* 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. [District E Town Hall: Kingwood/Lake Houston Area] [00:00:11] THANKS AGAIN, EVERYBODY FOR COMING. UM, IF YOU NOTICE ON THE WAY IN, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF TABLES THAT ARE SET UP, UH, VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT ANYTHING WITHIN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, I'M SURE WE HAVE SOME PEOPLE OVER THERE THAT CAN, UH, SOLVE YOUR ISSUES. WE ALSO HAVE THE, UH, TEXAS GENERAL LAND OFFICE SITTING OVER THERE AS WELL. SO, UM, MAKE, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK TO THEM AND, AND SEE IF THERE'S ANYTHING THEY CAN HELP YOU WITH. FIRST THING I'D LIKE TO DO IS INTRODUCE MY STAFF, JESSICA BEAMER, WHO IS MY CHIEF OF STAFF, DUSTIN HODGEN, WHO'S THE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF. HE ALSO HANDLES THE NORTH SECTOR, WHICH IS OVER IN THE KINGWOOD AREA. UH, DARIA GLASSCOCK, SHE HANDLES OUR SOUTH SECTOR. AND THEN, UH, EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE NOT RELATED, I CALL 'EM THE PEREZ TWINS, UH, DAMARI AND YASMINE, THEY'RE SITTING OVER AT THE TABLE. THERE ARE, UH, THERE ARE STARVING UNPAID INTERNS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON, BUT WE DO PAY 'EM. SO I, I'M NOT THAT MEAN OF A GUY. RIGHT, RIGHT. AND DAMARI GOT A, UH, 80 SOMETHING ON HER STATISTICS CLASS THAT SHE WAS ALL WORRIED ABOUT. SO I'M GONNA TELL EVERYBODY, BUT SHE HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE HER GRADE IF SHE GOES BACK AND DOES THE HOMEWORK, AND FIXES WHAT SHE MADE MISTAKES ON IN THE TEST. SO THAT'S THE FATHERLY INSTINCT COMING OUT. GET TO GET TO YOUR HOMEWORK. SO, NO, THIS IS, THIS IS GONNA BE THE LAST ONE FOR ME. SO IT'S SORT OF BITTERSWEET. IT'S BEEN AN HONOR AND A PLEASURE TO SIT AND DO THIS FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, UH, WHICH STARTED OUT TO BE THREE, TWO YEAR TERMS. ANNETTE CAN TALK ABOUT THIS. TURNED INTO 2, 3, 2 YEARS. AND THEN WE WENT TO A TWO FOUR YEAR. SO THIS IS ACTUALLY WILL BE MY 11TH YEAR. SO I AM THE LONGEST SERVING COUNCIL MEMBER SINCE, UM, TERM LIMITS. SO IT'S BEEN PRETTY GOOD. I'VE REALLY THOROUGHLY ENJOYED IT. WE'VE DONE A LOT OF THINGS THAT I, WE'LL TALK ABOUT AND SEE TONIGHT, AND WE HAVE A LOT OF PROGRESS THAT WE'VE MADE. UH, I REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME I CAME DOWN HERE WITH MR. MICKEY. I WAS, UH, WE WERE TALKING A MINUTE AGO ABOUT HIS 15 MINUTE TRIP THAT HE GOT ME IN HIS TRUCK, AND I THINK IT'S THREE HOURS LATER THAT HE LET ME OUT. BUT ONE OF THE AREAS THAT I REALLY TRIED TO WORK HARD ON WAS THE SOUTH BELT AREA. 'CAUSE PEOPLE IN DISTRICT E THINK OF DISTRICT E AS KINGWOOD, CLEAR LAKE, CLEAR LAKE KINGWOOD. AND THE FORGOTTEN AREA, IN MY OPINION, WAS ALL THE SOUTH BELT AREA, FREEWAY, MANOR, ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, SHAVER ROAD. THAT WAS THE FIRST PROJECT THAT WE DID WHEN I CAME IN, WAS A RECONSTRUCTION OF SHAVER ROAD. AND THE LAST ONE WE'RE GONNA DO WHEN START BEFORE OUR LEAVE IS RIGHT, MICHAEL, THE CONSTRUCTION OF CRENSHAW ROAD. SO THOSE ARE, UH, ROADS THAT WERE, YOU KNOW, BEYOND REPAIR. UM, THEY NEED A LOT OF WORK, ESPECIALLY SHAVER BACK IN THE DAY. BUT WE HAVE A GOOD LINEUP OF SPEAKERS. HOPE YOU'LL ENJOY IT. UH, WE'RE GONNA HAVE MR. BRIAN FREEMAN TALK ABOUT, UH, SOME THINGS AT BAY HAVE. AND THEN, UH, MARK WILLOCK, OUR SOLID WASTE DIRECTOR, AND THEN MICHAEL RETI, WHO HANDLES, UH, HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS. AND THEN COMMANDER CRUZ FROM HPD IS GONNA GIVE US A RUNDOWN ON, UH, THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THE CLEAR LAKE AREA, CLEAR LAKE SOUTHFIELD AREA IN THE CLEAR LAKE SUBSTATION. AND THEN JIMMY, JIMMY SPENCE IS GONNA TALK TO US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SPACEPORT. UM, A LOT OF GREAT THINGS HAPPEN IN, IN AND AROUND SPACEPORT. SO I, I WON'T, UM, STEAL YOUR THUNDER, BUT MY OPINION, YEAH, AS THE CITY OF HOUSTON, YOU KNOW, FOR 11 YEARS WE WERE ALWAYS AN OIL AND GAS CITY, AND WE WERE ALWAYS REALLY ENERGY FOCUSED. AND WITH OIL AND GAS TRANS, THIS TRANSITIONING INTO CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE, CLEAN HYDROGEN AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE, I BELIEVE THE NEXT BIG, UH, INDUSTRY FOR US IS GONNA BE AVIATION AND AERONAUTICS, AND ALSO BIOMEDICAL IN THE MEDICAL COMPLEX THAT WE'RE DOING REALLY GREAT THINGS THERE. SO, CITY OF HOUSTON'S IN GOOD SHAPE, AND, UH, AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE IT CONTINUES THAT WAY. SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, MR. BRIAN FREEMAN, WHO IS THE CEO OF BAY AREA, HOUSTON ECON ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP. BRIAN, I'M NOT SURE WHAT YOUR STAFF TOLD ME I WAS DOING UP HERE, BUT IT'S NOT TO TALK ABOUT BEHE , ALTHOUGH I'M ALWAYS HAPPY TO. SO I DO OTHER EVENTS. GLAD TO TALK ABOUT BEHE DAVE. I WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU ON BEHALF OF THIS COMMUNITY AND, UM, AND DO A, A BRIEF PRESENTATION, UM, FROM OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS. BUT I, I, I DID WANNA SAY A COUPLE OF THINGS. DAVE AND I MET A LITTLE OVER 12 YEARS AGO WHEN YOU WERE RUNNING FOR OFFICE AND SHOWED UP AT THE CAMPUS AT THE JOHNSON SPACE CENTER. AND I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE YOU A TOUR OF NASA AND SHOW YOU THE WORK THAT WE WERE DOING AT THE JOHNSON SPACE CENTER. AND YOU TOOK THAT AND RAN FAR BEYOND WHAT ANYBODY EXPECTED. AND AS I WAS DRIVING OVER, I WAS KIND OF THINKING, YOU, DAVE, YOU AREN'T [00:05:01] FROM HERE. YOU DON'T LIVE HERE, BUT YOU'RE ONE OF US. YOU'RE PART OF THIS COMMUNITY, AND WE APPRECIATE YOU AND WE VALUE THAT. AND YOUR PARTNERSHIP TO THIS COMMUNITY CAN'T BE UNDERSTATED. SO I WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU AND PRESENT YOU WITH A PROCLAMATION. DAVE'S PRESENTED PROBABLY A THOUSAND OF THESE. I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY YOU RECEIVED. SO THIS GIVES ME GREAT, GREAT EXCITEMENT. UM, AND I'LL READ A LITTLE BIT OF IT. I WON'T, I WON'T READ ALL OF IT, BUT MAYOR PROAM, DAVE MARTIN HAS SERVED THE CITY OF HOUSTON WITH REMARKABLE DISTINCTION SINCE FIRST BEING ELECTED IN NOVEMBER OF 2012, CONTINUALLY, CONTINUALLY PRIORITIZING FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND PUBLIC SAFETY. AND WHEREAS DURING HIS TENURE, MAYOR PRO, TIM MARTIN HAS BEEN APPOINTED TO SERVE AS CHAIR OF THE BUDGET AND FISCAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE, CHAIR OF THE BUDGET AND FISCAL AFFAIRS SUBCOMMITTEE ON DEBT FINANCING, PENSIONS, MANY OTHER INFLUENTIAL COMMITTEES. AND HE SERVED NEARLY 40 YEARS OF PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE THAT HAVE MADE HIM A FORCE FOR RIGOROUS THE RIGOROUS ACTIVITIES DEMANDED OF A CITY OFFICIAL. UM, HE'S BEEN SERVED AS MAYOR PRO TEM, UH, INVESTED FUNDS IN THE CLEAR LAKE AND HOUSTON REGION THAT IS AIDED IN THE GROWTH AND PROSPERITY OF OUR COMMUNITY. THEREFORE, I, BRIAN FRIEDMAN, ON BEHALF OF THE BAY AREA HOUSTON ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP, PROCLAIM ON THIS DAY, OCTOBER 19TH, 2023 AT THE BAY AREA. HOUSTON ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP HEREBY EXTENDS ITS DEEPEST APPRECIATION TO MAYOR PRO TEM DAVE MARTIN, FOR HIS TIRELESS COMMITMENT AND EXEMPLARY SERVICE TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON IN OUR ORGANIZATION. DAVE, THANK YOU. THANK YOU, BUDDY. IT MEANS A LOT. THAT MEANS A LOT TO ME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. GO SIT DOWN . YOU KNOW, THIS DOES MEAN A LOT. I, I, I'M, I REMEMBER VIVIDLY WHEN I FIRST RAN AND IT WAS, UH, I ALWAYS TELL THIS STORY. I CAME DOWN HERE AND MY FIRST MEETING WAS AT THE FREE FREEWAY. I MEAN THE, UM, FREEMAN LIBRARY. AND IT WAS A CONTENTIOUS EXPLORATION, GREEN, UH, FRIENDS OF THE GOLF COURSE. AND, UH, YEAH, LAUGH. IT WAS, THAT WAS, IT WAS PRETTY BAD. I WALKED IN WHEN I GOT HOME, MY WIFE SAID, HOW DID IT GO? I SAID, WHAT IN THE HELL DID I GET MYSELF INTO? BUT 11 YEARS LATER, WHAT, THREE WEEKS AGO, WE HAD THE GROUNDBREAKING FOR ONE OF THE PHASES. AND, UH, IT'S A HECK OF A PROJECT. IT REALLY IS. I MEAN, IT REALLY, IT REALLY WORKS, REALLY WORKS, MICHAEL, WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED OVER THERE TO PROTECT PEOPLE FROM FLOODING AGAIN. AND THAT WAS OUR INITIATIVE. AND I REMEMBER VIVIDLY, YOU KNOW, THOSE TIMES COMING DOWN HERE AND THEY'RE SAYING, UM, YOU KNOW, WHERE ARE YOU FROM? I SAID, WELL, I'M FROM KINGWOOD. I SAID, OH, YEAH, WE HEARD ABOUT YOU. YOU'RE THE GUY ON THE SCHOOL BOARD. YOU'RE THE ACCOUNTANT. YOU'RE THE THIS, YOU'RE THE THAT. BUT I'M NOT GONNA VOTE FOR YOU 'CAUSE YOU'RE NOT FROM HERE. AND MY COMMENT WOULD BE, I GET IT. I GET IT. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, I TRIED REALLY HARD THIS GO ROUND TO GET SOMEBODY FROM CLEAR LAKE TO RUN. I TRIED REALLY HARD. AND WE HAVE TWO PEOPLE FROM KING LAKE KINGWOOD. AND, UM, WELL, SO BE IT. BUT I REALLY TRIED HARD TO GET SOMEONE FROM CLEAR LAKE, 'CAUSE I DO BELIEVE IT'S CLEAR LAKE'S TURN. BUT MY COMMITMENT WAS AT THAT POINT WAS, UM, YOU'RE GONNA GET TIRED OF SEEING ME. 