[00:00:03]
GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME TO THE PARKS, TRAILS AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE.
[Park, Trails, and Environment Committee on December 4, 2023.]
I AM GOING TO CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER AT 9:06, AND FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS WILL BE TO APPROVE MINUTES.DO I HAVE A MOTION FOR APPROVAL OF OUR NOVEMBER 6TH? SO MOVED BY MR. WEST? SECOND.
SECOND BY DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM.
OKAY. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE.
AYE. ALL OPPOSED? ALL RIGHT, LET'S GET TO OUR FIRST PRESENTATION.
WE HAVE THE OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY HERE.
DIRECTOR EVANS IS GOING TO GIVE US A REPORT, I BELIEVE, OF OUR CECAP PROGRESS FOR 2023.
TO MY LEFT, I HAVE PAUL WHITE, INTERIM ASSISTANT DIRECTOR.
AND TO MY RIGHT I HAVE ROSA CISNEROS, CLIMATE COORDINATOR.
AND WE'RE GOING TO PROVIDE THE 20.
AND THEN ROSA WILL PASS IT BACK TO ME TOO, SO I CAN HIT A FEW POINTS ABOUT THE BUDGET.
NEXT SLIDE. SO FY 23 ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
SO JUST A FEW POINTS FOR CONTEXT.
ALSO WHILE WE'RE OEQS ARE THE SPOKESPEOPLE FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS WHEN IT COMES TO THE CECAP.
REALLY THESE ACCOMPLISHMENTS REPRESENT 17 OR 18 DEPARTMENTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
SO FY 23 WAS A REALLY PRODUCTIVE YEAR.
IN FY 23 WAS THE THIRD YEAR OF IMPLEMENTATION.
EVEN WITH THAT REALITY, WE HAD 17 DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS WERE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT 73 OF 97 ACTIONS AND COMPLETE 192 OF 202 MILESTONES, ADVANCING ALL EIGHT GOALS.
SO JUST A FEW AGAIN, HIGHLIGHTS.
STARTING WITH THE BUILDINGS GOAL, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES CONTINUE TO ADVANCE THE CITY'S GREEN BUILDING POLICY BY SEEKING THE ADOPTION OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONSTRUCTION CODE STANDARDS THAT ADVANCE EV CAPABILITY, SOLAR INFRASTRUCTURE, AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY ON RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS.
THE HARDWOOD INTERNATIONAL DEAL WAS THE LARGEST DEAL IN TEXAS AT $40 MILLION, AND WILL SAVE APPROXIMATELY 1.2 MILLION KILOWATT HOURS OF ELECTRICITY AND OVER 420,000 GALLONS OF WATER ANNUALLY.
MOVING TO ENERGY, THE ENERGY GOAL.
BUILDING SERVICES INITIATED THE RESILIENCE HUB OR A RESILIENCE HUB.
RESILIENCE HUB PROJECT AT THE BACHMAN RECREATION CENTER, WHICH WILL HAVE BOTH SOLAR AND SOLAR BATTERIES IN THE CASE OF A POWER OUTAGE, BSD HAS ALSO BENCHMARKED APPROXIMATELY 185 BUILDINGS TO BETTER IDENTIFY ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND RENEWABLE ENERGY OPPORTUNITIES.
MOVING TO TRANSPORTATION, THE FLEET DEPARTMENT WAS A VERY BUSY DEPARTMENT.
THEY SIGNED A TEN YEAR, $12 MILLION AGREEMENT WITH FORD TO SUPPLY EV INFRASTRUCTURE FOR OUR FLEET.
THEY HAVE ALSO THEY'VE ALSO PURCHASED UP TO 96 ELECTRIC VEHICLES SO FAR, MOVING TO ZERO WASTE SANITATION AND CONVENTION AND EVENT SERVICES.
AND DALLAS COUNTY DEVELOPED OUR BISHOP ARTS DISTRICT ORGANICS DIVERSION PILOT PROGRAM, WHICH WILL DIVERT FOOD WASTE FROM RESTAURANTS AND SPECIAL EVENTS AND RETURN COMPOST TO DALLAS COUNTY GARDENS.
THE FIRST COLLECTION AT A SPECIAL EVENT OCCURRED LAST MONTH AT THE TEXAS BREAD HOLIDAY MARKET.
KEEP DALLAS BEAUTIFUL RECEIVED THE SILVER STAR RECOGNITION STATUS WITH KEEP TEXAS BEAUTIFUL.
WE CONSERVED 87 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER THROUGH OUR WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAMS. WE SERVED 385 HOUSEHOLDS THROUGH THE MINOR PLUMBING REPAIR PROGRAM, AND WE CONTINUE DWU CONTINUES TO IMPROVE PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES AT OUR DRINKING WATER TREATMENT
[00:05:03]
PLANTS. MOVING TO ECO SYSTEMS, WE COLLABORATED WITH RETREAT TO PROVIDE 43 TREES TO RESIDENTS AND COMMUNITIES AFFECTED BY THE 2019 TORNADO.OUR CITYWIDE TREE TASK FORCE CONTINUES TO COLLABORATE WITH STAKEHOLDERS TO PROVIDE OUTREACH AND EDUCATION, AND WE OBTAINED $3 MILLION IN CITY AND FEDERAL FUNDS TO LAUNCH OUR BROWNFIELD PROGRAM.
REGARDING HEALTHY AND LOCAL FOODS.
WE SUPPORTED COUNCIL'S ADOPTION OF THE CITY'S FIRST EVER COMPREHENSIVE URBAN AG PLAN.
AND WE CONDUCTED A SOFT LAUNCH OF OUR URBAN AG GIS MAPPING TOOL.
AND WE HOSTED OUR FIRST AIR SUMMIT WITH EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS FROM ACROSS THE REGION.
SO JUST AGAIN, JUST A FEW HIGHLIGHTS.
YOUR PACKET HAS A COMPREHENSIVE LIST BUT THOSE ARE SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS.
SO MOVING TO FY 24 THE CECAP IMPLEMENTATION WILL JUMP FROM 17 DEPARTMENTS TO 18 DEPARTMENTS FROM 73 ACTIONS TO 75 ACTIONS I'M SORRY.
NEXT SLIDE. THERE WE GO AGAIN.
SO FY 24 FROM 17 DEPARTMENTS TO 18 DEPARTMENTS, FROM 73 ACTIONS TO 75 ACTIONS, AND AGAIN 97 ACTIONS FOR THE ENTIRE PLAN AND 202 MILESTONES TO 211 FOR FY 24.
NEXT SLIDE. SO AS YOU KNOW WE'RE USING AN ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT APPROACH.
SO THE CECAP USES 2015 GREENHOUSE GAS DATA AS THE BASIS FOR EMISSIONS FORECASTING.
MOVING FORWARD, WE PLAN TO CONDUCT ANOTHER GREENHOUSE GAS INVENTORY THIS YEAR.
NEXT SLIDE. AND YOU'VE SEEN THIS SLIDE BEFORE.
BUT JUST TO RECAP, THE PLAN LAYS OUT EACH GOAL.
TOTAL ACTIONS UNDERWAY FOR THAT GOAL AND TOTAL MILESTONES.
THEN WE LIST EACH MILESTONE AND LEAD DEPARTMENT.
WITH THAT, I'LL PASS IT ALONG TO ROSA.
GOOD MORNING. ROSA CISNEROS, CLIMATE COORDINATOR WITH OEQS.
THE FIRST ONE BEING DALLAS' BUILDINGS ARE ENERGY EFFICIENT AND CLIMATE RESILIENT.
THIS GOAL PROVIDES HUGE POTENTIAL TO REDUCE OUR EMISSIONS, SEEING THAT THE BUILDINGS AND ENERGY SECTORS PRODUCE THE HIGHEST AMOUNT OF GREENHOUSE GASES IN OUR INVENTORY.
25 OF THE 212 MILESTONES ARE RELATED TO GOAL ONE.
11 OF THE 16 CECAP ACTIONS ARE ACTIVATED AND WILL BE IMPLEMENTED BY SIX DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS.
WE'RE GOING TO DO THIS THROUGH A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SOUTH CENTRAL CLIMATE RESILIENCE FORUM.
THIS WILL BE AN IN-PERSON, THREE DAY EVENT FOCUSED ON FOSTERING MEANINGFUL CONVERSATIONS AND EQUITABLE CLIMATE RESILIENCE AND ADAPTATION ACROSS THE REGION.
NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. ALSO, OEQS IS WORKING WITH DEPARTMENTS LIKE PUBLIC WORKS, DALLAS WATER UTILITIES, TRANSPORTATION, BUILDING SERVICES AND OUR ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION TO DEVELOP DRAFT SPECIFICATIONS TOWARDS CARBON NEUTRAL FACILITY CONSTRUCTION AND SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE 2024 BOND PROGRAM.
GOAL 2 DALLAS GENERATES AND USES RENEWABLE, RELIABLE AND AFFORDABLE ENERGY.
THIS SECTOR REALLY FOCUSES ON HOW WE CAN TRANSITION TO CLEAN, RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES.
SEEING THAT DALLAS PRIMARILY USES ELECTRICITY GENERATED BY FOSSIL FUELS.
THERE ARE 19 MILESTONES IN THIS GOAL, WITH TEN OF THE 11 ACTIONS ACTIVATED.
THESE EFFORTS WILL BE LED BY FOUR CONTRIBUTING DEPARTMENTS.
[00:10:03]
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.KEY ENERGY MILESTONES INCLUDE CONTINUING OUR WEATHERIZATION PROOF OF CONCEPT PROJECT TO STIMULATE GREEN JOBS AND TRAIN OUR LOCAL WORKFORCE IN WEATHERIZATION RELATED WORK.
BY IMPLEMENTING THESE UPGRADES IN 6 TO 8 LOW INCOME HOMES.
THIS WILL ALSO SUPPORT THE POTENTIAL FOR ONSITE AND OFFSITE RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEMS. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
SO GOAL 3 DALLAS COMMUNITIES HAVE ACCESS TO SUSTAINABLE, AFFORDABLE TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS.
THE TRANSPORTATION SECTOR ACCOUNTS FOR 38% OF OUR GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS.
WE ALSO KNOW THAT THE MAJORITY OF OUR RESIDENTS ARE DRIVING TO WORK ALONE, SO THERE'S A HUGE OPPORTUNITY TO REDUCE SINGLE OCCUPANCY VEHICLE USE. GOAL THREE INCLUDES 28 MILESTONES ACTIVATION OF 12 OF THE 19 TRANSPORTATION ACTIONS WITH SUPPORT OF SEVEN DEPARTMENTS.
KEY MILESTONES IN THE TRANSPORTATION SECTOR INCLUDE.
FIRST, OUR EQUIPMENT AND FLEET MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT IS CONTINUING TO IMPLEMENT THEIR FLEET ELECTRIFICATION FEASIBILITY STUDY THROUGH EV PURCHASES AND INSTALLATION OF EV CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE AT VARIOUS CITY FACILITIES.
ON THE PUBLIC FACING SIDE, WE ARE CONTINUING TO SUPPORT THE NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS CLEAN CITIES EFFORTS TO PROMOTE VEHICLE ELECTRIFICATION IN THE DFW AREA.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. GOAL 4 DALLAS IS A ZERO WASTE COMMUNITY.
THE SOLID WASTE SECTOR ACCOUNTS FOR LESS THAN 1% OF OUR GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS.
HOWEVER, AS WE CONTINUE TO EXPERIENCE MORE FREQUENT EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS, WE WILL ALSO NEED TO RESPOND TO THE COLLECTION AND DISPOSAL OF LARGE AMOUNTS OF DEBRIS AND PREPARE FOR IMPACTS TO SANITATION OPERATIONS AND INFRASTRUCTURE.
20 OF THE 212 MILESTONES SUPPORT OUR TRANSPORTATION GOAL.
SEVEN OF NINE ACTIONS ARE ACTIVATED WITH THE SUPPORT OF SIX CONTRIBUTING DEPARTMENTS.
KEY ZERO-WASTE MILESTONES INCLUDE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A SUSTAINABLE ART RESIDENCY PROGRAM AT FOUR DALLAS RECREATION CENTERS TO PROMOTE CECAP GOALS AND ZERO WASTE PRACTICES.
OEQS WILL ALSO IMPLEMENT THE BISHOP ARTS DISTRICT ORGANICS DIVERSION PILOT PROGRAM THAT WILL DIVERT FOOD WASTE FROM PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS AND SPECIAL EVENTS IN THE BISHOP ARTS AREA.
WITH THE SUPPORT FROM TURN [INAUDIBLE] COMPOST, THE PROCESS COMPOST WILL BE RETURNED FOR GARDEN USE.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. GOAL FIVE DALLAS PROTECTS ITS WATER RESOURCES AND ITS COMMUNITIES FROM FLOODING AND DROUGHT. THE CECAP CONSIDERS MULTIPLE ASPECTS OF WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, INCLUDING LONG RANGE PLANNING, WATER CONSERVATION, TREATMENT AND DELIVERY OF DRINKING WATER, WASTEWATER COLLECTION AND TREATMENT, AS WELL AS STORMWATER AND FLOOD MANAGEMENT.
THERE ARE 47 MILESTONES AND 13 ACTIVATED ACTIONS BY OEQS AND DWU.
KEY WATER RESOURCE MILESTONES INCLUDE CONTINUING THE CITY LEADERSHIP AND COMMITMENT GRANT PROGRAM, WHICH PROVIDES FUNDING FOR CITY DEPARTMENTS INTENDED TO DEMONSTRATE A STRONG COMMITMENT TO WATER CONSERVATION.
ALSO, DALLAS WATER CONSERVATION TEAM WILL CONTINUE THEIR SAVE WATER NOTHING CAN REPLACE IT, LOCAL PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN AND THEIR FREE IRRIGATION EVALUATIONS TO PROMOTE BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES, INCLUDING THE CITY'S LAWN WATERING SCHEDULE.
[00:15:01]
INCREASING OUR TREE CANOPY PROVIDES NUMEROUS BENEFITS LIKE REDUCING THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT, SEQUESTERING CARBON, AND FLOOD MANAGEMENT. 41 MILESTONES AND SEVEN ACTIONS WILL BE ACTIVATED BY SIX DEPARTMENTS.NEXT SLIDE. KEY ECOSYSTEM AND GREEN SPACE MILESTONES INCLUDE CONTINUING TO INCREASE DALLAS TREE CANOPY THROUGH TREE PLANTING EVENTS.
ALSO, THE CITYWIDE TREE TASK FORCE, CONSISTING OF REPRESENTATIVES FROM DWU PARKS AND REC PUBLIC WORKS AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, WILL CONTINUE THEIR EFFORTS OF MEETING WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND STAKEHOLDERS TO SHARE URBAN FOREST EDUCATION.
IN FISCAL YEAR 23, OEQS THROUGH A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, OR NOAA, CONDUCTED AN URBAN HEAT ISLAND MAPPING STUDY.
