* 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. [00:00:30] WELCOME TO CITY PULSE. I'M TRAVIS LEMONS, YOUR HOST. BY THE TIME THE SHOW AIRS, THE HISTORIC ECLIPSE WILL BE A MOON MOONAGE DAYDREAM FOR THE EXPERIENCE. MINI WORE SPECIAL GLASSES TO ENJOY THE EVENT. BUT OUR FIRST STORY IS ABOUT SEEING FOR A DIFFERENT PURPOSE SUCCESS. THIS WEEK WE'RE AT, UH, THE ACRES HOME MULTI-SERVICE CENTER IN HOUSTON, AND WE ARE PROVIDING COMPREHENSIVE EYE EXAMS AND GLASSES TO APPROXIMATELY 1200 ALDE ISD STUDENTS. THIS PROGRAM HAS GROWN OVER THE YEARS AND HAVE HAD TREMENDOUS IMPACT. I'M GLAD TO SAY THAT OVER THE YEARS WE'VE SEEN MORE THAN A HUNDRED THOUSAND CHILDREN SEE TO SUCCEED. ASSIST US IN HELPING OUR STUDENTS BY PROVIDING THEM WITH COMPREHENSIVE EYE EXAMS AND GLASSES FREE OF CHARGE. HI. I LOVE MY JOB. I LOVE THIS PROGRAM BECAUSE THROUGH A COMPREHENSIVE EYE EXAM, WE'RE ABLE TO PROVIDE, UM, EYEGLASSES TO KIDS WHO NEED EYEGLASSES TO SEE BETTER. THE IMPACT THAT THAT YOU MAKE BEFORE THE KIDS LEAVE. IT'S GOING TO IMMEDIATELY BE RECOGNIZABLE WHEN THEY'RE LOOKING AT A STANDARDIZED TEST THAT THEY MAY NEED TO MAKE WHERE THEY CAN READ THE QUESTIONS MORE CLEARLY. SO WE ACT AS A SAFETY NET FOR THOSE KIDS AND BUST THEM HERE ON A FIELD TRIP DURING THE SCHOOL DAY. THIS IS A SUPER IMPORTANT PROGRAM TO PROVIDE THESE GLASSES TO THESE CHILDREN WHO MAY HAVE BARRIERS TO THESE SERVICES. UM, THESE ARE KIDS WHO WERE IDENTIFIED BY THEIR SCHOOL OF, UH, NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE PROPERLY. ONCE I GET THAT RIGHT PRESCRIPTION IN FRONT OF THEM AND THEY LOOK AROUND AND THEY CAN SEE WHAT'S IN FRONT OF THEM, YOU JUST SEE THEIR WHOLE FACE LIGHT UP. YOU COULD SEE THEIR WHOLE DEMEANOR CHANGE. I LOVE THAT MOMENT. YOU KNOW, THIS IS REALLY A CELEBRATION. IT WAS JUST A GOOD THING TO PUT GLASSES ON THE KIDS' EYE. WE HAD NO IDEA THAT WE'RE GONNA BE SOLVING ALL OF THOSE OTHER ISSUES. AND IT'S SO FULFILLING TO SEE THE CHANGE HAPPEN IMMEDIATELY AND TO BE ABLE TO HELP THESE STUDENTS DAILY. I GET TO DO THIS EVERY DAY AND I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. THE CITY'S FINANCE DEPARTMENT IS ALL ABOUT CHECKS AND BALANCES, BUT HOW WELL CAN EMPLOYEES BALANCE AN EGG? LET'S FIND OUT. ALRIGHT, WE'RE GONNA START OUR SECOND RACE. YOU GUYS GET SIR. GO. WE ARE THE BEST. THERE IS NOBODY AS GOOD. I'M, THAT WAS A GREAT WIN. DID YOU SEE THAT LAST TALE OF MINE? IT JUST SPED UP AND, UH, WE TOOK THE WIN, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. WE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW EACH OTHER, AND THEN WE CAME TOGETHER, BUT WE'RE FINANCED AND WE WERE ABLE TO WIN. EVERY YEAR WE JUST TRY TO GET TOGETHER AND JUST KIND OF BRING IN SPRING AND PROMOTE EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT. YOU MUST COME DOWN, GO ALL THE WAY AROUND YOUR CONE AND COME ALL THE WAY BACK. OKAY, WE GOT IT, WE GOT THIS. Y'ALL BETTER WIN. WHAT'S THE SCORE? I DON'T MEAN IF THE ACTORS ARE WINNING. I'M TALKING ABOUT SCORE. HOUSTON, THE CITY'S REGIONAL NETWORK FOR BUSINESS MENTORS. HTV IS WORKING WITH THIS ORGANIZATION TO EXPLORE THE WAYS BUSINESSES CAN BENEFIT. HERE'S A CLIP FROM THE PREMIER EPISODE. WHAT