'CAUSE I'M GONNA BE DOWN HERE MORE THAN, UM, THAN PEOPLE THAT LIVE HERE. AND, UH, THANK YOU BRIAN, FOR THIS, BECAUSE IT, UH, IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE. I, EVERY MEETING I GO TO, I ALWAYS SAY THIS, IT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS ABOUT CLEAR LAKE. I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S THE SERENITY OF THE WATER. I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S BECAUSE OF THE, UH, UH, JUST THE PEOPLE AROUND HERE, BUT IT'S, IT'S SO MUCH DIFFERENT THAN THE AREA THAT I LIVE IN. THE PEOPLE ARE VERY RESPECTFUL. THE PEOPLE ARE VERY KIND. THEY'RE VERY APPRECIATIVE. NOT TO SAY THE PEOPLE ON THE NORTH END ARE, AREN'T, BUT THEY AREN'T. MANY TIMES, MAYBE IT'S 'CAUSE I LIVED RIGHT THERE, BUT IT'S A, IT'S BEEN A WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL AREA TO REPRESENT. I FOUGHT HARD DURING REDISTRICTING TO MAKE SURE THAT CLEAR LAKE AND KINGWOOD STATE INTACT, BECAUSE SELFISHLY, I LOVED CLEAR LAKE, AND I LOVED THE SOUTH BELT AREA, AND I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. SO, ANYWAY, IT'S A LONG WAY OF SAYING THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH. WE'LL HAVE MORE OF THAT TO COME, BUT, UM, I GUESS WE'RE GONNA START OFF WITH, UM, MARK WILLOCK WITH SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT. AND, UH, MARK, COME ON UP HERE. PEOPLE GO, HEY, IF YOU MISS YOUR TRASH COLLECTION STUFF, LIKE, YELL AT MARK, NOT AT ME. THERE YOU GO. THANKS ALL. WELL, GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. I AGREE WITH, UH, MAYOR PRO TEMS, UH, YOU KNOW, COMMENTS ABOUT COMING DOWN TO THIS AREA. UM, YOU KNOW, I CAME ALL THE WAY FROM SPRINGS. I WAS TELLING STAFF NEVER DROVE ANYWHERE, DRIVE AN HOUR AND SOME CHANGE, AND STILL IN THE SAME CITY. UH, BUT WHEN YOU GET DOWN HERE, YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE, IT'S, IT'S PEACEFUL. ACTUALLY KIND OF REMINDS ME OF THE BAY AREA WHERE I'M FROM TAMPA, YOU KNOW, SO, UH, SO I, I DEFINITELY FEEL THAT WHEN I COME THROUGH. SO, UM, PLEASURE TO BE HERE TONIGHT. JUST WANTED TO KIND OF GIVE YOU AN OVERVIEW OF WHERE WE ARE, UH, WITH SOLID WASTE DEPARTMENTS, SOME OF THE INITIATIVES THAT WE HAVE GOING ON, SOME OF THE INITIATIVES THAT WE WANT TO HAVE GOING ON, AND, AND WHERE WE MAY NEED YOUR SUPPORT, YOU KNOW, IN THE NEAR FUTURE. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, EV EVERYONE'S FAMILIAR. WHAT WE'RE, [00:10:01] WHAT I REALLY WANT PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT WE'RE KIND OF REVAMPING OUR IMAGE. I REALLY WANT TO FOCUS HARD ON, UH, COMMUNICATIONS AND OUTREACH SO THAT WE CAN POSSIBLY, UH, UH, GO TO ONE PLACE AND GET YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED WITHOUT HAVING TO WONDER IF IT'S OVER HERE, IT'S OVER THERE. SHOULD I CALL THIS PERSON? SHOULD I CALL THAT PERSON? AND, UH, WHEN I, AFTER BEING HERE FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND SOME CHANGE, I'M STARTING TO REALIZE THAT WE DIRECT PEOPLE TO OUR WEBSITE, BUT OUR WEBSITE DOESN'T TELL 'EM ANYTHING, YOU KNOW? AND, AND, UH, ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT, THAT MAYOR TURNER TOLD ME WHEN I GOT HERE, HE WAS LIKE, I DON'T SEE Y'ALL. YOU KNOW, I DON'T SEE YOU ON THE SOCIAL MEDIA FRONT. I DON'T SEE YOU, UH, DOING THE OUTREACH AND THE ADVERTISEMENT. SO WE'RE HIRING ON A COMMUNICATIONS, UH, MANAGER. IF EVERYTHING GOES RIGHT, YOU KNOW, THIS PERSON HAS A, A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE IN, IN IMPROVING THE OUTREACH. SO, YOU KNOW, BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR US. MY GOAL IS TO MAKE, UH, THE OUTREACH AND COMMUNICATIONS THAT PUBLIC WORKS DOES LOOK LIKE SEVENTH GRADE WORK, RIGHT? AND I THINK THEY DO FABULOUS WORK. I'M JEALOUS. I GO DOWN THE STAIRS, I SEE THEIR, THEIR, THEIR LOGOS. I GO OVER HERE AND, AND SO YOU, YOU SITTING THERE WATCHING A GAME, AND THEN YOU SEE A LITTLE WATER CONSERVATION AD COME ON. SO, UH, SO HATS OFF TO THEM FOR THAT. AND WE CERTAINLY WANT TO BE, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE BIT MORE INVOLVED IN THAT AREA. UH, SO JUST A, A QUICK OVERVIEW OF THE DEPARTMENT. WE ARE ABOUT 473 POSITIONS STRONG. UH, AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT, IT'S, IT MAY SOUND LIKE A LOT, BUT WE, WE COULD USE ABOUT 50 MORE, YOU KNOW, ONTO THAT. WE HAVE ABOUT $104 MILLION BUDGET THIS YEAR, WHICH IS UP FROM LAST YEAR. BUT I WILL TELL YOU, AND, AND THE MAYOR WILL AGREE WITH ME AS WELL AS VICE MAYOR, IS THAT WE'RE UNDERFUNDED. WE'RE STILL UNDERFUNDED, YOU KNOW, WITH THAT, BECAUSE WE'RE PART OF THE GENERAL FUND DEPARTMENT, UH, OR GENERAL FUND BUDGET, UH, THROUGHOUT THE CITY, MOST AREAS THAT YOU GO THROUGH, YOU KNOW, SOLID WASTE IS ITS OWN ENTERPRISE FUND DEPARTMENT. THEY KIND OF FUNCTION AS A BUSINESS. YOU KNOW, THERE'S NORMALLY A RATE THAT'S TIED TO THAT, AND THAT RATE NORMALLY GOES RIGHT BACK INTO, UH, THAT ORGANIZATION SO THAT YOU CAN MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE THE EQUIPMENT THAT YOU NEED, UH, THE PEOPLE AND THE RESOURCES AND EVERYTHING THAT YOU NEED TO RUN IN AN OPERATION LIKE THAT. BUT YET, AND STILL, UH, I COULDN'T BE MORE PROUD OF THE TEAM THAT WE HAVE HERE, THE DEDICATION, YOU KNOW, THAT THEY HAVE, THAT THEY COME AND WANT TO GET THE JOB DONE. SO, UH, I WAS ON MY WAY DOWN HERE AND, AND SAW A COUPLE OF TRUCKS STILL RIDING. I THOUGHT THEY WERE GONNA TURN OFF AND GO TO THE SERVICE CENTER, AND THEY, THEY WERE WITH ME, YOU KNOW, RIDING BEHIND ME FOR ANOTHER FIVE MILES. I'M LIKE, WHERE Y'ALL GOING? IT'S TIME TO GO HOME. YOU KNOW? SO APPARENTLY THERE WAS JUST THE LAST LITTLE BIT THAT THEY HAD TO, UH, SEAL UP THAT THEY WANTED, DIDN'T WANT TO CARRY OVER UNTIL THE NEXT DAY. SO I SAY ALL THAT TO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU, YOU KNOW, YOU GO THROUGH SOME CHALLENGES AND THEY WILL OCCUR, RIGHT? YOU KNOW THAT NO ONE'S PERFECT. SO WE WILL HAVE THOSE MOMENTS. UH, IT'S NOT BECAUSE THE DEDICATION IS NOT THERE, YOU KNOW, IT MAY BE BECAUSE OF FATIGUE, BUT IT'S CERTAINLY NOT BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF DEDICATION, BECAUSE THEY, THEY ARE CERTAINLY COMMITTED TO WHAT WE'RE DOING. AND, UH, LET'S FACE IT, THEY'RE NOT GONNA GET RICH OFF DOING THIS, RIGHT? UH, BUT YET THEY STILL COME TO WORK EARLY IN THE MORNING BEFORE THE SUN COMES UP AND SOMETIMES WILLING TO, TO STAY AFTER THE SUN GOES DOWN. SO WE'RE, WE'RE THANKFUL FOR THAT. UH, IN THIS AREA, YOU KNOW, I WAS TALKING TO OUR DEPUTY DIRECTOR BECAUSE I WAS ON THE WAY DOWN HERE, AND IT DAWNED ON, UH, YOU ALL HAVE BEEN HAVING SOME PROBLEMS WITH YARD WASTE COLLECTION. I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S KIND OF BEEN ONE OF THE, THE SORE POINTS THAT WE'VE EXPERIENCED LATELY. AND A LOT OF THAT IS BECAUSE, UH, LACK, IT'S EITHER GONNA BE ONE OF TWO THINGS. TWO GREATEST ASSETS THAT I BELIEVE IN ANY ORGANIZATION GONNA BE THE EMPLOYEES AND THE EQUIPMENT, RIGHT? SO WE WERE KIND OF DOWN ON EMPLOYEES, BUT, UH, LATELY WE'VE GOTTEN A LITTLE BIT MORE AGGRESSIVE. AND, UH, I WAS SPEAKING WITH THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR ON THE WAY DOWN HERE FOR THIS PARTICULAR REGION, AND HE ASSURED ME THAT WE SHOULD EXPECT TO SEE AN IMPROVEMENT IN THAT YARD WASTE COLLECTION WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS. AND I SAID, WELL, WHY ARE YOU SO SURE ABOUT THIS? AND HE'S SAYING, WELL, WE JUST HIRED ALL, LIKE FIVE OR SIX MORE PEOPLE, AND THEY'RE ALL KINDA LEARNING ROUTES. OKAY, GOOD. LET'S KEY IS KEEPING, LET'S MAKE SURE WE HOLD ON TO 'EM, YOU KNOW, SO, YOU KNOW, EXPECT A LITTLE IMPROVEMENT TO WHERE THAT, THAT SERVICE WILL BE RUNNING ON THE THURSDAYS THAT IT'S DESIGNED TO RUN ON. UH, BUT IF YOU CERTAINLY HAVE EXPERIENCING ANY ADDITIONAL ISSUES WITH THAT, ALWAYS FEEL FREE TO GIVE US A CALL OR GIVE ME A CALL AS WELL. UM, UH, IT MAY NOT REALLY APPLY DOWN IN THIS AREA, BUT SOME OF Y'ALL HAVE PROBABLY HEARD ABOUT THE ONE CLEAN HOUSTON INITIATIVE, UH, THAT MAYOR TURNER, UH, HELPED US CREATE, UH, A SERIOUS, UH, UH, UH, IMPROVEMENT THAT WE HAVE. EXCUSE ME, TRYING TO TURN THE PHONE OFF, AND I'M TAKING PICTURES, UH, . SO, UM, BUT IT, IT'S A MUCH NEEDED BOOST, UH, TO OUR ORGANIZATION. AND, UH, HATS OFF TO THE TURNER ADMINISTRATION AGAIN, BECAUSE OF WHAT'S HAPPENED IS HE'S MADE QUITE A BIT OF FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR US, AND, YOU KNOW, DURING THIS [00:15:01] LAST YEAR OF THIS TERM. AND WHAT DO I MEAN BY THAT? WELL, RIGHT OFF THE BAT, THROUGH ONE CLEAN HOUSTON INITIATIVE, WE, WE APPROPRIATED ABOUT $3 MILLION FOR, UH, VEHICLES. YOU KNOW, AGAIN, YOU HEARD ME TALK ABOUT EQUIPMENT AND HOW SIGNIFICANT THAT IS TO OUR OPERATION. WE HAVE $3 MILLION FOR EQUIPMENT OR FOR VEHICLES, UH, SPECIALTY TYPE VEHICLES THAT WILL ALLOW US TO RESPOND AND MOVE HEAVY TRASH, UH, A LITTLE BIT MORE QUICKLY THAN WHAT Y'ALL MAY TRADITIONALLY BE USED TO. SO THESE ARE A LOT OF ONE MAN, ONE MAN, ONE OPERATOR VEHICLES THAT YOU'LL SEE OUT THERE WITH THE ARM AND THEY CAN KIND OF LOAD THEMSELVES. AND WHAT I'VE BEEN NOTICING IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE MAY HAVE A, A SERVICE REQUEST DOWN HERE IN, IN CLEAR LAKE, AND WE GET DOWN THERE AND WE BRING THIS BIG OLD 18 WHEELER SEMI PLUS A WHOLE NOTHER FUNKY LOOKING TRUCK THAT LOOKS LIKE IT'S DRIVING THE WRONG WAY DOWN THE STREET. AND WE COME ALL THE WAY DOWN HERE AND WE PICK UP A SOAP AND A TV , YOU KNOW, SO THAT'S A, THAT'S LIKE BRINGING A SLEDGEHAMMER TO KILL A FLY, YOU KNOW? AND THERE, THERE'S SOME MORE THERE, THERE'S EQUIPMENT OUT THERE THAT ALLOWS US TO BE A LOT MORE EFFICIENT, STRIKE A LOT FASTER, BE ABLE TO COME OUT, GET IT WITHOUT BLOCKING THE ROAD, AND, AND BE ABLE TO IMPROVE THAT EFFICIENCY OF SERVICES. SO BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THAT. WE EXPECT SOME OF THAT EQUIPMENT TO START ARRIVING IN DECEMBER. I KNOW, UH, MAYOR TURNER, YOU'LL PROBABLY SEE US OUT DOING A PRESS RELEASE SOON, BECAUSE NOW THAT THE COVID, YOU KNOW, UH, IMPACTS OF THE ASSEMBLY LINE ARE BEHIND US, WE'RE REALLY STARTING TO SEE THE TRUCK START TO ROLL IN NOW. UH, AND I KNOW TO DATE, I THINK WE'VE GOTTEN AT LEAST 10 OR 12 NEW VEHICLES. AND FOR A CITY THE SIZE OF HOUSTON, THAT'S STILL LIKE GIVING AWAY ALL THE TICK AT THAT. IT'D MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE. BUT BY THE END OF THE YEAR, WE WILL HAVE 60 UP TO 60 NEW VEHICLES THAT WILL BE PART OF THIS FLEET. SO I APPRECIATE TURNER FOR DOING THAT. ON THE WAY OUT, I'M GONNA SEE IF I CAN HOLD HIM UPSIDE DOWN, SHAKE HIM BY THE LEGS, SEE WHAT ELSE I CAN GET TO FALL OUTTA THERE BEFORE HE LEAVES. SO, UH, SO DEFINITELY WE WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT. BUT THE ONE CLEAN HOUSTON INITIATIVE IS, IS TRULY BEEN A BLESSING BECAUSE, UH, A LOT OF PEOPLE LIKE TO SAY, WELL, YOU DID THIS BECAUSE OF THE DLJ, WRONG. YOU KNOW, WE ACTUALLY STARTED THIS INITIATIVE BEFORE THE DLJ UH, LAWSUIT CAME DOWN. SO, UH, ALTHOUGH WE ARE, UH, YOU KNOW, WE, WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE OUTCOME IS OUT THERE AND, AND RESULTS ARE OUT THERE, BUT WE ARE, WE, WE'VE HAD THESE INITIATIVES, UH, BEFORE THE DOJ GOT INVOLVED. SO