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HELLO AND WELCOME TO ANOTHER CITY COUNCIL UPDATE TODAY. I'M JOINED BY DISTRICT FIVE COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE MARGARET LOCKED WELCOME. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME SO WELCOME AT YOUR FIRST ROUND YOUR NEWLY ELECTED MAY I KNOW IT'S BEEN LIKE JUST DRINKING FROM A FIRE HOUSE, ALL THE INFORMATION AND ALL THE THINGS TO GET ON BOARD WITH, UM, BUT I KNOW THERE'S SOME REALLY GOOD THINGS THAT YOU'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT VERY PLEASED TO HAVE BEEN INVOLVED WITH. WELL, I SERVED ON THE PARKS BOARD BEFORE I WAS ON THE PLANNED COMMISSION AND THEN ON COUNCIL AND I HAVE BEEN I'VE BEEN SO HONORED TO SEE SOME OF THE PROJECTS I WORKED ON ON THE PARKS BOARD, JUST KIND OF COME INTO FRUITION AND HAPPENED . IT'S BEEN A IT'S BEEN A JOY TO SEE THINGS HAPPEN AND JUST GO THROUGH THEIR NORMAL, YOU KNOW, THAT IS ALL GOOD. I LOVE SEEING I'M I'M A GARLAND RESIDENT MYSELF. I DON'T JUST WORK HERE AND I LOVE HAVING FOLKS WHO COME TO THE TABLE AT COUNCIL WHO HAVE DONE THOSE OTHER THINGS. YOU'VE DONE THE NEIGHBORHOOD THINGS THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS OPPORTUNITIES. IT JUST GIVES YOU A LEG UP FOR THIS JOB. BECAUSE THIS IS A BIG JOB. IT IS. IT TAKES A LOT OF TIME. I BASICALLY HAVE TWO FULL TIME JOBS. YES, YES, YOU DO. LET'S GET RIGHT INTO IT. I KNOW ONE OF THE THINGS YOUR FIRST CITY BUDGET. HOW DID THAT GO FOR YOU? REALLY WELL, WE WERE ABLE TO GIVE A 5% ACROSS THE BOARD RAISED TO ALL OF THE GARLAND EMPLOYEES. WE TOOK CARE OF FIRE, AND POLICE GOT A MAJORITY OF THE BUDGET AND YOU KNOW WE WERE JUST ABLE TO GIVE THEM SOME RAISES AND REALLY MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY HAD WITHIN NEEDED. AND THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR EMPLOYEES IN GENERAL, BUT I KNOW FOR THIS FIRST RESPONDERS IN PARTICULAR, WE REALLY HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE READY IN THE PUBLIC SAFETY REALM. SO WE HAVE SOME REALLY FUN STUFF GOING ON IN DISTRICT. FIVE NEW PLAYGROUNDS LOVE THAT. TALK ABOUT THAT. THE PLAYGROUND REPLACEMENT PROGRAM IS PART OF THE BOND PROJECT BOND PROGRAM, AND WE WERE ABLE TO REPLACE PLAYGROUNDS AT GRISSOM PARK, DORFMAN PARK, EDWARD WHITE PARK AND ARMSTRONG PARK AND ONE OF THE REALLY UNIQUE THINGS ABOUT THIS PROGRAM IS THAT THEY'RE USING A THEME AT EACH PARK AND ESPECIALLY DORFMAN PARK IS MY FAVORITE BECAUSE IT'S GOT A HUGE LION AND IT'S JUST REALLY A WONDERFUL PLACE FOR KIDS TO GO AND HAVE FUN WITH THEIR FAMILIES. WHEN WE DID THE GROUNDBREAKING THEY'RE THE BEST PICTURES WE GOT WAS ALL THE COUNSEL PEOPLE PLAYING ON THE PLAYGROUND WAS HILARIOUS, AND WE LOVED IT SO, BUT PROBABLY THE MOST EXCITING RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITY RIGHT NOW IS RICK PARK. I KNOW IT JUST OPENED A SKATE PARKING THAT'S TAKING OFF MIGHTILY, BUT THERE'S A LOT MORE GOING ON THERE. ABSOLUTELY THEY ALSO