[* Portions of this meeting are without audio *]
[Economic Development on July 10, 2025.]
[00:00:12]
THE ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT WILL INCREASE OUR OVERALL OCCUPANCY AROUND HOTELS IN TERMS OF MORE BEDS, BUT ALSO ACTIVITIES THE SHOPPING, THE, THE, THE OPPORTUNITIES THERE, THE ENHANCEMENT OF THE CREEK, THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR BOTH CONFERENCES AS WELL AS PERFORMING ARTS. SO CONCERTS AND THAT TYPE OF THING THAT WILL HAPPEN OVER THE WEEKEND AND WE'LL WANT TO BE ABLE TO USE THAT FACILITY AS WELL. WHAT A GREAT PLACE TO TAKE THE KIDS FOR AN INDOOR POOL AND ENJOY A LITTLE BIT OF COOL TIME OUT OF THE SUN. SO THOSE ARE ALL OPPORTUNITIES. I THINK THAT TO MAGID'S POINT ARE GOING TO THRIVE LARGELY IN PART AT THAT END OF TOWN BECAUSE OF THE REC CENTER AND WORK AND WORK IN A MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL WAY. WE ANTICIPATE, IN FACT, ACTUALLY WORKING TO DEVELOP ULTIMATELY, WHEN THOSE TWO ARE DEVELOPED, INTERACTIVE SHUTTLES, AUTONOMOUS SHUTTLES, SO THAT YOU CAN HOP ON AND GO BACK AND FORTH VERY, VERY EASILY FOLLOWING AN OFF THE BEATEN PATH KIND OF ROUTE THAT WE WON'T HAVE TO TAKE YOU OUT ON THE INTERSTATE OR ON A BUSY ROAD, SO YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT YOUR CAR. YOU PARK YOUR CAR AND YOU GO BACK AND FORTH. SO GREAT, GREAT OPPORTUNITY. WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT IT. CAN I ASK YOU TO NEWBIE CLERICAL QUESTIONS REAL QUICK? ABSOLUTELY. FIRST, THE SALES TAX REVENUE INCREASE. WHY DO WE WHY DO YOU MEASURE TWO YEARS BACK INSTEAD OF TWO MONTHS BACK, TWO MONTHS BACK? OUR IF I SAID TWO YEARS I MISSPOKE. SO YEAH, WE GET OUR REMITTANCE FROM THE STATE TWO MONTHS IN ARREARS. OKAY. SO WE DON'T WE ARE WE ARE NOT MONTH TO MONTH UP TO DATE BUT WE'RE LOOKING IT SAYS ABOVE FISCAL YEAR 23. THAT'S WHAT MAYBE I THOUGHT IT WAS TWO YEARS BACK. SO WE'RE MEASURING WHAT TWO MONTHS BACK BEING APRIL VERSUS APRIL OF 24. YEAH THAT'S THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT. SO A YEAR OVER YEAR COMPARISON. WE TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE STAYING AHEAD OF THE PREVIOUS YEAR. WHAT IS THE FISCAL YEAR FOR OCTOBER 1ST TO SEPTEMBER 30TH. OKAY. AND THE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES INCREASED. WE GOT A GREEN DOT ON OVER 100 JOBS. WHAT IS THAT? WHAT IS THAT NUMBER AND HOW DO WE COME UP WITH THAT NUMBER. SO WE LOOK EVERY YEAR WE TRY TO LOOK AHEAD AND SAY WHAT DO WE IS THERE ANYTHING COMING DOWN THE PIKE THAT WE ANTICIPATE THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN, OR THAT WE'RE SPECIFICALLY TARGETING AROUND INDUSTRIES? MOST OF THOSE WE TRY TO WE DON'T ACCOUNT FOR IN THE IN THE RETAIL SECTOR BECAUSE IT IS SO MERCURIAL. MOST OF THOSE COME OUT OF THE INDUSTRIAL SECTOR THIS YEAR, FOR INSTANCE, ALLIED STONE, WHO'S ONE OF OUR LARGEST EMPLOYERS, WILL INCREASE THEIR EMPLOYMENT BY 200, SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN WE EXPECTED THAN THE INITIAL CONVERSATIONS WE HAD HAD AROUND THOSE. THAT WAS A LOCAL. YES, THOSE THOSE ARE LOCAL JOBS. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. THEY'RE RIGHT HERE IN DESOTO. SOLAR TURBINES AND ALLIED STONE ARE OUR TWO LARGEST PRIVATE SECTOR EMPLOYERS. THEY BOTH EMPLOY ABOUT WITH 200 MORE. ALLIED WILL EMPLOY 460 I THINK IS THE NUMBER THAT THEY'LL BE EMPLOYING. AND THAT'S ABOUT JUST IT'S ABOUT 25 TO 30 HEADCOUNT HIGHER THAN WHAT SOLAR TURBINES EMPLOYS AT THEIR FACILITY AS WELL. LIST IN THE BUSINESS PARK. SO WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, IT'S ALL IN A CONCENTRATED BASICALLY A CONCENTRATED, CONCENTRATED AREA. YEP. OKAY. 2500 ACRES AT THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF TOWN. YEP. HOME TO. WELL, THAT REALLY IS HOME TO OUR LARGEST 50 EMPLOYERS ARE WITHIN THAT THAT BUSINESS PARK THAT'S BEEN THERE SINCE THE EARLY 80S. YEAH. AND THOSE ALREADY, THOSE JOBS ALREADY BEEN CREATED OR THE PLAN IS TO CREATE THEM THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THIS YEAR. THOSE JOBS HAVE ALREADY STARTED TO BE CREATED, AND THEY ANTICIPATE HAVING THOSE ALL ONLINE BEFORE THE YEAR ENDS. GOTCHA. OKAY. ABSOLUTELY. SO WE FEEL GOOD. YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF HAVING HAVING THAT HAPPEN, WE KIND OF ROLL THE DICE EACH YEAR AND SAY, WHAT'S THAT NUMBER GOING TO LOOK LIKE. AND OBVIOUSLY WE'RE EXCITED THAT WE HIT IT. DON'T ALWAYS OTHER QUESTIONS ON THOSE. SO GO BACK TO THE YELLOW. I'M SORRY. DID YOU HAVE ONE MORE? NO, NO. OKAY.
OBTAIN COMMITMENTS FOR A MINIMUM OF 100 MILLION. SO DO WE HAVE ANY COMMITMENTS OR IS IT A CHICKEN AND THE EGG KIND OF THING? IT'S KIND OF A CHICKEN AND THE EGG KIND OF THING. IT REALLY IS. OKAY. SO NO, WE DO NOT WITHIN TRES TWO HAVE ANY NEW COMMITMENTS. ALLIED STONE HAPPENS TO LAY OUTSIDE OF THE TOURS, SO WE WON'T HAVE ANY INCREASE THERE. AND WE, WE TALK ABOUT THOSE IN TERMS OF NEW DEVELOPMENT AS OPPOSED TO JUST THE CONTINUOUS INCREASE THAT HAPPENS IN TERMS OF OVERALL PROPERTY VALUE WITHIN THE CHURCH ITSELF. THAT'S NET NEW. OKAY.
THAT'S THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO OBTAIN THERE. AND IF WE WERE ABLE TO SECURE THE DEVELOPMENT,
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THE COMMITMENT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF EITHER ONE OF THOSE CORNERS THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT ON THE SOUTHERN END OF, OF THE CORRIDOR, THOSE WILL BOTH EXCEED 100 $100 MILLION. WE JUST DON'T HAVE THOSE COMMITMENTS YET. AND A LOT OF THAT IS BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T ACHIEVED THE GOAL THAT WE WANT TO YET OF GETTING THE ZONING IN PLACE AND THEN GETTING THE DEVELOPERS IN TOW TO GET THAT DONE. WE'RE LOOKING AT SOME WAYS TO PERHAPS MOVE THOSE FORWARD A LITTLE QUICKER AND TO GET THEM INTO THE DESIGN PHASE, EVEN IF WE'RE NOT READY TO COMMIT TO THE FULL, FULL DEVELOPMENT YET. WE'RE NOT READY TO COMMIT TO THE DOLLARS OF WHAT IT'S GOING TO COST TO BUILD THOSE. IF WE CAN GET THE RIGHT DEVELOPMENT TEAM TO THE TABLE, WE CAN SELECT THE RIGHT PROJECT AND MAKE THE COMMITMENT. THEN WE WILL ENTER INTO THE DESIGN PHASE. OBVIOUSLY, WE'LL BE AT RISK FOR THAT. BUT THE THOUGHT IS THAT MAYBE THAT'S A WAY TO MOVE THAT PROJECT FORWARD, INSTEAD OF WAITING FOR THE MARKETS TO RESPOND AND GET US TO THE RIGHT DEVELOPMENT MOMENT. MAYBE WE GO AHEAD AND GET THE DESIGN WORK DONE. THERE IS OBVIOUSLY A RISK ASSOCIATED WITH THAT. SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ASCERTAIN NOW AND UNDERSTAND A LITTLE BIT BETTER.AND PART OF THAT WILL COME FROM OUR RESPONSES TO THE RFP AS WELL. OKAY. I'M SORRY I CAN'T REMEMBER. WE HAVE SITE CONTROL. ARE WE DONE ON BOTH OF THOSE? WE HAVE SITE CONTROL ONE. WE NOW WE ACTUALLY OWN THEM BOTH. SO. OKAY. COMMUNITY MISSIONARY BAPTIST WE JUST BOUGHT IN APRIL.
THE OTHER ONE WE'VE OWNED FOR, I DON'T KNOW, LONGER THAN I'VE BEEN HERE I THINK EIGHT YEARS.
YEAH. IT'S A PROCESS FOR WHAT'S A TIMELINE LOOK LIKE FOR PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE ZONING.
JULY PLANNING COMMISSION. AUGUST. CITY COUNCIL. OKAY. KNOCK ON WOOD. YEAH, I KNOW.
