[00:00:01]
WE'RE, CAN Y'ALL HEAR ME TEST THIS? OKAY.[1. CALL TO ORDER AND CERTIFICATION OF A QUORUM]
ALRIGHT.WE'D LIKE TO BRING, UH, THE MEETING TO START.
SO, CAITLIN, WOULD YOU ROLL CALL PLEASE.
CLINTON WILLIAMS, ISRAEL GARCIA, PATRICK SPIES.
MATT, WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEAD US IN A PRAYER AND A PLEDGE? YES, PLEASE.
LET ME GET TO MY, LEMME GET TO MY DEAR LORD, WE PRAY FOR WISDOM, FOR STRENGTH, FOR COURAGE TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT AND GOOD FOR ALL THE CITIZENS.
MAY WE PUT THE, MAY WE PUT THE INTEREST OF OTHERS ABOVE OUR OWN.
MAY WE ACT WITH LOVE FOR THE COMMON GOOD.
MAY WE BE GOOD NEIGHBORS RECOGNIZING YOUR IMAGE IN EVERY PERSON HERE.
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO FLAG THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO DO REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION OF GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
[3. PUBLIC COMMENTS]
OKAY.AT THIS TIME, ANY PERSON WITH BUSINESS RELATED TO DICKINSON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION MAY SPEAK TO THE BOARD.
ANYONE WISHING TO SPEAK SHOULD INFORM THE BOARD OF THEIR NAME.
COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC SHOULD BE LIMITED TO A MAXIMUM OF THREE MINUTES PER INDIVIDUAL SPEAKER AND COMPLIANCE WITH THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT.
THE BOARD MAY NOT DELIBERATE OR TAKE ACTION ON ITEMS NOT APPEARING ON THE AGENDA, BUT MAY CONSIDER PLACING AN ITEM ON A FUTURE AGENDA IF DELIBERATION IS NECESSARY.
I DO HAVE TWO PEOPLE THAT HAVE SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS.
CINDY, WE'VE GOT YOU UP FIRST, WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME UP AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF? GOOD EVENING.
I'M REPRESENTING THE DICKINSON PILOT CLUB THIS EVENING.
WE'RE PART OF PILOT INTERNATIONAL, WHICH WAS ESTABLISHED BACK IN 1921.
THE DICKINSON PILOT CLUB HAS BEEN, UH, GOING ON FOR DECADES.
AND, UH, WE HAVE ABOUT 35 MEMBERS CURRENTLY IN THE PILOT CLUB.
UH, WE FOCUS ON POSITIVE CHANGE WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY AND WE FOCUS ON BRAIN HEALTH AND, UH, FOR PEOPLE THAT HAVE HAD TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY AS WELL AS THOSE WHO CARE FOR THOSE PEOPLE.
UM, ONE WAY TO TAKE GOOD CARE OF OUR BRAINS IS THROUGH EDUCATION AND THROUGH EXERCISE.
AND THE DICKINSON PILOT CLUB HAS HOSTED A CHRISTMAS TOUR OF HOMES FOR MANY, MANY YEARS.
HOPEFULLY SOME OF Y'ALL HAVE ENJOYED THAT.
UM, WE'VE BEEN DOING IT ANNUALLY AND THIS YEAR WE WOULD LIKE TO MAKE IT A MUCH LARGER EVENT FOR THE COMMUNITY.
AND PART OF THAT IS TO HAVE A REINDEER RUN OR A WALK ON SATURDAY IN ADDITION TO A VENDOR FAIR AND OUR TOUR OF HOMES, MAKING IT A TWO DAY EVENT.
AND WE REALLY HOPE THAT PEOPLE WILL MAKE DICKINSON THEIR DESTINATION THAT WEEKEND.
COME AND DO THE REINDEER RUN, VISIT THE VENDOR FAIR, TAKE A TOUR OF THE HOMES, GO EAT AT A LOCAL RESTAURANT, AS WELL AS THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS IN THAT EVENING.
SO IT COULD BE REALLY A FUN FAMILY EVENT.
SO WE'RE ASKING THE EDC FOR, UM, A GRANT TO COVER SOME OF THESE EXPENSES THAT WE'RE GONNA INCUR IN PUTTING ON THIS REINDEER RUN.
WE ARE A NONPROFIT, AND SO BY HELPING US, UM, YOU WILL BE PROVIDING OUR CITY WITH, UM, SUPPORT AND PEOPLE KNOWING ABOUT THE EVENT AND SUPPORT OF OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES AND JUST BRINGING OUR COMMUNITY BACK TOGETHER AGAIN.
SO WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR CONSIDERATION FOR, UM, GIVING US THIS GRANT.
AND I DO HAVE SOME INFORMATION BROCHURES ABOUT THE P*****K CLUB.
WOULD I BE ABLE TO HAND THOSE OUT? OH, WHAT'S THE DATE Y'ALL PASS IT? CINDY, WHAT'S THE DATE? WHAT'S THE DATE OF THE EVENT? SO IT'S ALWAYS THE SECOND SUNDAY IN DECEMBER.
SO IT'D BE THE SATURDAY BEFORE THE SECOND SUNDAY 13TH.
SO ARE NEW SOLICITING HELP FROM OTHER, UM, CITY ENTITIES? SO WE MAY HAVE TO, BECAUSE THE BUDGET THAT WE HAD KIND OF THOUGHT OF IN THE FIRST PLACE MAY BE A LITTLE SHORT.
SO WE ARE PROBABLY GOING TO HAVE TO SEEK SOME EXTRA FUNDS THROUGH DONATIONS OF SOME TYPE.
[00:05:01]
WHAT TYPE OF FUNDS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? SO WE HAVE ASKED FOR THE GRANT OF $3,000, UH, JUST FOR THE BOARD.UM, THIS, THIS ACTUALLY, THIS EXPENDITURE WOULD, WOULD NOT FALL UNDER A GRANT, BUT THIS IS ACTUALLY A SPONSORSHIP OF THE EVENT.
UM, JUST TO, JUST TO CLARIFY THE TERMINOLOGY.
AND, UM, AT LEAST FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, THIS BOARD HAS A FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITY TO MANAGE THE FUNDS.
SO WHEN WE MAKE DONATIONS OR SPONSORSHIP, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT TYPE OF PUBLICITY OR EXPOSURE COULD THE E EEC EXPECT FOR THAT DONATION OR SPONSORSHIP? WE CAN JUSTIFY IT.
SO WE ARE PLANNING ON, UM, USING OUR SPONSORS THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA ADVERTISING THAT THEY'RE HELPING WITH OUR EVENT AND THEIR SPONSORS FOR THE EVENT.
UH, WE'LL ALSO HAVE SIGNAGE UP, SO THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA, SIGNAGE, THAT TYPE OF THING.
DO YOU HAVE, DON'T YOU HAVE AUTHORITY TO APPROVE? UH, IT, IT'S $3,000, SO IT'S RIGHT AT MY, UH, EXPENDITURE AUTHORITY.
SO I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I HAD AND PERMISSION OF THE BOARD AS WELL.
UM, YOU KNOW, CAITLYN, SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.
MAYBE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A, AN EDUCATIONAL SERIES THAT WE'RE POSTING ONLINE ABOUT WHO IS THE EDC HOUSE FORMED.
UM, AND THERE'LL BE, UH, SEVERAL, UM, ADDITIONS THAT GO, UH, ON TO, UH, TO THE PUBLIC.
SO I WONDER IF THERE'S ANY WAY TO KIND OF THIS INTO A SPONSORSHIP.
AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS, UH, A COORDINATION WHERE WE COULD HELP PROMOTE THE EVENT AND THEN AT THE SAME TIME WE COULD HAVE SOMETHING ON OUR EDUCATIONAL SERIES THAT MAKES IT MORE INFORMATIVE, EFFECTIVE.
WE WOULD LOVE TO HELP WITH THAT ANY WAY THAT WE CAN.
SO I THINK WE'RE THOUGHTFUL WITH REGARDS TO HOW WE CAN MAKE THE MOST OUTTA THE MONEY.
I, I DON'T SEE AT LEAST FROM PERSPECTIVE MEMBERS
THE, THESE ARE PUBLIC COMMENTS.
WE'LL HAVE TO WAIT TILL YEAH, I KNOW YOU ARE AT SIX POINT B.
THAT'S, WE HAVE MISSED GI THINK HE'S NEXT.
IS THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS? THIS GOTCHA.
NO, I JUST, WHAT OUR RETURN OF INVESTMENT WOULD BE.
SHE ANSWERED THAT AND I KNOW CINDY WILL DO A GOOD JOB WITH THAT.
SO GAYLAND, WE HAVE YOU SIGNED UP AS WELL.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME UP? HI.
GAYLAND NIER, 29 26 MEOWS LANE.
SO A YEAR AND A HALF AGO IN SEPTEMBER OF 2024, I ATTENDED THE GROUNDBREAKING OF THE PICNIC GROUNDS.
MANY OF YOU IN THIS ROOM TONIGHT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN THERE, BUT I WAS, AND I WAS READING, UM, THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE ARTICLE, THE GALVESTON DAILY NEWS, THE I 45 NEWS ARTICLE.
AND THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THEY SAID WAS GONNA BE AT THE PICNIC GROUNDS.
VARIOUS RECREATION AREAS, INCLUDING A RACE TRACK AND EDUCATION GARDEN PROJECT AS PART OF A REVITALIZED DOWNTOWN, UM, TO ATTRACT RESIDENTS, VISITORS, AND SMALL BUSINESSES, FREE TRACK ROW WALKING TRAILS, A MARKET STRIP WHICH WILL HOST VENDORS.
IT SAYS, THIS WILL GIVE THEM A REASON TO STOP ALONG THE WAY BETWEEN HOUSTON AND GALVESTON COMPLETION.
SUMMER OF 2025, I REALIZED THAT THINGS HAPPENED.
I REALIZE THAT THE PROJECT MAY HAVE GONE FROM 2.2 MILLION TO 3.3 MILLION.
I UNDERSTAND THAT CONCRETE ESPECIALLY.
BUT Y'ALL PROMISED THE CITIZENS THAT WE WOULD HAVE THE WALKING TRAILS, WE WOULD HAVE THE PLAYGROUND FOR THE KIDS.
WE WOULD HAVE A PICKLEBALL COURT.
WE WOULD HAVE A PLACE FOR, UM, FOOD TRUCKS.
AND NOW Y'ALL WANTING TO JUST BUILD THE BUILDING.
THE EVENT CENTER ISN'T EVEN LARGE ENOUGH TO HOLD A DECENT WEDDING.
Y'ALL DON'T EVEN HAVE A BRIDAL ROOM IN THE EVENT CENTER.
YOU DON'T HAVE A ROOM FOR A STAFF PERSON.
Y'ALL HAVEN'T EVEN BUDGETED FOR A STAFF PERSON TO BE THERE AT NIGHT IN CASE THE TOILET GETS
YOU HAVE TO HAVE A STAFF PERSON.
I WAS IN THE HOTEL BUSINESS FOR OVER 10 YEARS.
I KNOW WHAT IT TAKES TO DO A SPECIAL EVENT EVEN ON A MUCH SMALLER, SMALLER SCALE.
[00:10:01]
BUT ALL I'M SAYING IS, WOULD Y'ALL PLEASE CONSIDER TONIGHT TO GIVE THE CITIZENS WHAT THEY REALLY WANTED? AND EVERYONE WAS EXCITED ABOUT IT, WAS THE WALKING TRAILS, WAS THE PICKLEBALL COURT, WAS THE PARK BENCHES.WE CAN STILL DO MUSIC IN THE PARK ON FRIDAY NIGHTS.
WE CAN STILL DO THE FOOD TRUCKS.
WE CAN STILL DO THE BIG SCREEN TVS AND HAVE MOVIE NIGHTS.
AND THEN WHEN THE EDCS AND MORE FINANCIAL STABLE, THE CITY'S FINANCIALLY STABLE, THEN LET'S GO BACK AND BUILD THE EVENT CENTER.
BECAUSE RIGHT NOW THE EVENT CENTER AS IT STANDS FROM MY UNDERSTANDING, YOU CAN'T EVEN ADD ON.
Y'ALL DIDN'T DESIGN IT SO THAT YOU COULD TEAR DOWN ONE WALL AND ADD ON TO IT AND MAKE IT LARGER.
SO LET'S, IF Y'ALL WOULD JUST CONSIDER RETHINKING IT.
'CAUSE EVERYONE IS EXCITED ABOUT IT.
I KNOW SOME PEOPLE SAY SCRAP THE WHOLE THING.
YOU KNOW, USE IT FOR, FOR STREETS AND DRAINAGE.
WE ALL KNOW YOU CAN'T USE THAT MONEY FOR STREETS AND DRAINAGE, BUT LET'S HAVE AN EVENT CENTER.
LET'S HAVE A PLACE WHERE WE ARE PROUD OF BECAUSE I GUARANTEE YOU THAT LESS THAN 25% OF THE CITIZENS OF DICKINSON WILL EVER USE THAT EVENT CENTER.
BUT THEY'LL GO TO THE PARK, THEY'LL COME OUT THERE AND DO MOVIE NIGHT, THEY'LL GO TO THE FOOD TRUCKS, THEY'LL SIT ON A PARK BENCH, BUT NOT EVERYONE'S GONNA USE THAT EVENT CENTER.
LET'S GIVE THE CITIZENS ALL THE FEEL GOOD THINGS RIGHT NOW WITHIN THE 2.2 MILLION BUDGET.
AND THEN GO BACK AND BUILD THE EVENT CENTER.
[4. CONSENT AGENDA]
THIS TIME WE'LL MOVE TO THE CONSENT AGENDA.THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ARE, ARE CONSIDERED ROUTINE BY THE DICKINSON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION AND WILL BE ENACTED BY ONE MOTION.
THERE WILL NOT BE SEPARATE DISCUSSION ON THESE ITEMS UNLESS REQUESTED BY A BOARD MEMBER.
IN WHICH EVENT THE ITEM WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA AND DISCUSSED AFTER THE CONSENT AGENDA FOR A CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM DEDC REGULAR MEETING HELD ON FEBRUARY 10TH, 2025, FOUR B CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE JANUARY, 2025 DDC FINANCIAL INVESTMENT REPORT, FOUR C CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE THE JANUARY, 2025 DEDC ACCOUNT STATEMENT FOR TEXAS FIRST BANK AND TAX POOL FOUR D CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE THE FEBRUARY, 2025 MONTHLY ADMINISTRATION SERVICE FEE, TRANSFER REQUEST, AND FOUR E CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE THE FEBRUARY, 2025 PAYROLL TRANSFER REQUEST.
WE HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR TO APPROVE.
DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECOND, UH, PATRICK B SECOND THERE.
ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
OPPOSED? MOTION PASSES OLD BUSINESS
[5. OLD BUSINESS]
FIVE.A CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO REVISE THE BUDGET FOR DICKINSON PICNIC GROUNDS.
UM, FOLKS, I I WOULD LIKE TO OPEN THIS UP BY SAYING, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU GAYLIN FOR YOUR COMMENTS.
