* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [City Pulse] [00:00:21] WELCOME TO CITY PULSE. I'M TRAVIS LEMONS, YOUR HOST. WHILE WE AT HCV, LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT SEATED DEPARTMENTS AND THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE, OUR BOSS, THE MAYOR, COMES FIRST WITH MAYOR TURNER'S TENURE COMING TO AN END. HE RECENTLY DELIVERED HIS FINAL STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS HIGHLIGHTING POSITIVE WORKS THROUGHOUT HIS ADMINISTRATION AND HIS FOCUS DURING THE LAST MONTH'S IN OFFICE HGV CHIFFON. HERNDON HAS MORE, WE'RE NOT AT THE BACK END. WE ARE ON THE FRONT END. AND WHAT I CAN SAY TO HOUSTONIANS, I HAVE GIVEN YOU MY BEST. YES. HOUSTON MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER IS MET WITH A STANDING OVATION BY MORE THAN 1500 PEOPLE IN HIS LAST AND FINAL STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS. FROM ONE SAFE HOUSTON TO ONE CLEAN HOUSTON, WE CONFRONTED EACH ISSUE HEAD ON AND WE SET THE CITY ON FIRM A FOOTING FROM BEING A NATIONAL LEADER ON REDUCING HOMELESSNESS TO PROVIDING SUMMER JOBS TO 20,000 OF OUR KIDS JUST THIS YEAR ALONE, TO BEING NAMED THE FIRST CHILD FRIENDLY CITY IN THE UNITED STATES. WE CAN TAKE PRIDE AS HOUSTONIANS THAT WE ARE THE ENVY OF SO MANY CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THE MAYOR'S LEADERSHIP WILL LEAVE A LASTING LEGACY AND A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE CITY. CHAPTER 42 IN THE REVISIONS, IT ACTUALLY DID PASS TODAY, UH, WHICH IS A HUGE, UH, WIN FOR THE, UH, THE NEIGHBORHOODS OF, OF HOUSTON, THE RESIDENTS THAT LIVE IN IT AND THE KIDS FOR THE SAFETY THAT IT'S GONNA BRING. HE'S BEEN A VERY BIG SUPPORTER FOR MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING, UM, WHICH WE CREATE A LOT OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE IN HOUSTON, AND HE'S BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE. A HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE AS THE CITY STILL RECOVERS FROM HURRICANE HARVEY DAMAGE. IN AUGUST OF 2017, HURRICANE HARVEY DAMAGED THE MUNICIPAL COURT BUILDING. INITIALLY FEMA IDENTIFIED TOTAL DAMAGES OF 7 MILLION. THE CITY OF HOUSTON ADMINISTRATION REQUESTED ANOTHER REVIEW AND JUST LAST WEEK, FEMA HAS PRELIMINARILY AGREED TO A PAVEMENT OF $54.2 MILLION. WE'LL FINANCE A TOTALLY NEW MUNICIPAL COURT BUILDING AS MAYOR TURNER KEEPS PRESSING THE CITY ONWARD AND UPWARD. HE LEAVES THESE FINAL WORDS, I WILL HAND TO WHOEVER THE NEXT MAYOR WILL BE. INSTEAD OF 160 MILLION IN A HOLE, WE'LL GIVE YOU A SURPLUS OF NEARLY $420 MILLION. I AM VERY PROUD OF THE CITY THAT I SHALL PASS FORWARD. HOUSTON LOVES ITS NICKNAMES, H TOWN, THE BAYOU CITY, CLUTCH CITY DURING THE ROCKETS CHAMPIONSHIP RUN IN THE NINETIES, BUT IT WILL FOREVER BE SPACE CITY. HOUSTON AIRPORTS HAS BEEN ON THE CUTTING EDGE WITH ITS COMMERCIAL SPACEPORT. TWO YEARS AGO, INTUITIVE MACHINES BROKE GROUND FOR ITS NEW FACILITY. NOW ITS LUNAR OPERATIONS CENTER IS COMPLETE. GABBY FINNEY TAKES US TO THE GRAND OPENING. TOGETHER WE ARE CELEBRATING THE MOMENTOUS GRAND OPENING OF THIS EXQUISITE INNOVATION HUB FOR INTUITIVE MACHINES IN HOUSTON. THIS STATE OF THE ART CAMPUS IS A SYMBOL OF THIS CITY'S SPACE CITY, A COMMITMENT TO AEROSPACE AS WE ENDEAVOR TO PUSH THE LIMITS OF HOUSTON, OF HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT. THE MOON CAN ALSO BE A FANTASTIC STEPPING STONE