* 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. [Press Conference: "SWMD Transfer Station Ground Breaking"] [00:00:18] MORNING. AND, UH, WE WANT TO THANK MOTHER NATURE TOO, FOR THIS FABULOUS WEATHER THAT WE'RE HAVING. I ALMOST THOUGHT THIS WAS LA FOR A MINUTE, SO, BUT THIS IS, WE'RE DEFINITELY IN, UH, H MY HOME OF THE BIG H YEAH. H TOWN. SO, JUST A LITTLE HOUSEKEEPING BEFORE WE GET STARTED. UH, OUR FRIENDS WITH THE CHRISTENSEN BUILDING BUILDING GROUP WILL BE OPERATING A DRONE DURING THIS EVENT, SO DON'T BE ALARMED IF YOU HEAR SOMETHING BUZZING UP, UP IN THE SKY. UH, WE, THEY'RE JUST DOING THEIR JOB. SO AGAIN, GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. UH, MY NAME IS MARK AL, AND I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF SERVING YOU ALL AS THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S, UH, DIRECTOR FOR THE SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT. AND I AM THRILLED AND HONORED, UH, TO INVITE YOU HERE TO HAVE YOU HERE FOR OUR FORMAL GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY TODAY FOR OUR STATE OF THE ART TRANSFER STATION. AND BEFORE I GO ANY FURTHER, UH, I DON'T WANT ANYONE TO WALK AWAY THINKING THAT I DID THIS ALL BY MYSELF, EVEN THOUGH I KNOW I DID. NO, I'M JUST KIDDING. I'VE ONLY BEEN HERE ABOUT TWO YEARS. I THINK OCTOBER, NOVEMBER WILL BE TWO YEARS. BUT, UH, THIS PROJECT WAS ONGOING WITH THE, UH, THROUGH THE EFFORTS OF THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT. SO DEFINITELY, UH, LIKE TO RECOGNIZE, UH, MS. CAROLYN WRIGHT FOR, UH, KEEPING THINGS MOVING AND, UH, GETTING US TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY. UH, MUCH OF THE PLANNING THAT'S GONE INTO, UH, US GETTING TO THIS SIGNIFICANT STEP, UH, AS I MENTIONED, HAS BEEN ONGOING. SO THIS, UH, THE CITY COUNCIL, WE LIKE TO THANK CITY COUNCIL FOR APPROVING THE CONSTRUCTION. UH, ALSO LIKE TO RECOGNIZE OUR DLR FOR COMPLETING THE DESIGN EARLIER THIS YEAR. AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THE DEMOLITION HAS BEGUN. AND, UH, WE, WE WILL GO AHEAD AND DO THE GROUNDBREAKING THE DAY. SO THE EXPECTED COMPLETION DATE OF THIS IS MARCH, 2015. SO, UH, JUST LETTING OUR CONTRACTORS KNOW NOW. WE APPRECIATE THE WORK BEING ON TIME, AND WE CERTAINLY DON'T MIND IF IT COMES IN EARLY . ALRIGHT, EACH STEP OF THE WAY, UH, WE'VE KEPT GOALS AND, UM, THE THING THAT I'M MOST EXCITED ABOUT WITH IT FOR THIS PARTICULAR EVENT IS THAT IT BLENDS IN PERFECTLY AND IT SUPPORTS THE MAYOR'S ONE CLEAN HOUSTON INITIATIVE, WHICH IS AT THE FOREFRONT OF OUR RAPID RESPONSE. SO THE BETTER ENFORCEMENT PREVENTION, EXPEDITE EX, UH, EXPEDITE THE REMOVAL OF ILLEGAL DUMPING THAT'S OCCURRING IN THIS COMMUNITY AND THIS QUADRANT THAT WE'RE END WILL DEFINITELY BE A BENEFIT, UH, TO THE CITIZENS IN THIS QUADRANT OF THE CITY OF NORTHEAST. UH, THE