[Press Conference: "Precinct 4 Places for People Program"]
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WE ARE EXCITED TO HAVE YOU HERE TO CELEBRATE THE 2024 PLACES FOR PEOPLE CALL FOR PROJECTS.
WE WILL HAVE THE FOLLOWING SPEAKERS IN THIS ORDER.
COMMISSIONER LESLIE BRIANIS, MAYOR JOHN WHITMEYER.
COUNCIL MEMBER TIFFANY THOMAS, METRO CHAIR ELIZABETH GONZALEZ, BROCK, BETH WHITE HOUSTON PARKS BOARD PRESIDENT AND CEO DON HUBBLE WITH HERS IS ONE AND 12, FOLLOWED BY COMMISSIONER BRIES.
WELCOME COMMISSIONER LESLIE BRIES.
I'M LESLIE BRIES AND I'M ENERGIZED TO BE HERE TODAY.
TODAY IS A TESTAMENT TO THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIPS AND HOW WHEN WE UNITE HOW MUCH MORE PROGRESS WE CAN DELIVER TOGETHER.
AND I KNOW WE ALL FUNDAMENTALLY BELIEVE THAT WE ALL DESERVE A SAFER, STRONGER, MORE RESILIENT COMMUNITY.
AND THAT IS WHAT TODAY IS ABOUT.
THERE'S SO MANY FOLKS I WANT TO THANK AND WE WILL HEAR FROM TODAY AND SO I WILL GET TO THAT IN A MOMENT.
WHEN WE TOOK OFFICE ALMOST TWO YEARS AGO WHEN HAD OUR COUNTY FUNDING, AND WE WILL ALWAYS BE ON FIRST FOR THE UNINCORPORATED PARTS OF HARRIS COUNTY, BUT WHEN WE WERE LOOKING AT PRECINCT FOUR AND SAW THAT 60% OF THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN OUR PRECINCT LIVE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND THE FOUR OTHER CITIES, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT FROM A GOOD GOVERNMENT PRINCIPLE WE ARE SERVING EVERYBODY AND THAT TAXPAYERS RESOURCES ARE BEING USED TO SERVE THEM.
SO WE LAUNCHED A PROACTIVE CALL FOR PARTNERSHIP PROJECTS AND I WANNA THANK MY HARRIS COUNTY PRECINCT FOR A TEAM MEMBERS.
IF YOU COULD JUST RAISE YOUR HAND, I HAVE NOTHING BUT LOVE AND RESPECT FOR YOU.
IT'S AN HONOR TO LEARN FROM YOU EVERY DAY.
THEY HELPED DESIGN THE COMPETITION, THE SCORING, ALL THE METRICS, VERY DATA DRIVEN.
AND WE ASKED OUR CITIES, SCHOOL DISTRICTS, MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS MUDS TO SUBMIT IDEAS THAT WE COULD DO INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS TOGETHER.
AND LAST YEAR WE WERE ABLE TO SELECT 32 PROJECTS.
AND THIS YEAR WE ARE THRILLED TO ANNOUNCE THE WINNERS OF THE 2024 PLACES FOR PEOPLE.
WE HAVE SELECTED 20 PROJECTS, THE TOTAL NEARLY $50 MILLION TOGETHER LEVERAGING OUR RESOURCES FROM HARRIS COUNTY PRECINCT FOUR WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON, WITH THE HOUSTON PARKS BOARD, WITH METRO, WITH THE 14 PARTNERS.
FROM THIS YEAR'S ROUND, WE WILL GET MORE DONE TOGETHER OF THE NEARLY 50 MILLION.
I'M VERY PROUD TO REPORT THAT APPROXIMATELY 16 MILLION WILL BE 11 PROJECTS WITHIN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
AND I WANNA THANK MAYOR JOHN WHITMEYER FOR HIS AMAZING PARTNERSHIP.
WE WORK EXTREMELY COLLABORATIVELY TOGETHER AND I WANNA THANK MY CITY COUNCIL PEOPLE, A COUPLE OF WHOM ARE HERE TODAY.
WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN AND COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS WHO WILL HEAR FROM.
AND I WANNA THANK COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN AND MAYOR PRO TEM PECK.
AND COUNCIL MEMBER PECK AS WELL, AS WELL AS COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD, WHO ARE MY VARIOUS COUNCIL MEMBERS.
AND IN THEIR DISTRICTS, THESE PROJECTS WILL BE BECOME MANIFEST.
WHEN WE LOOKED AT ALL OF THE SUBMISSIONS, THE KEY, THERE WERE MANY FACTORS THAT WE SCORED THEM ON, BUT THE KEY ONE WAS PUBLIC SAFETY.
