* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:06] UM, IT IS 6 0 6 [CALL TO ORDER] AND WE'LL BEGIN THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD FOR AUGUST 24TH. 2026. SORRY, ONE SECOND. UM, I AM GOING TO TAKE ROLL. ALRIGHT, SO CHAIR STEPHANIE BISON, PRESENT BOARD MEMBER BECKER PRESENT BOARD MEMBER ORM. PRESENT BOARD MEMBER VILLALOBOS. BOARD MEMBER MERIT BOARD MEMBER KELLY. PRESENT BOARD MEMBER ABARA. BOARD MEMBER OCCURRENCE OAL. PRESENT BOARD MEMBER TAYLOR. BOARD MEMBER FRANKLIN. BOARD MEMBER EUBANKS PRESENT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT THERE BEING QUORUM. WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM. UM, OUR FIRST AGENDA ITEM IS PUBLIC COMMUNICATION GENERAL. THIS IS RESERVED FOR THE FIRST 10 SPEAKERS SIGNED UP PRIOR TO THE MEETING AND THEY WILL BE CALLED BY MR. BECK. THANK YOU CHAIR. BEFORE I BEGIN CALLING NAMES FOR GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT, JUST A REMINDER TO THE BOARD, BECAUSE WE ONLY HAVE SIX BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT TODAY, THAT MEANS WE ARE RUNNING A RAZOR THIN QUORUM. WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT FOR ANY ACTION TO PASS BY THE BOARD, IT WILL HAVE TO BE UNANIMOUS. ANY BOARD MEMBER VOTING AGAINST AN ITEM OR ABSTAINING FOR AN ITEM WILL RESULT IN A FAILED VOTE. THE OTHER THING IT MEANS FOR BOARD MEMBERS OR ME AND UH, K OSTER WHILE IS PLEASE KEEP YOUR CAMERA ON AT ALL TIMES. IF, UH, YOU DROP OFF CAMERA, TECHNICALLY YOU KINDA WITHDRAW FROM THE MEETING AND WE WOULD LOSE OUR QUORUM AT THAT POINT. THANKS VERY MUCH. WE'LL BEGIN WITH A GENERAL PUBLIC [PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL ] COMMENT. OUR FIRST SPEAKER TONIGHT WILL BE LESTER QUILL AFTER LESTER. AFTER LESTER WILL BE JULIE FISHER AND THEN HALEY WAGMAN WORK ON THIS. YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES FROM THE TIME YOU BEGIN SPEAKING. HELLO. ALL RIGHT. UH, GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY. MY NAME'S LESTER AND I'M HERE TO ASK YOU TO RECONSIDER SOME OF THE DECISIONS THAT COULD LEAD TO ELIMINATE AUSTIN PARKS AND RECS, ADULT SPORTS LEAGUES, INCLUDING THE VOLLEYBALL LEAGUES THAT MANY OF US HERE BEHIND ME PARTICIPATE IN. UH, I'VE LIVED IN AUSTIN FOR YEARS NOW AND I MOVED HERE IN 2017 TO ATTEND GRADUATE SCHOOL AT UT, WHERE I GOT MY MBA. SINCE THEN, I'VE FORMED BONDS AND FRIENDSHIPS BUILT AND BEEN PART OF COMMUNITIES AND THE LEAGUES THAT WE TALK ABOUT TONIGHT HAVE PLAYED AN ESSENTIAL ROLE ROLE IN GIVING ME A COMMUNITY SO THAT I CAN CALL AUSTIN HOME. I KNOW AUSTIN IS PHASING A LOT OF DIFFICULT BUDGET DECISIONS AND AS AN MBA HOLDER MYSELF, I UNDERSTAND FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS. I UNDERSTAND THE IMPLICATIONS THEREOF AND I'M NOT HERE TO ASK THE CITY TO SIMPLY IGNORE THEM, BUT I'M ASKING YOU TO NOT VIEW ADULT SPORTS SOLELY AS A FINANCIAL BURDEN AND AS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN RELEGATE TO PRIVATE ENTITIES. FOR ME AND FOR MANY OF US, AUSTINITES FOR MY FRIENDS BEHIND ME, THESE LEAGUES ARE MUCH MORE THAN JUST A GAME. THEY GIVE US A REASON TO STAY PHYSICALLY ACTIVE, GIVE US A ROUTINE. AND UNLIKE THE PRIVATE LEAGUES IN THE CITY, THIS ONE GIVES US COMMUNITY REGARDLESS OF AN INDIVIDUAL'S FINANCIAL CAPABILITIES. THERE ARE SEVERAL THINGS THAT THIS LEAGUE HAS PROVIDED AS PARTICIPANTS. AND GIVEN MY BACKGROUND, I'D LIKE TO COME WITH SOME DATA POINTS. FIRST OF ALL, THESE LEAGUES HAVE HELPED US FIND COMMUNITY. I PARTICIPATE IN BOTH THE MONDAY AND FRIDAY LEAGUES. AND IN THOSE TWO LEAGUES ALONE, NOT COUNTING THE WOMEN'S LEAGUES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK, THERE ARE A TOTAL OF 312 SEATS IN THE ROSTERS SPREAD ACROSS 24 TEAMS. THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE THOSE WHO COULD NOT GET IN BECAUSE REGISTRATION WOULD ALWAYS MAX OUT AND CLOSE WITHIN 45 SECONDS OF REGISTRATION. AM I RIGHT? YES, BECAUSE THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO, THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO WANT TO JOIN THESE LEAGUES. THE PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM DON'T JUST PLAY VOLLEYBALL. WE ARE AUSTINITES WHO HAVE FOUND COMMON PASSION AND HEALTHY AND SOCIAL LIFESTYLE THAT THESE LEAGUE LEAGUES BRING. SECOND, THE ROUTINES THAT THESE LEAGUES REQUIRE, UH, OF THIS PARTICIPANT ARE A QUALITATIVE BENEFIT. DID YOU KNOW THAT? UM, SPORTS, WE MIGHT BE ADULT, BUT SPORTS WOULD REDUCE, UH, OBESITY BY 20% IN THE YOUTH. GRANTED, MANY OF US ARE STILL IN THE YOUTH, UM, AND IT ALSO REDUCES DEPRESSION BY 15%. SO IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT CAUSATIONS, BUT I'M PRETTY SURE THAT WHEN I WAS IN GRAD SCHOOL, I LEARNED THAT THE US HEALTHCARE SYSTEM UNIQUELY WORKS WHEN WE ATTACK IT FROM THE UPSTREAM RATHER THAN CURE AILMENT SYMPTOMATICALLY. NOW I KNOW WE'RE EYEING PRIVATE LEAGUES AS A REPLACEMENT TO THESE PROGRAMS AND PRIVATE [00:05:01] LEAGUES ARE GREAT COMPLIMENT TO THESE PUBLIC PROGRAMS. HOWEVER, THERE'S A COUPLE OF THINGS WE NEED TO CON WE'D LIKE TO ASK YOU TO CONSIDER. FIRST AFFORDABILITY MATTERS. I MYSELF HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THESE PRIVATE LEAGUES, A SSC, SPORTS KIND ASS, ET CETERA. DID YOU KNOW THAT THAT MANY OF THEM ARE ANYWHERE BETWEEN THREE TO FOUR TIMES MORE EXPENSIVE THAN THESE LEAGUES WE PARTICIPATE IN? I WORK AT A TECH COMPANY, FORTUNATELY FOR ME, AND YET I CHOSE TO LEAVE THOSE LEAGUES PARTLY BECAUSE THEY'RE COST PROHIBITIVE. I CANNOT IMAGINE HOW OTHER AUSTINITES FEEL ABOUT THAT. THE QUESTION ISN'T WHETHER SOME OF US CAN AFFORD IT. THE QUESTION NOW BECOMES WHO GETS LEFT BEHIND? THANK YOU. WHEN PARTICIPATION BECOMES COST PROHIBITIVE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR YOUR TIME. OUR NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE JULIE FISHER, FOLLOWED BY HALEY WAGMAN AND THEN AUBREY RUDDER IN THE PRESENTATION. THANK YOU. YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES FROM THE TIME YOU BEGIN SPEAKING. ALRIGHT, GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS JULIE FISHER, CEO OF THE TRAIL CONSERVANCY. AND TONIGHT I'D LIKE TO SHARE A LITTLE BIT BEHIND OUR VOLUNTEER PROGRAM AND HOW WE'VE INTENTIONALLY GROWN IT ALONGSIDE OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY. EACH STAGE OF THAT GROWTH HAS TAUGHT US SOMETHING NEW ABOUT HOW VOLUNTEERS CAN CARE FOR THE BUTLER TRAIL AND HOW THOUGHTFUL COORDINATION CAN CREATE GREATER IMPACT. IN THE EARLY YEARS, VOLUNTEERS SIMPLY SHOWED UP BECAUSE THEY LOVE THIS PLACE. SMALL GROUPS OF NEIGHBORS ORGANIZED CLEANUPS, PLANTED FLOWERS AND HELPED BEAUTIFY THE TRAIL. WHAT WE LEARNED WAS SIMPLE. OUR COMMUNITY WANTED TO BE A PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND BY 2016 WE BEGAN TRACKING VOLUNTEER PARTICIPATION AND BUILDING MORE STRUCTURE AROUND THAT SPECIFIC PROGRAM. TTC BECAME MORE INTENTIONAL ABOUT WHERE, WHEN AND HOW VOLUNTEERS WERE DEPLOYED. EVERY VOLUNTEER HOUR GENERATED GREATER IMPACT AND AS THE PROGRAM GREW, SO DID OUR VISION. BY 2020 VOLUNTEERS WEREN'T JUST BEAUTIFYING THE TRAIL, THEY WERE RESTORING IT. OUR WORK EXPANDED INTO SHORELINE RESTORATION, INVASIVE SPECIES REMOVAL, NATIVE PLANTING, MULCHING, AND HABITAT RESTORATION DURING COV OUTDOOR SERVICE BECAME A SAFE WAY FOR PEOPLE TO RECONNECT WITH THEIR COMMUNITY AND PARTICIPATE. PARTICIPATION GREW DRAMATICALLY. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. IN 2022, WE SIGNED OUR PARK OPERATIONS MAINTENANCE AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY AND THE POMA DIDN'T SIMPLY ASSIGN MAINTENANCE RESPONSIBILITIES, IT STRENGTHENED OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY AND GAVE US THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTENTIONALLY COORDINATE VOLUNTEER EFFORTS ALONGSIDE THEM. TOGETHER WE BEGAN IDENTIFYING PRIORITY PROJECTS, ALIGNING VOLUNTEER EVENTS WITH OPERATIONAL NEEDS AND FOCUSING ON RESTORATION SITES, MANAGING HABITATS, HIGH USED AREAS AND LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL PROJECTS. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. THAT INTENTIONALITY ALSO CHANGED THE VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS, OUR ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS MANAGER JONATHAN SALINAS, WHO'S HERE TONIGHT, HAS HELPED BUILD THAT VISION INTO THE PROGRAM YOU SEE TODAY. EVERY VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY COMBINE SERVICE WITH EDUCATION, WHETHER SOMEONE JOINS OUR SHORELINE STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM, WEDNESDAY WORKDAYS KIDS ADOPT A GARDEN OR A TRAIL CLEANUP, THEY'RE LEARNING ABOUT NATIVE PLANTS, WATERSHED, HEALTH, INVASIVE SPECIES, GREEN STORMWATER IN INFRASTRUCTURE AND RESPONSIBLE LAND STEWARDSHIP. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. THIS GRAPH EXHIBITS SOME OF THAT PROGRESSION HERE TODAY. SO AS OF LAST YEAR, WE DID 118 EVENTS IN 2025. AND NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND WE VOLUNTEERED AS A COLLECTIVE COMMUNITY OVER 7,700 HOURS. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND THESE ARE JUST A COUPLE PICTURES FROM SOME OF THE VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS THAT WE'VE DONE IN 2016 AND 2021. AND NEXT SLIDE IS SOME OF THE IMPACT THAT WE HAVE MADE SINCE SIGNING THE PMA IN 2022. AND JUST AS THE BUTLER TRAIL IS FOR EVERYONE, OUR VOLUNTEER PROGRAM IS DESIGNED FOR EVERY EXPERIENCE LEVEL. WHETHER SOMEONE WANTS TO SPEND ONE SATURDAY PLANTING NATIVE SPECIES OR EVENTUALLY LEAD A VOLUNTEER EVENT, THERE'S A PLACE FOR THEM. OUR GOAL ISN'T SIMPLY TO RECRUIT VOLUNTEERS, IT'S TO BUILD A LIFELONG STEWARDSHIP RELATIONSHIP WITH THE TRAIL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS HALEY WAGMAN. HALEY WAGMAN. AFTER HALEY WILL BE AUBREY RUDDER AND THEN PATRICK BYER. YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES FROM THE TIME YOU BEGIN SPEAKING. OKAY, COOL. ALL RIGHT. HI BOARD, NICE TO MEET YOU. MY NAME'S HALEY WAGMAN AND I'M HERE TO SPEAK ABOUT THE ADULT VOLLEYBALL LEAGUES THAT UNFORTUNATELY AS OF NOW HAVE NOT MADE THE CUP FOR THE UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR ENDING PROGRAMS THAT THIS, THAT HAVE THIS HIGH OF A DEMAND IS A REFLECTION OF NOT THE BEST LEADERSHIP FROM THE SPORT IS HOW I FEEL ABOUT IT. I FEEL IT'S A LITTLE LAZY. I FEEL LIKE OTHER OPTIONS HAVE NOT BEEN [00:10:01] THOROUGHLY EXPLORED AS BEST AS THEY COULD. UM, AS SOMEONE WHO IS A LEADER MYSELF, HAVING SERVED OVER 10 YEARS IN OUR US MILITARY AND WORKED FOR MY OWN HOMETOWN PARKS AND RECREATION FOR FOUR YEARS IN COLLEGE AND LOCAL NONPROFITS THAT I USED TO WORK WITH, WITH PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, I'M NO STRANGER TO WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A LEADER AND FACE DEVASTATING BUDGET CUTS. SO I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS, YOU KNOW, NO EASY DECISION THAT YOU GUYS HAVE TO MAKE. UM, BUT TO CUT THIS PROGRAM WOULD BE A MISTAKE BECAUSE OF ITS POPULARITY AND WHAT IT BRINGS TO THE COMMUNITY AND THE LACK OF OTHER OUTSIDE OPTIONS WE CURRENTLY HAVE. THE DEMAND FOR THESE LEAGUES IS HIGH. I MEAN, I WAS LESS STRESSED ON TICKETMASTER TRYING TO GET TICKETS FOR THE TAYLOR SWIFT ERAS TOUR THAN I WAS SIGNING UP MY MONDAY NIGHT LEAGUE FOR JUST THIS CO-ED LEAGUE, RIGHT? LESTER WAS NOT KIDDING. WHEN HE SAYS IT FILLS UP IN 45 SECONDS. IF YOU'RE NOT, DON'T HAVE THE ALARM SET ON YOUR PHONE, YOU'RE NOT GETTING IN. UM, OTHER LEAGUES HAVE STRUGGLED TO FILL THEIR SEASONS. AND THE REASON FOR THIS OTHER LEAGUES, I'M TALKING ABOUT PRIVATIZED OPTIONS, UM, IS LARGELY DUE TO PRICE LEVEL OF COMPETITION AND LACK OF INCLUSIVITY. CAP CITY IS A FRACTION OF THE COST COMPARED TO PRIVATIZED OPTIONS THAT PEOPLE ARE YOU GUYS ARE CURRENTLY EXPLORING. TO SWITCH TO THESE PRIVATIZED OPTIONS WOULD BE A OVER A HUNDRED PERCENT COST INCREASE. AFFORDABILITY MATTERS. CURRENTLY, I HAVE A WOMAN ON MY FRIDAY NIGHT TEAM WHO IS A TEACHER IN THE AUSTIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND LEFT THESE OTHER PRIVATIZED LEAGUES OPTIONS 'CAUSE SHE COULD NOT AFFORD TO PLAY IN THEM. CAP CITY IS THE ONLY LEAGUE THAT ALSO SPLITS INTO BOTH LEVEL AND GENDER. THIS KEEPS IT FAIR, SAFE AND FUN FOR ALL THOSE INVOLVED. TO ELIMINATE THESE LEAGUES WOULD ELIMINATE THE ONLY LEAGUE THAT CURRENTLY HAS A WOMEN SPECIFIC PROGRAM AND OPTION TO CUT TO SIMPLY TO SIMPLY CUT THIS PROGRAM WITHOUT LOOKING AT OTHER OPTIONS FIRST WOULD DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECT THOSE WHO RELY ON IT THE MOST. BEING WOMEN, PEOPLE WHO CAN'T AFFORD THESE OTHER PRIVATIZED LEAGUES AND THEY ARE NOT A VIABLE CHOICE. IF WE WANTED TO DO THOSE OTHER LEAGUES, WE WOULD ALREADY BEEN IN THEM. I HAVE NOT SEEN A LEAGUE RAN AS WELL AND AS EFFICIENTLY AS THIS LEAGUE IS AND OPERATES AT A LEVEL THAT IT CURRENTLY OPERATES AT. SO WITH THAT, I WOULD LIKE TO LASTLY INVITE YOU TO JOIN US. UM, I PLAY ON THE THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. MY GAME THIS WEEK IS AT 9:00 PM THEY START SEVEN, EIGHT, AND NINE. I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU GUYS ALL TO AT LEAST COME AND SEE AND HAVE THE COURAGE TO FACE THE PROGRAM THAT YOU GUYS ARE CUTTING. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS AUBREY RUDDER, FOLLOWED BY PATRICK BAYER AND THEN PATRICIA BOBBECK. UM, GOOD EVENING BOARD MEMBERS. MY NAME'S AUBREY RUDDER. I'M WITH THE AUSTIN ROWING CLUB. I WANT TO START WITH A MILESTONE THAT WE ARE INCREDIBLY PROUD OF. ON AUGUST 18TH, A RC CELEBRATED OUR INCORPORATION DAY OFFICIALLY MAKING US 45 YEARS OLD. UM, 45 YEARS AGO, A RC STARTED WITH A GROUP OF JUST EIGHT PEOPLE WHO WANTED TO LEARN HOW TO ROW AND BE ON TOWN LAKE. UM, SINCE THEN WE HAVE GROWN INTO A COMMUNITY THAT IS MUCH MORE THAN ROWING TODAY. WE SERVE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE EACH YEAR THROUGH ROWING PROGRAMS, KAYAK AND PADDLEBOARD RENTALS, YOUTH PROGRAMMING, ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP, AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. ON THE SCREEN IS A PHOTO OF ARC'S ORIGINAL BOATHOUSE BUILT IN 1987. YOU CAN SEE THE LAKESIDE APARTMENTS IN THE BACKGROUND, WHICH WERE BUILT IN 1967. UM, I LOVE THIS PHOTO BECAUSE SO MUCH AROUND US HAS CHANGED, INCLUDING OUR BOATHOUSE, BUT A RC HAS CONTINUED TO SERVE, UM, FROM THIS STRETCH OF LADYBIRD LAKE FOR DECADES. WE ARE EXTREMELY PROUD TO HAVE GROWN ALONGSIDE THE CITY AND TO STILL BE HERE 45 YEARS LATER. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. ONE PARTNERSHIP THAT IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT TO US IS OUR WORK WITH THE AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION CENTERS. UM, FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS, WE HAVE WELCOMED PARD SUMMER CAMPERS TO THE BOATHOUSE FOR COMPLETELY FREE ROWING AND KAYAK OUTINGS. THIS SUMMER WE HOSTED CAMPERS FROM NEARLY EVERY REC CENTER ACROSS AUSTIN. IT'S ALWAYS ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR SUMMER AND WE LOVE GETTING YOUNG AUSTINITES OUT ON LADY BIRD LAKE. UM, IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN AROUND 10 TO 12 YEAR OLDS IN A WHILE, THEY ARE HILARIOUS AND ALWAYS CLEAN US OUT OF OUR, ALL OF OUR POPSICLES AND IT'S SO MUCH FUN. UM, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. WE ALSO CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON RESPONSIBLE RECREATION. 4TH OF JULY IS ONE OF OUR BUSIEST WEEKENDS OF THE YEAR. SO THIS YEAR WE WANTED TO TRY SOMETHING NEW. WE SENT OUT EVERY PADDLER ONTO THE LAKE WITH A GREEN MESH TRASH BAG AND ENCOURAGED THEM TO PACK OUT WHAT THEY BROUGHT IN AND PICK UP ANY TRASH ALONG THE WAY. UM, THIS RESPONSE WAS INCREDIBLE AND JUST ONE DAY OUR GUEST HELPED PICK UP APPROXIMATELY 500 POUNDS OF TRASH FROM LADYBIRD LAKE. IT WAS A SIMPLE IDEA THAT TURNED THOUSANDS OF RECREATION RECREATIONAL USERS INTO STEWARDS OF THE LAKE, AND IT'S SOMETHING WE ARE EXCITED TO CONTINUE AND IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US AT A RC TO BE RESPONSIBLE, UM, RECREATION LEADERS. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. FINALLY, WE, UM, THIS PAST WEEKEND, WE MARKED THE BEGINNING OF OUR FALL JUNIOR ROWING SEASON. WE WELCOMED MORE THAN 100 YOUNG ATHLETES TO THE BOATHOUSE. THESE ATHLETES ARE LEARNING TO ROW, BUILD CONFIDENCE AND TEAMWORK, AND LEARN HOW TO ROW COMPETITIVELY [00:15:01] AND REPRESENT AUSTIN IN THE REGION AND BEYOND. AT A RC, WE BELIEVE, UM, COST SHOULD NEVER BE A REASON SOMEONE CAN'T BE A PART OF OUR PROGRAM. WE WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE AN AWARD MORE THAN $20,000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS TO JUNIOR ATHLETES THIS SEASON. IN CLOSING, UM, 45 YEARS. FOR 45 YEARS, A RC HAS BEEN HERE HELPING EXPAND ACCESS TO LADYBIRD LAKE THROUGH ROWING, KAYAK, PADDLE BOARDING AND MORE. AND WE ARE INCREDIBLY PROUD OF HOW THAT ACCESS HAS GROWN AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING THE WORK AND WELCOME, WELCOMING EVEN MORE AUSTINITES TO THE WATER. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE PATRICK BYER, FOLLOWED BY PATRICIA BOBBECK AND THEN SAM FOX. YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES FROM THE TIME YOU BEGIN SPEAKING. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS PATRICK BYER, THE PARK IMPROVEMENT DIRECTOR WITH AUSTIN PARKS FOUNDATION, AND I'M HERE TODAY TO SHARE A FEW UPDATES ON SOME IMPACTFUL WORK A PF IS DOING IN COLLABORATION WITH OUR PARTNERS AT THE PARKS DEPARTMENT. THIS FRIDAY, A PF AND AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION WILL BE CELEBRATING THE RAMSEY NEIGHBORHOOD PARK RIBBON CUTTING AT 10:00 AM THE PROJECT REFLECTS COMMUNITY FEEDBACK, INCLUDING STRONG SUPPORT FOR PRESERVING THE PLAYGROUND'S CHARACTER WHILE IMPROVING SAFETY, COMFORT, AND PLAY VALUE. COMPLETED IMPROVEMENTS INCLUDE THE UPGRADED FIVE TO 12 PLAY STRUCTURE, A NEW SHADED SWING SET AND NEW PIP RUBBER SURFACING. APPROXIMATELY 183,000 IN FUNDING WAS LEVERAGED FROM THE PUBLIC, PRIVATE, AND COMMUNITY SOURCES, INCLUDING SUPPORT FROM FORMER COUNCIL MEMBER ALLISON ALTER'S OFFICE, THE CITY OF AUSTIN, A PF, AND NEIGHBORHOOD DONORS. THROUGH AMPLIFY, AUSTIN CONSTRUCTION WAS COMPLETED IN JULY. WE WORKED IN SYNC WITH THE PARKS DEPARTMENT FROM START TO FINISH TO IMPROVE THIS WELL LOVED NEIGHBORHOOD PLAYGROUND WHILE PRESERVING, WHILE PROVIDING A SAFER SHADIER AND MORE ENGAGING PLACE TO PLAY. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. A PF WILL BE CELEBRATING ANOTHER RIBBON CUTTING ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15TH AT GRAND MEADOW NEIGHBORHOOD PARK. THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN YEARS IN THE MAKING. THIS PROJECT IS ANOTHER GREAT EXAMPLE OF COLLABORATION, NOT ONLY BETWEEN A PF AND A PR, BUT WITH THE NEIGHBORS AND OTHER PARTNERS. LIKE THE FRIENDS OF GRAND MEADOW PARK AND FRUITFUL COMMONS. THE TOTAL PROJECT COST IS JUST UNDER $2 MILLION. OF THAT A PF HAS CONTRIBUTED A LITTLE OVER 1.2 MILLION. WE ARE EXCITED TO OPEN THE PARK IN THE COMING WEEKS AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY AND FRIENDS OF GRAND MEADOW AS THEY BEGIN TO PLANT THE COMMUNITY GARDEN. THIS AND STEWARD THE SPACE INTO THE FUTURE. AND LASTLY, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. I'M PROVIDING A BRIEF UPDATE ON A PF SHADE MATCH INITIATIVE IN 2023, A PF PLEDGED TO MATCH THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S $2 MILLION BUDGET ALLOCATION FOR SHADE STRUCTURES AND PARKS AND GREEN SPACES. SINCE INSTALLATION BEGAN IN 2024, PROJECTS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED OR ARE UNDERWAY IN NEIGHBORHOODS ACROSS THE CITY. A PF HAS WORKED CLOSELY WITH A PR TO IDENTIFY PRIORITY PROJECTS. THIS YEAR, SHADE HAS BEEN INSTALLED AT ROSEWOOD PLAYGROUND, MONTOPOLIS PLAYGROUND, RAMSEY PLAYGROUND, GRAND MEADOW NEIGHBORHOOD PARK, BARTHOLOMEW POOL, WILDCAT BUNTON PARK, AND NORMAN SIM SCHOOL PARK. WITH PLANNED IMPROVEMENTS AT COLONY PARK DISTRICT PARK THROUGH A TREE PLANTING, MARY MOORE SEARIGHT PLAYGROUND AND BAROLO ROLLER DERBY DERBY COURT. TODAY A PF HAS SP UH, SPENT OVER 1.5 MILLION AND WE PLAN TO HIT OUR $2 MILLION GOAL THIS WINTER. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE PATRICIA BOBBECK, FOLLOWED BY SAM FOX. I PRESS THE GREEN BUTTON. OKAY. GOOD EVENING REPRESENTATIVES. AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND ITS RESIDENTS. I'M HERE TONIGHT TO SPEAK ABOUT BARTON SPRINGS FISH HOOKS AND PLUMBING PROBLEMS. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. FISH AND LURES AND HOOKS WERE FOUND IN THE POOL NEAR THE SHALLOW LIFEGUARD STAND ON AUGUST THE 11TH. NOTICE THE SIZE OF THE FISH HOOKS. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. A SIMILAR FISHING LURE AND HOOKS WERE FOUND RECENTLY AT THE FRONT ENTRANCE TO THE POOL. I GAVE THEM TO THE POOL MANAGER WHO PUT THEM IN A SHARPS BAG TO PREVENT INJURY TO ANYONE. ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 16TH, I SAW A GUY WITH TWO FISHING POLES, UH, WALKING NEXT TO THE POOL AT 10 O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING. LIFEGUARDS WERE TOLD TO LET HIM STRUT, BUT NOT PUT FISHING POOLS IN THE WATER. THE PROBLEM IS [00:20:01] THAT FISH HOOKS ARE SHARP AND CUT. PEOPLE LIKE BROKEN GLASS, A FISHING POLE MAY DROP A HOOK ON THE GROUND AND BATHERS DON'T CHECK FOR FISH HOOKS IN THE GRASS AT THE POOL. THE SOLUTION IS TO BAN FISHING GEAR AT BARTON SPRINGS POOL NIGHT AND DAY, AND TO HIRE SECURITY GUARDS OR INSTALL CAMERAS TO CATCH THE MIDNIGHT FISHERMEN. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. THE PLUMBING PROBLEMS AT THE RENOVATED BATHHOUSE. THERE IS A SHORT LIST OF THEM. I WON'T TALK ABOUT THE SEWAGE ERUPTION IN THE MEN'S DRESSING ROOM ON JULY 4TH, BUT I WILL TALK ABOUT THE WOMEN'S DRESSINGS DRESSING ROOM PROBLEMS. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO WE HAVE A SEWAGE ODOR PROBLEM IN OUR SUNBATHING AND YOGA AREA. YOU CAN SEE THAT ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE SLIDE. THE ODOR IS COMING FROM GRATES DRAINS IN THE BRICK PATHWAY ON THE, UM, YOU SEE THEM IN THE, ON THE PHOTO ON YOUR LEFT. THE SEWAGE ODOR IS COMING OUT OF THERE. WE MOMS KNOW WHAT SEWAGE POOP SMELLS LIKE. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. WE ALSO HAVE CLOGGED DRAINS. WE HAVE WATER PONDING IN THE OPEN AIR SHOWER AND THE ENCLOSED SHOWER. THAT WATER'S BEEN IN THE ENCLOSED SHOWER NOW FOR MORE THAN A WEEK. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. WE ALSO HAVE LOW WATER PRESSURE ALONG THE BACK WALL. WE HAVE TWO, UM, SHOWERS IN THE MIDDLE THAT HAVE VERY LOW FLOW. IN THE MIDDLE PHOTO, YOU CAN SEE A PICTURE OF THAT VERY LOW FLOW THAT IS, UH, THE FAUCET AT FULL BLAST. AND YOU SEE THAT'S NOT ENOUGH WATER TO TAKE A SHOWER. THERE'S A BROKEN SHOWER HEAD IN ONE OF THE HANDICAP SHOWERS ALSO. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. WE ALSO HAVE OLD GRAPES AND RUSTING STEEL THAT BEND UNDER THE WEIGHT OF ONE HALF OF A WOMAN. THE GRAPES APPEAR TO BE RUSTING THROUGH IN PLACES. AS YOU CAN SEE IN THIS, IN THE PHOTO ON YOUR LEFT, THEY GET HOT, THEY BURN FEET AND THEY ARE A TRIPPING HAZARD. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND IN THE WOMEN'S BATHHOUSE TOILET, WE HAVE MISMATCHED TILE, MISSING GROUT HOLES IN THE TILE PLUGGED WITH PLASTIC THERE. THANK YOU, YOU SO MUCH. OUR NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE SAM FOX. YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES FROM THE TIME YOU BEGIN SPEAKING. UH, GOOD EVENING BOARD. MY NAME'S SAM FOX. UM, I'M HERE TO FOR, TO ASK YOU ALL TO RECONSIDER ADULT SPORTS LEAGUE FUNDING FOR CAP CITY ATHLETICS. UH, I'VE HAD A BASKETBALL TEAM FOR FIVE YEARS. UH, IT'S MY STRONGEST COMMUNITY I HAVE IN AUSTIN. UH, WE JUST FINISHED OUR SUMMER LEAGUE OVER AT PAM AM AND WE WERE SIGNED UP TO PLAY THIS FALL ON THE EAST SIDE AT MONTOPOLIS. I GOT AN EMAIL LAST WEEK NOTIFYING ABOUT THE FUNDING AND UH, MY TEAM WAS DEVASTATED. UH, MY TEAM INCLUDES PLUMBERS, ROOFERS, PETTY CABERS MUSICIANS AND LANDSCAPERS. THEY LOOK FORWARD TO THIS GAME EVERY WEEK. IT'S THE HIGHLIGHT OF THEIR WEEK. UH, CAPSID CITY ATHLETICS IS THE ONLY LEAGUE THAT WE CAN AFFORD. THE PRIVATIZED LEAGUES IN THE CITY ARE FAR TOO EXPENSIVE AND COMPETITIVE FOR NORMAL WORKING CLASS PEOPLE. AND I, I, UH, WHEN I FOUND OUT I COULDN'T UNDERSTAND THE REASON FOR THE CUTS BECAUSE WE PAY A FEE TO HAVE THE LEAGUES AND THE INFRASTRUCTURE IS ALL THERE. WE, WE SUPPLY THE JERSEYS AND THE BALLS. UM, JUST LIKE THE VOLLEYBALL LEAGUES. UH, THE, THE DEMAND IS VERY HIGH. I HAVE TO WAKE UP THE DAY OF SIGNUPS AND I HAVE TO CALL RIGHT AT 9:00 AM WHEN OFFICES OPEN OR I DON'T GET A TEAM WITH BASKETBALL AS WELL. AND JUST LIKE VOLLEYBALL, THE BASKETBALL LEAGUES ARE LIKE THAT. THE FLAG FOOTBALL LEAGUES AND THE BASEBALL LEAGUES. SO THESE LEAGUES ARE, ARE HIGH DEMAND AND USED BY THOUSANDS OF AUSTINITES AND I THINK WE NEED TO KEEP 'EM. UM, I'M JUST ASKING Y'ALL TO RECONSIDER YOUR DECISION AND NOT GIVE UP ON THESE LEAGUES. 'CAUSE IT MEANS A LOT TO THE LOCAL AUSTIN COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. OKAY. I KNOW THAT MANY MORE OF YOU ARE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON ITEM SIX, BUT IS THERE ANYONE PRESENT THAT WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THE PARKS BOARD DURING GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT? STEVEN BROWN. [00:25:02] YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES FROM THE TIME HE BEGINS SPEAKING. UH, GOOD EVENING COMMISSION. THANK Y'ALL FOR HAVING ME. MY NAME IS STEVEN BROWN. I AM THE BOARD CHAIR OF THE GIVENS PARK WORK GROUP. UH, I'M HERE TONIGHT TO ASK THAT Y'ALL WOULD CONSIDER FINDING SOME SOLUTIONS TO HELP, UH, THE DISTRICT ONE RESIDENTS AND COMMUNITY THAT USE GIVENS PARK, UM, TO FUND A KITCHEN. UH, WE'VE BEEN ASKING FOR A VERY LONG TIME FOR A KITCHEN, AND RIGHT NOW WE'RE HAVING RENOVATIONS AT THE PARK. UM, WE DON'T WANT TO OPEN THE PARK, UH, RECREATION CENTER BACK UP WITHOUT A KITCHEN. AGAIN, THAT KITCHEN SERVES SO MANY PEOPLE. WE HAVE THANKSGIVINGS, CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS, EVENTS. WE JUST HAD A BACKPACK DRIVE THAT WE WERE NOT ABLE TO UTILIZE THE KITCHEN AND FEED, UH, OVER A HUNDRED COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT WE NORMALLY WOULD FEED. UM, THAT KITCHEN IS VERY ESSENTIAL TO THE NEEDS OF THAT COMMUNITY. UM, THERE'S A, A HOMELESS, A HOU UNHOUSED POPULATION DOWN THERE. THERE IS A PREVIOUSLY INCARCERATED FOLKS THAT, UH, VISIT THE PARK. UM, THERE'S A LOT OF SYNERGY AND THERE'S A LOT OF, UM, OPPORTUNITIES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE PROVIDING SOCIAL SERVICES WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY. UM, WE, WE FIGURE OUT WAYS TO GET BY, BUT DISTRICT ONE IN GIBBS PARK, AND A LOT OF PARKS ON THE EAST SIDE HAVE WAITED THE LONGEST. THEY'VE RECEIVED THE LEAST AND OFTENTIMES PAID THE MOST. AND WHETHER IT'S PAYING THE MOST WITH THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE OR EVEN WITH LIFE EXPECTANCY, UM, DISTRICT ONE IS STILL A FOOD DESERT. IT'S STILL, UM, BURDENED WITH A LOT OF, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL HARMS AND POLLUTION. AND