* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [CALL TO ORDER] [00:00:05] WE WILL GO FORTH AND START THIS MEETING OF THE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD, UH, FOR MAY 19TH, AND I WILL TAKE ROLE. SO, UM, BOARD CHAIR STEPHANIE BISON. I'M PRESENT. VICE CHAIR LANE BECKER PRESENT. OH, OKAY. SORRY, I COULDN'T HEAR IT. UM, BOARD MEMBER OR BOARD MEMBER VILLALOBOS. PRE PRESENT BOARD MEMBER MERIT. I AM PRESENT. I I GOT IT. SHE'S PRESENT. BOARD MEMBER AARA. PRESENT BOARD MEMBER. KERNS. OSTER. OH, PRESENT IS IS ON. NO. YEAH. IS BOARD MEMBER TAYLOR. I KNOW RED IS ON. OH, SORRY. BOARD MEMBER FRANKLIN PRESENT AND BOARD MEMBER EUBANKS PRESENT. ALL RIGHT. THERE. BEING QUORUM. WE'LL GO AHEAD [PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL ] AND GET STARTED WITH THE PUBLIC COMMUNICATION GENERAL. THIS IS RESERVED FOR THE FIRST 10 SPEAKERS SIGNED UP, UM, PRIOR TO THE MEETING BEING CALLED TO ORDER. MR. BECK? YES, CHAIR. THANK YOU. UH, OUR FIRST SPEAKER TONIGHT WILL BE CHRIS FLORES, FOLLOWED BY JULIE FISHER AND THEN PHILIP THOMAS. SO CHRIS AND I BELIEVE WE HAVE A, A VIDEO PRESENTATION TO GO ALONG WITH THESE COMMENTS AND JUST SHARING, WE WERE HAVING TROUBLE WITH OUR MICS. WHEN IT'S RED, THAT MEANS IT'S ON, NOT OFF. HELLO. OKAY, SO I'M GONNA SPEAK FIRST AND THEN I'LL CUE YOU WHEN TO PRESS PLAY. OKAY. UM, GOOD EVENING. UH, MY NAME IS CHRIS FLORES. I LIVE IN DISTRICT 10. TONIGHT I'M BRINGING YOU A PRIMITIVE VIDEO FILE OF THE RIPARIAN ZONE IN THE CREEKS SOUTH OF BARTON SPRINGS POOL. I'M ONE OF THE VOLUNTEERS WHO WORKS UNDER GALE ROY'S GUIDANCE. SHE WORKS WITH KEEP AUSTIN BEAUTIFUL NONPROFIT AND THE CITY DEPARTMENT OVERSEEING IS WATERSHED THREE INCHES OF RAIN IN MAY OF 20 26, 13 YEARS OF VOLUNTEER WORK, CITY PARKS TEAMS WHO RECENTLY PAIRED BACK THEIR MOWING. THIS IS WHAT REWILDING LOOKS LIKE. GO AHEAD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE JULIE FISHER. ABSOLUTELY. AND, UH, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES FROM THE TIME YOU BEGIN SPEAKING AND WE HAVE A SLIDE DECK PRESENTATION OVER THIS SPEAKER AS WELL. NO, AMBER, I THINK WE MIGHT HAVE THE, THE WRONG ONE UP. IT SHOULD BE FOR JULIE FISHER. UH, HOLLY FISHING PIER. GIMME ONE MOMENT. [00:05:08] UMBER. I JUST ADDED IT. UH, IT'S A POWERPOINT PRESENTATION BEGINNING 0 5 1 9. SORRY FOR THE DELAY, Y'ALL. IT LOOKS LIKE IT SHOULD BE IN THERE NOW. UMBER. SORRY ABOUT THAT. NO WORRIES. YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES FROM THE TIME YOU BEGIN SPEAKING. ALRIGHT, THANKS SO MUCH. GOOD EVENING BOARD MEMBERS. MY NAME IS JULIE FISHER AND I SERVE AS THE CEO OF THE TRILL CONSERVANCY. I WANTED TO TAKE A QUICK MOMENT TO CELEBRATE THE ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE HOLLY FISHING PIER PROJECT AT HOLLY SHORES. EDWARD MENDON SR. PARK LOCATED APPROXIMATELY ONE MILE EAST OF I 35 ON THE NORTH SHORE OF LADY BIRD LAKE. THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. NEXT SLIDE. NEXT SLIDE, NEXT SLIDE. THE PROJECT WAS YEARS IN THE MAKING AND BROUGHT, UM, BROUGHT PART PART OF THE BROADER HOLLY SHORES VISION PLAN TO LIFE, CREATING A MORE WELCOMING AND ACCESSIBLE CONNECTION TO THE WATER THROUGH A FISHING PIER, SEATING NATIVE RESTORATION SHADE, AND IMPROVED TRAIL ACCESS IN A NEIGHBORHOOD WITH DEEP CULTURAL HISTORY. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. WHAT'S BEEN ESPECIALLY EXCITING OVER THE LAST YEAR IS SEEING HOW QUICKLY THE SPACE HAS BECOME AN ACTIVE COMMUNITY GATHERING PLACE FROM A YOUTH FISHING DERBY TO A FREE FISHING 1 0 1 EVENT WITH LATINO OUTDOORS FAMILIES AND FIRST TIME ANGLERS HAVE CONNECTED WITH THE LAKEFRONT IN AN ACCESSIBLE AND WELCOMING WAY. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. ONE OF MY FAVORITE EXAMPLES OF THE PROJECT SUCCESS WAS SANTA ON THE TRAIL, WHICH BROUGHT MORE THAN 550 ATTENDEES TO THE SPACE, INCLUDING PICTURES WITH SANTA AND PLANTE CLAUSE HANDING OUT FREE PLANTS. IT SHOWED WHAT THIS SPACE CAN BECOME, NOT JUST A FISHING DESTINATION, BUT A TRUE COMMUNITY GATHERING PLACE. NEXT, NEXT SLIDE. WE HAVE ALSO HEARD OVERWHELMING POSITIVE FEEDBACK FROM VISITORS. 98% OF SURVEY RESPONDENTS SAID THIS SPACE MET OR EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS, AND NEARLY 90% SAID THE IMPROVEMENTS ENCOURAGED THEM TO VISIT MORE OFTEN. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. MANY VISITORS HIGHLIGHTED THE NATIVE PARKS AND WILDFLOWERS AS A PART OF THEIR FAVORITE FEATURES. WE'VE ADDED A STAND IN THE PARK THAT ENCOURAGES TRAIL USERS TO TAKE PHOTOS AND HELP DOCUMENT THE NATIVE MEADOW RESTORATION OVER TIME. AS THIS PHOTO SHOWS, YOU CAN SEE FROM FEBRUARY OF LAST YEAR TO MAY THIS YEAR, AND IT'S BEEN REALLY EXCITING TO WATCH THE LANDSCAPE BLOOM AND BEGINNING TO REALLY FILL IN THE SPACE. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND LASTLY, THE HOLLY FISHING PIER IS A HOST SITE FOR ONE OF THE NINE ART INSTALLATIONS ALONG THE BUTLER TRAILS, A PART OF THE TEMPO PROGRAM, AND WE ARE FEATURING HERE TJ LANSKY'S OVS PIECE, WHICH INCORPORATES NATURAL MATERIALS GATHERED FROM THE BUTLER TRAIL AND THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER, COLORADO RIVER WATERSHED HELPING CONNECT VISITORS TO THE SURROUNDING LANDSCAPE AND ECOLOGY. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. HOLLY FISHING PIER IS A TRUE GREAT EXAMPLE OF WHAT PUBLIC NONPROFIT PARTNERSHIP CAN LOOK LIKE. THE CITY CONTRIBUTED APPROXIMATELY $889,000 IN PARKLAND DEDICATION FUNDING, WHICH FUNDED THE MAJORITY OF THE PROJECT, AND THE TRAIL CONSERVANCY INVESTED AN ADDITIONAL 779,000 TO HELP BRING THE FULL VISION TO LIFE. TOGETHER, WE WERE ABLE TO CREATE SOMETHING MORE IMPACTFUL AS PARTNERS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. OUR NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE PHILIP THOMAS, FOLLOWED BY MARCUS DE LEON AND THEN GINO FERNANDEZ. GOOD EVENING CHAIR BOARD MEMBERS. I'M PHIL THOMAS. RESIDENT OF DISTRICT THREE AUSTIN'S PARKS DEPARTMENT HAS FORMED PARTNERSHIPS WITH SEVERAL PRIVATE NONPROFITS. SOME DO VALUABLE WORK, BUT NOT ALL PARTNERSHIPS ARE CREATED EQUAL. THE GROWING CONCERN THAT OTHERS ARE DRIFTING, DRIFTING AWAY FROM BASIC PARK STEWARDSHIP TOWARDS PUBLICLY SUBSIDIZED DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS WITH LIMITED ACCOUNTABILITY. UNTIL VERY RECENTLY, THE TRAIL CONSERVANCY HAS APPEARED POSITION TO RECEIVE 25 MILLION IN I 35 PARKS MITIGATION FUNDING FOR APPROXIMATELY 760 LINEAR FEET OF PROPOSED BOARDWALK ASSOCIATED [00:10:01] WITH THE HYATT REGENCY RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT. WHILE TXDOT NOW APPEARS TO BE REVERSING CO ON AWARDING THOSE FUNDS DIRECTLY TO THE TRAIL CONSERVANCY CONCERNS REMAIN THAT THE TRAIL CONSERVANCY COULD PURSUE A PROJECT OUTSIDE ITS CORE MISSION AND RESPONSIBILITIES. WHAT IS MORE CONCERNING IS THAT TTC IS REPORTEDLY NEGOTIATED WITH DIRECTLY WITH TEXDOT ON THIS PROPOSAL WITHOUT AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION OR THE CITY BEING CENTRALLY INVOLVED, WHICH THEY NEED TO BE. IF I COULD HAVE, UH, IF I COULD HAVE THE SLIDES PLEASE, THIS COSTLY BOARDWALK MAY NOT BE NECESSARY. AN ALLEGED TRAIL PINCH POINT COULD LIKELY BE ADDRESSED MORE SIMPLY AND MORE CHEAPLY THROUGH LAND-BASED IMPROVEMENTS, AVOIDING IMPACTS TO LONGSTANDING EXCURSION BOAT OPERATORS. SOME HAVE ALSO CON RAISED CONCERNS ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION'S PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS. ITS WEBSITE SHOWS THAT APPROXIMATELY $917,000 WAS SPENT TO COMPLETE THE FISHING PIER AT EDWARD RENDON PARK FESTIVAL BEACH, BUT NEGLECTS TO MENTION THAT THE CITY PAID FOR $889,000 OF IT. WHILE TTC CONTRIBUTED ABOUT 28,000 OR 3.5% TO A CASUAL READER, THE WEBPAGE APPEARS, APPEARS TO, UH, SUGGEST THAT THEY FUND THE PROJECT THEMSELVES. THIS IS JUST ONE OF THE PROJECT THAT THEY LIST ON THEIR WEBPAGE. HOW MANY OTHER OVERSIGHTS MIGHT THERE BE ON TOP OF ALL THE CITY PAID TRAILS CONSERVANCY VIA WATERSHED AND PARKS, HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS BETWEEN 2024 AND 2025. MEANWHILE, PARK EMPLOYEES AND USERS REPORT THAT THE BASIC TRAIL MAINTENANCE, ONE OF TTCS CORE RESPONSIBILITIES IS NOT BEING ADEQUATELY PERFORMED, WHICH LEADS TO ASK WHO IS SUPPORTING WHO IN THIS PARTNERSHIP. PUBLIC MONEY IS LIMITED. AUSTINITES DESERVE TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY, MEASURABLE STANDARDS FOR THEIR PARK PARTNERSHIPS AND DEPARTMENT-WIDE AUDIT BEFORE COMMITTING TENS OF MILLIONS MORE IN PUBLIC FUNDING. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AND I THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY. OUR NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE MARCUS DA LEON, FOLLOWED BY GINO FERNANDEZ AND THEN CAROL BAXTER. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS MARCO DEION. I WAS BORN AND RAISED HERE IN EAST AUSTIN. I WAS BORN IN LAKE EAST 12TH, SIX OH SIX EAST 12TH STREET. THEN I MOVED OVER AND THEN MY BROTHER WAS BORN THERE ON SANS ON ON EAST OFF EAST EIGHTH STREET. AND I SPENT THREE YEARS AT, AT EAST EIGHTH STREET ON TOP OF THE HILL ROLLING HILLS DOWN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, WHICH WASN'T TOO NICE BECAUSE SEE WHEN OUR OFFICE BEHIND US HERE ALSO THEN I, I WENT TO RAINY STREET WHEN I WAS IN THIRD GRADE. I LIVED THERE TILL I WAS IN 11TH GRADE. I SPENT EIGHT YEARS THERE. AND ALL THAT TIME WHEN I WAS GOING TO AT RAINY, I WAS GOING TO PALM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND I WAS PLAYING IN PALM PARK. THEN I WENT TO UNIVERSITY OF JUNIOR HIGH, STILL WENT IN THE SUMMERS TO THE, TO THE PALM POOL. AND THEN I WENT TO AUSTIN HIGH SCHOOL AND I STILL WENT TO PALM. AND THEN IN 1967, COACH WILSON, WHO WAS THE COACH OF THE HOUSTON TERSON, UH, RAMS AT THAT TIME, HOUSTON COLLEGE HIRED ME, WAS RAISED TO BE THE PARK LEADER AT PALM PARK. AND YOU KNOW WHAT MS. COACH WILSON SAID? HE SAID, YOU KNOW, THAT MAN BECAME COUNTY COMMISSIONER. YOU SEE WHAT I DID? I GAVE HIM HIS FIRST LEADERSHIP JOB. THAT'S KIND OF MY, SORT OF WHO I AM. THEN I BECAME PRESIDENT OF EAST ISLAND CITIZENSHIP ASSOCIATION. I KNOW THEY CALL IT THE HOLLY FISHING PIER, BUT WE CALL IT THE EAST TOWN LAKE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION FISHING PIER BECAUSE IN 1978 WE PROPOSED TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO PUT A FISHING PIER THERE. THEN I WENT TO UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, GOT MY BACHELOR OF ARTS IN CHICANO STUDIES. THEN I WENT BACK IN 2008 AND GOT MY MASTER'S IN HIGHER EDUCATION. SO I'M JUST SHARING WITH YOU HOW MUCH I'VE BEEN INVOLVED DURING ALL THE TIME. I WAS FORMER PRESIDENT OF MY NEIGHBOR ASSOCIATION AND THEN LATER ON I WAS JUST VICE PRESIDENT. THEN I JUST BECAME A MEMBER. IT'S IMPORTANT, THE LEGACY OF THE MEXICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY IN EAST AUSTIN. IT'S IMPORTANT IN 1954 WHEN TOKA, KANSAS, WHEN THEY STARTED TO INTEGRATE SCHOOLS IN THE WHOLE UNITED STATES, A LOT OF FOLKS IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD MOVED OUT BY 19 60, 65. MOST OF THE ANGLERS THAT MOVED OUTTA MY NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT THAT'S OKAY. MANY OF US BECAME OWNERS OF OUR HOME IN EAST AUSTIN. I OWN MY HOME IN EAST AUSTIN. I BOUGHT IN 1979 AND THEN I TOOK MY WIFE TO SAN FRANCISCO AND TOLD HER, LOOK, I'M RUNNING FOR, I'LL BE GOING TO, I'LL BE RUNNING FOR COUNTY COMMISSIONER IN 1990. SO THAT'S WHAT, THAT'S WHERE WE LIVE. THEN WE STILL LIVE ON 8 17 0 2 [00:15:01] CANTERBURY STREET. I MISSION IT CANTERBURY BECAUSE IF I SAY CANTERBURY TO PUT A-B-E-R-Y TO IT. SO THIS IS WHO I AM AS A PERSON. THE LEGACY OF EAST AUSTIN AND MANY OF MY NEIGHBORS. I THINK ABOUT PALM SCHOOL AND I THINK ABOUT TITO SAVANNAH, WHO WAS A VIETNAM VETERAN WHO, WHO LIVED ON, ON EAST FIRST FOR BEGINNING SISTER CHAVEZ. WE WENT TO, WE WENT TO SWIM AT THERE AT PALM. I LEARNED HOW TO SWIM AT PALM PO PALM POOL. IT'S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT BEING A CHICANO, BEING A MEXICAN AMERICAN AND SEEING MAYBE THE 1928 MASTER PLAN COME ALL OVER AGAIN. WE SEEM TO BE DISAPPEARING FROM OUR NEIGHBORHOOD IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY AND THE CHICANO COMMUNITY. IT IS IMPORTANT TO LEAVE A LEGACY BEHIND IS IMPORTANT TO NAME SOME OF OUR NEIGHBORS, THE MARTINEZ, THE S THE GARCIAS, THE THE S. THANK YOU SIR RA. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE, OUR NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE GINO FERNANDEZ, FOLLOWED BY CAROL BAXTER AND THEN BILL BUNCH BEFORE. HELLO? HELLO, HELLO. CAN YOU HEAR ME? BEFORE YOU START, BEFORE I START, YOU NEED TO DESIGNATE A DA SEATING. IT'S REAL HARD FOR ME TO WALK ALL THE WAY UP HERE. UH, MY NAME IS AVIO FERNANDEZ JR. AND I COME TO SPEAK TO YOU AS A LANDOWNER. ONE BLOCK, UH, NORTH OF THE COLORADO RIVER BASIN. THE COLORADO RIVER HAS A LOT OF HISTORY WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY AND WITHIN OUR, UH, CULTURE AS A GATHERING PLACE FOR US, UH, DURING SPECIAL EVENTS GROWING UP THERE, I REMEMBER MY DAD TAKING US AND MY MOM FOR PICNICS ON THE BANKS OF THE COLORADO RIVER. AND AS A LANDOWNER, I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT ANY AND ALL ACTIVITIES THAT OCCUR ALONG THE RIVER BANKS THAT WILL BE ENHANCED BY ANY ORGANIZATION. AND I WILL SAY THIS TO THOSE TWO NONPROFITS THAT CURRENTLY DO PROJECTS ALONG THAT THE COLORADO RIVER, PLEASE STOP POURING CEMENT. PLEASE STOP POURING CEMENT. WE HAVE SO MUCH CEMENT AROUND THERE. IT'S HOT IN TEXAS 95 DEGREES. WE HAVE ALTERNATIVES FOR THAT AND AN ILLUSTRATION OF OUR STEWARDSHIP AND OUR FIGHT TO PROTECT THIS RIVER AND THE BASIN IS WE'VE HAD MANY FIGHTS, YOU KNOW, AQUAFEST THE BOAT RACES, BUT THAT JUST ILLUSTRATES TO YOU THE, THE POSITIONS AND STANDS THAT WE TAKE AS LANDOWNERS THAT ARE AFFECTED BY ACTIVITIES ALONG THIS RIVER OF HOW WE GONNA FIGHT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR QUALITY OF LIFE IS NOT BEING IMPACTED. BUT A LOT OF THESE ACTIVITIES DO, YOU KNOW, THAT HAD THE BROWN BERETS AND OUR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION, EAST TOWN LAKE CITIZENS NOT STOOD UP AGAINST THE BOAT RACES. YOU WOULD HAVE BLEACHERS ALL ALONG THE NORTH BANK OF THE COLORADO RIVER TO HOUSE PARTICIPANTS FOR THE BOAT RACES. AND THAT IS WHY WE TAKE A VERY STRONG STAND IN NOT COMMERCIALIZING THAT PROPERTY BECAUSE IT'S A NATURAL HAVEN FOR US. ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE INDIANS WHEN THEY LIVED AROUND THIS, UH, THE, THEY, YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS WATER HOLE AS THEY SURVIVED BACK IN THE EARLY, EARLY YEARS. SO THERE'S A LOT OF HISTORY THERE THAT NEEDS TO BE PRESERVED AND PROTECTED. AND THAT'S WHY YOU SEE MANY OF US COME UP HERE WHEN WE SEE OTHER OUTSIDE ENTITIES COME IN AND SAY, OH, I HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT WE CAN DO HERE. OH, WITHOUT CONSULTING WITH LANDOWNERS, I WENT TO A MEETING, UH, WHEN I WAS ON THE CAMPAIGN AT BOLDING OAKS AND THEY GAVE A TREASURE'S REPORT $60,000 AND THAT CAME FOR A, FROM ACL AND I SAY THE WAY MITIGATION IS TREATED IS VERY RACIST AND EQUITABLE IN AUSTIN. SO HOW DARE YOU TRY TO EVEN PUT THOSE $25 MILLION IN ANY OTHER PROJECT THAT WOULD, IT WOULD, YOU KNOW, WHERE IT TRULY BE BELONGS. I WENT UNDER THE UH, I 35 BEERS AND THEY'RE TAKING A LOT OF MORE LAND AND I SEE NOT ONLY THESE 25, BUT I SEE MORE COMING. SO MY LAST COMMENT, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN HELP US, BUT WE WOULD LIKE TO SET A MEETING WITH THE DIRECTOR OF, UH, THE TRAIL CONSERVANCY, [00:20:01] THE DIRECTOR OF THE PARKS FOUNDATION, AND THE DIRECTOR OF THE OTHER ONE THAT COME INTO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD TO BUILD PROJECTS WITHOUT THE COURTESY OF EVEN CALLING US AND SAYING, HEY, WE PLAN TO DO THIS. WHAT DO YOU THINK? THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. ALRIGHT. NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE CAROL BAXTER, FOLLOWED BY BILL BUNCH AND THEN BERTHA REONE DELGADO. WHAT IF YOU DOES THAT WORK? GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. CAN YOU HEAR ME? OKAY. MY NAME IS CAROL BAXTER. I'M THE MANAGING DIRECTOR OF AUSTIN ROWING CLUB. IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE TONIGHT. I WANTED TO TAKE A MOMENT TO RECOGNIZE AN INCREDIBLE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF AUSTIN'S YOUTH ALE ATHLETES. THIS MONTH, EARLIER THIS MAY, AUSTIN ROWING CLUB SENT NEARLY A HUNDRED JUNIOR ATHLETES TO OKLAHOMA CITY TO COMPETE IN THE US ROWING CENTRAL YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS AGAINST SOME OF THE TOP ROWING PROGRAMS IN THE REGION. OUR ATHLETES REPRESENTED BOTH A RC AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN WITH TREMENDOUS DETERMINATION, SPORTSMANSHIP, AND PRIDE. WE ARE INCREDIBLY PROUD TO SHARE THAT A RC BROUGHT HOME FIVE GOLD MEDALS SI SIX SILVER MEDALS, SIX BRONZE MEDALS. IN ADDITION, OUR TEAM WON BOTH THE CENTRAL REGION OVERALL TEAMS POINTS TROPHY AND THE CENTRAL REGION GIRLS TEAM POINTS TROPHY AND ONE OF OUR ATHLETES WON CENTRAL REGION ATHLETE OF THE YEAR. THESE RESULTS REFLECT YEARS OF HARD WORK FROM OUR ATHLETES, COACHES, FAMILIES AND COMMUNITY SUPPORTERS. BUT BEYOND MEDALS AND TROPHIES, WHAT MAKES THIS PROGRAM SO SPECIAL IS THE CHARACTER BEING DEVELOPED ON AND OFF THE WATER. THESE STUDENTS LEARN DISCIPLINE, TEAMWORK, LEADERSHIP, RESILIENCE AND COMMITMENT VALUES THAT EXTEND FAR BEYOND ROWING. WE ARE ALSO SO PROUD TO CELEBRATE 10 GRADUATING SENIORS FROM OUR JUNIOR PROGRAM WHO HAVE COMMITTED TO CONTINUE THEIR ROWING AND ACADEMIC JOURNEYS AT UNIVERSITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, INCLUDING HARVARD, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, COLUMBIA INDIANA UNIVERSITY, THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY, UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA, UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA, FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY, DREXEL UNIVERSITY, AND SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY. NEXT MONTH, THESE INCREDIBLE ATHLETES WILL REPRESENT AUSTIN AGAIN AT US ROWING YOUTH NATIONALS IN SARASOTA, FLORIDA. WE COULD NOT BE MORE EXCITED FOR THEM. THANK YOU FOR CON YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF YOUTH ATHLETICS IN AUSTIN, PUBLIC RECREATION AND ACCESS TO OUR WATERWAYS. WE ARE PROUD TO CALL AUSTIN HOME AND PROUD TO HAVE THESE YOUNG ATHLETES REPRESENT OUR CITY ON THE NATIONAL STAGE. THANK YOU ELISA. REONE MONTOYA. GOOD EVENING. UH, BILL BUNCH WITH SAVE OUR SPRINGS ALLIANCE. ALSO DISTRICT FIVE AVID PARKS LOVER ADVOCATE. UM, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY. UH, WHAT YOU DO IS SUPER IMPORTANT. UH, I JUST WANTED TO TOUCH ON TWO POINTS, UH, THAT I ENCOURAGE Y'ALL TO TAKE SOME INITIATIVE ON. THE FIRST ONE IS MOWING, UH, SOMEWHAT RELATED TO WHAT YOU HEARD EARLIER FROM MS. FLORES. UM, AND THEN THE SECOND IS YOUR, YOUR ROLE AND YOUR IMPORTANT ROLE TO THIS COMMUNITY ON MOWING. UM, WE STILL HAVE A TREMENDOUS PROBLEM WITH THE PARKS DEPARTMENT THAT WE SHOULDN'T HAVE. IT SHOULD BE A SIMPLE THING TO SOLVE AND THAT IS MOWING AREAS THAT SHOULDN'T BE MOWED, BUT ESPECIALLY ALSO MOWING AREAS THAT PERHAPS ARE APPROPRIATE FOR MOWING, BUT MOWING THEM TOO SHORT AND TOO FREQUENTLY. IF THIS CONTINUES THIS SUMMER AND WE HAVE A BLISTERING HOT DRY SUMMER, WE'RE GONNA HAVE DUST BOWLS IN OUR PARKS. AND WE'VE SEEN THAT BEFORE. AND THIS SHOULD BE SIMPLE TO SIMPLY INSIST THAT OUR MOWING RAISE THE BLADES AND NOT CUT SO SHORT AND THEN POTENTIALLY REDUCE THE MOWING FREQUENCY. UH, WE NEED MOWING PLAN MOWERS ARE LOUD. IT'S BURNING FOSSIL FUEL. [00:25:01] IT'S POLLUTING OUR AIR. UH, WE NEED TO PURSUE A PLAN THAT MINIMIZES MOWING, INCREASES OUR NATURAL AREAS AND OUR PARKS AND YOUR OWN LONG RANGE PLAN TELLS YOU THAT THAT'S WHAT THE PUBLIC WANTS FOR OUR PARKS. SECONDLY, UH, AND THIS IS RELATED TO THE BRIDGE ITEM, BUT IT'S NOT ON IT. AND THAT IS THE COUNCIL NOW BYPASSING THIS ADVISORY BODY AND OUR OTHER ADVISORY BODIES AND DOING THAT ON A ROUTINE BASIS IS WHAT WE'RE SEEING. UM, TODAY ON THE WORK SESSION AT CITY COUNCIL IS THIS GIANT DOGHEAD DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT, 2,600 ACRES, UH, ALONG THE COLORADO RIVER. THERE'S THERE'S PARKS, THERE'S OPEN SPACE ISSUES BAKED INTO THAT. AND THE COUNCIL'S JUST COMPLETELY BYPASSING, UH, THE CRITICAL ADVISORY ROLE, THE EXPERTISE THAT Y'ALL BRING TO THESE ISSUES THAT OUR ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION PLANNING COMMISSION SHOULD BE SHOULD BE INVOLVED. WE'VE NEVER SEEN THIS. THIS IS UNPRECEDENTED. UH, CUTTING THE COMMUNITY OUT. THE WHOLE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS THAT'S BEEN BAKED INTO OUR COMMUNITY, THAT HAS DELIVERED A WONDERFUL PARK SYSTEM FOR US. UM, A A PROTECTED ENVIRONMENT THAT'S ALL GOING IN THE TRASH. SO PLEASE SPEAK UP AND TELL THE COUNCIL NO, DON'T STOP DOING THIS. PROTECT YOUR, YOUR ROLE AND, UH, AND WE'LL BE TALKING MORE ABOUT IT SPECIFIC TO THE HISTORIC BRIDGE TONIGHT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS BERTHA RENDON DELGADO ORTIZ, FOLLOWED BY ALYSSA REONE MONTOYA. GOOD EVENING. UM, MY NAME IS BERTHA RENDON ORTIZ. I AM THE PRESIDENT OF EAST TOWN LAKE CITIZENS NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION, AN ASSOCIATION THAT WAS FOUNDED IN 1974, AN ASSOCIATION THAT'S CURRENTLY ACTIVE. IT'S CONTINUING TO BE PROACTIVE IN THE VAAL, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD THAT I LIVE IN STILL THAT WE WERE BORN AND RAISED. I'VE COME TO THIS BOARD SEVERAL TIMES TALKING ABOUT THE HISTORY OF CHICANO PARK, TALKING ABOUT THE HISTORY OF MY GRANDFATHER, OF THE CHICANO BROWN BERETS, OF WHAT OUR ELDERS HAVE SUFFERED AND WHAT WE HAVE GONE THROUGH. AND I FEEL LIKE WE JUST KEEP TALKING TO A WALL BECAUSE I FEEL THAT MEMBERS OF THIS DAAS, MEMBERS OF THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, ELECTED OFFICIALS ARE NOT LISTENING AND IT'S TIME FOR THE PEOPLE TO RISE. $25 MILLION IS BEING NEGOTIATED TO THE WEST SIDE OF 35. AND I WANNA ASK THIS DEPARTMENT, I WANNA ASK THE MAYOR, I WANNA ASK TEXDOT COUNCIL MEMBER WHY THAT MONEY BELONGS TO EAST AUSTIN, TO THE PARK THAT HAS BEEN NEGLECTED FOR OVER 15 YEARS OF WAITING FOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS. BECAUSE WE HAVE EXHAUSTED OUR FUNDS. WE HAVE SO MANY PROJECTS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN COMPLETED 'CAUSE WE HAVE NO MONEY. BUT MITIGATION FUNDS ARE BEING NEGOTIATED AND TALKED ABOUT WITHOUT US, WITHOUT THE TAXPAYERS, WITHOUT THE RESIDENTS, WITHOUT THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE PRESERVED THIS BA AND WE ARE BEING HARMED BY TXDOT. AND ALL OF YOU ALL ARE JUST STAYING QUIET. I AM THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATION, LULAC, AND WE'RE HERE TO FIGHT YOU ALL THE CITY TDOT. HOW DARE YOU ALL PLAY WITH OUR MONEY AND DON'T FUND MY PARK. THAT'S ONE REASON WHY I'M HERE. THE FIGHT CONTINUES. SECOND, YOU CANNOT REMOVE PALM PARK'S NAME. YOU HAVE DESTROYED OUR PARK. YOU HAVE DEMOLISHED OUR POOL. A POOL THAT MY MOTHER WENT TO, A SCHOOL THAT MY GRANDMOTHER WENT TO. I THINK THAT THIS CITY HAS LOST CONTROL OF THEIR DIGNITY AND THEIR PRIDE AND THE SPIRIT OF AUSTIN. OUR HISTORICAL VALUES OF THE MEXICAN COMMUNITY AND THE CHICANO PEOPLE SHOULD BE NOT JUST RECOGNIZED, BUT RESPECTED AND IT'S NOT GETTING RESPECTED BY ANY OF YOU ALL. AND HOW DARE YOU NONPROFIT TRAILS COME INTO MY VA AND TAKE AWAY AND HIJACK THAT PHISHING PIER. IT IS NOT HOLLY FISHING PIER. YOU WILL NOT NAME THAT. THAT IS NOT YOUR IDEA. YOU DID NOT PAY FOR THAT. THE CITY OF AUSTIN. TAX TAXPAYERS PAID FOR THAT, NOT YOU. AND Y'ALL HAVE NEGLECTED US. WHERE'S OUR PLAQUE AT WITH THE MINORITY MEXICAN FISHERMEN? MR. DELGADO? YOUR COMMENT HAVE TO BE REFERRED TO THE MR. YOUR COMMENTS HAVE TO BE TO THE PARTS BOARD. IT'S ALL OF YOU ALL. IT'S TO THE PERSON THAT YOU HAVE NEGOTIATED A CONTRACT WITH THAT'S TAKING ALL OF OUR MONEY, OUR MONEY. I WANT THE PERMIT AGREEMENT TO BE AUDITED. I WANT THEIR CONTRACT TO END. AND I WANT YOU ALL TO STAND UP AND FIGHT FOR THE RESIDENTS OF AUSTIN AND DO YOUR DILIGENCE OF A GOOD SERVANT, A PUBLIC SERVANT, TO SERVE FOR THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN, NOT FOR YOUR GAIN, NOT FOR YOUR FAVORS, AND NOT FOR YOUR MONEY. [00:30:02] AND I'M TALKING TO WHOEVER SHOES THIS FITS. 