[00:00:04]
[CALL TO ORDER ]
ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION.IF THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU'RE HERE FOR, THEN UM, YOU MIGHT WANNA FIND, UH, SOMEWHERE ELSE TO GO.
UM, WE ARE AT 6 3 1 0 WILLAMINA DELCO DRIVE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS, ROOM 1405, AND THIS IS OUR REGULAR SCHEDULED MEETING FOR FEBRUARY 4TH.
UM, WE HAVE SOME SPEAKERS, UM, THAT WE WILL GET TO HERE IN JUST A SECOND.
UM, AND, UH, AND IT LOOKS LIKE WE'VE GOT A FEW MORE COMMISSIONERS, UM, THAT WE'RE, WE'RE WAITING ON HERE TOO, BUT WE DO HAVE QUORUM, SO WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED.
UM, BEFORE WE GET TO SOME OF OUR SPEAKERS, I DO JUST WANNA MAKE THE ANNOUNCEMENT, UM, BECAUSE I KNOW YOUR CONCERNS WITH THE I 35 CORRIDOR PROJECT.
UH, WE HAVE ASKED HERE AT THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION SEVERAL TIMES TO HAVE, UM, FOLKS FROM T DOT COME AND PRESENT TO US, UH, TO SHARE THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL MITIGATION AND IMPACT.
UM, AND WE HAVE NOT HAD A RESPONSE FROM THEM.
SO I JUST WANNA MAKE, I WANNA PUT THAT OUT THERE THAT WE HAVE, UM, ASKED SEVERAL TIMES ON THIS ISSUE.
AND, UM, AND WE ARE NO CLOSER TO HAVING THAT, THOSE FOLKS THAN WE WERE SEVERAL, WELL, EVEN A YEAR AGO.
OKAY, WITH THAT, WE'LL START WITH GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT.
[PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL ]
AND FIRST UP WE HAVE NATALIE EVANS FROM THE FESTIVAL, BEACH FOOD FOREST.UM, DO WE NEED TO DO AN ATTENDANCE CALL? LET'S DO THAT.
UM, AND OH, WE DO HAVE MORE ONLINE.
UM, MA, WHY DON'T YOU GO FIRST? ARE YOU PRESENT? YES.
COMMISSIONER SECRETARY QURESHI HERE.
AND I'M CHAIR BRISTOL, AND I'M HERE.
I'M AN AUSTIN RESIDENT AND I'M A VOLUNTEER IN THE CORE TEAM OF THE FESTIVAL, BEACH FOOD FOREST.
THE FOOD FOREST IS A VOLUNTEER LED ORGANIZATION CONTRACTED BY THE CITY TO STEWARD A 3.5 ACRE TRACT OF PUBLIC PARKLAND, JUST EAST OF I 35 NEAR LADY BIRD LAKE.
THE FOOD FOREST WAS BORN OUT OF GRASSROOTS ORGANIZING EFFORTS OF AUSTIN'S EAST SIDE RESIDENTS UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF GROUPS LIKE POER, WHO HELPED BRING THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER TO CLOSE THE HOLLY SHORES POWER PLANT AND CREATE GREEN COMMUNITY CENTERED SPACES IN ITS PLACE.
OUR FOOD FOREST HAS RECEIVED NATIONAL ATTENTION AS AN EXAMPLE FOR HOW CITIES AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS CAN WORK TOGETHER TO RESTORE PUBLIC LANDS, FEED PEOPLE, AND EDUCATE EACH OTHER ABOUT EDIBLE AND MEDICINAL PLANTS THAT ARE NATIVE OR WELL ADAPTED TO OUR CLIMATE.
AS THE CITY CONTINUES TO GROW AND SO MUCH OF OUR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT HAS BEEN LOST TO DEVELOPMENT, SPACES LIKE THIS ARE ESSENTIAL TO OUR HEALTH AND COMMUNITY WELLBEING.
THE FOOD FORCE MUST BE PRIORITIZED, PRESERVED, AND SUPPORTED IN COORDINATION WITH THE CITY.
THE FOOD FORCE HAS BEEN PLANNING ITS EXPANSION, ALSO KNOWN AS PHASE TWO SINCE 2021.
SINCE OCTOBER 20, 24, HUNDREDS OF VOLUNTEERS HAVE CONTRIBUTED THOUSANDS OF HOURS TO CREATING OUR BARRIER BERM IN PHASE TWO.
THIS BERM HAS ALSO, ALSO HAS TENS OF THOUSANDS IN INVESTMENTS FROM THE CITY'S 2024 AND 2025 URBAN FORESTRY GRANTS.
THIS BERM WAS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO FILTER INCREASED POLLUTION FROM CONSTRUCTION AND TRAVEL ON I 35, WHICH THE FOREST IS IN CLOSE PREP PROXIMITY TO DUE TO CONSTRUCTION OF A WASTEWATER PIPELINE, WHOSE PLANNING PROCESS WE WERE COMPLETELY LEFT OUT OF.
WE ARE NOW LOSING THIS PART OF THE FOOD FOREST RIGHT WHEN WE NEED IT THE MOST.
HAD WE BEEN INCLUDED IN THESE CONVERSATIONS FROM THE BEGINNING, WE COULD HAVE INVESTED OUR LIMITED RESOURCES IN ANOTHER AREA OF THE FOOD FOREST.
NOT ONLY ARE WE LOSING MONEY, LABOR TIME, PLANTS, AND SOIL AT A VALUE OF A HALF MILLION DOLLARS, WE ARE LOSING THE MOMENTUM AND ENERGY THAT WE WORK SO HARD AS A VOLUNTEER TEAM TO GROW INTO PHASE TWO.
THREE MINUTES IS NOT ENOUGH TIME TO GIVE ALL THE DETAILS OF OUR CURRENT SITUATION.
SO I EMAILED YOU ALL SOME BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN THAT LED TO THIS PRESENT MOMENT.
THE WASTEWATER PIPELINE FALLS UNDER CHAPTER 26, A TEXAS LAW REGARDING THE TAKING OF PARKLAND FOR THINGS SUCH AS PUBLIC UTILITIES.
WHILE WE WERE INCLUDED IN A SEPARATE CHAPTER TIP 26 PROCESS IN THE SAME AREA FOR AN AUSTIN ENERGY RELOCATION PROJECT, WE WERE NOT INFORMED OF THE PIPELINE UNTIL JANUARY 6TH OF THIS YEAR WITH CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULED TO START FEBRUARY 16TH.
AT NO POINT DURING THE NOVEMBER, 2024 PARKS BOARD OR JANUARY, 2025 CITY COUNCIL PIPELINE APPROVAL PROCESS WAS THE FOOD FOREST, WHO IS THE PRIMARY PARTNER
[00:05:01]
AND STEWARD OF THE LAND FOR OVER 10 YEARS.CONTACTED OR NOTIFIED THIS IS A CRITICAL FAILURE OF THE CHAPTER 26 STAKEHOLDER PROCESS.
WE ARE REQUESTING AN IMMEDIATE PAUSE AND ACCOUNTABILITY FROM THE CITY, INCLUDING A FORMAL REVIEW OF COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWNS AND REDIRECTING THE EASEMENT FUNDS THAT THE CITY RECEIVED FROM THE CHAPTER 26 PROCESS BACK TO THE FOOD FOREST.
THESE FUNDS WOULD ADDRESS IMMEDIATE REMOVAL AND STORAGE OF PLANTS PRIOR TO CONSTRUCTION AND COMPENSATE FOR LOST TIME MATERIALS AND COMMUNITY LABOR.
WE ARE REQUESTING COMMISSIONERS TO EMAIL THEIR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND TO DRAFT AND PASS A RECOMMENDATION THAT INCORPORATES ALL OF OUR REQUESTS.
NEXT UP WE HAVE ALI THARP FROM THE FESTIVAL, BEACH FOOD FOREST COMMISSIONER MORRISON, IF YOU COULD TURN YOUR CAMERA ON PLEASE.
I'VE BEEN A VOLUNTEER AT FESTIVAL BEACH FOOD FOREST FOR 10 YEARS, UM, ESTIMATING OVER 3000 HOURS OF SERVICE TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH OF THE FOOD FOREST.
I WAS INVOLVED SINCE 2020 WITH COMMUNITY ENGAGED DESIGN WORK THAT WENT INTO DESIGNING THE PART OF THE FOREST THAT IS NOW ABOUT TO BE DESTROYED BY THE TEXT I 35 EXPANSION.
AND, UM, IN, IN THINKING ABOUT WHAT WAS MOST IMPORTANT TO BRING HERE TO YOUR AWARENESS, MY PRIMARY ASK IS THAT YOU USE WHATEVER LEVERAGE YOU HAVE TO CALL ON CITY COUNCIL, CALL ON THE MAYOR TO MAKE THIS A PRIORITY.
TO ADDRESS THIS, I SENT YOU ALL AN EMAIL THAT INCLUDED MY TESTIMONY TO THE PARKS BOARD ON MONDAY EVENING.
THERE'S 54 PAGES OF DOCUMENTATION OF OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CITY THAT WE'VE SPENT SINCE 2012 WORKING TO BUILD.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IT, IT'S, IT'S AN ISSUE FOR THE URBAN FOREST GRANT PROGRAM, WHICH FUNDED ALL OF THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, WHICH FUNDED THE TREES.
THERE'S 90 TREES AND SHRUBS AND THE EARTHWORKS THAT WE PUT IN JULY OF 2024, THAT NOT CONSIDERED AT ALL OR, YOU KNOW, ACKNOWLEDGED AT ALL IN THIS PROCESS THAT ARE ABOUT TO BE DESTROYED.
AND, UM, AND SO THAT'S YOUR, YOUR, YOUR SUPERVISION, YOUR OVERSIGHT OF THAT FUND.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THE MAGGIE HAS BEEN REALLY SUPPORTIVE, LIKE THE URBAN FOREST DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN, THEY WERE UNAWARE OF THIS.
WE NOTIFIED THEM ABOUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING, AND THEY CAME OUT AND SHOWED UP TO LIKE THESE EMERGENCY RESPONSE MEETINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN HAVING WITH THE PARKS.
BUT THE ONE THING THAT, UM, IS REALLY DISHEARTENING IS THIS, UM, ATTITUDE THAT, OH, WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING BECAUSE IT'S TDOT.
BUT TDOT IS RELOCATING A CITY UTILITY VIA A CONTRACT WITH THE CITY.
SO, YOU KNOW, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WE DON'T HAVE LEVERAGE IN THAT SITUATION.
THEY'RE DOING WORK ON BEHALF OF THE CITY, AND THE CITY MADE A MISTAKE.
THE ENGINEER THAT WAS PAID BY TDOT, THAT WAS THE ONLY PERSON WHO GAVE TESTIMONY BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE WAS AWARE TO THE PARKS BOARD AT THE FIRST PUBLIC HEARING ABOUT THIS, DIRECTLY MISINFORMED THE PARKS BOARD AND SAID THE, OH, THE FOOD FOREST IS NOT IN THIS AREA.
SO THE ONLY VOICE THAT HEARD ABOUT THIS WASTEWATER PIPELINE WAS AN ENGINEER PAID BY TDOT WHO DIRECTLY MISINFORMED THE PARKS BOARD.
NO ONE ELSE GAVE PUBLIC TESTIMONY.
THE CITY COUNCIL WITH EVERYTHING THEY'RE DEALING WITH JUST PASSED IT WITHOUT A SINGLE, UM, PUBLIC COMMENT.
AND SO THERE WAS A LACK OF DUE DILIGENCE ABOUT THIS.
IT'S TOO LATE FOR US TO FILE A JUDICIAL COMPLAINT, MOST LIKELY ABOUT CHAPTER 26.
WE'RE STILL EXAMINING WHETHER WE HAVE ANY STANDING TO DO THAT.
BUT THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE OBLIGATION TO DO ALL REASONABLE PLANNING TO MITIGATE HARM TO THIS PARK WAS NOT MET CLEARLY BY THE FACT THAT WE'RE ESTIMATING HALF A MILLION OF DOLLARS OF DAMAGES, ANOTHER $120,000 OF DAMAGES JUST TO LIKE RESPOND WITHIN A FEW WEEKS NOTICE TO THIS SITUATION.
UM, SO IT'S, IT'S DEEPLY DISHEARTENING, IT'S EGREGIOUS, AND WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT TO, TO GET OUR CITY UNIFIED IN, IN CALLING TEXT OUT INTO, YOU KNOW, STOPPING BEING A ROGUE ACTOR.
THEY NEED TO MEET WITH YOUR COMMISSION, THEY NEED TO MEET WITH US.
THEY'RE REFUSING TO MEET WITH US TOO.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, PLEASE SUPPORT US AND LET'S WORK TOGETHER TO PROTECT OUR URBAN FOREST.
NEXT UP WE HAVE ANGELINA ALANIS FROM THE FESTIVAL BEACH FOOD FOREST.
I'M ALSO A VOLUNTEER AT FESTIVAL BEACH FOOD FOREST.
UH, I THINK MY FRIEND SUMS IT UP REALLY WELL, AND I KNOW I HAVE FRIENDS HERE IN THIS ROOM, SO I'M GRATEFUL TO BE HERE TO SPEAK.
UM, I ALSO WANTED TO CALL IN ATTENTION THAT CURRENTLY THE PLANS TO RESTORE
[00:10:01]
THE SITE, UM, ARE TO REINSTALL BERMUDA GRASS IN THE AREA, WHICH IS THE VERY THING THAT WE'VE BEEN TRYING FOR LIKE OVER 10 YEARS TO ERADICATE FROM THE AREA.AND I KNOW THAT THIS COUNCIL ALSO DEALS WITH LIKE RE REVEGETATION AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND SO WE WOULD LOVE FOR THE PLANS TO RESTORE THE SITE, ALSO TO RESTORE WHAT WE'VE BEEN SO WORKING, WORKING SO HARD TO IMPLEMENT.
UM, WE'RE ALSO REALLY CURIOUS ABOUT WHERE THE BREAKDOWN IN COMMUNICATION OCCURRED.
UM, WE UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S YOUR PURVIEW TO DO THE RE REVEGETATION LANDSCAPING FOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS.
AND SO WE'RE WONDERING IF THIS COMMISSION WAS EVER NOTIFIED ABOUT THE PROJECT AND WHAT AWARENESS THE WATERSHED STAFF HAD IN THESE PLANS, AND WHAT IS THEIR ROLE IN THIS PROJECT AS WELL? UM, WE'VE BEEN WORKING TO RESTORE THE SOIL AND IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF IT BY INCORPORATING MORE MYCELIUM AND LIVE MICRO, UM, LIVE MASS INSIDE OF THE SOIL.
WE'VE ALSO BEEN WORKING TO RESTORE THE TREE CANOPY IN A WAY THAT'S SUPER HOLISTIC AND BRINGS IN MANY DIFFERENT SPECIES.
WE'VE DOCUMENTED 27 DIFFERENT KINDS OF BEES IN THE AREA.
IT'S MOSTLY NATIVES, IT'S A LOT OF PLANTS WORKING TOGETHER TO CREATE A REALLY FULL HEALTHY ECOSYSTEM.
AND SO THIS KIND OF CLIMATE IS REALLY HARD TO REPLICATE ONCE IT'S BEEN TAKEN OUT.
AND SO WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO GET AHEAD OF IT AND SEE WHAT WE CAN DO TO HELP MITIGATE ALL THE HARM, EVEN IF IT'S JUST SLOWING IT DOWN BY A COUPLE WEEKS SO THAT WE CAN GET ALL THE PLANTS OUTTA THE AREA AND THEN ALSO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING IS RESTORED.
WE WORKED REALLY HARD AS VOLUNTEERS.
IT TAKES A LOT LONGER TO DO THIS KIND OF WORK AS A VOLUNTEER LED ORGANIZATION.
AND SO WE'RE REALLY KIND OF FLOUNDERING TO BOTH DEAL WITH IT REALLY QUICKLY, BUT THEN ALSO SEE HOW WE MIGHT CONTINUE THAT MOMENTUM AND LIKE REENERGIZE OUR GROUP WHEN WE FEEL LIKE WE DID A LOT OF WORK.
WE CREATED LIKE 12 ITERATIONS OF LEGAL DOCUMENTS WITH THE CITY TO LIKE TRY TO PROTECT THE SPACE AND INSTILL OUR PLANS AND ALL THE CITY'S CODES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND ALL OF THAT WAS TOTALLY IGNORED IN THIS PROCESS.
AND SO IT'S ALSO ABOUT REBUILDING THAT TRUST WITH ALL OF THE COMMISSIONS AND BOARDS AND COUNCIL THAT KIND OF OVERLOOKED US THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS.
THAT'S ALL THE PUBLIC COMMENT.
WE APPRECIATE, UM, ALL OF OUR CITIZENS COMMUNICATIONS AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING YOUR TIME OUTTA YOUR DAY TO COME AND EXPRESS YOUR CONCERNS.
[APPROVAL OF MINUTES ]
HAVE MINUTES FROM OUR LAST MEET MEETING.DOES ANYBODY WANT TO MOVE TO PRESSES? MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES.
ALL IN FAVOR? IT LOOKS LIKE THAT'S UNANIMOUS.
[2. Presentation on “Sound Enforcement by Ordinance.” Presentation by Elaine Garrett, Assistant Director and Dedric Knox, Division Manager, Austin Development Services. ]
TO DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS. UM, OUR FIRST PRESENTATION IS, UH, ON THE SOUND ENFORCEMENT ORDINANCE.AND JUST AS A REMINDER, AS YOU'RE A SPEAKER, JUST MAKE SURE YOU SAY, UH, YOUR NAME AS, UH, YOU START YOUR PRESENTATION.
I'M AN ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR AUSTIN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES.
SO WE'RE HERE TODAY TO PRESENT, UM, FOR THE SOUND ENFORCEMENT ORDINANCE AND INFORMATION REGARDING THE, THE NOISE ORDINANCE.
LOOK AT THE, UH, POWERPOINT UP.
THAT SLIDE IS PRETTY SMALL TO SEE.
SO JUST TO GIVE YOU AN OVERVIEW OF THIS, THERE'S BEEN A REORGANIZATION OF THE SOUND ENFORCEMENT TEAM, THE, UH, IN GENERAL, UH, OCTOBER OF 25 BECAUSE THERE, THERE WAS A REORGANIZATION, THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW DIVISION OR DEPARTMENT, ACME ARTS AND MUSIC AND CULTURAL AND ENTERTAINMENT, THE PERMITTING PROCESS FOR SOUND AND OUTDOOR MUSIC VENUES MOVED TO THAT TEAM, BUT THE ENFORCEMENT PRO, UH, PROGRAM STAYED WITH US AT AUSTIN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES.
WITH ME TONIGHT IS DERICK KNOX, WHO'S THE DIVISION MANAGER OVER THAT.
AND HE'LL ADDRESS WHAT THAT TEAM DOES IN FEW SLIDES.
OKAY, SO WHAT DO WE DO RIGHT NOW? UM, OUR DEPARTMENT WILL HANDLE NOISE COMPLAINTS ON THREE LEVELS.
AND THOSE THREE LEVELS ARE OBVIOUSLY THE OUTDOOR MUSIC VENUE PERMITS THAT ARE PROVIDED.
BUT WE ALSO DEAL WITH CONSTRUCTION NOISE.
HOWEVER, WE DON'T RESPOND TO CONSTRUCTION NOISE COMPLAINTS AFTER 10 O'CLOCK AT ALL, BUT THAT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF A PD.
THE MECHANICAL NOISE, WE DO RESPOND AS A 3 1 1 COMPLAINT, AND THOSE ARE ISSUED, THOSE ARE HANDLED BY THE CODE INSPECTORS.
SO WE SEE THREE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES HERE.
[00:15:01]
BY THE SOUND ENFORCEMENT INSPECTORS.THE CONSTRUCTION NOISE IS HANDLED BY A PD AND THE MECHANICAL NOISE IS HANDLED BY THE AUSTIN CODE INSPECTOR.
SO YOU HAVE GOT THREE DIFFERENT ARENAS THAT DEAL WITH THE NOISE OF, UH, ORDINANCE.
AGAIN, THIS IS SMALL, BUT THIS JUST TO PROVIDE AN INTRODUCTION AS TO WHAT IS THE TITLE IX PROHIBIT ACTIVITIES ON NOISE ORDINANCE AND WHAT TITLE IX IS BASICALLY TELLING YOU WHAT THE, OR THE NOISE ORDINANCE IS.
UH, AS YOU CAN SEE IT, IT'S DIFFICULT TO SEE, BUT THERE ARE DIFFERENT VARIANCES, RIGHT? THE HOURS, THE TIMES, THE LOCATIONS MAY VARY AND IT MAY BE VARY BY DAY, BUT A PERSON CAN'T USE OR PERMIT THE USE OF SOUND EQUIPMENT AT A BUSINESS.
AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THAT, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT COMMERCIAL NOISE, UH, IN COMMERCIAL STRUCTURES OF BUSINESSES AT A BUSINESS IN EXCESSIVE DECIBEL LIMITS THAT ARE PRESCRIBED.
AND THEN YOU'LL SEE THAT THERE'S A VARIANCE OF DECIMAL LIMITS AS WELL AS A VARIANCE OF THE TIME.
I ADDED THIS SLIDE ONLY TO SAY THAT SOMETIMES THERE ARE AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSES TO THESE VIOLATIONS AND WHAT IT IS, FOR INSTANCE, AN EXAMPLE WOULD BE IF IT'S A CONCRETE PORE, IF IT'S A CONCRETE PORE, THERE MAY HAVE TO BE AN EXCEPTION TO THAT ORDINANCE BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT IT IS NEGATED TO BE DONE SPECIFICALLY AT A SPECIFIC TIME.
AND IT'S TIME SENSITIVE BASICALLY, WHEN IT OCCURS.
HOWEVER, THERE IS A VARIANCE TO SAY, WELL, WE HAD TO CONTINUE DO THIS AS A CONTINUOUS POOR.
A SO A PERSON CAN'T OPERATE SOUND EQUIPMENT AT A BUSINESS.
AGAIN, I'M TALKING ABOUT A BUSINESS THAT EXCEEDS 85 DECIBELS BETWEEN 10 O'CLOCK AND TWO.
BETWEEN 10 O'CLOCK AND TWO IS WHEN WE HAVE THE, THE SOUND AND UM, ENFORCEMENT TEAM OUT.
ANYTHING THAT'S CALLED IN AFTER TWO GOES TO A PD.
SO I THINK A LOT OF TIMES WHEN REPORTS ARE CALLED INTO 3 1 1, UH, THERE, THERE IS OFTEN SOMETIMES CONFUSION.
AND AS WE KNOW THAT A PD SOMETIMES THEIR PRIORITY LEVELS ARE HIGHER WITH DIFFERENT CASES.
SO IT MAY NOT BE A PRI IT PROBABLY IS NOT A PRIORITY LEVEL ON A NOISE COMPLAINT.
SO RESTRICTIONS ON, ON THE SOUND IN RESIDENTIAL AREAS.
SO WHAT I'VE SAID PREVIOUSLY ALL APPLIED TO COMMERCIAL, BUT NOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT RESIDENTIAL TO RESIDENTIAL.
IF IT'S A RESIDENTIAL TO RESIDENTIAL COMPLAINT, THOSE ALSO ARE ADDRESSED BY 3 1 1.
HOWEVER, THOSE ARE RESPONDED TO BY A PD.
SO THE ORDINANCE HAS ANOTHER FACTOR IN IT.
IT'S ABOUT WHAT IS PERMITTED TO BE ALLOWED FOR NOISE COMPLAINTS.
RIGHT? SO THIS ONE TALKS ABOUT WHAT WE SEE AS AS REQUIRING A PERMIT.
AND AGAIN, I I'LL TALK ABOUT CONCRETE PORES.
THE CONCRETE PORE HAS THREE TYPES OF, OF, OF, UH, PERMITS THAT ARE ALLOWED.
THOSE PERMITS ARE, ARE VARIED AT THE SOUND LEVELS TOO.
IT COULD BE AN 83 DECIBEL, A 78 DECIBEL, OR A CONTINUOUS PORES, I I MENTIONED EARLIER.
THAT MUST OCCUR AND THOSE HOURS CAN BE VARIED AS WELL.
THAT IS RE THAT IS SOMETHING THAT'S DRAWN OUT AND RESTRICT.
UH, IT IS RESTRICTIONS THAT ARE SET IN WHEN THEY RECEIVE THEIR PERMITS.
SO WE'RE TALKING ALSO ABOUT PERMITTING FOR, UH, AGAIN, WE'RE STILL TALKING ABOUT THE CONCRETE POUR, BUT WITH THAT WE'RE SAYING, WELL, THEY DO HAVE CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS AND CERTAIN THINGS THEY HAVE TO MEET TO OBTAIN THAT PERMIT.
THEY ALSO HAVE TO, UH, PROVIDE, UH, SOUND AND LIGHTING THAT MAY BE BUFFERS OR BARRIERS TO THE NOISE.
THEY, UH, HAVE TO GIVE NOTIFICATIONS TO THE NEIGHBORS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
UH, DI THE DURATION OF THE PERMIT IS ONLY FOR 72 HOURS AND ONE PERMIT PER PROJECT, AND IT COULD LEAD TO A SUSPENSION OR DENIAL OF FUTURE PERMITS FOR THOSE PROJECTS.
SO NOW WE'RE MOVING INTO, UH, PERMITTING FOR OUTDOOR MUSIC VENUES.
AND WITH THAT, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO DIVISION MANAGER, DEIDRICH KNOX.
HE'S THE CURRENT DIVISION MANAGER.
WHEN WE DID THE REORGANIZATION, THERE WAS A DIVISION MANAGER WHO HAD TO STRUCTURE OVER THAT.
HIS OVERSIGHT IS OVER FOUR INSPECTORS THAT WORK SEVEN NIGHTS A WEEK.
WELL, THEY DON'T CONSISTENTLY WORKS.
GOOD EVENING, UH, MADAM CHAIR AND COMMISSIONERS.
YEAH, MY NAME IS, UH, DERICK KNOX.
I'M A DIVISION MANAGER FOR, UH, THE NUISANCE OF ABATEMENT, DIVISION OF DSD, UH, A SD I'M SORRY,
[00:20:01]
AUSTIN, UH, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES.UM, JUST TO GET INTO THIS JUST A LITTLE BIT, UM, THE OUTSIDE THE OMV, THE, THE OUTDOOR MUSIC VENUE PERMITTING, OR THE OUTDOOR MUSIC STARTS WITHIN THIS, UH, CHAPTER NINE TWO DASH 30.
UH, AND AS YOU CAN SEE, IT SAYS DE DECIMAL LIMITS, UH, WITHIN THIS, UH, ORDINANCE.
SO THE GENERAL LIMITS ARE 10:30 PM SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY, 11:00 PM IS THURSDAYS AND 12 MIDNIGHT, FRIDAY, SATURDAY, AND ON NEW YEAR'S EVE.
NOW THAT'S GENERAL, AND THAT'S IF YOU HAVE MUSIC.
AND THAT'S NOT AFTER HOURS TYPICALLY.
OKAY? UH, YOUR SPECIAL CASES, OF COURSE, WILL BE WITHIN THE WAREHOUSE IN, UH, SI SIXTH STREET DISTRICTS.
UM, AND IT GOES UNTIL UP UNTIL, UH, 2:00 AM AT A 85, UH, DECAL, UH, LIMIT.
NOW, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE WAREHOUSE AND SIXTH STREETS, THERE ARE TWO SEPARATE PARTS OF SIXTH STREETS OR EAST SIXTH.
AND THEN YOU HAVE THE WAREHOUSE DISTRICT.
THE WAREHOUSE DISTRICT IS TYPICALLY, UM, RESPONDED TO BY AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT.
UM, THE OTHER PARTS OF IT, THE WEST SIXTH STREET, UH, RIVER AND RIVERSIDE, RIVERSTONE, ALL THAT IS ANSWERED BY AUSTIN CODE.
SO IT'S, IT'S KIND OF MIXED THERE JUST A LITTLE BIT.
UM, THE SPRING FESTIVAL SOUTH BY, WE'RE ALL FAMILIAR WITH THAT.
UM, IT'S 85 DECIBEL, UH, MEETINGS UNTIL 2:00 AM.
UM, THE RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT, I JUST MENTIONED THAT IT'S, UH, SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY, 10 30, UH, PM ON THURSDAYS UNTIL 12, UH, MIDNIGHT AND FRIDAY, SATURDAY ON NEW YEAR'S IS TILL 1:00 AM.
UH, THE ADDITIONAL RULES ARE THE RESTAURANTS.
THEY ARE LIMITED TO A 70, UH, DECIBEL LIMIT.
JUST AS A CA CAVEAT, UH, THERE IS A SENATE BILL THAT'S ACTIVE THAT ALLOWS RESTAURANTS TO HAVE OUTDOOR MUSIC UNTIL 10 O'CLOCK.
SO THEY WOULD NOT REQUIRE A OMV OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT BECAUSE STATE LAW PROHIBITS A MUNICIPALITY OR A COUNTY, ANYTHING, MAKING THEM GET AN OUTDOOR PERMIT.
BUT THEY HAVE TO BE AT THAT 70 DECAL.
OKAY? AND SO IF THEY, IF WE DO GET A CALL ON THAT AND WE RESPOND TO IT, IF THEY ARE OVER THE 70 VESSELS, THEN WE WILL FOLLOW OUR PROCESSES FOR THAT, JUST LIKE WE WOULD ANY OTHER MUSIC, MUSIC EVENT.
OKAY? UM, THE, UH, COMMERCIAL RE RECREATION DISTRICTS, UH, THEY MUST, WE HAVE TO FOLLOW 25 2 DASH 5 83, WHICH SIMPLY SAYS THAT, UH, DURING THAT, THOSE AREAS, WHERE'S THE TOWN LAKE AND ALL OF THAT STUFF.
YOU, YOU CAN'T BE OVER THE 70 DECIBELS.
THAT'S, THAT'S ONE OF THOSE CAVEATS AS WELL.
UM, AND OF COURSE, ALL MEASUREMENTS REQUIRE A, AN APPROVED DECIMAL METER.
IT'S EITHER A, A TYPE ONE OR A TYPE TWO.
UM, AND IT HAS TO BE, UM, BE ABLE TO READ AND HAVE THAT TIME SPAN IN BETWEEN IT, UH, THAT 15 SECOND, UH, TIME SPAN IN ORDER FOR US TO READ IT.
I'M TALKING AND I'M FORGETTING, I GOT, THE PERMITS ARE GOOD FOR ONE YEAR, UH, FOR, UH, THE O BS, THE OUTSIDE MUSIC VENUES.
UH, THEY MUST COMPLY WITH DIGITAL DIVISION ONE AND DIVISION THREE, UH, WITHIN, UH, CHAPTER NINE, UH, OF THE SOUND ORDINANCE.
UM, AND WE HAVE TO, ONCE THEY DO THIS, THEY HAVE TO HAVE A NOTICE OF APPLICATION IN, AND THAT'S PER 9 2 54.
AND IF THE NEIGHBORHOOD WERE, THEY ARE ASKING FOR A OMV OUTDOOR PERMIT, UH, THEY HAVE 14 DAYS TO APPEAL IT.
UM, AND THE DECISION TO APPROVE OR DENY MAY BE APPEALED.
AND OF COURSE, THE, THE CODE FOR THAT IS 9 2 56.
[00:25:07]
ALL RIGHT.I THINK YOUR SLIDE WENT BACKWARDS.
THE PURPOSE OF MAINTAINING, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE GOOD NEIGHBOR POLICY ON THE NEW, UH, UNDER NINE TWO DASH 40.
UH, MAINTAIN SAFETY, UH, QUIET AND CLEANLINESS AROUND OUTDOOR, UH, MUSIC VENUES.
AND OF COURSE, NOBODY WANTS TO BE AROUND ANYBODY.
ANYTHING THAT'S UNCLEAN IS NOT QUIET.
AND IT'S, AND THAT'S OUR WHOLE PURPOSE, RIGHT? IS, IS TO, WE ARE TRYING TO FIND THAT FRIENDLY BALANCE FOR, FOR COMMUNITIES AS WELL AS, AS THE BUSINESSES AND PLACES THAT WANT TO HAVE LIVE MUSIC OR HAVE AMPLIFIED SOUND AND THAT TYPE OF THING.
UM, COMPLIANCE WITH THE GOOD NEIGHBOR POLICY IS A CONDITION OF THE PERMIT ITSELF, AND IT'S ADOPTED, UH, THROUGH RULES, UH, ONE THROUGH TWO.
UH, THAT IS A SOUND IMPACT PLAN.
AND BASICALLY, UH, AND, AND I'LL GO DOWN HERE, UH, FOR YOU, IT'S, IT'S SOUND MITIGATING DESIGN FEATURES.
UM, IT, IT, IT LISTS THE DECAL, UH, LIMITS, UH, THE OPERATING ORDERS FOR THE EVENT OR THE VENUE, UM, UH, THE RESPONSIBLE CONTACT INFO AND, UH, A PERMIT, UH, JUST THE, THE PERMIT DISPLAY LOCATION.
UM, SO BASICALLY THESE SIGN IMPACT PLANS, JUST TO GIVE YOU A BETTER PICTURE OF IT, UH, WHEN WE GO TO INSPECT THESE PLACES AND WE GET A CALL, THIS IS WHAT WE LOOK AT, WE LOOK AND SEE IF THEY HAVE A PERMIT TO EVEN BE OPERATING.
IF THEY HAVE A PERMIT WITHIN THE PERMIT, THEY HAVE A SOUND IMPACT PLAN.
THE SOUND IMPACT PLAN IS JUST KIND OF LIKE, IT'S LIKE A SITE PLAN, UH, FOR WHEN YOU'RE BUILDING SOMETHING.
BUT THIS SITE PLAN IS THE INTERIOR OF THAT EVENT, AND IT TELLS US WHERE EVERY SPEAKER IS SUPPOSED TO BE WHILE ALL THE AMPLIFIED STUFF IS SUPPOSED TO BE.
SO WHEN WE ARRIVE AND THEY HAVE A SPEAKER ON THE, ON THE FRONT STEPS OR, UH, POINTED OUT OF A WINDOW OR SOMETHING, AND THAT'S NOT ON THAT PLAN, THEN THAT'S A VIOLATION.
SO, AND, AND THAT'S, AND WE ACTIVELY, WE ACTUALLY DO THAT.
AND SO THAT'S ONE OF THE VIOLATIONS THAT WE LOOK FOR IS IF THEY'RE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THEIR ASSIGNED SOUND IMPACT PLAN.
I'M, SO, I'M SAYING, I'M HAVING TO SAY THE WHOLE THING.
9 2 61 OFFENSES, MAKING NOISE OR USING SOUND EQUIPMENT IN VIOLATION OF THIS CHAPTER OR SOUND IMPACT PLAN.
IT IS AN OFFENSE WE JUST TALKED ABOUT.
THEY DO NOT HAVE TO HAVE A CU A CULPABLE MENTAL STATE, WHICH MEAN THEY DON'T HAVE TO KNOWINGLY DO IT.
THEY DON'T HAVE TO RECKLESSLY DO IT.
UH, IT'S JUST, IT IS WHAT IT IS.
IF YOU'RE DOING IT, IT IS A VIOLATION THAT IS NOT ONE OF THE ELEMENTS OF THE LAW THAT THEY HAVE TO MEET IN ORDER TO BE FILED ON.
UM, EACH VIOLATION VIOLATION IS A SEPARATE OFFENSE.
RATHER, I GO THREE TIMES IN ONE NIGHT, OR RATHER, I GO EVERY OTHER NIGHT.
IT'S EVERY, UH, EVERYTHING, EVERY, EVERY TIME I GET A CALL, IT'S A DIFFERENT OFFENSE EVERY TIME I WALK THERE.
AND THEY'RE DOING THE SAME THING.
THIS VIOLATIONS ARE, ARE CONSIDERED NUISANCES AND THE CITY MAY SEEK INJUNCTIVE RELIEF.
SO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT COULD HAPPEN, UM, THEY, THEIR PERMITS CAN BE SUSPENDED, UM, AND IT CAN BE SUSPENDED UP TO TWO WEEKS.
UM, OR THEY CAN BE DENIED A PERMIT IF THEY CONTINUE TO BE DISRUPTIVE, UH, IN THE COMMUNITY OR, OR WHAT HAVE YOU OR NOT OBEYING THE FOLLOWING.
THE GUIDELINES AND THE RULES OF THE ORDINANCE.
UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE LOOK FOR IS FOUR DOCUMENTED VIOLATIONS OF THE SOUND IMPACT PLAN, UH, WITHIN 45 DAYS.
AND, UM, WE BELIEVE THAT'S, THAT'S EXCESSIVE IF WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO COME OUT THERE FOR THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER.
SO, SOME OF THE VIOLATIONS THAT WE HAVE ON FILE, UM, THAT WE, THAT WE DO FILE, UH, VIOLATIONS OF THE SOUND IMPACT PLAN, WHICH WE JUST SPOKE ABOUT, OUTDOOR MUSIC VENUE, UH, PERMITS, UH, UM,
[00:30:01]
OVER PERMANENT DB LIMIT.SO EVERY SOUND IMPACT PLAN COMES WITH THE AMOUNT OF HOW MUCH, UH, OR HOW LOUD IT CAN BE RATHER.
UH, SO IF, IF YOUR SOUND IMPACT PLAN SAYS THAT YOU CAN ONLY GO 80, UH, DB UH, WHEN WE GO OUT THERE AND MEASURE IT, IT HAS TO BE 80 OR HUNDRED.
ANYTHING OVER THAT IS VIOLATION.
UM, IF YOU'RE OPERATING OUTSIDE THE PERMITTED TIME, WHICH MEANS, UH, IF YOU ARE FALLING UNDER THAT SECTION OF THE, OF THE CODE THAT SAYS THAT YOU HAVE TO STOP AT 11 OR 12 AND YOU'RE STILL GOING, UH, AND YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO STOP AT 11 AND I COME BY AT 1130, OR I GET A CALL AT 1130 AND I MAKE IT THIRD AND YOU'RE STILL OPERATING, THAT IS A VIOLATION.
IF YOU ARE OPERATING, DOING, UH, OUTSIDE ENTERTAINMENT WITH, UH, AMPLIFIED SOUND, UH, THAT IS A VIOLATION BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE A PERMIT.