YEAH, THAT'S THAT'S A LEGITIMATE QUESTION, BUT LET ME TELL YOU, I THINK IT'S NOT. IT'S NOT FOR LACK OF STAFF'S EFFORT OR BECAUSE OF THE CHARACTER. RIGHT. THE ZONING. I THINK PART OF THE DYNAMIC IS REALLY HAVING A AND THIS IS REALLY KEY. I KNOW, I KNOW, SOMETIMES WE NEGLECT TO, TO HEAR THAT, BUT IT'S ABOUT HAVING ANOTHER PARTNER. YOU KNOW PARTNERSHIP IS WHAT'S GOING TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN. WE COULD WE COULD ADVERTISE OR WE COULD PUT THE PLANS, WE COULD PUT IN THE INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS ON IT. IF WE DON'T HAVE A LEGITIMATE PARTNER, WE'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE A WE'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE A DEVELOPMENT. RIGHT. BECAUSE MATT MENTIONED SOMEWHERE AROUND THE 100 TO $120 MILLION FOR THOSE DEVELOPMENTS, CERTAINLY THE CITY DOESN'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO BE DEVELOPER OPERATOR OR ANY OF THOSE. SO BOTTOM LINE IS WE HAVE TO HAVE A WILLING DEVELOPER BE WITH US AT THE TABLE AND BE WILLING TO ALSO, YOU KNOW, WITH THE MARKET, EVERYBODY SAYS IT'S ABOUT RISK. YOU KNOW, BE WILLING TO SAY THERE'S SOME RISK, BUT THERE'S A HIGH REWARD. AGAIN, YOU KNOW, WE'RE WE'RE WORKING ON ON THAT PIECE, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT DIFFERENT WAYS THAT WE COULD DO THAT, EVEN INCLUDING IN MATT. MATT BROUGHT THAT IDEA A FEW MONTHS AGO ABOUT PHASING EVEN THE IMPROVEMENTS, NOT NOT LOOKING AT. SO WE HAVE ABOUT 8.6 ACRES AT THE NORTHWEST CORNER, AND WE HAVE 24 ACRES AT THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF HAMPTON AND BELTLINE. THE 24 ACRES CAN BE PHASED INTO IT TWO, THREE, FOUR PHASES. RIGHT. AND SO. AGAIN, WHO'S WHO'S GOING TO BE WILLING TO DO THAT. UNFORTUNATELY, EVEN WITH PHASING YOU HAVE TO DO THE INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS FIRST. SO YOU HAVE TO DO THE WHOLE THING FIRST. INVEST TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS BEFORE YOU EVEN LAY THE FIRST BRICK. BECAUSE TO GET TO THE INFRASTRUCTURE, YOU HAVE TO DESIGN IT. YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO BUILD TO PUT THE INFRASTRUCTURE THERE. SO AND THAT'S THAT'S KIND OF THAT DISCUSSION AROUND CAN WE ENTER INTO A CONCEPTUAL DESIGN, CONCEPTUAL COMMITMENT TO WHAT THE PROJECT WILL LOOK LIKE SO WE CAN COMMIT TO A DESIGN FIRM GETTING THE DESIGN WORK DONE. AND EVEN IF THE MARKET IS STILL NOT MOVED FORWARD FAR ENOUGH THAT WE'RE READY TO START VERTICAL, GOING VERTICAL WITH THOSE WITH THOSE PROJECTS, THE INFRASTRUCTURE PORTION IN AND OF ITSELF IS GOING TO BE THE BETTER PART OF A YEAR TO BE WORKING ON. REMEMBER, THAT WOULD ALSO INCLUDE THE ENTIRE REWORK OF THE INTERSECTION AT BELTLINE AND HAMPTON. SO WORKING WITH TEX-DOT, COMING UP WITH THE DESIGN THAT WORKS, CHANGING THE LANE CONFIGURATIONS, BUILDING IN ALL OF THOSE COMPONENTS, YOU'VE
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GOT A YOU'VE GOT A GOOD YEAR OF CONSTRUCTION JUST TO GET THAT PORTION DONE. AND HOPEFULLY SIMULTANEOUSLY, BECAUSE WE'D LIKE TO DO IT AS A P3 PROJECT TO HAVE THE PRIVATE SECTOR BE BUILDING THAT WORK IN COMBINATION WITH THE CITY. WE'LL SEE IF THAT'S WHERE WE END UP WITH. SO THE FIRST STEP IS TO GET THE DEVELOPERS AT THE TABLE, FIND A WILLING PARTNER, AND THEN WE'LL FIGURE OUT A STEP FORWARD TO GO NEXT AND ALSO RUN THE PROFORMA. I MEAN THE PEOPLE TO REALLY PARTNER WITH US. WE BOTH NEED TO RUN THE FINANCIALS OF IT. AND THE OTHER THING THAT IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT IS THAT NOBODY'S GOING TO INVEST IN DOING THE PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS MORE THAN US. SO WE HAVE TO ACTUALLY WE HAVE TO ACTUALLY REALLY FIGURE OUT WHAT OUR FINANCIAL CONSULTANT, WHAT OUR CAPACITY IS. I KNOW AT ONE POINT TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HAVING A $20 MILLION REVENUE BOND SPECIFICALLY SO WE CAN TRY TO BUILD A THE, YOU KNOW, THE IMPROVEMENTS AND HOW DOES THAT LOOK AND CAN WE AFFORD IT. AND SO WE'VE ENGAGED WITH OUR FINANCIAL CONSULTANT AND. IT'S ENCOURAGING. BUT AGAIN WE HAVE TO TAKE WE HAVE TO TAKE THAT LEAP OF FAITH, THAT STEP TO, YOU KNOW, NO DIFFERENT THAN WHEN WE BOUGHT THE COMMUNITY BAPTIST CHURCH. NO DIFFERENT THAN, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE THAT THE THORN TREE PROJECT, RIGHT, IS AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECT. WE HAVE TO HAVE OWNERSHIP OF IT IN ORDER FOR US TO GET A RESPONSIBLE AND RESPONSIVE DOOR TO TAKE CARE OF IT. THESE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO THAT WE HAVE TO DO. IT'S NOT BUSINESS AS USUAL ANYMORE, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE WE HAVE 50 OTHER 60 OTHER CITIES COMPETING WITH US. AND I THINK THE THING THAT WE DON'T DO WELL IS WE DON'T PR THEM WELL. I THINK THAT YOU ALSO HAVE TO YOU HAVE TO TELL THE CITIZENSHIP TO GIVE THEM THE NARRATIVE BECAUSE THEY THINK WE'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING AND WE'RE NOT MOVING. WE'RE NOT. AND WE GOT TO BE ABLE TO TELL AGAIN WITHOUT TELLING YOU THE SPECIFICS. WE GOT TO BE ABLE TO TELL YOU THAT THESE $100 MILLION INVESTMENT THAT WE'RE WORKING TOWARD. WELL, THAT MAY SOUND GENETIC, I MEAN, GENERIC. IT'S NOT GENERIC. IT'S INFORMATION. AS WE ARE COMPILING OUR OUR STORY AND PUTTING THE RIGHT PLAYERS IN PLACE. BUT IT IT SHOWS THAT WE'RE MOVING. AND I THINK THAT THAT'S REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT FOR OUR FOR OUR COMMUNITY THAT THEY SEE OR THEY KNOW THAT WE'RE MOVING, BEING ABLE TO TELL THE STORY THAT WE WILL BE IN. NEWSLETTER IN THE WATER BILL, SOMETHING THAT WE JUST SAY WE'RE PROGRESSING. WE HAVE THESE SITES. WE'RE I MEAN, JUST I THINK THAT THERE OUGHT TO BE SOME KIND OF MOVING UPDATE ON AQUATICS CENTER. THERE OUGHT TO BE SOME KIND OF NOTICEABLE IN SOME ELECTRONIC SOMEWHERE SAYING SHOWING PICTURES OF WE'RE LAYING THE FOUNDATION, WE'RE PUTTING THE WALLS UP, WE'RE TIME CAPSULE. YEAH. YEAH. WELL, THE TIME LAPSE PHOTOGRAPHY TO KEEP IT KEEPS THE IT KEEPS THE MOMENTUM UP. YEAH. AND REMEMBER TOO, THIS ISN'T THAT KIND OF ACTIVITY IS NOT ABNORMAL IN FRISCO. NOT ABNORMAL IN MCKINNEY. NOT ABNORMAL IN AL. THEY I HARKEN BACK TO THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR. WE HAD A DISCUSSION IN THIS BOARD ABOUT. WE WERE LIKELY TO HAVE TO BEGIN TO DO THINGS WE'RE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH BECAUSE WE JUST NEVER HAD TO DO THEM. WE'VE ALWAYS HAD THE ABILITY UNDER THE STATUTES TO BUY PROPERTY, TO DEVELOP PROPERTY, LEASE PROPERTY, TO SELL PROPERTY.WE'VE ALWAYS HAD THAT ABILITY. WE'VE JUST NEVER DONE IT IN THIS DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION BEFORE.