PUBLIC SAFETY IS MY TOP PRIORITY AS A MOM OF THREE LITTLE GIRLS.
AS A FORMER PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER AND AS A FORMER JUDGE THAT HAD MANY CIVIL CASES AROUND INJURIES AND ACCIDENTS, PUBLIC SAFETY SHOULD BE OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE.
AND I'M THRILLED THAT THIS IS ONE OF THE PROJECTS WHERE WE STAND TODAY.
THIS BISSONNET AND SOUTH GESNER INTERSECTION, WE WILL BE UPGRADING WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON, THESE TRAFFIC SIGNALS THAT WILL ENHANCE SAFETY FOR ALL OF US.
AND IF YOU LOOK ACROSS THE STREET TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON, FIRE STATION 68, THE BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE SERVING US, OUR FIREFIGHTERS, OUR PARAMEDICS, WILL BE ABLE TO EVEN MORE QUICKLY RESPOND TO EMERGENCIES BECAUSE OF THESE SAFETY UPGRADES.
WE'RE ALSO WORKING WITH METRO TO ENHANCE SAFETY.
WE ARE DOUBLING DOWN ON OUR PARTNERSHIP FROM LAST YEAR ON BUS SHELTERS, ESPECIALLY IN THE GULFTON AND
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SHARPSTOWN AREAS.THESE AREAS ARE APPROXIMATELY 17 DEGREES HOTTER THAN OTHER PARTS OF OUR BEAUTIFUL REGION.
AND SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE'RE PROTECTING THE HEALTH AND SAFETY BY DESIGNING THESE BUS SHELTERS IN A WAY THAT COMBATS THE HEAT ISLAND EFFECT AND ENHANCES THE SAFETY AND WELLBEING FROM A HEALTH PERSPECTIVE AS WELL AS A SAFETY LIGHTING PERSPECTIVE.
I ALSO WANNA THANK THE HOUSTON PARK BOARD.
WE HAVE NUMEROUS PARTNERSHIP PROJECTS WITH THEM.
THEY WILL BE TALKING ABOUT A FEW OF THEM, BUT I'M THRILLED THAT FROM, AGAIN, FROM A SAFETY PERSPECTIVE, TOGETHER WE WILL CREATE SAFE CROSSINGS WORK ROAD TO THE WHITE OAK BAYOU AREA AS WELL AS CULLEN PARK.
WHEN WE UNITE, WE GET MORE DONE TOGETHER.
AS A TAXPAYER, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT MY TAX DOLLARS ARE BEING USED AS EFFICIENTLY, AS EFFECTIVELY, AND AS TRANSPARENTLY.
SO WHEN WE CAN JOIN FORCES TO DO MORE FOR THE PEOPLE OF HOUSTON, TO DO MORE FOR THE PEOPLE OF HARRIS COUNTY, THIS IS DEEPLY ENERGIZING.
AND I ALSO WANNA THANK THE MAYOR DUSTY THIEL, OUR MAYOR OF KATIE.
THEY ARE ONE OF OUR KEY PARTNERS WHO WERE SELECTED THIS YEAR.
HE'S NOT HERE TODAY, BUT I WANNA THANK THE CITY OF KATIE.
I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE THESE PROJECTS BECOME A REALITY AS WELL AS MANY OF THE 20, 23 ONES THAT WE'RE WORKING ON TOGETHER.
AND AS LONG AS THE PEOPLE OF HARRIS COUNTY GIVE ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE, WE WILL BE PUTTING OUT THIS CALL EACH SPRING.
SO GET THOSE IDEAS READY FOR ALL OF OUR CITIES, SCHOOL DISTRICTS, MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS, TS, MUDS, ET CETERA.
I WILL DO A VERY BRIEF VERSION OF THIS IN SPANISH.
I APPRECIATE THE SPANISH MEDIA BEING HERE.
SO MEYER, ABBY CAYMAN, AND TIFFANY THOMAS, ELIZABETH GONZALEZ, BROCK, CEO OF THE HOUSTON PARKS SPORT, BETH WHITE FOR PROJECTS, HOUSTON FIRE STATION 68 PLACES FOR PEOPLE,
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COUNTY PRECINCT FOR WHITMEYER.AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
THANK YOU FOR BEING TESTAMENT TO THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIPS TO DELIVER PROGRESS.
WE WILL NEXT HEAR FROM OUR MAYOR OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON, MAYOR JOHN WHITMEYER.