BENEFITS OF THE TRANSFER STATION FOR OUR CITY AND THE RESIDENTS WILL SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE SERVICE DELIVERY. SO, JUST TO LET YOU ALL KNOW, ONCE THOSE TRUCKS FILL UP, THEY USUALLY HAVE TO DRIVE A, A GOOD LITTLE WAYS TO GO TO A LANDFILL TO DROP THAT OFF. THE PURPOSE OF THIS TRANSFER STATION WILL ALLOW THESE TRUCKS TO COME HERE, DROP THEIR LOAD BACK, AND THEN RETURN TO THEIR ROUTES, UH, IN A, IN A MORE EFFICIENT TIME MANNER. AND ALSO WE'LL HAVE BETTER ROUTE COVERAGE AS WELL. SO, BUT THE PURPOSE BUILT TRANSFER STATION, AGAIN, IS JUST ANOTHER TOOL OF, UH, WHAT THE TURNER ADMINISTRATION HAS INVESTED IN THE DEPARTMENT TO HELP IMPROVE THE EFFICIENCY OF OUR OPERATIONS. SO AT THIS TIME, I WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE, UH, SOME OF OUR SPECIAL GUESTS, UH, WHO ARE HERE, CONGRESSWOMAN SHEILA JACKSON LEE. YES. COUNCIL MEMBER TASHA JACKSON. AND IS EMILY HAYNES HERE? THERE SHE IS ON BEHALF OF COUNCIL MEMBER CIRO'S OFFICE. AND I KNOW I SAW HIM EARLIER. YOU CAN'T MISS SOME COUNCIL MEMBER MIKE KNOX. LOOK FOR THE HAT. AND CHRISTINA. CAM CAMARILLO ON BEHALF OF DAVID ROBINSON. SHE THERE, SHE'S ALL RIGHT. SO, UM, THERE, UH, THE, THE PROJECT HAS DEFINITELY BEEN A COLLABORATIVE. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THE, THE FOLKS WHO ARE HERE IN ATTENDANCE CERTAINLY HAVE A, OWE A DEBT OF GRATITUDE TO, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE PERSON THAT I REALLY WANT TO THANK RIGHT NOW, UH, AND THAT WE COULDN'T HAVE GOT HERE WITHOUT LIKE, TO BRING HIM FORWARD AT THIS TIME, HONORABLE MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER. THANK YOU THIS SO VERY MUCH. LET ME, UH, UM, THANK, UH, DIRECTOR WILL FA FOR, FOR HIS LEADERSHIP AND, UH, EXCUSE FOR FOR HIS LEADERSHIP AND ALL OF THE, UH, EMPLOYEES OF THE SOLID WASTE DEPARTMENT. PLEASE GIVE IT UP TO ALL OF THEM. THE EARTH REAL FALLING, SOLID WASTE. CAN'T SAY ENOUGH [00:05:01] FOR, FOR SOLID WASTE. UH, THEY OFTEN GO SIX, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, ALL DAY, HEAT, COLD RAIN, YOU, YOU NAME IT. UH, THEY ARE OUT THERE ALL OVER THE CITY OF HOUSTON. SO I REALLY WANT TO THANK THEM, ESPECIALLY THIS MORNING. AND THEN OF COURSE, I DO WANT TO, UH, AGAIN, ACKNOWLEDGE COUNCIL MEMBER TASHA JACKSON. WE ARE IN HER DISTRICT, DISTRICT B, SO THANK YOU. AND THEN OF COURSE, COUNCIL MEMBER MIKE KNOX, APPRECIATE YOU BEING ALWAYS BEING PRESENT. AND THE REPRESENTATIVES FROM COUNCIL MEMBER CISNEROS OFFICE AND COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON. THEN OF COURSE, WE CERTAINLY APPRECIATE AND HONOR TO HAVE CONGRESSWOMAN SHEILA JACKSON LEE WITH US AGAIN THIS MORNING. LOOK, LEMME JUST SAY, UM, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US AS WE CELEBRATE THE GROUNDBREAKING OF THE NORTHEAST TRANSFER STATION. THIS