[00:00:03] OKAY. IT'S 12:03. WE'LL CALL TO ORDER THE PARKS AND REC BOARD MEETING FOR JUNE 11TH, 2026. [DECLARATION OF A QUORUM AND CALL TO ORDER ] WE DO HAVE A QUORUM PRESENT. THANK YOU, EVERYBODY, FOR BEING HERE, AS ALWAYS. WE HAVE A BIGGER GROUP THAN NORMAL. THAT'S GREAT. COUNCILWOMAN SIMMONS, THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING, ALSO AS SERVING AS OUR LIAISON. JASON, DO YOU WANT TO INTRODUCE OUR NEW BOARD MEMBER? YES, I WOULD LOVE TO. SO THOSE WHO ARE JOINING US ONLINE, BUT WE DO HAVE NEW BOARD MEMBERS, MAKING A FULL BOARD. SO WE DO HAVE AMBER HERE WITH US TODAY. SO I'LL HER TO INTRODUCE HERSELF AND KIND OF EXPLAIN HER PASSION FOR BEING ON THE BOARD. AND THEN WE'LL GO AHEAD AND START. THANK YOU ALL. YES. MY NAME IS AMBER MURRAY. I CURRENTLY WORK FOR CONGRESSMAN RANDY WEBER'S OFFICE. AND THEN ALSO ON THE SIDE, I HAVE A MARKETING BUSINESS AS WELL. MY BACKGROUND IS IN SOCIAL WORK AND POLICY, AND IN BOTH OF MY PROFESSIONAL TASKS, I HAVE BEEN INVOLVED WITH CHAMBER ACTIVITIES. I'VE BEEN ON BOARDS IN OTHER CITIES THAT I'VE WORKED IN. SO I'VE ALWAYS HAD A PASSION FOR COMMUNITY. AND SO WHEN I SAW THAT IT OPENED UP FOR THE PARTS, I WAS EXCITED, SO. THANK YOU. WELL, THANK YOU. EXCITED TO HAVE YOU HERE. IT'S LIKE SOME IMPRESSIVE CREDENTIALS. YEAH. SO ONLY TWO ITEMS ON THE AGENDA TODAY. SO IT SHOULD BE A FAIRLY QUICK MEETING. THE FIRST ONE IS DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE THE MEETING MINUTES FOR THE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD FOR APRIL 13TH, [1. Discussion and possible action to approve the minutes of the Parks & Recreation Board meeting on April 13, 2026. ] 2026. THESE WERE INCLUDED IN THE AGENDA PACKET THAT WAS SENT OUT LAST NIGHT. YOU HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT IT LAST NIGHT OR THIS MORNING? ANY INPUT? OKAY. WE HAVE ONE MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES. SECOND. SECOND. WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? MEETING MINUTES WERE ACCURATE OR NOT. TECHNICALLY, YES. SO, YEAH. SO ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE MEETING MINUTES SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? OKAY. MOTION PASSES. SECOND ITEM ON IT WAS DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION FOR LIST OF [2. Discussion and possible action on list of recommended park priority projects for Fiscal Year 2026-2027. ] RECOMMENDED PARK PRIORITY PROJECTS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2026 AND 2027. PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN STAFF AND PARKS AND RECREATION STAFF UTILIZED PARK ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES AND COMMUNITY RECREATION NEEDS HELP TO IDENTIFY AND RANK SEVERAL PARK IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS FOR FUTURE CONSTRUCTION. BASED ON THE BOARD'S RANKING, STAFF HAS PREPARED PRELIMINARY PLANNING LEVEL COST ESTIMATES FOR EACH PROJECT TO ASSIST THE BOARD IN EVALUATING PRIORITIES AND PROVIDING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS, PLANNING AND BUDGET DEVELOPMENTS. SO THIS IS THE LIST THAT WE DISCUSSED LAST TIME. AND THEN SEND OUT AN EMAIL AND YOU GUYS RESPONDED BACK AND PRIORITIZED THE LIST. AND THEN JASON AND I GOT TOGETHER AND CAME UP WITH. I CAME UP WITH A MATRIX AND JASON AND I GOT TOGETHER AND BASED ON THE RESPONSES, CAME UP WITH A PRIORITIZED LIST THAT WAS INCLUDED IN THE PACKET. AND THEN JASON HAS GONE THROUGH AND PUT SOME APPROXIMATE PRICES ON ALL OF THIS. DOESN'T MEAN ANY OF THIS STUFF IS GOING TO GET DONE, BUT YOU KNOW, IT'S GOING TO GET DONE. HOPEFULLY SOMETHING WILL GET DONE. I'D LIKE TO GO THROUGH AND READ THE LIST IN ORDER THAT WE VOTED IN. AND THEN WE CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE OR THESE COSTS OR ANYTHING, OKAY? SO BASED ON OUR RESPONSES, IN ORDER OF PRIORITY, WE GOT STRIPING PARKING LOTS IN ALL OUR MOST PARKS. REPLACE PLAYGROUND AND PAVILION AT BATES PARK. COVER SEATING OF SOFTBALL FIELDS AT BASS PARK. REPLACE WOODEN PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE ON HENDERSON ROAD. SHADE STRUCTURES NEAR PLAYGROUND AT LAKESIDE AND BEECHE BATES PARK. ADDITIONAL PARKING AT BATES PARK. ON THE SCORING MATRIX, WE HAVE TWO TIED FOR NUMBER SEVEN ON HERE. ONE IS DON'T PLAY ELEMENTS AND SHADE THE OFFICER CASH DOG PARK. ALSO TIED FOR NUMBER SEVEN IS UPGRADE OR ADDITIONAL PAVILION AT MASTERSON PARK. AND THEN TWO TIES FOR NUMBER EIGHT SPOT IS LARGE PAVILION AT FREEDOM PARK AND BRIDGE AND TRAIL TO PASSIVE AREA FREEDOM PARK. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST IS THE STAGE OR AMPHITHEATER FOR CONCERTS AT VETERANS PARK. NOT CAPTURED ON THIS LIST, BUT SOMETHING THAT AARON BROUGHT UP LAST TIME WAS THE ADA MODIFICATIONS. SO IN ADDITION TO THIS LIST, WE WANT TO KEEP THAT IN PLAY ALSO, AS PER THE CITY'S 2021 ADA TRANSITION AND MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S BEING CONSIDERED ALSO. I'LL JUMP IN ON THAT ONE AS WELL. JUST AS HE MENTIONED, WE HAVE OUR ADA TRANSITION PLAN THAT WAS DEVELOPED 2021. [00:05:06] SO WE STILL PLAN TO BRING THAT FORWARD TO ADDRESS, THIS JUST BEING A KIND OF SEPARATE. SO WHEN WE DO THAT, I KIND OF GAVE THIS INFORMATION TO HIM BECAUSE WE ALREADY DEVELOPED THAT PLAN AND SAID, YES, IT WAS A PRIORITY. RIGHT. WE KNOW THAT THE NEED IS THERE, SO WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO BRING THAT FORWARD TO ASK, TO SAY WE DEVELOP THE PLAN ALREADY. THIS WAS THE PLAN THAT'S PUT IN PLACE AND STILL REQUEST FUNDING TO SUPPORT THOSE. AND THEN IF THERE'S ANY SMALLER ITEMS THAT WE HAVE TO ABILITY TO DO WITHIN BUDGET, WE STILL PLAN TO DO THOSE, BUT WE WANTED TO KEEP THAT SEPARATE OF KNOWING THAT THAT WAS ALREADY A PRIORITY, RIGHT? JUST AS DAVID MENTIONED THAT EVEN THOUGH IT'S ON THIS LIST AND WE WANT TO SEE THESE THINGS HAPPEN, IT DOESN'T GUARANTEE THAT IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN AT THAT TIME. WE'RE JUST GOING TO TRY TO PUT SOME EFFORT INTO TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH SOME OF THESE THINGS, IF THE FUNDING COMES IN AT ALL, I MEAN, I WANT TO HAVE STARING AT ME RIGHT NOW IS THE