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[Parks and Recreation Board Meeting on April 5, 2023]
EVERYONE.IT'S UH, 7:00 PM HERE ON APRIL THE FIFTH, 2023.
AND WELCOME TO THE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD MEETING.
UH, FIRST THING I WANNA DO IS WELCOME OUR GUESTS.
WE HAVE, WE HAVE, UH, QUITE A FEW GUESTS OVER THERE IN OUR SPEAKER AREA FROM LOOKING AT THE CARDS I HAVE HERE.
AND WE HAVE SOME GUESTS FROM THE OTHER END.
WE HAVE, WE HAVE TWO OF OUR COUNCIL FOLKS ARE THERE, OVER THERE.
WHERE'D THEY GO? THERE THEY ARE.
THERE, THERE'S ONE AND THERE'S TWO.
WE HAVE TWO OF OUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS HERE TONIGHT, AND WE APPRECIATE THEM ATTENDING THE MEETING.
UM, FIRST THING WE HAVE IS, UH, ON THE AGENDA FOR THE MEETING.
TONIGHT IS THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES, UH, OF THE MARCH MEETING.
CAN I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE? MOTION TO APPROVE MOTION.
AND A SECOND MOTION BY MS. AQUINO AND SECOND BY
I SAID, I SAID SECOND, BUT YOU CAN GIVE IT TO HER.
UH, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR APPROVING THE MINUTES, SAY AYE.
THE ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION, THE FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA WILL BE, UH, CONSIDERED A RECOMMENDATION TO THE CITY COUNCIL TO RENAME THE SKATE PARK AND RICK ODEN PARK, FOLLOWING CITY POLICY AS STATED ON PAGE 60, DIVISION FIVE, SECTION ONE OF GARLANDS PARKS AND RECREATION POLI POLICY.
THE PARKS BOARD SHALL RESEARCH STUDY AND RECOMMEND TO CITY COUNCIL PROPOSED NAMES FOR, UH, THE, FOR PARKS AND, AND PARKS FACILITIES.
UH, TONIGHT WE WILL COMPLETE THAT ASSIGNMENT.
THE REASON WE WERE DOING THAT IS THAT GOT KIND OF OVERLOOKED, UH, WHEN THE, WHEN THE NAMING HAPPENED THE FIRST TIME.
SO THIS IS JUST A RE-LOOK ON, ON BEHALF OF THE COUNCIL, AND HOPEFULLY WE'RE GOING TO, UH, WE WILL COME TO A CONCLUSION TONIGHT.
UM, I WANT TO TAKE JUST A SECOND, UH, FROM OUR, FROM OUR PRIOR MEETINGS TO KIND OF GIVE YOU MY TAKE OF SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE LEARNED SINCE WE STARTED THIS.
FIRST THING I LEARNED THAT THERE WAS A JOHN COMER, AND THAT WE DIDN'T KNOW THAT THAT WAS THE, THE CASE, UH, WHEN WE STARTED, BECAUSE, UH, WE WEREN'T IN, IN THE FIELD, UH, THAT, THAT YOU GUYS ARE.
AND WE FOUND OUT A LOT, AND WE FOUND IT'S BEEN VERY INTERESTING.
UH, IT'S BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION THAT WE HAVE AN INDIVIDUAL WHO, AT THE AGE OF EIGHT, HAD A FOOT AND PARTIAL LEG AMPUTATED, DOING IT DUE TO AN ACCIDENT WHERE HIS LEG WAS RUN OVER TWO TO THREE TIMES WHEN HE WAS ONLY FOUR YEARS OLD.
HIS, UH, FOUR, FOUR YEARS OLD.
HIS DOCTORS WORKED DURING, UH, WITH HIM DURING THE TIME TO TRY TO SAVE THE LEG, BUT IN THE END HAD TO AMPUTATE IT THROUGH SHEER WILLPOWER AND REFUSAL TO GIVE INTO HIS SITUATION.
HE BECAME AN ADVOCATE FOR SPORTS, THE SPORT OF SKATEBOARDING, GOING ALL THE WAY TO NATIONAL RECOGNITION.
DURING THIS TIME, THE DALLAS SCOTTISH R HOSPITAL STAFF WORKED WITH HIM TO CONTINUALLY REPAIR AND REPLACE HIS DAMAGE AND WORN PROSTHESIS.
WE HAD A FULL HOUSE TO SPEAK ON WHO HE WAS AND WHAT HE ACCOMPLISHED WITH HIS LIFE, TO COUNSEL OTHER MINORS WHO SUFFER THE LOSS OF A LIMB AND TO GIVE THEM HOPE WHILE BECOMING AN OUTSTANDING BORDER ON HIS OWN, AND MOVING ALL THE WAY INTO THE NATIONAL, THEN EVEN WORLDWIDE COMPETITIONS.
AND BECOMING A LEADER IN THE SPORT, UNFORTUNATELY, APPEARS THAT THIS INFORMATION WAS NOT AVAILABLE TO THE CITY COUNCIL WHEN THE NAMING WAS CONSIDERED.
SO THEY ARE ASKING US TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE POTENTIAL OPTIONS FOR EITHER LEAVING THE NAME AS IT IS CHANGING THE NAMES, OR INCLUDING HIS NAME IN THE RECOGNITION OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
THE ACTION THAT WE WILL TAKE TONIGHT.
WE, WE'VE BEEN GIVEN SOME SAMPLES OF WHAT COULD HAPPEN.
AND, AND SO I'LL GIVE YOU SOME OF THE, THESE, SOME THE POTENTIAL OPTIONS THAT WE, THAT WE'VE BEEN GOING OVER.
AND NUMBER ONE WAS RENAMING THE SKATE PARK FROM THE BONEYARD IN GARLAND.
NUMBER TWO WAS AN ANNUAL SKATEBOARDING COMPETITION IN THE NAME OF JOHN COMER.
NUMBER THREE WAS A SKATE PARK DEDICATION WITH PLAQUE IN THE NAME OF JOHN COMER NUMBER.
ANOTHER ONE WAS THE HISTORICAL PERSON MARKER FOR JOHN COMER.
ANOTHER ONE WAS A PUBLIC ART INSTALLATION IN HONOR OF JOHN COMER.
OTHERS IS IDENTIFIED AND OTHERS IS IDENTIFIED BY THE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD.
NOW, UM, I'D LIKE TO CALL ON THE SPEAKERS THAT WE HAVE, UH, ON THIS IN THE, UH, IN OUR AUDIENCE THIS EVENING.
I HAVE YOUR SPEAKER CARDS, AND AS I CALLED ON YOU, I'D ASK YOU TO COME UP AND SIT AT THE CENTER CHAIR THERE, OR THE RIGHT ONE.
IT'S EASIER FOR YOU TO GET TO, UH, AND GIVE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS AND SPEAK CLEARLY, UH, INTO THE MICROPHONE.
BECAUSE THIS MEETING IS BEING RECORDED.
DO WE NEED TO DO THIS BEFORE WE HAVE A MOTION? DO WE HAVE THE DISCUSSION BEFORE WE HAVE A MOTION? WE'RE NOT GOING TO DISCUSS THE MOTION UNTIL WE HAVE A MOTION.
WE'RE NOT GONNA DISCUSS THE ISSUE UNTIL WE HAVE A MOTION THAT'S AMONGST OURSELVES.
COMMITTEE, COMMITTEE WAS WHERE THE DISCUSSIONS WENT UP, BUT WE DON'T HAVE FULL DISCUSSION AFTER WE HAD THE MOTION.
THERE WON'T BE ANY CUTOFF OF THAT FROM US.
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CHAIRMAN? YES, SIR.I'D BE INTERESTED FOR EACH, UH, YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE THAT SPEAK, YOU KNOW, IF THEY'RE INTERESTED, WOULD SUPPORT, YOU KNOW, WHICH OF THE OPTIONS THEY WOULD SUPPORT.
I GAVE 'EM TO 'EM PRETTY QUICKLY, BUT THEY UNDERSTAND THERE'S, THERE'S OPTIONS.
RIGHT NOW YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK AND, UH, WHO'S GONNA BE OUR TIMEKEEPER TONIGHT? OVER THERE.
UH, AT, UH, TWO MINUTES AND, UH, 45 SECONDS, I WILL GIVE YOU A, GIVE YOU A CALL, OKAY.
AND, AND WE, YOU, AS WE DID IN THE LAST TWO MEETINGS, YOU'VE BEEN VERY RE RESPECTFUL OF THAT.
AND, UH, AND YOU'VE, UH, YOU'VE HELD OFF YOUR, UH, IN YOUR TIME.
AND I'M GONNA STOP RIGHT HERE IN JUST A SECOND BEFORE MR. COKER COMES UP HERE.
UM, THE FIRST MEETING WE HAD, WE HAD A, WE HAD A, I THOUGHT IT WAS A VERY GOOD MEETING.
THE SECOND MEETING, UH, WE HAD, UNFORTUNATELY WE HAD AN EVENT OCCUR THAT, UM, THAT NONE OF US IN THIS ROOM LIKED.
NONE OF US IN THIS ROOM CARED FOR.
AND AS CHAIRMAN, UH, I WAS TRYING TO, TRYING TO SETTLE IT DOWN.
BUT I FAILED WHEN I, WHEN I GAVE THAT PERSON AN EXTRA TIME, BECAUSE DURING THAT EXTRA TIME, I GAVE HIM AS WHEN THINGS REALLY WENT OFF THE RAIL.
AND ON BEHALF OF THE CITIZENS OF GARLAND, I WANNA APOLOGIZE TO ALL OF YOU.
