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MEETING OF THE GARLAND PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD[Parks and Recreation Advisory Board on September 6, 2023. ]
TO ORDER.UM, THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS IS TO NOTE THE PRESENCE OF A QUORUM, AND WE DO HAVE A QUORUM.
IN FACT, WE'RE, WE'RE JUST, WE'RE DOWN TO, DOWN TO ONE, ONE MORE OUT WITH NEW COUNCILMAN.
WE'LL PROBABLY HANDLE THAT SOON, I GUESS, WHEN WE GET THAT NEW COUNCILMAN.
UM, FIRST, FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS HERE.
WE HAVE, WE HAVE A NEW MEMBER WITH US TONIGHT, AND I'D LIKE TO HAVE HER INTRODUCE HERSELF AND GIVE US ABOUT A 35 MINUTE BACKGROUND,
OH, YOU HEARD THE WAY THAT WAS RESPONDED AT NANCY
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF.
SO OBVIOUSLY Y'ALL KNOW THAT MY NAME, YOU HAVE THE MICROPHONE.
IS IT ON TOO? YEAH, TO ME, Y'ALL.
THIS IS MY FIRST BOARD EVER TO BE ON WITH THE CITY OF GARLAND, AND I'M REALLY EXCITED TO BE HERE.
UM, SCOTLAND MAY AND JEFF BASS DID A LOT FOR MY LOCAL NEIGHBORHOOD, SO I WANTED TO START PAYING IT FORWARD.
UM, I'M A REALTOR AND THEN I ALSO STILL DO HAIR TWO AND A HALF DAYS A WEEK KIND OF AS A HOBBY.
AND BECAUSE I HAVE A HUGE CLIENT BASE OF 43 YEARS, SO THEY'RE ALL MY FRIENDS AND IT'S ALSO MY LEAD GENERATION FOR REAL ESTATE.
SO I'VE BEEN IN GARLAND 27 YEARS.
UM, CURRENTLY WE'RE AT FIRE WHEEL PARKWAY IN PLEASANT VALLEY AND I HAVE THREE DOGS, A GOLDEN RETRIEVER, TWO RESCUE PUPPIES, AND NO KIDS.
SO I HAVE A LOT OF TIME TO DEVOTE TO ALL OF THIS FUN STUFF.
AND SO THIS IS, THIS IS YOUR FIRST BOARD TO SERVE ON, BUT YOU'VE BEEN, UH, YOU'VE BEEN MONITORING THE THINGS THAT WERE GOING ON.
UH, TELL US WHAT'S BEEN YOUR INTEREST, UH, WHILE YOU'VE BEEN, BEEN GROWING TO THIS POSITION.
WELL, THE PARKS AND REC IS REALLY AT THE TOP OF MY LIST.
WHEN I APPLIED FOR DIFFERENT BOARDS, THIS WAS THE ONE I REALLY WANTED.
I'M, I'M AN AVID BIKE RIDER, SO I'M REALLY INTERESTED IN DOING WHATEVER IT'S GONNA TAKE TO GET THE TRAILS TO MEET AND HAVE A BETTER TRAIL SYSTEM IN THE CITY OF GARLAND.
MIGHT NOT HAPPEN IN MY LIFETIME, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO DO WHAT I CAN TO GET US THERE.
SO THAT'S KIND OF WHY I'M HERE.
UM, SINCE I'M A HUGE DOG PERSON, THE DOG PARK'S IMPORTANT TO ME, SO I JUST WANNA PAY IT BACK, YOU KNOW? THERE YOU GO.
WELL, WE, IN, WE INVITE YOU TO DO THE ONE THING THAT I WANT.
I TRY TO INVITE EVERYONE AS THEY, AS THEY FIRST COME IN HERE.
UH, WE INVITE YOU TO BE A PARTICIPANT AND NOT AN OBSERVER.
WE DON'T NEED OBSERVERS ON THIS BOARD.
AND, UH, AND WE SOMETIMES, SOMETIMES WE GET SOME REALLY GOOD CONVERSATIONS GOING THAT, UH, THAT, THAT GET STRUNG OUT A BIT.
BUT IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE YOU WANT TO HEAR WHAT EACH OF THESE BOARD MEMBERS HAVE TO SAY BECAUSE THIS IS, THIS IS WHERE, UM, OUR ADMINISTRATION IN THE PARKS, UH, DEPARTMENT, UH, GETS TO HEAR SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THE CITY, THE CITIZENS OF THE CITY OF GARLAND WANTED TO DO.
SO, OKAY, LET'S GET STARTED WITH THE MEETING.
UH, NEXT ITEM WOULD BE PUBLIC COMMENTS.
AND WE HAVE NO ONE ON THE, ON THE AGENDA FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS, SO WE'LL MOVE ON FROM THAT.
WE HAD ONE BEFORE THAT I MAKE A MOTION.
WE APPROVE THE MINUTES AS PRESENTED.
AND, UH, Y'ALL, Y'ALL DID THAT? Y'ALL DID THAT? YOU DID THAT OUT OF ORDER.
I WAS TRYING TO DO THAT BACKWARDS.
DO WE HAVE ANY DISCUSSION ABOUT THE MINUTES OF THE AUGUST 2ND, 2023 MEETING, HEARING? NO DISCUSSION.
NOW WE'VE FINISHED THE PUBLIC COMMENT AND NOW WE'LL GO ON TO ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION.
ALRIGHT, UH, PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD CHAIR OF VICE-CHAIR ELECTIONS.
UH, MATT, YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT THAT? JUST A SECOND.
OH, SEE, IT'S MY FIRST TIME TOO.
UM, SO NEXT MONTH, UH, AS PART OF, UH, THE, THE DUTIES OF, OF THIS BOARD EACH YEAR YOU NEED TO SELECT A, A CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR.
AND SO THIS IS JUST A REMINDER THAT NEXT MONTH YOU GUYS WILL BE VOTING FOR YOUR CHAIR AND, AND, AND VICE CHAIR.
UM, JUST A QUICK WORD TO NOTE, YOU KNOW, DURING THESE PUBLIC MEETINGS, WE CAN'T BE STUMPING AND MAKING, YOU KNOW, I WISH I WOULD SEE THIS PERSON OR I NOMINATE THIS PERSON AT THIS POINT.
THAT'LL BE, UH, NEXT, NEXT WEEK.
AND YOU GUYS CAN, UM, FOLLOW, MAKE SURE YOU FOLLOW THE OPEN MEETINGS, ACTS, UM, AND, AND HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS OFFLINE.
AND THEN COME BACK NEXT MONTH WITH YOUR NOMINATIONS.
JUST WANNA GIVE Y'ALL A HEADS UP ON THAT.
AND, UM, NEXT WE'LL GO TO ITEM THREE B, DEPARTMENT UPDATE.
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AND LET'S SEE, WE'LL CALL ON, OH, MATT DOES THIS ONE AGAIN.WHO'S GONNA, OH, AND I SEE KEITH COMING UP NOW.
SO WE'VE HAD A, UH, A, A SHIFT, ANOTHER SHIFT IN OUR DEPARTMENT.
UM, AS YOU ALL KNOW, THE, THE ANDY HESSER, WHO WAS OUR MANAGING DIRECTOR OVER PARKS, REC, AND, AND CULTURAL ARTS, WAS PROMOTED TO ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER.
UM, AND WHEN THEY STARTED DIVVYING OUT THE DIFFERENT, UM, DEPARTMENTS, THEY FOUND THAT ANDY ENDED UP WITH THE MOST.
UH, AND SO WHAT CITY MANAGEMENT HAS, HAS CHOSEN TO DO IS TO MOVE, UM, THE CULTURAL ARTS DEPARTMENT, WHICH IS, IS THE, UM, UH, PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, UH, C V B, UM, SPECIAL EVENTS, UH, AND THE DOWNTOWN AND TIFF ALL UNDER OUR NEW, UM, COMMUNICATIONS CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER, UH, WHOSE NAME IS ASHLEY.
WHAT'S HER, TIFFANY, EXCUSE ME.
UH, AND SHE COMES TO US AFTER SHE WAS, HAD BEEN WITH AN ARCHITECTURE FIRM AND BEFORE THAT SHE WAS, SHE SPENT NINE YEARS WITH G I S D.
UH, AND SHE'S A FANTASTIC ADDITION TO THE CITY.
UM, SHE WILL BE AT THE MANAGING DIRECTOR LEVEL.
AND SO THOSE DEPARTMENTS THAT USED TO BE, UH, WITH ANDY UNDERNEATH PARKS HAVE NOW MOVED INTO, UH, THAT DEPARTMENT.
SO WE'RE NO LONGER PARK AD, WE ARE NOW BACK TO PARD.
SO THAT'S THE CHANGE IN OUR DEPARTMENT THAT WE NEEDED TO UPDATE Y'ALL ON.
WELL, THAT, THAT ALL SOUNDS VERY POSITIVE.
IT'S GOOD, IT SOUNDS VERY POSITIVE.
DID I HEAR HERITAGE ALSO? OH, YES.
UH, THAT INCLUDES HERITAGE, HERITAGE MUSEUM TOO.
HERITAGE, UH, UH, NOW KIM, MANY OF YOU KNOW KIM HAVE WORKED WITH KIM.
UH, SHE REPORTS TO AMY NOW, UM, WHO IS WHO YOU ALL MET, UH, WITH THE, OUR, OUR CULTURAL ARTS DIRECTOR.
UM, AND THEN THEY ALL NOW REPORT TO, AND SHE REPORTS TO TIFFANY.
AND, UH, FOR OUR, FOR OUR NEWEST MEMBER HERE, YOU'LL NOTICE HOW THAT, UH, THE MEMBERS WILL CORRECT THE CHAIR WHEN THE CHAIR DOES SOMETHING WRONG, AND THE EMPLOYEES WILL, WILL, UH, CORRECT THE, UH,
THAT'S WHAT THEY DO ALL DAY LONG.
SO WHY NOT DO IT NOW? THANK YOU.
UH, ANYTHING ELSE ON DEPARTMENT UPDATE? WE GOOD? WE GOOD THERE? WE'RE GOOD THERE.
UM, JUST ONE QUICK QUESTION ON, ON NMI.
UM, SHE'S, I UNDERSTANDS, STARTED SOME KIND OF A SIGNAGE PROGRAM WHERE, WELL, I'M JUST, I'VE ONLY HEARD JUST A PIECE ABOUT IT.
WELL, SHE DIDN'T START A SIGNAGE PROGRAM.
SHE HAS BEEN A, UH, IT'S BEEN A PARTNERSHIP WITH PARKS AND REC AND CULTURAL ARTS TO DEVELOP HISTORICAL SIGNS THAT WE'VE PUT THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
UH, AND WE HAVE PUT OUT, AND EXCUSE ME, I DON'T HAVE THE NUMBERS IN FRONT OF ME.
I THINK WE'VE PUT OUT FOUR OR FIVE OF THEM AND WE HAVE ANOTHER SIX OR SEVEN, UH, THAT ARE ABOUT READY TO BE INSTALLED.
AND, AND SHE'S ALWAYS WORKING ON MORE.
SO YES, UH, WE WORK VERY CL AND WE WORK CLOSELY WITH HER ON THAT.
I'M SORRY, THAT, AS YOU SAID, I'M TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON AT, UH, JUST A LITTLE THING.
HERITAGE CROSSING YOUR HISTORY HERE.
NEAT, NEAT LITTLE PAMPHLET FOR ABOUT OUR MUSEUM THAT WE HAVE.
AND, UH, THEN THEY HAD A PROGRAM THERE LAST WEEKEND.
TRAVELS IN HISTORY WAS A THREE PART PROGRAM.
AND I'M, I'M HOPING THAT NOW WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO DO MORE TO GET THIS INFORMATION OUT, UH, TO THE CITIZENS OF GARLAND TO SEE, UH, WHAT COULD BE ACCOMPLISHED WITH THAT.
AND THE, AND JUST AS, AS A QUICK ONE HERE, WE'VE, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, UM, POINTS IN TIME ABOUT, UH, GETTING OUR PARKS FOUNDATION PUT BACK TOGETHER, UM, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO GET IT MOVING AGAIN.
AND WE, WE HAD TO KIND OF GO AWAY FROM THAT FOR A WHILE.
AND I JUST, I JUST BROUGHT A, BROUGHT A LITTLE, A LITTLE THING HERE JUST TO SHOW ABOUT SIGNAGE.
THIS IS, SIGNAGE IN THE PARKS IS IMPORTANT TO ME.
AND THAT, THAT SIGN RIGHT THERE, UH, SHOWING IS A STATE, A STATE DEAL.
THAT'S, THAT'S MY GREAT-GREAT GRANDFATHER'S LOG CABIN THAT STILL EXISTS IN EDGEWOOD.
AND, UM, AND TO A SIGNAGE IN THE THING THAT IT BRINGS IS SOMETHING LIKE THIS WHERE I CAN NOW SHOW SEVEN GENERATIONS FROM MY FAMILY ABOUT, FROM THIS LOG CABIN.
AND WE HAVE SEVERAL GENERATIONS AROUND FOLKS THAT ARE HERE IN THE CITY OF GARLAND THAT WE HOPE THAT WE CAN START MOVING, MOVING FORWARD WITH THAT, WITH THAT SIGNAGE THING.
AND I DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA HOW TO DO IT YET, UH, BUT I'M JUST HOPING THAT, UM, SOMEWHERE DOWN THE ROAD WE WILL, UM, WE'LL THE RIGHT PERSON WILL COME ALONG THAT WE'LL KNOW HOW TO DO IT AND WE'LL GET IT MOVING.
NOW WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT THE SUMMER CAMP HIGHLIGHTS.
WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT KEITH ON THE 2324 PROPOSED BUDGET UPDATE.
SO TO GIVE Y'ALL, I I KINDA GAVE Y'ALL A SUMMARY LAST MONTH,
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A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WAS IN THE BUDGET.UH, BUT I KIND OF WANNA GO OVER THE PRESENTATION, UH, A SUMMARY OF THE PRESENTATION, UM, OF WHAT WAS GIVEN TO THE COUNCIL.
SO Y'ALL WILL ACTUALLY SEE WHAT COUNCIL ACTUALLY RECEIVED ON AUGUST 12TH OF THIS MONTH.
UH, THE BUDGET WAS APPROVED LAST NIGHT, SO THIS WILL GO INTO EFFECT, UH, OCTOBER 1ST.
