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[*This meeting was joined in Progress*]
[Trinity River Corridor Local Government Corporation Board Retreat on October 20, 2023.]
AT HERMAN PARK, UM, WE DID LOOK AT HERMAN PARK IN HOUSTON AND, AND HOLD THE HERMAN IN IN THE WORK THAT THEY DO IN HIGH REGARDS AS WELL.I THINK SOME OF THE ECONOMICS ARE A LITTLE DIFFERENT IN TERMS OF SCALE, BUT YES, MA'AM, THIS SHELBY PARK, 4,500 ACRES.
AND THAT'S CONSIDER AN ACTIVE, UH, WELL, NOT ENTIRE.
NOT AN ENTIRE, IT'S A HUGE PIECE OF GEOGRAPHY WITH A MASSIVE LAKE.
UM, AND, BUT THE INTERNAL SIZE OF IT IS ACTIVELY PROGRAMMED, UM, NOT ENTIRE GEOGRAPHY.
AND SO IF I, IF I MAY THEN MOVE THAT CONVERSATION, UM, AND PASTOR PARKER, MAY I ASK THAT NUMBER EIGHT, UM, BE INCLUDED IN THIS, UM, CONVERSATION 'CAUSE IT'S, IT'S DIRECTLY TIED NUMBER EIGHT IN THE AGENDA, BE IN PARK FUNDING, UM, THE PLANS AND THE PRIORITIES.
UM, IF YOU'RE OKAY WITH THAT, WE COULD INCLUDE THAT.
AND SO THE NEXT SLIDES, UH, GO A LITTLE BIT INTO, NO, INTO NUMBER EIGHT AND AGAIN, WHERE WE ARE IN THE PROCESS.
AND SO WE ARE EXPLORING DOING OUR DUE DILIGENCE AS WE DISCUSS, UM, DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR FUNDING FOR O AND M.
UM, WE ARE ROCK SOLID IN THAT OUR DONORS ARE COMMITTED IN, IN TERMS OF GETTING US TO THE BUILT PARK.
BUT THE O AND M AND THE CONSIDERATION FOR THE O AND M WOULD BE REMISS IF WE DID NOT HAVE THESE DISCUSSIONS.
NOW, A PARK OF THIS SCALE, UM, IN TERMS OF, UH, PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP, UM, TYPICALLY AS A CIVIC SUPPORT ELEMENT THAT'S ATTACHED TO IT, UM, YOU'VE HEARD ME SAY BEFORE, IT'S NOT HOW YOU OPEN THE PARK, BUT IT'S HOW YOU MANAGE THE PARK.
AND SO EVERY PUBLIC PARK LOOKS GREAT YEAR ONE, BUT THE TRUE TEST IS AFTER YEAR THREE WHEN IT NORMALIZES AND START TO EXPERIENCE WEAR AND TEAR.
AND, UM, THE ATTENDANCE LEVELS FOR YEAR ONE TO THREE SOMEWHAT INFLATED BECAUSE THERE'S MARKETING, IT'S NEW.
AND I, I GOT WHAT I CALL TIRE KICKERS OR VISITING YEAR THREE, IT NORMALIZES AND YOU GET A TRUE FEEL FOR THE PARK.
BUT THAT'S WHEN YOU ALSO START TO SEE THE WEAR AND TEAR.
AND MANY PARKS ARE, ARE FUNDED TO THE POINT OF WE'LL FUND THE FIRST FIVE YEARS AND FIGURE IT OUT LATER.
AND THEY SIGNIFICANTLY STRUGGLE.
'CAUSE THE INITIAL DONOR SUPPORT COMMUNITY THAT LAUNCHED THE PARK MANY TIMES IS NOT PRESENT IN YEAR FIVE.
AND SO FOR US, WE'RE BEING VERY INTENTIONAL WITH OUR CONVERSATIONS NOW AND SAYING HOW, WHAT'S OUR PHILOSOPHY TOWARDS O AND M AND HOW WILL THIS MAINTAIN IN PERPETUITY AND HOW WILL WE HAVE A SUSTAINABLE O AND M APPROACH? ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENTS, AS YOU KNOW, WILL SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT THE ABILITY, UM, TO RAISE FUNDS.
AND SO, UH, THE, THE MODEL FOR O AND M HAS TO BE DIVERSE, MULTILAYERED, AND, AND, AND HAVE MULTIPLE SOURCES.
SO IT'S NOT A DEPENDENT ON A SINGULAR SOURCE PER SE, BUT WOULD LIKE TO WALK YOU THROUGH THE CONVERSATIONS OF EXPLORATIONS THAT WE'RE HAVING ON O AND M.
AND I THINK THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, GOES INTO, UM, A BIT OF A CHART.
AND SO, UM, WE'VE BEEN CLEAR FROM DAY ONE, AS SAID EARLIER, THAT A PARK OF THIS SCALE SHOULD HAVE SOME CIVIC SUPPORT MAKING IT TRULY A PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP.
AND, UM, WE HAVE HAD A LOT OF DISCUSSIONS WITH A LOT OF DIFFERENT ENTITIES FROM THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, THE OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UM, PARKS AND REC.
AND WE WILL PROVIDE AN UPDATE IN WHERE WE ARE AT PARKS AND REC AFTER THIS.
AND SO WE ARE EXPLORING A WIDE RANGE OF DIFFERENT REVENUE GENERATED, UM, OPTIONS.
UM, I HOPE CATEGORIZE THOSE IN TWO BUCKETS AND EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL, EXTERNAL BEING THAT TOWARDS CITY AND COUNTY AND CIVICALLY GENERATED.
AND, UM, THE FIRST BUBBLE THAT YOU SEE IS THE CITY COUNTY THREE 80 AGREEMENT, WHICH IS BASICALLY, UM, AN AGREEMENT THAT HAS THIS CHARACTERISTIC OF A, OF A TIFF, A TAX INCREMENT FUNDING.
AND THIS FIRST CATEGORY IS, IS, IS, IS BASED ON, IS BASED ON, IF NOT FOR THE PRESENCE OF THE PARK, IF NOT FOR THE INVESTMENT OF THE PARK, THE TAX INCREMENT THAT THIS INVESTMENT WILL GENERATE.
AND, UM, THIS IS AN INNOVATIVE NON-TRADITIONAL APPROACH.
AND I WILL TELL YOU IN, IN, IN, IN, IN SPEAKING WITH DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS,
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IT CERTAINLY DOESN'T ALIGN WITH THE TRADITIONAL APPROACH, BUT IT'S CERTAINLY INNOVATIVE.AND WHAT'S, WHAT'S REALLY COOL ABOUT THIS APPROACH IS THAT IT ALLOWS YOU NOT TO CANNIBALIZE THE GENERAL FUND, BUT TO EXTRACT FROM THE TAX INCREMENT GENERATED FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE PARK.
AND WE KNOW IN SOME CASES IT MAY NOT FULLY ALIGN WITH A LOT OF HISTORICAL PLANS, BUT WE'RE CERTAINLY HAVING THE DISCUSSIONS AND PURSUING TO SEE IF THIS WOULD BE AN OPTION.
AND WE CERTAINLY KNOW THE SUSTAINABILITY BEHIND THIS APPROACH WOULD, WILL, WILL BE TREMENDOUS IF THIS, UM, IS THE APPROACH THAT WE COULD PURSUE AND GET CIVIC SUPPORT ON.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, A PAID, UH, PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT WE THINK IS A EQUALLY IMPORTANT, BUT NOT THE LEADING, BUT WOULD SUPPORT THE, THE TIF OR THE THREE 80 APPROACH.
AND WE'RE HAVING THOSE DISCUSSIONS AND WE CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND THAT THE PI RESULTS IN LIVING TAXES ON ENTITIES IN THE GEOGRAPHICAL AREA AND HOW THE RISING TIDE OF THE PRESENCE OF THE PARK WILL IMPACT THE BUSINESS AROUND.
AND THEN THE THIRD ELEMENT, UM, THAT WE'RE PURSUING AS AN EXTERNAL, UM, MECHANISM IS AN MMD, UM, MUNICIPAL MANAGEMENT DISTRICT, UM, WHICH IS LIKE A, UH, A PIT ON STEROIDS THAT HAS THE ABILITY TO ALSO LEVY TAX AND OPERATE WITH ECONOMIC IMPACT.
AND SO THESE THREE EXTERNAL, UH, THE, THE CHART SHOWS THEM AS VALUE CAPTURE.
REALLY, IT'S ONLY THE FIRST, THAT'S THE VALUE CAPTURE.
THERE ARE THE OTHER TWO OR JUST OTHER, UM, SOURCES, EXTERNAL SOURCES.
BUT WE ARE NOT LEAVING ANY STONE UNTURNED AND WE'RE JUST HAVING CONVERSATIONS OF EXPLORATION, UM, AS WE SPEAK WITH DIFFERENT CIVIC LEADERS IN SAME IMPORTANCE OF HAROLD SIMMONS PARK AS AN ECONOMIC DRIVER TO CONTINUE TO OPERATE IN PERPETUITY WITH STRAND WITH A SUSTAINABLE FUNDING MODEL.
UM, IN ADDITION TO, I'LL PAUSE IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS BEFORE I GO ON THE INTERNAL ONES.
YES, I'VE GOT, BEFORE YOU GET TOO FAR, I'VE GOT A FEW QUESTIONS IN THIS PARTICULAR AREA.
I GUESS THE, THE ONE, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THIS EXTERNAL, IT SAYS CITY COUNTY FUNDS THREE EIGHT.
HOW IS THAT SIMILAR TO WHAT A AGREE AGREEMENT THAT THE PARKS DEPARTMENT HAS WITH THE ZOO OR PARKS DEPARTMENT? UH, CURRENTLY PARKS DEPARTMENT HAS WITH ARBORETUM WHERE THEY, WHERE THERE'S, THERE ARE DOLLARS DESIGNATED TO EACH ONE OF THOSE, UH, ENTITIES.
SO WE, WE, IF SHOULD WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO, UM, TO MAKE THIS WORK UNDER THE PARKS AND RECS, UM, THE PARKS AND RECS DO PROVIDE FUNDS, AND I DON'T WANNA SPEAK OUT OF TERM, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING TO THE ZOO AND TO THE, UM, AND TO THE ARBORETUM, BUT IT'S NOT FUNDED THROUGH A MECHANISM SUCH AS THIS.
IT'S, IT'S SOMEWHAT OF A STIPEND THAT'S GIVEN.
UM, THEY ARE A REVENUE GENERATING ENTITIES.
SO THE DYNAMICS IS, IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
UM, WHAT WE ARE ASKING FOR IN THESE AGREEMENTS IS AN AGREEMENT THAT WOULD ALLOW US BASED ON THE, THE TAX INCREMENT GENERATED FROM THE PARK TO EXTRACT FROM THAT, WHICH IS A DIFFERENT MODEL, SIR, FROM WHAT THE ZOO AND THEIR CURRENT CURRENTLY HAS.
IS THERE ANY, ANY BUBBLE ON THIS CHART INCLUDE SOMETHING LIKE THAT? SO IT IS A DISCUSSION TO HAVE.
UM, I THINK WE ARE PURSUING AN ORDER OF PRIORITY.
UM, WHAT WHAT REALLY IS, IS REALLY ENCOURAGING FOR US IS A SUSTAINABILITY OF THE, THE THREE 80 OR THE TIF.
AND WHAT'S REALLY ENCOURAGING FOR US IN THIS, IT DOES NOT CANNIBALIZE CURRENT GENERAL FUND.
AND SO, UH, SIR, WE, WE WE'RE CERTAIN WE HAVE HAD POSITIVE FEEDBACK IN TERMS OF THE MECHANICS OF THIS STRUCTURE.
IT'S JUST, I THINK THE TIMING WITH EXISTING, UM, PROGRAMS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO NEGOTIATE THROUGH AND WE'RE BEING, UM, GOOD LISTENERS TO UNDERSTAND FROM THE OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UM, THEIR CONCERNS AS WE HAVE THESE CON CONVERSATIONS.
BUT TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION SPECIFICALLY, WE WOULD, AND WE ARE INTERESTED IN, IN, UH, A STRUCTURE SIMILAR TO THE ZOO AND THE ARBORETUM, BUT, UM, I THINK WE JUST WANT FROM A PRIORITY POINT OF VIEW TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH, UM, THIS BEING PROBABLY A TOP OF THE LIST BEFORE WE GET THERE.
IT IS A POTENTIAL BUBBLE, ABSOLUTELY.
DO YOU HAVE ANY, UM, EXAMPLES OF PLACES THAT THIS HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTED AND HOW IT WORKED? UH, AS MENTIONED, SO THE, THE TIF APPROACH IS, IS COMMONLY USED, UM, TO FUND, BUT IN MANY CASES THE TIF IS USED TO FUND, UM, CONSTRUCTION AND
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CAPITAL AND NOT SO MUCH THE O AND M.AND SO WE ARE ON THE, THE, THE CURVE OF INNOVATION IN THIS APPROACH.
UM, AND, AND SO WE, WE, WE LIKE TO BE INNOVATIVE AND WE KNOW THAT THERE'S RISK THAT COMES WITH BEING INNOVATIVE IN, IN, IN THE EDUCATION CURVE.
AND SO THE TIF APPROACH, UM, DR. KNIGHT IS COMMONLY USED, BUT IT'S MORE FOR O AND M AND NOT SO MUCH FOR, UM, FOR SUSTAINABLE OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE.
AND SO IF I MAY MOVE TO, UH, THE OTHER BUCKETS THAT ARE THE INTERNAL BUCKETS.
AND SO, UM, TONY, MATT, CHIME IN REAL QUICK.
UH, SORRY, I, I'M A LITTLE LATE ON THE DRAW HERE.
BUT, UM, HAD A QUESTION ABOUT THE MMD.
WE, WE'D HEARD ABOUT THE PIT AND THE TIFF BEFORE, BUT, UM, THE MANAGEMENT DISTRICT, I, MAYBE WE HAVE, BUT I DON'T KNOW THAT WE'VE HEARD ANY DETAIL.
I KNOW WHEN THAT'S APPLIED IN OTHER SETTINGS, IT'S USUALLY AROUND A LEVY OR, OR A TAX OR WHATEVER ON, ON, ON PRIVATE, UH, YOU KNOW, COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES.
UM, BUT I KNOW IT COULD ALSO BE SOMETHING LIKE A, LIKE A SALES TAX.
SO WHAT'S, WHAT'S THE THOUGHT HERE? IS THIS ADJACENT COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES AROUND THE PARK WOULD, YOU KNOW, BE, BE LEVIED IN SOME WAY? OR IS THIS ABOUT SALES TAX ON USE WITHIN THE PARK? SO THERE IS CURRENTLY AN MMD THAT ALREADY EXISTS AND, UM, WE'RE SEEKING TO UNDERSTAND OUR INTEGRATION INTO THAT MMD, BUT AS YOU KNOW, THE TIER, THE LARGE DESTINATION PARKS THAT AFTER THEY GET BUILT, THE HAPHAZARD GROWTH THAT HAPPENS AROUND FOR BUSINESS ENTITIES SEEKING TO CAPITALIZE FOR THE RISING TIDE OF THAT PART BEING BUILT.
UM, WE, WE HAVE NOT THAT SPECIFIC YET.
UM, UH, ANDREW IN SAYING EXACTLY WHAT WE WANT OUT OF THE MMD, UM, I THINK WE'LL GO THROUGH A PROCESS OF SEEKING TO UNDERSTAND, AND YES, YOU ARE CORRECT, THERE'S SEVERAL DIFFERENT APPROACHES FROM SALES TAX, TAXED TAX BEING LEVIED, UM, AND I THINK WE HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL AS WE ARE THE NEW GUYS BEING INTRODUCED TO THAT.
AND WE ALSO HAVE TO BE CAREFUL AS WE FRAME THE ECONOMIC IMPACT THIS PARK WILL HAVE FOR THAT GEOGRAPHY.
AND THE, THE SOFT NUMBERS THAT YOU GUYS ARE ALREADY FAMILIAR WITH, UM, FROM 2019 IS THAT THIS PARK WILL HAVE AN ECONOMIC IMPACT OF $6 BILLION OVER 30 YEARS.
WE BELIEVE THOSE NUMBERS TO BE GREATER.
UM, THAT IF NOT TAKEN CALCULATION, THE THE CONVENTION CENTER AND ALL THAT, THAT WILL BRING IN ALL THE VISITATION AND ALL THE BUSINESS THAT WILL BRING.
SO WE THINK THAT 6 BILLION, UM, OVER 30 IS A, IS A MODEST NUMBER AT THIS TIME, AND WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING THOSE NUMBERS UPDATED.
BUT SPECIFICALLY ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, SIR, IT'S ALL THE ABOVE OR POSSIBILITIES.
BUT WHEN IT COMES TO LIVING TAXES ON EXISTING, UM, THAT CAN BE A HIGHLY SENSITIVE, UH, CONVERSATION.
AND SO WE ARE JUST TAKING OUR TIME TO UNDERSTAND AS WE HAVE THOSE, THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
BUT ISN'T IT TRUE THAT A MMD, IT'S THOSE ENTITIES WITHIN THAT GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION THAT THE MMD IS A PART OF, THEY VOLUNTARILY JOIN IN WITH THAT AND THEY ARE SAYING AS A COLLECTIVE IN THIS GEOGRAPHIC AREA THAT WE ARE WILLING TO BE TAXED? THAT IS CORRECT.
AND SAME WITH THE, THE, THE, THE PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT.
BUT THE THING IN WHERE WE ARE TODAY WITH OUR PARK AND THE PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT THE PARK WILL GENERATE, WE'RE A LITTLE BIT BEHIND THE CURB IN PUBLICLY SHARING THAT, SIR.
SO I THINK WE HAVE TO, IN SOME INSTANCE, UM, BE GOOD EDUCATORS 'CAUSE YES, SIR.
IT'S A, UM, AS THEY GET IN, AGAIN, IF YOU LOOK AT THE NATIONAL MODELS AND THE IMPACT DESTINATION PARKS ARE HAVING, I THINK IT WOULD BE AN EASY CONVERSATION.
BUT WHERE WE ARE TODAY, WE HAVE SOME WORK TO DO BEFORE WE GET THERE.
TONY, YOU SAID THAT THERE'S AN EXISTING MD WHAT'S THE BOUNDARIES OF THAT? UM, I DON'T WANNA MISREPRESENT, BUT I THINK IT'S PRIMARILY, OBVIOUSLY IT'S IN THE WEST DALLAS SIDE AND AROUND THE FORT WORTH AVENUE.
UM, I DON'T HAVE THE FULL GEO GEOGRAPHY IN FRONT OF ME, SIR, BUT WE CERTAINLY CAN PROVIDE IT, BUT IT'S, UM, IT'S IN THAT GEOGRAPHIC AREA.
SO IF I MAY MOVE ON TO THE INTERNAL PLEASE.
AND SO WE ARE BEING VERY INTENTIONAL WITH OUR DESIGN.
UM, THE THINGS ABOUT INTERNALLY GENERATED REVENUE, IT'S OFTEN STRONGLY TIED
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TO INFRASTRUCTURE AND INFRASTRUCTURE OF THAT PARK.THE COMMON, UM, TENSION IN PUBLIC PARKS ARE HOW DO WE GENERATE REVENUE ON A FREE PARK THAT'S INTENDED, THAT DOES NOT HAVE AN ADMISSION PRICE? AND WE HAVE TO BE VERY CLEAR OF WHO WE WANT TO BE WHEN WE GROW UP.
AND WE'RE ADAMANT TO OUR DONORS WHO ARE GENEROUSLY GIVING TO BILL IN THE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN OF THIS PARK THAT WE WANT THE HAROLD SIMMONS PARK TO BE A, A, A A FREE ADMISSION WHERE THERE'S NO PRICE BARRIER TO VISITING, ESPECIALLY FOR UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES IN OUR GEOGRAPHICAL CLOSE BY COMMUNITIES.
WITH THAT SAID, UM, WE'VE TAKEN OFF ADMISSION AS A REVENUE GENERATING OFF THE TABLE.
UM, SO THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT YOU HAVE AND THE TENSION I'M DESCRIBING IS CLOSING PARK, UM, GROUNDS FOR PRIVATE EVENTS WHEN YOU WANT IT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC, UM, ACCESS.
AND SO THAT'S THE FIGHT THAT EVERY PUBLIC PARK HAS.
I HAVE A BEAUTIFUL LAWN, I WANNA CLOSE IT FOR A PRIVATE EVENT, BUT WHEN YOUR GENERAL PUBLIC COMES, IT'S NOT ALWAYS AVAILABLE TO THEM.
WE'RE BEING VERY INTENTIONAL WITH OUR DESIGN AND WE'RE GETTING STRONG SUPPORT FROM OUR BOARD THAT WE NEED A DEDICATED EVENT SPACE THAT WE CAN USE FOR EVENT TO MONETIZE EVENTS, WHETHER IT'S BOOKED PRIVATE EVENTS, WEDDINGS, BIRTHDAY PARTIES, THAT DOES NOT TAKE AWAY FROM THE PUBLIC SPACE THAT THE GENERAL PUBLIC HAS AVAILABLE TO THEM.
AND SO EVENT RENTAL, THE FIRST BUBBLE WILL BE A, A VERY SIGNIFICANT PART OF OUR REVENUE GENERATION.
UH, PUBLIC PARKS, UH, FROM A PLACEMAKING POINT OF VIEW ARE REALLY UNIQUE LOCATIONS THAT ENTITIES ARE LOOKING TO HAVE PRIVATE EVENTS.
