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NEW DAY DAWNING.LET'S HAVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE.
UM, I AM SUPER EXCITED ABOUT THIS DAY, AND AS MANY OF YOU ARE, I CAN TELL BY YOU, BY THE ATTENDANCE HERE AND BY YOUR ENTHUSIASM.
AND I JUST WANNA SAY THAT THIS WHOLE PROCESS, GETTING TO THIS DAY HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST REWARDING THAT I HAVE EXPERIENCED SINCE BECOMING DIRECTOR OF LIBRARIES FOR HOUSTON.
BECAUSE OF YOU AND BECAUSE OF LEADERSHIP OF YOUR, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER MARTHA KAZ TATUM, VICE MAYOR PROTE, SHE IS A MODEL OF DIPLOMACY AND DEMOCRACY.
SHE PULLED THIS, UH, COMMUNITY TOGETHER AND MADE SURE THAT EVERYBODY HAD A VOICE, AND IT WAS AMAZING TO WATCH.
AND WE CAME UP WITH THE SHANNON, DR. SHANNON WALKER, NEIGHBORHOOD LIBRARY.
WE GOT TO THIS DAY BY THE HARD WORK OF A NUMBER OF PEOPLE.
UH, THE MAYOR'S GONNA TALK ABOUT SOME, AND, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER'S GONNA TALK ABOUT SOME.
SO I GET TO TALK ABOUT THE AMAZING TEAM THAT I HAVE AT THE HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY.
SO, UH, JOHN MIDDLETON AND HIS TEAM AT SPACES IS RESPONSIBLE FOR WORKING WITH, UH, GSD, THE GENERAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT, THE CONTRACTORS, THE DESIGNERS, EVERYTHING THAT WILL MAKE THE STATE OF THE ART FACILITY COME TO FRUITION.
SO, JOHN, YOU AND YOUR TEAM, WILL YOU RAISE YOUR HAND SO WE CAN THANK YOU.
AND THEN WE HAVE, UM, OPERATIONS LED BY RICK AND HIS TEAM, AND RICK, ROBERTO, UM, EDGAR, THAT TEAM, WOULD YOU RAISE YOUR HAND SO PEOPLE CAN THANK YOU.
MAKING SURE THAT PROGRAMS, STELLAR PROGRAMS ARE COMING YOUR WAY.
IS OPHELIA AND HER TEAM'S, OPHELIA GOMEZ, WOULD YOU RAISE YOUR HAND? AND THEN THE TEAM ON THE GROUNDS, WHEN YOU OPEN THE DOORS OF THE SHANNON, DR. SHANNON WALKER LIBRARY, THAT WILL MAKE SURE THAT THOSE SERVICES ARE BEING DELIVERED, UH, BEING DELIVERED BY THE GREATEST TEAM.
THAT'S NOW AT THE FRANK LIBRARY.
WE HAVE FELICIA, EDGAR, NEW ROBERTO, THANK YOU, ALL OF YOU, BECAUSE I CAN'T DO THIS BY MYSELF AND ALL OF US PUTTING THOSE PIECES TOGETHER AT THE HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY MAKES IT HAPPEN.
SO, TO ALL OF MY TEAM, FOREVER ROLE YOU PLAY TO GET US TO THIS DAY.
AND NOW I'M GONNA BRING UP THE COUNCIL.
UM, UH, I COULDN'T DO MY JOB WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF A WONDERFUL HUMAN BEING THAT WE KNOW AS THE MAYOR OF THIS CITY.
HE SUPPORTS THE LIBRARIES, HE SUPPORTS SERVICES, HE SUPPORTS YOU.
AND IT IS MY DISTINCT HONOR AND PLEASURE TO PRESENT TO YOU NOW, THE MAYOR OF OUR CITY, THE HONORABLE SYLVESTER TURNER.
LOOK, LET ME THANK, LET ME THANK DR. LAWSON.
AND, UH, SHE'S THANKING EVERYONE, BUT I CERTAINLY WANT TO THANK HER AND FOR HER LEADERSHIP, STEADFAST LEADERSHIP.
