* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:16] WELCOME TO THE KINDER LAND BRIDGE. WELCOME TO THE SIVIA AND MELVIN WOLF PRAIRIE. I KNOW THIS IS A LITTLE UNORTHODOX FOR HOW WE'VE STAGED THIS AND ORGANIZED THIS, BUT IT'S REALLY VERY INTENTIONAL. WE WANTED YOU AND HOUSTON TO SEE WHO ALL HAS BEEN INVOLVED WITH THIS PROJECT. THIS PROJECT, THE KINDER LANDBRIDGE AND THE SIVIA AND MELVIN WOLF PRAIRIE. THIS 100 ACRE, VERY SPECIAL PARK OF MEMORIAL PARK. MY NAME IS SHELLEY ARNOLD. I'M THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF MEMORIAL PARK CONSERVANCY. UM, I WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE ALL ELECTED OFFICIALS THAT ARE HERE TODAY. UH, MAYOR TURNER. UH, I KNOW WE HAVE A NUMBER. ABBY CAYMAN, COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN FROM THIS DISTRICT, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER DAVID ROBINSON, MIKE KNOX'S OFFICE REPRESENTED. I KNOW, UH, COMMISSIONER SHEILA BRI'S. UH, LESLIE BRI'S OFFICE IS REPRESENTED. UM, AND FORMER MAYOR PARKER. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER JACK CHRISTIE, FORMER COUNCIL MEMBER ARE ALL HERE. AND I, UM, I'M IMAGINING THAT I HAVE, OH, COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCORN IS ALSO HERE. OUR FRIENDS, THESE ARE PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE WORKED WITH SO CLOSELY, UM, IN, IN THE, OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS. AND IF I MISSED YOU, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND AND I APOLOGIZE. COHEN AND DAVE MARTIN. OH, GOOD. COUNCIL MEMBER DAVE MARTIN. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ELLEN COHEN, FORMER COUNCIL MEMBER MAYOR PRO TEM. UM, AND THEN ALSO, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER MIKE KNOX'S OFFICE IS REPRESENTED HERE AS WELL. THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU. UM, WHO'S HERE TODAY? WHO ELSE IS HERE TODAY? THAT'S WHAT I REALLY WANNA TELL YOU. AND IT'S PART OF A STORY, IT'S PART OF HOW THIS HAPPENED. UM, WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO HELPED START THIS MASTER PLAN WHO HELPED START THIS PROJECT. UM, THOSE PEOPLE ARE CHRIS KNAPP OR SARAH NEWBERRY. UM, OUR JOHN BREEDING, OUR ANDY ICKEN, FORMER MAYOR TURNER, UH, I MEAN FORMER MAYOR PARKER. SORRY. NO, NO, I DIDN'T MEAN THAT. , UH, STARTED THIS PROJECT TOGETHER. UH, STEVE JENKINS, OUR MEMORIAL PARK CONSERVANCY BOARD CHAIR, UM, UH, THE, THE WIDOW OF, OF JIM PORTER, OUR FORMER MARK, UH, FORMER MEMORIAL PARK CONSERVANCY BOARD CHAIRS HERE. IT WAS THE BRILLIANCE OF A GROUP OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE CITIZENS THAT CAME TOGETHER TO CREATE A MASTER PLAN FOR MEMORIAL PARK, A MASTER PLAN THAT WAS FOUNDED IN RESEARCH AND SCIENCE AND DATA, AND ECOLOGY AND DEMOGRAPHIC RESEARCH, AND ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO INFORM, UH, WHAT WE'RE DOING. AND THESE PEOPLE BROUGHT TOGETHER, CAME TOGETHER AND HIRED THE BEST LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE FIRM THAT I WILL SAY THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN. AND THOMAS WOLTZ AND JEFF ATON AND THEIR TEAM. AND WHY ARE THEY THE BEST? THEY'RE THE BEST BECAUSE THEY LISTEN. THEY ASK THIS PROJECT, THE MASTER PLAN THAT CITY COUNCIL PASSED IN 2015 WAS NOT ABOUT THEIR EGO OR THEIR DESIGN. IT WAS ABOUT HOUSTON. IT WAS ABOUT WHAT THIS LAND SAYS, THE STORIES OF THE LAND, THE STORIES OF THE PEOPLE IN THE LAND, THE HISTORY, THE FUTURE. IT WAS ABOUT HOUSTON'S POTENTIAL. THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE TODAY. THESE PEOPLE BROUGHT THIS FORWARD. AND THEN WE GOT STARTED, UH, WITH THIS EFFORT. AND WE HAD THE KINDER FOUNDATION, NANCY AND RICH AND THEIR FOLKS, UH, GUY HAAD AND THE ENTIRE TEAM JOIN WITH US. THEY JOINED WITH US TO CREATE AND ACCELERATE THE MASTER PLAN 10 YEAR PROJECTS. MAYOR TURNER AT THIS TIME, AND JOIN THE EFFORT COUNT, CONGRESSWOMAN SHEILA JACKSON LEE, I'LL ACKNOWLEDGE HAS JUST ARRIVED, WHO IS MY REPRESENTATIVE. I VOTE FOR HER. AND I'M SO EXCITED TO SEE YOU HERE TODAY, AND I HONOR YOU AND THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO IN WASHINGTON. THIS HAS BEEN A BIG TENT EFFORT. MY OWN STAFF, MY OWN STAFF