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[Dallas Park and Recreation Board on September 5, 2024.]
THE SEPTEMBER 5TH, 2024 PARK AND RECREATION BOARD MEETING TO ORDER AT 10:03 AM BEFORE WE GET INTO OUR AGENDA, WE HAVE TWO SPECIAL RECOGNITION FOR RETIREES.SPECIAL RECOGNITION TODAY AND, UH, ACTING CHAIRWOMAN TODAY.
MS. UH, RICE, WILL YOU JOIN ME, MISS PRESENTATION? ABSOLUTELY.
AND IF I COULD ASK MS, UH, BARBARA SNEERY, IF SHE COULD JOIN US.
SO THOSE ARE SEE
BARBARA SNEERY HAS RETIRED FROM THE CITY, DALLAS PARK AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT.
AFTER 27 YEARS OF STATE OF SERVICE.
BARBARA STARTED IN 1997, HER CAREER AT CITY DALLAS, AT THE RECREATION AS A RECREATION CENTER SPECIALIST AT FRED'S RECREATION CENTER.
THEN WHEREAS ON SEPTEMBER 24TH, ROBERT BECAME A MEMBER OF THE EMPLOYEES, UH, ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
SHE WAS ALSO NOMINATED TO SERVE AS A COMMITTEE MEMBER, SERVE AS THE HEALTH WELLNESS CHAIRPERSON.
ROBERT, SINCE 20 17 20 19, BARBARA HAS SERVED AS THE EAC HEALTH AND WELLNESS COMMITTEE.
CHAIRPERSON PROVIDED COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP AND PROMOTING HEALTHY LIFESTYLE FOR ALL CITY OF DALLAS EMPLOYEES, WHILE SERVING AS A MENTOR AND LIAISON BETWEEN THE EAC EXECUTIVE TEAM OF DALLAS DEPART
WHEREAS BARBARA CONTRIBUTION WERE CRITICAL TO THE SUCCESS OF THE DALLAS PARTNER VIRTUAL DEPARTMENT AND HER LEGACY CAMPUS RELATIONSHIP.
ESTABLISHED THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF DALLAS, BARBARA HAS SERVED AS A HEALTH AND WELLNESS COACH, MENTOR, COLLEGE PROFESSOR, RECREATION PROFESSIONS AND LEADER.
SHE WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR HER PASSION, PROFESSIONALISM, DEDICATION TO YOUTH, ADULT, AND SENIOR PROGRAM, AS WELL AS HER LIFELONG COMMITMENT TO EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT AND WELLNESS AND COMMITMENT TO SERVING THE CITY OF DALLAS.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE RESOLVED BY THE PARK AND RECREATION BOARD AND THE DEPARTMENT OF THE CITY OF DALLAS.
APPRECIATIONS EXTENDED TO BARBARA SNEERY FOR 27 YEARS, HAS DEVOTED ENTIRELY WORTH SO GENEROUSLY GIVEN TO THE PARK AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT AND THE CITIZENS IN DALLAS.
SECTION TWO, THE PARK AND RECREATION BOARD COMMENCES BARBARA SIN FOR A DISTINGUISHED SERVICE IN WISHES TO SERVE CONTINUED SUCCESS AND HAPPINESS.
NOW, THEREFORE, I JOHN D JENKIN, DIRECTOR ON BEHALF OF THE DALLAS PARK RECORDS DEPARTMENT, DO HERE BY EXTEND SPECIAL RECOGNITION TO BARBARA A. SMITH.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, BARBARA.
ANY WORSE? I AM TOUCHED AND VERY HUMBLED SERIOUSLY, TO BE HAVING, WITHOUT CRYING THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE WITH YOU GUYS AND SERVE YOU ALL.
IT HAS BEEN REALLY A JOY AND IT'S NOT A FACADE.
WHAT I'M IDENTIFI I'M VERY, VERY HUMBLE AND THANK YOU SO MUCH, MONDELL WOULD LIKE TO SAY SOMETHING.
MS. BARBARA? I JUST WANNA SAY THAT THERE HAS NOT BEEN IN THE PAST THREE YEARS, THAT I'VE WALKED INTO FRETS WITH MY SON AND ALL HIS FRIENDS, THAT YOU'RE NOT SMILING, THAT YOU'RE NOT, YOU KNOW, TALKING TO A CHILD, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE THEIR WELLBEING IS WONDERFUL, YOU KNOW, IS TAKEN CARE OF.
UM, YOU REALLY ARE THE, UH, THE PAST THREE YEARS THAT I'VE KNOWN YOU, THE FACE OF FRETS REC CENTER AND, AND MAKING A DIFFERENCE THERE, YOU WILL DEFINITELY TRULY BE MISSED.
UM, I MEAN, YOU'RE RUNNING AROUND FROM THERE TO THEM TAKING SOME OF THE KIDS WHO HAVE BEEN LEFT, THEIR PARENTS AREN'T THERE YET TO THE POOL, AND YOU'RE ALWAYS DOING SOMETHING FOR US.
SO THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO AND BEING A WONDERFUL, BEAUTIFUL, FRIENDLY SMILE.
SO, YOU KNOW,
WE WILL RECOGNIZE THE OTHER, UH, RETIREE IN THE NEXT FOUR MINUTES.
UH, THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS ARE OUR PUBLIC SPEAKERS.
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WE HAVE NO PUBLIC SPEAKERS.NEXT IS THE APPROVAL OF MINUTES.
DO I HAVE A MOTION RIGHT MR. SLAUGHTER? AND SECOND, UH, MR. WETA.
UM, ANY DISCUSSION? OKAY, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR STATEMENT? AYE.
UM, THE OPPOSED MOTION CARRIES.
UH, WE HAVE SEVEN ITEMS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA.
DO I HAVE A MOTION BEFORE WE VOTE ON THAT? I WANTED TO MAKE ONE NOTE THAT SURE.
SO THE MOTION COULD BE THAT YOU'LL APPROVING ONE THREE THROUGH SEVEN AND DENYING NUMBER TWO BECAUSE THAT EVENT WAS CANCELED.
SO, UH, ONCE AGAIN, WE'RE APPROVING ON THE CONSENT AGENDA ONE, THREE THROUGH SEVEN AND NOT TWO BECAUSE THE EVENT WAS CANCELED.
UH, DO I HAVE A MOTION, UH, MS. MANDEL, DO I HAVE A SECOND? MS. HASANI, UH, ANY DISCUSSION ON THOSE ITEMS? ALL RIGHT, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
ITEM NUMBER EIGHT IS THE AUTHORIZATION.
YOU GONNA SAY SOMETHING? NO, MS. CASE.
ITEM EIGHT IS THE AUTHORIZATION OF SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT FOR THE COTTON BOWL.
DO I HAVE A MOTION, UH, MR. SLAUGHTER TO I HAVE A SECOND.
UM, MS. MANDEL, ANY DISCUSSION ON THOSE ITEMS? MS. MONELL? I, I JUST WANNA SAY THAT WE REALLY DISCUSSED THIS, UM, A LITTLE BIT IN, UH, IN DEPTH THIS MORNING AND THE PLANNING AND DESIGN, AND I WOULD LOVE IF STEPAN AND MR. O'CONNOR AND, UH, MS.
UM, AND SO THEY CAN JUST ALLUDE TO WHAT WE HEARD THIS MORNING.
STEFAN KESSLER FROM MANAGEMENT DESIGN FOR THIS COTTON BOWL PROJECT, WE USED A PROJECT DELIVERY METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION MANAGER AT RISK.
AND SO WE HAD AN ARCHITECT THAT HAD THE DESIGN TEAM TO DO THE DRAWINGS.
AND OUR CONSTRUCTION MANAGER RISK IS THERE TO DO RECONSTRUCTION SERVICES.
AND AFTER A GMP, WHICH IS A GUARANTEED MAXIMUM PRICE IS APPROVED, THEY WOULD DO THE CONSTRUCTION SERVICES.
WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT THIS IS THAT IT IS FASTER BECAUSE WE HAVE A CONTRACTOR ON BOARD DURING THE DESIGN PHASE, AND THAT, UH, ALL THEY HAVE TO DO IS PROVIDE A REASONABLE PRESS AND START CONSTRUCTION.
UM, WHAT WAS ALSO GOOD IS THAT THE STATE REQUIRES THE OWNER TO, UH, BE INVOLVED WITH THE SUBCONTRACTOR SELECTION.
SO THE TWO PRO PROJECT MANAGERS FOR THIS PROJECT WERE INVOLVED WITH THE INTERVIEWS FOR EACH OF THESE, UH, THESE SCOPES OF WORK, THE 24 SCOPE, 25 SCOPE.
UH, WE DID GET INVOLVED WITH THE SELECTION.
WE ALSO HAD A CONSTRUCTION INSPECTOR ON SITE TO, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, OVERSEE THE QUALITY, MAKE SURE EVERYTHING WAS DONE GOING TO THE DRAWINGS.
WE HAD WEEKLY MEETINGS, UH, THAT, THAT HELPED WITH THE, THE OVERSIGHT AS WELL.
AND I'LL JUST HAND IT OVER TO THESE GUYS IF THEY HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO ADD.
UM, I DON'T KNOW THAT THIS IS THE LARGEST PROJECT THE PARK DEPARTMENT HAS EVER DONE, SO DOING IT AS CONSTRUCTION MANAGER AT RISK, UH, MADE A LOT OF SENSE FOR THIS PROJECT, GIVEN THE TIMELINE THAT WE NEEDED TO MEET TO, UM, HANDLE THE OU TEXAS, UH, FOOTBALL GAME.
UM, IT HAS BEEN A VERY SUCCESSFUL PROJECT UP TO THIS POINT.
AND, UM, WE'RE VERY HAPPY WITH THE CONSTRUCTION MANAGER RISK DELIVERY METHOD.
AS STEFAN MENTIONED, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF COORDINATION.
UM, WE TYPICALLY DO BIWEEKLY PROJECT MEETINGS FOR THIS PROJECT.
WE'VE DONE WEEKLY MEETINGS TO ENSURE THAT WE KEEP ON TRACK OF THE PROJECT.
UM, IT'S BEEN A VERY SUCCESSFUL EFFORT, UH, JOINT EFFORT WITH JE DUN RUSSELL, AND WE'RE VERY SUCCESSFUL.
IT'S BEEN A VERY SUCCESSFUL EFFORT SO FAR.
WE FINISHED 2 24 PROJECT, UM, ON TIME SO THAT WE CAN HAVE THE, UH, CUT FULL GAME, UM, AS PLANNED.
AND RYAN, IF YOU'D LIKE TO ADD ANYTHING, JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, REALLY THE COTTON BOWL IS,
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IS ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC BUILDINGS IN OUR PARK SYSTEM.AND THIS PROJECT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF, FRANKLY, TODAY.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO, TO UTILIZE A, A DELIVERY METHOD THAT'S DIFFERENT, UH, THAN WHAT WE TYPICALLY DO.
AND IT SERVICE, WE PUT OUT A MEMO ON TUESDAY THAT YOU MAY HAVE READ THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS COULD SERVE AS A, AS A MODEL FOR US AND SOME OF THE LARGER PROJECTS THAT WE DO IN THE 2020 LONG PROGRAM.
BUT ALSO LIKE TO, TO POINT OUT, AND SOMETHING THAT ALL OF US ARE REALLY PERSONALLY PROUD OF IS THE, IS THE PARTICIPATION THAT WE'VE SEEN ON THIS JOB.
IT WAS A 38% PARTICIPATION ON A $52 MILLION PIECE OF WORK IN 2024 AND A 48% PARTICIPATION RATE ON A $65 MILLION PIECE OF WORK.
AND I JUST WANTED TO EMPHASIZE HOW PROUD WE ARE OF THIS PROJECT, AND IT'S SUCH AN IMPORTANT, UM, BUILDING TO US IN THE PARK.
SO THAT I'M JUST REALLY PLEASED THAT IT'S BEEN GOING AS WELL AS IT HAS TODAY.
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR DILIGENCE AND IT ENLIGHTENING THE PUBLIC OF THIS PROCESS THAT WE, WE KNOW IS BE AMAZING.
AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL GO DOWN THIS ROUTE FROM MORE OVERSIGHT AND THANK YOU.
SAY, UH, LET'S, DON'T FORGET ABOUT, I KNOW WE MENTIONED TEXAS OU GAME, BUT THE RAMBLING PRAIRIE VIEW GAME TOO.
READY?
IF YOU COULD JUST ALLUDE TO THAT, PLEASE.
WE, WE HAVE THE, THE SCOREBOARD, UH, YOU KNOW, ELECTRONICS DECOMMISSIONED FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, BUT, UH, RAMP THAT UP BEFORE WE ACCELERATED THE RECONNECTION OF ALL THE VACATIONS, UH, ELECTRONICS, YOU KNOW, SO THAT THE GAME LAST FRIDAY WAS ABLE TO USE EVERYTHING SCOREBOARD, VISUAL BOARD AS, UH, AS USUAL.
AND ALSO, UH, THE, THE, THE GAME TAKING PLACE ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE STADIUM, WHICH IS KIND AN IMPORTANT POINT, WHEREAS THE MAJORITY OF THE WORK IN THE CITY IS TAKING PLACE ON THE WEST SIDE.
UM, I'D LIKE TO GO TO, UM, OUR BOARD MEMBERS THAT ARE JOINING US ONLINE AND, UH, MR. DICKEY AND THEN PRESIDENT AGARAL, AND THEN WE'LL GO TO MR. SLAUGHTER HUSBAND.
THANK YOU, MADAM VICE PRESIDENT.
UM, I JUST WANNA SAY THAT THE PROMISES THAT WERE MADE TO THE COMMUNITY SEVEN YEARS AGO ABOUT THE, UH, BENEFITS TO THE COMMUNITY AND THE CARE THAT WOULD BE TAKEN TO SEE THAT WHATEVER CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS WERE DONE AT FAIR PARK BENEFITED THE COMMUNITY.
THIS IS AN ENORMOUS FULFILLMENT OF THAT PROMISE WITH A 48.4% MWBE LEVEL AND THE EARLIER ON PHASE ONE.
IT'S, UH, IT'S REALLY REMARKABLE AND IT, IT DESERVES SOME REAL KUDOS TO STAFF AND EVERYONE THAT WORKS SO DILIGENTLY TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
AND JDJ DUNN, UH, IT'S REALLY GREAT.
AND, BUT I HAVE A QUESTION, UH, ABOUT THE FUNDING.
UH, THIS IS A TRANCHE, A SECOND TRANCHE OF MAJOR FUNDING UNDER PROP A, UH, BUT BACK IN OCTOBER 2ND, 2023, STAFF PRESENTED TO THE COUNCIL'S PARKS, TRAILS AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE, UH, PRESENTATION CALLED FUNDING FAIR PARK FOR THE FUTURE.
AND THERE WAS SOMETHING IN THERE I WOULD LIKE TO ASK STAFF ABOUT.
AND IT WAS TALKING ABOUT HOW, BASED ON THE PRIMER TAX REVENUE PROJECTIONS FOR THE NEXT 10 YEARS, THAT THE CITY COULD LEVERAGE APPROXIMATELY 75 MILLION FROM THE ISSUANCE OF BONDS.
AND I KNOW THERE'S BEEN A QUESTION OF HOW THOSE MONIES BECOME AVAILABLE.
WE'VE HAD TO DIP INTO EXCESS REVENUE, STATE FAIR EXCESS REVENUES AND THINGS BECAUSE OF THE COMPRESSED TIMELINE FOR THIS.
I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT MY UNDERSTANDING, AND THIS IS THE QUESTION FOR STAFF, IS THAT ACTUALLY THIS NUMBER WAS BASED ON A HOTEL TAX REVENUE REPORT, AND THAT THE LAST ACTUAL REPORT WE HAD WAS FROM 20, 24 YEARS AGO.
SO MY QUESTION SPECIFICALLY IS, HAS THERE BEEN AN UPDATED, UH, HOTEL TAX REVENUE REPORT? BECAUSE THOSE NUMBERS, IF THAT'S THE CASE, ARE VERY OLD.
AND IT WOULD HELP A LOT TO KNOW WHAT THE CURRENT, A MORE CURRENT ASSESSMENT IS.
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BEEN DONE? AND IF IT HAS, HAS IT BEEN SHARED WITH THE PARK DEPARTMENT? UH, MR. DICKEY? NO, THERE HAS NOT BEEN AN UPDATED STUDY, ALTHOUGH, UM, A STUDY IS IN THE WORKS OR SOON TO BE IN THE WORKS, THE LATEST INFORMATION I HAVE IS THAT IT WILL BE PREPARED BY NEXT SPRING AND OR EARLY SUMMER.SO, UM, YOU KNOW WHY IT'S, I MEAN, GIVEN THE, THE NEED FOR ACCURATE NUMBERS AND THE SHORTFALLS THAT WE'VE HAD, I MEAN, IT'S PRETTY CRITICAL.