THE DATA FROM THIS STUDY WILL GUIDE EQUITABLE EFFORTS TO EVALUATE COOLING SOLUTIONS AND IDENTIFYING HOTSPOTS IN DALLAS, AS CARLOS HAD PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED. OEQS WILL ALSO EXPLORE THE FEASIBILITY TO CONDUCT A DALLAS URBAN HEAT ISLAND MAPPING STUDY FOR AREAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE 20 FISCAL YEAR 23 STUDY.
NEXT SLIDE. GOAL NUMBER SEVEN.
ALL DALLAS COMMUNITIES HAVE ACCESS TO HEALTHY LOCAL FOOD.
SUPPORTING LOCAL FOOD SOURCES CAN HELP LOWER EMISSIONS, AND ALSO FOSTERS AN EQUITABLE AND RESILIENT FOOD SYSTEM THAT PROVIDES AFFORDABLE, FRESH AND NUTRITIOUS LOCAL FOOD.
IN GOAL SEVEN, WE HAVE 17 MILESTONES 11 ACTIONS THAT ARE LED BY FOUR DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS.
NEXT SLIDE. KEY FOOD ACCESS MILESTONES INCLUDE CONVENING THE SECOND ANNUAL DALLAS INNERCITY GROWERS SUMMIT.
THE FIRST DIGS EVENT WAS HELD IN FEBRUARY OF 2023, AND IT WAS A GREAT SUCCESS.
WITH THE ADOPTION OF THE COMPREHENSIVE URBAN AGRICULTURE PLAN IN MARCH OF 2023 AND IMPLEMENTATION WORK PLAN WILL BE DEVELOPED TO OUTLINE KEY EFFORTS FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR.
IN FISCAL YEAR 24, STAFF WILL ALSO INITIATE THE URBAN AG INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT PROGRAM THAT WILL PROVIDE COMMUNITY FARM ASSISTANCE TO COMMUNITY GARDENS AND HISTORICALLY DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES.
GOAL EIGHT ALL DALLAS COMMUNITIES BREATHE CLEAN AIR.
IN THE AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION'S STATE OF THE AIR 2023 REPORT.
DFW RANKED 18TH OUT OF THE 25 MOST OZONE POLLUTED CITIES.
IN FISCAL YEAR 24 ALL FOUR ACTIONS WILL BE ACTIVATED WITH 15 SUPPORTING MILESTONES THAT ARE GOING TO BE LED BY OEQS AND PLANNING AND URBAN DESIGN. NEXT SLIDE.
KEY AIR QUALITY HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE CONVENING A REGIONAL AIR QUALITY SENSOR WORKING GROUP AS AN OUTCOME OF OUR SUCCESSFUL FISCAL YEAR 23 AIR QUALITY SENSOR SUMMIT.
THESE CONVERSATIONS WILL SUPPORT OTHER LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE IMPLEMENTING A NEIGHBORHOOD AIR QUALITY PROGRAM. OEQS DALLAS COMMUNITY AIR MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, OR DCAMP, ALSO HAS A LIVE DASHBOARD WHERE DATA FROM AIR QUALITY SENSORS IS AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC.
AS NEW SENSORS ARE INSTALLED, THE DATA WILL BE ADDED TO THE DCAMP DASHBOARD.
OEQS WORKS WITH CONTRIBUTING DEPARTMENTS TO INCREASE TRANSPARENCY AND PROVIDE QUARTERLY REPORTS ON THE PROGRESS OF CECAP ACTIONS AND MILESTONES. THIS INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE DALLAS 365 DASHBOARD, WHERE WE REPORT ON THE GOALS SET BY THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE OF HAVING 75% OF CECAP ACTIONS ACTIVATED AND UNDERWAY ANNUALLY.
WE ALSO SHARE THESE ACTIVITIES ON DALLAS CLIMATE ACTION DASHBOARD.
AND ON THIS DASHBOARD, WE ARE ABLE TO LIST WHICH MILESTONES HAVE BEEN COMPLETED THROUGHOUT THE FISCAL YEAR, AND WE ALSO UPDATE THE PUBLIC ON THE PERCENTAGES OF MILESTONES COMPLETED IN PROGRESS OR NOT STARTED.
[00:20:09]
PERFORMANCE MEASURE, SO WE CAN CONTINUE MONITORING THAT.THE FOUR KEY STANDING COMMITTEES THAT SUPPORT CECAP IMPLEMENTATION INCLUDES THE PARKS, TRAILS AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE, CONSISTING OF SEVEN ELECTED OFFICIALS.
THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, WHICH INCLUDES DALLAS RESIDENTS WHO ARE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS RELATED TO EFFORTS THAT ARE IN THE CECAP.
THE RISE INTEGRATION OF SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS COMMITTEE, WHICH IS OUR RISE PARTNERS, A COALITION OF NORTH TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, OUR LEAF WORKING GROUP.
THIS IS A GROUP OF 18 CITY DEPARTMENTS, ONE MORE THAN LAST YEAR SINCE WE HAVE THE OFFICE OF ARTS AND CULTURE JOINING US ON CECAP IMPLEMENTATION THROUGH THEIR SUSTAINABLE ART RESIDENCY PROGRAM.
AND WITH THAT, I'LL PASS IT BACK TO CARLOS.
THANK YOU ROSA. SO JUST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE BUDGET.
SO AGAIN, THE CITY'S BUDGET IS $4.6 BILLION.
JUST AGAIN, THAT IS A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT CONVERSATION THAN THIS CECAP DISCUSSION.
WE'RE TRYING TO DO A BETTER JOB OF IDENTIFYING THE BUDGET THAT SUPPORTS SPECIFIC CECAP ACTIONS.
SO MOVING FORWARD, MORE TO COME ON THAT.
SO OEQS HAS $2.35 MILLION SPECIFICALLY IDENTIFIED TO SUPPORT CECAP ACTIONS.
AND THEN SEPARATELY, WE HAVE $1.5 MILLION SPECIFICALLY IDENTIFIED TO SUPPORT THE BROWNFIELD PROGRAM.
SO I JUST WANTED TO THROW THAT IN THERE.
WITH THAT THAT'S THE END OF THE FORMAL PRESENTATION AND WE'LL TAKE QUESTIONS.
WE WILL OPEN IT UP TO QUESTIONS.
AND FIRST OF ALL I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
IT'S REALLY GREAT TO SEE SO MUCH COMPLETED ALREADY.
AND MY TASK, OUR TASK WAS TO CREATE THE CECAP.
AND IT WAS A DIFFICULT TASK BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS ABOUT THE CECAP, AND THERE WAS A LOT OF COMPROMISE THAT HAD TO BE MADE, A LOT OF SLEEPLESS NIGHTS, A LOT OF BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS.
BUT ALL OF IT HAD TO DO WITH THAT EVERYBODY WANTED A BETTER ENVIRONMENT, AND IT'S JUST, HOW DO YOU GET THERE? AND WE ENDED UP WITH THE CECAP WE GOT PROBABLY NOT EVERYTHING THAT I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO HAVE GOTTEN IN THERE AND A LOT OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS, BUT WE HAD TO START SOMEWHERE AND IT WAS IT WAS LIKE, EITHER WE CAN GET THE PERFECT LIKE WITH EVERY SINGLE DETAIL INCLUDED, OR WE CAN PASS SOMETHING AND GET TO WORK AND RELOOK AT IT EVERY.
WHY? BECAUSE TECHNOLOGY HAS CHANGED.
BUT TO SEE SO MUCH THAT'S BEEN IMPLEMENTED AND THAT 92% IS SOMETHING THAT I HAVE TO GIVE TONS OF CREDIT TO THE PAST COMMITTEE, WHICH WAS CHAIRED BY MY COLLEAGUE PAULA BLACKMON, WHO'S ON THE.
IT LOOKS LIKE SHE'S LISTENING IN.
SO SHE'S YES THERE SHE IS AND I HOPE I HOPE SHE'S BEING VERY CAREFUL DRIVING SO AND SO.
AND TO GET THOSE IMPLEMENTED UNDER THAT WAS FANTASTIC.
AND NOW THIS IS THE THIRD COMMITTEE SINCE WE STARTED.
AND CHAIR STEWART IS ALREADY SENDING US OFF INTO EXCELLENT SHAPE WITH THIS ROADMAP.
AND I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING MORE.
AS WE BECOME MORE LOOKED AT BY OTHER CITIES, OTHER NATIONS.
AND BOSTON USED TO BE, LIKE THE GOLDEN STANDARD ON THIS, AND NOW IT'S DALLAS.
AND THAT WAS THE MISSION AT THE BEGINNING WAS TO NOT JUST GET THE CECAP DONE AND IMPLEMENTED, BUT BECOME A LOCAL LEADER, A STATE LEADER, A NATIONAL LEADER, AND EVENTUALLY A GLOBAL LEADER ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES.
AND THAT'S THANKS TO YOU GUYS AT OEQS FOR HELPING US GET THIS IMPLEMENTED.
[00:25:03]
AND I HAVE TO THANK ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES THAT I'VE SERVED WITH SINCE WE GOT THIS STARTED.IT'S BEEN MANY DIFFERENT ONES THAT HAVE BEEN COME AND GONE BECAUSE ONCE WE STARTED EVERY SINGLE PERSON HAS BEEN COMMITTED TO MAKING SURE THAT OUR ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES, THE CECAP, IS BEING IMPLEMENTED.
AND THAT'S THANKS TO OUR CITY MANAGER, T.C.
AND WE CAN'T HIT EVERYTHING WE WANT EVERY SINGLE TIME.
BUT THAT'S NOT FOR DISCUSSION RIGHT NOW BECAUSE THERE'S THINGS THAT WE STILL HAVE TO DO.
I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT POCKETS THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO STILL DO.
BUT THE GOOD THING IS WE'RE GETTING THERE.
I DON'T KNOW IF THEY DID THAT ON PURPOSE OR IF IT WAS JUST THE RIGHT THING IN THE RIGHT PLACE FOR THEM TO DO IT, BUT I'M GOING TO TAKE CREDIT FOR THAT ONE UNTIL THAT ONE'S NOT THERE. AND THEN I CAN START SCREAMING AND YELLING THAT BRING IT BACK.
RIGHT. SO THANK YOU, CHAIR, FOR GIVING ME A FEW MINUTES.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU CHAIR NARVAEZ.
DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? NOT ON THIS PARTICULAR ITEM.
THANK YOU. OKAY. WE WILL BE FOLLOWING UP THOUGH.
THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION THIS MORNING.
I AM GOING TO HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS ON FOOD ACCESS AND URBAN AGRICULTURE.
FIRST IS, HOW ARE THE CONVERSATIONS GOING WITH THE PARK DEPARTMENT TO ALLOW URBAN GARDENS, COMMUNITY GARDENS IN PARKS IN GENERAL? AND WITH THAT, I KNOW THAT THEY HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT BUGS, RODENTS, CLEANLINESS, AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE WELL MANAGED.
IF THERE'S A COMMUNITY PARTNER THAT'S WILLING TO PARTICIPATE.
I THINK WE'RE STILL CONTINUING TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
SO AGAIN, THE FIRST ACTION UNDER THE PLAN IS TO WORK THROUGH THE REGULATORY HURDLES, IF YOU WILL, AND DEPARTMENTAL HURDLES INTEGRATING URBAN AG INTO OUR LAND, INCLUDING PUBLIC LAND.
WE'RE HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
OKAY. NO WORRIES. AND WHEN IT COMES TO PRIVATE LAND AND HAVING THOSE URBAN GARDENS AND POLLINATOR GARDENS MAKING SURE WE HAVE THOSE GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS, I KNOW THAT RIGHT NOW WE DON'T HAVE THOSE.
AND SOMETIMES THERE'S A BATTLE BETWEEN CODE DEPARTMENT AND A COMMUNITY MEMBER THAT'S TRYING TO HAVE A GARDEN IN THEIR FRONT YARD, BUT THERE REALLY ISN'T ANY REGULATION TO SAY, YES, IT'S A POLLINATOR GARDEN OR AN URBAN GARDEN IN SOMEONE'S YARD.
AND SO THERE IS, I THINK, SOME OR MAYBE.
JUST SOME COMMUNICATION THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN BETWEEN THE CODE DEPARTMENT AND CECAP TO ENSURE THAT THOSE WHO ARE WANTING TO HAVE A GARDEN IN THEIR FRONT YARDS ARE ABLE TO, BUT MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE ALSO, AGAIN, BEING MINDFUL OF THOSE CONCERNS ABOUT BUGS, RODENTS CLEANING THIS SO THAT WE HAVE HAPPY NEIGHBORS ON BOTH SIDES. OH, DEFINITELY.
AND I HAVE TO SAY, THANKS TO COUNCILMEMBERS SCHULTZ AND BAZALDUA, THEY'VE BEEN KIND OF ENGAGED IN THESE TYPES OF TOPICS AND LEADING THESE EFFORTS.
WHERE ARE WE WITH THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND MAPPING STUDY IN AREAS THAT IT WASN'T INCLUDED? DO YOU HAVE A TIME FRAME FOR THAT?
[00:30:07]
SURE WE HAVE A TIME FRAME TO COMPLETE THAT STUDY BY THE END OF THIS FISCAL YEAR, AND THAT'S A CITYWIDE STUDY.GREAT. AND THEN MY LAST QUESTION IS GOING TO BE PROBABLY MY BIGGEST CONCERN, AND THAT IS FLOODING IN THE CITY OF DALLAS, ESPECIALLY IN DENSE POPULATED AREAS.
HOW ARE WE WORKING WITH THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT ON LOT COVERAGE AND IMPERMEABLE SURFACE TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE MINIMIZING AND MITIGATING FLOODING IN THE CITY OF DALLAS? I THINK WE'LL HAVE TO GET BACK TO YOU ON AN ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION.
I KNOW PUD AND DWU AND WELL, IN CONVERSATIONS WITH US HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THAT.
AND WE CAN WE CAN GET AN ANSWER TO YOU ON THAT FOR THAT QUESTION.
THANK YOU. APPRECIATE THE UPDATE.
GREAT JOB. SO THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION IN CECAP A VERY DETAILED REPORT.
I PERSONALLY FEEL LIKE OUR BIGGEST IMPACT CAN BE ON ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE IN A POSITIVE WAY.
CAN BE ON REDUCING THE HEAT FACTOR TO MY COLLEAGUE'S POINT HERE.
AND WE CAN DO THAT THROUGH SOME OF THE REFORMS THAT ARE ALREADY HAPPENING, WHICH ARE FORWARD DALLAS INCREASING OUR DENSITY IN THE CITY, WHICH WOULD HOPEFULLY REDUCE AMOUNT OF CARS ON THE ROAD, AND ALSO IN PARKING REFORM, WHICH HAS BEEN ONGOING FOR FOUR YEARS.