EXACTLY IS A MENTOR? MM-HMM. AND WHAT IS MENTOR DO AND DON'T DO? CAN YOU KIND OF GIVE US A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND ON THAT? ABSOLUTELY, LYNN, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION BECAUSE, UM, OFTEN PEOPLE GET CONFUSED BETWEEN A MENTOR AND A COACH, RIGHT? SO, UH, I WOULD SAY A MENTOR IS, UH, SOMEONE WHO IS, UH, READY TO SHARE THEIR KNOWLEDGE, THEIR SKILLS, AND THEIR EXPERIENCE WITH A SEEKER, HELPING THEM DEVELOP AND GROW. SO SOMEONE WHO CAN SHARE THEIR RESOURCES, THEIR, UH, SKILLS AND EXPERTISE TOWARDS A SHARED RELATIONSHIP, UH, TOWARDS A SHARED GOAL AND OBJECTIVE AND ALL THROUGH THE PROCESS, UH, TAILORING THEIR STYLE AND TECHNIQUE, UH, TO SERVE THE UNIQUE NEEDS OF THE CLIENT. NOW, SINCE WE ARE TALKING ABOUT SMALL BUSINESSES, UM, ESPECIALLY IN CONTEXT OF SCORE SCORE, MENTORS ARE, UH, REALLY, UH, PARTNERING WITH THEIR BUSINESS CLIENTS, UH, HELPING THEM IN THEIR [00:05:01] BUSINESS JOURNEY, UH, NO MATTER WHAT BUSINESS STAGE THEY'RE IN. SO YOU COULD BE A STARTUP ENTHUSIAST, YOU COULD BE A FIRST TIME FOUNDER, YOU COULD BE A SERIAL ENTREPRENEUR. UM, WHATEVER STAGE OF BUSINESS YOU ARE IN A STORE MENTOR IS THERE TO SUPPORT YOU, TO DIRECT YOU, TO GUIDE YOU THROUGH YOUR BUSINESS JOURNEY. FROM MENTORS TO LEADERS, COUNCIL MEMBER EDWARD POLLARD HELPS CELEBRATE GIRL BOSSES AROUND HOUSTON AS PART OF FEMALE ENTREPRENEURSHIP DAY DOWN FOR THE DAY. IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE ABLE TO HIGHLIGHT THE WONDERFUL BUSINESSES THAT WE HAVE IN OUR COMMUNITY, BUT SPECIFICALLY MINORITY BUSINESSES AND WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES. AND TODAY AS FEMALE ENTREPRENEURSHIP. I DON'T THINK WOMEN SHOULD ONLY BE EMPOWERING WOMEN. THEY NEED MEN TO ALSO BE THEIR CHAMPION. AND SO I LOOK FORWARD TO EVERY YEAR, UH, BEING A SPOKESPERSON AND AN ADVOCATE FOR ALL WOMEN, ESPECIALLY ENTREPRENEURS. IT'S FEMALE ENTREPRENEURSHIP GAME. KEEP GOING. DON'T STOP. WHEN CITY POST RETURNS, WE'LL TAKE A TOUR OF THE GREEN RESOURCE CENTER AND SAY GOODBYE TO TWO CITY EMPLOYEES. SEE YOU SOON. LOTS OF PEOPLE WITH COMPLETELY DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS COMING TOGETHER FOR A GREATER GOAL, REPRESENTS HOUSTON AS A WHOLE AND EVERYBODY HAS A DIFFERENT STYLE, BUT THAT'S KIND OF OUR THING. WE ARE VERY PROUD OF HOW DIFFERENT WE ARE. METRO IS HERE FOR YOU EVERY DAY, PROVIDING SAFE, RELIABLE TRAVEL OPTIONS. WE TAKE YOU TO CELEBRATIONS AND HELP DURING EMERGENCIES. WE'RE ALWAYS LISTENING TO THE COMMUNITY AND WE MANAGE TAXPAYER DOLLARS RESPONSIBLY. AND THANKS TO OVERWHELMING VOTER APPROVAL, WE'RE BUILDING TRANSIT FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW SO THAT YOU CAN DRIVE LESS AND DO MORE. AS WE WENT TO BREAK, WE WENT A LITTLE BIT COUNTRY. THE MUSIC IS ON ACCOUNT OF HTV, PARTNERING WITH THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS AND PROMOTING THE HOUSTON MUSIC DIRECTORY FOUND ON ITS HOMEPAGE. IT'S A REFERENCE TOOL USED TO MARKET THE CREATIVE MUSIC INDUSTRIES AROUND THE BAYOU CITY. NOW THAT YOU KNOW, IT'S BACK TO THE SHOW UP FIRST, STEVE STELZER TAKES US ON A TOUR OF THE GREEN RESOURCE CENTER. HI, STEVE