[00:00:01]
10:00 AM[Transportation, Technology, and Infrastructure Committee on October 5, 2023.]
OCTOBER IN 2023.THIS MORNING WE HAVE A FULL AGENDA FOR OUR TTI COMMITTEE MEETING.
UH, WE'VE GOT FIVE ITEMS TO REPORT ON, AND WE WILL BEGIN TODAY'S MEETING WITH, UH, A THREE YEAR REPORT, UH, FROM THE CHIEF RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER.
THAT'S PRIYA ZACHARIA FROM THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY.
WE'LL HEAR FROM THE HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT ON ONE WATER MASTER PLANNING PROJECT.
THAT'S PHASE ONE WITH E CATERINA FIDOS.
SHE'S THE PLANNING DIRECTOR FROM HOUSTON WATER.
WE'RE GONNA HEAR FROM REPRESENTATIVES OF THE SPEED CENTER AT RICE UNIVERSITY ON THE COASTAL SURGE PROTECTION, UH, PROVIDED BY THE GALVESTON BAY PARK PLAN.
WE'LL HEAR FROM JIM BLACKBURN, THE CO-DIRECTOR OF THE SEVERE STORM PREVENTION EDUCATION AND EVACUATION FROM DISASTER CENTER.
ROB ROGERS, THE FOUNDING PARTNER OF ROGERS PARTNERS ARCHITECTS AND URBAN DESIGNERS.
AND MELANIE GALLANT, UH, GRADUATE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ENGINEER WITH WALTER P MOORE'S OFFICE.
NEXT ON THE AGENDA IS THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S REPETITIVE LOST AREA ANALYSIS.
WE'LL HEAR FROM CHOICE MORROW, THE MANAGING ENGINEER FOR FLOOD PLANE MANAGEMENT, THE OFFICE AT THE HOUSTON PERMITTING CENTER OF HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS.
AND FINALLY, TODAY ON THE AGENDA, WE'LL DISCUSS CHAPTER 26, THE HALLS BAYOU GREENWAY PARK WITH REPRESENTATIVE SINGAL SINGH SECON FROM THE, HE'S THE MANAGING ENGINEER OF CAPITAL PROJECTS FOR HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS.
I WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME ALL MEMBERS OF HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL AND STAFF TO THE CHAMBERS AND ONLINE.
AND NOTE THAT THIS MEETING IS BEING HELD IN A HYBRID MODE DUE TO THE DISCONTINUATION OF THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT.
THAT'S CHAPTER 5 51, THE PROVISIONS THAT ALLOWED PUBLIC MEETINGS TO BE HELD SOLELY AND VIRTUALLY DURING THE PANDEMIC.
THIS MEETING IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND AS CHAIR AND PRESIDING OFFICER, I AM PHYSICALLY PRESENT IN THE CHAMBER IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION 5 51 0.1 27 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE THAT'S APPLICABLE TO A GOVERNMENTAL BODY THAT EXTENDS INTO THREE OR MORE COUNTIES.
ALL OTHER COMMITTEE MEMBERS HAVE THE OPTION TO PARTICIPATE IN PERSON OR VIRTUALLY VIA MICROSOFT TEAMS AFTER TODAY'S PRESENTATIONS, WE DO HAVE FIVE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO HAVE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK TODAY.
ONE VIRTUALLY AND I, I THINK FIVE IN PERSON AND ONE VIRTUALLY SIX SPEAKERS.
AND THE DEADLINE TO SIGN UP AS SUCH WAS 5:00 PM THE DAY BEFORE OUR MEETING YESTERDAY ON, UH, THE 4TH OF OCTOBER.
HOWEVER, AS ALWAYS, ANY QUESTIONS MAY BE SENT TO THE AT LARGE2@HOUSTONTX.GOV EMAIL ADDRESS, AND WE WILL SHARE THEM WITH THE APPROPRIATE DEPARTMENTS AND PERSONNEL FOLLOWING THE MEETING AND DISTRIBUTE THE RESPONSES, UH, THROUGH OUR COMMITTEE WEBSITE.
AND TODAY'S PRESENTATIONS AS MENTIONED WILL BEGIN IN A MOMENT.
BUT BEFORE DOING THAT, I WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE THAT WE'VE BEEN JOINED BY THE VICE CHAIR OF THE TTI COMMITTEE, THAT'S AT LARGE COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCORN.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, VICE CHAIR AS WELL AS STAFF FROM THE FOLLOWING OFFICES.
COUNCIL MEMBER AMY PECK FROM DISTRICT A, COUNCIL MEMBER TARSHA JACKSON FROM DISTRICT B COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN FROM DISTRICT C, THE MAYOR PRO TEM DAVE MARTIN'S OFFICE FROM DISTRICT E COUNCIL MEMBER TIFFANY THOMAS.
HER STAFF FROM DISTRICT F COUNCIL MEMBER MARY NAN HUFFMAN FROM DISTRICT G COUNCIL MEMBER CARLOS CISNEROS, HER STAFF FROM DISTRICT H AND THE VICE MAYOR PRO TEM MARTHA CASTEX, TATUM'S CHIEF OF STAFF IS HERE, UH, FROM DISTRICT K AS WELL AS AT LARGE COUNCIL MEMBERS.
UM, MICHAEL KUBOSH, HIS STAFF IN POSITION THREE.
UM, WITH THAT YOU CAN TELL THAT WE HAVE A NICE GATHERING OF COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THEIR TEAM HERE AND ONLINE, AND WITH FOLKS PRESENT IN THE CHAMBER, I'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE, UH, CHAIRMAN ROBERT GALLEGOS, OUR COUNCIL MEMBER FROM DISTRICT I, WHO'S JUST JOINED US, AND WE WILL PROCEED TO THE AGENDA.
UM, EACH PRESENTATION AND EACH SPEAKER, I'M GOING TO ASK TO INTRODUCE YOURSELVES AND ANY STAFF PRESENT FOR THE RECORD.
AND WITH THAT, WE WILL BEGIN WITH CHIEF ZACHARIA AND A DISCUSSION, UH, THE THREE YEAR REPORT, RESILIENT HOUSTON AND HOUSTON CLIMATE ACTION PLAN.
UM, CHIEF RESILIENCE OFFICER, UH, FROM THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF RESILIENCY, RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY, PRIYA ZACHARIA.
MS. ZACHARIA, THE FLOOR IS YOURS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT TO THE TTI COMMITTEE.
UM, AND GOOD MORNING ALSO TO COUNCIL MEMBER GALLEGOS AND COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN, AND TO ALL OF THE COUNCIL DISTRICTS, UH, REPRESENTED HERE.
I AM THE CHIEF RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
AND IF YOU COULD PLEASE, CHIEF, LET ME ASK, UH, ONE NOTE HERE ON THE TECHNICAL SIDE.
[00:05:01]
YOU ARE ZOOMING IN, I'D LIKE TO ASK FOR YOU TO PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAMERAS UNTIL YOU ARE ONLINE, UM, UH, SO THAT WE CAN APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION AS OUR TECHNOLOGY, UH, REQUIRES.THANK YOU AGAIN, CHIEF PAR, SORRY FOR THE INTRODUCTION, UH, THE INTERRUPTION THERE, AND AGAIN, FLOOR IS YOURS.
I AM THE CHIEF RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
AND I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE MY STAFF MEMBER FROM THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF BRAZIL AND SUSTAINABILITY, JEANNETTE CALDERON, WHO'S IN THE OFFICE, UM, SENIOR STAFF ANALYST, UH, WITH OUR TEAM.
UM, SO TODAY WE WANTED TO TALK TO YOU ALL, UM, AND PRESENT ON THE THREE YEAR REPORT AND ALL OF THE PROJECTS THAT WE ARE WORKING ON, UM, IN OUR OFFICE.
UM, AS ALWAYS, WE START WITH THE THE FIRST SLIDE.
IF I CAN HAVE THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
WE ALWAYS START WITH THIS SLIDE TO TELL THE STORY OF HOUSTON.
UM, AND THIS BACKDROP HAS REALLY INFORMED OUR WORK, UM, IN SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCE.
THE MAIN TAKEAWAY BEING THAT THIS IS A REGION THAT HAS SEEN SUSTAINED GROWTH OVER THE LAST SO MANY DECADES, AND WE ARE CONTINUING TO GROW NOT JUST IN THE CITY, BUT ALSO THE COUNTY.
ANOTHER ASPECT OF HOUSTON THAT IS WORTH UNDERLINING OVER AND OVER AGAIN IS, UM, OUR DIVERSITY.
WE ARE A CITY WHERE ONE IN FOUR HOUSTONIANS IS BORN OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES, AND A THIRD OF HOUSTONIANS OVER THE AGE OF FIVE SPEAKS A LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH AT HOME.
I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT I FIT INTO BOTH CATEGORIES, UM, AS I WAS NOT BORN IN THE US BUT YET HOUSTON HAS BECOME HOME TO ME AND MY FAMILY.
ALONGSIDE THIS, WE ALSO HAVE TO MENTION THAT, UM, THERE ARE DISPARITIES IN THE QUALITY OF LIFE.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT THIS SLIDE, IT POINTS TO A DISPARITY IN LIFE EXPECTANCY ACROSS TWO CENSUS TRACKS THAT ARE GEOGRAPHICALLY VERY CLOSE.
BUT THE GAP IN LIFE EXPECTANCY IS REALLY A YAWNING GAP.
AND REALLY THE WORK OF RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY IS WHERE WE ARE TRYING TO BALANCE THE GROWTH OF THE CITY.
AND ITS SUSTAINED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE LONG TERM.
IT'S DIVERSITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE, BUT TAKING VERY CAREFUL NOTE OF THE INEQUALITIES THAT WE TRY TO ADDRESS THROUGH OUR WORK.
AND THIS IS REALLY WHERE THE WORK OF RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY LIVES.
AS YOU ALL ALREADY KNOW, OURS IS A COMBINED OFFICE, UM, AND HAS BEEN FROM OCTOBER, 2021, WHERE WE HAVE BEEN CHARGED WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF NOT JUST THE RESILIENT HOUSTON PLAN, BUT ALSO THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, BOTH OF WHICH WERE FINALIZED AND ADOPTED IN 2020, EARLY 2020.
AS WE EMBARKED ON THIS JOURNEY OF IMPLEMENTATION, IT REALLY FORCED US TO BE STRATEGIC AND VERY INTENTIONAL ABOUT HOW WE WERE THINKING ABOUT IMPLEMENTATION, BECAUSE WHEN YOU LOOK AT BOTH PLANS TOGETHER, WE HAVE 297 ACTIONS OR SUB ACTIONS IN BOTH OF THE PLANS.
UM, WE TOOK A LOOK AND MAPPED EVERY SINGLE ACTION TO A PROGRAM AREA, AND THIS ALLOWS US, UM, TO THINK ABOUT IMPLEMENTATION FROM A RESOURCES AND CAPACITY PERSPECTIVE IN THE SENSE THAT THE MORE RESOURCES AND CAPACITY THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO BRING TO THE TABLE, THE MORE AREAS AND AND SUB ACTIONS WITHIN THE PROGRAM AREAS WE CAN CONTINUE TO IMPLEMENT IN PARALLEL.
SO THAT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT, UM, TO FIND THAT EXPEDIENCY.
WE ALSO WANTED TO BE SMART ABOUT IMPLEMENTATION, AND ONE WAY TO DO THAT IS TO LEVERAGE IMPLEMENTATION MOMENTUM.
AND AS YOU WILL SEE IN, IN SOME OF MY FOLLOWING SLIDES, WE WORK CLOSELY AND CONTINUOUSLY WITH NOT JUST THE CITY DEPARTMENTS, BUT ALSO WITH EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS.
AND THAT ALLOWS US TO LEVERAGE ONGOING IMPLEMENTATION MOMENTUM, BUT NOW BRINGING A FRAME OF RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY TO IT.
WE ALSO ARE LEVERAGING AND ANCHORING OUR WORK IN PARTNERSHIPS BOTH INSIDE THE CITY AND OUTSIDE.
AND WE ALSO WANTED TO BE BOTH SLOW AND FAST.
WE WANTED TO BE OPPORTUNISTIC AND BE EXTREMELY RESPONSIVE AS BRAND OPPORTUNITIES, FOR INSTANCE, UM, HAVE BEEN COMING DOWN.
AS YOU ALL KNOW FROM IIJA AT THE SAME TIME, WE WANTED TO BRING A MEASURE OF INTENTIONALITY TO THE WORK THAT WE ARE DOING.
UM, SO THAT ENDORSEMENT ARTICLE WAS PRETTY POOR.
IF YOU COULD PLEASE MUTE YOUR MICROPHONE, WE CAN HEAR YOU ONLINE.
RIGHT? THANK, THANK YOU, CHIEF.
SO THIS IS A SLIDE THAT IS A, UM, UH, A QUICK LOOK AT A THREE YEAR REPORT BY THE NUMBERS.
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN, IN THE THREE YEARS THAT WE HAVE DONE THIS ANNUAL REPORTING, WE ARE NOW REPORTING AT THE, THE SMALLEST, UM, UNIT OF THE PLAN, WHICH IS A SUB ACTION.
AS I'D MENTIONED BEFORE, WE HAVE CLOSE TO 300 SUB ACTIONS IN BOTH OF THE PLANS IN RESILIENT HOUSTON.
WE ARE IN PROGRESS ON 81% OF THOSE ACTIONS.
SO HAVING A TOTAL OF 201 SUB ACTIONS IN THE RESILIENT HOUSTON PLAN, AND ON THE CLIMATE ACTION SIDE, OUT OF THE TOTAL
[00:10:01]
OF 96 ACTIONS, UM, 61 OF THOSE.UM, SO 64% LITTLE UNDER TWO THIRDS ARE IN PROGRESS.
FOR THE FIRST TIME, I WANT TO, UM, SHARE WITH, UM, WITH THIS COMMITTEE A A CLOSER LOOK AT MANY OF THE PROJECTS, UH, THAT WE ARE IMPLEMENTING.
AND I ALSO WANNA HIGHLIGHT AS I GO THROUGH THE SLIDES THAT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THIS PROJECT, THESE PROJECTS ARE BEING DONE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MULTIPLE ENTITIES, AND THESE REFLECT SOME OF THE KEY PRIORITIES THAT WE ARE MOVING ON IMPLEMENTATION.
THIS IS THE SUNNYSIDE SOLAR FARM PROJECT, UH, AND THE PROGRAM AREAS THAT RELATE TO THIS ARE BOTH EQUITY AND OPPORTUNITY BUILDINGS AND ENERGY.
UM, THIS IS A 240 ACRE LANDFILL SITE.
UH, AND, AND THE VISION, WHICH IS A VERY UNIQUE VISION, IS TO CONVERT THIS TO A, UH, COMMUNITY AS WELL AS A UTILITY SCALE SOLAR FARM.
WE ARE CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF IMPLEMENTATION.
THE AMENDED LEASE WENT THROUGH COUNCIL, UH, APPROVAL A COUPLE OF MONTHS BACK.
THE PERMITTING PROCESS IS CURRENTLY ONGOING, AND COORDINATION CONTINUES TO HAPPEN BETWEEN ALL OF THE CITY TEAMS AS WELL AS THE DEVELOPER.
AND PRE-CONSTRUCTION IS SLATED TO BEGIN IN NOVEMBER OF 2023 NEXT MONTH.
WE ARE ESPECIALLY PROUD OF THE WORK THAT WE UNDERTOOK ON IN DEVELOPING THE RESILIENCE HUB, MASTER PLANNING, UM, STUDY.
THIS WAS ONE OF THE DR 17 STUDIES THAT WAS ONE OF THE SIX OR SEVEN STUDIES THAT WAS FUNDED THROUGH THE CDBG, UM, GRANT FUNDING.
UH, WE COMPLETED THE MASTER PLAN END OF, UM, JULY, AND WE ARE CURRENTLY TRYING TO FIND WAYS AND MOVING TOWARDS IMPLEMENTATION OF RESILIENCE HUBS.
UM, WHAT I WILL POINT OUT IS HOUSTON'S, UH, APPROACH TO DEVELOPING AN AN INTENSE NETWORK OF RESILIENCE HUBS ACROSS THE CITY IS UNIQUE AND, AND WORK COMMENDATION.
WE HAVE TAKEN A NETWORK APPROACH WHERE WE ARE THINKING ABOUT A RESILIENCE HUB, BUT ALSO COMPENSATORY RESILIENCE SPOTS, AS WELL AS CONNECTIVE INFRASTRUCTURE, WHICH IS BOTH TRANSPORTATION, SIDEWALK ESSENTIAL TRANSIT, AS WELL AS A COMMUNICATION BACKBONE TO CONNECT THIS NETWORK.
AND IF YOU TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT, THIS IS ONE OF OUR COMPLETE COMMUNITIES, THE CASH, UH, MULTI, UH, THE CASHMERE COMPLETE COMMUNITY.
WHAT YOU SEE IN THE DARK GREEN IS A QUARTER MILE RADIUS AROUND A RESILIENCE HUB.
WHAT YOU SEE IN SHADES OF GREEN ESSENTIALLY ARE A 10 MILE WALK FROM ANY CLUSTER OF RESILIENCE SPOTS.
AS YOU CAN SEE THIS, THIS KIND OF ANALYSIS PLACES MOST OF THE HOUSEHOLDS AT MOST WITHIN A 10 MILE WALK OF A RESILIENCE CLUSTER OF SPOTS OR A RESILIENCE HUB.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE WANNA, UM, AIM FOR, BUT IT ALSO POINTS OUT WHERE THERE ARE GAPS IN THAT RESILIENCE NETWORK MAKING US MORE INTENTIONAL ON WHERE WE WANNA PINPOINT SOME OF OUR RESILIENCE INFRASTRUCTURE AND RESOURCES.
UH, YOU MAY REMEMBER THAT, UM, THE OFFICE, UH, AND THE CITY OF HOUSTON IMPLEMENTED AND SIGNED A MUNICIPAL BUILDING DECARBONIZATION AND BENCHMARKING POLICY IN APRIL OF 2022.
SINCE THEN, WE HAVE BEEN BUSY AT IMPLEMENTATION, AND CURRENTLY THE 2022 BUILDING BENCHMARKING PROCESS IS COMPLETE.
WE ARE PREPARING FOR THE NEXT MILESTONE.
WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF DOING BUILDING AUDITS FOR A NUMBER OF BUILDINGS THAT WERE NON-COMPLIANT, AND WE ARE CONTINUING TO COORDINATE WITH GSD, WITH, UH, A RA WHO IS LEADING THE EFFORT ON IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DECARBONIZATION PLAN.
OUR NEXT STEP IS REALLY TO CONVENE ALL OF THE CITY DIRECTORS WHO HAVE A DIRECT IMPLEMENTATION LEVEL IN THIS, IN THIS PROGRAM, TO EDUCATE, TO CONTINUE TO EDUCATE AND ENGAGE, AND OF COURSE, KEEP MOVING FORWARD ON IMPLEMENTATION.
WE ARE WORKING WITH OUR PLANNING DEPARTMENT AND THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF COMPLETE COMMUNITIES, UM, AS WELL AS AN EXTERNAL PARTNER, THE RESILIENT CITIES NETWORK ON RESILIENT STRATEGIES IN TWO COMMUNITIES, A EAF AND THE TRINITY HOUSTON GARDENS, BOTH OF WHICH FACED ADVERSE IMPACTS, NOT JUST FROM HEAT, BUT ALSO FLOODING.
UH, WORKSHOPS WERE HELD LAST WEEK, AND BOTH COMMUNITIES OF EXPRESSED AN INTEREST IN USING THE FUNDS FOR RESILIENT INTERVENTIONS TOWARDS NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS, WHICH, WHICH IS REALLY SOMETHING THAT BRINGS MULTIPLE BENEFITS AND OUTCOMES, UM, THROUGH A SUITE OF SOLUTIONS.
THIS IS YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF PARTNERSHIP, UM, EXTERNAL PARTNERS.
SO THIS IS WITH THE NATIONAL FISH AND WILDLIFE FOUNDATION, AS, AS WELL AS WITH NEW HOPE HOUSING AND STAR OF HOPE TO DEVELOP A, AN URBAN PRAIRIE.
THIS IS WELL UNDERWAY IN TERMS OF IMPLEMENTATION.
WE ARE HOPING TO COMPLETE IT IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.
UM, AND THIS IS A GREAT EXAMPLE, NOT JUST A PARTNERSHIP, BUT ALSO OF COMMUNITY RESILIENCE AND BRINGING, UM, GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE ON SITE ONTO AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING COMMUNITY.
SO THERE ARE ELEMENTS OF COMMUNITY RESILIENCE ALSO THAT GETS HIGHLIGHTED TO A PART THROUGH A PARTNERSHIP, SUCH AS THIS NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
WE ARE WORKING WITH THE PARKS DEPARTMENT ON,
[00:15:01]
UH, AN, A TREE EQUITY PORTAL.IT IS CALLED THE PLANET GEO, OR THE TREE TRACKING SOFTWARE PORTAL.
A TRAINING FOR THIS WAS DONE, AND IT WAS, UM, THE FIRST TIME THAT WE UNVEILED THIS, UH, THE PARKS DEPARTMENT DID THIS AT THE EARTH DAY, WHICH WE CELEBRATED EARLIER THIS YEAR, UH, IN APRIL.
UM, AND THE PARKS DEPARTMENT CONTINUES TO TRAIN OUR PARTNERS.
THE MOST EXCITING OUTCOME OF THIS IS GOING TO BE THAT WE ARE GONNA BE ABLE TO TRACK OUR TREE PLANTING ACROSS MULTIPLE PLANTING PARTNERS WHILE EDUCATING THEM ON WHICH ARE THE HOTTEST PLACES IN THE CITY, AND WHICH ARE THE PLACES OF GREATEST NEED, BECAUSE THIS PLATFORM BRINGS TOGETHER THE HEAT MAPPING THAT THE CITY OF HOUSTON HAD DONE IN COLLABORATION WITH THE COUNTY, AS WELL AS THE TREE EQUITY INFORMATION FROM AMERICAN FORESTS.
SO IT, IT'S A EDUCATIONAL TOOL WHILE GATHERING THE INFORMATION FROM OUR PARTNERS.
UM, I KNOW MY TIME IS PROBABLY, UH, RUNNING OUT.
UM, ANOTHER AREA OF KEY IMPORTANCE, UM, AS WE CON CONTINUE TO DEAL WITH SOME OF THE EFFECTS OF THE SUMMER THAT WE'VE HAD, UM, HEAT AND NATURE.
SO WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE THE, TO HOST, ACTUALLY THE MAYOR'S INSTITUTE FROM THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES THIS YEAR.
SO HOUSTON, IN MAY OF THIS YEAR HOSTED FIVE OTHER CITIES, AND WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH THE TECHNICAL AS WELL AS IN THE ENGAGEMENT TEAMS FROM THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES.
OUR FOCUS HAS BEEN HEAVILY ON IMPLEMENTING SOME OF THE HEAT MITIGATION STRATEGIES.
I WON'T GO INTO THE DETAILS, BUT EVERY ONE OF OUR ACTION ITEMS IS, UM, IS, IS ADDRESSED TOWARDS IMPLEMENTATION.
WE ARE WORKING WITH THE GREENER GULFTON INITIATIVE.
WE ARE WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH PUBLIC WORKS, WITH PLANNING WITH THE TEXAS NATURE CONSERVANCY IN ADDITION TO THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES.
SO I, I'M CONTINUING TO HIGHLIGHT THE PARTNERSHIP ASPECT OF OUR WORK.
THIS IS A CORPORATE PARTNERSHIP WITH, UM, IF YOU COULD GO UP ONE MORE SLIDE.
THIS IS A CORPORATE PARTNERSHIP WITH EXXON, WITH, UM, WITH CYCLISTS AS WELL AS WITH LIONEL BASSEL.
BUT THE, THE LEADS ON THIS, AND WE SUPPORT THEM IS OUR SOLID WASTE DEPARTMENT.
AND WE'VE HAD SOME GREAT SUCCESSES.
UM, IN THE LAST YEAR, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO EXPAND AN ALL PLASTICS COLLECTION AT A NUMBER OF PLACES, AND WE CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE COMMUNITIES AS WELL AS, UM, HOUSTON, ISD, UM, TO PARTNER ON BRINGING AND INCREASING RECYCLING AT HOUSTON ISD CAMPUSES.
WE ARE WORKING WITH THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF EDUCATION, UM, IN AND, AND THE HIGHER HOUSTON YOUTH PROGRAM TO CONTINUE TO HAVE A COHORT OF THE CLIMATE AMBASSADORS EVERY YEAR.
AND THIS YEAR WAS OUR MOST SUCCESSFUL YEAR YET.
UM, THE CLIMATE AMBASSADORS ARE VERY INSTRUMENTAL IN HELPING US SPREAD THE WORD OUT IN THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE OF THE ENGAGEMENT THAT THEY DO, BUT ALSO BECOMING AMBASSADORS FOR THE WORK THAT THEY WE ARE DOING, AND THEY WILL HELP CONTINUE IN THEIR RESPECTIVE COMMUNITIES.
THE NEXT COUPLE OF SLIDES ARE REALLY JUST A, A LISTING OF ALL OF THE WORK THAT WE ARE CONTINUING TO DO, BUT THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET INTO THE DETAILS OF SOME OF THOSE.
A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT WE ARE WORKING ON CURRENTLY.
UM, THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY IS WORKING WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON IN IN, AND THEY ARE SPONSORING A CARBON MANAGEMENT COMMUNITY SUMMIT TO BE HELD IN HOUSTON IN THE MIDDLE OF NOVEMBER.
