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THIS 10 0 1,[Dallas Park and Recreation Board on February 19, 2026.]
AND WE CONVENE OUR DALLAS PARKS AND RECREATIONS, UH, WATER.YOU ALL, I THINK WE HAVE A ROOM.
COUPLE OF VERY EXCITING BRIEFING FROM COUPLE OF BEST PARTNERS TODAY I SEE OF MY NEXT CHAIR OF PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD HERE IN THE ROOM.
MR. TAHI AND, UH, JOHN, WELCOME.
I I WILL BE TOO NERVOUS TO CONDUCT THE MEETING IN FRONT OF YOU TODAY.
AND, UH, WE HAVE MIKE HERE, OR FOR BOARD TOO.
YEAH, PROCEED PROCEEDING SET WITH THAT, UH, FIRST POINT ON THIS LIST ARE PUBLIC SPEAKERS.
UH, YES, MR. PRESIDENT, WE HAVE ONE PUBLIC SPEAKER.
I'LL READ THE SPEAKER GUIDELINES.
EACH SPEAKER WILL BE GIVEN THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK.
PLEASE DIRECT YOUR COMMENTS TO THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD, ONLY ANY SPEAKER WHO MAKES PERSONAL IMP PERTINENT, LIANE OR SLANDERS FROM PARKS OR BECOMES VOICE ADDRESS, USE PARK BOARD WILL BE BARR FROM THE MEETING.
OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS DAVID HARSON.
I AM A TRAIL STEWARD WORKING HERE.
I'M A TRAIL STEWARD FOR THE HARRY MOSS TRAIL, WHICH IS LOCATED UP BY WALNUT HILL AND GREEN BLOSSOM.
AND WE ARE MANAGED, THE TRAIL IS MANAGED BY DOVA, WHICH IS THE DALLAS OFFICE OF BANKING ASSOCIATION.
WE'RE A HUNDRED PERCENT VOLUNTEER ROOM ORGANIZATION.
WE'RE A 5 0 1 C3 AND WE'RE CURRENTLY MAINTAINING AROUND TWO OH MILES OF A MULTI SOFT MULTI-SERVICE SOFT AND SOFT SURFACE TRAILS IN THE DALLAS FORWARD AREA.
SO AS A TRAIL STEWARD UP THERE, I GET TO EXPERIENCE THE TRAILS AND TAKE CARE OF THE TRAILS AND EXPERIENCE THE PEOPLE ON THE TRAILS, WHICH IS A LOT OF FUN.
A LOT OF KIDS LIKE OUR TRAILS.
UM, AND A LOT OF DALLAS LIKES OUR TRAILS.
PEOPLE ACTUALLY COME FROM ALL OVER THE CITY TRAILS AS WELL.
UM, JUST SO YOU KNOW, WHAT TRAILS YOU HAVE IN YOUR AREA THAT ARE RUN BY THE DALLAS OFF ROAD BIKE ASSOCIATION.
DISTRICT THREE HAS THREE TRAILS.
THEY HAVE THE OAK CLIFF NATURE PRESERVE, BOULDER PARK, AND BIG CEDAR.
THOSE ARE THREE OF OUR TOP FAVORITE TRAILS.
UM, OUR FAVORITE TRAIL, UNFORTUNATELY, GREEN LIGHTS IS UP THERE IN GRAPEVINE, WHICH IS, UH, THE NORTH SHORE TRAIL.
BUT I'LL TELL YOU WHAT, IT TAKES ME ABOUT 30 MINUTES TO DRIVE TO THAT TRAIL AND 45 MINUTES TO DRIVE HOME IN DALLAS.
I CAN TAKE A TRAIN TO ALMOST ALL THREE OF THOSE TRAILS.
I CAN DEFINITELY TAKE A TRAIN TO, UM, HARRY MOSS.
I CAN RIDE ON A BIKE FROM MY HOUSE TO HARRY MOSS IN 30 MINUTES.
AND IF YOU HAVE 30, IT'S NOT FOUR ON TRAFFIC.
DISTRICT SIX HAS THE LD HOUSTON PARK, WHICH IS GOING THROUGH SOME CHANGES.
DISTRICT DISTRICT SEVEN HAS CREEKSIDE.
DISTRICT 12 HAS KATIE JACKSON PARK, UM, UP THERE.
AND, UM, DISTRICT 13, THAT IS THE HARRY MOSS TRAIL BACK IN CARE OF.
UM, ONCE AGAIN, WE HAVE AN EASY COMMUTE TO OUR LITTLE
WE'VE GOT, UM, YOU CAN GO TO DOWNTOWN ETTE AND GO TO ONE OF OUR NEWEST TRAILS.
YOU CAN ALSO GO TO DOWNTOWN GARLAND AND GO TO A TRAIL WITHIN ABOUT A MILE FROM THE STATION.
HARRY MOSS IS LESS THAN A MILE FROM THE STATION.
AND, UH, NORTHFIELD NATURE IS VERY CLOSE TO, UM, ITS NEAR STATION AS WELL.
SO SUPER BIKEABLE AND VERY MUCH, OH, I'VE GOT MORE PLACES HERE.
DISTRICT THREE, YOU GOT WEST MOLES STATION, WHICH YOU CAN GO TO DISTRICT SEVEN.
IT'S A, IT IS ADJACENT TO THE TRINITY SPINE TRAIL AND THE BLUE, UH, DISTRICT 13, THE HARRY MOSS TRAIL.
YOU REACH FROM WALNUT HILL STATION.
IT'S ADJACENT TO THE SOAK AND THE LOOP, AND YOU CAN GET THERE FROM THE AAC ALL THE WAY UP TO HARRY MOSQUE WITHOUT EVEN TOUCHING AN ACTUAL RAIL.
WE'VE RUN THE TRAIL SYSTEM ALL THE WAY THERE.
SOME ISSUES WE HAVE AT THE HARRY MOSS DRILL.
UM, SINCE WE ARE IN A FLOOD PLAIN DRAINAGE IS ONE OF OUR BIGGEST ISSUES.
UM, ONE OF THE BIG ISSUES I HAVE RIGHT NOW IS WE'VE GOT A CULVERT SYSTEM THAT DOESN'T SEEM VERY WELL MAINTAINED BY THE WATER DEPARTMENT.
I KNOW IT SEEMS THAT WHEN THE PARKS, PEOPLE ASK THE WATER DEPARTMENT TO WORK ON THE DRAINAGE, THEY'RE NOT AS QUITE, THEY'RE NOT AS RESPONSIVE AS THEY SHOULD BE.
UM, ALSO WITH THE DRAINAGE ISSUES, WHEN WE DO FLOOD LIKE WE DID THIS PAST WEEKEND, WE'RE A PRETTY TRASHY AREA, WHICH JUST HAPPENS.
UM, BUT EVERYTHING FLOATS FROM UPSTREAM ALL THE WAY DOWNSTREAM AS THE TRAIL FLOODS, THAT TRASH GETS ON TRAIL.
THAT CONCLUDES OUR SPEECH, MR. AWESOME.
UM, WITH THAT, BEFORE I GET ENOUGH MINUTES, I OF WANT TO PUT ON RECORD, UH, SINCERE GRATITUDE TO THE TASK FORCE.
UH, UH, WE WORKED ON THE FAIR BUCK.
I THINK THESE WERE THE SELFLESS LEADERS WHO TOOK THEIR TIME AND GAVE THE RECOMMENDATIONS TO PARK AND TRAIL COMMITTEE TO A PROJECT FORWARD, WHICHEVER WAY.
SO IT'S A GOOD HANDOFF FOR THEM AND COUNCIL.
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I'M HOPING FOR, UH, SOMETHING EXCITING, ALL THIS PROCESS.I THINK WE ALL ARE WORKING HERE AS VOLUNTEERS, WHICH WE ALL KNOW.
I THINK MY ONE REQUEST IS, I THINK, UH, TO KEEP THE CIVILITY WHEN WE DISAGREE.
I THINK THERE IS NO NEED TO MAKE, UH, COMMENTS AND MAKE PERSONAL ATTACKS WHEN WE ARE NOT 15.
SO I, I EXPECT, I THINK THAT'S A SMALL GOAL THAT WE CAN LIVE WITH.
I THINK WE ARE ALL WORKING FOR THE SAME CAUSE WE DON'T HAVE TO WEEKLY ALL THE TIME, BUT IF WE DISAGREE, UH, I THINK PERSONAL ATTACKS ARE NOT REQUIRED.
SO I'M HOPING, I THINK I WANT TO CALL IT OUT AND REQUEST THAT.
I THINK HOPEFULLY WE CAN KEEP THAT MORAL CODE OF CONDUCT.
SO THANK YOU AGAIN, AND THIS TASK FORCE HAS DONE AMAZING JOB.
SO AGAIN, SINCERE THANKS TO THEM.
AND JOHN, THANKS FOR SERVING ON THAT.
WITH THAT DRAFTING APPROVAL OF MINUTES FOR FEBRUARY 5TH, 2026, DO I HAVE MOTION READY? DO HAVE A SECOND? YES.
MR. KMI, THAT ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
WE GET TO OUR CONSENT AGENT, UH, FROM ONE TO FOUR.
DO I HAVE A MOTION? MR. MC? HAVE A SECOND.
MR. KAMI, ANY DISCUSSIONS PLEASE? UH, YES, SIR.
MS. MANDEL, UM, MY FIRST IS GONNA BE ON JUST THE FEES FOR THE ALCOHOL.
JUST CURIOUS IF IT'S ONE DAY OR THREE DAY EVENT.
IT'S THE SAME ICE THAT WE'RE CHARGING, LIKE I SEE WHERE ONE DAY IS JUST MARCH 7TH.
MAY 7TH THROUGH MAY 8TH, BUT THEN THERE'S ONE THAT'S MARCH 26TH.
SO FOR, FOR AN EVENT, IT'S JUST ONE SET FEE FOR THAT PARTICULAR EVENT, WHETHER IT'S A ONE DAY EVENT, IT'S A ONE.
AND THEN MY SECOND COMMENT WOULD BE ON, UM, THE, ON AGENDA NUMBER, ITEM NUMBER FOUR.
UM, I REALLY FEEL THAT WE ALL NEED TO VIEW, UM, THE CITY OF DALLAS AS FOR THE DALLAS ZOO AS A PLACE FOR OUR LOCALS, BUT ALSO AS A DESTINATION, UM, ZOO THAT PEOPLE LOOK AT AND SAY, HEY, I'M GOING TO DALLAS TO GO TO THE DALLAS ZOO.
SO ALL OF THESE, UM, UPGRADES AND ALL OF THESE, ALL THE IMPROVEMENTS, THERE ARE SUCH A NECESSARY NEED FOR THE ZOO, FOR THE, UH, LOCAL, BUT ALSO FOR THE VISITORS.
SO I'M REALLY EXCITED FOR ALL THIS.
UH, RECENTLY DURING WINTER BREAK, I WENT TO THE TAMPA ZOO AND THE COST TO GET IN WAS PROBABLY TRIPLE THE PRICE TO GET INTO OUR GALA ZOO.
AND I WAS JUST LIKE, WHAT? THAT IS SO CRAZY.
SO WE, OUR ZOO IS SO ORACLE, UM, AND WE NEED TO MAKE IT WHERE WE ARE GIVING THE ZOO THE BEST OF THE, THE VI THE VISITOR, THE BEST EXPERIENCE POSSIBLE.
SO, OKAY, I'M ALL FOR THIS AND I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO ALL THE ENDEAVORS AND EVERYBODY INVOLVED IN THAT.
DO I HAVE A MOTION MR.
MS. M, YOU HAVE NOT TO SAY I'M SORRY.
I DO, WE DISCUSS, WE DISCUSSED THIS IN PLANNING AND DESIGN, UM, AND I JUST THINK THAT IT, IT IS KIND OF LIKE THE, NO, I'LL OUTDATE MYSELF AND THE SINGER TIFFANY.
SHE WAS A ONE HIT WONDER, UM,
BUT THE FACT THAT THE COMMUNITY HAS, IS ABLE TO HAVE A PARK THAT IS BUILT AND RUN BY THE DEVELOPERS, UM, AND IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
AND IT'S NOT AT NO COST TO THE CITY, BUT IT'S FOR THE COMMUNITY IS AN AMAZING, UM, AND SO OUR DISCUSSION THAT WE HAD AT PLAN DESIGN FOR THIS AND ALL OF THE WORK THAT LAKEISHA DID AND, AND PLANNING AND RYAN, IT JUST REALLY EXCITING, UH, EXCITED ABOUT THIS.
SAD THAT THIS PROGRAM IS JUST A ONE HIT WONDER BUT, UM, HOPING THAT, UM, THAT THE COMMUNITY DEFINITELY BENEFITS FROM IT.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS? UH, UH, MR. CARINI? THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT.
I ALSO WAS IN THE PLANNING AND DESIGN COMMITTEE THAT HEARD THE BRIEFING AND I WANNA, UM, CONGRATULATE, UH, THE PARKLAND DEDICATION FEE STRUCTURE IN GENERAL.
IT'S BEEN AROUND FOR A LONG TIME.
THIS IS ONE OF THE, I, I BELIEVE, THE ONLY OCCURRENCE WHERE A DEVELOPER GAVE LAND AND DEVELOPED LAND IN LIEBE OF PAYING A FEE.
SO IT DIDN'T HAPPEN OFTEN, BUT WHEN IT DID, IT'S BEEN A SUCCESS SO FAR AND IT WILL GET SUCCESS.
AND I ALSO WANNA, UM, YOU KNOW, HATS OFF TO THE, THE ARCHITECTS OF THE NEW PARKLAND DEDICATION FEES WHERE WE'RE TALKING.
UH, IS IT NO MORE GIVING LAND AT DEVELOPING FEES? IT OBVIOUSLY WASN'T SOMETHING VERY COMMON,
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ALTHOUGH IT HAD, IT WILL BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS CASE.UH, DEVELOPERS JUST GIVE A FEE.
SO, SO HATS OFF TO THE ARCHITECTS OF THAT.
AND, UM, REALLY JUST A BIG FAN OF THESE PARKLAND DEDICATION FEES AND WHAT THEY BRING TO OUR COMMUNITY.
I THINK OUR STAFF WENT ABOVE AND BEYOND WHEN IT WENT TO COUNCIL TO GET THAT SUPPORT, SO THANKS RYAN FOR THAT.
UH, WITH THAT, ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
HAVE IT NOW COMES THE MOTION, I THINK, UH, THE
UM, SO THIS MORNING WE DO HAVE LISA NEW HERE FROM THE ZOO.
SHE'S GOING TO PRESENT TO US HOW THE MANAGEMENT FEE THAT IS PROVIDED BY THE CITY IS GOING TO BE UTILIZED BY THE ZOO AND HOW THAT BENEFITS THE CITY.
UH, THANK YOU FOR HAVING US TODAY.
I'M, UH, THE CEO OF DALLAS ZOO, AND I WANTED TO TAKE JUST A MINUTE TO ACKNOWLEDGE, UM, MY VICE CHAIR OF THE BOARD, BOBBY OF TAHI, JOAN WONG, A MEMBER OF OUR LEGACY COUNCIL, MY VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS, RI MY CFO
SO, UM, ALL OF THESE FOLKS AND THE ONES BACK AT THE ZOO ARE WHAT KEEP THE PLACE COMING.
SO I'M EXCITED TO TALK TO YOU TODAY, UM, AND WANTED TO JUST FOCUS ON THE VALUE OF THIS PARTNERSHIP AND WHY IT WORKS.
UM, AND I KNOW THAT WE HAVE SOME NEW PARK BOARD MEMBERS, SO PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ASK ME QUESTIONS.
UM, THIS, UH, PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP IS ONE THAT IS EMBEDDED IN THE CITY CHARTER OF, UH, OF DALLAS.
UM, WE ENTERED INTO THAT PARTNERSHIP IN, UH, 2009 TO OPERATE AND IMPROVE AND GROW THIS ICONIC CITY ASSET.
IT IS A 5 0 1 C3 THAT OPERATES THE CITY ON ZERO ON BEHALF OF THE CITY.
AND THIS ALLOWS THE ZOO TO DELIVER MISSION DRIVEN OUTCOMES WHILE LEVERAGING PHILANTHROPY, IMPACTFUL PROGRAMS, EARNED REVENUE, AND OUR EXTENSIVE PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE IN WAYS NOT POSSIBLE IF WE WERE TRYING TO DO THIS AS A CITY RUN ZOO.
DO I HAVE THE BUTTON OR CAN YOU GET, OH, HERE IT IS.
AND IF YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE, YOU'RE WELCOME TO SAY SO.
MR. PARDON? WHENEVER YOU'RE COMFORTABLE, YOU CAN STAND OR YOU CAN SIT ALL THE WAY.
GET TO USE ALL THESE BUTTONS TODAY.
UM, WE ARE A PROVEN PARTNER WITH A GROWTH MINDSET.
UM, SINCE WE PRIVATIZED IN 2009, OUR ANNUAL ATTENDANCE HAS GROWN 51%.
OUR OPERATIONAL REVENUES HAVE INCREASED BY 135% TOTAL EMPLOYEES AT THE ZOO HAS GROWN TO 90%.
AND WITH THE 600 EMPLOYEES OF THE ZOO, BOTH, UM, OUR, OUR EMPLOYEES AND THOSE BY OUR CONCESSIONAIRE, WE ARE THE SECOND LARGEST EMPLOYER IN OAK CLIFF WITH 35% OF OUR EMPLOYEES LIVING IN OAK CLIFF.
OUR SCHOOL AND CAMP PROGRAMS, UM, HAVE GROWN BY OVER 106%.
AND ALL THIS IS A LOT OF INFORMATION.
SO IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE YOU HAVE HANDOUTS, UM, AT THE END FOR, UM, FOR YOUR TAKE HOME READING ENJOYMENT.
UM, WE ARE A CHAMPION FOR EDUCATION, UM, ONE OF THE ONLY FULL DAY NATURE BASED PRESCHOOLS IN SOUTHERN DALLAS.
WE ARE A FLAGSHIP DESTINATION, WELCOMING OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND SCHOOL KIDS AT DEEPLY DISCOUNTED RATES.
UH, WE HAVE INTERNSHIPS AND, UH, WORKFORCE STUDENTS THROUGH DALLAS, ISD AND CHRISTIE RAY COMMUNITY COLLEGE.