AS WE LEARN TO LIVE OFF THE LAND SO THAT HUMAN EXPLORERS WILL GO FURTHER AND FURTHER OUT INTO THE SOLAR SYSTEM. AND YOU ARE SEEING A KEY PART OF THAT TODAY IN WHAT THIS COMPANY IS DOING FOR THE UNITED STATES THROUGH COMMERCIAL LUNAR PAYLOAD SERVICES. THE SAFE DELIVERY SUPPORTED IN THIS BUILDING AT THE HOUSTON SPACEPORT PHYSICIANS INTUITIVE MACHINES TO BECOME THE FIRST COMMERCIAL COMPANY TO LAND ON THE SURFACE OF THE MOON, EXECUTING THE UNITED STATES AND NASA'S DIRECTIVE TO RETURN HUMANKIND TO THE MOON SUSTAINABLY. WE BELIEVE OUR MISSION IS THE SPARK THAT IGNITES THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MOON AS A DESTINATION OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY THAT INSPIRES GENERATIONS THAT WILL LOOK BACK AND THINK. IT ALL STARTED RIGHT HERE IN SPACE CITY. IT WAS THIS CITY THAT RESPONDED WITH INGENUITY, COURAGE, AND DETERMINATION. AND THE SPIRIT OF HOUSTON LED MAN TO ACHIEVE THE IMPOSSIBLE AND STEPPED FOOT ON THE MOON. AND IT'S THAT SPIRIT THAT HOUSTON WILL PROPEL US FORWARD TO THE MOON MARS AND BEYOND. WHAT A GREAT FUTURE, UH, FOR THIS CITY AND INTUITIVE [00:05:01] MACHINES. THANK YOU FOR MAKING HOUSTON YOUR HOME. IN RECOGNITION OF HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH, MAYOR TURNER RECOGNIZED SIX HOUSTONIANS FOR THEIR STELLAR WORK IN EDUCATION, THE ARTS, HEALTHCARE, YOUTH ENGAGEMENT, AND COMMUNITY ACTIVISM. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, YOUR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD TONIGHT, MARY ROMANS. TONIGHT WE PROUDLY RECOGNIZE SIX OUTSTANDING MEMBERS OF THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY WHO HAVE DISTINGUISHED THEMSELVES IN THEIR RESPECTIVE FIELDS. THANK YOU TO MY FAMILY. I HAVE ACCOMPLISHED A LOT OF GOOD THINGS. THE ONE THING THEY DIDN'T SAY IS THAT BEING IN LULAC IS WHAT STARTED MY ADVOCACY. START CARING MORE ABOUT CHILDREN. START CARING MORE ABOUT THE ELDERLY. DON'T PUT YOURSELF FIRST OR WHAT YOU WANT. THINK ABOUT THEM. PLEASE GIVE IT UP TO OUR MAYOR'S HISPANIC HERITAGE YOUTH ACTIVIST MARCUS DE LOPEZ. THE MAYOR'S HISPANIC ADVISORY BOARD WAS FORMED TO SERVE AS A BRIDGE BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE MAYOR'S OFFICE AND THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY. AND EACH YEAR, THE CITY HOSTS THE MAYOR'S HISPANIC CARRIAGES AWARDS TO SPOTLIGHT THE REMARKABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS THAT MEMBERS OF THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY HAVE ACHIEVED, UH, RIGHT WITHIN OUR OWN BELOVED HOME. AND I WANT TO THANK YOU BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHY, UM, THIS WOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT YOU. AND THANK YOU SO MUCH AND I WISH YOU THE BEST. PROUD OF YOU. THE MAYOR'S HISPANIC CARRIAGES ART IN THE COMMUNITY AWARD GOES TO GERALDINA IN ANO WISE. WHEN CITY PULSE RETURNS, WE TAKE IN SOME FRESH AIR IN DOWNTOWN'S THEATER DISTRICT AND TOUR ANOTHER HISTORIC HOME. SEE YOU SOON. AT METRO, YOUR SAFETY IS JOB ONE EVERY DAY. AND WE'RE COMMITTED TO MAKING YOUR RIDE EVEN SAFER. WITH SECURITY CAMERAS ON OUR TRANSIT VEHICLES AND LIVE MONITORS ON MANY OF OUR BUSES. BLUE LIGHT CALL BOXES AT OUR BUS AND RAIL FACILITIES. METRO POLICE PROVIDING PEACE OF MIND AND MPD CONNECT THE APP THAT LETS YOU REPORT SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY INSTANTLY TO METRO POLICE. METRO IS BUILDING A