* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:01] RECORDING IN PROGRESS. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. HERE WE, UH, GOOD AFTERNOON [1. Establishment of quorum and call to order.] AT THE TIME IS 3 26 AND SORRY FOR THE DELAY. UH, THE WEATHER IS OUT, YOU KNOW, ACTUALLY BAD OUT THERE AND THANKS FOR EVERYONE THAT'S TURNED, UH, TUNING IN TODAY. UH, THE MEETING OF THE TURF IS NOW CALLED TO ORDER. THE DATE IS AUGUST 18. UH, THE TIME IS 3 27. UH, WE NEED TO ESTABLISH A ROLL CALL, UM, CITY ATTORNEY. THANK YOU. UM, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CALL THE ROLE COUNCIL MEMBER. UH, THOMAS KEN, LAST CITY OF PORT ARTHUR TERS CHAIRMAN HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER, CHARLOTTE, MOSES CITY OF PORT ARTHUR MAYER, THURMAN BHARTI CITY OF PORT ARTHUR COUNTY, COMMISSIONER MICHAEL SHANE SENEGAL, UH, JEFFERSON COUNTY COMMISSIONER JEFFERSON COUNTY DRAINAGE, DISTRICT NUMBER SEVEN, JAMES GAMBLE, COMMISSIONER JOSEPH JOHNSON, SABINE NATURE'S NAVIGATION DISTRICT. UH, MR. CHAIRMAN, YOU HAVE A CALL. THANK YOU. A CITY ATTORNEY. [2. Approval of Minutes from the previous TIRZ Board Meeting held on July 7, 2022.] UH, NOW, UH, MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES THAT WAS ON OUR LAST MEETING? UH, JULY 7TH, 2022. MAY I HAVE A MOTION, MAKE MOTION TO APPROVE? MAY I HAVE A SECOND? IT WAS MOTION IS SECOND THAT WE APPROVED THE MINUTES FROM JULY 7TH, 2020 TO ANY QUESTIONS, IF THERE ARE NO QUESTIONS THAT I NOW CALL FOR APPROVAL MAY HAVE APPROVAL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ANY NAYS? THE MINUTES HAVE BEEN APPROVED. THANK YOU. UH, NEXT [3. Update regarding the expansion of the TIRZ boundaries.] IS BULLET POINT NUMBER THREE, UPGRADING REGARDING THE EXPANSION OF THE TERM BOUNDARY CITY ATTORNEY. THANK YOU. UM, MR. CHAIRMAN, UM, WHAT WE HAVE ABOVE ON THE, UH, OVERHEAD IS OUR EXPANDED, UH, BOUNDARIES. AT THE LAST TIME WE MET, WE, UM, HAD BEEN WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH THE PORT OF PORT ARTHUR, UH, WITH REGARD TO EXPANDING OUR BOUNDARIES THAT WOULD, UH, UTILIZE A LOT OF THE AREA, UM, ON THEIR FACILITY AND, UH, WHERE THERE, THERE WILL BE DOING ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT. SO AS YOU SEE ON THE OVERHEAD WE HAVE IN YELLOW IS THE EXISTING TERS BOUNDARY THAT WE'VE HAD, UH, FOR QUITE A FEW YEARS AND BASED UPON OUR MEETINGS AND ON THE REQUEST OF THE PORT, UM, THESE ARE THE NEW EXPANDED BOUNDARIES. UH, WE'RE HAPPY TO REPORT THAT. UM, AT THE LAST CITY COUNCIL MEETING, THE COUNCIL DID AGREE TO EXPAND THESE BOUNDARIES, UH, THAT WOULD, THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR MORE DEVELOPMENT IN ANY, UM, UH, MORE, UM, BUSINESSES TO BE, UH, INCLUDED, INCLUDING, UH, AREAS, UH, SUGGESTED BY THE PORT. SO WE JUST WANT TO CLEAR UP, UH, AND MAKE IT CLEAR THAT THIS IS OUR NEW MAP. THIS IS OUR AMENDED MAP. UM, AND WE'RE ALSO GOING TO BE HAVING A PUBLIC HEARING AT THE NEXT CITY COUNCIL MEETING, UH, JUST TO FORMALIZE ALL OF THIS. UH, THE NOTICE I HAD ANOTHER COPY OF THE NOTICE, UH, CAUSE OUR LAST MEETING, WE, WE BASICALLY, UM, VOTED TO AMEND THE BOUNDARIES, BUT IT WAS ALSO SUBJECT TO A PUBLIC HEARING. SO THE CITY COUNCIL ALSO REQUESTED THAT THE, UM, IN THE ORDINANCE, AS WE REQUIRED BY STATUTE TO HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING. SO