[Special Called Parks, Trails & Environment Committee on February 24, 2026.]
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SO I'M GOING TO CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER AT 9:18. THIS IS THE SPECIAL CALLED MEETING FOR THE PARKS, TRAILS, AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE, AND WE ARE HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE FAIR PARK DEVELOPMENT AND FUNDRAISING AGREEMENT. AND I THINK WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO IS TO HAVE BOTH THE TASK FORCE MEMBERS, THE FAIR PARK FIRST REPRESENTATIVES, AND PARK STAFF ALL COME DOWN TO THE TABLE HERE. THAT WAY, YOU'RE NOT GOING BACK AND FORTH, AND WE HAVE EVERYBODY I THINK WE WILL NEED TO ASK QUESTIONS OF. SO SIT IN YOUR GROUPS, IF YOU WOULD, SO WE'LL KNOW. WELL, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT GOING TO BE VERY ARTICULATE TODAY. I HAVE FEWER BRAIN CELLS TODAY. I THINK WE NEED ONE MORE CHAIR OR...
OKAY. YES, THE GENTLEMAN TO THE LEFT IS ON THE... THERE WERE MAYBE TWO PEOPLE WHO DISSENTED ON THE TASK FORCE.
IT WAS AN INTERESTING PROCESS.
WE HAVE FAIR PARK FIRST ON THE LEFT, WE'VE GOT RYAN.
FAIR PARK FIRST IS OVER HERE, AND THEN LOIS AND KEN NEXT TO RYAN. NO, NO, SHE'S HERE ON THE TASK FORCE, TOO. SHE'S IN FAVOR. WELL, I'M GOING TO HAVE THEM INTRODUCE THEMSELVES.
OH, GREAT. I KNEW WE COULD FIND ONE SOMEWHERE. I KNOW THAT'S NOT EXACTLY LIKE THE OTHERS.
OKAY. THANK ALL OF YOU FOR BEING HERE. I'M GOING TO START WITH HEATHER AND IF YOU WOULD INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND SAY WHICH ORGANIZATION YOU'RE WITH. THANK YOU.
HEATHER STEVENS, CONSULTANT FOR FAIR PARK FIRST, RISE 360.
JASON BROWN, FAIR PARK FIRST, BOARD CHAIR. ALYSSA SIFFERMAN, INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF FAIR PARK FIRST.
KEN SMITH, PRESIDENT, REVITALIZE SOUTH DALLAS COALITION, AND A MEMBER OF THE TASK FORCE. LOIS FINKELMAN FROM THE COMMUNITY PARK IMPLEMENTATION TASK FORCE, REPRESENTING OUR CHAIRMAN, KIBA BEATTY, WHO COULD NOT BE HERE TODAY. GOOD MORNING, RYAN O'CONNOR, DEPUTY DIRECTOR. THANK YOU.
ALL RIGHT. LET ME DO JUST A QUICK OPENING STATEMENT. JUST TO EXPLAIN HOW I SEE THIS GOING IS WE WILL START WITH A REPORT FROM LOIS AND KEN ON THE TASK FORCE AND YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS.
FROM THERE, I THINK WE GO TO RYAN AND GO THROUGH OUR SLIDE DECK HERE.
AND THEN FAIR PARK FIRST, IF YOU ALL WANT TO MAKE A STATEMENT.
BUT I PRIMARILY NEEDED YOU HERE TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. OKAY, DOES THAT SOUND LIKE A FAIR WAY TO PROCEED? ALL RIGHT. SO I WANT TO THANK THE MEMBERS OF THE TASK FORCE, ESPECIALLY THE CHAIR, KIBA BEATTY, FOR THEIR THOUGHTFUL AND THOROUGH WORK. EVALUATING WHETHER FAIR PARK FIRST IS PREPARED TO BUILD THE COMMUNITY PARK AT FAIR PARK. A PROJECT OF THIS MAGNITUDE DEMANDS MORE THAN JUST VISION. IT REQUIRES SOUND GOVERNANCE. FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY, AND THE OPERATIONAL EXPERTISE TO DELIVER ON BEHALF OF THE PUBLIC. YOUR CAREFUL REVIEW, DISCUSSIONS, AND DETAILED ANALYSIS HELPED ENSURE THAT WE ARE ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS AND EXERCISING RESPONSIBLE STEWARDSHIP. ONE NOTE, I DON'T WANT TO MISLEAD ANYBODY BY TALKING
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ABOUT OPERATIONAL EXPERTISE IN THIS, IN MY OPENING REMARKS. WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT OPERATIONS TODAY. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT, AND THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT DOES NOT ADDRESS FUTURE OPERATIONS. SO WE WILL KEEP OUR FOCUS TODAY, OUR QUESTIONS AND INFORMATION, TO... THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT AND THE REPORT OF THE TASK FORCE, AND I KNOW THE TASK FORCE DID GET INTO OPERATIONAL, BUT THAT'S JUST NOT RELEVANT TODAY TO OUR DISCUSSION, WHICH IS PRIMARILY AND REALLY SOLELY FOCUSED ON THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT.ALL RIGHT? OKAY, SO MS. FINKELMAN, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO YOU. THANK YOU, AND THANK YOU FOR GIVING US THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT THE TASK FORCE'S WORK. THERE WERE SEVEN OF US WHO SERVED ON THE TASK FORCE. AND WITH YOUR PERMISSION, I'D LIKE TO READ THEIR NAMES INTO THE RECORD. IT WAS CHAIRED BY KIBA BEATTY, PARK BOARD MEMBERS VINAY HAMMOND AND JOHN PINCUS, KEN SMITH FROM REVITALIZE SOUTH DALLAS, MARK JONES FROM BONTON, ANTON LUCKY FROM URBAN SPECIALISTS. AND MYSELF, JUST AS A LONGTIME COMMUNITY MEMBER. AS YOU KNOW, THE TASK FORCE WAS APPOINTED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PARK BOARD IN DECEMBER, AND WE HAD FOUR MEETINGS. WE ACTUALLY ELIMINATED ONE MEETING DUE TO THE COUNCIL'S CHANGE IN THE PROCESS. IN ORDER FOR US TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD OUR REPORT READY FOR YOU AT THIS COMMITTEE MEETING. WE WERE CONVENED.
TO BE AN INDEPENDENT, TO MAKE AN INDEPENDENT ADVISORY ASSESSMENT ABOUT FAIR PARK'S FIRST READINESS TO DELIVER THE COMMUNITY PARK.
WE EVALUATED FOUR AREAS AS A RESULT OF THE CHARGE WE WERE GIVEN.
IMPLEMENTATION, ORGANIZATIONAL VIABILITY, FUNDRAISING, AND FINANCIAL STAFFING FEASIBILITY.
AS A RESULT OF OUR DELIBERATIONS AND REVIEW OF THE MATERIALS THAT WERE AVAILABLE BOTH FROM FAIR PARK FIRST, THE CITY PUBLIC RECORD, AND SOME RESEARCH THAT TASK FORCE MEMBERS DID ON THEIR OWN, THE CONSENSUS CAME TO THE FOLLOWING OBSERVATIONS.
CONSIDERABLE PLANNING ACTIVITY AND FUNDRAISING MOMENTUM HAD ALREADY TAKEN PLACE. THE PARTNERS THAT WERE ENGAGED AS PART OF FAIR PARK FIRST CREATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE PARK WERE EXPERIENCED.
AND THE CONCEPTUAL GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE SEEMED TO BE IN ORDER. THERE WERE SOME DOCUMENTS THAT WE HAD REQUESTED THAT WERE NOT AVAILABLE.
SOME, WE DECIDED, WERE PROBABLY DUE TO THE FACT THAT THEY WERE CONTINGENT UPON THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT BEING SIGNED. AND AND THAT IT WAS NOT REALISTIC TO EXPECT THEM TO BE AVAILABLE AT THAT POINT IN TIME. AND WE WERE UNABLE TO VERIFY SOME OF THE FINANCIAL DETAILS OF THE DONORS, GRANTS AND RESTRICTIONS JUST ON THE BASIS OF PRIVACY. WE DID ULTIMATELY COME TO THE CONSENSUS THAT WE RECOMMENDED THE CITY CONSIDER PROCEEDING WITH THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT FROM FAIR PARK FIRST, SUBJECT TO SAFEGUARDS AND OVERSIGHT STRUCTURES. AS DETERMINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL, WE DID NOT ISSUE A SPECIFIC APPROVAL OR AUTHORIZATION. THE MAJORITY OF THE GROUP DID SUPPORT THE CONSENSUS RECOMMENDATION.
THERE WERE ALTERNATIVE VIEWPOINTS, NOT RECOMMENDED, ALTERNATIVE VIEWPOINTS EXPRESSED, AND THEY ARE INCLUDED IN THE COMPLETE REPORT, AND KEN WILL SHARE WITH YOU HIS.
HERE'S THE ALTERNATIVE APPROVAL. WE SERVED IN A PURELY ADVISORY ROLE. WE DO NOT HAVE THE ABILITY TO MAKE OFFICIAL DECISIONS, APPROVE OR DENY PROJECTS. AND THE FINAL DECISION REALLY RESTS WITH YOU. BUT ONCE AGAIN, WE CONDITIONALLY RECOMMENDED THAT THE CITY PROCEED WITH THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT WITH FAIR PARK. FIRST, THAT THERE WERE ENOUGH THINGS IN PLACE AND INDICATIVE OF THEIR LIKELY SUCCESS. WE HAD STARTED WITH THE ASSUMPTION THAT NUMBER ONE, THERE WAS TO BE A COMMUNITY PARK IN FAIR PARK, AND NUMBER TWO, THE COMMUNITY PARK WAS TO BE IN THE LOCATION. THAT IT WAS
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IDENTIFIED. SO WE NEVER QUESTIONED ANY OF THOSE BASE ASSUMPTIONS. WE DID OUR DUE DILIGENCE BASED ON LOOK LOOKING AT FAIR PARK FIRST AND ITS READINESS. SO THAT THAT'S THE BRIEF SUMMARY OF OUR OF OUR REPORT, AND I'M HERE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AFTER THE PRESENTATIONS, MR. SMITH, WOULD YOU LIKE TO THEN PROCEED? YES. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK, AND I CONCUR WITH THE ASSESSMENT THAT LOIS JUST GAVE. IT WAS A VERY HARD-WORKING GROUP THAT DECIDED THAT IT WANTED TO REALLY GET INTO THE ISSUES OF DELIVERABILITY AND CAPABILITIES. AND NOT SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE DID DISCUSS, BUT WAS OUTSIDE THE SCOPE. I AM NOT IN FAVOR OF THE CONSENSUS AGREEMENT, THE CONSENSUS THAT WAS PROVIDED THAT, LOIS SAID, AND LET ME TELL YOU WHY. I MADE SOME COMMENTS, AND YOU SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED THEM YESTERDAY. ON FEBRUARY 12TH, KIBA BEATTY, COMMUNITY PARK INFRASTRUCTURE TASK FORCE CHAIR, SUBMITTED THREE SUMMARIES THAT OUTLINED THE CONSENSUS VIEW.OF THE TASK FORCE RELATED TO THE OVERALL READINESS OF FAIR PARK FIRST TO DELIVER ON THE 10-ACRE PARK. THIS TASK FORCE MEMBER MYSELF DOES NOT AGREE WITH THE TASK FORCE CONSENSUS RECOMMENDATION, AND THIS DISSENTING OPINION EXPLAINS MY RATIONALE. THE TASK FORCE CONSENSUS ADVISORY CONCLUSION STATES, QUOTE, THE TASK FORCE CONDITIONALLY.
RECOMMENDS THAT THE CITY DECISION MAKERS CONSIDER PROCEEDING WITH THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT SUBJECT TO SAFEGUARDS AND OVERSIGHT STRUCTURES DETERMINED BY CITY LEADERSHIP. THIS RECOMMENDATION REFLECTS ADVISORY ASSESSMENTS UNDER CONDITIONS OF INCOMPLETE EXECUTIVE LEVEL CLARITY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE APPROVAL OR AUTHORIZATION. THAT'S THE QUOTE THAT COMES FROM OUR CHAIR, KIBA BEATTY. MY DISSENTING OPINION IS THIS, THAT THE TASK FORCE MAKE NO RECOMMENDATION ABOUT PROCEEDING WITH THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT.
BECAUSE IT DID NOT RECEIVE OR HAVE SUFFICIENT ACCESS TO PERTINENT DATA THAT WOULD ALLOW IT TO EFFECTIVELY ASSESS FAIR PARK FIRST'S READINESS TO DELIVER THE PROPOSED COMMUNITY PARK. ACROSS THE AREAS OF IMPLEMENTATION, ORGANIZATION VIABILITY, FUNDRAISING AND FINANCIAL STAFFING FEASIBILITY. SO BASICALLY, THE CONSENSUS REPORT SAYS CONDITIONAL APPROVAL. MY DISSENT WOULD SAY NO RECOMMENDATION, MUCH LIKE YOU WERE YOU'VE BEEN HEARING ABOUT, DO WE KEEP THE CITY HALL? TO TEAR IT DOWN? THAT THAT TEAM DECIDED TO MAKE NO RECOMMENDATION AND PUT IT BACK ON THE PARK BOARD AND THE CITY COUNCIL TO MAKE THAT DECISION IN ANOTHER AREA. I FURTHER WENT ON TO SAY THAT THE CONSENSUS TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATION FOUND IN ITS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY QUOTE RATHER THAN DELAY PROCEEDINGS, ADVISORY GUIDANCE RATHER THAN DELAY PROVIDING ADVISORY GUIDANCE. THE TASK FORCE DETERMINED THAT IDENTIFYING SAFEGUARDS AND AREAS REQUIRING CONTINUED OVERSIGHT ALLOWS DECISION-MAKERS TO CONSIDER FORWARD PROGRESS WHILE APPROPRIATELY MANAGING RISK AND UNCERTAINTY. MY DISSENTING RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE THAT THE TASK FORCE MAKE NO RECOMMENDATION ABOUT WHETHER TO DELAY OR PROCEED WITH THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT.
AS IT COULD NOT DETERMINE OR VALIDATE FAIR PARK VERSUS FORWARD PROGRESS, BASED ON THE LIMITED AND INCONCLUSIVE NATURE OF THE DATA PROVIDED FOR THE TASK FORCE, SO, IN SUMMARY, WE CONCURRED THAT THE PROCESS WAS GOOD. IT WAS KIND OF RUSHED. WE HAD FIVE MEETINGS, WE BROKE IT DOWN TO FOUR, WE DID MEET WITH THE FAIR PARK FIRST TEAM. WE REALLY HAD GOOD DISCUSSION ABOUT IT, BUT I DON'T BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD MAKE A RECOMMENDATION.