WE'RE NOT, WE'RE DIPPING INTO STATE FAIR EXCESS REVENUES THAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE USED FOR OTHER BUILDINGS TO, TO MANAGE THIS.
AND SO THIS, THIS QUESTION OF HOW MUCH DO WE OR DON'T WE HAVE SEEMED TO, SEEMED TO ME TO BE VERY CRITICAL.
AND YET THE TIMELINE THAT THE CITY'S USING TO TRY TO COME UP WITH THOSE NUMBERS, THAT SEEMS TO BE, UM, ON A VERY RELAXED SCHEDULE.
UH, I'M NOT GONNA DISAGREE WITH YOU MR. DICKEY.
I, I HAVE, UH, A SENSE OF URGENCY AS WELL TO GET THOSE, UH, UPDATED FIGURES.
BUT I BELIEVE THE INTENT IS TO HAVE ENOUGH DATA SHOWING GROWTH IN UTILIZATION OF HOTEL ROOMS TO BE IN A POSITION TO HAVE MORE ROBUST, LARGER DEBT ISSUANCE THE NEXT TIME THE CITY ISSUES THAT DEBT.
SO IT'S AN EFFORT TO, TO GET MORE DATA TO, UM, SUPPORT A LARGER DEBT ISSUANCE.
SO IS THAT A, IS THAT A WAY OF SAYING THAT THINGS ARE LOOKING UP ON HOTEL TAX REVENUE AND THE LONGER WE WAIT, THE MAYBE THE BETTER OUR NUMBER WILL BE? IS THAT THE REASON WE'RE WAITING? YES, SIR.
THAT'S HOW I WOULD INTERPRET IT AS WELL.
SO WHO'S, UM, WHEN, WHO DECIDES WHEN THE, WHEN IT'S THE RIGHT TIME TO, TO GET THAT INFORMATION? BECAUSE IT SEEMS TO ME IT'S TO BE CRITICAL FOR OUR PLANNING.
AND DO WE HAVE ANY SAY OR IS THAT A COUNCIL'S, UH, TALKING TO THE CITY MANAGER THING, OR DOES, DOES STAFF AGREE THAT IT'S GOOD TO WAIT? UH, WHAT'S YOUR ASSESSMENT? I'M JUST ASKING FOR YOUR CONSIDERED OPINION.
WELL, I DON'T KNOW IF MR. JENKINS WANTS TO WEIGH IN AS WELL, BUT THOSE DECISIONS ARE REALLY DRIVEN BY THE CITY'S FINANCE TEAM.
UM, AND A LOT OF IT, FRANKLY, IS A PRODUCT OF UNDERSTANDING THE BEST TIME TO ISSUE THE DEBT FOR THE COMMISSION CENTER.
'CAUSE AS YOU'LL RECALL, MR. NIKKI, WE ARE SOMEWHAT OF A BENEFICIARY.
WE ARE A 20% KIND OF JUNIOR PARTNER IN THE ISSUANCE OF THAT DEBT.
AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, OF COURSE I'M ANXIOUS TO RECEIVE AS MUCH FUNDING AS ABSOLUTELY POSSIBLE, BUT THOSE DECISIONS ARE BEING DRIVEN BY, UH, BY DEPARTMENT OTHER THAN OURS.
I JUST WANTED TO ADD, UM, MY MS. LAND JUST, UH, SHE WANTS TO REMIND THE BOARD THAT, UH, WE NEED TO FOCUS SOLELY ON ITEM NUMBER EIGHT.
AND ACTUALLY, OF COURSE, I'M, THIS IS ALWAYS HAPPENS WITH ME AND MS. LANNERS, UH, IN TERMS OF HER RULINGS IS, I FEEL THIS IS TOTALLY GERMANE BECAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DRAWDOWNS ON THE, ON THE BOND MONEY AND THIS, THIS IS RESULT OF THAT.
AND CONSIDERING THAT THE LACK OF IMMEDIATE MONEY IS LEADING US TO DIP IN AND COMMIT OUR 10 YEARS OF EXCESS RE STATE FAIR EXCESS REVENUES, UH, I'LL, I'LL SUBMIT TO THAT RULING, BUT I DISAGREE WITH IT.
I THINK IT'S COMPLETELY GERMANE.
BUT I ALSO WOULD JUST ADD THAT I THINK, UM, I'LL JUST HAVE TO TRUST THE CITY'S FINANCE TEAM TO DO, MAKE A GOOD DECISION.
UH, WHICH I DON'T HAVE A LOT OF TRUST BASED ON THE PAST WITH THAT DEPARTMENT AND, AND THE STATE FAIR PRIVATIZATION.
BUT, UM, OTHER THAN GROUSING ABOUT THAT, I'LL CONSIDER MY, MY INPUT DONE.
THANK YOU, MR. DICKEY, PRESIDENT AGARWAL BY SAYING IF ANYONE HAS RIGHT TO QUESTION FINANCES, MR. DICKEY DOES.
WE OWE BIG THANKS TO HIM TO BE WHERE WE ARE IN COTTON BOWL AND FAIR PARK.
WE ACKNOWLEDGE YOU ALL THE TIME, MR. DICKEY, BUT CAN NEVER ACKNOWLEDGE YOU FOR WHAT YOU BROUGHT AND CALVER COLLINS TO LEADING FOR THE PROPERTY.
SO THANK YOU TO BOTH OF YOU WITH THAT.
I THINK REALLY, I THINK, I FEEL GRATEFUL FOR WHERE WE ARE WITH ALL THE DISTRACTIONS GOING IN FAIR PARK.
I THINK WE ARE IN A GOOD PLACE IN COTTON BOWL.
I THINK THEY ARE MARCHING AHEAD WITHOUT, YOU KNOW, GETTING DISTRACTED.
SO I WOULD BE FULLY SUPPORTING THIS AMENDMENT.
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THE WAY YOU HAVE HANDLED IT AND NOT LET ANY DISTRACTIONS HAPPEN.NOW WE WILL VOTE TO, UM, MEMBER SLAUGHTER.
THANK GOD WE ALL, UH, WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE THIRD WORKING IN THE STATE FIRE, IT'S KIND OF EMOTIONAL BECAUSE I'M A PRODUCT OF THAT AND WHAT IS HAPPENING, AND PEOPLE ARE SAYING, WE'RE SPENDING THIS MONEY AT THE COTTON BOWL IS NOT JUST FOR THE COTTON BOWL FOR THE STATE FIRST, IT'S FOR THE COMMUNITY.
AND I'M SO ENTHUSED ABOUT HOW THIS THING IS COMING TO PLACE, UH, WITH THIS TEAM HAS DONE WITH MWBE PARTICIPATION.
AND YOU LOOK WHEN THE STATE VERDICT GOES ON, ALL THOSE CONCESSION JOBS AND ENTERTAINMENT JOBS ARE USUALLY FOR PEOPLE THAT LOOK LIKE ME.
SO I WAS JUMPING UP AND DOWN IN MY SEAT TO MAKE A MOTION FOR THIS TO PASS, AND I HOPEFULLY, GOD WILLING, ALL OF MY BOARD MEMBERS FEEL THE SAME WAY.
UM, OUR BOARD MEMBER HUSBANDY.
UM, I JUST WANNA JUST PASS ON SOME MINUTES THAT THIS STAFF AND WE HEAR POSITIVE THINGS.
WE TOURED THE, UH, BUILDING AND LOOKED AT HOW THEY WERE COMING ALONG.
AND OF COURSE, IT'S JUST AMAZING TO ME THAT THEY CAN DO WHAT THEY'RE DOING AND STOP DOING WHAT THEY'RE DOING LONG ENOUGH TO HAVE AFFAIR AND AGAIN, AND THEN START ALL OVER.
SO A VERY CHALLENGING PRODUCT, OUR PROJECT, UM, THE CONTRACTOR HAD GLOWING THINGS TO SAY ABOUT OUR STAFF AND HOW GREAT THE PROJECT WAS GOING, HOW EASY WE WERE TO WORK WITH.
SO I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE NEED TO HEAR TO NOT ONLY DO WE DO A GREAT JOB PICKING THE RIGHT CONTRACTOR FOR THE SHOP FOR A VERY COMPLICATED AND DIFFICULT JOB, BUT THAT IT'S, UH, IT'S A RELATIONSHIP THAT'S WORKING WELL ON
AND THEY SAY THAT IT'S GOING VERY WELL.
SO I JUST WANTED TO PASS THAT ALONG TO GIVE KUDOS TO OUR STAFF.
THEY SAID THEY GET PAID ON TIME, THEY, SO I SAID
AND, UM, DIRECTOR DICK, SOMEBODY ELSE HAVE ANYTHING?
UM, WE ALREADY HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND.
ALL THOSE A OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES.
WE HAVE, UH, TWO BRIEFING ITEMS. UH, FIRST WE HAVE THE DALLAS ARBORETUM PRICING BOTTLE.
AND MS. BERRY, THE FLOOR IS YOURS.
SO TODAY WE DO HAVE, UM, THE DALLAS
UM, THIS HAS ALREADY PREVIOUSLY BEEN AT ADMIN AND FINANCE, IT WAS APPROVED THIS MORNING.
SO IF YOU'RE, THEY'RE HERE THIS MORNING, IT'S GOING TO BE, UM, MS.
CLARK IS HERE, THE CEO OF DABS.
AND ALSO, UM, GARY ROBIN, WHO IS THE CFO.
AND THEY'LL, HE, THEY'LL RUN THROUGH THE PRESENTATION.
AND THEN OF COURSE, AT A LATER TIME AFTER BOTH OF THESE BRIEFINGS, WE'LL COME BACK TO BOARD FORWARD MOVED.
THANK YOU ALL AGAIN FOR HAVING US TODAY.
IT DOES FEEL GOOD TO BE BACK AFTER LABOR DAY AND KUDOS ON THE COTTON BOWL MEMBER OF CITY.
AND, UM, AND THE AR IS AS WELL.
AND SO WE REALLY APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE THIS MORNING TO SHARE, UM, WHAT WE HOPE WILL BE OUR NEW PRICING STRUCTURE FOR 2025.
UM, I AM WITH GARY, DEBRA, OUR FAIRLY NEW CFO.
UM, GARY AND I HAVE WORKED TOGETHER BEFORE AT A DIFFERENT BOTANICAL GARDEN COMBINED.
WE HAVE 35 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN PRICING MODELS AND MOVING GARDENS FORWARD AND BEING PART OF THEIR COMMUNITY.
SO WITH THAT, UH, MAY I PLEASE HAVE A NEXT SLIDE? SO I WANNA SPEAK A LITTLE BIT TO THE HISTORY.
SO I'VE BEEN IN PLACE NOW AS THE NEW PRESIDENT, CEO FOR NINE MONTHS.
AND I'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET UNDER THE HOOD, SO TO SPEAK, OF THE DALLAS ARBORETUM.
AND THERE'S SO MANY WONDERFUL THINGS THAT HAVE OCCURRED THERE FOR YEARS.
AND WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO DO IS WE ARE FINDING MORE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE OPPORT TO GROW AND TO SHINE AND TO BE MORE FISCALLY SUSTAINABLE.
WE HAVE, UM, SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO, UM, STRENGTHEN OUR OPERATIONS.
BY THE WAY, WE HAVE A NEW COO STARTING ON OCTOBER 15TH,
UM, AND SO, BUT WE ALSO HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO BUILD OUR EARNED REVENUES AND OUR CONTRIBUTED REVENUES.
UM, FOR SOME OF YOU WHO KNOW THAT DALLAS
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ARE, IS VERY STRONG AT THE GATE OR WHAT WE CALL IN OUR WORLD, THE EARNED REVENUES.AND SO MY JOB IS TO MAKE A BIGGER SHARE OF THE PIE WITH CONTRIBUTED, BUT WE DON'T WANNA LEARN.
YOU LOSE THOSE EARNED REVENUES.
WE WANT THEM TO CONTINUE TO CONTINUE TO BE STRONG.
UH, ANOTHER WAY THAT WE'RE GONNA DO THIS AND IDENTIFY IS THROUGH A FIVE YEAR STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS.
WE HAVE THAT GOING ON RIGHT NOW.
WE WILL HAVE THAT NORTH STAR FOR THE DALLAS ARBORETUM WITH THE MAJOR GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OVER FIVE YEARS, SO THAT WE CAN BE MORE FISCALLY SUSTAINABLE, EVEN MORE RELEVANT FOR OUR COMMUNITY, AND DO IT IN A WAY THAT IT, OUR COMMUNITY BELIEVES IN.
UM, MANY, MANY STAKEHOLDERS WORK INVOLVED IN THIS DATA.
AND, UM, SO BY DECEMBER, WE SHOULD HAVE A STRATEGIC PLAN READY TO GO FOR JANUARY 1ST.
SO WITH THAT SAID, UM, THERE ARE TWO REQUESTS WE'D LIKE TO EXPLORE WITH YOU TODAY.
VARIABLE PRICING STRUCTURE, WHICH WE'LL GO THROUGH, AS WELL AS AN ONLINE CAPTURE OF CONVENIENCE FEES THAT WE ARE BEING CHARGED.
THE REASON FOR THE ASK IS BECAUSE IN MY WORLD, DON'T ASK YOU DON'T GET ANYONE IN FUNDRAISING KNOWS THAT, RIGHT? BUT WE ALSO KNOW THIS, THAT COSTS ARE CONTINUING TO RISE.
THERE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE A SLOW DOWN WHEN WE'RE FILLING UP OUR CARS AND WHEN WE'RE GOING TO THE GROCERY STORE, EVERYONE IN, IN OUR COUNTRY'S FILLING IT.
AND, UH, THIS GENTLEMAN LETS ME SIGN ALL THE CHECKS.
AND SO I SEE HOW COSTS ARE RISING.
I AM NOTICING HOW EXPENSIVE PLANTS HAVE BEEN THIS PAST YEAR, HOW OUR SOIL PRICES ARE INCREASING, OUR LABOR, AND EVEN FOR OPERATIONS.
IT'S JUST BEEN, IT IS BEEN ASTRONOMICAL.
AND TO BACK UP TO A GLOBAL LEVEL FOR A SECOND, TO REMIND YOU, OUR ANNUAL OPERATING BUDGET THIS YEAR IS $32 MILLION.
99% OF THAT IS PRIVATELY FUNDED, 1% IS FUNDED BY THE CITY OF DALLAS.
UM, ON TOP OF THAT 32 MILLION, THOUGH, WE HAVE THAT HEALTHY DEBT OF DEBT COVENANT FOR OUR PARKING FACILITY THAT YOU ALL OWN, THAT WE ARE, ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO MANAGE THAT HELPS US INCREASE ATTENDANCE AND, UM, BRING MORE PEOPLE TO EXPLORE THE ARBORETUM.
SO ON TOP OF THAT, WE HAVE TO RAISE ANOTHER TWO AND A HALF MILLION EVERY YEAR.
SO WE'RE REALLY ALMOST A $35 MILLION MILLION.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT VARIABLE PRICING AS ONE WAY TO BECOME MORE FISCALLY SUSTAINABLE OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS.
UM, WE KNOW THAT OUTSIDE FUNDING IS FLUCTUATING.
AND SO WE WANNA STAY AHEAD OF THAT IF WE CAN.
SO WHAT IS VARIABLE PRICING? NEXT SLIDE.
IT'S A GENERAL TERM, RIGHT? YOU CAN ALSO KNOW IT AS DYNAMIC PRICING AS WELL.
MANY OF YOU THAT HAVE HEARD OF THIS BEFORE, YOU'RE MOST COMMONLY GONNA, UM, SEE DYNAMIC PRICING WHEN YOU BOOK AN AIRLINE FLIGHT.
ALL THE COMPLICATED ALGORITHMS THAT SIT IN YOUR COOKIES AND ALL THAT KIND OF GOOD STUFF.
UH, WE'RE NOT ASKING TO BE THAT COMPLICATED
WE'RE GOING TO KEEP IT REALLY SIMPLE AND FOLLOW THE KISS METHOD.
WE'RE GONNA BE DOING A PEAK AND A NON-PEAK ALL YEAR KIND OF PRICING FOR OUR GENERAL ADMISSIONS.
IT'S BASICALLY TAKING ADVANTAGE TO SOME EXTENT OF PEAK TIMES, RIGHT? UM, AND FOR US, OUR PEAK TIMES ARE GONNA BE OUR WEEKENDS.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.
AND IT IS, UM, VERY COMMON IN OUR NOW IN OUR PUBLIC GARDEN INDUSTRY.