SO, UM, HAVING A PARK THAT HAS A FULLY FUNCTIONING KITCHEN WOULD ALLOW US TO, UM, DO OUR PART TO MITIGATE SOME OF THOSE BARRIERS. UH, AGAIN, WE'RE NOT ASKING, UM, FOR MUCH. THERE'S OTHER PROJECTS, UM, THAT THE CITY HAS TAKEN ON THAT THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO FIND MONEY. AND ALL WE'RE ASKING IS THAT Y'ALL HELP US FIND A SOLUTION. UM, THERE'S OTHER PARKS AROUND THE CITY THAT MIGHT HAVE MORE PHILANTHROPIC OPPORTUNITIES TO, UH, HAVE THEIR PARKS OR PROJECTS FUNDED. UM, WHAT WE'RE ASKING FOR IS EQUITY IN THE WAY WE SPEND MONEY AT WITH THE PARKS. WE'RE ASKING THAT PUBLIC DOLLARS BE SHIFTED OVER TO ENVIRONMENTS THAT HAVE SOME OF THE GREATEST NEEDS. AND I WOULD REALLY LIKE AN OPPORTUNITY TO TALK TO MORE OF THIS BOARD OR ANYONE ELSE THAT COULD HELP THIS COMMUNITY RECEIVE, UM, WHAT WE'VE BEEN WAITING A VERY LONG TIME TO RECEIVE. AGAIN, WE'VE, UH, EAST AUSTIN, UM, HAS RECEIVED THE LEAST PAID THE MOST AND, UM, WAITED THE LONGEST. AND WE, WE REALLY, UH, DON'T WANT TO OPEN UP THAT PARK WITHOUT A KITCHEN. THE KIDS, THE ELDERS, UM, WE, WE UTILIZE THAT KITCHEN A LOT. SO, UH, THIS IS A, A, A MAJOR NEED. AND I'M HERE TONIGHT TO JUST CONTINUE TO REITERATE THAT. UM, LET'S, LET'S FIND A SOLUTION AND WORK TOGETHER. THANK Y'ALL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ALL RIGHT. AGAIN, WE'RE GONNA GET TO ITEM SIX LATER IN THE MEETING, BUT IS THERE ANYONE PRESENT THAT WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD DURING GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT? THAT IS THE END OF GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH MR. DUNBACK. AND THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO CAME AND SPOKE. I JUST WANTED TO TAKE A MINUTE TO, UM, FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE NEW OR UM, ARE NOT SURE ABOUT THE BOARD. WE'RE A VOLUNTEER BOARD AND SOME OF THE DECISIONS THAT ARE MADE ARE NOT OURS. UM, BUT WE CERTAINLY HEAR YOU AND THANK YOU FOR COMING TO SPEAK WITH US AND YOU CAN CONTINUE TO COMMUNICATE VIA EMAIL OR COMING TO SPEAK AT PUBLIC COMMENTS. SO THANK YOU AGAIN, UM, FOR EVERYBODY WHO CAME TO SPEAK TODAY. UM, ALRIGHT. WE WILL MOVE ON [APPROVAL OF MINUTES ] NOW TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER ONE, WHICH IS THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES. WE'LL APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD REGULAR MEETING OF JULY 27TH, 2026. SO WE'LL GIVE A MOMENT FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW. I, UH, CHAIR, [00:30:01] I MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES WITH PARK AND RECREATION BOARD, REGULAR MEETING OF JULY 27TH, 2026. ALRIGHT, WE HAVE A MOTION ON THE TABLE TO APPROVE. DO WE HAVE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND. WE HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR FROM BOARD MEMBER VILLALOBOS AND A SECOND FROM VICE CHAIR BECKER. UM, ALRIGHT, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. ALRIGHT, THE MOTION PASSES NINE ZERO, UM, IN, I SHOULD SAY THAT BOARD MEMBER FRANKLIN BOARD MEMBER MERIT AND BOARD MEMBER VIA LOBOS HAVE JOINED. FORGOT TO MENTION THAT EARLIER. THANK YOU. SO WE'RE AT NINE. UM, OKAY. UM, WE WILL MOVE ON [2.Presentation, discussion and approve letters of support for the Parks Rx program which seeks to create positive developmental, physical and mental health outcomes through exposing children to nature. (Sponsors: Bazan, Becker) Presenter(s): Marybeth Wootan-Holst, MD and Sam Williams, DO MBA, Chief Residents, UT Austin Dell Medical School Pediatric Residency Program] TO ITEM NUMBER TWO, DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS. PRESENTATION, DISCUSSION AND IMPROVED LETTERS OF SUPPORT FOR THE PARKS RX PROGRAM, WHICH SEEKS TO CREATE POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTAL, PHYSICAL, AND MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES THROUGH EXPOSING CHILDREN TO NATURE. WE'LL TAKE THE PRESENTATION. OH, ANY PUBLIC COMMENT. OKAY, WE WILL TAKE THE PRESENTATION THEN. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING. UM, I'M KRISTA MCCARTHY. I SERVE AS THE, UM, DIVISION MANAGER OVER RECREATION SERVICES AND I HAVE HERE THE HEALTH PROMOTIONS TEAM. UM, BEHIND ME, THEY'RE WAVING, UM, AMY RUSSELL'S PROGRAM MANAGER AND JILL ER KAIN IS OUR PROGRAM COORDINATOR. UM, AND WE HAVE INVITED THE CHIEF RESIDENTS AT THE UT AUSTIN DELL MEDICAL SCHOOL PEDIATRIC RESIDENCY PROGRAM, UM, WHO HAVE PARTNERED WITH US AND THEY'RE GOING TO, UM, SPEAK TONIGHT ABOUT HOW THEY HAVE IMPLEMENTED THE PARKS PRESCRIPTION PROGRAM THAT WE OFFER. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS MARY BETH PUTTEN. I'M ONE OF THE PEDIATRICIANS AT THE, AT THE DELL MEDICAL SCHOOL PROGRAM. I'M HERE WITH MY COLLEAGUES, UH, DR. SAM WILLIAMS AS WELL. WE'RE HERE TO TALK ABOUT PRESCRIBE. CAN I CAN, SORRY TO INTERRUPT. WE YEAH, IF YOU CAN MOVE CLOSER TO THE MIC. THANK YOU. IS THIS BETTER? OH, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UM, YES, WE'RE HERE TO TALK ABOUT PRESCRIBE OUTSIDE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A PARKS PRESCRIPTION PROGRAM TO SUPPORT POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTAL, PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES AND A PEDIATRIC FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTHCARE CLINIC. UM, AND THIS WAS THROUGH PARTNERSHIP WITH THE AUSTIN PARK AND REC DEPARTMENT. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. OUR OBJECTIVE WITH THIS PROJECT WAS TO LAUNCH THIS NATURE PRESCRIPTION PROGRAM AT COMMUNITY CARE IN PFLUGERVILLE, WHICH IS A FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTER THAT INTEGRATES PEDIATRIC RESIDENT NATURE INTEGRATION. AND JUST A NOTE, A PEDIATRIC RESIDENT REFERS TO A PHYSICIAN IN TRAINING, UM, WITH PRACTICAL TOOLS SO THEY COULD INTRODUCE THESE NATURE PRESCRIPTIONS INTO CLINICAL CARE FOR KIDDOS IN THE COMMUNITY. UM, OUR TARGET POPULATION WERE, UH, KIDS FROM AGE FOUR TO 18 YEARS OLD, UM, WHO MET THESE CRI ONE OF THESE CRITERIA. SO AN ELEVATED BMI EXCESSIVE DAILY SCREEN TIME, BEHAVIORAL OR MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS AND OR A STRESS STRESSFUL SOCIAL SITUATION. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO OUR CLINICAL GOALS WAS TO PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE EDUCATION ON THE THERAPEUTIC VALUE OF NATURE EDUCATION TO OUR RESIDENTS THROUGH A DIDACTIC RESIDENCE TRAINING. UM, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE POST THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT, WE HAD, UM, AMY RUSSELL AND THEN JILL HAEGER CAME WITH, UH, CAME TO OUR HOSPITAL TO HELP PROVIDE THIS EDUCATION, WHICH WAS INCREDIBLE, UM, FOR OUR RESIDENTS, UM, GROWTH IN THIS AREA. AND THEN WITH THE GOAL FOR THE EDUCATION WE DISCUSSED ON THIS 50% OF THE APPLICABLE VISITS THAT SAM MENTIONED ON THE PREVIOUS SLIDE AND TO BUILD THESE COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS. AND THEN WE STUDY THROUGHOUT THE STUDY WE, UM, UH, CALL THEATER OUTCOMES BY PROVIDER SURVEYS AND THEN CHART REVIEW. OH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. UH, WE ALL WANTED TO AGAIN NOTE THE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE AUSTIN PARKS AND REC DEPARTMENT, WHICH HAS BEEN INCREDIBLY FRUITFUL AND WE'RE VERY GRATEFUL FOR, UH, THE PARTICIPATION WITH US. UM, WE, UH, PARTNERED WITH THEM TO, TO, UH, OBTAIN MATERIALS INCLUDING THE POSTERS AND BROCHURES THAT WE WERE ABLE TO PUT UP IN OUR CLINIC AND GIVE OUT TO PATIENTS. UM, ALSO THE PROFESSIONAL PRESCRIPTION PADS WE USED TO WRITE THE PRESCRIPTIONS FOR OUR PATIENTS. AND THEN IT ALSO INCLUDED IN AN INTERACTIVE PROVIDER TRAINING KIT AND SOME MAPS THAT WE COULD GIVE OUT AS WELL. UM, ON THE PRESCRIPTION PADS WERE QR CODES THAT PATIENTS COULD SCAN TO PUT IN THEIR INFORMATION AND BECOME CONNECTED WITH THE OX AUSTIN PARKS AND REC DEPARTMENT. SO BIG SHOUT OUT TO AUSTIN PARKS AND REC FOR THEIR HELP WITH OUR PROJECT. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND THESE ARE JUST SOME, SOME OF THE MATERIALS ON, ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE SCREEN. YOU'LL SEE, UM, THE STICKERS AND THE PINK, UH, THAT WE WERE ABLE TO GIVE TO THE KIDS AND THEY REALLY LIKED THOSE. THE, UM, PRESCRIPTION PADS IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT, THE POSTERS, UM, THERE IN THE MIDDLE. AND THEN WE CREATED A, UM, RESOURCE GUIDE TO BE ABLE TO GIVE TO PATIENTS BASED OFF OF A LOT OF THE THINGS AVAILABLE IN THE COMMUNITY. AND YOU'LL SEE ON OUR GUIDE HERE THAT WE INCLUDED MAPS MADE BY THE, UM, PARKS AND REC DEPARTMENT. ACCESS CAN BE A, UH, ACCESS AND TRANSPORTATION CAN BE DIFFICULT FOR OUR PATIENTS. AND THERE'S JUST SOME INCREDIBLE MAPS [00:35:01] THAT ARE ALREADY IN PLACE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO HAND OUT TO HELP THAT OVERCOME THIS BARRIER. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UM, FOR OUR OUTCOMES, UH, SO THIS HAPPENED OVER A SIX MONTH PERIOD. WE DID A BASELINE, UM, IN THE BEGINNING WE LOOK AT HOW OFTEN THESE NATURE PRESCRIPTIONS WERE HAPPENING. IN ABOUT 11% OF VISITS, WE FOUND THAT NATURE EDUCATION WAS HAPPENING AT ALL REGARDLESS OF VISIT. UM, AFTER OUR EDUCATION, UM, IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF MATERIALS IN THE CLINIC, WE HAD ABOUT THREE MONTHS IN, WE SAW THAT IT INCREASED TO 30% AND THEN BY THE END ABOUT 39%. SO SUSTAINABILITY WITHIN THE EDUCATION ITSELF, YOU'LL SEE FOUR SEPARATE LINES HERE. RESIDENTS ARE BROKEN INTO FOUR DIFFERENT GROUPS. WHEN WE WERE STUDYING THEM, WE ALSO HAD SURVEYS CONDUCTED BEFORE AND AFTER THE RESIDENT TRAINING TO MEASURE THAT OUTCOME AS WELL. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. WITH THE PROVIDER SURVEY, WE ASKED THE RESIDENTS TO, UM, GIVE THEIR CONFIDENCE IN PRESCRIBING THE, THE, UM, NATURE PRESCRIPTIONS. AND BEFORE OUR TRAINING WITH THEM, IT WAS ABOUT 39% THAT MORE THAN DOUBLED AFTER OUR TRAINING WITH THEM. THEY FELT MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE TALKING ABOUT NATURE INTERVENTIONS WITH PATIENTS. AND THEN THE, UM, THEY ALSO COMMENTED THAT THEY DISCUSSED NATURE MORE FREQUENTLY JUST BASED ON THEIR PERCEPTION OF THAT BEFORE THE TRAINING AT ABOUT 20%. AND THAT JUST ABOUT DOUBLED AS WELL TO 40% AFTER THE TRAINING. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. WE ALSO LOOKED AT THE, THE PROVIDERS OF VIEW OF THE EFFECTIVENESS AND THE IMPORTANCE. UM, THE EFFECTIVENESS THEY SAID WE SAW STAYED ABOUT THE SAME, A LITTLE BIT LESS THAN THE, THAN AT THE SIX MONTH MARK. UM, WE ALSO, THIS IS OUR, THE PRESCRIPTION OR ADDRESSING SOME CHRONIC DISEASES THAT WE SEE. SO WE EXPECT THAT THIS HAS PROBABLY CONTRIBUTED TO THIS AS WELL, BUT WE FOUND THAT EVERYONE FELT IT WAS ALSO MORE, THEY FELT THAT IMPORTANCE OF NATURE EDUCATION INCREASED AFTER THE EDUCATION AND INTERVENTION. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. THANKS. AND THEN THE, UM, LAST PART OF THE SURVEY FOR THE PROVIDERS WAS TO ASK ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THEY FELT NATURE WAS A UNIVERSAL BENEFIT FOR PATIENTS. UM, WHICH ALMOST EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM AGREED WITH THAT BEFORE AND AFTER THE TRAINING. AND THEN, UM, SAME THING WITH THE, UM, NEXT POINT ABOUT ACTIVITY BASED PRESCRIPTIONS BEING HELPFUL FOR PATIENTS, NOT ONLY, UM, IF THEY HAVE A HEALTH ISSUE OR NOT, UM, BUT IT, IT HELPS BOTH WAYS AND THEY DON'T NEED TO ACTUALLY DO EXERCISE FOR NATURE TO BENEFIT. IT JUST HELPS TO BE OUTSIDE. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SOME KEY INSIGHTS WE LEARNED, UM, FOR THE CLINIC SIDE IS SOME EMR TOOLS THAT TO HELP WITH THIS, UM, FOR QUICK DOCUMENTATION. AND THEN THE PARTNERSHIP WAS WHAT WE WERE MOST PROUD OF WITH THIS PROJECT AND I THINK REALLY WAS THE MOST SUCCESSFUL IN IMPLEMENTING IT IN OUR CLINIC. I THINK WHAT WE CAN'T CAPTURE HERE BETWEEN THE SURVEYS AND THE CHART REVIEW WAS THE PATIENT'S RESPONSE TO THESE INTERVENTIONS. UM, THE KIDS REALLY ENJOYED GETTING THE NATURE PRESCRIPTION AND IT REALLY BUILT THAT FAMILY COMMUNITY ABOUT, UM, ABOUT GETTING THE FAM OUR FAMILIES OUTSIDE TO HELP WITH THESE OUTCOMES. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO OUR NEXT STEPS, UM, WITH THIS PROJECT IS TO HOPEFULLY PASS THIS ALONG TO CURRENT RESIDENTS OR FUTURE RESIDENTS, UM, TO CONTINUE BUILDING THIS OUT, UM, IN OUR CLINIC AND THEN HOPEFULLY EXPAND FROM THERE IF WE CAN. THE, UM, AND SOME IDEAS WE HAD WAS TO FOCUS ON PATIENT OUTCOMES AND GATHER DATA BASED ON THAT. AND THEN ALSO TO CONSIDER OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE PFLUGERVILLE PARKS AND REC DEPARTMENT, GIVEN THAT OUR CLINIC IS IN PFLUGERVILLE, UM, AND THEN ALSO WITH THE PARKS RX AMERICA GROUP WHO WE'VE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH. THAT IS A NATIONAL ORGANIZATION THAT, UM, HELPS TO FACILITATE NATURE PRESCRIPTIONS IN CLINICS. UM, WE WILL, WE ARE HOPING TO PRESENT OUR FINDINGS AT THE TEXAS CHILDREN AND NATURE NETWORK SUMMIT IN DECEMBER, AND THEN ALSO AT THE TEXAS PEDIATRIC SOCIETY AND EDD RESEARCH DAY IN THE SPRING OF 2027. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. THAT IS ALL WE HAVE. ANY, ANY QUESTIONS FOR US? ALRIGHT, BOARD MEMBERS, ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? I HAVE JUST A CLARIFYING QUESTION WHERE YOU SAID THAT YOUR PARTNERSHIP IS SOMETHING IN PFLUGERVILLE. WHAT, WHAT, WHAT? CAN YOU REPEAT THAT? SO OUR, OUR CLINIC, THE RESIDENT CLINIC THAT WE RUN IN COMMUNITY CARE IN PFLUGERVILLE IS LOCATED IN THE CITY OF PFLUGERVILLE. SO WE'VE PARTNERED WITH AUSTIN AND PARKS AND REC BECAUSE A LOT OF OUR PATIENTS LIVE IN AUSTIN AS WELL. BUT I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO ALSO PARTNER WITH THE PFLUGERVILLE PARKS AND REC DEPARTMENT. AND THE BUILDING WAS LOCATED THERE BEFORE THE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN STARTED? UH, CORRECT. OKAY. THANK YOU. JUST THE SPINOFF OF THAT. I HAD NOTICED THE, UM, IN THE PRESENTATION, THE WANT TO PARTNER WITH PFLUGERVILLE UH, PARKS. WHAT, WHERE ARE WE ON THE, ON THE ROAD TO THAT PARTNERSHIP? WE ARE BEGUN. CONVERSATION NOT [00:40:01] BEGUN CONVERSATIONS YET. YEP. OKAY. OKAY. YEAH. OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? BOARD MEMBERS. OKAY. UM, I WILL READ OUR LETTER AND THEN I WILL ASK FOR A MOTION FROM THE BOARD. OKAY. FIND THE LETTER. HERE WE GO. UM, DEAR PARKS PRESCRIPTION TEAM. ON BEHALF OF THE AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD, I WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE AND THANK EVERYONE BEHIND THE PRESCRIBE OUTSIDE PROGRAM FOR DEVELOPING A MEANINGFUL CONNECTION BETWEEN PEDIATRIC HEALTHCARE AND AUSTIN'S PARKS BY EQUIPPING RESIDENTS WITH PRACTICAL TOOLS TO INCORPORATE NATURE PRESCRIPTIONS INTO CLINICAL CARE. THE PROGRAM HELPS FAMILIES SEE PARKS AS AN IMPORTANT PART OF OVERALL HEALTH AND WELLBEING. THIS PARTNERSHIP WITH AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION PROVIDES RESIDENTS WITH MATERIALS AND RESOURCES SUCH AS LOCAL PARK MAPS AND A JUNIOR RANGER ACTIVITY BOOK, WHICH I WAS REALLY HAPPY TO SEE ALL THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT Y'ALL HAD. UM, I DIDN'T LIST THEM ALL HERE, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF, UM, RESOURCES AND MATERIALS AND THOSE BOOKS, UM, ARE AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH. THE UNIQUE PROGRAM FOCUSES ON CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WHO MAY BENEFIT FROM GREATER ACCESS TO NATURE AND AS A PRESCRIPTION INVITES THEM TO TAKE A NATURE WALK, RIDE A BIKE, GO SWIMMING, OR SIMPLY RELAX OUTDOORS. WE ESPECIALLY APPRECIATE THE PROGRAM'S RECOGNITION THAT THE BENEFITS OF NATURE EXTEND BEYOND EXERCISE AND CAN SUPPORT CHILDREN'S MENTAL HEALTH AND THEIR OVERALL WELLBEING. THE BOARD IS GRATEFUL FOR THIS INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIP AND FOR THE WORK TO CONNECT MORE AUSTIN FAMILIES WITH PARKS AND NATURAL SPACES IN THEIR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMITMENT TO MAKING AUSTIN'S PARKS AN ACCESSIBLE AND VALUABLE RESOURCE FOR THE HEALTH AND WELLBEING OF OUR CHILDREN AND OUR FAMILIES. AND THIS IS ALSO A GREAT REMINDER OF ALL THE WAYS THAT NATURE CAN HELP US ALL THRIVE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ALRIGHT. I WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION BOARD MEMBERS UNLESS THERE'S ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS. I WILL MOVE TO APPROVE THE LETTER . ALRIGHT, WE HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR FROM BOARD MEMBER MERIT TO APPROVE THE LETTER. DO I HAVE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND. WE HAVE A SECOND FROM BOARD MEMBER FRANKLIN. SO THERE'S A MOTION FROM BOARD MEMBER MERIT AND A SECOND FROM BOARD MEMBER FRANKLIN. ALL IN FAVOR? RAISE YOUR HANDS. ALL RIGHT. AND IT'S UNANIMOUS. IT PASSES NINE ZERO. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND I DID WANNA JUST QUICKLY SAY THAT IF YOU WANTED ANY OF THOSE UM, MATERIALS, WE DO HAVE SOME EXAMPLES HERE ON SITE, SO OH, WE WOULD LOVE OR YOU CAN EMAIL ME AS WELL. THAT'S GREAT. THANK YOU GUYS. THANK YOU. SO, ALRIGHT. OKAY. UM, WE ARE MOVING [3.Discussion and approve an appointment to the Parks and Recreation Board’s seat on the Joint Sustainability Committee. (Sponsors: Bazan, Becker) ] TO ITEM NUMBER THREE, WHICH IS A DISCUSSION, APPROVE AND APPOINTMENT TO THE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD SEAT ON THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE. AND SO WE HAVE AS A PARKS BOARD TWO, UM, SPOTS ON THAT JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE. UM, BOARD MEMBER ORM, WHO'S WITH US ONLINE IS ONE OF THE, UM, BOARD MEMBERS WHO SITS ON THAT COMMITTEE FOR US. AND WE HAVE AN OPENING. SO TODAY WE CAN TALK ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY THAT'S IN FRONT OF US AND IF WE HAVE SOMEBODY WHO'S INTERESTED, UM, WE CAN TAKE A VOTE ON THAT OR WE CAN WAIT UNTIL NEXT TIME TO, TO BRING SOMEBODY FORWARD. THIS, UM, SEAT, THIS COMMITTEE ADVISES THE COUNCIL ON MATTERS RELATED TO CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY. AND SO YOU MAY BE TALKING ABOUT OUR TREE CANOPY OR ABOUT SOLAR OR ENERGY CONSERVATION. UM, BOTH BOARD MEMBER BECKER AND I HAVE SERVED ON THAT COMMITTEE. AND UM, YEAH, THAT'S JUST A PREVIEW, BUT BOARD MEMBER BECKER, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT YOU GET TO DO ON JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE? I MEAN, I'VE HAD A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS ABOUT MOVING OUR MOWERS FROM GAS TO ELECTRIC, UH, WHICH IS ACTUALLY CHALLENGING, BUT A REALLY VALUABLE THING TO DO. UM, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT ANYBODY HAS. UH, IT'S A SIMILAR TIME COMMITMENT, UH, TO SERVING ON THIS BOARD. SO IT'S, YOU KNOW, THREE TO FOUR HOURS A NIGHT, UM, AT THE END OF THE MONTH. AND UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU DO GET TO DO THAT I THINK IS ACTUALLY VERY VALUABLE AND ALIGNS WITH THE WORK THAT WE DO ON THIS BOARD IS, UM, PUT FORWARD A BUDGET PROPOSAL, OR SORRY, A BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS RATHER, UM, RELATED TO A WIDE VARIETY OF CLIMATE ISSUES ACROSS THE CITY. UM, NATURAL SYSTEMS OBVIOUSLY, WHICH IS WHAT'S RELATED TO WHAT WE DO ON PARKS, BUT YOU ACTUALLY GET TO ENGAGE WITH ISSUES OF CLIMATE FROM, UH, A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, WHICH CAN BE QUITE INTERESTING. YEAH. SO WE CAN TAKE QUESTIONS. ANYBODY HAVE ANYTHING FOR DISCUSSION? I WAS JUST GONNA SAY, I THINK BOARD MEMBER, BOARD MEMBER ABARA WANTS TO BE ON THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE, BUT I KNOW HE'S NOT HERE TONIGHT. SO JUST IN CASE. I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT THANK YOU AND BOARD MEMBER BECK, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT I DIDN'T GET MY WIRES CROSSED, BUT I KNOW THAT WE HAD PUT HIM UP FOR THAT POSSIBILITY. BUT CAN YOU JUST GET US CAUGHT UP? THANK YOU. YES. BOARD MEMBER ABBU AMARA IS THE CURRENT [00:45:01] LEAD SEAT FOR THE PARKS BOARD ON THE JSC. HE IS LOOKING TO WITHDRAW FROM THAT SEAT. OKAY. YEAH, SO I THINK THAT'S NEWER INFORMATION BOARD MEMBER OR, BUT YOU WERE CORRECT. UM, IN THAT, SO, SO WE WILL HAVE A VACANCY SOON ON THAT IN THAT COMMITTEE. AND THIS IS A ONCE A MONTH? IT IS, IT IS ONCE A MONTH. WE HAVE TWO REPRESENTATIVES AND SO YOU CAN DO IT VARIOUS WAYS. GO AHEAD. BOARD MEMBER BECKER. YEAH, SO IT'S ONE PERSON. SO THERE'S UM, THERE'S THE, UM, THE LEAD REPRESENTATIVE AND THEN THERE'S THE BACK BACKUP, SUBSTITUTE BACKUP REPRESENTATIVE, WHICH IS WHAT BOARD MEMBER ORM IS. SO, UM, ONE OF THE TWO OF YOU NEEDS TO APPEAR EVERY MONTH. IT IS GENERALLY EITHER THE WEDNESDAY BEFORE OR THE WEDNESDAY AFTER THIS MEETING. I WILL SAY IT'S, I FOUND IT VERY INTERESTING, THERE'S A LOT GOING ON. UM, AND IT'S GOOD TO HAVE UH, THAT CONNECTION TO UM, THE PARKS BOARD TO HAVE REPRESENTATIVES, UM, THAT ARE REGULARLY SHOWING UP FOR US. SO, UM, AND WE AGAIN DON'T HAVE TO MAKE A DECISION TODAY, BUT GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A DISCUSSION AND ASK QUESTIONS, SO. OKAY. OKAY. UM, ALRIGHT, UM, IF ANYBODY IS INTERESTED AT THIS TIME, UM, YOU CAN PUT YOURSELF UP FOR THAT OPPORTUNITY. OTHERWISE WE WILL TABLE TILL NEXT TIME AND THIS WILL REAPPEAR ON OUR AGENDA. OKAY. WE'VE GOT A COUPLE OF BOARD MEMBERS WHO ARE CONSIDERING AND SO I THINK THAT'S GREAT. UM, WE'RE HERE TO ANSWER MORE QUESTIONS. I KNOW BOARD MEMBER ORM WOULD BE AVAILABLE FOR, TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS WHERE REBECCA AND I ARE HAPPY TO, TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AS WELL. SO, UM, IF I COULD SAY ONE MORE THING CHAIR. ABSOLUTELY. UM, IF IT MAKES ANYBODY ELSE FEEL BETTER, I COULD ALSO MOVE INTO THE PRIMARY POSITION AND THE OTHER PERSON COULD TAKE THE ALTERNATE IF THAT SWEETENS THE DEAL FOR ANYBODY. ALRIGHT, WELL THAT SOUNDS GREAT. I THINK WE'LL HAVE, UM, WE'LL HAVE A THINK ON IT AND WE WILL TABLE THAT TILL NEXT TIME, BUT THANK YOU VERY MUCH, I APPRECIATE THAT. ALRIGHT, WE WILL MOVE ON [4.Discussion and amend the 2026 Parks and Recreation Board annual meeting schedule to move the regular scheduled meeting on November 23, 2026 to November 30, 2026. (Sponsors: Bazan, Becker) ] TO AGENDA ITEM FOUR. BEFORE GOING INTO THAT ITEM, MR. BECK'S GONNA GIVE A LITTLE, UH, PREVIEW OF WHY WE HAVE FOUR AND FIVE ON THE AGENDA. UH, THANK YOU CHAIR. UH, YES, WE, UH, IT WAS THE AUSTIN COMMUNICATIONS AND ENGAGEMENT DEPARTMENT REACHED OUT TO THE PARKS BOARD, UH, ASKING IF THEY WOULD BE WILLING TO MOVE EITHER THE DATE OR THE LOCATION OF THE NOVEMBER 23RD PARKS BOARD MEETING. THE REASON IS, IS THAT THEY'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR IDENTIFYING, UH, A VENUE FOR POTENTIAL ELECTION RUNOFFS FOR CITY COUNCIL POSITIONS AND THEY IDENTIFIED COUNCIL CHAMBERS ON THAT NIGHT, NOVEMBER 23RD, AS SORT OF THE ONLY SUITABLE LOCATION. SO, UH, AFTER DISCUSSING WITH CHAIR BISON, UH, WE IDENTIFIED THAT THIS MIGHT BE A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO MOVE THE DATE OF THE PARKS BOARD MEETING, BEING THAT IT CURRENTLY FALLS THE MONDAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING. SO BY ACTING ON ITEM FOUR, THE BOARD HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO MOVE THE MEETING TO THE MONDAY AFTER THANKSGIVING. IN THAT CASE, THE MEETING WOULD STILL HAPPEN RIGHT HERE IN CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS. UH, IF THE BOARD DID NOT WANNA MOVE THE DATE OF THAT MEETING, THEN WE WOULD ESSENTIALLY MOVE OFF OF ITEM NUMBER FOUR AND ONTO ITEM NUMBER FIVE AND CHANGE THE LO LOCATION OF THE NOVEMBER 23RD MEETING TO THE PERMITTING AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER. UH, THE ONLY OTHER, UH, INFORMATION THAT I'LL ADD ABOUT THIS ITEM IS THAT IF THE BOARD DOES DECIDE TO CHANGE THE DATE OF THE NOVEMBER MEETING TO NOVEMBER 23RD, THAT MEANS THAT THE AGENDA FOR THAT MEETING WILL HAVE TO POST BY FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16TH, ACCORDING TO THE CITY CLERK'S REQUIREMENTS FOR, UH, POSTING WITH AN ELAPSED THREE BUSINESS DAYS BETWEEN THE AGENDA AND THEN THE MEETING TAKING PLACE. SO IF YOU ALL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'D BE HAPPY TO DIVE IN EVEN DEEPER ON THIS SUBJECT, BUT, BUT THAT'S THE GIST OF IT. YEAH. SO ITEM ITEM NUMBER FOUR, DISCUSSION AND AMEND THE 2026 PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD ANNUAL MEETING SCHEDULED TO MOVE THE REGULAR SCHEDULED MEETING ON NOVEMBER 23RD, 2026 TO NOVEMBER 30TH, 2026 WOULD MEAN THAT WE MOVE THE MEETING BY A WEEK. WE'RE STILL IN, UH, COUNCIL CHAMBERS. UM, AND I BELIEVE THAT'S IT AND WE DON'T NEED ITEM NUMBER FIVE AND WE TAKE IT OFF OF A HOLIDAY WEEK. UM, SO THAT WAS THE, THE PREFERENCE THAT I THOUGHT WOULD, WOULD PROBABLY BE THE ONE THAT THE BOARD WOULD GO FOR. SO I PUT IT FIRST. SO SEEING NODDING HEADS, ANYBODY HAVE, UM, SOMETHING THEY WANNA SAY? ANYBODY WHO WOULD NOT LIKE [00:50:01] TO DO THAT, I GUESS WE'D HAVE DISCUSSION AROUND THAT BEFORE WE OKAY. UM, WELL WITH THAT THEN I WILL, UM, TAKE A MOTION. IS THERE A MOTION BOARD MEMBER KELLY, I MOVE TO MOVE THE NOVEMBER REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING TO MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3RD FROM, FROM MONDAY, UH, NOVEMBER 23RD TO MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30TH. OKAY. UM, ANY ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION AROUND THAT? SEEING NONE. UM, OH, SECOND. I NEEDED A SECOND. I'LL SECOND. ALL RIGHT, WE'VE GOT A SECOND. ALL RIGHT. ANY ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION AROUND THAT? NO. ALRIGHT. WE'VE GOT A FIRST ON THE FLOOR FROM BOARD MEMBER KELLY. WE'VE GOT A SECOND FROM BOARD MEMBER MERIT. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF MOVING OUR MEETING TO THE 30TH, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. ALL RIGHT. THAT IS ALSO UNANIMOUS, SO IT'S NINE ZERO, THE MOTION PASSES FOR ITEM NUMBER FOUR, AND WE DON'T HAVE A NEED FOR ITEM NUMBER FIVE, SO WE WILL GET RID OF THAT ONE. UM, I DON'T HAVE THE WORDING FOR THAT 'CAUSE WE DON'T USUALLY TAKE SOMETHING OFF THE AGENDA. ALRIGHT. UM, THAT MOVES US ONTO ITEM NUMBER SIX, WHICH IS STAFF BRIEFING ON PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EVENTS, PLANNING UPDATES, DEVELOPMENT UPDATES, MAINTENANCE UPDATES, PROGRAM UPDATES, AND ADMINISTRATIVE UPDATES. UM, AGENDA NUMBER FIVE. CAN I MAKE A MOTION REAL QUICK? CAN YOU MAKE A MOTION ON AGENDA FIVE? HAVE I, AM I OKAY TO GO BACK? YES. I THINK AT THIS POINT WE'D BE OKAY TO GO BACK. YEAH. OKAY. ITEM FIVE. DO WE HAVE TO MAKE A MOTION? I FEEL LIKE WE DO TO JUST GET RID OF IT. I THINK I CAN STRIKE IT. I, I THINK I WOULD LIST IT AS EITHER BEING TABLED OR WITHDRAWN. OKAY. WE DON'T NEED A MOTION FOR THAT? NO. OKAY. NEVERMIND. NEVERMIND. THEN I HAVE THE POWER TO STRIKE IT. OKAY. . UM, I'M TEASING. UM, OKAY. BUT THANK YOU BOARD MEMBER VILLALOBOS. I APPRECIATE THAT. UM, ALL RIGHT. ITEM NUMBER SIX. [6. 