HAS BEEN, UM, WORKING SO HARD ON THIS PROJECT WITH RANDY DENAY, UH, AND THE PROJECT TEAM, UM, SARAH NEWBERRY AT THE KINDER FOUNDATION, ANDREW AT UPTOWN. UH, THESE ARE PEOPLE. AND THEN MY, THE REST OF OUR TEAMS HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR SO LONG. THIS PROJECT IS NOT JUST ABOUT CREATING A PASSAGE OR A BRIDGE. THIS PROJECT IS ABOUT ECOLOGY, IS ABOUT RESILIENCE, IS ABOUT BIODIVERSITY, IS ABOUT STORMWATER MANAGEMENT. THIS PROJECT IS A BRIDGE INTO HOUSTON'S FUTURE. THIS PROJECT WAS RECENTLY RECOGNIZED [00:05:01] BY THE NEW YORK TIMES AS ONE OF THE 11 MOST ARCHITECTURALLY INNOVATIVE, UH, PROJECTS IN THE WORLD. AND THE ONLY THING THEY GOT WRONG WAS THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE SAID LANDSCAPE, ARCHITECTURALLY INNOVATIVE. UM, THAT'S WHAT THEY GOT WRONG. BUT IT IS ALL AROUND AN INNOVATIVE PROJECT. AND THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE SUCH GENEROUS DONORS. HOUSTON HOUSTONIANS ARE GENEROUS. WE HAVE GENEROUS DONORS WHO HAVE PARTICIPATED. THE CLAY FAMILY IS HERE, WHO HAVE, UH, CREATED THE EMILY CLAY FAMILY SCRAMBLE. UM, WE HAVE GENEROUS FOLKS HERE IN HOUSTON, AND WE HAVE GOOD, STRONG CIVIC LEADERSHIP HERE IN HOUSTON. AND ON THAT NOTE, UM, I WILL HAND IT OVER TO MAYOR TURNER AND ASK HIM TO SAY A FEW WORDS. THANK YOU, MAYOR TURNER. THANK YOU, SHELLY. AND PLEASE GIVE IT UP TO SHELLY AND HER TEAM ONE MORE TIME. SHELLY HAS DEMONSTRATED INCREDIBLE LEADERSHIP, AND WE CERTAINLY APPRECIATE HER. LOOK, UH, WE ARE ON TOP OF THE KINDER LAND BRIDGE AND WHAT A MAGNIFICENT SITE IT IS. WE ONLY BROKE GROUND ON THIS PROJECT IN AUGUST, 2020. AND LOOK WHERE WE ARE NOW. AND THANK YOU, UH, NANCY AND RICH FOR YOUR GRACIOUS GIFT AND ALL THE DONORS WHO HAVE SUPPORTED THIS WORK. UH, THANK YOU AGAIN TO CURRENT AND FORMER ELECTED OFFICIALS AND OTHERS WHO PLAYED IMPORTANT LEADERSHIP ROLES IN THE EARLY DAYS. AS SHELLY DESCRIBED, THIS, UH, PROJECT, UH, DEMONSTRATES THE, UM, UH, IMPACT THAT CAN TAKE PLACE OF, UH, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS. I CERTAINLY WANT TO SAY WHAT INSPIRED THIS PROJECT WAS THAT DURING THE MASTER PLANNING PROCESS THAT SHELLY DESCRIBED, MANY PEOPLE ASKED FOR ACCESS TO PARTS OF THE MEMORIAL PARK THAT THEY DID NOT KNOW. THEY ASKED FOR AN EASIER AND SAFER WAY TO CROSS MEMORIAL DRIVE, A SIX LANE STREET, WHICH BIFURCATED 1500 ACRES MEMORIAL PARK, AND IT LITERALLY CUT THROUGH THE, CUT THE PARK IN, IN HALF. UH, THE PARK USERS AND THE ANIMALS THAT ARE, WE DON'T WANNA LEAVE OUT THE ANIMALS, UH, COULD NOT SAFELY CROSS MEMORIAL PARK, AND WAS STARTED AS A CROSSING IN RESPONSE TO PUBLIC INPUT. DURING THE PLANNING PROCESS HAS EVOLVED INTO MUCH, MUCH MORE. THE LAND BRIDGE WILL ALSO DEAL WITH THE RESILIENCY AND DRAINAGE IN THIS AREA. WATER FLOWING FROM THE NORTH SIDE OF MEMORIAL PARK CAN NOW FLOW USING LANDBRIDGE DIRECTLY INTO BUFFALO BAYOU. AND AS SHELLY MENTIONED, AND I DO WANNA HIGHLIGHT IT AGAIN, UH, A RECENT SUNDAY, NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE DESCRIBED THIS PROJECT AS ONE OF THE 11TH MOST ARCHITECTURALLY INNOVATIVE PROJECTS IN THE WORLD. AND SHELLY ADDED THE LANDSCAPE AS WELL. IT IS ANOTHER WONDER OF THE WORLD RIGHT HERE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, AND WE ARE PROUD OF IT. I JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE UNIQUENESS OF THIS PARK. FIRST, THE SOIL THAT COMPRISES THE KINDER LAND BRIDGE, UH, IS ALL FROM ON SITE. THE TEAM DOVE 540,000 CUBIC YARDS OF SOIL FROM RIGHT HERE IN THE PARK TO BUILD THE KINDER LAND BRIDGE. AND THAT SAVED DUMP TRUCKS FILLED WITH SA FROM TRAVERSING THE ROADS OF HOUSTON, UH, TRAVELING TO MEMORIAL PARK. SECOND SIXTH LANE MEMORIAL DRIVE HAD TO BE MOVED TO ACCOMMODATE THIS PROJECT TO ALLOW FOR TRAFFIC TO REMAIN OPEN DURING THE CONSTRUCTION PROCESS. AND MEMORIAL DRIVE WASN'T JUST, JUST THROWN AWAY. CHUNKS OF IT WERE USED TO CREATE EMILY CLAY, EMILY SCRAMBLE. ONLY IN HOUSTON WOULD WE CELEBRATE A ROAD, BUT THERE IS SOMETHING VERY SIGNIFICANT HERE, . THE ROAD IS NOT JUST IN SERVICE TO THE PARK, INSTEAD OF THE PARK BEING IN SERVICE TO THE ROAD. THIRD, THIS PROJECT IS VERY ARTFUL. THE TUNNELS THEMSELVES WERE DESIGNED TO BE BEAUTIFUL. I REMEMBER