WE ARE ALSO EXPERTS ROOTED IN SCIENCE.
UM, WE HAVE WORLD CLASS LEADERSHIP AND EXPERTISE, UM, THAT ALLOWS US TO TAKE CARE OF OVER 2000 ANIMALS THAT, UM, ARE ENDANGERED SPECIES AND THE DELIGHT OF OUR DALLAS COMMUNITY.
UM, AND, UH, THE RELATIONSHIPS AND, UH, ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE BELONG TO ARE WORLD AND WELL RESPECTED.
AND ONE THING YOU MAY NOT UN REALIZE IS THAT WE PARTNER WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT FOR WILDLIFE CONFISCATION.
THE DALLAS FORT WORTH AIRPORT IS A MAJOR HUB FOR CONFIS, UH, FOR TRAFFICKED WILDLIFE.
AND DALLAS ZOO WORKS REGULARLY WITH, UH, DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT TO ENSURE THAT THOSE ANIMALS, UM, ARE TAKEN OUT OF THE ILLEGAL PET TRADE AND BROUGHT, UM, BROUGHT INTO
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PLACES THAT CAN CARE FOR THEM.WE ALSO HAVE COMMUNITY-BASED CONSERVATION.
UH, CONSERVATION IS THE CORE OF OUR MISSION, BUT WE WORK AT A LOCAL, STATE, NATIONAL, AND INTERNATIONAL LEVEL, UH, IN OUR CONSERVATION PROGRAMS. MANY OF THOSE ARE CENTERED HERE IN TEXAS WITH, UH, WHOOPING CRANES.
WE OPERATE THE WHOOPING CRANE CONSERVATION CENTER, UM, AT THE SAMUEL FARM, UM, PROPERTY.
AND WE PARTNER WITH LIGHTS SOUTH DALLAS.
WE WORK WITH THE CONVENTION CENTER PLANS ON BIRD COLLISION AND AVOID, UH, AVOIDANCE AND, UM, AND HAVE OUR CONSERVATION IMPACT HERE IN TEXAS AND ALL OVER THE WORLD.
REMAINING ACCESSIBLE IS VERY IMPORTANT TO US.
UM, WE HAVE A FIVE YEAR PLAN FOCUSED ON PEOPLE AND CULTURE.
WE HAVE A BOARD COMMITTEE THAT'S FOCUSED ON COM, UH, COMMUNITY IMPACT.
IN LATE DECEMBER, WE LAUNCHED THE ZOO FOR ALL DISCOUNT MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM.
AND SINCE THAT TIME WE HAVE 612 FAMILY MEMBERSHIPS OF PEOPLE THAT RECEIVE SNAP OR WIC, SOME SORT OF GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIZED FUNDING.
UM, AND WE'VE HAD 30, UH, 3000, UH, TICKETS, UM, REDEEMED SINCE THAT TIME.
WE ALSO HAVE, UM, UH, PROGRAMS FOR SENSORY INCLUSION AND AGAIN, I MENTIONED THE DALLAS, UM, ISD, UM, FOR DEEPLY DISCOUNTED TICKETS.
AND THEN FINALLY, UM, 400,000 PLUS GUESTS.
ALMOST 50% OF OUR ATTENDANCE COMES FOR $13 OR LESS WITH A HUNDRED THOUSAND THAT VISIT FOR FREE.
WHEREAS CENTER POINT FOR THE COMMUNITY DALLAS SUE SCALE, RELIABILITY, AND REGIONAL DRAW MAKE IT A STABILIZING AND FOUNDATIONAL FORCE.
A CATALYST FOR LONG TIME GROWTH FOR, FOR OUR CAMP AROUND OUR CAMPUS.
WE'VE BEEN AT CORNERSTONE IN OAK CLIFF SINCE MOVING TO MARCELLUS PARK IN 1912 AS AN ANCHOR INSTITUTION.
WE HAVE LONG DRAWN DAILY VISITATION AND ECONOMIC ACTIVITY TO THE AREA, WHICH HAS ABSOLUTELY INSPIRED NEARBY PUBLIC INVESTMENT AND DEVELOPMENT IMMEDIATELY SURROUNDING THE ZOO.
AGAIN, I MENTIONED WE'RE THE SECOND LARGEST EMPLOYER IN OAK CLIFF WITH 35% OF OUR EMPLOYEES RESIDING IN OAK CLIFF.
UH, WE HOST FREE ADMISSION FOR CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT DAYS.
WE HAVE A NEW PARKING GARAGE, UH, OPENING SOON, AND IT'S THE FIRST IN ITS SET OF NEIGHBORHOOD ENHANCEMENTS.
WE PARTNER WITH HALBURN PARK IN THE NEW ESTOCK DEVELOPMENT ON OPENINGS AND PROGRAMS, AND WE ARE ENGAGED WITH VISIT DALLAS FOR THE FIVE FOOT WORLD CUP HOST CITY ACTIVATIONS.
ONE OF THE NEWEST STUDIES THAT WE HAVE JUST CONDUCTED, I'M EXCITED TO SHARE WITH YOU, IS OUR ECONOMIC IMPACT STUDY.
UM, AND IT SHOWS THAT VISITOR SPENDING, JOB CREATION AND TAX REVENUE IS GENERATED WELL BEYOND THE ZOO GATES.
IF I COULD SPEND JUST A MOMENT ON THIS SLIDE, UM, THIS, THE IMPACT LOOKS AT NOT ONLY OUR ECONOMIC IMPACT TODAY, BUT THE GROWTH THAT WE ANTICIPATE THROUGH OUR CAPITAL EXPANSION PROGRAMS OVER THE NEXT 12 YEARS.
SO TOTAL ECONOMIC IMPACT IS GENERATING AN ANNUAL AVERAGE OF $269 MILLION WITH DIRECT SPENDING OF $140 MILLION JOBS SUPPORTED 1800 JOBS, STATE AND LOCAL TAXES, 12.5 MILLION IN STATE AND LOCAL TAXES A YEAR WITH 150 MILLION PROJECTED OVER THE GROWTH OF THESE CAPITAL PROJECTS.
EVERY DOLLAR THAT THE CITY INVESTS IN THE ZOO HAS AN $18 RETURN ON INVESTMENT.
WE ARE NOT JUST AN EXPENSE OF THIS DEPARTMENT.
THE MULTIPLIER AND THE FUNDS THAT WE BRING BACK TO THE CITY OF DALLAS, UM, IS EVIDENT AND WE'RE PROUD OF THAT.
THE HEADLINE IS THAT YOUR DALLAS ZOO WILL GENERATE SIGNIFICANT DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPENDING SALES, TAX REVENUE, AND JOB SUPPORT FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS OVER THE NEXT 12 YEARS.
THE CITY HAS, UM, THE ZOO HAS A LONG PROVEN FISCALLY RESPON HAVE BEEN A LONG PROVEN FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE PARTNER FOR THE CITY.
WE'VE SHOWN WE'RE CAREFUL STEWARDS OF BOTH PUBLIC FUNDING AND CITY OWNED ASSETS THAT OUR MANAGEMENT SERVICE FEE SUPPORTS OUR SPECIALIZED MISSION CENTRIC OPERATIONS, UNIQUE PROGRAMS AND BENEFITS FOR OUR COMMUNITY EXPERTISE AND TALENT THAT RANKS AMONG THE BEST IN THE NATION REGULATORY COMPLIANCE TO ENSURE WE STAY A WORLD CLASS ZOO AND MANAGEMENT OF 111 ACRES ACROSS TWO SITES, 106 ACRES AT THE ZOO PROPER, AND THE WHIPPING ST WHIPPING PRANK CENTER OF TEXAS AT SAMUEL FARM WITH AN ADDITIONAL FIVE ACRES.
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OF, UM, I'M SORRY.OUR EARNED REVENUE, UM, IS AN IMPORTANT POINT.
IT IS REINVESTED INTO OUR EXTENSIVE AND VERY OLD CAMPUS.
SO WE IN INVEST ANY EARNED REVENUES THAT WE, UM, CREATE BACK INTO THE CITY'S ASSET SO THAT WHEN WE COME TO YOU FOR CITY BOND PROJECTS LIKE YOU RECENTLY HAVE SUPPORTED, THAT GOES TO SUPPORT TRANSFORMATIONAL GROWTH.
SHOULD HAVE PHIL DO THIS BENCHMARKING, UM, STUDY IS ANOTHER ONE THAT I'M EXCITED TO SHOW YOU.
SO WE WANTED TO BROADEN THE CON, UH, CONVERSATION ABOUT OUR MANAGEMENT FEE.
WE WANTED TO FI FIND A WAY TO COMPARE MANAGEMENT FEES, BUT ALSO ACCOUNT FOR ACREAGE ASSET RESPONSIBILITY AND OTHER CITY PROVIDED SERVICES TO BE SURE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AS BEST AS WE CAN AT THE TRUE RETURN ON THE CITY'S INVESTMENT.
SO WE PULLED THIS BENCHMARKING DATA FROM, UH, PIS TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL CONCEPT AND SCOPE CONSIDERATIONS AROUND THE MANAGEMENT SERVICE FEE.
WE'RE SHOWING HERE SEVERAL PEER ZOOS IN TEXAS, AS WELL AS SEVERAL OTHER ZOOS ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT REPRESENT DIFFERENT TYPES OF PUBLIC SUPPORT PROGRAM.
SO YOU SEE, OR, UH, STRUCTURES, SO YOU SEE THE DALLAS ZOO AND AN ANNUAL ATTENDANCE OF 951,000 WITH AN OPERATING REVENUE OF 42 MILLION, A MANAGEMENT FEE OF 14.9 MILLION, UM, WHICH CONSTITUTES A FEE FOR OPERATIONAL REVENUES.
ABOUT 36% THAT IS FIXED, THAT IS A FIXED COST FOR US, 111 ACRES.
AND THEN AS YOU STAND DOWN, YOU'LL SEE THAT SOME OF THOSE AMOUNTS ARE NOT QUITE THIS BIG.
HOWEVER, THEIR OPERATIONAL REVENUES ARE LARGER AND THEY, BUT THOSE, UM, THOSE REVENUE FEES THAT THEY ARE GETTING FROM THEIR GOVERNMENTS, UM, ARE ADJUSTED ANNUALLY AND OURS ARE FIXED.
AND THEN WHEN YOU SCAN OVER TO THE TOTAL ACRES MANAGED AND THE CITY FEE FOR ACRE, YOU'LL SEE THAT THERE IS, UM, GREAT VALUE IN WHAT WE'RE DOING.
THERE ARE FEWER THAN 10 ZOOS IN THE COUNTRY THAT DON'T RECEIVE FUNDING FROM THEIR PUBLIC PARTNERS.
AND THERE ARE MAJOR ZOOS HERE IN THE US THAT RECEIVE GREATER THAN 56% THROUGH PUBLIC SUPPORT, INCLUDING THE LOS ANGELES ZOO, CLEVELAND METRO PARK ZOO, NORTH CAROLINA ZOO.
UM, COLUMBUS ZOO RECEIVES 20 MILLION IN, UM, IN PUBLIC FUNDING, WHICH IS 25% OF THEIR BUDGET.
UM, SO I THINK I'VE TALKED ABOUT EVERYTHING I WANT TO TALK ABOUT HERE.
I THINK IT'S JUST, UH, AGAIN, WORTH NOTING THAT THESE ZOOS HAVE PUBLIC SUPPORT THAT'S ADJUSTED ANNUALLY WHILE OURS IS NOW FIXED.
AND AS A REMINDER FOR, UH, NEW PARK BOARD MEMBERS, WE REMOVE THAT CPI INCREASE IN 2021.
UM, ALSO JUST WANTED TO FOCUS ON, UH, OR CALL OUT THAT WE MANAGE NEARLY TWICE THE ACREAGE OF MOST OF OUR PIER TEXAS ZOOS, INCREASING OUR OPERATIONAL MAINTENANCE AND COMPLIANCE RESPONSIBILITY.
AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS, AMONG MAJOR METRO ZOOS IN TEXAS, THE DALLAS ZOO IS THE MOST EFFICIENT PER ACRE.
PIER CITIES OFTEN SUPPORT THEIR ZOOS THROUGH A COMBINATION OF MANAGEMENT FEES AND DIRECT CITY PROVIDED SERVICES LIKE UTILITIES, COVERING CONSTRUCTION COSTS, WAIVING PERMIT FEES, AND OTHER, UM, SERVICES FOR REFERENCE, UM, FOR FORT WORTH, ALL CITY, UM, FORT WORTH, ZOO CITY FUNDS FOR ALL UTILITIES FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION AND LARGER UTILITY REPAIRS ARE COVERED BY THE CITY.
THE CITY WAIVES CONSTRUCTION PERMIT FEES.
SAN ANTONIO IS ALSO WORTH MENTIONING.
IT'S NOT LISTED HERE, IT OPERATES UNDER A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT STRUCTURE.
IT PRIVATIZED IN 1930 AND OPERATES ON A LONG-TERM LEASE WITH THE CITY.
IT IS NOT A MANAGEMENT SERVICE AGREEMENT.
SO WHEN YOU ARE LOOKING AT ALL OF THESE, UH, ORGANIZATIONS, I THINK IT'S ALSO WORTH NOTING THAT WE ARE THE NEWEST YOUNGEST IN TERMS OF PRIVATIZING FORT WORTH ZOO PRIVATIZED IN 1991, HOUSTON IN 2002, AKRON, WHICH IS ALSO LISTED HERE, PRIVATIZED IN 1980.
THIS, UH, CHART GIVES YOU A LOOK AT THE HISTORICAL PROJECTOR TRAJECTORY OF OUR MANAGEMENT SERVICE FEE.
AS A PERCENTAGE OF OUR OPERATING REVENUES, WE ARE CONTINUING TO REDUCE THAT PERCENTAGE.
AND WITH THE PROJECTS OF GROWTH BASED ON OUR BUSINESS FEASIBILITY MODELING AROUND SAFARI TRAIL PROJECTS AND BEYOND,
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WE SEE THE PERCENTAGE CONTINUE TO DECREASE THAT.ALONG WITH KNOWING WE'RE HAVING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WAYS WE CAN ADDITIONALLY DEVELOP ADDITIONAL REVENUE STREAMS FOR THE ZOO SHOULD GIVE YOU CONFIDENCE THAT WE CONTINUE TO BE A SOUND INVESTMENT, UH, FINANCIAL INVESTMENT FOR THE CITY.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE LIFE OF OUR PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP, THIS REINFORCES THE TRUE FINANCIAL IMPACT AND SAVINGS WE'VE CREATED FOR THE CITY.
AND YOU ENTERING INTO THIS PARTNERSHIP IMMEDIATELY SAVED THE CITY $6 MILLION.
SINCE 2009, CUMULATIVELY THIS PARTNERSHIP HAS SAVED THE CITY $249 MILLION BY REMOVING THE CPI ADJUSTMENT FROM OUR MANAGEMENT SERVICE FEE, THE PROJECTED SAVINGS THROUGH THE LIFE OF THIS CONTRACT IS 74 $50 TOTAL PROJECT TOTAL.
THE PROJECT TOTAL SAVINGS TO THE CITY SINCE FORMING THE PARTNERSHIP THROUGH THE LIFE OF OUR CONTRACT IS 324 MILLION.
THAT REPRESENTS REAL TANGIBLE SAVINGS FOR OUR CITY AND OUTSIDE, UM, THE OUTSIZED IMPACT BASED ON OUR YEARLY MANAGEMENT SERVICE.
SO, JUST WANTED TO REITERATE THAT WHILE WE MAY BE AN EXPENSE TO THE PARK DEPARTMENT, THAT RETURN ON INVESTMENT IS $18 FOR EVERY DOLLAR THAT THE CITY INVESTS.
AND QUICKLY, I WANT TO LOOK AT THE FUTURE.
I CAN TALK TO YOU, UM, AT OUR APRIL BRIEFING, UM, MORE ABOUT THE TRANSFORMATIONAL GROWTH THAT WE ANTICIPATE.
UM, WITH OUR CAPITAL PROJECTS, WE ANTICIPATE TO BREAK GROUND ON SOME OF THOSE STARTING, UM, AS SOON AS, UH, JULY OF THIS YEAR.
SAFARI TRAILS SET TO, UM, BREAK GROUND THIS SUMMER, UM, WITH NEW OPENINGS EVERY 12 TO 18 MONTHS OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, THIS PHASED APPROACH WILL HELP US INCREASE THE ATTENDANCE IN A SUSTAINABLE WAY, AND IT ACTIVELY LEVERAGES THE CITY'S BONDS TO SPUR PRIVATE, UM, GIVING.
AS OF DECEMBER, 2025, WE RAISED $76 MILLION, UM, IN FUNDING FOR THIS PROJECT.
I'D LIKE YOU TO SAY THE DATE FOR MARCH 31ST WHEN OUR NEW PARKING GARAGE WILL OPEN, UH, AND OUR DEDICATION CEREMONY WILL BEGIN.
IT'S THE FIRST OF CAMPUS ENHANCEMENT ENHANCEMENTS THAT GUESTS WILL SEE STARTING IN SPRING 2026.
IT ADDS AN ADDITIONAL 580 SPACES TO ACCOMMODATE GROWTH AND ENSURE SMOOTHER TRAFFIC FLOW ON PEAK ATTENDANCE STATES FULLY FUNDED BY THE CITY OF DALLAS, 2017 BOND FUNDS, UH, THE OG AND PRIVATE PHILANTHROPY, THIS SERVES DALLAS ZOO, HALFORD PARK AND SURROUNDING DEVELOPMENTS.
AND THEN FINALLY, A SERIES OF TRANSFORMATIONAL PROJECTS THAT I ALLUDED TO OVER SAFARI TRAIL, UM, OPENING BETWEEN NOW AND 2030 THAT ANTICIPATES A GROWTH OF OUR CURRENT ATTENDANCE AROUND 950,012 OVER 1.4, UH, THREE 1.4 MILLION BY CONSERVATIVE ESTIMATES.
SO WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTNERSHIP.
UM, WE'RE APPRECIATIVE OF YOUR SUPPORT AND I'M HAPPY TO ENTERTAIN ANY QUESTIONS, MR. PRESIDENT, UH, FOR Y'ALL, TAKE QUESTIONS.
