* 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. [00:00:17] AND IT'S GREAT TO BE HERE AS WE KICK OFF OUR SUMMER WITH THE OPENING OF OUR COMMUNITY CENTERS AND POOL FOR SUMMER ACTIVITIES. I AM SO EXCITED. WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS DAY. WE HAVE FRESH, CLEAR WATER. YOU KNOW, IT IS FITTING TO RAISE COMMUNITY AWARENESS AROUND SUMMER SAFETY, UH, BECAUSE OF ALL THE SUMMER ACTIVITY THAT'S GOING ON AND BECAUSE KIDS ARE OUT OF SCHOOL. AND GUESS WHAT THEY NEED THINGS TO DO BETWEEN VISITING OUR COMMUNITY CENTERS AND POOLS AND ALL THE OTHER AMENITIES AROUND THE CITY, IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO STAY SAFE. SO I WOULD LIKE TO, UH, THANK MAYOR JOHN WHITMEYER FOR BEING HERE TO REALLY PROMOTE THIS MESSAGE TO THE ENTIRE CITY OF HOUSTON. SO MAYOR, IF YOU WOULD COME UP AND HAVE A FEW WORDS, WE'LL DEFINITELY APPRECIATE IT. DEFINITELY APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT AND LEADERSHIP. THANK YOU, DIRECTOR ALLEN. AND LET ME, UH, TELL YOU HOW EXCITED I AM TO BE HERE. CERTAINLY IN DISTRICT F, WITH COUNCIL MEMBER TIFFANY THOMAS, AND WITH OUR FIRST RESPONDERS, CHIEF BESHEAR. CHIEF PENA. WE'RE ALL WORKING TOGETHER TO SEND OUT A MESSAGE. THIS IS GONNA BE A FUN SUMMER, BUT WE WANTED TO BE A SAFE SUMMER. AND, UH, IT'S A GREAT DAY TO BE A HOUSTONIAN, CERTAINLY IN DISTRICT F, CERTAINLY IN A LEAF, THE INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT. I HAVEN'T SEEN A NICER, REALLY PRIVATE OR PUBLIC SETUP LIKE THIS. THIS IS REALLY REFLECTIVE OF, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS'S LEADERSHIP, CITY OF HOUSTON CITIZENS RUNNING A FIRST CLASS RECREATIONAL FACILITY. AND I WOULD, I WOULD FULLY EXPECT PEOPLE COMING FROM ACROSS HOUSTON TO EXPERIENCE THIS. IN FACT, UH, I OBVIOUSLY DIDN'T DRESS APPROPRIATELY TODAY, BUT THAT CAN BE FIXED REAL EASY. , THANK, THANK EVERYONE FOR BEING HERE. THANK THE STAKEHOLDERS, THE LEADERSHIP, THE STAFF, PARK STAFF, EVERYONE THAT COMES TOGETHER TO MAKE A GREAT DAY, LIKE TODAY HAPPENS. SO LET'S MOVE FORWARD. LET'S CELEBRATE OUR VICTORY HERE OF OPENING THE POOLS THIS SUMMER, BUT ALSO MAKING CERTAIN SAFETY IS OUR HIGHEST PRIORITY. WE WANT FAMILIES, WE WANT INDIVIDUALS COME HERE AND REALIZE THEY'RE WELCOME. VERY DIVERSE COMMUNITY. THIS IS WHAT GOOD GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SERVICE IS ALL ABOUT. THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO BE HERE AND ENJOY. ALRIGHT, GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. UM, GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING, GOOD MORNING. UH, MY NAME IS YASER BASHIR. I'M AN ASSISTANT CHIEF. THOSE OF YOU DO NOT KNOW ME. I'M OVER. I'M A PATROL CHIEF OVER THIS AREA AND I'M JUST GONNA ECHO WHAT OUR MAYOR JUST SAID. SAFETY, SAFETY, SAFETY. THROUGHOUT THE, UH, SUMMERTIME, ESPECIALLY SINCE OUR POOLS ARE OPENING UP, OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY IS SAFETY IN THE COMMUNITY. AND WE ALSO, AT THE SAME TIME, WE WANT OUR KIDS TO HAVE A FUN SUMMER AND ENJOY TIME AT THE POOL. FIRST, LET ME BEGIN BY THANKING EVERYONE, BUT ESPECIALLY GREATER GH PALS, WHICH STANDS FOR GREATER USE AND POLICE ACTIVITIES LEAGUE FOUNDATION. THEY HAVE DONATED 60 TRUNKS TO THIS FACILITY. ALRIGHT, THAT'S RIGHT, BECAUSE THEY CAME, THEY BECAME AWARE. THERE ARE KIDS THAT COME HERE, THEY DON'T HAVE THEIR PROPER ATTIRE. AND DO THEY DO NOT WANNA TURN ANY, ANY, ANYBODY AWAY? BUT HERE I'M ALSO GONNA