STELZER HERE. I'M THE PROGRAM DIRECTOR OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S GREEN BUILDING RESOURCE CENTER. NOW WE'RE HERE AT THE HOUSTON PERMITTING CENTER CENTER WITHIN THE CENTER AT 1002 WASHINGTON AVENUE, RIGHT NEAR DOWNTOWN, AND WE'RE IN A DELIGHTFUL, UH, REUSED BUILDING. THIS WAS BUILT IN 1922 AND OPERATED AS A WAREHOUSE UNTIL THE CITY ACQUIRED IT IN 2011. SO THAT'S, UH, PRETTY FUN. I'M STANDING IN FRONT OF, UH, ONE OF MY FAVORITE REUSED ITEMS, WHICH IS THE SIGN MADE UP OF REUSED SIGN LETTERS FROM SIGNS IN HOUSTON, TEXAS. AND THEN WE HAVE, UH, OUR NEWEST DISPLAY, AND I'M VERY PROUD OF THIS ONE ON THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE SEEING MORE AND MORE ATTENTION BEING PAID TO. AND ONE OF 'EM IS THIS, UH, THIS OUTSIDE POSTER RIGHT HERE, US FATALITIES BY HAZARD. I, UH, WAS PARTICULARLY STRUCK BY, UH, HURRICANES, WHICH WE'RE TERRIBLY AFRAID OF. AND IN THAT PERIOD NINE YEAR PERIOD, WE HAD 43 DEATHS BECAUSE OF HURRICANES AND OVER 1100 DEATHS BECAUSE OF HEAT ISSUES. UH, MY FAVORITE VIDEO EVER IS ABOUT THE ENERGY STAR, UM, RATING FOR, UH, HOMES USE LESS ENERGY, THEN YOU'RE GONNA HAVE LESS GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND YOU'RE GONNA HAVE LOWER ENERGY BILLS. ONE OF MY FAVORITE, FAVORITE DISPLAYS IS THE ANATOMY OF A NET ZERO ENERGY HOME. HAD AN ARCHITECTURE GRADUATE FROM U OF HR ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL, BUILD THIS MODEL. UM, THIS IS JUST, UM, VERY EASY TO NAVIGATE, TO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU CAN DO AT YOUR HOUSE, TO, AGAIN, HOW CAN YOU GET DOWN TO NET ZERO? AND HERE WE HAVE ON THIS SCREEN, UM, THIS IS OUR DATA FROM OUR ROOFTOP SOLAR ARRAY. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, WE HAVE THE FOURTH LARGEST SOLAR ARRAY IN HOUSTON. EACH DISPLAY WAS DONATED BY, YOU KNOW, A, A [00:10:01] DIFFERENT ENTITY WITH, UH, ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES. UM, THERE'S QUITE A FEW DIFFERENT LITTLE VIDEO OPPORTUNITIES. THIS IS A HUGE PIECE OF ART THAT, UH, A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THAT IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, WE HAVE AN, UM, AN ORDINANCE FOR PUBLIC BUILDINGS TO HAVE PUBLIC ART TO THE TUNE OF 1% OF THE BUILDING'S BUDGET. AND WE HAVE OVER 50 DISPLAYS. THE WHOLE IDEA WAS TO BE ABLE TO TOUCH AND FEEL SOME OF THESE GREEN BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES. AND SO THEY'RE, THEY'RE GEARED FOR PEOPLE TO WALK THROUGH AND REALLY, UM, BE ABLE TO ASK QUESTIONS. SO I'M HERE TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC. SO THE PUBLIC IS VERY BROAD TERMINOLOGY. SO IT CAN BE CONTRACTORS, IT CAN BE DESIGNERS, IT CAN BE STUDENTS. I'M HERE FOR EVERYONE. MAKE SURE TO WATCH CITY PULSE IN THE COMING MONTHS WITH OUR NEW GOING GREEN SEGMENT WHERE WE WILL TALK ABOUT COMPOSTING, RECYCLING, REDUCING YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT AND MUCH MORE. SPEAKING OF GREEN VOLUNTEERS IN DISTRICT B CAME OUT TO BEAUTIFY A PARK STEEL REELING AFTER AN ARSON ATTACK LAST CHRISTMAS EVE . SO WE GOT OUR HANDS FULL TODAY WITH THE VOLUNTEERS COMING OUT. UH, WE'RE REPLACING THE