EVERY TIME THE COMMISSIONER MENTIONED COLLABORATION, I THOUGHT SHE WAS CALLING OUT MY NAME BECAUSE I'VE TOLD FOLKS RECENTLY WE'RE DOING SO WELL ON COLLABORATION.
IT'S CATCHING NOT ALL ONLY BETWEEN PRECINCT FOUR AND THE CITY OF HOUSTON, BUT TOM RAMSEY, ADRIAN GARCIA, OUR SMALL CITIES, FORT BEND.
PEOPLE ARE REACHING OUT TO US COMMISSIONER BECAUSE OF THE MODEL THAT WE'VE CREATED TO SHOW AND DEMONSTRATE COLLABORATION IS THE MODEL TO FIX IN HOUSTON.
YOU KNOW, WE COULD HAVE HAD A MODEL LIKE THIS BEFORE, BUT ELECTIONS MATTER.
AND FROM THE MOMENT THAT COMMISSIONER BRIS WAS ELECTED, I NOTICED A CHANGE.
EVEN AS A STATE SENATOR, SHE WAS IN AUSTIN, SHE WAS BRINGING US TOGETHER AS LEGISLATORS.
SO LET ME JUST SAY THIS IS A SPECIAL DAY.
WE WOULDN'T BE HERE WITHOUT LEADERSHIP, WITHOUT PUBLIC SERVICE.
FROM THE FINE PUBLIC SERVANTS THAT ARE STANDING BEHIND ME, COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS CAME AND COUNCILMAN WILLIE DAVIS.
WE REPRESENT THE SAME PEOPLE, THE SAME TAXPAYERS.
SO IT'S AMAZING WHAT YOU CAN GET DONE.
AND I LEARNED THIS YEARS AGO IN THE LEGISLATURE.
IF YOU DON'T WORRY ABOUT WHO'S GONNA GET THE CREDIT, LOOK AT THIS BOARD.
THAT'S THE WAY IT'S SUPPOSED TO WORK.
AND IT'S CATCHING ON ACROSS HOUSTON AND IT'S JUST REALLY GETTING STARTED AND THAT'S WHY IT'S EXCITING FOR ME TO BE HERE TODAY.
THIS IS WHY WE RAN FOR OFFICE MEMBERS.
THIS IS WHY WE RAN FOR OFFICE TO FIX THINGS, TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER, THE DIVERSITY OF THIS COMMUNITY AND DEMONSTRATE THAT WE CAN COME TOGETHER, MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THEIR LIFE, AND SHOW OUR YOUNG PEOPLE HOW GOVERNMENT WORKS.
PEOPLE ARE HUNGRY FOR LEADERSHIP.
OUR NEIGHBORS FROM UFTON TO MY LAND GONNA DEAL WITH DRAINAGE ISSUES.
WE'RE BRINGING ALL THE AGENCIES TOGETHER.
THANK YOU METRO FOR BEING HERE.
THE TURS, THE PARKS, I COULD GO ON AND ON, BUT THANK YOU COMMISSIONER BRIANIS.
WE HAVE A LEADER THAT IS SHOWING US HOW TO LEAD.
I'M GONNA LEAVE HERE A BETTER MAYOR THAN THE ONE THAT GOT HERE.
'CAUSE I SEE THE POSSIBILITY OF FIXING HOUSTON IN EVERY COMMUNITY.
THERE'S OTHER COMMUNITIES THAT NEED TO BE HAVING PRESS CONFERENCES LIKE THAT.
TELL 'EM WE'RE HEADED THEIR WAY.
SO I'M PLEASED TO BRING UP COUNCIL MEMBER CAMAN, WHO IS A PUBLIC SERVANT, DEMONSTRATING HOW WE CAN COME TOGETHER AND GET THINGS DONE.
COUNCIL MEMBER CAMAN, THANK YOU SO MUCH MAYOR AND UH, COMMISSIONER BRIANIS, A BIG THANK YOU TO YOU AND YOUR TEAM AND COMMISSIONER HIT ON, UH, THE KEY WORD ABOUT COLLABORATION.
BUT I WOULD LIKE TO EMPHASIZE THE KEY WORD OF LEADERSHIP THAT COMMISSIONER BRIANIS HAS BEEN SHOWING, UH, THROUGHOUT PRECINCT FOUR IN HER SHORT, BUT VERY IMPACTFUL TIME THUS FAR IN OFFICE.
UH, IN MY FIRST TERM, I ACTUALLY FUNDED A KINDER STUDY THAT FOCUSED ON THE DOLLARS AS TAXPAYERS AT CITY OF HOUSTON.