TRANSFER STATION WILL SERVE THIS COMMUNITY, UH, WITH THE HELP OF OUR HARDWORKING MEN AND WOMEN OF THE SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT AFTER YEARS OF, AND THEN, UH, REPRESENTATIVES OF GHD, UH, IF Y'ALL WILL WAIVE YOUR HANDS, GENERAL SERVICE DEPARTMENT. THANK YOU OFFICER, VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE AS WELL. AFTER YEARS OF METICULOUS PLANNING, THIS TRANSFER STATION IS A RESULT OF FOCUS, DEDICATION TO CREATING A SUSTAINABLE AND EFFICIENT, SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, AND WILL MARK A SIGNIFICANT MILESTONE IN OUR ONGOING COMMITMENT TO RESIDENTS OF THIS CITY THAT WE WILL BE ONE CLEAN HOUSTON. WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF OUR DR RAY DIAL RACE ARCHITECTS, UH, WE DESIGNED THE STATE OFTHE ART TRANSFER STATION THAT THIS CITY NEEDS AND SERVES. AND LET ME UNDERSCORE THAT STATE OF THE ART FACILITY WILL BE RIGHT HERE. HOUSTON WILL NOW HAVE A STRATEGICALLY LOCATED TRANSFER STATION AND EACH OF THE CITY'S QUADRANTS. THIS STRATEGIC PLACEMENT WILL ENHANCE OUR ABILITY TO SERVE THE ENTIRE CITY RESOURCEFULLY. AND EFFECTIVELY THIS FACILITY WILL PROVIDE EFFICIENCIES AND IMPROVEMENTS AND OPERATIONS THAT WILL RESONATE FOR YEARS BEYOND TODAY, ENSURING THAT WE HAVE A CLEANER AND MORE SUSTAINABLE CITY IN THE FUTURE. THIS STATION IS OUR FIRST PURPOSE BUILT STATION DESIGNED WITH OUR DRIVERS IN MIND. THIS DRIVER CENTRIC APPROACH ALLOWS FOR QUICK AND EASY TRANSFER OF COLLECTED WASTE, ENSURING THEIR SAFETY AND HIGHER PRODUCTIVITY BY SHORTENING THEIR TRAVEL TIME TO DISPOSAL POINTS. AND LOOK, AND YOU DON'T DO THIS OVERNIGHT AND YOU KNOW, I HEAR A LOT OF PEOPLE SAYING, YOU KNOW, HOW THEY'RE GOING TO IMPROVE SOLID WASTE, BUT COUNCIL MEMBER KNOX, I JUST TIP MY HAT OFF TO 'EM AND SAY, OKAY, FINE, WE SHALL SEE. BUT YOU DON'T DO THIS OVERNIGHT, AND QUITE FRANKLY, YOU BUILD ON WHAT YOU KNOW OTHERS HAVE DONE PRIOR TO. OUR DRIVERS WILL HAVE QUICK ACCESS TO TRANSFER THEIR COLLECTIVE WASTE SHORTENING THEIR TRAVELING. AND AS WE NOTE THIS, UH, UH, STATE OF THE ART FACILITY THAT'S BEING BUILT AND THERI, THERE ARE DRIVERS HERE FROM SOLID WAVE. IF YOU ARE DRIVERS, RAISE YOUR HAND THERE. ANY DRIVERS HERE THIS MORNING? WELL, THEY ARE DRIVING . YEAH, THEY ARE DRIVING. BUT YOU CAN HAVE THE DRIVERS, YOU CAN HAVE THE FACILITY, BUT YOU ALSO NEED THE TRUCKS TO DRIVE ON. YOU ARE LOOKING AT ONE OF THE BRAND NEW SOLID WASTE TRUCKS, UH, THAT ARE HERE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, ONE OF 12 THAT JUST RECENTLY ARRIVED, I MIGHT ADD. OKAY. UH, SO I JUST WANT TO UNDERSCORE THAT. AND OUR DRIVERS WILL HAVE QUICK ACCESS TO TRANSFER THEIR COLLECTIVE WASTE SHORTENING THEIR TRAVEL. THIS MEANS MORE EFFICIENT WASTE COLLECTION, REDUCE EMISSIONS, AND LESS CONGESTION ON OUR ROADS. THE STATION WILL PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN THE ONE CLEAN HOUSTON INITIATIVE, GIVING THE CITY ANOTHER TOOL IN THE FIGHT AGAINST ILLEGAL DUMPING. THE NORTHEAST TRANSFER STATION REPRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT STEP FORWARD IN HOUSTON'S WASTE MANAGEMENT EFFORTS. IT IS A TESTAMENT TO OUR PLEDGE TO SUSTAINABILITY EFFICIENCY AND COMMUNITY WELLBEING. AND I MIGHT ADD IT WOULD NOT BE TAKING PLACE WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF MY 16 PARTNERS. SO I REALLY WANT TO THANK THE COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR INVESTING IN SOLID WASTE, NOT JUST IN THIS FACILITY, BUT IN THE MEN AND WOMEN IN SOLID WASTE, AS WELL AS THE EQUIPMENT ITSELF. WE ARE COMMITTED TO KEEPING OUR BEAUTIFUL CITY CLEAN AND FREE FROM ILLEGAL DUMPING. AND TOGETHER WE ARE BUILDING A CLEANER AND GREENER FUTURE FOR HOUSTON. NOW, COUNCIL MEMBER KNOX, YOU AND I WILL NOT BE HERE WHEN IT'S BUILT, BUT IT IS CERTAINLY STARTING ON OUR WATCH. AND THIS FACILITY WILL BE UP [00:10:01] AND RUNNING SCHEDULED IN MARCH OF 2025, IF NOT SOONER. SO I, AGAIN, I WANT TO THANK DIRECTOR WILFORD. I WANT TO THANK THE MEN AND WOMEN IN THE SOLID WASTE DEPARTMENT. I CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH BECAUSE THEY GO OVER AND ABOVE AND THEY ARE COMMITTED TO DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO MAKE THIS CITY WORK. IT IS A GROWING CITY. THE NUMBERS ARE INCREASING, THE NUMBER OF, UH, STOPS ON THEIR ROUTES, THAT NUMBER IS INCREASING. AND QUITE FRANKLY, UH, IT TAKES A, A COMMITTED STAFF AND WORKFORCE IN ORDER TO GET IT DONE. AND I CANNOT THANK THEM ENOUGH FOR THEIR COMMITMENT TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND NOW THIS FACILITY IS HERE, WHICH WILL PROVIDE EVEN GREATER EFFICIENCIES OF FOR OUR OPERATIONS. SO THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. LOOK FOR, WELL, I LOOK FORWARD TO VISITING, YOU KNOW, UH, BUT TODAY, YOU KNOW, WE SHALL CUT THE RIBBON. SO AGAIN, UH, DIRECTOR WILL FOLK LET ME THANK THE CONTRACTORS, GIVE IT UP TO THE CONTRACTORS. CAN'T DO IT, CAN'T DO IT WITHOUT THE ARCHITECTS. CAN'T DO IT WITHOUT THE CONTRACTORS. CAN'T DO IT WITHOUT GHD AND CERTAINLY CAN'T DO IT WITHOUT SOLID WASTE. SO THANK YOU ALSO VERY, VERY MUCH. THANK YOU MAYOR TURNER. UH, AND NEXT UP WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER TARSHA JACKSON, COUNCIL MEMBER. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. YOU KNOW, IT'S ALWAYS A GOOD DAY IN DISTRICT B WHEN WE ADD IN RESOURCES TO TACKLE A MA A MAJOR ISSUE, WHICH IS ILLEGAL DUMPING. UM, I'M COUNCIL MEMBER TARSHA JACKSON. I REPRESENT DISTRICT B, AND, UM, I'M EXCITED TO BE HERE. UM, AT THIS GROUNDBREAKING, I WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO, UM, CONGRESSWOMAN SHEILA JACKSON LEE, BUT THEN ALSO THANK DIRECTOR WILL FALK