THIS NOTICE WILL BE IN THE NEWSPAPER ON SATURDAY, AND IT'S JUST NOTICED THAT, UH, WE'RE GOING TO BE ENLARGING THE BOUNDARIES. SO IF THERE'S ANY TYPE OF, UM, PUBLIC CONCERN, THE PUBLIC WILL HAVE A RIGHT, UH, TO STATE. SO, AND THEN AFTER THE PUBLIC HEARING, THEN WE WILL BE ABLE TO FINALIZE ALL OF THIS. UM, BUT, UH, THE PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE WILL RUN SATURDAY AND, UH, THE PUBLIC WILL BE GIVEN, UH, A COPY OF THIS IN THE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTING WHAT THE NEW AREA WILL BE. UM, SO THAT IS THE UPDATE REGARDING THE BOUNDARIES. I DIDN'T KNOW IF ANYONE HAD ANY QUESTIONS, BUT YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS LOCATION THAT WILL ALSO GO INTO CERTAIN BUSINESS AREAS IN THE WEST SIDE TO BE INCLUDED. OKAY. UM, DIRECTORS, ANY QUESTIONS? WELL, I HAVE ONE QUESTION FOR YOU. UM, CITY ATTORNEY, I DON'T KNOW, AM I UNDERSTANDING THAT SHOULD BE THOMAS? IS THAT THOMAS BOULEVARD YOU GOT WHERE YOU'RE GOING ALL THE WAY, UH, TO ON THE NEW MAP, YOU SEE WAY A WHITE ROSE CHURCH OF CHRIST IS THAT THOMAS, JANICE THAT'S THOMAS THOMAS. AND SO WE DECIDED TO GO MORE, UH, ACTUALLY THE PURPLE AREA. YEAH. YES. IT LOOKS LIKE IT GOES [00:05:01] ALL THE WAY UP TO THOMAS YESWARE. YES. BETWEEN WHITE ROSE CHURCH AND TO KOA ACADEMY. SO THAT WOULD BE JOE LOUIS AVENUE AND THE SIDE STREET. I'M SORRY, I CAN'T MAKE OUT THE SIDE STREET. OKAY. I WAS LOOKING AT THIS AND THINKING ABOUT IT THOUGH, EVEN THOUGH I KNOW WE HAD TALKED ABOUT IT AND THIS WAS WHAT, MORE OF THE AREA THAT THE PORT IS ACTUALLY, UH, WORKING ON, BUT WOULD THERE BE A PROBLEM IF WE EXTENDED IT TO GULF WAY? UH, BECAUSE, UH, THERE ARE SOME OTHER BUSINESSES THAT MIGHT BE ABLE TO, UH, BE, UH, BROUGHT IN OR MAY BENEFIT FROM, UH, BEING, BEING IN A CARRIAGE ZONE. YEAH. YEP. IF WE WENT, YOU KNOW, SINCE WE'RE DOING THE CHANGES IN, IN, IN THE, UH, BOUNDARIES, IF THEY ARE A PROBLEM WITH OUR, CONSIDERING IT OR GOING, GOING ALL THE WAY TO GFE WHITE, UM, UH, THE BOARD CAN EXTEND THE BOUNDARIES AS THEY SEE FIT. THIS WAS THE REQUEST WHERE WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON RIGHT NOW, BUT WE WOULD ALSO HAVE TO KIND OF BACK THE PROCESS UP IN ORDER TO DO THAT. YELLOW IS THE EXISTING TERS AND THE PURPLE IS WHAT HAS BEEN PROPOSED BY THE PORT. BUT BECAUSE THEY'RE A TAXING ENTITY, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT THEY HAVE REQUESTED. I MEAN, YOU CAN MAKE THE BOUNDARIES, BUT THERE'S SOME LIMITATIONS, BUT I THINK MR. IS GOING TO TALK ABOUT THAT. YEAH. AND ONE OF THE THINGS MARY IS THAT WE WOULD RECOMMEND THAT YOU HAVE A PETITION WHERE PEOPLE ARE REQUESTING TO BE IN, AND THAT IT'S EASIER TO DEAL WITH THOSE BECAUSE YOU COULD, YOU COULD DO IT. BUT THEN IF YOU, IF YOU GET A PROTEST FROM THE BUSINESS, FOR INSTANCE, IF WE WANTED TO EXPAND UP THE ROAD THAT YOU WERE DESCRIBING, SOME OF THOSE BUSINESSES, THEY MADE THE PROPERTY OWNERS MAY NOT WANT TO BE IN THERE WITH THIS ONE. WE HAVE THE OWNERS OF THE PROPERTY, THE PORT THEY'RE PETITIONING TO GET IN, THEY WANT TO BE IN. SO, SO YOU WANT TO ADDRESS THAT YOU MAY, AS A CITY, WE MAY WANT TO ADDRESS THOSE OTHER, OTHER AREAS LATER, BUT, BUT NOW WHEN YOU HAVE SOMEBODY THAT WANTS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF, OF DOING THIS, IT'S, IT'S ADVISABLE TO DO IT. OKAY. WELL, THANK YOU FOR THAT EXPLANATION. AND THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. I ALREADY KNOW, BECAUSE THE THOUGHT THAT I HAD, NO, I TOTALLY AGREE MIRROR. MAYBE WE SHOULD CONSIDER IT AT A LATER DATE, UH, HOW TO GET OTHER ENTITIES OR AREAS IN INCLUDED IN THE TERMS, UH, CHARLOTTE, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, THAT WE APPROVED THE, UH, PEACE AND PLEASURE ISLAND ABOUT, UH, THE TURF. DID WE DO THAT? IS THAT STILL DID THAT, DID WE EXPAND THAT BECAUSE I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND SOME OTHER, WE HAD A DISCUSSION ABOUT IT. DID WE ACTUALLY INCLUDE THEM? NO, WE HAD A BUSINESS. THEY WANT IT TO BE INCLUDED IN THE TERS THE GAS STATION, AND THEN THEY WOUND UP RUNNING INTO SOME OTHER ISSUES. SO WE HADN'T EXPANDED. NO, WE HAVEN'T EXPANDED BEYOND THE, UM, LAST FEW YEARS WE WE'VE HAD, WE HAD VERY SIGNIFICANT DISCUSSIONS, BUT THEN THE GAS STATION, UH, THE BUSINESS, THEY HAD SOME, SOME ISSUES WITH, UH, ENTER INTO A DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT. SO THEY, THEY ASKED THAT WE KIND OF HOLD OFF ON THEIR PROJECT. SO ISSUES WITH THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS AND WITH THE EROSION. AND WE'VE AN EXISTING LAWSUIT WITH THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS AND THE COUNTY. SO WE COULDN'T PURSUE THAT ON TILL THEY HAVE GOT KNOWLEDGE ISSUES RESOLVED. YOU KNOW, THERE HAS BEEN SINCE VERY SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE COMMISSIONER'S THING ANEGADA WAS PART OF THE DISCUSSION WITH US. REMEMBER WE HAD ONE-ON-ONE MEETING WITH THEM. YEAH. THERE WAS SOME ISSUES WITH THE EROSION NEAR THAT AREA AND THE PROPERTY LINE. SO I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT AT SOME POINT WE'D LIKE TO REVISIT, BUT THERE WAS SOME EROSION ISSUES IN THAT LAWSUIT. YEAH. OKAY. OKAY. UH, ALL RIGHT. UH, ANY MORE QUESTIONS, UH, DIRECTORS, IF THERE ARE NO MORE QUESTIONS WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE THE AGENDAS PRINTED. WE'RE [4. To discuss the proposed projects in the Downtown TIRZ.] GOING TO GO TO NUMBER FOUR TO DISCUSS THE PROPOSED PROJECT IN THE DOWNTOWN TERSE, UH, TO THE ATTORNEY. OKAY. AND WE'LL, WE CAN KINDA, UM, HAVE EVERYONE KIND OF COMMENT, BUT BASICALLY NOW THAT WE'RE EXPANDING OUR BOUNDARIES, UM, WE'RE LOOKING AT, UM, OF COURSE WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT, UH, AS YOU DIRECTED MARKETING, WE HAVE OUR WEBSITE UP AND WE'RE GOING TO BE WORKING ON FOCUSING THE REMAINDER OF THIS YEAR ON MARKETING, AS YOU REQUESTED. UM, WE HAVE OBVIOUSLY ONE MAJOR DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT, WHICH IS WITH, UH, AURORA. UM, OUR UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE STARTING BACK DOING SOME WORK IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA AND KIND OF STARTING THAT PROCESS UP AGAIN. AND THEN, UM, AS WE DO THE MARKETING WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO IN THE NEXT FEW MEETINGS, UM, IN A MINUTE, WE'LL TALK ABOUT ADDING ON TO THE BOARD, BUT, UM, IN THE NEXT FEW MINUTES MEETINGS [00:10:01] TALKING ABOUT TRYING TO TALK TO BUSINESSES AND, UH, TALK TO ABOUT COMING TO THE TERS AND ADDING, UH, ADDITIONAL BUSINESSES AND TRYING TO ENTER INTO, UH, VARIOUS DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS, THE MAIN FOCUS THAT WE HAVE ALSO, WE WOULD LIKE TO EXPLORE THAT CONVERSATION