* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [Press Conference: "Kashmere Gardens MSC Resilience Hub Ribbon Cutting"] [00:00:18] GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. MORNING. GOOD MORNING. EXCELLENT. SO, I JUST WANTED TO SAY IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY AND WE COULDN'T HAVE ASKED FOR A BETTER DAY TO, UM, INAUGURATE WHAT WE ARE ABOUT TO INAUGURATE TODAY. AND I WANNA START BY SAYING HELLO TO ALL OF YOU, WELCOMING YOU, AND TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND WELCOME AND THANK THE FIRST GUEST OF HONOR, MAYOR TURNER. WE WOULD NOT BE HERE TODAY CELEBRATING WHAT WE ARE CELEBRATING WITHOUT YOUR LEADERSHIP VISION. THANK YOU FOR LEADING HOUSTONIANS TO BELIEVE IN A VISION OF A RESILIENT AND JUST HOUSTON. AND IN JULY MAYO, WHEN WE PRESENTED THE RESILIENCE HUB MASTER PLAN TO YOU, YOU ASKED ME HOW DO WE MAKE THIS JUMP OFF THE PAPER INTO REALITY? AND THAT IS WHAT CHALLENGED US AND HELPED US COMPLETE WHAT WE HAVE DONE TODAY. SO THANK YOU FOR HOLDING US TO THAT CHALLENGE. THANK YOU FOR, THANK YOU FOR BELIEVING IN US AND HELPED US ACCOMPLISH WHERE WE ARE TODAY. SO LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, ONCE AGAIN, JOIN ME IN WELCOMING TO THE PODIUM, MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. UH, LET ME START OUT BY, BY THANKING PRIYA ZACH, DIRECTOR OF THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF RECEIVED AND SUSTAINABILITY. I WANT TO, UH, THANK YOU FOR HER LEADERSHIP FOR HELPING TO GET US TO THIS POINT. SO PLEASE, ZACHARIA, LOOK, I KNOW IT'S A LITTLE BIT, UH, CHILLY, UH, THIS MORNING AT, UH, 70 DEGREES, UH, UH, OUT HERE IN THE CASHEW GARDEN AREA. WE EXPECT TO BE IN CASHEW GARDENS TO ANNOUNCE THE CITY'S FIRST EVER RESILIENCE HUB. GIVE IT UP TO THAT. AND AGAIN, I WANNA UNDERSCORE THIS IS THE CITY'S FIRST EVER HUB. AND WE WILL WE'LL TAKE A TOUR, UH, AFTER, UH, THIS NEWS CONFERENCE IS OVER. EARLIER THIS MONTH, WE ANNOUNCED THE COMPLETION OF THE HOUSTON RESILIENCE HUB MASTER PLAN STUDY, AND NOW WE ARE STANDING IN FRONT OF THE CITY'S VERY FIRST RESILIENCE HUB. AND LET ME JUST ADD THAT THIS IS ONE OF OUR FOUR HUBS THAT ARE BEING IMPLEMENTED. IN ADDITION TO CASHMERE, WE ARE ALSO DESIGNATING THE A NEIGHBORHOOD SENATE AND THE SUNNYSIDE AND ACRES HOME MULTI-SERVICE CENTERS AS RESILIENCE HUB AND A CONGRESSWOMAN. THESE ALL IN CONGRESSIONAL, UH, DISTRICT. UM, AND THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT OPPORTUNITY FOR KME GARDENS AND THE CITY OF HOUSTON TO BE RECOGNIZED FOR OUR INCREDIBLE COLLABORATIVE WORK AND FOR BUILDING RESILIENCE IN OUR COMMUNITIES. UH, YOU HAVE HEARD, UH, US TALK ABOUT, ON NUMEROUS TIMES ABOUT THE RESILIENCE HOUSTON PLAN AND THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, BOTH COMPLETED IN 2020, BUT TODAY IT'S TRULY A MILESTONE TO SEE AND UNDERSTAND WHAT IMPLEMENTATION LOOKS LIKE AND WHAT RESILIENCE IN ADDITION LOOKS LIKE AS WELL. BUT BEFORE THAT, LET ME TELL YOU QUICKLY ABOUT HOW HOUSTON HAS DEFINED A RESILIENCE HUB. UH, THESE ARE TRUSTED COMMUNITY SERVING FACILITIES THAT ARE AUGMENTED TO SUPPORT RESIDENTS THROUGH CLIMATE RESILIENCE, RETROFITS, RESOURCE COORDINATION AND SERVICES AS THEY FACE EVERYDAY STRESSES AND OCCASIONAL SHOCKS. NOW, WE'VE BEEN THROUGH AND AS A CITY, UH, SOUTHERN DISASTERS. UH, WE'VE GONE THROUGH, UH, COVID, UH, MANY OF UPS AND DOWNS, CONSTANTLY CAUSING SHOCKS AND STRESSES. AND SO WE WANT TO BUILD RESILIENCE, UH, WITHIN OUR CITY. IN ORDER TO DO THAT, YOU HAVE TO ESTABLISH THESE RESILIENT HUBS. OUR HUBS FOCUS ON SERVING COMMUNITIES MOST OF THE YEAR ROUND. SO THIS IS NOT JUST DURING US, UH, UH, A HURRICANE, UH, SOME WEATHER EVENT. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT BUILDING RESILIENCE 12 MONTHS OUT OF A YEAR, AND WE HAVE SPECIFIC FUNCTIONS OF PREPAREDNESS AND RECOVERY FOR CLIMATE EVENTS. THE HOUSTON APPROACH IS A NETWORK APPROACH, BRINGING TOGETHER CITY-OWNED FACILITIES AND RESOURCES SUPPORTED BY NETWORK OF COMMUNITY FACILITIES SUCH, SUCH AS CHURCHES OR LIBRARIES OR SCHOOLS. AS WE GO ON OUR TOUR TODAY, IT WILL BE EDUCATIONAL FOR US TO [00:05:01] SEE HOW THESE DIFFERENT STRATEGIES IMPLEMENT, UH, IMPLEMENTED ON SITE, MAKE US A MORE RESILIENT COMMUNITY. AND IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT BUILDING RETROFITS, BUT ALSO ABOUT PROVIDING PROGRAMMING AND COMMUNITY SERVICES. HOUSTON CONTINUES TO LEAD, AND OUR WORK IS NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED. FOR EXAMPLE, THE UNITED NATIONS OFFICE FOR DISASTER RE RISK REDUCTION. AND FEMA ARE CONSIDERING DESIGNATING HOUSTON AS THE COUNTRY'S FIRST CITY IN THE UNITED STATES TO BE DESIGNATED AS A HUB. AND THAT'S RESERVING OF APPLAUSE. AND AGAIN, I WANNA EMPHASIZE THE UNITED NATIONS OFFICE FOR DISASTER RISK REDUCTION. AND FEMA ARE CONSIDERING DESIGNATING HOUSTON AS THE COUNTRY'S FIRST CITY IN THE UNITED STATES TO BE DESIGNATED AS A HUB. AND SO, UH, UM, I WANT TO THANK, UH, THE CONGRESSWOMAN AND FEMA AND, UH, AND THE OFFICE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY, UH, BECAUSE THIS WAS A CONVERSATION THAT TOOK PLACE, UH, COP 28 IN DUBAI, UH, ONLY A FEW WEEKS AGO. LET ME TAKE A MOMENT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, COMPLETE COMMUNITIES AND OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS FOR YOUR EFFORTS, PUTTING THE RESILIENCE OF MASTER PLAN INTO ACTION. AND THEY ARE THE GENERAL SERVICES. CJ MESSIAH, RIGHT THERE AR A TINA PIES, BUT ALSO RECOGNIZED, RECOGNIZING THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY, PARKS AND RECREATION. KEN ALLEN, PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT, UH, DIRECTOR MARGARET WALLACE BROWN, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR CAROL HADDOCK, THE HOLD ON ONE SEC. HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. UH, DIRECTOR KEITH BYNUM, OEM. UH, AND HERE PRESENT TODAY IS DIRECTOR, UH, TOM MU, THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT REPRESENTED BY ARTURO COUNT, UH, CITY ATTORNEY ARTURO, ROCHELLE. AND THEN OF COURSE, IN THIS, AS WELL AS THE PROCUREMENT AND FINANCE DEPARTMENT, WILL JONES, UH, AS, UH, UH, WHO'S NOT HERE TODAY, BUT IS ALSO A PART OF THIS OVERALL NETWORK. I WANT TO THANK ALL OF THESE CITY DEPARTMENTS, UH, FOR COMING TOGETHER, FOR BEING VERY COLLABORATIVE. SHANNON BUGS, COMPLETE COMMUNITIES, GIVE IT ALL TO THESE, THESE, ALL OF THESE DEPARTMENTS. THIS WORK CANNOT BE DONE, UH, WITHOUT SUPPORT OF ALL OF OUR PARTNERS. AND TODAY, I ALSO WANT TO THANK SHELL FOR DONATING $500,000 TOWARDS BUILDING THE SOLAR CAR. LOOK, I CAN'T THANK SHELL ENOUGH. SHELL WAS ALSO THE UNDERWRITER FOR OUR RESILIENT HOUSTON PLAN. AND TODAY, UH, THEY'RE PROVIDING A SIZABLE DONATION, UH, FOR THE CARPORT THAT, UH, THAT THE SOLAR, UH, CARPORT THAT WILL BE RIGHT HERE. SO GIVE IT UP TO SHELL ONE MORE TIME. YOU KNOW, I'M GONNA MISS WORKING WITH SHELL . THEY HAVE BEEN A GENEROUS SUPPORTER AND, UH, AND, UM, JUST A, A SPONSOR ON SO MANY OF THE CITY'S INITIATIVES. SO THANK, THANK YOU SO VERY, VERY MUCH. AND THEN I WANNA THANK THE RESILIENT CITIES CATALYST FOR THE, UH, FOR THE INSTRUMENTAL ROLE IN ENGAGING COMMUNITY MEMBERS. GIVE IT UP TO THEM, OKAY. IN THE CASH MILL GARDENS TO IDENTIFY WHAT A RESILIENT HUB WILL LOOK LIKE AND FOR FUNDING THE COMMUNITY GARDENS UPGRADE AND VEGETATIVE SWELL. SO GIVE IT UP AGAIN TO THE RESILIENT CATALYST. I ALSO WANT TO THANK THE NORTHEAST HOUSTON REDEVELOPMENT COUNCIL AND THE CASHMERE GARDEN SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL FOR THEIR INVOLVEMENT, ENSURING COMMUNITY MEMBERS WERE ENGAGED