VETERANS PARK, RIGHT? LOVE TO SEE SOME PLANNING GO WITH THAT ONE, BUT WE'RE NOT GOING TO GET TOO DEEP INTO THAT IF THERE ISN'T BUY IN FROM, WHETHER IT BE A, B, C, OR COUNCIL TO MOVE FORWARD. SO WE'RE NOT GOING TO DIVE TOO FAR INTO THAT ONE AS FAR AS GETTING A FULLY ENGINEERED COST AND DEVELOPMENT OF THAT PARK AND THINGS LIKE THAT. UNLESS THERE IS THAT BUY IN AND IF THEY ALL SAY, YEAH, THAT'S A NUMBER ONE, THEN WE WOULD DIVE INTO WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE TO SEE WHAT FUTURE FUNDING COULD LOOK LIKE, OR IF THAT'S A MASTER PLAN OR STUFF LIKE THAT. AND SO ADA IS KIND OF THAT SAME THING, IS THAT IT'S ALREADY A HIGH IMPORTANCE FOR US. AND WE STILL PLAN TO INCLUDE THAT IN OUR REQUEST FOR BUDGETING. AND IT JUST GIVES THEM AN IDEA OF SOME OF THOSE OTHER THINGS THAT ARE ON THAT LIST. AND JUST HELPS TO SELL THE STORY, RIGHT? WE TALKED ABOUT PREVIOUSLY IS WE HAVE VERY ROBUST PARK SYSTEM. WE HAVE SOME GREAT PARKS. WE'VE GOT SOME GREAT NEW PARKS COMING ONLINE. AND SO WE KNOW PARK DEVELOPMENT AS FAR AS THE NEW PHASE IS PROBABLY MORE GOING TO BE AT A STANDSTILL FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS NOW. I SAY THAT AND YOU KNOW, ANYTHING COULD CHANGE. BUT THAT'S JUST THE CURRENT VIBE AND FEEL RIGHT NOW. THE MAINTENANCE AND TAKING CARE OF OUR PARKS AND THINKING ABOUT THE GROWTH WITHIN THOSE PARKS IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. RIGHT? WE HAVE A MASTER PLAN FOR FREEDOM PARK. WE'RE ADDING A FIELD NOW, BUT THERE'S MORE COMPONENTS FOR FREEDOM PARK THAT AREN'T CURRENTLY FUNDING. SO JUST BECAUSE FREEDOM PARK IS THERE DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE DON'T HAVE MORE TO DO THERE. AND SO THAT'S WHERE SOME OF THIS HELPS TO REALLY IDENTIFY FOR OUR FUNDING BOARD AND FOR CITY COUNCIL TO KNOW, LIKE, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE PRIORITIES AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. SO ANY COMMENTS ON ANY OF THESE PROJECTS OR THE PRICES ASSOCIATED WITH THEM? I'D LIKE TO HEAR JUST SOME OF THE REASONING THAT Y'ALL PUT THE FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD, LIKE. I CAN TELL YOU THAT PARKING AT SOME OF THE PARKS THAT, ESPECIALLY, I THINK IT'S BATES OR MASTERSON, THERE'S NO STRIPING AT ALL. SO YOU GO AND THERE'S A CAR JUST IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LANE. SOMETIMES THAT'S ME, BY THE WAY. IT'S ALWAYS. YOU KNOW, THAT AND THEN IT'S NUMBER FOUR ON HERE. BUT THE PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE, YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THE KIDS WALK TO SCHOOL ON. IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ONE OF THEM IN THERE IN A DITCH AND YOU CAN'T, NO ONE'S GOING TO SEE THEM. SO, YOU KNOW, IF THAT COLLAPSES OR SOMETHING CRAZY. SO THOSE ARE MY REASONINGS FOR WHY IT'S. MORE SAFETY. OKAY. IT SOUNDS SUPERFICIAL, BUT THE STRIPING IS YOUR FIRST THING YOU SEE WHEN YOU PULL INTO THE PARK. YEAH. EVERY TIME I WALK OUT OF THE REC CENTER IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS, THE FIRST THING I NOTICED IS THE WHOLE PARKING LOT IS RESTRIPED AND I ADMIT IT'S SUPERFICIAL, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE. WOW, THIS IS A WELL MAINTAINED PLACE. YEAH. AND IT'S LOW HANGING FRUIT. IT'S COMPARED TO A LOT OF THINGS. IT'S CHEAP. I AGREE WITH THE ESTHETICS OF THE PARKING. IT DOES A LOT TO NOT HAVE ANY CONFUSION AND THINGS LIKE THAT WHEN YOU HAVE ESPECIALLY AS, AS MUCH AS BANKS ARE STARTING SPECIFICALLY THEM FOR ME. THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE, AMOUNT OF CARS THAT ARE COMING IN, I MEAN, IT'S JUST, IT'S ALL CONFUSING WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE ANY DIRECTION. AND THEN WE HAVE THE PLAYGROUND PAVILION. ACTUALLY, I DO NOTES IN MY EMAIL AND DID SAY NEXT TO THOSE THINGS LIKE, THIS IS WHY, AND I'M SURPRISED THEY HAVEN'T GOT RID OF ME YET BECAUSE I TEND TO BE A LITTLE, YOU KNOW. BUT YOU BRING YOUR PERSPECTIVE. BUT I MEAN, I'M LIKE, HEY, LOOK, THESE ARE ALL THE PARKS ARE, THIS IS HOW MUCH MONEY IS GOING IN OTHER PLACES. AND THESE PLACES DESERVE THE NEXT ROUND, YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S WHERE I WAS AT WITH SOME OF THESE CHOICES. THEN OF COURSE, THERE'S A LITTLE BIAS IN THERE, WHICH IS WHY WE HAVE AN ARRAY OF PEOPLE. RIGHT? HEY, I'M SWEATING ON THE BALL FIELDS ALL YEAR. SO I LOVE COVERED SEATING AND THEN TALK TO THEIR PARENTS AND KNOWING RIGHT FOR THEM, THEY'RE LIKE, [00:10:03] HEY, I'LL PARK CROOKED IF I HAVE SHADE, YOU KNOW? SO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S MY TOP THREE IS JUST REALLY BEING EMBEDDED IN THESE COMMUNITIES AND HEARING, YOU KNOW, FROM THE PEOPLE THEMSELVES WHAT THEY WANT. SO THE BIAS IS FUN. THAT'S WHY WE'VE GOT A DIVERSE GROUP RIGHT THERE. YEAH. YES. AND THEN THERE'S A LITTLE SMALL LIKE PAVILION AND WE'RE ALL LIKE TRYING TO CROWD. YEAH. YEAH. AND I DON'T THINK I'VE EVER BEEN TO A BASEBALL FIELD THAT DIDN'T HAVE COVERED. IT'S HIGH. SO FOR SOFTBALL, WE'RE STARTING TO BRING RAW CHICKEN TO THE GAMES AND JUST COOK THEM ON THE. YES, YOU CAN DO THE SAME THINGS TO WORK. OH, WELL, I MEAN, Y'ALL SAW MY CRITERIA, SO MINE WAS PRETTY SELF-EXPLANATORY. BUT YEAH, I TENDED TO PRIORITIZE SAFETY OR LOW HANGING FRUIT AS WELL. BUT I THINK I LOOKED INTO WHAT AFFECTED THE MOST PEOPLE THAT I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT MAKES A GREAT THING FOR ME TO SEE. AND. YEAH, SOMETIMES WE OVERLOOK SOME OF OUR OLDER PARTS, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT THESE TWO FANTASTIC NEW PARKS IN FREEDOM AND LAKESIDE AND EVERYBODY LOVES THOSE. BUT THAT MEAN WE CAN JUST WALK AWAY FROM OUR OLDER ONES, ESPECIALLY THE ONES THAT GET THIS BIG SPECIAL EVENTS THAT BRING PEOPLE IN FROM OUT OF TOWN, LIKE SOFTBALL TOURNAMENTS AND THAT SORT OF STUFF. AND SO YOU'VE BEEN TO BATES PARK ON A SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT WEEKEND, WHICH I HADN'T UNTIL RECENTLY. IT'S QUITE A SET UP THERE. THEY DO HAVE TREES THERE COMPARED TO OTHER PARTS. THE TREES DO HELP A LOT, BUT. SIDE AT ALL. THE SAHARA DESERT AND THEN THE AMAZON. YEAH. THERE YOU GO. SO ARE WE LOOKING FOR