[Economic Development Committee]
[00:00:08]
IF I CAN HAVE YOUR ATTENTION WE'RE, IT'S TWO O'CLOCK, WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED.UM, IT IS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29TH, 2023, AND THE TIME IS 2:00 PM I'M VICE MAYOR, PRO TEM.
MARTHA CASTEX TATUM, CHAIR OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE, AND I LIKE TO CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER.
WELCOME TO ALL COMMITTEE AND COUNCIL MEMBERS, STAFF AND GUESTS IN ATTENDANCE TODAY.
UH, JOINING IN VIRTUALLY IS COUNCIL MEMBER KUBOSH, UH, IN THE CHAMBER TODAY WE HAVE STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN'S OFFICE, UH, STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER KNOX'S OFFICE, AND JOINING US VIRTUALLY.
WE HAVE, UH, STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER'S OFFICE, STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD'S OFFICE STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER CIRO'S OFFICE, AND ALSO JOINING US IN THE CHAMBER IS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN.
AND RIGHT ON TIME AS COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCORN AND STAFF ALSO FROM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER DAVE MARTIN'S OFFICE IS JOINING US VIRTUALLY, UH, THE MEETING IS BEING HELD IN HYBRID MODE, IN PERSON AND VIRTUAL, AND WE'LL BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
OFFICER OF THE COMMITTEE WILL PHYSICALLY BE PRESENT IN THE CHAMBER.
UH,
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER AND STAFF HOLD YOUR QUESTIONS UNTIL THE END.
UH, IF THERE ARE ANY PUBLIC SPEAKERS WHO HAVE NOT SIGNED UP TO SPEAK, THERE IS A SIGN IN SHEET OUT FRONT.
UM, WE'D LOVE TO HAVE YOU JOIN UP AND SPEAK IF YOU HAVE ANY, UH, QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR CONCERNS.
UH, FIRST ON OUR AGENDA IS THE OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STAFF ANALYST ANDREW BUSKER, AND HE WILL PRESENT ON A LEAD TAX ABATEMENT PROPO PROPOSAL.
MR. BUSKER, IF YOU WILL PROCEED WITH YOUR PRESENTATION, WE ARE READY FOR YOU NOW.
UM, SO I'M PRESENTING ON A LEAD TAX ABANDONMENT PROPOSAL, UH, WITH THE COMPANY BLACK EXCHANGE, GP SEVEN LLC.
WE COULD MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
UM, SO FIRST I WILL GIVE A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE LEAD TAX ABATEMENT, UH, PROGRAM.
AND THEN AFTER THAT, I WILL INTRODUCE YOU ALL TO THE PROPOSAL.
SO WE'VE MOVED TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
THE CITY'S TAX ABATEMENT PROGRAM MUST BE RENEWED EVERY TWO YEARS.
SO IN MAY, 2022, CITY COUNCIL APPROVED AN ORDINANCE TO EXTEND OUR TAX ABATEMENT PROGRAM THROUGH MAY 19TH, 2024.
ONE OF OUR TAX ABATEMENT OPTIONS IS THE LEAD TAX ABATEMENT.
UH, IT'S CREATED TO BE IN CONCERT WITH THE CITY'S 2020 RESILIENT HOUSTON PLAN.
AND THIS ABATEMENT IS A STANDALONE ABATEMENT DESIGNED TO ENCOURAGE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.
THE US GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL DEVELOPED A CERTIFICATION SYSTEM TO RATE BUILDINGS BASED ON THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT.
UH, THIS ABATEMENT OFFERS DEVELOPERS AND ARCHITECTS A WAY TO OFFSET SOME OF THE COSTS TO CONSTRUCTING A MORE, TO CONSTRUCTING MORE SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS IN HOUSTON.
SO IN DECEMBER, 2020, CITY COUNCIL APPROVED AN AMENDMENT TO CHAPTER 44 OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCE, INCREASING THE ABATEMENT PERCENTAGES FOR LEAD CERTIFIED BUILDINGS.
OUR CURRENT ABATEMENT PERCENTAGES, UM, BASED ON THE PROJECT'S LEAD CERTIFICATION LEVEL, ARE SHOWN ON THE NEXT SLIDE.
AND SO IF WE SEE HERE, UM, THE US GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL HAS FOUR DIFFERENT CATEGORIES FOR CERTIFICATION.
THE BASIC LEAD CERTIFICATION, WE DO NOT OFFER ANY ABATEMENT INCENTIVES FOR, BUT FOR SILVER GOLDEN PLATINUM, WE HAVE A TIERED, UH, ABATEMENT PROGRAM.
SO THIS ABATEMENT IS UNIQUE TO OUR ABATEMENT PROGRAM BECAUSE AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, IT IS A STANDALONE ABATEMENT THAT'S FOCUSED ON ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS.
SO A COMPANY MUST MEET A MINIMUM INVESTMENT AMOUNT TO QUALIFY FOR THIS ABATEMENT.
AND SO FOR CURRENT ORDINANCE, IT'S $3 MILLION.
LIKE ALL TAX ABATEMENTS IN THE CITY, THE LEAD TAX ABATEMENT IS LIMITED TO 10 YEARS AND MAY END SOONER IF THE ABATEMENT VALUE IS REACHED BEFORE THE 10 YEAR MARK.
THE FIRST LEAD ABATEMENT, AS YOU CAN SEE, WE HAVE ONE ACTIVE RIGHT NOW.
UM, AND THAT'S FOR, UH, 1550 LAMAR, ALSO KNOWN AS 1550 ON THE GREEN, WHICH IS NEAR IN COMPLETION.
AND IT'S RIGHT ADJACENT TO, UH, DISCOVERY GREEN.
NOW, THAT PROJECT INCLUDED AN INVESTMENT OF $117 MILLION FOR A NEW LEAD PLATINUM OFFICE TOWER WITH RETAIL AND RESTAURANT SPACE.
SO CITY COUNCIL APPROVED THE 15% TAX ABATEMENT FOR THAT SITE ON DECEMBER 7TH IN 2021.
WE CAN MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
SO THE, UH, PROPOSED LEAD ABATEMENT, UM,
[00:05:01]
IS FOR A NEW OFFICE BUILDING LOCATED AT 97 53 KATY FREEWAY, WHICH IS, UH, NEAR BUNKER HILL ROAD IN DISTRICT G.SO AS WE SEE ON THE MAP, UH, THE SITE WE'RE DISCUSSING IS THE BLUE, UH, PARCEL HERE.
YOU'LL NOTICE THAT IT'S IN THE MEMORIAL CITY AREA, SO IT'S ALSO INCLUDED IN TURNS 17.
SO THE DEVELOPMENT ITSELF, UH, WILL BE A NINE STORY CLASS, A OFFICE SPACE WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF RESTAURANT OR RETAIL ON THE FIRST FLOOR.
THE COMPANY PLANS TO INVEST 45 AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS INTO THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE BUILDING.
THE COMPANY IS ALSO SEEKING A VARIANCE, UH, TO THE TAX ABATEMENT ORDINANCE BECAUSE SECTION 44.131, UH, STATES THAT THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE FACILITY HAS NOT COMMENCED PRIOR TO APPLICA APPLYING FOR THE PROGRAM.
SO HERE THEY STARTED CONSTRUCTION AND THEN APPLIED FOR THE ABATEMENT PROGRAM.
UM, THEY'VE MET OUR, UM, REQUIREMENTS FOR APPLYING TO A VARIANCE.
UM, SO THE, THE BUILDING ITSELF HAS CREATED, THE CONSTRUCTION OF IT ALL HAS CREATED ABOUT 250 CONSTRUCTION JOBS.
AND THEN THERE'LL BE ABOUT 800 OFFICE WORKERS WITH A POTENTIAL OF ADDITIONAL FOR RETAIL AND RESTAURANT WORKERS.
SO OUR ABATEMENT, UM, WE'RE LOOKING AT A 5% ABATEMENT BECAUSE THEY ARE, UM, OBTAINING A LEAD SILVER CERTIFICATION UPON COMPLETION OF THE BUILDING ONCE THE US GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL APPROVES, UM, THEIR WORK.
AND SO THAT WOULD QUALIFY THE 5% ABATEMENT, WHICH THEN WE'RE LOOKING AT A MAXIMUM OF $117,565 AS THE MAXIMUM ABATEMENT OVER 10 YEARS.
THE FIRST YEAR ABATEMENT WE'RE PROJECTING TO BE ABOUT, UH, $9,740, BUT THE AVERAGE ANNUAL WILL BE ABOUT 11,756.
UH, SO THE NEXT SLIDE HERE WILL TAKE US TO OUR PROJECTION.
SO SINCE IT IS ENTER 17, SOME OF THE, UM, REVENUE WILL BE GOING TO THE TURS AT FIRST.
UM, SO WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING AT ABOUT $2.3 MILLION OF AVALOR REVENUE GENERATED OVER THE 10 YEAR TERM.
UM, THE TURS WOULD RECEIVE THE INCREMENT GENERATED FROM THIS DEVELOPMENT UNTIL DECEMBER 31ST, 2029.
THE PROJECTION ESTIMATES THIS AMOUNT TO BE APPROXIMATELY $1.27 MILLION, UH, AS IT CURRENTLY STANDS TO.
17 IS ANTICIPATED TO EXPIRE ON DECEMBER 31ST, 2029.
SO IF THAT OCCURS, THE CITY WOULD THEN RECEIVE THE REMAINING, UM, INCREMENT GENERATED FROM THIS DEVELOPMENT, UH, FOR THE LAST FOUR YEARS OF THE ABATEMENT.
AND SO THAT WOULD BE APPROXIMATELY $1 MILLION.
THEN, UM, THAT IS MORE OR LESS THE, THE END OF MY PRESENTATION, SO I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. BUSKER.
CAN YOU TELL ME WHEN DID THEY START THE CONSTRUCTION? I'M CURIOUS TO KNOW WHY THEY STARTED THE CONSTRUCTION AND THEN APPLIED.
SO WHAT MAKES THIS PROJECT A LITTLE BIT INTERESTING IS THAT THEY STARTED SOME OF THE CONSTRUCTION BEFORE COVID AND THEN HALTED.
AND SO FOR ABOUT TWO YEARS, IT WAS JUST SOME CONCRETE INFRASTRUCTURE AT THE BASE, COUPLE LEVELS.
UM, AND THEN ONCE THINGS STARTED GOING BACK UP FOR THEM, THEY DECIDED TO, UH, APPLY FOR THE ABATEMENT.
COUNCIL MEMBER KAMAN, DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION? YES, THANK YOU.
I GUESS FOLLOWING ON IN THAT LINE OF QUESTIONING, UM, ARE THEY NOW COMING TO THE CITY BECAUSE THEY FOUND THAT THE LEAD TAX PAYMENT PROGRAM WILL HELP THEM, YOU KNOW, ALONG THE WAY IN COMPLETING SOME OF THIS? ARE THEY FINDING THAT AN ATTRACTIVE PART OF THIS? IT IS.
SO THE, UM, THE ABATEMENT COVERS ESSENTIALLY THE COST OF GETTING THE LEAD CERTIFICATION.
SO IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT A DEVELOPER WAS KIND OF PLANNING TO DO ANYWAY, IT'S A, IT'S A GREAT INCENTIVE FOR THAT.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, ALONG THAT LINES, I KNOW YOU MENTIONED, UM, THAT WE HAVE ONE OTHER ACTIVE AGREEMENT, UM, CURRENTLY, DO WE KNOW HOW MANY HAVE BEEN COMPLETED? IT'S, THAT'S THE ONLY ONE THAT YEAH.
AND, UM, I'M GIVING A HEADS UP FOR OUR AIRPORT SYSTEMS 'CAUSE I KNOW WE'RE ABOUT TO TALK ABOUT CONSTRUCTION AS WELL.
BUT, UH, THAT'S ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I'M GONNA BE ASKING IN TERMS OF SUSTAINABLE BUILDING FOR OUR CITY BUILDING.
SO JUST A, JUST A HEADS UP ON THAT.
AND LASTLY, UH, MR. BUSKER, UH, WHILE NOT GERMANE TO THIS PRESENTATION SPECIFICALLY, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT LEAD, BUT ONE OF THE OTHER INCENTIVE PROGRAMS THAT THE CITY HAS IS THE GSI
[00:10:01]
TAX ABATEMENT.TO MY KNOWLEDGE, NO ONE HAS UTILIZED THAT YET.
SO I, UM, CHAIR WOULD RESPECTFULLY ASK FOR AN UPDATE, UM, FROM THE DEPARTMENT IN TERMS OF IF WE'VE HAD APPLICATIONS OR CONVERSATIONS RELATED TO THAT.
YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE HAVE TWO, AND I'M HAPPY TO SEE WE FINALLY HAVE TWO FOR LEAD.
ONE OF THE CHALLENGES PREVIOUSLY BEFORE THE MODIFICATIONS WAS THAT NO ONE WAS TAKING US UP ON LEAD.
SO NOW YOU KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH GSI AND HOW DO WE GET THAT GOING AS WELL AND MAKE THAT MORE ATTRACTIVE.
SO SOMETHING WE HAVE DONE IS WE'VE, UM, INFORMED THE REGIONAL CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE AS WELL AS PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS ABOUT THESE ABATEMENTS.