AND I UNDERSTAND A RECOMMENDATION IS ACTUALLY ABOUT TO HAPPEN.
SO I JUST WANT TO ASK YOU HAVE HAS OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY BEEN INVOLVED IN PARKING REFORM? WE HAVE AND WE CONTINUE TO BE ENGAGED IN THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
YOU KNOW, DEPARTMENTS ARE VERY BUSY AND HAVE OTHER PRIORITIES, HAVE HAD OTHER PRIORITIES.
THIS IS ONE OF THEM. AND WE PLAN ON TO CONTINUE TO BE ENGAGED IN THAT CONVERSATION THIS YEAR.
WE PLAN ON DOING THAT AGAIN THIS YEAR, COVERING 200MI², THE REMAINING 200MI² OF THE CITY.
AND THAT, OF COURSE, ALL THAT INFORMS SMART SURFACE SOLUTIONS, PERVIOUS PAVEMENTS, REFLECTIVE SURFACES AND THOSE TYPES OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE AND THOSE TYPES OF THINGS SO THAT DATA WILL INFORM THE WORK PUBLIC WORKS IS DOING.
SO YOU PROVIDE THE HEAT STUDY MAP.
YOU SHOW WHERE IT'S HOT IN THE CITY.
WHAT DO WE TAKE FROM THAT? WE KNOW IT'S HOT. WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT THAT? SO THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY IS TO NOT JUST DEMONSTRATE THAT THE CITY OF DALLAS IS UNDERGOING OR IMPACTED BY THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT, BUT WHICH NEIGHBORHOODS ARE MORE IMPACTED? RIGHT. AND SO, YOU KNOW, TO THE EXTENT THAT WE CAN FIGURE THAT OUT, WE CAN FIGURE OUT WHERE TO IDENTIFY RESOURCES APPROPRIATELY WHEN IT COMES TO GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE AND OTHER SMART SURFACE SOLUTIONS.
YOU KNOW, WE JUST GOT THE REPORT BACK FOR THE FIRST PORTION OR THE FIRST STUDY, AND WE'RE SEEING THAT THEY'RE UP TO TEN DEGREES DIFFERENCE IN OUR COMMUNITIES DEPENDING UPON WHERE YOU LIVE IN THE CITY.
SO THAT SHOULD, I THINK, FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE, INFORM, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE PUT OUR TREES, WHERE WE PUT OUR GREEN ROOFTOPS, WHERE WE PUT OUR GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE, YOU KNOW, TO THE EXTENT THAT WE SUPPORT REFLECTIVE PAVEMENT, YOU KNOW, PUT THAT IN THERE AS WELL.
I KNOW PUBLIC WORKS IS PILOTING THAT RIGHT NOW.
SO IF IT WORKS, YOU KNOW, WHERE DO WE USE THAT.
THE PURPOSE IS TO INFORM THAT THE WORK THAT OUR SISTER DEPARTMENTS ARE DOING IT.
SO I GET THE INFORMED PART, BUT ARE WE ACTUALLY SEEING CHANGES IN THE WAY WE DO BUSINESS.
SO HAVE YOUR SUGGEST YOUR DEPARTMENT SUGGESTIONS ENDED UP IN THE STREET DESIGN MANUAL, WHICH IS USED BY OUR CONTRACTORS ACROSS THE ENTIRE CITY TO BUILD NEW ROADS.
SO THOSE ARE NEWER OR THOSE ARE CONVERSATIONS TO COME.
WE'RE STILL ON THE DATA COMPONENT, I THINK, AT THIS POINT.
BUT WE DO NEED TO FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT CODE AMENDMENTS DO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS DATA IS INTEGRATED INTO OUR STANDARD SPECS FOR PROJECTS.
[00:35:04]
WHAT'S YOUR TOTAL BUDGET FOR CECAP FOR THE FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS OR ONE YEAR? FOR OEQS OR? SURE WHAT'S OEQS' BUDGET? SO WE HAVE $17 MILLION.SO MOST OF THAT IS ENTERPRISE FUNDS.
SO YOU KNOW AGAIN WE'RE SUPPORTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF SANITATION AND DWU.
OUR CECAP TEAM SPECIFICALLY IS VERY SMALL.
WE HAVE FIVE POSITIONS, ROSA BEING ONE OF THEM.
SO WE USED TO HAVE EIGHT LAST YEAR.
NOW WE HAVE FIVE. SO WE'LL YOU KNOW SO THAT'S A REALITY.
HERE'S THE PICTURE I WANT TO BUILD FOR YOU.
WE ARE BEING ASKED AS A CITY TO INVEST BETWEEN SOMEWHERE BETWEEN $300 AND $500 MILLION IN STREETS IN THE NEXT BOND, DEPENDING ON WHO YOU LISTEN TO AND IF OUR STREET AND PAVEMENT DESIGN MANUAL DOES NOT INCLUDE YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL RECOMMENDATIONS, LOOK AT THE COMPARISON OF THE BUDGET BETWEEN WHAT IS GOING TO BE PUT INTO ROADS, BETWEEN WHAT YOU HAVE.
I JUST WANT TO ASK YOUR DEPARTMENT TO THINK BIGGER AND TO CHALLENGE US AS A COUNCIL AND THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS LIKE PUBLIC WORKS, TO PUT THESE KIND OF REFORMS INTO OUR DOCUMENTS TO ACTUALLY SUPPORT THE GOALS THAT CECAP HAS.
THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
AND AS USUAL, THANK YOU ALL FOR Y'ALL'S WORK.
IT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT WORK, AND IT'S ONE THAT, JUST AS COUNCIL MEMBER NARVAEZ SAYS, IS EXTREMELY EXCITING TO SEE US LEAD ON.
THERE ARE A FEW THINGS THAT I THINK ARE JUST KIND OF LEFT A LITTLE HIGH LEVEL, AND NO REAL SPECIFIC PLAN THAT I'D LIKE TO SEE MORE GRANULAR EFFORTS AND AGGRESSIVE APPROACHES TO.
I MEAN, WE HAVE BASICALLY A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS WITHIN OUR OWN FLEET.
FOR INSTANCE, I SHOUT THIS EVERY BUDGET SEASON AND I'D LIKE TO GET AHEAD OF IT GOING INTO THIS NEXT ONE, THAT WE ARE PROACTIVE AND AGGRESSIVE IN LEADING THE WAY.
I KNOW THAT WE ARE DOING A LOT OF OTHER EFFORTS IN COLLABORATION WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR, BUT I THINK THAT IT'S ONE OF THOSE KIND OF IMPORTANT THINGS FOR US TO SHOW, YOU KNOW, LEAD BY EXAMPLE, IF YOU WILL.
WITH THE AMOUNT OF FLEET THAT WE HAVE IN THE CITY AND, AND OUR LACK OF INVESTMENT TO ACTUALLY CONVERT GAS POWERED VEHICLES TO ELECTRIC VEHICLES IS IT BEGS THE QUESTION OF HOW SERIOUS WE ARE AT THE GOAL WE PUT DOWN ON PAPER.
AND WITH THAT, I'D ALSO LIKE TO SPEAK.
SAME SIMILAR ISSUE, WHICH IS AIR QUALITY, OF COURSE.
AND LUCKILY WE DID NOT GET STOPPED THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION FROM WHERE WE WERE HEADED WITH THE GAS POWERED CONVERSION PROGRAM FOR LAWN EQUIPMENT.
BUT I THINK THAT WITH WHAT YOU ALL HAVE PRESENTED TO US AND HOW LONG OF A PROCESS THAT IS TO ROLL OUT I'D LIKE TO SEE THERE BE MUCH MORE ENGAGEMENT FROM OUR COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT AND STARTING TO PUSH OUT THIS MESSAGING.
I THINK THAT EDUCATION IS GOING TO BE A HUGE KEY IN THE SUCCESS OF ANY OF THESE PROGRAMS, BUT WE SHOULD BE ALSO AGGRESSIVE AND PROACTIVE IN COMMUNICATING OUT TO THE PUBLIC ON WHY THIS IS A GOOD IDEA.
PARTNERING WITH OTHER VENDORS ON BEING ABLE TO ADVERTISE, IF YOU WILL, OPTIONS FOR OUR RESIDENTS TO KNOW THAT THESE EXIST.
I THINK THAT THIS IS GOING TO COME TO A SHOCK BY THE AVERAGE RESIDENT WHO DOESN'T PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT GOES ON AT MARILLA STREET, AND IT'S GOING TO BE IMPORTANT FOR US TO WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO GET THAT WORD OUT AND SHOW WHAT THIS IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE, AND NOT WAIT TILL THAT LAST MINUTE WHERE WE'RE GOING TO END UP WITH A LINE OF OPPOSITION HERE TO GET THINGS ROLLED OUT.
SO I ENCOURAGE YOU ALL TO REALLY BE MORE PROACTIVE AND AGGRESSIVE IN BOTH OF THESE AREAS, BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE A PATH TO MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN WITH IT.
SO IN ADDITION TO THAT, I KNOW THAT IN THE REPORT, IT'S STUNNING, HONESTLY, TO SEE THE DATA ABOUT
[00:40:04]
THE SINGLE OCCUPIED VEHICLE COMMUTING.WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE PUT ALMOST ALL OF OUR EGGS IN THE BASKET OF A REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION ENTITY, AND WITHOUT THEM BEING AT THE TABLE FOR THESE EFFORTS, I THINK THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE SPINNING OUR WHEELS.
WE'VE GOT TO FIGURE OUT SOME TYPE OF PARTNERSHIP AND INCENTIVE TO GET OUR RIDERSHIP UP WITH DART TO REALLY HIGHLIGHT, I MEAN, WE EVEN HAVE THE MAJORITY OF OUR HOV LANES BECAUSE OF TXDOT CONVERTING THEM TO JUST GETTING A PAYOUT ESSENTIALLY FROM BEING EXPRESS LANES INSTEAD.
SO I THINK THAT WE CAN ONLY DO SO MUCH.
AND SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE IN LOCKSTEP WITH THEM GOING FORWARD.
BUT OTHER THAN THAT, I JUST CAN'T APPLAUD YOU ALL ENOUGH.
THANK YOU ALL FOR THE WORK THAT YOU DO.
I DO THINK THAT WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE, THOUGH, I KNOW THAT WE'RE ABOUT TO BE BRIEFED, I HAVEN'T NECESSARILY SEEN IT BROKEN DOWN IN WHERE WE'RE LOOKING AT INVESTMENTS COMING FORWARD WITH THIS NEXT 2024 BOND.
YEAH, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO THAT BRIEFING.
I GUESS LONG STORY SHORT, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH BOND AND OTHER DEPARTMENTS TO INTEGRATE CECAP INTO THE BOND PROCESS, INCLUDING IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROJECTS THEMSELVES INTO THE SPECS, IF YOU WILL.
SO YEAH, MORE TO COME ON THAT LONG STORY SHORT, WE'RE SUPPORTING THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION'S RECOMMENDATIONS TO INVEST IN LEED GOLD AND OTHER GREEN PROGRAMS LIKE SITES AND ENVISION, YOU KNOW, TRACK OUR KIND OF GREENHOUSE OR CLIMATE DATA BETTER TO TRACK THAT GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS COMING FROM THESE FACILITIES.
MAKE SURE WE'RE INVESTING IN TOOLS THAT ALLOW US TO DO THAT AND INVEST IN NOT JUST OUR BUILDINGS, BUT OTHER, YOU KNOW, FLAT SURFACE INFRASTRUCTURE AS WELL, LIKE PARKS AND TRAILS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO BUT YEAH, WE LOOK FORWARD TO THAT, THAT CONVERSATION.
THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR I HAVE ONE MORE I'LL BE QUICK.
I WOULD WOULD ALSO LIKE TO SEE, IF POSSIBLE, MORE OF A WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH DALLAS COUNTY.
WE HAVE THAT SAME LUXURY WITH OUR BIGGER TAX ENTITY, PARTNERS, TO GET MORE SERIOUS ABOUT RESILIENCY.
IF WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT INVESTING IN SOME OF OUR CITY FACILITIES, WE SHOULD BE ASKING OUR NEIGHBORS AT THE COUNTY TO BE DOING THE SAME WITH THEIRS. IF WE'RE LOOKING AT POTENTIAL FEDERAL FUNDING FOR SOLAR FARMS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE THAT A LOT OF CITIES, IN FACT, THE LEGISLATURE EVEN SUPPORTED THIS PAST SESSION, I THINK THAT, AGAIN, THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF NEIGHBORING MUNICIPALITIES, EVEN ONES THAT ARE ALSO IN PARTNERSHIP WITH DART THAT DON'T HAVE THE LUXURY OR THE TAX BASE THAT WE HAVE TO REALLY ROLL OUT SOME THINGS TO BRING US TO THE FOREFRONT OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY.
THANK YOU FOR THAT. WE'LL DEFINITELY TAKE NOTE OF THAT.
JUST A COUPLE OF THINGS I KNOW ROSA, OF COURSE SHE'S LEADING THE EFFORT ON A SOLAR SIDING STUDY, SO WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE WE CAN INSTALL, FOR EXAMPLE, A SOLAR FARM ON CITY PROPERTY TO SERVE BOTH OUR COMMUNITIES AND OUR BUILDINGS.
THE LANDSCAPE EQUIPMENT TRANSITION PLAN THAT.
THANK YOU, COUNCIL, FOR INVESTING IN THAT.
THE $750,000 FOR A REBATE PROGRAM FOR OUR RESIDENTS.
WE PLAN ON BRIEFING YOU ON THAT IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.
THE DRAFT PLAN IS ALMOST THERE, ALMOST BAKED.
SO SO WE SHOULD BE READY TO GO IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.
SO LOOK FORWARD TO BRIEFING YOU ON THAT.
ALSO, DON'T FORGET ABOUT OUR PARTNERS.
ONE OF THE THINGS I WAS REALLY IMPRESSED WITH, WE WERE AT NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES IN ATLANTA A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, AND THEY HAVE CONVERTED SOME OF THEIR SURFACE LOTS TO HAVE ESSENTIALLY COVERED PARKING, IF YOU WILL.
[00:45:03]
BUT IT'S I'M SURE YOU ALL HAVE SEEN THE MODEL WITH THE SOLAR THAT HAS REUSED A LOT OF THESE SURFACE LOTS AND MADE THEM A LOT MORE OF AN ASSET THAN A HINDRANCE ON THE OVERALL ECONOMICS.OKAY, WE'RE GOING TO GO BACK TO CHAIR NARVAEZ BRIEFLY AND THEN CHAIR BLACKMON YOU'RE UP NEXT.
YOU CAN GO TO CHAIR BLACKMON FIRST.
GO. I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU, CHAIR. AND THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER BLACKMON.
SO REALLY QUICK, I WANTED TO GO OFF OF SOMETHING THAT MR. BAZALDUA SAID, AND IT GOT ME REALLY EXCITED BECAUSE I WAS AT THE VICTORY FUND'S INTERNATIONAL LGBT ELECTED LEADERS CONFERENCE IN DC LAST WEEK FOR A FEW DAYS.