I THINK THEY'RE VERY, VERY REASONABLE IN SOUND.
UH, I WILL ASSURE YOU THAT THE, UM, THE CURRENT STATE OF, UH, THE PARK WITH THE PARK PIECE, THE WALKING TRAILS, THE MOVIE NIGHTS, THE ELECTRICAL, THE PLUMBING, THINGS OF THAT NATURE, PICKLEBALL COURTS IS STILL IN THE PLAN.
I THINK THERE'S BEEN SOME CONSIDERATION ABOUT, UH, SINCE WE'RE SO FAR OVER BUDGET, UM, AND IT IS A SENSITIVE TIME WITH REGARDS TO, UH, HOW MONEY IS SPENT.
UH, I WILL, UM, ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE EDC IS IN VERY STRONG AND STABLE FINANCIAL SHAPE.
THERE IS NO, UH, WE, MATTER OF FACT, I CHECKED THE, I THINK WE HAVE 3.6 MILLION IN SOME CHAINS.
$341,000 IN THE BANK ACCOUNT RIGHT NOW.
UM, UH, WE'VE GOT SOME LONG-TERM COMMITMENTS THAT WERE IN FAR, UM, BETTER SHAPE THAN, THAN THAT HAS BEEN SPECULATED IN THE COMMUNITY.
I'D LIKE TO PUT THAT, UH, THAT ONE TO REST AS WELL.
UM, THERE ARE STILL SOME DEBATE THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN ON HOW SOME OF THESE, UM, DEVELOPMENTS TAKE PLACE, BUT I CAN TELL YOU IF WE LOOK AT ALL THE THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH, WE ARE IN A REALLY GOOD POSITION AND GOT SOME GREAT DEVELOPMENT THINGS COMING UP.
SO AS FAR AS, UM, LET'S MAKE THIS KIND OF A, A WORKSHOP SCENARIO IF I CAN.
SO USUALLY IT'S A VERY STA STERILE TYPE MEETING.
THE, THE PUBLIC WILL MAKE SOME COMMENTS.
THE BOARD MEMBERS, YOU KNOW, TYPICALLY SAVE THEIR COMMENTS UNTIL AFTER WE COME BACK OUT OF CLOSED SESSION.
BUT I WOULD LIKE TO, DAVID, TO FIRST OF ALL GIVE US A SUMMARY
[00:15:01]
OF WHERE WE ARE, AND THEN I WOULD LIKE TO OPEN IT UP TO THE COMMUNITY FOR COMMENTS.AND THEN I WOULD ENCOURAGE ALL BOARD MEMBERS, UH, TO COMMENT AS WELL AS IN A SHOP WORKSHOP SESSION.
UM, TO, TO START OFF, ESPECIALLY IF WE'RE GONNA DO A WORKSHOP SESSION FOR THOSE IN, IN ATTENDANCE, UM, I WANTED TO RE REMIND EVERYONE OF OUR 2023 STRATEGIC PLAN.
UH, THERE ARE FIVE KEY FINDINGS IN THAT PLAN.
I WON'T READ ALL FIVE OF THOSE, BUT THIS PROJECT IS DESIGNED TO ADDRESS, AND I BELIEVE WILL ADDRESS TWO OF THOSE ITEMS BEING COMMUNITY LACKS, UH, THE DESTINATION THAT DRIVE PEOPLE TO THE AREA TO SHOP, DINE, AND OR ENJOY ENTERTAINMENT BEYOND ACTIVITIES.
AND PAUL HOPKINS PARK, THE COMMUNITY LACKS OWNERSHIP OR PRESENCE OF MANY OF THE AMENITIES DEMANDED BY BOTH RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL MARKETS, INCLUDING TRAILS, LOCAL PARKS, SCREEN SPACES, RECREATIONAL FACILITIES, AND PLACES TO QUOTE UNQUOTE HANGOUT.
THAT WAS FROM OUR 2023, UH, STRATEGIC PLAN.
UM, ONE OTHER JUST UNSOLICITED EMAIL I WANTED TO SHARE WITH THE BOARD AS WE REVIEW THIS INFORMATION, UM, NO MATTER WHAT DIRECTION WE GO IN, I, I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE DO SOMETHING.
UM, AND I WANTED TO JUST SHARE WITH YOU SOME COMMENTS THAT WE RECEIVE VIA EMAIL UNSOLICITED, UH, ACTUALLY WENT INTO CAITLIN.
UM, A GENTLEMAN STATED, I ACTUALLY JUST BOUGHT MY FIRST HOME VERY CLOSE TO CITY HALL IN LARGE PART DUE TO THE DEVELOPMENTS THE EDC IS WORKING ON.
AND I SEE GROWTH, GROWTH OPPORTUNITY AND THINK IT WILL BE GREAT LONG-TERM INVESTMENT AS THE PROJECTS BEGIN TO ATTRACT OTHERS TO HOPEFULLY DO THE SAME.
UH, I WANTED TO SHARE THAT EMAIL BECAUSE IT, THAT SENTIMENT RIGHT THERE GOES DIRECTLY TO WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH WITH OUR STRATEGIC INITIATIVE.
SO, UM, I JUST WANTED TO SHARE THOSE TWO ITEMS AS WE, AS WE GET THROUGH.
SO NOW WITH THAT SAID, IF YOU COULD MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
UM, I WAS ABLE TO, I, I, I CAME ACROSS THE ORIGINAL BASIS FOR BUDGET, UM, PERFORMED BY, UH, ANOTHER, ANOTHER COMPANY.
UM, AND I TRIED TO COMPARE THIS TO OUR CURRENT STRUCTURE TONE, UM, BUDGET, UH, COUPLE THINGS THAT THAT SORT OF STOOD OUT TO ME HERE.
UM, THE ORIGINAL BASIS FOR BUDGET INCLUDED A A 2,400 SQUARE FOOT EVENT CENTER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CAMPUS.
A 1500 SQUARE FOOT CONCESSION AND RESTROOM BUILDING THAT WAS, THAT WAS SEPARATE IN THE CORNER.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE COMMITTEE DID, UM, MR. MAYOR, WOULD YOU, I GOT AN EXTRA IF YOU WANT.
YEAH, NO, I, IT'S PROBABLY PROJECTING A, A, A LITTLE DIFFICULT, I DO HAVE SOME EXTRA COPIES IF ANYBODY WOULD LIKE ONE, JUST CAITLYN WILL WILL HAND IT TO YOU.
UM, SO, UM, SO IN, IN GOING THROUGH THIS, SO THAT WAS 3,900 SQUARE FEET, UH, AT A COST OF ROUGHLY $159 A SQUARE FOOT.
UH, I HIGHLIGHTED THAT ITEM, UH, ON TOP TO GO DOWN TO THE STRUCTURE TONE BID, WHICH IS CURRENTLY SITS AT $544,000.
UH, AND SOME CHANGE FOR, UH, WHAT IS NOW A RE A PUBLIC CENTRAL BUILDING WITH, WITH PUBLIC RESTROOMS AS WELL AS EVENT SPECIFIC RESTROOMS. THE EVENT SPECIFIC RESTROOMS WERE NOT PART OF THE ORIGINAL BID.
UM, AND, AND WELL, AS THE CONCESSIONS ARE CONSOLIDATED INTO THE ONE BUILDING, WHICH IS NOW 4,400 SQUARE FEET AND, AND SOME CHANGE, PLUS THE OPEN PAVILION SPACE, WHICH IS ROUGHLY 3,700 SQUARE FEET AVERAGE COST ON THE CURRENT PROJECT BY COMBINING THESE, UM, IS $66, JUST OVER $66 PER SQUARE FOOT.
SOME OF THE KEY FINDINGS TOO, THERE WAS, UH, SITE ELECTRICAL ON THE ORIGINAL BUDGET WAS $400,000.
THE, THE DIRT WORK, WHICH HAS BEEN A KEY DRIVER OF, OF OUR BUDGET CHALLENGE, UM, WAS ORIGINALLY BUDGETED OR PROJECTED AT $180,000, WHICH ONLY, UH, CONSIDERED LEVELING, UH, OF THE SITE AND, AND THE PAD.
UM, WITH OUR CODES, WE NEED TO ELEVATE THAT BUILDING ACTUALLY 18 INCHES UP.
AND THERE IS ALSO SITE LEVELING THAT NEEDS TO OCCUR.
UM, THAT ORIGINAL BUDGET WAS DONE WITHOUT, UM, UH, AN ENGINEER WITHOUT A GEOTECH.
UM, AND, AND WITHOUT, UH, UM, ANY DRAWINGS.
SO, PRIOR GEOTECH REPORT, WE DO NEED TO PULL DIRT TO THE BOTTOM OF THE FOOTINGS.
[00:20:01]
ENGINEERING DRAWINGS.SO TO ADDRESS ALL THE DRAINAGE AND SITE ELEVATION ISSUES AND CONCERNS, WE HAD TO DO IT IN SUCH A MANNER THAT WE AVOID ANY, ANYTHING GOING OUT ONTO HIGHWAY THREE.
AND THEN THAT WOULD IN INVOLVE TDOT, UM, THAT CAME TO $513,000 VERSUS $180,000.
UM, THE OTHER HIGHLIGHTED, UH, ITEM I HAVE ON HERE JUST TO SHOW, I THINK WHEN THIS BUDGET WAS DONE, I'M PROJECTING MID 2023, UH, SOME OF THE CHANGES IN THE MARKET AS FAR AS COSTS GO.
UM, THE ORIGINAL CONCRETE WAS ESTIMATED 145,000.
IT IS NOW 226,000 AT TIME OF ORIGINAL BUDGET.
CONCRETE PER YARD COST WAS $135.
CONCURRENT COST PER YARD IS $160.
UM, SOME OTHER THINGS TO POINT OUT ON THE BOTTOM PART THERE, THIS ORIGINAL BUDGET HAD NO SOFT COSTS INCLUDED IN IT.
UM, PRIOR TO JOINING THE EDCI WORKED FOR A, A CONSTRUCTION PROJECT MANAGEMENT FIRM THAT, THAT WORKED EXCLUSIVELY WITH MUNICIPALITIES AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
UH, WHILE I WAS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, I WAS VERY MUCH ON THE FRONT END ALL BUDGETS THAT WE EVER PREPARED FOR OUR CLIENT HAD MORE DETAIL THAN WHAT WE HAVE HERE AND INCLUDED AT LEAST 25 TO 35% SOFT COSTS.
SO IF YOU LOOK BELOW SOME OF THE ITEMS THAT JUMP OUT IS OUR, OUR, OUR BONDING AND INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS, RIGHT? THAT WE, THAT, THAT, THAT WE AS HAVE TO ASK FOR, UM, IS ALMOST $90,000, RIGHT? SO THAT'S ANOTHER INCREASE THAT WAS NOT ACCOUNTED FOR.
UM, WE'VE GOT, UM, UH, SOME OTHER, OTHER FUEL REQUIREMENTS, WHICH IS ROUGHLY 44,500.
FUEL REQUIREMENTS ARE ALSO REQUIRED BECAUSE THAT'S YOUR CONSTRUCTION, FENCING, RENTAL, UH, YOUR JOB TRAILER RENTAL COSTS AND ALL THOSE, THOSE COSTS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THAT.
UM, I DID NOT SEE IN THE ORIGINAL, UM, BUDGET WHERE THERE WAS PLUMBING AND MECHANICAL CALLED OUT.
SO I, I HAVE THAT IN THERE AS WELL.
IT'S DIFFICULT WITH THE LIMITED AMOUNT OF INFORMATION I HAD ON THE ORIGINAL BUDGET FOR ME TO REALLY PINPOINT ANY OF THOSE COSTS OTHER THAN IT APPEARED AND MY STRESS APPEARED LIKE THERE WAS NO, UM, PLUMBING IN THE MAIN EVENT BUILDING.
UM, SO THAT'S SOME OF THE ANALYSIS THAT I WANTED TO SHARE.
I TRIED TO TAKE EVERYTHING ON THE BIG STRUCTURE TONE BUDGET AND TRY TO FIT IT AS CLOSELY AS I COULD WITH THE ORIGINAL BUDGET AND, AND DO A COMPARISON SO WE COULD SEE AND UNDERSTAND SOME OF THE COST DRIVERS.
UM, YOU KNOW, I DO STRESS, UM, I DON'T KNOW WHO DID THE ORIGINAL BUDGET.
UH, I WASN'T INVOLVED AT THE, AT THE TIME, SO I AM MAKING SOME ASSUMPTIONS ON WHAT MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN INCLUDED.
UM, BUT FROM WHAT I CAN DISCERN, THAT'S WHERE A LOT OF, A LOT OF THE, THE DRIVERS ARE.
SO IF I WERE TO COMPARE WHAT I COULD SEE ON THE ORIGINAL BUDGET TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY, I'D BE LOOKING AT 2.2 MILLION VERSUS TWO 2.5 MILLION WHEN DOING A SIDE-BY-SIDE COMPARISON.
IT'S ALSO THEN THE ADDITION OF, OF ALL THE OTHER COSTS THAT I COULD NOT ACCOUNT FOR IN THE ORIGINAL BUDGET.
WITH THAT SAID, I WOULD OPEN IT UP FOR QUESTIONS.
SO, UM, 2.2 MILLION ORIGINAL, A LOT OF THINGS LEFT OUT.
UH, 3.3 MILLION IS THE MOST RECENT.
UM, THIS, THIS SHEET HERE, SORRY, IT'S CUT OFF AT THE BOTTOM.
UM, I KNOW THE 3.3 MILLION IS OUT THERE, BUT THAT'S NOT AN ACCURATE NUMBER.
BUT PRIOR TO OUR LAST VALUE ENGINEERING MEETING, UM, THE CURRENT NUMBER IS $3,016,359.
BUT THAT DID REPRESENT SOME CUTBACKS.
THAT DID REPRESENT SOME CUTBACKS.
CUTBACKS WERE, IF I RECALL, UM, SIX FOOT SIDEWALKS DOWN TO FOUR FOOT SIDEWALKS FOOT.
AND THE SIDEWALKS WOULD BE, UH, UH, AGGREGATE MATERIAL IN LIEU OF CONCRETE MM-HMM
UM, UH, THE SIDEWALKS THAT WERE STILL, I I BELIEVE CONCRETE THERE WAS, WE ALSO, WE DID PULL BACK SOME OF THE, UM, UM, CONCRETE FOR THE VENDOR BOOTH AREA, THE CRUSH GRANITE AREAS.
WE REDUCED A LITTLE BIT AS WELL.
AND THE PERMANENT STAGE WAS TAKEN OUT.
THE PERMANENT STAGE WAS TAKEN OUT.
UM, THAT WAS ROUGHLY, I THINK ALL IN AROUND A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS.
FOOD, FOOD TRUCKS ARE STILL IN PLACE.
WE STILL HAVE THE VENDOR MARKET AREA BEHIND THE MAIN BUILDING.
[00:25:01]
UM, WE STILL HAVE, UM, THE PUBLIC ACCESS RESTROOMS AS WELL AS THE PRIVATE EVENT SPACE.RESTROOMS, UH, WE STILL HAVE THE PAVILION WITH ELECTRIC.