UH, WE'RE, WE'RE A FEW OF, UH, FEW OF THE GARDENS HERE THAT WE'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN.
WE'RE AHEAD OF THIS CURVE BACK IN THE DAY, SO WE'D LIKE TO SEE IF THIS WOULD BE GOOD.
UM, SO LET'S LOOK OUT, BEFORE WE GOT INTO THIS, WE WANTED TO SEE WHERE WE STOOD IN THE PICTURE OF DALLAS AND ALSO NATIONWIDE IN OUR BOTANICAL GUARD WORLD.
AND IF WE LOOK AT US TODAY, WE'RE AT $22 FOR AN ADULT.
WE'RE AT $13 FOR A CHILD AND OUR COMPETITORS AND OUR HEALTHY COMPETITORS, UM, COMPETITION HERE IN CULTURAL WORLD.
THE PEROT IS AT $25 FOR AN ADULT, AND THE AQUARIUM IS ALMOST $30 FOR AN ADULT.
UH, WE ARE THE NUMBER ONE CULT CULTURAL ORGANIZATION IN THE CITY OF DALLAS.
WE CAN LOOK AT TRIPADVISOR AND YELP AND SOME OTHER WONDERFUL REVIEWS THAT WE'VE HAD.
AND SO IF WE LOOK AT THE BOTANICAL GARDEN WORLD, JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF WHERE WE SIT IN THE TOP OF THIS NATION.
SO WE'RE THE SIXTH LARGEST BOTANICAL GARDEN IN THE UNITED STATES BY OUR ANNUAL UPGRADING BUDGET, BUT ALSO BY OUR ANNUAL ATTENDANCE OF 1.1 MILLION PEOPLE.
THERE ARE SUSTAINABLE GARDENS IN THE COUNTRY THAT GET SIGNIFICANT FUNDING FROM THEIR COUNTY OR THEIR CITY TO ENCOURAGE TO KEEP THEIR ADMISSIONS RATES LOW.
BUT IF I LOOK AT JUST SOME OF THOSE WHO DO NOT HAVE THAT KIND OF FUNDING, IF I LOOK AT LONGWOOD GARDENS, WHICH IS THE LARGEST OF ALL OF US IN THE WORLD, UM, THEY'RE $32 FOR AN ADULT.
IF I LOOK AT BOT NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN UP THERE IN THE BRONX, THEY'RE $35 FOR AN ADULT.
UM, ATLANTA, MY FORMER GARDEN IN GARY'S IS NOW AT, UH, $30 FOR AN ADULT.
AND IF I LOOK AT MIAMI, THEY'RE AT $25.
NOW, IF YOU LOOK AT SOME OF THE OTHER LARGE SIGNIFICANT, SEE SIGNIFICANT FUNDING LIKE CHICAGO, THEY'RE AT $21.
SO YOU KIND OF SEE WE'RE IN THAT 25 TO $30 RANGE.
AND IF YOU EVEN LOOK AT THE FORMER GARDEN I WAS JUST RECENTLY AT IN SAN ANTONIO, THEIR ADULT PRICE IS $22 THE SAME PRICE AS THE DALLAS SERVER TODAY.
SO WITH THE NEXT SLIDE, LET'S JUST QUICKLY LOOK AT OUR CURRENT PRICING STRUCTURE THAT YOU ALL HOPED, UM, PASS LAST YEAR, WHERE OUR MEMBERS WILL ALWAYS BE FREE, NEVER CHANGE ONLY, THAT'S A HUGE, UM, ASSET
[00:30:01]
OF MEMBERSHIP.OUR ADULT IS AT 22, OUR CHILD IS AT 13, AND WE DO CURRENTLY HAVE A SENIOR DISCOUNT AT 18.
NOW TO, TO, UM, VISIT THE CHILDREN'S GARDEN, IT'S AN ADDITIONAL $3 THAT'S ALMOST HALF THE SIZE.
I MEAN, I THINK IT'S A 10 ACRE CHILDREN'S GARDEN.
SO, UM, IT'S A BARRIER, I THINK, TO VISITATION.
WHEN PEOPLE COME AND THEY PAY THE $22, THEN YOU HAVE TO ADD $3 AGAIN FOR FAMILY FOUR.
SO I, I THINK THAT, UM, REMOVING THAT BARRIER MIGHT BE A REALLY GOOD IDEA.
AND I KNOW THAT THERE'VE BEEN DOLLAR DAYS CREATED FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
AND I KNOW THAT I WOULD IMAGINE THE INTENT WAS TO ATTRACT PEOPLE FROM LOWER INCOME SUB CODES IN OUR UNDER CHAMPIONED NEIGHBORHOODS.
WHEN WE LOOK AT THE ACTUAL DATA, WE'RE NOT SEEING THAT.
AND I WANTED TO INTRODUCE A PROGRAM THAT ACTUALLY MOVES THE NEEDLE IN LOWER INCOME SUB CODES BEFORE, AND I THINK DALLAS IS TOTALLY READY FOR.
SO ON THE NEXT SLIDE, YOU'RE GONNA SEE, UM, OUR PROPOSED STRUCTURE FOR 2025, WHERE WE LOOK AT A PEAK AND A NON-PEAK VARIABLE PRICING MODEL.
NON-PE IS MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY AT ONE PRICE, AND OUR WEEKENDS ARE SLIGHTLY HIGHER AT ANOTHER PRICE, WHICH WE WILL CALL PEAK.
SO IT BRINGS OUR ADULTS DURING NON-PEAK TIMES KIND OF STAYS AT THE $22 LEVEL.
AND, BUT ON A PEAK IT WOULD BE 25.95, BASICALLY $26.
BUT WHAT I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT HERE IS YEAR ROUND, WHAT WE WOULD DO ALL THE TIME FOR GENERAL ADMISSION.
THESE ARE ALL NEW INITIATIVES ON OUR BEHALF.
SOME OF THEM I'VE DONE BEFORE.
SOME OF THEM WERE, WE'RE GONNA HAVE FUN WITH BECAUSE WE HAD TO GO WORK REALLY WELL.
MUSEUMS FOR ALL IS A WONDERFUL NATIONAL PROGRAM.
WE'LL GO INTO ANOTHER SLIDE THAT'LL TAKE US DEEPER INTO THAT WITH A $3 ADMISSION FOR FOLKS WHO ARE ON SNAP, UH, RECIPIENT BENEFITS.
ANOTHER NEW STRUCTURE WE'D LIKE TO DO IS A BUY ONE GET ONE FREE.
THIS IS ONE I HAVEN'T DONE YET, BUT I THINK COULD BE REALLY SUCCESSFUL.
WE WANNA HONOR THOSE PEOPLE THAT HELP KEEP OUR COMMUNITY REALLY STRONG AND HEALTHY AND SAFE.
AND THOSE ARE OUR FIRST RESPONDERS, THOSE ARE OUR MILITARY AND OUR VETERANS AND OUR TEACHERS.
SO WE'D LIKE TO OFFER THAT AS WELL.
WE WANNA REMOVE THE BARRIER OF THE CHILDREN'S GARDEN FEE AND MAKE THE ONE VISIT TO THE DALLAS ARBORETUM ONE ARBORETUM ONE GARDEN VISIT.
AND I THINK WE'LL GET A LOT MORE PEOPLE EXPLORING WHAT IS ONE OF THE LARGEST CHILDREN'S GARDEN NATION AS WELL.
AND WE WILL NOT CHARGE MORE FOR AN EXHIBIT FEE.
UM, THE PEROT IS DOING THAT CURRENTLY.
UH, WE WANT TO BRING BACK AND, UM, GARY AND I HAVE LIVED THROUGH THIS A LOT.
WE WANNA BRING BACK THE BLOCKBUSTERS AGAIN.
WE'RE TALKING TO THE ULLI STUDIO TO HAVE THEM RETURN, WE'RE GONNA HAVE HAN SLOAN A FAMOUS AMERICAN ARTIST, AND HIS SCULPTURES COME IN 2026 AND MANY MORE.
SO WE HAVE ABOUT A FIVE YEAR PLAN OF BLOCKBUSTER SUMMER EXHIBITIONS THAT WILL HELP US BUILD SUMMER ATTENDANCE BETWEEN WHAT IS SO FAMOUS DALLAS BLOOMS AND
UM, IF WE COULD PLEASE HAVE THE NEXT SLIDE.
LET'S GO A LITTLE BIT MORE INTO WHAT IS MUSEUMS FALL AND WHY IT'S REALLY CRITICAL.
AND IT IS A WONDERFUL PROGRAM.
IT'S BEEN ABOUT A DECADE IN EXISTENCE THROUGH IMLS, THE INSTITUTE OF MUSEUM AND LUXURY SCIENCE SERVICES.
UM, THAT IS AN ORGANIZATION ON A FEDERAL LEVEL THAT DONATES MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN GRANTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS TO MANY OF OUR ORGANIZATIONS.
SO IF YOU RECEIVE SNAP OR WIC BENEFITS, THIS IS A, WELL, FIRST OF ALL, LET BACK UP.
WE AS THE ARBORETUM, IT WILL NOT COST US ANYTHING TO APPLY FOR THE APPLICATION.
AND THEN WE, IN TURN, IT'S FREE FOR ANYONE WHO'S ELIGIBLE.
AND SO IT WOULD BE A $3 ADMISSION FOR ANYONE WHO CAN SHOW US A VALID CARD UP TO FOUR OR EVEN SIX ADMISSIONS IN ONE VISIT.
THEY CAN COME ANYTIME THEY WANT.
WE WOULD ALSO BUILD, WE'D SEE HOW THIS GOES IN OUR FIRST YEAR AND THEN BUILD A MEMBERSHIP ON TOP OF IT.
SO WE COULD DO IT, FOR EXAMPLE, A $20 MEMBERSHIP, RIGHT? FOR FOLKS WHO ARE, ARE MUSEUMS FOR, THERE ARE 1300 MUSEUMS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES THAT CURRENTLY IN, UH, APPLY THIS, UM, WONDERFUL PROGRAM.
THE MAJORITY OF THEIR CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS HAVE ADOPTED THIS FOR A WHILE.
SO WE'D LOVE TO BE THE THIRD
AND, UM, I WILL TELL YOU WHY I LOVE THIS PROGRAM SO MUCH IS WHEN I WAS IN SAN ANTONIO, WE WERE THE FIRST ORGANIZATION IN THAT CITY TO ADOPT MUSEUMS FROM.
AND IN THE FIRST YEAR I WAS THERE, WE ONLY HAD 400 REDEMPTIONS.
AND I THOUGHT, AS A FORMER MARKETER, WE CAN DO BETTER THAN THAT.
WE CAN DO IT IN A VERY GENUINE WAY AND AN HONEST WAY THAT IS VERY AUTHENTIC TO OUR COMMUNITY.
REMEMBER, SAN ANTONIO HAS TWO THIRDS OF PEOPLE LIVING IN, UH, BELOW THE PARKING LOT.
SO IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE BECOME A GARDEN FOR THEM AS WELL.
AND SO BY THE YEAR I LEFT IN 2020, THE END OF 2023, WE HAD 10,000
I JUST TALKED TO THEIR CEO AND THEY HAVE MORE LIKE 12,000 REDEMPTIONS THIS YEAR.
UM, THE WAY WE DID IT WAS, UH, WE DID VERY THOUGHTFUL MARKETING THROUGH THE KEY CHANNELS THAT THE, UH, SAN ANTONIO GARDEN ALREADY HAD.
WE ALSO PARTNERED WITH OUR COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS, COMMUNITY CENTERS, YMCAS, UM, CHILDREN'S CENTERS AND, AND SCHOOLS AND SAID, WE HAVE THIS PROGRAM, PLEASE SHARE IT.
[00:35:01]
UM, AND IT WAS, CAME FROM A VERY GENUINE PLACE.WHAT'S ALSO VERY IMPORTANT IS THAT WE, UM, EDUCATE AND TRAIN OUR FRONTLINE TEAMS TO BE REALLY THOUGHTFUL THROUGH THE WHOLE PROCESS SO THAT THERE IS NO EMBARRASSMENT OR SHAME.
IF SOMEONE KNOWS ABOUT THE PROGRAM, IT SHOWS US THEIR CAR.
TO US, THAT IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT.
SO LET'S LOOK AT A COST COMPARISON ON THE NEXT SLIDE, UH, FOR THIS YEAR VERSUS WHAT NEXT YEAR COULD BE.
IF YOU LOOK AT OUR ADULT PRICING, WE'RE REALLY AVERAGE.
OUR NEW TICKET PRICE IS $23 94 CENTS.
SO ABOUT A DOLLAR 94 OF WHERE WE ARE TODAY, OUR CHILD PRICE GOES UP, UM, SLIGHTLY TO THE PEAK AND NON-PE THERE, OUR CHILDREN'S GARDEN FEE GOES AWAY.
SO EVERYONE WILL EXPERIENCE THAT AND THAT BARRIER IS REMOVED.
WE DO, THEY'RE LESS, LESS THAN 10% OF OUR VISITATION RIGHT NOW.
UM, UM, THE MAJORITY OF, UM, I THINK BOOMERS ARE VERY WELL OFF, BUT FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT, THEY ARE HAPPY TO TAKE PART IN MUSEUMS FROM HOME AND TELL US THAT THEY SERVED IN THE MILITARY.
WE'LL BE PRETTY EASY ABOUT THAT.
AND THEN THE ACCESS PROGRAM FROM, SO THERE ARE LOTS OF BENEFITS.
UH, THEY'RE ALL LISTED HERE ON THIS SLIDE, BUT BOTTOM LINE IS THIS HELPS THE OPERATE UP, SOLIDIFY OUR REVENUES OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS AS FUNDING IS FLUCTUATING, IT IS BEST PRACTICES AMONG OUR ORGANIZATIONS NATIONWIDE.
UM, I INSTITUTED THIS IN SAN ANTONIO.
YOU'VE INSTITUTED IN THE ATLANTA GARDEN TOO.
UM, WHAT I LOVE THE MOST THOUGH ABOUT THIS WHOLE STRUCTURE IS IT INCREASES ACCESS TO MORE PEOPLE.
I THINK MUSEUMS FOR ALL IS GONNA BE AS TRANSFORMATIVE FOR DALLAS AS IT HAS BEEN FOR OTHER, OTHER CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS.
AND I ALSO THINK WE DID OUR DUE DILIGENCE AND WE LOOKED AT THE COMPETITIVE SET AND WE FALL WITHIN THE LINE OF THE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE HERE IN TOWN.
WE WANT MORE PEOPLE TO EXPERIENCE NATURE 'CAUSE THERE'S SO MANY BENEFITS.
WITH THAT SAID, I'D LIKE TO TURN IT TO GARY TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE RECOVERY OF OUR ONLINE CONVENIENCE FEES.
MORNING EVERYBODY, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME THIS MORNING.
SO IN ADDITION TO THE VARIABLE PRICING, WE ALSO WANNA IMPLEMENT AN ONLINE CONVENIENCE FEE.
I'M SURE ALL YOU ARE AWARE SPACE TICKETS ONLINE, UM, MAINLY WITH TICKETMASTER OR OF TYPICALLY A 10 TO 20%.
BUT, UM, THESE, THIS FEE WOULD HELP COVER ALL THE COSTS THAT MAKE PURCHASING A TICKET ONLINE CONVENIENT.
UM, AS SIDE NOTE, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PRE-PURCHASE TICKETS ANYMORE TO GET THE AR.
YOU DON'T MAKE RESERVATIONS SO LOCKUPS.
SO IF YOU DON'T WANNA MAKE, YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T WANNA PAY THE SPEED, YOU CAN COME UP TO OUR FRONT GATE AND BUY A TICKET AND BYPASS THAT.
UM, ONE OF OUR BIGGEST COSTS YOU SEE ON THE SLIDE HERE IS OUR CREDIT CARD FEES.
WE OVER $750,000 A YEAR, CREDIT CARD FEES, SPEED WITHOUT COST, THOSE COSTS.
UM, AND WE WOULD ALSO OFFSET OTHER COSTS THAT GO IN, INTO PURSUIT TICKETS ONLINE, LIKE SOFTWARE COSTS, WEBSITE COSTS, CYBERSECURITY, AND THE LABOR.
THIS FEE WOULD BE $3 PER TRANSACTION, NOT PER TICKET PER TRANSACTION.
UM, PRACTICE AMONG ALL OF OUR RETAILERS, TICKET VENDORS, CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS, ACROSS, UM, WE DATED THE LAND SAN ANTONIO.
SO IT'S A PRETTY COMMON THING.
IT HELPS, IT REALLY DOES HELP OFFSET THESE COSTS.
UM, AND WE WOULD WAIVE ALL, NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS.
SO I, SO WHAT ARE SOME OF THE OUTCOMES? AND WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT THAT IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF SLIDES.