AND IN THERE, CONGRESSWOMAN BEATTY FROM OHIO, WAS SPEAKING, AND SHE BROUGHT UP SOMETHING ABOUT ENVIRONMENT AND SOME OF THE TAX CREDITS FROM THE INFRASTRUCTURE ACT THAT PRESIDENT BIDEN HAD SIGNED INTO LAW AND SOME OTHER PIECES.
AND BECAUSE OF WHAT HE SAID ON THE SOLAR PANEL FARMS. AND THERE'S OTHER ENTITIES IN THERE, BUT THE CITIES CAN GET TAX CREDIT FOR EVERYTHING THAT THEY'RE PUTTING IN.
AND THERE'S JUST LIKE REIMBURSEMENTS.
AND IT'S A FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE BASIS.
WE NEED TO LOOK INTO THAT AND SEE WHAT THAT IS.
AND THEN ALSO THERE'S OTHER THINGS THAT CAN BE DONE FOR THINGS THAT WE'VE ALREADY BUILT OR THAT WE'RE BUILDING THAT WE CAN GET SOME FUNDING AS WELL, WHICH COULD HELP US. YOU KNOW, I KNOW WE'RE THINKING ABOUT SOLAR BATTERIES, YOU KNOW, LIKE THE BATTERY PACK THAT WE'RE PUTTING AT BACHMAN REC CENTER.
THAT MIGHT BE A PLACE FOR ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES THAT WE CAN GET MORE FUNDING FOR.
SOME ARE GRANTS AND SOME ARE JUST FLAT OUT REIMBURSEMENTS.
WHICH REIMBURSEMENTS ARE GREAT, RIGHT.
BECAUSE THEN IT'S LIKE WE SPENT THE MONEY, BUT WE DIDN'T SPEND THE MONEY.
SO YOU HAVE A MUCH BIGGER BUDGET.
IT'S HARD TO REALLY PIECE HOW MUCH WE REALLY SPEND IN AN ENVIRONMENT BECAUSE OF ALL THE DIFFERENT ENTITIES THAT UTILIZE PIECES, BUT IF WE CAN GET SOME MORE FREE MONEY, THAT'S JUST EXISTING.
SO GET WITH ME ON THAT AND WE CAN TRY TO GET THE CONGRESSWOMAN'S CONTACT OR WHOMEVER IT IS IN DC.
IT'S NOT THROUGH HER OFFICE, BUT SHE WAS REALLY GOING ON ABOUT IT AND HOW EXCITED SHE WAS AND SAYING THAT THE MONEY'S JUST SITTING THERE, SO LET'S GO GET IT AND DO WHAT MR. BAZALDUA SAID.
AND THE OTHER THING IS SOMETHING THAT MR. WEST ALWAYS TALKS ABOUT IS THOSE DARK, EMPTY PARKING LOTS.
IF WE DON'T HAVE A PLACE, THERE'S SOMETHING TO BUILD THERE, BUT THEY'RE PRETTY MASSIVE.
OR MAYBE WE CAN CAN BUILD A GARAGE ON TOP AND PUT SOLAR PANELS ON TOP OR WHATEVER.
THAT MIGHT BE SOME OF THOSE PLACES THAT WE CAN USE IN ORDER TO NOT HURT HOUSING OR, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LIVE NEXT TO A SOLAR PANEL FARM OR WHAT IT WOULD DO ENVIRONMENTALLY TO PEOPLE, BUT WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF THAT KIND OF LAND JUST SITTING OPEN ANYWHERE.
BUT IF WE CAN DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE, AND THEN WHERE WE DO HAVE SOME BIG OPEN LAND, IF IT'S NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO PUT HOUSING OR SOMETHING GOOD ON THERE, LIKE MAYBE FAR, FAR WEST DALLAS OR FAR, FAR SOUTHWEST DALLAS, WHERE WE HAVE A LOT OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES THAT MAYBE THOSE ARE PLACES THAT SOLAR FARMS COULD GO. MAYBE NOT AS BIG AS WE THINK, BUT SOMETHING SMALLER.
BUT LET'S THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX ON THIS AND SEE WHAT WE CAN DO, BUT ESPECIALLY THE MONEY THAT CAN REDO THE ROOFS INSIDE OF SOME OF OUR BUILDINGS THAT CAN REINFORCE IT SO THEY CAN HOLD THOSE SOLAR PANELS.
I KNOW THAT'S WHY THE CONVENTION CENTER, WE COULDN'T DO IT.
WHY WE CAN'T DO IT HERE AT CITY HALL, PROBABLY A LOT OF OTHER BUILDINGS.
AND THANK YOU, CHAIR NARVAEZ, FOR THAT.
WE'RE EXCITED TO SEE HOW MUCH MONEY WE CAN GET FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WHEN IT COMES TO SOLAR ELECTRIC VEHICLES, ELECTRIC VEHICLE INFRASTRUCTURE, BECAUSE YOU'RE RIGHT, IT'S JUST REDUCING.
IT'S LIKE A DIRECT PAY, REDUCING COSTS.
SO NO. I CAN'T REMEMBER. BUT I'LL HAVE TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT MY NOTES.
NO DEFINITELY THANK YOU. THANK YOU CHAIR.
I THINK MOST OF MY QUESTIONS HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED.
JUST A COUPLE OF QUICK THINGS.
THE NORTH TEXAS CLIMATE SYMPOSIUM, DO WE HAVE A DATE FOR THAT YET, OR IS THAT JUST IN THE PLANNING STAGES? I JUST. IT IS IN APRIL.
[00:50:02]
IF WE DON'T HAVE THE DATES, WE CAN THE DATES ARE FROM APRIL 2ND TO APRIL 4TH OF 2024, APRIL 2ND THROUGH APRIL 4TH.OKAY. WE'LL DO OUR BEST TO COME, ALL OF US.
THANK YOU. BECAUSE WE'RE PROBABLY HOSTING OR CO-HOSTING OR WHATEVER.
IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO TO HELP YOU WITH THAT, I THINK THIS IS ONE OF OUR, YOU KNOW BASED ON THE SUMMERS THAT WE'RE HAVING, THIS IS ONE OF OUR MOST CRITICAL ISSUES, AND ESPECIALLY THE PLANTING OF TREES.
WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT. AND IF I MAY, BECAUSE MY OTHER COUNTERPARTS WOULD GET ON ME IF I DON'T MENTION THAT A LOT OF THAT, SOME OF THAT STUFF IS BAKED INTO OUR THE REQUIREMENTS ALREADY.
LIKE ISWIM AND, YOU KNOW, COMPLETE STREETS HAVE REQUIREMENTS ALREADY.
BUT WE DO NEED TO, I THINK DO MORE, AT LEAST FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE.
AND JUST IN CASE MY COLLEAGUES HAVEN'T SEEN IT, THERE IS A LOT OF DETAIL.
YOUR BACKUP DOCUMENTS SEEMS TO ME THAT HAVE LOTS AND LOTS OF DETAIL.
[LAUGHTER] I'VE JUST STARTED DIGGING INTO SOME OF THAT, BUT THANK YOU FOR PROVIDING IT.
SORRY, IT LOOKS LIKE WE'VE GOT ONE MORE QUESTION.
JUST TRYING TO DIGEST DIGESTING SOME OF WHAT YOU SAID THIS MORNING.
BUT FOR JUST FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE COMMITTEE AND THOSE WHO ARE LOOKING AND LISTENING, I SHOULD SAY WE DO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PUBLIC IS AWARE OF THE FACT THAT WE ARE IN TUNE TO THE NEED FOR A CECAP MICROSCOPIC LOOK, IF YOU WILL, AROUND THE CADILLAC HEIGHTS AND CEDAR CREST, THAT ZONE.
AND SO WE HAVE TALKED PRELIMINARILY WHEN WE TOOK OUR VISIT THERE, RIGHT WITH THE NAMING OF THE PARK.
SO WE WILL BE ASKING OR PERHAPS COMING BEFORE THIS COMMITTEE FOR SPECIFIC BRIEFING ON SOME OF THE BACK HISTORY OF SOME OF THOSE ENTITIES THAT CONTINUE TO NEGATIVELY AFFECT THAT NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND SO WE WILL NEED RESOURCES IN ORDER TO PREP THAT NEIGHBORHOOD FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENJOY SOME OF THE, I GUESS, SOME OF THE OUTCOMES THAT YOU ARE SEEING IN SOME OF THE OTHER AREAS.
BUT I WILL SAY THAT IN THIS PARTICULAR AREA WHERE WE HAVE A LONG, A LONG HISTORY, IT IS GOING TO TAKE THE COUNCIL SUPPORTING PERHAPS A TARGETED PROJECT OR STAFF.
WE'RE COMING TOGETHER, GETTING A TARGET PROJECT, BECAUSE IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT FORWARD DALLAS AND AS MENTIONED HERE, ABOUT THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS AND EVEN THE RACIAL EQUITY PLAN, TRYING TO GET RID OF OR ADDRESS THOSE INDUSTRIAL AREAS THAT CONTINUE TO IMPACT NEGATIVELY THE HEALTH OF THOSE COMMUNITIES, WE MUST IF WE'RE GOING TO DO IT, I THINK THIS IS THE TIME TO DO IT.
SINCE WE TALKED, WE'RE TALKING A GOOD GAME.
SO I DID WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVEN THOUGH I'VE NOT TALKED QUITE LONG IN TERMS OF WHAT YOU WERE SAYING, I'M TAKING IT IN BECAUSE I'M FOCUSING ON THAT ONE AREA IN PARTICULAR, BECAUSE THERE'S A NEED. SO, CHAIRMAN, THAT IS THE MAIN AREA THAT I WANT TO MAKE COMMENTS I WANT TO MAKE THIS MORNING.
THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU, DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM, ON YOUR LEADERSHIP AND MAKING SURE THAT WE REDUCE ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS IN THE CADILLAC HEIGHTS AREA AND, HAVE THE APPROPRIATE INVESTMENT IN THAT AREA.
OKAY. THANK YOU, DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM.
AND I BELIEVE WITH THAT, WE'RE COMPLETE AND FINISHED.
AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR REPORT.
THANK YOU. SO WE WILL MOVE ON TO ITEM C.
AND I BELIEVE WE HAVE THE PARK ECONOMIC VALUE UPDATE FROM HR AND OUR ADVISORS.
AND I THINK THAT'S GOING TO BE WE'VE GOT RYAN.
GREAT. MAYBE WE ALSO HAVE A VIRTUAL GUEST FOR THIS.
GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING, CHAIRWOMAN, MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE.
I'M JOINED WITH CANDACE DAMON VIA WEBEX.
CANDACE IS A PRINCIPAL AT HR&A.
[00:55:01]
SO JUST BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION, SOME OF YOU ALL MAY REMEMBER BACK IN 2015, FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE ENGAGED WITH HR&A TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE ECONOMIC VALUE AND ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE PARK SYSTEM.THAT STUDY YIELDED SOME STATISTICS.
$678 MILLION ANNUAL ECONOMIC VALUE.
SO SINCE IT'S BEEN 8 OR 9 YEARS SINCE WE DID THAT ORIGINAL STUDY, WE ASKED HR&A TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT AGAIN AND TO GO THROUGH AN EXERCISE TO TRY TO VALIDATE OR REVALIDATE THOSE RESULTS THAT THEY FOUND BACK IN 2015, 2016.
SO WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO CANDACE.
SHE'S GOING TO RUN THROUGH A QUICK PRESENTATION AND WE'D BE HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU, RYAN. AND I'M JOINED BY MY COLLEAGUE, GAIL [INAUDIBLE].
BUT IF YOU MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
AND THE SLIDES WILL STOP JUMPING AROUND SOON.
AND TO SUPPORT WHAT ENDED UP BEING THE VERY, VERY SUCCESSFUL BOND REFERENDUM THAT RESULTED IN $312 MILLION COMING TO THE DEPARTMENT.
THE AIM OF THAT STUDY WAS REALLY TO DEMONSTRATE THAT THE PARK SYSTEM GENERATES ECONOMIC VALUE FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS, AND THAT THAT'S A RATIONALE FOR CONTINUED INVESTMENT IN THE SYSTEM. AND WHAT WE DID IN THAT STUDY WAS TO COMPARE HOW DALLAS IS INVESTING IN ITS PARK SYSTEM TO HOW SIMILARLY SITUATED CITIES ARE INVESTING, AND THEN TO ESTIMATE THE VALUE IF YOU MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE OF THE PARK SYSTEM IN TERMS OF HOW IT CONTRIBUTES TO REAL ESTATE VALUE, TO TOURISM SPENDING AND TO GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE, AND FOUND. AS RYAN TOLD YOU A MOMENT AGO, THAT THE SYSTEM, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THOSE INDICES OF VALUE, PRODUCES SOMETHING LIKE $678 MILLION EVERY YEAR THAT OTHERWISE WOULDN'T BE ROLLING AROUND IN THE DALLAS ECONOMY AND THAT FOR EVERY DOLLAR OF CITY INVESTMENT FOR $7 OF PRIMARILY PRIVATE INVESTMENT THAT'S BEING MADE AS A CONSEQUENCE OF THE QUALITY OF THE PARK SYSTEM AND THE WAY ITS ASSETS ARE DEPLOYED.
AND THAT'S NOTWITHSTANDING THE FACT THAT AT THE TIME DALLAS WAS UNDER-RESOURCING ITS PARK SYSTEM QUITE DRAMATICALLY RELATIVE TO PEER CITIES, BOTH THOSE WITH WHICH IT ROUTINELY COMPARES ITSELF WHEN IT'S DOING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WORK AND THOSE THAT IT ASPIRES TO BE LIKE.
THAT'S WHAT WE WERE LOOKING AT.
LIKE, HOW DOES DALLAS SPEND COMPARED TO CITIES LIKE BOSTON, AS WELL AS CITIES LIKE OKLAHOMA CITY AND PHOENIX AND ACROSS THE BOARD AT THE TIME, WE WERE SEEING THIS SIGNIFICANT DECREMENT IN INVESTMENT, NOTWITHSTANDING THE VALUE THAT THE PARK SYSTEM CREATES.
SO IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, WHAT RYAN ASKED US TO DO REALLY WAS TO SAY, DOES THAT ANALYSIS STILL STAND UP SO SHORT OF DOING A GREAT BIG STUDY ALL OVER AGAIN? DO THOSE NUMBERS MAKE SENSE 7 OR 8 YEARS LATER? AND SO WHAT WE DID WAS REALLY EXAMINE THE ASSUMPTIONS THAT WE MADE 7 OR 8 YEARS AGO, COMPARE THEM TO CURRENT ECONOMIC CONDITIONS.
AND WHAT WE'VE CONCLUDED IS THAT, IF ANYTHING, THE PARK SYSTEM IS MORE VALUABLE THAN IT WAS IN 2016.