UH, LET ME FIRST START OFF BY THANKING ALL OF YOU FOR BEING PATIENT.
UH, I WAS IN A, AT A FUNERAL IN DISTRICT K, AND, UM, KIND OF LEFT OUT, UM, MUCH EARLIER, BUT I WANTED TO BE HERE.
SO LET ME THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING VERY PATIENT.
UH, AND IT'S GOOD TO BE IN DISTRICT K WITH MAYOR VICE MAYOR, PRO TIM, MOTHER CASTEK TATUM, UH, COUNCILMAN EY CAYMAN, COUNCILMAN SALLY ALCORN, AND, UH, ALL OF MY DIRECTORS.
AND, BUT ESPECIALLY WITH ALL OF YOU, LOOK, IT IS EXCITING.
UH, SUN IS SHINING, YOU KNOW, JUST LOOK PAST
UH, BUT THE SUN IS SHINING, UH, TO BE IN DISTRICT A, UH, WITH EVERYONE.
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A SPACE CITY THAT WE ARE.SO IT IS NO SURPRISE THAT WE WILL LOOK TO THE MOON AND THE STARS.
LAST OCTOBER, CITY COUNCIL APPROVED NAMING THE NEW FACILITY, THE DR. SHANNON WALKER NEIGHBORHOOD LIBRARY IN HONOR OF THE ACCOMPLISHED NA UH, NASA ASTRONAUT.
SHE IS A NATIVE HOUSTONIAN WHO ATTENDED PARKER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, JOHN STUNT MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND WESTBURY HIGH SCHOOL IN DISTRICT K.
UH, SHE ALSO GRADUATED FROM RICE UNIVERSITY, UH, IN DISTRICT C UH, IN TWO
WE'RE COVERING ALL BASES HERE NOW, THE WHOLE CHAPTER.
IN 2004, WALKER WAS SELECTED BY NASA TO BE AN ASTRONAUT, AND HER FIRST SPACE FLIGHT WAS IN 2010.
HER MISSION HAVE INCLUDED THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, NUMEROUS OTHER MISSIONS, AND SHE HAS LOGGED OVER 330 DAYS IN SPACE.
WALKER'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS HAVE HER EARNED HER SEVERAL HONORS AND AWARDS FROM THE SPACE AGENCY, INCLUDING THE SPACE FLIGHT AWARENESS AWARD, THE NASA SPACE FLIGHT MEDAL, AND THE NASA DISTINGUISHED SERVICE MEDAL IN 2011 AND 2021.
CAN YOU JUST IMAGINE SHANNON WALKER, THE YOUNG GIRL WHO TRAVERSE THE SIDEWALKS OF THIS NEIGHBORHOOD IN DISTRICT K WHILE DREAMING OF BECOMING AN ASTRONAUT? DREAMS? YOU ALL DO COME TRUE.
AND TODAY, WALK IS A HERO AND A ROLE MODEL.
AND I BELIEVE HER WORK WILL INSPIRE INTEREST IN STEM EDUCATION WHILE HER NAME WILL BE A MAGNET FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES TO VISIT THE NEW LIBRARY ONCE IT IS COMPLETED.
THIS COMMUNITY STANDS TO GAIN FROM THE STATE OF THE ART LIBRARY THAT COMBINES SERVICES, TECHNOLOGY, AND PROGRAMMING ONCE OFFERED AT TWO LOCATIONS THAT WERE OVERDUE FOR UPGRADES AND MODERN DESIGN.
THE $14.5 MILLION LIBRARY ON NEARLY TWO POINT ACRES WAS DESIGNED BY BRAVE ARCHITECTURE AND SPA GLASS, UH, AS, AS THE CONTRACTOR, AND IS SCHEDULED TO BE OPEN IN 2020.
THE 2023, Y'ALL STILL, YOU'LL STILL BE THERE.
