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I'M ROBERT GALLEGOS, CHAIR OF THE COMMITTEE.[Quality of Life Committee]
IT'S NOW 2 0 5 AND I'M PLEASED TO CALL TODAY'S MEETING TO ORDER.LET ME START BY RECOGNIZING MY COLLEAGUES JOINING US TODAY.
WE HAVE, UH, ON ONLINE COUNCIL MEMBER AMY PECK.
WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER CAROLYN EVANS SHABAZZ, AND WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER DAVID ROBINSON.
WE HAVE A COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, MARY NAN HUFFMAN.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US HERE IN THE CHAMBER.
WE HAVE STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER CARLOS CISNEROS, STAFF FROM VICE MAYOR PRO, TIM CASTEX, TATUM, STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER MICHAEL KOSH, AND STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER LETITIA PLUMMER, AS WELL AS COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCORN.
THANK YOU STAFF FOR BEING HERE TODAY.
AND IF I MISS MISSED ANYONE, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
A REMINDER FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS, PLEASE HOLD YOUR QUESTIONS UNTIL THE END OF EACH PRESENTATION.
WHEN YOU'RE RECOGNIZED, REMEMBER TO UNMUTE YOUR MICROPHONE.
I WILL LET YOU KNOW WHEN YOUR THREE MINUTES FOR QUESTIONS HAS ENDED.
NOW SWITCHING TO THE MEDIA MEETING AGENDA TODAY, THE COMMITTEE WILL RECEIVE AN UPDATE ON THE MOORE SPACE MAIN STREET PROGRAM FOR THE CITY'S CHIEF TRANSPORTATION PLANNER, DAVID FIELDS.
AS MY COLLEAGUES MAY KNOW, THIS PROGRAM, WHICH ALLOWED RESTAURANTS AND BARS THAT WENT THROUGH A PERMITTING PROCESS TO SET UP OUTDOOR PATIOS ON SEVEN BLOCKS OF CLOSED ROADWAY, HAS BEEN MET WITH EXCITEMENT AND SUPPORT FROM THE BUSINESS COMPUTE COMMUNITY RESIDENTS AND VISITORS.
SO NOW LET ME TURN IT OVER TO OUR PRESENTER, MR. FIELDS, TO TALK ABOUT WHAT'S BEEN DONE AND WHAT'S BEING PROPOSED.
IF YOU'LL PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF FOR THE RECORD AS WELL AS ANY MEMBERS OF YOUR TEAM THAT ARE JOINING YOU TODAY.
CHAIRMAN, UH, MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL AND STAFF.
I'M THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S CHIEF TRANSPORTATION PLANNER.
ORIGINALLY, UH, LONNIE HOBO FROM THE DOWNTOWN DISTRICT WAS GOING TO JOIN ME.
HE'S UNAVAILABLE, SO I WILL BE GIVING THE FULL PRESENTATION.
AND AS YOU MENTIONED, UH, THIS WILL BE AN UPDATE ON THE CITY'S MORE SPACE MAIN STREET PROGRAM.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, TO BRING, UH, EVERYBODY TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE UP TO SPEED AND REMIND THEM WHERE WE'VE BEEN.
UH, THIS PROGRAM STARTED A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO WITH THE IDEA BEING, UH, THAT, ESPECIALLY DURING COVID, WE WANTED TO GIVE, UH, DOWNTOWN RESTAURANTS AND BARS THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE OUTSIDE MORE, TO EXPAND THEIR CAPACITY, UM, IN RIGHT AWAY, THAT WAS NOT BEING USED FOR A TRANSPORTATION PURPOSE.
MAIN STREET, THE SEVEN BLOCKS, UM, FROM THE PLAZA NORTH ISN'T A CONTINUOUS STREET.
THERE ARE LOTS OF BREAKS IN IT.
UM, NOBODY CAN GO STRAIGHT THROUGH ANYWAY.
UH, SO IT IS MOSTLY USED FOR LOCAL COMMERCIAL ACCESS ANYWAY.
UM, SO FROM COMMERCE TO RUSK, THE SIDEWALK ALWAYS MAINTAINED FOR WALKING AND FOR AMERICAN WITH DISABILITIES ACT ACCESS.
UM, THE IDEA WAS TO WORK ON A DESIGN THAT WOULD, FOR A SHORT TERM, A COUPLE OF YEARS, ALLOW THESE BUSINESSES TO SET UP TABLES AND SEATING IN THE ROADWAY SPACE.
THIS WAS ORIGINALLY APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL FOR THE NOVEMBER, 2020 TO MARCH, 2022 TIMEFRAME.