WE SHOULD JUST TURN OUR FINDINGS OVER TO YOU AND THEN LET YOU DO THE HEAVY LISTING.
BECAUSE THE SCOPE THAT WE WERE PROVIDED WAS SO NARROW, IT DIDN'T GET AT ALL OF THE INFORMATION THAT WE THOUGHT.
WE NEEDED AS A BODY TO DO A REAL GOOD PIECE OF DELIBERATIVE WORK. THAT'S MY SUMMARY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. SMITH. SO LET'S GO TO
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DIRECTOR O'CONNOR, AND, IF YOU COULD, WALK US THROUGH THE POWERPOINT. YES, MA'AM. EXCUSE ME. AND THEN WE'LL GET TO QUESTIONS. I DON'T WANT YOU ALL TO THINK YOU GOT BY WITHOUT QUESTIONS. WELL, KEN AND LOIS, I'M SURE WE WILL HAVE QUESTIONS FOR YOU. IF WE COULD PROCEED TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. YES, RIGHT THERE. SO THE INTENT OF THIS SLIDE, OF COURSE, IS TO CONVEY THAT.FAIR PARK FIRST HAS BEEN WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS TO DEVELOP THE PLAN. SO MANY MEETINGS, MANY CONVERSATIONS WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS, A HIGH DEGREE OF OUTREACH TO DRIVE THE ULTIMATE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PLAN. THAT YOU WILL SEE A LITTLE BIT LATER IN THE SLIDE DECK. AND ALSO, IT'S NO, IT'S... WORTH POINTING OUT THAT THE MAJORITY OF FOLKS THAT WERE INTERACTED WITH THROUGH THE PROCESS DID IDENTIFY THE LOT 10 LOCATION AS THEIR PREFERRED SITE. NEXT SLIDE. SO THE MAP HERE ON THE RIGHT IS DEPICTING THE PORTION OF THE PARK WHERE THE COMMUNITY PARK WOULD WOULD BE. IT WOULD BE CONTAINED WITHIN THE THE YELLOW HIGHLIGHTED AREA THERE OFF OF FITZHUGH. IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH FAIR PARK, YOU KNOW, THAT'S KIND OF A BIG SEA OF PARKING OVER THERE ADJACENT TO DOS EQUIS, AND THE PARK WOULD BE CONTAINED WITHIN THAT PORTION IDENTIFIED THERE. IT'S APPROXIMATELY 10 ACRES. NEXT SLIDE. SO, THROUGH THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS, FAIR PARK FIRST IDENTIFIED SEVERAL ELEMENTS OF THE PARK THAT THE COMMUNITY WAS VERY INTERESTED TO SEE. DOG PARKS, WI-FI, WALKING PATHS, OPEN AREAS, ETC., AS WELL AS PLAYGROUNDS. NEXT SLIDE. SO THIS SLIDE TALKS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHERE THEY ARE IN THE PROCESS. SO SPECIFICALLY, THEY ARE AT 100% DESIGN DEVELOPMENT, AND REALLY WHAT THAT MEANS IS THE DESIGN HAS BEEN FLESHED OUT.
HOWEVER, IT'S NOT AT THE POINT WHERE... IT'S A FULL, BIDDABLE SET OF DOCUMENTS. THEY HAVE NOT COMPLETED OR EVEN STARTED CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS THAT ARE THE KIND OF FINAL IDENTIFICATION OF MATERIALS AND SPECIFICATIONS, THAT SORT OF THING.
BUT THE DESIGN IS FLESHED OUT AT THIS POINT. YOU CAN SEE THE THE PRIMARY ELEMENTS OF THE PARK LISTED BELOW AGAIN OPEN SPACES, FITNESS HUBS, DOG PARK, PLAYGROUNDS, ETC, AND THEY WERE PRETTY INTENTIONAL ABOUT IDENTIFYING OPPORTUNITIES FOR LOW MAINTENANCE MATERIALS, SPECIFICALLY PLANT MATERIALS, DROUGHT TOLERANT, ETC. NEXT SLIDE. SO HERE'S A SITE PLAN THAT'S GOING TO BE A LITTLE HARD FOR YOU TO READ, I'M SURE, BUT THIS DEPICTS THE PARK. SO YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE'S THREE PLAYGROUNDS, THERE'S PAVILIONS, THERE'S RESTROOMS, THERE'S OPEN AREAS. LAWNS, NATURAL AREAS, A LOT OF TREE PLANTING, INTEGRATION OF BLACKLAND PRAIRIE. THERE'S A COMMUNITY STAGE THAT'S AN ELEMENT OF THIS, ALONG WITH THE PAVILION. SO THERE'S LOTS OF TRADITIONAL PARK ELEMENTS HERE, BUT ALSO LOTS OF OPEN SPACE AND NATIVE PLANTINGS. NEXT SLIDE. AGAIN, SO KIND OF STATUS, SO DESIGN DEVELOPMENT IS COMPLETE.
THEY'VE DONE A LOT OF THE KIND OF DUE DILIGENCE ON THE SITE ITSELF. THEY ARE INTERESTED IN MOVING INTO CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS, PROPOSING TO DO PERMITTING AND ALL THOSE REQUIRED APPROVALS THIS SUMMER, AND THEN STARTING CONSTRUCTION.
AT THE CONCLUSION OF FIFA, WHICH, AS WE KNOW, WILL HAVE ELEMENTS AT FAIR PARK.
WITH THE TARGETED OPENING OF THE PARK. IN LATE FALL OF 2027. THEY'RE PROPOSING TO USE A CONSTRUCTION MANAGER AT RISK DELIVERY METHOD. AND THEN AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SLIDE, YOU CAN SEE THE PROJECT TEAM THEY HAVE ASSEMBLED. ON THEIR BOARD, THEY HAVE ARCHITECTS, THEY'RE WORKING WITH FORMER BOARD MEMBERS WHO ARE SERVING AS KIND OF PROJECT LEADS, THE FAIR PARK FIRST BOARD CHAIR IS IN THE DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS.
SO THEY'VE ASSEMBLED A TEAM THAT THEY FEEL CAN DELIVER THE PROJECT SUCCESSFULLY AT THE PARK, AT FAIR PARK.
NEXT SLIDE. SO GETTING INTO THE NUMBERS JUST A LITTLE BIT, THE ANTICIPATED PROJECT COST AT 100% DD DESIGN DEVELOPMENT,
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40.6 MILLION. YOU CAN SEE THE NUMBER THERE THAT'S BEEN RAISED. THERE'S A BIT OF A GAP, APPROXIMATELY 7 MILLION THAT NEEDS TO BE COMPLETED AND THEY'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON THAT. ALL FUNDS ARE CURRENTLY BEING MANAGED BY THE DALLAS FOUNDATION, WHICH IS A CHANGE FROM HOW IT WAS PREVIOUSLY THE MONEY WAS BEING STEWARDED. NEXT SLIDE AGAIN.THIS MAY BE A CHALLENGE TO READ, BUT THIS IS KIND OF A DETAILED PROJECT BUDGET TOTALING TO FORTY POINT SIX MILLION DOLLARS, ALSO DETAILING AMOUNTS RAISED AND GAPS REMAINING TO BE RAISED. THE OTHER THING I WOULD POINT OUT ON THIS SLIDE IS THERE ARE CONTINGENCIES, HARD AND SOFT, BUILT INTO THIS BUDGET. ONE OF THE THINGS WE'LL TALK ABOUT MOMENTARILY IS THAT SHOULD THOSE CONTINGENCIES NOT BE UTILIZED DURING CONSTRUCTION, THEY PERHAPS COULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE CREATION OF AN ENDOWMENT SHOULD THE DONORS AGREE TO THAT. SO IT'S ABOUT A LITTLE UNDER 5% CURRENTLY OF THE TOTAL PROJECT BUDGET THAT'S SET ASIDE FOR CONTINGENCY. NEXT SLIDE.
SO MOVING INTO THE DEAL POINTS. SO. WE HAVE WORKED CLOSELY WITH FAIR PARK FIRST TO CRAFT DEAL POINTS AND ULTIMATELY A CONTRACT THAT WILL BE RESPONSIVE TO A LOT OF THE CONCERNS THAT WE HAVE HEARD, LOTS OF CHECKS AND BALANCES, LOTS OF REPORTING, LOTS OF SAFEGUARDS TO ENSURE THAT THE PROJECT IS DELIVERED IN AS SEAMLESS WAY AS POSSIBLE.
SO YOU CAN SEE ON THE TOP OF PAGE 10 THERE ARE TRIGGERS.
FUNDRAISING TO BE COMPLETED WITHIN SIX MONTHS OF EXECUTION OF THE CONTRACT. DESIGN COMPLETED, SPECIFICALLY, THE CDS CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS WITHIN SIX MONTHS, CONSTRUCTION TO BEGIN SHORTLY THEREAFTER, SO ON AND SO FORTH. THE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES. FAIR PARK FIRST WOULD MANAGE THE DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT AND CONSTRUCTION.
THE CITY, THROUGH THE PARK DEPARTMENT, WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF ALL OF THOSE DESIGN ELEMENTS. THE CITY WOULD RETAIN AUDIT RIGHTS SHOULD THERE BE A NEED OR DESIRE? TO CONTINUE TO ENSURE THAT THE MONEY IS BEING UTILIZED APPROPRIATELY, THE CITY WOULD BE THE OWNER OF ALL IMPROVEMENTS SINCE THIS IS ON PARKLAND.
THESE WOULD BECOME CITY-OWNED ASSETS. AND AS AN ANOTHER ELEMENT OF THE DEAL, THE CITY WOULD GRANT NAMING RIGHTS TO FAIR PARK. FIRST FOR FUNDRAISING TO, YOU KNOW, TO ASSIST WITH FUNDRAISING, FOR NAMING THOSE ELEMENTS.
NEXT SLIDE. SO I'M I'M PHRASING THIS AS KIND OF ADDITIONAL CLARIFICATIONS.
IN THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT, THERE'S A PROVISION THAT CREATES KIND OF A FORMAL ESCALATION PATHWAY.
SHOULD THERE BE SOME SORT OF IMPASSE IN THE DELIVERY OF THE PROJECT, IT COULD ULTIMATELY GO TO THE CITY MANAGER.
AFTER WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH THE PARK DEPARTMENT. AS I MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY, ANY REMAINING CONTINGENCY FUNDS.
COULD BE UTILIZED AS A FUTURE ENDOWMENT, SUBJECT TO DONOR APPROVAL. AND THEN AGAIN, MORE CLARIFICATIONS AROUND REPORTING. THERE WILL BE RIGOROUS REPORT QUARTERLY REPORTS TO PART BOARD, THIS BODY, ALSO BY MEMORANDUM TO THE FULL CITY COUNCIL. AND A LOT OF THOSE REPORTS WILL DETAIL PROGRESS ON TIMELINES, COST INFORMATION, ANY SORT OF DELAY ISSUES, WHETHER IT'S MATERIALS OR OTHERWISE, AND COST OVERRUNS.
AND THEN, LASTLY, THERE WOULD BE TWO APPOINTEES EX OFFICIO TO THE FAIR PARK FIRST BOARD.
THEY'RE CURRENTLY TWO, SO IT'S KIND OF A REORGANIZATION OF HOW THOSE TWO ARE UTILIZED.
ONE WOULD BE APPOINTED BY THE PARK BOARD AND THE OTHER WOULD BE APPOINTED BY BY THIS BODY, BY THE PARKS, TRAILS AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE, AND WOULD REP. AND THOSE EX-OFFICIOS WOULD WORK CLOSELY WITH THE PARK DEPARTMENT AND THE PARK DIRECTOR TO PROVIDE YOU KNOW INFORMATION, REPORTING, ETC. SO, IN OTHER WORDS, THERE'S A LOT OF ROBUST REPORTING. A LOT OF ROBUST COORDINATION WITH THE CITY, SPECIFICALLY THE PARK DEPARTMENT, THROUGHOUT THE DELIVERY OF THIS PROJECT TO ENSURE THAT IT MEETS EVERYONE'S EXPECTATIONS. AND THAT CONCLUDES THE PRESENTATION.
ALL RIGHT. WOULD ANYONE FROM FAIR PARK FIRST LIKE TO MAKE A STATEMENT, OR ARE YOU READY FOR US TO LAUNCH INTO QUESTIONS? I THINK WE WOULD LIKE TO HEAD TO QUESTIONS. I KNOW YOU ALL HAVE SOME. YOU'RE READY FOR THE QUESTIONS. ALL RIGHT.
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WHERE WOULD? I WILL START WITH? COUNCILMEMBER BEZALDUA. THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR, AND I WON'T TAKE LONG. I FIRST JUST WANT TO SAY A HUGE THANK YOU TO CHAIRWOMAN STEWART FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND YOUR WILLINGNESS TO TO REALLY DIVE IN.SPECIFICALLY WITH THE SHORT TIME RESTRAINT THAT WE HAD.
ALSO WANT TO THANK COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR GIVING US THIS OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE THIS UP. AND I KNOW THAT IT WAS AN UNORTHODOX ACTION THAT GOT US HERE.
HOWEVER, I THINK THAT WE'VE MADE GREAT STRIDES IN THE SHORT TIME THAT YOU ALL HAVE GIVEN US THE ABILITY TO START WORKING ON THIS. I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL ON THE TASK FORCE FOR Y'ALL'S WORK. REALLY APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT Y'ALL GAVE US. VERY OBJECTIVELY, I BELIEVE EVEN YOUR DISSENT.
MR. SMITH IS VERY OBJECTIVE, AND I APPRECIATE THE DILIGENCE THAT YOU ALL GAVE THROUGH THAT PROCESS. MY REALLY BIGGEST QUESTION THAT I HAVE, BECAUSE WE'VE REALLY DUG IN, AND I KNOW THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE SOME MORE GRANULAR QUESTIONS FROM COMMITTEE MEMBERS, BUT I'D LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU, RYAN, BEYOND GIVING THE PRESENTATION, JUST YOUR OWN, WITH YOUR EXPERTISE, YOUR OWN. I DON'T KNOW THE RIGHT WORD, HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT WHAT IS IN FRONT OF YOU AND HOW, YOU KNOW, DESPITE WHAT IT'S TAKEN TO GET HERE. WITH ALL OF THE DIFFERENT DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS THAT HAVE COME BEFORE YOU AND THE DIFFERENT GROUPS THAT YOU HAVE WORKED WITH, THAT YOUR CONFIDENCE LEVEL IN WHAT'S IN FRONT OF YOU.