UH, SO YOU'RE OPERATING WITHOUT THE PERMIT, THAT IS A VIOLATION ITSELF.
NEXT SLIDE, PROCESS FOUR ENFORCEMENT IS, COMPLAINT IS RECEIVED THROUGH 3 1 1.
OF COURSE, UH, THE INSPECTION IS CONDUCTED.
UH, AGAIN, WE CHECK FOR ANY PERMITS.
UH, WE VERIFY THE SOURCE OF THE SOUND WHERE IT MAY BE COMING FROM SO THAT WE CAN VALIDATE IT.
ONCE WE FIND OUT WHERE IT'S COMING FROM, THEN WE CHECK IT, UH, WITH OUR SOUND METERS, AND WE GIVE IT THAT 15 SECOND AVERAGE, LIKE I SAID.
UM, THEN WE SPEAK TO, UH, THE, THE MANAGER, UH, THAT'S ON SITE, OR THE PERSON WHO'S OVER THE VENUE OR WHATEVER IS GOING ON.
UM, WE DO TRY TO SEEK VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE, OF COURSE, UH, BUT SOMETIMES IT'S NOT ALWAYS THERE WITHIN THIS ENVIRONMENT.
UH, SO THE NEXT, OUR NEXT STEP WOULD BE TO FILE A CITATION THROUGH AFFIDAVIT WITH THE MUNICIPAL COURT.
YOU WANT ME TO DO IT AGAIN? YES.
SO WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE IS, UH, ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT, UH, WE FACED IN CODE, UH, FROM TALKING WITH LEGAL AND, UM, BEING FACE TO FACE WITH THE PUBLIC AND TRYING TO MAKE AN IMPACT, ESPECIALLY IN PLACES THAT, THAT ARE REPETITIOUS, UH, IS THAT WE FOUND OUT THROUGH CITY LEGAL THAT JUST BECAUSE THEY HAVE A PERMIT, IT DOES NOT GIVE US THE AUTHORITY TO GO IN AND CHECK.
SO WE DON'T HAVE THAT AUTHORITY TO GO IN AND CHECK WITHIN THAT ESTABLISHMENT.
THE SAME, THE, THE, THE SIP THAT I MENTIONED, THE SOUND IMPACT PLAN.
WE JUST DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO WALK IN THERE AND SAY, I'M CHECKING FOR YOUR SPEAKERS WHERE THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE, WHERE YOUR SOUND EQUIPMENT, WHERE THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE.
AND I'M, I'M A CODE INSPECTOR, SO IF, IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH BUILDING PERMITS, WE, WE HAVE THAT, RIGHT? WE CAN COME ONTO THE PROPERTY AND WE CAN LOOK AT THINGS AND MAKE SURE THINGS ARE BEING BUILT CORRECTLY, UH, THAT EVERYTHING'S BEING MAINTAINED AND ALL THAT GOOD STUFF.
BUT THAT'S A CAVEAT IN THE BUILDING CODE THAT ALLOWS US TO DO THAT.
THIS CODE AS IS CURRENTLY, AS IS CURRENTLY WRITTEN, DOES NOT GIVE US THE AUTHORITY TO GO INTO THE ESTABLISHMENT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE SIP IS BEING OBEYED.
AND SO WHAT, THIS IS THE FORM THAT LEGAL PUT TOGETHER FOR US THAT ESSENTIALLY THE BUSINESS OWNER HAS TO SIGN AND SAY THAT THEY WILL ALLOW US TO COME IN THERE TO CHECK THEIR SOUND IMPACT PLAN.
THE ONLY OTHER CAVEAT WE HAVE, IF THEY DENY IT AND IT'S JUST, IT IS JUST LIKE A POLICE OFFICER, RIGHT? SO I CAN GO IN THERE AND BE LOOKING AT THINGS AND THEY CAN STOP IT AND I HAVE TO LEAVE.
IF THEY SAY, I, I I'VE CHANGED MY MIND, I DON'T WANT YOU TO CHECK ANYTHING OUT, I WANT YOU TO LEAVE.
SO I HAVE TO LEAVE AND, AND WE'RE GONNA LEAVE.
'CAUSE WE WANT TO OBEY THE LAW
SO OUR NEXT, OUR NEXT AVENUE THAT WE WOULD HAVE IS, UH, SEEKING A SEARCH WARRANT.
AND SO THAT'S WHERE WE WERE UNTIL WE GOT THIS WAIVER BECAUSE SOME OF THE EVENTS AND SOME OF THE VENUES DON'T MIND US COMING IN.
THEY'LL SIGN IT RIGHT THEN AND THERE, AND THEY'LL LET US GO IN AND CHECK THINGS AND WE'LL TELL 'EM THAT, LOOK, WE'VE HAD SO MANY COMPLAINTS, WE NEED TO LOWER IT DOWN.
YOU KNOW, UM, I KNOW EVERYBODY'S HERE TRYING TO HAVE A GOOD TIME, BUT IF WE COME BACK, WE WILL HAVE TO WRITE A TICKET BECAUSE I MEAN, IT, IT IS WHAT IT IS.
AND WE TRY TO WORK WITH EVERYBODY.
SO IT IS EITHER THIS FORM HERE OR EITHER A SEARCH WARRANT THAT, UH, WE WOULD HAVE TO SEEK TO GO AND CHECK THOSE SOUND IMPACT
[00:35:01]
PLANS.LET ME ADD SOME, SOMETHING ELSE ON THESE CHALLENGES THAT WE'RE FACING IS, UH, THE AFTER HOURS NOISE COMPLAINTS IN GENERAL, AS WE SAID EARLIER, BECAUSE IT'S, UH, A LITTLE BIT MESSY IN HOW THE ORDINANCE IS WRITTEN.
'CAUSE YOU SAW EARLIER THAT, YOU KNOW, ONE ENTITY MAY HAVE TO ENFORCE IT AFTER 10 O'CLOCK OR 12 O'CLOCK, THEN YOU HAVE ANOTHER ENTITY THAT IT WILL ENFORCE IT IF IT'S A DIFFERENT TYPE OF NOISE.
AND THEN OF COURSE YOU HAVE THE, THE PERMITTED ENFORCEMENT TEAM.
SO IT DOES, SOMETIMES THAT'S A CHALLENGE BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST WITH US, BUT I THINK IT ALSO IS WITH 3 1 1.
UH, AND SO WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THEM TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN TRY TO IMPROVE HOW THEY FUNNEL THOSE CALLS OUT THE CORRECT WAY.
THOSE ARE ONE OF THE, UH, ONE OF THE CHALLENGES WE SEEN.
AS I, AS I SAID, UH, THE ORDINANCE, IT SAYS IT'S VAGUE, BUT IT'S BASICALLY, IT'S, IT'S AN ORDINANCE WRITTEN BY THE CITY AND IT'S, IT'S THERE TO PROTECT CERTAIN AREAS.
AS WE SAID EARLIER, RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL, AND THEN THE CUSTOMERS.
BUT THE RESPONDENT AGENCY IS REALLY, AS I SAID A MINUTE AGO WITH 3 1 1, SOMETIMES THE CUSTOMER'S NOT ALWAYS CLEAR WHAT, WHAT THEIR NEED IS FOR THAT NOISE COMPLAINT.
UH, SO WE REALLY HAVE BEEN TRYING HARD TO, UH, DO A CAMPAIGN.
WE JUST RECENTLY HAD A CAMPAIGN ON MECHANICAL NOISE AND HOW TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE IF YOU'RE CALLING IN A MECHANICAL NOISE COMPLAINT VERSUS, UH, LOUD OUTDOOR MUSIC NOISE COMPLAINT.
SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE'VE SEEN.
UH, AND THEN WITH THE REORGANIZATION, THAT ALSO KIND OF, WE'RE STILL TRYING TO GET THAT METAL THROUGH TOGETHER BECAUSE THE PERMITS AREN'T ISSUED BY OUR END ANYMORE.
AND SO WE HAVE TO WORK HAND IN HAND WITH THEM TO MAKE SURE WE UNDERSTAND WHAT, WHAT TESTING THEY'RE DOING AND WHAT THEY ENDED UP, UH, RECOMMENDING.
HOPE IT WASN'T TOO LONG, BUT, UH, WE WE'RE OPEN FOR QUESTIONS.
AND, UM, LET'S HAVE SOME QUESTIONS.
WE'LL GO AHEAD AND START ONLINE, UM, WITH, UH, IF EITHER ONE OF Y'ALL WANNA START THERE ONLINE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
I DO NOT HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR NOW.
NO, NO QUESTIONS FROM ME EITHER.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UH, YEAH, THANK Y'ALL VERY MUCH, UH, FOR PRESENTATION, INSIGHTFUL, LEARNED SOME, UH, SOME THINGS AND TOOK SOME NOTES THAT I'LL BRING HOME.
UH, DO HAVE SOME QUESTIONS, UH, MAYBE ON MECHANICAL NOISE.
UH, SO IF A, A TEAM OF, UH, YOU KNOW, LAWN WORKER SHOWS UP WITH, UH, GAS POWERED EQUIPMENT, UH, AT 9:00 AM DO I UNDERSTAND THEY WOULD BE BREAKING THE SOUND ORDINANCE NOT AT 9:00 AM UH, IT'S 10:00 AM IT'S 10, I'M SORRY.
10:00 PM TO 7:00 AM FOR THE ACTUAL NOISE COMPLAINT.
UH, AND THE MECHANICAL, LIKE LAWN EQUIPMENT IS REALLY CONSIDERED LIKE REASONABLE.
UH, IT'S NOW, IF THEY'RE OUT THERE BLOWING THE AIR BLOWER LEAF BLOWER AT THREE IN THE MORNING, I'D BE WONDERING WHY
UM, SO, UH, QUESTION I HAVE IS MORE ON CITY PROPERTIES AND ON LIKE GOLF COURSES IS WHERE I DO SEE IN HERE.
UH, YOU KNOW, ON OUR SIDE OF TOWN WE HAVE THE JIMMY CLAY, ROY KAISER 36 HOLES, AND THEY, THEY'RE CLEARLY OPERATING LAWN EQUIPMENT THAT YOU CAN HEAR FROM OUR STREETS, UM, WELL BEFORE SEVEN IN THE MORNING.
UM, IS, DO THEY HAVE AN EXCEPTION OR SHOULD I BE ABLE TO, THERE'S NOT, YEAH, THAT'S NOT AN EXCEPTION.
AND, AND THERE WOULD NOT BE AN EXCEPTION FOR A CITY PROPERTY ANY DIFFERENTLY FOR THEY WOULD DO IS HAVE TO CALL IN A THREE ONE ONE COMPLAINT THAT THE NOISE IS LOUD.
AND WE GET THAT SOMETIMES, UH, SOME, SOMETHING PRETTY CLOSE TO THAT IS DUMPSTERS, YOU KNOW? YEAH.
RELATED TO DUMPSTERS THAT BUILD THAT.
THEY'RE TRYING TO GET THOSE CLEANED OUT BEFORE TRAFFIC OR EVERYONE ELSE COMES IN, BUT IT'S STILL IS IMPACTFUL.
UM, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS FOR CITY STAFF OR Y'ALL, BUT, UM, HAS, HAS, UH, DISCUSSION EVER BEEN BROUGHT FORWARD ON, ON USING, UH, ELECTRIC POWERED EQUIPMENT AT CITY RUN PROPERTIES FOR MAINTENANCE? UM, AS FAR AS REGARDS TO NO, UM, IMPROVING NOISE POLLUTION, AIR QUALITY, UM, UH, LESLIE LILY WATERSHED PROTECTION, I'M NOT AWARE OF WHAT, UM, INITIATIVES MAY HAVE BEEN REGARDING USING OTHER KINDS OF EQUIPMENT, BUT WE CAN ASK ABOUT
[00:40:01]
THAT.LOTS OF DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS OBVIOUSLY USE MAINTENANCE EQUIPMENT, BUT WE CAN, WE CAN LOOK INTO WATERSHED'S USE.
UM, AND SO I SAW, UM, YOU KNOW, RESIDENCES AND BUSINESSES HAVE, UH, UM, YOU KNOW, ARE HIGHLIGHTED, BUT ARE OTHER TYPES OF PROPERTIES LIKE, UM, IF YOU'RE ADJACENT TO A PARK, IS THAT, SHOULD THE PARK BE KEPT ANY QUIETER? UM, THERE ARE SOME PROVISIONS THAT ARE LAID OUT IN THERE RELATED TO PARKS, HOSPITALS, UH, SCHOOLS, AND THERE'S TIMELINES IN THOSE PROVISIONS.
SO ON THE LIKE TECH, UH, T HIGHWAYS, UM, UH, SO I KNOW THIS ISN'T EXACTLY IN PURVIEW, UH, OF Y'ALL, BUT I'M, I'M CURIOUS AS IN THE PROCESS, SOME OF THE THINGS WE HEARD, SO AN EXPANSION OF A HIGHWAY WE KNOW MIGHT INCREASE THE NOISE.
UM, DOES THE CITY OR Y'ALL EVER DOES, UH, IN, IN REVIEW TRIGGER SOMETHING LIKE, OH, THAT, THAT HIGHWAY NEEDS A SOUND WALL? UM, I KNOW THAT MIGHT BE PURE TDOT, BUT JUST CURIOUS HOW HIGHWAY DEVELOPMENT AND, AND AS YOU MENTIONED, INSTALLING THOSE SOUNDPROOFING BARRIERS? YEAH, DEFINITELY.
UH, IT'S IN THE PURVIEW OF THE, OF THE STATE, OBVIOUSLY WHEN THEY'RE DOING THAT.
BUT THEY DO HAVE TO PROVIDE THEIR, THEIR MITIGATION PLANS AS WELL AS PART OF THEIR PLANS.
SO, BUT IT STILL FALLS WITHIN THE STATE REGULATIONS.
UH, NO FURTHER QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME.
THAT WAS A VERY, UH, INTERESTING PRESENTATION.
SO THE SOUND IS MEASURED AT THE PROPERTY LINE? THAT'S CORRECT.
AND IT'S FOR 15 SECONDS IS THE DURATION OF THE THING.
NOW, IS THERE ANY, UH, EVERYTHING I HEAR IS MANMADE SOUND.
IS THERE ANY, UH, ANY UH, ANYTHING ASSOCIATED WITH NON MANMADE SOUND LIKE ANIMALS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT? BARKING DOGS? YEAH.
WE, WE DO SEE SOME OF THOSE COME THROUGH 3 1 1 IF THOSE ARE DIRECTED TO PD, UH, AFTER HOURS.
BUT WE REALLY HAVE NOT SEEN A LARGE TECH, I'VE NOT SEEN A LOT OF COMPLAINTS IN REGARDS TO BARKING DOGS COME TO OUR DIRECTION.
JUST, I JUST, I MEAN, THINKING ABOUT OUR HISTORIC DATA, I MEAN, I, UH, JUST, JUST, JUST A LITTLE BIT CURIOUS.
NOW, UH, WHAT I HEARD WAS THIS IS ALL ENFORCED BY A PD ONLY THE NOISE AFTER 10:00 PM TO 7:00 AM UH, THAT IS ENFORCED BY A PD.
SO THOSE ARE AFTER HOURS, RIGHT? THOSE ARE OUTSIDE OF NORMAL HOURS.
UM, SO EVERYTHING, OKAY, SO AFTER HOURS, ALL NOISE COMPLAINTS ARE HANDLED THROUGH 3 1 1, AND THEN THOSE ARE SENT TO A PD TO BE HANDLED ON A OFFICER AVAILABLE BASIS.
IT WOULD HAVE TO BE WHATEVER THEIR PRIORITY LEVELS ARE.
WELL, THAT'S WHY I TRIED TO PHRASE IT THAT WAY.
BUT DURING DAYTIME OR YOU KNOW, UP, YOU KNOW, FROM 7:00 AM TILL 10:00 PM IT'S HANDLED BY ONE OF YOUR STAFF.
SO DAYTIME HOUR COMPLAINTS FOR US ARE ONLY REGULATED OF MECHANICAL NOISE.
SO I'M GONNA GET REAL TECHNICAL HERE.
OH GOSH, I DON'T HAVE A DEFINITION IN FRONT OF ME AND I'M NOT AN EXPERT EXPERT IN THAT.
WELL DO THE BEST YOU CAN, BUT IT IS THAT I, IT'S AS DEFINED IN OUR CHAPTER 25.
AND WHAT IT IS, IT, IT WILL SAY WHAT IS AVAILABLE AND USE SUCH AS MACHINERY.
UH, I'D HAVE TO LOOK AT THE, THE DEFINITION, BUT LOUD MACHINERY, BUT IT'S REALLY AIR CONDITION UNITS, COMPRESSION UNITS THAT ARE MALFUNCTIONING.
SO WHEN WE DO RESPONSE TO THOSE, WHAT WE DO LOOK FOR IS NUMBER ONE, WHAT THE DECIBEL READING IS.
NUMBER TWO IS THE DEFECT IN THE MECHANICAL, UH, COMPRESSOR OR WHATEVER UNIT THAT IS THERE.
SO WE'VE HAD LESS THAN, AND I'LL SAY THIS 'CAUSE WE JUST RECENTLY RESPONDED TO THAT, WE'VE PROBABLY HAD LESS THAN 2% OF COMPLAINTS RELATED TO MECHANICAL NOISE.
UM, WE, THAT, THAT ENCOURAGED US TO DO AN OUTREACH ON EDUCATION, ON HOW TO REPORT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A MECHANICAL NOISE SOUND VERSUS A LAWNMOWER OR A AIR, YOU KNOW, LEAF BLOWER.
AND SO THAT THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO DIRECT IT CORRECTLY.
THE REASON I'M ASKING IS I LIVE IN, UH, D 10 AND WE HAVE A REALLY BAD PROBLEM ON 2222 WITH MOTORCYCLE NOISE.
A MOTORCYCLE SOUNDS REAL MECHANICAL TO ME.
[00:45:01]
I THINK THAT'S DEFINED AS A MOTOR VEHICLE THOUGH.WELL, IT SOUNDS REAL, IT SOUNDS REAL MECHANICAL TO ME.
I UNDERSTAND THAT IT HAS WHEELS AND IT OPERATES AND IT MOVES.
BUT IT SOUNDS MECHANICAL TO ME.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, IS THIS SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD BE WILLING, AND THIS IS RIGHT, THIS IS WAY OUTSIDE MY ABILITY AS A LAWYER TO TALK ABOUT, BUT, UH, I MIGHT POINT MY COUNCIL MEMBER IN YOUR DIRECTION TO ALLOW HIS STAFF TO TALK WITH YOU BECAUSE HE'S BEEN GETTING AN INCREDIBLE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS FROM THE RESIDENTS ALONG 2222 ABOUT THE NOISE.
AND, UH, IT'S ALSO A STATE ROAD BECAUSE THAT MAKES THINGS REALLY MORE EXCITING BECAUSE THEN YOU'VE GOT THE DPS AND THEN YOU'VE GOT THE SHERIFF AND YOU'VE GOT POLICE AND GOD KNOWS WHO ELSE.
BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, IT'S A THING, AND I JUST SAW THIS, YOU GUYS PRESENTING ON NOISE COMPLAINTS AND I THOUGHT, GEE WHIZ, WE'VE GOT A LOT OF NOISE COMPLAINTS OFF OF, UH, 2222 FROM THESE MECHANICAL THINGS CALLED MOTORCYCLES.
SO NO, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
AND YOU KNOW, WHAT WE WOULD DEFINITELY DO IS CONSULT WITH OUR LEGAL TO SAY, HOW DO WE APPROACH THAT? HOW WOULD IT BE DEFINED AND WOULD IT, IF WE WERE, IF WE WERE ABLE TO ENFORCE IT, HOW WOULD WE DO THAT? AND WHAT, WHAT COURTS WOULD IT LAND IN MUNICIPAL COURT OR AN ADMINISTRATIVE HEARING? YEAH.
WELL, WE'D HAVE TO CONSULT WITH THEM, I'M SURE BETTER LEGAL MINDS AND OURS WILL TACKLE THE PROBLEM.
BUT, UH, I JUST WANTED TO ASK SOME QUESTIONS TO SURE.
ANY COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN? IT'S MY TURN.
UM, I WILL OUT MYSELF AS BEING A, UH, WHAT YOU WOULD CONSIDER TO BE A MUSIC FAN.
AND, UM, IS THERE A RECORD OF COMPLAINTS THAT I COULD LOOK UP TO SEE WHO HAD VIOLATED THE SOUND ORDINANCE? HAVE A RECORD.
I, I KNOW THAT OUR ALL COMPLAINTS ARE PUBLIC.
I MEAN, YOU CAN ALWAYS LOOK AT A PUBLIC RECORD.
I DON'T KNOW THAT THEY'RE IN A DIFFERENT DATABASE, THE OMV PERMITS, BUT ON THE, UH, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES SIDE, THERE'S THIS A BC PORTAL THAT CAN BE LOOKED UP.
ON THE CODE SIDE, THERE'S A CODE CONNECT PORTAL.
UH, BUT THIS ONE IS THROUGH THE 3 1 1 DATABASE IS WHAT IT IS.
SO I WOULD IMAGINE THROUGH THE 3 1 1 SYSTEM, YOU'D BE ABLE TO FIND OUT.
SO WITH REGARD TO THE SIP, WHEN IT, WHEN IT'S CREATED, THERE'S NO IN ORIGINAL REVIEW OF IT, YOU DON'T LOOK AT IT UNTIL MAYBE THERE'S A SOUND COMPLAINT AND THEY LET YOU LOOK AT IT.
IS THAT THE CASE? YOU MEAN WHEN I GET THE COMPLAINT? YEAH.
SO WHEN I GET THE COMPLAINT, I CAN SEE THE, I CAN SEE THE SIP IN MY MANAGEMENT RIGHT IN MY, IN MY COMPUTER.
OH, THEY FILED THE SIP WITH THE CITY.
YES, THEY HAVE TO, THAT'S PART OF GETTING THE PERMIT.
UM, NOW I'M NOT IN CHARGE OF, OF ISSUING THE PERMIT AND, AND DECIDING WHERE EVERYTHING GOES BECAUSE THEY HAVE SOUND ENGINEERS AND, UH, I GUESS A LOT OF FOLKS, FOLKS A LOT SMARTER THAN I AM.
I'M JUST A OLD, OLD BEAT COP, BUT
BUT WE DO GET THE, OF INFORMATION.
LET ME ADD ON THAT ON, ON THE SOUND IMPACT, UH, ON THAT, WHAT THEY DO IS THEY GO OUT AND SOMEONE WILL APPLY FOR IT AND THEY'LL GO OUT AND SET OUT A, A A PER YEAH.
SOUND METER AND THEY'LL EVALUATE IT FOR TWO TO FOUR WEEKS, DEPENDS ON WHAT THEY'RE NEEDING TO DO.
AND IT KIND OF, IT KIND OF WILL TELL 'EM WHAT IS AMBIENT NOISE AS, AS HE MENTIONED EARLIER, IS IT, IS IT A LOUD TRUCK OR A LOUD MOTORCYCLE? KIND OF, IT KIND OF SEPARATES THAT.
AND THEN THEY MAKE THAT DETERMINATION AFTER STUDYING THAT IMPACT THAT WAS MADE FOR THAT SOUND METER.
WELL, I, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS AND I MAY, UM, TALK TO SOME OF MY FRIENDS DOWN IN THE RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT ABOUT THIS.
UM, AND THAT, THAT'S ANOTHER POINT TOO, THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S AN ORGANIZATION THAT EXISTS ON RED RIVER.
AND DO YOU WORK WITH THE PEOPLE THAT RUN THE ORGANIZATION AS WELL AS THE INDIVIDUAL VENUES? WE'VE ACTUALLY WORKED WITH THEM SOME, YES.
UM, I THINK THAT'S ALL I HAVE.
NO QUESTIONS FROM ME, BUT THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
I, UM, SECRETARY IS WORKING OVER HERE, SO VICE CHAIR
[00:50:01]
THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE.I DO HAVE SOME QUESTIONS I SEE THAT LIVE, ME LIVE MUSIC PERMITS REQUIRE ONSITE DECIBEL METERS, BUT HOW ABOUT NON-MUSIC SOUND PERMITS? YEAH, WE DON'T RUN THE SOUND METER ON ANY NON YEAH.
SO FOR, YOU KNOW, FOR INSTANCE, WHEN I WAS SPEAKING ABOUT RESIDENTS TO RESIDENTS, WHEN A PD RESPONDS TO THOSE, THEY DON'T ALL CARRY METERS.
SO BASICALLY THEIRS IS MAINLY TO SAY TURN DOWN THE MUSIC MM-HMM
I'M THINKING IN PARTICULAR OF CONSTRUCTION SITES AND WONDERING, YOU KNOW, WHY THERE'S AN ONUS PLACE ON RESTAURANTS AND BARS AND THINGS LIKE THAT TO HAVE THEIR OWN DECAL METER, BUT NOT CONSTRUCTION SITES.
AND IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT'S JUST NOT PART OF CITY CODE.
YEAH, NO, IT, THAT WOULD, THAT FALLS AND WE'VE HAD SEVERAL COMPLAINTS ON CONSTRUCTION SITES, UH, THAT FALLS UNDER THE NOISE ORDINANCE.
AND SO WE ALWAYS REFER THEM TO A PD BECAUSE THEY ARE AFTER HOURS.
A LOT OF 'EM ARE OBVIOUSLY UNDER A TIME TIMELINE AND THEY'RE HAVING TO GET THEIR PROJECT COMPLETED.
UH, SO A PD HAS GONE OUT AND ACTUALLY I, I KNOW OF SOME THE SITES THAT A PD HAS CITED, SO MM-HMM
AND THEN THINKING ABOUT CONSTRUCTION SITES AGAIN IN, UM, NON-MUSIC SOUND PERMITS, I KNOW THAT THERE WERE THE DIFFERENT LEVELS THAT YOU IDENTIFIED AT DIFFERENT DECIBELS.
I'M WONDERING IF YOU CAN COMPARE THOSE SOUNDS TO ANYTHING THAT WE IN THIS ROOM COULD RECOGNIZE OR I SAW IN CHAPTER 9.2 NOISES DEFINED AS A SOUND, WHICH DISTURBS A REASONABLE PERSON OF NORMAL SENSIBILITIES, AND THAT'S SPECIFIC TO CONCRETE PORES, BUT CAN THAT DEFINITION BE APPLIED TO CONSTRUCTION THAT IS SEPARATE FROM CONCRETE PORES? YEAH, I THINK, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO REASONABLENESS, UM, THAT IS ONE OF THE LEGAL TERMS THAT'S USED.
LIKE WHO DEFINES AND WHO MAKES THE DETERMINATION OF WHAT IS REASONABLE IS NOT WHAT IS REASONABLE TO ME MAY NOT BE REASONABLE TO YOU.
I MAY WORK ALL NIGHT AND HAVE TO SLEEP ALL DAY.
SO AGAIN, IT IT'S ALSO UP TO LEGAL'S INTERPRETATION FOR US ON THAT.
BUT I KNOW, I KNOW YOU ALL QUOTED, AND I DON'T HAVE THE EXACT NUMBERS, I THINK IT WAS 78 DECIBELS, 83 DECIBELS, THOSE ARE YOU, YOU GIVE OUT PERMITS AT THOSE LEVELS.
AND SOME OF THOSE THAT WERE INDEPENDENTLY LISTED LIKE THAT WERE, AS IT RELATES TO PROXIMITY TO SCHOOLS OR HOSPITALS OR DIFFERENT ZONES.
UM, BUT THAT'S THE, THE, THOSE ARE THE SOUND THRESHOLDS THAT YES.
CAN YOU RELATE 78 DECIBELS TO SOMETHING THAT THOSE OF US IN THIS ROOM MIGHT BE ABLE TO I UNDERSTAND.
I KNOW WE HAD A, THAT EXAMPLE RIGHT? NOT EVEN YEAH.
UHHUH RIGHT NOW AND IT DEPENDS ON WHAT THE WEIGHT YEAH.
EIGHT, YOUR, YOUR VEHICLE IS 70 MM-HMM
SO IT IS A FAIRLY, THAT THAT COULD BE 70.
UH, I WISH I WOULD'VE BROUGHT A SOUND METER JUST SO YOU CAN, YOU CAN SEE IT.
UM, THIS, THE CODE THAT WE HAVE BEFORE US COMMISSIONER IS, IS I WISH IT WAS AS SIMPLE AS AND LAID OUT AS IT NEEDS TO BE STRUCTURALLY THAT IDENTIFIES WHO DOES WHAT WHEN IT'S DONE MM-HMM
UM, BUT WE DO THE BEST WE CAN WITH INTERPRETING THE CODE WITH, WITH CITY LEGAL'S HELP AND WITH THE TRAINING THAT WE GIVE THE INSPECTORS MM-HMM
I'M JUST, I'M ASKING JUST FOR PUBLIC CITIZENS WHO ARE MAYBE BEING DISTURBED BY A SOUND ARE OF REASONABLE SENSIBILITY AND ARE THEN TRYING TO DEDUCE, WELL I DON'T HAVE A DECIBEL METER WITH ME.
IS THIS OVER 78 DECIBELS? IS THIS OVER 82? FROM YOUR DESCRIPTION, IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S A FAIRLY CONSERVATIVE STRINGENT REQUIREMENT.
SO IF IT'S NOISY AND AGITATING, THEN THAT'S SOMETHING THAT IS LIKELY BEYOND THE SCOPE OF THE PERMIT.
IT, IT WOULD DEFINITELY HAVE US RESPOND.
YOU'RE, WE'RE NEVER NOT GOING TO RESPOND.
WE'RE GOING RESPOND, WE GET A PD CALLS ALL NIGHT LONG BECAUSE THEY CAN'T MAKE IT THERE, BUT WE GO MM-HMM
AND WE RESPOND TO THOSE CALLS AND WE DO A METER CHECK TO SEE WHERE THEY ARE.
WE MAY NOT HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO WRITE THE TICKET ON SOME OF THOSE OCCASIONS, BUT WE DO GO TALK TO WHOEVER'S IN CHARGE, WHETHER IT BE A CONSTRUCTION SITE, 'CAUSE WE'VE BEEN TO
[00:55:01]
THOSE MM-HMMUM, BECAUSE A PD HAD WAS, DIDN'T HAVE THE AVAILABILITY TO GO, WE HAVE WENT AND WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO TALK TO THE FOREMAN OR THE SUPERINTENDENT, WHOEVER IT IS OUT THERE, AND WE ALL, WHEN WE LET THEM KNOW THAT IT'S, WE GETTING COMPLAINTS, YOU MAY WANT TO HOLD IT DOWN.
UM, IF YOU, AND WE'RE LOOKING TO, IF THEY'RE POUR CONCRETE, OF COURSE, BECAUSE I'M A CODE GUY,
UM, SO, AND IF YOU DON'T HAVE A PERMIT FOR THAT, AND WE'RE CHECKING PERMITS TO SEE IF THEY HAVE THE PERMITS EVEN BE WHERE THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE IN THEIR CONSTRUCTION.
SO I, I GUESS THE, A LONG STORY SHORT, WE ARE TRYING TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN DO MM-HMM
IN ORDER TO, TO BALANCE THAT OUT SO THAT IF THEY'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THERE AND, AND, AND DISTURBING YOU, WE'RE TRYING TO SHUT IT DOWN MM-HMM
BUT TRYING TO BE FAIR AT THE SAME TIME.
UM, YEAH, I'M JUST, I'M THINKING FROM A, A POLICY PERSPECTIVE AND JUST A, A PUBLIC WELLBEING PERSPECTIVE, TO ME IT SOUNDS LIKE IT WOULD BE FAIR AND REASONABLE IF MUSIC VENUES ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE DECIBEL METERS, SO SHOULD CONSTRUCTION SITES, I WOULD SAY AT THE MINIMUM.
AND UNTIL THAT HAPPENS, WE'RE RELYING ON PUBLIC CITIZENS TO REPORT TO YOU ALL AT 3 1 1.
SO IN ORDER TO DO THAT, WE NEED TO EQUIP THE PUBLIC WITH, YOU KNOW, BEST, UM, DEDUCTION AROUND WHAT IS REASONABLE.
SO I THINK WE'VE ESTABLISHED THAT HERE.
IN TERMS OF OTHER SPECIFICS FOR CONSTRUCTION SITES, CONCRETE INSTALLATION IS A SPECIAL DESIGNATION.
I SEE ALSO MOTOR VEHICLES ON HERE WITH, I DUNNO IF IT SAYS WITH LIGHTS OR NOISES, DOES THAT APPLY TO CERTAIN CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT THAT IS A MOTORIZED VEHICLE AND HAS LIKE THE BEEPING SOUND WHEN THEY'RE BACKING UP OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT? SO SOME OF THOSE EQUIPMENTS ARE IDENTIFIED IN THE ORDINANCE, AS I SAID EARLIER, YOU KNOW, LIKE TRASH, UH, TRASH COMPRESSIONS AND SOME THAT ARE REFRIGERATED.
UH, THOSE ARE SPECIFIC IN THE ORDINANCE.
AND SO AGAIN, THEY'RE NOT ALWAYS IDENTIFIED THAT WAY.
I DID WANNA MAKE A POINT WHEN YOU SAID THAT EARLIER TOO, IS THAT WE DO HAVE ON OUR WEBSITE, A, IT'S KIND OF A ASSISTANCE FOR THE PUBLIC THAT KIND OF GIVES EXAMPLES OF A DECIMAL READING LEVEL.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR.
WE WERE GONNA BRING THOSE WITH US TONIGHT, BUT DIDN'T BRING ANY, BUT THAT ALSO GIVES THEM AN IDEA OF WHAT THE DECIBEL READING IS.
UM, I'VE BEEN DOWNTOWN WHEN WE'VE GONE FROM ONE SITE TO ANOTHER, ONE BAR TO ANOTHER, AND YOU CAN'T TELL WHOSE MUSIC IS WHAT BECAUSE IT'S ALL JUST BOUNCING FROM ALL OF THE BUILDINGS DOWN THERE.
YEAH, I'M, I AM IN THE CODE RIGHT NOW.
THERE'S PERMIT FOR SOUND EQUIPMENT ON A VEHICLE.
I DON'T SEE THE TYPE OF VEHICLE SPECIFIED THERE, BUT MAYBE I'M MISSING IT SOMEWHERE ELSE.
UM, BUT ANYWAY, I THINK, YEAH, WE'LL, WE'LL DO MORE RESEARCH ON THAT.
SO WHAT ARE THE PENALTIES FOR VIOLATING A SOUND PERMIT AND ARE THOSE VIOLATIONS THE SAME FOR MUSIC VERSUS NON-MUSIC SOUND PERMITS? I SAW FINES UP TO $500 AND THEN I ALSO SAW FOUR PLUS DOCUMENTED VIOLATIONS WITHIN 45 DAYS CAN MEAN THAT YOUR PERMIT IS SU SUSPENDED, WHICH WOULD BE UP TO TWO WEEKS.
SO I'M CURIOUS, ARE THE VIOLATIONS THE SAME AGAIN FOR A MUSIC VENUE VERSUS A CONSTRUCTION COMPANY? YES.
THEY ALL FALL UNDER THE MUNICIPAL, UH, IN MUNICIPAL COURT.
SO THEY ALL FALL UNDER THAT IDENTIFIED AS A CLASS C.
BUT THEN IF YOU ARE A REPEAT, REPEAT OFFENDER, THEY MAY ENHANCE THE FINE MM-HMM
YEAH, THAT FROM AN EQUITY PERSPECTIVE IS INTERESTING TO ME THAT LIKE A, AN INDIVIDUALLY OWNED AND OPERATED BUSINESS COULD BE CHARGED THE SAME AS LIKE A MULTIMILLION DOLLAR COMPANY.
UM, SO SIMILAR TO COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN'S QUESTIONS.
IS THERE A PUBLIC DATABASE OF NOT JUST VIOLATORS, BUT ALSO PERMITS THAT HAVE BEEN FILED? SO IF MY NEIGHBOR OR SOMEONE NEAR ME IS MAKING A LOT OF NOISE OR THERE'S, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING IN MY AREA THAT I WANNA LOOK INTO AND SEE, OH, DO THEY HAVE A PERMIT TO BE DOING THIS? IS THERE A PLACE WHERE WE CAN RESEARCH THAT? SO WHERE WE FIND THEM IS IN THE AMANDA DATA, THE AMANDA DATABASE, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S PUBLIC FACING FOR THAT PARTICULAR GROUP BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T INTEGRATED INTO THE SYSTEM LIKE THE CODE CODE CASES AND, UH, THE OTHER CASES THAT WE DEAL WITH, WE ARE WORKING ON THAT THOUGH BECAUSE AGAIN, THE MERGE WITH THE DEPARTMENTS JUST RECENTLY OCCURRED TWO YEARS AGO.
THE AMANDA, IS IT SPELLED LIKE THE NAME? YES, IT'S DA, IT'S CALLED AMANDA.
IT'S OUR, OUR CURRENT DATABASE SYSTEM THAT WE UTILIZE FOR ALL DOCUMENTATIONS FOR THE CODE OF OFFENSES.
AND IF THERE ISN'T A PUBLIC DATABASE, COULD SOMEONE CALL 3 1 1 TO SAY, HEY, I'M AT THIS ADDRESS.
CAN YOU SEE IF THERE'S A SOUND PERMIT
[01:00:01]
AT THIS ADDRESS? I AM NOT 100% SURE THEY CAN ANSWER THAT OR NOT.I KNOW THAT THEY'RE HELD IN THE ACME, UH, PROGRAM SPECIALIST THERE.
BECAUSE AGAIN, WE SPLIT THE ADMINISTRATIVE PART IS WITH ACME DEPARTMENT NOW AND WE HAVE THE ENFORCEMENT PART.
BUT YOU CAN ALWAYS CALL US TOO AND WE CAN LOOK THAT UP FOR Y'ALL.
UM, AND THEN JUST A COUPLE OTHER QUESTIONS.
I AM, YOU KNOW, HAVE OUR GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENTERS ON THE MIND.
WE, WE CAN'T, UM, RESPOND TO THEM DIRECTLY AFTER THEIR COMMENT, BUT I AM THINKING ABOUT SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT THEY RAISED AND UM, THINGS THAT WILL COME UP AROUND THAT.