TALK ABOUT SOMETHING THAT'S IMPORTANT. OVER THE YEARS AS LAW ENFORCEMENT FIRST RESPONDERS, WE ALSO COME ACROSS VERY TRAGIC INCIDENTS, AND THAT'S SOMETHING WE WANNA PREVENT. NUMBER ONE RULE. PARENTS ALWAYS KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR CHILD. DOESN'T MATTER IF THE LIFEGUARDS ARE ON DUTY OR NOT, THEY HAVE MANY POOLS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. THEY DO NOT HAVE LIFEGUARDS. SO PLEASE, PARENTS, BE VIGILANT. KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR CHILD, MAKE SURE THEY'RE GET REGULAR FLUIDS AND GIVE THEM REGULAR BREAKS AS WELL. NOW I ALSO HAVE A MESSAGE FOR THE ADULTS. MAKE SURE IF YOU'RE GONNA ASSUME ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, BE MINDFUL ABOUT GOING INTO THE POOL BECAUSE YOU ARE SLOW TO, TO REACT TO CERTAIN SITUATION. UH, HAVING SAID THAT, UM, WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH OUR COMMUNITY THROUGHOUT THE CITY, ESPECIALLY OUR APARTMENT MANAGERS AS WELL. CONTINUE TO SEND THIS MESSAGE OUT ABOUT POOL SAFETY. WITH, WITH NO FURTHER ADO, NOW I'M GONNA INTRODUCE, UH, CHIEF PENA. THANK YOU. WANNA GO AHEAD? YEAH, NO, SORRY. IT'S ALL GOOD. UH, GOOD MORNING. UH, WELCOME TO DISTRICT DEV ON THE WEST SIDE, THE BEST SIDE OF HOUSTON. UH, ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I SAY THAT IS 'CAUSE WE ARE AT A STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITY FACILITY, THE ALE NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER. IT TOOK US 30 YEARS TO GET TO THIS POINT AND ONE OF THE, UH, VALUES AND THE REQUESTS [00:05:01] THE COMMUNITY HAD IN MIND TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD AN ALE AQUATIC CENTER WHERE OUR YOUNG PEOPLE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN HOW TO SWIM. I HAVE A DEEP CONNECTION TO SWIMMING POOLS BECAUSE MY PARENTS MET AS TEENAGERS AT A CITY POOL IN NEW ORLEANS. SO MANY CAN SAY, IF IT HAD NOT BEEN FOR A CITY POOL BEING OPEN, I WOULD NOT BE HERE. UH, BUT OUR POOLS ARE MUCH MORE THAN MATCHMAKERS FOR OUR TEENS. SAFETY IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT AS WE EXPERIENCE A NATIONWIDE SHORTAGE IN LIFEGUARDS. I SEE IN THE AUDIENCE, LILO ONE OF OUR FREE PARTNERS WITH CLEAR CHANNEL. THEY DONATED FIVE BILLBOARDS AND VALUE AT $75,000 TO HELP US CLOSE THAT GAP BECAUSE WHAT IS THE POINT OF HAVING A STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITY IF WE DON'T HAVE THE PEOPLE NECESSARY TO RUN IT? I WANNA THANK THE MAYOR'S VISION FOR MAKING SURE THAT EVERY CITY POOL WILL BE OPEN THIS SUMMER. THE PARKS DEPARTMENT FOR WORKING TREMENDOUSLY HARD TO MAKE SURE ALL RESOURCES WERE AVAILABLE WHILE THEY SUPPORT DURING RECOVERY. AND I WANNA, UM, UNDERSCORE, UM, THE IMPORTANCE OF SWIM SAFETY. JUST TWO WEEKS AGO, A 5-YEAR-OLD WAS FOUND IN WEST CHASE, JUST DOWN THE ROAD, FACE UP, FACE DOWN IN A SWIM POOL AT OUR APARTMENT COMPLEX. AND ON SATURDAY, I'M PARTNERING WITH THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, HOUSTON SWIM WAVES, AND COACH C-P-R-L-L-C FOR A SWIM SAFETY EVENT RIGHT HERE AT THIS POOL ON JUNE 15TH AT 10:00 AM WE HAVE A WAIT LIST OF OVER 50 PEOPLE THAT TELLS YOU THAT PEOPLE ARE READY TO LEARN HOW TO SWIM. THEY WANT THEIR FAMILIES TO BE SAFE. AND WHEN THE STATISTICS TELL US THAT IF YOU CAN'T SWIM, THERE'S A HIGH PROBABILITY THAT YOUR CHILDREN WILL BE UNABLE TO SWIM. SO, UM, LOOK OUT FOR THOSE, UH, BILLBOARDS. FOLLOW US ON THE INTERNET. MAKE SURE THAT YOU SIGN UP