SO THE PLANNING WORK, PUTTING TOGETHER THE AGENDA IN COORDINATION WITH A NUMBER OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS IS UNDERWAY.
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT THE DOE WILL BE DOING A COMMUNITY FOCUSED CARBON MANAGEMENT SUMMIT.
SO WE ARE EXCITED TO PARTNER WITH THEM AS WELL AS WITH P-B-A-M-U AND RICE ON, ON THIS, UH, UPCOMING CONFERENCE.
WE ARE IN THE PLANNING PHASE FOR THE UPCOMING COP CONFERENCE, COP 28, TO BE HELD IN, IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, UH, IN DECEMBER, 2023.
AND WE CONTINUE TO WORK DILIGENTLY ON EACH AND EVERY GRANT FUNDING OPPORTUNITY THAT'S COMING THROUGH THE IIJ AND THE IRA.
WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING WITH THE COUNTY AND MANY OTHER PARTNERS FOR A STATEWIDE COALITION ON SOLAR FOR ALL.
AND THE LAST THING AND NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
UM, THE LAST THING THAT WE ARE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE ARE ABLE TO SOLICIT INFORMATION IN A VERY COMPREHENSIVE WAY FROM COMMUNITY ACTIONS THAT ADVANCE RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY OUT IN THE CITY.
UM, SO WE HAVE PUT TOGETHER A, A, A LINK, WHICH WE HAVE EMAILED TO EVERYONE IN OUR DATABASE, AND THEY CONTINUE TO, UH, SEND THAT LINK OUT TO THEIR CONSTITUENTS AND THEIR COMMUNITIES.
WHAT WE ARE ASKING IS, IF PLEASE LOOK AT OUR PLANS, PLEASE LOOK AT BOTH OF OUR PLANS.
AND IF YOU SEE THAT YOU ARE WORKING ON SOMETHING THAT SPEAKS TO AN ACTION, IT HELPS US MOVE TO OUR TARGETS MUCH CLOSER.
SO WE JUST DID THIS IN THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS, BUT WE ARE VERY EXCITED TO GET THE FEEDBACK AND REPORT OUT ON IT TOWARDS THE END OF THE YEAR.
AND THAT BRINGS ME TO THE END OF MY PRESENTATION.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, CHIEF, GREAT PRESENTATION, AND SO
[00:20:01]
MUCH GOING ON IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.WE APPRECIATE THE THREE YEAR UPDATE AND WE HAVE AT LEAST A, A COUNCIL MEMBER IN THE QUEUE FOR YOU.
NOW, OUR VICE CHAIR, SALLY ALCORN.
THANK YOU CHAIR, AND THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION ON SLIDE 13.
UH, I KNOW COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON AND I WERE AT THAT PROJECT, UM, THAT NEW HOPE AND, AND STAR OF HOPE PROJECT, AND, AND WE, I WAS THERE AT THE GROUNDBREAKING OF IT TOO, AND THAT WAS EXCITING THAT THE GRANT MONIES CAME IN FOR THAT.
IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE IS A, A GAP IN FUNDING TO COMPLETE IT.
YOU SAID WE WERE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE COMPLETION OF IT, AND I KNOW THAT REQUEST IS BEFORE THIS.
I I THINK THAT THEY HAVE REQUESTED SOME ADDITIONAL FUNDS TO COMPLETE THAT PROJECT.
I WOULD CERTAINLY LIKE TO ADVOCATE FOR THAT.
UH, WE DO WANNA SEE THAT COMPLETED.
I MEAN, I TOOK A GOOD HARD LOOK AT IT AFTER I WAS AT THE BEZOS ACADEMY THING.
I THINK JUST, UH, THE TIME OF THE TIME PERIOD AND INFLATION AND EVERYTHING DROVE THAT UP JUST A LITTLE BIT.
UM, SLIDE 14, UM, ON THE TREES.
I'M GLAD THE, THE DATABASE AND EVERYBODY ABLE TO PUT IN WHERE THEY'RE PLANTING TREES AND EVERYTHING, BUT HOW, AND, AND YOU'RE OVERLAPPING IT WITH THE HEAT MAP, THIS IS A HUGE NUMBER.
WE KEEP THROWING OUT THE 4 MILLION, UH, TREE NUMBER, 4.6, 4.6, 4.6, BUT WHO'S COUNTING? UM, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT THE, THE DASHBOARD'S HELPING US TRACK THAT, BUT HOW ARE WE GETTING THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE, THE AREAS MOST IN NEED TO THE PI MEAN, YOU SAID THERE WAS THIS COORDINATED EFFORT GOING ON, BUT HOW IS THAT, WHAT IS THAT COORDINATED EFFORT? HOW, HOW ARE WE MAKING SURE THAT THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF STRATEGY AND WHERE MASSIVE TREE PLANTINGS ARE GOING TO HELP WITH THAT URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT? THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.
UM, COUNCIL MEMBER, I THINK WHAT WILL UNDERPIN THAT EFFORT IS GOING TO BE EDUCATION.
WE, WE JUST CAN'T GET THE WORD OUT ENOUGH, AND THAT'S WHY WE'VE EMBARKED ON THIS PROCESS OF EDUCATING WITH THE HOUSTON PARKS DEPARTMENT.
SO THEY'VE DONE A COUPLE OF SESSIONS.
WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO PRETTY SOON, WHICH WE HAVE SUGGESTED TO THEM, IS ACTUALLY USE HTV TO RECORD THE PRESENTATION BECAUSE THE WEBSITE REQUIRES SOME KIND OF TECHNICAL STEPS TO WALK THROUGH IT.
WHAT DO YOU CLICK? WHERE DO YOU PUT THE TREES? WHILE ALSO MAKING SURE THAT WHOEVER'S USING THE WEBSITE KNOWS THAT IT CAN ALSO INFORM YOU ON THE HEAT MAP AS WELL AS CENSUS TRACKS THAT WILL TELL YOU ABOUT THE TREE EQUITY SCORE.
SO WE WANT BOTH OF THOSE POINTS OF INFORMATION TO BE PART OF THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS.
AND SOME OF OUR CHALLENGES HAVE BEEN GATHERING THE INFORMATION AND NOT JUST GATHERING THE NUMBERS, BUT ALSO THE KINDS OF TREES, THE SPECIES OF TREES, AND THE LOCATIONS.
NOW THIS WEBSITE ALLOWS YOU TO DO ALL OF THAT, BUT IT'S ONLY AS EFFECTIVE AS A NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT KNOW IT.
UM, SO I WOULD REQUEST ANY AND ALL HELP IN GETTING THE WORD OUT.
UH, THE PARKS DEPARTMENT HAS DONE AN AMAZING JOB PUTTING THIS, UM, IT WAS A YEAR LONG PROCESS OF GETTING THE WORK DONE, FINDING THE CONTRACTORS, AND WORKING WITH US, UH, IN, IN, IN LAUNCHING IT.
UM, SO WE WANNA DO THE, WE, WE WANNA DO A LITTLE CLIP WITH HTV AND THEN PUT THAT ON OUR WEBSITE, PUT IT THROUGH, SO OUT THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA.
SO IF YOU CLICK ON IT, IT'S ALREADY AN EDUCATIONAL PIECE, SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO COME IN PERSON TO ATTEND A TRAINING.
AND YOU DID HAVE A, UM, A SLIDE IN THERE WITH THE INCENTIVES FOR GREEN DEVELOPMENT STUDY, UM, WHICH I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH.
BUT SADLY, UH, WE ARE NOT HAVING PEOPLE APPLY AND FOR OUR GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE, UH, AND WE, I KEEP ADVOCATING FOR THAT PROGRAM TO, WE NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT.
AND WE DON'T WANNA HAVE A PROGRAM WHERE NO ONE IS APPLYING 'CAUSE THE THE REQUIREMENTS ARE TOO BURDENSOME.
WE WANNA SEE MORE GREEN STORM WATER INFRASTRUCTURE AND, AND WE MUST FIND A BETTER WAY TO INCENTIVIZE THAT SO PEOPLE ACTUALLY TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE PROGRAM.
SO JUST PUTTING THAT OUT THERE AS A COMMENT.
ONE LAST QUESTION, IF YOU'LL ALLOW ME, WHERE DO YOU THINK WE'RE LACKING THE MOST IN PROGRESS ON EITHER CLIMATE ACTION OR RESILIENT? WE'RE, WE'VE DONE, WE'VE MADE HEADWAY ON A LOT OF ACTIONS AS YOU'VE INDICATED, BUT WHERE ARE WE STRUGGLING? UM, I WOULDN'T CALL IT SO MUCH OF A STRUGGLE.
I WOULD SAY IT'S AN INVESTMENT IN BUILDING THIS, UM, I LIKE TO CALL IT MUSCLE MEMORY OF COORDINATION WITH THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO IS CHANGE THE CULTURE, UH, OF, OF, OF AN ENTIRE CITY TO THINK ABOUT EVEN THINGS THAT WE DO DAY TO DAY FROM A FRAMEWORK OF RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY.
SO I WOULDN'T CALL, I WOULDN'T SAY THAT WE ARE STRUGGLING, BUT IT TAKES TIME TO INVEST IN BUILDING THOSE RELATIONSHIPS AND, AND THE PROCESSES.
AND ONCE WE DO THAT, AND THAT'S WHERE YOU SPEND THE TIME.
AND SO IN THE BEGINNING, IT SEEMS LIKE PROGRESS IS SLOWER, BUT ONCE YOU DO THAT, THE, THE, THE, THE REWARDS ARE EXPONENTIAL.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT.
WE ARE STARTING TO SEE MORE TRACTION IN THE THIRD YEAR, IN THE FOURTH AND FIFTH YEAR.
ONCE YOU'VE BUILD THOSE RELATIONSHIPS, THOSE, BECAUSE ALL OF THIS COUNCIL MEMBER WORKS THROUGH COORDINATION.
WE ARE AN OFFICE THAT LEVERAGES OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH ALL OF THE INTERNAL CITY DEPARTMENTS AND WITH MULTIPLE PARTNERS.
ONCE YOU'VE GONE THROUGH THAT PROCESS AND WE KNOW HOW TO SOLVE A PROBLEM, YOU CAN TAKE THAT LEARNING AND THAT RELATIONSHIP AND SOLVE MULTIPLE PROBLEMS. AND THAT IS THE, UM, THAT, THAT IS THE EFFICIENCY AND THE RETURNS THAT I AM HOPING THAT WE ARE GONNA SEE
[00:25:01]
SOONER AND SOONER AS AS TIME GOES BACK.I KNOW ON THE TREE FRONT, UM, THE NUMBER 4.6 MILLION IS CURRENT IN OUR MIND THIS WEEK WITH THE, UH, TREES FOR HOUSTON RIBBON CUTTING FACIL THE FACILITY THIS WEEK.
THE 2.3 MILLION CONSTITUENTS, UH, IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, TWO TREES IN THE NEXT DECADE, CORRECT.
4.6 TALKING ABOUT PROGRESS THIS WEEK.
WE ARE, UH, SIGNIFICANTLY INTO THAT WITH HELP FROM ORGANIZATIONS LIKE CHIEF FOR HOUSTON.
UM, BUT TO THE CHIEF'S POINT, THAT'S ANOTHER NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION IN THIS CASE THAT WE NEED TO PARTNER WITH.
AND AS A REMINDER TO COUNCIL MEMBERS, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BARRY WARD OF TREES FOR HOUSTON HAS ESSENTIALLY PLEDGED ANYBODY WHO WANTS A TREE ANYWHERE AT ANY TIME IN THIS CITY TO PLEASE LET HIM KNOW AND TO WORK THROUGH COUNCIL.
UM, AND HE HAS SPECIES OF A BROAD VARIETY AND A VARIETY OF CALIPERS, ET CETERA, THAT HE'S READY TO GO.
SO WORKING WITH OUR MOORE'S OFFICE AND, UH, CHIEF ZACHARIA, I THINK THAT'S A GREAT WAY TO DO IT.
UM, WE DO HAVE A, A QUESTION NOW FROM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ROBERT GALLEGOS.
AND, AND THANK YOU CHIEF FOR THE PRESENTATION ON SLIDE NUMBER EIGHT.
I I, I WAS AT AN EVENT EARLIER IN THE WEEK AND A PERSON HAD ASKED ME, UH, IN REGARDS TO THE, SO THE SOLAR FARM THAT'S THERE AT SUNNYSIDE ARE THE, AND, AND RIGHT HERE YOU'RE STATING THE PROJECT EXPECTED TO GENERATE ENOUGH CLEAN ENERGY TO POWER 5,000 HOMES.
WHAT I UNDERSTAND IS THAT THIS POWER THAT'S BEING CREATED IS NOT GOING TO BE GOING TO THE HOMES IN SUNNYLAND.
UM, SUNNYSIDE, UH, UH, WELL, YES AND NO COUNCIL MEMBERS.
SO THERE'S TWO ASPECTS TO THE SOLAR FARM.
THERE'S A UTILITY SCALE, UM, SOLAR FARM, AND THAT'S WHAT, WHEN WE TRY TO COMMUNICATE THE MAGNITUDE OF THAT, THAT IS, THAT IS GOING TO BE ABLE TO GENERATE ENOUGH CLEAN ENERGY TO BE ABLE TO POWER 5,000 HOMES.
SO THAT, THAT'S THE CAPACITY THAT WE'RE TRYING TO GENERATE.
BUT THERE'S ALSO THE COMMUNITY SOLAR PIECE.
SO WE HAVE THE 50 MEGAWATTS UTILITY SCALE, SOLAR AND THE TWO MEGAWATTS COMMUNITY SOLAR, WHICH IS MEANT TO POWER, UH, HOMES IN THE AREA.
SO, SO IT, THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO USE SOME OF THIS ENERGY THEN YOU'RE SAYING? YES, SOME OF IT, NOT ALL OF IT.
AND, AND THEN YOU SAID YOU STATE AN ESTIMATED SEVEN $70 MILLION IN PRIVATE INVESTMENT TO THE COMMUNITY.
WHAT WAS INVESTED IN THE COMMUNITY? OH, THE COST OF THE, THE, THE INVESTMENT OF THE COST OF BUILDING THE, THE, THE SOLAR FARM ITSELF.
SO THE SOLAR FARM ITSELF IS THE INVESTMENT TO THE COMMUNITY.
AND OF COURSE, THE INVESTMENT IN WORKFORCE TRAINING, UM, AND YOU, ALL OF THOSE ASPECTS, RIGHT? YEAH.
BUT PRIMARILY THE INVESTMENT IS THE BUILDING OF THE SOLAR FARM.
AND THEN THE FOUR POINT, GOING BACK TO SLIDE 14, THE 4.6 MILLION TREES, WHEN DO WE PLAN TO HAVE THE 4.6 TREES PLANTED? I MEAN, IS THERE A, AN AN END YES.
SO THAT HORIZON IS 2030, SO 4.6 MILLION TREES BY 2030.
UM, WE ARE AT A THIRD OF OUR GOAL IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF TREES PLANTED.
I THINK WE ARE ABOUT 1.4 MILLION.
I DON'T WANNA MISQUOTE, BUT IT IS IN A THREE YEAR REPORT.
UM, AND WE ARE ALSO A THIRD OF THE WAY IN TERMS OF THE TIME THAT'S ELAPSED.
UH, WE WISH TO GO FASTER, AND I THINK THE, THE, THE TREE PORTAL THAT THE PARKS DEPARTMENT HAS LAUNCHED IS GOING TO REALLY HELP WITH THIS GOAL TO A GREAT EXTENT.
AND ARE, ARE WE ALSO WORKING WITH THE HOUSTON PLANT IN REGARDS TO THE TREE PLANTING? FOR EXAMPLE? I'LL USE THE EXAMPLE ON WAYSIDE.
TXDOT, UH, WAYSIDE IS, IS IS CONSIDERED A STATE HIGHWAY.
SO WAY, UH, TEXDOT AS WE SPEAK, IS REDOING WAYSIDE FROM THE GULF FREEWAY TO POLK.
UH, THEY'RE, THEY'RE TEARING IT ALL UP.
UH, ARE, ARE WE WORKING WITH THE HOUSTON PLANT AND THIS INITIATIVE OF FOUR, 4.6 MILLION TREES? SO WE CAN GO TO TDOT AND SAY, HEY, WE HAVE THIS INITIATIVE.
YOU, YOU'RE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE TEARING UP THE STREET, YOU KNOW, HOW MANY TREES DO YOU NEED? ABSOLUTELY.
SO WHEN WE STARTED IMPLEMENTING THE 4.6 MILLION TREES, IT WAS THROUGH A GROUP CALLED THE, THE TSIC, THE TREE STRATEGIC IMPLEMENTATION GROUP.
AND WE HAD A LIST OF ABOUT 16 OR 17 MAJOR PLANTERS WHO ARE OUR PARTNERS, INCLUDING THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
AND TECH.IS ONE OF OUR MAJOR PARTNERS AND PLANTERS.
NOW THAT WE HAVE THIS WEBSITE AND THIS TOOL, WE ARE BETTER EQUIPPED TO HAVE A, A LASTING CONVERSATION AND COORDINATION RATHER WITH TECH DOT.
SO AS THEY PLANT THEIR TREES, THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO ENTER IT INTO THE PORTAL AND GET INFORMED ON WHICH ARE THE MOST VULNERABLE AREAS IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON WITH REGARDS TO BOTH HEAT AS WELL AS TREE EQUITY COUNCIL MEMBER.
IT'S, IT IS AN IMPORTANT POINT.
YOU MAKE THE, UH, THE TXDOT IS AN ENTITY WITH JURISDICTION THAT WE NEED TO BE COLLABORATING WITH.
AND THOSE CONVERSATIONS ARE HAVING, UH, ARE TAKING PLACE NOT YET WITH TECH DOT, I WANT TO CLARIFY,
[00:30:01]
BUT IT IS ON OUR LIST AS WE CONTINUE TO DO THE ENGAGEMENT WITH ALL OF OUR PARTNERS AND WALK AROUND WITH, UH, NOT TO CORRECT YOU CHIEF, BUT I KNOW REGIONALLY WE ARE TALKING WITH TDOT ABOUT THAT.I HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION IF YOU NEED TO PUT ME IN THE QUEUE.
WHY DON'T WE TAKE YOUR NEXT QUESTION AND THEN THE OTHER QUESTION ON THE SAME LINE.
YOU'VE GOT METRO THAT'S GOING TO BE BUILDING THE BRT FROM WEST CHASE ALL THE WAY TO LOCKWOOD IN SIX 10.
THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT'S ANOTHER ENTITY I'M HOPING WITH THE HOUSTON PLAN THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH SAYING, HEY, WE GOT THIS INITIATIVE.
UH, YOU KNOW THAT, THAT WAY, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT'S ASSUMING, AND I'M, I'M ASSUMING IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN, THAT THEY'LL BE STARTING BEFORE THEN THE BRT CONSTRUCTION, UH, 'CAUSE THEY SAID THEY'RE GONNA TEAR UP THE WHOLE ROADS ALL THE WAY FROM WEST CHASE ALL THE WAY TO LOCKWOOD SIX 10.
THEY'RE GONNA BE PUTTING NEW SIDEWALKS, NEW CURBS, NEW, NEW BRAND, NEW CONCRETE STREET, THAT THAT'S A PERFECT OPPORTUNITY, UH, TO PLANT A BUNCH OF THESE TREES.
AND I KNOW THAT THERE IS A GROUP FROM THE CITY PLANNING PUBLIC WORKS THAT ALREADY IS IN REGULAR COORDINATION.
I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE METRO PROJECT BECAUSE THAT WAS A PROJECT I WORKED ON BEFORE I CAME OVER TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
UM, AND THERE IS ONGOING SUSTAINED AND CONTINUOUS COORDINATION WITH THE, UH, UH, WITH METRO'S TEAM, THE POP, THEIR CAPITALWORKS TEAM.
UM, AND I WILL DEFINITELY MAKE SURE THAT THIS WEBSITE AND THIS PLATFORM THAT WE ARE USING IS, UH, IS PROVIDED TO THEM AS WELL.
THIS IS A MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL COORDINATION EFFORT AND, UH, THE CHIEF'S JOB IS LARGELY AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL.
SO APPRECIATE THE LINE OF INQUIRY ON THAT.
WE HAVE NO OTHER QUESTIONS, UH, ONLINE OR IN THE CHAMBER FROM COUNCIL OR STAFF.
WE DO HAVE TWO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO ARE HERE IN CHAMBERS AND ONLINE.
SO CHIEF, IF YOU'LL ALLOW ME, I WILL TURN NOW ONLINE WE HAVE WITH US VIRTUALLY NANCY EDWARDS.
UM, MS. EDWARDS, I BELIEVE YOU'RE THERE.
IF YOU CAN UNMUTE AND RECOGNIZE, UH, THE FLOOR IS YOURS, STAR SIX.
IF YOU'RE ON YOUR PHONE, WE SEE YOU ONLINE.
THERE YOU ARE, MS. MS. EDWARDS.
THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITIES TO SPEAK WITH YOU THIS MORNING.
UM, I WAS ON THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND I'VE BEEN FOLLOWING ITS IMPLEMENTATION.
I'M PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN WHETHER THE CITY IS MEETING ITS GOAL OF PLANTING 4.6 MILLION TREES, UM, ACCORDING TO THE KINDER INSTITUTE, RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE TRACK OF THE CITY AND COOPERATING AGENCIES, THE PLANET, UH, 1,423,316 TREES SO FAR, OR ROUGHLY 30% OF THE, I WOULD STILL LIKE TO KNOW HOW MANY TREES WERE PLANTED BY EACH AGENCY INCLUDED IN THE TOTAL IN THE FUTURE.
THIS COULD BE INCLUDED IN THE REPORT AS ISSUED.
IF EACH AGENCY KNEW WHAT THE OTHERS WERE PLANTING, A FRIENDLY RIVALRY MIGHT EMERGE AND EACH AGENCY WOULD INCREASE THEIR NUMBERS.
THUS, THE REPORT WOULD CONTRIBUTE TO GOAL FULFILLMENT RATHER THAN JUST BEING A COMPENDIUM OF STATISTICS.
WHAT YEARS ARE THE CLIMATE PLAN REPORTING ON YEAR THREE SEEMS TO START IN MARCH OF 2022, WHICH MEANS MOST OF YEAR THREE WILL TAKE PLACE IN 2022.
THIS SHOULD BE MADE CLEAR TO THE READER.
THE KINDER INSTITUTE, RECOVERY INDIANS TRACKER DOES NOT HAVE LINKS OR PULL DOWN MENUS.
NO DETAILS ARE PROVIDED AS TO HOW THEY CAME UP WITH A PERCENTAGES OF IMPLEMENTATION THAT THEY PROVIDE.
SO YOU CAN'T REALLY CALL IT A TRACKER.
IT'S MORE LIKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT.
THE CITY PARKS, CITY DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HAS BOUGHT TREE CLOTTER SOFTWARE AND ENTERED THEIR OWN TREE PLANTING DATA FOR 2021.
THE ORIGINAL PLAN WAS TO HAVE ALL THREE, ALL THE TREE PLANTING ORGANIZATIONS ENTER THEIR DATA INTO THE SAME DATABASE, BUT NONE OTHER THAN THE CITY HAS DONE SO, SO FAR.
WHEN DO THEY PLAN TO START? MS. EDWARDS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR QUESTION.
WE APPRECIATE YOU BEING ONLINE WITH REGARD TO WHAT THE KINDER INSTITUTE HAS DONE AT RICE UNIVERSITY.
OF COURSE, THAT IS OUTSIDE OF THE CITY, SO IT'S A LITTLE HARD FOR US TO COMMENT ABOUT THAT, BUT WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT THEY BECOME AWARE OF YOUR QUESTIONS, AND I APPRECIATE THE SUBSTANCE CHIEF, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS MS. EDWARDS.
YES, I, UM, I THANK YOU FOR YOUR QUESTION.
FIRST OF ALL, I'LL, I'LL TRY TO ANSWER ALL THE ONES THAT I WROTE DOWN BECAUSE I THINK YOU HAD A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS IN, IN WHAT YOU JUST ASKED.
[00:35:01]
REPORT IS ALWAYS CALENDAR YEAR.SO THE PLANS WERE DONE IN 2020.
SO OUR FIRST YEAR REPORT WAS 2021, THE SECOND YEAR WAS 2022.
THE THIRD YEAR WILL BE, UH, WHAT WE DO IN, UM, UM, NO, I'M SORRY.
THE FIRST YEAR WAS 20 20, 20 21 AND 2022.
THE FOURTH YEAR REPORT WILL TELL US WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS YEAR.
SO IT'S ALWAYS A PREVIOUS CALENDAR YEAR.
AND BECAUSE WE WORK SO HEAVILY WITH PARTNERS, WE RELY HEAVILY ON INFORMATION FROM OTHER ENTITIES ACROSS MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTS.
SO IT TAKES US A LITTLE BIT OF TIME TO GET THE INFORMATION AND BE ABLE TO EVALUATE THAT OR HAVE DISCUSSIONS IF NEEDED, AND THEN PRODUCE THE PLAN AS WELL AS WORK WITH KINDER.
UM, I WILL RELATE TO KINDER TO MAKE THEIR WEBSITE IN WHATEVER WAY THEY'RE ABLE, UH, MORE USER FRIENDLY.
AND THE PERCENTAGE THAT I JUST SAID, WE, WE KNOW ON THE TRACKER IT'S 1.4 MILLION TREES SO FAR, CUMULATIVELY FROM THE TIME WE STARTED COUNTING, UH, OFF THE TOTAL OF 4.6.