LIKE A MOTION ON THIS OR WHAT ARE WE LOOKING TO DO? BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE WE TALKED SO MUCH ABOUT THIS AND EVERYBODY SEEMED TO BE PRETTY, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS A WHOLE PROCESS. I APPRECIATE Y'ALL DOING THE WORK TO GET THOSE PROCESSES BECAUSE IT MADE IT. I FELT REALLY SMOOTH. AND THEN JUST EVERYBODY THROWING IN THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS IN ORDER. I FEEL LIKE WE'VE ALREADY REALLY SPOKE ON THIS. YOU KNOW, I AGREE, I THINK, I THINK THIS IS OUR FINAL LIST UNLESS, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING FELL DOWN IN A PARK IN THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS THAT WE KNOW ABOUT THAT NEEDS, YOU KNOW, EMERGENCY ATTENTION. I THINK THIS IS THE LIST. SO JASON, WHAT'S THE NEXT STEP ON THIS LIST? YEAH. SO KIND OF TO YOUR QUESTION, PART OF THIS WE WANTED TO MAKE IT A MULTIPLE STEP PROCESS, RIGHT? LIKE WE STARTED WITH THE PARK ASSESSMENT, IDENTIFY SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN THE PARK OR CURRENT PARK STANDARDS AT WHAT ARE THOSE NEEDS? WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE AS WELL AS SOME OF THE ADDITIONAL. RIGHT. BECAUSE WHEN YOU DO PARK ASSESSMENT, SOME OF WHAT YOU'RE EVALUATING IS WHAT'S CURRENTLY THERE VERSUS, YOU KNOW, TALK ABOUT THE VETERANS PARK, WHAT'S NOT THERE, RIGHT? AND SO IT'S DEVELOPING THAT AND TAKING IT TO THE STEP OF, HEY, WE'VE GOT ALL THESE DISCUSSIONS TO HAVE, NARROWING DOWN OUR LIST. AND THEN THE LAST PIECE OF IT WAS EVERYBODY GOING THROUGH AND RANKING THEM, RIGHT. AND SO WE DEVELOPED A LIST OF WHAT THE TOP TEN WERE. AND THIS PIECE WAS TO TRULY IDENTIFY AND SAY, HEY, WHAT WOULD BE THE RECOMMENDED PRIORITY OF THOSE ITEMS? RIGHT. BECAUSE ON OUR FIRST LIST, IT MIGHT HAVE JUST INCLUDED THE STRIPING WAS LISTED AS NUMBER NINE, BUT IT REALLY WASN'T LISTED. SO THAT WAS THE LAST MONTH OF EVERYBODY PROVIDING THEIR FEEDBACK TO RANK THEM. SO WE HAD AN UNDERSTANDING. SO WHEN WE BRING THIS TO THE BOARD FOR FUNDING AND EVALUATE WHAT SOME OF THOSE THINGS LOOK LIKE THAT WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF A PRIORITY THAT GOES WITH THAT. SO ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE LIKE AN ELK AND COUNCIL DO THIS AS WELL, OR ARE THEY GOING TO BE ABLE TO CHANGE THE PRIORITY, I GUESS, IS THE QUESTION. SO THE DIFFERENCE ISN'T NECESSARILY BY THE PRIORITY. IT'S FOR THEM TO DECIDE WHAT THEY'RE WILLING TO SUPPORT. SO AN EXAMPLE WOULD BE LIKE IF THEY WERE ALL IN ON THE LARGE PAVILION AT FREEDOM PARK, RIGHT? WE TAKE OUR DIRECTIVE FROM COMING FROM WHAT WAS AVAILABLE FOR FUNDING AND WHAT THEY'RE WILLING TO SUPPORT. RIGHT? SO IF THEY SAID FREEDOM PARK, IS IT ULTIMATELY THAT'S THE DIRECTION I START TO LOOK AT AND GO. BUT TRYING TO TIE THEM BACK TO SOME OF THOSE OTHER THINGS AND TALK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE AND THE MAINTENANCE THAT GOES WITH THAT. WHILE A PAVILION MIGHT SOUND GREAT AT THE MOMENT, WE'VE GOT SOME OF THOSE SMALLER ITEMS THAT DON'T HAVE FUNDING AND WE'RE CONTINUING TO KICK THAT CAN DOWN, RIGHT. SO SELLING THAT STORY AND THAT AND GETTING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THINGS ARE PRIORITIES OR WHAT THE NEED IS, OR WHAT THE CURRENT HOT TOPIC IS SOMETIMES AS WELL. AND SO YES, COULD IT BE ULTIMATELY THEIR DECISION? SURE. I CAN TELL YOU FROM PREVIOUS YEARS ON COUNCIL, I MEAN, THEY GET SO MANY REQUESTS THAT, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THEIR REQUESTS MIGHT BE A MILLION, HALF A MILLION, 2 MILLION, $3 MILLION. [00:15:02] AND THEY'RE LIKE, WE DON'T HAVE THAT. BUT I GOT $20,000 AND YOU WANTED A MOWER. HERE'S YOUR MOWER. AND FOR US, THAT'S GREAT. RIGHT? LIKE WE HAVE THE REQUEST, BUT SOMETIMES YOU GOT TO WORK WITHIN THE PARAMETERS OF IT. SO EXAMPLES I WOULD GIVE WOULD BE LIKE THE STRIPING, THE PARKING LOTS. SOME OF THESE COULD BE WITHIN REGULAR MAINTENANCE. AND IF WE HAD THE MONEY LEFT OVER, RIGHT. SO EXAMPLE, I MEAN, VICKY PARK PROBABLY CAN SQUEEZE OUT VICKY PARK STRIKING THIS YEAR AND OUR CURRENT MAINTENANCE BUDGET, RIGHT? IT'S IDENTIFIED AS A PRIORITY. SO IT TELLS ME SOME OF THOSE THINGS TO WHERE WHEN WE GET TOWARDS THE END OF OUR BUDGET YEAR AND IF WE HAVE FUNDS AVAILABLE, WE CAN LOOK AT SOME OF THOSE PRIORITY ITEMS AS WELL AS PLAN FOR SOME OF THOSE. RIGHT? BECAUSE WE LOOK AT THIS TOO, AND I COULD SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, INSTEAD OF TACKLING AS A $13,000 COST, I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE IN TWO YEARS TO BUILD IT AND HAVE IT BE ABLE TO DO HALF OF THEM NOW AND HALF LATER. RIGHT. AND SO YOU'RE LOOKING AT FUNDING A DIFFERENT SCENARIOS, BUT IF IT WASN'T A PRIORITY, RIGHT, THEY MIGHT WANT TO TAKE THAT $7,000 AND PUT IT ELSEWHERE. RIGHT. BUT THIS IDENTIFIES THAT TO SAY, HEY, THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY BROUGHT ABOUT AS A PRIORITY. AND HOPEFULLY THEY WOULD RESPOND TO THAT, BUT ALSO KEEPING IN MIND TOO IS THERE'S SOME LARGE TICKET ITEMS OUT HERE, RIGHT? SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO BE MINDFUL OF THAT AND SAY, HEY, WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO LET'S JUST SAY IT WAS LIKE I SAY THE SEATING. ADDITIONAL PARKING. RIGHT? WE CAN'T DO ADDITIONAL PARKING AND COVERED SEATING. SO WE'RE GOING TO. WE MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO HIT ALL YOUR YOUR COVERED SEATING THIS YEAR, BUT LET'S PLAN TO DO IT THIS YEAR AND NEXT YEAR, WHICH IS GOING TO FURTHER IMPACT ADDITIONAL PARKING. OKAY, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE OUR MONEY AND NOT SPEND AS MUCH. I DON'T HAVE THE ADD, BUT WE'RE GOING TO WORK OUR WAY TOWARDS THAT. SO YOU HAVE TO SOMETIMES SAVE MONEY TO BE ABLE TO DO SOME OF THOSE BIG TICKET ITEMS, RIGHT. AND SO I WILL SAY THE GOOD THING ON THIS IS YOU DO HAVE SOME LOW HANGING FRUIT AND THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT CAN BE ADDRESSED, BUT THEN THERE'S OTHER ONES THAT ARE ALL PRETTY PRICEY, RIGHT? SO IF YOU ADDED UP SOME OF THIS, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A COUPLE MILLION DOLLARS TO TACKLE THESE THINGS. SO