I WANTED TO POINT OUT A COUPLE THINGS, ESPECIALLY HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH MS. NEW, UH, ALTHOUGH SHE POINTED OUT A LOT OF THINGS IN THE PRESENTATION, I WANNA TAKE YOU ALL BACK TO SLIDE THREE.
IF YOU BRING BACK UP TO PRESENTATION ON MY COMPUTER.
UH, YEAH, GO BACK TO SLIDE THREE.
AND LIKE I SAID, THE PRESENTATION IS GONE FROM MY COMPUTER BECAUSE REFERENCE SLIDES.
YEAH, SO, UH, I JUST WANNA REMIND ALL THE NEW BOARD MEMBERS THAT WE PRIVATIZED THE ZOO.
IT WAS IN 2009, THE CITY WAS FACING A HUGE BUDGET DEFICIT.
AND I WANNA SAY THAT BUDGET DEFICIT PROCEEDED 60 OR $90 MILLION.
SO THE ZOO WAS APPROACHED ABOUT PRIVATIZING TAKING OVER THIS ASSET.
IT WAS A HUGE EXPENSE TO THE CITY ZOO AGREED TO IT, AND THAT YEAR THEY SAVED THE CITY.
I WANNA SAY IT WAS $3 MILLION THIS YEAR.
BUT WHAT I WANT TO POINT OUT IS I KNOW FOLKS WANT LOOK AT THE ZOO JUST OPERATING, YOU KNOW, FROM THE CITY SIDE.
WE LOOKED AT THE ZOO, WE'RE MAKING AN INVESTMENT, AND AS MS. UH, AS MS. NEW POINTED OUT, AND IF YOU LOOK AT PAGE, IF YOU JUST LOOK, YEAH, THE PAGE OF THREE, WHERE PAGE THREE LITERALLY SHOWS THAT OUR INVESTMENT PAID OFF.
AND SO WE WENT FROM ANNUAL ATTENDANCE WHEN WE WAS OPERATING FROM 6 29, AND YOU SAW THAT THE ATTENDANCE NOW 2025 IS NOW 51 IS STILL EXPECTED TO, AS YOU CAN SEE ONCE AGAIN, THE CITY RETURN.
UH, FAR AS THERE'S NO WAY Y'ALL KNOW WHEN WE OPERATE, WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH EMPLOYEE.
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INVESTMENT IN THEM AND THEY WAS ABLE TO LEVERAGE TO GET THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF EMPLOYEES TO PROVIDE A HIGH QUALITY ZOO FROM 228 EMPLOYEES WHEN WE OPERATED TO TAKE IT TO 433.AND THEN EVEN WITH THE SCHOOL CAMPS AND THE PROGRAM ATTENDANCE, THEY WAS ABLE DOUBLE THAT.
SO I ALWAYS WANT US TO LOOK AT, KNOW THE CITY MADE AN INVESTMENT AND WE'RE GETTING A GREAT RETURN FOR OUR INVESTMENT THAT WE MADE.
I WANNA TAKE YOU TO SLIDE EIGHT REAL QUICK.
SO I WANT TO TAKE YOU TO SLIDE EIGHT.
UH, NO ONE RECOGNIZED THAT THE ZOO IS THE SECOND LARGEST EMPLOYER IN OAKLAND.
THEN I WANT TO TAKE YOU TO SLIDE 12.
AS YOU SEE THE TREND, FAR AS PERCENT OF THE MANAGEMENT FEE IS THEY CONTINUE TO GROW THE ZOO, THEY GROW ATTENDANCE.
AS YOU CAN SEE, PERCENT OF OUR STIPEND WILL CONTINUE TO GO DOWN AND THE FUTURE'S PROJECTED TO BE 24% OF THEIR BUDGET.
ONCE AGAIN, THIS WAS AN INVESTMENT AND WE'RE SEEING THE RETURN THAT WE'RE GETTING.
AND IF I TAKE YOU TO THE LAST SLIDE, SLIDE 13, I MEAN, NO ONE CAN ARGUE SINCE THIS PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP, THEY HAVE SAVED THE CITY OVER $249 MILLION AND WILL CONTINUE TO SAVE THE CITY FUNDS GOING FORWARD.
I JUST WANT TO POINT THOSE OUT AND I WANT TO KEEP IT IN PERSPECTIVE.
NO, THIS WAS AN INVESTMENT IN OUR INVESTMENT.
WE'RE GETTING TWO TIMES, THREE TIMES OUR RETURNS.
ALRIGHT, MR. PRESIDENT CLEARLY TELLS ME YOU LIKE ZOOM,
I LIKE THE RETURN ON OUR INVESTMENT.
THAT'S ONE TIME THAT, SO I, FIRST OF ALL, THE ZOO IS NOT JUST FOR CHILDREN.
AND THAT'S THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS, THAT IT'S NOT JUST, IT'S FOR FAMILIES, IT'S FOR INDIVIDUALS, IT'S FOR COUPLES, IT'S FOR EVERYONE TO BE ABLE TO ENJOY IT.
AND, AND THE FACT THAT THE ZOO HAS NOT HAD ANY IMPROVEMENTS SINCE THE SAFARI IS INCREDIBLE.
AND SO THE, WHAT WE JUST VOTED ON EARLIER IS EVEN MORE AMAZING BECAUSE WE'RE ABOUT TO HAVE THIS WONDERFUL THINGS HAPPEN IN THREE PHASES.
AND I'M REALLY, REALLY EXCITED.
ALL THE KUDOS TO ALL THE FUNDRAISING THAT HAS HAPPENED.
YOUR PRESENTATION, LISA, IS, IS AMAZING.
UM, AND I JUST WANNA SAY I, AGAIN, I, THE COST TO ATTEND ANOTHER ZOO OUT OF STATE WAS EXORBITANT COMPARED TO WHAT WE'RE DOING IN DALLAS.
SO THANK YOU FOR MAKING IT AFFORDABLE.
THANK YOU FOR ALL THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT YOU GIVE TO THOSE WHO, WHO MIGHT NOT THINK IT'S AFFORDABLE.
UM, SO AGAIN, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
I I'M REALLY IMPRESSED ON THE ANNUAL AVERAGE OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND IMPACT YOU GUYS HAVE.
JUST, I, I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH GOOD THINGS ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING.
UM, AND I'M SO EXCITED AND LOOKING FORWARD TO WHAT'S TO COME.
SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP.
THANK YOU FOR ALL THE VOLUNTEERS.
SO, UM, IT'S, IT'S EXCITING, UM, TO, TO SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING.
SO, AND I'M GLAD TO SHE'S PART OF THAT.
THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, I'M A HUGE FAN OF THE ZOO.
MS. DEL'S PLAN IS ONLY FOR CHILDREN, BUT, UM, IT IS FUN TO TAKE CHILDREN THERE AND SEE THEIR FAITH AND SEE ALL THE ANIMALS AND GET TO FEED THE GRASS AND EVERYTHING ELSE THAT, THAT, THAT HAPPENS AT THE ZOO.
I'M A BIG PROPONENT OF THE ZOO.
I HAVE VOTED FOR EVERYTHING YOU GUYS WANTED IN THE BOND, UM, ELECTION.
I THINK THIS STEMS FROM SOME QUESTIONS THAT HAPPEN AT COUNCIL AND QUESTIONS THAT WE HAD DURING OUR RETREAT.
UM, I THINK THIS PRESENTATION IS PHENOMENAL, UM, IN TERMS OF THE ROI THAT THE ZOO BRINGS.
I THINK COMPARING YOU THE ZOO TO OTHER CITIES AND ALLOWING US TO SEE THAT THAT FINANCIAL, UM, BENEFIT TO THE CITY OF DALLAS IS REALLY POWERFUL.
THE ONE ISSUE THAT YOU GUYS HAVE AGAINST YOU IS THE OTHER GROUP THAT'S IN THIS ROOM TODAY.
AND THAT THE CITY, I THINK THAT'S STILL THE QUESTION IS WHY THE CITY S SUPPLEMENTS THE ZOO AT THE AMOUNT IT DOES VERSUS THE ARBORETUM WHEN IT HAS THE SAME, HAS THE LIKE BUDGET.
I THINK THAT'S A QUESTION THAT'S STILL KIND OF UP IN THE AIR AS TO WHY THAT THAT HAPPENS.
UM, AND, AND I'M NOT SAYING THAT'S A BAD THING.
AGAIN, YOU GUYS ARE AGAINST A ROCKING A HARD PLACE BECAUSE YOU, AS WE'VE SEEN BY YOUR SLIDES, YOU'RE DOING A PHENOMENAL JOB.
UM, YOU JUST HAVE CROSSTOWN COMPETITION THAT HAS SOME KIND OF SECRET SAUCE THAT THEY'RE DOING SOMETHING THAT IS, I, I DON'T, I STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THEY'RE DOING WHAT THEY'RE DOING.
UM, AND SO THAT'S THE ONLY THING I WOULD SAY IS, IS, AND MAYBE WE'LL HEAR THIS FROM OUR READ
[00:35:01]
IN OUR SECOND BRIEFING, BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING IN AND, AND, AND I THINK THIS IS A FANTASTIC PRESENTATION AND I THINK I, I'M HOPING YOU'RE GONNA GIVE THE SAME PRESENTATION TO COUNCIL.I, UM, CAN'T SPEAK AND I KNOW THAT SINA WILL TALK ABOUT THE OPERATIONS OF, OF ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIP.
WHAT I WOULD SAY IS THAT THE VERY FIRST SLIDE I MENTIONED THAT WE WERE ONCE A DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND REC.
WE ARE EMBEDDED IN THE CHARTER OF THE CITY OF DALLAS.
AND SO IT WAS AT THE TIME WE PRIVATIZED A $60 MILLION OPERATION.
THERE WAS A HUGE DEFICIT TO THE CITY WHEN WE PRIVATIZED.
AND WE HAVE SINCE TAKEN AND LEVERAGED THAT INVESTMENT FOR SIGNIFICANT GROWTH.
THAT'S NOT TO SAY WE DON'T CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR NEW REVENUE STREAMS AND OPPORTUNITIES, UM, BUT I WOULD SAY AGAIN, THAT THAT IS AN INVESTMENT TO DALLAS, AN INVESTMENT TO THE COMMUNITY.
IT'S NO COINCIDENCE THAT HALBURN PARK IS LOCATED WHERE IT IS.
THE ZOO IS THE ANCHOR OF DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTHERN DALLAS, AND WE'RE WORTHY OF THAT MANAGEMENT SERVICE FEE, UM, AND INVESTMENT.
THERE ARE OTHER ZOOS IN THE COUNTRY.
I MENTIONED LOS ANGELES, NEW CLEVELAND METRO PARKS, NORTH CAROLINA ZOO.
THOSE ARE STILL EITHER CITY OR STATE RUN ZOOS WHERE A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE SUPPORT IS COMING, UM, FROM THE CITY.
SO, UM, SO WE CONTINUE TO LOWER THAT PERCENTAGE, UH, NOT BY REDUCING THE FEE, BUT BY INCREASING THE GROWTH, UM, THAT YOU SEE IN THE SOUTHERN SECTOR.
NO, I, I I I THINK THAT'S PHENOMENAL.
I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE NEW EXHIBITS THAT ARE COMING.
I MEAN, I'M IN THE PARKING BUSINESS, SO THE NEW PARKING GARAGES COMING EXCITES ME AS WELL.
IF, IF I MAY, YESTERDAY FOR, WE HOSTED A VISION SUMMIT FOR OUR STAFF AND BOARD, AND WE HAD SPEAKERS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.
UH, BUT NOTABLY THERE WAS A SPEAKER WHO STUDIED INSIGHTS FOR, UH, CHUCK E.
AND SO YOU WOULDN'T THINK THAT CHUCK E CHEESE IS COMPETITOR OF THE ZOO, BUT OUR COMPETITOR IS NOT THE ARBORETUM.
OUR COMPETITOR IS ARCADES, TRAMPOLINE PARKS.
IT'S UNIVERSAL STUDIOS OPENING, UM, AT OUR NEIGHBORING CITY.
AND SO THESE ARE THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND TO ATTRACT PEOPLE, UH, AND FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN TO COME TO THE CITY OF DALLAS INSTEAD OF SOME OF THESE OTHER, UM, WORTHY PROGRAMS IN TOWN.
YEAH, I THINK THAT'S A REALLY POWERFUL STATEMENT, AND I THINK THAT THAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN YOUR PRESENTATION IF YOU DO THAT.
WE JUST LEARNED IT TWO DAYS AGO AND I WOULD, AND WE WERE SHOCKED AS YOU.
THE PRESENTATION WITH THE CITY COUNCIL, IF YOU EVER GRANT THE OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE IT IS, I MEAN, WE COMPARE THE ZOO AND THE ARBORETUM BECAUSE THE FINANCIAL DOLLARS, THE ZOO AND THE ARBOREUM WERE OFTEN PUT ON SLIDES TOGETHER SIDE BY SIDE WITH THE OPERATING BUDGET SIDE BY SIDE.
I SAID THIS NOW, THIS IS MY THIRD TIME TO SAY THIS ON THE RECORD, IS I THINK THAT'S UNFAIR SIDE BY SIDE.
UM, BUT TRYING TO EXPLAIN WHY THAT'S UNFAIR AND IT'S A DIFFERENT CLIENTELE, IT'S DIFFERENT, UM, UH, COMPETITION MATRIX THAT YOU GUYS ARE GOING UP AGAINST.
I THINK THAT IS, IS A WORTHY OF EXPLANATION AS WELL.
AND IT INFLUENCES ECONOMIC IMPACT IN DIFFERENT AND IMPORTANT EQUALLY IMPORTANT SECTORS OF THE CITY.
GREAT PRESENTATION SHOUT OUTS HERE.
EVERYBODY HERE FROM THE ZOO TODAY.
I SPENT A LOT OF TIME WITH Y'ALL THIS WEEK.
WE'RE ONLY HALFWAY THROUGH, RIGHT? FIRST, I JUST WANT TO SAY HOW GRATEFUL I AM THAT THE ZOO IS IN DISTRICT FOUR.
UM, IT IS, LIKE YOU SAID, IT'S A CENTERPIECE OF OUR COMMUNITY.
IT'S A HISTORIC PARTNER THAT HAS BEEN IN, UM, HAS BEEN GREAT FOR THE CITY AS WELL.
IT GENERATED THE JOBS FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE PROXIMATE TO THE ZOO.
I THINK THAT'S REALLY POWERFUL.
UM, YOU MENTIONED IT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO THINK OF THE ZOO IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY.
I LEARNED THAT THIS WEEK AS WELL.
I, I SAW, YOU KNOW, HOW CHUCK E CHEESE IS A COMPETITOR, UM, FOR THE ZOO BECAUSE WE DO ENTERTAIN, LIKE, IT IS A VERY, UM, I DON'T KNOW, A A DIFFERENT WAY OF VIEWING AN IMMUNITY LIKE THIS.
SO I THINK THERE ARE WAYS THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO GROW THAT FOR THE EARNED REVENUE.
AND I'M EXCITED TO LEARN MORE ABOUT IT.
UM, THE EXPERIENCE THAT THE ZOO GIVES TO THE COMMUNITY.
I THINK THAT THAT'S ALWAYS, UM, IMPORTANT TO NOTE.
THIS WEEK WHILE I WAS AT THE ZOO, I SAW HUNDREDS OF KIDS FROM ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS ACROSS THE CITY OF DALLAS.
AND I HAVE TO GO BACK TO WHEN GREG HUDSON WAS HERE AND WE WOULD TALK ABOUT THESE THINGS.
I'VE SEEN THE GROWTH AND CHANGE.
UM, ALSO JUST TO HIGHLIGHT WHAT THE ZOO HAS DONE.
I GREW UP IN OAK CLIFF IN DISTRICT FOUR.
WE DIDN'T GO TO THE ZOO OFTEN 'CAUSE OF THE ZOO'S REPUTATION.
[00:40:01]
AND WE'VE SEEN SINCE THAT TIME THAT THE ZOO HAS CHANGED.SO WE CAN'T ARGUE WITH THOSE AT ALL.
SO I THINK THAT'S BEEN A GREAT SHIFT AND I THINK FOR US TO CONTINUE TO, UM, COMMUNICATE THAT WE KNOW WHAT WE WERE, BUT THIS IS WHO WE ARE.
AND I ALSO WANNA SPEAK TOWARDS THE MANAGEMENT FEE.
UM, LET'S MAKE IT WORK BEST FOR THE ZOO.
AND I WOULD ADVOCATE FOR ALL OF MY PARK BOARD MEMBERS TO DO THAT, WHICH WOULD COUNCIL MEMBERS AS WELL.
I THINK IT, IT IS NOT APPLES TO APPLES WITH THE ARBORETUM IN THE ZOO.
UM, I DON'T KNOW IF EVERYONE ON THE ZOO, I MEAN, ON THE PARK BOARD KNOWS THAT THERE'S A ACTUAL HOSPITAL AT THE ZOO.
UM, THERE ARE LIVE ANIMALS, YOU KNOW, IT'S DIFFERENT.
IT'S A DIFFERENT TYPE OF MAINTENANCE IN, UM, CARE WHEN YOU HAVE AN ELEPHANT IN A GIRAFFE, UM, A CHEETAH, ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE IN THE ZOO.
SO IT'S, IT IS NOT APPLES TO APPLES WHEN WE LOOK AT THAT.
BUT I THINK TO UNDERSTAND WHERE WE ARE AT THE CENTER OF SCIENCE AS WELL, THAT YOU MENTIONED, UM, FOR PEOPLE ACROSS THE NATION TO LOOK AT WHAT'S GOING ON AT OUR ZOO, THE CONSERVATION SPACE IS AMAZING.
SO I JUST WANT TO IMPLORE TO EVERYONE, LIKE LET'S CONTINUE TO, TO SUPPORT OUR ZOO.
UM, AND IT IS A, UM, MAJOR PART OF THE OAK CLIFF COMMUNITY AND WE'RE EXTREMELY GREAT.
THIS IS THE BEST PRESENTATION I'VE SEEN FROM YOU GUYS SINCE I'VE BEEN ON THE BOARD.
UM, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S EXACTLY THE INFORMATION THAT WE'VE NEEDED TO REALLY IMPACT.