SO, UH, I DID ADD ONE SLIDE, UH, TEXT BECAUSE THE COUNCIL DID ADD ONE ITEM TO OUR BUDGET.
SO I WENT AHEAD AND ADDED THAT.
SO THERE WAS ONE ITEM THAT DIDN'T GET PRESENTED TO COUNCIL, BUT THE COUNCIL DID ADD IT.
SO, UM, THEY GAVE US MORE THAN WE ASKED FOR WHAT NOW? THEY GAVE US MORE THAN WE ASKED.
BECAUSE YOU'RE DOING SUCH A GOOD JOB.
SO, SO FIRST WE BASICALLY TALKED ABOUT, UH, ONE-TIME FUNDING.
UH, WE CURRENTLY HAVE FOUR FACILITIES THAT'S CLOSED.
UH, WE DO NOT DEFUND, UH, LOCATION JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE CLOSE, BUT I WANTED TO, AS THE DEPARTMENT, WANTED TO BE ABLE TO TAKE THOSE FUNDING AND PUT TWO ONE-TIME FUNDING TO KIND OF HELP OUR DEPARTMENT OUT.
SO WE ARE FUNDING SOME ONE-TIME MONEY WITH THOSE, UH, FUNDING THAT'S, FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAD BOLS CLOSED, WE HAVE HOFER REC CENTERS' CLOSED SURFING SWIM IS CLOSED, AND THEN THE SENIOR CENTER IS CLOSED.
NOW WE DO STILL HAVE EXPENDITURES THAT THEY'RE USING.
FOR EXAMPLE, THE SENIOR CENTER HAS A SATELLITE LOCATION AT FIELDS, SO THEY'RE STILL RUNNING OPERATION.
SO WE TOOK MONEY THAT WE KNEW THAT WE WEREN'T GONNA BE ABLE TO USE AND REALLOCATED THE THINGS THAT WE REALLY NEEDED.
SO, UH, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT, UH, OP PAVILION FENCE, UM, WE REQUESTED THAT, UH, THE M L K POPE, UH, FLOAT COSTS, PLANT REPLACEMENT, TREE MAINTENANCE, A VOLUNTEER PROGRAM, UH, THIS IS A, UH, MASTER DOING A GREAT JOB WITH THE VOLUNTEER PROGRAM.
WE WANTED SOME MONEY TO KINDA SEE WHAT WE CAN DO IN ONE YEAR AND THEN ASK FOR MORE MONEY IN THE FOLLOWING YEAR.
AND THEN WE'RE BASICALLY SOME ONE TIME, UH, GRAND ARC CENTER EQUIPMENT, UH, WE'RE USING WITH THAT FUNDING.
AND THIS IS, THIS IS TRANSFERRING MONEY FROM ONE LINE TO ANOTHER, SUSTAIN FUNDING, JUST REALLOCATING IT FOR ONE YEAR.
AND MONEY THAT YOU HAD LEFT OVER THAT YOU'RE NOT NEEDING ANY LONGER BECAUSE OF THOSE FACILITIES NOT BEING USED AS MUCH.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? CONTINUE, SIR.
UM, HOBA REC CENTER WILL OPEN PROBABLY THIRD QUARTER OF NEXT YEAR.
SO, UH, WE ARE ACTUALLY FUNDING A NEW POSITION.
UH, WE ALSO, UH, GOING TO PROVIDE DAYTIME PEAK HOURS, WHEREAS ADDING A SEASONAL FOR THAT.
UH, AND THEN SOME OPERATIONAL COSTS BECAUSE THE FACILITY IS GONNA BE BIGGER.
WE JUST NEED SOME MORE OPERATIONAL COSTS.
AND THEN WE HAVE SOME ONE-TIME MONEY, LIKE A FLOOR SCRUBBER, SHELVINGS AND SOME COMPUTER, UH, THAT IS NOT COVERED IN THE BOND FUND.
UH, A QUESTION ABOUT THAT ONE, IF YOU CAN.
UM, IN HOLON, IN THE PAST BEFORE WE HAD THE POTENTIAL OF HAVING THE LIBRARY IN THERE, THEY ONLY HAD JUST TWO OR THREE COMPUTERS IN THERE TO WORK WITH.
ARE ARE THEY STILL GONNA HAVE THOSE AS AN INTERIM UNTIL THE LIBRARY COMES IN, OR ARE THEY GONNA HAVE MORE OR, WE DO NOT HAVE ANY WORK STICK YOU, WE DO NOT HAVE ANY WORKSTATIONS FOR THE PUBLIC WITHIN HOLLOW BALL.
AND, AND WAS THAT WHAT YOU WAS GONNA SAY? I WAS JUST GONNA MAKING SURE.
SO NO, THERE'S NO WORKSTATIONS FOR THE PUBLIC AT HOLLOW BALL AT HOLLOW BALL NOW.
AND IT'S GONNA BE PHENOMENAL WHEN THE LIBRARY GETS IN THERE NEXT YEAR.
UH, ALSO, UH, WE, WE HAVE REQUESTED A PART-TIME SERVICE ATTENDANT FOR CARVER, UH, DAYTIME PEAK HOURS FOR THE OTHER REC CENTERS THAT, UH, DO NOT HAVE THOSE, UH, UM, SEASONAL, WHICH WILL BE BRADFIELD, PHIL'S AND GRANGER AUDUBON RECEIVED THAT LAST YEAR.
SO THAT'S THE REASON WHY YOU DON'T SEE AUDUBON ON THAT LIST.
UH, SUMMER NUTRITION PROGRAM IS A ONE-TIME, UM, AD FOR ADDING A SITE FOR HOTTER BOMB AND THEN WE'RE ASKING FOR A RECREATION
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TRUCK, UH, FOR THE REC DIVISION TO HELP WITH, UH, THE SPECIAL EVENTS.UH, UM, COULD I ASK ABOUT THE FENCING AT HOLAH? YES.
UM, I MEAN, 'CAUSE PARKING IS ALWAYS KIND OF TIGHT THERE.
SO THE PAVILION FENCING WILL BE FENCING INSIDE OF THE GATE FENCING, OR IT WILL BASICALLY FENCE OFF THE PAVILION AREA SIMILAR TO WHAT WE DID WITH GIL FIELDS.
IT WILL MAKE IT FOR MORE OF A PRIVATE RENTAL WITHOUT HAVING THE PUBLIC COMING THROUGH THE PAVILION WHILE THERE'S, UH, RENTALS.
SO IT BASICALLY WILL ALLOW US TO BLOCK OFF THE PAVILION AREA JUST FOR THE RENTAL.
DID GALE FIELDS DO THAT RECENTLY? UH, AFTER IT WAS CONSTRUCTED, WE ADDED A, A FENCE AROUND THAT, UH, PAVILION AREA IN THE BACK.
SO YES, VERY SIMILAR TO AUDUBON.
ALSO WITH THAT, UH, PRIVATE AREA IN THE BACK WITH AUDUBON.
WE'RE JUST DOING SOMETHING VERY SIMILAR.
I JUST MAKING SURE IT'S NOT THE PAVILION THAT'S IN THE PARK, THE PICNIC SHELTER.
IT'S OFF OF THAT MULTIPURPOSE ROOM THAT WE ADDED THE CONCRETE PAD AND, AND THE SHADE STRUCTURE.
AND THAT WAS NOT PART OF THE CONSTRUCTION UBON, THE GUY YOU SAID IT'S SIMILAR TO AUDUBON? YEAH, AUDUBON'S GOT THAT BACK AREA.
BACK AREA WITH THE ARTIFICIAL TURF.
AND IT HAS THE FENCE AROUND IT.
SO IT CAN BE A OUTDOOR RENTAL SPACE OFF OF THE BIG ROOM, OFF OF THE BIG ROOM IN THE BACK.
LIKE A FIELD TRIPS IN ORDER WHEN YOU GO CHECK IT OUT.
UH, KEITH, ARE WE, ARE WE GAINING SOME RENTAL AREAS OUT OF WHAT WE'RE DOING INTO THE REC CENTERS NOW? OR ARE WE EITHER GAINING OR ARE WE GAINING SIZE OR MORE USABILITY? WHAT, WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW? UM, WELL, ONCE EVERYTHING IS DONE, YES, WE WILL HAVE A LOT MORE, UH, WHEN THE ANNEX IS, UH, COMPLETED, THAT WILL BE, UH, EXTRA RENTAL SPACE THERE.
NOT ONLY FOR THE BUILDING, BUT YOU CAN ACTUALLY OPEN THE DOORS AND GO OUTSIDE INTO THE PAVILION AREA.
UM, YOU'LL HAVE A GYM AT HOTTER BALL THAT NOW WILL BE, AND AN EXTRA MULTIPURPOSE ROOM THAT CAN BE RENTED.
UH, AND THEN HOLFORD WHEN HALFORD'S BUILT, I MEAN, THAT FACILITY'S GOING TO BE HUGE, SO, SO YES, WE WILL HAVE A LOT MORE WE RENTAL CAPABILITY IN THE FUTURE.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? RANGER'S ALMOST UP AND RUNNING, RIGHT? CORRECT.
UM, I KNEW WHAT SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT.
I WAS, BUT I MEAN, THAT'S COMING UP IN THE NEXT WEEKS, MONTHS.
THAT'S WHAT THEY SAID LAST TIME.
WELL, YOU'RE COMING UP NEXT ANYWAY.
UM, SO HOPEFULLY WE WILL BE DONE WITH THAT PROJECT AT THE END OF THIS MONTH.
OF COURSE, WE'LL HAVE TO DO FINAL, CLEAN, GET EVERYTHING MOVED IN.
SO WE ARE HOPING TO START BEING ABLE TO PROGRAM AND RENT THAT FACILITY BY NOVEMBER.
BUT HOPEFULLY BEFORE THAT IN OCTOBER, WE'VE HAD SOME CHALLENGES WITH THAT PROJECT.
HAVE WE BEEN ABLE TO GET ANY, UM,
WE'RE JUST TRYING TO GET IT OVER THE FINISH LINE TO START WITH.
AND THEN, AND THEN, AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO POTENTIALLY, YES.
WHAT WERE THE, UM, PROBLEMS COMING UP WITH LIKE SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUE OR? NO, JERRY WANTS, UH, TO HAVE ALCOHOL RES, UH, AS PART OF RESERVATIONS.
OH, THE CHALLENGES WITH THE, UH, PROJECT, WE'VE JUST HAD SOME DIFFERENT THINGS WITH THE CONTRACTOR, WITH THEIR SUBCONTRACTORS.
UH, WE'VE HAD SOME THINGS INSTALLED HAVE TO BE REMOVED AND, UM, REINSTALLED DUE TO A D A ISSUES.
AND SO JUST, JUST SOME DIFFERENT THINGS THAT HAVE POPPED UP.
CAN WE'VE INTERRUPTED YOU ENOUGH.
KEITH
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A FEASIBILITY STUDY, UH, BASICALLY TO, UH, IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES TO CONNECT LONG WIND PARK TO, UH, RICK ODEN PARK.THIS IS JUST FOR THE STUDY? YES.
JUST FIGURING OUT WHERE TO GO THROUGH THERE IS A CHALLENGE.
AND IF IT'S THE CITY DOING IT, IT'S LIKE 10 TIMES MORE.
10 TIMES WHAT YOU THINK IS GONNA BE FROM, YOU'RE ALSO GETTING A NEW POSITION FOR AN ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITY COORDINATOR.
UH, THIS IS ACTUALLY FUNDING 90% OUT OF THE TIF FUND.
'CAUSE THE MAJORITY OF THAT WILL BE PROGRAMMING.
THE DOWNTOWN SQUARE 10% WILL BE OUT OF, UH, THE GENERAL FUND, UH, BECAUSE THEY ALSO WILL BE DEALING WITH THIRD PARTY EVENT PERMITS.
UH, ALSO WE'LL GET INTO TWO LANDSCAPE TECHS FOR THE DOWNTOWN.
UM, UH, THAT ALSO INCLUDE PLANT REPLACEMENT AND DOWNTOWN MAINTENANCE CONTRACTS.
UH, THAT ALSO WILL BE FUNDED 90, 75%.
75%, UH, TIF, 25% GENERAL FUND.
THOSE, UH, TWO POSITIONS WILL BASICALLY WORK MAINLY DOWNTOWN.
BUT BECAUSE WE KNOW IF WE HAVE A, A STORM OR SOMETHING, IF THEY HAVE TO BE PULLED FROM DOWNTOWN, WE WANTED TO BE ABLE TO JUSTIFY THEM WORKING AT ANY OTHER LOCATIONS.
AND THOSE WILL BE ON MATT'S STAFF, CORRECT? MATT WILL BASICALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT, THOSE TWO POSITIONS.
UM, WE ALSO RECEIVING SOME ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR SPECIAL EVENTS, UH, THAT JUST WILL HELP WITH EXISTING, UH, PROGRAMS. UH, IF YOU NOTICE ASIAN AMERICAN, UH, FESTIVAL WASN'T FUNDED THIS YEAR, THAT IS FUNDING IT AT, UM, A HUNDRED PERCENT FOR NEXT YEAR.
AND THEN THE REST IS JUST COST INCREASES FROM EXISTING EVENTS.
I MEAN, IT'S FIVE TIMES THE REST OF 'EM.
IT JUST WAS NOT IN THE BUDGET.
UH, CURRENTLY IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET, AND THIS IS JUST ENHANCING, THIS IS BASICALLY FUNDING A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE ASIAN, WE BASICALLY USED, UH, MID-YEAR MONEY TO FUND IT THIS YEAR.
SO NEXT YEAR IS TOTALLY FUNDED.
UM, WE ALSO ARE RECEIVING SEASONAL MONEY FOR SPECIAL EVENTS.
UH, CLEANING SERVICES FOR NONPROFIT EVENTS KIND OF WENT UP, SO WE'RE ASKING FOR SOME ADDITIONAL MONEY THERE.
UM, UH, PARK MOWING, UH, CONTRACT.
UM, THIS WILL ALLOW US TO CONTRACT SOME OF OUR PARK MOWING AND ALLOW US TO MOVE, UH, ROUGHLY, UH, THREE ADDITIONAL FTES BACK INTO THE PARK.
WE'RE HELP WITH OUR F T E SHORTAGE.
