[District 2 Update with Mayor Pro Tem Deborah Morris]
          [00:00:11]
          WELL. TO THE 2022 2023 UPDATE FOR DISTRICT TWO LOCATED RIGHT HERE IN THE VERY HEART OF GARLAND. I'M DEBORAH MORRIS DISTRICT TO COUNCIL MEMBER CURRENTLY SERVING AS MAYOR PRO TEM FOR THE CITY OF GARLAND. WE HAVE A LOT OF WONDERFUL NEWS GOING ON IN THE DISTRICT, STARTING WITH WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR HISTORIC DOWNTOWN. OUR DOWNTOWN IS BECOMING MUCH MORE PEDESTRIAN FRIENDLY WITH MORE HANDICAPPED PARKING SPACES AND PUBLIC RESTROOMS FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER ARE GOING IN RIGHT NOW. ON SIXTH STREET. WE HAVE WIDER WALKWAYS ALONG OUR STOREFRONTS AND ON THE LARGER PART OF THE SQUARE WE HAVE ON THE SOUTHEAST CORNER, COLORFUL, LIGHTED GATEWAY FEATURE. THESE ARE COLORFUL PILLARS THAT ARE ILLUMINATED FROM INSIDE. PERFECT FOR INSTAGRAM MOMENTS THERE WILL BE A COVERED STAGE TEMPORARY THAT WILL GO UP AND DOWN FOR MAJOR EVENTS IN FRONT OF THE EVENT LAWN. ON THE NORTHWEST CORNER WILL HAVE A SHADED PAVILION WITH SPACE FOR SMALLER DAILY OR IMPROMPTU PERFORMANCES AND SPECIAL PROGRAMS. ON THE SOUTHWEST CORNER WILL HAVE A TREEHOUSE OR OBSERVATION TOWER. UM THIS IS MADE OF METAL, BUT IT'S STYLISTICALLY IMAGINED AS SOMETHING SIMILAR TO A TREE HOUSE WHERE YOU CAN GO UP AND OVERLOOK THE ENTIRE DOWNTOWN. NEARBY WILL BE AN IMAGINATIVE CHILDREN'S PLAY AREA WITH A WATER FEATURE. FIRST TIME EVER. WE'LL HAVE A WIDE ARTFULLY ILLUMINATED PROMENADE AND DEDICATED SPACES THROUGHOUT THE SQUARE FOR SMALL GATHERINGS AND SPECIAL PROGRAMS. THE DOWNTOWN REDEVELOPMENT IS DESIGNED TO HONOR THE PAST WHILE LOOKING TO THE FUTURE. MOVING ON PARKS, AND THIS IS SOMETHING VERY NEAR AND DEAR TO THE HEARTS OF MANY GARLAND CITIZENS AS THE LARGEST DISTRICT IN THE CITY OF GARLAND, WE HAVE OVER 32,000 RESIDENTS IN DISTRICT TWO. DISTRICT TWO BOASTS A TOTAL OF 15 PARKS COVERING 476 ACRES CITYWIDE. GARLAND HAS 63 PARKS AND OVER 2200 ACRES OF PARKLAND, AND THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE ARE OVER 600 ACRE FIRE WHEEL GOLF PARK. SOME OF THE PARK IMPROVEMENTS ARE NEW RESTROOMS AND CONCESSION STANDS AT BRADFIELD IN CENTRAL PARK, A NEW SPLASH PAD, ONE OF THE FIRST IN THE CITY AT EMBRY, PARK, RANGER AND EX RENOVATIONS THAT ARE ESTIMATED TO BE DONE HERE IN A FEW MONTHS. APRIL 2023 NEWLY PAVED PARKING LOTS AT GRANGER REC CENTER, EMBRY PARK IN CENTRAL PARK. A NEW BOB DAY TENNIS CENTER AT CENTERVILLE PARK THAT'S ESTIMATED TO BE DONE TOWARDS THE END OF 2024. LOU HALF PARK $4.4 MILLION IN IMPROVEMENTS ARE COMING AND NEW WALKING TRAILS THE CENTRAL PARK LUKE LUKE, THE DUCK CREEK CENTRAL TRAIL CONNECTING CENTRAL PARK AND RICOTTA PARK, WHERE THE NEW SKATE PARK HAS ALREADY OPENED. ALRIGHT, NEXT STREETS. YEAH FOR SOME PEOPLE, STREETS MAY NOT BE AS EXCITING AS PARKS. 