UM, AND MOST OF WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY HAS ALREADY BEEN SAID, BUT THE FIRST THING IS JOHN'S POINT THAT, UM, IT'S USUALLY DESCRIBED AS A STIPEND OR A FEE, AND IT REALLY NEEDS TO BE DESCRIBED AS AN INVESTMENT, WHAT WE PUT IN.
AND IT'S AN INVESTMENT THAT'S HAD A GREAT RETURN FOR ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT, UM, ECONOMIC DRIVERS IN SOUTHERN DALLAS.
UM, AND JUST WHAT MR. TWIN SAID THAT TO COMPARE THE ZOO TO ANY OTHER INSTITUTION THAT WE GIVE A STIPEND TO IS, IS NOT A FAIR COMPARISON.
SO, UM, I'M NOT AN EXPERT, BUT I THINK IT'S A LITTLE MORE COMPLICATED TO TAKE CARE OF ELEPHANTS AND CHEETAHS THAN FLOWERS.
UM, SO I, THAT, THAT'S WHY JOHN AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT THIS.
PUTTING IT SIDE BY SIDE WITH PEER CITIES AND PEER INSTITUTIONS IS A MUCH MORE, UM, ACCURATE, UH, COMPARISON.
SO AS WE GO INTO THE BUDGET SEASON, HOPEFULLY THIS BOARD WILL CONTINUE TO BE SUPPORTIVE OF FUNDING AT THE LEVEL THAT WE'VE PROJECTED.
THERE'S NO QUESTION THAT IT'S BEEN JUST A HUGE, UM, THERE'S BEEN A HUGE, UH, UH, INVESTMENT THROUGH THE YEARS, UM, ESPECIALLY IN THIS PARTNERSHIP.
UM, HOW MANY ANIMALS DO YOU HAVE AT THE ZOO CURRENTLY? UH, A LITTLE OVER 2000.
SO THEY ALL EAT, THEY ALL, SOME NOT EVERY DAY, BUT YES.
BUT I MEAN, THROUGH A REP TIME, BUT, BUT THE COST OF FEEDING, THE COST OF CLEANING UP AFTER ALL THE ANIMALS, VETTING THE ANIMALS, UM, I, I THINK EVERYBODY SAID IT.
IT'S NOT APPLES TO APPLES FOR OUR OTHER PARTNERS.
UM, YOU KNOW, CREATING BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPES, YOU ACTUALLY HAVE TO CREATE THE LANDSCAPES AS WELL ON TOP OF DOING THE ANIMAL MAINTENANCE AND THE CARE.
AND, YOU KNOW, BUYING NEW ANIMALS WHEN YOU NEED NEW ANIMALS, YOU KNOW, BIRTHING NEW ANIMALS.
THEY, I DON'T KNOW IF EVERYBODY'S SAW THEY'RE GONNA HAVE A BABY ELEPHANT, UM, THAT, I DON'T KNOW WHY, BUT THEY SAID THEY WERE GONNA NAME IT DANNY SOMEHOW.
I, I DON'T KNOW THAT, UM, THAT'S ALL ON RECORD.
UM, BUT, UM, IT, IT, THEY'VE GOT A PRESCHOOL THERE.
AND THE AMAZING WORK THAT OUR PARTNERS IN GENERAL, I DON'T, I DON'T THINK IT'S FAIR TO COMPARE THEM.
MY, MY
IT IT, EXCUSE ME, THAT THE AMAZING WORK THAT BOTH THE ZOO AND THE ARBORETUM, THEY'RE BOTH SHINING STARS OF THE DALLAS PARK SYSTEM AND THE CITY OF DALLAS, UM, CAN BE VERY, VERY PROUD OF WHAT WE'VE CREATED, UM, WITH OUR INCREDIBLE PARTNERS, UM, ACROSS THE CITY.
BUT HIGHLIGHTING HOW MUCH YOU'VE SAVED US AND HOW MUCH YOU'VE IMPROVED US, BECAUSE WHEN I MOVED TO TEXAS IN 98, IT WAS ALL ABOUT THE FORT WORTH ZOO.
NOW, TODAY IT'S NOT ABOUT THE FORT WORTH ZOO ANYMORE, IT'S ABOUT THE DALLAS ZOO.
I CAN'T WAIT TO START SEEING, UM, FANA POINTED THIS OUT THAT WE HAVEN'T HAD A MAJOR IMPROVEMENT
[00:45:01]
IN HOW MANY YEARS, BUT YET YOU'VE STILL GROWN SIGNIFICANTLY AND MADE SUCH IMPROVEMENTS.AND I'D BE AMMI TO SAY THAT ANY TIME WE CALL FOR A SCHOOL GROUP TO GO A COUNCIL FUNCTION, ANY KIND OF FUNCTION, IF WE ASK THE ZOO TO, UM, SUPPORT US, THEY'RE ALWAYS ABSOLUTELY.
SO THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS BEING THERE FOR THE RESIDENTS, UM, AND MAKING THE ZOO ATTAINABLE EVEN WHEN NOT ALWAYS, UM, FOR THE MONETARY PART.
UH, YES, THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT.
MY COLLEAGUE SAID THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR PRESENTATION.
MR. C I'M THINKING ABOUT THE HUNDRED K THAT WENT IN FREE TO THE ZOO.
THAT'S, THAT'S 10% OR MAYBE 9%, 8% OF OUR POPULATION IN THE CITY OF DALLAS.
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THAT, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THAT NUMBER, UH, THAT'S AMAZING THAT YOU GUYS DO THAT.
AND THE DISCOUNT IT OF 400 K PEOPLE AT $13, THAT'S, THAT'S REASONABLE.
AND, AND, AND JUST WHAT YOU GIVE BACK.
IT'S REALLY, IT REALLY DOES MAKE AN IMPACT, ESPECIALLY IN OAK CLIFF, KNOWING 35% OF OUR WORKFORCE COMES, UH, WORKS AT THE ZOO.
UH, AND I, AND I SEE IT WHEN I GO TO THE PARK AND I KNOW HIGH SCHOOL KIDS FROM ADAMSON, A LOT OF ADAMSON KIDS WORK THERE.
UH, JUST DIFFERENT PEOPLE THAT THAT WORK THERE REALLY APPRECIATE WHAT YOU'RE DOING FOR THE IMPACT OF THE COMMUNITY.
BUT SAVING US THE $300 MILLION AND FROM THE BEGINNING OF THIS PROJECT IS A BIG NUMBER.
WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR SAVINGS.
HOW CAN WE DO IT? HOW CAN WE BE INSTEAD OF BEING GOOD, BE GREAT? AND THAT'S WHEN THIS CONTRACT IS WHAT WE DID.
AND I, I WASN'T HERE, BUT I'M GONNA SAY CREDIT FOR IT, AT LEAST SIGNED A CONTRACT.
BUT THE CONTRACT WAS A GOOD IDEA AND, AND, AND IT STIMULATES SOMETHING GREAT.
AND JUST SEEING THE PROJECTION FORWARD, IT'S REALLY GONNA GONNA BE OUTSTANDING TO SEE THE NUMBERS, BUT ALSO HYPER PARK OPENING UP IN EITHER LATE MARKET EARLY APRIL.
WE KIND OF DON'T HAVE THAT DATE YET.
THAT'S JUST GOING TO INTERJECT PEOPLE COMING INTO OAK CLIFF AND, AND, AND SPENDING TIME THERE.
UM, BUT ALSO YOU MENTIONED ESTOCK AND, AND, AND PEOPLE THAT DON'T KNOW ESTOCK, IT'S KIND OF CORNER WITH THE ZOO.
IT SAYS NEXT DOOR TO BE PARKING.
THAT'S GONNA BE AN AMAZING, WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD THAT'S REALLY GONNA IMPACT MORE PEOPLE COMING THERE AND SPENDING DOLLARS IN OUR DISTRICTS.
AND ESTOCK IS IN DISTRICT FOUR, SO IMAGINE WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN THERE.
PEOPLE DON'T SPEND MONEY THERE.
UH, BUT ALSO COME TO DISTRICT ONE AT, AT THE CORNER.
WE, WE, WE GET A LITTLE STIFF, UH, YOU KNOW, WE COULD CHANGE THAT BOUNDARY AND PUT THE ZOO IN DISTRICT ONE.
AND, UH, THAT WAY I CAN TAKE CREDIT FOR IT.
UH, BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND, AND THE PRESENTATION WAS AWESOME.
WELL, WITH NO MORE COMMENTS, UH, MS. YOU JUST ONE MORE, ONE QUESTION.
I THINK I SEE YOUR RELIANCE ON PUBLIC SUPPORT GOING DOWN IN COMING YEARS.
ANY BIG IDEAS HOW YOU ARE PLANNING TO GET YOUR OPERATIONAL REVENUES UP? I'M SURE YOU'RE WORKING.
YEAH, WE HAVE OUR BUSINESS, UH, FEASIBILITY STUDY AND WE SHARED WITH THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE HAVE PROJECTED, UM, ARE ANTICIPATING AND HAVE DONE MARKET RESEARCH TO ANTICIPATE THE ATTENDANCE GROWTH THAT WE WILL HAVE.
SO WE'RE ALWAYS, EVERY YEAR LOOKING FOR NEW REVENUE STREAMS. THIS YEAR WE'LL OPEN FLY TO THE FALCON, UM, WHICH IS A FOUR SEATER ZIP LINE.
UM, THAT'LL, SO THERE'S EVERY, EVERY YEAR WE'RE BEING MORE CREATIVE ABOUT REVENUE STREAMS. BUT PARTICULARLY THAT GROWTH THAT YOU SEE OVER THE NEXT 12 YEARS IS RELATED TO THESE TRANSFORMATIONAL PROJECTS, WHICH THE CITY OF DALLAS BOND MONEY CONTRIBUTES.
SO IT'S OUR BUSINESS STUDY THAT, AND MARKET RESEARCH THAT HAS PROJECTED THAT GROWTH.
UM, AND WE HAVE NO REASON TO THINK THAT WE CAN'T HIT IT.
AND WE'LL BE, WE'VE BEEN CUTTING ON HEPARIN PARK SOON, WHICH IS EXCITING.
ARE THERE ANY PLANS TO DO CROSS MARKETING WITH THEM? SO THEIR VISITORS, THEY GET ACCESS TO THE ZOOM OR SOMEWHERE PIECE THE TRAFFIC? YES.
WE WORK CLOSELY WITH, UM, OUR PARTNERS THERE.
IN FACT, WE HAVE, UM, A LEADERSHIP TEAM CROSS MEETING ON MONDAY TO START TO TALK ABOUT PROGRAMMING, UH, OR TO CONTINUE TALKING ABOUT PROGRAMMING.
UM, WE HAVE A LOT OF THINGS IN THE WORKS, UM, HIGHLY SUPPORT EACH OTHER AND MOST NOTABLY, UH, IN JUNE 21ST.
JUNE 21ST, UM, WE ARE ONE OF VISIT DALLAS'S SITES, UM, FOR A FIVE FOOT WORLD CUP BLOCK PARTY, UM, THAT WILL FEATURE US HALBURN PARK AND E STOCK.
UM, AS THE ANCHOR OF THAT, WE, UM, THIS YEAR ARE ALSO, UM, OPENING A, A MASSIVE, UH, CHINESE LANTERN FESTIVAL THAT COINCIDES WITH THE FIVEFOLD WORLD CUP AND HAS THE WHOLE CENTER OF THE ZOO AND WORLD CUP THEME.
UM, AND WILL THAT WILL BE SPILLING OUT, UM, WITH THE HALBURN PARK BLOCK PARTY THAT WEEKEND.
SO YOU INTERCEPTED MY QUESTION FOR FIFA.
[00:50:01]
LOOK FORWARD TO ALL THE NEW DEVELOPMENT AND YOUR SAFARI COMING IN.THANK YOU FOR BETTER WATCH OUT.
SO, AND MS. S, DID YOU WANT TO SAY SOMETHING ELSE? YES, YES.
I JUST WANNA SAY WE GONNA KEEP THE SUPER DISTRICT FOUR
AND IF I, IF I COULD JUST SAY, UM, I, I DO APPRECIATE, UM, MR. O'CONNOR AND MR. JENKINS SUGGESTING THAT WE DO BENCHMARK, UM, COMPARATIVES.
WE, WE AREN'T THE SAME AS THE ARBORETUM AND AGAIN, EMBEDDED IN THE CHARTER, WE WERE A DEPARTMENT OF PARK AND REC.
UM, BUT COMPARING US TO OTHER CITIES, GREAT CITIES HAVE GREAT ZOOS AND GREAT CITIES ALSO HAVE GREAT ARBORETUMS AND BOTANIC GARDENS.
UM, BUT LOOKING AGAIN AT THE MANAGEMENT SERVICE AGREEMENTS AND PUBLIC SUPPORT THAT COME FROM FORT WORTH ZOO, HOUSTON ZOO AND THOSE OTHERS THAT I'VE SHOWN ARE SIGNIFICANT 13.5 MILLION, UM, IS WHAT THE CITY INVESTS IN FORT WORTH ZOO.
AND THAT GROWS EVERY YEAR BY CPI.
SO THEY'LL VERY QUICKLY EXCEED AND SURPASS US IN, IN TOTAL DOLLAR AMOUNT.
UM, AND WHAT YOU ALSO INCLUDE THEIR CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR UTILITIES OF NEW CONSTRUCTION THAT IS SIGNIFICANT MONEY REPAIRS OF A OLD INFRASTRUCTURE OF UTILITY AND WATER LINES, ANOTHER REALLY BIG ONE.
UM, AND WAIVING ALL PERMIT FEES.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, OTHER CITIES ARE, ARE INVESTING JUST AS YOU ARE, UM, BECAUSE THEY REALIZE THAT EVERY GREAT CITY HAS A GREAT ZOO AND, AND THEY'RE CONTINUING TO INVEST IN THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THOSE.
SO, AND HAVE TO GIVE MR THE GOLDSTEIN CREDIT 'CAUSE UH, YOU KNOW, HE'S THE ONE THAT UH, A LOT OF TIME AFTER THE PARK RETREAT TALKING ABOUT HOW WE COULD BETTER, UH, BE ABLE TO PRESENT APPLE TO APPLES WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE ZOO, WHENEVER WE'RE MAKING THESE TYPE OF PRESENTATIONS.
AND SINCE YOU HAVE SAID CHUCK CHEESE IS A COMPETITION, WHY DON'T YOU JUST GET A FRANCHISE OF CHUCK CHEESE IN THE ZOO?
AMAZING, AMAZING QUESTION VERY WITH THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, I SAY TWO APPLES OF OUR PARK SIZE.
ONE WAS WHO AND ANOTHER IS COMING, WHICH IS JEALOUS FREEDOM.
UH, SO EXCITING THAT WE GET TO HEAR FROM TWO OF THE BEST ONES TODAY.
OKAY, ONCE AGAIN, WE DO HAVE ANOTHER PARTNER HERE THIS MORNING.
THIS IS, UM, THEUM IN THE TOWN GARDEN.
UM, THEY ARE COMING TO PRESENT ONCE AGAIN THEIR UTILIZATION OF HOW THEY USE THE STIPEND PAYMENT FOR
SO TODAY WE HAVE SABINA CAR, THE CEO, AND AMBER, THE CO.
I LEARNED A LOT TODAY ABOUT, IT'S SOMETHING TO BE VERY PROUD OF.
UH, BEFORE WE GET INTO OUR PRESENTATION, FIRST AND FOREMOST, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR BELIEVING IN THE ARBORETUM, FOR BELIEVING IN GREEN SPACES AND THAT DALLAS SHOULD HAVE AS MANY GREEN SPACES AS WE CAN GET FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
WE HAVE BOARD MEMBERS AND, AND AND THE LEADERSHIP TEAM HERE AS WELL.
SO I JUST WANTED TO POINT THEM OUT.
WE HAVE OUR CFO, GARY DEVA PULLS ALL OUR NUMBERS TOGETHER.
WE HAVE OUR HEAD OF LEARNING, UH, SELENA WILSON WHO'S ALSO HERE 'CAUSE SHE RUNS OUR ENTIRE EDUCATION PROGRAM.
AND AMBER SLATON OUR CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER WHO ARE YEAR AND A YEAR PLUS.
OKAY, WHO'S COUNTING? SO AMBER'S GONNA HELP ME TAG TEAM THIS A LITTLE BIT TODAY, BUT, UM, OKAY, GOOD.
SO THE DALLAS IS ABOUT TO LOOK JUST LIKE THIS.
WE'RE VERGING ON THE TULIP, THE DAFFODIL ARE UP.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE STARTED WITH THE ORCHID FESTIVAL, SO ALL OF THIS IS STARTING TO BUD NOW.
SO I HOPE THAT YOU ALL WILL USE A LOT OF THE TICKETS THAT WE, UH, THAT WE GRANT EVERY YEAR AND THAT YOU'LL BE ABLE TO COME SEE US.
SO THIS MORNING, JUST AGAIN, TO THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO TALK ABOUT THE CITY'S INVESTMENT IN THE ARBORETUM AND THE RETURN BACK THAT THE ARBORETUM DOES AS WELL ON AN ANNUAL BASIS.
WE'LL FOCUS ON 2025 NUMBERS, BUT I ALSO WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT 2026 BECAUSE WE HAVE A BLOCKBUSTER YEAR.
SO LET'S GO AHEAD AND TURN TO HOW YOU ALL INVESTED IN US.
WE DID THAT, BUT I'LL JUST SAY NEXT SLIDE.
OKAY, THIS IS DANIEL SUPPORT FROM 2025.
AND IT IS EXACTLY THE SAME FOR 2026.
UM, THIS IS AN INVESTMENT YOU ALL MAKE, THAT YOU MAKE IN THE ARBORETUM AND ON THE CASH SIDE IT IS 411,000.
WHEN I FIRST STARTED TWO YEARS AGO, IT WAS 450,000.
SO IT IS SLIDING 3% A YEAR FOR THE PAST COUPLE YEARS.
WE'RE VERY APPRECIATIVE FOR EVERY SINGLE DOLLAR BECAUSE EVERY DOLLAR MATTERS WHEN YOU'RE
[00:55:01]
RUNNING A NOT-FOR-PROFIT AND A CULTURAL ORGANIZATION.ALRIGHT, UH, THE IN KIND INVESTMENT IS UTILITIES.