SO MANY PEOPLE WERE FEARFUL THAT THE TUNNELS WOULD RUIN THIS BEAUTIFUL DRIVE THROUGH MEMORIAL PARK. AND NOW THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE'S, UH, THIS, THESE TUNNELS REPRESENT MANY PEOPLE'S FAVORITE PLACES TO DRIVE. FOURTH, THIS PROJECT HAS MANY SURPRISES. ONE OF MY FAVORITE IS A 300 FOOT CRITTER CROSSING. IT IS RIGHT BELOW US. IT IS A WATERTOWN TUNNEL THAT WAS DESIGNED TO BE INVITING TO ANIMALS SEEKING TO CROSS MEMORIAL DRIVE. IT HAS LIGHT RAILS AND SHELVINGS DESIGNED SO THAT THE ANIMALS WON'T HAVE TO GO IN THE MUCK UNLESS THEY REALLY WANT TO. AND PHIL, THIS PLAN WAS BASED IN RESEARCH AND PUBLIC INPUT. AS SHELLY HAS INDICATED, THIS PROJECT IS UNIQUE BECAUSE IT ADDRESSES ECOLOGICAL CHALLENGES THAT FACE THIS MEMORIAL PARK AND THAT FACE, THE CITY OF HOUSTON. THIS PROJECT ESTABLISHES 45 ACRES [00:10:01] OF NATIVE GULF COAST PRAIRIE, THE SYLVIA AND MELVIN WOLF PRAIRIE. AND THESE PLANTS ABSOLVE MORE STORM WATER THAN WHAT WAS HERE BEFORE. THIS PRAIRIE PLANT ALSO SEQUESTERS MORE CARBON THAN, UH, THE DIOXIDE THAN WHAT WAS HERE BEFORE AS WELL. AND THIS PRAIRIE WILL CREATE HABITAT AND FOSTER GREATER BIODIVERSITY. THIS IS A GOOD THING FOR THE PARK, AND IT IS A GOOD THING FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND THEN LASTLY, UH, THE, UH, THE ARTISTRY OF THIS PROJECT FROM THE BOARDWALK TO THE CENTRAL TO THE PLAZA IS SIMPLY ASTOUNDING. THIS PROJECT QUITE LITERALLY BRINGS US BACK TO OUR ROOTS IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND THE PRAIRIE WAS JUST WHAT THE COWBOYS AND RANCHES WORKED FOR AND WHAT THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE HUNTED AND WHERE THE BUFFALO ONCE ROAMED. AND JUST IMAGINE WHAT YOU WILL SEE HERE IN THE FUTURE. THE TALL PRAIRIE GRASSES BLOWING IN THE BREEZE. THE PRAIRIE FLOWERS BLOOMING WITH THE SEASONS AND THE BIRDS SEWING OVERHEAD. THIS PROJECT IS UNIQUE BECAUSE IT UNITES, IT UNITES TWO HALVES OF OUR 1500 ACRE MEMORIAL PARK THAT HAVE BEEN SEVERED FOR GENERATIONS. IT UNITES WILDLIFE CORRIDORS TO ALLOW PARK WILDLIFE TO THRIVE. IT UNITES ONCE, UH, WHAT WERE NATURE WATER FLOWS TO ALLOW BETTER STORM WATER MANAGEMENT AND MORE EFFICIENT USE OF WATER. AND FINALLY, THIS PROJECT UNITES PEOPLE. THIS PROJECT WILL BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER TO RELAX, TO CELEBRATE, AND TO CREATE MEMORIES OF A LIFETIME. LOOK AT IT RIGHT HERE AND LOOK AT IT RIGHT NOW. AT A TIME WHEN THINGS ARE SO DIVIDED. THIS PROJECT IS EXACTLY WHAT OUR CITY NEEDS. SO RICH TO YOU AND NANCY AND THE KINDER FOUNDATION HAVE DONE SO MUCH TO TRANSFORM HOUSTON AND ARE PUTTING HOUSTON IN A POSITION OF LEADERSHIP ACROSS THE NATION AND HOW TO EXACTLY PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS WORK. AND LASTLY, IN MY FINAL YEAR IN OFFICE, THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS THAT WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED AND WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED THEM TOGETHER. I SAID TO MY TEAM THAT IN 2023, WE WANTED THINGS TO BE BIGGER, BETTER, BOLDER, GRANDER, TO REFLECT THE SPIRIT OF OUR CITY. THERE IS NO PLACE THAT EXEMPLIFIES THAT SPIRIT THAN RIGHT HERE TO ALL THOSE WHO COLLABORATED TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. ON BEHALF OF THOSE GENERATIONS BE AND BEHIND US IN BEHALF OF THOSE WHO ARE HERE AND GENERATIONS YET TO COME. LET ME SAYS MAYOR OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON, THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY, YOUR SPIRIT, AND THIS GIFT RICH IS MY HONOR NOW TO BRING YOU FORWARD. GIVE IT UP TO RICH KEN AND NANCY KEN. SOME INCREDIBLE, I HAVE STOOD WITH THEM SO MANY TIMES. AND THE LAST, I KNOW YOU DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT, I'M GONNA SAY IT ANYWAY. I AGREE IN THE LAST SEVEN YEARS. BUT YOU CAN'T HAVE A GREAT CITY IF YOU DON'T HAVE GREAT PEOPLE. THIS CITY IS FORTUNATE. WE HAVE A WHOLE LOT OF THEM, AND TWO OF THEM HAPPENED TO BE NANCY KINER. THANK YOU SO VERY, VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, ERIC. THANK YOU. WONDERFUL. I'LL BE VERY BRIEF. IT'S, UH, HARD TO FOLLOW SO MUCH ELOQUENCE. I CAN TELL YOU THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A GREAT