SO, SO, I'LL ANSWER IT A COUPLE DIFFERENT WAYS. I WOULD SAY THAT. I BELIEVE THAT THE TEAM THAT THEY HAVE ASSEMBLED IS STRONG, CLEARLY HAVE EXPERIENCE DELIVERING BIG PROJECTS, SO I THINK THAT'S A REAL FEATHER IN THE IN FAIR PARK FIRST CAP.
YOU KNOW, I WOULD ALSO SAY THAT, AS I MENTIONED IN THE PRESENTATION, THIS AGREEMENT HAS A LOT OF CHECKS AND BALANCES, A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR INTERACTIONS. THAT WE PROBABLY WOULDN'T HAVE IN A NORMAL SCENARIO OF A DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT. SO I SAY THAT TO MEAN IT'S GOING TO BE ROBUST. AND SO I THINK BECAUSE OF THE WAY THAT THIS HAS BEEN STRUCTURED, THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE A LOT OF CURVEBALLS. THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE A LOT OF THINGS WE DIDN'T SEE COMING.
SO, FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, MY ANSWER WOULD BE. I HAVE CONFIDENCE THAT THE TEAM AND THE PROCESS IS GOING TO YIELD A RESULT THAT WOULD BENEFIT THE COMMUNITY. THANK YOU FOR THAT. FAIR PARK. FIRST, IT IS AN AGGRESSIVE TIMELINE, AND I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS THAT I'M MOST SUPPORTIVE OF IT. NOT BEING DONE IN-HOUSE, QUITE FRANKLY, BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW THAT WE CAN GET IT DONE AS FAST OR AS FINANCIALLY FEASIBLE AS WHAT YOU ALL HAVE LAID OUT. CAN YOU JUST SPEAK TO THE SKEPTICISM ON THE DELIVERY OF A PARK WITH SUCH AGGRESSIVE TIMELINE? AND THEN I KNOW THAT IF YOU COULD JUST ADDRESS THE GAP FUNDING AS WELL, AND HOW WE'RE PLANNING TO ADDRESS THAT. FIRST, YEAH, I'LL HAND IT TO HEATHER TO TALK ABOUT THE GAP AND THE TIMELINE FOR SIX MONTHS THAT WE HAVE IN THE DEAL POINTS.
WE'VE BEEN SITTING ON THE BENCH, BUT WE'VE ALSO BEEN DOING WORK AS WELL. SO.
WE'RE READY TO GO. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE HAD, FEEL VERY CONFIDENT THAT THE DESIGN THAT WE'VE PUT FORWARD THROUGH 100% DDS IS FINANCIALLY VIABLE, BUT ALSO MATERIALITY VIABLE.
IT HAS TIMING. WE'VE THOUGHT THROUGH ALL THE MATERIALITIES, THE TIMING OF EVERYTHING SO THAT WE CAN MEET THIS AGGRESSIVE TIMELINE. WE'VE ALSO HAD THE CONVERSATIONS WITH ALL THE APPROPRIATE PARTIES TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE IS ON BOARD, KNOWING THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE PULLING THE TRIGGER.
SO I DO THINK WE FEEL VERY CONFIDENT. BUT, HEATHER, DO YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE SIX MONTHS AND THE FUNDING GAP? YOU KNOW, AGGRESSIVE, I DON'T REALLY LIKE THAT WORD, BUT I WOULD JUST SAY IT IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW THE SUPPORT FOR THE PROJECT. AND SO WITH ABOUT $7 MILLION GAP, WE HAVE $2 MILLION IN CONVERSATION ALREADY, SO THAT WOULD PUT US DOWN TO ABOUT $5 MILLION. AND FOR FULLY FUNDING CONSTRUCTION AND CONTINGENCY, WHICH IS, WE'RE ALMOST THERE, WE'RE AT, YOU KNOW, MOST OF THE FUNDING WE HAVE IS FOR CONSTRUCTION AND CONTINGENCY.
THERE'S A SMALL BIT OF SOFT COST, SO I FEEL VERY CONFIDENT THAT THE TEAM CAN PULL TOGETHER BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF SUPPORT AROUND THE PROJECT. AND SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT $5 MILLION IN THE SPAN OF A SIX-MONTH GAP, AND IF YOU LOOK
[00:30:01]
AT THE TRENDING HISTORY OF HOW THE PROJECT'S RAISED FUNDING, THAT IS... I THINK WELL WITHIN THE MEANS OF THE TEAM.THANK YOU ALL. AND THEN, COLLEAGUES, I JUST WANT TO LET YOU ALL KNOW. ONE OF THE INTENTS IS TO BRING A MATTER TO THE TIF BOARDS TO CONSIDER. THERE ARE SOME DOLLARS THAT ARE ONLY USED FOR PUBLIC-FACING PROJECTS IN THE TRANSFER THAT WE'VE ALREADY APPROVED OF FUNDS FROM INCREMENT, THE DEEP ELLUM TIF, GOING INTO GRAND PARK SOUTH.
THAT CANNOT BE USED FOR OTHER PROGRAMS THAT WE ARE USING THE TIF DOLLARS FOR, FOR HOME REPAIR, INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. IT'S SPECIFICALLY TO PUBLIC-FACING PROJECTS AND WE HAVE MORE THAN ABOUT SEVEN MILLION DOLLARS IN THERE. FOR THE GRAND PARK SOUTH AREA. WE'RE LOOKING AT TAKING TWO OF THAT MILLION AND ALLOWING FOR, IF THE APPROPRIATE APPROVALS GO THROUGH, ALLOWING FOR FAIR PARK. FIRST. TO LEVERAGE THAT TO HELP EXPEDITE THE CLOSING OF THIS GAP. AND GIVE US A LITTLE BIT MORE SKIN IN THE GAME FROM THE CITY'S PERSPECTIVE, SINCE WE'LL BE TAKING THAT ON.
SO I JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU ALL THAT CONTEXT.
AND THAT'S WHY IN THE ONE OF THE LAST PAGES ON THE PRESENTATION, IT SPECIFIES THAT THERE, IF YOU'LL NOTICE.
IN THE AGREEMENT, IT IS VERY PRESCRIBED THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE PRIVATELY FUNDED AND NOT UTILIZING CITY DOLLARS. AND THAT LANGUAGE IS STILL OKAY TO HAVE IN THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT BECAUSE TIF DOLLARS ARE NOT CONSIDERED OUR CITY DOLLARS. SO I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT AND JUST LET YOU ALL KNOW THAT. WE HAVE WORKED THROUGH THIS AGREEMENT, AS RYAN HAS MENTIONED, TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE ARE MANY GUARDRAILS. I WANT TO BE VERY CLEAR THAT AS FOND AS I AM OF THOSE WHO I'VE WORKED WITH, WITH FAIR PARK. FIRST, THE LOYALTY TO THIS PROJECT AND THE...
REAL PUSH TO GET THIS DONE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ANY INDIVIDUALS OR ORGANIZATION. THIS IS ABOUT THE SOUTH DALLAS COMMUNITY WHO HAS CONTINUED TO BE PROMISED BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE, MORE AMENITIES AND THINGS THAT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN AFFORDED IN ALL PARTS OF OUR CITY. AND THIS IS A AMAZING OPPORTUNITY WITH SUCH GREAT MOMENTUM THAT THE LAST THING I WANT TO DO IS PULL THE RUG OUT FROM UNDER WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE IN THE COMMUNITY. AND SO I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A CONVICTION OF ANY PARTICULAR GROUP. I THINK THAT WE HAVE THE RIGHT ACCOUNTING, ACCOUNTABILITY AND OVERSIGHT BUILT IN SO THAT WE CAN PULL THE PLUG AND KEEP OUR FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITY TO THE CITY.
WHILE ALSO DELIVERING ON THE PROMISES AND THE REPRESENTATION THAT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE FOR THE RESIDENTS OF SOUTH DALLAS. SO WITH THAT, THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. SO, I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN HEARING SOME OF THE DETAILS OF FAIR PARK FIRST'S ADMINISTRATIVE CAPABILITY TO OVERSEE A $40 MILLION CONSTRUCTION PROJECT.
CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT YOUR STAFFING IS AND WHAT THEIR EXPERIENCE IS IN CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT? YEP, GOOD MORNING. YEAH, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. ONE OF OUR THINGS IS WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, PARK OR DEVELOPMENT, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S IT'S. YES, WE HAVE ONE STAFF MEMBER, UM.
BUT WE ALSO HAVE A SUPPORT AROUND FROM THE ADMIN SIDE AS IT RELATES TO ACCOUNTING, THE FINANCIAL CONTROLS AND OTHER AUDITS. BUT I WANT TO POINT TO OUR TEAM, IT'S THE WHOLE TEAM AS IT RELATES TO OUR DESIGN TEAM, RIGHT? THOSE ARE GOING TO BE THE GUYS THAT OVERSEE IT.
AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE SHORT ON STAFF AT THIS POINT. HOWEVER, THAT'S WHY WE WENT MADE INTO INTO THE AGREEMENT TO HIRE OUR OWN OWNERS. REP.
SO WE HAVE NORMAN. UP THERE, WAVES, WHICH IS OUR DIRECT HIRE WHO WORKS FOR US AND NOT OUR GC, AND NOT FOR THE ARCHITECT TEAM TO OVERSEE THE DAY IN, DAY OUT, AND THEY'LL REPORT DIRECTLY TO ALYSSA, AND SHE'LL REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE COMMITTEE. SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE PLACES, THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE TO OVERSEE TO COVER THOSE GAPS FROM AN ADMIN STANDPOINT.
BUT AS FAR AS IT GOES AT OUR SIDE, IT'S MAINLY ADMIN DUTIES AND NOT HEAVY DAY IN, DAY WORK. OUR FOCUS IS FUNDRAISING AND CLOSING THE GAPS AND ENSURING THAT WE HAVE THE PROPER FINANCES TO SEE THIS THING THROUGH COMPLETION. WELL, THE FINANCING IS ONE THING. IT'S IMPORTANT, OF COURSE, BUT IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT THAT YOU HAVE SOMEONE KNOWLEDGEABLE TO MANAGE THE CONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATION. I'M FAMILIAR WITH MR. RALSTON. HE IS HIGHLY QUALIFIED AS AN ARCHITECT TO DO THIS, BUT HE'S NOT ON THE PAID STAFF, IS HE? NO, HE'S NOT ON THE PAID STAFF, BUT HE'S HIRED. SO HE'S SERVING AS A VOLUNTEER? NO, HE'S HIRED.
WE HIRED HIM TO BE OUR OWNER'S REPRESENTATIVE. SO YOU HAVE A CONTRACT WITH HIM? YES. OKAY.
FOR THAT TECHNICAL PIECE THERE, OKAY, VERY GOOD, YEAH. AND HE'S LIKE, SAY, HE WORKS FOR FAIR PARK FIRST, AND NOT THE GC AND NOT THE ARCHITECT TEAM. HE DIRECTLY REPORTS TO US, SO HE'S YOUR OWNER'S REPRESENTATIVE, CORRECT?
[00:35:02]
OKAY? AND WHAT IS THE DURATION OF THAT CONTRACT? TO COMPLETION. OKAY. SO LIKE, TWO AND A HALF YEARS OR SO.VERY GOOD. AND WHAT FINANCIAL CHECKS DO WE HAVE ON THE RECEIPT AND DEPLOYMENT OF THE CONTRIBUTIONS THAT YOU RECEIVE TOWARD THE CONSTRUCTION AND SOFT COSTS? YEAH, I'LL LET HEATHER GET. SO I USUALLY DON'T PLAY THIS ROLE IN A PROJECT, BUT THIS IS A VERY SPECIAL ONE.
SO THERE ARE CHECKS AND BALANCES FOR BOTH SIDES. SO THERE'S PHILANTHROPIC CONTRIBUTIONS, AND THEN THERE'S PUBLIC FUNDING THROUGH THE STATE, FEDERAL, AND LOCAL FUNDING. SO CAN I EXPLAIN BOTH OF THOSE SEPARATELY? SURE.
BECAUSE THEY EACH HAVE THEIR OWN PROCESS. SO THE PHILANTHROPIC DOLLARS, SPECIFICALLY RESTRICTED FOR THE COMMUNITY PARK, WILL BE DEPOSITED INTO BY FAIR PARK FIRST AS A CFO. WHO WILL TAKE THOSE FUNDS WHEN RECEIPT AND DEPOSIT THEM INTO THE DALLAS FOUNDATION.
WHO IS THE CFO? HER NAME IS SALLY PEACH. OKAY. AND SHE'S A MEMBER OF THE BOARD. SHE IS.
SHE IS A CONTRACTED FRACTIONAL CFO. OH, OKAY. AND SO SHE WORKS UNDER ALYSSA. SO ALYSSA IS A W2 EMPLOYEE OF FAIR PARK FIRST.
BUT JUST FOR MY SAKE, WHEN I THINK ABOUT NORM, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS AN INTERPRETATION OF HIM BEING A VOLUNTEER. HE IS CONTRACTUALLY. YOU KNOW, WORKING FOR FAIR PARK FIRST, I AM ALSO CONTRACTUALLY WORKING FOR FAIR PARK FIRST AS A CONSULTANT. AND SO ALYSSA DOES HAVE SUPPORT, JUST NOT W-2 SUPPORT. SO BACK TO THE PHILANTHROPIC FUNDS ARE DEPOSITED INTO DALLAS FOUNDATION, WHICH ARE PURPOSELY RESTRICTED FOR THE COMMUNITY PARK. WHEN THERE IS A DRAWDOWN ON THOSE, THEY HAVE TO BE IN ALIGNMENT, ONE, WITH THE DONOR AGREEMENTS, BECAUSE THERE'S TWO DONORS WHO HAVE STIPULATIONS. AS AN EXAMPLE, ONE DONOR WILL DISPERSE FUNDS.
TO THE DALLAS FOUNDATION UPON GROUNDBREAKING AND THEN AGAIN AT 60% CONSTRUCTION. SO THERE'S A CADENCE TO HOW FUNDING IS DISPERSED.
THOSE FUNDS WILL BE DEPOSITED INTO THE DALLAS FOUNDATION, AND THEN THEY HAVE A CHECK WRITING PROCESS WITH THEIR BOARD TREASURER, THEIR BOARD CHAIR, AND THE CFO.