NOW WE'RE BEING CALLED ON TO BE PARTICIPANTS IN THAT AND BE ABLE TO UTILIZE THOSE TOOLS. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE WE HAVE A SUBSTANTIAL FUND BALANCE THAT ALLOWS US TO CONSIDER OPERATING ON A BOND TYPE OF BASIS IF WE NEED TO. WE'RE VERY, VERY BLESSED TO HAVE THAT. BECAUSE WE'VE SET ASIDE THOSE FUNDS EVERY YEAR. NOW IT PUTS US IN A GREAT POSITION TO BEGIN TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS WAY. THIS IS NOT ABNORMAL FOR A DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION. IT JUST HAPPENS TO BE UNFAMILIAR. I WON'T SAY IT'S ABNORMAL, IT'S JUST UNFAMILIAR TO US. IT'S KIND OF NEW TERRITORY. IT'S EXCITING PLACE TO BE, THOUGH. IT REALLY IS, BECAUSE IT HAS A SUBSTANTIAL IMPACT. WELL, LET'S WELCOME OUR NEWEST CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JOINING US TONIGHT. YOU SNUCK IN. YOU ARE JOINING US TONIGHT. MR. WATERS, THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. I'M JUST GLAD TO BE HERE. THERE'S I DON'T THINK YOU'LL BE THE ONLY ONE. THIS WOULD NOT BE MY LAST MEETING, BY THE WAY. VERY GOOD, VERY GOOD. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. I'VE HAD SEVERAL MEETINGS
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WITH THE COUNCILMAN SINCE HE'S BEEN ELECTED. HE'S TAKEN A VERY STRONG INTEREST IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND HAS SPENT SOME TIME WITH ME GETTING UP TO SPEED WITH ALL THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE GOING ON AND THE PLACES WHERE WE'RE SORT OF CONTINUING TO PUSH AND LOOKING FOR NEW DEVELOPMENTS FOR ALL THE PROJECTS. I'LL SAY ONE THING. ME, ME AND RJ BARRETT, WE WILL BECOME BEST FRIENDS HERE. OKAY. GET READY. ANDRE. SO, SO ACTIVITY UPDATES, PAGE TWO OF THAT, WHICH ACTUALLY SAYS NINE AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR OF YOUR PAGE THERE. BOARD ACTIVITIES. WE HAVE A JOINT MEETING COMING UP ON AUGUST 20TH OF THE JOINT MEETING OF THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS. THEY HAD ASKED US AND THEN WE TALKED ABOUT THIS AT OUR LAST MEETING, TOPICS THAT WE WANTED TO PUT FORWARD FOR DISCUSSION AT THAT. YOU SEE THOSE LISTED THERE. THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN THAT UPDATE THERE, AN UPDATE ON THE CREATION OF THE MIXED USE ZONING CATEGORIES, WHICH IS WHAT ANTHONY WAS TALKING ABOUT A FEW MINUTES AGO. THE IDEA OF CREATING A STAKEHOLDERS, OF STARTING TO IDENTIFY THE STAKEHOLDERS. WE'RE GOING TO ENGAGE WITH A FIRM, DIMENSION SPORTS AND LEISURE'S IS A LARGE INTERNATIONAL FIRM WHO LOOKS AT NEW FACILITIES, SPORTS FACILITIES, CONVENTION FACILITIES. ASSESSES THE MARKET AND HELPS YOU TO START TO CREATE YOUR PLAN. IF YOU'RE GOING TO LOOK AT THOSE KINDS OF FACILITIES IN YOUR COMMUNITY. WE ARE GOING TO ENGAGE WITH WITH CSL TO DO THAT MARKET STUDY THAT LOOKS AT WHAT WE'RE CURRENTLY DOING WITH OUR SPORTS, WHICH IS A HUGE DRIVER, ECONOMIC DRIVER ALREADY IN TERMS OF HOTEL MOTEL TAX. BUT TO ASSESS THAT, TO ASSESS THE OVERALL MARKET IN SOUTHERN DALLAS FOR CONVENTION SPACE, ASSESS THE OVERALL MARKET FOR HOSPITALITY SPACE. ASSESS THE OVERALL MARKET FOR PERFORMING SPACE, AND ADVISE US TO THE SCALE THE WISDOM OF AND THE SCALE OF DEVELOPING THOSE KINDS OF FACILITIES IN THE ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT. THOSE WOULD ALL BE PUBLIC FACILITIES, AND THEN WE'D START TO LOOK AT HOW WE WOULD WE BUILD A FINANCING MODEL THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO BUILD THE SIZE, THE APPROPRIATE SCALE, FACILITIES FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND TRULY FOR DALLAS, BECAUSE WE SEE IT AS A DESTINATION, WE SEE IT AS A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE COME UP FROM WACO AND SPEND A WEEKEND BECAUSE THEY WANT TO GO TO THE CONCERT.WE SEE IT AS A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE COME FOR THEIR SPORTING EVENTS, BUT ALSO CONFERENCES.
THERE'S NO SMALL, THERE'S NO SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZED CONFERENCE SPACE ANYWHERE ON THE SOUTHERN SIDE OF TOWN. IT DOESN'T EXIST. WE'RE NOT TRYING TO COMPETE WITH KAY BAILEY HUTCHINSON BY ANY STRETCH. RIGHT. BUT BUT THOSE THOSE 50 TO 100 OR 200 PERSON CONVENTIONS AND ALL OF THE ACCESSORIES THAT GO WITH THAT, THERE'S NO PLACE FOR THOSE. AND WE THINK THAT WE WOULD BE A GREAT CENTER FOR THAT KIND OF ACTIVITY THAT WOULD DRAW NOT ONLY FROM THE ENTIRE PART OF SOUTHERN DALLAS, BUT ALSO PEOPLE WHO ARE LOOKING FOR AN ALTERNATIVE TO BEING DOWNTOWN AND MAYBE A LITTLE LESS EXPENSIVE. MAYOR. MAYOR. GOOD EVENING. DON'T MIND ME. OUR AUGUST BOARD MEETING IS SCHEDULED FOR THE 14TH OF AUGUST. THE HEALTHY DESOTO STUDY SESSION. WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT HERE IN A MINUTE. IT'S THE 18TH OF AUGUST IN THE STUDY SESSION FOR AUGUST. WE'LL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO CHAT ABOUT THAT, AND I'LL DO A LITTLE MORE DISCUSSION THAN THAT. JUST WANT TO PUT THAT DATE ON YOUR CALENDARS. THAT'S A CHANGE. WE WERE GOING TO PRESENT THAT IN JULY, AND THE COUNCIL ONLY HAS ONE MEETING IN JULY.
AND THAT THAT SCHEDULE WAS VERY, VERY CROWDED. SO THEY ASKED IF WE COULD PUSH OUT UNTIL AUGUST AND IT SEEMED LIKE AN APPROPRIATE THING TO DO. IT'S ALSO WORKS VERY WELL FOR OUR PARTNERS AT SIG. SMALL BUSINESS EDUCATION. A LOT'S GOING ON WITH WITH THE DECK AND ■OUR PARTNERSHIP THERE. THE BIG IDEA PROGRAM, THEY JUST THEY JUST FINISHED UP A COUPLE WEEKS AGO.
THE PITCH COMPETITION ACTUALLY WAS LAST NIGHT, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN. AND WE'RE GETTING A WHOLE LOT OF, OF FEEDBACK IN TERMS OF HOW SUPPORTIVE THE DECK HAS BEEN. IT'S FUN TO GO ON A, ON A BUSINESS RETENTION VISIT AND SOLELY IT'LL ATTEST TO THE FACT THAT SHE GOES TO A BUSINESS RETENTION VISIT WITH ONE OF OUR SMALLER BUSINESSES. AND THEY TELL US WHAT A GREAT EXPERIENCE THE DECK WAS, HOW INSTRUMENTAL THEY'VE BEEN IN HELPING THEM TO RETHINK ABOUT HOW THEY MARKET OR HOW THEY'RE EXTENDING THEMSELVES INTO THE COMMUNITY AND HOW MUCH THAT'S GROWN. I'M TRYING TO THINK, KEITH AND YOU WERE ON THAT BUSINESS VISIT. HOW MANY, HOW MANY PATIENTS DID THE DOCTOR GROW BY FROM BEGINNING OF 2025 TO NOW? THEY WERE AT 400 AND THEY GREW TO 450 AND SO FORTH, LIKE 50 NEW PATIENTS IN JUST HALF A YEAR. AND THEY ONLY HAD 450. AND BUSINESSES 25 YEARS OLD. SO THAT'S OH, WOW. AND THEY BLAME IT ON THE DECK. GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY. I'M MAYOR RACHEL PROCTOR. IT IS THURSDAY, JULY THE 10TH. IT IS 630 6:30 P.M. AND WE'RE GOING TO GET THE
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MAYOR'S QUARTERLY 360 MEETING STARTED THIS EVENING. I'M GOING TO ASK THEY CAME AND PITCHED US AND SAID, WE THINK THAT WE CAN HELP. I'M GOING TO ASK IF JUDGE KURTH, COULD YOU DO AN INVOCATION FOR US THIS EVENING? THANK YOU. WE'RE BENEFITING FROM IT AS A BENEFIT FROM THAT. AND WE DID IT AS A AS A TRIANGLE. WE DID IT AS A STOOL WITH BOW YOUR HEADS. THE SODO AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. FATHER GOD, WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SON JESUS FOR HIS GREAT NAME. THE NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES. WE PRAY, LORD, THAT YOU WOULD SEND YOUR HOLY SPIRIT DOWN TONIGHT TO BE IN OUR MIDST, TO GIVE US WISDOM AND DIRECTION FOR THIS GREAT CITY OF DESOTO. I PRAY FOR THE STAFF. WE LIFT EACH ONE OF THE STAFF MEMBERS UP OF THE CITY, AND WE PRAY THAT YOU WOULD PROTECT THEM AND BLESS THEM, PROSPER THEM IN ALL THAT THEY SET THEIR HANDS TO FOR THIS CITY AND FOR THEIR FAMILIES. WE HONOR YOU AND WE PRAISE YOU IN JESUS NAME. SO WE LOOK FOR A PLACE WHERE MULTIPLE COMMUNITIES WERE FEEDING AND COMING TO GET THAT INFORMATION. AND THE DECK SERVES THAT FOR INTRODUCTIONS.AND I WANT TO QUICKLY BEFORE I TURN IT OVER TO OUR CITY MANAGER FOR HIS INTRODUCTION, DO THAT TRAINING, COUNCILMAN WATERS IS WITH US HERE TODAY. HE SHARED OFFICE SPACE IF YOU WANT TO GO TO THAT'S THREE. THE OFFICER IS HERE. WE'RE GRATEFUL TO CITY SERVICES. I ALSO DO SEE A FORMER COUNCIL MEMBER. MR. MARKS IS HERE WITH US AND WE'RE LOOKING AT OTHER WAYS. I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER. OPPORTUNITY FOR BUSINESSES TO GET. INTRODUCTIONS OF HIS TEAM. AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR RELATIVELY LOW COST. GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. I JUST WANT TO ACTUALLY INTRODUCE THE NEW STAFF, IF YOU DON'T MIND TOUCHING BASES WITH THOSE PEOPLE. SO MAYBE INTRODUCE MAYBE THEIR DIRECTOR, MAYBE THEY'RE SCALING. HE'S THE DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES. AND IF YOU DON'T MIND, INTRODUCE YOUR TEAM, THE NEW STAFF AND MENTORSHIP AND COMPETITIONS TO GET CAPITAL. AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS HELP IF YOU CAN. IF YOU CAN COME TO THE MICROPHONE, PLEASE. BETTER BUSINESSES AND GROWTH AGAIN, AHMED AL CASEY, THE DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT.