SO POWER, WATER KEEPING, THOSE SORT OF THINGS THAT COME INTO PLAY AT PARTS OF THE ARBORETUM.
NOW THIS REPRESENTS LESS THAN 2% OF OUR ANNUAL OPERATING BUDGET.
UM, 98% OF THAT ANNUAL OPERATING BUDGET IS PRIVATE CONTRIBUTIONS THROUGH EARNED REVENUES, CONTRIBUTED REVENUES.
AND OUR ENDOWMENT HAS DOUBLED, UH, THIS YEAR.
AND SO, UM, WITH THE GUIDANCE OF TWO OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS HERE IN THE ROOM, JOAN JUAN AND MIKE ENGLIN, UH, THE BOARD HAS BEEN ABLE TO HELP GUIDE US IN THE FOUNDATION.
WE ARE NOW SITTING AT $53 MILLION, WHICH IS A, A WONDERFUL RELIEF TO OUR BUDGET EVERY SINGLE YEAR.
THE SIZE OF BOTANICAL GARDEN THAT WE ARE, WHICH IS A TOP 10 GARDEN IN THE UNITED STATES, WE SHOULD BE A HUNDRED TO 150,000,001 DAY.
AND I HAVE PROMISED THAT I WILL TRY TO LEAVE A HUNDRED MILLION BEFORE I GO IN OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING, WE SAID THAT WE WOULD DOUBLE THE ENDOWMENT, UH, GET TO 50 MILLION WITHIN FIVE YEARS.
UM, SO THAT WAS A, A HUGE STRETCH FOR US IN 2026.
OUR ANNUAL OPERATING BUDGET IS THE LARGEST IN THE ARBORETUM'S HISTORY.
IT'S SITTING AT $39 MILLION AND THAT IS A $5 MILLION INCREASE SINCE I STARTED.
WE HAVE BEEN PUSHING AND PUSHING TO DRIVE REVENUES, PICK UP LOW HANGING FRUIT, DO DYNAMIC PRICING, AND ALL THE THINGS WE'VE WORKED WITH YOU ON AS OF THE SUMMER OF 2024.
SO THANK YOU FOR THOSE FOR DOING DIFFERENT PROGRAMS. WE'RE DOING THINGS A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY, UM, AND JUST CONTINUE TO MAGNIFY THE EXCELLENCE THAT THE DENTAL SURVEY HAS ALWAYS RUN FOR.
OKAY, SO, UM, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
SO THERE ARE OTHER, JUST LIKE THIS, WE WENT TOO AHEAD.
WE SHOULD BE ON COMPARABLE PUBLIC GARDEN SUPPORT.
SO THE, THE, THE TWO GARDENS HERE ON THE VERY TOP, WE CONSIDER THOSE THE VERY LARGE GARDENS IN OUR WORLD OF PUBLIC GARDENS.
IT'S NEW YORK AND IT'S CHICAGO.
THEY BOTH RECEIVE SIGNIFICANT FUNDING FROM THEIR CITY ENTITIES, BUT THEY ALSO HAVE VERY LARGE OPERATING BUDGETS.
NEW YORK HAS RUN UPWARDS OF 125 MILLION SOME YEARS NOW THEY'RE DOWN INTO THE LOW NINETIES.
CHICAGO BOTANIC IS 63 MILLION.
THAT IS THE KIND OF GARDEN DALLAS ARBORETUM WILL BE FIVE TO 10 YEARS FROM NOW.
WE WILL BE AT THAT KIND OF ANNUAL OPERATING BUDGET.
AND TWO, THEY ARE AT 12,000,002.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE SECOND ROW OF PUBLIC GARDENS, THAT'S OUR LIKE KIND.
SO DALLAS ART RATING IS COMPAR COMPARABLE TO THESE TWO IN TERMS OF ANNUAL OPERATING BUDGETS, BUT ALSO VISITATION.
DENVER BOTANIC GARDEN HAS HAD A LONG TIME CONSISTENT FUNDING OF SIX AND A HALF MILLION AND ST.
LOUIS A 12 AND A HALF MILLION AND THEY'RE AT A 40 MILLION ANNUAL OPERATING BUDGET.
SO ALSO TO REMIND YOU PLEASE, THAT THESE ARE ALL 5 0 1 C3 INSTITUTIONS THAT HAVE THE EXACT SAME OR, UM, SET UP THAT WE DO WITH THE CITY.
UM, THEN YOU HAVE THE TEXAS GARDENS WITH THEIR PUBLIC SUPPORT.
I USED TO RUN THE SAN ANTONIO GARDEN.
THEY, UH, THE CITY GIVES 1.2 MILLION IN PERPETUITY.
BUT WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO IS THAT STARTS TO RATCHET INTO CAPITAL FUNDS, WHICH IS A SMART WAY TO GO.
AND THEN THERE'S ALWAYS LIKE A CAPITAL FUND.
IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING IN DEFERRED MAINTENANCE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO IMPROVE, YOU CAN TAP INTO THAT FUND.
IT'S PROBABLY SITTING AT CLOSE TO HALF A MILLION DOLLARS BY NOW.
AND THEN FORT WORTH, WHO JUST PRIVATIZED AND YOU HEARD THAT, UM, THE ZOO PRIVATIZED A LONG TIME AGO, BUT THE FORT WORTH BOTANIC GARDEN JUST PRIVATIZED MAYBE THREE YEARS AGO.
AND SO THEY, THEY DO RECEIVE CITY SUPPORT IN FOUR AND A HALF MILLION.
SO THESE ARE ALL FROM THE ANNUAL OPERATING METRICS OF THEIR 20 23 9 NINETIES.
SO IF WE GO TO THE CORE VALUES AND OUR MISSION AND VISION, I JUST WANTED TO BRING THIS SET UP BECAUSE THIS GOT US EVERYTHING WE DO AND WE ALWAYS, THE FREEDOM ALWAYS HAD A MISSION.
BUT IN OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS BACK IN 2024 WITH NUMEROUS STAKEHOLDERS FROM AROUND THE CITY, UH, WE DECIDED THAT OUR MISSION NEEDED TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE FINE TUNED AND HONED.
'CAUSE IT HADN'T BEEN REWRITTEN 40 YEARS, RIGHT? AND SO REALLY WHAT WE ARE IS WE ARE A GARDEN FOR ALL.
YOU HEARD THIS FROM THE ZOO AS WELL.
WE NEED TO REFLECT THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE.
AND BECAUSE WE ARE THE CITY OF DALLAS, BUT WE ARE A MUCH BIGGER METRO AREA OF DALLAS-FORT WORTH AND BEYOND.
TEXANS LOVE TO DRIVE, WE'LL GET IN THE CAR IN FIVE, SIX HOURS ANYTIME.
SO OUR DRIVE TIME IS PRETTY FAR.
UH, WE'RE WORLD CLASS, BUT IT'S NOW IN OUR VISION.
WE DIDN'T HAVE A VISION STATEMENT BEFORE, SO NOW WE HAVE THIS LONGER FIRM VISION THAT CAN DRIVE US.
BUT REALLY WHAT I'M GETTING TO HERE IS OUR CORE VALUES THAT WE IDENTIFIED, BECAUSE THE NUMBER ONE CORE VALUE FOR US IS COMMUNITY.
WE'RE A JUGGERNAUT OF A, OF AN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION.
WE WANNA CONTINUE TO INNOVATE WITH SMART, UH, IDEAS THAT WILL PUSH, UH, THE DALLAS ARMY FORWARD.
AND NOT ORGANIZATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY IS IMPORTANT, BUT WHAT
[01:00:01]
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE TODAY IS ALSO FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY AND THE, UM, THE STIPEND AND HOW WE USE IT.IF YOU'LL PLEASE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
SO THIS IS THE AMOUNT OF THE INVESTMENT THE DALLAS ARBORETUM ANNUALLY PULLS TOGETHER.
NEARLY $2 MILLION OF IN-KIND VALUE THAT IS PACKED OUT OF THE ARBORETUM'S POCKETS IS GOING STRAIGHT BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY.
THIS IS A MIX OF THE RECREATIONAL CENTER TICKETS, THE TEAM ACCESS PROGRAMS, THE CIVIC PARTNERS THAT WE'VE BEEN DEVELOPING ALL OVER THE CITY, AND PARTICULARLY THE $317,000 IN EDUCATIONAL FINANCIAL AID THAT WE GIVE.
NOW, THE NICE PART IS ONE DAY WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET GRANTS AND FOUNDATIONS TO FUND SOME OF THIS 1.8 MILLION.
UH, IN FACT, THIS PAST YEAR WE LAUNCHED, AND YOU ALL HOPE TO PROVE THIS, IF YOU'LL REMEMBER IN THE SUMMER OF 2024, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE VIEWED TO THE PARK BOARD, WE LAUNCHED MUSEUMS FOR ALL, WHICH IS PART OF THE SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM IN DC AND IT IS A $3, UH, ADMISSION TO ANYONE WHO'S ON A SNAP OR WIC CARD.
WE LAUNCHED IT ON JANUARY 1ST OF LAST YEAR.
WE'VE SEEN NEARLY 30,000 REDEMPTIONS, WHICH IS REALLY HIGH.
WE WILL LAUNCH A MEMBERSHIP ALONG WITH THAT IN 2027.
AND SO WHERE WE'RE SEEING THE FOLKS COME FROM ARE THE UNDERSERVED OR LOWER INCOME ZIP CODES, AND THE TWO TOP ONES ARE RIGHT NEAR THE ARBORETUM.
AND IT IS JUST SO LOVELY TO SEE EVERYBODY.
THIS IS THEIR ARBORETUM THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO COME TO.
AND SO WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF THAT.
I WAS ABLE TO GET A FUNDER TO, UM, TO GIVE US A GRANT FOR $200,000 TO COVER THAT.
MUSEUMS FOR ALL WAS A DONATION ON OUR PART OF $577,000.
AND SO THAT'S WHERE YOU START GETTING INTO THIS 1.8 MILLION NUMBER.
RIGHT? SO PLEASE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
AGAIN, IF COMMUNITY IS IN OUR VALUES, THEN WE GOTTA WALK THE WALK, WALK THE TALK.
UM, WE HAVE VASTLY INCREASED OUR COMMUNITY ACCESS SINCE I STARTED TO TWO PLUS YEARS AGO.
UM, BY 20% BY ADDING 68 NEW COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO OUR LIST.
WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN A STRONG COMMUNITY PLAYER, BUT WE HAD TRADITIONALLY NOT GONE OUT TO MILITARY OR, UM, VETERANS OR SENIORS.
AND SO WE'RE STARTING TO BROADEN OUR HORIZONS IN THOSE AREAS ALL OVER THE CITY.
WE DO A SENSORY PROGRAM AS WELL.
WE HAVE ADDED A FEW NEW PARTNERS, AND I'LL JUST NAME A FEW 'CAUSE THEY'RE A WONDERFUL CULTURE CITY, THE DALLAS SENSORY CONSORTIUM MUSEUMS FOR ALL.
OF COURSE WE CHIPPED INTO THE NORTH TEXAS STEM ECOSYSTEM.
AND ALSO WE, UM, WE WORK REALLY CLOSELY WITH HISPANIC WOMEN'S NETWORK OF TEXAS, AND WE'LL BE RECEIVING AN AWARD NEXT YEAR FOR AT THE END OF THIS MONTH ACTUALLY, FOR BEING THEIR COMMUNITY PARTNER OF THE YEAR.
SO I THINK THAT'S A NICE HIGHLIGHT OF EVERYTHING WE DO.
UM, AGAIN, EDUCATION SPEAKS FOR ITSELF.
WE HAD 102,000 SCHOOL CHILDREN COME THROUGH, WHICH FOR A PUBLIC GARDEN IS PRETTY HIGH.
THAT PROBABLY PUT US IN, UH, TOP FIVE NUMBERS AROUND THE UNITED STATES AND OTHER PUBLIC GARDENS.
WE HAVE SEVEN HUNDRED AND FIFTY FIVE, SEVEN HUNDRED AND FIFTY FIVE SCHOOLS THROUGH ALL THE DISTRICTS WITH 110 DIFFERENT DISTRICTS.
WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT IN OUR COMMUNITY IS ARE WE REFLECTING WHO WE SERVE? AND WE DID THE GEOFENCING LOCATION WHEN I FIRST GOT HERE AND I SHARED IT WITH THE PT BOARD WHEN I FIRST GOT HERE.
AND THE NICE THING IS WE DO MOSTLY REFLECT THE COMMUNITY WE SERVE, ESPECIALLY WITH A NON-WHITE AUDIENCE.
NOW, IF YOU WERE TO BENCHMARK THAT TO THE DALLAS FORT WORTH AREA, THAT DALLAS-FORT WORTH SITS AT.
59% IS A NON-WHITE AUDIENCE, AND WE'RE SITTING AT 54% IN 2025.
SO A LITTLE BIT BELOW 5, 5, 5 POINTS ON AN INDEX, BUT PRETTY GOOD.
WE COULD BE, YOU KNOW, ONE DAY HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE AT 60.
WE'RE A YEAR OLDER THAN THE AVERAGE PERSON WHO LIVES IN DALLAS FORT WORTH.
AND WE COMP REALLY WELL TO THE ENTIRE MARKET OF DFW WITH THE YOUNG PEOPLE.
SO MILLENNIALS AND GEN X, UH, HAVE BEEN DOING VERY WELL AGAINST THOSE AUDIENCES.
WE HAVE LONG TIME STANDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE LIBRARY AND OF COURSE, DALLAS COLLEGE COOKS WHO'S BEEN DOING PROGRAMS IN MONDAY, UM, COOKING DEMONSTRATIONS FOR A VERY LONG TIME WITH US, AND, UH, THEY'RE INTEGRATED INTO OUR WORLD.
SO YOU SEE THE INVESTMENT MADE IN THE ARBORETUM, AND THEN YOU HEARD A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE INVESTMENT WE GIVE BACK, WHICH RESULTS IN A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT OF 170 MILLION, UH, DOLLARS ANNUALLY.
THIS IS PART OF AN SMU STUDY THAT WAS DONE A WHILE AGO.
WE'RE GOING TO UPDATE THIS, BUT IT WAS MARKED FOR INFLATION.
DID SEE THAT THE, UM, CITY OF DALLAS USED THE SAME INFORMATION AT A, UM, IN SEPTEMBER OF 2025 FOR THE BUDGET PROCESS.
UM, BUT HERE'S HOW WE RANK JUST IN THE WORLD OF PUBLIC GARDENS AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS.
IF YOU LOOK AT TRIPADVISOR IN YELP, UH, THE COMMUNITY LOVES THE DALLAS ARBORETUM.
WE'RE THE NUMBER ONE SHOWCASE DISPLAY GARDEN IN THE UNITED STATES.
AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS WE FOCUS ON DAZZLING YOU WITH COLOR
[01:05:01]
AND BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS FROM DALLAS BLOOMS ALL THE WAY TO AUTUMN AT THE ARBORETUM AND BEYOND.WE'RE THE NUMBER WHERE WE'RE THE LARGEST PUBLIC GARDEN IN TEXAS.
WE'RE WATCHING HOUSTON NOW, I'LL TELL YOU ONE, HOUSTON WILL ONLY ALSO BE QUITE LARGE.
WE GOT A GOOD HEAD START THOUGH.
UH, WE'RE NUMBER FIVE IN THE UNITED STATES BIANNUAL VISITATION, WHICH AS OF THIS, UH, PAST YEAR WAS 1.2 MILLION.
SO ALL IN, WHICH HAS BEEN GREAT.
AND WE'RE NUMBER SIX IN THE UNITED STATES BY OUR ANNUAL OPERATING BUDGET.
SO WE ARE OUR TOP 10 PUBLIC GARDEN.
SO I'M GONNA CALL UPON AMBER TO TAKE YOU THROUGH OUR FACILITIES, INVESTMENTS, AND STEWARDSHIP OF PUBLIC PLACES.
THIS TELL SOCIETY IS SO POISED TO BE THE STEWARD OF YOUR PROPERTY, WHICH ENCOMPASSES 66 ACRES AND SEVEN INDEPENDENT BUILDINGS, INCLUDING THE HISTORIC DEVO HOME, WHICH IS OVER 25,000 SQUARE FEET.
WE INVEST MORE THAN 1.5 MILLION EVERY YEAR ON MAINTENANCE AND INFRASTRUCTURE, AND MOST OF THAT IS OUTSIDE OF CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS, INCLUDING A CAPITAL EXPENSE PROJECTS.
ONE EXAMPLE OF A CAPEX PROJECT AS WE SPEAK, WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF REPLACING A ROOF ON ONE OF THE BUILDINGS THAT IT COSTS ABOUT $255,000 THAT THE SOCIETY WILL COMPLETELY US, UH, THANK YOU TO THE CITY FOR WORKING WITH US TO APPROVE PROJECT.
WE ALSO WILL HAVE BOND PROJECTS.
WE ARE 4.25 MILLION, UH, AWAITING US FOR ADDITIONAL CAPEX PROJECTS.
WE HAVE TO MATCH THAT AT 4.25 MILLION.
AND WE WILL, WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO UNDERTAKE THOSE PROJECTS.
WE WILL HAVE A MASTER PLAN COMING BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T, MA WE'VE, WE'VE ALREADY COMPLETED THE MASTER PLAN THAT WAS DRAFTED IN 2001.
SO IT IS TIME WE WILL BE UNDERTAKING THAT IN 2028 AT THE APPROXIMATE COST TO SOCIETY OF A MILLION DOLLARS.
SO WE ARE SHOWING HOW INVESTED WE ARE IN THIS PROPERTY AND THIS PLACE, WHICH IS YOUR PLACE AND THE COMMUNITY'S PLACE.
THAT'S OUR LEFT SLIDE, RIGHT? WE'RE IN CLOSING.
SO ALL THAT BEING SAID, THE SOCIETY IS A TOTAL OUT OF POCKET INVESTMENT OF OVER $3.3 MILLION EVERY YEAR.
AND THAT'S NOT COUNTING THAT HUGE ECONOMIC REGIONAL IMPACT THAT WE BRING IN.