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): Jesús Aguirre, Austin Parks and Recreation Director. ] YES, WE HAVE SEVERAL PUBLIC COMMENTERS ON THIS ITEM. GIVE ME ONE MOMENT. OKAY. UH, WE HAVE ONE PERSON JOINING US BY A TELEPHONE FOR THIS ITEM. MICHAEL OVERTON, CAN YOU HEAR US? MICHAEL OVERTON, IF YOU COULD UNMUTE. CAN YOU HEAR US, MICHAEL? YEAH. CAN YOU HEAR US? MICHAEL? HELLO? CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES. IS THIS MICHAEL OVERTON? THIS IS SHE. OH, WONDERFUL. UH, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES FROM THE TIME YOU BEGIN SPEAKING. OKAY, THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING. ALL MY NAME AGAIN IS MICHAEL OVERTON, AND I'M HERE VIRTUALLY TODAY LIKE MANY OF MY COLLEAGUES IN THE GENERAL COMMENT SECTION TO ASK YOU TO RECONSIDER FUNDING THE AUSTIN RECREATIONAL PROGRAMS AND THE VOLLEYBALL LEAGUE. I PERSONALLY HAVE JUST MOVED BACK TO AUSTIN FROM WASHINGTON DC AND THESE LEAGUES HAVE PROVIDED INCREDIBLE ACCESS TO THE VOLLEYBALL COMMUNITY HERE. UM, IN COMPARISON, IT TOOK ME WELL OVER A YEAR TO FIND A PLACE TO PLAY IN DC DESPITE HAVING KNOWN PEOPLE THERE AND HAVING LIVED THERE PREVIOUSLY. WHEREAS HERE, IT TOOK THREE MONTHS AT MOST. UM, VOLLEYBALL IS MY MAIN FORM OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND STRESS RELIEF AS IT IS FOR MANY OTHERS. UM, SO TO HAVE SUCH A VIBRANT SPACE TO DO BOTH THINGS AFFORDABLY IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME AND TO OTHERS THAT I KNOW AS I'VE COME TO LEARN WELL BEING HERE. UM, AND AS HAS BEEN SAID PREVIOUSLY BY OTHERS, THE DEMAND OF THESE LEAGUES ARE INCREDIBLY HIGH, UM, TO THE POINT WHERE REGISTRATION THOUGHTS FILL MERE MINUTES OR EVEN NOT EVEN A MINUTE AFTER REGISTRATION OPENS. UM, CUTTING THE BUDGET AND SPECIFICALLY CUTTING THESE LEAK ALTOGETHER REDUCES PUBLIC ACCESSIBILITY AND THEREFORE THE ENGAGEMENT WITH ONE'S COMMUNITY. UM, MOREOVER, IF THIS MODEL SHIFTED TO SAY PRIVATE FACILITY RENTAL, PUBLIC ACCESS WOULD FURTHER BE REDUCED. UM, AND AS MANY MENTIONED, THE PRICES FOR ANY FUTURE LEAKS WOULD HIKE MUCH MORE, MUCH HIGHER THAN MAYBE AFFORDABLE, AND IT WOULD SQUEEZE OUT THE BROADER COMMUNITY OUT OF OUR A RC. IN DC MY FRIENDS AND I REGULARLY TALKED ABOUT THE RISING PRICES TO PLAY FOR ONLY A COUPLE OF HOURS, AND HOW INDOOR VOLLEYBALL HAS ESSENTIALLY CHANGED IN THE PAST FEW YEARS TO FEWER PEOPLE BEING ABLE TO PLAY. IT'S CRUCIAL THAT THESE SPACES REMAIN, UM, AS AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC AS POSSIBLE. UM, I URGE THE CITY TO SEEK OUT WAYS TO KEEP THESE INCREDIBLY POPULAR LEAGUES AVAILABLE TO ALL AND TO NOT CONSIDER ANY PRIVATE RENTAL OPTIONS, [00:55:01] UM, AND RECONSIDER FUNDING. UM, SEEKING OUT ALTERNATIVES, UM, LIKE MODEST FEE INCREASES OR FINDING COST SAVING SOLUTIONS WITHIN THE BUDGET SHOULD BE CONSIDERED BEFORE THE LEAGUES ARE CUT. AND THESE SPACES ARE ESSENTIALLY PRIVATIZED. UM, THESE LEADS ARE SUCH AN IMPORTANT LIFELINE FOR MANY PEOPLE, BE THEY NEW TO AUSTIN OR LONGTIME RESIDENTS HEADING THESE HIGH DEMAND AND INCREDIBLY POPULAR PROGRAMS, UM, COMPLETELY SHOULD NOT BE THE SOLUTION. AND AGAIN, I URGE THE CITY TO PRESERVE THEM. THANK YOU GUYS VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. OUR OUR NEXT SPEAKER. OUR NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE PETE SIGNOR SIGNOR. AND THEN AFTER PETE WILL BE RICHARD POP, THEN KENDRA SHEPHERD. YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES FROM THE TIME YOU BEGIN SPEAKING. UH, THANK YOU. UH, MY NAME IS PETE SIGNOR. I'VE BEEN AN AUSTIN RESIDENT FOR THE LAST 26 YEARS. UM, I'VE BEEN A TEAM CAPTAIN AND A PLAYER IN THESE VOLLEYBALL LEAGUES FOR 24 YEARS, SO STARTED IN 2002. I HAVE A FEW MORE YEARS, AND THEN SOME OF MY, UH, COLLEAGUES THAT ARE SPEAKING HERE TODAY, UM, FOR TWO DECADES NOW, THIS HAS BEEN AN AFFORDABLE COMMUNITY PROGRAM. UH, IT SEEMS LIKE A PROGRAM THAT HAS PRETTY LOW OVERHEAD AND IS PRETTY SIMPLE TO EXECUTE, BUT HAS OVERWHELMINGLY HIGH PARTICIPATION AS YOU'VE BEEN HEARING. UM, IT DIRECTLY DELIVERS ON SOME OF YOUR STATED GOALS AROUND COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS, UH, MENTAL HEALTH AND PHYSICAL HEALTH. UM, AND NOW IT'S AT RISK OVER A FEW HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS, WHICH BASED ON WHAT I SAW IN THE BUDGET, IS LESS THAN ONE HALF OF 1% OF THE OVERALL A PR GENERAL FUND. UM, REPEATING WHAT OTHERS HAVE SAID. UH, IF YOU DON'T SIGN UP TO PLAY IN THIS LEAGUE IN THE FIRST 60 SECONDS, YOU DON'T GET A SPOT. IT'S THAT POPULAR. UM, I'VE BEEN PLAYING SINCE YOU USED TO DO REGISTRATION BY MAIL, AND IF YOU DIDN'T POSTMARK YOUR MAIL FORM ON THE FIRST DAY, YOU DIDN'T GET A SPOT. UM, IT WAS POPULAR THEN 20 YEARS AGO, AND IT STAYED THE SAME FOR THE ENTIRE 24 YEARS I'VE BEEN PLAYING. UM, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY CITY PROGRAMS RUN ON LESS THAN ONE HALF OF 1% OF THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET AND HAVE BEEN FULL FOR 20 OR 30 YEARS. I WOULD IMAGINE NOT VERY MANY. UM, THE COMBINATION OF THE COMPETITION THAT WE HAVE AND THE AFFORDABILITY IS UNIQUE IF THESE LEAGUES GO AWAY, THERE'S NOT ANOTHER PLACE THAT WE CAN JUST MOVE AND, AND REPLICATE WHAT WE'VE HAD FOR GENERATIONS AT O AT IN THESE LEAGUES. UM, MOST OTHER LEAGUES ARE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE EXPENSIVE, LIKE TRIPLE THE COST, UH, AND MANY OF THEM ARE NOT AS SKILLED. THEY'RE MORE SOCIAL IN NATURE, WHICH ISN'T NECESSARILY A BAD THING, BUT WE GET BOTH, UH, WHERE WE'RE AT TODAY. UM, SWITCHING TO A FACILITY RENTAL MODEL, WHICH SEEMS TO BE THE, UH, LIKELY OUTCOME HERE, JUST SHUTS OFF ACCESS TO PUBLIC FACILITIES FOR AUSTIN TAXPAYERS, TAXPAYERS WHO FUND THESE FACILITIES FOR THEIR OWN USE. THESE FACILITIES ARE NOT INTENDED FOR GENERATING REVENUE. UM, THEY'RE INTENDED TO SERVE THE TAXPAYERS WHO PAY FOR THEM. AUSTIN SPORTS AND SOCIAL AND SPORTS KIND ARE TWO OF THE COMPANIES THAT ARE LIKELY TO TAKE THE COURT TIME OVER. THESE ARE NOT PURELY LOCAL COMPANIES. I DON'T KNOW IF EVERYBODY'S AWARE OF THAT. SO YOU'RE GONNA TAKE AUSTIN TAXPAYER MONEY AND AUSTIN TAXPAYER FUNDED FACILITIES AND PUMP IT INTO COMPANIES THAT ARE GONNA USE THAT MONEY IN HOUSTON, IN DALLAS, IN MINNEAPOLIS, AND IN DENVER. UM, IF THIS IS PURELY A FINANCIAL PROBLEM, I THINK THE COMMUNITY IS WILLING TO NEGOTIATE AND, AND COME UP WITH COMPROMISES TO KEEP THINGS IN PLACE AS WELL. UM, MODEST STAFF REDUCTIONS, LEAGUE FEE CHANGES AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE CAN BE DISCUSSED. SO WE BEG YOU GUYS TO OPEN A DIALOGUE WITH THE COMMUNITY SO THAT WE CAN KEEP THESE THINGS IN PLACE, NOT ONLY FOR OURSELVES, BUT FOR MULTIPLE GENERATIONS TO COME. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER, OUR NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE RICHARD. OUR NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE RICHARD POP, FOLLOWED BY KENDRA SHEPHERD. AND THEN DO FAM IF KENDRA AND DO COULD KIND OF MOVE FURTHER DOWN, UH, AND BE A LITTLE BIT CLOSER TO THE MICROPHONE JUST SO WE CAN KIND OF KEEP THINGS MOVING A LITTLE BIT BETWEEN SPEAKERS. THAT'D BE GREAT WHEN YOU GUYS HEAR YOUR NAME, IF YOU'LL JUST MOVE DOWN A LITTLE BIT, THAT WOULD BE GREAT. TIM, I THINK DIANE MIGHT HAVE A QUESTION, CLARIFYING QUESTION. I DO HAVE A QUESTION. OKAY. FOR THE LAST SPEAKER, UM, HE MENTIONED TWO COMPANIES. I, I DIDN'T, I COULDN'T WRITE IT DOWN FAST ENOUGH. DO YOU MIND REPEATING THOSE TWO COMPANIES THAT YOU HAD MENTIONED THAT YOU SAID MIGHT MIGHT TAKE OVER? HE, HE'S COMING TO THE MIC. UH, ONE OF THEM IS CALLED SPORTS KIND AND THE OTHER IS AUSTIN SPORTS AND SOCIAL CLUB. AND DESPITE THE NAME [01:00:01] THEY OPERATE IN CITIES OUTSIDE OF AUSTIN, THOSE ARE JUST TWO EXAMPLES. THERE ARE OTHERS AS WELL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. OKAY. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE RICHARD POP, FOLLOWED BY KENDRA SHEPHERD. AND THEN DO FAM RICHARD, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES FROM THE TIME YOU BEGIN SPEAKING. UH, GOOD EVENING. MEMBERS OF THE PARKS AND REC BOARD, UH, MY NAME IS RICHARD POP AND I'M HERE TO SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF PRESERVING CAPITAL CITY ATHLETICS VOLLEYBALL. I, I'VE BEEN PLAYING VOLLEYBALL AT THE COMMUNITY CENTER, UM, WHERE THE, UH, CAPITAL CITY OPERATES FOR ABOUT FOUR YEARS NOW. WHEN I STARTED, I ESSENTIALLY KNEW NOTHING ABOUT VOLLEYBALL. I DIDN'T ACTUALLY KNOW VOLLEYBALL WAS A SPORT UNTIL 2021. UM, SO, UM, WHEN I FIRST STARTED, I PUT MYSELF OUT THERE INTO A COMMUNITY THAT OPENED OR THAT WELCOMED ME WITH OPEN ARMS. UM, OVER TIME, VOLLEYBALL BECAME MUCH MORE THAN A SPORT THAT I HAD JUST PLAYED. IT BECAME A REGULAR PART OF MY LIFE. AND CAPITAL CITY ATHLETICS BECAME A PLACE WHERE I CAN CONSISTENTLY MEET PEOPLE, COMPETE, UH, EXERCISE AND BUILD FRIENDSHIPS. UM, I THINK THAT CAPITAL CITY ATHLETICS ISN'T SIMPLY A GROUP OF PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, RENTING A COURT FOR A FEW HOURS. UH, IT'S AN ESTABLISHED COMMUNITY ALREADY. PEOPLE PLAN THEIR WEEKS AROUND THEIR LEAGUE NIGHTS, THEY COME BACK SEASON AFTER SEASON. UH, THEY KNOW THE PEOPLE THEY'RE PLAYING WITH AND AGAINST. UM, I'VE ALSO SEEN FIRSTHAND WHAT VOLLEYBALL HAS HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE COMMUNITY CENTER BEYOND THE LEAGUES. BEFORE THE LEAGUES WERE AT RISK, UM, THERE WERE OPEN GYMS WHERE CHILDREN, TEENAGERS AND ADULTS COULD COME TOGETHER ON WEEKDAYS OR WEEKDAYS AND WEEKENDS SIMPLY TO PLAY AND HAVE FUN. UM, AND THOSE OPPORTUNITIES HAVE ALREADY BEEN REDUCED. UH, I MENTIONED THAT NOT BECAUSE I THINK THE COMMUNITY CENTER ITSELF IS A PRIMARY ISSUE, BUT BECAUSE IT DEMONSTRATES THE COMMUNITY THAT VOLLEYBALL HAS CREATED AROUND THIS SPACE IN PARTICULAR. AND I THINK CAPITAL CITY ATHLETICS IS ONE OF THOSE THINGS, UH, GIVING A PEOPLE, GIVING THE PEOPLE A REASON TO KEEP COMING THROUGH THOSE DOORS. IS, UM, I THINK LASTLY, UM, I THINK THERE'S A MAJOR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAYING LIKE, WE CAN NO LONGER OPERATE CAPITAL CITY ATHLETICS AS WE HAVE. AND, UM, SAYING THAT IT CAN NO LONGER EXIST. UM, AND I THINK THAT, LIKE MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVE SAID BEFORE ME, THAT THERE ARE JUST A LOT OF, A LOT MORE OPTIONS THAT CAN BE EXERCISED AND EXPLORED BEFORE COMPLETELY REMOVING THE LEAGUE IN GENERAL. BUT THAT'S IT FOR ME. THANK YOU SO MUCH. OUR NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE KENDRA SHEPHERD. KENDRA SHEPHERD, AND THEN DO FAM DOE. THEN IT'LL BE LESLIE IVY, AND THEN AFTER LESLIE WILL BE COLE ALLEN, AND THEN ROBERT JENKS. SO IF COLE AND ROBERT KIND OF MOVE DOWN TO ONE OF THE, THE CHAIRS NEAR TO THE MICROPHONE, THAT WOULD BE GREAT. LESLIE, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES FROM THE TIME YOU BEGIN SPEAKING. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS LESLIE IVY AND I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TONIGHT. I AM HERE LIKE OTHERS IN SUPPORT OF PRESERVING THE INDOOR ADULT SPORTS PROGRAM AS FUTURE BUDGET DECISIONS ARE CONSIDERED. MY HUSBAND AND I HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THE CITY'S CO-ED VOLLEYBALL LEAGUE FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS, AND 10 YEARS AGO, I ALSO JOINED THE THURSDAY NIGHT WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL LEAGUE. AS I TURNED 50 YEARS OLD THIS YEAR, I AM GRATEFUL THAT I STILL GET TO ENJOY VOLLEYBALL TWO NIGHTS A WEEK. WHAT BEGAN AS RECREATION WHEN WE WERE YOUNGER HAS BECOME A CHERISHED WEEKLY TRADITION THAT SUPPORTS OUR HEALTH, WELLBEING, FRIENDSHIPS, AND CONNECTIONS TO THE COMMUNITY. MY FAMILY'S INVOLVEMENT IN CITY ADULT SPORTS SPANS GENERATIONS. I GREW UP WATCHING MY FATHER PLAY IN THE CITY BASKETBALL LEAGUES AT HOUSE PARK GYM, AND TODAY OUR 23-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER HAS HER OWN CO-ED VOLLEYBALL TEAM AND SHE PLAYS WITH ME ON MY WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL TEAM. THESE PROGRAMS CREATE MEANINGFUL OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT AGES AND BACKGROUNDS TO STAY ACTIVE, BUILD RELATIONSHIPS, AND REMAIN CONNECTED TO AUSTIN. OVER THE YEARS, WE HAVE PLAYED AT THE NORTHWEST REC CENTER, THE AUSTIN REC CENTER, AND PARQUET OSA REC CENTER. WE HAVE SEEN FIRSTHAND HOW THESE GYMS BRING TOGETHER PEOPLE ACROSS NEIGHBORHOODS AND GENERATIONS. THESE LEAGUES ARE NOT LIGHTLY USED PROGRAMS ON OUR VOLLEYBALL LEAGUE NIGHTS AT THE AUSTIN REC CENTER, YOU'LL SEE MORE THAN 80 PER PARTICIPANTS OVER THE COURSE OF THREE HOURS OF GAMES RANGING IN AGE FROM THEIR EARLY [01:05:01] TWENTIES TO THEIR MID FIFTIES. LIKE YOU'VE HEARD, REGISTRATION ROUTINELY FILLS UP WITH MINUTES IN MINUTES, AND WAITING LISTS ARE COMMON. THIS SUSTAINED DEMAND DEMONSTRATES HOW IMPORTANT INDOOR RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES ARE, ESPECIALLY IN AUSTIN'S CLIMATE. I UNDERSTAND BUDGET CHALLENGES FACING THE PARKS AND REC DEPARTMENT AND APPRECIATE THE DIFFICULT DECISIONS THAT MUST BE MADE. HOWEVER, I RESPECTFULLY ASK THE BOARD AND CITY LEADERS TO EXPLORE ALTERNATIVES BEFORE ELIMINATING THESE HIGHLY VALUED PROGRAMS, INCLUDING MODEST FEE INCREASES, OPERATIONAL ADJUSTMENTS, PARTNERSHIPS, OR OTHER REVENUE OPPORTUNITIES THAT COULD OFFSET COSTS WHILE PRESERVING ACCESS. INDOOR ADULT SPORTS PROGRAMS CONTRIBUTE DIRECTLY TO THE HEALTH CONNECTION AND QUALITY OF LIFE THAT MAKES AUSTIN SUCH A SPECIAL PLACE TO LIVE. I URGE YOU TO WORK TOWARDS A SOLUTION THAT KEEPS THESE PROGRAMS AVAILABLE FOR CURRENT PARTICIPANTS AND FUTURE GENERATIONS OF AUSTINITES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION. OUR NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE COLE ALLEN, FOLLOWED BY ROBERT JENKS. IS COLE HERE? YEAH. AFTER COLE WILL BE