SO, UH, ARCHITECTS, ENGINEERS, AS WELL AS THE CHAMBERS IN THE AREA HAVE RECEIVED THE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS AND MY CONTACT INFORMATION.
SO IF THEY WOULD LIKE TO PURSUE IT, IT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE ACCESSIBLE TO THEM.
BUT WE WILL BE PROVIDING AN UPDATE DURING OUR, UM, ANNUAL FINANCIAL POLICIES PRESENTATION, WHICH IS USUALLY JULY-ISH.
BUT AGAIN, WANT THOSE UPDATES.
WELL, SINCE SHE BROUGHT IT UP, I'LL, I'LL PIGGYBACK ON THAT AND ON THE, UM, AND, AND GLAD TO SEE THESE, THESE MOVING FORWARD, BUT THE, THE GSI ONE, I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY MAYBE SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE TWEAKED IN THAT PROGRAM, WHETHER IT'S LIMITS OR, OR SOMETHING ELSE BECAUSE, AND I'M, I'M GLAD YOU'RE GETTING THE WORD OUT ABOUT IT, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE WERE REALLY HOPEFUL PEOPLE WOULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT.
AND, AND, UM, SO MAYBE THAT PROGRAM, I'M JUST ALSO CHAIR JUST SAYING IF WE CAN MAYBE, YOU KNOW, BRING THAT THE, THE GREEN STORM WATER INFRASTRUCTURE INCENTIVES, MAYBE HAVE A MORE THOROUGH DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT.
AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S BEEN A FEW YEARS NOW AND WE HAVEN'T, HAVEN'T GOTTEN ANY DONE.
SO PUTTING MY REQUEST INTO THANKS.
UH, NEXT ON OUR THANK YOU MR. BUSKER, WE APPRECIATE IT.
NEXT ON OUR AGENDA, THE HOUSTON AIRPORTS COUNCIL MEMBER.
I THOUGHT THERE MIGHT BE A QUESTION ON THE TARA'S EXTENSION IN QUESTION OF THAT AS WE SHOWED.
YOU KNOW WHAT, I WROTE THAT DOWN AND SEE, I WAS READING YOUR MIND.
I WAS GOING TO ASK, UM, IF THE TURS IS GOING TO EXPIRE IN 2029, WILL THEY ACTUALLY APPLY FOR, SEE, I SEE.
I THOUGHT SALLY WOULD BE THE ONE WHO ASKED THE QUESTION.
I, AND I WROTE IT DOWN
WE, AS WE COMMITTED TO COUNCIL LAST FALL IN DECEMBER, UH, OF REVISING TOURS, GUIDELINES, THERE'S ACTUALLY A VERY ACTIVE, VERY COMPREHENSIVE DOCUMENT CIRCULATING AMONG LEGAL AND EVERYBODY ELSE WE EXPECT IN THE MONTH OF APRIL TO COME BACK WITH GUIDELINES AND ISSUES ON T EXTENSIONS TOUR ANNEXATIONS.
WE'RE PREPARED TO FINISH UP, FINISH THAT DOCUMENT VERY SHORTLY AND GET IT TO THE MAYOR.
SO I JUST DIDN'T WANNA LEAVE THAT QUESTION HANGING.
I SURE APPRECIATE YOU ADDING THAT IN, BECAUSE I WOULD'VE HAD TO CALL YOU AFTER THE MEETING AND SAY, I FORGOT TO ASK
OKAY, WE'LL MOVE, UH, ON TO OUR NEXT PRESENTATION BY THE HOUSTON AIRPORT SYSTEM DIRECTOR, MARIO DIAZ AND JONATHAN MASSEY, PRINCIPAL AVIATION SECTOR LEADER AT CORGAN.
UH, THEY WILL PRESENT ON THE WILLIAM P HOBBY AIRPORT EXPANSION PROJECT CHAIR.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING US THIS AFTERNOON.
GO AHEAD AND TURN YOUR MIC ON THERE.
WE HAVE TWO OBJECTIVES THIS AFTERNOON.
FIRST IS A CONTINUATION, PERHAPS, OF THE DISCUSSION PRESENTATION THAT WE MADE THIS MORNING ON THE ARTS PROGRAM.
UH, WE WANNA TAKE YOU THROUGH A MORE IN DEPTH, UH, REVIEW AND UNDERSTANDING OF OUR ARTS PROGRAM AND WHY WE BELIEVE THAT WE WERE ABLE TO WIN OVER SOME PRETTY STIFF COMPETITION.
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT DOA, QATAR AND MUMBAI NEAR BEAUTIFUL TERMINAL THREE, UM, AND IT IS THAT WE HAVE A COMPOUND PROGRAM.
WE WANT, WE WANNA SHOW SHARE WITH YOU THE ELEMENTS OF THAT, THAT COMPOUND PROGRAM, THE VISUAL ARTS AND THE PERFORMING ARTS PARTS OF IT.
AND THEN AS A, AS A, THE SECOND PART OR THE SECOND OBJECTIVE IS TO WALK YOU THROUGH THE STATUS OF A PROJECT THAT YOU MAY RECALL.
WE CAME TO YOU IN MARCH OF 2022 WITH A MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT WITH SOUTHWEST AIRLINES TO DO TWO THINGS.
NUMBER ONE, UM, TO FUND $20 MILLION FOR SOUTHWEST TO, UM, DO THE DESIGN OR START THE DESIGN, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, COMPLETE THE PLANNING ON WHAT'S CALLED A PROJECT DEFINITION MANUAL THAT TAKES A CONCEPT AND MAKES IT CLEAR ON PAPER, UM, WHAT IS THAT, UM, WOULD BE, UH, THE RESULT OF THE CONSTRUCTION OR THE INVESTMENT THAT THE CITY WOULD BE MAKING, UM, IN THIS PROJECT ALONG WITH SOUTHWEST THAT HAS BEEN DONE.
UM, AND WHAT WE WANNA DO IS TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO WALK YOU
[00:15:01]
THROUGH THE ELEMENTS OF THAT PROJECT AND, UM, ALL OF THE COMPONENTS, UM, TO THIS AFTERNOON TO, UH, UM, WALK THAT THROUGH WITH YOU.FIRST WE'RE GONNA START WITH, UM, THE SOUTHWEST CORGAN, UM, PRESENTATION ON WHERE WE ARE WITH THE SEVEN GATE EXPANSION OF HOBBY.
AND, AND JIM CNA, OUR CHIEF OP CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, WILL, UM, BE LEADING THAT DISCUSSION.
AND THEN FOLLOWING THAT PRESENTATION, I'M GONNA ASK LEON RAMBO, CHIEF TERMINAL MANAGEMENT, AS WE DID THIS MORNING, TO TAKE OVER AND WALK US THROUGH AND BRING FORWARD THE PRESENTATIONS, THE THE TWO PRESENTATIONS, ONE ON THE VISUAL ARTS, AND ONE ON THE PERFORMING ARTS.
AND THEN WE CAN HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT THOSE.
SO WITH THAT, JIM, ALRIGHT, SO VICE MAYOR PRO TEMP CASS TATUM, AND COUNCIL MEMBER, IT WAS VERY NICE TO, UH, TO BE BE HERE WITH YOU TODAY, UM, BECAUSE IT IS AN EXCITING DAY FOR US, BECAUSE WHAT WE'RE GONNA BRIEF YOU ON IS, IS REALLY A PIECE OF OUR MISSION, RIGHT? SO IF OUR MISSION AT THE AIRPORT SYSTEM IS TO CONNECT THE PEOPLE, BUSINESS, CULTURES, AND ECONOMIES OF THE WORLD WITH HOUSTON, UM, THIS IS A PART OF HOW WE'RE ACHIEVING OUR MISSION.
AND SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE ECONOMY THAT WE'RE, WE'RE SUPPORTING HERE IN HOUSTON, THE AIRPORT SYSTEM IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ABOUT $36.4 BILLION IN ANNUAL ECONOMIC ACTIVITY TO THE CITY.
UM, AND IT'S ABOUT 190,000 JOBS.
UM, SO THESE ARE, YOU KNOW, POWERFUL ECONOMIC ENGINES THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DEVELOP HERE AT THIS AIRPORT, UM, SYSTEM.
AND WE, WE ARE, YOU KNOW, ADVANCING THAT MISSION.
UM, FOR THE HOBBY AIRPORT ITSELF, IT SERVES 83 DESTINATIONS.
SO, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE THAT ABILITY TO GET ON THOSE FLIGHTS AND GO WHERE YOU NEED TO GO BOTH INTERNATIONALLY AND DOMESTICALLY.
UM, LAST YEAR WE SAW ABOUT 13 MILLION PASSENGERS PASS THROUGH THAT AIRPORT.
UM, IT WAS ABOUT A 16% INCREASE VERSUS THE PREVIOUS YEAR.
UM, SO WE'VE GOT THIS WORLD CLASS AIRPORT SYSTEM, RIGHT, WHICH IS A FIVE STAR AIRPORT, BEST REGIONAL AIRPORT.
WE GOT OUR MOST ENJOYABLE AIRPORT ACCOLADES THAT WE TALKED ABOUT THIS MORNING.
AND WITH THAT, IT'S PRETTY EASY TO KIND OF DO TO BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT HERE BECAUSE WE'RE ALSO IN A WORLD CLASS CITY OF HOUSTON.
AND SO WE'VE GOT THIS GROWING DEMAND AS WE LOOK FORWARD, UM, TO BE ABLE TO, TO GET MORE PASSENGERS THROUGH THIS AIRPORT AND GROW THE SYSTEM SO THAT WE CONTINUE TO ADD TO THE, THE ECONOMY HERE.
AND SO PART OF THAT IS WORKING WITH PARTNERS, UM, AND AIRLINES LIKE SOUTHWEST AIRLINES, UM, TO, TO MEET THE NEEDS.
AND SO WHAT I WANT TO DO IS RECOGNIZE, UM, SHERRY HULL AND JUSTIN DEHE FROM SOUTHWEST AIRLINES THAT ARE HERE TODAY.
UM, AND WHAT I'M GONNA DO IS I WANNA TURN IT OVER TO, UH, JONATHAN MASSEY FROM CORRIGAN, WHO IS THEIR REPRESENTATIVE, UH, TO DISCUSS, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, THAT INITIAL 20 MINUTE MILLION DOLLAR INVESTMENT WHERE WE'VE TAKEN THAT TO RIGHT NOW.
UM, SO WE CAN GET NOW WE'LL SEE A REAL FLAVOR OF WHAT'S GONNA COME FORWARD FOR US.
SO AGAIN, WANNA MAKE THAT FIVE STAR AIRPORT EVEN BETTER.
UM, IT'S GREAT TO BE HERE THIS AFTERNOON TALKING ABOUT THIS EXCITING PROJECT.
UM, WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO IS GIVE YOU AN OVERVIEW OF EVERY COMPONENT OF THE PROJECT AT A HIGH LEVEL, UH, TO GIVE YOU A FLAVOR OF EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING TO, UH, TAKE PLACE NEXT.
SO WE ARE, UH, FOCUSED ON, UH, EXPANDING THE WEST CONCOURSE, ADDING THOSE SEVEN NEW GATES.
BUT IN ORDER TO DO THAT, WE'RE ACTUALLY TOUCHING THREE DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE FACILITY.
SO ON THE BOTTOM LEFT, YOU'LL SEE THE ACTUAL CONCOURSE EXTENSION ITSELF, UM, EXTENDING ONTO THE EXISTING CONCOURSE, WHICH WE BUILT, UH, UH, JUST A WHILE AGO.
THE AREA IN GREEN, IN THE CENTER IS THE BAGGAGE CLAIM AREA, AND WE HAVE IMPROVEMENTS TO MAKE THERE BECAUSE IT HAS SOME, SOME CHALLENGES FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE, WHO HAVE FLOWN THROUGH THERE.
IT'S QUITE A, A SMALL SPACE, AND AS WE ADD CAPACITY, IT NEEDS TO EXPAND THEN TO THE RIGHT IN THE BLUE AREA IS THE OUTBOUND BAGGAGE SYSTEM.
SO WE NEED TO ADD MORE CAPACITY TO OUR ABILITY TO SCREEN BAGS AS THEY GO TO THE AIRCRAFT.
SO THOSE ARE THE THREE MAJOR COMPONENTS FOR THE PROJECT.
AND THEN I'M NEXT, GONNA WALK THROUGH EACH ONE NEXT.
SO THE WEST CONCOURSE ITSELF, IF YOU LOOK AT THAT DARK BLACK LINE, THE AREA TO THE RIGHT IS THE EXISTING CONCOURSE THAT IS THERE TODAY.
UM, IT HAS, IT SERVES FIVE GATES.
UM, AND THOSE GATES ARE, UM, WHAT WE CALL INTERNATIONAL CAPABLE.
THEY CAN EITHER BE DOMESTIC ARRIVALS OR THEY CAN BE INTERNATIONAL ARRIVALS.
WE'RE GOING TO ADD SEVEN GATES TO THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF THAT LINE.
WE'RE ALSO GOING TO ADD TWO MORE INTERNATIONAL CAPABLE GATES.
