ANALYSIS WILL BE COMPLETED BY JULY AND JUST IN TIME AS IT'LL PROVIDE US WITH A DIRECT ROADMAP TO PROVIDE TO OUR 15 PARTNER DISTRICTS AND EIGHT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION. 
          I THINK JUST IN THE HEELS, ON THE HEELS OF THAT, JUST THINKING ABOUT WHAT ARE THE, WHAT ARE THE OTHER AREAS THAT WE CAN SHARE WITH YOU AS A, AS AN ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY BOARD. 
          AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO THAT CONVERSATION MOVING FORWARD IN JULY AS WELL, THAT IT'S, AGAIN, MANY HANDS MAKE LIGHT THE WORK. 
          IT'S NOT JUST US DOING THE, THE LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS, BUT DOING SO TO PROVIDE SOLUTION INDICES TO MULTIPLE ORGANIZATIONS. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU BOTH. 
          UM, COLLEAGUES, ANY QUESTIONS? UM, COMMUNITY MEMBER SIEGEL. 
          THANK YOU CHAIR AND AND THANKS Y'ALL SO MUCH FOR THIS PRESENTATION. 
          UH, KYLE, I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR BACKGROUND AS A TEACHER. 
          I'M A FORMER TEACHER MYSELF. 
          SO, UH, SHOUT OUT. 
          UM, DID WANNA ASK ABOUT, UH, IN TERMS OF THE POST-SECONDARY 
          [00:50:01]
PROGRAMS YOU'RE LOOKING AT, UM, UH, AND AS YOU KIND OF DO THIS RESEARCH, UH, ARE SOME OF THE INITIATIVES YOU'RE FOCUSING ON, UM, DO THEY PROVIDE SUPPORT LIKE FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR ENROLLEES? YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS I REALLY LIKE ABOUT THE INFRASTRUCTURE ACADEMY IS THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN GET PAID WHILE YOU EARN, WHILE YOU LEARN AS THEY SAY. 
          UM, AND SO I GUESS IF YOU COULD SHARE A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH IS, IS THAT A PART OF OUR MARKET HERE AND HOW WE CAN, UH, INCREASE THAT KIND OF PROGRAM? ABSOLUTELY. 
          THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION. 
          UH, COUNCIL MEMBER SIEGEL, THE IN, IN SHORT, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT PROMISE PROGRAMS THAT ARE ACROSS THE UNITED STATES, WE HAVE ALL OF THE TENETS OF A PROMISE PROGRAM ALREADY THROUGH THE LENS OF SOME OF THE AGGRESSIVE THINGS THAT A CC HAS DONE, UH, SPECIFICALLY. 
          AND, AND I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE WORD CONTINUES TO GET OUT THAT THE WAIVING TUITION FOR DUAL CREDIT FROM A CC IS AN ABSOLUTE WIN ACROSS ALL OF THE CENTRAL TEXAS MSA IN TURN, THE WAIVING TUITION FOR RECENT HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES. 
          AND THEY'VE BACKDATED THAT TO SEVERAL COHORTS SO THAT THINGS LIKE THE FAFSA TASFA CAN BE USED FOR COST OF LIVING AS OPPOSED TO COST TO ATTEND, WHICH IS A MAJOR WIN. 
          WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT JUST THE, THE PROGRAMMING THAT IT TAKES IN ORDER TO COMPLETE A DEGREE, IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT WHAT IT COSTS, IT'S ABOUT MISSED OPPORTUNITY AND WAGES. 
          UM, THAT IS JUST A GAP FILL, SO TO SPEAK. 
          WHEN WE THINK ABOUT WHAT IT, WHAT IT DOES LOOK LIKE STRUCTURES LIKE PTECH STRUCTURES LIKE EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL, ALLOW FOR THAT OPPORTUNITY. 
          WHAT WE WANNA SEE IS SCALE AND SPECIFICALLY SCALE THAT ALLOWS FOR WORK-BASED LEARNING. 
          TO YOUR POINT, UM, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PREFERENCING THOSE OP OPPORTUNITIES, WE ALSO LEAN ON OUR INDUSTRY PARTNERS AND VERY GET PROVIDING A VERY CLEAR SET OF GUIDELINES FOR WHAT, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO INVEST IN K 12 AND FOR OUR INDUSTRY FOLKS IN THE ROOM TOO. 
          INVESTING IN K 12 IS NOT A HIGH SCHOOL THING. 
          INVESTING IN K 12 IS AN ELEMENTARY AWARENESS. 
          IT'S A MIDDLE SCHOOL CAMPAIGN AND IT IS A HIGH SCHOOL WORK-BASED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES SO THAT EVERYTHING IN THAT EARN AND LEARN HAS A STACKABLE OUTCOME TO IT. 
          SO IT'S, IT, I APPRECIATE THE QUESTION 'CAUSE IT, I KNOW WE COULD, I COULD WAX POETIC ON IT FOR A LONG TIME, BUT IT IS A, IT'S A PASSION POINT FOR OUR POST-SECONDARY PROGRAMMING AND FOR OUR PARTNERS, WHICH I FEEL IS A REGIONAL WIN. 
          GREAT, THANK YOU FOR THAT CONTEXT. 
          YEAH, I'M STILL LEARNING MORE ABOUT IT. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN INVITED BY THE MAYOR TO PARTICIPATE IN, IN LEADING THE INFRASTRUCTURE ACADEMY AND WANNA KEEP, UH, BUILDING UP THESE OPPORTUNITIES. 
          I GUESS. 
          UH, A SECOND QUESTION ON A DIFFERENT TOPIC KIND OF RELATES TO ONE OF YOUR LAST SLIDES ABOUT KIND OF THE, THE FOCUS FOR THE PIPELINE IN TERMS OF LOCAL MANUFACTURING ON ALLIED HEALTH AND AND TECH. 
          AND I GUESS I WANNA SUGGEST THAT OUR REGION NEEDS A THIRD BULLET POINT HERE, WHICH WOULD, I GUESS IS CALLED SUSTAINABLE MANUFACTURING, IN PARTICULAR SOLAR AND BAT BATTERY MANUFACTURING. 
          UM, YOU MIGHT BE AWARE WE ADOPTED A GENERATION PLAN FOR OUR ELECTRIC UTILITY THAT AMONG OTHER THINGS, UH, CALLS FOR ADDING A LOT OF SOLAR, YOU KNOW, 250 MEGAWATTS, WHICH TRANSLATES TO MAYBE 3,500 ACRES OF SOLAR PANELS OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS. 
          IT'S A BIG ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY, A BIG WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITY. 
          AND SO WE WANNA IDEALLY BUILD THOSE PANELS LOCALLY, UH, INSTALL THOSE PANELS, RECYCLE THOSE PANELS, AND THE SAME THING FOR BATTERY. 
          YOU KNOW, AS OUR GRID BECOMES INCREASINGLY DEPENDENT ON RENEWABLE ENERGY, WE NEED THAT STORAGE CAPACITY. 
          SO THAT COULD BE BUILDING BATTERIES, RECYCLING BATTERIES, THINGS OF THAT NATURE. 
          AND SO TO THE EXTENT YOU HAVE ANY KIND OF A, YOU KNOW, OFF THE TOP IDEAS FOR HOW WE CAN ATTRACT THAT KIND OF MANUFACTURING OR ADD IT TO THE WORKFORCE PIPELINE, UH, DEFINITELY WOULD BE ALL EARS. 
          AH, THANK YOU FOR THAT. 
          DEFINITELY MAKING NOTE OF THE, THE, THE, THE OBVIOUS ADJACENCY THAT I THINK WE NEED TO TEND TO A LITTLE BIT DEEPER. 
          UH, I WISH, I WISH I HAD THE, THE EASY, THE EASY SOLUTION FOR YOU. 
          I DO KNOW THAT THE SECRET SAUCE TO ALL PUBLIC EDUCATION IS GOOD QUALITY INSTRUCTION, WHICH MEANS GOOD QUALITY INSTRUCTION AROUND RENEWABLE RESOURCES AND THEN THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT IT TAKES TO ASSEMBLE, DISASSEMBLE, AND THEN RECYCLE IS THE ABSOLUTE KEY. 
          THERE IS A CAREER AND TECHNICAL ED PROGRAM OF STUDY THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU JUST TALKED ABOUT IN RENEWABLE ENERGY AND MAYBE IT'S TIME THAT, THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT GETS AMPLIFIED. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          GREAT, THANK YOU. 