IS THERE ANY GRANT FUNDING THAT CAN BE ALLOCATED TOWARDS THAT? THERE IS. SO THERE'S THE EXACT SAME OPPORTUNITY. SO I CAN TELL YOU THERE'S, FOR THE SHADING WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT EXPLORING DIFFERENT GRANTS THAT ARE AVAILABLE. AND SO THERE'S ALWAYS THAT, RIGHT? IS SAME THING. THIS IS A PRIORITY THAT COMES FROM THE BOARD PART OF MY ROLE AS DIRECTOR IS TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN DO THIS. AND SO EVEN IF THE ANSWER IS NO OR THE ANSWER IS WE DON'T HAVE FUNDING, RIGHT? THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE STOP, RIGHT? JUST WRITE IT OFF. BUT IF IT BECOMES NO LONGER A PRIORITY. SO AN EXAMPLE WOULD BE IF STRIPING IS NUMBER ONE, I'M GOING TO TACKLE THAT FIRST. THAT'S THE FIRST PRIORITY. I'M NOT GOING TO DO A PAVILION, THE VETERANS PARK. LIKE I'M NOT GOING TO AUTOMATICALLY JUMP TO THAT AND GO I CAN FIGURE THAT OUT. HOWEVER, THERE'S A GRANT THAT COMES AVAILABLE THAT IS VERY SPECIFIC TO THAT EXACT ITEM. WE'RE GOING TO EXPLORE WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. AND SO LIKE THE REC CENTER IS AN EXAMPLE OF THAT ONE. WE IDENTIFIED A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, THE REC CENTER NEEDED WORK AND MAYBE GAVE SOME MONEY, BUT IT WASN'T ENOUGH. AND SO WE WENT OUT AND GOT GRANTS TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THAT. AND DOES IT STILL NEED MORE? SURE. ARE WE IN A MUCH BETTER PLACE? SO THE BOND THAT THEY GAVE US GAVE US 500, $500,000. WE TURNED IT INTO ALMOST 2 MILLION. THAT'S HUGE. RIGHT? SO IT'S IN TAKING EXACTLY THAT RIGHT. IT DOESN'T EVEN. RIGHT. I'LL STOP THERE. SO THE CURRENCY THEY MIGHT ALLOCATE AND SAY YES, WE WANT TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN. AND THEY RESERVE $120,000 FOR IT. I FIND A GREAT FOREIGN AND GIVES IT $80,000 GRANT AND WE PAY $40,000. THEN I GO BACK AND SAY, HEY, WE SAVED $80,000. I WANT TO PUT IT TOWARDS THIS. LIKE, THIS IS THE NEXT THING, RIGHT? I'M GETTING THE SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION, THE HEALTH AND ALL OF IT. YEAH. ALL OF IT. AND SO IT'S EXPLORING ALL AVENUES. IT'S JUST THE FIRST PART OF IT IS LOOKING AT ARE THEY WILLING TO SUPPORT IT? RIGHT. BECAUSE AGAIN, IF THEY SAY NO TO EVERYTHING DOESN'T MEAN IT CAN'T HAPPEN. IT JUST MAKES THE JOB A LITTLE BIT HARDER. BUT IF THEY AGREE AND SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, YOUR TOP THREE ITEMS SOUND FANTASTIC. FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE THOSE HAPPEN. COME BACK WITH ADDITIONAL FUNDING SOURCES, DIFFERENT IDEAS. HOW CAN WE BRING THIS COST DOWN? BECAUSE IF WE ADD UP THE FIRST THREE, I WON'T TAKE THEM. LET'S JUST SAY THE FIRST TWO. AND IF THEY ONLY HAVE $500,000 AND WE'RE SAYING IT MIGHT BE 800. WELL, YOU GOT A 500. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? YOU'RE GOING TO COME BACK WITH OTHER FUNDING SOURCES TO MAKE SOME OF THIS HAPPEN. THAT WOULD BE GREAT. IT'S THE BEGINNING OF THE BUDGET CYCLE. IS IT OCTOBER OR OCTOBER 1ST? OCTOBER. OKAY. SO WE HAVE ANY LEFTOVER FOR THE SUMMER. FOR SOME BIG STUFF THIS YEAR. MAKES ME WORRY. [00:20:03] I, I'M NOT IN A, I, I'M NOT CONFIDENT TO SAY WE HAVE A LOT OF MONEY LEFT. AND OUR BUDGETS ARE STRETCHED THIN AS IT IS. WE'VE HAD SOME LIKE OUR DEPARTMENT FOR LIKE PARKS HAS HAD SOME MORE REPAIRS THAT WE WEREN'T ANTICIPATING THIS YEAR. SO WE'RE PRETTY FLAT ON OUR BUDGETS. MAYBE WE DID HAVE SOME CUSHION AND THIS IS WHAT'S GOING TO THEM NEXT. IS THERE GOING TO SEE THIS ON MONDAY? BUT ON TOP OF THAT IS JUST THE SAME THING. I'VE GOT DEPARTMENT REQUESTS. I'VE GOT REQUESTS FOR THE REC CENTER REC DIVISION THAT ARE ALL SIMILAR TO THIS, OF EXTRAS ON TOP OF WHAT THEY'RE ALREADY DOING THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE ADDED. SO WE'RE ALL FIGHTING FOR THE SAME POOL ON TOP OF DRAINAGE IS ALSO PRESENTING PROJECTS. AND SO JUST BECAUSE THIS IS A PRIORITY FOR US DOESN'T MEAN THAT IT BECOMES A PRIORITY FOR A DLC, RIGHT? BUT THEN YOU GO TO COUNCIL, WE BRING THE EXACT SAME SIMILAR THING OF I THINK I'VE MENTIONED THIS PRIOR TO WE HAVE BEEN REQUESTED TO KEEP ALL OUR BUDGETS FLAT. SO WHATEVER MY NUMBER WAS LAST YEAR IS MY NUMBER THIS YEAR. SO ANYTHING ADDITIONAL TO THAT OUTSIDE OF YOU KNOW INSURANCE OR NO INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR FACILITIES, THINGS LIKE THAT, YOU HAVE TO DO, YOU CAN JUSTIFY SOME OF THAT. I WOULDN'T BE NECESSARILY PUTTING THIS INTO MY BUDGET TO SAY, HEY, I'M INCREASING IT AND SAY, THESE ARE THE EXTRAS TO SAY THIS. I ALSO HAVE A PRIORITY LIST FOR OUR PARKS BOARD THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE THESE THINGS HAPPEN ON TOP OF. SO COUNCIL CAN COME IN AND SAY, WE NEED FUNDING TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. SO THERE'S MULTIPLE PIECES THAT COME WITH THAT. BUT BEING STRATEGIC OVERALL OF HOW THAT LOOKS AND WHAT THAT COULD LOOK LIKE AND HOW WE CAN MAKE SOME OF THESE HAPPEN. THERE ARE SOME OF THEM. I MEAN, I WILL TELL YOU AN EXAMPLE IS IT WAS TIED FOR NUMBER SEVEN KIND OF COUPLED TOGETHER, BUT THE DOLL PLAY ELEMENTS IN THE SHADE. THAT'S THE DOG PARK. THERE'S THE SHADING. SAME THING. THERE'S ZERO SHADING. THERE'S WE HAD A STRUCTURE STRUCTURE FELL DOWN AND WE DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO REPLACE IT. RIGHT. MIGHT REPLACE SHADE STRUCTURE AND NOT DO ELEMENTS BECAUSE I WOULD RATHER HAVE SOME SHADING ON THERE. AND SO THERE MAY BE THINGS LIKE THAT THAT WE MAY TACKLE, BUT I ALSO THOUGHT ABOUT PLANTING TREES AND NOT SO GOOD, YOU KNOW, SO I MEAN, I WOULD THINK THE LONG RUN AND COST FRIENDLY THING, BUT I MEAN, IT'S JUST. ONE DAY. YES. THAT SUMMER. SO THERE WAS A COUPLE DOGS THAT THEY HAD OVER BY THE BIG PAVILION THEY'RE PLAYING WITH AND STUFF. AND I'M LIKE, MAN, IT'S NICE. IT'S SO SHADED AND JUST HAVING THAT IMAGE IN MY HEAD OF THAT PARK, YOU KNOW, WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE THE SAME EXPERIENCE. AND LIKE, TO ME, THAT'S LIKE THE MOST COST FRIENDLY THING WE COULD DO IS JUST SIT THERE AND WAIT FOR THAT TO, YOU KNOW, BY THE TIME WE WAIT FOR THE 30,000 TO SHOW UP, WE COULD HAVE PROBABLY PLANTED A FEW TREES AND, YOU KNOW, KIND