AND MAYOR TURN OF LOGISTIC EFFORTS, UM, TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE, THIS LONG LINGERING ISSUE OF ILLEGAL DUMPING THROUGHOUT OUR CITY. YOU KNOW, SINCE TAKING OFFICE, THE MAYOR HAS THROWN ALL HIS, THE CITY RESOURCES, I WOULD SAY ALL THE CITY RESOURCES TOWARDS THIS ISSUE. YOU KNOW, WHEN I FIRST CAME IN, WE EXPANDED THE, UM, DEPOSITORY HOURS. YOU KNOW, HE JUST INVESTED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS INTO THE ONE SAFE HOUSTON. AND NOW WE HAVE A TRANSFER CENTER, WHICH IS GONNA MAKE PICKING UP TRASH, A CLEAN, UM, PICKING UP TRASH, MORE EFFICIENT FOR OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. AND SO, AND OF COURSE THAT'S GONNA ADDRESS A LOT OF THE LEGAL DUMPING. SO I'M JUST THANKFUL TO YOU, MAYOR, FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND DIRECTOR AND ALL THE SOLID WASTE TEAM. YOU KNOW, MY HOT TEAM, I GO OUT THERE AND I WATCH THEM DAY IN AND DAY OUT, PICKING UP ILLEGAL DUMPING, MAKING SURE THAT OUR NEIGHBORHOODS ARE CLEAN. AND THIS IS JUST ONE WAY THAT WE'RE GONNA MAKE SURE THAT WE KEEP OUR NEIGHBORHOODS CLEAN, BECAUSE THAT WAY, UM, PEOPLE THAT THE, THE, THE, UM, THEY CAN JUST, THEY BASICALLY COME HERE, WHICH IS CLOSER TO, UM, UM, VERSUS GOING TO WHEREVER THEY'LL GO OUT. SO, UM, AGAIN, THANK YOU, UM, MAYOR TURNER, AND, UM, I'M EXCITED TO BE HERE AND LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR CONTINUING PARTNERSHIP. THANKS. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON. AND ONE, ONE THING I WOULD LIKE TO ADD ABOUT THE LOCATION OF THIS FACILITY IS THAT IT'S LOW IMPACT TO THE COMMUNITY, RIGHT? SO NOBODY HAS TO WORRY ABOUT A SMELL BEING IN THEIR BACKYARD. WE'VE ALWAYS MENTIONED THAT IT'S STATE OF THE ART. SO THAT'S AN EXAMPLE OF WHERE WE'RE GOING AND, AND THE SEEDS THAT THIS ADMINISTRATION IS PLANTING. NOW YOU'RE STARTING TO SEE THESE FLOWERS KIND OF BLOSSOM AND GROW. UH, NEXT UP I'D LIKE TO, TO BRING UP CONGRESSWOMAN SHEILA JACKSON LEE, GOOD MORNING. THIS IS A GREAT DAY. IT IS A GREAT DAY BECAUSE WE'RE ALWAYS BETTER TOGETHER, UH, THAN WE ARE SEPARATED. THANK YOU MAYOR, FOR BUILDING ON THIS CITY AND CONTINUING TO LAY THE BROWN WORK FOR A GREAT CITY. THIS IS A CLEAN CITY, THIS IS A GREEN CITY, AND IT COULD NOT BE DONE WITHOUT EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. THANK YOU, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON, THERE'S SOMETHING IN YOUR NAME THAT IS SO RESOUNDING, UH, TO ME. UH, I KNOW THAT YOU ARE A HARD, HARD WORKER, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER KNOX, THANK YOU CISNEROS, UH, AND ROBINSON AND ALL OF YOU WHO ARE HERE FROM SOLID WASTE GENERAL SERVICES, OUR ARCHITECTS, AND CERTAINLY OUR CONTRACTORS, AS THE NATION GOES AND THE CHALLENGES OF WASTE DISPOSAL CONTINUES REALLY THROUGHOUT THE NATION. UH, THERE'S A