TO WITHDRAW FUNDS. BASED ON EXPENSES THAT ARE DOCUMENTED, SO INVOICES PERTAINING TO THE PROJECT. HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE TO SIGN THOSE CHECKS? I WILL LET ALYSSA ANSWER THAT.
I'M NOT INVOLVED IN CHECK SIGNING PROCESSES.
IT'S TWO-PARTY. SO, PHILANTHROPIC IS MANAGED BETWEEN THE DALLAS FOUNDATION AND FAIR PARK FIRST, SO THERE'S CHECKS AND BALANCES THERE. THE LARGER PORTION, WHICH IS ABOUT $13 MILLION IN PUBLIC FUNDING FROM THE STATE AND FEDERAL, GETS A LOT MORE COMPLICATED AND HAS A LOT MORE ARDUOUS PROCESS.
SO FROM THE FEDERAL LEVEL, IT WILL GO THROUGH. THE CITY OF DALLAS, SERVES AS THE STEWARD OF THOSE FUNDS. SO FAIR PARK FIRST WILL HAVE TO SUBMIT INVOICES TO THE CITY OF DALLAS. IT WILL GO THROUGH THE CITY OF DALLAS'S AUDITING PROCESS BEFORE THEY SEND IT TO THE STATE, AND THEN THE STATE REVIEWS IT, AND THEN THE STATE SENDS IT TO THE FEDERAL LEVEL. SO THERE ARE THREE CHECKS OF AN AUDIT PROCESS FOR ONE BILL FOR A FEDERAL GRANT.
FOR THE STATE GRANT, THERE'S TWO CHECKS AND BALANCES. THE CITY OF DALLAS'S AUDITING DEPARTMENT, THROUGH PARK AND REC, AND THEN AT THE STATE LEVEL, AND THEN THE FUNDS ARE RETURNED. SO ON THE PUBLIC FUNDING, IT WILL TAKE ANYWHERE FROM FOUR TO EIGHT WEEKS TO GET PAYMENT BACK. IF THERE'S NO DELAY. SO THOSE ARE YOUR CHECKS AND BALANCES ON FUNDING, AND IT IS ALL TIED TO THE SOURCE AND USE DOCUMENT, WHICH IS THE BUDGET. SO WILL THAT GOVERNMENTAL FUNDING BE ONLY ON A REIMBURSEMENT BASIS AFTER THE WORK'S BEEN DONE? NOT AFTER THE WORK'S BEEN DONE, BUT AFTER THE BILL HAS BEEN INCURRED. SO STATE AND FEDERAL ARE REIMBURSEMENT ONLY, AND SO FAIR PARK FIRST HAS BUILT THAT INTO THEIR CADENCE AND THEIR SCHEDULE. THERE'S, I THINK, ACTUALLY IN THE DOCUMENTS THAT WERE PROVIDED, THERE IS A MOCK SCHEDULE, BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE THE CONSTRUCTION COST BREAKDOWN YET BY MONTH, BUT I BELIEVE IT'S ON PAGE 11 OF THE SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION, AND IT GIVES KIND OF A FUNDING SNAPSHOT AND A PHASE TIME DISTRIBUTION SCHEDULE, AND THERE'S ONE LITTLE AREA WHERE THEY HAVE A GAP. WHICH THEY PLAN TO POTENTIALLY, DEPENDING ON HOW THE ADDITIONAL FUNDS WE RAISE ARE DISPERSED, TAKING A BRIDGE FOR THAT.
WELL, IF THE GOVERNMENTAL FUNDING IS REIMBURSEMENT-BASED, HOW WILL YOU FUND THE ACTUAL INVOICE FROM THE CONTRACTOR TO KEEP THEM WORKING? THEY WON'T WAIT EIGHT WEEKS TO BE PAID. YEAH. SO I THINK WHAT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL TO LOOK AT WOULD BE THAT DISBURSEMENT SCHEDULE IN THERE BECAUSE IT BREAKS IT DOWN BY PHASE OF CONSTRUCTION. THEY HAVE ENOUGH. PHILANTHROPY ON THE FRONT END, TO BE ABLE TO PAY OUT A CERTAIN AMOUNT AND THEN THEY GET REIMBURSED BACK FOR THAT. ON TOP OF IT, IF THAT MAKES SENSE. OKAY,
[00:40:01]
WELL, THAT'S GOING TO TAKE SOME VERY CLEVER CASH MANAGEMENT TO KEEP AHEAD OF THAT GAME.AND I HOPE THAT YOUR CFO IS EXPERIENCED WITH THAT, BECAUSE TIME FRAMES ON CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS CAN BE CRITICAL. ABSOLUTELY. I AGREE.
AND WHAT PRECAUTIONS OR SAFEGUARDS HAVE BEEN PLACED TO PREVENT... USAGE OF PHILANTHROPIC DOLLARS FOR OPERATIONAL EXPENSES. I GUESS ALYSSA SHOULD SPEAK TO THE FAIR PARK FIRST. POLICIES AND PROCEDURES THEY HAVE THAT WERE ESTABLISHED. ACTUALLY, THOSE PROCESSES WERE ESTABLISHED BY KIBA BEATTY, WHO WAS THE FORMER TREASURER OF FAIR PARK, FIRST, PRIOR TO HIS DEPARTURE.
ON THE BOARD, THAT SPECIFY HOW THEY MANAGE FUNDS AND HOW THEY'RE DISPERSED. BUT BETWEEN ALYSSA, THE CFO, AND THE DALLAS FOUNDATION, I BELIEVE THEY HAVE A GOOD PROCESS IN PLACE. AND I WILL ALSO BE LOOKING AT EVERYTHING, NOT THAT I HAVE AN AUTHORITY ROLE IN THAT.
WELL, I'M PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN KNOWING HOW ALL OF THESE CONSULTING CONTRACTS, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S SALARY ARE GOING TO BE PAID, IF NOT PAID, OUT OF PHILANTHROPIC CONTRIBUTIONS.
WHERE WILL THAT MONEY COME FROM? WELL, I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY, PRESCRIBED IN THE BUDGET FOR THE PROJECT, JUST LIKE ANY... PARK PROJECT THAT MIGHT BE HAPPENING IN DALLAS.
DID YOU WANT TO ADDRESS THAT? ME TOO. SALARIES AND THESE THIRD-PARTY CONTRACTS ARE PART OF OUR BUDGET AND SO THEY ARE ALREADY FACTORED INTO THOSE RAISED DOLLARS.
THAT WOULD BE DISPERSED THROUGH THE TWO AREAS THAT WE JUST COVERED, WHICH IS THE PUBLIC SIDE AND THEN THE PHILANTHROPIC SIDE. SO YOUR SALARY WILL BE PAID OUT OF THE FUNDS THAT ARE CONTRIBUTED FOR THIS PROJECT? YES. OKAY. WILL YOU BE WORKING ON ANYTHING ELSE OTHER THAN THE COMMUNITY PARK, ANY PORTION OF YOUR SALARY THAT'S NOT ALLOCABLE TO THIS PROJECT? NO, NO. THIS IS THE TASK AT HAND. THIS IS OUR ROLE.
THIS IS OUR JOB. THIS IS WHAT WE'RE HERE TO DO. OKAY. THANK YOU, CHAIR. COUNCIL MEMBER BLACKMON, THANK YOU. THANKS FOR BEING HERE AND THANKS FOR THE WORK. JUST REAL QUICK, ALL THE QUESTIONS. GREAT, ANSWERS ARE FINE, BUT EVERYBODY ON YOUR PROJECT TEAM IS STILL CONFIRMED TO BE ON THE PROJECT TEAM, RIGHT, THAT YOU'VE LISTED? YES.
OKAY, SO THE CMAR TEAM IS STILL, BECAUSE EVERYBODY'S KIND OF BEEN IN A HOLDING PATTERN, SO I'M JUST MAKING SURE THE SCHEDULE AND THE TEAM, EVERYBODY'S STILL THERE? YEP, THEY'RE MOST OF THEM. OKAY.
THERE YOU GO. OKAY, GREAT TO SEE THAT. SO YOU HAVE 12 MILLION OUT PRIVATELY. YOU HAVE THE DELTA, AND THEN YOU'VE GOT PLEDGES OF 19, I BELIEVE, BUT YOU'VE ONLY COLLECTED SEVEN, 6.6. SO YOU'VE GOT A DELTA OF ABOUT 12 MILLION. ARE THOSE PLEDGES STILL HARD AND FIRM AS WELL? YES, ALL OF OUR FUNDING IS STILL SECURED. THERE ARE TWO THINGS THAT I MIGHT NOTE. ONE IS... CITY MANAGER KIM TOLBERT WILL NEED TO SIGN A RESOLUTION FOR THE $8.6 MILLION ORLOP FUND, WHICH I BELIEVE WAS DISCUSSED AT COUNCIL ON THE 28TH. SO THAT IS THE LAST PIECE TO MAKE SURE THAT FUNDING IS A HUNDRED PERCENT SECURED. WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF WORKING WITH THE STATE ON THE THREE MILLION THAT WAS APPROPRIATED THIS SUMMER. WE'RE WELL WITHIN OUR TIMELINE TO MAKE SURE WE GET ALL THAT PAPERWORK DONE FOR THEM. AND SO I ANTICIPATE THAT WILL BE RESOLVED BY MAY OR JUNE, AND THAT IS ALSO A REIMBURSEMENT DRAWDOWN. AND THEN, FINALLY, IF YOU HAVE A LETTER AUTHORIZED FROM THE DALLAS FOUNDATION VERIFYING THE PLEDGES THAT WE HAVE CONFIRMED. AND EVERYTHING AS OF, I BELIEVE. THOSE PLEDGES ARE ACTUAL HARD DOLLARS. I THINK THERE'S A MIS... CAN I? YEAH. SO, PLEDGES CAN BE USED IN TWO DIFFERENT TERMS. CORRECT. AND FOR THE SAKE OF CLEARER COMMUNICATIONS, I THINK I MIGHT USE GRANT AGREEMENTS. OKAY. BECAUSE A PLEDGE IS SOMEBODY WHO GIVES YOU DOLLARS.
IN A DOCUMENT THAT'S KIND OF CONFIRMED THAT THEY PAY OUT OVER A PERIOD OF TIME. AND SO THE PLEDGE IS JUST THE ACTION OF HOW IT'S PAID, NOT NECESSARILY THE AGREEMENT.
THESE ARE CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENTS THAT ARE WITH THE DONORS THAT HAVE BEEN VERIFIED AND REVIEWED. NOT ONLY DID I SIT WITH RYAN AND GO THROUGH EACH OF THOSE, BUT THE DALLAS FOUNDATION HAS COPIES OF THOSE, REVIEWED THEM, AND PROVIDED AN AUTHORIZATION LETTER. SO THOSE ARE CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENTS. IT'S JUST A MATTER OF WHEN IT COMES IN. YES.
OKAY. AND NOW YOU HAVE A, AND AS WHAT BASIL, MR. BASIL WAS SAYING, YOU HAVE A DELTA OF WHAT YOUR PROJECT COST IS VERSUS WHAT YOU HAVE READY TO GO. UNDER THE UNFORTUNATE CIRCUMSTANCES, IT DOESN'T FULFILL. IS THERE WAYS THAT THE PROJECT CAN BE VALUE ENGINEERED TO COME IN WITHIN THAT BUDGET OF WHAT YOU HAVE OF WHAT, 30?
[00:45:01]
GUESS WHAT? I CAN'T, UM, 33 MILLION. YES. OKAY. YES. SO YOU DO HAVE A CONTINGENCY PLAN. I KNOW YOU HAVE A CONTINGENCY FUND, BUT IN CASE YOU NEED TO SHAVE OFF, YOU KNOW, FIVE TO SEVEN MILLION, YOU'VE THOUGHT ABOUT THAT. OH YEAH. OH YEAH. NOT, NOT JUST RELATED TO THIS PROJECT, JUST NATURALLY, JUST FROM INDUSTRY. CORRECT. YEAH.WE, YOU KNOW, BC PLANS. AND SO, UM, I KNOW, ON PAGE 10, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE DREAM, THE DEAL POINT. RYAN, WHO, IT SAYS, RIGHT HERE, THE CITY, THROUGH PARKS AND REC, REVIEWS AND APPROVES DESIGN DOCUMENTS, BUT WHO'S ALSO DOING, LIKE THE WHOLE COMPLETE OVERSIGHT OF MAKING SURE THAT EVERYTHING IS BEING FOLLOWED? WE HAVEN'T BEEN VERY GOOD AT THAT. IN LOIS, YOU LAUGH. YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. YES, MA'AM.
SO, WE WILL ASSIGN A PROJECT MANAGER, AND GIVEN THE GREAT DEGREE OF IMPORTANCE OF THIS PROJECT, I WOULD THINK. MULTIPLE LEVELS OF OUR ORGANIZATION ARE GOING TO BE INVOLVED IN THE OVERALL REVIEW AND CONTRACT MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS PROJECT.
BUT WE WOULD ASSIGN A PROJECT MANAGER. THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF PLANNING AND DESIGN WILL BE INVOLVED. I'M SURE I'LL BE INVOLVED. AND I'M SURE EVEN MR. JENKINS WILL BE INVOLVED.
BUT I ALSO DON'T WANT, I WANT THIS TO BE A PARTNERSHIP AS WELL.
THE COMMUNITY HAS BEEN WAITING WAY TOO LONG. AND SO I DON'T WANT IT TO BE SEEN AS BEING A HARD ASS, BUT BEING MORE OF A PARTNER.
AND JUST MAKING SURE THAT EVERYBODY IS IN THEIR LANE AND DOING WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO DO. BUT I THINK A PARTNERSHIP IS REALLY WHAT IS SOUGHT HERE, AND I THINK THAT'S THE HOPEFUL, THE NORTH STAR WITH ALL OF THIS. YES, MA'AM. THANK YOU.
ALL RIGHT. CHAIR WEST, DO YOU WANT TO QUESTION SAM OR WAIT? CAN YOU COME BACK TO ME? YES.
COUNCIL MEMBER BLAIR? THANK YOU FOR, I THANK ALL OF YOU FOR BEING HERE THIS MORNING. I SEE SOME FAMILIAR FACES ON THIS PANEL. I DO HAVE A QUESTION, THOUGH, FOR THE REPRESENTATIVE FOR FAIR PARK FIRST. I KNOW THAT THERE HAS BEEN QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS ABOUT PREVIOUS MANAGEMENT AND MANAGEMENT TODAY. CAN YOU PLEASE EXPRESS WHAT MAKES... THE DIFFERENCE OF TODAY'S CITY, YOU KNOW, STANDING OPPOSED TO THE MEMBERS OF THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY HERE.