TODAY WE HAVE OUR NEW CIVIL ENGINEER ARCHITECTURE. AND WE ALSO HAVE THE REST OF THE TEAM.
WE HAVE ANTHONY WINTERS, OUR CONSTRUCTION MANAGER. AND WE HAVE. INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, NO, HE'S OUR THAT'S DRIVEN ENTIRELY INTERNALLY HERE. WITHIN OUR CIVIL ENGINEER REGIONAL EFFORT.
WORKING WITH UNT DALLAS, WORKING WITH THE DECK. SO WE HAVE WE HAVE SORT OF TAKEN A WHOLE BUNCH OF, IF YOU DON'T MIND, CITY STAFF, IF YOU CAN STAND UP JUST QUICKLY AND I'LL GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE. ANTOINE, I THINK THAT'S THE EASIEST THING. WE HAVE DEPUTY CITY MANAGERS. WE HAVE MEMBERS FROM ALMOST EVERY DEPARTMENT. SO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. AND OF COURSE, LAKE AND ALSO THE GARRISON IN THAT ROOM IS HERE FROM THE CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE. LAST TIME WE DID THIS, WE DID IT AT THE DECK. CORRECT. THANK YOU. MR. CITY MANAGER AT THE INTERNATIONAL FINANCE ASSOCIATION. WE HAVE THE INTERNATIONAL FINANCE ITEM ON OUR AGENDA. IF YOU ARE A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC AND WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK REGARDING ANY ITEM ON THIS COUNCIL IS, YOU'RE WELCOME TO DO SO. YOU WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES TO SEE THAT. HOWEVER, WE'RE ASKING IF YOU WOULD FILL OUT A CARD THAT IS THERE AT OUR AMBASSADORS TABLE WHERE OUR ILLUSTRIOUS FIRE CHIEF IS HOLDING THAT CARD UP. WE REALLY WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK. PLEASE TAKE THE TIME. WE'D LIKE TO TAKE THE CARD OUT AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, RETURN IT TO HIM. AND HE WILL MAKE SURE THAT OUR ASSISTANT SECRETARY GETS IT. BUT BEFORE WE GET TO THAT, WE HAVE A FEW UPDATES. OUR STAFF HAS ALSO PROVIDED SOME HANDOUTS, I BELIEVE. DOCTOR WILLIAMS, DO YOU HAVE HANDOUTS OVER THERE FOR YOUR PRESENTATION AS WELL? SO THEY'RE THERE? I BELIEVE THERE ARE HANDOUTS ALMOST FOR EVERY PRESENTATION. SO PLEASE TAKE THOSE HANDOUTS WITH YOU. AND COMING UP FIRST WE HAVE CDBG UPDATES. THAT'S GOING TO BE PRESENTED BY DOCTOR ESTHER WILLIAMS SUCCESS STORY. SO ONE DO WE HAVE DO WE HAVE PEOPLE SIGN A MEDIA RELEASE. AND IF YES, LET ME JUST START PREACHING THOSE BUSINESSES. SO WE GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. SOCIAL MEDIA ESTHER WILLIAMS I AM THE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY SERVICES AND EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, AND I'M JUST HERE TO GIVE YOU ALL AN UPDATE OF OUR CDBG CONSOLIDATED PLAN. WE'VE BEEN DOING KIND OF LIKE A LITTLE CAMPAIGN FOR OUR CONSOLIDATED PLAN SINCE MARCH, JUST TRYING TO GET OUR COMMUNITY TO GIVE US FEEDBACK ON WHERE WE CAN USE THESE FUNDS WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY WITH CDBG, THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT, THIS IS FEDERAL FUNDING THAT WE RECEIVE FROM THE HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT OFFICE.
AND WE HAVE RECEIVED ABOUT LIKE 270 OR SO, 273 THIS PAST YEAR, THIS THIS COMING YEAR, WE HAVE $271,000 THAT WE HAVE FROM HUD TO SPEND IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND INSIDE THE PAMPHLET, IT WILL SHOW YOU KIND OF WHAT WHAT CRITERIA ARE ARE, YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE THAT CAN RECEIVE THESE
[00:25:01]
FUNDS WOULD HAVE TO MEET. AND ALSO WHAT KIND OF PROGRAMS THIS THESE FUNDS CAN FUND. WE'VE FUNDED HOME REPAIR PROGRAMS, WE'VE FUNDED SIDEWALK REPAIRS, WE'VE FUNDED TRANSPORTATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS, UTILITIES AND RENT ASSISTANCE, AND MANY OTHER SMALLER PROGRAMS LIKE THAT. AND WE JUST ASKED OUR COMMUNITY TO SHARE THEIR INPUT. WE ALSO ASK OUR STAKEHOLDERS TO SHARE THEIR INPUT, AND WE'VE HAD SEVERAL MEETINGS THROUGHOUT THE LAST FEW MONTHS. THE SURVEY PORTION OF IT FOR THAT WE SENT OUT TO THE COMMUNITY HAS CLOSED. WE CLOSED THAT ON THE SEVENTH, BUT WE CAN STILL TAKE YOUR YOUR INPUT. WE ARE ACTUALLY DOING A PUBLIC HEARING NEXT TUESDAY WHERE YOU CAN SHARE YOUR INPUT LAST. THAT'S THE LAST TIME YOU CAN SHARE YOUR INPUT. SO PLEASE COME IF YOU DO HAVE MORE THINGS TO SAY, WE WILL BE DOING A MORE IN-DEPTH UPDATE OF EXACTLY WHAT THE RESULTS WERE FROM OUR SURVEYS AND FROM OUR MEETINGS ON MONDAY. SO THE 14TH, WE'RE GOING TO GIVE YOU A MORE IN-DEPTH. PRESENTATION ON THOSE THOSE SURVEY RESULTS. AND THEN ON TUESDAY YOU CAN COME AND SHARE YOUR INPUT AT OUR PUBLIC HEARING. OKAY. SO JUST TO GIVE A LITTLE TEASER, A LOT OF THE CURRENT SURVEYS RIGHT NOW REALLY STRESS SPECIFIC MARKETS. SO SORRY, A LOT OF OUR SURVEY RESULTS STRESS SIDEWALK REPAIRS, THAT TYPE OF INFRASTRUCTURE. AND DEFINITELY SENIOR ASSISTANCE AS FAR AS PROGRAMS THAT WILL HELP OUR SENIORS AND ALSO HOME REPAIRS. SO A LOT OF THE SAME THINGS THAT WE'VE SEEN THROUGHOUT THE LAST FEW YEARS, BUT THAT THAT'S THE POWER OF GETTING PROVIDING YOUR INPUT BECAUSE IT DOES FUEL AND FEED WHAT 5000 PEOPLE CHOOSE TO DO WITH THESE PROGRAM FUNDS. THAT'S A BIG THAT'S THE STUFF THAT THE DALLAS REGIONAL CHAMBER DOES. THAT'S ALL I HAD. THERE'S MORE INFORMATION IN THE PAMPHLET. IF YOU NEED TO LOOK FOR EVEN MORE INFORMATION, YOU CAN PASS. IT. THERE IS ACTUALLY DESOTO, TEXAS.GOV/VIRTUAL. AND YOU CAN EVEN PULL UP THE PAST YEAR'S CONSOLIDATED PLANS, ACTION PLANS AND THE 2020 CONSOLIDATED PLAN. A FEW DAYS, ISN'T IT? OKAY. AND THEN AGAIN WITH THE IFA YUM! BRANDS THE FRANCHISE GAME THAT'S IN AUGUST. SO NEXT TUESDAY WE WILL BE PART OF THE AGENDA FOR THE COUNCIL MEETING. SO THE COUNCIL MEETING STARTS AT 6:00. LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE LOOKING TO EXPLORE FRANCHISING AS A WAY OF BUILDING PERSONAL AND LEGACY WEALTH HAPPENING THERE. ANTOINE. THE NEXT ONE ON THERE WAS BIO. WE WERE AT BIO LAST MONTH. THANK YOU, DOCTOR WILLIAMS. AT THIS TIME WE WILL HAVE A PRESENTATION COMING FROM OUR DIRECTOR OF PARKS AND RECREATION. GREAT TIME OUT THERE IN BOSTON AT THIS TIME. WE'RE HERE FOR MR. CHRIS GLOVER. AS YOU KNOW, WE WENT OUT THERE FOR ABOUT 4 OR 5 DAYS WITH THE DALLAS REGIONAL CHAMBER AND ALSO THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE TO ENGAGE WITH A LOT OF THESE COMPANIES. I AM CHRIS GLOVER, THE DIRECTOR FOR THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT, AND WE ARE EXCITED TO BREAK DOWN SOME OF THE MEETINGS AND FOLKS THAT WE MET WITH THIS THIS TIME AROUND. THIS IS PROBABLY OUR BEST SHOW SCHEDULED TO OPEN UP MORE THAN I'VE ATTENDED SINCE I'VE. AND SO WE'RE GETTING REALLY, REALLY CLOSE AND WATCHING ABOUT 20,000 PEOPLE THAT ATTENDED HAS REALLY BEEN RIGHT HERE AS A TEAM. AND WE'VE GOT AN EXPERIENCE. IT IS GOING TO BE AN AWESOME, AMENITY TO BREAK DOWN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, UNIVERSITIES, COLLEGES LOOKING TO HAVE THEIR SATELLITE CAMPUS HERE IN DALLAS, HERE IN DESOTO, ON OUR CAMPUS, WE TALKED ABOUT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES ALONG WITH THOSE HIGHER EDUCATION. AS WE LOOK AT IT, THERE WERE SOME YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TWO SIDES TO IT. THIS SIDE ON YOUR LEFT WHERE THE POINT IS IT'S GOING TO BE WHAT WE CALL OUR WET SIDE. THAT'S WHERE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A RECREATIONAL POOL AT THE FRONT AND AN EIGHT LANE OLYMPIC SIZE SWIMMING POOL. AND DIFFERENT APPROACHES ON THE RIGHT SIDE IS GOING TO BE CONSIDERED. OUR DRY SIDE IS ATTACKING DRY SIDE RIGHT HERE. ONE OF MY FAVORITE AMENITIES IS THIS LITTLE AREA RIGHT HERE WHERE WE CAN DO A LOT OF STUFF GOING ON RIGHT HERE, BUT YOU SEE A LOT OF GLASS ALSO. SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A LOT OF NATURAL LIGHT. AND IF YOU STAND RIGHT HERE AT THE AT THE ENTRANCE OF IT, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SEE STRAIGHT THROUGH. YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SEE THE TREES STRAIGHT THROUGH IN THE BACK. AND SO IT'S REALLY AN AWESOME DESIGN AS FAR AS ANY USERS AND ACTUAL COMPANIES MET WITH ABOUT 12 OF THEM OUT THERE. OUR EIGHT LANE COMPETITION POOL THAT I REALLY LIKE. THE GRAPHICS THAT YOU SEE ON THIS AS WELL. AND OUR FITNESS AREA, THIS DOES NOT DO OUR FITNESS AREA JUSTICE AT ALL. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE SOME OF THE STATE OF THE ART FITNESS EQUIPMENT IS REALLY GOING TO BE MORE LIKE A PERFORMANCE CENTER YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO HAVE IN HERE. AND SO WE REALLY PUT OUR BEST FOOT FORWARD ABOUT 7 OR 8 WITH OUR WITH THAT MEXICO, AUSTRALIA, GERMANY, OUR FITNESS, SOUTH KOREA, JAPAN AND SWITZERLAND SPECIFICALLY. THERE'S AN ARRAY YOU SEE YOUR AND THEN LASTLY YOUR INDOOR TRACK HERE. WE WILL HAVE ONLY SEVEN CITIES THAT ARE OUT THERE FROM DFW, ARLINGTON, DALLAS, FORT WORTH DRIVING OURSELVES. AND THEN LASTLY SOME OF MY FAVORITE AREAS OVER THE NEXT FEW[00:30:04]