AND SO WE ARE CONFIDENT THAT AN EVENT SPACE, PROPERLY TOOLED EVENT SPACE WITH THE RIGHT AUDIOVISUAL AND SPACING FOR SEATING, UM, WILL BE A HUGE VALUE AND HEAVILY MONETIZED IN, IN AN ENVIRONMENT SUCH AS DALLAS AND ALSO AS DALLAS WITH THE NEW CONVENTION CENTER, BECOMES MORE CONNECTED FROM A DESTINATION MANAGEMENT POINT OF VIEW.
CONVENTION ERRORS FOR MULTIPLE DAYS ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR UNIQUE PLACES TO HAVE EVENTS, AND THESE ARE CORPORATE DOLLARS WHERE YOU CAN CHARGE EVENT RENTALS AT A HIGHER PRICE BAR.
SO EVENT RENTAL WILL BE A MASSIVE PART OF OUR BUSINESS MODEL.
UM, THE, THE DALLAS COMMUNITY WILL SUP, UH, BUSINESS COMMUNITY, WE BELIEVE WE'LL SUPPORT THAT.
AND, UM, AND WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THAT ASPECT.
UM, SECOND, ANY QUESTIONS MOVING ON? SECOND IS WHAT WE'RE CALLING, UM, FESTIVALS, SIGNATURE EVENTS AND CONSUMER EVENTS.
WHEN YOU HAVE A UNIQUE SPACE SUCH AS A PARK AND WHEN IT'S ACTIVELY PROGRAMMED, YOU'LL HAVE CULTURAL EVENTS AND FESTIVALS THAT WILL DRAW VOLUME.
WHILE THERE'S NOT AN ADMISSION PRICE TO THESE EVENTS, YOU BENEFIT FROM WHAT'S CALLED PER CAPITA SPENDING WHERE THEY WILL BUY FOOD, THEY WILL BUY MERCHANDISE, THEY WILL BUY EXPERIENCES.
UM, AND SO, UH, WE WILL HAVE CONVERSATIONS AND HAVING SIGNATURE EVENTS THAT WE CAN, UM, GENERATE, UM, REVENUE ON THOSE EVENTS.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE'LL ALSO BE VERY CREATIVE WITH, UM, PROGRAMMING EVENT, UM, UM, NOT PROGRAMMING EVENTS, BUT IN HAVING PRODUCTS THAT WE CAN MONETIZE SUCH AS BEHIND THE SCENES TOURS, UM, ESPECIALLY CURATED BIRTHDAY PARTIES.
UM, YOU KNOW, UH, MOMS ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR SOMEWHERE UNIQUE TO HAVE BIRTHDAY PARTIES.
AND AGAIN, THIS IS WHERE THAT EVENT SPACE COMES IN.
BUT WE WILL HAVE WHAT WILL BE A LOT OF NON-TRADITIONAL WAYS TO CAPITALIZE ON THE CRITICAL MASS THAT WE'RE ANTICIPATING FOR, FOR OUR TIER ONE PUBLIC PARK.
UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT MERCHANDISING, AS WE CREATE THE HAROLD SIMMONS PARK BRAND, WE WILL BE INTENTIONAL IN HOW THAT BRAND IS, IS TRANSLATED TO MERCHANDISE PRODUCTS FROM KITCHEN CHAINS TO CUPS TO T-SHIRTS TO HATS.
AND THOSE ARE THE HIGH VOLUME ITEMS THAT ARE COMMONLY USED AND COMMONLY RETAILED.
AND EVEN IF WE'RE ABLE TO DO OUR JOB WELL, OR PERHAPS EVEN HAVE THIRD PARTIES WILLING TO, UM, SELL THESE UNITS THAT THE OTHER PART THAT, UM, HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE TO WORK WITH, WE EVEN HAD HOTELS, UM, WILLING TO TAKE PRODUCTS BECAUSE IT WAS SUCH A DESTINATION PRODUCT AND, YOU KNOW, HOTELS AND EVEN AIRPORT.
NOW I'M BEING ASPIRATIONAL
AND SO THE, THE, THE MERCHANDISING SIDE WILL HAVE A TON OF POTENTIAL.
AND IF I COULD GET A, UM, YOU KNOW, WHILE A LOT OF OUR LOCALS VISIT AND REPEAT VISIT WON'T BE BIG ON MERCH, UM, YOUR, YOUR DRIVE MARKETS WILL, THEY'LL WANNA WALK AWAY WITH SOMETHING OR SOUVENIR OF SOME KIND.
AND SO THAT'S PART OF THE STRATEGY HERE TO MAKE SURE MERCHANDISE WILL BE, UM, A PART OF THE PRODUCT
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ALSO ONLINE AS WELL AS IN PARK.WHAT PERCENTAGE OF, OF YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH THE GATHERING PLACE AND YOUR EXPERIENCE IN FLORIDA, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF INCOME WOULD YOU SAY THAT MERCHANDISE BRAND? IT IS A LOW PERCENTAGE, BUT IT CAN BE A HIGH, UM, DOLLAR AMOUNT IF IT'S PROPERLY POSITIONED AND PROPERLY BUNDLED WITH CULINARY ITEMS AND PROPERLY, UM, UM, YOU KNOW, AS LONG AS IT'S AVAILABLE, UM, ON SITE AS WELL AS IN PART, UH, PART OF OUR LEVEL WITH AN ANTICIPATED, UM, UM, ANNUAL ATTENDANCE OF OVER 3 MILLION, UM, COULD HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO GENERATE, UM, BETWEEN CLOSE TO A MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR IF THIS IS PROPERLY DONE.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, SO THE TWO LARGEST BUCKETS OF REVENUE, UM, IN ANY PARK, UM, IS THE EVENTS.
AND CULINARY IS THE SINGLE HARDEST OPERATION, UM, YOU KNOW, RESTAURANTS, UM, AND THEIR FAILURE RATES.
UM, THE THING ABOUT CULINARY OPERATION FOR A PARK IS THAT YOU HAVE THE CRITICAL MASS.
NOW YOUR LOCAL VISITORS, UM, UH, FROM NEARBY WHO ARE WALKING, BIKING, JOGGING TO THE PARK, THEY MAY BUY A BOTTLE OF WATER, BUT TYPICALLY, UM, THEY'RE NOT SPENDING FROM A PER CAPITA POINT OF VIEW 'CAUSE THEY'RE LEAVING HOME AND THEY'RE GOING BACK AFTER THREE TO FOUR HOURS.
BUT YOUR DESTINATION VISITORS WHO ARE MAKE SPENDING THREE, UM, ALONG THE LENGTH OF STAY THEY WILL PURCHASE.
AND SO THE INTENTION OF HAVING ACTIVE PROGRAMMING AND FESTIVALS AND EVENTS, THAT'S WHERE YOU REALLY CAPITALIZE, UM, FROM A CULINARY POINT OF VIEW.
UM, PEOPLE WANT A DINING EXPERIENCE TO, TO, TO, TO, UM, TO COUPLE OR TO MANAGE OUR, OR TO BALANCE THEIR, THEIR EXPERIENCE WITH THE PROGRAMMING.
AND SO, UM, A LOT OF PARKS ARE NOT SELF-OPERATING.
THE CULINARY, THEY'RE OUTSOURCING IT.
UM, THE LABOR FOR CULINARY IS HARD TO STAFF.
I HAVE DONE IT, IT'S EXTREMELY DIFFICULT.
IF YOU'RE A PARK, YOU DON'T HAVE THE BUYING POWER FOR VOLUME BUY.
AND SO YOUR, YOUR, YOUR COST OF GOODS GETS CHALLENGED.
AND SO THE, THE, THE, THE PREFERRED APPROACH IS TO HAVE A THIRD PARTY WHO HAS BUYING POWER AND CAN LEVERAGE, UM, EVEN THEIR LABOR TO BE AN OPERATOR.
UM, I, UM, I THINK OUR FRIENDS AT QUAD WARREN RECENTLY WENT TO THAT MODEL WITH THE CASINO.
AND SO THIS IS A MODEL WE'RE PURSUING, UM, WITH A THIRD PARTY.
UM, AND AS YOU KNOW, CULINARY LABOR INTENSIVE.
AND SO THIS WE BELIEVE WILL ALLOW US TO, UM, TO OPERATE IN A WAY TO CONTROL SOME OF OUR OVERHEADS AND JUST ASK OFF THE BAT PERHAPS FOR, UM, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS IS THIS, WE'LL TAKE OFF THE TOP AND WHATEVER THEY GENERATE AFTER THEY KEEP, SO WE'RE HAVING THOSE DISCUSSIONS NOW WE'RE AGAIN, LOOKING AT NATIONAL MODELS.
UM, I, I HAVE DONE THE SELF OPERATING CULINARY AND IT'S, IT'S EXTREMELY DIFFICULT.
SO, UM, WE'RE, WE'RE GOING THROUGH THE DUE DILIGENCE AND FIGURING THAT OUT.
BUT CULINARY IS A HUGE FORM OF GEN REVENUE GENERATION.
AND CULINARY ALSO TIES TO, UM, CATERING.
AND SO THE CATERING SIDE THAT TIES TO THE EVENT RENTAL.
UM, YOU DON'T CARRY THE CATERING LABOR ON YOUR BOOKS, UM, YEAR ROUND, BUT YOU OUTSOURCE THE LABOR WHEN YOU HAVE EVENTS.
AND SO THE CATERING IS OFTEN, UM, OUTSOURCED AS WELL.
PASTOR PARKER LOOK LIKE YOU HAVE A QUESTION, SIR.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S A, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S A QUESTION AS A, WITH ALL THE CHALLENGES WITH CULINARY, YOU'RE SAYING IT'S STILL GENERAT.
THIS IS A BIG BUCKET IN THIS PARK GENERATOR REVENUE.
IT IS IF YOU CAN MANAGE THE OVERHEAD AND SO PEOPLE EAT.
UM, AND SO IN THE PARK BUSINESS YOU HAVE WHAT'S CALLED SNACKERS AND DINERS.
UM, YOUR DINERS ARE YOUR DESTINATION GUYS THAT WANNA SIT DOWN AND HAVE A FULL, FULL MEAL AND HAVE A DAY OFF IT, OR INDIVIDUALS THAT SAY, IT'S A BEAUTIFUL SATURDAY, THE WEATHER IS NICE, LET'S GO HAVE A MEAL.
AND SO IN OUR PARK PLAN, WE HAVE CAFES AND DINING AREAS THAT WILL CATER TO THOSE DINERS.
BUT YOUR SNACKERS OR YOUR IMPULSE GUYS ARE THERE THAT MAY PICK UP A, A PREPACKAGED, UM, AND NOT NECESSARILY WANNA SPIN IN DEEP POCKETS, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT THAT YOU'RE ABLE TO CAPITALIZE FROM IMPULSIVE BUY OF YOUR SNACKERS.
UM, 'CAUSE THEY WANT TO SNACK.
AND KIDS ARE THE PERFECT, UM, APPETIZERS FOR SNACKERS.
'CAUSE THE VISUAL PULL LETTERS WANT IT, RIGHT? AND SO WE WILL CAREFULLY POSITION FOR THE SNACKERS, BUT THE DINERS IS WHERE YOU GET A LARGER PER CAPITA SPEND BECAUSE THEY'RE BUYING A MEAL.
AND SO PASTOR PARKER, YES, UM, AS THEY PLAY AND ENJOY YOUR PART, THEY'LL WANT TO EAT.
BUT, UM, AS THE SAME CASE WITH RESTAURANTS, YOU'LL GO IN YOUR RESTAURANT, YOU'LL BUY, BUT THE ECONOMICS OF KEEPING THE 'EM PROFITABLE WITH THE OVERHEADS AND THE COST
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OF GOODS AND THE LABOR IS A DIFFICULT TASK.AND SO, UM, THIRD PARTIES WHO ARE BETTER TOOLED FOR IT CAN DO A BETTER JOB THAN MOST PARKS CAN.
AND SO MOVING ALONG, UM, I FOR EVENTS, THERE'LL BE TIMES THAT WE'LL HAVE A LAY PARKING AND AN OPPORTUNITY TO CAPITALIZE ON THAT.
THAT'S NOT A A A YEAR, IT'S A YEAR ROUND, BUT IT, IT'S, IT'S MAINLY, UM, ACTIVATED AROUND EVENTS AND THEN MEMBERSHIP AS, AS WE SEEK TO BUILD LOYALTY.
UM, MEMBERSHIPS ARE A COMMON SOURCE OF, UM, UM, UH, REVENUE AS WE BUILT A LOYALTY BASE.
UM, MEMBERSHIP WILL BE SOMETHING THAT WE'LL, WE'LL PURSUE AND, UM, COMMONLY USED.
THE NEXT BUCKET IS SPONSORSHIP.
AND SPONSORSHIP IS TIED DIRECTLY, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, THAT THE TIER ONE ACTIVELY MANAGED PARKS, UM, TEND TO BE MORE BRANDS.
AND SO SPONSORSHIP IS OUR ABILITY TO ATTRACT SPONSORS THAT WILL GIVE US DOLLARS.
AND THOSE DOLLARS TYPICALLY WILL OFFSET OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE.
AND SO ON THE EVENT SIDE, FOR SPECIAL EVENTS, THESE SIGNATURE EVENTS THAT WE WOULD HAVE, WHETHER IT'S A FESTIVAL OR CONCERT, TYPICALLY WILL COME WITH A, UM, A PRESENTING SPONSOR.
AND SOMETIMES THOSE WILL BE FOR THREE YEARS IF YOU'RE GOOD.
UM, IF, IF YOU'RE EXCELLENT, YOU CAN GET A FIVE-YEAR PLAN, BUT IF YOU DON'T HAVE A WELL-MANAGED BRAND AND CORPORATE PARTNERS DO NOT WANT TO ALIGN WITH YOU, THIS WOULD BE SIGNIFICANTLY CHALLENGED.
AND SO IN THE DALLAS MARKETS WITH, WITH ALL THESE FORTUNE COMPANIES, UM, WE BELIEVE THAT DALLAS BASED COMPANIES, UH, ONCE WE'RE ABLE TO PROPERLY EXPLAIN THE CALIBER AND THE PEDIGREE OF OUR PARK AND THE IMPACT OF THE PARK AND THE IMPORTANCE THIS WILL BE FOR DALLAS, WE BELIEVE THAT A LOT OF THE, THE DALLAS SPACE ENTITIES WILL BE INTERESTED IN HAVING A PRESENCE IN THE PARK.
AND SO WE HAVE TO MANAGE A HAROLD SIMMONS BRAND IN A MANNER THAT WILL GARNISH AND WILL BE ATTRACTIVE IN THAT REGARD.
AND WE HAVE TO CREATE COMPELLING PROGRAMMING AS WELL.
AND THE PROGRAMMING WILL VARY ON, THERE'LL BE PROGRAMMING ON CONSERVATIONS AND THERE'LL BE ENTITIES THAT WANT TO ALIGN ON CONSERVATION.
THERE'LL BE PROGRAMMING ON HEALTH AND WELLNESS, AND THERE'LL BE ENTITIES THAT WANT TO ALIGN ON HEALTH AND WELLNESS.
THERE'S PROGRAMMING THAT WILL BE CULTURAL, HISPANICS AND LATINO FESTIVALS, AFRICAN AMERICAN FESTIVAL, NATIVE AMERICAN FESTIVALS.
AND SO WE HIT IN THE PAST, WE'VE BEEN ABLE, AND I THINK FROM MARKET AS DALLAS, WE'LL BE ABLE TO ATTRACT THOSE CORPORATE ENTITIES THAT HAVE AN AFFINITY IN THOSE AREAS.
AS LONG AS THESE ARE WELL CURATED, WELL MANAGED.
BUT I CANNOT SAY ENOUGH ABOUT DAY ONE MANAGEMENT OF THE BRAND FROM LAUNCH BEFORE BRICK AND MORTAR, DURING CONSTRUCTION, AFTER CONSTRUCTION, AND DURING THE FIRST YEAR.
EVERYONE WANTS TO JUMP ON THE HOT, SHINY, UM, PRODUCT.
BUT IT'S LIKE, AGAIN, AFTER IT NORMALIZES AFTER YEAR THREE, WILL YOU STILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO, TO ATTRACT CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP? AND, AND WE GET THAT AND WE WILL MANAGE THE BRAND IN A MANNER TO MAKE, TO ENSURE THAT HAROLD SIMMONS PARK BRAND IS A TIER BRAND FOR DALLAS AND FOR TEXAS FOR THAT MATTER.
SO THE, UM, TRANSPORTATION, UM, IF AGAIN, YOU'RE ABLE TO ASK FOR SPECIFIC TRANSPORTATION PARTNER THAT CAN OFFSET SOME OF YOUR CAPITAL DOLLARS FOR FLEET VEHICLES.
UM, IN A FORMER PARK, I WAS ABLE TO GET SOME SPONSORSHIP FROM FORD AND, UM, WE KNOW THERE ARE, DALLAS IS KNOWN FOR ITS AUTOMAKERS, AND SO WE ARE CERTAINLY, UM, TOOLING UP TO HAVE THE CONVERSATION WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT.
AND THE VALUE AGAIN IS WITH THE, THE BRAND MANAGEMENT.
AND SAME WITH HOR HORTICULTURE AND EQUIPMENT SPONSORSHIP, UM, COMMUNICATION.
UH, WE HOPING TO SECURE A CELL PHONE COMPANY FOR THE PARK, A DEDICATED, A COMMUNICATION PARTNER, A WIFI COMMUNICATION PARTNER FOR THE PARK.
AND I THINK WE KNOW OF SOME PROMINENT GLOBAL PARTNERS IN THIS MARKET.
UM, AND EVEN FROM A BEVERAGE, A POURING RIGHTS POINT OF VIEW, UM, WE WERE HOPING FROM A SPONSOR POINT OF VIEW TO HAVE A DEDICATED BEVERAGE PARTNER.
AND WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT, WE WILL BE PURSUING THAT AND THAT ALONG, UM, UH, SOLAR AND UM, ELECTRIC CHARGING AND, UM, SUSTAINABLE ENERGIES.
AND SO AS WE'RE IN THE DESIGN PHASE, WE'RE HAVING DISCUSSIONS AND WHO AND HOW WE CAN PARTNER CORPORATELY IN THOSE AREAS AS DALLAS, UM, IS EVOLVING IN LEADERSHIP IN IN THOSE SUSTAINABLE ENERGY SOURCES.
UM, WE CERTAINLY HOPE TO TAP INTO THAT.
AND THEN THE OTHER BUCKET NEXT TO THAT IS, UM, THE PHILANTHROPIC BUCKET AND WE HAVE ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE DONORS THAT ARE COMMITTED TO GETTING THIS PART BUILT, UM, AND HOW WE SUSTAIN AND MANAGE THIS BRAND.
[00:30:01]
YEAR FIVE IS IMPORTANT AND WE KNOW, UM, UH, BEHIND ME IS ONE OF THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS ON THE, THE PHILANTHROPIC, UM, DONOR, UM, ADV, UM, ADVANCEMENT MANAGEMENT IN HOW WE WILL, UM, PROVIDE VALUE FOR DONORS TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH A PARK, AN OPERATING PARK.UM, UM, WE WOULD CERTAINLY, IT'S AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR STRATEGY.
AND IN THE LAST BUCKET, UM, LISTED AS NON-TRADITIONAL BUSINESS AGREEMENTS.
SO GOING BACK TO THE POINT EARLIER THAT OF THE CRITICAL MASS WITH A SUCCESSFUL DESTINATION PARK, WHERE THE HAPHAZARD ORGANIC GROWTH STARTS TO HAPPEN, WHERE ENTITIES, DINING ENTITIES ARE TRYING TO POSITION CLOSE TO, UM, ESTABLISH PARKS TO BENEFIT FROM THE CRITICAL MASS.
UH, WE HOPE TO HAVE, UM, PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS.
WE HOPE TO EXPLORE CONVERSATIONS OF HOTEL FLAGS THAT PERHAPS WOULD HAVE PROXIMITY TO THE PARK, THAT WOULD WANT TO BENEFIT FROM THE, THE GEOGRAPHY OF THE PARK AND THE BRAND.
UM, WE'LL HOPE TO ATTRACT OTHER ATTRACTIONS THAT COULD PARTNER, UM, WITH OUR, WITH OUR PARKS, FOR EXAMPLE.
UM, SCIENCE CENTERS ARE, ARE, ARE RECENTLY A COMMON ORGANIC PARTNERS TO PUBLIC PARKS ANYWHERE EDUCATION AND STEM EDUCATION OR STEAM EDUCATION IS, IS A COMMON, UM, UM, COMPLIMENTARY PRODUCT.
AND SO AS WE ARE ABLE TO LEAD PUBLICLY WITH THE PARK, WE'RE ALSO WANNA BE INTENTIONAL IN SEEKING OTHER PARTNERS AND OTHER BUSINESS AGREEMENTS PERHAPS WHERE THERE MAY BE A, A REVENUE SHARE UNDERSTANDING OR A LEASE AGREEMENT.
AND SO, UM, WE'RE, THIS APPROACH, BY THE WAY, IS NOT A TRADITIONAL APPROACH.
THIS MULTIFACETED WITH MULTI-SOURCE IS NOT YOUR TYPICAL PUBLIC PARK APPROACH.