UM, WELL, FIRST AND FOREMOST, YEAH, WE'RE ALL NEW TO THIS, UM, TO THIS AS WELL. SO WE'VE ALL BEEN INVOLVED WITH THE PROJECT.
BUT NOW WE'RE IN A LEADERSHIP ROLE. UM, TO BRING THIS FORWARD. UM, SO THERE HAS BEEN A TURNOVER OF OF THE LEADERS THAT WERE AT THE TABLE PREVIOUSLY.
THERE'S ALSO BEEN A NUMBER OF GUARDRAILS PUT IN PLACE. WE HAVE PUT IN A NUMBER OF PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES AS WE'VE KIND OF GONE OVER WITH ALL THE QUESTIONS AS WELL AROUND OUR FINANCIAL CONTROLS.
ADDITIONALLY, THERE IS NOT A THIRD PARTY AT THE TABLE, AS WELL. WHEN I SAY THAT, I MEAN, THERE'S NOT AN OPERATOR WHO IS WHO HAS ACCESS TO ALL OF OUR ACCOUNTS AND IS MANAGING OUR FINANCIALS. SO THERE IS NO LONGER ANOTHER PART PARTY AT THE TABLE. WE MANAGE OUR FUNDS, WE MANAGE OUR PROJECTS, WE MANAGE OUR WORK, SO THAT THAT'S A BIG DIFFERENCE. WE'VE ALSO HAD BROUGHT IN NEW BOARD MEMBERS, I BELIEVE WE'VE HAD SIX NEW BOARD MEMBERS COME IN. WE HAVE DEVELOPED AN AUDIT COMMITTEE AS WELL, SO WE HAVE A NEW CHAIR OF THAT, WE HAVE A NEW FINANCE CHAIR.
SO WE HAVE BROUGHT IN NEW TALENT, NEW EXPERTISE.
SO I THINK OVERALL THERE'S BEEN A NUMBER OF NEW THINGS THAT HAVE COME TO THE TABLE, LESSONS LEARNED.
AND, YEAH, YOU WANT TO ADD ANYTHING? YEAH, SIMPLE, CONTROL. WE HAVE CONTROL, DIRECT CONTROL OVER WHAT COMES IN AND WHAT COMES OUT. THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND I KNOW THAT IN SOME OF THE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS THAT WE HEARD FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CHAIR, THERE WAS A CONCERN ABOUT STAFFING AND THAT YOU GUYS NEED TO DO SOME STAFFING UP. WHAT IS THE PROCESS TO GET YOU WHERE YOU NEED TO BE? SO YOU HAVE THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN PLACE TO DO THE JOB CORRECTLY AND EFFICIENTLY, YET KEEPING COSTS AT A MINIMUM SO THAT THIS PROJECT CAN COME IN? AS A PROJECT MANAGER, YOU NEEDED SCOPE, TIME, RISK ASSESSMENT, AND BUDGET. YEAH, I THINK THE FIRST THING IS DIRECTION, RIGHT, AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT AUTHORITY.
OVER THE PAST, GOSH, I THINK IT'S ABOUT TWO YEARS OR SO NOW THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS, AND THE FIRST THING THAT WE DID WHEN WE KNEW THAT, YOU KNOW, SOME CHALLENGES WERE ON THE HORIZON, WAS START LEANING UP, RIGHT? WE DON'T WANT TO THROW GOOD MONEY AFTER BAD OR JUST START THROWING MONEY
[00:50:01]
OUT THE DOOR. SO WE LEANED UP INTENTIONALLY.UNTIL WE UNDERSTOOD WHAT'S NEXT FOR US. AND SO WE'RE MOVING FORWARD. OUR SINGLE TASK RIGHT NOW IS DEVELOPING THE PARK.
AND WHAT I SEE IS, AND WHAT I'M GOING TO BRING TO MY BOARD, IS. AS WE GET CLOSER, WE START RAMPING UP AND WE START HIRING ADDITIONAL STAFF. BUT RIGHT NOW, THE FOLKS, SINCE WE'RE STILL KIND OF EARLY IN THE PROCESS, AND I MEAN, EARLY. AS FAR AS THE LONGEVITY OF THE SUCCESS OF THIS PARK, IS THAT IDENTIFYING WHERE OUR GAPS ARE AND START GETTING STAFF AROUND THAT. BUT RIGHT NOW, I JUST CONSIDER WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON. WE FEEL THAT WE HAVE ADEQUATE COVERAGE WITH OUR CONSULTANTS. MR. SMITH, IN WHAT I'VE READ, HAD A CONCERN ABOUT THE AVAILABLE DATA. AND MR. SMITH, CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT EXACT DATA ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? ONE SECOND, PLEASE. THE TASK FORCE WAS ASKED TO REVIEW DATA PROVIDED PRIMARILY BY FAIR PARK. FIRST, WHICH MEANS THIS ENTITY THAT'S BEING ASSESSED IS THE ENTITY WHO'S PROVIDING THE DATA FOR US TO ASSESS. IT'S KIND OF AN UNUSUAL THING. WE ASKED FOR AUDITED FINANCIALS.
WE ASKED FOR THE PARK DEPARTMENT'S AUDIT THAT I BELIEVE IS NOW ABOUT SIX MONTHS OLD, BUT WE DID NOT RECEIVE IT. WE ASKED FOR PERFORMANCE METRICS. WHAT IS FAIR PARK FIRST SUPPOSED TO DO, ACCORDING TO THE CONTRACT THAT IT HAS? HAS IT MET THOSE CRITERIA? WE ASKED FOR THE LEGAL DOCUMENTS THAT DISSOLVED THE CONTRACT WITH FAIR PARK FIRST AND WITH OVG. AND WE WERE TOLD THAT WE COULD NOT GET IT, THAT THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT SAID THAT THE ISSUES WERE WITH OVG, NOT NECESSARILY WITH FAIR PARK. FIRST. AND WE SAID, OKAY, CAN WE PROVE IT? AND WE DID NOT GET THAT INFORMATION.
UM, CASH ON HAND AND OTHER REQUESTS. WE THINK, I THINK PERSONALLY, UH, AND THE DISSENTING VIEW THAT IT'S UP TO FAIR PARK. FIRST TO PROVIDE THE DATA THAT WE REQUESTED. AND IN PART OF THAT WAS TO REALLY LOOK AT THAT CONTRACT THAT DISSOLVES THE RELATIONSHIPS, THE AGREEMENT. THAT TELLS US WHAT THE CITY THOUGHT ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE OF FAIR PARK FIRST, BUT WE COULDN'T GET IT. SO I AGREE, THERE ARE TONS OF GOOD PEOPLE, TONS OF GOODWILL. THERE'S A HISTORY THAT WE COULD NOT TALK THAT MUCH ABOUT IN OUR COMMITTEE, SO WE WERE VERY, VERY LIMITED.
BUT THAT IS WHY OUR RECOMMENDATION, AS THE DISSENSION, IS TO PUT IT BACK ON YOU TO ASK THE QUESTIONS THAT WE COULD NOT ASK. AND THE BASIC DISAGREEMENT THAT I HAVE IS. WE ASKED FOR SPECIFIC DATA AND IN SOME CASES WE GOT SOME THINGS AND OTHER CASES, WHICH IS THE MOST, WE DID NOT GET ANYTHING. SO THE FAIR PARK FURS, EXCUSE ME, THAT'S SITTING AT THE TABLE TODAY, IS NOT THE FAIR PARK FURS.
THAT WAS OPERATING, FOR LACK OF A BETTER WAY OF PUTTING IT, YESTERDAY. THE INFORMATION YOU'RE LOOKING FOR, MR. SMITH, IS FOR THE OPERATIONS OF YESTERDAY. IS THAT, CAN WE, CAN WE? WE WERE ASKING FOR.
THE INFORMATION THAT IS CURRENT. THERE WERE AUDITS DONE, I THINK THREE OR FOUR, THAT FAIR PARK FIRST HAD DONE ITSELF, HAD ORDERED ITSELF. WE WANTED TO GET THE FULL DETAIL OF THOSE AUDITS. THERE WAS AN AUDIT THAT THE PARK DEPARTMENT HAD REQUESTED SOME MONTHS AGO.
WE WERE TOLD THAT IT'S NOT FINISHED. SO HOW DO WE MAKE A DETERMINATION OF CAPABILITY? WHEN THE DATA THAT WE NEED TO ASSESS IS NOT PROVIDED. AND THE INFORMATION WE WANTED WAS WHAT WAS PREVIOUSLY HAPPENING AND WHAT WAS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW IN REAL TIME. OKAY, SO MR. O'CONNOR, YES, MA'AM THE AUDIT THAT MR. SMITH IS SPEAKING OF HOW CLOSE TO COMPLETION IS AND WHAT'S HOLDING IT UP? SO AT THE TIME THE TASK FORCE WAS MEETING, WE HAD NOT RECEIVED ANYTHING FROM THE AUDIT THAT'S CURRENTLY ONGOING. SUBSEQUENTLY, WE HAVE RECEIVED A DRAFT PRELIMINARY AUDIT VERY RECENTLY
[00:55:03]
AFTER THE CONCLUSION OF THE TASK FORCE MEETINGS.SO, BUT IT WAS PRELIMINARY AND DRAFT, I WANT TO POINT OUT.
OKAY, THE PRELIMINARY DRAFT OF THE AUDIT, WHERE IN THE PROCESS OF COMPLETION IS THAT? WELL, SO I WOULD RESPOND TO THAT QUESTION. THAT THERE'S MORE WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE, I GUESS IS THE BEST WAY TO SAY IT. YOU KNOW, IT WAS A PRELIMINARY AUDIT BASED UPON A BUDGET THAT WE PROVIDED. AND IT WAS MORE SNAPSHOT IN NATURE.
AND SO I THINK FOR A MORE THOROUGH AUDIT OF REALLY TRYING TO RECONSTRUCT EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED OVER THE PAST MANY YEARS WOULD TAKE A SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT FROM THE CITY. AND I THINK WE'RE AT A POINT WHERE WE NEED TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION WITH THE CITY COUNCIL TO DETERMINE WHETHER THAT'S THE DIRECTION WE WANT TO GO.
BUT YEAH, I WOULD JUST SAY THAT. THE INFORMATION WE RECEIVED TODAY IS PRELIMINARY, IN DRAFT AND IT'S NOT COMPREHENSIVE TO BE ABLE TO DRAW FIRM CONCLUSIONS FROM.
SO LET ME ASK A QUESTION. IS THAT PROCESS AND THAT CONVERSATION THAT NEEDS TO BE HELD WITH FULL COUNSEL, IS IT IN SUCH A, IS IT AT A PLACE WHERE IT WOULD DETER OR HINDER MOVING THIS CURRENT PARK FORWARD? SO I WOULD CHARACTERIZE WHAT I'VE SEEN AS, YOU KNOW, PROCEDURES THAT MAYBE NEEDED TO BE IMPROVED. I GUESS MY POINT IS THERE WAS NOTHING THAT I HAVE SEEN THAT WAS SOME SORT OF SMOKING GUN. IT POINTED OUT THINGS THAT NEEDED TO BE IMPROVED, THINGS THAT WE'RE ALL VERY FAMILIAR WITH, AS HAS BEEN DISCUSSED OVER THE COURSE OF, YOU KNOW, OF THIS ISSUE. BUT I WOULDN'T SAY IT'S REVEALED ANYTHING THAT WE HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT PREVIOUSLY. BUT, BY THE WAY, WE ARE PLANNING TO SCHEDULE A BRIEFING TO THE COUNCIL TO SHARE THE FINDINGS OF THAT PRELIMINARY AUDIT.
OKAY, SO WE KNOW THAT'S COMING.
RIGHT. AND I'VE HEARD THE RESIDENTS OF... SOUTH DALLAS AND I'VE HEARD THE COUNCIL MEMBER OF DISTRICT 7. I KNOW THAT THIS HAS BEEN A REQUEST THAT'S BEEN A LONG TIME COMING.
CAN ANYONE HERE SAY THAT THE RESIDENTS SHOULD NOT GET WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR? AND THAT THIS PROCESS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO UNDERTAKE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN PROVIDING. WHAT IS THE FINALIZATION OF? WHAT EVERYBODY WANTS OR SEEMS TO AGREE TO, IS THAT THE RESIDENTS OF SOUTH DALLAS ARE... HAVE BEEN PROMISED AND HAVE BEEN WAITING AN EXORBITANT PERIOD OF TIME TO HAVE A PARK. SO ARE WE SAYING THAT, CAN ANYONE HERE SAY THAT THE PROCESS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE FINAL RESOLUTION? ANYBODY? I TAKE IT.
SINCE NO ONE IS SPEAKING UP, WE'RE ALL IN AGREEMENT THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR IS THE FULFILLMENT OF A MANY YEAR PROMISE. TO A COMMUNITY THAT HAS BEEN BEEN, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SAY IT, BUT SHORTCHANGED, THAT'S, I GUESS THAT'S THE BEST WAY TO PUT IT. IT'S IT'S, YOU KNOW, I'M A REALIST, I, I SAY, WHAT, WHAT I REALLY THINK NOW. LET ME ALSO SAY THIS WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO THE NEW BOARD THAT IS ESTABLISHED. I WALKED IN HERE VERY MUCH AND LIKE I DO ON A LOT OF TIMES ON ONE SIDE. AND I GET TO THE TABLE AND I SEE A DIFFERENT SIDE. AND I'M GOING TO TELL YOU, THE REASON WHY I SEE A DIFFERENT SIDE IS BECAUSE. THE MAN SITTING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FAIR PARK FIRST, MR. BROWN. I'VE KNOWN MR. BROWN WE WORKED ON ON THE 24 BOND PACKAGE TOGETHER AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. HE'S A QUIET SOUL, DOESN'T SAY MUCH, BUT ABSORBS EVERYTHING. SO MUCH SO THAT HE IS ONE OF MY BOARD MEMBERS FOR ALL.
FOR COMPLETE DISCLOSURE WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING. AND ONE OF THE THINGS I DO KNOW ABOUT HIM, IF HE SAYS HE'S GOING TO AUDIT AND MANAGE YOUR BOOKS, HE'S GOING TO AUDIT AND MANAGE YOUR BOOKS.