MONTHS ENGAGING. YOU HAVE THE TRAIN HERE, SOME TERM ZONE INSIDE RIGHT HERE WE'LL BE OVERLOOKING YOUR COMPETITION SWIMMING POOL. AND ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE IN THIS CORNER RIGHT HERE, THAT IS OUR CARDIO OVERLOOK. RIGHT HERE THAT WE WILL GIVE PARENTS NO EXCUSE NOT TO WORK OUT. SO WHEN THE PARENTS ARE BRINGING THEIR KIDS TO BE A PART OF THE RECREATION SWIMMING POOL, THEY CAN COME RIGHT HERE ON THIS OVERHANG AND THEY'LL BE ABLE TO WATCH THEIR KIDS FROM THIS OVERHANG RIGHT THERE. SO WE ARE GIVING YOU ABSOLUTELY ZERO EXCUSE TO NOT COME TO THIS FACILITY AND BE AND BE ACTIVE. AND AGAIN COUNTING OUR DAYS WITH TEARS HERE. SO IT'S REALLY, REALLY AN AWESOME DESIGN THAT IS FUNCTIONAL AND MULTI-GENERATIONAL AS WELL. A LOT OF ACTIVITY. BUT AGAIN, ONE OF OUR MOST SOME AMENITIES THAT WE'VE ACTUALLY ADDED AS WELL TO IT ESTIMATE WE PROBABLY HAVE CLOSE TO 100 TO 200,000FT■S. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A INFRARED DRY SAUNA. AND WE'RE ALSO GOING TO HAVE A FOOTBALL AREA IN THE BACK. IT'S A IT'S A LITTLE TURF FOOTBALL AREA THAT'S GOING TO BE IN THE BACK OF THE FACILITY ALSO. SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT MULTIGENERATIONAL, IT REALLY IS GOING TO BE ONE OF THOSE TYPES OF FACILITIES THAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT FOR A LONG TIME. IT'S GOING TO BE HERE IN OUR COMMUNITY. SO THAT IS A BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF WHAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE. AND WE ALSO HAVE ONLINE, IF YOU WANT TO KEEP UP WITH OUR FINANCES ON THE LINE FOR THIS FACILITY, IT'S ALSO THERE AS WELL. BUSINESS PARK, MUCH SMALLER DEVELOPMENT. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? I WAS GOING TO JUST BUILD A PLEX. YES, MA'AM. PLEX. USE SPACE PLEX. OH, I THINK WE HAVE MICROPHONES. I SAW KAREN WITH THEM. I DON'T KNOW WHERE SHE WENT. OH. I THOUGHT I COULD TALK. YOU CAN USE YOUR OUTSIDE VOICE, MAYOR PRO TEM, I WANTED TO ADD, AS FAR AS THE SWIMMING POOLS WITH THE HIGH SCHOOL KIDS, DO THEY HAVE A SWIM? HE SAID, COMPARED TO. SO, WOULD THERE BE SOME SWIMMING COMPETITIONS THERE? MOST DEFINITELY. WE WILL HAVE SWIMMING. NOT ONLY WILL WE HAVE SWIMMING COMPETITIONS, THERE'S ALSO A COUPLE OF SWIM LANES IN THE RECREATION POOL AS WELL, SO THE PUBLIC WILL HAVE ACCESS TO THEM. BUT YES, WE ARE PLANNING ON HOSTING SWIMMING COMPETITIONS THERE AT THE FACILITY. OKAY. OH, OKAY. THE QUESTION WAS OUR HIGH SCHOOL, IF WE HAVE A HIGH SCHOOL SWIM TEAM, WHICH WE DO, AND WE ANTICIPATE THAT A LOT OF SCHOOLS WILL BE USING THE FACILITY AND THAT WAS IT, WASN'T IT? YES.YES. OKAY. YES, SIR. I HAD A CHANCE TO I CAN WALK TO THE DOWN TO THE FACILITY SO I COULD SEE COMING UP. IT'S BEAUTIFUL. THANK YOU. SPACE IS AMAZING. ARE THERE ANY PLANS FOR TRAILS OUTSIDE AT THIS POINT OR FOR THE FUTURE? FOR THE FUTURE? THERE'S A TRAIL SYSTEM THAT IS PART OF OUR OVERALL MCALLEN PARK MASTER PLAN. AND SO WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHEN THAT WILL WILL COME TO FRUITION. BUT IT IS PART OF OUR MASTER PLAN. YEAH, YEAH. OKAY. ANYONE ELSE? YES, SIR. ARE YOU GOING TO ARE YOU GOING TO. HELLO. ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE ANY TOURS FOR THE PUBLIC TO BE ABLE TO TOUR THIS FACILITY AS WE'RE GETTING IT BUILT OR OR NO. YES. WE WILL HAVE TOURS. WE'RE PLANNING ON DOING A COUPLE OF TOURS PER MONTH, SOME STARTING NEXT MONTH. WE'RE GOING TO DO SOME THIS MONTH. WE HAVE SOME SURPRISES COMING UP THIS MONTH. AND SO WE'RE GOING TO DO THEM ON FRIDAY. AND WE'LL DO SOME ON SATURDAY FOR PEOPLE THAT THAT ARE NOT ABLE TO MAKE IT DURING THE DURING THE WEEK. SO YES. ANYONE ELSE. OKAY. THANK YOU ALL. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. GLOVER. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR QUESTIONS AS WELL. AT THIS TIME, WE'RE GOING TO KEEP IT MOVING AND WE WILL BE HEARING FROM MISS LIZ ORTIZ, AND SHE'S GOING TO BE GIVING US SOME COMMUNICATIONS UPDATES. THERE. OH ALL I HAVE A LOUD VOICE. HERE WE GO. I'M GOING TO BE GOING THROUGH A FEW DIFFERENT WAYS THAT YOU CAN GET ENGAGED AND INVOLVED WITH CITY COMMUNICATIONS. SO THIS IS KIND OF A REFRESHER OF ALL THE WAYS THAT YOU CAN GET COMMUNICATIONS, ONE OF THEM BEING THE WEBSITE, THE CITY WEBSITE. DESOTO, TEXAS.GOV IS AN OPPORTUNITY WHERE YOU CAN SEE MORE ABOUT CITY SERVICES, OUR DEPARTMENTS. YOU CAN ALSO FILE REQUESTS THERE AS WELL. WE HAVE SOCIAL MEDIA. OUR MAIN PAGES ARE INCLUDED ON FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, TWITTER AND
[00:35:02]
WE ALSO HAVE YOUTUBE. JUST A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES WOULD BE WE SHARE CITY EVENTS, WE SHARE FAMILY FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES. OUR MOST RECENT PUSH WITH THE TOWN HALL TOUR, AND WE ALSO HAVE ADDITIONAL SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU GET ENGAGED WITH OUR DESOTO POLICE DEPARTMENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. DESOTO FIRE, SOUTHWEST REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS CENTER. WE ALSO HAVE PARKS AND REC. WE HAVE LIBRARY, DESOTO DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, AS WELL AS ANIMAL CONTROL. WE ALSO HAVE A CITY LIGHTS NEWSLETTER. THIS IS OUR MONTHLY NEWSLETTER. YOU CAN ALSO PICK ONE UP IN THE BACK IF YOU'D LIKE, BUT YOU RECEIVE THIS WITH YOUR MONTHLY WATER BILL. THESE ARE SENT OUT TO EVERYBODY WHO HAS A WATER BILL, SO PLEASE FEEL FREE TO READ THROUGH THAT. WE TRY TO HIGHLIGHT MAJOR CITY EVENTS, AND WE ALSO TRY TO HIGHLIGHT MAJOR CITY UPDATES THROUGH THIS NEWSLETTER. YOU CAN ALSO FIND IT ONLINE. IN ADDITION, WE ALSO HAVE THIS CMO WEEKLY UPDATE, SO THESE ARE DONE WEEKLY. THE OTHER ONE WAS DONE MONTHLY. THIS IS DONE WEEKLY THROUGH OUR CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE. THIS IS REALLY A COMPREHENSIVE. ALL THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK. GREAT, GREAT HIGHLIGHTS ACROSS THE COMMUNITY, ACROSS STAFF AND A MAJOR EVENTS AS WELL. THESE CAN BE ACTUALLY SENT DIRECTLY TO YOUR INBOX. YOU PLUG IN YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS, YOU CAN GET THESE ON YOUR PHONE, OR YOU CAN JUST REVIEW THEM ON OUR WEBSITE AS WELL. IT'S A IT'S A WONDERFUL DIGITAL PIECE. WE ALSO HAVE A COUPLE OF MAILING LISTS. IF YOU WANT A MORE. SO TAILOR WHAT YOU'RE GETTING, WHETHER THAT BE COUNCIL AGENDAS, SENIOR ACTIVITY CENTER, PARKS AND REC, LIBRARY, ARTS AND CULTURE. YOU CAN KIND OF TAILOR THAT TO BEST FIT WHAT YOUR COMMUNICATION NEEDS ARE AS WELL. AND WE HAVE ONE SPACE WHERE YOU CAN DO THAT. I HAVE A LITTLE FLIER THAT YOU CAN GRAB ALL OF THIS. I KNOW YOU GUYS ARE PROBABLY TRYING TO TAKE PICTURES. WE HAVE ONE. I JUST YOU CAN JUST SCAN IT AND IT'LL HAVE ALL THAT INFORMATION THERE FOR YOU AS WELL. SO YOU CAN EASILY SIGN UP. THIS ONE IS IMPORTANT. THIS IS DESOTO RED ALERT. I HOPE THAT ALL OF OUR DESOTO RESIDENTS SIGN UP FOR THIS. THIS IS TO STAY SAFE IN SEVERE WEATHER. THIS IS FOR EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS OR THINGS THAT AFFECT LARGE AREAS. THIS CAN BE YOU CAN CUSTOMIZE THIS. YOU CAN GET A PHONE CALL.YOU CAN GET A TEXT MESSAGE AND YOU CAN GET AN EMAIL. I ACTUALLY HAVE IT PROGRAMED FOR ALL THREE.