'CAUSE WE ARE TIRED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. OUR NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE ELISA RENDON MONTOYA. GOOD EVENING. UM, I WASN'T GONNA SPEAK, BUT I HEARD ALL THIS GOING ON ON THE WAY OVER HERE. UM, I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH OUR LEADERS THAT REPRESENT US. I LIVE IN EAST AUSTIN. I AM A LANDOWNER. I AM THE PIONEER OF PRESERVING EDWARD DON'S PARK. I AM THE DAUGHTER OF EDWARD MARCO. LEON HAD ALSO, AND ALL THESE PEOPLE THAT HAVE SPOKEN, WE STILL LIVE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND WE ARE BEING DISRESPECTED BY PARKS DISRESPECTED BY ALL OUR LEADERS THAT REPRESENT US IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. THIS IS RIDICULOUS THAT WE HAVE TO FIGHT. I'VE BEEN FIGHTING THIS PARK TO PRESERVE FOR 50 YEARS. I STOPPED THE BOAT RACES WITH ALL MY, MY COLLEAGUES, THE BROBERG RAYS, THE LEADERS THAT ARE NO LONGER HERE. I'M STILL HERE. AND I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH OUR LEADERSHIP, CHARLES FOUNDATION, TAKING THE, THE, THE LEAD ON THE PIER THAT WASN'T NOTHING TO DO. THEY COME IN AND THEY SAY, OH, WE'RE GONNA HELP YOU WITH YOUR PARK. WE'RE GONNA DO THIS. PALM PARK HAS BEEN DESTROYED. NOW THEY WANNA CHANGE IT. THAT'S HISTORICAL. WE FOUGHT FOR THE THAT WE LOST. AND THEY WANNA DO SOME KINDA, UH, EVENT FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD. NO, THAT DOESN'T, THAT'S NOT FAIR. I MEAN, HOW CAN I EXPLAIN TO Y'ALL? I SEE YOU, I'VE BEEN IN MEETINGS AFTER MEETINGS AND PROTESTS REGARDING TO PRESERVE THE HISTORY OF MY NEIGHBORHOODS AND OUR PARKS. YOU HAVE A NICE PARK AT EDWARD AND DON PARK THAT PEOPLE FOUGHT AND DIED TO PRESERVE IT. AND I'M STILL HERE TO PRESERVE IT. AND I THINK IT'S REAL SAD THAT WE HAVE PEOPLE TRY TO COMMUNICATE WITH US HOW THEY HAVE MONEY TO FIX IT, HOW THIS, AND THEN THEY SEND IT TO SOME OTHER SIDE OF TOWN. THIS IS RIDICULOUS. I HAVE MET WITH TRAILS FOUNDATIONS AND ALL THESE PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE, THE YEARS THAT THEY CAME ABOARD AND WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TAKING THE MONEY THEY HAVEN'T DONE, BUT TAKING THE PRIDE FOR THEMSELVES THAT THEY'RE THE ONES THAT PRESERVE THIS, WHICH IS BULL. AND I AM TIRED TO COMING HERE I AM MY, IN MY SEVENTIES. I HAVE GRANDCHILDREN THAT ARE GONNA BE USING THIS PARK THAT ARE USING IT. I HAVE GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN NOW. I WANT WANT THAT HISTORY BEING TOLD TO OUR CHILDREN THAT ARE COMING UP AND THEY BE THE LEADERS OF THIS AREA TOO. I STILL LIVE A BLOCK AWAY. UH, GINO AND I ARE NEIGHBORS. UM, UH, THE THE PEOPLE THAT ARE HERE THAT ARE LANDOWNERS LIKE PHIL AND CAROL ALSO, THEY'RE HERE TOO. THEY FOUGHT IT SINCE THEY MOVED TO AUSTIN IN THE AREA IN EAST AUSTIN. AND SO A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T ACKNOWLEDGE US. I WANNA, AND THAT'S A DISRESPECT FOR US ELDERS, BUT WE'RE STILL HERE AND WE STILL PAY THE TAXES AND WE STILL, UH, PARTICIPATING AND, AND ALL WE DO IS GET, GET PUSHED AROUND AND AND LIED TO, OH, WE GOT SOMETHING FOR YOU. AND THEN THEY TAKE CREDIT FOR IT. WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? AND WE STILL HAVE TO PAY FOR IT. WE STILL LIVE THERE AND, AND WHERE'S THE MONEY TO FINISH FOR, FOR SERVING OUR PARK. I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH LOYA. I'M ANGRY RIGHT NOW AND, AND HOW, HOW MANY YEARS I'VE COME TO THE PARKS BOARD, HOW MANY YEARS I'VE PARTICIPATED IN, IN, IN ALL THESE EVENTS AND ALL THESE, UH, UH, ISSUES REGARDING COUNCIL. THANK YOU. MAYORS AFTER MAYORS AND AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. WE APPRECIATE YOU COMING OUT. THANK YOU. IS THERE ANYONE ELSE PRESENT WHO WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD DURING GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT? THAT IS THE END OF GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT. OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ALRIGHT, THAT BEING THE END OF PUBLIC COMMENT, WE'LL MOVE TO APPROVAL OF [APPROVAL OF MINUTES] THE MINUTES. UM, ITEM NUMBER ONE, APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD REGULAR MEETING OF APRIL 27TH, 2026. PARKS BOARD MEMBERS. IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY, PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO REVIEW THE MINUTES. ALL RIGHT. PARKS BOARD MEMBERS, DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE [00:35:01] THE MINUTES? SO WE HAVE A MOTION FROM BOARD MEMBER EUBANKS TO APPROVE THE MINUTES. DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. WE HAVE A SECOND FROM BOARD MEMBER KERNS. OSTER. UM, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR FIRM, RAISE YOUR HAND. ALL RIGHT. MOTION PASSES. EIGHT ZERO THANK YOU BOARD MEMBERS. ALRIGHT, WE'LL MOVE TO THE, [2. Presentation, discussion and approve letters of support for Austin Parks and Recreation staff members who worked to complete the delivery of four pools and two bathhouses: Colony Park Aquatic Facility; Givens Pool; Northwest Pool; Montopolis Pool; Parque Zaragoza Bathhouse; and, Joan Means Khabele Bathhouse at Barton Springs Pool. (Sponsors: Bazan, Becker) Presenter(s): Liana Kallivoka, Assistant Director and D’Anne Williams, Project Manager, Austin Parks and Recreation. ] UH, DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS. ITEM NUMBER TWO IS A PRESENTATION DISCUSSION AND APPROVED LETTERS OF SUPPORT FOR AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION STAFF MEMBERS WHO WORK TO COMPLETE THE DELIVERY OF FOUR POOLS AND TWO BATHHOUSES COLONY PARK, AQUATIC FACILITY, GIBBONS POOL, NORTHWEST POOL, MONTOPOLIS POOL, OSA, BATHHOUSE, AND THE JOAN MEANS ELLI BATHHOUSE AT BARTON SPRINGS POOL. ARE THERE ANY PEOPLE HERE TO COMMENT? YES. CHAIR. WE HAVE ONE COMMENTER, CHRIS FLORES. UH, GOOD EVENING BOARD MEMBERS. MY NAME IS CHRIS FLORES, RESIDENT OF DISTRICT 10. I SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF COMMENDING THE POOL WORK STAFF AND IN SUPPORT OF AUSTIN'S PUBLIC POOLS IN GENERAL, I SINCERELY HOPE SOME OF THE BUILDING REHAB DOLLARS IN THE PROPOSED 250 MILLION, UH, DOLLAR PARKS BOND GO TOWARDS POOLS. I ASK THAT POOLS BE PRIORITIZED BEFORE OTHER BUILDINGS BECAUSE THEY OFFER COOLING AND COMMUNITY TO AUSTIN'S FAMILIES. THIS IS NOT THE CASE WITH SPLASH PADS. I DO HAVE ONE ASK THAT THE DAILY CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE OF THE GROUNDS AND RESTROOMS BE DONE BY PROFESSIONAL PARKS, MAINTENANCE TEAMS AND NOT DELEGATED TO TEMPORARY AQUATICS. LIFEGUARDS, THEY DON'T HAVE THE TIME OR THE SKILLSET TO DISINFECT AS NEEDED. I WOULD ASK THE DOORWAYS TO PLUMBED POOL SPACES, THE NEW ONES THAT ARE GONNA BE BUILT AND THE ONES THAT WILL BE REHABBED BE MADE WIDE ENOUGH FOR A TRUCK TO PULL IN AND DO THE CLEANING. UM, POOLS ARE RESPITE FROM THE HEAT, BUT THEY DO HAVE TO BE CLEANED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. THAT IS THE END OF PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM. ALRIGHT, WE'LL TAKE THE PRESENTATION. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING. I'M LIANA KAKA, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR WITH PARKS AND RECREATION, AND IT IS MY PRIVILEGE TODAY TO TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO, UM, RECOGNIZE AND SHARE AN UPDATE OF OUR MOST RECENT AQUATIC PROJECTS AND HAVE A CHANCE TO CELEBRATE ALSO THE STAFF AND THE TEAM MEMBER, UH, THAT WORKED FOR THE DELIVERY OF THIS PROJECTS. I AM HERE WITH, UH, DEANNE WILLIAMS, WHO IS, UM, PROJECT MANAGER. SHE'S A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT AND SHE HAS PARTICIPATED IN MOST OF THE PROJECTS THAT YOU WILL HEAR ABOUT. NEXT SLIDE. SO WE ARE DISCUSSING AQUATIC PROJECT DELIVERY, AND THIS IS BASICALLY THE PLANNING, DESIGN, PERMITTING, CONSTRUCTION, AND THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT, UH, BEHIND IT FOR OUR AQUATIC FACILITIES. AND AS YOU KNOW, FOR ALL OF OUR PROJECTS, WE, UM, MAKE SURE THAT WE COMMUNICATE AND WE ENGAGE WITH THE COMMUNITY. IN THIS CASE, WE HAVE THE AQUATIC VISION PLAN THAT WAS, UM, DEVELOPED IN AND APPROVED BY COUNCIL IN 2018 AND HAD ROBUST COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND INPUT. AND BEYOND THAT, UH, EVERY TIME THAT WE HAVE, UM, WE ARE WORKING ON A PROJECT. WE MAKE SURE THAT WE ENGAGE AND WE RECEIVE THE INPUT THAT WE CAN IMPLEMENT, UH, ON THE PROJECT. BESIDES ALL OF THE PROJECTS THAT WE ARE DELIVERING, UH, THE MAIN PURPOSE IS TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY. SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DO THAT, UH, AS, AS BEST AS WE CAN. NEXT SLIDE. SO WE WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS IN THIS CASE THE PROJECTS THAT WE DELIVERED WITH THE 2018 BOND. UM, WE COMPLETED SIX PROJECTS, UH, IN TOTAL. UH, AND WE ARE GONNA BE, UM, 98% SPENT BY THE END OF THIS FISCAL YEAR. THAT'S BY SEPTEMBER. AND AS WITH EVERY PROJECT THAT WE WORK ON, WE ALWAYS LOOK FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING FROM A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT SOURCES. THE GOAL IS TO MAXIMIZE THE FUNDING [00:40:01] THAT WE HAVE THROUGH BONDS FROM THE TAXPAYERS WITH ADDITIONAL FUNDING THAT CAN GIVE US, UM, CAN ALLOW US TO GO FURTHER, CAN ALLOW US TO HAVE ONE MORE PROJECT DONE. AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE ARE MULTIPLE SOURCES THAT WE ARE USING GRANT FUNDING, BOTH AT THE LOCALS, ACTUALLY LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL LEVEL. UM, CONTRIBUTIONS FROM, UM, A PF IN THIS CASE, UH, PORTLAND DE FUNDS, WHICH WERE A GREAT SOURCE OF FUNDING, UM, DURING THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, BUT IT IS DIMINISHING MOVING FORWARD. UM, WE RECEIVED FROM COUNCIL CERTIFICATES OF OBLIGATION FOR SHADE STRUCTURES, UH, AND THIS WERE USED FOR THE POOLS AND AS YOU WILL SEE IN THE PICTURES. AND LASTLY, HISTORIC PRESERVATION FUNDING, ESPECIALLY WHE WHEN WE ARE RESTORING, UM, HISTORIC FACILITIES. AND WE ARE ABLE TO, UH, TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT. NEXT SLIDE. SO THESE ARE THE PROJECTS. I KNOW MAYBE THE, THE FONT IS SMALL, BUT AS YOU CAN SEE, WE HAVE, UH, WE WORKED ON THE COLONY PARK, UM, AQUATIC FACILITY. AND THIS WAS ACTUALLY A NEW POOL THAT WAS, UM, IDENTIFIED AS A NEED IN THE AQUATIC, UH, VISION PLAN. WE ALSO WORKED ON THE GIVENS RENOVATION, UM, SHAPE, UH, SHY POOL WAS ACTUALLY A POOL THAT HAD FAILED A FEW YEARS BEFORE THE BOND, BUT WE NEEDED THE BOND TO SUPPLEMENT THE FUNDING AND COMPLETE THE, UH, THE POOL. UM, WE ALSO WORKED ON THE PARK, SARA GOZA, UH, BATHHOUSE RESTORATION. THAT WAS A HISTORIC, UH, FACILITY. AND THEN THE TWO LATEST PROJECTS ARE MONIS AND, UM, UH, BEVERLY SHEFFIELD. AND WE, WE WERE ABLE TO CELEBRATE VERY RECENTLY THE GRANT OPENING FOR BEVERLY SHEFFIELD. AND THE GRANT OPENING FOR MONIS IS COMING UP WITHIN A FEW WEEKS. AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THE FUNDING HAS ALMOST BEEN SPENT. A LOT OF THESE PROJECTS, THE FOUR MAJOR POOLS ARE WITHIN THE, UM, THE PERIOD, THE ONE YEAR AFTER COMPLETION, WHICH IS THE WARRANTY PERIOD. AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A BIT OF FUNDING IN CASE SOMETHING, UM, COMES UP THAT IS OUTSIDE OF THE WARRANTY, UH, BEFORE WE COMPLETELY, UH, CLOSE THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT. AND WITH THAT, UM, NEXT SLIDE, I WILL, UM, TURN IT OVER TO DEANNE TO, UH, TALK MORE ABOUT THE SPECIFICS. GOOD EVENING. SO I'LL START WITH KAIA AND GIS AQUATIC FACILITIES. THEY WERE COMBINED UNDER ONE DESIGN CONTRACT WITH MARMON MOCK ARCHITECTS WITH JMT INTERNATIONAL AS OUR THIRD PARTY PROJECT MANAGER. UH, CORTEZ CONSULTING WAS OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SPECIALIST, AND FLINTCO CONSTRUCTION WAS OUR CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTOR. THE BUDGET FOR COLONY PARK WAS 15 MILLION AND FORGIVEN WAS 10.3 MILLION. THIS PROJECT WAS INITIATED AND KICKED OFF IN THE WINTER OF 2021. AND THEN WENT THROUGH DESIGN, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, PERMITTING, CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS, AND THEN PRICING BY OUR CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTOR, WHICH WAS A, UM, CON CONTRACTOR CONTRACT MANAGEMENT AT RISK CMR . UM, SO THEY WERE INVOLVED THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS. THEY WERE INVOLVED DURING THE DESIGN, UH, PERMITTING AND THEN CONSTRUCTION. SO, UH, AS NOTED, UH, COLONY PARK OPENED IN MAY OF 2025 AND GIS OPENED IN JUNE OF 2025. AND COLONY AS A YEAR-ROUND POOL. IT'S A COMMUNITY POOL, IT'S A FREE POOL OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. GIVENS IS A SEASONAL POOL AND WILL OPEN AGAIN JUNE 1ST THIS YEAR. BOTH OF THESE PROJECTS ARE PURSUING SITES CERTIFICATION AND THEY ALSO HAVE ART AND PUBLIC PLACES PROJECTS. SO THE PARKS DEPARTMENT TEAM ON THIS WAS SCOTT SIN DURING THE INITIATION DESIGN AND PERMITTING. AND THEN I WAS THE PROJECT MANAGER DURING MOST OF THE CONSTRUCTION. AND KATIE KIMBALL, UH, KIMBALL SUPPORTED US THROUGH THAT PROCESS. NEXT SLIDE. SO A LITTLE INFORMATION ABOUT BOTH OF THESE POOLS. UM, GIS POOL WAS INITIALLY OPENED IN 1957, SO THIS WAS A RENOVATION THAT, UH, USED THE ORIGINAL POOL SHELL, BUT USED A MHA LINER ON THAT POOL SHELL. [00:45:01] AND, UH, CHANGED SOME OF THE GRADES WITHIN THE POOL SO THAT WE NOW HAVE A ZERO ENTRANCE TO THE POOL. WE HAVE SPLASH FEATURES FOR THE TOTS. WE HAVE NEW SHADE STRUCTURES. WE HAVE RENOVATED THE BATHHOUSES, AND SO THEY HAVE NEW PLUMBING FIXTURES, NEW ELECTRIC. AND WE'VE ALSO ADDED A FAMILY RESTROOM THAT INCLUDES A SHOWER AND AN ADULT CHANGING TABLE. THIS, UH, FACILITY ALSO, WE ADDED A MULTIPURPOSE BUILDING FOR EVENTS AND, UH, TRAINING THE POOL ON THE RIGHT SIDE IS COLONY POOL. SO AS A NEW POOL, IT HAS A LEISURE POOL THAT HAS AN INFINITY, INFINITY EDGE. IT ALSO HAS SPLASH FEATURES. AND THEN THE LAP POOL THAT YOU SEE ON THE RIGHT, UH, IS OPEN YEAR ROUND AND IS HEATED. SO THIS POOL ALSO HAS A LARGE WATER SLIDE AND A MULTIPURPOSE BUILDING THAT, AGAIN, IS USED FOR TRAINING AND, UM, EVENTS. LET ME SEE IF I HAVE ANYTHING ELSE ON MY LIST HERE. THAT'S ABOUT IT. WE ALSO HAVE, UH, A LIFEGUARD ROOM AND, UH, OFFICES FOR AQUATIC STAFF. NEXT SLIDE. SO THE NEXT POOLS ARE MONTOPOLIS AND BEVERLY SHEFFIELD. THEY WERE ALSO COMBINED UNDER ONE DESIGN CONTRACT WITH BARMAN MOCK ARCHITECTS. UH, JMT INTERNATIONAL IS OUR THIRD PARTY PROJECT MANAGER IN FLINTCO CONSTRUCTION AS OUR CONTRACT MANAGER AT RISK. SO THE BUDGET FOR MONTOPOLIS WAS 9 MILLION. FOR BEVERLY SHEFFIELD, IT WAS 12.6 MILLION. AND THIS PROJECT WAS INITIATED AND KICKED OFF THE SUMMER OF 2022. SO DURING THE, UH, INITIATION IN DI DESIGN PHASE ON THIS, PATRICK BYER WAS OUR PROJECT MANAGER. AND I HAVE BEEN THE PROJECT MANAGER DURING CONSTRUCTION. AS NOTED, UH, BEVERLY SHEFFIELD WAS JUST OPEN LAST MONTH, AND MONT TOPLESS POOL WILL OPEN JUNE 1ST. NEXT SLIDE. SO THESE ARE BOTH RENOVATIONS AND, UH, SO THEY BOTH HAVE MUR MHA LINERS. THEY, UH, BOTH HAVE NEW ZERO ENTRANCE FOR BEVERLY SHEFFIELD. IT'S ON THE EXISTING TO POOL THAT WE CHANGED THAT ENTRANCE AND ELEVATION. WE ADDED SHADE STRUCTURES, WE ADDED SEATING, UM, ON TOPLESS. HAS A SMALL WATER SLIDE, UM, AT BEVERLY SHEFFIELD AS, UH, AN OLDER HISTORIC BATHHOUSE. THE EXTERIOR WALLS ARE THE SAME, THE LIMESTONE IS THE EXISTING STRUCTURE. THE INTERIORS HAVE BEEN UPGRADED FOR ACCESSIBILITY, NEW PLUMBING, NEW PLUMBING FIXTURES, ELECTRIC. AND OF COURSE ON ALL OF THESE POOLS WE HAVE NEW MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT SO THAT THEY ARE UP TO CURRENT CODE AND STANDARDS AND MORE EFFICIENT. SEE ON MONTOPOLIS THERE WAS AN EXISTING RESTROOM, NOT A BATHHOUSE, BUT A RESTROOM. AND THERE WAS ONE MALE, ONE FEMALE. AND SO WE'VE UPGRADED THOSE TO BE A DA COMPLIANT AND THEY WILL BE ACCESSIBLE FOR THE PARK OUTSIDE OF THE POOL. IT WILL SUPPORT THE POOL, BUT ALSO BE AVAILABLE FOR PARK USERS, UH, USING THE PLAY SCAPE AND THE MULTIPURPOSE FIELD THAT IS ADJACENT TO THE POOL. WE ALSO BUILD A NEW BATHHOUSE THAT IT IS A FAMILY BATHHOUSE, SO IT ALSO HAS SHOWERS AND ADULT CHANGING TABLE. OKAY, NEXT SLIDE. AND THEN THE LAST SLIDE IS PARK OSA BATHHOUSE RENOVATION. AND THE BUDGET ON THIS ONE WAS 2 MILLION. IT KICKED OFF THE SUMMER OF 2021 AND WILL ALSO OPEN IN JUNE. I BELIEVE THE RIBBON CUTTING IS JUNE 10TH. THIS ONE IS PURSUING LEAD INTERIOR DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION CERTIFICATION. AND THE PROJECT TEAM ON THIS ONE IS RAY HERNANDEZ AS THE PROJECT MANAGER. LEO ESE AS THE PROJECT ASSISTANT DYLAN KINZIE AS THE ENGINEER, TECH, AND THE CONSULTANTS ARE LIMB BARKER AND GODFREY AS THE ARCHITECTURE TEAM AND MAJESTIC SERVICES AS THE CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTOR TRACTOR. THIS PROJECT IS A RESTORATION OF EXISTING MASONRY BUILDING TO SUPPORT THE EXISTING POOL FACILITY. THE INTERIOR RENOVATIONS PROVIDE A RESTROOM AND SH AND SHOWER FACILITY INCLUDING A DEDICATED ENTRY TO THE POOL. AND THERE IS ALSO A LIFEGUARD OFFICE SPACE. [00:50:05] AND I THINK THAT'S IT. I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE ONE COMMENT ACTUALLY REGARDING THE POLLS. UM, AS YOU NOTICE, THERE IS ONE NEW POOL THAT WAS IDENTIFIED IN THE, UH, VISION PLAN. THE OTHER THREE POLES WERE, UH, IDENTIFIED AS THE POLES THAT HAD FAR EXCEEDED THEIR, UH, LIFE EXPECTANCY. AND THEY WERE THE NEXT ONES TO FAIL. IN FACT, GIVENS ACTUALLY DID FAIL AND WE HAD THE POOL WAS CLOSED WHILE WE WERE, UH, DOING THE DESIGN. SO WE ARE PROBABLY FACING SIMILAR CHALLENGES NOW WITH THE POOLS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED NEXT AS THE ONES TO FAIL. AND HOPEFULLY WE WILL HAVE A, UM, A BOND PROGRAM THAT WILL ALLOW US THE ABILITY TO, UM, RENOVATE AND REPLACE AGING, UH, POOLS SO THAT THE COMMUNITY WILL BE ABLE TO, UM, CONTINUE AND ENJOY THEM. AND I WOULD LIKE TO CLOSE ALSO BY THANKING, UM, DEANNE DEANNE, UH, HAS BEEN WITH THE DEPARTMENT FOR MANY YEARS AND HAS A LONG STANDING AND VALUABLE SERVICE AND SHE IS APPROACHING HER RETIREMENT. UH, AND UH, THAT'S ONE MORE REASON I'M THANKFUL FOR HER STAYING AND COMPLETING ALL THESE FOUR PROJECTS AND MAKING SURE THAT, UH, SHE, SHE DOESN'T LEAVE ANYTHING BEHIND AND FINISH. SO THANK YOU . WONDERFUL. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ANY QUESTIONS? BOARD MEMBERS? YES. HI. UM, YOU CAN HEAR ME RIGHT? UM, ONE COMMENT AND ONE QUESTION. SO THE COMMENT, AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, I HA I AM THE MOTHER OF A YOUNG ADULT SON WITH DISABILITIES. HE HAS CEREBRAL PALSY, USES A WHEELCHAIR, NEEDS A LOT OF ASSISTANCE. UM, MY HEART JUMPED OUT OF MY CHEST WHEN YOU SAID THAT. THERE ARE TWO POOLS THAT WERE RENOVATED THAT HAVE ACCESSIBLE BATHROOMS WITH ADULT-SIZED CHANGING TABLES. SO THANK YOU ON BEHALF OF ALL OF THE FAMILIES WHO HAVE, UM, FAMILY MEMBERS WITH DISABILITIES WHO WILL BE ABLE TO USE THIS AT OUR PUBLIC PARK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. UM, SECOND QUESTION ON SLIDE THREE, YOU TALKED ABOUT, UM, WHAT YOU SAID YOU SPENT 90% OF THE BUDGET FROM THE BOND. AND I'M LOOKING AT THIS, THERE'S 9% LEFT AND I THINK YOU SPOKE TO THAT. BUT WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE UNCOMMITTED? AND IS ANY OF THAT FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR THE OTHER POOLS IN THE AREA THAT MAY NEED SOME IMPROVEMENTS? SO I BELIEVE THAT WE RECEIVED 40 MILLION TOTAL FROM THE BOND. UM, I THINK THAT THE PERCENTAGE THERE IS MORE THAN 90% FOR THE AQUATICS PORTION WE HAVE, FIRST OF ALL, WE HAVE A SUMMER AHEAD OF US AND WE DON'T KNOW WHETHER THERE MIGHT BE AN URGENCY SOMEWHERE FOR SOMETHING, FOR A CONTINGENCY, FOR SOMETHING THAT MAY FAIL SO THAT WE CAN REPAIR AND KEEP GOING. THIS IS VERY LITTLE FUNDING THAT HAS BEEN LEFT AND WE ARE JUST, WE JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE PLAN CAREFULLY SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO CLOSE ANY POOLS. IN REALITY, THERE ISN'T ANY MORE FUNDING THAT WE CAN EVEN START DESIGN ON A NEW POOL. WE NEED REALLY THE BOND N NO UNDERSTOOD, BUT IF THERE IS SOME BUDGET AVAILABLE AT THE END OF THE SUMMER, AND I'M NOT SURE HOW LONG UNTIL YOU KNOW YOU GUYS HAVE TO SPEND THIS MONEY, IF THERE ARE OTHER POOLS THAT HAVE SOME MAYBE, MAYBE MINOR REPAIR OR WHATEVER, IS THAT AVAILABLE TO OTHER POOLS AS PART OF THIS BOND OR IS IT STRICTLY LIMITED TO THESE PROJECTS? NO, THEY'RE NOT. AND ACTUALLY THAT'S A GOOD POINT. WE MAKE SURE THAT WE ASK FOR PROGRAM MONEY AND IN THIS CASE IT'S THE AQUATIC PROGRAM, SO IT CAN BE USED, THIS FUNDING CAN BE USED AT ANY POOL. IF WE HAD ASKED SPECIFICALLY FOR POOLS, FOR NAMED POOLS, THEN WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO TRANSFER MONEY. SO YES, IF THERE IS MONEY LEFT AND WE KNOW THAT A BOND IS COMING, WE'LL BE ABLE TO, UM, UP DO UPGRADES IF AS NEEDED. IF THE WAY WE ARE THINKING ABOUT IT IS THAT IF THERE WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE, THE NEXT BOND, WE WILL HAVE TO BE MORE CONSERVATIVE AND KEEP THE FUNDING FOR FUTURE NEEDS. THANK YOU. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? BOARD MEMBERS, BOARD MEMBERS ONLINE. ALRIGHT. I WILL READ OUR LETTER ADDRESSED TO THE AQUATICS PROJECT DELIVERY TEAM. IT IS DATED MAY 19TH, 2026, AND IT SAYS, DEAR AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION AQUATICS [00:55:01] PROJECT DELIVERY TEAM, ON BEHALF OF THE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD, WE WANNA RECOGNIZE AND THANK YOU FOR THE INCREDIBLE WORK YOU'RE LEADING THROUGH AQUATICS PROJECT DELIVERY, YOUR TEAM'S DEDICATION TO PLANNING, DESIGNING AND DELIVERING HIGH QUALITY AQUATIC FACILITIES IS DELIVERING MEANINGFUL IMPROVEMENTS THAT WILL BENEFIT AUSTIN RESIDENTS FOR YEARS TO COME. THE IMPACT OF THE 2018 BOND AQUATICS PROGRAM CAN ALREADY BE SEEN ACROSS AUSTIN'S COMMUNITIES WITH SIX MAJOR PROJECTS COMPLETED OR NEAR IN COMPLETION. AND THE PROGRAM ANTICIPATED TO BE 98% SPENT BY FISCAL YEAR 26. YOUR TEAM HAS SUCCESSFULLY LEVERAGED MULTIPLE FUNDING SOURCES TO MAXIMIZE IMPACT AND DELIVER MEANINGFUL IMPROVEMENTS ACROSS OUR CITY. FROM THE OPENING OF COLONY PARK GIVENS AQUATIC FACILITY AND BEVERLY S SHEFFIELD TO THE UPCOMING OPENING OF MONIS AND BACAS AT AOSA BATHHOUSE RENOVATION, YOUR WORK REFLECTS A STRONG COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY CENTERED DESIGN, SUSTAINABILITY, AND OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE. THE PURSUIT OF CERTIFICATIONS FURTHER DEMONSTRATES YOUR LEADERSHIP IN CREATING RESILIENT AND ENVIRONMENTALLY THOUGHTFUL PUBLIC SPACES. WE ESPECIALLY APPRECIATE THE COLLABORATION AND CARE YOUR TEAM BRINGS TO EACH PROJECT. BEHIND EVERY POOL, BATHHOUSE AND AQUATIC FACILITY IS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF PLANNING, COORDINATION, AND COMMITMENT THAT HELPS ENSURE AUSTIN RESIDENTS HAVE SAFE, WELCOMING AND ACCESSIBLE PLACES TO GATHER AND COOL OFF. AND WE HEARD THAT SEVERAL TIMES TODAY, AS PEOPLE SAID, LIKE THESE ARE SAFE HAVENS FOR THEM TO COOL OFF IN THE SUMMER ESPECIALLY. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO TO STRENGTHEN AUSTIN'S AQUATIC SYSTEM AND IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE ACROSS OUR CITY WITH GRATITUDE, YOUR PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WELCOME. ALL RIGHT, I WILL NOW ASK FOR A MOTION TO APPROVE OUR LETTER. I MOVE TO APPROVE LETTERS OF SUPPORT FOR AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION STAFF MEMBERS WHO COMPLETED THE DELIVERY OF FOUR POOLS AND TWO BATH HOUSES. ALRIGHT, I'LL TAKE IT. UH, WE'VE GOT A MOTION ON THE FLOOR FROM, UM, BOARD MEMBER VILLALOBOS. DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND? WE HAVE A SECOND FROM BOARD MEMBER KERNS O UM, ALL THOSE IN, UH, DISCUSSION. DISCUSSION. SORRY GUYS, I'M MOVING AHEAD TOO QUICKLY. UM, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION, COMMENTS, ANYTHING? BOARD MEMBERS? ALRIGHT, UM, WELL YOU'VE GOT INVITATIONS TO JOIN AT THE NEXT COUPLE OF OPENINGS, SO IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ATTENDING THOSE, UM, I THINK THE EMAIL THAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO RESPOND TO IS THERE. AND SO I I WILL BE OUT AT AT LEAST ONE. I HOPE TO SEE SOME OF YOU THERE AND I'VE ALREADY RUN INTO LOTS OF KIDDOS AT THE REC CENTER WHO ARE PEERING IN AND SO EXCITED. UM, AND I KNOW ADULTS AS WELL WHO ARE EQUALLY EXCITED. SO CAN'T WAIT, UM, FOR THOSE TO COME ONLINE. ALRIGHT, WITH THAT BEING SAID, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND TAKE A VOTE. SO ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. ALL RIGHT. Y'ALL WERE SCARING ME ONLINE OVER THERE. ALRIGHT. IT WAS UNANIMOUS. EIGHT ZERO. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY, LET CHECK THE TIME. ALRIGHT, WE WILL MOVE RIGHT ALONG. ALRIGHT, UM, WE ARE [3. Approve an appointment to the Parks and Recreation Board seat on the Joint Sustainability Committee. (Sponsors: Bazan, Becker)] MOVING TO ITEM NUMBER THREE, WHICH IS A PROVEN APPOINTMENT TO THE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD SEAT ON THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE. UM, WE HAVE TWO SPOTS ON THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE AND WE HAVE BOARD MEMBER ORM WHO SERVES ON THAT COMMITTEE. UM, BUT WE'VE GOT, UM, ALSO BOARD MEMBER BECKER WHO HAS BEEN SERVING FAITHFULLY ON THE COMMITTEE, BUT WITH THE CHANGES AS OF LAST MONTH'S MEETING WITH BOARD MEMBER BECKER BEING VICE CHAIR THERE, UM, HE WILL BE ROLLING OFF OF JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE AND WE WILL NEED TO VOTE ON A NEW MEMBER. AND WE'VE GOT INTEREST FROM BOARD MEMBER ABU AMARA. UM, AND SO THAT IF THERE'S ANYBODY ELSE WHO'S INTERESTED, I'D LOVE TO HEAR THAT. UM, UM, BOARD MEMBER. DID YOU HAVE OH, OKAY. I WAS LIKE, ARE YOU, UM, BUT OTHERWISE, UM, I, I CAN . OKAY. I'LL GIVE YOU JUST A MOMENT. BOARD MEMBER, UM, I KNOW WE'VE HAD SOME CONVERSATION ABOUT YOUR INTEREST IN DIVING A LITTLE DEEPER. UM, HE SERVED ON ANOTHER COMMITTEE THAT UM, UM, IS NO LONGER A COMMITTEE AND SO HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO, TO GIVE SOME MORE TIME TO THIS BOARD MEMBER. IF THERE'S ANYTHING YOU'D LIKE TO ADD, FEEL FREE TO. UM, AND THEN WE'LL MOVE ON FROM THERE. AS YOU SAID, I, UH, UM, WAS A MEMBER OF, UH, SQUA THAT, UH, WAS VOTED ON BY CITY COUNCIL TO, UH, DISBAND. SO, UH, THAT, THAT POSITION HAS BEEN VACATED AND UM, UH, I AM INTERESTED IN, UM, UH, TRYING ANOTHER, UH, COMMITTEE AND UH, TRY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE THERE. SO, UM, THAT'S REALLY ALL I HAD TO SAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH BOARD MEMBER. AND I REALIZE I JUMPED AHEAD AND DIDN'T ASK IF THERE WAS PUBLIC COMMENT. I DIDN'T THINK THERE WAS ON THIS ITEM, BUT JUST [01:00:01] DOUBLE CHECKING. OKAY. UM, ALRIGHT. OKAY, THAT BEING SAID, WE UM, I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO APPOINT, UH, A BOARD MEMORABLE MARA TO THE PARKS AND RECREATION SEAT ON THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE. OKAY. WONDERFUL. WE'VE GOT A MOTION FROM BOARD MEMBER VILLALOBOS. DO I HAVE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND. I'LL SECOND. WE'VE GOT A LOT OF SECONDS. OKAY, EVERYONE SECONDS. UM, BUT I'LL TAKE UH, BOARD MEMBER EUBANKS AS A SECOND. SO WE'VE GOT, UM, A MOTION ON THE FLOOR FROM BOARD MEMBER VILLALOBOS AND A SECOND, ANY ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION BOARD MEMBERS? ALL RIGHT. I THINK WITH ALL THOSE PEOPLE WANTING TO SECOND, UM, THIS IS GONNA BE A PRETTY UNANIMOUS VOTE, BUT WE'LL SEE. ALRIGHT. RAISE YOUR HAND, UH, FOR IF YOU'RE IN FAVOR OF THE CHANGE. ALL RIGHT, THAT PASSES. EIGHT ZERO. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND THANK YOU, UM, BOARD MEMBER ABOU MA FOR YOUR, UM, FOR TAKING ON THAT ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITY. WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT. OKAY, THANK YOU. WE WILL MOVE, UM, TO [4. Staff briefing on named features in the Waller Creek District Confluence and Sir Swante Palm Neighborhood Park projects. (Sponsors: Bazan, Becker) Presenter(s): John Rigdon, Chief Planning and Design Officer, Waterloo Greenway Conservancy.] STAFF BRIEFINGS. UM, ITEM NUMBER FOUR IS A STAFF BRIEFING ON NAME FEATURES IN THE WALLER CREEK DISTRICT, CONFLUENCE AND SEARCH ONEE PALM NEIGHBORHOOD PARK PROJECTS. AND DO WE HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ONE, MR. BECK? YES, SIR. OKAY. OUR FIRST PUBLIC COMMENTER WILL BE PHILIP THOMAS, FOLLOWED BY MARCOS DE LEON AND THEN GINO FERNANDEZ. YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES FROM THE TIME YOU BEGIN SPEAKING. GOOD EVENING CHAIR BOARD MEMBERS. I'M PHIL THOMAS FROM COUNCIL DISTRICT THREE. AUSTIN IS AT RISK OF REPEATING A FAMILIAR MISTAKE ERASING HISTORY AND CULTURE IN THE NAME OF DEVELOPMENT THAT A COMMUNITY NEVER TRULY APPROVED. AS WATERLOO GREENWAY CONSERVANCY EXPANDS EVENT INFRASTRUCTURE AROUND PALM SCHOOL. DONOR BRANDING IS BEING POSITIONED TO REPLACE AN IDENTITY THAT ALREADY EXISTS. PALM SCHOOL AND ITS PARK ARE NOT BLANK SLATES. THEY ARE HISTORIC MEXICAN AMERICAN LANDMARKS TIED TO GENERATIONS OF AUSTIN FAMILIES. AND I'M GONNA GO OFF SCRIPT FOR JUST A, JUST A FEW MOMENTS HERE. THIS IS NOT JUST POSSIBLE ERASURE OF MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURE AND HISTORY. THIS IS ALSO POS POSSIBLE ERASURE OF THE LEGACY OF STE PALM JUST LIKE MYSELF. A UH, A UH, PARTIALLY A SWEDISH IMMIGRANT. SO NOT ONLY ARE WE DISPOSING OF AN IMPORTANT LOCAL LEGACY, WE ARE DISPOSING OF THE HISTORY THAT'S ALREADY ESTABLISHED SURROUNDING FTE PALM AND THE MANY, MANY THINGS HE DID TO MAKE THE LIVES OF ORDINARY AUSTINITES REALLY MUCH BETTER. ANYWAY, LET ME GET, LET ME GET BACK TO IT. MANY PEOPLE TONIGHT HERE ARE FIGHTING TO SAVE THE HISTORIC BARTON SPRINGS BRIDGE FROM DEMOLITION. THESE ISSUES ARE CONNECTED AGAIN AND AGAIN. AUSTIN ALLOWS PRIVATE INTEREST TO PRIORITIZE BRANDING AND PROFIT OVER PRESERVATION, MEMORY, COMMUNITY IDENTITY, AND PUBLIC VOICE. SOMETHING IS VERY WRONG WHEN PUBLIC PARKS ARE TREATED AS INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR AN ENTITLED FEW PARKS SHOULD BE, SHOULD REMAIN GREEN PUBLIC SPACES AND ENVIRONMENTAL BUFFERS, NOT COMMERCIAL ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT SHAPED BY DONORS AND NAMING DEALS. THE ONGOING COMMERCIALIZATION OF OUR COMMONS HAS GONE TOO FAR. HOW CAN THE CITY CELEBRATE DIVERSITY IN HISTORY AND SPEECHES WHILE REGULARLY DISRESPECTING CULTURAL SIG CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT PLACES? WE MUST PRESERVE OUR PARKS, PROTECT THEIR HISTORICAL CONTEXT, AND HONOR THE COMMUNITIES THEY BELONG TO NOW AND FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. PLEASE DON'T SUPPORT THE IDEA OF PARK, UM, REDEVELOPMENT AND, UH, NAMING, YOU KNOW, THE, UH, THE SALE OF NAMING RIGHTS. NAMING RIGHTS BELONG TO THE COMMUNITY, NOT RE DEVELOPERS, NONPROFITS, OR PRIVATE INTEREST. THE PEOPLE WHO SHAPED THESE PLACES HAVE EARNED THE RIGHT TO NAME THEM. I URGE THE BOARD, THE, UH, THE BOARD AGAIN TO REJECT THE IDEA OF THE SALE OF NAMING RIGHTS BY PRIVATE RE DEVELOPERS ON PUBLIC HISTORIC SITES THAT WERE NEVER THEIRS TO RENAME. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE MARCO, UH, DE LEON, FOLLOWED BY GINO FERNANDEZ. I IS A POP SCHOOL ALUMNI. I FIND THIS REAL, I WANNA KNOW WHAT THE NAMES WERE, BUT I GUESS WE'RE NOT GONNA GET THAT [01:05:01] TONIGHT UNTIL LATER. BUT I KIND OF, THE DONOR NAME FEATURES, I REMEMBER ALL OF THESE WHEN I, I ATTENDED, UH, AT UH, THE MEETING, A COMMUNITY MEETING BY THE CONSULTANT AT, UH, ONE IN A MILLION RESTAURANT AND LATER AT MEN AT MENDEZ REC CENTER. AND I SPECIFICALLY TOLD THE, THE, UH, CONSULTANT THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF FAMILIES IN EAST AUSTIN THAT SHOULD BE THE DONOR. THE WAY I LOOK AT DONORS IS ALL THE BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS. THEY, WHEN ALL THESE YEARS LIKE I DID GOING TO PALM SINCE I WAS IN THE FIRST GRADE, THEIR BLOOD AND SWEAT AND TEARS ARE, THAT'S HOW THEY DONATED THEIR EFFORT. IT WASN'T MONETARY, BUT THE GARCIAS, THE MARTINEZ, THE CIAS, THE SAVANNAS, THEY ALL HAD CHILDREN. THEY, THEY WENT THERE AND, AND ALWAYS SUPPORTED THAT PARK. AND I TOLD THE STAFF AT THAT, AT THAT ON JUNE THE 22ND, NOT THREE, BUT ANYTHING YOU HAVE THERE THAT'S GONNA HAVE SOMETHING SHOULD BE UNDER THE NAME. WE'LL SHOW YOU THE AMI WE'LL LET YOU KNOW WHO THE FAMILIES ARE. FRANCIS MARTINEZ AND HER AND HER HUSBAND, MR. FRANK MARTINEZ BARDO IS IN THEIR AREA. POCO, THEY ALWAYS FOUGHT FOR THAT, FOR THAT POOL NAMED AFTER FRANCIS AND FRANK MARTINEZ. BUT THERE'S MORE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THAT BARRIO WHO ALWAYS WENT THERE AND ANYTHING THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE, THEY DID IT. AND THEN WHEN THEY CAME TO SAY PALM THE POOL, THEY WERE THERE SOMETIMES AT THREE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING SAYING WE WANT SAY PALM PARK. TO SEE THIS FOR ME IS VERY DISHEARTENING. 'CAUSE I TOLD THE THE PERSON THERE, IT IS NOT GONNA BE WITH TWO OR THREE NAMES. IT SHOULD BE MANY THE SAME THING. I SERVE IN THE PALM SCHOOL STEERING COMMITTEE AND MY PARTNER THERE, PET ANG, WE ALSO SERVE THERE. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S IMPORTANT 20, 30 YEARS FROM NOW WHEN THEY GO TO, TO THE PALM SCHOOL PLACE, AIN'T TO SEE OF EVERY MEXICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY MEMBER THAT WENT TO THAT SCHOOL AND PARTICIPATED, ESPECIALLY OUR VETERANS, THEY SERVE OUR COUNTRY AND THEIR ALUMNI GRADUATED FROM PALM. THEY SHOULD BE THERE. THAT NAME SHOULD BE THERE. BUT THE DONORS, I'M GONNA BE HERE WITH YOU. I DON'T THINK ANY DONOR WHO GAVE MONEY SAID PUT MY NAME ON SOMETHING, PUT MY NAME ON THIS. SEE, I DON'T BELIEVE IN THAT. AND MY FAMILY KNOWS WHEN I PASSED AWAY, THERE'S NOTHING GONNA BE NAMED AFTER ME. AS A LEADER, ALL YOU DO IS CARRY THAT THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE YOU SERVE. AND AS THE PHILANTHROPIST, I DON'T BELIEVE THEY EVEN SAY, HEY ME SHOW YOU. PUT MY NAME ON THERE. OKAY, SO THEN YOUR NAME IS DALE. MICHAEL DALE. BUT THINK ABOUT IT FOR A SECOND. THE DISRESPECT TO THE MEXICAN COMMUNITY THAT ALWAYS SUPPORTED PAUL, THE POOL AND THE SCHOOL. THAT'S HOW THEY, THEY'RE THE DONORS OF THIS PARK, YOU KNOW? AND SO I KNOW THE DIRECTOR'S HERE, SHE'S NEW TO THE WORK, BUT LET ME UNDERSTAND AS THE BOARD THAT IF YOU MAY WANNA MAKE A, I KNOW IT JUST A BRIEFING, WHICH WE DIDN'T GET YET AS A COMMUNITY, BUT UNDERSTAND THE DISRESPECT. ENTE, THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH YOU FOR YOUR TIME. I APPRECIATE YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS GINO FERNANDEZ. I DON'T WANNA KNOW, THREE MINUTES ARE UP JUST BY YOU TELLING ME WHAT , UM, MS. MR. DOBA IS IS KEEPING TIME. SO IT'S QUITE LIGHT, BUT THERE IS A LITTLE, A LITTLE SOUND. AND, OKAY. I, I JUST WANT, UH, A QUICK QUESTION. UH, IS THIS YOUR PHONE, YOUR NORMAL PRACTICE OF HAVING SPEAKERS BEFORE A HEARING? UH, 'CAUSE AT CITY COUNCIL IT'S, IT'S THE OPPOSITE. BUT ANYWAY, MY NAME IS GINO FERNANDEZ AND I AM PRESIDENT OF, UH, BARDO NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION ADJACENT TO PALM PO. UH, TOOK OVER WHEN FRANCIS MARTINEZ MOVED OVER POM PO HAS HAD A LONG HISTORY OF BATTLE FOR US TRYING TO SAVE POM PO BECAUSE IF POM PO WASN'T THERE, THE CLOSEST ONE IS MARTIN. AND FOR CHILDREN IN THAT COMMUNITY TO HAVE TO WALK ALL THE WAY UP THERE, UH, AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, I'VE ALREADY TOLD YOU, I USED TO WORK PARKS AND REC FOR 18 YEARS AT THE RECREATION CENTERS. SO DURING ONE OF THOSE ENGAGEMENTS OF TRYING TO SAVE THE POOL FROM BEING CLOSE [01:10:01] PROTEST AND GO INTO CITY COUNCIL, THE DIRECTOR TOLD ME, CALLED ME IN AND SAID, OH, YOU WANNA SAVE POM PO? I SAID, YEAH, BECAUSE OKAY, COME ME YOU'RE GONNA WORK PLAYGROUNDS AND YOU'RE GONNA BE AT POM PO. AND I SAID, WHAT ? AND UH, SO I I GO TO POM PO UH, PALM PARK 'CAUSE WE USED TO HAVE PLAYGROUNDS AND THE STAFF WAS ALREADY BOOKED. AND THEY SAID, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? YOU KNOW, I GOT PUNISHED FOR SPEAKING OUT. OKAY, BUT I KNOW Y'ALL GET MONEY FROM THE TIFF AND I KNOW Y'ALL GONNA COMMERCIALIZE THIS PLACE, BUT EVERYTHING, EVERY TIME WE HAVE ASKED YOU IS TO PLEASE, PLEASE BRING BACK THAT SWIMMING POOL. IT WOULD BE A GREAT SERVICE. IT WOULD BE A UNIQUE POOL IN THE MIDDLE OF DOWNTOWN THAT OTHER PEOPLE GOING BY THE TRAIL COULD UTILIZE IT AND, AND ENJOY THE, THE, UH, THE WATER IN THE POOL. BUT THIS IS PUBLIC LAND. YOU KNOW, THIS ISN'T A PRIVATE ENTITY. THE LAND ISN'T PRIVATE, IT'S PUBLIC. AND AGAIN, GO TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD REGISTRY, WE'RE LISTED. CAN WE HAVE A DIALOGUE? CAN WE TALK? AND THAT'S THE THING THAT REALLY URGES ME IS THAT IF SOMETHING LIKE THIS WAS TO HAPPEN IN WEST AUSTIN, THEY'D HAVE A CONVERSATION. BUT WITH US, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, LIKE COMMISSIONER LEON SAID, IT'S A DISRESPECTFUL, LIKE WE'RE NOT EVEN THERE. AND, UH, WE'RE LANDOWNERS, WE DON'T RENT. WE'RE OUR LANDOWNERS. AND IF THIS WAS HAPPENING TO YOU IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, I BET YOU YOU'D BE WANTING TO HAVE, HAVE SOME INPUT BEFORE THEY DID ANYTHING LIKE THAT. AND GOD BLESS YOU. OH MY GOD. IF YOU PROPOSE HAVING A NAME TRUMP AND LIKE , YOU KNOW THE FAMILIES THAT USED TO GO TO PALM PARK, LAINA, THEY WERE LIKE 15 IN THE FAMILY. THEY'D HAVE A PICNIC AND THE PARK WAS FULL. UH, I REMEMBER WHEN THEY WERE GONNA CLOSE IT, PARK SAID, WE'RE GONNA CLOSE IT. COMMISSIONER IONE WAS ON THE, UH, THE COMMISSIONERS. WHY WE ALL BECAUSE HOMELESS AND IT'S DANGEROUS. OKAY. COMMISSIONER IONE WAS ABLE TO GET FUNDING, UH, FROM THE COUNTY TO HAVE A CONSTABLE THERE FOR THAT WHOLE SUMMER. SO PLEASE STOP DISRESPECTING US. TALK TO US. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY, WE'RE NOT GONNA HURT YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. WE APPRECIATE YOU MR. BECK. JUST A POINT OF PRIVILEGE REALLY QUICK. UM, IT IS A STAFF BRIEFING. I KNOW THAT, THAT, UM, ONE OF OUR SPEAKERS DID MENTION THAT. AND SO WE WILL NOT BE, UM, VOTING OR TAKING ANY ACTION TONIGHT ON THIS PARTICULAR ITEM. UM, WE DO IN PRACTICE, TAKE PUBLIC COMMENT AHEAD OF THE BRIEFING, BUT WE DO HAVE ITEMS POSTED IN BACKUP AHEAD OF TIME. UM, I KNOW YOU'RE NOT GETTING TO HEAR WHAT THEY'RE GONNA SAY. UM, BUT THERE SHOULD BE AT LEAST THE FORMAL PRESENTATION AND THEN THE AGENDA IS SET AS SUCH, SO THAT EACH ITEM SHOULD DENOTE OR IT HAS TO, UM, WHAT WE ARE GOING TO BE DISCUSSING. UM, AND SO WE DEFINITELY HEAR YOU, BUT THAT IS THE PRACTICE AS OF NOW. UM, BUT ALL OF OUR, ALL OF OUR EMAILS ARE ALSO LISTED, AND SO PLEASE REACH OUT TO US. UM, YOU CAN, YOU CAN CONTINUE THE DIALOGUE THAT, THAT WAY FOR SURE TOO. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD ON THIS ITEM. IS THERE ANYONE ELSE PRESENT THAT WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD ON THIS ITEM? THAT IS THE END OF PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM. OKAY, THANK YOU. WE'LL TAKE THE PRESENTATION NOW. GOOD EVENING. I JUST WANTED TO TAKE A BRIEF MOMENT TO INTRODUCE MYSELF. I'M NOT ON THE AGENDA, BUT MY NAME IS LANA DINKLER. UM, I'M A PROJECT MANAGER WITH THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT. UM, JUST HERE TO PROVIDE SOME STAFF SUPPORT FOR THE CONSERVANCY'S PRESENTATION AND ANSWER QUESTIONS YOU GUYS MIGHT HAVE. SO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU LANA AND, AND THANK YOU PARKS BOARD MEMBERS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE YOU THIS UPDATE. UM, THIS IS ON CONFLUENCE AND PALM AND SIR SUWANEE PALM PARK, NAMED FEATURES, UH, THAT WE ARE, UH, SEEKING PRE-APPROVAL ON FROM THE PARKS DEPARTMENT. UH, THIS IS A BRIEFING ON THOSE ITEMS. I'LL ALSO POINT OUT JUNE 6TH AS THE OPENING OF THE NEXT PHASE OF WATERLOO GREENWAY, THE CONFLUENCE. SO WE HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL OUT THERE, UH, JUNE 6TH FROM 10 TO TWO. WE'RE GONNA HAVE GREAT FAMILY FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES ALL ALONG THE AREA BETWEEN, UH, FOURTH STREET AND THE LAKE. UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. UH, SO JUST SOME, SOME OVERVIEW. UH, WATERLOO GREENWAY CONSERVANCY IS A 5 0 1 C3 NONPROFIT THAT WORKS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UH, TO EXECUTE, UH, THE WATERLOO GREENWAY PROJECT. SO WE WORK REALLY CLOSELY WITH MANY STATE DEPARTMENTS, BUT ESPECIALLY THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT AND [01:15:01] THE WATERSHED PROTECTION DEPARTMENT. UM, THIS PARTNERSHIP IS GOVERNED BY A JOINT DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT, WHICH IS OUR LEGAL PARTNERSHIP DOCUMENT. UH, AND WE HAVE A LOCAL GOVERNMENT CORPORATION THAT'S AN OVERSIGHT BODY, UH, FOR, UH, PUBLIC OVERSIGHT OF THIS PROJECT. AND THEY APPROVE ALL PHASES OF THE PROJECT, UM, AND SPENDING ON THAT PROJECT. UM, AND IT'S A UNIQUE PARTNERSHIP, UM, THAT REALLY TRIES TO LEVERAGE BOTH THE NONPROFIT SIDE, UH, REFLECTING THE COMMUNITY AND THE NONPROFIT AS WELL AS THE PUBLIC SIDE. UH, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. IN THIS WORK PARTNERSHIP IS REALLY CRITICAL. UM, SO WE TRY AGAIN TO LEVERAGE, UH, THE BEST OF BUT OF WHAT BOTH PARTNERS HAVE TO OFFER. UM, SO ON, ON THE CITY OF AUSTIN SIDE, REALLY LEVERAGING THE EXPERTISE OF THE CITY DEPARTMENTS, UM, ON THE, AND, UH, HELPING TO EXECUTE THOSE PROJECTS. SO SOMETIMES THE CITY HOLDS CONTRACTS. SOMETIMES WATERLOO GREENWAY HOLDS CONTRACTS, AGAIN, LOOKING FOR, FOR BEST VALUE, FOR DELIVERY AND, UH, ALIGNMENT WITH EXPERTISE. UM, WATERLOO, GREENWAY CONSERVANCY, UM, REALLY LOOKS TO LEVERAGE THAT PRIVATE PHILANTHROPIC SIDE OF THE PARTNERSHIP. UM, AND, UH, THAT'S SO IMPORTANT TO FURTHER LEVERAGING THOSE CITY DOLLARS, AGAIN, TO DELIVER THE BEST PROJECT POSSIBLE TO THE COMMUNITY, UH, ALL IN SERVICE OF THIS COMMUNITY DRIVEN DESIGN COMPETITION AND DESIGN VISION, UH, THAT WAS ESTABLISHED IN 2013. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO, TODAY WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT, UH, NAMING OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN PHASE TWO. PHASE TWO INCLUDES THE CONFLUENCE AS WELL AS SWANEE PALM PARK, AND YOU CAN SEE THERE IDENTIFIED IN YELLOW, UH, AGAIN, THE CONFLUENCE IS THE AREAS OF WATERLOO GREENWAY FROM FOURTH STREET TO THE LAKE, UM, AND PALM PARK IS IDENTIFIED THERE, UH, ON THE MAP AS WELL. UM, JUST FOR AN OVERVIEW, AGAIN, UH, THE CONFLUENCE IS OPENING ON JUNE 6TH, SO COMPLETING THREE YEARS OF CONSTRUCTION AND REALLY EXCITED TO GET THE COMMUNITY INTO THAT PARK SPACE. AND THEN PALM PARK, UH, WE'RE ABOUT AT 60% DESIGN, UH, AFTER EXTENSIVE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. UH, AND WE ARE MOVING FORWARD, HOPEFULLY IN MID 2027. WE'RE TARGETING A BID DATE, UH, WITH HOPEFULLY OPENING, UH, THE NEW IMPROVEMENTS TO PALM PARK, UH, BY THE BEGINNING OF 2029. SO RIGHT NOW, MOVING INTO THAT CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS PHASE WITH AN EYE ON MID 2027 BIDDING, UH, HOPEFULLY, UH, NEXT PHASE OR NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO, UH, NAMING AUTHORITY IS A RIGHT EXPRESSLY OUTLINE. THE JOINT DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT, UM, THAT IS REALLY CENTRAL, UM, TO THIS PARTNERSHIP AND OUR ROLE AS THE NONPROFIT PARTNER WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN. UM, THIS IS A REALLY CRITICAL ASPECT OF WATERLOO GREENWAY'S COMMITMENT TO FUNDRAISING, $100 MILLION OF PRIVATE PHILANTHROPY TO SUPPORT THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF WATERLOO GREENWAY. UM, SO FAR WE HAVE RAISED NEARLY $80 MILLION OF THAT $100 MILLION COMMITMENT THAT HAS GONE TOWARDS WATERLOO PARK, AS WELL AS THE CONFLUENCE, WHICH IS OPENING SOON, AND PALM PARK, WHICH HAS BEEN IN DESIGN. SO AGAIN, THIS, YOU KNOW, ASPECT OF THE PARTNERSHIP IS REALLY IMPORTANT, SO WE CAN, YOU KNOW, FURTHER LEVERAGE THOSE PRIVATE DOLLARS AND DELIVER THE BEST PARK WE CAN TO THE COMMUNITY. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO, UM, THE FIRST, THE FIRST ELEMENT OF THIS IS SOME ADDITIONAL NAMING OPPORTUNITIES, UH, WITHIN THE CONFLUENCE. SO WE, UM, WORKING WITH THE PARKS DEPARTMENT HAD APPROVAL FOR A SERIES OF NAMES, SPACES WHEN THE CONFLUENCE, SO NOT RENAMING ANYTHING THAT EXISTS. THAT'S, THAT'S NOTHING WE PLAN TO DO. IT'S NEW FEATURES AND ELEMENTS WITHIN THE PARKS. UM, AND UH, WHEN WE HAD THAT ORIGINALLY APPROVED, THE DESIGN WAS NOT 100% DEVELOPED. SO WE IDENTIFIED A COUPLE OF OPPORTUNITIES AS THE DESIGN EVOLVED, UH, THAT HAD NOT BEEN PRE-APPROVED. AND SO THOSE ARE THE 800 FOOT LONG CREEK BOARDWALK THAT REALLY HELPS WITH MOBILITY MOVING, UH, UNDER STREETS SO WE CAN BETTER CONNECT THE LAKE AND THE RAINY STREET NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, TO PALM PARK AND DOWNTOWN. AND THEN THE BEND, WHICH IS A NICE SHADED SEATING AREA ON THE NATURAL BEND IN THE CREEK NEAR PALM PARK. SO THOSE ARE TWO ITEMS WITHIN KIND OF THE CONFLUENCE PERIMETER, UH, THAT EVOLVED AS THE DESIGN DEVELOPED. AND WE WOULD LIKE TO PURSUE NAMING FOR NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. YOU CAN SEE THOSE IDENTIFIED HERE ON THE MAP. AGAIN, THAT BOARDWALK IS A REALLY CRITICAL MOBILITY FEATURE, UH, CONNECTING THE RAINY STREET NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE LAKE, UH, UP PAST THE CONVENTION CENTER INTO PALM PARK. AND THEN NUMBER TWO IS A SHADED SEATING AREA NEAR THAT NATURAL BEND IN THE PARK IDENTIFIED THERE, AS YOU CAN SEE, UH, WITH THE NUMBER TWO NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. UM, AND THE, IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE ARE SEEKING, UH, APPROVAL FOR A SERIES OF NAMED OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN PALM PARK AS THE DESIGN HAS DEVELOPED. SO NOW WE'RE AT A VERY EXCITING POINT WHERE WE KNOW WHAT A LOT OF THE FEATURES ARE GOING TO LOOK LIKE WITHIN THE PARK, UM, AFTER, YOU KNOW, SEVERAL YEARS OF DESIGN AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. SO ONE THING I WILL NOTE, WE'VE IDENTIFIED KIND OF THIS, UM, THESE TWO SLIDES OF DONOR NAME FEATURES AND COMMUNITY NAME FEATURES, UM, MORE THAN WHAT'S LISTED AS THE COMMUNITY NAMED FEATURE SLIDE COULD BE NAMED AFTER COMMUNITY MEMBERS. UH, WE JUST WANTED TO IDENTIFY IN [01:20:01] PAST DISCUSSIONS WITH THE PARKS DEPARTMENT IN THIS BOARD, UM, THERE WAS DISCUSSION OF HAVING A COMMUNITY NAMED FEATURE PROGRAM WITHIN THE NEXT PHASE OF THE PROJECT. AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE WORKING ON, AND WE'VE ALREADY IDENTIFIED THESE THREE FEATURES ON THE NEXT SLIDE, UH, THAT I'LL GET TO IN A MOMENT, UM, THROUGH THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE COMMUNITY. THAT SAID, IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO HAVE DONOR NAMING OPPORTUNITIES AS THAT IS A CRITICAL COMPONENT OF FUNDRAISING FOR THE CAPITAL PROJECT. SO AS THE DESIGN IS DEVELOPED, AND I'LL SHOW A A, A MAP SLIDE HERE IN A LITTLE BIT, UM, THESE DESIGN ELEMENTS ARE THINGS THAT WE ARE SEEKING THE AUTHORITY TO, UH, NAME AFTER DONORS TO THE PHILANTHROPIC CAMPAIGN. AND SO I WON'T READ THROUGH THEM ALL, BUT THE PARK IS REALLY CENTERED AROUND FAMILIES AND CHILDREN, UM, CREATING, UH, EXCITING AND ENGAGING PLAY SCAPES THAT WE'VE CO-DESIGNED WITH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY. UH, WE ACTUALLY DESIGNED THE PLAY SCAPES WITH SUMMER CAMPS FROM THE MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER AND ARE REALLY EXCITED TO SHARE MORE INFORMATION ON THAT SOON. UM, A MISTING FIELD TO PROVIDE COOLING AND WATER, UH, AND A NUMBER OF SHADED SEATING AREAS AND FAMILY GATHERING SPACES. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AGAIN, THIS IS, YOU KNOW, NOT AN EXHAUSTIVE LIMITED LIST. THESE ARE JUST THREE FEATURES THAT WE'VE ALREADY IDENTIFIED. THERE'S A STRONG DESIRE TO HAVE NAMED AFTER COMMUNITY MEMBERS, UM, THROUGH A COMMUNITY DRIVEN PROCESS. SO THERE IS A NEW SHADE PAVILION AT THE SITE OF THE FORMER, UH, POOL WITHIN THE PARK. UM, THERE IS A RESTORATION OF THE HISTORIC STAIR AND A SURROUNDING COMMUNITY SPACE THERE, UH, THAT CONNECTED UP TO EAST AVENUE PREVIOUSLY. AND THEN THE RESTORATION OF THE HISTORIC SHELTER HOUSE, UH, THAT WILL GET A NEW SHADE STRUCTURE, UM, YOU KNOW, CAREFUL RESTORATION OF THAT 1930 STONE BUILDING AND MODERN UPGRADES TO MEET ACCESSIBILITY AND ACCESS STANDARDS. UM, SO THOSE ARE OUR THREE FEATURES THAT WE'VE ALREADY IDENTIFIED. BUT AGAIN, UM, THIS LIST COULD EXPAND THROUGH THOSE COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS REALLY, UH, THAT WE'RE SEEKING APPROVAL FROM THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, UM, FOR THE ABILITY TO NAME THESE FEATURES AFTER DONORS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS. UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. HERE, IT'S A LITTLE BIT HARD TO SEE BECAUSE IT'S SMALL, BUT THIS IS A PLAN OR A SITE MAP THAT OVERVIEWS THE NEW FEATURES WITHIN THE PARK. YOU KNOW, ONE POINT OF IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION, THERE IS NO DESIRE OR AUTHORITY TO RENAMES OR SWANEE PALM PARK. UH, THESE ARE JUST FEATURES WITHIN THE PARK, AND YOU CAN SEE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES IDENTIFIED THERE, WHICH ALIGNS WITH THE NUMBERING FROM THE PREVIOUS, UH, PREVIOUS PAGE. SO REALLY, UH, AN EXCITING, UH, PLAY SPACE, UM, HONORING THE HISTORY AND ACTIVITIES WITHIN THE PARK, UH, THROUGH THAT ENGAGEMENT PROCESS WE'VE DONE. UM, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE DESIGN YOU CAN SEE HERE. AND WE'LL HAVE SOME EXCITING UPDATES TO COME, UM, WITH SOME NEW RENDERINGS THAT FURTHER SHOW, UH, THE DEVELOPMENT OF THESE FEATURES, UH, COMING OUT VERY SOON. UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND WITH THAT, UM, WE'RE BOTH HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS THAT THE BOARD HAS. I'LL OPEN IT FOR, UH, QUESTIONS. I KNOW WE'RE GONNA HAVE A LOT. UM, BUT ONE THING THAT I MIGHT ASK IF YOU COULD UPDATE YOUR, UM, SLIDE SINCE WE ARE SHARING THIS WITH THE PUBLIC, IS THAT NOTE THAT YOU SAID AT THE END ABOUT NOT, UM, CHANGING THE NAME OF, OF PALM PARK. I'VE HEARD A LOT OF CONCERN ABOUT THAT AND FROM THE PRESENTATION THAT IS NOT CLEAR. AND SO A LOT OF PEOPLE CAN GET RILED UP ABOUT THINGS IF THEY DON'T KNOW THAT. AND, UM, THAT'S A DISSERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY THAT THEY DIDN'T KNOW THAT, UM, EXPLICITLY, UM, BEFORE, BEFORE COMING TONIGHT. UM, UM, ANYWAY, I WILL OPEN IT UP FOR, UH, OTHER COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. I HAVE A QUESTION. OH, OH, OKAY. YES. BOARD MEMBER ABU, UM, BOARD MEMBER KERNS OSTER HAD HER HAND RAISED FIRST, SO WE'LL GO BOARD MEMBER KERNS. OSTER, ARE YOU OKAY TO GO THIRD, UH, BOARD MEMBER ABARA AND THEN VILLALOBOS AND THEN I KNOW WE'LL HAVE MORE, SO IF THAT'S OKAY. THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. UM, BEAUTIFUL PARK. LOVE IT. I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS STILL ON THE MAYOR'S COMMITTEE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, I ATTENDED ONE OF THE, UH, PRESENTATIONS AND I ASKED IF THE BATHROOMS THAT WERE BEING BUILT NEAR THE, UM, AMPHITHEATER WOULD HAVE ADULT SIZED CHANGING TABLES. UM, I'M WONDERING, AND THEY, THEY SAID NO, IT'S KIND OF BEYOND THAT PLANNING WITH ALL OF THIS THAT YOU ARE PLANNING FOR THIS SECTION OF PALM PARK. IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE ACCESSIBLE BATHROOMS WITH LARGER SIZE, UH, ADULT SIZE CHANGING TABLES FOR PEOPLE WITH, YOU KNOW, BEYOND SMALL CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES THAT WOULD SERVE KIND OF A LARGER COMMUNITY? YES. THANK YOU FOR THE, CAN Y'ALL HEAR ME OKAY? GREAT. YEAH, THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. UM, UH, WE ARE PURSUING, YOU KNOW, AS MANY ACCESSIBLE BATHROOMS IN THE HISTORIC BUILDING AS WE CAN WHILE BALANCING THE HISTORIC INTEGRITY OF THE STRUCTURE. I CAN'T DIRECTLY ANSWER THAT, BUT I CAN FOLLOW UP IF WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO HAVE AN ADULT SIZED CHANGING TABLE IN ANY OF THOSE ACCESSIBLE STUFF. IF YOU COULD KEEP ME INFORMED, THAT WOULD BE GREAT. SURE. AND I, AND I'LL, I HAVE A FOLLOW UP QUESTION, BUT I'LL LET EVERYBODY ELSE GO. OKAY, [01:25:01] NO PROBLEM. AND IF WE HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS RELATED TO THE PARK, 'CAUSE I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF INTEREST, UM, THAT IS TOTALLY FINE. AND WE CAN ALSO, UH, SHARE THOSE WITH MR. DOBA. UM, IF WE CAN STAY CLOSER TO THE TOPIC OF THE NAMING FEATURES THAT WILL HELP US TODAY. OKAY. UM, BOARD MEMBER ABBU AMARA. OKAY. UM, SO I'M LOOKING AT THE LOCATION OF THE PARK AND IF I UNDERSTAND CORRECTLY, IT'S LOCATED LIKE ADJACENT TO THE FAIRMONT HOTEL, CLOSE TO THE CONVENTION CENTER. RIGHT. UM, AND I HEARD IN THE PUBLIC COMMENT THAT SOMEBODY WAS TALKING ABOUT RESTORING THE POOL AND IT, IT SOUNDS TO ME THAT'S WHERE THAT SHADED AREA OR LIKE THE SHADED PAVILION IS GOING TO BE. IS, IS THAT CORRECT? YES, CORRECT. UM, THE POOL WAS REMOVED, UM, ALREADY. OKAY. UH, AS PART OF THE, THE PARKS DEPARTMENT'S AQUATIC FACILITIES MASTER PLAN, IT WAS RECOMMENDED NOT FOR, YOU KNOW, UPDATE AND RESTORATION. OKAY. UM, MY, MY QUESTION IS, ARE YOU, ARE YOU GUYS AWARE OF LIKE, WHAT IS THE CLOSEST POOL THAT PEOPLE CAN UTILIZE FOR THE NEIGHBORHOODS SURROUNDING THIS, THIS AREA? I WILL LOOK TO MY COLLEAGUES IN THE PARKS APARTMENT FOR, FOR THAT ANSWER. WE'LL, WE'LL, WE'LL GET THAT. I'M HEARING MARTIN. THAT IS CORRECT. IT'S MARTIN. ALRIGHT. UM, BOARD MEMBER. AND WE'VE GOT SOME OTHER INFORMATION ON, UH, THE, THE FORMER POOL, UM, AND THERE WAS OTHER PRESENTATIONS ON THAT WE CAN SHARE AS WELL. UM, BUT WE'VE GOT A LOT OF QUESTIONS RELATED TO THE NAMING. DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER, UM, COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS RELATED TO THEIR PARTICULAR YEAH, UH, UNFORTUNATELY YOU, YOU, YOU SPOKE ABOUT LIMITING IT TO THE NAMING AFTER I FORMULATED THE QUESTION IN MY MIND. JUST, OH, I'M SO SORRY. I APOLOGIZE. YEAH, NO, IT'S OKAY. UH, I, I WAS, I WAS CONCERNED FOR THE MEMBERS FROM THE COMMUNITY THAT TALKED, UH, ADAMANTLY ABOUT RESTORING THE POOL. AND MAYBE I'LL FOLLOW UP AFTER THE MEETING WITH THE STAKEHOLDERS, SO I UNDERSTAND THAT BETTER AND SEE HOW WE CAN MEET THE CONSTITUENTS NEED. SO WITH THAT, I WILL CLOSE AND, AND PEOPLE CAN ASK MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE NAMING, BUT THANK YOU FOR TAKING MY QUESTION. THANK YOU. AND JUST TO REITERATE, IT WAS MARTIN POOLE IS THE ONE THAT WAS THE CLOSEST FOR THAT AND WE'LL, WE'LL FOLLOW UP. I KNOW THERE'S A LOT MORE INFORMATION REGARDING THAT. SO, UM, WE CAN GET YOU THAT, UM, BOARD MEMBER VILLALOBOS. CORRECT. UM, THANK YOU. SORRY. UGH. UM, I'M TIRED. UM, UH, IN ONE OF THE SLIDES YOU TALK ABOUT HOW THE JDA, UM, IS STILL SUBJECT TO CITY MUNICIPAL CODE REGARDING, UH, NAMING REQUIREMENTS. THAT'S CORRECT, YES. SO IF YOU'RE GONNA NAME A FEATURE SUCH AS, I'M JUST GONNA PICK SOMETHING OUT HERE, RIGHT? THE, THE, THE DURAN OAK LAWN, UM, WHATEVER THAT NAME ENDS UP BEING, THAT'S GONNA HAVE TO COME BEFORE THE PARKS BOARD SUBJECT TO THE OFFICE OF MUNICIPAL CODE. NO. SO THE JDA GIVES WATERLOO GREENWAY THE EXCLUSIVE AUTHORITY FOR NAMING FEATURES THAT HAVE BEEN PRE-APPROVED BY THE PARKS DEPARTMENT IN ALIGNMENT WITH AN OUTLINE SET OF VALUES AND REQUIREMENTS THAT ARE LISTED IN THE, IN THE JOINT DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT ARTICLE 12. SO IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THEN THAT IT'S BYPASSING WHAT'S SET OUT FOR, IN THE AUSTIN MUNICIPAL COURT REGARDING ANY OTHER FEATURE IN ANY OTHER PART OF THE CITY. I CAN'T, I'M SORRY, I CAN'T ANSWER THAT QUESTION. I CAN ONLY SPEAK SPECIFICALLY TO WHAT OUR AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY IS, UM, IN THE, IN THE JOINT DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT. I, I MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO, WE'RE, WE'RE, IT'S A PUBLIC DOCUMENT THAT WE'RE HAPPY TO PROVIDE, UM, CAN SOUND FROM THE PARKS, UM, ANSWER THAT QUESTION FOR ME. YEAH. IN TERMS OF PARK FEATURES, THE, THE DIRECTOR HAS THE SOLE AUTHORITY TO, UH, NAME PARK FEATURES WITH THE, MY UNDERSTANDING IS WITH THE ADVISEMENT OF THE PARKS BOARD, THAT'S NOT MY UNDERSTANDING. YEAH, I THINK FOR, FOR CLARIFICATION, THEY CAN NAME IT WITHOUT IT COMING TO THE, TO THE BOARD. UM, I THINK IF THERE IS, UM, A CITIZEN WHO SUGGESTS A NAME FOR SOMETHING THAT IS A DIFFERENT PROCESS, YEAH. I'LL HAVE TO, I I'LL LOOK INTO THAT. 'CAUSE I KNOW THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FEATURE AND THERE'S LIKE DISTINCT STUFF IN THE, IN THE, IN THE THING. UM, OFTENTIMES OUT OF COURTESY THOUGH, WE ARE AT LEAST TOLD ABOUT IT, SO IT CAN BE FUZZY THERE. BUT THEY, THEY DO HAVE PURVIEW TO NAME THAT WITHOUT, UH, BOARD AUTHORITY. NO. OKAY. UM, SO AS OF RIGHT NOW, THERE ARE, UH, 13 FEATURES THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED THAT, THAT WILL BE NAMED AFTER DONORS. IS THAT CORRECT? UH, THERE ARE 13 FEATURES THAT HAVE IDENT BEEN IDENTIFIED FOR POTENTIAL NAMING. THERE ARE NO DONORS IDENTIFIED, AND THOSE FEATURES COULD ALSO BE NAMED AFTER COMMUNITY MEMBERS. OKAY. UH, AND I MISSPOKE. [01:30:01] SO THERE'S 10 FEATURES RIGHT NOW THAT YOU'VE IDENTIFIED THAT ARE GONNA BE DONOR NAME FEATURES? THAT'S CORRECT. UM, THERE, THAT'S IT. THE DISTINCTION IS ONE MADE ONLY IN THE SLIDES IN NAME THOSE FEATURES WERE REQUESTING THE AUTHORITY TO NAME. IT COULD BE COMMUNITY MEMBERS OR DONORS, UH, DEPENDING ON THE PROCESS GOING FORWARD. SO THE, SO THEN THE DONOR NAME, SO WHAT YOU HAVE LISTED UNDER THE DONOR NAME FEATURES COULD BE NAMED AFTER DONOR, OR COULD BE NAMED AFTER A COMMUNITY MEMBER? CORRECT. OKAY. AND AS I WAS, YOU KNOW, MENTIONING IN THE PRESENTATION, UM, YOU KNOW, WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY ON THOSE OPPORTUNITIES, BUT IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO NAME AFTER DONORS AS WELL, BECAUSE THAT'S A MAJOR WAY THAT WE'RE ABLE TO FUNDRAISE AND MEET OUR COMMITMENT TO OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY. OKAY. YEAH. UM, THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, IT JUST NEEDS TO BE MADE MORE CLEAR BECAUSE THE WAY THAT THE SLIDE IS LISTED OUT NOW, IT MAKES IT SEEM LIKE THESE 10 FEATURES HAVE BEEN DESIGNATED AS FEATURES THAT WILL BE NAMED AFTER DONORS, AND THAT THE, UH, FEATURES NUMBERED 11, 12, AND 13 ARE GONNA BE THE ONES THAT ARE NAMED AFTER COMMUNITY MEMBERS. BUT AS YOU'RE TELLING ME RIGHT NOW, IF I'M NOT SHOWING YOU CORRECTLY, IS IS THAT ANY OF THE 13 FEATURES CAN BE NAMED AFTER DONORS OR COMMUNITY, UH, WHATEVER THE COMMUNITY CHOOSES, WE ARE REQUESTING AUTHORITY TO MANAGE THAT PROCESS, AND IT COULD BE DONORS OR COMMUNITY MEMBERS. THE REASON FOR THE DISTINCTION IS TO IDENTIFY THAT WE HAVE COMMITTED IN THE PAST TO CREATING A COMMUNITY NAMED FEATURE POLICY. AND THROUGH THOSE CONVERSATIONS WE'VE HAD WITH THE COMMUNITY, THOSE THREE FEATURES WITHIN THE DESIGN OF PALM PARK HAVE EMERGED AS HIGH PRIORITY ITEMS FOR COMMUNITY NAMING. OKAY. UM, IN REGARDS TO, UH, NAMING THE, UH, THE COMMUNITY, UH, FEEDBACK, UM, WHAT DOES THAT PROCESS, UH, LOOK LIKE? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. SO, UH, WE HAVE A PROJECT PAGE ON OUR WEBSITE. UH, WE'VE BEEN ENGAGING WITH THE COMMUNITY ABOUT WATERLOO GREENWAY FOR, UH, OVER A DECADE NOW. BUT SPECIFICALLY FOR PALM PARK, WE RECENTLY WRAPPED UP A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS WHERE WE ENGAGED WITH 2000 AUSTINITES OVER ABOUT A YEAR. UH, THAT LED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE DESIGN THAT YOU CAN SEE, UH, YOU KNOW, THE PLAN VIEW OF IN THOSE SLIDES. AND THROUGH THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THOSE FEATURES, UH, PARTICULARLY THE SHADE PAVILION AND THE HISTORIC RES RES, UH, HISTORIC PRESERVATION OF THOSE STRUCTURES EMERGED AS HAVING REALLY IMPORTANT TIES TO THE COMMUNITY'S PAST, UM, AND AS IDEAL FEATURES FOR BEING NAMED AFTER COMMUNITY MEMBERS GOING FORWARD. OKAY. UM, BUT WHAT DOES THE COMMU, WHAT DOES, WHAT DOES THE PROCESS LOOK LIKE MOVING FORWARD? SORRY? WHAT DOES THE PROCESS LOOK LIKE MOVING FORWARD FOR NAMING FEATURES THE COMMUNITY NAMING PROGRAM FOR THE SHADE PAVILION, THE HISTORIC STER ALTAR, OR THE SHELTER HOUSE RESTORATION? SO WE'RE, WE'RE STILL IN THE PROCESS OF FINALIZING, UH, THE PROCESS FOR COMMUNITY NAMING, BUT IT WILL BE A COLLABORATION WITH THE COMMUNITY AND THE PARKS DEPARTMENT. OKAY. AND WHAT'S THE PROCESS FOR, UH, NAMING SOMETHING AFTER A DONOR? SO THE PROCESS FOR NAMING SOMETHING AFTER A DONOR, WE FOLLOW 12.02 AND OH THREE AND THE JDA, UM, WHICH OUTLINES REQUIREMENTS FOR THAT PROCESS AS WELL AS, UM, I WOULD SAY STANDARDS FOR THE INDIVIDUAL WHO THAT WILL BE NAMED AFTER. UM, THINGS THAT WE CAN'T NAME AFTER, UM, CERTAIN TYPES OF BUSINESSES AND THINGS LIKE THAT ARE OUTLINED IN THERE. SO DONORS WHO MAKE A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION, UH, AND ALIGN WITH THE KIND OF STANDARD OF CARE AND THE REQUIREMENTS IN ARTICLE 12 OF THE JDA, UM, ARE OFFERED NAMING OPPORTUNITIES. I, YEAH, I THINK ULTIMATELY WHAT MY CONCERN IS, IS, IS THAT WE ARE TAKING AN AREA, UM, THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO A LARGE SECTION OF THIS COMMUNITY. AND IT DOES NOT SEEM THAT UP UNTIL THIS POINT, THEY FEEL THAT THEY HAVE BEEN ENGAGED MM-HMM . IN A WAY THAT IS MEANINGFUL AND IN A WAY THAT ALLOWS THEM TO EXPRESS WHAT THEY WOULD LIKE CERTAIN FEATURES IN THIS AREA TO BE NAMED AFTER. SO THERE'S DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT YOU HAVE DONE IN ACTUALITY VERSUS HOW YOU'RE MAKING PEOPLE FEEL. AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'VE DONE IN ACTUALITY, BUT IN REGARDS TO THAT MAKING YOU FEEL, AS YOU CAN TELL, TONIGHT'S NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT I'VE HEARD FEEDBACK IN REGARDS TO THESE NAMING PROJECTS. SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE THE WORLD THE GREEN WAY TO DO A BETTER JOB IN REGARDS TO THAT. SECOND, UM, REGARDS TO THIS IS BECAUSE THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT, UM, AREA, YOU'RE, THERE HAS TO BE RECOGNITION THAT WE CAN'T JUST BE NAMING FEATURES THAT I, THE DELL OAK LAWN, THE SAMSUNG BIG KIDS PLAYGROUND, THE MATZO RANCHO LITTLE KIDS PLAYGROUND, YOU KNOW, UM, THIS AREA HAS MEANING TO PEOPLE AND JUST BECAUSE YOU PUT A NEW FEATURE ON IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU, WE CAN [01:35:01] IGNORE THE MEANING THAT THIS GROUND HAS, UH, AND THIS AREA HAS FOR PEOPLE. SO, THAT ALL BEING SAID IS, IS THAT I DO REQUEST THAT WATER THE GREEN WAY, JUST BE A LITTLE BIT MORE COGNIZANT OF THAT FACT AND BE MORE WILLING TO WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT ARE HERE TODAY AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO HAVE HISTORIC TIES TO THIS AREA. BECAUSE WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS, IS THAT WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE DIRECTOR HAS THE AUTHORITY TO DO THIS ON THEIR OWN OR NOT, IS, IS THAT THERE WILL BE A BIG BRUHAHA MADE OVER THIS. AND I DOUBT THAT YOU WANT TO BE IN THE NEWS FOR BEING IN DISCORD WITH A COMMUNITY IN REGARDS TO AN AREA THAT'S VERY, VERY IMPORTANT TO THEM. AND THAT HAS BEEN AROUND MUCH LONGER THAN ANY OF US IN THIS ROOM, UH, HAVE BEEN ALIVE. SO THAT'S MY FEEDBACK. ALRIGHT. UM, THANK YOU BOARD MEMBER. I'M GONNA, UM, LET SOME OTHER FOLKS HAVE SOME TIME, UH, BOARD MEMBER MERIT. DID DO, YOU'RE FREE TO REITERATE IF THERE WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS REALLY CRITICAL. MY QUESTIONS WERE REALLY ABOUT LIKE THE PROCESS FOR THE ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY AND SO THEY'VE BEEN ADDRESSED. THANK YOU. OKAY. I, MR. BECK, TELL ME IF THIS MAKES SENSE OR NOT, BUT IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL. I KNOW THIS IS ADDING A LOT OF EXTRA BACKUP AND MAYBE THIS ISN'T THE TIME OR THE SPACE, BUT I KNOW I'M, I'VE SEEN THE LIST OF THE REQUIREMENTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT YOU'RE SPEAKING TO, BUT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE GO OVER AND SO IT SOUNDS LIKE A LOT OF THE BOARD MEMBERS AREN'T FAMILIAR WITH THE, AT LEAST THAT LIST OF, OF THE REQUIREMENTS TO EVEN MAKE IT TO, TO BE NAMED. UM, SO THERE MIGHT BE SOME ADDITIONAL THINGS THAT COULD GO INTO BACKUP, UM, OR AT LEAST BE SHARED WITH THE BOARD, UM, TO HELP US. UM, YOU'RE REFERRING, YOU'RE REFERRING TO THE LANGUAGE AND CITY CODE THAT DICTATES THE NAMINGS OF PARKS CORRECT. FEATURES? YES. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. I CAN SEND THAT TO THE BOARD. THAT WOULD AND, AND THE JDA AND YEAH. AND THE JDA? YES. OKAY. YES. THANK YOU. JUST, WE'VE SEEN IT, IT'S BEEN A COUPLE YEARS, IF I CAN REMEMBER PROPERLY CORRECTLY, BUT, SO I THINK I WAS JUST ZONED IN AT THAT TIME OR SOMETHING, SO I FEEL LIKE I KNOW THAT ONE. BUT, UM, OKAY. THANK YOU. BOARD MEMBER MERRI. BOARD MEMBER EUBANKS, DID YOU WANNA GO AHEAD? WORKS SOMEHOW? YEAH. OKAY. THERE IT IS. UH, THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION. I'M ECSTATIC THAT I HAVE A TOPIC WHERE I CAN AGREE WITH MY FELLOW BOARD MEMBER VIA BELOW US THIS, I I WILL, THIS IS A CELEBRATORY MOMENT. UH, I DO HAVE SOME QUESTIONS THOUGH REGARDING IT. MY UNDERSTANDING IS STAFF RECOMMENDED THIS BE BROUGHT TO US FOR ACTION. IS THAT TRUE? AND THE DIRECTOR DECIDED NOT TO BRING IT FOR ACTION? IT, IT, I CAN'T SPEAK TO ANY OF THAT. UH, IT IS NOT, IT IS A BRIEFING. IT'S NOT AN ACTION. I DON'T, I UNDERSTAND IT'S WELL, I UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS. YEAH. I THINK WE COULD, IT COULD BE A FORM, LIKE THERE COULD BE AN ACTION ITEM AT SOME POINT. I DON'T RECALL. I RECALL THERE BEING A, A SWITCH OKAY. FROM MY, BUT I DON'T KNOW. AND I THINK THAT'S A GREAT POINT BECAUSE IT REALLY, TO ME, EMPHASIZES HOW IMPORTANT THESE BRIEFINGS ARE BECAUSE IF WE'RE IN THE FUTURE GONNA MAKE A RECOMMENDATION THAT TAKE ACTION, WE NEED TO HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION. NOW IT'S OUR OPPORTUNITY TO GET AT ALL MY UNDERSTANDING AND HELP ME WITH THIS, 80% OF THE MONEY THAT FUNDED THE CONFLUENCE CAME FROM THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN. TRUE. COULD BE AS HIGH AS 85%. SO ALL OF THE MONEY EXCEPT FOR THE FEDERAL DOLLARS, UH, CAME FROM THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN, INCLUDING THE PRIVATE PHILANTHROPIC CONTRIBUTIONS. OKAY. SO THEY'RE THE DONORS WHO'S THE DONORS? YEAH. THE DONORS ARE THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN. CORRECT. THE DONORS OF THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN. AND, AND, YOU KNOW, TAX DOLLARS AS WELL, UH, CONTRIBUTED TOWARDS THE FACE. OKAY. SO PERHAPS WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT NAMING, PERHAPS IT'S THE CITIZENS OF AUSTIN, THE ONES WHO HAVE FUNDED THIS PROJECT, MAYBE IT'S, THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE GIVEN PRIORITY FOR NAMING RIGHTS. IS THAT A QUESTION? YEAH, IT'S GOT A QUESTION MARK. DAN? YES, SIR. UH, SORRY, COULD YOU REPEAT IT? SINCE THE CONFLUENCE IS LARGELY FUNDED BY THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN AND MANY PUBLIC DOLLARS WENT INTO PALM PARK, PERHAPS WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS LIST OF 13, IT'S THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN WE'RE LOOKING AT AS TO DESIGNATE AS DONORS, CORRECT? CORRECT. [01:40:01] NOT NECESSARILY DIRECT DONORS TO YOU, BUT JUST DONORS. LET ME, LET ME TRY TO, IS THE QUESTION, SHOULD ONE OF THE NAMING SPOTS NUMBER 11 BE THE, THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY? IS THAT THE QUESTION? OR IS THE QUESTION SHOULD, THAT'S A GOOD IDEA. IT REMEMBERS THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE THAT'S BEEN DONE IN OTHER CITIES, BUT WHAT I'M, OR IS IT THAT YOU FEEL LIKE THEY SHOULD HAVE MORE SAY IN THE NAMING AND THEY SHOULD HAVE MORE SAY IN THE NAMING SINCE WE HAVE MORE INVESTMENT INTO CONFLUENCE? I I DON'T KNOW HOW TO ANSWER THE RHETORICAL QUESTION, BUT I THINK THAT THE, YOU KNOW, COMMUNITY AND THE BOND DOLLARS ARE A REALLY CRITICAL PART OF THIS. UM, AND I WILL AGAIN SAY, YOU KNOW, THE CITY OF AUSTIN APPROACHED THE WATERLOO GREENWAY CONSERVANCY TO PARTNER WITH THEM IN ORDER TO LEVERAGE THOSE PRIVATE BOND DOLLARS AND BUILD, YOU KNOW, MORE AMENITIES AND, UH, YOU KNOW, A GREATER INVESTMENT THAN THE BOND DOLLARS ALONE COULD. AND PART OF THAT AGREEMENT, AS, YOU KNOW, MEMORIALIZE IN THE JOINT DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT WAS FIGURING OUT HOW WE CAN LEVERAGE THAT BY HAVING ALSO THE LOCAL COMMUNITY TAXPAYERS WHO WANT TO, WHO ARE ABLE TO, AND WANT TO DO MORE THROUGH PRIVATE PHILANTHROPIC CONTRIBUTIONS. HOW CAN WE ENCOURAGE AND RECOGNIZE THOSE FOLKS FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS, UH, AND, YOU KNOW, RAISE THAT SIGNIFICANT COMMITMENT, UH, THAT THE CITY, YOU KNOW, REQUESTED OF US AND OUR FOUNDING. UM, AND PART OF THAT WAS THE, UH, THE DONOR NAMED FEATURES WITHIN THE PARK. IT'S A, IT'S A CRITICAL PART OF FUNDRAISING FOR THESE TYPES OF PROJECTS ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY. AND HAVING THAT ABILITY IS REALLY IMPORTANT AND THAT'S WHY IT WAS MEMORIALIZED IN THE JOINT DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT. THAT SAID, WE, YOU KNOW, WE CAN CERTAINLY HAVE NAMED FEATURES AFTER THE TAXPAYERS OR THE COMMU CITY OF AUSTIN. UH, AND IN ALL OF OUR DEDICATIONS, IT, IT ALWAYS SAYS, YOU KNOW, THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UH, BUILT THIS PARK. I THINK ONE OF THE DIFFICULTIES WE HAVE, AND I THINK I BOARD MEMBER ILLA LOBO REALLY ENUNCIATED IT WELL, IS IT WOULD BE ONE THING TO HAVE A NEW PARK WHERE WE'RE PUTTING IN FEATURES, YOU KNOW, BRAND NEW PARK, THE NEW, UM, UH, DISABILITIES PARK AT ONION CREEK. THERE'S GONNA BE A GOOD EXAMPLE WHERE WE'RE PUTTING IN BRAND NEW FEATURES, NEW LAND. UM, I COULD PROBABLY SIT HERE FOR THREE HOURS TELLING YOU THE HISTORY OF PALM PARK. UM, IT IS AN EXTRAORDINARILY HISTORICAL AREA IN AUSTIN, AND AS MUCH AS ANY SINGLE SITE THAT I CAN THINK OF, PALM SCHOOL MAYBE NEXT DOOR, UH, IT REPRESENTS THE CHICANO HISTORY IN OUR CITY. IT'S REFLECTIVE, ICONIC, SYMBOLIZES THE CHICANO HISTORY IN OUR CITY. AND I THINK MY RECOMMENDATION TO YOU, OUR REQUEST TO YOU IS BE VERY CAUTIOUS AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS PROCESS. I KNOW YOU'VE TRIED TO REACH THE PUBLIC, BUT I SERVE ON OTHER BOARDS AND COMMITTEES LIKE PALM SCHOOL AND I KNOW JUST HOW UNCOMFORTABLE THE COMMUNITY REMAINS, AND THEREFORE I THINK IT BEHOOVES ALL OF US, PARTICULARLY A PR TO MOVE VERY CAUTIOUSLY AND DO THIS RIGHT. I THINK IT CAN BE DONE RIGHT, BUT WE NEED TO BE VERY CAUTIOUS AS WE MOVE FORWARD. THANK YOU. WE WILL BOARD MEMBER OF FRANKLIN JUST A COUPLE OF QUICK QUESTIONS. UM, ONE WAS ON THE COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITIES FOR NAMING. I KNOW YOU MENTIONED THAT THERE'S A PROCESS THAT Y'ALL ARE STILL LOOKING TO DEFINE, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES STILL FOR THE COMMUNITY TO SUBMIT IDEAS FOR NAMES. IS THAT CORRECT? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. OKAY. AND THEN I, AND WE HAVEN'T OPENED THAT YET, BUT WHEN WE DO, WE WILL BE SURE TO, YOU KNOW, BROADCAST WIDELY ABOUT THAT OPPORTUNITY. I SEE. OKAY. UM, AND THEN DO THE NAMES, I UNDERSTAND THAT THE JDA GIVES THE ORGANIZATION THE ABILITY TO HAVE FINAL SELECTION OF THE NAMES. IS THERE A REVIEW OF THE FINAL NAMES AT ANY POINT AFTER THAT, BY SOME LEVEL WITHIN THE CITY, CITY STAFF OR CITY DEPARTMENT? OR IS IT ONCE THE NAMES ARE SELECTED, LIKE THAT'S IT. AS LONG AS THEY FOLLOW THE NAMING CONVENTION, WE FOLLOW THE REQUIREMENTS IN THE JDA AND THEN WE SUBMIT THEM TO CITY STAFF, UM, TO SHOW THEY'RE AN ALIGNMENT WITH THOSE REQUIREMENTS. OKAY, I SEE. YEAH. AND THEN, UH, THE, MY FINAL QUESTION WOULD BE, WE DID HEAR FROM A NUMBER OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS ABOUT THEIR HISTORY AND THEIR PERSONAL EXPERIENCES WITH THE PARK. UM, ON THAT CONCEPT LAYOUT, IT SHOWED [01:45:01] THE FACILITIES THAT HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE NAMED. BUT I GUESS MY QUESTION WOULD BE, IS THERE ALSO SIGNAGE PLANNED WITHIN THE PARK THAT WOULD BE ABLE TO SHARE MORE ABOUT THE COMMUNITY HISTORY AND THOSE PARTICULAR MEMBERS, PERHAPS? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. SO, YOU KNOW, IN ALL OF OUR PARKS, WE DO EXTENSIVE INTERPRETIVE WORK, UM, HISTORICAL RESEARCH AND INTERPRETIVE SIGNAGE AS DEVELOPED OFF OF THAT. THE SAME WILL BE THE CASE FOR PALM PARK. AND WE HAVE ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, THROUGH THAT ENGAGEMENT PROCESS, IDENTIFIED SEVERAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR CO COMMUNITY DRIVEN ART PIECES THAT FURTHER TELL THE HISTORY OF THE COMMUNITY AND THE SITE. UM, A MURAL WALL HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AND SO HAS THE ACTUAL TILE WORK AND SORT OF PHYSICAL, UH, CLADDING OF THE SHADE STRUCTURE. WE, WHICH WE THINK IS ALSO A GREAT STORYTELLING OPPORTUNITY IN ADDITION TO KIND OF THE TRADITIONAL SIGNAGE WHICH LEFT PHOTOGRAPHY HISTORICAL TIMELINES AND INFORMATION FROM THAT HISTORICAL RESEARCH. SO I, IT'LL BE BOTH YOUR, YOUR, YOUR MORE TRADITIONAL INTERPRETATION AND THINGS THAT ARE EMBEDDED INTO THE ARCHITECTURE AND ART WITHIN THE PARK, UH, TO HELP TELL THOSE COMMUNITY STORIES. ARE THERE PLANS, AS IT SOUNDS LIKE A NUMBER OF THESE THINGS ARE STILL IN PROCESS, ARE THERE PLANS FOR ANOTHER COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSE TO HELP WITH SOME OF THOSE ITEMS? YES. SO WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A PUBLIC PROCESS AROUND THE ART SOLICITATION, WHICH WILL HELP DRIVE, UH, THE DEVELOPMENT OF THOSE FEATURES OF THE PARK. UM, THE DESIGN AND THE FEATURES OF THE PARK, YOU SEE ARE PRETTY WELL LOCKED IN FROM OUR COMMUNITY PROCESS TO DATE AT THIS 60% POINT. WE REALLY WANT TO BE MOVING TOWARDS KIND OF THAT BIDDING DEADLINE, BUT THE ART AND INTERPRETATION STILL REMAINS AN ONGOING PROCESS THAT WE'LL ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY WITH. I SEE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OKAY. I DO, UM, QUESTIONS, EXCUSE ME, FROM BOARD MEMBERS WHO ARE ONLINE, ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANYTHING, OH, SORRY. BOARD MEMBER EUBANKS, JUST VERY QUICKLY MM-HMM . UM, REGARDING THE INTERPRETATION OF THE PARK, UM, I'M A LITTLE FAMILIAR WITH INTERPRETATION MM-HMM . MY QUESTION WOULD BE, BEST PRACTICES AND INTERPRETATION IS WIDE BROAD SCALE COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT. MM-HMM . WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THAT? SO WE HAVE DONE THAT. WE HAVE 15 YEARS OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, UH, THAT HAVE, YOU KNOW, LED TO THIS POINT INCLUDING, YOU KNOW, SEVEN YEARS OF ENGAGEMENT AROUND THE DESIGN OF PALM PARK AND THOUSANDS OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS ENGAGED. WE HAVE AN INTERPRETIVE PLAN AND WE ALSO HAVE A HISTORY REPORT, UH, INCLUDING ORAL HISTORIES FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT ARE INFORMING THE MATERIALS THAT WILL GO IN THE PARK AND THAT HAVE ALREADY INFORMED WHAT YOU'LL SEE IN, IN WATERLOO PARK AND WHAT YOU'LL SEE IN THE CONFLUENCE, UH, THAT'S BEING INSTALLED, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW. UM, SO WE WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD ON THAT, UM, AS WE DEVELOP AND FINALIZE THE MATERIALS FOR PUMP PARK. OKAY. ONE FINAL, ONE FINAL QUESTION, AND I APPRECIATE YOUR PATIENCE WITH, OF COURSE, THESE QUESTIONS. UM, IF YOU'VE DONE 15 YEARS OF COMMUN COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, AND I'M LOOKING OVER AT COMMUNITY LEADERS THAT I KNOW VERY WELL MM-HMM . WHO ARE SIGNIFICANT COMMUNITY LEADERS IN THE CHICANO POPULATION, RESIDENTS FROM THAT AREA WHO FEEL LEFT OUT, HOW COULD THAT HAPPEN? WELL, WE'VE ENGAGED MANY FOLKS, INCLUDING FOLKS IN THIS ROOM, IN THAT PROCESS AND DEVELOPING THE DESIGN AND THE MATERIALS SO FAR. I, YEAH, I, I WOULD, I WOULD JUST, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK SHARE THE SENTIMENT OF MANY OF MY FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS, BUT I WOULD JUST ADD THAT AS MUCH AS YOU CAN TO CONTINUE, UM, LISTENING TO THE VOICES OF, OF OUR NEIGHBORS, OF COURSE. UM, IT'S GREAT TO HEAR THAT YOU'VE BEEN THAT WORK AND WE CERTAINLY SEE THAT. UM, BUT WE CAN'T REST ON WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING AND WHAT WE DID WHEN WE'RE STILL HEARING SOME OF THE, THE HURT, UM, UM, AND SOME OF PEOPLE JUST FEELING LEFT OUT. AND I THINK SOME OF THAT ALSO COMES FROM, UM, JUST NOT KNOWING AS MUCH. WE'RE NOT ON THE INSIDE, UM, LIKE YOU GUYS ARE, WE'RE NOT IN THE DAY TO DAY. AND SO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU SHARED TODAY, AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH, BOARD MEMBER FRANKLIN, WHEN YOU ASKED THAT QUESTION ABOUT SOME OF THE PLANS, IT WAS GREAT TO HEAR THOSE THINGS. UM, BUT IT SEPARATED FROM THIS PRESENTATION. AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE COMING TO THIS FROM A DIFFERENT ANGLE, AND SO I KNOW THAT YOU'VE SHARED THESE THINGS IN VARIOUS, UM, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT, UH, FORMS, BUT AS MUCH AS YOU CAN CONTINUE TO BRING THINGS BACK UP, JUST, YOU KNOW, AS THEY SAY IN IN WRITING OR IN A SPEECH, YOU TELL SOMEBODY WHAT YOU'RE GONNA SAY AND THEN YOU TELL THEM, AND THEN YOU TELL THEM AGAIN. I THINK WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT WITH A COMMUNITY AND CONTINUING BITING AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN. AND I KNOW THAT THERE'S ONLY A LIMIT TO, YOU KNOW, YOUR CAPACITY AND WHAT YOU CAN DO. AND SO WE VERY MUCH APPRECIATE WHAT YOU'VE DONE, AND I KNOW IT'S HARD TO SIT UP HERE IN FRONT OF THIS BODY AND, AND, YOU KNOW, UM, GET, GET FEEDBACK. UM, BUT WE REALLY APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING, UM, AND WANNA WORK WITH YOU TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CONTINUING TO HEAR OUR COMMUNITY'S VOICE. UM, AND WITH THAT, AGAIN, I WILL INVITE THE COMMUNITY TO CONTINUE TO [01:50:01] SHARE WITH US, UM, EMAIL US, UM, AND LET US KNOW, UM, WHAT YOU'D LIKE, UM, BECAUSE WE ARE HERE TO SERVE THE PEOPLE. SO I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. UM, AND IF THERE'S NO OTHER QUESTIONS, UM, THIS, THIS ITEM IS A BRIEFING AND SO WE DON'T HAVE ANY ACTION, SO WE'LL, WE'LL WRAP THERE, BUT WE APPRECIATE YOU VERY MUCH. ALL RIGHT. WE WILL. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU. UM, IT'S EIGHT O'CLOCK. WE'RE GONNA TAKE A QUICK BREAK. WE'RE GONNA LET PEOPLE GET SOME WATER, THINGS LIKE THAT. SO EIGHT, 10, WE'LL BE BACK. ALL RIGHT. THAT WAS A 14 MINUTE, 10 MINUTE BREAK. UM, WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE RIGHT ALONG WITH THE BOARD MEETING AND, UM, ITEM NUMBER FIVE, THE [5. Staff briefing on Parks Safety. (Sponsors: Bazan, Merritt) Presenter(s): Amanda Ross, Natural Resources Division Manager, Austin Parks and Recreation and Michael Chancellor, Assistant Chief, Austin Police. ] STAFF BRIEFING ON PARKS SAFETY. DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTERS? YES. CHAIR. OKAY. UH, ONE PUBLIC COMMENTER, CHRIS FLORES. THANK YOU, CHRIS. YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES FROM THE TIME YOU BEGIN SPEAKING. HI, UH, GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS CHRIS FLORES. I LIVE IN DISTRICT 10, AND I'M SPEAKING IN FAVOR OF INCREASED PARK POLICE PRESENCE TO FIGHT VIOLENT AND PROPERTY CRIMES. UM, I ASK, UH, AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT AND PARKS EXECUTIVES TO CONSIDER HARDWIRED HALO POLICE CAMERAS IN MAJOR PARKS AND POOLS, UH, AND THEIR PARKING LOTS. UM, THERE ARE POOL PATRONS WHO ARE CAUGHT IN A CIRCLE OF INACTION BETWEEN AQUATIC STAFF WHO CLAIM ZERO RESPONSIBILITY FOR PATRON ON PATRON HARASSMENT AND ASSAULTS IN THE WATER OF OUR POOLS. AND THE POLICE, BOTH PARKS AND A PD CLAIM, THE RESPONSIBLE, IT WOULD BE GOOD TO HAVE CAMERAS HARDWIRED AND ACCESSIBLE TO POLICE WHEN EVIDENCE IS NEEDED. IT WOULD BE GOOD IF AQUATICS AND POLICE COULD MEET TO COME TO SOME SORT OF COLLABORATION. UH, POOL PATRONS DON'T KNOW WHO TO REPORT IN POOL ISSUES TO POOL MANAGERS GENERALLY DON'T WEAR ANY IDENTIFYING ARTICLE OF CLOTHING. I THINK MOST ISSUES ARE NOT REPORTED. UM, IF THEY ARE, NOTHING COMES OF THEM. UM, THE INACTION ALLOWS A FEW SERIAL PERPETRATORS TO CARRY ON WITH IMPUNITY. UM, THANK YOU FOR CONSIDERING THIS. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE'LL TAKE THE PRESENTATION. UH, GOOD EVENING. UM, MAKE SURE YOU GUYS CAN HEAR ME. MY NAME IS AMANDA ROSS AND I'M THE DIVISION MANAGER FOR NATURAL RESOURCES WITH THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT, WHICH INCLUDES OUR SAFETY, SECURITY, AND PARK RANGER UNIT. UM, AND I AM HERE WITH ASSISTANT CHIEF MICHAEL CHANCELLOR TO TALK TO YOU GUYS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT PARK SAFETY, UM, AND TO UPDATE YOU ON ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITY WITHIN THE PARKS DEPARTMENT. AND I APOLOGIZE, IS THERE A CLICK OR SOMEPLACE? OH, NEXT SLIDE. THANK YOU. OKAY, GREAT. APPRECIATE IT. SO, UH, QUICK OVERVIEW. YOU GUYS ARE VERY MUCH AWARE OF THE VAST DIFFERENCES WITHIN OUR PARKS DEPARTMENT. NOT ONLY IS, IS IT MORE THAN 300 PARKS, UM, IT'S TRAILS, PLAYGROUNDS, AQUATIC FACILITIES, UM, GREEN BELTS. THERE'S JUST SUCH A VARIETY OF SPACES WITHIN THE PARKS DEPARTMENT. SO WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO THINK ABOUT THESE AS EACH INDIVIDUAL KINDS OF SPACES THAT COULD BE, UM, WHERE WE WERE TALKING ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY. NEXT SLIDE. PLEASE. ALSO WANTED TO GIVE YOU A QUICK LITTLE TIMELINE. SO WE HAD THE FIRST PARK RANGERS THAT WERE ESTABLISHED IN THE LATE SIXTIES. UM, AND THESE WERE COMMISSIONED POLICE OFFICERS WITHIN THE PARKS DEPARTMENT. THEY REPORTED TO A NON-COMMISSIONED, UH, REPRESENTATIVE WITHIN THE POLICE OR WITHIN THE PARKS DEPARTMENT. UM, THAT CONTINUED, UM, INTO THE EIGHTIES AS WELL. AND DURING THIS TIME, THEY ALSO BECAME, UM, THEY HAD ASSISTED ADDITIONAL DUTIES AND THEY WERE ACTUALLY, UM, HAD FEDERAL PARK RANGER CERTIFICATION ADDED TO THEM AS WELL. CONTINUED TO BE, UM, COMMISSIONED POLICE OFFICERS. UM, IN 2008, UH, THE PARK POLICE UNIT, UM, AS PART OF A CONSOLIDATION WITHIN THE CITY OF AUSTIN FOR ALL PUBLIC SAFETY, WERE ACTUALLY MOVED OVER, UNDERNEATH, UM, THE PARK, THE, UH, SORRY, THE [01:55:01] POLICE DEPARTMENT. SO THEY WERE MOVED FROM OUT OF THE PARKS DEPARTMENT INTO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IN THAT CONSOLIDATION OF PUBLIC SAFETY FOR CONSISTENCY. AT THAT SAME TIME, WE HAD THE CREATION OF THE PARK RANGERS, THE IDEA THAT THESE WOULD BE THE NON-COMMISSION KIND OF AMBASSADORS, UH, WORKING, USING VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE, UM, AND EYES AND EARS IN THE PARK SYSTEM, AND THAT THEY WOULD WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. IN 2021, WE HAD OUR PARK POLICE UNIT, UM, THAT WAS ABSORBED INTO THE GENERAL, UH, POLICE PATROL UNIT. SO, UM, THAT IS WHERE WE ARE TODAY. UM, SO WE CONTINUE TO PARTNER WITH OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT, TYPICALLY THROUGH, UM, OUR PATROL UNITS, UM, SPECIFICALLY ALSO ARE DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVES. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. UM, REALLY JUST SOME QUICK OVERVIEW OF WHAT OUR PARK RANGERS ARE TODAY AND WHAT YOU MIGHT SEE OUT ON THE FIELD AS WELL. SO THESE ARE, THEY'RE UNIFORMS. THEY, THEY'RE THERE ON BIKES, THEY'RE ON FOOT. UM, THEY HAVE VEHICLES AS WELL, BUT THEY REALLY ARE MEANT TO BE A PRESENCE IN THE PARKS. UM, AND THAT USUALLY IS, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH PEOPLE IN THE PARKS THEMSELVES, THEY, UM, HAVE A STEWARDSHIP MESSAGE. SO WE LEAD WITH A LEAVE NO TRACE, WHICH IS OFTEN TALKS ABOUT THE AUTHORITY OF THE RESOURCE. WHY RULES EXIST IS REALLY FOR THE PROTECTION OF THAT SPACE, FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND FOR OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY. AND NOT NECESSARILY, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU NEED TO STOP DOING THAT BECAUSE YOU'RE A BAD PERSON. BUT, YOU KNOW, THE REASON THAT WE HAVE THESE RULES IS REALLY THE AUTHORITY OF THE RESOURCE ITSELF. IN ADDITION, UM, THEY'RE THERE TO PROVIDE JUST UNIFORM PRESENCE AND INFORMATIONAL, WE GET A LOT OF DIRECTIONS. WE GET A LOT OF, WHERE'S THE BATHROOM? WE GET A LOT OF, DO I NEED TO PAY THE PARKING METER RIGHT NOW OR NOT? SO IT'S JUST A, A GENERAL UNIFORM PRESENCE WITHIN THE PARKS DEPARTMENT TO BE FRIENDLY AND, UM, PROVIDE SOME VISITOR SERVICES AS WELL. THEY'RE ALSO THERE, UM, THEY CAN BE RESPONSIVE IN PARKS, SO EMERGENCIES IN PARKS, THEY, THEY KNOW THE SYSTEM, THEY KNOW THE PARKS VERY WELL, AND THEY CAN HELP ADDRESS THOSE NEEDS AS WELL. AND LASTLY IS TARGETED EDUCATION. SO, UM, NOT ONLY DO THEY PROVIDE JUST GENERAL EDUCATION, BUT THEY ALSO PROVIDE TARGETED EDUCATION. IF WE HAVE A HOTSPOT AREA OF ADDITIONAL CONCERN, WE CAN DO ADDITIONAL TARGETED EDUCATION ON THAT SPECIFIC CONCERN IN THAT AREA AS WELL. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, PLEASE. UM, SO OUR PARK RANGER OPERATIONS, UH, WE HAVE 23 PARK RANGERS AND THEY WORK SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. UM, AND THEY WORK A 10 HOUR SHIFT EACH DAY. UM, THEY WORK IN A ZONE SYSTEM. SO THE IDEA IS, IS THEY ARE DIVIDED UP THROUGHOUT THE CITY. THERE'S KIND OF A, THE CORE ZONE, WHICH IS REALLY THAT HIKE AND BIKE TRAIL FROM, FROM ROY G ALL THE WAY, UH, ROGIE GUERRERO, ALL THE WAY THROUGH TO THE BARTON CREEK GREENBELT. AND THAT'S ONE KIND OF CORE AREA. IT'S ONE, IT'S OUR BUSINESS AREA, BUSIEST AREA IN OUR PARK SYSTEM. AND THEN WE HAVE A SOUTH AND A NORTH, UM, AND A NORTH IS DIVIDED INTO EAST AND WEST AS WELL. UM, SO THEY FOCUS ON THE ZONE SYSTEM. HOW THEY DO IT IS WHEN THEY START THEIR DAY, UM, THEY'RE LOOKING AT WHAT THEY'RE DOING IN THEIR ZONE. THEY'RE LOOKING AT WHAT EVENTS ARE GOING ON IN THEIR ZONE, UM, AND THEN THEY'RE LOOKING AT WHAT HOTSPOTS ARE IN THEIR ZONE. SO THESE ARE LOCATIONS THAT THEY'VE IDENTIFIED THROUGH TIME THAT ARE REGULAR REPEAT CONCERNS, RIGHT? AND SO THE GOAL IS THAT THOSE SPOTS GET VISITED MULTIPLE TIMES DURING THAT DAY. SO THEY KNOW THAT THROUGH THOSE HOTSPOT IDENTIFICATION AS WELL AS DIRECT TO PATROLS, AND THEN A DIRECT TO PATROL IS ANY ADDITIONAL SPOT THAT'S BEEN ADDED BECAUSE OF A SPECIFIC NEED, RIGHT? UM, WE'RE HAVING ADDITIONAL CONCERNS WITH DOGS OFF LEASH. WE'RE HAVING PUBLIC COMPLAINTS ABOUT A CERTAIN NEED IN THIS AREA. UM, AND SO THAT'LL BE SOMETHING THAT THE RANGERS WILL GO VISIT, AND THOSE WILL BE DIRECTED PATROLS DURING THAT, UM, DURING THAT OPERATIONAL SHIFT. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UM, THEY ALSO ARE DATA COLLECTION HEAVY. SO WE WANT THE PARK RANGERS OUT IN THE FIELD AND EVERY TIME THEY SPEAK TO SOMEBODY, THEY'RE LOGGING THAT AS A CONTACT. AND THAT CONTACT HELPS THEM DIRECT AND BE ABLE TO LOOK AND SAY, WHERE ARE OUR CONCERNS? WHERE ARE WE SEEING THE MOST CONTACTS? WHAT KINDS OF QUESTIONS ARE WE GETTING IN THIS LOCATION? AND COULD THESE, UM, COULD THERE BE ADJUSTMENTS MADE IN THIS LOCATION THAT MIGHT BE ADDITIONAL SIGNAGE? IT MIGHT BE, MAYBE THERE'S SOME FENCING OPPORTUNITIES HERE. IT MIGHT BE THAT WE'RE GETTING CONSTANT QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS. AND SO THAT HELPS KIND OF THEN INTEGRATE BACK INTO THE PARKS DEPARTMENT FOR ADDITIONAL NEEDS AS WELL. BUT IT'S VERY MUCH DATA COLLECTION IS IMPORTANT, AND THEY REALLY TELL THE STORY, RIGHT? WE HAVE OUR PARTNERS IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THEY'RE THERE WITH ENFORCEMENT AND THEY HAVE, UM, INFORMATION ABOUT WHEN ARRESTS ARE MADE. THEY HAVE, UM, 9 1 1, WE HAVE ALL OF THAT, BUT THIS IS WHAT'S HAPPENING. AND TYPICALLY IT'S RULE VIOLATIONS THAT WE SEE IN THE FIELD. AND THIS, THIS DATA THAT THE PARK RANGERS COLLECT REALLY SHARES THAT, UM, AND PUTS THAT FILTER AND LENS ON THINGS AS WELL. UM, JUST SO YOU'RE AWARE, DOG OFF LEASH ONE OF THE BIGGEST CONTACTS THAT WE'RE MAKING OUT THERE. UM, THAT SHOULDN'T BE A SURPRISE TO ANY OF YOU. I IMAGINE YOU PROBABLY GET LOTS OF THOSE COMPLAINTS AS WELL. IT IS ONE OF OUR BIGGEST CONCERNS. UM, ILLEGAL VENDING IS ALSO SOMETHING THAT WE SEE, AND THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT'S [02:00:01] IDENTIFIED AS A HOTSPOT, RIGHT? WE HAVE SPECIFIC AREAS WHERE WE SEE ILLEGAL VENDING PRETTY CONSISTENTLY, AND SO THAT CAN BE SOMETHING THAT WE CAN WORK TO ADDRESS. AND THEN IN ADDITION, RIGHT NOW, UM, THIS DATA COLLECTION METHOD IS VERY MUCH WHO THEY SPEAK TO. WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT TRANSITIONING TO 3 1 1 SO THAT THERE'S AN INPUT OPPORTUNITY AS WELL FROM THE PUBLIC THAT'LL BE SOMEWHAT LIMITED AND DEFINED IS HOW THOSE ARE COMING IN, BUT CAN ALSO HELP WITH THE, UM, DETERMINATION FOR DIRECTED PATROLS AND H HOPEFULLY BRIDGE THAT COMMUNITY GAP AS WELL. UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO DOGS OFF LEASH, I WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU JUST A LITTLE BIT OF A HEAT MAP OF DOG OFF LEASH CONTACTS. YOU CAN KIND OF SEE THAT CORE, UM, BUSY PART, YOU KNOW, FROM ROY G. GUERRERO THROUGH THE BARTON CREEK GREENBELT. THOSE ARE SOME OF OUR LARGEST CONCERN AREAS, BUT IT DOESN'T STOP THERE. AND, UM, YOU'LL SEE, UM, IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH KIND OF THE GEOGRAPHY AND THE LAYOUT OF THE SYSTEM. UH, SOUTH AUSTIN RECREATION CENTER IS ONE WE OFTEN HAVE. STEVENSON NATURE PRESERVE AND LONGVIEW ARE ALSO HUGE, UM, COMPLAINTS WE OFTEN SEE WITH DOGS OFF LEASH, AND THOSE ARE SOME OF OUR BIGGER ONES AS WELL. UM, THOSE AREN'T THE ONLY ONES BY ANY MEANS. UM, BUT THOSE DOG OFF LEASH COMPLAINTS, UM, ARE SOMEWHAT CONSISTENT. AND THOSE ARE ONES WHERE WE WORK TO DO ADDITIONAL EITHER BARK RANGER PROGRAMMING OR ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMING WITH OUR PARTNERS OR THEIR INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS THAT COULD BE MADE TO HELP, UM, COMMUNICATE THAT THESE ARE ON LEASH AREAS, UM, AND SHARE THAT MESSAGE WITH PEOPLE AS WELL. UM, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH A PD, UM, AS WELL AS CODE AND OTHER, UM, DEPARTMENTS WITHIN THE CITY ARE ACTUALLY EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO THE, UH, THE SAFETY OF EVERYBODY IN OUR PARKS. UM, OUR PARK RANGERS ARE NOT COMMISSIONED POLICE OFFICERS, AND SO IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE BRIDGE THAT GAP WITH OUR COMMISSIONED POLICE OFFICERS TO PROVIDE, UM, AN UMBRELLA APPROACH THAT IS CONSISTENT AS WELL. AND SO WE HAVE AN AGREEMENT WITH A PD THAT WE WILL MEET REGULARLY. UM, A PD DOES FOR CLARIFICATION, WANNA MAKE SURE IT DOES OVERSEE ALL PUBLIC SAFETY AS IT RELATES TO ILLEGAL ACTIVITY WITHIN THE CITY. UM, WE'VE WORKED WITH THEM ON THINGS. BURGLARY OF VEHICLE IS A SUBSTANTIAL CONCERN. ONE OF THE MOST REGULAR, UH, CRIMES, PUBLIC PROPERTY CRIMES, IT'S REPORTED ON PARKLAND. AND SO WE'VE WORKED WITH THEM ON TAKE LOCK HIDE MESSAGING, UM, SHARING MESSAGING OF WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN THE FIELD TOO, RIGHT? LIKE THIS IS WHERE WE'RE SEEING THE MAJORITY OF GLASS, WE'RE SEEING THIS TICK UP, EVEN IF MAYBE, UM, THOSE REPORTS ARE LAGGING BEHIND BACK TO THE, TO, TO A PD AS WELL FROM THE PUBLIC. SO THAT CAN HELP WITH THAT AS WELL. UM, AND LASTLY, WE, UM, PARTNERED WITH THEM ACTUALLY TWO, UH, THE SECURITY CAMERAS. SO WE ALSO, PARTICULARLY WITH BURGLARY VEHICLE, WE DID INSTALL SECURITY CAMERA LAYERS AND DID A PILOT PROJECT WITH THAT, PARTICULARLY IN PARKING LOTS WITH BURGLARY VEHICLE CONCERNS. AND SO THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT THEN A PD WAS ABLE TO USE THAT INFORMATION COLLECTED FROM THOSE SECURITY CAMERAS TO HELP BUILD A CASE, UM, FROM, FROM SOME OF THOSE CRIMES THAT WERE OCCURRING. UM, AT LEAST ONE OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS ACTUALLY DID RECEIVE, UM, A SENTENCE WITH EIGHT YEARS ASSOCIATED WITH IT, UM, ASSOCIATED WITH THAT CRIME AS WELL. UM, AND THEN MORE RECENTLY WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON JOINT OPERATIONS. AND THIS IS ACTUALLY A PRETTY EXCITING OPPORTUNITY WITH OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT AND WORKING IN A SPECIFIC AREA AND REALLY INCREASING PRESENCE. AND IT ALSO GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO KIND OF WORK ON OUR, IN THE FIELD COMMUNICATION AS WELL. AND, UM, I'LL LET YOU SPEAK MORE ON THAT SPECIFICS. UM, THERE, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY, IT'S NOT JUST OUR PARK RANGERS, THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN OUR PARK SYSTEM FOR IMPROVED INFRASTRUCTURE. SO THAT IS THE FIRST LINE OF COMMUNICATION TO OUR PUBLIC. THIS IS WHAT, THIS IS WHAT THE RULES ARE, THIS IS WHERE THE BOUNDARY IS. UM, AND INFRASTRUCTURE IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT IN THAT. UM, IN ADDITION, WE ALSO ARE ABLE TO, UM, PARTNER WITH OUR A PD, OUR A PD, UM, AS WELL AS, UH, THE PUBLIC AS WELL. SO OUR BARK RANGER PROGRAM IS VERY MUCH CITIZENS WHO HAVE DOGS WHO WANT TO HELP TABLE IN AREAS OF CONCERN. SO THEY COME OUT, THE DOGS ARE REALLY CUTE, THEY GET THIS LITTLE VEST, THEY ATTEND A TRAINING AND THEY GO OUT, THEY'LL DO CLEANUPS, THEY'LL PASS OUT, UM, YOU KNOW, LEASHES, THEY'LL PASS OUT, UH, POOP BAGS, AND THEY CAN KIND OF HELP SHARE THE MESSAGE OF RESPONSIBLE RECREATION ASSOCIATED WITH PET OWNERSHIP FOR US AS WELL, PARTICULARLY IN THOSE HOTSPOT AREAS THAT ARE CONCERNING AREAS. AND THEY CAN DO IT IN A FRIENDLY, KIND OF VOLUNTEER WAY AS WELL. SO THERE'S, THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES FOR THAT AS WELL. AND THEN POP-UP EVENTS, RIGHT? SO IF WE'RE SEEING A REGULAR CONCERN, THERE'S OPPORTUNITY FOR ADDITIONAL FOCUS OF THAT AREA. UM, WE ALSO, AS I MENTIONED, UH, PARTNER WITH OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT. UM, AND THEN FOR CLARIFICATION, A PARK RANGER'S, UM, STRONGEST TOOL IN THEIR TOOLBOX IS REALLY THEIR COMMUNICATION, SPEAKING TO AN INDIVIDUAL, EXPLAINING THE SITUATION AND REALLY WORKING TOWARDS THAT VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE THROUGH HELPING TO COMMUNICATE THE CONCERN AND THE NEED OVERALL. AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S [02:05:01] ONE OF THEIR KEY PIECES AND WHERE THEY'RE MOST EFFECTIVE, OFTENTIMES, UM, IN ADDITION, THEY CAN WRITE PARKING TICKETS, UM, ANY PARKING ON PARK LAND, UM, THAT IS NOT IN A DESIGNATED PARKING AREA ON GRASS, THINGS LIKE THAT THEY CAN WRITE PARKING TICKETS FOR. UM, AND THEN IN ADDITION, WE'LL PARTNER WITH TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS ON THAT, PARTICULARLY IN CERTAIN AREAS AS WELL. AND THEN THEY CAN ALSO ISSUE WHAT WE CONSIDER A WARNING, WHICH IS OFTENTIMES JUST A HIGHER DOCUMENTATION LEVEL FOR US. SO PARTICULARLY WITH ILLEGAL VENDING, RIGHT? WE CAN DO THIS THROUGH A DOCUMENTED PROCESS SO THAT THERE IS SOME FORUM OF EVIDENCE THAT WE'VE SHARED THIS WITH THEM MORE THAN ONCE, AND THERE'S SOMETHING IN WRITING THAT'S BEEN GIVEN TO THEM AS WELL. AND THEN LASTLY, THE DEPARTMENT REALIZED THAT WE NEEDED TO TAKE A BROADER APPROACH, UM, AND WE WORKED ON A SECURITY AUDIT THAT WAS COMPLETE LAST SUMMER. WE DID BRING THAT TO YOU ALL LAST SUMMER. UM, BUT ON THIS NEXT SLIDE, I'LL GO INTO A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL ON THAT AND PROVIDE A QUICK OVERVIEW. NEXT SLIDE. SO, WHAT THE SECURITY AUDIT FOUND WAS THAT WE REALLY HAD PROP AS FAR AS PROPERTY CRIME GOES, BURGLARY OR VEHICLE SUBSTANTIALLY, 80% OF PROPERTY CRIME NEAR ON PARKLAND WAS A BURGLARY VEHICLE, RIGHT? SO ULTIMATELY, WHAT ARE THE MEASURES THAT WE COULD DO TO ADDRESS THAT? UM, IN ADDITION, RULE VIOLATIONS, RIGHT? THEY LOOKED HEAVILY AT OUR RULE VIOLATIONS, WHICH WAS A LOT OF OUR PARK RANGER DATA. AND WHAT THEY FOUND THERE IS A LOT OF DOG OFF LEASH CONCERNS. UM, ALCOHOL WAS ALSO A BIG ONE FOR US AS WELL. AND SO THEY IDENTIFIED THAT. AND THEN LASTLY, UM, THEY KIND OF LOOKED AT THE, THEY DID A PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE ASSESSMENT TO, UM, USING CRIME PREVENTION THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN BEST PRACTICES TO ASSESS THE SITUATIONS. UM, AND THEY COULD, THEY CAN, UM, LOOK AT LIGHTING, THINGS LIKE THAT. AND SO THAT, THAT'S WHAT THEY, THEY FOUND THAT THERE WERE IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED THERE. AND SO SOME OF THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT THEY MADE WERE REALLY ASSOCIATED WITH GOVERNANCE, WHICH IS A STRUCTURE. AND SO THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW, IS WORKING THROUGH TRYING TO, UM, ESTABLISH THAT SECURITY, KIND OF OWNERSHIP AND CONTACT WITHIN THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, UM, THROUGH SOME HR AND RECLASSIFICATION PROCESSES. HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET THERE WITH THAT, UM, SOON AND BE ABLE TO HIRE FOR THAT AS WELL AND CREATE THAT STRUCTURE ASSOCIATED WITH, YOU KNOW, POINTS OF CONTACT FOR SAFETY AND SECURITY THAT ARE NOT JUST, UM, ISOLATED BUT ALSO CAN WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS IN CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS WITH INFRASTRUCTURE AND WITH OUR PARTNERS AT CODE A PD, UM, ET CETERA. IN ADDITION, UM, AGAIN, IT MENTIONED THE ACTIVATION OF OUR PARTNERSHIP AND I THINK WE'VE, UM, MADE SOME REAL STRIDES WITH THAT OVER THE LAST SIX MONTHS WITH OUR PARTNERS AT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. AND THEN LASTLY, WERE CRIME PREVENTION THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN BEST PRACTICES. SO LOOKING AT OUR FACILITIES, WHAT ARE SOME STANDARDS THAT WE COULD IMPLEMENT ACROSS OUR FACILITIES FOR SAFETY AND SECURITY? WHAT ARE SOME VEGETATION STANDARDS? WERE ALSO RECOMMENDED THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT WE COULD MAKE SOME STANDARDS AND THEN SET THOSE GUIDELINES NOT ONLY FOR OUR NEW FACILITIES, UM, BUT ALSO OUR EXISTING FACILITIES, TRAILS, THINGS LIKE THAT MOVING FORWARD AS WELL. UM, AND NEXT SLIDE. WITH THAT, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER. OH, SORRY. OH, ONE LAST THING. EXCUSE ME. I WAS, UH, READY TO MOVE ON. UM, SO JUST A LITTLE BIT ON OUR, UM, SECURITY AUDIT AND THE TRANSITION. SO OUR GOAL REALLY IS TO FOCUS ON THAT GOVERNANCE, AS I MENTIONED. SO THIS IS SECURITY MANAGER, REALLY GETTING SOME OF THOSE SITE-WIDE GUIDELINES ESTABLISHED, UM, AUDITING OUR FACILITIES OURSELVES, RIGHT? WHERE ARE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES, WHERE CAN WE FIND SOME OF THAT? AND THEN IMPROVING OUR PARTNERSHIPS, UM, IN YEAR TWO, HOPEFULLY ONCE WE GET SOME OF THAT GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE ESTABLISHED AND FINALIZED, UM, WORKING ON THOSE DESIGN STANDARDS, GETTING THOSE FORMALIZED. UM, AND THEN SOME STA ADDITIONAL STAFF TRAINING PARTICULARLY ASSOCIATED WITH DEESCALATION THAT'S OFTEN HELD IN POCKETS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT, BUT REALLY NEEDS TO BE CONSISTENTLY DONE THROUGHOUT THE MAJORITY OF OUR STAFF. AND THEN LASTLY, UM, IS REALLY WORKING ON SOME OF THOSE FACILITY CONTROLS, SO MAKING SURE THAT THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES FOR SHUTDOWN, LOCKDOWNS, ALL OF THAT, THAT THAT'S, UM, IMPLEMENTED WITHIN OUR FACILITY STRUCTURE. AND THOSE ARE JUST THE NEXT KIND OF PRIORITIES FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS. AND WITH THAT NEXT SLIDE WILL BE, UM, ASSISTANT CHIEF CHANCELLOR. THANK YOU, AMANDA. CAN YOU HEAR ME OKAY? ALRIGHT. THANK Y'ALL FOR GIVING US THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME AND SPEAK ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY AND PARKS. UH, WE WERE ABLE TO PRESENT LAST WEEK AT THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE AND IT OPENED UP A LOT OF COMMUNICATION CHANNELS FOR US AS WELL. SO STARTING THIS WEEK, WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE A MEETING WITH COUNCIL MEMBER AIDS WITH DIFFERENT MEMBERS OF CITY STAFF AS FAR AS PARKS, ALL THE AREA COMMANDERS. UH, WE HAD THE FIRE DEPARTMENT THERE, EMS THERE, AND JUST OPENING UP THE CONVERSATION ABOUT THE ISSUES THAT THEY'RE SEEING IN PARKS THAT WE'RE SEEING IN PARKS SO THAT WE CAN ADDRESS THEM. AND SO, UH, BEFORE I GET GOING TOO FAR INTO THE PRESENTATION, I KNOW I'M SPEAKING TO THE BOARD, BUT I DO WANT TO JUST MENTION TO, I BELIEVE IT WAS CHRIS'S COMMENT. UH, LAW ENFORCEMENT'S [02:10:01] DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TYPE OF CRIMINAL INCIDENT. SO IF THEY'RE CIVIL MATTERS, SOME OF THAT CAN BE DEALT WITH BY THE PARK STAFF, BUT ANY TYPE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT. AND I WILL MAKE SURE THAT ANYONE THAT NEEDS MY CARD AFTER THIS HAS IT SO THEY CAN CONTACT ME IF WE'RE HAVING ISSUES WITH RESPONSE FOR THAT. SO, ALRIGHT. AS YOU CAN SEE ON THIS FIRST SLIDE, UM, BETWEEN 2024 AND 25, WE HAD A, A MINOR UPTICK OF JUST OVER 1% IN CALLS FOR SERVICE. UH, AT OUR CITY PARKS, WE HAD A MINOR DECREASE JUST UNDER 2% IN REPORTS TAKEN AT THE PARKS. WHAT YOU WILL SEE IS A, UH, FAIRLY BIG JUMP IN ARREST YEAR OVER YEAR OF ABOUT 31% HIGHER. WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT ON ONE OF THE NEXT SLIDES HERE. UH, AND THEN YOU'LL SEE A FAIRLY SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN RESPONSE CALL TIMES TO PARKS, WHICH IS, UH, ABOUT 20% IN THE RESPONSE TIME DECREASE THERE. AND SO THAT'S IN LINE WITH THE RESPONSE TIMES CITYWIDE. WE'VE MADE SOME IMPLEMENTATION OF DISTRICTS AND PLACEMENT OFFICERS. WE'VE PUT OFFICERS BACK ON PATROL. WE'VE DONE A LOT OF THINGS TO TRY AND REDUCE OUR RESPONSE TIMES. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO THAT CHART LOOKS REALLY SCARY WHEN YOU GET TO OCTOBER OVER THERE. THE BIG JUMP IN OCTOBER IS DUE TO ACL FESTIVAL AND SOME OTHER SPECIAL EVENTS THAT ARE IN THE PARK. UM, ACL DOES A REALLY GOOD JOB OF HIRING OVER A HUNDRED OFFICERS A DAY. THERE'S INCREASED PRESENCE THERE, SO THERE ARE ARRESTS THAT THE OFFICERS ARE SEEING AND MAKING, UM, BUT THERE'S ALSO A LARGE JUMP AND PICKPOCKETING, CELL PHONE THEFTS, THINGS LIKE THAT DURING THAT TIME. AND SO THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IN THAT MAJOR JUMP THE REST OF THE YEAR. AS AMANDA SAID EARLIER, UH, WE'RE SEEING BOVS AS THE PRIMARY DRIVER FOR CRIME IN PARKS. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO THESE ARE THE TOP 20 PARKS WITH ARREST. UM, REPUBLIC SQUARE IS NUMBER ONE THERE. WE DO GET A LOT OF, UH, CONCERNED CITIZENS AND BUSINESSES DOWN IN THE DA OR DOWNTOWN AREA OF COMMAND, UH, CALLING IN ABOUT DRUG ACTIVITY AND THINGS LIKE THAT. IN, UH, REPUBLIC SQUARE PARK, THE NUMBER ONE ARREST THERE IS A POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE. UH, THE SECOND WOULD BE WARRANTS, SO SOMEONE HAVING A, A WARRANT ALREADY ISSUED FOR THEIR ARREST. SO THAT'S THE MAJOR DRIVER OF THOSE ARRESTS IN THAT PARK. AFTER THAT, YOU GO DOWN TO ZILKER METRO PARK AND BURGLARY VEHICLES IS THE MAJOR DRIVER ALONG WITHIN OCTOBER, THE CELL PHONE THEFTS THAT WE HAVE. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. THESE ARE OUR TOP 20 PARKS WITH CALLS FOR SERVICE. AGAIN, YOU'LL SEE ZILKER AT THE TOP. ZILKER ACCOUNTS FOR ABOUT 18% OF OUR TOTAL PARK CALLS FOR SERVICE THAT WE RESPOND TO. UM, A LOT OF THESE CALLS ARE RELATED TO NOISE AND ISSUES LIKE THAT. CERTAINLY EDWARD RENDON SENIOR METRO PARK IS TYPICALLY NOISE RELATED CALLS AND THINGS LIKE THAT THAT WE'RE GETTING FOR THOSE PARKS. NOW WHAT YOU'RE NOT GONNA SEE IN THIS CALLS FOR SERVICE IS WHEN SOMEONE CALLS 3 1 1 AND MAKES AN ONLINE REPORT VERSUS SENDING AN OFFICER OUT. SO IF THEY CALL 3 1 1 9 1 1, OR WE GET FLAGGED DOWN IN THE PARK AND AN OFFICER IS RESPONDING, YOU'RE SEEING THAT DATA HERE. YOU'RE NOT SEEING WHEN THEY CALL 3 1 1 AND THEIR CAR GOT BROKEN INTO AND THEY'RE MAKING A REPORT OVER THE PHONE BECAUSE THERE'S NO SUSPECT ON SCENE. UH, AND THERE'S NO OTHER INFORMATION. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. TOP 20 CALLS FOR SERVICE AT PARK PARK LOCATIONS. THE TOP ONE YOU'LL SEE THERE IS ONSITE INCIDENT. AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT AN OFFICER IS GETTING FLAGGED DOWN OR AN OFFICER IS ALREADY ON THE PARK, MA UH, MAKING CONTACT. AND THAT'S IMPORTANT TO SHOW THAT THE OFFICERS ARE ABLE TO GET TO THE PARKS ON OCCASION. UM, WE'VE REPURPOSED OUR MOUNTED UNIT, WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT IN A LITTLE BIT HERE. SO THEY ARE ON ONSITE IN PARKS EVERY WEEK. AND SO, AND THERE ARE OTHER OFFICERS THAT ARE ONSITE IN THESE PARKS, SPECIFICALLY IN REPUBLIC SQUARE PARK, UH, IN SOME OF THE OTHER AREAS WHERE WE HAVE, UH, THE COMMUNITY CALLING IN AND ASKING FOR AN INCREASED PRESENCE THERE. THE NEXT UP YOU HAVE A DISORDERLY CONDUCT OR A CITY ORDINANCE VIOLATION. THE MAJORITY OF THOSE CALLS WE'RE LOOKING AT THERE ARE NOISE RELATED. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UH, TOP 20 PARKS LOCATIONS WITH REPORTS TAKEN. UH, AS YOU'LL SEE, ZILKER AGAIN IS AT THE TOP, MAINLY BURGLARY VEHICLES. UH, AND THEN YOU HAVE MOUNT BONNELL RIGHT UNDER THAT, AND THAT'S GONNA BE BURGLARY VEHICLES AS WELL THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH OVER THERE. UH, BELOW THAT YOU HAVE REPUBLIC SQUARE, WHICH YOU'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT. UH, I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT WITH BULL CREEK, DISTRICT PARK, BULL CREEK AND, UH, WITHOUT THE DISTRICT PARK ATTACHED TO IT IS REPRESENTED BY FIVE DIFFERENT PARKS. SO THERE ARE MULTIPLE PARKS. AND SO WHEN PEOPLE ARE ASKING, WELL, THERE'S MORE GOING ON IN BULL CREEK, IT DEPENDS ON WHAT PARK AND WHEN YOU SPLIT THEM UP SEPARATELY LIKE THAT, YOU DON'T ALWAYS SEE THE FULL AGGREGATE OF ALL THE CRIMES BEING COMMITTED IN THAT GENERAL AREA. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. ALRIGHT, SO WHEN I MENTIONED MOUNTED PATROL EARLIER, TYPICALLY MOUNTED PATROL HAS BEEN, UM, A PRESENCE IN DOWNTOWN ONLY. WE USED TO USE THEM FOR SIXTH STREET WHEN THE ROADS WERE SHUT DOWN AFTER BAR CLOSURE AND THINGS LIKE THAT. UM, WE STARTED TRANSITIONING THEM [02:15:01] AFTER OPENING UP SIXTH STREET TO PATROLLING DOWNTOWN AT DIFFERENT TIMES, MORE VISIBLE PRESENCE. AND STARTING IN MARCH OF THIS YEAR, WE MOVED THEM TO, UH, PRIMARILY PARKS. AND SO YOU'RE SEE, GONNA SEE A LOT MORE AMOUNT OF PATROL AND PARKS. YOU SHOULD ALREADY BE SEEING THIS OR HEARING ABOUT IT. I'VE BEEN GETTING A LOT OF PHONE CALLS, A LOT OF PEOPLE TELLING ME THEY'RE SEEING IT AND THEY APPRECIATE IT. WHAT WE GET OUTTA MOUNTED IS WE GET A INCREASED PRESENCE, RIGHT? YOU CAN SEE SOMEBODY ON A HORSE FROM A LONG WAYS OFF AND SOMEBODY ON A HORSE CAN SEE OTHER PEOPLE FROM A LONG WAYS OFF. SO IT REALLY DOES INCREASE OUR ENGAGEMENT AND OUR ABILITY TO, UH, BE PROACTIVE AND HAVE A PRESENCE THAT KIND OF DETERS CRIMINAL CONDUCT THERE. THE ONLY PARK YOU'RE GONNA SEE UP THERE THAT, UH, AND YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. UM, THE ONLY PARK YOU'RE GONNA SEE FROM THE TOP 20, UH, CALLS THAT THEY HAVEN'T BEEN TO IS MOUNT BONNELL. AND, UH, AS I POINTED OUT TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE, UNLESS YOU'RE THE MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER, MOUNT BONNELL IS PROBABLY NOT A GREAT IDEA FOR, UH, MOUNTED PATROL. SO, UM, THESE ARE ALL THE PARKS THAT THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO HIT. WE ARE USING THEM BASED ON, UH, THE CITIZENS THAT ARE CONTACTING US AND SAYING, HEY, WE'RE WE'RE HAVING ISSUES WITH THESE PARKS. WE WOULD LIKE MORE PRESIDENTS. AND WE'RE USING OUR CRIME DATA SHOWING WHERE THE, UH, CRIME IS OCCURRING TO ESTABLISH WHERE WE'RE HITTING THE PARKS. AS YOU KNOW, UH, AMANDA SPOKE ABOUT IT. WE'VE GOT A LOT OF PARKS. AND SO WE REALLY HAVE TO KIND OF FOCUS IN ON WHERE WE'RE SEEING THE ISSUES, WHERE WE'RE BEING NOTIFIED OF ISSUES, UH, TO GET THEM INTO THOSE AREAS SPECIFICALLY. AND IT REALLY DOES HELP, UM, BEING ABLE TO GET THOSE OFFICERS, UH, ON THE TRAILS RATHER THAN HAVING AN OFFICER TRY AND WALK OR EVEN RIDE A BICYCLE THESE DAYS. UM, HAVING A, THE MOUNTED UNIT. SUPER HELPFUL THERE. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND SO, AS YOU CAN SEE, THE, THE KIDS OUT THERE AND EVEN THE DOGS ON THE TRAILS LOVE MOUNTED. UM, THEY REALLY INTERACT VERY WELL. PEOPLE LOVE SEEING THE HORSES. THEY DO A LOT OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EVENTS FOR US. AND SO IT REALLY HAS BEEN A GOOD COMMUNICATION BUILDER BETWEEN THE FOLKS IN THE PARKS AS WELL AS OUR OFFICERS AND OUR ABILITY TO FIND OUT WHAT'S GOING ON. MOUNTED HAS BEEN IN CONTACT WITH OUR PARK RANGERS, AND SO THEY'RE KIND OF GATHERING DATA IS WHERE THEY'RE GOING AS WELL. UH, A COUPLE OTHER THINGS THAT I WANT TO THROW OUT THERE IS YESTERDAY WE HAD OUR FIRST, UM, COMBINED MEETING THAT WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER. UH, WE'LL BE HAVING MOUNTED COME TO THAT COMBINED MEETING AND GATHER THAT INFORMATION THERE TO DEPLOY TO THE PARKS BASED ON THAT DATA AS WELL. UH, AND THE OTHER THING THAT I WANT TO TALK ABOUT IS TODAY I HAD MY FIRST MEETING WITH SOME OF OUR SPECIALIZED UNITS, INCLUDING MOUNTED AND INCLUDING OUR DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVES ABOUT, UM, UTILIZING OUR DOUBLE UP DAY. AND WHAT A DOUBLE UP DAY IS, IS THE WAY PATROL IS SCHEDULED IS THEY HAVE OVERLAPPING SHIFTS ON ONE DAY A WEEK. SO I WOULD HAVE A SHIFT WORK MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY, AND THEN I WOULD SHIFT WORK THURSDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY, AND SO ON THAT DOUBLE UP DAY OF THURSDAY, USING A SMALL BIT OF THAT STAFFING PERSONNEL, UH, TO DO SPECIAL PROJECTS. AND ONE OF THOSE SPECIAL PROJECTS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT WILL HAVE AN IMPACT, UH, IS HITTING THE PARKS WITH MORE PATROLS, RIGHT? AND SO WHEN WE SEE ISSUES, WHEN WE KNOW THAT THERE'S GONNA BE MASSIVE, UH, EVENTS OR PARTIES AT ZILKER PARK OR AT ANOTHER PARK, THEN WE CAN SEND THOSE, UH, OFFICERS TO PATROL THOSE PARKS, UH, ON SPECIFIC DATES AND TIMES SO THAT WE CAN, UH, BETTER COVER THE PARKS. ALSO HELP WITH MORALE BUILDING THE OFFICERS. AS YOU KNOW, AS EVERYONE'S HEARD, WE ARE VERY SHORT STAFFED. AND SO, UH, BEING ABLE TO TAKE SOME OF THAT TIME AND PUT IT TOWARDS A A CAUSE THAT'S GONNA HELP WITH CRIME PREVENTION IN THE CITY, BUT ALSO TAKES THE OFFICERS AWAY FROM HAVING TO RESPOND TO A CALL, EXCUSE ME, UH, YOU KNOW, JUST OVER AND OVER AGAIN IS GONNA GIVE THEM KIND OF A BREAK FROM THE MUNDANE, UM, EVERYDAY EFFORTS OF, OF THAT. UH, OBVIOUSLY WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO BE VERY CAUTIOUS WITH STAFFING BECAUSE, UH, WE STILL NEED TO HAVE THE STAFFING THERE TO, TO, UH, FILL THOSE OTHER PATROL CALLS THAT WE'RE HAVING. SO WITH THAT, UH, YOU CAN HIT THE NEXT SLIDE. I THINK THAT IS OUR DATA METHODOLOGY. I'M NOT GONNA GO OVER THAT BECAUSE I PROBABLY DON'T UNDERSTAND HALF OF IT, BUT THE ANALYST PUT IT TOGETHER AND, UH, AND THEY CAN EXPLAIN IT IF NEEDED FURTHER. BUT, UH, I'LL OPEN IT UP TO QUESTIONS FROM HERE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. BOARD MEMBER MERIT. DID YOU WANNA BEGIN? JUST 'CAUSE I KNOW YOU HAD A LOT OF, UM, PEOPLE REACH OUT IN YOUR DISTRICT. YEAH, MY, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER WANTED, UM, THIS BRIEFING BECAUSE THEY WERE GETTING A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT, UH, SAFETY IN THE PARKS. AND SO I THINK YOU'VE GIVEN A LOT OF INFORMATION. YOU'VE PREEMPTIVELY PROBABLY ANSWERED A LOT OF THE QUESTIONS THEY HAVE. UM, I KNOW, UM, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WE SEE A LOT AND AND THAT WAS REFLECTED OF THE ONE OF THE CITIZENS COMMUNICATIONS AS WELL IS THIS IDEA OF HAVING MORE CAMERAS IN PARKS. CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, WHERE THOSE ARE, HOW EFFECTIVE THEY ARE AND LIKE, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHETHER, WHETHER WE SHOULD HAVE MORE AND WHETHER WE, WHAT KIND OF LIKE RESOURCES WOULD BE DEDICATED TO THAT? YEAH, WE DEFINITELY NEED MORE CAMERAS IN THE PARKS AND AMANDA CAN PROBABLY SPEAK MORE ABOUT [02:20:01] WHERE THE, THE PLACEMENT OF THOSE CAMERAS HAS BEEN. UH, THIS WILL LARGELY DEPEND ON THE TRUST ACT THAT WAS JUST PASSED AND WHAT TECHNOLOGY AND, AND, YOU KNOW, FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD, SURVEILLANCE CAN BE USED IN THOSE SITUATIONS. SO, UM, THAT WOULD, THAT WOULD BE ULTIMATELY THE FINDING OUT WHERE WE CAN USE THOSE CAMERAS AND WHERE WE CAN PLACE THOSE CAMERAS AND THE APPROVAL FROM CITY COUNCIL TO DO THAT. UH, WE HAVE USED CAMERAS AT MOUNT BONNELL TEMPORARY, UM, TO CATCH BURGLARY VEHICLE SUSPECTS, THINGS LIKE THAT. DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT THE CAMERAS? YEAH, I THINK YOU, YOU SAID IT ALL. I THINK I'LL JUST ADD THAT WE ARE GOING THROUGH THE TRUST ACT. WE ACTUALLY DO, UM, PLAN TO BRING IT BACK AND WE WILL BE THE, OUR CURRENT CONTRACT FOR THOSE TRAILER UNITS WITH CAMERAS THAT REALLY ARE TO BE FOCUSED ON PARKING LOTS MOSTLY AND AREAS OF CRIME ASSOCIATED WITH THAT. UM, OUR GOAL IS THAT IT SOUNDS LIKE WE WILL PROBABLY BE THE FIRST IN THE CITY TO GO THROUGH THE TRUST ACT. UM, AND THEN WE'LL HOPEFULLY GET THAT BACK BEFORE COUNCIL ONCE WE'VE COMPLETED THAT. OH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT. AND I HAD ANOTHER QUESTION BECAUSE I THINK YOU SAID YOU HAD ABOUT 23 PARK RANGERS THAT SERVICE THE ENTIRE CITY. IS THAT RIGHT? FOR THE MOST PART? THAT'S CORRECT. UM, IS THAT ENOUGH? UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S ONE OF THOSE RESOURCES, I'M SURE A PD WOULD SAY THE SAME, RIGHT? LIKE, WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE MULTIPLE PARK RANGERS IN EVERY PARK. THAT WOULD BE AMAZING. I ALSO KNOW THAT WE ALSO HAVE BUDGETS AND WE HAVE TO KIND OF LIVE WITHIN THAT. SO, UM, ULTIMATELY I THINK WHAT THE SECURITY AUDIT SHOWED US WAS THAT, UM, THERE'S MULTI-PRONGED APPROACHES TO SAFETY AND SECURITY WITHIN OUR PARKS. THERE'S THINGS WE CAN DO AS FAR AS INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS, UM, LIGHTING IMPROVEMENTS, UM, THERE'S WHAT THINGS THAT WE CAN DO FOR BETTER GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE WITHIN OUR DEPARTMENT, UM, IMPROVE OUR PARTNERSHIPS WITH A PD AND CODE TO REALLY STRENGTHEN. UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, ONCE WE HAVE SOME OF THAT STABILIZED, I REALLY THINK THAT'S A, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION TO COME BACK TO. OKAY, THANK YOU. UM, I ALSO, UH, THANKS FOR TALKING WITH THE MOUNTED, UM, THE MOUNTED OFFICERS AS WELL. I THOUGHT THAT THAT WAS KIND OF JUST FOR FUN, BUT I DIDN'T EVER THINK ABOUT THEM AS BEING KIND OF HIGHER UP AND BEING ABLE TO KIND OF SURVEIL AT A, AT A HIGHER LEVEL. UM, BUT YEAH. OKAY. UM, THAT, THOSE ARE MY QUESTIONS. OH, NO, THIS THING, UH, BOARD MEMBER ILLA LOBO AND THEN BOARD MEMBER ZOSTER. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE YOU GIVING US THIS PRESENTATION. UM, I HAVE ENCOUNTERED SOME OF THESE PARK RANGERS AT ONION CREEK, METROPOLITAN PARK NORTH, UM, NO SOUTH, SORRY, SOUTH. UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I APPRECIATE FROM BOTH OF YOU AND I WOULD LIKE TO JUST SEE CONTINUE MOVING FORWARD IS OBVIOUSLY IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE IT'S APPROPRIATE, UH, THAT THE FOCUS CONTINUE TO BE ON EDUCATION. UM, BECAUSE I KNOW A LOT OF TIMES WHEN I'M AT PARKS AND I SEE PEOPLE NOT FOLLOWING THE RULES OR BRINGING SORT OF ORDINANCE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, IT'S DUE TO THEM NOT KNOWING AS OPPOSED TO THEM INTENTIONALLY TRYING TO COMMIT AN ACT. OBVIOUSLY THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ROBBING, YOU KNOW, GOING INTO A PERSON'S VEHICLE AND TAKING SOMETHING, LIKE TAKING SOMETHING FROM A VEHICLE VERSUS PLAYING MUSIC AFTER 10:00 PM OR HAVING A DOG OFF LEASH, RIGHT? SO I APPRECIATE HEARING FROM BOTH OF Y'ALL THAT PERSPECTIVE, UM, AND JUST AM HERE TO ENCOURAGE THAT THAT BE CONTINUED, UM, IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE IT'S APPROPRIATE. SO I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. HI, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. UM, COUPLE MONTHS BACK, I PARTICIPATED IN THE, UM, THE PARK CLEANUP DAY AND I WAS AT ALCON'S PARK IN, UH, DISTRICT SEVEN IN NORTH AUSTIN. UM, AND ONE OF THE PROBLEMS, ONE OF THE BIG PROBLEMS THAT THEY HAVE THERE AND UM, I'D SPENT SOME TIME TALKING TO A COUPLE THAT SPENDS A LOT OF TIME, UM, VOLUNTEERING IN THE PARK IS THE HOMELESS CAMPS. SO, UM, I, I THINK WHEN WE WERE CLEANING UP, WE FOUND A LOT OF, UM, IV USED IV NEEDLES, UM, A LOT OF, UM, UM, THERE WAS A LOT OF FIRES, UH, CAMPFIRES THAT WERE, YOU KNOW, IN THE WOODS. UM, AND THE COMMENT MADE WAS IF WE COULD ONLY GET LIKE MAYBE SOME MORE REGULAR PATROLS TO KIND OF DISPERSE THE FOLKS 'CAUSE THEY JUST CAN'T KEEP UP ON CLEANING UP ALL THE GARBAGE AND ALL THE NEEDLES AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT, THERE'S A FEAR BECAUSE THERE'S A BIG PLAYGROUND THERE THAT KIDS WILL GO OFF INTO THE WOODS AND MAYBE STUMBLE ACROSS, YOU KNOW, A NEEDLE OR GLASS OR, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER IT IS. SO, UH, I, I'M NOT SURE, I KNOW WE, YOU GUYS HAVE LIMITED RESOURCES. IS THERE ANY, UH, ANY RECOMMENDATIONS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE CAN PASS ON TO THE VOLUNTEERS THAT WORK IN THE PARK OR, YOU KNOW, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU GUYS CAN DO TO SUPPORT? 'CAUSE IT, IT DOESN'T SHOW UP IN THE TOP 20, BUT IT'S STILL A, A PROBLEM, RIGHT? CERTAINLY ONE OF THE BIGGEST ISSUES WE HAVE IS TALKING ABOUT ENCAMPMENTS, [02:25:01] RIGHT? AND SO TYPICALLY THEY DON'T GET REPORTED THROUGH 9 1 1 THE SAME WAY AS THEY DO THROUGH SOMEBODY CALLS AND TALKS TO A COUNCIL MEMBER, TO A BOARD MEMBER OR EMAIL SOMEONE DIRECTLY. AND SO YOU DON'T ALWAYS SEE THAT IN THE DATA. UM, BUT WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS THAT THE CITY MANAGER HAS, UH, PUT A NEW EFFORT OUT ON TRYING TO DO THE, THE CLEANUPS AND THE CAMPS. AND SO, UH, WE ARE STARTING A, A PROJECT WHERE WE'RE GOING OUT EVERY SINGLE DAY AND COMMITTING 10 OF OUR DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVES EVERY DAY TO DOING THE CAMP CLEANUPS AND MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE TRYING TO CLEAN THEM UP. UH, AND IT IS AN ISSUE WITH BEING ABLE TO, TO CLEAN UP ONE CAMP AND THEY MOVE AND THEY COME BACK AND, YOU KNOW, AND SO WE'RE WORKING WITH THE HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE TO, UH, PROVIDE MORE SUPPORT AND TRY AND GET PEOPLE INTO RESOURCES THAT THEY CAN USE, UM, SO THAT WE'RE JUST NOT MOVING THEM AROUND 'CAUSE THAT'S NOT HELPFUL TO THEM. IT'S NOT HELPFUL TO US. SO, UH, WE ARE WORKING ON THAT AND WE ARE TRYING TO PROVIDE THAT AS WE DO THESE, UH, I DON'T WANNA SAY ENHANCE, BUT THE, UM, MULTIPLE CAMP CLEANUPS THAT ARE GONNA BE GOING ON GOING FORWARD. THANK YOU. AND I'LL, I'LL JUST ADD TO THAT, UM, THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, UM, TEAMS UNDER LEANNA ARE ALSO PART OF THAT HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE AND A PD COLLABORATION, RIGHT? AND SO THEY'RE ALSO ABLE TO SHARE WHAT THEY'RE SEEING, UM, HELP WITH CLEANUPS, PARTICULARLY IN THE WOODS, RIGHT? LIKE BALCONES IS GONNA BE SOMEPLACE THAT'S GONNA BE DIFFICULT FOR EQUIPMENT TO ACCESS. UM, AND AS WELL, YOU KNOW, WORKING ON THOSE PARTNERSHIPS TO GET RESOURCES RIGHT SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE RETURN. UM, AND THEN THE OTHER THING I WAS GONNA ADD ON TO THAT IS THAT THE PARK RANGERS ACTUALLY SINCE, UH, BEFORE 2020, UM, HAVE DONE A TWICE A YEAR SURVEY OF ENCAMPMENTS ON PARKLAND. AND THEY DO USE 3 1 1 DATA TO HELP IDENTIFY THOSE LOCATIONS. WE STARTED WITH THAT AND THEN WE'VE KIND OF TRANSITIONED TO WHERE NOW THEY'RE DOING LIKE, PRETTY MUCH EVERY SPACE THAT THEY KNOW OF AN ENCAMPMENT IN ADDITION TO 3 1 1 CALLS. SO ANY OF THOSE 3 1 1 CALLS DO GET REPORTED NOT ONLY TO THE HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE, BUT IT IS ALSO SOMETHING THAT WE CAN THEN USE, UM, FOR THAT SURVEY OF ENCAMPMENTS ON PARKLAND, UNDERSTAND SIZE, UNDERSTAND IMPACT, AND THEN HELP PRIORITIZE FOR CLOSURE AS WELL. NOT ONLY BASED ON, UM, YOU KNOW, CONNECTING PEOPLE TO RESOURCES, BUT ALSO THE IMPACT ON PARKLAND. THANK YOU. ANY QUESTIONS FROM OUR BOARD MEMBERS WHO ARE ONLINE? OKAY. NO BOARD MEMBER FRANKLIN, I APOLOGIZE. OH, NO, YOU'RE GOOD. THANK YOU. UM, JUST A QUICK QUESTION. IN TERMS OF TAKING STOCK OF, YOU KNOW, POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENTS THAT CAN BE, UM, MADE WORKING IN THE FUTURE FOR THE PARK AREAS, IS THERE ALSO A WAY FOR CITIZEN INPUT TO LOG LIKE, HEY, I WAS WALKING DOWN THE PATH AND IT FELT KIND OF DARK AND UNSAFE, OR IT WAS OVERGROWN OR THERE WAS, UM, SOMEONE WHO MADE ME FEEL UNSAFE WHERE IT'S SORT OF A CROWDSOURCING MECHANISM TO HELP PROVIDE RELIEF. 'CAUSE 23 PARK RANGERS IS OBVIOUSLY NOT VERY MANY FOR A LARGE, UM, CITY AS WELL. SO IS THERE SOME WAY FOR THE COMMUNITY TO ENGAGE AND PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION SEPARATE FROM 3 1 1? UM, I WAS GONNA SAY 3 1 1 ACTUALLY, BUT, UM, ULTIMATELY, UM, THAT 3 1 1 DATA DOES HELP US, RIGHT? SO IT DOES HELP CATEGORIZE A LOCATION AND IT HELPS PROVIDE US THAT INFORMATION. UM, AND WE WE'RE WORKING WITH THE PARK RANGERS AS AN AN INPUT STRATEGY. 'CAUSE RIGHT NOW A LOT OF THAT COMES IN AS, YOU KNOW, VEGETATION ASSIST OR NEED FOR THAT. BUT WE'RE TRYING TO CREATE ONE THAT'S REALLY FOCUSED ON PARK RULES SPECIFICALLY, UM, THAT CAN HELP US WITH THAT CATEGORIZATION AND SOME OF THAT DATA AS WELL. UM, I I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY, IN FAIRNESS, THAT'S PROBABLY ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO, UH, FOR THE PUBLIC TO GET INFORMATION THAT THEN WE CAN HELP, UH, CATEGORIZE NEEDS AND HELP SHARE SOME OF THAT INFORMATION AS WELL. UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALWAYS OPEN. THERE'S A, A GENERAL PARK RANGER EMAIL TOO THAT YOU CAN EMAIL TO US AS WELL AND WE CAN TAKE THAT INFORMATION AND I, I CAN GET THAT BACK OUT TO YOU GUYS. SO IF SOMEONE'S GOING THROUGH A PARK AND THEY HAVE A CONCERN, THE BEST WAY TO REACH OUT IS CURRENTLY THROUGH 3 1 1. CORRECT. OKAY, THANK YOU. YOU CAN ALSO LOOK ONLINE AT, UH, AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS A FIND MY DR FIND MY DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE, UH, WEBSITE THERE THAT THEY CAN LOOK AND FIND THE DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE AREA THAT THEY'RE AT AND EMAIL THAT DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE DIRECTLY, UM, TO PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION. SO I WOULD SAY IT'S BOTH RIGHT? WE NEED THE DATA FROM 3 1 1 BECAUSE OTHERWISE WE'RE PULLING DATA FROM A LOT OF DIFFERENT PLACES AND TRYING TO, TO ADD IT AND JUST LIKE YOU SAID, YOU KNOW, HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT IS A, IS AN ISSUE THAT WE SEE A LOT OF, BUT IT DOESN'T ALWAYS GET REPORTED THE SAME WAY. AND SO THAT THREE WOMAN DATA IS VERY HELPFUL IN INFORMING OUR DECISIONS AND WHAT WE DO, BUT MORE INFORMATION CAN BE PROVIDED AND THEY MAY GET A DIRECT RESPONSE BY REACHING OUT DIRECTLY TO THE DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE THAT'S ASSIGNED TO THEIR AREA. I UNDERSTAND. THANK YOU. THIS THING, I'M NOT GOOD WITH THIS TODAY. UM, I'M JUST GONNA PIGGYBACK OFF THAT, UM, BECAUSE I WAS GONNA ASK IF THERE [02:30:01] ARE BEST PRACTICES FOR US OR THINGS THAT WE COULD DO, UM, AS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT EDUCATION. AND SO, UM, JUST TO REITERATE, IT WAS THE 3 1 1 AND THEN YOU SAID THAT WE COULD USE FIND MY DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE, UM, AS ANOTHER OPTION. AND THEN THERE'S A PARK RANGER EMAIL. CAN YOU SHARE WHAT THAT EMAIL IS? YEAH, LET ME DOUBLE CHECK IT. OKAY. 'CAUSE IT'S PARK RANGERS@AUSTINTEXAS.GOV, BUT LET ME JUST MAKE SURE I'M GETTING THE DOTS AND EVERYTHING LIKE THAT. BUT I CAN SHARE THAT, I CAN GIVE THAT BACK TO, TO TIM FOR YOU. BUT ULTIMATELY THAT 3 1 1 IS, IS A BETTER SYSTEM FOR US BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S JUST ORGANIZED AND CATEGORIZED AND THERE'S SPECIFIC QUESTIONS SO WE CAN GET TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER FOR IT. SO THAT'S OUR BEST INPUT, UM, AS FAR AS INFORMATION COMING BACK TO US AS WELL. AND THEN THE LAST THING I'LL MENTION TOO IS I REPORT AUSTIN, WHICH, UM, IS A GREAT WAY, PARTICULARLY IF THERE'S A CRIME, MAYBE SOMEBODY'S NOT THERE THAT'S OCCURRED, BURGLARY VEHICLES, BUT I REPORT AUSTIN IS A WAY TO GET THAT INFORMATION IN AND THEN YOU CAN, YOU CAN REQUEST A CALL BACK FROM A PD AS WELL. UM, THAT'S GREAT FOR, FOR NOISE ORDINANCES, THINGS LIKE THAT. THAT'S A REALLY, THAT'S A NICE TOOL AS WELL. SORRY, I THINK MINE'S BROKEN. IT'S A JOKE. UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. BOARD MEMBERS ONLINE. JUST ONE MORE TIME, MAKE SURE THAT I'M NOT MISSING YOU. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE APPRECIATE THE TIME. THANK YOU. UM, BOARD MEMBERS, THIS WAS JUST A BRIEFING, SO NO ACTIONS NEEDED. THANK YOU. UM, WE HAVE NOW [6. Staff briefing on the Barton Springs Road bridge replacement project. (Sponsors: Bazan, Becker) Presenter(s): Eric Bailey, Deputy Director, Capital Delivery Services.] ITEM NUMBER SIX. THIS IS A STAFF BRIEFING ON THE BARTON SPRINGS ROAD BRIDGE REPLACEMENT PROJECTS. UM, AND MR. BECK? YES, CHAIR. WE HAVE I THINK FIVE SPEAKERS ON THIS ITEM. OUR FIRST SPEAKER WILL BE DAVID WEINBERG, FOLLOWED BY GAIL RODIE. AND THEN MARK MAY IS DAVID HERE? OUR FIRST SPEAKER WILL BE GAIL RODIE, FOLLOWED BY MARK MAY. AND THEN BILL BUNCH GAIL, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES FROM THE TIME YOU BEGIN SPEAKING. GOOD, GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS GAIL RODIE. I LIVE IN DISTRICT FIVE. UH, I CAME BEFORE YOU AT YOUR APRIL MEETING TO TALK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF FINDING A WAY TO PRESERVE AND PROTECT THE BARTON SPRINGS ROAD BRIDGE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, UH, TO SEEK ALTERNATIVES TO THE, UM, APPARENT CURRENT PLAN TO TEAR DOWN THE BRIDGE AND PUT SOMETHING, UH, MUCH MORE MASSIVE IN ITS PLACE. SO, UM, MY COMMENTS FROM LAST MONTH STAND, BUT I ALSO HAVE STARTED THINKING ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PRESERVATION OF THE BRIDGE IN TERMS OF THE PRESERVATION OF THE PARK AS A WHOLE. UM, IF WE LOOK BACK AT WHAT'S HAPPENED TO THE PARK OVER CENTURIES, IT'S REALLY BEEN A LOT OF INSULTS TO THE PARK. I MEAN, IF YOU LOOK AT LAST CENTURY, JUST A COUPLE OF THINGS. WE USED THE PARK AS A LANDFILL. UH, WE BUILT A MAJOR HIGHWAY THROUGH THE PARK, UH, IN THIS CENTURY, THAT SAME, UH, THE LANDFILL AREA, WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN RESTORED IS NOW A MOONSCAPE, UH, TO ACCOMMODATE THE, UM, ACL STAGING. UH, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT EXPANDING MOPAC THROUGH THE PARK. SO, AND THEN IN ADDITION, LOOKING AT TEARING DOWN THIS BRIDGE AND BUILDING SOMETHING MUCH LARGER, IT JUST FEELS LIKE THIS PARK IS A GEM AND IT'S JUST ONE HUGE INSULT AFTER ANOTHER. MORE CONCRETE, MORE IMPERVIOUS COVER, UH, HOPING THAT WE DON'T DESTROY THE LIVING, UH, RESOURCES OF THE PARK, HOPING THEY'LL COME BACK, HOPING MITIGATION WILL TAKE CARE OF SOME OF THESE THINGS. AND, UM, I JUST THINK WE, THIS BRIDGE, THIS ISSUE GIVES US A CHANCE, GIVES YOU ALL A CHANCE TO REALLY TAKE A STAND AND SAY, NO, WE'RE GONNA BE MORE PROACTIVE ABOUT PROTECTING THIS PARK AND LET'S PROTECT THIS BRIDGE AS A START. LET'S RESTORE IT. LET'S KEEP WHAT WE CAN, LET'S MAKE IT SAFE, BUT WE CANNOT JUST KEEP, UH, THROWING THESE INSULTS AT THE PARK. SO I'M GONNA ASK YOU WHAT I ASKED YOU, UH, LAST MONTH, WHICH IS I'M ASKING YOU TO RECOMMEND THAT COUNSEL TAKE A MORE ROBUST AND BETTER INFORMED APPROACH TO THE UPGRADE OF THE HISTORIC BARTON SPRINGS ROAD BRIDGE THAN THE ONE THAT IS LEADING US TOWARDS TOTAL REPLACEMENT AND ESSENTIALLY PUTTING A HIGHWAY THROUGH OUR PARK. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU, MARK. NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE MARK MAY, FOLLOWED BY BILL BUNCH AND THEN ROBIN RATHER. AND I BELIEVE THAT THERE'S A SLIDE PRESENTATION TO GO ALONG WITH THESE COMMENTS. [02:35:02] ALRIGHT. UM, HI THERE. PARDON? UH, MY NAME IS MARK MAY, I LIVE IN D FIVE. UM, I WANTED TO TALK, TALK ABOUT THE BARTON SPRINGS ROAD BRIDGE. I THINK THERE'S SEVERAL THINGS ABOUT THIS, UH, YOU KNOW, PROPOSED, UH, PROJECT THAT ARE VERY, UH, CONCERNING, YOU KNOW, UH, BEYOND THE OBVIOUS SENSITIVE, UH, LOCATION AND LET THE COST OF, OF THE PROJECT. WHEN I READ THE, UH, BYLAWS, IT SAYS THAT YOU SHOULD, THAT YOU SHALL ACTUALLY ADVISE OF THE COUNCIL ON TOPICS INCLUDING, UH, THE MAINTENANCE AND IMPROVEMENT OF LANDS THAT ARE MANAGED BY PAR. SO I THINK THIS DEFINITELY COVERS COVERS OF THE BRIDGE. SO WHEN YOU HAVE THE CHANCE, I URGE YOU TO ADVISE THE COUNCIL THAT, UH, THAT THE PROJECT TO IMPROVE OR MAINTAIN THE BRIDGE DOES NOT SEEM TO BE WELL THOUGHT OUT AND NEEDS TO BE RE UH, VISITED. SO THE NEXT COUPLE PAGES, I'LL WALK YOU SOME OF OTHER CURRENT, SOME OF THE CONCERNS AS I SEE THEM. SO, NEXT PAGE. SO THIS IS A VIEW LOOKING EAST FROM, UH, THE BRIDGE. UH, AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE'S ONE BIKE LANE, A TRAVEL THROUGH LANE, AND A TURN LANE. WHEN THEN YOU LOOK AT THE DOCUMENTATION, UH, IT'S ACTUALLY WRONG. IT CLEARLY SHOWS TWO, UH, TWO, UH, TRAVEL LANES WHEN, WHEN THERE SHOULD BE ONE. MAYBE WHY, WHY THEY DID THIS IS 'CAUSE THERE'S ONE TRAVEL LANE THAT THEN MAGICALLY TURNS INTO TWO ON, UH, THE BRIDGE. SO WE'RE GONNA BUILD A TWO LANE BRIDGE AND WE'RE, AND WE'RE GONNA, UH, CONNECT IT TO A SINGLE THROUGH THROUGH LANE. THIS IS NOT, NOT A GOOD USE OF PUBLIC FUNDS IN OUR PARK. NEXT PAGE, IF WE LOOK AT THE EAST EASTBOUND LANES HERE, YOU CAN SEE ON, UH, THE TOP, THERE'S A, A PICTURE OF THE SINGLE, UH, TRAVEL LANE GOING EAST. IF YOU LOOK DOWN AT THE BRIDGE AGAIN, THERE'S TWO LANES. UH, HE HEADING EAST WHEN WE ONLY NEED ONE. SO WHY ARE WE SPENDING THIS MUCH MONEY WHEN THE CITY HAS SUCH A BUDGET PROBLEMS BUILDING MORE LANES THAN WE NEED? NEXT PAGE. OKAY, IF WE LOOK AT THE BRIDGE, THERE'S 50 PLUS FEET OF BIKE AND PED PATHS, A COUPLE PIECES OF, UH, COMPARABLE DATA. THE, UH, BUTLER TRAIL IS APPARENTLY EXPANDING TO 14 FEET WIDE, UH, 14 FEET WIDE. THE, UH, PED BRIDGE UNDERNEATH MOPAC IS ALSO 14 FEET WIDE. THE GIGANTIC ONE IS THE A FLUKER BRIDGE THAT'S 23 FEET WIDE. SO WHY DO WE NEED, AND WHY WOULD WE PAY FOR 50 PLUS FEET ON THIS BRIDGE? NEXT, NEXT PAGE. SO THIS, THIS IS A VIEW OF THE BRIDGE FROM ONE OF THE OTHER, UH, DOCUMENTS. I ASKED FOR THE DATA USED TO JUSTIFY THE PET AND BIKE BUTTS, AND I'M A GIGANTIC CYCLIST. UM, SO IT'S NOT THAT I DISLIKE BIKES. UM, AND I WAS POINTING TO TWO DIFFERENT, UH, DOCUMENTS TO SHOW ME THE DATA. IT WAS A BRIDGE, INTERESTING CONCEPT, A REPORT. AND THEN THE A SMP, AS FAR AS I COULD TELL, NEITHER ONE OF THEM HAD ANY DATA THAT BACKED UP THE 50 PLUS FEET, UH, FOR THE, FOR THE PET AND BIKE PASS. NEXT, NEXT PAGE. THANK YOU MR. MAY. UH, YEAH. SO ANYWAY, PLEASE, PLEASE DO THE OBVIOUS. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. OUR NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE BILL BUNCH. YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES FROM THE TIME YOU BEGIN SPEAKING. THANK YOU CHAIR COMMISSIONERS, UH, BILL BUNCH, SAVE OUR SPRINGS. I PASSED OUT A LITTLE ONE AND A HALF PAGER WITH KEY BULLET POINTS. UH, I'LL TOUCH ON THOSE A LITTLE BIT. I DO ASK YOU TO REVISIT YOUR PROCEDURES. THIS REALLY MAKES NO SENSE TO HAVE, UH, PUBLIC SPEAKERS BEFORE THE PRESENTATION. UM, THAT WAY YOU'RE, YOU WE'RE LESS INFORMED THAN WE SHOULD BE WASTING YOUR TIME POTENTIALLY. AND THEN ALSO IF THE STAFF SAYS SOMETHING, WE HAVE NO CHANCE TO REBUT IT. UM, THAT'S NOT HOW OTHER BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS DO IT. I HOPE YOU'LL CHANGE. I DID REVIEW THE ONLINE POSTED BACK UP AND THERE'S LOTS OF MISLEADING INFORMATION IN HERE AS THERE HAS BEEN IN THIS WHOLE PROCESS FOR, UH, GOING BACK TO WHEN, UH, THE CITY COUNCIL BYPASSED THE WHOLE REVIEW OF YOUR COMMISSION, HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, UM, AND GAVE DIRECTION TO STAFF TO BUILD A GIANT NEW BRIDGE. I DON'T THINK THEY EVEN KNEW IT WAS A GIANT NEW BRIDGE. THEY WERE JUST MISLED TO BELIEVE THAT THE ONE WE HAVE IS TOO FRAIL TO REPAIR AND THAT IT COULD BE REPLACED FOR LESS MONEY THAN, UH, IT COULD BE, UH, MAINTAINED. ALL OF THAT INFORMATION IS NOW CLEARLY FALSE. THEY ARE PROPOSING TO BASICALLY DOUBLE THE WIDTH OF THE BRIDGE, ADDING LANES THAT WE DON'T NEED. UH, THESE PROPOSALS WERE DEVELOPED [02:40:01] BEFORE WE NARROWED THE BRIDGE DOWN TO THE THREE CAR LANES AND GAVE OVER THAT ONE CAR LANE TO ADDITIONAL BIKE PAD. UM, THAT'S NOW ESTABLISHED AS FULLY FUNCTIONAL. SO A WHOLE LOT OF THE PROBLEMS WITH BIKE PAD HAVE BEEN SOLVED FOR VIRTUALLY NO MONEY. UM, THEY CLAIM THE TEXAS HISTORIC COMMISSION HAS APPROVED THIS. IT HAS NOT, THERE'S STILL A HUGE ENVIRONMENTAL AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION REVIEW PROCESS. UM, THEY SAY IN THE PRESENTATION THAT REPLACEMENT IS A VIABLE ALTERNATIVE. THE LAW HERE IS THAT IT, THEY HAVE TO MAKE A LEGAL CONCLUSION THAT IT'S NOT FEASIBLE OR PRUDENT TO SAVE THE HISTORIC BRIDGE. WE HAVE THEIR OWN DOCUMENTATION ESTABLISHES THAT WE CAN SAVE THIS BRIDGE FOR LESS MONEY THAN THEY'RE NOW SAYING THE TEAR DOWN A REPLACEMENT. WE'RE UP TO 54 AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS FOR THAT. THEIR LITTLE DRAWING OF WHAT THEY LOOKED AT TO SAVE WHAT WE HAVE WAS NOT JUST SAVE IT, BUT ACTUALLY EXPAND IT SUBSTANTIALLY ON BOTH SIDES WITH, UH, THE ARCHES THAT WOULD MATCH THE HISTORIC ARCHES. AND THEY SAID IN 2022, THEY COULD DO THAT REPAIR, REHAB AND EXPANSION FOR $14 MILLION. THEY NEVER EVEN GAVE US A NUMBER FOR JUST TAKING CARE OF WHAT WE HAVE. OBVIOUSLY IT WOULD BE SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THAT. SO COMPARE THAT TO THE 54 AND A HALF MILLION. UM, THEY CAN'T MEET THE LEGAL STANDARD. WE REALLY SHOULD GO BACKWARDS. THE STAFF CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS. THEY CAN'T SAY WE'RE SIMPLY DOING WHAT COUNCIL TOLD US TO DO, BUT THEN AT THE, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THEIR MOUTH SAYING, OH, WE'RE GONNA FOLLOW THIS PROCESS OVER THESE NEXT FEW MONTHS AND IT'S GONNA BE AN HONEST ENVIRONMENTAL, HISTORIC ARCHEOLOGICAL, UH, UH, AND, AND TRANSPORTATION INQUIRY. THANK YOU, MR. YOU CAN'T DO IT BOTH WAYS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. PLEASE STEP UP AND HELP US. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE ROBIN RATHER. SO THERE, THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT WE CAN ALL AGREE ON. NUMBER ONE, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING ABOUT THIS BRIDGE IS IT NEEDS TO BE SAFE. THE SECOND THING I THINK WE CAN AGREE ON IS WE'VE, WE'VE MOVED FROM AN ERA IN AUSTIN WHERE WE HAD WHAT SEEMED LIKE UNLIMITED FUNDS TO DO UNLIMITED PROJECTS. AND WE WERE IN WHAT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER VELA SOMETIMES CALLS THE ALPHA CITY MODE. AND I THINK WE'VE, WE'VE ENDED THAT ERA AND WE'VE MOVED INTO AN ERA OF FRUGALITY. AND THE QUESTIONS WE NEED TO ASK OURSELVES ARE, IS THIS NECESSARY? DO WE HAVE THE MONEY? IF WE HAVE THE MONEY? IS THIS THE ABSOLUTE TOP PRIORITY? I LISTEN CAREFULLY TO A LOT OF OUR COLLEAGUES FROM EAST AUSTIN AND I KNOW FOR A FACT THERE ARE A LOT OF PROJECTS ON THE, ON THE LIST OF THINGS THAT NEED TO BE FUNDED THAT ARE FAR, FAR MORE IMPORTANT THAN THIS EXPANSION OF A, OF A BEAUTIFUL BRIDGE THAT COULD EASILY BE, UM, UPGRADED, RESTORED, AND FRUGALLY DEALT WITH AS OPPOSED TO BLOWING IT OUT TO A, A REALLY UGLY HIGHWAY OF A BRIDGE THAT I THINK WE WILL NOT BE PROUD OF. AND I'M NOT TOTALLY SURE WE HAVE THE MONEY FOR. AND EVEN IF WE HAD THE MONEY, I'M PRETTY SURE THIS IS NOT WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING. WHERE WE ARE IN AUSTIN IS BEING SUPER CAREFUL, SUPER STRATEGIC, AND WE SHOULD TAKE CARE OF WHAT WE CAN FIX IT UP, UPGRADE IT A LITTLE BIT IF WE NEED TO, BUT WE SHOULDN'T BE THAT FAMILY THAT'S ALREADY MAXED OUT ITS CREDIT CARDS AND DECIDES IT SHOULD BUY A FERRARI. THAT'S WHAT THIS FEELS LIKE. I WANNA BE ESPECIALLY CAREFUL TO PRAISE THE STAFF. EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN THIS ROOM, INCLUDING THE CAPITAL DELIVERY PEOPLE ARE DOING THEIR BEST. THIS DECISION GOT MADE BACK IN THE OLD ERA WHEN WE THOUGHT WE HAD UNLIMITED FUNDS AND WE COULD, WE COULD BLOW SOMETHING OUT LIKE THIS. THIS IS WRONG FOR ZILKER PARK, IT'S WRONG FOR OUR BUDGET, IT'S WRONG IN TERMS OF OUR PRIORITIES. WE SAT HERE LAST WEEK WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION IN THIS VERY ROOM. THEY DIDN'T VOTE ON IT, BUT I THINK THEY'RE GOING TO TOMORROW NIGHT, THEY'RE GONNA ASK, I BET DOLLARS TO DONUTS. THEY'RE GONNA ASK THE CITY COUNCIL TO RECONSIDER THIS. AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ASKING YOU ALL IS TO JUST GENTLY ASK [02:45:01] THE COUNCIL TO TAKE THIS, TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT THIS. THEY'VE WALKED BACK THE BOND PACKAGE, AT LEAST THE SIZE OF IT. THEY'VE WALKED BACK CAP AND STITCH. THEY SHOULD PROBABLY WA WALK THIS BACK AND WE SHOULD COME UP WITH A SMALLER INVESTMENT AND USE THE, THE MONEY THAT WE'D SAVE ON THE HIGHER PRIORITY ITEMS THAT WE HAVE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING TONIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE. IS THERE ANYONE ELSE PRESENT THAT WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THE PARKS BOARD ON THIS ITEM? THAT IS THE END OF PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM. OKAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE'LL LISTEN TO THE PRESENTATION. GOOD EVENING. UH, MY NAME IS ERIC BAILEY. I'M THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN, AND I'M HERE TODAY TO PROVIDE A STAFF UPDATE ON THE BARTON SPRINGS ROAD BRIDGE PROJECT. UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. UH, THE ORIGINAL STRUCTURE IS A HUNDRED YEARS OLD. THIS YEAR IS EXPANDED IN 1946 TO ITS CURRENT FOUR-LANE CONFIGURATION. IT SEES AN AVERAGE OF 20,000 VEHICLES PER DAY. IT'S A KEY ENTRANCE TO ZILKER PARK AND FOR SOME OF THE CITY'S SIGNATURE EVENTS, INCLUDING THE TRAIL OF LIGHTS, BLUES ON THE GREEN, THE AUSTIN CITY LIMITS MUSIC FESTIVAL. THE PROJECT IS FUNDED VIA THE CITY'S GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS WITH THE BULK OF THE FUNDING COMING FROM THE 2020 BOND AS WELL AS A RECENTLY AWARDED $32 MILLION FHWA BRIDGE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM GRANT THAT'S GOING TOWARDS THE CONSTRUCTION COSTS. UH, NEXT SLIDE. WE PROVIDE A LITTLE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WHERE THE PROJECT IS IN THE DESIGN PROCESS. UH, BECAUSE OF THE FEDERAL GRANT FOR CONSTRUCTION, THE PROJECT NEEDS TO GO THROUGH THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT OR NEPA PROCESS. AS PART OF THAT PROCESS, THE ALTERNATIVES PRESENTED IN THE PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING OR THE PRELIMINARY BRIDGE REPORT, AS WELL AS OTHER FEASIBLE OPTIONS ARE ANALYZED AND DETERMINATIONS ARE MADE BY THE ADMINISTERING AGENCY. IN THIS CASE TDOT IN COORDINATION WITH THE TEXAS HISTORIC COMMISSION AND OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES INCLUDING SAVE OUR SPRINGS, WHICH HAS BEEN INVITED TO COLLABORATE ON THE NEPA PROCESS ON WHAT ADDITIONAL STUDIES NEED TO BE COMPLETED, IF ANY. ADDITIONALLY, THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO PROVIDE COMMENT ON THE NEPA DOCUMENTS AND ON THIS PROJECT. AND THAT PROCESS TAKES AROUND A YEAR AND IS CURRENTLY UNDERWAY. WE'RE LOOKING TO WRAP THAT UP AT THE END OF 2026 OR EARLY 2027 AND HAVE THE PROJECT READY TO BID IN 2027. DURING THE NEPA PROCESS, WE WORK WITH TDOT, THE ARMY CORPS AND THE TEXAS HISTORIC COMMISSION. OH, SORRY, I'M THANK YOU. UM, TEXAS HISTORIC COMMISSION TO DEVELOP THE DESIGN AND DETERMINE HOW TO COMPLY WITH ALL RELEVANT REGULATIONS. UH, IN ADDITION TO THE NEPA PROCESS, THIS PROJECT PROJECT WILL GO THROUGH THE CITY OF AUSTIN PERMITTING PROCESS AND TERM AND OBTAIN APPROVALS NECESSARY FROM BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, UH, AND ANY VARIANCES THAT ARE NEEDED. UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. WE REVIEW THE CURRENT CONDITION OF THE BRIDGE. THE PHOTO IN THE UPPER LEFT SHOWS CRACKING AND EXPOSED STEEL UNDERNEATH THE BRIDGE. PHOTO IN THE UPPER RIGHT SHOWS CRACKING AND DELAMINATION AROUND THE BRIDGE COLUMNS. PHOTO IN THE LOWER LEFT IS A CONCRETE CORE SAMPLE FROM THE BRIDGE DECK SHOWING DETERIORATION IN THE CONCRETE. AND THE PHOTO IN THE LOWER RIGHT SHOWS THE CURB, SIDEWALK AND GUARDRAIL. UH, THE CURRENT BRIDGE IS FUNCTIONALLY OBSOLETE, WHICH MEANS THAT IT DOESN'T MEET THE CURRENT DESIGN STANDARDS. UH, I'M SURE Y'ALL HAVE BEEN OUT THERE. YOU'VE SEEN THE NARROW SIDEWALKS, UH, HIGH CURBS AND LOW GUARDRAILS. THE CONSULTING ENGINEER UNDERTOOK A STRUCTURAL EVALUATION OF THE BRIDGE IN 2023 AND FOUND THAT, AND THIS IS A QUOTE BASED ON THE CURRENT LEVEL OF DETERIORATION OF THE LONGITUDINAL BEAM AND CONTINUED INTRUSION OF WATER. IT'S ESTIMATED THAT THE ABSENCE OF REHABIL IN THE ABSENCE OF REHABILITATION SIGNIFICANT DETERIORATION COULD PROGRESS TO A POINT WHERE INCREASES IN MAINTENANCE COSTS AND REPAIRS REACH A SIGNIFICANT LEVEL IN FIVE TO 10 YEARS. REPAIR OF THE LONGITUDINAL BEAM ALONE TO LIMIT WATER INTRUSION MAY NOT BE SUFFICIENT TO EXTEND THE LIFE OF THE BRIDGE SIGNIFICANTLY. A PREFERRED METHOD TO LIMIT WATER INTRUSION WOULD BE TO REPLACE THE DECK ENTIRELY ELIMINATING THE LONGITUDINAL AND TRANSVERSE JOINTS ALTOGETHER. AND IN ADDITION, SINCE THE SPANEL COLUMNS EXHIBIT LOW COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH AND SEVERAL EXHIBIT SPING AND OR DEAMINATION, ANY BRIDGE REHABILITATION DESIRING INCREASED LIFESPAN WOULD INVOLVE STRIPPING THE STRUCTURE DOWN TO THE ARCH RIBS AND REBUILDING THE SPAND COLUMNS, FLOOR BEAMS AND DECK. SO IF YOU TRANSLATE