THAT'S A FUNCTION OF A VARIETY OF THINGS, BUT NOTABLY INCLUDING THAT INCREASE IN INVESTMENT THAT WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE 2017 BOND REFERENDUM.
IN ADDITION, WE'VE MADE SOME NEW FINDINGS, I THINK IN MANY WAYS, MOST IMPORTANT, WE'RE SUGGESTING THAT THE PARK SYSTEM IS MEANINGFULLY CREATING TO MEANINGFULLY LEADING TO EQUITABLE OUTCOMES IN THE CITY.
IT CONTINUES TO BUILD COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE VALUE STRONGER AND BETTER THAN IT WAS BEFORE.
IT IS, AS COVID HAS MADE CRYSTAL CLEAR IN DALLAS AND OTHER CITIES, CONTRIBUTING TO SOCIAL COHESION AND PROVIDING REAL CRITICAL SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE CITY, AND IS ALMOST CERTAINLY DRIVING THE SUSTAINED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE CITY BY HELPING TO BRAND THE CITY AS AN ATTRACTIVE PLACE TO LIVE AND WORK.
SO TO GO THROUGH EACH OF THOSE FOUR QUICKLY, YOU CAN MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
[01:00:08]
AS I SAID, I THINK IN MANY WAYS THIS FINDING THAT THE PARK SYSTEM IS DRIVING EQUITABLE OUTCOMES IS THE MOST IMPORTANT.SO IF YOU LOOK AT THAT MOSAIC KIND OF THING ON THE TOP RIGHT OF THE PAGE, WHAT THAT IS IS A MAP OF DALLAS THAT DRAWS ON CDC DATA TO LOOK AT PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, WHERE THE WARM COLORS ARE, NOT WHERE YOU WANT TO BE, AND THE COOL COLORS INDICATE A LEVEL OF ACTIVITY.
AND WHAT HAS BEEN SHOWN BY STUDY AFTER STUDY AFTER STUDY IS THAT ACTIVITY CORRELATES TO HEALTH AND THAT PARK INVESTMENT CORRELATES TO ACTIVITY. AND THAT'S ACROSS THAT CONTROLS FOR INCOME.
SO IN LOW AND MODERATE INCOME COMMUNITIES WHERE WE INVEST IN PARK SYSTEMS, WE GET BETTER HEALTH OUTCOMES THAN WE DO IN LOW AND MODERATE INCOME COMMUNITIES WHERE WE DO NOT INVEST IN PARK SYSTEMS. AND THE PARKS DEPARTMENT UNDER THE CURRENT REGIME IS CENTERING EQUITY IN THE WAY IT THINKS ABOUT INVESTMENT.
AND SO IN THE UPCOMING BOND REFERENDUM, THE SUITE OF INVESTMENTS THAT THE PARKS DEPARTMENT IS PROPOSING INCLUDES VERY SIGNIFICANT REINVESTMENT IN EXISTING FACILITIES, INCLUDING NEIGHBORHOOD BASED PARKS AND RECREATIONAL FACILITIES.
SO IF YOUR HOME VALUE IS INCREASING, IT'S INCREASING THE PROBABILITY THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO HELP OUT YOUR KIDS GETS TO HELP OUT THEIR KIDS AS THEY ADVANCE THROUGH AN ECONOMIC TRAJECTORY IN THIS COUNTRY.
SO THE DATA ON THE LEFT THERE IS, IS DRAWN FROM WORK THAT WE'VE DONE IN PITTSBURGH AND IN OTHER CITIES LOOKING AT INVESTMENT IN PARKS IN DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES, BUT IT'S SUSTAINED BY A VARIETY OF OTHER STUDIES THAT HAVE ALSO BEEN DONE.
AND FOLLOWING A WAVE OF INVESTMENT IN PARKS AND OPEN SPACE IN DALLAS' MAJOR COMMERCIAL CORRIDORS, WE THINK THOSE INVESTMENTS, NOTABLY KLYDE WARREN PARK, BUT ALSO THE KATY TRAIL AND A VARIETY OF OTHER INVESTMENTS CONTINUE TO CREATE VALUE.
AND THE $345 MILLION THAT WE SAID SEVEN YEARS AGO IS ALMOST CERTAINLY LOW AT THIS POINT.
AS IS THE 7 TO 1 RETURN ON VALUE OF THE SYSTEM AS A WHOLE, LARGELY BECAUSE THE LAST BOND ISSUANCE PRIORITIZED INVESTMENT IN TRAILS, WHICH HAVE THIS VERY HIGH 50 TO 1 RETURN ON INVESTMENT.
AND THAT IS RIPPLING THROUGH THE SYSTEM NOW.
BUT IN SOME WAYS, WHAT WAS MOST EXCITING IS THAT IN THE AREAS WHERE THERE WAS MAJOR INVESTMENT IN PARKS AND COMMERCIAL DISTRICTS, KLYDE WARREN PARK AGAIN, EXHIBIT A, THAT'S WHERE WE'RE SEEING THE STRONGEST COMMERCIAL OCCUPANCY NUMBERS.
AND SO WHEN AS PEOPLE HAVE A CHOICE TO RETURN TO THE OFFICE OR NOT, WHICH IS HAVING MAJOR IMPACT ON BUSINESS CENTERS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, THE PRESENCE OF PARKS AS AN AMENITY THAT DRAWS PEOPLE BACK TO THE OFFICE IS REALLY CRITICAL.
AND YOU'RE SEEING THAT PLAY OUT IN DALLAS IF YOU MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
SO JUST AGAIN, WHAT WE SAW IN DALLAS, WHAT WE SAW EVERYWHERE ELSE IS THAT THE IMPACT OF COVID DROVE INCREASED USAGE OF PARKS, PARTICULARLY NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS, WHERE PEOPLE CAN LEAVE THE HOUSE, GET INTO FRESH AIR, BE WITH THEIR NEIGHBORS, BE SAFE.
VISITATION INCREASED DRAMATICALLY OVER THE PERIOD OF COVID.
IT HASN'T SHRUNK, SO PEOPLE HAVE REALLY EMBRACED THEIR PARKS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY TRUE HERE, TOO.
SO FINALLY, I THINK THIS IS THE FINAL SLIDE.
THERE ARE A VARIETY OF OF KINDS OF VALUES THAT WE SPEND LESS TIME WITH THIS TIME, BUT I THINK.
[01:05:02]
PLUS THAT WE ESTIMATED IN 2016.FIRST, WE'RE SEEING IN EVERY CITY IN THE COUNTRY THAT CITY, THE CORRELATION WE'RE IN FACT DOING A PIECE OF WORK FOR TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND RIGHT NOW TO TRY AND QUANTITATIVELY ESTIMATE THIS, THAT, THAT THERE IS A STRONG CORRELATION BETWEEN INVESTMENT IN PARKS AND ATTRACTIVENESS TO TALENT AND THEREFORE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SUCCESS.
PARKS CORRELATE VERY, VERY POSITIVELY WITH ATTRACTION TO TALENT.
SECOND, A MAJOR PIECE OF THE LAST BOND INITIATIVE WAS INVESTED IN.
OH, I'M DRAWING A BLANK IN THE PARK WHERE THE STATE FAIR IS, WHICH I JUST WENT TO.
AND THE 2022 STATE FAIR CERTAINLY DREW ATTENDANCE RECORDS.
THE IMPACT OF THAT, THAT INVESTMENT IS CLEAR.
AND THAT IS A MAJOR DRIVER OF TOURISM IN THE CITY OF DALLAS.
SO I THINK THAT INVESTMENT IS CLEARLY RETURNING POSITIVELY.
THE POINT THAT WAS MADE IN THE LAST PRESENTATION, PARKS HAVE A REALLY CRITICAL ROLE TO PLAY IN COOLING URBAN HEAT ISLANDS, AND IN CONTINUING TO BE PART OF THE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE CITY OF DALLAS.
SO I THINK FOR ALL OF THOSE REASONS, 678 MILLION AND A 7 TO 1 RETURN ON INVESTMENT IS ALMOST CERTAINLY CONSERVATIVE HEADING INTO THIS NEXT BOND ISSUE.
AND BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF THE BOND ISSUE AND THE INVESTMENTS THAT ARE PROPOSED TO BE MADE, I THINK REALLY YOU SHOULD BE LOOKING FORWARD TO A SET OF INVESTMENTS AND ACTIONS THAT INCREASE EQUITABLE OUTCOMES AND ECONOMIC VALUE FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS IN DALLAS.
AND I'D BE DELIGHTED TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, AND I'M SURE RYAN AND GAIL WILL HELP ME OUT.
THANK YOU, MISS DAMON, AND WE WILL OPEN IT UP FOR QUESTIONS.
MR. O'CONNOR, IF THAT'S SOUNDS GOOD.
THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
AND I THINK THAT IT WOULD BE MUCH MORE HELPFUL TO DIG FURTHER INTO THAT.
FIRST OF ALL, THE NUMBERS AT SUCH A HIGH LEVEL SEEM SOMEWHAT SUBJECTIVE.
I'D LIKE TO SEE IT BROKE DOWN ON WHERE Y'ALL ARE, HOW Y'ALL ARE QUANTIFYING THE RETURN OF INVESTMENT, AND WHY IS IT DONE AT SUCH A BROAD LEVEL? WE HAVE PARKS, PARKS IN OUR PARK SYSTEMS THAT SHOULDN'T EVEN BE COMPARED TO EACH OTHER, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PROFITABILITY.
SO IF WE'RE GOING TO BE MAKING DECISIONS ABOUT INVESTMENT INTO OUR PARK SYSTEMS, SPECIFICALLY BASED ON WHAT THE RETURN IS, I THINK THAT WE SHOULD HAVE MORE GRANULAR DATA ON BEING ABLE TO CATEGORIZE THOSE THAT ARE PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS VERSUS THAT ARE NOT THOSE THAT ARE HEAVILY PROGRAMED VERSUS THOSE THAT ARE NOT.
WHEN WE'RE CONSIDERING BOND PACKAGE, THAT WOULD BE INVESTING IN BOTH OF THOSE TYPES, IF YOU WILL.
WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT THE DATA YOU'VE PRESENTED US WOULD SHINE THROUGH WITH THE INVESTMENTS WE'D BE MAKING IN THIS NEXT BOND IF WE WERE TO PUT ALL OF OUR EGGS IN A BASKET OF ONE OF THOSE CATEGORIES VERSUS THE OTHER, I THINK THAT THAT COULD COMPLETELY SKEW THE DATA THAT YOU'RE PRESENTING TO US HERE TODAY.
AND FOR THAT REASON, AND THE REASON I SAY THAT IS BECAUSE FAIR PARK, FOR INSTANCE, I MEAN, WE DEFINITELY ARE KIND OF WE'VE GOT AN UPHILL BATTLE, IF YOU WILL, WITH STARTING THAT PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP BECAUSE OF THE DEFERRED MAINTENANCE THAT WE KNOW WE'VE ACCRUED.
RIGHT. BUT I KNOW THAT THAT'S SUCH A UNIQUE THAT OUR ZOO, OUR ARBORETUM, KLYDE WARREN PARK, THESE ARE GOING TO BE SO UNIQUE IN THE ENTIRE SERIES THAT IT'D BE HELPFUL TO SEE HOW WE CAN CAPITALIZE ON WHERE THESE ARE SO THAT WE CAN BETTER INVEST IN WHAT WE WOULD CALL LOSS LEADERS IN THE SERIES.
[01:10:05]
I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE OF A PLAN OF HOW THIS DATA ON WHAT THE RETURN IS, IS BEING CAPITALIZED.AND I KNOW THAT THE PARK SYSTEM DOESN'T NECESSARILY PRESENT THINGS IN THAT LIGHT USUALLY.
BUT I'D LIKE TO SEE HOW IF WE ARE HAVING A HIGHER RETURN ON SOME PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS WITH SOME OF THE OPPORTUNITIES WE HAVE ON THE HORIZON.
PARKDALE LAKE, FOR INSTANCE, IS ONE I THINK THAT WE COULD LOOK AT THE DATA THAT YOU ALL HAVE GOTTEN, IF IT IS MORE GRANULAR AND SEE HOW WE CAN WRITE A SUCCESSFUL RECIPE BOOK GOING FORWARD, INSTEAD OF SPINNING OUR WHEELS, KEEPING IT IN HOUSE, AND THEN ENDING UP IN THE SAME ISSUE THAT WE ARE WITH FAIR PARK WITH A LOT OF NEGLECT AND DEFERRED MAINTENANCE ONCE WE DO DECIDE TO MAKE THOSE STEPS.
SO IF YOU DON'T MIND THOUGH, I WOULD LIKE TO JUST ASK ON THE SLIDE NUMBER THREE, COULD YOU GIVE ME A LITTLE BIT MORE INTO HOW THIS DATA WAS QUANTIFIED? CANDACE I'LL LET YOU TAKE THAT AND I'LL OFFER SOME THOUGHTS.
SO FIRST OF ALL, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU ALL HAVE RECEIVED THE FULL PRESENTATION.
WHAT YOU JUST SAW WAS SORT OF THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.
IT WAS, HOWEVER, LESS THAN THE STUDY WE DID IN 2016 BECAUSE, FRANKLY, IT WAS, YOU KNOW, THERE WERE GOOD REASONS TO TRY AND CONSERVE OPERATING RESOURCES AND NOT COMMISSION AN EXPENSIVE CONSULTING STUDY, WHICH HAD BEEN DONE IN 2016.
SO THE 2016 STUDY PROVIDES, WHICH CAN ALSO BE MADE AVAILABLE TO YOU, PROVIDES VERY EXTENSIVE DETAIL AND GOES INTO CONSIDERABLE DEPTH ABOUT THE METHODOLOGY THAT WE EMPLOYED AND THEN REVIEWED THIS TIME ROUND.
THERE ARE CERTAINLY WAYS OF SEGMENTING THE PARK SYSTEM THAT SUGGEST THAT CERTAIN KINDS OF ASSETS AND CERTAIN KINDS OF VALUES DRIVE THE NUMBERS.
SO IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THE VALUE THAT THE PARK SYSTEM PROVIDES TO TOURISM AND THE REVENUE THAT TOURISM PROVIDES TO THE CITY OF DALLAS, IT'S OVERWHELMINGLY A FUNCTION OF THE ROLE OF FAIR PARK, AND WELL IN CONTINUED REINVESTMENT IN FAIR PARK IS CRITICAL TO THE TOURISM REVENUE NUMBERS THAT DALLAS ENJOYS.
LIKEWISE, A LOT OF THE VALUE IN 2016 WAS DRIVEN BY INVESTMENT, PRIMARILY THROUGH PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS IN MAJOR COMMERCIAL DISTRICTS AND TO THE EXTENT THAT LARGE DOLLAR FIGURES AND THEN SPECTACULAR RETURN ON INVESTMENT ARE WHAT YOU'RE FOCUSED ON.
