* 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. [00:00:18] I AM JOINED BY OUR DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN, WHO IS SO RESPONSIVE TO THE COMMUNITY THAT WE BOTH WERE SHOCKED TO LEARN THAT, UH, KIND OF A SURPRISE THROUGH THE MEDIA THAT WE WERE CLOSING THIS LIBRARY A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO. UH, WE'VE ALL BEEN HERE DRIVEN BY IT. NO, IT'S ICONIC NATURE AND, UH, CERTAINLY WANT TO THINK THE RELATIONSHIP WE'VE HAD WITH ST. THOMAS UNIVERSITY FOR MANY YEARS, ACTUALLY, THEIR STRUCTURE THAT WAS ALLOWED, UH, THROUGH THE FAMILY DONATION TO BE A CITY PUBLIC NEIGHBORHOOD LIBRARY. LET ME EMPHASIZE THE NEIGHBORHOOD LIBRARY. UH, SO THANK YOU. WE, UH, LEARNED OF THE CLOSURE AND GOT BUSY TO SEE THAT IT WOULD REOPEN WITH CONSIDERATION FOR, UH, THE LOSS OF THE ELEVATOR, WHICH HAS BEEN AN ISSUE FOR SOME TIME. BUT LET ME JUST SAY, IN A PERIOD OF TIME WHERE WE REALLY CHERISH OUR HISTORY, HISTORICAL BUILDINGS, YOU CAN'T REPLICATE THIS. THIS IS AN ICON. SO I'M GONNA LEAVE HERE THIS MORNING AND GO TO WORK AND, AND SEE WHAT CAN BECOME THIS GREAT LOCATION. UH, PUBLIC USE SHOULD BE A HIGH PRIORITY WORK WITH ST. THOMAS TO SEE IF MAYBE THROUGH SOME PARTNERSHIP WE COULD HAVE SOME VERSION OF THIS LIBRARY, CERTAINLY PUBLIC USE. I'M GONNA LEAVE HERE AND GO TO THE RELOCATION OF THE MONTROSE LIBRARY, WHICH I HAVE NOT VISITED. I'VE HAD A FULL PLATE FOR THE LAST 105 DAYS. I ONLY LEARNED OF THIS CHALLENGE THROUGH THE PRESS, WHICH I WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED TO SEE THAT THERE HAD NOT BEEN MORE ACCOMMODATIONS FOR THE PUBLIC AND THE USE OF THE LIBRARY WITH SAFETY BEING OUR HIGHEST PRIORITY. BUT I'M GONNA LEAVE HERE AND GO TO THE NEW LOCATION. I'M AFRAID I'M GONNA BE REAL DISAPPOINTED THAT YOU SWAP OUT THIS NEIGHBORHOOD ICONIC HISTORICAL BUILDING FOR A STRIP CENTER COMMERCIAL LOCATION, WHICH THE DEAL WAS SEALED BEFORE THE COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN AND I WERE ELECTED. BUT I'M NOT HAPPY. I'M NOT HAPPY THAT THE LEADERSHIP IN PREVIOUS YEARS DID NOT UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS LOCATION IN THIS BEAUTIFUL BUILDING. WE COULD HAVE RAISED MONEY FROM A VARIETY OF LOW ENTITIES, OUR FOUNDATIONS, OUR PHILANTHROPIC COMMUNITY IN HOUSTON, THE STATE OF TEXAS, A FEDERAL TAG IN THEIR BUDGET, MAYBE A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE COUNTY. SO THANK Y'ALL FOR BEING HERE. WE'RE EXCITED TO REOPEN IT. WE'RE SORRY THAT WE HAD TO GO THROUGH THIS EXPERIENCE, BUT, YOU KNOW, THINGS WORK OUT FOR THE BEST. MAYBE THROUGH THE CLOSURE, IT GOT MY ATTENTION TO THE POINT THAT WE CAN DO BETTER. HOUSTON'S A CAN-DO CITY. WE HAVE GREAT PEOPLE. IT'S A GREAT CITY, BUT WE CANNOT CASUALLY CLOSE AN ICONIC NEIGHBORHOOD LIBRARY. WE'RE, WE'RE TALKING, WE HAVE SUCH A VISION FOR THIS COMMUNITY WITH WALKABILITY, AND THEN YOU'RE ABANDONING A NEIGHBORHOOD LIBRARY TO GO OVER ON WESTHEIMER COMMERCIAL AREA. I JUST DON'T GET IT. BUT ELECTIONS MATTER, AND THAT'S WHY I RAN FOR OFFICE TO FIX THINGS. AND WE'RE FIXING THIS THIS MORNING, BUT WE ALSO HAVE A PROJECT IN FRONT OF US TO PRESERVE IT AND SEE HOW WE CAN HAVE A MORE USER FRIENDLY PROPOSED SITE WITH THIS GARAGE PARKING ON ONE OF THE BUSIEST STREETS IN HOUSTON. I'M REALLY DISAPPOINTED, BUT I'VE ONLY BEEN THERE 105 DAYS. WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO, AND I WILL YIELD TO MY VERY ACTIVE, RESPONSIVE CITY COUNCIL PERSON, COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN. AND, AND IF YOU WELL, I'LL STAY AROUND, START TO SAY, I'VE GOTTA GET OVER THAT OTHER SITE AND SEE WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON. BUT, UH, LET ME YIELD AT THIS TIME. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MAYOR. UH, I THINK WE'RE ALL BREATHING A SIGH OF RELIEF TODAY, UH, THAT OUR LIBRARY IS UP AND RUNNING, AND THERE'S A LOT OF THANK YOUS, UH, TO INCLUDE, UH, AS WE RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS BUILDING, BUT ALSO THE IMPORTANCE OF WHAT OUR HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARIES MEAN TO OUR COMMUNITY. UH, MAYOR, WHEN WE LEARNED ABOUT THIS, I IMMEDIATELY REACHED OUT TO YOU. AND I MUST SAY YOU DID NOT MISS A BEAT. YOUR TEAM DID NOT MISS A BEAT WHEN IT CAME TO FINDING OUT [00:05:01] WHAT WAS GOING ON, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHAT WE COULD DO TO REOPEN IT. SO MY APPRECIATION FIRST TO YOU AND YOUR ADMINISTRATION, UH, FOR WORKING WITH OUR OFFICE, BUT ALSO TAKING A STAND TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR LIBRARIES STAY OPEN. I ALSO WANTED TO THANK, THERE'S A LOT OF STAFF THAT MAKE SURE THAT DAYS LIKE TODAY CAN HAPPEN. SO, UH, DIRECTOR MESSIAH AND GSD TO YOU AND YOUR TEAM. THANK YOU. UH, I ALSO, THERE'S A LOT OF HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY STAFF THAT DESERVES TO BE RECOGNIZED. OF COURSE, OUR NEW INTERIM DIRECTOR WILSON, THANK YOU. YOU HAVE BEEN IN SUCH CLOSE COMMUNICATION, NOT ONLY WITH MY OFFICE, BUT WITH THE PUBLIC. AND WE APPRECIATE THAT LEVEL OF COMMUNICATION, UH, SO THAT RESIDENTS KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON AROUND THEM. UH, IKA, OUR COUNCIL LIAISON HAS BEEN PHENOMENAL. UH, PATRICK ATKINS, OUR DEPUTY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, UH, WE COULD NOT HAVE DONE THIS WITHOUT YOU. AND OF COURSE, JOHN MIDDLETON, WHO IS OVER ALL OF OUR SPACES. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, I THINK I SAID, ROBERTO, I'M GONNA MESS UP AND FORGET TO THANK SOME PEOPLE, SO I APOLOGIZE. BUT AGAIN, THIS ALL COMES FROM A SOURCE OF ABSOLUTE GRATITUDE WHEN YOU LOOK AROUND. AND I SHOULD ALSO RECOGNIZE, UM, IVY IS, WHERE'S IVY? SHE MAY BE IN THE BACK. IVY, UH, IS ONE OF OUR MANAGERS RIGHT HERE AT THE FREED MONTROSE LIBRARY. SO TO ALL OF OUR LIBRARIANS, ALL OF OUR PUBLIC LIBRARY STAFF THAT EVERY SINGLE DAY SHOWS UP FOR THE COMMUNITY. AND WE HAVE COMMUNITY MEMBERS HERE, THE YOUNGEST OF WHICH IS BABY EVELYN, WHO'S A YEAR OLD AND IS GOING TO BE THE YOUNGEST AND MOST, AND THE NEWEST MEMBER OF THE HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM TODAY, GETTING HER LIBRARY CARD. UH, BUT WE ALSO HAVE LITTLE YOUNG CHILDREN LIKE JULIA. AND THIS LIBRARY IN PARTICULAR, UH, IS PARTNERING WITH ENTITIES LIKE THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM FOR A FOUR-PART SERIES PROGRAM RIGHT HERE IN THE LIBRARY. WE HAVE PAJAMA STORY TIMES BABY STORY TIMES, AGAIN, BRINGING