SO I'M CURIOUS, DOES THE CITY ISSUE SOUND PERMITS FOR TDOT AND FOR STATE HIGHWAY PROJECTS? WE DON'T HAVE A JURISDICTION ON THE, THE STATE HIGHWAY PROJECT.
SO, UM, FOR, FOR SOUND PERMITS, WHO DOES HAVE THE JURISDICTION? WE DON'T ISSUE THOSE.
WE DON'T DO ANYTHING ON STATE PROPERTIES.
SO EVEN, UM, 'CAUSE I KNOW LIKE IN CITY CODE, LIKE IF YOU'RE WITHIN 600 FEET OF A RESIDENCE, A HOSPITAL, ET CETERA, THERE ARE CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS.
THOSE RESTRICTIONS DON'T APPLY.
LIKE IF, IF THERE'S A TECH STOP PROPERTY THAT IS WITHIN 600 FEET OF ONE OF THOSE THINGS, DOES THAT RIGHT.
THERE'S A LOT OF, THERE'S A LOT OF DISCUSSION BETWEEN THE MUNICIPALITY AND THE STATE WHEN THERE ARE BUILDINGS, PROJECTS HERE FOR THE STATE.
UH, AND THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE RESTRICTIONS, NOT RESTRICTIONS, BUT THEY HAVE GUIDELINES THAT THEY MUST FOLLOW.
UH, WHERE THAT SITS IS EITHER WITH THEIR SUBMITTAL OF THEIR PLANS AND WHAT THEY'RE DOING, UH, AND WHAT, WHAT THEY'RE NEARBY.
SO THOSE ARE THERE, WE JUST DON'T DO AN ENFORCEMENT ON THAT, BUT THEY DO HAVE TO ABIDE BY THE RESTRICTIONS.
CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR, IT'S POSSIBLE THAT CAMPO WOULD BE A RESOURCE, THE CAPITAL AREA METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION, BECAUSE THOSE ARE PUBLIC OFFICIALS THAT MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT ROADS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND THEY ARE ALL ELECTED OFFICIALS, SO THEY ARE, THEY DO ANSWER TO THE VOTERS.
YOU BROUGHT UP PARKLAND BEING A ESPECIALLY DESIGNATED AREA.
I'M NOT SEEING PARKLAND IN SECTION 9.2 NECESSARILY.
I SEE BALLPARK, MAYBE I'M MISSING IT, BUT, UM, CAN YOU TALK BRIEFLY ABOUT WHAT ARE THE SPECIAL SOUND ORDINANCES THAT EXIST WITHIN PARKS? WELL, A LOT OF TIMES IN THE PARKS THEY'LL HAVE A VENT THAT ARE OCCURRING.
SO THEY HAVE TO GO THROUGH A, A PROCESS FOR PERMITTING ON THAT EVENT, WHICH THEY GO THROUGH THE SPECIAL EVENTS, UM, DIVISION THERE UNDER ACME.
UH, WE ONCE OVERSAW THAT DIVISION AS WELL, BUT THEY HAVE TO GO THROUGH CERTAIN THINGS TO BE ABLE TO PLAY MUSIC TO A CERTAIN HOUR.
AND, AND AT WHAT LEVEL AND WHAT ABOUT CONSTRUCTION ADJACENT TO A PARK? UH, I DON'T THINK THAT THERE IS A, A INDEPENDENT RESTRICTION THERE.
IT'S GONNA FALL UNDER THE, THE ACTUAL NOISE ORDINANCE.
UM, AND THEN LAST QUESTION, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE.
WHAT IS THE TURNAROUND TIME TYPICALLY FOR A RESPONSE AFTER SOMEONE FILES A COMPLAINT? SO FOR OUR END, OUR GUYS GET IT FIRSTHAND ON THEIR PHONES.
SO IF YOU CALL, UH, RIGHT NOW I BELIEVE THEY HAVE A ONE HOUR RESPONSE THAT THEY NEED TO BE THERE.
UH, AND IF IT'S OBVIOUSLY AFTER HOURS ON A NOISE COMPLAINT, IT'S DEPENDENT UPON APDS AVAILABILITY.
APPRECIATE, UH, Y'ALL'S PRESENTATION.
UM, SO JUST FOR CLARIFICATION.
SO THE THREE SORT OF CITY ENTITIES OR DEPARTMENT THAT ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ENFORCING, UH, AND ADMINISTERING THESE SOUND ORDINANCES OR ACME A PD AND, UH, DSD BASICALLY.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, YOU MENTIONED EARLIER IT'S LIKE IF SOMEBODY CALLS YOU AND YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T NECESSARILY DO ANYTHING 'CAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE, UH, I GUESS, YOU KNOW, JURISDICTION OR WHATEVER, CITY POWER, POWER, WHATEVER, THAT THE CITY IS VESTED IN YOU OR WHATEVER, TO HAND THE TICKET TO WRITE A TICKET AT THAT PARTICULAR TIME.
WHAT EXACTLY SORT OF LIKE THE FOLLOW UP PROCESS? SO THE FOLLOW UP PROCESSES, WE CHECK WITH 3 1 1 AND MAKE SURE THOSE WAS FORWARDED TO AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT.
AND WE TRY TO SEE IF THERE WAS A CASE NUMBER DEVELOPED AND TRY TO SEE WHAT OCCURRED.
DO YOU KNOW, AFTER WE HAD PASSED ON THE CASE? YEAH, FOR SURE.
YEAH, I WAS JUST, I WAS JUST CURIOUS.
'CAUSE YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY I THINK PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO, TO HOPE THAT STUFF DOESN'T JUST END UP FALLING INTO THE VOID.
SO I WAS JUST CURIOUS WHAT THAT PROCESS WAS.
AND THEN ALSO, YOU KNOW, YOU MENTIONED SORT OF THE, UH, YOU KNOW, THE SORT OF SPECIAL CARVED OUT DISTRICTS WITH THEIR OWN RULES.
UH, YOU KNOW, WAREHOUSE DISTRICT, EAST SIXTH STREET OR, YOU
[01:05:01]
KNOW, SIXTH STREET, UH, RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT.SO FOR SIXTH STREET, DO Y'ALL TREAT LIKE WEST DIRTY AND BECAUSE RIGHT.
IT'S ESSENTIALLY SORT OF THREE DISTRICTS AT THIS POINT, RIGHT? IT'S LIKE WEST SIXTH STREET, DIRTY SIXTH STREET, OR OLD SIXTH STREET, WHATEVER THEY'RE TRYING TO SELL IT AS, AS NOW.
UM, LIKE WHAT DO Y'ALL CONSIDER THE SIXTH STREET DISTRICT? SO OURS IS WEST SIXTH.
UH, WE DON'T GET ANYTHING IN EAST SIXTH.
UH, IF WE GET A COUPLE MORE CALLS ON IT, WE WOULD.
SO THAT WOULD INCLUDE DIRTY TOO, RIGHT? YEAH.
YEAH, WE, THAT'S CONSIDERED EAST MM-HMM
UM, WE JUST DO WEST, WE WILL GO IF WE GET A COUPLE CALLS ON IT.
UM, THAT MAY HAVE HAPPENED MAYBE A COUPLE OF TIMES AND WE WENT, BUT THE, BUT THE BEAUTIFUL THING ABOUT E SIX OR DIRTY, LIKE YOU SAY, IT'S USUALLY, UH, OVERFLOWING WITH, WITH PD FOR SURE.
I GUESS IS THERE ANY PARTICULAR REASON WHY E SIX IS CONSIDERED DIFFERENT THAN WEST SIX? IS IT JUST THE FACT THAT THERE'S A LOT OF A PD ALREADY THERE, SO THEY'RE THE ONES SORT OF RESPONSIBLE FOR HANDLING, LIKE CODE COMPLAINT OR NOISE COMPLAINTS OR WHATEVER THE CASE WOULD BE? YOU KNOW, I, I CAN'T ANSWER THAT FOR YOU, COMMISSIONER.
UM, UNLIKE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, UM, GARY HAS, HAS SAID WE, UM, WELL I AM, I'M OUTSIDE OF BEING A COP.
UH, WE MERGED WITH AME, UH, WHAT USED TO BE ACE.
AND WE TOOK ON THIS, AND WHEN WE TOOK IT ON, THE AREAS WERE CARVED OUT, UH, WITH A PD IN CERTAIN AREAS AND CODE IN OTHER AREAS.
WE HAD WEST SIX, UH, RAINY STREET IN ALL THE OTHER AREAS WITHIN THE CITY THAT, UH, ENCOMPASSED LIKE THE RESTAURANTS OR OTHER, UH, MUSIC VENUES.
UH, WHY, I DON'T KNOW, WE JUST DID INHERIT THE, UH, THE RIVER, UH, DISTRICT.
WE JUST INHERITED THAT FROM AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT.
AND SO WE'VE BEEN TA HAVE TAKEN THAT ON FULL TIME.
WE ARE ALSO DOING A 90 DAY, UM, OUTREACH AND A, UH, 90 DAY RESPONSE FOR THE WAREHOUSE DISTRICT.
ONLY BECAUSE WE'VE HAD SO MANY COMPLAINTS FROM THAT AREA.
DID THEY BE BLARING THAT TECHNO MAN, LEMME TELL YOU.
AND, UM, SO I MEAN, AND BECAUSE WE GET THE COMPLAINTS, UH, COMMISSIONERS, IT, IT, IT, IT ALMOST FALLS ON CODES, WELL, I'M SORRY, UH, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, UH, SHOULDERS.
UH, BECAUSE WHEN YOU CALL ME, YOU CALL THREE ONE ONE AND YOUR UNDERSTANDING IS IT'S GOING TO BE DELIVERED TO THE RIGHT PERSON.
AND IF YOU LOOKING AT YOUR APP, IT'S GOING TO TELL YOU WHO IT WAS ASSIGNED TO AND IT'LL SAY, CODE OR THE OFFICER AND ALL THIS, THIS TYPE OF STUFF.
AND A LOT OF TIMES YOU'LL SEE THAT IT'S CLOSED BECAUSE 3 1 1 CLOSES THEM OUT WHEN WE REFER 'EM OR WHEN WE TAKE 'EM ON AND GIVE 'EM A CASE NUMBER 3 1 1 CLOSES 'EM MM-HMM
SO YOUR ANTENNA RISES UP AND SAYS, WHY IS CLOSED? WHY DID YOU CLOSE MY CASE? YOU KNOW? AND, BUT THAT'S NOT ALWAYS THE, THAT'S NOT THE CASE.
WE JUST REFERRED IT, OR WE GAVE IT A ACTUAL CODE, UH, CASE NUMBER.
AFTER YOU GET SO MANY OF THOSE, UH, ON THIS END
AND WE COLLABORATE WITH AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THEY HAVE ALLOWED US TO MOVE INTO THAT AREA JUST TO TRY TO TAKE ON SOME OF THESE CALLS THAT CONTINUED TO COME.
UH, JUST TO CLARIFY SOMETHING, COMMISSIONER RESI, UH, MR. KNOX, WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT EAST SIXTH, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT FROM CONGRESS AVENUE YES.
AND CONGRESS AVENUE IS THE DIVIDER BETWEEN EAST AND WEST AND STREET NAMES.
'CAUSE I THINK SIXTH STREET TECHNICALLY RUNS ALL THE WAY, I WANNA SAY PERALES OR CAAS STREET, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
UH, AND YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, THAT'S BECOME, UH, A NIGHTLIFE CORRIDOR AS WELL WITH A LOT OF HOTELS AND OFFICES AND, AND PROBABLY APARTMENTS AS WELL.
UH, YOU KNOW, YOU MENTIONED RAINY STREET.
I WAS CURIOUS WHY RAINY STREET WASN'T ON THE ONE OF THE DISTRICTS.
IS THERE ANY PARTICULAR REASON? BECAUSE I MEAN, CLEARLY Y'ALL MENTIONED IT SO Y'ALL ARE AWARE THAT IT IS KIND OF LIKE A NIGHTLIFE.
WE, WE ANSWER ALL CALLS FOR RAINY STREET.
BUT I GUESS LIKE THE, THE TIMES FOR THAT AREA ARE JUST LIKE THE SAME AS JUST REGULAR DOWNTOWN.
IT'S THE SAME AS ANYBODY ELSE'S.
WE JUST HAVE TO LOOK AT THEIR PLAN.
AND WHEN WE, WHEN WE GO TO THOSE PLACES, YOU WOULD THINK I CAN REMEMBER THEIR PLAN OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.
'CAUSE SOME OF THESE FOLKS WILL REPEAT
[01:10:01]
OFFENDER.UM, SO WHEN WE RESPOND, WE, WE LOOK AT IT AND WE MAKE SURE THAT NUMBER ONE, THAT THE PERMIT IS STILL GOOD.
NUMBER TWO, WHERE EVERYTHING IS SUPPOSED TO BE, AND THEN WHEN WE GET THERE, WE ADDRESS IT.
I WAS JUST CURIOUS IF, YOU KNOW, RAIN STREET WAS SORT OF TREATED SIMILARLY TO THE RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT.
'CAUSE THEY'RE, AND, YOU KNOW, WAREHOUSE DISTRICTS, THEY'RE BOTH SORT OF LIKE, FILLED WITH A LOT OF LIKE VENUES, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE THEY'RE KIND OF JUST TREATED THE SAME AS JUST OTHER PARTS OF DOWNTOWN.
YOU KNOW, AND THEN ON, ON TOP OF THAT, YOU KNOW, I HAPPEN TO JUST ENGAGE IN A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, LATE NIGHT SCUMBAG ACTIVITIES.
SO I FEEL LIKE, YOU KNOW, SOME OTHER POPULAR NIGHTLIFE AREAS ARE LIKE ROCK ROWS AT THE DOMAIN, OR, YOU KNOW, UH, SOUTH CONGRESS, I THINK, YOU KNOW, TRADITIONALLY HAS HAD SOME, SOME SORT OF NIGHTCLUBS.
AND DURING SOUTH BY, IN TERMS OF A LAW OF ACTIVATIONS, ARE THOSE TREATED SEPARATELY AS WELL? IS THERE, OR THEY'RE JUST KIND OF JUST LIKE LUMP IN COMMISSION? WE, WE, WE GO TO SOUTH CONGRESS AND WE RESPOND TO THE DOMAIN AS WELL.
I MEAN, HEY MAN, LISTEN, IT'S A LOT OF, IT'S A LOT OF NOISE IN THIS CITY.
UM, YEAH, THOSE WERE PRETTY MUCH MY ONLY QUESTIONS.
AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
UM, YOU KNOW, I WAS JUST KIND OF THINKING TO MYSELF, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE IMPLICATIONS OF, UM, YOU KNOW, NOISE AND, AND HAVING, YOU KNOW, UH, BEING SUBJECTED TO, UH, LOUD NOISES REPEATEDLY OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
AND, UM, I WAS JUST READING THIS ARTICLE HERE AND IT SAYS, UM, THAT, UH, NOISE POLLUTION REFERS TO UNWANTED AND DISTURBING SOUNDS THAT CAN BE BOTH HARMFUL TO HUMAN HEALTH AND IN THE ENVIRONMENT AS WELL AS THE HEALTH OF WILDLIFE.
PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO SOUND, UH, OF 84 5 DECIBELS CAN CAUSE PERMANENT HEARING LOSS, CARDIOVASCULAR PROBLEMS, CHRONIC NOISE, UH, EXPOSURE, INCREASES BLOOD PRESSURE, HEART RATE AND STRESS, UH, STRESS RELATED ILLNESSES IN, UM, IN WILDLIFE.
UH, IT CAN, UH, CAUSE, UH, STRESS IN THE ANIMALS RESULTING IN, UH, ELEVATED HEART RATES AND OFTEN, UH, LOSS OF PREGNANCIES.
SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THIS IS HOW DOES IT IMPACT OUR, OUR ENVIRONMENT AS WELL AS THE, THE ENVIRONMENT FOR, UH, THE OTHER SPECIES THAT WE SHARE, UH, THIS, UH, COMMUNITY WITH.
YOU KNOW, THIS IS, UH, DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT, UH, IS ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL, UH, RADAR.
SO, UH, I JUST WANTED TO KIND OF, KIND OF PUT OUR BRAINS, UM, INTO THAT.
I DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
UH, SO MANY OF THE COMMISSIONERS ASKED SOME REALLY GOOD ONES.
AND, UH, I FEEL LIKE, I FEEL LIKE I GOT MINE ANSWERED ALONG THE WAY.
UM, SECRETARY QURESHI, DO WE HAVE SOMETHING? I DON'T THINK WE NEED TO CLOSE THE CODE HEARING.
SO THIS IS RECOMMENDATION NUMBER 2 2 6 4 0 1 0 1.
UH, WERE ASKED, UH, THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION WAS PRESENTED AN UPDATE ON THE SOUND ORDINANCE AND ENFORCEMENT, AND THAT, UH, AUSTIN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES ENFORCES SOUND ORDINANCES AND WERE ASKED, THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOGNIZES THE CHALLENGES TO ENFORCEMENT WHEN AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT AND THE OFFICE OF ARTS CULTURE, MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT, WHICH ARE THREE SEPARATE ENTITIES, ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ENFORCING IN VARIOUS SECTIONS OF THE CITY.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION SUPPORTS THE EFFORTS OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, SOUND ORDINANCE ENFORCEMENT, AND RECOMMENDS THE FOLLOWING.
THESE RESTORATIVE STUFF THAT I HEARD FROM, UH, FROM FOLKS, UH, A CITY OWNED PROPERTIES PRIORITIZE USING ELECTRIC MAINTENANCE AND CLEANING EQUIPMENT VERSUS GAS POWERED EQUIPMENT FOR OUTDOOR LANDSCAPING.
UH, B BEAR COMMUNICATION OR CONSOLIDATION OF THREE ENFORCEMENT ENTITIES.
AND C WORK ON CREATING A PUBLIC DASHBOARD WHERE RESIDENTS CAN SEE DATA REGARDING SOUND PERMITS AND COMPLAINTS.
I HAVE, IF WE CAN GO TO DISCUSSION, LET'S GET TO DISCUSSION
AND I HAVE A COUPLE OF OTHER THOUGHTS THAT MAY FIT INTO THIS RECOMMENDATION MAY FIT INTO ANOTHER, BUT THE POINT THAT I RAISED ABOUT EQUITY WHEN IT COMES TO THE FINES, UM, THAT ARE LEVIED, I THINK THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED.
IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME THAT A MULTIMILLION DOLLAR COMPANY WOULD BE PAYING THE SAME AMOUNT AS A MOM AND POP BAR RIGHT AT NIGHT.
UM, SO I THINK COMING UP WITH AN EQUITY MODEL FOR VIOLATIONS MAKES SENSE TO ME.
UM, AND THEN ALSO, I MEAN, MY MIND RIGHT NOW IS ON CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES.
I'M SURE THERE ARE OTHER ENTITIES THAT WE COULD THINK OF, BUT REQUIRING CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES TO HAVE DECIBEL READERS ON SITE JUST MAKES SENSE.
[01:15:01]
AND WE'RE REQUIRING WE RESTAURANTS AND BARS TO HAVE THEM ALREADY.THEY'RE CONSTRUCTION SITES ALL OVER THIS CITY.
UM, AND I THINK IT'S ONLY FAIR AND WILL JUST HELP ALL OF US, YOU KNOW, BETTER MONITOR THE NOISE POLLUTION IN OUR COMMUNITY AND HELP THEM ADJUST THEIR BEHAVIORS, BECAUSE I'M SURE THEY'RE NOT WANTING TO CAUSE HARM.
AS CHAIR BRISTOL BROUGHT UP ALL OF THE, YOU KNOW, RAMIFICATIONS OF BEING SUBJECTED TO SOUND, IT'S ALSO AN OSHA CONSIDERATION FOR THE PEOPLE WORKING ON SITE.
I THINK THEY DON'T WANNA BE SUBJECTED THEMSELVES TO THAT LEVEL OF NOISE.
SO HAVING, HAVING SOUND, UM, SOUND READERS, DECIMAL MACHINE MACHINES ON SITE MAKES SENSE TO ME.
SO PUTTING THAT UP FOR, FOR THE CONSIDERATION OF THE BODY TO ADD THOSE THINGS.
SO I FEEL LIKE ONE OF THEM WAS REQUIRE CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES TO KEEP DECIBEL METERS ON SITE.
UM, ANY MORE SPECIFIC THAT SHOULD BE, WOULD THAT, IF WE JUST WANNA ELUCIDATE, LIKE TO HELP MONITOR DECIBEL READINGS AND TO HELP THEM STAY WITHIN THE PARAMETERS OF THEIR PERMITS, I GUESS.
AND THEN I ALSO HEARD, UH, DIFFERENTIATE NOISE VIOLATION CONSEQUENCES FOR VENUES VERSUS CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES.
I WOULD WANT TO, TO ME IT'S MORE ABOUT THE, LIKE, THE SIZE OF THE CORPORATION OR LIKE THE AMOUNT OF MONEY.
UM, 'CAUSE IT MIGHT NOT JUST BE A CONSTRUCTION COMPANY.
THAT'S JUST THE EXAMPLE THAT'S COMING TO MIND FOR ME.
BUT MAYBE WE LEAVE IT A LITTLE MORE OPEN AND SAY, COME UP WITH AN EQUITY FRAMEWORK TO BUILD SUSTAINABILITY FOR THE CITY AS WELL.
WHEN IT COMES TO HOW THESE FINES ARE LEVIED, I'M GONNA PUSH BACK ON THAT JUST A LITTLE BIT.
UM, I DON'T THINK ENFORCEMENT HAS THAT INFORMATION.
AND SO THAT WOULD BE REALLY DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND WHO YOU'RE DEALING WITH.
UM, ALTHOUGH, BUT WHEN PEOPLE HAVE TO APPLY FOR A PERMIT, MAYBE COMMUNICATE WITH, MAYBE COMMUNICATE WITH ACME.
'CAUSE THEY'RE THE ONES WHO ARE ISSUING THESE PERMITS.
I GUESS, AT LEAST FOR VENUES, I'M, I DON'T KNOW.
I GUESS DSD WOULD BE THE ONES THAT ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR CONSTRUCTION SITES AS FAR AS LIKE NOISE PERMITS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
BUT FOR THE, UH, FINE LEVIED IT IS RUNS THROUGH THE MUNICIPAL COURT SYSTEM.
SO THAT'S WHERE THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE DISCUSSED.
SO THE, THE COURT TICKETS, THE FINES ARE SET BY THE COURT SYSTEM, NOT BY THE CITY.
SOMEBODY BRING IN THE MAGISTRATE EVEN.
SO I THINK, I MEAN, I, I AGREE WITH YOU.
I THINK THAT A MULTIMILLION DOLLAR CORPORATION SHOULD BE FINED IN A PROPORTION TO THE SIZE OF THE ORGANIZATION RELATIVE TO, YOU KNOW, UH, YOU KNOW, A SMALL FAMILY OPERATING A SMALL MUSIC VENUE.
I MEAN, I, I THINK THAT GOES WITHOUT SAYING FROM A PRACTICAL PERSPECTIVE.
I THINK THAT EVEN THE, THE COURT BASIS, I, I DON'T EVEN KNOW THAT THERE'S PRECEDENT WITHIN THE CITY THE WAY WE DO FINES RIGHT NOW TO ALLOW THAT TYPE OF THING.
I DON'T MIND INCLUDING IT INTO THE RESOLUTION IN ORDER TO MAKE A STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLE.
BUT I THINK FROM A REALISTIC PERSPECTIVE, GETTING COUNSELOR ANYONE ELSE TO ADOPT, IT'S GONNA BE, YOU KNOW, A REAL STRETCH.
BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU LOOK AT, SAY, HERITAGE TREES, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TEARING DOWN MM-HMM
AN ENTIRE FOREST IN ORDER TO PUT UP IN AN OFFICE BUILDING, BUT SOMEONE WANTS TO BUILD A HOUSE AND WE'RE CHARGING THEM THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY TO TEAR DOWN, YOU KNOW, SOME HERITAGE TREES RELATIVE TO RIGHT.
A $500 MILLION OFFICE COMPLEX MM-HMM
SO THERE'S NO PRECEDENT FOR THAT TYPE OF THING.
UNDERSTAND YOUR INTENT AND I WOULD SUPPORT THAT.
BUT I THINK THE ODDS OF GETTING THAT THROUGH ANYWHERE OR ZIL YEAH.
I WONDER ABOUT SOFTENING THE LANGUAGE TO SAY, EXPLORE AN EQUITY-BASED FRAMEWORK WHEN IT COMES TO LEVYING VIOLATIONS.
'CAUSE IT'S NOT FOR ME JUST ABOUT THE SIZE OF THE COMPANY.
I THINK ALSO LIKE REPEAT OFFENDERS, LIKE YOU SHOULDN'T, LIKE, IF YOU'VE BEEN, YOU KNOW, DOING VIOLATIONS FOR DECADES OVER AND OVER AGAIN, THERE'S GOTTA BE SOME HIGHER PENALTY.
'CAUSE CLEARLY YOU'RE JUST ABLE TO WRITE THOSE CHECKS AND KEEP, KEEP DOING WHAT YOU NEED.
WELL, THERE ARE SO PLENTY OF PRECEDENT.
UM, SO I WANNA KIND OF WRANGLE THIS IN JUST A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE WE'RE KIND OF GOING ALL OVER THE MAP HERE.
SO, UM, YOUR, YOUR FIRST FRIENDLY AMENDMENT WAS THE, UM,
[01:20:01]
EQUITY AS FAR AS MOM AND POP VERSUS, UH, MEGA CORPORATION.SO I THINK WHAT I'M HEARING IS THAT THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY THE DIRECTION THAT WE, WE WANNA GO OR FEEL LIKE WE CAN GO AT THIS POINT, EVEN THOUGH IT IS ALL SALIENT.
UM, BUT HAVING IT, I, I THINK, I THINK YOU'RE ON HITTING THE NAIL ON THE HEAD HERE WITH THE REPEAT OFFENDERS MM-HMM
UM, BEING, HAVING A, GETTING A HIGHER LEVY A, A STRUCTURE THAT SAYS, UM, YOU KNOW, YOUR FIRST X, Y, AND Z UH, FINES ARE AT THIS LEVEL.
YOU GO PAST THIS ONE, IT BECOMES THIS LEVEL, YOU KNOW, SO IT'S A TIERED LEVEL.
AND AGAIN, AND I SAY THAT BECAUSE IT'S THOSE BIGGER CORPORATIONS THAT ARE GONNA RISK THAT FINE OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
AND SO I THINK THAT'S WHERE MM-HMM
YOU'RE GONNA FIND THE EQUITY A LITTLE MORE.
UM, I LOST MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT A LITTLE BIT, BUT YEAH, WHATEVER LANGUAGE APPEALS TO THE BODY AROUND THAT, I THINK CALLING IT, SAYING, EXPLORING, EXPLORING AN EQUITY APPROACH, I THINK THAT CAN COVER A LOT OF, A LOT OF THESE AREAS.
AND IF THE CITY DOESN'T GET TO SET THE FINE ITSELF, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE CAN ALSO BE A PENALTY STRUCTURE FOR, WELL, THE CITY JUST DOESN'T ISSUE PERMITS TO SOMEONE WHO'S VIOLATED 20 TIMES.
MAYBE WE CAN'T RAISE THE LIMIT, BUT WE CAN STOP ISSUING PERMITS FOR THOSE.
SO, SO THAT WOULD BE, SO THAT WOULD BE IN ADDITION.
SO IT WOULD SAY, UM, SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES OF TIERED STRUCTURE FOR REPEAT OFFENDERS AND, UM, DENYING PERMITS FOR REPEAT OFFENDERS THAT GO PAST A CERTAIN LEVEL.
THIS IS WHAT I WROTE, EXPLORE, CREATING AN EQUITY FOCUSED FRAMEWORK THAT EXAMINES NOISE VIOLATION CONSEQUENCES FOR REPEAT OFFENDERS.
AND THEN THE, THE FIRST POINT WAS ABOUT THE DECIBEL READERS.
THAT I WROTE THAT, UH, REQUIRE CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES TO KEEP DECIBEL METERS ON SITE TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE WITH SOUND ORDINANCE.
ANY OTHER, UH, AMENDMENTS? GREAT.
OH, DO I SEE ANY HANDS ONLINE? I SEE A HAND IN THE MOUTH.
UH, LET'S GO AHEAD AND, UH, VOTE ON THIS.
UH, ALL IN FAVOR, GO AHEAD AND RAISE YOUR HANDS.
AND, UM, LOOKS LIKE THAT IS UNANIMOUS, SO THANK YOU.
THANKS FOR YOUR PRESENTATION, Y'ALL, AND THANKS FOR ALL THE WORK YOU DO WITH FOUR PEOPLE.
AND, AND LISTEN, RIGHT NOW WE GOT MOTORCYCLES GOING BY, RIGHT? AS SOMEBODY WHO HAS EXTREMELY SENSITIVE HEARING, UM,
SO THERE'S APPS AND TOOLS OUT THERE THAT CAN BE USED.
[3. Presentation on the Food Implementation Plan. Presentation by Edwin Marty, Food Policy Manager, Austin Climate Action and Resilience. ]
FROM THE FOOD IMPLEMENTATION PLAN FOLKS.ARE THEY HERE? AND DO WE HAVE ANY, WE DON'T HAVE SPEAKERS ON THIS ONE.
I'M THE FOOD POLICY MANAGER WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S AUSTIN, CLIMATE ACTION AND RESILIENCE.
I'M GONNA DO A QUICK RUN THROUGH OF, UH, THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY FOOD PLAN, HOW WE DEVELOPED IT AND WHERE WE ARE GOING WITH IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PLAN.
UM, SOME OF YOU MIGHT RECALL SOME OF, UH, MY STAFF CAME TO THIS COMMISSION, SOME POINT IN 2024, UH, GAVE YOU ALL A QUICK SUMMARY OF WHERE WE WERE IN TERMS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PLAN.
HAPPY TO SAY BACK TO SHARE THAT IT HAS BEEN ADOPTED AND WE ARE MOVING FORWARD ON, UH, THE IMPLEMENTATION.
SO AGAIN, QUICK BACKGROUND, UH, REAL QUICK, UH, SUMMARY OF WHO WAS INVOLVED WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PLAN AND WHERE WE'RE GOING.
AND A COUPLE MINUTES AT THE END FOR Q AND A.
UM, SO, UH, TO REFRESH YOUR MEMORY IN TERMS OF, UH, FOOD SYSTEM, WHEN I USE THE TERM FOOD SYSTEM WHEN I'M TALKING ABOUT IS WHERE DOES YOUR FOOD COME FROM? PRODUCTION, PROCESSING, DISTRIBUTION CONSUMPTION, AND WASTE RECOVERY, ROUGHLY.
WE THINK OF IT IN A CIRCULAR WAY, BUT THAT'S NOT ALWAYS THE CASE.
SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE THINK ABOUT IN TERMS OF FOOD SYSTEM THAT BRING, UM, OUR FOCUS TO THE ISSUE, UM, THIS SLIDE SHOWS THINGS LIKE ELEVATED LEVELS OF FOOD INSECURITY.
[01:25:01]
A, A YEAR OLD NOW THAT FOOD INSECURITY RATE WENT FROM 14.4, SO I BELIEVE 17.5 CURRENTLY.UM, SO FOOD INSECURITY MEANS THAT, UH, SOMEBODY DOESN'T KNOW WHERE THEIR NEXT MEAL MIGHT COME FROM OR HAS CHALLENGES PAYING FOR FOOD.
UM, SO IN ADDITION TO FOOD INSECURITY, WE ALSO HAVE SOME RELEVANT ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES.
UM, VERY LITTLE OF OUR FOOD IS PRODUCED LOCALLY.
MY BEST BACK OF AN APPLICANT CALCULATIONS SHOW IT AT, WELL, LESS THAN 1% OF OUR FOOD IS PRODUCED LOCALLY.
ON TOP OF THAT, WE'RE THROWING AWAY A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF FOOD THAT CAUSES A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS.
AND ON TOP OF ALL THAT, WE'RE LOSING FARMLAND AT AN UNPRECEDENTED RATE.
SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE DRIVERS FOR WHY WE THOUGHT A FOOD SYSTEM PLAN MIGHT BE IMPORTANT.
ON TOP OF THAT, WE'VE HAD A NUMBER OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND HUMAN DISASTERS THAT EXACERBATE SOME OF THOSE FOOD SYSTEM CHALLENGES.
NATURAL DISASTERS LIKE WINTER STORM, YURA, YURI, WINTER STORM, MARA EXPOSED SOME OF THE FRAILTIES IN OUR FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN.
RAPID GROWTH HAS CAUSED MASSIVE CHALLENGES IN TERMS OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, KEEPING UP WITH THE NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH THE LENS OF A FOOD SYSTEM.
UM, AND OBVIOUSLY THINGS LIKE COVID AND CLIMATE CHANGE.
SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE DRIVERS FOR WHY WE GOT DIRECTION FROM THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT TO CREATE A FOOD PLAN.
A FOOD PLAN IS LIKE ANY OTHER PLAN.
IT'S AN ATTEMPT TO TRY TO PROVIDE SOME LEVEL OF PRIORITIZATION.
THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE COULD FOCUS ON WITHIN THE FOOD SYSTEM.
WHAT DOES THE COMMUNITY THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS ARE THAT WE SHOULD WORK ON? SO THAT WAS THE ATTEMPT TO CREATE A, THE IMPETUS FOR CREATING THE FOOD PLAN.
UM, WORTH NOTING THAT THERE IS NO DEPARTMENT OF FOOD IN THE CITY.
THERE'S NO DEPARTMENT OF FOOD IN THE COUNTY.
THERE'S NO DEPARTMENT OF FOOD IN THE STATE.
THERE'S NO DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL.
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT FOOD SYSTEMS IN THE GOVERNMENT, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT OFTEN LOTS OF SILOS OF GOVERNMENT THAT REGULATE, PROVIDE INCENTIVES FOR WORK WITHIN THE FOOD SYSTEM, BUT THERE'S NOBODY ESSENTIALLY IN CHARGE OF THE FOOD SYSTEM.
THE FOOD SYSTEM IS PREDOMINANTLY A PRIVATE SECTOR ENTERPRISE WITH GOVERNMENT REGULATION IN VARYING WAYS THAT MAKES THINGS LIKE A FOOD PLAN PARTICULARLY COMPLICATED COMPARED TO SAY, UH, A AUSTIN WATER PLAN.
THE AUSTIN WATER DEPARTMENT PRETTY MUCH IS IN CHARGE OF THE WATER FROM ONE END TO THE OTHER.
THE FOOD SYSTEM DOESN'T HAVE A COMPARISON.
SO WHAT WE TRIED TO DO WITH THE FOOD PLAN IS LOOK TO BEST PRACTICES.
UH, PLACES LIKE THE CITY OF LONDON AND ENGLAND WERE VERY INTENTIONAL ABOUT SAYING, HERE'S WHAT THE COMMUNITY SAID THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN IN THE FOOD SYSTEM.
HERE ARE LANES OF OPERATION, HERE'S WHAT THE CITY'S INFLUENCE IS AND WHAT WE CAN COMMIT TO WORKING ON.
HERE'S WHAT THE STATE SHOULD WORK ON.
DON'T KNOW THAT THERE'S A STATE IN LONDON, BUT, UH, THE COMPARATIVE IN ENGLAND.
UM, AND THEN PRIVATE SECTOR AND THE NON-PROFIT SECTOR.
SO WE TRIED OUR BEST TO CREATE THOSE LANES OF OPERATION.
AND I'LL CIRCLE BACK TO THAT AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT IN THE IMPLEMENTATION SECTION OF THIS PRESENTATION.
UM, SO THAT SAID, WE STARTED WORKING ON THE PLAN, UM, BACK IN 2022.
WE KNEW THAT WE WANTED TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN THE PLANNING PROCESS.
WE DIDN'T WANT TO JUST HAVE PEOPLE SAY YES NO TO THINGS.
WE WANTED THERE TO BE BUY-IN AT A DEEP LEVEL.
WE SPENT QUITE A BIT OF TIME WORKING WITH ANOTHER BOARD AND COMMISSION, THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY FOOD POLICY BOARD TO DEVELOP THE PROCESS FOR CREATING THE PLAN.
UH, WE GOT DIRECTION FROM THE FOOD POLICY BOARD TO CREATE A SEPARATE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
ESSENTIALLY A GROUP OF, UH, COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT WOULD COME TOGETHER, WORK ON DEVELOPING THE VISION FOR THE PLAN, AND THEN WALK US THROUGH SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PLAN FROM A TO Z.
SO OUR FIRST STEP WAS TO CREATE THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
WE HAD 25 MEMBERS THAT WE SELECTED FROM ACROSS GEOGRAPHICAL AND, UH, RACIAL AND ETHNIC AGE, UM, SKILLSET, UH, BACKGROUNDS.
UM, WE THEN DEVELOPED ISSUE AREA GROUPS, UH, SPECIFIC GROUPS TO TACKLE THINGS LIKE FOOD PRODUCTION, FOOD PROCESSING, DISTRIBUTION, CONSUMPTION, ET CETERA.
UM, AND THEN WE WORKED CLOSELY WITH CITY AND COUNTY EXECUTIVES TO ENSURE THAT WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT AND BEING PROPOSED IN THE FOOD PLAN COULD BE ALIGNED WITH EXISTING CITY EFFORTS.
UM, AND THEN LASTLY, WE USED THE FOOD POLICY BOARD AS ESSENTIALLY, UM, UH, A TOUCHSTONE TO ENSURE THAT WE WERE GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
UM, SO ALL THAT SAID, THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE FOOD PLANNING PROCESS WAS THAT WE WENT AND TALKED TO PEOPLE ALL OVER AUSTIN, ALL OVER TRAVIS COUNTY.
UM, TALKED TO LITERALLY THOUSANDS OF DIFFERENT FOLKS IN LOTS OF DIFFERENT SETTINGS.
GOT FEEDBACK ON WHAT THINGS DO WE THINK NEED TO BE ADDRESSED WITHIN THE FOOD SYSTEM.