SAFER TRANSIT SYSTEM SO YOU CAN DRIVE LESS AND DO MORE. HOUSTON 3 1 1. NOW AVAILABLE AS A MOBILE APP. TAKE A PHOTO, ENTER YOUR LOCATION REPORT AN ISSUE, THE QUICK AND EASY WAY TO REPORT NON-EMERGENCY ISSUES OR REQUEST CITY SERVICE INFORMATION, DOWNLOAD TODAY ON THE APP STORE OR GOOGLE PLAY. WE COULD START BY TELLING YOU HOW SLEEK IT IS, HOW IT'S AT THE EDGE OF INNOVATION IN ITS INDUSTRY, THAT IT MAKES CONNECTIONS FASTER AND MORE CONVENIENT. WE COULD PROMOTE THE FACT THAT EVEN TRAFFIC SIGNALS GIVE IT THE GREEN LIGHT AND THAT IT MOVES SO QUICKLY. WE HAD TO GIVE IT ITS OWN LANE. OR YOU COULD JUST RIDE DISCOVER WHERE THIS RAIL LIKE RIDE IS GOING NEXT. VISIT RIDE METRO.ORG/METRO. NEXT, WELCOME BACK JONES PLAZA. ONCE THE HEART OF HOUSTON'S THEATER DISTRICT IS NO MORE WITH A NEW NAME AND A MAJOR UPGRADE, LET'S FIND OUT MORE SMILE. IT IS MY HONOR TO WELCOME YOU TO THE GRAND OPENING OF LYNN WYATT SQUARE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS. THIS PARK DEDICATION SYMBOLIZES A FRESH START FOR THIS PART OF THE CITY, CELEBRATING THE RICH CULTURAL TAPESTRY THAT LYNN HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THROUGH HER SUPPORT OF THE ARTS. THE NEW $26.5 MILLION GREEN SPACE, 1.5 ACRES INCLUDES A FLEXIBLE PERFORMANCE LINE FOR CONCERTS AND OTHER FREE PROGRAMMING, A CASCADING WATER FEATURE, ACCESSIBLE ENTRIES, GARDEN TREES, ONE OF A KIND ROCKER SEATING LIKE LIGHTING AND SOUND ELEMENTS. AND WE ADDED A BIT OF YELLOW IN THE PARK BECAUSE THAT'S SIMPLY HER COLOR. I HAVE BEEN DEVOTED TO THE ARTS BECAUSE I BELIEVE THE ARTS, INCLUDING THE FARMING ARTS, ARE THE SOUL OF ANY CITY. THE OLDER A PERSON COMES HONORS LIKE THIS BECOMES SO MUCH MORE MEANINGFUL. ONE LOOKS BACK ON ONE'S LIFE AND FEELS VERY, VERY APPRECIATIVE. MY HEART IS TRULY TOUCHED. I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF SAYING THEREFORE, I SYLVESTER TURNER, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON, HEREBY PROUDLY PROCLAIM THIS DAY AS LYNN W'S DAY IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. WE ARE SO THANKFUL AND HONORED FOR EVERYTHING THAT SHE DOES. LADIES [00:10:01] AND GENTLEMEN, PRESENT TO YOU. NONE OTHER THAN THE LYNN WYATT. IN 2022, THE JACKIE YATES HOUSE WAS DESIGNATED AS PART OF UNESCO'S SLAVE ROUTE PROJECT. THE HERITAGE SOCIETY OF SAM HOUSTON PARK OPENED ITS DOORS AND GAVE US A TOUR. HEY Y'ALL, MY NAME IS KIAN. I'M HERE WITH THE HERITAGE SOCIETY AND WE'RE AT THE 1870 JACK YATES HOUSE. THIS IS THE OLDEST TWO STORY HOUSE IN HISTORIC FREEDMAN'S TOWN IN HOUSTON. AND IT IS A, UH, TESTAMENT TO THE LEGACY THAT MR. YATES HAS LEFT HERE IN THE CITY, NOT JUST FOR THE FREEDMAN TOWN AREA OR FOR THE FOURTH WARD AREA, BUT FOR HOUSTON OVERALL. NOW, JOHN HENRY, UH, ALSO KNOWN AS JACK YATES, WAS BORN ENSLAVED IN GLOUCESTER COUNTY, VIRGINIA. UM, AT A CERTAIN POINT, HIM AND HIS FAMILY MADE THEIR WAY DOWN TO HOUSTON, ACTUALLY TO MAT COUNTY, UH, BEFORE THEY WERE EMANCIPATED AND MADE THEIR WAY INTO THE FREEDMAN TOWN OF HOUSTON. MR. YATES WENT ON TO LEAVE A LEGACY THAT SURROUNDED HIS COMMUNITY. IT WAS ABOUT UPLIFTING HIS NEIGHBORS AND MAKING SURE HE HAD, UH, FINANCIAL SECURITY, BUT NOT JUST FOR HIMSELF, BUT FOR THOSE AROUND HIM. HE MADE SURE THAT OTHER PEOPLE KNEW HOW TO BUY LAND, SAVE MONEY, NOT GET TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF FINANCIALLY. UM, AND HE DID THAT ALL WITH THE BASIS OF OF BEING A MAN OF FAITH AND