DAY FOR MEMORIAL PARK. WE ALL KNOW THAT. BUT BEYOND THAT, IT'S A WONDERFUL DAY FOR ALL OF HOUSTON. WHAT WE'VE BUILT HERE TODAY AND ARE DEDICATING TODAY IS GONNA LAST AND BE A BENEFIT TO ALL HOUSTONIANS FOR DECADES TO COME. AND SO WE'RE RIGHT AT THE THRESHOLD OF SOMETHING THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO THIS WHOLE METROPOLITAN AREA. BUT TODAY, NANCY AND I WANTED TO JUST TAKE A COUPLE OF MINUTES TO REALLY GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE. YOU KNOW, THERE'S AN OLD SAYING, THERE'S NO LIMIT TO WHAT CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED IF YOU DON'T CARE WHO GETS THE CREDIT. AND THAT'S CERTAINLY TRUE HERE. THERE'S ENOUGH CREDIT TO GO AROUND. AND I THINK WHEN YOU LOOK BACK AT HOW THIS WHOLE PROJECT CAME TOGETHER, IT'S WAS NOT SEAMLESS AT ALL. BUT IT SEEMS SEAMLESS WHEN YOU LOOK BACK ON IT. BUT WE START WITH THOMAS WALTZ, WHO HAD THE VISION TO CREATE THIS GREAT ENVIRONMENT. AND I WOULD ECHO WHAT SHELLY SAID, ONE OF THE GREAT LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE FIRMS IN THE WORLD. SO WE APPRECIATE THAT. BUT BEYOND THAT, IT WAS TEON AND THEIR ENTIRE CONSTRUCTION CREW THAT BROUGHT THAT VISION TO REALITY. AND WE THANK THEM. THIS COULD NOT HAVE BEEN DONE WITHOUT THE STEADFAST SUPPORT AND PARTNERSHIP FROM THE CITY AND FROM UPTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY. THEY WERE HERE EVERY STEP OF THE WAY, AND ESPECIALLY MAYOR TURNER. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND SOME OF THE UNSUNG HEROES IN ALL THIS WHO HAVEN'T BEEN MENTIONED YET, MURRAY BOWDEN AND OUR STANDARDS COMMITTEE MET EVERY MONTH DURING THE WHOLE PROJECT TO ASSURE THAT THERE WOULD BE EXCELLENCE THROUGHOUT THIS WHOLE PROJECT. AND [00:15:01] YOU CAN SEE THE RESULTS OF THAT LOOKOUT, IF YOU WILL, RIGHT HERE TODAY. AND ON A PERSONAL NOTE, I WANT TO THANK PARTICULARLY GUY HSEC AND SARAH NEWBERRY FROM OUR FOUNDATION WHO WORKED ON THIS ALL THE WAY. BUT LAST AND CERTAINLY NOT LEAST, I WANT TO THANK SHELLY AND THE WHOLE MEMORIAL PARK CONSERVANCY TEAM. SHELLY, YOU AND RANDY AND THE TEAM DROVE THE BUS. YOU MADE IT HAPPEN. YOU BROUGHT THIS ENDEAVOR TO FRUITION AND WE CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH. SO LET'S GIVE ANOTHER ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR MEMORIAL PARK CONSERVANCY. SO THANK YOU ALL FOR EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE, AND NANCY AND I LOOK FORWARD TO BEING BACK HERE TOMORROW TO CELEBRATE AT THE BIGGEST PICNIC IN TEXAS. THANK YOU. I'D LIKE TO INVITE JOHN BREEDING THE PRESIDENT OF UPTOWN HOUSTON TO SPEAK, WHO IS A, A PROJECT PARTNER AND A MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR TO THIS EFFORT. THANK YOU. JOHN. SHELLY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. YOU KNOW, ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF UPTOWN TOUR AND THE DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE VERY MUCH HONORED TO BE A PART OF THIS CELEBRATION OF THESE PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE LONG DREAMED ABOUT ARE NOW WHO HAVE COME TO FRUITION. WE'VE SEEN LEADERSHIP IS PRICELESS. AND I THINK THAT THE TRANSFORMATIONAL PROJECTS SUCH AS THESE ARE THE PRODUCT OF CREATIVE LEADERSHIP AND A DEDICATED COMMITMENT TO OUR COMMUNITY. AND YOU'VE SEEN IT FROM VARIOUS GROUPS, AND THEY CAN ONLY BE ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIPS. AND UPTOWN HOUSTON IS PROUD TO HAVE BEEN A FOUNDATIONAL PARTNER IN THIS EFFORT. IF I MIGHT, I'D LIKE TO, UH, HAVE MY BOARD OF DIRECTORS IF THEY WOULD BE SO KIND TO RAISE THEIR HANDS BECAUSE THEY'VE WENT, BEEN WITH US, AND WE HAVE REACHED OUT AND, AND JOINED IN THIS PARTNERSHIP WITH MEMORIAL HEART CONSERVANCY AND THE FOUNDATION TO MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN. IT HAS BEEN A GREAT EFFORT ON ALL PARTS. MAYOR TURNER. UH, I THANK YOU FOR A LIFETIME OF LEADERSHIP TO OUR COUNTRY, TO OUR STATE, THE CITY, AND PARTICULARLY OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. THANKS FOR BRINGING US TOGETHER. YOU KNOW, RICH, AND IT WOULD BE UNDENIABLE THAT RICH AND NANCY KINDER HAVE TAKEN, HAVE BEEN PROVIDED OPPORTUNITIES BY HOUSTON. MUCH LIKE MANY PEOPLE HAVE, BUT