UM, WE MADE SPECIFIC IN, UH, EFFORTS TO ENSURE THAT WE WENT TO WHERE PEOPLE WERE, INSTEAD OF INVITING PEOPLE TO US, UH, WE MADE SURE THAT WE HAD LANGUAGE TRANSLATION, UM, AND OTHER TRANSLATION SERVICES LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY.
UM, SO WE FEEL LIKE WE GOT TO, UM, A BROAD SWATH OF THE COMMUNITY, LOTS OF DIFFERENT EVENTS WORKING WITH CONSULTANTS AND SUB-CONSULTANTS
[01:30:01]
DOING, UH, PUBLIC EVENTS, GOING TO WHERE PEOPLE WERE ALREADY GATHERED, SOLICITING FEEDBACK, LOTS OF FUN, LOTS OF GOOD PEOPLE, LOTS OF GOOD ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVED AS WELL.UM, PRIVATE SECTOR NONPROFITS.
UM, WE DID A SUPPLY CHAIN VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT AS PART OF THIS PROCESS TO IDENTIFY WHERE THE WEAKNESSES WERE IN OUR PRIVATE SECTOR, UH, OR SUPPLY CHAIN, THE PRIVATE SECTOR, FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN.
UM, THIS WAS AN EFFORT TO ENSURE THAT WE ACTUALLY HEARD FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR KNOWING THAT IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO GET FOR-PROFIT BUSINESSES TO COME TO PUBLIC MEETINGS AND SPEND HOURS TALKING TO US.
UM, SO WE WENT TO THESE PRIVATE BUSINESSES AND HEARD DIRECTLY FROM THEM WHAT THEIR CONCERNS WERE WITH THEIR SUPPLY CHAIN, WHERE THEY SAW WEAKNESSES AND WHAT THEY THOUGHT WE COULD DO AS A COMMUNITY TO IMPROVE SOME OF THOSE.
SO ALL THAT SAID, WE HEARD ESSENTIALLY BOILING THOUSANDS OF PIECES OF FEEDBACK DOWN TO TWO MAJOR THEMES, ACCESS TO FOOD AND AFFORDABILITY AND LOCAL FOOD PRODUCTION AND AGRICULTURE.
UM, NOT SURPRISING, BUT IT WAS VALIDATING IN SOME WAYS TO HEAR FROM THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF FOLKS THAT THESE WERE THE TWO PRIMARY DRIVERS.
I LIKE TO SUMMARIZE THIS SLIDE IN ONE SIMPLE TERM.
AUSTIN HAS OUTSTRIPPED ITS INFRASTRUCTURE IN TERMS OF ROADS, IN TERMS OF HOUSING, UM, IN TERMS OF EDUCATION.
IT'S ALSO OUTSTRIPPED ITS CAPACITY IN TERMS OF INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE FOOD SYSTEM.
WE'VE RELIED ON OTHER PLACES FOR FOOD SYSTEM INFRASTRUCTURE, DALLAS, SAN ANTONIO, HOUSTON.
ESSENTIALLY THEIR INFRASTRUCTURE PROVIDES AUSTIN'S FOOD, UM, WITHOUT TRANSPORTATION CORRIDORS CONNECTING US TO THAT INFRASTRUCTURE.
WE HAVE SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES.
UM, AUSTIN NEEDS TO TAKE THE LACK OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND ITS FOOD SYSTEM VERY SERIOUSLY AS WE CONTINUE TO GROW.
SO, UM, THAT SAID, WE WRAPPED ALL THIS UP, UM, TURNED IT INTO A FOOD PLAN, PRESENTED IT TO TRAVIS COUNTY'S COMMISSIONER'S COURT, WHO PASSED THE RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT BACK IN OCTOBER OF 2024.
WE GOT IT IN FRONT OF CITY COUNCIL.
THEY PASSED THE RESOLUTION, UH, SORRY, THEY ADOPTED THE PLAN IN OCTOBER OF 2024 AS WELL.
UM, BUT IN ADDITION TO JUST ADOPTING THE PLAN, THEY ALSO PASSED, UM, UH, RESOLUTION, SPECIFICALLY DIRECTING CITY STAFF TO COME BACK AND REPORT BACK ON PROGRESS, UM, AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION.
SO, UM, MOVING QUICKLY FORWARD.
UM, IN ADDITION TO ALL THAT, WE ALSO APPLIED FOR AN AWARD WITH THE MILAN URBAN FOOD POLICY PACT, UH, TO HIGHLIGHT THE WORK THAT WE HAD DONE IN THE FOOD PLANNING PROCESS.
THE MILAN URBAN FOOD POLICY PACT, IN CASE YOU ARE NOT AWARE OF WHAT IT IS ALREADY, IT'S A REALLY WONKY GROUP OF 300 CITIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD THAT ALL AGREE THAT WE SHOULD BE WORKING ON FOOD SYSTEMS TOGETHER, AND THAT WE SHOULD BE USING A SIMILAR FRAME OF REFERENCE TO CREATE A BETTER FOOD SYSTEM.
AND THAT CITIES HAVE AN IMPORTANT ROLE WITHIN THE DEVELOPMENT OF BETTER FOOD SYSTEMS. BASICALLY THINK ABOUT LEAD CERTIFICATION, BUT FOR FOOD SYSTEMS FOR CITIES, IT'S NOT AN ACTUAL CERTIFICATION, IT'S JUST A SET OF GUIDELINES, BUT IT'S A SIMILAR SORT OF PROCESS.
SO IT'S A SET OF LIKE 30 DIFFERENT THINGS THAT CITIES SHOULD BE DOING TO MAKE THEIR FOOD SYSTEMS WORK BETTER.
MAYOR ADLER BACK IN 2026, SORRY, 2016, SIGNED US ONTO THE MULDER MID FOOD POLICY PACT.
AND WE'VE BEEN, UM, AN ACTIVE PARTICIPANT EVER SINCE.
UH, WE WERE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO RECEIVE THE GLOBAL AWARD FOR THE FOOD PLAN.
I GOT TO TRAVEL TO MILAN TO ACCEPT THE AWARD ON THE BEHALF OF THE CITY AND THE COUNTY, AND WE GOT SOME CASH, ACTUALLY.
UM, SO THE REASON I MENTION THIS IS BECAUSE, FOR ONE, IT'S REALLY EXCITING TO GET A GLOBAL AWARD FOR TWO, IT'S VALIDATING THAT THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN SPENT THOUSANDS OF HOURS CONTRIBUTING TO A PLAN THAT PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE WORLD RECOGNIZED AS A VERY IMPORTANT AND VALID PROCESS FOR TAKING INPUT, TRANSLATING IT, AND THEN HOPEFULLY TURNING IT INTO ACTION.
SO THAT SAID, UM, IMPLEMENTING THE PLAN, THE FIRST THING THAT WE WANT TO DO WHEN IMPLEMENTING SOMETHING IS KNOW HOW TO TRACK PROGRESS.
UM, SO SIMILAR TO LOTS OF DASHBOARDS ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE, WE CREATED THE FOOD PLAN DASHBOARD.
UH, WE POPULATED IT ALL NINE GOALS.
ALL 61 STRATEGIES ARE ON THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY FOOD PLAN DASHBOARD.
WE UPDATE THE DASHBOARD ONCE A YEAR, UH, LITERALLY SOLICITING FEEDBACK FROM INTERNAL CITY STAFF, COUNTY STAFF, UM, NONPROFITS IN PRIVATE SECTOR.
ANYBODY WHO HAS RELEVANCE IN ONE OF THE STRATEGIES WE ASK, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? HOW'S IT GOING? WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES? ALL THAT INFORMATION IS UP ON THE DASHBOARD.
WE'LL, AGAIN, BE UPDATING THIS DASHBOARD AT LEAST ANNUALLY.
HOPEFULLY, UM, WE'LL BE SEEING SOME SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS, UM, AS THE YEARS PROGRESS.
I CAN SAY, AS OF NOW, A LITTLE BIT OVER ONE YEAR PAST ADOPTION OF THE PLAN, UH, OVER HALF OF THE STRATEGIES HAVE AT LEAST ALREADY BEEN STARTED.
UM, SO WE'RE SEEING SOME GOOD PROGRESS ALREADY.
UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE'RE REPORTING BACK TO CITY COUNCIL ON A REGULAR BASIS.
WE PROVIDE MEMOS TWICE A YEAR, THE CITY COUNCIL ON WHAT CITY STAFF IS DOING TO HELP IMPLEMENT THE PLAN.
UM, AND WHEN REQUESTED, WE MAKE PRESENTATIONS TO THE CLIMATE, WATER ENVIRONMENT AND PARKS COUNCIL COMMITTEE.
UM, SO, UH, THE MOST EXCITING AND IMPORTANT PART
[01:35:01]
OF THIS WHOLE PROCESS IS WE WERE ABLE TO DEVELOP A INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WITH TRAVIS COUNTY, WHO IDENTIFIED SOME RESOURCES TO PUT TOWARDS IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FOOD PLAN.WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO USE THOSE RESOURCES, UH, TO PUT OUT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR A CONSULTANT TO HELP US CREATE AN IMPLEMENTATION COLLABORATIVE.
THIS IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE WHAT WE HEARD, UH, FROM THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE VERY CLEARLY WAS, IF THIS PLAN SITS ON THE SHELF, IT'S A FAILURE.
IT'S A DISSERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY TO PUT ALL THIS EFFORT AND TIME AND MONEY INTO CREATING A PLAN IF WE DON'T HAVE A CLEAR WAY TO IMPLEMENT THE PLAN.
SO, STRATEGY 9.1 SAID, GO CREATE AN IMPLEMENTATION COLLABORATIVE, BRING US BACK TOGETHER AND HELP US FIGURE OUT HOW TO IMPLEMENT THIS PLAN.
SO WE USED THE ONLY DOLLARS THAT WE GOT FOR IMPLEMENTATION FOR THE FOOD PLAN, UM, TOWARDS THIS, UH, CONSULTANT CONTRACT.
HAPPY TO SAY THAT WE WERE ABLE TO BRING ON WILLARD NICHOLS AND TORRES, UH, GREAT LOCAL CONSULTING COMPANY.
THEY ARE IN THE MIDST OF, SORRY, GO BACK ONE.
UM, IN THE MIDST OF SCHEDULING A PUBLIC LAUNCH OF THE COLLABORATIVE, ESSENTIALLY THIS IS GONNA BE A BIG TABLE, UH, MANAGED BY THE CONSULTANT, BRINGING ALL THE STRATEGIES, UH, TOGE ALL THE PEOPLE IMPLEMENTING STRATEGIES TOGETHER, IDENTIFYING WHAT'S WORKING, WHAT'S NOT WORKING, WHAT NEEDS MORE RESOURCES.
THE KEY TAKEAWAY HERE IS WE WANT TO BE PREPARED WHEN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT STARTS FUNDING THINGS AGAIN.
UM, THE PLAN WAS INTENDED TO ALIGN WITH FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FUNDING.
THINGS LIKE THINK THE IRA, ESSENTIALLY, UM, WE WERE EXPECTING THREE YEARS AGO WHEN WE STARTED WORKING ON THIS PLAN TO BE ABLE TO TAKE LOCAL RESOURCES, USE IT AS MATCH, GET FEDERAL RESOURCES TO IMPLEMENT THINGS IN THE FOOD PLAN.
THAT WAS AN INTERESTING TWIST IN THE ROAD OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
UM, BUT WE WANT TO BE PREPARED WHEN THERE USDA, AGAIN PASSES OF A FARM BILL AND POTENTIALLY HAS RESOURCES.
THIS COLLABORATIVE WILL ESSENTIALLY IDENTIFY WHAT THE LOW HANGING FRUIT IS.
WE'LL DO THE, THE PRE-HOMEWORK TO IDENTIFY COLLABORATIVE OPPORTUNITIES, MAYBE DO SOME ACTUAL WRITING OF POTENTIAL GRANT OPPORTUNITIES.
SO WHEN THOSE DATES APPEAR ON USDA WEBSITES, WE'LL BE READY TO LAUNCH, UM, OUR APPLICATIONS.
AND IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE'LL BE ABLE TO LEVERAGE THAT FOR LOCAL PHILANTHROPIC DOLLARS AND IDENTIFY OTHER THINGS THAT CAN BE DONE, UH, WITH LOW OR NO DOLLARS ADDED.
SO THAT SAID, I'M HAPPY TO TAKE QUESTIONS.
I'M REALLY PROUD OF THE WORK THAT WE DID AS A COMMUNITY TO DEVELOP THE FOOD PLAN.
WE WORKED CLOSELY WITH SOME OF THE FOLKS IN THIS ROOM, LIKE FRUITFUL COMMONS, LOTS OF SUPPORT FROM PARKS AND REC, AND APPRECIATE THAT WATERSHED PROTECTION, ET CETERA.
SO, LOTS OF GOOD STUFF HAPPENING.
I WON'T SPEND TOO MUCH TIME TALKING MORE ABOUT THE SPECIFICS, BUT HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS AND POINT YOU TO THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY FOOD PLAN WEBSITE WHERE ALL OF THE STRATEGIES ARE LIVING AND BEING UPDATED AS WE SPEAK.
UM, LET'S START WITH, UM, UH, WE'LL START HERE IN THE ROOM FIRST, UH, WITH QUESTIONS.
COMMISSIONER FLOOD, UH, THANK YOU FOR PRESENTATION.
I'M CURIOUS WHAT DFW SOME OF THE OTHER CITIES OF THE TEXAS TRIANGLE HAVE IN THEIR FOOD INFRASTRUCTURE THAT YOU, THAT YOU MENTIONED THEY HAVE, BUT AUSTIN DOESN'T.
YEAH, I MEAN, MAINLY GIGANTIC WAREHOUSES.
UM, WHAT, YOU KNOW, FOOD DISTRIBUTION COMPANIES.
I MEAN, SAN ANTONIO AND HOUSTON ARE PROBABLY BETTER EXAMPLES.
UM, BUT SAN ANTONIO'S, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE LARGEST FOOD DISTRIBUTION HUBS IN THE WORLD.
UM, HOUSTON MAY BE RIGHT UP THERE WITH IT.
SO JUST, YOU KNOW, GIGANTIC COMPANIES THAT HAVE HUGE WAREHOUSES WHERE FOOD COMES FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD AND IS AGGREGATED.
AND THEN THE REDISTRIBUTED, UM, IF YOU COMPARE, I THINK THE NUMBER ACTUALLY IN DALLAS, I THINK THERE'S LIKE 30, UM, FOOD HUBS, ESSENTIALLY PRIVATE SECTOR FOR-PROFIT FOOD DISTRIBUTION COMPANIES.
UM, YOU KNOW, AUSTIN HAS LIKE TWO, UM, THAT'S NOT, DON'T QUOTE ME ON THAT NUMBER, BUT IT'S, UH, COMPARATIVELY THE PERCENTAGES ARE SIMILAR.
UM, SO JUST VASTLY DIFFERENT INFRASTRUCTURE.
SO I THINK I'VE SEEN SOME, IN SOME MASTER PLANNING EFFORTS OF FOOD HUBS, MAYBE COLONY PARKS MASTER PLAN, UM, MAYBE ON THE SOUTHEAST SIDE OR NEAR THE AIRPORT.
UM, SO WE HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL FOOD HUBS PLANNED.
UH, YEAH, IN FACT, WE HAVE SEEN PRETTY SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN COLD STORAGE OVER THE LAST COUPLE YEARS.
I MEAN, PRETTY RADICAL, UM, IMPROVEMENTS I WOULD SAY IN FOOD SYSTEM INFRASTRUCTURE, BUT STILL, UM, COMPARED TO CITIES OF OUR SIZING IN OTHER LOCATIONS THAT DON'T HAVE THE SAN ANTONIOS AND HOUSTONS SITTING NEARBY, UM, WE HAVE RADICALLY FEWER, EVEN WITH THE GROWTH THAT WE'VE SEEN OVER THE LAST COUPLE YEARS.
I'LL, UH, CHECK OUT THE WEBSITE TO SEE MORE ON THE PLAN AND THE STRATEGIES, BUT IF I COULD, IF YOU COULD JUST HIGHLIGHT YOUR, THE MOST IMPACTFUL OR STRATEGY THAT Y'ALL ARE IMPLEMENTING YOU'RE MOST EXCITED ABOUT.
WHICH ONE IS THAT? UM, THAT WOULD BE TRICKY, BUT I WILL POINT TO THE REALLY GOOD WORK BEING DONE CURRENTLY ON, UM, DEVELOPING A REPLICABLE PROCESS FOR UTILIZING FLOODPLAIN PROPERTIES, BUYOUT
[01:40:01]
PROPERTIES SPECIFICALLY FOR URBAN AGRICULTURE.UM, WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THE CONCEPT FOR 10 YEARS.
UM, BUT THROUGH SOME REALLY GOOD WORK INTER, UH, ACROSS DEPARTMENT, UM, WORK WITH PARKS, WITH WATERSHED, UM, AND THEN LED BY NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, UH, PARTNERING PROGRAM.
UM, WE'RE VERY CLOSE TO BEING ABLE TO GET SOME PLANTS IN THE GROUND ON BUYOUT PROPERTY, UH, BUT NOT JUST PLANTS IN THE GROUND, UM, TREES IN THE GROUND AND, UM, A PROCESS THAT CAN BE REPLICATED.
AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT THE FOOD PLAN IS ABOUT, IS IT'S NOT JUST LIKE GETTING A WIND HERE OR A WIN THERE, IT'S DEVELOPING A REPLICABLE PROCESS.
UH, WELL THAT WENT RIGHT INTO THE NEXT QUESTION I HAD, WHICH WAS ON, ON FLOODPLAINS PARTICULARLY, UH, SOUTHEAST SIDE, ONION CREEK Y UH, CITIES BOUGHT OUT PROPERTIES THERE.
AND SO IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT MIGHT BE A, A TARGET AREA.
THAT'S WHERE WE'RE WORKING, UM, IS REALLY AN INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY.
WE'RE CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT DO WE DO WITH BURIED UTILITIES.
UM, AND IT'S A, YOU KNOW, AN INTERESTING QUAGMIRE.
LIKE THERE'S NOT A REAL STRONG PRECEDENT FOR REMOVING UTILITIES OUT OF BUYOUT PROPERTIES.
IN FACT, I DON'T THINK THAT THERE IS A PRECEDENT ONCE THE UTILITIES GET CUT OFF, EVERYBODY KIND OF WALKS AWAY AND SAYS, OKAY, UM, BECAUSE WE'RE PLANNING ON PLANTING, UH, FOOD PRODUCT, FOOD PRODUCING PLANTS, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO TAKE THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE SERIOUSLY.
AND SO, UM, BY SERIOUSLY AS IN LIKE, WE'RE DOING THE PROPER WORK TO ENSURE THAT WHATEVER GETS PLANTED WOULD BE PLANTED INTO A SAFE ENVIRONMENT.
UM, BUT IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S SOMEWHAT UNPRECEDENTED.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UH, I THINK YOU, THERE WAS A SLIDE THAT SAID 0.06% OF OUR FOOD FOOD IS, UH, GROWN LOCALLY OR OBTAINED LOCALLY, OR HOWEVER THE PHRASE GOES.
WHAT ARE WE DOING TO CHANGE THAT? I MEAN, GREAT QUESTION.
UM, I EXPECT A GREAT ANSWER
WE HAVE THE USDA'S AGRICULTURAL SURVEY EVERY FIVE YEARS.
THAT GIVES US ESSENTIALLY LIKE HOW MUCH PRODUCE IS, HOW MUCH FOOD ESSENTIALLY IS SOLD, UM, IN A COUNTY.
WE THEN DIVIDED THAT BY THE POPULATION TIMES HOW MUCH THE AVERAGE PERSON SPENDS ON FOOD PER YEAR.
UM, IT ACTUALLY IS INACCURATE 'CAUSE IT'S NO MORE THAN 0.06 'CAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A WAY TO TRACK FOOD THAT'S PRODUCED AND EXPORTED OUT OF OUR COUNTY VERSUS CONSUMED LOCALLY.
SO WE KNOW THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF FOOD PRODUCED, UM, DIVIDED BY THE POPULATION'S CONSUMPTION OF FOOD.
SO WHAT ARE WE DOING ABOUT IT? UM, WE'RE LOSING FARMLAND AT AN UNPRECEDENTED RATE.
UM, SO THE NUMBER'S GONNA KEEP GOING DOWN.
UM, DO WE NEED TO DEVELOP FARMLAND? ABSOLUTELY.
UM, WITHOUT QUESTION, WE HAVE AN AFFORDABILITY CRISIS IN AUSTIN.
WE NEED TO BUILD MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, AND WE NEED TO BUILD THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT SUPPORTS THOSE COMMUNITIES.
UM, UNFORTUNATELY, FARMLAND IS THE EASIEST PROPERTY TO DEVELOP.
I CALL FARMLAND PRE SUBURBAN LAND.
IT'S FLAT, GENERALLY FARMERS ARE READY TO SELL AND RETIRE.
UM, SO THERE IS A VERY STRONG EFFORT, AND I'LL POINT TO THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY FOOD POLICY BOARD'S WORKING GROUP ON FARMLAND PRESERVATION.
UM, A VERY COMMITTED GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS ON THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY FOOD POLICY BOARD ARE WORKING AS HARD AS THEY POSSIBLY CAN TO COME UP WITH SOME INNOVATIVE WAYS, UH, TO PUT FORWARD CONSERVATION PROGRAMS FOR FARMLAND TO ELEVATE THE IMPORTANCE.
THIS CONVERSATION RIGHT NOW IS THE ABSOLUTE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE AWARE THAT FARMLAND IS BEING DEVELOPED.
IT'S DECREASING THE CAPACITY FOR OUR LOCAL FOOD SYSTEM.
AND THERE IS AN OCCASION WHERE THAT'S A NEEDED AND GOOD THING.
AND THERE'S ALSO AN OCCASION WHERE PERHAPS WE COULD HAVE AN EARNEST CONVERSATION ABOUT THE TRADE-OFFS.
IF ALL OF OUR FARMLAND IS DEVELOPED, WE'VE JUST MADE THE ULTIMATE TRADE, WHERE CAN WE FIND A COMPROMISE AND FIGURE OUT ARE THERE PROPERTIES THAT SHOULD BE CONSERVED THAT ARE ABSOLUTELY THE, THE BEST AND HIGHEST USE FOR THAT PROPERTY IS FOOD PRODUCTION.
UM, I WILL POINT TO ONE OF THE EXAMPLES THAT I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT.
UM, IN, UH, EAST AUSTIN, THERE IS A ORGANIC FARM CALLED GREENGATE.
UM, THE PROPERTY WAS PURCHASED BY A DEVELOPER AND THE FARM WAS GOING TO BE TURNED INTO, UH, AN UPSCALE MODULAR, UM, HOUSING DEVELOPMENT THROUGH SINCERE WORK FROM THE FARMERS AND OTHERS.
UM, THERE WAS A COMPROMISE MADE WHERE FIVE ACRES OF THE PROPERTY, UH, WAS PRESERVED PERMANENTLY FOR FOOD PRODUCTION FOR THE FARM.
THAT'S AN IDEAL SCENARIO WHERE WE GET HOUSING AND ACTUALLY THERE IS RELATIVELY AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN THAT DEVELOPMENT AND THE FARM IS PRESERVED.
[01:45:01]
BEEN PUSHING, UM, THROUGH A COUPLE DIFFERENT WAYS TO EXPLORE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES TO CREATE WHAT WE CALL AGRICULTURALLY FOCUSED NEIGHBORHOODS.IN FACT, I'LL POINT TO SOME REALLY GOOD WORK DONE IN THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT TO PRODUCE A WHOLE REPORT ON AGRICULTURALLY FOCUSED NEIGHBORHOODS.
WHAT ARE THEY, WHERE ARE THE EXAMPLES FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY? WHAT COULD IT LOOK LIKE IN AUSTIN? WHAT ARE THE CODES AND ORDINANCE REGULATIONS AND CHALLENGES AROUND THAT? AND THEN ESSENTIALLY LIKE TRYING TO SOCIALIZE THAT REPORT AS WE SPEAK AND GET IT OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY TO SEE WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN DOING MORE OF THOSE.
THERE'S REALLY NO REASON WHY FOOD PRODUCTION COULDN'T BE EMBEDDED IN ALL FUTURE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT.
UM, IT'S JUST SORT OF A QUESTION OF OUR WILL, UM, AND OUR WILLINGNESS TO SORT OF PRIORITIZE THAT.
WELL, I UNDERSTAND, UH, THERE'S A PROBLEM WITH, UH, FARMLAND BEING CONSUMED TO BUILD SINGLE FAMILY HOMES OR OFFICE PARKS OR DATA CENTERS OR WHATEVER IT IS.
BUT ALSO, UH, IT'S THE TYPE OF FARMLAND IN QUESTION.
FOR EXAMPLE, UH, OUT IN EAST, UH, EASTERN TRAVIS COUNTY, I WAS OUT THERE AND THERE'S SOME FARMLAND THAT'S, UH, COTTON.
UH, SO, YOU KNOW, YOU MAY ARGUE THE ADVANTAGES GROWING COTTON, BUT THAT'S NOT REALLY SOMETHING WE'RE GONNA CONSUME AS FOOD, UH, YOU KNOW, UNLESS YOU DO COTTON SEEDED OIL.
UH, SO I GUESS TO SOME EXTENT IT, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE, THE LAND LOST DUE DEVELOPMENT, YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT WHAT, WHAT CROPS ARE ON THE LAND.
UH, YOU KNOW, AND, UH, SO THAT WEIGHS INTO IT ALSO.
BUT IT WOULD SEEM TO ME THAT, UH, FOCUSING ON, UH, SMALL PLOTS OF LAND, UH, MIGHT BE AN ADVANTAGE.
YOU KNOW, PEOPLE GROWING THEIR OWN FOOD, YOU KNOW, BACKYARD FARMING, UH, YOU KNOW, THE SUSTAINABLE FARMS OR, OR PLOTS OF LAND WITHIN THE CITY USING CITY PROPERTY AS, UH, LITTLE FARMING INSTRUCTORS.
THE FOLKS THAT WERE HERE EARLIER, UH, I BELIEVE THEY ARE ON YOUR LIST OF, UH, PEOPLE.
I SAW LIST OF, UH, LOGOS ON ONE OF YOUR SLIDES.
UH, YOU KNOW, UH, THAT TALKED ABOUT THE VARIOUS PEOPLE THAT ARE INVOLVED AND THE PEOPLE THAT SPOKE FIRST ABOUT THEIR PROPERTY BEING DAMAGED BY, UH, WASTEWATER LINE, UH, YOU KNOW, CONSTRUCTION, UH, YOU KNOW, SMALL PARTS OF CITY LAND CAN BE USED FOR, UH, YOU KNOW, GARDENS AND THAT SORT OF THING TO RAISE FOOD FOR PEOPLE LIKE THAT.
IT WOULD SEEM TO ME THAT THAT WOULD BE A GOOD PLACE TO EMPHASIZE, UH, MICRO, YOU KNOW, PLACES TO, TO DO THINGS.
ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO GROW THEIR OWN FOOD AND NEIGHBORHOODS TO USE, UH, YOU KNOW, PLACES WHERE, YOU KNOW, THE LAND IS VACANT FOR WHATEVER THE REASON IS.
UH, MAYBE IT'S, YOU KNOW, YET TO BE BILLED UPON FOR WHATEVER THE REASON DELAYS IN CONSTRUCTION OR, YOU KNOW, BEATS ME.
AND CERTAINLY SAVING FARMLAND FROM CONSUMPTION BY, YOU KNOW, HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS IS GOOD, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, IT HAS TO BE THE RIGHT FARMLAND AS LONG AS YOU'RE CONSIDERING FOOD AS BEING THE OBJECTIVE, WHICH IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS CONVERSATION.
SAVING COTTON FARMS OR NOT REALLY, DOESN'T REALLY HELP FOOD PRODUCTION.
BUT ANYWAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
UM, I WILL JUST POINT TO STRATEGY ONE POINT 12, WHICH SPECIFICALLY CALLS FOR, UM, THE DEVELOPMENT OF, UM, THE PARK LANDS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN DETERMINED TO BE GOOD FITS FOR POTENTIAL FOOD PRODUCTION.
UM, JOHN VINNO PARK IN EAST AUSTIN, UM, HAS A BEAUTIFUL MASTER PLAN OR BEAUTIFUL VISION, UM, THAT INCLUDES A, A REALLY IMPRESSIVE, UM, AMOUNT OF COMMUNITY AGRICULTURE.
UM, THAT'S A ABSOLUTELY AWESOME EXAMPLE OF WHAT YOU'RE DESCRIBING.
AND WHEN'S THAT GONNA BE, UH, FARMED? THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION THAT I BELIEVE, UH, VERY GOOD PEOPLE ARE WORKING ON TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET FUNDING FOR NO PLAN, UH, WORKING AS HARD AS WE CAN.
THANK YOU COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN.
UM, WELL, I'LL SAY THAT A LOT OF THE BASIL AND OREGANO THAT I CONSUME IS GROWN IN OUR YARD.
UH, WELL, WE'RE, I REMEMBER WHEN WE WE'RE GONNA SAY 0.07 NOW.
AND I'M SORRY TO SAY THAT WE OBVIOUSLY FAILED ON THAT, WHICH IS, AND I UNDERSTAND TOO THAT THEY'RE REOPENING THAT NOW, UM, THE IMAGINE AUSTIN COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO REDO IT.
BUT, UM, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I HAVE IS WHEN YOU USE THAT STATISTIC OF 0.06%, IS THAT ONLY TRAVIS COUNTY? OR DOES THAT IS WHAT, WHAT HAPPENS IF WE INCLUDE OUR WHOLE CMSA? YEAH, THAT IS TRAVIS COUNTY.
IF I JUST RECALL OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.
[01:50:01]
THE AUSTIN MSA IS CLOSER TO 3%.IT'S STILL LOW, BUT STILL VERY LOW.
UM, WELL ANYWAY, I, I THINK THAT THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE AND I'M VERY GLAD THAT YOU WERE HERE TO TELL US ABOUT IT.
ONE THING THAT I WAS THINKING, YOU MENTIONED THAT, UM, OBVIOUSLY THERE'S NO FEDERAL MONEY COMING IN FOR ANY, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS, AND I SPECIFICALLY WITH THE FOOD PLAN.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE OBSTACLES OR SOME OF LIKE THE GOALS THAT ARE IN IT THAT RIGHT NOW ARE KINDA LIKE HALTED SPECIFICALLY FOR THE LACK OF FUNDING COMING FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT? UM, UM, I THINK THE SORT OF MOST NOTABLE ONES WOULD BE, UM, THERE ARE A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT PROGRAMS LIKE THE USDA, NRC S'S, UM, CONSERVATION PROGRAMS. UM, YOU KNOW, SPECIFICALLY STRATEGY 1.1, UM, IS ABOUT, UH, ACCESSING, UH, FEDERAL DOLLARS FOR, UM, FUNDING.
THINGS LIKE CONSERVATION EASEMENTS.
UM, CONSERVATION EASEMENTS ON FARMLAND ARE THE ABSOLUTE EASIEST AND BEST WAY TO ENSURE THAT A FARMER GETS MONEY FOR THE LAND THAT THEY'RE CURRENTLY FARMING.
THEY STAY ON THE LAND, THEY CAN PASS THAT LAND ALONG TO THE NEXT GENERATION, BUT THEY GET ESSENTIALLY THE MONEY TO RETIRE NOW.
I MEAN, IT'S A REALLY STRAIGHTFORWARD AND BRILLIANT SCENARIO.
THE VAST MAJORITY OF FARMS THAT ARE SELLING ARE BECAUSE THE FARMER, YOU KNOW, LIKE ANYBODY ELSE WHO'S 65 YEARS OLD, WOULD LIKE TO RETIRE AND THE ONLY ASSET THEY HAVE IS THEIR LAND.
UM, AND SO A CONSERVATION EASEMENT, IF PROPERLY STRUCTURED AND FUNDED ADDRESSES THAT PERFECTLY, IT'S LIKE, GO AHEAD AND RETIRE.
HERE'S A CHUNK OF CHANGE, AND YOUR KIDS GET TO KEEP FARMING THE LAND OR SOMEBODY ELSE, YOU COULD LEASE IT OUT TO SOMEBODY ELSE DEPARTMENT.
UM, SO THAT'S THE MOST NOTABLE ONE.
UM, I MEAN, THOSE, THE NRCS PROGRAMS HAVEN'T STOPPED.
UM, BUT THERE IS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF CONFUSION AND UNCERTAINTY ABOUT SORT OF HOW THAT'S GONNA WORK, UH, WHICH MAKES SORT OF BRINGING A COALITION TOGETHER, PUTTING PLANS TOGETHER, A LITTLE BIT TRICKY IF YOU JUST DON'T KNOW, LIKE, WELL, IS WHAT HAPPENED TWO YEARS AGO GONNA HAPPEN AGAIN, WE JUST DON'T KNOW.
UM, YEAH, THAT'S MY ONLY QUESTION.
UH, COMMISSIONER MORRISON, THANKS SO MUCH, UM, FOR THE PRESENTATION.
I JUST ONE QUESTION, UH, ON SOMETHING THAT YOU'VE COVERED ON THE, UM, MILAN AWARD, IS THAT WHAT IT, THAT'S WHAT IT'S CALLED, CORRECT, YES, MA'AM.
DID YOU, UH, AND SORRY IF I MISSED THIS.
DID YOU, UM, ALREADY SHARE HOW THAT FUNDING IS, IS GONNA BE USED OR IF ANY OF THAT FUNDING WILL BE USED TO MAKE PROGRESS ON, UM, THE, THE, THE GOALS AND, AND STRATEGIES THAT YOU'VE IDENTIFIED AS PART OF THE OVERALL INITIATIVE? YEAH, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
WE'RE ACTUALLY WORKING ON THE LOGISTICS OF HOW THAT MONEY CAN BE SPENT.
UM, AND THERE'S SOME CHALLENGES FOR CITIES RECEIVING MONEY AND FIGURING OUT WHAT THE BEST MECHANISMS ARE TO PASS THAT MONEY ALONG.
UM, AS SOON AS WE DETERMINE THAT, UM, WE WILL LIKELY DO A PRESS RELEASE AND YOU'LL HEAR ABOUT IT.
UM, SO UNFORTUNATELY AT THIS POINT, ALL I CAN SAY IS OUR INTENTION IS TO USE A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THAT MONEY FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FOOD PLAN.
I I WAS JUST LIKE BROWSING THE, THE WEBSITE, WHICH IS GREAT, BY THE WAY.
UM, BUT I SEE LIKE SOME OF THE, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE STRATEGIES HAVEN'T BEEN STARTED, BUT, UM, I THINK WHEN YOU DO FIGURE OUT WHERE YOU'RE GONNA, UM, APPLY THAT FUNDING TO EVEN, UM, LIKE PUBLICIZE THAT ON THE WEBSITE AND SHOW PEOPLE WHAT GOAL AND WHAT STRATEGY, UM, IS BEING LIKE SUPPORTED, UM, WITH THAT FUNDING.
UM, AND THEN THE ONLY OTHER, UH, JUST COMMENT ON, LIKE, I'M LOOKING AT THE, THE PRO CLIMATE, UM, PROHEALTH GOAL, UH, ON THE WEBSITE.
I THINK THERE ARE SOME AREAS WHERE YOU GUYS CAN PROBABLY JUST BE A BIT MORE SPECIFIC ABOUT WHAT, UM, LIKE THE, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT THE TARGETS ARE OVER THE NEXT ONE TO THREE YEARS.
AND EVEN ON SOME DEFINITION STUFF, MAYBE THIS IS ELSEWHERE IN THE, UM, PLAN, BUT LIKE YOU, YOU KNOW, YOU SAY PROMOTE EFFORTS TO PROMOTE PRO CLIMATE PROHEALTH FOODS, LIKE WHAT DOES PRO CLIMATE FOOD ACTUALLY LOOK LIKE? I'M NOT SURE THAT, UM, PEOPLE NECESSARILY CAN ACTUALLY VISUALIZE THAT.
SO WHERE, UM, WHERE THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES TO BE MORE SPECIFIC ON THE WEBSITE, I THINK THAT WOULD JUST CREATE A BETTER, UH, LIKE
[01:55:01]
USER INTERFACE EXPERIENCE.YEAH, THOSE ARE EXCELLENT POINTS, BUT OTHERWISE THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING, AND THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE, UM, THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
WE'LL, UM, ABSOLUTELY WORK ON ALL OF THOSE.
I WILL SAY THE, UM, THE FOOD PLAN ITSELF, WHICH YOU CAN, THERE'S A TAB ON TOP OF THE WEBSITE THAT SAYS EXPLORE THE PLAN OR EXPLORE THE PLAN IS THE DASHBOARD, AND THEN YOU CAN ACTUALLY CLICK ON, UM, AN, THE TAB ON THE FAR UPPER RIGHT THAT YOU CAN READ THE ENTIRE PLAN.
UM, IT'S 120 PAGES, UM, BUT IT DOES INCLUDE A GLOSSARY WHERE ALL OF THE TERMS, UM, THAT WE USE ARE DEFINED.
BUT EXCELLENT POINT THAT WE COULD PULL THAT GLOSSARY INTO THE DASHBOARD AND MAKE IT REAL EASY FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT THE TERMS ARE.
I LOVE, I LOVE A LOVE A GOOD GLOSSARY.
UM, AND THEN WE WILL ALSO BE WORKING ON IMPROVING THE METRICS OF SUCCESS WE WROTE INTO THE CONTRACT WITH OUR CONSULTANT, UH, TO HELP US BETTER DEFINE METRICS OF SUCCESS.
UM, I COULD SPEND THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS TALKING ABOUT THE CHALLENGES FOR INTEGRATING METRICS OF SUCCESS INTO A PLAN, ESPECIALLY A PLAN LIKE THIS.
UM, BUT IT IS, I THINK, AN AREA OF OPPORTUNITY AND GROWTH FOR US, UH, TO REALLY LEAN IN AND DEFINE WHAT IT MEANS IN FIVE YEARS, WHERE DO WE WANT TO BE? AND SO WE WILL BE WORKING ON THAT
GLAD YOU, GLAD Y'ALL ARE THINKING ABOUT ALL OF IT.