          UM, DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? UM, I JUST HAVE, I JUST HAVE ONE QUESTION ON MY END. 
          UM, AND, AND IF THIS HAS BEEN ANSWERED OR, OR MENTIONED BEFORE, I, I APOLOGIZE, BUT WHAT DOES ENGAGEMENT LOOK LIKE WITH HIGH SCHOOLS AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS? AND THEN WHAT HIGH SCHOOLS IN THE AREA ARE PARTICIPATING, YOU KNOW, IN THE PROGRAMS? OH MY GOODNESS, A FANTASTIC QUESTION. 
          UM, IN THE, IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS, THERE ARE 25 ISDS IN THE IMMEDIATE NUCLEUS THAT IS SERVED BY A CC AND I, I USE THEM AS THE EXAMPLE BECAUSE THEIR, THEIR, UM, NUMBER OF HIGH SCHOOLS IS ROUGHLY, I THINK, I BELIEVE IT'S 49 HIGH SCHOOLS. 
          AND WHEN WE THINK ABOUT JUST THE STANDALONE CAMPUSES OF THAT 49 THAT HAVE PROGRAMMING IN MANUFACTURING, WHEN WE FIRST STARTED IT WAS ONLY ABOUT 12 OR 13. 
          AND THE 13 WAS WE WERE STILL IN DESIGN. 
          WHEN 
          [00:55:01]
WE GET INTO WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE MOVING AHEAD, UM, DISTRICTS LIKE A ISD, ROUND ROCK, LEANDER, PFLUGERVILLE MANOR, DELL VALLEY ARE DOUBLING DOWN ON THE SCOPE, WHICH IN TURN DOUBLES DOWN ON THE FULL ENROLLMENT AND BREADTH OF THE OPPORTUNITY. 
          SO THE, THE ENROLLMENT IN THAT 3,300 THAT WE TALKED ABOUT, THE MAJORITY OF THAT 3,300 IS ACTUALLY IN HIGH SCHOOL. 
          ABOUT 500 ARE ENROLLED IN OUR POST-SECONDARY PROGRAMMING. 
          SO THEY'RE CLOSER. 
          SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT CLOSER TO EMPLOYMENT, THEY'RE CLOSER DOWN THE PIPELINE. 
          UH, IN, IN THAT 3300, 1 OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE SUPER FOCUSED ON IS MITIGATING THE ATTRITION. 
          UH, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE PARALLEL PROCESS, A COUPLE YEARS AGO IN ADVANCED MANUFACTURING, THAT SAME PIPELINE HAD ROUGHLY 1900 KIDS IN IT. 
          WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE CAPSTONE OF THAT PIPELINE WHERE STUDENTS WHO HAD PARTICIPATED IN THE FULL SCOPE OF COURSEWARE, IT WAS ROUGHLY ONLY 200. 
          SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT GOING FROM 1700 TO 3,300, NOW THE JOB IS KEEPING THEM, KEEPING THEM AS LEARNERS ENGAGED IN THE CAREER OPPORTUNITY DOWN THE ROAD AND IN TURN MAKING SURE THAT HIGH SCHOOLS FEEL SUPPORTED AND MORE HIGH SCHOOLS WHO HAVE A, HAVE AN APPETITE FOR THAT PARTNERSHIP FEEL SUPPORTED AS WELL. 
          GREAT, THANK YOU. 
          UM, AND I THINK THAT I'M LOOKING AT UM, OH, COMMITTEE MEMBER HARVARD MADISON EITHER. 
          YEAH, I'LL KEEP IT SUPER SHORT 'CAUSE IT'S NOT A QUESTION SO MUCH, IT'S JUST LIKE, YOU KNOW, SOME HYPE ME UP, PRETEND I'M FLAVOR FLA AND I'M, YOU KNOW, DOING THE THING FOR Y'ALL. 
          'CAUSE THIS IS EXACTLY THE DIRECTION, THE TRAJECTORY WE NEED. 
          AND I REALLY APPRECIATE MY COLLEAGUES' QUESTIONS. 
          I THINK, UM, THIS IS MAYBE EVEN AS AN ASIDE 'CAUSE I THINK WE'RE REALLY, AS A COMMUNITY JUST NOW STARTING TO MAKE THE NECESSARY PARADIGM SHIFTS ABOUT HOW WE CONSIDER THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE WORKFORCE. 
          I THINK WE, UM, AS A SOCIETY SOMETIMES MAKE ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT ADULTING AND PEOPLE, ADULTS BEING PREPARED TO ADULT. 
          AND SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT YOU SAID, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT BECAUSE THAT'S SO MUCH OF IT. 
          SO THE INTEGRATION OF PREPARING A PERSON TO ENTER AND NOT JUST ENTER BUT REMAIN SUSTAINED, BE A HEALTHY PARTICIPATING MEMBER OF THIS ECOSYSTEM OF WORKERS, A LOT OF THAT HAS TO DO WITH ADDRESSING THE ADJACENT ISSUES. 
          SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY'RE DOING OUT OF BOSTON WITH THEIR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM THAT I'M JUST, OH, AND I'M SORRY NOT BOSTON, IT WAS BALTIMORE. 
          UM, THE INTEGRATED COMPONENT WAS THAT THEY INCLUDED MENTAL HEALTH HELP, THEY INCLUDED PHYSICAL HEALTH HELP. 
          I WANT YOU TO TRY TO GO DIG A DITCH WITH AN ABSCESS TOOTH, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? BUT THOSE ARE THINGS THAT IF YOU DON'T HAVE THOSE RESOURCES, PEOPLE AREN'T CONSIDERING. 
          YOU LITERALLY ARE DEBILITATED IF YOU HURT YOUR BACK OR YOU TOO, YOU KNOW. 
          AND, UH, THINGS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE PEOPLE HAD TRANSPORT, JUST ALL THEY MADE SURE PEOPLE HAD ALL THE THINGS, YOU KNOW, AND SOME OF THOSE THINGS WERE LIKE, RECENTLY WE HAD THAT WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS, UM, PRESENTATION, WHICH WAS PHENOMENAL BY THE WAY. 
          BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT, AND IT, AT THE TIME, IT WAS ACTUALLY ADJACENT TO THE INFRASTRUCTURE ACADEMY DISCUSSION, SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT HOW THEY WERE DOING THESE, LIKE THEY WEREN'T, I DON'T THINK THEY WERE CALLING 'EM LOANS, I THINK THEY WERE CALL CALLING 'EM SMALL GRANTS. 
          THEY WERE DOING SMALL GRANTS TO COVER THE COST OF LIKE BRIDGE GRANTS, I THINK IS WHAT SHE CALLED THEM. 
          AND SO I ASKED HER, I SAID, WHAT ABOUT PEOPLE WITH JUSTICE INVOLVEMENT? SO FOR FOLKS WITH JUSTICE INVOLVEMENT, IF YOU DON'T PAY YOUR PO IF YOU HAVE, YOU KNOW, A TRAFFIC TICKET THAT THAT'S GONNA TURN INTO A WARRANT, THAT JOB THAT WE JUST TRAINED YOU FOR, GUESS WHAT? YOU'RE GONNA LOSE IT. 
          'CAUSE YOU'RE GONNA SIT IN COUNTY FOR A COUPLE WEEKS JUST COVERING THE COST OF THAT, YOU KNOW, $300 TICKET. 
          AND SO EVEN, WHICH IS THAT ONE QUESTION IN THAT ONE COMMITTEE MEETING, SHE CALLED BACK LATER AND SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT, WE CAN DO THAT. 
          NOT SOMETHING WE'VE DONE BEFORE, BUT WE CAN DO IT NOW. 
          SO WE'RE GONNA MAKE THE NECESSARY ADJUSTMENTS. 
          SO I THINK SOMETIMES US JUST HAVING THESE REAL COMPREHENSIVE CONVERSATIONS OFFERS US THE OPPORTUNITY TO ASSESS ALL THE OPPORTUNITIES. 
          AND I'LL END IT WITH THIS. 
          I APPRECIATE Y'ALL HAVING THIS REAL TALK CONVERSATION AT THIS COMMITTEE LEVEL. 
          UM, IF FOR NO OTHER REASON, I THINK FUTURE ITEMS THAT WE GET TO BRING TO THE BODY, UH, AS A WHOLE WILL INCLUDE US TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION Y'ALL THINGS ARE GONNA BE TIGHT AND I, I MEAN, I JUST CAN'T PUT ENOUGH EMPHASIS ON IT. 