ROBERT JENKS AND THEN RYAN BATES. GOOD EVENING. I'M COLE ALLEN. I'M HERE TONIGHT AS AN AUSTIN RESIDENT AND TAXPAYER AND 15 YEAR MEMBER OF AUSTIN'S ADULT SPORTS COMMUNITY. MOST NOTABLY THE VERY LARGE VOLLEYBALL GROUP, OR AS MANY CALL IT OUR TRIBE. I STRONGLY OPPOSE ELIMINATING CITY OPERATED ADULT INDOOR SPORTS LEAGUES. WHAT CONCERNS ME MOST IS THE, IS THE LOGIC BEHIND THIS DECISION AND THE PROCESS THAT GOT US HERE. THESE LEAGUES ROUTINELY RUN AND OPERATE AT OR NEAR CAPACITY. DEMAND IS NOT A PROBLEM YET. THE PROPOSED SOLUTION IS FOR CITY TO STOP ADMINISTRATING THEM AND INSTEAD RENT OUR GYMS TO OUTSIDE ORGANIZATIONS WHO RUN THE LEAGUE THEMSELVES. AUSTIN TAXPAYERS HAVE ALREADY PAID FOR THESE REC CENTERS. WE PAY TO MAINTAIN THEM. WE PAY TAXES THAT FUND PARKS AND REC. AND NOW WE'RE TOLD THAT THE CITY SAVES MONEY BY STEPPING AWAY FROM A SUCCESSFUL PUBLIC PROGRAM, RENTING THOSE SAME FACILITIES TO PRIVATE OPERATORS AND ASKING RESIDENTS TO PAY A PRIVATE COMPANY TO ACCESS BUILDINGS THAT WE ALREADY OWN. HOW IS THAT A BETTER PUBLIC OUTCOME? ELIMINATING CITY ADMINISTRATION DOESN'T ELIMINATE THE DEMAND, THE PARTICIPANT, THE NEED FOR GYMS, SCHEDULING, REFEREES OR LEAGUE MANAGEMENT. IT TRANSFERS CONTROL PRICING ACCESS FROM A PUBLIC ENTITY ACCOUNTABLE TO AUSTIN RESIDENTS, TO PRIVATE ORGANIZATIONS THAT AREN'T. I PLAYED IN THESE THIRD PARTY LEAGUES SUCH AS AUSTIN SPORTS AND SOCIAL. AND THE QUALITY IS WELL BELOW WHAT THE A THE CITY PROVIDES COMPETITIVE PLAYERS STAY WITH CITY LEAGUES BECAUSE THE PLAY AND THE MANAGEMENT ARE SIMPLY BETTER AND MORE AFFORDABLE BEFORE A CHANGE. THIS SIGNIFICANT, THIS COMMUNITY DESERVES ANSWERS, QUESTIONS ANSWERED SUCH AS WHAT DOES THE NET TAXPAYER COSTS AFTER REGISTRATION FEES? WHAT IS THE COST PER PARTICIPANT? WHAT WILL PRIVATE OPERATORS CHARGE? AND WHAT GUARANTEES EXIST THAT RESIDENTS KEEP THE AFFORDABILITY AND ACCESS THAT THEY HAVE TODAY? I CANNOT, UM, I ALSO CAN'T ACCEPT THAT A CHANGE AFFECTING A COMMUNITY THIS LARGE BE REACHED A POINT WITHOUT PUBLIC DEBATE. BEARING THE ELIMINATION OF DECADE, UH, OF A DECADE OLDS PROGRAM INSIDE A $6 BILLION BUDGET IS NOT THE SAME AS ELECTED OFFICIALS DEBATING AND VOTING ON WHETHER AUSTIN SHOULD STOP OPERATING ADULT SPORT LEAKS. THIS DOES, THIS DESERVES SCRUTINY BECAUSE IT'S A BROADER POLICY QUESTION IN THE VARIOUS ACTIVE CITY OF AUSTIN, TEXAS, WHAT DO WE BELIEVE PUBLIC RECREATION IS SUPPOSED TO BE? IF A CITY BUILDS THOSE REC CENTERS WITH TAX DOLLARS, MAINTAINS THEM WITH TAX DOLLARS AND BUILDS LEAGUES THAT RESIDENTS FILL YEAR OVER YEAR, THEN OPERATING THE THOSE PROGRAMS IS EXACTLY WHAT PARKS AND REC EXISTS TO PROVIDE. WE SHOULD BE EXPANDING THAT ACCESS, NOT WITHDRAWING FROM IT. I'M ASKING THE BOARD TO RECOMMEND THE CITY PAUSE THIS ELIMINATION OR REQUIRE A PR TO PUBLICLY PRESENT THE FINANCIAL AID AND OPERATION ANALYSIS BEFORE THESE PROGRAMS DISAPPEAR ON TEN ONE. SHOW US THE NUMBERS. SHOW US WHY THIS IMPROVES ACCESS AND AFFORDABILITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE ROBERT JENKS, FOLLOWED BY RYAN BATES. I BELIEVE RYAN WILL BE OUR LAST SPEAKER ON THIS ITEM. GOOD EVENING COUNCIL MEMBERS. MY NAME IS ROBBIE JENKS AND I'M SPEAKING TONIGHT ON BEHALF OF AUSTIN'S [01:10:01] ADULT RECREATIONAL SPORTS COMMUNITY. I PLAY ON AN A PR VOLLEYBALL TEAM THAT HAS BEEN AROUND FOR OVER 20 YEARS. WHILE I HAVEN'T BEEN ON THE, THE TEAM FOR THE ENTIRE RUN, SEVERAL OF MY TEAMMATES HAVE BEEN PLAYING TOGETHER SINCE THE EARLY TWO THOUSANDS, SURVIVING TWO DECADES OF AUSTIN TRAFFIC MAJOR LIFE CHANGES AND AGING RICKETY KNEES . BUT HERE'S THE MOST IMPORTANT STAT FROM OUR 20 YEAR HISTORY. WE ALMOST NEVER WIN. WE'RE DEFINITELY NOT RISING STARS AND SCOUTS ARE NOT WATCHING OUR GAMES, BUT WE KEEP SHOWING UP WEEK AFTER WEEK, SEASON AFTER SEASON BECAUSE WE HAVE AN ABSOLUTE BLAST. I CAME TO TONIGHT BECAUSE MANY OF US WERE SHOCKED TO LEARN ABOUT CUTS TO THESE ADULT SPORTS PROGRAMS. AND WE WANT TO BRING THIS DIRECTLY TO YOUR ATTENTION BEYOND JUST PLAYING A GAME. THESE LEAGUES CREATE REAL ECONOMIC VALUE AND CIVIC INFRASTRUCTURE FOR AUSTIN. FIRST, OUR ROUGHLY 400 LEAGUE PLAYERS DON'T JUST GO HOME AFTER THE FINAL WHISTLE BLOWS. WE REGULARLY HEAD OUT FOR DRINKS AND MEALS AFTER GAMES, SPENDING MONEY AT LOCAL AUSTIN RESTAURANTS AND BARS ON WHAT WOULD OTHERWISE BE A SLOW NIGHT. SECOND, THE COURT ACTS AS A PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL ENGINE. AS THE OWNER OF MY OWN INTERIOR DESIGN FIRM, I'VE MADE VITAL BUSINESS CONNECTIONS RIGHT ON THE COURT WITH LOCAL BUILDERS AND ROOFERS. BRIE, YOU'RE HERE TONIGHT. AND I EVEN LANDED A CLIENT DIRECTLY THROUGH THE LEAGUE, EVEN BIGGER THAN BUSINESS. I PERSONALLY HELPED A FORMER TEAMMATE PREPARE FOR A JOB INTERVIEW AT AN AUSTIN BASED COMPANY, AND SHE GOT THE JOB. THAT KIND OF CAREER MENTORSHIP, CLIENT GROWTH AND SOCIAL MOBILITY HAPPENS ORGANICALLY WHEN YOU BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER ACROSS INDUSTRIES. THIRD, ADULT SPORTS SERVE AS AN ESSENTIAL EQUITY BUILDER AND A GATEWAY TO BROADER CIVIC ENGAGEMENT. PRIVATE LEAGUES AROUND TOWN ARE EXPENSIVE, AS OTHERS HAVE MENTIONED. I PAY NEARLY A HUNDRED DOLLARS PER SEASON TO PLAY INTO PRIVATE LEAGUE, WHICH SIMPLY ISN'T ACCESSIBLE FOR EVERYONE. CITY LEAGUES KEEP RECREATION EQUITABLE WHILE CONNECTING RESIDENTS TO THE BROADER CITY NETWORK, DISCOVERING EVERYTHING FROM POTTERY CLASSES AT DOUGHERTY ARTS CENTER TO NATURE PROGRAMS AND CITYWIDE EVENTS ACROSS OUR COMMUNITY RECREATION CENTERS. FINALLY, THE HARD SCIENCE ALSO BACKS THIS UP. A LANDMARK 2018 STUDY AND LANCET PSYCHIATRY ANALYZING 1.2 MILLION ADULTS SHOWED THAT POPULAR TEAM SPORTS YIELD A 22.3% REDUCTION IN MENTAL HEALTH BURDEN. THE SINGLE HIGHEST REDUCTION OF ANY EXERCISE EVALUATED SIMPLY BECAUSE OF THE SOCIAL CONNECTION. ELIMINATING THESE LEAGUES TO SAVE A SHORT TERM LINE ITEM IS A FALSE ECONOMY FOR PUBLIC HEALTH AND OUR LOCAL ECONOMY. OUR COMMUNITY WANTS TO PARTNER ON TARGETED SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS LIKE CREATING DEDICATED FIVE TO $10 PER PLAYER. UH, THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP. OUR NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE RYAN BATES. YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES FROM THE TIME YOU BEGIN SPEAKING. CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? UM, AS MOST OF YOU ALL CAN TELL, I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THIS LEAGUE IS THE COMMUNITY THAT IT BRINGS. I MOVED TO AUSTIN IN 2014 AND I DIDN'T KNOW ANYBODY AND I GOOGLED AUSTIN VOLLEYBALL. FORTUNATELY, I FOUND A TEAM THAT WAS WILLING TO HAVE ME JOIN AND I MET MY WIFE ON THAT TEAM. WE PLAYED TOGETHER EVERY SINGLE MONDAY. WE'VE MARRIED FOR EIGHT YEARS. THE MONDAY BEFORE OUR WEDDING WE PLAYED AND SHE BROKE HER WRIST. SO THIS LEAGUE IS VERY IMPORTANT TO US AND OUR FAMILY. UM, AND I CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE FOR ME WITHOUT HAVING THAT OPPORTUNITY. I USED TO BE ONE OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE THAT WOULD WIN AND PICK ON THE OLDER PEOPLE, AND NOW I AM ONE OF THE OLDER PEOPLE THAT THE YOUNG PEOPLE WIN AND PICK ON. AND SO FOR GENERATIONS TO COME, I CAN'T IMAGINE HAVING THAT OPPORTUNITY IN THAT COMMUNITY. SO I APPRECIATE YOU ALL, I THINK WE ALL DO FOR LISTENING TO US AND FOR BEING HERE TODAY. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ALL RIGHT, THAT IS THE END OF THE LIST FOR PEOPLE THAT SIGNED UP ON THIS ITEM. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, DIRECTOR. GOOD EVENING BOARD MEMBERS. UM, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT AND THANKS TO ALL THE FOLKS WHO CAME OUT, UH, TO EXPRESS THEIR FEEDBACK AND CONCERNS ABOUT, UH, OUR ATHLETICS PROGRAMS, ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH THE ANCIENT RICKETY KNEES LIKE MINE. UM, WELL, I'LL GO THROUGH, UH, OUR UPDATE HERE RELATIVELY QUICKLY AND THEN HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS [01:15:01] IF THE BOARD HAS THEM. SO, UM, ON THE RECREATION SERVICES, UH, DIVISION, UH, WE WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT DOTTIE JORDAN RECREATION CENTER HOSTED THEIR SID SHOP SUMMER SQUAD, WHICH IS A GREAT PROGRAM THAT GIVES YOUTH AND SIBLINGS WHO HAVE, UH, YOUTH WITH SIBLINGS, UM, UH, WHO HAVE DISABILITIES, A SPACE FOR CONNECTION AND SUPPORT. UH, OUR RECREATION AMBASSADORS DELIVERED ART IN NATURE AT PON CIANA PARK, ENGAGING WITH CHILDREN AND ADULTS IN ACTIVATING THIS UNDERUTILIZED SPACE ON THE COMMUNITY REC SIDE OF THINGS. UH, THE NORTHWEST RECREATION CENTER CONCLUDED ITS TEEN CHALLENGE WITH MORE THAN 100 TEENS PARTICIPATING IN SPORTS AND GAMING COMPETITIONS. DOVE SPRINGS BACK TO SCHOOL. BASH SERVED MORE THAN 2,500 ATTENDEES AND DISTRIBUTED OVER 5,000 BACKPACKS TO LOCAL FAMILIES. OPPOS LAUNCHED ITS FIRST A AQUA TAI CHI PROGRAM WELCOMING ABOUT 20 PARTICIPANTS WEEKLY AND RECEIVING REALLY STRONG FEEDBACK FROM THE PARTICIPANTS ABOUT THE IMPACT ON THEIR WELLNESS. UH, IN THE SOUTH ASIAN RECREATIONS CENTER, PARTNERED WITH HEB ON THE BANANA BLITZ INITIATIVE, AGAIN THIS YEAR, SUPPORTING OVER 60 CAMP PARTICIPANTS. WE NATURAL RESOURCES GROUP, UM, THE NATURE AND SCIENCE CENTER AND CAMACHO ACTIVITY CENTER, LIKE OTHERS WRAPPED UP THEIR SUMMER ACTIVITIES DURING WHICH THEY HOSTED MORE THAN 1,130 CAMPERS COVERING OVER 1500 MILES OF TRAILS DURING, UH, THEIR SUMMER OUTDOOR PROGRAMS. UH, AND THE ARBORIST TRAINING PROGRAM CONTINUES TO IMPROVE FORESTRY SKILLS WITH FIVE GRADUATES, UH, TWO OF WHOM WERE PROMOTED TO CREW LEAD ROLES. OUR AQUATICS DIVISION, UM, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE HAS WRAPPED, HAS WRAPPED UP OR IS WRAPPING UP. UM, THE EASTWOOD SPLASH PAD RECEIVED A NEW UV WATER TREATMENT SYSTEM. WALNUT CREEK POOL SAW SIGNIFICANT UPGRADES INCLUDING SOME A DA COMPLIANT FEATURES. UH, AND THEN BARTON SPRINGS COMPLETED ITS SUMMER SNORKELING PROGRAM AND ADVANCED IRRIGATION MAPPING, UM, AND INFRASTRUCTURE REPAIRS. UH, OUR INSTRUCTIONAL SWIM PROGRAMMING SERVED MORE THAN 4,100 PARTICIPANTS THIS SUMMER, AND OVER 1100 LIFEGUARDS WERE TRAINED AND HIRED FOR OUR SUMMER OPERATIONS. UH, ON THE OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE SIDE OF THINGS, UH, THE DECKER BOAT, LAKE BOAT RAMP WAS FULLY RESTORED. UH, YOU CAN SEE BY THE PHOTOS THE, THE IMPROVEMENT THERE TO ENHANCE SAFETY AND USABILITY. UH, CREWS APOLOGIES. UM, CREWS ALSO REINFORCED, UH, THE PATTERSON PARK PICNIC SHELTER WITH NEW STRUCTURAL SUPPORTS. UH, AGAIN, YOU SEE FOLKS, UH, WORK PHOTOS OF SOME OF OUR GREAT WORKERS OUT THERE. AND THEN DRAINAGE AND PAVING IMPROVEMENTS WERE COMPLETED AT CRAIG FIELDS TO INCREASE ACCESSIBILITY AND SAFETY. AND THEN FINALLY, ON THE ARCHITECTURAL DEVELOPMENT SIDE OF THINGS, PARK BOARD MEMBERS WILL, UH, HOPEFULLY REMEMBER YOU RECEIVED A MEMO ON JULY 30TH REGARDING A, UH, REPAIR TO A HISTORIC, HISTORIC RETAINING WALL AT BARTON SPRINGS. UH, THIS WORK WILL BEGIN SEPTEMBER 8TH, UH, WILL INCLUDE SOME VEARY VEGETATION CLEARING INC INCLUDING REMOVAL OF SOME TREES, FOLLOWED BY A STRUCTURAL ASSESSMENT. AND THEN THE REPAIRS, UH, POOL OPERATIONS ARE NOT GONNA BE, UH, IMPACTED DURING THE PROJECT, AND WE EXPECT THE PROJECT TO BE COMPLETED IN 20, EARLY 2027. AS I MENTIONED, THERE WILL BE 27 TREES THAT ARE GONNA BE REMOVED, BUT OF THOSE ONLY ONE IS A SIGNIFICANT TREE, UH, THAT REQUIRED A PERMIT, UH, TO BE REMOVED, AND WE'VE RECEIVED THAT PERMIT. UH, HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS, UM, THE BOARD MEMBERS MIGHT HAVE OKAY. BOARD MEMBERS. UM, WE'LL OPEN IT UP FOR QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, DISCUSSION, UM, REMEMBER TO KEEP THOSE, UH, TO WHAT, UH, THE PRESENTATION WAS ABOUT. UM, SINCE WE DID HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT RELATED TO THE ADULT SPORTS LEAGUE, THAT ALSO IS, IT IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ASK QUESTIONS AROUND THAT. UM, SO I'LL OPEN UP THE FLOOR FOR QUESTIONS. BOARD MEMBER MERIT. SURE. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE DECISION TO, UM, REMOVE FUNDING FOR THE INDOOR ADULT SPORTS LEAGUES? SURE. UH, AND MAYBE I'LL TAKE A, A LITTLE BIT OF A STEP BACK AND KIND OF, UH, I KNOW BOARD MEMBERS KNOW THIS, BUT JUST FOR THE BENEFIT OF OTHER FOLKS IN THE ROOM AND, AND OTHER FOLKS WHO MIGHT BE WATCHING KIND OF THE WAY THE BUDGET PROCESS WORKS. UM, OBVIOUSLY WE AS A CITY, AND CERTAINLY WE AS A DEPARTMENT ARE IN A PRETTY TOUGH BUDGETING TIME. UH, BUT THE WAY THE PROCESS JUST BROADLY WORKS IS EACH YEAR, UH, DEPARTMENTS WORK THROUGH SEVERAL STEPS WITH THE, WITH THE, UM, BUDGET OFFICE, UH, TO SUBMIT OUR PROPOSAL TO THE CITY MANAGER WHO THEN PUTS TOGETHER HIS PROPOSAL, WHO SENDS IT TO COUNCIL, UH, PUTTING OUR PROPOSAL TOGETHER. YOU KNOW, WE FIRST START OFF LOOKING AT ANY CHANGES, WHETHER THEY'RE ON REVENUE OR ON EXPENDITURES. UH, THEN WE ARE ASKED TO SUBMIT TO THE CITY MANAGER ANY REQUESTS FOR ENHANCEMENTS TO OUR BUDGETS. SO TAKING OUR BASELINE, WHAT ELSE DO WE NEED IN ORDER TO CONTINUE TO, TO PROVIDE SERVICES TO THE RESIDENTS? UH, AND THEN FINALLY, WE'RE ALSO ASKED TO SUBMIT A, A LIST OF PRIORITIZATIONS, REPRIORITIZATION SO THAT IF, UH, COUNCIL THEN, UH, LOOKS TO MOVE MONEY AROUND OR MAKE REDUCTIONS, UH, WE WANNA BE PREPARED FOR THOSE REDUCTIONS. AND SO, UH, ALONG THIS BUDGET PROCESS, ONE OF THE ITEMS THAT WAS SUBMITTED TO THE CITY MANAGER [01:20:01] FOR CONSIDERATION AND THEN SUBMITTED TO COUNCIL FOR CONSIDERATION IS THE REDUCTION IN THESE ATHLETIC, UH, ADULT ATHLETIC PROGRAMS ALONG WITH THE OTHER ASPECTS OF OUR BUDGET THAT WERE ALSO CUT, INCLUDING REDUCTIONS TO, TO SOME OF OUR, UH, YOUTH PROGRAMMING REDUCTION TO SOME OF THE ME SENIOR MEAL PROGRAMS THAT WE PROVIDE, UH, TO, TO OUR CONSTITUENTS AND SOME REDUCTIONS TO THE FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE ACROSS THE PARK SYSTEM. SO IT WAS ONE OF THOSE DECISIONS OF MANY IN THAT WE SUBMITTED THIS LIST. UM, AND THEN AGAIN, THE CITY MANAGER SELECTS THOSE WORKING WITH THE BUDGET OFFICE, WORKING WITH COUNCIL, AND THEN OF COURSE, COUNCIL HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO, TO MAKE CHANGES BEFORE THEY ADOPT A BUDGET. I'LL ALSO SAY, UM, THERE'S AN ENGAGEMENT PROCESS THAT GOES ALONG IN THE BUDGET DEVELOPMENT PROCESS. SO, YOU KNOW, OF COURSE WE AS DEPARTMENTS, UH, WORK WITH OUR COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE YEARS, SO WE HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT'S THERE. UH, THE CITY MANAGER WENT OUT TO COMMUNITIES AND, AND ASKED ABOUT BUDGET PRIORITIZATION. THE COUNCIL MEMBERS DO THE SAME THING. AND THEN OF COURSE, BUDGET, EXCUSE ME, BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE CITY COUNCIL REGARDING THAT. UM, WHAT WOULD YOUR RECOMMENDATION BE TO GROUPS THAT WANT TO CONTINUE USING THE FACILITIES? LIKE HOW WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THEY, THEY RECOMMEND THEY MOVE FORWARD IF THE CITY RESOURCES AREN'T AVAILABLE TO THEM ANYMORE? YEAH. THE ADMINISTRATION, LIKE EVEN IF THEY COULD RENT THE FACILITIES, IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE'S A LOT OF ADMINISTRATION THAT THEY'LL LOSE OUT ON. RIGHT? AND, AND SO WHAT WE, THAT THIS PROPOSAL AND, AND WHAT ENDED UP BEING ACCEPTED, WE WERE LOOKING FOR WAYS TO OBVIOUSLY REDUCE COST AND, AND THE COSTS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE STAFFING AND MANAGEMENT OF THE, OF THE, OF THE, UM, THE, THE PROGRAMS. UH, AND, AND YOU KNOW, THERE IS, THERE IS REVENUE THAT COMES IN ON OUR FEES, THE, THE, UH, WHAT WE CHARGE, YOU KNOW, THE CHALLENGING THING. IT COULD, WE COULD SAY, WELL, LET'S JUST RAISE FEES. I THINK THE CHALLENGING THING THERE IS WE ARE A GENERAL FUND DEPARTMENT, SO THE FEES THAT COME INTO THE DEPARTMENT GO BACK TO THE GENERAL FUND. SO WE WOULDN'T GET A, A ONE FOR ONE SORT OF RECOUP THERE. UH, SO OUR GOAL HERE IS TO TRY TO LEVERAGE WHAT WE HAVE, WHICH IS THE FACILITIES, AND TRY TO, TO FIND A WAY THAT, THAT, UM, TO SAVE THOSE 400, ROUGHLY $400,000 THAT IT TAKES US TO OVER TO MANAGE, ADMINISTER THESE, UH, AND TRY ANOTHER OPTION. SO OUR TEAM, UH, WE HAVE TWO ADS, ASSISTANT DIRECTORS THAT, THAT HAVE SOME, UH, OVERSIGHT INTO SOME OF THESE ASPECTS, AND THEY'RE WORKING TOGETHER AND THEY'RE GONNA BE MEETING WITH SOME OF THE GROUPS TO TRY TO SEE WHAT WE CAN DO. UM, UNFORTUNATELY, YOU KNOW, THE BOTTOM LINE IS, IS WE DON'T HAVE THE REVENUE TO THE, THE FUNDING TO CONTINUE TO, TO OPERATE IN THE WAY THEY'VE BEEN OPERATED. YEAH. BOARD MEMBER YOU BANKS. YEAH, I I HAVE ONE QUESTION, UH, BEFORE WE GET TO SUGGESTIONS LATER ON, BUT WHY WAS THE BOARD NOT BRIEFED ABOUT THIS? UM, WE DIDN'T BRIEF THE BOARD ABOUT ALL OF OUR IZATION. THOSE ARE THE, THE DOCUMENTS THAT WE SUBMITTED TO THE CITY MANAGER WHO THEN LOOKED, REVIEWED THOSE, HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH US, UH, AND THEN THE CITY COUNCIL MADE THOSE FINAL DECISIONS. SO WE, WE DIDN'T KNOW WHICH OF THESE REP PRIORITIZATIONS WERE GONNA BE SELECTED UNTIL THE MANAGER PUT HIS BUDGET TOGETHER. I THINK IT WOULD'VE BEEN HELPFUL BECAUSE I LEARNED ABOUT IT FROM THE PUBLIC. I'M NOT SURE HOW YOU ALL LEARNED ABOUT IT FROM LETTERS THAT I GOT IN MY MAIL. UH, AND JUST TO MAKE SURE WE REMEMBER, OUR JOB IS WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF RESPONSIBILITY TO YOU. WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO THE PUBLIC. AND, AND IT SAYS VERY CLEARLY IN THE CHARTER THAT OUR JOB IS RELATED TO ALL RECREATIONAL RESOURCES WITH WITHIN THE CITY, SO THAT THEY'RE COORDINATED TO, TO SECURE THE GREATEST PUBLIC WELFARE. BUT IF THESE SORTS OF CHANGES WITH WHICH OBVIOUSLY ARE NOT BENEFITING ALL EQUALLY ARE NOT BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION, I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT WE CAN DO OUR JOBS. I JUST, I WANNA FOLLOW UP AND MAYBE GIVE THE DIRECTOR A, A CHANCE TO SPEAK MORE TO THIS. I WHAT I'M HEARING, AND TELL ME IF, IF THIS IS WRONG, UM, IS THAT AS PART OF THAT BUDGET PROCESS, IT, THIS WASN'T NECESSARILY A PROGRAM THAT YOU PUT UP TO BE CUT IT. WE SUBMITTED A LIST, A LONG LIST OF, OF PROGRAMS TO BE PRODUCED. UM, AND, AND, UM, PART OF THE BUDGET PROCESS IS TO THE CITY MANAGER SETS A TARGET, UH, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT WHEN COUNCIL DELIBERATES AND MAKES THOSE, THOSE DECISIONS THAT HAVE THEIR PRIORITIZATION, RIGHT. UM, AND SO THIS WAS ONE THAT WAS ON THE LIST OF THE THINGS WE PROPOSED, BUT IT WASN'T THE ONE THAT WE SAID, YES, PLEASE TAKE THIS ONE. WE, WE, WE SUBMITTED A WHOLE LOT OF THEM THAT DID NOT GET SELECTED. OKAY. OKAY. UM, YEAH, SO JUST, I'M JUST TRYING TO FIND A SPACE WHERE, AND I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING ABOUT WE WEREN'T NECESSARILY BRIEFED ON ALL OF THAT, BUT COULD THERE BE, IF THERE WERE, AND THIS DOESN'T HELP OUR SITUATION NOW. SURE. UM, BUT IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY [01:25:01] IF FUTURE SITUATIONS SUCH AS THIS WOULD ARISE, THAT WE COULD BE NOTIFIED SOONER IF THERE WERE THINGS LIKE THIS THAT, THAT MIGHT AFFECT THE PUBLIC? AND I KNOW EVERY, I MEAN, PARKS AND RECREATION, WE COULD USE MORE OF EVERYTHING THAT'S, UM, MORE FULL-TIME STAFF, MORE PART-TIME STAFF, MORE MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS, MORE PARK SPACE. SO WE ARE, WE ARE ALWAYS WANTING FOR MORE AND TO DO MORE. AND I KNOW, UM, THAT YOUR TEAM DOES AS WELL, YOU'RE NOT WANTING TO CUT. UM, BUT I THINK JUST WHEN THERE'S OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE US A HEADS UP IF THERE IS, SOMETIMES THERE'S NOT. ABSOLUTELY. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY, THE, THE, THE PROCESS IS SET IN A WAY WHERE THIS INFORMATION BECOMES PUBLIC ONCE THE DECISIONS ARE MADE. UH, I WILL ALSO SAY THAT WE LOOKED AT ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING ACROSS THE DEPARTMENT FOR REDUCTIONS. AND, AND THEN WHEN WE MEET WITH THE CITY MANAGER AND HIS TEAM, WE TRY TO ARTICULATE THE IMPACT THAT THESE REDUCTIONS ARE GONNA HAVE. SO WE LITERALLY LOOKED AT EVERYTHING FROM INCREASING POOLS FEES TO REDUCING POOL HOURS, REDUCING COMMUNITY CENTER HOURS, REDUCING, UH, SENIOR CENTER HOURS, REDUCING PROGRAMS EVEN FURTHER, ELIMINATING DIFFERENT DAYS IN CAMPS, UH, AND ON AND ON AND ON. AND NONE OF THOSE DECISIONS ARE, ARE EASY. UM, AND SO, UM, AND WE KNOW THAT EVERY, EVERY DECISION WE MAKE AND, AND EVERY SERVICE THAT WE OFFER HAS A CONSTITUENCY. AND CERTAINLY WE, WE DON'T, UH, DO OUR WORK IN AN ATTEMPT TO, TO IMPACT ANYONE IN PARTICULAR. WE DO OUR WORK TO TRY TO TRY TO BE AS EQUITABLE AND EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE WITH THEIR LIMITED RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE. SO, UH, I UNDERSTAND THE FRUSTRATION AND, AND CERTAINLY I CAN THINK ABOUT AND LOOK AT AND TALK TO THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE ABOUT WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN CONTINUE TO INVOLVE ALL OF YOU. I THINK AT THE END OF THE DAY THOUGH, WE ARE IN A VERY LEAN BUDGET TIME. SO I GUARANTEE THAT NEXT YEAR AND, AND YOU UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS, NEXT YEAR, WE'RE GONNA HAVE THE EXACT SAME PROCESS WHERE I'M GONNA PROPOSE REDUCTIONS AND, AND, AND REQUEST ENHANCEMENTS. AND YOU ALL, AS A BOARD ALSO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS. AND, AND I APPRECIATE THE SERVICE AND THE WORK AND THE DIFFICULT POSITION WE'RE ALL IN, BUT THIS IS WHERE WE'RE, UM, YEAH, UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE ALL OF THAT. I'M ACTUALLY SOMEWHAT LESS CONCERNED ABOUT OUR AWARENESS AND MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THE PUBLIC AWARENESS. IT'S OBVIOUSLY A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME BETWEEN PASSING A BUDGET IN MID-AUGUST, UH, AND INFORMING THE PUBLIC THAT A NUMBER OF PROGRAMS THAT THEY HOLD DEAR ARE GOING TO BE CUT FOR THEM ON. IS IT OCTOBER 1ST? SO THAT'S A, THAT'S A SHORT WINDOW. UM, I WOULD SAY, AND AGAIN, UNDER VERY WELL VERSED AT THIS POINT IN THE PROCESS OF HOW THE BUDGET WORKS AND WHY THAT HAPPENS. THAT SAID, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I HEARD FROM THE SPEAKERS, UM, PREVIOUS TO THIS IS THAT THERE ARE MULTIPLE CONCERNS. OBVIOUSLY ONE OF THEM IS THE SHUTTING DOWN OF THE PROGRAM, BUT AS, UH, ANOTHER ONE THAT I SORT OF HEARD HAD EQUAL WEIGHT WAS THEIR CONCERNS AROUND HOW THE PROGRAM WAS BEING TRANSITIONED AND THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT IT WAS BEING TRANSITIONED TO. AND I AM WONDERING IF THERE IS POTENTIALLY AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE IN DISCUSSION WITH THE PARKS DEPARTMENT. I GUESS IT'S, MY QUESTION IS LIKE, THERE ARE A BUNCH OF FOLKS HERE. IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO ENGAGE WITH THE PARKS DEPARTMENT? NOT ABOUT LIKE, HOW DO WE RESTORE THIS PROGRAM? BECAUSE I DO UNDERSTAND HOW THE BUDGET WORKS, BUT, UM, BUT TO TALK ABOUT HOW IT MIGHT BE TRANSITIONED IN A WAY THAT IS PERHAPS MORE APPEALING TO THE COMMUNITY THAT IT IS TARGETED AT. SURE. AND AS I MENTIONED, UH, YOU KNOW, LUCAS MASSEY AND, AND HER TEAM, AND JODY AND HER TEAM ARE GONNA BE MEETING WITH SOME OF THE GROUPS TO TRY TO UNDERSTAND BOTH TO EXPLAIN WHAT WE CAN AND CAN'T DO AT THIS POINT, AND THEN, AND THEN SEE IF THERE ARE WAYS TO, TO TRY TO FIND OTHER OPTIONS, UM, TO SUPPORT THIS PROGRAM. YEAH, NO, I HEARD THAT. I JUST WANTED TO WANTED YOU TO SAY IT ONE MORE TIME. YEAH. UM, UM, AND, AND, AND AGAIN, I, I DON'T, I DON'T WANNA IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM BE ARGUMENTATIVE. I MEAN, I THINK AT THE END OF THE DAY, UH, WHEN WE PUT TOGETHER, THE TIMING IS REALLY CHALLENGING BECAUSE WE PUT TOGETHER A BUDGET THAT HAD, YOU KNOW, A WHOLE LOT OF REDUCTIONS AND, AND PUTTING ALL OF THOSE OUT INTO THE PUBLIC SPHERE TO SAY, HEY, THIS MIGHT BE CUT. UH, MAKES, MAKES IT REALLY DIFFICULT FOR, FOR US TO ENGAGE WITH ANYBODY. SO AT THE END OF THE DAY, ONCE THOSE DECISIONS ARE MADE, IMMEDIATELY THAT INFORMATION GETS MADE PUBLIC. SO MAYBE WHAT WE CAN DO IS ENHANCE THE WAY THAT WE GET THE WORD OUT AS SOON AS THOSE DECISIONS ARE MADE AT, AT THE VERY, ONCE THE CITY MANAGER'S BUDGET IS, IS, UH, SUBMITTED TO THE COUNCIL. AND THOSE STILL ARE TENTATIVE BECAUSE THEN THE COUNCIL MAKES ALL OF THEIR CHANGES. SO WE'RE HAPPY TO ENGAGE IN THAT AND, AND DO THE BEST THAT, THAT WE CAN. UM, AND, AND CERTAINLY WITH THE CURRENT SITUATION, WE'LL WORK WITH FOLKS WHO ARE THE ORGANIZERS OF THE LEAGUE TO SEE WHAT, IF ANYTHING, WE CAN DO AT THIS POINT. I APPRECIATE THAT. UM, AND ACTUALLY JUST TO BUILD IN A CLARIFYING POINT THAT, UM, BOARD CHAIR BISON MADE EARLIER. SO THE, THE FUNCTION OF THIS BOARD IS TO OPERATE AS SORT OF A RESIDENT ADVISORY. WE, WE WRITE RECOMMENDATIONS, RIGHT? AND THEN WE VOTE ON THEM. UH, SO THEY GO UP TO COUNCIL AND IT'S JUST, IT'S A GOOD WAY TO GET THE ATTENTION OF COUNCIL IS TO SORT OF WORK THROUGH US. AND I MENTIONED THIS JUST BECAUSE, UM, WHAT I AM HEARING IS THAT THE FOCUS GOING FORWARD IS GOING TO BE MORE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT, NOT WHAT CAN WE CHANGE ABOUT WHAT HAS HAPPENED BEFORE. AND IN THAT CONTEXT, I THINK THERE IS POTENTIAL IN THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THIS BOARD TO BE USEFUL. THAT WAS NOT A QUESTION. SO THE QUESTION IS, I DON'T KNOW, DO YOU AGREE WITH [01:30:01] WHAT I JUST SAID, ? UM, I, I THINK IN TERMS OF ANY DISCUSSIONS THAT WE HAVE MOVING FORWARD ARE WHAT CAN WE DO? WE ARE NOT ABLE TO UNDO WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW. THE BUDGET HAS BEEN ADOPTED BY THE COUNCIL. GREAT. THANK YOU. UM, I, YEAH, AND SO, SO WE CERTAINLY WOULD WELCOME IN INPUT FROM THE BOARD, JUST LIKE YOU ALL DID WITH, WITH SORT OF THE YOUTH, UH, FIELD CHALLENGES, ET CETERA. SO I THINK THAT THAT'S AN IMPORTANT, UM, SORT OF ROLE THAT THE BOARD CAN PLAY TO CONTINUE TO ADVISE US ON THESE THINGS. THANK YOU. YEAH, THANK YOU. UM, BOARD MEMBER VIOL OF THOSE YES. UM, SIMILAR TO WHAT BOARD MEMBER BECKER, UH, JUST SAID IS OBVIOUSLY WHAT HAPPENED AND WHAT'S, WHAT'S HAPPENED. LIKE YOU CAN'T CHANGE THAT, RIGHT? WE CAN'T GO BACK TO WHAT, UH, THE CITY MANAGER DID. UM, WE CAN ONLY MOVE FORWARD, UH, UM, FROM A BOARD MEMBER PERSPECTIVE. I THINK THAT IF I'M, I'M, I'M IN GENERAL BEFORE TODAY HAVE BEEN CONCERNED ABOUT THE BUDGET CUTS THAT HAVE HAPPENED TO VARIOUS PROGRAMS THROUGH THE PARKS DEPARTMENT THAT ARE GETTING IMPACTED ACROSS THE CITY, RIGHT? SO IT'S NOT JUST THIS, THIS ONE, RIGHT? SO THERE'S A BUNCH OF STUFF HAPPENING, BUT I DO THINK THIS IS JUST LIKE SENTIMENT. THERE'S NOT A QUESTION TO THIS. SO, UM, IS THAT I THINK THAT IF YOU HAVE A GROUP OF PEOPLE OR AN ORGANIZATION THAT'S WILLING TO TRY TO DO EVERYTHING THAT THEY CAN ON THEIR END TO TRY TO SEE HOW THEY CAN KEEP THEIR ORGANIZATION, THEIR STRUCTURE INTACT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, UM, I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT THE DEPARTMENT THAT YOU'RE RUNNING IS GONNA BE WILLING TO WORK WITH THEM ON THAT IN, IN THAT REGARD, RIGHT? YES. UM, BUT IT GOES TO LIKE A MORE FINER POINT, I GUESS IS KIND OF ONE OF THE, THE THINGS THAT I THINK THIS BOARD HAS BEEN, UH, CONCERNED ABOUT FOR THE LAST YEAR, YEAR AND A HALF, WHICH IS, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS TRUE OR NOT, RIGHT? LIKE, I DON'T KNOW THE IN INS AND OUT THE DAILY CONVERSATIONS THAT ARE GOING, UH, GOING ON. BUT AS YOU KNOW, THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF CONCERNS, COMPLAINTS AS IT PERTAINS TO PRIVATE LEAGUES GETTING SEEMINGLY, UH, DISPROPORTIONATE ACCESS TO CITY OWNED FACILITIES. WE'VE SEEN THAT THROUGH THE BASEBALL AND THE SOCCER RESOLUTIONS THAT WE'VE PASSED. UM, AND THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR, LIKE I SAID, THE LAST YEAR, YEAR AND A HALF. SO MY CONCERN IS, IS ECHOING WHAT SOME OF THE SPEAKERS HAVE SAID IS IF WE DON'T FIND A WAY TO WORK WITH THE EXISTING STRUCTURE THAT IS IN PLACE AND SEEMS TO BE WORKING FAIRLY WELL, THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE A PRIVATE ORGANIZATION COME IN AND START USURPING ALL OF THE SPACE AND TIME AVAILABLE FOR VOLLEYBALL AND BASKETBALL, WHICH WOULD THEN PUT US IN A POSITION WHERE WE'RE NOT ONLY AT THAT POINT, RIGHT? ASSUMING EVERYTHING GOES BAD, RIGHT? WE'RE NOT JUST FIGHTING THE SOCK. WE'RE NOT FIGHTING, NOT FIGHTING, BUT WE'RE EXPRESSING NOT ONLY CONCERNS ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON WITH SOCCER AND BA BASEBALL FIELDS, BUT NOW WE'RE HAVING TO ADD VOLLEYBALL AND BASEBALL, UH, COURTS TO THAT LIST. SO I'M JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, I GUESS WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY IS BY WORKING WITH THIS GROUP, BY WORKING WITH THESE PEOPLE, WE CAN POTENTIALLY AVOID THAT ISSUE DOWN THE LINE. 