YEAH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
UM, I HAD A QUESTION ABOUT HOW ARE WE AVOIDING DUPLICATING THE WORK THAT A LOT OF NONPROFITS ARE ALREADY DOING IN AUSTIN FOR, UH, CREATING A HEALTH PLAN? I MEAN A FOOD PLAN? YEAH, THAT'S A FABULOUS QUESTION.
UM, WE SPENT QUITE A BIT OF TIME IN THE, IN THE INITIAL, WHAT WE CALL PHASE ZERO OF THE PLAN.
UM, ESSENTIALLY TRYING TO DO A LANDSCAPE ASSESSMENT, UH, WHO'S DOING WHAT, DOCUMENTING, VERIFYING, AND THEN USING THAT AS A JUMPING OFF POINT TO ESSENTIALLY DEVELOP THE PLAN.
UM, THAT'S ONE OF THE MORE DIFFICULT THINGS TO DO IN A FOOD PLAN.
AGAIN, THE REFERENCE TO SOMETHING LIKE AN AUSTIN WATER PLAN OR EVEN LIKE A, YOU KNOW, BLUEPRINT FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING WHERE THE PEOPLE THAT ARE ACTUALLY IN CHARGE OF THE THING ARE THE ONES WRITING THE PLAN.
UM, IT BECOMES MUCH EASIER IN A THING LIKE THE FOOD PLAN, YOU KNOW, FOOD PRODUCTION ALONE, THERE'S A THOUSAND FARMS IN TRAVIS COUNTY AND THERE'S 30 DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS THAT WORK ON SUPPORTING FOOD SYSTEM.
UM, TRYING TO GET ALL OF THAT INFORMATION COMPILED INTO ONE PLACE IS A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGE.
UM, SO I DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S A, CERTAINLY THERE'S SOME WEAKNESSES IN THE FOOD PLAN IN TERMS OF IT NOT BEING AS ROBUST AS IT COULD IN TERMS OF BEING AN ASSESSMENT OF EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENING.
UM, BUT WE KNOW IT'S AN ITERATIVE PROCESS.
UM, AND I'LL JUST POINT TO SOMETHING LIKE, UM, THE CENTRAL TEXAS FOOD BANK HAS BEEN DOING COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENTS IN EACH COUNTY, EACH OF THE 21 COUNTIES THAT THEY WORK IN.
UM, AND I'LL USE THIS AS A, I THINK AS A A FUNCTIONAL EXAMPLE OF WHERE WE SHOULD GO.
UM, WE DID THE FOOD PLAN, THE CENTRAL TEXAS FOOD BANK GOT FUNDING AND A DIRECTION TO DO THEIR OWN CNAS.
UM, WE WORKED CLOSELY WITH THE FOOD BANK SO THAT THE COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT OF TRAVIS COUNTY IS A COMPLIMENT TO THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY FOOD PLAN.
IT'S ESSENTIALLY A DEEPER DIVE INTO WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE STATE OF FOOD INSECURITY AND FOOD ACCESS CHALLENGES IN AUSTIN.
SO ESSENTIALLY LIKE THE FOOD PLAN THAT WE PRODUCED AND THE CENTRAL TEXAS FOOD BANKS COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT FOR TRAVIS COUNTY ARE COMPLIMENTARY DOCUMENTS THAT POINT TO EACH OTHER AND JUST PROVIDE A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING, UM, OF THE ISSUE.
AND, YOU KNOW, FRANKLY, THE, THE FOOD BANK WAS ABLE TO DOCUMENT IN GREAT DETAIL EXACTLY WHAT THEY DO IN TERMS OF THEIR PROGRAMS. AND SO WHAT WE MIGHT LOOK TO IN THE FUTURE IS HAVING MORE ORGANIZATIONS LIKE, UM, THE CENTRAL TEXAS FOOD BANK, UM, PROVIDING COMPLIMENTARY DOCUMENTS TO THE FOOD PLAN SO THAT EVENTUALLY OVER A SPAN OF A COUPLE OF YEARS, UM, WE BUILD UP ESSENTIALLY A LIBRARY OF INFORMATION, UM, THAT'S HOPEFULLY HOUSED IN A SIMILAR LOCATION.
UM, THAT SORT OF PROVIDES A MUCH MORE ROBUST UNDERSTANDING OF WHERE THE ASSETS AND LIABILITIES ARE ON EACH PART OF THE FOOD SYSTEM.
UH, IS THERE A WAY, UH, OR HOW, I KNOW, LIKE YOU JUST SAID, THAT IT'S VERY HARD TO TRACK PROGRESS RIGHT NOW AND LIKE LOOK FOR THOSE INDICATORS TO TRACK PROGRESS, UH, SPECIFICALLY IN THESE TYPE
[02:00:01]
OF PROJECTS.AND I CAN SEE HOW, UH, THERE IS AN EFFORT, UH, TO MAKE THIS PROGRAM, UH, BASED ON EQUITY, BUT I WONDER HOW ARE THESE EQUITY METRICS BEING, OR IF THIS IF SLASH HOW
YOU KNOW, YOU SAY, OH, IN THIS SECTOR THERE IS A HIGHER EH, RISK FOR THIS EH, GROUP OF PEOPLE.
EH, HOW IS, ARE THOSE THINGS TRYING, LIKE BEING USED AS PART OF HOW WE'RE DEVELOPING THIS PROJECT AND HOW? YEAH, IT IS A FABULOUS QUESTION.
UM, AND JUST TO BE REAL HONEST, LIKE IF WE HAD SIX MONTHS TO TALK, I COULD SHARE AN ADEQUATE ANSWER
UM, WHAT YOU'LL NOTICE IN THE FOOD PLAN IS WE DON'T HAVE A VERY SIMPLE METRIC THAT SAYS OUR CURRENT RATE OF FOOD INSECURITY IS 14.5.
IT WOULD SEEM VERY OBVIOUS THAT THAT WOULD BE A VERY SIMPLE THING FOR A THING LIKE A FOOD PLAN TO INCLUDE FOOD INSECURITY BAD.
LET'S LOWER THE FOOD INSECURITY RATE GOOD, SIMPLE ENOUGH.
THE CHALLENGE, AS SOON AS YOU UNPACK THAT AT ANY LEVEL, ESPECIALLY WITH A RACIAL EQUITY LENS, UM, YOU REALIZE THAT A DECREASING FOOD INSECURITY RATE MOST LIKELY IS A DIRECT RESULT OF AN INCREASE IN GENTRIFICATION AND DISPLACEMENT.
AND THE FASTER THAT A COMMUNITY GENTRIFIES AND DISPLACES, THE FASTER YOUR FOOD INSECURITY RATE DECREASES.
SO IF YOU USE A DECREASE IN FOOD INSECURITY RATE AS A METRIC OF SUCCESS, WHAT YOU'RE INADVERTENTLY DOING IS ESSENTIALLY CELEBRATING GENTRIFICATION AND DISPLACEMENT.
IT'S NOT OBVIOUSLY THAT SIMPLE, AND I WANT TO BE VERY CLEAR ON THE RECORD IS LIKE, THAT IS NOT A ONE-TO-ONE CORRELATION, BUT IT'S A VERY, IT'S A VERY HELPFUL WAY TO THINK ABOUT THE CHALLENGES AND THE LIABILITIES FOR SETTING METRICS WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING THE FULL CONTEXT OF WHAT YOU'RE DESCRIBING.
SO WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE WORKING ON IS A, HOPEFULLY A, A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A NUANCED WAY TO DESCRIBE SUCCESS AS IN, YOU KNOW, THINGS LIKE INCREASED IN THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE PRODUCING THEIR OWN FOOD IN THEIR BACKYARDS.
UM, THAT'S A VERY TANGIBLE WAY TO MEASURE SUCCESS.
AND YOU CAN BE PRETTY CERTAIN THAT THE PEOPLE THAT ARE GROWING THEIR OWN FOOD IN THEIR BACKYARDS ARE CONSUMING THAT FOOD THEMSELVES.
UM, AND YOU PROBABLY ARE ALSO NOT GONNA BE RISKING POTENTIAL GENTRIFICATION OR, OR DISPLACEMENT THROUGH, UM, BACKYARD FOOD PRODUCTION.
SO JUST AS A QUICK EXAMPLE, IT'S A REALLY COMPLEX THING.
UM, WE DID THINK A LOT ABOUT TRYING TO ADDRESS, UM, NEGATIVE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES AND BEING VERY CONSCIOUS OF THOSE.
IN FACT, THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE CREATED AN ASSESSMENT TOOL, UM, FOR EACH STRATEGY THAT WAS PROPOSED.
SO WE HAD ABOUT 150 STRATEGIES THAT WERE PROPOSED THROUGHOUT THE FOOD PLANNING PROCESS, AND THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE USE THEIR ASSESSMENT TOOL FOR EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE STRATEGIES, AND BASICALLY LOOKED AT IT AND SAID, HEY, THIS IS A GOOD IDEA, BUT WE THINK X, Y, AND Z MIGHT ACTUALLY COME OUT OF THIS IN OPERATIONALIZING THAT STRATEGY.
AND THEY WOULD SEND THOSE IDEAS BACK TO THE ISSUE AREA GROUPS TO ESSENTIALLY CONTINUE TO WORKSHOP OR TO SIMPLY TAKE THOSE STRATEGIES OUT OF FOOD PLAN.
SO THERE WAS QUITE A BIT OF THOUGHT AND INTENTION PUT INTO IT.
I DON'T WANT TO MISREPRESENT THE PLAN AS BEING ANYTHING NEAR PERFECT.
UM, THERE ARE STILL LOTS OF CHALLENGES WITH EVERYTHING IN THE FOOD PLAN, BUT I WILL JUST HONOR THE TREMENDOUS TIME AND EFFORT THAT WAS PUT INTO DEEP THINKING ABOUT HOW TO AT LEAST TRY TO GET IN FRONT OF LET'S NOT MAKE IT WORSE.
SO HOPEFULLY THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION A LITTLE BIT.
I, I THINK I'M LEARNING A LOT TODAY, AND I HOPE, UH, LIKE CITIZENS ARE ALSO LEARNING A LOT AND I THINK IT'S, YEAH, THE, THE MORE YOU, BECAUSE I AM VERY, IF A EQUALS B AND B EQUALS C, THEN A EQUALS C.
BUT, UH, IT IS VERY HARD SOMETIMES TO DEAL WITH THIS TYPE OF OF PROJECTS.
AND, AND NOW THAT YOU'RE EXPLAINING, I SEE IT SO MUCH BETTER.
AND I DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS.
[02:05:01]
HEY, APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION.YEAH, I JUST HAD A FEW QUESTIONS SLASH COMMENTS.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT I'M CURIOUS IS AS PART OF THE FOOD IMPLEMENTATION PLAN, RIGHT? I'M SURE WE SORT OF LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, UH, WHAT, WHAT CROPS OR, YOU KNOW, WHAT ANIMAL PRODUCTS, YOU KNOW, FOOD PRODUCTS, RIGHT? UH, NATURAL FOOD PRODUCTS, I GUESS THAT CAN BE, YOU KNOW, GROWN IN AUSTIN VERSUS LIKE, AND I WOULD ASSUME THAT WE ALSO LOOK AT LIKE WHAT PEOPLE CONSUME, RIGHT? SO LIKE, YOU KNOW, TO COMMISSIONER BRI'S POINT WHERE IT WAS LIKE, WELL, WE GOT THIS LAND THAT'S GENERATING COTTON.
I MEAN, WHAT DOES THAT REALLY DO FOR US AS LIKE A, A COMMUNITY LONG TERM, RIGHT? VERSUS LIKE USING IT FOR FOOD? SO I'M WONDERING LIKE, ARE Y'ALL LOOKING AT LIKE POTENTIAL SUBSIDIES FOR LIKE DIFFERENT TYPES OF FOODS SO THAT WE COULD POTENTIALLY, LIKE, BRING UP THE AMOUNT? LIKE OBVIOUSLY I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH JACKFRUIT OR DURIAN WE CAN GROW HERE, RIGHT? BUT I'M GUESSING THAT THERE'S PROBABLY STUFF LIKE, I DON'T KNOW, LORD, TOMATOES OR POTATOES, SOMETHING LIKE THAT, RIGHT? THAT LIKE THIS CLIMATE AND THIS SOIL TYPE IS, IS GOOD FOR, SO LIKE, WHAT ARE WE DOING TO, YOU KNOW, ENSURE OR, OR INCENTIVIZE, UH, CERTAIN TYPES OF FOOD PRODUCTION THAT WE CAN GROW HERE LOCALLY? YEAH, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
AND AGAIN, SIX MONTHS FROM NOW, IF WE CONTINUE TO TALK, I'D BE ABLE TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION ADEQUATELY.
UM, SO JUST, I'M GONNA DO MY BEST TO TRY TO SUMMARIZE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
UM, FOR ONE, THE CHALLENGE IS THE FOOD PRODUCTION.
FARMING RANCHING IS PREDOMINANTLY A PRIVATE SECTOR BUSINESS WHERE PEOPLE JUST SEE OPPORTUNITIES AND THEY GO DO THAT THING.
UM, IN TERMS OF THE FOOD PLAN, WHAT IT DOES BEST IS IT SORT OF POINTS OUT OPPORTUNITIES AND LIABILITIES AND LIKE, HEY, IF WE CONTINUE TO DO THIS, THAT'S BAD.
LET'S TRY TO DO MORE OF THIS FROM A REGULATORY PERSPECTIVE, FROM AN INCENTIVE PERSPECTIVE, WE HAVE VERY LITTLE IN THE TOOLBOX, VERY, VERY LITTLE.
UM, MOST INCENTIVES COME FROM THE USDA, UM, AND PASSED DOWN GENERALLY TO THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.
THAT SAID, WE HAVE SPENT A LOT OF TIME THINKING ABOUT WHAT IS IN THE PURVIEW OF THE CITY, WHAT IS IN THE PURVIEW OF THE COUNTY, AND WHAT ARE LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS REALLY INTERESTED IN.
UM, I THINK IT'S WORTH NOTING WE HAVEN'T TOUCHED ON THE SUBJECT OF WATER.
UM, AND ONE OF THE THINGS, AS A FORMER ORGANIC FARMER, MYSELF AND AS AN URBAN FARMER FOR DECADES, I CAN SEE I HAVE TREMENDOUS QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER WE SHOULD BE PRODUCING FOOD AT ALL IN CENTRAL TEXAS, GIVEN THE LIKELIHOOD THAT, UM, THE, THE HUNDRED YEAR WATER PROJECTIONS ARE SO UNBELIEVABLY BLEAK.
IT'S NOT A QUESTION OF LIKE IF A DROUGHT, IT'S HOW FREQUENTLY DOES THE, YOU KNOW, THE DROUGHT HAPPEN.
UM, SO I THINK ONE THING THAT I AM PUSHING ON PERSONALLY, AND THAT IS EMBEDDED WITHIN THE FOOD PLAN FOR ONE, IS RECOGNIZING THAT WE HAVE THIS PURPLE PIPE PROGRAM THAT IF PROPERLY STRUCTURED AND PROPERLY UTILIZED, COULD BENEFIT LOCAL FOOD PRODUCTION DRAMATICALLY.
UM, AND BEST THAT I CAN TELL THERE IS MORE PURPLE PIPE WATER THAN THERE IS DEMAND CURRENTLY.
UM, JUST IN TERMS OF HOW THE CURRENT INFRASTRUCTURE WORKS.
UM, SO STRATEGY 1.7 POINTS DIRECTLY TO, UH, POTENTIAL COLLABORATIONS WITH AUSTIN WATER AND OTHERS TO SAY, WE NEED A LITTLE BIT MORE RESEARCH DONE ON HOW TO BEST UTILIZE, UH, THE PURPLE PIPE PROGRAM.
WHERE IS IT, UM, FROM A HEALTH PERSPECTIVE APPROPRIATE TO USE RECLAIMED WATER FOR WHAT CROPPING SYSTEMS IN THIS SPECIFIC REGION? AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S TRICKY ABOUT THIS IS YOU CAN'T TAKE RESEARCH THAT WAS DONE IN CALIFORNIA OR IN NEW YORK, OR EVEN IN NEW MEXICO, AND NECESSARILY APPLY IT HERE BECAUSE OF THE GEOGRAPHY AND THE GEOLOGY AND ALL OF THE DIFFERENT COMPONENTS.
SO WE NEED LOCALIZED RESEARCH THAT'S DONE ON OUR CLIMATE.
SO WATER MAJOR ISSUE FROM A FOOD PRODUCTION PERSPECTIVE.
WE ALSO DON'T HAVE A WHOLE LOT OF RESEARCH DONE ON LOCAL, UH, ADAPTED NATIVE AND ADAPTED SPECIES THAT ARE EDIBLE HERE IN CENTRAL TEXAS.
UM, I THINK THERE'S A TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITY TO ENCOURAGE LOCAL RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS TO REALLY LEAN INTO THAT, UM, AND TO REALLY UNDERSTAND, UM, WHAT ARE THE TOP 10 CROPS THAT GIVEN OUR WATER CONSTRAINTS, GIVEN THE LIKELIHOOD OF RADICAL FLUCTUATIONS IN CLIMATE OVER THE NEXT A HUNDRED YEARS, WHAT SHOULD WE BE LEANING INTO? WE'VE SEEN INCREDIBLE CHANGES IN THE KIND OF CROPPING SYSTEMS FROM AN ORCHARD PERSPECTIVE IN CENTRAL TEXAS.
IT'D BE REAL HARD TO GO FIND A PEACH TREE IN THIS DAY AND AGE HERE IN AUSTIN, AND 20 YEARS AGO IT WAS ALL PEACH TREES.
UM, AND THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY JUST A COINCIDENCE.
SO THERE'S A, A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF CHANGE THAT'S OCCURRING, AND I DON'T KNOW THAT THE RESEARCH THAT SUPPORTS, UM, WHERE WE SHOULD BE GOING IS KEEPING UP WITH THOSE CHANGES.
SOUNDS LIKE WE ALL NEED TO BE EATING A LOT MORE IN DIPALI TRYING TO SAVE SOME WATER INSTEAD OF AVOCADOS, RIGHT? ABSOLUTELY.
UH, AND THEN, YEAH, I GUESS, UH, YOU KNOW, MY FINAL QUESTION OR COMMENT, YOU KNOW, I ALSO SERVE ON THE, THE JSC, SO, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY BIG FANS OF WHAT OAK HARD DOES.
UH, AND I WOULD HOPE THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN Y'ALL HAVE Y'ALL'S FOOD IMPLEMENTATION COLLABORATIVE, YOU
[02:10:01]
KNOW, IF THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION ISN'T NECESSARILY, YOU KNOW, IN A, A SUPER BIG RUSH TO HEAR IT, I WOULD CERTAINLY HOPE THAT Y'ALL BRING IT UP TO THE JSC MEETING WHENEVER Y'ALL LAUNCH THAT.AND, UH, YEAH, THOSE WERE PRETTY MUCH ALL MY QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
I THINK EVERYONE CAN ATTEST THE NUMBER OF TIMES I BRING UP THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE FOOD PLAN IN THIS COMMISSION ALL THE TIME.
SO IT'S SO EXCITING TO HAVE YOU HERE TO REPORT ON WHERE WE ARE, HOW IT'S DOING.
I, WHY DID I THINK THAT IT WAS A FIVE YEAR PLAN? IS THAT ACCURATE? IT, IT'S A, IT'S INTENDED TO BE, UM, SET AROUND A FIVE-YEAR TARGET.
UM, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, WE DID NOT EMBED SPECIFIC STRATEGIES WITH FIVE-YEAR TARGETS.
BECAUSE WE NEEDED MORE RESEARCH.
AND SO, AGAIN, WE WROTE THAT INTO THE CONTRACT FOR THE CONSULTANT TO, AS WE DEVELOP OUR IMPLEMENTATION COLLABORATIVE, TO TAKE EACH STRATEGY AND LOOK AT A FIVE YEAR TIME HORIZON AND SAY, WHAT WOULD A REALISTIC CHANGE LOOK LIKE FOR THIS STRATEGY OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS? SO IT IS INTENDED TO BE A FIVE YEAR PLAN, BUT IT'S NOT NECESSARILY RESTRICTED TO A FIVE YEAR TIMELINE.
SO THE CONSULTANT WAS JUST HIRED FOR THREE YEARS, CORRECT.
OR TO LOOK AT A THREE YEAR IMPLEMENTATION ROLLOUT OF THE FIVE YEAR PLAN? UH, CORRECT.
WITH A ADDITIONAL DIRECTION FOR THE CONSULTANT TO WORK CLOSELY WITH COUNTY AND CITY STAFF TO DETERMINE THE BEST WAY TO SUSTAIN THAT COLLABORATIVE OVER TIME.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW, IT, WE ALL KNOW IT.
LIKE THE TIME CRUNCH IS SCARY TO ME, UM, THINKING ABOUT PUSHING THIS OUT ANY FURTHER.
I UNDERSTAND CERTAIN THINGS CAN'T BE RUSHED, BUT EVEN THINKING, LET'S SAY EIGHT YEARS FROM NOW, IF IT'S A THREE YEAR IMPLEMENTATION AND THEN A FIVE YEAR PLAN, THE WORLD IS ALREADY GOING TO LOOK DIFFERENT THAN WE LOOK DIFFERENT THAN WE DID EIGHT YEARS AGO AS A CITY, UM, CITYWIDE, WE ONLY HAVE 17% OF OUR LAND.
THINKING JUST ABOUT THE BLACKLAND PRAIRIE SIDE, WHICH IS, AS YOU NOTED, AND COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN NOTED IS MORE SUITED TO AGRICULTURE.
D ONE 34% UNDEVELOPED D TWO 30% UNDEVELOPED D THREE, ONLY 7% LEFT UNDEVELOPED D FOUR, WHICH INCLUDES PART OF THE EAST SIDE D UH, 2% UNDEVELOPED LAND.
AND SO I'M WONDERING WHAT, WHAT THE CITY HAS PLANNED RIGHT NOW FOR PURCHASING LAND FOR CONSERVATION EFFORTS, WHICH ABSOLUTELY SUPPORT OUR FOOD CHAIN.
UM, AND THEN ALSO FOR PUBLIC LAND, WHETHER IT'S, YOU KNOW, PUBLIC HOUSING PROJECTS THAT ARE ALSO AGRICULTURALLY FOCUSED AND WHATNOT.
YOU MENTIONED EXPLORING, YOU KNOW, FLOOD PLAIN LAND.
CAN YOU JUST GET ME UP TO DATE ON WHAT THINGS ARE IN PROCESS NOW IN TERMS OF SECURING THAT REMAINING 17% OF LAND? AND AGAIN, THAT'S CITYWIDE NOT JUST ON THE EAST SIDE, BUT WHAT, WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW TO HELP GET THAT LAND BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE? YEAH, FOR ONE, I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR RECOGNIZING, UM, ALL OF THAT INFORMATION.
AND IN PART, ONE OF THE GOALS OF THE FOOD PLAN WAS SIMPLY TO ELEVATE A LOT OF THE CONCERNS TO A HIGHER LEVEL.
I'VE BEEN PERSONALLY TALKING ABOUT THE NEED FOR FARMLAND PRESERVATION FOR 10 YEARS, UM, AND IT TAKES A COMMUNITY MM-HMM
UM, TO GET CONCERNED ABOUT SOMETHING.
UM, I WILL ADD A RATHER BLEAK QUOTE FROM A LOCAL COUNTY EXTENSION AGENT WHO SAID THAT SHE DIDN'T KNOW OF A FARM IN TRAVIS COUNTY THAT WASN'T FOR SALE.
UM, SO IN TERMS OF LIKE A TIMELINE.
UM, THAT SAID, UM, I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU, UM, AND I CAN HELP CONNECT THE DOTS TO, UM, TAKE A LOOK AT THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY FOOD PLAN'S RECOMMENDATION, UH, TO THE BOND COMMITTEE FOR INCLUSION OF FUNDING FOR, UH, FARMLAND PRESERVATION.
UM, THE WORKING GROUP FROM THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY FOOD PLAN HAS MADE A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT, UM, UH, PUBLIC COMMENTS AT BTIF MEETINGS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS ISSUE AND THE HOPES TO INCLUDE THAT IN A POTENTIAL BOND AND HAVE DONE A FAIR AMOUNT OF RESEARCH ON OPTIONS FOR HOW THAT COULD LOOK.
UM, LOTS OF QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT THAT BOND WILL LOOK LIKE, LOT OF COMPETING NEEDS.
UM, UNFORTUNATELY THERE ARE ALWAYS A LOT OF COMPETING NEEDS.
UM, AND SO IT'S REALLY JUST A QUESTION OF WHAT DO THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN THINK IS A PRIORITY.
UM, AND SO AGAIN, FOLKS ON THE AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY FOOD PLAN, FOOD POLICY BOARD, SORRY, HAVE, UH, PUT TOGETHER RECOMMENDATIONS AND ARE DOING ROUNDS OF, UM, OF PUBLIC COMMENT.
THEY'VE, UM, COME TO THE JSC TO TALK.
I'D BE HAPPY TO GET YOU DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO THAT GROUP.
[02:15:01]
OF ALL THE FOLKS I KNOW, THEY'RE LEANING IN THE HARDEST.AND, UM, UM, OTHERWISE, JUST TO SUMMARIZE VERY QUICKLY, WE'RE VERY INTERESTED IN LOOKING AT PUBLIC LAND, UM, AND HOW TO UTILIZE PUBLIC LAND FOR FOOD PRODUCTION.
WE CURRENTLY LEASE NINE ACRES OF LAND TO A LOCAL NONPROFIT URBAN FARM CALLED URBAN ROOTS.
UM, THAT LEASE IS A FANTASTIC EXAMPLE OF HOW WE COULD DO MORE.
UM, AND CERTAINLY WE ARE, UM, EXPLORING ANY AND ALL OPPORTUNITIES TO REPLICATE THAT KIND OF LEASE.
AND THEN TO REFERENCE AGAIN, TO THE OPPORTUNITY FOR FLOODPLAIN BUYOUT PROPERTY AS A POTENTIAL REALLY AMAZING PLACE TO DO THE APPROPRIATE SCALED IN VERSION OF FOOD PRODUCTION.
AND THERE'S A LOT OF CONSTRAINTS TO DOING FOOD PRODUCTION ON A FLOODPLAIN.
UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, THE EGYPTIANS PROVE THAT IT'S PROBABLY PRETTY EFFECTIVE FOR A NUMBER OF MILLENNIA.
UM, SO LOTS OF OPPORTUNITY THERE, UM, PUTTING PIECES TOGETHER.
UM, SO AGAIN, HAPPY TO CONNECT YOU WITH THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY FOOD POLICY BOARD'S WORKING GROUP.
SO YOU'RE NOT PERSONALLY AWARE THEN, OF ANY NEGOTIATIONS OR TALKS THAT ARE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW BETWEEN THE CITY WITH, IN TERMS OF LAND ACQUISITION FOR THIS PURPOSE, OUTSIDE OF THE, THE FLOOD PLAIN DISCUSSIONS THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT? YEAH, WE DON'T HAVE, UH, WHAT I WOULD CALL A POLICY AROUND, UM, PRESERVING FARMLAND MM-HMM
AND SO SOME OF THAT OBVIOUSLY IS CONTINGENT ON BUDGET, WHICH IS WHY YOU REFERENCED THE BOND COMMITTEE AND HOW IMPORTANT THAT WILL BE.
WHAT, OKAY, SORRY, I MIGHT, I MIGHT JUMP AROUND HERE, BUT WHAT'S HAPPENING AT A, AT A ZONING LEVEL? SO YOU TALKED ABOUT THE FARMLAND TO SUBURBAN HOUSING PIPELINE, I SEE IN OCTOBER THE, THE CITY MEMO TO EXPLORE AGRI HOODS.
CAN YOU TELL ME MORE ABOUT LIKE HOW THIS PIPELINE HAPPENS AND IS ANYTHING HAPPENING AT A ZONING LEVEL? I JUST, AND I'M SURE WE HAVE AN EXPERT HERE ON ZONING WHO CAN TALK ABOUT
BUT YEAH, WE DO HAVE AN AG CATEGORY AS A ZONING CATEGORY.
AND SO COUNCIL IS JUST ROUTINELY, I GUESS, APPROVING CHANGES TO, IT'S VERY RARELY USED, HOWEVER, SO CURRENT FARMLAND WOULD BE WITHIN THE AG CATEGORY, OR NO, PROBABLY.
WE HAVE TWO PIECES OF PROPERTY THAT ARE ZONED AG IN AUSTIN.
BUT DO WE HAVE MORE FARMLAND OUTSIDE OF THOSE TWO? OKAY.
AND THEY'RE JUST NOT ZONED AGRICULTURAL.
SO I GUESS I'M WONDERING WHAT EFFORTS CAN BE DONE TO REZONE, IF NOT PURCHASE THE LAND OUTRIGHT.
WHAT AUTHORITY CAN THE CITY EXERCISE TO REZONE CERTAIN PROPERTIES TO INCLUDE AGRICULTURAL USE? YEAH.
UM, VERY GOOD AND VERY COMPLICATED QUESTION.
FARMLAND, GENERALLY TWO TO $3,000 AN ACRE IN RURAL PARTS OF AMERICA, FARMLAND IN AUSTIN, A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS AN ACRE.
UM, YOU ENTER INTO A PURE JUST QUESTION OF MATH.
UM, THERE'S NOT A FARM THAT I KNOW OF PRODUCING CROPS LEGALLY THAT COULD POSSIBLY BE PROFITABLE ON PROPERTY THAT WAS THAT EXPENSIVE.
UM, SO ESSENTIALLY YOU HAVE TO FIGURE OUT SOME OTHER WAY TO INCENTIVIZE AND SUPPORT FARMING OPERATIONS IN AN URBAN CORE OR EVEN PERI-URBAN CORE, WHICH REQUIRES ESSENTIALLY SOME KIND OF DIRECTION.
UM, AND WE DO NOT CURRENTLY HAVE THAT DIRECTION MM-HMM
UM, SO IF THAT'S A, A, A PRIORITY FOR THIS GROUP, I WOULD HAPPILY PROVIDE YOU WITH LOTS OF RESOURCES THAT COULD POINT TO OTHER PLACES THAT HAVE CREATED THOSE KIND OF POLICY DIRECTIONS.
I KNOW THIS MAY BE HARD TO QUANTIFY.
HOW MANY CITY STAFF ARE WORKING ON IMPLEMENTING THIS PLAN? TWO AND HALF.
WHO ARE THEY? ME, MY STAFFER, AMANDA ROLLICK.
AND WE HAVE ANOTHER STAFFER, ANGELA BACOM, WHO WORKS ESSENTIALLY SPLIT BETWEEN US, MY FOOD TEAM AND THE CLIMATE TEAM WITHIN ACAR.
AND THOSE ARE FORMALLY TASKED WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION? THERE ARE DOZENS OF STAFF SCATTERED THROUGHOUT DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, SOME OF WHOM ARE IN THIS ROOM CURRENTLY, THAT ARE WORKING ON SPECIFIC STRATEGIES, BUT THE ONLY FOLKS THAT ARE LOOKING AT THE WHOLE PLAN SET OF AS A, AS A COMPREHENSIVE DOCUMENT.
UM, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THE CHALLENGES AT A LITTLE BIT OF A LARGER SCALE OR COMMERCIAL SCALE FOR URBAN AGRICULTURE, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS HIGHLIGHTED IN THE COMPREHENSIVE FOOD PLAN THAT I, YOU KNOW, PERSONALLY RESONATE WITH
[02:20:01]
IS THE NEED FOR INCREASING SMALL SCALE URBAN AGRICULTURE, INCLUDING, UH, YOU KNOW, COMMUNITY GARDEN PLOTS, FOOD FORESTS, UM, INCLUDING IN MULTIFAMILY DEVELOPMENTS.AND I CAN SAY SINCE THIS PLANT HAS COME OUT, WHICH I THINK WAS OVER A YEAR AGO, YEAR, YEAR AND A HALF AGO, MAYBE I CAN ONLY RECALL OF ONE DEVELOPMENT THAT WE'VE SEEN COME THROUGH THIS BODY THAT HAS HAD ANY AREA DESIGNATED FOR A COMMUNITY GARDEN.
NOW, OF COURSE, WE DON'T SEE EVERYTHING, AND PERHAPS I MISSED A MEETING WHERE WE SAW ANOTHER ONE, BUT POINT BEING THAT IT'S, WE'RE NOT SEEING IT, UH, WE'RE NOT SEEING INITIATIVE BEING TAKEN BY DEVELOPERS TO INCLUDE THIS.
AND SO I'M WONDERING WHAT AUTHORITY COUNCIL, UM, IS TAKING WHAT THESE TWO AND A HALF STAFF, STAFF MEMBERS ARE DOING TO INFORM AND, YOU KNOW, TALK WITH DEVELOPERS ABOUT THE NEED, THE CRITICAL NEED FOR US TO REALLY TURN TO THESE SMALLER SCALE URBAN AGRICULTURAL OPERATIONS AND MAKING SURE WE HAVE SPACE FOR THAT, WHETHER IT'S ON A ROOFTOP OR, YOU KNOW, ANYWHERE INSTEAD OF A PARKING LOT, ET CETERA.
THERE'S NOTHING IN, IN FORMAL CODE ORDINANCE, OVERARCHING POLICY THAT WOULD REQUIRE A DEVELOPMENT TO ADDRESS FOOD PRODUCTION THAT HAS BEEN PROPOSED IN MULTIPLE PLACES AND IN MULTIPLE TIMES THROUGHOUT THE HISTORY OF AUSTIN.
UM, AND THAT'S NEVER GOTTEN TO THE LEVEL OF ADOPTION MM-HMM
UM, SO LACKING THAT, UM, IT MAKES IT A LITTLE BIT DIFFICULT, UM, FROM A MUNICIPAL STAFF PERSPECTIVE.
I MEAN, ESSENTIALLY THE FOOD PLAN AS A DOCUMENT PUBLICIZED, SOCIALIZED, IS ABOUT AS POWERFUL OF A TOOL AS WE HAVE TO SAY, HEY, THIS IS POSSIBLE, THIS IS POSSIBLE, AND THIS IS POSSIBLE.
UM, AND THEN BEYOND THAT, WE LACK TOOLS IN THE TOOLKIT.
UM, I MEAN, THERE ARE EXAMPLES IN OTHER CITIES WHERE THERE ARE REQUIREMENTS IN A SIMILAR WAY TO, IF YOU'RE GONNA DEVELOP A PIECE OF PROPERTY, YOU HAVE TO SET ASIDE FUNDING TO HAVE A A, A A, YOU KNOW, PARK LAND, ET CETERA.
IF YOU TEAR, IF YOU DESTROY A TREE, YOU HAVE TO PAY INTO A TREE FUND.
THERE ARE CITIES THAT HAVE SIMILAR THINGS FOR A FOOD PRODUCTION, UM, OH, A MITIGATION FUND FOR, YEAH.
THAT'S AN INTERESTING POLICY IDEA.
LIZ JOHNSTON, ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICER.
UM, I WANTED TO KINDA CIRCLE BACK TO THE QUESTION ABOUT ZONING.
UM, I HAVE WANTED TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION A LITTLE BIT MORE.
SO THERE ARE AGRICULTURAL USES, THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF AGRICULTURAL USES.
UM, COMMUNITY GARDENS AND URBAN FARMS ARE PERMITTED IN MOST ZONING CATEGORIES THAT I CAN SEE.
SO, YOU KNOW, THOSE TWO AT LEAST ARE, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE FEW ZONING BARRIERS THAT I CAN SEE AT FIRST GLANCE FOR THOSE, UM, NOT NECESSARILY CROP PRODUCTION OR INDOOR CROP PRODUCTION OR HORTICULTURE.
THOSE HAVE AN ANIMAL PRODUCTION, HAVE MORE, UM, REGULATIONS, RESTRICTIONS AROUND THOSE.
SO JUST WANTED TO, TO THROW THAT OUT THERE THAT, YOU KNOW, THE, AT LEAST IN TERMS OF THOSE ZONING CODE, COMMUNITY GARDENS AND URBAN FARMS, UM, ARE MORE PERMISSIBLE THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
AND I, I MEAN, JUST FROM A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE, I WILL SAY THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN WAS ONE OF THE LIKE LEADERS IN CREATING THAT, LIKE A VERY OPEN, UM, OPPORTUNITY BY ESSENTIALLY LIKE, YOU CAN HAVE A, A FARM IN EVERY SINGLE ZONING CODE.
UM, I MEAN, AND THAT'S LIKE PRETTY IMPRESSIVE.
UM, SO URBAN AGRICULTURE IS ESSENTIALLY LEGALIZED EVERYWHERE IN AUSTIN WITH I THINK ONE EXCEPTION.
UM, THAT'S THE FIRST STEP THOUGH.
I REMEMBER SEEING IN A REPORT FROM GAVA, I THINK IT WAS EITHER FROM 2017 OR 2019, THEY DID AN INVENTORY AND A COMPARISON STUDY BETWEEN AUSTIN AND SISTER CITIES.
I'M RECALLING NEW YORK, SEATTLE, PORTLAND, WHERE THEY COMPARED DEDICATED STAFF MEMBERS AT THIS, AT THE MUNICIPAL LEVEL WHO SUPPORT COMMUNITY GARDENS.
AND OUR SISTER CITIES HAD IN THE DOZENS OR THE HUNDREDS OF STAFF MEMBERS, AND AUSTIN AT THAT TIME HAD ONE.
UH, WHERE ARE WE NOW WITH THAT? AT ONE.
AT ONE, AND DO YOU RECALL THOSE NUMBERS? CAN YOU TALK TO YEAH, I DON'T, I, I MEAN, THE NUMBERS OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD ARE, UM, LIKE SEATTLE HAS A FORMALIZED PROGRAM CALLED P PATCH PROGRAM.
UM, AND IT'S A PARTNERSHIP, A PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP.
UM, BUT THEY HAVE ABOUT 20 STAFF.
UM, NEW YORK HAS, YOU KNOW, DOZENS.
[02:25:01]
WE WOULD BE AT THE LOW END OF COMPARATIVE CITIES.UM, AND THEN I THINK THE LAST THING THAT I WANTED TO BRING UP, YOU TALK ABOUT, YOU TALKED ABOUT THE DANGER OF THESE DECOMMISSIONED WASTEWATER PIPES THAT YOU'RE ENCOUNTERING IN FLOODPLAINS.