I DID THAT INTENTIONALLY
IT'S SCHEDULED TO BE OPEN 20 BEFORE I LEAVE
THIS LIBRARY WILL BE OPEN BEFORE THE END OF 2023.
OKAY? IF NOT, YOU WON'T SEE ME.
YOU KNOW, I
I PROMISE YOU THE RIBBON IS GOING GET CUT.
AT 2023, THE STATE-OF-THE-ART LIBRARY IS A PART OF OUR RESILIENCE PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE.
AND THIS LIBRARY WILL BE BUILT FROM GROUND UP, REPLACING THE MEYER NEIGHBORHOOD LIBRARY, WHICH FLOODED DURING HURRICANE HARVEY AND THE FRANK HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY EXPRESS LIBRARY.
IT WILL FEATURE NEW AND INNOVATIVE SPACES, TECHNOLOGY, PROGRAMS AND SERVICES, INCLUDING CHILDREN'S, TEEN AND ADULT AREAS, TECH LINK, UH, MAKERSPACE MEETING AND CONFERENCE ROOMS, TECHNOLOGY, CHECKOUTS FOR COMPUTERS, HOTSPOTS, DEVICES, AND SO MUCH MORE.
AND LAST MONTH WE CELEBRATED REBUILDING THE KINDLE LIBRARY, WHICH WAS DAMAGED BY HURRICANE HARVEY IN 2017, WHEN APPROXIMATELY 48, UH, INCHES OF, OF FLOOD WATER REMAINED IN THE BUILDING.
NEXT YEAR, DR. SHANNON WALKER LIBRARY WILL OPEN, IT WILL MARK ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT MILESTONE THAT DEMONSTRATES WHY HOUSTON IS STRONG AND RESILIENT.
AND TODAY WE ARE HOLDING THE GROUNDBREAKING.
AND I'LL SEE YOU NEXT YEAR AT THE RIBBON CUTTING
NOW, LET ME RETURN AND GIVE IT BACK TO DR. LARSON.
OKAY, WELL, LET ME BRING UP THE VICE MAYOR PRO TEM, YOUR CITY COUNCILPERSON.
AND I'M SO EXCITED TO SEE EVERYONE HERE TODAY.
WE HAVE BEEN WAITING ON THIS MOMENT.
UH, AND IT IS INDEED A GREAT DAY IN DISTRICT K CLAP.
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IS PROGRESS MAYOR AND DR. LAWSON.FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, WE'VE BEEN WAITING ON THIS MOMENT.
DR. LAWSON, I REMEMBER SHORTLY AFTER TAKING OFFICE AND, AND YOU AND YOUR TEAM CAME AND MET WITH ME AND MY TEAM AT, IN, IN MY OFFICE, AND WE ALL SAT DOWN AND WE ALL AGREED THAT WE WANTED THIS NEW LIBRARY TO BE A DESTINATION PLACE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
AND YOU, WE WERE THINKING ABOUT HOW DO WE TAKE THESE TWO FACILITIES, ONE THAT HAS FLOODED, ONE THAT HAS SAT VACANT, UH, THESE DISAPPOINTMENTS THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY LOOKING AT, AND TURNED THOSE INTO AMAZING DESTINATIONS.
AND YOUR WORDS WERE, TELL ME WHAT YOU'D LIKE TO SEE IN THE LIBRARY.
SO I STARTED WORKING ON MY LIST.
I CALLED THE COMMUNITY AND I SAID, DR. LAWSON SAID, GIVE US EVERYTHING WE WANNA SEE IN THE LIBRARY.
SO THE COMMUNITY GOT TOGETHER AND THEY STARTED WORKING ON, ON THEIR LIST.
BUT IT WASN'T UNTIL WE TOOK THE TOUR OF THE LIBRARIES AROUND THE CITY OF HOUSTON, DR. LAWSON AND HER TEAM HOSTED SEVERAL OF OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS ON A TOUR OF SEVERAL OF THE LIBRARIES.
AND IT WAS WHEN WE MADE THAT, UH, TOUR THAT WE SAW OUR LIST WAS TOO SHORT, WE COULD EXPAND OUR LIST, AND THERE WERE SOME REALLY GREAT OPTIONS.