WE ARE SO PROUD OF THE WORK THAT WE DO AND WE'RE SO THANKFUL FOR THE CITY'S PARTNERSHIP IN THAT WE ARE EXTREMELY APPRECIATIVE OF THE INVESTMENT THAT YOU MAKE THROUGH THE CASH STIPEND AND THROUGH ASSISTING US AT PAYING UTILITIES, WE ALSO PAY ABOUT $400,000 IN UTILITIES OUTSIDE OF WHAT THE CITY NEEDS.
AND MOSTLY THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US TO BE THE STEWARD.
SUCH AN IMPORTANT PLACE IN OUR COMMUNITY, AN URBAN OASIS WHERE PEOPLE CAN CONNECT WITH NATURE AND LEARNING AND JUST SOOTHING THEIR SPIRIT IN TRYING TIMES.
WE ARE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO.
UH, MR. CONNOR, YOU CALL, WERE YOU GONNA SAY SOMETHING, MR. NO, I I I'LL WAIT TO, OH, SORRY.
UM, HOW MANY EMPLOYEES DOES THE ARBORETUM HAVE? ABOUT 147 FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES.
SO I THINK, UH, OH, WHEN WAS THE, WHEN WAS THE ARBORETUM FOUNDED? 1974.
HOW LONG HAS THE ENDOWMENT BEEN GOING? THE ENDOWMENT? THAT'S 50 PLUS MILLION.
I BELIEVE IT'S IN 2017 WAS WHEN THE FOUND FOUNDATION WAS CREATED.
UM, I THINK IT'S EASY TO SEE WHY BY THESE PRESENTATIONS THE ARBORETUM IN THE ZOO ARE COMPARED, UM, JUST BECAUSE OF THE, ACTUALLY THE ZOO HAS AN ARBORETUM, HAS FANTASTIC PRESENTATION.
UM, AGAIN, REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT YOU GUYS DO AND THE PARTNERSHIP YOU GUYS HAVE WITH THE CITY.
UM, AND, UH, YEAH, JUST THANK YOU FOR COMING IN TODAY.
UH, THANK YOU FOR COMING IN TODAY.
UM, MY FAMILY AND I, WE, WE LOVE THE ARBORETUM, UH, LIVING WHERE WE LIVE IN EAST DALLAS AND COUNCIL DISTRICT 14.
WE'RE, WE'RE FORTUNATE THAT WE'RE A SHORT BIKE RIDE, UM, AND AN EVEN SHORTER DRIVE.
AND EVERY TIME I RIDE AROUND THE LAKE, GOING AROUND THE BACKSIDE OF THE ARBORETUM IS MY FAVORITE PART OF THAT RIDE.
UM, THAT SAID, AS SOMEONE WHO SPEAKS ON BEHALF OF THE COMMUNITY, UM, THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY, AND NOT JUST THOSE PRIVILEGED ENOUGH TO BE APPOINTED TO THIS BOARD, I DO WANNA BRING UP ONE THING THAT KIND OF RUBBED A LOT OF THE COMMUNITY THE WRONG WAY.
UM, LAST HALLOWEEN WAS, UM, AN EVENT CALLED GOBLINS, UH, IN THE PARK.
AND, AND AS MY FAMILY AND I WERE LOOKING AT THIS AND DISCUSSING AND READING ALL THE CONVERSATIONS ON SOCIAL MEDIA, IT WAS, IT WAS JUST UNATTAINABLE TO THE AVERAGE FAMILY.
UH, THE TICKET PRICES, FIRST OF ALL WAS MEMBER EXCLUSIVE, WHICH IS FINE.
I KNOW THAT WE HAVE TO DO THOSE THINGS AND WE GO TO A LOT OF MEMBER EXCLUSIVE EVENTS.
[01:10:01]
A HEAD, INCLUDING, UH, CHILDREN AS YOUNG AS THREE YEARS OLD FOR A FAMILY OF FOUR WOULD COST.WE DO THE MATH AND FOOD TRUCKS AND VENDORS, YOU'RE EASILY LOOKING AT $200 TO ATTEND THAT EVENT.
THAT IS SOMETHING THAT'S JUST NOT ATTAINABLE TO THE AVERAGE FAMILY IN, IN THE CITY OF DALLAS.
UM, MY CHILDREN LOVE HALLOWEEN.
I KNOW THAT THEIR FRIENDS AND, AND ALL OF OUR FRIENDS LOVE HALLOWEEN TOO.
WE WOULD JUST LIKE TO SEE FOR 2026 SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT MORE REASONABLE OR ATTAINABLE TO THE AVERAGE FAMILY IN DALLAS THAT THOSE PRICES ARE JUST EXTREMELY OUT RANGE FOR MOST.
IT'S ALREADY IN THE BUDGET, BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN WE CAN'T BE FLEXIBLE AROUND THAT.
THANK YOU, MR. GOOD, MS. MON, THANK YOU BOTH SO MUCH.
AND SELENA BACK THERE FOR ALL THAT YOU DO.
IT'S, IT'S, YOU, YOU COINED IT.
IT'S A SOOTHING SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE.
UM, AND IT IS ALSO THE MECCA OF DIVERSITY IN DALLAS BESIDES CLYDE WARREN PARK AND THE ZOO.
BUT YOU, I, THE DIVERSITY OUT THERE IS INCREDIBLE.
UH, FOR ME IT'S A STELLAR AND MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCE ALWAYS.
UM, AND I LOVE THE PERSPECTIVE THAT YOU BROUGHT FROM THE, FOR IMPLEMENTING THE CORE VALUES.
UM, I, I REALLY THINK THAT PUTTING THAT VISION AND THOSE WORDING TO THIS REALLY ALLOWS YOU TO IMPROVE IT AND TO REALLY MAINTAIN, UM, THAT, THAT EXCELLENCE.
I, I MEAN THAT, THAT'S REALLY, REALLY AMAZING.
UM, I CAN READ MY HANDWRITING.
UM, HOW YOU, OH, HOW, SO LEMME ASK YOU SOMETHING IN REGARDS TO THE MASTER PLAN.
SO HOW YOU ARE USING, HOW IS YOUR VISION OF THE, OF THE, UTILIZING THE MASTER PLAN FROM 2001 MEET TODAY IN SIX? SO HOW FAR ALONG HAS THE MASTER PLAN COME? HOW DOES THE WHAT HA THE, THE MASTER PLAN OF THE 2001 MASTER PLAN, HOW DOES THAT MEET THE VISION OF 2 20 20 26 AND BEYOND? WELL, THE, THE MA THE MASTER PLAN THAT WAS DONE IN 2001 WAS A VISION CREATED ALL THOSE YEARS AGO.
THE MAJORITY OF THOSE CAPITAL EXPENDITURES HAVE BEEN CREATED AND BUILT, WHETHER IT BE LITERAL BUILDINGS LIKE OUR VISITOR CENTER PARKING DECK AND OTHERS AND PROGRAMS AND THE AUDIENCE AND HOW DALLAS CHANGES.
SO MOVING FORWARD, WHEN WE GO INTO MASTER PLANNING IN 2028, AGAIN, IT'LL BE AN INCLUSIVE STAKEHOLDER PROCESS WITH THE TOP, TOP LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT.
UM, WE DON'T KNOW WHERE IT'S GONNA GO YET, BUT IT WILL LOOK AT THE LANDS THAT WE HAVE NOW, POTENTIAL FUTURE LANDS THAT'LL LOOK AT ALL DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROGRAMS. THE WAY THAT, UH, DALLAS IS MOVING OVER THE NEXT 20 YEARS AS A CITY, WE WILL HAVE TO RAISE A MILLION DOLLARS TO BE ABLE TO PAY THAT LANDSCAPE, A DESIGN FIRM TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
UH, SO WE DON'T HAVE A VISION POINT YET, EXCEPT I DO KNOW A FEW THINGS.
WE DESPERATELY NEED A HORTICULTURE CENTER.
WE NEED A STATE OF THE ART HORTICULTURE CENTER.
MOST LARGE GARDENS HAVE THIS, DALLAS DOES NOT.
WE HAVE SHEDS LOCATED IN THE BACK OF THE PROPERTY, AND THAT'S NOT OKAY.
WHERE WE GROW MISSION, WHERE WE HAVE A HORTICULTURE TEAM OF 70 PEOPLE.
YOU KNOW, WE NEED PLACES FOR THEM TO CONNECT AND TO PARK THEIR MOWERS AND BLOWERS AND TAKE SHOWERS AND CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER AND HAVE OFFICE SPACE.
SO THAT'S ONE BIG IDEA THAT WE HAVE, THAT WE THINK THE COMMUNITY AS DONOR FUNDERS WOULD LIKE THAT AS WELL.
AND THERE ARE OTHERS, BUT JUST THROW THAT ONE OUT.
BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH AND, AND ALL THE VOLUNTEERS OUT THERE, I KNOW YOU HAVE A, WE HAVE SO MANY VOLUNTEERS, SO THANK YOU TO THE VOLUNTEERS THAT SPEND ENDLESS TIME REALLY, UM, MAKING YOU FEEL WELCOME AND, AND REALLY, YOU KNOW, IT'S AS A BEAUTIFUL EXPERIENCE AS POSSIBLE.
SO, AND THANK YOU TO YOUR BOARD.
I COMMENTS THAT I HEAR FROM THE COMMUNITY IS, OH, I'M GOING TO A, A, A CLASS AT THE ARBORETUM.
THAT'S SOMETHING I HEAR ON A REGULAR BASIS.
PEOPLE LOVE THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT YOU GUYS PRESENT, THE DIFFERENT CLASSES THAT, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S BASKET WEAVING, IT'S PAINTING, IT'S COOKING.
THERE'S SO MUCH STUFF THAT OUR SENIOR POPULATION LOVES TO COME AND DO.
UM, SO THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT.
THANK YOU FOR THE PARTNERSHIPS THAT YOU GIVE YOUR TICKETS.
UM, AFTER CONVERSATIONS, YOU BROUGHT THAT BACK AND YOU EXPANDED THAT ACTUALLY.
AND, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY AND THE REC CENTERS, UM, I THINK IT IS ATTAINABLE FOR ALMOST ANYBODY THAT WANTS TO GO.
UM, AT THE VERY LEAST, THEY CAN CALL US AND WE CAN GET THEM IN IF, IF ALL ELSE FAILS, OUR COMMUNITY CAN CONTACT THEIR REPRESENTATIVES ON THIS BOARD.
AND I, I KNOW THAT WE WILL FIGURE OUT SOME THINGS THAT GET
AND, UM, JUST THANKS FOR ALWAYS STEWARDING A GREAT, UM, SOMETHING THAT THE CITY CAN BE VERY, VERY PROUD OF.
UM, NOT JUST WITHIN THE CITY, NOT THE STATE, BUT NATIONALLY.
UM, IT'S SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE TALK ABOUT AROUND THE COUNTRY.
[01:15:01]
UH, YES SIR.I THANK YOU, UH, SABRINA AND, UH, FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
I DID HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS.
FIRST, I, I LOVE, UH, THERE'S, THERE'S THREE, THERE'S THREE PARKS I LOVE A LOT.
ONE IS KEITH, EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT YOU, YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ME.
KEITH PARK IS MY, ONE OF MY FAVORITE PARKS.
AND, AND ARBORETUM, MY FAMILY VISITED PLACES PROBABLY MORE THESE THREE PARKS, MORE THAN ANY OTHER PARKS PROBABLY IN OUR WHOLE LIFE.
SO JUST, JUST TO LET YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT THE, THE ZOO, THE ARBORETUM AND, AND KEITH PARK, YOU KNOW, LEAVING, I GO TO KEITH PARK WAY MORE THAN I DO THE ZOO OR ARBORETUM.
UM, BUT, UH, BUT, UH, UM, BASEBALL FIELD.
UH, YOU DID MENTION THAT YOUR DRIVE TIME WAS FOUR TO FIVE HOURS OUT.
UH, IT'S IN OUR GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION IN THE GEOFENCING.
WE KNOW WHERE PEOPLE LIVE, NOT YOUR HOME, BUT WE KNOW THE RADIUS OF WHICH YOU LIVE.
AND IT'S ALL ANONYMOUS, BY THE WAY.
SO, AND, AND $170 MILLION IMPACT TO THE CITY OF DALLAS.
IS THAT ALSO THAT'S INCLUDED IN HOTEL FOOD? IT'S PROBABLY A MILLION DOLLARS TO SMOKEY JOE'S ACROSS THE STREET.
IT'S HOTEL STATES, IT'S GOING TO OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, OTHER CULTURAL ATTRACTIONS.
UM, BUT YOU SAY YOU'RE GONNA GROW YOUR BUDGET TO BASICALLY LIKE NEW YORK OR CHICAGO, RIGHT? YOU'RE GONNA GROW YOUR BUDGET.
THAT MEANS YOU'RE GONNA HAVE PEOPLE COMING IN.
MY QUESTION, GETTING BACK TO THAT POINT, MY QUESTION IS, WHERE ARE YOU GONNA FILL 'EM IN
AND THAT IS WHAT THE MASTER PLANNING PROCESS WILL BE ABLE TO TELL US.
WHAT IS THE DALLAS OUR FREEDOM, WHAT CAN IT HANDLE FROM A CAPACITY STANDPOINT, NOT JUST A BUSINESS PLAN STANDPOINT, BUT VISITATION STANDPOINT OVER THE NEXT 20 YEARS.
SO, WE'LL, WE'LL, WE'LL WORK WITH THEM TO SEE WHERE THAT GOES.
THAT'S, THAT'S INTERESTING TO SEE THOSE NUMBERS AND THINKING ABOUT YOUR PROJECTION OUT.
AND THAT'D BE GREAT FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS.
'CAUSE IF IT'S 170 MILLION, NOW IMAGINE IF WE GET TO THAT POINT WHERE WE HAVE ANOTHER ADDITIONAL $500 OR COMING TO VISIT.
I I KNOW THE ZOOS IS GONNA MODEL IT, IS GONNA DO THE SAME THING.
IT JUST, WE NEED HOTELS IN OUR AREA FOR THE ZOO.
BUT THERE'S A CATCH THERE'S SOMEBODY LISTENING TO ME.
UM, AND THEN YOU ALSO SAID 20 5K FREE TICKETS ARE GIVEN OUT.
DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY ARE REDEEMED? YES.
I BELIEVE IT WAS A 9% REDEMPTION RATE.
ACTUALLY BY THE END OF THE YEAR.
AND THAT'S DUE 'CAUSE MAYBE 'CAUSE OF CHRISTMAS TIMING.
I BELIEVE WE DELIVER THOSE TICKETS TO THE CITY IN JANUARY.
AND THEN THE CITY DETERMINES, YOU KNOW, WHEN AND HOW THEY DISTRIBUTE THAT THROUGH THE PARK SPENDING AND REC.
BUT YES, WE DID HAVE ENOUGH TICK IN REDEMPTION IN Q4.
AND AGAIN, THE, JUST THE LAST THING IS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR AGREEING TO DO THE MUSEUM FOR ALL THE $3 COSTS.
I MEAN, 28,000 PLUS PEOPLE WENT AT $3.
AND THAT'S ALSO THE FREE TICKETS THAT WE GIVE OUT AMONG OURSELVES AND ALL THAT.
JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR THAT.
WE APPRECIATE YOUR PARTNERSHIP SO MUCH, SIR.
UH, MR. KMI, THANK YOU AGAIN, MR. PRESIDENT.
UM, I, I CROWDSOURCE A LOT OF MY STUFF OUT FROM PEOPLE AND SOMEONE JUST TEXTED ME AND SAID, ASK THIS QUESTION.
UM, IN THE SUMMER, WE'RE THANKFUL THAT YOU OPENED A LITTLE EARLIER BECAUSE OF THE HEAT GEN GENERAL DOORS OPEN.
AT WHAT TIME IS IT LIKE SEVEN 30 FOR MEMBER ACCESS? UH, I BELIEVE IT WAS SEVEN 30 WHEN THEY HAVE MEMBER WALKS FOR ONE HOUR.
SO, SO THAT'S WHEN, UM, LIKE MY KIDS AND I USUALLY GO THE, THE QUESTION WAS THE KIDS' AREA.
WHY, WHY CAN'T THEY OPEN AT THAT SAME TIME? WHY DO THEY OPEN AT NINE IN THE SUMMER? WHY CAN'T THEY OPEN AT THE SAME TIME? KNOW WE COULD.
THERE'S NOT A REASON WE COULDN'T OPEN THE GATE.
THE STAFF THERE THE SUMMER A SIZZLE.
YEAH, IT'S A EVERY YEAR FOR THE SPLASH PAD AND EVERYTHING.
WELL, THANKS AGAIN, SENA FOR BEING HERE AGAIN.
THIS IS, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU MENTIONED CHICAGO.
THE MAINTENANCE, THE LINES, THE FRESHNESS.
I, I THINK THERE'S NO COMPARISON.
THEY MIGHT HAVE A BIGGER BUDGET, BUT I THINK OPERATIONALLY WE, I FEEL, AND I'M BIASED, BUT I'M NOT AS TRULY ANYMORE PEOPLE A BETTER JOB BECAUSE AGAIN, I, BEING PART OF THE PARKS AND RECREATION, YOU JUST END UP ANALYZING IT.
RIGHT? SO KUDOS THE WAY I THINK WE'RE MANAGING HOW MANY PASSES GET REDEEMED THERE ALREADY, UH, TOOK THAT VISITOR PROFILE.
HOW ARE YOU MANAGING VISITOR PROFILE? IT'S THROUGH LOCATION SERVICES ON THE CELL PHONES THAT ARE GEO-FENCED WITHIN THE ARBORETUM.
[01:20:01]
THAT'S HOW WE FIND IT.SO IF I AM GOING IN, HOW DO YOU KNOW? YOU KNOW, MY PHONE DOESN'T TELL YOU YOU MY PROFILE, RIGHT? NO, NO, NO.
YOUR PHONE WILL TELL YOU IT'S GEOGRAPHICAL DATA.
IT'S AN IP ADDRESS THAT GOES OUT INTO THE ETHER THAT'S GRABBED BY SERVICES.
AND SO MIGHT HAVE YOUR WEATHER APP OPEN.
YOU MIGHT HAVE FORGOT TO CLOSE OUT YOUR, YOUR GOOGLE MAP THAT YOU USE, WHETHER YOUR, YOU KNOW, GOOGLE MAPS OR WHATEVER.