RESIDENTS WERE PAYING TO THE COUNTY VERSUS WHAT WAS BEING INVESTED BACK INTO THE CITY.
UH, COMMISSIONER ELLIS WAS ALSO VERY SUPPORTIVE OF THAT, BUT COMMISSIONER BRIANIS HAS REALLY TAKEN CHARGE INVESTING IN OUR COMMUNITIES FOR OUR TAXPAYER DOLLARS WALL AT THE SAME TIME, AS YOU SAID, FOCUSING ON OUTSIDE OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON AS WELL.
'CAUSE THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT.
PRECINCT FOUR, THIS ENTIRE TEAM, UH, THAT STANDS BEHIND.
COMMISSIONER BRIANIS, THANK YOU ALL FOR CONTINUING TO WORK WITH MY OFFICE.
THERE IS NOTHING THAT HAPPENS WITHOUT YOU ALL, INCLUDING MY OFFICE STAFF, BUT Y'ALL ARE ALWAYS TREMENDOUS PARTNERS, WHETHER IT'S PARTNERING TO, UH, DO STORM DEBRIS PICKUP DURING THIS PAST, UH, SUMMER WITH HURRICANE BARRELS SUPPORTING FAMILIES WITH PRIDE, THE LIST GOES ON, BUT WE'RE HERE TO TALK ABOUT BENEFITS IN THE COMMUNITY THAT WE'RE SEEING WITH OUR DOLLARS.
AND LAST YEAR I WANNA POINT OUT, UH, WAS THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE BUFFALO BAYOU GREENWAY CONNECTOR PROJECT.
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AND I KNOW THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, UH, WITH THE PARKS BOARD IS A HUGE OPPORTUNITY THAT'S GOING TO CREATE TRAILS TO CONNECT PARTS OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS THAT DO NOT NECESSARILY HAVE ACCESS TO MEMORIAL PARK.AND THEN THIS YEAR, I DO NOT WANNA GET AHEAD OF THE ANNOUNCEMENTS, BUT I, THERE IS A RESIDENT DRIVEN PROJECT I DO WANNA SPOTLIGHT THAT'S IN DISTRICT C AND THAT'S THE RENWICK TRAIL FEASIBILITY STUDY.
AND MY OFFICE WORKED WITH A NEIGHBORHOOD GROUP CALLED NEIGHBORHOOD TO SOUTHWEST TRAILS AND WE CAME TO PRECINCT FOUR AND PRECINCT FOUR WITH OPEN ARMS SAID HOW CAN WE HELP? AND THIS IS THAT WORK IN ACTION AND IT AIMS TO ADDRESS IMPROVED CONNECTIVITY AND SAFER ACCESS TO TRAILS AND OTHER NEIGHBORHOOD AMENITIES ALONG OUR BAYOU IN A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PART OF DISTRICT C.
SO COMMISSIONER TODAY, I SAY THANK YOU.
I ALSO SAY THANK YOU TO THE RESIDENTS WHO ARE WORKING WITH BOTH OF OUR OFFICES TO SEE THESE PROJECTS THROUGH.
AND WITH THAT, UH, IT'S MY HONOR TO INTRODUCE COUNCIL MEMBER TIFFANY THOMAS, WHO IS ANOTHER TERRIFIC PARTNER FIGHTING FOR HER DISTRICT, ADVOCATING FOR HER DISTRICT, AND PARTNERING WITH PRECINCT FOUR.
THANK YOU AGAIN, COMMISSIONER FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP IN ALL OF THIS.
MAYOR WHITMEYER TALKED ABOUT COLLABORATION.
MY COLLEAGUE, COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN TALKED ABOUT LEADERSHIP.
I WANNA TALK ABOUT THE PEOPLE, THE PEOPLE THAT ARE GONNA BENEFIT FROM THE INVESTMENTS OF THESE PROJECTS.
OVER 10 YEARS AGO, I SERVED AS AN A TRUSTEE FOR THE A EAF INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT.
AND I RECALL A COMMUNITY MEETING, UH, WHERE AN HOA PRESIDENT AND I WANNA CALL THEIR NAMES, JOHN AND BARBARA GROVES OF CATALINA SQUARE TALKED ABOUT A CIP TALKED ABOUT THE FLOODING IN THE DRAINAGE IN THEIR COMMUNITY 'CAUSE THEY FELT AS THEY WERE LEFT OUT.
AND I RECALL THAT IF I EVER WAS IN A POSITION TO ADVOCATE ON THEIR BEHALF, I WOULD DO SO.