BUT FOR HAROLD SIMMONS PARK IN THE DALLAS MARKET, WE ARE BEING VERY INNOVATIVE, AGAIN IN OUR FUNDING MECHANISMS. AND EVEN THOUGH WE HAVEN'T PUT THAT SHOVEL IN THE GROUND YET, WE'RE HAVING THESE CONVERSATIONS AND TO UNDERSTAND THESE BUCKETS, ALTHOUGH REPRESENTED WITH EQUAL CIRCLES ARE NOT EQUALLY WEIGHTED.
AND SO THE CIVIC HELP THAT WE ARE TRYING TO GET IS THE LIONS SHARE OF THIS O AND M.
YOU KNOW, ROUGH NUMBERS FOR GENERATING THE INTERNAL SIDE IS MAYBE AROUND 3 MILLION.
AND AGAIN, IT'S A PUBLIC PARK, SO YOU'RE NOT OVER MARKETING AND TRYING TO CAPTURE A LION'S SHARE OF THE WALLET YOU'RE TRYING TO ORGANICALLY CAPTURE AS PEOPLE INTEGRATE WITH THE PART.
UM, SO THE CIVIC, THE PUBLIC PRIVATE, THE CIVIC SUPPORT IN GENERATED REVENUE IS A CRITICAL COMPONENT OF THIS MIX.
AND YOU SAY 3 MILLION, YOU MEAN 3 MILLION PER YEAR.
UM, ALL THE OTHER BUCKETS IS OUR SOFT NUMBERS.
AND I ALWAYS WANT THE DISCLAIMER TO SAY THAT'S BASED ON CURRENT METRICS.
AND THIS YEAR AS WE GET CLOSE, WE KNOW THINGS WILL CHANGE.
UM, BUT THAT'S, AND THAT'S AMBITIOUS, BUT AGAIN, WE'RE LOOKING IN MULTIPLE FACETS.
AND AGAIN, IT'S A, IT'S, UM, IT'S NOT THE LION'S SHARE OF THE O AND M FOR US TO HAVE A SUSTAINABLE, BULLETPROOF, UM, O AND M MODEL THAT WILL PROVIDE, UM, UM, PROVISIONS FOR THIS PARK AND PERPETUITY 30 YEARS AND PLUS.
WELL, I, UM, ONE, I APPRECIATE THE, THE CREATIVITY, UM, AND THE ON THE BALANCE WAS OBVIOUSLY YOU SAID NOT WEIGHT.
UM, BUT THIS, I WANNA SAY INTERNAL PIECE, UM, IS DEFINITELY THINGS I HAD NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT IN TERMS OF FUNDING, UH, IN TERMS OF FUNDING A PART, UH, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE TALK ABOUT A FREE PART.
UM, TO GENERATE, UH, $3 MILLION PER YEAR OR SOME AMOUNT IS, IS, UH, WOULD BE SIGNIFICANT.
I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT DALLAS CAN PUT, IF THEY PUT THEIR MIND TO IT, CAN DO THIS AND MORE IF THEY, IF THEY SO CHOOSE.
UM, IT'S, THE MONIKER IS DALLAS IS THE CAN-DO CITY.
SO, AND THERE'S NO REASON FOR THE CITY TO BE HERE EXCEPT THAT THERE'S SOME FOLK THAT HAVE MADE IT HAPPEN.
I, I'VE GOT A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS AND THEN I WANT TO PLEASE JUMP IN WITH ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS.
I HELP GO, GO BACK TO SLIDE NUMBER, THE FIRST SLIDE THAT THE NATIONAL COMPARISONS.
[00:35:01]
HELP ME UNDER, FROM A O AND M STANDPOINT, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE DISCOVERY GREEN OR BUFFALO BIO, THIS $7 MILLION, YOU KNOW, O AND M'S, UH, GATHERING PLACE $11 MILLION, BREAK OUT THE BUCKETS OF WHAT PERCENTAGE DOES THEIR O AND M COME FROM, FROM CIVIC, FROM INTERNAL, JUST THE TWO THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT, UH, HERE ON YOUR FOUR SLIDE.UM, HELP ME WITH SOME PERCENTAGES HERE.
UM, I CAN'T SPEAK WITH AUTHORITY FOR ALL THE OTHER PARKS OR I CAN SPEAK IN GENERAL.
'CAUSE THESE WERE PULLED FROM THEIR I NINETIES, THEIR, THEIR, THEIR, UM, THEIR, THEIR ANNUAL REPORTS.
UM, BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT TRADITIONALLY IT VARIES.
IT, IT REALLY VARIES BASED ON THE CITY AND THE CITY'S HEALTH.
AND THE PRE-NEGOTIATED BEFORE THAT PARK WAS BUILT,
UM, I'VE SEEN SOME WHERE, UM, THE CITY CARRIES THE LION'S SHARE.
UM, ONE PARK FOR EXAMPLE, UM, UH, FOREST PARK IN, IN ST.
LOUIS WHERE THE CITY, UM, TOOK THE LIONSHARE ON THE INFRASTRUCTURE AS IN THE GROUNDS MANAGEMENT.
UM, I'VE SEEN CASES WHERE THE CITY ALSO OUTSOURCED THE PROGRAMMING.
AND SO THERE'S NO SET SET MODEL IN, IN, IN TERMS OF THE PERCENTAGE THE CITY WILL PROVIDE.
IN THE CASE OF THE GATHERING PLACE, THE CITY WAS FACED WITH A LOT OF DEFERRED MAINTENANCE AND DID NOT WANT THE OPTICS, UM, THAT THEY WERE, UM, DE DEFERRED MAINTENANCE ON THE INFRASTRUCTURE, THE CITY AS A WHOLE, THEIR INFRASTRUCTURE.
AND SO, UM, THEY GAVE, UH, UH, THEY GAVE $60 MILLION TOWARDS THE PARK CAPITAL THAT WAS, UH, THAT WAS FOCUSED ON INFRASTRUCTURE AROUND THE PARK, BUT UNDERSTOOD THAT THEY DID NOT, OR COULD NOT PROVIDE ASSISTANCE FOR THE O AND M.
AND SO THE O AND M WAS RAISED DIFFERENTLY FOR THE GATHERING PLACE, BUT THAT'S A COMPLETE DIFFERENT HYBRID OF A PROJECT.
UM, MOST CASES, SIR, THESE PARKS, UM, IT'S THROUGH BONDS THAT WERE RAISED TO FUND THESE PARKS INITIALLY ON SOME OF THEIR CONSTRUCTION, BUT I FUNDS FOR, TO BUILD FOR CAPITAL OR FOR O AND M FOR CAPITAL, NOT FOR O AND M.
IN TERMS OF THE O AND M, I DON'T HAVE THE MIX OF, FOR THESE PARKS OF WHAT THE CITY PROVIDE VERSUS WHAT'S EARNED, BUT I, I DO KNOW THAT MOST PARKS DO NOT EARN THEIR O AND M.
MOST PARKS OR PUBLIC PARKS ARE HEAVILY, UM, SUBSIDIZED WITH CITIES FOR THEIR O AND M, BUT FOR, WELL, FOR HAROLD SIMMONS PARK.
AND, AND THE BUCKETS THAT YOU DESCRIBED HERE, WHAT'S YOUR TARGET MIX THERE FROM PERCENTAGE AS FAR AS, UH, SO PART GENERATED REVENUE VERSUS, AGAIN, THESE ARE ROUGH, UNOFFICIAL FORECASTED NUMBERS.
OF THE 13, WE'LL RAISE THREE AND WE NEED TO FIND A WAY FOR THE OTHER 10.
UM, THOSE ARE THE ROUGH MATH RIGHT NOW.
AND AGAIN, WE'RE GOING THROUGH THIS CONVERSATION OF EXPLORATION MORE AND MORE.
WE REALIZE THAT THEY MAY COME FROM DIFFERENT BUCKETS AND WE'RE HAVING DISCUSSIONS AS WELL WITH, UM, MICHAEL MORRIS'S TEAM FROM NICK COG, BUT A LOT OF THESE SUPPORTS ARE NOT SUSTAINABLE YEAR OVER YEAR FOR AN O AND M APPROACH OR A LOT OF ONE TIME BUCKETS.
AND AGAIN, WE'RE HAVING THESE DISCUSSIONS, WE'RE SEEKING TO UNDERSTAND, BUT WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO GET IS A SUSTAINABILITY THAT WILL ENSURE THAT THIS WILL CONTINUE YEAR AFTER YEAR AND NOT HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE GAMESMANSHIP OF HOW DOES THE, WHAT'S THE ECONOMIC HEALTH THIS YEAR? HOW AM I, HOW MUCH AM I GONNA GET THIS YEAR? AND SO THAT'S EMOTIONALLY, IT FLUCTUATES, UM, TENDS TO FLUCTUATES BASED ON THE HEALTH OF THE ECONOMY AND THE CITY.
AND IF WE COULD FIND A WAY AND THAT, AND THESE ARE ALL PROACTIVE CONVERSATIONS NOW, UM, NOW AS WE'RE TRYING TO GET TO AN AGREEMENT THAT WILL ALLOW US TO OPERATE IN PERPETUITY.
TO THAT POINT, I GUESS, I GUESS IF YOU, IF YOU GUYS COULD DO A LITTLE BIT MORE RESEARCH OR IS THAT SOMETHING MAYBE WE COULD TAKE ON? BECAUSE I REALLY WANT TO KNOW WHAT OTHER CITIES ARE DOING TO SUPPORT THE ACTIVE, WE COULD ASK.
WE'RE IN A COLLEGE, WE'RE IN A GROUP CALLED THE HIGHLINE NETWORK OF PARKS IN WHICH WE ARE PARTNERED WITH, UM, A LOT OF THESE PARKS.
[00:40:01]
WE COULD ASK THEM SPECIFICALLY, UM, WHAT PERCENTAGE IS, IS, IS BY THE CITY.AND I WOULD, UM, AND WE CAN GET THAT NUMBER FOR YOU.
I DON'T WANNA MAKE NUMBERS UP.
WE CAN GET, WE, WE CAN DO A DEEP DIVE FOR YOU BECAUSE IF WE'RE GOING TO ADVOCATE THIS GROUP IS GOING TO ADVOCATE WITH, FOR, WITH THE CITY FOR SOME KIND OF CIVIC INVOLVEMENT, YOU KNOW, I'LL JUST BE FRANK, LET'S PUT, LET'S PUT SOME NUMBERS ON THE TABLE, WHAT OTHER CITIES ARE DOING.
YOU KNOW, I, I HEAR YOUR EXPERIENCE IN THE GATHERING PLACE, AND WHEN I HEAR CITY OF THE SIZE OF TULSA'S AND WHATEVER THEY COMMITTED 60 OR EIGHT.
YEAH, THEY GAVE 60 FOR INFRASTRUCTURE.
BUT PASTOR PARKER, I SAID EARLIER, GATHERING PLACE WAS FUNDED PRIMARILY THROUGH PRIVATE PHILANTHROPIC AND ONE PRIMARY DONOR THAT WAS ABLE TO GIVE HALF OF IT, UM, THAT MODEL.
WELL, I'M OFTEN ASKED, IS THAT MODEL SUSTAINABLE? AND I, UM, AND I SAID, NOT EVERY COMMUNITY IN EVERY CITY DOESN'T HAVE THAT RICH PHILANTHROPIC ABILITY.
DALLAS DOES, BUT, UM,
SO THESE MODELS OF PARKS, NINE TIMES OUT OF 10, SIR, DON'T HAVE, UM, THAT RICH PHILANTHROPIC SUPPORT.
AND SO THE OTHER PART THAT I HAVE NOT MENTIONED IS AN ENDOWMENT.
AND SO TYPICALLY SECURING AN ENDOWMENT AND THAT YOU'RE DRAWING FROM ANNUALLY THAT WILL GENERATE SOME REVENUE IS, IS ALSO A, A COMMON APPROACH.
AND, UM, IT'S GETTING THE ENDOWMENT AHEAD OF THE, OF THE PROJECT SURE.
WHERE IT HAS THE ABILITY TO BE VESTED BEFORE THE TIME FOR THAT DRAW.
AND TYPICAL, THEY'LL USE A BRIDGE FUND UNTIL THE ENDOWMENT KICKS IN.
AND THAT IS A DISCUSSION WE'RE HAVING AS WELL.
IS THAT UNDER, WOULD THAT BE UNDER PHILANTHROPIC CONSIDERATION OR IT IT WOULD BE, OR ON, UH, IT GETS ITS OWN BUCKET.
AND, UM, AND THAT'S, UH, A DISCUSSION IN OUR FUNDRAISING CURRENTLY, NOT A DISCUSSION, AN INITIATIVE IN OUR DISCUSSION IN OUR FUNDRAISING CURRENTLY.
UM, UH, AND YOU'LL QUICKLY FIND OUT THOUGH, THAT ENDOWMENTS ARE NOT ENOUGH AND THEY GET EXHAUSTED.
UM, AND SO IT'S THIS DELICATE BALANCE OF MANAGING YOUR EXPENSES, HAVING SUSTAINABLE GENERATION INTERNALLY, HAVING, UM, A, A SUSTAINABLE SOURCE OF CIVIC FUNDING AS WELL AS ADDITIONAL FUNDRAISING, UM, INITIATIVES THAT, UM, WILL ALLOW YOU TO GET TO THAT NUMBER.
AND WE CERTAINLY GET THAT, BUT IT'S FIRST BASE FIRST.
AND SO THE, THE CONVERSATION RIGHT NOW IS GETTING THAT CIVIC CONVERSATION ADVANCED.
AND SO I, I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU.
THIS AT LEAST GIVES ME A LOT OF CLARITY, HOPEFULLY A LOT FOR THE REST OF THE BOARD.
UM, BUT I THINK, I THINK IT'S GREAT BECAUSE IT'S BROAD THINKING, BUT IT'S ALSO DEEP THINKING, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THE INNOVATIVE APPROACH, LIKE POTENTIALLY LEVERAGING A TIFF.
UM, I THINK THAT'S BRILLIANT IF WE CAN PULL THAT OFF.
AND THAT WOULD BE A MEANS TO REALLY DIFFERENTIATE HOW WE SUSTAIN OPERATIONS OVER TIME.
SO I THINK THAT'S REALLY POWERFUL.
UM, WHAT DO YOU THINK THE PERCENTAGE OF THAT ACTUALLY HAPPENING, 50 50? DO YOU HAVE ANY SENSE OF HOW WE CAN INFLUENCE THAT CONVERSATION? SO I'M A, IT'S A POWERFUL MECHANISM, LIKE YOU SAID, FOR BUILDING BUILDINGS, RAISING CAPITAL AND ALL THAT SORT OF STUFF.
BUT FROM OPERATIONS SIDE, I THINK THAT WOULD BE A TREMENDOUS BENEFIT TO THE CITY AS A WHOLE.
AND I APPRECIATE YOU SAYING THAT AND I ACKNOWLEDGING THE POTENTIAL FOR THE TIFF OR THE THREE 80 APPROACH.
AND SO I'M A GLASS HALF FULL KIND OF GUY, AND, AND I'VE BEEN IN DALLAS NOW OVER TWO YEARS AND, AND PASTOR PARKER'S, RIGHT? THE GROWTH THAT I SEE IN DALLAS, UM, FOR, UH, THE GREATER METRO, UH, YOU KNOW, FORECASTED TO BE ALMOST A 8 MILLION MSA AND THE SUPPORT THAT I'VE SEEN FOR DALLAS, FOR GREEN SPACES, UM, AND UNDERSTANDING WHAT A PARK WILL, WILL PROVIDE.
WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF EDUCATING ON THIS INNOVATIVE, CURRENT INNOVATIVE STRATEGY.
AND MOST INDIVIDUAL ALMOST ALL AFTER THEY UNDERSTAND IT, THEY TOTALLY SUPPORT THE MECHANIC, THE MECHANICS OF IT AND THE, THE, THE FUNDAMENTALS OF IT.
AND, AND I SAY IT'S JUST THE CHALLENGE OF INTEGRATION WITH SOME EXISTING AND SOME HISTORICALS.
[00:45:02]
I THINK, UM, THAT, UH, WE BELIEVE IN THE PROCESS AND THE SUPPORT THAT WE HAVE GOTTEN VERBALLY IS VERY ENCOURAGING.AND SO I'M ENCOURAGED THAT, UH, A A CITY LIKE DALLAS WILL EMBRACE SUCH AN APPROACH, BUT I ALSO WANNA BE VERY RESPECTFUL HISTORICALLY IN HOW THIS GETS INTEGRATED.
AND SO THIS HAS TO BE A JOINT EFFORT FROM ALL THE OFFICES, UM, LISTED.
AND SO AGAIN, NOT FOR US TO BE PIGGISH IN SAYING, BECAUSE WE THINK THIS IS A GREAT IDEA, UM, THAT EVERYONE WILL RUN WITH THIS, BUT SO THROUGH, UH, EDUCATION, THROUGH SHARING AND, AND THROUGH, UM, APPEALING TO THE IMPACT THIS PARK WILL HAVE FOR DALLAS AS A DESTINATION, DALLAS AS A MSA, I AM OPTIMISTIC THAT WE WILL GET IT CIVICALLY DONE, SIR.
SO NUMBER FIVE TIES IN IF PASTOR PARKER IS GOOD IN TERMS OF UPDATE IN WHERE WE ARE, IF YOU'RE OKAY.
PASTOR PARK, COULD I MOVE TO THAT? UM, YES.
SO WE WERE, WE STARTED HAVING CONVERSATIONS ON THIS, UM, AND THE SAME QUESTIONS YOU'RE ASKING EDDIE.
UM, A WHILE AGO, UM, ABOUT A YEAR, ALMOST A A OVER A YEAR AGO, THE CONVERSATIONS REALLY STARTED TO, UM, ACCELERATE AND, AND WE HAD SOME SIGNIFICANT HELP, UM, FROM A CONSULTANT IN HELPING US TO GET THIS CONVERSATION EXPLAINED IN, IN A VERY SIMPLE AND IMPACTFUL MANNER.
AND, UH, WE'VE SPOKEN TO THE OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, WE'VE SPOKEN TO, UM, THE, THE, THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE, AND THE CITY MANAGER HAS BEEN CLEAR IN SAYING THAT HE UNDERSTOOD THE IMPACT OF THE PARK AND THE POTENTIAL THAT THE PARK WOULD HAVE.
BUT HE WAS ALSO CLEAR IN SAYING THAT THERE WAS SOME OPTICS IN FUNDING THIS, THAT, AND SOME SENSITIVITIES THAT HE WANTED US TO MAKE SURE WE PROPERLY UNDERSTOOD AND ADDRESSED.
AND THE CITY MANAGER SUGGESTED THAT WE PURSUE CONVERSATIONS WITH PARKS AND RECS TO EXPLORE THESE FUNDING MECHANISMS. THE CITY MANAGER THEN GAVE WRITTEN APPROVAL TO PASTOR PARKER TO PURSUE THESE CONVERSATIONS TO SEE IF THERE WAS A STRUCTURE THAT COULD BE, UM, CREATED WITH THE LGC THAT WOULD ULTIMATELY ALLOW US TO GET TO THIS FUNDING.
UM, AS YOU REMEMBER, PASTOR PARKER IN THE LAST, UM, LGC MEETING, UM, RECEIVED CONSENSUS FROM THIS GROUP FOR US TO PURSUE THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
AND SO WE'RE IN THE MIDST OF LOOKING AT WHAT THIS FRAMEWORK WILL LOOK LIKE, WHAT THE, THE, THE AREAS OF AGREEMENT WOULD BE AND HOW THIS WOULD INTEGRATE WITH THE LGC AND PARKS AND RECS.
UM, WE'RE AT THE POINT NOW WHERE WE HAVE WHAT WE BELIEVE A VERY COMPREHENSIVE DOCUMENT THAT WILL ALLOW US TO CONTINUE TO ACTIVATE THIS EXPLORATION.
AND WE BELIEVE IN THE NEXT 30 DAYS, THIS DOCUMENT WILL BE READY TO BE PRESENTED THROUGH PASTOR PARKER BACK TO THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE, AS WELL AS TO THE OFFICE OF ARUN AL, THE, THE PRESIDENT OF PARKS AND RECS.
AND SO WE'RE AT THE POINT NOW WHERE WE HAVE A, A SOLID UNDERSTANDING OF THE TERMS AND WHAT WE THINK IS A GOOD START.
AND WE'RE HOPING IN 30 DAYS TO PRESENT THESE TO BOTH THE CITY MANAGER AND THE HEAD OF PARKS AND RECS.
Q, YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, CONCERNS,
UM, AS SAID EARLIER, WE'RE LOOKING, UM, WITH THE OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, BUT WE WERE ENCOURAGED BY THE CITY MANAGER AS HE SAW PERHAPS THAT UNDER PARKS AND REC MAY BE A PATH FORWARD TO ATTAINING THIS, UM, VALUE CAPTURED APPROACH.
AND SO, UM, PARKS AND RECS HAVE BEEN VERY, OUR CONVERSATION WITH PARKS AND RECS HAVE BEEN VERY ENCOURAGING AS THEY, UM, ALSO, UM, SEE VALUE OF US BEING, UM, WITH PARKS AND RECS.
BUT ULTIMATELY, SIR, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, WE'RE PURSUING THIS BASED ON THE, THE, THE ADVICE OF THE CITY MANAGER THAT WILL ULTIMATELY GET US TO THAT CIVIC SUPPORT FOR SUSTAINABILITY WITH OUR O AND M.