SO THIS IS A BIG, UH, PROBABLY OUR NUMBER ONE REQUEST THAT WE HAD FOR OUR DEPARTMENT.
CAN YOU, UM, CAN YOU, UH, LIKE ESTIMATE WHERE THE PARK MOWING HOURS OR MONEY GOES? I MEAN, ARE THERE PARKS THAT ARE LARGER THAN OTHER THAT REQUIRE MORE MONEY? I'LL LET MATT ANSWER THAT ONE.
UH, SO WHAT WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING THROUGH THE EXERCISE RIGHT NOW IS TO BE ABLE TO FIGURE OUT WHERE WE'RE GONNA GET THE BIGGEST BANG FOR OUR BUCK.
UM, WHETHER THAT IS IN OUR LARGE ACREAGE MOWING OR IN OUR SMALLER PARK.
SO WE'RE DOING THAT ANALYSIS RIGHT NOW AND, AND WORKING WITH OUR CONTRACTORS TO BE ABLE TO FIGURE OUT HOW DO WE BE ABLE TO MAXIMIZE OUR F T E HOURS BY OFFSETTING MOWING IN CERTAIN AREAS.
SO WE'RE STILL GOING THROUGH THAT EXERCISE, SO I CAN'T TELL YOU EXACTLY WHERE THAT IS.
UM, BUT WE'D BE HAPPY TO REPORT BACK ONCE WE MAKE THAT DECISION.
I THINK WE'RE, I THINK WHERE WE ARE NOW IS WE'VE GOTTEN FOUR NEW EMPLOYEES, UH, FOR PARKS FOR THIS YEAR.
UM, AND THEN WE'VE GOT THE POTENTIAL OF HAVING, UH, THREE MORE BY THE TRANSFER HERE AVAILABLE TO US THAT WEREN'T AVAILABLE, UH, TO DO, DO THINGS.
SO, UH, THAT, THAT'S A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT MOVE THERE.
DID THAT GET YOU CLOSE TO WHAT YOU NEED? NEVER
IT'S, YEAH, I MEAN IN, IN TERMS OF PARK MAINTENANCE, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY WHEN WE HAVE HOLFORD THAT COMES ON, THAT'S ANOTHER QUESTION.
WHEN WE HAVE THE NEW SURF AND SWIM, THAT'S GONNA BE ANOTHER CONVERSATION IN TERMS OF, OF STAFFING.
UM, BUT IN TERMS OF PARK MOWING, THIS IS, THIS IS GONNA GET US A LONG, LONG WAYS.
UH, SO BETWEEN THIS, UH, RAMPING UP
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OUR VOLUNTEER PROGRAM, UM, AND, AND ADDITIONAL MONEY FOR SPECIAL EVENTS FOR, UH, ADDITIONAL HELP THERE TO HELP WITH THAT PIECE OF IT, UM, THAT ALL IS GONNA HELP US TO REALLY, REALLY CLOSE THAT, THAT DEFICIT OF WHERE WE WERE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MAINTAINING OUR PARKS WHERE WE WANT TO SEE 'EM.AND THEN ONE, ONE LAST ONE, UM, THE STREET RIGHT OF WAY.
UM, HOW DO, WE DON'T DO THAT WITH PARKS EMPLOYEES.
WE DO THAT WITH BY SUBCONTRACTING MAJORITY ALL SOME, NO, WE, WE CONTRACT ALL OF THAT OUT NOW.
WE CONTRACT OUT ALL OF OUR MOWING AND RIGHT AWAY MOWING.
UM, AND SO WE THAT RIGHT AWAY MOWING, WE RECEIVED CONTRACT MONEY IN LAST YEAR'S BUDGET, WHICH ALLOWED US TO MOVE THOSE FOUR EMPLOYEES OVER INTO PARKS, WHICH WAS A HUGE HELP.
SO THEN WE FEEL THIS PIECE OF IT, UM, WILL BE KIND OF THAT, THAT LAST LITTLE BIT THAT WE NEEDED TO KIND OF GET OVER THE HUMP.
AND THEN OBVIOUSLY THE TWO LANDSCAPE TECHS FOR DOWNTOWN IS JUST NEEDED.
I MEAN, IF YOU'VE WALKED AROUND THE SQUARE
UH, AND THAT'S STILL GONNA BE PUSHING IT.
THAT DOWNTOWN'S GOING TO TAKE A, REQUIRE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF MAINTENANCE, BUT THAT'LL ALSO IN CERTAIN TIMES OF THE YEAR ALLOW YOU TO MOVE THEM TO OTHER AREAS.
IF WE GET AN PINCH SOMEWHERE WHEN WE HAD TO MOVE THEM FOR AN EMERGENCY SITUATION, WE COULD DO THAT.
UH, WITH ALL OUR NEW PLAYGROUNDS THAT IS COMPLETED AF AFTER THIS YEAR, UM, WE NEED A REPLACEMENT FILE BAR.
UH, SO THIS WILL HELP WITH THE FILE BAR FOR THE PLAYGROUNDS.
DOES THAT STAND FOR SOMETHING? IS THAT IT'S JUST AN ENGINE SURFACE MATERIAL.
LIKE THE, WHAT, UH, IT'S THE MATERIAL THAT KIND OF GOES ON THE PLAYGROUND.
MATT CAN EXPLAIN IT A LITTLE BETTER.
IT IS A RUBBERY SURFACE THAT THAT IS PUT DOWN.
AND, AND WE HAVE A MIXTURE OF OUR NEW PLAYGROUND.
SOME HAVE A POURED IN PLACE RUBBER AND SOME HAVE POUR IN PLACE.
POUR PLACE SAID POUR IN PLACE.
POURED, POURED, POURED IN, POURED, POURED, POURED IN PLACE.
UM, AND IT'S, AND BUT THAT IS VERY EXPENSIVE.
POURED IN PLACES IS VERY, VERY EXPENSIVE.
AND SO THAT'S WHY WE WEREN'T ABLE TO DO ALL THE SURFACING.
SO THERE IS A A, A LOT OF, UH, THE ENGINEERED WOOD FIBER, WHICH IS THE FIVE BAR, UH, MATERIAL THAT WE HAVE TO PUT IN.
AND IT'S MORE THAN WHAT WE'VE HAD BUDGETED IN THE PAST.
AND THAT STUFF JUST GETS IT DECOMPOSES, IT GETS PUSHED DOWN, IT GETS KICKED OUT BY KIDS PLAYING IN IT, AND YOU HAVE TO HAVE A CERTAIN DEPTH FOR SAFETY REASONS.
AND SO WE NEED TO REPLACE IT ON ANNUAL BASIS.
AND SO THAT MONEY IS TO INCREASE THAT BUDGET SO THAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO THAT.
AND I HAVE TO CLOSE DOWN A PLAYGROUND 'CAUSE IT'S NOT SAFE.
UH, ADDITIONAL FUNDING REQUESTING IS GRAFFITI REMOVAL.
THAT'S THE CONTRACT TO HELP WITH, UH, OUR INCREASED GRAFFITI.
IS THAT MOSTLY LIKE THE SKATE PARK IN SPRING CREEK FOREST
GARLAND HAS ANYWHERE YOU GOTTA SURFACE DONE REALLY WELL WITH THAT.
AS FAR AS A LITTLE ART RESPONDING TO THE YES.
NO, WE, WE RESPOND VERY QUICKLY.
WE ALSO, UH, REQUESTING TWO ADDITIONAL POWER WASHER TRAILERS THAT WAS APPROVED.
UH, WE ALSO HAVE SOME OUTDATED IRRIGATIONS.
UH, AND WE'RE LOOKING TO TRY TO DO SOME UPDATE.
THIS IS BASICALLY, WE'LL GET THE FIRST YEAR AND THEN WE'LL REQUEST THE ADDITIONAL MONEY FOR NEXT YEAR.
I, I'M SORRY, QUESTION WHILE WE'RE HERE ON GRAFFITI.
UM, ALONG CENTERVILLE ROAD, BETWEEN MILLER AND FARWELL PARKWAY, THERE'S A, A QUITE A BIT OF A RETAINING WALL AREA THERE THAT MAKES A WONDERFUL BOARD FOR THEM TO, UH, WORK ON.
AND THE THING THAT'S, THAT I'VE NEVER QUITE UNDERSTOOD IS WHY THE CITY OF GARLAND WOULDN'T REQUIRE ANY KIND OF A WALL LIKE THAT TO BE PAINTED IN A CERTAIN COLOR.
BECAUSE YOU CAN GO ALONG THERE AND, WELL, THIS IS WHERE THEY PAINTED HERE, AND THEN THAT'S WHERE THEY PAINTED THERE.
AND THIS IS WHERE THEY PAINTED HERE AND THAT'S WHERE THEY PAINTED OVER THERE AS YOU'RE DRIVING ALONG DOWN THE ROAD.
AND IF THERE WAS ONE STANDARD COLOR THAT COULD BE USED FOR THAT, AND I DON'T KNOW THE PROCESS OR IF IT'S POSSIBLE, THAT MEANS YES IT IS.
RIGHT? THAT'S WHAT YOU WERE SAYING.
NOW I DON'T KNOW WHERE THAT HAS TO COME FROM, BUT IF YOU COULD HAVE SOME KIND OF A WAY OF HAVING A, A STANDARDIZED COLOR, SO WHEN THEY CAME BACK AND PATCHED IT IN, YOU COULDN'T TELL WHERE THEY PAINTED.
IT'S REALLY NOT THAT DIFFICULT.
IT'S JUST A MATTER OF A LINE IN A ORDINANCE.
IS THAT WHAT THE PRESSURE WASHER TRAILER WILL BE? USEFUL PRESSURE WASHER TRAILERS TO SOME DEGREE.
[00:30:01]
BUT THIS IS, THIS IS BAD ENOUGH THAT THEY'VE HAD TO PAINT 'EM, THEY'VE HAD TO PAINT THOSE WALL AREAS, ISN'T IT? AND IT REALLY SHOWS REALLY WELL FOR ALL THOSE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF CARS THAT ARE NOW GOING DOWN CENTERVILLE ROAD HERE IN GARLAND.IS THIS, IS THIS A CITY WALL OR IS THIS A NEIGHBORHOOD WALL? IT'S A NEIGHBOR.
IT'S A RETAINING WALL RIGHT AT THE EDGE OF THE CITY PROPERTY.
THEY HAVE ONE THERE AND THEY HAVE ONE AT THE CORNER OF COUNTRY CLUB ROAD IN CENTERVILLE.
AND IT HAS SOMEWHAT THE SAME PROBLEMS. SO THERE'S PROBABLY TWO, THE TWO MAJOR ONES THAT, UH, COULD REALLY STAND SOME, UH, SCRUTINY.
IT'S NOT UNDER ROCK, RIGHT? I'M SORRY? IT'S NOT UNDER PARKING REC.
IT'S NOT, THE QUESTION IS FOUND OUT WHO IT'S UNDER.
MAYBE, MAYBE THROUGH PARKS AND RECS.
IT BECOMES, THAT'S NOT EMERGENCY HOTLINE FOR, UH, THAT'S A, THAT'S, THAT'S PROBABLY A DISCUSSION FOR ANOTHER MEETING.
THERE'S SOME, THERE'S SOME WORK GOING ON, UH, INTERDEPARTMENTAL COLLABORATION THAT'S GOING ON TO LOOK AT CORRIDORS AND GATEWAYS.
AND WHEN WE GET A LITTLE BIT, UM, A LITTLE BIT FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD ON THAT, WE'LL COME BACK AND, AND GIVE A PRESENTATION ON THAT.
SO, SO YOU MEAN WHEN, WHEN WE'RE STARTING TO LOOK AT THINGS, IF YOU BRING UP THINGS LIKE THIS, YOU NEVER KNOW WHICH ONE'S GONNA STICK.
BUT THIS ONE THAT NEEDS TO STICK.
THE NEXT ITEM WILL BASICALLY BE A, UH, PILOT PROGRAM TO BASICALLY HIRE TWO OFF-DUTY, UH, POLICE OFFICER, UM, TO BE BASICALLY PATROL OUR PARKS AND CHECK OUR RESTROOMS TO MAKE SURE THAT NOBODY'S LOCKED INTO THE RESTROOMS AND THAT, UH, UM, AND JUST CHECK THE PARKS.
UH, MATT WILL BE MONITORING THIS AND WE WILL BASICALLY COME BACK TO COUNCIL, UM, WITH, UM, WITH A REPORT ON THIS.
SO, UM, NEXT ONE IS BASICALLY A TURF REPLACEMENT.
UH, WE JUST GOT SOME WOR WORN OUT TURF.
AND THIS IS TO HELP TO REPLACE SOME OF THAT, UH, CLASS DOUBLE A BALL FIELD TURF.
UM, AS WE ADD NEW FACILITIES, WE WILL HAVE ADDITIONAL MAINTENANCE.
SO THESE ARE MONTGOMERY PARKS AND WA WATSON PARK FIELD MAINTENANCE JUST TO MAINTAIN THE TURF THERE.
WHY IS THE PARK SECURITY PROGRAM ONLY 23 WEEKS? UM, THIS IS A BUDGETARY DEAL.
AND SO WE, WE'VE LOOKED AT SEVERAL DIFFERENT WAYS.
WE LOOKED AT USING PRIVATE SECURITY AND THE ULTIMATE DECISION WAS FOR SPEED OF RESPONSE AND FOR, UM, TO USE, TO USE, UH, GARLAND OFF-DUTY POLICE OFFICERS.
SO WE HAD TO PAY THEIR OVERTIME RATE.
UM, AND SO REALLY THIS WAS TO BE LOOKED AT AS A PILOT PROGRAM TO AT LEAST START SOMETHING, UM, AND GET SOMETHING GOING.
SO IT REALLY COMES DOWN TO BUDGET.
UH, WE ALSO HAD SOME PRICE INCREASE FOR OUR UNIFORMS. UM, WE ALSO HAD SOME REQUESTS TO LANDSCAPE REPLACEMENT INCREASES.
UH, THIS MONEY IS ACTUALLY BEING FUNDED BY OUR TREE MITIGATION FUND.
UM, AND THEN THE, THE COUNCIL ADDED A PILOT PROGRAM FOR THE WILDFLOWER PROGRAM SIMILAR TO RICHARDSON.
CAN WE MAKE THOSE NATIVE WILDFLOWERS? THERE WILL BE NATIVE WILDFLOWERS, YES.