'CAUSE I WOULD HATE TO HAVE TO ADD THOSE TWO SPORTS TO WHAT THE ISSUES THAT WE'RE ALREADY CURRENTLY HAVING. AND IF I COULD JUST THROW IN ON THAT ONE, I'LL JUST ADD ARCHERY TO THE MIX BECAUSE WE LOST THE ARCHERY FIELDS EARLIER AS WELL. MY DAUGHTER'S AN ARCHER, SHE WAS PRETTY CUT UP ABOUT IT. SO I LIKE, I AGREE WITH YOU AND I DO THINK LIKE THE TREND LINE IS CLEAR, AND I THINK THAT'S THE THING THAT I FIND CONCERNING MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE. LIKE UNDERSTAND AND HAVE A TON OF RESPECT FOR THE DEPARTMENT AND ALL OF THE WORK THAT YOU ALL DO AND THE CHALLENGES THAT YOU'RE FACING IN THIS. BUT IT IS, IT IS A LITTLE DIFFICULT TO, TO SORT OF LOOK AT THE SITUATION AND NOT NOTICE THAT THE VIABLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THIS HAVE BEEN FOR ACROSS A VARIETY OF SHORTS HAVE BEEN SHRINKING. YEAH. AND, AND JUST TO BE VERY, AND I I JUST WANNA BE VERY, VERY CLEAR. LIKE I KNOW THAT YOU WERE NOT ADVOCATING FOR PROGRAMS TO BE CUT, RIGHT? LIKE YOU JUST ARE GETTING THE BRUNT END OF THINGS AT THIS POINT. SO LIKE, I APPRECIATE THE POSITION THAT YOU'RE IN AND YOU'RE IN A VERY DIFFICULT POSITION. I'M JUST EXPRESSING SOME THINGS THAT ARE JUST IN GENERAL CONCERN ABOUT AS, AS WE MOVE FORWARD. NO, I, I APPRECIATE THAT. AND, AND I MEAN, AGAIN, OUR, OUR JOB IS TO PROVIDE CHOICES TO THE CITY MANAGER AND THE CITY MANAGER'S JOB IS TO PROVIDE CHOICES, OPTIONS TO THE CITY COUNCIL. UH, BUT, BUT YOU KNOW, I, I GUESS I'LL, I'LL ADD A A COUPLE THINGS. SO IN TERMS OF, UM, WHAT PROGRAMS WE CONTINUE TO DO, WHETHER, WHETHER WE CONTINUE TO, TO ENGAGE WITH OUTSIDE ORGANIZATIONS TO SUPPORT THE WORK THAT WE DO, I THINK PART OF THE CHALLENGE IS THAT WE CONTINUE TO DO A WHOLE LOT OF STUFF ACROSS THE CITY. AND IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE RESOURCE LEVEL THAT WE RECEIVE AS A DEPARTMENT, UH, VERSUS THE THINGS THAT WE DO, AND, AND I RATTLED OFF SOME OF THE NUMBERS IN MY SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT ABOUT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT WE SERVE, IT'S PRETTY SIGNIFICANT. AND, AND WHEN [01:35:01] WE SUBMIT THESE, UH, PROPOSALS FOR RE PRIORITIZATION TO THE CITY MANAGER, IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT JUST RANDOM. YOU KNOW, THE, THE FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION THE CITY MANAGER ASKS US TO IS TO START WITH IDENTIFYING THE THINGS THAT ARE FURTHEST FROM YOUR MISSION, RIGHT? AND, AND SO WE CAN HAVE THAT CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT WE DO AS A DEPARTMENT, UH, AND, AND HOW WE PRIORITIZE. DO WE PRIORITIZE WITH YOUTH OR WITH SENIORS, WITH ADULTS, WITH, WITH CONSERVATION FUNCTIONS, WITH, WITH AQUATICS, ET CETERA. SO WE'RE MAKING A LOT OF DECISIONS, BUT, BUT I THINK FUNDAMENTALLY WE NEED TO TAKE A STEP BACK AS A DEPARTMENT AND UNDERSTAND WHAT ARE OUR CORE SERVICES? WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO AND DO THEM WELL, AND WHAT CAN WE NO LONGER DO? UH, AND, AND SOMETIMES THE THINGS THAT WE CAN NO LONGER DO ARE THINGS THAT END UP IN A SITUATION LIKE THIS WHERE WE END UP TRYING TO FIND SOME OUTSIDE HELP TO DO THAT. AND THERE ARE GONNA BE SOME OTHER THINGS THAT, THAT WE JUST WOULD STOP DOING OR OTHER THINGS THAT, THAT, UH, WE DON'T DO WELL THAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO SUBSIDIZE. I MEAN, IT, IT'S A, IT'S A MUCH LARGER CONVERSATION THAN JUST ONE BUDGET YEAR. AND, AND I SAID THAT WAS GONNA BE ONE LAST THING. AND, BUT I THINK THAT'S THE CONVERSATION THAT WE AS THE DEPARTMENT ARE STARTING TO HAVE INTERNALLY. AND, AND WHEN WE, WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR LONG RANGE STRATEGIC PLAN THAT WE'RE GONNA KICK OFF THE REVISION OR UPDATE TO THAT LONG RANGE STRATEGIC PLAN IS TO REALLY HAVE THOSE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT, ON THE PEOPLE SIDE OF THINGS, WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT WE SHOULD BE FOCUSING ON AND HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE REALLY ENGAGE WITH OUR COMMUNITY ABOUT WHAT'S IMPORTANT? AND THEN HOW DO WE MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT WITH X AMOUNT OF RESOURCES, THIS IS WHAT WE CAN DO AND THESE ARE THE THINGS WE CAN'T DO. OKAY. ARE FOLKS ON OH, ONE MOMENT FOLKS ON ONLINE? ANYBODY? OH YEAH, PLEASE. OKAY. BOARD MEMBER. BOARD MEMBER EUBANKS. YEAH, I, I DO WANT TO FOLLOW UP ON WHAT COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE BEEN SAYING. 'CAUSE I DO THINK IT IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE I THINK ONE OF THE DISCUSSIONS HAS TO DO WITH US AS THE BOARD. UM, AND THE CHARTER'S VERY CLEAR ABOUT THAT, AND THE BYLAWS ARE VERY CLEAR ABOUT THAT. IN FACT, IT SAYS VERY SPECIFICALLY, THE BOARD SHALL ADVISE THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE CITY MANAGER REGARDING, AND THEN THERE'S A LONG LIST OF ITEMS, ALL OF WHICH WE'VE BEEN DEBATING AND ARE EASILY INCLUDED. THEREFORE, FOR ME TO ADVISE MY COUNCIL MEMBER, I HAVE TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON. SURE. RATHER THAN HAVE THEIR OFFICE CALL ME AND TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON. AND I THINK FOR A BOARD MEMBER, THAT'S THE LEAST WE COULD ASK IS LET US DO OUR JOB. WE VOLUNTEERED OUR TIME AND THE FACT IS THE PEOPLE MOST AFFECTED BY THIS LEARNED ABOUT THIS BEFORE WE DID, AND BEFORE WE COULD GIVE ANY INPUT YEAH. TO OUR COUNCIL. YEAH. NO, AND, AND I, AND I APPRECIATE YOUR SERVICE AND I APPRECIATE YOUR WORK. UH, I, I, AGAIN, UH, I'LL SAY THINKING MOVING FORWARD, SO NEXT YEAR, SO THIS IS MY SECOND BUDGET CYCLE. NEXT YEAR, WE'RE GONNA HAVE WHAT I PRESUME TO BE A VERY SIMILAR BUDGET CYCLE WHERE, UH, WE'RE GONNA BE ASKED TO GO THROUGH ALL THE STEPS THAT I DESCRIBED AT THE VERY BEGINNING AND, AND PUBLICLY AVAILABLE NOW ARE, ARE THE REPRIORITIZATION THAT WE SUBMITTED LAST YEAR, WHICH INCLUDED SOME OF THESE THINGS, THE REPRIORITIZATION THAT WE SUBMITTED FOR THIS YEAR. AND THAT WILL BE THE REPRIORITIZATION THAT WE SUBMIT FOR NEXT YEAR. SO THAT INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE AND I'LL BE HAPPY TO AS SOON AS WE'RE ABLE TO, TO SHARE AGAIN THAT INFORMATION WITH YOU AS YOU MAKE THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL. THANK YOU SO MUCH. YEP. I THINK, UM, SORRY, DIRECTOR. NO. DID I INTERRUPT? THANK YOU. UM, JUST WANNA CLOSE THIS OUT AND JUST REMIND FOLKS THAT YOU CAN CONTINUE TO COMMUNICATE WITH US. YOU CAN COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR COUNCIL MEMBERS. I KNOW THERE ARE DECISIONS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE, UM, BUT IT'S STILL IMPORTANT TO HAVE YOUR VOICES HEARD. AND SO THERE'S LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES TO DO THAT, UM, BEYOND, BEYOND THIS ROOM. AND, UM, APPRECIATE YOU DIRECTOR ANY OTHER COMMENTS RELATED TO ANY OF THE OTHER PARTS OF THE PRESENTATION. OKAY. UM, ALRIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. WE'LL MOVE ON. THANK YOU ALL. GOODNIGHT. MM-HMM WE'LL MOVE ON TO, [FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ] UM, FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. AND THERE WAS, UM, ONE THING, BOARD MEMBER, UH, VICE CHAIR BECKER AND I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN, YOU KNOW, IF IT'S AN INFORMATION PIECE, A MEMO, UM, SOMETHING RELATED TO THE GIVENS PARK KITCHEN, UM, IF THERE'S ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT WE CAN HAVE RELATED TO THAT. UM, DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THIS MOMENT. IT LOOKS LIKE YOU MIGHT YEAH, GO AHEAD. SURE, SURE. UH, I CAN PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT OF AN UPDATE AND, AND I, AGAIN, I APPRECIATE THE GENTLEMAN WHO CAME AND SPOKE. UM, THE GIVENS PARK, UH, GIVENS RECREATIONAL CENTER IS GOING THROUGH A COUPLE OF RENOVATION PROJECTS, UH, UH, NOW THAT HAVE BEEN, UH, BOTH COMPLICATED AND DELAYED, INCLUDING REPLACING AN HVAC, SOME ROOFINGS AND FLOORING, SOME LIGHTING. UM, THE, THE SCOPE OF THAT WORK DID NOT INCLUDE THE INSTALLATION OF A COMMERCIAL KITCHEN. THE INFRASTRUCTURE'S NOT THERE FROM A PLANNED PLUMBING STANDPOINT, ELECTRICAL STANDPOINT, ET CETERA. UH, SO IT'S NOT PART OF THE PLAN. UH, THE ESTIMATE FOR A NEW COMMERCIAL KITCHEN IS BETWEEN SIX TO $800,000 TO DO ALL THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE WORK IN THAT COMMITTEE CENTER. WE [01:40:01] JUST DON'T HAVE THAT FUNDING AVAILABLE AT THIS POINT. OKAY. BOARD MEMBER BECKER. OH YEAH. I JUST WANNA MAKE AN OFFER TO THE ADULT SPORTS FOLKS. IF YOU WANT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON ANYTHING THAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT PREVIOUSLY, I'M HAPPY TO HANG OUT AFTERWARDS AND CHAT WITH YOU ABOUT IT. THANK YOU. I APOLOGIZE. I SHOULD HAVE LET YOU SAY THAT EARLIER. OKAY. UM, ADDITIONAL FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS? YES. NO BOARD MEMBER, YOU BANK, YOU HAD SOMETHING AND THEN WE'LL GO TO BOARD MEMBER KELLY SECOND. OKAY. UH, I HAVE TWO OR THREE. THE FIRST AGENDA ITEM I'D LIKE TO, UH, RECOMMEND IS THE UH, FOR US TO, TO ADVISE AND ASK CITY COUNCIL TO RESTORE THE ADULT INDOOR SPORTS PROGRAM. I DO NOT HAVE DETAILS GIVEN HOW RECENTLY WE FOUND OUT I CAN'T, I CAN'T TELL YOU WHAT THE DETAILS ARE. THE SECOND AGENDA ITEM IS TO DEVELOP A PLAN FOR ESTABLISHING A KITCHEN AT GIVENS. I'VE TALKED WITH THE PEOPLE AT GIVENS AND THERE'S NUMEROUS CHOICES THAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT. I'D LIKE TO HAVE A CHANCE FOR US TO MAKE THE RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL. THE THIRD AGENDA ITEM I HAVE IS THAT I ASKED FOR THIS TWO MONTHS AGO. I BELIEVE, I THINK IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE FOR US TO HAVE A BRIEFING ON THE NEW ZILKER 3 51 MOU. IT SEEMS TO ME TO BE SOMEWHAT OUTSIDE OF THE PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM AND I JUST WANT TO UNDERSTAND IT. I BELIEVE IT WAS TWO MONTHS AGO I ASKED FOR THAT BRIEFING AND IF I COULD ASK FOR IT AGAIN. SURE. AND, AND ON THAT ONE, IF THAT ONE NEEDS TO COME IN THE FORM OF A MEMO OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, WOULD THAT BE APPROPRIATE? BOARD MEMBER EUBANK? I THINK IT NEEDS TO BE PUBLIC. OKAY. OTHER BOARD MEMBER KELLY? MY QUESTION WAS ANSWERED. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, ANYTHING ELSE? BOARD MEMBERS. BOARD MEMBER FRANKLIN? YES. ON THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION. UH, LAST WEEK THEY HAD A PRESENTER FROM URBAN PULSE MAPPING, WHICH IS A CROWDSOURCING TREE SURVEY SORT OF THING. AND I JUST THOUGHT IT WAS VERY INTERESTING AND MIGHT BE RELEVANT AS THIS PARTICULAR BOARD HAS TALKED ABOUT THE NEED FOR TREE SURVEYS BEFORE. I'M NOT SURE HOW APPLICABLE IT WOULD BE 'CAUSE THE PRESENTER HIMSELF DID MENTION THAT IT WAS MORE OF A STREET TREE THING. SO, YOU KNOW, TO GET OUT THERE IN THE BRUSH AND WHACK AROUND IN FRYING TREES, IT'S NOT REALLY AS APPLICABLE, BUT I THINK IT WOULD STILL BE MAYBE BENEFICIAL OR OF INTEREST OF THE BOARD. COOL TO HEAR ABOUT THAT. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, CHAIR CITY HAS I JUST, UH, JUMP IN. I WANNA ADDRESS THE REQUEST FOR, OR IN GENERAL, THE REQUEST FOR BRIEFINGS OR ANY OTHER PRESENTATIONS TO THE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD. UH, JUST A REMINDER THAT, YOU KNOW, THOSE SORTS OF REQUESTS CAN REPRESENT ASSIGNMENTS OF WORK FROM THE BOARD TO THE DEPARTMENT. WHEN WE DO HAVE INFORMATION TO PRESENT TO THE BOARD, UH, WE CAN DO SO. WE CAN ANSWER QUESTIONS VIA EMAIL, WE CAN ANSWER QUESTIONS IN IN-PERSON MEETINGS. WHEN THERE IS INFORMATION THAT IS SORT OF IN A CONDITION TO BE PRESENTED PUBLICLY, THEN IT CAN BE GIVEN AS A, A PUBLIC PRESENTATION. BUT OTHERWISE WE DO NEED TO CONTINUE TO WORK TOGETHER. SO THANKS. THANK YOU. AND THEN, UM, FOR THE RECOMMENDATIONS, WE CAN WORK TOGETHER AS A BOARD, UH, TO BRING THOSE FORWARD. SO. ALRIGHT. ANYTHING ELSE? BOARD MEMBERS. OKAY. UM, ALRIGHT. LET ME SEE. IT IS NOW SEVEN 50 AND I WILL ADJOURN THIS MEETING OF THE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. * 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.