[00:50:04]
THE, WHAT TIME IS IT? UH, SARAH'S.SO THAT COVERS ITEM NUMBER FIVE ON THE AGENDA AS IT RELATES TO THIS DISCUSSION WITH THE PARK AND RECS DEPARTMENT.
WE, UM, THEN I TELL YOU WHAT, LET'S TAKE A LITTLE BREAK HERE.
UM, SARAH STANDUP WILL BE HERE AT 10 30, OR SOMEONE FROM OUR OFFICE WILL BE HERE FOR OUR
AND SO LET'S, UH, LET'S TAKE A 10 MINUTE BREAK, IF YOU DON'T MIND, AND, UH, WE'LL COME BACK.
I JUST, WE'LL SEE YOU AT 10 30.
WE HAVE A COUPLE MORE ITEMS HERE ON THE AGENDA TO COVER TODAY.
AND THEN DALLAS WATER IS IN THE HOUSE, SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO THAT.
WE ARE, WE ARE ON ITEM NUMBER SIX.
UM, WE'LL CONTINUE, WE'LL JUST KEEP THIS ORDER.
WE'RE ON ITEM NUMBER SIX, UPDATE ON PRE-CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT AWARD FOR PHASE ONE PANEL ON SIMMONS PARK.
AS WAS SHARED IN THE LAST MEETING, UM, TPC WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF HIRING A CONTRACTOR FOR PRE-CONSTRUCTION, UM, WORK, UH, LED BY MARCUS SHR SHIRE.
AND, UH, DIANE BUTLER WAS A, A PART OF THE, UH, THE INTERVIEWING PROCESS AND WE WERE FORTUNATE TO HAVE A VERY STRONG LIST OF CANDIDATES.
UH, BUT WE, WITH OUR PANEL OF GROUP THAT WAS ABOUT EIGHT INDIVIDUALS, UM, WE MADE A SELECTION AND WE HONORED THE PRE-CONSTRUCTION WORK.
UH, BECK CONSTRUCTION HAS A MINORITY PART PARTNER IN EJ SMITH.
AND, UM, AND ALSO A OTHER PARTNER WITH WHO WE BELIEVE IS THE, PROBABLY THE MOST EXPERIENCED, UM, PARK CONSTRUCTION FIRM IN THE MIDWEST, MAYBE AMERICA IN CROSSLAND CONSTRUCTION, A HISPANIC OWNED, UM, CONSTRUCTION COMPANY.
SO BECK IS LEAD, UH, CROSSLAND CONSTRUCTION, UH, UH, ALONG WITH EJ SMITH OR THE PARTNER GROUPS THAT WERE AWARDED FOR THE PRE-CONSTRUCTION WORK.
AND SO, UM, THEY'LL BE BUSY, UM, AS WE'RE AT 65% DESIGN, UM, WORKING US THROUGH AND GETTING US CLOSER AND CLOSER.
WOULD YOU JUST MAKE CLEAR FOR US WHAT PRE-CONSTRUCTION INVOLVES? SO PRE-CONSTRUCTION IS A PROCESS OF ASSESSMENT OF THE PLANS THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE IN, IN, UM, ASCRIBING TO IT, UM, TRUE COSTS, TRUE MATERIAL COSTS, PROCESS COSTS IN LOOKING AT, UM, WHAT'S PROPOSED AND FIGURING OUT OUT THE, THE, THE IDEAL APPROACH, NOT ONLY COST EFFICIENT, BUT CONSTRUCTIONAL SOUND APPROACH TO CONSTRUCTION.
SO THIS WILL GET US TO A PATH WHERE WE WILL BE ABLE TO PROCEED WITH ACTIVE CONSTRUCTION AFTER THIS PROCESS IS OVER.
AND SO IT GOES FROM PRE-CONSTRUCTION TO ACTUAL CONSTRUCTION.
TYPICALLY, THE FOLKS THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THE PRE-CONSTRUCTION WILL TAKE YOU INTO CONSTRUCTION, BUT WE'RE GOING THROUGH THAT PRE-CONSTRUCTION RIGHT NOW, AND WE'RE HOPING AT THE END OF THAT, WE WILL BE READY TO MOVE WITH DOCUMENTS AND TO MOVE WITH PERMITS TO MOVE TOWARDS CONSTRUCTION.
WE'RE NOT THERE YET, BUT WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF THOSE DISCUSSIONS.
AND THE PRE-CONSTRUCTION PROCESS, SO THE PRE-CONSTRUCTION DOES INCLUDE THE DEVELOPMENT OF CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS OR IS THAT THE NEXT STEP? UM, IT DOES INVOLVE THE, THE, THE, HOW SHOULD I SAY IT? THE, UM, PURGING PROCESSING OF THE CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS TO MOVE THEM TO COMPLETE DOCUMENTS TO GO TO CONSTRUCTION.
HOW LONG DO YOU ANTICIPATE THIS PROCESS TO TAKE? THE, THE PRE-CONSTRUCTION WILL TAKE A WHILE.
UM, WE'RE HOPING IN 30 DAYS OR SO TO HAVE SOME, UH, NEW FIGURES BACK.
UM, THAT WILL BE ACTUAL FIGURES THAT WE'LL HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE PROCESS OF, UH, THESE ARE THE FIGURES OF WHAT YOU WANNA BILL AND THIS IS THE BUDGET OF WHAT YOU WANNA BILL, IS THERE ALIGNMENT? AND SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, THE PRE-CONSTRUCTION WILL LAST FOR, UM, FOR QUITE A FEW MONTHS, 6, 12, 6 MONTHS, 18, SIX MONTHS.
[00:55:01]
ORWHAT, WHAT WERE THE ATTRIBUTES FROM THAT, THAT, THAT, UH, MADE THEM THE SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE OTHER THAN THE EXCELLENT PARTNERSHIP THEY BROUGHT TOGETHER? I'M SORRY, WHAT WERE THE, WHAT WERE THE ATTRIBUTES THAT, UH, THAT RESULTED IN THE AWARD? SURE.
WELL, BECK CONSTRUCTION WAS THE CONSTRUCTION FIRM THAT DID ALL THE DOWNTOWN DALLAS INCS, ALL THE FOUR PARKS.
SO THEY WERE FRESH FROM DOING CONSTRUCTION PARK PROJECTS AND, AND FOR US THAT, THAT WAS IMPORTANT.
AND IF YOU SAW THE QUALITY OF THE PARKS WITH CARPENTER PARKS, HARDWOOD PARKS, THEY WERE ALL WELL DONE AND, UM, WORLD CLASS PARKS FOR, UM, URBAN ENVIRONMENT FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS.
AND SO WE WERE IMPRESSED WITH THAT EXPERIENCE, THEIR PARTNERSHIP WITH EJ SMITH.
UM, BEING A RESPECTED MINORITY PARTNER, UM, HERE IN DALLAS WAS IMPORTANT FOR US AS WELL AS IT, YOU KNOW, SPEAKS TO OUR COMMITMENT TO MINORITY WOMEN AND BLACK MWE IN THE, IN THE PROCESS.
AND CROSSLAND WAS A POWERFUL, UM, PARTNER THAT THEY CHOSE.
UM, CROSSLAND BY THE WAY, ALSO BUILT THE GATHERING PLACE AND, UM, IS INVOLVED WITH OTHER PART PROJECTS, UM, THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.
AND SO VERY EXPERIENCED AND, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE, IT'S A COMP COMPETENT, UM, COMBINATION OF, UM, ENTITIES UNDER THE BECK PORTFOLIO.
AND OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, BECK'S WELL RESPECTED HERE IN DALLAS AS A DALLAS BASED ENTITY.
UM, AND AGAIN, CROSS THEM BEING HISPANIC OWNED WAS ALSO, UM, A GOOD PIECE AS WELL.
SO FROM A COMPETENCE FROM A CURRENT RELATIVITY WITH THE, WITH THAT TYPE OF CONSTRUCTION, UM, IT REALLY GAVE THEM, GAVE THEM THE, THE EDGE.
WOULD YOU SHARE JUST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT EJ UM, SMITH WOULD, THEIR COMPANY WOULD BE? HOW THEY WILL BE INVOLVED IN THE PRE-CONSTRUCTION THING? SO THAT HASN'T FULLY BEEN DECIDED YET.
SO BECK RIGHT NOW IS GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS OF DECIDING SCOPE AND SCAPE AND, AND PERCENTAGES AND FUNCTIONS.
AND SO, UM, THEY'RE IN THE PROCESS OF FINALIZING THAT.
BUT EJ SMITH IS A COMPETENT, UH, PARTNER IN DALLAS AND HAVE DONE A LOT OF DIFFERENT PROJECTS, BUT IN TERMS OF THE SPECIFIC SCOPE THAT THEY WILL PLAY FOR HAROLD SIMMONS, WHAT WOULD NOT YET AT THAT POINT, SO.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, DR.
Q? ANYTHING? ALRIGHT THEN, UH, ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, UPDATE ON COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES.
SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU IN THE PUBLIC PARK SECTOR, THE PUBLIC PARK IS A PARK THAT SERVES THE COMMUNITY.
AND SO AS WE HAVE SAID BEFORE IN THIS, IN THESE MEETINGS, THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SIDE BEFORE YOU EVEN BREAK GROUND, BEFORE YOU GET A TANGIBLE PARK, IS CRITICAL.
AND WE HAVE STARTED YEARS BACK WITH A SERIES OF DIFFERENT COMMUNITY SESSIONS AND, UM, TOWN HALL MEETINGS IN THE RECENT TIMES, WE HAVE DRILLED DOWN A LITTLE BIT WITH OUR NEARBY AND UH, UM, COMMUNITIES.
AND ONE, COMMUNICATING TO THEM AS WE ADVANCE OUR DESIGN, WHAT THE PARK IS, HOW THE PARK WILL IMPACT THEM.
TWO, GETTING THEIR INPUT, UM, AND REACTING TO OUR DESIGN AS WELL AS HEARING FROM THEM, UM, WHAT SUPPORT.
AND, AND THEN THREE, JUST BEING A GOOD COMMUNITY STEWARDS OF BEING ENGAGED IN THE COMMUNITY.
AND SO OUR INVOLVEMENT, UM, GOING TO SPEAKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN IN HOMES, WE'VE BEEN IN SCHOOLS, WE'VE BEEN HAVING DIALOGUES WITH DIFFERENT COMMUNITY MEMBERS, DIFFERENT DEMOGRAPHIC MIX FROM KIDS TO SENIORS, UM, TO THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY.
AND, UM, WE'VE HEARD FROM THEM, UH, CERTAIN FEATURES IN THE PARK CAME DIRECTLY FROM THE COMMUNITY.
AND, AND FOR EXAMPLE, UM, THE SPORT COURTS IN THE, UM, WEST DALLAS, UH, FELIX LAZADA AREA, YOU KNOW, IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO HAVE A PLACE TO PLAY BASKETBALL AND STREET SOCCER AND TO HAVE ACCESS, ACCESS WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO THEM AS, UM, THEY ASKED QUESTIONS, ARE THESE COURTS GONNA BE CLOSED OR OPEN? AND THEY WERE GONNA BE CLOSED DURING THE DAY.
UM, AS WE, AS I UNDERSTOOD THE HEAT THAT I'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE, TRIPLE DIGIT TEMPERATURES HERE IN DALLAS SUSTAINED.
UM, BUT COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE ASKING ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES FOR COOL DOWN THEN.
SO THE SPLASH PAD AGAIN WAS UH, UH, AN IMPORTANT PART THAT WAS EXTRACTED FROM COMMUNITY INPUT.
AND SO THE PROJECT IS INFLUENCED BY AND INFORMED BY THE COMMUNITY, BUT WE'RE GETTING REAL FEEDBACK.
AND THE THING ABOUT COMMUNITY IS THAT IT'S DYNAMIC.
[01:00:01]
YOU GOT, UM, THREE YEARS AGO, UM, WHILE IT'S STILL IMPORTANT, MAY NOT BE CURRENT TO WHAT YOU'RE GETTING NOW.UM, I'M PLEASED TO SAY WE HAVE A COMMUNITY RELATIONS TEAM MADE UP OF, UM, TWO, TWO MEMBERS THAT ARE ACTIVELY IN THE COMMUNITY, SPECIFICALLY THE UNDERSERVED COMMUNITY, THE UNDERSERVED COMMUNITY OF WEST DALLAS AND OAKLAND, SEEKING TO UNDERSTAND, COMMUNICATING, INFORMING.
UM, WE ARE ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN SOCIAL SERVICES NOW.
WE HAVE A, UM, A WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM THAT WE'RE DOING WITH THE COMMUNITY WITH OUR FRIENDS FROM, UM, LONE STAR JUSTICE ALLIANCE.
WE'RE DOING WRAPAROUND SERVICES FOR TRANSPORTATION.
WE'RE DOING, UM, WORKING WITH READY TO WORK AS WELL ON HEAVY MACHINERY, UM, FOR, UH, FOR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.
AND WE'RE ALSO WORKING WITH A GROUP CALLED POLKA, UM, AS WE TAP INTO OUR HISPANIC NEEDS AND HELPING SOME OF THE UNDOCUMENTED WITH, UM, UH, SOME OF THEIR LEGAL NEEDS FOR STARTING BUSINESS.
AND SO YOU MAY ASK, WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH THE PARK? AND IT MAY NOT HAVE TO DO WITH THE PHYSICAL PARK, BUT IT'S THE COMMUNITY THAT THE PARK WILL SERVE.
AND SO AS WE'RE SEEKING TO BE ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN BUILDING AUTHENTIC RELATIONSHIPS, IT'S A CRITICAL PART OF WHAT WE DO.
UM, WE'RE ALSO HEARING FROM THE COMMUNITY AS SHARED THAT THE PROPERTY TAX CHALLENGE IS A VERY REAL CHALLENGE.
AND EVERY TIME WE SPEAK ABOUT THE PARK, WE'RE HEARING ABOUT THE ESCALATING PROPERTY TAX.
AND TO BE CLEAR, WE HAVE NOT PUT A SHOVEL IN THE GROUND YET.
THIS IS THE REALITY OF WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW, EVEN BEFORE THIS PART BECOMES A REALITY.
AND YOU MAY OR MAY NOT KNOW THAT WE WERE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE WEST DALLAS VISION PLAN.
WE'RE NOT, THE FACE OF IT SHOULD NOT BE THE FACE OF IT.
AND, UH, IT'S LED BY JAMES ARMSTRONG AND BUILDERS OF HOPE AND A, A HOST OF, UM, COMMUNITY STEERING MEMBERS.
UM, BUT WE'RE INVOLVED AND WAS A FOUNDING MEMBER WITH THAT.
UM, BUT WE ARE ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN LISTENING ON THE PROPERTY TAX, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT OUR ROLE.
UM, WE DO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A NATIONAL CHALLENGE AND A STATEWIDE CHALLENGE AND CONVERSATIONS ARE HAPPENING IN AUSTIN AS WELL.
AND WE'RE SEEING HOW WE CAN COMPLEMENT SUPPORT, UM, PUSH FROM BEHIND AND SOME OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
WE'RE ALSO HAVING SOME HEAVY AND INTENTIONAL CONVERSATION WITH OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY TO SEE IF TPC HAROLD SIMMONS PARK CAN BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION, PERHAPS SHORT TERM WITH SOME STOP GAPS FROM SOME OF THE FAMILIES THAT ARE CLOSE BY.
I'M NOT IN A POSITION TO SPEAK ON THAT YET, BUT I CAN SAY THAT THERE'S ACTIVE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'RE ENGAGING WITH THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY.
SO WHAT WE CAN DO TO ASSIST, IT'S A REAL ISSUE WITH OR WITHOUT THE PARK.
AND UNTIL OUR PART BECOMES TANGIBLE, UM, WE ARE VERY INTENTIONAL WITH OUR COMMUNITY OUTREACH AS WE SEEK TO UNDERSTAND THE UNIQUENESS OF THE COMMUNITIES THAT WE WILL SERVE.
UM, I GUESS THE ONE IMMEDIATE QUESTION THAT COMES TO MY MIND WITH THE, THE PARTNERSHIPS THAT YOU HAVE WITH LONG STAR, WOULD YOU SAY LONG STAR JUSTICE ALLIANCE, UM, OF COURSE BEING INVOLVED IN THE THE WEST DALLAS VISION PLAN, DO YOU, WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HELP PEOPLE TO CONNECT IN THEIR MIND SOME OF THESE SERVICES AND THE PARK? YOU KNOW, AT THIS POINT IT'S A DISCONNECT BECAUSE THE PARK'S NOT TANGIBLE.
AND TO BE QUITE FRANK, RIGHT, THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN FATIGUED FOR A WHILE.
UM, AND THERE ARE SOME, UM, WE HAVE NOT YET PUBLICLY SHARED WHERE WE ARE.
SO UNTIL THAT HAPPENS, THERE'S A BIT OF AN INFORMATION GAP WHERE THE PARK IS.
AND THAT'S WHY IT'S CRITICAL FOR US TO CARRY THE COMMUNITY ALONG AND KNOWING WHERE WE'RE GOING AND GETTING THEIR INPUT IN, IN WHERE WE'RE HEADED.
UM, RIGHT NOW IT'S A DISCONNECT IN TERMS OF, UM, A TANGIBLE PART TO EXPERIENCE AND THE CURRENT CHALLENGES THAT THEY'RE EXPERIENCING RIGHT NOW.
AND THERE ARE TIMES WHEN, WE'LL, WE, WE'LL ATTEND COMMUNITY MEETINGS AND, AND WE'RE ASKED, WELL, YOU'RE BUILDING A PARK WHY YOU'RE HERE.
AND, AND, AND THEN WE OFTEN RESPOND, WE'RE HERE 'CAUSE WE'RE SEEKING TO UNDERSTAND THE COMMUNITY WE SERVE AND IT'S BUILDING THAT RELATIONSHIP AND, AND WE'RE GETTING DIRECT QUESTIONS AS WELL.
HOW WILL PARKING IMPACT MY HOUSE
WE'RE GETTING QUESTIONS TO SAY FROM A JOB POINT OF VIEW, UM, I HAD A GROUP, UM, THAT WERE ASKING ABOUT JOBS FOR THEIR GRANDKIDS.
UM, YOU KNOW, WILL, WILL WE HAVE FIRST ACCESS
[01:05:01]
TO JOBS THAT THE PARK WILL GENERATE AND WHAT KIND OF JOBS AND WHAT ABOUT SECURITY? SO THERE ARE SOME QUESTIONS SPECIFIC TO THE PARK AS WE SHARE THE PARK WITH THE COMMUNITY.BUT AS FAR AS THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING, THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, AS FAR AS THE WORK WE'RE DOING, EVEN WITH, UM, ON SOME OF THE, THE PROPER TAX, I'VE HAD DISCUSSIONS WITH DR. KNIGHT WITH, UM, SMU AND, AND, AND IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR, UM, THE WORK, THE GREAT WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING IN TERMS OF EDUCATION AND, AND COUNSEL TO SOME OF THE UNDERSERVED MEMBERS HAVING QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR PROPERTY.
AND, AND WE SPOKE ABOUT THAT AS WELL, PASTOR PARKER AND, UM, PROVIDING A SOURCE FOR THEM TO HAVE, UM, LEGITIMATE COUNSEL IN LEADING AND ANSWERING QUESTIONS THAT RELATES TO REAL ESTATE.
AND SO, UM, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION AS WE SPEAK ABOUT THE PARK, THERE ARE PARK SPECIFIC QUESTIONS THAT WE'RE ANSWERING, BUT THERE ARE ALSO OTHER QUESTIONS THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PARK SPECIFICALLY THAT WE'RE ALSO BEING ENGAGED AND WE'RE ALSO BEING CAREFUL THAT WE DON'T OVERSTEP, YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR, OUR, OUR CAPACITY, OUR ABILITY AND UM, AND WHERE WE ARE.
THERE ARE SOME COMMUNITY INITIATIVES THAT BELONGS TO THE COMMUNITY AND, AND WE'RE NOT TRYING TO GET INVOLVED, BUT WE'RE TRYING TO BE INVOLVED AND TO PROVIDE SUPPORT.
YES, YOU GO AHEAD AND FOLLOW UP.
WE CAN FOLLOW UP JUST I ALL, I GUESS I WOULD SAY IS I REALIZED THE BALANCE AND THE SENSITIVITY OF SOME OF THESE INITIATIVES AND, AND THE NEED FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, BUT ALSO THE NEED FOR THE COMMUNITY TO TAKE LEADERSHIP AND, AND SOME AREAS
WHEN THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES BECOME REAL AND PUBLIC, THEN THE CREDIBILITY THAT TPC IS TRYING TO GARNER WITHIN THE COMMUNITY WOULD BE IMPORTANT.
AND IF THEY SEE NO CONNECTION BETWEEN SOME OF THE GOOD THINGS THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO AND ARE, AND YOU'RE NOT, YOU'RE NOT BUILDING THE STREET CRED THAT YOU NEED, UH, TO SOME DEGREE.
AND THAT, THAT'S JUST GOING TO BE IMPORTANT MOVING FORWARD.
AND SO I REALIZE THE SENSITIVITY OF THE BALANCE YOU'VE GOT TO PLAY, UH, YOU DON'T WANNA PUT IT OUT THE T-P-C-T-P-C SPONSORING, DA, DA DA DA DA.
AT THE SAME TIME, THERE MUST BE YOUR CREATIVE MINDS OF THOSE TEAM THAT THOSE THAT TEAM BEHIND YOU CAN FIGURE OUT A WAY TO SENSE IT, DO IT IN A SENTENCE SENSITIVE WAY.