AND OF COURSE, THIS IS A, A PRESENT ISSUE THAT WAS RAISED IN OUR GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT TODAY, UH, WHERE A WASTEWATER PIPELINE IS GOING TO GO UNDER FESTIVAL BEACH FOOD FOREST.
IF WE DON'T, YOU KNOW, PAUSE IT AND STOP IT NOW, PUTTING THE, THE FOOD SECURITY AT RISK.
SO I'M CURIOUS, WHAT IS THE PLAN? WHAT CAN WE DO, UM, AT, AT THE FOOD FOREST, BUT ALSO WHERE WE SEE THIS ACROSS THE CITY, GIVEN THAT ONLY 17% OF THE LAND IS UNDEVELOPED, IF WE START INITIATING MORE URBAN AGRICULTURAL PROJECTS, WE'LL PROBABLY RUN INTO THIS ISSUE MORE TIMES.
SO WHAT WOULD YOU SUGGEST? YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK IT'S WORTH NOTING THAT FROM, IF I'M FOLLOWING YOU CORRECTLY, THERE ARE TWO SEPARATE RELATE SIMILAR TOPICS, BUT SEPARATE ISSUES.
SO THE DISCUSSION OF UTILITY REMOVAL IN FLOODPLAIN BUYOUTS IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN WHAT'S HAPPENING AT THE FESTIVAL, BEACH FOOD FOREST, WHERE A NEW WASTEWATER LINE IS ESSENTIALLY BEING CUT THROUGH AN EXISTING FOOD FOREST.
BUT I THINK IT'S INTENDED TO ONLY BE THERE, QUOTE UNQUOTE, TEMPORARILY CORRECT.
IS MY UNDERSTANDING, WHICH MEANS IT WOULD THEN BE UP FOR REMOVAL IN 10 YEARS.
SO FROM MY UNDERSTANDING, RIGHT, THAT THE REMOVAL QUESTION, ALTHOUGH IT'S NOT THE SAME PRESENT DAY, THAT WILL BE A QUESTION IN ABOUT 10 YEARS.
UM, I ACTUALLY HAVE NOT PUT THAT TOGETHER.
UM, IN THAT, IN PART, THE FESTIVAL BEACH FOOD FORCES IS A SOMEWHAT EVOLVING AND A NEW, UM, OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO THINK DIFFERENTLY.
UM, THE PRECEDENT THAT WE'RE HOPING TO SET WITH THE FLOODPLAIN BUYOUT UTILITY REMOVAL, UM, COULD BE AN INTERESTING THING TO BRING BACK TO, UM, THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION.
UM, HOPEFULLY IN LIKE SIX MONTHS.
IDEALLY, IF WE CAN GET, UM, WE'RE BASICALLY TRYING TO GET A CONSULTANT TO DO DISCOVERY AND REMOVAL OF UTILITIES IN A VERY SPECIFIC PORTION OF THIS BUYOUT, UM, TO ESSENTIALLY LIKE, FIGURE OUT LIKE, HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? IS IT ESSENTIALLY LIKE WORTH IT TO SPEND THIS MUCH MONEY TO CREATE THIS MUCH OPPORTUNITY? UM, WE'RE DOING THAT ESSENTIALLY TO SORT OF HAVE THAT PRECEDENT TO BE ABLE TO BRING THAT BACK AND SORT OF SHARE, THIS IS WHAT WE FOUND, THIS IS WHAT, YOU KNOW, WE THINK MAKES SENSE.
UM, AND THEN TO GET Y'ALL'S INPUT MIGHT BE A PRETTY INTERESTING OPPORTUNITY.
SO I'M HAPPY TO FOLLOW BACK UP WITH THIS COMMISSION ON THAT THOUGHT.
THANKS Y'ALL FOR THE TIME AND SPACE.
UM, I JUST WANNA RECOGNIZE THAT, UM, 887 ACRES OF FARMLAND ARE LOST PER DAY.
AND WHILE WE'VE BEEN IN THIS MEETING THAT'S HERE IN TEXAS, WE'VE LOST 75 ACRES, JUST TO PUT THAT INTO PERSPECTIVE OF HOW FAST WE WERE LOSING FARMLAND.
UM, THAT'S APPROXIMATELY TWO, YOU KNOW, PRETTY CLOSE TO TWO UT CAMPUSES.
UH, WE'RE KIND OF THINKING, UM, ON THAT, UM, LEVEL, THERE'S A LOT TO UNPACK HERE.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, I'M, I'M, I'M EXCITED ABOUT THIS, UH, FOOD PLAN.
UM, I WANNA GO BACK TO A LITTLE BIT OF THE QUESTIONS THAT COMMISSIONER BRIMER, UH, BROUGHT UP AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE SOME OF THOSE TOOLS IN THE TOOLBOX, UH, FOR FARMERS THAT THEY, UM, CAN UTILIZE? UM, THERE IS THE TEXAS AGRICULTURAL LAND TRUST, UM, AND, UH, THAT OFFERS CONSERVATION EASEMENTS.
UM, AND TO DATE, UH, THEY HAVE CONSERVED, RIGHT? I THINK I WROTE DOWN A NUMBER HERE, UM, ABOUT 315, UH, THOUSAND ACRES OF LAND, UH, SO FAR IN TEXAS.
AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S PRETTY SIGNIFICANT THAT A LOT OF THOSE, UM, ARE RIGHT HERE IN CENTRAL TEXAS.
AND SO WHEN YOU MAKE THE COMMENT THAT CENTRAL TEXAS IS NOT REALLY A GREAT PLACE TO GROW FOOD, I DISAGREE.
UM, AND IT HAS BEEN AN INCREDIBLE PLACE TO GROW FOOD HISTORICALLY.
NOT NECESSARILY THE HILL COUNTRY UNLESS YOU LIKE GOATS.
UM, BUT, UM, THE SOIL THAT WE HAVE IN CENTRAL TEXAS, ESPECIALLY NORTH OF, UM, IN NORTHERN PARTS OF THE COUNTY, UH, AND THEN UP INTO, UM, UH, OUTSIDE OF OUR COUNTY AND OUTSIDE OF OUR JURISDICTION, UH, ESPECIALLY IN THE TAYLOR AREA, IS SOME OF THE BEST SOIL, UH, THAT WE HAVE IN THE ENTIRE STATE.
UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK ABOUT THAT AND I THINK ABOUT
[02:30:01]
MAKING, HAVING, YOU KNOW, WE, YOU TALK ABOUT DISTRIBUTION CENTERS, BUT REALLY THE FARM IS THE DISTRIBUTION CENTER.I MEAN, THE FARM IS, IS WHAT WE NEED TO FOCUS ON IN ORDER TO HAVE INCREASED FOOD SECURITY.
AN AVERAGE FARM IS ABOUT 463 ACRES, HOWEVER, WITHIN AN URBAN AREA, UH, I THINK THAT YOU SAID IT WAS AROUND 10 ACRES.
SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THAT, AND WE'RE THINKING ABOUT HOW DO WE, YOU MENTIONED EARLIER TURNING PORTIONS OF PARKLAND INTO AGRICULTURAL SPACES, IT ALMOST SEEMS LIKE WE NEED TO BE CONSERVING PARKLAND THAT IS SPECIFIC TO AGRICULTURAL SPACES.
AND WHEN COMMISSIONER, UM, OR, UH, VICE CHAIR KRUGER IS TALKING ABOUT THE UNDEVELOPED LAND, UH, AT 17% WITHIN THE CITY, UH, AREA, UM, I, I LOVE IT THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT STATISTIC, UH, FIRST OFF.
AND, UM, BUT I ALSO, I HAVE ALWAYS BRISTLED AT THE, UM, AT THE USE OF THE WORD UNDEVELOPED LAND, BECAUSE IT IS DEVELOPED, IT'S BEING USED, WHETHER IT'S BEING USED BY FARM PRODUCTION OR RANCHING, UM, OR EVEN JUST, UH, YOU KNOW, OUR BIODIVERSITY.
UM, IT HAS ECOSYSTEM SERVICES IN SOME WAY.
AND TO ME, WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT WATER CONSERVATION, LAND CONSERVATION IS WATER CONSERVATION.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, THOSE TWO THINGS JUST GO HAND IN HAND.
UM, WE HAVE TO DO A BETTER JOB WITH CONSERVING OUR FARMLAND, UH, AND IN TEXAS.
BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, IT, I DON'T FEEL LIKE WE ARE, HOW DO I WANNA SAY THIS? I, I FEEL LIKE WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME TO ACT NOT MUCH, BUT, UM, A LITTLE BIT.
UM, I KNOW THAT IN THE, UM, UM, BOND PACKAGE THAT WAS PART OF, UH, 2023, UH, FOR TRAVIS COUNTY, YOU KNOW, IT WAS THE LARGEST, UH, BOND PACKAGE THAT WAS EVER PASSED FOR PURCHASING LANDS, UM, BOTH IN THE EASTERN QUADRANT AND IN THE WESTERN QUADRANT.
UM, THEY'RE STILL BUYING THE LANDS, UM, ON THE EAST SIDE.
AND, UM, AND THEN HOW DO WE LOOK AT THOSE ALSO FOR, UH, THIS DUALITY? UM, AND I'D LOVE TO SEE, YOU KNOW, SOME COMBINATION.
AND I, I WANNA RECOGNIZE TOO THAT, UM, THAT THIS IS A, A JOINT, UM, PLAN BETWEEN TRAVIS COUNTY AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN, EVEN THOUGH WE OURSELVES ONLY LOOK AT THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
WE LIVE IN THE GREATER TRAVIS COUNTY, UM, AREA.
SO KIND OF THINKING, UM, ABOUT THAT, UM, I, UM, I, I ALSO, I, I KIND OF KEEP THINKING ABOUT, UM, IT SOME, THERE WERE SOME COMMENTS MADE EARLIER, UM, ABOUT UTILIZING YARDS, UM, FOR FOOD PRODUCTION, WHICH I'M ALL FOR.
UH, I, I, I PERSONALLY CAN'T GROW ANYTHING OTHER THAN, UH, LANTANA.
UM, BUT, UM, AND, AND I DON'T EAT THAT.
I JUST WANNA POINT OUT TO THE RECORD THAT I DON'T EAT LANTANA
AND SO, UH, YOU KNOW, KIND OF WANT TO MAYBE PULL THAT SCRIPT APART A LITTLE BIT AND, AND, AND THINKING ABOUT HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE STATE THAT? UM, AND ESPECIALLY AS WE'RE LOOKING AT, UM, UH, DEVELOPMENT FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING, YOU KNOW, WE'VE SEEN MULTIPLE, UM, YOU KNOW, UM, DEVELOPMENTS COME THROUGH THAT THEY'RE, THEY'RE GONNA TRY TO USE EVERY SQUARE INCH OF THAT PROPERTY.
UM, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT TERRIBLY IN, MAYBE THEY HAVE A PLAYGROUND, UM, AND IT PROBABLY HAS ASTROTURF.
UM, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE NOT TERRIBLY INTERESTED IN HAVING SOMEWHERE THAT, UM, THEY CAN CREATE FOOD SECURITY ON THAT PIECE OF PROPERTY.
AND AGAIN, YOU POINTED OUT EARLIER WHEN AN ACRE COSTS A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS, YOU KNOW, UM, THAT, THAT MAKES SENSE.
BUT, UM, SO I, I COMMEND YOU, I THINK THAT THERE'S SOME REAL UPHILL BATTLES, UM, ESPECIALLY WITH GETTING THAT MERGER BETWEEN THE MOST VULNERABLE POPULATIONS AND THEIR ABILITY TO BE FOOD SECURE OR FOOD INDEPENDENT EVEN, UM, WHERE THEY CAN GROW THEIR OWN AND HAVE ACCESS TO THAT.
UM, VERSUS PEOPLE THAT ARE ALREADY VERY FOOD SECURE.
THEY HAVE THE TIME TO GARDEN, THEY HAVE THE RESOURCE TO GARDEN, THEY HAVE THE SPACE TO GARDEN.
UM, AND THEN HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE BRIDGE, UM, THOSE TWO SYSTEMS?
[02:35:01]
SO I'M NOT REALLY ASKING A QUESTION.UM, I'M JUST MAKING SOME OBSERVATIONS, UM, IN THIS, IN THIS VERY LARGE, UM, PLAN.
AND I DO AGREE THAT I FEEL LIKE FIVE YEARS IS, UM, IT'S KIND OF, UM, IT'S KIND OF TIGHT.
I ALSO AM, AM I SHARE YOUR FRUSTRATION DEEPLY, UM, WITH, UM, SO MUCH OF THE, UM, FUNDING LOSS, UM, THAT WAS ANTICIPATED FOR MUCH OF THIS.
SO, UM, UM, TO YOU AND YOUR STAFF, I, I, UH, SHARE MY, MY DEEP, UM, UH, REGRETS ON THAT, AND HOPEFULLY THAT'LL CHANGE, UM, IN THE FUTURE.
SO I THINK THAT WE HAVE A MOTION ON THIS, IS THAT CORRECT? YES, WE DO.
SO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR PRESIDENT CHAIR.
I, THERE'S ONE THING THAT I WOULD LIKE TO MENTION BEFORE WE MAKE THE MOTION THAT MAY GIVE US AN OPPORTUNITY TO PUT SOMETHING IN THERE OR NOT.
IT'S MAYBE JUST FUEL FOR US TO DISCUSS AT LATER MEETINGS.
I THINK WE HAVE A LOT MORE INFLUENCE AS A BODY TO DRIVE SMALL GARDENS THROUGHOUT THE CITY THAN WE HAVE DISCUSSED HERE.
IT SEEMS LIKE ONCE A MONTH, WE HAVE PODS COME THROUGH HERE.
NOW, IF YOU LOOK AT EVERY ONE OF THOSE PODS, THERE'S ZONING THAT GOES WITH THOSE PUDS.
AND EVERY ONE OF THOSE DEVELOPERS PUTS A LITTLE THING IN THERE AND SAYS, OKAY, WELL HERE'S THE BASE ZONING, BUT WE'RE GONNA X OUT, YOU KNOW, CHILDCARE, I DUNNO, WHATEVER IT IS THEY WANT TO X OUT AND, YOU KNOW, THIS SORT OF THING.
SO BASICALLY THEY'RE SAYING, WE'RE GONNA TAKE THIS FIVE ACRES OF LAND, AND WE'RE GONNA DO ALL THIS STUFF, AND WE'RE GONNA BUILD THIS BUILDING, AND, AND WHATEVER IT IS THEY'RE GONNA DO, P ASK FOR, IT REQUIRES SUPERIOR DEVELOPMENT ABOVE WHAT THE BASE ZONING IS.
OKAY? IT DOESN'T EX IT, THAT'S WHAT IT SAYS.
IT SAYS SUPERIOR DOESN'T MEAN AVERAGE.
IT DOESN'T MEAN, WELL, YOU KNOW, THIS IS WHAT WE COULD HAVE DONE 10 YEARS AGO.
NOW THERE'S, CITY CODE DEFINES WHAT SUPERIOR MEANS, BUT THAT WAS DRAFTED BEFORE WE WERE ALL BORN.
BUT TO ME, SUPERIOR IN THE CONTEXT OF GROWING FOOD MEANS, HEY, MAKE A COMMUNITY GARDEN.
OKAY? SO IF SOMEONE COMES IN HERE AND THEY'RE GONNA PUT A PUD DOWN, WHY CAN'T WE REQUIRE THEM TO PUT IN A COMMUNITY GARDEN ON THE ROOF? YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW.
NOW, OBVIOUSLY IT'S GONNA VARY BESIDE BASED UPON THE SIZE OF THE P FOR EXAMPLE, THE PUD FOR THE YMCA, I MEAN, IT'S LIKE ONE ACRE AND THE BUILDING'S GONNA FILL THE WHOLE SPOT.
BUT THERE'S LOTS OF OTHER PUDS THAT HAD COME BEFORE US IN THE PAST SIX MONTHS THAT COVER MUCH MORE PHYSICAL TERRITORY.
SOME OF THIS PROPERTY, THEY'VE SAID, WELL, WE'RE GONNA HAVE THIS AS OPEN SPACE, SO WE'RE GONNA TURN IT OVER TO A PARK.
OKAY, A HALF ACRE PARK, EH, MAYBE IT'S BETTER AS A HALF ACRE COMMUNITY GARDEN.
I'M NOT SAYING THAT'S A TRADE OFF IN THIS CONVERSATION.
I'M SAYING THAT AT THE TIME THE PUD COMES BEFORE US, THAT IS A DISCUSSION WE HAVE IN THE CONTEXT OF THAT PARTICULAR PUD.
NOW, THE PROBLEM WE HAVE AS AN ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, WE ARE ATORY BODY.
WE CAN'T COMPEL COUNCIL TO DO A THING.
BUT IF THEY JUMP IN AND GO TO COUNCIL AND SAY, HEY, COUNCIL, YOU WANTED US TO DO A FOOD PLAN? PART OF THE FOOD PLAN IS GROWING MORE FOOD LOCALLY.
THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION LEAKED IN AND SAID, THIS POD NEEDS TO HAVE A COMMUNITY GARDEN.
I NEED YOU TO APPROVE IT WITH THE COMMUNITY GARDEN.
WE NEED THE PLANNING COMMISSION TO DO THAT TOO.
THEN MAY, MAYBE WE GET THAT UP FROM 0.06 TO 0.07 OR EIGHT, COUNTING HIS GROWING RUTABAGAS IN HIS BACKYARD.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE CAN DRY THIS UP INCREMENTALLY BY ACTIONS THAT WE CAN TAKE AS A LEG OR AS A ADVISORY BODY WHEN PS COME BEFORE US, IF WE CHOOSE TO DO THAT, IF WE CHOOSE NOT TO DO IT, HEY, THAT'S ON US.
NOW, WHETHER THIS MAKES IT INTO THE CURRENT RECOMMENDATION, EH, BUT IT IS SOMETHING GOING FORWARD THAT EVERY TIME A PUD COMES BEFORE US, THIS IS SOMETHING WE NEED TO CONSIDER.
[02:40:01]
THAT CAME BEFORE US, I DON'T KNOW, SIX, NINE MONTHS AGO DOWN TOWARDS HAYES COUNTY.UH, SOMEONE WANTED TO BUILD 500 ACRES WORTH OF HOUSES, AND THEY WERE GONNA SET ASIDE SOME LAND FOR, I DON'T KNOW, WHATEVER IT WAS, BUT WE VOTED AGAINST IT FOR WHATEVER THE REASON WAS.
MAYBE IF THEY SAID, WELL, WE'RE GONNA THROW IN 10 ACRES OF LAND FOR A COMMUNITY GARDEN.
HEY, MAYBE WE WOULD'VE VOTED FOR IT.
BUT THAT'S SOMETHING WE NEED TO CONSIDER.
WHEN PEOPLE COME IN ASKING FOR PUTTS, ARE WE GONNA REQUIRE THEM TO SET ASIDE SOME LAND FOR A COMMUNITY GARDEN? I DUNNO.
ANYWAY, THAT'S MY 2 CENTS WORTH.
I THINK WE, I THINK WE CAUGHT IT HERE.
SO LETTER READ THE, UH, HERE'S THE MOTION OR ASKED.
THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOGNIZES THAT AUSTIN OFFICE OF CLIMATE ACTION RESILIENCE HAS CREATED THE FOOD IMPLEMENTATION PLAN IN CONJUNCTION THE CITY OF AUSTIN FOOD POLICY BOARD IN TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT AND OR ASKED, THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOGNIZES THAT LOCAL FOOD AND AGRICULTURE PROGRAMS IMPACT THE ENVIRONMENT AS WELL AS PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY.
AND WELL, THERE'S NO, AND THERE IS JUST A PERIOD NOW, THEREFORE, B IT RESOLVED THAT THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION SUPPORTS THE FOOD IMPLEMENTATION PLAN WITH THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS, A CONTINUE TO GIVE THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION ANNUAL UPDATES ON THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN B AMEND PLAN UNIT DEVELOPMENT REQUIREMENTS TO INVOLVE FOOD SECURITY COMPONENTS.
AND, YOU KNOW, HAPPY TO TAKE OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS AS WELL.
ANY FRIENDLY RE AMENDMENTS THERE.
DID IT CAPTURE WHAT YOU THOUGHT? YEAH, I MEAN, YEAH.
BUT I THINK GOING FORWARD, WE NEED TO BE MORE AGGRESSIVE.
AND THAT'LL BE A, THAT'LL BE ON US.
UM, CAN WE GIVE A SECOND? UM, I'LL, I'LL POINT OUT THAT I, I ALSO SERVE ON THE HOUSING INVESTMENT REVIEW COMMITTEE, UH, WHERE WE REC WE LOOK AT THE APPLICATIONS FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING, UH, FROM GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS AND THE FEE AND LEW THAT DEVELOPERS PAY AND WHATNOT.
AND, UM, WE COULD ALSO ASK ABOUT THE INCLUSION OF COMMUNITY GARDENS IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS, IF THEY'RE ABOVE A CERTAIN SIZE, SAY.
SO I'LL GET BACK TO YOU ON THIS, BUT I'LL, I'LL LOOK INTO IT.
I'LL GIVE YOU A MINUTE TO TYPE.
SO I GUESS WE REPHRASE IT AS LIKE, ADD COMMUNITY GARDENS ON THE LIST OF REQUIREMENTS FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING, OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
CAN I ADD JUST COMMENTS ON THAT? IS THAT APPROPRIATE? MM-HMM
UM, FOR ONE, UM, TO YOUR POINT ABOUT SORT OF THE EQUITY QUESTION, UM, YOU'RE A HUNDRED PERCENT CORRECT THAT LIKE LOW INCOME FAMILIES TRADITIONALLY WORKING THREE JOBS DON'T HAVE A WHOLE LOT OF EXTRA CAPACITY, TIME, ENERGY TO ACTUALLY ALSO GROW THEIR OWN FOOD.
UM, BUT THERE'S ANOTHER WAY TO LOOK AT IT, WHERE YOU CREATING CAPACITY AS AN OPTION.
IF IT'S WHAT YOU WANT TO DO, YOU HAVE THAT AS AN OPTION, AND THAT'S WHAT A COMMUNITY GARDEN OR A LOCAL, YOU KNOW, COMMUNITY AGRICULTURE COMPONENT TO YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD CAN DO.
IT SIMPLY JUST CREATES MORE OPTIONS FOR YOU.
SO, JUST LOVE WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
COMMUNITY GARDENS ALSO DO NOT BUILD THEMSELVES OR RUN THEMSELVES.
UM, SO JUST, I FEEL A HUNDRED PERCENT OBLIGATED TO RECOGNIZE TO MY FRIENDS AT PARKS AND REC THAT WHEN WE GET MORE PARK PARKLAND AND WE DON'T GET FUNDING TO RUN, BUILD SUPPORT, IT'S A LIABILITY.
IT IS, WE CAN OPEN UP THE LAND AND MAKE SURE ABSOLUTELY.
PERSON COORDINATE THE ACTIVITIES.
WE CAN MAKE A STAB AT OPEN SPACE IN ORDER FOR THINGS TO HAPPEN.
OTHERWISE, IT'S ABSOLUTELY, WITHOUT WHICH YOU DON'T GET TO HAVE THE NEXT CONVERSATION.
I WROTE A BOOK CALLED BREAKING THROUGH CONCRETE.
WELL, I GOT, WE
UM, THAT TO ME, THERE'S AN INTEREST THERE OF HOW DO WE LOOK AT SOME OF THOSE PROPERTIES FOR, YOU KNOW, COMMUNITY GARDEN, UH, PARKLAND, UM, YOU KNOW, REPURPOSING THEM, NOT JUST NECESSARILY FOR ANOTHER
[02:45:02]
RECTANGLE FOUR STORY BUILDING THAT'S COMPONENTS OF OTHER RECTANGLES.UM, IF I SEE ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE, I'M GONNA STICK A FORK IN MY EYE.
UM,
UM, SO THIS POTENTIALLY COULD BE A MODEL THAT OTHER CITY OWNED PROPERTIES COULD FOLLOW.
AND THERE ARE GROUPS NOW LIKE THE CENTRAL TEXAS CHEROKEE TOWNSHIP AND THE LAND JUSTICE COMMUNITY SCHOOL THAT ARE WORKING WITH PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO, TO GROW FOOD AND, UM, REMEMBER HERITAGE AND CULTURE AT THE SAME TIME.
SO IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE WANT TO PUT IN THERE? UM, THAT REVIEWING, UM, REVIEWING CITY PROPERTIES, INCLUDING DECOMMISSIONED SCHOOLS, UH, FOR POTENTIAL, UH, AGRICULTURAL USE? WELL, THE ANSWER BE YES, EXCEPT COMMISSIONER BRIER.
OH, COMMISSIONER BRIER, CAN YOU TURN YOUR MIC ON? YEAH.
UH, IT'S A ISD PROPERTY, SO I WOULD SAY A, YOU KNOW, CITY PROPERTY AND COORDINATING WITH ROUND ROCK AND A ISD OR WHOEVER IS WITHIN OUR LITTLE PURVIEW.
MULTIPLE OF THOSE PROPERTIES THAT ARE BEING EXPLORED FOR DECOMMISSIONING OUR JOINT USE WITH CITY.
SO, JUST WORTH NOTING THAT, THAT'S PART OF IT IS CITY PROPERTY.
THERE'S A SCHOOL ON OUR SIDE, A TOWN THAT'S CLOSING CALLED WEED AIN ELEMENTARY.
IT'S NEXT TO A, A NEW CITY, UH, HEALTH CENTER.
IT'S NEXT, NEXT TO A PARK, IT'S NEXT TO A FIRE DEPARTMENT.
IT'S NEXT TO A, A MIDDLE SCHOOL, IT SEEMS LIKE WOULD BE A GREAT CANDIDATE FOR SOME, SOME SUPPORT IF IT, UM, IS NO LONGER A ISD PROPERTY.
THIS I WAS THINK SOME LIKE, EXAMINE LOOKING AT CITY OR COUNTY OWNED PROPERTIES.
SO YOU HAVE COMMUNITY FOOD PRODUCTION.
AND THEN MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT WAS INTERRUPTED
SO, UM, GIVE US A SECOND HERE.
SHE'S A PUBLISHED AUTHOR BY THE WAY.
SO WE GIVE HER A LOT OF LATITUDE IN WRITING.
I AM IMPRESSED WITH Y'ALL'S ABILITY TO TRANSCRIBE THE CONVERSATION INTO RECOMMENDATIONS AND GET 'EM VOTED ON DURING THE MEETING.
IT'S NOT COMMON AND IMPRESSIVE.
WE SUBCONTRACTOR OUT TO OTHER BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS FOR A SMALL FEE.
YOU WANNA READ OUT LOUD? YEAH.
SO, UM, SO HERE ARE THE ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS.
UH, CONTINUE TO GIVE THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION ANNUAL UPDATES ON THE FOOD IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.
UH, AMEND PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT REQUIREMENTS TO INVOLVE FOOD SECURITY COMPONENTS.
EXAMINE ADDING COMMUNITY GARDENS AND EN LIST OF REQUIREMENTS FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND EXAMINE LOOKING AT CITY OR COUNTY OWNED PROPERTY, INCLUDING DECOMMISSIONED SCHOOLS TO SEE IF COMMUNITY FOOD PRODUCTION COULD BE PART OF THE LAND USE PLANS.
UM, ALL IN FAVOR? AND IT LOOKS LIKE THAT PASSES UNANIMOUSLY.
AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
IT IS EIGHT 50 DOES, DO Y'ALL NEED TO TAKE A LITTLE BREAK FOR A SECOND OR EVERYBODY FEELING GOOD? HOW'S EVERYBODY FEELING? I LITTLE BREAK MAYBE? LITTLE BREAK.
LET'S TAKE A FIVE MINUTE BREAK.
UM, AND SOLD SEVEN, SEVEN MINUTE BREAK.
[4. Presentation on “Beverley Sheffield Northwest District Park duck pond overview and solutions.” Presentation by Janae Spence, Assistant Director, Austin Watershed Protection. ]
OUR NEXT PRESENTATION IS ITEM NUMBER FOUR, COMMISSIONER BRIMER.WE'RE GONNA START WITHOUT YOU.
SO THIS IS, UM, UH, DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON BEVERLY SHEFFIELD NORTH DISTRICT PARK, THE DUCK POND OVERVIEW AND SOLUTIONS.
UM, MY NAME'S LINDSAY, ER, I'M THE DIVISION MANAGER OF PARK DEVELOPMENT WITH PARKS AND RECREATION.
[02:50:01]
UM, AND I'M HERE WITH, UM, MY COLLEAGUE FROM AUSTIN WATERSHED PROTECTION, LEE SHERMAN, WHO WILL BE, UM, ALSO PRESENTING ME WITH ME TODAY.UM, TO BRIEF YOU ON A SITUATION WE HAVE AT, UM, BEVERLY S SHEFFIELD NORTHWEST DISTRICT PARK RELATED TO, UM, THE DUCK POND AND, UM, CONCERNS AND IMPROVEMENTS.
IS THERE A WAY TO GO? OH, THERE IS, THERE'S A BACK BUTTON.
UM, ALRIGHT, SO I JUST WANNA SET THE STAGE, UM, BY, UM, TALKING A LITTLE BIT OF A BACKGROUND ON THE PARK.
THERE'S SO MUCH YOU COULD TALK ABOUT IN TERMS OF BACKGROUND OF THE PARK, BUT JUST A FEW OF THE HIGHLIGHTS.
UM, THIS PARK CAME TO THE CITY IN 1955.
UH, IT WAS REDEVELOPED, UM, WITH ADDED FUNCTIONALITY AS A FLOOD STORAGE FACILITY.
SO A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THE PARK WAS CUT DOWN IN GRADE TO CREATE ADDITIONAL FLOOD STORAGE.
UM, THIS WAS DONE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH, UH, AUSTIN WATERSHED PROTECTION, UM, TO, TO DEVELOP THAT FACILITY.
AND AT THAT TIME, THE DUCK POND IN ITS CURRENT FORM THAT IS IN THE CENTER OF THE PARK, UM, WAS BUILT WHERE IT IS TODAY.
UM, SO THE IMAGE TO THE RIGHT IS FROM THE, UH, 2022 VISION PLAN THAT WAS ADOPTED BY THE DEPARTMENT AFTER, UM, ACCEPTANCE BY THE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD.
UM, AND IT SHOWS THE EXISTING CONDITIONS OF THE PARK.
SO JUST TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE IS ORIENTED, UM, IF YOU CAN SEE THE CENTER SORT OF BLUE BLOB, THAT IS WHERE THE DUCK POND IS WITHIN THE PARK.
SO THAT BRINGS US TO TALK TO YOU A LITTLE BIT TODAY ABOUT, UM, THE ISSUES THAT HAVE COME UP OVER THE PAST YEAR.
UH, AND THIS IS A HIGH LEVEL TIMELINE THAT DESCRIBES, UM, THE EVENTS AS THEY'VE OCCURRED OVER THE PAST YEAR.
AND I'LL GIVE YOU A LOT MORE CONTEXT TO FILL IN AND MAKE SENSE OF THIS TIMELINE.
SO IN JANUARY OF 2025, UH, REDEVELOPMENT OF THE POOL AT THE PARK BEGAN, UM, COME SUMMERTIME.
SO IN AUGUST, UH, WE, UM, STARTED HEARING FROM THE COMMUNITY REALLY SIGNIFICANT CONCERNS ABOUT WATER LEVELS IN THE POND.
UM, THEY WERE MUCH LOWER THAN THEY HAD BEEN, UM, AND WERE DROPPING AT A RATE THAT WE HADN'T SEEN BEFORE.
UM, AND, UH, WE, UM, WORKED, UH, IN CONVERSATION WITH THE COMMUNITY AND LOOKING INTO THE DATA TO FIGURE OUT, UM, WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THE SITUATION.
UM, WE, IN OCTOBER, UH, 23RD, 2025, WE, UM, WORKED WITH THE COUNCIL OFFICE AND HAD A COMMUNITY MEETING WHERE WE TALKED ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH THE COMMUNITY, ANSWERED SOME QUESTIONS AND TALKED ABOUT WHAT, WHAT WE'D BE DOING NEXT, VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT WE'RE GONNA SHARE WITH YOU TODAY.
UM, AND THEN GLORIOUSLY ON OCTOBER 25TH, WE RECEIVED A LOT OF RAIN.
UH, SO 3.2 INCHES OF RAIN FELL, UM, AND FILLED THE POND BACK UP.
IT HAD DROPPED MORE THAN TWO FEET FROM ITS ORIGINAL LEVEL.
UM, AND HERE WE ARE TODAY IN THE NEW YEAR, UM, WORKING TOWARDS SOLUTIONS, BUT, UM, ALSO, UH, VERY MUCH, UH, MONITORING AND, UM, TALKING WITH THE COMMUNITY CONTINUOUSLY ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING OUT AT THE POND.
SO TO FILL IN SOME COLOR FOR YOU, UM, THE CONVERSATION REALLY STARTS WITH WHAT ARE THE WATER SOURCES THAT FEED THIS POND AND WHAT CHANGED? SO, UM, GOING INTO POOL REDEVELOPMENT, UM, IS KIND OF WHERE IT STARTS.
SO THERE ARE THREE SOURCES OF WATER THAT FEED THIS MANMADE POND.
SO STORM WATER RUNOFF FROM A CONTRIBUTING AREA OF ROUGHLY 25 ACRES THAT DRAIN TO THE POND.
UM, THERE IS BACKWASH DISCHARGE WATER FROM THE POOL FILTER SYSTEM THAT DISCHARGES TO THE POOL AND HAS FOR, UM, UH, THE LIFE OF THE POOL, I BELIEVE.
UM, AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS DURING THE OPERATION OF THE POOL.
UM, WATER THAT DOESN'T FLOW BACK INTO THE POOL IS DISCHARGED FROM THOSE FILTERS AND, AND GOES INTO A DRAIN LINE THAT FEEDS THE POND.
UH, AND THIRD IS A PUMP, UM, THAT WAS PRESUMABLY PUMPING GROUNDWATER FROM A CONCRETE PIT NEAR, UH, THE POOL AS WELL.
SO WE HAD EX, WE HAD THOUGHT THAT GROUNDWATER WAS CONTINUOUSLY MAKING ITS WAY INTO THIS CONCRETE PIT AND FEEDING THE POND.
UM, THE REASON I SAY WE HAD THOUGHT IS BECAUSE DURING CONSTRUCTION, UH, WE ENCOUNTERED A REALLY SIGNIFICANT WATERLINE LEAK, UM, FOR THE WATERLINE WATER SERVICE FEEDING THE POOL FILL, UM, THAT WE REPAIRED AS PART OF THE CONSTRUCTION.
UH, AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER, UM, IS WHEN WE STARTED EXPERIENCING ISSUES WITH THE POND LEVEL.
UM, AND ALSO NOTICING THAT, UM, THERE WAS SUBSTANTIALLY LESS WATER COMING INTO THE GROUNDWATER PUMP.
UM, I WILL ALSO ADD THAT GOING INTO
[02:55:01]
THE POOL DESIGN, THAT BACKWASH DISCHARGE, UM, BY DESIGN WAS NO LONGER GOING TO FEED THE POND.UM, SO AS PART OF THE POOL RENOVATIONS, WE'RE DOING A SUBSTANTIAL UPGRADE TO THE FILTERS, UM, WHICH IS GONNA REQUIRE A LOT LESS WATER TO BE DISCHARGED FROM THOSE FILTERS.
UM, ALSO DURING PERMITTING, UM, INSTEAD OF HAVING THAT DISCHARGE, WHATEVER'S LEFT OF THE DISCHARGE GO TO THE POND, WE'RE HAVING IT GO TO A GRASSY AREA DIRECTLY ADJACENT TO THE, UM, POOL SO THAT IT HAS A CHANCE TO FILTER INTO THE SOIL BEFORE MAKING ITS WAY DIRECTLY INTO THE POND.
UM, I'LL ALSO ADD, YOU KNOW, OF THOSE THREE WATER SOURCES WE'RE REMOVING THE BACKWASH DISCHARGE, WE LEARNED THAT WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS GROUNDWATER WAS A WATERLINE LEAK THAT'S NO LONGER GOING THERE.
AND ALSO THIS YEAR WE HAD A SIGNIFICANT LACK OF RAIN.
SO THAT ALSO COMPOUNDED WITH, UM, ALL THOSE FACTORS TO REALLY HIGHLIGHT THE FACT THAT, UM, THIS, THIS WATER WAS DROPPING IN THE POND.
UM, I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WE DID TO TRY TO MITIGATE THE SITUATION BEFORE HANDING IT OVER TO LEE TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS, SHORT AND LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS.
UM, WE, UH, OUR FORESTRY TEAM WAS OUT AT THE SITE, YOU KNOW, BETWEEN AUGUST AND OCTOBER WATERING THOSE BALD CYPRESS TREES THAT YOU CAN SEE.
UM, THEY, UH, WERE CHANGING COLOR AND WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT AS MUCH AS WE COULD CONTROL THAT THEY WERE GETTING US A WATER SOURCE.
UM, WE ALSO WERE PREPARING FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF HAVING TO RELOCATE THE FISH THAT WERE IN THE POND IF THE WATER LEVEL GOT, UM, TOO LOW THAT THEY'D BE AT RISK OF NOT SURVIVING.
AND, UM, WE WERE SUPPLEMENTING MINIMALLY WITH SOME WATER FROM A HOSE AT A VERY SLOW RATE, UM, TO TRY TO MAINTAIN, UM, THE WATER LEVEL WHILE WE WORKED ON SOLUTIONS AND HOPED FOR RAIN.
UM, SO, UH, ENTER WATERSHED PROTECTION, UM, WHO HAS A SIGNIFICANT EXPERTISE IN DEALING WITH WATER BODIES AND, UM, UH, UNDERSTANDING PARTICULARLY IF OUR, ONE OF OUR MAIN SOURCES OF, OR ONLY SOURCES WE HAVE AVAILABLE TO US TO MAINTAIN THE WATER LEVEL IS STORMWATER.
UM, HOW CAN WE THINK ABOUT THAT, UM, AND OPTIMIZE THAT AS A POTENTIAL WATER SOURCE FOR THIS POND.