THERE WILL BE A SIGNIFICANT PERCENTAGE.
I DID NOT ADD THE WIRE FLYERS TO THIS.
UH, BUT OUR TOTAL REQUEST IS, UH, 1,128,700 IS WHAT WE GOT, UH, APPROVED IN THE BUDGET.
UH, LIKE I SAID, THIS WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR.
UM, AND WE DO APPRECIATE ALL YOUR HARD WORK AND COUNSEL, UH, FOR APPROVING THIS, UH, AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
YEAH, AND I, I JUST, I WANT TO REITERATE THAT TOO.
I MEAN, THANK YOU TO ALL, UH, OF YOU ALL FOR, YOU KNOW, SPEAKING WITH YOUR, YOUR COUNCIL MEMBERS AND, YOU KNOW, CONTINUING TO BE CHAMPIONS OF THE, THE PARK SYSTEM AND TO, TO SHARE, UH, EVERYTHING THAT WE DO BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS WAS A, FOR EVERYTHING THAT WE ASKED FOR, YOU KNOW, WE, WE GOT A HUGE CHUNK OF IT.
AND, AND WE, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS, IS WE GOT THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS.
AND SO THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.
IT'S GONNA DO A LOT FOR US TO BE ABLE TO, TO MOVE FORWARD.
CAN YOU GIVE US A PERCENTAGE INCREASE ON THE FUNDING FROM LAST YEAR TO THIS YEAR? I CAN GET THAT FOR YOU.
I DON'T HAVE IT ON THE TOP OF MY HEAD.
ABOUT A 2% OR 3% OR THAT IT'S A, I'LL GET TO, I'LL GET YOU A NUMBER HERE SHORTLY, UH, UH, BEFORE WE LEAVE.
[00:35:01]
JUST GIVE ME A, A SECOND.I DO HAVE ONE OTHER FUND TO TALK ABOUT.
UH, THE RECREATION PERFORMANCE FUND.
UH, FOR OUR NEW, UH, BOARD MEMBER, OUR RECREATION PERFORMANCE FUND IS BASICALLY A ENTERPRISE FUND.
UM, THIS FUND IS BASICALLY A MONEY IN MONEY OUT FUND.
SO, UM, WE HAVE TO EARN THE MONEY TO BE ABLE TO SPEND THE MONEY.
SO, UH, WE HAVE TO TREAT THIS PRETTY MUCH LIKE A BUSINESS.
SO, UH, WE DO SCRUTINIZE WHAT WE DO.
WE SCRUTINIZE OUR REVENUE AND WE CAN'T BUY ANYTHING IF WE, IF IT DOESN'T GENERATE REVENUE.
SO THIS IS BASICALLY HOW WE TREAT THE REC PERFORMANCE FUND.
SO AS YOU, AS WE GO THROUGH THAT, UM, YOU WILL SEE SOME OF THAT, UH, PROCESS.
UM, THE GRANGER ANNEX FEE, WE ACTUALLY WILL BE ASKING FOR AN INCREASE ON THIS FROM 1 25 TO 20, UH, TO ONE 50.
UH, AFTER WE KIND OF GOT THAT HOUR.
AFTER WE, UH, KIND OF LOOKED AT, UH, THE FACILITY AFTER, UH, AND HOW IT'S LOOKING AND THE POTENTIAL, UH, 1 25 WAS WAY BELOW MARKET.
SO WE STILL THINK ONE 50 IS BELOW MARKET, BUT THAT'S WHERE WE WENT WITH, WITH THAT FUNDING.
WE'RE ESTIMATING ADDITIONAL 7,800 IN NEW REVENUES.
UH, AND THEN THE OTHER ONE IS JUST A CLEANUP IN OUR ORDINANCE IS SINCE, UH, WINDSURF BAY IS BASICALLY CLOSED IN THE SUMMER MONTHS AND MOST OF THE WEEKENDS, WE BASICALLY WANTED TO REMOVE THAT FROM THE ORDINANCE.
SO THAT WAS JUST MORE OF A CLEANUP.
UM, BECAUSE WE DID SUCH GOOD JOB IN THE PERFORMANCE FUND, UM, WE DID HAVE A FUND BALANCE WITH THAT FUND BALANCE.
UH, WE HAVE REQUESTED, UH, SOME ONE-TIME MONEY, UH, TABLES AND CHAIRS.
UM, UH, OUR RENTALS ARE REALLY GOING OFF THE ROOF.
EVERYBODY WANTS TO RENT OUR FACILITIES.
UH, WE ARE DOING REALLY GOOD WITH OUR RENTALS.
UM, WE JUST PURCHASED AEDS FOR, UH, UPGRADED ALL OF OUR AEDS FOR THE REC CENTERS.
AND WE LOOKED AT IT THAT WE REALLY NEEDED FOR THE SENIOR BUSES AND OUR CAMP PROGRAM.
SO WE ARE BASICALLY PURCHASING AEDS FOR OUR SENIOR BUSES AND, UH, CAMP.
UH, AND THEN WE'RE LOOKING TO REPLACE THE REFRIGERATOR, UH, FREEZER AT CARVER, UH, TO BE A MORE OF A COMMERCIAL GRADE FOR RENTALS.
UH, ANOTHER ITEM WAS A NEW FENCE AROUND CENTRAL FOOTBALL FIELD.
IS THAT SO KEEP THE FANS AWAY FROM THE PLAYERS?
IT, IT'S REALLY TO KEEP THE CAR OFF THE FIELD.
UM, BUT WE ARE GOING TO INSTALL IT IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT WILL AS A BARRIER, KEEP THE FANS FROM BEING ABLE TO, TO ACCESS THE FIELD.
SO, BUT WHAT REALLY DROVE THE REQUEST WAS, 'CAUSE THEY'VE REQUESTED THIS FOR A REALLY LONG TIME, WHAT, WHAT'S REALLY DRIVING THIS REQUEST IS IF WE GET THE, EVEN IF WE DON'T GET RAIN, WE GET PEOPLE THAT WILL GO UP THERE AND DO DONUTS ON THOSE FIELDS ALL THE TIME.
SO HOPEFULLY THIS WILL HELP TO STOP THAT.
I KNOW THE FIELD NUMBER TWO, THE LITTLE T-BALL FIELD, WE HAVE THE NEIGHBORHOOD GO-KART KIDS THAT ALWAYS YEAH, GO ON THE, THE MOMS ALWAYS ASK ME, WHY WON'T THEY PUT A FENCE AROUND THIS? THEY'RE WORKING ON IT.
AND THE OTHER ITEM HERE IS PITCHING MOUNDS.
UH, THESE ARE BASICALLY MOVABLE MOUNDS THAT BASICALLY WILL ALLOW US TO PLAY BASEBALL AT CARTER, UH, FOR TOURNAMENTS AND ITEMS LIKE THAT.
UH, KEITH, UM, WITH YOUR RENTALS, DO YOU, UH, TYPICALLY OR EVER HAVE A, UH, MULTI-HOUR, LIKE A TWO HOUR MINIMUM FOR THAT? YES.
YEAH, MOST, UH, MOST OF OUR WEEKENDS IS A MINIMUM OF TWO HOURS.
OTHER QUESTIONS? AND THEN THAT'S HOW MANY FIELDS THE SOFTBALL CONFERENCE? FIVE.
THAT'S WHAT YOU TALKING ABOUT HAVING? YEAH,
[00:40:01]
I JUST, WE GOT THREE AT WINTERS.THAT'S, AND THEY, THEY ALREADY HAVE ALCOHOL THERE.
YOU'RE ALLOWED TO DRINK IN THE PARKING LOT, BUT THE ONLY LOCATION CURRENTLY THERE ARE, THEY ARE NOT SELLING ALCOHOL AT THE COMPLEX.
IT WAS THERE THEN
I MEAN THAT, THAT WASN'T, THAT WAS AN ISSUE WHEN, WHEN THAT, WHEN THAT FIRST STARTED.
AND, UH, THE COUNCIL HAD DID SOMETHING AND MADE SOME, WHOEVER MADE THE, UH, ALLOWANCE, THEY SAID FOR IN THE PARKING LOT BECAUSE THAT'S, THAT IS AN ADULT FACILITY AND THEY, THEY DO ALLOW IT THERE.
AND I, I DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S EVER CREATED ANY PROBLEMS. I HOPE IT'S PART AN UP OUR TRAINING TOO.
I'VE GOT ANOTHER QUESTION FOR YOU, KEITH.
UM, OUR ADDITIONAL FUNDING, AND THIS MAY BE NOT FOR YOU OR YOU OR YOU, OR MAYBE IF WE'RE OVER THERE, IF YOU'RE STILL THERE.
UM, UM, OUR ADDITIONAL FUNDING THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO RECEIVE ABOVE AND BEYOND THE INITIAL BOND BONDING, UH, UH, TALKING ABOUT ARPA? YES.
HOW ARE WE, HOW ARE WE GOING TO BE ABLE TO COMPLETE THE PROJECTS THAT WE NEED TO, TO BE ABLE TO USE THAT FUNDING? THEY ARE IN THE PROCESS OF, UH, MOVING RIGHT ALONG.
I THINK THE, ARE YOU IN THE PROCESS OF DOING THE LAST ONE, WHICH IS KINGSLEY, YOU WANNA COME UP HERE AND TALK? YOU WANNA DO THAT NOW OR? WELL, HE'S ASK THE QUESTION, DO YOU WANNA DO IT DURING CAPITAL PROJECTS? LET'S DO IT DURING CAPITAL PROJECTS.
MAKE SURE WE'RE STAYING ON TOPIC.
THAT I DON'T KNOW WHERE ALL THIS STUFF FITS, SO YEAH.
UM, AND THE OTHER FUNDING BESIDES THAT, UH, DALLAS COUNTY TRAILS THINGS.
ANY OTHER BUDGET QUESTIONS? GREAT JOB.
MILLER, IT'S GONNA BE A GOOD YEAR.
IT'S A GREAT TIME TO BE HERE AND WE WILL MOVE ON TO ITEM D, SUMMER CAMP HIGHLIGHTS VIDEO.
LEE, I JUST WANTED TO SHOW OFF OUR SUMMER CAMP PROGRAM TO YOU ALL.
UM, I KNOW THAT JASON IS VERY FAMILIAR WITH SUMMER CAMP.
SO JASON AND I WORKED TOGETHER AT ONE POINT IN THE WORLD OVER IN DENTON.
AND SO HE WAS A, A SUMMER CAMP PERSON IN AND OUT.
UM, ANYWAY, SO IT TAKES A LOT OF EFFORT.
UH, YOU KNOW, WE REALLY HAVE, WE HAVE TO TRAIN OUR STAFF, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THE KIDS ARE SAFE.
WE REALLY DON'T WANT ANYONE TO CALL IN SICK OR ANYTHING TO HAPPEN.
'CAUSE THEN SOMEBODY ELSE HAS TO JUMP IN AND TAKE UH, CARE OF THE KIDDOS.
'CAUSE WE HAVE STAFF RATIOS, UH, STAFF TO CAMPER RATIOS WE HAVE TO MEET.
WE HAD A, AN EXCELLENT SUMMER PROGRAM AND SO I JUST WANTED TO SHOW OFF.
UH, WE DID POST THIS ON OUR FACEBOOK ACCOUNT, UH, SEVERAL WEEKS AGO, UH, WHEN CAMPS ENDED, WHICH WAS, GOSH, A MONTH AGO.
YEAH, SCHOOL SCHOOL'S BEEN IN FOR SEVERAL WEEKS NOW.
SO JUST WANTED TO SHOW THIS OFF TO YOU GUYS.
YOU WILL SEE ALL OF THE ACTIVITIES THAT THEY GOT TO DO.
UH, FUN FACES FROM OUR CAMPERS AND OUR STAFF.
JUST WANTED TO SHOW IT OFF FOR KUDOS TO MY STAFF.
[00:46:12]
SO THAT GIVES A LITTLE HIGHLIGHT.SO WE, OH THERE, IT'S AGAIN,
UM, WE HAVE TWO FEE-BASED CAMPS THAT WE OFFERED THIS SUMMER WHERE WE DON'T DO ANY TYPE OF SCHOLARSHIPS.
AND THEN WE HAD THE STARS CAMP AND IT WAS OFFERED AT TWO LOCATIONS WHERE IT WAS BASED ON INCOME.
AND SO YOU HAD THE PARTICIPANTS HAD TO QUALIFY FOR THAT PROGRAM.
AND THEN NEXT YEAR WHEN HALABA OPENS, YOU KNOW, WE'LL KEEP ADDING CAMPS AS LONG AS WE KEEP OPENING FACILITIES.
WE HAD TEACHERS THAT CAME AND WERE OUR CAMP COUNSELORS.
UM, OUR RECREATION SPECIALISTS, WHICH ARE OUR ENTRY LEVEL POSITIONS, THEY ARE PROGRAMMING THIS AND HIRING THE STAFF AND REALLY, REALLY INVOLVED IN THE DAY-TO-DAY THEY WORK THEIR TAILS OFF.
AND JUST SO KUDOS ON THE RECORD TO THE RECREATION STAFF FOR A GREAT SUMMER CAMP.
ANY QUESTIONS? ANY QUESTIONS? DE LEE, UM, THE NEW FACILITIES COMING ON, ARE WE ABLE TO EXPAND THE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO WITH THE SUMMER CAMPS OR IS IT PRIMARILY JUST EXPANDING THE NUMBER OF SUMMER CAMPS? SO, UH, OBVIOUSLY HOLLOW BALL HAD A CAMP BEFORE.
NOW THEY'LL HAVE A GYMNASIUM THAT THEY CAN UTILIZE, UH, WHICH THEY NEVER HAD BEFORE, WHICH WAS A CHALLENGE.
YOU HAVE THE LU THAT WE PUT IN OVER AT AUDUBON RECREATION CENTER.
SO THAT IS THE INTERACTIVE SYSTEM WHERE IT'LL SHINE.
YOU KNOW, MAYBE IT'S A GAME WHERE YOU'RE TRYING TO HIT THE DOTS UP ON THE WALL, GET SOME MOVING.
IT COULD BE, YOU KNOW, MATH SKILLS LIKE THREE PLUS THREE IS, AND THEY'VE GOTTA FIND THE SIX.
AND SO THEY CAN DO COMPETITIONS THAT WAY.