AND SO WHAT WE FIND IS ROUGHLY HOW OLD YOU ARE, ROUGHLY THE ZIP CODE YOU LIVE IN, HOW LONG YOU STAYED INSIDE THE ARBORETUM, WHERE WERE THE HOTSPOT WITHIN THE ARBORETUM? SO OUR ANNUAL, OUR, I THINK OUR AVERAGE VISIT IN 2025 WAS JUST UNDER TWO HOURS, WHICH IS PRETTY EXTRAORDINARY FOR A 66 8
SO PEOPLE STAY AND THEY DISCOVER.
SO REALLY IT'S, I'VE BEEN USING THAT TECHNOLOGY.
I WAS THE FIRST CULTURAL ORGANIZATION IN THE UNITED STATES WHEN I WAS IN ATLANTA TO USE IT.
THE WHITNEY WAS RIGHT THERE WITH US IN NEW YORK.
AND WHAT WE WERE ABLE TO FIND OUT IS WHO OUR VISITOR WAS.
THE ONLY THING YOU CAN'T REALLY FIGURE OUT IS WHAT PERCENT IS MEMBERS AND WHAT PERCENT IS VISITORS.
IT'S JUST LIKE A, A, AN OVERVIEW.
I DO HAVE NINE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, GEOFENCED HERE IN DALLAS.
AND SO, UM, I'VE ALWAYS BEEN HAPPY TO SHARE THAT INFORMATION NOW THAT I'VE BEEN HERE FOR TWO YEARS.
AND SO, UM, IT'S JUST A REALLY GOOD TOOL.
SO WE CAN ALSO CHANGE OPERATIONS IF NEED BE.
WE CAN GO TARGET MARKET IF NEED BE TO OTHER AUDIENCES.
AND, UM, I'LL TELL YOU DURING COVID, IT WAS REALLY GOOD.
WHEN I WAS AT SAN ANTONIO, WE WATCHED PHONES STARTING TO MOVE.
WHEN WE WATCHED PHONES IN OUR AREA STARTING TO MOVE, WE KNEW WE COULDN'T THE
SO WHEN I VISIT WITH QUITE OFTEN, I SHOULD LEAVE MY PHONE IN THE CAR.
SO YOU SO YOU HAVE EVERY AGE WILL GO DOWN.
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S EXACTLY YOU OKAY.
SO WE JUST DON'T HAVE TOO MUCH TO WORRY ABOUT.
IT'S JUST, IT'S ALL ANONYMOUS.
ANY PLANS, UH, TO PROMOTE DURING FIFA? ANY PARTNERSHIP WITH VISIT DALLAS OR ANYTHING? OF COURSE, OF COURSE.
WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THEM FOR THE PAST YEAR AND A HALF AS WELL.
UM, WE HAVE A BIG, WE HAVE A BLOCKBUSTER EXHIBITION COMING THIS YEAR.
I THINK I'VE TALKED TO YOU ALL ABOUT IT.
IT'S THE AMERICAN ARTIST HUNT SLOAN.
HE'S BEEN SO FAMOUS FOR ALL HIS PAINTINGS, BUT NOW HE'S DOING 3D AND SCULPTURE.
HE IS MOVING INTO A DIFFERENT AREA.
SO WE'VE, WE'VE, UH, WE HAVE THAT HAPPENING.
SO THAT WILL BE A DRAW TO A LOT OF EUROPEAN VISITORS WHO LOVE ART, BUT THEY ALSO LOVE PUBLIC GARDENS.
IT'S KIND OF MORE IN THEIR DNA AMERICANS WE'RE DOING, UM, IN CON GROVE.
WE HAVE SOCCER FIELDS BEING SET UP FOR ALL KIDS OF ALL AGES TO BE ABLE TO PLAY WITH THEIR FAMILIES.
OH, WE'LL, WE'LL PROVIDE THAT.
WE'RE GONNA DO SOME MARKETING ADVERTISING OVER AT FAIR PARK BECAUSE WE'RE A PLACE TO COME SEE AND SOMETHING TO DO, SO.
MR. JENKINS, YOU HAD, YEAH, I'M GONNA JUST SAY, UH, ONCE AGAIN, UH,
WHEN THE CITY INVESTS IN, YOU KNOW, ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE GREAT BOARDS, GREAT MANAGEMENT TEAM, THESE ARE THE TYPE OF RETURNS AND PROGRAMS YOU GET.
I ALSO WANTED TO TOUCH ON, UH, AND MR. KAREEM, I, I WOULD DEFINITELY FOLLOW UP WITH MS. CAR AND HER TEAM AS WELL, BUT I JUST WANT THE BOARD TO KEEP IN MIND, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE GIVING THE 25,000 FREE TICKETS AND, AND IMPLEMENTING A GREAT PROGRAM LIKE THE MUSEUMS FOR ALL THOSE SIGNATURE EVENTS HELP PAY FOR THOSE TYPE OF PROGRAMS, EVEN THOUGH THOSE MAY COST A LITTLE MORE, BUT I CAN TELL YOU MY PREFERENCE ANY DAY WOULD BE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE KIDS AND THE UNDERSERVED HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND ALL YEAR.
AND SO OF COURSE WE WILL TAKE YOUR, YOUR CONCERNS AND COURSE MEET WITH MS. CARTER AND HER TEAM AS WELL.
BUT I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT, THAT'S AMAZING WHAT WE'RE SEEING WITH THE MUSEUM FOR ALL TO HAVE 28,000 PARTICIPANTS ONLY HAVE TO PAY $3,000.
AND SO WE APPRECIATE YOU BRINGING THAT TYPE OF CREATIVITY OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL DALLAS RESIDENTS TO HAVE OPPORTUNITY EXPERIENCE
AND, UH, MS. CAR ON WHAT MR. KARIMI BROUGHT UP IS A VERY FAIR POINT.
BUT I KNOW, I THINK REVENUES ARE NEEDED AS WELL TO RUN AN ORGANIZATION.
SO MAYBE THERE'S SOME MENTAL PARTS AND CREATIVE WAY WHERE THERE'S SOME DAYS WHICH ARE PROMOTIONAL DAYS, UH, OR GAIN SET DISCOUNTED PRICE OR SOMETHING.
'CAUSE I'M A FIRM BELIEVER THAT REVENUES ARE NEEDED TOO, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IT NEEDS TO BE ATTAINABLE FOR THE KIDS OR FAMILIES WHO CANNOT AFFORD IT.
AND, UH, YEAH, I DON'T SEE ANY OTHER COMMENTS, SO THANK YOU AGAIN SO MUCH.
SO WELCOME TO CALL YOU YOUR PARTNERS.
LET THAT, LET'S, UH, MOVE TO BRIEFING.
[01:25:01]
ONE MORE BRIEFING DEPARTMENT, GO FROM FIRST QUARTER UPDATES, UH, MR. RYAN O'CONNOR.GOOD MORNING, MR. PRESIDENT, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD TO GO THROUGH THIS QUICKLY.
AND THEN WE'VE HAD TWO LENGTHY BRIEFINGS.
AND SO THIS INFORMATION RELATIVELY, UM, I'D LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE GONNA BE DOING THIS YEAR IS TO, IS TO BRING THESE QUARTERLY UPDATES TO YOU ON A REGULAR BASIS.
I, OTHER THING I'D POINT OUT IS THAT, UM, AS WE DID THE WORK TOGETHER IN THE RETREAT AND THEN LAST MONTH, WHICH WE'RE DEFINING THE GOALS FROM THE BIG OBJECTIONS THAT YOU IDENTIFIED, WE'LL BE CHANGING THE FORMAT OF THIS INFORMATION FOR THE NEXT QUARTERLY UPDATE.
WE'LL BE DROPPING THESE THINGS INTO THOSE GOALS THAT YOU IDENTIFIED.
WE JUST QUITE HADN'T GOTTEN THERE YET FOR THIS PARTICULAR PRESENTATION.
UH, THE NEXT TIME THAT WE PRESENT THE INFORMATION TO TRY THIS.
UH, SO, UH, WE'VE GOT, UH, THE KIND OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS GROUPS IN KIND OF A LOGICAL WAY IN THESE CATEGORIES.
AND THE PURPOSE, OF COURSE, IS WE'RE FOCUSING SPECIFICALLY ON THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE FISCAL YEAR.
SO OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, DECEMBER OF TWO FIVE.
SO THE FIRST KIND OF TRANCHE OF, UH, ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
AND I'M NOT GOING TO GO THROUGH EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE.
YOU CAN SEE THEM FOR YOURSELVES OF COURSE.
BUT AGAIN, THESE ARE NOTEWORTHY THINGS THAT OCCURRED OVER THE, OVER THE QUARTER THAT WE JUST WANTED TO, TO HIGHLIGHT AND BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION, STARTING WITH THE TRAIL TEAM, MAKING GOOD PROGRESS ON THEIR STRIPING EFFORTS.
UH, CONTINUING TO MAKE PROGRESS ON THE, UH, THE 9 1 1 TRAIL MARKERS.
UM, THE CANDLELIGHT EVENT AT CITY PARK OCCURRED AGAIN, THIS WAS, UH, AN EVENT THAT HAS A LONG HISTORY OVER 50 YEARS.
AND WE SUCCESSFULLY HOSTED THE EVENT AGAIN AT CITY PARK.
MOVING ON TO SOME KIND OF COOL SPORTS RELATED THINGS.
SO, UH, WE ADDED A NEW FALL SOCCER LEAGUE, UH, LAST QUARTER.
UH, 900 KIDS PARTICIPATED AT 30 DIFFERENT CAMPUSES, UH, FOR BASKETBALL.
WE'VE HAD A NICE INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF TEAMS, UH, THAT ARE PARTICIPATING IN THE BASKETBALL LEAGUE.
AND THEN ONE OF THE REALLY COOL THINGS IS WE'RE ABLE TO EXPOSE OUR, OUR KIDS TO, UM, TO PRO AND COLLEGIATE SPORTS.
SO, UH, REALLY GOOD ATTENDANCE AT THE SMU GAME LAST FALL TO, UH, DALLAS STAR HOCKEY GAMES.
WERE ATTENDED BY OVER 150 R KIDS.
THE PHOTO ON THE LEFT THERE IS CANDLELIGHT.
IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN TO THAT EVENT, I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO GO.
MOVING ON TO SAFETY AND SECURITY.
SO WHAT YOU SEE THERE ON THE TOP IS, AS Y'ALL KNOW, WE INITIATED THE, THE FIRST WATCH THE DALLAS MARSHALLS LAST QUARTER.
YOU CAN SEE THE DATA THERE FROM THAT, UH, UH, FROM THAT FIRST QUARTER.
AND AS YOU ALSO KNOW, WE PARTNERED WITH THE OFFICE OF DATA ANALYTICS AND BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE TO CREATE THE SAFE DALLAS, UH, SAFE PARTS DASHBOARD.
AND THIS IS WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
UM, AS A, AS A SNEAK PEEK, THERE WILL BE A FURTHER UPDATE ON MARCH 26TH, UH, ON THE DASHBOARD AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED WITHIN PHOTOS.
MOVING ON TO CONSERVATION, UH, CONTINUING TO MAINTAIN OUR EIGHT, UH, BLACKLAND PRAIRIE AREAS.
UH, BRANCHING OUT, UH, WHICH WAS A PARTNERSHIP THAT WE HAD WITH TEXAS TREES, HAD TWO EVENTS LAST QUARTER AT JUANITA CRAFT AND SERGEANT PARK.
UH, WE PLANTED OVER A THOUSAND TREES LAST QUARTER.
AND WE HAD OUR REALLY, REALLY POPULAR GOOD VEGETATION MANAGEMENT, UH, AT TWO SITES LAST QUARTER, VALLEY VIEW AND NORTH HAVEN.
UH, A GOOD PHOTO OF OUR ORGANIC HEATING MACHINES THERE ON THE LEFT.
MOVING ON TO CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS, UH, BUSY QUARTER.
UH, ONE OF THE REAL NOTEWORTHY THINGS THAT WE'RE ALL PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT IS OVER AT BACOM BEACH.
UM, CHANGING OUT THE, THE MAIN PIECE OF EQUIPMENT PROJECT IS ON SCHEDULE, GOT UNDERWAY ON TIME.
UM, AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM HAD A VERY
[01:30:01]
SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT, ALTHOUGH WE DID A, WE DID A RENTAL CHILLER AS WELL.WE DID FULLY REPLACE THE HVAC SYSTEM AT AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM.
THAT WAS A, A BIG IMPROVEMENT TO THAT FACILITY IN, IN MR. WOODS DISTRICT.
WE HAD THE LAKE WIND HILLS DOG PARK GRAND OPENING, WHICH IS OUR NEWEST DOG PARK AND ONE OF OUR BEST DOG PARKS.
UH, WE ARE CONTINUING TO IMPLEMENT THE TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE.
UH, THOSE PROJECTS ARE EIGHT SITES IN DISTRICTS.
THREE AND EIGHT, THOSE WILL BE COMPLETED, UM, BUT REALLY AT THE END OF MARCH, BUT FULLY CLOSED OUT BY THE END OF APRIL.
THE LAKE HIGHLANDS TRAIL, IT'S ABOUT TWO AND A HALF MILE TRAIL, WHICH IS DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE.
I I KEPT A VERY CLOSE EYE ON THAT PROJECT.
YEAH, WE REPLACED A FEW GYM FLOORS, A COUPLE OF OUR RECREATION CENTERS.
AND AS Y'ALL ROLLED, REMEMBER, WE HAVE THAT, UH, VERY NOTEWORTHY, UH, PHASE TWO FLY MORE PARK AGREEMENT THAT WAS APPROVED BY THIS BOARD AND THE CITY COUNCIL THAT WILL POSITION US FOR A CONSTRUCTION.
LETTING, UH, THIS SUMMER, UH, A FEW PICTURES.
YOU CAN SEE OUR DIRECTOR FEATURED PROMINENTLY THERE ON THE LEFT IN THE LAST CATEGORY.
UH, JUST A FEW MISCELLANEOUS COLLABORATIONS AND OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
UH, WE OF COURSE HEARD FROM THE ZOO TODAY.
WE WERE ABLE TO, UH, EXECUTE THESE, THE, UH, DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT THAT HAS POSITIONED US FOR THAT TRANSFORMATIVE, UH, CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT THAT WILL BE OCCURRING OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS.
UM, TAKING A LITTLE BIT OF CREDIT FOR THE STATE FAIR CLASSIC CODE.
AND OF COURSE, WE ARE THE, UH, THE MANAGERS OF THE COTTON BOLTS.
SO WE, UH, PARTICIPATED IN THE HOSTING OF THE LARGEST ATTENDED WOMEN'S PRO SOCCER, UH, GAME IN HISTORY.
THAT WAS A VERY COOL EVENT AT THE STATE FAIR IN OCTOBER.
AND THEN, UH, WE'VE GOT SOME VERY EXCITING PARTNERSHIP PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE INITIATED WITH DALLAS ISD AT CONRAD HIGH SCHOOL, FAIR OAKS PARK SLASH UH, UH, WOODROW WILSON AND WILLIS WINTERS PARK.
THOSE ARE WELL UNDERWAY IN YOUR COMPLETION.
AND THEN, OF COURSE, AS WE, UH, TALKED ABOUT A COMMITTEE TODAY, UH, PLANNING DESIGN, OF COURSE, THE PARKLAND DEDICATION ORDINANCE WAS FULLY APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL, UH, LAST QUARTER.
SO AGAIN, IN SUMMARY, UH, JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT A FEW NOTEWORTHY THINGS THAT HAVE, UH, OCCURRED OVER THE PAST QUARTER.
WE'VE, OF COURSE BEEN VERY BUSY.
AND AGAIN, NEXT TIME YOU SEE THIS, WHICH WILL BE APPROXIMATELY IN APRIL, IT WILL BE, UH, REFORMATTED TO FOCUS ON THE GOALS THAT YOU IDENTIFIED AT THESE ACCOMPLISHMENTS WILL BE ROLLED UP IN THAT WAY.
SO, HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.
THANK YOU AGAIN, MR. PRESIDENT.
UH, ANY MENTION, UH, ANY MENTION OF WILL FIRST PARK? UH, AS HIGHLIGHTED BRIEFING IS ALWAYS GONNA SCORE HIGH MARKS WITH ME, BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT I WANNA ASK ABOUT THE QUESTION.
UM, MORE, MAYBE MORE A COMMENT I WANT IS ON CONSERVATION INITIATIVES.
UM, ONE THING THAT I THINK OUR DEPARTMENT COULD DO MUCH BETTER IN THIS AREA.
AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CONSERVATION, THAT THAT SHOULD ALWAYS BE A BIG PART OF A, OF OUR DEPARTMENT.
WE WANNA SUSTAIN OUR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT, THINGS LIKE THAT.
ONE THING I I DIDN'T SEE ANY MENTION OF NO SURPRISE, BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE WE GET BETTER IN THIS IS, IS SUPPORTING NO MO AREAS AND NATURAL GROWTH AREAS WITHIN OUR PARKS.
ESPECIALLY WHEN WE HAVE STRONG VOLUNTEERS AND FRIENDS GROUPS WHO ARE CONSISTENTLY ASKING FOR THIS EVERY YEAR.
THERE'S SO MANY BENEFITS OF, OF DOING LESS MOWING IN AREAS THAT COULD BE DESIGNATED AS SUCH FROM A BIODIVERSITY AND HABITAT PROTECTION, POLLINATOR SUPPORT, THAT'S A BIG ONE.
SOIL HEALTH AND EROSION CONTROL.
I MEAN, THINK ABOUT HOW MANY PLACES WITHIN OUR CITY AROUND CREEKS, WHETHER THEY'RE LARGE WATER CREEKS OR SMALL CREEKS THAT COULD BENEFIT FROM, FROM NO MOW AND DEEPER ROOTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
WATER QUALITY CLIMATE AND HEAT MITIGATION.
UM, AND AND MOST IMPACTING IS, UH, COST SAVINGS AND OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY.
I MEAN, WE HAVE AREAS IN OUR PARK WHERE COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE DEMANDING MORE MOWINGS AND WE HAVE AREAS IN OUR PARKS WHERE COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE DEMANDING LESS MOWINGS.