UM, SO REALLY WE'RE LOOKING AT AN AVERAGE INCREASE OF ABOUT A DOLLAR 94.
UM, FOR, FOR OUR GENERAL ADMISSION TICKETS.
IT HELPS US BECOME MORE SUSTAINABLE FISCALLY.
UM, WHEN IT COMES TO THE ONLINE CONVENIENCE FEE, WE'LL, IT'LL ALL BE DONE WITHIN COMPLIANCE AND FISCAL REGULATIONS THAT ARE STANDING IN PLACE.
AND THIS IS A, A CONSERVATIVE ESTIMATE, BUT, UM, THAT GARY AND I WORKED ON TOGETHER, IF WE DO THESE TWO COMBINED, THE ARBORETUM COULD LOOK AT AN INCREASE OF 30 TO 40% OF REVENUES IN OUR EARNED REVENUE CATEGORY THAT RANGES AROUND TWO AND A HALF TO $3 MILLION NEXT YEAR.
UM, AND THAT WOULD REALLY, AND WE'LL EXPLAIN WHAT WE'D LIKE TO INVEST THAT IN, UM, BE TRANSFORMATIVE BECAUSE WE HAVE THAT GOOD DEBT IN THE PARKING DOCK, THAT TWO AND A HALF MILLION THAT AMGE ASKS US TO RAISE EVERY SINGLE YEAR ON TOP OF OUR ANNUAL OPERAT EQUITY BUDGET THAT WOULD HELP US BREATHE A BIT BETTER.
WE'VE ALREADY GOT PLANS IN PLACE TO PAY DOWN THE LOAN, UM, IN ADVANCE OF A HUGE BALLOON COMING FROM NOW.
SO WE'RE ALREADY DOING THE, THE GOOD WORKS.
I WOULD LOVE TO SEE, UM, THIS NEXT YEAR THAT WE COULD SEED AN ACCESS PROGRAM THAT WE COULD HELP PAY FOR THIS.
UM, AND WHATEVER THAT ACCESS PROGRAM WOULD BE FOR FOLKS IN OUR COMMUNITY, IT MIGHT BE TRANSPORTATION.
WE START A TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM TO GO OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND BRING PEOPLE TO THE ARTERY ROOM.
IF WE SEE THAT IN YEAR ONE THAT WE CAN CONVINCE IT'S SUCCESSFUL, THEN WE COULD POTENTIALLY GET OTHER FUNDERS AND GRANT RESPOND
[00:40:01]
TO TAKE ON FOR THE COMMUNITY AS WELL.UM, WE WILL OPEN THE DOORS TO OTHER, UM, OTHER FOLKS IN THOSE ACCESS PROGRAMS, WHETHER IT BE MILITARY OR DISABLED, AND THAT'S CONTINUED OVER, WE'RE SENIORS.
UM, AND THEN I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS I'M NOTICING, WE WANNA BE THE BEST PLACE TO WORK FOR
WE ALWAYS SAY PEOPLE PLANS IN PLACE AND PEOPLE WE CAN'T DO WITHOUT OUR PEOPLE.
WE REALLY WANT TO TAKE CARE OF THEM AND BE A GREAT PLACE TO WORK.
SO WE WOULD DEFINITELY, UM, UH, ON THE NEXT SLIDE, UH, AS IT COMES TO OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY OF DALLAS, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
WE WOULD BE VERY WILLING TO EXPLORE OTHER AVENUES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN THE FUTURE WITH THESE EXCESS EXCESSIVE FUNDS.
BUT CURRENTLY WE DO DO THE 25,000 TICKETS.
WE BROUGHT SOME TODAY, SO WE'LL PASS AROUND FOR EVERYBODY, FOR AUTOMATE THE ARBORETUM.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO WELCOME A HUNDRED THOUSAND SCHOOL CHILDREN FROM DALLAS AND RICHARDSON ISDS AND CONTINUE TO DO SO.
WE'RE ONE OF THE TOP GARDENS IN THE NATION THAT HAS THAT MANY CHILDREN COMING THROUGH, WHICH IS PHENOMENAL.
51% OF THEM COME FROM TITLE ONE SCHOOLS AND, UM, WE'LL EXPLORE THEIR OPPORTUNITIES.
THANK YOU FOR OUR PARTNERSHIP.
THANK YOU FOR HEARING US OUT TODAY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS EXCELLENT PRESENTATION.
MR. AVA, UM, I BELIEVE WE HAVE A QUESTION BY STARTING WITH MR. CONNOR, CHIEF PRESIDENT.
THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, REALLY, I, I AGREE WITH THE, UH, INCREASE IN PRICE I THINK ANYTIME.
UH, I LIKE THE WAY THAT, UH,
SO MY MAIN QUESTION IS ON THE CONVENIENCE FEES.
SO MY BACKGROUND, UM, HAS HAS BEEN IN THE PAYMENT SPACE FOR THE LAST NUMBER OF YEARS, HAVE STARTED A COUPLE COMPANIES AND SOLD THOSE IN THE PAYMENT SPACE.
THERE ARE REAL REGULATIONS FROM DEPART CONVENIENCE FEES.
HAVE YOU GUYS CONSULTED WITH AN ATTORNEY ABOUT THE FLAT RATE OF THE $3 SENT TO THE CONVENIENCE FEE AS IT'S PART OF THE TICKET? WHAT WE HAVE LOOKED INTO THAT AND THAT'S COMPLIANT.
YEAH, THAT WAS MY MAIN QUESTION.
IT'S JUST HOW THAT, MAKING SURE THAT IS THERE CARD RAN ARE STRICT.
THEY ARE PHRASE THAT WILL THOSE CONVENIENCE FEES BE USED ON ANYTHING OTHER THAN TICKETING IN THE FUTURE? OR IS IT JUST TICKETING IN JUST ONLINE COVERING THOSE COSTS RIGHT NOW.
DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS IN THE FUTURE, ANY CONVENIENCE FEES OR TECHNOLOGY, ANY KIND OF OTHER SOFTWARE FEE? WE'RE SEEING MORE IN THIS, MORE OF THIS AS WELL IN THE LARGE EVENT SPACE.
SO YEAH, I MEAN THE VAST MAJORITY IS CREDIT CARD FEES, BUT YEAH, IT COVERS THE SOFTWARE.
BUT IF SOMEBODY WAS GO TO YOUR GIFT SHOP IN THE FUTURE, ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT IMPLEMENTING JUST SECOND, TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION.
MS. HUSBANDY, UM, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
UM, THE ARBORETUM IS SOMETHING THAT WE ALL LIKE TO SAY, YOU KNOW, MY FAVORITE EXPRESSION JEWEL OF THE CITY.
WE FIGHT OVER FAIR PART WHETHER WHICH ONE'S THE JEWEL IS THE CITY, BUT SINCE THIS IS IN MY DISTRICT, THIS IS THE JEWEL OF THE CITY
UM, SO WE, WE TALK ABOUT IT ALL THE TIME, BUT WE ALSO NEED TO BE REMINDED FROM TIME TO TIME OF THAT $32 MILLION BUDGET THAT YOU'RE CHOKING DOWN EVERY YEAR, THAT 99% OF IT IS PRIVATELY, PRIVATELY FUNDED.
UM, OUR STIPEND IS VERY SMALL.
UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK YOU'VE BEEN IN THE POSITION OF HAVING TO FIGHT FOR IT MANY TIMES AND SINCE THERE'S PEOPLE THAT DON'T ALWAYS WANNA GIVE THAT, THAT GENEROUSLY.
SO I THINK FINDING WAYS TO BE SELF-SUFFICIENT AND FINDING WAYS TO DO THAT AND, AND DO IT CAREFULLY AND THOUGHTLY AND NOT, NOT HAVING AN IMPACT ON THE FOLKS THAT REALLY DO NEED MORE ACCESS TO IT.
I THOUGHT YOU'VE, I REALLY THINK YOU'VE DONE A GREAT JOB ON THIS.
AND I THINK ROLLING THAT, UM, CHILDREN'S GARDEN COST INTO YOUR COST SO THAT WHEN YOU GET THERE, IT'S NOT LIKE YOU GET TO THE OTHER SIDE AND GO, WELL, I GOTTA PAY AGAIN.
UM, SO I JUST WANNA SAY KUDOS FOR REALLY, UM, YOU HAVE A GREAT BOARD AND I KNOW THEY WORK HARD ON THIS STUFF AND THANK YOU FOR BEING SO THOUGHTFUL ABOUT TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE DOING THIS CAREFULLY AND ALSO EXPANDING AND GETTING MORE OF THOSE FOLKS IN THERE THAT MIGHT BE AFFECTED BY THIS KIND OF INCREASE.
SO I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU AND, AND REMIND EVERYBODY WHAT A GREAT JOB.
THANK YOU MS. HUSBANDY AND MS. MONDELL.
[00:45:01]
UM, QUESTION FOR YOU, UM, THE PRICE OF FAMILY MEMBERSHIPS AND MEMBERSHIP INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIPS.CAN YOU TELL US WHAT THAT IS? UM, AND THEN THAT WAY I ALSO THEN WOULD LIKE THE NOTE BECAUSE IF IT WAS A FAMILY OF SIX AND IT WAS $136 PLUS, YOU KNOW, PLUS SOME WALKING AWAY TO ADULTS AND FOUR CHILDREN, IT WOULD, THERE'S SOMEBODY BE AT THE DOOR SAYING, WELL FOR THIS AMOUNT YOU CAN ACTUALLY GET A FAMILY MEMBERSHIP OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
AND, AND SO IF YOU COULD JUST TELL ME A LITTLE LENGTH ON THAT.
THE, THE THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
UM, WHAT WE'VE ALWAYS SEEN IN THE 22 YEARS I'VE BEEN IN BOTANICAL GARDENS IN THE CULTURAL WORLD, WHEN YOU DO RAISE YOUR ADMISSION PRICE, IT DOES PUSH TO THE MEMBERSHIP ORDER BECAUSE AFTER YOU CAN USE THE MARKETING, EXCUSE ME TO SAY THE SALES PITCH, RIGHT? IF THERE IS ONE TO BE HAD, AND THERE USUALLY IS, HEY, WITH YOU COME TWO TIMES AND YOU PAY FOR A FAMILY MEMBERSHIP ALREADY.
SO WHEN WE'RE DOING, WHEN WE'RE TALKING TO OUR FRONTLINE TEAMS ABOUT THIS CHANGE, ABOUT MUSEUMS FOR ALL AND EVERYTHING, THAT WILL BE PART OF THE TRAINING SPOT.
UM, THERE WILL BE SOME SLIGHT ADJUSTMENTS TO THE MEMBERSHIP RATES BECAUSE OF THIS, IF THIS PASSES THROUGH, BUT THEY'RE NOT GONNA BE EXORBITANT AT ALL.
THEY NEED TO BE VERY MINOR SO THAT WE CAN SAY THAT TWO VISITS PIECE.
AND THE OTHER PART OF THAT, AND I KNOW WE WERE ASKED THIS IN FINANCE ADMINISTRATION, I'LL JUST BRING IT UP.
UM, WE WILL NOT, UM, INCREASE THE PARKING FEE TOO, SO THAT WILL STAY FIVE NEXT YEAR.
WHAT IS A FA PRICE OF THE FAMILY MEMBERS? I THINK IT'S 1 25 TO ONE THREE AND THAT INCLUDES FAMILY OF FOUR OR FIVE AND THEN MULTIPLE PASSES AND MULTIPLE FREE EVENTS AND COMPLIMENTARY PARKING
UM, AND THEN IF YOU'RE PITCHING THIS BEYOND US, I WOULD LOVE TO SUGGEST THAT YOU USE, UM, SOME OF YOUR, UH, EXAMPLES TO CITY ENTITIES, PEROT, AND AS OPPOSED TO PEROT AND, UM, THE DALLAS AQUARIUM, MAYBE THE ZOO SINCE THEY'RE CITY OWNED PROPERTIES LIKE YOURS.
SO THAT JUST VISUALLY, YOU KNOW.
UM, AND THEN THE OTHER THING I HAVE IS THAT HOW WILL YOU BE ABLE TO MANAGE, WHEN YOU SAY ZIP CODES, UM, 7 5 2 0 6 HAS SWISS AVENUE, BUT THEN YOU ALSO HAVE FITS YOU IN GASTON.
AND SO HOW, HOW ARE YOU GOING TO BE ABLE TO MANAGE THAT? I, I DRIVE THAT EVERY DAY TO WORK BACK, UM, THAT SAME ROUTE.
UH, WE HAVE, UM, MARKETING DATA FROM CELL PHONES THAT IS COMPLETELY A HUNDRED PERCENT ANONYMOUS.
SO WE'LL BE MONITORING THAT EVERY SINGLE MONTH, EVERY WEEK ON THE ALGORITHMS THAT ARE PICKED UP ON YOUR LOCATION SERVICES, WE CAN PICK UP WHERE THE ZIP CODES AND WHERE PEOPLE ARE COMING FROM.
WE CAN ALSO PICK UP ZIP CODES IF THEY'RE GIVING THEM TO US AT THE VISIT ADMISSION.
SO IF YOU'RE PRICING, IF YOU'RE MANAGING YOUR PRICING ON EQUITABLE OPPORTUNITY FOR LOWER INCOME TO IN THAT AREA, HOW WILL YOU BE ABLE TO DO THAT? IF YOU HAVE A RANGE OF, OR, UM, LEMME SEE IF I CLEAR.
WHEN SOMEONE COMES TO THE FRONT, TO THE DESK DESK READ, MAYBE I READ THIS WRONG, IT'S OKAY.
AND ZIP CODES, YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO, FOR MUSEUMS FOR ALL, WE'D BE ABLE TO MORE EFFECTIVELY RAISE LOWER INCOME ZIP CODES THROUGH VERY STRATEGIC AND THOUGHTFUL MARKETING.
SO LOWER INCOME ZIP CODES MEANS WHAT THEN? BECAUSE IF YOU HAVE A ZIP CODE, LIKE 50,000 OR LESS IS RIGHT.
BUT IF YOU HAVE A ZIP CODE LIKE SWISS AVENUE AND YOU KNOW, EAST LIKE EAST DALLAS MM-HMM.
AREAS THAT ARE VERY DIVERSE AND EVEN THOUGH OAK CLIFF TOO, I MEAN YOU HAVE, HOW DO YOU MANAGE THAT THROUGH THE MARKETING CHANNELS? HOW WE MANAGE THAT? UH, WELL, NOT TO STUMP YOU, I DON'T THINK ABOUT THAT.
TALKING ABOUT ZIP CODES AND, AND BEING ABLE TO VARIATION, YOU KNOW, HAVE VARYING, VARYING PRICING.
THERE ARE ZIP CODES IN THE STATE AND, AND DALLAS THAT HAVE DIVERSE ECONOMIC OF COURSE.
SO, SO ONE, IT'LL BE OUR MARKETING STRATEGY.
WE'RE HIRING A NEW VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING WHO WILL BE COMING ON BOARD IN MONTH THAT'LL WORK THROUGH THAT TOGETHER.
THE WAY I'VE DONE IT IN THE PAST IS, UM, TO MARKET MUSEUMS FOR ALL, WHICH IS SEPARATE.
SO WE'RE THINKING OF THE SWISS AVENUE EAST DALLAS PIECE.
UM, WE WOULD LOOK FOR PARTNERS WITHIN THAT EAST DALLAS AREA THAT HAD COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND PLANS THERE THAT WE COULD SAY, WE HAVE THIS WONDERFUL NEW PROGRAM.
PLEASE, PLEASE HELP US PASS ALONG THE WORD.
UM, THE SWISS AVENUE FOLKS MAY SEE MORE OF A HIGHER LEVEL MARKETING, YOU KNOW, BILLBOARDS.
I, I HOPE THAT HELPS ANSWER, MAYBE I'M CONFUSED.
I THOUGHT IT WAS PRICING DEPENDENT ON THE ZIP CODE.
THE PRICING DEPEND ON WHETHER YOU HAVE A A, A SNAP OR WIC CARD MUSEUMS FRAUD.
IT WAS MY PROCESSING OF HOW THAT INFORMATION WAS FINE.
MR. NER, THANK YOU MADAM PRESIDENT.
UH, THANK YOU BOTH FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
GOOD TO SEE Y'ALL AGAIN AFTER OUR COMMITTEE
[00:50:01]
MEETING.UM, I'M IN FULL SUPPORT OF THIS.
I APPRECIATE THE THOUGHTFULNESS AND THE SIMPLICITY THAT YOU'VE DEVELOPED IN THIS MODEL.
IT'S EASY TO UNDERSTAND, EASY TO FOLLOW.