SO I THINK WE ARE AT ABOUT 31% OF THE FULL GOAL.
AND WE, A THIRD OF THE TIME ROUGHLY HAS ELAPSED IN THE 10 YEARS BETWEEN 2020 AND 2030.
AND I CAN GIVE ONE STATISTIC AGAIN FROM TREES FOR HOUSTON THAT WAS ANNOUNCED THIS WEEK.
THEY ARE CURRENTLY AT A PACE OF PLANTING 700,000 TREES, UH, PER YEAR WITH A REACH GOAL OF 100,000 TREES PER YEAR.
THAT WAS SAID TO THE CROWD ASSEMBLED AT THE RIBBON, CUTTING WITH, UH, FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH, RICH AND NANCY KINDER PRESENT AND IN THE AUDIENCE, UH, FROM THE KINDER FOUNDATION.
SO MS. EDWARDS, I THINK THERE'S GOOD NEWS, BUT APPRECIATE YOUR SCRUTINY AND ALL THE QUESTIONS.
WE WILL PASS THEM ALONG TO THOSE, UH, WHO ARE WORKING WITH CHIEF ZACHARIA AND TRY TO GET YOU FURTHER ANSWERS.
BUT I WANT TO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR ROLE IN ADVISING THE CITY AND FOR YOUR BEING HERE WITH US TODAY.
UM, COUNCIL MEMBER, MAY I JUST QUICKLY ADD THAT THERESA HOUSTON IS A GREAT PARTNER TO US, AND WE ARE IN CONSTANT COMMUNICATION WITH BARRY WARD.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER ON TODAY'S AGENDA IS, UH, HERMAN IBANEZ.
MR. IBANEZ IS HERE IN THE CHAMBERS CHIEF, IF YOU COULD, LET'S SEE IF, UH, WE WILL MAKE SPACE AT THE PODIUM.
GOOD AF GOOD MORNING, MR. IBANEZ AND YOUR QUESTION.
UM, GOOD MORNING COUNCIL MEMBERS.
I'M THE GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS CHAIR FOR THE HOUSTON CLIMATE MOVEMENT.
UH, I READ THE, THE, UH, THE SUMMARIZED VERSION OF THE THREE YEAR REPORT CARD WHEN IT CAME OUT.
UM, IT LACKED A LITTLE BIT OF, UM, OF, UH, DENSITY ON WHERE THEY, THEY SOURCED, UH, MOST OF THE INFORMATION.
SO I PUT IN A PUBLIC RE, UH, INFORMATION REQUEST FORM.
UM, YESTERDAY OR THIS WEEK, I, I FINALLY GOT TO, UM, UH, A WEBSITE THROUGH RICE UNIVERSITY THAT ACTUALLY SHOWED ME WHERE, WHAT, WHAT WAS HAPPENING AND WHERE THE SOURCES WERE.
AND I DO HAVE A, UM, AND THANK YOU FOR THAT.
UM, IT, IT WAS, UH, IT WAS ENLIGHTENING AND MOST OF THE THINGS I, I, I FOUND, UM, VERY GOOD SOURCE MATERIAL, AT LEAST, UH, WHERE THEY GOT IT.
THERE'S A FEW OF THEM THAT I FOUND A LITTLE BIT ODD, AND I WANNA BRING THAT UP TO YOUR ATTENTION NOW.
UM, ON TARGET NUMBER 15, WHICH WAS THE A HUNDRED PERCENT, UH, ACCESS TO, UM, PUBLIC, UH, TRANSPORTATION.
IT CAME THE, THE, THE, THE, THE AREA WHERE THEY GOT THE INFORMATION WAS THE KING KINDER TABULATION OF POPULATION BY METRO FREQUENCY ROUTES AND NOT METRO.
SO I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THEY COULDN'T GO TO METRO FOR THAT ONE.
ON THE TARGET 16, UH, THE 24% UNDEVELOPED LAND, THEY GOT IT FROM HOUSTON WILDERNESS, WHICH IS THE SAME PLACE THEY GOT ALL THE TREE INFORMATION FOR.
AND NOW THAT I SEE THAT WE HAVE THE NEW DATABASE AND SHOULDN'T HAVE ANY PROBLEM GETTING ALL THE INFORMATION FROM THE RIGHT PEOPLE.
UM, THE LAST, UH, THE OTHER ONE WAS TARGET, UM, 18, WHICH IS A 50 MIL BILLION DOLLARS IN RECOVERY, CAME FROM KINDER, UH, TABULATION FOR PUBLIC PROJECTS OR CAPITAL PROJECTS, AND NOT THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.
UM, AND THEN THE LAST ONE WAS, UM, THE SOLAR.
UM, AND THEY GOT IT FROM THE, UM, ENVIRONMENTAL, UH, AMERICA'S SHINING CITIES REPORT, NOT FROM PERMITTING OR RELIANT, WHICH I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING INFORMATION FROM CITY SOURCES THAT ARE RELIABLE AND NOT NECESSARILY, UM, RELYING ON STUFF THAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE DONE.
AND THAT'S, THAT WAS MY COMMENT.
UH, AGAIN, I APPRECIATE YOUR SCRUTINY, MR. IBANEZ, AND I THINK THE CHIEF WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS YOU.
UH, MR. IBANEZ, THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THOSE TO OUR ATTENTION.
AS I SAID BEFORE, WE RELY HEAVILY ON PARTNERSHIPS, AND WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL TO THE KINDER INSTITUTE WHO'S HELPED US COLLATE THE INFORMATION, AND IT TAKES A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT
[00:40:01]
TO GET THE INFORMATION, SCRUB IT, MAKE SURE IT'S CORRECT.UM, SO WE ALWAYS CREDIT THEM ON THE WEBSITE.
SO ON THE WEBSITE, IT WILL SAY THAT THE WORK BEING DONE BY KINDER, SO THE, THE PRIMARY CREDIT GOES TO KINDER, BUT THE, THE DATA SOURCES ARE FROM THE CITY, FROM METRO, FROM WHOEVER OUR INTERNAL, UH, UH, UH, EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS MIGHT BE.
UM, BUT THAT'S, UH, THAT, THAT'S HOW THE, THE, THE CREDITS ARE REFLECTED.
THERE ARE NO OTHER QUESTIONS IN THE QUEUE OR ONLINE CHIEF, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR PRESENTATION TODAY, AND WITH THAT, WE'LL MOVE ALONG.
THE THANK TO THE NEXT ITEM ON OUR AGENDA.
BEFORE I DO SO, I'D LOVE TO REMIND YOU IF YOU'RE ONLINE, IF YOU COULD TURN OFF YOUR CAMERA IF YOU'RE NOT, UH, SPEAKING, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
AND WE ARE MOVING TO ITEM THREE ON THE AGENDA.
THE ONE WATER MASTER PLANNING PROJECT, PHASE ONE WITH US TODAY IN CHAMBERS IS CATARINA FTOS, THE PLANNING DIRECTOR FOR HOUSTON WATER AND HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS.
AND, UM, THE PRESENTATION IS QUEUED UP.
YOU'RE GOOD TO GO? EVERYONE HEAR ME? OKAY.
CAN YOU HEAR ME OKAY? YES, WE CAN.
RESPECTED, UH, CHAIRMAN ROBINSON, VICE CHAIR ALCORN AND, UM, ESTEEMED COUNCIL MEMBERS.
I WANT TO BEGIN BY THANKING YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY AND ALLOWING US THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT ON PHASE ONE OF THE ONE WATER MASTER PLANNING PROJECT.
I AM THE PLANNING DIRECTOR FOR HOUSTON, UM, PUBLIC WORKS' HOUSTON WATER SERVICE LINE.
I'M PRESENTING TODAY ABOUT THE HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS' EFFORTS TO BUILD A RESILIENT AND SUSTAINABLE, UM, CITY THROUGH THE ONE WATER MASTER PLANNING PROJECT.
WE START OFF EVERY PRESENTATION, UM, WITH OUR FIVE TO THRIVE VALUES HERE AT PUBLIC WORKS.
AT HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS, WE CREATE A STRONG FOUNDATION FOR HOUSTON TO THRIVE THROUGH RESPECT, OWNERSHIP, COMMUNICATION, INTEGRITY, AND TEAMWORK.
WHAT IS ONE WATER BY DEFINITION? ONE WATER IS AN INTEGRATED PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION APPROACH TO MANAGING FINITE WATER RESOURCES FOR LONG-TERM RESILIENCE AND RELIABILITY, MEETING BOTH COMMUNITY AND ECOSYSTEM NEEDS.
ONE, WATER IS A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO WATER'S STRATEGIC AND MASTER PLANNING.
IT HAS A VERY STRONG COMMUNITY DRIVEN FOCUS AND HAS THE POTENTIAL TO REAP MULTIPLE BENEFITS THROUGH ALIGNING PRIORITIES, PROJECTS, AND STRATEGIES ACROSS ALL THREE OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S WATER SYSTEMS THAT OF WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM, THAT OF THE WASTEWATER COLLECTION SYSTEM AND THE STORM WATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.
THE ONE WATER PLAN IS AN ALTERNATIVELY TERM, SORRY.
A WOODEN WATER PLAN IS ALTERNATIVELY TERMED AS AN INTEGRATED PLAN, A MASTER PLAN, OR A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
THOSE ARE ALL ONE AND THE SAME.
ALL TERMS MEAN THE SAME FOCUS.
UM, IT IS A HOLISTIC APPROACH IN PLANNING VERSUS A SILOED APPROACH.
UM, AND THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO KEEP IN MIND.
HOWEVER, PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT A ONE WATER PLAN IS NOT A TRADITIONAL UTILITY MASTER PLAN.
IT'S A STRATEGIC MASTER PLAN THAT SETS FORTH, THAT SETS FORTH THE FRAMEWORK VISION, OBJECTIVES, AND GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR INTEGRATING WATER, WASTEWATER AND STORMWATER, UM, ACROSS ALL THOSE MASTER PLANS.
A ONE WATER PLAN TYPICALLY INTEGRATES THE RECOMMENDATIONS DETAILED IN THOSE MASTER PLANS, UH, FOR THESE WATER SYSTEMS. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
TO FURTHER EXPOUND A LITTLE BIT MORE ON THE CONCEPT OF ONE WATER.
ONE WATER HAS SEVEN BASIC PRINCIPLES.
IT CONSIDERS ALL SOURCES OF WATER.
THIS INCLUDES SURFACE GROUNDWATER, RECLAIMED WATER, STORM WATER, SEA WATER, AND OTHER SOURCES SUCH AS RAINFALL.
IT SEEKS SUSTAINABILITY AND EQUITY AND WATER RESOURCES.
IT ACCOUNTS FOR ALL END USERS AND USES OF WATER.
IT CONSIDERS WATER QUANTITY AND QUALITY.
IT PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR STAKEHOLDERS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PLANNING PROCESS.
IT ALIGNS LOCAL WATER RELATED DECISIONS WITH BROADER COMMUNITY AND NATIONAL OBJECTIVES, AND IT INTEGRATES SOCIAL, ECONOMICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL GOALS INTO STRATEGIES.
THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S ONE WATER
[00:45:01]
PLAN IS A MULTI-PHASE, MULTI-YEAR PROJECT.IT WILL DEVELOP A FRAMEWORK FOR COORDINATED PLANNING ACROSS THE CITY'S WATER SYSTEMS TO MAXIMIZE DELIVERY OF PROJECTS AND ALIGN WITH THE CITY'S EXISTING MASTER PLAN AND INITIATIVES.
THE PLAN AIMS TO PROVIDE LONG-TERM SERVICES THAT ARE AFFORDABLE, RESILIENT, RELIABLE, AND SUSTAINABLE.
THE CITY'S ONE WATER PLAN WILL LOOK TO ALIGN THESE SERVICES TO THE VALUES AND VISION FOR THE FUTURE.
IN THIS WAY, WE'LL ENSURE THAT THESE SERVICES WILL MEET THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S LONG-TERM PRIORITIES AND NEEDS.
A MAJOR GOAL OF THIS PLAN IS TO BREAK DOWN SILOS AND INCORPORATE THE COMMUNITY AND STAKEHOLDERS INTO THE CONVERSATION, TAKING THOSE VOICES INTO ACCOUNT TO SHAPE AND DESIGN.
THE PLAN WILL BUILD ON PAST EFFORTS AND WE'LL INTEGRATE WASTEWATER DRINKING WATER AND STORMWATER OPERATIONS PLANNING WITH COMMUNITY AND STAKEHOLDER INPUT TO MAXIMIZE THE BENEFIT TO HOUSTON'S PEOPLE ECONOMY AND THE ENVIRONMENT.
ULTIMATELY, THE PLAN WILL DEVELOP TOOLS AND PROVIDE A ROBUST EQUITY ROADMAP THAT CAN BE USED FOR GOOD DECISION MAKING, UM, ALONG THE WAY.
ADDITIONALLY, THE ONE WATER PLAN SUPPORTS CITY OF HOUSTON CORE PRINCIPLES TO INCREASE RESILIENCE.
THESE CORE PRINCIPLES ARE ENCOMPASSED IN OUR OTHER PLANNING DOCUMENTS AND INITIATIVES SUCH AS THE HOUSTON'S CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, RESILIENT HOUSTON PLAN, THE BUILD HOUSTON FORWARD PROGRAM, THE WATER CONSERVATION PLAN, COMPLETE COMMUNITIES INITIATIVE, AND THE HOUSTON'S GREEN DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVES.
THE PHASE ONE WATER PLAN IS FUNDED IN PART BY A GRANT FROM THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD.
PHASE ONE'S FUNDING IS SPLIT BETWEEN THE CITY'S SYSTEM OPERATING FUND AT 25% IN THE AMOUNT OF $465,000, AND THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARDS FUND AT 75% IN THE AMOUNT OF 1.395 MILLION.
KEEP IN MIND THAT THE PHASE ONE SCOPE AND SCHEDULE ARE DRIVEN BY THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARDS FUNDING GUIDELINES.
THE ONE WATER PLAN PROJECT HAS SEVERAL YEARS, HAS BEEN SEVERAL YEARS IN THE MAKING.
UM, I'M GONNA TAKE SOME TIME RIGHT NOW TO GO OVER THE TIMELINE FOR THIS PROJECT.
THE GRANT ASSOCIATED WITH PHASE ONE OF THIS PROJECT WAS AWARDED IN OCTOBER OF 2021 IN MAY OF 2022, HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS RELEASED THE RFQ FOR PHASE ONE, THE CONTRACT AWARD TO THE CONSULTANT.
UM, JACOBS WAS FINALIZED ON JUNE, 2023 WITH THE NOTICE TO PROCEED BEING ISSUED SHORTLY THEREAFTER IN JULY.
AND THE PROJECT KICKED OFF IN AUGUST OF THIS YEAR.
PHASE ONE IS ANTICIPATED TO BE COMPLETED WITHIN 12 MONTHS, UM, OF THIS KICKOFF MEETING WITH AN ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE OF THE END OF JULY, 2024, AFTER WHICH WE'LL BEGIN PHASE TWO, WHICH IS THE IMPLEMENTATION IT IS ANTICIPATED TO BEGIN IN SUMMER OF 2024 AND WILL BE A NEW PROGRAM WITHIN HOUSTON WATER PLANNING TO SUPPORT THE ONE WATER PLANNING EFFORTS.
THE MAIN DELIVERABLES FOR PHASE ONE INCLUDES STAKEHOLDER IDENTIFICATION, WHICH LISTS KEY STAKEHOLDERS, BOTH INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT, WHICH DEVELOPS INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT PLANS, AND INCLUDES THE IMPLEMENTATION OF EACH OF THESE STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT PLANS, VISION OBJECTIVES, AND GUIDING PRINCIPLES, WHICH INCLUDES DEVELOPING A DIGITAL INTEGRATED PLATFORM OR DIP AND THE CREATION OF A VISION STATEMENT, INCLUDING OBJECTIVES AND GUIDING PRINCIPLES, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PLAN, WHICH IDENTIFIES COMMUNITY SECTORS AND FOCUS GROUPS AND DRAFTS.
THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PORTION IMPLEMENTS THE COMMUNITY AND FOCUS GROUP ENGAGEMENT PLANS, DOCUMENTATION OF THE COMMUNITY GOALS AND PRIORITIES, WHICH SUMMARIZES COMMUNITY NEEDS AND PRIORITIES IN A REPORT, AND CREATES THE EQUITY, THE WATER EQUITY ROADMAP, DEVELOPING AN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN, WHICH SETS FORTH RECOMMENDATIONS ON ENGAGEMENT FOR PHASE TWO, AND FINALLY CREATES THAT PHASE TWO ACTION PLAN.
IN THE NEXT FEW SLIDES, WE'LL GO GO INTO A LITTLE MORE DETAIL ON THE MAIN DELIVERABLES FOR PHASE ONE.
AS PART OF PHASE ONE, JACOBS WILL DELIVER A DIGITAL INTEGRATED PLATFORM.
THIS INCLUDES A PROPOSAL FOR THE PLATFORM AND A USER MANUAL.
THE DIP WILL SERVE AS A HUB FOR EDUCATION.
IT WILL SERVE AS A FORM OF INFORMATION TRANSFER AND ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PUBLIC ON THE ONE WATER PROGRAM.
IT WILL BE FULLY ACCESSIBLE ON PHONES
[00:50:01]
OR DESKTOPS AND INCLUDE SUMMARY DASHBOARDS, DATA VISUALIZATION, AND WILL CONTAIN ANALYTICAL INFORMATION TO SUPPORT ENGAGEMENT AND DECISION MAKING.INCLUDED IN THIS PLATFORM ARE VIRTUAL EDUCATION MODULES OR LEARNING CENTERS THAT PROVIDE WATER, WASTEWATER, STORMWATER, AND ONE WATER 1 0 1 SESSIONS.
THE DIP WILL BE USED FOR COMMUNICATION WITH THE PUBLIC TO HELP FACILITATE OUTREACH ACTIVITIES AND USED FOR DATA INTEGR, SORRY, USED FOR DATA GATHERING, WHICH CONDUCTING, UM, WHICH WILL BE USED WHEN CONDUCTING PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, UM, IN THE FORM OF SURVEYS AND USED TO COLLECT DATA THAT WILL BE ANALYZED IN THE EQUITY ROADMAP TASK.
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT IN A IS A VERY LARGE PART OF THE ONE WATER PLAN.
WE, WE'VE MENTIONED THAT ALREADY.
UM, WE WOULD LIKE TO TAKE SOME TIME TO GO OVER THE PROCESS OF ENGAGEMENT AND WHAT SOME OF THESE DELIVERABLES WOULD INCLUDE FOR THE STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT PROCESS.
WE'LL DEVELOP AN INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDER LIST AND A STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT PLAN.
THIS INCLUDES DOCUMENTATION OF INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT FEEDBACK AND DEVELOPING A COMMU A COMMUNITY SECTORS AND STAKEHOLDERS LIST, WHICH WILL CONSIST OF A VERY DIVERSE GROUP.
ALSO INCLUDED THE STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT PROCESS IS A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PLAN, WHICH INCLUDES DOCUMENTATION OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FEEDBACK.
JACOBS WILL PROVIDE PROGRESS REPORTS ON THE ENGAGEMENT PROCESS AND THE PERFORMANCE METRICS.
THEY WILL DOCUMENT PROPERTY, UH, SORRY, THOUGH THEY WILL DOC DOCUMENT PROJECT UNDERSTANDING VISION OBJECTIVES AND GUIDING PRINCIPLES, WHICH WILL BE DEVELOPED WITH STAKEHOLDER INPUT.
AND WE'LL DELIVER A DETAILED REPORT OF NEEDS, GOALS, PRIORITIES BY THESE COMMUNITIES.
UM, THEY WILL ALSO DELIVER AN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN FOR PHASE TWO AND A REPORT ON RECOMMENDATIONS FOR STAKEHOLDERS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN PHASE TWO.
ALSO, AS A KEY DELIVERABLE IS THE EQUITY ROADMAP.
THIS DOCUMENT LISTS PRIORITY AREAS AND FOCUS GROUPS.
ALONG WITH SETTING FORTH A PLAN FOR ENGAGING WITH THESE FOCUS GROUPS.
WE WILL COLLABORATE WITH THE US WATER ALLIANCE AND APPLY EQUITY ISSUES FOR WATER RESOURCES TO THE HOUSTON AREA, DEMOGRAPHICS AND COMMUNITIES.
THROUGH THIS ROADMAP, WE'LL GAIN A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF THE SOCIALLY UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES, THEIR CHALLENGES AND GOALS.
IT WILL ADDITIONALLY SUMMARIZE SPECIFIC FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE FOR UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES AND DEVELOP PRIORITY ACTIONS WITHIN HOUSTON ON IMPORTANT EQUITY ISSUES SUCH AS AFFORDABILITY, SUSTAINABILITY OF THE STORMWATER MANAGEMENT.
UH, FLOOD CLIMATE POLICY IMPACTS INFRASTRUCTURE, WHICH FOCUSES ON ITEMS SUCH AS AGE ROBUSTNESS AND ACCESS, PUBLIC TRUST AND EDUCATION, AND ALSO FAIR VOICE AND REPRESENTATION.
JUST TO SUMMARIZE THE MAIN COMPONENTS OF PHASE ONE AND TWO.
PHASE ONE LAYS THE FOUNDATION FOR SUCCESSFUL EXECUTION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ONE WATER PLAN FOR LATER YEARS TO COME.
PHASE TWO WILL DEVELOP THE ACTUAL IMPLEMENTATION PLAN AND FURTHER ENACT THE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION AND ENACT THAT ACTION PLAN THAT WAS DEVELOPED FROM PHASE ONE.
NEXT SLIDE PLEASE TO FURTHER SUMMARIZE THE BENEFITS OF THE ONE WATER PLAN.
WE EXPECT TO OPTIMIZE FUNDS DURING PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION, STRETCHING PROJECT DOLLARS IN THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY.
UH, WE PLAN TO DO SO, UM, BY THE SILOED APPROACH, UM, BREAKING DOWN THAT SILOED APPROACH BECAUSE THAT COSTS A LOT OF MONEY.
AND THE ONE WATER PLAN AIMS AT MAXIMIZING DELIVERY OF THESE CERTAIN PROJECTS THAT WE IDENTIFY WE EXPECT TO GAIN BUY-IN FROM PUBLIC COMMUNITIES AND STAKEHOLDERS.
WE'LL PROMOTE TRANSPARENCY THROUGH CONSISTENT AND CLEAR COMMUNICATION.
THIS ONE WATER PLAN WILL BRING ABOUT A CULTURAL CHANGE IN THE WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT THROUGH REGIONAL COLLABORATION AND STATE WITH STAKEHOLDERS.
IMPROVING COLLABORATION AMONG CITY DEPARTMENTS AND ALIGNING HOW PUBLIC WORKS MANAGES WATER FOR PEOPLE, THE ECONOMY AND THE ENVIRONMENT OVERALL, IT WILL HELP TO DEVELOP AN EQUITABLE PLAN THAT ASCRIBES VALUE TO ALL WATER.
IT WILL DELIVER A TRANSPARENT PLAN TO COMMUNICATE THE INVESTMENT OF TAX DOLLARS AND BOND PROGRAMS IN ADDITION TO AN ADAPTIVE PLAN THAT ADDRESSES UNCERTAINTY.
TO FURTHER SUMMARIZE, THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S LONG-TERM INVESTMENT IN EXPECTED RETURNS FROM THE ONE WATER PLAN ARE SUBSTANTIAL.
WITH OUR INVESTMENT IN THIS EFFORT EXPECTING TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE NEXT DECADE OR MORE, WE BELIEVE THE INITIATION OF THIS PROJECT WILL PROVE TO BE A SIGNIFICANT MILESTONE IN OUR EFFORTS TO CREATE A SUSTAINABLE AND RESILIENT WATER SUPPLY.
THROUGH THE USE OF AN INTEGRATED PLANNING APPROACH, WE WILL BE ABLE
[00:55:01]
TO REAP THESE BENEFITS THAT WE HAVE PREVIOUSLY ONLY HOPED FOR, WHICH CAN ONLY COME WITH IDENTIFYING COMMUNITY PRIORITIES TO ADDRESS WATER RELATED NEEDS.AND WITH CREATING A SHARED VISION, THE ONE WATER PLAN WILL ALLOW US TO ADVANCE WATER EQUITY FOR ALL COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND OUR CUSTOMERS IN THIS RAPIDLY GROWING GREATER HOUSTON AREA FOR YEARS TO COME.
WITH THAT, I WANT TO THANK YOU RESPECTED COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THE COMMITTEE, UH, FOR YOUR TIME TODAY AND FOR GIVING US THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT TO YOU THE ONE WATER PLAN, UM, PROJECT BAY ONE.
AND NOW I CAN ANSWER ANY QUE QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE REGARDING THIS PROJECT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, DIRECTOR VITOS.
WE DO HAVE ONE QUESTION IN THE QUEUE FROM VICE CHAIR ALCORN.
THANK YOU CHAIR, AND THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UH, RE I REMEMBER WHEN THIS CAME TO CITY COUNCIL AND I REALLY APPRECIATE CHAIR YOU BRINGING THIS TO COMMITTEE 'CAUSE IT WAS, IT'S A LOT OF WORDS AND IT'S A LOT OF CONSULTANTS SPEAK AND IT'S A LOT OF TRYING TO FIGURE OUT EXACTLY HOW WE, THE CITY IS BENEFITING FROM THIS EFFORT.
I THINK YOU'VE DONE A REALLY GOOD JOB OF EXPLAINING THAT.