WHAT YOU HEARD THAT NIGHT DOES NOT REFLECT ANYTHING ABOUT ANYBODY THAT'S HAVING ANYTHING TO DO WITH THIS OTHER THAN THAT ONE PERSON INDIVIDUALLY.
SO I DO APOLOGIZE, AND I HOPE YOU ACCEPT THAT APOLOGY.
UH, MR. COKER, OH, LOOK AT HERE.
NAME AND, UH, I GET MY VISUAL AIDS
AND WE DON'T WANT ALL YOUR TITLES.
JUST GIVE US THE NAME AND WHERE YOU LIVE, SIR.
AND YOU'VE GOT, UH, THREE MINUTES.
I WASN'T SURE I COULD SIT YET.
THREE MINUTES, CHAIRMAN AND PARK BOARD MEMBERS.
THANKS FOR, UH, LETTING ME SPEAK FOR A COUPLE OF MINUTES.
UH, JOHN WAS A VERY INSPIRATIONAL PERSON, NOT JUST ON, UH, THE SKATEBOARDING LEVEL, BUT ON MANY LEVELS.
UH, HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS ARE CERTAINLY LOCAL, BUT NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL.
UH, AND FROM THAT STANDPOINT, I HAVE TO SAY HE INSPIRED MY WIFE AND I, WE, UH, HAD, FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS, WE HAD A FOUNDATION AND A CHARITY THAT WE CREATED FOR SCOTTISH WRIGHT.
AND I'M VERY PROUD THAT, AND IT WAS ALL BECAUSE OF JOHN.
I MEAN, BEING AROUND HIM, SEEING THE THINGS HE'S DONE, THE THINGS HE DID FOR CHILDREN.
HE WAS VERY, HE WAS, AND, AND JUST ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, IF THERE ANYTHING EVER NEEDED TO BE DONE, I BUILT TWO, UH, NON-PROFIT SKATEBOARD PARKS IN THE CITY OF DALLAS, WHICH I HAVE TO SALUTE GARLAND BECAUSE THE CITY OF DALLAS, THE EIGHTH LARGEST CITY IN THE UNITED STATES, STILL DOESN'T HAVE A SKATE PARK.
SO I HAVE TO GIVE YOU GUYS BIG KUDOS.
UM, AND SO FROM THAT STANDPOINT, I HAVE TO SAY, JOHN WAS TIRELESS IN HIS EFFORTS, UH, AROUND THE PARK.
THEY WANTED TO LEARN SOMETHING.
HE WAS ALWAYS THERE WITH A SMILE.
AND, UH, WE EVEN HAD, UH, THE SHRINERS HAD A SPECIAL EVENT FOR HIM AT, AT THE PARK, UH, WHERE HE WAS GIVEN AN HONORARY MEMBERSHIP IN THE SHRINERS.
AND IT WAS, IT WAS A VERY SPECIAL, VERY SPECIAL MOMENT, VERY SOLEMN ON THEIR SIDE.
UM, BUT AGAIN, WHAT I HAVE TO SAY IS THAT HE HAD AN INDEFATIGABLE ATTITUDE, HIS PERSONALITY, UH, THE CHALLENGES THAT HE HAD TO OVERCOME.
HE WAS AN AMAZING PERSON AND AN AMAZING SKATEBOARDER AND NOT, NOT A GREAT SKATER FOR SOMEONE WHO HAD A CHALLENGE.
HE WAS A GREAT SKATER, REGARDLESS.
WE USED TO GIVE HIM A HARD TIME SAYING HE ONLY, HE DIDN'T HURT AS MUCH WHEN HE FELL.
CAUSE HE ONLY HAD ONE LEG TO, TO HURT
BUT AGAIN, I, I FEEL THAT COMMEMORATING HIS, HIS NAME FOR THIS SKATE PARK, IT, IT, I THINK IT DOES NOTHING BUT ELEVATE THE CITY OF GARLAND IN THAT IT, IT HA DOES HAVE AN INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION.
AND I THINK THE OTHER ITEMS, WHICH I CERTAINLY COULDN'T, UH, READ THEM OFF TO YOU FROM MEMORY, BUT I THINK THOSE ITEMS, UH, ARE TERRIFIC.
IT WOULD BE WONDERFUL TO HAVE A COUPLE OF THOSE IN ADDITION TO THE RENAMING.
UM, AND I CERTAINLY HOPE THAT YOU'LL CONSIDER THE RENAMING BECAUSE I THINK IT WOULD BE, UH, I THINK IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR THE CITY.
I THINK IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR SKATEBOARDING, AND I THINK IT WOULD TIE THE CITY INTO SCOTTISH.
RIGHT? AND, YOU KNOW, POSSIBLY IN, IN THIS RENAMING AND IN THIS COMMEMORATING PROCESS, UH, IT COULD BE VERY INSPIRATIONAL FOR CHILDREN WHO ARE CHALLENGED WITH AMPUTATIONS AND, UH, THE CHALLENGES THAT SOMEONE, UH, HAS TO, HAS TO DEAL WITH.
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THAT WAS A, A GREAT PERSON AND A GREAT DAD, AND A GREAT HUSBAND, AND HE WAS A GOOD FRIEND.AND SO, UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND I HOPE THAT YOU'LL CONSIDER THIS STRONGLY.
I THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS, SIR.
DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OF THE SPEAKER? THANK YOU.
PLEASE DO YOU HAVE TO GIVE IT TO US HERE.
UM, I'M GONNA JUST TELL ONE ANTIDOTE, I COULD TELL A MILLION BECAUSE I WAS MARRIED TO 'EM.
BUT, UM, IN JANUARY, 2018, WE WENT AND BOUGHT NEW CELL PHONES.
AND WE WERE AT THE VERIZON STORE, AND THE GUY HELPING US REALIZED WHO JOHN WAS, AND ASKED FOR HUGS FROM BOTH OF US BECAUSE HE KNEW WHO JOHN WAS.
AND SAID THAT A FRIEND OF HIS ASKED TO VISIT ANOTHER FRIEND OF HIS THAT HAD BEEN A, IN A BAD MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT AND HAD TO HA HAVE AN AMPUTATION.
AND WITHOUT HESITATION, JOHN WENT AND VISITED THAT MAN IN THE HOSPITAL JUST TO SAY, IT'S GONNA BE OKAY.
IT'S JUST A LEG, IT'S JUST A LIMB.
AND THIS MAN WAS LIKE, YOU DID WONDERS FOR MY FRIEND WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING HIM.
HE WENT, HE DIDN'T, EVERYBODY, HE WANTED TO HELP ANYBODY AND EVERYONE.
HE VISITED THIS MAN HE DIDN'T KNOW, TALKED TO HIM.
AND NOW THIS MAN'S LIVING A GREAT LIFE BECAUSE SOMEONE WAS LIKE, I'M JUST LIKE YOU.
AND THAT'S THE INSPIRATION I HAVE FROM MY HUSBAND.
VERY HUMBLE, VERY POSITIVE, AND JUST A LOVING PERSON ALL AROUND.
ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE SPEAKER? WHICH, UH, OF THE OPTIONS DO, DO YOU SUPPORT? UM, IF THEY'RE ALL GOOD, ALL OF THEM
WE, WE GET THE RECOGNITION AND, AND I HAVE A QUESTION TOO.
AND YOU, YOU GAVE ONE EXAMPLE, WAS THAT EXAMPLE INDICATIVE OF WHAT JOHN DID THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE AND DID, HOW, HOW CLOSE DID HE WORK WITH THE SCOTTISH WRIGHT HOSPITAL IN WORKING WITH THE KIDS THAT HAVE HAD AMPUTATIONS THERE? KIND KIND OF GIVE US THAT JUST A LITTLE BIT.
YOU GOT A LITTLE BIT TIME HERE.
IF YOU GO TO THE SCOTT SCOTTISH WRIGHT HOSPITAL, THERE'S, UM, A GLASS CASE WITH JOHN'S PICTURE AND SKATEBOARDS AND HIS DOCTORS ARE, WILL TALK TO YOU ALL THE TIME.
AND AL EVEN DID, YOU KNOW, TWO YEARS IN A ROW OF BENEFITS FOR SCOTTISH RICE HOSPITAL AND RAISED MONEY FOR THEM IN HONOR OF JOHN, AND JUST TO SUPPORT CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES.
AND IT'S JUST A GREAT, IT'S JUST, HE WAS SUCH AN INSPIRATION TO EVERYONE.
CAN YOU, CAN YOU SAY HOW FAR YOU LIVE FROM THE PARK? UH, ABOUT TWO A MILE AND A HALF.
STILL AT THIS TIME? YES, MA'AM.
AUDI, UH, VICTOR NELSON, EIGHT 10 BANDA, UH, GARLAND, TEXAS.
UM, I SPOKE AT THE FIRST MEETING.
JOHN, JOHN HADS HAD A TREMENDOUS IMPACT IN MY LIFE.
UM, I MET HIM AT A YOUNG AGE, UH, AT MY LOCAL SKATE PARK.
HE'S ONE OF THE JUDGES AND, UH, HELPING SUPPORT A CONTEST THAT WAS TAKING PLACE.
UM, AND OVER THE YEARS HAD ADDITIONAL INTERACTIONS WITH HIM.
HE WAS, UH, ONE OF THE MANAGERS AT THE GRAPEVINE MILLS SKATE PARK, UM, THAT I FREQUENTED BACK IN THE DAY.
SO A LOT OF GREAT INTERACTIONS WITH JOHN.