DEFINITELY WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE WAS AWARE OF THAT. UM, OTHER THAN THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO TRYING TO MOVE FROM A GENERAL FUND AGAIN TO AN ENTERPRISE FUND. I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T LIKE TO HEAR IT, BUT WE NEED A RATE, BEING HONEST, NEED A RATE, UH, YOU KNOW, IN ORDER TO KIND OF GET THINGS RUNNING A LOT MORE SMOOTHLY. LOOK, IT'S NOT JUST FOR VEHICLES, IT'S NOT JUST FOR EMPLOYEES. IT'S, IT'S CERTAINLY NOT SO THAT I CAN RIDE AROUND IN A CAR WITH CORINTHIAN LEATHER, RIGHT? THAT'S CERTAINLY NOT WHAT IT'S FOR, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF INFRASTRUCTURE TOO THAT YOU DON'T SEE THAT REALLY IMPACTS THE SERVICE THAT WE PROVIDE. SO IF YOU CAN IMAGINE YOU HAVE A GARBAGE TRUCK THAT'S RUNNING AROUND IN THE FIELD, THAT TRUCK HAS TO GO TO SOMEPLACE TO DUMP THAT MATERIAL OUT. THERE'S A COUPLE LANDFILLS THROUGHOUT THE CITY OR IN THE REGION, BUT THEY'RE A LITTLE BIT, YOU KNOW, FURTHER OUT. SO WE HAVE TRANSFER STATIONS THROUGHOUT THE CITY, AND THOSE TRANSFER STATIONS ALLOW THOSE TRUCKS TO GET IN AND OUT AND BACK ON ROUTE SO THEY CAN PROVIDE THE SERVICES SCHEDULED. UH, A LOT OF THOSE TRANSFER STATIONS RIGHT NOW ARE IN NEED OF REPAIR BECAUSE THEY ARE 30 PLUS YEARS OLD. THEY'VE KIND OF OUTLIVED OR, YOU KNOW, THE CAPACITY FOR WHICH THEY'RE DESIGNED, AND THE CITY HAS GROWN AND EXPANDED. SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU HEAR ME TALKING ABOUT TRYING TO FUND THE DEPARTMENT, WE REALLY NEED TO TALK ABOUT FUNDING THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT THAT THE CITY OF HOUSTON HAS, HAS BASICALLY EXPERIENCED OVER THE LAST 10, 15 YEARS. SO, UH, YOU'LL HEAR A LITTLE BIT MORE COMING OUT ABOUT THAT, BUT, UH, AGAIN, I, I BELIEVE THE GARBAGE SERVICE DOWN IN THIS AREA IS RUNNING PRETTY GOOD, YOU KNOW, RECYCLING, I WON'T BE HAPPY UNTIL WE GET RECYCLING RUNNING ON THE DAY THAT IT'S DESIGNED TO RUN IT, IT REALLY PAINS ME TO HEAR, OH, I KNOW THEY'LL COME ON SATURDAY, OR I KNOW, YOU KNOW, PICK UP IS ON TUESDAY, BUT I KNOW THEY'LL GET IT DURING THE WEEK. NO, NO, NO. WE, WE WANT TO GET IT THE DAY THAT IT'S ACTUALLY SCHEDULED. SO BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THAT IS, UH, YOU KNOW, AND AGAIN, I I REALLY THANK, UH, THIS ADMINISTRATION FOR REALLY PUMPING IN THE SUPPORT I'VE BEEN HERE. LIKE I SAID, NOVEMBER 4TH WILL BE TWO YEARS, BUT I CAN LOOK BACK IN THE BOOKS AND I CAN SEE WHAT'S BEEN DONE IN THE PAST. AND THEN WHEN I LOOK TO SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW, YOU CAN REALLY SEE WHERE THERE'S BEEN A, A LITTLE BIT MORE ATTENTION, UH, APPLIED TO THE DEPARTMENT. AND, UH, I'LL NEVER FORGET WHEN I WAS TALKING TO MAYOR TURNER BEFORE I CAME DOWN, HE SAID, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT IT'S MY TOP THREE DEPARTMENTS, YOU KNOW, POLICE, FIRE, AND SOLID WASTE SAID IN THAT ORDER, POLICE, FIRE, AND SOLID WASTES. HE SAID, HE DIDN'T TELL ME THAT MY BUDGET WOULDN'T BE AS BIG AS POLICE AND FIRE SOLID WASTE. [00:20:01] SO HE KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOING, BUT I COULDN'T HAVE THOUGHT, COULDN'T HAVE, UH, GONE TO A GREATER CITY. SO HAVING A GREAT TIME, MAN, LOVING IT, ABSOLUTELY ENJOYING IT. IF YOU ASK MY WIFE, SHE'LL TELL YOU, YEAH, HE'S, HE'S HAVING A TIME OF HIS LIFE AND SHE'S NOT LYING. SO ANY QUESTIONS OR ANYTHING? YES, SIR. YEAH. YEP. YOU A DRIVER, GRANTED THEM. MM-HMM . I TOLD YOU THAT WAS A HELL OF A GOOD IDEA. YEP. YES SIR. IT IS. UH, WE HAVE, UH, TWO PEOPLE ON OUR STAFF RIGHT NOW WHO JUST GOT CERTIFIED. THEY HAVE THE FEDERAL CERTIFICATION TO ADMINISTER THE CV CDL TRAINING FORCE. AND THE BEAUTY OF THIS IS, IS IT HELPS US CREATE A PIPELINE. AND BY THAT I MEAN, ONCE WE, WE GET A CANDIDATE IN, EVEN IF THEY DON'T HAVE A COMMERCIAL DRIVER'S LICENSE, BY THE TIME WE FINISH WITH THEM, WE'LL GIVE THEM A VOUCHER. THE ONLY THING THEY HAVE TO DO IS GO DOWN TO THE DRIVER'S LICENSE OFFICE, SAY, CHEESE, AND THEY ADD A CDL, YOU KNOW? SO WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT. I BELIEVE WE'LL ACTUALLY GET THAT OFF THE GROUND BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR. AND SO WE'RE EXPECTING SOME GREAT THINGS ON OUT OF THAT. WE'VE GOT A COUPLE OF GUINEA PIGS THAT WE'RE TRAINING RIGHT NOW IN OUR DEPARTMENT, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT THE TRAINING GOES AS DESIGNED AND THEN, YOU KNOW, UH, SEE HOW RECOGNIZE THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT. AND THEN WE'LL LAUNCH IT, YOU KNOW, WE'LL KIND OF GO LIVE BY, UH, IN 24. SO WHEN WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD, MM-HMM . THANKS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ANYTHING ELSE? YEAH. AND THEN ALSO, Y'ALL MAY BE FAMILIAR WITH DESMOND ALLEN, SO HE'S DEFINITELY ONE OF OUR OUTREACH COORDINATORS THAT, THAT, UH, IF YOU EVER HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, HE'S, HE CAN DEFINITELY GET YOU IN THE RIGHT PLACE, GET YOU TO THE RIGHT ANSWER. SO IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE. THANK YOU. MM-HMM . THANKS MARK. AND I WILL POINT OUT, YOU MADE ONE MISTAKE, YOU SAID THAT, UH, YOU'LL NEVER GET RICH ON THIS JOB. ON TUESDAY AT CITY COUNCIL, WE PRESENTED A PROCLAMATION TO GENTLEMAN WHO IS THE MCDONALD'S, ONE OF THE, HAS THE MOST MCDONALD FRANCHISES IN THE UNITED STATES. HE STARTED ON THE BACK OF A GARBAGE TRUCK ABOUT 50 YEARS AGO, AND TO THIS DAY, HE HAS, UH, MORE MCDONALD'S FRANCHISES THAN A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES. SO A GREAT SUCCESS STORY. SO YOU MAY NOT GET RICH, BUT ONE DAY, THERE YOU GO. ONE DAY I'D LIKE TO WELCOME JORDAN MCGINTY FRAZIER. JORDAN USED TO BE OUR SOUTH SECTOR MANAGER FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. SHE GOT STOLEN BY SALLY ALCORN TO BECOME HER CHIEF OF STAFF AND, AND DOING A GREAT JOB. AND ALSO I TALKED ABOUT GLO, CALISSA PEREZ BACK THERE. CLARISSA USED TO WORK FOR US FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS AND, UH, HANDLE THIS AREA AS WELL. SO, UH, SO SORT OF ALUMNI DAY, ALUMNI NIGHT. SO IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE PEOPLE GO ON AND DO BIGGER AND BETTER THINGS, EVEN THOUGH I DON'T THINK THEY'RE BETTER SINCE THEY LEFT ME, BUT THAT'S OKAY. BUT, UH, MICHAEL, YOU READY WITH HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS IS GONNA GIVE US AN UPDATE ON THE ARLINGTON HEIGHTS PROJECT. SO MICHAEL, THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME, BUT, UH, IT'S KIND OF LESS NOSTALGIC FOR ME AT LEAST. UH, I'VE BEEN HERE SINCE 2019 DOING THESE MEETINGS. CIP UPDATES WITH YOU. AND, UH, I ACTUALLY WORE THE TIE THAT YOU MADE A COMMENT TO ME. SO THIS, THIS IS HOW , AND, AND THE FIRST THING YOU ASKED ME WAS, ARE YOU A MICHIGAN COLOR WOLVERINE? SO THAT'S HOW I REMEMBER THIS GUY. SO . SO TODAY, I'M A WOLVERINE. ANYWAY, ON BEHALF OF THE 4,000 EMPLOYEES, THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME COME HERE TODAY AND GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON THE CIP PROJECTS THAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING IN CLEAR LAKE. WE DO HAVE MULTIPLE STAFFS HERE, UH, SITTING AT THE TABLE. SO REALLY THANK THEM FOR BEING HERE. SO JUST START WITH OUR PURPOSE. WE ALWAYS DO THIS WITH EVERY PRESENTATION, OUR PURPOSE PURPOSES. TOGETHER WE CREATE A STRONG FOUNDATION FOR HOUSTON THRIVE. WE'RE KIND OF PROUD OF THIS A LITTLE BIT. UH, PUBLIC WORKS IS NOT SEXY, NOT THE NICE, FUN FANCY LIBRARY OR BUILDING, BUT IT IS THE CORE NEED, RIGHT? WATER, WASTEWATER, SPEED, AND DRAINAGE. IT'S THE FOUNDATION. SO, AND THESE ARE THE VALUES THAT WE TRY TO LIVE BY. WHERE'S THE COMPUTER AT? OH, THERE WE GO. CRENSHAW ROAD. UM, AS THE COUNCIL MEMBER, YOU KNOW, MENTIONED THIS, THIS IS REALLY, UM, A SUCCESS STORY. I'VE BEEN TO THESE MEETINGS, . OKAY. ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. SUCCESS STORY IN A LOT OF WAYS, BECAUSE I COME HERE AND I GIVE UPDATES. SO IN DESIGN, OR WE'RE DOING THIS, BUT WE ACTUALLY ARE [00:25:01] FINISHING SOMETHINGS. OKAY? SO CRENSHAW, IT WAS A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE COUNTY, WITH PRECINCT TWO, AND THAT'S A MILLION DOLLAR PROJECT WHERE WE DID RESURFACE AND CHANGED SOME OF THE CULVERTS AND REGRADED THE DITCH, AND ALSO ADDED SOME SIDEWALKS. AND, AND I'LL COME BACK TO YOU, . OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO THAT IS, UH, ACTUALLY THE HARRIS COUNTY HAS FINISHED IT AND NOW, AND THEY ARE IN SUBSTANTIAL COMPLETION. THEY'RE DOING THE FINAL PUNCH OF THE STATUS. HERE'S SOME PICTURES OF THAT EL DORADO. THIS IS ANOTHER FINISHED PROJECT IN FEBRUARY OF 2022. UM, THIS IS REALLY A MOBILITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT, UH, SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT IN, UH, AT SIGNALS AND, UH, TRAIL, A 10 FOOT WIDE TRAIL ALSO. UH, SO THIS IS AGAIN, A PARTNERSHIP WITH PRI SOON. TWO, SOME PICTURES THERE. THE OTHER ONE IS REALLY THE CRENSHAW DETENTION BASIN AND EXPANSION. THIS IS ACTUALLY ONE OF THE PRIMARY REQUIREMENT FOR ARLINGTON HEIGHTS PROJECT THAT WE HAVE. THIS IS WHERE THE DETENTION, THE WATER THAT WE COLLECT IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD GOES. UH, THERE WAS A, IN 2015, UH, HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL DID BUILD A, A DETENTION, AND THEN WE PARTNERED WITH THEM TO EXPAND IT TO THE SOUTH. UH, SO WE WILL MITIGATE WHEN WE DO THE ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, UH, PROJECT. SO IT WAS JUST COMPLETED AND IT WAS A MEDIA PRESS RELEASE. AND, UH, IN OCTOBER, IT'S A $6.7 MILLION PROJECT. UH, REALLY IMPORTANT ONE. AND THIS GOES INTO A FREEWAY MANNER AND EDGEBROOK AS WELL. 