* 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. [Resilience Committee on October 3, 2024. ] [00:00:18] WE CAN GO AHEAD AND ASK. I'LL GO AHEAD AND ASK, UH, AIRLINES, HOUSTON, TO TAKE YOUR SEATS AT THE, AT THE, UH, PODIUM THERE. GOOD. THAT'S WHY I KEPT MINE. UH, GOOD MORNING. UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS, STAFF AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. I'M TWILA CARTER, CHAIR OF THE, UH, RESILIENCE COMMITTEE. I'D LIKE TO WELCOME EVERYONE, UH, HERE THIS MORNING. WE'LL CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER. WE DON'T HAVE A QUORUM, BUT WE DON'T REALLY HAVE ANYTHING TO VOTE ON, SO IT'S OKAY. UM, SO I WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE STAFF AND COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT, AND I'LL DO THAT IN A SECOND. BUT I WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT WE HAVE AIR ALLIANCE HOUSTON HERE TODAY, AND WE'RE ALSO, THEY'RE CHECKING NOT AIR ALLIANCE, BUT THE CITY'S CHECKING AIR QUALITY IN THE ROOM TODAY. I THOUGHT. HOW IRONIC. UM, BUT SO I'D LIKE TO WELCOME, UM, COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, WITH US TODAY. COUNCIL MEMBER FRED FLICKINGER, COUNCIL MEMBER JULIAN RAMIREZ. COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, JOAQUIN MARTINEZ. WE HAVE STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, VICE MAYOR, PRO TEM AMY PECK, COUNCIL MEMBER TARSHA JACKSON. COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN. UH, MAYOR PRO TEM. STAFF MAYOR PRO TEM CASTEX TATUM. UH, STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO HAS STAFF HERE. DR. PLUMMER, COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER HAS STAFF ON HAND, AND I THINK COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN. DID I GET EVERYBODY? I THINK WE'VE GOT 'EM ALL. UM, WELCOME. TODAY, UM, TODAY'S AGENDA, WE'LL HAVE TWO PRESENTATIONS, ONE FROM AIR ALLIANCE HOUSTON, AND THE OTHER ONE FROM OUR HOUSTON PARKS AND REC DEPARTMENT. SO WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING FROM BOTH OF YOU. UM, WELCOME AIR ALLIANCE HOUSTON, BRANDY DE DECENT, UH, DECENT, DECENT. MM-HMM . UH, CLIMATE JUSTICE COORDINATOR. YES, MA'AM. AND DR IN YANG ACK, A RESEARCH AND POLICY DIRECTOR. YES. DID I GET THAT RIGHT? YES, YOU DID. THANK YOU. WELL, WELCOME. WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR PRESENTATION. SURE. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. THANKS FOR HAVING US. THANK YOU. WE WELCOME STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS'S OFFICE AS WELL. YOU CAN START. OH, OKAY. YEAH. OKAY. UH, NEXT SLIDE. SINCE WE DID INTRODUCTIONS. YEAH. OKAY. NEXT SLIDE. THERE WE GO. ALRIGHT. YOU WANT ME TO SAY THIS PART? UM, I CAN START. OKAY. GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. UM, THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. MY NAME IS IAN AK. I AM AN ENVIRONMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGIST AND WITH A CLINICAL BACKGROUND AND THE DIRECTOR FOR RESEARCH AND POLICY FOR ALLIANCE HOUSTON. I'M HERE WITH MY COLLEAGUE, UM, BRANDI DEON. AND ON TODAY'S TOPIC OF ADDRESSING, UM, PLASTIC POLLUTION PROBLEM IN HOUSTON, THIS PRESENTATION IS REALLY DESIGNED TO ACT AS A SPRINGBOARD FOR MORE DISCUSSION. WE AT ELLEN HOUSTON HAVE MET WITH PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION AND THIS CURRENT ADMINISTRATION AS WELL AS COUNCIL MEMBERS HERE, UM, AND SOME THAT ARE PART OF THIS COMMITTEE. AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO HAVE THIS DISCUSSION. SO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. NEXT SLIDE. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. I'LL START WITH A LITTLE INTRODUCTION INTO PLASTICS, MICROPLASTICS, AND NANOPLASTICS AND HOW THIS CAN AFFECT HUMAN HEALTH AND HOW WE CAN REDUCE OUR PERSONAL EXPOSURES. THEN I'LL PASS IT TO BRANDY, WHO WILL SPEAK MORE ABOUT THE HOUSTON RECYCLING COLLABORATION AND CHEMICAL RECYCLING. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO, PLASTIC WASTE, I APOLOGIZE. UM, CAN WE GO TO THE PREVIOUS SLIDE, PLEASE? RIGHT, THANK YOU. PLASTIC WASTE HAS BECOME A UNIVERSAL PROBLEM, SO IT'S NOT JUST A HOUSTON PROBLEM, AND THIS IS DUE TO ITS PERSISTENCY IN THE ENVIRONMENT. SINGLE USE PLASTICS ACCOUNT FOR 35% OF PLASTICS PRODUCED TODAY. MOST SINGLE USE PLASTICS ARE UNNECESSARY AS THEY'RE USED FOR A FEW MINUTES AND THEN DISCARDED AS PLASTIC WASTE. THESE TAKE YEARS TO BREAK DOWN, AND WHEN THEY DO, THEY INTRODUCE HARMFUL COMPOUNDS INTO THE AIR. THE SHORT LIFECYCLE OF SINGLE USE PLASTICS INCREASE ITS ACCUMULATION IN THE ENVIRONMENT, AND PLASTIC REDUCTION HAS BEEN INCREASING AT A SIGNIFICANT RATE. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. MICROPLASTICS ARE TINY PLASTIC PARTICLES GENERATED, UM, BY THE BREAKDOWN OF LARGER PLASTICS. [00:05:01] UM, AND, UM, IN THE ENVIRONMENT, THEY END UP CONTAMINATING THE AIR, WATER, AND SOIL THROUGH WIND TRANSPORT. AS YOU CAN SEE ON THIS, UM, DIAGRAM AND RUNOFF THROUGH WATER TRANSPORT. MOST PLASTIC IN USE ARE RESISTANT TO BIODEGRADATION. HOWEVER, THEY'RE SUSCEPTIBLE TO PROCESSES THAT CAN BREAK THEM DOWN TO MICRO AND NANOSCALE PROPERTIES. THEY'RE FOUND IN LARGE QUANTITIES IN OCEANS, UM, RIVERS, GROUNDWATER, SOIL, SEAWEED, AND THE AIR THAT WE BREATHE. WE ACTUALLY BROUGHT SOME SAMPLES OF NOLES, WHICH ARE MICROPLASTICS. THIS SLIDE. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO HERE WE HAVE A FEW EXAMPLES OF MICROPLASTICS OR SOURCES OF MICROPLASTICS, AND THESE ARE TIRES, PAINTS, TEXTILE PELLETS, DETERGENT CAPSULES, ARTIFICIAL TURF, AND OTHER PRODUCTS, UM, IN COSMETICS AND FERTILIZERS. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. THIS SLIDE PRODUCES, PROVIDES A SUMMARY OF EVIDENCE OF MICROPLASTIC EXPOSURE AND IMPACT ON REPRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT IN HUMANS AND MAMMALS. THIS WAS GONE FROM A PEER REVIEWED, UH, PUBLICATION BY ZERO AT L 2024. IN FRONTIERS OF ENDOCRINOLOGY, HUMANS ARE EXPOSED TO MICRO NANOPLASTICS THROUGH THREE ROUTES, INHALATION INGESTION AND DEMO CONTACT WITH INHALATION AND INGESTION BEING THE TWO PRIMARY ROUTES OF EXPOSURES. DEMO CONTACT CAN OCCUR WHEN WE ARE EXPOSED TO COSMETICS CONTAINING MICROBEADS AND SOME EXFOLIATING SOUPS. MICRO NANOPLASTICS HAVE BEEN FOUND IN BLOOD, URINE, FISHES AND BREAST MILK. THIS IS BECAUSE THESE MICRO NANOPLASTICS CAN CROSS PHYSIOLOGICAL BARRIERS IN THE LUNG GUTS AND SKIN. MOST CONCERNING IS THAT THEY HAVE BEEN FOUND TO CROSS THE BLOOD PLACENTA BARRIER ENDING UP IN FETAL CIRCULATION AND FETAL TISSUES. FURTHER STUDIES HAVE REVEALED AN INCREASED RISK FOR INTRAUTERINE, GOOD RETARDATION AND POOR FETAL GROWTH, AND AN INCREASED RISK OF CHRONIC DISEASE IN HUMANS. IT IS ALSO WORTHY OF NOTE THAT MICRO NANOPLASTICS ARE NOT JUST PURE PLASTIC POLYMERS, BUT THEY'RE ASSOCIATED WITH A DIVERSE MIXTURE OF ORGANIC CHEMICALS AND ADDITIVES, WHICH CAN LE OUT OF THOSE PLASTICS. AND THESE CHEMICALS ARE USUALLY ADDED TO PLASTICS. SO EITHER TO SOFTEN IT OR MAKE IT MORE MAL LABEL AND, AND WHAT HAVE YOU. AND THIS CAN INDUCE A VARIETY OF ADVERSE HEALTH EFFECTS. ALSO, THE SURFACE OF MICRO NANOPLASTICS CAN ABSORB ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS. THEY'RE TERMED, UM, HYDROPHOBIC, SO THAT WAY THEY ARE ABLE TO ABSORB ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS AND THEREFORE CAN ACT AS A VEHICLE FOR TOXIC EXPOSURE. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. HERE ARE SOME PERSONAL RECOMMENDATIONS TO REDUCE OUR EXPOSURE, HUMAN EXPOSURE TO MICROPLASTICS. AND THIS WOULD INCLUDE, YOU KNOW, UM, INSTALLING A WATER FILTER RATHER THAN RELYING SOLELY ON BOTTLED WATER. ALSO, WATER IS GREAT FOR EMERGENCY PURPOSES. UM, USE REUSABLE BAGS IN THE STORE, TAKE YOUR BAGS TO THE STORE. UM, THAT'S TO BE ENCOURAGED. UM, OF COURSE, YOU REUSING WATER BOTTLES. AVOID MICROWAVING FOOD IN PLASTICS. THAT IS ONE SOURCE OF, UM, MICROPLASTICS IN FOOD BECAUSE IF YOU USE PLASTICS AND TOGETHER THE PLASTIC IS CRACKED, SOME OF THOSE CHEMICALS CAN SEEP AND LEACH INTO YOUR FOOD. AND, UM, THEREBY, UM, YOU'LL BE GETTING EXPOSED TO MICROPLASTICS. AVOID STYROFOAM PACKAGED FOODS AND SUPPORT A CAP ON PLASTIC POLLUTION. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. NOW I WILL PASS IT TO BRANDY WHO WILL TALK MORE ABOUT CHEMICAL RECYCLING AND THE HOUSTON RECYCLING COLLABORATION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH DR. IAC, AND THANK YOU FOR THE GREAT INFORMATION. UM, SO I'LL PICK UP, UH, HERE AT, UH, HOUSTON AREA LANDFILLS. ACCORDING TO HOUSTON SOLID WASTE IN 2022, THE AREA LANDFILLS HAVE JUST 30 TO 40 YEARS LEFT BEFORE THEY FILL UP A REDUCTION IN PLASTICS CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE. MOST PLASTICS TODAY ARE MADE FROM A BYPRODUCT OF FRACKED GAS CALLED ETHANE, AND OTHER CHEMICALS ARE ADDED, AS MY COLLEAGUE STATED. AND THIS GIVES PLASTICS THEIR VARIETY OF SHAPES, COLORS, AND TYPES. UM, THE THOUSANDS OF TYPES OF PLASTICS HAVE, UH, ARE HARD TO SORT FOR RECYCLING, AND MANY OF THE CHEMICALS AND PLASTICS HAVE NOT BEEN TESTED FOR SAFETY. A STUDY PUBLISHED IN THE JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN 2019 REVEALED THAT ISSUES OF TOXICITY WERE WIDESPREAD AND SHOULD, AND COULD BE FOUND IN NEARLY EVERY TYPE OF PLASTIC. SO, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. OH, YES, NEXT SLIDE. THANK YOU. [00:10:01] SO WE'RE HERE, UH, TO TALK ABOUT THE HOUSTON RECYCLING COLLABORATION. SO WHAT IS IT? UM, IT'S A GROUP OF PLASTIC PRODUCERS CLAIMING THEY WILL INCREASE PLASTIC RECYCLING RATES FROM LESS THAN 10% TO 90% USING A NEW SORTING PROCESS AND IMPORT IN PART A PROCESS THEY CALL ADVANCED RECYCLING. HOUSTON RESIDENTS CAN BAG UP ALL NUMBERS OF PLASTICS, AND EVEN THE ONES THAT DO NOT HAVE RESIN NUMBERS LIKE PLASTIC FILMS. THE CITY OF HOUSTON IS PART OF A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH THE HOUSTON RECYCLING COLLABORATION AND RESIDENTS CAN DROP THESE BAGS AT HOUSTON AREA NEIGHBORHOOD DEPOSIT DEPOSITORIES FOR SOLID WASTE. A SORTING CENTER IS, THAT IS SET TO OPEN IN 2025, SITS EMPTY LESS THAN A YEAR OUT FROM OPERATION. IN THE MEANTIME, THE HOUSTON RECYCLING COLLABORATION IS STORING WASTE AT AN OUTDOOR, UH, FACILITY THAT HAS FAILED THREE FIRE INSPECTIONS, UM, HAS NOT BEEN PERMITTED FOR PLASTICS, AND THERE ARE NO FIRE LANES FOR TRUCKS TO GET IN. UM, SHOULD A FIRE, UH, START. UM, SO, UH, AN INVESTIGATION BY INSIDE CLIMATE NEWS AND CBS REVEALED THAT A COMPANY THAT WAS PART OF THE HOUSTON RECYCLING COLLABORATION BACKED OUT BECAUSE THOSE PLASTICS COULD HAVE COME TO THEIR FACILITY, WHICH HAS FULLY PERMITTED AND HAS MUCH OF THE PLASTIC THAT IS NOW DEGRADING OUTSIDE COULD HAVE BEEN MECHANICALLY RECYCLED. THIS COMPANY DID NOT WANNA BE ASSOCIATED WITH SUCH A SAFETY HAZARD. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO, A PART OF THIS, UH, PROCESS WOULD INVOLVE DOING SOME CHEMICAL OR ADVANCED RECYCLING, AS THEY CALL IT. UH, THIS IS A SUITE OF PROCESSES THAT HEATS OR CHEMICALLY TREATS PLASTIC TO BREAK IT DOWN INTO RAW COMPONENTS TO BE USED TO MAKE OTHER PLASTICS OR IN LARGE PART FUEL. MUCH OF THIS PRODUCT, LIKE I SAID, IS GONNA BE TURNED INTO FUEL AND BURNED. ADVANCED RECYCLING ALSO REQUIRES LARGE AMOUNTS OF ENERGY. OH, NEXT SLIDE. ADVANCED RECYCLING REQUIRES LARGE AMOUNTS OF ENERGY, AND THIS CONTRIBUTES TO CLIMATE WARMING GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS. THE PROCESS CREATES TOXIC AIR POLLUTION AND HAZARDOUS WASTE, WHICH ADDS TO OUR AIR POLLUTION BURDEN. BRINGING THE FUEL THAT THEY CREATE WILL EMIT MORE TOXINS AND GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS. THIS PROCESS HAS NOT BEEN SHOWN TO WORK AT LARGE SCALE, AND THERE ARE CONCERNS THAT THIS MAKES THE PUBLIC THINK WE HAVE SOLVED THE PLASTIC POLLUTION ISSUE. THIS COULD RESULT IN CONTINUED INCREASE OF PRODUCTION AND OF SINGLE USE PLASTICS. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO HOW CAN WE MOVE FORWARD TOGETHER? WE WOULD RESPECTFULLY ASK THAT WE RESCIND THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH THE HOUSTON RECYCLING COLLABORATION. WE ALSO SUPPORT A GARBAGE FEE TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF WASTE THAT'S THROWN AWAY. WE SUPPORT AND PROOF MECHANICAL RECYCLING OF PLASTICS, AND WE'RE ALSO ASKING THE CITY TO SET AN EXAMPLE AND ELIMINATE SINGLE USE PLASTICS FROM ALL CITY BUILDINGS AND EVENTS. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SOME MORE WAYS THAT WE CAN MOVE FORWARD TOGETHER. WE CAN PROMOTE REUSE AND REFILL OPTIONS. THESE SOLID WASTE DEPARTMENT COULD BEGIN THEIR COMPOSTING PROGRAM, AND WE AS A CITY CAN SUPPORT A STATE BOTTLE BILL THAT WOULD ALLOW PEOPLE TO RETURN BEVERAGE CONTAINERS FOR A FIVE OR 10 CENT DEPOSIT. THIS HAS BEEN SHOWN TO REDUCE LITTER. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. I WANTED TO LET EVERYONE KNOW THAT HELP IS ACTUALLY ON THE WAY. UM, CISCO, UH, QUOTED THIS YEAR'S EARTH DAY THEME OF PLANET VERSUS PLASTIC WAS A PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO HIGHLIGHT HOW WE ARE WORKING TO REDUCE PLASTICS AND PACKAGING WASTE. SAID NEIL RUSSELL. CISCO'S CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER. SPROUTS HAS ELIMINATED SINGLE USE PLASTIC BAGS FROM STORES. PETCO NOW CHARGES 10 CENTS FOR PLASTIC BAGS. AMAZON HAS COMMITTED TO PLA PLASTIC PACKAGING REDUCTION, AND TARGET AND WALMART HAVE RECENTLY BEGUN TO ALLOW PEOPLE TO BRING THEIR OWN REASONABLE BAGS FOR GROCERY PICKUP UP. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. IN SUMMARY, PLASTICS ARE MADE FROM FOSSIL FUELS AND CHEMICALS THAT CAN BE NOT BE MIXED TOGETHER FOR RECYCLING. AND THE PRODUCTION OF PLASTICS CONTRIBUTES TO CLIMATE WARMING. GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS MICROPLASTICS ARE IN OUR BODIES AND OUR GULF IS HIGHLY POLLUTED WITH THEM, THEM, WHICH CAN HARM OUR SEAFOOD. OUR LANDFILLS ARE FILLING UP FAST AND PLASTICS ARE A HUGE CONTRIBUTOR. IMPROVED MECHANICAL RECYCLING WOULD MAKE SOME DIFFERENCE AND IS [00:15:01] SAFER THAN CHEMICAL OR ADVANCED RECYCLING. WE NEED TO RESCIND THE MOU WITH A HOUSTON RECYCLING COLLABORATION AND BEGIN TO IMPLEMENT ZERO WASTE MEASURES LIKE REUSE AND REFILL SYSTEMS. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AND, UH, WITH THAT, I'D JUST LIKE TO, UH, THANK YOU FOR HEARING US OUT TODAY. UM, AND THANKS FOR PUTTING UP WITH ME BEING JUST A LITTLE BIT NERVOUS. AND, UM, I'LL OPEN UP THE FLORIDA QUESTIONS. WELL, THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. IT'S INTERESTING. I REMEMBER THE DAY WHEN YOU COULD RETURN GLASS, UH, COKE BOTTLES FOR, UH, FOR A DIME OR A NICKEL, OR THAT TELLS YOU HOW OLD I AM. ALSO TOO, I, I THINK WE NOTE THAT, UM, I'VE OFTEN SAID WE CONVENIENCE OURSELVES OUT OF INTEGRITY. AND THIS APPLIES CERTAINLY FOR THIS AND THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WE'RE LOOKING FOR THE, THE QUICK FIX. AND SO SOMETIMES THE QUICK FIX ISN'T ALWAYS THE BEST. SO, UM, WE DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? ANY QUESTIONS AROUND THE ROOM? UH, COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. THANK YOU BOTH FOR BEING HERE AND FOR THE PRESENTATION. UM, I WASN'T AROUND WHEN THIS MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WAS ENTERED INTO, UM, BUT IT'S, UH, MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS PROCESS IS GONNA TAKE PLACE IN THE FUTURE. AND YOU GUYS ARE OPPOSING THAT. IS THAT RIGHT? YES. SO, UM, ACTUALLY RIGHT NOW EXXON IS PROCESSING SOME PLASTIC WASTE THROUGH THEIR ADVANCED, UH, CHEMICAL RECYCLING, BUT THEY'RE ONLY ALLOWED TO, OR THEY, THEY'RE ONLY ABLE TO PROCESS, UH, PLASTIC WASTE SCRAPS, UM, BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE THE SORTING FACILITY, UM, THAT'S SET TO OPEN IN 2025. AND UNFORTUNATELY, THOSE PLASTICS BEING STORED ARE OUTSIDE IN THE HEAT BREAKING DOWN. YEAH. UM, LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT, UH, ANOTHER METHOD. UH, ARE YOU FOLKS FAMILIAR WITH A GENTLEMAN NAMED GEORGE GILL? I'M NOT. AND A COMPANY CALLED ECO HUB. IS THAT THE ONE THAT'S, UH, TRYING TO USE MICROBES OR BACTERIA OR WORMS TO BREAK DOWN PLASTIC? N NO, I DON'T THINK SO. OKAY. HIS IS MORE OF A, UM, UH, WHAT IS IT CALLED, A ONE, ONE BUCKET COLLECTION METHOD WHERE ITEMS GET SORTED MORE EFFICIENTLY, UH, PERHAPS THAN THE CITY'S CURRENTLY DOING. UH, HAVE YOU GUYS HAVEN'T HEARD OF THAT AT ALL? I HAVEN'T, BUT I WILL DEFINITELY BE WILLING TO SIT DOWN AND HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH YOU ABOUT IT. 'CAUSE I'D LOVE TO HEAR IT. OKAY. I THINK IT'S BEEN ADOPTED IN A COUPLE OF LOCATIONS BEFORE AND HE'S BEEN TRYING TO PITCH THIS IDEA TO THE CITY FOR QUITE SOME TIME AND, UH, WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. BUT I CAN, I CAN SEND ALONG HIS CONTACT INFORMATION IF THANK YOU SO MUCH, I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT IT. OKAY, GREAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ. I TOO THOUGHT OF GEORGE BECAUSE I'VE HAD A CONVERSATION WITH HIM AND WE'LL CERTAINLY PROVIDE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION. OKAY. UH, HIS CONTACT INFORMATION TO YOU. AND I ALSO TOO KNOW THAT, UH, WE'VE HAD SOME CONVERSATION, UH, AS LATE AS, UH, YESTERDAY. AND I, I AM AWARE THAT, UH, DR. PLUMMER'S OFFICE HAS BEEN WORKING EXTENSIVELY ON A REPORT. AGAIN, UM, WE'VE NOT HAD, I'VE NOT HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SIT DOWN AND, AND DISCUSS THAT REPORT WITH THEM, BUT THEY'RE CERTAINLY, UH, VERY, UM, GOOD INFORMATION AND, AND, UH, WOULD LIKE TO FURTHER JUST TAKE A LOOK AND AGAIN, OPEN THIS CONVERSATION ACKNOWLEDGING, YOU KNOW, YOUR CERTAINLY YOUR END GOAL, WHICH OUR END GOALS ARE ALL THE SAME TO MAKE A HEALTHY, UH, ENVIRONMENT FOR US ALL TO LIVE IN. BUT CERTAINLY WE WANNA, UH, YOU KNOW, START THE CONVERSATION AND CONTINUE. UH, AND, AND REALLY THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION AND FOR BEING HERE. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER FLICKINGER MARTINEZ. OH, I'M SORRY. COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ. THANK YOU, CHAIRWOMAN. UM, AND, AND THIS IS REALLY TO THE, UH, HRC, UM, AS WELL. SO AS, AS COUNCILMAN RAMIREZ MENTIONED, UH, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT PREDATED US. UM, THERE HASN'T BEEN A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS ABOUT IT, AND SO I APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION FIRST AND FOREMOST. YOU KNOW, BRING SOME, UH, HEIGHTENED, HEIGHTENED CONVERSATION ON IT. UM, SOME OF THE, UH, THE ISSUES THAT YOU BROUGHT UP, UH, WHETHER THERE'S NO FIRE SAFETY, NO, NOT PERMITTED TO HOLD PLASTICS, UM, HAVE THERE YOU HAVE A LIST OF THREE ONE ONES THAT Y'ALL REPORTED THAT HAVE CAPTURED SOME OF THESE DATA THAT WE CAN ALSO LOOK AT AS WELL MM-HMM . YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. UM, WE CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH THAT DATA. YEAH. IF YOU COULD PROVIDE THAT TO EVERYONE. I THINK, AGAIN, AS, AS, AS YOU SHARED, UM, YOU KNOW, Y'ALL ARE NOT FOR THIS MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, I THINK WE ALSO WANNA FIND WHAT, WHAT THAT, THAT, UM, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO COLLECTIVELY. RIGHT. AND SO, RIGHT. UM, WE DEFINITELY NEED TO FIND A SOLUTION, NOT NONETHELESS. UH, WE SAY THIS ALL THE TIME, THE CITY'S GROWN SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE LAST FIVE TO 10 YEARS. MM-HMM. AND SO THAT JUST PRODUCES MORE WASTE AS WELL. AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH YOUR SUPPORT, HOPEFULLY WE CAN FIND, UH, SOME KIND OF COMPROMISE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WE CAN DO, UH, MOVING FORWARD. AWESOME. I REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THE CITY ON THIS. I'M, I'M [00:20:01] VERY, VERY PLEASED. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER FLICKINGER, I ABSOLUTELY AGREE THAT THE MICROPLASTICS ARE AN ISSUE. PLASTIC IN THE OCEAN'S AN ISSUE. IT'S ALL A PROBLEM. BUT IS IT BASICALLY YOUR CONTENTION THAT RECYCLING PLASTICS IS BAD BECAUSE IT ENCOURAGES FURTHER USE OF PLASTICS? UH, THAT'S A REALLY GOOD QUESTION. SO, UM, ACTUALLY, MECHANICAL RECYCLING HAS BEEN SHOWN TO WORK AND IS MUCH LESS POLLUTING THAN WHAT A CHEMICAL OR ADVANCED RECYCLING, UH, PROCESS WOULD BE. AND UNFORTUNATELY, UM, IT PROCESSES SO LITTLE WASTE THAT IT WOULD TAKE ABOUT 10,000 FACILITIES THEY ESTIMATED TO EVEN TAKE CARE OF THE PLASTIC WASTE ISSUE. UM, SO WHEN IT COMES TO, UH, THE CHEMICAL OR ADVANCED RECYCLING OF PLASTICS, UM, THAT IS, UH, A ROUTE THAT WE DO NOT SUPPORT. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UM, ANYBODY ELSE? QUESTIONS? WELL, THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE. I REALLY APPRECIATE THE INFORMATION. UH, CERTAINLY AS RELATES TO THE MOU, UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, IT, I THINK IT DATES BACK FROM 2022 AND CERTAINLY I, I'M SURE THAT THE, THE MAYOR'S TEAM AND, AND COUNCIL IS COMMITTED TO WORKING TOGETHER TO, TO FIND A, A VIABLE SOLUTION. SO THANK YOU'ALL FOR BEING HERE. AND, UH, THANK YOU. WITH THAT, WE'LL CALL UP THE NEXT SPEAKER. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING US. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. ALSO, TOO, I'D LIKE TO REMIND ANYONE WHO IS HERE TODAY AND WHO WANTS TO, DID NOT SIGN UP AND WANTS TO, THERE'S A, A SIGNUP SHEET ON THE FRONT TABLE. YOU'RE, UH, ANY PUBLIC SPEAKER, UH, YOU'RE WELCOME TO SIGN UP TO ASK QUESTIONS. NEXT UP, WE'VE GOT OUR FRIENDS FROM THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, HOUSTON PARKS AND REC. UM, WELL, THERE'S KELLY, KELLY, ANDRA, SEC, DIVISION MANAGER, AND I DON'T KNOW, THAT LOOKS LIKE KENNETH ALLEN TO ME, BUT JUST SAY IT. SO, UH, THE PRESENTATION TODAY, UM, IS ACTUALLY VERY INFORMATIVE. I'M EXCITED TO, TO HEAR THIS BECAUSE I SAID I'VE LEARNED AT LEAST TWO WORD, TWO NEW WORDS THIS YEAR, DERECHO AND RIPARIAN. SO ANYWAY, WELCOME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THE OPERATIVE WORD IS FRIEND. UM, CERTAINLY, UH, THANK YOU GUYS FOR HAVING US. WE WELCOME THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT, UH, NATURAL RESOURCES, RIPERION PROJECTS AND GREEN SPACES ON A WHOLE. JUST WANTED TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO RECOGNIZE A FEW KEY TEAM PLAYERS OF OUR GREEN SPACE MANAGEMENT MANAGEMENT DIVISION ONE, WE HAVE JEREMY BURS, OUR FORESTER, CITY FORESTER, JEREMY. WE HAVE, UH, ERIC IAN, UM, INTERIM ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF OUR GREEN SPACE IN TERMS OF MOWING, CUTTING, UM, IN TERMS OF, UH, PICKING UP AND DE LITTERING. UM, HUGE RESOURCE, HUGE TERRITORY. AND I MIGHT ADD, JEREMY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THE TREES IN THE CITY. TOUGH JOB, BUT HE'S DOING A GREAT JOB. WE HAVE CHARLOTTE, CHARLOTTE LU, EXCUSE ME, DIRECTOR. PARDON? COULD YOU SPEAK MORE INTO THE MIC? SURE. IS THAT BETTER? ALRIGHT, WE HAVE CHARLOTTE, CHARLOTTE LUSK BEHIND ME. SHE'S THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THE ADMINISTRATIVE OPERATION AS WELL AS FLEET AND OUR NATURAL RESOURCES. AND I HAVE BESIDE ME, KELLY ANDREZA, WHO ARE PART NATURALISTS. UH, HUGE JOB. UH, THIS JOB IS SUPPORTED AND CREATED. SOME YEARS AGO, UM, CHARLOTTE WAS A MAJOR PLAYER IN US ADDING THIS SECTION TO OUR DIVISION OF GREEN SPACE MANAGEMENT. SO I JUST WANT TO THANK THEM FOR THEIR DAY TO DAY EFFORT BEFORE WE GET STARTED. IT ALL INTERTWINES BETWEEN TREES, UH, KEEPING OUR PARKS CLEAN, UH, CONSERVATION AND, AND NATURE. YOU KNOW, AS OUR CITY GROW, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT ALL THE DEVELOPMENT, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT ALL THE PEOPLE MOVING IN, OUR GREEN SPACES ARE DEFINITELY, DEFINITELY, UH, BECOME MORE AND MORE IMPORTANT. UM, AND IT'S KELLY'S JOB TO HELP US PROTECT AND PRESERVE OUR GREEN SPACES. SO, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, I'M GONNA GIVE HER A RESIDENT EXPERT OF, UH, NATURAL RESOURCES AND CONSERVATION, THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT THE, UM, PRESENTATION. THANK YOU, DIRECTOR. UM, I'M KELLY ANDRE, SICK NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGER, AND I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT OUR RIPARIAN RESTORATION INITIATIVE TODAY. NEXT SLIDE. UM, SO JUST OVERALL, THE NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT, WE HAVE ABOUT 18,000 ACRES OF NATURAL AREA THAT WE MANAGE. WE OVERSEE WILDLIFE, WATER FEATURES, CONSERVATION POLICY, GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE INITIATIVES, AND, UM, WE DO A LOT OF HABITAT RESTORATION AND MANAGEMENT, WHICH I'M GONNA FOCUS ON TODAY. NEXT SLIDE. SO, I QUICKLY JUST WANTED TO MENTION THE NATURE PRESERVE ORDINANCE THAT WAS PASSED IN 2022, [00:25:01] AND THIS REALLY SUPPORTED THE, UH, PRESERVATION OF NATURAL HABITAT WITHIN CITY PARKS. UM, IT PRESERVES, UM, LAND WITHIN 26 PARKS. IT'S OVER 7,400 ACRES OF PARK LAND. NEXT SLIDE. UH, SO THE RIPARIAN RESTORATION INITIATIVE IS THE CREATION AND ENHANCEMENT OF FORESTED BUFFERS IN ALL PARKS ADJACENT TO WATERWAYS. UM, SO THIS MAP SHOWS THE DISTRIBUTION OF ALL THE DIFFERENT RIPARIAN SITES. SOME OF THEM ARE CURRENTLY FORESTED IN OUR BIG FORESTED NATURE PRESERVES, AND SOME OF THEM HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY CLEARED. UM, AND SO WE'RE LOOKING AT RESTORING BOTH OF THOSE HABITAT TYPES. NEXT, UM, JUST A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND ABOUT RIPARIAN HABITAT. UM, RIPARIAN MEANS ADJACENT TO A WATERWAY. SO IT'S THE HABITAT ADJACENT TO THE WATERWAYS. AND, UM, YOU CAN SEE FROM THIS IMAGE THAT IT'S, THERE'S A FORESTED BUFFER. IT'S USUALLY A FORESTED HABITAT. UM, THE HISTORIC HABITAT OF HOUSTON WAS PRIMARILY COASTAL PRAIRIE. AND THEN IF YOU LOOKED AT ALL THE WATERWAYS IN HOUSTON, YOU COULD SEE THE FORESTED BUFFER THAT WERE, WAS LINING THOSE WATERWAYS. AND THE FOREST IS ABLE TO REMAIN, UM, ADJACENT TO THE WATERWAYS BECAUSE OF THE FLOODING REGIME OF THOSE HABITATS. AND SO, UM, THE HISTORIC, UH, FIRES THAT WOULD MOVE IN THROUGH THE PRAIRIE, UM, DIDN'T IMPACT THOSE TREES BECAUSE IT WAS WETTER IN THOSE AREAS. RIPARIAN HABITATS HELP TO CLEAN WATER. THEY PROVIDE HABITAT FOR NATIVE WILDLIFE, THE TREES ADJACENT TO THE WATERWAY SEQUESTER CARBON, THEY CLEAN THE AIR. AND, UH, IT'S A REALLY, ONE OF OUR, UM, MOST IMPORTANT ECOSYSTEMS IN HOUSTON. NEXT SLIDE. AND I JUST WANTED TO SHOW THE, UM, WATERSHED MAP OF HOUSTON. AND ALL OF THE BLUE LINES ARE THE WATERWAYS THAT CROSS THROUGH HOUSTON. SO, UM, I THINK THIS IS PROBABLY WHY IT'S CALLED THE BAYOU CITY, BECAUSE THERE, THERE'S SO MANY BAYOU THAT, UM, JUST CROSS ALL THROUGH HOUSTON. NEXT SLIDE. AND THIS JUST SHOWS A 1944 AERIAL IMAGE OF THE HABITAT OF HOUSTON. AND THESE ARE SOME OF OUR PARKS. SO THE LIGHT GRAY AREA WAS COASTAL PRAIRIE HABITAT. YOU SEE DARK CIRCLES IN THESE, THOSE WERE PRAIRIE POTHOLES. AND THEN THE LINEAR FEATURES THAT ARE DARKER ARE THE TREES THAT WERE LINING THE RIPARIAN HABITAT BEFORE DEVELOPMENT. NEXT SLIDE. UH, THIS IS ONE PARK IN PARTICULAR. THIS IS KEITH WISE PARK. UM, REALLY GOOD IMAGE OF THE HISTORIC PRAIRIE HABITAT FROM 1944. YOU CAN SEE THE RIPARIAN, THE DARKER AREA ALONG HALLS BAYOU. AND THEN WITH THE CURRENT IMAGE, UH, PRETTY REPRESENTATIVE OF HOUSTON, YOU CAN SEE THE DEVELOPMENT AROUND THE PARK. UM, THE REMAINING HABITAT IS WITHIN CITY PARK. THIS IS ONE OF OUR NATURE PRESERVES. UM, AND, AND YOU COULD STILL SEE THE DEVELOPMENT PRESSURES OF NATURAL HABITAT. THERE'S A HUNDRED ACRE DETENTION BASIN THAT WAS PLACED IN THE PARK. UM, THERE'S SOME REGULAR PARK AMENITIES. AND THEN ALSO WHAT'S NOTABLE IS THAT THE PRAIRIE HABITAT DISAPPEARED WITHOUT NATURAL FIRES AND GRAZING ANIMALS, UH, TREES TAKE OVER PRAIRIE HABITAT, SO I'M NOT FOCUSING ON IT TODAY, BUT WE DO HAVE A, A LARGE PRAIRIE RESTORATION COMPONENT OF OUR NATURAL RESOURCES WORK WITHIN HOUSTON PARKS. NEXT SLIDE. SO, SOME QUICK FACTS ABOUT THE RIPARIAN INITIATIVE. UH, WE'VE IDENTIFIED 70 PARKS THAT ARE ADJACENT TO A WATERWAY. WE HAVE, UH, COMPLETED OR ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON 26 OF THOSE. AND, UM, IT WAS ANNOUNCED IN 2020, AND WE'RE TARGETING 2030 FOR COMPLETION. NEXT SLIDE. UH, I JUST WANTED TO MENTION THAT IT, THIS INITIATIVE WAS INCLUDED IN THE TEXAS GENERAL LAND OFFICES, TEXAS COASTAL RESILIENCY MASTER PLAN. IT'S ONE OF THEIR TIER ONE PRIORITY PROJECTS. SO, UM, THEY REALLY PROMOTE THIS AND, AND HELP TO, TO RAISE FUNDING FOR THIS FOR US. NEXT SLIDE. THIS IS AN IMAGE OF SIMS BAYOU. UM, AND JUST SHOWING THE, THE COMPONENTS OF WHERE THE PARKS LIE ALONG A BAYOU SYSTEM. THE GREEN, UM, PARK AREAS ARE, HAVE BEEN COMPLETED FOR THE RIPARIAN PROJECT. THE YELLOW, THAT'S FM LAW. THAT ONE'S IN PROGRESS RIGHT NOW. WE HAVE A COUPLE THAT ARE PROPOSED FOR FUNDING, AND THEN WE HAVE ONE FIRM IN GREEN SPACE THAT IS FUNDED. AND WE'RE JUST NOW STARTING ON THAT ONE. NEXT SLIDE. THIS SHOWS THE TWO COMPONENTS OF THE RIPARIAN PROJECT. ONE IS ENHANCEMENT. THAT'S THE ALREADY CURRENTLY FORESTED PROPERTIES. A LOT OF THOSE ARE NATURE PRESERVES. AND THEN WE DO HAVE CREATION SITES TOO. SO THOSE ARE THE AREAS THAT HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY CLEARED, AND THEN WE'RE JUST COMING IN AND, AND ESTABLISHING THAT BUFFER THAT'S BEEN LOST. NEXT SLIDE. UH, OVERALL FOR THE, THE WIDTH, IT JUST DEPENDS ON THE PARK. SOMETIMES THERE'S ALREADY FEATURES THAT ARE WITHIN THE RIPARIAN BOUNDARY, BUT IN GENERAL, THE GREATER THE WIDTH, THE GREATER THE BENEFIT. SO, UM, THIS JUST SHOWS THAT EVEN HAVING A LITTLE BIT OF A VEGETATED BUFFER, UH, PROVIDES BANK [00:30:01] STABILIZATION ALONG THOSE WATERWAYS. UM, THE WIDER THE BUFFER FOR WILDLIFE HABITAT, THEY, THEY REALLY