BRIGHT LIGHT IN HOUSTON, TEXAS WITH THE LEADERSHIP, UH, THAT HAS BEEN GIVEN BY OUR CITY GOVERNMENT, OUR MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL, AND ALL OF YOU, UH, TO PUT IN THIS NORTHEAST TRANSFER CENTER, UH, IN ITS ENHANCEMENT. DIRECTOR, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR STAYING FOCUSED. UH, UH, RECOGNIZING THAT NEW TECHNOLOGY, UH, IS A KEY TO BOTH PROTECTING OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND A CLEAN AMERICA AND A CLEAN HOUSTON. HOUSTON IS AT THE FOREFRONT OF USING NEW TECHNOLOGY, AND I CAN'T NOT REMINISCE DOWN MEMORY LANE. WHEN I SERVED AS A MEMBER OF THE HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL FROM 89, UH, [00:15:01] THROUGH THE TIME I WENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS, FOR THOSE WHO MAY STILL BE HERE, A SOLID WASTE WAS WHERE I SPENT MY TIME, VISITED THE MEN AND WOMEN, THERE ARE SOMETIMES ON THE EARLY SHIFTS, THIS IS GOING TO HELP IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE WHILE DRIVERS AND THOSE WHO ARE VERY CRUCIAL. I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY TIMES WE HAVE TOLD YOU, AND YOU SHOULD HEAR IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN. THE SOLID WASTE DEPARTMENT IS A CRUCIAL AND IMPORTANT AND VITAL SERVICE OF THIS CITY. AND WE SHOULD ACKNOWLEDGE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU FOR THE DIFFERENT ROLES THAT YOU PLAY. HAVING A FACILITY LIKE THIS, AS HAS BEEN SAID BY THE DIRECTOR WITH LOW IMPACT FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD, THE WONDERFUL TREE AND GORGEOUS NORTHEAST HOUSTON, A WONDERFUL COMMUNITY OF TREES AND NEIGHBORS AND NEIGHBORHOODS TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THIS, UH, WHERE THIS LIGHTENS YOUR LOAD SO THAT YOU CAN ARRIVE MORE QUICKLY THAN TRANSFER AND BE BACK OUT, UH, USING THE KIND OF SMART TRUCK AND SMART MOBILITY THAT IS SEEN BY THIS BRIGHT AND SHINY, UH, VEHICLE. LET'S HOPE I GET A CHANCE TO DRIVE. IT LOOKS PRETTY ENTICING. I'D LIKE TO BE RIGHT UP THERE, UH, AND, UH, WHEELING AROUND. BUT IT'S ABOUT YOUR WORK, YOUR WORKLOAD, BECAUSE WHAT YOU DO IS TO HELP 90-YEAR-OLD, UH, RESIDENT, UH, IN HER HOME THAT NEEDS TO SEE YOU AND NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO HAVE YOUR SERVICES. I THINK THIS IS BRINGING US ALL TOGETHER. WE ARE FOCUSED ON A CLEANER HOUSTON AND A CLEANER AMERICA. WE'RE MOVING TOWARD A GREEN AMERICA AND THE SOLID WASTE PERSONNEL AND STAFF AND ALL YOUR LEVELS. YOU ARE AT THE KEY FOR FOREFRONT OF THIS. AND IT IS EXCITING TO SEE THIS NEW TRANSFER AND TO LIGHTEN YOUR LOAD, EVEN THOUGH YOUR LOAD IS BIG, TO LIGHTEN YOUR LOAD AND TO ALLOW THOSE, LET'S MAKE A BIG ANNOUNCEMENT. DON'T DUMP. COME HERE, DON'T DUMP. COME HERE AND HELP US. BE ONE CLEAN HOUSTON BUILDING AND ONE GREEN