UM, AND THEN HONESTLY IT'S BEEN REALLY GREAT HAVING THE SENIORS OVER AT FIELDS BECAUSE THERE WERE A COUPLE OF TIMES WHERE THE SENIORS AND THE KIDDOS WERE GOING ON THE SAME TRIP.
SO WE HAD SOME INTERGENERATIONAL PROGRAMMING, LIKE THEY WENT TO MIDVILLE TIMES TOGETHER.
AND THEN I TOTALLY BLANKED ON THE, UM, METEOROLOGIST THAT CAME FROM FOX FOUR, ZIP WAGNER, I CAN'T REMEMBER.
ANYWAY, HE CAME OVER, TALKED TO THE SENIORS, THE KIDS GOT TO BE A PART OF THAT.
SO, UM, THE SPLASH PADS, YOU KNOW, HAVING THAT OVER AT EMRY PARK, THE KIDS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GO OVER AND UTILIZE THAT.
SO YES, OUR NEW AMENITIES THAT WE'VE ADDED, THE PLAYGROUNDS, UH, BEING ABLE, WHEN WE BRING ON HOLFORD, UH, YOU KNOW, YES THERE WAS A POOL OVER THERE BEFORE, BUT THIS WILL BE MORE OF AN AQUATIC CENTER WHEN SURF AND SWIM OPENS.
WE HAVE JUST A LOT OF FEATURES WITHIN OUR OWN CITY THAT WE WON'T HAVE TO PAY THOSE FIELD TROOP FEES FOR AND BE ABLE TO TAKE OUR KIDS TO AND LET 'EM ENJOY THOSE.
HOW MANY PARTICIPANTS ARE, CAN BE ENROLLED AT THESE CAMPS? SO IT DEPENDS ON THE LOCATION.
UH, SO AUDUBON AND UM, GRANGER WERE THE LOCATIONS, NO, AUDUBON AND FIELDS HAD THE FEE-BASED CAMPS AND WE HAD TO TOP THOSE OUT AT, UM, I THINK IT WAS 30 'CAUSE WE HAD TO DO IT BASED ON TRANSPORTATION, UH, AVAILABILITY.
SO, UH, AUDUBON FOR EXAMPLE, THEY DO A TON OF FIELD TRIPS.
THEY DO LIKE THREE FIELD TRIPS A WEEK.
THEY WENT ALL OVER THIS METROPLEX.
UM, AND THEN STARS CAMP IS MUCH LARGER SO WE CAN TAKE UP TO, GOSH, OVER A HUNDRED KIDS PER LOCATION.
SO IT REALLY JUST DEPENDS ON THE DEMAND.
BUT I THINK TOTAL, OVERALL WE HAD 540 KIDS COME THROUGH SUMMER CAMP.
AND YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER A LOT OF THOSE ARE REPEAT KIDS.
SO WHEN WE SAY 540, SOME OF THOSE YOU KNOW, ARE KIDDOS THAT HAVE COME MULTIPLE WEEKS.
DAVID LEE, UM, WE MIGHT CLOSER OR ON.
UH, WHAT AGE RANGE, UM, ARE THE
[00:50:01]
CAMPERS? WE HAVE ELEMENTARY, SIX TO 12.WILL THERE EVER BE THE ABILITY TO EXPAND AT ABO AND FIELDS OR AT LEAST FIELDS IF MORE BUSES ARE PROVIDED? LIKE YOU SAID, TRANSPORTATION THAT'S LIMITING.
SO IT'S FUNNY THAT YOU SAY THAT 'CAUSE WE WERE JUST TALKING THIS MORNING.
UH, WE DO UTILIZE THE SENIOR VANS WHEN WE CAN.
WE HAVE TO BE REALLY CAREFUL ABOUT PROGRAMMING THOSE BECAUSE THE SENIORS STILL HAVE THEIR TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM.
SO WE HAVE TO BE MINDFUL OF WHAT TRIPS WE COULD UTILIZE DURING THE TIME PERIOD THAT WE WOULD HAVE THEM.
UM, AND ALSO IF A VAN GOES DOWN, THEN WE HAVE TO HAVE A BACKUP.
BUT WE ARE GETTING A NEW BUS IN OUR SYSTEM AND I HADN'T TALKED TO KEITH YET ABOUT THIS, BUT WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WAYS WHERE MAYBE, YOU KNOW, WE STILL PAY THE MAINTENANCE ON OTHER VEHICLES TO BE ABLE TO KEEP OUR FLEET AND EXPAND IT.
SO, UH, OTHERWISE WE GO THROUGH CAPS LIKE PRETTY MUCH I THINK EVERYBODY ELSE IN THE METROPLEX DOES AND WE HAVE TO, WE'RE AT THEIR MERCY AND SOMETIMES IT CAN BE BE PRETTY PRICEY, SO MM-HMM.
SO YES, IT CAN BE A CHALLENGE.
MAYBE IN THE NEXT BUDGET WE CAN ADD A BUS, BUT WE DEFINITELY TRY TO, I MEAN THE, THE, WE UTILIZE THE SENIOR VANS WHEN WE, WE CAN.
SO DID LEE, DO YOU THINK THERE, I DON'T THINK YOU WOULD KNOW THE PERCENTAGE RIGHT NOW, BUT TO BALLPARK IT, HOW, LIKE THE SPOTS THAT IS AVAILABLE IN ALL THE CAMPS THAT YOU HAVE SERVES? THE WHAT PERCENTAGE OF GARLAND I S D ELEMENTARY KIDS? OH NO, I COULDN'T EVEN TRY TO BALLPARK THAT.
UM, WE HAVE OUR STARS PROGRAM AND THAT IS, WE ARE ABLE TO FUND THAT PROGRAM THROUGH THE C D B G GRANT THAT WE GET EACH YEAR.
UM, AND WE'VE BEEN VERY FORTUNATE TO RECEIVE A GOOD AMOUNT OF MONEY AND WE USE THAT BASICALLY FOR OUR STAFFING AND ANY SUPPLIES THAT THEY HAVE.
UM, AND THEN WE ALSO TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, THOSE, THAT THOSE CAMPERS ALSO STILL GET THE SUM OF THE SAME EXPERIENCES THAT A FEE-BASED CAMP WOULD.
AND THEY DO HAVE TO PAY A SMALL AMOUNT, SO IT'S NOT COMPLETELY FREE, BUT, YOU KNOW, IT'S FOUR WEEKS AT A TIME THAT THEY SIGN UP FOR.
SO BASICALLY TWO DIFFERENT SESSIONS OF THE SUMMER.
WILL THERE EVER BE A POSSIBILITY THAT, 'CAUSE WE, THERE'S ONLY A NUMBER OF OF FACILITIES THAT WE HAVE, BUT A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SCHOOLS WHERE WE HIRE OUR SUMMER CAMP STAFF AND BE ABLE TO HOST A CAMP AT A SCHOOL TO BE ABLE TO SERVICE MORE KIDS.
SO NOT, I CAN'T SPEAK TO SUMMER PROGRAM, BUT WE HAVE, WE'RE STARTING TWO AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS THIS FALL.
SO WE'RE DOING ONE THAT'S FEE-BASED.
IT'LL BE OVER AT GALE FIELDS AND WE'VE, WE'VE GOTTEN THAT STARTED.
THEN WE'RE PARTNERING WITH KIMBERLAND BEHIND GALE FIELDS, BUT WE, THAT HAS TO BE A FREE PROGRAM.
SO THE SCHOOL, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S A DISTRICT-WIDE POLICY OR PER THAT SCHOOL, BUT WE HAVE TO MAKE IT FREE.
SO AGAIN, WE WERE FORTUNATE AND GOT C D B G FUNDING FOR THAT, WHICH IS FUNDING THAT PROGRAM.
BUT THE KIDS, WE HAVE CERTAIN KIDS THAT WE WILL GO PICK UP FROM SOME SCHOOLS NEAR FIELDS TO BRING 'EM OVER TO THE GILL FIELDS FEE-BASED AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM.
SO TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION, UH, WE'RE TRYING TO OPEN THAT DOOR WITH GARLAND I S D AND SEE WHERE THAT TAKES US.
AND WHERE DOES THAT COME FROM? WAS IT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT? AH, AND SO GARLAND GETS ITS PORTION AND THEN MONA WOODARD IS THE ONE WHO, UM, OVERSEES AND SUPERVISES THAT PROGRAM.
I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU TO LEAVE.
UM, HOW, WHAT KIND OF A STAFF DO YOU, I MEAN, WHAT KIND, HOW MANY EMPLOYEES DO YOU HAVE DURING THE TIME YOU'RE DOING, UM, THESE, ALL THESE PROGRAMS AS PRESUMED MAJORITY IN THE SUMMERTIME? UH, BUT WHAT, WHAT KIND OF NUMBERS OF PEOPLE DO YOU HAVE TO HAVE TO PULL THESE THINGS OFF? SO EVERY LOCATION HAS A RECREATION SPECIALIST THAT IS ASSIGNED TO THAT LOCATION, UH, THAT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS.
AND THEN THEY HIRE THE NUMBER OF COUNSELORS THEY NEED BASED ON THEIR STAFF TO PARTICIPANT RATIO.
SO IT COULD BE ANYWHERE FROM A COUPLE, YOU KNOW, AND USUALLY WE'RE GONNA HAVE PROBABLY AT LEAST THREE OR FOUR AND UP TO, YOU KNOW, EIGHT MAYBE THAT ARE ROTATING THROUGH.
AND ARE THESE, THOSE ARE PART-TIME WORKERS? THOSE ARE SEASONAL WORKERS, YEAH.
ARE THESE, ARE THESE HIGH SCHOOL KIDS AND UP, OR ARE THEY ADULTS OR? WE'VE HAD A MIXTURE.
WE WERE LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE SOME SCHOOL TEACHERS THIS PAST YEAR.
AND THEN WE HAVE SOME KIDS THAT, I MEAN WE, WE, ONE OF OUR RECREATION SPECIALISTS ACTUALLY WAS A CAMP COUNSELOR, YOU KNOW, SO WE'RE KIND OF GROWING THEM WITHIN THE PROGRAM.
WE RECRUITING THEM FOR FUTURE EMPLOYEES.
[00:55:01]
MIGHT BE AS MANY TOTAL AT ANY ONE TIME.WE CAN THE TOTAL NUMBER OF STAFF.
YEAH, THE TOTAL NUMBER OF PEOPLE JUST FOR CAMP, JUST THE BODIES IT TAKES TO MANAGE.
OH, ROUGHLY OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, WE ABOUT 12 THAT WE HIRE EVERY YEAR.
AND THEN YOU'VE GOT YOUR FOUR RECREATION SPECIALISTS AND THEN EACH OF THEM ARE GONNA HAVE SUPERVISORS.
SO I MEAN, YOU COULD PROBABLY SAY 20 TO 22.
'CAUSE SUPER, IF THEY GO ON FIELD TRIPS, THEN OTHER PEOPLE ARE GOING AS AN EXTRA SET OF EYES.
'CAUSE THOSE ALWAYS MAKE EVERYBODY NERVOUS.
DO YOU HAVE, UH, VOLUNTEERS INCLUDED? NO, NOT RIGHT NOW.
THIS ALL HAS TO BE STAFF RIGHT NOW.
WE HAVE BACKGROUND CHECKS JUST WITH SAFETY, DIFFERENT THINGS.
AND SO VOLUNTEERS PRESENT SOME CHALLENGES.
SO WE JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT AT THE MOMENT WE ARE OFFERING, NOT SAYING THAT WE COULDN'T EVER USE VOLUNTEERS, BUT THERE ARE DEFINITELY SOME CRITERIA THEY WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO WORK WITH KIDS.
WE HOLD OUR BREATH BETWEEN AQUATICS AND SUMMER CAMPS FROM THE TIME THEY OPEN UNTIL THE ENDS.
UM, MATT, WE HAVE UH, PAGE IN HERE, DALLAS COUNTY OPEN SPACE MASTER PLAN.
WHAT, TELL US WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THAT.
WHO, SIR? I MIGHT ACTUALLY LET, UH, MR. PARRISH, UH, 'CAUSE HE WAS ON THE ONE OF THE CALLS.
SO DO YOU WANNA KIND OF GIVE A QUICK SYNOPSIS OF WHAT THAT'S ABOUT? SO I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THAT ALL THE OLD STAFF IS GONE NOW AND THEY GOT NEW PEOPLE AT, UH, DALLAS COUNTY OPEN SPACES.
THEY'RE YOUNG AND THEY'RE EXCITED ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON THERE.
AND THEY'RE WORKING TO DEVELOP A, UH, OPEN SPACE PLAN SO THAT THEY, YOU KNOW, CAN SUPPORT FUNDING AND, AND OTHER THINGS.
AND SO THEY'VE HAD A, A SERIES OF MEETINGS SINCE THEY MET WITH THE PARTNERS LIKE MATT.
AND THEN, UH, WE MET WITH THEM THE OTHER DAY AS STAKEHOLDERS AT SPRING CREEK FOREST.
AND THERE WAS, UH, US AND THERE WERE SOME, UH, DOORBELL PEOPLE ON FROM AROUND THE COUNTY.
AND, UH, EVENTUALLY, UH, TRINITY COALITION GOT ON AND, UM, YOU KNOW, AND THEY TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THEIR NATIONAL PADDLING TRAIL AND ALL THAT.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE JUST VERY INTERESTED IN UPGRADING THE, THE DALLAS COUNTY SPACE, OPEN SPACE PARKS AND, UH, GETTING THINGS DONE.
AND, UH, SO THEY'VE GONE THROUGH THE PARTNERS MEETING, THE STAKEHOLDERS MEETINGS, AND NOW THEY'RE GONNA, THEY HAVE SOME PUBLIC MEETINGS, UH, AROUND THE COUNTY.
AND, UH, AND, AND JUST, YOU KNOW, FROM MY EXPERIENCE, UH, OUR COMMISSIONER, UH, DR.
THERESA DANIELS IS VERY SUPPORTIVE OF, UH, OF THESE ACTIVITIES.
SHE ACTUALLY CAME TO ONE OF OUR SPRING CREEK FOREST, UH, OUR CHRISTMAS PARTY LAST YEAR AND HELPED US RECOGNIZE ONE OF OUR VOLUNTEERS.