SO THE GATES ON THE, THE TOP OF THAT DRAWING THAT ARE YELLOW, THOSE
[00:20:01]
AIRCRAFT ARE GOING TO BE CAPABLE OF BEING INTERNATIONAL ARRIVALS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES.SO IN ADDITION TO THE SEVEN GATES, WE DO HAVE A POTENTIAL FOR TWO FUTURE GATES, WHICH ARE SHOWN IN THE DASHED OUTLINES ON THE END OF THE BUILDING.
UH, THOSE WON'T BE ACTIVATED INITIALLY, BUT THERE IS THE CAPABILITY TO ADD THOSE IN THE FUTURE IF DEMAND REQUIRES.
ANOTHER THING I WOULD POINT OUT IS WE HAVE WIDENED THE CONCOURSE AT THIS END.
SO UNLIKE THE EXISTING CONCOURSE OR WHAT YOU SEE IN THE CURRENT CONCOURSE, IT'LL ACTUALLY BE QUITE SPACIOUS AT THE END, AND WE'LL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR MORE AMENITIES, MORE SPACE, AND LESS CONGESTION THAN WHAT WE HAVE TODAY.
NEXT, THIS IS AN EXTERIOR VIEW, LOOKING AT THAT CONCOURSE, AND IT WILL MATCH THE EXISTING ARCHITECTURE THAT WE HAVE TODAY ON THE WEST CONCOURSE.
UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANTED TO ACCOMPLISH AS THE ARCHITECTS FOR THIS IS TO MAKE IT FEEL LIKE IT WAS ALREADY THERE AND BELONGS AS PART OF THAT BUILDING AND DOESN'T LOOK LIKE, UH, IT WAS AT AN AFTERTHOUGHT.
SO, UH, QUITE A SIMPLE, UH, ELEGANT AND STRAIGHTFORWARD DESIGN.
NEXT, THIS IS A SHOT OF THE INTERIOR.
AND YOU CAN SEE HERE IN THREE DIMENSIONS THE, THAT, UH, WIDENED CONCOURSE END THAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT BEFORE.
SO WITH THAT WIDENED END, WE'LL HAVE MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR, FOR CONCESSIONS, AMENITIES, UH, OTHER TYPES OF, UH, WAYS FOR PASSENGERS TO SPEND THEIR TIME, ENTERTAIN THEIR KIDS, AND, AND REALLY, UH, HAVE A MUCH MORE RELAXED EXPERIENCE.
SO I'M GONNA JUMP TO THE SECOND PROJECT, WHICH IS THE ONE I SHOWED YOU IN GREEN AT THE BEGINNING.
AND THAT IS THE BAGGAGE CLAIM.
SO THIS IS A PLAN OF THE BAGGAGE CLAIM AREA AND WHAT IT WILL LOOK LIKE AFTER WE COMPLETE THE PROJECT.
SO THE PROJECT WILL NOT ONLY REPLACE THE BAG CLAIM UNITS TO ADD MORE CAPACITY, SO WE HAVE, UH, MORE SPACE FOR BAGS AS WE HAVE MORE PEOPLE AND MORE, MORE ACTIVITY AT THE AIRPORT.
WE'VE ALSO TAKEN GREAT CARE TO REDO THE FLOW INTO THE BAGGAGE CLAIM HALL TO REDUCE CONGESTION, REDUCE CONFUSION, UH, AND MAKE IT AN OVERALL IMPROVED PASSENGER EXPERIENCE.
WE'RE ALSO ADDING A LITTLE MORE, UH, AMENITIES INTO THE SPACE, REDOING THE TOILETS, SO IT'S A COMPLETE REFRESH OF THAT ENTIRE BAGGAGE CLAIM AREA.
WE'RE ALSO DOING SOME WORK BEHIND THE WALL ON, UH, IN THE AREAS WHERE YOU'LL SEE THE BLUE ARROWS AT THE BOTTOM.
UM, I'M NOT GOING INTO THAT IN DETAIL, BUT SOME IMPROVEMENTS TO LET US BRING BAGS INTO THE BAGGAGE CLAIM HALL QUICKER, WHICH WILL ALLOW PASSENGERS, UH, TO NOT NEED TO WAIT AS LONG FOR THEIR BAGS.
NEXT, THIS IS AN IMAGE OF THE, UM, THE, UH, NEW SPACE.
ONCE IT'S COMPLETE, UH, AGAIN, ALL OF THE FINISHES IN THE SPACE WILL, WE REPLACED THE BAGGAGE CLAIM UNITS THEMSELVES.
ALL OF THE, THE LIGHTING, ALL OF THE SIGNAGE, UH, AND ALL WILL BE OPTIMIZED TO MAKE THE SPACE FEEL AS BIG AND, UH, GENEROUS AS POSSIBLE.
NEXT WE DO HAVE AN OPTIONAL DESIGN, WHICH WE'RE, WE ARE STILL EXPLORING, WHICH IS IN THAT SAME BAGGAGE CLAIM SPACE TO ACTUALLY RAISE THE ROOF AND RAISE THE CEILING.
UM, SO IN THIS IMAGE YOU'LL SEE WE'VE CANTED THE CEILING, WHICH ALLOWS US TO BRING IN WINDOWS AND NATURAL LIGHT AT THE TOP OF THAT IMAGE.
UH, WE BELIEVE IF WE'RE ABLE TO, TO IMPLEMENT THIS OPTION, IT WOULD FURTHER IMPROVE PASSENGER EXPERIENCE BECAUSE IT WOULD BRING IN NATURAL DAYLIGHT, WHICH ALWAYS, UH, IS A POSITIVE, UM, AND, AND, UH, SOOTHING TO PASSENGERS, UH, AND WILL OVERALL, UH, IMPROVE THE FEELING OF THE SPACE.
SO WE'RE STILL EXPLORING THIS AS AN OPTION NEXT.
SO IF YOU'LL FOCUS FOR A MOMENT ON THE IMAGE ON
[00:25:01]
THE LEFT, THAT CANTED ROOF, UM, THAT IS THE NEW ROOF OVER THE BAGGAGE CLAIM.IF WE TAKE THAT OPTION, AND ALONG THE SIDES OF THAT CANTED ROOF WILL BE THE WINDOWS THAT TAKE LIGHT DOWN INTO THAT BAGGAGE CLAIM.
UM, I'D ALSO LIKE TO POINT OUT AN, AN ADDITIONAL OPTION WE'RE LOOKING AT, WHICH IS A NEW CANOPY TO GO FROM THE GARAGE TO THE TERMINAL.
CAN, CAN YOU HANG ON ONE SECOND? I WANNA MAKE SURE COUNCIL MEMBER KUBOSH IS ON THE LINE.
CAN YOU REPEAT THAT JUST TO MAKE SURE HE GOT THIS? YEAH, YEAH.
UH, SO WE'RE EXPLORING SOME EXCITING IDEAS AROUND REPLACING THE CANOPY THAT WAS UNFORTUNATELY LOST YEARS AGO.
UM, AND PUTTING IN A NEW CANOPY THAT GOES FROM THE GARAGE TO THE TERMINAL OVER THE BEAUTIFUL, UH, BLUE PLAIN STATUE IN THE CENTER OF THE SPACE.
UH, AND IS FLANKED POTENTIALLY BY THIS NEW ROOF FORM OVER THE BAGGAGE CLAIM, CREATING A VERY, AND, UH, AS WELL, UH, INSTALLING NEW LANDSCAPING INTO THOSE AREAS, UH, THAT ARE, UH, BARREN TODAY TO CREATE A VERY NICE PLAZA, UH, EXTERIOR EXPERIENCE.
SHOULD I PLAY THAT UP SOME MORE OR WAS THAT, WAS THAT, WAS THAT GOOD? YOU'RE DOING GREAT.
THE, THE THIRD AND FINAL COMPONENT OF THE PROJECT, UH, WHICH IS, IS, UH, MUCH MORE TECHNICAL IN AN AREA THE PUBLIC WILL NOT SEE, UM, IS THE OUTBOUND BAGGAGE SYSTEM.
SO SINCE WE WILL BE ADDING GATES AND MORE PEOPLE WILL BE GOING THROUGH THE TERMINAL, WE NEED TO ADD CAPACITY TO THE OUTBOUND BAGGAGE SYSTEM.
AND THAT INCLUDES, UH, THE SCREENING SYSTEM, UH, THAT THE TSA, UH, OPERATES AND MANDATES THAT EVERY AIRPORT HAVE.
SO, UH, IF IN THE OLIVE GREEN BOX ON THE TOP THERE, THAT IS THE NEW SCREENING AREA, IT WILL BE A NEW BUILDING THAT'S ADJACENT TO THE, THE BRIDGE THAT GOES FROM SECURITY CHECKPOINT OUT TO THE CONCOURSE TODAY, WHICH YOU'LL SEE IN THE FOLLOWING SLIDE.
UH, SO WE'LL BE ADDING THAT AS WELL AS THE LIGHT GREEN IS A COMPLETE REDO OF, UM, THE OUTBOUND BAGGAGE SYSTEM AREA, WHICH IS WHERE THE AIRLINE PICKS UP THE BAGS AND TAKES 'EM TO THE AIRCRAFT.
SO IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
SO THIS IS A, A VIEW OF THAT NEW BAGGAGE SCREENING BUILDING AND TO ORIENT YOU ON THE RIGHT IS THE, THE TERMINAL WITH THE SECURITY CHECKPOINT INSIDE IT.
AND ON THE FAR LEFT IS THE EXISTING CONCOURSE THAT'S BEEN THERE FOR QUITE A WHILE.
THIS WILL BE THE NEW TWO STORY BAGGAGE SYSTEM BUILDING, UH, WITH SCREENING BELOW AND SOME SUPPORT SPACES ABOVE.
SO AGAIN, THIS IS THE THIRD AND MAJOR COMPONENT OF THE PROJECT NEXT, AND THEN I'LL END ON SOME, UH, KEY DATES.
UH, WE ARE TARGETING A FULL CITY COUNCIL REVIEW IN MAY OR JUNE OF THIS YEAR.
WE ARE TARGETING TO COMPLETE DESIGN ON THE PROJECT BY THE END OF THIS YEAR.
UH, CONSTRUCTION WILL BEGIN, UH, EARLY 24, AND WE APPROXIMATELY HAVE A TWO YEAR CONSTRUCTION DURATION NEXT, AND THAT IS ALL THAT I HAVE TODAY.
WE DID RECEIVE A MESSAGE FROM COUNCIL MEMBER KUBOSH STAFF SAYS, THANK GOD FOR THE NEW REPLACEMENT CANOPY.
UH, WHAT, TELL ME, UH, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
WE HAVE A LOT OF EXCITING THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO.
I THINK THAT, UH, THE PEOPLE THAT COME THROUGH OUR AIRPORTS WILL BE PLEASANTLY, UM, SURPRISED AND REALLY GET TO ENJOY THEIR TRAVELING EXPERIENCE.
WHAT IS GOING TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT WE UTILIZE THE RAISED CEILING OPTION? BECAUSE I, FOR ONE, WOULD LIKE TO VOTE FOR THE RAISED CEILING OPTION,
WELL, WE'RE, WE'RE STILL, UM, ESTIMATING THAT AND WORKING OUT THE DETAILS
[00:30:01]
SO WE UNDERSTAND THE ACTUAL COST AND, AND, UH, IMPLEMENTATION OF THAT.SO THERE'S SOME MORE INFORMATION WE NEED TO GATHER BEFORE THAT FINAL DECISION CAN BE MADE.
AND THEN I KNOW WHEN WE HAD THIS DISCUSSION BEFORE, UM, PART OF THE CONCERNS WERE IF PEOPLE WOULD STILL GET WET FROM THAT CANOPY WALKING FROM THE GARAGE INTO THE ACTUAL, UH, TERMINAL IF IT RAINED CORRECT.
AND IN WHEN YOU DESIGN A CANOPY, UM, IF IT'S DRIVING RAIN, REALLY NO MATTER WHAT LEVEL THE CANOPY IS AT, IT IS GOING TO HAVE AN ISSUE, UH, THE CANOPY.
AND WE WILL STUDY THE EXACT HEIGHT IN MORE DETAIL AS WE GET FURTHER INTO DESIGN, BUT WE'RE CONFIDENT THAT WE CAN PUT IT AT A HEIGHT AND DESIGN THE SIDEWALK AND THE PATH SO THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE TIME IT WILL STAY DRY.
WE DO HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.
AND THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION.
I REMEMBER WHEN THAT FIRST WAS HAPPENING.
SOUTHWEST WAS FIRST DOING INTERNATIONAL AND MAN, IT REALLY HAS PAID OFF
I MEAN, AND WE'RE GROWING OVER THERE, SO THAT'S GONNA BE REALLY EXCITING.
I TOO WOULD LIKE THE WINDOWS AND THE
SO GLAD TO SEE THE BATHROOM SITUATION.
WHERE'S THE BAGGAGE? UM, LIKE LOST BAGGAGE OFFICE, IS THAT STILL GONNA BE DOWN THERE ON THAT? I THINK IT WAS SLIDE SIX.
IT'LL STILL BE IN THAT SAME GENERAL AREA.
AND I, I MEAN OBVIOUSLY YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO STAGE THIS THERE.
ARE THERE FOUR? HOW MANY, HOW MANY CAROUSELS ARE THERE NOW? FIVE.
RIGHT? SO, SO YOU JUST, WHEN YOU ARE ADDING, I MEAN, IS THERE, YOU GOTTA MOVE 'EM ALL, I GUESS TO MAKE SIX DOWN THERE.