'CAUSE THIS, THIS CAPACITY IS REALLY IMPORTANT. AND, YOU KNOW, IN ENGINEERING TERM, WE CALL IT THE 91 ACRE FEET DETENTION. I DON'T KNOW. THAT KIND OF, THAT KIND OF EQUATES TO ABOUT 31 MILLION GALLONS OF STORM WATER DURING STORM THAT WE CAN GATHER INTO THIS EXPANSION. SO IT'S REALLY SUBSTANTIAL FOR THIS AREA. ARLINGTON HEIGHTS AREA SUB PROJECT ONE. THERE HE GOES. THIS ONE IS ACTUALLY, WE BID IT. AND, UH, WE OPENED THE BID, UH, LAST WEEK ON FRIDAY. AND, UH, OUR APPARENT, UH, WINNER IS, UH, SER CONSTRUCTION, AND LET ME PUT IT IN THIS WAY. OKAY. WE DO HAVE CONTRACTORS THAT ARE GOOD AND THEY'RE SUPERSTARS. SO THIS NEIGHBORHOOD SHOULD REALLY, SHOULD BE HAPPY BECAUSE SER IS ONE OF THE BEST. AND THE WAY I MEASURED THEM IS, UH, WE HAD ACTUALLY A PROJECT WITH THEM THAT THEY FINISHED AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD LOVED THEM SO MUCH WITH ALL THE INCONVENIENCE. THEY THREW 'EM A BARBECUE. SO THEY'RE THAT KIND OF GOOD. OKAY. UH, BUT WE'RE HAPPY ABOUT THAT. THE BID CAME ACTUALLY PRETTY GOOD. THEY'RE THE APPARENT WINNER. IT'S NOT OFFICIAL UNTIL WE ISSUE THE NOTICE TO PROCEED, BUT, BUT I'M KIND OF REALLY PLEASED WITH THAT PROJECT. AND HERE HIGHLIGHTED ARE THE STREETS THAT WILL BE IMPROVED AND INLINE DETENTION PLACED AND REPLACED, UH, WITH CONCRETE AND SIDEWALK, BECAUSE WE DO NEED TO ADD DETENTION, INLINE DETENTION. SO WE HAVE TO RECONSTRUCT THESE STREETS. AND THAT WOULD START IN ABOUT THREE TO FOUR MONTHS, PRETTY MUCH, UH, BECAUSE THE BID IS OPENED AND NOW WE HAVE TO GO INTO CONTRACT WITH THEM ALL. ARLINGTON HEIGHT SUB PROJECT TWO IS JUST THE NEIGHBORING PROJECT RIGHT THERE. AND, UH, WE ARE CURRENTLY FINISHING UP THE DESIGN. THIS IS PART OF, YOU KNOW, WE FINISHED THE DETENTION, WE'RE GONNA DO SUB PROJECT ONE, WHICH IS STARTING, AND IT WILL TAKE ABOUT TWO YEARS. AND THEN WE'LL MOVE ON TO THIS SECTION OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD FOR RECONSTRUCTION. THE WHAT? NO, THIS IS ARLINGTON STILL CORRECT. OKAY. . SO, SO THAT, THIS IS THE SECOND PART OF ARLINGTON HEIGHTS. UH, WE ESTIMATED IS ABOUT 13 MILLION, BUT IT WILL START IN FALL OF 2025, PRETTY MUCH AFTER TWO YEARS OF THE OTHER CONSTRUCTION. OKAY. I'LL TALK, UH, A LITTLE BIT. I KNOW KENYA IS SITTING THERE ENGAGED. HOUSTON IS HERE FROM, I CAN TALK ABOUT FREEWAY, MANOR AND EDGEBROOK AS WELL. UH, WHAT WE DID IS WE DO HAVE AN INITIATIVE AND WE'RE CURRENTLY IN DISCUSSION WITH HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL. UM, LET ME PUT IT UP ACTUALLY, [00:30:02] PART OF THE IMPROVEMENT THAT IS HAPPENING THERE. OOPS. OH, WE DIDN'T INCLUDE THE TWO, SORRY. WE DID HAVE A SLIDE FOR THAT TOO. BUT WHAT WE DID IS REALLY, UH, FREEWAY, MANOR AND EDGEBROOK, WE, WE FINISHED THE DETENTION. SO WE ARE WORKING WITH HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL TO IMPROVE ONE OF THE CHANNELS THAT IS OPEN CHANNEL RIGHT NOW. AND THE MAJOR SOLUTION THAT WE NEED TO HAVE FOR THAT TO HAPPEN IS WE NEED TO PUT FOUR 12 BY 12 BOXES INTO THAT CHANNEL FOR MITIGATION. AND ALSO ON ONE OF THE STREETS, UH, WE WILL PUT OTHER BOXES THAT WILL TIE INTO THE, UH, DETENTION BASIN THAT WE JUST DID, UM, ON, UH, TO GET THE STREETS HARD SUIT ROAD. MM-HMM . 2016 17 HOUSTON, UH, BROUGHT UP BROUGHT UP REBUILD HOUSTON. MM-HMM . AND FREEWAY MEADOW WAS BEFORE GULF WAY TERRACE, AND IT WAS ALL SUPPOSED TO START IN 2019. BUT WE KEPT, OR WERE TOLD BECAUSE OF HARVEY IT WAS DELAYED. HOW DID HARVEY DELAY THIS TO WHERE Y'ALL ARE STARTING ARLINGTON HEIGHTS IN 2023 INSTEAD OF 2019? OKAY. THERE IS, UH, A, A LOT OF REASONS WHY MOST OF THE PROJECTS IN THE OLD, OKAY, , ALL RIGHT. UH, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF REASONS WHY IT DIDN'T. UH, FIRST MAJOR REASON REALLY IS, UH, IN THE EARLY DAYS OF REBUILD HOUSTON, WHEN THEY DID THE PROJECTION, THERE WAS A LOT OF OPTIMISM, UH, OF THE AVALOR KIND OF SKYROCKETING. BUT REALITY HIT REALLY WELL BECAUSE OF THE, SOME OF THE WAY THAT WE COLLECT THE AD VALOREM TAX, IT'S VERY FLAT. SO THAT WE REALLY DO HAVE MUCH LESS FUNDING TO DO DRAINAGE PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE EVER PROJECTED BEFORE. THE INITIAL PART, THIS IS IN 2012, RIGHT? SO THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS. THE OTHER ONE IS, UM, IN THE OLD DAYS, WE ACTUALLY LOOKED AT THESE PROJECTS WITH A BLINDER, OKAY? AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS, UH, HARRIS COUNTY HAS THEIR OWN FACILITIES AND NEVER CONSIDERED THE OUTFALL, AND WE ARE GONNA DETAIN AS MUCH AS WE CAN UNDER THE ROAD. AND VERY QUICKLY WE REALIZED LIKE FREEWAY MANNER THAT YOU CANNOT DETAIN WITH LINE DETENTION, ALL THAT IS MOVED. SO WE HAD TO WORK WITH HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL TO FIX THE OUTFALLS, IMPROVE THE CHANNELS WHERE THEY RECEIVE IT, BECAUSE IT REALLY DOES MATTER. UH, SO THAT KIND OF HAS CHANGED A LOT OF OUR APPROACH ON HOW WE DO DRAINAGE PROJECTS. SO THE TWO MAJOR REASONS THAT IS EXACTLY WHY ARLINGTON HEIGHTS WAS STRETCHED OUT THE FREEWAY MATTER. AND, AND THAT'S AS WELL, BUT IT IS STILL ON THE LIST. MM-HMM . IT'S GOOD QUESTIONS. YOU WANT HEAR MY ? OKAY, LET'S HEAR IT. MR. MARTIN WILL TELL YOU, I'M THE NEIGHBORHOOD TROUBLEMAKER. OKAY? PUBLIC WORKS HAD AN ENGINEER BY NAME OF ENGINEERS 18 YEARS AGO. HE AND I KNEW EACH OTHER WELL. WE WORKED TOGETHER WELL AND WHATEVER. AND I SAID, WHEN IN THE WORLD WE GONNA GET CRENSHAW REDONE? AND OLD DEEP DITCHES CLOSED. HE GOT HIS BOOK OUT. HE SAID, MR. MACKEY, IT'S GONNA BE 18 YEARS. I SAID, OH MY GOD, CAN'T WE MOVE IT UP? HE SAID, NO. I SAID, WHAT ABOUT THE DITCHES? WE'LL CLOSE THEM. SO Y'ALL JUST NOW OVERLAID THE ROADWAY. IT'S AS SMOOTH AS IT WAS 18 YEARS AGO, BUT THE DITCHES ARE STILL THERE, AND THERE'S A SCHOOL THAT HAS GROWN AND THEY TURN LANES, AND I'M ALL OVER MR. MARTIN, ABOUT GETTING THOSE DITCHES CLOSED. ALL YOU GOTTA DO IS STRAIGHTEN OUT THE DITCH AND PUT THE PIPES IN AND MAKE THE STREET WIDER AND SAFER. BUT WHY WAS IT ON THE BOOKS 18 YEARS AGO AND Y'ALL DIDN'T DO IT NOW? UH, IT'S, IT'S THE SAVORY EVEN, UH, WHAT I'M ASKING IS MR. MARTIN SORT OF INDICATED Y'ALL ARE GOING BACK TO LOOK AT IT. YES, AND I HOPE THE HELL Y'ALL DO BECAUSE EVEN AT A PIP MEETING EARLIER THIS YEAR, WHEN I WAS TALKING ABOUT HOW UPSET I WAS ABOUT CRENSHAW, THE SERGEANT AT CLEAR LAKE SAID, YOU MEAN THAT ROAD WITH THE DEEP DITCHES? EVERYBODY KNOWS IT IS A DEEP DITCH . SO WHY DIDN'T Y'ALL ENGINEER IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME? ANYWAY, GET IT [00:35:01] BACK ON THE BOOKS, IS WHAT WE'RE ASKING. UH, BASICALLY WHAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW IS , WE, WE NEEDED AN IMMEDIATE, IT WAS VERY OBVIOUS, RIGHT? THE ROADWAY WAS BEAT UP. SO WITH THE AVAILABLE FUNDS THAT WE GOT, WE DEFINITELY DID WHAT WE CAN WITHIN THE 2.4 MILLION THAT WE HAD. THAT THAT'S TRUE. I MEAN, WE COULD DESIGN IT, BUT YOU KNOW, THE CONSTRUCTION COST MIGHT BE IN THE 30 MILLION TO COVER UP SOMETHING AND PUT IN LINE DETENTION. SO THAT'S REALLY THE CHALLENGE THAT WE HAVE. BUT, UH, OBVIOUSLY EVERY PROJECT IS CONSIDERED PIECE BY PIECE AND C PRIORITIZED AND, AND WHERE WE GOT, BUT CRENSHAW DEFINITELY WAS A PRIORITY FOR US TO DO SOMETHING RIGHT NOW, AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE DID. OKAY. ALL YOU CAN DO. ALL RIGHT. DECEMBER, OKAY? YES. OH, YOU HAVE A PLACE DIRECTLY, BUT GOING DOWN TO THE RIGHT SOUTH OF HERE, THEY'RE BUILDING A BIG WATER LINE THAT'S BLOCKING OFF EGRET BAY BOULEVARD. IF YOU HEARD ANYTHING FROM YOUR COUNTERPARTS IN LEAGUE CITY ABOUT WHEN THAT'S GONNA BE DONE AND THE ROAD REOPENED, I'M SORRY, I, I I SAID IT'S NOT YOUR COUNTY OR CITY, BUT I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD SOMETHING. I'LL BE HONEST. NO, I HAVE NO CLUE. THANK YOU. DO. YES, SIR. I'LL BE, I'LL BE RIGHT HERE. WHERE'S THE ALMOND GOING? WAIT, WAIT, WE HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION. ONE MORE QUESTION. OH, EL DORADO BEING COMPLETED. IT'S NOT COMPLETED. RIGHT? OKAY. AND I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT CENTER POINT. I THINK I'VE, I KNOW THAT'S OUTSIDE OF YOUR AREA, BUT WHAT ABOUT THE AREA DOWN BY THE BAYOU? THAT'S NOT COMPLETED AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED OR WHAT THE PLAN IS. THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE WORK THAT THE COUNTY'S DOING ON WALL BAYOU. OH, THERE WAS, I MIGHT NEED SOME HELP ON THERE. NO, NOT THE ROADWAY, IT'S THE BLOW OF WATER. AND WHAT OH, THE SIDEWALK. OKAY. ABOUT THE BIG HOLES. THERE'S AT LEAST TWO OF 'EM ALONG EL DORADO. THAT'S, THAT'S BEEN THERE FOR COUPLE OF YEARS. IT'S, SO THE BIG HOLES ARE WHERE CENTER POINT'S GONNA BE PUTTING THE LIGHT POLES? YES. ALL THE ONES WITH THE ORANGE FENCING AROUND THOSE BIG HOLES. THAT'S CENTER POINT. CENTER POINT . YEP. ARE GONNA BE FINISHED OR WHATEVER. WHICH PROJECT IS LED BE PAID HALF THE MONEY AND AND THAT COUNTY DOES THE CONSTRUCTION. CORRECT. SO WE WOULD A FUNDING MECHANISM. THEY'RE GETTING CONSTRUCTION, THEY NUMBER OF CONTRACTORS AND I THINK THE SOMETIMES THIS [00:40:47] YEP. YEAH, YOU CAN CALL US. WE CAN RESULTS. YEAH. YEAH. ALRIGHT. LET'S STILL CALL, I MEAN, CALL OUR OFFICE. WE FIELD ALL THE POINTS AND WE WORK WITH, UH, PRECINCT TOO ALL THE TIME. THEY'RE GOOD TO WORK WITH. I ENJOY WORKING WITH TOO. WE'VE DONE A LOT OF REALLY GOOD PROJECTS. I ENJOY WORKING WITH, WE'VE DONE A LOT OF PROJECT, WE'LL GET IT DONE. BUT I KNOW IF ADRIAN, YOU SITTING RIGHT HERE, HE COULD SAY THE SAME THING. I NEED NOT HAPPY. PUSHING THE ROADS IN CLEAR LAKE HAVE BEEN DETERIORATING A LOT MORE IN THE LAST COUPLE YEARS THAN THEY USED TO BE. IT JUST SEEMS LIKE ALL OVER CLEAR LAKE. THERE, THERE ARE ROADS THAT JUST SEEM TO BE FALLING APART ON, IN CAMINO, SOUTH RILEY LIVE AND A LOT OF OTHER PLACES WHERE YOU JUST, YOU CAN HARDLY DRIVE DOWN THE ROAD WITHOUT PL AND ALL OVER IS. AM I CORRECT? I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S 'CAUSE OF ALL THIS HOT SUMMER WE HAD OR SOMETHING, BUT IT JUST SEEMS LIKE, SEEMS LIKE THINGS HAVE REALLY GOTTEN WORSE IN IN THE LAST FEW YEARS THAN I EVER REMEMBER. 