FOR ALL OF THE SWIM LESSONS THAT THE PARKS DEPARTMENT IS OFFERING. NOT JUST THAT A LEAF, BUT IN VARIOUS, UH, POOLS ALL THROUGHOUT THE CITY BECAUSE A SAFER CITY IS A BETTER HOUSTON. THANK YOU MUCH. WELL, THANK YOU ALL. IT'S HARD TO FOLLOW COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS, BUT, UH, LET ME BEGIN BY, BY THANKING CERTAINLY MAYOR WHITMEYER, DIRECTOR ALLEN, COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS AND, UH, THE ENTIRE PARKS DEPARTMENT FOR THE INCREDIBLE EFFORTS TO HAVE ALL OUR POOLS OPEN THIS SUMMER. UM, LOOK, KEEPING OUR CHILDREN SAFE IS JUST ALLOWS EVERYBODY TO ENJOY THE SUMMER ACTIVITIES. AND DROWNING, UNFORTUNATELY, IS THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN CHILDREN, ONE TO FOUR YEARS OLD, BUT DROWNING IS PREVENTABLE. LEARNING HOW TO SWIM IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT. LEARN HOW TO SWIM, TEACH YOUR CHILDREN HOW TO SWIM, SUPERVISE YOUR CHILDREN CONSTANTLY. I'M GONNA PROVIDE JUST A FEW TIPS BECAUSE SINCE MAY 1ST WE'VE HAD OVER 20 INSTANCES OF DROWNINGS AND NEAR DROWNINGS IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. IN HALF OF THOSE CASES, AN ADULT WAS PRESENT WHILE IT HAPPENED. WOW. SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOT ONLY SUPERVISE YOUR CHILDREN, BUT DIRECTLY WATCH THE CHILDREN AS THEY'RE IN THE WATER OR AROUND BODIES OF WATER. IT'S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT. TAKE YOUR PHONE WITH YOU WHEN YOU'RE AROUND IN THE POOLS OR AROUND WATER, BUT DON'T LET YOUR PHONE BE A DISTRACTION. IF YOU'RE GONNA CONSUME ALCOHOL, MAKE SURE, JUST LIKE IN DRIVING, HAVE A DESIGNATED DRIVER, HAVE A DESIGNATED PERSON THAT'S UH, THERE JUST TO MONITOR THE ACTIVITIES THAT ARE GOING ON INSIDE THE POOL, ESPECIALLY THE CHILDREN. SUPERVISOR YOUR CHILDREN CONSTANTLY AND DIRECTLY AND MAKE SURE THEY HAVE A LIFE VEST ON THAT'S PROPERLY FITTING, UH, AROUND WATER BECAUSE DROWNINGS HAPPEN IN SECONDS AND NOT LIKE YOU SEE IN THE MOVIES WHERE PEOPLE ARE SPLASHING AROUND AND GIVING YOU WARNINGS THAT SOMETHING'S WRONG. A LOT OF TIMES DROWNINGS HAPPEN SILENTLY AND BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, UH, SOMEBODY HAS ALREADY DOWN INSIDE THE POOL. SO AGAIN, WE WANT THE, UH, THE SUMMER TO BE AN ENJOYABLE ONE. BUT, UH, REALIZE THAT THERE ARE RISKS AND THERE ARE HAZARDS AROUND THE POOL. MAKE SURE THAT YOU DO THE RIGHT THING TO ENSURE THAT YOUR CHILDREN AND ANYBODY THAT'S, UH, HAVING FUN ACTIVITIES AROUND THE POOL ARE PROTECTED APPROPRIATELY. AND, UH, WE'LL BE HERE TO ANSWER ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, CHIEF. AGAIN, I FEEL LIKE I ALREADY, I ALREADY DIPPED IN THE POOL, BUT CERTAINLY ALL THESE COMMENTS ARE DEFINITELY, DEFINITELY IMPORTANT TO YOUR SUMMER SAFETY COUNCIL MEMBER MENTIONED OPENING ALL POOLS THIS SUMMER. YOU KNOW, WE ARE NOT QUITE THERE, BUT WE ARE DEFINITELY AGGRESSIVELY PURSUING LIFEGUARDS, JUNIOR LIFEGUARDS AND POOL SUPERVISORS. GO TO OUR WEBSITE@HOUSTONPARKS.ORG IF ANYBODY OUT THERE 16 AND UP WANT A GREAT RESPONSIBLE SUMMER JOB. AND I'D ALSO LIKE TO THANK CLEAR CHANNEL OUTDOORS ONCE AGAIN FOR DONATING FIVE BILLBOARDS ACROSS THIS CITY THAT WILL REACH OVER FIVE OH OVER A MILLION PEOPLE, 11 MILLION PEOPLE. AND WE'VE HAD AN INFLUX OF GUARDS APPLY AS A RESULT OF THE LAST [00:10:01] WEEK AND A HALF. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. LEE IS VICE PRESIDENT OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS FOR CLEAR CHANNEL OUTDOORS, SO THANK YOU AGAIN. I ALSO WANNA RECOGNIZE SERGEANT LETICIA BROWN WHO HELPED DONATE AND GATHER THE TRUNKS FOR KIDS THAT MAY NOT HAVE TRUNKS OR IS SHE HERE TODAY? THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AS A MATTER OF FACT, I'D LIKE TO THANK HPD AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR ALL OF THEIR SUPPORT. NOT ONLY DURING THE SUMMER, BUT ALL YEAR LONG. WE HAVE ABOUT 14 OFFICERS THAT HAVE BEEN PART OF THE POWELL PROGRAM THAT'S MENTORED AND COACH KIDS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, AND THEY'LL BE WITH US THIS SUMMER. I KNOW WE HAVE A LOT OF OTHER THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT, BUT THEIR SUPPORT IS INVALUABLE ALONG WITH EVERYBODY BEHIND ME. SO I WANT CALL UP RAY DE RUIN OUR SENIOR SUPERINTENDENT OF AQUATICS JUST FOR A FEW WORDS ON POOL SAFETY. GOOD MORNING. WELCOME TO OUR SUMMER SWIM SEASON. WE LIKE TO WISH EVERYONE A SAFE AND ENJOYABLE SUMMER AT OUR AQUATIC CENTERS. HI, MY NAME. MY NAME IS RA. I AM A LIFEGUARD INSTRUCTOR AS WELL AS AN AQUATIC CENTER SUPERVISOR AT STU POOL. WE'RE CONTINUOUSLY HIRING LIFEGUARDS AND HAVE TRAINING CLASSES AVAILABLE FOR THE REST OF JUNE. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO TRY OUT FOR A ZOOM EVALUATION OR KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS A STRONG SWIMMER, CALL OUR OFFICE OR GO ONLINE TO GATHER FURTHER INFORMATION. CHIEF PENA, WE HAVE A LIFEGUARD IN THE FIRE ACADEMY. WE'RE WE'RE BUILDING THOSE CAREER BRIDGES. YES, SIR. WE HAVE A LIFEGUARD WHO TOOK THE CIVIL SERVICE EXAM THIS PAST FRIDAY. WE ARE BUILDING THOSE CAREER BRIDGES. THANK YOU. AND WITH SAFETY AS OUR FOCUS, LET'S KEEP IN MIND A FEW POINTERS. ALWAYS SWIM WITH A BUDDY SO THAT YOU CAN LOOK OUT FOR EACH OTHER. HYDRATE FREQUENTLY TO AVOID HEAT RELATED ILLNESSES EVERY 15 MINUTES. IF YOU'RE SWEATING, TRY TO DRINK EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT THIRSTY. KEEP YOUR VALUABLES OUT OF SIGHT WHILE YOU'RE ENJOYING THE POOL. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, PARENTS, KEEP YOUR CHILDREN WITHIN ARMS REACH AT ALL TIMES. ONCE AGAIN, WELCOME TO SWIM SEASON. WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU THROUGH THE ENTIRE SUMMER. I'D LIKE TO INVITE, UH, ANNA FROM THE MAYOR'S OFFICE TO, UH, TRANSLATE FOR US ENO, SHE HOUSTON PARK. [00:16:06] THANK YOU ANNA. REALLY APPRECIATE IT. I ALSO WANNA MENTION SERGEANT MORDECAI AND SERGEANT WILLIAMS FROM THE HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE. ARE YOU HERE? OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND PARTNERSHIP. UM, YOU KNOW, THIS JUST DIDN'T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT. WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE GROUND HERE, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE PROGRAMMING THAT'S HAPPENING ON THE INSIDE, THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT AS WELL AS GSD PARKS AND LIBRARIES, ALL IN ONE, ONE LOCATION. SO OUR SOLDIERS AND PEOPLE THAT ARE WORKING DAY TO DAY, HOUR TO HOUR TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN AT THIS SITE, MY HATS GO OFF TO YOU. IT'S BEAUTIFUL. THANK YOU FOR YOUR DAY-TO-DAY EFFORT. WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, I KNOW THE KIDS ARE READY TO SWIM AND I'M READY TO JUMP IN BEHIND THEM. SO LET'S, LET'S GO AHEAD AND GET OUR SPLASH IN. THANK YOU ALL. I HAVE. * 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.