THERE'S STILL ELECTRIC AND UTILITIES BEING RUN DOWN TO WHERE THE STAGE WOULD BE.
SO WHEN THE TEMPORARY, WHEN A TEMPORARY STAGE WOULD BE SET UP, THEY WILL HAVE PLENTY OF POWER TO, TO TIE INTO.
OR IF A PERMANENT ONE WAS BUILT IN THE FUTURE AT SOME POINT OR IF, OR IF A PERMANENT ONE WAS, WAS BUILT IN THE FUTURE, THERE WILL BE POWER AND UTILITIES THERE.
WE DID NOT CUT BACK ON ANY OF THE SITE UTILITY COSTS CONSIDERING THAT THERE MAY BE FUTURE ADS TO THE SITE.
WELL, I, I WOULD, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO, UH, OPEN THE FLOOR UP EITHER FOR BOARD MEMBERS OR FOR THE COMMUNITY THAT HAS ATTENDED TONIGHT TO PROVIDE ANY COMMENTS.
UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, COMMENTS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN MADE THAT, UM, THERE, THERE ARE SOME, AND I'VE, I'VE GOTTA BE FRANK WITH THE COMMUNITY, IS THERE ARE ADDITIONAL COSTS THAT AREN'T ACCOUNTED FOR HERE TO MAKE THE BUILDING FULLY FUNCTIONAL.
SO WE HAVE NOT IN THESE NUMBERS, WE HAVE NOT ACCOUNTED FOR FURNITURE OR FIXTURES OR ANY OF THAT.
UM, THAT WOULD, WE HAVE NOT ACCOUNTED FOR ANY OF THE TREES THAT WE HAD INTENDED TO PLANT.
WE HAD TALKED ABOUT DOING A SEPARATE, UH, FUNDRAISER RIGHT.
UH, TO, UM, ASK THE COMMUNITY, UH, TO COME IN AND FUND TREES AND HAVE A, A REMEMBRANCE TYPE PLAQUE.
AND, AND ALSO FOR THE PARK BENCHES.
NOW SOME OF THESE THINGS LIKE, LIKE THERE'S TYPICALLY APPETITE WITHIN THE COMMUNITY TO DONATE TREES AND PARK BENCHES.
SO, UM, I KNOW THAT'S NOT UNUSUAL.
THAT'S NOT UNUSUAL, BUT IT'S STILL UNACCOUNTED FOR IN THESE NUMBERS.
IT IS UNACCOUNTED FOR IN THESE NUMBERS.
AND I GUESS MY POINT I'M TRYING TO MAKE IS, UH, AND WE STILL HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO, UH, AND I'M NOT MAKING THIS TOO NEGATIVE.
THIS IS, THESE ARE JUST THE FACTS THAT AS ICM WE HAVE STILL NOT BEEN ABLE TO, UH, PROVIDE A PUBLICLY AVAILABLE DOCUMENT OF HOW WE PLAN TO MANAGE THE FACILITY, HANDLE RESERVATIONS, HANDLE ANY STAFFING THAT'S NECESSARY TO GALEN'S POINT WW.
SO WE STILL HAVE SOME WORK TO DO THERE.
UM, WE, WE HAVE NOT PUBLISHED THAT ON THE WEBSITE.
THE, I MEAN, WE HAVE IT READY TO GO.
LIKE WE HAVE SET UP A MERCHANT ACCOUNT.
UH, WE WILL BE ABLE TO ACCEPT PAYMENTS AND, AND RESERVE THE SPACE OKAY.
HOWEVER, UNTIL THERE'S NO POINT IN PUTTING THAT OUT.
YOU KNOW, WE, WE'VE STILL GOT SOME WORK TO DO THOUGH.
I DON'T WANNA PUT THAT OUT UNTIL I KNOW I HAVE AN EVENT SPACE TO, TO RENT.
SO, UM, AS FAR AS YOUR, YOUR, YOUR QUESTION ON, ON, UM, BUDGET OR OPERATING BUDGET, I, I DID START TO PUT TOGETHER A, A ONGOING, UM, MANAGEMENT AND OPERATIONS BUDGET.
UH, AND I'VE MET WITH SOME FOLKS, UH, YOU KNOW, I'VE NEVER RUN SUCH A VENUE.
UM, SO I DO HAVE TEED UP, UH, TO MEET WITH, UH, SOME OF OUR COUNTERPARTS OVER IN LEAGUE CITY, UM, TO REVIEW WHAT I'VE GOT LAID OUT, HELP ME FILL IN ANY GAPS, SORT OF GIMME ALL THE PITFALLS, UM, AND, AND, AND HELP, HELP ME THROUGH THIS, THIS PROCESS.
ARE YES, GAYLIN, SO DOES THIS INCLUDE THE PLAYGROUND? YES.
SO THE, THERE IS A EDUCATIONAL PLAY AREA, BUT A PLAYGROUND WITH LIKE YOUR TYPICAL SWING, SWING SLIDE, UH, SHADE STRUCTURE THAT IS IN, THAT IS NOT INCLUDED IN, IN THIS PARTICULAR NUMBER HERE.
THAT IS INCLUDED IN THE OPERATING BUDGET.
AND, AND THE OPERATING BUDGET INCLUDES OUR, OUR FORECASTED REVENUES AND EXPENSES FIRST YEAR AND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS IN YEAR ONE.
AND THAT'S WHERE THE, THE PLAYGROUND CURRENTLY IS SITTING IN MY CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN IN YEAR ONE.
AND WHEN Y'ALL AS SOMEONE FOX TWO SL, YOU KNOW, HE E IN A SANCTUARY, SCOTT MCCLUNG, ELSE LS, I'M SORRY, E HE PULLING OFF, THEY'RE PRACTICALLY RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET BACK TO THAT WELL, AND MAYBE HAVE EVENT CENTER.
UM, SCOTT, I AM IN FREQUENT COMMUNICATIONS WITH SCOTT.
UM, THAT SANCTUARY SPACE HAS GONE FROM, UM, EVENT CENTER
[00:30:01]
TO BREWERY TO EVENT CENTER, TO INDOOR PICKLEBALL COURTS, BACK TO EVENT CENTER TO SOMETHING ELSE.SO WE STAY IN CONSTANT COMMUNICATION, UM, UM, REGARDING WHAT HIS PLANS ARE.
UM, WE PROBABLY SPEAK AT LEAST EVERY OTHER WEEK.
UM, SO I, I THINK HE'S STILL A LITTLE UP IN, UP IN THE AIR.
I JUST NO, I, I I THINK, I THINK YOU'RE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE, YOU, YOU'RE ASKING GREAT QUESTIONS AND, AND YOU KNOW, WE WELCOME THEM.
UM, I, I HAVE NOT RUN AN EVENT CENTER.
I'M, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S NOT THE DENIAL.
YOU KNOW, I CAN'T, I CAN'T SAY THAT I HAVE, IF SCOTT WANTS TO OPEN AN EVENT CENTER, HE HASN'T RUN ONE EITHER, BUT IF HE WANTS TO, TO TAKE THAT ON
UM, I THINK, YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS AS MYSELF ADVOCATING FOR THIS PROJECT, MY ONLY ADVOCATION WOULD BE THAT I, I THINK WE NEED TO GIVE SOMETHING TO THE CITIZENS.
UM, YOU KNOW WHAT THAT IS, THAT'S A POLICY, POLICY DECISION, WHICH IS ULTIMATELY LEFT UP TO THE BOARD AND CITY COUNCIL.
ALL, SO I, UH, TRAVIS MAGLEY 3 0 2 CAMP ALLEN ROAD.
SORRY, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT 'CAUSE I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO.
UM, ALRIGHT, SO I JUST HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS TO CLEAR SOME STUFF UP OF HOW THIS WHOLE PROCESS WORKS.
SOMEONE COMES WITH AN IDEA, EDC LOOKS AT IT, SAYS, HEY, THIS IS A GOOD IDEA, THEN IT'S PRESENTED TO COUNCIL, WE APPROVE IT, AND THEN IT MOVES ON TO GETTING DEVELOPED.
CORRECT? I MEAN, SIMPLE SIMPLICITY WISE, THAT'S KIND OF HOW IT WORKS.
UM, IF THEY BRING A BUDGET OF $2.2 MILLION TO CITY COUNCIL AND SAY, WE CAN MAKE THIS WORK FOR 2.2 AND WE HAVE AN AGREEMENT BASED ON THAT NUMBER, BUT THEY'RE MISSING, YOU KNOW, A WHOLE NOTHER 1.2, 1.3 ON IT, UM, DOES THAT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE DEVELOPER AGREEMENT OR DO THEY HAVE, I MEAN, DOES THAT VOID THAT AGREEMENT? BECAUSE THEY'RE, IF, IF, IF YOU BROUGHT ME 2.2 AND 3.5, THAT'S A VERY DIFFERENT CONVERSATION FROM A CITY COUNCIL MEMBER'S OR MAYOR'S, UH, STANDPOINT.
SO IF THE EDC REALLY TALKS UP THIS DEAL, IT'S $2.2 MILLION.
THIS IS GREAT, THIS IS AWESOME.
BUT NOW ALL THE ASSUMPTIONS ARE SO FAR OFF.
THAT'D BE LIKE ME TELLING ONE OF MY CLIENTS THAT IS, YOU KNOW, I'M A FINANCIAL ADVISOR FOR MY CLIENTS AND I SAY, HEY, YOU CAN SPEND X NUMBER OF DOLLARS IN RETIREMENT AND WE GET TO RETIREMENT.
AND THEY'RE LIKE, OH, WAIT, NO, I FORGOT ALL THIS OTHER STUFF.
SO I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW WE, AND THIS IS, LIKE I SAID, I'M TRYING TO LEARN OF HOW THIS WORKS AND 'CAUSE THIS DOESN'T MAKE SENSE ON MY SIDE OF THE WORLD OF, WE SEE A BUDGET THAT WAS PRESENTED TO CITY COUNCIL THAT WAS APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL AND NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN YEARS DOWN THE ROAD, WE HAVE A BUDGET THAT'S BEEN INFLATED, BUT WE FOUND OUT IT'S BECAUSE OF POOR PLANNING, NOT BECAUSE OF EXCESS COSTS.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE EROSION AND SEDIMENT CONTROL, OR NOT THE, THE, UH, THE SITE FILL MM-HMM
WHAT POLICY CHANGED IN THE LAST FOUR OR FIVE YEARS THAT SAYS, OH, WE HAVE TO BE AT THIS HEIGHT TO CAUSE THAT, TO NOT BE PART OF THE COST, IS WHAT I'M GETTING AT.
SO THERE, THERE HAS TO BE A POLICY THAT CHANGED.
IF NOT SOMEONE DROPPED THE BALL, THAT'S NOT ON US AS TAXPAYERS.
WELL, SO THE FOLKS THAT, THAT, MY AND MY UNDERSTANDING IS THE FOLKS THAT PUT THIS BUDGET TOGETHER DIDN'T, DID NOT HAVE ANY TYPE OF CONTRACT.
SO WE COULDN'T EVEN, WE COULDN'T EVEN PURSUE ANYTHING, ANYTHING AGAINST THEM.
UM, I I, IT'S DIFFICULT FOR ME TO SPECULATE ON, ON WHAT EXACTLY THEY DID.
BUT AGAIN, GOING BACK TO HAVING BEEN IN, IN PUBLIC PROJECT MANAGEMENT FOR, FOR A DECADE OR ACTUALLY MORE THAN A DECADE, AND WORKING FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, RUNNING THE CONSTRUCTION DEPARTMENT, WHAT WOULD TYPICALLY HAPPEN IF I, WELL, WELL, ONE, I WILL TELL YOU, TELL YOU, MR. MAYOR, I, I WOULD'VE NEVER TAKEN THIS BUDGET TO MY SCHOOL BOARD AT HISD EVER.
UM, SO, UM, AND THEN WHAT WOULD HAPPEN, LET'S JUST SAY IT WAS FILLED IN, BUT THESE, THERE WERE BUDGET OVERRUNS AND, AND WE CAN SPEAK SPECIFICALLY TO, TO A SITE, UM, AN AN EARTHWORK EXAMPLE, YOU DON'T KNOW UNTIL YOU DO ALL THE ENGINEERING
[00:35:01]
AND TEST THE SITE AND, AND DO THE SOIL SAMPLES.UNTIL YOU GET ALL THAT INFORMATION, YOU'RE REALLY KIND OF JUST, YOU'RE GUESSING, AND I'LL JUST GIVE YOU ONE EXAMPLE.
WE, WE WORKED ON A, AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BACK AT HISD.
WE BUDGETED MAYBE THREE OR $400,000 OF SITE WORK.
AND THEN WE GOT EVERYTHING BACK.
THERE WAS SITE CONTAMINATION AND WE SPENT, WE HAD TO ADD OVER, OVER $1.1 MILLION JUST IN EARTH WORK.
AND IT'S, IT'S FRUSTRATING BECAUSE NO ONE CAN DRIVE BY THE SITE AND EVER SEE WHERE THAT $1 MILLION WENT IN THE GROUND.
UM, TO YOUR, TO YOUR OTHER QUESTION, I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHEN THE CHANGES OCCURRED WITH THE FEMA INSURANCE, BUT FEMA CAME IN AND SAID, YOU'VE GOTTA RAISE IT UP TO 18 INCHES AT LEAST 2017.
I UNDERSTAND THE FEMA ONE A LOT MORE, BUT YEAH.
SO I, I DON'T KNOW WHAT ASSUMPTIONS WENT INTO THAT.
UM, SO, AND I GUESS THIS IS THE THING I WOULD CHALLENGE EVERYONE WITH IS, AND SO THEN THE STRUCTURE TONE, WHAT ARE WE ON THE HOOK FOR, I GUESS EDC WISE, UH, WITH, WITH THE CURRENT BUDGET, WHAT HAVE WE ALREADY PAID? WHAT ARE WE UNDER CONTRACT FOR, I GUESS WITH THIS ONE SPECIFICALLY TO WHERE IT'S LIKE, WELL, IF THIS THING IS JUST GROWING OUTTA CONTROL, LIKE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF WE SCRAPPED THE WHOLE THING? I'M NOT SAYING WE SHOULD, I'M NOT SAYING THAT.
AS IN AT SOME POINT WE HAVE TO STOP DOING DEALS AND WORKING THESE PROJECTS TO WHERE IT'S ALWAYS THIS OTHER THING COMES UP.
SO, ONCE AGAIN, WHEN I'M TALKING ABOUT FINANCIAL PLANNING, I DO, I DO INFLATION COSTS.
I, I FACTORED THAT IN AND I'M ON THE HIGH SIDE MM-HMM
RATHER THAN WHAT IT'S EXPECTED.
SO WE BUILD IN THESE BUFFERS, AND I KNOW IT'S NOT NORMAL, BUT THERE'S NO BUFFER AT 2.2 AND IT WASN'T EVEN CLOSE.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT I'M STARTING TO REALIZE IN A LOT OF OTHER ORGANIZATIONS IS THEY'RE SO FAR OFF ON THE OUTCOME, THE POTENTIAL OUTCOME THAT WHEN SOMETHING DOES HAPPEN, IT'S EXPLODES.