LIKE THOSE WIDE CORRIDORS OF, OF VEGETATION. NEXT SLIDE. AND I ALSO WANNA MENTION THAT A LOT OF OUR FUNDING COMES FROM THE STATE FOR WATER QUALITY. SO FROM THE TEXAS COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY, UM, OR HELPING TO FUND SOME OF THOSE SO THAT WE CAN HELP IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF OUR BA SYSTEM. THIS WAS ONE OF OUR FIRST SITES AT MILBY PARK. NEXT SLIDE. UM, THIS JUST SHOWS THE BEFORE IMAGES, OUR CREATION SITES. SOME OF THEM HAVE SOME TREES, BUT MOSTLY IT'S, IT'S MOWED GRASS DOWN TO THE EDGE OF THE WATER. NEXT SLIDE. FOR OUR CREATION SITES, WE DO A 10 FOOT GRID. UH, WE PLANT A MIX OF FIVE AND 15 GALLON TREES. VOLUNTEERS HELP US AT ALMOST EVERY SINGLE ONE OF OUR PROJECTS. UM, AND THEN WE MULCH AND WE WATER THE TREES. NEXT SLIDE. THIS SHOWS A LITTLE BIT OF THE PROGRESSION, THE BEFORE IMAGE. AND THEN IN 2018, IT SHOWS OUR GRID THAT WE SET UP AT RIGHT AFTER PLANTING. AND THEN THIS IS AN IMAGE FROM 2021, SHOWING THE TREES, ESTABLISHING. I DON'T HAVE A MORE RECENT IMAGE BECAUSE I WENT OUT THERE AND IT'S JUST A WALL OF TREES AND IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S ALWAYS BEEN THERE. SO VERY SUCCESSFUL. NEXT SLIDE. THIS DOES SHOW THE PROGRESSION A LITTLE BIT MORE. THIS IS A AERIAL IMAGE FROM 2017. AND THEN YOU CAN SEE THAT LINEAR BUFFER OF VEGETATION ALONG THE WATERWAY. WE DID A HUNDRED FOOT BUFFER HERE, WHICH IS OUR GOAL FOR CREATION SITES, UH, MEETS A LOT OF THE WATER QUALITY WILDLIFE EROSION CONTROL BENEFITS WITH A HUNDRED FOOT BUFFER. UM, SO THIS WAS A VERY SUCCESSFUL PROJECT, AND IT WAS OUR FIRST, AND IT REALLY SPURRED THE CREATION OF THE INITIATIVE TO DO THIS IN EVERY PARK ADJACENT TO A WATERWAY. NEXT SLIDE. WHILE WE WERE DOING THIS ONE, I NEEDED TO GATHER SOME DATA ON HOW TO MAINTAIN THESE SITES IF WE WERE GONNA CONTINUE MOVING FORWARD WITH DOING 70 OF THESE. SO WE DID SOME VEGETATION PLOTS AND WE DID DIFFERENT METHODS, AND WE MEASURED, UM, THE, THE DIFFERENCE OF THOSE METHODS. SO WE HAD EACH ONE OF THESE SHAPES IS A HALF ACRE. SO WE DID A FULL ACRE OF MOWING HERBICIDE MATS, MULCH TILLING, AND NO TREATMENT. AND THEN WE, WE STUDIED THIS FOR TWO YEARS, UM, TO SEE THE COMPOSITION OF VEGETATION THAT SHOWED UP THE WINTER WAS MOWING. AND THAT'S WHAT WE DO TODAY. WE MOW BETWEEN THE TREES, UH, FOR TWO TO THREE YEARS TO HELP THEM GET ESTABLISHED. AND THEN AFTER THAT, UM, WE LET IT GO AND THE TREES PROVIDE ENOUGH CANOPY TO HELP SHADE OUT SOME OF THAT VEGETATION BENEATH. NEXT SLIDE. AND THIS WAS OUR FIRST ENHANCEMENT SITE. IT WAS WHITE OAK PARKWAY ALONG WHITE OAK BAYOU. NEXT SLIDE. A LOT OF OUR ENHANCEMENT SITES ARE NATURE PRESERVES FOR THESE, BECAUSE THERE'S AN EXISTING FOREST, WE HAVE TO COME IN AND DO INVASIVE SPECIES REMOVAL. UM, SO WE HIRE STUDENT CREWS, WE GET CONTRACTORS TO HELP US WITH THESE. AND THEN A LOT OF THESE, UM, CAN TAKE TREE SEEDLINGS. SO A LOT OF TIMES WE'LL TRY TO DO SMALLER TREES HERE BECAUSE THERE'S THE SHADE AND MOISTURE IN THESE SITES. NEXT SLIDE. SO THERE ARE SOME CHALLENGES WITH THE RIPARIAN INITIATIVE. WATERING IS A BIG ONE, ESPECIALLY FOR THE CREATION SITES. UM, THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS, UH, WE'VE HAD DROUGHT CONDITIONS, SO PRETTY FREQUENT WATERING. UM, THIS YEAR WE WERE LUCKY WITH WATER AT LEAST, UM, NOT SO MUCH WITH WIND. UM, AND THEN TREE DAMAGE FROM, UH, TRYING TO MAINTAIN IN BETWEEN THE SITES. WE TRY TO GET NATURAL RESOURCES STAFF TO MAINTAIN THESE AREAS. FLOODING AND SOME OF THE AREAS THAT ARE FREQUENTLY FLOODED IS A CHALLENGE, UH, MOSTLY BECAUSE OF INVASIVE SPECIES AND VINES. NEXT SLIDE. UH, IN OUR ENHANCEMENT SITES, WE DID SOME MORE, UM, ANALYSIS. SO WE WENT IN AND WE DID VEGETATION DATA PLOTS TO SEE THE COMPOSITION OF INVASIVE SPECIES. AND ON AVERAGE, FOR OUR FORESTED RIPARIAN AREAS, ABOUT 40 TO 50% OF THE SPECIES ARE INVASIVE. SO THAT'S TELLS US HOW MUCH FUNDING WE HAVE TO GET TO COME IN AND REMOVE NON-NATIVE SPECIES. NEXT SLIDE. AND THIS JUST SHOWS OUR DIFFERENT MANAGEMENT METHODS. UH, WE USE HYDROX CONTRACTORS TO COME AND CHIP INVASIVE SPECIES. WE'VE BROUGHT IN GOATS TO SOME OF OUR AREAS, UM, THAT ARE HEAVILY COVERED IN VINES BECAUSE OF THE GOATS TARGET. SOME OF THOSE POISON IVY AND STUFF LIKE THAT TO HELP US TO GET IN. UH, WE DO MANUAL REMOVAL WITH STAFF AND, AND VOLUNTEERS, UM, AND THEN SPOT SPRAYING SOME CHEMICAL, UM, DIFFICULT SPECIES TO MANAGE. NEXT SLIDE. WE HAVE A NATIVE TREE LIST. SO WE DID SOME RESEARCH ON, UM, HISTORIC PRESENCE OF NATIVE SPECIES IN HARRIS COUNTY AND TWO ADJACENT COUNTIES. AND SO WE HAVE A, A LIST OF 96 SPECIES THAT ARE NATIVE TO THE REGION THAT WE USE TO PLANT IN OUR SITES. NEXT SLIDE. UM, AND THIS JUST SHOWS WE DO UNDERSTORY AND CANOPY SPECIES. WE TRY TO DO A MIX NEXT SLIDE, AND THEN SOME OF THE SPECIES WE CAN'T GET. SO WE TRY TO COLLECT THOSE SEEDS. AND THEN WE HAVE A PROPAGATION PROGRAM WHERE WE GROW OUR OWN TREES. [00:35:01] UH, WE ALSO HAVE A REALLY BIG, UH, PRAIRIE PROPAGATION PROGRAM. NEXT SLIDE. WE PUT INTERPRETIVE SIGNAGE AT ALL OF OUR SITES TO HELP EDUCATE THE COMMUNITIES ON WHAT WE'RE DOING. UM, SO WE PUT DIFFERENT TYPES OF SIGNS BASED ON THE PROJECT, UM, BUT USUALLY SOME TYPE OF SIGN EXPLAINING THE RIPARIAN INITIATIVE, UM, THE WATER QUALITY BENEFITS AND, AND, UM, HABITAT THAT WE'RE CREATING FOR WILDLIFE. NEXT SLIDE. AND THEN MOST OF THESE PROJECTS ARE GRANT FUNDED. UM, WE DO A MATCH THE GRANTS WITH CITY STAFF TIME AND, UM, IN OUR PLANTS THAT WE GROW, UH, WE GET DONATIONS SOMETIMES. WE HAVE REALLY GOOD PARTNERSHIPS. WE WORK WITH THE STUDENT CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION, UH, US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICES COMING ON A GRANT, UM, AT HERMAN BROWN THAT WE'RE GONNA BE STARTING SOON. AND, UM, AND THEN VOLUNTEER LABOR IS REALLY CRITICAL. WE, UM, VOLUNTEERS PLANT A LOT OF OUR, UH, TREES IN THESE PROJECTS. NEXT SLIDE. UH, THIS IS JUST A LIST OF THE UPCOMING PROJECTS, AND IT KIND OF SHOWS THE COMPLETED PROJECTS AROUND THE CITY, THE ONES THAT WE HAVE FUNDED, THE ONES THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS, AND THEN THE ONES THAT ARE, UH, INCOMPLETE THAT WE'LL STILL NEED TO RAISE FUNDING FOR. UM, AND HERE'S A LIST OF THE PARKS. WE'VE STARTED ON SOME OF THESE AND WE'LL CONTINUE OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS WITH THIS LIST. NEXT SLIDE. HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. WHAT A WONDERFUL PRESENTATION. THESE, THESE ARE EXCITING THINGS TO LEARN. I THINK. UM, WE'VE GOT A, UH, SEVERAL COUNCIL MEMBERS IN THE QUEUE. COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ. UM, AND GOOD MORNING AND THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. JUST CURIOUS, UM, HAVE Y'ALL BEEN INVOLVED AT ALL IN THE WILLOW WATER HOLE, UM, SITE IN SOUTHWEST HOUSTON? ABSOLUTELY. UH, WE WORK HAND IN HAND WITH THEM. . OKAY. CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THAT? WELL, BETWEEN THEIR EVENTS, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT ENTIRE SITE IS, UH, IS DESIGNED TO HOLD AND MOVE WATER. UH, GREAT PROJECT IN TERMS OF, UM, FLOOD CONTROL AND MITIGATION. UH, WE'RE WORKING, UH, WITH THE, UH, COMMUNITY, UM, AS WELL AS THE ORGANIZATION THAT KIND OF OVERSEES THAT, THAT SITE, UH, CONTINUOUS WORK HAPPENING. KELLY, I'M NOT SURE IF THERE'S ANYTHING SPECIFIC FROM A RIPARIAN PROJECT, BUT YOU COULD PROBABLY TOUCH ON THAT. UM, NOT REALLY FROM A RIPARIAN, BECAUSE