WE CAME BACK ABOUT A YEAR AGO.
YOU ALL EXTENDED IT, UH, TO MARCH, 2023.
AND REALLY THE KEYS OF THESE, OF THE PROGRAM, THE GOALS WERE PRIMARILY TO SUPPORT THE DOWNTOWN BUSINESSES IN ACTIVITY, UH, FOR THEIR ECONOMICS TO ALSO BRING MORE EYES TO THE STREET, WHICH IS SOMETHING WE HEAR ABOUT DOWNTOWN AND MAIN STREET ALL THE TIME.
TO HAVE PEOPLE OUTSIDE, UM, ACTIVE AND TO MAINTAIN THE EMPLOYMENT LEVELS DOWNTOWN BY USING SPACE THAT IS UNDERUTILIZED AS A TRANSPORTATION RESOURCE.
UM, SOME EXAMPLES OF WHAT THE BUSINESSES BUILT WE'RE, UH, VERY PROUD THAT WE WORKED WITH THEM ON THE OVERALL DESIGN GUIDELINES.
UM, AND THAT EACH ONE BUILT OUT A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY.
WE HOPE YOU'VE BEEN OUT TO SAY FINN HALL, WHERE THEY TOOK MORE OF A GREEN SPACE APPROACH, UH, DIFFERENT, UH, DESIGNS, UM, INCLUDING FLYING SAUCER.
UM, SHANE ROY, UH, THEY ALL TOOK A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT APPROACH, BUT IT WAS ALL BASED ON WHAT THE CITY SAID.
YOU CAN DO THIS IN THIS SPACE BECAUSE WE CAN MAKE IT SAFE.
UM, AND WE CAN ACTIVATE THE SPACE.
THE RESULTS HAVE BEEN EXACTLY WHAT WE WERE AIMING FOR.
THE BUSINESSES WERE, UH, VERY APPRECIATIVE.
UH, THEY PUT OUT THOSE TABLES IN SPACE.
THEY REPORTED INCREASES IN REVENUE.
THEY RE UH, REPORTED CUSTOMERS VERY HAPPY AND EMPLOYEES BEING ABLE TO STAY IN THEIR JOBS BECAUSE OF IT.
AND ONE THING THAT WE WEREN'T SURE, UH, WHAT WE WOULD HEAR WAS THAT PEOPLE FELT SAFER BEING OUT ON MAIN STREET BECAUSE THERE WERE MORE PEOPLE
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OUT ON MAIN STREET.WE KNEW THIS IN THEORY, AND THE, THE PROGRAM REALLY PROVED IT.
UM, IF ANYBODY WENT OUT, UH, DURING THE ASTROS, UH, WORLD SERIES RUN, YOU PROBABLY COULDN'T GET INTO THE STADIUM.
BUT THESE SPACES BECAME KIND OF THAT NEXT OPTION FOR PEOPLE WHO WANTED TO BE DOWNTOWN AND FOUND THAT ACTIVITY.
AND THAT HAS, UH, CONTINUED EVEN AFTER, UH, WHEN THERE ARE NO BASEBALL GAMES.
AND ONCE THEY BECAME AWARE OF IT, THEY STARTED USING IT MORE AND MORE.
UH, WE SURVEYED THE BUSINESSES.
ALL OF THEM SAID, UH, THIS WAS EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANTED.
THEY REQUESTED THE CITY EXTEND IT.
UM, AND WE WERE, UH, SPOKE TO THE, THE FEW RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS THAT ARE ALSO THERE TO SAY, WHAT ARE YOUR IMPACTS? HOW HAVE YOU FELT? AND THEY'VE ALSO BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE.
THEY LIKE THE FACT THAT THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE ON MAIN STREET, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY COME HOME IN THE EVENINGS WHEN IT'S DARKER OR EARLY, UM, BECAUSE THEY FEEL SAFE FOR WALKING DOWN THE STREET.
UM, SOME OF THE QUOTES FROM THOSE SURVEYS, YOU'VE SEEN SOME OF THESE BEFORE.
WE'VE ADDED IN WHAT YOU HAVE TOLD US, CITY COUNCIL HAS TOLD US ABOUT, OKAY, THIS WAS A GOOD PILOT PROGRAM.
THIS WAS A GOOD TEMPORARY FUNCTION, BUT CAN WE MAKE THIS PERMANENT? GO AND FIGURE THAT OUT.
UM, SO THAT IS WHAT WE'RE HERE TO TALK ABOUT TODAY.
AND WHAT ARE NEXT STEPS FOR A PERMANENT PROGRAM WOULD BE NEXT, PLEASE.