OF STARTED TO GET THAT SAME FEELING OVERALL. AND ALL OF THOSE ARE OPTIONS, RIGHT? I WILL SAY PROS AND CONS TO ALL OF THEM. WE PLANT 100 TREES A YEAR. AND DAVID PROBABLY CAN SPEAK ON THIS BECAUSE HE SUPPORTS SOME OF OUR DEVELOPMENT ON THOSE AND MAINTENANCE. WE INVEST A LOT INTO TREES AND PERCENTAGE WISE IS FAIRLY LOW ON WHAT STAYS. AND MAINLY BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE IRRIGATION IN THE MAJORITY OF OUR PARKS, WE DON'T HAVE THE MANPOWER TO WATER THEM ON A REGULAR BASIS. SO IT'S KIND OF PLANTS AND HOPE. MY SON HAS DONE FAIRLY WELL. THE OLD ONE OF THE OLD WATER TREATMENT PLANTS HAS DONE VERY WELL, WHICH IS NOT SURPRISING GIVEN WHAT WAS THERE IN THE SOIL IS VERY ORGANIC. AND SO YES, ABSOLUTELY. BUT I CAN ALSO TELL YOU LIKE WE HAVE SOMEBODY WHO'S, WE HAVE A MEMORIAL THAT'S GOING TO GO AT THE DOG PARK. IS IT APPROVED? IT WAS APPROVED. AND WE'RE WORKING THROUGH THAT, JUST WAITING FOR THE PRODUCTS TO COME IN TO DO THAT OFFICIAL PIECE. BUT IT WAS IT WAS A LONG A LONG LEAD TIME ON THAT. BUT THERE'S A TREE IS PART OF THAT. AND IT WAS A 45 GALLON TREE. AND SO THAT'S ALREADY A WELL ESTABLISHED COMPARED TO OUR FIVE GALLON TREES THAT WE PUT IN ON A NORMAL PLANTING. YEAH. I WAS GOING TO SAY WE DON'T REALLY HAVE SHADE YET. AND THOSE TREES ARE PLANTED 16, 17 YEARS AGO. YEAH, YEAH. THAT'S A LONG TERM PROJECT FOR SURE. YEAH. WE. SO ALL IN ALL I'M SAYING SO BUT THIS JUST AGAIN GIVES DIRECTION TO BE ABLE TO RANK THEM SO THEY CAN LOOK AT THAT AND SEE WHAT'S AVAILABLE. BUT I MEAN, THERE'S SOME OF THEM ON HERE AGAIN IS THEIR CLOSING COSTS. AND SO THEY MIGHT JUMP AND SAY WE WOULD RATHER SEE THE PAVILION VERSUS ADDING ADDITIONAL PARKING. LIKE WE HAVE ADDITIONAL PARKING. LIKE WE'D RATHER SEE A PAVILION. PAVILION CAN, MIGHT, THEY MIGHT SEE THAT MORE AS A RETURN ON INVESTMENT OR REVENUE SOURCE VERSUS PARKING. [00:25:05] RIGHT. SO OUR RECOMMENDATION, BUT ULTIMATELY THE PEOPLE WITH THE MONEY MAKE THE DECISIONS. YEAH. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT A LITTLE MORE AND I DON'T KNOW, BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW THAT I'VE EVER TAKEN THAT PERSPECTIVE ON VIEWING THINGS, BUT JUST HOW MUCH THE CITY ITSELF CAN DO MORE EVENTS LIKE, YOU KNOW, IF FOR FOCUSING ON, I DON'T KNOW, ONE OF THESE WAS A THE PASSIVE TRAIL DEVELOPMENT, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, I KNOW IT'S A BIG NUMBER, OBVIOUSLY, BUT WE'D SAY, OH, WELL, LET'S DO SOME MARATHONS OR SOMETHING. BUT, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO TIE INTO WHATEVER, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE REQUEST IS THE DOG PLAY. YOU KNOW, MAYBE, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE LOCAL SHELTERS DO AN EVENT OR, YOU KNOW, LIKE, AT WHAT POINT CAN WE START TO KIND OF HAVE SOME, SOME CROSS MARKETING, IF THAT MAKES SENSE? YOU KNOW, WE'RE ACTUALLY HAVING SOME SORT OF OTHER EVENTS THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY TO TRY AND START BUILDING MORE REVENUE HERE. AND THAT'S, I MEAN, I WAS AN EVENT COORDINATOR FOR YEARS. SO FOR ME, I IMMEDIATELY GO TO LIKE, WELL, WHAT CAN WE DO? WHAT CAN WE PLAN? WHERE CAN WE CHARGE? I NEED TO SAY CHARGE RESIDENTS, BUT WHERE CAN WE CHARGE RESIDENTS? THAT'S A THING, YOU KNOW? AND, YOU KNOW, JUST START FINDING OUT WHERE WE CAN, WE CAN HELP OUT WITH THIS INSTEAD OF JUST RELYING ON THE, THE STANDARD EVERYDAY STUFF. YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE'S A LOT THAT WE COULD BE DOING HERE TO, TO KIND OF BUILD SOME OF THIS UP AND NOT JUST TOTALLY, YOU KNOW, LIKE I SAID, RELY ON THE SAME OLD STUFF. I THINK THERE'S SOME OF THAT MAY BE STARTING. YOU KNOW, I KNOW HOLDEN HAS AN EVENT TOMORROW, A FLAG DAY EVENT TOMORROW AT FREEDOM PARK. IT'S AT LEAST A CONNECTION BETWEEN THE PARK AND HOLDEN. WHICH IS A GOOD THING. PHILIP 66 IS GOING TO HAVE SOME INVOLVEMENT IN STUFF EVENTUALLY, TOO. SO THERE'S GOING TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE CORPORATE INVOLVEMENT IN THINGS I THINK, THAT CAN DO NOTHING TO HELP US IN THE LONG RUN. THERE'S, THERE'S CORPORATE SPONSORS FOR THAT, RIGHT. THE ONLY QUESTION WAS OLIN OR PHILLIPS, LIKE SPONSOR A PROJECT, POSSIBLY. THAT'D BE A POSSIBILITY DOWN THE LINE TO LOOK AT ONE OF THOSE. THEY MIGHT DO IT AT A CERTAIN TIME OF YEAR AND YOU HAVE TO GET IT IN AT THEIR TIME. YOU DON'T KNOW WHEN IT IS, BUT FREEPORT LNG PUTS IT NEW PLAYGROUND IN THE COUNTY PARK? NO, SIR. I CAN ASK WENDY BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT WORKING FOR ME. IT'S OVER. THAT MEANS THAT I CAN ASK HER HOW TO GO ABOUT THAT. THAT'S GOOD. BUT YEAH, I MEAN, THERE'S ABSOLUTELY ALL THOSE. RIGHT. PROS AND CONS OF BEING A SMALL TOWN IS YOU'RE ASKING THE SAME PEOPLE, RIGHT? AND SO EXAMPLE I'LL GIVE YOU IS ABIGAIL AREAS WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON TRYING TO KICK START THE DONOR CAMPAIGN FOR THAT. SO WE'RE EXPLORING THINGS FOR THAT. AND THAT ONE WAS IDENTIFIED AS A PRIORITY PREVIOUSLY. RIGHT? AND SO THERE'S MULTIPLE LAYERS THAT COME WITH IT. AGAIN, GOOD PROBLEM TO HAVE IS WE HAVE A GREAT PARK SYSTEM AND WE HAVE AN AMAZING COMMUNITY. AND SO, BUT YOU'RE SOMETIMES STRAPPED FOR WHO YOU'RE ASKING FOR AND ALL THAT, BUT NONE OF IT IS OUT OF THE QUESTION, RIGHT? BECAUSE UNFORTUNATELY, AS YOU KNOW, YOU SEE FROM THIS LIST, THE COST TO DO BUSINESS IS PRETTY HIGH. AND WHILE SOME THINGS LAST A REALLY LONG TIME, UNFORTUNATELY, WHEN THEY ARE ALL COUPLED TOGETHER, THAT NUMBER STARTS TO TO JUMP PRETTY QUICKLY. SO I WANT TO REFERENCE ON THAT ONE IS LIKE THE SHELTER AND THE PLAYGROUND. AT BATES. WHILE I WOULD LOVE TO REPLACE BOTH AT THE SAME TIME, I WOULD LOVE TO REPLACE THE PAVILION OR THE COVERED PAVILION THERE BEFORE THE PLAYGROUND. I THINK THAT IS IN A WORSE SHAPE. I CAN PROBABLY GET A COUPLE YEARS ON THE PLAYGROUND. YEAH. BUT I MEAN, I DON'T THINK PEOPLE ARE MORE APT TO HAVE A BAD PAVILION TO RENT THAT DOESN'T HAVE ADA ACCESS TO THAT OR THE PLAYGROUND OR, YOU KNOW, THOSE COMPONENTS VERSUS THE PLAYGROUND ITSELF. RIGHT. SO IT'S MAKING SOME OF THOSE DETERMINATIONS. IT'S JUST UNFORTUNATE THAT EVERY YEAR THERE'S GOING TO BE SOMETHING THAT