AND I APPRECIATE IT, ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE'S BAD WEATHER. WE JUST HAD THIS GO INTO EFFECT THIS TUESDAY DURING THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING THAT OCCURRED. SO IF YOU DON'T HAVE THIS, PLEASE, IF ANYTHING, I URGE YOU TO GET DESOTO RED ALERT. WE ALSO HAVE IN MY DESOTO APP. IF YOU DON'T HAVE THAT DOWNLOADED, PLEASE DOWNLOAD THAT ON YOUR IPHONE OR YOUR ANDROID.
THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY. YOU CAN REPORT STREET LIGHTS OUT, GARAGE SALE PERMITS. YOU CAN HANDLE YOUR WATER BILL, VIEW THE COUNCIL AGENDAS, EVENTS, CALENDARS, CMO UPDATES, CRIME TIPS. I MEAN REALLY IT'S ENDLESS. IT BASICALLY JUST TAKES YOU BACK TO THE MAJOR LINKS ON OUR WEBSITE. BUT IT'S JUST AN OPPORTUNITY WHERE YOU CAN JUST HAVE IT AT YOUR FINGERTIPS. WE ALSO HAVE DESOTO TV. YOU'LL HAVE A QUICK LINK TO IT THERE. YOU CAN LIVE STREAM OUR CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS AT THIS TIME, AND WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON PROGRAMING MOVING FORWARD AS WELL. SO IT'S JUST ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO STAY ENGAGED. THAT WAS IT FOR ME. DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? WONDERFUL. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU MISS ORTIZ. SO AS YOU CAN SEE WE HAVE MULTIPLE WAYS THAT YOU ALL CAN STAY ENGAGED WITH WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE CITY. ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I GET THE MOST IS HOW CAN I FIND OUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN MY CITY? AND SO, AS MISS ORTIZ SHARED, PLEASE TAKE THAT FLIER THAT SHE HAS THERE AND WE'LL BE SURE TO PUT THE REMAINDER OUT WHERE OTHERS CAN GRAB THOSE FLIERS TO BE ABLE TO GET LOCKED IN TO ONE OR ALL OF THOSE AVENUES TO STAY IN BREST. ON THE COMMUNICATIONS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN OUR CITY AT THIS TIME. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE OUR LAST PRESENTATION FROM STAFF BEFORE WE HAVE OPEN DISCUSSION. MISS RUNNELS, DO WE HAVE ANY CARDS FROM INDIVIDUALS WHO WISH TO SPEAK? OKAY. SO AGAIN, IF YOU CAN SPEAK ON, YOU CAN ASK ANY QUESTIONS YOU LIKE, BUT YOU NEED TO FILL OUT A CARD TO SPEAK AND TURN THAT INTO OUR ASSISTANT CITY SECRETARY HEARING. NONE. NO ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS. WE WILL HAVE OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT STREET PROJECTS UPDATE AND GOOD. GOOD TO SEE YOU. THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR. ALL RIGHT. AGAIN MY NAME IS AHMED OKC. I'M THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DIRECTOR.
TODAY WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS UPDATES. NEXT SLIDE. SO THIS IS A PROJECT MAP. AND WE HAVE 17 PROJECTS THAT WE'RE GOING TO COVER TODAY. AND THEN OUR FIRST
[00:40:04]
PROJECT IS DANIEL DALE RECONSTRUCTION OR WIDENING PROJECT. AS YOU CAN SEE THE PROJECT LIMITS. IT GOES ABOUT LIKE 400FT EAST OF WESTMORELAND. THEN IT GOES ALL THE WAY TO THE CITY LIMIT ON THE WEST SIDE. THE PROJECT WILL BE A FOUR LANE DIVIDED CONCRETE, AND WE ALSO DO IMPROVEMENTS TO THE STORM DRAINAGE, SIDEWALKS. AND WE'LL PUT SOME LIGHTING IN THERE AND WE'LL WORK ON THE LANDSCAPING. THE PROJECT ALSO WILL INCLUDE A NEW TRAFFIC SIGNAL AT THE DANIEL DALE AND BOLTON BOONE INTERSECTION. COST ESTIMATE IS $21.1 MILLION. THE PROJECT SCHEDULE IS YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THE DESIGN IS 90% COMPLETE AND WE EXPECT THE CONSTRUCTION TO START IN SUMMER 2026. I'M GOING TO COVER THE NEXT PROJECT. AND IF WE IF YOU GUYS HAVE ANYONE HAVE A QUESTION, THEN WE'LL OPEN THE PRESENTATION UP FOR QUESTIONS AT THE END OF THE PRESENTATION. THE NEXT PROJECT WE HAVE WESTMORELAND RECONSTRUCTION. WE ALSO PROPOSING A FOUR LANE DIVIDED CONCRETE ROADWAY WITH IMPROVEMENTS TO THE STORM DRAINAGE, SIDEWALK LIGHTING AND LANDSCAPE. THIS PROJECT WILL ALSO INCLUDE A NEW TRAFFIC SIGNAL AT WESTMORELAND AND EAGLE DRIVE, AND ANOTHER TRAFFIC SIGNAL AT WESTMORELAND AND PARKERVILLE COST ESTIMATE IS $20 MILLION. THE DESIGN IS 100% COMPLETE, AND WE EXPECT THE CONSTRUCTION TO START IN JANUARY 2026, SO THAT'S GOING TO BE VERY CLOSE. I THINK WE'RE GOING TO BID IT OUT AND END OF AUGUST. NEXT PROJECT, WE HAVE HAMPTON ROAD CHARACTER CODE AND THAT WOULD BE A DESTINATION LOCATION THROUGH STREETSCAPING AND SOME INNOVATIVE DESIGN ELEMENTS. AND, YOU KNOW, IMPROVEMENTS TO THE SIDEWALK AND, YOU KNOW, WALKABLE, VIABLE, COMPLETE STREETS. AND YOU KNOW THAT THAT WOULD BE SAFE FOR PEDESTRIANS. BIKERS, COST ESTIMATE WOULD BE $48 MILLION, BUT THAT WOULD BE A MULTI YEAR PROJECT, AND THAT WOULD BE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR. RIGHT NOW WE ARE AT 15%, WHICH IS BASICALLY THE CONCEPTUAL PLANS.NEXT PROJECT WE HAVE PLEASANT RUN ROADWAY WIDENING. CURRENTLY WE HAVE ONE LANE EASTBOUND, ANOTHER LANE WESTBOUND. THE PROJECT LIMITS GOES FROM WESTMORELAND ALL THE WAY TO COCKRELL HILL. AND WE'RE PROPOSING FOUR LANES DIVIDED CONCRETE RUNWAY WITH OBVIOUSLY NEW UNDERGROUND WATER LINE AND SEWER LINE AND SIDEWALKS AND DRAINAGE AND LIGHTING AND SCAPING. THE COST OF THIS PROJECT IS $22 MILLION. THE DESIGN IS 100% COMPLETE, AND WE WILL START CONSTRUCTION WHEN, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE FUND AVAILABILITY THAT WOULD COVER ALL THE STREETS IN THE CITY. NOW THE NEXT SLIDE IS WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT ALLEYS. SO WE HAVE EIGHT ALLEYS. THIS PROJECT STARTED IN MAY 2025. THE COST IS ABOUT $1 MILLION. WE MADE SOME REALLY GOOD PROGRESS ON A LOT OF THESE ALLEYS. YOU KNOW, YOU SEE ON THE LEFT YOU SEE THE ALLEY ADDRESS AND THEN THE CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS. WE HAVE THE FIRST ONE, 25%, 95% ALL THE WAY DOWN. WE HAVE THE ESTIMATED COMPLETION TIME AS WELL. AND THEN.
STREETS AND ALLEYS. NOW WE'RE COVERING BRIDGES. THERE IS A BRIDGE REPLACEMENT PROJECT THAT IS A TXDOT PROJECT.