THEY HAVE DONE, HAVE ESTABLISHED A MODEL THAT I THINK IS THEIR LEGACY TO THIS COMMUNITY. BY GIVING BACK SO GENEROUSLY TO ALL OF HOUSTON, SYLVIA AND MELVIN WOLF HAVE GIVEN US THE PRAIRIE. IT PROVIDES FUTURE GENERATIONS A WINDOW TO LOOK BACK INTO THE HISTORY OF THIS AREA, UH, BECAUSE THIS LANDSCAPE OF THE COASTAL PRAIRIE WAS HERE LONG BEFORE, UH, THE ALLEN BROTHERS OR ANYONE ELSE CAME TO THIS AREA. AND THEN FINALLY, JUST A PERSONAL NOTE, YOU KNOW, I THINK EACH OF US HAVE MEMORIES AS WE LOOK BACK THROUGH OUR LIVES THAT HAVE BEEN CREATED AND MEMORIAL PARK PLACES. YOU'VE TAKEN YOUR DATE, PERHAPS ON THE FIRST DATE, MAYBE EVEN HAD THE FIRST KISS. AND I, I THINK THAT THIS PARK IS NOW READY FOR NEW GENERATIONS. I USE MY ESTEEMED OFFICE THIS MORNING TO BRING MY GRANDSON, 8-YEAR-OLD. OWEN, WOULD YOU JUST WAVE? OWEN IS HERE BECAUSE I WANTED HIM TO WITNESS THE OPENING OF MEMORIAL PARK. MEMORIAL PARK IS READY FOR ALL THE CHILDREN OF HOUSTON TO CREATE NEW MEMORIES FOR THEIR LIVES, FOR OWEN'S GENERATION AND FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR ALLOWING US TO BE A PART OF THIS. THANKS. NOW I'D LIKE TO INVITE MY, MY PER MY FRIEND AND OUR, UH, CITY COUNCIL PERSON. ABBY CAME A DISTRICT C CITY COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE TO SPEAK, WHO'S BEEN SUCH AN INTEGRAL PART OF THIS EFFORT. THANK YOU, SHELLY. UM, IT'S A BIT UNORTHODOX, BUT I'M GONNA ASK MY, UH, COUNCIL COLLEAGUES AND FORMER COUNCIL MEMBERS TO JOIN US FOR JUST A MOMENT BECAUSE THEY'VE ALSO BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN THIS EFFORT, ESPECIALLY ELLEN COHEN. SO, AND JOHN AND THE ENTIRE UPTOWN HOUSTON BOARD. THANK [00:20:01] YOU ALL FOR YOUR PARTNERSHIP. I CANNOT BELIEVE WE ARE FINALLY HERE TODAY. UH, SO MUCH WENT INTO THIS AND AS SARAH POINTED OUT, UH, WE'RE STANDING ON TOP RIGHT NOW OF MEMORIAL DRIVE AND YOU CAN'T HEAR THE CARS. IT'S BEAUTIFUL MAYOR TURNER UNDER YOUR LEADER LEADERSHIP. AND WITH THE INCOMPARABLE EFFORTS OF MEMORIAL PARK CONSERVANCY AND OUR PARKS DEPARTMENT, KINDER LANDBRIDGE AND THE C AND MELVIN WOLF PRAIRIE ARE NOW A REALITY. WE WOULD NOT BE STANDING HERE ON THE KINDER LAND BRIDGE WITHOUT THE EXTRAORDINARY GENEROSITY OF NANCY AND RICH TO GUY AND SARAH AND ALL OF THOSE FROM THE FOUNDATION. IN ADDITION TO SO MANY OTHER DONORS, NANCY AND RICH, YOU HAVE MADE YOUR LEGACY ONE OF STUNNING NATURAL BEAUTY FOR ALL OF HOUSTON. AND WE THANK YOU. MEMORIAL PARK IS THE EMERALD OF OUR CITY AND IT PROUDLY RESTS IN THE HEART OF DISTRICT C. AND WHILE I HAVE BEEN WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH THE CONSERVANCY SINCE COMING INTO OFFICE, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, IT'S IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE OTHERS WHO HAVE PLAYED A ROLE OVER THE PAST DECADE. FORMER MAYOR PRO TEM COHEN IS HERE. WHERE IS SHE RIGHT BEHIND YOU? SHE WORKED SO HARD TO ENSURE THAT EXTENSIVE PUBLIC INPUT FROM AROUND THE CITY WENT INTO THE MASTER PLAN AND IN TURN LED TO THE VISION FOR THE LAND BRIDGE. AND MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES, THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU HAVE DONE TO SUPPORT US EVERY STEP OF THE WAY TO SEE THIS THROUGH MAYOR, MAYOR PARKER AND MAYOR PARKER. OH, MAYOR, I DIDN'T SEE YOU. I APOLOGIZE. IT'S GREAT TO SEE YOU , SHELLY AND THE CONSERVANCY. OH MY GOSH. THEY SPEARHEADED THIS ENTIRE THING AND THE ONLY TEAM AT MEMORIAL PARK THAT COULD HAVE PULLED OFF BRINGING TOGETHER RESIDENTS FROM ALL OVER THE CITY, BUSINESSES, TOP OF COLLEGES, CONSERVATIONISTS, HISTORIANS AND OTHERS. THEY LITERALLY BROUGHT DIRT, OR I SHOULD SAY, SOIL SCIENTISTS TOGETHER WITH MAYORS OF THE FOURTH LARGEST CITY IN THE COUNTRY FOR THIS UNPRECEDENTED EFFORT IN ONE OF THE LARGEST URBAN PARKS IN NORTH AMERICA. THEY STUDIED EVERYTHING FROM HOW STORM WATER FLOWS THROUGH THE PARK TO HOW INDIGENOUS PEOPLES WHO CAME BEFORE US USED THIS PRECIOUS LAND. THE INTENTIONALITY OF EVERY INCH OF THE KINDER LAND BRIDGE AND THE CIAN, MELVIN WOLF PRAIRIE IS A MODEL FOR THE ENTIRE WORLD. AND THAT'S WHAT AS HOUSTONIANS WE ARE ALL ABOUT. THAT IS WHAT MEMORIAL PARK IS ALL ABOUT. TODAY WE ARE CELEBRATING THE RESTORATION OF NATIVE PRAIRIES THAT