IF HE SAYS HE'S A PROBLEM BEFORE THE WORLD KNOWS A PROBLEM, HE'S GOING
[01:00:02]
TO KNOW THERE IS A PROBLEM, AND HE'S GOING TO ADDRESS IT AND FIX IT. I HAVE FULL CONFIDENCE. I HAVE. FULL CONFIDENCE IN HIM. IN FACT, OF EVERYBODY SITTING AT THE TABLE, I HAVE MORE CONFIDENCE IN HIM THAN ANYBODY ELSE.THAT'S HOW MUCH I TRUST THAT, MAN. I RESPECT HIM AND I HONOR HIM. SO, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE ALL SAID THAT WE CAN'T, WE CAN AGREE ON, THE PARK IS A PROMISE THAT SHOULD BE FULFILLED. THE MINUTIA WE'RE SITTING IN, I THINK WE NEED TO FIGURE IT OUT.
BUT NOT HINDER WHAT IS AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ALL ACCOMPLISH. SO THE MINUTIA NEEDS TO BE SET ASIDE. WE NEED TO COME TOGETHER, COLLABORATE, AND GET IT DONE. THANK YOU.
CHAIR JOHNSON. THANK YOU, CHAIR STEWART. JUST TRYING TO GET AN UNDERSTANDING. LAST YEAR I SAT IN, I SERVED ON THE AUDIT COMMITTEE FOR A FEW YEARS. THE SOUL.
UH, THE GENTLEMAN IN MIDDLE, YOU SAID THAT YOU REQUESTED AN AUDIT AND YOU HAVE YET TO GET THAT INFORMATION. MR. SMITH OH, THE BOARD CHAIR, KEBA BATESY, DID REQUEST, UH, THE AUDITED FINANCIALS, AND THEY WERE NOT PROVIDED FROM FAIR PARK. FIRST, CORRECT.
WE RECEIVED SOME PARTS OF IT, BUT NOT THE ENTIRE THING, AND WE HAD ASKED FOR OTHER DOCUMENTATION AS WELL. WE GOT SOME OF IT AND SOME OF IT WE DID NOT GET. SO YOU GOT SOME INFORMATION, BUT YOU DIDN'T GET ALL THAT INFORMATION, MR. O'CONNOR YOU AWARE OF THAT? THERE WERE MULTIPLE INFORMATION REQUESTS MADE OVER THE COURSE OF THE FOUR TASK FORCE MEETINGS, AND THERE WAS QUITE A BIT OF INFORMATION PROVIDED TO THE TASK FORCE. WAS EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF INFORMATION REQUESTED RECEIVED? NO, IT WASN'T, BUT THERE WAS A.
IN MY OPINION, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT EFFORT MADE ON BEHALF OF BYFAIR PARK.
FIRST, TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO THE TASK FORCE TO ASSIST IN MAKING THE DECISIONS. AS DEFINED BY, AS MR. SMITH DESCRIBED, A PRETTY NARROW SCOPE OF THE TASK FORCE. OKAY, SO WHAT I'M HEARING IS THAT THERE WAS SOME INFORMATION, BUT NOT A FULL AUDIT DONE.
OKAY. AND AS I JUST MENTIONED, WHEN THE AUDIT THAT THE CITY HAS COMMISSIONED. IT WAS NOT RECEIVED BY THE CITY WHEN THE TASK FORCE HAD CONCLUDED THEIR MEETINGS. OKAY. MR. BROWN, I SAW YOU SHAKING YOUR HEAD.
YEAH, YEAH, I JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR ON THAT. NO AUDIT REQUEST WAS MADE TO US. AND I JUST WANT TO LEVEL SET AS WELL. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT AUDITS, THIS BODY HAS RECEIVED A TON OF AUDITS PREVIOUSLY. AND I THINK THE AUDIT IN QUESTION WAS THE MOST RECENT ONE. THAT WAS, THAT STARTED OFF IN JULY, IS THAT CORRECT, RYAN, OR MR. SMITH, IS THAT WHAT WE'RE ASKING ABOUT? BECAUSE ALL OUR PREVIOUS AUDITS HAVE BEEN TURNED OVER. ALSO, NO AUDIT REQUEST HAS BEEN MADE FROM US FROM THE CHAIR. THE ONLY INFORMATION WE WERE NOT ABLE TO PROVIDE. AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, THE INFORMATION AS IT RELATES TO WHERE WE ARE IN THE DEAL, RIGHT, THINGS THAT HAPPEN WHEN YOU GET INTO CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS, THINGS THAT HAPPEN WHEN YOU LOCK IN GMP PRICING, DIFFERENT MITIGATION FACTORS AROUND THAT.
BUT AS FAR AS AUDITS, THERE'S BEEN MULTIPLE AUDITS THAT HAVE BEEN TURNED OVER FROM DIFFERENT PERIODS. PER OUR CONTRACT, AND THE ONLY OUTSTANDING AUDIT IS THE ONE THAT CAME FROM PARKS.
OVER A MUCH LARGER PERIOD OF TIME, WHICH IS TAKING A LOT OF TIME TO CONVEY. OKAY, MR. SMITH, DO YOU WANT TO RESPOND TO THAT? YEAH. UM, WHAT WAS RECEIVED FROM FAIR PARK FIRST FOR THE AUDITS, ACCORDING TO MY CONVERSATION WITH MR. BEATTY, WAS NOT A COMPLETE AUDIT. THEY WERE REVIEWS DONE INTERNALLY BY MEMBERS OF YOUR STAFF OR CONTRACTORS, BUT THEY WERE NOT FULL AUDITS.
THE OTHER ISSUE IS THIS GROUP IS IN SUCH A NARROW SCOPE, IT CAN'T ASK FOR A LOT OF THINGS. WHEN WE DID ASK FOR CERTAIN THINGS, WE WERE NOT BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE IT. THAT IS WHY WE ARE ASKING IN THE DISSENSION, TO PUT THE BURDEN BACK ON YOU.
TO GET THE INFORMATION THAT IS NEEDED SO THAT YOU, AS A DELIBERATIVE BODY, CAN HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION THAT YOU NEED. IN ORDER TO MAKE A DETERMINATION AS TO WHAT IS APPROPRIATE. THANK YOU ASKED MULTIPLE TIMES, EXCUSE ME, UM, ABOUT THE CITY'S AUDIT, AND WE GOT A LOT OF WORDING, BUT WE DIDN'T GET THAT ANSWER.
THANK YOU, THAT'S ENOUGH I GOT.
I UNDERSTAND. OKAY, UH, CHURCH,
[01:05:03]
STEWART, AND I SEE YOU WANT TO SAY SOMETHING, GIVE, GIVE ME A MINUTE. CHURCH STEWARD, CAN WE REQUEST AN AUDIT AT THIS COMMITTEE? I KNOW I CAN'T ON THE COACH. SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AUDITS, AND I'M LOSING TRACK OF WHICH AUDIT WE'RE REPORTING.OKAY, I GOT YOU. BUT I WANT TO KNOW HOW THEY RESPOND. THE AUDIT THAT I THINK SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN WAITING ON IS A CITY AUDIT THAT HAS BEEN IN PROCESS FOR SIX MONTHS OR MORE. AND I BELIEVE WHAT MR. O'CONNOR IS SAYING IS THAT HE HAS JUST RECENTLY COME IN AFTER THE WORK OF THE TASK FORCE. OKAY. SO THERE WASN'T AN AUDIT REPORT TO GIVE TO THEM. AND I THINK THE SUMMARY OF THAT AUDIT, AND THIS IS WHERE, RYAN, I'M GOING TO PUT YOU ON THE SPOT, WAS THERE ANYTHING IN THAT AUDIT THAT WOULD CAUSE YOU TO BELIEVE THAT? WE NEED TO DIG IN FURTHER, WE NEED TO SEE COPIES OF THAT AUDIT, AND WOULD CALL INTO QUESTION THE ABILITY OF FAIR PARK FIRST TO EXECUTE AND DELIVER THE PARK? I WOULD SAY NO TO THAT QUESTION BECAUSE...
THE SCOPE OF THE AUDIT WASN'T EXPANSIVE ENOUGH, IN MY OPINION, BECAUSE OF THE AMOUNT OF FUNDING THAT WE HAD ALLOCATED TO THE AUDIT.
TO DO THIS THOROUGH DEEP DIVE OVER YEARS OF FINANCIAL RECORDS. AND SO, AS I MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY, WE DO INTEND TO BRING FORWARD TO THIS BODY AND TO THE FULL COUNCIL THE PRELIMINARY FINDINGS. SO THAT WE CAN HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT TO EXPAND THE SCOPE SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO DRAW CONCLUSIONS.
OKAY. DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT TIME PERIOD IT COVERED? IT LOOKED AT 2019, AND THEN IT DID A 1% SNAPSHOT. 1%. THE OTHER YEARS OF THE CONTRACT, OKAY, AND THIS IS THE CONTRACT BETWEEN THE CITY AND FAIR PARK FIRST AND OBG, THERE'S CORRECT. SO NEXT. WHAT THE AUDIT WAS WAS DOING WAS RECONSTRUCTING. AND SOME OF US ARE AWARE THAT THE RECORDS THAT WE RECEIVED WERE 44 BOXES OF PAPER, SO THE AUDIT WAS RECONSTRUCTING YEARS OF FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS FROM PAPER RECORDS. I'M SORRY, CHAIR JOHNSON, I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU. THANK YOU. I WANT TO GIVE YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. I SAW YOU WANT TO SPEAK. YEAH, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO REITERATE A COUPLE OF POINTS COMING FROM THE TASK FORCE AS A CONSENSUS BODY.
THERE WERE THERE WERE ITEMS THAT WE DID ASK FOR. I I THINK I IDENTIFIED THAT IN MY INITIAL COMMENTS. THE MAJORITY OF THE TASK FORCE FELT THAT SOME OF THOSE MISSING DOCUMENTS WERE APPROPRIATELY NOT ACCESSIBLE AT THIS POINT IN TIME. THE AUDIT, SOME OF THE DOCUMENTS THAT WE WANTED FROM A STANDPOINT OF GOING FORWARD, CONSTRUCTION THAT ARE NOT DEVELOPED YET BECAUSE THE FAIR PARK FOREST DOESN'T HAVE A DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT. AND THEY'RE NOT ABOUT TO EXPEND THE TIME, EFFORT, AND MONEY TO DO SOME OF THOSE THINGS, TO PRODUCE SOME OF THE DOCUMENTS THAT WE WERE ASKING FOR. THE TASK FORCE KEPT VERY, VERY CLOSELY TO THE CHARGE THAT WE WERE GIVEN. LOOKING AT DOCUMENTS THAT WERE APPROPRIATE TO THAT TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION AND ENDED UP, AS AS WE SAID IN ALL OF OUR DOCUMENTS, CONDITIONALLY RECOMMENDING THAT. THE CITY GO AHEAD WITH THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT AND PUT IN PLACE A NUMBER OF SAFEGUARDS, WHICH I I THINK YOU'VE HEARD FROM MR. O'CONNOR THAT THEY INDEED HAVE DONE SO. HAVING LOOKED AT DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS IN THE PAST, I DON'T THINK I'VE EVER SEEN ONE THAT HAS BEEN AS STRICTLY DRAWN, WITH AS MANY SAFEGUARDS. AND AGAIN, THE CONSENSUS OF THE TASK FORCE WAS INDEED TO MOVE FORWARD. THANK YOU.
AND I KNOW THAT THIS IS VERY...
COUNCILMAN MABAZADUA, THIS IS VERY PERSONAL AND HE'S VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS. AND MANY PEOPLE HAVE GIVEN TO MAKE THIS PARK. THAT IS BEING DELAYED AND SOMEWHAT DENIED UNJUSTLY. SO WE GOT TWO DIFFERENT SITUATIONS, IT SEEMS LIKE HERE. AND SO I'M ALL FOR MAKING SURE THAT THE PARK THAT
[01:10:01]
WAS PROMISED FOR A LONG TIME, I WANT TO SAY OVER A DECADE, GETS COMPLETED AND GETS DONE FOR THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN SOUTH DALLAS, ET CETERA.AT THE SAME TIME, I WANT TO, AND I'LL PROBABLY WORK OFFLINE WITH THIS, TRY TO GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING BASED OFF MR. O'CONNOR WHY? A FULL AUDIT WAS NOT RECEIVED. THAT'S WHAT I'M GOING TO TELL YOU. THOSE ARE TWO DIFFERENT SITUATIONS. I THINK COUNCILWOMAN BLAIR ASKED A QUESTION OR MADE A STATEMENT TO ENSURE THAT. EVEN THOUGH YOU, YOU HAVE TWO DIFFERENT SCENARIOS OR SITUATIONS, THAT THIS WOULD NOT IMPEDE THE PART GOING FORWARD. IS THAT CORRECT, CHAIR STEWART? IS THAT CORRECT? OKAY, JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. MADAM CHAIR, CAN I JUST CALL A POINT OF INFORMATION? YES. I JUST WOULD ASK THAT THE OCTOBER 2024 AUDIT ALSO BE DISSEMINATED TO ALL MEMBERS BECAUSE WE HAVE SOME MEMBERS WHO ARE NOT ON.
COUNCIL BEFORE, BUT WE DO HAVE AN EXTENSIVE AUDIT THAT WAS CALLED FROM BY THE CITY AND COMPLETED AND MADE PUBLIC IN OCTOBER 2024. THANK, THANK YOU.
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT BECAUSE I DEFINITELY I WAS NOT HERE. YES, SIR, THANK YOU.
CHAIR WEST. YEAH, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. AND I WANT TO ALSO ECHO, I DON'T REMEMBER WHO SAID IT, BUT TO CHAIR STEWART FOR YOUR DIVING INTO THIS.
ALONG WITH MR. BASILDUA AND STAFF. IT HELPS WHEN WE HAVE COLLEAGUES THAT ARE WILLING TO DO THAT, BECAUSE SOME OF THE, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T ALL DO EVERYTHING UP HERE. ALSO APPRECIATE THE TASK FORCE'S WORK AND, OF COURSE, MR. SMITH, YOUR DISSENTING COMMENT.
IT GIVES US, I THINK, A FULL PICTURE OF EVERYTHING.