AND PROVIDED THEIR INPUT. SO GIVE IT, PLEASE GIVE IT UP TO THESE PARTNERS, MR. GERMAN WILSON. AND, AND KEITH, BY THEY HAVE BEEN INSTRUMENTAL EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. PLEASE THANK THESE COMMUNITY PARTNERS ONE MORE TIME. AND OF COURSE, THE HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND TARGET HUNGER WILL BRING ADDITIONAL PROGRAM AND FOOD RESILIENCE SERVICES TO THIS SITE. GIVE IT UP TO THEM AS WELL. [00:10:01] SO THANK YOU TO EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU WHO HAS BEEN DIRECTLY INVOLVED WITH THIS PROJECT. UH, WITH ALL OF OUR PARTNERS, WE HAVE COLLECTIVELY INVESTED NEARLY $800,000 IN THE RETROFITS THAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE. AND I WANT TO GIVE SPECIAL THANKS TO WALTER HAMBRICK AS WALTER HILL, WHO HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN COORDINATING WITH THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY TEAM, AND WITH MULTIPLE CITY DEPARTMENTS TO MAKE THIS VISION AND REALITY. AND NOW LET ME, LEMME JUST, UH, PAUSE AND, AND LET ME BRING BACK TO THE MIC OF, UM, PRIYA ZACHARIA, UH, FOR HER LEADERSHIP AND WHO HAS SPEARHEADED THIS ALL THE WAY. DID I INCLUDE THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT? I DIDN'T INCLUDE DEBORAH, THE HEALTH, THE CITY I'M LOOKING AT YOU ALL. LOOK, GIVE IT UP TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S HEALTH DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP BACK TO STEVE STEVEN WILLIAMS, DEBORAH MOORE, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. ALSO, THE AREA AGING ORGANIZATION. SO YES, CAN'T DO IT WITHOUT THE CITY OF HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT. SO THANK YOU AND TO ALL OF OUR CITY DEPARTMENT. I DON'T WANNA LEAVE ANYBODY OUT BECAUSE IT IS A TRULY COLLABORATIVE, A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT. AND I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR HELPING TO MAKE US A MORE RESILIENT CITY. SO MUCH SO THAT WE ARE ON THE RADAR SCREEN OF PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS. SO THANK YOU ALL SO VERY, VERY MUCH. NOW LET ME GIVE IT BACK, UH, TO PRIYA ZACHARIA. AND BEFORE, WAIT, WAIT. LET ME DO, UH, 'CAUSE I DO WANNA THANK, UH, CONGRESSWOMAN SHEILA JACKSON LEE OF THE 18TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT. UH, SHE'S BEEN DOLING OUT DOLLARS ALL OVER THE CITY THIS MORNING. UH, WE WERE JUST TOGETHER IN MCGREGOR PARK, UH, THROUGH HER COMMUNITY GRANTS WHERE SHE, UH, WAS ABLE TO DIRECT $4 MILLION TO THE MCGREGOR PARK. UM, AND NOW SHE IS, UH, AND NOW SHE'S RIGHT HERE WITH US, UH, IN THE CASHFLOW GARDENS AREA. SO LET ME BRING HER UP. IF, IF YOU, IF YOU ARE COLLAB REAL HARD FOR, I THINK SHE'LL FIND SOME MORE MONEY, UH, FAR AS, UH, BECAUSE THIS IS ABOUT BUILDING RESILIENCE, AND IT'S NOT JUST THE BUILDING AND THE RETROFITS, BUT IT'S THE PROGRAMMING WHAT'S PROVIDED THROUGH THIS BUILDING THAT WOULD HELP TO MEET PEOPLE'S SHOCKS AND STRESSES. SO LET ME BRING UP NONE OF THE CONGRESSWOMAN OF THE 18TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, CONGRESSWOMAN SHEILA JACKSON LEE. THANK YOU MAYOR VERY, VERY MUCH. OH, THERE'S A CELL MUSIC OUT THERE, JUST BECAUSE WE ARE. GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. GOOD MORNING. WELL, I'LL TELL THE MAYOR THE FIRST THING THAT I WILL CONTINUE DOING IS MAKE SHELL CONTINUES TO GIVE, GIVE, GIVE. SHELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH AGAIN, APPRECIATE, UH, IT IS A, TO SAY TO THE MAYOR THAT ONE OF THE, WE CAN CONTINUE THIS DOLING OUT OF FUNDING FEDERAL FUNDING, UH, IS BECAUSE OF THE DYNAMIC TEAM THAT HAS GATHERED HERE. AND I'M SO THAT, UH, IN THE WANING HOURS OF 2023 MAYOR TO HAVE ME HERE. WHEN YOU ARE ANNOUNCING YOUR STUPENDOUS CABINET THAT HAS BEEN JUST AT THE FOREFRONT