          WE AS A COMMUNITY ARE GONNA HAVE TO COME TOGETHER AND SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER. 
          'CAUSE THE SYSTEMS WON'T SUPPORT US. 
          THE MONEY IS NOT THERE. 
          AND SO ALL OF US BEING ENGAGED IN THIS WAY AND HAVING REAL CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HOW WE CAN NOT JUST GET PEOPLE THERE, GET THEM THERE AND OFFER THE SUPPORTS THAT ARE NECESSARY TO PROP PEOPLE UP UNTIL THEY CAN DO IT THEMSELVES AND THEN DO IT FOR THE NEXT PERSON. 
          SO THIS IS ALL VERY ENCOURAGING. 
          THANK YOU. 
          WELL SAID. 
          THANK YOU. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COMMITTEE MEMBER OLSON. 
          I'M, I'M DIGGING THE AUSTIN FC JERSEY. 
          UM, SO WITH THAT, UM, I AM AS PROMISED, I'M GONNA GO BACK TO, UH, I'M GONNA GO BACK TO ITEM 
          [1. Approve the minutes of the Economic Opportunity Committee meeting of March 21, 2025.]
ONE. 
          UH, ITEM NUMBER ONE. 
          I APPRECIATE Y'ALL'S Y'ALL'S TIME, UH, AND I APPRECIATE, UM, COMMITTEE MEMBER SIEGEL FOR FLAGGING, UH, THE LACK OF COMMITTEE, UH, COMMITTEE MINUTES, UH, FROM, FROM LAST, UH, COUNCIL, UH, LAST COMMITTEE MEETING. 
          UM, BUT WITH THAT, EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE IT EITHER IN THEIR BACKUP OR THEY SHOULD HAVE IT IN FRONT OF THEM. 
          [01:00:01]
UM, SO I WILL, UM, LOOK TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE MARCH 21ST ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE MEETING FROM 2025. 
          DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEM NUMBER ONE? MOTION MOTION IS MOVED BY, UH, VICE CHAIR FUENTES AND SECONDED BY COMMITTEE MEMBER, UH, VELASQUEZ. 
          UM, ALL IN FAVOR AYE. 
          AND IT IS UNANIMOUS WITH, UM, ALL FIVE OF US, UH, VOTING IN SUPPORT OF IT. 
          UM, AND NOW WITH THAT, 
          [2. Update on the Austin Convention Center Redevelopment project. [Trisha Tatro, Director - Austin Convention Center].]
AS PROMISED, I WILL GO BACK TO ITEM NUMBER TWO, WHICH I SAID WOULD BE ONE OF THE LAST, UH, ITEMS TO BE BROUGHT FORWARD, WHICH IS AN UPDATE ON THE AUSTIN CONVENTION CENTER RE REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT. 
          AND WE'LL HAVE A PRESENTATION BY TRICIA TERO, DIRECTOR OF THE AUSTIN CONVENTION CENTER. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND UNFORTUNATELY YOU GET ME . 
          SLIGHT DOWNGRADE. 
          UH, GOOD AFTERNOON, I'M KATIE Z MESNICK WITH AUSTIN CONVENTION CENTER. 
          I GUESS ACTING DEPUTY DIRECTOR NOW. 
          UM, SO I WILL BE QUICK 'CAUSE I KNOW YOU GUYS HAVE SEEN A VERSION OF THIS PRESENTATION. 
          SO, UM, I'M ACTUALLY JUST GONNA DO A VERY SMALL RECAP AND THEN SHOW YOU, UH, JUST KIND OF WHERE WE ARE TODAY. 
          UM, SO JUST AS A QUICK REMINDER, UM, WE ARE, COME ON. 
          HERE WE GO. 
          OH, NOPE. 
          TOO FAR. 
          DID I GO TOO FAR? OH NO. 
          OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          SO, UM, AS A REMINDER, WE, UM, HAVE A CONSTRUCTION BUDGET OF $1.26 BILLION FOR THIS, UM, PROJECT. 
          UH, WE ARE GOING TO INCREASE OUR RENTABLE SQUARE FOOTAGE FROM 365,000 SQUARE FEET TO, UM, ABOUT 620,000 SQUARE FEET. 
          AND THEN WE ARE PRESERVING THE ABILITY TO ADD AN ADDITIONAL 140,000 SQUARE FEET AT A LATER DATE. 
          UM, SOMETHING THAT HAS COME OUT AS WE'VE BEEN DOING THESE KIND OF PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS THAT I JUST WANNA REASSURE, UH, THIS COMMITTEE, THIS IS NOT THE TOTAL SQUARE FOOTAGE OF THE BUILDING. 
          UM, SO IF YOU DO KIND OF THAT MATH, THIS DOES LOOK LIKE A VERY EXPENSIVE PRICE PER SQUARE FOOT. 
          THERE'S A LOT OF BACK OF HOUSE AND SOME OTHER ELEMENTS THAT ARE INCLUDED SO THAT THE ACTUAL SIZE OF THE BUILDING IS MUCH LARGER THAN 620,000 SQUARE FEET. 
          UM, SO AS YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD, AND JUST AS A REMINDER, THIS IS GOING TO ADD AN ADDITIONAL $285 MILLION A YEAR IN ECONOMIC IMPACT. 
          I'M BRINGING THE CONVENTION CENTER'S TOTAL ANNUAL ECONOMIC IMPACT TO ABOUT $750 MILLION A YEAR. 
          UM, IT'LL ADD AN ADDITIONAL ROUGHLY $12 MILLION A YEAR IN ANNUAL TAX REVENUE AND SUPPORT AN ADDITIONAL 12 OR 1600 JOBS. 
          JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THE PARTNERS THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON FOR THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF ON THIS PROJECT. 
          UM, WE'RE VERY PROUD AND, UM, AND SUPPORTIVE. 
          UM, JE DUNN AND TURNER IS OUR CONSTRUCTION JOINT VENTURE ELEMENT, AND PAGE IS OUR DESIGN JOINT VENTURE. 
          UNCONVENTIONAL WISDOM HAS BEEN WITH US PROBABLY FOR ABOUT THE LAST 20 YEARS OR SO NOW, UM, AND SORT OF OUR TECHNICAL ADVISORS ON THE PROJECT, UH, PROJECT CONTROLS AND CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES ARE SERVING AS PROJECT MANAGER AND THEN ALSO ACME DOWN HERE AS SERVING, UM, AS OUR GUIDANCE FOR THE ART AND PUBLIC PLACES. 
          SO IT IS REALLY HAPPENING. 
          UH, WE OFFICIALLY CLOSED THE CONVENTION CENTER ON APRIL 1ST, 2025. 
          UH, WE ARE CURRENTLY IN THE CONSTRUCTION PHASE, AS I WILL SHOW YOU IN JUST A MINUTE. 
          AND WE ARE ON SCHEDULE AND ON BUDGET TO REOPEN IN 2029 FOR, UH, THE SPRING FESTIVAL SEASON. 
          WE ARE STILL ALSO ACTIVELY IN THE DESIGN PROCESS BECAUSE THIS IS A FAST TRACK PROJECT. 
          UH, WE ARE DEMOING WHILE WE CONTINUE TO DESIGN. 
          SO JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT AGAIN, UH, THAT WE ARE INVESTING, UM, ALMOST $18 MILLION IN, UM, ART AND PUBLIC PLACES, WHICH IS CURRENTLY AUSTIN'S LARGEST SINGLE INVESTMENT IN PUBLIC ART TO DATE. 
          UM, I KNOW THE AIRPORT WILL TAKE US OVER HERE VERY QUICKLY, BUT WE ARE PROUD TO, TO STAND RIGHT NOW AND SAY THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY, AS OF TODAY, THE LARGEST SINGLE INVESTMENT. 
          UM, WE HAVE 10 ARTISTS SELECTED FOR THE ARCHITECTURAL INTEGRATION, UM, ARTWORK THAT WE'RE DOING IN THE BUILDING. 
          SO THESE ARTISTS ARE WORKING ALONGSIDE OUR DESIGN TEAM, UM, AND THEY'RE DESIGNING PIECES THAT ARE GOING TO BE A PART OF THE FABRIC OF THE BUILDING. 
          UM, SO THIS IS ON THE FACADES. 
          THIS IS, UM, ACTUALLY GOING TO BE PIECES OF THE BUILDING. 
          UM, AND THEN WE ARE ALSO DESIGNING IT SO THAT IF AT ANY POINT AT ANY TIME THEY HAVE TO BE REMOVED, THEY WILL BE ABLE TO DO SO AS WELL. 