PUT IN A COMPETITION BASEBALL FIELD. THEY MADE A 1.5 MILE TRAIL AROUND THE ENTIRE PARK. AND THAT TRAIL ACTUALLY CONNECTS TO THE DUCK CREEK CENTRAL TRAIL SO YOU CAN GO DIRECTLY FROM RICK ODIN TO CENTRAL PARK WITHOUT HAVING TO WITHOUT BEING INHIBITED BY TOO MUCH TRAFFIC, AND IT'S PRETTY AMAZING. THAT WAS PHASE ONE, AND PHASE TWO BRINGS A NEW PLAYGROUND AND UPDATED BASKETBALL FIELD BASKETBALL COURTS AND AH, A NEW PAVILION. IT'S JUST GOING TO BE AMAZING AN AMAZING PLACE FOR FAMILIES TO GO AND SPEND TIME TOGETHER AND YOU KNOW PEOPLE WHO JUST HAVE FUN OUTSIDE WELL IN HIS ONE WHO LIVES NOT FAR FROM THAT. I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUTDOOR THINGS FOR THE FAMILY TO DO, SO I REALLY LOVE THAT. UM SOMETHING WE ALL WANT. LOVE AND HATE, LOVE AND HATE RELATIONSHIP WITH STREET CONSTRUCTION THEM SOMETIMES WE DON'T WANT TO MESS WITH HIM. YES WE WANT OUR STREETS PREPARED, BUT WE DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE REPAIR ITSELF. IT IS. IT IS FRUSTRATING SOMETIMES, BUT WE'VE WE'VE HAD SOME MAJOR STREET RENOVATIONS IN DISTRICT FIVE, DEVIN WOULD DRIVE GOT A TOTAL RECONSTRUCTION, WHICH WAS DESPERATELY NEEDED, UH, SHILOH ROAD WAS EXPANDED FROM A FOUR LANE ROAD TO A SIX LANE ROAD, AND WE ALSO GOT A NEW INTERSECTION THAT AT GARLAND AND MCCREE. THAT'S RIGHT. WE DID. I'D FORGOTTEN THAT THAT WAS A NEW INTERSECTION. THAT'S VERY COOL. OF COURSE. YOU KNOW 6 35 IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION RIGHT NOW , BUT THAT SHOULD END IN 2024.
HOPEFULLY SOONER THAN LATER GETTING THERE WE'RE GETTING THERE. IT'S NOT MY FAVORITE THING TO DRIVE. BUT I DO LOVE SEEING THE PROGRESS THEY REALLY ARE MAKING GOOD PROGRESS. LET'S TALK ABOUT CRIME PREVENTION WERE WE ALL THINK ABOUT THAT? AND TRUTHFULLY, I ALWAYS FEEL VERY
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SAFE IN MY HOME IN GARLAND, BUT IT IS SOMETHING WE ALL NEED TO BE MINDFUL UP. ABSOLUTELY AND I THINK MAYBE ONE OF THE REASONS THAT YOU FEEL SAFE IS BECAUSE YOU ARE INVOLVED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY AND YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. AND THAT'S ONE THING. I REALLY TRY TO PUSH WITH RESIDENCES. IF YOU ARE INVOLVED IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, MAYBE FORM A NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION OR CRIME WATCH GROUP. GET TO KNOW YOUR MPO YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD POLICE OFFICER. THOSE THINGS REALLY HELP WITH CRIME AROUND YOUR AREA. AND THEN, OF COURSE, CITYWIDE. WE'VE INSTALLED FLUX SYSTEM CAMERAS, AND THOSE ARE MAJOR INTERSECTIONS. THEY CATCH STOLEN VEHICLES, MAYBE CATCH CARS THAT HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN CRIMINAL ACTIVITY, AND THEY'VE DONE A WONDERFUL JOB FOR THE POLICE TO HELP THEM NAB CRIMINALS THAT YOU KNOW WE DON'T WANT AROUND HERE. YES ABSOLUTELY . AND IF I MAY BRAG ON THEM, WE HAVE SOME OF THE BEST TRAINED POLICE OFFICERS ANYWHERE.ABSOLUTELY