UM, WANNA ASK YOU ABOUT THE STAKEHOLDER, THE DEVELOPER DEVELOPING OF THOSE STAKEHOLDER LISTS AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT.
I MEAN, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE PRACTICALLY? WHAT IS, WHAT IS THAT? IS THAT A MEETING? ARE THOSE ARE THE NEIGHBORHOOD PEOPLE? CAN, I MEAN, WHAT, HOW DOES, HOW IS THAT WORKING? HOW ARE YOU GETTING THE, THE STAKEHOLDER LISTS AND COMMUNITY LISTS? THANK YOU.
I THINK THAT IS AN EXCELLENT QUESTION.
UM, THE STAKEHOLDER, 'CAUSE THERE'S MULTIPLE LISTS THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE DEVELOPING.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE FOCUSING RIGHT NOW ON DOING THE INTERNAL LIST, UH, FOR STAKEHOLDERS.
THEN THERE'LL BE, UM, EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT, UM, LIST THAT WE WILL ALSO LOOK TO DEVELOP AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
AND I KNOW YOUR CONCERN IS MOSTLY, UM, FOCUSED ON COMMUNITY.
UM, BUT WE, WE DO FORESEE THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, INTERNAL BEING MORE HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS, EXTERNAL BEING, UM, A LOT OF OUR WATER CONTRACT CUSTOMERS, UM, INDUSTRY, UH, US WATER ALLIANCE, SOME OF THE WATER FOCUSED ORGANIZATIONS, UH, REGIONAL PLANNING, UM, MEMBERS.
UM, AND THEN THE COMMUNITY, UM, STAKEHOLDER DEVELOPMENT IS GOING TO BE VERY SPECIFIC.
UM, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO FOCUS ON THAT BY SURVEYS, TRYING TO IDENTIFY, UM, KEY GROUPS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY AND THOSE KEY, UM, STAKEHOLDERS.
UM, E ESSENTIALLY I THINK WE'LL BE, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE GOING TO RELY VERY HEAVILY ON JACOBS AND I KNOW THAT WE'RE KIND OF WORKING THROUGH THAT.
WE HAVEN'T QUITE GOTTEN TO THAT DISCUSSION ON THE COMMUNITY, UM, INVOLVEMENT.
BUT WE WILL BE WILLING TO SHARE THAT WITH THE COUNCIL AS IT PROGRESSES, UM, TO TRY TO, UM, IDENTIFY HOW WE'RE GOING TO BEST APPROACH THOSE COMMUNITY OR THOSE KEY COMMUNITY, UH, PLAYERS AND STAKEHOLDERS.
AND AS WE'RE DEVELOPING THE STORMWATER MANAGEMENT PLAN, THE THREE DIFFERENT, I MEAN, THEY ALL HAVE THEIR OWN PLANS.
THIS IS KIND OF THE OVERRIDING ONES.
SO THIS, I MEAN, THIS IS KIND OF INFORMING THOSE PLANS OR THOSE PLANS ARE INFORMING THIS PLAN OR THIS, THIS IS THE OVERARCHING.
SO THIS, THIS PLAN WILL INTEGRATE 'CAUSE STORMWATER IS GOING THROUGH THEIR OWN STRATEGIC MASTER PLANNING.
SO THIS PLAN WILL FOCUS MORE ON THE WATER AND THE WASTEWATER AND INTEGRATE WITH THAT STORMWATER MASTER PLANNING.
SO THERE WILL BE MORE OF THAT OVERARCHING UMBRELLA, UM, APPROACH TO THIS ONE BECAUSE THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE THAT OVERARCHING STRATEGY.
UM, SO YES, IT SHOULD INTEGRATE WITH THAT AND, AND SOME OF THOSE EXISTING, UM, STRATEGIC AND THE MASTER PLANNING THAT'S GOING ON.
AND WHEN'S THIS ALL DONE? ALL THE PHASES.
UH, YOU HAD A TIMELINE, BUT, SO THE PHASE ONE IS MORE FOCUSED ON, LIKE I SAID, THE, THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE FRAMEWORK, UM, AND TRYING TO IDENTIFY WHAT THE NEXT STAGES AND WHAT THOSE FUTURE PHASES MAY LOOK LIKE.
UM, SO PHASE TWO WE KNOW WILL BE THE IMPLEMENTATION.
I THINK WE WON'T KNOW, UM, MORE DETAILS ON THE ACTUAL PHASES AND HOW FAR IT'S GOING TO EXPAND UNTIL WE FINISH PHASE ONE.
COUNCIL MEMBER AGAIN, EXCELLENT QUESTION.
I THINK JUST TO PUT A POINT ON IT, I, I KNOW WHEN IT COMES TO COMMUNITY OUTREACH, UH, THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD ALLIANCE IS A GROUP.
I ALWAYS TRY TO ENCOURAGE OUR DIRECTORS TO GET ON YOUR STAKEHOLDER LIST, UH, THAT REACHES CIVIC CLUBS, NEIGHBORHOODS, COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS.
IF YOU NEED ANY HELP GETTING YOUR STAKEHOLDER LIST TOGETHER, ASK COUNCIL MEMBERS AND WE WILL HELP YOU.
UM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER GALLEGOS.
AND THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UH, I'M ASSUMING THAT YOU HAVE THE HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT INVOLVED TOO, DUE TO THE FACT THAT YOU'VE GOT THE STORM WATER.
UM, SO WE HAVEN'T QUITE ENGAGED THEM YET 'CAUSE WE'RE STILL DEVELOPING THOSE LISTS.
UM, I WOULD EXPECT THAT THEY WOULD BE ON THAT EXTERNAL, UM, STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT LIST.
SO WE DO PLAN TO, TO COORDINATE WITH THEM.
WE'RE GONNA COORDINATE WITH THE PROJECT MANAGER THAT'S ALSO LEADING THE STORMWATER STRATEGIC PLAN THAT'S ONGOING AS WELL.
UM, SO WE, WE WILL BE DOING A LOT OF COORDINATION.
SO YES, WE DO ANTICIPATE, UM, LOOKING AT THAT.
AND, AND, UH, IN REGARDS TO THE, THE FINAL GOAL, I GUESS HERE IS, IS, IS FOR PUBLIC
[01:00:01]
WORKS, I GUESS, TO HAVE THIS INFORMATION.UH, AND THEN TO DEAL WITH, UH, THE FUTURE, I GUESS IN REGARDS TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN REGARDS TO FOR DRINKING WATER AND, AND, AND WHAT HAVE YOU.
IS THAT, IS THAT WHY ALL THIS IS BEING DONE? CORRECT.
IT'S LOOKING AT HOW TO MITIGATE SOME OF THOSE CLIMATE RISKS THAT WE HAVE WITH FLOODING.
UM, LOOKING AT MORE OF THE HOLISTIC APPROACH FOR WATER.
SO WE'LL LOOK AT TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION, UM, DIFFERENT WATER SOURCES THAT MAYBE WE HAVEN'T TRADITIONALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, BUILT UP IN, IN THE HOUSTON AREA.
MAYBE MORE REUSE, UM, DESALINIZATION, UM, ARE SOME OF THOSE KEY TECHNOLOGIES THAT WE'RE PROBABLY GOING TO LOOK AT AND SOURCES FOR WATER, UH, RAINFALL, UM, COLLECTION SYSTEMS, THINGS ALONG THOSE LINES ARE GOING TO BE THINGS THAT WE ARE GOING TO LOOK TO EMPLOY OR PROMOTE AS, UM, ALTERNATIVE SOURCES TO THE WATER SUPPLY TO CREATE THAT RESILIENCY.
I, I WANNA ALSO ADD TO YOUR LIST, UH, THE GREAT EFFORTS YOUR DEPARTMENT HAS DONE.
UH, DIRECTOR WITH CONSERVATION.
AND JUST KNOWING WHEN YOU CAN SHUT THE FAUCET OFF AND REDUCE CONSUMPTION AS WE ARE, UH, STILL IN A DROUGHT DESPITE THE WEATHER OUTSIDE.
UM, DIRECTOR, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
THERE ARE NO OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS OR STAFF MEMBERS IN THE QUEUE.
WE HAVE ONE SPEAKER HERE IN THE AUDIENCE, UH, IN CHAMBERS TODAY.
THAT'S MR. DOMINIC MAZAK, WHO IS HERE, OUR FRIEND, FREQUENT, UH, ATTENDEE OF OUR TTI COMMITTEE MEETINGS.
AND HE WILL JOIN YOU AT THE PODIUM.
UH, DOMINIC, IT'S GREAT TO SEE YOU.
AND I DID TAKE 90, 96 TO THE RED LINE TO HERE, AND I DID IN 45 MINUTES, SO THAT'S NOT BAD.
MY, I READ YOUR, YOUR LOOKED AT YOUR POWERPOINT PRESENTATION AND I THINK YOU'RE, IF YOU COULD SPEAK INTO THE MICROPHONE, THAT'D BE HELPFUL.
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? YES, SIR.
MY CONCERN IS THE VENN DIAGRAM.
YOU HAD THE THREE CIRCLES IN THE VENN DIAGRAM.
I THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE A FOURTH ONE, AND THAT IS RECYCLING WATER.
AND DAVID, YOU, WE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE, ANOTHER COUNCIL MEETING, I THINK WE NEED TO PUT INTO THE ORDINANCES, AND THAT'LL PROBABLY BE FOR THE NEXT CITY COUNCIL.
UH, IF SOMEBODY HAS A CISTERN FOR, FOR BRING WATER COLLECTION AND IT'S PASSED CODES, MAYBE THAT COULD BE A REDUCTION ON YOUR RENEW HOUSTON FEE.
THE, THE, THE FEE YOU PAY FOR FLOOD CONTROL AND RENEWING THE STREETS.
'CAUSE YOU ARE TAKING WATER AND STORING RAY WATER THAT'S NOT GONNA GO INTO THE, INTO THE, UH, STORM WATER SYSTEM.
PLUS THE FACT YOU'RE NOT GONNA BE USING POTABLE WATER TO PLANT, TO WATER YOUR PLANTED YARDS.
I THINK IT'S A WONDERFUL THING.
SECOND OF ALL, WHEN I WAS IN COURT LIVING IN CORPUS CHRISTI FOR A WHILE, THERE WAS A SITUATION TO WHERE THERE WAS A DROUGHT AND THERE WAS MORE DRASTIC WATER, UH, USAGE, UH, RESTRICTIONS THAN WHAT WE HAVE NOW.
AND WHAT THEY DID WAS AT THE PLACE WHERE THEY DID THE WA WASTEWATER, THEY ACTUALLY HAD SPIGOTS AND PEOPLE WOULD COME UP INSTEAD OF WATER BEING DISCHARGED INTO, INTO THE BAY, THEY WOULD ACTUALLY FILL UP, UH, TANKER TRUCKS AND PEOPLE WOULD TAKE THIS WATER AND, AND WATER THE GRASS.
AND I THINK, AGAIN, THIS, YOU CAN'T DO THIS OVERNIGHT.
THIS IS GONNA BE FOR THE NEXT COUNCIL TO LOOK AT, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT WHAT CAN WE DO WITH GRAY WATER AND WHAT CAN WE DO WITH WATER THAT'S COMING THAT'S, THAT'S COMING OUT OF A TREATMENT PLANT.
I, I'VE BEEN IN ISRAEL AND I'M WAS VERY IMPRESSED HOW THEY USE WATER 2, 3, 4, 5 TIMES.
I THINK WE GOING TO, AS THE WORLD IS CHANGING WITH WEATHER, WE NEED TO DO THE SAME.
BUT BEFORE I GO TO HIM, I, I WANNA MENTION YOU'RE SPEAKING TO THE CHOIR.
I'VE GOT MY 500 GALLON TANK IN MY BACKYARD AND, UH, HOPEFUL, HOPEFULLY IT'S FILLING UP TODAY.
YEAH, THANK YOU FOR THAT, FOR THOSE COMMENTS.
I MEAN, I WOULD THINK ADDING SOMETHING FOR RECYCLING WATER, IT WOULD BE, UM, VERY IMPORTANT DUE TO THE FACT LIKE, UH, THE CHAIR WAS SAYING, I MEAN, THERE'S MANY INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE THE RAIN BARRELS AND WHAT HAVE YOU, AND SEE WHAT THE IMPORTANCE IS TO HAVE A RAIN BARREL.
UH, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, UH, YOU, YOU, YOU'VE GOT NOW, UM, UH, ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNS WHERE THEY ACTUALLY HAVE GRASS ON THE ROOFS AND, AND, AND WHAT HAVE YOU.
SO I MEAN, THAT, THAT MIGHT BE THE FEATURE IN REGARDS TO SEE HOW THAT CAN HELP IN REGARDS TO COLLECTING WATER.
UM, I I, I KNOW WHAT REALLY FRUSTRATES ME, AND, AND I'VE MENTIONED IT IN THE PAST TO SEE IF AND WHAT WE CAN DO, BUT I UNDERSTAND IT'S SOMETHING WITH THE STATE, UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN, WHEN YOU HAVE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT GOING OUT AND OPENING THE FIRE HYDRANTS TO RELIEVE PRESSURE AND YOU JUST SEE ALL THIS WATER JUST GUSHING OUT, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, IS THERE A WAY TO COLLECT THAT, TO USE THAT? I MEAN, YOU'VE GOT MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS THAT HAVE WATER TRUCKS THAT ARE GOING OUT AND WATERING THEIR LANDSCAPING ON THEIR ESPLANADES AND WHAT HAVE YOU.
IS THERE A WAY WHERE THE MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS CAN GO AND COLLECT THAT WATER AND ACTUALLY USE IT FOR THEIR LANDSCAPING ON THE ESPLANADES
[01:05:01]
INSTEAD OF JUST LOSING IT? I MEAN, IT, IT JUST MAKES NO SENSE TO ME.UH, SO, AND THE ESCAPING, YEAH.
SO, SO, SO, SO THINGS LIKE THAT I THINK SHOULD BE ADDED ON A FOURTH CIRCLE.
DOMINIC, AGAIN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE TODAY.
THANK YOU, DIRECTOR, AGAIN, TURNING TO YOU.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
THERE ARE NO OTHER SPEAKERS IN THE QUEUE.
WE WILL, AS WITH THE OTHER PRESENTATIONS, HAVE THIS ONLINE SHORTLY.
DO YOU HAVE, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
AND IF I, ONE POINT OF FOLLOW UP ONE.
IF I MAY ADD JUST ONE THING IS THAT YES, WE HAVE A VERY ROBUST RAIN BARREL SALE PROGRAM FOR THOSE OF YOU.
I, I KNOW THAT MANY OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE SUPPORTED THAT, UH, FOR THEIR COMMUNITIES.
UM, SO YES, WE WILL DEFINITELY LOOK AT SOME OF THESE ALTERNATIVE, UM, SOURCES OF WATER.
AND YOU KNOW, I HEAR YOU, I UNDERSTAND THE CONCERNS.
I'VE, I'VE HEARD ABOUT THE FLUSHING OF, OF THE HYDRANTS.
SO WE WILL LOOK TO ADDRESS CERTAIN THINGS IN THAT PLAN AS WELL TO CREATE THAT MORE ROBUST, YOU KNOW, RESILIENT WATER SUPPLY FOR, FOR HOUSTON.
I APPRECIATE EVERYONE'S TIME TODAY.
THERE ARE CREATIVE SOLUTIONS OUT THERE AND ENGINEERS AND ARCHITECTS ARE WORKING ON IT ALL ACROSS THE CITY.
OUR NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA TODAY IS WITH THE SPEED CENTER FROM RICE UNIVERSITY.
THAT'S THE COASTAL SURGE PROTECTION REGARDING THE GALVESTON BAY PARK PLAN STUDY.
UH, TODAY WITH US ARE FOLKS FROM THE SPEED CENTER, INCLUDING OUR FIRST SPEAKER, UH, MR. JIM BLACKBURN, WHO'S THE CO-DIRECTOR OF THE SEVERE STORM PREVENTION EDUCATION AND EVACUATION FROM DISASTER THAT IS SPEED CENTER AT RICE.
JIM, IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU TODAY.
IF YOU'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND THE TEAM AND PROCEED WITH THE PRESENTATION.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, STAFF MEMBERS, UH, THANK YOU FOR HAVING US TODAY.
HAVE HERE THE DIRECTOR OF SPEED CENTER, PHIL OBEDIENT, UH, CHARLIE PENLAND AND MELANIE GALLANT WITH WALTER P MORE.
AND WE HAVE, UH, TYLER SWANSON AND ROB ROGERS WITH ROGERS ARCHITECTS.
THE PRESENTATION, SORRY, WE'RE TRYING OUT OUR, UH, TECHNOLOGY.
PODIUM, YEAH, IT IS OUR TRICK PODIUM.
IT'S ONLY UP OR DOWN, SO THERE WE GO.
MIKE IS COMING RIGHT TO YOU NOW, JIM.
UM, THANK YOU FOR HAVING US HERE.
UH, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE GALVESTON BAY PARK PLAN.
THE, UM, THE CITY OF HOUSTON JOINED WITH THE PORT OF HOUSTON AUTHORITY, HARRIS COUNTY, AND AN INDIVIDUAL ENTREPRENEUR NAMED JOE SWIN BANK IN FUNDING WORK AT THE SPEED CENTER ON A, UH, PROJECT TO BASICALLY ENHANCE THE PROTECTION FROM THE COASTAL BARRIER THAT HAS BEEN PROPOSED BY THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS.
THINK, AS YOU'LL SEE, WE FEEL THAT THE PROTECTION PROVIDED BY THE BARRIER TO DATE IS, UH, NOT ADEQUATE TO PROTECT THE, UH, CLEAR LAKE AREA TO PROTECT THE HOUSTON SHIP CHANNEL AND UP INTO THE EAST SIDE OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
AND WE THINK THAT THE GALVESTON BAY PARK PLAN WILL OFFER AN EXCELLENT COMPLIMENT.
THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO, UH, DEVELOP MORE DETAILS ABOUT THOSE CONCERNS, ABOUT THE COST OF THIS SOLUTION AND ABOUT HOW THIS SOLUTION COULD BE IMPLEMENTED.
WE ARE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, PERHAPS A THIRD, MAYBE A HALFWAY INTO OUR WORK.
AND THIS IS AN INTERIM, UH, REPORT ON WHAT WE HAVE FOUND SO FAR, AND THERE'S SOME, I THINK, SOME VERY IMPORTANT FINDINGS.
UH, THIS IS THE COMPLETE TEAM, I THINK, UH, AMONG THOSE THAT ARE NOT HERE.
CLINT DAWSON, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN IS A COMPUTER MODELER, AND YOU'LL SEE HIS MODELING IN JUST A MINUTE.
UH, WE'VE GOT OUTREACH STRATEGISTS WORKING WITH US WHEN WE, UH, INVOLVE STAKEHOLDER, UH, INVOLVEMENT.
THIS IS THE FIRST OF OUR PUBLIC OUTREACHES, UH, UH, MEETINGS.
UH, WE WANTED TO MEET WITH THE SPONSORS BEFORE WE MET WITH THE PUBLIC IN GENERAL, JUST TO LET YOU KNOW WHAT IS COMING.
WE'RE BACK AT THE FIRST NEXT SLIDE.
NOW WHAT YOU SEE IN FRONT OF YOU NOW IS THE PROTECTION THAT CURRENTLY EXISTS IN THE GALVESTON BAY COMPLEX.
GALVESTON HAD, THE CITY OF GALVESTON HAS A SEA WALL, AND TEXAS CITY HAS A LEVEE AROUND IT.
BOTH OF THAT, BOTH OF THOSE PROTECTIONS ARE TO ABOUT 17 FEET.
THE CORE OF ENGINEERS HAS PROPOSED A COASTAL BARRIER.
IT INVOLVES A LARGE GATE ACROSS BOLIVAR ROADS, WHICH I THINK IS IN GREEN.
IT INVOLVES, UH, TWO SAND DUNE SYSTEMS, ONE AT 14 FEET.
ONE AT 12 FEET, UH, THAT ARE SHOWN IN DOTTED ALONG THE BOLIVAR PENINSULA AND ALONG THE WEST END OF GALVESTON, UH, ISLAND.
IT INVOLVES A BACKSIDE GATE, I MEAN, BA BACKSIDE LEVY AROUND THE CITY OF GALVESTON.
[01:10:01]
TWO GATES, ONE ON DICKINSON BAYOU AND ONE AT CLEAR LAKE.THAT IS THE, THOSE TWO GATE STRUCTURES ARE THE IN BAY PORTION OF THE CHORUS PLAN.
THAT IS WHAT WE'RE SEEKING TO SUPPLEMENT WITH THIS WORK.
THE GREEN, I'M SORRY, ONE BACK PLEASE.
THE GREEN THAT YOU SEE THERE, THAT GOES DOWN THE HOUSTON SHIP CHANNEL CONNECTS TO THE TEXAS CITY LEVEE SYSTEM AND CONNECTS UP AT CHAMBERS COUNTY TO HOUSTON POINT, THAT IS THE GALVESTON BAY PARK PLANT.
THAT IS THE DESIGN THAT WE'RE GONNA COME AND TALK TO YOU ABOUT TODAY.
THAT IS WHAT WE FEEL LIKE IS AN IMPORTANT COMPLIMENT FROM A PHASING STANDPOINT.
IT IS ALSO VERY IMPORTANT TO NOTE IT CAN BE BUILT RELATIVELY QUICKLY AND CAN OFFER IMMEDIATE PROTECTION.
NOW WE HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO MODEL HURRICANES AND WHAT HURRICANE SURGE DAMAGE WOULD LOOK LIKE.
WHAT YOU SEE IN FRONT OF YOU IS A CATEGORY FOUR STORM OF WIND SPEED, MAXIMUM 1 32 MILES PER HOUR SUSTAINED.
THE PLACE OF IMPACT IS DOWN AROUND SAN LOUIS PASS DOWN AT THE SOUTH END OF GALVESTON ISLAND.
AND THIS IS A STORM THAT ALL OF US THAT WORK IN THIS AREA FEAR.
THIS IS WHY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE NEED FOR SURGE PROTECTION.
THIS WOULD BE PROBABLY THE MOST DEVASTATING STORM IN THE UNITED STATES HISTORY.
IT WOULD CERTAINLY CAUSE THE WORST ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER IN US HISTORY WITH THE, UH, IMPACT TO THE HOUSTON SHIP CHANNEL.
BUT IT FLOODS CLEAR LAKE EXTENSIVELY.
IT FLOODS EXTENSIVELY BACK UP INTO THE EAST SIDE OF HOUSTON COMING UP THE, UH, SHIP CHANNEL, BUFFALO BAYOU GREENS, UH, SIMS RAYS HUNTING, COMING UP THE, FROM THE SHIP CHANNEL INTO THOSE AREAS.
WE'RE LOOKING AT STORM SURGE, UH, LOOKS LIKE ABOUT IN THE 25 FOOT RANGE AT THE TOP OF THE, UH, SHIP CHANNEL.
AND THAT'S A CATEGORY FOUR STORM.
WE WILL HAVE MODELING FOR CAT FIVE.
NOW, WITH THE COASTAL BARRIER IN PLACE, THAT FLOODING RISK IS REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY, BUT NOT TO THE EXTENT THAT WE FEEL IS NECESSARY.
THERE IS STILL SIGNIFICANT VULNERABILITY, UH, TO THE, UH, CLEAR LAKE AREA AND TO THE HOUSTON SHIP CHANNEL.
UH, THIS IS A CATEGORY, UH, FOREST STORM MODELING, AND IT SHOWS EXTENSIVE FLOODING STILL REMAINS WITH THE COASTAL BARRIER IN PLACE.
NOT A CRITICISM OF THE BARRIER, IT'S JUST THIS IS WHAT THE BARRIER CAN DO.
IT'S DESIGNED FOR SMALLER STORMS. IT'S NOT DESIGNED FOR THE CATEGORY FOUR OR FIVE STORMS THAT WE THINK WE HAVE TO PROTECT OURSELVES FROM IN THE FUTURE.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A PLAN FOR THE NEXT A HUNDRED YEARS.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING THAT WILL PROTECT US INTO THE FUTURE.
IT'S THE TYPE OF THINKING WE THINK WE HAVE TO HAVE.
UM, SOMETHING OF IMPORTANCE TO NOTE IS THAT THERE IS SIGNIFICANT FLOODING COMING AROUND ACROSS THE WEST END OF GALVESTON ISLAND COMING IN FROM SAN LUIS PASS AND COMING IN BEHIND TEXAS CITY.
I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY ONE OF OUR MAJOR FINDINGS.
AND AS ONE OF THE MAJOR ISSUES IS TRYING TO, UH, KEEP THE BACKSIDE FLOODING FROM COMING INTO TEXAS CITY.
THAT FLOODING ALSO COMES ALL THE WAY UP INTO THE CLEAR LAKE AREA FROM THE BACKSIDE, WHICH IS A SIGNIFICANT FINDING.
WITH THE GALVESTON BAY PARK PLAN, WITH CATEGORY FOUR STORM, THAT, UH, RISK IS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED.
MOST OF THE SHIP CHANNEL IS IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE, UP TO ABOUT 14, 15 FEET.
THIS KNOCKS IT DOWN TO ABOUT 10 FEET.
SO WE'RE IN A VERY GOOD RANGE, UH, BOTH IN, UH, IN CLEAR LAKE.
AGAIN, IF YOU NOTICE THE FLOODING IS COMING UP AROUND THE BACKSIDE OF THE TEXAS CITY LEVEE.
UH, AGAIN, THAT IS, UH, WHERE MOST OF THE FLOODING COMING IN BEHIND OR UP INTO THE CLEAR LAKE AREA IS COMING FROM THAT KIND OF SOUTHWESTERN ROUTE, AS OPPOSED TO COMING OVER THE BARRIER.