AND I'M GRATEFUL THAT I HAVE A PRECINCT, A HARRIS COUNTY PRECINCT COMMISSIONER THAT WAS WILLING TO BE AT THE TABLE, WILLING TO BE INNOVATIVE, A COLLABORATE, LEAD AND PARTNER SO THAT PEOPLE WHO MAY NEVER KNOW OUR NAMES WILL BENEFIT FROM THE INVESTMENT.
UH, IT IS TRUE GOVERNMENT CANNOT DO THIS ALONE.
IT IS TRUE THAT WE HAVE A GROUP OF PEOPLE, RESIDENTS THAT ARE ADVOCATING, LOBBYING, SOMETIMES FORCED CALL AND COMING TO PUBLIC SESSIONS, SOMETIMES THROWING TOMATOES AT OUR HEAD, DEMANDING THAT WE INVEST IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND THIS IS A RIGHT TURN IN THAT DIRECTION.
THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY.
THANK YOU TO THE PRECINCT FOUR STAFF THAT WAS WILLING TO GET THIS ACROSS THE LINE.
THANK YOU TO THE, THE HOUSTON PUBLIC WORK STAFF, UH, THAT RECOMMENDED THIS BEFORE COUNCIL FOR APPROVAL.
THANK YOU TO MY COLLEAGUES THAT ADOPTED THE RECOMMENDATIONS TO SEND TO HARRIS COUNTY.
I'M EXCITED, UH, NOT WAS JUST HAPPENING ON THE WEST SIDE, THE BEST SIDE OF HOUSTON, BUT WHAT'S HAPPENING ALL THROUGH OUR PRECINCT FOUR IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND OUR REGION.
I NOW WANT TO INTRODUCE OUR METRO BOARD CHAIR, ELIZABETH GONZALEZ.
SO WE'VE HEARD WORDS LIKE COLLABORATION, PARTNERSHIP, LEADERSHIP, THE PEOPLE ALSO WANNA INTRODUCE, UH, THE WORD OWNERSHIP.
WE HAVE TO TAKE OWNERSHIP AND RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT METRO IS COMMITTED TO DOING.
WE ARE WORKING CLOSELY WITH COMMISSIONER BRIAN'S OFFICE.
WE'RE ALSO WORKING CLOSELY WITH, UH, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE TAKING OWNERSHIP AND RESPONSIBILITY OF INFRASTRUCTURE THAT HAS BEEN NEGLECTED FOR A VERY, VERY LONG TIME.
AND THE GOLFING COMMUNITY, WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING THROUGH THIS PROGRAM.
WE'RE ADDING AN ADDITIONAL, WE'VE ADDED AN ADDITIONAL 200, UM, BUS SHELTERS AND WE'RE LOOKING AT ADDING AN ADDITIONAL, UH, 50 TO 70 BUS SHELTERS IN THE GULFTON COMMUNITY.
BUT WE'RE ALSO BOOTS ON THE GROUND.
I HAVE WORKED WITH MAYOR WHITMEYER AND COMMISSIONER BRIANIS TO VISIT AND, AND PUT EYES ON INFRASTRUCTURE LIKE, UH, THE GULFTON AREA ON HIGHSTAR.
I'M PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT IN MID-DECEMBER WE'RE GONNA BE OPENING THAT AREA BACK UP FOR SERVICE.
IT HAD BEEN CLOSED, WE DID NOT HAVE ACCESS TO HIGHSTAR AND 300.
THE BAKER RIPLEY AND LEGACY PROVIDE ACCESS TO 300 PREGNANT WOMEN A DAY.
AND SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PROVIDING BUS TRANSPORTATION TO THEM AS WELL.
AND SO WE'RE HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE THAT WE'LL BE OPENING UP THAT AREA AND IT'S BECAUSE WE'RE TAKING RESPONSIBILITY WHEN WE SEE SOMETHING, WE'RE SAYING SOMETHING AND WE'RE GONNA DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
WE'RE ALSO TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT IS DAMAGED.
YOU KNOW, OUR BUSES DAMAGE THE STREETS AND WHEN WE DO THAT, WE NEED
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TO REPAIR THEM.AND THROUGH OUR LEADERSHIP AND OUR PARTNERSHIP, WE'RE DOING EXACTLY THAT AND WE'RE GONNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE RESPONSIBLE AND WE'RE, UH, TAKING CARE OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE UH, THAT HAS BEEN NEGLECTED FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
AND ALSO WE'RE GOING TO IMPROVE INFRASTRUCTURE THROUGH REVITALIZATION PROGRAMS SUCH AS THESE.