I APPRECIATE THOSE COMMENTS, PASTOR PARKER.
AND, YOU KNOW, UM, I OFTEN SAY YOU DON'T BRAG ABOUT YOUR COMMUNITY WORK.
YOU DO IT FOR THE RIGHT REASONS, BUT IF THEY DON'T KNOW ABOUT IT, UM, THEN IT DOESN'T HELP YOU.
AND SO, UM, I THINK A LOT OF THAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BUILDING WHERE, UM, UH, AND A LOT OF THE COMMUNITY LEADERS, UM, IN DIALOGUES WITH THEM, THEY, THEY RECOGNIZE, AND ALSO THE SENSITIVITY THAT WE DON'T OVERSTEP THAT JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE HELPING, NOW YOU'RE BRAGGING.
UM, SO YOU ARE SO RIGHT
AND SO CERTAINLY APPRECIATE THAT.
AND, UM, THESE ARE CONVERSATIONS WE'RE HAVING INTERNALLY AS WELL.
UM, WE REFER, REFERENCED ANOTHER ENTITY THAT WAS, UM, EXTREMELY INVOLVED IN DOING GOOD WORK, DIDN'T TELL ANYONE, AND WHEN THEY WERE IN TROUBLE, THEY STARTED TO TELL IT.
AND IT SEEMED LIKE IT WAS SELF-SERVING AND NOT LEGITIMATE AT THE TIME, 'CAUSE PE THE COMMUNITY WAS HEARING FOR THE FIRST TIME.
SO, UM, IT'S, IT'S REALLY THAT BALANCE AND I, I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU SAYING THAT AND REALLY CHALLENGING US ON THAT BALANCE.
MATT AND I AGREE, I THINK THE ACTIVITIES YOU'RE DOING BUILD TRUST AND RELATIONSHIPS, BUT I WAS WONDERING WHAT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOME OF THE, UM, DISCUSSED VALUE CAPTURE MECHANISMS AND THE COMMUNITY TRUST, UH, MIGHT BE IS ARE THERE DANGERS THERE THAT, UH, TRUST MIGHT BE ERODED WHEN THE COMMUNITY HEARS THE, THAT SOME OF THESE, UH, MECHANISMS ARE IN PLAY? YOU KNOW,
[01:10:01]
THAT'S AN INTERESTING QUESTION, DOC TONIGHT.UM, UH, AND I'LL JUST SPEAK, UH, DOESN'T MEAN THAT THIS IS, IT'S MY PERSPECTIVE, IF I MAY, UH, IT'S INTERESTING WHEN WE HAVE THE CONVERSATION WITH DIFFERENT LEVELS OF COMMUNITY, AS MENTIONED EARLIER, THE OVERWHELMING, UM, UH, THEME IS WHAT IMPACTS THEM IMMEDIATELY IN THEIR HOMES.
AND SO ALMOST ALL OF THE, THE, THE EXTERNAL CONCERNS LIE WITH MY ABILITY TO KEEP A ROOF OVER MY HEAD AND MY ABILITY, UM, TO PAY MY PROPERTY TAX AND MY ABILITY.
YOU KNOW, I'VE HAD SOME INDIVIDUALS THAT SAID, LOOK, UM, WE, WE, WE RIGHT NOW ARE LOOKING TO MAXIMIZE AS MUCH 'CAUSE WE WANNA SELL AND WE WANNA MOVE.
UM, UM, BUT WE HAVE HAD OTHERS THAT SAY, THIS IS ALL I HAVE.
THIS IS MY GRANDMOTHER'S HOUSE, AND, UH, I NEED TO STAY HERE.
UM, WE'VE BEEN ASKED FOR HELP THAT'S NOT IN OUR WHEELHOUSE OR CAPACITY.
AND SO FINDING CLEVER WAYS TO PROVIDE THOSE ASSISTANCE.
SO WE HAVE NOT, UM, SPECIFICALLY GOTTEN A WHOLE LOT FAR FROM MY PROPERTY TECH NEEDS AT THAT ORGANIC GROUND LEVEL.
UM, I WILL SAY THAT ALMOST ALL WILL SAY THAT WE UNDERSTAND THE VALUE THAT A PARK WILL HAVE FROM A GREEN SPACE POINT OF VIEW, FROM A HAVING THE ABILITY AND ACCESS TO WALK TO BIKE, TO JOG TO A PARK, AND HOW IT WILL ENRICH THEIR LIVES.
UM, THEY'VE, THEY CERTAINLY APPRECIATE, I'LL TELL YOU THAT IT'S A FREE EXPERIENCE THANKS TO OUR DONORS THAT'S MAKING THAT POSSIBLE.
AND, UM, I WILL SAY THAT FOR THE MOST PART IN THE UNDERSERVED, THEY DON'T PROPERLY GRASP THE MAGNITUDE OR THE PEDIGREE OF THE PARK BECAUSE OFTEN THEY'RE, UM, THEY'RE ONLY REFERENCING THE REGIONAL PARK AROUND THE BLOCK THAT THEY'RE MOST FAMILIAR WITH.
UM, SO WE HAVE NOT GOTTEN SPECIFICALLY INTO THAT, BUT THE SUPPORT FOR A PARK HAS BEEN QUITE STRONG AS LONG AS THEY WILL HAVE ACCESS.
AND THEN THE OTHER PART THAT CAME UP, UM, THE SECURITY, UH, SECURITY, WILL IT BE A SAFE PARK? AND, AND THEY IMPRESSED ON ME THAT I HAVE A SOLID UNDERSTANDING OF THE URBAN DYNAMICS OF DALLAS AND TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE VERY INTENTIONAL IN PROVIDING A SAFE SPACE, ESPECIALLY, UM, ANYONE WITH YOUNG KIDS THAT WANTED, I CALL IT STROLLER MOM FROM THOSE AREAS THAT WE WANTED TO VISIT, BUT SPECIFICALLY TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS TO SAY WHAT'S THE COMMUNITY REACTION TO OUR NEED IN REQUESTING CITY SUPPORT? UM, UM, I I, I'LL TELL YOU JUST FULL TRANSPARENCY, UM, WE HAVE HAD INDIVIDUALS THAT WILL SAY, WHAT ABOUT MY COMMUNITY PARK THAT'S AROUND THE CORNER? UM, CAN YOU ASSIST WITH MY COMMUNITY PARK AROUND THE CORNER FIRST? UM, WE HAVE HAD OTHERS THAT SAY, LOOK, WE, WE ARE SO APPRECIATIVE THAT A LARGE PARK IS COMING.
UM, AND, AND ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW IT WILL OPERATE AND ACCESS, AS I SAID EARLIER.
SO I'VE NOT HAD ANY SPECIFIC LANGUAGE IN, IN DETAIL SPECIFIC TO THE VALUE CAPTURE THAT WE'RE REQUESTING, BUT I, BUT WE HAVE HAD SUPPORT FOR THE PARK, QUITE STRONG SUPPORT TO THE PARK.
ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? JUST THIS IS THE THOUGHT JUST CAME TO MY MIND, AND SO HELP ME FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE, RUN A COUPLE OF PARKS.
CAN YOU DO WHERE THIS PARK IS LOCATED, HOMELESSNESS IS GOING TO BE AN ISSUE.
SO HOW THE PARK, PEOPLE WHO RUN PARKS DEAL WITH THIS, AND THIS IS A OPEN, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE TALK ABOUT BETWEEN LEVIES, HOW ARE ISSUES OF HOMELESSNESS ADDRESSED? AND THAT'S A NATIONAL ISSUE FOR PARKS.
UM, AT MY OTHER PARK, WHAT WE DID, WE ESTABLISHED A HARD CLOSE.
AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS WHEN THE PARK CLOSED, IT'S PHYSICALLY CLOSED, AND IT'S NOT WITH BIG BARRIER GATES, BUT IT'S, UM, SIMPLY A ROPE AND A SIGN THAT SAYS, THANK YOU FOR VISITING HAROLD SIMMONS PARK.
AND THEN YOU HAVE INTERNAL STAFF THAT MONITORS IT.
UM, THE DISLODGED COMMUNITY GENERALLY WILL NOT, THEY KNOW AREAS THAT ARE OPEN AND AREAS THAT ARE CLOSED, AND THEY WILL NOT GO THROUGH A CONSTANT HASSLE EVERY DAY TO
[01:15:01]
FIGURE THAT OUT.AND IF IT'S A SECURED ENVIRONMENT, THEY ADJUST TO SAY, THIS IS JUST NOT ONE AREA THAT'S AVAILABLE FOR ME.
AND SO THEY GO IN OTHER AREAS.
I ALSO WANNA BE CLEAR IN SAYING THAT A PUBLIC PARK FOR ALL ANYONE WHO'S DISLODGED, UM, IS WELCOME IN OUR PARK.
WELCOME TO ENJOY THE PARK LIKE EVERYONE ELSE.
UM, AND SO IMPORTANT THAT AS LONG AS EVERYONE CONDUCT THEMSELVES AS TO THE REQUIRED REGULATIONS OF PARK CONDUCT, THEN EVERYONE IS INVITED.
IT'S JUST AT NIGHT, EVERYONE HAS TO LEAVE.
AND SO, UM, AFTER DEPARTURE, UM, WE WILL HAVE A 24 HOUR SECURITY TEAM THAT WILL MONITOR THE GROUNDS.
IT WILL BE A LITTLE MORE DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN ON THE OUTSKIRTS.
UM, AS WE HAVE NOT YET SHARED ALL THE OVERLOOKS, BUT WE'RE LOOKING AT GEOGRAPHY, WE'RE LOOKING AT CAMERAS IN THE PARKS, AND WE NOT LOOKING AT, WE WILL HAVE CAMERAS IN THE PARK THAT ARE ACTIVELY MONITORED, AND WE WILL HAVE SECURITY 24 HOUR SECURITY AS WELL THAT WILL SECURE THE BOUNDARIES AFTER PARK CLOSING.
SO, UM, IT HAS WORKED FOR ME IN THE PAST, PASTOR PARKER.
UM, UM, BUT IT'S A VERY RESPECTFUL MANAGEMENT.
UM, AND I'M HIGHLY SENSITIVE TO ANYONE THAT'S DISLODGED IN THEIR ABILITY TO FIND A SAFE PLACE.
UM, BUT AS YOU KNOW, AS IT RELATES TO A PARK, IF YOU BECOME THAT PLACE, IT DEVALUES THE BRAND.
IT DEVALUES THE, THE PERCEPTION OF SAFETY AND IT DEVALUES THE EXPERIENCE.
AND WE ALSO ARE HOPING TO WORK WITH PARTNERS AND HAVE ESTABLISHED, UM, CONVERSATIONS ALREADY WITH DIFFERENT GROUPS THAT SPECIALIZE IN PROVIDING SERVICES.
AND SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO A PARTNERSHIP IN WHICH WE CAN, UM, ASSIST, UM, THE DISLODGED COMMUNITY AROUND OUR PARK AND BE SENSITIVE TO THEM AS WELL.
UM, PASTOR RAVIT QUESTION FOR SHOWING THANK YOU FOR THE UPDATE ON THIS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
CURIOUS WHAT THE PLANS ARE TO MEASURE PROGRESS, UM, FROM OBVIOUSLY THIS POINT AS WE ENTER PRE-CONSTRUCTION TO WHEN THE PARK IS SET TO OPEN, JUST HOW THAT WOULD, HOW COMMUNITY FEELING SENTIMENTS, THOUGHTS WILL BE MEASURED, UH, IN ORDER TO SORT OF REFINE THE STRATEGY.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S A COUPLE OF, I APPRECIATE THAT QUESTION, SARAH.
UM, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF TIMES COMMUNITY LEADERS, AS I SAID EARLIER, PAT YOURSELF ON THE BACK AND SAID, OH, YOU KNOW, WE, WE, WE NAILED THIS OR WE'RE GOOD.
BUT IT'S, IT'S, THE THING IS, COMMUNITY WORK IS NEVER 100% CONSENSUS.
YOU HAVE, IT'S A CONTINUAL RELATIONSHIP.
COMMUNITY DYNAMICS CHANGES AND IS DIFFERENT LEADERS IN IT.
YOU MAY HAVE THINK THAT YOU HAVE GOTTEN, UM, TO A GOOD PLACE WITH ONE GROUP AND THEN THERE'S ANOTHER GROUP.
UM, ONE OF THE TANGIBLE MEASUREMENTS IS VISITATION.
AND WE WILL HAVE MEANS OF, UM, QUANTIFYING OUR VISITATIONS BY ZIP CODE, UM, A PARK FOR ALL.
UM, YOU NEED TO KNOW WHO'S COMING AND IF THERE IS AN ABSENCE THEREOF, UM, IT WILL BE A SIGNIFICANT CONCERN TO US.
THE OTHER WAY IS BEING INTENTIONAL WITH YOUR PROGRAMMING AND HAVING THE TYPE OF EVENTS THAT WILL ATTRACT THE TYPE OF DEMOGRAPHICS.
AND AFTER, INITIALLY WHEN WE OPEN, WE WILL FRONT LOAD A LOT OF CULTURAL EVENTS TO ENSURE THAT THE, THE, UM, THERE'S COMPELLING REASONS FOR MIXED DEMOGRAPHICS TO VISIT.
UM, BUT OUTSIDE OF THAT IS CONTINUAL.
WE'RE COMMITTED TO A COMMUNITY RELATIONS TEAM.
UM, AT SOME POINT WE'RE GONNA HAVE WHAT'S CALLED A COMMUNICATION, A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MOBILE THAT WILL GO OUT IN WHAT WOULD BE NON-TRADITIONAL COMMUNITIES THAT WOULD NOT EXPECT US TO COME TO SHEAR THE PARK.
UM, WE WILL ENGAGE WITH COMMUNITIES IN THE PARK AND WE'LL HAVE A SERIES OF THAT HAPPENING BEFORE THE PARK BECOMES TANGIBLE AND OPEN.
UM, MAYBE WITHIN A YEAR OF BREAKING GROUND, WE'LL REALLY ACTIVATE THAT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PLAN.
BUT WE'LL CONTINUE TO BE AT THE TABLE WITH COMMUNITY LEADERS AND UNDERSTAND DYNAMICS OF WHAT, UM, THEY'RE FACING.
AND I KNOW FOR SURE THE PROPERTY TAX, UM, CHALLENGE, UM, I WISH I COULD SAY GONNA GO AWAY, BUT, UM, WE ARE COMMITTED TO BEING ENGAGED IN THOSE DIALOGUES AND IN FINDING THE ROLE THAT WE WILL PLAY.
AND I'M NOT ABLE AT THIS POINT TO SPEAK WITH SPECIFICS, BUT I WILL SAY THAT A VERY, VERY IMPORTANT PART OF OUR PLAN IS TO HAVE A COMMUNITY SOCIAL SERVICE NETWORK, UM, EVIDENCED BY TANGIBLE ENTITIES THAT WILL SERVE COMMUNITY NEEDS AS WELL AS THE PARK.
WE'RE DOING OUR DUE DILIGENCE AND LOOKING AT NATIONAL MODELS AND TALKING WITH PARTNERS.
BUT WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT, WE'RE GONNA BE VERY
[01:20:01]
EXCITED TO SHARE WHAT THOSE SERVICES WILL BE AND WHERE PARTNERS WILL BE, UM, AND WHAT, UH, AND SO THAT WILL BE A, A, A VERY, VERY IMPORTANT PART OF OUR COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY, UM, AND TO NEARBY COMMUNITY SPECIFICALLY THAT WE SERVE.UM, BUT TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, IT'S A MULTI-LAYER OF ENGAGEMENT, OF TANGIBLE METRICS, OF CONTINUAL ENGAGEMENT.
OUR COMMUNITY RELATIONS TEAM, I THINK WE HAVE ONE OF THE BEST TEAMS IN, IN THIS REGARD IN THE PARK BUSINESS.
AND THEY SPEND THEIR DAY OUT BEATING CONCRETE, TALKING TO INDIVIDUALS, BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS.
BUT UM, AGAIN, WANT TO BE CLEAR IN SAYING WHATEVER PROGRESS YOU'VE MADE, YOU DON'T REST ON YOUR LAURELS AND START PATTING YOURSELVES.
IT'S A CONTINUAL COMMITMENT AND A LONG-TERM COMMITMENT.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS? THE, UH, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT COMMUNICATIONS PIECE? OKAY.
UM, I DID HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS ON NUMBER EIGHT I WANT, BUT I'M GONNA REVERSE IT A LITTLE BIT.
STANDERFORD IS HERE TO GIVE US A
AND SO, UM, SARAH, WE IN YOUR HANDS, GOOD MORNING CHAIR AND UM, BOARD MEMBERS.
I'M SARAH STANDERFORD, THE INTERIM DIRECTOR OF DALLAS WATER UTILITIES.
UM, AS PART OF OUR ONGOING EFFORTS TO KEEP YOU ALL UP TO DATE ON OUR INVESTMENT IN THE LEVEE SYSTEM AND THE DALLAS FLOODWAY, UM, BOTH OUR DALLAS FLOODWAY AND DALLAS FLOODWAY EXTENSION PROJECT, I'M GONNA GIVE YOU AN OVERVIEW THAT WE'VE PROVIDED WITH THE CORE TO THE CITY COUNCIL LAST MONTH.
GIVE THEM A SECOND, LET THE SLIDES GET UP FOR
UM, SO ON THE NEXT SLIDE WE'LL JUST KIND OF GIVE YOU AN OVERVIEW.
WHEN WE COME TALK WITH YOU ALL, WE LIKE TO REMIND YOU WHAT THE FLOODWAY IS, WHAT ITS PURPOSE IS, AND WHAT OUR OBLIGATIONS ARE, JUST KIND OF TO SET THE STAGE.
SO WE'LL GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND, UM, WE'LL ALSO TALK ABOUT WHERE WE ARE WITH THOSE SUPPLEMENTAL PROJECTS AND WHAT TO SEE AND EXPECT AS YOU MOVE FORWARD.
SO ON THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, THIS IS JUST A REMINDER, YOU KNOW, THE FLOOD RECORD WAS IN 1908, AND ALONG THE WAY WE'VE MADE DIFFERENT INVESTMENTS, BOTH AS A LOCAL COMMUNITY WHEN WE FIRST BUILT THE LEVIES TO ENSURE THAT WE DID NOT DISCONNECT NEIGHBORHOODS FROM DOWNTOWN AND FROM THE REST OF THE CITY.
UM, THROUGH THE FORTIES AND FIFTIES WHEN WE FIRST DID OUR CORPS OF ENGINEERS PROJECT TO ESTABLISH AND INCREASE THE LEVEES AND THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THOSE LEVEES.
UM, THROUGH THE SIXTIES AND SEVENTIES WHEN WE PUSHED FORWARD WITH EXTENSION OF THAT LEVEE SYSTEM INTO THE SOUTHERN DALLAS COMMUNITY INTO THE NINETIES WHERE WE HAD A BIG PUSH TO LOOK AT THE DALLAS FLOODWAY AND THE DALLAS FLOODWAY EXTENSION ALONG WITH THE 98 BOND FUNDS.
AND THEN INTO THE 2000 TIMEFRAME WHEN WE BEGAN LOOKING AT UPGRADES TO OUR INTERIOR DRAINAGE OR PUMP STATIONS.
AND THEN, UM, KIND OF ROLLING THROUGH THE 20 14 15 TIMEFRAME, WHICH WAS A MILE, YOU KNOW, A MILESTONE FOR US IN TERMS OF COMPLETING ALL OF THE FLOODWAY REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS FOR STUDIES TO ENSURE THAT WHATEVER WE ADDED, BOTH FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT, ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION AND RECREATION WOULD ALL BE SAFE AND ENSURE THAT ALL OF OUR RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES WERE PROTECTED.
AND THEN YOU MOVE INTO 2019 WHEN WE ENTERED OUR, UM, PROJECT AGREEMENTS WITH THE CORE FOR THE SUPPLEMENTAL BIPARTISAN BUDGET ACT FUNDING AND WHERE WE'VE BEEN SINCE THEN AND WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
UM, THE NEXT SLIDE'S JUST KIND OF A PICTURE OF WHAT THE LEVEE SYSTEM LOOKED LIKE IN THE FORTIES COMPARED TO TODAY.
UM, THE BOTTOM RIGHT PICTURE IS A PICTURE WHERE YOU CAN SEE THAT THE FLOODWAY IS SERVING KIND OF ITS ACTIVE PURPOSE.
IT RECEIVES THAT WATER FROM ALL OVER DALLAS, EVERYTHING HAS TO MEET IT AT THE TRINITY.
SO EVERY BIT OF YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD WATER COMES TO THE TRINITY, WHETHER IT'S THROUGH GRAVITY OR PUMPING.
AND SO YOU'LL SEE THAT'S REALLY THE PRIMARY PURPOSE IS TO RECEIVE NEIGHBORHOOD WATER AND TO RECEIVE UPSTREAM WATER.
UM, THE NEXT SLIDE WE'LL GIVE YOU, UM, THE SYSTEM.
SO REMEMBER THE TRINITY IS PART OF A MUCH LARGER SYSTEM, BEGINS WAY NORTH OF US.
IT ENDS NEAR LAKE LIVINGSTON IN THE SOUTH.
EACH ONE OF THOSE LAKES THAT ARE SHOWN ON THE LEFT HAND ARE, UM, FLOOD CONTROL LAKES.