UH, WE WANTED AN ADULT READING SPACE.
WE WANTED MEETING ROOMS, A CHILDREN'S AREA, A DEDICATED TEEN SPACE.
AND BECAUSE OF OUR MUSIC TIE IN IN THE COMMUNITY, WE WANTED TO BE ABLE TO DO SOME MUSIC STUFF IN THE LIBRARY.
AND WE'RE SO CLOSE TO PARKER AND MEYERLAND, PVA AND WESTBURY, WHO HAS THE BADDEST HIGH SCHOOL BAND EVER.
AND MIGHT I ADD, THEY WERE THE ONLY HIGH SCHOOL BAND PERFORMING IN THE ASTROS CHAMPIONSHIP PARADE.
WE WANTED A READING GARDEN, WE WANTED A PASSPORT OFFICE.
AND, UH, MAYOR, I DID ASK FOR A ROOFTOP CAFE.
UNFORTUNATELY, THAT'S THE ONLY THING WE DIDN'T GET WAS THE ROOFTOP CAFE IN THE LIBRARY.
THEY SAID, COUNCIL MEMBER, WE CAN'T PROMISE YOU A ROOFTOP CAFE.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, YOU NOT GETTING A ROOFTOP CAFE.
UH, BUT WE ARE PUTTING IN A LITTLE BAR WITH CO SO WE CAN HAVE COFFEE AND PASTRIES.
AND, AND I SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT? THAT'LL WORK.
UH, WE'RE STANDING IN THE LOCATION OF THE OLD POST OFFICE.
AND WHEN I THOUGHT ABOUT DESTINATIONS, THE MORE I, I REALIZED HOW PERFECT THIS LOCATION IS.
UH, LETTERS AND PACKAGES HAVE TRAVELED TO AND FROM DESTINATIONS ALL OVER THE WORLD.
AND SOON THE LIBRARY WILL BE FILLED WITH BOOKS, TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMMING THAT WILL ALLOW US TO EXPERIENCE AND LEARN ABOUT ANY DESTINATION AROUND THE WORLD.
WE MAY BE CURIOUS ABOUT THIS LOCATION IS THE PERFECT DESTINATION.
LET ME THANK THE LIBRARY NAMING COMMITTEE BECAUSE WE LANDED ON THE BEST NAME EVER.
IF YOU ARE HERE ON THE LIBRARY NAMING COMMITTEE, IF YOU WILL JUST RAISE YOUR HAND.
WE HAVE, UH, SUSAN SCHAFER, WHO WAS A LIBRARIAN AT PARKER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
CATHERINE WINGFIELD, WESTBURY, RESIDENT AND PARENT SEAN RUSHING, A HARAM CLARK RESIDENT AND COMMUNITY ADVOCATE, SHARONDA SWEET, UH, BRAISE OAK RESIDENT, AND A PARENT OF A WESTBURY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT.
ART PROIN, OUR CIVIC LEADER FOR WESTBURY AND MEYERLAND.
JENNIFER EDMONDSON WESTBURY CIVIC CLUB, OFFICE MANAGER, RESIDENT AND PARENT, BARBARA KYLE, A FORMER LIBRARIAN AND RICE UNIVERSITY, AND A MEYERLAND RESIDENT.
ELAINE BRITT, A BOARD MEMBER OF MEYERLAND, CIA.
SO WE HAD A GREAT GROUP OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT COMING UP WITH THE NAME OF THE LIBRARY, AND I THINK THE COMMITTEE LANDED ON THE BEST NAME, WE ASKED EVERYONE TO COME TOGETHER AND HELP US NAME THIS LIBRARY.
FOR A LONG TIME, WE WERE CALLING IT THE WESTBURY LIBRARY.
AND ALTHOUGH THAT'S A GREAT NAME, WE WANTED A NAME THAT REALLY GAVE THIS FACILITY SOME PERSONALITY AND SOME CHARACTER.