SO I'M REALLY PROUD TO BE WORKING WITH OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS.
I'M PROUD TO BE WORKING WITH COMMISSIONER BRIANIS.
I'M SO PROUD OF YOUR LEADERSHIP, PROUD OF MAYOR WHITMEYER FOR UH, PUTTING ME IN THIS ROLE SO THAT WAY WE CAN WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
WITH THAT, LET ME INTRODUCE, UH, OUR PARKS DIRECTOR, UH, BETH WHITE.
I'M BETH WHITE, I'M THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF HOUSTON PARKS BOARD AND I WANNA THANK THE COMMISSIONER, UM, FOR INVITING US HERE TODAY FOR GIVING US ONE OF THE PLACES FOR PEOPLE AWARDS.
AND I ALSO WANNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE POWER OF PLANNING AND HOW THE COMMISSIONER REALLY EMBRACES HOW IMPORTANT THAT IS.
AND ALSO TAKING A HOLISTIC VIEW AT OUR REGION AND NOT THINKING ABOUT WHERE THE COUNTY OR PRECINCT DISTRICT STOPS BECAUSE EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED.
UM, WE ARE THRILLED TO BE HERE WHERE THE NOT-FOR-PROFIT THAT EXPANDS AND PROVES AND PROTECTS PARKS AND GREEN SPACE THROUGHOUT THE HOUSTON REGION.
AND OUR VISION IS AN INTERCONNECTED NETWORK OF PARKS, TRAILS, AND GREEN SPACE FOR A MORE RESILIENT AND EQUITABLE HOUSTON.
AS YOU'VE HEARD ABOUT PARTNERSHIP, IT REALLY IS CRITICAL TO THE WORK THAT WE DO.
PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS PLAY A PIVOTAL ROLE, PARTICULARLY IN GREEN SPACE DEVELOPMENT IN HOUSTON.
IT BRINGS TOGETHER EVERYONE'S STRENGTHS AND RESOURCES FROM BOTH OF THESE SECTORS TO HAVE AN EVEN MORE SIGNIFICANT IMPACT.
THESE PARTNERSHIPS ARE ESSENTIAL AS WE ADDRESS THE GROWING DEMAND FOR GREEN SPACE IN OUR URBAN CORE, WHILE ENSURING THAT THESE SPACES ARE RESPONSIVE TO THE NEEDS OF HOUSTON'S DIVERSE COMMUNITIES.
AND WE DO LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITIES AND DESIGN THINGS AROUND WHAT THEY WANT AND WHAT THEY NEED IN THEIR COMMUNITIES.
OUR STRONG COLLABORATION WITH PRECINCT FOUR EXEMPLIFIES THIS POWERFUL AND TRANSFORMATIVE IMPACT OF PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS.
I WANNA TELL YOU ABOUT TWO OF THE PROJECTS THAT WE'RE GONNA MOVE FORWARD WITH, BUT FIRST I JUST WANNA THANK THE COMMISSIONER AND THE MAYOR AND UH, CHAIRMAN BROCK FOR THIS IMPORTANT WORK AT THIS INTERSECTION.
THE FACT THAT SAFETY IS THE TOP PRIORITY FOR BOTH THE COMMISSIONER AND THE MAYOR.
THIS IS HUGE AND BEYOND THIS FIRE STATION IS A BEAUTIFUL PARK AND FOR PEOPLE TO GET THERE SAFELY, ESPECIALLY CHILDREN AND HAVING A WAY TO REACH THAT PARK TO WALK DOWN THE SIDEWALK TO GET TO THE BIO GREENWAYS, THAT'S WHAT ALL THIS WORK IS ABOUT, IS FINDING THOSE CONNECTIONS, GETTING PEOPLE TO THESE RESOURCES IN A SAFE AND EQUITABLE MANNER.
ON OUR SIDE OF THINGS THOUGH, WITH THESE TWO PROJECTS, FIRST I WANNA TELL YOU ABOUT SPRING BRANCH TRAIL.
THIS IS GONNA BE AN 11 MILE LONG SPRING BRANCH GREENWAY WITHIN THE CENTER POINT TRANSITION, UH, TRANSMISSION EASEMENT.
UM, EVENTUALLY THIS WILL CONNECT ATTICS RESERVOIR ON THE WEST ALL THE WAY TO WHITE OAK BIO GREENWAY.
THIS EAST WEST CONNECTION IS GONNA BE ONE OF THE BEST EXAMPLES OF A NEW TYPE OF RECREATION AND TRANSPORTATION CORRIDOR THAT WE HOPE TO BUILD ACROSS OUR COUNTY IS A KEY PART OF OUR FIVE YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN.