[01:00:44]
AND SO THAT'S WHY WE HAVE TO BE BOLD. I THINK YOU SAID THAT EARLIER. WE HAVE TO BE BOLD IN[01:00:50]
OUR APPROACH. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HAVE TOTALLY CHANGED. WE WERE AT ICSE AND.[01:00:57]
THE PRIVATE PUBLIC PARTNERSHIP IS A REAL DEAL AND NOBODY'S MOVING WITHOUT INCENTIVES.[01:01:05]
COMPANIES THAT YOU USED TO, YOU USED TO, THEY USED TO PAY YOU TO COME TO YOUR CITY. NOBODY'S DOING THAT ANYMORE. AND SO WITH THE LEADERSHIP OF CITY OFFICIALS, OUR CITY STAFF, AND THEN COMING BACK AROUND TO THE VISION OF THIS GROUP THAT THAT WAS MADE. BUT IT WAS NOT MADE.THE DECISION WAS NOT MADE. COUNCIL DID NOT MAKE THE DECISION TO BUY IT AND HOLD IT.
SO WE'RE NOT TRYING TO GO INTO THE WE DON'T KNOW HOW TO RUN A GOLF, A GOLF COURSE. IT NEEDS A LOT OF INVESTMENT. SO THAT'S WHY I WAS LIKE, OH YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. DOLLARS ARE COMING FROM A LOT.
YEAH. ABSOLUTELY. ANYTHING ELSE, MADAM VICE PRESIDENT PRIVATE A PRIVATE INVESTOR DO THE IMPROVEMENTS. BUT ANYWAY, THERE YOU GO. THERE YOU GO. BUT NOW WE GET TO CONTROL WHO THAT IS AND PUT THE KIND OF DEMANDS ON WHAT WE'RE EXPECTING. YES. THAT'S RIGHT. ALL THAT'S DONE IN THE SELLER TRANSACTION. OKAY. THANK YOU GUYS. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. SO THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA WAS TO DO AN UPDATE WITH THE HEALTHIER THE HEALTHY DESOTO INITIATIVE. SO REMEMBER THIS WAS KIND OF REMANDED BACK TO US IF YOU WILL. AND WE WILL BRING THAT BACK I THINK I TALKED TO YOU EARLIER BACK IN AUGUST. SO WE'VE MET BRIEFLY THIS WEEK. AS A MATTER OF FACT, WITH THE FOLKS FROM SIG, OUR PARTNERS THERE TALK THROUGH WHAT WE'VE LEARNED, WHERE WE'VE COME FROM, AND HOW DO WE MOVE FORWARD. OKAY. WE'RE DEVELOPING A PRESENTATION THAT SORT OF. ILLUMINATES ALL OF THOSE COMPONENTS AND RESPONDS DIRECTLY TO SOME OF THE QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS THE COUNCIL HAD, BUT PROBABLY MORE IMPORTANTLY, IDENTIFIES WHAT THE LONGER TERM GOAL, NOT JUST THE SHORT TERM GOAL OF THE REAL ESTATE PORTION OF THAT, WHICH IS WHERE WE STARTED OUT. BUT THE LONGER TERM GOAL OF WHAT IS A HEALTHY DESOTO LOOK LIKE, AND HOW DO WE BECAUSE WE DON'T WE DON'T PRETEND TO KNOW. THAT QUESTION IS HOW DO WE DISCOVER IT TOGETHER? AND WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE, THAT WORK PLAN OVER A VERY LONG PERIOD OF TIME. AND SO THAT WE EMBARK ON THAT, IT DOESN'T EXACTLY LOOK LIKE NORMAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WORK. RIGHT. BUT IT IS VERY MUCH SO.
ONE OF THE PILLARS OF THE CITY'S STRATEGIC PLAN IS TO CREATE A HEALTHIER DESOTO. WE'RE NOT SO MUCH INTERESTED IN WHAT RESTAURANTS SELL OR WHAT GROCERY STORES SELL, BECAUSE, LET'S FACE IT, WE CAN'T CONTROL THAT. WHAT WE ARE INTERESTED IN IS CLOSING HEALTH GAPS, CLOSING THE WAY TREATMENT IS DELIVERED IN A COMMUNITY, LOOKING AT THE COMMUNITY NEEDS VERSUS AS SPECIFICALLY AS OPPOSED TO IN A MORE GENERIC FASHION OR IN A BROADER FASHION. THOSE ARE ALL THINGS THAT WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT AND LOOKING AT DIFFERENT WAYS TO DELIVER AN ALTERNATIVE WAY OF DELIVERING HEALTH CARE THAT IS MORE HOLISTIC AND MORE COMMUNITY BASED THAN IT IS DRIVEN BY A BIG BOX WITH BLACK GUYS WITH WHITE COATS IN IT. THAT'S THE PLAN FOR US. AND WE'LL WE WILL CIRCULATE THAT PRESENTATION AMONGST THE BOARD MEMBERS, BECAUSE WE WANT YOU TO SEE IT BEFORE BEFORE IT GOES BACK TO COUNCIL. AND WE'LL ACTUALLY GET A CHANCE TO LOOK AT THAT. WE MEET WE MEET JUST BEFORE, BUT WE'LL CIRCULATE THAT PRESENTATION IN THE MEANTIME, AND THEN WE'LL MEET JUST BEFORE THE WEEK BEFORE THAT. THAT GOES TO COUNCIL. AND THEN WE'LL GO TO COUNCIL THAT FOLLOWING WEEK. OKAY. SO JUST UPDATE YOU KIND OF WHAT'S THERE. AND I THINK THAT IS THE LAST OF THE AGENDA ITEMS THAT I HAVE. NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS WERE WERE PULLED.
YEAH. UNTIL WE HAVE A MORE REPRESENTATIVE CROSS-SECTION OF THE BOARD, WE DECIDED TO PULL THOSE OFF SO THAT THERE'S MORE THAN FOUR. MATCH UPDATES FOR THE EVENT. A COUPLE OF EVENTS COMING THIS MONTH. OH YEAH, AND IT WASN'T. I DON'T THINK IT WAS ON MY LIST OF UPCOMING DATES. AND
[01:05:01]
THAT'S THE YOUNG PROFESSIONAL FORUM YOU'LL REMEMBER. EACH YEAR WE ASK OUR OUR INTERNS TO PLAN TO INVITE AND THEN DELIVER THE YOUNG PROFESSIONAL FORUM IN 30S OR LESS. YOU WANT TO YOU WANT TO TELL US WHERE WE'RE AT? OKAY. MAYBE. MAYBE 60. YEAH, YEAH. SO IN CASE YOU GUYS DON'T KNOW ME, MY NAME IS KEATON SUTTON. I'M INTERNING WITH EDC OVER THE SUMMER WORKING UNDER ANTOINE AND MATT AND I HAVE FLIERS FOR YOU GUYS TO LEAVE WITH, BUT PART OF MY CAPSTONE PROJECT IS DEVELOPING THIS YOUNG PROFESSIONALS FORUM. IT'S DESIGNED TO GATHER THESE YOUNG PROFESSIONALS IN THE DFW METROPLEX AREA AND EDUCATE THEM ON THREE MAIN PILLARS. THIS YEAR THERE'S GOING TO BE CAREER GROWTH, NETWORKING AND LOCAL IMPACT, AND REAL ESTATE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. WE HAVE SOME AMAZING PANELISTS, INCLUDING MISS MAGGIE PARKER.AND YEAH, IT'S GOING TO BE HELD HERE IN THE CIVIC CENTER IN THE BLUEBONNET ROOM ON JULY 31ST FROM 6 TO 8 P.M. CHICK FIL A WILL BE CATERING, YOU KNOW, CHICK FIL A FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE. YOU KNOW, WE ALREADY HAVE ABOUT 50 REGISTRANTS AND I THINK WE SCHEDULED 50 MEALS. SO YEAH, SOMEBODY'S GOT TO DONATE THEM ALL THE EGGS. GOOD JOB, GREAT JOB. YEAH. DATE AGAIN JULY 31ST.
THURSDAY, JULY 31ST FROM 6 TO 8 P.M. SIX DAY. HOPE YOU'LL ADD THAT TO YOUR CALENDARS IF YOU'RE AVAILABLE. WE'D LOVE TO SEE YOU THERE! IF YOU HAD YOUNG PEOPLE ON YOUR STAFF THAT WEREN'T GOING TO BE WORKING AND YOU WANTED TO ENCOURAGE THEM, IT'D BE AWESOME. I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY OF THAT APPLIES TO. YEAH, NO, I TO BE ON THE FLIER BEFORE WE LEAVE. SO YOU. YEAH THAT'S THAT CONCLUDES MY UPDATE. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU MATT. SO NOW WE GO TO THE CONSENT AGENDA CORRECT. INDEED.