UM, AND SO ONCE AGAIN, WHEN WE SELL IT TO CITY COUNCIL SAYING, HEY, IT'S 2.2 MILLION WITH SOME SOFT COSTS AND MAYBE SOME ADDITIONAL, THAT'S WAY DIFFERENT THAN THIS OTHER ONE WHERE IT SAYS, SURE.
IT'S ACTUALLY THIS PLUS ADDITIONAL COST ON TOP OF IT.
SO IT'S HARD TO GET CITY COUNCIL ON BOARD AND SAY, OKAY, THEY VOTED FOR THE RIGHT THING ON BEHALF OF THE CITY.
THAT, I GUESS THAT'S MY BIGGEST CONCERN IS IF WE SAY THIS IS WHAT WE EXPECT IT TO BE, BUT THEN WE KNOW IT'S SO FAR OFF THAT THAT'S NOT WHAT WE VOTED ON, I GUESS IS THE QUESTION THAT'S, I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND HOW THAT HAPPENED.
SO, SO I'M GONNA KIND OF TRY TO ROLL THIS BACK A LITTLE BIT JUST, JUST FROM WHAT WOULD, IF I WERE TO ACCEPT THIS, THIS BUDGET ON TOP AND, AND, AND AS WE'VE SHOWN, THERE'S SOME THINGS LIKE, LIKE THE INSURANCE AND BONDING, RIGHT? THAT'S NOT FACTORING IN THERE.
SO TYPICALLY WHAT WOULD HAPPEN, AND, AND I, I HAVE BEEN DOWN THIS ROAD FAR TOO MANY TIMES AND IT'S PRETTY STANDARD WHERE, YOU KNOW, CONTRACTORS JUST COME IN.
WELL, I I, I DIDN'T, I DIDN'T MAKE THAT ASSUMPTION, BUT THAT'S A, THAT'S YOU REQUIREMENT.
AND THEY WOULD START CHANGE ORDERING YOU FOR THESE VARIOUS REQUIREMENTS.
UM, TO, TO BRING THAT NUMBER UP IS TYPICALLY WHAT HAPPENS.
THERE ARE ALSO, UM, I, I'M NOT GOING TO SAY THE NAME PUBLICLY, BUT THERE'S A LARGE GENERAL CONTRACTOR THAT I SPECIFICALLY SHIED AWAY FROM SINCE MY TIME IN HERE.
IT IS IN THEIR HANDBOOK TO LOW BID A PROJECT AND CHANGE ORDER IT UP.
'CAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE TO GET A BUDGET APPROVED.
AND SO THAT'S THE THING IS, IS UM, THAT'S WHY OBVIOUSLY IT WORKS IN GOVERNMENT, IT DOESN'T WORK IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR OR THE OTHER SECTOR, RIGHT.
UM, BUT THAT'S, I GUESS THIS WAS, I JUST WANTED TO ASK ABOUT THAT.
AND THEN I'M CURIOUS ON WHAT EVERYONE'S, UH, I GUESS ON THE BOARDS THEIR SOLUTION TO FIX THE ISSUE.
BECAUSE THE OTHER, MY BIGGEST COMPLAINT, I GUESS, OF WHY I GOT INVOLVED IN THIS WHOLE THING IS I JUST WANNA SEE THINGS DONE RIGHT.
NOT, LET'S START TALKING ABOUT IT IN 2019 AND THEN NOT SEE ANYTHING UNTIL 2027.
THAT'S REALLY HARD FOR ME TO SEE THAT LIKE, YEAH, WE'RE DOING A GOOD JOB.
SO THAT, THAT WOULD BE THE ONLY THING IS LIKE, I DON'T CARE WHAT WE NEED TO DO.
I JUST WANT TO, WE NEED SOME IDEAS, I GUESS IS THE BIG THING.
SO, TO, TO ANSWER YOUR OTHER QUESTION, YOU DID ASK WHAT HAS ALREADY BEEN SPENT AND IT IS BELIEVE ABOUT 170 TO $175,000 IN DESIGN AND ENGINEERING, UM, FEES AND EXPENSES.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S ALL IN, THAT'S, BUT, BUT THAT, THAT IS ALSO INCLUDED IN THE NUMBER IN THE 3 MILLION.
AND THEN I GUESS WHAT ARE WE ALSO, WHAT IS OUR OBLIGATION LONG TERM? IS THERE ANY, IF, IF WE WERE TO SAY, IF WE WERE TO SAY NOTHING, CANCEL THE CONTRACT, THERE WOULD BE BUYOUT NEGOTIATION.
SO THERE IS A COST, UH, FOR US TO, 'CAUSE WE'VE ALREADY DESIGNED IT, RIGHT? SO WE, WE, I'M
[00:40:01]
NOT, YEAH.AND THAT'S WHY I'M NOT SAYING THAT'S THE FIRST OPTION, RIGHT.
IT'S MORE OF WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS AND WHAT ARE Y'ALL SUGGESTIONS, I GUESS IS WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR.
UH, I'M NOT TRYING TO TELL YOU GUYS HOW TO DO YOUR JOB.
I'M JUST ASKING QUESTIONS BECAUSE THEY'RE QUESTIONS.
I DON'T, I DON'T, SO THEY'RE, THEY'RE FAIR QUESTIONS.
WELL, I'LL GET OUTTA Y'S HERE NOW.
TELL US HOW YOU REALLY FEEL, MAN.
COME
SO, UH, MR. BRANTLEY JUST WALKED IN.
UM, DID YOU HAVE A COMMENT? YEAH, WE'VE ACTUALLY KIND OF OPENED US THIS UP INTO SOMEWHAT OF A, A WORKSHOP FORUM SO WE CAN HAVE A LITTLE, YOU KNOW, BANNER BACK AND FORTH.
UM, DAVID'S KICKED IT OFF BY GIVING A SUMMARY OF COMPARING AN ORIGINAL $2.2 MILLION BUDGET AGAINST WHAT, WHAT WE ARE CURRENTLY LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW.
UM, AND THERE HAVE BEEN SOME SUGGESTIONS ABOUT TAPERING BACK, UM, ELIMINATING THE BUILDING PER PERHAPS AND JUST DOING A, A PAVILION, WHICH WOULD ELIMINATE A MAJORITY OF THE SELECT FILL COST AND THE BUILDING COST AND KEEP US IN WITHIN BUDGET.
UM, SO THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF THINGS, UH, THAT, THAT WE HAVE DISCUSSED SINCE YOU ARRIVED.
SO PLEASE, SO FIRST OFF, I APOLOGIZE BECAUSE THE EEC MEETS AT SIX 30 AND COUNCIL MEETS AT SEVEN.
AND SO I HAD IT IN MY CALENDAR AT SEVEN BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN I THOUGHT THE MEETINGS WERE.
I TOLD COREY TO BE HERE AT FIVE 30.
UM, SO I WILL SAY I WAS KIND OF LISTENING TO WHAT TRAVIS HAD TO SAY.
UH, SO I, I I WILL SAY COMPARING THE ORIGINAL BUDGET TO WHAT WE HAVE NOW IS REALLY KIND OF AN APPLES TO ORANGES KIND OF THING.
AND YOU HAVE TO GO BACK TO REMEMBER WHERE WE WERE TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
OKAY? SO YOU'RE COMPARING A, THE PREVIOUS CONTRACTOR'S BID, OKAY? UH, AND TODAY'S COST WITH THE NEW CONTRACT.
UM, SO HAD WE USED THE PREVIOUS CONTRACTOR, YEAH, WE PROBABLY WOULD'VE GOTTEN IT BUILT FOR 2.2 MILLION.
YOU KNOW, MAYBE SOME ACCOUNTING ERROR IN THERE, RIGHT? UM, BUT IT WOULD'VE BEEN BUILT AND IT WOULD'VE BEEN OPERATIONAL BACK IN WHAT THE FALL OF 2024, RIGHT? IS THAT RIGHT? OR 2023.
UM, BUT LOTS OF THINGS GOING ON IN THE CITY THAT I'M NOT GONNA GET INTO IN THIS MEETING, RIGHT? UM, BUT WE DIDN'T USE THAT CONTRACTOR, A LOCAL CONTRACTOR.
WE WENT, WE HAD TO GO, WE WENT A DIFFERENT ROUTE, RIGHT? SO, UM, THAT CAUSED DELAYS CAUSED US TO USE A DIFFERENT CONTRACTOR, A DIFFERENT TYPE OF CONTRACTOR, UH, WHICH IS MORE EXPENSIVE.
UM, AND YOU HAVE SOME ELEVATED COST.
SO REALLY COMPARING THESE TWO ESTIMATES IS A APPLES TO ORANGES COMPARISON.
UM, SO, UH, YOU ARE CORRECT IN THAT WE WEREN'T UNDER CONTRACT WHEN THIS ORIGINAL NUMBER WAS DONE, WHEN, HOWEVER, UH, WE WERE PRETTY COMFORTABLE AT THE TIME WHEN WE WENT TO COUNCIL WITH THIS NUMBER.
UM, AND, AND WE WOULD'VE BUILT IT FOR THAT NUMBER, RIGHT? UH, BUT, UH, DIFFERENT TIME, DIFFERENT CONTRACTOR, DIFFERENT SITUATION.
UM, AND, UH, REALLY AT THE END OF THE DAY, UM, IT'S NOT THE EDCS FAULT THAT WE'RE IN THIS POSITION, OKAY? IT'S OUTSIDE OF THE EDCS, UH, ISSUE.
WHILE WE'RE EVEN TALKING ABOUT HAVING TO INCREASE THE BUDGET, I WILL CAUTION EVERYBODY IN THAT.
UM, WE NEED TO BE VERY CAREFUL IN THE VISION FOR WHAT THIS PICNIC GROUNDS IS.
AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CHANGING WHAT OUR DIRECTION IS IN BUILDING THIS PICNIC GROUNDS, BECAUSE THE ORIGINAL VISION FITS WITHIN OUR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, FITS WITHIN OUR STRATEGIC PLAN.
UM, AND, AND WE WENT THROUGH A VERY ARDUOUS EFFORT IN UNDERSTANDING WHAT AND, AND, AND THE VISION OF WHAT WE WANTED TO BUILD.
SO IF WE START TAKING SHORTCUTS, THEN I THINK THAT WE'RE GONNA DO A DISSERVICE TO THE CITIZENS IN WHAT WE END UP ACTUALLY BUILDING, BECAUSE WE DON'T, WE DON'T CREATE THE ATTRACTANT THAT WE ORIGINALLY SET OUT TO, TO CREATE, RIGHT? UM, YOU HAVE TO GO BACK AND I KNOW THERE'S FOLKS HERE FROM THIS, IS IT HISTORIC? NO PILOT CLUB? WELL, THERE'S FOLKS HERE FROM THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY AS WELL, RIGHT? IF YOU GO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL VISION FOR THE PICNIC GROUNDS, IT GOES WAY BACK TO, UH, THE ORIGINAL PICNIC GROUNDS, WHICH WAS THE STOPPING OFF PLACE ON THE GH RAILROAD.
AND FOLKS CAME FROM ALL OVER TO COME TO DICKINSON TO GO TO ORIGINALLY THE PICNIC GROUNDS, AND THEN LATER THE, THE HORSE CARTING TRACK.
THEN THE, THE TRACK CAME AFTER THE ORIGINAL
[00:45:01]
PICNIC GROUNDS.UM, AND, UH, SO THAT'S, THAT WAS THE VISION BEHIND WE WOULD'VE WANTED TO CREATE.
UM, SO, UH, IF WE'RE JUST GONNA PUT UP A PAVILION, UM, YOU KNOW, A SHELTER, WHICH, IF THAT'S THE CASE, THEN I WOULD MAKE AN ARGUMENT THAT WE ALREADY HAVE THAT ACROSS THE STREET, RIGHT? THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH, UM, LET'S GET WITH THEM AND HAVE THEM IMPROVE THEIR PAVILION.
UM, AND MAYBE COME WITH A CONTRACT FOR THE CITY USE BECAUSE WE ALREADY HAVE A PAVILION RIGHT THERE, UM, THAT COULD BE UTILIZED.
UH, THE PICNIC GROUNDS ITSELF NEEDS TO BE SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, THE CITIZENS OF DICKINSON CAN UTILIZE, BUT IS ALSO A DRAW.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, WE NEED, I THINK WE SHOULD BE CAREFUL IN HOW WE, YOU KNOW, CHOOSE TO MANIPULATE THE FACILITY.
BECAUSE IF IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, UH, SOMETHING THAT WE CAN, THAT FOLKS WANT TO WANT TO COME AND SPEND THEIR TIME AT, UM, AND IT'S NOT A AESTHETICALLY PLEASING, ENJOYABLE ATMOSPHERE, UH, UH, SOCIAL ATTRACTANT, THEN I THINK WE'RE GOING TO, WE'RE GONNA DO A DISSERVICE.
UM, SO IF THERE'S ANYTHING, IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW WE KIND OF GOT TO ORIGINALLY GOT TO THE POINT, I, I, UH, HAVEN'T DEALT A LOT WITH STRUCTURE TONE, UM, KIND OF OUTSIDE LOOKING IN, BUT, UH, IF THERE'S ANY OTHER QUESTIONS I'D BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO, TO HELP ANSWER.
BILL, WOULD YOU LIKE TO, YOU HAD A FEW COMMENTS EARLIER.
IF, UH, IF I RECALL, WE PUT THIS BUILDING OUT TO BID AND WE HAD TWO COMPANIES THAT BID ON IT.
UNFORTUNATELY, WE TOLD THEM WHAT OUR DOLLAR FIGURE WAS GOING TO BE.
WE SAID WE HAD A BUDGET OF 2.2.
IS THERE ANY WAY Y'ALL CAN COME IN AT 2.2 OR UNDER 2.2? IT IS, UH, IT IS NOT UNUSUAL THAT THESE PEOPLE FORGOT A WHOLE LOT OF THINGS.
SO THEY COULD GET TO THE 2.2 AND WOULD PROBABLY HAVE BEAT US TO DEATH ON EXTRAS.
UH, THESE ARE BOTH, ALL OF THESE WERE PROFESSIONAL COMPANIES AND THE FACT THAT THESE PEOPLE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE ELEVATION OF THE BUILDING IS AND GAVE US A BID, UH, IS REALLY LACKING ON THERE.
THERE WAS A WHOLE LOT, THEY LEFT OUT STRUCTURE TONE.
UH, WE WENT TO THEM AND WE SAID, LISTEN, WE'RE GONNA DEPEND ON YOUR EXPERTISE.
YOU'VE BEEN IN THE BUILDING BUSINESS, WE'RE NOT IN THE BUILDING BUSINESS.
WE HAVE $2.2 MILLION TO DO THIS BUILDING.
CAN YOU DO IT? AND THEY SAID YES.
UH, THEY PRESUMABLY KNEW WHAT THE ELEVATION OF THE BUILDING NEEDED TO BE.