THESE ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION CORRIDORS ALSO PROVIDE REALLY IMPORTANT RECREATIONAL AND GREEN SPACE OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMUNITIES.
AND OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS WE'VE WORKED WITH OUR PARTNERS, INCLUDING SPRING BRANCH MANAGEMENT DISTRICT WHO IS GONNA BE PAYING FOR MOST OF THIS AND ALSO DOING A LOT OF THE MAINTENANCE, WHICH IS A CRITICAL PART OF OUR PARTNERSHIP AND HARRIS COUNTY TOLL ROAD AUTHORITY.
UM, WE'VE DESIGNED AND CONSTRUCTED PARTS OF THIS TRAIL.
WE ALREADY HAVE THREE MILES OPEN AND EARLY NEXT YEAR, THE THIRD PHASE OF THE SPRING BRANCH TRAIL WILL BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AS WELL.
SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
WE'RE HONORED THAT PRECINCT FOUR IS ALSO PARTNERING WITH US TO ADVANCE THE DESIGN OF THE FINAL SEGMENT OF THIS SPRING BRANCH TRAIL GOING FROM ITS CURRENT TERMINUS AT WORK ROAD EAST TOWARD WHITE OAK BIO GREENWAY, ALMOST THREE MILES OF ADDITIONAL TRAIL.
THIS PARTNERSHIP WILL ALLOW US TO WORK WITH THE COMMUNITIES NEAR THIS FUTURE TRAIL TO DETERMINE THE BEST ALIGNMENT TO CONNECT IT, UM, THROUGH ALL THE WAY TO WHITE OAK, WHICH IS OUR BUSIEST GREENWAY.
THE SECOND PROJECT WILL BRING MORE CONNECTIVITY TO CULLEN PARK, WHICH IS A WONDERFUL RESOURCE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
BUT WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS PROVIDE A SAFE CONNECTION FOR PEDESTRIANS AND CYCLISTS BETWEEN THE TRAILS THAT ARE NORTH OF I 10 AND THE TRAILS THAT ARE SOUTH OF
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I 10.SO THIS IS A BIT OF A CHALLENGE, BUT WE'RE GONNA WORK TOGETHER AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE THAT REALLY CRITICAL CONNECTION.
WE TRULY APPRECIATE OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH PRECINCT FOUR.
UM, COMMISSIONER BRIANIS, WE JUST VALUE YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR, THE WAY YOU LOOK AT THE WORLD AND PARTNER WITH EVERYONE.
AND WE ALSO APPRECIATE MAYOR WHITMEYER WHOSE COMMITMENT TO SAFE OFF STREET TRAILS, UM, REALLY KEEPS US MOVING FORWARD AND WORKING ON OUR NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS.
SO EVERYONE HAS A QUALITY PARK WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE ONE DAY.
AND I'D ALSO LIKE TO THANK THE STAFF OF PRECINCT FOR YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING.
UM, ALWAYS LOOKING TO FIND CONNECTIONS BETWEEN BIG INITIATIVES AND SMALL INITIATIVES THAT MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE TO THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE.
UM, SO THANK YOU AGAIN, UM, COMMISSIONER AND THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR PARTNERSHIP.
AND SPEAKING OF PARTNERSHIP
SO, UM, PLEASE GIVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR DON HUMMEL.
SO MY NAME IS DON HUMMEL, I'M WITH THE TS AND ON BEHALF OFTS ONE CHAIRMAN FRANK DONNELLEY, III AND TS 12.
MADAM CHAIR LENORA, OLA PULLMAN.
WE WOULD LIKE TO SINCERELY THANK MAYOR WHITMEYER, COMMISSIONER BRIANIS, COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN, COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS AND COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS FOR THEIR SUPPORT AND LEADERSHIP IN THE TOURS.
WITHOUT THEM, WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO WHAT WE DO ON A DAILY BASIS.
AND WE WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK THE HARRIS COUNTY PRECINCT FOR STAFF LOUIS.
WITHOUT YOU, WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO GET ANYTHING ACCOMPLISHED EITHER.
UH, SO THE PLACES FOR PEOPLE PROGRAM IS HUGELY SUCCESSFUL.
IT IS DOING SO MUCH GOOD WORK AND OUR BOARDS ARE SO EXCITED AND GRATEFUL AND DELIGHTED TO BE RECIPIENTS OF THESE GRANTS.
THESE GRANTS ENABLE OUR PROJECTS TO MOVE AHEAD SOONER THAN THEY NORMALLY WOULD IN THEIR LIFECYCLE.