YES, PLACES LIKE KLYDE WARREN PARK HAVE AN OUTSIZED IMPACT.
IF WHAT YOU ARE, WHAT YOU'RE DOING WHEN YOU COUNT VALUE IS TRYING TO THINK ABOUT EQUITABLE OUTCOMES RATHER THAN GENERATE VERY LARGE DOLLAR FIGURES THAN OTHER KINDS OF INVESTMENTS MATTER MORE. AND SO I THINK THERE'S A STARTING POINT HERE ABOUT HOW DO YOU WANT TO MEASURE VALUE, AND WHAT'S THE STORY ABOUT VALUE THAT YOU WANT TO TELL.
SO YOU MAY BE MOVING FROM A PERIOD IN WHICH IT MADE SENSE TO HAVE REALLY BIG DOLLARS TO A PERIOD WHERE YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT CREATION OF WEALTH FOR HOMEOWNERS AND IMPROVED HEALTH OUTCOMES FOR COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE BEEN UNDERINVESTED IN.
CERTAINLY, THAT IS THE EXPERIENCE THAT OTHER CITIES ARE FINDING, AND THAT THAT NARRATIVE IS DRIVING THEIR SUCCESS IN ATTRACTING TALENT AND GENERATING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AS WELL.
[01:15:03]
INFORMATION. BUT I WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT BACK IN 2016, THE STUDY REALLY LOOKED AT THREE TYPES OF VALUE LOOKED AT REAL ESTATE VALUES, TOURISM VALUES, AND ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES. AND IT REALLY WENT THROUGH A DETAILED METHODOLOGY TO BREAK ALL THAT STUFF DOWN.SO AGAIN, HAPPY TO SHARE THAT.
I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SEE THIS ACTUALLY WORK COLLABORATIVELY WITH WHAT YOU ALL ARE PRESENTING FOR THE BOND, BECAUSE YOU'RE ASKING FOR AN INVESTMENT AND YOU'RE SELLING US ON WHAT THE INVESTMENT IS ON A RETURN.
BUT WHEN I LOOK AT THE LIST THAT'S BEING PRESENTED TO US, I DON'T KNOW HOW SOME OF THESE NEW SHINY REC CENTERS ACROSS THE TOWN ARE GOING TO BE BRINGING IN THIS RETURN THAT YOU ALL ARE BRINGING UP. IN FACT, I SEE A HUGE AND MEMBERS THIS IS JUST ANOTHER BOND THAT WE'RE GOING TO FAIL TO FUND A DEFERRED MAINTENANCE LEVEL AT FAIR PARK WHEN WE HAVE CLEAR DATA THAT SHOWS THAT IF WE ARE LOOKING AT THE RETURN, THAT IT IS EXTREMELY PROFITABLE OF AN ASSET IN OUR PARK SYSTEMS. AND THAT DOESN'T COINCIDE WITH WHAT WE'RE GETTING FROM Y'ALL AS AN ASK FOR THIS NEXT BOND PROGRAM.
AND I DON'T WANT IT'S NOT JUST FAIR PARK.
I DON'T WANT OTHER PARKS TO DEAL WITH WHAT WE DEAL WITH ON TRYING JUST TO GET UP TO PAR.
AND IF WE CONTINUE TO STRETCH OUR RESOURCES OUT WITH THESE HIGH HOPES OF BIG, SHINY NEW, INSTEAD OF TAKING CARE OF WHAT WE HAVE, THEN WE'RE NOT MAXIMIZING THE RETURN AND THE PROFITABILITY OF WHAT OUR PARKS SYSTEMS COULD ACTUALLY BE.
SO WHEN IT COMES TO NEW ACQUISITIONS, WHEN IT COMES TO BRAND NEW BUILDINGS, I'D LIKE TO SEE IN THIS CONTEXT HOW WE'RE GOING TO GET A RETURN ON THOSE INVESTMENTS VERSUS IF THERE WAS ANOTHER SCENARIO FOR US TO REALLY GET OUR CURRENT ASSETS UP TO PAR. UNDERSTOOD? YES. THANK YOU, MR. O'CONNOR. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.
EXCUSE ME. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.
SO I'M GOING TO GO OFF ON THAT A LITTLE BIT NOT GO OFF BUT JUST, YOU KNOW, ASK SOME QUESTIONS OFF OF WHERE COUNCIL MEMBER BAZALDUA WAS SPEAKING ON BECAUSE I DO AGREE WITH A LOT OF WHAT HE SAYS.
AND SO THE LAST TIME YOU PRESENTED TO US, MAYBE NOT THE LAST TIME, BUT A FEW TIMES AGO YOU BROUGHT FORWARD A REALLY GREAT PLAN FOR FAIR PARK AS FAR AS TICKETING FEE GOES.
AND I SAID, WHAT ABOUT CITYWIDE, WHERE WE CAN SEE HOW WE CAN HELP ALL THESE OTHER NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS? RIGHT. BECAUSE AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
FAIR PARK NEEDS TO BE A CERTAIN AMOUNT.
IT WOULD ALSO BE FOR OUR ARTS AND CULTURE VENUES, BECAUSE I AGREE IN THAT.
AND I WAS JUST TEXTING MY COLLEAGUE, MR. WEST, ABOUT ALL THESE DIFFERENT TRANSACTIONS FROM THE BOND THAT WE IT'S LIKE THE DALLAS WAY WE LOVE TO BUILD NEW AND SHINY, AND WE ALL HAVE A WAY TO PAY FOR IT.
AND THEN NEW AND SHINY BECOMES UGLY AND DETERIORATED.
AND THEN HERE IT COMES, THE NEXT BOND.
AND WE'RE HAVING TO USE THAT BOND MONEY TO DO MAINTENANCE.
AND I DON'T THINK THAT'S WHAT THE BOND IS REALLY SUPPOSED TO BE FOR.
WE'RE IN THIS MESS AND WE'VE GOT TO DIG OURSELVES OUT OF IT.
AND WE DIDN'T GET IN OVERNIGHT.
AND SO THE TICKETING FEE IS SOMETHING THAT I HOPE WE CAN FIGURE OUT QUICKLY, BECAUSE I CAN SPEAK FOR ME AND I CAN SPEAK FOR A LOT OF DIFFERENT PARKS BECAUSE I TRAVEL ALL OVER THE CITY AND I JUST SIT THERE AND GO, WOW, THAT PLAYGROUND LOOKS LIKE IT'S 900 YEARS OLD.
YOU TAKE THEY DON'T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE WHO'S TAKING CARE OF WHAT.
OH, BUT YOU'LL BUILD SOMETHING BIG AND SHINY AT THIS BIG, BEAUTIFUL PARK.
AND THEY DON'T KNOW THAT. OH, THE FRIENDS GROUP PAID FOR THAT.
BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER, BECAUSE TO THEM, ALL THEY'RE SEEING IS WHY THEIR PARK AND NOT MINE.
AND SO THAT'S WHY WE'VE GOT TO FIGURE THIS OUT.
AND SO THAT'S WHERE I AGREE BECAUSE IT'S LIKE WE GOT TO DO IT.
BUT AND WE ARE WE'VE GOT TO TAKE CARE OF FAIR PARK.
I MEAN. FAIR PARK IS THE GEM OF THIS ENTIRE NATION JUST BECAUSE OF WHAT'S THERE.
[01:20:05]
AND I'M GLAD THAT WE WERE ABLE TO ADMIT IT AND GET IN A TEAM OF PEOPLE WHO KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING WITH SOMETHING LIKE THAT.BUT NOW WE'VE GOT TO FUND THE THING AND WE'VE GOT TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO FUND IT WITH THEM.
AND IT'S NOT EVEN CLOSE TO WHAT WE'VE IMAGINED IT TO BE.
RIGHT. AND SO BUT THAT'S GOOD LEADERSHIP.
THAT'S TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS.
BUT NOW WE'VE GOT HOW MANY PARKS DO WE HAVE IN OUR SYSTEM? ABOUT 410.
AND WE'VE GOT HOW MANY REC CENTERS AND HOW MANY THIS AND THAT AND THE OTHER.
AND IT'S LIKE, WE'VE GOT TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAINTAIN THEM BECAUSE I WANT FUTURE BONDS.
IT'S NOT GOING TO BE THIS ONE.
LET'S FACE IT, I WANT FUTURE BONDS TO REALLY BE ABOUT THE NEW AND THE EXPANDING AND THE WHAT WE CAN DO, BECAUSE NOW WE HAVE SOME MONEY TO FUND IT TO FUND THAT, THAT MAINTENANCE, THAT OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE THAT'S SO IMPORTANT.
AND WE'VE HEARD THIS TERM IN THIS BUILDING MANY TIMES BOONDOGGLE.
IT BECOMES A BOONDOGGLE BECAUSE, OH, WE ONLY HAD TO PAY 50 MILLION TO PAY FOR X, Y AND Z.
BUT AIN'T NOBODY TOLD US THAT IT'S GOING TO COST 1.1 MILLION TO MAINTAIN IT IN PERPETUITY.
AND IN PERPETUITY MEANS EVERYTHING GOES UP IN PRICE.
AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THAT 1.1 IS 1.5 AND 1.7, IS 2.0, AND SO ON AND SO FORTH.
AND THEN IT'S LIKE 30 YEARS LATER, OH, WE GOT TO REPLACE IT.
AND THEN LET'S BECAUSE I DO WANT THE NEW AND THE SHINY SO BAD.
AND SO MANY OF OUR RESIDENTS DESERVE IT.
IT'S NOT JUST YOU, IT'S THIS ENTIRE CITY, EVERYTHING WE'VE GOT.
AND BUT UNFORTUNATELY, YOU JUST HAPPEN TO BE HERE WHEN THIS WAS GOING DOWN.
BUT I KNOW THAT Y'ALL ARE TRYING, AND I HAVE TO COMPLIMENT YOU.
IS THAT THANK YOU FOR WHEN YOU WHEN YOU BROUGHT FORWARD A PLAN OR AN IDEA THAT WE CAN GET BEHIND.
BECAUSE THAT FAIR PARK IDEA, I'M TELLING YOU, THAT WAS.
I DON'T KNOW WHOSE IDEA IT WAS, IF IT WAS YOURS OR SOMEBODY ELSE'S, BUT WHOEVER GOT THE IDEA CREDIT.
RIGHT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. CHAIR.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? CHAIR MORENO. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.
RYAN THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION AND FOR THE BACKGROUND INFORMATION.
JUST THIS PAST WEEKEND, KLYDE WARREN PARK GOT TO LIGHT UP THE DALLAS SIGNATURE TREE.
AND SO YES, IT'S WE TYPICALLY THINK ABOUT THE BIG PARKS.
WE THINK ABOUT THE, EVENTS THAT ARE THAT DRIVE CROWDS THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
BUT NEXT WEEK WE'LL BE HOSTING AN EVENT AT OUR NEIGHBORHOOD PARK WITH A SMALL TREE LIGHTING.
AND SO PARKS GO FROM THOSE LARGE ECONOMIC ENGINE PROJECTS THAT HAVE REINVESTMENT INTO THE NORTH OF DOWNTOWN UPTOWN AREA WITH KLYDE WARREN PARK AND NOW TO THE SOUTHERN SECTOR WITH THE DECK PARK.
BUT WE SOMETIMES FAIL TO SEE IS THAT A LOT OF THESE INVESTMENTS ARE ALSO AT OUR LOCAL PLAYGROUNDS, AT OUR BASKETBALL COURT INSTALLS. WE JUST GOT ONE INSTALLED TWO WEEKS AGO IN AN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITY WHERE I WOULD SEE 5 OR 10 PEOPLE MAYBE A DAY OR THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE WEEK.
AND SO WHILE THERE IS A LOT OF NEW STUFF ON THIS BOND THAT'S BEING PROPOSED, THERE'S ALSO A STRING OF PLAYGROUNDS THAT HAVEN'T BEEN UPDATED IN 30, 40, 50 YEARS.
AND SO I WILL BE ENSURING THAT WE CONTINUE ON THAT TRAJECTORY.
SO WHAT I WANT TO FOCUS ON TODAY, THOUGH, ON THOSE DISCUSSIONS IS THE UPKEEP AND MAINTENANCE.
RIGHT. AND WE HAVE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE CREATIVE AS WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING OVER IN FAIR PARK, THROUGH A PORTION OF TICKET SALES. WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT THE PARK FEE, THE LAND DEDICATION ORDINANCE, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE TAKING CHUNKS OF THAT AND REINVESTING IT INTO PARKS.
[01:25:01]
WE DIDN'T REALLY TALK ABOUT ANY OF OUR PARTNERS TODAY AND WHAT THEY BRING ON A DAILY BASIS THE MANAGEMENT OF PARKS, WHAT THEY BRING ON THE MAINTENANCE, AND THEN JUST THE VOLUNTEERS WHO JUST SHOW UP TO CLEAN UP WHITE ROCK LAKE OR BACHMAN LAKE.AND SO AGAIN, PARKS FOR ME, IS SOMETHING THAT BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER.
PARKS ARE A PLACE WHERE IT DOESN'T MATTER.
AND I HAD MY RESERVATIONS ABOUT KLYDE WARREN PARK WHEN IT WAS FIRST OPENING.
I SAW IT AS SOLELY A DESTINATION FOR TOURISTS, BUT I'M GLAD TO SEE OUT THERE, INCLUDING MY OWN FAMILY THAT GOES OUT THERE TOO, TO BE ABLE TO CREATE NEW MEMORIES.
AND JUST LIKE OLD CITY PARK AN FAIR PARK AND THE DALLAS ZOO, THESE ARE PLACES THAT WE AS DALLAS SITES HAVE OUR MOST FONDEST MEMORIES. IT'S YES, PARKS THAT SOMETIMES HAVE ADMISSIONS TO IT TO ENTER, BUT THEN THERE'S ALSO THOSE PARKS WHERE YOU CAN JUST PICK UP A BASKETBALL AND GO TO YOUR TO YOUR LOCAL PARK. AND SO I HOPE MY COLLEAGUES HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DIG FURTHER INTO THAT PRESENTATION THAT WAS PROVIDED.
AND I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUE TO WORKING WITH THE DEPARTMENT AS WE CONTINUE TO MAKE DALLAS A GREENER PLACE AS WE CONTINUE TO INVEST INTO OUR PUBLIC PARKS.
CHAIR BLACKMON, I THINK YOU HAD A QUESTION OR COMMENT.
BACK KIND OF ON THE INVESTMENT PART OF ALL THIS, IS THERE A WAY THAT WE COULD ADD A FISCAL NOTE TO THE PROJECTS THAT ARE GOING TO BE ADDED? BECAUSE WE ALL HAVE SAID THERE'S GOING TO BE MAINTENANCE, THERE'S GOING TO BE TRAIL CLEANUPS, THERE'S GOING TO BE THE HOMELESS.