UM, SO THE CITY METRO DOWNTOWN DISTRICT, WE ARE ALL WORKING TOGETHER.
THE TEMPORARY INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WAS BUILT IN THE FIRST PROGRAM, UH, IT WAS ACKNOWLEDGED ALL ALONG.
THAT WOULDN'T BE A FULL BUILD OUT.
UM, SO DOWNTOWN DISTRICT IS PROCURING CONSULTANT SERVICES FOR PLANNING, DESIGN, AND ENGAGEMENT.
AND ENGAGEMENT IS A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF THAT TO US, UM, ON WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE.
SO THEY'LL WORK WITH US ON THE TECHNICAL SIDE SIDE FOR SPECIFICATIONS.
UM, WE'LL WORK WITH ALL THE DIFFERENT MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY, UM, WITH THE IDEA BEING THAT THESE WILL BECOME A PERMANENT CLOSURE OF THESE BLOCKS OF MAIN STREET AND A PERMANENT INSTALLATION OF BUSINESSES OUT IN THAT SPACE.
UM, WE WILL WORK WITH ALL THE RELEV CITY DEPARTMENTS THAT JUST LIKE WE DID THE FIRST TIME AROUND PLANNING PUBLIC WORKS, FIRE, POLICE, UM, LEGAL, UH, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY WHO IS ON THAT.
UM, BUT THERE'LL BE A MUCH MORE PUBLIC PROCESS IF WE'RE GONNA MAKE THIS, UH, PERMANENT.
UM, I'M NOT GONNA READ EVERY LINE ON THE SCHEDULE, BUT THIS IS THE DOWNTOWN DISTRICT'S PROCUREMENT SCHEDULE FOR HIRING A CONSULTANT TO DO THIS WORK.
WE ARE RIGHT NOW, UH, THEY, UH, THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS IS UNDERWAY.
PROJECT STARTUP IS GONNA BE VERY SOON.
UM, AND WE HOPE TO GET, UH, TO PERMITTING AND ACTUALLY, UH, THE BEGINNING OF CONSTRUCTION BY THE END OF 2024.
SO ABOUT, I THINK IT'S EIGHT MONTHS TO GET TO THE DESIGN.
UH, EIGHT, NINE MONTHS TO GET TO THE DESIGN.
AND THEN THE NEXT YEAR FOR, UH, THE FULL, UH, CONSULTANT, I'M SORRY, THE FULL DESIGN AND ENGINEERING.
AND THEN, UH, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY HAD ALL THE INFORMATION FROM THE FIRST PROGRAM.
YOU CAN LOOK FOR THE HISTORY, THE APPLICATION DETAILS, THE BLOCK BY BLOCK SAFETY ANALYSIS WE DID, WHICH IS AVAILABLE TO EVERYBODY AS WELL AS THE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS.
AND WITH THAT, I THINK THAT WAS MY LAST SLIDE.
AND HERE TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.
UM, WE DO HAVE A, UH, QUESTION FROM ON A STAFF FROM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN.
UM, ARE WE LOOKING AT ANY OTHER PARTS OF DOWNTOWN FOR A SIMILAR CONCEPT? UM, WE DEFINITELY WANT TO, WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS GET THIS KIND OF TOOLKIT OF DESIGN ON A PLACE THAT WE'VE DONE THE PILOT, AND WE'RE GONNA LEARN FROM THAT AND SEE HOW WE CAN MAKE THAT PERMANENT.
AND THEN WHEN WE HAVE THAT, WE'LL BE ABLE TO ROLL IT OUT TO OTHER SECTIONS DOWNTOWN ESPECIALLY.
BUT REALLY WE WANT TO START LOOKING CITYWIDE IF, ONCE WE GET THIS UP AND GOING.
UH, ALSO I'D LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE WE HAVE STAFF FROM VICE CHAIR CAYMAN'S OFFICE ONLINE, AND WE HAVE STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER CIRO'S OFFICE, UH, HERE IN THE CHAMBER.
UM, DOESN'T LOOK LIKE WE HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS.
COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON, PLEASE.
HEY, UM, MR. FIELDS, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
I REALLY APPRECIATE THE EXTENSION OF THIS PROGRAM AND THE SUCCESS THAT IT'S BEEN.
SO THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR, UH, VISION AND LEADERSHIP ON IT AND LEAVING IT UP TO THE SH UH, THE RESTAURANT OWNERS, THE CAFES, UM, HAS REALLY PRODUCED KIND OF AN ORGANIC MODEL FOR GROWTH AND DESIGN.