WE'RE PROMOTING. SO EVERYBODY'S GOOD WITH THIS FINAL LIST. IS THAT OKAY? SO THAT'LL GO TO A, B, C ON MONDAY EVENING, THIS COMING MONDAY. THIS COMING MONDAY. YEP. AGAIN WITH THAT THEIR AGENDA, JUST SO YOU ALL ARE AWARE, IS WE WILL PRESENT OUR FINAL PRELIMINARY BUDGET TO THEM. SO THAT INFORMATION FOR YOU BEING THE FUNDING COMPONENTS, THEY SUPPORT PARKS, RECREATION, DRAINAGE A MAJORITY OF THAT BEING THE RECREATION SIDE. SO THEY FULLY FUND THE REC DIVISION AND RECREATION CENTER. AND THEN THEY PARTIALLY FUND PARK PERSONNEL. AND THEN THEY SUPPORT PROJECTS. SO CURRENT PROJECTS FOR THEIR BONDS PARK FREEDOM PARK FIELD. [00:30:08] THEY DID A DRAINAGE PROJECT. THEY DID LINING AT BG PECK. THEY DID THE THE REC CENTER FUNDING THAT WENT WITH IT. AND SO WE'LL HAVE THAT ON THERE FOR THE OUR REGULAR BUDGET PRESENTATION AS WELL AS ADDITIONAL. SO THIS IS ON THERE, OUR ADDITIONAL REQUESTS FOR OUR OTHER DIVISIONS AND SOME NEEDS FOR EQUIPMENT, STUFF LIKE THAT. WE'LL BE THERE. WE ALSO ARE BRINGING THE DRAINAGE PROJECT TO THEM. THERE WAS A LIST PRESENTED TO COUNCIL ON TUESDAY, AND THAT LIST IS GOING TO GO TO A BLC FOR CONSIDERATION. AND SO THERE'S MULTIPLE TARGET. YEAH. I KNOW WE'RE DONE FOR EVERY DAY NEXT WEEK. SO YEAH. I MEAN IN REALITY YES IT'S HARD. HOWEVER, AT THE SAME TIME I CAN TELL YOU THEY TRY TO BE FAIR. AND WHAT THAT NEED IS AND WHAT THE DESIGN BEHIND THE BEHIND ABLC WAS, BUT WE'RE ALL FIGHTING FOR THE SAME FUNDING. RIGHT? AND SO I DON'T ENVISION THEM, YOU KNOW, TACKLING A THREE, $4 MILLION PROJECT ON MONDAY FOR DRAINAGE, BUT I COULD DEFINITELY SEE THEM SAYING, OKAY, WE'RE GOING TO SPREAD OUT OUR MONEY AND GO. SHADING IS IMPORTANT TO US. WE'RE GOING TO DO THAT AND WE'RE GOING TO DO DURING THIS PROJECT IF THEY HAVE THE FUNDING, RIGHT. I CAN TELL YOU FOR THEIR FUNDING SOURCE FOR THIS YEAR WE'RE DOING OKAY WITH THE BOND STUFF, BUT I NEVER LIKE TO SPEND FUTURE MONEY UNTIL WE KNOW WHAT OUR PRODUCTS ARE DONE. AND SO UNTIL OUR PROJECTS ARE DONE AND I'VE SIGNED THAT FINAL PAYOUT, LIKE THAT'S WHAT I FEEL MORE CONFIDENT. SO WHEN THEY SAY LIKE, OH, WE HAVE SAVINGS, I'M LIKE, THAT PROJECT IS STILL HAPPENING. I WOULD LOVE TO SAY EVERYTHING IS WONDERFUL, RIGHT? BUT YOU NEVER KNOW. YOU RUN INTO AN ISSUE HERE OR THERE. AND SO UNTIL THOSE ARE DONE RIGHT, BUT THEY DID HAVE A FUND BALANCE AND THEY ALSO HAD CONTINGENCY. CONTINGENCY. I HESITATE TO TELL THEM AS WELL, BECAUSE WE PROJECTED A SALES TAX INCREASE OF 6%, AND WE ARE CURRENTLY HOVERING AROUND 3 OR 4. SO THEIR CONTINGENCY HAS ALREADY DROPPED IF YOU LOOK AT THAT. SO WE HAVE TO BE MINDFUL OF THAT. RIGHT. CAN'T SPEND IT ALL IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE WITH IT. SO THEY HAVE OPPORTUNITY. BUT IN REALITY TOO, THIS IS NEXT YEAR, RIGHT? THIS IS I'M TRYING TO THINK ABOUT NEXT YEAR. THEY'RE NOT GOING TO VOTE ON THIS ON MONDAY AND SAY WE'RE GOING TO APPROVE THIS. THAT'S RIGHT. THEY CAN LOOK AT IT AND THEY WILL PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS BECAUSE WE HAVE TO BRING THIS FORTH TO COUNCIL. SO THEY MIGHT PULL ONE OF THEM AND SAY, YES, WE LET'S SAY IT'S THE SHADE STRUCTURES BECAUSE THEY'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THAT. THEY'VE ALREADY ASKED THAT TO BE BROUGHT BACK. THAT'S ALREADY ONE THAT'S ON THEIR LIST. RIGHT. THEY MIGHT SAY WE WANT TO FUND THAT NEXT YEAR. OR THEY MIGHT SAY WE WANT TO FUND IT THIS YEAR. WE'RE GOING TO DO IT THIS YEAR. SO THEY WILL WORRY ABOUT THAT FOR NEXT YEAR. RIGHT. SO IT'S A TWO FOLD, RIGHT? IS IF THEY HAVE CONTINGENCY, THEY MIGHT START EARMARKING THINGS FOR CONTINGENCY TO PRIORITIZE FOR IT. BUT EVEN IF THEY DO THAT IT WOULD BE THE SAME TOKEN. IF IT'S FROM CONTINGENCY, IT, DEPENDING ON WHAT THEY ADOPT AS THEIR INCREASE OF. WE WOULD SLOW ROLL THAT AND SEE WHERE OUR SALES TAX STARTS TO COME IN. IF WE FEEL GOOD IN THAT PLACE, THEN WE WOULD KICK START THAT PROJECT. SO THEY ABSOLUTELY COULD, THEY COULD PICK ONE AND SAY, PUT THIS ON THE LIST OF THINGS TO DO FOR COUNCIL. YES. OKAY. YEP. SO FIRST THEY SIGN OFF ON THE BLESSING OF IT. WE EVENTUALLY GO TO COUNCIL. OUR BUDGETS ARE DUE TO COUNCIL BY JULY 1ST. WE HAVE OUR FIRST BUDGET MEETING WITH COUNCIL JULY 11TH. THERE IS A SECOND BUDGET MEETING, AND IT'S REALLY BUDGET MEETING 1 OR 2.0. I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU SAY THAT. MULTIPLE DIVISIONS GO ONE ONE GROUP OR DEPARTMENT GOES ON THE 11TH, AND THEN THE NEXT GROUP GOES TO THE FIRST MEETING IN AUGUST. SO THERE'S A BIG GAP THERE. AND THEY TAKE ALL THAT INFORMATION IN AND WE, YOU KNOW, TAKE FEEDBACK RECOMMENDATIONS FROM COUNCIL, WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR CHANGES THEY'D LIKE TO SEE MADE. AND THEN WE BRING IT BACK TO COUNCIL FOR READING IN SEPTEMBER FOR THEM TO CONSIDER ADOPTING EITHER THAT ONE OR WE COME BACK A SECOND TIME AND HAVE A, YOU KNOW, A CHANGE AGAIN. BUT USUALLY THAT'S A PROCESS THAT JUST STARTS NOW. SO IT'S STILL A LONG HAUL. SO EVEN IF IT MAKES IT THROUGH, WHEN THEY SAY YES, THEY CAN GO SOMETHING ELSE HAPPEN. BUT USUALLY WE'RE IN A GOOD PLACE BY THE BUDGET MEETINGS. WHAT'S OUR TIME FRAME FOR AREAS. WE'RE STILL ON TRACK FOR THIS YEAR. AND IF YOU KEEP TALKING ABOUT RAIN THIS YEAR, WHEN WE SAY THIS CALENDAR YEAR, YES, WE'RE STILL THIS YEAR. WE WERE GOING, WE WERE SHOOTING FOR OCTOBER. WE ORIGINALLY WE WANTED TO TRY. [00:35:01] OH, THAT WAS YEAH, THAT WAS PRIOR TO THE GOING BACK OUT FOR RE BID, WHICH IS BENEFIT BECAUSE WE BID AND WE GOT A LOWER PRICE. SO THAT'S BENEFICIAL. WE WERE LOOKING FOR. THE FIRST ORIGINAL TIMELINE WAS EARLY. SEPTEMBER WAS OVER. SO BUT GIVEN AGAIN, THE RAIN WISE THEY'RE STILL DOING STUFF, BUT PROBABLY NOT AS MUCH AS THEY'D HOPE. I MEAN, THERE THIS WEEK, I JUST ACTUALLY JUST GOT NEWS THAT THEY SHOULD BE POURING THE CONCRETE SLAB FOR THE PARKING LOT TOMORROW. YEAH. SO THAT WAS OUT. SO WHICH IS A BIG STEP FOR THEM BECAUSE THAT'S ONE OF THE ONES THEY WANT TO GET DONE. SO THEY CAN POUR THE SLAB FOR THE PAVILION BECAUSE IF THEY CAN GET THAT, THOSE ARE THE TWO BIGGEST COMPONENTS RIGHT NOW. SO LET'S CLOSE OUT THIS AGENDA ITEM AND GO TO COMMUNICATION FROM THE BOARD MEMBERS AND GET AN UPDATE. IS THAT EVERYBODY'S