          BUT FOR THOSE OF US WHO LIVE ON SOME OF OUR OLDER STREETS. THIS IS VERY GOOD NEWS OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS. DISTRICT TOO, HAS SEEN OVER 65 MAJOR STREET REPAIRS COMPLETED STREET RECONSTRUCTIONS, CONCRETE REHABS AND FULL OVERLAYS. A RECORD NUMBER, BUT THERE'S A LOT MORE COMING. HAPPENING IN 2023. WE HAVE THESE FOUR STREETS SCHEDULED FOR A MAJOR RECONSTRUCTION, AND THAT'S WHERE THEY GET A BRAND NEW CONCRETE STREET. NEW CURBS, NEW DRIVEWAY , APRONS AND NEW SIDEWALKS. UM SO IF YOU LIVE IN ONE OF THOSE STREETS, I THINK YOU WILL BE, UM, YOU'LL BE HAPPY TO HAVE THIS WORK. FINISHED THE CONSTRUCTION PART IS A LITTLE MESSY, BUT YOU'LL LOVE HOW IT LOOKS AT THE END. WE WILL KEEP GOING UNTIL WE ARE ALL HAVING A BETTER AND MORE BEAUTIFUL DRIVING EXPERIENCE IN DISTRICT TWO AND BEYOND. RIGHT NEXT CENTRAL LIBRARY. CENTRAL LIBRARY IS BEING TOTALLY REIMAGINED TO PROVIDE PATRONS WITH STATE OF THE ART TECHNOLOGY . UM AND THIS INCLUDES BETTER ACCESSIBILITY, PUBLIC MEETING SPACES AND MORE. SOME OF THE NEW FEATURES INCLUDE A NEW MAIN ENTRY TO INCREASE ACCESSIBILITY , A REDESIGNED SPACE THAT FEATURES BOTH OUTDOOR AND INDOOR READING AND PROGRAMMING AREAS. CONSTRUCTION IS ANTICIPATED TO BEGIN IN SUMMER. 2023 WILL TAKE APPROXIMATELY 12 MONTHS. HERE'S ANOTHER BIG ONE ARE SENIOR 
          [00:05:03]
ACTIVITY CENTER ARE PLANNED UPDATE OR RENOVATION TO THE DOWNTOWN SENIOR CENTER WAS ABRUPTLY HALTED WHEN SERIOUS DEFECTS IN THE ORIGINAL CONSTRUCTION WERE DISCOVERED. 
          THAT'S THE BAD NEWS, BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS THIS GIVES US THE OPPORTUNITY TO DESIGN AND BUILD. 
          A NEW, LARGER, BETTER AND MORE EFFICIENT CENTER FOR OUR SENIORS . THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT AN ALTERNATE LOCATION, MOVING IT OVER CLOSER TO CENTRAL LIBRARY AND THE HERITAGE MUSEUM . BUT COUNCIL HAS MADE THE DECISION BASED ON THE SITE SIZE AND ACCESSIBILITY TO REBUILD ON THE SAME SITE ON AVENUE A, WHICH SEEMS TO BE PLEASING TO MOST OF OUR SENIORS WHO HAVE USED THAT SENIOR CENTER FOR YEARS. ALRIGHT GARLAND POLICE DEPARTMENT. UM THIS IS A CRIME HEATMAP. AND ALTHOUGH MANY PEOPLE THINK OF GARLAND AS A SMALL TOWN BECAUSE OF OUR FRIENDLY, CASUAL ATMOSPHERE IN REALITY, WE ARE THE 93RD LARGEST CITY IN THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES. WE ARE A VERY BIG CITY. BUT WE ALSO HAVE ONE OF THE BEST AND MOST PROFESSIONAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS IN THE ENTIRE NATION. AND DESPITE BEING THE LARGEST DISTRICT IN GARLAND DISTRICT TWO CONTINUES TO BE ONE OF THE COLUMNIST. WE HAVE GOOD PEOPLE. WE HAVE A GOOD POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOU HELPING WITH THIS. WE ALSO HAVE NEW CRIME FIGHTING TOOLS THAT ARE PRETTY EXCITING. THE FLOCK SYSTEM HAS PROVEN TO BE EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL IN GARLAND POLICE DEPARTMENT'S EFFORTS TO CURB MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS AND CATALYTIC CONVERTER THEFT. IT HAS HELPED THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IDENTIFY SUSPECTS AS WELL IN MULTIPLE VIOLENT CRIMINAL ACTS. 
          WE HAVE 45 FLOCK SAFETY CAMERAS LICENSE PLATE READERS INSTALLED ON ARTERIAL CITYWIDE. IT'S DESIGNED TO HELP POLICE IDENTIFY AND LOCATE VEHICLES INVOLVED IN CRIMES. THIS IS NOT A GENERAL SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM. THIS IS A WAY TO WATCH FOR SPECIFIC VEHICLES ARE LICENSE PLATES REPORTED FOR CRIMES, STOLEN VEHICLES, AMBER ALERTS AND SO FORTH. IT TAKES STILL PHOTOS OF LICENSE PLATES, NOT VIDEOS. THE GARLAND POLICE DEPARTMENT IS NOW IN THE PROCESS OF SETTING UP A TESTING SITE. FOR THEIR NEW GUNSHOT DETECTION SYSTEM. THIS WILL BE A GAME CHANGER FOR THE ENTIRE CITY. ALRIGHT. FINALLY OUR NEW FIRE STATION NUMBER ONE. WE ARE GOING TO RELOCATE AND REBUILD FIRE STATION NUMBER ONE, WHICH IS CURRENTLY LOCATED IN AUSTIN STREET IN OUR DOWNTOWN, THE DESIGN IS UNDERWAY AND IT WILL INCLUDE INDIVIDUAL BEDROOMS FOR FIREFIGHTERS WITH SEPARATE AIR HANDLING CAPABILITIES TO MINIMIZE DISEASE, AIR AIRBORNE DISEASE LIKE COVID. THE CONSTRUCTION IS ANTICIPATED TO BE COMPLETE IN LATE 2024. SO HERE IN GARLANDS DISTRICT TO WE'RE HAVING A ONCE IN 50 YEARS TRANSFORMATION OF OUR HISTORIC DOWNTOWN. WE'RE HAVING A RECORD NUMBER OF PARK IMPROVEMENTS AND NEW PARK DEVELOPMENT. WE'RE HAVING A RECORD NUMBER, AS WELL AS STREET REPAIRS AND REPLACEMENTS. WE HAVE VIBRANT NEW BUSINESSES OPENING IN EVERY DIRECTION. AN EXCITING EVENTS GOING ON YEAR ROUND. THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A MORE EXCITING TIME TO LIVE, WORK AND PLAY IN GARLAND, OR TO BE A PART OF DISTRICT TWO.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.