THAT FROM ENGINEER INTO PLAIN ENGLISH, IT MEANS THERE'S NO WAY TO HAVE A LIGHT TOUCH REHABILITATION OF THE STRUCTURE. THE MAIN STRUCTURAL ISSUES ARE IN THE DECK ITSELF AND IT'S BEYOND THE POINT OF REPAIR NEEDS TO BE COMPLETELY REPLACED. ADDITIONALLY, DUE TO THE CONCERNS THAT HAVE BEEN BROUGHT UP IN THE PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING REPORT AND SUBSEQUENT TXDOT INSPECTIONS, THE CITY ENGINEER AND TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT SHIFTED TRAVEL LANES, UH, TO THE SOUTH TO LIMIT HEAVYWEIGHT TRAFFIC LOADING ON THE OLD PORTION OF THE BRIDGE THAT WAS IN THE WORST STRUCTURAL CONDITION. UH, NEXT SLIDE. [02:50:03] AS A PART OF THE PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING REPORT, THE CONSULTING ENGINEER STUDIED THE BRIDGE INTERNALLY AS WELL AS EXTERNALLY. IN ADDITION, THE ENGINEER LOOKED AT TRAFFIC PATTERNS, A DA ACCESSIBILITY AND THE COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF VARIOUS OPTIONS. THE ENGINEER AND STAFF COORDINATED WITH THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS AS WELL AS THE TEXAS, TEXAS HISTORIC COMMISSION. UH, IT'S IMPORTANT TO EMPHASIZE HERE THAT THE BRIDGE IS A CONTRIBUTING FEATURE TO THE ZILKER PARK HISTORIC DISTRICT AND THE BRIDGE ITSELF IS NOT A HISTORIC LANDMARK. EQUALLY IMPORTANT IS THAT DURING THIS COORDINATION EFFORT, BOTH THE ARMY CORPS AND THE TEXAS HISTORIC COMMISSION HAVE INDICATED THAT FULL REPLACEMENT IS A VIABLE ALTERNATIVE FOR THIS PROJECT. NEXT SLIDE. IN THE PRELIMINARY ENG, EXCUSE ME, IN THE PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING REPORT, FIVE OPTIONS WERE EVALUATED PRESERVING THE EXISTING STRUCTURE WAS ELIMINATED FROM FURTHER ANALYSIS DUE TO THE STRUCTURAL CONDITION OF THE EXISTING BRIDGE. THREE REPLACEMENT OPTIONS AND ONE REHABILITATION OPTION MOVE FORWARD FOR FURTHER ANALYSIS. DURING THIS PROCESS, STAFF HELD OPEN HOUSES IN PERSON AND ONLINE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. FROM THE RESPONSES RECEIVED, REHABILITATION AND REPLACEMENT WERE EVENLY SPLIT IN TERMS OF THE PUBLIC PREFERENCE FOR ALTERNATIVES. NEXT SLIDE. NOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT REHABILITATION OF THIS BRIDGE. HERE'S A SCHEMATIC OF WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE. THE DECK WOULD BE REMOVED FROM THE EXISTING STRUCTURE. REPAIRS WOULD BE MADE TO THE EXISTING ARCHES, AND ADDITIONAL ARCHES WOULD BE ADDED TO ACCOMMODATE PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE TRAFFIC. THEN THE DECK WOULD BE REPLACED LESS THAN HALF OF THE ORIGINAL STRUCTURE WOULD REMAIN AND ALL OF THE OLD ARCHES WOULD BE OBSTRUCTED FROM VIEW BY NEW ONES. THIS OPTION COSTS AS MUCH AS THE FULL REPLACEMENT OPTION AND HAS A SHORTER USEFUL LIFE, APPROXIMATELY 50 YEARS FOR THE REHABILITATION COMPARED TO 75 YEARS FOR THE REPLACEMENT. UH, NEXT SLIDE. THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN BEFORE COUNSEL ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE FIRST TIME WAS WITH THE 2020 BOND RESOLUTION, WHICH INCLUDED DIRECTION FOR STAFF TO COMPLETE THE PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING REPORT AND THEN RETURN TO COUNSEL FOR A PRESENTATION ON THE OPTIONS AND DIRECTION FROM COUNSEL ON WHICH OPTION TO PURSUE. STAFF PRESENTED THESE OPTIONS TO COUNCIL AT A WORK SESSION IN DECEMBER OF 2023. THE SUBSEQUENT COUNCIL MEETING STAFF WAS DIRECTED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE FULL REPLACEMENT OPTION. SINCE THEN, THE PROJECT HAS RETURNED TO COUNCIL RELATED TO THE APPLICATION AND ACCEPTANCE OF THE FEDERAL GRANT. AND THE NEXT TIME THIS PROJECT WOULD NEED TO GO TO THE FULL COUNCIL BEFORE A CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT AWARD FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW BRIDGE. THE PROJECT, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, WILL NEED TO GO TO VARIOUS BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS AS PART OF THE PERMITTING PROCESS, WHICH WILL HAPPEN LATER IN 2026. UH, NEXT SLIDE. THIS DIAGRAM SHOWS WHAT THE NEW BRIDGE WOULD LOOK LIKE, PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE LANES ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BRIDGE, SAME NUMBER OF THROUGH TRAFFIC LANES AS THEY CURRENTLY EXIST IN THE ADDITION OF A RIGHT HAND TURN LANE ONTO AZ MORTON TO IMPROVE VEHICULAR CIRCULATION ON THE BRIDGE. UH, NEXT LINE. HERE'S A RENDERING OF WHAT THE UNDERSIDE OF THE BRIDGE WOULD LOOK LIKE AFTER CONSTRUCTION, INCLUDING IMPROVED ACCESS FOR THE Z OR EAGLE AS WELL AS THE TRAIL UNDER THE BRIDGE, INCLUDING SLOPE STABILITY, REINFORCEMENT ALONG THE STREAM BANK. UH, NEXT SLIDE. HERE ARE SOME CROSS SECTIONS OF THE CIRCULATION IMPROVEMENTS UNDER THE BRIDGE. UH, THE SLOPE STABILITY IMPROVEMENTS. AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, YOU'VE BEEN UNDER THE WEST SIDE OF THE BRIDGE. YOU'VE SEEN THE CHALLENGING CONDITIONS FOR THE ZIL OR EAGLE TRACKS, AS WELL AS A SEPARATE BICYCLE PEDESTRIAN FACILITY. THE PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS WOULD, UH, IMPROVE THAT EXPERIENCE IN THIS AREA. UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. THIS IS A PRELIMINARY RENDERING OF THE AREAS OF ZILKER PARK THAT WILL BE IMPACTED BY THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE BRIDGE. THESE ARE PRELIMINARY IN NATURE AND WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING THROUGH, UM, THE DETAILS WITH OUR PARTNERS IN, UH, AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION DETERMINE THE APPROPRIATENESS AND NEED OF THE, IN THE AREAS TO BE IMPACTED. THE PINK AREAS ARE DRAINAGE EASEMENTS THAT WE USE TO IMPROVE DRAINAGE ALONG THE EAST SIDE OF THE PARK. YELLOW ARE WATER QUALITY PONDS WILL BE REHABILITATED AND EXPANDED AND THE DARKER GREEN ARE TEMPORARY CONSTRUCTION EASEMENTS. UH, NEXT SLIDE. AS I MENTIONED A FEW SLIDES BACK, PART OF THE PERMITTING PROCESS, WE WILL NEED REVIEW BY THE LANDMARK COMMISSION MOBILITY COMMITTEE, PARKS BOARD, DESIGN COMMISSION, ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION A. THE ACTION FROM ALL THESE COM UH, COMMISSIONS WILL COME AT A LATER DATE WHEN WE'RE NEARING THE END OF THE PERMITTING PROCESS. WE'RE NOT THERE YET. UH, THE 90% MILESTONE GENERALLY STARTS THAT PERMITTING PROCESS BECAUSE THOSE PLANS ARE DEVELOPED ENOUGH FOR REVIEWERS TO PROVIDE DETAILED COMMENTS ON THE PROPOSED PROJECT. AS I MENTIONED, WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING THOSE DESIGNS, WORKING WITH OUR PARTNER DEPARTMENTS TO MINIMIZE IMPACTS AND IDENTIFY POTENTIAL VARIANCES THAT WOULD NEED TO THEN COME FORWARD TO BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS FOR REVIEW AND APPROVAL. IN ADDITION, WORKING THROUGH THE NEPA CLEARANCE AND THE REPORTING THAT'S NECESSARY TO BUILD THE, UH, DOCUMENT THAT SUPPORTS THE, UM, NEPA CLEARANCE. UH, AND WITH THAT I WILL OPEN IT UP FOR QUESTIONS. OKAY. UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I HAVE ONE JUST CLEARING QUESTION ON, I'M TRYING TO GET TO THE SLIDE. IT WAS ABOUT THE HISTORICAL COMMISSION. [02:55:01] UH, IT SAYS THEY'VE APPROVED POTENTIALLY FULLY REPLACING THE BRIDGE. I DON'T QUITE UNDERSTAND. YEAH, SO IN TERMS OF THE VIABLE OPTIONS, RIGHT, IF, IF REPLACING THE BRIDGE WAS NOT A VIABLE OPTION FOR WHATEVER REASON, UH, LANDMARK DESIGNATION OR OTHER KINDS OF, UH, REGULATIONS THAT THEY FACE, THEY WOULD'VE SAID TO THE CITY, REPLACEMENT IS NOT A VIABLE OPTION. OKAY. OKAY. ALRIGHT. UM, OKAY. I'M GONNA OPEN IT UP FOR QUESTIONS. I'M GONNA START WITH MY FOLKS ONLINE FIRST IF Y'ALL HAVE ANY. NOPE. ALRIGHT. UM, BOARD MEMBER FRANKLIN. THANK YOU. SO AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PRESENTATION YOU OUTLINED THE CONDITIONS OF THE EXISTING BRIDGE ALONG WITH PICTURES, AND SO IT SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD AMOUNT OF THE RECOMMENDATION FOR REPLACEMENT IS DUE TO HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELFARE ISSUES, ESSENTIALLY WITH THE CURRENT AGE OF THE BRIDGE. UM, I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO GO THROUGH THE FULL PRESENTATION, BUT I BELIEVE THAT A PRESENTATION WAS ALSO MADE TO THE TRANSPORTATION, UM, COMMISSION, URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION. ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT I HAVE, I GUESS WOULD BE WAS IT SOUNDS LIKE A REPORT WAS DONE CITYWIDE IN TERMS OF ANALYSIS FOR BRIDGES. AND I KNOW THAT FOR EXAMPLE, THE US A CE GRADES, BRIDGES. SO DID THAT REPORT FOR THE CITY SUMMARIZE ACROSS THE CITY THE CONDITION OF THE VARIOUS BRIDGES? AND WAS THIS ONE OF YOU THE, THE MOST DETERIORATED? YEAH, SO THIS BRIDGE WAS INCLUDED IN THAT REPORT. UM, THOSE REPORTS ARE CONDUCTED ACTUALLY BY TDOT. THEY DO A VISUAL INSPECTION, UM, AND THEY LOOK AT A LOT OF THE, UM, STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS OF THE BRIDGE FROM THE EXTERIOR. AND THEY DO THOSE INSPECTIONS EVERY TWO YEARS. UM, I WOULD DIRECT YOU TO THE BRIDGE ENGINEERING REPORT, WHICH HAS A LOT MORE DETAIL ABOUT THE, UM, THE NEED FOR THE REPLACEMENT. AND IT IS A MUCH MORE, UH, IN DEPTH DOCUMENT IN TERMS OF THIS VERY SPECIFIC BRIDGE. SO THIS BRIDGE WAS ON THAT LIST. I DON'T HAVE THE LIST IN FRONT OF ME RIGHT NOW. I CAN'T COMMENT ON WHERE IT WAS IN THE RANKING OF THAT. BUT, UM, THERE'S BEEN MUCH MORE DETAILED, UM, ENGINEERING WORK THAT HAS GONE INTO THE, UM, THE EXISTING CONDITION OF THIS BRIDGE. SO IN TERMS OF THE PRESENTATION TO THE UTC, THOSE OTHER BRIDGES WERE ALSO IN BAD CONDITION. I GUESS WHAT I'M TRYING TO GET AT IS IN TERMS OF A GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS LIKE THIS IS NEEDING REPAIR IMMINENTLY IS WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE DUE TO THE HEALTH, SAFETY, WELFARE CONCERNS, CORRECT? CORRECT. YEAH. THE, THERE'S A SECTION OF THE BRIDGE THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN, UH, DETERMINED BY THE CITY ENGINEER AND THE TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, UM, WHERE HEAVY VEHICLES SUCH AS FIRE TRUCKS AND BUSES SHOULDN'T BE DRIVING ACROSS IT JUST BASED ON THE CONDITION. THAT IS ONE OF THE REASONS FOR THE SHIFT IN TRAFFIC AWAY FROM THE NORTHERN SIDE OF THE BRIDGE. UM, AND TEXA WILL BE, UM, PERFORMING THEIR TWO YEAR INSPECTION HERE COMING UP IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. UM, IN ADDITION TO REVIEWING THE DOCUMENTS THAT WE'VE PROVIDED RELATED TO THE EXISTING STRUCTURAL CONDITION, UH, IS THAT REPORT SOMETHING THAT WE COULD BE SENT A COPY OF AS BACKUP THAT YOU MENTIONED? UNFORTUNATELY, NO. THERE'S, UM, SOME SENSITIVE, UM, SECURITY, HOMELAND SECURITY TYPE OF INFORMATION THAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS, THESE STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS THAT IDENTIFIES, UM, YOU KNOW, WEAK POINTS IN THE BRIDGE AND VERY SPECIFIC AREAS THAT, UM, WE'VE BEEN ADVISED BY CITY LEGAL COUNSEL THAT WE CAN'T RELEASE. I SEE. OKAY. UM, A COUPLE OF OTHER ITEMS, UH, ONE IS IN TERMS OF THE FEDERAL FUNDING THAT WAS MENTIONED, IS ANY OF THAT ANTICIPATED TO BE AT RISK OR POTENTIALLY AT RISK? YEAH, THE, THE GRANT WE RECEIVED WAS A $32 MILLION GRANT FOR CONSTRUCTION. IT WAS BASED ON THE PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING REPORT. ANY CHANGES TO THE, UM, BRIDGE DESIGN WOULD RESULT IN CHANGES TO THE GRANT APPLICATION, WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT PUT THAT AT AT RISK. IT DEPENDS A LOT ON THE NEPA PROCESS AS WE GO THROUGH AND EVALUATE THOSE ALTERNATIVES AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. UM, I CAN'T SAY WHETHER IT PUTS IT AT RISK OR NOT, BUT THE, THE GRANT APPLICATION WOULD BE, UH, EVALUATED BASED ON WHATEVER THE FINAL PROJECT IS THAT COMES OUT OF THE NEPA PROCESS. SO THE INITIAL GRANT APPLICATION WAS FOR A BRIDGE REPLACEMENT? BRIDGE REPLACEMENT? YES. OKAY. YEP. AND THEN IN TERMS OF COST, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU CAN SHARE? THE POWERPOINT PRESENTATION THAT YOU HAD DIDN'T REALLY SHOW, UM, IN TERMS OF INITIAL FEASIBILITY, WHAT WAS ANALYZED FOR THAT REHABILITATION, YOU KNOW, WHICH WAS A MORE EXTENSIVE, YOU KNOW, NOT A LIGHT TOUCH REHABILITATION, BUT WHAT PRELIMINARY COSTS LOOK LIKE COMPARED TO BRIDGE REPLACEMENT? YEAH, THE, THE COSTS ARE, UM, AVAILABLE. THAT INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE IN THE BRIDGE ENGINEERING REPORT. I WILL SAY THAT IT'S ROUGHLY THE SAME FOR, UM, REPLACEMENT VERSUS REHABILITATION. AND ONE OF THE DETERMINING FACTORS THERE IS YOU GET A LONGER USEFUL LIFE OUT OF A BRAND NEW BRIDGE THAN YOU DO OUT OF A REHABILITATED BRIDGE. [03:00:01] AND YOU SAID THAT BRIDGE ENGINEERING REPORT, THAT'S THE SAME ONE THAT IS NOT ABLE TO BE SHARED DUE TO NO, NO, THE, SORRY, THERE'S SECTION, THE BRIDGE ENGINEERING REPORT IS AVAILABLE ON THE PROJECT WEBSITE AND I CAN SEND YOU ALL THE LINK TO THAT, BUT IF YOU GOOGLE BURTON SPRINGS ROAD BRIDGE, CITY OF AUSTIN, IT'LL COME UP AND YOU CAN SEE IT THERE, THERE ARE SPECIFIC REDACTED SECTIONS RELATED TO THE STRUCTURAL CONDITION AND THE STRUCTURAL EVALUATION. OVERALL, THE DOCUMENT IS SOMETHING ON THE ORDER OF 500 OR 600 PAGES LONG AND IT INCLUDES INDIVIDUAL SECTIONS RELATED TO, UM, YOU KNOW, TRAFFIC COUNTS AND TRAFFIC PROJECTIONS AS WELL AS STRUCTURAL CONDITION, UH, COST ESTIMATES, IN DEPTH DESCRIPTIONS OF ALL OF THE DIFFERENT ALTERNATIVES THAT WERE STUDIED AND THAT KIND OF THING. SO, UM, IT'S OBVIOUSLY A VERY LARGE DOCUMENT. UM, BUT I WILL SAY WHEN IT COMES TO COST, UM, THE COST FOR BOTH THE REPLACEMENT AND THE REHABILITATION OPTIONS ARE WITHIN THE MARGIN OF ERROR OF, UM, THE COST ESTIMATING AT THIS POINT. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OKAY. BOARD MEMBER EUBANKS, WELL, THERE'S, THERE WAS A QUESTION DOWN THERE. OH, OH, WAS THE, OH, I'M SORRY. NO, NO PROBLEM. THANK YOU. UM, FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS ON COST MM-HMM . SO I, I SEE WE HAVE THE FEDERAL GRANT FOR REPLACEMENT 32 MILLION, AND THEN THE SAVE OUR SPRINGS COMMENT ABOUT THE REPLACEMENT COST BEING 54.5 MILLION. IS THAT NUMBER COMING FROM THE ENGINEERING REPORT THAT YOU MENTIONED? NO, THAT NUMBER DOESN'T COME FROM THE ENGINEERING REPORT. THE COST OF THE BRIDGE ITSELF IS AROUND $45 MILLION. UM, THE TOTAL PROJECT COST IS REALLY RELATED TO ADDITIONAL IMPROVEMENTS THAT WERE HAPPENING IN THE AREA. AND WE DO THAT QUITE A BIT WHERE, FOR EXAMPLE, IF WE'RE WORKING IN THIS AREA, AUSTIN ENERGY HAS SOME NEEDS THERE. AUSTIN WATER HAS SOME NEEDS THERE IN TERMS OF THEIR INFRASTRUCTURE. AND SO WHAT WE DO IS WE PARTNER WITH THOSE DEPARTMENTS. THEY PITCH IN THE MONEY FOR THEIR INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS. AND SO THE BRIDGE COST ITSELF IS RIGHT. THE ESTIMATE RIGHT NOW IS AROUND $45 MILLION, BUT THEN THERE ARE SOME EXTRA THINGS IN THERE RELATED TO INFRASTRUCTURE WORK THAT WE'RE GONNA BE DOING IN THE AREA WHILE THE BRIDGE IS, UM, UNDER CONSTRUCTION. SO I, ON SLIDE TWO, WE HAVE FUNDING FROM BONDS MM-HMM . THAT FUNDED THE DESIGN. YEP. AND MY ASSUMPTION IS THAT BOND MONEY IS RESTRICTED IF IT'S NOT LIKE WE COULD STOP PAYING FOR DESIGN ON A NEW BRIDGE IF THE BOND SAYS THIS IS, UH, UH, YEAH. THE WAY, UH, I, I THINK I, I SAY THAT I THINK I CAN GET WHERE YOU'RE GOING. SO THE, THE WAY THE, THE 2020 BOND FUNDING WAS STRUCTURED IS THAT THERE'S A MA WHAT THEY CALL A MAJOR CIP BUCKET OF FUNDS FOR ABOUT $102 MILLION. AND THERE'S FIVE PROJECTS THAT ARE INCLUDED IN THERE, AND IT'S THE BARTON SPRINGS ROAD BRIDGE, WISHBONE BRIDGE, UH, SOUTH CONGRESS, UH, URBAN DESIGN INITIATIVE, AND I THINK SOUTH PLEASANT VALLEY, MAYBE THERE'S ONLY FOUR IN THERE, BUT IT'S RESTRICTED, THE BOND LANGUAGE RESTRICTS THE FUNDING FOR THAT SPECIFIC BUCKET TO THOSE NAMED PROJECTS. OKAY. IT DOESN'T GO INTO, YOU KNOW, 20 MILLION FOR THIS AND 10 MILLION FOR THAT. IT'S 102 FOR THESE SET PROJECTS. GOT IT. OKAY. SO THE 45 MILLION THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT MM-HMM . THAT IS DESIGN PLUS CONSTRUCTION, OR IS THAT CONSTRUCTION ONLY? THAT'S THE CONSTRUCTION ONLY COST. OKAY. YEAH. AND SO 45 MINUS THE FEDERAL GRANT, THE FEDERAL GRANT WILL GO TO CONSTRUCTION. SO 32 45, UH, 13 IN TERMS OF THE, THE CITY DOLLARS FOR CONSTRUCTION. SO, OKAY, SO THIS, ALL RIGHT, SO THE CITY IS GOING TO FUND 13 MILLION TO COMPLETE THE BRIDGE OF THE CONSTRUCTION PIECE OF, OF THE CONSTRUCTION. WE'RE, WE'RE PAYING FOR ALL THE DESIGN. OKAY. YEAH. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. MM-HMM . UM, BOARD MEMBER VILLALOBOS? YES. THANK YOU. UM, I WANNA TOUCH ON THREE DIFFERENT THINGS. UM, THE FIRST IS, UM, YOU MENTIONED THAT TEXT OUT'S ABOUT TO, AND THIS NEXT FEW MONTHS ARE GONNA DO A TWO YEAR, UH, THEIR TWO YEAR EVALUATION, UM, ON THE BRIDGE MM-HMM . UM, WHAT ARE POSSIBLE, WHAT, WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THEY DO THE EVALUATION? I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH THAT. SO YES. WHAT, WHAT ARE, WHAT CAN BE WHAT HAPPENS? YES. THEY PREPARE A REPORT AND THEY SUBMIT THAT REPORT TO TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC WORKS FOR EVALUATION. THEY IDENTIFY ANY KIND OF, UH, POTENTIAL STRUCTURAL ISSUES. THEN THEY PROVIDE A RATING ON THAT BRIDGE. AGAIN, THAT IS A VISUAL INSPECTION. SO THEY GET UNDER THE BRIDGE AND LOOK AROUND AND, AND THAT KIND OF THING. WE ARE, UM, WORKING WITH THEM RELATED TO THE ENGINEERING, UM, INVESTIGATION THAT WAS UNDERTOOK AS A PART OF THIS PROJECT THAT LOOKS AT THE ACTUALLY INSIDES OF THE BRIDGE, UM, AND TAKES THOSE CORE SAMPLES AND THINGS LIKE THAT TO, UM, HAVE THEM BE ABLE TO USE THAT AS PART OF THEIR EVALUATION AS WELL AND BE ABLE TO EVALUATE THE WORK THAT OUR ENGINEER HAS DONE IN TERMS OF THE MORE IN DEPTH INVESTIGATION INTO THE CONDITION OF THE BRIDGE. OKAY. THANK YOU. AND I GUESS REALLY MY CONCERN IS BECAUSE I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH LIKE THE SPECIFICS OF THAT TWO YEAR REPORT BY AND KIND OF LIKE WHAT THE IMPACTS OF IT COULD BE IS COULD THE BRIDGE BE SHUT DOWN? LIKE COULD THEY SAY LIKE, YOU CAN'T HAVE TRAFFIC ON THE BRIDGE? THAT'S A, THAT'S A POTENTIAL, UH, RESULT OF THAT REPORT? YES. UM, [03:05:01] IT'S RELATIVELY UNLIKELY, BUT IT IS THE REASON THAT THAT TRAFFIC WAS SHIFTED AWAY FROM THE, UH, OLDER SECTION OF THE BRIDGE, UM, TO PROTECT THAT FROM THE, THE LOADING OF LARGE VEHICLES. OKAY. UM, RELATED TO THAT IS THERE IS, SO IS THE BRIDGE CURRENTLY, IS THERE RESTRICTIONS ON THE BRIDGE ON WHAT TYPE OF VEHICLE OR WHAT TYPE OF, UM, LOADS CAN GO ON THE VE ON THAT BRIDGE? YEAH, THERE'S NO RESTRICTION CURRENTLY BECAUSE OF THE, THE CHANGE IN THE LANE CONFIGURATION AND, AND THE DIRECTION OF THE HEAVY TRAFFIC TOWARDS THE, AWAY FROM THE NORTH END OF THE BRIDGE. OKAY. SO WE DIDN'T NEED TO LOAD RATE IT, UM, POTENTIALLY, YOU KNOW, IF WE DID NOTHING WITH THIS BRIDGE, AT SOME POINT YOU WOULD NEED TO LOAD RATE IT, WHICH MEANS YOU CAN'T PUT FIRE TRUCKS ACROSS THERE AND YOU CAN'T PUT BUSES ACROSS THERE. UM, WHICH HAS A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT EFFECT ON RESPONSE TIMES, EMERGENCY RESPONSE TIMES, AS WELL AS, UM, YOU KNOW, CAP METRO'S, BUS ROUTES AND GETTING FOLKS, UH, ON THE ROUTE THAT GOES THROUGH, UH, ZILKER PARK. THANK YOU. UM, I'M TALK, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE ZILKER EAGLE NOW MM-HMM UM, WHAT IS THE PLAN RIGHT NOW IN REGARDS TO THE TRAIN, UM, THE KER TRAIN? UM, WELL, I MEAN, LEMME ASK YOU SPECIFIC QUESTIONS IS, UM, TO KIND OF, SO I CAN GET AN UNDERSTANDING THE, IS THE TRAIN GONNA NOT BE IN OPERATION DURING THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE BRIDGE OR WILL THE, IS THERE A PLAN IN PLACE TO KEEP THE TRAIN OPERATIONAL WHEN CONSTRUCTION OCCURS? YEAH, MY UNDERSTANDING IS WE'RE GONNA DO OUR BEST TO KEEP IT OPERATIONAL WHEN CONSTRUCTION OCCURS. THERE MAY BE INTERMITTENT AREAS WHERE WE NEED TO WORK IN THAT AREA, UM, WHERE IT MAY NOT BE SAFE TO BE RUNNING THE TRAIN, BUT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE WHERE WE'RE GONNA WORK WITH NOT ONLY THE Z OR EAGLE, BUT ALL THE OTHER, UM, YOU KNOW, BUSINESSES AND VENDORS IN THE AREA TO MINIMIZE IMPACT AS MUCH AS WE CAN DURING THE CONSTRUCTION PROCESS. SO IF I'M UNDERSTANDING YOU CORRECTLY IS RIGHT NOW THE PLAN IS TO KEEP THE, THE TRAIN OPERATIONAL DURING CONSTRUCTION, WHETHER, REGARDLESS OF WHAT HAPPENS, BUT DURING CONSTRUCTION, THAT'S THE PLAN AS OF RIGHT NOW TO KEEP IT OPERATIONAL AS MUCH AS WE CAN. YEAH, I MEAN, I, I CAN'T GUARANTEE THAT THEY'LL BE ABLE TO OPERATE AT ALL TIMES, YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE DURATION OF CONSTRUCTION, JUST BECAUSE THE NATURE OF WHERE WE'RE GONNA BE DOING THE WORK WILL AFFECT THEIR OPERATIONS. BUT WE'RE GOING TO, UM, YOU KNOW, WORK WITH THEM AND PARTNER AS BEST WE CAN TO KEEP IT OPEN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE DURING THE CONSTRUCTION PHASE. OKAY. AND THAT MEAN, THAT COULD MEAN THAT THE BRIDGE COULD BE, I MEAN, THAT THE BRIDGE, THAT THE TRAIN COULD BE SHUT DOWN FOR MONTHS, UM, BECAUSE OF THEM WORKING ON THAT SPECIFIC SECTION OF A BRIDGE? I MEAN, POTENTIALLY, YES, BUT WE'RE, LIKE I SAID, WE'RE NOT THERE IN THAT PROCESS YET IN TERMS OF WHAT THE CONSTRUCTION STAGING AND PHASING LOOKS LIKE. UM, WE HAVEN'T DEVELOPED THE PLANS TO THAT LEVEL OF DETAIL. UM, BUT, AND SO IT'S, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE WORKING ON AND NEED TO OKAY. UH, YOU KNOW, CONTINUE OUR COORDINATION. AND ARE YOU CURRENTLY IN CONVERSATIONS WITH THE OPERATOR OF THAT, OF THE TRAIN, UM, AND KEEPING THEM IN THE LOOP IN REGARDS TO KIND OF THE PROCESS MOVING FORWARD ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, THE, THAT THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING, THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THAT THE TRAIN COULD BE SHUT DOWN AND THAT THE PO THE POSSIBILITIES THAT THEY, THAT THEY CAN FACE? YEAH, I, I HAD TO CHECK WITH OUR PROJECT TEAM ON THAT AND SEE WHAT OUR LATEST COMMUNICATIONS WERE WITH THE, THE OPERATOR. OKAY. UM, AND THEN, UH, THE THIRD TOPIC IS ABOUT, UH, MITIGATION. UM, OBVIOUSLY THERE'S GONNA A LOT OF MOVING PARTS, A LOT OF DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE GONNA BE INVOLVED. I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS FOR YOU MIGHT BE A QUESTION OF PARKS. I DON'T KNOW. I'LL ASK IT. UM, IS AT WHAT POINT ARE WE TALK WELL, I'M GONNA REPHRASE THAT QUESTION. UM, IS THERE PRELIMINARY NUMBER OF HOW MUCH PARKS ARE GONNA GET FOR MITIGATION IN REGARDS TO ALL THE CONSTRUCTION AND EVERYTHING THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN? WE'RE STILL WORKING ON THE DETAILS FOR WHAT THAT IS. WE'RE TRYING TO OBVIOUSLY MINIMIZE THE IMPACT AS MUCH AS WE CAN, UM, AND WORKING WITH OUR, UM, PARTNERS IN THE PARKS AND REC DEPARTMENT TO DETERMINE WHAT THAT FEE WOULD BE. WE DON'T HAVE AN ANSWER ON THAT RIGHT NOW. OKAY. AND WHICH DEPARTMENTS ARE GONNA PAY THAT FEE? TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC WORKS WILL PAY THAT FEE. OKAY. I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WHATEVER HAPPENS, RIGHT, THAT PARKS ARE GETTING MONEY AS A RESULT OF THE CONSTRUCTION AND THE LOSS OF PARK USE THAT THERE, THAT WILL EXIST DURING THIS TIME. SO THAT'S THE REASON I BRING THAT LAST TOPIC UP. YEAH, I MEAN, THERE'S GONNA BE, THERE'S GONNA BE CONSTRUCTION IMPACTS, UH, TO THE PARK. TEMPORARY CONSTRUCTION IMPACTS DURING CONSTRUCTION, THAT WOULD BE SUBJECT TO THE, YOU KNOW, CHAPTER 26 AND, AND THOSE FINDINGS AND, UM, COST ESTIMATES AND ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF. BUT AGAIN, WE'RE STILL WORKING ON FIGURING OUT EXACTLY WHAT THE CONSTRUCTION PHASING LOOKS LIKE, HOW MUCH AREA WE WILL NEED FOR LAY DOWN, WHAT'S TEMPORARY, WHAT'S GONNA BE, UH, OFFSET BY POTENTIAL PARK IMPROVEMENTS THAT THE PROJECT CAN PERFORM AS WELL IN TERMS OF, UM, YOU KNOW, IMPROVING DRAINAGE AND THINGS IN THAT AREA TO HELP, UM, MAKE THE PARK FUNCTION BETTER, UH, AT THE END OF THE DAY. THANK [03:10:01] YOU. SORRY, IF I CAN TAG ON TO A BOARD MEMBER VIA LO BUSES, UH, QUESTION REAL QUICK. YOU MENTIONED THE LOAD RATING WHERE THE BRIDGE MAY BE DEEMED INSUFFICIENT FOR BUSES OR FIRE TRUCKS. UH, CAN YOU GO BACK TO THAT BIT AGAIN? LIKE HOW IS THAT DETERMINED OR WHAT IS IT TRIGGERED? LIKE HOW IS THE DETERMINATION FOR THAT MADE? YEAH, IT'S TRIGGERED BASED ON THE, THE BIANNUAL INSPECTIONS FROM TXDOT, UM, WHERE THEY DO THE, THE, THEIR CALCULATIONS AND DETERMINE IF THE, UM, BRIDGE WHAT LEVEL OF SERVICE IT IS AT AND THEN, UM, WORK WITH THE ENGINEERS AT THE CITY, THE, UH, TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT TO DETERMINE IF THE BRIDGE NEEDS TO BE LOAD RATED OR NOT. UM, FORTUNATELY WE HAVEN'T HAD TO DO THAT YET. WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO, UM, HAVE SOME OTHER, UM, MITIGATION, LIKE I SAID, SHIFTING THE LANES AND THINGS. BUT, UM, THAT IS A POSSIBILITY. UM, AND OBVIOUSLY THAT WOULD BE SOME PRETTY SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON, UM, AS I MENTIONED ON THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE AS WELL AS THE, UM, CAT METRO BUSES. YEAH. SO IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT A BEST OUTCOME SCENARIO. AT WHAT MONTH WAS THAT TWO YEAR INSPECTION SCHEDULE? IT'S SOMETIME THIS SUMMER. THERE'S NOT LIKE A SET, YOU KNOW, DATE. THEY COORDINATE WITH TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC WORKS, BUT IT'S USUALLY IN THE, UH, I THINK AUGUST, SEPTEMBER KIND OF TIMEFRAME WILL BE COMING UP THIS YEAR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I, I THINK I HAVE A QUICK QUESTION. IS THERE A DIFFERENCE IN THE TERMS OF HOW LONG IT WOULD TAKE TO REPAIR THE BRIDGE IF IT WAS REHAB VERSUS REBUILT? AND LIKE, THE REASON I'M REALLY ASKING IS BECAUSE I WANNA KNOW IF ACCESS TO THE PARK WOULD BE FASTER ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, NOT LIMIT, LIKE, LIMITATIONS TO THE PARK WOULD BE. YEAH. ONE OF THE THINGS WE DID LOOK AT ACTUALLY AS PART OF EVALUATING THE ALTERNATIVES WAS ACTUALLY CLOSING THE BRIDGE COMPLETELY FOR A YEAR. UM, UNFORTUNATELY, LIKE I MENTIONED FOR THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND FOR THE BUS ROUTE CIRCULATION, THAT'S NOT REALLY A VIABLE OPTION TO DO THAT. UH, CURRENTLY THE CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE IS TWO YEARS IN DURATION. UH, DURING THAT TIME THOUGH, THERE WILL BE ONE LANE THAT'S OPEN IN EACH DIRECTION. SO THE BRIDGE ITSELF, UH, WILL NOT ACTUALLY CLOSE, CLOSE. UM, 'CAUSE WE NEED TO MAINTAIN THAT, THAT CIRCULATION ACROSS EITHER WAY. LIKE IF IT WAS REBUILT OR IF IT WAS REHABBED, IT WOULD, YEAH, IT'S ABOUT TO SAY THE THE CONSTRUCTION DURATION IS ABOUT THE SAME, WHETHER IT'S REHABBED OR REBUILT, BUT THERE WILL NEVER BE A POINT WHERE THERE'S COMPLETE ACCESS REMOVED FROM THAT. CORRECT. I HAVE A QUICK QUESTION. UH, CAN YOU SPEAK TO, UH, SORRY, UM, AM I SPEAKING OVER SOMEONE? NO, YOU'RE FINE. GO AHEAD. OKAY. YES, MY QUESTION IS REGARDING THE WIDTH OF THE PROPOSED BRIDGE. UM, SO THAT'S, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WAS IN THE BACK OF MY MIND AND SOMEBODY, I BELIEVE MR. BILL BUNCH BROUGHT IT, UH, UP TODAY AS WELL. I'VE DRIVEN THERE AND I LOOKED AT THE PLANS ONLINE AND UM, UH, IT, IT SOUNDED LIKE THE BRIDGE WOULD BE WIDER THAN WHAT THE LANES ARE BEFORE AND AFTER THE BRIDGE. UM, IS IS, IS THERE SOMETHING IN, UH, TO CONSIDER THAT WE ARE NOT, UH, LOOKING INTO THAT YOU CAN SHED SOME LIGHT ON? I'M, I'M SORRY, THERE'S A THUNDER LIGHTNING STORM IN THE BACKGROUND, WHICH CAN'T BE A GOOD OMEN FOR ANYTHING, BUT, UH, CAN YOU REPEAT THE QUESTION? I'M SORRY. . NO PROBLEM. I'M, I'M ACTUALLY IN SEATTLE AND IT'S ACTUALLY PRETTY SUNNY AND UH, , THAT MADE EVERYBODY FEEL GREAT. NO . YEAH, I MEAN IT'S, IT'S THE, IT'S, IT'S THAT ADVERSE SITUATION HERE. MM-HMM . UM, OKAY, SO, UM, MY QUESTION IS REGARDING THE WIDTH OF THE PROPOSED BRIDGE. IT, I HAVE DRIVEN THROUGH THERE AND UM, IT WAS IN THE BACK OF MY MIND THAT THE BRIDGE, THE PROPOSED BRIDGE SEEMS TO BE WIDER IN THE NUMBER OF LANES THAN WHAT ARE THE AVAILABLE ROADS NOW, UH, BEFORE AND AFTER THE BRIDGE. SO CAN YOU SHED SOME LIGHT ON, UH, I DON'T KNOW, IS THERE SOMETHING THAT WE ARE NOT CONSIDERING OR LOOKING AT, UM, THAT, THAT, THAT PROPOSED BRIDGE ADDRESSES AS FAR AS THE TRANSPORTATION IS CONCERNED? YEAH, FOR THE TRANSPORTATION SIDE, IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF LANES THAT, THAT ARE INCLUDED IN THERE, THERE ARE, UM, THERE WAS A TRAFFIC STUDY THAT WAS CONDUCTED AS A PART OF THE PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING REPORT AND THEN THOSE NUMBERS ARE PROJECTED FORWARD. 