BID TO CLOSE THAT AGENDA ITEM? YES. OKAY. SO, AMBER, SOMETHING WE DO AT EVERYBODY'S MEETINGS IS WHAT WE CALL COMMUNICATION FROM THE BOARD WHERE WE DO JUST LIKE GET UPDATES ON WHAT'S GOING ON. [COMMUNICATION FROM BOARD MEMBERS] ANY OBSERVATIONS THAT WE'VE HAD? YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY THAT'S BEEN TELLING YOU SOMETHING GOOD ABOUT A PARK OR SOMETHING BAD ABOUT A PARK. THIS IS KIND OF A CHANCE FOR EVERYBODY TO TALK ABOUT THAT KIND OF STUFF. DID YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE? I JUST APPRECIATE ALL THE UPDATES THAT Y'ALL HAVE BEEN PUTTING OUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA, WHERE WE CAN SEE THE REC CENTER AND THE FREEDOM PARK, YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T GET TO GO AROUND. YOU CAN ONLY SEE THE PICTURES. SO THAT'S BEEN HELPFUL. THANK YOU. WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO CONTINUE THAT. THIS IS CURRENTLY CHECKING OUT THE NEW PLAY AREA AT THE REC CENTER IN THE POOL. SO. I HAVEN'T SEEN IT IN THERE. WOW. IT'S HARD TO EVEN GET A PARKING SPOT. IS IT BEEN PACKED SO EARLY? MY LITTLE ONE IS LIKE DRAGGING ME. HAVE YOU HAVE YOU BEEN THERE? THE FIRST DAY? I THINK THAT THERE'S TWO PIECES OF THAT BECAUSE IT WAS QUIET FOR SO LONG THAT, LIKE, NOW THAT IT'S BUSY, IT IS JUST A CHANGE, RIGHT? LIKE YOUR STAFF IS GOING TO JUST BE ANSWER THAT. RIGHT. THAT'S AWESOME. AND BUT I WILL I TOLD THIS TO COUNCIL ON TUESDAY. WE'VE BEEN VERY FORTUNATE. FEELS LIKE THE COMMUNITY HAS FOUND A WAY TO SPREAD THEMSELVES OUT NORMALLY. LIKE JUST AFTER LUNCH, THEY ALL WOULD INFLUX IN AND WE WOULD GO TO CAPACITY AND HAVE A WAITING LIST WITHIN 30 MINUTES. WHAT IS YOUR CAPACITY? 150. HOW MANY? LET SOMEBODY GET A MEMBERSHIP LIKE IT'S A LONG TIME. THEY'RE GETTING MEMBERSHIPS. YES. YEAH IT IS, IT IS. WE'VE HAD A GREAT FIRST WEEK. AND IT'S CONTINUED. YOU KNOW, YEAH. IT'S SETTING. THEY'VE, WE'VE SEEN MORE PEOPLE COME IN LIKE EARLIER IN THE DAY FOR LUNCH AND THEN WE'VE ACTUALLY SEEN THEM EXTEND PAST LIKE INTO THE EVENING TIME, WHICH USUALLY WAS LUNCH TIME FOR ABOUT 3 OR 4 HOUR WINDOW. IT WAS LIKE PACKED, PACKED. AND LIKE, I'M LIKE, I'LL COME IN LIKE 930, 10:00. AND THIS PLACE ALMOST TO YOURSELF. COMING UP AT 5:00. YOU GOT THIS PLACE TO YOURSELF. BUT IT'S MORE SO A VERY BIG STAGE. YEAH. SORRY TO HEAR ANYTHING ELSE. EARLY OBSERVATIONS. WELL, I REALLY LIKED ALL THE ACTIVITIES AT THE REC. I'M GOING TO TRY TO TAKE MY KIDS OUT. THEY HAVE A MOVIE SHOW ON FRIDAY. YES. I WANTED TO DO POOL RUNNING THERE. WELL, THAT'S A CLASSIC RUNNING. IT'S CUTE. I LIKE I LIKE ALL THE ACTIVITIES. SO I AGREE. I THINK ACTIVITIES ARE REALLY GREAT AND VOLLEYBALL GOING AS WELL. SO LIKE VOLLEYBALL AND TRACK. I THINK TRACK WOULD BE. GOOD STUFF. YEAH. FOR ONCE I THINK I'VE HEARD ANYTHING NEGATIVE. I'VE I'VE READ IT BUT I HAVEN'T YOU KNOW. YEAH. SO THE POOL. OH GOSH. SO GRATEFUL THAT YOU WANT TO MENTION THAT OR SPOTLIGHT. IT'S JUST I'M EXCITED ABOUT THE POOL. NOW, AARON, WE HAVE NOT GONE YET THIS SUMMER. I'VE ALWAYS GOT A LIST. I DO WANT TO MENTION REAL QUICK THAT THE POOL ONE AND THE ONE MARTHA DOES A FANTASTIC JOB PUSHING OUT THROUGH OUR CITY COUNCIL OR THROUGH THE CITIES PAGE AS WELL. THE POOL POST WE DID WITH THE VIDEO THE LAST VIEWS THAT SHE SHOWED ME FOR IT AS FAR AS THAT POST WAS NEAR 400,000 WOW VIEWS. WOW. FOR THE POOL. THEY'RE NOT GOING. I MEAN, GRANTED, I KNOW PEOPLE CAN VIEW MANY TIMES, RIGHT? BUT THEY'RE NOT NOT PEOPLE IN, IN THE COMMUNITY. SO IT JUST SHOWS LIKE A LITTLE BIT OF THE REACH THAT WE HAVE OF LIKE WHERE LIKE I, AND I'VE TOLD THIS BEFORE, [00:40:01] I BELIEVE THAT OUR FACILITIES SHOULD BE FIRST AND FOREMOST FOR OUR COMMUNITY. RIGHT. SO LIKE WHEN WE MADE SOME CHANGES IN PRICING, I IT WAS PERFECTLY OKAY WITH ME BECAUSE I WANTED COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO BUY MEMBERSHIPS. I WANT THEM TO BE INVOLVED. I WANT IT TO BE A REGULAR. BECAUSE OUR TREND WAS IN THE SUMMER, IT WAS NOT ANGLETON THAT WAS AT OUR PLACE. IT WAS THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES OUTSIDE OF WHICH WAS PUSHING OUR COMMUNITY OUT. AND I WANTED THE REVERSE. LIKE, I LOVE ANYBODY COMING, BUT WE'RE HERE FOR IT. SO UPDATES ON THE BALL FIELDS OF FREEDOM INMATES. WHAT ARE WE SAYING WITH THOSE? SO FREEDOM PARK IS PROBABLY TAKING THE BIGGEST HIT RIGHT NOW FOR WEATHER. THEY'RE BECAUSE THEY'RE IN THE GRADING PHASE OF THIS THE WEATHER IS JUST IMPACTING THEM AND IT'S ACTUALLY POSITIVE, I WILL SAY FROM IS ACTUALLY HELPED US UNDERSTAND WHERE SOME OF THE TRENDS ARE. SO WE'RE LOOKING TO ADDRESS THOSE. I HAVE AN ON SITE MEETING TOMORROW TO FURTHER TALK ABOUT THAT AND TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE A LONG TERM PLAN TO MITIGATE ANY DRAINAGE ISSUES FOR THAT PARK. SO WE ARE FROM THE ORIGINAL SCHEDULE. WE'RE NOT ON SCHEDULE, BUT THEY I MEAN, THEY ALMOST HAVE THE ENTIRE MONTH OF MAY OFF. JUST BECAUSE THEY, THEY DID THE GRADING FIRST AND THE RAIN THAT KEEPS COMING, THEY CAN'T DO THAT AND GET THE COMPACTION STUFF AND ALL THAT. AND SO THAT'S THAT ONE, BUT STILL MOVING. WELL, IT'LL BE READY FOR FALL WHEN WE GET TO THAT. MORE RAIN MONDAY. NO, THEY, THEY WERE OUT THERE THIS WEEK. THEY ACTUALLY STARTED TO DO SOME WATER MITIGATION STUFF TO DRAIN SOME OF IT TO HELP. BUT IF WE GET MORE RAIN, IT'S JUST THE SAME KIND OF THING. BATES PARK IS GREAT. THEY ARE TRYING TO WRAP UP THE DUGOUT ROOFING, AND THAT WOULD BE IT. MY TEAM WAS OUT THERE THIS WEEK MOWING. THEY WERE DOING WEED TREATMENTS. YOU KNOW, WEEDS COME FROM EVERYWHERE. AND SO WE'RE STARTING WITH AT THAT PREP ASPECT. WE ARE ABOUT A MONTH OUT FROM THE NATIONAL TOURNAMENT. AND SO IT'S GOING TO BE GOOD TO GO. IT'LL BE GOOD TO GO. IT IS. IT'S GONE THROUGH ITS GROWTH PERIOD. THE GRASS TOOK EXTREMELY WELL. SO WE'RE STARTING TO TAPER INTO OUR MAINTENANCE ON IT IS GOING TO BE SUPPORTING THAT AS WELL. SO WE'RE REALLY STARTING TO PROP THAT ONE TO BE READY TO GO. SO THAT ONE YOU KNOW, MAJORITY OF IT AND SAME THING. I MEAN, THE RAIN HAS HURT OUR TEAM JUST FROM MOWING PERSPECTIVE. AND SO THERE'S JUST SOME STILL SWAMPY AREAS THROUGHOUT ALL OF OUR PARKS. THAT, SO IF YOU GO AND SEE THAT LOOKS MOWED AND THEN THERE'S A SECTION THAT'S NOT. AND SO WE DON'T DESTROY THAT SECTION OR GET OURSELVES STUCK IN IT. WHERE'S THE BIG TOURNAMENT? JULY. JULY. YOU'RE NOT YOU'RE NOT IN JULY 16TH. NO. SORRY. 