UM, FAST FORWARD A FEW YEARS, I GOT INTRODUCED TO A COUPLE DIFFERENT NONPROFITS THAT WERE PRODUCING, UM, WHEELCHAIR SKATING AND ADAPTIVE SKATEBOARDING EVENTS.
AND FROM THAT 0.4, LIKE THE TABLES HAD REALLY TURNED BECAUSE I WAS ONCE A PARTICIPANT AND NOW A PRODUCER OF AN EVENT.
AND, YOU KNOW, THE EPIPHANY HAPPENED WHEN JOHN WAS THERE PARTICIPATING, RIGHT? LIKE, THIS IS SOMEONE THAT I LOOKED UP TO AS A CHILD.
AND THEN TO BE IN THAT POSITION YEARS LATER WAS JUST LIKE, REALLY AWE-INSPIRING FROM THAT POINT FORWARD.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT REALLY BECAME SOMETHING THAT WAS IMPORTANT TO ME TO CONTINUE TO SEE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE AWARENESS FOR ADAPTIVE AND WHEELCHAIR SPORTS TO, UH, CONTINUE BEING, UH, SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE ARE AWARE ABOUT, RIGHT? BECAUSE HOW MANY KIDS THAT ARE DISABLED TO KNOW THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THEY CAN DO.
AND OTHER THAN JOHN, THEY DIDN'T REALLY HAVE A LOT TO, TO STEER
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THEM IN THAT DIRECTION.SO THROUGH OTHER PROGRAMS AND OTHER EFFORTS, THE, THE EFFORTS CONTINUE TO, TO GROW.
AND THEN, UM, A FEW YEARS LATER, WE STARTED DOING THE JOHN COMER, UH, MEMORIAL SKATE JAM AT MY SKATE PARK IN GRAND PRAIRIE, TEXAS.
AND, UM, THE GOAL HAS ALWAYS BEEN LIKE, HOW CAN WE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT, UM, ADAPTIVE ATHLETES AND WHEELCHAIR ATHLETES TO CONTINUE THAT, UM, MOVEMENT THAT JOHN STARTED.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, WITH THAT, IT'S, IT'S LIKE OBVIOUSLY A HUGE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT HERE IN GARLAND.
IT WOULD GIVE AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF VISIBILITY, WHAT FOR THE CITY AND THE SKATEBOARDING INDUSTRY.
UM, I WORK WITH TEAM USA SKATEBOARDING'S PARALYMPIC SUBCOMMITTEE TO KIND OF COORDINATE AND EXECUTE EVENTS OF THIS NATURE.
IT'S REALLY THEIR MISSION RIGHT NOW TO SEE, YOU KNOW, WHAT, JOHN STARTED RIGHT WITH ADAPTIVE SKATEBOARDING TO BECOME A PARALYMPIC SPORT NOW THAT, UM, SKATEBOARDING'S OFFICIALLY AN OLYMPIC SPORT.
AND, YOU KNOW, FOR GARLAND TO REALLY PUT THAT VOTE OF CONFIDENCE IN RENAMING THE SKATE PARK, ESPECIALLY HEARING SO MUCH OF THE COM COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR IT, UM, I THINK WOULD JUST BE, YOU KNOW, A HUGE MESSAGE TO NOT JUST, UM, THE THE SKATEBOARDING INDUSTRY, BUT ALL KINDS OF CITIES, RIGHT? REALLY LISTEN TO WHAT YOUR COMMUNITY FEELS OR, YOU KNOW, SEES SOMETHING THAT WOULD REPRESENT THEM OR RESPECT, UH, WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO THEM.
SO, UM, OTHER THAN THAT,
I THINK, YOU KNOW, EVENT'S GREAT, BUT THE NAME'S GONNA LAST FOREVER.
AND ONCE IT'S THERE, YOU CAN'T TAKE IT AWAY.
APOLOGIES IF I'M TALKING FAST.
ABOUT HOW MANY PEOPLE, UH, ARE IN THE EVENTS THAT YOU HOST? UM, IT RANGES RIGHT WHEN WE DID THE FIRST ONE IN GRAND PRAIRIE, WE HAD A COUPLE HUNDRED PEOPLE THAT CAME OUT LAST YEAR, WAS MOVED TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TO ANOTHER FACILITY, JUST SO IT'S MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR THE ATHLETES.
UM, BUT THE GOAL IS TO BRING IT BACK TO TEXAS THIS YEAR.
AND I THINK WITH THE AMOUNT OF, UH, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE THAT ARE FOLLOWING THIS, UH, RENAMING AND HOW, HOW THE EVENTS ALREADY BUILT SOME SUPPORT, IT WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, DEFINITELY A LARGER SKILL EVENT.
THREE, 400, MAYBE, MAYBE MORE.
IS IT SPECIFICALLY JUST FOR, UM, PEOPLE THAT ARE ADAPTIVE TO SKATING OR DO YOU HAVE BOTH? IT, IT WAS ABLED BODIED AND DISABLED PARTICIPANTS.
UM, AND THEN A WHEELCHAIR DIVISION AS WELL.
SO KIND OF ALL INCLUSIVE, UH, EXPERIENCE.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I HAVE A QUESTION.
UM, JUST WANNA HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS ON IT.
SO I'M, I'M THINKING ABOUT KINDA MARKETING PERSPECTIVE OR, SO PEOPLE KNOW WHO JOHN COMER IS, CUZ HE, IT SOUNDS LIKE HE HAS SUCH A WONDERFUL STORY AND HAS DONE GREAT THINGS.
WHEN I, IF I'M A NONS SKATER AND I LOOK AT THE NAME JOHN COMER SKATE PARK, UH, AND BY THE WAY, I AM NOT, THIS IS NOT, UH, SINGAPORE, GUESS IT AT ALL.
THIS IS JUST LITERALLY JUST TO GET YOUR THOUGHTS ON IT.
UM, IF IT SAYS, JOHN, COME SKATEBOARD, I'M JUST A NONS SKATER, I WOULD HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THAT PERSON IS.
UM, BUT LET'S SAY A PUBLIC ART INSTALLATION, LET'S SAY, I THINK Y'ALL TALKED ABOUT HE LOVES ART AND OBVIOUSLY IN SKATEBOARDING, AND THERE WAS SOMETHING WHERE PUBLIC ART INSTALLATION, HOW, LIKE A SKATEBOARD AND SOMETHING WITH THE STORY ON IT, YOU KNOW, THAT WHOLE THING.
UM, THEN I, NOW I KNOW WHAT HE DID BECAUSE TO NAME WITHOUT, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING THAT DISPLAYS WHAT HE DID THAT I WOULDN'T REALLY KNOW OTHER THAN A SKATEBOARD, BUT SKATE IF I WAS A SKATEBOARDER.
BUT I THINK TO REACH SO MUCH MORE PEOPLE TO, SO, SO MANY MORE PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF SKATE THE SKATING COMMUNITY KNOW WHO JOHN COMER IS.
UM, IT WOULD JUST BE, I, I FEEL LIKE A MUCH BIGGER REACH MM-HMM.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS? UM, I MEAN, LIKE A MURAL'S GREAT, A STATUE'S GREAT.
UM, ANYTHING TO MEMORIALIZE THEM WOULD BE AMAZING.
UM, I THINK THE RENAMING IN ITSELF IS VERY IMPACTFUL THOUGH, BECAUSE IT'S GONNA HAVE SUCH A LONG TERM AND, YOU KNOW, JUST THE FACT THAT WE'RE AT THIS POINT, IT'S GONNA HAVE SUCH A BIG, UM, IMPACT THAT IT'S GONNA GET A LOT OF PEOPLE'S ATTENTION.
AND FOR ME PERSONALLY, LIKE JUST ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN, LIKE I HAD NO IDEA WHO RICK ODIN WAS AND I GOOGLED IT AND THAT'S HOW I FOUND OUT.
SO, YOU KNOW, IN THIS DAY AND AGE FOR PEOPLE TO FIND THINGS OUT REALLY QUICKLY IS NOT THAT HARD TO DO.
UM, IT WOULD BE AMAZING TO SEE A STATUE THAT COINCIDES WITH THE RENAMING, BUT I FEEL LIKE EVEN WITH THE STATUE, PEOPLE ARE JUST GOING TO SEE IT AS WHAT IT IS.
THERE'S A STATUE AND THEY MAY NEVER LIKE REGISTER, OH, THIS GUY'S GOT A PROSTHETIC LEG IN THE STATUE.
LIKE, PUT HIS NAME THERE, MEMORIALIZE SOME AND LET PEOPLE LIKE, YOU KNOW, SHARE.
LIKE, LET PEOPLE ASK, LET PEOPLE FIND OUT HOW, YOU
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KNOW, JUST LIKE WE'RE SHARING HOW HE'S IMPACTED OUR LIVES, HOW HE'S IMPACTED THEIR LIVES.AND I FEEL LIKE THAT KIND OF MARKETING IS SOMETHING YOU COULDN'T PAY FOR, PUT A STAMP ON, YOU KNOW.
YOU'VE DONE WONDERFUL AND WE APPRECIATE YOU.
NOT SPEAKING, BUT YOU ARE, YOU ARE NOT, AGAIN, YOU'RE NOT TESTIFYING, BUT YOU ARE FOR THIS.
UH, K JEFFERS NOT SPEAKING FOR NOT SPEAKING.
DID WHAT DID YOU SAY? YOU WERE NOT, NOT SPEAKING.
I THOUGHT THAT'S WHAT I HEARD.