HOW, HOW DO YOU GET SIX WHERE THERE'S FOUR AND, WELL, WE, IT ALREADY SEEMS CROWDED.
YEAH, SO WE, WE'VE, ON THE SIDES OF THE HALL, WE'RE MOVING SOME OF THE SPACES THAT ARE TO THE LEFT AND THE RIGHT TO MAKE A LITTLE BIT MORE ROOM.
AND WE'RE ALSO DOING A DIFFERENT CONFIGURATION FOR THE UNITS THEMSELVES.
AND, UM, THEN WE WILL, THE, THE, ACTUALLY THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE WILL, WE'LL NEED TO REPLACE THEM IN A SEQUENCE BECAUSE THEY'LL OF COURSE NEED TO STAY IN OPERATION WHILE THEY'RE, AND THEN THE BAT LOSS BAGGAGE PLACE, WHERE IS THAT NOW? SEE WHERE IT SAYS BSO IN THOSE LITTLE BOXES? BS OH YEAH.
WELL, UM, THIS IS ALL VERY EXCITING.
UM, SOUTHWEST, I MEAN, I GO, I GO OUTTA MY WAY TO GET ON THE SOUTHWEST.
IT'S CLOSE, IT'S FAST, IT'S, IT'S GREAT.
SO GREAT TO SEE, GREAT TO SEE THIS.
AND LOOKING FORWARD TO THE IMPROVEMENTS.
THANK YOU, UH, STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER KNOX'S OFFICE.
YOU HAVE A QUESTION? THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.
THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
IT IS EXCITING AND I'M A LONG TIME RAPID REWARDS MEMBER
UM, ON PAGE SEVEN, THE BAGGAGE CLAIM RENOVATION, ONE QUESTION I WOULD HAVE IS THE SIGNAGE THERE SHOWING THE FLIGHTS THAT ARE FOR THAT PARTICULAR CAROUSEL.
UM, ARE Y'ALL CONSIDERING, OR HAVE YOU LOOKED AT HAVING OVERHEAD SIGNS? BECAUSE WE KNOW WHEN THAT CAROUSEL BEGINS, EVERYBODY MOVES UP AND THEN YOU CAN'T SEE THE SIGN WHICH FLIGHT.
SO I'M JUST THROWING THAT OUT THERE IF IT IT.
UM, WE WE'RE GONNA HAVE A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT STRATEGY, UH, TODAY.
UM, YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT CAROUSEL YOUR BAGS ARE ASSIGNED TO UNTIL YOU ACTUALLY GET INTO THAT SPACE, AND SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO WAIT FOR THAT ASSIGNMENT.
WE'RE GOING TO, THE INTENT IS TO CHANGE THAT SYSTEM SO YOU CAN GET THAT INFORMATION BEFORE YOU GET TO THE BAG CLAIM HALL AND YOU KNOW, WHAT CAROUSEL YOU NEED TO GO TO WITHOUT HAVING TO READ SIGNS AT THE UNITS.
BUT, UH, TO YOUR POINT OF WHEN WE DO PUT SIGNS AT THE UNITS, THEIR EXACT LOCATION, UM, WE STILL NEED TO STUDY.
AND, UM, AND LAST QUESTION IS, ARE ARE Y'ALL GOING TO ADD ANY ADDITIONAL MOVING WALKWAYS? UH, NO.
UH, WE THINK THAT THE, THAT THE WALKING DISTANCES ARE, ARE NOT BEING EXPANDED THAT MUCH IN THE, IN THE NEW PIER TO WARRANT A MOVING WALKWAY.
SO, UM, THAT, AND THAT WOULD JUST SIMPLY ADD COSTS.
UM, WE DON'T THINK IT WOULD, IT WOULD ADD, IT WOULD BE VALUE ADDED COSTS AT THIS POINT.
MAD CHAIR, COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN.
UH, AND I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO SOUTHWEST FOR ALWAYS, ALWAYS BEING SUCH A SPECIAL AND IMPORTANT PARTNER TO THE CITY.
UM, YOU KNOW, FIRST, UH, THE, YOU KNOW, YOU MAY HAVE SAID THIS ALREADY REGARDING THE INTERNATIONAL WING OR SEMI INTERNATIONAL, IS IT PLAN, ARE Y'ALL PLANNING THE EXPANSION OF INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS AS WELL? WILL
[00:35:01]
THOSE BE ABLE TO BE DUAL THE SAME, IN THE SAME MODEL THAT THE WING CURRENTLY IS IN? YES.IF YOU LOOK AT THE PLAN THAT SHE'S, UH, UH, PULLED UP THE, UH, THE AREAS IN THE BUILDING SHOWN, UM, WHERE THE FOUR EXISTING GATES ARE, THOSE WILL REMAIN INTERNATIONAL GATES.
AND THEN TWO OF THE NEW ONES WE'RE ADDING ON THE TOP OF THAT SLIDE WILL BE INTERNATIONAL GATES.
BUT ALL OF THOSE WILL BE ABLE TO BE PROCESSED THROUGH THE EXISTING INTERNATIONAL FACILITY BELOW.
THERE'S, THERE'S NO PLAN NEED TO EXPAND IT.
AND I'M SORRY, DIRECTOR, SO THERE'S ONE NEW NET INTERNATIONAL GATE.
THERE ARE FIVE INTERNATIONAL GATES.
TODAY WE'LL BE ADDING ONE NEW, MAKING SIX, AND THEN SIX DOMESTICS TO BALANCE OUT THE PIER.
UM, AND I APPRECIATE YOU COVERING SOME OF THE ADDITIONAL SECURITY.
I ALWAYS, YOU KNOW, AS CHAIR, DON'T WANNA GO INTO THE DETAILS OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT THOSE ADDITIONAL SECURITY MEASURES ARE, BUT I APPRECIATE YOU HITTING ON THE IMPORTANCE AND THE NEED FOR THOSE BAGGAGE SCREENING, UM, UPGRADES AND UPDATES.
UH, TOTALLY AGREE ON THE CANOPY.
I'M ASSUMING THAT THE CANOPY IS INDEPENDENT OF WHETHER OR NOT WE RAISE THAT BAGGAGE CLAIM ROOF.
WE CAN DO THAT CANOPY REGARDLESS.
IS THAT CORRECT? THOSE ARE TWO INDEPENDENT ISSUES.
AND LASTLY, AGAIN, I GAVE Y'ALL THE HEADS UP THAT I WAS GONNA BE ASKING ABOUT THIS.
UM, I WANNA RECOGNIZE SOUTHWEST'S COMMITMENT TO GOING CARBON NEUTRAL BY 2050 AND, UH, ON Y'ALLS WEBSITE.
YOU KNOW, Y'ALL LIST OUT, YOU KNOW, MODERNIZING THE FLEET, OPERATING IN OPTIMIZED ROUTES, UH, FUEL SAVING PROGRAMS, IMPROVING OPERATIONS, ELECTRIFYING GROUND SERVICES, MOTION TO EXTEND THANK YOU.
AND PURCHASING RENEWABLE ENERGY WITHIN THAT CONTEXT.
AND AGAIN, I KNOW WE'RE ADDING ONTO A WING, BUT ARE Y'ALL'S PLANS INCLUSIVE OF YOUR SUSTAINABILITY OBJECTIVES AND MEASURES? SO WHETHER IT'S IMPROVING, UM, BASED ON, YOU KNOW, BEST PRACTICES WITH BUILDING, I APPRECIATE IN THE DESIGN AND THE PICTURE, RIGHT? Y'ALL HAVE TREES ON THE INSIDE.
I KNOW THAT'S NOT SET IN STONE.
UM, BUT WHAT ELSE ARE YOU DOING? AND DOES YOUR BUILDING AND DEVELOPMENT OF FACILITIES INCORPORATE THOSE GREEN INITIATIVES THAT AS A CORPORATION Y'ALL ARE COMMITTED TO? WELL, I WILL SAY FOR THIS PROJECT, UH, OUR DESIGN BASELINE IS TO DESIGN THE BUILDING TO ACHIEVE LEAD SILVER IN THE U-S-G-B-C UH, WORLD.
WE DO NOT PLAN TO ACTUALLY GO THROUGH THE CERTIFICATION PROCESS, BUT THE, BUT THE DESIGN STANDARDS WILL MEET THAT, UH, THAT LEVEL.
UM, IT, IT IS CHALLENGING IN AN AIRPORT ENVIRONMENT TO DESIGN BUILDINGS TO COMPLY WITH A HIGH LEVEL OF LEAD.
LEAD IS REALLY MADE FOR OFFICE BUILDINGS AND SCHOOLS, THINGS WITH GRASS AROUND THEM AND LOTS OF TREES AROUND THEM AND OTHER THINGS.
UH, BUT WE HAVE FOUND WAYS TO MAKE FACILITIES LIKE THIS COMPLY WITH LEAD SILVER, AND THAT IS OUR GOAL.
SO I, AND I WOULD JUST ASK AGAIN ON THE AIRPORTS, AND ANDY, I'M ALSO KIND OF LOOKING AT YOU AND YOUR TEAM WHEN WE HAVE CITY BUILDINGS, RIGHT? AND THIS IS CITY PROPERTY, WHAT ARE WE DOING IN LINE WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, THE MAYOR'S CLIMATE ACTION PLAN TO MAKE SURE THAT AS A CITY OUR BUILDINGS ARE REPRESENTATIVE OF WHAT WE HOLD NEAR AND DEAR AND WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH? AND, YOU KNOW, DIRECTOR, I APPRECIATE THE STEPS THAT WE'RE TAKING, BUT I WANNA ENCOURAGE US, AGAIN, AS AN INNOVATIVE CITY TO SURE.
SO I APPRECIATE THE LEAD CERTIFIC NOT CERTIFICATION, BUT LEAD STANDARD SILVER, BUT WHAT ARE WE DOING TO BE INNOVATIVE? SO COUNCIL MEMBER, LET ME GIVE YOU THREE EXAMPLES.
UM, SOUTHWEST HAS ALREADY BEEN A LEADER IN THE CONVERSION FROM FOSSIL FUEL GROUND, UH, SUPPORT EQUIPMENT TO ALL ELECTRIC.
SO THAT'S GONNA BE A CONTINUATION.
ALL OF THE EQUIPMENT, ALL THE GROUND SUPPORT EQUIPMENT WILL ALL BE ELECTRIC.
NUMBER TWO AS, UM, UH, MR. UM, MASSEY HAS POINTED OUT THE ARCHITECTURE OF, OF THE BUILDINGS INCLUDE MORE LIGHT, BUT, BUT THEY INCLUDE MORE LIGHT IN A WAY THAT DOESN'T ADD HEAT LOAD TO THE BUILDING, BUT ALLOWS US TO BRING DOWN THE AMOUNT OF, UH, UNNATURAL LIGHT OR, OR PRODUCE LIGHT THAT WE WOULD HAVE THROUGHOUT THE BUILDINGS.
AND THAT LIGHT THAT IS PRODUCED BO BY THE WAY, BOTH IN THE EXTENSION, THE, THE, THE PIER, BUT ALSO IN THAT BAGGAGE CLAIM AREA.
AND THAT'S WHY I TOO SUPPORT THE RAISING OF THE ROOF.
UM, AND WE'LL HAVE A DISCUSSION WITH OUR, OUR GOOD FRIENDS AT SOUTHWEST AND, AND THE ARCHITECTS TO, TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN AND TO CANOPY.
UM, SO THAT ALLOWS LIGHT, WHICH MEANS THAT YOU CAN BRING DOWN THE AMOUNT OF ARTIFICIAL LIGHT THAT YOU'RE PRODUCING, BUT THAT ARTIFICIAL LIGHT WILL BE LED AND NOT INCANDESCENT.
SO AGAIN, WE'RE GONNA BRING DOWN THE TOTAL LOAD OF ELECTRIC AND LIGHT LOAD HEAT LOAD OF THAT
[00:40:01]
BUILDING, UM, WHILE WE ALSO EXPAND IT.AGAIN, THANK YOU ALL AND THANK YOU TO SOUTHWEST FOR EVERYTHING THAT Y'ALL ARE DOING.
COUNCIL MEMBER GALLEGOS, VICE CHAIR.
UM, AND AS THE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER REPRESENTATIVE, UH, REPRESENTING, UM, JAVI AIRPORT, LEMME START OFF BY, UH, CONGRATULATING ALL THE EMPLOYEES IN, UH, RECEIVING THE, UH, RECOGNITION OF A FIVE STAR, UH, RECOGNITION, UH, FROM, FROM, UH, SKY TRACKS.
UM, I DO HAVE A CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION FOR ALL AIRPORT EMPLOYEES, UH, AS WELL AS, UH, BUSH CONTINENTAL FOR THEIR FOUR FOUR STAR RECOGNITION.
SO, UH, ONCE AGAIN, CONGRATULATIONS, UH, A GREAT JOB AND, UH, JUST KEEP IT UP
AND, UH, WITH, WITH THAT SAID, I, UH, ALSO WANNA WELCOME JERRY HOL WITH THE SOUTHWEST AIRLINES FOR BEING IN THE CHAMBER.