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT DALLAS COUNTY COMMISSIONER? OUR DALLAS COUNTY COMMISSIONER, YES.
IS THIS, IS THIS A NEW PROGRAM OR IS THIS SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN ON NO, THIS HAS BEEN, YOU KNOW, SO SPRING CREEK FOREST PRESERVE WAS PURCHASED OVER 30 YEARS AGO.
AND, UH, SO IT'S AT LEAST THAT OLD.
THEY, AND THEY, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR NEW PROPERTY TO BUY.
ACQUISITION, SAFETY AND SECURITY WAS A BIG THING.
UH, ALL THE, EVERYBODY WEIGHED IN ON THAT.
AND HOW OFTEN, HOW, HOW OFTEN DO Y'ALL HAVE, UH, GET TOGETHERS ON THIS? THIS IS THE FIRST TIME EVER THAT, THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY.
THE OLD STAFF, WE NEVER HEARD FROM 'EM.
WE DIDN'T KNOW THEY EXISTED EXCEPT I RAN INTO 'EM IN A COUPLE OTHER VENUES.
BUT, UH, NOW, NOW THESE PEOPLE REACH OUT AND, YOU KNOW, IF, IF I GIVE 'EM A CALL, YOU KNOW, THEY'LL CALL BACK.
SO NANCY, JUST TO GIVE, I GIVE YOU A BACK SOME BACKGROUND HERE.
UH, SPRING CREEK PRESERVE AND, AND ETTE CREEK PRESERVE, UM, ARE BOTH ACTUALLY TECHNICALLY OWNED BY THE, BY DALLAS COUNTY.
UM, BUT THROUGH A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY OF GARLAND, WE MAINTAIN THOSE AND WE ACTIVATE 'EM.
AND THEN WE WORK WITH PARTNERS LIKE SPRING CREEK PRESERVE AND DOBA.
AND THEY, WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN 'EM THE WAY THEY DO WITHOUT SPRING CREEK PRESERVE AND OUR PARTNERS AND DOOR, BUT TO BE ABLE TO, TO ACTIVATE THOSE SPACES.
BUT THIS HAS, AS, AS DAVID WAS MENTIONING, THIS HAS A A LOT OF REAL POTENTIAL WHY WE WANTED TO BRING IT FORWARD BECAUSE DALLAS COUNTY HAS NOT BEEN ENGAGED IN THEIR OPEN SPACE AS FOR 30, 40, 50 YEARS.
REALLY, REALLY, REALLY LONG TIME.
UM, AND THEY HAVE SOME NEW ENERGY AND THEY HAVE SOME NEW BLOOD.
MIA I THINK USED TO WORK FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS, I THINK AT ONE POINT.
UM, AND THEY ARE REDOING THEIR OPEN SPACE PLAN.
UM, THERE COULD BE FUTURE FUNDING THROUGH DALLAS COUNTY FOR IMPROVEMENTS WITHIN THESE PARKS, WHICH IS ONLY GONNA BENEFIT US HERE IN THE CITY.
UM, SO REALLY, YOU KNOW, IF, IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE INTERESTED IN AND YOU WANT TO SEE IMPROVEMENTS IN THESE SPACES, UM, THERE'S, THERE'S SEVERAL, UM, OPPORTUNITIES TO HAVE YOUR VOICE
[01:00:01]
HEARD.THIS IS THE ONE THAT'S SPECIFICALLY FOR OUR OPEN SPACES.
IT'LL BE OVER, UM, AT THE COUNTY OFFICES.
IF YOU WANT TO GO AND, AND GIVE YOUR 2 CENTS AND, AND, AND DO THAT, I WOULD HIGHLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO IT.
UM, WE'VE MET WITH THEM AND WE'VE GIVEN THEM OUR FEEDBACK AND WHAT OUR NEEDS ARE AND WHAT OUR, UH, HOW WE'D LIKE TO SEE THAT PARTNERSHIP IMPROVE.
THEY'VE MET WITH, UM, DOBA AND SPRING CREEK RESERVE.
UM, AND SO THEY'RE REALLY MORE COMMUNICATION, AS DAVID SAID, MORE COMMUNICATION OUT OF THEM THAT THAT'S BEEN THERE IN A REALLY, REALLY LONG TIME.
AND, AND HOPEFULLY WHAT IT LEADS TO IS SOME FUTURE FUNDING THAT THEY COULD HELP US IMPROVE BOTH OF THOSE BASES.
SO WE JUST WANTED TO BRING IT TO YOUR ATTENTION AND LET YOU KNOW THAT IT'S OUT THERE.
'CAUSE THESE ARE PARKS THAT ARE HEAVILY UTILIZED IN OUR SYSTEM.
UM, AND IF YOU SO INCLINED TO GET IN INVOLVED WITH THEM, THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO TO DO SO.
DAVID GONNA TRY TO ATTEND THAT, OPEN THAT MEETING.
BUT I'D ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO JUST, IF NOTHING ELSE, TO LEARN ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE UP TO.
WE, THIS AND OUR, OUR ATTENDING THE TRAPS MEETINGS THAT WE'VE HAD HERE IN, UH, IN NORTH TEXAS.
WE, WE HAVE, WE HAVE A NATIONAL LEVEL MEETING COMING UP, AND I WAS GONNA POINT OUT THE, UH, THE CONSULTANT THEY HAVE WORKING ON THIS IS HEALTH AND IT'S ACTUALLY THE SAME ONE, SOME OF THE SAME STAFF THAT WORKED ON OUR TRAILS, UM, MASTER PLAN HERE.
AND THEN THIS IS AT THE TRAPS MEETINGS.
SOME OF THE SEMINARS I WENT TO WERE BEING TAUGHT BY THE SAME PEOPLE THAT WE'D WORKED WITH HERE IN OUR MM-HMM.
AND I'D LIKE JUST FOR THE, THE SAKE OF THE, UM, THE BOARD KNOWING ABOUT THIS, THE, THIS NATIONAL, UH, N R P A ANNUAL CONFERENCE THAT I THINK THREE OF US HAVE SIGNED UP FOR.
DAVID, UH, YOU AND MOLLY AND MYSELF HAVE SIGNED UP TO GO TO GO TO THIS.
UM, AND TAMARA, ARE YOU, YOU'RE SHAKING YOUR HEAD YES.
YOU'RE GOING TO YES AND YES AND I'LL BE IN ONE OF THE SESSIONS.
ASSISTANT? NO, I'M THE PANEL WITH N R P A STAFF FOR, UH, SUSTAINABILITY AND POLLINATOR PRACTICES, POLLINATOR CONSERVATION PRACTICES.
CAN YOU TELL ME, UM, WHAT THEY'RE DOING AT THE ARBORETUM? THEY HAVE LIKE A SEVEN 30 TO FIVE
THAT'S LIKE A TOUR, BUT YEAH, I CAN SHOW YOU JUST A TOUR, I THINK.
I'M NOT, I'M NOT ON THE COMMITTEE.
UM, I WANTED TO ASK, UH, A ABOUT THIS.
SO THERE'S NOT A SPECIFIC PARK OR PLACE.
THIS IS REALLY A START OF EVERYTHING.
THIS IS A PLAN TO KIND OF LOOK FOR COMMONALITY.
LIKE I SAY, EVERYBODY, SECURITY AND SAFETY WAS A BIG ISSUE.
A COUPLE OF, THERE'S, I THINK THEY SAID THREE PARKS THAT ARE IN UNINCORPORATED AREAS.
SO DALLAS COUNTY OPEN SPACES IS, YOU KNOW, THE MANAGING PARTNER THERE.
BUT AS OF NOW, IN A CITY OF GARLAND, WE JUST HAVE TWO PRESERVE AREAS.
ROWAT, THE SPRING CREEK, SO TECHNICALLY THREE, TECHNICALLY THREE, WHICH ONE'S THE THIRD? SO SPRING PART OF SPRING CREEK FOREST PRESERVE IS CALLED SPRING CREEK PARK PRESERVE.
IT'S THE 1787 HOLFORD PIECE WITH THE BIG PRAIRIE ON IT.
SO THAT'S TECHNICALLY A SEPARATE PRESERVE, BUT, UH, BUT I LUMP 'EM TOGETHER.
I KNOW I LUMP 'EM, I LUMP 'EM TOGETHER TOO.
AND IS THERE, THERE'S NOT ANY OTHER POTENTIAL ONES IN GARLAND, RIGHT? THAT FITS THE CRITERIA OF PERMITTED.
GO LOOK AT AN AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY MAP AND SEE IF YOU CAN FIND ONE.
YEAH, IT'S PRETTY TOUGH, BUT, UM, THINGS THAT THEY'LL BE LOOKING AT AS PART OF THIS PLAN.
AND THEN HOW'S IT BEING COMMUNICATED FOR OTHER RESIDENTS TO KNOW FACEBOOK? AND SO THEY, UM, DALLAS COUNTY HAS PUT OUT THE, THE, UH, FLYER THAT YOU PROMOTED IT ON THEIR CHANNELS, AND THEN THEY'RE WORKING WITH ALL OF THE LOCAL PA UM, PARTNERS.
LIKE WE'VE POSTED IT ON OUR SITE.
WE'VE POSTED IT THROUGH OUR SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS.
UM, I'M, SPRING CREEK PRESERVES HAS POSTED IT.
SO, UM, THAT'S HOW THEY'RE, THAT'S HOW THEY'RE PROMOTING IT.
NOW LET GO BACK TO THE, TO THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE.
AND, UH, MOLLY, DID YOU, DO YOU KNOW MUCH MORE ABOUT THIS THAN THE REST OF US? YOU, YOU TRIED TO GET TO GO ONE OTHER TIME EARLIER? I, I TRIED.
YOU'RE OPEN FOR INPUT ON THAT.
ONE, NO ONE'S BEEN HA HAVE, HAS ANYBODY BEEN IN 2013? I WENT TO THE, WHEN I WAS IN HOUSTON.
I MEAN, IT'S JUST LIKE ANY OTHER NATIONAL CONFERENCE.
[01:05:01]
HUGE.LOTS OF VENDORS, LOTS OF EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS.
THINK OF WHAT YOU GO TO FOR THE TYPICAL TRAPS CONFERENCE.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, YEAH.
AND, AND THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE GONNA GET.
WE'RE BY 50, REALLY 50 50 STATES.
THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT, A LOT OF PEOPLE, A LOT OF VENDORS, A LOT OF SESSIONS TO CHOOSE FROM.
SO IT'S REALLY UP TO YOU TO GET OUT OF IT, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S WILLING TO PUT, WHAT YOU'RE WILLING TO PUT INTO AND WHAT YOU WANNA DO, AND DIVE INTO THE, THE, THE GUIDE AND PICK THE, THE ONES THAT YOU WANT TO GO AND, AND GO LEARN AS MUCH AS YOU CAN.
TAM, I KNOW IN THE IN TRAPS, YOU, YOU PARTICIPATED IN THOSE BEFORE YOU, I THINK YOU WERE, WEREN'T YOU RECOGNIZED, UM, THAT ONE OF 'EM AT LAST ONE THE TIME, ONE BEFORE THAT
AND, AND, AND YOU'RE, YOU WERE RECOGNIZED FOR, OR OH, THE ACADEMY LEADERSHIP PROGRAM.
WELL, WE'VE, UH, HAD THAT ONE.
NOW WE'RE GONNA GET INTO THE LAST PART OF THE WRITTEN REPORTS.
UM, ITEMS FG THREE, THREE, F, G, H, AND I AND J.
AND, UH, THE, THE WAY WE'RE GONNA HAVE STARTING TO HANDLE THIS IS GOING TO BE DIFFERENT.
BUT WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA START RIGHT HERE WITH A, WITH A MAN.
WE, WE KNEW HE HAD TO SAY SOMETHING TONIGHT.
UM, SO I THINK YOU HAD A QUESTION ABOUT SOME ARPA PROJECTS EARLIER, UM, AND SOME DALLAS COUNTY.
UM, I'M, I'M GUESSING THAT YOU HAD SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT JUST, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER, WHAT WE'RE USING TO GET SOME OTHER, UH, FUNDING OF OPPORTUNITIES TO COME AND LEVERAGE OUR OWN.
UM, SO OUR ARPA PROJECTS, WE HAVE FIVE IN TOTAL, AND THOSE ARE, UM, UH, LU, HUFF PARK WIND, JOYCE PARK, RICK ODEN, SPLASH PAD, UH, KINGSLEY PARK, AND THE CENTRAL PARK LOOP TRAIL.
ALL OF THOSE HAVE STARTED, UM, DESIGN, UH, SOME ARE FURTHER ALONG THAN OTHERS.
I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE SPLASH PADS, OR DO THEY HAVE A BEGINNING AND AN ENDING TIME, LIKE POOLS DO? YEAH, MATT CAN RESPOND TO THAT.
SO OUR SPLASH PADS ARE OPEN 8:00 AM TO 8:00 PM UH, FROM ROUGHLY THE END OF SEPTEMBER TILL.
AND, AND, WELL, THEY CLOSE THE END OF SEPTEMBER, UH, AND THEN OPEN AGAIN.
WE WILL OPEN 'EM, REALLY, IT'LL BE WEATHER DEPENDENT, BUT SOMETIME IN MAY.
UM, SO THOSE ARE THE, THE FIVE PROJECTS WE HAVE GOING.
THEY'RE IN VARIOUS STAGES OF DESIGN AT THE MOMENT.
UH, SOME ARE, UH, IN PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT.
UM, WE'VE SINCE FINISHED THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS IN LOU HUFF PARK.
UH, WE'RE WORKING TO GET, UM, ALL THE FEED THE FEEDBACK COMPILED AND FORMULATED INTO A CONCEPT THAT WE'LL BE SHARING OUT PUBLICLY SOON, UM, WHEN JOYCE PARK.
UH, DO WANNA MENTION THAT TOMORROW NIGHT, UH, IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN ALREADY, UH, WE'LL BE MEETING AT SOUTH GARLAND BRANCH LIBRARY AT 6:00 PM UH, TO GET, UH, PUBLIC FEEDBACK ON THAT, UM, THAT PROJECT.
SO, UH, MUCH LIKE WHAT WE DID AT LU HUFF PARK, WE'LL HAVE A SERIES OF DIFFERENT ELEMENTS THAT THE COMMUNITY WILL RESPOND TO.