IT'S NOT A LINEAR WATERWAY. WE'VE GIVEN THEM WILDFLOWER SEED BEFORE WE, WE DO PARTNER WITH THEM. YEAH. OKAY. IT'S A GREAT RECREATIONAL SPACE, UH, NOT ONLY FOR DETENTION, BUT YOU HAVE THE TRAIL SYSTEM. YOU HAVE AN AREA WHERE, UM, YOU CAN HAVE EVENTS. THERE'S, THERE'S A LAWN AREA. WE PRETTY MUCH MAINTAIN A GOOD PORTION OF IT, UH, WITH THE HELP OF, UH, THE COMMUNITY. GLAD TO HEAR THAT. IT'S, IT'S A BEAUTIFUL SITE, UH, THAT HOPEFULLY MORE PEOPLE WILL ENJOY IN THE FUTURE. AND JUST GLAD TO HEAR THAT. SO, ANOTHER QUESTION I HAVE PERTAINS TO ONE OF THE INVASIVE SPECIES, MAYBE NOT ALONG WATERWAY SO MUCH, BUT IT IS PREVALENT IN MANY PARTS OF THE CITY, INCLUDING KINGWOOD. AND THAT WOULD BE, UH, WHAT IS IT CALLED? KUDZU. KUDZU. KUDZU. DO Y'ALL HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ON, UM, HOW WE MIGHT DEAL WITH, WITH, UH, PROLIFERATION OF KSU? UH, YEAH. WE HAVE A LONG, WE HAVE ABOUT, UH, 25 SPECIES ON OUR INVASIVE SPECIES LIST THAT WE'RE TARGETING. UM, WE HAVEN'T REALLY HAD THAT MUCH INTERACTION WITH THAT YET. UM, BUT THERE ARE SPEC, SOME OF THEM YOU HAVE TO BE REALLY CAREFUL ABOUT CUTTING IT AND SPREADING IT. AND SO, UM, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED, I CAN SEND YOU SOME INFORMATION. THERE'S SOME CHEMICALS THAT YOU CAN USE THAT ARE SELECTIVE, THAT DON'T IMPACT, UM, OTHER SPECIES. UM, AND THEN MANUAL REMOVAL AND LIKE TAKING OFF SITE. UM, WE HIRE CONTRACTORS FOR SOME OF THOSE BIG JOBS, UM, FOR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. SO I CAN, UH, SEND YOU SOME MORE INFORMATION ABOUT IT. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO GET VOLUNTEERS TOGETHER TO HELP WITH? WE DO USE VOLUNTEERS FOR INVASIVE SPECIES REMOVAL. SOMETIMES IF IT DOESN'T INVOLVE ANY CHEMICAL, UM, FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN, VOLUNTEERS WILL, WILL PARTICIPATE IN SOME OF THAT. THEY REALLY LIKE TO PLANT VEGETATION, SO I'M, I LEAN MORE TOWARD CONTRACTORS AND HIRED CREWS FOR INVASIVE SPECIES REMOVAL AND THEN VOLUNTEERS FOR INSTALLING PLANTS. THAT, THAT SEEMS MORE OF A PREFERENCE FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN IN OUR PROJECTS. OKAY. I'LL BET YOU COULD FIND A LOT OF VOLUNTEERS IN KINGWOOD TO HELP WITH THAT. . I DON'T KNOW IF, IF, IF, IF ALL THE EFFORTS WOULD IN INVOLVE CHEMICALS, BUT JUST AN IDEA. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ. THANK YOU CHAIRWOMAN. UH, FIRST, UH, DIRECTOR KELLY. UH, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. I ALSO, UH, WANNA JUST TAKE AN OPPORTUNITY TO THANK JEREMY BURS, UH, AS WELL SINCE HE'S HERE. UM, AS A STAFFER, I WOULD LEAN ON HIM A LOT, UH, WHEN [00:40:01] WE START TALKING ABOUT TREES IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. UM, AND IT ALMOST FEELS LIKE IT'S A ONE MAN SHOP. UH, SO THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU'RE DOING, JEREMY. IT'S APPRECIATED. UH, DEFINITELY WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO THE MILBY, UH, REFORESTATION. I WAS, I WAS THERE FOR A GOOD AMOUNT OF THAT, UH, THAT PLANTING. AND I RIDE MY BIKE FROM GLENBROOK VALLEY TO MILBY PARK LOT AS WELL. AND SO SEEING THAT, UM, AND THE PICTURES, YOU KNOW, DON'T DO IT TOO, TOO MUCH JUSTICE BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S REALLY A, A, A GREAT SPACE NOW. UM, AND KNOWING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, UH, HUNDREDS OF FEET AWAY FROM REFINERIES, AND SO BEING ABLE TO HAVE THOSE, THAT, THAT GREEN CANOPY THERE IS SUPER HELPFUL, UH, FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AS WELL. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT WORK AS WELL. LOOK FORWARD TO MORE, UH, ALONG, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING ULTIMATELY COMES THROUGH DISTRICT EYE, WHETHER IT'S GREENS BAYOU, BUFFALO BAYOU, SIMS BAYOU, UH, BRAISED BAYOU. AND SO MORE PROJECTS IN DISTRICT EYE. JUST LEMME KNOW. I'M READY TO PLANT SOME MORE TREES. UM, I, I DO HAVE SOME QUESTIONS WHEN IT COMES TO THE, THE SHARED MAINTENANCE RESPONSIBILITY, UM, MOVING FORWARD, WHAT'S THE COST LOOK LIKE, UH, WITH SCHEDULING WHEN IT COMES TO MAINTENANCE AS WELL? UM, AS WE ALL KNOW, THERE'S A BOND RIGHT NOW FOR HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL, UM, TO DO WORK WITHIN THEIR RIGHT OF WAY. AND THERE'S ALWAYS SOME CONFUSION SOMETIMES AS TO AT WHAT POINT DOES FLOOD CONTROL TAKE OVER? WHAT, EVEN NOW WITH THE HIKING BIKE TRAILS, WHAT POINT DOES PARKS BOARD TAKE OVER? WHAT PART, WHAT PART DOES THE PARK OF THE CITY TAKE OVER? AND SO, UM, DO YOU ANTICIPATE ANY, ANY OF THOSE DOLLARS FROM THE BOND SUPPORTING ANY OF THE WORK Y'ALL ARE DOING? I CERTAINLY HOPE SO. UH, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT 381 PARKS NOW, UH, 358 THAT WE MAINTAIN, ALONG WITH THE ESPLANADES, ALONG WITH THE MULTI-SERVICE CENTERS, ALONG WITH LIBRARIES, UM, IT'S HUGE. SO IF THE BOND COULD HELP US CERTAINLY AND WELCOME IT, YOU KNOW, THE, THE THE RIGHT OF WAYS IS SOMETHING THAT WE LEAVE TO PUBLIC WORKS AND HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL ALONG THE BIOS IN MANY CASES IN HOUSTON PARKS BOARD. SO HAVING PARTNERS HELP US MAINTAIN THIS HUGE GREEN SPACE WITHIN A 640 MILE RADIUS. YOU KNOW, WE'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR JUST UNDER 40,000 ACRES. SO ANY HELP THAT WE CAN GET FROM COMMUNITY GROUPS, FUNDING FROM THE BOND SPONSORSHIP, UH, GRANT, WE, WE WELCOME IT. I, I APPRECIATE, UH, AND I WOULD HOPE THAT THERE'S CONVERSATIONS FROM THE CITY AS GENERALLY, BUT, UH, BUT ALSO FROM THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, BECAUSE ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE, THE, UM, IT WAS, IT IS GREAT WORK, RIGHT? WHERE WE'RE CONNECTING FOLKS TO PARKS, UM, THAT WERE NORMALLY NOT PARKS LIKE THE BAS MM-HMM . UM, AND UNDERSTANDING HOW THAT PLAYS A ROLE, UM, IN MAINTENANCE. NOW, THEN, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT DOES THAT, WHAT DOES THAT RESPONSIBILITY LOOK LIKE NOW WITH THE REST OF THE, THE, UH, ENTITIES THAT ARE WITHIN THE, UH, HARRIS COUNTY HOUSTON? SO, YEAH. WELL, IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT, UH, FROM A PARK SPORTS STANDPOINT, THEY'VE BEEN REALLY PHENOMENAL IN CONNECTING 150 MILES OF TRAILS ALONG BIOS AND, AND WATER SYSTEMS. UM, IF WE'RE GONNA PROPERLY HAVE A STANDARD SET TO CUT, MAINTAIN THOSE AREAS, IT, IT HAS TO BE BUILT INTO THE PROCESS FROM A MAINTENANCE END. UM, LIKE I SAID, WE ARE, WE'RE, WE'RE BARELY ABLE TO HANDLE WHAT WE HAVE, UM, IN A WAY THAT IT'S, IT MEETS ADEQUATE STANDARD. WE'RE, WE'RE JUST OVER 14 TO 18 DAYS, UM, OUR MOORING CYCLE. AND THAT VARIES WHEN WE HAVE A STORM. YOU THINK ABOUT DICHO AND THINK ABOUT OUR, YOU KNOW, BARREL. UH, WE'RE TOTALLY OFF SCHEDULE RIGHT NOW, UM, DEALING WITH RECOVERY AND RESTORATION. YOU KNOW, WE'RE CATCHING UP. WE'RE ABOUT 60% THERE, BUT, UM, FROM A MAINTENANCE STANDPOINT, WE HAVE TO FACTOR IN, UM, ADDITIONAL DOLLARS AND SUPPORT FROM THE CORPORATE, UH, WORLD. THANK YOU, DIRECTOR AND OUR FOUNDATIONS. I APPRECIATE IT. COUNCIL MEMBER, FLICKINGER, FIRST OF ALL, DIRECTOR. THANK YOU. UM, I DROVE PAST THIS MORNING AND SAW AT LEAST ONE OF THE TREES WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT WAS TAKEN DOWN. MAYBE BOTH OF 'EM, IT WAS STILL DARK, SO I'M NOT POSITIVE. MM-HMM . BUT THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM, UH, COUNCILWOMAN CARTER AND I ARE WORKING ON A PROJECT TO KIND OF REMOVE SOME OF THE VINES AND THE MEDIANS ALONG WITH SOME OTHER STUFF. I'D GREATLY APPRECIATE IT IF YOU COULD SEND US THE INFORMATION ON HOW TO DEAL WITH THE KUDZU AND THE, YOU KNOW, DISPOSE OF IT PROPERLY OR WHATEVER NEEDS TO BE DONE. UH, I'D NEVER EVEN HEARD OF KUDZU A YEAR AGO, AND NOW IT SEEMS TO BE A, A QUITE THE TOPIC IN, IN OUR AREA. SO I'D APPRECIATE IT IF YOU COULD SEND MY OFFICE THAT INFORMATION. CERTAINLY. AND I HAVE PROOF TO TELL YOU THAT BOTH TREES WERE REMOVED. OKAY. I HAVE THE GUY THAT DID IT RIGHT BEHIND ME. . WELL, TH THANK YOU MUCH. LIKE [00:45:01] I SAID, I COULD SEE THE, THE, THE LOGS FROM AT LEAST ONE, BUT I COULDN'T TELL. 