OUR BARRIER'S 25 FEET, IT'S IN GOOD SHAPE WITH THIS STORM, THIS FLOODING IS COMING BACK AROUND THE BACKSIDE.
IT'S SOMETHING WE'RE GONNA WORK ON.
AND AGAIN, THIS IS KIND OF THE FIRST PHASE.
WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING NOW TO MITIGATE ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT RISKS AND TRY TO, BUT THE FIRST THING WAS TO UNDERSTAND THEM.
UH, WITH THE CATEGORY THREE STORM, UH, WITH THE, UH, GALVESTON BAY PARK PLAN IN PLACE, IT'S A SIGNIFICANT, UH, REDUCTION IN THE IMPACTS.
UM, I THINK THIS WOULD BE A WONDERFUL RESULT TO SEE.
WE DON'T HAVE AS BIG OF A PROBLEM WITH TEXAS CITY 'CAUSE THERE'S NOT AS MUCH OVERWHELMING, IF YOU WILL, OF THE, UH, SURGE COMING ACROSS GALVESTON ISLAND.
1214 FOOT BARRIER ON THE BARRIER ISLANDS DOES NOT STOP THIS DISTURB.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 22, 24 FEET OF SURGE AT THE COAST.
THESE ARE BIG STORMS. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
AND JUST, WE'VE GOT A, A REFERENCE OF THE DIFFERENCES.
[01:15:01]
PLACES WHERE GALVESTON BAY PARK PLAN MAY INCREASE THE, UH, UH, FLOOD LEVELS.WE'RE LOOKING FOR WAYS TO MITIGATE THOSE.
UM, THERE ARE PLACES WHERE, UH, THE COASTAL BARRIER INCREASES FLOODING, UH, PARTICULARLY LIKE AT IN FRONT OF THE GALVESTON SEAWALL.
THESE ARE JUST THE REALITIES OF PUTTING BARRIERS IN PLACE.
WE'RE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THAT AND WE'RE LOOKING TO MITIGATE IT.
WE WILL HAVE MUCH MORE TO REPORT AT A LATER STAGE.
AT THIS POINT, I'D LIKE TO HAND THE MIC OVER TO ROB ROGERS TO TALK ABOUT THE PARK PLAN ITSELF.
UM, SOBERING INTRODUCTION OF, AND MR. ROGERS.
THANK YOU, JIM, AND THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBERS.
WHICH IF YOU COULD, UH, YOUR MIC IS ON NOW.
UH, THANK YOU, UH, CHAIRMAN AND, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS.
UH, WHAT WE JUST HEARD WAS THE NEED FOR THE GALVESTON BAY PARK PLAN, BECAUSE THE LEVEL OF RISK IS THERE.
ONE OF OUR KEY TASKS IS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT DOES IT ACTUALLY NEED TO BE PHYSICALLY, AND HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE GET IT IN PLACE AND WHAT'S ITS IMPACT? NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
UM, SO IF YOU'LL THINK ABOUT IT, THAT GREEN LINE THAT JIM WAS SHOWING ALONG THE SHIP CHANNEL, THINK OF IT REALLY AS A, AN ARCHIPELAGO OF ISLANDS.
IT'S LIKE A LEVY THAT'S IN THE BAY ITSELF.
UM, THAT PRO PROVIDES ALL OF THAT PROTECTION FOR THE SHIP CHANNEL AND THE, THE WHOLE REALLY THE WHOLE, UM, SIDE, THAT WHOLE SIDE OF THE BAY.
SO WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING IS THAT THAT LINES THE SHIP CHANNEL, AS YOU CAN SEE COMING DOWN FROM THE, THE PORT, UM, TO A MID BAY AREA WHERE WE WOULD HAVE A GATE.
AND THEN IT CONTINUES DOWN AND TIES INTO THE TEXAS CITY LEVEE.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S REALLY KEY IS IF YOU LOOK AT IT, YOU'LL SEE THAT THIS IS WHERE MANY OF THE DREDGE ISLANDS HAVE BEEN PLACED OVER THE YEARS DURING THE CREATION, MAINTENANCE, AND MANAGEMENT AND WIDENING OF THE SHIP CHANNEL ITSELF.
UM, AND SO WHAT WE WOULD BE DOING IS, IS TYING OURSELVES INTO ONGOING AND PROJECTED, UH, PLANS FOR DREDGING OF THE SHIP CHANNEL.
SO WE'RE ACTUALLY GONNA CONTINUE THE USE OF THAT MATERIAL.
SO IN TERMS OF ENVIRONMENTAL PERMITTING, WE'RE ACTUALLY DOING THINGS THAT ARE ALREADY DONE, IS NOT OPENING A NEW DOOR.
UM, AND WE'RE PLANNING, AS WE'RE LOOKING AT IT, THERE'S OVERLAYS.
WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH KEY STAKEHOLDERS AND CONSTITUENTS, FOR INSTANCE, MAPPING THE OYSTER REEFS THAT ARE EXISTING SO THAT WE'RE NOT PILING NEW MATERIALS ON TOP OF THOSE, BUT ACTUALLY RESPECTING THOSE AREAS.
NEXT, THERE'S ALSO A TON OF WELLS AND PIPELINES AND HISTORIC THINGS THAT ARE CROSSING IN THE LOWER PART OF THE BAY.
AND SO WE'RE WORKING THROUGH WITH HOW WE ACTUALLY AVOID KEY AREAS IN THERE THAT NEED TO BE MAINTAINED FOR ACCESS OR IMPROVEMENT.
AND THEN WE WOULD BE INCLUDING A SERIES OF SMALLER SCALE SMALL CRAFT NAVIGATION GATES, BECAUSE THERE'S BOTH RECREATIONAL AND SMALLER SCALE COMMERCIAL, UH, BOATS WORKING THROUGHOUT THE BAY.
SO WE RECOGNIZE EACH ONE OF THOSE EXISTING NAVIGATION ROUTES AND, AND PLACE THOSE IN THERE.
THOSE GATES ALSO SERVE AS THE, ESSENTIALLY THE FILTERS TO KEEP THE WATER FLOW AND THE MOVEMENT WE'RE DOING MEASURING OF SALINITY.
WE'RE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT OF THIS THROUGHOUT OUT THE BASE.
SO THESE GATE AND SMALLER SCALE GATES ARE ACTUALLY QUITE IMPORTANT TO THAT COMPONENT.
UM, WE'RE ALSO BEING INTENTIONAL ABOUT THE LAND FORM, THAT ONCE WE'RE DOING IT, THERE ACTUALLY PLACES, FOR INSTANCE, AT THE MID BAY WHERE THE GATE IS, WHERE WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE LARGER PIECES OF LAND, BOTH FOR PLACING OF MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS RELATIVE TO THE GATE FORCE, BUT BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND THE IDEA THAT WE'VE GOT MAINTENANCE ACCESS THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE PIECE.
THEREFORE, WHY DON'T WE MAKE IT A PUBLIC ACCESS AS WELL? AND THEREFORE, THE NAME GALVESTON BAY PARK.
AND I'LL TALK SOME MORE ABOUT THAT AS WE GO ALONG.
UM, AND THAT INTENTIONALITY OF SOME OF THE PLACEMENT OF THE BENEFICIAL DREDGE ALLOWS US TO CREATE PLACES WHERE YOU ACTUALLY HAVE NEW PERSPECTIVES AND NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR RECREATION AND ENGAGEMENT OF THE BAY ITSELF.
UM, AND AS I MENTIONED, THOSE SMALL SCALE GATES ALSO, UH, ARE KEY TO THE SORT OF WATER CIRCULATION THROUGHOUT.
AND THAT'S BOTH MEASURING THINGS SO THAT WE KNOW THAT WE'VE GOT ENOUGH RELEASE.
'CAUSE IT, WE'RE, THERE'S NOT ONLY STORM SURGE, BUT WE HAVE THINGS LIKE HARVEY, SO WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT ENOUGH WATER GETS OUT AS WELL AS GETS IN.
AND SO THOSE THINGS ARE BEING MODELED NEXT.
UM, AND THEN WE'RE PROGRAMMING IT INTENTIONALLY THINKING LONG TERM OF THE KIND OF THINGS THAT COULD COME IN THERE FROM HABITAT CREATION, CREATION OF, OF CAMPING, UH, HORSEBACK RIDING, BICYCLE TRAILS, THE WAYS THAT YOU COULD ACTUALLY USE AND ACCESS THIS
[01:20:01]
NEW LAND CREATED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BAY.AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S REALLY KEY HERE IS ON THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE LANDMASS WE PUT FORTH THERE, THAT OF WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING, 40% IS ALREADY THERE IN TERMS OF THE DREDGE ISLANDS AND WHAT'S PROJECTED FOR WHAT THEY CALL PROJECT 11 AND PROJECT 12, IT'S ALREADY THERE.
40% OF THE LANDMASS IS EXISTING TODAY.
NEXT, JUST UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS IS REALLY A REGIONAL PROJECT IN ITS SCOPE.
SO IT'S TYING INTO LOTS OF COMMUNITIES, LOTS OF WATERFRONT BAYFRONT COMMUNITIES, AND THE GREATER PARTS OF HARRIS COUNTY AND HOUSTON.
UM, AND TRYING TO ACTUALLY LOOK FORWARD.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE WHOLE WESTERN EDGE OF THE BAY, BASICALLY IT'S BEEN HARDENED.
IT'S EITHER RIP WRAP SHEET PILE OR SEA WALL.
AND SO GALVESTON BAY, WHICH IS THE LARGEST NATURAL ESTUARY IN THE UNITED STATES, ESSENTIALLY A THIRD OF ITS OVERALL PERIMETER HAS BEEN HARDENED.
AND IN TERMS OF WATER QUALITY HABITAT, ALL IT'S REALLY BEEN AFFECTED, ALL OF THOSE THINGS NEXT.
AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE DOING IS ACTUALLY PUTTING BACK MORE SOFT EDGE MATERIAL THAN WAS TAKEN AWAY IN THE ORIGINAL LINING OF THE BAY.
AND SO WHEN YOU START THINKING ABOUT LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF WATER QUALITY AND HABITAT, WE'RE REALLY MAKING A HUGE ENRICHMENT OF THE ENTIRE BAY.
UM, THE OTHER KEY THING IS THAT GIVEN THE HISTORY, THERE'S VERY LITTLE PUBLIC ACCESS TO THE BAY.
UNLESS YOU OWN A BOAT OR A WATERFRONT HOME, UM, IT'S TOUGH.
AND THERE'S ONLY ABOUT 500 ACRES RIGHT NOW OF PUBLIC ACCESS TO GALVESTON BAY.
THIS WOULD PROVIDE ALMOST 8,000 ACRES OF PUBLIC ACCESS TO THE BAY NEXT.
AND IT'S A PRETTY SIMPLE PROPOSITION.
THERE ARE TWO THINGS THAT THE PORT OF HOUSTON, ONE OF OUR OTHER SPONSORS IS LOOKING AT, WHICH IS A DEEPENING OF THE CHANNEL.
AND THEY'RE LOOKING AT A WIDENING OF THE CHANNEL.
AND WE'VE DONE THE ANALYSIS OF THOSE MATERIAL QUANTITIES AND WHAT WOULD BE THERE, AND THE ABILITY TO TAKE THAT MATERIAL FROM THOSE PROJECTS AND ACTUALLY PLACE IT ALMOST IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT RATHER THAN BARGING IT OFF OR TAKING IT SOMEWHERE ELSE.
IT REALLY IS THE UNDERLYING FUNDAMENTAL ECONOMIC SENSE OF USING THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ENGINE OF THE PORT AND ITS GROWTH TO PROVIDE HURRICANE SURGE PROTECTION FOR THE PORT HOUSTON AND HARRIS COUNTY NEXT.
AND THE FIRST PART OF IT IS REALLY BUILDING THIS LEVY THAT IS THERE.
SO THE, THE FIRST PART, GETTING IT IN, GETTING IT, SO IT'S 25 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL, DOING IT QUICKLY.
AND THE, THE REST OF IT CAN EVOLVE OVER TIME.
WE'VE EVEN TALKED WITH THE, THE PORT BUREAU ABOUT LONG-TERM PROSPECTS FOR PLACEMENT OF DREDGE MATERIAL, UM, FOR MAINTENANCE USE OVER THE NEXT A HUNDRED YEARS, LIKE REALLY LOOKING AT THIS AS A BIG LONG SOLUTION.
BUT THIS PIECE PROVIDES THE PROTECTION AND IT CAN GO IN VERY QUICKLY, WITHIN YEARS, LITERALLY, IF YOU CAN FUND IT AND PERMIT IT QUICKLY.
SO WHAT I WANNA DO IS JUST SORT OF GIVE YOU A SENSE OF WHAT THIS PLACE COULD BE IN THE LONG RUN.
SO WE'LL WALK, LOOK AT LITTLE PIECES OF IT AS, AS WE GO THROUGH NISO.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WHEN I TALK ABOUT THE HABITAT CREATION.
WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS CREATING WETLANDS, UH, REALLY MARSHLANDS, YOU'RE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ON THE MAIN MIGRATORY ROUTE OF BIGGEST MIGRATORY BIRD ROUTE IN THE UNITED STATES.
UM, IT'S REALLY INCREDIBLE AND VERY SIMPLE TO PROVIDE PUBLIC ACCESS WITH LIKE BOARDWALK AND OTHER WALKWAYS.
NEXT, PLEASE, AND TAKE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ACTUALLY CELEBRATE THE SHIP CHANNEL.
I ALWAYS LAUGH AS I WENT TO RICE FOR FIVE YEARS AND I NEVER KNEW THE SHIP CHANNEL WAS EVEN THERE.
AND SO HAVE A PLACE WHERE YOU ACTUALLY GO OUT AND WATCH THE SHIPS AND CHECK IT OUT.
YOU CAN TELL EVERY ONE OF THEM WHERE IT'S COMING FROM AND WHAT'S ON IT.
UM, THIS, I MENTIONED THE SMALL CRAFT NAVIGATION GATES AND THE WATER CIRCULATION.
NEXT, THESE ARE A SERIES OF GATES.
THEY'RE TECHNOLOGICALLY SOMETHING THAT'S KNOWN AND DONE ALL AROUND THE UNITED STATES.
IT OPERATES, IT'S, IT'S READY TO GO NEXT.
UM, THE LONG-TERM OPPORTUNITY FOR CAMP TRAILS, TRAILS, THE SORT OF RECREATIONAL USE.
SO YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT PLACES THAT ACTUALLY ON SOME OF THOSE DREDGE ISLANDS, NOW, THEY'RE NATURALLY CREATED BEACHES.
WE CAN, WE CAN LOOK HOW, HOW THAT HAPPENS OVER TIME.
NEXT, UM, TO PROVIDE THAT SORT OF FULL RANGE OF PUBLIC ACCESS TO THE BAY NEXT PLEASE.
UM, AND WE THINK IT CAN BE A PLACE WHERE YOU ACTUALLY FOREFRONT ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION, UM, AND, AND TEACHING SPACES
[01:25:01]
ON THE, ON THE BACKSIDE OF THAT LAST PIECE, YOU'RE ACTUALLY A BEHIND THE PROTECTED BARRIER.SO IF YOU WANTED TO BUILD EDUCATIONAL, RECREATIONAL FACILITIES, YOU KNOW, YOU ACTUALLY HAVE A PLACE WHERE YOU COULD DO THAT AND ENGAGE THE BAY DIRECTLY IN ITS EVOLUTION.
AND THIS IS SOME, THIS WOULD BE LEVERAGING SOME OF THE WORK THAT'S ALREADY BEING DONE RELATIVE TO OYSTER RESTORATION.
UM, AND THEN THERE'S THE MAIN GATE THAT'S ACROSS.
AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE A PRESENTATION FROM WALTER P. MOORE JUST MOMENTARILY ABOUT HOW, HOW TO EXECUTE THAT GATE.
BUT THIS WOULD BE A, A DESTINATION HISTORICALLY, LIKE IN AMSTERDAM.
THE GATES ARE CELEBRATED EVEN ON AN ANNUAL BASIS WHEN THEY CLOSE 'EM AND OPEN THEM FOR TESTING.
AND I THINK WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS REALLY HUNDRED YEAR INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE HAVE A REASON TO CELEBRATE, OCCUPY, AND BE ON IT AND TAKE CARE OF IT.
UM, AND SO YOU'LL GET MORE INTO THE GATE.
THERE'S ALSO A, A FERRY CROSSING AT THAT POINT SO THAT THE VEHICULAR TRAFFIC CAN MANAGE THAT ENTIRE LENGTH.
UM, AND JUST TO KIND OF PUT IT IN PERSPECTIVE, 'CAUSE IT'S HARD TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE SCALE IS, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE THE SCALE OF SOME OF THE OTHER MAJOR STATE PARKS, UM, IN TEXAS, AND IT'S WITHIN THAT RANGE.
SO WE KNOW THAT WE CAN BUILD AN OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE.
WE KNOW THAT WE CAN TALK ABOUT THE VALUE OF CONCESSIONS.
WE CAN TAKE OUR LESSONS FROM THESE OTHER PARKS AND REALLY PUT IT FORWARD ON HOW TO MAKE THIS WORK AND LAST FOR A HUNDRED YEARS.
AND WITH THAT, WE THINK IT'S A, IT'S A WHOLE NEW VISION FOR WHAT THE FUTURE IS AND HOW YOU ACTUALLY THINK ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE THAT SERVES FOUR OR FIVE PURPOSES, NOT JUST ONE.
UM, AND WITH THAT, WE'LL HAVE, UH, MELANIE COME UP AND TALK ABOUT THE DESIGN FOR THE MAIN BAY GATE MAIN GATE.
AND NOW FOR SOME, UH, TECHNICAL INFORMATION BROKEN DOWN BY AN INCREDIBLY CAPABLE ENGINEER.
IF YOU COULD INTRODUCE YOURSELF.
UM, I'M HERE FROM WALTER P. MOORE AND I'M HERE TO PRESENT ON OUR WORK FOR THE LARGE OPERABLE GATE THROUGH WHICH THE SHIPS WOULD HAVE TO PASS IN THIS DESIGN.
SO JUST TO ORIENT WITH A VIDEO OF OUR DESIGN, AND THEN I'LL WORK BACKWARDS AND SHOW HOW WE GOT TO THIS POINT.
UM, THE WAY OUR DESIGN WOULD WORK IS WE WOULD HAVE LARGE ARC SHAPED BARGES THAT WOULD BE STORED IN DRY DOCKS.
WOULD FLOOD COME TO THE CENTER? YEAH, IN THE CHANNEL, THE VIDEO THERE, THEY WOULD COME TO THE CENTER FILL WITH WATER.
SO THEY WOULD FLOOD, DROP DOWN INTO PLACE.
THE STORM WOULD COME, THAT WOULD BE THE SURGE ON THAT SIDE, AND THE STORM WOULD RECEDE.
THEN WATER WOULD BE PUMPED OUT OF THE BARGES THAT THEY RELO.
THEY WOULD FLOAT BACK INTO THEIR DRY DOCKS.
THE DRY DOCK DOORS WOULD CLOSE, THE DRY DOCKS WOULD BE EMPTIED, AND THEN THE BARKS WOULD BE STORED IN THAT DRY POSITION FOR MAINTENANCE AND DURING FAIR WEATHER TIMES.
SO ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PARTS OF THIS IS THE CHANNEL DESIGN, WHAT GEOMETRY WE'RE WORKING WITH.
AND WE'VE CARRIED TWO PRIMARY ALTERNATIVES.
ONE WHERE WE COVER THE FULL CHANNEL WITH ONE BARRIER AND ANOTHER WHERE WE SEPARATE OUT THE BARGE LANES, WHICH WOULD MAKE FOR A SMALLER AND PRAC POSSIBLY MORE PRACTICAL DESIGN.
WITH THAT SAID, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH THE HOUSTON PILOTS AS THEY'RE THE MAIN USERS OF THIS SHIP CHANNEL.
UM, AND THEY HAVE A STRONG PREFERENCE, PREFERENCE TOWARDS ALTERNATIVE ONE.
SO THAT'S THE ALTERNATIVE THAT WE'RE CARRYING RIGHT NOW.
NOW WITHIN THAT ALTERNATIVE, WE HAVE OUR FIRST, WHICH IS THE FULL CHIPPED SHIP CHANNEL EXACTLY AS IT IS NOW.
THIS WOULD BE 1200 FEET WIDE BY 45 FEET DEEP BELOW THE MEAN LOW WATER LEVEL.
NOW AS A SECONDARY ALTERNATIVE TO THIS, IF WE COVER THIS FULL CHANNEL, BUT ACCOUNT FOR DEEPENING, THIS WOULD MAKE FOR 65 FEET.
AND THIS WOULD ACCOUNT FOR THE DEEPENING ASSOCIATED WITH PROJECT 12.
OUR THIRD ALTERNATIVE HERE FOR THE FULL CHANNEL WOULD BE OUR LOWEST REGRET SOLUTION.
THIS WOULD ACCOUNT FOR CHANNEL WIDENING, WHICH WOULD BE A 1400 FOOT WIDTH.
AND THIS WOULD ALLOW THE SHIP CHANNEL TO GROW TO HOUSE LARGER SHIPS OVER THE YEARS WITHOUT NEEDING TO DO ANY MODIFICATIONS TO THIS BARRIER ONCE IT'S BUILT.
AND THEN THE CHANNELS, THE ALTERNATIVES THAT THE PILOTS DON'T PREFER WITH SEPARATE BARGE LANES WOULD ACCOUNT FOR A MUCH SMALLER, PERHAPS MORE MANAGEABLE BARRIER AT THE CENTER
[01:30:01]
WITH SEPARATE BARRIERS FOR THE BARGE LANES.HERE'S ONE THAT ACCOUNTS FOR DEEPENING NEXT SLIDE.
AND ANOTHER THAT WOULD ACCOUNT FOR WIDENING.
SO THESE ARE THE ALTERNATIVES THAT WE'VE CARRIED, THAT WE'VE CARRIED THROUGH THIS FEASIBLE, EXCUSE ME, THROUGH THIS FEASIBILITY STUDY TO SEE WHAT WE CAN ACCOMPLISH AT WHAT COST.
UM, AND SO ONE MEASURE THAT WE USE IS LOAD PATH THROUGH THIS ARC.
AND THIS LOAD PATH HELPS US DETERMINE IT'S APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO THE AMOUNT OF MATERIAL THAT WE WOULD NEED TO ACCOMPLISH THIS DESIGNS OF SOMETHING LIKE ALTERNATIVE ONE WITH THE FULL CHANNEL, IT WOULD USE ABOUT DOUBLE THE MATERIAL OF ALTERNATIVES TWO A AND TWO B, WHICH HAVE THE SEPARATE BARGE LANES.
BUT IF THAT'S WHAT IT TAKES, WE CAN ACCOMPLISH THAT WE BELIEVE.
NOW IT'S WORTH NOTING THERE ARE VERY, VERY FEW STORM SURGE BARRIERS AT THIS SCALE.
IN FACT, THERE IS ONE, UM, AND ANOTHER AT ABOUT THREE QUARTERS OF THIS SCALE.
SO THIS IS BASED ON HISTORIC STRUCTURES, BUT YOU CAN SEE THERE'S A LARGE CONTINGENCY HERE.
UM, ALTERNATIVE ONE B, WHICH IS THE FULL CHANNEL WITH ADDITIONAL WIDENING, OR SORRY, ALTERNATIVE ONE C, WHICH IS THE FULL CHANNEL WITH ADDITIONAL WIDENING IS ONE OF THE MORE EXPENSIVE ALTERNATIVES AS IS ONE B, WHICH IS THE FULL CHANNEL WITH DEEPENING.
SO THOSE LOWER REGRET SOLUTIONS WOULD BE MORE EXPENSIVE.
BUT WHAT THIS LARGE CONTINGENCY ALLOWS US TO DO IS AIM, IS MAKE CHOICES THAT CAN HELP REDUCE THIS COST BY A QUITE BY QUITE A BIT.
UM, THE WAYS THAT WE CAN REDUCE THAT COST ARE TO MINIMIZE THE MATERIAL NEEDED.
SO FIND A MUCH MORE EFFICIENT FORM THAN MAYBE WHAT'S BEEN DONE IN THE PAST OR TO MINIMIZE THE SPECIALIZED PARTS THAT WOULD BE NEEDED.
UM, ANY PARTS THAT MIGHT TAKE A LONG TIME TO MACHINE OR BE INCREDIBLY COMPLEX, THOSE CAN ADD TO THIS COST QUITE A BIT.
SO THESE STRUCTURAL SYSTEM ALTERNATIVES THAT CAN HELP US STAY AT THE BOTTOM OF THESE RANGES.
THE FIRST ONE WE'VE LOOKED AT IS THE SALANT.
UM, THIS IS THE ONE EXISTING STRUCTURE AT THIS SCALE.
IT HAS A SPAN OF 1200 FEET, WHICH IS THE FULL SHIP CHANNEL SPAN THAT WE'VE WORKED WITH.
UM, AND HERE YOU CAN SEE IT IN ITS UNDEPLOYED POSITION AND IN ITS DEPLOYED POSITION, BASICALLY IT HAS THESE TWO ARMS THAT SWING OUT INTO PLACE, SINK DOWN, AND THEN BLOCK THE WATER THAT WAY.
ANOTHER ALTERNATIVE THAT WE'VE LOOKED AT AS AN EXISTING PRECEDENT HERE IS A MORE SIMPLE SOLUTION.