          UM, SO MUCH LESSONS LEARNED. 
          UM, THERE WILL BE A, A MORE TRADITIONAL PROCUREMENT THAT WILL FOLLOW AT A LATER STAGE, UH, THAT WILL, THAT WILL BE OF LIKE THE MORE TYPICAL A IPP PROCESS IN THE FUTURE AS WELL. 
          UH, JUST TOUCHING QUICKLY ON SUSTAINABILITY AGAIN, UH, WE WILL BE THE FIRST ZERO CARBON CERTIFIED CONVENTION CENTER IN THE WORLD. 
          UH, WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THAT FACT. 
          UM, AND WE ARE ACHIEVING LEAD GOLD FOR THIS PROJECT. 
          WE ARE PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES FOR GREEN BUILDING IN THE CITY. 
          WE ARE FOLLOWING ALL OF THE AUSTIN ENERGY GREEN BUILDING, UM, UH, GUIDELINES. 
          UM, AND THEN WE ARE ALSO SOMETHING ELSE WE'RE REALLY, REALLY PROUD OF IS WE ARE CHANGING THE MARKET FOR LOW CARBON CONCRETE AND CREATING BASICALLY A NEW MARKET FOR BUILDINGS IN AUSTIN. 
          UM, SO THE, THE LOW CARBON CONCRETE THAT IS BEING CREATED FOR THIS PROJECT, BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO HAVE QUITE A LOT OF IT IS GOING TO, 
          [01:05:01]
UH, ALLOW OTHER BUILDINGS IN AUSTIN TO BUY THIS AND, UM, AND KIND OF TRANSFORM THE WAY THAT CONCRETE IS DONE IN AUSTIN. 
          UM, SO WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF THAT. 
          AND THEN WE ARE FOCUSING ON THE MASS TIMBER FOR THE PROJECT AS WELL. 
          AND THEN WE ARE RE OR WE ARE SALVAGING AND REUSING ABOUT 80% OF 80 TO 90% OF THIS BUILDING AS WELL. 
          AND SO UNCONVENTIONAL. 
          SO JUST WANTED TO QUICKLY, YOU KNOW, REORIENT YOU BACK TO THE SITE. 
          UM, SO HERE AGAIN IS OUR SIX CITY BLOCKS FROM THE SOUTH LOOKING NORTHWEST. 
          UM, SO YOU CAN KIND OF SEE THE BOTTOM IS OUR BALLROOM AND OUR FLEX HALL IS THAT TEAL IN THE MIDDLE. 
          AND THEN OUR OUTDOOR EVENT SPACE WITH OUR WAREHOUSE WHERE THE TRUCKS WILL GO UNDERGROUND. 
          UM, SO ALL OF OUR EXHIBIT HALLS AND LOADING DOCKS ARE UNDERGROUND. 
          AND THEN HERE YOU CAN SEE WHERE WE ARE ALSO PLANNING FOR OUR FUTURE EXPANSION, UM, WHICH WILL ADD THAT ADDITIONAL 140,000 SQUARE FEET AS WELL. 
          YOU CAN SEE THAT WE'VE KIND OF RECONNECTED THE STREET GRID. 
          WE'VE GOT THIRD STREET OPEN TO MULTI FULLY MULTIMODAL TRAFFIC. 
          SECOND STREET WILL BE PEDESTRIAN, UM, BUT YOU CAN HAVE FULL ACCESS THROUGHOUT THE SITE. 
          AND THEN CAESAR CHAVEZ HAS, IS REMAINS FULLY OPEN AND THEN HAS THESE WIDE SIDEWALKS. 
          SO IT'S MUCH MORE PEDESTRIAN FRIENDLY AROUND THE SITE AS WELL. 
          AND SO JUST KIND OF REMINDING OF THE, THE RENDERINGS THAT WE SHOWED YOU, I BELIEVE BACK IN FEBRUARY. 
          SO THIS IS OUR OUTDOOR EVENT PLAZA. 
          THIS IS LOOKING AT SECOND AND TRINITY, UH, LOOKING TOWARD RED RIVER. 
          UM, SO IN HERE YOU CAN KIND OF SEE WHERE WE HAVE PLANNED SOME OF THE ARTWORK FOR THE FACILITY. 
          YOU CAN SEE WHERE PROJECT CONNECT IS. 
          UM, AND THEN IN HERE AS WELL, THIS WILL BE OPEN FOR PEDESTRIAN ACCESS, UH, WHEN THE, WHEN THE BUILDING IS NOT RENTED BY EVENTS. 
          AND THEN IN HERE IS ALSO SOME MEETING SPACE THAT WE'RE SETTING ASIDE FOR THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR USE BY THE COMMUNITY WHEN NOT RENTED BY EVENTS AS WELL. 
          WE'VE GOT RETAIL ON THE GROUND FLOOR AND IT'S JUST MUCH MORE ACTIVE AND ENGAGING THAN IT IS CURRENTLY TODAY. 
          SWITCHING SIDES, LOOKING AT SECOND AND RED RIVER BACK TOWARD TRINITY. 
          YOU CAN SEE WATERLOO GREENWAY DOWN HERE IN THE CORNER. 
          AND JUST KIND OF FEEL MORE OF THAT, JUST SOFT. 
          UM, IT'S MUCH MORE LANDSCAPE FEELING AND, AND MUCH LESS DENSE, UM, THAN IT IS. 
          AND THEN JUST KIND OF POINTING OUT SOME OF THAT SUSTAINABILITY, THOSE BLUE TILE FINS THAT YOU SEE UP IN THE TOP COME FROM THE EXISTING CONVENTIONS CENTER. 
          THAT IS PART OF THE SALVAGE AND REUSE THAT WE'VE DONE. 
          AND THEN AGAIN, JUST ANOTHER SHOT KIND OF LOOKING DOWN, UM, ON SECOND STREET AS WELL. 
          AND OUR MONEY SHOT HERE, AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE THE BALLROOM IN THE FOREGROUND. 
          UM, AND THEN THE FLEX HALL AS WELL AND HOW IT'S JUST GONNA KIND OF FOLD INTO THE FABRIC OF DOWNTOWN AND JUST SORT OF, UM, BE A PLACE THAT WE HOPE AUSTINITES LOVE JUST AS MUCH AS WE DO AND OUR VISITORS. 
          SO CONSTRUCTION UPDATES, WHY WE'RE HERE TODAY. 
          UH, SO JUST WANTED TO SHOW YOU THAT WE ARE IN FACT UNDERWAY. 
          UM, SO THIS IS IN OUR LOADING DOCKS. 
          UM, THAT BIG PICTURE ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE. 
          UM, WE KIND OF SAY THEY'RE LIKE DINOSAURS JUST MUNCHING THROUGH. 
          THEY ARE, THEY ARE CHEWING THIS BUILDING UP. 
          UM, I THINK THEY WILL BE THROUGH TO TRINITY, UM, BY THE END, BY MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. 
          UM, AND THEN YOU CAN SEE THESE ARE THE STEPS HERE AT TRINITY AND SECOND ON THAT TOP LEFT. 
          UM, AND THEY'VE ACTUALLY NOW PUNCHED ALL THE WAY THROUGH THAT AS WELL. 
          UM, THEN THE BOTTOM RIGHT HAND JUST SHOWS THE BARRIER ON TRINITY FROM THE INSIDE AS WELL. 
          UM, AND WE WILL HAVE SOME CONSTRUCTION GRAPHICS THAT WILL GO UP THAT'LL JUST MAKE THE SITE LOOK A LITTLE BIT NICER IF YOU DRIVE AROUND THERE. 
          RIGHT NOW IT'S JUST KIND OF BARREN, BUT WE HAVE SOME GRAPHICS THAT ARE GONNA GO UP TO MAKE IT LOOK A LITTLE CLEANER AROUND THERE. 
          JUST WANNA SHOW YOU SOME INTERIOR. 
          UM, SO THIS IS ON THE SOUTHERN END OF THE BUILDING, SO THAT'S THE ROTUNDA ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE THAT YOU CAN SEE. 
          UH, SO WE'VE CLEANED UP ALL THE CARPET, UM, AND YOU SEE ALL THE WIRING AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE TEARING ALL OF THE, UM, WALLS OFF, ALL THE COVERINGS ON THE WALLS TO RECYCLE. 
          UM, AND SO MAKING QUITE A BIG, THERE'S NO TURNING BACK. 
          BASICALLY , WE ARE FULLY COMMITTED AT THIS POINT. 