SO JUST LIKE OUR FLOODWAY, THE CORE, UM, IN THE FIFTIES REALLY WENT TOWARDS AND FORWARD WITH BUILDING FLOOD CONTROL LAKES, THEY REALIZED THAT THEY COULD ALSO HELP US WITH WATER SUPPLY.
AND THEN, UM, WHEN THERE IS SUFFICIENT FLOOD PROTECTION FROM THE LAKES AND WATER SUPPLY, YOU CAN ALSO RECREATE ON THEM.
SO THE SAME CONCEPT, PRIMARY PURPOSE, FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT, SECONDARY AND THIRD PURPOSES ARE LATER DOWN THE ROAD.
SO THE CITY OF DALLAS DOES OWN, OPERATE AND MAINTAIN ALL OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND LAND ASSOCIATED.
WE ARE, UM, PART OF PUBLIC LAW 84 99.
UM, WE LIKE TO TALK ABOUT THAT AS AN INSURANCE POLICY.
SO THE PUBLIC LAW 84 99 ENSURES THAT SO LONG AS WE'RE MEETING OUR OBLIGATIONS, WE'RE PASSING OUR INSPECTIONS AND WE ARE HOLDING TO THE RIGID STANDARDS WE'RE HELD TO BY THE CORE.
[01:25:01]
THEY CAN COME IN AND PROVIDE US FLOOD FIGHTING ASSISTANCE AND IN THE EVENT OF A DISASTER, UM, AN EMERGENCY, THEY WILL COME IN AND HELP US WITH OUR ACTION PLANS.UM, SO WE HAVE A MANUAL FOR EVERY PROJECT THAT IS IMPLEMENTED.
ONCE THEY'RE IMPLEMENTED, OUR OPERATIONS TEAM DON'T THINK OF THEM AS PROJECTS, RIGHT? SO THEY'RE LIVE INFRASTRUCTURE AND IT'S HOW WE OPERATE.
SO EACH SYSTEM AND EACH COMPONENT HAS AN O AND M MANUAL.
THAT MANUAL HAS TO BE REVIEWED, ACCEPTED, AND ANYTIME WE WANNA MAKE A MODIFICATION, IT GOES THROUGH A RIGOROUS PROCESS WITH THE CORE.
UM, THEY'LL ACTUALLY BE OUT HERE FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS, STARTING ON MONDAY, DOING A BIG INSPECTION.
YOU'LL SEE 30 OR 40 CORE EMPLOYEES ALONG WITH 30 OR 40 CITY EMPLOYEES WALKING EVERY STEP OF THE SYSTEM, THE PUMP STATIONS, THE SUMPS, UM, AS WELL AS THE FLOODWAY EXTENSION AREA WITH THE FOREST TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE MAINTAINING THE FLOODWAY EXTENSION THE WAY IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE MAINTAINED.
UM, SHOULD WE HAVE AN ERROR IN WHAT WE'RE DOING? THEY'RE QUICK TO POINT THAT OUT TO US.
THEY DO GIVE US A SLIGHT REMEDY, SMALL REMEDY PERIOD, UM, AND THEN THEY WILL REINSPECT.
AND SO THAT IS HOW WE ENSURE WE CONTINUE TO PROVIDE FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT TO THE COMMUNITY.
IT IS ALSO HOW WE MAINTAIN OUR ACCREDITATION WITH FEMA FOR THE LEVEES SYSTEM SO THAT EVERYBODY BEHIND THE LEVEES IS NOT REQUIRED TO OBTAIN FLOOD INSURANCE IN THE TRADITIONAL STANDARD SENSE.
UM, THE CORE ALSO MAINTAINS THE ABILITY TO RENDER A DECISION FOR A 4 0 8.
SO A 4 0 8 IS JUST SIMPLY A TRANSACTION IF YOU ARE WITHIN THE FEDERAL SYSTEM.
SO ALONG THE SUMPS LEVIES AND PUMP STATIONS, SHOULD YOU BE A PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNER OR A PUBLIC AGENCY AND WANT TO MAKE AN IMPROVEMENT, YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH AN ENGINEERING AND ANALYSIS PROCESS, AND THAT'S DONE HAND IN HAND WITH THE CITY.
SO ON THE NEXT SLIDE, I'M GONNA GIVE YOU A LITTLE, UM, UPDATE.
SO FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MAY NOT BE AS FAMILIAR IN 2018, UM, CONGRESS PASSED THE SUPPLEMENTAL BIPARTISAN BUDGET ACT.
THIS ACT FUNDED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS HISTORY, FULL FUNDING FOR PROJECTS.
SO PREVIOUSLY THEY WOULD HAVE TO GO ON AN ANNUAL BASIS AND RECEIVE SMALL PORTIONS OF MONEY, AND IT WOULD TAKE, YOU KNOW, 20 AND 30 YEARS TO IMPLEMENT A PROJECT.
UM, THAT FUNDING OPENED A DOOR FOR DALLAS IN A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY.
WE HAD COMPLETED THE DALLAS FLOODWAY PROJECT STUDY, SO THAT PUT US INTO ONE CATEGORY OF FUNDING.
THE DALLAS FLOOD EXTENSION HAD BEGUN CONSTRUCTION.
IT PUT US INTO ANOTHER CATEGORY OF THE SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING, UM, IN TOTAL BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS FUNDING TO COMPLETE ALL OF THE FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATED WITH THE SYSTEM.
YOU'RE LOOKING AT ABOUT $600 MILLION.
UM, THE CITY'S RESPONSIBLE FOR ABOUT 150 MILLION OR SO OF THAT INVESTMENT IN ADDITION TO REAL ESTATE ACQUISITION COSTS AND CLEANUP COSTS OF ANY LAND THAT NEEDS SOME KIND OF CLEANUP.
UM, SO WE REVIEW THESE PLANS TOGETHER.
THE CORE IS THE LEAD ON MOST ALL PROJECTS.
WE HAVE A GREAT PARTNERSHIP WITH THEM.
WE ARE PART OF WHAT THEY CALL THE PROJECT DELIVERY TEAM.
WE ARE CO-LOCATED IN MANY LOCATIONS ACROSS THE SYSTEM AS WE DO DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES.
ON THE NEXT SLIDE, I'M GONNA GIVE YOU AN OVERVIEW.
SO REMEMBER, UM, BECAUSE THESE ARE CONSIDERED PROJECTS WITH FEDERAL STUDIES, THE SYSTEM IS THE ENTIRE 10,000 ANCHORS.
UM, STARTS UP IN THE NORTH AROUND ROYAL LAISH KIND OF WEB CHAPEL IN THE WEST.
IT IS THE WRAPAROUND OF DALLAS.
IT GOES ALL THE WAY THROUGH I 20 AND DOWDY FERRY.
BUT BECAUSE OF THE WAY THE STUDIES WORK, THEY ARE DIVIDED FOR, UM, ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION INTO TWO PROJECTS.
SO THE DALLAS FLOODWAY PROJECT, UM, IT WAS FIRST AUTHORIZED IN 2007 UNDER THE CURRENT PROJECT AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL.
WE'VE HAD A COUPLE OF MODIFICATIONS THROUGH THOSE FEDERAL BILLS THAT, UM, MODIFY.
AND WE COMPLETED OUR RECORD OF DECISION AND NOW WE'RE IN THIS DESIGN CONSTRUCTION PHASE.
SO UNDER THIS PROJECT, WE, UM, ARE WORKING ON WHAT THEY LIKE TO CALL THE 277,000 CUBIC FEET PER SECOND LEVEE RAISE AND FLATTENING.
WHAT THAT REALLY MEANS IS THAT WE ARE, UM, OBLIGATED TO CONTAIN 277,000 CUBIC SQUARE FEET.
UM, IT BASICALLY SETS THE LEVEES AT ABOUT 32 FEET HEIGHT ON AVERAGE.
UM, THE LEVEE FLATTENING IS SO THAT WE CAN LET OUT THE SLOPES A LITTLE BIT.
IT IS BETTER ON THE LONG-TERM MAINTENANCE AND IT IS SAFER FOR OUR EMPLOYEES TO MAINTAIN.
WE SEE A REDUCTION IN OVERALL SLIDES ON THE LEVEES.
UM, IT ALSO INCLUDED EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN IMPROVEMENTS.
SO EVERY TIME THAT WE DO A PROJECT, ANYTIME YOU ASK FOR A 4 0 8, YOU HAVE TO DO AN EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN, BOTH DURING THE DESIGN FOR APPROVAL PURPOSES DURING CONSTRUCTION, AND YOU HAVE AN ULTIMATE EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN THAT FOLDS INTO THE LARGER SYSTEM.
UM, WE WILL ALSO BE WORKING ON A NEW PUMP STATION AT THE HAMPTON PUMP STATION SITE LOCATION.
WE HAVE A NOBLES BRANCH SUMP IMPROVEMENT.
SO THE SUMPS ARE HOW THE WATER GETS TO THOSE PUMP STATIONS.
UM, SOME PEOPLE REFER TO THEM AS MEANDERS, UM, BUT THEY'RE ULTIMATELY INFRASTRUCTURE FOR US.
WE ALSO HAVE THE CHARLIE PUMP STATION, TRINITY PORTLAND'S PUMP STATION AND DELTA PUMP STATION THAT ARE UNDER DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN VARIOUS PHASES.
UM, WE LIKE TO NOTE THE ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION ON THE BOTTOM BECAUSE THAT IS THE NEXT PHASE THAT UNLOCKS
[01:30:01]
IN THE FEDERAL ORDER OF BUSINESS WHEN YOU COMPLETE THAT FLOODWAY, UM, WORK FOR FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT.SO A QUICK OVERVIEW ON THE NEXT SLIDE.
UM, THE FIRST PROJECT THAT WAS COMPLETED WAS THE DEMOLITION OF THE A-T-N-S-F BRIDGE.
UM, IT WAS A STRUCTURE THAT WAS ACTUALLY MITIGATED BY THE CITY THROUGH PUTTING UP THE SANTA FE TRESTLE TRAIL.
WE MOVED THE OLD RAILROAD TRESTLE AS PART OF AN INTEGRAL COMPONENT OF THAT FLOODWAY CROSSING FOR PEDESTRIAN AND BIKE PURPOSES.
THE CORE CAME IN AND DID REMOVE THAT THAT PROJECT IS COMPLETE AND THE FLOOD CONVEYANCE TO THE ABILITY FOR THE WATER TO MOVE THROUGH THE SYSTEM AND ON SOUTHWARD TOWARDS LAKE LIVINGSTON NOW IS ABLE TO DO SO IN A MORE EFFICIENT MANNER.
THE NEXT SLIDE IS OUR LEVEE RAISE AND FLATTENING.
UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS IMPACTS ALMOST THE ENTIRE SYSTEM.
SO THE ORANGE AREA IS WHERE WE ARE BOTH DOING RAISES AND FLATTENING.
THE GREEN OR THE BLUE AREA ARE THOSE WHERE THERE IS ONLY LEVEE FLATTENING.
SO THE HEIGHT OF THE LEVEES WAS SUFFICIENT TO CARRY THE WATER.
UM, AND THEN IN THE BLACK AREAS, THE CITY HAD COMPLETED WORK IN THE EIGHTIES AND NINETIES TO DO THIS VERY THING.
SO THESE ARE GENERATION AND GENERATIONAL TYPE PROJECTS.
MANY, MANY GENERATIONS HAVE WORKED ON THESE AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK ON THEM.
UM, THE NEXT SLIDE YOU WILL SEE, UM, THIS BROKE GROUND.
SO FOR MANY OF YOU WHO CROSS THE LEVEE SYSTEM, IF YOU CROSS AT WESTMORELAND RIGHT NOW, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU CAN LOOK OVER AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE IS NO GRASS ON THE LEVEES THAT THE LEVEES ARE STACKED RIGHT NOW BECAUSE THERE IS CONSTRUCTION WORK.
THAT'S A GOOD EXAMPLE OF KINDA WHAT YOU CAN SEE.
THEY ARE ABLE TO CREATE BORROW AREAS INSIDE THE FLOODWAY.
THAT IS WHERE THE DIRT IS COMING FROM.
IT'S, IT IS A WAY TO LOOK AT COSTS.
IT'S, OR SOIL GEOTECHS WOULD BE REALLY UPSET FOR ME CALLING IT DIRT.
THE SUITABLE SOIL, UM, IT IS LEVEES HAVE TO BE BUILT OF CERTAIN TYPES OF SOIL.
AND SO THAT SOIL IS VERY CRITICAL IN WHAT YOU CAN AND CANNOT USE.
UM, WHEN THE CORE FINISHES WHAT THEY LIKE TO CALL A BORROW AREA, WE WILL BE LEFT WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONVERT THOSE INTO THE WEST ALICE LAKE AS ORIGINALLY ENVISIONED IN THE NINETIES.
UM, AND WE'LL MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT PLAN.
SO THE NEXT SLIDE IS OUR TRINITY PORTLAND PUMP STATION.
WELL, I GUESS I COULD GIVE YOU SOME CONSIDERATIONS.
WE'VE TALKED A LITTLE BIT AS I WENT THROUGH.
UH, WE LIKE TO REMIND EVERYBODY, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE WORK ON THESE, WE'RE LOOKING AT MAINTENANCE COSTS, WE'RE LOOKING AT RISK TO THE SYSTEM, AND YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE CONVEYANCE CAPABILITIES.
UM, THERE IS AN EAP IN PLACE BECAUSE AT ANY POINT DURING THIS TIME AS YOU TAKE LEVEES DOWN, UM, YOU BEGIN TO WATCH AS THE WEATHER COMES IN.
THIS CONTRACTOR, UH, HAS HAD A GREAT RUN OF LUCK.
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT WE'VE HAD A CONTRACTOR IN A FLOODWAY SINCE THE LAST DROUGHT OF RECORD, UM, THAT THE CONTRACTORS HAVE NOT HAD TO STOP AND REMOBILIZE AND STOP AND REMOBILIZE.
SO THEY'RE ACTUALLY A LITTLE BIT AHEAD OF SCHEDULE.
UM, SO ON THE NEXT SLIDE YOU WILL SEE THE TRINITY PORTLAND PUMP STATION.
SO PUMP STATIONS ARE JUST SIMPLY WAYS TO GET THE NEIGHBORHOOD WATER UP AND OVER OR UNDER OR THROUGH THE LEVEE.
SO YOU CAN'T BUILD LEVEES AND THEN NOT GIVE THE WATER SOMEWHERE TO GO.
SO THE TRINITY PORTLAND PUMP STATION IS ONE THAT SERVES WEST DALLAS.
UM, IT IS IN A DESIGN BID BUILD OR A DESIGN BUILD PHASE.
AND THE CITY AND CORE ARE WORKING ON A WAY TO EXPEDITE DELIVERY OF THAT.
NOW, UH, ON THE NEXT SLIDE YOU'LL SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE SOME STATISTICS ON IT.
THERE'S GONNA BE 225,000 GALLON PER MINUTE PUMPS THAT WILL GO IN HERE.
THESE ARE CONCRETE VOLUTE, JUST LIKE OUR NEW GENERATION PUMP STATIONS.
UM, RIGHT NOW WE ARE LOOKING AT 2025 IN DELIVERY, BUT WE ARE LOOKING WITH THE CORE AT WAYS TO KIND OF RE-SCOPE AND ADDRESS SOME JUST GENERAL CONSTRUCTION CHALLENGES THAT THE INDUSTRY'S FACING TODAY.
THE NEXT PUMP STATION YOU WILL HEAR ABOUT IS CHARLIE PUMP STATION.
SO CHARLIE PUMP STATION, SOME OF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH KINDA THE OLD OAK FARMS DAIRY SITE.
THE PUMP STATION IS BACK BEHIND THE LEVEES IN THAT GENERAL AREA.
UM, IT ALSO SERVES THE BOTTOM COMMUNITY.
THIS WILL ALLOW US TO GET WATER BOTH OUT OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND OUT OF THE AREAS BEHIND IN THAT PORTION OF OAK CLIFF.
UM, AND IT IS IN A DESIGN BUILD PHASE AS WELL.
WITH THAT CONTRACT AWARDED AND YOU'LL SEE KIND OF THE LOOK OF THAT STATION, UM, IT WILL HAVE THREE 75,000 GALLON PER MINUTE PUMPS IN THOSE.
THOSE ARE ALSO CONCRETE VOLUTE.
UM, WHEN THE CONTRACT IS DONE, WE WILL HAVE A DISCUSSION WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD ABOUT EITHER DEMOLISHING THE OLD STATION OR REPURPOSING IT BECAUSE YOU CANNOT BUILD BEHIND LEVIES ANYMORE.
THE OLD STATION MAY BE SITTING IN AN IDEAL LOCATION FOR A COUPLE OF ACTIVITIES THAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAVE TALKED WITH US OVER TIME ABOUT.
SO WE WILL ADDRESS THAT IN THE FUTURE AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
UM, IT WAS AWARDED IN MARCH OF 2022, SO IT IS DUE TO BREAK GROUND SOON.
THE HAMPTON PUMP STATION, THIS SERVES YOUR LOVE FIELD AREA.
IT SERVES YOUR MEDICAL DISTRICT.
IT IS TUCKED BACK BEHIND HAMPTON.
UM, IT WILL BE AN ADDITION OF ANOTHER PUMP STATION.
SO OUR SYSTEM, WHEN WE REPLACE THESE, MANY OF THESE STATIONS ARE SIZED TO WORK IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE EXISTING STATIONS.
UM, ON THE NEXT SLIDE YOU'LL SEE THAT IT'S GONNA HAVE 540,000 GALLON PER MINUTE CONCRETE BLUE PUMPS.
WE WILL RENOVATE AN EXISTING STATION TO
[01:35:01]
UPGRADE ALL THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS AS WELL.UM, IT IS IN A TRADITIONAL DESIGN BID BUILD PHASE.
SO IT IS WRAPPING UP ITS FINAL CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS.
WE ARE ACQUIRING, UM, AN ADDITIONAL TRACK OF LAND AND THEN IT IS ON SCHEDULE TO BE AWARDED IN 2025.
AND THIS IS A RATHER LARGE STATION AND IT WILL PROBABLY TAKE THREE AND A HALF TO FOUR YEARS TO BUILD.
ON THE NEXT SLIDE, DELTA PUMP STATION.
YOU PROBABLY HAVE NOT NOTICED IT.
IT IS A SMALL BUILDING THAT SITS BEHIND THE LEVEE IN BETWEEN PAHO STATION AND THE PROPOSED SOON TO BE TRINITY PORTLAND STATION.
AND THIS CONTRACT WILL DEMOLISH THE EXISTING STATION AND IT WILL REPLACE A COUPLE OF TWO, A COUPLE OF THE PUMPS THAT ARE THERE TODAY.
IT WILL UPGRADE ALL OF THE ELECTRICAL.
IT WILL INCLUDE A NEW TRASH RACK AND ACCESS ROAD, AND IT IS IN A PROCUREMENT PHASE WITH THE CORE AS WELL.
ON SLIDE 21, WE WILL JUMP OVER TO THE NOBLES BRANCH SUMP IMPROVEMENTS.
UM, AS WE MENTIONED, SUMPS ARE THE WAY THAT WE GET THE WATER TO THE TRINITY.
UM, MANY OF THESE ARE OLD CHANNELS AND TRIBUTARIES OF THE TRINITY.
THE STRUCTURE THAT IS THERE TODAY DOESN'T GIVE US AN EFFICIENT FLOW OF THE WATER.
SO THIS PROJECT, UM, WE ARE FINALIZING THE LAST PIECE OF REAL ESTATE ON IT AND THE CORE WILL LOOK AT ADVERTISING IT, UM, OVER THE NEXT PROBABLY YEAR.
IT TAKES THE CORE ABOUT A YEAR TO GET FROM ADVERTISEMENT TO AWARD AND THEN RAMP UP FROM THERE.
SO WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE DALLAS FLOODWAY EXTENSION ON SLIDE 23.
SO, UM, AS I MENTIONED, REMEMBER TWO DIFFERENT PROJECTS.
SO THE DALLAS FLOODWAY EXTENSION BEGINS RIGHT THERE ALONG THE DART LINE THAT CROSSES THE TRINITY.
WAS ONE OF THE FIRST LIGHT RAIL STATIONS THAT WAS DEVELOPED THAT CROSSED OVER THE TRINITY, UM, TO GOOD TO MARKER FOR EVERYBODY.
THIS PROJECT GOES ALL THE WAY DOWN TO I 20 AND DOWDY FERRY.
SO, UM, THE CITY AND THE CORE HAD INVESTED A LITTLE OVER $120 MILLION BETWEEN AROUND 1998 AND 2014 TO CREATE THE CHAIN OF WETLANDS.
THEY ARE REQUIRED IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO BUILD LEVIES.
WE NEEDED VALLEY STORAGE, WE NEEDED TO SLOW THE WATER DOWN.
IT'S A GREAT EXAMPLE OF HOW YOU CAN DO A FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT PROJECT AND THEN CREATE AN ECOSYSTEM BENEFIT ALONG WITH SOME PASSIVE RECREATION.
UM, WITHIN THE SUPPLEMENTAL BIPARTISAN BUDGET ACT, YOU'RE GONNA SEE TWO LEVEES THAT WILL TIE INTO HIGH GROUND INTO EXISTING LEVEE SYSTEMS AND THEY WILL WRAP THE EXTENSION OF THE SYSTEM.
UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, WE WILL HAVE ONE SMALL PIECE OF A TRAIL CONNECTION THAT IS LEFT IN THIS PROJECT FROM THE, UH, FEDERAL PROJECT SIDE.
AND THEN WE HAVE WRAPPED UP AN ENTIRE FEDERAL PROJECT OVER THE COURSE OF 1965 TO AROUND 2031.
SO THAT'S ABOUT THE LIFE OF THESE BIG FEDERAL PROJECTS.
UM, THE NEXT SLIDE WILL GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT ON, ON LAMAR LEVY.
SO THE RED LINE IS LAMAR LEVEE.
IT'S GOING TO TIE INTO THE EXISTING LEVEE INFRASTRUCTURE ON THE EAST SIDE.
SO AT THE BOTTOM OF RIVERFRONT NEAR THAT DARK LINE.
AND THEN IT WILL TIE INTO THE ROCHESTER LEVEE, WHICH PROTECTS PART OF THE WILLIAM BLAIR PARK AREA, UM, AND SERVICE CENTER AND SEVERAL OTHER PIECES.
UH, SO THE NEXT SLIDE, I'LL GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF DETAIL.
IT IS AN EARTH AND LEVEE JUST LIKE YOU SEE TODAY.
IT ALSO HAS FLOOD WALLS AND FLOOD GATES.
SO AS WE PASS UNDER RAILROADS, AS WE PASS UNDER HIGHWAYS, YOU CAN'T REALLY PUT IN THAT LEVEE INFRASTRUCTURE.
SO WE'LL PUT IN FLOOD WALLS OR FLOOD GATES, WHICH WE DO ALREADY HAVE IN THE SYSTEM.
UM, IT WILL ALSO HAVE DRAINAGE SUMPS AND DIFFERENT CROSSINGS ALONG THE WAY.
THE CITY IS REQUIRED TO OBTAIN ALL OF THE REAL ESTATE ON BEHALF OF THE CORE.
WE ARE STILL OBTAINING REAL ESTATE AND THEN LEE WILL HAVE SOME REMEDIAL COSTS ASSOCIATED AND CLEAN UP OF THE LAND DUE TO SOME HISTORICAL USE ON THERE.
UM, RIGHT NOW THE SCHEDULE SHOWS AND CONSTRUCTION START IN EARLY 2028 WITH A COMPLETION IN 2030.
WHEN THIS PROJECT COMPLETES THE AREA WHERE THERE IS NO LEVEE THAT IS CURRENTLY FLOODPLAIN, WE'LL THEN GO THROUGH A FEMA PROCESS THROUGH THE LEVEE ACCREDITATION IN ORDER TO REMOVE THAT WITHOUT LEVEE CONDITION.
AND THAT WILL ALLOW THOSE PROPERTY OWNERS TO HAVE MORE PROTECTION AND THE RISK FROM AN INSURANCE PERSPECTIVE AND RATES WILL BEGIN TO REDUCE CADILLAC HEIGHTS.
SO, UM, THAT LEVEE IS THE PURPLE LINE THAT CURRENTLY WRAPS AROUND THE CADILLAC HEIGHTS NEIGHBORHOOD.
IT TIES INTO HIGH GROUND AND CONNECTS TO THAT WEST LEVEE SYSTEM.
UM, WITHIN THAT LEVEE YOU WILL SEE, UM, AN EARTH AND LEVY LEVEE STRUCTURE.
IT IS ALSO A DESIGN BID BUILD ON THE NEXT SLIDE GIVES YOU SOME DETAILS.
IT'S ABOUT TWO AND A QUARTER MILE.
IT ALSO HAS FLOOD WALLS AND FLOOD GATES BECAUSE THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, UP RAIL LINES AND OTHER RAIL LINES THAT SERVE FACILITIES ACROSS THE STATE AND KIND OF THE COUNTRY ON THAT.
UM, IT IS UNDERDESIGNED, MUCH LIKE LAMAR, WE ARE STILL ACQUIRING LANDS.
WE WILL ALSO HAVE TO DO REMEDIAL ACTIVITIES.
IT IS CURRENTLY SET FOR A MID 2028
[01:40:01]
CONSTRUCTION, START WITH A COMPLETION IN 20 20, 31, I MEAN 20 20, 20 31.AND JUST LIKE, UM, THE LAMAR SIDE, WHEN THIS LEVEE IS IN PLACE, YOU WILL HAVE A LEVEE PROTECTION.
FEMA WILL GO THROUGH ITS ACCREDITATION PROCESS WITH THE CORE AND THE RISKS ASSOCIATED TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND FLOOD INSURANCE RATES WILL BEGIN TO REDUCE.
UM, THIS LAST SLIDE JUST GIVES YOU A HIGHLIGHT.
THIS IS A VERY HIGH LEVEL PROJECT SCHEDULE THAT THE CORE KEEPS FOR ALL OF US TO GENERALLY SEE.
UM, IT IS KIND OF ALONG THE WAY WHERE YOU GO AND WHICH STEPS YOU'LL SEE.
SO AT THIS TIME I CAN TAKE ANY QUESTIONS Y'ALL HAVE.
WE'VE ALSO INCLUDED FOR Y'ALL IN YOUR PACKET, SORT OF THE INFORMATION WHERE THE CORE KEEPS BOTH PROJECTS UP TO DATE.
UM, SO I CAN ENTERTAIN QUESTIONS AT THIS POINT IF YOU HAVE ANY.
MY FIRST QUESTION, CHARLIE PUMP STATION.
YOU SAID SOMETHING ABOUT I MISSED IT, BUT THEN WHEN I, YOU SAID SOMETHING ABOUT TEARING DOWN THE OLD ONE.
SO THE ORIGINAL, UM, THE ORIGINAL CONCEPT AND THE ORIGINAL PLAN WAS TO REMOVE THE OLD STATION.
UM, THAT'S WHAT WE TYPICALLY DO.
IT IS NOT NEEDED IN THE SYSTEM AND IT DOESN'T FUNCTION AT THE LEVEL THAT WE WOULD WANT IT TO FUNCTION WHEN WE GET THE NEW ONE IN, IT WILL BE SUFFICIENT TO CARRY OVER FOR THE ENTIRE DRAINAGE BASIN.
UM, AS PART OF SOME OF OUR ONGOING COMMUNITY OUTREACH, THERE'S BEEN CONVERSATIONS ABOUT DO YOU HAVE TO REMOVE IT? COULD YOU LEAVE IT IN PLACE? AND THEN THE CITY COULD MAKE CHOICES IN THE FUTURE ABOUT COULD IT BE A RESTROOM FACILITY, COULD IT BE A VISITOR CENTER? COULD IT BE SOMETHING, UM, BECAUSE IT IS ON TWO SEPARATE TRACKS AND CAN BE DONE UNDER TWO CONTRACTS, WE WILL TAKE THAT AND HAVE A CONVERSATION IN THE FUTURE ABOUT WHAT TO DO IN THE FUTURE WITH THAT.
BUT YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO BUILD ANYTHING LIKE THAT BEHIND A LEVY IN THE FUTURE.
AND SO IT GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY AS A CITY TO PAUSE AND THINK ABOUT WHAT THE COMMUNITY WANTS.
AND YOU MIGHT, NONE OF US WERE ALIVE WHEN THIS, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE SOME HISTORICAL REFERENCE.
WHO PAID FOR THESE LEVEES? THE BEGINNING.
UM, SO THE ORIGINAL LEVIES WERE BUILT BY THE BUSINESS AND PHILANTHROPIC COMMUNITY.
THEY THEN DONATED THE LAND TO SERVE AS THE PRIMARY PURPOSE AND ALL THE DEEDS.
THE PRIMARY PURPOSE IS FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT.
UM, IF WE REVERT TO ANYTHING OTHER THAN FLOOD RISK RISK MANAGEMENT, MANY OF THE DEEDS REFERENCED HAVING TO GO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL FAMILY OWNERS AND THE HEIRS OF THE FAMILY TO GIVE THEM FIRST RIGHT OF REFUSAL.
SO WE'RE WE'RE PRETTY WELL LOCKED INTO LEVIES, BOTH FROM A DEED PERSPECTIVE, FROM A FEDERAL PERSPECTIVE, UM, AND FROM A LOCAL PERSPECTIVE.
AND THEN IN THE FORTIES, WE COST PARTICIPATED.
THERE WAS, UM, A DALLAS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT THAT WAS CREATED AT THE STATE LEVEL THAT LEVIED A TAX, THAT TAX PAID FOR THE IMPROVEMENTS.
THE STATE PUT IN A SUNSET PROVISION, SO A TAX ON WHO, UH, IT WAS A TAX ON ALL THE RESIDENTS.
AND SO THE, UM, PROVISION AT STATE LAW SUNSET, THE DALLAS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT IN 1968, THE CITY OF IRVING WAS REQUIRED TO ASSUME OWNERSHIP AND ALL RESPONSIBILITIES THAT CAME WITH FEDERAL LEVEES FOR THE PORTION OF THE LEVEE SYSTEM THAT IS IN IRVING, THE CITY OF DALLAS ASSUMED ALL OF THAT FROM THE CITY OF DALLAS LEVEE SYSTEM PIECES.
AND THEN, UM, THE CURRENT IMPROVEMENTS ARE PART OF THE WHAT WE'VE, WE HAD A 1985 AND A 1995 BOND PROGRAM THAT MADE IMPROVEMENTS ACROSS THE SYSTEM.
ROCHESTER LEVEE PORTIONS OF THAT BLACK LINE IN THE LEVEE RAYS IN FLATTENING.
AND THEN THE 98 FUNDS, THE 2006, THE 2003 2012.
AND, UM, THOSE BOND PROGRAMS VOTED ON BY THE RESIDENTS PAID FOR THOSE IMPROVEMENTS ALONG WITH THE RIGHT TRANSPORTATION ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION WE'VE DONE.
SO, UM, IT'S BEEN A COLLECTIVE EFFORT MOVING FORWARD AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO PUSH THOSE.
SO THE CURRENT, OBVIOUSLY THE CURRENT CHANGES OF BEING FUNDED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, UH, SO IT IS A COMBINATION OF CITY AND LOCAL FUNDING, BUT HISTORICALLY IT'S FUNDED, FUNDED BY THE CITY OF DALLAS.
WELL, IT'S ALWAYS HAD A COST SHARE.
SO EVERYTHING HAS A COST SHARE.
WAS IT, WHAT WAS IT WAS FEDERAL, IS THAT PERCENTAGE STILL THE SAME? 65 35? UM, IT CHANGED, IT CHANGES WITH EACH OF THE WORDER BILLS.
SO THE OLD, THE OLDER WORDER BILLS WEREN'T WORDED BILLS AT THE TIME, WATER RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT ACT.
THEY WOULD BE ENERGY AND WATER.
THEY WERE DIFFERENT FEDERAL NAMES ALONG THE WAY.
SOME OF THEM WERE 75% FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT, 25% TO THE LOCAL.
UM, THE DFE PORTION OF THE PROJECT WAS IN THAT AGE OF PROJECTS.
THE NEW AGE PROJECTS ARE IN A 65 35 FOR FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT.
NOW, YOUR ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION AND RECREATION ARE FUNDED AT DIFFERENT COST SHARES.
THEY ARE LOWER ON THE FEDERAL, HIGHER ON THE LOCAL.
[01:45:01]
DIRECTLY IMPACT HAR SIMMONS' PART? UM, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THE DALLAS FLOODWAY PROJECTS ARE PART OF THE RECORD OF DECISION.THEY, UM, ARE WORKING THROUGH THOSE DIRECTLY RIGHT NOW, YOUR LEVEE RAYS AND FLATTENING PROJECT THAT 2 77 K, UM, THAT IS MOVING A LOT OF DIRT INSIDE THE FLOODWAY AND CHANGING THE LEVEE SLOPES AND HEIGHTS.
SO THAT IS REALLY WITHIN THE EXACT AREA OF WHERE THE HAROLD SIMMONS PARK IS AUTHORIZED BY THE COUNCIL TO PERFORM WORK.
SO I'M TRYING TO GET TO A TIMEFRAME FOR DEVELOPMENT BETWEEN THE MET.
SO, UM, IN THE LETTER THAT THE CORPS ENGINEERS SENT TO YOU ALL AND THE TRINITY PARK CONSERVANCY SEVERAL YEARS BACK, PART OF THE CONVERSATION AND THE STATEMENTS IN THOSE LETTERS WERE THAT THE WORK ALONG THE LEVEE AND IN BETWEEN THE LEVIES COULD NOT BE COMPLETE UNTIL THE RED FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT WAS COMPLETE AND THEY COULD RESUME CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THAT AT THAT TIME.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, GIVE OR TAKE, IF Y'ALL ARE READY TO ENTERTAIN ADDITIONAL CONVERSATIONS NOW WE CAN GO TRY TO GET A LITTLE FIRMER ON WHEN THAT MAY HAPPEN.
HOWEVER, THERE IS STILL IN PLAY WHERE THE BORROW BORROW AREA, RIGHT.
SO WHERE IS THE DIRT GOING TO COME FOR THE LAMAR AND CADILLAC HEIGHTS LEVIES? DOES THAT ALSO ENTERTAIN AND PUT INTO PLAY SOMETHING FURTHER IN THE AREA OF HARALD SIMMONS PARK? SO THE HERD SIMMONS PARK, IF YOU GO BACK TO YOUR RECORD OF DECISION, AND THAT AREA WAS INTENDED TO BE PART OF THE LAKES AREA, THE RIVER IS RELOCATED IN THAT AREA.
SO, UM, THOSE THINGS ARE INCLUDED IN THE FEDERAL STUDY AND CONSISTENT WITH WHAT YOU ALL HAVE IN YOUR CONTRACTS.
SO SARAH, TO ME THEN THE BORROW, OKAY, I GOTTA GET THE LANGUAGE RIGHT.
THE, THE SOIL THAT IS NEEDED FOR THE LEVIES, BOTH THE CADILLAC HEIGHT SIDE AND THE, UH, LAMAR IS PART OF THAT WAS TO COME FROM THIS AREA THAT IS DESIGNATED HARRISON AND MS. PARK BETWEEN THE TWO SIGNATURE GROUPS.
IS THAT CORRECT? SO THE ORIGINAL SOIL FOR THE LEVEES WAS GOING TO BE PURCHASED.
AS PART OF THE EFFORTS AND THE DESIRES TO TRY TO WORK SEAMLESSLY TOGETHER, THAT WAS A REQUEST THAT CAME OUT OF YOU ALL IN THE CONSERVANCY TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANY WAY TO MAXIMIZE THE EXCAVATION AREAS WHERE Y'ALL WANTED TO HAVE WATER IN THAT FIRST PHASE OF THE BALANCED VISION PLAN.
SO THE CORE IS AT THAT 65% DESIGN PHASE INFLATION, UM, AT LEVELS ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE COUNTRY HAVE REALLY MADE IT EVEN MORE VIABLE AT THIS POINT TO REALLY EXPLORE WHETHER OR NOT THEY'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO UTILIZE THAT AREA.
UM, I SUSPECT IN ALL HONESTY, THAT BASED ON WHERE THEY ARE IN THEIR DESIGN, YOU'RE GONNA LOOK AT PROBABLY ANOTHER SIX TO EIGHT MONTHS BEFORE THEY'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT VIABILITY OF THAT AREA OF HAROLD SIMMONS PARK.
UM, THAT IS JUST SORT OF A, THAT'S A GUT, THAT IS NOT A HARD LINE, THAT IS JUST KIND OF WHERE THEIR CONVERSATIONS ARE AT THIS POINT IN TIME.
SO IT COULD BE THAT THEY GET THROUGH THIS NEXT PHASE OF THEIR RISK RESILIENCY PROCESS, THEY PUT PROJECTS THROUGH AND THEY COULD DETERMINE THAT THEY DON'T THINK THAT SOIL IS THE RIGHT SUITABILITY FOR LEVY BUILDS IN THAT PARTICULAR AREA.
IF THAT'S THE CASE, THEN THAT PULLS THAT OUT OF PLAY AND THAT MAY ADVANCE WHEN YOU CAN GET INTO THAT IN, IN THAT MIDDLE AREA WHERE THE HAROLD SIMMONS PARK IS.
PASTOR PARKER, MAY I JUMP IN HERE? YES.
I I HAD SOME OF THE SAME QUESTIONS YOU DID.
UM, HI SARAH, HOW ARE YOU? GOOD, HOW ARE YOU? I'M DOING WELL.
SORRY, I CAN'T, I I'M ONLY LOOKING AT THE BACK OF YOUR HEAD, BUT I'M GONNA PRETEND I'M TALKING TO YOUR FACE.
UM, UH, I LOOKED AT THE, UH, KIND OF THE GANTT CHART MOVING FORWARD AND SURELY ALL THE, ALL THE DESIGN FOR THE TWO 70 SEVENS DONE, AND THEY KNOW WHAT THEY'RE TAKING FROM WHERE AND ALL THAT BECAUSE THAT'S IN PROGRESS.
BUT FOR THE OTHER LEVEES TO THE SOUTH, IT LOOKS LIKE THE DESIGN PROCESS IS GONNA BE DONE BY SECOND QUARTER OF 2025.
SO, SO TRYING TO PUT BOUNDS ON WHAT YOU WERE JUST SAYING TO PASTOR PARKER, WHILE, WHILE WE MAY KNOW SOMETHING IN SIX TO EIGHT MONTHS, IS IT SAFE TO SAY WE WILL KNOW DEFINITIVELY IN 18 MONTHS? YES, SIR.
SO WE WOULD KNOW WHEN THEY'RE DONE WITH THE DESIGN, BUT WE'RE GONNA TRY TO GET AN EARLY FEEDBACK POINT, AND IF IT'S OFF THE TABLE, WE'LL LET YOU KNOW IMMEDIATELY THAT IT'S OFF THE TABLE.
SO, JUST FROM A PLANNING POINT OF VIEW FOR THIS GROUP, SOMEWHERE IN THE NEXT SIX TO 18 MONTHS, WE'RE GONNA KNOW FOR SURE WHAT SOIL, AND LET'S CALL IT SOIL, WHAT SOIL IS, IS MOVING OUT OF, BETWEEN THE LEVIES AND, AND THE PARK FOOTPRINT VERSUS NOT.
[01:50:01]
THANKS SO MUCH.I, YOU UPDATE US EVERY YEAR ON THIS AND IT, AND I GUESS I KEEP IT, I KEEP SEEING IT EXTENDED.
I UNDERSTAND, I UNDERSTAND WHY IT WOULD BE EXTENDED, BUT I, I GUESS I WANT TO MAKE IT CLEAR TO US AS A BOARD, AND I OBVIOUSLY YOU CONVERSATIONS WITH TPC THAT THE QUOTE UNQUOTE DELAY IN ANYTHING HAPPENING BETWEEN THESE LEVIES IS DUE TO THE CORE'S WORK IN THIS, THIS AREA.
UM, ONE OF THE BIGGEST TONY'S HAS, HAS TO HEAR THIS FROM ME AT LEAST ONCE A QUARTER AT MINIMUM, THAT FOR ME WHAT HAPPENS BETWEEN THOSE LEVEES IS A PART OF IS THE PARK AND THE, THESE OVERLOOKS COMPLIMENT, THEY COMPLIMENT ONE ANOTHER.
AND SO THERE'S ALWAYS MUCH DISCUSSION ABOUT WHAT CAN, WHEN IN THE COMMUNICATIONS IN THE MARKETING OF THIS PARK, UM, WHEN ARE WE GONNA SEE SOMETHING? IF WE ONLY TALK ABOUT WEST OVERLOOK, I MEAN OVERLOOKS THEN THE IDEA IN PEOPLE'S MIND, AND, AND IT'S STUCK IN MINE AND IT HASN'T GOTTEN OUT, IS THAT, THAT THIS HARL SIMMONS PARK IS WHAT IS THE, THE ICONIC AND PART OF THIS PART HAPPENS BETWEEN THOSE LETTERS.
UM, FOR ME, THE IMPACT OF THIS PART BEYOND ITS INITIAL FIVE, SIX YEARS AND YOU SAY THREE YEARS, TONY, IS WHAT HAPPENS BETWEEN THESE LEVIES ONCE AN INITIAL THING.
UM, AND I GUESS, YOU KNOW, THOSE IN THE JOURNALISTIC COMMUNITY AND OTHERS ARE ALWAYS CONCERNED THAT NOTHING IS HAPPENING.
UM, AND SO WHEN WE GET THIS ANNUAL REPORT FROM YOU, THOSE DEAD, THOSE DATES, THIS GANTT CHART KEEPS GETTING EXTENDED OUT FOR THAT, FOR THOSE TWO LEVIES.
I THINK THE FIRST TIME I SAW IT, IT WAS 2026, AND NOW I'M SEEING 2031.
AM I OFF IN MY OBSERVATION ON THE EXTENSION OF THIS TIME? UH, NO SIR.
THE TIME ON BOTH OF THOSE LEVIES HAVE EXTENDED DUE TO A NUMBER OF CONDITIONS, BOTH THE COMPLEXITY OF THE UTILITIES THAT ARE IN THE AREA AND THE COMPLEXITY OF RIGHT OF WAY ACQUISITION.
SO, UM, YOU'VE GOT A NUMBER OF ENGINEERING ITEMS THAT ARE UNDERWAY TRYING TO DEAL WITH AS WELL AS, UM, AMICABLE AND NON AMICABLE LAND TRANSACTIONS.