OF CHANGE AND ZACHARIA, UH, OF, OF RESILIENCE, UH, SO MUCH SO THAT AT THE PREVIOUS ANNOUNCEMENT OF MONEY, UH, INDICATED THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS NOW SPOTTED HU OF THE CITIES THAT THEY PREFER PARTNERING WITH, COLLABORATING WITH, AND GIVING MONEY TO. AND IT'S THE SEEDS THAT WERE PLANTED BY MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER. AND I WAS GLAD TO BE ALONGSIDE OF HIM AS WE BUILT THE REPUTATION THAT HOUSTON IS THE PLACE TO GIVE THE MONEY, MONEY, MONEY GIVE. MAYOR TURNER A VERY BIG, VERY BIG, YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO BE CUSTODIANS OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS. AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THE WORK OF YOUR CABINET OFFICERS, UH, FORGIVE ME, I'VE GOT CABINET, UH, WASHINGTON ON MINE. UH, BUT IN ANY EVENT, YOUR DEPARTMENT HEADS FROM ALL OF THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT WHAT WE'VE DONE. AND THEN WE COULD NOT DO THIS, UH, WITHOUT OUR COMMUN THE VISION THAT HAS COME ABOUT, UH, AND FOR SHANNON'S LEADERSHIP IN BRINGING ALL OF THIS. THIS IS LIKE THE GLUE THAT BRINGS ALL OF THE ELEMENTS OF SERVICE TOGETHER. AND KASHMIR, YOU NEED TO SLAP YOURSELF BECAUSE YOU ARE JUST THE BEST COMMUNITY. YOU NEED TO HIT YOURSELF. YOU NEED TO CLAP YOUR HANDS. YOU NEED TO GET UP AND DANCE. I SEE THE BROTHER WITH THE, MY, MY GOOD FRIEND WITH THE SWEATSHIRT ON. ALL OF YOU HAVE BEEN TOGETHER. WE'VE BEEN TOGETHER FOR YEARS. BUT CASHMERE HAS SUCH A HISTORIC LEGACY OF [00:15:01] BEING A COMMUNITY THAT IS UNIFIED. AND I AM GRATEFUL FOR KEITH AND HUEY IN THE MANNER OF ALL THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS THAT CASHMERE HAS SEEN. AND IT HAS SEEN IT OVER THE YEARS. GIVE THEM A BIG HAND FOR THE LEADERSHIP OF SAYING, YOU KNOW WHAT? IT'S JUST ANOTHER BUMP IN THE ROAD. IT'S NOT GONNA STOP US BECAUSE THERE'S SUCH RESILIENCE. SO I WANTED TO COME TO, TO REINFORCE, UH, VERY BRIEFLY WHAT RESILIENCE MEANS TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. UH, IT'S A TERM THAT SPRUNG UP REALLY AFTER NINE 11 WHEN WE THOUGHT WE HAD BEEN BROUGHT, OR THE WORLD THOUGHT, OR THE TERRORISTS THOUGHT THEY HAD BROUGHT US TO OUR NEEDS. AND THEY COULD NOT IMAGINE, UH, A NATION THAT HAD NOT BEEN ATTACKED, UH, REALLY SINCE, DIRECTLY SINCE WORLD WAR II AND PEARL HARBOR, THAT WE COULD RECOVER. AND IT WAS THIS IDEA OF FEMA STANDING UP. WE HAD NOT REALLY, MOST PEOPLE HADN'T THOUGHT OF IT, A FEMA, UM, WHO IS THAT? HOMELAND SECURITY. ALL OF THAT WAS BORN OUT OF NINE 11, SAYING, NOT ON OUR WATCH, NOT ON OUR WATCH. WILL WE COME TO OUR KNEES. AND WE FOUND A WAY TO USE THIS TERMINOLOGY, RESILIENCE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES, RESILIENCE FOR HEALTHCARE, FOR A HOUSING THAT HAD BEEN DESTROYED, THAT FAMILIES THAT HAVE BEEN SEPARATED, THAT DISEASES THAT BECAUSE OF NINE 11. AND WE WENT ON AND WE USED THAT PROTOTYPE AND THAT TERMINOLOGY OF RESILIENCE AS WE BEGAN TO CONFRONT CLIMATE CHANGE AND WHY THE MAYOR HAS BEEN SO EFFECTIVE AND SO WELL RESPECTED INTERNATIONALLY. UH, SO MUCH SO THAT, UH, THIS RECOGNITION OF RESILIENCE, UH, IN WAY IN DUBAI, UH, WAS NOTED FOR THIS CITY, THE FOURTH LARGEST CITY IN THE NATION. AND HERE WE ARE STANDING IN CASHMERE GARDENS TO BE ABLE TO ANNOUNCE, UH, THIS GREAT ETHIC. BUT YOU GIVE YOURSELVES A VERY BIG HAND. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GETTING READY TO DO. AND SO MY CONCLUDING REMARKS ARE SIMPLY THIS, YOU HAVE LAID DOWN A MARKER. UM, UH, YOU HAVE GOTTEN YOURSELF IN THE HEADLINES OF THIS IS WHERE RESILIENCE IS. I'VE GIVEN MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, UH, TO OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY, HEAR THAT ANNOUNCEMENT SOON IN THE COMING, UH, WEEKS. AND WE HOPE THAT WE WILL COLLABORATE WITH THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND THE MAYORS, UH, HUBS THAT HE HAS ESTABLISHED THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND THAT NO ENCOUNTER, BE IT MANMADE OR NATURAL DISASTER. WELL, HOUSTON'S POPULATION, HOUSTON'S FAMILIES, HOUSTON'S CHILDREN, HOUSTON'S SENIORS, HOUSTON'S VULNERABLE POPULATIONS BE LEFT OUT IN THE COLD BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A WAY TO GET THEM BACK ON THEIR FEET. THAT'S WHAT RESILIENCE IS ALL ABOUT. SO I CAME TO CONGRATULATE YOU THIS MORNING AND TO GIVE YOU THE APPETITE FOR MORE FEDERAL DOLLARS, MORE MONEY, MORE MONEY, UH, AND TO BE ABLE TO SAY THERE'S NO MORE JOY, UH, GREATER JOY THAN SANTA CLAUS THAT JUST CAME THROUGH THE CHIMNEY THIS PAST WEEKEND. UH, AND, UH, HOPEFULLY HIT SOME OF YOU THAN ME PULLING A LITTLE RED WAGON WITH MOUNTAINS AND MOUNTAINS OF MONEY AND KEEP GOING WITH THAT LITTLE RED WAGON. UH, I'M DRESSED FOR THE OCCASION. UH, LET'S GET READY TO BUILD ON THE MAYOR'S FOUNDATION, PAY TRIBUTE TO HIM AS WE BUILD ON THIS RESILIENCE AND CASHMERE. I DIDN'T WANT YOU TO HURT YOURSELF. NOW, YOU KNOW HOW SOME PEOPLE SAY WE EAT THAT GOOD APPLE PIE, THAT SWEET POTATO PIE SLAP YOURSELF IS SO GOOD. THAT'S WHAT WE DO. SO I WAS JUST GIVING YOU THAT HOME, HOME TOWN TALK, SLAP YOURSELF IS SO MUCH GOING ON IN CASHMERE GARDENS, AND I WANNA BE PART OF IT AS YOUR CONGRESSWOMAN FOR THE 18TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT. CAN WE DO IT? YES. CAN WE DO IT? YES. ALL, UH, AS THE MAYOR KNOWS, I COME QUICKLY TO BEAR A GIFT. SO LET ME JUST BEAR THIS GIF REAL QUICKLY. OH, WHAT G GIF OH, AND UH, OKAY, SO TAKE THIS MOMENT, UH, BECAUSE WHEN YOU DO THIS, AS THE MAYOR HAS ACKNOWLEDGED, UM, THIS IS A, UH, CITY GENERATED, INITIATED LOVING PROJECT. UM, AND WE COULDN'T DO IT WITHOUT THE HUMANITY THAT IS PART OF OUR COMMUNITY. AND SO TO THEM, UH, LET ME ASK EVERYBODY JUST TO STAND UP. WE JUST GO IN FRONT, WE'LL DO THIS QUICKLY. COME ON, MAYOR, YOUR CERTIFICATE THAT ACKNOWLEDGES THIS RIBBON CUT. AND, UH, I'M STAND NEXT TO THE MAYOR AND HOLD THIS, [00:20:03] OKAY? ALRIGHT. AND THE COMMUNITY MARK, DIRECTOR OF SOLID WASTE, COME AND JOIN US. THIS IS A DISPLAY OF THE GREATNESS OF THIS CABINET. THIS, THIS LIST OF DIRECTORS, ONE PLAYING BA BASKETBALL AND, AND ALL OF THAT IN THEIR PREVIOUS LIFE. ALL RIGHT? AND, UH, BUILDING HOUSES AFTER HURRICANE IKE, UH, HURRICANE, UH, HARVEYS, MANY OF THEM, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, HUGH AND KEITH WERE BUILDING HOMES, GETTING NAILS, AND PULLING OUT SPLINTERS AND WALKING ME THROUGH UNBELIEVABLE CONDITIONS. BUT THAT IS WHAT RESILIENCE IS. SO LET ME, UM, HAVE YOU ALL HOLD THAT. MAYOR, WILL YOU HOLD IT? I WANT YOU THAT THIS IS A SYMBOL OF WHAT AMERICA IS ALL ABOUT. UM, AND UM, BEFORE WE TAKE THAT LAST SHOT, LET ME GET SOME OF THE CASHMERE, UH, UH, SLAP YOURSELF COMMUNITY TO COME STAND UP HERE QUICKLY WITH US. COME ON, Y'ALL ON THE FRONT, TWO ROWS. COME ON UP. THOSE WHO CAN MOVE ON UP QUICKLY AND GET IN THIS PICTURE. GOT GOT MORE TO GO. YOU GOT ON YOUR YELLOW SHIRT, BROTHER? COME ON UP HERE. OKAY, THERE YOU GO. GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU. AND GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND THIS IS THE COMMUNITY OF RESILIENCE. THANK YOU, NADER, YOU CAN STAND UP TOO. ALL RIGHT, THERE YOU GO. THIS WOMAN. AND FOR ALL THOSE DOLLARS THAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT, WE DO HAVE A PHASE TWO FOR THIS. WE HAVE ADDITIONAL RESILIENCE HUBS AND WE HAVE AN ENTIRE MASTER PLAN TO IMPLEMENT. SO THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN. UM, I COULD NOT BE MORE PROUD AND MORE HONORED FOR THIS PRIVILEGE OF, OF GETTING TO STAND UP HERE AND SAY THANK YOU AND TO BE PART OF THIS CELEBRATION