SO WE WORKED, UM, PRETTY COLLABORATIVELY, UM, THIS YEAR TO, UH, IDENTIFY WHAT SOLUTIONS WE HAD TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES HERE.
SO I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO LEE.
UH, MY NAME'S LEE SHERMAN WITH, UH, WATERSHED PROTECTION.
I'M A SUPERVISING ENGINEER OF THE STORMWATER TREATMENT PROGRAM, AND I WANTED TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO MY GIRLS WHO ARE WATCHING AT ONLINE, AT HOME.
UM, ANYWAY, SO YEAH, WE ARE LISTENING AND WE HAVE A SHORT TERM SOLUTION TO THE ISSUE THAT IS CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS.
AND, UM, WE APPRECIATE OUR PARTNERS WITH AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION, AND THE IDEA IS TO IMPROVE DRAINAGE TO THE POND, THE EXISTING DRAINAGE TO THE POND.
UM, THERE'S LIKE 26 ACRES THAT DRAIN TO THE POND CURRENTLY, OR AT LEAST THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO.
UH, BUT WE BELIEVE SOME OF THE DRAINAGE IS GETTING KIND OF STUCK, UH, BEHIND SOME CURBS AND, YOU KNOW, IN A PARKING AREA AND SOME OTHER JUST KIND OF HIGHER POINTS THAT ARE PREVENTING THE WATER, UM, FROM GETTING TO THE POND.
YOU KNOW, SOME OF IT IS SEDIMENT, UH, THAT'S ACCUMULATED IN A, UH, CHANNEL IN THE POND, OR SORRY, IN THE PARK.
UM, AND THEN, UH, SOME, SOME TREE ROOTS HAVE KIND OF CAUSED SOME CONCRETE TO CRACK AND BUCKLE, UH, THAT'S PRE PREVENTING WATER FROM GETTING INTO THE POND.
UM, AND SO WE HAD A, WE, WE'VE OBSERVED THESE THINGS AND THEN WE HAD A, UH, KICKOFF MEETING, LIKE A SITE VISIT WITH PARKS BACK IN NOVEMBER, UM, AND TO COORDINATE WITH THEIR MAINTENANCE CREWS AND THEN OUR ENGINEERING STAFF AND WATERSHED TO KIND OF TRY TO COME UP WITH A, A SOLUTION TO, TO HELP.
AND, UH, WE, SINCE THAT TIME, WE HAVE, UH, COM BEGUN SURVEY.
SO WE'VE GOT ABOUT HALF OF THE SURVEY DONE, UH, THAT'S NEEDED, UH, TO GET THE DATA COLLECTION THAT WE CAN BRING INTO OUR, UH, COMPUTER AUTOMATED DESIGN PROGRAMS AND, AND DRAW UP SOME, SOME BASIC CONSTRUCTION PLANS FOR, UH, UH, SOLUTIONS TO IMPLEMENT.
AND SO I THINK THEY'RE GONNA BE OUT THERE ACTUALLY TOMORROW, DALE AND MARY, IF YOU GUYS SEE SOMEONE IN THE PARK TOMORROW, UH, THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE DOING.
AND THEN, UH, WE'RE HOPING TO WRAP UP, UH, A A PRETTY BASIC DESIGN THIS SUMMER.
AND THEN, UM, WE WE'RE HOPING TO TURN DIRT, UH, AND, AND WE'RE COORDINATING WITH PARKS.
IT MIGHT BE THEIR CREW MIGHT BE OUR CREW FOR SOME OF THE WORK, DEPENDING ON, UH, EXPERTISE.
UH, BUT THAT WILL LIKELY HAPPEN IN FALL-ISH TIMEFRAME.
SO THAT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO EXPECT.
[03:00:01]
DID IT? NEXT SLIDE.UH, AND SO WE'RE ALSO WORKING ON A, A LONGER TERM SOLUTION, AND YOU CAN SEE ALL KIND OF CAVEATS UP THERE.
UH, IT'S UNFUNDED, UH, ENGINEERING NEEDED FOR FEASIBILITY BECAUSE, UH, WE, WE HAVE WORK TO DO ON THESE.
UH, BUT THERE WAS A PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING REPORT DONE, UH, FOR THE LARGER, I THINK, I DON'T KNOW, I THINK LINDSEY MENTIONED THAT THE ENTIRE PARK IS ESSENTIALLY A DETENTION, A FLOOD DETENTION FACILITY.
AND THERE IS WORK, UH, BEING DONE BY WATERSHED RIGHT NOW, UH, TO IMPROVE THE, THE DAM, THE DOWNSTREAM DAM, UH, THAT, THAT CREATES THAT DETENTION FACILITY.
AND, UH, PART OF THAT STUDY WAS TO LOOK AT CONVERTING THIS DUCK POND INTO MORE OF A PROPER WATER QUALITY CONTROL.
AND THERE WAS SOME COORDINATION WITH THE COMMUNITY AT THAT TIME TO LOOK AT THAT IDEA.
BUT I THINK THERE WAS CONCERN AT THAT TIME THAT CONVERTING IT TO A WATER QUALITY CONTROL, UH, WHICH WOULD FOLLOW LIKE ENVIRONMENTAL CRITERIA, MANUAL AND, AND BE MORE OF A FORMAL ASSET THAT WATERSHED OWNS AND MAINTAINS.
UH, THERE WAS JUST CONCERN ABOUT DOING THAT, LIKE BEING TOO MUCH CHANGE AFFECTING TREES, HAVING SOME NEGATIVE IMPACTS TO, UH, RECREATIONAL VALUE THAT THE COMMUNITY WAS CONCERNED ABOUT.
SO, UH, WE, WE BASICALLY SHELVED THAT IDEA, UH, BUT NOW WE'RE, WE'RE LIKE LOOKING AT PICKING IT UP AGAIN, UH, IN CLOSE COORDINATION WITH PARKS AND THE COMMUNITY ALSO TO, TO LOOK AT IT AGAIN.
AND, AND THE IDEA WOULD BE TO, TO DIVERT SOME, SOME ADDITIONAL FLOW TO KINDA PROVIDE A MORE STABLE WATER SOURCE TO THE POND, UH, FROM A 72 INCH STORM DRAIN THAT'S RUNNING.
UM, UH, KIND OF, I WISH I COULD FLIP BACK AND FORTH.
OH, I WAS GOING THE WRONG WAY THOUGH.
OKAY, WELL, YEAH, I WAS TRYING TO SHOW Y'ALL A, A MAP IF YOU GO LIKE A COUPLE MORE.
UM, SO I WAS TRYING TO SHOW YOU, UM, WHAT WAS I TRYING TO SHOW YOU NOW? NOT 72 INCH LINE.
THE 72 INCH LINE WHERE THE 72 INCH LINE WAS.
AND SO IF YOU CAN, THERE'S, THERE'S LIKE BASICALLY A BLUFF.
I DON'T HAVE A POINTER, DO I? BUT THERE'S A, THERE'S KIND OF A BLUFF THAT GOES ALONG THE, UH, EDGE OF THE PARK THERE.
I THINK MOST OF THE RESIDENTS ARE FAMILIAR WITH IT.
UH, BUT IF YOU SEE THAT PURPLE LINE, UH, ON KIND OF THE BOTTOM RIGHT THAT IS GOING ALONGSIDE THAT BLUFF AND WHERE IT MAKES A LITTLE TURN, UH, A LITTLE, UH, THERE IN THE CENTER, THERE'S BASICALLY A 72 INCH STORM DRAIN THAT SAYS TRAVELING ALONG THERE THAT WE, WE WERE LOOKING AT DIVERTING WATER OUT OF AND SENDING IT TO THE, UH, DUCK POND.
AND SO, UH, THE IDEA THEN WOULD, WOULD'VE, THAT'S LIKE 106 ACRES DRAINS TO THAT PARTICULAR STORM DRAIN.
AND I DON'T KNOW THAT WE WOULD SEND ALL OF THE FLOW TO THE POND, BUT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE A, A SPLITTER BOX, YOU COULD SIPHON OFF SOME OF IT, UH, TO GO TO THE DUCK POND AND PROVIDE MORE WATER GOING IN.
UH, AND THEN WE WOULD ALSO LOOK AT EXPANDING THE POND.
IF YOU LOOK ON THE LEFT IMAGE, YOU CAN SEE THE EXISTING POND, AND THERE'S KIND OF A, UH, AN AREA THERE TO THE LEFT SOUTHWEST.
UM, AND THEN ON THE RIGHT SIDE, YOU CAN SEE WHERE THAT AREA TO THE LEFT OR THE SOUTHWEST HAS BEEN SORT OF, UH, ADDED TO THE POND AREA TO MAKE A LARGER FOOTPRINT.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT ADDING, EXPANDING THE POND TO THE SOUTHWEST.
THAT AREA IS TARGETED BECAUSE THERE ARE FEWER TREES OVER THERE.
UM, WE WOULD ALSO REMOVE ACCUMULATED SEDIMENT IN THE POND.
AND THEN, UM, WHILE INFILTRATION IS NORMALLY GOOD IN THIS CASE, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE LOSING POND VOLUME, RIGHT? SO WE'RE LOOKING AT WAYS TO KIND OF REDUCE THE LEAKAGE AND PRESERVE TREE ROOTS IN THE POND.
SO, UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT ADDING A LINER POSSIBLY, UH, I KNOW SOME COMMUNITY FOLKS HAVE, HAVE HYPOTHESIZED THAT, UH, IT'S MOSTLY EVAPORATION OCCURRING, BUT, YOU KNOW, FOR, FOR THE AMOUNT OF DROPPAGE THAT WE'RE SEEING OVER THE LAST TWO MONTHS, I SORT OF SUSPECT THAT THERE MAY BE SOME, UH, INFILTRATION OCCURRING AS WELL.
UH, SO WE'RE GONNA STUDY ALL OF THAT, YOU KNOW, UM, KIND OF PROVE THAT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THE, THE LEAKAGE IS MORE THAN JUST WHAT WOULD OCCUR FROM APO TRANSPIRATION.
UH, BUT IF WE ADD A LINER, IT WOULD REDUCE THE, THE LEAKAGE, IF THE, IF ANY, THROUGH THE BOTTOM.
AND THEN AGAIN, WE'D FORMALIZE THIS AS A, AS A AUSTIN WATERSHED PROTECTION ASSET FOR MAINTENANCE.
AND FOR US, IT'S A GOOD DEAL BECAUSE WE GET ADDITIONAL STORM WATER TREATMENT FOR THE 106 ACRES THAT DRAIN TO THAT 72 INCH LINE, UH, REDUCES, UH, POLLUTION LOADING AND UH, TO, TO SHOAL CREEK FOR THE POND.
IT COULD BE A GOOD STABLE SOURCE OF WATER.
UM, BUT THERE'S STILL SOME WORK TO DO.
UH, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT IF WE DIVERT MORE WATER INTO THE DETENTION POND, THAT IT WON'T CAUSE AN ADVERSE
[03:05:01]
IMPACT OR A PROBLEM WITH THE FLOOD CONTROL FACILITY.SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT DISPLACING, LIKE FLOOD DETENTION VOLUME.
UH, SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE STILL LOOKING AT.
LET'S SEE IF THE CLICKER WORKS NOW.
OH WAIT, IT WENT THE WRONG WAY AGAIN.
CAN Y'ALL ADVANCE IT? TWO SLIDES.
UH, SO WE ALSO HAVE A SECOND LONG-TERM SOLUTION, UH, THAT WE FEEL LESS GREAT ABOUT, BUT, UH, STILL LOOKING AT IT, AND AGAIN, WE NEED FEASIBILITY FOR THIS AS WELL.
IT'S ESSENTIALLY THE SAME AS THE PREVIOUS SOLUTION EXCEPT NO DIVERSION FROM THE 72 INCH STORM DRAIN.
ALSO NO EXPANSION OF THE POND VOLUME OR FOOTPRINT, AND THEN JUST EXCAVATING THE SEDIMENT AND PUTTING A LINER IN PLACE TO REDUCE THE LEAKAGE AND HOPE CROSS OUR FINGERS THAT, UH, THAT COMBINED WITH THE SHORT TERM SOLUTIONS TO INCREASE DRAINAGE TO THE POND OR TO, TO, TO HELP THE EXISTING DRAINAGE GET THERE, THAT IT'LL BE ENOUGH.
UH, BUT, BUT, UH, I THINK WE'RE, WE'RE SORT OF, UM, YOU KNOW, NOT, NOT SURE ABOUT THAT.
AND SO, UM, I THINK I'VE, I'VE WALKED THROUGH ALL THE SOLUTIONS ALREADY, BUT, YOU KNOW, TALKED ABOUT ENSURING THE DAM AND DETENTION FACILITY CAN HANDLE MORE FLOW.
WE TALKED ABOUT, UH, THIS BEING NEW DESIGN AND PERMITTING WORK, THAT WILL TAKE SOME TIME.
AND THEN ALSO, WE'RE WORKING ON FUNDING SOLUTIONS, UH, FOR DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION.
UH, AND THEN I PUT TOGETHER THIS LITTLE MATRIX TO COMPARE THE OPTIONS WE HAVE.
UH, THE FIRST ONE THAT I MENTIONED, IT'S A HIGHER COMPLEXITY, UH, FOR MANY DIFFERENT REASONS.
UH, IT'S A, BUT IT HAS A, HAS POTENTIAL TO BE A, A STRONGER SOLUTION.
YOU KNOW, MORE, MORE STABLE WATER SOURCE AND A KIND OF, UH, MAINTENANCE, UH, UH, WOULD, WOULD BE DONE BY WATERSHED, KINDA KEEP IT FUNCTIONING AS INTENDED, HIGHER COST, AND THEN A HIGHER WATERSHED, HEALTH BENEFITS AND A LONGER TIME TO IMPLEMENT.
AND THEN OPTION TWO, UH, THAT I MENTIONED EARLIER IS, UH, KIND OF A LOWER COMPLEXITY, BUT WE'RE NOT TOTALLY SURE IT'LL SOLVE THE PROBLEM, STILL COST A, A DECENT AMOUNT, UM, AND THEN, UH, LOWER BENEFITS TO THE WATERSHED, UM, AND THEN A SHORTER TIME TO IMPLEMENT.
SO, UH, THOSE ARE KIND OF THE SHORT AND LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS THAT WE'RE CONSIDERING AT THIS TIME.
AND LET'S SEE, WHAT'S OUR NEXT SLIDE? AND, UH, AND WE'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE, AND YOU CAN SEE OUR CONTACT INFORMATION UP THERE AS WELL.
I THINK WE HAVE SOME PUBLIC COMMENT AND WE'LL HEAR FROM THEM.
AND BEFORE WE GET INTO DISCUSSION FROM THE COMMISSIONERS, FIRST UP WE HAVE CAROLINE REYNOLDS FROM THE ALLENDALE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION.
AND CAROLINE, MAKE SURE YOUR MIC IS ON.
AND JUST AS A REMINDER, ALL SPEAKERS, UH, HAVE THREE MINUTES.
PARDON? IF YOU'LL MAKE SURE YOUR MIC IS ON, MAYBE STAFF CAN MAKE SURE SHE AND GIVE HER A HAND THERE.
IS IT, IT DOESN'T HAVE A LIGHT.
UM, WELL QUICKLY, HERE IS A REPORT THAT I HAD A HYDROGEOLOGIST DO IN LATE 2021.
I WORKED WITH SOMEONE AT PARD.
I INVITED THEM AND KEPT THEM COMPLETELY IN THE LOOP ON THIS.
AND I DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY DID WITH IT.
REALLY QUICK, CAN YOU, UM, GO AHEAD AND TELL US WHO YOU ARE FOR? SO, BECAUSE YOU'RE ON THE PUBLIC RECORD, SO LET US KNOW WHO YOU ARE.
HERE IS, HERE IS A REPORT THAT I HAD DEVELOPED.
I'M A LICENSED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER.
SINCE 1984, I AM PAST CHAIR OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL DIVISION OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERS.
I AM ALSO THE PAST CHAIR OF THE LICENSING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE THERE, MANAGEMENT AND SOME OTHERS.
UM, I'M HERE, AND SINCE 1984, I HAVE BEEN WRITING PROPOSALS AND DOING HAZARDOUS WASTE CLEANUPS AS AND ASSESSMENTS SUPERFUND SITES.
I'M USED TO DOING THE PROPOSALS.
I'M USED TO MANAGING THE PROJECT AND WRITING THE, THE FINAL REPORT.
UM, SO WHEN THE CITY WAS RINGING THEIR HANDS ABOUT THE POND DRYING UP AND WHERE THE WATER WAS GOING TO COME FROM, INSTEAD OF STANDING AROUND WRING MY HANDS, I WENT AND HIRED A HYDROGEOLOGIST WHO CAME OUT AND DID A RESISTIVITY STUDY.
HE ALSO GAVE US A COMPLETE REPORT ON THE
[03:10:01]
GEOLOGY.IN ADDITION TO THIS REPORT, THERE ARE TWO PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN ALLENDALE WHO'VE DONE ANOTHER REPORT RECENTLY.
AS OF NOVEMBER, THEY HAVE ESPB HOUSTON'S DESIGN WORK AND, UM, BACKGROUND DATA FROM GOING BACK TO 64 AND 84 THAT IS AVAILABLE, WHICH I HAVE SENT ELECTRONICALLY TO DISTRICT SEVEN, AND TO THE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER WHO IS OVER PART, I, I CAN SEND IT TO ANYBODY ELSE TOMORROW.
UM, THAT'S, THAT'S THE TWO THOSE.
OH, AND IN CONCERN OVER THE QUALITY OF THE WATER COMING OFF OF THE PARKING LOT AT THE PARK, WHICH WOULD HAVE AUTO FLUIDS, PAINT, WHO KNOWS, DIRT, WHATEVER THAT FILLS THAT POND.
I COLLECTED FOUR WATER SAMPLES IN 2019 AND HAD THEM ANALYZED BY PACE ENVIRONMENTAL.
IT, I RAN PARTICULARLY TOTAL PETROLEUM HYDROCARBONS BECAUSE I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT MOTOR OIL AND GASOLINE BEING IN THAT PARKING LOT.
AND THEY CAME BACK SURPRISINGLY CLEAR.
SO MOVING ON AND LOOKING AT THIS REPORT, UM, LIKE I SAID, I PROVIDED A COPY OF THIS TO THE YOUNG MAN AT PAR IN EARLY PART OF 2022.
IT HAS THE HYDROGEOLOGY, AND THIS, ACCORDING TO THE REPORT ON THAT, THE SB HOUSTON GUY AND THE PARKS AND REC AND WILDLIFE GUY GAVE THAT POND WAS EXCAVATED INTO THE EAGLE FORD SHALE.
AND, AND THE SOILS IN IT ARE WEATHERED LIMESTONE AND VERY CLAY, VERY, UH, HIGH SHRINK SWELL IMPERMEABLE CLAY.
IT WOULD BE REALLY SURPRISING IF BENTONITE DID ANY GOOD AT ALL, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT YOU HAVE THERE ALREADY.
UH, SO BECAUSE OF THE CHARACTER OF THE EAGLE FORD SHALE, THERE'S NO JUSTIFICATION FOR PUTTING BENTONITE IN THERE.
THERE MAY BE LEAKAGE THROUGH THE LEVEE WALLS.
IT DOESN'T MEET THE CITY, THE STATE DEFINITION OF A DAM.
BUT THE BENTONITE IN THE POND IS NOT GONNA STOP LEAKING.
YOU NEED, YOU NEED MORE DATA FOR THAT AND, AND A BETTER DECISION.
I WAS TALKING ABOUT HAVING DONE PROPOSALS BEFORE.
I'VE GOT A HAND, I'VE GOT A PROPOSAL IN HAND TO DO WORK AT THE JACK BROWN CLEANERS, AND IT IS A HIGHLY INSTRUMENTED DRILL TRUCK THAT PROVIDES INFORMATION ON THE GEOLOGY AND THE CHEMISTRY.
AND FOR A, FOR HIM TO BE THERE FIVE DAYS, IT'S $22,000.
AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT IS BEING BID IN THE PROPOSAL THAT THE CITY, THE CITY STAFF HAS PUT TOGETHER.
AND I'M, I'M SORRY, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, BUT, UM, THAT'S YOUR TIME.
ANYWAY, THERE IS NO TASK STATEMENT.
THERE IS NO SCHEDULE, THERE IS NO BUDGET.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT IN THE WORLD WE ARE DOING EVEN DISCUSSING THIS.
I RE I WOULD RECOMMEND AGAINST ANY OF MY CLIENTS TAKING UP THIS PROPOSAL.
NEXT UP WE HAVE DALE ALL ALERT
HE COULD DONATE TO SOMEONE ELSE, TO MARY FAROH WHO SIGNED UP.
BUT HE'S WONDERING IF HE CAN DONATE HIS TIME TO SOMEONE WHO HASN'T SIGNED UP, IS THAT WE CAN GET, IF WE COULD JUST GET YOU TO FILL OUT A CARD AND WE, IF YOU WANNA DONATE YOUR TIME TO HIM, THAT'S, THAT'S FINE.
AND, UM, LET'S GO AHEAD AND IF WE HAVE ANOTHER SPEAKER WHILE Y'ALL ARE FILLING OUT THE FORM, THAT'D BE GREAT.
SO WE'LL BRING UP MARY FARROW, THANK
[03:15:01]
YOU'ALL TONIGHT.I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN HERE A LONG TIME.
I'M A LONGTIME RESIDENT OF ALLENDALE.
JUST LIVE ABOUT A BLOCK AWAY FROM THE POND, THE PARK AND, UH, ACROSS THE STREET FROM ME.
MY NEIGHBORS CAN SEE THE POND FROM THEIR BACKYARD.
SO WE HAVE A GREAT AFFINITY FOR IT.
UM, AS DOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND MANY PEOPLE AROUND WHO LOVE THIS POND.
THIS IS THE SECOND LOCATION FOR THIS POND THAT AF AFTER THE PARK WAS RE UH, ENGINEERED TO, UH, DEAL WITH SHOAL CREEK FLOODING IN 1980S.
UM, BUT THE POND WAS PART OF THE ORIGINAL VISION.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE NEWS CLIPS FROM WHEN THIS PARKLAND WAS PURCHASED, BEVERLY SHEFFIELD, WHO THE PARK AND MANY OTHER THINGS WERE NAMED FOR AT THIS POINT, WAS THE PART DIRECTOR.
AND HE HAD A LITTLE HANDWRITTEN, UH, THING, UH, VISION OF THE PARK THAT WAS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
IT WAS IN THE NEWSPAPERS, AND IT HAD A POND THERE.
SO WE REALLY WANNA KEEP THE POND NO MATTER WHAT WE UNDERSTAND PART SAYS THEY DON'T AND WON'T EVER HAVE ANY MONEY TO TAKE CARE OF THE POND.
AND SO WE'RE KIND OF FACED WITH LOOKING AT WATERSHED TO TRY AND HELP US OUT AND TAKE CARE OF IT.
BUT WE REALLY WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THIS POND REMAINS RECREATIONALLY KID FRIENDLY.
AND, UH, AS A WILDLIFE HABITAT.
UM, IT IS RECOGNIZED BY AUDUBON AS A GOOD BIRDING SITE.
IT HAS HAD, YOU KNOW, TURTLES AND FISH AND ALL THE OTHER THINGS THAT LITTLE BITTY KIDS, UH, LOVE TO COME AND LOOK AT AND GET EXPOSED TO NATURE IN THE CENTER OF THE CITY.
UM, AS FAR AS THE, THE FEW THINGS THEY'RE SAYING, I APPRECIATE CAROLINE TALKING ABOUT THE LINER.
I WE HAVE HAD, YOU KNOW, SOME VOLUNTEER, UH, HYDRAULIC HYDROGEOLOGIST AND, UH, ENGINEERS WHO HAVE, YOU KNOW, LOOKED AT THINGS THEY THINK MAYBE SOME ADDITIONAL STUDIES SHOULD BE DONE BEFORE WE TALK ABOUT BENTONITE LINER, BECAUSE THE, THE CYPRESS TREES THAT RING THE POND AND THAT ARE ON THE ISLAND IN THE CENTER OF THE LITTLE POND, UH, WHICH IS ABOUT MAYBE SIX, SIX TENTHS OF AN ACRE POND, I THINK, UM, THEIR, THEIR ROOTS ARE EVERYWHERE.
AND SO ONCE YOU START GETTING INTO THAT, TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, GET AROUND TO PUT DOWN A, A LINER AND, AND EXPAND THE POND, UM, THE, THE CONCERN IS, UH, THAT IT COULD DAMAGE THESE TREES AND THE ROOTS AND ON THE, ON THE SIDE THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT EXPANDING THE POND, WHICH I DON'T OTHERWISE HAVE A PROBLEM WITH.
BUT, UM, UH, THE LARGEST OF THE BIG CYPRESS TREES IS ON THAT SIDE.
AND IN THE VISION, THE REASON THE COMMUNITY GOT SO UPSET DURING THE VISION PLANNING PROCESS, BECAUSE THE CONSULTANT RECOMMENDED CUTTING DOWN, IF NOT THE MAJORITY, A GREAT NUMBER OF THE CYPRESS TREES, UH, THAT WERE THERE AROUND THE POND.
SO YOU CAN IMAGINE THAT EVERYONE GOT UP IN ARMS, AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE REASONS THAT THAT GOT DROPPED FROM THE PLAN.
UM, UH, I SEE IF I HAVE, UH, OTHER NOTES HERE.
UM, AS I SAY, WE'VE JUST REALLY, YOU KNOW, THERE HAVE BEEN, EARLY ON THERE WERE SOME IDEAS ABOUT COULD THERE BE A WATER, WELL, RAINWATER HARVESTING, HOLDING TANKS APPRECIATE THE REGRADING IDEA.
I THINK, UM, WHATEVER WE CAN DO TO GET SOME MORE WATER THERE WOULD JUST BE REALLY EXCELLENT.
AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND ALL OF THE VISITORS TO THIS PARK ARE GONNA BE VERY GRATEFUL FOR A CONTINUATION OF THE POND IN YOUR EFFORTS.
NEXT UP WE HAVE GORDON THOMPSON
MY NAME'S, UH, GORDON THOMPSON.
AND, UH, BECAME AWARE OF THE DUCK POND BEING SO LOW, UH, WHEN THAT HAPPENED.
AND THEN, UH, IT REFILLED A COUPLE DAYS LATER AND WE'VE BEEN PLOTTING OR MEASURING THE POND LEVELS, UH, TO TRY TO SEE WHAT'S GOING ON.
AND, UH, ONE THING I NOTICED IS WE HAD THE HOTTEST SEPTEMBER ON RECORD SINCE 1947, AND THAT'S IN THE NEWSPAPERS.
UH, ALSO, WE'VE HAD ONE OF THE DRIEST WINTERS TOO.
THERE'S BEEN NO RAIN FROM MID-NOVEMBER TO MID-JANUARY.
CURRENTLY THE DUCK POND IS DOWN ONLY SIX AND A HALF INCHES AFTER FILLING UP ON OCTOBER 28TH.
AND WE'VE HAD LIKE THREE RAIN EVENTS, UH, IN BETWEEN.
THE LAST ONE ACTUALLY WAS AN ICE EVENT, BUT, UH, SO I DON'T THINK THINGS ARE THAT GLOOMY.
UH, BUT IT TAKE, BUT IT MAY TAKE SOME MORE MEASUREMENTS, UH, AND SOME MORE TIME TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE SOLUTIONS ARE, THE CURRENT PATH ON DOING THE, UH, INCREASING THE FLOW IN A LOW COST KIND OF WAY.
[03:20:01]
UH, THANK YOU.UH, LET'S TURN IT OVER TO THE COMMISSIONERS.
UH, COMMISSIONER MOORE, WE'LL START WITH YOU FOR, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATIONS.
UH, FOR NOW, I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER BRIMER.
YEAH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR, UH, PRESENTATIONS, BOTH, UH, STAFF AND, UH, CITIZENS.
UH, SO I HAVE SEVERAL QUESTIONS, UH, FOR WHOEVER IT'S APPROPRIATE, I GUESS TO ANSWER.
HAS THIS BEEN PRESENTED, THESE SOLUTIONS BEEN, UH, PRESENTED TO THE PARKS BOARD YET? I, I, I DON'T BELIEVE THEY HAVE BEEN NOW.
UH, SO NOW, WHEN I WAS ORIGINALLY INVOLVED WITH THIS, MAYBE THIS WAS AT, UH, COMMISSIONER, UH, I MEAN, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER SIEGEL'S MEETING PERHAPS THERE, I THOUGHT I HEARD THEM DISCUSS THAT THE, UH, POOL OUTFLOW HAD TO GO THROUGH THE WATER WASTEWATER SYSTEM BECAUSE OF CHANGE IN CITY REGULATIONS.
BUT NOW WHAT I HEARD YOU SAY NOW WAS IT'S GONNA BE PUT OUT IN THE LAWN SO THAT IT WOULD EVENTUALLY DRAIN INTO THE POND.
IS THAT, YEAH, SO, UM, I'M, YOU KNOW, I WAS AT THAT MEETING AS WELL AND PROBABLY THE ONE TALKING ABOUT IT, SO I'M TRYING TO REMEMBER THE EXACT WAY THAT I TALKED ABOUT IT.
BUT, UM, WE'RE NOT DISCHARGING THE WASTEWATER LINE TO SANITARY SEWER RIGHT NOW.
IT IS IN THE DESIGN, LIKE I DESCRIBED, WE'RE DISCHARGING TO THE LAWN.
WE ACTUALLY WENT BACK AND FORTH, UM, DURING DESIGN, FIGURING OUT THROUGH THE PERMITTING PROCESS THE RIGHT APPROACH TO TAKE, UM, AND INITIALLY INTENDED TO CONNECT DIRECTLY TO WASTEWATER, UM, TO KIND OF AVOID THE ISSUES THAT WE'VE HAD IN THE PAST WITH CHLORINATED WATER IN THE POND AND, UM, IMPACTING THE WILDLIFE.
UM, AND SO THAT WAS OUR INITIAL INTENTION.
UM, BUT THE CAPACITY OF THE WASTEWATER LINE THAT GOES THROUGH THE PROPERTY CAN'T HANDLE THE PEAK FLOW ASSOCIATED WITH THAT DISCHARGE.
UM, AND WOULD BE A REALLY SUBSTANTIAL CAPITAL INVESTMENT FOR THE PARKS DEPARTMENT TO UPGRADE THE WASTEWATER LINE.
BUT ALSO AUSTIN WATER HAS A FORTHCOMING, UM, IMPROVEMENT.
SO, UM, WE DEVELOPED THIS SOLUTION THAT WOULD KEEP THE WATER ON SITE AND HELP TO DEC CHLORINATE IT BEFORE IT MADE ITS WAY TO THE, ANY MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE, UM, AREAS.
UH, WHAT'S THE OPTIMAL LEVEL OF THE POND? I MEAN, I, I HEAR IT FLUCTUATES, YOU KNOW, DEPENDING UPON RAIN AND THAT SORT OF THING, BUT IS THERE AN OPTIMAL LEVEL, DEPTH OR WHATEVER? UM, YEAH, I MEAN, SO MY REFERENCE POINT, UM, AND PLEASE CORRECT ME IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER DATA, BUT MY REFERENCE POINT IS SOME OF THE ORIGINAL GRADING PLANS FROM WHEN THE POND WAS CONSTRUCTED AND, AND, UM, UH, I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF SEDIMENT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POND RIGHT NOW.
SO IN TERMS OF LIKE ACTUAL MEASURED DEPTH TO THE TRUE BOTTOM, UM, BUT THE CENTER IS AROUND 5.5 FEET DEEP AND IT GRADES UP TO THE SIDES, UM, A LITTLE BIT.
I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING TO ADD TO THAT.
YEAH, WE, WE HAVE MORE INFORMATION.
I COULD GIVE YOU ACTUAL, YOU KNOW, FEET ABOVE MEAN SEAT LEVEL TYPE ELEVATION.
UM, BUT I JUST DON'T HAVE IT IN FRONT OF ME, SO I CAN GET BACK TO YOU ON THAT WHEN YOU OKAY.
UM, SO WHEN YOU SAY 5.5 FEET, IS THAT TO THE VERY BOTTOM BELOW THE SEDIMENTATION, OR IS THAT JUST TO THE SEDIMENTATION? TO THE ORIGINAL DESIGN LEVEL OF THE POND.
SO ABOUT HOW DEEP IS IT NOW WITH THE SEDIMENTATION? I'M NOT SURE.
UH, NOW, I GUESS THERE'S A LOT OF, A LOT OF PEOPLE DO BIRDING AT THAT LOCATION, RIGHT? I MEAN, THAT'S REALLY POPULAR AND THERE'S A LOT OF, I THINK, UH, SOME OF THE, UH, FOLKS PRESENTED ON, THERE'S BIRDS AND TURTLES AND A LOT OF OTHER, UH, WILDLIFE THERE.
UH, I GUESS THE 72 INCH DRAIN REALLY COLLECTS A WATER, A LOT OF WATER OFF BURNETT ROAD, IS THAT CORRECT? YES.
THERE'S A BURNETT ROAD AND SOME, UH, COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT, I BELIEVE, KIND OF UP THAT AREA THAT'S INCLUDED IN THE 106 ACRES.
SO I GUESS MY CONCERN WOULD BE THAT I'M NOT REALLY SURE I'D DRINK THE WATER THAT COMES OFF OF BURNETT ROAD, YOU KNOW, KNOW.
UH, SO IF YOU TAKE, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT RIGHT NOW ALL THAT WATER'S GOING INTO SHOAL CREEK, WHICH THEN GOES INTO LADY BIRD LAKE, WHICH IS A WHOLE DIFFERENT STORY, BUT NOW WE'RE PUTTING THIS WATER OR PORTION OF IT INTO THE POND.
[03:25:01]
DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT THAT'S GONNA DO TO THE FISH? 'CAUSE I'VE HEARD OF FISH KILLS IN THE POND DUE TO POLLUTED WATER FROM WATER FOR THE SOURCES.I GUESS IT WAS CHLORINATED WATER FROM THE POOL WHEN THE POOL WAS DRAINED INTO THERE, THE CHLORINATION KILLED THE FISH, AND PERHAPS OTHER THINGS AS WELL.
BUT MY CONCERN WOULD BE THAT IF WE'RE USING THE 72 INCH WATER LINE THAT COLLECTS WATER FROM BURNETT ROAD, THAT WE'RE GOING TO CREATE TOXIC SUBSTANCES IN THE POND.
I MEAN, DO WE KNOW HOW POLLUTED THAT WATER IS OFF BURNETT ROAD? I MEAN, WE HAVE PUBLISHED DATA IN THE ECM, UH, FOR, UH, RUNOFF FROM URBANIZED AREAS.
SO YES, WE DO HAVE SOME IDEA OF WHAT'S IN IT.
AND YOU KNOW, THAT, AS YOU SAID EARLIER, THAT WATER DOES GO TO A CREEK TYPICALLY.
UM, AND SO THAT'S SORT OF ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO IS TRY TO INTERCEPT THAT WATER BEFORE IT GETS TO SHOAL CREEK AND, UM, YOU KNOW, CAPTURE IT, TREAT IT, MAKE SURE THE WATER'S CLEANER, UH, BEFORE IT GOES TO THE CREEK, AND ALSO GIVE IT OPPORTUNITY TO INFILTRATE IF POSSIBLE.
UM, YEAH, SO, SO THAT'S WHAT THE STORM WATER TREATMENT PROGRAM DOES.
WE PRETTY ROUTINELY SEND THAT KIND OF WATER TO WET PONDS, UH, AROUND THE CITY.
UH, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT REASONS A FISH KE COULD HAPPEN.
UM, AND THESE ARE NOT NECESSARILY, YOU KNOW, BEING CONSTRUCTED SPECIFICALLY FOR, YOU KNOW, FISH HABITAT, YOU KNOW.
UM, BUT I, I WOULD SAY ANECDOTALLY, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN FIND FISH IN PRETTY MUCH ALL THE WET PONDS THAT WE HAVE.
SO I DON'T, I DON'T THINK WE'RE EXTERMINATING ALL OF THEM BY SENDING RUNOFF, UH, TO THE WET POND.
BUT I, I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
WELL, I MEAN, MY CONCERN IS A LOT OF PEOPLE FISH IN THERE IS THE ANECDOTAL INFORMATION THAT I HAVE, AND THAT USING WASTEWATER FROM BURNETT ROAD WILL NOT BE PARTICULARLY HEALTHY FOR THE FISH.
SO I GUESS THAT'S, YOU'RE, YOU'RE NOT GONNA TREAT IT BEFORE YOU PUT IT IN.
AND THEN IT'S NOT GONNA BE HEALTHY FOR THE BIRDS EITHER, NECESSARILY.
UH, WELL, WATER VERSUS NO WATER WOULD PROBABLY BE PREFERABLE TO THE BIRDS.
AND AGAIN, LIKE I FEEL LIKE A LOT OF URBAN RUNOFF GOES TO VARIOUS WATER FEATURES AROUND THE CITY THAT BIRDS ARE HAPPY WITH AND FISH LIVE IN.
UM, IT, IT IS NOT DESIGNED FOR FISHING, UH, LIKE, AND WE DO NOT RECOMMEND, YOU KNOW, EATING FISH THAT YOU WOULD CATCH IN A WET POND, FOR EXAMPLE.
YEAH, A LOT OF PEOPLE DO CATCH IN THE LEAVES, BUT IF YOU LOOK AT, AT MUELLER, UM, I KNOW I DON'T SAY IT RIGHT, BUT THAT'S HOW I SAY IT.
SO THAT POND HAS LOTS OF FISH IN IT.
PEOPLE FISH IN IT, IT'S A, IT'S A WET POND THAT RECEIVES STORMWATER.
NOW YOU MENTIONED THERE'S SOME DISCUSSION BY SOME OF THE, UH, RESIDENTS REGARDING THE LINER AND THE, THE ABILITY, THE LINER TO HAVE ANY IMPACT OF THE DRAIN, UH, OR, YOU KNOW, THE DRAINAGE, UH, AND THAT THE LINER MAY NOT HAVE AN IMPACT THERE.