'CAUSE IT WAS, I LEFT ABOUT SIX O'CLOCK THIS MORNING, SO IT'S STILL DARK. CERTAINLY. SO THANK YOU. I, I APPRECIATE THAT AND WE'LL SEND YOU THAT INFORMATION. AND THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT ON ACTUALLY GETTING YOUR HANDS DIRTY AND BOOTS ON THE GROUND. I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU HELPED US OUT THIS PAST SATURDAY FOR RE, RE, RE, UM, RECOVERY AND RESTORATION. YEP. WE, WE, WE REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. YEAH. WE WERE OUT THERE WITH THE CHIPPER AND, YOU KNOW, GETTING RID OF ALL THAT, UH, STORM DEBRIS THAT WAS STILL ON THE PARK AND YEAH, NO, IT'S, UH, I THINK THE PARK LOOKED PRETTY GOOD WHEN WE GOT DONE, SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, CHAIR. I KNOW YOU WERE OUT ALSO, SO I APPRECIATE THAT. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR ALL Y'ALL DO. UH, I WAS TELLING COUNCIL MEMBER FLICKINGER, JUST A SIDE NOTE, KUDZU IS, IS USED, IT'S AN HERB USED FOR MANY DIFFERENT THINGS. UM, AND I WOULD CHALLENGE YOU ALL TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT BECAUSE I THINK THERE'S MONEY IN HARVESTING THAT, AND WE'VE GOT A BOATLOAD OF IT. YOU, YOU DON'T HAVE TO BUY IT IN KINGWOOD. WE'LL GIVE IT TO YOU JUST, JUST SAYING, JUST SAYING. I MEAN, YOU'LL BE SHOCKED WHEN YOU LOOK IT UP AND YOU SEE WHAT IT'S USED FOR. I THINK THERE'S A MARKET AND I'M, I'M HAPPY TO COLLABORATE ON THAT. BUT THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. WE DO HAVE ONE OTHER QUESTION FROM STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN'S OFFICE. THANK YOU. AND COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN WISHES SHE COULD BE HERE. SHE'S OUT FOR ROSH HASHANAH. I KNOW SHE'D BE ALL OVER THIS PRESENTATION. YES. IT WAS SO NICE TO SEE DISTRICT C HIGHLIGHTED IN SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS. I KNOW THAT WE WERE SO HONORED TO BE ONE OF THE FIRST 12 NATURE PRESERVES AT LORRAINE CHERRY, SO THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK YOU'RE DOING ON THAT AND ALL OF THIS. TWO QUESTIONS. ONE, I KNOW OUR PARTS ARE SEVERELY DAMAGED FROM THE MAY STORM AND BARREL, I THINK YOU SAID ABOUT, WE'RE ABOUT 60% THERE WITH RESTORATION EFFORTS. IS THAT CORRECT? WE'RE 60% OKAY. OF ALL OF OUR PARKS IN TERMS OF, UH, REMOVING THE HAZARDS MM-HMM . THE DEAD TREES AND THE DEBRIS OKAY. AND MORE OF A NORMAL SCHEDULE. SO, UM, WE'RE PROJECTING MAYBE THE NEXT FOUR MONTHS WE'LL GET DONE WITH EVERYTHING AND BE ON A ACTUAL NORMAL SCHEDULE, PROVIDED WE DON'T HAVE ANOTHER STORM. THANK YOU. AND, UM, I WANNA SHOUT OUT JEREMY AND MARTHA WHO HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH US ON A LOT OF THOSE CONSTITUENT CASES. I KNOW MARTHA'S IN THE BACK LISTENING. THEN MY LAST QUESTION, WE HAVE A LOT OF RESIDENTS IN DISTRICT C WHO ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES. WHAT'S THE BEST WAY FOR THEM TO GET INVOLVED IN ANY OF THESE PROGRAMS YOU MENTIONED? UM, OUR WEBSITE. WE HAVE A VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR THAT VOLUNTEER AND COORDINATE LOCAL AND CITYWIDE, UH, EFFORTS FROM ONE PART TO THE NEXT. SO WE HAVE AN OFFICE THAT ACTUALLY ORGANIZED EVENTS AND VOLUNTEERS. GREAT. MARTHA, MARTHA, LETS YOU KNOW, UH, THE QUICK THE WAY THE PROCESS AND HOW TO GET 'EM INVOLVED. PERFECT. THANK YOU SO MUCH, DIRECTOR. YOU'RE WELCOME. COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ. THANK YOU CHAIRWOMAN. AND FORGOT TO, UH, I MEAN, Y'ALL MIGHT NOT HAVE THIS INFORMATION RIGHT NOW, BUT JUST WANNA KNOW WHAT THE COST IS AND WHAT THE SCHEDULES ARE FOR THE WORK THAT Y'ALL ARE DOING. WE WITH REPAIRING, UM, SPACE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, IF Y'ALL CAN GET THAT TO US AS WELL. SURE. THANK YOU. AND STAFF FROM, UM, MAYOR PRO TEM CASTEX TATUM. THANK YOU. UM, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. AND WE, UM, ON BEHALF OF THE MAYOR PRO TEM CASTEX TATUM, WE WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR THE RECOVERY AND RESTORATION EFFORTS AT THE WINDSOR VILLAGE PARK THIS PAST WEEKEND. UM, AND THANK YOU TO ALL THE VOLUNTEERS, THE STUDENTS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON AND PRAIRIE VIEW, A A AND M UNIVERSITIES, AS WELL AS THE WINDSOR WINDSOR VILLAGE BOY SCOUTS TROOP. YOU'RE WELCOME. THANK YOU. I DON'T THINK WE HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. AGAIN. I'M HAPPY TO WORK WITH YOU ON THE KUDZU. TRULY, WE CAN MAKE SOME MONEY. . UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATIONS. UH, WE HAD ONE, UH, SPEAKER SIGNED UP. UM, THAT WAS OLIVIA VERDI. IS SHE HERE? SHE IS. OKAY. WE'LL ASK YOU TO TAKE YOUR SEATS AND, AND, UH, BRING OLIVIA UP FOR SOME QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SO, UNLIKE THE ONCE, I WANNA THANK YOU GUYS FOR HOLDING THESE MEETINGS, UM, ONCE A MONTH BECAUSE BEING A NEW RESIDENT OF THE CITY AND BEING A NEW DESTITUTE RESIDENT, SOMEBODY THAT JUST SIMPLY RESIDES ON THE STREETS, UM, IT IS, IT'S NICE TO HEAR THAT THE CITY ACTUALLY CARES. AND RESILIENCE SPECIFICALLY IS SOMETHING THAT WAS BROUGHT UP AT A CONFERENCE THAT TOOK PLACE YESTERDAY. AND I, MY TOPIC WAS HOW TECHNOLOGY COULD PLAY A ROLE IN RESILIENCE IN THE CITY. A LOT OF THE ISSUES THAT WERE BROUGHT UP TODAY, SO THROUGH THE LENS OF RECYCLING, WHICH WAS ONE OF THE ISSUES BROUGHT UP, WHICH IF NOBODY'S LOOKED INTO THE CITY OF CALGARY AND THE WAY THAT THEY HANDLE THEIR RECYCLING AND THE WAY THAT THEY HANDLE THE RECYCLING [00:50:01] DEPOTS, ET CETERA, IT'S DEFINITELY WORTH LOOKING INTO IF WE'RE LOOKING FOR IDEAS TO BRING TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON. THAT'S JUST A, A BIT OF INFORMATION FOR YOU. AND AS FAR AS RESTORATION GOES, LIKE IN, IN THE PARKS, UM, ALSO THE CITY OF CALGARY IS SOMETHING THAT'S WORTH LOOKING INTO BECAUSE THEIR INFRASTRUCTURE AND THEIR ABILITY TO USE TO MAXIMIZE THE RESOURCES RATHER, AND TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, THINGS GET IMPLEMENTED WITH LESS COST IS SOMETHING THAT IS WORTH LOOKING INTO. AND THEY, THEY EFFECTIVELY ARE OUR CANADIAN BROTHER SISTERS OH, UP THERE. SO IN THE SENSE THAT IT'S RODEO, IT'S OIL DRIVEN. SO ECONOMICALLY SPEAKING, IT'S SOMETHING THAT, UM, WOULD BE PERTINENT. NOW AS FAR AS TECHNOLOGY GOES, BEING DESTITUTE, UM, I'M FINDING THAT THERE ISN'T, THERE'S A LOT OF RESOURCES AVAILABLE, BUT THERE ISN'T ANYTHING THAT'S INTERCONNECTED. AND SO, OF COURSE, LIKE I WANNA PUSH FOR AN APP THAT'S DONE THROUGH THAT LENS. BUT WHEN IT COMES TO COMMUNITY RESOURCES AND WHEN IT COMES TO INDIVIDUALS MOBILIZING TO WORK TOGETHER IN A COMMUNITY, I FEEL LIKE IT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL IF WE HAD THE ABILITY TO ACCESS AN APPLICATION THAT'S JUST DESIGNED FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON. NOW, WHEN