UM, CHRIS JEFFERS, I'LL PUT HIM AT THE BANK.
WHAT'S THE NUMBER? 13, 14, 15, 16.
UH, CHRIS, JEFF IS 8 29 EAST DOHERTY, UH, DRIVE GARLAND, TEXAS ON 5,041.
UM, SPEAKING IN FAVOR OF CHANGING THE NAME OF THE PARK TO MEMORIALIZE JOHN COMER.
UM, YEAH, I'M LIKE VICTOR HOT SEAT.
UH, UH, FIRST OFF, UH, ROB COMER WISHES HE COULD BE HERE.
THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR BEING HERE.
UM, AND UM, REALLY YOU NEED ONLY TO LOOK AT THE WIDE FRIDAY AND INCREASING AMOUNTS OF, UH, PEOPLE WHO HAVE SHOWN THROUGHOUT THESE MEETINGS TO KNOW THE INFLUENCE OF JOHN.
UM, I'LL TELL A PERSONAL STORY.
JOHN WAS ALL ABOUT INCLUSIVENESS.
HE DIDN'T WANNA BE SPECIAL, HE JUST WANTED TO BE INCLUDED.
I GOT TO KNOW A SKATER NAMED JOHN OR JART BERRY THROUGH JOHN.
UH, JARRET BERRY IS KNOWN AS D GAY SKATEBOARDER.
HE WAS EVEN PUBLICIZED AS SUCH ON THE COVER OF SKATEBOARDING'S BIG BROTHER MAGAZINE WENT THROUGH A SKATEBOARDING FACE GROUP, UH, FACEBOOK GROUP.
JARED FOUND OUT I KNEW JOHN, HE WAS IMMEDIATELY COMPLIMENTARY OF JOHN'S SKILLS AND PERSEVERANCE.
I THEN BROUGHT UP TO JARED, UP TO JOHN, AND JOHN HAD TOLD ME ABOUT JARED SAYING HOW AWESOME IT WAS THAT DURING A WORLDWIDE AMATEUR FINALS CONTEST THAT THEY HAD BOTH COMPETED IN, JARED CAME OUT WEARING HIS SHIRT.
JOHN WAS ALWAYS SUPER SUPPORTIVE OF THOSE WHO ROSE AGAINST CHALLENGES IN DIVISIVENESS, UH, DIVISIVENESS, SORRY.
UH, AND THOSE VALUES RISING UP TO FACE CHALLENGES AND OVERCOMING DIVERSITIES THAT DRIVES PEOPLE APART IS SKATEBOARDING.
JOHN EMBODIED THE VALUES OF SKATEBOARDING.
JOHN IS SKATEBOARDING AND HIS NAME ABSOLUTELY DESERVES TO BE MEMORIALIZED AND AT LET THAT PARK.
UH, ANY QUESTIONS? MR. JEFFERS? MR. PARISH, UH, JUST WANTED SAY WHAT, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE OTHER OPTIONS? TO BE HONEST, I THINK THEY'RE NOT OPTIONS.
I THINK THEY'RE GREAT, UH, SUGGESTIONS FOR ADD-ONS.
UH, I'M FULLY IN FAVOR OF CHANGING THE NAME OF THE PARK.
UH, I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, AND ONE OTHER THING PLEASE, UH, I JUST ADDRESS ONE THING TONY HAWK DID.
HE DID GIVE US A VIDEO AND THAT DID DRIVE A LOT OF ATTENTION.
BUT THAT HAS, THERE HAS BEEN A MIS UH, INTERPRETATION OF THAT VIDEO TO BE TONY, SAY GARLAND DEW.
I CAN TELL YOU FIRSTHAND HOW HARD TONY IS TO GET A HEART OF HE IS EXTREMELY HARD, EVEN FOR HIS CLOSEST FRIENDS.
JOHN ONCE EVEN TOLD ME AFTER JOHN FIRST GOT PHONE OUT TO CALIFORNIA BY TONY, WE WERE ALL EXCITED.
EVEN JOHN SAID, DUDE, IT'S STILL TONY HAWK.
IT'S NOT LIKE I CAN JUST CALL THE GUY UP
SO, UM, IT, SO TONY, THAT THAT VIDEO ACTUALLY TOOK TWO MONTHS TO GET, CUZ TONY WAS GOING INTO SURGERY AND IT STILL, HE STILL THROUGH THE INFLUENCE OF JOHN, BECAUSE HE INFLUENCED JOHN HAD ON TONY, TONY TOOK TIME OUT OF HIS DAY TO DO THAT.
I'LL TELL YOU WHAT, I HAVE A LETTER FROM TONY FROM 1990 THAT I GOT.
I STILL HAVE IT TO THIS DAY, AND I'M AMAZED BY THAT.
SO FOR GARLAND TO GET A VIDEO FROM TONY, FOR TONY TO TAKE HIS TIMEOUT FOR NO OTHER REASON, BUT TO SHOW THE INFLUENCE JOHN HAD ON HIM.
TONY DIDN'T GET ANYTHING OUTTA THE VIDEO.
HE HAS SPONSORS, COMPANIES BEGGING FOR HIS ATTENTION, BUT HE GIVE HIS ATTENTION TO THIS ISSUE.
AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE PROUD OF.
I THINK GARLAND SHOULD BE STOKED ON THAT.
GARLAND SHOULD ACTUALLY BE PUBLICIZING THAT ON THE WEBSITE FOR THE SKATE PARK.
[00:25:02]
ALL RIGHT.AND YOU MADE IT UNDER YOUR THREE MINUTES.
UM, IS THIS THE JOHN HAUSER THAT WE SEE ON THE COMMERCIALS ON TV RIGHT NOW? I'M SORRY? IS THIS THE PERSON THAT WE SEE ON COMMERCIALS ON TV NOW THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT? TONY, JOHN, JOHNNY HA.
I WAS WORKING ON OTHER THINGS.
SO, SO TONY, THERE'S, THERE'S NO TELLING WHEN AND WHERE YOU MIGHT SEE TONY CUZ HE'S EVERYWHERE.
HE'S BEEN, UH, YOU KNOW, HE'S BEEN A DOMINANT FIGURE IN SKATEBOARDING AND AN AMBASSADOR OF SKATEBOARDING SINCE THE EARLY EIGHTIES.
UH, HE'S HAD, I MEAN, HE CONTINUES TO GET SPONSORS SUCH AS MINI COOPER, I THINK AT ONE TIME, BIG BITES, CLUB MED.
UM, UH, SO I, YOU KNOW, HE'S, IT'S EVER GROWING.
UM, HE'S, UM, HE'S STILL DOING THE TONY HAWK FOUNDATION.
HE RECENTLY HAD AN HBO DOCUMENTARY COME OUT IN THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
UH, THAT WAS, UM, YOU KNOW, A REALLY GOOD LOOK AT HIS, HIS LIFE OVER SKATEBOARDING.
SO, I MEAN, HE'S STILL VERY ACTIVE IN SKATEBOARDING AND BEING AN AMBASSADOR OF SKATEBOARDING AND, UM, UH, BUT, AND STILL TRAVELING FOR IT AS WELL.
HE'S, UH, OFTEN ON THE ROAD STILL FOR THAT.
SO HE'S VERY, VERY MUCH ACTING LIKE HE'S STILL A KID
IT GIVES ALL OF US ENCOURAGEMENT.
AND I APOLOGIZE FOR GETTING THE NAMES WRONG.
I WAS LOOKING THROUGH THE CARDS HERE, SEEING WHAT ALL I HAVE TO DO.
UH, WE HAVE, WE HAVE A, WE HAVE, UH, UM, A LOT OF CARDS HERE, WHICH WE'RE PROBABLY NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO GET THROUGH.
UH, I'D LIKE TO SAY THAT, UH, WE HAVE A CHOICE.
IF YOU, IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT'S DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE'VE HEARD ALREADY, UH, SOMETHING THAT, SOMETHING ELSE THAT WE CAN USE TO MAKE THIS, I WOULD, UM, ASK YOU TO MAKE THOSE POINTS.
AND, UH, YOU DON'T HAVE TO SPEAK THE FULL THREE MINUTES.
UM, SO IF WE COULD GET, THIS IS THIS MARLIN BOBBI PRESENT, BUT NOT SPEEDING PRESENT, BUT NOT SPEAKING.
UH, MELISSA GFI, PRESIDENT SPEAKING, AND YOU ARE FOR THIS POSITION.
WE WILL TAKE THAT AS A DEFINITE YES.
FOR IT? YOU ARE FOR THIS, SIR.
WE APPRECIATE ALL OF YOU COMING.
DE NOAH, STAND UP SO WE CAN SEE YOU THERE.
ARE YOU FOR THIS? ARE YOU SURE YOU'RE FOR THIS? I LIKE THAT.
HOPEFULLY YOU'LL DO THIS FOR MANY YEARS TO COME.
UH, SAM FINNEY PRESENT, SIR FOR IT.
JESSICA LLOYD, PRESENT AND FOR IT.
YOU WENT OVER IT TWO OR THREE TIMES.
JOSH, WHAT'D YOU COME UP WITH HERE? JOSH.
UH, AND YOU'RE HERE AND YOU'RE FOR THIS.
CHRISTINE, YOU'RE HERE AND YOU'RE FOR IT.
THAT JUST COMPLETED OUR SPEAKER CARDS.
THANK YOU ALL FOR, FOR THAT, THAT, UH, THAT WILL HELP ALL OF US QUITE A BIT.