TODAY. AND, UM, AS YOU ALL CAN ALREADY TELL, IT HAS TAKEN MORE THAN A VILLAGE TO GET THIS DONE. SO IN A FEW MINUTES, WHEN WE GO ON OUR FACILITY TOUR, YOU SEE THE PHYSICAL CHANGES THAT WE HAVE BROUGHT ABOUT AS A TEAM TO THE CASHMERE MULTI-SERVICE TO ENSURE THAT THIS IS A CLIMATE READY BUILDING TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE THE RESILIENCE BUILDING COMMUNITY PROGRAMS AND SERVICES THAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT MAKES A RESILIENCE HUB A HUB. IN THREE YEARS, WE HAVE ENGAGED THROUGH THE RESILIENCE CITIES CATALYST PARTNERSHIP, WHAT A RESILIENCE HUB WOULD LOOK LIKE. WE HAVE DEFINED THAT HAS ENABLED THE RAPID IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE THAT THE PROJECT TEAM CHALLENGED. THANK YOU MAYOR. CHALLENGED OURSELVES TO MEET I, SO THIS IS WHAT WE ARE GONNA BE SEEING ON THE FACILITY TOUR. AS YOU CAN SEE BEHIND ME, THIS SPOT FOR THIS CEREMONY WAS CHOSEN VERY DELIBERATELY. SO WE HAVE BEHIND US THE VERY FIRST CARPORT THAT'S ON A HEALTH FACILITY AT THE CITY OF . SO WE HAVE THAT. WE HAVE THANK WE UPGRADED THE ONE MORE TIME. UH, LET ME SAY IT AGAIN. WE HAVE THE VERY FIRST SOLAR CARPORT IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON AT A HEALTH FACILITY AT THE KIR MULTI-SERVICE CENTER. WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO UPGRADE THE COMMUNITY GARDEN BEDS TO BUILD COMMUNITY COHESION AND ADDRESS FOOD, NUTRITION AND INSECURITY. SO THESE ARE ALL COMPONENTS OF BUILDING COMMUNITY RESILIENCE. WE'VE INSTALLED A RAIN GARDEN TO COLLECT RAINWATER AND TO BUILD CONTENT AND, AND TO CAPTURE BUILDING CONDENSATION. WE'VE INSTALLED EDUCATIONAL SCIENCE. I'M SURE YOU'VE SEEN A FEW OF THOSE ON YOUR WAY IN. WE'VE PUT IN A VEGETATED SWALE, UM, THAT WILL HELP ABSORB RAINWATER. WE'VE ADDED MONITORS IN THE BUILDING TO SHARE THE RESILIENCE HUB RESOURCES AND PROGRAMMING OPPORTUNITIES. WE'VE ADDED A COMMERCIAL GRADE REFRIGERATOR TO ALLOW TARGET HUNGER TO SERVICE MORE PEOPLE [00:25:01] TO THEIR PROGRAMS AND SERVICES, SUCH AS THE CLIENT CHOICE MODEL. THANK YOU. I AM EXCITED TO SHARE WITH YOU THAT THIS SITE WILL BE A COMPOST COLLECTION SITE FOR SIX WEEKS. THE SOLID WASTE IS GONNA BE BRINGING SERVICES HERE STARTING THE 8TH OF JANUARY. SO THANK YOU, DIRECTOR WOLF. SO WE'VE ADDED AND ALSO CREATED RESILIENCE HUB BRANDING TO THE SITE SO THAT COMMUNITY MEMBERS KNOW THAT THIS IS DIFFERENT FROM A TYPICAL MULTI-SERVICE CENTER. THIS IS NOW A RESILIENCE HUB. THANK YOU, BILLY RUDOLPH. THIS FACILITY ALREADY HOSTS A NUMBER OF PROGRAMS AND SERVICES FOR THE COMMUNITY THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT, AND THIS WAS PART OF THE STRATEGY OF DEVELOPING THE MASTER PLAN TO BE ABLE TO AUGMENT WHAT WE ALREADY HAVE, TO HAVE APPROACH OF CITY RESOURCES AS WELL AS COMMUNITY ASSETS. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO'S MADE VISION, REALITY, AND, UH, BEFORE WE RIBBON, WHICH IS PENDING IN THE PROGRAM, RIGHT? UM, HUEY GERMAN WILSON, PRESIDENT OF THE NORTHEAST HOUSTON REDEVELOPMENT COUNCIL. AND THEN TURN IT OVER TO KEITH OF THE KASHIAN SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER. THANK YOU PRIYA. UH, THANK YOU MAYOR TURNER. I, I DON'T THINK, UH, PEOPLE REALLY REALIZE WHAT IT ENTAILS TO GET THESE KINDS OF THINGS LAUNCHED UNTIL YOU'VE LIVED IN AN AREA LIKE KM GARDENS, WHERE THINGS HAVE BEEN PROMISED FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS AND THEY NEVER HAPPEN. AND THEN WE HAVE A MAYOR THAT COMES ALONG AND IN EIGHT YEARS AND SEVEN DECLARED DISASTERS, BUT MULTIPLE OTHER DISASTERS THAT WERE HAPPENING ALL ALONG THAT WERE NOT DECLARED, HE WAS ABLE TO GET A SOLAR CANOPY AT KME GARDENS MULTI-SERVICE CENTER. I WANT US TO UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT AND VITAL THIS IS. KME GARDENS HAS ALWAYS BEEN