UM, THIS ONE IS ABOUT A THIRD OF THE SCALE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT FOR THIS DESIGN, BUT IT'S NEARBY, IT'S RIGHT IN LOUISIANA.
IT'S ONE LARGE BARK THAT JUST ROTATES INTO PLACE, SINKS DOWN, AND SUPPORTS ITSELF BY ITS OWN WEIGHT.
SO IT'S JUST HEAVY AND SITS THERE.
SO THESE ARE THE ALTERNATIVES THAT WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT MOST CLOSELY.
SYSTEM ONE, THE SECTOR GATES, SYSTEM TWO, A SUNKEN BARGE.
AND SYSTEM THREE ARE BARGE ARC, OR AS WE CALL IT OUR BARK.
AND THIS WOULD BE A NOVEL DESIGN.
SO LOOKING AT THE PROS AND CONS OF THE SECTOR GATES, WHICH ARE THE ONE EXISTING SOLUTION AT THIS SCALE.
WE DO HAVE ONE THAT EXISTS, WHICH MEANS WE KNOW A LOT MORE ABOUT HOW IT BEHAVES.
WE CAN PREDICT ITS MAINTENANCE ISSUES MUCH MORE EASILY BECAUSE WE HAVE AN EXAMPLE EXISTING.
UM, CHALLENGES HERE THOUGH, WE DON'T BELIEVE THAT IT'S A VERY EFFICIENT DESIGN STRUCTURALLY IN THAT YOU CAN SEE IT FUNCTIONS IF THERE'S NOTHING I CAN POINT TO HERE, UM, BUT THAT SPAN IN BETWEEN WHERE THE ARMS COME IN, THAT WOULD BE LIKE A 400 FOOT LONG BEAM.
UM, AND WITH THAT HIGH BENDING IN THAT BEAM, IT REQUIRES A LOT OF ADDITIONAL MATERIAL TO CARRY THE LOAD ACROSS THAT SHAPE.
UM, THERE'S ALSO A LIMITING SCALE OF THE BALL BEARING.
SO AS I MENTIONED, ONE OF THE BIGGEST FACTORS THAT CAN GO INTO THE COST OF THIS DESIGN ARE ANY PARTS THAT ARE PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT TO MACHINE.
UM, THESE SECTOR GATES, THE EXISTING PRECEDENT IN THE SALANT RELIES ON, I THINK THIS SLIDE IS A LITTLE DISPLACED HERE, BUT IT RELIES ON TWO BALL BEARINGS THAT ARE EACH SOLID STEEL 32 FEET IN DIAMETER.
UM, THAT WOULD BE LIKE A BALL THE SIZE OF THIS ROOM, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, QUITE EXPENSIVE AND COMPLICATED TO MANUFACTURE.
UM, AND THEN ANOTHER CHALLENGE HERE IS THAT THESE SECTOR GATES DO NEED A WIDE LANDING POSITION ON EITHER SIDE OF THE BAY.
NOW WE HAVE PLENTY OF SPACE IN THIS BAY THAT'S NOT AS MUCH OF A CONCERN.
UM, BUT THAT WOULD BE MORE AREA THAT WE WOULD NEED TO ACCOUNT FOR WHEN BUILDING THESE ISLANDS.
I WILL NOT MAKE THIS A PRESENTATION ABOUT MATH, BUT I'M HAPPY TO GO INTO DETAIL IF THERE ARE QUESTIONS.
THIS IS JUST HOW WE EVALUATED THAT EXISTING DESIGN.
NEXT SLIDE AND OUR CONCEPT MODEL HERE.
UM, THIS WAS BUILDING A REPLICA OF THE MASLAN WE FOUND IN OUR CONCEPT MODEL, WHICH IS ON THE SAME SCALE AS THE EXISTING MASLAN, THAT IT WOULD TAKE ABOUT 30,000 TONS OF STEEL TO COMPLETE THIS DESIGN.
UM, AND THIS WOULD JUST BE THAT MAIN STRUCTURE.
[01:35:01]
UM, NOW THE SECOND ALTERNATIVE, THE BARGE GATE.SO BENEFITS, AS I SAID, IT'S THE SIMPLEST DESIGN.
IT'S JUST THIS LARGE MASS THAT SINKS DOWN INTO PLACE, UM, SIMPLE TO DEPLOY, SIMPLE TO MAINTAIN, AND WE DON'T NEED ANY ABUTMENTS.
IT SUPPORTS ITSELF JUST BY ITS OWN WEIGHT.
UM, CHALLENGES HERE, IT IS UNPRECEDENTED AT THIS SCALE.
THE LARGEST ONE WE HAVE BY COMPARISON IS ABOUT A THIRD OF THE SCALE.
UM, ANOTHER CHALLENGE BECAUSE IT SUPPORTS ITSELF BY ITS OWN WEIGHT, IT NEEDS A LOT OF IT.
UM, AND FROM OUR ESTIMATES, WE FOUND THAT IT NEEDS UP TO DOUBLE THE WEIGHT OF THE MALAN.
SO IT'S NOT A VERY MATERIALLY EFFICIENT SOLUTION.
UM, ANOTHER CHALLENGE IS THAT IT CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED WITHOUT A DRY DOCK, WHICH DOES MAKE MAINTENANCE OR DOES MAKE CONSTRUCTION SIMPLER IN THAT YOU DON'T NEED TO BUILD THESE DRY DOCKS.
BUT IT MAKES MAINTENANCE MORE CHALLENGING BECAUSE NOW WE HAVE TO MAINTAIN IT WHILE IT'S WET IN THE CHANNEL.
UM, THIS IS OUR THIRD ALTERNATIVE AND THE ONE WE'VE BEEN CARRYING AS THE MOST PROMISING A BENEFIT HERE IS THAT THIS CURVATURE.
SO WE'VE DONE A LOT OF WORK ON THE STRUCTURAL EFFICIENCY OF THESE FORMS, AND THIS CURVATURE HERE ELIMINATES BENDING SO THAT IT CAN CARRY THE LOAD FULLY AXIALLY, WHICH USES MUCH LESS MATERIAL.
UM, IT BASICALLY FUNCTIONS LIKE A LARGE ARCH.
UM, AND WE FOUND THAT THAT CAN REDUCE MATERIAL DEMAND BY UP TO 50% VERSUS THE SECTOR GATE ALTERNATIVE.
UM, ANOTHER BENEFIT IS THAT IT HAS A SIMILAR DEPLOYMENT MECHANISM, SO IT JUST GOES OUT ALONG ITS RADIUS.
UM, AND WE FIND THE BIGGEST BENEFIT OF ALL IS THAT THERE'S NO BALL BEARING NEEDED.
THERE'S NO SUPPORTING THE ARMS NEEDED.
SO IT CUTS DOWN ON A LOT OF THAT MORE DIFFICULT TO MANUFACTURE MACHINERY.
UM, CHALLENGES HERE IT IS AN UNPRECEDENTED DESIGN.
THERE IS NOT ONE OF THESE EXISTING.
AND SO THAT MEANS IT WOULD REQUIRE A MUCH HIGHER INVESTMENT ON THE RESEARCH SIDE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN GET THIS DESIGN RIGHT AND SO THAT WE CAN START TO MODEL AND UNDERSTAND HOW IT WOULD BEHAVE AT A HIGH LEVEL.
UM, IT WOULD REQUIRE A DRY DOCK FOR MAINTENANCE, WHICH IS A COST UPFRONT, BUT WOULD THEN HELP MAINTENANCE IN THE LONG TERM.
UM, THERE'S AN INTERLOCKING AT THE CENTER POINT THAT WOULD NEED TO BE A FOCUS OF THIS FEASIBILITY STUDY TO MAKE SURE THAT IT CAN STAY TOGETHER EVEN WHEN THERE'S NOT PERFECT UNIFORM LOADING.
UM, AND THERE'S AN ADDITIONAL BACK SPAN NEEDED FOR STABILITY.
SO YOU CAN THINK THAT IT WOULD BE CLAMPED ON EITHER SIDE OF THE BACK SPAN.
UM, AGAIN, I WILL SKIP THIS MATH UNLESS THERE ARE QUESTIONS.
UM, THAT'S HOW WE LANDED ON THAT SOLUTION.
AND IN OUR CONCEPT MODEL HERE, WE FOUND THAT WE CAN ACCOMPLISH THIS FOR AROUND 15,900 US TONS OF STEEL, WHICH IS JUST OVER HALF OF THE SECTOR GATE ALTERNATIVES.
SO THIS IS WHAT A BIG FOCUS OF HARBOR HAS BEEN, IS SEEING HOW EFFICIENT OF A STRUCTURE WE CAN COME UP WITH AND HOW WE CAN REDUCE THIS THOUGH HIGH DEMAND, MAKE IT SLIGHTLY LESS HIGH.
NOW, OUR DEPLOYMENT SYSTEM, WE ARE NOT TRYING TO REINVENT THE WHEEL HERE.
WE ARE TRYING TO USE AS MUCH OF AS MUCH EXISTING KNOWLEDGE AND EXISTING MECHANISMS AS WE CAN.
UM, SO HERE WE HAVE JUST DOORS THAT WOULD RAISE SIMPLE VERTICAL LIFT DOORS TO CLOSE THE DRY DOCK.
NEXT SLIDE, UM, ROLLERS THAT WOULD CLAMP AND SORT OF ROLL THE BARK OUT INTO PLACE AS IT GOES.
UM, AND THIS IS ACTUALLY A SIMILAR DESIGN TO WHAT'S IN THE DALLAS COWBOYS ROOF STADIUM, UM, AT A SIMILAR SCALE.
AND SO THAT'S HOW WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO SORT OF PREDICT HOW THIS WOULD BEHAVE.
UM, WE HAVE PINS THAT WOULD ROTATE INTO PLACE AND THIS WOULD PROVIDE THE THRUST IN THIS ARC.
AGAIN, A SIMILAR DESIGN TO THE DALLAS COWBOYS STADIUM.
AND WE HAVE SLU STORES THAT WOULD ALLOW WHEN THEY OPEN UP, THEY WOULD ALLOW THE BARK TO VERY QUICKLY FLOOD AND VERY QUICKLY DROP INTO PLACE SO THAT WHEN IT COMES TIME TO DEPLOY THIS BARRIER, AS THE STORM'S COMING AND ALL OF THE CITY'S RESOURCES ARE DEVOTED TO DIFFERENT EFFORTS TO PREPARE FOR THIS STORM, THIS WOULD TAKE VERY LITTLE TIME, UM, AND VARIED LITTLE RESOURCES TO ACTUALLY DEPLOY.
SO I THINK BELIEVE THAT IS IT.
OH, AND THEN INTERLOCKING AT THE CENTER FOR ANY SORT OF UNPREDICTED AND ECCENTRIC LOADING.
UM, AND I BELIEVE THAT IS IT NOW.
YES, I'LL SKIP THOSE CALCULATIONS.
UM, SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AGAIN, AND I THINK WE'RE HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH MS. GALLANT.
UM, FROM ALL PRESENTERS, UH, MR. BLACKBURN, MR. ROGERS, AND MS. GALLANT.
WE DO HAVE A NUMBER OF CAL UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS IN THE QUEUE.
AND WE WILL BEGIN ONCE AGAIN WITH OUR VICE CHAIR COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCORN.
THANK YOU CHAIR, AND THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, I WANNA MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND WHAT THE PROTECTIONS WOULD BE WITH THE, WITH THE COASTAL SPINE AS PROPOSED BY THE ARMY CORPS PLUS THIS.
[01:40:01]
THIS IS PROBABLY FOR MR. BLACKBURN, WHAT I MEAN, WHAT STORM CAN, IF, IF, IF WE GET THIS DONE AND GET THE COASTAL SPINE DONE, WHAT CAN, WHAT ARE WE PROTECTED AGAINST? WE BELIEVE THAT TOGETHER, UH, THOSE WILL BE PROTECTION UP TO CAT FIVE.NOW WE DON'T HAVE THE MODELING FOR THE CAT FIVE STORM.
AND THE BIG PROBLEM THAT WE'VE SEEN SO FAR IS THIS BACK, UH, CIRCUIT, BARELY BACK FLOODING COMING OVER GALVESTON ISLAND WEST END, COMING UP BEHIND THE TEXAS CITY LEVEE, AND THEN COMING UP INTO DICKINSON BAYOU IN CLEAR LAKE.
THAT'LL ONLY GET WORSE WITH A CAT FIVE STORM.
SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO WORK ON, ON TRYING TO CUT OFF THAT BACKSIDE CIRCULATION OKAY.
BUT WE SHOULD HAVE PROTECTION UP IN THE SHIP CHANNEL, UH, WITH THAT, THOSE AREAS FACING THE BAY FROM A CATEGORY FIVE STORM, I WOULD ANTICIPATE THAT THAT WILL BE, UH, THE RESULT IN THE MODELING, ALTHOUGH THAT HAS NOT BEEN COMPLETED YET.
WELL THAT IS INDEED WHAT WE WANT.
IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE NEXT A HUNDRED YEARS, UM, THAT THAT'S CORRECT, WE ANTICIPATE, UH, MORE, UH, THINK OF THESE LARGER STORMS, MORE RAPID INTENSIFICATION.
SO THIS IS GONNA BE THE SCENARIO FOR THE FUTURE, AND I THINK WE'VE GOTTA PLAN FOR IT.
AND AS FAR AS TIMELINES ON THAT MODELING, I MEAN, WHAT, WHEN, WHEN IS THE NEXT, WHEN WILL HOW THINK WE'LL BE READY IN ANOTHER COUPLE OF MONTHS.
I MEAN, IT'S PART OF THE WORK WE'RE DOING NOW.
IT JUST, UH, TAKES A WHILE TO GET THESE MODELS TO RUN.
WELL, THAT COUPLE MONTHS SOUNDS FINE TO ME.
I MEAN, I I'M JUST GLAD IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT LONGER.
VICE CHAIR, LEMME SAY A GREAT LINE OF INQUIRY.
I THINK ONE THING, UH, THAT HAS BEEN A REVELATION ABOUT WORKING IN THE MODELING IS TO SEE THAT BACK SURGE THAT'S COMING AROUND, UH, THE WEST SIDE OF GALVESTON COMING IN TO DICKINSON AND BEHIND THE TEXAS CITY LEVY.
THAT IS ALL, THAT WAS, I THINK, NEWS AS I UNDERSTAND IT TO THIS GROUP.
AND, UM, LEST WE FORGET, YOU KNOW, OUR COASTAL COMPONENTS OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON FOR WHAT IT IS YOU AND I SERVE AT LARGE, BUT FOR OUR COLLEAGUES WHO SERVE AS DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBERS, WE'RE CERTAINLY SPEAKING ABOUT CLEAR LAKE DISTRICT E UH, FOR OUR MAYOR PRO TEM.
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE DISTRICT OF DEVASTATION.
I MEAN DESTINATION, UH, DISTRICT D AND WE ARE TALKING ABOUT DISTRICT H AND DISTRICT I, THESE ARE IN THE MODELING.
ONE CAN SEE THAT THE SURGE IS ENCROACHING UPON OUR LOW LYING AREAS.
THERE'S NO QUESTION THAT A LARGE CATEGORY FOUR OR FIVE PLACED AS THIS STORM IS IN THE MODELING, UH, WOULD, UH, WREAK HAVOC AND DEVASTATION ACROSS, UM, OUR, OUR, UM, OUR OWN CITY.
AND NOT TO MENTION THE INDUSTRIAL COMPLEXES ALONG THE SIP SHIP CHANNEL.
WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER GALLEGOS IN THE QUEUE.
AND, AND THANK Y'ALL FOR THE PRESENTATION AT AT THE BEGINNING.
UH, I DON'T KNOW IF I HEARD Y'ALL CORRECTLY OR HEARD YOU CORRECT CORRECTLY IN REGARDS TO, UH, YOU, YOU'RE SAYING THAT BY DOING ALL THIS WE'LL PROTECT, UH, THE AREA UP TO A CATEGORY THREE, BUT THEN A CATEGORY FOUR AND FIVE? IT REALLY WOULDN'T NO, NO.
I, I THINK, UH, WHAT I INTENDED TO SAY IS THE COASTAL BARRIER THAT THE CORE OF ENGINEERS IS BUILDING THE, IF YOU WILL, THAT THAT, UH, THAT THE, UH, BARRIER DOWN ON GALVESTON ISLAND, UH, THE BARRIER, UH, THE SAND DUNES ON GALVESTON AND BOLIVAR, THE BIG GATE ACROSS BOLIVAR ROADS, THAT'S REALLY DESIGNED FOR CATEGORY ONE AND TWO STORMS. WHAT WE'RE DESIGNING THAT'S COMPLIMENTARY TO IT WITH THE PARK PLAN IS PROTECTION FROM THE THREES, THE FOURS, AND THE FIVES.
AND SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PROTECTION WITH OUR PLAN FROM A CATEGORY FIVE STORM.
AND, AND THEN MY NEXT QUESTION IS, I KNOW THAT THE, UH, PORT OF HOUSTON, UH, AS WE SPEAK, THEY'RE DOING PROJECT 11 IN REGARDS TO DREDGING THE SHIP SHADOW TO MAKE IT DEEPER AND WHAT HAVE YOU FOR LARGER SHIPS.
UH, BUT, UM, ARE YOU SAYING THAT IF YOU DO DO THIS, Y'ALL GONNA HAVE TO COME BACK AND DEEPEN IT SOME MORE? NO, THERE'S A PROJECT 12 THAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT NOW, AND WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO COORDINATE WITH THEM.
THEY ARE THINKING OF DEEPENING AT THE CURRENT TIME FOR THEIR NEXT PROJECT, NOT PROJECT 11.
AND THAT'S A WIDENING PROJECT.
THEY ARE PROPOSING WITH PROJECT 12 TO DEEPEN.
THERE IS ALSO INTEREST IN WIDENING TO 900 FEET.
THE CORE WILL NOT UNDER THEIR CURRENT BENEFIT COST, THEY'RE, THEY HAVE TROUBLE PAYING FOR WIDENING, THEY CAN PAY FOR DEEPENING MM-HMM
SO THE NEXT PROJECT THE PORT'S GOING FOR IS GONNA BE A DEEPENING.
WE MAY INCORPORATE WIDENING AS WELL AS DEEPENING INTO WHAT WE'RE DESIGNING.
AND, AND IF YOU CAN GO BACK TO A SLIDE WHERE IT ACTUALLY SHOWS THE GREEN, UH, BAY PARK, THE GREEN STATE PARK, UH, WHICH SLIDE WOULD THAT BE? ROB? TAKE ONE.
[01:45:01]
GREEN INDICATED ON THE SCREEN RIGHT NOW.YEAH, THAT'S, THAT'S SORT OF THE, THE BROADEST, SIMPLEST VERSION OF THE CONCEPT.
WE, AS WE CLICK, YOU KNOW, A FEW MORE SLIDES, IT'LL, IT'LL BE A LITTLE MORE DEVELOPED MM-HMM
SO THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE LONG TERM SHAPING.
WELL, I GUESS MY QUESTION ON THIS ONE IS YOU HAVE GALVESTON ISLAND FURTHER DOWN THERE.
UH, IS THERE A REASON WHY THE, THE, UH, THE PARK WASN'T CONNECTED MORE TO GALVESTON ISLAND, SO THAT WAY WHEN PEOPLE GO TO GALVESTON ISLAND, THEY HAVE EASIER ACCESS TO THE NEW GREEN.
THIS BAY PARK, THE INTENT WAS NEVER TO REACH GALVESTON ISLAND PER SE.
I MEAN, WE THINK THAT THE ARMY CORPS IS WORKING TO DESIGN A BARRIER VERY INTENSELY FOCUSED ON GALVESTON.
UM, AND THE TEXAS CITY LEVEE, UH, IS THERE IN PLACE.
AND I THINK UNTIL WE DISCOVERED THIS NEW INFILTRATION TO THE WEST AND AROUND THE TEXAS CITY LEVEE, WE HAD PRESUMED THAT THOSE WERE BEING TAKEN CARE OF BY THE PROJECTS, BY OTHERS.
COUNCIL MEMBER, I CAN PUT YOU BACK IN THE QUEUE IF YOU LIKE.
I KNOW ONE THING MR. BLACKBURN HAS SAID IS THAT THIS IS COMPLIMENTARY TO THE COASTAL SPINE.
I THINK ONE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE FOR THE SPEED CENTER HAS BEEN THAT THE COASTAL SPINE IS THE COMMON DENOMINATOR FOR ALL PROGRAMS, AND CERTAINLY THAT WHICH THE SPEED CENTER IS WORKING ON.
WE DO HAVE THE, UH, ACTIVE PORT OF GALVESTON WITH ALL ITS CRUISE SHIPS AND, AND OTHER PORT.
UH, BUT FUNDAMENTALLY, AGAIN, UH, AND I THINK THERE WAS NEWS IN HOUSTON CHRONICLE THIS WEEK, UM, ABOUT THE ESCALATION OF COST AND INFLATION, WHERE PREVIOUSLY THE, THE COASTAL SPINE HAD BEEN PEGGED AT ABOUT 32 BILLION.
IT'S NOW ESTIMATED AT A TOTAL PROJECT COST OF 57 BILLION.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THESE NUMBERS RISING AS THEY ARE, UH, I THINK SPEAK TO THE PROSPECTS OF THIS BEING A, A PROGRAM THAT CAN BE UNDERTAKEN IMMEDIATELY AND TO THE POINT THAT IT'S ALREADY, UH, A THIRD OR 40% EXISTING, UH, SPEAKS TO THE FACT THAT IT, IT'S FRANKLY ALREADY UNDERWAY.
AND I CAN PUT YOU BACK IN THE QUEUE IF YOU LIKE.
BUT OTHERWISE, WE HAVE A QUESTION FROM OUR MAYOR PRO TEM, DAVE MARTIN AND HIS OFFICE, UH, CHIEF OF STAFF, JESSICA BEAMER.
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
AS YOU'RE AWARE, DISTRICT E DOES ENCOMPASS CLEAR LAKE AND, UM, SOME QUESTIONS THAT MAYOR PRO TEM HAD WERE IN RELATION TO COST ESCALATION SINCE WE ARE SEEING SIGNIFICANT ISSUES WITH SUPPLY CHAIN.
SO IS THAT A MAJOR CONCERN FOR Y'ALL AS WE'RE FINALIZING DESIGN AND MOVING FORWARD? N NOT YET THAT I HAVE SEEN.
I GUESS THAT WOULD BE ALMOST MORE YOURS, MELANIE.
HAVE Y'ALL WORRIED ABOUT SUPPLY CHAIN ASPECTS SO FAR WITH REGARD TO STEEL SUPPLY AND THINGS LIKE THAT? THAT WOULD BE A NO.
UM, I, I DON'T THINK WE'VE GOTTEN TO THAT POINT YET IN OUR WORK.
I WOULD TELL YOU THAT RIGHT NOW WE'RE COMING UP WITH WHAT THE DESIGN WOULD LOOK LIKE, AND NOW WE'LL BE GETTING INTO THOSE TYPES OF DETAILS AS TO WHERE THE PROBLEMS WILL BE COMING.
BUT THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE'VE LOOKED INTO IN GREAT DETAIL SO FAR.
AND I GUESS TO THAT POINT, ONE THING THAT I CAN ADD IS THAT'S ONE OF THE BIGGEST REASONS WHY, FOR LOTS OF REASONS, WE'RE TRYING TO USE THE LEAST AMOUNT OF STEEL POSSIBLE AND WE'RE TRYING TO USE THE LEAST AMOUNT OF VERY SPECIALIZED PARTS THAT WOULD TAKE MONTHS OR EVEN YEARS TO RESOURCE.
UM, SO YEAH, THE SIMPLEST, MOST EFFICIENT DESIGN SHOULD GIVE US OUR BEST CHANCE AGAINST THAT.
AND IN THE PRESENTATION FOR COST ESTIMATES OF THE CHANNEL ALTERNATIVES? YES.
THE BARGE ARC, WHICH SEEMS TO BE THE PREFERRED DESIGN.
UM, WHICH COST SPEAKS SPECIFICALLY TO THAT? SO THE BARGE ARC IS SOMETHING THAT WE COULD ACCOMPLISH, WE BELIEVE WE COULD ACCOMPLISH AT ANY ONE OF THOSE SCALES.
UM, AND THE COST OF THE BARGE ARC MIGHT VARY DEPENDING ON THOSE CHANNEL ALTERNATIVES.
SO ONE, 1.04 TO 1.5 BILLION? YES.
UM, AND WITH THOSE CONTINGENCIES AS WELL.
AND THAT'S JUST BASED ON HISTORIC STRUCTURES, AND THAT WOULD JUST BE FOR THE GATE ITSELF, NOT FOR THE ENTIRE BARRIER PLAN.
AND THEN WHAT ARE, OH, GO AHEAD.
I WAS JUST GONNA SAY, AND WE'RE CONTINUING THE COST EVALUATION OF THE CREATION OF THE PRIMARY BARRIER THROUGHOUT, AND THEN LONG TERM PROSPECTS TO CONTINUE USING DREDGE DREDGING FOR MAINTENANCE AND OTHER REASONS TO EXPAND THE ISLAND.
SO IT'S REALLY WHAT ONE COST, WHAT DOES IT COST TO GET THE PROTECTION IN PLACE, AND THEN WHAT, HOW DO YOU MANAGE IT LONG TERM AS YOU DEVELOP IT FOR RECREATION AND OTHER RESOURCES.
AND ONE FINAL QUESTION, UM, AFTER WE GET THE CAT FIVE MODELING AND ANALYSIS, WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS? WELL, I THINK AMONG OTHER THINGS, UH, WE'RE REACHING OUT TO THE PUBLIC.
YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO WORK WITH THE PROTECTION DISTRICT, WE NEED TO WORK WITH THE RESIDENTS OF GALVESTON COUNTY AND CHAMBERS COUNTY, AS WELL AS FOR THE COASTAL, YOU KNOW, WITH YOUR CONSTITUENTS
[01:50:01]
DOWN IN THE COASTAL AREA, BRING THIS INFORMATION PUBLIC.A LOT OF THESE IMAGES I DON'T THINK HAVE EVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE.
UH, THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY, THE MODELING PARTICULARLY HAS NOT BEEN SEEN.
AND I THINK, UH, WE'VE GOT A LOT OF WORK TO DO WITH PUBLIC OUTREACH AND WE NEED TO GET OUR NUMBERS RIGHT.
UM, WE THINK IT'S A THREE TO $6 BILLION PROJECT.
UM, BUT WE'VE GOT VERIFY THOSE NUMBERS, UM, SO FAR SO GOOD.
BUT WE DON'T HAVE FINAL RESULTS ON THAT YET.
HAVING HEARD SOME OF THE DISCUSSION WITH THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, THE, THE POINT ABOUT, UH, THE EXISTING PROGRAM RELATED TO, UM, THE GATES AT CLEAR LAKE AND DICKINSON BAYOU THAT ARE COMPONENTS OF THE COASTAL SPINE, UH, PLAN, IT, IT MAY BE THE CASE THAT THIS PRESENTATION AND THIS, THIS PROPOSAL COULD BECOME THE LOCALLY PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE AT SOME SAVINGS TO THOSE STRUCTURES.
IN WHICH CASE, UH, IT IS RELATIVELY A WASH, TO USE A PHRASE.
UM, NEXT IN THE QUEUE IS BACK WITH COUNCIL MEMBER GALLEGOS.
IN, IN, IN REGARDS TO, UH, FUTURE MAINTENANCE ON, UH, GALVESTON BAY PARK.
I KNOW THAT GALVESTON, FOR EXAMPLE, THE CITY OF GALVESTON, THEY HAVE TO BRING IN, UH, SAND BECAUSE THE, THE BEACHES ARE ERODING.
AND WHAT HAVE YOU, UH, IN, IN REGARDS TO THE, UH, A FUTURE GALVESTON BAY PARK? I MEAN, HAS THAT BEEN TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION WHERE, YOU KNOW, THE, IN REGARDS TO EROSION WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE TO COME BACK AT LATER DATES AND TRY TO KEEP, KEEP, KEEP, KEEP, KEEP THE PARK
WE'VE GOT THE LESSONS LEARNED FROM WHAT'S THERE AND HOW THE STRATEGIES HAVE SURVIVED.
AND ONE OF THOSE PHOTOGRAPHS OF A BEACH WAS ACTUALLY A NATURALLY OCCURRING BEACH ON ONE OF THOSE DREDGE ISLANDS.
AND WE'RE NOT OUT IN THE GULF WHERE WE'VE GOT THE SAME KIND OF WIND AND SURF AND CURRENTS THAT ARE MOVING MM-HMM
SO WE BELIEVE THAT WE CAN CREATE A PRETTY SUSTAINABLE, UH, ISLANDS THAT WILL LAST.
SOME AREAS MAY INCLUDE SOME BREAKWATERS TO HELP, UH, KEEP THE, THE MOVEMENT DOWN WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO DEVELOP MARSHLANDS.
UM, BUT IT'S VERY MUCH THE OPERATION AND ITS MAINTENANCE ARE VERY MUCH A PART OF THE, OUR, UH, SORT OF DELIVERABLES ON THIS PHASE TO PUT FORTH HOW THAT WOULD WORK.
THE SOFT BACKSIDE THAT ROB WAS TALKING ABOUT IS GONNA BE PRIMARILY MARSHES AND THOSE MARSHES ARE RESILIENT TO STORMS, UH, UNLIKE BEACHES.
SO WE WILL HAVE ONE, WE'LL HAVE SOME BEACHES.
MOST OF THAT WILL BE MARSH ON THE BACKSIDE.
COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, BACK IN THE QUEUE IS, UH, MS. BEAMER FROM DISTRICT HEAT.
UM, UP IN THE LAKE HOUSTON AREA, WE WORK A LOT WITH THE SAND CENTER RIVER AUTHORITY AND, UM, OPERATING THEIR DAM DURING, UM, IMPLEMENT WEATHER AND EMERGENCY SITUATIONS.
UM, WE KNOW HOW LONG IT TAKES WATER TO GET FROM THEIR DAM TO LAKE HOUSTON.
SO HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO DEPLOY THE ARCH? DO WE KNOW WHAT THAT TIMELINE IS FOR SETUP AND WHAT KIND OF FORECASTING WOULD YOU NEED IN ORDER TO IMPLEMENT IT SUCCESSFULLY? YES.
UM, SO THE BIGGEST COMPARISON THAT WE'VE USED FOR THIS DESIGN, AS I MENTIONED, IS THE DALLAS COWBOYS STADIUM.
THAT'S JUST THE LARGEST DEPLOYING ARCH THAT WE HAVE, UM, IN EXISTENCE CLOSE TO THE SCALE.
AND WITH THIS SIMILAR DEPLOYMENT MECHANISM, OBVIOUSLY THE SCENARIOS THERE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
UM, BUT USING THAT MECHANISM AT THAT SPEED, WHICH IS ABOUT A THIRD OF THIS SCALE AS THIS BARRIER HERE TAKES 10 MINUTES TO DEPLOY THAT ROOF.
THAT SAME MECHANISM COULD DEPLOY THIS BARK IN 30 MINUTES.
UM, AND THAT DEPLOYMENT IS JUST GETTING IT INTO PLACE.
THEN THERE'S THE ELEMENT OF SINKING IT DOWN INTO PLACE, WHICH IS WHY WE HAVE IT DESIGNED SO THAT IT CAN FILL BY OPENING SLUICE SKATES AND IT WOULD FILL AND SINK QUITE RAPIDLY ON THE ORDER OF 10 TO 15 MINUTES.
UM, NOW THERE'S MORE THAT WE DON'T UNDERSTAND YET ABOUT TIDES IN THE CHANNEL.
UM, HOW THOSE TIDAL FORCES CAN IMPACT WHEN WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO DEPLOY THIS.
SO MAYBE THERE'S A WINDOW AS THE TIDE IS RECEDING OR AS THE TIDE IS FULLY IN.
UM, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT FURTHER RESEARCH WE'LL HAVE TO LOOK INTO.
UM, BUT OTHERWISE, YES, WE'VE DESIGNED IT FOR THE MOST RAPID DEPLOYMENT POSSIBLE.
IT'S ON THE BACKSIDE OF THIS AFTER THE STORM HAS PASSED WHERE WE WOULD NEED TO PUMP THE WATER OUT AND THAT COULD END UP TAKING A FEW MORE DAYS.
UH, REALLY APPRECIATE THAT, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING, AS YOU SAID, IT'S AN UNPRECEDENTED STRUCTURE.
UH, THE LARGE EXISTING STADIUM, UH, STRUCTURE THAT'S IN NORTH TEXAS THAT YOU REFER TO, UM, IS A PRECEDENT BUT OBVIOUSLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO MODEL FURTHER AND, UH, CARRY ON THE RESEARCH.
UH, THANKING ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
THERE ARE NO OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS OR STAFF IN QUEUE, SO WANT TO THANK YOU AGAIN.
THIS LIKE THE OTHER PRESENTATIONS WILL GO UP ON THE TTI WEBSITE FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
AND WITH THAT, WE WILL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ITEM ON TODAY'S AGENDA.
AND THAT'S, UH, ITEM FIVE LISTED AS CITY OF HOUSTON REPETITIVE LOSS AREA ANALYSIS.
[01:55:01]
THE RLAA, UH, PRESENTING WITH US TODAY IS MS. CHOICE MORROW, THE MANAGING ENGINEER FOR FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT, THE OFFICE OF AT THE HOUSTON PERMITTING CENTER AND HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS.UH, MS. MORROW, I BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE HERE WITH US.
IF YOU'LL APPROACH THE PODIUM, GRATEFUL FOR YOUR TIME AND EFFORT AND IF YOU WOULD, WE HAVE YOUR PRESENTATION QUEUED UP AND WE ARE READY TO GO.
I THINK I STAND, I'M NOT GONNA FIGHT WITH THE DUST.
IF YOU COULD SPEAK RIGHT INTO THE MICROPHONE AND THE, IS THIS BETTER? YEAH, YOU'RE GONNA, I THINK YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO SPEAK UP A LITTLE BIT, BUT WE'RE READY FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
COUNCIL, UM, CHAIRMAN, UH, LET'S START OVER TO THE COUNCILMAN AND ALSO, UH, MEMBERS OF THE TTI THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALLOWING TO PRESENT TO YOU TODAY.
MY NAME AGAIN IS CHOICE MORROW.
I'M THE MANAGING ENGINEER FOR THE FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT OFFICE, AS WELL AS THE FLOODPLAIN ADMINISTRATOR FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
I HAVE WITH ME TODAY THE COMMUNITY RATING SYSTEM COORDINATOR FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON, MS. SANDRA DESEL.
AND I'M HERE TODAY TO PRESENT ON THE REPETITIVE LOSS AREA ANALYSIS OR THE R-A-L-A-A NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
AND I'M ALSO A VERY PROUD MEMBER OF HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS, WHERE OUR PUB PURPOSE IS.
TOGETHER, WE CREATE A STRONG FOUNDATION FOR HOUSTON TO THRIVE AND ALSO OUR FIND THE THRIVE VALUES ARE RESPECT, WE LISTEN AND CARE OWNERSHIP.
WE NO EXCUSES ONLY SOLUTIONS, COMMUNICATIONS.
WE DELIVER CLEAR AND CONCISE MESSAGING, INTEGRITY.
WE ARE HONEST AND DO WHAT IS PROMISED.
AND TEAMWORK, WE WORK TOGETHER.
THE REPETITIVE LOST AREA ANALYSIS IS A MITIGATION PLANS FOR AREAS THAT HAVE OR IS EXPECTED TO EXPERIENCE FLOODING, UH, REPEATED LOSSES FROM FLOODING.
UH, SOME MITIGATION SOLUTIONS ARE GENERATED FOR INDIVIDUAL BUILDINGS AND AREAS.
UH, A SUCCESSFUL RLAA COULD RESULT IN THE CITY'S GETTING A HIGHER, UH, CRS RATING, WHICH IS A HIGHER DISCOUNT, UH, INSURANCE DISCOUNT FOR THEIR FLOOD INSURANCE.
AND ALSO AVAILABLE, IT'S AVAILABLE TO US BECAUSE WE PARTICIPATE IN THE NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM.
WE, THE CITY OF HOUSTON ENTERED INTO THE NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM IN 1979, AND SINCE THEN, WE'VE HAD SIX MAP UPDATES FROM FEMA.
WE HAD A AMENDED MAP, I MEAN, AMENDED ORDINANCE.
THAT WAS IN SEPTEMBER, THE FIRST 2018, WHICH MADE OUR STANDARDS, UH, HIGHER THAN WHAT FEMA WOULD REQUIRE.
IT FULFILLED ALSO THE REQUIREMENTS OF, UH, ENROLLING IN FEMA'S NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM, AND ALSO IT, UH, HAD MORE PROTECTIVE, MORE STRINGENT, UH, THINGS FOR, FOR DEVELOPING IN THE FLOOD HERE IN HOUSTON.
THE COMMUNITY RATING SYSTEM, OR THE CRS PROGRAM IS A VOLUNTARY INCENTIVE PROGRAM.
IT RECOGNIZES AND ENCOURAGES LOCAL STANDARDS ABOVE FEMA MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS, WHICH FEMA REGULATES ONLY TO THE 100 YEAR.
WE REGULATE TO THE 500 YEAR AND HAVE EVEN MORE STRINGENT, UH, REQUIREMENTS FOR DEVELOPING AND BUILDING IN THE FLOODPLAIN.
AND THE THREE GOALS OF THE COMMUNITY RATING SYSTEM PROGRAM IS FIRST IS TO REDUCE FLOODING THE FACILITATE ACCURATE INSURANCE RATINGS AND PROMOTE THE AWARENESS OF FLOOD INSURANCE.
AND INSURANCE PREMIUM DISCOUNTS ARE DIS DI UH, DISCOUNTED TO REFLECT THE ENHANCED CITY OF HOUSTON STANDARDS.
THE COMMUNITY RATING SYSTEM HISTORY AGAIN IN 1979, WE ENTERED INTO THE PROGRAM IN 20, UH, 2001, WE BECAME A CLASS EIGHT COMMUNITY, CLASS, ONE BEING THE BEST.
CLASS 10 IS BASE LEVEL, AND 2009 THE CITY IMPROVED ITS RATING TO A CLASS FIVE HOUSTON.
[02:00:01]
NOTICE THE LARGEST CITY THAT PARTICIPATE IN THE, UH, CRS PROGRAM IS AS A CLASS FIVE, AND ALSO IT IS THE LARGEST THAT DOES PARTICIPATE IN A NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE AND A CRS.UM, IN 2023, WE BEGAN AN, WE BEGUN AN INITIATIVE TO FURTHER INCREASE OR TRY TO INCREASE OUR RATING TO HELP OUR RESIDENTS WITH THEIR FLOOD INSURANCE.
UH, CURRENTLY THEY'RE GETTING A 25% DISCOUNT.
WE ARE TRYING TO GET THEM A 30 OR 30%, 30 OR 35%.
THE BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATING IN THE CRS, UH, AS YOU CAN SEE WITH, WITH THE CRS PROGRAM, EVERYTHING IS A POINT BASED.
THERE ARE DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES RELATING TO, UH, WORK IN THE FLOODPLAIN TO MAKE THE FLOODPLAIN, UH, AREA MORE RESILIENT THAT YOU HAVE TO DO, AND YOU GET POINTS AND FOR EVERY 500 POINTS YOU MOVE UP IN CLASSIFICATION.
AND 2020, WE WERE A, WE, UH, WERE CLASSIFIED FIVE, UH, WE WERE RATED IN 20, YEAH, 2020.
AND, UH, CURRENTLY WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE POINTS THAN THAT, AND THAT IS SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON AS THE INITIATIVES TO TRY TO PUSH US OVER THE THRESHOLD TO GO TO A HIGHER RATING.
THE BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATING IN A CRS AGAIN IS, IT'S SHOWING THAT HERE ON THIS SLIDE, THE TOP FIVE CRS DISCOUNTS THAT ARE GIVEN IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, AND THEY ARE ALONG OUR COASTLINE WITH HOUSTON LEADING THE PACK AT THE $17 MILLION.
AND THEN GALVESTON HARRIS COUNTY LEAGUE CITY, AND THEN PEARLAND, UM, WE ADDED TO AUSTIN, DALLAS, AND SAN ANTONIO AT THE BOTTOM.
AS YOU CAN SEE, UM, THEY DO NOT COMPARE.
NO ONE REALLY COMPARES TO WHAT THE CITY OF HOUSTON, UH, GETS AND DISCOUNTS FOR THEIR FLOOD INSURANCE.
AND THE GOOD THING ABOUT IT IS THAT $14 MILLION IS TURNED BACK INTO OUR ECONOMY, UH, WHEN PEOPLE WANT TO REBUILD OR DO THINGS LIKE THAT.
I'M GONNA GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND ON SOME OF THE ACRONYMS, LIKE REPETITIVE LOSS PROPERTIES.
IT'S AN NFIP PROPERTY INSURED STRUCTURE THAT HAS HAD AT LEAST TWO PAID CLAIMS OR LOSSES OF MORE THAN A THOUSAND DOLLARS IN ANY 10 YEAR PERIOD SINCE 1978.
A SEVERE REPETITIVE LOSS PROPERTY IS A PROPERTY THAT HAS HAD AT LEAST FOUR PAID FLOOD LOSSES OR MORE THAN $5,000 EACH OR TWO PAID CLAIMS THAT CUMULATIVELY EXCEED THE BUILDING'S VALUE, A REPETITIVE LOSS AREA.
THIS REPORT THAT I'M PRESENTING IS A PORTION OR PORTIONS OF A COMMUNITY THAT INCLUDES BUILDING ON FEMA'S LIST OF REPETITIVE LOSSES AND ALSO ANY NEARBY PROPERTIES THAT ARE SUBJECT TO THE SAME OR SIMILAR FLOODING CONDITIONS.
HISTORICALLY, I'LL JUST PUT THIS LITTLE TIDBIT IN.
REPETITIVE LOSS PROPERTIES REPRESENT ONLY 1.3, 1.3% OF ALL NFIP PROPERTIES, BUT 15 TO 20% OF ALL THE NFIP CLAIMS. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
THE REPETITIVE LOSS AREA BENEFITS BY ENSURING THAT A COM COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF ALL POSSIBLE ACTIVITIES AND MITIGATION MEASURES IS CONDUCTED SO THAT THE MOST APPROPRIATE SOLUTIONS WILL BE IMPLEMENTED.
IT ALSO ENSURES THAT CRITERIA USED IN LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAMS ACCOUNT FOR THE HAZARDS FACED BY THE EXISTING AND NEW DEVELOPMENT.
IT EDUCATES RESIDENTS AND PROPERTY OWNERS ABOUT THE HAZARDS, LOSS REDUCTION MEASURES AND NATURAL AND BENEFICIAL FUNCTIONS OF THE FLOODPLAIN.
AND IT BUILDS SUPPORT FOR ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS TO PREVENT NEW PROBLEMS, REDUCES FLOODS AND LOSSES, AND PROTECTS THE NATURAL AND BENEFICIAL FUNCTIONS OF FLOODPLAINS.
THERE WERE FIVE STEPS IN PUTTING THIS REPORT TOGETHER.
STEP ONE BEING COMMUNITY INPUT.
STEP TWO, ORGANIZATIONAL COORDINATION.
[02:05:01]
STEP FOUR, ALTERNATIVE ANALYSIS AND STEP FIVE, DOCUMENT FINDINGS.IN AUGUST OF 23 AUGUST OF THIS YEAR, WE MAILED OUT, UH, APPROXIMATELY 174 LETTERS, UH, TO PROPERTIES THAT WERE IN THE REPETITIVE LOSS AREAS THAT ARE TO BE, THAT WERE ANALYZED IN THIS REPORT.
AND THIS IS A REQUIREMENT THAT WE HAD TO DO FROM FEMA TO GET CREDIT FOR THIS SO THAT WE COULD TRY TO MOVE UP IN CLASSIFICATION.
AND ALSO WITH THAT, UM, THERE WAS ALSO A WEBSITE, UH, THAT THEY WENT TO TO GIVE US INFORMATION, UH, ABOUT THEIR PROBLEMS OR ANSWER QUESTIONS.
UH, KIND OF A Q AND A, UH, OPPORTUNITY THAT LASTED TWO WEEKS.
UM, THE REPORTS, STUDIES, PLANS, ANYTHING THAT WERE AFFECTED.
THIS PARTICULAR REPORT WERE COLLECTED BY FROM, UH, THE HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS, HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT, HARRIS COUNTY, AND ALSO THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS.
SO IT TOOK A LOT OF COORDINATING, UM, ACROSS, UM, MULTIPLE AGENCIES TO, TO PUT THIS DATA TOGETHER.
THE DATA COLLECTION DATA WAS COLLECTED ON EACH BUILDING, EACH STRUCTURE, EACH HOME.
AND, UH, WE WERE TRYING TO ALSO TRY TO FIND OUT WHAT THE, THE CAUSE WAS, THE PRELIMINARY CAUSE OF FLOODING.
UM, WAS IT BECAUSE THE HOUSE WAS TOO LOW OR WAS IT SOME OTHER, UH, OPPORTUNITIES, UH, NOT OPPORTUNITIES, UH, MAYBE A CLOCK, UH, DRAIN OR SOMETHING.
WHAT, WHAT WAS THE, WHAT IS THE PROBLEM? WHAT IS CAUSING THIS? AND THEN WE HAD TO GO AND LOOK UP ALL OF THE, UH, INFORMATION REGARDING INSURANCE CLAIMS ON THE PROPERTY.
UM, WE ALSO HAD TO GO IN AND FIND OTHER DATA, UM, ON IT, GOOGLE EARTH.
UH, WE LOOKED AT HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS, OPEN DATA.
WE LOOKED EVERYWHERE FOR INFORMATION ON THESE STRUCTURES TO TRY TO COME UP WITH SOME WAY, UH, TO COME UP WITH SOME WAY TO TRY TO HELP, UH, IDENTIFY WHAT THE REAL PROBLEMS WERE WITH THE FLOODING ON THIS, ON THESE HOUSES OR STRUCTURES.
UH, THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE AND IT JUST USES THE, UH, HOUSTON PUBLIC WORK.
I MEAN THE, UH, THE PERMITTING CENTER AS AN EXAMPLE OF THE DATA COLLECTION.
UM, SOME OF THE STUFF THAT WE HAD TO DO, WE LOOKED AT FOR HERE, HCA INFORMATION.
THERE'S A PHOTO THAT GOES WITH IT.
AND THEN THERE'S ALSO, UH, OTHER TYPES OF INFORMATION.
AND STEP FIVE, UH OH, DID I, I MISSED A SLIDE.
STEP FOUR, ALTERNATIVE ANALYSIS.
WE REVIEWED, UH, EACH PROPERTY TO DETERMINE WHETHER ANY TYPE OF FEASIBLE PROTECTION OR DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENT COULD ALSO HELP WITH, WITH, WITH THE FLOODING THAT WAS, UH, GOING ON WITH THAT.
AND THIS INCLUDED, UH, CATEGORIES OF FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT, LIKE PREVENTATIVE MEASURES, PROPERTY PROTECTION, NATURAL RESOURCE PROTECTION FOR EMERGENCY, UH, SERVICES, UH, STRUCTURAL PROJECTS, AND THEN PUBLIC INFORMATION.
WE, WE TRIED TO SCOUR AND FIND AS MUCH INFORMATION AS WE COULD ON EACH INDIVIDUAL STRUCTURE.
AND STEP FIVE, AT DOCUMENTING THE FINDINGS.
A REPORT FOR EACH REPETITIVE LOSS AREA WAS CREATED DETAILING A PROBLEM STATEMENT, A MAP OF THE AFFECTED AREA.
UH, THERE WAS A LIST OR A TABLE WITH THE, UH, BASICS ON EACH BUILDING, SUCH AS, YOU KNOW, THE ADDRESS FOUNDATION TYPE, THE TYPE OF CONDITION THE BUILDING WAS IN, UH, AN APPROPRIATE MITIGATION MEASURE FOR THE STRUCTURE.
ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES WERE ALSO USED IN ACTION ITEMS FOR THE AREA WAS ALSO NOTED, AND IT INCLUDED IMPLEMENTING OF MITIGATION ACTIVITIES.
UH, MAYBE SOME TYPE OF RESPONSIBLE AGENCIES THAT COULD ASSIST, UH,
[02:10:01]
THE, THE HOMEOWNERS OR BUSINESS OWNERS WITH, UH, ALLEVIATING THE FLOODING OR HELPING TO ALLEVIATE THE FLOODING.AND THEN, UH, SCHEDULING AND FUNDING OF EACH OF THE PROJECTS, ALL OF THE PROP, ALL OF THE INFORMATION.
ALL OF THE INFORMATION THAT WE COLLECTED IS PRIVATE.
UM, WE KEEP, THIS INFORMATION CANNOT BE SHARED, UH, IN DETAIL.
THE INDIVIDUAL CAN CONTACT FEMA AND MAYBE GET THE INFORMATION FROM THEM, BUT IT IS, UH, PROTECTED UNDER PRIVACY ACT OF 1974.
THIS IS THE SLIDE THAT SAYS THAT PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING, UM, OUR REPETITIVE LOSS AREAS HERE IN HOUSTON, WE FOUND THAT WE HAVE A TOTAL OF 804 REPETITIVE LOSS AREAS, NOT HOUSES, AREAS, UH, THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED IN HOUSTON.
AND OF THOSE 173,434 PROPERTIES WERE IN THE REPETITIVE LOSS.
UH, WERE IN THESE REPETITIVE LOSS AREAS.
HOUSTON ALSO HAS 7,700 REPETITIVE LOSS PROPERTIES.
OF THAT $1 BILLION HAVE BEEN PAID IN CLAIMS AND INSURANCE CLAIMS ON, ON THESE PROPERTIES, WHICH AVERAGES ABOUT $60,000 IN CLAIMS SEPARATE FROM THAT, HOUSTON HAS TWENTY SIX HUNDRED AND SIXTY FIVE SEVERE REPETITIVE LOSS PROPERTIES ON FEMA'S ROWS.
AND A TOTAL OF ABOUT, UH, RIGHT UNDER 1,000,000,900 MILLION HAVE BEEN PAID IN CLAIMS AND AN AVERAGE OF 73,000.
UH, THAT, THAT ABOUT PER CLAIM IS WHAT WE AVERAGE.
AND AGAIN, THESE TWO NUMBERS ARE SEPARATE.
WE WERE ABLE TO, UM, TO BREAK OUT THE AREAS BY COUNCIL DISTRICTS.
AND THIS IS WHAT THIS SLIDE IS SHOWING, IS SHOWING THE NUMBER OF REPETITIVE LOSS AREAS IN EACH DISTRICTS.
AND THE NUMBER OF PROPERTIES OF, OF THAT ARE REPETITIVE, WAIT A MINUTE, A NUMBER OF REPETITIVE LOSS AREAS AND REPETITIVE LOSS PROPERTIES PER DISTRICTS.