ALRIGHT, GENTLEMEN, WHAT YOU, WE'VE HEARD WE, WE'VE HEARD TESTIMONY AND, UM, WE HAVE A COMMITTEE THAT'S BEEN BEEN STUDYING THIS AND THEY'VE USED THE INFORMATION THAT I HAD THERE AND OTHER INFORMATION, UH, TO COME TO, TO COME TO A RECOMMENDATION TO THIS BOARD AND OUR CHAIRMAN, UH, MR. PERISH, YOU WANT, I'M GETTING A LITTLE FEEDBACK HERE.
WHAT? YOU WANNA GO WITH OUR THING? YOU WANT? MM-HMM.
AND I WROTE THIS DOWN YOUR MIND.
SO WE, WHAT, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE AND HOW HAVE YOU COME TO THIS CONCLUSION? UH, WE MET, WE CONSIDERED, UH, ALL, ALL
[00:30:01]
THE INPUT WE HAD.WE LOOKED AT THE, UM, UH, B BOTH THE PARK NAMING, UH, ORDINANCE AND THE, UH, CITY, UH, FACILITIES, UH, NAMING GUIDANCE AND, UH, YOU KNOW, TRIED TO SEE HOW THIS MIGHT FIT INTO THAT.
AND, UH, THE, WE CAME UP WITH THIS.
WE, THE FACILITIES AND FINANCE, UM, UH, COMMITTEE MAKES A MOTION TO, UH, RECOGNIZE THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE, UH, SKATEBOARDING COMMUNITY AND THE ADAPTIVE SKATEBOARDING COMMUNITY BY INSTALLING A PLAQUE AT THE BONEYARD IN GARLAND TO TELL THE STORY OF JOHN COMER, A GARLAND RESIDENT.
WE ALSO RECOMMEND THAT THE CITY CONSIDER AN ADAPTIVE SKATEBOARD EVENT, UH, IN HONOR OF MR. COMER.
DO WE HAVE A SECOND, UH, DISCUSSION? SECOND ITEM.
WE HAVE TO HAVE A SECOND FIRST.
WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND.
AND, UH, OKAY, MR. OP, OPEN UP YOUR DISCUSSION.
YEAH, I JUST HAVE A QUICK QUESTION.
WE'RE MAKING A SUGGESTION TO CITY COUNCIL.
THIS IS THE RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL.
THEY COULD CHANGE ANYTHING THAT WE SAY AND MAKE THEIR OWN DECISION.
ANY OTHER, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? UH, I HAVE, I, I HAVE ONE.
DOES ANYBODY ELSE HAVE A QUESTION? CAN I MAKE A STATEMENT AFTER YOU ASK YOUR QUESTION? YOU, YOU MADE THE FLOOR, MS. BISHOP.
UM, SO A HUNDRED YEARS AGO, IN 2003, THE CITY WAS NEEDING TO DO A BOND PROGRAM.
AND THE PARK EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AT THAT TIME SAW THE BENCHES AND CHAIRS AND WHATNOT AROUND THE PARK OFFICE BEING USED FOR RAMPS AND OTHER THINGS FOR SKATEBOARDING.
AND HE SAID, WE, WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE KIDS TO BE IN THE PARK, BUT WE NEED TO HAVE OUR FURNITURE.
WILL YOU PLEASE PUT A SKATEBOARD PARK ON THE BOND PACKAGE? SO WITH THAT INFORMATION, AND OUT OF THE PARK BOARD, WE RECOMMENDED TO THE BOND COMMITTEE THAT THEY PUT MONEY IN TO THE BOND PROGRAM, AND THEY DID, AND THEY PRESENTED THE BOND PROGRAM TO THE VOTERS AND THE VOTE.
AND AS, AS ONE PACKAGE, AS ONE ITEM OF THAT PACKAGE, TUCKER WILL WAS IN THAT AND OTHER THINGS WERE IN THERE.
UH, STREETS ALWAYS SEEMS TO TOP THAT, AND IT PASSED, AND THEN NOTHING HAPPENED BECAUSE WE HAD AN ECONOMIC DOWNTURN.
SO EVERY YEAR, THE ONLY OTHER PERSON THAT CAN REALLY IDENTIFY THIS TO ME IS SITTING OVER THERE.
WE GET A C I P SCHEDULE OF THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO HAPPEN 10 YEARS.
SO IN 2004, THE SKATE PARK IS ONE OF THE CATEGORIES THAT'S ON THERE BECAUSE IT HAS TO BE HONORED BECAUSE IT CAME THROUGH FROM THE VOTERS.
AND IN 2004, THE SKATE PARK MONEY WAS PUT TO BE SPENT IN 2014.
AND EVERY YEAR AFTER THAT, WHATEVER WAS THE, THE MOST, THE FURTHEST DATE OUT THERE, THAT'S WHERE THE SKATE PARK MONEY WAS PUT.
WE CAME ACROSS A BOMB PROGRAM FOR 2019 AND, UM, THE MONEY, MONEY WAS ALLOCATED IN DIFFERENT AREAS.
THE BOND PROGRAM WENT TO THE VOTERS PARKS DEPARTMENT, ASKED FOR A RECORD AMOUNT OF MONEY AND WAS AWARDED, I THINK ULTIMATELY OVER 117 MILLION.
AND SOME OTHER FUNDS WERE ADDED TO IT, BUT IT WAS SPECIFICALLY FOR PARKS AND OTHER, YOU KNOW, THEY DID THE POLICE AND FIRE.
THEY, AND THEY, THEY DID THE STREETS, WHICH WASN'T THE MOTHER LOAD OF WHERE THE MONEY WAS GOING.
AND THAT PASSED WHEN THE RUBBER HITS THE ROAD AND IT'S TIME TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE SKATE PARK AND IT'S IN YOUR AREA AND YOUR THE RECOMMENDATION WAS TO PUT IT WHERE THERE WAS MORE ROOM TO DO IT.
THAT PARTICULAR COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE DIDN'T WANT IT IN THAT AREA.
AND ANOTHER AREA WAS SELECTED, WHICH WAS THE RICK ODEN PARK, WHICH WAS NAMED AFTER, UH, THE PARK IS STILL GOING TO BE CALLED RICK ODEN PARK WHEN WE HAVE RENAMED PARKS.
IN THE PAST IT HAS BEEN, WHEN WE DID THE ANITA HILL, IT'S STILL CALLED INDIAN LAKE, BUT THERE'S THE ANITA HILL POOL.
[00:35:01]
IT IS NOT UNUSUAL THAT THIS WOULD BE THE JOHN COMER SECTION, UM, OF THE SKATE PARK.BUT WE HAD, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS BEFORE THERE WERE PLANNED MEETINGS BEFORE THERE WAS MORE MEETINGS WITH PUBLIC TESTIMONY COMING, UH, IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBER, WHICH WILL BE ON RECORD WHERE THEY ASKED FOR US TO INCREASE IT OVER, UM, TENFOLD FROM THE HALF A MILLION THAT WAS THERE TO THE, THE GREATER SUM THAT WAS SPENT.
AND WE DEDICATED THE PARK WITHOUT THE INFORMATION GOING TO JOHN COMER.
MY ADVOCACY FOR THE PARK WAS FOR THE SKATERS, BECAUSE TO ME IT'S A GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT, UM, HAVE AN IDENTITY AMONG THEMSELVES AS FOOTBALL PLAYERS DO, AS BASEBALL PLAYERS DO, AS CHEERLEADERS DO THAT THIS IS THEIR IDENTITY.
AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, THAT I THOUGHT WOULD BE A GOOD THING FOR GARLAND TO DO, THAT IT WAS RECOMMENDED AND IT PASSED AS A RECOMMENDATION OUT OF THE PART BOARD TO SPEND THIS MONEY AND TO MAKE THIS A STATEMENT PARK.
I, I REALLY, REALLY LIKE THE IDEA OF CIRCULATING HIS NAME WITH THE PARK OF, OF ART OF, UM, A MURAL OF, OF ANYTHING.
BUT IT WAS ALREADY DEDICATED WITH A NAME.
AND I WAS JUST HOPING THAT WE COULD DO SOMETHING.
SO I'M SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OF THE MOTION AND TRYING TO GIVE YOU, UM, SOME OF THE BACKGROUND THAT I HAVE BEEN HERE AND WITNESSED FOR FAR TOO LONG.
UM, YOU KNOW, COMPARED TO EVERYONE HERE, UM, OUT OF, OUT OF RESPECT FOR HIM AND FOR THE PEOPLE THAT WERE HERE.
UM, YOU KNOW, I, I DON'T SEE THAT ANYONE IS OPPOSED TO GIVING PROPER RECOGNITION.
I JUST, IT USUALLY WHEN YOU RENAME SOMETHING, YOU'VE DONE SOMETHING DIFFERENTLY AND WAS SPENT SO MUCH TIME IN PLANNING AND DESIGN AND REVIEW OF PLANS AND HAS GONE THROUGH COUNCIL AND THEN HAS COME BACK TO US THAT I THINK WE OUGHT TO DO, UM, THE RIGHT, THE RIGHT THING IN THAT I AM NOT AGAINST ANOTHER BOND PROGRAM, ADDING ANOTHER FEATURE AT SOME POINT, UM, AND DEDICATING THAT SECTION TO HIM.
WE DID THAT AT SURF AND SWIM, WHICH WAS OUR REGIONAL HIGHLIGHT SWIM PARK.
UM, AND WE HAD AN INDIVIDUAL THAT HAD MADE A SIGNIFICANT, UM, CONTRIBUTION TO GARLAND HAD PASSED AWAY, AND THERE WAS A WALLY'S COVE THERE IN DEDICATION TO HIM.