OKAY. SO. I ASK FOR A MOTION OKAY. SO I WILL ASK FOR A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE JUNE 12TH, 2025 REGULAR BOARD MEETING. I MOVE THAT, WE MOVE, I MOVE, I MOVE THAT WE ACCEPT THE AGENDA A SECOND, SECOND. OKAY. WE HAVE WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE JUNE 12TH, 2025 REGULAR BOARD MEETING. AND IT'S BEEN SECONDED. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY I, I ANY AGAINST. THE MINUTES AGAINST. OKAY. ANYTHING ELSE? NO. EXECUTIVE SESSION. RIGHT. ANY UPDATES WE'VE ALREADY HAD UPDATES FROM COUNCILMAN BURKE. UNLESS THERE'S ANY OTHER UPDATES FROM THE BOARD. BOARD ANNOUNCEMENTS? I HAVE A SMALL UPDATE. SO AS THE GRANT COMES TO THE END ON JUNE 30TH THROUGH 2026, THAT SEEMS SO FAR. BUT IT'S SO CLOSE. BEING IN I SOME OF YOU KNOW BEN BEN IS ASSOCIATE VICE. WELL, HE'S THE ASSOCIATE VICE CHANCELLOR ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AT THE COLLEGE AND HE'S BASICALLY MY BOSS. WE'RE ALREADY WORKING WITH DALLAS COLLEGE FOUNDATION TO SEEK OUT DONORS, TO BASICALLY GIVE US MONEY TO CONTINUE TO DO THE WORK OF THE BIOTECH INITIATIVE. SO OUR HOPE IS THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET FUNDS TO MAKE IT A HARD MONEY INVESTMENT AT THE COLLEGE. SO THE GOAL IS THAT WE'LL GET A FUNDER TO FUND IT FOR TWO YEARS AND THEN BY YEAR THREE, SO IT WILL BE ON HARD MONEY AT THE COLLEGE AND INTO OUR BUDGET. BUT THE REASON WHY THAT WORKS FOR DE SOTO IS IT WILL CONTINUE TO PAY FOR THE CLASSES FOR THOSE STUDENTS IF WE'RE ABLE TO GET THE DONOR. SO THE HIGH SCHOOL MAY NOT HAVE TO EAT THAT COST OF PAYING PANTHERA FOR. THAT'S TERRIFIC, HOWEVER MANY YEARS. SO THE HOPE IS THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET THAT. AND WE'RE ALSO WORKING RIGHT NOW WITH LIGHTCAST, WHICH IS BASICALLY LIKE A DATA ENTITY. WE GET ALL OUR WORKFORCE DATA AND ALL THAT STUFF FROM THEM THAT WE USE TO DO AN ECONOMIC IMPACT STUDY OF HOW MUCH BIOTECH HAS INFLUENCED THE WAY THE DALLAS MARKET IS EMERGING FROM A MONETARY STANDPOINT. SO THE GOAL IS TO BE ABLE TO GET THE ECONOMIC IMPACT STUDY FROM THE GRANT TO WHAT HAPPENED AT DE SOTO BEING ONE OF ONLY THREE PROGRAMS WHICH WE'VE ALREADY GOTTEN, WE'VE GOTTEN LIKE 5 OR 6 EMAILS FROM OVER THE COUNTRY ABOUT THEIR INTEREST.
THEY HEARD ABOUT DE SOTO ON THE NEWS. IT GOT PICKED UP SOMEWHERE. IT GOT SHARED. AND THEN THE GOAL IS TO DO THIS ECONOMIC IMPACT STUDY ABOUT HOW THE GOOD JOBS CHALLENGE WITH THE EMERGING MARKET, WITH THE EDC'S INVESTMENT AND ALL THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED, HOW IT KIND OF BOOMED BIOTECH. SO THEN WE'LL BE ABLE TO USE THAT IMPACT STUDY. IT'LL BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
ANYBODY CAN USE IT. SO WE CAN NOW SHOW SITE SELECTORS HOW THE DFW REGION IS A GOOD PLACE OF INVESTMENT. THAT'S EXCITING. YEAH. AND THE GOAL IS TO STUDY WILL BE DONE ONCE WE GET THE CONTRACT. SOMETIMES HERE WITHIN THE NEXT 2 TO 3 MONTHS THAT THE STUDY WILL BE DONE IN ABOUT SIX MONTHS. SO THE GOAL IS TO HAVE IT WITHIN THE NEXT TWO MONTHS. SO YEAH, WE'LL BE ABLE TO USE
[01:10:06]
THAT AS WE'RE IT'S GREAT TO HEAR. FORWARD. ARE Y'ALL ARE Y'ALL APPROACHING THE EMPLOYERS INVOLVED IN BUYING. WE ARE WE ARE. SO THE GOAL IS I THINK LIKE HAS SENT ME A LONG EMAIL BASICALLY JUST ASKING ALL THESE DIFFERENT QUESTIONS LIKE HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL BE PAYING A TRAINING. SO FOR EXAMPLE, FROM THE GRANT WE'VE ADDED, AS OF I'LL JUST USE TODAY AS A ROUGH NUMBER. WE'VE ADDED 525 INDIVIDUALS TO THE JOB MARKET SINCE JUNE OF LAST YEAR, WHO ARE ALL MAKING THRIVING WAGES. SO IN THE 20 TO 25, SOME OF THEM ARE MAKING $3,040, DEPENDING ON WHAT CERTIFICATION THEY HAVE. SO WE'VE DONE THAT. SO WE USE THAT TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS. THEY ASKED ABOUT THE DIFFERENT MARKETS. AND WE HAD ONE. SO IT WAS EITHER 1 OR 6 OR 1 OR 7 THAT GOT MONEY FOR THE GOOD JOB CHALLENGE. THE GOAL WAS OF THE EMERGING MARKETS JUST TO SEE IF IT WOULD WORK. THERE WAS NO GUARANTEE THAT IT WOULD WORK, AND THE BIOTECH SECTOR WAS THE ONLY SUCCESSFUL ONE OUT OF THE SEVEN. THE OTHER SIX FAILED. REALLY? YEAH. THAT'S THAT'S MAN.YEAH. IT WAS THE ONLY ONE THAT ACTUALLY SOLD. SO IT'S KIND OF BEEN INTERESTING TO SEE KIND OF EMERGE. AND WE WERE TALKING TO OUR PROJECT OFFICER LAST WEEK, AND WE WERE TELLING HER HOW IT WAS REALLY THE COLLABORATIVE EFFORT OF WORKING WITH EMPLOYERS, WORKING WITH DESOTO'S EDC, WORKING WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND THEN ALSO WORKING WITH SOME OF THE BIGGER HOSPITAL PARTNERS, AS WELL AS SOME OF THE BIOTECH COMPANIES THAT MADE IT SUCCESSFUL. AND I THINK BEN WAS JUST AT A HE WAS HE WAS SOMEWHERE IN THERE WAS THIS THERAPEUTICS COMPANY THAT WAS CONSIDERING COMING TO THE METROPLEX. AND A GUY WAS LIKE, WELL, I'M LOOKING FOR SOMEBODY TO BE IN CONTACT WITH, BUT I CAN'T FIND ANYBODY. AND BEN WAS LIKE, OH MY GOSH, YOU'RE TALKING TO THE RIGHT PERSON. SO WHEN I SAY PEOPLE ARE COMING OUT OF THE WOODWORKS NOW TO DO DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE THEY ARE. SO IT'S VERY SUCCESSFUL. BUT I KNOW THE WORK OF THE BOARD ALLOWING DESOTO HIGH SCHOOL TO BE IN A POSITION TO DO THAT HAS LED TO, I THINK, FORT WORTH ISD AND TWO OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO FOLLOW THAT MODEL. AND WE'RE ALSO GOING TO PUT WE'RE GOING TO PUT THE EQUIPMENT. DALLAS COLLEGE IS NOW DECIDING TO PUT THE EQUIPMENT IN REDBIRD, SO WE WILL DO THE EXACT SAME TRAINING ON A LARGER SCALE AT REDBIRD. SO IF LOCAL, OTHER LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS CAN'T PUT THE LAB UP IN THEIR FACILITY, THEY CAN GO TO REDBIRD TO DO THE TRAINING. THAT'S GREAT. SO THAT'S THE KIND OF STUFF FROM PR STANDPOINT, WE NEED TO WE NEED TO BE TALKING ABOUT BECAUSE WE LITERALLY WHEN PEOPLE SAY, WHAT ARE Y'ALL DOING? IF YOU GUYS ARE DOING ANYTHING, WE LITERALLY ARE THE WHOLE 500 NUMBER OF KIDS. THAT'S A BIG DEAL. IT IS. YEAH, THAT'S A BIG DEAL. BECAUSE REMEMBER, THOSE AREN'T KIDS WHO ARE GOING TO SCHOOL. THEY WEREN'T GOING TO GO TO COLLEGE AND GET THOSE DEGREES. THEY'RE THEY'RE GETTING THIS CERTIFICATE. AND STARTING IN, THEY MAY NOW END UP IN TWO YEAR AND FOUR YEAR. AND, YOU KNOW, MASTER'S AND PHD PROGRAMS AS A RESULT OF THIS. THAT'S 500 KIDS THAT DIDN'T HAVE A PATH. AND NOW THEY HAVE CAREER PATHS. NOT A JOB BUT A CAREER OPPORTUNITY. THAT'S WHAT THE OPPORTUNITIES. THAT'S A BIG DEAL. THOSE ARE THOSE ARE ASTOUNDING NUMBERS. CONGRATS ONE OF SEVEN. THAT'S AWESOME I'M STRESSED I WAS HAPPY I'M HAPPY. IT FINALLY WORKED. I FEEL LIKE WE JUST PIVOTED UNTIL WE GOT IT RIGHT. BUT I THINK MYSELF AND CHRIS, IF YOU ALL KNOW CHRIS, HE'S EXCELLENT TO BE ON THE TEAM WITH. SO YOU KNOW, HE WAS MY RIGHT HAND MAN IN THIS SITUATION. SO WE DEFINITELY DID A LOT OF WORK TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
SO I'M EXCITED THAT IT HAPPENED. I'M MORE SPECIFICALLY EXCITED THAT IT HAPPENED AT DESOTO ISD, BECAUSE HONESTLY, I CAN'T SAY THAT IT'S THE ONLY ONE IN THE COUNTRY ON THE RECORD, BUT IT IS ACTUALLY THE ONLY ONE IN THE COUNTRY. WE JUST HAVE TO SAY ONE OF THREE, BECAUSE THERE ARE SOME THAT ARE SIMILAR. BUT WHAT WE DID EXACTLY HAS NEVER BEEN REPLICATED. SO THAT'S AMAZING.
WELL, I HOPE THAT WE CAN PICK YOU AND BEN AND CHRIS'S BRAINS TO GIVE US TO, TO DEVELOP SOME ADVERTISING, SOME PROMOTIONAL WORK, CREATE A PRESS RELEASE AND BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT THAT FOR SURE. YEP. WE'LL MAKE THAT HAPPEN. YEAH. OKAY. YEAH. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. ANY MORE ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPDATES? OKAY. THERE ARE NO MORE ANNOUNCEMENTS. UPDATES. IT IS 7:24 P.M. JULY 2025 BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING OF THE DESOTO DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION IS ADJOURNED.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.