I MEAN, IT'S PRETTY OBVIOUS WHEN YOU LOOK OUT THERE.
THEY KNEW WHAT THE DRAINAGE HAD TO BE, THEY KNEW WHAT THE ELECTRICAL LOADS HAD TO BE AND UH, IT'S NOT JUST THE PRICE OF CONCRETE.
UH, THEY CAME IN AT 2.2 THE SAME PRICE, AND I THINK THEY DID THE SAME THING.
THEY WERE GONNA END UP BEATING US TO DEATH ON EXTRAS, BUT WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF EXTRAS IN THIS THING THAT WE CAN AFFORD.
YOU ALLUDED THE FACT THAT WE HAVE A REALLY STRONG BALLOT SHEET OF THREE AND $0.2 MILLION SIX RIGHT NOW IN THE BANK.
OKAY? BUT WE ALSO HAVE UNFUNDED LIABILITIES THAT THE EDCS ON THE HOOK FOR, FOR ALMOST $3 MILLION.
AND WE DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE PARKING GARAGE, WHAT THAT NUMBER REALLY IS.
WE KNOW WE'RE ON THE HOOK FOR ONE AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS, BUT THAT WAS BASED, WHAT, FIVE YEARS AGO? SO THE PRICE OF CONCRETE'S GONE UP.
SO WE HAVE TO MATCH OUR UNFUNDED LIABILITIES ON THE PARKING GARAGE.
WE'VE MADE A COMMITMENT ON THAT.
AND WE HAVE SOME OTHER UNFUNDED LIABILITIES.
WE HAVE LIFT STATIONS AND OTHER THINGS THAT GO ALONG WITH IT.
WE HAVE DEVELOPERS THAT ARE GONNA COME TO TOWN AND SAY, LISTEN FOR I NEED $600,000 OR ELSE I'M NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO DO MY DEVELOPMENT.
SO I'M WORRIED ABOUT PULLING ALL OF THE MONEY OUT OF THE EDC AND GETTING SOMETHING THAT IS BEYOND OUR BUDGET.
WE HAVE SOFT COSTS THAT ARE NOT IN THERE.
WE HAVE ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS THAT ARE NOT IN THERE.
WE'VE GOT A LOT THAT'S NOT IN THERE.
I DON'T THINK THIS IS GOING TO BE THE ECONOMIC BOOM TO DICKINSON.
THE EVENT CENTER IS GOING TO BE, WE HAVE AN EVENT CENTER ALREADY IN TOWN THAT IS ONLY RENTED AN AVERAGE OF ONCE A MONTH.
THEY'RE AN ESTABLISHED CENTER.
[00:50:01]
GOING INTO COMPETITION WITH SOMEONE, A PRIVATE BUSINESS OWNER THAT'S ALREADY IN DICKINSON.IF I WAS THAT BUSINESS OWNER, I'D BE PRETTY UPSET THAT THE CITY GOVERNMENT IS GOING INTO COMPETITION WITH ME.
I TOO HAVE BEEN PART OF THIS THING FROM THE VERY BEGINNING.
I WANNA SEE US GET SOMETHING OUT THERE FOR THE PUBLIC.
MAY NOT BE THE SOUTHERN HORSE BARN LOOKING THING THAT JESSE WANTED, WHICH IT DOESN'T EVEN LOOK LIKE IT.
WE'VE ELIMINATED THE ULAS ON TOP OF THE BUILDING.
WE'VE ELIMINATED THE ROCK THAT GOES AROUND THE BUILDING.
WE'VE ELIMINATED THE ROLL UP DOOR.
WE'VE ELIMINATED AND ELIMINATED.
IT IS NOT GONNA LOOK ANYTHING LIKE WE WERE PROMISED.
IT'S JUST GONNA BE A METAL BUILDING WITH A CONCRETE FLOOR AND WE HAVE NO BUDGET TO RUN IT.
IF IT'S THERE, YOU GOTTA ADVERTISE IT, YOU'VE GOTTA MANAGE IT, YOU'VE GOTTA CLEAN IT.
YOU, THERE'S A WHOLE LOT THAT GOES ALONG WITH THAT.
IT'S TOO RICH FOR OUR BLOOD RIGHT NOW.
WE NEED TO GO TO SOMETHING SIMILAR LIKE A PAVILION THAT DOESN'T EAT A WHOLE LOT OF MONEY AND THEN MAKE IT GO BACK.
'CAUSE IF I RECALL JESSE, WHEN I LOOKED AT THE ORIGINAL PICNIC GROUND, I DIDN'T SEE AN EVENT CENTER HISTORICALLY, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY SAT ON, UH, TABLECLOTHS OUT THERE ON THE, UH, SIDE OF THE BAYOU, IF THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE TRYING TO REPLICATE THAT GOT PEOPLE TO COME INTO DICKINSON.
LET'S GIVE 'EM A GRASSY, UH, PLACE THAT THEY CAN SIT DOWN.
LET'S GET 'EM SOME PICNIC BENCHES.
LET'S GET 'EM A PAVILION SO IN CASE IT RAINS, THEY CAN GET UNDER IT.
BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, WE, WE CAN'T AFFORD THIS I 3.3 PLUS.
I MEAN, AT THIS RATE IT COULD BE ANOTHER MILLION DOLLARS BEFORE WE CAN OPEN THIS THING.
I'M VERY UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THIS.
AND YOU KNOW, LEMME TELL YOU SOMETHING, I LIVE WITH A PERSON WHO WANTS SOMETHING TO GO OVER THERE, BUT I DON'T THINK IT'S A, I DON'T THINK IT'S A, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, AN EVENT CENTER.
DO Y'ALL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? ANY OF THE BOARD MEMBERS? I MEAN, Y'ALL HAVE BEEN SITTING THERE STOIC.
THIS IS KIND OF THE TIME WHEN WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM OUR BOARD THE QUESTIONS OR SUGGESTIONS THAT Y'ALL HAVE.
Y'ALL ARE FIXING TO VOTE ON THIS.
THAT'S THE REASON I OPENED IT UP IN A WORKSHOP FORM MM-HMM
SO WE COULD ALL HAVE DISCUSSION.
I'VE BEEN FAIRLY FRANK THAT THERE'S A LOT OF COSTS THAT WE HAVEN'T ACCOUNTED FOR AND WE STILL HAVE SOME, SOME WORK TO DO THERE.
CAN YOU TALK INTO THE SPEAKER? WE CAN'T HEAR YOU.
SO YES, I'VE, I'VE BEEN ADVOCATING, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DISCUSS OPENLY ALL CONSIDERATIONS SUCH AS THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE NOT YET CONSIDERED.
UM, AND I THINK IT'S REASONABLE TO AT LEAST ENTERTAIN SOMETHING, UH, THAT'S MUCH MORE PRACTICAL.
UH, LET'S SAY THERE'S BEEN A SUGGESTION TO JUST ELIMINATE THE, UH, THE BUILDING ALTOGETHER AND JUST PUT A BUILD AND A PAVILION STILL LEAVES US WITH THE PARK, STILL LEAVES US WITH THE, THE, THE, UH, THE, THE PLAYGROUND AREA FOR THE KIDS, UM, WOULD ALLOW US TO HAVE THE FOOD TRUCKS WOULD ALLOW US TO HAVE THE PICKLEBALL COURTS WOULD ALLOW US TO HAVE, UM, SOME TYPE OF STORAGE FOR OUTDOOR EQUIPMENT AND MAY STILL BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, BE UNDER THE 2.2 IF WE DON'T HAVE ALL THE, THE SELECT FILL WORK TO DO SO THAT IT COULD, BUT I WILL CAUTION AGAIN, THIS IS ANOTHER CHANGE.
UM, AND NOT SAYING THAT IT'S NOT WORTH LOOKING AT, BUT, BUT EVERY TIME WE GO BACK WITH A CHANGE, THERE IS A COST ASSOCIATED WITH THAT.
UM, SO WE'VE, WE'VE GOT AT SOME POINT WE'VE GOT TO MAKE A DECISION ON SO WE CAN MOVE FORWARD.
I I WILL, I WILL HARKEN BACK TO, UM, ONE EVENING WHEN I WENT ON A LITTLE BIT OF A RANT OF HOW MUCH MONEY THE EDC HAS SPENT IN TRYING TO PLAN SOMETHING FOR THE PICNIC GROUNDS.
AND WAYNE DOLCE FINO HAPPENED TO BE IN THE ROOM AND HE WAS SOMEWHAT OF ON A, ON ON A TYRANT WITH REGARDS TO CRITICISM AND, AND REPORTING ON BEHALF OF SOMEBODY THAT HAD PAID HIM TO REPORT.
I SAID, WAYNE, LET ME ASK YOU A QUESTION.
WHAT IS A REASONABLE AMOUNT TO SPEND ON SOME ENGINEERING AND SITE PLANNING WORK? AND HE SAID, WELL, COLIN, I DON'T KNOW.
AND I SAID, WELL, IS IT 50,000? IS IT A HUNDRED THOUSAND? IS IT 200? IS IT 300? IS IT 400? IS IT 500? IS IT $600,000 TO TRY TO PLAN SOMETHING? HOW ABOUT SEVEN? NO.
HOW ABOUT NINE? HOW ABOUT LET'S MAKE IT A MILLION DOLLARS? SO THE EDC SEVERAL YEARS AGO SPENT OVER A MILLION
[00:55:01]
DOLLARS FOR THIS CONSULTANT FIRM TO COME IN FOR A DESIRED FARMER'S MARKET IN THE AREA.WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PICNIC GROUNDS.
AND THE FARMER'S MARKET DEVELOPMENT WAS A 13 MILLION PLUS DEVELOPMENT THAT THE, THE, UH, CONSULTANT FIRM SAID, WE'RE NOT EVEN SURE THIS WILL BE SUCCESSFUL.
SO WE HAVE GOT TO MOVE FORWARD ON SOMETHING THAT WORKS FOR THE CITIZENS AND IT'S NOT GONNA MAKE EVERYBODY HAPPY, BUT WE'VE GOTTA GET SOMETHING GOING.
SO WE, WE ARE HERE AND WE ARE AT THAT POINT BECAUSE COUNCIL MEETING IS TOMORROW AND WE WOULD LIKE TO BE IN A POSITION TO BE ABLE TO PRESENT COUNCIL ON SOMETHING THAT THE EDC THINKS WILL WORK, THAT WILL BE REASONABLE AND THAT WE CAN GROW INTO PERHAPS.
SO MAYBE WE DO BACK UP AND MAYBE WE DO SIMPLIFY THIS PLAN.
WE STAY WITHIN BUDGET, AND THEN WE HAVE A PHASE TWO AND WE HAVE A PHASE THREE.
PERSONALLY, I, I WANTED A, A JOGGING TRACK THAT WENT ALL THE WAY DOWN BY THE BEAUTIFUL OAK TREES DOWN.
UM, YOU KNOW, WHERE THE CEMETERY IS, IT GOES DOWN TOWARD OLD HIGHWAY THREE ALL THE WAY DOWN THERE AND IT MAKES AROUND, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
AND THAT'S ONE THING I WOULD ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY WHO'S PART OF THIS PROCESS AND WHO ARE TAKING SOME OWNERSHIP IN THIS THIS EVENING, IS IF WE DON'T GET THE PANACEA RIGHT NOW, THAT'S NOT A BAD THING.
WE GOTTA DELIVER SOMETHING, GUYS.
SO I, I WOULD, I WOULD ENCOURAGE ANY OTHER COMMENTS BEFORE, OH, I, WE, I JUST, I THINK WE ALL WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE BOARD'S GONNA WANT, WHAT THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS ARE IS KIND OF WHAT I THINK EVERYBODY'S WANTING TO HEAR.
WELL, I I THINK SOME OF THIS NEEDS TO BE DISCUSSED IN CLOSE SESSION.
UM, BUT THAT'S WHY I WANTED THIS WORKSHOP TO BE, I, I THINK THERE'S BEEN SOME IDEAS THAT HAVE BEEN PRESENTED FOR A SCALE BACK VERSION.
I THINK IT'S SOMETHING WE NEED TO DISCUSS AND THEN WHATEVER WE END UP, UM, RECOMMENDING IF IT, IF IT IS SOMETHING WE REC FEEL GOOD ENOUGH ABOUT RECOMMENDING TONIGHT, WE CAN ADDRESS IT AFTER WE COME OUT AND THEN WE COULD PRESENT IT TO COUNCIL.
IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S STILL UNCERTAIN, PERHAPS WE WAIT UNTIL NEXT COUNCIL MEETING.
BUT I WOULD ENCOURAGE, UM, ANY OF THE BOARD MEMBERS TO PLEASE SPEAK UP.
COLIN, FIRST OFF, AS AN ANSWER TO, TO ONE OF THE QUESTIONS FROM, UH, MR. SCHICK.
UH, BILL, I WAS SITTING HERE LISTENING 'CAUSE I'D LIKE TO HEAR WHAT OTHER PEOPLE HAD TO SAY.
YOU KNOW, I'VE HAD QUITE A BIT OF SAY IN THIS AND, AND SO HAVE YOU FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
UH, I HAVE BEEN, I WAS ONE OF THE PEOPLE THAT, UH, VOTED FOR STRUCTURE TONE BECAUSE OF THE TWO PEOPLE THAT CAME IN WITH THE, YOU KNOW, FOR US TO CHOOSE FROM.
UH, I THOUGHT THEY HAD A, UH, UH, BETTER COMPANY BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN, THEY HAD BEEN DOING THIS.
NOW, MY OPINION HAS CHANGED QUITE A BIT ON THAT, AFTER HAVING TO DEAL WITH THEM FOR QUITE A WHILE, COSTS ARE GONNA GO UP ON ANY CONSTRUCTION PROJECT THAT'S FOR TRUE.
OKAY? BUT RIGHT NOW, THIS COST IS UP 55%, WHICH TO ME IS OUTRAGEOUS FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
AND I REALIZED IT'S NOT ONLY STRUCTURE TONE'S PROBLEM THAT CAUSED THIS, I REALIZED THAT THE BUILDING WAS CHANGED, A LOT WAS ADDED, SOME THINGS WERE TAKEN AWAY.
I SAW A LOT OF THINGS THAT WERE TAKEN AWAY WHEN I FINALLY GOT IN THERE AND, UH, STARTED MEETING WITH HIM BACK IN NOVEMBER.
AND DAVE CAN TELL YOU FROM THE VERY START, I WAS NOT IMPRESSED WITH THEM AT ALL.
BUT THAT'S HOW SOME BIG COMPANIES ARE.
NOW I'VE HAD THIS DISCUSSION WITH SOMEBODY WHO I WON'T MENTION THAT I BELIEVE THAT WE NEED TO DELIVER SOMETHING TO, TO THE CITIZENS, BUT ALSO BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD, UH, DELIVER THIS FACILITY, WHATEVER YOU WANNA CALL IT, AT $2 MILLION OR UNDER THE 2 MILLION, 2.2 MILLION.
THE REASON IS, IS BECAUSE NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU PLAN, UH, THERE'S GONNA BE CHANGES RIGHT THERE AT THE END.