17 THROUGH 19. SO YEAH, WE'LL BE IN MAGNOLIA WHERE WE STAY YOU KNOW, AT THAT TIME, THE PLAYGROUND FREEDOM IS COMPLETE. IT SEEMS TO BE VERY POPULAR. PLAYGROUND ITSELF IS COMPLETE. THE ONLY THING WE'RE WAITING ON AGAIN, WAS WE GOT THAT PROJECT DONE AND THE WEATHER CAME, AND WE CAN'T GET BACK OUT THERE TO REMOVE THE OLD MULCH AND STUFF JUST BECAUSE WE HAD TO GET HEAVY EQUIPMENT OUT THERE AND WE DON'T WANT TO TURN THE SPACE AROUND IT. SO IT'S JUST, IT'S THERE, BUT THE PLAYGROUND IS FANTASTIC AND WE'VE HEARD NOTHING BUT GREAT THINGS. I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT LITTLE THING REALLY GOES FROM WHAT I SAW, THERE'S NO WAY IT WORKS. BUT I TRIED IT. I TRIED IT YESTERDAY, TOOK SOME VIDEOS CITY HALL STAFF, AND THEY'RE LIKE, HAD THE EXACT SAME THING, LIKE BEARINGS ON THAT. YEAH. LIKE YOU. YEAH. LIKE IT IS. YEAH. AND WE WERE SUPER HAPPY WITH THAT. IT'S NOT ONE TO JUST GET ON WITH IT. YOU, YOU, IF SOMEBODY PUTS YOU TO IT, THEN YOU RESEARCH THE THING I'VE NOTICED ABOUT PARKS THIS WEEK, ESPECIALLY, IS THAT THE USAGE OF THE WALKING PATHS. NOT ALL OF OUR PARKS HAVE WALKING PATHS, BUT LAKESIDE HAS. I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S THE RAINY WEEK LAST WEEK AND SUNSHINE THIS WEEK, BUT IT HAS BEEN SO CROWDED THAT LAST NIGHT I DROVE OVER TO FREEDOM JUST TO SEE WHAT IT'S LIKE. THERE WAS A LOT OF PEOPLE ON THAT PATH TO THE LITTLE ONE AT DICKEY, I GUESS. SO IT'S JUST IT'S SUCH A GREAT DESIGN FEATURE. PEOPLE THAT WOULD OTHERWISE DON'T USE PARKS ARE GETTING OUT AND USING PARKS AND HAVING HEALTHY ACTIVITIES. SO GREAT JOB ON THE DESIGN ON THAT. AT LAKESIDE PARK, ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE PAVILION. LOOKS LIKE THERE'S SOME EROSION RIGHT DOWN WHERE THE STAIRS ARE. OKAY. YOU MIGHT HAVE ONE OF YOUR ENGINEERS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. YES, WE WE'RE WORKING ON SOME THINGS WITH THE DOCK TOO. OKAY. AND THAT'S ALL I'VE GOT. ANYBODY ELSE? ANYTHING THEY WANT TO MENTION? PERHAPS WE SHALL FIND OUT ABOUT THE BOMB SCARE. OH. DON'T KNOW. IT'S JUST CRAZY. JUST WANTED TO. [00:45:09] SAY I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY GOT OVER THEMSELVES BECAUSE PD WERE SURELY OUT THERE. AND JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR COMMUNITY WAS SAFE, AS ALWAYS. AND HOW LONG WAS IT DOWN FOR? NO, NO, I MEAN, THEY THEY, THEY TREATED IT AS IT WAS. ANY OTHER EVENT MADE SURE THAT THEY TOOK THE APPROPRIATE PRECAUTIONS AND CLEARED THE PARK AND DID THEIR PART AND JUST TO, IN THE EVENT FOR WHATEVER REASON. BUT YEAH. LIKE THE LAKESIDE PARK, MY HUSBAND AND I WERE OVER THERE AND I DON'T KNOW, KIDS WERE LIKE JUMPING IN THE WATER. I DON'T KNOW, IT, IT SCARED ME BECAUSE LIKE, REALLY, I MEAN, I CAN'T SWIM JUMPING OFF THE DOCK IN THE WATER, LIKE THEY WERE JUST IN THE WATER. AND WE HAVE AN ALLIGATOR. I JUST DON'T KNOW IF LIKE, I'M LIKE, GUYS, YOU KNOW, PLEASE GET OUT. YOU KNOW, LIKE WE HAVE SIGNS SAYING NO SWIMMING. I THINK TOMORROW I HAVE TO SAY THERE'S ALLIGATOR SWIMMING AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY. SO I JUST LOOK AT THEM LIKE, WHICH PARENT? AND YOU'RE CRAZY BECAUSE I KNOW, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANT TO KNOW ABOUT IT. I DIDN'T SEE ANY SIGNS ABOUT LIKE KIDS. I SO IT IS A PARK RULE THAT THERE IS NO SWIMMING IN IT. SO I MEAN, BY ALL MEANS, IF YOU WANT TO LET THEM KNOW. AND IF IT BECOMES A REAL ISSUE, LIKE YOU CAN CALL IT, THE AUTHORITY PIECE OF IT IS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE LETTING PEOPLE AWARE AND THEY DO WHAT THEY WANT TO DO. BUT PD IS GOOD FOR A NON-EMERGENCY LINE. YEAH, YEAH. JUST SAY SOMETHING TO THEM OR NOT. I MEAN, I, I SEE HIM RIDING OUT AN ATV OUT THERE. I SAY SOMETHING TO HIM, BUT SWIMMING, I USUALLY MIGHT JUST MENTION THERE'S ALLIGATORS AND SNAKES OUT THERE, BUT I USUALLY DON'T SAY ANYTHING BECAUSE I DON'T FEEL LIKE WE HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO SAY, YOU NEED TO GET OUT. AGAIN, AUTHORITY WISE, YOU DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO. TECHNICALLY, I DON'T EVEN HAVE THE AUTHORITY, IF YOU WILL. LIKE, I CAN TELL THEM THE RULES. I CAN TELL THEM IT'S NOT ALLOWED. AND I WOULD LIKE YOU TO LEAVE, BUT I CAN'T PHYSICALLY REMOVE THEM. I CAN'T REALLY DO ANYTHING BUT CALL NON-EMERGENCY LINE AND SAY, HEY, I HAVE AN INDIVIDUAL WHO'S NOT BOTHERED BY THE CARDINALS. COULD YOU PLEASE COME IN HERE? DAVID, WHY DON'T WE LOOK AT OUR BUDGET FOR ONE OF THOSE ALLIGATOR REMOTE CONTROL HEADS? YOU KNOW, IN LAW ENFORCEMENT, WE ALWAYS USE SOMETHING CALLED THE AUTHORITY OF RESOURCE. AND THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOING ON THERE AND SAYING SOMETHING IS AGAINST THE LAW VERSUS, HEY, THERE'S A BIG ALLIGATOR RIGHT THERE. YEAH. YOU MIGHT SAY, YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY'S WALKING THE DOG OFF LEASH RATHER THAN SAYING, EXCUSE ME, YOU KNOW, IT'S A REALLY CUTE DOG. I SEE SOMETHING BAD HAPPEN TO HIM. AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ALLIGATORS. YEAH. SO I WOULD SAY. TACTFULLY. TACTFULLY. AND SAYING WHY YOU PROBABLY SHOULD BE ABOUT SIX FOOT ALLIGATOR TWO DAYS AGO. YEAH. DID YOU SEE IT IN LAKE SIDE, OR DID YOU SEE IT? YEAH. ABOUT SEVEN FOOT IN LAKE SIDE. IT'S THE ONLY TIME I'VE BEEN IN LAKE SIDE. I'VE SEEN A LITTLE ONE DOWN BY THE PIER. THAT'S MAYBE SOME OF THE THING IS, TEXAS BIG TEX WAS IN THERE TRYING TO SEE HIM. LAST ONE. JUST BECAUSE HE'S BIGGER CERTAIN SIZES, THAT'S WHAT IS THE CRITERIA FOR. IT BRINGS A BIGGER DISCUSSION. OKAY, SO ABOUT THE ALLIGATORS TO A COUPLE YEARS AGO THERE WERE KIDS AT WINDOW SCREEN THROWING ROCKS AT ONE OF THE ALLIGATORS THERE. YEAH. SO KIDS AND ALLIGATORS ARE NUTS FOR SOME REASON. THEY'RE NOT. YEAH. THERE'S AN ALLIGATOR. RIGHT? OKAY, IF THAT'S ALL WE HAVE, WE'LL ADJOURN THE MEETING AT 12:52. THANK YOU GUYS VERY MUCH. GOOD DISCUSSION TOO. THANK YOU. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.