AND THAT'S ALSO MORE DETAILED IN THE REPORT THAT ACCOMPANIED THIS NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
UM, I, I, I GUESS I'M AT THE END OF MY PRESENTATION.
IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS THAT ANYONE HAVE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
UM, A LOT OF INFORMATION THERE.
UH, 10,000 PROPERTIES HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BETWEEN THE TWO CATEGORIES, REPETITIVE LOSS AND SEVERE REPETITIVE LOSS, UM, WITH AVERAGE CLAIMS OF $60,000 OR, UH, 70,000, 73,000 FOR SEVERE.
UM, IT'S REALLY CRITICAL INFORMATION YOU'RE BRINGING TODAY.
WE DO HAVE ONE QUESTION, QUESTION IN THE QUEUE FROM STAFF, FROM COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN'S OFFICE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING AND, UM, PRESENTING.
I DO SEE ON THE LAST SLIDE YOU PRESENTED, UM, DISTRICT PC HAS THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF PROPERTIES, UM, THAT HAD, UH, REPETITIVE LOSS AREAS.
ARE THERE ANY, UM, HAVE THEY BEEN ANY RISK ASSESSMENTS FOR HOW MANY HOMES, UM, ARE CURRENTLY AT RISK? OR IS THAT INCLUDED IN THE 173,000 PROPERTIES? THE, UH, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
UM, THIS, THE RISK ASSESSMENT IS ALSO, UM, IDENTIFY THAT THOSE PROPERTIES ARE TAKEN TO ACCOUNT IN THIS REPETITIVE LOSS AREA AS FAR AS RISK ASSESSMENTS.
ARE YOU REFERRING TO HOW PRONE THEY ARE TO FLOODING AT CERTAIN FREQUENCIES OR LOW HOMES THAT ARE CURRENTLY AT RISK RIGHT NOW? YES, THAT IS, UH, NOTED IN THIS REPORT.
UM, ALSO, UM, DO YOU KNOW IF ANY HOMES
[02:15:01]
HAVE BEEN ELEVATED OR PROTECTED, OR IS THAT INCLUDED AS WELL? UM, WE DO, WE DO KNOW WHICH HOMES HAVE BEEN EDIT, UH, ELEVATED OR PROTECTED OR MITIGATED.AND AS SOON AS THAT HAPPENS, WE HAVE A MECHANISM WHERE WE CAN TRY TO, WE TAKE THEM, GET THEM TAKEN OFF OF, OF THE LIST BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN MEDIC MITIGATED FOR, UM, WHENEVER A PRIVATE, UH, A, A PRIVATE ELEVATION COMES THROUGH FOR PERMITTING, WE, WE KNOW WHAT IT IS AND WE, WE'LL WATCH THAT AND WE'LL TRY TO TAKE, WE'LL TAKE CARE OF THAT STRUCTURE AT THE END OF THE PROJECT WHEN IT'S COMPLETED.
AND THEN ALSO WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH PUBLIC WORKS GRANT TEAM BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE HOME ELEVATION PROGRAM AND AS SOON AS A HOME IS ELEVATED, WE GET IT REMOVED FROM THE REPETITIVE LOSS OR SEVERE REPETITIVE LOSS LIST.
THERE'S A REASON THAT THIS ORGANIZATION THAT, UH, MS. MORROW'S GROUP IS EMBEDDED WITHIN THE HOUSTON PERMITTING CENTER.
SO I APPRECIATE THAT QUESTION FROM DISTRICT C, WHICH AS NOTED IS, UH, HIGHEST IN THE NUMBER OF PROPERTIES IN, UH, THE REPETITIVE LOSS AREAS.
UH, WHILE OTHER DISTRICTS HAVE HIGHER NUMBER OF AREAS IN DISTRICT B AND DISTRICT E, UM, UH, WE APPRECIATE THAT QUESTION.
UM, MS. MORROW, I THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION WITH THAT, THERE ARE NO OTHER, UH, SPEAKERS OR COUNCIL MEMBERS IN THE QUEUE, SO WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
AS WITH THE OTHERS, IT WILL BE POSTED ON OUR WEBSITE.
I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT WHILE WE SHIFT TO OUR FINAL PRESENTATION TODAY TO NOTE THAT, UH, STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER EDWARD POLLARD'S OFFICE FROM DISTRICT J, AS WELL AS, UH, COUNT STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER LETITIA PLUMMER IN THE POSITION AT LARGE NUMBER FOUR, HAVE BEEN WITH US SINCE THE BEGINNING AND OF THIS, UH, MEETING TODAY.
SO FINALLY TODAY ON THE AGENDA, OUR LAST PRESENTATION COMES, UH, ALSO FROM PUBLIC WORKS.
AND THIS IS REGARDING CHAPTER 26, THE HALLS BAYOU GREENWAY PARK PLAN.
UH, OUR MANAGING ENGINEER FROM HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS IN CAPITAL PROJECTS IS MR. SINGER PAUL SINGH SCON, UH, MR. ONG IS HERE.
OUR PRESENTATION IS QUEUED UP.
GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE, AND I APPRECIATE CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR FOR THE TTI COMMITTEE AS WELL AS THE PRESENT COUNCIL MEMBER WHO ARE HERE TO PROVIDE ME AN OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS CAPITAL PROJECTS PROJECT ISSUE FOR THE CHAPTER 26.
THAT IS HALS BAYOU GREEN BAY PARK.
I AM AN AG ENGINEER WITH A CAPITAL PROJECTS IN THE WASTEWATER FACILITY SECTION.
AND NOW I WILL START MY PRESENTATION.
SO AS THE FIRST SLIDE COMES, THIS IS WHAT IS THE PRESENTATION? THE PRESENTATION IS REGARDING THE CHAPTER 26 HALS BAYOU GREEN BAY PARK.
SO THIS SLIDE YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN REPETITIVELY, BUT TO BE
AND WE HAVE FIVE VALUES THAT INTEGRATE US AND PROVIDE US A GUIDANCE TO PROVIDE PUBLIC OUTREACH AS WELL AS SEE, RESPECT, OWNERSHIP OF OUR PROJECT SO THAT WE CAN BUILD THEM PROPERLY AND UNDERSTAND THAT THEY ARE BENEFICIAL AS TO US, AS WELL AS TO THE COMMUNITY WE COMMUNICATE WITH THE, OUR STAKEHOLDERS, BE WHATEVER WE DO, WE DO WITH OUR INTEGRITY SO THAT PUBLIC CAN TRUST THE CITY WE ARE, BE SPENT ON THAT EACH PROJECT.
AND WITHOUT TEAMWORK, WE HAVE SEVERAL TEAM MEMBERS IN OUR TEAM SO THAT WE WORK TOGETHER TO ACHIEVE OUR TARGETS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT PURPOSE AND VALUES CREATED FOR THE HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS.
I WILL PROVIDE YOU THE INTRODUCTION PROJECT INFORMATION, LOCATIONS DECISION, HOW WE DECIDED THE LOCATION AND WHAT ARE THE IMPACTS OF THAT LOCATION, AS WELL AS THE OBSERVATIONS WHICH WE HAVE CONCLUDED.
SO, BUT FIRST OF ALL, I WILL GIVE YOU THE PROJECT OBJECTIVE.
WHAT IS THE PROJECT OBJECTIVE? THE CITY OF HOUSTON OPERATES AND MAINTAINS 39 WASTEWATER PLANTS AND 3 84
[02:20:01]
ELECTRIC STATIONS.AND THE CITY PLANS TO DIVERT THE FLOWS TO THE TREAT THE LIFT STATIONS AND WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS AND ABUNDANT FACILITIES TO MEET THREE MAIN OBJECTIVES.
THEY ARE THE REGULARITY OF REQUIREMENT AND THEY ALSO REQUIRE TO IMPROVE THE RELIABILITY OF OUR WASTEWATER SYSTEM.
AND OTHER ASPECT OF THE OBJECTIVE IS THAT REDUCE THE OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE COSTS FOR THE OVER WASTEWATER TREATMENTS.
THIS IS THE PROJECT DESCRIPTION.
YOU CAN SEE THAT THIS PROJECT IS LOCATED NEAR THE HALS BAYOU IN DISTRICT B.
I WILL SHOW YOU LATER ON, BUT FIRST LET ME TELL YOU FIRST THINGS THAT THIS WATER CONNECTS.
THIS PROJECT CONNECTS THOUGH WE HAVE A PROJECT, ANOTHER PROJECT UNDER WHICH WE, UH, HAVE TO CONSOLIDATE AND ABUNDANT THAT IT WELL TIMBERS WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLAN.
AND WE HAVE TO DIVERT THAT FLOW, ALL FLOW TO THAT FROM TWELL TIMBERS WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLAN TO FWSD NUMBER 23 WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLAN, WHICH IS FOR WHICH WE ARE ABOUT TALKING ABOUT UNDER THIS PROJECT WE WILL BE DOING, UH, ABANDONING UH, REMOVING THE EXISTING 38 INCH LINE AND ALSO INSTALLING A NEW 60 INCH GRAVITY LINE.
SO, WHICH WE, WE ARE DOING, BECAUSE SEE THE FIRST REGION, MAIN REGION, I HAVE ALREADY TOLD YOU THAT WE HAVE DIVERT THE FLOW FROM THE TRADE BELT TIMBER, UH, STREET WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLAN.
AND ALSO THE EXISTING 48 INCH LINE IS AT THE F ALMOST AT THE END OF SERVICE LINE.
IT IS UNDERSIZED FOR THE FUTURE FLOWS AND ALSO IT HAS A BLOCKAGE AND OTHER, NEW OTHER NUTRIENTS IN THE SYSTEM BECAUSE THAT IS, IT IS CROSSING THE HOUSE BY YOU BY A SIPHON CURRENTLY.
AND UH, ANOTHER MORE IMPORTANT THING I WOULD LIKE TO BRING TO THE NOTICE OF THE HOUSE IS THE TIDWELL TIMBER WASTEWATER TREATMENT DIVERSION PROJECT IS THE PART OF EPA SANITARY CIVIL CONSENT DECREE AND CONSENT DECREE PROGRAM THAT FOR THAT PARTICULAR PROJECT, ITS COMPLETION DATE IS 2025.
SO WE NEED THIS PROJECT TO BE STARTED AND AWARDED IN CONSTRUCTION FOR CONSTRUCTION 2024 AND BE, AND CURRENTLY WE ARE AT THE MILER STAGE OF THIS PROJECT.
SO AS I ALI DESCRIBED THAT, IF YOU'LL ASK A QUESTION THAT WHY YOU ARE DRIVING TO F-W-S-D-D, BECAUSE WE HAVE ALREADY TO TAKE CARE OF THAT FLOW, WE HAVE ALREADY UPDATED, UPGRADED, UH, THE WASTE FWSD, UH, NUMBER 23 WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLAN, UH, TO ACCOMMODATE THE FLOWS.
AND THAT ALSO ACCOMMODATES THE FLOWS FROM THE GREEN RIVER DRIVE AS WELL AS CHATWOOD LIFT STATION AS WELL AS WITH THE TIMBER TRAILS WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLAN AND ALSO IN COMPLIANCE TO THE CONSENT DEGREE.
THIS IS THE PARK SEGMENT WHICH WE ARE TALKING ABOUT.
SO THIS IS THE LINE I'M SHOWING OVER HERE, THE 16 INCH LINE, IF YOU CAN SEE IN THE RED.
THIS IS A PROPOSED TUNNEL AND WE CAN SEE THE PARK AREA.
THIS HAS A TRAIL ALSO AND A SIDEWALK CONNECTING TO THE WILL OAK STREET.
NEXT PLEASE THE PROJECT LOCATION.
YOU CAN SEE THIS IS, THIS PROJECT IS LOCATED IN THE NORTHEAST SEGMENT OF THE CITY BETWEEN THE BELTWAY EIGHT AND UH, I SIX 10 AND IT FALLS UNDER THE CONSOLE DISTRICT B.
NOW I WILL GO TO HOW THE LOCATIONS FACTORS ARE MADE, UH, HOW THE LOCATION DECISION IS MADE, WHAT ARE THE FACTORS THAT IMPACTING THAT.
SO FIRST, IF WE HAVE TO GO TO CHOOSE DIFFERENT ROUTES, WE TRY TO EVALUATE THE ALTERNATIVE ROUTES, WHICH WE CAN, BUT THEY WERE NOT FEASIBLE BECAUSE THE DISTANCE OF THE FLOW IS LARGER AND IF THAT WE HAVE TO CARRY A FLOW FOR LARGER DISTANCE, IT'LL CROSS CREATE A PROBLEM.
AND SO THE NEAREST AVAILABLE, WE LOOKED INTO THAT BY THE TIDWELL ROAD THAT IS CROSSING ABOUT, UH, 3000 FEET WEST AND 17,000 FEET NORTH OF THE TREATMENT PLAN.
SO IT IS ALMOST NOT FEASIBLE TO CONSTRUCT THAT GRAVITY LINE IN THAT AREA BECAUSE IT'LL BE GO MUCH DEEPER THAN EXPECTED.
[02:25:01]
WE HAVE A LARGE, UH, UH, WE HAVE A DRAINAGE STRUCTURE AS WELL AS UH, THE DITCHES BUILT IN THE PARK AREA IN THE SEEKERS STREET ACROSS HALS BAYOU AS A PART OF THE HUB PARK PROJECT.AND THIS, THAT ALSO WARRANT US TO, TO REALIGNED OUR PROPOSED TUNNEL.
AND ALSO THE PROPOSED TUNNEL CANNOT BE COEXIST.
OUR NEAR MINIMUM DISTANCE BETWEEN CLEARANCE DISTANCE NEED TO BE MAINTAINED BETWEEN THE EXISTING STRUCTURES OR ANY PIPELINES ARE THERE.
SO WE HAVE TO MAINTAIN THAT THIS LOCATION, WHICH WE DECIDED IS THE BEST USE OF OUR DOLLARS AND TO CITIZENS DOLLARS.
AND ALSO CROSSING THE BA ALSO BAYOU THROUGH A PARK IS MOST FINANCIALLY AND STRUCTURALLY FEASIBLE OPTION.
AND THEN WHAT WE WILL BE DOING OTHER THAN THIS PROJECT WHICH HAS THIS SILVER LINE.
SO WITH THAT, BECAUSE WE WILL BE IMPACTING THE PARK, SO WE ARE ALSO IMPROVING THE, SOME IMPROVEMENTS FOR THE PARK.
WE WILL BE INSTALLING ADDITIONAL THREE TREES.
WE WILL BE INSTALLING A PET DISPOSAL STATION.
WE WILL BE DEMOLISHING THE EXISTING MANHOLE AND SIPHON BAND, WHICH ARE CREATING A NUISANCE TO THE PUBLIC.
WE WILL ALSO INSTALL A PERMANENT GATE TO PREVENT PARKING OF CARS ON THE GROUND.
SOME PEOPLE, IF YOU LOOK INTO THE GOOGLE EARTH, WE CAN FIND SOME PEOPLE ARE PARKING THEIR PRIVATE CARS ON THE PARK PROPERTY.
SO THAT CAN ALSO BE PREVENTED.
AND WE WILL BE ALSO PROVIDING TWO ADDITIONAL BENCHES FOR THE PUBLIC TO USE IN THE PARK.
SO WITH THIS, HOW THIS PROJECT WILL IMPACT THE PARK, THE PARK WILL BE IMPACTED BY THE CONSTRUCTIONS, THE CONSTRUCTION, THERE WILL BE TWO TYPES OF ACTUALLY IMPACTS ON THAT.
THE CONSTRUCTION IMPACT, CONSTRUCTION IMPACT WILL BE THAT, UH, WILL BE BECAUSE WE HAVE A DEAD TREES IN THE AREA.
THEN OVERGROWN VEGETATION AND THAT WILL BE CLEARED AND TREES, DEAD TREES WILL BE REMOVED.
AND IN PLACE OF REMOVE TREES, UH, WE WILL BE PLANTING A NEW TREES.
ALSO WE WILL BE MAINTAINING THE AREA BY MOWING IN THE PARK AREA IN THE CONSTRUCTION ZONE.
WE WILL BE ALSO, AFTER CONSTRUCTION IS COMPLETE, WE WILL BE SEDING THE WORK AREA AND WITH NATIVE GRASS AND HYDRO MULCH.
AND WE WILL BE ALSO REMOVING THE MAN HOLES, ALSO MAINTENANCE MEL HOLE THERE.
AND WE WILL ALSO BE, SO THIS WAY WE WILL REQUIRE ONE IN.
WE WILL ALSO INSTALLING ONE CONSTRUCTION INTEREST ENTRANCE AND SAFETY FENCING AROUND THE WORK ZONE AND ALSO IN INSTALL A TEMPORARY ACCESS ROAD FOR THE CONSTRUCTION INTEREST.
THE ANTICIPATED DURATION FOR THIS PROJECT IS NINE MONTHS AND ANTICIPATED PROJECTED COST FOR THIS PROJECT IS 7.05 MILLION.
SO WHAT WILL BE THE OVERALL IMPROVEMENTS? OUR, OUR BENEFITS OF THIS PROJECT, THIS WILL PROJECT WILL PROVIDE US AN IMPROVED RELIABILITY OF THE WASTEWATER SERVICE.
IT'LL SUPPORT OUR FUTURE GROWTH IN THE AREA.
IT'LL ELIMINATE THE NUISANCE CREATING SIPHON AND ALSO WE WILL DEMOLISH THE VENT PIPE AND THE MANHOLE IN THE AREA.
WE WILL INSTALL A VORTEX UNIT TO PREVENT THE NUISANCE ORDER AND THAT WILL HELP THE PEOPLE.
SO THE NORTH, THE NUISANCE ORDER NUISANCE WILL GO AWAY, WILL BE REDUCED ALSO AND AVOID IMPACTS TO THE EXISTING CUSTOMER.
THIS THERE WILL BE IMPROVEMENTS OF PARK WITH ADDITIONAL THREE NEW TREES.
WE WILL BE REDUCED PERMANENT GROUND STRUCTURE ON SUPER BIG WILL HAVE A MORE SPACE ON THE, UH, PARK THAT IS THE BENEFITS.
SO WITH THIS EVALUATION, WHAT WE NEED AND WHAT ARE OUR OBSERVATION FOR THIS PROJECT? SO WHAT WILL WE BE NEEDING? WE WILL BE NEEDING A PERMANENT WASTEWATER CORRIDOR AND TO GET, UH, UNDER SECTION 26 0 0 1 OF THE TEXAS PARK AND WILDLIFE CODE THAT PROVIDES US, THE CITY MAY NOT APPROVE ANY PROGRAM OR PROJECT FOR THE USE OF TAKE OUR TAKING OF LAND DESIGNATED AS PARKLAND UNLESS AFTER A PUBLIC MEETING.
SO WE ARE GOING FOR THAT PUBLIC MEETING ON NOVEMBER 1ST.
WE HAVE ALREADY A MOTION, UH, UH, YESTERDAY WE HAVE PASSED THAT MOTION AND WE ARE MOVING FORWARD WITH THE NOTIFICATION TO THE PUBLIC.
AND THIS, THIS, THIS IS ALSO A, THE MEETING FOR THAT PURPOSE TEMPORARY CONSTRUCTION STAGE AREA.
WE WILL BE NEEDING SOME CONSTRUCTION AREA.
ABOUT 16,000 SQUARE FEET OF CONSTRUCTION AREA WILL BE REQUIRED FOR THE TASING OF THIS PROJECT.
SO THAT CAN BE REMEDI REMEDIATED AND RETURNED
[02:30:01]
BACK TO THE PARK.IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'M READY TO HEAR, ANSWER THE QUESTIONS.
MR. SHAN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
I APPRECIATE IN FACT THAT YOU DID MENTION THAT THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS HELD YESTERDAY IN CHAMBERS, UH, ON OUR AGENDA.
AND UH, THAT PUBLIC MEETING WILL BE TAKING PLACE ON THE FIRST WEEK OF NOVEMBER.
THERE ARE NO SPEAKERS IN, UH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS OR STAFF MEMBERS IN QUEUE, SO I WILL THANK YOU FOR THAT.
WE DO HAVE ONE REMAINING, UH, PUBLIC SPEAKER AND HE IS HERE IN CHAMBERS WITH US AND COMING UP BEHIND YOU MR. SHAN IS UH, OUR FRIEND DOUG SMITH WHO'S HERE TODAY, I THINK TO ASK A GENERAL QUESTION, UH, PERHAPS, UH, TO THE COMMITTEE.
SO I WANT TO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
MY STAFF HAS REMINDED ME THAT THE PRESENTATIONS TODAY, INCLUDING YOURS, ARE ALREADY ON OUR CITY OF HOUSTON, UH, TTI WEBSITE.
SO WITH THAT, THANKS AGAIN AND UH, WE'LL TURN NOW TO YOU, UH, MR. DOUG SMITH.
UM, AFTERNOON, JUST QUICK 'CAUSE WE'VE BEEN HERE FOR A LONG TIME.
FIRST OF ALL, I WAS THINKING ABOUT PARKS WHEN I WAS DRIVING DOWN HERE TODAY AND PARKS WAS MENTIONED A LOT IN THIS MEETING.
AND PARKS WAS MENTIONED IN THE UH, BFA MEETING LAST TUESDAY.
AND MY QUESTION IS, WHEN IS PARKS EVER PRESENTING ANYTHING TO COMMITTEES? UH, I HAVE NEVER BEEN TO ANY COMMITTEE MEETINGS WHERE PARKS HAS SENT A PRESENTATION AND I THINK THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT'S APPROPRIATE.
AND UH, SECONDLY, UH, I HAD HOPED THAT WE WOULD HAVE A PRESENTATION BY CAROL HADDOCK ON THE D-D-S-R-F UH, FUNDING.
SHE GAVE A GREAT PRESENTATION THREE OR FOUR YEARS AGO AND I THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA BE DONE THIS MONTH AND I THINK IT WOULD BE UNFORTUNATE IF IT'S NOT DONE BEFORE THE END OF THIS ADMINISTRATION.
FINALLY, UH, I THINK PUBLIC WORKS HAS TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE, UH, REPETITIVE LOSS.
UNFORTUNATELY, I'M A NUMBERS PERSON AND I SEE NUMBERS AND I THINK THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME.
AND THAT WAS THE CASE WITH THE, UH, AVERAGE LOSS PAID CLAIMS ON THE 7 7700 REPETITIVE LOSSES.
THEY SAID AN AVERAGE OF 60,000 PAID CLAIMS, UH, AND UH, THEY TALKED OVER A BILLION DOLLARS.
IF YOU DIVIDE THAT BILLION BY 7,700, IT'S NOT 60,000, IT'S 142,000.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE SECOND ONE, 73,000 ON THE SEVERE REPETITIVE CLAIMS, THE 73,000 SHOULD BE 339,000.
SO YOU MIGHT WANT TO HAVE THEM TAKE A LOOK AT THAT AGAIN AND REPRESENT IT.
THAT ONE SLIPPED BY, I BELIEVE, FROM OUR PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, SO WE WILL HAVE THEM CHECK THAT.
UM, CHECKING YOUR COMMENTS, LET ME SAY THAT I HAVE HEARD YOU REPEATEDLY ASK FOR THE D-D-S-R-F AND WE HAVE ASKED FOR THE DEPARTMENT TO PREPARE SOMETHING TO PRESENT TO THIS COMMITTEE, AND WE DO IN FACT HOPE THAT THAT WILL BE ADDRESSED BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR.
AND, UH, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR REPEATING THAT.
YOU'VE MENTIONED IT A COUPLE OF TIMES, SEVERAL TIMES TO US.
AND FINALLY, YOUR FIRST POINT ABOUT PARKS.
I KNOW WE HAVE HAD THE PARKS DEPARTMENT IN VARIOUS WAYS IN CAPACITIES, UM, SPEAKING BEFORE THE TTI COMMITTEE FOR WAYS THAT THEY'RE COLLABORATING WITH PUBLIC WORKS OR OTHER ENTITIES ACROSS THE CITY.
BUT GIVEN THAT COUNCIL MEMBER GAOS HAS JUST LEFT, UH, THE CHAMBER, I KNOW THAT HE WOULD WANT ME TO MENTION AS CHAIR OF THE QUALITY OF LIFE COMMITTEE OVER THE YEARS, THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF PARK'S PRESENTATIONS TO THAT BODY.
FORMERLY AS VICE CHAIR OF THAT COMMITTEE, I CAN TELL YOU THAT I, I REMEMBER THEM WELL.
VARIOUS MASTER PLANS, UH, THINGS RELATED TO PARK PLACEMENT AND PLANTING STRATEGIES.
VICE CHAIR, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD TO THAT, BUT MR. SMITH, YOU'RE ALWAYS ON POINT.
WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE.
AND WITH THAT, UH, I BELIEVE WE'VE COME TO THE END OF OUR SPEAKERS TODAY.
THANK YOU AGAIN, ALL FOR PAYING ATTENTION.
AS MENTIONED, ALL PRESENTATIONS ARE ALREADY AVAILABLE, UH, FOR USE OR REVIEW ON THE TTI WEBSITE.
THAT'S AT WWW.HOUSTONTX.GOV/COUNCIL/COMMITTEES/TTI.HTML.
UH, I'D LIKE TO ANNOUNCE THAT OUR NEXT TT I COMMITTEE MEETING WILL BE ON NOVEMBER 9TH, HAPPENS TO BE THE SECOND THURSDAY OF THE MONTH, UH, 2023 AT 10:00 AM PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS DEVIATES FROM OUR STANDARD, STANDARD FIRST THURSDAY OF THE MONTH.
AND, UH, WITH THAT, I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE AGAIN FOR BEING HERE, FOR PAYING ATTENTION, AND WE ARE ADJOURNED.