'EM BEING, IT, IT IS A COMBINATION THAT'S AGE ONE. YOU KNOW, A LOT OF OUR STREETS ARE GETTING TO THE FINAL STAGE OF THEIR SERVICE LIFE DESIGNED. UH, AND YES, THE, THE DRY WEATHER ACTUALLY DOES IMPACT, IF IT IS PARTICULARLY ON THE CONCRETE PANELS, YOU, YOU'LL SEE A LOT MORE SETTLEMENTS, UM, AND IMPACT ON IT. SO YEAH. WELL, IT AFFECTS MY BUDGET. WE HAVE, WE HAVE COUNCIL DISTRICT SERVICE FUND. YEAH, A LOT OF, LOT OF IT. I'M NOT A BIG FAN OF, OF FILLING POP. I THINK THAT LASTS FOR ABOUT A MONTH. I'M A FAN OF WASTE, THE WHOLE CONCRETE PANEL. SO IN CLEAR LAKE, WE'VE DONE A WHILE. CONCRETE, WHAT I'VE LEARNED, AND I'M NOT SURE IS HOW ACCURATE THE, UM, WHEN IT WAS DEVELOPED, MANY, THE STREETS WERE DONE WITH NINE INCH FOUNDATIONS IN TODAY'S STANDARD 11. SO LET'S TAKE THE HEB AREA, YOU KNOW, THE 18 WHEELERS THAT ARE GOING UP AND DOWN THAT WEREN'T BUILT IN, DESIGNED 18 YEARS, 50 YEARS AGO WHEN WE HAVEN'T DONE A LOT DOUBTING WITH RECONSTRUCTION. AND THAT'S IN THIS AREA BECAUSE IT'S RELATIVELY A NEWER AREA, THE CITY SOME 18, 19. BUT WE DO A LOT OF CONCRETE PENALTY. UH, FRED FLICKINGER WAS BOSTON, FRED'S RUNNING FOR, FOR THE CITY. SO, UM, COME JANUARY HE'S ELECTED YELL HARD AND HIM BECAUSE THAT'S THE ONLY RATE TO AGGRESSIVE. TRUE. DO IT WITHIN THE TOWN ITSELF. NOT TO MY OPINION. ONE, ONE. YEAH. WELL, A LOT OF THE ROADS WEREN'T DESIGNED, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THE WAY FRENCH WAS DESIGNED, CLEARLY THE SAME WAY THEY DESIGNED THE TEAM. AND THAT IS, THEY DON'T, THEY NEVER DESIGNED THE AIRWOOD TO HAVE COMMERCIAL PROPER. THEY NEVER DID DESIGNED TO HAVE THE BIG MEGA CONFERENCE LIKE THE WOODLANDS WITH THINGS OF THAT NATURE. THEY WANTED IT TO BE EXACTLY WHAT IT WOULD LIKE. AND UNFORTUNATE SITUATION IS WHEN, UH, YOU ELA DID THE HEV, NOT TO SAY THAT'S, I UNFORTUNATE IT'S A GREAT PROJECT, BUT, UM, THE 18 WHEELERS THAT COME UP AND DOWN STREETS THAT WERE NEVER DESIGNED TO HANDLE THE WEIGHT OF 18 WHEELERS, . [00:45:01] AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, THAT CONSTRUCTION PROJECT THAT WERE DONE YEARS AGO. THE DOWN WE'RE TRYING TO ADDRESS IT WITH CONCRETE PANEL REPLACEMENT. I STILL THINK THAT. AND, UH, IF YOU HAVE AREAS THAT, THAT ARE IN NEED, LET US KNOW. AND WE PUT CONCRETE, BUT THE FUNDS ARE LIMITED. WE TRY DO SAME THING AS KINGWOOD AND SOUTH. MM-HMM . WE MORE MONEY IN THIS AREA ON MAKES SENSE. I'LL TELL YOU THE, THE MAJOR FUN SHIFT THAT HAS HAPPENED WITHIN THE LAST FIVE YEARS IS THAT IN, IN, IN THE OLD TIME, I MEAN, WE REALLY THOUGHT WE COULD RECONSTRUCT OUT OF WHAT WE NEED TO MAINTAIN AND OPERATE IN OUR STREETS. AND THAT DID NOT STRETCH ENOUGH TO COVER A LOT OF IT. SO WHAT THE COUNCIL MEMBER IS TALKING ABOUT, THE REHABILITATION, THESE H REPLACEMENT, THE MILL AND OVERLAY THAT'S FUNDING HAS SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED WHERE THE COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE ACTUALLY SOME SAY INTO IT. SO IT IS THE ONLY WAY THAT WE CAN KEEP UP WITH THE AMOUNT OF INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE GOT HARDER AND HARDER. THIS, THIS MEET, WE HAVE BUSTED PIPE ALL OVER THE PLACE AND A LOT OF THE BUSTED PIPES AT, UM, IT'S THE MATERIAL THAT, UH, LOSAN WITH, WHAT'S IT CALLED? ASBESTOS. ASBESTOS. MM-HMM . SO INSTEAD OF REPLACING THAT AREA, WE HAVE TO REPLACE THE HEAD LINE PIPE IN THE WHOLE DOOR. WHEN WE START DIGGING UP HEIGHT, YOU, YOU DIG UP LINE THREE, WELL NEVER ENDING CYCLE. AND WHEN WE START DOING THAT, ESPECIALLY IN THE OLD AREA, UH, THE HEIGHTS, THE MEMORIAL SECTOR. SO ONCE YOU HAVE A PLASTIC HEIGHT, YOU HAVE TO REPLACE THE HEIGHT. WHEN WE START DOING THAT, WE GO INTO SIGNIFICANT, SORT OF GET A HIT, YOU KNOW, WATCH THE DECAY MAIL WAS TODAY, LAST MONDAY, AND, UM, PROBABLY SO THE FIRST THREE MINUTES, FOUR MINUTES, UH, I YELLED AT THREE TIMES AND MY WIFE POLITELY ASKED ME TO LEAVE . SO I WENT TO PUT ON MY RUNNING SHOES AND I WENT FOR A RUN PART. WHAT I WAS DEB DID, YET PEOPLE ON DESK 20 YEARS AGO, THEY WERE NEST 11 YEARS AGO WHEN I GOT INTO ALL AND DON'T TOMORROW. BECAUSE IF YOU WANT TO RECONSTRUCT EVERY STREET, IT'S GONNA COST US A TRILLION DOLLARS AND YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH CONTRACTORS TO DO IT. RIGHT. SO, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO BACK IN A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A PROBLEM. IT'S A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM WITH THE WEATHER THAT WE HAD, UH, THIS SUMMER IT'S CREATED MORE OF A PROBLEM. SO. ALL RIGHT. UM, JUST FOR TIME REASONS, WE WILL SAVE ANY QUESTIONS THAT WE HAVE AT THE END AND IF WE CAN MOVE ON TO THE NEXT PRESENTER. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MICHAEL. THANKS MICHAEL. NOW ON A REALLY GOOD SUBJECT, WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT CRIME, RIGHT? COMMANDER, COMMANDER CLAUDIA CRUZ IS GONNA GIVE US AN UPDATE ON SOME STATISTICS. THE GOOD NEWS, I THINK THAT STATISTICS ARE HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION WHEN YOU COMPARE 'EM TO 2022. EVEN. UH, WE HAD, UH, CHIEF FINNER TALK TO US AT COUNCIL ON WEDNESDAY AND GAVE US SOME NUMBERS. COMPARATIVE CITYWIDE 23 TO 22. AND WE EVEN WENT BACK TO PRE COVID IN 20. AND THE NUMBERS HAVE REALLY IMPROVED A LOT. BUT, YOU KNOW, IT'S FUNNY, WE HAD, UH, IN DISTRICT E WE HAD A HUNDRED PERCENT INCREASE IN, UM, IN HOMICIDES. AND IT WAS ONE CASE AND IT WAS A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CASE, PROBABLY ABOUT THREE BLOCKS FROM WHERE I LIVE. AND, UM, AND WE KNOW THE PEOPLE. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S A, THAT'S A TOUGH ONE BECAUSE WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE THAT HAPPENS WHEN IN A, WITHIN A HOUSE AND YOU NEVER HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT'S GOING ON? AND UNFORTUNATELY, UH, UH, THE WHITE PARISH, THE HANDS OF THE, UH, OF THE HUSBAND, SO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PRE POST COVID HAS BEEN REALLY RAMPANT IN THE CITY AND WE'VE HAD SOME SIGNIFICANT ISSUES WITH IT, BUT, UM, WE THINK THEY'RE GETTING BETTER AND HOPEFULLY THE, THE NUMBERS WILL KEEP TRENDING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. BUT IT'S AN HONOR TO WELCOME COMMANDER CRUZ HERE AND, UH, SHE'LL GIVE US AN UPDATE ON WHERE WE ARE. WELL, GOOD EVENING. UH, AND I WANNA START OFF BY SAYING THANK YOU MAYOR PRO TEM FOR, UM, YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT TO US. YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN VERY GOOD TO US. UH, WE'RE GONNA MISS YOU. [00:50:01] UM, SORRY, DO I NEED TO START OVER? NO, THANK YOU. AND WE'RE GONNA MISS YOU . SO I GET, I GET THE FUN JOB OF TALKING ABOUT CRIME STATS AND UH, LIKE MAYOR PRO TEM SAID THAT, UH, CHIEF FINNER SPOKE ABOUT THE CRIME STATS AND WE'RE BASICALLY HERE AT CLEAR LAKE. WE REFLECT THE SAME NUMBERS, UH, THAT ARE GOING ON CITYWIDE. WE'RE SEEING DECREASES IN THE AREA. THANKFULLY, UM, THERE ARE SOME AREAS IN WHICH WE DO HAVE INCREASES, BUT THAT'S A CITYWIDE TREND. IT'S NOT NECESSARILY SPECIFIC TO, UH, CLEAR LAKE, BUT GOING BACK TO TALKING ABOUT THE SUPPORT THAT THE MAYOR PROAM HAS GIVEN US, UH, LAST YEAR, WE WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE THE OFFICERS, EVERY SINGLE OFFICER AT CLEAR LAKE DIVISION WITH THE FIRST AID KIT. SO THEY'RE ABLE TO NOW PROVIDE MEDICAL ASSISTANCE WHEN THEY GO ON THESE CALLS, THESE SHOOTINGS. UM, I SEE IT ALL THE TIME. THEY'RE USING THEIR TOURNIQUETS AND THEY'RE SAVING LIVES OUT THERE. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, WE'RE DOING REALLY GOOD WORK OUT THERE. UH, BUT I KNEW SOMEDAY I WAS GOING TO HAVE TO ANSWER THE QUESTION OF WHAT DID YOU DO WITH THE MONEY I GAVE YOU, RIGHT? SO HERE I AM EXPLAINING THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN I FIRST TOOK OVER A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT EDGE BROKE, WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT SOUTH BELT, UM, IN JUST THIS MEETING ALONE. BUT BASICALLY, UH, THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT I'VE LIVED FOR THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF. UH, WE'VE HAD A REAL FOCUS ON THAT AREA IN EDGEBROOK. I KNOW EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM HAS PROBABLY HEARD OF THE REDFORD APARTMENT COMPLEX IN CABO SAN LUCAS, RIGHT? UM, BUT I AM PROUD TO SAY THAT WITH THE COMMITMENT OF THESE OFFICERS, WE WERE ABLE TO DRIVE THE NUMBERS DOWN. UM, I'M JUST GONNA SAY THAT CHANNEL 13 IS, IS DOING A NEW STORY ON THE FACT THAT WE WERE ABLE TO DRIVE THOSE NUMBERS DOWN. IT'S GONNA AIR ON OCTOBER 26TH. SO IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN WATCHING THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, I RECOMMEND IT. UH, THEY'RE GONNA HAVE A REALLY GOOD PERSON, THE SPEAKER ON THE SHOW, SO IF YOU'RE INTERESTED, UM, BUT HERE'S WHAT WE DID WITH YOUR MONEY . WE FOCUSED MOST OF OUR FUNDS ON THOSE HOTSPOT AREAS, WHICH, LIKE I SAID, WAS MAINLY OVER IN THE EDGEBROOK AREA. BUT WITH THAT, IT IS DELICATE BALANCE BECAUSE WE CAN'T JUST FOCUS ALL OF OUR EFFORTS IN ONE AREA. WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT 47 SQUARE MILES THAT WE HAVE TO COVER 150,000 PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF. UM, SO IT'S, IT'S A BALANCE AND WE HAVE TO MOVE OUR RESOURCES WHERE WE SEE THE NEED. AND I THINK WE'VE DONE A REALLY GOOD JOB OF THAT. UM, IN THAT SPECIAL, YOU'LL FIND BASICALLY IN THAT AREA, WE'VE, WE'VE DRIVEN DOWN CRIME ABOUT 27% REALLY FOR THE CLEAR LAKE AREA. SO, LIKE I SAID, WE'RE PRETTY PROUD OF THAT. WE'VE DONE A LOT OF TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT IN THE AREA. UM, THERE WERE SECTIONS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED THAT WERE OUR HOTSPOTS FOR TRAFFIC. THAT'S WHERE WE'RE GONNA HAVE THE MOST FATALITIES. UH, WE FOCUSED OUR EFFORTS THERE. UM, WE'VE ALSO DONE QUITE A BIT OF DWI ENFORCEMENT AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EVENTS. UM, SO WITH A, WITH THAT 45 EDGEBROOK AREA, IT, IT TOOK ALL OF THIS IN ORDER FOR US TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN. IT TOOK A LOT OF RESOURCES AND IT TOOK A LOT OF US ASKING OTHERS TO COME AND HELP US OUT TO DO IT. UM, I THINK WE'VE GOTTEN PAST THE POINT WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT WHERE, YOU KNOW, THE FOCUS IS ON JUST THE ONE STATION TAKING CARE OF THEIR OWN PROBLEM. UH, WE'RE NOW EXPANDING OUT AND ASKING EACH OTHER, HEY, IF YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES, PLEASE SEND THEM OUR WAY BECAUSE EVERYONE'S SHORT, RIGHT? AND I APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS THAT WE ARE SHORT STAFFED, UM, BUT WE'RE DOING THE BEST THAT WE CAN AND JUST KNOW THAT WE ARE ACTUALLY HELPING EACH OTHER OUT. AND SO IT, I GUESS IT IMPROVES THE, UM, THE ABILITY FOR US TO GET THINGS DONE IS WORKING TOGETHER, AND THAT, THAT'S WORKED REALLY WELL ON THAT AREA. SO NUMBERS, UM, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF, UH, PRIMARY CALLS FOR SERVICE. SO WE'VE DONE, AND THIS IS SPREAD OUT BETWEEN THE OVERTIME FUNDS THAT YOU GAVE US AND ALSO THE OVERTIME, THE ONE SAFE HOUSTON OVERTIME. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE KIND OF SPREADING OUR RESOURCES. SO THE NUMBERS MAY NOT SOUND GREAT, BUT REALLY WITH THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT WE'RE PUTTING OUT THERE IS GOOD NUMBERS. SO WE RUN 85 CALLS FOR SERVICE, PRIMARY CALLS FOR SERVICE, 41 CALLS PER SERVICE. AND SECONDARY, UH, 61 OFFENSE REPORTS. WE'VE MADE OVER 250 CONTACT CITIZEN CONTACTS IN JUST THE FAIRLY AREA. UM, 11 FELONY ARRESTS, UH, NEARLY 300 MOVING TRAFFIC CITATIONS, 600 NON-MOVING TRAFFIC CITATIONS FOR A TOTAL OF 790, UM, TRAFFIC, UH, CONTACTS. UM, WE'VE ALSO RECOVERED SEVERAL GUNS, UM, STOLEN VEHICLES AND OVER THREE, OVER 700 [00:55:01] GRAMS OF NARCOTICS. ALL IN ALL, WE BASICALLY ARRESTED 17 ADULTS IN THE AREA. SO FOR OUR STATS, UM, LIKE I SAID, WE HAVE SEEN INCREASES, BUT THESE ARE ALSO CITYWIDE INCREASES. SO THE NUMBER OF AUTO THEFTS IS STILL, IS STILL UP. AND, UH, PART OF, AND I SAY THIS EVERY TIME, IT'S AT PIT MEETINGS, RIGHT? ANYWHERE YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A LOT OF VEHICLES CONCENTRATED IN ONE AREA, THAT'S GONNA BE A TARGET FOR, FOR YOUR CRIMINALS. SO PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT, UM, YOU ARE SECURING YOUR VEHICLES. PLEASE DON'T LEAVE THINGS IN YOUR CAR. TRY TO EDUCATE PEOPLE ON HOW ENTICING IT IS FOR CRIMINALS TO, UH, TRY TO GET IN YOUR CAR WHEN THEY SEE ANYTHING OF VALUE IN THERE. UH, THE GOOD NEWS IS, AS FAR AS MURDERS, WE'RE DOWN 30% AND ROBBERIES WE'RE DOWN 27%. SO ALL IN ALL, OUR NONVIOLENT CRIME IS DOWN 10% OVERALL, AND VIOLENT CRIME IS DOWN 24%. UM, I JUST WANNA END WITH THE FACT THAT I'M REALLY PROUD OF EVERYTHING THAT THE OFFICERS HAVE DONE TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN. LIKE I SAID, AND I THINK EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS. UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE DON'T HAVE THE SAME RESOURCES THAT WE HAD 10 YEARS AGO AND SO WE'RE REALLY DOING OUR BEST WITH WHAT WE HAVE. BUT WE DEFINITELY HAVE SOME VERY COMMITTED MEN AND WOMEN THAT WORK AT THE CLEAR LAKE DIVISION AND I'M REALLY PROUD OF THAT FACT. UM, THAT'S ALL I GOT. ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU. YES MA'AM. YES. TOGETHER ALL 11 YEARS, . THANKS. UM, BEFORE I ASK MY QUESTION TO COMMANDER CRUZ, I CANNOT LET THIS NOT GO BY WITHOUT SAYING A SINCERE THANK YOU TO OUR COUNCIL MEMBER, OUR MAYOR PRO, TIM DAVE MARTIN. YOU CAN ALWAYS TELL A LOT ABOUT AN ELECTED OFFICIAL BY THEIR STAFF THEY HIRE AND THE STAFF THEY KEEP. YOU HAVE ALWAYS HAD THE BEST. UM, THEY'RE VERY PROFESSIONAL, THEY KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING AND THEY RESPOND FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. SO THANK YOU FROM THE TIME I GOT TO WORK WITH YOU WHEN I WORKED FOR THE MAYOR TO THE LAST EIGHT YEARS AND WORKING WITH YOU WHILE YOU'RE BEING COUNCIL. AND I HOPE THIS AREA REALIZES WHAT IT MEANT WHEN HE WAS APPOINTED MAYOR PRO TIM. UM, THAT CLOSE RELATIONSHIP AND HAVING THE MAYOR'S EAR MEANT THAT WE GOT FUNDING FOR SPACEPORT WHEN WE NEEDED IT, FOR THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO HAVING THE EAR OF ADRIAN GARCIA AND MAKING SURE THAT WE GOT EL DORADO EXPANDED AND MANY, MANY OTHER IMPORTANT THINGS THAT WE'VE NEEDED IN THIS AREA. SO DAVE MARTIN, THANK YOU. I'M GONNA MISS OUR 7:30 AM BREAKFASTS. NOBODY ELSE WILL HAVE THOSE WITH ME DOWNTOWN, SO I'M GONNA MISS THAT. BUT ANYWAY, I DO HAVE A QUESTION, UH, COMMANDER CRUZ AND I DO HOPE YOU KNOW HOW WE ALL APPRECIATE YOU AND ALL OF YOUR OFFICERS AND HOW MUCH WE, UH, SINCERELY APPRECIATE THE JOB YOU DO. UM, THANK YOU IS NOT SAID ENOUGH. BUT I DO HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT AN, UH, PIECE THAT APPEARED ON A, B, C, OUR LOCAL AFFILIATE DOWN HERE, UM, ABOUT THE SEXUAL PREDATOR THAT WAS, UM, PASSING ON, UM, CHILD PORNOGRAPHY OVER THE INTERNET. AND I THINK IT WAS THE INTERNET STEAM, UH, GROUP THAT GOT THEM, UH, THAT CAUGHT HIM. UH, AND MY CONCERN IS THEY ALSO FOUND CHILDREN'S UNDERWEAR PANTIES WITH HIM AS WELL WHEN THEY WENT TO ARREST HIM. NUMBER ONE IS WHERE THAT IS IN THE PROCESS. AND NUMBER TWO, I HAVE A CONCERN ABOUT THE FACT THAT WHERE HE RESIDES IS CLOSE TO TWO ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, REALLY THREE AND TWO CHURCHES. AND IF THOSE HAVE BEEN, UM, NOTIFIED OF THIS INCIDENT, BECAUSE I'M CONCERNED THAT THERE MAY BE OTHER CHILDREN THAT WERE VIOLATED THAT THEY DON'T KNOW ABOUT YET. 'CAUSE THOSE PARENTS DON'T KNOW AND HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO SPEAK TO THEIR KIDS. SO, SO, UM, I THINK YOUR FIRST QUESTION WAS WHERE IS IT? UH, WHAT'S THE ? WHERE IS IT IN THE PROCESS? UM, SO I WOULDN'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION. UM, SO I RUN A PATROL STATION. WE USUALLY RUN, YOU KNOW, CALLS FOR SERVICE WHEN SOMEBODY BANKS THE INITIAL CALL. SO WE DON'T ALWAYS KNOW WHEN AN INVESTIGATIVE DIVISION IS, UH, TIPPED OFF TO A CERTAIN INCIDENT AND THEN THEY BEGIN THE INVESTIGATION. AND THIS IS ONE OF THOSE CASES. UM, BUT I CAN LOOK INTO IT AND, AND FIND OUT WHERE THEY ARE IN THAT PROCESS. UH, BUT I KNOW THAT THOSE, THOSE INVESTIGATIONS ARE VERY, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, THEY GET INTO A VERY DETAILED AND SOMETIMES THEY CAN BE LONG-TERM INVESTIGATIONS, RIGHT. UM, BUT I WILL FIND OUT AS FAR AS, UM, I THINK YOUR NEXT QUESTION WAS CONCERNING WHETHER OR NOT THE SCHOOLS ARE NOTED, WHETHER SCHOOLS OUR ISD IN A PRIVATE SCHOOL, WHETHER THEY HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED OF IT [01:00:01] SO THAT, SO WITHIN THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT, WE HAVE A, UH, UNIT THAT'S CALLED THE SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION UNIT, AND THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING THOSE NOTIFICATIONS OF ANY SEX OFFENDER THAT LIVES NEAR A SCHOOL. I'LL CHECK, I'M GONNA FIND OUT IF THEY HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED. I, IT IS JUST OF GREAT CONCERN AND I KNOW THE FBI WAS IN ON IT, IT WAS ENDED UP BEING A FEDERAL, OUT OF THE FEDERAL TASK FORCE ON THEIR NET ACCORDING TO THE A BC REPORT. SO, AND MOST OF THE TIMES WHEN YOU SEE NEWS STORIES LIKE THAT, UM, THEY ARE PUTTING THAT INFORMATION OUT THERE IN ORDER FOR IF SOMEBODY DOES KNOW THAT PERSON AND THEY DID HAVE CONTACT WITH THAT PERSON, THAT THEY CAN CONTACT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION. SO IT IS POSSIBLE THAT OTHER PEOPLE MAY HAVE CONTACTED THAT DIVISION TO, TO MAKE A COMPLAINT ABOUT THAT PERSON. BUT I, I DON'T KNOW THAT, 'CAUSE I DON'T, I DON'T WORK THAT DIVISION. THANK YOU. I'LL FOLLOW UP WITH YOU. OKAY, THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR TIME REASONS? I THINK WE'RE GONNA KEEP MOVING, BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH, CLAUDIA. EVERYONE GIVE A ROUND APPLAUSE. ALL RIGHT. JIMMY SPENCE, TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MY FAVORITE AREA THAT'S GROWING AND BLOWING AND GOING IS HOUSTON SPACEPORT. A LOT OF GOOD THINGS HAPPENING OUT THERE. GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY. AND UH, I TOO, I'M GONNA ADJUST THE MIC. I TOO, I'M GONNA THANK, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER MARTIN FOR UH, ALL, HE IS DONE FOR THE HOUSTON SPACEPORT. OVER THE YEARS, WE HAVE NOT HAD, UH, BETTER FRIEND OR CHAMPION UH, WHETHER IT'S SECURING RIGHT OF WAYS OR BUILDING CONSENSUS AMONG THE COUNCIL, UH, YOU REALLY HELPED US ALONG AND MADE WHAT I DO A LOT EASIER HERE IN DEVELOPING THE SPACEPORT. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. SO, UH, HOUSTON HAS A SPACEPORT. I DON'T KNOW THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT. I TRY TO TELL EVERYBODY THAT I CAN. UH, WE CAN LAUNCH THINGS TO SPACE FROM, UH, THE HOUSTON SPACEPORT, WHICH IS CO-LOCATED THERE AT ELLINGTON FIELD. NOW WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT ROCKETS. WE'RE NOT GONNA HAVE ANY ROCKETS LAUNCHING LIKE YOU WOULD NORMALLY THINK IN HOUSTON. YOU GOTTA THINK MORE LIKE, UH, VIRGIN GALACTIC. IT'S A HORIZONTAL LAUNCH, UH, OPERATION THAT IS A LITTLE BIT IN THE FUTURE. UH, VIRGIN GALACTIC'S JUST NOW GETTING STARTED WITH THEIR HORIZONTAL LAUNCHES SPACE REGULARLY WHILE THAT TECHNOLOGY'S DEVELOPING AND WE HOPE TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THAT IN HOUSTON. ONE DAY. WE HAD A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD A TECHNOLOGY AND, UH, RESEARCH PARK, UH, THAT COULD SERVE AS AN AEROSPACE, COMMERCIAL, AEROSPACE HUB RIGHT HERE IN HOUSTON. AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE'VE BEEN USING IN DEVELOPING THE HOUSTON SPACE FOR, FOR NOW. I'M GONNA CLICK THROUGH A FEW SLIDES HERE 'CAUSE I AM STANDING BETWEEN, UH, EVERYBODY IN THE ASTROS GAME, INCLUDING MYSELF, SO I WON'T, I WILL TRY TO KEEP MY COMMENTS BRIEF. PLEASE ASK QUESTIONS. I USED TO BE A SCHOOL TEACHER, YOU CAN JUST SHOUT QUESTIONS AT ME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PRESENTATION. I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THAT WHATSOEVER. SO WE REALLY, OH MAN, THAT FINALLY REALLY MESSED THAT UP. UH, . WE, WE TRY TO FOCUS ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP, SUPPORTING ENTREPRENEURS, ESPECIALLY IN HOUSTON. WE WANT HOUSTON TALENT TO BE ABLE TO GROW AND STAY HERE, NOT HAVE TO MOVE ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY, UH, JUST BECAUSE WE CAN'T SUPPORT THEM HERE. UH, WE FOCUS ON COMPANIES THAT ARE INNOVATIVE IN WHAT THEY'RE DOING, WHICH YOU'LL SEE HERE IN A SECOND. UH, WE HAVE QUITE A FEW OF THEM. AND THEN USING THE HELP HOUSTON SPACE FOR TO REALLY DEVELOP THE AREA, CREATE JOBS, AND, UH, CREATE JUST BETTER OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE CITY. AND ITS, UH, CITIZENS. IT STARTED BACK IN 2012. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER MARTIN HAS BEEN WITH US THIS ENTIRE TIME, BASICALLY HOLDING OUR HAND THROUGH THIS PROCESS AS WE'VE GONE. UH, WE STARTED OUT WITH, UH, FEASIBILITY STUDIES. 2015. WE GOT OUR HORIZONTAL LAUNCH LICENSE. UH, AND WE'VE BEEN GROWING SINCE THEN. WHAT WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO DO IS REALLY CREATE, UH, UH, OPPORTUNITIES, UH, FOR OUR TENANTS BY LEVERAGING WHAT WE HAVE. ELLINGTON FIELD IS ONE OF THE OLDEST AIRPORTS IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY. IT'S BEEN AROUND SINCE 1917. WE HAVE GREAT INFRASTRUCTURE THERE. TWO WORLD-CLASS RUNWAYS, UH, AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL. UH, OF COURSE WE HAVE THE MILITARY PRESENCE THERE, NASA AND ALL OF THAT STUFF. SO WE WANTED TO LEVERAGE WHAT WE HAD TO BRING MORE TENANTS IN THAT COULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS. UM, SO YEAH, AND I GOTTA SAY THAT WE'VE HAD MYSELF ON THE BACK. YES, WE'VE DONE A GREAT JOB IN, IN JUST ABOUT SIX. IT SHOULD BE UPDATED ACTUALLY, PROBABLY TO SEVEN NOW. BUT WE'VE GONE FROM A PAPER SPACE PORT, JUST A PAPER LICENSE TO ACTIVELY SUPPORTING HERE IN HOUSTON, THE COMMERCIAL, UH, SPACE INDUSTRY, LUNAR ACTIVITIES, LOW EARTH ORBIT ACTIVITIES. UM, AND IT'S KIND OF LIKE ONE OF THOSE, UH, SEVEN YEAR OVERNIGHT SUCCESSES. SO IT'S BEEN PRETTY, PRETTY AMAZING TO GO ALONG. FIRST THING WE REALIZED WHEN WE STARTED, UH, BUILDING THE HOUSTON SPACEPORT, WE HAD TO HAVE A PARTNER IN EDUCATION. [01:05:01] WE HAD TO HAVE A LOT OF PARTNERS, BUT SPECIFICALLY IN EDUCATION, WE HAD TO BE ABLE TO TRAIN A WORKFORCE THAT COULD, UH, HANDLE THE DEMANDS OF THE COMMERCIAL AEROSPACE INDUSTRY. SPECIFICALLY, WE HAD TO BE ABLE TO TRAIN TECHNICIANS SO THAT THEY COULD WORK IN THE MANUFACTURING, UM, FACILITIES THAT WE WANTED TO BRING TO HOUSTON. THIS IS KIND OF AN AREA THAT HOUSTON DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF EXPERTISE IN. WE DO GREAT WITH HUMAN HEALTH AND PERFORMANCE. WE DO GREAT IN ENGINEERING. UH, WE DO GREAT IN RESEARCH. WE REALLY DIDN'T HAVE AEROSPACE MANUFACTURING IN HOUSTON UNTIL THE HOUSTON SPACEPORT CAME AROUND. CREATES A LOT OF JOBS. UH, BUT ALL OF THOSE TECHNICIANS HAD TO BE TRAINED. WE PARTNERED WITH THE, UH, STANDARD CENTER COLLEGE, WHICH JUST SO HAPPENS TO BE ONE OF THE TOP 10 COMMUNITY COLLEGES IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY. UM, AND THEY DEVELOPED A PROGRAM FOR US CALLED THE EDGE CENTER, WHERE COMPANIES COULD WORK WITH THE SCHOOL TO GET THE, UH, TECHNICIANS TRAINED HOW THEY NEEDED TO BE. WHEN WE STARTED WORKING ON COMPANIES TO BRING, FIRST COMPANY THAT WE BROUGHT WAS COLLINS. UH, THEN WE, UH, WELL COLLINS WAS THE FIRST TO OPEN THEIR FACILITY AT THE SPACEPORT. INTUITIVE MACHINES REALLY WAS THE FIRST TENANT AT THE HOUSTON SPACE FORT. AND THEN AXIOM, UH, LOVED IT SO MUCH. THEY TOLD THE NEWSPAPERS BEFORE THEY TOLD US THAT THEY WANTED TO BE AT HOUSTON SPACE FORT. SO VERY HAPPY TO HAVE 'EM. I CAN'T REMEMBER IF THIS ONE IS. YEAH, WE DO. OKAY. SO, COLLINS AEROSPACE BEEN AROUND SINCE THE BEGINNING OF AVIATION. UH, LOTS OF RADIO HARDWARE THEY DEVELOPED WHEN THEY FIRST GOT STARTED. UM, WHAT YOU KNOW THEM FOR TODAY IS SPACESUITS. THEY HAVE BEEN MAKING SPACE SUITS FOR NASA ASTRONAUTS SINCE NASA NEEDED SPACESUITS FOR THEIR ASTRONAUTS, BASICALLY. UM, AND TODAY THEY LOCATED, UH, 116,000 SQUARE FOOT, UH, FACILITY AT THE HOUSTON SPACEPORT TO WORK ON THEIR NEXT GENERATION OF SPACE SUITS. UH, HERE AT THE, UH, HOUSTON SPACEPORT. WE'RE VERY PROUD TO HAVE THAT WORK BEING DONE HERE. ALSO LOCATED IN THIS BUILDING IS A 10,000 SQUARE FOOT INNOVATION SPACE WHERE WE PLAN TO HAVE, UM, AN ACCELERATOR SLASH INCUBATOR, UH, THAT WILL HELP SUPPORT THE ENTREPRENEURS IN HOUSTON. UM, ALLOW THEM TO WORK WITH SPACEPORT TENANTS AND OTHER, UH, INDUSTRY EXPERTS SO THAT WE CAN GROW THOSE COMPANIES IN HOUSTON, KEEP 'EM IN HOUSTON, INCUBATE THEM, AND BRING THEM FROM MATURITY IN HOUSTON. VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE PLANS FOR THAT. NEXT STEP WE HAVE AXIOM SPACE. AXIOM SPACE. YOU'VE PROBABLY SEEN IN THE NEWS, OR YOU HAVE SEEN, UH, THAT THEY TOOK OVER THAT FRYS BUILDING, OR YOU'VE, UH, MAYBE YOU HEARD THAT THEY CURRENTLY ARE WORKING WITH PRADA TO DEVELOP THEIR NEW GENERATION SPACESUIT AS WELL. AXIOM PRADA, THEY'RE WORKING WITH PRADA. THEY, SO THIS IS, THESE ARE COMMERCIAL VENTURES, RIGHT? SO THESE ARE COMPANIES WORKING WITH OTHER COMPANIES THAT ARE EXPERTS IN THEIR FIELD. YOU TELL ME WHO ELSE HAS WORKED MORE WITH DIFFERENT TEXTILES AND FABRICS AND, AND THINGS. THEN LUXURY, UH, MANUFACTURERS OF, OF CLOTHING. UH, AXIOM SPACE IS WORKING ON THE NEW SPACE SUIT. COLLINS IS WORKING ON THE NEW SPACE SUIT. PRETTY SOON WE'LL BE ABLE TO SAY THAT EVERY SPACESUIT THAT IS IN LOW EARTH ORBIT DOING, UM, UH, SPACE WALKS, EVERY, UH, SPACESUIT THAT IS, UH, WALKING AROUND ON THE MOON WILL BE MADE IN HOUSTON, AT THE HOUSTON SPACE BOARD. SO WE ARE VERY PROUD OF THAT. THE RENDERING BEHIND ME, UH, IS OF THE AXIOM A IT BUILDING. SO THIS IS ASSEMBLY INTEGRATION AND TESTING FACILITY. THIS WILL HOUSE THEIR OPERATIONS AS THEY BRING IN SPACE STATION MODULES, UM, FROM TOUR IN ITALY. THEY WILL OUTFIT THEM, GET EVERYTHING READY TO GO, AND THEN SHIP THEM BACK OFF OF FLORIDA FOR LAUNCH. THIS IS THE FIRST OF THREE PHASES. THIS IS 106,000 SQUARE FOOT FACILITY. BY THE END OF PHASE THREE, THEY'LL, THEY'LL HAVE ABOUT 425,000 SQUARE FEET AT THE SPACE FORT. UH, DOING EVERYTHING FROM ASTRONAUT TRAIN, UH, SPACESUIT MANUFACTURING, AND, UH, OF COURSE SPACE MOD, SPACE STATION MODULE, UH, OUTFITTING. AND THEN THIS IS INTUITIVE MACHINES, A A COMPANY THAT WE'RE VERY PROUD OF AT THE HOUSTON SPACEPORT. UM, IF, IF SMALL BUSINESSES GET STARTED IN GARAGES, INTUITIVE MACHINES GOT STARTED IN OUR GARAGE AT THE HOUSTON SPACE FOR, UH, WITH EIGHT PEOPLE AS A THINK TANK. UH, TODAY THEY'RE NORTH OF 150 EMPLOYEES, UH, PROBABLY MORE THAN THAT. I'M, I'M PROBABLY SOME FOR IT. UH, THEY ARE WORKING ON A LUNAR LANDER, ACTUALLY. THEY'VE FINISHED WORKING ON A LUNAR LANDER. UH, THAT WILL BE THE FIRST PIECE OF AMERICAN HARDWARE TO LAND ON THE MOON SINCE THE APOLLO MISSION. UH, THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO LAUNCH ON NOVEMBER 16TH. UH, THINK THEY GOT BUMPED BACK A COUPLE OF, UH, LAUNCHES [01:10:01] BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS DD SATELLITES TO BE LAUNCHED AND THE NATIONAL RECONNAISSANCE OFFICE, THAT KIND OF STUFF, IMPORTANT THINGS. BUT THEY WILL BE LAUNCHING HERE, UH, HOPEFULLY BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR TO SEND THAT, UH, LUNAR LANDER TO THE SOUTH POLE OF THE MOON. IT'S VERY EXCITING. VENUS AEROSPACE IS ANOTHER VERY EXCITING COMPANY THAT WE HAVE AT THE HOUSTON SPACEPORT. VENUS IS WORKING ON A HYPERSONIC AIRPLANE. HYPERSONIC MEANING MACH SEVEN TO MACH 10 IN THAT RANGE FAST ENOUGH FOR YOU TO GET FROM HERE TO TOKYO IN ABOUT TWO HOURS. NOW. THEY CAME TO ME WHEN, UH, THEY FIRST DECIDED, STARTED THINKING ABOUT, UH, MOVING TO THE HOUSTON SPACE FOR IT. AND I SAID, YOU'RE WORKING ON WHAT AND, UH, YOU KNOW, SMARTER PEOPLE THAN ME ARE, UH, UH, ABLE TO TELL IF, IF THIS IS A VIABLE THING. AND THEY'VE, THEY'VE HIT EVERY MARK. THEY HAVE HIT EVERY ROUND OF FUNDING. THEY'RE WORKING WITH THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST FOLKS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY TO DO THIS. THEY'VE GROWN FROM SIX PEOPLE WHEN THEY GOT HERE TO, UH, I BELIEVE THEY HAVE 75 EMPLOYEES RIGHT NOW. UM, AND THEY PLAN TO U DO THEIR FIRST TESTING ON THEIR UNMANNED, UH, JUST SUPERSONIC UNMANNED VEHICLE SOMETIME IN THE NEXT YEAR. SO THEY'RE MOVING ALONG PRETTY WELL. SO, AS I SAID EARLIER, WE WORK WITH STANDARD CENTER COLLEGE VERY CLOSELY. UH, WE ALSO WORK WITH RICE AND TSU AND UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON, CLEAR LAKE AND TEXAS A AND M, UM, TO COLLABORATE IN EDUCATION. AND WITH THE IDEA THAT WE WILL HAVE ONE DAY AT THE SPACE SUPPORT THIS, UH, AEROSPACE INSTITUTE, WHICH WILL BE KIND OF A COLLABORATION HUB FOR INDUSTRY AND ACADEMIA, UH, FOR, UH, INNOVATION AND FOR, UH, ACCELERATION. AND THIS IS KIND OF OUR MASTER PLAN. NOW, AS YOU CAN SEE, WE HAVE, RIGHT NOW, THIS IS WHAT'S BEEN DEVELOPED SO FAR OF THE HOUSTON SPACEPORT. THIS IS COLLINS, THIS IS INTUITIVE MACHINES. THIS IS AXION. WE HAVE ABOUT A HUNDRED OR SO ACRES THAT HAVE BEEN OPENED UP FOR AS SHELL READY SITES. WE HAVE ABOUT 300 ACRES LEFT TO DEVELOP. AND THIS IS WHAT WE IMAGINE THAT IT WILL LOOK LIKE. YOU HAVE MANUFACTURING AREAS, THEN YOU'LL HAVE AREAS THAT NEED AIRSIDE SERVICE. WE'LL HAVE, UH, OF COURSE A PARKING GARAGE, UH, RESTAURANTS, HOTELS. WE REALLY WANT THIS TO BE A TRUE HUB, UH, A CAMPUS FEEL WHERE, UH, PEOPLE CAN KIND OF NOT LIVE, BUT WORK AND PLAY. DEFINITELY YOU, YOU'LL HAVE, UH, HIKING TRAILS AND, AND WE REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO THIS BEING THE NEW KINDA CENTER OF, UH, SPACE OUTSIDE OF JSC. OBVIOUSLY WE'RE WORKING VERY CLOSE WITH JSC. WE'RE TRYING TO CREATE THIS KIND OF CORRIDOR COMMUNITY OF, OF SPACE ACTIVITY. UH, BUT WE SEE THAT THE FUTURE'S BRIGHT FOR COMMERCIAL AEROSPACE. AND, AND WE AS THE CITY OF HOUSTON HAVE BEEN, UH, ABLE TO SUPPORT IT AND, UH, WORK TO CONTINUE DOING THAT IN THE FUTURE. OH, AND I HAVE ONE MORE FAVOR TO ASK OF YOU. THIS TAXI WAY DOES NOT EXIST YET. DECEMBER, WE'RE GOING TO COUNCIL TO, UH, FINALLY HIRE THE PEOPLE THAT ARE GONNA BE BUILDING THIS AND, AND WE'LL BE STARTING CONSTRUCTING A TAXIWAY LIMA HERE RIGHT BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR. SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT. WITH THAT, DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS THAT, THAT'S THIS BUILDING RIGHT HERE? MM-HMM . THAT'S THE PLAN FOR IT RIGHT NOW, DEPENDING ON WHAT WE DO WITH TSU WE ARE TRYING TO GET. SO YOU MAY BE AWARE THAT TSU IS BUILDING A NEW HANGAR. UH, THEY'RE AT ELLINGTON. WE WANT THAT TO BE A TEMPORARY STEPPING STONE FOR THEM. AND WE WOULD LIKE THEM IN THIS BUILDING AS WELL. SO THIS BUILDING MAY END UP BEING OVER HERE IF TSU AND WE, WE CAN ALL WORK OUT A DEAL WHERE WE'LL HAVE THE TRAINING CENTER AND THE, THE FLIGHT SCHOOL AND THE EDGE CENTER KIND OF ALL IN ONE PLACE. YES MA'AM. ENTRANCE TO THE SPACE COURT. ARE WE ANTICIPATING HAVING ANOTHER ENTRANCE SOMEPLACE? YES MA'AM, WE ARE. SO RIGHT NOW, THIS ROAD IS BUILT. ONE OF THE NEXT PIECES OF INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE'D REALLY LIKE TO TRY AND GET ACCOMPLISHED IS THIS EXTENSION OF THIS ROAD ALL THE WAY OUT TO HIGHWAY THREE, RUNNING ALONG THE SOUTH SIDE OF ELLINGTON AIRPORT. THERE'S A WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT RIGHT OVER HERE, JUST OFF THE END OF THE RUNWAY THAT HAS A SMALL DIRT ROAD RIGHT NOW. WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT TRANSFORMED INTO [01:15:02] PART OF THIS OVERALL INFRASTRUCTURE, GIVING US THE SECOND ACCESS DIRECTLY FROM HIGHWAY THREE. WE ALSO, IN THE FUTURE, PLAN ON CREATING ANOTHER ENTRANCE TO, UH, SPACE CENTER BOULEVARD RIGHT HERE AS WELL. . I KNOW, I KNOW. BUT HONESTLY, THIS WILL BE THE, THE BIG GAME CHANGER RELIEVING A LOT OF THAT TRAFFIC. 