SO THAT AGAIN, IS ANOTHER, UH, SIMILAR THING THAT'S HAPPENED, UM, WHERE, WHERE, WHERE SOMEBODY HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED, I'VE TALKED WITH SKATERS THAT I DON'T, I, I DON'T THINK YOU'D FIND A SKATER THAT'S OPPOSED TO THIS, BUT I, MY COMMON THING THAT I KEEP HEARING IS THEY REALLY JUST WANNA SKATE.
SO, UM, I WANT THEM TO, I WANT THEM TO SKATE.
I WANT THAT TO BE SOMEPLACE THAT IS A DRAW FOR SKATERS AND THAT MR. COMER'S NAME IS BROUGHT UP IN AN ANNUAL EVENT AND PERHAPS IN COMMUNICATION OR IN COORDINATION WITH, UM, WITH GRAPEVINE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, WHERE WE CAN, WE CAN MAKE, MAKE AN IMPACT.
SO, UH, OUT OF, OUT OF WHAT I, I GOT HERE THAT, UM, UH, THAT WAS THE RECOMMENDATION THAT WE DIDN'T, DIDN'T PUT THE NAME.
UH, WE DIDN'T, WE DIDN'T ADD HIS NAME TO THE NAME OF THE PARK.
WHAT WE, WHAT WE'RE SUGGESTING, AND TELL ME IF I'M WRONG, UM, IS THAT WE, THE NAME OF THE PARK REMAINED THE BONEYARD, BUT WE, WE DEDICATE, WE DO A DEFINITE DEDICATION THAT PEOPLE WILL SEE, UH, RESPECT AND ENVY BY HAVING, UM, A, A TELLING OF THE STORY OF JOHN COMER, UH, AT THE PARK.
AND THAT MORE THAN THE NAME, THAT'S WHAT I THINK I'VE HEARD THAT THEY WANT TO TRY AND ACCOMPLISH.
AND I CAN CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND WHY, BUT AS AN OUTSTANDING PERSON TO DO THAT.
THE INTERESTING PART ABOUT THAT, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT, UH, SOME OF US HAVE BEEN PUSHING FOR, FOR SEVERAL YEARS TO GO AROUND ALL OF OUR PARKS BECAUSE ALL OF OUR PARKS ARE NAMED FOR PEOPLE THAT HAVE DONE SOMETHING SPECIAL.
AND, UH, I JUST HAPPENED TO BE, HAPPENED TO BE IN THE LITTLE TOWN OF EDGEWOOD,
[00:40:01]
TEXAS, AND I WAS JUST SHOWING WHAT THEY'D DONE WHEN THEY MOVED A CHURCH THAT WAS BUILT IN THE 18 HUNDREDS INTO TOWN INTO A HISTORICAL DISTRICT.AND, AND THEY, THEY MADE A PERMANENT MARKER.
THEY DIDN'T MAKE SOMETHING THAT WAS WOOD OR SOMETHING WOULD REQUIRE MAINTENANCE, BUT SOMETHING LIKE WHAT YOU SEE FROM THE STATE AND, AND FROM OTHER AREAS.
AND THIS TELLS THE WHOLE STORY RIGHT THERE.
AND, UH, AND I JUST, I JUST HAPPENED TO PICK THIS ONE OUT OF MY PICTURES THE OTHER DAY AS I WAS LOOKING FOR HOW COULD WE DO THIS? AND OF COURSE WE HAVE MARKERS, UH, STATE MARKERS, THAT HISTORICAL MARKERS IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA THAT I PRESUME WILL BE GOING BACK UP, TALKING ABOUT BANKHEAD HIGHWAY AND HOW IT CAME ABOUT, AND GARLAND, HOW GARLAND BEGAN TO GROW AFTER THAT.
WE HAVEN'T INCLUDED HIS NAME IN THE NAMING AND I'M WONDERING IF THE, UH, CHAIRMAN WOULD ACCEPT, UM, UH, AN AMENDMENT TO SAY, UH, I'M, I'M GONNA THROW THIS OUT THERE AND WE'LL SEE HOW, SEE WHERE IT GOES.
THE JOHN COMER SKATE PARK AT THE BONEYARD IN GARLAND, THE BONEYARD IN GARLAND IS STILL THERE.
THE JOHN COMER NOW IS LISTED UP FRONT ON THAT.
DOESN'T REQUIRE THE CHANGING, I DON'T THINK OF ANY, ANY NAMING, BUT IT BRINGS TO THE FRONT.
AND THEN THE OTHER PART IS TO, IS TO, IS TO GET THE HISTORY OF WHAT JOHN COMER DID.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO OFFER THAT AS A, AS A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT.
AND, UH, IF YOU WOULD ACCEPT IT, SIR, I WILL SECOND THAT AMENDMENT.
BUT DO WE NEED TO VOTE ON THE FIRST AMENDMENT? NOPE.
DOES HE NEED TO MAKE, MAKE A MOTION FOR THE AMENDMENT? WE, YEAH, YOU HAVE JUST DID THE CHAIR.
WELL, THE CHAIR, WELL, HE MAKES A FRIENDLY EMOTION, BUT THE FRIENDLY EMOTION ALSO HAS TO BE SECOND IN IT.
YOU HAS TO ACCEPT THE FRIENDLY EMO I ACCEPT AMENDMENT.
WE HAVE A MOTION TO SECOND NOW.
DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER MODIFICATIONS? ANY, ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY? ANY, ANY OTHER MEMBERS? ANY OTHER MEMBERS? I WANNA MAKE SURE EVERYBODY'S HAD THEIR SAY, HAD THEIR OPPORTUNITY.
UM, THANK YOU MS. BISHOP FOR WHAT YOU SAID.
YOU GAVE US A, A GOOD BACKGROUND ON WHAT MANY OF US DIDN'T KNOW.
AND SO, UM, I LIKE THE PARTS ABOUT THE, THE RECOGNIZING THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS, TELL THE STORY, TELL THE ADAPTIVE SKATING.
WE HAVE A REAL STORY HERE, BUT NONE OF THIS WAS KNOWN.
IT APPEARS WHEN, WHEN THE NAMING HAPPENED.
I'M SORRY THAT Y'ALL WEREN'T THERE, BUT I'M PROUD THAT YOU'RE HERE NOW AND AGAIN, THIS WILL BE A RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL.
UH, AND WE WILL SEE HOW THE COUNCIL REACTS TO THAT.
YOU WILL GET YOUR CHANCE TO TELL THAT STORY AGAIN THERE.
MAY I MAKE JUST A STATEMENT? UM, WE DIDN'T, WE AS THE PARK BOARD DIDN'T RECOMMEND ANY SORT OF NAME THAT CAME FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE.
SO THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT THE NAMING HAS KIND OF COME THROUGH HERE.
IT'S KIND OF COME BACK THROUGH HERE BECAUSE IT DIDN'T GO THROUGH THE PROPER CHANNELS THE FIRST TIME.
AND SO COUNCIL, CURRENT COUNSEL HAS ASKED US TO BRING IT THROUGH THE PROPER CHANNELS AND BRING A RECOMMENDATION TO THEM.
WELL, I, WE HAVEN'T WANNA THANK COUNSEL FOR DOING THAT.
AND WE THANK THAT COUNCIL AND I, I WANNA THANK EVERY SINGLE PERSON THAT FILLED OUT ONE OF THOSE CARDS AND CAME HERE TONIGHT.
CUZ I KNOW WHAT AN EFFORT IT IS TO GET UP HERE.
AND PARTICULARLY IF YOU TOOK THE TIME TO SP TO SPEAK, I HOPE THAT YOU FEEL LIKE THAT WE HAVE GIVEN, UM, YOUR REQUEST A SIGNIFICANT, UM, ATTENTION AND, UM, THAT YOU'RE HONORED BY WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO.
WE, WE WANT TO THANK YOU COLLECTIVELY FOR THE, THE KINDNESS AND THE CONSIDERATION THAT YOU'RE GIVING.
AND I THINK ARTICULATING THESE THOUGHTS AND STRONGLY EXPRESSING THEM TO THE CITY COUNCIL WILL BE A KEY.
BUT I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MUCH IT MEANS TO ALL OF US.
ANYTHING, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? I JUST HAVE A QUICK QUESTION TO THE GROUP THAT'S HERE.
THE CITIZENS AND I SUPER APPRECIATE THEM BEING HERE.
AND THE, HOW MANY OF YOU WERE IN ATTENDANCE WHEN WE HAD PUBLIC HEARINGS ON THE SKATE PARK DOWN AT AUDUBON? CUZ IT WAS A HUGE CROWD, I CAN SAY.
AND THEN WE HAD ANOTHER ONE AT THE, UH, UH, ANNEX GRAINGER ANNEX.
IT'S A LITTLE SMALLER ONE WHERE WE, YOU KNOW, LOOKED AT SPECIFIC FEATURES, YOU KNOW, BASED ON WHAT WE LEARNED IN, UH, AUDUBON.
AND THEN WE HAD A PUBLIC HEARING HERE IN CITY COUNCIL AND THEN CITY COUNCIL HAD ONE.
ALRIGHT, LET'S, UM, MOTION A SECOND ON THE FLOOR.
WE END, WE GONNA END DISCUSSION.
OH, WHAT MINUTE? WHAT ARE YOU DOING? KEITH? CAN YOU SPECIFY THE MOTION AGAIN WITH THE AMENDMENT? AYE BRO AMENDMENT.