BUT MY, MY QUESTION RIFFS OFF THAT A LITTLE BIT IS, HAS ANYONE DONE AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ON THE LINER AS TO THE TREES AND THE ROOTS AND EVERYTHING, BECAUSE THOSE CYPRESS TREES DEPEND UPON MM-HMM
THE WATER, AND IF YOU JUST LINE IT YEAH, NO, THEN YOU COULD DEPRIVE SOME OF THE, UH, TREES OF THE WA WATER NECESSARY TO KEEP THEM ALIVE.
AND, YOU KNOW, UH, I'LL SAY THAT THE ONLY REASON WE WERE CONSIDERING BENTONITE IS, 'CAUSE NORMALLY WE USE GEOSYNTHETIC LINERS, SO, UH, L-D-P-E-H-D-P-E PLASTIC LINERS.
AND SO WE WERE CONCERNED THAT IF WE PUT IN THAT KIND OF LINER THAT, YOU KNOW, THE TREES WOULD HAVE A LESS OF A CHANCE OF MAKING IT.
WE THOUGHT WITH LIKE A, WITH BENTONITE MATERIAL, WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO WORK AROUND THE TREE ROOTS A BIT BETTER, UM, AND A LITTLE BIT MORE FLEXIBILITY THERE.
BUT, UH, THERE'S ALSO A WAY TO GET AT WHETHER THE, UH, LEAKAGE OR, OR THE WATER LEVEL IS TIED TO INFILTRATION VERSUS EVAPOTRANSPIRATION.
UM, AND WE HAVE WATER BALANCE MODELS THAT WE CAN RUN AND LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, UM, HOW QUICKLY IS THE WATER LEVEL DROPPING AND THEN COMPARE TO CALCULATED INFILTRATION RATES AND CALCULATED EVAPOTRANSPIRATION RATES, AND JUST SEE, IS IT WITHIN A TOLERANCE OF WHERE IT SHOULD BE.
YOU KNOW, IF WE, IF WE, UM, IF WE MODEL IT AND, AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S PRESUMING IT'S NOT INFILTRATING AT ALL AND IT'S MUCH LOWER THAN EVAPOTRANSPIRATION WOULD, UH, WOULD, WOULD MAKE IT, THEN WE HAVE A PRETTY GOOD IDEA THAT INFILTRATION IS OCCURRING.
AND, AND SO THAT WOULD BE PART OF THAT ENGINEERING ANALYSIS THAT I MENTIONED.
IF WE CAN GET AWAY WITH NO LINER, WE WILL, I MEAN, IT'S CHEAPER AND, UM, MORE ECOLOGICALLY HAPPY.
BUT NOW THE, THE RESIDENCE INDICATED THAT THE LINER YOU'RE PROPOSING MAY NOT BE EFFECTIVE AT, YOU KNOW, KEEPING THE WATER FROM LEAKING OUT DUE TO THE
[03:30:01]
GEOLOGY OF THE, UH, THE SOIL.DO YOU HAVE AN ALTERNATIVE LINER THAT YOU COULD USE, OR DO YOU BELIEVE THAT YOUR LINER WILL WORK DESPITE WHAT THEY'VE SAID? UM, I, I, I WOULD LIKE TO STUDY MORE THE RESIDENT'S CONCERNS, UH, AND WHAT THEY THINK IS HAPPENING.
UH, TO ME, UH, I KNOW, UH, BENTONITE LINERS ARE USED, UM, IN, IN PONDS PRETTY FREQUENTLY AS, AS A, A, A WAY TO PREVENT WATER FROM MEN INFILTRATING.
NOW WHAT I HEARD, UH, ONE OF THE CITIZENS SAY WAS THAT SHE BELIEVED WATER WAS EXITING THROUGH THE DAM.
UM, AND SO, BUT I THINK IF THE SIDES AND THE BOTTOM ARE, ARE LINED, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE WATER WOULD'VE TO GET OUT OF THE POND, TO GO THROUGH THE DAM.
I GUESS I'D LIKE TO UNDERSTAND BETTER WHAT, WHAT SHE MEANT BY THAT.
NOW, THERE'S GONNA BE LEAKAGE THROUGH THE DAM OR WHEREVER IT IS, SO SOMEHOW AMOUNT, EVEN IF YOU PUT A LINER IN THERE AND THERE'S GONNA BE EVAPORATIVE STUFF.
SO HOW MUCH WATER DO WE NEED TO ENSURE GETS INTO THE POND EVERY MONTH? NOW, I UNDERSTAND DURING THE SUMMER WHEN IT'S DRY, YOU'LL NEED MORE, BUT IN THE FALL WHEN IT RAINS MORE, YOU'LL NEED LESS.
BUT ON AVERAGE, HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO REPLACE IN THAT POND EVERY MONTH TO KEEP IT AT THE OPTIMUM DEPTH? WHAT YOU SAID IS, I DUNNO, FIVE AND A HALF FEET, OR, I DUNNO, WHATEVER.
THAT'S A REALLY GOOD QUESTION.
AND, AND THE WAY WE GET AT THAT, UH, IN THE CONTEXT OF THESE SYSTEMS IS TO MODEL IT.
UH, SO WE DO, WE RUN A PERIOD OF RECORD RAINFALL, OR A 13 YEAR PERIOD OF RECORD RAINFALL, AND WE SIMULATE, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH WATER'S LEAVING THE POND THROUGH INFILTRATION, HOW MUCH IS LEAVING THROUGH EVAPOTRANSPIRATION.
AND, AND WE CAN TURN THE KNOB IN TERMS OF, UH, HOW MUCH WATER WE TAKE OUTTA THAT STORM DRAIN SYSTEM.
YOU KNOW, IT'S DEPENDENT, THE SUPPLY IS DEPENDENT ON, ON HOW FREQUENTLY IT RAINS, RIGHT? RIGHT.
UH, AND SO THEN WE, WE, WE LOOK AT THAT PERIOD OF RECORD THAT'S MEANT TO BE REPRESENTATIVE, UH, AND WE, AND WE MODIFY THAT PERIOD OF RECORD EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE TO MAKE SURE IT'S CURRENT.
UH, BUT, BUT WE, UH, BASICALLY WE RUN A SIMULATION THAT TELLS US THE POND WILL, WILL REMAIN REASONABLY FULL, AND, AND, AND WE NOT ALWAYS BE FIVE AND A HALF FEET, YOU KNOW, IT MIGHT BE RIGHT, I KNOW THREE AND A HALF, FOUR AND A HALF, WHATEVER.
BUT, BUT WE, WE WOULD, UH, DO OUR BEST TO ENSURE THAT IT DOESN'T REACH LIKE, YOU KNOW, SIX INCHES OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
WELL, PART OF THE REASON I ASK YOU IS, UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN I MOVED HERE FOR THE SECOND TIME, BACK IN THE LATE EIGHTIES, YOU COULD RE RELIABLY PREDICT THAT YOU'RE GONNA HAVE 30 TO 31 INCHES OF RAIN A YEAR, AND YOU'D BE PRETTY CLOSE TO THAT.
UH, BUT NOWADAYS YOU'RE, YOU'RE KINDA LUCKY IF YOU GET 28.
AND SO WHEN YOU SAY YOU'RE GONNA MODEL THIS BASED UPON PAST RAIN EVENTS, THAT'S LIKE HARDLY ENCOURAGING BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET 30 INCHES OF RAIN.
WHICH IS WHAT YOU GOT OVER THE PAST 15 YEARS, BECAUSE NOW IT'S NOT 30 INCHES OF RAIN ANYMORE.
UH, AND WE DO HAVE SOME OF THOSE DRY PERIODS BAKED INTO OUR PERIOD OF RECORD.
SO YOU CAN IMAGINE OVER THE LAST 13 YEARS, YOU KNOW, REMEMBER 2011, IT WAS BRUTAL.
UH, WE'VE HAD SOME BIG DROUGHTS IN THAT PERIOD OF RECORD AS WELL.
SO LIKE, WE CAN LOOK AT THOSE TIME PERIODS AND SAY, OKAY, WHAT'S THE WATER LEVEL DOING? UM, AND, AND I THINK WITH THE LARGER DRAINAGE AREA, JUST ANY AMOUNT OF RAIN, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GONNA GET MORE RUNOFF.
YOU ALSO COULD GET, UH, CERTAIN AMOUNTS LIKE GROUNDWATER OR, UH, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE PIPING IN RUNOFF FROM THAT, THAT ENDS UP IN THE STORM DRAIN SYSTEM FROM LIKE, I MEAN, EVEN BROKEN WATER LINES,
NOW, IF YOU CHANGE THE TOPOLOGY OF THE AREA, YOU SAID THAT THERE'S CLOGGED PIPES AND BROKEN CONCRETE AND THAT SORT OF THING.
COMMISSIONER, I JUST WANNA JUMP IN HERE.
I JUST WANNA, FOR THE RECORD, SAY, UM, WE HAVE 15 MORE MINUTES FOR EVERYBODY ELSE TO ASK QUESTIONS TOO.
THIS IS PROBABLY MY LAST QUESTION.
UH, UH, YOU HAVE BROKEN DRAIN PIPES AND ALL THAT OTHER KIND OF FUN STUFF.
HOW MUCH INCREMENTAL RAIN, YOU KNOW, RUNOFF DO YOU ANTICIPATE GETTING INTO THERE IF YOU, YOU KNOW, REDO THE TOPOLOGY OF THE WHOLE THING? YEAH, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
I DON'T KNOW THAT WE KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT YET.
SO WE COULD, WE COULD PROBABLY ESTIMATE.
I THINK WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT THERE ARE SMALLER RUNOFF EVENTS THAT ARE GETTING STUCK THERE.
UH, THERE'S A, AND, AND I'VE HAD SOME CONFIRMATION, THE CONTRACTOR WORKING ON THE POOL HAPPENED TO MENTION TO ME THAT HE'S SEEN AFTER A RAIN, THERE WAS JUST ALL THIS WATER SITTING IN THE PARKING LOT, YOU KNOW, NOT ABLE TO DRAIN TO THE POND.
UM, SO WE COULD, WE COULD RUN AND, YOU KNOW, DO AN ANALYSIS THAT BASICALLY SHOWED HOW MUCH MORE WATER WE THINK WE'RE GONNA GET.
UM, SO, UH, YEAH, I DON'T, I DON'T HAVE A GREAT ANSWER.
I'LL GET BACK TO YOU ON THAT ONE.
LET'S GO TO COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN.
YEAH, I THINK WHAT WE'VE LEARNED HERE IS THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE MODELING AND STUDY
[03:35:01]
PERIOD.UM, JUST ONE QUICK QUESTION, UH, SINCE THE POND IS IN MY DISTRICT, UM, AND ALSO THANK Y'ALL FOR BEING HERE, UM, I'VE BEEN HEARING A LOT FROM LIKE FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO HAVE MORE LIKE CONVERSATIONS LIKE THE ONE WITH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER SIEGEL.
SO I WAS WONDERING IF Y'ALL HAVE ANY OF THOSE IN COMING UP, EVEN IF IT'S LIKE THE SAME PRESENTATION WITH A COUPLE UPDATES.
I THINK IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY ARE OFTEN HEARING FROM WHAT THE CITY'S WORKING ON, ESPECIALLY SINCE THEY CARE SO DEEPLY ABOUT THE POND.
UH, I WOULD BE OPEN TO, TO THAT KIND OF, UH, UPDATING THE COMMUNITY IN ONE FORM OR ANOTHER.
I THINK A LOT OF TIMES WE, UH, JUST SO, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, THERE'S A NUMBER OF EVENINGS THAT, UH, THAT I'M AWAY FROM HOME ALREADY, SO IT'S LIKE
AND WE ALSO TEND TO PROVIDE, UH, UPDATES VIA WEBSITE AND, UH, YOU KNOW, IF, IF THERE'S SIGNIFICANT EVENTS COMING, I MEAN, I THINK DALE, UH, HAS MY EMAIL ADDRESS, SO WE'VE BEEN EMAILING BACK AND FORTH A BIT.
SO WE TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT THE COMMUNITY'S AWARE OF WHAT WE'RE DOING.
I'LL JUST ADD THAT, UM, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF OTHER PROJECTS HAPPENING AT THE PARK RIGHT NOW AS WELL, SO THE POOL RENOVATION, AND WE'RE KICKING OFF A RENOVATION OF THE PLAYGROUND AS WELL.
UM, AND SO FOR THOSE TWO REASONS, WE'RE PERIODICALLY SENDING OUT NEWSLETTER, UM, UPDATES.
AND, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO AS PART OF THOSE UPDATES IS, UM, SHARE SOME OF THE PROGRESS THAT WE'RE MAKING ON, UM, THE POND IMPROVEMENTS.
UM, SO, UH, WHETHER IT'S, AS WE'RE APPROACHING, YOU KNOW, THE END OF CONSTRUCTION OF THE POOL AND YOU SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING, AS WE'RE CLOSING THAT OUT, WE'LL INCLUDE SOME UPDATES ON THE POND.
UM, OR IF WE'RE SENDING OUT INFORMATION ABOUT, UM, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE PLAYGROUND REDEVELOPMENT, WE CAN, WE CAN TALK, UH, ADD IN SOME UPDATES ABOUT THE POND AS WELL, SO THAT, UM, Y'ALL CAN STAY AB ABREAST OF WHAT'S HAPPENING.
I'M CURIOUS ABOUT THE SHORT TERM SOLUTION, JUST THE SCALE OF THE, THE PROJECT.
THERE WASN'T MUCH DETAILS THERE.
IT SAYS IT'S JUST, UH, TO CHANGE THE TOPOGRAPHY AND REMOVE, UH, SOME SEDIMENT AND BERMS. IS THIS, UH, YOU KNOW, MONEYWISE AND HOW MUCH SOIL? UM, I, I DON'T HAVE QUANTITIES YET.
UH, WE'RE, WE'RE WORKING ON, UM, DRAWING IT UP, BUT, UM, I DID HAVE, THERE'S ONE SLIDE ACTUALLY, I DUNNO IF WE CAN PULL THAT UP.
I COULD KIND OF POINT, UH, TO, TO THE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING.
UH, ARE Y'ALL ABLE TO PULL UP MY PRESENTATION AGAIN? YES.
AND THEN IT WAS, UH, GO UP THERE, STOP.
UM, AND, AND AGAIN, I CAN'T POINT VERY GOOD HERE, BUT I'LL, I'LL TRY TO DESCRIBE WITH WORDS, UM, ONE OF THE MAJOR PROJECTS I MENTIONED THAT THERE WAS A DRAINAGE APPEARING TO, TO BE STUCK IN THAT PARKING LOT.
UM, THAT'S ON THE RIGHT SIDE, THE LARGE PARKING AREA, UH, WHERE THE PURPLE LINE IS KIND OF COMING OUT OF IT.
IT'S, UH, IF SOMEONE CAN POINT WITH THE MOUSE TO KINDA WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.
SO THAT, THAT PURPLE LINE, UH, WE, WE BELIEVE THAT THERE'S A, A GOOD AMOUNT OF WATER SITTING IN THE PARKING LOT, UH, UNABLE TO FLOW THROUGH, UH, THE CHANNEL, WHICH IS MARKED BY THAT PURPLE LINE.
UM, AND SO THE, THE CHANNEL ITSELF KIND OF HAS HIGH POINTS AND LOW POINTS, AND SO THE, THE OBJECTIVE THERE WOULD BE TO GO THROUGH THAT CHANNEL, UH, PERFORM, UH, MAINTENANCE THAT'S PROBABLY, UH, NOT OCCURRED FOR A LONG TIME.
AND, UH, MAKE POSITIVE DRAINAGE GO FROM THE PARKING LOT TO THE, UM, TO THE DUCK POND.
THERE'S ALSO, AS YOU CONTINUE DOWN THAT BLUFF, THERE'S AN ORANGE LINE, UH, KIND OF TO THE LEFT THERE.
AND SO IF THE, THE RUNOFF, UH, ON A SITE VISIT LOOKED LIKE THE RUNOFF COULD CONTINUE PAST THAT PERM AND INTO THE, UH, LOW LYING AREAS, IT'S LIKE A BASEBALL FIELD OR SOMETHING OVER THERE.
UM, AND SO THEN THE BERM WOULD, WOULD MAKE SURE THAT THAT WATER COULDN'T, UH, CONTINUE.
IT HAS TO TURN THE CORNER AND GO TOWARDS THE DUCK POND.
UM, SO THOSE ARE TWO OF THE SOLUTIONS.
AND THEN THE ONE TO THE, UM, TO THE NORTH HERE, UH, THE, THE, YEAH, THAT ONE.
UM, SO THAT'S WHERE, UM, RUNOFF FROM THE PARKING LOT IS, UH, GETTING STUCK BEHIND THE FLUME, WHICH HAS CRACKED AND BUCKLED FROM THE CYPRESS ROOTS.
SO THERE'S AN EXISTING CONCRETE FLUME
[03:40:01]
THAT GOES FROM THAT SMALLER PARKING LOT INTO THE DUCK POND, BUT YOU KNOW, GOES, GOES UP AND THEN DOWN.UH, WE DON'T WANT TO MESS AROUND VERY MUCH WITH THAT, UH, CONCRETE BLOOM BECAUSE OF THE ROOTS, UH, UNDERNEATH IT.
UH, AND SOMEWHERE I THINK IN, UH, QUESTIONS AF UH, SLIDES AFTER THE QUESTIONS, ACTUALLY.
UH, DO Y'ALL WANT TO, UH, COULD YOU ADVANCE IT PAST THE, THE QUESTION SLIDE? UH, NEXT ONE.
SO DO YOU SEE THE ROOTS THERE, HOW THEY'RE RIGHT UP AGAINST THE, UH, CONCRETE BLOOM, AND DO YOU SEE HOW IT'S BUCKLED? UH, SO THAT WATER CAN'T EASILY FLOW OVER? WE, WE DON'T WANT TO TRY TO TAKE OUT THAT CONCRETE AND DAMAGE THE CYPRESS ROOTS.
AND SO INSTEAD WE'RE LOOKING AT, UH, YOU SAW, AND IF YOU GO BACK TO THE OTHER SIDE, UM, SO INSTEAD WE'RE LOOKING AT GRADING AROUND ALL OF THE TREE ROOTS AS BEST WE CAN AND ENTER THE DUCK POND.
UH, WHERE THERE'S CURRENTLY A, A COUPLE OF WILLOWS THAT ARE A LITTLE BIT, UH, LESS HIGH VALUE, UH, COMPARED TO THE CYPRESS, ALL TREES ARE VALUABLE, BUT, UM, CYPRESS TREES, UH, PROBABLY I'D, I'D RATHER TAKE OUT A WILLOW THAT WOULD COME BACK PRETTY QUICK.
UH, SO I GUESS THE QUESTION I WAS ASKING ABOUT SCALE IS, UH, I KNOW THE SITE, IT'S BEEN SOME TIME SINCE I'VE BEEN THERE, BUT IT, AND, AND, AND THE, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT IT, IT FELT LIKE, YOU KNOW, A WEEK'S WORK OF A, A GROUP LIKE TEXAS CONSERVATION CORPS, OR WE HAVE A VERY INVESTED COMMUNITY, UM, AND, AND SOME NICE, YOU KNOW, PICKAXES COULD, YOU KNOW, SHAPE THIS, SHAPE THIS EARTH PROPERLY.
UM, WE, WE WERE CURRENTLY PLANNING TO DO A LOT OF THIS WORK WITH, UM, THE, THE PARKS MAINTENANCE CREW.
AND THEN, UH, WATERSHED ALSO HAS A CREW THAT DOES, UH, OPEN CHANNEL, UH, MAINTENANCE, UH, BECAUSE THE PARKS CREW EXPRESSED SOME CONCERN THAT THEY WERE, UH, THEY WERE JUST WORRIED THAT THEY WERE GONNA GET INTO THAT CHANNEL AND START, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, OUTTA THEIR COMFORT ZONE.
I SAY, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A CHANNEL.
IT'S, UH, A LOT OF WATER PROBABLY MOVES THROUGH THERE THOUGH, AND THERE'S, UH, SOME TREES AND SUCH.
AND THEY WERE, UH, JUST NERVOUS ABOUT THAT.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A CREW THAT WORKS IN THAT ENVIRONMENT ALL THE TIME.
AND SO, UH, WE THOUGHT MAYBE IF, IF THEY NEED SOME SUPPORT THAT, UH, WE COULD WORK THAT INTO THEIR SCHEDULE.
YOU MIGHT HEAR MORE MAYBE AT THE COMMUNITY MEETINGS COMING UP.
UH, WE, WE, WE DO HAVE HISTORY OF WORKING AND PARTNERING WITH, UH, UM, I'M TRYING TO REMEMBER THE NAME OF THE, THE GROUP.
AMERICORPS MAYBE? YEAH, TEXAS CONSERVATION CORPS.
AMERICORPS, I THINK THE CITY HAS A DIFFERENT NAME.
YEAH, I'VE WORKED WITH THEM IN THE PAST AND, UM, YOU KNOW, LIKE INVASIVES REMOVAL TYPE WORK IS SOMETHING THAT WE DO A LOT WITH THEM.
AND IS, UH, LAST QUESTION, IS THE, THE PUBLIC ABLE TO SEE, UM, WHERE THIS RANKS AND PRIORITIES? I KNOW WITH JUST LIMITED FUNDING, UH, THE PARKS, YOU KNOW, DOING SOME OTHER, YOU KNOW, GREAT RENOVATION PROJECTS, BUT WHEN YOU SEE SOMETHING'S UNFUNDED, UH, YOU KNOW, A NO PLAN, UH, DOES THIS, ARE WE ABLE TO KNOW WHERE THIS WOULD RANK? OR IS THIS A LOW PRIORITY? MEDIUM PRIORITY? HIGH PRIORITY? YEAH, THAT, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
AND, AND, UH, KIND OF ECHO DAVE SULLIVAN HERE.
AND, AND JUST THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF STUDY THAT'S NEEDED TO KIND OF QUANTIFY EXACTLY WHAT BENEFIT WE CAN GET AND HOW MUCH IT WOULD COST AND WHETHER IT'S FEASIBLE.
UH, SO IT'S MAYBE TOO EARLY TO SAY RIGHT NOW WHERE IT WOULD RANK ON THE PRIORITY LIST.
SHO IS ALWAYS IN TERMS OF STORMWATER TREATMENT, SHO'S ALWAYS IN OUR TOP 20 AS FAR AS PRIORITIES TO, TO GET TO DO BETTER.
UM, SO I FIGURE IF WE HAD A GOOD PROJECT HERE THAT HAD A GOOD COST, GOOD BENEFIT, AND UH, COMMUNITY SUPPORT, UH, I THINK IT WOULD RANK PRETTY HIGH.
UH, BUT I THINK, UH, KINDA LOOKING AT JANA OVER THERE, I KNOW THERE'S BEEN SOME, SOME BUDGET, UH, UNCERTAINTY RIGHT NOW THAT WE'RE TRYING TO WORK THROUGH AS WELL.
JUST TO BE SAFE, CAN I GO AHEAD AND MOVE TO EXTEND THE PUBLIC MEETING TO 10:10 PM SECONDED.
WELL, LET'S GO TO 10 15 AND NO FURTHER.
MOTION TO EXTEND THE PUBLIC MEETING TO 10:15 PM WELL, I SECOND THAT.
NO, DO WE NEED TO VOTE? ALL IN FAVOR.
AND THEN ALSO THE COMMENTS FROM CONCERNED RESIDENTS OF THE ALLENDALE AREA.
UH, NO QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME.
THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR STAYING LATE.
THANK YOU TO YOUR KIDS FOR WATCHING.
[03:45:01]
NOTE SOMETHING THAT'S COMING UP FOR ME, LIKE HEARING THE FOLKS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD TALK.I THINK WE ALL DEVELOP RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE WILDLIFE AROUND US, WITH THE TREES AROUND US, AND IT HOLDS A SPECIAL INTEREST.
AND, YOU KNOW, IN INDIGENOUS CULTURES, THEY REFER TO WILDLIFE AND TREES AND ROCKS AS RELATIVES.
AND I CAN, YOU KNOW, HEAR THAT WHEN YOU ALL TALK AND IT MAKES SENSE THAT YOU WANNA TELL US ABOUT YOUR RELATIVES AND THAT YOU CARE FOR THEM, AND THAT YOUR RELATIONSHIP IS DIFFERENT THAN OUR RELATIONSHIP.
I'VE NEVER BEEN TO THIS PARK, BUT I APPRECIATE YOU ALL BEING HERE TO ADVOCATE ON BEHALF OF YOUR RELATIVES AND JUST MAKES IT MORE MEANINGFUL.
UM, I ALSO CONCUR THAT IT SOUNDS LIKE MORE RESEARCH NEEDS TO BE DONE TO CREATE A PATH FORWARD.
AS YOU SAID, YOU'RE LISTENING, YOU'RE TAKING PUBLIC INTEREST IN MIND, YOU'RE TAKING ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS IN MIND.
WE'RE IN A CHANGING CLIMATE, YOU KNOW, THIS IS, THIS IS A TRICKY SITUATION.
I'M WONDERING, FROM MY UNDERSTANDING, CERTAINLY BENTONITE CLAY IS A BETTER ENVIRONMENTAL OPTION THAN A PLASTIC LINER FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE DOWNSIDES OF HAVING BENTONITE CLAY VERSUS LEAVING JUST A NATURAL POND? UM, BOTTOM AS IT IS.
UM, I THINK WE WOULD PREFER A NATURAL POND BOTTOM.
I THINK WE JUST NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S NOT A LOT OF WATER, UH, LEAKING OUT OF IT, UH, WHICH IS CAUSING THE, THE POND.
YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAD FOR A LONG TIME THERE WAS THIS SUPPLEMENTAL WATER SOURCE OR TWO RIGHT GROUND WATER AND POOL FILTER WATER THAT WAS KIND OF KEEPING THE POND, UH, MORE FULL.
SO YOU REMOVE THOSE TWO SOURCES, UH, AND THEN WATER'S EITHER EVAPORATING AND OR INFILTRATING.
AND SO I'M JUST, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT THE KNOBS, I CAN TURN ONE OF THEM IS THE INFILTRATION, RIGHT? YOU COULD, UH, PREVENT SOME OF THAT AND KEEP THE WATER, UH, THE POND FULLER.
UH, IF IT WERE, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, INFILTRATION IS A GOOD THING.
AND SO CUTTING THAT OFF, UH, I IS, IS SOMETHING I, I DON'T REALLY TAKE LIGHTLY.
UH, BUT I I, I'VE BEEN ASKED TO, YOU KNOW, ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM OF WATER LEVEL, AND THAT IS ONE OF THE KNOBS THAT WE CAN TURN SO THAT THE BENTONITE WOULD JUST BE THE MOST, UH, ECOLOGICAL WAY TO DO THAT COMPARED TO PLASTIC.
UH, WE NEED TO DETERMINE THAT, THAT THAT'S EVEN NEEDED.
SO IT MAY NOT BE TO GORDON'S POINT.
AND THE, UH, HE GAVE ME THE, UH, WATER LEVEL DATA THAT HE'S BEEN TRACKING.
IT'S CLEAR THAT THAT, UH, FOLKS REALLY CARE ABOUT THIS POND.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, I REMEMBER GOING THERE WHEN I WAS A KID AND SEEING A FROG AND CHASING A DUCKLING, UH, AFTER SWIMMING IN THE POOL THERE.
SO IT, IT'S SOMETHING THAT I VALUE AS WELL.
WHAT ABOUT NUTRIENT ACCUMULATION, TOXIN ACCUMULATION, ET CETERA, WHEN YOU HAVE A BENTONITE BOTTOM VERSUS NATURAL SEEPAGE? UM, I, YEAH, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
UM, ONE THING I COULD THINK ABOUT WITH BENTONITE, IF, IF YOU WERE TO TRY TO GO SCOOP OUT THE SEDIMENT, WHICH IS WHERE A LOT OF THOSE YUCKY THINGS END UP, UH, IT, IT SEEMS LIKE YOU WOULD HAVE A GREATER RISK OF DAMAGING THAT LINER, UH, COMPARED TO LIKE PLASTIC, UH, WITH, WITH A, UM, PROTECTIVE LAYER ON TOP, WHICH IS WHAT WE NORMALLY DO.
UM, AND THEN IF, IF I GUESS THE BENTONITE WEREN'T THERE AT ALL, YOU KNOW, YOU WOULD HAVE RISK, I GUESS, OF THOSE CHEMICALS GOING IN INTO THE GROUNDWATER.
UH, SO THERE THERE'S MAYBE SOME PROS AND CONS.
I MEAN, I THINK WITH WHAT LITTLE WE KNOW, OR CERTAINLY I KNOW I'M TRYING TO WEIGH, IS IT MORE ECOLOGICALLY RESPONSIBLE TO ALLOW THE POND TO DRY UP NATURALLY AND JUST MAINTAIN THAT, THAT NATURAL EARTH THAT'S THERE, TRY AND RE RELOCATE THE ANIMALS THAT WE CAN? OR IS IT MORE ECOLOGICALLY SOUND TO MAINTAIN A CRITICAL WATER SOURCE IN A VERY DI DENSELY POPULATED AREA THAT ANIMALS RELY ON, BUT POTENTIALLY EXPOSE THE AMPHIBIANS AND THE FISH IN THAT POND TO HIGHER TOXIN LEVELS, HIGHER NUTRIENT LEVELS IF IT'S NOT NATURALLY LEACHING OUT? SO I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S A CLEAR CUT DECISION, BUT I THINK IT'S ONE THAT THE, FOR THE FOLKS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO CONSIDER AS WELL, WHICH I'M SURE THEY ALREADY ARE, IS UM, OF COURSE IT'S NICE TO GO OUT AND SEE WATER AND WATER HAS SUCH A CALMING EFFECT.
AND FROM A HOLISTIC ENVIRONMENTAL PERSPECTIVE, IS IT, IS IT BETTER FOR OUR AQUIFERS? IS IT ULTIMATELY ACTUALLY BETTER FOR THE WILDLIFE TO NOT POTENTIALLY INCREASE, YOU KNOW, TOXIC ACCUMULATION THERE, BUT MAINTAIN THE WATER LEVELS? SO
[03:50:02]
I CAN TRY TO TAKE A STAB AT THAT UNLESS LEE HAS A ANSWER AT THE TOP OF HIS HEAD.LIZ JOHNSON, ENVIRONMENT OFFICER.
THAT'S A REALLY GOOD QUESTION.
YOU KNOW, WE DO HAVE A MANDATE THROUGH OUR, UH, MS FOUR PERMIT THAT ALLOWS, THE STATE ALLOWS US TO DISCHARGE STORM WATER INTO OUR NATURAL WATER BODIES.
BUT WE HAVE A MANDATE TO GO AND TRY TO REMOVE AS MANY POLLUTANTS AS POSSIBLE THROUGH WATER QUALITY TREATMENT FACILITIES, WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY WHAT THIS WOULD TURN INTO IF THE DECISION IS MADE TO REROUTE WATER FROM DEVELOPED UPSTREAM AREAS.
AND I THINK THERE'S THIS CONCERN THAT, WELL, WHAT IS THAT GONNA DO TO THE ANIMALS IN THE POND? UM, BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THE FISH AND THE FROGS AND EVERYTHING, AND THE, AND SHOAL CREEK AND LADY BIRD LAKE.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE DO HAVE A PROGRAM TO BUILD THESE FACILITIES AND AS I THINK LEE MENTIONED IN NEWELL, THE CENTRAL PARK AT, UH, UH, THE CENTRAL MARKET, THAT'S A WATER QUALITY POND.
UM, NOT, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW HOW GREAT IT IS FOR THEM, BUT IT'S, THEY, WE DO SEE THEM THERE.
UM, CHLORINE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE PREVIOUS WATER SOURCE FOR THIS POND WAS CHLORINE.
THAT'S DEFINITELY NOT CHLORINATED.
WATER IS DEFINITELY NOT GOOD FOR WILDLIFE.
AND LACK OF WATER IS ALSO BAD BECAUSE IT CAN CAUSE, UM, YOU KNOW, OXYGEN TO PLUMMET AND THAT COULD ALSO CAUSE FISH KILL.
SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK WHAT HE'S PROPOSING MAKES SENSE IN KIND OF BALANCING THE NEEDS.
INFILTRATION IS PROBABLY INTO THE SOIL IS PROBABLY THE BEST FOR WATER QUALITY, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEET THE RECREATIONAL NEEDS OF THIS PARK, WHICH, YOU KNOW, USED TO BRING MY KIDS TO THIS PARK AS WELL ALL THE TIME WHEN THEY WERE LITTLE.
UM, AND THAT, THAT IS ALSO IMPORTANT, UM, TO ALLOW CHILDREN TO HAVE ACCESS TO, TO WATER BODIES LIKE THIS.
SO, YOU KNOW, I I, I THINK THAT THE IDEA THAT IS PROPOSED TO BRING WATER, UH, STORM WATER INTO THIS FACILITY IS, IS PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, BALANCES THE, THE, THE NEEDS OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD, SHOAL CREEK AND THE POND AS WELL AS WE CAN.
WHAT DOES BENTONITE DO TO AQUATIC PLANTS? ARE THEY STILL ABLE TO GROW? YEAH, NORMALLY IN A NORMAL LINER INSTALLATION, WE'D HAVE THE LINER LAYER AND THEN A PROTECTIVE LAYER OF ESSENTIALLY TOPSOIL OR SOME SORT OF COVER MATERIAL.
AND SO THEN, YEAH, WE PLANT THOSE UP.
SO, YOU KNOW, ALL THE WET PONDS YOU SEE AROUND THE CITY HAVE A LINER AND THEN A LAYER OF SOIL ON TOP OF THE LINER, AND THEN LOTS OF AQUATIC PLANTS.
SO PLANTS WITH SHALLOW ROOTS ARE ABLE TO SURVIVE.
'CAUSE THAT'S IMPORTANT TO THE NATURAL WATER FILTRATION TOO.
I KNOW WE'RE GETTING CLOSE TO TIME, SO I'LL END THERE.
THANKS AGAIN EVERYBODY FOR STAYING LATE.
UM, SO, UM, I'M GONNA MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO THE CITIZENS THAT ARE HERE.
UM, IT SOUNDS LIKE Y'ALL HAVE A, A A FABULOUS BRAIN TRUST, UM, AND, UM, AND SOME RESOURCES TO FORM A CONSERVANCY OF SOME SORT FOR THIS PARK.
IT IS A MUCH LOVE LOVED PARK AND, UM, I THINK THAT THE CONSERVANCY THEN WOULD ALLOW Y'ALL TO HAVE A FORMAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CITY TO START BEING MORE INVOLVED IN THIS PLANNING PROCESS.
THE OTHER PART THAT IT DOES IS ALLOWS Y'ALL TO HELP WITH THE FUNDING, BECAUSE FROM WHAT I'M HEARING, THIS IS UNFUNDED AND IT'S PROBABLY NOT GONNA GET FUNDED ANYTIME SOON.
UM, IS, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN HELP WITH THAT.
THEY CAN APPLY FOR GRANTS, UM, THEY CAN COME UP WITH MATCHING GRANTS IF THERE'S, UM, A, A MATCHING GRANT OF SOME KIND.
SO I, I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND LOOKING INTO FORMING SOME SORT OF EITHER A FRIENDS GROUP, BUT, BUT A CONSERVANCY IS GONNA GO A LITTLE BIT FARTHER ON THAT
UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING AND BEING HERE.
AND, UM, I, I WILL SAY, I, I, I DO HOPE THAT, UM, IS IT CAROLINE, UM, CAROLINE COULD GIVE IT'S CAROLINE, CAROLINE, GIVE THAT REPORT, MAKE SURE THAT STAFF HAS A COPY OF IT IN THEIR HAND TODAY IF YOU HAVE A CO IF YOU HAVE A COPY OF, UM, OF YOUR REPORT.
SO I THINK THAT WOULD BE USEFUL FOR Y'ALL, UH, TO START MORE COMMUNICATION.
SO THANKS EVERYBODY, UH, FOR, UH, THIS ISSUE.
AND IT SOUNDS LIKE, SOUNDS LIKE WE DEFINITELY HAVE MORE TO DO, JUST LIKE ECHOING, UH, COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN'S LOTS MORE DATA TO HAVE, UM, LOOKED AT AND STUDIED AND UNDERSTAND, SO, AND HOPEFULLY SOME FUNDING.
[03:55:01]
TO BE DONE TONIGHT, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE A RESOLUTION REGARDING THIS TO BRING UP FOR OUR NEXT MEETING, A RESOLUTION FOR NEXT MEETING REGARDING THIS TOPIC.UM, I THINK UNDER FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS YEAH, WE CAN DO THAT ON, ON OUR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. YEAH.
[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ]
REAL QUICKLY, FEATURE AGENDA ITEMS? THERE'S THAT ONE.ANY OTHERS?
AND SO THANK YOU STAFF FOR COMING OUT FOR THIS EVENING.
BUT, UM, I THINK WE IN, IN INTEREST OF TIME AND NOT BEING HERE UNTIL MIDNIGHT, UM, WE BETTER WRAP THIS UP.
SO, UH, ANY OTHER FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS? I THINK WE SHOULD HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS THE FESTIVAL, FESTIVAL, BEACH, FOOD, FOREST AND THE GREAT, AND THE INFRASTRUCTURE CHANGES THAT WOULD DESTROY VOLUNTEER EFFORTS THERE.
MAYBE WE CAN YELL OUTSIDE TEXT DOTS, LOCAL OFFICES TO SEE IF THEY'RE INTERESTED IN ATTENDING.
UH, ANY OTHERS? AND IT SOUND LIKE WE HAD A SECOND ON THAT, SO THAT'S GOOD.
UH, THANKS EVERYBODY FOR BEING HERE.
AND, UM, JUST AS A HOUSEKEEPING, UH, I WANNA REMIND EVERYBODY, INCLUDING MYSELF, UM, WHEN, UH, KAYLA SENDS OUT THE, UM, UM, REQUEST FOR WHO CAN ATTEND THE MEETINGS, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU'RE FILLING THOSE OUT SO THAT WE HAVE AN IDEA OF, UH, IF WE'RE GONNA HAVE QUORUM OR NOT.
SO, UM, REAL IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY AS WE MOVE INTO SPRING AND PEOPLE HAVE TRAVEL PLANS AND STUFF.