SO IT'S JUST KIND OF A, JUST A DIFFERENT BALANCING ACT WHERE WE CAN SAY, OKAY, I HEAR YOU AND I SEE YOUR BENEFITS AND I HEAR YOU OVER HERE.
YOU WANT, UH, YOU KNOW, THREE MOWINGS A MONTH, LET'S SHIFT ONE.
I KNOW THAT'S DIFFICULT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE SCALE OF 400 PLUS PARKS, BUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE BENEFITS, IT COULD COME FROM SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
I THINK IT SHOULD BE A STRONG CONSERVATION, A STRONG, UH, CONSIDERATION.
SO NEXT YEAR WHEN WE TALK ABOUT OUR HIGHLIGHTS, WE CAN SAY, HEY, LOOK, IN ADDITION TO LAST YEAR'S INITIATIVES, LOOK WHAT ELSE WE'VE ADDED.
WE HAVE MADE STRONG PROGRESS IN THIS AREA.
AND THE BENEFITS, THE FIVE OR SIX THINGS I JUST MENTIONED ARE NOW SOMETHING THAT WE CAN CELEBRATE.
[01:35:01]
AGREEMENT WITH THE COMMENT.UH, WE ARE ACTUALLY WORKING ON IDENTIFYING THOSE OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE LOGICAL.
AND YOU'LL BE SEEING MORE REPORTING ON THAT IN THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE.
A COUPLE OF THINGS, UM, I'LL BRING UP, LET YOU THROUGH CANDLELIGHT AT OLD CITY PARK.
IF YOU DIDN'T GET TO GO, IT'S, IT'S, YOU MISSED OUT, I PROMISE THAT THE CITY, THE DEPARTMENT PUT THAT EVENT VERY NICELY DONE.
UM, MATTER OF FACT, THERE WAS SO MANY PEOPLE THERE.
THE VENDOR DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH CHOCOLATE, UH, TAMALES.
THEY, THEY RAN OUT BASICALLY ALMOST EVERYTHING THAT THEY WERE MAKING.
BUT JUST WALKING, IT WAS AMAZING BECAUSE THEY HAD KARAOKE OVER AT THE O UH, THE OLD SCHOOL, I THINK WAS THE OLD CHURCH.
I'M NOT SURE WHICH ONE IT WAS.
UM, SO ON THE WHAT ON THE NORTH SIDE.
AND PEOPLE WERE PARTAKING TO THAT AND SINGING CHRISTMAS CAROLS.
SO IT WAS A NICE EVENT TO GO TO.
SO HOPEFULLY ONCE WE HAVE IT THIS YEAR AGAIN, YOU GET TO GO.
I, I WAS THERE ON SATURDAY NIGHTS.
IT WAS A LITTLE DIFFERENT WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT SATURDAY NIGHT VERSUS SUNDAY, BUT IT WAS WELL ATTENDED.
I JUST GOTTA SAY THAT WAS KUDOS TO PUTTING THAT TOGETHER.
AND THE, AND THE TREES, THE THOUSAND TREES THAT WE PLANTED LAST YEAR, IT WAS, AGAIN, AMAZING THAT WE'RE DOING THAT.
WE KEEP THAT PARTNERSHIP WITH TEXAS TREES AND EVERYBODY ELSE THAT PARTNERS UP WITH US TO GET THOSE THINGS DONE.
BUT IT BRINGS ME TO THE POINT, WHAT ARE WE DOING TO MAINTAIN THOSE? BECAUSE WE'RE IN A DRY SEASON RIGHT NOW.
WE'VE BEEN IN A DRY SEASON FOR ALMOST OVER A YEAR IN, IN, IN TEXAS AND ACROSS A LOT OF STATES.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING TO MAINTAIN THIS WATER? THOSE, SO ANYTIME WE DO A TREE PLANTING, IT ALWAYS COMES WITH AN IRRIGATION PLAN.
AND SO THE KIND OF STANDARD IS TO ENSURE THAT THERE'S TEMPORARY IRRIGATION PLANTS FOR TWO YEARS TO ENSURE THAT THEY HAVE THE BEST CHANCE OF GETTING ESTABLISHED.
BUT THE OTHER THING IS WE'RE STRATEGIC IN WHEN WE PLANT THE TREES AND IT'S SEASONALLY WORSE, TRY TO AVOID THE HOTTEST PARTS OF THE YEAR.
THAT'S WHY THERE'S A LOT OF TREE PLANTING ACTIVITY THAT TAKES PLACE IN THE FALL AND EARLY WINTER.
BUT IT ALWAYS COMES WITH THE, WITH THE IRRIGATION PLAN.
YEAH, BECAUSE I MEAN, WE'RE, WE'RE IN THE WORST DROUGHT NOW IN THE WINTER SEASON THAT WE'VE HAD, YOU KNOW, LAST SUMMER.
SO, AND THAT BRINGS ME TO MY NEXT QUESTION.
WHAT ARE WE DOING TO MAINTAIN OUR SPORTS FIELDS RIGHT NOW THAT NORMALLY ARE HIGH, ARE, ARE HYBRID, BUT WE'RE GETTING READY TO OPEN UP? MATTER OF FACT, UH, SOFTBALL AND BASEBALL ALREADY OPENED UP ABOUT WHAT, A COUPLE, MAYBE FIVE DAYS AGO, UH, TO MAINTAIN THOSE.
'CAUSE WE FACE, WE COULD BE FACING CRACKS IN OUR SYSTEM IF WE DON'T WATCH IT 'CAUSE OF HOW DRY IT IS RIGHT NOW.
UH, I WOULD SAY, WELL, I MAY NEED, UH, THE, THE PARK MAINTENANCE FOLKS TO HELP ME OUT ON THIS ONE JUST A LITTLE BIT.
BUT I WOULD JUST SAY WE'RE, WE ARE PREPARING TO OPEN THE FIELDS LIKE WE NORMALLY WOULD.
AND SO IF THERE ARE ACTIONS THAT NEED TO TAKE PLACE TO ADDRESS CRACKS, IF THEY'RE PRESENT, THEN THAT'S SOMETHING WE'LL DO.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A STANDARD PROTOCOL TO PREPARE OUR FIELDS FOR THE SEASONS AND, AND THE PARK MAINTENANCE TEAM HAS BEEN TAKING ALL THE MEASURES NECESSARY.
YEAH, THAT, THAT, THAT WORRIES ME.
'CAUSE I, I, I'VE BEEN TO SOME OF THE FIELDS.
I'VE SEEN THAT THEY'RE NOT AS VIBRANT AS THEY ARE RIGHT NOW.
'CAUSE IT IS USUALLY THEY KNOW IT'S GETTING, GETTING MOISTURE AND IT'S KIND OF, AND WE MIGHT SEE SOME, WE MIGHT SEE A LOT OF FIELDS THAT WE, THAT ARE NOT READY OR HAVE A LOT, POTENTIALLY MORE HOLES THAN WE HAVE IN A WHILE.
AND THAT, THAT COULD BE ACROSS THE WHOLE PARK SYSTEM, NOT JUST SPORTS FIELDS, BUT JUST 'CAUSE OF THE DROUGHT.
THE TREES NOT, NOT BLOOMING AS FAST AS THEY SHOULD AND ALL THAT.
SO IT'S SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.
WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT WE, YOU KNOW YEAH.
NORMALLY IT'S JULY AND AUGUST WE HAVE THAT BIG ISSUE, BUT THIS YEAR'S, 'CAUSE I THINK IT'S GOING START OFF RIGHT OFF THE BAT, SO, AND
YEAH, IT WASN'T ENOUGH, I'LL PROMISE YOU THAT.
UH, AND, AND THEN THE LAST THING ON THIS REPORT, THANK YOU FOR PUTTING THAT TOGETHER.
YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE BROUGHT UP WAS FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS DEPARTMENT.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE NUMBERS PUT IN THERE ON HOW WE'RE PROJECTING HOW WE'RE DOING.
OR IS IT, IS IT, IS IT REASONABLE FOR US TO KEEP DOING SOME OF THESE PROJECTS OR NOT DOING PROJECTS OR PROGRAMS? SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT ADDED TO THIS PLAN EVERY, EVERY MONTH AND KIND.
WELL, LIKE I SAID, SO WE ARE GOING TO REFORMAT THE INFORMATION NEXT QUARTER AND THE FINANCIAL PIECE WAS VERY CLEARLY ONE, BE HONEST THAT YOU IDENTIFIED.
WE JUST HADN'T QUITE GOTTEN THERE YET FOR THIS ONE.
BUT YOU'LL SEE THAT INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THE NEXT QUARTERLY UPDATE.
UH, UM, MR. MCCANN, UH, YOU DID, YOU'VE BEEN, YOU'VE BEEN NAILING IT ALL DAY.
UM, I ACTUALLY DID HAVE A CHANCE ALSO TO GO TO THE CANDLELIGHT EXHIBIT AT CITY PARK AND, UH, I'LL APOLOGIZE THOSE ANY ABOUT HOW CHOCOLATE, BECAUSE I HAD MORE THAN ONE THOUGHT MYSELF,
THE VENDORS THERE WERE ALSO REALLY GREAT.
I BOUGHT A COUPLE OF CHRISTMAS PRESENTS AND ALL IN ALL REALLY, REALLY ENJOYED THAT EVENT.
UM, SO THANK YOU MEMBER HARTER FOR BRINGING THAT UP.
UH, I JUST FOLLOW UP ON THE TREES.
[01:40:01]
I DO KNOW THAT ROBUST IRRIGATION PLANT IS IN PLACE FOR EVERY TREE THE CITY PLANTS ON PRIVATE PROPERTY, OR SORRY, ON PUBLIC PROPERTY OR THAT A PARTNER DOES THROUGH THE MOMENTUM AGREEMENTS.I'VE BEEN SUBJECTED TO THAT PROCESS AND HAVE WATERED TREES MYSELF FOR TWO YEARS AS A RESULT OF THAT.
UM, SO I, SO I KNOW THAT, UM, AND, AND FOR MANY, MANY YEARS, ALL TREES THAT ARE PLANTED IRRIGATION IS, IS, IS ACTUALLY THE LARGEST COST TYPICALLY OF GETTING THE TREES ON THE GROUND.
AND ALSO WHEN IT COMES TO ORGANIZING IT, ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT THINGS TO HAVE HAPPEN.
UM, MEMBER CREAMY, YOUR COMMENT ABOUT THE NATIVE LANDSCAPES, YOU TOOK THE THOUGHT RIGHT OUT OF MY, MY MIND.
I'M SO GLAD YOU BROUGHT THAT UP.
UM, THAT'S SOMETHING I ALSO AM REALLY PASSIONATE ABOUT.
I WAS REALLY HAPPY TO SEE THAT, UM, NOT ONLY AT CRAWFORD PARK, BUT BEING PART OF THE CONSERVATION STUDIES THAT ARE, THAT ARE DEVELOP ON AND THE ACTIVATION.
CRAWFORD PARKS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL PLACE AND I REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, THE NEXT QUARTER'S REPORT HAVING ONE OF THE MAJOR, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, FEATHERS IN THE CAP OF ACCOMPLISHMENT BEING THE SLIDE GOING IN A GATEWAY.
I'LL JUST TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO, TO SAY IT YET AGAIN.
UM, AND THEN THE LAST THING I WANTED TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION, IT'S, IT'S SOMEWHAT OF A, OF A COMMENT.
UM, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO THE SAME CLEAN SECURITY, ESPECIALLY WORKING ALONGSIDE THE MARSHALS, SOMETHING THAT HAS REALLY CROPPED UP AS A IDENTIFIABLE PROBLEM IN DISTRICT FIVE AND PERHAPS OTHERS, PEOPLE'S DISTRICTS, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A LOT OF VERY LARGE, VERY WOODED, VERY, VERY BEAUTIFUL PARKS, BUT THEY UNFORTUNATELY HAVE BECOME HOTBEDS FOR GUNFIRE, ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT.
PEOPLE ARE GOING TO THE PARK SPECIFICALLY TO FIRE GUNS.
THAT'S A VERY DIFFICULT ISSUE TO DEAL WITH AND WE'RE LOOKING FOR SOME KIND OF SOLUTION TO THAT.
SO IF THAT'S SIGNAGE, CAMERAS, DETERRENCE, ANYTHING THAT, UH, CAN ONE, KEEP DAMAGE FROM BEING DONE TO THE PARK.
UH, TWO, MAKE THE PARK ITSELF A SAFER PLACE.
AND, AND THREE CEASE BECOMING, UH, THESE, THESE HOTBEDS OF, OF TERRORIZING THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOOD BECAUSE THE PEOPLE ARE COMING TO THE PARK SPECIFICALLY TO SHOOT GUNS AT NIGHT.
UH, THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE NEAR THE PARK THAT IS MEANT TO BE A BENEFIT TO THEM.
THAT ACTUALLY BECOMES THE OPPOSITE.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE COULD LOOK AT.
MR. JOHN, JUST A QUICK QUESTION.
THE TRAIL VEGETATION REMOVAL IS MAYBE LAGGING BEHIND WHERE WE WOULD EXPECT IT TO BE.
IS THAT JUST A SEASONALITY THING? I BELIEVE THROUGH THE BUDGET WE HAD TO REDUCE, UH, THE VEGETATION, UH, REMOVAL, UM, IN THIS FISCAL YEAR.
BUT THAT IS, YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT PROGRAM TO US.
SO I THINK WE'LL BE LOOKING TO, TO TRY TO IDENTIFY RESOURCES TO RESTORE THAT.
BUT AS I RECALL, THAT WAS A, THAT WAS A BUDGET REDUCTION OF THIS FISCAL YEAR.
AND MR. KOS, YOU COULD TO, UH, FIRE ARE SEEM TO BE AN ISSUE, UM, ALONG TRAILS AND STUFF.
HOW DOES THAT TAKE THAT PART OF THE MAINTENANCE? WELL, THERE IS AN INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT, UH, PROGRAM THAT WE IMPLEMENTED THROUGH PARK MAINTENANCE.
I ASSUME OUR ANSWER ARE PART OF THAT TREATMENT, BUT WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT WE VERIFY THAT AND MAKE SURE WE GET YOUR RESPONSE.
AND AGAIN, I'M GLAD WE JOINED THE SECURITY BECAUSE WE DID HAVE A MEETING AT THE THAT VALUE PARK TREATMENTS AND MADE UP THAT OUR REGULAR BASIS, SIR MENTIONED THAT THE PARKS CLOSE AT 11:00 PM THEY DO.
THEY ALWAYS SAY NOTHING HAPPENS GOOD AFTER MIDNIGHT AND, UH, IT'S PRETTY NICE PARK I THINK.
SO THE, THE PARK HOURS HAVE BEEN, UM, ESTABLISHED FOR A LONG TIME.
UM, SO YEAH, THAT'S, THAT'S SOMETHING CERTAINLY THE BOARD COULD, YOU KNOW, PUT SOME THOUGHT INTO.
BUT THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE LONG TAIL STANDARD MARK HOURS.
WELL, I WANNA SAY ABOUT ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO, SIX YEARS AGO, WE DID CHANGE STYLES.
IT USED TO BE MIDNIGHT AND MOVED TO 11.
AND THAT WAS A COMPROMISE BECAUSE AS DALLAS CHANGES AND THEY'RE GETTING NEW RESIDENTS HERE, UH, THERE ARE FOLKS WHO ACTUALLY GO OUT AND JOG ON THESE TRAILS AT EIGHT, NINE O'CLOCK, 10 O'CLOCK AT NIGHT.
SO A LOT OF THE TRAILS ACROSS, UH, STREETS WITHOUT ANY TRAFFIC LIGHT AND YOU'RE DRIVING ON THOSE STREETS, IT'S REALLY HARD TO TELL IF SOMEBODY'S ON THOSE TRAILS.
AND SO NOT, NOT TRAFFIC LIGHT WITH THE STREET LIGHT OF ANY KIND.
AND IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF WE COULD GET LIGHTING AND I DON'T, I ASSUME THAT'S UP TO THE CITY FOR THE TRAFFIC.
IF WE PUT THOSE LIGHTS IN FOR THE STREETS.
AND YOU KNOW, TYPICALLY, AT LEAST WITH, UH, NEWER TRAILS AND THINKING ABOUT THE LAKE PANEL TRAIL SPECIFICALLY WHEN THEY'RE CROSSING SIX LANES, UM, THERE ARE NEW HAWK SIGNALS, UM, AT THAT TRAIL.
SO YOU KNOW WHERE THE OPPORTUNITIES EXIST.
WE ARE ADDING SIGNALIZATION IN THOSE BIG CROSSINGS
[01:45:01]
FOR NEW TRAILS.BUT THAT'S SOMETHING WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE PAY ATTENTION TO FOR THE EXISTING TRAILS AS WELL.
DOES PARK HOURS HAVE TO BE SAME FOR EVERY PARK? I WOULD SAY YES FOR CONSISTENCY 'CAUSE FOLKS WOULDN'T KNOW, YOU KNOW, UNLESS IT'S A SPECIALIZED PARK LIKE THE ARBORETUM OF THE ZOO, OF COURSE SIX, NO, UH, IT WOULD, IT WOULD CREATE A LOT OF CONFUSION.
AND WHAT
MM-HMM
I MEAN, DO YOU SEE ANY DOWNSIDE TO THIS? UH, I REALLY DON'T.
I MEAN, I MEAN, UNLESS RENEE HAS MORE TO ADD, I MEAN, I, WE CAN BRING IT BACK UP A DISCUSSION.
I DON'T SEE A DOWNSIDE 'CAUSE I THINK THE COMPROMISE OR THE REQUEST I THOUGHT WAS 10 AND THEN THE COMPROMISE ENDED UP BEING 11.
'CAUSE WE WENT FROM 12 AND FOLKS WANTED TO GO TO 10, SOME WANTED TO GO TO 11, SOMEONE WANTED TO KEEP IT BACK AT 12.
YEAH, WHAT YOU SAID WAS A VALID POINT.
ANYWAY, SOMETHING TO THINK WHEN WE DISCUSS IT.
THIS WAS A GREAT REPORT AND I APPRECIATE IT, SIR, THAT WE MOVE TO OUR NEXT POINT.
ANY
UH, SO NEXT PART BOARD MEETING WILL BE FIFTH, MARCH 5TH, 2026 AT 10:00 AM IS 1148.