BUT I DON'T, I DO NOT THINK THAT WE SHOULD EXCEED THIS CURRENT BUDGET THAT WE'VE SET FOR THIS.
UH, MAYBE WE SET AN EXAMPLE FOR SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT THE GOVERNMENTS DO.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT THE CITY WILL HAVE TO DO, SOME THINGS THAT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT WILL HAVE TO DO.
IT'S, IT'S VERY HARD TO DO IT.
UH, I NOTICED OUR PRESIDENT OF SCHOOL BOARD'S SITTING THERE, AND I'M SURE HE'S SHAKING HIS HEAD EVERY TIME HE HAS TO THINK ABOUT A, A BI A BID BECAUSE HE KNOWS THEY'RE GONNA GIVE YOU ONE NUMBER AND THE FINISHED NUMBER'S NOT GONNA BE CLOSE.
SO THIS ISN'T, THIS IS NOT UNCOMMON, BUT WHAT I'M SAYING IS, IS I THINK THAT WE CAN, UH, AS A GROUP, I THINK THAT SOME OF THE INFORMATION THAT WE GOT, OR I GOT, YOU KNOW,
[01:00:01]
I THINK I CAN MAKE CHOICES THAT COULD GET THIS THING IN BUDGET.AND THAT'S, THAT'S HOW I'M PREPARED, UH, TO VOTE FOR IT TO, TO GET IT BACK.
I'M, EXCUSE MY, THIS, THIS POLLIER IS TERRIBLE.
UH, THIS IS HOW I'M PREPARED TO VOTE FOR THIS.
OKAY? UH, I CAN, I CANNOT JUSTIFY THE 55% INCREASE.
UH, AND LIKE I SAID, I REMEMBER SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE IN THAT ARE NOW OUT, AND I THINK THAT WE CAN CHANGE THINGS UP.
AND, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU BUILD A PROJECT, IT'S NOT UNCOMMON FOR PROJECTS LIKE THIS TO HAVE PHASES.
PHASE ONE, PHASE TWO, WHATEVER.
A GOOD PROJECT LIKE THIS SHOULD ALWAYS BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THE NEXT PHASE.
IF IT'S NOT SUPPORTING THE NEXT PHASE, THEN YOU JUST DON'T DO IT, YOU KNOW? UH, SO ANYWAY, THAT'S MY, MY THOUGHT ON IT.
AND THAT'S, THAT'S HOW I'LL BE DISCUSSING IT.
BILL, I JUST WANNA SAY I HEARD YOU, I MADE YOU TRAVIS, JESSE.
I MADE PLENTY OF NOTES SITTING STOICALLY.
I'VE BEEN WARNED TO LISTEN AND NOT TALK, SO I'M TRYING TO LISTEN TO MY BETTER HALF THAT REGARDS.
BUT I HEARD YOU MADE NOTES AND I AGREE.
I THINK WE GOTTA BE AS TRUE TO 2.2 AS WE CAN, YOU KNOW, AND I, I WOULD LIKE TO GET BACK AND TALK ABOUT IT.
WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO? SO I HEARD YOU TRAVIS, JESSE TOO.
MATT, ANY COMMENTS? I'M JUST GONNA ADD ECHO.
THE SAME STATEMENTS, UH, BEEN TRAINED TO LISTEN.
I'VE BEEN TRAINED TO NOT ACT FIRST AND THEN LISTEN.
UM, IN MY SHORT TIME IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY, AND I'VE ONLY BEEN AT IT FOR SEVEN YEARS, LIKE WALTER SAID, A 55% INCREASE IS INSANE.
NOW ARE ALL PROJECTS ALWAYS GONNA COME IN RIGHT AT BUDGET? NO, NEVER IN A ONE OR TWO DAY JOB.
YOU'LL GET, YOU'LL GET EXACTLY WHAT YOU ASKED FOR, BUT SOMETHING THAT WE'VE PLANNED AND DONE A LOT FOR, WE SHOULD DEFINITELY TRY TO HIT THIS 2.2.
I THINK WE NEED TO GO TO THE DRAWING BOARD AGAIN AGAINST, POSSIBLY AND JUST SEE WHAT WE CAN DO TO GET TO THIS 2.2 AGAIN.
SO, SO WHAT THIS MAY LOOK LIKE, UM, FOLKS, IS, UM, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO GO BACK TO STRUCTURE TONE TO HAVE SOME REVISIONS TO FIND OUT WHAT WE CAN GET DONE FOR THE 2.2 AND THEN, UH, BE BETTER PREPARED TO PRESENT TO COUNCIL.
SO I THINK THAT'S WHERE WE ARE.
UM, HOPEFULLY THAT ANSWERS SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU ALL HAVE AND, AND THE COMMENTS THAT YOU'VE MADE BEFORE.
I CLOSE FOR A CLOSED SESSION, GA AND I DIDN'T MENTION YOUR NAME EITHER.
YOU STARTED THIS OFF, SO I, I APPRECIATE YOUR INSIGHT IN, IN THAT AS WELL.
AND, AND I APPRECIATE GARDEN TONIGHT.
SO, UH, BEFORE WE CLOSED FOR A CLOSED SESSION, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE? YEAH, WE, WE NEED TO TAKE CARE OF ITEM SIX A.
[6. NEW BUSINESS]
CONDUCT A PUBLIC HEARING ON, OH YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT.UH, FOR STREET DRIVEWAY IMPROVEMENTS TO ENHANCE ACCESS FOR WELLNESS FIRST MEDICAL CENTER, LOCATED AT THREE 50 FM FIVE 17 WEST DAVID.
SO THIS IS FOR THE, UM, UH, WELLNESS FIRST MEDICAL CENTER.
UM, THE PROB UH, THE CHALLENGE IN, IN DR. SANDERS IS HERE, UM, IN THE AUDIENCE IF, IF YOU'D LIKE TO COME UP AND, AND SAY SOME WORDS AS WELL.
UM, BUT BASICALLY, UH, DR. SANDERS CAME TO US WITH, WITH A, UH, A PROBLEM AFTER TXDOT PUT THE MEDIANS IN, UM, WHERE HER PATIENTS COULD NOT, UH, ACCESS HER HER SITE VERY EASILY.
I WENT OVER THERE IN MY FIRST MEETING WITH DR. SANDERS AND I ALMOST GOT T-BONED THREE TIMES TRYING TO GET INTO HER, HER PROPERTY.
UM, SO IT WAS, IT WAS DEFINITELY A PROBLEM AND A, AND, AND A CHALLENGE, UH, WHEN, WHEN IT COMES TO EVALUATING THIS IN OUR CONVERSATIONS, UM, IF THE CURRENT TRENDS CONTINUED, IT WAS HAVING AN IMPACT ON OUR BUSINESS, POTENTIALLY, YOU KNOW, POTENTIAL JOB LOSS, UM, AND THEN AN ADDITIONAL TO POTENTIAL JOB LOSS.
AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, REALLY IMPEDING SOME OF THE PLANS THAT, THAT SHE HAS TO ACTUALLY EXPAND THE BUSINESS AND OPERATIONS AND EXPAND, UH, SOME OF THE WELLNESS SERVICES TO THE CITIZENS IN OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, SO WE, WE HAVE MET WITH A CONTRACTOR.
UH, WE'VE HAD THE SITE EVALUATED.
WE, WE TALKED TO, UM, OUR PERMITTING DEPARTMENT AS FAR AS WHERE EXACTLY WE NEEDED TO PLACE THAT DRIVE.
UM, AND THE COST IS ROUGHLY $21,100, UM, TO, TO INSTALL THAT.
SO WE ARE LOOKING AT, UM, POTENTIALLY DOING A, A FORGIVABLE
[01:05:01]
LOAN, UH, STRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT, UM, FOR THE INSTALLATION, UH, FOR THE COST AND INSTALLATION OF, OF THAT DRIVE.AND WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO DR. SANDERS TO ADD ANY COLOR INTO ANYTHING THAT, THAT, THAT I MAY HAVE MISSED.
THANK YOU ALL FOR CONSIDERING THIS.
UM, AND MR. MAYOR, YOU PROBABLY CAN TESTIFY AS WELL 'CAUSE HE IS RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO ME.
THEY COMPLETELY CUT OFF OUR PARKING LOTS.
AND THE POOR PEOPLE THAT LIVE ON DOWN PAPS AND KILNER CANNOT TURN LEFT ON FIVE 17, EVEN THOUGH THEY TRY.
AND WE ALMOST GET KILLED TRYING TO GET INTO MY BUSINESS EVERY DAY FROM THEM TRYING TO TURN LEFT THERE.
AND THANK YOU FOR THE NO LEFT TURN SIGN.
IT'S WORKING FOR SOME OF 'EM, BUT ANYWAY, AND YOU'VE EVEN BEEN OVER THERE AND YOU'VE SEEN EVERYBODY'S DRIVING THROUGH MY GRASS AND I GOT NO BEEF WITH THAT.
HONESTLY, IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO GET INTO MY PARKING LOT IS TO COME DOWN THE SIDE STREET AND TURN INTO THE GRASS IN A VERY DANGEROUS LOCATION RIGHT NEXT TO THE STOP SIGN.
SO NOW WE'RE CREATING ANOTHER DANGER.
AND NOW THE NAIL SALON NEXT DOOR HAS ASKED IF THE WEAKENS, THEY CAN USE MY PARKING LOT.
SO THEY'RE ALL DRIVING THROUGH IT AS WELL.
SO IT'S BECOME A HOT MESS WHEN IT RAINS A LITTLE, IT'S EVEN WORSE.
UM, AND NOBODY CAN TURN LEFT OUTTA MY PARKING LOT.
ANYBODY NEED TO TURN LEFT INTO MY PARKING LOT.
CAN'T, MY ELDERLY PATIENTS ARE SCARED TO COME THERE.
QUITE A FEW OF 'EM HAVE JUST STOPPED COMING ALTOGETHER BECAUSE IT'S DANGEROUS.
I MEAN, IF YOU'VE TRIED TO TURN LEFT ON FIVE 17 IN THAT SECTION LATELY, IT'S, IT'S TAKEN YOUR LIFE IN YOUR OWN HANDS.
UH, HECK IN FRONT OF THE METHODIST CHURCH WHERE WE MEET FOR ROTARY, MY GOSH, THAT INTERSECTION, SOMEBODY'S GONNA GET T-BONED BIG TIME THERE.
SO ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO HELP CURTAIL THIS TO GET PEOPLE IN AND OUTTA MY PARKING LOT, I MEAN, WE EVEN TALKED ABOUT SOME IN THE FUTURE, CONNECTING ALL THE PARKING LOTS SO WE CAN JUST HELP EACH OTHER OUT.
BUT, UH, FOR NOW, I APPRECIATE Y'ALL, YOU KNOW, PITCHING IN AND TRYING TO HELP ME OUT THERE.
I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSINESS EXPANSION WHEN THIS HAPPENED, AND IT PUT THE KIBOSH ON THAT.
SO IT'S GOT US REGENERATING TRYING TO BUILD THE BUSINESS AGAIN AND GET IT GOING AGAIN.
AND, UH, AND I DO PLAN ON ADDING JOBS.
HECK, I'M, I'M SHORTHANDED FORWARD POSITIONS RIGHT NOW, BUT I CAN'T AFFORD TO PAY FOR THEM.
SO ALL MY EMPLOYEES WILL TELL YOU THEY'RE DOING THREE JOBS.
SO WE WOULD REALLY LIKE IT IF WE COULD BUILD IT BIGGER, AND I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO EXPAND THE BUSINESS, THE BUILDING AND THE, THE SERVICES TO THE COMMUNITY.
AND HAVING THIS DRIVEWAY WOULD BE A BIG ASSET TO DOING THAT.
AND I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY HELP YOU COULD GIVE ME ON THAT.
DO Y'ALL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME REAL QUICK? YES.
SO, LIKE, Y'ALL KNOW, I AM HER NEIGHBOR AS WELL.
SO I'M THREE 12 FM FIVE 17, THAT'S MY BUSINESS.
UM, I ALSO BOUGHT IT JAN JULY, OR NO, DECEMBER 23 IS WHEN I BOUGHT IT.
AND THEN THEY WENT IN JANUARY 24.
UM, JUST TO GIVE YOU A HEADS UP, I WILL BE TALKING TO TXDOT TOMORROW.
SO THE GUY AND THE HOUSTON DIRECTOR, UM, I'VE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH HIM RECENTLY AND, UM, I MADE IT KNOWN THAT HE, UH, WE HAVE A PROBLEM AND THEY KNOW ABOUT IT.
AND SO HE HAS TO GIVE ME AN UPDATE TOMORROW.
SO I WILL, TOMORROW I HOPEFULLY GIVE AN UPDATE AT CITY COUNCIL AS WELL.
SO BASICALLY TRYING TO GET RID OF ALL OF THEM, ALL OF THOSE IN THAT CORRIDOR RIGHT THERE, BECAUSE WE HAD, YEAH, YEAH, THAT WAS GONNA BE MY QUESTION.
WHAT, WHAT WAS YOUR HOPE? SO, ALL RIGHT, SO WE, I TALKED TO THEM, UH, TOLD THEM ABOUT THE INCREASE IN WRECKS WE'VE HAD.
SO THE CITY REPORTED TO ME, WE HAD AN INCREASE OF 26% OF INCREASE IN WRECKS IN THAT ONE CORRIDOR.
IF YOU LOOK AT 2020 TWO'S WRECKS COMPARED TO 2020 FOURS, THE ONLY INCREASE WE'VE HAD IS IN THAT CORRIDOR BETWEEN 45 AND 6 46.
TEXDOT HAD NO IDEA ABOUT IT BECAUSE OUR GALVESTON COUNTERPARTS WERE NOT TELLING THEM, RIGHT? SO I WENT ABOVE THEM AND WENT TO HOUSTON.
WELL, NOW I'M IN CONTACT WITH EVERYBODY 'CAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHY THEY ALL OF A SUDDEN THEY WANNA TALK TO ME.
UM, WELL THEN ON TOP OF THAT, I TOLD 'EM ABOUT ALL THE U-TURNS.
SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEIR SOLUTION'S GONNA BE.
THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE TELLING ME NEXT WHEN I CALL 'EM TOMORROW.
SO, UH, I WILL BE ABLE TO UPDATE TOMORROW MORE.
SO HOPEFULLY I'M TRYING TO GET 'EM REMOVED, BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG THAT'LL TAKE.
SO THAT'S WHY I'M SAYING DO NOT MAKE THAT Y'ALL'S DECISION BASED ON THAT INFORMATION.
I JUST WANTED EVERYBODY TO KNOW THAT I AM IN CONTACT WITH TXDOT GETTING THEM INVOLVED, BECAUSE WHEN I TOLD THEM THAT IT WAS THAT BIG OF AN INCREASE IN REX, HE, HE JUST GOT APPOINTED IN DECEMBER, SO HE'S FAIRLY NEW TO THE HOUSTON AREA, CAME FROM ABILENE.
UM, BUT HE LOOKS LIKE HE'S MO HE SEEMED MOTIVATED TO, UH, GET INVOLVED TO MAKE THIS THING, UH, OR FIX THIS THING.