          I DON'T THINK WE CAN PUT THIS, CAN'T PUT THIS EGG BACK TOGETHER. 
          UM, AND THEN JUST KIND OF SPEAKING TO THE SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE. 
          SO YOU CAN SEE THE CARPET TILES, THE BLUE TILES, UM, ALL OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE WORKING REALLY HARD TO RECYCLE. 
          ONE OF OUR PROJECT MANAGERS TOLD ME THAT THIS IS PERHAPS ONE OF THE CLEANEST CONSTRUCTION SITES THEY'VE EVER SEEN. 
          UM, JUST BECAUSE OF THE WAY THAT WE ARE RECYCLING AND, UM, AND, AND WHAT WE'RE DOING FOR THIS PROJECT. 
          SO, UH, ALL THE CARPET TILES ARE GONNA GO TO A, A MANUFACTURER TO RECYCLE. 
          DON'T WORRY, THEY'RE NOT GONNA GO BACK IN THEIR CURRENT STATE. 
          THEY'RE GONNA, THEY'RE GONNA TURN INTO A NEW PRETTY PATTERN THAT'S SLIGHTLY MORE MODERN THAN THEY ARE TODAY. 
          AND SO JUST QUICKLY ON THE CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE, JUST TO REITERATE, WE ARE KIND OF ON, WE ARE ON SCHEDULE, WE ARE IN THE DEMO PHASE. 
          UM, WE ARE STILL DESIGNING EXCAVATION. 
          WE'LL START, I BELIEVE TOWARD THE END OF THIS YEAR, IF NOT A LITTLE BIT SOONER. 
          UM, AND THEN WE'LL START CONSTRUCTION, UM, AT THE END OF THIS YEAR AS WELL. 
          UM, WE HAVE BEGUN BOOKING, UH, WE GOT A LOT OF INTEREST BEFORE WE EVEN RELEASED RENDERINGS. 
          UM, WE KIND OF HAD TO FIGHT FOLKS OFF. 
          OUR CLIENTS REALLY WANTED TO BOOK BEFORE WE EVEN HAD RENDERINGS RELEASED. 
          VISIT AUSTIN HAS BEEN VERY BUSY. 
          OUR SALES TEAM HAS BEEN VERY BUSY. 
          UM, AND SO THIS IS A SCREENSHOT FROM OUR WEBSITE KIND OF LETTING FOLKS KNOW THAT YOU CAN BOOK PALMER IS VERY OPEN FOR BUSINESS. 
          UM, THE REST OF THE CITY IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS AS WELL. 
          VISIT AUSTIN AS A RESOURCE IF ANYONE IS LOOKING TO BOOK AN EVENT, UM, IN THE CITY. 
          UM, BUT THAT WE ARE ALSO OPEN TO START BOOKING FOR 2029 AND BEYOND. 
          AND THAT IS MY PRESENTATION. 
          [01:10:01]
I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS. 
          GREAT, THANK YOU. 
          UH, COLLEAGUES, ANY QUESTIONS? UM, COMMITTEE MEMBER SIEGEL. 
          THANK YOU CHAIR. 
          AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION. 
          UM, DEFINITELY EXCITED ABOUT THE NET ZERO CARBON RATING. 
          I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW, UH, COUNCIL NEXT WEEK HAS AN AGENDA ITEM THAT'S FOCUSED ON, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT SOLAR ON CITY ROOFTOPS. 
          AND I'M WONDERING IF WE'VE EVALUATED WHETHER WE CAN DO SOLAR ON THE CONVENTION CENTER. 
          YEAH, SO WE, UM, I'M ACTUALLY, I DO KNOW THE ANSWER TO THIS, WHICH I'M VERY PROUD ABOUT. 
          UH, SO WE ARE ACTUALLY GOING TO BE, WE'RE FULLY READY TO, WE ARE MAKING THE CONVENTION CENTER SOLAR READY AS SOON AS AUSTIN ENERGY IS READY FOR US TO BE SOLAR READY. 
          SO AS SOON AS THAT IS READY TO HAPPEN, WE CAN BE SOLAR READY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND THEN, UH, JUST ALONG THE LINES OF WHAT, UH, MAYOR PRO TEM BROUGHT UP ABOUT THE, UH, AIRPORT EXPANSION MM-HMM . 
          ARE WE USING BETTER BUILDER, UH, OR STANDARDS LIKE THAT FOR OUR CONTRACTORS? WE ARE. 
          OKAY, GREAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH, COMMITTEE MEMBER HARPER MEDICINE. 
          OH, I, UH, I THINK YOU'RE MUTED. 
          OKAY. 
          SO THE HONEST TO GOD TRUTH IS I CAN'T SEE  AND SO, UH, THE COUNCIL MEMBER, JOSE VELAZQUEZ SHOWED ME HOW OLD LADIES CAN MAKE THE SCREEN BIGGER, BUT IT MAKES IT SO THAT YOU CAN'T SCROLL DOWN TO GET TO THE UNMUTE. 
          UM, SO MY QUESTION IS NOT ABOUT EXPANSION NECESSARILY. 
          UM, AND SO I'LL POSE THE QUESTION AND THEN YOU CAN TELL ME WHETHER OR NOT THIS IS THE APPROPRIATE VENUE OR WHERE I SHOULD POSE THE QUESTION. 
          OKAY. 
          SO SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN, UM, KIND OF IN THE BACKGROUND FOR ME, UM, FOREVER. 
          I MEAN, EVEN BACK WHEN I BACK, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW THIS, BUT BACK IN ANOTHER LIFETIME, I WAS AN EVENT FLORIST. 
          UM, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT REALLY DROVE ME NUTS AND KIND OF SHIFTED MY BUSINESS MODEL WAS WATCHING HOW MUCH WASTE OCCURRED FOR EVENTS, FLOWER WASTE, FOOD WASTE, WASTE WASTE, JUST ALL THE WASTE. 
          AND SO, UM, IT, AS OF LATE, YOU KNOW, I, UH, SUBMITTED A PROPOSAL FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO REVIEW AND FOR MY COLLEAGUES TO REVIEW ABOUT A FOOD RECOVERY HUB AND SOME OF THE OUR, UH, STRATEGIC PARTNERS AND POTENTIAL PARTNERS THERE. 
          THAT'S A LOT OF WHAT THEY DO. 
          SO I'LL KEEP US IN FED FOR EXAMPLE. 
          THEY'RE WHO YOU CALL IF YOU HAVE A WEDDING THAT HAS NINE PANS, A BAKED ZDI LEFTOVER THAT SO IT DOESN'T GO IN THE GARBAGE. 
          THAT SAID, I WAS AT A CONFERENCE RECENTLY AND I WAS SENDING IMAGES TO MY STAFF OF ALL OF THESE TABLES. 
          YOU KNOW, HOW THEY PRESET THE TABLES, SO THERE'S 700 SALADS THAT WON'T GET TOUCHED, AND THEN THEY'RE GONNA COME AND PICK UP THOSE EMPTY SALAD OR THE FULL SALAD BOWLS AND THEN STILL PUT DOWN A LUNCH AND THEN SAY, YOU KNOW, AND SO JUST IN TERMS OF PROCESSING GOT ME THINKING ABOUT THAT. 
          AND I JUST WONDER IF AT THE FRONT END OF ALL THE REDEVELOPMENT CONSIDERATIONS AND BECAUSE WE ARE THINKING ABOUT OUR FOOTPRINT, I WONDER IF AT THE FRONT END WE CAN JUST PLAN TO NOT, UM, PRODUCE EVENTS THAT PARTICIPATE IN THAT SYSTEM OF ENDEMIC WASTE, MOST ESPECIALLY FOOD. 
          BUT IN ALL OF THE WAYS, CAN WE REALLY COMPREHENSIVELY THINK ABOUT SOME OF OUR SORT OF PROTOCOL AROUND, UM, HOW PEOPLE, UH, PRODUCE EVENTS AT OUR CONVENTION CENTER? IS THAT AN OPTION FOR US? YEAH, COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION. 
          UM, WE ACTUALLY HAVE A VERY ROBUST FOOD DONATION PROGRAM AS PART OF OUR CONVENTION CENTER ALREADY. 
          UM, AND AS PART OF THE NEW DESIGN OF THIS CONVENTION CENTER, WE ARE EVEN, UM, PUTTING IN A WALK-IN REFRIGERATED UNIT. 