'CAUSE WE DON'T WANT, TRUST ME, YOU DON'T WANT 1800 JOBS, RIGHT? THAT'S WE, WE WE'RE PROJECTED TO CREATE IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS. YOU DON'T WANT 1800 PEOPLE JUST COMING IN AND OUT OF THIS ONE ENTRANCE, . MM-HMM. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. AND BRIAN, DO YOU KNOW WHO HELPED US GET THAT RIGHT OF WAY BETWEEN HIGHWAY THREE AND 45? WHERE THAT FUTURE ROADWAY IT WOULD BE COUNCIL MEMBER MARTIN. THAT'S RIGHT. AGAIN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. . WELL, AND WE DIDN'T WANT TANK FARM RIGHT AT THE END OF RUNWAY 1 7, 3 5. THE RAIL LINE. I DON'T THINK WE'RE GONNA EXTEND THE RAIL LINE TO THE SWING SPORT. NO, NO. THAT'S . ABSOLUTELY. WHEN WE GOT ALL UPSET ABOUT THE TANK FARMS AND IMMEDIATELY YOU CAME UP WITH FUTURE ROADS THAT HOUSTON WOULD BUILD. AND IT'S NEAT TO SEE. THEY MAY REALLY DO IT. THANK YOU. YEP. , I DON'T KNOW, IT'S JOB SECURITY FOR ME. SO I'D PROBABLY SAY 20 YEARS TO GET THIS ALL BUILT OUT. I, I DON'T THINK THIS IS GONNA BE OVERNIGHT. I SAY THAT I DIDN'T THINK THIS WAS GONNA GET BUILT OUT AS FAST AS IT DID. AND, UH, IT, IT'S REALLY TAKEN OFF. UH, SO I THINK THAT WITH THE 300 ACRES, THE TYPE OF TENANTS THAT WE WOULD NEED TO HAVE, 'CAUSE THESE HAVE TO BE, UH, NEEDING AIR SERVICE. WE HAVE NO CHOICE ABOUT THAT. AND THAT'S, SO THAT'S GONNA DRIVE A LOT OF THE DEVELOPMENT, UH, THROUGH THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SPACE BOARD. OH, THE, THE PARTNERSHIP WITH PRADA, THAT'S NOT TO SHOW UP THE OTHERS AT THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION. IS IT ? PROBABLY IS. PROBABLY, I HAD TO READ THAT THREE OR FOUR TIMES BEFORE I REALLY GOT THAT HEADLINE. YES MA'AM. UM, MARIO DIAZ, HE IS THE DIRECTOR OF THE HOUSTON AIRPORT SYSTEM. MARIO.DIAZ@HOUSTONTX.GOV. . ANYBODY ELSE? ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. WHEN I FIRST MET JIMMY, JIMMY WORKED FOR BAAB AND AT THAT TIME, I THINK BRIAN, YOU WERE WITH, UM, BOWEN AND WE YEAH. AND WE LOOKED AT IT. AND WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES, THESE AREN'T $15 AN HOUR JOBS. THESE ARE ENGINEERING JOBS. THESE ARE A HUNDRED, 120 EVEN HIGHER TYPES JOBS. AND THE NUMBER OF, THE NUMBER OF COMPANIES THAT WE'RE TALKING WITH RIGHT NOW WITH NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENTS IS GROWING EVERY DAY. SO WHEN I'VE MADE MY OPENING STATEMENTS THAT THE CITY OF HOUSTON IS REALLY BULLISH ON AVIATION AND AERONAUTICS, IT'S BECAUSE OF A LOT OF THINGS. AND, AND I'LL GIVE JIMMY CREDIT, JIMMY DISCOVERED SOMETHING THAT WE WEREN'T AWARE OF. AND THAT WAS, THERE WAS A STATE LAW PASSED IN, WHAT YEAR WAS IT? UH, IT WAS 87 87 THAT GAVE SALES TAX EXEMPTIONS TO ANYONE THAT IS DOING MANUFACTURING WITHIN A SPACEPORT. SO LET THAT PLAY AROUND IN YOUR BRAIN A LITTLE BIT. LET'S SAY A BOEING THAT MANUFACTURES AIRPLANES. IMAGINE THE AMOUNT OF DOLLARS THEY WOULD SAVE ON THE MANUFACTURING SIDE IF THEY GOT A SALES TAX EXEMPTION, SALES TAX EXEMPTION. I MEAN, THAT'S WHY THIS THING IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO BLOW UP AND MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, AS [01:20:01] COMMERCIALIZATION OF SPACE TRAVEL HAS MOVED FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO ENTERPRISE, IT'S, UH, IT'S CREATED A TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITY FOR THIS AREA. AND, UH, AND WE'RE REALLY BULLISH ON IT. AND WE'RE LUCKY TO HAVE BAY A HERE. I I GOT A REPORT TODAY FROM THE GREATER HOUSTON PARTNERSHIP THAT ANALYZED THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S FINANCES. AND THE SMART ALEX SIDE OF ME IS SAYING THAT THEIR MISSION IS NOT ANALYZING THE CITY'S FINANCES. THEIR MISSION IS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. BUT IF YOU LOOK AT DALLAS, IF YOU LOOK AT FRISCO, IF YOU LOOK AT AUSTIN, IF YOU LOOK AT SAN ANTONIO, I'LL SAY THIS CITY OF HOUSTON'S GETTING OUR BUTT KICKED BY THOSE TIP, UH, CITIES THAT ARE ATTRACTING, I WROTE IT DOWN, I THOUGHT I BROUGHT IT IN WITH ME. BUT THE NUMBER OF COMPANIES THAT HAVE RELOCATED TO DALLAS FROM CALIFORNIA AND NEW YORK HAS SKYROCKETED. WE JUST LOST THE HYDROGEN HUB TO DALLAS, THE HYDROGEN HUB, WHICH IS RELATED TO MEDICAL STUFF WITH THE LARGEST GLOBAL MEDICAL CENTER IN THE UNITED STATES, MAYBE IN THE WORLD. AND WE LOST IT TO DALLAS. SO I ALWAYS KID THESE GUYS BAY A ABOUT, THEY ARE A TRUE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MACHINE. MY OPINION, THEY KICK GREATER HOUSTON PARTNERSHIPS. BUT WHEN IT COMES TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, BECAUSE THAT'S THEIR FIRST AND FOREMOST OBJECTIVE. AND UH, WHILE THE CITY DOES HAVE SOME NEED FOR SOME BUDGETARY CRITICISM, UM, THEY NEED TO STICK WITH WHAT THEIR MISSION IS. AND THEIR MISSION IS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. AND WHILE THEY DON'T STICK WITH THEIR MISSION, WE'RE LOSING REALLY GOOD COMPANIES TO OTHER CITIES IN AND AROUND THE STATE OF TEXAS THAT AREN'T NAMED HOUSTON. SO THAT'S MY THING FOR THE DAY. BUT ANYWAY, BUT THANKS TO BAAB, THANKS TO SPACEPORT. THIS, THIS IS GONNA BE FUN TO WATCH HOW THE NEXT ITERATION OF OF THIS TURNS OUT BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF GREAT COMPANIES THAT WE'RE TALKING WITH RIGHT NOW THAT WANNA RELOCATE HERE. AND WE'RE GIVING THEM SOME PRETTY GOOD INCENTIVE PACKAGES TO COME HERE. AND, UH, HOPEFULLY THEY'LL LOOK AT THAT AND THEY'LL BRING THOSE GREAT JOBS. AND YOU KNOW, AS THEY NASA'S OPPORTUNITY FOR ENGINEERING GOES DOWN, THEN THE COMMERCIALIZATION TAKES OVER. AND THAT'S WHAT'S REALLY, UM, SIGNIFICANT ABOUT HAVING TO SPACEPORT IN THIS AREA. SO THAT WAS OUR LAST PRESENTATION THAT WE HAD SCHEDULED. SO, UM, UM, UM, FRED, IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU HERE. I'LL THROW A COMMERCIAL OUT FOR FRED. HE'S BEEN AROUND, UH, GREW UP IN THIS AREA, NOT TOO FAR. SAGEMONT AREA. UM, THE BEST PART OF FRED IS HIS WIFE AND HIS MOTHER. NO OFFENSE DAVE, BUT, UM, HE'S FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA AND, UH, EVEN THOUGH HE LEAVES LIVES IN KINGWOOD, HE KNOWS THIS AREA VERY WELL. I DON'T THINK YOUR OPPONENT CAME HERE TODAY. SO, UM, IT'S GOOD TO HAVE YOU HERE JOINING US FOR THIS MEETING. UM, BUT UM, IT'S A GREAT AREA. IT'S A GREAT AREA TO REPRESENT AND IT'S UH, UH, I GET IN TROUBLE FOR ALWAYS SAYING THIS, UH, CINDY DEWE ALWAYS LAUGHS AT ME. IT'S WHERE THE SEXY STUFF HAPPENS AND I'M, I'M SORT OF A NERD AND I LOVE ALL THIS STUFF THAT WE'RE SEEING WITH SPACEPORT BECAUSE I THINK IT'S THE FUTURE OF WHAT THE CITY OF HOUSTON IS TRANSITIONING INTO. SO ANYWAY, ANY QUESTIONS? ASTRO SCORE. KIPPE THREE TO ONE. DAMN. THEY SCORED A RUN. SO ANY QUESTIONS MR. MICKEY? WHERE'S MY PECANS? YOU HAVE ANY PECANS? WHAT'S ? PECAN PIE? OH, YOU DO HAVE 'EM. I WAS KIDDING WITH YOU. . THANK YOU. FOR TWO YEARS. BUT MY WI MY DAUGHTER SAYS IT IS STILL GOOD. OKAY, SO ENJOY. THAT'S, HE'S ALWAYS BEEN MY, I'M AWAY PRESENT FOR WHAT YOU DID ON EDGEBROOK. THANK YOU. HE'S ALWAYS BEEN MY PECAN GUY, BUT, UM, YEAH, YOU LIKE, OWN A PAPER OR SOMETHING OR WHAT DO YOU AND MY LAST WORDS, MY LAST WORD. IT'S BEEN THE HONOR OF MY LIFE, UH, TO DO THIS GIG. IT'S BEEN FUN. I'VE MET A LOT OF FANTASTIC PEOPLE IN THIS AREA AND I'M REALLY GOING OUT KICKING AND SCREAMING 'CAUSE I DON'T WANT TO GO OUT. UM, I'D LOVE TO DO IT FOR 11 MORE YEARS, UH, BECAUSE IT'S REALLY A LOT OF FUN. IT'S FUN TO GO TO THE BAY HAT MEETINGS. IT'S FUN TO GO TO THE CHAMBER MEETINGS. IT'S FUN TO GO TO EVERYTHING INVOLVED AROUND HERE. WHETHER IT'S GOING TO SAN JACINTO COLLEGE, WHETHER IT'S RUNNING OUT TO SPACEPORT, WHETHER IT'S TAKING A TOUR IN NASA AND GOING TO THE BUOYANCY LAB. I MEAN, IT'S REALLY A LOT OF COOL THINGS IN AND AROUND THIS AREA AND, UH, IT'S BEEN MY PRIVILEGE TO [01:25:01] BE ABLE TO, TO DO THOSE THINGS AND TO WORK WITH A LOT OF GREAT PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN THIS AREA. UM, THIS AREA'S UNIQUE. THEY DON'T HAVE MANY AREAS LIKE THIS. TRUST ME, THEY DON'T HAVE MANY AREAS LIKE THIS. NOT ONLY IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, BUT ALL OVER. AND IT'S THE PEOPLE THAT MAKE THIS AREA WHAT IT IS TODAY, YOU KNOW, FROM MR. MICKEY WHO CAN BE A ROYAL PAIN IN THE ASS. AND HE KNOWS THAT MR. MICKEY'S GRANDSON, UH, IN-LAW, UH, GREW UP PLAYING SOCCER WITH MY SON IN KINGWOOD. AND, UH, FIRST TIME WE MET, WE STARTED COMPARING NOTES. AND, UH, IT'S REALLY BEEN A PLEASURE TO, TO GET TO WATCH YOU. EVEN THOUGH YOU KNOW, YOU'RE A LITTLE BRUISED UP TODAY, YOU'RE A FIGHTER AND YOU'LL ALWAYS BE FIGHTING, FIGHTING. BUT, UH, THANKS. AND MARIE, WHERE ARE YOU? WHERE'D YOU GO? IT'S BEEN FUN. YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN A BIG SUPPORTER OF MINE AND EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO. UH, I LOVE YOU DEARLY. YOU KNOW THAT. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, I'LL, I'LL KEEP SEEING YOU, BUT, UH, IT'LL BE IN A DIFFERENT CAPACITY AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL, UH, WE'LL MAKE SURE WE DO IT THE RIGHT WAY. SO ANYWAY, THANK YOU. AND UH, GOD BLESS. KEEP EVERYONE SAFE AND HAPPY. OH YEAH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THREE TO ONE. ALRIGHT. * 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.