'CAUSE THIS IS A STRUCTURE THAT'S GOING TO BE IN SERVICE FOR, YOU KNOW, 75 PLUS YEARS. SO YOU CAN'T, UM, DO THE TRAFFIC ANALYSIS BASED ON THE CARS THAT ARE DRIVING ACROSS THERE TODAY. YOU HAVE TO DO SOME PROJECTION INTO THE FUTURE SO THAT WAY YOU'RE NOT IMMEDIATELY, UM, BUILDING A STRUCTURE THAT IS FUNCTIONALLY OBSOLETE BEFORE IT EVEN OPENS. AND SO THAT'S THE REASON BEHIND THE VEHICULAR ALIGNMENT. AND AGAIN, IT'S TWO LANES EASTBOUND, TWO LANES WESTBOUND WITH A, UH, RIGHT HAND TURN LANE ONTO AZ MORTON. UH, WHICH IS THE, WITHOUT THE LOAD RATING IS THE CURRENT ALIGNMENT AND THE CURRENT CAPACITY OF THE BRIDGE. ONE ADDITIONAL LANE FOR THE DEDICATED RIGHT HAND TURN. THANK YOU. SORRY. IS IT THREE LANES NOW WITH THE NEW BIKE PATH? THAT WAS, [03:15:01] THE BRIDGE ITSELF IS FOUR VEHICULAR LANES WIDE. THE REASON THAT THE BIKE PATH IS ON THERE IS BECAUSE OF THE LOAD RATING. 'CAUSE WE HAD TO SHIFT THE TRAFFIC AWAY FROM THE NORTHERN LANE. AND SO INSTEAD OF, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU, WE CAN STILL USE IT FOR BIKES OBVIOUSLY. SO, UM, USING THAT FOR THAT PURPOSE. BUT THE BRIDGE ITSELF IS DESIGNED AS A FOUR LANE ROADWAY. WELL, I HAVE A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS AND I ALSO WANT TO OFFER UP A COUPLE OF COMMENTS TO BEGIN WITH. SO, UM, I CAN BE CLEAR ABOUT WHAT I WANT TO DISCUSS WITH YOU OR WITH THE BOARD. ACTUALLY, I APPRECIATE THE ENGINEERING REPORT. SINCERELY, I'VE HEARD IT THREE TIMES NOW. I THINK I COULD GIVE IT AND, UH, I APPRECIATE THE EFFORT YOU'VE MADE. UH, THE UNFORTUNATE ASPECT OF IT, IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT WE'RE FACED WITH AS A PARKS BOARD AT THIS MOMENT. AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THE PARKS BOARD UNDERSTAND WHERE WE ARE, GIVEN WHERE THE PROCESS IS AT THIS MOMENT. ZUKA PARK IS LISTED ON THE NATIONAL REGISTRY OF HISTORIC PLACES AS A HISTORIC DISTRICT. IT WAS, ITS LATEST APPLICATION WAS 1997. AND WITHIN THAT DISTRICT THERE ARE MULTIPLE CONTRIBUTING ELEMENTS THAT ARE EXTENDED THE SAME PROTECTIONS AND CONSIDERATIONS AS THE DISTRICT AS A WHOLE. AND THE BRIDGE IS ONE OF THOSE. CORRECT. THE BRIDGE IS A CONTRIBUTING STRUCTURE TO THE, A CONTRIBUTING FEATURE TO THE DESIGNATION. YES. YES. AND SO WHEN YOU SAY THE BRIDGE IS NOT A HISTORIC LANDMARK, THAT'S A TECHNICAL TERM. CORRECT. BUT THE FACT IS IT IS A CONTRIBUTING ELEMENT WITHIN THE DISTRICT AND IT'S AFFORDED THE SAME CONSIDERATION. IS THAT THE, I'M TELLING YOU, , I MY EXPERTISE IS NOT IN HISTORIC LANDMARK DESTINATION. WELL, MINE IS. THAT IS, THAT IS JUST TRUST ME ON THIS ONE. THAT IS GONNA BE PART OF THE PROCESS AS WE MOVE THROUGH THIS AND THE PROCESS WITH THE HISTORIC LANDMARK, I'M SORRY, GO AHEAD. GO AHEAD. I'M SORRY. I DIDN'T MEAN TO INTERRUPT. THE PROCESS CURRENTLY IS AT THE BEGINNING AND THE CITY GOT IT BACKWARDS. THIS ISN'T THE WAY IT'S TRADITIONALLY DONE. AND I, AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE AS A GROUP UNDERSTAND IT 'CAUSE WE'RE FACED WITH ULTIMATELY MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL ABOUT THIS. THE MOMENT YOU RECEIVE A GRANT OF FEDERAL FUNDS FROM THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, IT TRIGGERS A NUMBER OF REGULATORY PROCEDURES. YOU KEEP REFERRING TO NEPA, BUT THE FACT IS THE NATIONAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION ACT, SECTION 1 0 6, IS NOT PART OF THE NEPA PROCESS. AND THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF RIGHT NOW. THE FIRST ITERATION WAS COMPLETED IN 2023. IT WAS BRIEF AND IT SAID THAT THE REMOVAL OF THE BRIDGE OR THE DECK, BUT HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON ZILKER PARK AS A HISTORIC DISTRICT. AND NOW WE'RE DOING IT AGAIN. WE'RE DOING A SECOND IT. CORRECT. A SECOND ITERATION OF THE SECTION 1 0 6, HISTORIC RESOURCE ASSESSMENT JUST ALONG BARTON CREEK. THERE ARE MULTIPLE CONTRIBUTING ELEMENTS. CORRECT. AND ALL OF THOSE GET CONSIDERED WITHIN WHAT'S CALLED AN APE AREA OF POTENTIAL EFFECT. THAT'S EVERYTHING FROM L NEFF POINT, BUT WHICH WAS A CCC SITE TO THE BRIDGE, TO THE SUNKEN GARDENS, TO THE POOL, TO THE BATHHOUSE. THOSE ARE ALL CONTRIBUTING ELEMENTS. AND THE WAY THIS WORKS IS AN IMPACT ON ONE ELEMENT IS CONSIDERED TO BE AN IMPACT ON THE DISTRICT AS A WHOLE AT THIS MOMENT. MY UNDERSTANDING IS WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING THIS 1 0 6 HISTORIC RESOURCE ASSESSMENT. CORRECT? YES. AND THAT RESOURCE ASSESSMENT, SINCE IT'S A DOT FEDERAL HOBBY DEPARTMENT FUNDING NOT ONLY INCLUDES [03:20:01] THOSE SITES THAT ARE LISTED, BUT ALSO THOSE THAT ARE ELIGIBLE. AND A PR IS AWARE OF THAT? CORRECT. FOR EXAMPLE, IN 1997, THE, THE, UH, BOTANICAL GARDENS WASN'T 50 YEARS OLD. IT IS NOW, IT'S ELIGIBLE AND THERE ARE MULTIPLE OTHER SITES WITHIN THE PARK THAT HAVE REACHED ELIGIBILITY SINCE 1997. AND ALL OF THOSE HAVE TO BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION DURING THIS STUDY. SO WE'RE AT THE BEGINNING OF THAT. AND TYPICALLY WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IS YOU WOULD GO THROUGH THAT STUDY AND ALL OF THE OTHERS, AND I'LL GET TO THAT, AND THEN YOU COME UP WITH YOUR OPTIONS, , THIS ITERATION, MAYBE THIS BRIDGE, MAYBE THIS REHABILITATION, MAYBE IF WE HAD TO REPLACE IT, WE WOULD REPLACE IT TO LOOK JUST LIKE IT DOES NOW. BECAUSE IN DOING THAT, WE WOULD PROTECT THE INTEGRITY AND THE STATUS OF THE HISTORIC DISTRICT. CONDITION AND INTEGRITY ARE NOT THE SAME THING IN THIS BUSINESS. YOU CAN, OKAY. I'M JUST GONNA STOP YOU JUST BRIEFLY BECAUSE I THINK, I MEAN THERE'S A LOT, UM, A LOT THAT, UM, IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU WANNA SHARE, BUT I ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS THAT WE WANNA ASK, UM, THAT WE GET THOSE ASKED AND THEN WE CAN FOLLOW UP PERHAPS WITH SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO THE BOARD TOO. AND SO I GUESS I'M ASKING VERSUS I'M NOT SURE WHAT YOUR PLAN IS, AND I DON'T WANNA STOP YOU FROM SHARING. UM, BUT I ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT IT'S NOT A, LIKE A PRESENTATION FROM THE BOARD. UM, IT'S A CLARIFICATION. AND SO I UNDERSTAND, UM, AND I KNOW WE'VE HAD CONVERSATION ABOUT THIS AND SO THERE'S A LOT TO BE SHARED WITH THE BOARD. UM, AND SO ARE THERE ANY DIRECT QUESTIONS FOR OUR SPEAKER? CAN I JUST CLARIFY JUST TWO THINGS REAL QUICK? SO YES, THE, THE ORDER OF THE PROCESS HERE IS NOT THE USUAL ORDER THAT WE GO UNDER WITH A, A FEDERAL PROCESS, RIGHT? BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE THE FEDERAL GRANT TO DO THE DESIGN CONTRACT AND THEN WE WERE AWARDED FOR CONSTRUCTION. SO YES, WE HAVE TO GO BACK AND IT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW. WE'RE DEVELOPING ALL THE DOCUMENTS THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. THEY WILL ALL BE SUBMITTED FOR DRAFT AND REVIEW FOR EVERYONE TO HAVE A LOOK AT AND PROVIDE COMMENTS ON AS WE GO THROUGH THAT PROCESS. WE'RE NOT THERE YET. THE DOCUMENTS ARE NOT IN DRAFT FORM, THEY'RE NOT READY FOR REVIEW REVIEW. WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING ALL THOSE 1 0 6, 4 F, SIX F, ALL THE THINGS THAT GO IN TO THE NEPA PROCESS. SO THERE WILL BE A DOCUMENT AT A FUTURE DATE FOR YOU TO REVIEW AND COMMENT ON AND PROVIDE, UM, YOU KNOW, ALL THE CONSIDERABLE EXPERTISE THAT'S IN THIS ROOM AND PROVIDE THOSE COMMENTS ON THAT DOCUMENT. WE'RE NOT THERE YET. AND YOU KNOW, I'M HERE FOR A STAFF BRIEFING AS AN UPDATE OF WHERE WE'RE AT IN THE PROCESS AND LET Y'ALL KNOW WE WILL BE BACK. UH, AND WE WILL BE REVIEWING, ACCEPTING, AND RESPONDING TO ALL COMMENTS ON THE NEPA PROCESS AS THAT MOVES FORWARD. SO WE JUST, BECAUSE IN LOOKING AT TIME, I'M GONNA DEFER TO YOU, YOU TELL ME. NO, NO, NO, WE'VE GOT, YOU'VE GOT TIME. BUT ONCE WE GET TO 10, WE DO HAVE TO TAKE A VOTE ON WHETHER OR NOT WE'LL STAY BEYOND 10. OH, I'M NOT, I DON'T HAVE THAT MUCH MORE. OKAY, WELL THEN, THEN, NO, NO, NO. I'LL BE BRIEF. NO, NO, NO. THEN PLEASE MOVE AHEAD. THAT WAS MORE OF, I WASN'T SURE HOW MUCH YOU WOULD PLAN TO SHARE, BUT ALRIGHT, WELL THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO, TO SHARE AND, BUT I THINK WHAT'S IMPORTANT ABOUT THIS IS, IS THIS WILL ULTIMATELY BE THE SAME WITH SOUTH MOPAC AND A NUMBER OF OTHER PROJECTS ARE GONNA COME BEFORE US. THEREFORE, IT'S, IT'S GOOD TO KNOW WHAT THE PROCESS IS AND WHAT THE PROCESS WAS IN THIS CASE. WHAT I FIND MISSING IN YOUR BRIEFING OR FOUND MISSING IS THE ONE ELEMENT THAT MATTERS THE MOST, I THINK TO THE PARK. IT'S NOT JUST THAT PEOPLE DRIVE ACROSS THE BRIDGE. THEY GO UNDER THE BRIDGE. THE BRIDGE SIMPLY ISN'T A ROAD, IT'S AN ARCH. IT'S A GATEWAY, WHICH PEOPLE ARE KAYAKING, CANOEING, SUING. ISN'T THAT WHAT IT'S CALLED NOW? SUPPING, YOU NAME IT UP TO, UH, THESE OTHER CONTRIBUTING SITES, PARTICULARLY THE POOL AND, UH, THAT AREA, BARKING SPRINGS. AND SO THE EXPERIENCE, AND THAT'S WHAT'S MEASURED IN THIS FIRST STUDY, REALLY IS A WATER LEVEL, NOT JUST A GROUND LEVEL EXPERIENCE. AND THEREFORE, AND THE CITY FOR A HUNDRED YEARS HAS UNDERSTOOD THAT, HAS UNDERSTOOD THE IMPORTANCE [03:25:01] OF THAT DESIGN. IN 1926, THEY DIDN'T ACCEPT TEXTILE OR NOT DEPARTMENT OF HIGHWAYS, UH, DESIGN. THEY WANTED THEIR OWN DESIGN, THIS OPEN SPANDREL. AND YET YOU'VE SHOWN ITERATIONS OF DESIGNS THAT ARE OUR 21ST CENTURY BRUTALISM IN A WAY WHEN THEY COULD HAVE BEEN SOMETHING THAT MIRRORED WHAT WE HAVE NOW AND PROBABLY WOULD'VE CHANGED SOME OF THIS DISCUSSION REGARD THAT'S GONNA COME OUT IN THIS STUDY THAT, THAT'S UNDERWAY. THE LAST THING I'LL MENTION, JUST SO EVERYBODY KNOWS, THIS ALSO TRIGGERS THE STATE ANTIQUITIES ACT. UM, THE VERA DANIELS PALEO INDIAN SITE INCLUDES THIS ENTIRE AREA, UH, THAT WILL DEMAND THE INVOLVEMENT OF THE TRIBAL COMMUNITY AS WELL. AND SO IN A SENSE IT COMES, IT'S LIKE PALM PARK, THE COMMUNITY HAD, THIS IS THE MOMENT 1 0 6 IS THE MOMENT THAT IT'S CONSULTATIVE MEANT TO BE CONSULTATIVE WHERE DOT FOUR F IS PRESCRIPTIVE. IT SETS THE RULES. WE'RE IN THAT CONSULTATIVE MOMENT. AND I WOULD LIKE US TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY IF WE'RE GONNA MAKE A, HAVE OUR VOICES HEARD IN THE FUTURE, IS TO HAVE THAT CONSULTATIVE OPPORTUNITY SO THAT WE HAVE NOT JUST AN ENGINEERING REPORT AND REPORTS OF CONCRETE AND RUSTING REBARS, BUT SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT, WHICH IS THE FEELING, THE SETTING, HOW PEOPLE REACT TO THAT EXPERIENCE BEING ON BARTON CREEK, GOING UNDER THAT ARCHWAY THAT THEY'VE HAD FOR A HUNDRED YEARS. AND THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY WHAT I'M TRYING TO GET TO IN THIS IS THAT'S WHAT'S CRITICAL FOR THE PARKS BOARD BECAUSE OUR JOB IS TO PROTECT ZILKER PARK, WHICH IS A NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE. I DON'T QUESTION ANYTHING YOU'RE SAYING, I'M JUST SAYING WE HAVE A LARGER ROLE HERE TO PLAY AND WE HAVE RECEIVED NO BRIEFING IN THAT, IN THAT SENSE. THE OTHER COMMIT, THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION KIND OF DID WHAT I'M DOING NOW AND KIND OF WORKED THEIR WAY THROUGH IT. UM, BUT I THINK IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, UM, UM, WE NEED THE OPPORTUNITY TO PURSUE THIS AND LEARN WE WHERE ALL THE BOARD IS COMFORTABLE WITH ALL OF THE ISSUES RELATED TO ZILKER PARK AS A PARK. THIS BRIDGE WAS FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, TOM MILLER DID IN 47. IT WAS SAME WAY IN 26. IT WAS CONSIDERED TO BE AN ELEMENT OF THE PARK. IT WAS CONSIDERED TO BE PART OF THE PARK. AND I THINK THAT'S THE WAY WE HAVE TO LOOK AT IT AS A PART OF THE PARK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, UH, BOARD MEMBER. I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE THAT. I THINK, UM, JUST BRINGING BACK SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE HEARD TODAY, WE DEFINITELY HEARD SAFETY, UM, NOT ONLY FROM PEOPLE WHO CAME TO SPEAK, BUT UM, FROM OUR, FROM OUR BOARD MEMBERS. UM, AND THEN, UM, THERE WAS QUESTIONS JUST SURROUNDING THE MONEY. I I THINK THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT WILL FOLLOW UP WITH, UH, RELATED TO THAT. UM, AND THEN DEFINITELY LOOKING BEYOND JUST THE ROADWAY OF THE BRIDGE, BUT THE FEELING OF THE BRIDGE AND WHAT ELSE THAT ENTAILS. I THINK IT'S JUST HELPFUL TO HEAR WHAT SOME OF THE BOARD MEMBERS ARE BRINGING UP NOW BECAUSE IT'S BETTER NOW TO BE ABLE TO COME BACK TO US LATER WITH, UM, KIND OF KNOWING, UM, SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WE MAY POSE LATER. UM, BUT, UM, ANY OTHER, ANY OTHER FINAL COMMENT YET? BOARD MEMBER, JUST ONE FINAL, AND, AND THIS MAY NOT BE A POPULAR VIEW, BUT MY KIDS ARE UNDER THAT BRIDGE A LOT BECAUSE THEY LOVE TO KAYAK AND PADDLEBOARD UP TOWARDS, YOU KNOW, BARTON SPRINGS POOL. MY DAUGHTER WAS A COACH BRINGING LOTS OF KIDS, AND THAT'S WHERE THEY GO. THEY GO FROM THE ROWING CENTER ALL THE WAY OVER THERE. AND SAFETY. I, I MEAN, THEM BEING ON THE WATER AND BEING SAFE I THINK IS KIND OF LIKE WHAT OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS A PARK SPORT IS, IS MAKING SURE THAT THE CITIZENS OF AUSTIN CAN BE IN OUR PARKS AND FEEL SAFE. I'M A LITTLE FREAKED OUT NOW KNOWING THAT, THAT YOU, THE REASON THAT THAT BIKE LANE WAS THERE IS BECAUSE OF OF LOAD. I, I AM FREAKED OUT. I ALSO HAVE A SON WHO USES A WHEELCHAIR AND I ABSOLUTELY HATE THAT BRIDGE BECAUSE IT'S NOT ACCESSIBLE. [03:30:01] I GET WORRIED THAT SOMEONE'S GONNA, OR I'M GONNA TRIP AND FALL OVER THAT LOW RAILING. UM, I, I THINK SAFETY SHOULD BE OUR MAIN CONCERN. I ABSOLUTELY AGREE THAT WE SHOULD BE CONCERNED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, PRESERVING THE PARK, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO REMEMBER, WE NEED TO BE, YOU KNOW, THINK ABOUT PEOPLE'S SAFETY THAT, YOU KNOW, AS SOON AS SOMEBODY FALLS OFF THAT BRIDGE AND DIES, WE MAY CHANGE OUR TUNE. I DON'T THINK WE NEED TO BE AT THAT POINT. I THINK WE NEED TO BE, THAT SHOULD BE LIKE THE HIGH BAR RIGHT NOW IS MAKING SURE THAT WE PEOPLE CAN FEEL SAFE IN OUR, IN OUR PARK AND LET'S DO IT THE RIGHT WAY. BUT LET'S NOT FORGET IT IS A BRIDGE AND WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT PEOPLE. THANKS. THANK YOU. BOARD MEMBER. UM, ANYBODY ELSE? BOARD MEMBER BECKER. BOARD MEMBER ABARA. ANYTHING ELSE FROM YOU GUYS? WHAT, ONE, ONE QUICK LAST POINT TO, UM, I BELIEVE THE QUESTION WAS ASKED ABOUT THE FUNDING, FEDERAL FUNDING. UM, ULTIMATELY ALL OF THE, THE THIS PROCESS THAT YOU'RE GOING THROUGH WITH 1 0 6 AND THESE OTHER, THE DOT FOUR F I'M NOT SURE SIX F WILL PLAY, BUT THE FACT IS ULTIMATELY IT CAN IMPACT THE FEDERAL FUNDING. YES. YES, IT CAN IMPACT THE FEDERAL FUNDING. AND, AND, AND THE LAST COMMENT I WILL SAY IS I BELIEVE THAT THIS BRIDGE CAN BE, RETAIN ITS INTEGRITY AND ALSO BE SAFE. WE CAN HAVE BOTH AND I HOPE THAT WE AS A PARKS BOARD HELP LEAD THE WAY ON THAT. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU. BOARD MEMBERS. I THINK WE'LL HAVE A LOT TO, TO DISCUSS, UM, FURTHER ABOUT THIS. UM, IT'S CERTAINLY, UM, A TOPIC THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF OPINION ABOUT AND, AND, UM, I KNOW SOME COMMUNITY MEMBERS WEREN'T ABLE TO MAKE IT OUT TONIGHT WHO WANTED TO SPEAK AND SO WANNA MAKE SURE TO CONTINUE TO HEAR, UM, WHAT OUR COMMUNITY HAS TO SAY AND WHAT THEY WANT. SO I AM GONNA ASK, WE'RE AT 9 56. OUR MEETING CONCLUDES AT 10. ARE WE ALLOWED TO TAKE A VOTE EARLY TO EXTEND A FEW MINUTES OR DO I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL 10? MR. BECK? YES. CHAIR. UH, YOU COULD EXTEND NOW THE MOTION LANGUAGE WOULD BE TO, UM, WAIVE THE RULES AND ALLOW THE BOARD TO MEET AFTER 10:00 PM OKAY, GREAT. AND, UM, PRIOR TO THAT, THANK YOU SO MUCH TO OUR, TO OUR PRESENTER. SORRY, I JUMPED AHEAD. UM, THAT WAS ONLY A BRIEFING, SO THERE'S NO, UM, ACTION THAT NEEDS TO BE TAKEN ON ITEM NUMBER SIX. UM, I FORGOT THE WAIVING THE, THAT YOU JUST SAID I'D LIKE TO WAIVE. I I MOVE TO WAIVE THE RULES AND THANK YOU BOARD MEMBER. I'M GONNA TAKE THAT. YOU GOT IT. AND I'M GONNA FROM SEATTLE. . DO WE HAVE A SECOND? IT LOOKS LIKE BOARD MEMBER BECKER'S GIVING ME A SECOND. ? YES. ALRIGHT, UM, UM, I SECOND THE MOTION TO WAIVE THE RULES THAT STAND PAST. THANK YOU. OKAY. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF EXTENDING FOR PAST 10. SO WE CAN WRAP THE AGENDA. WE'VE GOT 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, ALL THOSE OPPOSED ONE, ALL THOSE ABSTAINING. OKAY. GREAT. MOTION PASSES. SEVEN ONE. I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE YOU AND WE WILL MOVE RIGHT ONTO THE [7. Staff briefing on Parks and Recreation Department community engagement events, planning updates, development updates, maintenance updates, program updates and administrative updates. (Sponsors: Bazan, Becker) Presenter(s): Adena Long, Deputy Director, Austin Parks and Recreation. ] STAFF BRIEFING. UM, IF THERE'S NO NOTHING ELSE, THERE'S NO CHAIR , AM I ON? GREAT. HI EVERYONE. UH, IDINA LONG, DEPUTY DIRECTOR AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION. I'VE MET SOME OF YOU, BUT NOT ALL OF YOU. UM, I'M ENTERING MY NINTH WEEK HERE. UM, SO DON'T YOU KNOW ONLY LOW BALL QUESTIONS PLEASE. UM, I COME BY WAY OF, UH, PORTLAND WHERE I WAS THE PARKS AND RECREATION DIRECTOR FOR SIX AND A HALF YEARS AND I SPENT 22 YEARS IN NEW YORK CITY PARKS, UH, PRIOR TO THAT. SO, UM, THIS HAS PRETTY MUCH BEEN MY CAREER, MY MOSTLY MY ENTIRE LIFE. I STARTED AS A SEASONAL PARK RANGER AND, UM, AND JUST KIND OF ZIGZAGGED, UH, UP THE LADDER. I'M VERY HAPPY TO BE WITH YOU THIS EVENING. UM, ON BEHALF OF DIRECTOR AGUIRE AND I'LL BE PROVIDING THE DIRECTOR'S REPORT AND I'LL TRY TO GET THROUGH IT SPEEDILY SO THAT, UM, WE CAN ALL GET HOME AND AT LEAST IT SOUNDS LIKE THE LIGHTNING AND THUNDER HAS ABATED. [03:35:03] SO, UM, EARLIER THIS MONTH, RECREATION SERVICES OFFERED TRAINING TO OVER 200 STAFF WHO SUPPORT, UH, DISABLED COMMUNITY MEMBERS SO THEY CAN PARTICIPATE IN EVENTS LIKE THE ADAPTIVE FIELD DAY, WHICH SERVED HUNDREDS OF YOUTH AND ADULTS. TOTALLY COOL. TOTALLY. ART WRAPPED UP THEIR SEASON WITH AN END OF THE YEAR SHOWCASE THAT HIGHLIGHTED 750, UH, PLUS ARTWORKS AND SOME OF THE STUDENT FILMS FROM THE SAME PROGRAM WERE EVEN FEATURED AT AUSTIN'S BLACK LENS FESTIVAL. NEXT SLIDE. LAST MONTH, TURNER ROBERTS REC CENTER HOSTED ITS FIRST, BUT PROBABLY NOT ITS LAST SOAP BOX DERBY AND AUSTIN FOOTBALL CLUB PLAYERS. DAMIEN LAS AND ROBERT TAYLOR VISITED AN A PR YOUTH SOCCER CLINIC THAT PROVIDED 120 ATHLETES WITH SKILL INSTRUCTION FROM VOLUNTEER COACHES. AND AT SOUTH AUSTIN RECREATION CENTER CELEBRATED THE CONCLUSION OF A FIVE WEEK LONG VOLLEYBALL CLINIC WITH A PARENT CHILD SCRIMMAGE, WHICH I'M SURE WAS A BLAST. NEXT SLIDE. BARTON SPRINGS POOL CONTINUES TO MOVE SEVERAL PROJECTS FORWARD. UH, POINT OF SALE TOUCHSCREEN ACTIVATION REMAINS ON HOLD UNTIL THE ROTUNDA SPACE OFFICIALLY OPENS AND WATERFRONT LIFEGUARD RECRUITING AND TRAINING IS ONGOING. MINOR PLUMBING REPAIRS WERE COMPLETED AND LARGER PROJECTS SUCH AS DECK FINISHING, POOL LIGHT REPLACEMENTS, IRRIGATION AND CLEANING PUMP REPAIRS ARE IN ACTIVE PLANNING. STAFF ARE ALSO COORDINATING SCHEDULING FOR THE ROTUNDA SPACE AND ITS EXHIBIT WITH ALL PARTNER GROUPS IN PREPARATION FOR ITS OPENING, WHICH I UNDERSTAND IS STILL ON SCHEDULE FOR THE END OF THIS MONTH. OKAY, UH, DEEP EDDIE STARTED DOING, UH, UH, WEEKLY CLOSURES JUST ONE DAY A WEEK, UH, LAST MONTH, ALLOWING THEM TO COMPLETE NECESSARY GROUNDS AND, UH, POOL MAINTENANCE. THE FACILITATE THE FACILITY LOOKS GREAT WITH THE EXTRA TIME THAT'S BEEN DEDICATED TO ITS CARE AND OF, OF COURSE, YOU ALL KNOW, MAY REMAINS ONE OF THE BUSIEST, UH, LIFEGUARD TRAINING MONTHS. WE HAVE ABOUT 400 PARTICIPANTS REGISTERED SO FAR, UM, FOR FULL AND REACCREDITATION, UH, RECERTIFICATION LIFEGUARD CLASSES. AND, UM, OUR OUTREACH CONTINUES TO EXPAND IN PREPARATION FOR THIS BUSY SUMMER SEASON, PARTICULARLY AS THE NUMBER OF FREE LESSONS GROW THROUGH THE AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMEN SWIM SAFE PROGRAM IN COLLABORATION WITH EIGHT REC CENTERS. NEXT SLIDE. THE OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE DIVISION WAS RECENTLY TASKED WITH CONSTRUCTING A NEW STREET CROSSWALK AT WALK, UH, WALNUT CREEK METROPOLITAN PARK TO IMPROVE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY, ENHANCED ACCESSIBILITY AND SUPPORT ONGOING PARK INFRA INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS. THIS PROJECT IS INTENDED TO PROVIDE A SAFER CONNECTION FOR PARK VISITORS, REDUCE POTENTIAL VEHICLE AND PEDESTRIAN CONFLICTS, AND PROMOTE SAFER MOBILITY THROUGHOUT THE PARK. IN SURROUNDING AREAS, THE CROSSWALK INSTALLATION ALIGNS WITH BROADER EFFORTS TO IMPROVE PUBLIC ACCESS, STRENGTHEN TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE, AND CREATE A SAFER RECREATIONAL ENVIRONMENT FOR THE COMMUNITY. NEXT SLIDE. THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND TOURISM PROGRAM LAUNCHED A DIGITAL ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN WITH TEXAS MONTHLY, FEATURING FIVE HISTORIC AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION POOLS, PARKS, THEREZA, ROSEWOOD PARK, GIS PARK, DEEP EDDY, AND BEVERLY SHEFFIELD NORTHWEST PARK. THE CAMPAIGN INCLUDES RUN OF SITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA ADS, BOTH OF WHICH TARGET PEOPLE OUTSIDE THE AUSTIN DESIGNATED MARKET AREA. THIS IS THE FIRST OF FOUR CAMPAIGNS WE ARE RUNNING WITH TEXAS MONTHLY IN THIS FISCAL YEAR. THE FUNDING COMES FROM THE CITY OF AUSTIN HISTORIC PRESERVATION FUND, WHICH IS FUNDED BY HOTEL OCCUPANTS OCCUPANCY TAX REVENUE. NEXT SLIDE. A RIBBON CUTTING WAS HELD ON APRIL 24TH TO CELEBRATE PARK RIDGE NEIGHBORHOOD PARK IN SOUTH AUSTIN. THE NEW TWO ACRE PARK WAS FUNDED THROUGH THE CITY'S PARKLAND DEDICATION PROGRAM TO SERVE AN AREA THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY IDENTIFIED AS BEING PARK DEFICIENT. THE PROJECT REPRESENTS A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND FAIRFIELD RESIDENTIAL, WHICH IS THE DEVELOPER OF THE ADJACENT CALA UH, APARTMENTS THROUGH THE PARKLAND DEDICATION PROCESS, THE DEVELOPER, UH, DEDICATED LAND FOR PUBLIC PARK USE AND CONSTRUCTED THE PARK AMENITIES AS PART OF THEIR SITE PLAN. CONSTRUCTION OF THE PARK BEGAN IN 2025 AND WAS COMPLETED IN MARCH, 2026, WHICH IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE FASTEST PARK CONSTRUCTION, UH, PROJECTS I'VE EVER HEARD OF. THE PARK FEATURES A SHADED PLAYGROUND, SEPARATE SMALL AND LARGE FENCED LEASH DOG AREAS, BARBECUE GRILLS AND PICNIC TABLES, A WALKING TRAIL AND OPEN PLAY FIELD, AND NATURAL AREAS WITH MATURE TREES AND A RESTORED DRY CREEK BED. SIDEWALKS [03:40:01] AND TRAILS THROUGHOUT THE SITE MEET A DA, UH, STANDARDS TO SUPPORT ACCESSIBLE USE BY ALL PARK USERS. NEXT SLIDE. AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION HAS A STAFF GREEN TEAM. THIS INTERNAL PROGRAM IS ONLY A YEAR OLD, BUT ALREADY HAS 25 MEMBERS FROM RECREATION CENTERS, SENIOR CENTERS, PLANNING AQUATICS AND MAINTENANCE OFFICES WITH THE GOAL OF ONE MEMBER FOR EACH A PR FACILITY. THE PRIMARY FOCUS IS WORKING TOWARDS ZERO WASTE AT CITY FACILITIES AND PARTICIPANTS CAN ALSO LEARN ABOUT EMPLOYEE COMMUTE SOLUTION, UM, COMMUTING SOLUTIONS, SUSTAINABILITY CERTIFICATIONS COM, COMPOSTING GREEN WATER INFRASTRUCTURE, ENERGY, ENERGY DEMAND RESPONSE, COMMUNITY GARDEN, SUSTAINABLE PURCHASING AND HOSTING SUSTAINABLE EVENTS. I THINK THAT WE NEED SOMEONE FROM THE DIRECTOR'S OFFICE IN THAT GREEN TEAM. THE GREEN TEAM ALSO PARTICIPATES IN EVENTS LIKE RECYCLING, FACILITY TOURS, CLOTHING SWAPS, AND PARK CLEANUPS, AND CAN SHARE RESOURCES AND INFORMATION BACK WITH THEIR HOME FACILITY COWORKERS. NEXT SLIDE. IN ADDITION TO SERVING AS YOUR NEW DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR PARKS AND RECREATION, I ALSO SERVE ON THE BOARD OF THE CITY PARKS ALLIANCE. I'M EXCITED TO SERVE DOUBLE DUTY AS THE ALLIANCES GREATER AND GREENER CONFERENCE COMES TO AUSTIN THIS JUNE. UM, IT IS FROM JUNE 13TH TO THE 16TH. UH, I WILL NOTE I CHECKED ON MY PHONE. REGISTRATION REMAINS OPEN IF ANYONE'S INTERESTED IN ATTENDING ANY OF THE SESSIONS, AND WE'RE SEEKING VOLUNTEERS TO ASSIST, UM, IN MANY UM, CAPACITIES. SO, UM, IF ANYONE'S INTERESTED, I'M HAPPY TO SHARE THE INFORMATION TO GET MORE INVOLVED. AND WITH THAT, ANY QUESTIONS? JUST A QUICK QUESTION. I THINK IT WAS SLIDE TWO OR THREE, UM, AQUATICS, DO WE HAVE ENOUGH LIFEGUARDS TO ENSURE THAT ALL THE CITY POOLS WILL BE OPEN THIS SUMMER? LUCAS? YEAH, LUCAS MASS, THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR. WE'RE, WE'RE WORKING ON IT. WE'RE REALLY CLOSE. UM, JUST A COUPLE, COUPLE DELAYS. WE'VE TRANSITIONED TO A NEW CBI VENDOR FOR THE CITY AND IT'S, IT'S POSED TO SOME CHALLENGES FOR FOLKS WHO ARE SITTING OUT EMAILS IF THEY GOTTA CHECK JUNK BOXES AND THINGS LIKE THAT. ANYONE PAYING ATTENTION OR LISTENING BY CHANCE? UH, UH, THAT THAT'S THE SCENARIO WE'RE FACING, BUT SHOULD BE GOOD. THANK YOU. YEAH. I HAVE ONE REQUEST. COULD WE GET A BRIEFING ON THE NEW MOU THAT'S BEEN SIGNED IN APRIL WITH Z OR 3 51? WE HAVE RECEIVED A BRIEFING LAST MONTH ON THE PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM, BUT THIS SEEMS TO BE SOMEWHAT OUTSIDE OF THAT PROGRAM AND I, I THINK IT'D BE HELPFUL FOR ME AT LEAST TO KNOW, UM, WHAT THAT REPRESENTS. UM, I'LL CONFER WITH THE DIRECTOR, BUT I CAN'T IMAGINE THAT THAT WOULD BE A PROBLEM. I JUST DON'T KNOW THE, I I JUST DON'T KNOW WHERE IT'S AT AND IF IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE YET, BUT I, I CAN'T SEE THAT BEING A PROBLEM. OKAY. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. ALL RIGHT. IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE GONNA BE EASY ON YOU TODAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE VERY MUCH APPRECIATE YOU. AND AGAIN, JUST A REMINDER THAT, OH, JUST KIDDING. NO. OKAY. UM, THAT WE'VE GOT INVITATIONS IN OUR EMAILS FOR THE NEXT FEW OPENINGS. UM, SO IF YOU'D LIKE TO JOIN ANY OF THE THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THE NEXT, UM, COUPLE WEEKS, UM, EMAIL THE APPROPRIATE FOLKS. SO THANK YOU. THANKS SO MUCH. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. NOT QUIET. OH, , TIM. YAY, TIM. AND WE WERE AT A FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS WE'RE NOT QUITE QUITE DONE. UM, ANY [FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS] FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS FOLKS? WE'VE GOT THE, THE, WE'VE NOTED THAT. GREAT. AND THEN, UM, I THINK THERE'S GONNA BE SOME INTEREST FOR SOMETHING AROUND THE BRIDGE, POTENTIALLY WORKING GROUP OR SOMETHING, BUT I'LL TALK WITH THE DIRECTOR AND SEE WHAT MIGHT MAKE SENSE, UM, SO THAT WE CAN GET FOLKS SOME MORE INFORMATION AHEAD OF TIME VERSUS, UM, SPENDING TWO HOURS UP HERE. UM, IT'S NICE TO GET EDUCATED, UH, AHEAD OF TIME, SO WE'LL TALK MORE ABOUT THAT. BUT OTHERWISE, ANY OTHER FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS? UM, USUALLY THESE ARE THINGS THAT ARE CLOSE TO READY TO BE PRESENTED. UM, ALRIGHT. UM, AND YOU CAN ALWAYS EMAIL. ALRIGHT, WITH NO OBJECTION. UM, IT'S 10 0 8 AND I'LL CONCLUDE THIS MEETING OF THE PARKS BOARD. THANK YOU. THANKS. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.