TRASH CANS AND THE TRASH CANS HOLDERS. WE REPLACING BENCHES AS WELL. WE ALSO PRESSURE WASHING THE PICNIC TABLES. AND THEN WE, WE HAVE, UH, DEBRIS PICKUP FOR THE BURN DOWN STORES THAT THEY DID ON CHRISTMAS EVE. WE'RE PICKING UP THAT. WE ALSO PICKING UP THE TRASH ON, UH, ON EN ROUTE TO THE PARK. AND THEN WE'RE ALSO REPLACING THE BENCHES IN A DUGOUT FOR THE KIDS. BUT IT JUST MAKES THE KIDS FEEL LIKE SAFE. LIKE, THIS IS A PLACE WHERE I CAN LIKE, COME, RUN, LEARN, PLAY, AND GROW. AND SO, UM, AND IT JUST, IT SENDS THE MESSAGE TO OUR KIDS THAT WE CARE. IT INSTILLS A, UM, UH, A FORM OF HOPE. IT WOULD ENCOURAGE THEM THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE, UH, LOVING ON THEM AND WANTING TO SEE THEM THRIVE AND SEEING THIS, UH, COMMUNITY IN THIS PARK BE ABLE TO BE A SAFE PLACE. JUST GETTING A PEACEFUL PLACE TO PLAY THIS BEAUTIFUL WHERE THEY CAN JUST HAVE FUN AND BE THEMSELVES. YES, I AGREE. UM, IN THIS GENERATION, YOU KNOW, WE GET, UH, I THINK LITTLE KIDS ESPECIALLY GET SO CAUGHT UP IN THE IPADS AND THE NEW TECHNOLOGY. AND SO I THINK WE NEED TO, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO GIVE 'EM THE SPACE TO BE ABLE TO BE FREE AND BE CHILDREN AND, AND BE ABLE TO GO OUT IN NATURE AND BE KIDS WITH THIS PARK BEING AN ASSET TO THEM. WE GOTTA KEEP IT UP AND MAKE IT A SAFE PLACE FOR THEM TO PLAY. SO IT'S A GREAT DAY IN DISTRICT B . FOR OUR LAST STORY, WE SAY FAREWELL TO TWO CITY EMPLOYEES FROM HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR JANE CHEEKS PRESIDED OVER THE CEREMONY, WHICH INCLUDED SPECIAL PROCLAMATIONS FROM MAYOR JOHN WHITMEYER. TAKE IT AWAY, JANE. THEREFORE, FOR MY BOSS, JOHN WHITMEYER, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON, WE HEAR PRIDE PROCLAIM MARCH 31ST, 2024 AS BEL MA LAW'S DAY AS ROBERT BOB JOHNSON IN THE CITY. SO TODAY WE'RE HAVING A DOUBLE RETIREMENT PARTY, UH, FOR TWO HUMAN RESOURCES EMPLOYEES. UH, BOB JOHNSON, OUR COMPENSATION MANAGER, HAS BEEN HERE FOR OVER NINE YEARS. AND THEN WE'RE ALSO HAVING OUR GOING AWAY FROM MS. VEMA LAWS. MS. VEMA LAWS HAS BEEN THE CHIEF POLICY OFFICER FOR THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT, AND SHE'S BEEN HERE OVER 42 YEARS. SO THESE ARE TWO INTEGRAL INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE MADE A FOOTPRINT HERE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND THEY WILL BE MISSED NOT ONLY BY HUMAN RESOURCES, BUT THEY WILL ALSO BE MISSED BY THE CITY. 42 YEARS, THEY'VE BEEN GOOD YEARS. I'VE ENJOYED WORKING HERE VERY MUCH. UH, IT'S BEEN VERY MEANINGFUL. HAD A CHANCE TO DO SOME GOOD THINGS FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE, A LOT OF YOUNG PEOPLE, A LOT OF COMPANIES. UM, I FEEL VERY BLESSED. IT'S BEEN A VERY FULFILLING ORGANIZATION TO WORK FOR. UH, I CARE A LOT ABOUT THE CITY, AND THAT'S BECAUSE THE CITY IS WORTH PEOPLE CARING ABOUT IT. AND SO IT'S BEEN, IT'S BEEN, UH, A VERY SATISFYING END STAGE FOR MY CAREER. THAT'S GONNA DO IT FOR ME. AND CITY PULSE FOR HTV IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON ON TRAVIS LEMONS REMINDING EVERYONE. UNTIL NEXT TIME, DO BETTER AND BE KIND. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.