UM, I KNOW THAT, UH, GOD, I GUESS WAS OVER 15 YEARS AGO AS PRESIDENT OF MY SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD AT THAT TIME, UH, I DID GO, UH, TO SPEAK ON BEHALF, UH, IN SUPPORT OF SOUTHWEST AIRLINES, UH, UH, EXPANDING INTERNATIONAL SERVICE OUT OF HOBBY AIRPORT.
UH, SO, UH, HAD RESIDENTS FROM MY NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, AND FROM MY SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD THAT ALSO WENT AND SPOKE.
UH, SO WE DID THE RIGHT THING, UH, BECAUSE HERE WE ARE NOW, UH, WITH, WITH THE, WITH ALL THIS EXPANSION HAPPENING AT HOBBY AIRPORT, UH, THANKS TO SOUTHWEST AIRLINES AND, UH, AND EVERYTHING THAT THEY'RE DOING THERE AT THE HOBBY AIRPORT, AND OF COURSE, UH, ALL THE EMPLOYEES FOR THE GREAT WORK THAT Y'ALL DO AT THE AIRPORT AS WELL.
IF THERE ARE NO FURTHER QUESTIONS, WE ARE READY TO MOVE ON TO THE NEXT PRESENTATION.
FOR THE NEXT PRESENTATION, I'D LIKE TO CALL UP IAN RAMBO, CHIEF TERMINAL MANAGEMENT.
AND IAN, YOU WANNA BRING YOUR, UM, YOUR TEAM.
SO GOOD AFTERNOON, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS, YOU'RE PERSON, THANK YOU FOR HAVING US HERE AGAIN.
UH, SO YOU'RE GONNA HEAR SOME OF THE SAME THINGS THAT YOU HEARD THIS MORNING.
WE JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, AND YOU UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING THAT WE DO AT THE AIRPORTS AND YOU'RE ABLE TO POST ABOUT IT, UM, EVERYWHERE ELSE.
UM, AGAIN, SO LET, LET ME START OFF BY SAYING THANK YOU FOR HAVING US HERE AND, AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO PRESENT TO THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE.
AND IT IS TRULY AN A, A TREMENDOUS HONOR FOR THE HOUSTON AIRPORTS AND THE CITY OF HOUSTON TO BRING HOME THIS AWARD.
AND WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT THE BEST ART IN THE AIRPORT AWARD, UM, WHICH INCLUDES BOTH PROGRAMS. IT, IT INCLUDES THE VISUAL ARTS AND THE PERFORMING ARTS PROGRAMS. I, YOU WILL HEAR LATER ON, THIS WAS A CONCERTED EFFORT BY ALL 1200 PLUS EMPLOYEES OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON AIRPORTS.
IT ALSO INCLUDES OUR STAKEHOLDERS AND OUR PARTNERS FOR SURE.
I CANNOT STRESS HOW PROUD AND GRATEFUL WE ARE OF THE HOUSTON AIRPORTS LEADERSHIP, UM, AND OUR WORKFORCE FOR EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED.
I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO RECOGNIZE THE COLLABORATION AS I DID THIS MORNING FROM OUR PARTNERS AT THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS DIRECTOR IRVIN AND HER STAFF FOR HELPING US AND THE SUPPORT THAT THEY PROVIDE DAY IN AND DAY OUT IN EXPANDING OUR ART AT THE AIRPORTS.
THE HOUSTON AIRPORT SYSTEM WAS AWARDED THE WORLD'S BEST ART IN AIRPORT IN THE SKYRA AWARDS PROGRAM 2023.
AND WE ACCEPTED THIS AWARD LAST TWO WEEKS AGO, MARCH 15.
AND SOMETHING THAT I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE, UH, UNDERSTAND AND RECOGNIZE THAT BEING, UH, RECEIVING THIS FROM SKY TRUCKS IS TRULY RECEIVING, LIKE RECEIVING AN OSCAR FROM THE AVIATION INDUSTRY.
THE WIN IS A HISTORIC ONE FOR THE HOUSTON AIRPORTS AND THE GLOBAL COMMERCIAL AVIATION INDUSTRY BECAUSE IT IS THE FIRST TIME THAT, THAT THIS CATEGORY IS AWARDED.
ADDITIONALLY, SKYRAS ALSO RELEASED THE ANNUAL AUDIT RESULTS.
AND AS WE STATED THIS MORNING, AND WE HAVE SAID TIME AND TIME AGAIN TODAY, THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THAT HOBBY AIRPORTS RECEIVES FIVE STARS, AND IT'S THE ONLY NORTH AMERICA AIRPORT TO BE ABLE TO CLAIM THAT NOT ONLY WOULD THEY RECEIVE THE FIVE STARS, BUT WE WE'RE ALSO THE BEST REGIONAL AIRPORT IN NORTH AMERICA.
SOMETHING THAT WE'RE EXTREMELY PROUD OF, SOMETHING THAT WE'RE EXTREMELY PROUD TO BE ABLE TO REPRESENT YOU ON GEORGE BUSH.
IT MAINTAINED ITS FOUR STAR RATING FOR THE SIXTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR IN A ROW.
WE'RE GOING FOR FIVE STARS AS WELL.
IT ALSO RECEIVED THE WORLD'S BEST AIRPORT DINING EXPERIENCE.
IT WAS ONE OF THE TOP 10 AWARD, UH, AWARD, AWARD RECIPIENTS, ALSO ONE OF THE TOP 10 AWARD RECIPIENTS IN THE BEST
[00:45:01]
WEBSITE AND DIGITAL SERVICE CATEGORY.SO AGAIN, WE HAVE A LOT ALSO TO BE PROUD OF OUR, UH, SISTER BROTHER ON THE NORTH BUSH AIRPORT.
AND I SHOULD HAVE CALLED NEXT SLIDE.
WE BELIEVE THAT THESE ACCOLADES WERE MADE POSSIBLE DUE TO OUR STAFF, OUR STAFF'S HARD WORK AND DEDICATION.
AND BECAUSE WE FOCUS ON THE PASSENGER AND THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE, THIS IS WHAT WE DO DAY IN AND DAY OUT.
AND IT'S IN OUR CULTURE, AS YOU CAN SEE FROM, FROM THE PYRAMID OF THE PASSENGER NEEDS.
ONCE ALL THE LEVELS ARE FULFILLED, THE TOP OF THE PYRAMID IS THE EXPERIENCE.
WHEN WE'RE ABLE TO MEET OF OUR PASSENGER NEEDS, WE ARE MORE THAN JUST AN AIRPORT, A TERMINAL, OR A GATE.
WE BECOME A SPACE WHERE PASSENGERS WANNA BE AT.
WE AT THE HOUSTON AIRPORTS ARE DETERMINED TO CREATE AND CULTIVATE AN EXPERIENCE WITHIN OUR AIRPORTS.
WE CONTINUE TO BUILD UPON OUR ARTS PROGRAM BY CREATING THAT WOW EXPERIENCE.
FURTHER, MS. MARISELA CHRISMAN AND MR. TON DELANEY ARE HERE TO SHOW YOU HOW WE ARE ACHIEVING THESE EXPERIENCES.
NOW LET ME INTRODUCE YOU TO MY MS. MARISELA CHRISMAN PROGRAM DIRECTOR FOR HARMONY IN THE AIR.
GOOD AFTERNOON, COUNCIL MEMBERS AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
MY NAME IS MARI CHRISMAN AND I'M THE FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF HARMONY IN THE AIR.
HARMONY IN THE AIR IS THE HOUSTON AIRPORTS PERFORMING ARTS PROGRAM DESIGNED TO ENHANCE THE PASSENGER TRAVEL EXPERIENCE AND DISTINGUISH HOUSTON AIRPORTS FROM ANY OTHER AIRPORT ACROSS THE GLOBE.
THE PROGRAM IS UNIQUE IN ITS BEAUTY, ITS CONTENT, AND ITS PRESENTATION WITH LIVE MUSIC PERFORMANCES BY SOME OF HOUSTON'S MOST ACCOMPLISHED PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS AT BOTH AIRPORTS, BUSH AND HOBBY, THE MUSICIANS PLAY A DIVERSE REPERTOIRE OF CLASSICAL JAZZ, POP R AND BOSA, NOVA FLAMENCO AND COUNTRY WESTERN MUSIC.
THE THREE HOUR PERFORMANCES ARE SCHEDULED EVERY WEEKDAY AROUND PEAK TRAVEL TIMES, AND ARE CAREFULLY SELECTED TO PROVIDE A STRESS-FREE AND JOYFUL ATMOSPHERE.
THE VIDEO THAT YOU ARE GONNA WATCH, UM, IN A FEW SECONDS HAPPEN, UM, 10 DAYS AGO AT JAVI AIRPORT.
THE PERFORMERS IS THE STRING QUARTET APOLLO CHAMBER PLAYERS, CAN YOU PLEASE PLAY THE VIDEO? SO I WANT YOU TO SHARE HOW THE PERFORMERS REALLY ENGAGE WITH THE PASSENGERS.
THE SOOTHING SOUND OF THE VIOLIN REALLY CALMS CHILDREN.
YOU CAN SEE THAT THE PERFORMERS ARE VERY PERSONABLE, THEY'RE CHARISMATIC, THEY ARE ENCOURAGED TO ALWAYS INTERACT WITH THE PASSENGERS, ALWAYS BEING RESPECTFUL, OF COURSE.
AND THE THE SURPRISE OF THE PASSENGERS IS ALWAYS VERY PLEASANT.
HERE YOU ALSO CAN SEE THAT, UH, THE VIOLINIST IS PLAYING FOR A VERY YOUNG BABY AND THE BABY'S NOT SCARED OR ANYTHING.
AND THEN HE'S GONNA TURN AROUND AND GO TO THE PLAY AREA, WHICH IS CONVENIENTLY, CONVENIENTLY LOCATED NEXT TO THE STAGE SO THE KIDS CAN HAVE A REALLY GREAT TIME PLAYING IN THE PLAY AREA AND THE PARENTS CAN ENJOY THE MUSIC PERFORMANCES.
IT'S A REALLY A BEAUTIFUL EXPERIENCE.
THIS IS WHAT THE PASSENGERS SEE EVERY TIME THEY ARE ABLE TO LISTEN TO ONE OF THE PERFORMANCES OF HARMONY IN THE AIR.
IT IS TOO BAD THAT WE DON'T HAVE THE SOUND, BUT, UM, APOLLO CHAMBER PLAYERS IS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.
THEY ARE ALWAYS REPRESENTING OUR CITY VERY, VERY PROUDLY, AND THEY ARE VERY, VERY, UH, GRATEFUL FOR BEING PART OF OUR BEAUTIFUL HARMONY IN THE AIR.
YOU CAN ALSO SEE THE PART OF THE STAGE, WHICH I WILL SPEAK ABOUT IT, UM, IN A, IN A DIFFERENT SLIDE FROM THE YEAR THE PROGRAM LAUNCHED IN 2015, THE PROGRAM HAS IMPROVED IN BRANDING, PROMOTION, AND PRESENTATION.
THE NUMBER OF MUSICIANS, PERFORMANCES AND STAGES HAVE TRANSFORMED OVER THE YEARS.
THE PROGRAM STARTED AT HOBBY AIRPORT AND A FEW MONTHS LATER THE PROGRAM LAUNCHED IT AT BUSH INTERCONTINENTAL IN TERMINAL A AND THEN IN TERMINAL D.
[00:50:01]
CONSISTING OF OVER 75 MUSICIANS PARTICIPATE IN HARMONY IN THE AIR.THE PROGRAM STRIVES TO REFLECT THE RICH DIVERSITY OF THE HOUSTON COMMUNITY FROM THE MUSIC GENRES, INSTRUMENTATION, AND PERFORMERS THEMSELVES.
OVER HALF OF THE MUSICIANS ARE WOMEN OR PEOPLE OF COLOR.
WOMEN REPRESENT HALF OF THE MUSICIANS AND RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITIES REPRESENT MORE THAN A QUARTER OF MUSICIANS.
ADDITIONALLY, SEVERAL MEMBERS OF THE LGBT COMMUNITY ARE REPRESENTED.
NEXT SLIDE PLEASE TO ENHANCE THE PRESENTATION OF THE PERFORMERS CUSTOM MADE STAGE WERE BUILT.
THE STAGES ARE MADE OF WIDE OAK WOOD, FEATURING 19 BY 16 FEET OVAL PLATFORM WITH A SERIOUSLY CORE OF 10 FEET VERTICAL BACKDROP.
THE BACKDROP IS BRANDING WITH A HARMONY IN THE AIR LOGO CUT OUT IN METAL ON STANDOFFS AND ON BOTH SIDES.
THE PLATFORM IS ALSO SURROUNDED BY AN ARRAY OF GREENERY CONTAINED INTERRA PLANTERS.
SO THIS IS, UH, THEY'RE VERY ORGANIC, THE THESE STAGES.
STAGES ARE STRATEGICALLY LOCATED IN SPACES OFFERING NATURAL LIGHT, SUPERIOR ACOUSTICS, AND CONVENIENT ACCESS TO THE PARTNER AND ARRIVAL GATES, RESTAURANTS, AND SHOPS.
YOU CAN SEE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE SLIDE, UM, THERE'S THE, ONE OF THE HARMONY BANNERS.
WE HAVE SEVERAL, AND THEY ARE DISPLAYED THROUGHOUT AREAS WITH A HIGH CONCENTRATION OF PASSENGERS.