AND JUST WONDERING, YOU KNOW, LET'S SAY IF RESOURCES WEREN'T, UM, A HURDLE ON THIS IS, OR LET'S, LET'S SAY YOU HAD YOUR PREFERENCE ABOUT HOW THE DESIGN WOULD GO, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY ABOUT ESTABLISHING ANY DESIGN STANDARDS FOR
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THE STREETSCAPE? WHETHER IT WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, WITH SOME, UM, SOME PARAMETERS, MAYBE A DESIGN FIRM THAT WOULD BE ABLE TO KIND OF COORDINATE AND OVERSEE SOME OF THE INDIVIDUAL EFFORTS? OR DO YOU LIKE THE WAY IT'S KIND OF COMING OUT IN, LIKE I DESCRIBED KIND OF AN ORGANIC PROCESS? UH, THERE WAS SOMETHING VERY THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION, SIR.UM, THERE WAS SOMETHING VERY VALUABLE ABOUT BEING RESPONSIVE TO THE BLOCKS AND THOSE BUSINESS OWNERS AND BE ABLE TO TALK ONE-ON-ONE WITH THAT ORGANIC, UH, CONVERSATION THAT YOU WERE MENTIONING.
UM, AS WE WERE DEVELOPING THE ORIGINAL DESIGN GUIDELINES, WE SAT DOWN, IT WAS LITERALLY ON A SATURDAY IN STAFF OFFICES AND STARTED LAYING IT OUT AND THEN CAME TO THE RESTAURANTS, UH, AND THE DOWNTOWN DISTRICT AND WENT PIECE BY PIECE.
WE DID THE EXACT SAME THING WITH THE POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENT BECAUSE, UH, AS YOU ALL KNOW, MAIN STREET HAS THE RAIL IN THE MIDDLE OF IT.
WE NEEDED TO MAKE SURE FIRE ACCESS, THE BUILDINGS WERE DIFFERENT.
I THINK THERE WAS A LOT OF VALUE AND TRUST BUILDING IN BEING ABLE TO SPEAK ONE-ON-ONE WITH EACH OF THESE GROUPS AND EVERYBODY BEING ABLE TO HEAR WHAT THEY NEEDED.
UM, SO, UM, I WOULD LEAN TOWARDS, UH, THAT VERY FACE-TO-FACE MODEL, UM, YOU KNOW, MOVING FORWARD.
AND FOLLOW UP QUESTION CHAIR, IF I COULD JUST, UM, YOU KNOW, ASSUMING THAT THIS IS GONNA COME TO COUNCIL IN A POSITIVE LIGHT AND THANKS TO THE CHAIR FOR HIS ADVOCACY WITHIN DISTRICT EYE ON THIS THING, UM, ARE THERE OTHER PARTS OF TOWN WHERE YOU THINK THIS, UH, APPROACH MIGHT HAVE SOME VALUE OR WHERE WE MIGHT OTHERWISE, UH, LOOK TO TRY TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS? UH, WE, WE DEFINITELY WANNA EXPAND THIS ONCE WE GET THE PERMANENT VERSION UP AND GOING, UH, THAT WILL BE PART OF THAT CONVERSATION WHERE WE TALK TO THE BUSINESSES.
THIS IS NOT SOMETHING WE WOULD EVER IMPOSE.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE REALLY WANT, UH, A COMMERCIAL STRIP, UH, YOU KNOW, POSSIBLY A GROUP OF BUSINESSES ALL NEAR EACH OTHER WHO SEE THIS DOWNTOWN AS AN EXAMPLE AND SAY, YEAH, WE WOULD LIKE TO DO THAT.
CAN YOU HELP WORK, WORK WITH US ON THAT? OKAY.
THANKS AGAIN FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UH, DAVID, AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
AND I KNOW THAT, UH, BACK IN THE SUMMER OF 2020, YOU CAME TO MY OFFICE AND, UH, STATED THAT THERE'S THIS, UH, PROJECT THAT YOU WERE LOOKING AT AND TO SEE IF, UH, YOU KNOW, IF, IF, IF I COULD GET, YOU COULD GET MY SUPPORT.
UH, AND OF COURSE THIS WAS DURING COVID, UH, WHEN RESTAURANTS AND BARS ALL OVER THE CITY AND ALL OVER THE COUNTRY WERE BEING IMPACTED.
UH, SO THE MAIN STREET BARS AND RESTAURANTS, OF COURSE, WERE BEING IMPACTED.
SO, UH, GLAD TO SEE THAT WE WERE ABLE TO DO THIS.
GLAD TO SEE THAT IT'S HERE IN THE CHAMBER NOW, UH, COMING BACK, UH, TO DO THIS PERMANENTLY.