THE COMMUNITY INTO THIS WORLD OF IMAGINATION AND EDUCATION AND LITERACY. UH, AT A TIME WHEN WE ARE SEEING IN THE STATE BOOK CENSORSHIP SCHOOL LIBRARIES CLOSING, UH, IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD IN PARTICULAR, MAYOR, I'M SURE YOU SAW SOME OF THE HEADLINES. THERE'S A LOT OF CONFUSION AND EVEN I WOULD SAY TURMOIL WITH SOME OF OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS RIGHT HERE IN MONTROSE AT A TIME WITH ALL OF THAT, TO HAVE THE CONSTANT RELIANCE AND TRUST IN OUR PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM, IT IS ABSOLUTELY IMPERATIVE AND CRITICAL. SO, AGAIN, MY HEARTFELT APPRECIATION TO THE LIBRARY, BUT ALSO TO OUR COMMUNITY HERE IN MONTROSE. YOU ALL ARE SO ACTIVE. WE HAVE NEIGHBORHOOD LEADERS HERE LIKE BARBARA AND SUE AND OTHERS WHO TIME AND AGAIN, ENGAGE, BUT ALSO TAKE ACTION. WE HAVE THE MOM CHOSE GROUP THAT'S BEEN AN ADVOCATE FOR OUR LIBRARIES RIGHT HERE. SO THIS IS ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY. THIS IS A DAY MAYOR, WHERE I'M GRATEFUL, BUT ALSO CELEBRATING THE FACT THAT THE DOORS ARE OPEN. UH, SO CONGRATULATIONS TO THE COMMUNITY. LET ME, UH, LET ME ECHO WHAT YOU'RE SAYING ON THE, ON THE EMPLOYEES. UH, WE DON'T THINK OUR PUBLIC EMPLOYEES ARE MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES ENOUGH. I WANT TO ASSURE THEM AS WE BEGIN NEGOTIATIONS WITH HOPE TOMORROW, THE MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEE UNION THAT WE'RE MINDFUL OF THE HARD WORK AND DEDICATION FOR YEARS OF OUR CITY EMPLOYEES. UH, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK OUR INTERIM DIRECTOR, CYNTHIA WILSON, WHO IMMEDIATELY SAID, WE CAN DO BETTER. SO, UH, THE, THE, THE CREDIT GOES TO SO MANY PEOPLE BEHIND THE SCENES. SUE LOVELL, FORMER CITY COUNCIL MEMBER, HAS BEEN A ADVOCATE FOR COMMUNITY SERVICES SINCE SHE WAS KNOCKING DOORS. I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW LONG AGO, SUE AND I GO WAY BACK MANY YEARS WHEN SHE WAS ON COUNCIL. SO ANYWAY, WITH THAT SAID, THIS IS SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE THE OPENING. NOW, JUST THINK HOW SAD THE SITUATION WAS. WE LEARNED A COUPLE WEEKS AGO THAT IT WAS BEING CLOSED. THE PROPOSED NEW LIBRARY WOULDN'T OPEN TILL SEPTEMBER. SO, UH, NOT GOOD. BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS WE HAVE, UH, CORRECTED THAT VINCE RYAN, LONGTIME ALLY AND FRIEND AND PUBLIC SERVANT PUBLIC SERVICE, I BELIEVE IS A CALLING. AND EVERY ONE I'M LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW IS A PUBLIC SERVANT, WHETHER YOU'RE EVER ON THE BALLOT OR NOT. AND I THINK SOMEDAY WE'LL BE JUDGED. WHAT DID YOU DO WITH YOUR PUBLIC SERVICE? I WANT THE REOPENING OF THIS LIBRARY TO BE ONE OF THE CREDITS THAT WE ALL REPORT WHEN WE'RE JUDGED BY WHAT DID YOU DO WITH YOUR PUBLIC [00:10:01] SERVICE, WHETHER YOU'RE AN ELECTED OFFICIAL CITY EMPLOYEE OR COMMUNITY ADVOCATE, WE, WE'VE GOT A LITTLE BETTER STORY TO TELL AFTER TODAY. I'M ACTUALLY GONNA LEAVE HERE A BETTER MAYOR THAN THE ONE THAT GOT HERE BECAUSE WE'RE SEEING THE SUCCESS WE'RE MAKING ALONG WITH COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN. WITH THAT SAID, UH, LET'S GO TO WORK. * 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.