AND I THINK I, I'M HOPEFUL THAT WILL HELP AND I THINK MS. MANDELL TOUCHED ON THIS, BUT IT'S THE ANTICIPATION THAT BY INCREASING THE CRISIS SLIGHTLY, THAT WE WILL DRIVE MORE MEMBERSHIPS.
AND DO WE HAVE ANY PROJECTIONS ON HOW MANY MORE MEMBERSHIPS THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO GET THROUGH THIS NEW PRICING STRUCTURE? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
TYPICALLY WHAT I'VE SEEN IS ANYWHERE FROM THREE TO SEVEN.
BECAUSE IT'S SUCH A NICE AMENITY AND I WOULD ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO BUY A MEMBERSHIP SO YOU CAN ENJOY THIS YEAR ROUND AT A REASONABLE COST.
UM, QUICK QUESTION ON THE CREDIT CARD FEES.
SO IT'LL COVER A CREDIT CARD FEE FOR AN ON ONLINE, YOU WANNA GET COVERED FOR ONLINE TRANSACTIONS, BUT IS THERE NOT A, A RELATED FEE FOR AN IN-PERSON? TRANSACTIONS AS WELL TOO.
BUT WE'RE ONLY ASKING THE USER TO ABSORB IT IF THEY PURCHASE IT ON ONLINE.
AND BUT IS IT SOMETHING YOU WOULD LOOK AT IN THE FUTURE DOING IT IN, IN PERSON AS WELL? OR IS IT JUST RIGHT NOW THE WALKUP FEE? OH, THE WALKUP FEE, YEAH.
SO Y'ALL WILL JUST EAT THOSE FEES ON THE CREDIT CARDS, BUT FOR ONLINE, IS THIS TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO BUY THEIR TICKETS IN PERSON OR JUST WHY? WHY'D Y'ALL MAKE, WHY DID Y'ALL MAKE THE DISTINCTION THERE BETWEEN ONLINE VERSUS IN PERSON? IF THE FEES ARE THE SAME, THERE'S MORE OF A COST.
SOFTWARE, THE PEOPLE BEHIND IT.
UM, AND THEN THE LAST THING IS JUST IN TERMS OF THE OUTREACH THAT Y'ALL DO IN TERMS OF PROVIDING TICKETS TO THE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY AND THE GENEROSITY THERE, UH, ALLOWING US TO GET THOSE OUT TO OUR CONSTITUENTS, IT IS VERY MUCH APPRECIATED AND PLEASE CONTINUE TO DO THAT.
AND YEAH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE WORK TOWARDS EQUITY AND ALL THE, ALL FREE TICKETS.
I THINK WOULD, UM, MR. UM, KENNER SAID ALSO, I KNOW THAT WE, YOU HAD MENTIONED BEFORE AN ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE, UM, COMMITTEE MEETING.
UM, I WASN'T THERE THIS TIME, BUT I KNOW I BELIEVE IN THE TIME BEFORE YOU HAD MENTIONED, UM, TITLE ONE SCHOOLS AND Y'ALL HAVE THE ARBORETUM HAS A GREAT RELATIONSHIP WITH, WITH MANY SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT, ACROSS DIFFERENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS, DALLAS AND RICHARDSON.
AND THROUGH THIS AND THROUGH TITLE ONE, A LOT OF THE STUDENTS THAT ATTEND THOSE TITLE ONE SCHOOLS ARE ON SNAP AND W AND THEY WOULD ALSO BENEFIT FROM THIS AS WELL, RIGHT? FROM THE MUSEUMS FOR ALL.
AND WE CAN TALK TO THEM VERY EASILY THROUGH THEIR PARENTS AND THEIR STUDENTS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH SABINA, GARY, THANK YOU FOR THAT EXCELLENT PRESENTATION AND ALL THE INCREDIBLE WORK YOU DO YEAR ROUND.
UM, AND SINCE WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE J ARRET AND PRICING MODEL, WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND JUMP TO ITEM A NUMBER, UH, 11.
UM, I'M SORRY, I WANNA HAVE ONE.
I DIDN'T KNOW IF THERE'S ANYBODY ONLINE.
I DIDN'T SEE ANYBODY WITH THEIR HAND, ANYBODY ONLINE.
SO, SORRY, JUST OUTTA CURIOSITY, IF YOU ARE STILL HAVE MIDDLE CLASS THESE DAYS, UM, I DON'T KNOW WHERE AT, UM, WHAT IF YOU DON'T QUALIFY FOR SNAP BENEFITS, BUT YOU'RE STILL CON AT A LOWER PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK KIND OF.
SO THAT'S WHERE THE BOGO COMES IN.
SO MANY PEOPLE ARE IN THAT WORLD, WHETHER THEY'VE SERVED IN OUR MILITARY, WHETHER THEY'RE FIRST RESPONDERS, WHETHER THEY ARE TEACHERS, THAT'S A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT GROUP.
WE'RE GONNA TEST IT FOR ONE YEAR.
AND IF WE NEED TO ADD TO THAT, WE CAN DO THAT.
I, I JUST, OR I'M THINKING OF OUR CONSTITUENTS AND, AND D TWO HAS A WIDE RANGE AND I AM VERY APPRECIATIVE OF ALL OF YOUR, OF ALL OF YOUR, YOU KNOW, UH, BONUSES THAT YOU GIVE US.
AND, AND EVERYBODY IN OUR AREA LOVES BEING ABLE TO COME TO THE OFFICES AND GET OUR GET CERTIFICATE.
ALRIGHT, SO WE DO HAVE ONE ITEM FOR CONSIDERATION AFTER THIS BRIEFING.
THE DALLAS ARRE OF PRICING MODEL.
UH, DO I HAVE ELECTION? OKAY, MR. SLA, DO I HAVE A SECOND MR. KIDNER? ANY DISCUSSION ON THOSE ITEMS? ALL RIGHT, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
UH, WE DO HAVE ANOTHER BRIEFING ITEM, THE 2024 SUMMER CAMP RECAP ON MR. BAKER.
UH, THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT OUR SUMMER CAMP ROLL UP.
UM, AT THIS TIME I WILL TURN THE LOCAL OVER TO, UH, LISA MCLENDON, WHO IS MY ARY MANAGER AT THE DIVISION.
THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT.
UM, I'M RECOVERING FROM A LITTLE SOMETHING, SO IF I SOUND A LITTLE OFF TODAY, THAT'S WHAT'S GOING ON.
UM, BUT WE ARE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND START OFF THIS PRESENTATION.
I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S SEPTEMBER SUMMER IS A WRAP.
UM, AND SO WE'RE GONNA SHOW A BRIEF VIDEO SHOWING THE HIGHLIGHTS.
[00:56:45]
GREAT SUMMER.THIS, IN TODAY'S PRESENTATION, I'M GOING TO BE GIVING A WRAP UP OF ALL OF OUR SUMMER PROGRAMS, INCLUDING OUR SUMMER CAMPS.
WE'RE ALL THROUGH RECREATION SERVICES SO THAT WE CAN GO TO SLIDE THREE.
UM, SOME OF YOU MAY REMEMBER BACK IN MAY, UM, I DID A PRESENTATION ON OUR SUMMER CAMP PREVIEW IN WHICH WE LINED UP OUR GOALS AND OUR OBJECTIVES.
UM, SO WE INTENTIONALLY PLANNED OUR CAMP TO MEET THESE DIFFERENT OBJECTIVES WHERE WE WOULD INSTILL RESPONSIBILITY, CHARACTER COMPETENCE SKILLS THROUGH A VARIETY OF ACTIVITIES.
UM, OF COURSE WE WANTED A SAFE AND INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR ALL.
WE WANTED, UM, TO HAVE NATURE-BASED PROGRAMMING WITHIN OUR CAMPS, UM, SO THAT WE COULD START RAISING RESPONSIBLE STEWARDS OF OUR PARKS AND OUR OPEN SPACES.
WE WANTED TO PROMOTE INDEPENDENCE AND OF COURSE, PRODUCE FAIR.
SO WE TALKED ABOUT THE GOALS THAT WE HAD AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SUMMER, UM, AND WE WERE ABLE TO MEET THREE OF THE FOUR GOALS THAT WE SET FOR SUMMER CAMPS.
SO WE WERE ABLE TO INCREASE THE REGISTRATION NUMBERS IN OUR PROGRAMS ACROSS ALL OF OUR CAMPS, WHICH YOU'LL SEE THAT, YOU'LL SEE OUR PARTICIPATION NUMBERS THROUGHOUT PRESENTATION.
UM, WE WERE VERY INTENTIONAL ON TRAINING STAFF, UM, TO FIND PLACEMENT FOR CHILDREN.
SO THE CHILDREN GOAL, AND THEY WERE LOOKING FOR A SPACE AND THAT SUMMER CAMP WAS FULL.
UM, INSTEAD OF JUST GETTING FOR FULL, WE TRAINED STAFF TO, UM, FIND A PLACE THAT WAS AVAILABLE.
THAT DEFINITELY HELPED WITH GOAL NUMBER THREE, WHERE WE, UM, OUR REGISTRATION NUMBERS WERE UP AND YOU WERE ABLE TO INCREASE OUR CAPACITY RATE FROM 80% TO 82.8 0.6.
UM, THE ONE GOAL THAT WE DID NOT ACHIEVE OUR SATISFACTION GRADING ACTUALLY WENT DOWN THIS YEAR.
UM, AND THERE'S TWO FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THAT.
NUMBER ONE, WE LOST ONE OF OUR SUMMER CAMP, WELL, THEY'RE ONE OF OUR SUMMER LUNCH FOOD VENDORS.
SO AS YOU ALL KNOW, OUR RECREATION CENTERS, OUR SITES FOR THE FREE LUNCH PROGRAM.
AND RIGHT, OF COURSE, SUMMER CAMP STARTED ONE OF, UM, OUR VENDORS WAS NO LONGER ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT SERVICE.
UM, SO OUR REC CENTER IS DEFINITELY HUSTLED.
UM, I WANNA GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO SINGING HILLS RECREATION SUMMER.
YES, THEY WERE ABLE TO, UM, FIND DONORS TO DONATE LUNCH THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE SUMMER.
UM, SO WE TRIED TO FIND DONATIONS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, BUT IN SOME INSTANCES, PARENTS WORKS TO SEND LUNCH WITH THEIR CHILDREN.
UM, AND THEN THE OTHER AREA THAT WE HAVE FOR IMPROVEMENT IS INCREASING OUR STAFF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN STAFF AND PARENTS.
ON THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, THIS IS JUST A BRIEF OVERVIEW.
WE HAVE 53 SUMMER CAMP OFFERINGS FOR YOUTH.
UM, AND THAT SHOULD ACTUALLY SAY THAT WE HAD NINE, UH, SENIOR PROGRAM DIVISION CAMPS.
OUR REVENUE DID INCREASE THIS YEAR FROM 2023, WE HAD 616,000 TO 20 24, 700 9,000.
AND WE ATTRIBUTE THAT TO TWO DIFFERENT THINGS.
NUMBER ONE, YOU MAY REMEMBER WE RAISED THE RATE FROM 65 TO $75 PER WEEK THIS YEAR.
UM, AND THEN ALSO OUR INCREASE ENROLLMENT PRECINCT.
[01:00:03]
I'M GONNA GO THROUGH A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF OUR DIFFERENT HIGHLIGHTS.UM, OUR RECREATION CENTER SUMMER HIGHLIGHTS, THIS WAS OUR TRADITIONAL NINE WEEK CAMP THAT TOOK PLACE IN OUR RECREATION CENTERS.
WE HAD SOME FEE BASED, AND WE HAD SOME THAT FOR ZERO FEE, UM, AND ALTERNATIVELY FUNDED.
AND THIS WAS YOUR TRADITIONAL FIELD TRIPS, ARTS AND CRAFTS, ENRICHMENT VENDORS, UM, SPORTS AND GAMES, AND, UM, OUR FIELD TRIPS THAT WE DID ALL ACROSS.
ON THE NEXT SLIDE, WE HAVE OUR DISCOVER DALLAS CAMP.
THIS WAS FORMALLY SENT A KID TO CAMP, AND SO WE WERE VERY INTENTIONAL ON THE REBRANDING THIS YEAR.
THIS IS THE FIRST YEAR THE KID BACK TO INSURANCE.
UM, AND ALL OF THESE LOCATIONS TOOK PLACE IN LIBRARIES ACROSS THE CITY, SO THEY WERE IN THE AC BUT THEY DID MANY OF THE SAME TRADITIONAL ACTIVITIES WITH THE FIELD TRIPS, ARTS CRAFT, SPORTS TEAM GAMES, OUR TEEN SUMMER CAMPS.
WE HAD A 27% INCREASE IN OUR TEEN SUMMER CAMPS THIS YEAR.
UM, FOUR DIFFERENT LOCATIONS, EXXON NASH, DAVIS, TIMBERLAND, AND THURGOOD MARSHALL PROVIDED CAMPS.
UM, WE ALSO, AS YOU ALL ARE AWARE, UM, WE WERE UP IN DISTRIBUTING OUR TEEN ACCESS PASSES THIS YEAR.
UM, A TOTAL OF 4,230 PASSES WERE DISTRIBUTED WITH 14 DIFFERENT PARTNERS.
UM, AND THEN THEY HAD SO MANY OTHER ACTIVITIES THAT THE TEENS PARTICIPATED IN THROUGH CAMP.
THE NEXT SLIDE, WE HAVE OUR SPECIALTY CAMP, WHICH IS OUR ADVENTURE SUMMER CAMP THAT TOOK PLACE IN SAMUEL FARM.
UM, THIS EIGHT WEEK SUMMER CAMP IS STILL GOING STRONG OUT THERE, AND THEY'RE DOING ALL THE, UM, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES.
THEY ALSO WENT BACK AND DID ANOTHER OVERNIGHT CAMPING TRIP TO DINOSAUR VALLEY STATE PARK, WHICH, UM, THEY DID THE PREVIOUS YEAR AND WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL.
UM, AND SO THAT PROGRAM IS GOING VERY WELL THIS YEAR.
THEY CHANGED SOME OF THE FIELD TRIPS TO WHERE THEY DID, UM, SWIMMING AT STATE PARKS AND COUPLE STAFF MEMBERS BECAME SORT OF AS LIFE PARKS IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
OUR SENIOR, UH, SENIOR PROGRAM DIVISION WENT STRONG THIS SUMMER.
THEY HAD NINE DIFFERENT LOCATIONS THAT THEY OFFERED THEIR SENIOR PROGRAM SUMMER CAMP, UM, WITH 582 PARTICIPANTS.
THEY WENT ON SEVERAL DIFFERENT FIELD TRIPS ALL ACROSS DFW.
UM, SOME OF YOU MAY BE FAMILIAR WITH THE PARK TANK PROJECT THAT WE DID LAST YEAR WHERE EMPLOYEES WERE ABLE TO SUBMIT IDEAS, UM, TO IMPROVE AND GROW OUR DEPARTMENT.
AND ONE OF THE EMPLOYEES HAD SUBMITTED AN IDEA ABOUT, UM, TAKING SENIORS A LITTLE BIT FURTHER OUT ON TRIPS.
SO THIS YEAR, THE SENIORS WERE ABLE TO GO TO THE DR.
THEY WERE ABLE TO TAKE BUSES THERE.
AND THAT WAS A PILOT PROGRAM, UM, THAT CAME OUT OF THE PARK PAIN PROJECT AT THE END OF SUMMER.
UM, THIS YEAR WE, WE PUT A STRONG PUSH ON THE SURVEY, SO YOU'LL SEE THAT WE COLLECTED 522 SURVEYS, UM, WHICH WAS OVER TWICE AS MANY AS WE DID THE PREVIOUS YEAR.
SO YOU'LL SEE THAT REFLECTED IN SOME OF THESE NUMBERS.
WE FEEL LIKE, YOU KNOW, THESE NUMBERS MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT MORE TRUE BECAUSE THEY'RE VERY, UM, BECAUSE WE HAVE MORE SURVEYS COLLECTED.
SO, UM, 94.7% WOULD RECOMMEND OUR SUMMER CAMP.
WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
UM, AND THEN WE ASK THEM, WHAT ARE YOUR TOP RATED ASPECTS OF THE SUMMER CAMP IN THE TOP THREE CANON FIELD TRIPS, OF COURSE, SWIMMING, SPORTS AND GAMES.
OUR SUMMER CAMP CONTINUES, UM, TO BE WELL KNOWN.
AND WE SEE MOST PEOPLE ARE REPEAT PARTICIPANTS WHERE THEY HEARD ABOUT IT THROUGH WORK OF HEALTH.
UM, AND WE HAVE SOME OTHER AREAS THAT HAVE BROUGHT SOME PEOPLE IN, INCLUDING SOCIAL MEDIA, FLYERS AND EMAIL.