THE BANNERS INCLUDE A QR CODE LINKED TO THE HARMONY IN THE AIRWAY PAGE, WHICH PROVIDES DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROGRAM, INCLUDING LOCATION OF THE STAGES, SCHEDULES, AND MUSICIAN BIAS AND PHOTOS.
IN THIS SLIDE WE SEE SEVERAL PHOTOS FEATURE PERFORMANCE, UH, PERFORMERS AT THE NEW STAGE IN TERMINAL, A GALLERY CONNECTOR.
IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT LIKE LILIANA AND MARIO SAID BEFORE THIS UH, PROGRAM WAS, IS A PARTNERSHIP, A VERY CLOSE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE VISUAL ARTS AND THE PERFORMING ARTS.
AND IN ORDER TO PROVIDE A SENSORY EXPERIENCE WITH SOUND AND SIGHT, ALL THE HARMONY IN THE AIR STAGES ARE LOCATED AROUND ART BETWEEN AND INSTALLATIONS.
HARMONY IN THE AIR CONTRIBUTES TO THE CREATIVE ECONOMY OF HOUSTON BY PROVIDING A STEADY SOURCE OF INCOME TO OVER 75 HOUSTON'S RESIDENT MUSICIANS.
THE MUSICIANS ARE ENCOURAGED TO DISPLAY THEIR BROCHURES AND BUSINESS CARDS AND ARE FREQUENTLY HIRED BY PASSENGERS, AIRLINES AND CONCESSION STAFF TO PRO TO PERFORM AT CORPORATE EVENTS, WEDDINGS, PRIVATE PARTNERS, ET CETERA.
IN TURN, THE MUSICIANS ALWAYS THANK ALWAYS REALLY, REALLY THANK AND PROMOTE HARMONY IN THE AIR IN THEIR OFFSITE ENGAGEMENTS.
UM, IN THIS SLIDE YOU CAN ALSO SEE A PHOTOGRAPH OF THE VERY FIRST EVER AIRPORT WEDDING THAT TOOK PLACE ON MARCH 20TH, LIKE 10 DAYS AGO AT HOBI AIRPORT, WHERE THE NEWLYWEDS WERE SERENADED BY ONE OF HARMONY AND THE AIR MUSICIANS FOR THEIR FIRST DANCE.
NEW HARMONY IN THE AIR STAGES WILL BE INSTALLED IN TERMINAL D.
ONE WILL BE IN THE CENTRAL LOUNGE AREA ON THE WEST PIER, AND A SMALLER ONE IN THE INTERSECTION OF TERMINALS D AND E.
THE NEW STAGES WILL BE A CENTRAL FOCUS OF ALL THE ANTICIPATED FOOD AND BEVERAGE CONCESSIONS NEARBY AND WILL BE A PRIMO LOCATION REACHING MANY INTERNATIONAL PASSENGERS.
HARMONY IN THE AIR GENERATES EXCEPTIONAL SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT FOR HOUSTON.
AIRPORTS AND PASSENGERS AND MUSICIANS HAVE CONSISTENTLY POSTED TWEET, RETWEET AND LIVESTREAM PERFORMANCES.
THE PROGRAM HAS RECEIVED THE HIGHEST VOLUME OF EXCELLENT RATINGS AND POSITIVE PASSENGERS.
FEEDBACK AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE GREATEST NUMBER OF VIDEOS ON TWITTER, FACEBOOK, AND INSTAGRAM.
I WOULD LIKE TO END THIS PRESENTATION WITH THIS PASSENGER FEEDBACK, NOT THE ONE THAT IS ON THE SLIDE, BUT ANOTHER ONE BECAUSE, UM, I FEEL THAT THE ONE THAT I'M GONNA READ IS VERY SHORT AND IT REALLY EXPRESSED A VERY POSITIVE IMPACT OF HARMONY IN THE AIR.
WHAT WE EXPECTED TO BE A LONG, BORING AND UNEVENTFUL WAIT AT ANOTHER UNCOMFORTABLE AIRPORT TURNING TO A CELEBRATION OF MUSIC AND A SENSORY FEAST FOR OUR EARS
[00:55:01]
AND EYES DURING THE HARMONY IN THE EARTH SERIES THIS AFTERNOON.THANK YOU MARIELLA, AND THANK YOU ALL FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT TODAY.
UM, IF WE'LL GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE VISUAL ARTS PROGRAM AS WELL.
I'M THE CURATOR OF THE PUBLIC ART PROGRAM AT THE AIRPORT.
THANKS TO MARIO AND LILIANA FOR LETTING US DO THIS PRESENTATION.
WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS.
UM, SO YEAH, THERE'S MY NAME, ALTON DELANEY, CURATOR OF PUBLIC ART FOR THE HOUSTON AIRPORT.
SO LET'S GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE AND WE'RE GONNA RUN A VIDEO.
SO, UM, OVER THE LAST YEAR OR SO, WE'VE STARTED SOME REALLY BIG PROJECTS AT THE AIRPORT THAT WE'RE SUPER EXCITED ABOUT.
IN EARLY 2020, WE ANNOUNCED A CALL FOR ART, UH, WHICH IS THE START OF THE PANDEMIC.
WHEN ARTISTS WERE OUT OF WORK, MUSEUMS WERE CLOSED, GALLERIES WERE CLOSED, WE REALLY FELT IT WAS AN IMPORTANT TIME TO INVEST IN THE ART COMMUNITY.
WE ENDED UP DOING A $3 MILLION CALL FOR ART PURCHASING 74 PIECES OF PORTABLE WORK.
THAT 74 PIECES OF WORK REPRESENTED THE SINGLE LARGEST PURCHASE OF ART IN THE HISTORY OF THE ART COLLECTION.
SO THAT WAS A VERY SIGNIFICANT PURCHASE AND A VERY SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT INTO OUR COMMUNITY OF A, AGAIN, THAT WAS ABOUT $3 MILLION INVESTMENT.
NOW, AS YOU ALL KNOW, THE THESE INVESTMENTS ARE FUNDED BY A CITY COUNCIL ORDINANCE, UH, ESTABLISHED IN 1999 THAT DECIDED THAT 1.75% OF ELIGIBLE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS WOULD BE EARMARKED FOR ART TO BEAUTIFY THE FACILITIES.
SO DURING THE PANDEMIC, WE THOUGHT, WHAT A BETTER TIME TO DO THIS.
THIS BROUGHT OUR TOTAL NUMBER OF WORKS IN THE COLLECTION UP TO 350 WORKS OF ART MAKING US ONE OF THE LARGEST PUBLIC ART COLLECTIONS IN THE AVIATION INDUSTRY, NOT JUST IN THE COUNTRY, BUT IN THE ENTIRE AVIATION INDUSTRY.
NOW, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR ARTISTS IN THE COLLECTION? AS WE'VE BEEN TALKING EARLIER ABOUT THE, THE PASSENGERS AND THE GUESTS WE SERVE, WE SERVICE ABOUT A MILLION PASSENGERS A WEEK ON AVERAGE AT THE AIRPORT.
IN COMPARISON, THE TOP MUSEUM IN HOUSTON GETS ABOUT A MILLION VISITORS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE YEAR.
SO FOR OUR ARTISTS WHO ARE IN THIS, IT IS UNPARALLELED EXPOSURE TO THE COMMUNITY TO BE ABLE TO SHOW OFF THEIR WORK.
WE RECENTLY HAD THIS COLLECTION APPRAISED AND UH, WE CAME IN AT $28 MILLION.
AND WHEN YOU COMBINE THE ADDITIONAL MONEY THAT WE'RE SPENDING ON THE ART FOR THE I TRIP EXPANSION, IT'S GONNA BRING OUR TOTAL VALUE OF OUR COLLECTION UP TO $34 MILLION, WHICH IS A VERY IMPRESSIVE NUMBER.
IN ADDITION TO THOSE 74 WORKS OF PORTABLE WORK, WE ALSO COMMISSIONED 10 SITE SPECIFIC COMMISSIONS, INCLUDING THIS PIECE YOU'RE SEEING HERE.
THIS IS BY THE FIRST, UH, INDIAN ARTIST, UH, FEMALE INDIAN ARTIST IN THE COLLECTION, JEAN HAMM TODA SPI.
THIS IS AN IMMERSIVE ART EXPERIENCE CALLED THE AQUARIUS ART TUNNEL.
THIS IS LOCATED AT BUSH AIRPORT IN TERMINAL D.
I ENCOURAGE YOU ALL TO GO OVER AND CHECK IT OUT.
AS YOU CAN SEE, SHE'S TREATED, UH, THE WALLS WITH A 280 FOOT LONG UNDERWATER MURAL.
THERE IS CUSTOM CARPET THAT'S BEEN ADDED TO THIS, THE IN THE CEILING.
SHE'S ADDED LENTICULAR LENSES TO THE EXISTING LIGHTING.
THERE IS A CUSTOM SOUNDTRACK THAT PASSENGERS ENJOY AS THEY'RE PASSING THROUGH THIS SPACE.
THERE'S EVEN A QR CODE THAT YOU CAN SCAN AND HAVE YOUR OWN UNDERWATER EXPERIENCE WITH LITTLE FISHES SWIMMING AROUND WITH YOU.
THIS PROJECT WAS ENDORSED BY UNESCO FROM THE UNITED NATIONS FOR ITS MERIT TO THE, UH, SCIENTIFIC AND ARTISTIC AWARENESS OF, UH, MARINE CONSERVATION.
AND SOME PEOPLE SAY, WELL, WHAT'S AN AQUARIUM HAVE TO DO WITH HOUSTON, TEXAS? THIS IS THE TEXAS FLOWER BLANKS THAT ARE LOCATED ABOUT A HUNDRED MILES OFF THE COAST OF GALVESTON.
SO THIS IS, THIS EXISTS RIGHT OFF THE COAST OF TEXAS, SO THIS IS VERY TEXAS.
IN ADDITION TO THAT PIECE OVER AT HOBBY, WE ADDED AN EXCITING PIECE BY THE ARTIST CRUZ ORTIZ FROM SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.
THIS PIECE CALLED KAWA SUN DREAM IS THE FIRST PIECE IN THE COLLECTION THAT HAS INDIGENOUS PEOPLE REPRESENTED IN THE ARTWORK.
THE ARTISTS, UH, WORKED WITH MEMBERS OF THAT, UM, TRIBE, THE KAIN KAWA PEOPLE, AS WELL AS STUDY THE TEXAS LANDSCAPE TO CREATE THIS MURAL LOCATED OVER AT HOBBY AIRPORT.
THIS PIECE IS THREE PANELS EACH 10 BY 10 FEET, MAKING THIS A 10 FOOT HIGH BY 30 FOOT WIDE MURAL.
AND JUST TO SHOW KIND OF THE RANGE OF THE ARTWORK WE INCLUDED IN THESE 10 COMMISSIONS, THIS IS A DIGITAL PIECE AT BUSH AIRPORT AND TERMINAL B.
THEY CALL THEMSELVES INPUT OUTPUT.
THIS WORK IS CALLED DATA STREAM AND THE ARTISTS USE DATA THAT'S READILY AVAILABLE THAT'S GENERATED BY THE CITY OR THE AIRPORT OR OR OTHER ENTITIES, AND TURN IT INTO THESE ABSTRACT DIGITAL ARTWORK.
SO IN ADDITION TO THOSE 10 THAT WE JUST FINISHED THIS WEEKEND, BY THE WAY, ALL 10 ARE INSTALLED NOW WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO I TRIPP AND THE EXPANSION.
SO WE COULD GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
THE, I TRIPP'S GONNA BE VERY EXCITED.
THERE'S TWO PARTS OF THE I TRIPP EXPANSION, AS I'M SURE YOU'RE ALL FAMILIAR WITH.
[01:00:01]
THE INLET, THE MIC, LELAND INTERNATIONAL TERMINAL.THIS IS THE NEW PIER, THE NEW D PIER, WHICH WILL HAVE SIX NEW GATES IN THAT AREA.
WE'VE CHOSEN ALL HOUSTON BASED ARTISTS, INCLUDING GERARDO ROSALES, WHO'S PICTURED HERE.
WHAT THAT MEANS IS ALL OF OUR INTERNATIONAL GUESTS WHO ARRIVE IN HOUSTON, THE FIRST THING THEY WILL SEE IS ART BY HOUSTON ARTISTS.
NEXT SLIDE OVER IN THE INTERNATIONAL CENTRAL PROCESSING BUILDING, UH, WE HAVE EXPANDED THAT CALL TO INCLUDE INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS AS WELL.
THIS IS GRACIELA HASPER, SHE'S ARGENTINA BASED, BUT IS REPRESENTED BY SARDI GALLERY, THAT'S RIGHT HERE IN HOUSTON, TEXAS.
SO SHE DOES THAT FOR THAT HOUSTON CONNECTION.
THIS IS ON THE ARRIVALS LEVEL.
SO AGAIN, PASSENGERS ARRIVING AFTER A LONG INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT, THEY'RE GONNA GET THEIR LUGGAGE COME OUT TO THE CURB AND BE GREETED BY THIS VERY COLORFUL MURAL.
THE REASON WE DECIDED TO EXPAND THE CALL ON THE INTERNATIONAL TERMINAL IS OF COURSE, BECAUSE WE ARE THE GATEWAY TO LATIN AMERICA.