HOUSTON, CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU. IT'S MY PRIVILEGE TO BE HERE. I WANTED TO GET HERE BEFORE, UH, WE WENT TO TRY AND STOP THE SHUTDOWN IN WASHINGTON BECAUSE A SHUTDOWN DOES NOT HELP OUR CITIES IN AMERICA. PLEASE FORGIVE ME AS I LEAVE HEADING TO THE AIRPORT. UH, I KNOW THAT, UH, WE ARE GREAT AND GRAND IN THE BIG H, BUT AIRPLANES IN SPITE OF THEMSELVES, DO NOT WAIT ON YOU, EVEN THOUGH WE ARE FROM THE BIG AGE, HOUSTON, TEXAS. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. THIS IS A GREAT DAY AND DIRECTOR, I WANNA MAKE SURE I PRESENT THIS TO YOU, AND IF THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL WILL COME STAND UP WITH ME, UH, FOR THIS AND TO, UH, PRESENT TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT, GROUNDBREAKING OF THE TRANSFER STATION. UH, AND I JUST SIMPLY SAY THAT THIS IS EVIDENCE OF THE MAYOR AND THE CITY COUNCIL, SOLID WASTE REALLY PUTTING IN, UH, THE, THE ELBOW GREASES, UH, WITH OUR ARCHITECTS AND CONTRACTORS AND OTHER DEPARTMENTS, AND THE WORKERS OF SOLID WASTE. JUST GIVE 'EM AT VERY BEGINNING WORKERS OF SOLID WASTE. IT SIMPLY SAYS THERE ARE DESERVING OF THE COMMENDATION, RESPECT AND AMOR OF THE UNITED STATES MEMBERS. THANK YOU, DIRECTOR. VERY THANK YOU, DIRECTOR. THANK YOU. FEEL LIKE THOSE, UH, MCS WHERE THEY BRING FLOWERS UP AND, UH, ALRIGHT. ALL RIGHT. UH, MAYOR TURNER MENTIONED IT EARLIER, GSD, UH, AND, AND BLAME IT ON THE, BLAME IT ON THE HEAD, NOT THE HEART. CERTAINLY WOULDN'T BE HERE WITHOUT HIM. AND WE CERTAINLY NEED TO BE APPRECIATIVE FOR THIS NEXT PERSON, BECAUSE IF I WERE TO TAKE THE JOB ON THAT, THIS NEXT GROUP IS, HAS SIGNED UP TO DO. I DON'T THINK WE GET PAST INSPECTION. SO I'D LIKE TO BRING UP MR. MARK CHRISTIANSEN, PRESIDENT OF THE CHRISTIANSEN BUILDING GROUP. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING, EVERYBODY. SO THIS IS WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO FOLLOW THE TOP OF THE ASTROS LINEUP. THIS IS A, UH, TOUGH SPOT TO BE IN, BUT I'M HONORED TO SHARE THE, THE PODIUM THIS MORNING WITH OUR GREAT LEADERSHIP HERE IN HOUSTON. I WANT TO THANK THE MAYOR, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON, UH, CONGRESSWOMAN SHEILA JACKSON LEE, AND OF COURSE, UH, THE DIRECTOR HERE FOR GIVING US THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THIS VISION. THIS NEW, REALLY, THE MAYOR SAID IT BEST STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITY REPRESENTS THE VISION OF THE CITY. AND IT'S, IT'S, UH, UH, INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT THIS PROCESS OF GETTING THIS PROJECT TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY HAPPENED THROUGH ONE OF THE TOUGHEST TIMES. THE, THAT WE'VE REALLY SEEN AS A, AS A COUNTRY AND AS AS GLOBALLY. UH, TO TRY TO BRING A PROJECT OF THIS SIZE AND SCALE THROUGH A VERY DIFFICULT, UH, BIDDING PROCESS