WE HAD SEVERAL DIFFERENT CATEGORIES FOR PARENTS TO RATE OUR COUNSELORS IN.
AND THEY CAME IN TOP THREE IN PROFESSIONAL APPEARANCE, INTERACTION WITH CAMPERS AND COMPETENCE.
AND, UM, 96% FELT THAT WE PROVIDED A SAFE ENVIRONMENT FOR THEIR CHILDREN.
WHEN, UM, CHOOSING A CAMP, THEY DETERMINED IN THIS ORDER THAT THESE FOLLOWING FACTORS WERE MOST IMPORTANT.
SO FIRST OF THE HOURS OF THE CAMP ACTIVITIES COST COMING IN AT NUMBER THREE KITCHEN, AND AGAIN, 90%, UM, SATISFIED WITH HURRICANE.
WE HAD A COUPLE ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS THIS SUMMER.
UM, YOU MAY REMEMBER I TALKED ABOUT THE SUMMER CAMP, THE SUMMER CUP CALLED THE WELLNESS CHALLENGE.
IT WAS HARRY POTTER BASED, UM, WHERE ALL OF OUR CAMPS ACROSS, UM, THE CITY PARTICIPATED IN NUTRITION EDUCATION, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY CHALLENGES.
UM, AND SO WE WERE REALLY ABLE TO GET THE KIDS INTENTIONALLY ACTIVE THIS YEAR.
[01:05:01]
INTO FOUR DIFFERENT HOUSES, CONFIDENCE, INTELLIGENCE, PERSEVERANCE, AND LEADERSHIP.UM, AND THEN AT THE END, THE CONFIDENCE HOUSE ENDED UP WINNING.
SO THEY WERE PRESENTED A, UM, A TROPHY OF SORTS.
AND SO THAT WILL CONTINUE NEXT YEAR.
THAT TROPHY WILL PASS AROUND TO THE NEXT WINNERS.
OUR YOUTH SPORTS PROGRAM, UM, OFFERED SEVERAL DIFFERENT PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER.
UM, WE HAD THE FC DALLAS SOCCER CLINIC THAT TOOK PLACE ON JUNE 17TH.
UM, WE ALSO OFFERED SUMMER CAMP, I MEAN SUMMER SOCCER CLINICS AT OUR RECREATION CENTERS.
WE HAD THE SUMMER SOCCER LEAGUE AT MONEY GRAND PARK, WHICH HAD 24 TEAMS IN IT.
THE DALLAS MAVERICKS BASKETBALL CLINIC AT X LINE RECREATION CENTER HAD 125 PARTICIPANTS IN IT.
THE T-E-A-A-F REGIONAL TRACK MEET, UM, WAS ON JULY 11TH AND 13TH, AND WE HAD 135 ATHLETES IN ADVANCE, UM, TO THE STATE GAMES.
AND THEN THE DALLAS STARS FUTURE HOCKEY PROGRAM TOOK PLACE IN 16 OF OUR RECREATION CENTERS.
AND THE FINAL SLIDE IS JUST A, OF ALL THE DIFFERENT LOCATIONS THAT SUMMER CAMPS, ALL, ALL THE LOCATIONS.
SO THAT CONCLUDES THE PRESENTATION.
UH, THAT WAS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL PRESENTATION AND I'M SO ENCOURAGED, BUT I, BUT I'M ANXIOUS TO HEAR WHAT MY, UM, FELLOW COLLEAGUES HAVE TO SAY BEFORE I COMMENT.
OH, THANK, THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.
UH, YEAH, I APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION.
I THINK WE GOT IT LAST FRIDAY OR MAYBE MONDAY.
BUT I WENT THROUGH IT ON MONDAY EVENING.
IT WAS, IT WAS, IT WAS AWESOME TO SEE ALL THE NUMBERS INCREASE WITH OUR REVENUE ALSO BEING INCREASED, WHICH IS SOMETHING WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT.
UM, SO I KNOW THERE'S A LITTLE BIT MORE THERE BECAUSE IT WAS ONLY THE, IT WAS THE THIRD.
IT WAS WHEN IT'S TOP THREE FACTOR, THAT MEANS YOU'RE STILL TOO CHEAP.
YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT I ALWAYS SAY, UH,
SO I'M JUST SAYING, WHICH IS GREAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S NOT NUMBER ONE, IT'S CHEAP.
THEY DON'T CARE YOU, IT MEANS THEY'RE, THEY LIKE YOUR LOCATION, WHICH YOU'RE OFFERING AND EVERYTHING.
'CAUSE THEY'RE NOT CONSIDERED THAT THE NUMBER ONE THING, WHICH IS WHAT WE NEVER WANT TO BE THE NUMBER ONE THING, THAT WE'RE THE CHEAPEST.
AND THAT'S WHY THEY'RE USING THEM.
WE WANT THEM TO HAVE VALUE IN OUR PROGRAMMING.
SO THAT'S THE WAY TO THINK ABOUT IT.
INSTEAD OF THE VALUE'S THERE, THEY'LL, THEY'LL PAY, YOU KNOW, AND I THINK THAT WE'RE GETTING THERE, THAT WE'RE NOT THE CHEAPEST.
WE WE'RE, WE'RE, THAT'S NOT THE NUMBER ONE REASON WHY THEY'RE USING THEM.
'CAUSE WHAT YOU PROVIDE, AND YOU HAVE PROGRAMMING FOR THE KIDS.
SO KUDOS TO YOU GUYS FOR THAT.
AND ALSO THE NUMBERS GOING UP, WHICH IS AWESOME.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS I SAW IN HERE, UH, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, WE, WE STILL GOTTA DO OUR ANALYSIS ON, ON, ON HOW MUCH IT COSTS US TO DO THESE, THESE CAMPS AND ALL THAT.
WHEN, AND I'VE ASKED FOR THAT INFORMATION AND, AND I'LL GET SOON.
BUT ONE OF THE BIGGEST HIGHLIGHTS HERE IS THE MONEYGRAM LEAGUE.
YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD TIM DICKEY ABOUT THIS.
HE GO OUT THERE AND SEE IT,
WHEN WE HAD A SUMMER LEAGUE WITH 2014 TO 300.
SOMEHOW SOME WAY YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD THIS BOARD ABOUT IT.
JUST SO WE KNOW THAT WE WANNA GO OUT THERE AND SEE OUR CITY REC PROGRAM OR WHOEVER, WHOEVER THE TEAMS WERE, YOU KNOW, IT WAS ALL GUYS D TEAMS, IT WAS WHOEVER THE TEAM WERE OUT THERE, JIM, VICKY, AND OTHERS THAT HAVE BROUGHT THIS UP A LOT OF TIMES, GO OUT THERE AND VISIT AND SEE IT HAPPENING IN PERSON WOULD'VE BEEN A GREAT VALUE TO THIS PROGRAM.
JUST SO WE CAN ALLEVIATE THOSE, THOSE FEARS AND, AND THE THINGS THAT WE ALWAYS BRING UP ABOUT WE'RE NOT USING THE PARK WHEN WE SHOULD.
SO THAT'D BE THE ONLY THING THAT I HAVE THAT THINK, I THINK IT'S AWESOME WHAT YOU GUYS HAVE DONE, UM, AND EVERYTHING YOU'RE DOING WITH THIS PROGRAM.
AND, UM, AND KUDOS TO YOU GUYS.
I AM JUST RELATED, UH, WHAT THIS DEPARTMENT HAS DONE AND WHAT YOU JUST TOOK A HOLD OF.
YOU KNOW, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT, UH, WHAT WE DID AT THE FORM, YOU JUST, IT'S, IT'S EXPLODED.
AND WE WERE THE C TALKING TOWN ALSO.
WE WERE GRUMBLING ABOUT NOT USING MONEYGRAM PORK.
AND NOW WE'VE SEEN WHAT STAFF AND, AND, AND WHAT YOU GUYS HAVE DONE, YOU KNOW, SO THAT WE CAN KINDA LIKE GET DICKEY A LITTLE MORE HAPPY.
YOU KNOW, RESPONSE
SO I THINK WE WERE GIVING, UH, UH, THE COMMUNITIES, UH, SOMETHING OF VALUE.
AND I JUST WANT TO TELL YOU THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
UH, WHAT HAS HAPPENED AT, AT SAMUEL PARK AND WHAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING WITH THIS SUMMER PROGRAM, UH, MR. BAKER.
[01:10:01]
OF COURSE, I CALL YOU MY CINDERELLA, BUT YOU AND DICKY, I DON'T WHAT, THANK YOU VERY THANK YOU, MR. SUN.UM, MS. MANDEL, AND THEN WE'LL GO TO MR. DICKEY.
AND, UH, MR. WOOD, WHAT I, UH, THIS IS ACTUALLY ONE OF MY FAVORITE TIMES OF THE YEAR TO HEAR YOU GUYS PRESENT.
I LOVE WHAT YOU DO FOR OUR KIDS IN THE SUMMER.
UM, I LOVE WHAT YOU DO FOR OUR KIDS YEAR ROUND.
UM, SO IT'S REALLY EXCITING TO HEAR ALL OF THIS, ALL THE, UM, ALL OF THE WONDERFUL EVENTS.
UM, I DO KNOW THAT MY CITY COUNCIL, UM, MEMBER, HIS DAUGHTER, UM, IN THE CAMP WAS
SO, UM, SO VERY, VERY, VERY EXCITING.
UM, WOULD LOVE TO KNOW IF, WITH ALL THIS GOOD STUFF, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU WOULD COME OUT, BACK OUT WITH AND SAY, WE WANNA DO THIS DIFFERENTLY? UM, YOU KNOW, I'M SURE YOU HAD YOUR KIND OF POSTMORTEM, YOU KNOW, TALKS.
UM, AND SO IF THERE'S ANY OF THAT THAT YOU COULD DO SOMETHING TO, UH, AND THEN DID YOU, WERE YOU ABLE TO USE, UH, OLD CITY PARK THE WAY YOU WANTED TO? UH, SO TO ANSWER YOUR SECOND PART, SECOND QUESTION FIRST, NO, NOT NECESSARILY.
UH, BUT IT WAS GREAT TO HOST THE KIM COFFEE EVENT THERE THIS SUMMER.
KIND OF GAVE US AN IDEA OF WHAT WAS POTENTIALLY POSSIBLE THERE FOR US FOR FUTURE YOUTH PROGRAMMING EVENTS.
UM, AS FAR AS WHAT WE WALK AWAY FROM, ONE THING THAT WE DIDN'T MENTION IN HERE, UH, IS OUR SAFETY REPORT THIS SUMMER IS VERY MINIMAL SAFETY ISSUES.
THAT'S ONE THING I'D DEFINITELY LIKE US TO MAKE SURE THAT WE REPEAT MOVING FORWARD.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAVE, WE HAVE CHALLENGES.
WE HAVE LITTLE HICCUPS THAT COME UP ALONG THE WAY, BUT THERE'S NOTHING THAT WE HAVEN'T REALLY EXPERIENCED WITH ANY MAJOR TAKEAWAYS, I THINK EXPERIENCED THIS SUMMER.
SO WE, WE REALLY SCREWED THIS UP.
UH, BUT AGAIN, THERE, THERE'S THINGS THAT DEFINITELY OPPORTUNITIES TO GROW AND LEARN FROM AND AS EXPRESS, IS THERE ANYTHING AS A COLLECTIVE BOARD THAT WE CAN DO TO HELP YOU GUYS? AND I GUESS THAT'S A QUESTION DOESN'T HAVE ANSWERED NOW, BUT JUST AS WE MOVE FORWARD, WHERE YOU MARKETED ENOUGH WHERE YOU, WAS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU WOULD EVER NEED FROM US JUST TO THINK ABOUT THAT AND TAP INTO THAT? THANK YOU.
UH, THANK YOU MADAM VICE PRESIDENT.
UM, I JUST WANNA PIGGYBACK ON SOMETHING THAT, UH, MR. HUERTA AND MR. SLAUGHTER MENTIONED ABOUT THE AFFORDABILITY.
UH, ALTHOUGH WE DID GO UP FROM 65 TO $75, I'LL JUST SAY, AND I KNOW I'VE SAID THIS A MILLION TIMES, BUT IN 1962 WHEN I WAS 10 YEARS OLD, I ATTENDED A PARK DEPARTMENT JOINT SUMMER DAY CAMP WITH JOINT OPERATION WITH THE YMCA AT BACHMAN LAKE CALLED CAMP KIWANIS.
IT WAS $10 A WEEK, KEPT ME OFF THE STREETS, WAS A GREAT THING FOR MY WORKING PARENTS.
AND IF YOU EXTRAPOLATE $10 TO, UH, TODAY'S DOLLARS THAT COMES TO $110, SO WE ARE ACTUALLY AT 75 A WEEK, WE'RE WAY AHEAD OF WHAT IT WOULD BE.
SO IT'S, IT'S A SUPER BARGAIN, UH, AND A WONDERFUL SOCIAL IMPACT OUR SUMMER DAY CAMPS HAVE.
HAVING SAID THAT, I WILL TELL YOU THAT AS A REPRESENTATIVE FOR, UH, CDBG ELIGIBLE CENSUS TRACKS OF LOWER INCOME FAMILIES, EVEN AT 75 A WEEK, IT'S DIFFICULT FOR MANY FAMILIES IN MY DISTRICT AND OTHER DISTRICTS TO DO THAT.
AND I'M HAPPY TO SEE THAT WE DO SCHOLARSHIPS.
SO IN 2024, WE DID 113 SCHOLARSHIPS FOR KIDS WHO QUALIFIED UNDER THE FINANCIAL GUIDELINES.
HOWEVER, TURNED AWAY 183 KIDS WHO QUALIFY.
NOW, I HATE TO SEE ANYONE TURNED AWAY WHO QUALIFIES.
BUT WHERE'S WHAT GETS INTERESTING IS THE COST TO THE DEPARTMENT.
UH, IT, THE 113 SCHOLARSHIPS COST US $76,275.
SO FOR AN EXTRA 123,000, WE COULD HAVE TURNED, HAVE TAKEN CARE OF ALL 183 KIDS THAT GOT TURNED AWAY.
AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE KINDS OF MONEY WE SPEND ON THINGS LIKE MASTER PLANS, ET CETERA, I WOULD CHALLENGE THE STAFF TO, UH, SEE IF WE CAN'T COME UP WITH 123,000.
I ACTUALLY WROTE A BUDGET, UH, AMENDMENT, UH, UH, FOR, AND PRESENTED THAT TO MY COUNCIL MEMBER AND TO STAFF.
UH, BUT IT WAS SPECIFICALLY TO GET THIS EXTRA FUNDING.
SO A QUESTION I HAVE FOR STAFF IS WHEN WE REDUCED THE SCOPE OF THE SAMUEL FARM MASTER PLAN FROM 400,000, THERE WAS ABOUT A HUNDRED AND SOMETHING THOUSAND THAT WE SAVED BY THAT
[01:15:01]
ALREADY HAD ALREADY BEEN ALLOCATED, THAT WE SAVED BY REDUCING THE SCOPE OF THAT MASTER PLAN.SO MY QUESTION IS, WHERE DID THAT MONEY GO? AND IF IT'S STILL SITTING IN AN ACCOUNT, COULD WE NOT USE THAT MONEY IF FOR NEXT SEASON TO MAKE SURE WE DON'T TURN KIDS AWAY? AND IF NOT, WHAT WOULD BE, AND THIS MIGHT BE A QUESTION FOR THE CITY ATTORNEYS, WHAT WOULD THIS BOARD NEED TO DO IF WE WANTED TO BASICALLY TAKE ACTION ON A VOTING ITEM IF THAT'S NECESSARY TO ENSURE THAT THE BOARD, IF EIGHT MEMBERS OF THE BOARD THINK THIS IS A GOOD IDEA, TO ENSURE THAT WE DO HAVE THAT MONEY NEXT YEAR FROM WHATEVER SOURCE STAFF CAN FIGURE IT OUT FROM.
WHAT WOULD WE NEED TO DO IF WE, IF I COULD CONVINCE SEVEN OTHER BOARD MEMBERS THAT THIS IS A GOOD THING FOR US TO MAKE SURE HAPPENS NEXT YEAR? UH, SO MR. DICKER, I, I'LL TAKE A SHOT AT THE LAST PART OF THE QUESTION RELATES TO SAMMY FARM AND THE SAVINGS FROM THE MASTER PLAN.
UH, THE MASTER, THE 70 FARM DOLLARS HAVE TO BE USED AT SEMI FARM PROPERTIES, WHICH IS, I THINK, AND I GET THAT CORRECT.
I THINK IT IS ABOUT EIGHT SITES QUALIFY FOR ANY SEMI FARM FUNDING.