UM, GIVE SOME BACKGROUND ABOUT THE PARK, YOU KNOW, WHAT KIND OF, UM, YOU KNOW, SITE CONSTRAINTS OR AVAIL ARE, ARE PRESENT THERE, AND, UH, WHAT KIND OF OPPORTUNITIES WE HAVE TO DEVELOP THE PARK.
SO WE'LL HAVE A LOT OF INFORMATION TO SHARE.
UH, WE DO ANTICIPATE A SECOND MEETING AT SOME POINT, PROBABLY A FEW WEEKS AFTER THAT.
UM, IT STILL HASN'T BEEN PUBLICIZED YET, SO, UM, BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR A SECOND MEETING, UH, FOR WIN JOYCE PARK.
UM, DO YOU, YOU SAID IT'S TOMORROW AT 6:00 PM SOUTH GARLAND LIBRARY AT SIX.
SO IT'S FEDERAL FUNDING THAT'S ASSOCIATED WITH CORONAVIRUS RELIEF FUNDS.
UH, SO THOSE ARE THE, ONE OF THE FIVE PROJECTS USED TO BE A BOAT RAMP THERE, RIGHT THERE, THERE WAS A BOAT LAUNCH THERE.
WILL THERE BE A BOAT LAUNCH THERE AGAIN, LIKELY NOT, BUT WHAT, THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO GET SOME FEEDBACK FROM THE PUBLIC ABOUT.
SO, UM, THAT'S NOT REALLY ONE OF THE DRIVING AMENITIES THAT WE'RE PUSHING FOR, BUT, UM, A LOT OF WHAT WE'LL WE WILL END UP DOING IS BALANCING A LOT OF THE, THE, THE, THE, THE DESIRES FROM THE PUBLIC FOR, FOR PASSIVE RECREATION AND ACTIVE RECREATION.
SO I KNOW THERE'S, THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE KIND OF IN FAVOR OF ONE OR THE OTHER.
AND SO IT'LL BE AN INTERESTING BALANCING
[01:10:01]
ACT TO HAVE.UM, ESPECIALLY WITH, WITH THE PARK BEING ON THE LAKE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE LAKE AND, UM, THAT NEIGHBORHOOD IS RIGHT THERE TOO.
THOSE PEOPLE'S HOUSES ARE RIGHT, RIGHT.
WELL, ONE OF THE REASONS WHY A BOAT LAUNCH CAN'T WORK NOW IS BECAUSE THE LAKE HAS BEEN SILTED IN SO MUCH OVER THE DECADES THAT, UH, IT'S A LOT MORE SHALLOW IN THERE NOW THAN IT WAS 40 YEARS AGO.
DON'T, DON'T WE HAVE A OF CANOES SOMEWHERE? YES.
LOU HUFF USED TO GO PICK 'EM UP ALL THE TIME.
I WORK IN DENTON
AND WE USED, WE USED TO WATER SKI UP THERE MANY, MANY YEARS AGO.
BUT BECAUSE THE, BECAUSE THE, THE, THE RALLY ROAD COMING ACROSS THERE, THERE'S ONLY ONE SMALL OPENING DOWN AT THIS END FOR THE WATER TO GO THROUGH.
SO WHAT HAPPENS? THE WATER HITS UP HERE ALONG THE RAIL SIDE AND CIRCLES AND DROPS ALL THE SILT.
UH, IF IT WASN'T FOR IT ALL BEING SOMETHING THAT YOU COULDN'T, YOU COULDN'T WALK ON, YOU COULD, YOU COULD WALK ALL THE WAY ACROSS THAT THING TODAY.
'CAUSE IT'S NEVER MORE THAN ABOUT A FOOT DEEP.
NOW AIRBOATS, IF YOU WANNA DO AN AIRBOAT SPECIALTY, OKAY, NOW THOSE WOULD WORK WONDERFUL.
WELL, BUT EVERYBODY NEEDS TO KNOW.
YOU CAN'T BRING BOATS UP IN, ABOVE THAT IS PART OF IT.
ANY OF IT WITH THE DROUGHT OR WATER LEVEL OR ANYTHING DEPENDENT DOESN'T MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE.
IT'S SILTED UP SO BAD THAT'S NOT USABLE AT ALL.
BUT THAT, THERE'S SOME THINGS, GOOD THINGS.
UM, SO WE'RE, UH, MOVING ALONG ON THE CONCEPT FOR, UM, BRICK CODE AND SPLASH PAD.
UH, THAT'S GONNA BE A GREAT 8,500 SQUARE FOOT SPLASH PAD.
UM, THAT'LL, THAT'LL SIT ON THE SOUTHERN SIDE OF THE PARK.
WHAT'S THAT HERE? THE TENNIS CENTER? YEAH.
SOUTH ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE TENNIS CENTER.
UH, BETWEEN THERE AND THE NEW PLAYGROUND.
UM, SO WHERE THE OLD ROAD WAS THAT WENT THROUGH THERE, THAT'S NOW NOT A ROAD ANYMORE.
UM, AND THEN KINGSLEY PARK AND CENTRAL PARK LOOP TRAIL ARE JUST BEGINNING DESIGN.
SO WE'RE STILL IN THE VERY EARLY STAGES OF THAT.
BUT THE POINT, THE, THE PURPOSE OF THE CENTRAL PARK LOOP TRAIL IS TO ESSENTIALLY CREATE A, A LOOP CIRCUIT IN THE PARK, UM, FILLING SOME OF THE GAPS THAT ARE CURRENTLY EXISTING.
'CAUSE THERE ARE SOME PARTS THAT ARE, THAT HAVE TRAIL OR SIDEWALK, AND THEN OTHER PARTS THAT DON'T.
IT'LL, IT'LL, UH, WORK WITH THE DUCK CREEK CENTRAL TRAIL THAT IS, UM, ONE OF OUR 2019 BOND PROJECTS AND CONNECT UP TO THAT, UM, TO MAKE THAT LOOP HOW WIDE? 12 FEET WIDE, AND IT'LL BE CONCRETE PAVE, UH, CONCRETE PAVEMENT.
UM, AND THEN KINGSLEY PARK, WE'LL HAVE, UM, A SERIES OF AMENITIES YET TO BE DETERMINED.
I THINK RIGHT NOW WHAT WE'RE HOPING TO GET IS, UH, TO REPLACE THE PLAYGROUND THAT WAS IN THERE.
UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT PARKING ACCESS, UH, POTENTIALLY ANOTHER FUTSAL COURT, DEPENDING ON, YOU KNOW, WHAT KIND OF THINGS THAT WE CAN MANAGE IN THE, IN THE PROJECT.
SO, UM, SO YEAH, THOSE ARE THE OPERA PROJECTS.
UH, YOU HAD A QUESTION ABOUT DALLAS COUNTY, UH, PARTNERED PROJECTS.
UM, A LOT OF THE, THE THREE TRAIL PROJECTS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON CURRENTLY IN DESIGN, UH, ARE GARLAND AVENUE UNDERPASS AND THE SPRING CREEK FOREST.
UH, THAT'S TO BRIDGE THE TWO EXISTING TRAILS THAT ARE IN THE SPRING CREEK PRESERVED NOW UNDERNEATH GARLAND AVENUE.
UH, NAMAN FOREST TRAIL CONNECTION, WHICH IS GONNA CONNECT HALF PARK AND WHERE THE TRAIL ENDS ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE CREEK AT THREE OAKS DRIVE, UH, CONNECT THOSE TWO AREAS AND THEN CONNECT UP TO, UM, NAMAN SCHOOL ROAD AND BRAND ROAD, WHICH WILL HAVE A TRAIL.
AND SO ALL THOSE AREAS, THAT WHOLE AREA UP THERE WILL BE VERY WELL CONNECTED IN THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS.
UM, SO THEN THERE'S ALSO DUCK CREEK AUDUBON TRAIL.
UM, WE WE'RE EXPLORING THREE DIFFERENT ALIGNMENTS AT THE MOMENT.
UH, ONE ALIGNMENT'S LOOKING TO BE VERY PROMISING.
UH, WE'RE KIND OF EXPLORING THAT A LITTLE BIT FURTHER.
UM, AND, UM, SO YEAH, WE'RE, WE'RE WORKING WITH DALLAS COUNTY ON ALL THOSE TRAILS.
UH, ONE THAT IS ABOUT TO START, UH, TO GO OUT TO BID IS THE DUCK CREEK SOUTH EXTENSION TRAIL PROJECT, WHICH IS THE TRAIL THAT WILL CONNECT FROM THE TRAIL IN MESQUITE, UM, THAT JUST GOT BUILT HERITAGE TRAIL.
UM, YEAH, IT IS WHAT WE CALL IT THE M G R TRAIL.
MESQUITE GARLAND RICHARDSON TRAIL.
ESSENTIALLY THAT M G R TRAIL CONNECTS IN WITH, UM, MESQUITE HERITAGE TRAIL.
SO WE'LL BE CONNECTING TO THE M G R TRAIL AND TO GO EAST UNDERNEATH BELTLINE IN THE SOUTH,
[01:15:01]
UM, UP TO GUTHRIE ROAD AND, UM, TOWARDS AON PARK.SO IT'LL, IT'LL TERMINATE ACTUALLY AT TOLER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
SO THIS ISN'T REPLACING ANY OF THE EROSION FROM THE EXISTING TRAILS.
THIS IS ALL, THESE ARE ALL NEW.
AND, UM, YEAH, SO THOSE ARE THE FOUR CURRENT TRAILS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON.
WELL, I WAS JUST GONNA ASK, UM, IN TERMS OF, UH, TRAILS THAT, UH, BETWEEN DIFFERENT CITIES THAT CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER IN ORDER TO CREATE A REGIONAL TRAIL SYSTEM, IS THERE ANY FUNDING FOR THE LAST MILE BEING PROVIDED SOMEWHERE TO CONNECT, YOU KNOW, THE LAST MILE TO CONNECT MM-HMM.
UM, IS THERE ANY FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR THAT LAST MILE? I KNOW THAT THERE, SO THE, THE TERMINOLOGY LAST MILE, AS I'VE COME TO KNOW IT OVER THE YEARS, IS A LOT OF TIMES WHEN PEOPLE ARE ON PUBLIC TRANSIT AND THEY'RE AT THEIR LAST STOP, THEY NEED TO GET TO THE LA THE LAST MILE CONNECTS THEM TO THEIR FINAL DESTINATION.
UM, THAT'S HOW I UNDERSTAND IT.
IS THAT HOW YOU MEAN IT? OR I'M THINKING OF, WE GARLAND BUILT HIS TRAIL SYSTEM AND THEN AS IT APPROACHES RICHARDSON MM-HMM.
UM, IS THERE ANY FUNDING AVAILABLE JUST FOR THAT TO ENCOURAGE THE CITIES, DIFFERENT CITIES TO CONNECT THEIR, THEIR TRAIL SYSTEM TO CREATE A REGIONAL TRAIL SYSTEM? SO THE ANSWER IS YES.
WE DO A LOT OF COORDINATION WITH OUR NEIGHBORING CITIES, UM, IN TERMS OF SEPARATE FUNDING SOURCE TO MAKE THOSE CONNECTIONS HAPPEN.
UM, AND THE REASON WHY IS BECAUSE THE FUNDING THAT COMES WITH DEVELOPING TRAILS OR, OR BIKEWAYS, UM, THEIR GOALS ARE TO, YOU KNOW, GET THOSE CONNECTIONS ESTABLISHED WITH THE MASTER PLANNING PROCESS.
AND THEN YOU, YOU FUND THOSE TRAIL SEGMENTS BASED ON HOWEVER THOSE PRIORITIES ARE ESTABLISHED IN THE MASTER PLAN.
UM, AT THE TIME THAT WE DEVELOPED OUR MASTER PLAN, UH, WE DID OUR BEST TO COORDINATE WITH RICHARDSON, WHICH WE DID IN DALLAS, AND, UH, SAXE AND ROULETTE TO SEE, YOU KNOW, HOW WE CAN MAKE THOSE CONNECTIONS HAPPEN.
ESSENTIALLY WHAT THAT ENDED UP BEING WAS POINTS ON A MAP THAT SAID, OKAY, THESE ARE THE AREAS WHERE WE WANT TO CONNECT.
UM, WHETHER OR NOT THEY HAVE EXISTING FACILITIES THERE OR NOT WAS NOT IT, IT DID AFFECT THE PRIORITY, THE PRIORITIZATION OF THE, OF THE FUNDING.
UM, BUT IN TERMS OF HOW THE INITIAL PROJECTS WERE SET UP IN, ON OUR PRIORITY LISTING, UM, THERE WAS MORE OF A NEED INTERNALLY TO THE CITY THAN THERE WERE, THAN THERE WAS CONNECTING TO OUR NEIGHBORING CITIES.
UM, WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO IN GARLAND IN TERMS OF GETTING OUR TRAILS AND BIKEWAYS NETWORKS SET UP.
UM, SO WE HAD TO START WITH THE BEST POSITION THAT WE THOUGHT WE COULD TO, TO ONE, UM, LEVERAGE WHAT WE THOUGHT WOULD BE A GOOD, UM, PARTNER WITH DALLAS COUNTY BECAUSE THEY, IN OUR, OUR TRAIL PROJECTS ALSO NEEDED TO RANK HIGH ON THEIR PRIORITIZATION IN ORDER FOR US TO GET THOSE, THAT FUNDING FROM THEM.
UM, AND THEN ALSO TRY TO MAKE THOSE CONNECTIONS HAPPEN, UM, BETWEEN OUR COMMUNITY PARKS, UM, TO OUR, UH, CATALYST AREAS, OUR, YOU KNOW, COMMERCIAL CENTERS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO, NOT TO SAY THAT CREATING CONNECTIONS OR OR MAKING THOSE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN OUR COMMUNITIES IS NOT IMPORTANT.
UM, AND EVENTUALLY WE'LL GET THERE.
UH, IT'S JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT IT HAS TO GO THROUGH, UM, UH, OUR PRIORITIZATION, YOU KNOW, IN ORDER TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
AND SO, UH, RICHARDSON DID, UH, RECENTLY UPDATE THEIR ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION PLAN.
UM, WE COORDINATED YET AGAIN ON WHEN THEY UPDATED THEIRS, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE, UH, IN LOCKSTEP ON WHERE OUR CONNECTIONS WERE.