A HUB IN NORTHEAST HOUSTON. AFTER EVERY DISASTER WE GATHER HERE WE COME, BUT WE'LL, WE WILL BE ABLE TO LAUNCH AND ACTIVATE MUCH FASTER DUE TO THE WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE, THE RETROFITS THAT HAVE BEEN DONE ON THIS BUILDING AS A COMMUNITY TO RECOVER FROM WHATEVER DISASTERS, WHATEVER, WHATEVER MAY COME AS WE SIT LESS THAN A MILE FROM THE FREEWAY OR TWO FREEWAYS, THE RAILROAD, AND ANY NUMBER OF DISASTERS THAT CAN BEFALL COMMUNITIES JUST LIKE CASHMERE GARDENS. SO CASHMERE GARDENS, AGAIN, AS CON CONGRESSWOMAN LEE SAID, YOU NEED TO GIVE YOURSELVES A PAT ON THE BACK BECAUSE THIS IS TREMENDOUS IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO COME HERE. THE SENIORS WILL BE ABLE TO ACTIVATE AND DO THE THINGS THAT THEY DO, BUT THE COMMUNITY WILL BE ABLE TO ACTIVATE AND COME BACK IN AND MAKE OUR, AND REBUILD OURSELVES. THE RESILIENCE THAT'S HERE IS INCREDIBLE. SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO THAT. WE THANK YOU, MAYOR. I DON'T THINK WE CAN THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR THAT BECAUSE WE'VE WAITED FOR THINGS TO HAPPEN OUT HERE FOR A VERY LONG TIME AND THE COMING YEARS AND NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE. WE'RE LOOKING AT RESILIENT SIDEWALKS, WHICH THESE SENIORS, THIS COMMUNITY HELPED DESIGN THAT PROGRAM FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON. SO I THINK WE'RE DOING GREAT THINGS. I LOOK FORWARD TO DOING ADDITIONAL GREAT THINGS WITH YOU. BUT THANK YOU TO MAYOR TURNER IN YOUR LAST COUPLE OF DAYS. YOU, YOU'RE HERE WITH US IN THE COLD YET AGAIN, UH, DOING WHAT YOU DO SO WELL, THANK YOU FOR US AND LIFTING US UP. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, HUEY. AND LET ME CALL UP, UM, KEITH, AND LET ME CORRECT MYSELF. HE'S THE PRESIDENT OF THE CASHMERE GARDEN SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD. THANK YOU KEITH. AND WELCOME, WELCOME EVERYONE. MAYOR TURNER DOESN'T, BEFORE HE RAN FOR THE FIRST TIME, I HAPPENED TO SEE HIM AT A FUN. AND I ASKED HIM, I SAID, CAN YOU HELP CASH? HE SAID, STAY TUNED. THAT WAS HIS RESPONSE. STAY TUNED. I KNOW HE DOESN'T REMEMBER THAT NIGHT. BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS, I WANT TO GIVE ADMINISTRATION A HAND ALONG WITH MS. BUGS ALONG WITH COMPLETE COMMUNITY. IT WORKS. THIS IS TANGIBLE GROWTH FOR OUR COMMUNITY. I WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO A HUEY GERMAN WILLIAMS, THE OTHER DIRECTORS AT NORTHEAST HOUSTON REDEVELOPMENT COUNCIL. IT WAS A LOT OF ZOOM CALLS, THROUGH A PANDEMIC, WORKING WITH R CT, WORKING WITH THE CITY. THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS WORKING WITH MANY DEPARTMENTS HERE, WORKING WITH THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT HERE, MULTI SERVICE CENTER. [00:30:02] IT TAKES MORE THAN A VILLAGE TO GET HERE. AND NO MATTER WHAT YOU SEE OR WHERE YOU SEE IT, THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THERE'S TANGIBLE GROWTH IN THESE COMMUNITIES BECAUSE OF PEOPLE LIKE MAYOR TURNER AND HIS STAFF IS ADMINISTRATION THAT WANT THESE COMMUNITIES. BUT I ALSO WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO THE COMMUNITY. YOU KNOW, A LEADER WHO PEOPLE DON'T BELIEVE IN IS AN EMPTY ROOM. I WANT TO GIVE THANK YOU TO CONGRESSWOMAN SHEILA JACKSON LEE, BUT TO COMMUNITY. I WANT TO SAY THIS, THANK YOU FOR INVESTING AND BELIEVING IN YOURSELF THAT THIS CAN BE A REALITY. 'CAUSE THERE'S, THERE HAVE BEEN MANY THINGS COME ALONG. OH, WE'RE GOING TO DO THIS AND WE GOING TO DO THAT, AND WE GO THE OTHER. WELL, HERE WE ARE. IT'S HAPPENING. AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS. THIS IS NOT FOR SHOW. THIS IS FOR DUE. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WHAT YOU HAVE. GOD BLESS YOU AND THANK YOU. THANK YOU, KEITH. I LOVE THAT. THIS IS NOT FOR SURE IT'S PURDUE. I LOVE THAT. THANK YOU. UM, AND MAYOR TURNER, WE HAVE A SURPRISE FOR YOU. UM, EVERYBODY YOU WANNA COME UP, MAYOR TURNER. YOU KNOW, THERE'S AN OLD SAYING THAT SAYS, ATTITUDE REFLECTS LEADERSHIP. WHILE I SAY RESILIENCY REFLECTS LEADERSHIP, AND I THINK WE HAVE HAD ONE OF THE MOST RESILIENT LEADERS IN HISTORY RIGHT HERE IN MAYOR TURNER. I JUST THINK WE NEED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT AND GIVE HIM A HAND, PLEASE. MAYOR TURNER, CAN YOU PLEASE STAND? WE HAD THE MAYOR TURNER HAS BEEN A CHAMPION FOR ALL OF HOUSTON. HE HAS PARTICULARLY BEEN A CHAMPION FOR THOSE VULNERABLE POPULATIONS THAT REALLY ARE IN NEED OF SUPPORT. ONE OF THOSE POPULATIONS IS OUR REENTRY POPULATION. HE HAS SUPPORTED OUR COMMUNITY REENTRY NETWORK THROUGH THE GOOD TIMES AND THE CHALLENGING TIMES. SO WE WANT TO PRESENT TO YOU MAYOR TURNER, THIS AWARD AS THE COMMUNITY REENTRY NETWORK CHAMPION OF 2023. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT. THANK YOU, DEBORAH. LOOK, LET ME, LET ME, LET ME, DEBRA, LET ME THANK YOU. UH, THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, THE REENTRY PROGRAM, UM, BECAUSE RE BECAUSE RESILIENCE IS NOT JUST ABOUT STORMS. UM, IT'S SOMETIMES IT'S ABOUT FOOD INSECURITY. SOMETIMES IT'S, UH, IT'S ABOUT PEOPLE WHO HAVE, UM, BEEN INCARCERATED AND WHEN THEY COME BACK AND THEY DO COME BACK, UM, AND MANY COME BACK TO THEIR PARTICULAR NEIGHBORHOODS, THEY NEED, THEY NEED EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES. UH, THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO STAND BACK ON THEIR FOOT. FEET. IT'S ABOUT BUILDING RESILIENCE THERE, UH, SO THAT THEY'RE NOT LEFT OUT. YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT PEOPLE MAY NEED, THE SHOCKS AND THE STRESSES. UH, SOMETIMES WHEN STORMS COME AND PEOPLE'S POWER GO OUT, UM, PEOPLE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO GET DOWN TO THE GEORGE BROWN. SO THEY NEED PLACES IN THEIR COMMUNITIES WHERE THEY CAN REACH AND SOME CASES WALK TO A DRIVE TO THAT CAN SERVICE THEIR IMMEDIATE NEEDS. THAT'S ALL ABOUT RESILIENCE. THAT'S WHY I'M SO EXCITED ABOUT WHAT'S BEEN DONE HERE. TO KEITH, TO HUEY, THANK YOU TO ALL THE DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS. THANK YOU, UM, TO SHELL. AND I KNOW YOU'RE NOT SPEAKING THIS MORNING, ANDRE, UH, BUT IT DOESN'T STOP US FROM MENTIONING, UM, SHELL, UH, OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN BECAUSE LEMME JUST TELL YOU, THE INVESTMENTS THAT WE MAKE TODAY IS NOT THE LAST INVESTMENT. IT SHOULD NOT BE THE LAST. THERE'S A LOT MORE THAT'S GOING TO BE NEEDED IN THESE HUBS AND THESE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES. AND THAT'S WHY THESE DEPARTMENTS ARE SO IN, UM, CRITICALLY IMPORTANT. SO LET ME, LET ME JUST RECEIVE, UM, THIS, AND, UH, LET ME DO SOMETHING ELSE. I'M, I'M GETTING THIS AWARD. UH, BUT QUITE FRANKLY, UH, KEITH AND HUGH, IF YOU ALL ARE, COME BACK, UH, UPFRONT, WHO ARE OUR OTHER COMMUNITY PARTNERS THAT HAVE HELPED OUT WITH THIS TARGET HUNGRY, IF YOU ARE, COME, COME FORWARD. [00:35:02] YOU KNOW, STAND RIGHT AT THERE IN FRONT. AND THEN, UH, SHANNON, IF YOU ARE STAND UP PRE OF, YOU'LL COME BACK AROUND AND QUITE EVERYBODY WILL JUST KIND OF STAND UP. I'M GONNA DO THIS, SORRY, FROM THE CONGRESSWOMAN SHEILA JACKSON LEE MODEL. SO IF EVERYBODY, DEBORAH, IF Y'ALL JUST STAND UP, GET A LITTLE CLOSE DEPARTMENT HEADS, IF Y'ALL COME BACK, MARK, IF YOU'LL COME BACK, KEITH. AND THEN WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO IS THAT, LOOK, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S LIKE YOU RECEIVED THIS, THIS TROPHY AT THE AND THIS IS THE SUPPORTING CAST. I'M GONNA PUT THIS MIC DOWN AND I'M OKAY? * 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.