THE TECHNOLOGY THAT THEY USE IS, UM IT'S QUITE AMAZING. I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF WITNESSING A LOT OF THAT. AND UM IT'S ONE OF THE PERKS. YES TALK ABOUT TOO MUCH, BUT IT IS WONDERFUL TO SEE THAT THEY ARE HIGHLY TRAINED AND THEY USE LIKE THE BEST OF TECHNOLOGY TO GET THE JOB DONE. ABSOLUTELY LET'S TALK ABOUT NEW CONSTRUCTION WE'VE GOT WE STILL HAVE NEW RESIDENTS COMING INTO GARLAND AND DIFFERENT SHAPES AND SIZES. AS FAR AS THE DWELLINGS WE DO, THERE'S A MULTI FAMILY APARTMENT COMPLEX GOING UP RIGHT BY WALMART. 6 35 AND SATURN MARKETPLACE THEIR REGION. THAT'S THE GARLAND WOLF MARKETPLACE COMPLEX. I THINK THEY MAY BE CHANGING THEIR NAME, BUT I'M NOT SURE I'M KIND OF HOPING FOR IT. AND THEN, OF COURSE, WE HAVE A SINGLE FAMILY NEIGHBORHOOD ON MILLER ROAD CALLED THE HERITAGE PARK NEIGHBORHOOD. AND IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE THAT MIX OF AVAILABLE TYPES OF HOUSING, RIGHT? YES WE WANT ALL TYPES OF PEOPLE TO LIVE HERE BECAUSE ALL TYPES OF PEOPLE LIVE HERE AT GARLAND IS A HUGELY DIVERSE CITY, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE WANT TO PROPEL INTO THE FUTURE. UM, JUST OFFERING APARTMENTS FOR PEOPLE THAT WANT TO LIVE ALONE AND DON'T WANT TO INVEST IN A HOME AND THEN BEING ABLE TO OFFER THEM A SINGLE FAMILY OPPORTUNITY. THEY HAVE, YOU KNOW A FAMILY THAT THEY WANT TO MOVE IN AND KIND OF SET ROOTS DOWN. THAT'S THESE ARE WE WANT ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE HERE? YES YES, WE DO. SO IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE ON YOUR AGENDA THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AHEAD FOR IN 23? WELL I AM LOOKING AT A LOT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES. WE'RE LOOKING AT SOME SHOPPING CENTERS THAT HAVE NEEDED ATTENTION FOR A VERY LONG TIME. AND I'M REALLY EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO PRESENT THOSE IN THE COMING MONTHS. EXCELLENT WE WILL BE LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO ADD? I'M HAVING A TOWN HALL MEETING ON JANUARY 26TH AT THE SOUTH GARLAND BRANCH LIBRARY. WELL AND ALSO, UH, AS WITH ALL OUR COUNCIL PEOPLE, UM YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE CITY WEBSITE. OF COURSE, I KNOW YOU'RE ACTIVE AND OTHER AREAS, BUT YOU DO ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO REACH OUT TO YOU CORRECT? ABSOLUTELY I IF I CANNOT ANSWER THE CALL. AS SOON AS IT COMES THROUGH, I ALWAYS CALL PEOPLE BACK. I'VE MADE IT MY MISSION TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE FEEL HEARD AND TO ALWAYS RESPOND TO THEM. EXCELLENT EXCELLENT. WELL THANK YOU SO MUCH. WELCOME ABOARD. LOOK FORWARD TO, UM THIS TIME NEXT YEAR, SEEING ALL THE NEW THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT, ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FOR THIS COUNCIL UPDATE. WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT TIME.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.