I THINK Y'ALL CLEAN OUT ALONG THE TRAILS WHEN THERE'S HOMELESS.
AND SO WITH THAT CONSIDERED IN THIS STUDY OF WHAT A BOTTOM LINE NUMBER WOULD BE, OR IS THERE A WAY TO ADD THAT? WELL, SO WHEN WE CONTEMPLATE ANY NEW OR RENOVATION PROJECTS, WE ALWAYS CONTEMPLATE THE MAINTENANCE COSTS.
SO I THINK THE POINT IS WELL TAKEN.
WE CAN HOLD ON RYAN, DID YOU JUST SAY RENOVATION? ANY TYPE OF PROJECT WE DO, WHETHER IT'S A NEW PROJECT, WHETHER IT'S A RENOVATION PROJECT OR ANYTHING IN BETWEEN, THERE'S WE ALWAYS TAKE INTO ACCOUNT WHAT THE MAINTENANCE COSTS WOULD BE FOR THAT. SO I THINK THAT IS INFORMATION THAT WE COULD PROBABLY PROVIDE RELATIVELY EASILY.
BECAUSE WE'RE GETTING INTO SOME TIMES WHERE WE'RE GOING TO BE HAVING TO PAY SOME HEFTY BILLS.
AND WE NEED TO KNOW THAT GOING INTO THESE DISCUSSIONS OF WHAT IS IT ALSO GOING TO BE WHEN YOU COME BACK EACH BUDGET YEAR AND ASK US? AND SO I DO THINK THAT IS GOOD INFORMATION TO HAVE.
ALSO TOO, ON THE LINES OF WHERE ARE WE WITH OUR NAMING RIGHTS OPPORTUNITIES? I KNOW THAT YOU ALL HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THAT.
YOU KNOW, OR YOU KNOW, LIKE WHAT'S OUR NAMING RIGHTS AND OUR SELLING RIGHTS.
ARE WE ANYWHERE CLOSE TO HAVING A POLICY ON THAT? WELL, WE DO HAVE A POLICY ON THAT.
AND THERE'S TWO WAYS YOU CAN GO ABOUT NAMING THINGS.
THERE'S A MONETARY PATH AND THERE'S A COMMUNITY DRIVEN PATH.
IT IS NOT BEING UPDATED, BUT YOU MAY BE THINKING OF A SPONSORSHIP CONTRACT THAT WE'VE INITIATED RECENTLY, THAT WE'VE GOT A VENDOR THAT'S GOING TO BE OUT MONETIZING SPONSORSHIPS ON OUR BEHALF.
THAT'S IN PROGRESS OR ABOUT TO BEGIN.
OKAY. BECAUSE THAT IS A I GUESS THAT WOULD ADD MONEY TO OUR BUDGET AND TO YOUR BUDGET.
I ASSUME THAT WOULD HELP OFFSET SOME OF THESE COSTS.
OKAY. BECAUSE I THINK THAT NEEDS TO BE DISCUSSED IN CONJUNCTION WITH ALL OF THIS.
I UNDERSTAND THE ECONOMICS AND THE AND WHAT IT BRINGS, BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO BE FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE AND UNDERSTAND WHAT IT'S GOING TO COST US, NOT JUST FOR THIS COUNCIL, BUT FUTURE COUNCILS.
AND I KNOW WE HAD THAT BEAUTIFUL PART THAT THAT WATER FOUNTAIN PARK AT FAIR PARK, BUT WE NEVER GOT TO USE IT BECAUSE IT COST SO MUCH TO MAINTAIN AND OPERATE. SO IT'S REALLY NOT FAIR.
IT SHOULD COME FROM O&M, BUT WE GOT TO GET IT REPLACED.
[01:30:01]
IS GOING TO BE AND THEN BE FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE IN HOW WE BUILD FUTURE, BECAUSE WE HAVE TO MAINTAIN THIS.WE CAN'T LET IT GO DOWN IN TWO YEARS.
OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? YES. DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM, THANK YOU.
AND OF COURSE, THANKS TO THE PARK DEPARTMENT, I ALWAYS HAVE TO SAY THAT I KNOW THAT RIGHT NOW, PARK DEPARTMENT IS THE NUMBER ONE DEPARTMENT THAT MOST COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE WORKING WITH THROUGH THIS SEASON.
BUT I DO WANT TO COMMENT, AND I'M GOING TO LEAVE YOU ALL WITH SOME HOMEWORK BECAUSE THIS THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSULTATION WORK, BUT FOR THE PUBLIC SO THAT WE CAN UNDERSTAND THIS PRODUCT IT SAYS IT CONDUCTED A COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC VALUE AND BENCHMARKING STUDY OF THE DALLAS PARK SYSTEM. AND SO WHEN I LOOK AT SOME OF THE POINTS THAT ARE MADE THIS MORNING ON THIS PRESENTATION, IT STARTS WITH THE PARK INVESTMENT ADVANCES EQUITY, IT CATALYZES HOME VALUES.
IT CENTERS EQUITY IN PLANNING, FUNDING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS.
I GUESS THIS IS WHAT THIS PROJECT DID.
GENERATES REAL ESTATE VALUE, PRESERVES CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE.
AND THEN YOU HAD SOME POINTS HERE THAT TALKED ABOUT SOME HEALTH BENEFITS.
AND AS YOU TALK ABOUT EQUITY, ONE OF THE CONCERNS THAT I HAVE HERE AND WOULD LIKE TO HAVE MORE INFORMATION ON THIS STUDY AND HOW YOU CAME ABOUT HERE IN YOUR DOCUMENTATION, IT SAYS THE HIGHEST RATES OF LOCAL PHYSICAL INACTIVITY ARE IN THE SOUTHERN DALLAS NEIGHBORHOODS, WHERE INVESTMENTS IN URBAN AMENITIES LIKE PARKS HAS HISTORICALLY BEEN INEQUITABLY MADE.
SO THE QUESTION I WOULD HAVE FOR YOU IN TERMS OF THIS STUDY, DID YOU LOOK AT DATA THAT RELATED TO THE LIFELINE OF INDIVIDUALS IN SOUTHERN DALLAS NEIGHBORHOODS WITH THE PARKS THAT EXIST NOW? DO THEY NOT CONTRIBUTE ANY ANYTHING AT ALL? CANDACE WOULD YOU LIKE TO? OF ANY VALUE? I'M SPEAKING, I GUESS, TO THE CONSULTANT.
NOW WHO PUT THE. I THINK THEY DO.
WELL, LET ME TAKE YOUR QUESTIONS IN ORDER.
NO, WE DID NOT LOOK AT HEALTH OUTCOMES IN SOUTHERN DALLAS COMPARED TO HEALTH OUTCOMES IN OTHER PARTS OF DALLAS IN 2023. AGAIN, WHAT THE DETAILED WORK WAS DONE IN 2016.
AND THE QUESTION WAS DOES THE 2016 ANALYSIS HOLD UP? IN 2016 WE DIDN'T REALLY LOOK AT EQUITY.
WE LOOKED AT COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE VALUE INCREMENT.
WE THINK THAT ANALYSIS HOLDS UP AND PROBABLY IS CONSERVATIVE RELATIVE TO TODAY.
IN ADDITION, WE THINK THAT THERE ARE ALMOST CERTAINLY SIGNIFICANT EQUITY OUTCOMES THAT HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED AND WILL BE ACHIEVED WITH APPROPRIATE INVESTMENT IN THE FUTURE.
AND THAT CONTENTION IS BASED ON DETAILED ANALYSIS OF OTHER CITIES AND COMPARISON OF THEM TO YOU.
SO WE KNOW FROM VERY THOROUGH, THOUGHTFUL ANALYSIS, SOME DONE BY US, SOME DONE BY COMPETITORS, SOME DONE BY ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS, SOME DONE BY GOVERNMENT.
THE MAP THAT WE WERE LOOKING AT IS CDC DATA THAT HEALTH OUTCOMES ARE POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH PARKS INVESTMENT WHEN YOU CONTROL FOR SOCIOECONOMIC CONDITION.
SO AND WE KNOW THAT HOME VALUE INCREASES ARE POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH PARK INVESTMENT WHEN YOU CONTROL FOR SOCIOECONOMIC CONDITIONS. I CAN POINT YOU TO SUPERB WORK THAT'S DONE IN PITTSBURGH AND INDIANAPOLIS, NOT IN DALLAS, BECAUSE THAT WASN'T OUR CHARGE. BUT I WOULD BE STUNNED IF IT DIDN'T HOLD UP IN DALLAS.
ALL RIGHT. SO LET ME JUST SO THAT I WON'T PROLONG THIS BECAUSE THIS IS I'M GOING TO BE LOOKING EXCUSE ME FOR ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION BECAUSE AS THERE ARE ADVOCATES AND WE OF COURSE, RIGHT NOW, THIS WHOLE CONVERSATION ABOUT HAVING MORE FUNDING FOR PARKS, WE'VE GOT TO FIRST DEAL WITH THE FACT THAT WE HAVE PARKS THAT HAVE BEEN OVERLOOKED IN MANY OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS.
[01:35:05]
YOUR DATA SAYS THERE WAS A RETURN OF $678 MILLION TO THE LOCAL ECONOMY, AND THAT WE BENEFIT FROM THAT AS A CITY.AND I THINK THIS IS WHAT IT SAYS.
SO I'M LOOKING TO SEE WHAT IMPACT THE PARKS THAT WE HAVE IN THE SOUTHERN SECTOR.
AND I WOULD SAY, PARTICULARLY IN DISTRICT FOUR, HOW THEY REAPED BENEFITS IN EACH ONE OF THESE CATEGORIES REAL ESTATE, TOURISM AND GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE.
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT IN THE SOUTHERN SECTOR, PARTICULARLY IN DISTRICT FOUR.
NOW, YOU ALSO TALKED ABOUT THIS GENERATIONAL WEALTH, BUT I WANT TO GET BACK TO THE HEALTH.
BUT I WANT TO LEAVE US TODAY WITH THIS.
IN TERMS OF THE CHALLENGE THAT I'M MAKING TO YOU ON THIS DATA, THE QUESTION BECOMES THAT WHERE YOU LIVE, DOES WHERE YOU LIVE DETERMINE THE TYPE OF SERVICES YOU RECEIVE IN TERMS OF THE PARKS? DOES WHERE YOU LIVE DETERMINE HOW LONG YOU CAN LIVE.
AND SO WHEN WE TALK, YOU TALK ABOUT PARKS, OF BRINGING ABOUT ALL OF THIS ACTIVITY.
I WOULD VENTURE TO SAY THAT WE'RE NOT SEEING THOSE RETURNS IN THE SOUTHERN SECTOR IN DISTRICT FOUR.
I ALSO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT SOME OF THESE TRAILS AND PARKS THAT I HAVE ARE IN SOME OF THE SICKEST ZIP CODES THAT THE DALLAS COUNTY HAS STATED, PARTICULARLY 75216, 75241.
AND SO WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT LIFELINES AND HEALTH RELATED BENEFITS I THINK HERE IN ONE OF THE COMMENTS IT SAYS MOST OF THESE PARKS THAT WE HAVE HERE, ACCORDING TO THIS DOCUMENT, YOU SEE A DECREASE IN PHYSICAL AILMENTS AND IMPROVED QUALITY OF LIFE AND BOOST PRODUCTIVITY WHEN YOU HAVE PARK INVESTMENTS, BUT WE'RE NOT SEEMINGLY WE'RE NOT EVIDENTLY NOT DOING IT IN A SOUTHERN SECTOR, BECAUSE YOU WOULDN'T HAVE THE FINDINGS OF PARKLAND THAT STATES, ACCORDING TO THE PRESIDENT [INAUDIBLE].
THE FINDINGS ARE UNDISPUTABLE.
IN MANY INSTANCES, YOUR ZIP CODE IS A BETTER PREDICTOR OF YOUR MORTALITY THAN YOUR GENETIC CODE.
WE HAVE SOME OF THE HIGHEST AILMENTS IN TERMS OF A DATA THAT SHOWS HYPERTENSION, DIABETES, BREAST CANCER DETECTION AND OTHER AILMENTS.
BUT HERE WE HAVE PARKS IN OUR COMMUNITIES.
BUT WE'RE NOT GETTING WE'RE NOT SEEING THOSE BENEFITS.
AND I WOULD ALSO VENTURE TO SAY THAT WE MUST CONTINUE TO STRIKE A BALANCE.
BECAUSE WE HAD FOUR CHILDREN, WE HAD TO FIGURE OUT WHERE WE WERE GOING TO TAKE THEM BECAUSE GROWING UP, YOU JUST COULDN'T AFFORD TO TAKE THEM TO ALL THESE HIGH, EXPENSIVE PLACES. AND MY CHILDREN PRETTY MUCH GREW UP IN THE ZOO, AT THE ZOO, AND SOMETIMES THEY ACT LIKE THAT [LAUGHTER] COMING UP.
BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS, I DON'T SEE WE'RE NOT AGAINST THE PARKS.
WE CAN TAKE OUR CHILDREN TO THE PARK.
WE CAN TAKE OUR FAMILIES TO THE PARKS, BUT WE CAN'T LIVE IN THE PARK.
AND SO WE MUST HAVE MORE DATA.
I KNOW I MUST HAVE MORE DATA, ESPECIALLY AS IT RELATES TO THESE UNDER RESOURCED COMMUNITIES THAT I REPRESENT, THERE ARE MORE ZIP CODES LIKE 75 203 AS WELL.
WE TAKE IT REPEATED, REGURGITATE IT.
WE DON'T RESPOND TO IT AS WE SHOULD.
SO I DID WANT TO JUST PUT THAT BEFORE YOU AND CHALLENGE YOU IN TERMS OF UNDERSTANDING.
BUT I DO KNOW THAT I LOVE KLYDE WARREN PARK TOO, BUT I KNOW THAT OUR COMMUNITY IS NOT GOING.
THEY DON'T SEE A BALANCE IN TERMS OF INVESTMENTS WHEN IT COMES TO THESE HIGH END PARKS.
[01:40:08]
THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NEEDS AND WANTS.AND I THINK THAT SOMETIMES AROUND THE HORSESHOE WE GET CONFUSED.
AND THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NEEDS AND WANTS.
SO I DID WANT TO MAKE SURE I PUT THAT ON THE RECORD.
THANK YOU. DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM, I BELIEVE CHAIR NARVAEZ HAS A QUICK.
AND JUST REALLY QUICKLY, I LOVE THIS DISCUSSION.
IT'S AMAZING. AND I'M HEARING SO MUCH, WHICH IS ALWAYS GOOD.
DEFINITELY. WE WANT NEW AND SHINY, BUT WE NEED MORE DATA FIRST BEFORE WE CAN GET TO OUR WANTS.
RIGHT. AND MADAM CHAIR, I WAS GOING TO SEE IF I COULD REQUEST THAT WE BRING BACK PARKS TO GO OVER A LOT OF WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, LIKE THE MAINTENANCE AND ALL THESE OTHER THINGS, BECAUSE MR. O'CONNOR CAN ONLY ANSWER SO MUCH.