AND I THINK SOMETIMES, I THINK DISSENTING IS PERFECTLY FINE, AND SOMETIMES CREATES FOR BETTER POLICY AND CERTAINLY FOR BETTER CONTRACTS. OKAY, SO I WAS LOOKING THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT. AND I'M NOTICING THE CONSTRUCTION MILESTONES IN THERE IN SECTION 3.7. I'D SHARE SOME OF MR. RIDLEY'S SKEPTICISM ABOUT COMPLETION OF THIS PROJECT WITHIN TWO YEARS. I THINK THAT IT'S PRETTY AGGRESSIVE. I'VE PERSONALLY NEVER HAD A CONSTRUCTION PROJECT FINISH ON TIME IN MY OWN EXPERIENCE, AND I THINK THE CITY IS USUALLY A LITTLE BIT SLOWER. SO I GUESS IT'S A GOOD THING THAT YOU ALREADY HAVE THE DESIGN COMPLETED. IS THAT RIGHT? OKAY, WELL, THAT SHAVES OFF SIX MONTHS, THEN. AND THE CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS ARE READY TO GO? NO, THAT'S OUR NEXT MILESTONE FOR US TO ENTER INTO. WE DIDN'T KNOW WHERE WE WERE GOING TO STAND BEFORE WE STARTED SPENDING MORE MONEY ADVANCING THAT SIDE OF THE PROJECT. OKAY. SO OUR NEXT STEP AFTER WE GET APPROVAL WILL BE ENTERING INTO THE CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS PHASE OF THE PROJECT. OKAY, SO YOU, LET'S SEE. SO I THINK SECTION.
2.1 TALKS ABOUT THE DATE THE CONTRACT SIGNED, THAT'S WHEN YOUR TIMELINE STARTS TO GET THE PARK BUILT BY TWO YEARS. NO, BY SIX MONTHS, AND THEN AFTER THE SIX MONTHS, IT'S THE TWO YEARS, RIGHT? IT'S AFTER PERMITTING. YEAH, I THINK THE PERMITTING IS THE MAIN LEVER. OKAY. THIS IS SEQUENTIAL, THE WAY IT'S LISTED. CAN YOU SPEAK INTO THE MIC, PLEASE? IT'S SEQUENTIAL. SO AFTER PERMITTING IS WHEN OUR TIMELINE STARTS. ONCE THE CONSTRUCTION BEGINS, WE HAVE 24 MONTHS TO COMPLETE THE PROJECT, TECHNICALLY. OKAY. THAT'S WHAT THE CONTRACT, I BELIEVE, SAYS.
OKAY, SO WHO ON YOUR TEAM WILL BE? FILING THE PERMITS? ONE OF THESE GUYS BACK HERE.
OKAY, SO YOU'VE GOT FOLKS IN, OKAY, WHO'S OVERSEEING THE...
WHO WILL OVERSEE IT WILL BE NORMAN, OUR PROJECT MANAGER WILL BE THE ONE THAT OVERSEES IT. OKAY. YEAH, WOULD YOU PLEASE COME DOWN AND JOIN US FOR A COUPLE QUESTIONS? MY HOPE HERE IS JUST TO HELP KEEP OUR PERMIT OFFICE ACCOUNTABLE TO WORKING WITH YOU GUYS. IF YOU'RE GOING TO SEE WHERE I'M GOING IN A MINUTE. YES, TO ANSWER THE QUESTION, OKAY.
THE ACTUAL PERMITS WE EXPECT THE CMAR TO FILE. HOWEVER, THE CITY MUCH PREFERS THE CONSTRUCTION, PRIMARY CONSTRUCTION TEAM TO FILE AND BE IN CHARGE OF THE PERMITS. WE WILL BE OVERSEEING THE... THE FILING AND FOLLOWING UP WITH THE FILING OF THOSE PERMITS. CAN YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF? OKAY, I'M NORMAN ALSTON. I'M SERVING AS PROJECT MANAGER AND OWNER'S REPRESENTATIVE FOR FAIR PARK FIRST. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU.
ALL RIGHT, SO BACK TO THE TIMELINE, JUST TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND IT.
THE DESIGN DOCUMENTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN DRAWN.
CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN PRODUCED YET,
[01:15:02]
BUT THEY'RE PROBABLY UNDER DEVELOPMENT, RIGHT? IT IS CORRECT. THEY ARE. THEY HAVE NOT BEEN OFFICIALLY STARTED, BUT THE DESIGN DEVELOPMENT PACKAGE IS QUITE THOROUGH.THERE'S A GREAT DEAL OF INFORMATION THERE TO GET US KICK-STARTED INTO THAT PROCESS. SO WE'RE VERY COMFORTABLE WITH THE TIMELINE ON THE CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS.
SO FROM THE DATE WE SIGN THIS, ASSUMING IT'S WEDNESDAY, THERE'S SIX MONTHS LATER, ALL CONSTRUCTION DESIGNS MUST BE FINISHED, AND YOU HAVE TO FILE FOR THE PERMIT SHORTLY AFTER THAT, RIGHT? THAT IS CORRECT, YES. OKAY. AND THE SAME TIMELINE OF SIX MONTHS IS FOR THE FUNDRAISING DEADLINES TO BE REACHED, WHICH I THINK WE'VE TALKED ABOUT QUITE A BIT ALREADY.
YES, FOR FULL FUNDING OF CONSTRUCTION AND CONTINGENCY.
OKAY. I SAW IN THE CONTRACT, IT'S ALSO 2.1, THAT YOU'RE TARGETING COMMENCEMENT, SO SHOVEL-READY BY AUGUST 31, 2026? THAT IS CORRECT, YES, AFTER FIFA HAS. HAS VACATED THE PROPERTY. YES, SIR. WILL THERE BE ANY ISSUES WITH THE FAIR, THE STATE FAIR, SLOWING YOU DOWN ONCE YOU COMMENCE THE WORK? WE'VE BEEN WORKING ALONGSIDE THEM AND HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH THEIR OPERATIONS TEAM, AS WELL AS WITH THEIR PRESIDENT AND SVP.
SO, YES, WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THEM. SO YOU'VE WORKED WITH THEM? ARE THEY GOING TO BE, I MEAN, ARE THEY GOING TO? BE FINE WITH YOU COMING IN, YEAH. AND THEN WE'VE ALSO HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH TURNER AS WELL. SO THAT, UM, THERE'S CERTAIN THINGS THAT THEY'D ASKED FOR AROUND VEHICLES MOVING THROUGH ON THE SITE AND THOSE KIND OF ELEMENTS. SO WE HAVE TALKED THROUGH THOSE THINGS AND WE WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO TALK TO THEM WHEN WE MOVE INTO CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS AND GET FURTHER. OKAY, UM, AND I'M ASKING THESE QUESTIONS JUST BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THIS COMMUNITY, AS MR. BASIL DO, IS WAITED A LONG TIME FOR THIS PARK. AND IF IT'S NOT BUILT ON TIME, FOLKS ARE GOING TO PROBABLY LOOK AT US AND SECONDARILY AT YOU.
BUT WE'RE ALWAYS THE ONES THEY COME TO. SO I'M JUST TRYING TO MAKE SURE WE STAY ON OUR TIMELINE HERE. SO CONSTRUCTION, IF I DID MY MATH RIGHT, SHOULD BE FINISHED BY FEBRUARY OF 2028, ROUGHLY? I BELIEVE THAT'S CORRECT, YES, SIR. OKAY. DID YOU FACTOR IN, I NOTICE... 3.3 SECTION THAT THE DESIGN WORK, SOME OF IT HAS TO GO THROUGH THE PARK BOARD, IS THAT CORRECT? WHICH OF THESE DOCUMENTS, CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS, OR ANYTHING BEYOND TODAY HAS TO GO TO THE PARK BOARD? WELL, IT WOULD ACTUALLY BE PARK STAFF THAT WOULD REVIEW AND APPROVE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION PLANS. ARE ANY PAYMENTS, ARE ANY DESIGNS AT THIS POINT AFTER TOMORROW WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE PARK BOARD OR CITY COUNCIL? NO, SIR. OKAY, WELL, THAT, I WAS GOING TO ADD A COUPLE MONTHS ON THERE, BUT FORTUNATELY WE DON'T HAVE TO. MAYBE MULTIPLE MONTHS. SO ULTIMATELY, YOU WILL BE HANDLING, MR. ALSTON, HANDLING THE PERMIT.
OVERSIGHT AND FILING. YES, SIR, THAT'S CORRECT. OKAY, HOW DO YOU KNOW OFFHAND HOW MANY DIFFERENT PERMITS YOU'RE GOING TO NEED TO GET THIS PARK BUILT? NO, SIR, NOT AT THIS POINT. WE HAVE A GOOD HANDLE ON COURSE.
THERE'S THE OVER OVERRIDING CONSTRUCTION PERMIT. WE ALSO HAVE APPROVALS AT THE STATE LEVEL. HISTORICAL COMMISSION, FOR INSTANCE. THAT WILL NEED TO BE THAT WILL NEED TO BE ACQUIRED, AS WELL AS PERMISSION AS APPROVAL BY THE LANDMARK COMMISSION. THEY STILL HAVE SOME REVIEW PURVIEW OVER THIS PROPERTY, EVEN THOUGH IT'S OFF OF THE REGULAR FAIR PARK SITE.
IT'S IN A TRANSITION ZONE FOR THE LANDMARK. WAIT, LET'S STOP THERE FOR A MINUTE. SO THERE'S NO APPROVALS LEFT FOR PARK BOARD OR CITY COUNCIL, BUT YOU DO HAVE TO GET APPROVALS BY LANDMARK COMMISSION? WE WILL NEED IT FROM LANDMARK COMMISSION, YES, BUT I DON'T KNOW OF ANY APPROVALS FROM PARK BOARD OR THE COUNCIL. WHAT? AND CLARIFY, PLEASE, WHAT IS THE APPROVAL YOU'LL NEED FOR LANDMARK? IS IT JUST TO RENT OUT THE PARKING LOT? IT'S CALLED THE CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS. AND IT'S BECAUSE THE AREA IN WHICH WE'RE WORKING IS PART OF TRANSITION ZONE 2, I THINK IT IS, IN THE FAIR PARK HISTORIC ORDINANCE. IT HAS MINIMAL REQUIREMENTS AND THEY ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE PROJECT AND WE'VE GOTTEN SOME GOOD PRELIMINARY FEEDBACK.
BUT WE'LL NEED A CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS FROM THEM PRIOR TO SUBMITTING FOR BUILDING PERMIT. THAT'S THE WAY THE CITY PROCESSES ARE SET UP, SO WE'LL BE, WE'LL BE PURSUING THAT, UH, PRIOR TO COMPLETION OF THE CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS.
OKAY, HAVE YOU ALREADY BEEN IN CONTACT WITH OUR PERMITTING OFFICE TO GIVE THEM? AND DO YOU HAVE A CONTACT IN THE PERMITTING OFFICE? YET? I DO NOT, AND I CAN'T SPEAK FOR THE CMAR TURNER CONSTRUCTION. THEY MAY HAVE BEEN, BUT I THINK
[01:20:01]
AT THIS POINT, NOT QUITE, NO.ONCE WE'VE GOT OUR SCHEDULE SETTLED AGAIN AND ARE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD, THAT WILL BE SOMETHING WE'LL DO PRETTY QUICKLY. DURING THE CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS. I WOULD HIGHLY ENCOURAGE YOU AFTER WEDNESDAY, ASSUMING THIS GETS PASSED, TO WORK WITH MR. O'CONNOR AND GO TALK WITH ROBIN BENTLEY, EMILY LIU, ALL OF THE VERNON YOUNG, AND JUST LET THEM KNOW. THIS IS COMING.
AND WE CAN'T HAVE A LOT OF DELAYS ON THE PERMIT.
YEAH, AGAIN, THE PERMIT OFFICE HAS SORT OF A PROJECT PLANNING PROCESS IN PLACE WHERE WE HAVE THOSE KINDS OF MEETINGS AS PROJECTS GET CLOSER TO SUBMITTING FOR PERMITS. SO, BY ALL MEANS, WE'LL BE COORDINATING AS CLOSELY WITH THEM AS WE CAN.
BECAUSE WE ARE ALSO FAMILIAR WITH SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT CAN COME UP WITH THE PERMITTING PROCESS.
AND SOMEBODY ASKED THIS EARLIER, AND I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THE RESPONSE WAS, BUT THERE WILL BE OPPORTUNITIES FOR COUNCIL TO MONITOR THE PROGRESS. WHEN WILL THAT COME TO THIS COMMITTEE? YOU KNOW, LIKE, YES? YES, SIR, THERE WILL BE QUARTERLY UPDATES. NO, THAT'S COOL.
QUARTERLY'S GREAT. OKAY, THEN CITY, I SAW IT IN THERE SOMEWHERE. IN SECTION 03, THE CITY TAKES OVER CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT OF THIS PROJECT IF IT'S NOT BUILT IN 24 MONTHS. IS THAT RIGHT? THAT WAS SECTION 3.17. I'M SORRY, DID YOU SAY THE CITY TAKES OVER CONSTRUCTION? YEAH, SO UNDER 3.17, IF THE TIMELINE'S NOT MET OF 24 MONTHS, WE WOULD HAVE THE OPTION, I GUESS, OF TAKING OVER CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT? YES, SIR. WHAT WOULD THAT LOOK LIKE IF WE HAD TO DO THAT? I MEAN, NO ONE LOVES THAT WHEN THE CITY HAS TO COME IN AND... RUN THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT IN A SCENARIO LIKE THAT, JUST SO WE UNDERSTAND, WHAT WOULD THAT LOOK LIKE? THAT WOULD BE A BIT OF A COMPLICATED PROCESS. YOU KNOW, THE THING THAT WOULD BE MOST AKIN TO IS WHEN A CONTRACTOR DEFAULTS, YOU END UP WORKING WITH THE INSURANCE TO COMPLETE THE JOB. SO IN THIS CASE, WE WOULD BE WORKING WITH FAIR PARK FIRST, MAKING SURE ALL THE FUNDING IS IN ALIGNMENT. WE WOULD HAVE TO ASSUME CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS, THINGS OF THAT NATURE. IT WOULD BE A BIT OF A PROCESS, BUT ALSO IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT'S TOTALLY FOREIGN. IT DOES HAPPEN FROM TIME TO TIME, BUT IT'S CERTAINLY SOMETHING TO BE AVOIDED. THANK YOU.
OKAY, MR. RIDLEY ASKED THIS ONE, TOO, AND I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THE ANSWER EXACTLY.
FAIR PARK FIRST IS PAID BY THE MONEY YOU RAISE FOR THE... PARK, SO BY THE DONATIONS, THAT'S HOW YOU'RE PAID? BECAUSE IT'S NOT IN THE CONTRACT. MY QUESTION IS, DOES FAIR PARK FIRST GET A DEVELOPMENT FEE FOR THIS? OR HOW ARE YOU PAID TO OVERSEE THIS PROJECT? ME PERSONALLY, I HAVE A CONTRACT, A PROJECT MANAGEMENT CONTRACT WITH FAIR PARK FIRST.