          UH, SO THAT THE FOOD THAT WE DONATE, UM, WE USE, UH, SEVERAL, UH, NONPROFITS IN THE AREA, UH, AND WE HAVE PARTNERSHIPS WITH THEM. 
          SO IF WE'VE PREPPED FOR 3000 PEOPLE AND WE HAVE SEVEN PANS OF LASAGNA LEFT, WE'RE GONNA REACH OUT TO THAT, UM, COMPANY WE ALREADY, OR THAT NONPROFIT WE ALREADY WORK WITH, THEY HAVE THE CODE TO THE REFRIGERATOR, THEY'RE GONNA COME PICK THAT UP. 
          SO WE'RE ALREADY MAKING ACCOMMODATIONS TO ENHANCE AND MAKE THIS PROCESS, UH, THIS PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE EVEN MORE ROBUST AND BETTER. 
          UM, FOOD WASTE IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TO US. 
          ADDITIONALLY, WE'RE PUTTING SOME ADDITIONAL, UM, ENVIRONMENTAL THINGS INTO OUR KITCHENS, UM, PULP EXTRACTORS AND, UH, NEW TECHNOLOGY TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE ALSO COMPOSTING AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. 
          UM, SO I CAN, YOU KNOW, IF, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THIS, WE CAN SHARE ROBUST INFORMATION WITH YOU ON THIS, UH, MOVING FORWARD. 
          BUT IT'S AN, AN ACTIVE PROGRAM THAT WE ALREADY HAVE. 
          WE'RE LOOKING TO CONTINUE FANTASTIC. 
          TO ENHANCE AND BUILD THAT, THAT'S AN, THAT'S AMAZING. 
          I THINK WE COULD EASILY HIJACK THE REST OF THIS MEETING WITH HOW EXCITED I AM ABOUT THAT POTENTIAL. 
          I MEAN, EVEN JUST GO CRAZY JUST IN TERMS OF THINKING ABOUT WHAT'S POSSIBLE, INCLUDING SOMETHING I REALIZED THAT'S POSSIBLE RECENTLY, IN ADDITION TO SOLAR ON CITY BUILDINGS, YOU KNOW, WE CAN KEEP BEES A PART OF OUR FOOD SHORTAGE. 
          YOU KNOW, SYSTEMIC FOOD SHORTAGE PROBLEM RIGHT NOW IS ABOUT POLLINATORS. 
          WE COULD KEEP BEES ON CITY ROOFTOPS TOO AND IN FLOODPLAINS IF WE'RE CONSIDERING FLOODPLAIN AGRICULTURE. 
          HOW ABOUT FLOODPLAIN BEEKEEPING? SO, OH NO, I'M ON THE PRECIPICE OF GETTING OUTTA HERE. 
          SO I'M DOING ALL KINDS OF WACKY THOUGHT PROCESSES IF YOU WANNA ENGAGE IN THAT, I'D LOVE TO FOLLOW UP AFTER. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH, YEAH, UH, THANK YOU COMMITTEE MEMBER. 
          UM, 
          [01:15:01]
I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS ON MY END. 
          UH, FIRST QUESTION IS ABOUT MITIGATION PLANS FOR BUSINESSES THAT ARE IN THE AREA. 
          WHAT HAVE THOSE LOOKED LIKE, UM, SO FAR? YEAH, SO WE'VE, UM, BEEN WORKING KIND OF, WE'VE BEEN DOING A ROBUST SORT OF TO EVERYONE THAT WE CAN REACH TO THE BUSINESSES AND THEN ALSO A MORE TARGETED 0.5 MILE, UM, RADIUS, UM, MITIGATION PLAN. 
          UM, SO WE'VE BEEN MEETING WITH THEM REGULARLY. 
          WE'VE ENGAGED WITH DAA AND VISIT AUSTIN. 
          UM, DAA IS WORKING, I HOPE I'M NOT SAYING ANYTHING I SHOULDN'T, BUT DA IS WORKING ON AN APP THAT YOU DON'T EVEN, IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT REALLY AN APP, BUT IT'S A A PAGE THAT YOU CAN GET TO ON YOUR PHONE THAT WILL HELP DIRECT THEM. 
          AND THEN, UM, KIND OF LOOKING AT, UM, HOW WE CAN DO SOME WAY FINDING QR CODES AROUND THE SITE TO KIND OF DIRECT FOLKS TO THOSE BUSINESSES. 
          UM, THE, THE GOOD NEWS IS I THINK THAT THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT OF FOOT TRAFFIC FROM THE, THE WORKERS THAT WILL BE ON SITE. 
          UM, I KNOW THAT SOME OF THE BUSINESSES ARE LOOKING AT REVAMPING THEIR MENUS TO KIND OF ACCOMMODATE THE, THE FOLKS THAT WILL BE ON THE SITE AS WELL. 
          SO, UH, WE'RE IN CONSTANT COMMUNICATION. 
          WE'RE MAKING SURE THAT IF THERE'S ANY ISSUES AND THAT CON AS CONSTRUCTION UPDATES ARE HAPPENING, AS ROAD CLOSURES ARE HAPPENING, UM, AND EVEN AS WE WERE DEVELOPING THOSE ROAD CLOSURES, WE WERE WORKING WITH THOSE BUSINESSES DIRECTLY AROUND THE CONVENTION CENTER TO MAKE SURE IT WASN'T GONNA IMPACT THEIR BUSINESS. 
          GREAT. 
          AND IF, AND IF THERE'S ANY RESOURCES THAT Y'ALL HAVE THAT YOU COULD SHARE WITH US ON THE DICE, THAT'D BE GREAT. 
          AND YEAH, AS AN OFFICE WHERE THE CONVENTION CENTER IS LOCATED, WE'D LOVE TO BE HELPFUL WITH THAT. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          GREAT. 
          AND THEN MY OH, SURE. 
          THANK YOU CHAIR CADRE. 
          SIMILARLY, I GET QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW ARE, HOW IS THE CITY HELPING THE SMALL BUSINESSES THAT WILL BE AFFECTED ABSOLUTELY. 
          WITH THE CLOSURE OF THE CONVENTION CENTER FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS. 
          SO HAVING, UH, AN UPDATE ON THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          GREAT. 
          WE'LL MAKE SURE TO GET THAT TO YOU. 
          THANK YOU VICE CHAIR. 
          UM, AND THEN MY OTHER QUESTION IS, WHEN IN THE PROCESS ARE WE GONNA LOOK AT, UM, OR, OR WHEN ARE WE GONNA SELECT WHO VENDORS, WHAT BUSINESSES, WHAT ACTIVATIONS ARE GONNA CALL THE CONVENTION CENTER HOME? UM, I, I KNOW IT'S IN, IT'S A, IT'S A, IT'S A TOPIC ON THE STA AND, AND I KNOW WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT AS WELL AND MAKING SURE THAT WE, UH, YOU KNOW, ATTRACT LOCAL, UM, BEFORE WE GO OUT ANYWHERE ELSE. 
          SO WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? YEP. 
          SO I THINK THAT THE FINAL SELECTIONS ARE GONNA HAPPEN SOMEWHERE AROUND 2027, BUT THERE'S GONNA BE KIND OF A LONG PROCESS LEADING UP TO THAT IN TERMS OF THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AROUND WHAT, WHAT THE COMMUNITY, WHAT I'VE KIND OF BEEN SAYING IS WHAT THE VIBE IS FIRST, AND THEN KIND OF NARROWING THAT VIBE DOWN INTO WHAT THOSE, WHAT THOSE SPECIFIC VENDORS LOOK LIKE. 
          UM, SO THAT'S A PROCESS. 
          WE'RE GONNA BE, YOU KNOW, WE WE'RE STILL FINALIZING THE LEGOS ON THE PAGE AND THEN ONCE WE GET THOSE LEGOS FINALIZED AND WE'VE GOT THE, IT'S ALL SETTLED EXACTLY WHERE THOSE RETAIL SPOTS ARE AND ALL OF THOSE IS WHEN WE START THAT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS OF WHAT THE RIGHT LOCAL IS, UM, IN THERE AS WELL. 
          SO, UM, WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF TIME. 
          THAT'S KIND OF THE SEC THE NEXT PHASE ONCE WE GOT PAST, ONCE WE GET PAST THE FINAL DESIGN OF EVERYTHING. 
          OKAY. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          UM, APPRECIATE BOTH OF YOU AND, UM, APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          GREAT. 
          UM, SO NEXT UP, 
          [5. Update on the Home Grown "Building Comprehensive Networks" Implementation Grant to build a comprehensive support network for home-based childcare providers. [Anthony Segura, Interim Director - Economic Development].]