UM, SO, UH, WE DON'T HAVE ANY MORE COUNCIL MEMBERS IN THE QUEUE, BUT WE DO HAVE TWO SPEAKERS, UH, THAT HAVE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK.
UM, SEE, WHEN I CALL YOUR NAME, PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND WHO YOU MAY BE REPRESENTING.
ALL PUBLIC SPEAKERS WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES.
UH, THE FIRST SPEAKER IS MARIAN WRIGHT.
SO WHAT I WANNA TALK ABOUT IS PARKING ISSUES WHEN THIS HAPPENS.
OKAY? WHEN YOU TAKE AWAY SPACES THAT PEOPLE WOULD USE FOR PARKING, AND WHEN YOU HAVE THESE EXTRA AREAS, OF COURSE BUSINESSES ARE GONNA BE EXCITED.
IT'S FREE REAL ESTATE, RIGHT? SO IF THEY CAN USE THE PUBLIC STREETS AND THE PARKING LOTS AND EVERYTHING ELSE, THAT'S GREAT FOR THEM.
HOW IS THE CITY GONNA ADDRESS PARKING? MARKET-BASED PARKING IS WHAT WE'VE BEEN HEARING FROM PUBLIC WORKS FOR A LOT OF THE AREAS, WHICH MEANS PUSHING THE CARS INTO THE INNER NEIGHBORHOODS ON MAIN STREET RIGHT THERE.
IT MIGHT NOT BE THAT BIG OF AN ISSUE BECAUSE I HAVEN'T ACTUALLY SEEN IT OR BEEN THERE TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, BUT MR. FIELDS SAID THAT THERE'S NOT A LOT OF RESIDENTIAL HOUSES AROUND THERE, AND THAT'S FINE IN DANDY.
BUT THERE ARE AREAS THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF RESIDENTIALS HOUSES AROUND AREAS, AND PARKING IS BECOMING AN ISSUE.
AND A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T WANT CARS PARKING INSIDE OF THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS.
SO IF Y'ALL ARE GONNA LOOK AT THESE MODELS, IS SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE GONNA MOVE FORWARD TO WITH, CAN Y'ALL PLEASE ADDRESS THE PARKING ISSUES? AND HOW IF YOU DO TAKE AWAY PARKING OR REDUCE THE PARKING REQUIREMENTS FOR BUSINESSES, WHAT IS THAT GONNA DO TO THE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT SURROUND THOSE BUSINESSES? FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU MARIANNE, FOR COMING AND EXPRESSING YOUR CONCERNS.
UH, FUTURE PROJECTS, YES, THEY'LL BE LOOKING AT PARKING AND IF IT IMPACTS, UH, MORE SPACE LOCATIONS THAT WE'RE, WE MAY BE LOOKING AT.
BUT THIS PARTICULAR ONE HERE, IT DOESN'T IMPACT PARKING DUE TO THE FACT THAT IT'S ON MAIN STREET.
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YOU HAVE THE RAIL LINE AND YOU, YOU ONLY HAVE TWO LINES, SINGLE, SINGLE LANES, UH, THAT, THAT ARE GOING NORTH AND SOUTH.UH, SO IT DOESN'T IMPACT 'CAUSE NO ONE CAN PARK THERE EVEN BEFORE WE HAD THIS, UH, BECAUSE IT WAS A SINGLE LANE TRAFFIC.
SO THIS HERE, THIS PROJECT HERE DOES NOT IMPACT PARKING ON THE STREET.
I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT WHEN THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT DOING THESE MODELS, THEY WERE ALSO TALKING ABOUT USING, THEY WERE ALSO TALKING ABOUT USING REDUCING PARKING SPACES FOR BUSINESSES.
NO, THAT'S NOT PART OF WHAT THAT, THAT, THAT'S A DIFFERENT PROGRAM THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS.
WELL, WHEN Y'ALL DO DECIDE TO DO THESE ISSUES, PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THE PARKING AND THE RESIDENTIAL AREAS AROUND IT.
THANK, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
UH, THE NEXT SPEAKER IS BOB SHOAT.
UH, THERE'S NO OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM COUNCIL.
SO THAT CONCLUDES THE PUBLIC COMMENT PORTION OF TODAY'S MEETING.
UH, FOR ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WATCHING, YOU MAY SEND QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BY EMAILING MY OFFICE AT DISTRICT I@HOUSTONTX.GOV.
THAT'S DISTRICT I@HOUSTONTX.GOV.
SEEING NO ADDITIONAL COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS, WE'LL MOVE TO ADJOURN.
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR PARTICIPATING IN TODAY.
UH, THIS MEETING IS NOW ADJOURNED.