SO WE PUT OUT A CALL AND SAID, WHAT DO YOU THINK THE NAME OF THE NEW LIBRARY SHOULD BE? AND MAYOR, I WAS SURPRISED THAT WE HAD OVER 300 SUGGESTIONS.
WE ASKED FOR 250 WORD SUPPORT STATEMENT, AND WE GOT OVER 300 NAMES AND SUGGESTIONS FOR THE COMMITTEE TO COMB THROUGH.
YOUR NAME WAS ON THE LIST A COUPLE TIMES.
AND THE COMMITTEE GOT TOGETHER.
THEY LOOKED, THEY LOOKED AT THE 300 NAMES AND THEY NARROWED IT DOWN TO FIVE.
AND SO WE PUT OUT A SIT NO
THE COMMITTEE, UH, WENT WITH, UH, THE, THE DATA
AND SO WE PUT OUT A CITYWIDE POLL WITH OUR
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TOP FIVE NAMES.AND THE TOP FIVE NAMES WERE SHANNON WALKER LIBRARY, DR. SHANNON WALKER LIBRARY, THE DONALD PERKINS LIBRARY, THE WESTBURY COMMUNITY LIBRARY, THE BELL ROSE LIBRARY, AND THE WILLOW WATER HOLE LIBRARY.
AND THE DR. SHANNON WALKER LIBRARY WON WITH OVER 40% OF THE VOTES, AND IT WAS THE TOP CHOICE.
AND DR. LAWSON HAD THE HONOR OF CALLING DR. SHANNON WALKER AND ASKING HER TO ACCEPT THIS HONOR.
AND BEFORE I, I, I CONCLUDE MY STATEMENTS.
I DO WANT HER HIGH SCHOOL CHEMISTRY TEACHER TO STAND.
THANK YOU, MS. SMITH, BECAUSE I KNOW IT WAS BECAUSE OF YOUR WONDERFUL CHEMISTRY TEACHING THAT PROBABLY ADDED TO THE SPARK OF HER LOVE OF SCIENCE AND WANTING TO BE AN ASTRONAUT.
I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO WATCH HER YOUTUBE VIDEO, DR. SHANNON WALKER'S YOUTUBE VIDEO, AND SHE SAID SHE ALWAYS WANTED TO BE AN ASTRONAUT SINCE SHE WAS FOUR YEARS OLD.
AND HER FATHER WAS A, A SCIENTIST AS WELL.
BUT WE KNOW HOW VALUABLE TEACHERS ARE IN OUR LIVES.
SO THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE AND FOR BEING HERE TODAY.
LIBRARIES ARE AN INVALUABLE PART OF COMMUNITIES.
AND TODAY, WE ARE FILLED WITH HOPE AS WE BREAK GROUND ON OUR DESTINATION LIBRARY.
WHEN YOUR NEW LIBRARY IS NAMED AFTER A NASA ASTRONAUT, THE PROGRAMMING POSSIBILITIES ARE OUT OF THIS WORLD.
WE HAVE SO MUCH TO LOOK FORWARD TO NOW, LET'S BREAK THIS GROUND AND GET THIS LIBRARY BUILT.
SO, UM, BEFORE WE GRAB THE SHOVELS, I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE CHAIR OF THE HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY, UH, FOUNDATION IS IN THE HOUSE.
WELCOME AND THANK, UH, ALICIA.
IT IS THE WORK OF THE FOUNDATION THAT, UH, MAKES, UH, MANY OF THE PROGRAMS, ALL OF THE PROGRAMS AVAILABLE FOR THE HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY.
AND IF YOU GO TO THEIR PAGE, DONATIONS ARE AVAILABLE FOR YOU TO MAKE
OKAY, SO, UM, THE MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBER, EVERYBODY ON THIS FRONT ROW, UM, WALTER, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
EVERYBODY ON THIS FRONT ROW, WE CAN GRAB A SHOVEL.
EVERYBODY THAT GOT A HARD HAT, LET'S JUST PUT IT THAT WAY.