BUT ARE YOU FAIR PARK? YOU ARE A CONTRACTOR TO FAIR PARK FIRST. I AM A CONTRACTOR TO, YES. I AM A CONTRACTOR TO FAIR PARK FIRST. BUT HOW DOES FAIR PARK FIRST GET PAID? SO THAT QUESTION IS NOT FOR YOU.
THAT WOULD BE UP THE CHAIN HERE. AS WE SAID, IT'S PART OF THE BUDGET FOR THE COMMUNITY PARK. WE HAVE INCLUDED THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES TO DELIVER IT. AND THE THE ADMIN ROLES THAT WE COVERED WITH THE FRACTIONAL CFO IN MY ROLE, SO THEY'RE ALL PART OF THE THE BUDGET. IS THERE A DEVELOPMENT FEE BUILT INTO THE OVERALL CONSTRUCTION BUDGET? NO, THERE'S NOT. NO FAIR PARK FIRST IS NOT TAKING A DEVELOPMENT FEE. THE PROJECT HAS A TIGHT BUDGET AS IT IS, AND THEY'RE FOREGOING THAT.
ALL THEY'RE DOING IS PAYING FOR THEIR STAFF MEMBER WHO OVERSEES IT, AND THEN THE FRACTIONAL CFO.
OKAY, THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND THEN I'LL JUST END ON THIS. IF THE SITE PLAN IS GOING TO, I LOVE THE SITE PLAN ON SLIDE SIX. IF THAT'S GOING TO BE THE FINAL DESIGN, I LOVE IT. I LOVE SEEING ALL THE KIDS' STUFF ON THERE. AND THAT'S UNDER, KIDS ARE UNDERSERVED IN THIS CITY, AS I FOUND WITH MY OWN. SO THAT'S IT.
THANK YOU. OKAY, CHAIR, RIDLEY. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. I NOTICED THAT THE BUDGET INCLUDES A LINE ITEM FOR A PERMIT FOR ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ANTIQUITIES, AND I'M CURIOUS, WHAT TRIGGERS THAT REQUIREMENT? AND WHAT INDICATION DO YOU HAVE THAT THERE MIGHT BE ARCHAEOLOGICAL ARTIFACTS OR ANTIQUITIES HERE, AND COULD THAT DELAY YOUR TIME SCHEDULE, IF FOUND? THE ANTIQUITIES REQUIREMENTS HAVE
[01:25:02]
ALREADY BEEN ADDRESSED, MR. COUNCILMAN. HOW? THEY WERE PART OF THE SITE ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES THAT WERE DONE EARLIER ON IN THE DESIGN PROCESS. AND WERE ANY ARTIFACTS FOUND? NO, SIR. AND THE RULING HAS BEEN THAT BECAUSE THE GROUNDS HAVE BEEN SO DISTURBED OVER THE YEARS THAT THE LIKELIHOOD OF ARTIFACTS IS EXTRAORDINARILY LOW. SO YOU DON'T SEE ANY RISK THAT THIS COULD DELAY YOUR TIME SCHEDULE? NO, SIR, THERE'S BEEN NO INDICATION.ONCE EXCAVATION STARTS, I MEAN, YOU HAVEN'T EXCAVATED. WELL, THERE'S ALWAYS THAT POSSIBILITY, BUT THAT CAN'T BE COMPLETELY MITIGATED AT THIS POINT.
BUT THERE IS THE USUAL PROCESS OF WORKING WITH THE STATE ANTIQUITIES FOLKS AND MAKING SURE THAT IF WE THINK THERE'S A LIKELIHOOD OF ARTIFACTS, THAT WE DEAL WITH THAT BEFOREHAND. AND SO FOR ALL OF THAT PROCESS, AS FAR AS I KNOW, THAT PROCESS IS COMPLETE. THAT PRELIMINARY PROCESS IS COMPLETE AT THIS POINT, AND THERE'S BEEN NO CONCERN ABOUT THE LIKELIHOOD OF ARTIFACTS, BUT WE'LL KEEP OUR EYES OPEN.
OKAY, AND, UH, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT, IN FOLLOWING UP ON, UM, MR. WEST'S LAST QUESTION, TO KNOW WHAT THE LEVEL OF YOUR ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES FOR FAIR PARK FIRST ARE, INCLUDING YOUR SALARY. CAN YOU GIVE US THAT NUMBER? FOR THE RECORD, BETWEEN THE FRACTIONAL CFO AND MYSELF, IT IS APPROXIMATELY $200,000.
OKAY. AND WHAT SAFEGUARDS ARE THERE IN PLACE FOR INCREASES IN THOSE AMOUNTS DURING THE COURSE OF THIS PROJECT? DO YOU HAVE TO GET THAT APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF FAIR PARK FIRST, OR CAN YOU DO THAT UNILATERALLY? THAT WOULD BE A BOARD APPROVAL.
OKAY. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. I JUST WANTED TO TOUCH ONE THING, THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CHAIR STEWART AND I THOUGHT WAS MOST IMPORTANT WAS THE REGULAR CHECK-INS. COUNCILMEMBER WEST. AND I WANTED TO JUST EMPHASIZE. I SAID IN MY OPENING STATEMENT THAT I HAVE THE SAME EXPERIENCE WITH THE CITY AND I FEEL IT'S A VERY AGGRESSIVE SCHEDULE. I'M OPTIMISTIC. CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC THERE, BUT I BELIEVE WITH THE LIAISON ASSIGNED, THAT IS PRESCRIBED IN THE AGREEMENT, IN ADDITION TO THE REGULAR REPORTING UPDATES. DEPENDING ON WHAT.
THOSE TELL US THAT WE WOULD HAVE THE ABILITY TO TO STEP IN, AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE REASONS THAT WE NEEDED THAT. SO I DON'T SEE US GETTING TO THAT 3.17 OF HAVING TO TAKE IT ON IN 24 MONTHS. I'M HOPING THAT THAT WE HAVE THESE, THESE PARAMETERS KIND OF BUILT IN SO THAT WE CAN CATCH THAT IN TIME. I JUST WANTED TO TOUCH ON THAT. THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR. YES, SO MY APPROACH, FIRST OF ALL, WE HAVE COPIES OF THE 2024 AUDIT HERE, AND I'M GOING TO, I'D BE HAPPY TO PROVIDE THOSE TO THE TASK FORCE MEMBERS, AND THEN WE'LL PASS THEM OUT TO ANYBODY HERE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT. WHAT I DID WHEN I REALIZED THAT THIS WAS GOING TO COME TO OUR COMMITTEE WAS TO GO THROUGH THE REPORTS THAT I'D GOTTEN, AND MR. SMITH, I HADN'T SEEN YOUR DISSENTING.
OPINION YET, BUT I DO VERY MUCH APPRECIATE YOUR WORK ON THAT AND BEING HERE TODAY AND BEING WILLING TO PARTICIPATE IN ALL OF THIS CONVERSATION.
BUT I TOOK, I WAS MOST INTERESTED IN THE SAFEGUARDS, AND THERE WERE FOUR, AND IT'S GOVERNANCE, FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY, DELIVERY CONTROLS, AND THEN OPERATIONS. AND I THINK I SAID TO YOU, ALL OPERATION IS OUTSIDE THE SCOPE OF THIS AGREEMENT. GOVERNANCE IS KEY. THANK YOU. AND I KNOW WE'VE SPENT SOME TIME ON THE FINANCIAL STUFF AND THE ACCOUNTABILITY, BUT TO COUNCIL MEMBER BASILDO'S POINT, THE COMMUNICATION IN THIS PROJECT HAS GOT TO BE PERFECT. AND I DON'T USE THE WORD PERFECT VERY OFTEN BECAUSE I'M NOT A PERFECTIONIST, BUT IT REALLY HAS TO HIT WHAT WE NEED. SO THE CONTRACT REQUIRES A FAIR PARK FIRST REPRESENTATIVE AND A CITY REPRESENTATIVE. AS SOON AS THOSE PEOPLE GET CHOSEN, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHO THEY ARE. AND THOSE PEOPLE ARE SUPPOSED TO MEET, I THINK THOSE TWO PEOPLE SHOULD MEET MONTHLY. MY HOPE IS THAT THE FAIR PARK FIRST LIAISON IS MEETING WITH THE PROJECT MANAGER WEEKLY, RIGHT? GOOD TO SEE HEADS NODDING. BUT THEN THE INFORMATION THAT GOES FROM FAIR PARK FIRST TO THE CITY. NEEDS TO BE MONTHLY AND THEN IT GOES QUARTERLY TO HERE AND
[01:30:01]
TO COUNCIL AND TO PARK BOARD.AND THOSE CONVERSATIONS NEED TO BE. UPDATES ON TIMELINES, UPDATES ON COST, UPDATES ON DELAYS, UPDATES ON COST OVERRUNS, AND THERE'S PROBABLY OTHER THINGS. I'M NOT LIMITING IT TO THAT, BUT WE REALLY NEED TO TRACK THIS PROJECT AND THAT'S NOT. I WON'T SAY THAT'S BECAUSE WE'RE BEING BIG BROTHER, BUT BECAUSE WE WANT TO STAND WITH YOU ALL AND WE WANT THIS TO BE SUCCESSFUL. RIGHT? THAT, THAT IS THE WISH I THINK OF EVERYONE HERE TODAY.
EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM IS THAT THIS PARK IS BUILT. IT'S BUILT ON TIME AND WITHIN BUDGET, AND IT'S A BEAUTIFUL ASSET FOR THE FAIR PARK COMMUNITY.
SO WHILE THERE WILL BE MANY PARTS OF THIS CONTRACT THAT I'VE LOOKED THROUGH, I HAVEN'T READ A CONTRACT AS THOROUGHLY AS THIS IN MANY YEARS.
BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF SAFEGUARDS BUILT IN. AND I SAID THAT TO THE, I'VE WORKED WITH THREE CITY ATTORNEYS ON THIS. AND I SAID TO THEM, WHEN I WALKED IN THE ROOM YESTERDAY MORNING, I SAID, YOU KNOW, WE WERE SO WORRIED ABOUT THIS ACCOUNTABILITY AND THIS ACCOUNTABILITY. AND SO MUCH OF THAT WAS ALREADY BAKED INTO THIS DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT.
IT'S A GOOD AGREEMENT. IT DOES HOLD. EVERYBODY ACCOUNTABLE AND DOES PROVIDE FOR COMMUNICATION. NOW, WE'VE ADDED SOME OTHER LAYERS IN THERE, BUT FOR THE MOST PART, IF WE ABIDE BY WHAT THIS CONTRACT SAYS, AND LET'S USE IT. DON'T TAKE THIS CONTRACT AND PUT IT IN A FILE. KEEP IT ON YOUR DESK. HIGHLIGHT IT.
PEOPLE WHO'VE SEEN MY COPY, IT'S HIGHLIGHTED IN TWO OR THREE DIFFERENT COLORS.
HIGHLIGHT IT SO THAT YOU CAN REMIND YOURSELF, OH, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO DO WITH RESPECT TO. THE FINANCIAL SIDE, HOW WE ARE ACCOUNTABLE TO THE CITY. THIS IS WHAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO DO WITH RESPECT TO THE CONSTRUCTION DATES AND WHEN DEADLINES ARE. I HAVE ADDED TO THE CONTRACT AN EXHIBIT THAT WOULD ALLOW YOU ALL TO FILL IN DATES THAT YOU EXPECT CERTAIN THINGS TO HAPPEN. AND THAT WOULD BE GREAT FOR US AND GREAT FOR THE PARKS DEPARTMENT BECAUSE THEY CAN...
PUT THAT ON THEIR BULLETIN BOARD, NOT THAT WE HAVE THOSE ANYMORE.
AND UM, BUT THEY WOULD HAVE A VISUAL, SOMETHING THEY COULD LOOK AT AND REMIND THEMSELVES ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING. SO I THINK WE CAN ALL DO THIS. I, I REALLY DO. I THINK, I THINK WE ARE, UM, READY TO DO THIS. I THINK FAIR PARK FIRST IS READY TO DO THIS, BUT WE'VE. THIS IS A CONSTRUCTION PROJECT AND THERE'S NOT ONE I'VE EVER BEEN A PART OF. THAT DIDN'T HAVE DELAYS, THAT DIDN'T HAVE COST OVERRUNS.
THAT'S JUST PART OF IT. SO IT'S MORE OF WHEN SOME OF THOSE THINGS HAPPEN THAT WE JUST NEED TO BE TRANSPARENT. PLEASE BE TRANSPARENT. BECAUSE WE CAN, IF NOTHING ELSE, WE CAN COMMUNICATE TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING TO BE OUT THERE MONITORING THIS, YES, WE ARE AWARE OF THAT DELAY.
HERE'S WHAT CAUSED IT. HERE'S WHAT'S BEING DONE ABOUT IT. SO I JUST... ENCOURAGE THAT LINE OF COMMUNICATION. IF THERE ARE NO OTHER... MADAM CHAIR, YOU ENUMERATED SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU WANTED TO SEE IN THE QUARTERLY REPORTS FROM FAIR PARK FIRST. I WOULD LIKE TO ADD TO THAT LIST A LINE ITEM OF ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES SO THAT WE CAN KEEP AN EYE ON THAT AS WELL. THAT'S GREAT.
I THINK WHAT I SAID HERE IS A LIST, BUT IT'S NOT LIMITED TO THAT LIST, SO WE'LL CERTAINLY ADD THAT IN.
ANYTHING ELSE? BECAUSE I'M GONNA READ A MOTION, IF YOU GUYS ARE READY, I THINK I HAVE TO READ IT.
OH, YOU HAVE TO READ IT. I'M, OH, LOVELY. I MOVED TO RECOMMEND THIS ITEM TO CITY COUNCIL AS BRIEFED TODAY AT PTE. JUST FOR CLARIFICATION. IS THAT A MOTION TO APPROVE THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT? IT IS A MOTION TO RECOMMEND? IT'S JUST THE RECOMMENDATION FOR APPROVAL? OKAY, IT'S A RECOMMENDATION AND A RECOMMENDATION. HE MOVED AND RECOMMENDED. HE MOVED TO RECOMMEND, ACTUALLY. I'M SORRY. I'M TRYING TO READ THE HANDWRITING.
OKAY. SO WE'RE CLEAR ON THE MOTION. WOULD YOU ALL LIKE ME TO RESTATE THE MOTION? NOPE.
OKAY. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. MOTION IS MADE.
SECONDED. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. ALL OPPOSED? MOTION PASSES. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, EVERYONE, FOR YOUR TIME TODAY. AND IF THERE'S NO OTHER BUSINESS, WHICH I DON'T BELIEVE THERE IS, THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED AT 10:53.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.