UH, I GUESS THE NEXT QUESTION I LET MR. BAKER ANSWERED, BUT, UH, WE TRY NOT TO TURN AWAY KIDS WHO CAN'T AFFORD TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR SUMMER CAMP.
SO IF YOU WOULD, MR. DICKON, COULD YOU CLARIFY WHEN YOU SAY THAT WE TURNED DOWN 185 KIDS FROM PARTICIPATING? YEAH.
SO THERE, ON MAY 2ND, 2024, THIS YEAR, WE HAD A BRIEFING FROM OUR, OUR OUTDOOR ADVENTURES TEAM, UH, UNDER ON PAGE SEVEN OF THAT, OF THAT BRIEFING UNDER PROGRAM EQUITY, WE LAY OUT OUR STATISTICS FROM THE SUMMER CAMP AND WE HAD 358 SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS WERE RECEIVED.
BUT OF THE 3 58 296 MET THE QUALIFICATIONS, BUT WE ONLY AWARDED 113.
SO WHEN I SAY WE TURNED AWAY 183, IT'S JUST BASICALLY SUBTRACTING ONE 13 FROM 2 96.
UH, AND THE, THE AVERAGE COST PER SCHOLARSHIP WAS $675.
SO 180 3 KIDS TIMES 6 75 SHOW TURNS OUT TO BE 123,000 THAT WE WOULD'VE NEEDED TO BE ABLE TO TURN NO KIDS AWAY.
IT COMES TO ABOUT THREE KIDS PER RECREATION CENTER.
BUT THOSE ARE THE NUMBERS THAT CAME FROM STAFF.
SO THAT WAS, SO THE LARGER NUMBER, THE THREE 80, UH, WORKING OFF MEMORY, EXCUSE ME.
SO THAT WAS THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS THAT WE HAD RECEIVED.
AND SOME OF THOSE APPLICATIONS MAY HAVE BEEN INCOMPLETE OR WE DIDN'T HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAD REQUESTED FROM, FROM THE APPLICANTS TO, FOR THEIR CHILD.
UM, THE, THE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM, UM, IS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE EVALUATING.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'VE BEEN REEVALUATING, UM, BASICALLY SINCE THE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM CLOSED FOR THIS, UH, PAST YEAR.
AND SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO DIVE INTO A LITTLE BIT CLOSER TO, TO SEE HOW WE CAN ACCOMMODATE MORE.
UM, YES, WE REALIZED, OR WE THOUGHT THE AVERAGE GOING WAS GOING TO BE ABOUT, UH, FOUR PARTICIPANTS, SO TO SPEAK, AT EACH LOCATION THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO RECEIVE SCHOLARSHIPS.
AND THAT WAS KIND OF THE AVERAGE, UH, THAT WE WOULD BE AT.
DID THEY CLARIFY MR. DICKEY? UH, AS I JUST WANT TO REITERATE TO THE BOARD, IT'S ALWAYS BEEN OUR GOAL.
WE DON'T TURN AWAY ANY KIDS WHO CAN'T AFFORD OUR, THAT'S BEEN THE BOARDS GOING.
SO WHATEVER WE NEED TO DO TO MAKE SURE THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN, WE'RE GOING TO ENSURE THAT OR REDIRECT THEM TO THE DISCOVER DALLAS CAN OR IN OTHER SITES THAT WE'RE ABLE TO WHERE WE HAVE SOME CAPACITY.
AGAIN, THE REC CENTERS HISTORICALLY IN A LOT OF LOCATIONS, NOT ALL, BUT HAVE SOLD OUT RATHER QUICKLY.
AND SO WE HAVE RIGHT, TRIED TO REDIRECT TO THOSE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES THAT MAYBE MORE OF COST EFFECTIVE.
SO ARE YOU SAYING IT WASN'T A MATTER OF NOT HAVING THE MONEY? IT WAS A MATTER OF NOT HAVING THE SLOTS FOR THE 183 KIDS THAT WE DID TURN AWAY THIS YEAR? I DON'T
UM, BUT WE DO KNOW THAT WE DID HAVE, UH, REVENUE GOALS THAT WE WERE TRYING, TRYING TO MEET AND WE WERE TRYING TO BE EQUITABLE AS FAR AS THE SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES THAT WERE COLLECTING.
SO MY GUESS MY LAST QUESTION WAS, IF THIS BOARD WANTED TO ENSURE THAT IT HAPPENS NEXT YEAR, THAT WE TURN NO KIDS AWAY, WHAT WOULD WE NEED TO DO? UH, PROCEDURALLY I WOULD SAY, MR. DICKEY,
[01:20:01]
LET US FIRST, YOU KNOW, CHECK INTO THE SITUATION YOU'RE DESCRIBING.UH, ONCE AGAIN, WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A CLEAR PROCESS, THAT THE BOARD UNDERSTANDS THAT WE ARE NOT GONNA TURN AWAY ANY KIDS UNLESS THOSE CAMPS ARE FULL AND WE HAVE TO REDIRECT 'EM TO ANOTHER CAMP.
SO LET US WORK ON THAT AND LET US FOLLOW UP WITH THE BOARD.
REASSURE YOU ARE THAT IS, WE'RE GONNA MEET THAT GOAL AS WELL AS ACHIEVE THE BOARD'S GOAL.
AND YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT, $65 CAN BE EXPENSIVE TO
AND OUR GOAL IS WE DON'T, I MEAN, YOU HAVE MENTIONED IT, MANY OF YOU ARE MENTIONED IT, WE DON'T WANT TO SEE ANY KIDS NOT HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR SUMMER ACTIVITIES.
AND I WOULD JUST LIKE TO FIND LAST WORD, THANK CRYSTAL ROSS, BECAUSE WE HAD, WE CAME UP SHORT IN WEST DALLAS THIS SUMMER, AND SHE WENT OVER AND ABOVE SHE AND HER TEAM TO GET MORE KIDS THAN HAD BEEN ALLOWED OR BEEN INTO THE PROGRAM IN WEST DALLAS.
AND IT WAS VERY MUCH APPRECIATED.
THE COMMUNITY REALLY ROSE UP WHEN OUR KIDS WERE GETTING TURNED AWAY, AND CRYSTAL ROSS AND HER TEAM STEPPED UP AND MET IT.
AND THANK YOU DIRECTOR JENKINS FOR THOSE ASSURANCES.
UH, I'M GREATLY COMFORTED BY WHAT YOU SAID.
THANK YOU SO MUCH MR. DICKEY, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR ADVOCACY.
UM, WE, WE HAVE MR. WOOD, YOU HAD YOUR HAND RAISED.
UM, I APPRECIATE, UM, THE SUMMER PROGRAM AS WELL.
UM, AND I ASKED, I CAN WE GET A BREAKDOWN OF THE PROGRAMS, THE THE COST OF EACH PROGRAM, UM, INCLUDING ALL OF OUR STAFF COSTS SO THAT WE CAN DO AN ANALYSIS OF WHAT'S WORKING, WHAT'S NOT WORKING, WHAT'S BREAKING EVEN OR WHAT'S NOT SUSTAINABLE GOING FORWARD SO THAT WE CAN, YOU KNOW, WORK ON MAKING THE STUFF MORE RELIABLE OR MORE, UH, ATTAINABLE TO, UM, MORE PEOPLE.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? WELL, LET ME WORK ON SOMETHING THAT, BECAUSE THAT I CAN PROVIDE TO THE BOARD, IT GIVES YOU ALL A MORE OF A BIG LEVEL AND POLICY LEVEL BECAUSE IT'S MY JOB TO MAKE SURE THAT THESE PROGRAMS ARE, ARE FUNCTION AS THEY'RE INTENDED TO.
I MEAN, WE GOT, WE HAD A BREAKDOWN WHEN WE ASKED AND WE DUG DEEP IN THE POOLS WHERE YOU SAID EACH POOL COSTS THIS OR EACH POOL COSTS THAT CAN WE NOT GET THAT SAME BREAKDOWN FOR EACH ONE OF THESE PROGRAMS? LIKE WE, WE HAVE TO KNOW THAT IF THERE'S 14 KIDS AT THIS REC CENTER, THAT IT COSTS X AMOUNT, UM, AND WE BROUGHT IN X AMOUNT.
WE GOTTA KNOW THE, THE COSTS AND THE ALL OF THAT, DON'T WE? OH YEAH.
WE CAN GIVE YOU THAT TYPE OF ANALYSIS.
LIKE, I, I WANNA KNOW LIKE WHAT'S WORKING, WHAT'S NOT WORKING, UM, WHAT WE'RE DOING WELL, UM, 'CAUSE I THINK WE DO SOME, SOME THINGS REALLY, REALLY WELL.
BUT THEN THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT YOU GREAT AT AND MAYBE WE HAVE TO LOOK AT OPTIONS, MAYBE OUTSOURCING CERTAIN, UM, THINGS WHERE PEOPLE ARE, YOU KNOW, DOING OUR CAMPS FOR US, LIKE OUR SOCCER CAMP.
YOU KNOW, MAYBE WE PAY SOMEBODY TO DO THAT VERSUS DOING IT OURSELF OR, YOU KNOW, OUR OUTDOOR SPORTS, WHATEVER WE HAVE TO DO.
UM, SO I JUST THINK THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, OPTIONS.
YEAH, AND THAT'S A GOOD POINT.
BUT WHEN, UH, WE, WE COME BACK, YOU KNOW, O'CONNOR HAS TALKED TO YOU ABOUT WHEN WE PUT OUT THAT COMPREHENSIVE, THAT COMP, THE NEW COMP PLAN, THAT'S THE TYPE OF DEEP DAB OF ANALYSIS WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT.
AND WE ALSO GONNA BE COMING BACK TO THE BOARD ONCE WE DO THAT DEEP DIVE, IT TELLS YOU THESE ARE THE PROGRAMS THAT RECOVER THIS PERCENT, YOU AS POLICY MAKERS, WHERE DO YOU WANT US TO SET COST RECOVERY? RIGHT? AND, AND I THINK WE'RE, I, I THINK THAT WE CAN ALWAYS, I THINK THAT WE NEED TO BE AT A COST, UM, BREAK EVEN, EVEN IF WE HAVE TO GO INTO LIKE OUR, OUR, UM, SCHOLARSHIP TYPE MODEL, YOU KNOW, WE BREAK EVEN IF IT COSTS US THROUGH THE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.
SO I THINK THAT WE HAVE TO LOOK AT OPPORTUNITIES FOR LIKE THAT TO TRY TO BE CLUSTER TO BREAKING EVEN ON EACH ONE OF OUR, UM, SO THANK YOU.
AND I'M HOPING Y Y'ALL ARE DOING EXACTLY WHAT MR. WOOD IS TALKING ABOUT HERE, WHICH IS KIND OF LOOKING AT EACH PROGRAM AND FIGURING OUT IS THAT A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN ADD MORE KIDS OR MAYBE IT'S NOT
[01:25:01]
AS EFFECTIVE AND NEED TO CHANGE IT UP.I'M HOPING THAT'S KIND OF WHAT YOU'RE ALWAYS DOING.
UM, I HAD TWO QUICK QUESTIONS.
FIRST ONE IS, YOU MENTIONED, UM, THAT YOU HAD A LITTLE HICCUP IN YOUR FOOD DELIVERY.
UM, DO YOU PROVIDE LUNCH FOR ALL OF YOUR TYPICAL, THE $71 WEEK? IT'S NOT UP FOR THE COST.
UM, THE LOCATION OF THESE FREE LUNCH PROGRAMS TAKE PLACE AT OUR RECREATION CENTER.
SO THE KIDS THAT COME FROM THE CAMP ARE ABLE TO UTILIZE THAT PROGRAM, BUT IT IS NOT A PART OF THE COST OR THE PROGRAM THAT WE, SO IN OTHER WORDS, IF A CHILD IS ELIGIBLE FOR THAT AND THEY COME TO A REC CENTER FOR YOUR CAMP, THAT IS AN OUTSIDE PROVIDER THAT PROVIDES JUST FOR THOSE KIDS? WELL, ALL OF OUR KIDS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR IT.
UM, SO THAT LUNCH PROGRAM THAT'S PROVIDED AT THE SITE, NOT ONLY IN OUR KIDS IN THE RECREATION CENTER UTILIZE IT, BUT ANYBODY FROM THE COMMUNITY, THEY COULD COME AND UTILIZE IT AS WELL.
SO YOU ARE PROVIDING EXTRA FREE FOR ANYBODY THAT HAS YES, BUT WE ARE NOT PAYING FOR IT.
SO THE PROBLEM WAS THAT THE COMPANY THAT WAS PROVIDING IT FOR FREE WAS NOT GONNA DO THAT.
BUT THE EXPECTATION WAS THE CAMPERS THOUGHT THEY WERE GETTING FREE.
WE NEED TO CHANGE THE LANGUAGE A LITTLE BIT IN IT SO THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND, LIKE, UM, THE STATE DID NOT, UM, SOMETHING FELL THROUGH BETWEEN THAT COMPANY AND THE STATE, AND SO THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO PROVIDE THE LUNCH AT THE SITES THAT THEY HAD SAID.
UM, AND THERE'S AN APPLICATION PROCESS TO SWITCH TO ANOTHER PROVIDER.
WE USE DIFFERENT LUNCH PROGRAMS, UM, ALL ACROSS.
UM, AND SO IT'S, IT'S A LENGTHY PROCESS TO SWITCH TO ANOTHER LUNCH PROVIDER.
AND THAT'S ONLY FOR THE, UH, THE ONES THAT ARE AT THE REC CENTERS.
IS THAT ONLY FOR THE CAMPS THAT ARE AT THE REC CENTERS? NO, WE DID, UM, THROUGH THE LIBRARY PROGRAMS. YOU SEE WHERE I'M GOING WITH THIS.
WHY ARE WE PICKING UP THE TAB FOR FOOD? WE'RE NOT, BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE IT.
SO HOW DID WE, HOW DID WE PROVIDE LUNCHES? OUR RECOMMENDATION STAFF, UM, REACHED OUT AND THEY, UM, HAD SEVERAL LOCAL COMPANIES THAT PROVIDED DONATIONS.
I JUST DON'T WANT US TO BE IN THE BUSINESS OF ALL OF A SUDDEN HAVING THIS, I MEAN, YOU GUYS GOT ENOUGH ON YOUR PLATE, NO INTENDED, RIGHT? IF YOUR, IF YOUR JOB'S TO PROVIDE THIS CAMP AT THIS COST, BUT, AND THERE'S A FOOD ELEMENT OF IT, I DON'T, I, I WOULD HATE FOR US TO KEEP BEING ON THE HOOK FOR SOMETHING THAT WE'RE NOT GOING DO YOU, I I SEE WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
SO YOU'RE HOPEFULLY SOLVING THAT PROBLEM GOING FORWARD.
BY WORKING WITH, I THINK WE NEED TO CHANGE THE COMMUNICATION, UM, A LITTLE BIT, BUT AS WELL, LIKE FOR SINGING HILLS, THEY REACHED OUT TO ALL, EVERYBODY HUSTLED TO GET IT PROVIDED BECAUSE THE PARENTS TO THEM, THEY DIDN'T KNOW THAT IT WAS A SEPARATE WORKING THING.
SO YEAH, IF THAT'S NOT PART OF WHAT OUR SERVICE IS, I DON'T EVER WANT US TO BE UNDER THE GUN FOR IT AND BEING PUNISHED FOR IT.
WHY AREN'T YOU PROVIDING THIS WHEN THAT WAS NEVER OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO BEGIN WITH.
SO THAT COMMUNICATION AND HOWEVER THAT NEEDS TO BE FIXED DEFINITELY NEEDS TO BE FIXED.
UM, THE SECOND THING I WANTED TO OPEN UP THE IDEA OF IS, YOU KNOW, WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT WHAT'S AFFORDABLE FOR SOME ISN'T AFFORDABLE FOR OTHERS.
WELL, YOU KNOW, I, I UTILIZE THOSE CAMPS WHEN MY KIDS WERE YOUNG AND IT WAS AFFORDABLE.
HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT HAVING A, YOU KNOW, SEND YOUR KID IN FOR AN EXTRA $25 OR NEXT EXTRA $50 WE WOULD USE SCHOLARSHIP, ANOTHER CHILD.
AND I KNOW THERE ARE PARENTS THAT WOULD HAPPILY DO THAT.
LIKE, OH YEAH, I'LL PAY FOR MY KID AND IF IT'S AN EXTRA $25 TO HELP SOMEBODY ELSE, I, WELL, ABSOLUTELY.
SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO THAT BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A SLIDING SCALE.
SLIDING SCALES ARE SUPER HARD TO MANAGE, BUT THERE ARE LOTS OF PEOPLE THAT COULD AFFORD FOR MORE.