REPRESENT THE RESILIENCY OF HOUSTON. WE'RE CELEBRATING RESILIENCE AGAINST EXTREME WEATHER, BE IT FLOODING OR DROUGHT. WE ARE CELEBRATING A STEP FORWARD IN ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE AND PRESERVING OUR PLANET. WE ARE CELEBRATING A SPACE THAT WILL WELCOME WILDLIFE BACK INTO THE PARK. WE ARE CELEBRATING A GIFT A DECADE IN THE MAKING. A 100 ACRE GIFT ON THE EVE, I SHOULD SAY, OF THE PARK'S 100TH ANNIVERSARY THAT'S COMING UP THAT HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF HOUSTONIANS AND OTHERS AROUND THE COUNTRY WILL BE ABLE TO ENJOY FOR THE NEXT HUNDRED YEARS AND BEYOND. SO IT'S WITH SINCERE APPRECIATION TO EVERYONE THAT HAS CREATED SUCH A PROFOUND IMPACT AND DIFFERENCE FOR OUR CITY. THANK YOU. IT'S SO, SUCH AN HONOR TO BE STANDING ON THIS PROVERBIAL STAGE WITH, UH, THESE FOLKS WHO HAVE PLAYED SUCH AN IMPORTANT ROLE. UM, I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE CONGRESSWOMAN SHEILA JACKSON LEE, WHO FIGHTS FOR HOUSTON, WHO FIGHTS FOR SO MUCH SO SUCCESSFULLY AND SU SUCH AN IMPACTFUL TRACK RECORD. IT'S AN HONOR, UH, TO HAVE YOU HERE TODAY AND THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO FOR HOUSTON. THANK YOU. SHELLY IS DRESSED IN GREEN AND A FEW OTHERS ARE AS WELL, BECAUSE IT IS AN UNIMAGINABLE SPACE, I THINK OF THESE WORDS IN A SONG I CAN ONLY IMAGINE. AND THEN I THINK OF A NEW NAME FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON, THE CITY THAT CARES. I'M EXCITED TO BE HERE AS A MEMBER OF THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS AND MY COLLEAGUES WHO LOVE SPACE, LOVE PARKS AND LOVE PEOPLE. AND I'M GRATIFIED TO STAND BEFORE SUCH A DYNAMIC GROUP FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, COUNCIL [00:25:01] MEMBER CAYMAN IN HER DISTRICT AND OUR MAYOR WHO HAS INDICATED BEST, BETTER AND THE BESTEST. AND YOU CAN LOOK THAT WORD UP. AND HE HAS DONE THIS OVER THE YEARS, SO GLAD TO STAND ON THE SHOULDERS. THANK YOU MAYOR PARKER FOR BEING HERE AND GRAVITATING AROUND GOODNESS AND WHAT IS RIGHT, BUT CERTAINLY COULD WE EVER LIVE IN THIS COMMUNITY WITHOUT THE CARES, THE PEOPLE WHO CARE. I HATE TO CALL 'EM THE KINDERS, BUT IT MUST BE CARES WITH A K. AND WE THANK THEM FOR THEIR SERVICE. AND SYLVIA, WE THANK YOU AND ALL THAT YOU HAVE DONE FOR THIS PRAIRIE THAT BRINGS THINGS BACK TO LIFE. AND OF COURSE, THE DYNAMIC VISIONARY. THOMAS, THANK YOU FOR HAVING THIS VISION. I CAN ONLY IMAGINE. AND THE UPTOWN WHO BROUGHT A GRANDSON TO UNDERSTAND WHAT ALL THE CHILDREN OF THIS CITY WILL BE ABLE TO PARTAKE OF. WE IN THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS DEAL WITH NATIONAL PARKS. WE NEED TO DO MORE AND BUILD MORE, BUT OUR NATIONAL PARKS ARE FIXED. AND WHAT I SEE IN THIS VASTNESS OF MEMORIAL PARK, ALMOST A HUNDRED YEARS COMING SOME YEARS BEFORE THE DEPRESSION AND LASTING THROUGH WORLD WARS, CONFLICTS, DROUGHTS, DEVASTATING FLOODS, MOVEMENT WITH PEOPLE. IT'S A GRAND IMAGINATION FOR A NATIONAL PARK RIGHT HERE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON THAT GIVES EVERYTHING THAT ONE WOULD WANT FROM WALKING TRAILS TO BIRDWATCHING, TO PEOPLE WHO CAN LOOK FOR THE ANIMALS AND WALK AMONG THE PRAIRIES AND SEE THE FLOWERS AND THOSE WHO CAN WATCH THE BUTTERFLIES AND COME OUT IN THEIR SCIENTIFIC HAT OR COME OUT IN THEIR FUN HAT OR COME OUT IN THEIR BEAUTY AND WORSHIPING HAT TO WORSHIP THE BEAUTY OF THIS PARK. AND SO ON THIS DAY, I THINK IT IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT THAT WE CELEBRATE THE WORDS I CAN ONLY IMAGINE, AND THAT WE NAME OUR CITY, THE CITY THAT CARES. IT IS SOMETHING INTERESTING ABOUT THIS PARK AS WELL, SHELLY. THANK YOU FOR BRINGING US ALL TOGETHER WITH THE HISTORICAL RECORD OF THIS PARK, BUT JUST A FEW MILES DOWN AND SOMETHING CALLED LOGAN'S AREA, WHICH WE KNOW WAS A CAMP LOGAN. AND SO THERE'S A HISTORIC NATURE TO THAT ON THE EDGE OF WHAT WAS CALLED FOURTH WARD FREEDOMS TOWN. THAT HISTORIC RECORD IS PART OF OUR HISTORY AND WE REMEMBER THAT HISTORY. WE REMEMBER IT WITH SADNESS, BUT WITH RECOGNITION IN THIS MONTH THAT WE ALSO HONOR A PIECE OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY. SO YOU SEE THE PARK HAS MANY STORIES TO TELL AND I CAN'T IMAGINE IN THE BIGGEST