UM, WE HAVE ITEMS FIVE AND SIX, WHICH ARE BRIEFINGS BY MEMORANDUM. 
          UH, IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS FOR STAFF ON ITEM NUMBER FIVE, WHICH IS AN UPDATE ON THE HOMEGROWN BUILDING COMPREHENSIVE NETWORKS IMPLE IMPLEMENTATION GRANT TO BUILD A COMPREHENSIVE SUPPORT NETWORK FOR HOME-BASED CHILDCARE PROVIDERS. 
          UH, WE CAN OPEN UP THE FLOOR FOR DISCUSSIONS AND JUST A REMINDER, THERE'S NOT A PRESENTATION, BUT IF ANYONE HAS ANY QUESTIONS WE CAN HAVE DISCUSSION. 
          SO DOES ANYONE ON THE DIOCESE HAVE ANY NOT ON THAT ONE. 
          THE NEXT ONE. 
          NOT ON THAT ONE. 
          SO, UM, UM, COMMITTEE MEMBER HARPER MADISON, DO YOU HAVE ANY, UM, COMMENTS ON, UH, ITEM NUMBER FIVE OR REELS TO MOVING ON TO ITEM NUMBER SIX? I'M SORRY, WERE YOU ASKING BECAUSE I WAS RAISING MY, MY HANDS? I THOUGHT MY, I KNOW I DIDN'T, I DIDN'T EVEN SEE THAT, BUT, UM, OH, BUT I WAS JUST, SINCE YOU WERE OFF CAMERA, I WASN'T SURE IF YOU HAD ANY QUESTIONS OR NOT. 
          NO, THANK YOU FOR CHECKING. 
          I APPRECIATE IT. 
          I'LL KEEP MY CAMERA. 
          OKAY, GREAT. 
          UM, SO WITH THAT I'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER SIX, WHICH I HEARD 
          [6. Update on the High-Quality Childcare Fee Waiver Program [Anthony Segura, Interim Director - Economic Development].]
WE MIGHT HAVE QUESTIONS FOR. 
          YES. 
          UM, SO THAT WILL BE AN UPDATE ON THE HIGH QUALITY CHILDCARE FREE WAIVER PROGRAM. 
          MM-HMM . 
          UH, AND I WILL PASS IT OFF TO THE VICE CHAIR FOR QUESTIONS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND I DO JUST WANNA HIGHLIGHT THE PREVIOUS ITEM, ITEM NUMBER FIVE. 
          THE HOMEGROWN INITIATIVE IS IMPORTANT 'CAUSE WE KNOW THAT FOR MANY OF OUR CHILDCARE PROVIDERS, THEY OPERATE AT THE HOME AND THEY'RE BEAUTIFULLY INTEGRATED INTO NEIGHBORHOODS. 
          AND SO BY US TAKING ACTION TO PROVIDE A WAY TO OFFSET THEIR COSTS, IT'S IMPORTANT PART OF US ADDRESSING CHILDCARE SECTOR OVERALL. 
          IT WAS A GAP THAT WE HAVE. 
          YOU KNOW, WE AS A CITY HAVE INITIATED PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION FOR CHILDCARE CENTERS. 
          UH, BUT THE HOMEGROWN INITIATIVE REALLY ALLOWS US TO ADDRESS THAT MISSING PIECE, AND THAT'S FOR HOME-BASED CHILDCARE PROVIDERS. 
          UH, SO THE NEXT ITEM IS AROUND THE, AN UPDATE ON THE HIGH QUALITY CHILDCARE FEE WAIVER PROGRAM. 
          THIS COMES AS A DIRECT RESULT OF A RESOLUTION THAT I BROUGHT FORWARD IN 2023. 
          SO IT'S BEEN A COUPLE YEARS AND IT STILL HAS NOT ROLLED OUT YET, OR IT'S ON THE BRINK OF ROLLING OUT. 
          AND AS Y'ALL CAN IMAGINE, HOW FRUSTRATED I AM KNOWING THAT WE'VE HAD AUTHORIZATION, THAT WE'VE HAD FUNDING FOR THIS PROGRAM, BUT IT'S TAKEN NEARLY TWO YEARS FOR US, UH, TO BE ABLE TO OFFER THIS. 
          AND SO, UM, WITH THIS, THIS WILL HELP US, AND THIS IS ALL REALLY FOCUSED ON HOW CAN WE MAKE IT EASIER FOR CHILDCARE OPERATORS TO BE ABLE TO BUILD CHILDCARE 
          [01:20:01]
CENTERS ALL THROUGHOUT OUR CITY. 
          WE HAVE A NUMBER OF CHILDCARE DESERTS IN OUR COMMUNITY, A LOT OF THEM ON THE EAST SIDE. 
          WE WANNA MAKE CHILDCARE MORE AFFORDABLE, MORE ACCESSIBLE, MORE AVAILABLE TO ALL AUSTINITES REGARDLESS OF WHAT ZIP CODE YOU LIVE IN. 
          UM, SO WITH THIS, THE, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I HAVE FOR STAFF IS, FOR MY UNDERSTANDING STAFF IS INTERPRETING THE RESOLUTION TO BE THAT FOR ANY NEW CHILDCARE CENTERS. 
          AND THAT WASN'T THE INTENT OF THE RESOLUTION. 
          WE REALLY WANTED TO ENSURE THAT FOR ANY, UM, CHILDCARE CENTER THAT IS NEW AND OR EXPANDING, THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROGRAM. 
          CAN YOU TOUCH ON, ON YOUR READING OF THE DIRECTION AND HOW IT'S BEING ADMINISTERED? HI, GOOD MORNING. 
          UH, ANN EATON, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR. 
          UH, YES MA'AM. 
          WE, UH, WE WORKED WITH THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT TO ENSURE THAT WE APPROPRIATELY APPLIED THE DIRECTION FROM COUNSEL AND AS THE FEE WAIVER ORDINANCE APPROVAL WAS WRITTEN, IT ONLY APPLIED TO EXISTING CHILD HIGH QUALITY CHILDCARE PROGRAMS THAT WE COULD PROVIDE THAT ALL INCLUSIVE. 
          YEAH, I THINK IF WE CAN REVISIT THIS, 'CAUSE THE WAY THE RESOLUTION WAS POSTED, THE LANGUAGE THAT I HAVE BEFORE ME IS CITY FEES ASSESSED WHEN OPENING OR EXPANDING A QUALIFYING CHILDCARE OPERATION. 
          IT SEEMS THAT THERE IS SOME TECHNICALITIES ON WHAT, HOW LONG A CENTER NEEDS TO BE IN OPERATION TO QUALIFY FOR AS A HIGH QUALITY DESIGNATION. 
          YES MA'AM. 
          SO THE RESOLUTION YOU REFERENCED, THE 2023, UH, DIRECTED THE CITY MANAGER TO DEVELOP THE PROGRAM. 
          HOWEVER, THE FEE WAIVER ORDINANCE THAT ACTUALLY GRANTED WHERE COUNSEL ACTUALLY PROVIDED THE AUTHORITY ON THE, WHICH WAIVERS WOULD BE APPROVED, THAT IS WHERE THE LANGUAGE WAS WRITTEN AS ONLY APPLYING TO EXISTING HIGH QUALITY. 
          BUT WE CAN CERTAINLY REVISIT THAT WITH LEGAL AND PROVIDE AN UPDATE OR, OR A PATHWAY FOR US. 
          IF THE INTERPRETATION IS THAT IT CANNOT INCLUDE FOR NEW SIN, THEN I WOULD WANNA KNOW WHAT ADDITIONAL ACTION DO YOU NEED COUNCIL ACTION? DO WE NEED TO BRING FORWARD AN ADDITIONAL ITEM TO CLARIFY OR IS THAT SOMETHING THAT COULD BE HANDLED ADMINISTRATIVELY? WE WOULD HAVE TO COME BACK TO COUNCIL FOR CONSIDERATION TO EXPAND, TO APPLY TO NEW PROGRAMS. OKAY. 
          SO THEN, THEN IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT YOU ALL WILL BE BRINGING FORWARD AN ITEM PROPOSAL TO COUNSEL FOR US TO HAVE THAT. 
          YES, MA'AM. 
          THAT IS OUR INTENTION LATER THIS SUMMER. 
          UM, FOR THE SECOND PART OF THAT REASON IS 'CAUSE WE CURRENTLY HAVE AUTHORITY THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30TH TO UTILIZE THE FEE WAIVERS. 