SO, UM, I'M HOPEFUL THAT WHEN, WHEN FUNDING BECOMES AVAILABLE IN THE FUTURE, THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO MAKE THOSE CONNECTIONS A LITTLE BIT BETTER.
UM, BUT AS YOU KNOW, IT TAKES TIME, YOU KNOW, TIME, TREASURE, BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS.
ZION, THANK, THANK YOU FOR THE, FOR THE REPORT.
UM, ESPECIALLY CONCERNED THAT WE, WE HAVE A TIMELINE ON THOSE ARPA FUNDS THAT I KNOW WE HAVE TO USE.
AND IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE GONNA MAKE, UH, USE OF ALL OF THOSE FOR SURE.
WE'RE, WE HAVE TO BE DONE AND FULLY EXPENDED ALL THE, UH, FUNDS BY THE END OF 2026 AND WE'LL BE WELL IN
[01:20:01]
ADVANCE OF THAT.AND THAT'S ONLY ABOUT $30 MILLION.
MOLLY, I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU AND KEITH AND DELEE FOR ENTERTAINING THE QUESTIONS AS THEY CAME UP.
FOR HAVING 'EM WELL AND KEEPING YOU ON, YOU'RE ABLE TO KEEP YOUR TRAIN OF THOUGHT.
ALRIGHT, THAT, THAT IT FOR YOUR YOURS TODAY.
CAN I HAVE A QUESTION? SEE HOW CAMERA, I HAVE A QUESTION.
UM, SO IT'S NOT ON HERE, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO, UM, NOTE, UM, I WAS, I WAS WALKING RE PARK.
UM, I SEE THAT, I FEEL LIKE THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE LIGHTING AROUND THAT.
I FEEL LIKE IT'S, THERE'S LIGHT NEAR THE REC CENTER GOES DARK AND THEN THE OTHER LIKE, WELL AS YOU GET HALFWAY IN, THEN THERE'S LIKE TWO LIGHTS ON THERE, GOES DARK AGAIN, AND THEN YOU GET BACK TO THE REC CENTER, THERE'S MORE LIGHT.
UM, AND I WOULD SAY THERE'S A LOT OF USERS AS WELL THAT GETS GO THERE AT NIGHT AND SO IT'S REALLY NOT SAFE.
UM, YOU KNOW, BUT YOU KNOW, LIKE THEY'RE WANNA GET THEIR STEPS IN, BUT THEY'RE WILLING TO GO IN THE DARK FOR A MAJORITY PART OF THAT WALK.
AND SO I JUST WOULD LIKE TO PUT IT ON THERE.
LIKE, I THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE LIGHTING, UM, ESPECIALLY FOR THE USERS AND ESPECIALLY OVER LIKE THE BASKETBALL COURT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S KIDS THAT ARE WANTING TO PLAY AND THEY CAN'T 'CAUSE IT'S DARK.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S SOME WAY THAT WE CAN, I DON'T KNOW, WORK ON GETTING MORE LIGHTING ON THAT TRAIL IF WE WANNA MAKE IT A LOOP TRAIL WHERE IT'S BE ABLE TO USE NOT JUST THE DAY, BUT ALSO DURING THE NIGHTTIME TIME.
ESPECIALLY AS FALL COMES IN OR WHEN WE CHANGE HOURS, WHEN WE DON'T CHANGE HOURS, WHATEVER THE IS HAPPENING AND IT STARTS GETTING DARK AROUND SIX 30, YOU KNOW, WE WANNA MAKE SURE IT'S STILL USABLE FOR OUR PARK USERS.
UH, I KNOW THAT WE'RE, WE HAVE SOME FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR PARK SECURITY AND LIGHTING.
UM, I KNOW THAT MATT IS WORKING ON PRIORITIZATION OF, OF SITES FOR THAT.
'CAUSE WE HAVE A VERY SIMILAR PROBLEM IN MANY OF OUR PARKS.
UM, BUT WE WILL NOTE THAT AND SEE, YOU KNOW, UM, HOW WE CAN GET THAT INCORPORATED IN.
UM, BUT YEAH, THAT'S, THAT'S A GOOD, IT'S A GOOD OBSERVATION.
I KNOW THAT THERE'S, ESPECIALLY ON LOOP TRAILS, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE DON'T FEEL AS SAFE WHEN THERE'S NOT A LOT OF LIGHTING AND THERE'S A LOT OF DARK SPOTS.
UM, BUT YEAH, THE, THE BASKETBALL COURT MAY BE CHALLENGING 'CAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF TREES IN THAT AREA TOO.
UM, BUT WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT IT AND SEE WHAT WE CAN DO.
ANY, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR SEA DEN? THANK YOU SIR.
UH, AS WE MOVE ALONG TO THE END HERE, UH, GO DOWN TO FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS AND, UH, UH, DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY THINGS THEY WANTED? UM, YES, MOLLY, UM, SHE BROUGHT UP A GOOD POINT.
WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, PARKS THAT AREN'T LIT AT ALL THAT ARE HEAVILY USED.
UM, I MEAN THAT, I'M THINKING OF ONE IN AUDUBON THAT IT'S LIT WHENEVER THERE'S A SOFTBALL UM, PLACE.
BUT, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE LIGHTING THAT THEY DID, I THINK THEY DID TO, UM, CONCENTRATE THE LIGHTING.
BUT WITH THE, THE AREAS WHERE THERE ARE A LOT OF TREES, IT ACTUALLY, WHEN THEY WERE REPLACING SOME OF IT, IT MADE LESS LIGHTING.
SO IS THAT, I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY IT FUTURE MEANS AT SOME POINT, YOU MEAN AT UBON AS WELL AS OTHER PLACES? UM, YEAH.
ANY PLACE THAT HAS TREES THAT THE LIGHTS GOT CHANGED.
AGENDA, ITEM LIST, LIGHTING AND SIGNAGE.
THESE ARE TWO THINGS THAT WE HAVEN'T, HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO YET, UH, MUCH IN OUR DISCUSSIONS, BUT, UH, IN TRAVELING AROUND THE COUNTRY AND ATTENDING, GOING TO PARKS AND THINGS, THERE'S SOME PARKS THAT JUST WOW, YOU, MOST OF THEM JUST BORE YOU.
AND WE ARE, WE ARE, WE'RE DOING SO MUCH WITH OUR AMENITIES THERE THAT WE'VE GOT THE WOW FACTOR.
WE'VE JUST GOT, WE'VE JUST GOTTA SHOW IT NOW.
SO HOPEFULLY WE'LL HAVE TIME TO HAVE DISCUSSION ABOUT LIGHTING AND THEN ALSO ABOUT, UH, A SIGNAGE PROGRAM.
WE TALKED ABOUT A HERITAGE TRAIL OR, YOU KNOW, TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHO THESE PEOPLE WERE, THINGS LIKE THAT.
ANY OTHER THINGS FOR, UM, FUTURE DISCUSSION? WELL, I PRESUME AT SOME POINT WE NEED TO HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT BOND PROJECTS.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE A BOND COMMITTEE.
WHAT WHAT STAFF THINKS IS IMPORTANT, WHAT WE THINK'S IMPORTANT.
AND THAT PROBABLY NEEDS TO COME FAIRLY SOON.
UH, MATT, WHAT'S THE TIMELINE ON THAT? I DON'T KNOW.
IT, UM, WELL WHEN IT COMES TO THE BOND PROGRAM, WE, WE NEED A LITTLE BIT MORE GUIDANCE FROM CITY MANAGEMENT, UM, ON THIS ONE.
THE, THE PUSH FOR THE UPCOMING BOND, IF, IF THERE IS ONE, UM, IS GONNA HEAVILY BE FOCUSED ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
I, I'M THE FIRST ONE IN THAT LIST TO SAY THAT WITHOUT QUALITY PARKS YOU CAN'T HAVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
UM, BUT THERE'S ALSO SOME OTHER REALLY BIG THINGS THAT ARE OUT THERE THAT THE, THE CITY MANAGER,
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UM, HAS PRIORITIES ON.UM, AND SO WHEN WE GET GUIDANCE, UH, FROM CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE IN TERMS OF, OF WHAT A POTENTIAL BOND PACKAGE COULD LOOK LIKE, UM, AND THE THINGS THAT THEY WILL BE CONSIDERING, WE WILL DEFINITELY MAKE SURE THAT WE COME TO, TO THIS BOARD FIRST.
UM, I DON'T WANT TO GET THE CART TOO FAR AHEAD OF THE HORSE ON THIS ONE.
UM, I'M EVEN TRYING HARD NOT TO READ THE TEA LEAVES, BUT THERE ARE SOME VERY BIG ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN THIS CITY THAT, THAT HAVE, UM, PRIORITY FOR THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE AND FROM COUNCIL.
UM, SO AS WE LEARN MORE, WE WILL DEFINITELY BRING THAT TO YOU ALL.
UM, AND IF IT GETS TO THAT, WE WILL DEFINITELY MAKE SURE THAT YOU ALL HAVE VITAL OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE YOUR INPUT IF WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY.
DON, OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS, WE'VE HEARD FROM YOUTH SPORTS ORGANIZATIONS IN THE CITY AND SOMEBODY MENTIONED A WHILE BACK THAT YOU SHOULD MAYBE REVISIT, HAVE SOME OF THEM COME AND TELL US ABOUT THEIR I I THINK THAT'S A GREAT IDEA.
IT'D BE, IT'D BE, IT WOULD BE NICE, YOU KNOW, WHEN THE KIDS LIKE IN THE BASEBALL, FOOTBALL, WHATEVER, TO SEE WHAT THE CITY OF GARLAND'S DOING AND WHAT OTHER CITIES ARE DOING.
'CAUSE WE KNOW THAT SO MUCH OF THE LITTLE LEAGUE TYPE THINGS HAVE GONE TO THE CLUB BALL.
BUT HAVING JUST WATCHED THE LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES, WHICH WAS PHENOMENAL, ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE LAST PITCH AND THE LAST HOME RUN TO WIN IT.
UH, I WENT TO A MEETING, UH, I GUESS TWO WEEKS AGO WITH THREE OTHER YOUTH BASEBALL LEAGUE IN THIS AREA.
AND THEY'RE ALL, THEY'RE ALL STRUGGLING.
THEY HAVE TO PLAY WITH EACH OTHER JUST TO GET GAMES GOING, WHICH IS KIND OF SAD.
UM, I WAS THERE JUST TO TRY TO GET ONE TEAM TO PLAY WITH, BUT, BUT THEY NEEDED EVERY DIVISION TO PLAY WITH THE OTHER LEAGUES JUST SO THEY COULD HAVE SOMEBODY TO PLAY.
AND THERE IS AN ADVANTAGE TO THAT.
AND I ALSO NOTICED THAT SOME OF THE TEAMS THAT WERE COMPETING IN THE LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES WERE CLUB BALL.
OH, THAT PLAYED THAT PLAYED AT THAT LEVEL.
NO, THEY PLAYED IN THE LEAGUE.
THEY PLAYED IN THE LEAGUES ALSO.
AND, UH, YOU'RE MAYBE HITTING IN A DIRECTION THAT COULD BE A MORE OF A FUTURE FOR THE LITTLE LEAGUES BY PLAYING INTER PLAYING WITH EACH OTHER.
'CAUSE IT'S NOT THAT FAR TO DRIVE FROM, YOU KNOW, ACROSS TOWN.
THERE'S ONLY TWO LITTLE LEAGUES IN GARLAND AND WE, DURING THE FALL RIGHT NOW WE'RE PLAYING WITH, UH, GARNER, WHICH IS AT BRADFIELD.
UM, BUT WE, WE AS A LEAGUE ARE LOOKING AT TAKING THE BEST KIDS IN OUR 10 YEAR OLD GROUP, 12 YEAR OLD GROUP AND HAVING A, A GROUP OF KIDS IN THAT GROUP AND HAVE THEM PRACTICE IN ADDITION TO THEM PLAYING WITH THEIR OWN TEAM.
SO STARTING YOUR ALL STARS WAY IN ADVANCE, NOT WAIT TILL THE END OF THE SEASON.
THAT'S THAT'S WHAT, THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE DOING IN A LOT OF THOSE.
SO ANYWAY, THAT'S A GREAT IDEA AND WE CAN GET MORE DISCUSSION ON THAT.
MOLLY, CAN WE JUST ENCOMPASS THAT BESIDES JUST LITTLE LEAGUE, BUT FOR YOUTH SPORTS I'LL USE SPORTS.
AND I MEAN, ISN'T THAT NORMALLY SOMETHING THAT COMES ABOUT LIKE YEARLY PERHAPS WITH FIELD USE AGREEMENTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT? YEAH, I MEAN, WE, WE CAN LET US, LET US DISCUSS IT.
UM, BUT I KNOW WHEN I WAS ON PARKS BOARD AND RAIL, THE LEAGUES THAT WE WORKED WITH CAME AND GAVE A PRESENTATION YEARLY.
SO I DON'T THINK THAT'S A HORRIBLE IDEA.
I THINK IT'S A REALLY GOOD IDEA ACTUALLY.
BUT LET US, LET US KICK IT AROUND A LITTLE BIT.
'CAUSE SOME ARE, SOME ARE MORE COOPERATIVE THAN OTHERS, SO WE'LL LET US WORK ON THAT.
UH, TAMARA, I'D REALLY LIKE TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THE VOLUNTEER PROGRAM THAT WAS ACTUALLY ON MY LIST TO, TO HAVE ON AT OUR OCTOBER MEETINGS.
THAT WE WILL DEFINITELY DO THAT.
ANYTHING ELSE? ANYONE ELSE? I WANNA, I WANT TO THANK UH, OUR STAFF, MATT, DELEE,
IT'S A, IT'S AMAZING HOW MUCH Y'ALL CAN GIVE US.
AND I KNOW IT SEEMS LIKE A LONG TIME, BUT IT'S GONNA BE OVER WITH AN HOUR AND A HALF.
AND, UH, YOU'VE DONE AMAZING TO GIVE US ALL THAT.
AND KEITH HAS SOMETHING TO SAY.
WHAT ABOUT THE LADY THAT GETS US DINNER? THAT'S YVONNE.
I GOT, I CAUGHT YVONNE IN THAT.
ANYTHING ELSE? THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR BEING HERE.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION.
AND WE WILL CALL THIS MEETING, UM, UH, JUST ABOUT READY TO, AND IT IS NOW ADJOURNED.