HOW, HOW LONG THAT'S GONNA TAKE.
SO IT IS A GIANT NUISANCE FOR B FOR ALL OF US IN THAT CORRIDOR.
THAT'S STARBUCKS, JJS, EVERYBODY THAT CORRIDOR IS, IS ROUGH.
SO, WELL WE ARE ABOUT TO HAVE THAT NEW, UH, ALL THE NEW PIPING PUT IN.
SO RIGHT NOW WITH THOSE MEDIANS, WE'RE ALSO GONNA HAVE ONE LANE SHUT DOWN DURING THE WORKING HOURS FOR LIKE NINE MONTHS.
[01:10:01]
SO IT'S GONNA BE EVEN MESSIER.AND I DOWNSIZED MY CAR, NOT BECAUSE OF THIS, BUT I COULDN'T U-TURN.
IF YOU'RE IN A BIG CAR, YOU CAN'T U-TURN RIGHT THERE.
YOU HAVE TO COME DOWN THE STREET, TURN AROUND IN DRIVEWAYS OR NEXT DOOR.
WHAT? DR. SANDERS, WE, WHEN WE, THIS WAS INITIALLY BROUGHT TO US, I DUNNO, AT SIX, A FEW MONTHS AGO, WE OUR, YOU, SO THANK YOU.
WE'LL TRY TO GET THAT FIGURED OUT AS WELL.
APPRECIATE Y'ALL SUPPORT BUSINESSES AND WE DON'T NEED TO LOSE YOU.
BY THE WAY, MAYOR, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE DEALING WITH GOVERNMENT, THEY MOVE SLOW, SLOW, SLOW.
THEY'RE DEAL WITH ME NOW, SO THAT'S ALL RIGHT.
THEY DON'T, THEY GOTTA RUSH OUT.
OKAY, BEFORE I, I CALL FOR COMMENT.
I, I'M GONNA MAKE, UM, TELL A STORY HERE ABOUT THIS SITUATION, DR. SANDERS, HOW I, I HAD MET HER, ACTUALLY, THIS WHOLE THING STARTED WITH BILL, UH, BILL, I'VE GOT A, AND THIS IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF HOW THE EDC AND THE CITY AND THE CITIZENS ARE SUPPOSED TO WORK TOGETHER.
SO BILL CALLED ME AND HE SAID, YOU KNOW, I WANT YOU TO MEET SOMEBODY AND I WANT YOU TO MEET ME OVER AT THIS, UH, PLACE OF BUSINESS.
AND WE SAT DOWN WITH DR. SANDERS AND SHE TOLD US A STORY ABOUT COMING FROM GALVESTON, I THINK ORIGINALLY.
AND SHE OPENED HER PRACTICE, I THINK OVER IN HEB CENTER AS A, AS A, A ASSISTANT OR A PARTNER FOR A PERIOD OF TIME WHILE SHE WAS LOOKING FOR A PERMANENT PLACE.
SO I HAD, UM, I, I OPENED MY PRACTICE IN GALVESTON IN 1991, AND THEN, I'M SORRY, YES, 91.
AND SO I CAME THROUGH THREE FEET OF SALT WATER RIGHT THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF MY PRACTICE.
AND I KNEW THAT BUILDING AND THAT PLACE WAS NOT COMING BACK FOR A LONG TIME, AND I ALREADY LIVED ON THE MAINLAND.
SO I STARTED LOOKING FOR PLACES TO OPEN MY PRACTICE.
IN THE MEANTIME, I BANGED ON THIS CHIROPRACTOR'S DOOR I NEVER MET.
AND I SAID, DUDE, I'M REALLY HIGH INTEGRITY.
CAN I PLEASE JUST RENT A SMALL ROOM? MY PATIENTS ARE SCATTERED TO THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE EARTH.
AND IT WAS RIGHT THERE BY HEB IN LAKE CITY WHERE MAUD PIZZA IS NOW.
AND HE SAID HE THOUGHT ABOUT IT, HE SAID, OKAY, FINE.
SO I KEPT SEEING MY PATIENTS IN THE MEANTIME LOOKING FOR A NEW LOCATION.
I'M WORKING AT THAT PRACTICE AND I'M LITERALLY LOOKING AT, THIS IS GONNA SOUND UGLY, SO PLEASE FORGIVE ME AHEAD OF TIME.
BUT I WAS LOOKING AT WEBSTER AND FRIENDSWOOD AND LEAGUE CITY AND CLEAR LAKE AND ALL THE PLACES YOU THINK OF, RIGHT? BECAUSE HERE'S SLEEPY LITTLE DICKINSON.
AND IT JUST DIDN'T OCCUR TO ME.
AND THE REAL ESTATE AGENT THAT I WAS DEALING WITH SAID, I GOTTA STOP BY THIS BUILDING IN FIVE 17.
IT WAS WINTER TIME, I GOTTA CHECK THE HEATERS.
AND WE STOPPED BY AND I WENT, I DRIVE BY THIS PLACE ALL THE DAY.
HOW HAVE I MISSED THIS? AND I SAID, DONE.
SO I, I PLAYED, PLAYED OUT WITH, UM, UH, PAUL WARREN'S LIFE WIFE.
BETTY WAS LISTING THE BUILDING AND SHE LEASED TO OWN IT FOR ME, THANK GOD.
AND LET ME AND MY STRUGGLES GET IN THERE AND AND YOU'VE NOW BEEN THERE FOR HOW LONG? AND I'VE BEEN THERE SINCE 2009, SINCE HURRICANE IKE AND, AND RECOVERED FROM THAT.
AND, AND NOW I'VE MOVED TO DICKINSON.
SO MY WHOLE LIFE IS HERE, MY HOUSE.
I, I, YOU KNOW, AWESOME BODY OF DRIVE BY MY HOUSE.
AND SO THANKS FOR THE, BUT THE, THE POINT I'M TRYING TO MAKE HERE, THERE'S A GREAT STORY HERE, AND THIS IS HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO WORK.
AND THIS, THANK YOU THIS AND THIS IS HELPING A BUSINESS THROUGH A RETENTION EFFORT FOR, WITH USING EDC FUNDS THAT ARE EARMARKED TO HELP CREATE PRIMARY JOBS OR RETAIN PRIMARY JOBS.
AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE DOING.
SO THANK YOU FOR, FOR, FOR HANGING IN THERE.
SO, UH, I, I'D LIKE TO CALL FOR ANY OTHER COMMENTS BEFORE WE BREAK.
UM, I'M SORRY, JUST, YEAH, THAT'S WHERE I WAS GOING.
WE'RE GOING TO BREAK INTO EX OH, I'M SORRY.
CONDUCT PUBLIC HEARING ON STREET DRIVEWAY.
OKAY, WE'RE, SO WE'RE CLOSING THE PUBLIC HEARING AT AT SEVEN 40.
I'M, I'M BEING A LITTLE BIT, UH, OBSTINATE HERE.
AND THEN SIX B IS THE LAST CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO SPONSOR THE DICKINSON PILOT CLUB.
SO WHERE I WAS SO ANXIOUS TO GET THAT DONE EARLIER.
I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MO DO WE HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR? GO AHEAD, COLIN.
I DON'T THINK I CAN, I DON'T THINK I CAN MAKE A MOTION THEN.
I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO CONSIDER THE POSSIBLE ACTION TO SUPPORT DICKINSON PILOT CLUB.
SECOND FUN RUN AND DEER, WHAT WAS IT? REINDEER HUNT.
IT WAS ONE OF THOSE, IT WAS THE RUN REINDEER CHASE, THE RUN THE FAIR, THE HOME TOUR, THE EAT THE FESTIVAL OF OBLIG.
AND WE HAVE A SECOND FOR MATT SAER.
ANY COMMENTS? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
AND WE'RE FUNDING $3,000, CORRECT? CORRECT.
[7. EXECUTIVE (CLOSED) SESSION(S)]
SO I'D LIKE TO, UH, CLOSE FOR A, UH, CLOSE SESSION.THE TIME IS 7 45 AND WE WILL NOW CLOSE THE TIME
[01:15:01]
IS, UH, THE BOARD WILL HOLD A CLOSE EXECUTIVE SESSION PURSUANT TO PROVISIONS CHAPTER 5 5, 1 OF THE TEXAN GOVERNMENT CODE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AUTHORITY CONTAINED IN, UH, SEVEN A TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 5 51 0.072 DELIBERATIONS ABOUT REAL PROPERTY DELIBERATE IN PER THE PURCHASE EXCHANGE, LEASE, OR VALUE OF REAL PROPERTY SEVEN V TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 5 51 0.074 PERSONAL MA PERSONNEL MATTERS DELIBERATE THE APPOINT OF A PUBLIC OFFICER AND SEVEN C UH, TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 5 5 1 0.071.CONSULTATION WITH ATTORNEY, CONSULTATION WITH ATTORNEY ON MATTERS IN WHICH THE DUTY OF THE ATTORNEY TO DEDC BOARD UNDER THE DISCIPLINARY RULES OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT OF THE STATE BAR OF TEXAS CLEARLY CONFLICTS WITH THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT.
OKAY, SO WE ARE NOW CLOSED, THANK YOU.
SO, UM, WE'LL BE WORKING ON THAT OVER THE COMING DAYS.
[9. STAFF REPORT]
OTHER THAN THAT, WE'VE GOT A, UH, NEXT ACTION WOULD BE, UM, A SECTION NINE STAFF REPORT.WOULD YOU LIKE TO GIVE US AN UPDATE? YES, SIR.
UM, WANTED TO UPDATE THE BOARD.
UH, PUBLIC WORKS ACTUALLY REACHED OUT, UH, THIS MORNING, UH, REQUESTING ACCESS TO THE PROPERTY AT 32 0 2 OHIO, UH, TO ADDRESS SOME PONDING ISSUES ON THE SITE THAT IS CAUSING MORTAR TO BACKFLOW INTO THE PUBLIC WORKS FACILITY.
UM, SO MY, MY INTENT BARRING ANY OBJECTION FROM THE BOARD HERE IS TO GO AHEAD AND GRANT THEM THAT, THAT APPROVAL TO ACCESS THE SITE AND DO THE NECESSARY WORK TO MITIGATE THE PONDING CURRENTLY ON THE, ON, ON THE PROPERTY.
IS THERE NO ISSUES HERE? NO ISSUES WITH AIM? GO AHEAD.
UH, CAN I, AS GRANT, UH, EDA GRANT, WE, WE, WE APPROVE RECEIVED APPROVAL FINALLY.
UM, WE GOT THAT POSTED AND ADVERTISED.
WE HAVE, UM, RECEIVED IN INTEREST OR AT LEAST REQUESTS FOR THE PACKAGES FROM PROBABLY ABOUT SIX DIFFERENT CONTRACTORS AT THIS POINT.
UH, BIDS ARE DUE BACK APRIL 14TH.
UH, SO HOPEFULLY ONCE WE HAVE THEM, SINCE IT IS EDA FEDERAL FUNDS, IT'S BASICALLY, UM, IT'S BASICALLY A LOW BID TYPE OF SITUATION.
AND THEN I'VE GOTTA DO SOME WORK TO EVALUATE THE CONTRACTORS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE INDEED QUALIFIED TO PERFORM THE WORK.
UH, AND THEN WE WILL HEAD INTO THE CONTRACT, WHICH IS ALSO SPECIFIED BY THE EDA, SO HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET THE BIDS IN ON THE 14TH, HAVE SOMEBODY UNDER CONTRACT, UM, IN MAY, AND, AND GET, UH, CONSTRUCTION GOING, UM, SHORTLY AFTER THAT.
UM, SO ON THE SBA FRONT JUST UM, WANTED TO INFORM THE BOARD SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE DOING.
UH, WE ACTUALLY THROUGH, UM, IF, IF YOU RECALL, I, I GAVE A PRESENTATION, UM, AT A HISPANIC BUS BUSINESS NETWORK EVENT, UH, CONNECTED WITH SOMEONE FROM THE SBA THERE AS WELL AS, UH, AM ENERGY BANK.
AND WE'RE WORKING ON A SMALL BUSINESS LOAN INFORMATION, OR I GUESS FUNDING SE SESSION OR SEMINAR.
UM, WE'LL PROBABLY DO LIKE A LUNCH AND LEARN EITHER HERE AT CITY HALL OR OVER THE, OVER AT THE LIBRARY.
UH, I'VE ACTUALLY REACHED OUT TO OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNTERPARTS IN, UH, HITCHCOCK LEAGUE CITY AND TEXAS CITY, AS WELL AS THE LEAGUE CITY REGIONAL CHAMBER TO ALSO GET INVOLVED IN THIS.
SO, UM, WE WILL HOPEFULLY HAVE A FAIRLY GOOD TURNOUT IN, IN, IN SOME HELP WITH OUR, OUR LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES, HAVING ACCESS TO VARIOUS BANKS AS WELL AS THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, UH, TO, TO SEEK FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES.
UM, ZIGLARS, UH, SO MET WITH THE, THE NEW OWNER, UH, WE WORKED WITH THEM.
UH, HE ASKED ME TO HELP THEM OUT WITH THE, WITH OUR BUILDING TEAM, UM, REGARDING SOME PLANS.
WE MADE A, A FEW ADJUSTMENTS TO THE FUELING STATION.
UM, WORKED WITH HIM IN DISCUSSING SOME OF THE POSSIBLE MARKET PLANS AND OPTIONS AND, UM, TO THE, I GUESS THE, TO NOT BURY THE LEAD HERE, BUT, UM, HOPEFULLY IN JUNE FROM WHAT HE'S TELLING ME THAT THEY'LL HAVE, UM, AT LEAST A SOFT OPENING.
SO, BUT WE'RE NOT FUNDING ANY ADDITIONAL, WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT FUNDING ANYTHING ADDITIONAL.
WHAT, WHAT IS THE FINISHED PRODUCT GONNA LOOK LIKE? UM, YOU SAID THERE'S GONNA BE FUELING STATION? YEAH.
I THINK YOU, UH, THEY PUT THE, ACTUALLY THEY PUT THE TANKS IN LAST WEEK.
[01:20:01]
SO THE TANK IS, IS IN THE GROUND.SO THERE'LL BE SIX FUELING STATIONS.
UM, THEY'RE GONNA OBVIOUSLY REDO THE FACADE.
THERE'S GONNA BE SORT OF A, A, A GROCERY AREA WITH INSIDE AND THEN A COUPLE, UM, I GUESS, YOU KNOW, WHERE THEY HAVE THE SHOPS WITHIN THE SHOPS, SO LIKE SOME HOT FOOD, MAYBE SOME BAKERY, SOME FLORAL DEPARTMENT, THINGS LIKE THAT.
UM, IS WHAT HE'S LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW.
UM, AND THEY'RE KEEPING THE ZIEGLER'S BRAIN.
UM, UH, I THINK WE JUST TALKED ABOUT GRANTS, UH, IN THE BACK THERE.
BUT JUST, UH, FOR THE RECORD, UH, WE WERE A FINALIST WITH THE ROBINS FOUNDATION, HOWEVER, WE WERE NOT ULTIMATELY SELECTED.