I GUESS I, I JUST WANNA MAKE CLEAR THAT TO THIS, TO US AS A BOARD, THAT THIS IS THE PRIMARY WORK.
YOU KNOW, WHAT SARAH IS SHARING WITH US IS THE PRIMARY WORK OF, OF YOU SAFE.
AND THEY CONTROL WHAT HAPPENS BOTH INSIDE AND AND IMMEDIATELY SURROUNDING IT.
AND SO WHEN WE HEAR AND COMMUNICATE OURSELVES TO WHOMEVER WE ARE COMMUNICATING WITH AND WHEN THINGS GO PUBLIC, UM, I I GUESS I'M NOT FRUSTRATED BY THE, BY THE DEL DELAY, IT IS NECESSARY.
ALL THIS WORK IS NECESSARY AND IT'S A UNIQUE, AS YOU'VE OFTEN SHARED A ONE TIME DEAL THAT YOU RECEIVE THESE KINDS OF DOLLARS FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO DO THIS KIND OF WORK.
THAT'S WHY I ASKED FOR THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND A LITTLE BIT.
THERE'S ANOTHER REASON WHY I ASKED THAT QUESTION BECAUSE TO HEAR THAT THE PHILANTHROPIC COMMUNITY BUILT THE LE THE INITIAL LEVIES SAID SOMETHING TO ME, IT SAID SOMETHING TO ME ABOUT BALANCE AND THAT THAT INFORMS MY THINKING TODAY, TONY, AS IT RELATES TO FUNDING FOR THIS ONEO.
IF A PHILANTHROPIC COMMUNITY CAN JUST FUND THE, THE ENTIRE LEVEE SYSTEM AS IT WAS ORIGINALLY BUILT, THAT THAT'S, THAT'S A MAJOR, THAT WAS A MAJOR INVESTMENT A HUNDRED YEARS AGO.
UM, AND I GUESS I'M APPEALING FOR PATIENTS, UM, FOR ALL PARTIES, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO WOULD, UH, IT'S MY BULLY PULPIT.
I'M TAKING IT, ESPECIALLY AMONG THOSE WHO WOULD QUESTION WHETHER OR NOT ANYTHING IS EVER GOING TO HAPPEN.
UM, AND WHETHER OR NOT THIS CITY HAS THE CAPACITY THEY DO, THIS CITY HAS THE CAPACITY OR THE, THE CITY HAVE THE WILL TO DO SOMETHING OF THIS MAGNITUDE,
[01:55:01]
UM, AND PARTICIPATE IN THE CIVIC PORTION OF WHAT WE SAID EARLIER.UM, BUT YEAH, IT KEEPS GETTING EXTENDED SAM, SO, AND I UNDERSTAND WHY.
UM, I HOPE THAT WE UNDERSTAND AS THE BOARD UNDERSTANDS WHY AND, AND THAT INFORMS OUR CONVERSATION, OUR COMMUNICATIONS AND MARK AS WELL.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, MS. SARAH ROSS? YES.
UH, TO YOUR COMMENTS, PASTOR PARKER, WOULD IT MAKE SENSE, I KNOW WE GET AN ANNUAL UPDATE AT THIS TIME EVERY YEAR FROM SARAH AND HER TEAM, BUT WOULD IT MAKE SENSE TO GET SOME SORT OF BRIEF UPDATE MAYBE SIX MONTHS FROM NOW JUST TO UNDERSTAND THE, THE TRAJECTORY WE'RE ON FOR NEXT YEAR? UH, THAT I HAVE NO PROBLEM, SARAH.
SO WE CAN PROVIDE SORT OF A SIX MONTH FROM NOW, LOOK AT WHERE WE ARE.
WE TYPICALLY BRIEF THE COUNCIL ABOUT TWICE A YEAR.
I TRY TO MAKE SURE THE COUNCIL IS BRIEFED IN ADVANCE OF YOU ALL.
UM, SO WE CAN WORK ON SOMETHING TO DO THAT.
Q, ANYTHING ELSE AS IT RELATES TO THIS? OKAY, I, I HAVE QUESTION.
YES, EDDIE? UM, I'M NOT SURE I'M GONNA ASK THIS CORRECTLY, CORRECTLY, BUT SO THE WORK THAT'S RELATIVE TO THE HAROLD SIMMONS PARK, THE FLATTENING AND RAISING OF THE LEVIES, RIGHT? THERE'S A TIMELINE TO THE COMPLETENESS OF THAT, RIGHT? IF I LOOK AT THE SCHEDULE, WHICH IS REASONABLE, LOOKS LIKE, YES SIR.
NEXT LATE, NEXT SUMMER IS WHEN WE WOULD ANTICIPATE THAT'S VERY REASONABLE.
SO THE QUESTION IS THE POTENTIAL SOIL THAT WE CAN EXTRACT FROM THAT AREA, IF I HEAR YOU CORRECTLY, WHICH COULD POTENTIALLY BECOME A LAKE IN THE FUTURE AS PART OF THIS PARK TO RAISE THE LEVEES AND SO FORTH ASSOCIATED WITH CADILLAC.
IT WOULD BE, SO I'M HOPING THE TERMINOLOGY, SO THESE ARE NONEXISTING LEVEES TODAY.
SO IN CADILLAC HEIGHTS AND IN LAMAR, THEY WILL BE BRAND NEW LEVEES BRAND.
SOME SOIL FROM SOMEWHERE, WHETHER IT'S IN YES SIR, THE VICINITY OF HAROLD SIMMONS PARK OR NOT PURCHASED.
SO ONCE THE LEVIES ARE COMPLETE RELATIVE TO HAROLD SIMMONS PARK SCOPE OF WORK, ARE WE, WE CAN START, I'M ASSUMING CAN WE NOT START THE CONSTRUCTION SOONER THAN LATER? SO THERE'S KIND OF PARALLEL PATHS.
SO THE, UM, FOR THE WEST OVERLOOK IN PARTICULAR, SO WE, WE CAN HAVE SOME CONVERSATIONS WITH THE CORE AS TO HOW THAT LOOKS.
THE OVERLOOKS ARE PROBABLY, UM, IN ALL HONESTY, A FASTER TRACK THAN INSIDE THE FLOODWAY.
BECAUSE THE FEDERAL DOCUMENT SAYS WE'RE SUPPOSED TO TAKE CARE OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION BEFORE RECREATION AND WE'VE GOT TO PHASE THINGS.
SO, UM, IT IS NOT OFF THE TABLE TO SAY WHEN THEY'RE DONE WITH THE LEVEE WORK, WHEN FEMA HAS ACCREDITED THE LEVIES AND THAT PROCESS IS BEING WORKED OUT BETWEEN THE CORE AND FEMA RIGHT NOW.
UM, THEN THAT WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, THE WINDOW THAT I THINK YOU COULD REASONABLY BEGIN TO TALK ABOUT DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF, OR NOT DESIGN, SORRY, YOU'RE IN PRE-CONSTRUCTION, UM, KIND OF THE CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
LIKE IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE CAN'T GO HAVE A CONVERSATION SOONER RATHER THAN LATER AS TO WHERE WE WANT TO DO.
AND WE'VE BEEN TOUCHING BASE WITH, UM, TONY'S TEAM AND WITH MOLLY'S TEAM AS THEY HAVE MADE PROGRESS ALONG THE WAY TO SHARE WITH THEM SOME CONCEPTS, SOME PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING THAT THEY HAVE TO SAY, ARE THERE RED FLAGS? UM, THAT'S ABOUT WHAT YOU CAN GET OUT OF EVERYBODY AT THIS POINT.
IS THERE A RED FLAG THAT THEY SHOULD KNOW ABOUT BEFORE THEY PROCEED TO THE NEXT PHASE? SO THEY'RE NOT NOT WORKING WITH US AND WITH THE CORE IT'S JUST GONNA BE A TIMING ISSUE.
SO PASTOR PARKER, THE REASON I ASK THAT IS MAYBE GIVE US HOPE.
I'M HOPEFUL THAT THERE IS A PARALLEL PATH AND IF IT'S JUST LINEAR, YEAH, THERE, THERE'S CONCERN FOR ME TOO.
WE JUST WAIT AND WAIT AND WAIT.
BUT IF THERE IS A MECHANISM AND THE LEVEES ARE STABLE, STABILIZED AND WE CAN START TO BUILD THAT WEST OVERLOOK, TO ME THEY'RE, THEY COULD STILL BE DIGGING A HOLE IN THE MIDDLE OF THOSE LEVIES AND NOT REALLY AFFECT, IN MY OPINION.
I MAY BE OFF BASE THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE WEST OVERLOOK, I THINK.
BUT I DON'T KNOW, TONY, YOU COULD PROBABLY GIVE SOME INSIGHT TO THIS, BUT JUST MY CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE,
[02:00:01]
I THINK I, I KNOW THE CORE, THERE'S A PARTNERSHIP THERE THAT HAS TO HAPPEN AND THERE'S SAFETY RELATIVE TO THE FLOODWAY AND ALL THAT.BUT IF, IF THAT'S LOCKED IN, THE LEVEES ARE LOCKED IN, I JUST QUESTION WHY WE COULDN'T EXPEDITE A PARALLEL PATH OF ALIGNING KIND OF THE SCHEDULES OF THE PARK WITH WHATEVER ELSE HAS TO BE DONE WITHIN THE LEVEE, FLOODWAY OR THE FLOODWAY.
YOU KNOW, YOUR QUESTION FROM A, FROM A PARALLEL PATH MASTER PLANNING, ENSURING ONE PIECE IS ALIGNED WITH ADAM MAKES, MAKES PERFECT SENSE.
I WILL SAY THOUGH THAT IN UNDERSTANDING THE COMPLEXITY OF THE WORK THEY'RE DOING AND THE SAFETY MITIGATION THAT'S NEEDED FIRST WE HAVE ADAPTED SOMEWHAT OF A PLAN TO GIVE THAT FLEXIBLE WINDOW, UM, TO HAPPEN.
UM, TO SARAH'S POINT, WE REALIZE THAT OUTSIDE THE LEVEE WE HAVE MORE FULL CONTROL MM-HMM
AND SO WE'RE MOVING WHAT WE HAVE CONTROL OVER OF TODAY.
HOWEVER, UM, I APPRECIATE THE ALIGNMENT AND AS WE GET CLOSER TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS, AND IF THAT WINDOW DOES EXIST THEN YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO JUMP ON IT.
BUT WE CERTAINLY RECOGNIZE AND RESPECT THAT THAT PROCESS TAKES TIME AND, AND THE FLOOD MITIGATION SIDE IS JUST SO INTENTIONAL.
BUT WE'VE BEEN HAVING CONVERSATIONS TO, TO SEE WHERE THEY ARE AND WHEN WE THINK, UH, AND PASTOR PARKER, I APPRECIATE YOU SAYING 'CAUSE YES, THERE ARE SOME THAT ARE, ARE, ARE NOT ACKNOWLEDGING AND REALIZING THAT THE LEVIES AND BETWEEN THE FLOODWAY AND THAT URBAN WILDERNESS BETWEEN THE LEVIES IS A CRITICAL AND AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE HAROLD SIMMONS PARK EXPERIENCE.
THE OVERLOOKS JUST BRING YOU TO THAT FOCAL POINT.
YOU KNOW, IT'S THE ONLY PARK WHERE RIVER FLOWS THROUGH.
SO WE'RE EXCITED WHEN THAT TIME, UM, COMES.
WE'RE EXCITED TO HAVE SOME DIALOGUES WITH THE POOR AND UNDERSTANDING IF THAT POSSIBILITY EXISTS FOR THAT SOIL TO BE REMOVED, TO CREATE WHAT POTENTIALLY COULD BE A LAKE BETWEEN WHAT'S GONNA HAVE BE SOME WORLD CLASS OVERLOOKS OVERLOOKING A RIVER AND A LAKE.
AND SO THIS IS ALL MUSIC TO MY AREAS, BUT I CERTAINLY RESPECT THE DUE DILIGENCE IN THE PROCESS THAT THE CORE HAS TO GO THROUGH.
BUT EDDIE, TO YOUR POINT, IF THAT POSSIBILITY EXISTS, JUST AT LEAST HAVE THE CONVERSATION SO WE KNOW AND WE CAN AUGMENT THE CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE ACCORDINGLY.
THERE, WOULD THE PRIMARY IMPACT BE ACCESS IS THE CORE IS USING PART OF THE WEST OVERLOOK AS AN ACCESS.
SO THAT IS, THAT IS ONE OF THE PIECES AT THE BECKLEY COMMERCE EXCHANGE, UM, IS THE TRUCK TRAFFIC THAT MAY NEED TO COME IN AND OUT.
UM, I THINK THAT BEGINS TO WORK OUT A LITTLE BIT, KIND OF RIGHT IS DR.
SAL WAS A LITTLE BIT EASIER THAN TELLING Y'ALL, YOU KNOW, THAT SIX, SIX MONTH WINDOW I THINK IS A PRETTY GOOD WINDOW TO HAVE A, WHERE ARE WE? UM, 18 MONTHS, YOU KNOW, FOR SURE WHERE WE ARE.
RIGHT? UM, I, I WOULD WANT TO SORT OF REMIND YOU, I WAS WITH SOME PEOPLE THE OTHER DAY AND THEY HAD TO REMIND ME THAT THE TRINITY IS A MULTI-GENERATIONAL PROJECT, RIGHT? SO EACH GENERATION HAS TAKEN A PIECE AND RUN WITH IT.
AND SO WHILE IT SEEMS LIKE THINGS HAVEN'T GONE ON, UM, OR THEY'RE NOT GOING FAST ENOUGH, WE PROBABLY DIDN'T ALL SET THE BASELINE AND EXPLAIN THE TRINITY THE RIGHT WAY.
YOU KNOW, DECADES AGO TO SAY THAT THESE THINGS ARE TOUGH, THEY'RE HARD, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW THERE'S A DROUGHT AND PEOPLE THINK THAT THE FLOODWAYS DRY AND FUN TO PLAY IN RIGHT? WHEN IT'S WET AND WE HAVE RAIN LIKE WE HAD IN 2022 AND 2015, UM, IT'S A FLOODWAY, RIGHT? AND SO I THINK SOME OF THAT IS THE PERSISTENCE AND DILIGENCE OF THE GENERATIONS BEFORE US AND THE GENERATIONS THAT ARE GONNA COME AFTER US.
'CAUSE EACH ONE OF US ARE GONNA DELIVER A PIECE OF THIS.
UM, AND SO WE JUST HAVE TO CONTINUE TO BE MINDFUL OF WHAT WE'RE GONNA WORK ON AND WHAT WE'RE GONNA HAND TO THE NEXT GROUP TO FINISH OFF.
I THINK THAT'S, I LIKE THAT TERMINOLOGY.
I HAVE NEVER USED IT, BUT THIS IS A GENERATIONAL PROJECT.
AND, UM, THIS PARKING, I LIKE TO SAY YOU'RE PLANTING TREES AND IF YOU'RE PLANTING A TREE, YOU DON'T GET TO SEE IT UNDER THE SHADE.
THAT'S FOR SOMEBODY ELSE TO DO.
UM, YOU JUST GET TO PLANT THE TREE.
UM, THERE OUR TIME IS ALMOST UP AND THERE'S A COUPLE OF, ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, SARAH? UM, RESPECT OF OUR TIME.
UM, I, I'LL RES I'LL RESERVE THIS QUESTION FOR A LATER MEETING, UH, AS IT RELATES TO THE FUNDING, UH, WE MEET NEXT WEEK, UM, AND WE'LL, WE'LL SEE THE, UM, JUST A COUPLE OF THINGS FOR US AS A BOARD AS WE CLOSE OUT.
UH, YOU'LL HAVE A BOARD NOMINATION SHEET.
OUR ANNUAL MEETING IS NEXT WEEK, I MEAN NEXT MONTH.
[02:05:01]
THIS IS AN UPDATED ONE THAT, UH, SARAH JACKSON REMINDED US OF ME OF.AND SO WE UPDATED THE SHEET THAT WAS IN YOUR PACKET.
WE, WE WILL DO THIS NEXT WEEK.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO FILL OUT THIS, YOU'LL GET AN EMAIL VERSION OF OUR, UM, EACH YEAR WE ARE CALLED, WE ARE ASKED TO ELECT THE, THE BOARD OFFICERS.
AND, AND SO YOU'LL GET THIS NOMINATION SHEET, DR. SHAW, YOU'LL GET A COPY OF EMAIL COPY OF IT.
WE'VE DONE THIS FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET THAT DONE AT OUR NEXT MEETING.
UM, I GUESS I WOULD ASK YOU, TONY, WHAT IS IT THAT YOU NEED FROM THIS BOARD? YOU KNOW, WE WE'RE AT A, UH, A VERY IMPORTANT PART IN THE TIMELINE OF THIS PROJECT.
UM, WE HAVE MADE A LOT OF PROGRESS AND WE'RE POSITIONING OURSELVES TO SHARE THAT, THAT PROGRESS PUBLICLY AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME.
I THINK WHEN THAT HAPPENS, THE, THE, THE PUBLIC SENTIMENTS OF THIS PROJECT AND THE FATIGUE, UM, WILL, WILL AT LEAST BE RECOGNIZED AND IN, IN A POSITIVE WAY OF MOVING FORWARD.
UM, BUT WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW IN MAKING SURE WE ALL HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO DELIVER, UM, WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY, I SHOULD SAY, TO DELIVER A PRETTY UNIQUE PARK THAT'S GONNA BE TRANSFORMATIONAL FOR THE CITY AND THE TRUE MANUFACTURERS OF THE, OF THE CITIZENS OF DALLAS.
AND, UM, I'M FORTUNATE AND, AND TO BE A PART OF THIS PROCESS, I'M EXCITED ABOUT THIS PROCESS.
I'M EXCITED ABOUT WHAT 2024 WILL BRING AND, AND THE PROGRESS WE'LL MAKE.
I AM EXCITED OF HOW THE, THE WORK THE ARMY CORPS IS DOING IN THE FLOODWAY AND THE IDENTITY THAT THIS PARK WILL HAVE ASSOCIATED WITH THE RIVER AND THE FLOODWAY AND HOW THAT WILL DIFFERENTIATE US FROM ALL OF THE PARKS.
UM, UM, I'M EXCITED ABOUT THAT, BUT WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO AND, UM, I, I APPRECIATE THE, THE, THE LEADERSHIP THAT THE LGC HAS PROVIDED, THE SUPPORT THE LGC HAS PROVIDED.
UM, WE HAVE SOME SHORT TERM HURDLES IN TERMS OF FIGURING OUT THESE BUCKETS FOR THIS, UM, FUNDING.
UM, THE, BOTH THE INTERNAL AND THE EXTERNAL FROM A CIVIC SUPPORT POINT OF VIEW AND, UM, FROM A DESIGN POINT OF VIEW, UM, AND HOW THAT PROGRESS, I THINK WE HAVE THE RIGHT ELEMENTS IN LINE.
IT'S JUST A MATTER OF TIPPING THE DOMINOES AND LETTING THE PROGRESS START.
SO, UM, VERY OPTIMISTIC WITH WHERE THE, THE PROJECT IS.
I KNOW IT'S BEEN A LONG BATTLE AND I'VE SAID THIS AND IT'S, AND I'LL SAY IT AGAIN, THAT TIMES SOMETIMES IS A GREAT CURATOR OF EXCELLENCE.
AND WHERE WE ARE NOW IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM WHERE WE WERE EVEN TWO YEARS AGO.
AND SO, UM, WE'LL BE DISCIPLINED, WE'LL BE FOCUSED AND WE'LL DELIVER TO DALLAS THIS LONG AWAITED PART.
AND THIS WILL BE A JOINT VENTURE, UM, AS WE CALL IT, PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP.
WELL, I JUST WANNA THANK YOU AND YOUR, ALL THOSE FOLKS SITTING BEHIND IN YOUR TEAM, A TPC FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING.
UM, THE EFFORT, THE PASSION, THE CREATIVITY, UM, AND I LOOK, WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING WORKING TOGETHER TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN.
'CAUSE YOU HAD A HARD JOB TO, THAT'S BEHIND THE SCENES THAT MAKES ANY OF THIS POSSIBLE IN TERMS OF TRYING TO BUILD A PARK IN A FLOODWAY.
UM, WHICH I OFTEN REMIND PEOPLE, THEY'VE HEARD ME SAY IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN HERE RECENTLY.
FOLK HAD BEEN TRYING TO DO SOMETHING BETWEEN THESE LEVIES FOR A HUNDRED YEARS.
I'M NOT SURE WHY WE PRESSED IN SIX YEARS TO DO SOMETHING THAT FOLK HADN'T DONE IN A HUNDRED.
AND, AND FOLK WANNA TRIP OUT, EXCUSE MY LANGUAGE, BUT
UM, I DO WANT TO THANK THIS BOARD.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE, THE WORK GROUPS THAT YOU SERVE ON THE, THE CONVERSATIONS THAT YOU HAVE BEYOND THIS BOARD.
AND, UH, I JUST WANNA THANK YOU AND TO ALL THESE FOLKS SITTING BEHIND ME, CITY STAFF, YOU GUYS, THANK YOU, UH, FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS, QUESTIONS FOR ANYONE? IF NOT, THEN IT IS 1154.
THERE ARE NO PUBLIC SPEAKERS AND SO AT THIS POINT, THIS OF THIS MEETING IS OFFICIALLY ADJOURNED.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME TODAY.
THERE IS LUNCH DOWNSTAIRS IN FIVE SOUTH OR SOMETHING.