SO WE CAN PUT THAT ON THE RECORD AND THEN VOTE PLEASE.
THE JOHN ER SKATE PARK AT THE BONEYARD IN GARLAND AND THE OTHER ISSUES THAT, THAT, THAT THE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN HAD PUT IN THERE.
ALL OF THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
THEY'RE ALSO, UH, AN EVENT IN HIS YES,
[00:45:01]
SIR.SO, SO WE RECOMMEND THAT THE CITY CONSIDER AN EVENT.
ALL WE DO IS A RECOMMENDATION, RIGHT? THAT'S OUR JOB.
OKAY, WE, WE MAKE A MOTION TO RECOGNIZE THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND THE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SKATEBOARDING COMMUNITY AND ADAPTIVE SKATEBOARD COMMUNITY BY INSTALLING A PLAQUE AT THE BONE
WE ALSO RECOMMEND THE CITY CONSIDER AN ADAPTIVE SKATEBOARD EVENT WITH, IN HONOR OF MR. COMER.
UM, WITH AN AMENDMENT TO, TO RENAME THE SKATE PARK, THE JOHN COMER SKATE PARK AT THE BONEYARD IN GARLAND.
WE'VE HEARD THE, WE'VE HEARD THE MOTION.
EVERYBODY HOLD YOUR HANDS UP SO WE CAN GET 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6 OUT OF SEVEN.
ANY OPPOSED? WE'RE GOOD? ANY OPPOSED? WE OKAY.
WE HAD SIX, FOUR, AND ONE, NOT VOTING.
AND, UH, WE ARE, WE ARE, FIRST THING I WANNA DO WHEN WE'RE RIGHT HERE NOW IS THANK EVERYONE FOR COMING.
BUT I WANT TO TELL YOU THAT THIS, THIS IS GOING TO BE YOUR FIRST STEPS TOWARDS WHAT CAN ACTUALLY HAPPEN, WHAT CAN ACTUALLY HAPPEN AT THAT SKATE PARK.
GARLAND, CITIZENS OF GARLAND HAVE MADE A UNBELIEVABLE COMMITMENT, AND THANK YOU, MOLLY, FOR TELLING US THE PATH THAT IT TOOK TO GET THERE WITH THE NUMBER OF DOLLARS THAT THEY SPENT TO BUILD THE SECOND LARGEST SKATE PARK IN THE STATE OF TEXAS AND THE SEVENTH LARGEST IN THE NATION.
IS THAT CORRECT? AM I CORRECT ON THAT? CURRENT? CLOSE TO THAT.
CLOSE CLO CLOSE, CORRECT? MM-HMM.
THAT IS, THAT IS A PHENOMENAL THING.
AND EVERY TIME I'VE GONE BY THERE, THERE'S BEEN SO MANY PEOPLE AND I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING.
NOW WHILE YOU'RE HERE, WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT SOMETHING THAT'S MORE, MORE IN, IN OUR, UH, AREA HERE.
THE GARLAND SENIOR ACTIVITY CENTER, PUBLIC INPUT SUMMARY.
UH, CALLED THE MEETING BACK TO ORDER.
WE TOOK A BRIEF INTERLUDE THERE FOR THE, UH, FOLKS THAT WERE HERE,
AND THERE'S SOME PEOPLE NOT IN HERE YET, BUT THERE'S GOING BEHIND, GETTING IN THE DOOR HERE, AND HE'S GOING ALONG THE WAY.
WE'RE AT THE VERBAL BRIEFINGS, GARLAND SENIOR ACTIVITY CENTER, PUBLIC INPUT SUMMARY.
AND MY GOODNESS, DID THEY HAVE A BUNCH OF MEETINGS TO MEET WITH THE PUBLIC AND ZIO AND DEL LEE? YOU, YOU GUYS WERE WONDERFUL.
I, I HIT WHAT, TWO OR THREE OF THOSE? AND, AND YOU, AND YOU HANDLED THE CROWDS REALLY WELL AND YOU HAD A VERY ORGANIZED PRESENTATION.
CAN YOU SEE THIS GO? ALL RIGHT, WELL, GOOD EVENING.
THANK YOU MR. CHAIRMAN AND HELLO PARK BOARD MEMBERS.
WE ARE SUPER EXCITED TO SHARE OUR PUBLIC INPUT SUMMARY FOR THE GARLAND SENIOR ACTIVITY CENTER PROJECT.
SO LET'S KICK IT OFF BY, UM, OUR WONDERFUL, UM, PUBLIC MEDIA OFFICE MADE A LITTLE VIDEO OF JUST TO KIND OF SHOW YOU OF OUR EFFORTS AND A LITTLE OVERVIEW.
BUT, UM, TO REMIND YOU ALL, WE DID, UM, SOME FACILITY TOURS.
WE HAD A STAKEHOLDER GROUP THAT WE DID FACILITY TOURS.
WE TOURED A LOCATION IN MCKINNEY, PLANO, AND RICHARDSON.
AND THEN WE ALSO, UM, HAD MET WITH THE USERS, THE SENIORS OVER AT GALE FIELDS, CUZ THAT'S THEIR HOME RIGHT NOW.
AND THEN WE DID THREE PUBLIC MEETINGS.
WE HAD TWO EVENING MEETINGS, AND WE HAD ONE DAYTIME MEETING AND WE MADE THAT A ZOOM OPTION AS WELL.
SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, I'LL SHOW YOU THE LITTLE, UM, RECAP.
TODAY WAS A FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR SENIORS, OUR RESIDENTS, TO SEE OUR NEIGHBORING COMMUNITIES FACILITIES SO THEY CAN VISUALIZE AND ARTICULATE WHAT THEY WANT TO SEE IN THEIR FUTURE SENIOR ACTIVITY CENTER FOR GARLAND.
THERE'S NOT INFINITE AMOUNT OF MONEY, OBVIOUSLY, IN RESOURCES.
SO THE CARD GAME HELPS US SEE WHERE THE PRIORITIES LIE, SO THAT WHEN TOUGH DECISIONS HAVE TO GET MADE, WE KNOW THAT WE'RE DOING THE MOST GOOD FOR THE MOST.
FOLKS, I THINK IT'S FUN TO WATCH POTENTIAL AND CURRENT USERS HAVE SOME AHA MOMENTS, UM, AND GET EXCITED ABOUT SOMETHING AND GET EXCITED ABOUT, UH, SEEING IT POSSIBLY INTEGRATED INTO THEIR BUILDING AND THEIR COMMUNITY.
[00:50:01]
DESIGNED FOR A CERTAIN GROUP.IF YOU DON'T HAVE INPUT FROM THAT GROUP, THEN I DON'T THINK YOU'RE GONNA BE SUCCESSFUL.
UH, AND THIS WAS MORE THAN I EXPECTED TODAY.
AND IF THERE'S SOMETHING ON HERE THAT HASN'T BEEN CAPTURED YET THAT YOU THINK IS REALLY IMPORTANT, PLEASE PUT THAT ON A STICKY NOTE AND TIE AND STICK IT ON THE WHAT ELSE BOARD NOW OF THIS INFORMATION IS GOING TO BE COLLATED, UH, BY EXPERTS TO SEE WHAT WE'VE, WHAT WE'VE DISCOVERED AND WHAT ARE GONNA BE THE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO THAT WILL GIVE US THE MOST IMPACT WITH THE DOLLARS THAT WE HAVE TO SPEND ON IT.
AND IT'S REALLY GOING TO BE AN INTERESTING JOURNEY THAT WE'RE GOING.
SO THAT GIVES YOU A LITTLE RECAP OF JUST KIND OF ALL THE DIFFERENT EFFORTS, PEOPLE THAT WERE THERE.
SO CURRENTLY WE ARE IN THE PRE-DESIGN PHASE, AND OUR HOPE IS THAT WE WILL GET TO CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD INTO THE ACTUAL FACILITY DESIGN IN THIS MONTH, INTO MAY, STARTING THAT PROCESS.
BUT, UH, YOU GUYS ARE OUR FIRST STOP ON, UM, GIVING A, UH, BACKGROUND OF, OR A INFORMATION ON THE PR, UH, OH MY GOSH.
YOU GUYS ARE OUR FIRST STOP ON PROVIDING THE SUMMARY OF THE INPUT, AND TOMORROW MORNING WE WILL MEET WITH THE SENIOR ADVISORY COMMISSION, AND ON FRIDAY WE'LL ACTUALLY GO BACK OVER TO THE USERS OVER AT GALE FIELDS.
AND THEN WE WILL, UM, SHOW THIS PRESENTATION IN PROBABLY A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL ON THAT PRESENTATION TO CITY COUNCIL ON THE 17TH OF APRIL.
SO THE HOPE IS THAT WE WILL GET THEIR BLESSINGS, GUIDANCE DIRECTION AND BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO MOVE THIS PROJECT FORWARD.
AND SO IF IT STAYS ON THE CURRENT SCHEDULE, UH, LOOKING AT, UH, GRAND OPENING OF THAT FACILITY IN LATE 2025, SO THE CONSULTANTS AND STAFF, WE DEVELOPED A PROJECT MISSION STATEMENT, AND THIS WAS TO JUST HELP, YOU KNOW, FORMULATE OUR WHY, WHY ARE WE DOING THIS? AND SO TO CREATE A NEW GARLAND SENIOR ACTIVITY CENTER WITH TRANSFORMATIVE SPACES AND EXPERIENCES THAT CAUSE A MARCH CHANGE IN OUR PATRON'S WAY OF LIFE AND VITALITY, A PLACE WITH THOUGHTFUL CREATIVE DESIGN THAT LEADS TO A SENSE OF PRIDE FOR GARLAND.