BEING A MAN OF FRUGALITY AND BEING A MAN OF LOVE AND COMMUNITY. NOW, ALL OF THOSE IDEALS, MR. YATES PASSED DOWN TO HIS 11 CHILDREN, ONE OF WHOM PINKY YATES INHERITED THIS HOUSE AFTER HER FATHER'S DEATH. NOW, THIS WAS TYPICALLY PINKY'S ROOM AND A REALLY UNIQUE ASPECT OF THIS, UH, OF THIS STRUCTURE IS THAT A LOT OF THE FURNITURE IN HERE IS ORIGINAL TO THE YATES FAMILY. PINKY WAS A SECOND AND THIRD GRADE TEACHER AT THE GREGORY SCHOOL, AND SHE LIVED HERE FOR THE REMAINDER OF HER LIFE. AND WHEN SHE PASSED AWAY, SHE LEFT THIS HOUSE TO HER NIECE, UH, MARTHA WHITING, WHO THEN LATER GAVE THE HOUSE TO THE HERITAGE SOCIETY IN 1993. NOW, IF YOU EVER COME AND VISIT THE YATES HOUSE, YOU'LL DEFINITELY WANNA PAY ATTENTION TO NOT JUST THE HOME ITSELF AND THE FAMILY OF THE PEOPLE THAT LIVED HERE, BUT THE THINGS IN IT. BECAUSE WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE FURNITURE IN THE CLOTHING IN THIS HOME, IT'S GONNA TELL A STORY OF NOT JUST A WORKING CLASS FAMILY, BUT A WORKING CLASS FAMILY THAT'S THRIVING, THAT IS DOING VERY, VERY WELL FOR THEMSELVES. AND TWO VERY IMPORTANT PIECES THAT WE HAVE IN THE STRUCTURE ITSELF ARE GONNA BE MR. YATES' PERSONAL CANE AND BIBLE. WE ARE INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL TO THE YATES, THE GOD, OR THE WHITING FAMILY, FOR GIVING US THIS STRUCTURE AND, AND TRUSTING US WITH THIS STRUCTURE AND THE THINGS IN IT BECAUSE IT IS TRULY A SPECIAL, SPECIAL HOME. OUR LAST STORY HONORS A WOMAN WHO CHAMPIONED FAMILY LITERACY ABOVE ALL OTHER SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ISSUES. THE BARBARA BUSH LITERACY PLAZA IN FRONT OF HOUSTON CENTRAL LIBRARY IS NOW HOME TO THE LATE FIRST LADY AS ESSIE HINTON ONCE WROTE. WHILE HER STATUE MAY BE BRONZED, SHE'LL ALWAYS STAY GOLD. WELCOME FAMILY, FRIENDS AND FANS OF OUR BELOVED FIRST LADY BARBARA BUSH. WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YEARS IN ANTICIPATION OF THIS SPECIAL DAY TODAY. UH, WE REMEMBER THE LEGACY OF MS. BUSH, THE FOUNDATION THAT CONTINUES HER WORK, AND THIS PLAZA THAT BEARS HER NAME WITH A NEW FINISHING TOUCH, A BROWN STATUE OF HER LIKENESS. IT HAS BEEN A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT TO GET US HERE TO TODAY. I KNOW FOR MANY OF US, IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME COMING EACH DAY. EVERYONE WHO PASSES WILL BE REMINDED OF THIS CONNECTION OF LITERACY AND LIBRARY, AND WE REMINDED OF THE INCREDIBLE LEGACY THAT MRS. BUSH LEAVES US TO CARRY ON HERE. MY MOM WAS LIKE THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE LITERACY WAR. THERE'S DEFINITELY A CRISIS IN THIS COMMUNITY AND A CRISIS IN AMERICA RELATED TO LITERACY. IT'S UP TO, TO THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF AND THE GENERALS LEADING THE, THE BATTLE IN THE WARRIORS IN THIS CAMPAIGN TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. AND MOM WOULD BE GREAT, VERY GRATEFUL. HER DEEPLY ROOTED LEGACY WILL INSPIRE US ALL TO CONTINUE TO DO THE WORK, TO PROVIDE THE SKILLS TO HELP PEOPLE BECOME MORE CONFIDENT READERS. IF YOU HELP ONE PERSON, YOU HELP ONE FAMILY, YOU HELP ONE COMMUNITY, AND YOU BUILD A MUCH GREATER CITY, AND NONE IS MORE DESERVING. MRS. BUSH AND THIS FOUNDATION HAVE DONE SO MUCH FOR THE LITERACY IN HOUSTON. THAT WILL DO IT FOR CITY PULSE THIS WEEK, I'M TRAVIS LEMONS. UNTIL NEXT TIME, DO BETTER AND BE KIND. . * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.