AND THEY ALSO, LIKE THE MAYOR WAS SAYING, THEY HELP US COLLABORATE AND LEVERAGE OTHER PUBLIC FUNDS WITH THE TURS AND SOMETIMES THE CITY.
SO WE JUST WANNA SAY WE'RE VERY EXCITED AND VERY HAPPY AND LOOKING FORWARD TO IMPLEMENTING THESE PROJECTS THAT ARE, ARE GOING TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY, UH, FLOOD MITIGATION AND IMPROVED MOBILITY IN OUR CITY.
AND NOW I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER FOR FINAL REMARKS TO COMMISSIONER.
I'M A LITTLE SHORTER THAN HIM.
SO THANK YOU DON FOR BEING HERE.
WE APPRECIATE YOUR LEADERSHIP AND COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US AS WELL.
AND I SEE ONE OF OUR METRO BOARD MEMBERS, HOLLY MARIACA, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AS WELL HOLLY.
SO I AM GRATEFUL FOR ALL OF THESE PARTNERS, ALL OF THESE LEADERS.
AND I'M GRATEFUL FOR THE COMMUNITY WHO HAS COME TOGETHER TO VOICE THEIR CONCERNS, THEIR IDEAS, THEIR BOLD VISIONS FOR WHAT THEIR COMMUNITY DESERVES.
AND I BELIEVE WE CAN ALL AGREE THAT WE ALL WANT THE GOVERNMENT TO WORK.
WHEN YOU HARNESS THE POWER OF GOVERNMENT, ESPECIALLY ACROSS LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT, CITY, COUNTY, WHEN YOU PARTNER WITH THE NONPROFIT COMMUNITY AND OTHER GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES, WE CAN GET SO MUCH DONE.
AND SO I CHALLENGE OURSELVES AND I CHALLENGE YOU TO CHALLENGE OTHERS, THAT IF WE FOCUS ON POINTS OF UNITY, IF WE FOCUS ON WHAT WE CAN AGREE ON, WHAT WE CAN ACCOMPLISH, AND WE STAY LASER FOCUSED ON DELIVERING PROGRESS.
PERFECTION IS HARD, BUT PROGRESS IS ATTAINABLE.
AND TODAY, THROUGH THESE 20 PROJECTS LAST YEAR THROUGH THE 32, THAT SHOWS WHAT CAN WORK WHEN WE CAN UNITE AND WORK TOGETHER TO DELIVER PROGRESS.
SO I THINK ABOUT WHEN I WAS A TEACHER, MY STUDENTS WHO HAD TO PUT THEIR LIFE IN JEOPARDY AS THEY TRY TO CROSS INTERSECTIONS.
AND I THINK OF OUR KIDS WHO WILL BE SAFER.
I THINK OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD DRAINAGE PROJECTS THAT WILL MAKE NEIGHBORHOODS SAFER.
I THINK OF UNDER CROSSINGS THAT WILL ALLOW PEOPLE TO GET HOME MORE SAFELY ARE FIRST RESPONDERS TO RESPOND WHEN YOUR FAMILY MIGHT BE IN CRISIS.
INFRASTRUCTURE IS QUALITY OF LIFE, INFRASTRUCTURE IS SAFETY, INFRASTRUCTURE IS CONNECTION.
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AROUND THE HOLIDAYS, CONNECTION IS SOMETHING TOP OF MIND.SO LET US KEEP CONNECTING, LET US KEEP DELIVERING PROGRESS TOGETHER AND WE'RE JUST SO THANKFUL WE'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS THAT THE AUDIENCE OR THE MEDIA MAY HAVE.
AND I ALSO, LASTLY, AGAIN, WANNA THANK MY TEAM WHO HAVE SPENT COUNTLESS, COUNTLESS HOURS.
I THANK ALL OF YOU AND IN PARTICULAR I WANNA THANK DR.
GERRA, OUR CHIEF OF INFRASTRUCTURE, LUIS VA, DIRECTOR OF PLANNING, DAN ELECTRICIAN, MARIA RA, UM, AND SO MANY OF YOU, I MEAN, THANK YOU.
WELL WITH THAT, WE INVITE YOU TO LOOK AT THE FULL LIST OF PROJECTS AND WE INVITE YOU TO OUR LAST TOWN HALL OF 2024 LATER THIS WEEK.
SO PLEASE CHECK OUT HARRIS COUNTY PRECINCT FOUR AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO MAKING HOUSTON AND ALL OF HARRIS COUNTY AS BEST AS IT CAN BE.