AND IF YOU GIVE THEM AN OPPORTUNITY, I THINK THEY WOULD PAY IT.
YEAH, I KNOW IT'S WEIRD TO COME IN TWICE, BUT, BUT I HAVE TO AGREE WITH YOU ON, ON, ON, ON, ON ASKING OTHER PARENTS TO PAY FOR A CAMPER FOR ONE WEEK OR MAYBE TWO WEEKS.
A LOT OF PARENTS WILL DO THAT.
I, I, I'VE SEEN IT DONE A LOT OF TIMES, BUT I COME HERE JUST TO DISAGREE WITH, WITH, UH, OUR BOARD MEMBER WOOD, UH, MR. WOOD, BECAUSE WE WOULD NOT AS A, AS A, AS A CITY, WE WOULD NOT EVER BE ABLE TO RECOVER 100% OF WHAT WE DO.
AND WE GOTTA UNDERSTAND THAT NOW.
WE JUST GOTTA FIGURE OUT THE MAGIC NUMBER OF WHAT WE CAN RECOVER FROM BACK BECAUSE OUR TAXPAYERS, US, WE PAY IN.
SO WE CAN USE THAT MONEY FOR PROJECTS LIKE THIS, BUT WE GOTTA FIGURE OUT HOW TO AT LEAST RECOVER SOME OF IT BACK SO WE CAN KEEP PUTTING MONEY BACK IN, INTO THE PROGRAM.
AND THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE GOTTA FIGURE OUT.
SO I, I JUST HAVE THIS SCREW SPLIT ON THAT AND WE'LL NEVER ABLE TO DO A HUNDRED PERCENT, BUT WE CAN GET CLOSER TO 50, MAYBE 60% POSSIBLY.
[01:30:01]
THE COST ANALYSIS AND TRY TO FIGURE OUT THE WHOLE CONCEPT ON IT.ELISA, YOU HAD MENTIONED IN THE TEEN CAMPS, FIRST OF ALL, Y'ALL, CONGRATULATIONS ON INCREASING THE PARTICIPATION, WHICH I THINK IS A CHALLENGING POPULATION TO ENGAGE.
I MEAN, WE WERE ALL TEENAGERS AT SOME POINT.
WE KNOW HOW THAT IS, RIGHT? SO CONGRATULATIONS.
STILL A TEENAGER,
UM, ONE THING I FOUND REALLY THAT STOOD OUT FOR ME WAS THE INTER INTERGENERATIONAL, UM, CHAIR VOLLEYBALL.
WAS THAT A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SENIOR PROGRAM AND THE TEAM PROGRAM THAT Y'ALL, UM, PUT THEM TOGETHER? HOW, HOW WAS THAT, HOW DID THAT GO ABOUT? CORRECT.
IT TOOK PLACE AT ASHLEY DAVIS.
AND SO I THINK IT WAS JUST THE IDEA OF THE TEAM PUTTING TOGETHER PROGRAM.
UM, AND THERE'S SOME REALLY GREAT PICTURES THAT CAME OUT OF IT.
SO THEY ALL PLAYED IT IN THE GYM THERE AT ASHLEY DAVIS.
AND I HOPE THAT EXPANDS TO OTHER RECREATION CENTERS AS WELL.
'CAUSE I CAN SEE HOW BOTH WOULD BENEFIT IN OUR SENIORS AND OUR TEENS FROM, FROM THIS PROGRAM.
SO WAS IT A PILOT? IT SOUNDS LIKE MAYBE IT WAS A PILOT AND OUR
AND CONGRATULATIONS ON MEETING THREE OF YOUR FOUR SUMMER CAMP GOALS.
UM, AND ALSO JUST WANTED TO MAKE A COMMENT ABOUT THE, THE PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE FOOD.
UM, I'M GLAD THAT WAS ABLE TO BE RESOLVED BECAUSE, UM, I KNOW A LOT OF FAMILIES IN MY COMMUNITY AND ALSO CITYWIDE THAT, YOU KNOW, SOME OF, SOME OF THE, THE MEALS THAT THE KIDS GET ARE JUST SH THEY MIGHT NOT ALWAYS HAVE ACCESS TO HEALTHY FOOD AND THE, THE MEALS THAT THEY GET ARE IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM.
SO I'M GLAD THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS PARTNERSHIP WILL CONTINUE EVEN IF THE PARK AND REC IS NOT COVERING THE COST.
I THINK IT'S AN IMPORTANT, UM, PARTNERSHIP TO CONTINUE WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS BECAUSE OTHERWISE SOME CHILDREN MIGHT, MIGHT NOT GET TO EAT.
DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER, UH, MS. MANDEL, I WANNA PIGGYBACK OFF OF MS. RICE AND SAY THE PARTNERSHIP, I THINK THAT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT WE ARE THE PARK DEPARTMENT, BUT IT IS A PARTNERSHIP CITYWIDE.
UM, AND WE ARE TAKING CARE OF OUR CITYWIDE KIDS.
SO THANK YOU, UM, TO ALL THAT YOU DO.
UM, AND, AND YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT PAYING FOR MEALS, BUT IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT THAT IS PART OF AN EXTENDED ARMS TO, TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
UM, DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? NO, THANK YOU BOTH SO MUCH AND CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR AMAZING WORK.
UM, MS. BARRY, DO WE HAVE A BUDGET UPDATE? YES.
UM, SO YESTERDAY CITY COUNCIL DID, UM, PASS THROUGH AND HAVE THE VOTE ON THE BUDGET IT WENT THROUGH.
THERE WERE ONLY THREE AMENDMENTS, NONE OF THEM AFFECTED THE PARK DEPARTMENT.
SO OUR BUDGET AT THIS HAS REMAIN THE SAME.
SUGGESTED THAT WE KNOW THAT OUR BUDGET FOR THE INCOMING YEAR IS SET UP 121 MILLION, 8 27, AND 1 52.
UM, THAT IS WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO.
AND THAT IS WE DID ACCEPT SOME REDUCTIONS AND OF COURSE WE RECEIVED SOME ENHANCE, BUT THAT IS THE NUMBER WE ARE SITTING AT.
UM, THE PLAN BUDGET FOR 25 26 IS AT 1 25, 4 36, 3 25.
ALL OF THE TOWN HALL MEETINGS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED.
SO, UM, THAT IS WHERE WE STAND AND THAT'S JUST THE UPDATE.
SO THAT STILL LEAVES US A, WHAT WAS THE SHORTFALL? WE STILL, WE STILL SAME SHORTFALL, SHORTFALL, THE, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO DO REDUCTIONS AND ALL THAT, RIGHT? WE, WE COMPLETED OUR REDUCTIONS, OUR REDUCTIONS, UM, CAN IN RED AND THAT INCLUDES THE PRODUCTIONS.
AND THEN OF COURSE, UM, WE PRETTY MUCH RECEIVED THE SAME BACK IN THE ENHANCEMENTS.
SO WE DID IT, UM, ZERO ON THAT POINT.
UM, BUT IT STILL LEAVES OUR, UM, BUDGET.
OF COURSE WE WOULD ALWAYS LIKE TO KNOW THAT THIS IS, UH, ITS SUSTAINABLE.
SO MS. PERRY JUST EXPLAINED THIS YEAR'S BUDGET WAS THIS DOLLAR AMOUNT AND NEXT YEAR BUDGET'S GONNA MOVE $1 AMOUNT SO THEY CAN SEE IT'S PRETTY MUCH CORRECT.
RIGHT? WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE BUDGET YOU HAVE TO CONSIDER, THOSE ARE THE MAJOR BUDGET ITEMS EVERY YEAR.
WE DO HAVE, UM, WHAT WE CALL THE SACRED CODE ADJUSTMENTS, BUT WE'RE LOOKING AT THINGS LIKE, UM, MERIT INCREASES, UM, ANY ADDITIONAL COSTS, HEALTH BENEFITS, THOSE TYPE THINGS ARE INCLUDED IN THERE.
AND SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE SITTING AT THE 1 21 8 27 COME OCTOBER 1ST.
THAT IS THE NUMBER WE WILL HAVE IN OUR BUDGET AS WE PLAN FORWARD.
AND YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE 125, THAT WOULD BE SOME OF THE ENHANCEMENTS ARE SITTING INTO THAT BUDGET PLUS THE ADDITIONAL, UM, ITEMS THAT THEY HAVE PLANNED OUT, INCLUDING THOSE TYPES OF MERITS AND CHANGES ALSO.
[01:35:01]
THAT 1 25 NUMBER FOR THE FOLLOWING YEAR, THAT DOES INCLUDE SOME OF OUR ENHANCEMENTS.YEAH, BUT OUR CURRENT BUDGET ISSUE IS WHAT? 1 21.
SO FOR 24 25, IT IS 1 21 FOR 25, 26 IT IS 1 25.
BUT NO, THIS YEAR BUDGET, WE ARE RIGHT.
OUR CURRENT BUDGET THIS YEAR IS REMAINED THE SAME.
WE ARE AT, I BELIEVE WE'RE AT 1 21.
YEAH, YOU SEE, SO
EVEN WITH ALL THE CHALLENGES THE CITY WAS FACING WITH REDUCTIONS AND $38 MILLION SHORTFALL, WE REMAINED FLAT.
WE CAME OUT A LITTLE BIT AHEAD, MAYBE $400,000 TO THE GOOD.
SO IT WAS A DECENT YEAR FOR US, ESPECIALLY EVERYTHING WITH THE PENSION PLANS AND EVERYTHING, THE CITY WAS FACING CHALLENGES.
HEY, YOU
UM, MS. MONDELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
SO CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE PROCESS? WHAT'S UP NEXT? SO WE, WE GET APPROVED.
OCTOBER TURNS TO ANOTHER BUDGET CYCLE.
OCTOBER 1ST BEGINS ANOTHER BUDGET CYCLE.
THIS IS WHERE TO BEGIN WITH THIS NUMBER.
UM, IT, IT CHANGES EVERY YEAR, SO IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, IT DOESN'T, WE DON'T ACCUMULATE EVERY YEAR.
WE DID HAVE A MIDYEAR THIS YEAR, SO WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT THOSE NUMBERS, THEY'RE COMPARABLE, UM, TO WHAT WE'VE ALREADY HAD.
SO YES, UM, THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT WE WILL HAVE TO REDUCE AND LOOK AT, BUT I MEAN, OVERALL WE CAN SUSTAIN THROUGH THIS BUDGET AND THE PROCESS.
NEXT STEPS ARE JUST IMPLEMENTING THOSE INTO THE LINEUP.
I MEAN, WE BEGIN IMPLEMENTING THAT BUDGET OCTOBER 1ST.
UM, WE CAN REVIEW, LOOK AT THAT, UM, SEE WHERE WE'RE GOING TO LAND, WHERE ALL THOSE FUNDS WILL FALL AFTER WE REVIEW THAT.
I MEAN, THE MONEY IS AVAILABLE COME OCTOBER 1ST.
OF COURSE, EVERYBODY PUTS THEIR PLAN IN PLACE.
THOSE HAVE ALREADY BEEN PLANNED OUT IN ADVANCE, WHICH IS HOW WE GOT TO THIS NUMBER TO BEGIN WITH.
SO ALL STAFF MEMBERS KNOW WHAT THEIR BUDGETS ARE AT THIS POINT AND WHERE WE'RE GOING MOVE FORWARD.
UM, AND THEN WE'LL DO REVIEW OF COURSE, DEPENDING ON HOW EVERYTHING FALLS IN, HOW, UM, INTEREST COST FOR ANY KIND OF EDUCATION COST.
CONTINUE AND MAKE ANOTHER LOOK AND, UM, PROVIDE YOU AN UPDATE.
THAT'S WHEN THEY FINALIZE YEAH.
SO THEY STILL HAVE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR AMENDMENTS.
ONE MORE FINAL VOTE IF THEY CHOOSE TO HAVE ANY OTHER AMENDMENTS.
UM, I BELIEVE WE HAVE NO OTHER QUESTIONS.
NOW WE ARE AT STAFF ANNOUNCEMENTS AND MR. ZA BELIEVE YOU'RE GOING TO, UM, PRESENT AS THE STAFF ANNOUNCEMENTS.
ONE, UH, PART BOARD MEMBERS, UM, JUST WANTED TO MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT.
UH, WE ARE HAVING A, WITH A PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITY WITH FC DALLAS THIS WEEKEND.
UM, WE ARE HOSTING A CLINIC AT CRAWFORD MEMORIAL PARK FROM 9:30 AM TO 12:30 PM UM, THIS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7TH.
UM, WE HAVE 200 YOUTH THAT ARE REGISTERED FOR OUR SOUTHEAST DALLAS COMMUNITY, UM, THAT WE, ATTENDANCE ADMIT, UM, GIVES US OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE THE FC DALLAS, UM, PROGRAM IF THEY'RE AND SET ON THEIR MONEYGRAM PARK, THOSE COACHES, UM, THOSE PLAYERS, AND TAKE 'EM OUT TO THE SOUTHEAST DALLAS COMMUNITY AND GIVE THOSE KIDS THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH 'EM, UM, WITH SKILLS AND DRILLS AND ALSO USING IT AS A LAUNCH PAD FOR OUR FALL SOCCER PROGRAM.
UM, IN ADDITION TO THE SOCCER CLINIC, WE ALSO HAVE A HEALTH FAIR.
DALLAS IS BRINGING OUT UT SOUTHWESTERN CHILDREN'S, UH, MEDICAL CENTER, UM, TO PROVIDE THOSE RESOURCES TO THE FAMILIES.
SO IF YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO COME OUT, PLEASE DO SO.
ALRIGHT, DO WE HAVE ANY LIAISON REPORTS? TWO, TWO EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS.
I GUESS THERE ARE LIAISON REPORTS, BUT, UM, THIS COMING SATURDAY, UM, FRIENDS OF NORTH HAVEN TRAIL IS HOSTING AN ICE CREAM AND BIKE HELMET CHECKUP EVENT ALL ALONG THE TRAIL ALL DAY.
UH, THEY'LL STOP AT DIFFERENT PLACES, BRING YOUR BIKE BOW.
AND THEN SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21ST IS, UH, FRIENDS OF THE COMMONS THAT DALLAS INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT NIGHT MARKET FROM FOUR TO 10:00 PM AT THE PRISM CENTER IN THE INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT.
YEAH, PLEASE JOIN FOR THOSE, I ASSUME.
WILL YOU SHARE THE OF COURSE, YES.
I GOT A CALL LAST NIGHT FROM BIG TEXT IN MORNING TWO,
[01:40:01]
YOU KNOW, I'LL BE YOUR DESIGNATING DRIVER.
IT'S GONNA BE BIGGER, FUNNER AND EXCITING.
WHAT DAY? THIS YEAR? WHAT DAY? MORE FUN.
UH, THIS HAS BEEN, UH, IT IS HISPANIC HERITAGE AT THE ARBORETUM.
IF Y'ALL HAVEN'T BEEN, IT'S THE 14TH AND 15TH AND IT'S QUITE A SPECTACULAR EVENT.
FASHION SHOW THE VENDORS, UH, IT'S REALLY A LOT OF FUN AND, AND A GREAT EVENT THEY PUT ON.
SO PLEASE GO SEPTEMBER 14TH AND 15TH.
AND I BELIEVE EVERYBODY ALREADY HAS THE FLYER, RIGHT? OR, OR COULD BE.
UM, JUST WANT TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE TRINITY RIVER AUDUBON CENTER IS HAVING THEIR ANNUAL SONGBIRD SUPPER DINE OUTSIDE EVENT ON SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13TH.
UH, THIS IS AN AMAZING SUPPER WITH SOME AMAZING CHEFS AND AN INCREDIBLE OUTDOOR PLACE.
AND, UH, ALL PARK BOARD MEMBERS ARE INVITED TO ATTEND.
IT IS A FUNDRAISER, BUT IF ANYBODY WOULD LIKE TO SPONSOR, UH, BE A PRESENTING SPONSOR FOR $25,000, YOU GET A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT BENEFITS.
UM, BUT IT'S A GREAT DINNER AND A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO SUPPORT THE AUDUBON CENTER AND I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO COME.
OH, DO YOU ALSO HAVE A FLYER, MR. DICKEY, THAT YOU COULD SHARE WITH, WITH, UM, PARK SECRETARY ABOUT THIS? YES.
I'LL SEND THAT TO MS. VALDEZ AND, UH, FOR DISTRIBUTION.
I BELIEVE THAT IS OUR LAST DAYS REPORT.
UH, UM, SEEING THERE'S NO OTHER BUSINESS.
UH, WELL, OUR NEXT MEETING IS THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19TH, 2024.
SEEING THAT NO OTHER BUSINESS, I NOW ADJOURN THIS MEETING AT 11:25 AM.