CELEBRATION TOMORROW THERE'LL BE PEOPLE COMING FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE, FROM ALL BACKGROUNDS. MAYBE THEY'LL BE NEW TO THE CITY, MAYBE THEY'LL HAVE EONS OF ANCESTORS THAT WALK THESE PRAIRIES, BUT THEY'LL ALL BE THERE TO TELL THEIR STORIES BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT MEMORIAL PARK REPRESENTS. THE STORIES OF ALL OF US, THE BEAUTY OF ALL OF US AND EVERYONE STANDING HERE AND THE CONSERVANCY HAS BROUGHT THIS TO LIFE. I CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT WE WILL IMAGINE WHEN WE SEE ALL THE PEOPLE COMING HERE TELLING THEIR STORIES AND IMAGINING SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU. COUNT US AS MEMBERS OF THE CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION, OF PROVIDING THAT ADDED PUSH AND RESOURCES AS NEEDED, AS THIS BEAUTY CONTINUES TO TAKE ITS PLACE. MAYBE NOT ON THE LIST, BUT IN, UH, POSTURE AND IN SERVICE. THIS IS A NATIONAL PARK, IT'S AN AMERICAN PARK, AND I AM SO GRATEFUL THAT IT'S RIGHT HERE IN HOUSTON, TEXAS. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU, SHELLY. LET ME THANK THE PRESIDENT OF THE MEMORIAL PARK CONSERVANCY. UH, LOVE HAVING HER AS A CONSTITUENT AND THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR THE VISION. WE'RE IN THE GREEN JACKET TELLING OUR STORY AND BEING ABLE TO IMAGINE. IS THAT ALL RIGHT? THAT IS ALL RIGHT. ALL THANK YOU, . THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND WHO DO YOU WANT ME TO ACCEPT? THE ONE FOR? THE MEMORIAL PARK SERVICE. OKAY. UH, THANK YOU. UH, MAY I, MAY I ASK, UH, OUR BOARD CHAIR KERRY PEPE TO COME UP AND COME UP THE ELECTED FOLK? COME ON. COME ON. KINDER. YOU'RE ELECTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD. COME ON UP. COME ON. JUST MOVE UP, MOVE UP, MOVE UP. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS MOVE UP. YEAH. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS MOVE UP BECAUSE YOU GOT ON GREEN, SO I GOTTA STAND BY GREEN. WHERE'S OUR, WE LOVE THE CONSERVATIVES. THANK YOU FOR BEING IN AMERICA'S PARK RIGHT HERE IN HOUSTON, TEXAS. THANK YOU, . I APPRECIATE YOU. YOU THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU CONGRESSWOMAN. THANK YOU SO MUCH. [00:30:01] I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE THOMAS WALTZ. UH, THOMAS. UM, THOMAS HAS, UH, LEADS NELSON BIRD WALTZ AND HAS A VERY, VERY WONDERFUL DEDICATED TEAM OF FOLKS THAT HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH US FOR 10 YEARS NOW. NOT ON THIS PROJECT EXPLICITLY AND ONLY, BUT FOR 10 YEARS WITH A MASTER PLAN. JEFF ATON, KATE TABY, AND A NUMBER OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN, UM, WORKING HARD. I'D LIKE TO ASK THOMAS TO, UH, SAY A FEW WORDS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU THOMAS. JUST GONNA GET THAT UP A LITTLE. BATHROOM. . GOOD MORNING HOUSTON. I AM SO DEEPLY GRATEFUL TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON, TO THE UPTOWN TOURS AND THE MEMORIAL PARK CONSERVANCY FOR HAVING THE VISION TO PUT THE PROFESSION OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AS THE LEAD OF THIS VISIONARY PROJECT. WHAT A DIFFERENCE IT MAKES IN OUR WORLD WHEN WILDLIFE, THE COMPLEXITY OF HUMAN HISTORY, HIKERS, WALKERS, WHEELCHAIRS, AND STROLLERS, DRIVERS AND RUNNERS ARE ALL HELD TOGETHER IN CONSIDERATION WHEN DESIGNING THE KINDER LAND BRIDGE AND THE SYLVIA SVIA AND MELVIN WOLF PRAIRIE. I'M DEEPLY THANKFUL TO OUR CLIENTS, OUR PARTNERS, AND ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS IN HOUSTON FOR HELPING US BRING THIS AMBITIOUS VISION TO LIFE. THIS HAS BEEN THE PROJECT OF A LIFETIME, I HAVE TO SAY. A DEEPLY HEARTFELT THANKS TO THE INCREDIBLE LEADERSHIP AT NELSON BIRD WALTZ, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS OF JEFF ATON, ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL OF THE FIRM, AND KATE TABY, ASSOCIATE OF NBW, CHRISTIAN, CHRISTIAN CHUA, JEREMY JORDAN, BRAD ODOM, TIM POPPA, AND HIS WHOLE COMMUNICATIONS TEAM. THIS IS MY FAMILY IN MY OFFICE. AND WITHOUT THEM, THIS PROJECT WOULD NOT EXIST. PEOPLE HAVE CALLED THIS PROJECT THE TRIUMPH OF GREEN OVER GRAY PARK, OVER ASPHALT. THIS MEANS UPLIFTING AND IMPROVING THE EXPERIENCE OF EVERY USER, NOT ONE OVER THE OTHER. IN A RECENT CONVERSATION WITH DIANE COHEN, A HOUSTON JOURNALIST, UH, SHE SUMMED IT UP PERFECTLY WHEN SHE SAID, THOMAS, EVERY USER, HUMAN OR ANIMAL DRIVER OR RUNNER WILL THINK THIS WAS DESIGNED JUST FOR THEM, . AND I THOUGHT, HALLELUJAH, THAT'S SUCCESS. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT VERY CLEVER, UH, SUMMATION OF THIS PROJECT. TODAY WE STAND NEARLY 40 FEET IN THE AIR ON SOIL THAT CAME FROM THE PARK THAT IS TENDED BY THE PARK FOLKS WHO, WHO STEWARDED THIS PLACE. THE EMILY CLAY FAMILY SCRAMBLE THAT WAS MADE OF THE QUARRIED HIGHWAY THAT USED TO BE BENEATH US. UM, WHICH I HAVE TO SAY IT A LOT BETTER THAN GOING TO THE LANDFILL. UM, IT WAS A REALLY EXCITING WAY TO CELEBRATE THIS PIECE OF HIGHWAY AND BRING IT INTO THE PARK AND BRING JOY TO MANY, MANY PEOPLE. THE PLANTS ARE INDIGENOUS TO THE GULF COAST PRAIRIE AND THE FOREST ECOSYSTEMS, ALL OF WHICH WERE SOURCED FROM NEARBY WILD PLACES. IN OTHER WORDS, THIS PARK GREW FROM THE PARK AND FROM THE COMMUNITY ITSELF. IN SO MANY SENSES OF THE WORD, THE KINDER LAND BRIDGE AND THE C AND MELVIN WOLF PRAIRIE BELONGED TO MEMORIAL PARK, TO HOUSTON, AND ITS MANY DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. SPEAKING OF COMMUNITY, FOR ME, THE PRIMARY GOAL OF THIS PROJECT WAS TO CREATE COMMUNITY THROUGH DESIGN. IT IS AN INTENT OF DESIGN. CREATE THE COMMUNITY THAT WE CAN ALL ENJOY TOGETHER HERE, THE GATHERING SPACES ATOP EACH MOUND, THE EASTERN MOUND AND THE WESTERN MOUND WHERE WE STARE TO STAND TODAY, OFFER NEVER BEFORE SEEN VIEWS OF UPTOWN AND DOWNTOWN. WE STAND IN THE CENTER OF OUR CITY. THESE GIANT BENCHES THAT SURROUND THESE GATHERING SPACES INVITE STRANGERS TO SPEND TIME TOGETHER IN THEIR COMMUNITY AND TO COME TO KNOW ONE ANOTHER. EVEN THE MARKERS THAT SURROUND [00:35:01] THE MOUND. THESE TALL POSTS WERE ENVISIONED BY OUR TEAM TO MARK THE SUNRISE OF THE SOLSTICE AND THE EQUINOX, THEREBY CONNECTING US AS A HUMAN COMMUNITY TO THE MOVEMENTS OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM COMMUNITY AT THE MOST MAGNIFICENT AND GIANT SCALE IMAGINABLE. IT'S ALL ABOUT CONNECTIONS AND KNOWING A PLACE BECAUSE WHEN WE KNOW A PLACE, WE WILL COME TO LOVE A PLACE. AND WHEN WE LOVE A PLACE, WE WILL TEND IT. PLEASE HELP MEMORIAL PARK CONSERVANCY TAKE CARE OF THIS PLACE FOR ALL THE GENERATIONS TO COME IN HOUSTON, THIS PLACE AND THE PEOPLE WHO TEND IT MEAN THE WORLD TO ME. THIS IS MY LOVE LETTER TO HOUSTON. THANK YOU. I LOVE YOU. WE ARE VERY, VERY LUCKY TO HAVE THOMAS AND HIS TEAM AND JEFF AND KATE ON THIS PROJECT. YOU KNOW, HOUSTON, THIS PARK IS ONE OF OVER 370 CITY PARKS THAT THE CITY OF HOUSTON, UM, OWNS THAT YOU THE CITIZENS. AND I'D LIKE TO INVITE KENNETH ALLEN AND THE HAR DIRECTOR, KENNETH ALLEN, AND THE WONDERFUL HAR TEAM UP JUST TO SAY THANK YOU. UM, THAT'S A HARD JOB TENDING TO 370 PLUS PARKS AND KENNETH ALLEN, UH, AND HIS TEAM DO A FABULOUS JOB AT THIS. AND SO I JUST WANTED TO PERSONALLY THANK HIM AND THANK THE PARTNERS THERE. I ALSO WANTED TO THANK OUR BOARD, OUR MEMORIAL PARK CONSERVANCY BOARD. PLEASE RAISE YOUR HANDS, PLEASE WAIVE, UH, IF YOU'RE FORMER OR CURRENT. UM, CARRIE PEPE AND THEN STEVE JENKINS, OUR FORMER CHAIR. UM, JOHN GARIBALDI IS OUR CURRENT, UH, PROJECTS LEAD WHO HAS MANAGED THIS PROJECT. THANK YOU. AND OUR MEMORIAL PARK STAFF, RANDY OAY, WHO HAS LED THIS EFFORT. AND THE, YEAH, GIVE RANDY A HAND PLEASE. UH, I GET A LOT OF THE CREDIT FOR THE WORK RANDY DOES. UM, AND THEN I WANTED TO CALL OUT ANDY ICKEN. ANDY ICKEN IS RESPONSIBLE FOR SO MANY GOOD WORKS IN HOUSTON. ANDY ICKEN WORKS THE DEALS AND WORKS THE MAGIC TO MAKE THESE HAPPEN. AND SO WITHOUT ANDY, SO MANY PROJECTS WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED. AND SO THANK YOU TO ANDY ICKEN. AND THEN LASTLY, I WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU TO OUR FAMILIES AND OUR LOVED ONES, MY FAMILY, MY LOVED ONES THAT ARE HERE TODAY. UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU ALL FOR TELLING OUR STORIES. THAT'S WHAT YOU DO IS TELL OUR STORIES. AND SO THANK YOU FOR THE COVERAGE TODAY. NOW WE'LL PROCEED TO THE RIBBON CUTTING. THREE, TWO. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.