WITH PRICE ESCALATION. AND THERE [00:20:01] WERE SEVERAL ITERATIONS THAT WE HAD TO GO THROUGH WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE CITY. AND EACH TIME THE CITY CAME BACK AND WAS COMMITTED, WE SAW OTHER PROJECTS THAT DIDN'T GET TO THIS STAGE THAT HAD TO BE SACRIFICED, AND THERE WAS A COMMITMENT TO MAKE THIS PROJECT HAPPEN. AND STANDING HERE TODAY IS A TESTAMENT TO THAT. SO, WITH THAT, I WANT TO JUST GIVE AN APPLAUSE TO THE CITY AND THE, AND THE VISION, UH, TO MAKE THIS PROJECT, UH, A REALITY. UM, IT'S GREAT TO BE A PART OF THE PROJECTS THAT IMPACT OUR COMMUNITY, AND THERE'S NONE THAT WILL HAVE A GREATER IMPACT THAN THIS ONE THAT PROVIDES A REALLY A, A WORLD CLASS FACILITY FOR THE WORKERS WHO ARE OUT IN THE SUN AND THE RAIN AND THE WEATHER EVERY DAY, KEEPING OUR CITY CLEAN. UH, WE'VE, WE'VE GOT A GREAT TEAM ASSEMBLED WITH GSD AND RVLR AND THE CONSTRUCTION TEAM THAT HAS WORKED TOGETHER VERY COLLABORATIVELY TO BRING THIS TO THE COMMUNITY. IT'S EXCITING TO SEE SO MANY MEMBERS HERE OF THE COMMUNITY SHOW UP, UH, AND, AND BE EXCITED ABOUT THIS PROJECT BECAUSE IT REALLY IS, UH, A HUGE IMPACT TO LOCAL COMMUNITY AND IT'S AN HONOR TO BE A PART OF IT. SO, WITH THAT, UH, THANK YOU FOR LETTING US PARTICIPATE AND YOUR TRUST IN BEING YOUR CONSTRUCTION PARTNER ON THE PROJECT. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU, MARK. UM, NOW THE, THE, YOU KNOW, PART OF OUR GOAL HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO FLY UNDER THE RADAR, RIGHT? WE WANT TO BE LIKE, UH, A GOOD DJ AT A PARTY, RIGHT? EVERYTHING IS GOING GOOD. YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW THE DJ IS THERE, YOU KNOW, SO AS WE CONTINUE TO STRENGTHEN AND ENHANCE THE SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT, UH, I DEFINITELY WANT TO THANK ONE MORE, GIVE ANOTHER ROUND OF APPLAUSE AND RECOGNITION FOR COOPERATIVE LEADERSHIP, RIGHT? WE, YOU SEE WHO WE HAVE ON THE, ON THE STAGE TODAY. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, MAYOR, UH, CONGRESSWOMAN, AND, AND ALL OF OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS, COUNCIL MEMBER KNOX AND, AND JUST ALL 16 THAT ARE UP ON THE HORSESHOE. UH, THAT'S A SHINING EXAMPLE OF WHAT COOPERATIVE LEADERSHIP IS. AND, UH, WE CERTAINLY THANK YOU ALL AGAIN FOR YOUR SUPPORT. UH, AT THIS TIME, I GUESS WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO CLOSING. DEPUTY DIRECTOR VERONICA ZAM IS GOING TO GIVE US SOME INSTRUCTIONS ON WHAT TO DO, RIGHT? ALRIGHT. OKAY, COME ON. JUST WANNA THANK EVERYONE FOR BEING HERE TODAY. WE'RE NOW GONNA MOVE OVER TO THE GROUNDBREAKING OVER AT THE, FOR PHOTO OPS. SO IF ALL THE SPEAKERS, UM, DIDI WRIGHT, UH, YOU, YOU CAN MOVE OVER TO THE BACK HERE. UH, WE'RE GONNA MAKE A QUICK SHIFT. THANK YOU EVERYONE. * 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.