UM, WE'RE ACTIVELY APPLYING FOR OTHER GRANTS AND UH, LAST WEEK WE SUBMITTED ONE WITH THE BROWN FOUND FOUNDATION AND ANOTHER WITH THE MEADOWS FOUNDATION.
UM, HAVE YOU HAD ANY UPDATES FROM, UM, DO COMPANY FROM SCOOTERS? I DID.
UN UNFORTUNATELY, IT LOOKS LIKE THAT IS MAYBE NOT GONNA COME TOGETHER.
UM, IS THE WATER PLACE? IT WAS, IT WAS A COFFEE.
SO FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT DON'T KNOW, THERE WAS A, A COFFEE SHOP, UM, VERY SIMILAR TO DUTCH BROTHERS AND, AND STARBUCKS, PETER'S COFFEE.
HE'S, HE'S GOT THE EXCLUSIVE FOR THE BAY AREA HERE.
AND HE'S GOT A COUPLE SHOPS HE PUT IN AND, AND HE LIKED THE FRONT, THE FIVE 17 FRONTAGE THAT SCOTT OWNS.
AND SO WE JUST INTRODUCED HIM TO SCOTT TO LET HIM SEE IF HE COULD WORK OUT A PURCHASE.
SO BA BASED ON WHAT SCOTT TOLD ME, UM, UH, MR. BAKER, UH, SAID THAT THE TRAFFIC COUNTS WERE, WERE TOO LOW.
UM, I FOUND IT INTERESTING 'CAUSE I MEAN, THEY, THEY HAD SITE CONCEPTS.
I MEAN, HE, HE HAD SITE CONCEPTS DEVELOPED.
I MEAN, IT LOOKED LIKE EVERYTHING WAS COMING TOGETHER.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF MAYBE THE PRICE WASN'T, THEY COULDN'T GET TOGETHER ON PRICE OR, OR WHAT, BUT IS HE LOOKING FOR YEAH, WE, WE SPENT AN AFTERNOON DRIVING HIM FROM WEST TO EAST TRYING TO SHOW HIM, UH, PROPERTIES THAT WE OWN OR THAT OTHER AREAS THAT MAY BE CONDUCIVE FOR HIM TO OPEN UP A SHOP HERE IN DICKINSON.
UM, WHAT ABOUT RIGHT IN FRONT WHERE THE OLD MI LEWIS OR THE OLD, WELL IT WAS WASHED OUT WITH HARVEY, BUT WHERE THE, THE DENTIST LIGHTHOUSE SEAFOOD, THERE'S A SECTION IN AREA RIGHT THERE.
HOW MUCH PROPERTY DOES HE NEED? PRETTY SMALL.
I MEAN, IT'S A DRIVE THROUGH SCENARIO.
I THINK HE'S STILL OWNED BY GREG JOHNSON, THE DENTIST.
NOW HE, HE DID HAVE AN AN AS USUAL SPIN.
HE ACTUALLY WANTED TO BUILD SOME PICKLEBALL COURTS ADJACENT TO THE SCOOTERS TO HAVE KIND OF A MORE OF A DESTINATION COFFEE SHOP.
UM, AND MAYBE THAT WAS WHERE THEY FELL APART.
IS THAT PROPERTY? YEAH, ALL THE, THE SITE CONCEPTS I SAW WERE STRICTLY THE COFFEE SHOP.
UM, SO I, YEAH, HE, WHAT, WHAT HE TOLD SCOTT WAS THAT THE TRAFFIC COUNTS CAME BACK AND THEY WEREN'T GOOD ENOUGH.
YOU KNOW, HE DIDN'T, HE DIDN'T, HE WANTED TO DO HIS OWN TRAFFIC COUNTS.
WELL, BEFORE HE STARTED DOING DESIGN CONCEPTS IS, I MEAN, 'CAUSE 'CAUSE THE DUDE, THE DAY AFTER WE MET WITH HIM, HE WAS OUT THERE DOING THE TRAFFIC COUNTS.
UM, UH, I DO PLAN TO TOUCH BASE WITH HIM.
I JUST TO, 'CAUSE I THINK HE'S STILL INTERESTED IN GENERAL TO SEE IF I CAN HELP 'EM FIND ANOTHER LOCATION.
UM,
YOU, WHEN YOU SAID GOD'S WHAT? MCC IT'S, IT'S, YOU KNOW WHERE THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH SIGN IS? YES.
THAT'S THE PROPERTY GRASSY AREA RIGHT THERE? MM-HMM.
UM, WHAT ABOUT THE EC LOT BY THE RAILROAD TRACK? THAT'S STARBUCKS THOUGH.
OH, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THIS THE SPOT RIGHT HERE.
IT'S TOO RIGHT BY THE OH YEAH, THAT TOO SMALL.
THAT'S A PIECE OF PROPERTY THAT WE'VE OWNED FOR 15 YEARS.
THE TRAFFIC COUNTS WORSE THERE THAN IT IS FIVE 17 IN FRONT.
AND THAT, THAT SITE IS, IS IS WAY TOO SMALL FOR WHAT HE'S LOOKING FOR.
YOU KNOW, HE MIGHT DOG LOOKED IF HE'S LOOKING FOR TRAFFIC OUT, WHICH SOUNDS LIKE IT IS THAT NEW STRIP CENTER THAT'S GONNA GO IN THERE WITH THE, THE SKYLINE.
UM, FOUR SIX, THERE'S FIVE 15 AT 6 46.
IT'S A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC COUNT THERE ANYTIME YOU BY THERE.
IS THAT GONNA BE, THAT MAY BE A LITTLE TOO CLOSE.
WHAT DID HE SAY? HE'S GOTTA BE AT LEAST A CERTAIN DISTANCE FROM STARBUCKS.
[01:25:01]
WELL, THAT'S, THAT'S GOTTA BE A MILE AWAY.HOW FAR YOU GOTTA, YEAH, NO, IT'S, UM, UM, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW.
I I'M, YOU THINK FROM THE SEARS BUILDING FROM THAT, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WHERE THE SEARS BUILDING WAS FROM THE SEARS BUILDING DOWN.
THAT'S, YEAH, THAT'S PROBABLY A MILE AWAY.
I I THINK THERE'S THE PROPERTY IN BETWEEN MARILYN'S HAIR SALON AND MACKEY SERVICES.
I THINK MACKEY OWNS THAT LOT IN BETWEEN THERE.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S LARGE ENOUGH FOR HIM.
HE STOOD OUT HUH? AT LEASED IT TO SOMEBODY.
UM, UH, SO MET WITH THE NEW OWNERS OF FIVE 17 DICKINSON AVE.
UM, TALKED TO THEM ABOUT POTENTIALLY, YOU KNOW, WHAT THEY'RE GONNA DO FOR, FOR THE GREENFIELD SPACE ON, ON THAT PROPERTY.
UM, LAST CONVERSATION WAS POTENTIALLY TWO NEW QSRS.
SO I THINK WOULD BE A GREAT, GREAT SPOT THERE FOR THOSE.
UM, THEN, UM, SOMETHING THAT'S STILL BEING WORKED OUT, SO I'M NOT GONNA SAY THE NAME PUBLICLY, BUT, UM, JUST TO LOOP EVERYONE IN, UH, WE HAVE BEEN MEETING WITH, WITH A GROUP THAT, THAT FOCUSES IN ON SOME, I GUESS RECREATIONAL MARKETPLACE, WE'LL, WE'LL CALL IT.
UM, THEY'RE GOING TO BE, UH, OPENING A LOCATION HERE IN DICKINSON.
PERFECT SITE SPOT FOR THEM IN BETWEEN GALVESTON AND HOUSTON.
UM, THE KEY THING WITH, WITH THESE FOLKS, UH, WE, WE JUST SORT OF HELPED GUIDE THEM ALONG.
WE, THERE IS NO EDC INVESTMENT OR, OR OTHER INCENTIVE, BUT THIS IS A COMPANY THAT IS PROJECTED, UM, THEY BELIEVE THEY'RE GONNA DOUBLE THE SALES HERE TO THEIR CURRENT LOCATION.
THEY'RE PAYING ABOUT $120,000 IN JUST SALES TAX, LOCAL SALES TAX AT THEIR CURRENT OPERATION.
SO IF THEY WERE TO DOUBLE THAT, THEY WILL BE PAYING IN BETWEEN 120 TO, TO 250,000 WAS HIS ESTIMATE OF SALES TAX, LOCAL SALES TAX GENERATION FOR HIS NEW OPERATION IN DICKINSON.
SO, UM, IS THAT A LOCAL ENTERTAINMENT? RECREATIONAL? RECREATIONAL? SO, UM, STILL WORKING ON SOME OF THE LEASE AS WELL AS THE EXCLUSIVE FRANCHISE RIGHTS.
SO I I, I DON'T WANT TO GIVE OUT TOO MUCH INFORMATION ON THE, THE BUSINESS.
WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE WATER MAKER? THE WATER
THAT'S ACTUALLY A VERY GOOD QUESTION.
I HAVE REACHED OUT TO THEM, UM, PRIOR LOOKING FOR AN UPDATE PRIOR TO OUR ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED MEETING.
DID NOT HEAR ANYTHING BACK, UM, REACHED OUT PRIOR TO THIS MEETING, HAVE NOT HEARD ANYTHING BACK.
AND THEN OUR BOND COUNSEL COINCIDENTALLY REACHED OUT TO ME LAST TUESDAY I WANNA SAY, AND ASKED ME IF I HAD HEARD ANYTHING FROM 'EM.
UM, SO I'M NOT TOO SURE THEY WERE THE LAST STEPS.
UM, SO THEY ADDED THE APPROVAL TO MOVE FORWARD, BUT THE UNDERWRITERS WERE GONNA REQUIRE AN ENGINEERING, YOU KNOW, ENGINEERING OPINION IS OF, UH, REGARDING PROOF OF CONCEPT.
AND THEN I NEEDED TO PROVIDE FINANCIALS.
I KNEW THAT PROCESS WOULD TAKE SEVERAL MONTHS.
UM, BUT I AM SOMEWHAT SKEPTICAL THAT I HAVEN'T HEARD A RESPONSE BACK, SO.
UH, IF I GET SOMETHING, I WILL CERTAINLY MAKE EVERYONE AWARE.
UM, JUST, UH, 13 0 13 0 7 FM FIVE 17, WHICH IS 5.7 ACRES IS JUST, UM, IT IS ZONED SMALL SCALE COMMERCIAL JUST WENT ON THE MARKET.
SO IT'S ACTUALLY SOMETHING I WOULD WANNA, UM, LET MR. BAKER, UH, MAKE SURE HE'S AWARE OF.
TRAFFIC'S NOT GONNA BE MUCH DIFFERENT THERE THOUGH.
AGAIN, I, I, I WANNA TALK TO HIM AND JUST GET HIS, YOU KNOW WHAT, WHAT I THINK WOULD BE A GOOD SPOT.
IS THAT RIGHT ACROSS FROM THE HIGH OR THE SAME SIDE AS THE HIGH SCHOOL? THAT CORNER? YES.
I, THAT'S, WE BROUGHT, WE BROUGHT THAT SPECIFIC LOCATION UP THAT IS KNOW A STORAGE FACILITY OR WHATEVER.
I MEAN, I, YOU MIGHT NOT GET THE TRAFFIC KEY WANTS DURING THE SUMMER, BUT I KNOW HE'S GONNA GET A MINIMUM.
SO I, WE SHOWED, UH, COLIN AND I SHOWED HIM THAT WE SHOWED HIM THAT THE CURRENT, YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY BUYING OUT THE CURRENT DONUT SHOP THAT'S ACROSS THE STREET.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, WE, WE TOOK 'EM, WE, WE TOOK 'EM IN TO END I THINK.
UM, I CAN FIND OUT SINCE SAL GAVE ME MY BUILDER FRIEND.
WHAT ABOUT BACKYARD BARBECUE? UH, BREWERY.
BACKYARD BREWERY SINCE THEY, THEY
[01:30:01]
MISSED THEIR, UM, THEIR DELIVERABLE, THEIR CONTRACT, THEIR CONTRACT AUTOMATICALLY HAS EXPIRED.SO THAT PROPERTY NOW IS PURSUING ANY REDO OR ANYTHING THOUGH.
I'VE REACHED OUT TO 'EM TOO, SO I THINK THAT DEAL'S DONE.
I MEAN, OR A COFFEE SHOP OR A COFFEE SHOP.
SO WITH THAT, I WILL HAND THAT OVER TO KAITLYN HAS A FEW ITEMS. THE WEBSITE WAS LAUNCHED A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO AND, UM, AS DAVE MENTIONED EARLIER, WE UM, LAUNCHED OUR EDUCATIONAL SERIES TODAY.
WE POSTED VIDEO NUMBER ONE AND I'M WORKING ON EDITING, UM, VIDEO NUMBER TWO AND VIDEO NUMBER THREE.
AND THEN I'M ALSO WORKING ON A-D-E-D-C BUSINESS NETWORK, UM, WITH COUNCILMAN SCHICK.
AND THAT WILL BE LAUNCHING SOON AS WELL.
BONIN OFFICE? UH, SO YES, ACTUALLY I, I SPOKE WITH HIS ASSISTANT AT AN EVENT, UM, ABOUT A WEEK AND A HALF AGO.
UM, HE'S VERY BUSY AT THE MOMENT, BUT IT WAS GOOD FOR HER.
YOU KNOW, I KIND OF WAS ABLE TO TALK WITH HER A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO DO.
SO HE IS DEFINITELY VERY INTERESTED IN DOING IT.
HE'S JUST A LITTLE, UH, HE'S A, HE'S A LITTLE UNDERWATER RIGHT NOW, CURRENT SESSION IN CURRENT SESSION, UM, AS WELL AS HIS DAY JOB.
BUT SHE IS, IS ALSO VERY DEMANDING.
UM, SO SHE'S GOING TO, WE HAVE NOT FALLEN OFF HIS RADAR.
SHE HAS ASSURED ME THAT HE IS, IS WILLING TO PARTICIPATE.
DO YOU ALL TALK TO HANK YET AT ALL OR DO I NEED HELP? IS HANK IS WILLING TO HELP? I HAVE NOT TALKED TO, NO, I HAVE NOT TALKED TO HANK SPECIFICALLY.
UM, YEAH, PROB PROBABLY, UM, I CAN SEND YOU THE SCRIPT THAT I HAD DRAFTED FOR, FOR HIS PIECE.
WHAT IS IT THAT, SO, SO, UM, HAVING UM, SOME REPUTABLE FIGURES, SO HAVING SOME REPUTABLE FIGURES THAT HELPS SUPPORT THIS EFFORT THAT, YOU KNOW, SHARE THEIR OPINION ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF EDC AND WHAT IT DOES, I THINK IT HELPS, HELPS WITH OUR PROMOTION EFFORTS.
WELL AT THIS TIME IF THERE'S, UH, ANY OTHER FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS THAT YOU ALL WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS, IF NONE, WE WILL ADJOURN AT 8 58.