AND AS YOU'LL SEE IN THE NEXT SLIDE, IN ALL THE 12 PROJECTS, WE'RE GONNA HAVE ARTISTS REPRESENTED FROM ARGENTINA, BRAZIL, COLUMBIA, MEXICO, VENEZUELA, AND OF COURSE, RIGHT HERE IN HOUSTON, TEXAS IN THE UNITED STATES.
IN ADDITION TO THE ACQUISITIONS, WE'RE ALSO STEWARDS OF THIS 350 WORKS OF ART.
SO WE WANNA PROTECT THESE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS TO ENJOY.
AND SO CONSERVATION IS A BIG PART OF WHAT WE DO AT THE AIRPORT, PROTECTING THESE WORKS, CLEANING THESE WORKS, AND, UH, DOING UPGRADES AS NECESSARY.
THIS PIECE IS CALLED TRAVEL LIGHT.
IT'S AN INTERNATIONAL ARRIVALS.
AND LAST YEAR WE DID A MAJOR, UH, CONSERVATION ON THIS, REPLACING ALL THE CARPETS, CLEANING THESE PIECES, AND, UH, REPLACING ALL THE, UH, THE LIGHT FIXTURES AS WELL.
WE ALSO WORKED ON THE PIECE WINDS OF CHANGE BY HOUSTON BASED ARTIST DAVID ATIX, WHO'S 95 YEARS OLD AND STILL MAKING ART IN HOUSTON, TEXAS.
UM, THIS IS THE GEORGE BUSH SCULPTURE, OF COURSE, OUR EPONYMOUS PIECE IN T UH, TERMINAL C.
AND WE RAISED THIS PIECE TO MAKE IT A DA COMPLIANT, AND THAT'S THAT ELEVATED BASE YOU SEE THERE.
AND THEN THIS WAS MAYBE THE FUNNEST PROJECT OF ALL OF THEM, DESPITE THE TERRIFIED LOOK ON MY FACE THERE IN THAT PICTURE WHEN I'M 80 FEET UP IN THE AIR.
UH, WE DID A FULL RENOVATION ON RADIANT FOUNTAINS.
THIS IS BY THE INTERNATIONALLY KNOWN ARTIST, DENNIS OPPENHEIM.
IF ANY OF YOU HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO DRIVE BY RECENTLY AFTER DARK, THIS IS AN INCREDIBLE LIGHT SHOW.
THERE'S A CELL LOT RIGHT THERE.
YOU CAN ACTUALLY JUST PARK AND ENJOY THIS.
UM, IT'S KIND OF OUR WELCOMING TO EVERYONE COMING ON JFK BOULEVARD.
SO THIS WAS A FULL RENOVATION.
EVERY LIGHT BULB WAS CHANGED, EVERY DIGITAL COMPONENT WAS CHANGED, AND, UH, WE'RE SUPER EXCITED.
THIS PIECE IS FULLY FUNCTIONING FOR PERHAPS THE FIRST TIME EVER.
IN ADDITION TO THOSE PIECES, WE'VE EXPANDED WHAT WE'RE CALLING OUR CULTURAL COLLABORATIONS.
AND THIS IS REALLY TO CREATE A SENSE OF PLACE FOR OUR PASSENGERS WHO ARRIVE HERE IN HOUSTON.
YOU KNOW, WHAT IS HOUSTON, TEXAS AND HOW DO THEY KNOW WHERE THEY'VE ARRIVED IN HOUSTON AND NOT AT LAX OR JFK.
SO ON THE LEFT THERE YOU'LL SEE OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH NASA.
UH, NASA'S BEEN A LONGSTANDING PARTNER, UH, EXHIBITING ARTIFACTS FROM SPACE.
IN THIS TEMPORARY EXHIBIT IN PARTICULAR, THEY'VE WORKED WITH LOCAL ARTISTS AND CREATED THIS DISPLAY CELEBRATING THEIR ARTEMIS EXPEDITION.
UH, SOME OF THOSE OBJECTS THAT ARE, UH, INTENDED FOR THIS EXPEDITION ARE BEING BUILT OVER AT HOUSTON SPACEPORT.
SO WE'RE SUPER EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
UH, AND THIS ARTWORK, PASSENGERS ARE ENJOYING IT.
IT'S PAINTED, UH, IT'S PAINTINGS, IT'S PHOTOGRAPHS, AND IT'S EVEN, THEY PAINTED SOME, UH, SOME HIGH TOP SNEAKERS IN THAT.
ON THE UPPER RIGHT HAND SIDE, YOU SEE THE, OF COURSE, THE HOUSTON LIVESTOCK SHOW AND RODEO WHO THE SEASON JUST ENDED.
UH, YOU KNOW, THEY ARE A GREAT SHOW.
THE THE LIVESTOCK, EVERYTHING THEY DO THERE, BUT THEY'RE ALSO A PHILANTHROPIC ARM OF A BIG SCHOLARSHIPS THAT THEY GIVE TO YOUNG ARTISTS.
SO EVERY YEAR WE GET REPRODUCTIONS OF THOSE SCHOLARSHIP AWARDED ARTISTS AND GET TO SHOW THEM IN OUR, IN OUR RIVALS AREA AT BOTH BUSH AND AT HOBBY AIRPORT.
AND THEN DOWN BELOW, OF COURSE, DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS, REMINDING EVERYONE, PLEASE DON'T LITTER WHILE YOU'RE HERE.
PLUS WE HAVE BEAUTIFUL WILD FLOWERS.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, OVER HOBBY, WE'VE PARTNERED WITH TWO OF OUR NEIGHBORS.
UH, THE 1940 AIR TERMINAL MUSEUM HAS BROUGHT IN SOME ART, UH, AVIATION ARTIFACTS THAT THEY'RE EXHIBITING, UH, AND, YOU KNOW, INSPIRING THE GOLDEN AGE OF TRAVEL.
AND THEN ALSO THE HOUSTON BOTANIC GARDEN HAS BROUGHT IN SOME ARTWORK INSPIRED BY ARTISTS WHO VISITED THEIR GARDENS AND WERE INSPIRED.
THESE ARE BOTH THINGS THAT PASSENGERS COULD LITERALLY DO DURING A COUPLE HOUR LAYOVER.
THEY'RE LOCATED JUST A FEW MINUTES FROM HOBBY AIRPORT.
THERE ARE NEIGHBORS OVER THERE, AND, UH, SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO BRING THIS AND JUST SHOW WHAT HOUSTON HAS TO OFFER.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH VARIOUS MUSEUMS AROUND THE CITY.
THE TOP, UH, YOU'LL SEE THIS IS A, A REPLICA OF THE DOWNTOWN SKYLINE OF HOUSTON, BUILT IN LEGOS.
WE PARTNERED WITH THE PEARL FINCHER MUSEUM, WHICH IS LOCATED OVER BY BUSH AIRPORT TO GET THIS, UH, WE HAD IT ABOUT A YEAR ON DISPLAY.
IT'S JUST, IT'S NOW GONE OFF TO A TOY MUSEUM.
ON THE BOTTOM THERE, YOU SEE THERE'S A SERIES OF TEXAS LEGENDARY, UH, MUSICIANS AND, UH, OTHER PERSONALITIES FROM THE TEXAS AREA.
WE PARTNERED WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON'S BLAIR MUSEUM TO GET THIS TEMPORARY EXHIBIT OF ABOUT 60 PHOTOGRAPHS, AND THAT'S IT, LOCATED AT BOTH AIRPORTS IN THEIR BAGGAGE ARRIVAL, UH, ARRIVALS AREA.
AND THEN ON THE RIGHT, UH, THIS IS A PIECE BY
[01:05:01]
THE, THE, THE VERY SUCCESSFUL TEXAS ARTIST JAMES SEARLS.THIS PIECE WAS IN THE EAST MONTGOMERY COUNTY.
THEY DIDN'T HAVE A HOME FOR IT, SO WE REACHED OUT TO OUR PARTNERS AT UNITED AND UNITED HAVE THIS PIECE, UH, PAID TO HAVE THIS PIECE DELIVERED AND INSTALLED IN THE AIRPORT FOR PASSENGERS TO ENJOY.
WE STARTED A NEW PROGRAM AT THE AIRPORT, AND IT'S CALLED THE ARTIST AND RESIDENCE PROGRAM AIR.
AND WE ARE THE ONLY ACTIVE ARTIST AND RESIDENCE PROGRAM IN THE ENTIRE NATION.
AND WHAT THIS DOES IS IT BRINGS LOCAL ARTISTS INTO THE AIRPORT ON A THREE MONTH ROTATION BASIS, AND THEY CREATE ART FOR OUR PASSENGERS TO INTERACT WITH AND ENJOY.
ON THE LEFT THERE, YOU'LL SEE THERA COLOR LEDFORD.
SHE IS, UM, WAS AT BUSH AIRPORT, AND ON THE RIGHT IS MARK FRANCIS OVER AT HOBBY AIRPORT.
UM, THESE ARTISTS HAVE REALLY APPRECIATED THIS OPPORTUNITY TO GET THEIR, THEIR, THEIR NAME AND THEIR ART EXPOSED TO SO MANY PASSENGERS.
UH, SOMETIMES THEY DO MORE TALKING TO PASSENGERS THAN ACTUALLY CREATING ARTWORK.
UM, THEIR RESIDENCY ENDS, UNFORTUNATELY, TOMORROW, AND, UH, THE NEXT BATCH OF ARTISTS ARE COMING IN.
AND FOR THAT, WE CHOSE TWO ARTISTS FROM THE WINTER STREET STUDIOS WHO RECENTLY LOST THEIR STUDIOS AND THE FIREBOMBING THAT HAPPENED OVER THERE.
SO, REALLY HAPPY TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THE CREATIVE COMMUNITY IN EVERY WAY WE CAN, INCLUDING THIS ARTIST IN RESIDENCY PROGRAM.
ANOTHER FUN PROJECT WE'VE JUST CREATED A PROGRAM IS, UH, FOR PASSENGER ENGAGEMENTS CALLED OUR HEALTHY ART WALK TOUR.
THAT'S ME THERE IN THE FRONT THAT SAYS CURATOR, IN CASE THERE WAS ANY DOUBT.
AND IF WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
SO AS YOU AS PASSENGERS, UM, WE WILL GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
AS PASSENGERS WALK THROUGH THE AIRPORT, THEY'LL SEE THESE QR CODES LOCATED NEXT TO ARTWORK.
WHEN YOU SCAN THIS ON YOUR PHONE, A VIDEO POPS UP ON YOUR PHONE AND THERE'LL BE ME AS A CURATOR SAYING A LITTLE BIT SOMETHING ABOUT THE ART.
AND THEN WE GO TO A PERSONAL TRAINER WHO LEADS YOU IN A EASY TO FOLLOW EXERCISE, WHETHER THAT'S A STRETCHING EXERCISE, IF YOU'VE BEEN ON A LONG FLIGHT, OR YOU JUST WANNA GET YOUR HEART UP, HEART RATE UP A LITTLE BIT BY DOING SOME JUMPING JACKS.
UH, WE'VE INITIATED THIS PROGRAM OVER AT BUSH AIRPORT AND WITH PLANS TO EXPAND IT SOON TO HOBBY AIRPORT HEALTHY ART WALKING TOURS, ONLY AT HOUSTON AIRPORTS.
SO ALL OF THESE THINGS, AS WELL AS EVERYTHING MY COLLEAGUE MARIELLA CREWMAN IS DOING WITH THE PERFORMING ARTS PROGRAM IS WHAT HELPED US RECENTLY, SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE HEARD, UH, GET AWARDED THE BEST AIRPORT ART PROGRAM IN THE WORLD.
AND I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO SAY THAT, THAT THAT'S IN THE WORLD.
AS MARIO MENTIONED, WE WERE UP AGAINST DOHA, QATAR AND MUMBAI, INDIA.
THESE ARE BOTH GLOBALLY RECOGNIZED IMPORTANT AIRPORTS AND HOUSTON CAME OUT NUMBER ONE ON TOP.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I'M VERY PERSONALLY AND PROFESSIONALLY PROUD OF, THE AIRPORTS VERY PROUD OF, AND I THINK THE ENTIRE CITY OF HOUSTON CAN BE PROUD OF.
AND OUR FINAL SLIDE, AS LILIANA WOULD CONFIRM, THIS IS ALL JUST WHAT WE'RE DOING IN OUR, UH, OUR EFFORTS TO BE THE BEST WE CAN, FIVE STAR CUSTOMER SERVICE TO ALL OF OUR PASSENGERS.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY.
WELL, UH, MARELLA AND ALTON, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UH, MARELLA, I DO HAVE ONE QUESTION FOR YOU.
UM, SO HOW DO MUSICIANS APPLY TO BE PART OF HARMONY IN THE AIR? ON DECEMBER OF 2018, WE ISSUE A SOLICITATION, I'M SORRY, NOT DECEMBER.
IN MAY OF 2018, WE ISSUE A SOLICITATION AND WE, UM, INVITE ALL THE PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS OR PROFESSIONAL INDIVIDUAL MUSICIANS TO APPLY.
AND THE CONTRACTS THAT WE HAVE FOR THE MUSICIANS ARE FIVE YEAR CONTRACTS COUNCIL MEMBER.
BUT YEAH, THERE IS A SOLICITATION THAT, UM, IS, AS A MATTER OF FACT, THE END OF THE CONTRACT IS IN, UH, DECEMBER OF THIS YEAR.