SO I WANNA SHARE OVER THE NEXT FEW SLIDES THE DESIGN THREADS THAT WE CAME UP WITH FOR THIS PROJECT.
AGAIN, TRYING TO BE VERY INTENTIONAL OF, YOU KNOW, RECOGNIZING HOW IMPORTANT THIS PROJECT IS TO THE COMMUNITY AND TO THE SENIORS.
SO THE DESIGN THREADS ARE NOT MEANT TO BE PART OF WHAT THE BUILDING IS GONNA LOOK LIKE, BUT THE EXPERIENCES AND THE FEELINGS THAT PEOPLE HAVE WHEN THEY COME INTO THOSE SPACES.
SO OUR FIRST DESIGN THREAD IS WE WANT THE NEW FACILITY TO BE A WARM, SAFE, PLACE, FILL, WARM, SAFE PLACE FILLED WITH INDEPENDENT, GENUINE, AND PRETENTIOUS PEOPLE.
FROM GARLAND, PROUD, LONGTIME RESIDENTS WHO PLANTED ROOTS IN GARLAND, WORKED HARD, RAISED FAMILIES, AND STAYED HERE.
THEY ARE PROUD TO BE HERE IN GARLAND.
THEY TAKE PRIDE IN THEIR COMMUNITY AND IN THEIR HAPPINESS.
THE FIRST DESIGN THREAD FOR OUR PROJECT IS PRIDE.
WE WANT TO BUILD A FACILITY THAT GARLAND RESIDENTS WILL BE PROUD OF.
OUR SECOND DESIGN THREAD FOR THIS PROJECT IS THAT WE WANT THE NEW FACILITY TO BE MODERN AND UP TO DATE, BUT BE PROUD TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH VINTAGE GARLAND.
IT WILL BE CONTEMPORARY, A COMFORTABLE PLACE WITH US.
IT'S A STYLE THAT'S FULL OF LIGHT AND ENERGY, BUT A PLACE THAT HAS SPARKLE.
IT WILL BE TRANSFORMATIVE FOR PEOPLE'S LIVES BECAUSE IN THIS PLACE WILL BE, IS WHERE PEOPLE WILL GATHER, RELATIONSHIPS WILL FORM, AND LIVES WILL BE ENHANCED.
IT'S A PLACE WHERE CREATIVITY IS OPTIMIZED AND WHERE ART, ARCHITECTURE AND PEOPLE TRANSFORM THROUGHOUT THE DAY, LIKE THE RISING AND SETTING SUNLIGHT, TRANSFORMING A LAKE VIEW.
THE SECOND DESIGN THREAD FOR THIS PROJECT IS TRANSFORMATIVE.
AND OUR LAST DESIGN THREAD FOR THIS PROJECT IS THAT THE NEW FACILITY WILL BE A SECOND HOME WHERE ALL BELONG A LIFE FULL OF POWERFUL FRIENDSHIPS, A PLACE CONTRIBUTING TO EXTENDED FAMILY, WHERE FRIENDS GATHER AS A COMMUNITY, A PLACE THAT IS MEANINGFUL FOR PEOPLE TO DO SOMETHING VITAL TO THEIR LIFESTYLE.
THE THIRD DESIGN THREAD IS VITALITY.
AND IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT WE DIDN'T JUST COME UP WITH THESE PRETTY WORDS AND THROW 'EM IN THERE.
THESE WERE A RESULT OF THE INPUT THAT WE GOT FROM THE PUBLIC MEETINGS, WHETHER IT WAS ON THE COMMENT CARD OR WE WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, WHAT DOES GARLAND MEAN TO YOU? WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT GARLAND? WHY DO YOU LIVE HERE IN GARLAND? AND SO THAT'S WHERE ALL OF THESE WORDS, THERE WERE CERTAIN WORDS THAT POPPED UP OVER AND OVER.
AND SO THAT'S HOW WE DEVELOPED THESE DESIGN THREADS FOR THE PROJECT.
SO JUST TO RECAP, THOSE DESIGN THREADS ARE PRIDE, TRANSFORMATIVE, AND VITALITY.
SO LET'S GET TO THE NETS AND BOLTS OF IT ALL.
SO WE, LIKE I SAID, YOU SEE UP HERE THAT WE HAD FOUR MEETINGS.
ONE WAS WITH THE USER GROUP, THAT WAS ON JANUARY 20TH, AND THEN THE 24TH, 26TH
[00:55:01]
AND FEBRUARY 8TH, WE MET WITH, UM, IN DIFFERENT LOCATIONS.SO WE HAD TWO MEETINGS OVER AT GRANGER AND ONE MEETING OVER AT AUDUBON.
AND I KNOW SOME OF YOU VISITED SOME OF THOSE MEETINGS AND WE APPRECIATE YOU ALL BEING THERE.
AND THEN WE ALSO HAD, UM, AN ONLINE SURVEY THAT PEOPLE COULD ANSWER QUESTIONS AND COMMENT CARDS IF THEY WEREN'T AVAILABLE.
AND I'LL ALSO TELL YOU THAT AT ONE OF, AT THE AUDUBON MEETING, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS NOT ADVERTISED, THERE WAS A LADY WHO REALLY WANTED TO BE A PART OF THAT.
AND WE WERE ABLE TO SET UP THE ZOOM.
IT WAS KIND OF A TEST TRIAL OF, OH, WE CAN DO THIS.
AND SO WE MADE THAT AN OFFER FOR THE NEXT MEETING.
UH, WE DID GET, YOU KNOW, EMAILS FROM PEOPLE AND WE WOULD COLLECT THAT INFORMATION THAT WAY.
AND SO ALL OF THAT INFORMATION WAS SHARED WITH THE CONSULTANTS.
SO YOU CAN SEE THAT OF PEOPLE THAT VOTED.
SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? SO WE DO AN ACTIVITY CALLED DOT OCRACY.
AND SO WHAT ZT AND I DID IS WE WENT THROUGH A POWERPOINT AND WE SHOWED DIFFERENT IMAGES OF IDEAS BRAINSTORMING, AND SOME WERE REALLY FARFETCHED FOR SOME OF THE PEOPLE WATCHING.
FOR EXAMPLE, THERE'D BE A ROCK CLIMBING WALL OUT ON A BALCONY OF A BUILDING.
AND OF COURSE PEOPLE WERE LIKE, WHY WOULD SENIORS DO THAT? BUT IT WAS JUST TO GET THEIR, YOU KNOW, THOUGHTS GOING ON THE PROJECT, WHAT DO YOU WANT? AND THEN THOSE IMAGES WERE THEN PUT OUT ALL AROUND THE ROOM PAINFULLY WITH THE BLUE TAPE
AND, UM, PEOPLE HAD, UM, 10, 10 STICKIES THAT THEY WERE GIVEN AND THEY WERE ALLOWED TO MAKE THEIR VOTE, UM, ON THE AMENITIES THAT, THAT THEY WANTED TO SEE, OR THE PROGRAM SPACES THAT THEY WANTED TO SEE IN THEIR NEW AMENITY.
AND SO WHEN YOU SEE, UM, WHERE IT SAYS TOTAL VOTES, UM, THE TOTAL VOTES THAT WERE COLLECTED THROUGH THIS PROCESS WERE 929 VOTES.
SO AS WE WENT THROUGH, UH, THE CONSULTANTS THEN TOOK ALL THOSE VOTES.
AND SO EACH OF THOSE, UM, IMAGES WERE TIED EITHER TO COMMUNITY PROGRAMMING, AQUATICS PROGRAMMING, RECREATIONAL PROGRAMMING, OR OUTDOOR ACTIVITY.
SO THOSE WERE THE FOUR BIG CHUNKS THAT EACH OF THE PROGRAMMING SPACES OR IMAGES WERE ASSOCIATED WITH.
SO YOU CAN SEE IT'S COLOR CODED HERE ON THE PROGRAM LIST.
THE HIGHEST, UM, VOTE WAS FOR AN EVENT HALL.
AND THEN YOU CAN JUST GO DOWN, YOU KNOW, WITH THE LOWEST BEING CHILD WATCH, UH, AMENITY ONLY GETTING FIVE VOTES.
AND THEN THOSE, UH, SPACES ARE JUST DIVIDED UP INTO THE PIE CHART THAT YOU SEE HERE WITH 53.9% OF THE VOTES GOING TO COMMUNITY GATHERING SPACES, 28.32 RECREATIONAL SPACES, SPACES 8.8% TO AQUATICS, AND 8.9 TO OUTDOOR ACTIVITY.
SO THEN WHAT WE DID IS WE HA OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE A BUDGET THAT WE HAVE TO WORK WITHIN AND UH, WE WILL SHOW YOU THAT ON ANOTHER SLIDE, BUT WE TOOK THAT BUDGET THAT WE HAVE AND WE TOOK THE TALLIES FROM, FROM, UM, THESE VOTES AND, AND WHAT, YOU KNOW, SCORED THE HIGHEST.
AND WE STARTED PUTTING THOSE INTO A FINAL LIST OF SPACES, UM, FOR, UH, THE FACILITY.
AND WHAT WE WANTED TO DO IS, OF COURSE, A ROOM DOESN'T HAVE TO BE JUST DEDICATED TO ONE PURPOSE.
AND SO WHAT THIS LIST GIVES YOU IS POSSIBLE PROGRAMMED ACTIVITIES THAT CAN HAPPEN IN THOSE SPACES.