IT COMES TO THE CITY COUNCILS, THIS IS THE FIRST MEETING THAT I'M ATTENDING, SO I'M ASCERTAINING WHAT RESILIENCE ACTUALLY STANDS FOR. IT SEEMS LIKE RESILIENCE IS CONTEXTUALLY HOW RESILIENT THE CITY IS AND HOW WE CAN CONTINUE TO FOSTER ENGAGEMENTS, UM, AND MAKE IMPROVEMENTS WHEN IT COMES TO THE OTHER CITY. UH, COUNCIL MEETINGS, WHAT I'M COMING TO FIND IS THAT I WAS TOLD BY SEVERAL PEOPLE THAT ARE IN, DARE I SAY, UH, THE UPPER ECHELON, RIGHT? LIKE, I'M ACCUSTOMED, I COME FROM THAT. SO DISCOURSE THAT TAKES PLACE, I'M ACCUSTOMED TO BEING IN ENVIRONMENTS WHERE CONVERSATIONS LIKE THIS TAKE PLACE, CHANGES MADE, BUT IT'S A SELECT FEW IN THE POPULATION. AN APP FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON WOULD EXPAND THE AUDIENCE THAT WE HAVE. AND I KNOW THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE, UM, AT LEAST IN THE HO HOMELESS COMMUNITY THAT WOULD CARE ABOUT NOT ONLY THE REVITALIZATION OF THE PARKS, NOT ONLY HAVING AMENITIES AVAILABLE FOR RECYCLING WHERE THEY CAN TAKE THE RECYCLING MATERIALS DIRECTLY TO PLANTS, MAYBE EVEN GARNER AN INCOME, WHICH WOULD INCENTIVIZE PEOPLE ON THE STREETS AS WELL. BUT TO ALSO, UM, ENABLE INDIVIDUALS THAT DON'T HAVE THE TIME OR DON'T HAVE ANY AWARENESS OF WHAT TAKES PLACE AT THESE MEETINGS TO, IN A REMOVED FASHION, BE A PARTICIPANT. SO I, I KNOW I CAN SEND EXAMPLES OF APPS THAT HAVE WORKED IN OTHER CITIES. I CAN ALSO SEND EXAMPLES OF APPS WITHIN THE CITY THAT ARE FUNCTIONING, UM, FAIRLY WELL, LIKE, SORT OF LIKE A DISPARATE APPS TO SEE IF WE CAN, BASED ON WHAT BUDGET WE HAVE, CREATE AN AGGREGATE CONTEXTUALLY WITHIN THE CITY ITSELF. THAT WOULD BE LIKE A ONE-STOP SHOP FOR HOUSTONIANS, BECAUSE I'M GRATEFUL THAT I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR THIS AND HEAR THIS, AND TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO YOU GUYS BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE ELSEWHERE. BUT THAT COLLABORATIVE SPIRIT, I'M COMING TO FIND THAT IN CERTAIN PLACES IN HOUSTON, IT'S THERE. THEY JUST DON'T KNOW WHERE TO GO TO SHARE. THEY DON'T KNOW WHERE TO GO TO SHARE. AND I WISH I COULD BRING EVERYONE HERE. IN FACT, EVERY PERSON THAT SHARES SOMETHING, I'M LIKE, OH, WELL IF I BRING IT UP, I'M GONNA BRING YOU UP. I WANNA BRING EVERYONE HERE. BUT I KNOW THAT'S NOT FEASIBLE. SO MY QUESTION FOR YOU GUYS IS, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT HAS BEEN DONE ON THAT FRONT? AND IF NOT, ARE THERE ANY ALTERNATIVES THAT I CAN BEGIN TO PROVIDE PEOPLE WHEN WE HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE CITY? SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR QUESTION. UM, AND WE DO HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU, BUT JUST TO CLARIFY, I DON'T THINK I HAVE, HAVE YOUR NAME. COULD YOU STATE YOUR NAME FOR THE RECORD? OLIVIA. OLIVIA. AND YOUR LAST NAME IS? VERITY VERITY. V-E-R-I-T-Y. OKAY. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ. YES. JUST WANNA THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND LET YOU KNOW WE'LL HAVE ANOTHER COMMITTEE MEETING ON MONDAY AFTERNOON, QUALITY OF LIFE COMMITTEE AT 2:00 PM AND WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT, UH, PART OF OUR HOMELESS EFFORT AND SPECIFICALLY THE NAVIGATION CENTER. SO WE'LL HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE OF A COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS AND REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE NAVIGATION CENTER, AS WELL AS A COUPLE FOLKS FROM FROM THE HOUSING, UH, DEPARTMENT. SO, SO INVITE YOU TO COME BACK FOR THAT 2:00 PM MONDAY AND, AND INVITE OTHERS YOU THINK, UH, MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN THAT. UH, TO YOUR QUESTION ON APPS, THE CITY [00:55:01] HAS A FEW APPS, UM, BUT NOT LIKE ONE SINGLE COMPREHENSIVE APP. LIKE THERE'S AN APP FOR THE LIBRARY, THERE'S AN APP FOR, UM, TRASH AND RECYCLING, AND THERE MAY BE MORE THAN THAT, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, GOOD, GOOD POINTS YOU BRING UP AND, AND HOPEFULLY SOMEBODY FROM, UH, IT OR THE MAYOR'S OFFICE IS LISTENING TO THAT. SO THANK YOU ALSO TOO, HTV STREAMS, ALL THE, UH, MEETINGS ONLINE. AND SO YOU'RE CERTAINLY WELCOME TO, UH, ZOOM IN ON THOSE OR, UH, THEY STREAM. UH, WE HAVE A OKAY. ALSO TOO, IF, UM, YOU MENTIONED, UH, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HOMELESSNESS, CERTAINLY, UM, I'M HAPPY TO CONNECT YOU DIRECTLY TO SOME RESOURCES IF, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED, I HAVE A STAFF MEMBER IN THE BACK WHO, UH, CAN TAKE YOUR INFORMATION AND, AND CONNECT YOU. UM, IF, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN DOING SO. THANK YOU KINDLY. UM, THE WONDERFUL THING ABOUT THE CITY OF HOUSTON IS THAT I HAVE ALL OF THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE. UM, AND IT'S DONE, IT WAS DONE THROUGH COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN A PROGRESSIVE FASHION. SO I'VE BEEN HERE FOR A FEW MONTHS. ON DAY ONE YOU GET A SERIES OF RESOURCES. DAY TWO YOU GET A SERIES OF RESOURCES. DAY THREE YOU GET, AND IT JUST, IT'S A, IT'S A COMPENDIUM. I JUST HOPE THAT, UM, THROUGH THE LENS OF RESOURCES IN THE CITY, REGARDLESS OF WHERE YOU FALL ON THE SOCIOECONOMIC ECHELON THAT WE CAN CREATE, UM, AN APPLICATION THAT'S AN AGGREGATE OF THE APPLICATIONS. THE LIBRARY YOU BROUGHT UP HAS BEEN AN EXCELLENT RESOURCE. THE INDIVIDUALS THAT WORK THERE, THE, AND IT'S CREATED LIKE A SAFE SPACE. BUT WHEN IT COMES TO THAT DISCUSSION, I'LL BRING UP AT THE, AT THE MEETING THAT YOU'VE RECOMMENDED. BUT WHEN IT COMES TO AN APPLICATION FOR INVOLVEMENT, THAT'S WHAT I'M REALLY LOOKING FOR BECAUSE THE LIBRARY DOESN'T GIVE US THE OPPORTUNITY TO LIKE LEAVE ANY COMMENTS OR PARTICIPATE AT THIS LEVEL IN GOVERNMENT. IT ALSO WOULD BE BENEFICIAL FOR YOU ALL TO HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THE CONSTITUENTS ARE LOOKING FOR PRIOR TO THE MEETING TAKING PLACE. UM, AS FAR AS LIKE THE TOPICS GO SO THAT IF SOMEBODY COMES UP, UM, AND IS MAKING A PROPOSAL ABOUT LIKE RECYCLING OR PLASTICS IN THE CITY, OR ABOUT THE PARKS AND RECREATION AND THE RENOVATIONS THAT ARE TAKING PLACE AFTER THE HURRICANE, THAT WE HAVE A COMMUNITY, UM, AGGREGATE PRIOR TO. AND I THINK THAT THAT KIND OF INTERACTION IS SOMETHING THAT I, I'LL LOOK TO THE PUBLICATIONS TO HELP FACILITATE, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT I KNOW WORKS REALLY WELL IN CALGARY. SO I WANT IT TO BE HERE BECAUSE THANK YOU. I SEE THE PEOPLE HERE. THANK YOU. WE, WE APPRECIATE YOUR INTEREST IN, IN DISCUSSING AND PARTICIPATING, AND CERTAINLY WE CAN CONNECT WITH YOU, UH, AFTER THE MEETING. THANK YOU. ARE, ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? NO OTHER SPEAKERS? NO. AND I SINCERELY APOLOGIZE THROUGH A PREPARATION LENS TO NOT HAVE SOMETHING AS COMPREHENSIVE AS THE BOTH OF YOU DO. BUT I, I WOULD BE REMISS NOT TO SHARE WHAT I KNOW AND I PROMISE THAT NEXT TIME IT'LL BE, YOU KNOW, THANK, THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU. YOU THANK YOU. WELL, IT LOOKS LIKE SEEING WE HAVE NO OTHER PUBLIC SPEAKERS. UM, BEFORE WE ADJOURN, OUR NEXT UH, MEETING IS NOVEMBER THE SEVENTH, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7TH AT 10:00 AM WE LOOK FORWARD TO RETURNING AND SEEING, UH, SOME OF YOU HERE. THANK YOU AND HAVE A GREAT DAY. THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED. * 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.