SO WE'RE ALREADY WORKING ON THE SOLICITATION FOR THE NEXT CONTRACT FOR THE MUSICIANS.
SO IF I'M A MUSICIAN, HOW A MUSICIAN, HOW DO I FIND THAT? AND HOW DO I APPLY? WHAT DO I, WHAT DO I NEED TO DO? WE ARE GOING TO ANNOUNCE THE, UM, THE SOLICITATION IN THE BUSINESS JOURNAL, HOUSTON BUSINESS JOURNAL, AND ALSO ON THE WEBPAGE OF THE HOUSTON AIRPORT IS, UH, THAT'S A VERY GOOD POINT, BECAUSE I WONDER IF WE CAN MAKE THIS A LITTLE MORE, UM, PUBLIC.
I, UH, MAYBE WE CAN ANNOUNCE IT ON THE, ON THE RADIO, ON THE WEB PAGE.
SO MAY I SUGGEST THAT IF, IF WE ARE LOOKING TO, UM, CAST A WIDER NET OF MUSICIANS THAT WE HAVE SOME TYPE OF PUBLICATION OR FLYER THAT WE CAN PASS OUT TO THE COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT THEY CAN PUT IN THEIR NEWSLETTERS, UM, YOU'LL REACH LOTS OF HOUSTONIANS.
AND, UM, WE HAVE SEVERAL ORGANIZATIONS IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND IN OUR DISTRICTS THAT I KNOW WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE HARMONY IN THE AIR PROGRAM.
[01:10:01]
I'VE BEEN IN THE AIRPORT AND, UH, ACTUALLY SEEN THE MUSIC HAPPENING.YOU KNOW, I WAS TEMPTED TO GO UP TO THE MUSICIAN AND SAY, YOU'D BE INTERESTED TO KNOW HOW THIS CAME ABOUT,
I, I, I, I SAT, I SAT AND ENJOYED, UM, THE MUSIC AND, AND I WATCHED THE, UM, PASSENGERS IN THE AIRPORT AND THEY WERE THOROUGHLY ENJOYING, UH, HARMONY IN THE AIR.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE EFFORT YOU PUT INTO IT.
AND I'D LOVE TO SEE US CAST A WIDER NET FOR MORE MUSICIANS.
AND, AND ALTON, I HAVE GOT TO FIGURE OUT HOW I CAN DO A WALKING ART TOUR IN DISTRICT K.
I MEAN, THAT, THAT IS PHENOMENAL.
I I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT AND I CAN'T WAIT TO EXPERIENCE IT AT THE AIRPORT.
SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THE, UH, ARTWORK YOU'VE CURATED.
YOU HAVE DEFINITELY TAKEN, UH, THE ARTWORK AND, AND IMPACTED OUR AIRPORTS IN A PHENOMENAL WAY.
AND MIGHT I ADD THAT THE DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS WAS MY FAVORITE.
AND I KNOW IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, YOU TWO ARE REPRESENTING TODAY AND YOU'RE SPEARHEADING THIS, BUT IT'S A WHOLE TEAM, UH, AND AN AIRPORT FAMILY.
UH, TO PIGGYBACK ON THE CHAIR WOMAN'S POINT, UM, YOU KNOW, TALKING ABOUT THAT THE ARTIST, YOU KNOW, CALL WAS IN 2018, THAT PREDATES THE PANDEMIC AND SO MANY ARTISTS, MUSICIANS AND MORE TRADITIONAL, UM, WELL, MUSIC'S NOT IS TRADITIONAL, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING, UM, HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY THE PANDEMIC.
SO I'D, YOU KNOW, LOVE TO SEE US CASTING THAT WIDER NET TO MAKE SURE WE'RE CAPTURING, UM, ALL OF THOSE THAT IF THEY ARE STILL ABLE TO PERFORM AT THIS POINT, WE'RE ABLE TO HELP.
UM, SO WHATEVER WE CAN DO ON THAT END, AND AGAIN, IF THERE'S EVEN MECHANISMS FOR BRINGING IN MORE, UH, FIVE YEARS IS GREAT, THAT ADDS STABILITY, BUT THAT'S ALSO A LOCK IN, RIGHT? SO THROUGH THE PANDEMIC, WE COULDN'T DO ANYTHING NECESSARILY TO HELP RELIEVE ADDITIONAL MUSICIANS.
SO I, I FLAGGED THAT AS SOMETHING IS, THIS IS A GREAT WAY TO SUPPORT OUR LOCAL ARTS, UM, AND THE REACH IS EXTRAORDINARY AND BEAUTIFUL.
UM, THIS IS FOR MUSIC PROFESSIONALS AND IT'S IMPORTANT THAT IT IS, AGAIN, WE ARE SUPPORTING THE ARTS.
ARE THERE OTHER WAYS THAT STUDENTS CAN PARTICIPATE AND BE INVOLVED AS WELL? UM, COUNCIL MEMBER CAMIN, THE MUSIC PERFORMANCES HAPPEN IN THE SECURE AREAS.
SO THE MUSICIANS HAVE TO GO THROUGH A VERY INTENSE, UM, SCREENING PROCESS IN ORDER TO OBTAIN A BATCH AND IN ORDER TO OBTAIN A PARKING PERMIT.
AND WE THINK THAT IT WAS BETTER TO HAVE THE PERFORMANCES IN SECURE AREAS BECAUSE THE PERFORMERS HAVE, UM, CONCERNS ABOUT THE SECURITY OF THEIR BELONGINGS AND THEIR, THEIR INSTRUMENTS.
OBVIOUSLY THE PERFORMANCES ARE THREE HOUR LONG, BUT THE PERFORMERS HAVE TWO 15 MINUTE BREAK.
AND, AND I DON'T WANNA CUT YOU OFF, I JUST HAVE VERY LIMITED TIME.
SO WE TRY COUNCIL MEMBER PERHAPS, UM, LET, LET'S BROADEN THIS, THIS PERSPECTIVE.
SO THE, THE, THE, UM, HARMONY OF THE PERFORMING ARTS, IT, IT IS THE, THE PERFORMERS THAT MARIELLA HANDLES.
BUT ON THE OTHER SIDE, WHAT WE DO TRY TO DO IS, UH, WE WORK WITH THE SCHOOLS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY TO BRING THE STUDENTS IN.
AND WE USUALLY DOING THE, DURING THE, DURING THE HOLIDAYS, SO BRING, WE BRING STUDENTS FROM DIFFERENT SCHOOLS TO PERFORM.
AND IT'S IN THE NON-SECURE AREA, LIKE MARISELA SAID, ON THE SECURE AREA IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
BUT IN THE NON-SECURE AREA, BOTH AIRPORTS, WE HAVE, UM, THE TWO WEEKS, UH, OF THE HOLIDAYS, WE BRING STUDENTS FROM THOSE, UH, WHICH WE PARTICIPATE WITH HISD, WITH CLEAR LAKE, UH, AND THOSE AND THOSE ALIKE BECAUSE AGAIN, WE'RE TRYING TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO STAY IN THE ARTS.
AND THEN, UH, CHAIRWOMAN, IF I MAY REALLY QUICKLY, THE QR CODES, I'M WONDERING WHETHER IT'S THE WORKOUT OR JUST THE TOURS THAT ARE DONE, AND THOSE PICTURES AND BAGGAGE CLAIM OF LOCAL ARTISTS ARE SOME OF MY FAVORITE.
I ALWAYS GO AND CHECK THEM OUT.
UH, INTERESTED TO KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE ENGAGING WITH THOSE QR CODES, IF YOU HAVE THOSE NUMBERS.
AND THEN YOU MENTIONED A DA ACCESSIBILITY, UH, WITH THE LIGHTING FIXTURES, ARE WE ALSO MAKING SURE SOME OF THOSE ARE, UM, A DA COMPLIANT FOR THOSE THAT MAY BE LIGHT SENSITIVE AND HAVE OTHER, UM, HEALTH CONCERNS THAT CAN BE TRIGGERED BY, UH, FLASHING LIGHTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT? UH, YES.
AND I'M SO GLAD YOU ASKED ME A QUESTION.
I WAS LIKE, IS NO ONE GONNA ASK ME ANYTHING
WE DON'T, I, I, I'M SURE OUR COMMUNICATIONS TEAM COULD PROVIDE THE NUMBERS ON, ON HOW
[01:15:01]
MUCH ENGAGEMENT WE'RE GETTING OFF OF THE QR CODES.I KNOW THE QR CODE IN THE TUNNEL, WE WERE, WE GOT SEVERAL THOUSAND HITS LIKE THE FIRST FEW DAYS.
SO PEOPLE ARE REALLY ENGAGED IN IT.
WE'RE TRYING TO INTRODUCE MORE AND MORE, OF COURSE, UH, QR CODES.
THAT'S A WAY, UH, FOR PEOPLE TO ALMOST A SELF-GUIDED TOUR.
YOU CAN ENJOY THE ARTS WITHOUT HAVING A DOCENT THERE TELLING YOU WHAT'S GOING ON.
SO WE'RE, WE ARE TRYING TO INTRODUCE THESE TO MORE AND MORE OF OUR DISPLAYS, AND THAT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING WE WILL CONTINUE TO ROLL OUT.
UH, UH, AS FAR AS A DA COMPLIANCE, WE DO HAVE A CO COMPLIANCY TEAM AT THE AIRPORT THAT MAKES SURE THAT EVERYTHING IS, IS UP TO CODE.
AND, UH, ESPECIALLY ALL THE NEW PROJECTS THAT ARE COMING IN, WE GO THROUGH VERY STRICT POLICIES TO MAKE SURE ALL A DA IS COMPLIED WITH.
I'LL ADD THAT, UM, I WAS IN THE FLORIDA AIRPORT AND I NOTICED THEY HAD LOTS OF INSTAGRAM LOCATIONS, UM, FOR YOU TO STAND ON A PARTICULAR SPOT, TAKE A SELFIE, AND THEN POST IT ON INSTAGRAM, I THOUGHT THAT WAS REALLY COOL.
AND THEN ON THE SIDE OF THE ARTWORK, THEY HAD A POSTCARD OF THE ACTUAL ARTWORK, AND THEN THE BACK OF THE POSTCARD WAS THE BIO OF THE ARTIST.
SO I ALSO THOUGHT THAT WAS REALLY, AND I WAS GETTING ALL THE POSTCARDS ALL AROUND THE AIRPORT, UM, BECAUSE I WAS GONNA TELL Y'ALL ABOUT THAT, JUST SO I HAVE A COLLECTION OF THOSE AT MY DESK.
WE DO HAVE ANOTHER, UM, COMMENT QUESTION FROM, UH, VICE CHAIR GALLEGOS.
UH, FIRST OF ALL, UH, CONGRATULATIONS, UH, GREAT WORK AND, UH, HELPING TO PROMOTE THE CITY.
UH, ALTON, I REALLY LIKE WHEN YOU STATED THAT, UH, YOU ARE ALSO HAVE AN PIECE THERE REGARDING THE HOUSTON BOTANIC GARDEN, UH, PROMOTING THE HOUSTON BOTANIC GARDEN.
SO THOSE THAT HAVE THE TIME DURING THAT DAY, HOPEFULLY THEY CAN GO TO THE HOUSTON BOTANIC GARDEN.
THAT, THAT WAS THE VISION, KNOWING THAT IT'S THERE CLOSE TO THE HOBBY AIRPORT.
UH, SO, UH, IF I CAN ALSO SUGGEST MAYBE PROMOTING, AND I KNOW THIS MAY BE ONE THAT SOMEONE THAT HAS A LAYOVER OR SOMETHING HERE IN HOUSTON, TWO DAYS MAYBE, UH, WHERE THEY CAN ALSO GO TO THE, UH, TO THE AUGUST WORTHHAM GOLF COURSE.
THE OLD IS 18 HOLE GOLF COURSE IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
SO JUST WANNA ADD THAT BEING THAT IT'S IN DISTRICT I, SO THANK YOU.
THANK YOU FOR THAT SUGGESTION.
WELL, THEY CAN ALSO GO TO DISTRICT A, IF THEY HAVE A TWO DAY LAYOFF.
THERE'S LOTS TO DO IN HOUSTON, RIGHT? YEAH.
WELL, AND THAT'S WHAT WE WANTED TO DO TOO.
EVERYONE THINKS OF HOUSTON AS NASA OR THE RODEO, BUT THAT'S JUST A SMALL, YOU KNOW, FRACTION OF WHAT WE ARE AS, AS A GREAT, YOU KNOW, DYNAMIC CITY.
SO WE WANT TO SHOW A LITTLE BIT OF ALL OF THAT.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS? ALL RIGHT, UH, DIRECTOR DIAZ, I'LL GIVE YOU THE FINAL WORD, UM, TODAY.
UH, THERE ARE NO PUBLIC SPEAKERS.
SO BEFORE WE ADJOURN, I'D LIKE TO REMIND EVERYONE THAT THE NEXT SCHEDULED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING WILL BE WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19TH AT 2:00 PM.
ALSO, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN RECEIVING INFORMATION ON THE MEETINGS, CONTACT THE DISTRICT, A OFFICE AT DISTRICT A@HOUSTONTX.GOV.
IT'S THREE 18 AND THE MEETING IS ADJOURNED.