          AND SO WE'LL BE ROLLING OUT MID TO LATE JUNE. 
          AND THEN IF WE'RE ABLE TO ENCUMBER ALL OF THOSE FEE WAIVERS BEFORE THE SEPTEMBER 30TH DEADLINE, WE WOULDN'T NEED AN EXTENSION. 
          BUT IF WE ARE NOT ABLE TO, WE WILL NEED AN EXTENSION. 
          BUT IT IS AN OPPORTUNITY ALSO TO DEVELOP A RECOMMENDATION WITH YOUR GUIDANCE ON HOW DO WE INCLUDE NEW BUSINESSES MM-HMM . 
          OR NEW PROGRAMS. EXCUSE ME. 
          AND, AND YOU TOUCHED ON ANOTHER ISSUE THAT WE HAVE, EVEN THOUGH THIS PROGRAM IS ABOUT TO LAUNCH, IS THAT IT ONLY IS AUTHORIZED THROUGH THE END OF THIS FISCAL YEAR. 
          IS THAT CORRECT? THAT IS CORRECT, YES. 
          AND SO THE ABILITY TO HAVE AN, YOU KNOW, A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF CHILDCARE CENTERS APPLY, GO THROUGH THE PROCESS OF REVIEW TO BE GRANTED, THE FEE WAIVERS AT THE AMOUNT THAT WE'VE BUDGETED FOR, TO ME SEEMS A LITTLE INFEASIBLE TO DO OVER THE NEXT THREE TO FOUR MONTHS. 
          WE BELIEVE THAT WITH THE AMOUNT OF FUNDING AND UNDERSTANDING THE AVERAGE COST, UH, WITH POTENTIAL FEES, AGAIN BASED UPON PROJECT SCOPE, WE WILL PROBABLY BE ABLE TO REACH BETWEEN 12 AND 15 PROGRAMS WITH THE AUTHORITY THAT WE HAVE TO DATE. 
          BUT I THINK THIS IS WHERE WE WOULD CAN PROVIDE A MONTHLY UPDATE TO YOUR OFFICE OF HOW WE'RE MOVING ALONG. 
          AND SO THAT WE JUST STAY IN, UM, WE KEEP YOU APPRISED AND KEEP, WE CAN KEEP THE COMMITTEE APPRISED OF HOW WE'RE MOVING ALONG. 
          OKAY. 
          YEAH, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL. 
          AND I, AND I GUESS REALLY THIS IS JUST A HIGHLIGHT TO MY COLLEAGUES HERE THAT WE WILL NEED ADDITIONAL AUTHORIZATION THIS NEXT BUDGET CYCLE TO CONTINUE FUNDING THIS PROGRAM OR TO AT LEAST EXTEND IT TO NEXT, UM, BUDGET YEAR. 
          UM, AND THIS REALLY IS JUST BECAUSE IT'S TAKEN A WHILE FOR US TO BE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT THE PROGRAM. 
          YES. 
          AND IF I MAY ALSO, UM, WE CERTAINLY ACKNOWLEDGE THE, THE TIMEFRAME NOW, BUT I WILL SAY OPTIMISTICALLY WE HAVE BEEN IN CLOSE COORDINATION WITH NOT ONLY DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, BUT OTHER AFFECTED DEPARTMENTS. 
          SO, UH, WE'RE GOING TO BE READY TO ROLL OUT AND BE IN TANDEM AND IN SYNC WITH OUR SISTERS, UH, WITH OUR SISTER DEPARTMENTS SO THAT WE ENSURE AS WE ARE REACHING PROGRAMS AND DOING THE OUTREACH, THAT THEY HAVE A SEAMLESS EXPERIENCE IN ONLY HAVING TO WORK WITH ONE DIRECT DEPARTMENT TO APPLY, WHICH WILL BE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. 
          THAT'S GREAT. 
          THAT'S GREAT TO HEAR. 
          AGAIN, THANK YOU. 
          I APPRECIATE Y'ALL'S WORK. 
          I KNOW THAT IT'S BEEN A, A LONG 
          [01:25:01]
TIME DEDICATED EFFORT AND SO I JUST REALLY WANNA HIGHLIGHT AND ACKNOWLEDGE THE EFFORT THAT HAS BEEN UNDERWAY WITH THIS PROGRAM. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU VICE CHAIR. 
          UM, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? UH, COMMITTEE MEMBER HARPER MADISON. 
          THANK YOU AGAIN, CHAIR. 
          UM, AND I'LL JUST KEEP WITH THE THEME. 
          THIS ISN'T A QUESTION SO MUCH, IT'S JUST KIND OF PUTTING IT OUT THERE AND UM, THAT KIND OF ROLLS INTO OUR ITEMS FOR FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS. 
          SO SOMETHING THAT I'M LOOKING INTO, SORRY TO PUT YOU OUT THERE LIKE THAT. 
          MIKE GERBER, WE HAVEN'T BEEN, UH, WE HAVEN'T HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT. 
          WE'VE BEEN PLAYING PHONE TAG, BUT SOMETHING THAT I'D LIKE TO PUT OUT THERE FOR CONSIDERATION, AND THIS APPLIES BOTH TO CHILDCARE AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND MAYBE EVEN ONSITE PROVISION OF CERTAIN SERVICES. 
          SO LIKE HAIR BRAIDING FOR EXAMPLE, WHERE YOU DON'T NEED A LICENSE. 
          UM, ALL THAT TO SAY, I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT HOW WE CAN UTILIZE OUR PARTNERSHIPS WITH OUR INCOME RESTRICTED HOUSING COMPLEXES AND HOW THEY CAN USE ONSITE AVAILABLE SPACES FOR THINGS LIKE CHILDCARE ONSITE, UM, AND HOW WE CAN WORK WITH THEM, YOU KNOW, CONSIDERING THAT REDUCES COST AROUND OVERHEAD, I MEAN A CENTER A SPACE ONSITE. 
          AND SO WHILE WE HAVE THE CHILDCARE FOLKS IN THE ROOM AS AN ADDITIONAL LAYER FOR THESE CONSIDERATION, UH, CONSIDERATIONS AROUND ADDITIONAL SITES, I JUST WANTED TO PUT ON YOUR RADAR THAT I'M REALLY LOOKING TO SEE IF WE CAN GET SOME COMPREHENSIVE COORDINATION GOING WITH INCOME RESTRICTED MULTI-FAMILY DEVELOPMENTS FOR ONSITE CHILDCARE. 
          UM, AND THEN CHAIR FOR ITEMS FOR FUTURE CONSIDERATION. 
          I'M ALSO LOOKING TO SEE IF WE CAN DEVELOP THOSE TYPES OF RELATIONSHIPS FOR ONSITE APPRENTICESHIPS, ONSITE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, AND FRANKLY ONSITE PROVISION OF SERVICES WHERE THERE'S NO SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS AROUND LICENSURE. 
          GREAT. 
          UH, THANK YOU COMMITTEE MEMBER. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? NO, THAT'S IT. 
          GREAT. 
          WELL, I APPRECIATE Y'ALL. 
          UM, AND NEXT ON THE AGENDA IS FUTURE AGENDA 
          [7. Identify items to discuss at future meetings.]
ITEMS. I APPRECIATE COMMUNITY MEMBER HARPER MADISON, UH, ALREADY DAYLIGHTING SOME FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS, UM, ON HER END. 
          UH, DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION? WHEN'S OUR NEXT MEETING? OUR NEXT MEETING? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. 
          . 
          UM, CAN SOMEONE FROM THE AUDIENCE GIVE A, I I'M, I'M, I'M GONNA NEED TO CALL A FRIEND OR FRIEND PHONE A FRIEND, . 
          THAT'S OKAY. 
          UM, CHAIR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I I THINK IT'S WHAT, I'M SORRY. 
          JULY 18TH. 
          JULY 18TH. 
          OH WOW. 
          OKAY. 
          I'LL HAVE TO THINK ON THAT. 
          OKAY, THANK YOU. 
          NO WORRIES. 
          GREAT. 
          OKAY, WELL THAT'S THAT. 
          UM, AND I APPRECIATE MY PHONE A FRIEND. 
          UM, WELL WITH THAT, IF THERE'S NO, UH, FURTHER BUSINESS, THE MEETING OF THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE IS ADJOURNED AT 11:27 AM ON MAY 16TH, 2025. 
          HOPE EVERYONE HAS A GREAT FRIDAY AND A GREAT WEEKEND. 
          BYE.
* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.