AND I THINK THE DIRECTOR, YOU KNOW, DIRECTOR JENKINS AND THE REST OF HIS EXECUTIVE TEAM COULD PROBABLY ANSWER MORE AS WELL AS, YOU KNOW, I'D LOVE IT IF WE COULD INVITE AT LEAST THE PARK BOARD PRESIDENT IF MR. AGARWAL IS AVAILABLE.
AND SO I THINK IT'D BE IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT FOR US.
AND IT'S A NEED THAT WE HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION THAT WE POSSIBLY CAN.
AND SO JUST ASKING FOR THAT REQUEST, IF IT'S POSSIBLE, BECAUSE I THINK I MAY HAVE BEEN GUILTY OF TAKING US OFF THE RAILS TODAY? AND I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT.
BUT WE DEFINITELY NEED A LOT MORE INFORMATION.
AND YOU CAN JUST HEAR IT FROM ALL THE COMMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE TODAY.
AND AGAIN, THANK YOU, MR. O'CONNOR. IT'S NOT AT YOU.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MADAM CHAIR.
THANK YOU. AND I NEGLECTED CHAIR BAZALDUA.
SO SORRY. NO WORRIES, MADAM CHAIR.
THANK YOU. I JUST I WANTED TO JUST PROVIDE SOME CLARITY BECAUSE I HEARD SOME COMMENTS THAT INSINUATED THAT I WASN'T NECESSARILY SUPPORTIVE OF THOSE LOST LEADERS THAT I MENTIONED. I KNOW THE BENEFIT OF THE PARK SYSTEMS, AND I'M A HUGE SUPPORTER AND FAN OF THEM, BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO LOOK AT IT AS ASSETS.
AND SO IF THERE IS WAY WHAT I'M ASKING SPECIFICALLY IS THAT WE IF WE HAVE A PLAYBOOK OF WHERE WE KNOW OUR INVESTMENTS BRING A HIGHER RETURN, THAT'S HOW WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO BRING MORE TO THESE NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS THAT AREN'T BRINGING RETURN.
THAT'S THE BIGGEST RECIPE FOR SUCCESS.
SO IF WE SUPPORT ONE COMPONENT OF OUR PARK SYSTEMS, WE SHOULD BE SUPPORTIVE OF THEM ALL.
AND I KNOW THAT MY NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS ARE NOT GOING TO HAVE AN INFLUX OF RESOURCES BUILT IN TO MAINTAINING THEM IF THEY'RE NOT PRODUCING ANYTHING, AND WE'RE NOT LEVERAGING THOSE THAT ARE.
AND THAT'S WHAT I'M ASKING FOR, THIS TO BE REALLY EVALUATED SO THAT WE CAN CAPITALIZE ON HOW A RETURN OF INVESTMENT CAN BE USED, AND IN THE SAME SENSE, HOW EVEN WHERE WE CAN FURTHER CAPITALIZE ON THE RETURN OF THOSE INVESTMENTS.
WE'VE MISSED THE MARK THERE, YOU KNOW, AND SO FOR US TO LOOK AT A NONCONTIGUOUS TIFF DISTRICT, FOR INSTANCE, THAT IS INCORPORATED AND INCLUSIVE OF ALL OF OUR PRIVATE PUBLIC PARTNERSHIPS, THAT'S THE WAY THAT WE COULD BRING IN INCREMENT TO HELP SUSTAIN AND BUILD THIS PARK SYSTEM OUT.
SO I'M NOT WANTING US AT ALL TO NEGLECT EVERY COMPONENT, BUT I AM WANTING US TO LOOK AT THIS AS A PORTFOLIO AND THOSE THAT ARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO BRING BETTER RETURNS FOR US TO HAVE MORE RESOURCES TO RETURN AND THOSE THAT ARE NOT.
THAT'S THE WAY WE SHOULD BE LOOKING AT THIS.
AND IT NOT BE JUST ABOUT HOPES AND WISHES, BECAUSE I WANT THOSE BIG SHINY AND NEW, BUT I DON'T WANT THOSE BIG, SHINY AND NEW TO END UP LIKE WHAT WAS ONCE BIG, SHINY AND NEW IN MY DISTRICT.
AND THEY ARE NOT SO BIG AND SHINY AND NEW BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO MAINTAIN THEM.
AND THOSE ASSETS THEMSELVES ARE NOT SELF SUSTAINING.
SO I'D LIKE TO SEE THIS AGAIN, JUST PRESENTED SIMILAR TO WHAT WE HAVE IN EXPECTATION WITH OUR CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE AND ANY OTHER DEPARTMENT ON HOW WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO LEVERAGE, ESPECIALLY GOING FORWARD, KNOWING WE'RE GOING TO HAVE CUTS, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE POTENTIAL CLIFFS.
WE KNOW THAT SOME HARD DECISIONS ARE GOING TO HAVE TO BE MADE.
AND WE ALSO KNOW THAT PARKS IS USUALLY ON THE TOP OF THAT LIST.
SO LET'S TAKE THIS MOMENTUM AND OPPORTUNITY AS A PLAYBOOK GOING FORWARD.
[01:45:03]
I SPECIFICALLY WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOME COLLABORATION WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT AND HOW WE CAN LEVERAGE THAT.IN ADDITION TO THAT, IF WE LOOK AT A HIGHER RETURN ON TRAIL SYSTEMS THAN WE DO OUR PARK SYSTEMS, I'D LIKE TO SEE US ALSO SEE HOW WE COULD BEEF THOSE UP, BECAUSE I STILL THINK THAT WE HAVE.
WE ARE CAUGHT IN A RUT BECAUSE OF HOW CAR DEPENDENT WE ARE IN OUR SOCIETY, HERE IN THE CITY, IN THEM NOT BEING PROPERLY ADVERTISED AS MEANS TO COMMUTE AND GET AROUND OUR CITY.
AND THAT CONNECTIVITY IS HUGE.
AND BUT THERE'S SOME TRAIL SYSTEMS, FOR INSTANCE, THAT DON'T HAVE ANY LIGHTING INFRASTRUCTURE, THAT THERE'S VERY FEW TRAIL SYSTEMS UNLESS THEY HAVE A FRIENDS GROUP, AS MENTIONED, THAT HAVE A WATER FOUNTAIN OR A PLACE.
AND SO THOSE TYPES OF AMENITIES AND INVESTMENT, IF WE KNOW THAT THEY'RE ALREADY BRINGING SUCH HIGH RETURNS, WOULD ONLY BENEFIT US IN THE FUTURE FOR WHAT THOSE POTENTIAL RETURNS COULD BE.
AND I AM FAILING TO SEE, ESPECIALLY WHEN SEEING THESE NUMBERS ON TRAILS VERSUS PARKS, HOW WE ARE LEVERAGING AN INVESTMENT IN OUR BOND SPECIFIC TO WHAT Y'ALL HAVE IDENTIFIED WITH THE TRAIL SYSTEMS, AND HOW THAT'S SUCH AN OUTLIER COMPARED TO WHAT THESE PARKS ARE BRINGING BACK FOR RETURN.
AND I KNOW THAT YOU WERE TRYING TO JUMP IN, SO I'LL STOP THERE.
BUT THANK YOU, MR. O'CONNOR. OH, NO, NO, I JUST I AGREE WITH MANY POINTS YOU MADE, I THINK, I THINK THE OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO COLLABORATE CLOSELY WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS THE FUTURE FOR US.
SO I AGREE WITH A LOT OF WHAT YOU SHARED.
I THINK WE'RE LOOKING FOR A LOT, BUT CERTAINLY STRATEGIES AROUND OUR INVESTMENT AND STRATEGIES AROUND COVERING MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS.
SO WE'VE JUST PUT A BIG TO DO ON YOUR LIST.
[LAUGHTER] THANK YOU MR. O'CONNOR. I'VE GOT MANY NOTES.
YEAH. WHAT I REALLY WANT TO DO, JUST WRAP THIS UP, BECAUSE MY QUESTIONS ARE PRETTY MUCH I KNOW THAT MR. O'CONNOR IS HERE IN TERMS OF LEADERSHIP, BUT I AM SPEAKING ABOUT THE FINDINGS OF THIS REPORT AND WHATEVER WE CAN DO TO I DON'T KNOW, ARE WE STILL ON THE CONTRACT WITH THIS GROUP OR WHERE ARE WE FINANCIALLY WITH CONNECTED WITH THIS STUDY? OH NO, THEY'RE STILL UNDER CONTRACT FOR SURE.
THEY HAVE PROVIDED US THEIR DRAFT DELIVERABLE BUT YEAH, STILL UNDER CONTRACT.
SO HOW LONG HOW MANY HOW LONG ARE WE PAYING FOR THEM TO BE ON CONTRACT? WELL AS SOON AS THEY DELIVER THE FINAL DELIVERABLE, THEN WE WOULD TERMINATE THE CONTRACT.
BUT AS OF TODAY, THEY'RE STILL UNDER CONTRACT.
ALL RIGHT. SO THEY'VE BEEN DOING THEY'VE BEEN ON CONTRACT FOR SOME TIME HERE.
SO WE REALLY WANT TO SEE A RETURN ON OUR INVESTMENT.
I THINK IT'S THE ROI THAT WE WANT TO SEE HERE.
AND OF COURSE I WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO MR. JENKINS. DR.
JENKINS IS WHAT I CALL HIM NOW BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO WORK SO MANY MIRACLES HERE.
[LAUGHTER] BUT THANK YOU AS WELL THAT YOU AND YOUR LEADERSHIP, AS WELL AS DIRECTOR CRYSTAL ROSS AND THE STAFF, BECAUSE YOUR PARK DEPARTMENT HAS REALLY DONE A GREAT JOB AND THEY CONTINUE TO DO A GOOD JOB IN MY THIS IS MY OPINION HERE, AND I APPRECIATE THE HARD WORK THAT THEY HAVE GIVEN US ON OUR PARKS THAT WE KEEP PUSHING OUT IN TERMS OF NEED.
THIS IS WHAT WE NEED. THIS IS WHAT WE NEED IN DISTRICT FOUR.
AND JUST FOR THE RECORD STAFF COMMITTEE SO THAT YOU KNOW, TOO, WE'RE PUSHING ONE OF THE PARKS OUT AND UPGRADES TO ELOISE LUNDY, WHICH HAS BEEN OVERLOOKED UNDER RESOURCED.
AND SO THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE.
I ALWAYS TELL THEM THAT I'M JUST ABSOLUTELY IMPRESSED WITH WHAT I'M SEEING.
BUT ON THIS RESEARCH SIDE, WE'VE GOT TO DO A LITTLE BIT MORE.
SO I DID WANT TO MAKE SURE I PUT THAT ON THE RECORD CHAIRWOMAN AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
OKAY. I BELIEVE WE ARE FINISHED AND COMPLETE.
AND AGAIN, MISS DAMON, WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION.
[01:50:03]
AND THANK YOU, MR. O'CONNOR. THANK YOU.ALL RIGHT. SO I THINK THAT MAY BE IT. I'M LOOKING AT MR. EVANS.
DO WE HAVE A PRESENTATION ON THE.
LET'S SEE. PUT MY GLASSES ON THE DALLAS ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION INITIATIVE.
YEAH. I THINK FROM HERE ON OUT, WE'RE TO THE MEMOS.
THE ONLY THING I HAVE IS A QUICK ANNOUNCEMENT IS TO NOTE THAT OUR JANUARY MEETING IS ON A TUESDAY.
SO JUST MARK THAT ON YOUR CALENDAR.
BECAUSE OF THE HOLIDAYS, WE MOVE IT TO A TUESDAY.
WELL I'M TRYING TO LOOK TO SEE WHEN IT'S THE FOLLOWING. I THINK MLK IS THE FOLLOWING WEEK.
ANYTHING ELSE? I MEAN, FOR ONCE, WE HAVE TIME.
I MEAN, I'M SORRY. WE HAVE THREE MINUTES, I APOLOGIZE.
I'M GOING TO TRY TO EAT UP Y'ALL'S THREE MINUTES.
BUT ON THE I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK THAT OEQS BEFORE YOUR TIME.
AND WHILE YOU'VE BEEN HERE ON GETTING THE REMEDIATION GOING.
AND I SAW SOME OF THE NEWS AND I WAS VERY PLEASED TO SEE THAT.
AND I DIDN'T KNOW IF YOU ALL JUST WANTED TO GIVE US ALL A LITTLE BIT OF UPDATE ON THAT.
THAT'S THE BLUE STAR RECYCLING PLANT IS THE FORMERLY KNOWN AS SHINGLE MOUNTAIN.
THIS WAS KIND OF WHAT GOT THE WHOLE THING STARTED.
YEP. THANK YOU, CHAIR NARVAEZ.
AND I GUESS THE BIG TAKEAWAYS IS THAT WE'RE ON TIME AND UNDER BUDGET.
RIGHT. SO ACTUALLY BEFORE TIME.
SO THE REMEDIATION HAS BEEN COMPLETED.
WE'VE PUT THE STORM OR THE EROSION CONTROLS ON THE PROPERTY.
WE'VE SPRAYED THE GRASS SEED ON THE PROPERTY AND OTHER EROSION CONTROLS, THE MATTING.
AND NOW WE'RE FINALIZING OUR REPORT TO SEND TO TCEQ.
SO AGAIN THIS PROPERTY IS IN THE VOLUNTARY CLEANUP PROGRAM.
AND YOU KNOW, TCEQ HAD PREVIOUSLY SIGNED OR APPROVED THE REMEDIATION PLAN.
WE CLEANED UP OVER 47,000YD³ OF SOIL, BROUGHT IN CLEAN SOIL.
AND IF YOU NEED ANY OF US TO GO TESTIFY, PLEASE LET US KNOW TO THE COMMITTEE.
[LAUGHTER] I THINK EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US WOULD GO DOWN THERE.
AND I JUST ALSO JUST REALLY QUICKLY HAVE TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO COUNCIL MEMBER ATKINS FOR ALL HIS ADVOCACY AND HELP AND LEADING THAT CHARGE BACK IN 2020, 2021 DURING THE PANDEMIC, WE GOT IT ALL DONE AND I CAN'T REMEMBER.
WE EVEN HAD A WEBSITE WITH HOW MANY TRUCKS.
I MEAN, IT WAS MILLIONS OF TONS OF SHINGLES THAT WE GOT OUT OF THERE AND QUICKLY.
AND TO THE TEAMS THAT WORK WITH US, GOOD JOB.
AND I SEE YOU ALL OVER THERE. GOOD JOB TO ALL OF OUR ENVIRONMENTAL TEAM FOR GETTING THAT DONE.
LET'S NEVER HAVE THAT HAPPEN AGAIN.
ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MADAM CHAIR.
ARE WE READY TO ADJOURN? OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED.
THANK YOU.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.