IS AS WE TALKED ABOUT OUR FINANCES AT THE LAST MEETING, UM, TALKING ABOUT PUTTING TOGETHER A CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S IN THE BUDGET, IT'S A SMALL AMOUNT, BUT WORKING ON OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS AND, UH, HAVING SOME TYPE OF PLAN FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, WHAT TYPE OF INFRASTRUCTURE IS WHERE WE LEFT OFF? I THINK THE MANAGER TALKED ABOUT FIBER OPTICS AND SIDEWALKS AND LIGHTING TO, UM, I'M GLAD THAT VAL MENTIONED THAT JUST BEFORE I CAME UPSTAIRS, I JUST SIGNED OFF ON, UM, A, A, UM, AGENDA ITEM FOR IPHONE, FOR FIBER OPTICS. SO IVANHOE IS ACTUALLY GETTING THE BALL ROLLING FOR THE NEXT CITY COUNCIL. AS SOON AS WE GET APPROVAL, WE GET A CONTRACTOR MOVING ON WITH IVAN'S THE TRANSIT ASPECT OF FIBER OPTICS. UM, WE'VE, WE'VE AN ENGINEERING COMPANY OUT THERE. UM, WE DO ALSO HAVE THE $3.7 MILLION THAT HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY THE EDA FOR FIBER OPTICS IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA. I I'VE, AND I DON'T KNOW WHETHER YOU WANT TO COME AND EXPOUND A LITTLE BIT ON WHAT YOUR PROJECT SCOPE IS LIKE. UM, THAT WILL ACTUALLY BE A CATALYST FOR ALL THE BUSINESSES, UM, WHILE IT MAY CONTINUE TO SERVE FOR THE GOOD OF THE TRANSIT DEPARTMENT, IT MAY BE A CATALYST FOR OTHER BUSINESSES THAT'S WILLING TO LOCATE IN THE TUTSI AREA. YES, CERTAINLY IT WILL. UM, SO BASICALLY MY PROJECT AND I BELIEVE YOU GUYS PROBABLY SAW THE REMEMBER READING, UM, I GUESS THE SCOPE OF IT WHEN IT WENT TO COUNCIL FOR PASSAGE, BUT MORE OR LESS WHERE, UM, WE ABUT THE ALLEY THAT GOES BASICALLY FROM HOUSTON AVENUE ALL THE WAY DOWN TO, UH, SAY SAVANNAH, UM, IN THAT ALLEY THERE'S, UM, UTILITY LINES, POWER LINES IS AT AND T EVERYTHING'S IN THE ALLEY. SO IT TAKES UP A LOT OF REAL ESTATE. UM, FOR THE SMALL PROPERTY I HAVE, UM, THAT'S REAL ESTATE THAT I COULD USE. UM, AND IT LIMITS MY BUILDING CAPACITY FOR HOW HIGH I CAN BUILD SOME STUFF AND HOW CLOSE IT CAN BE TO THE ALLEY. SO MY GOAL WITH THIS PROJECT IS TO PUT EVERYTHING UNDERGROUND. UM, NOT ONLY DOES IT HELP ME WITH BUILDING, BUT WHEN WE HAVE A INCLEMENT MATTER WHERE IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ANOTHER HURRICANE AT SOME POINT, RIGHT. SOMETHING'S GOING TO HAPPEN. UM, IT HELPS ME, UM, RETAIN POWER TO MY BILLINGS A LOT EASIER. I HAVE ANYTHING ON THE GROUND. SO THIS PROJECT, UM, THAT WE'RE GOING TO SCOPE OUT, WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH ENERGY. UH, WE BELIEVE THAT THAT THE STANDARDS AND THE GUIDELINES THAT WE SET NOW, I CAN BE UTILIZED THROUGHOUT THE CITY ON HOW, UM, WHEN OTHER PROJECTS COME UP, WE WERE ABLE TO PUT THINGS UNDERGROUND, UM, IN CONJUNCTION WITH WORKING WITH ENERGY AT T AND T, UM, IT'S TIME MORE THAN AROUND HERE OR NOT. I'M SORRY, SPECTRUM, AND ANYONE ELSE WHO'S WHO'S, I GUESS, HAS OVERHEAD LINES OR SOMETHING GOING AROUND. SO, UM, IT'S A GOOD PROJECT. UH, IT'S COMING FROM, UH, FTA FUNDS THAT HAVE BEEN APPROVED. UM, I'M LOOKING FOR ADDITIONAL MONEY TO DO OTHER SIMILAR THINGS, BUT I BELIEVE IN THE LONG RUN, THE GOAL IS TO HOPEFULLY DO FROM HOUSTON, SAVANNAH, UM, PUT EVERYTHING UNDERGROUND AND THAT'S A MAJOR CORRIDOR THAT'S I KNOW, UM, BASICALLY THE ALLEY FOR SEVERAL BUSINESSES ON PROCTOR AND FOURTH STREET. THANK YOU. UH, ANY QUESTIONS? UH, COUNCIL MEMBER MOSES? YEAH, I KNOW. I DIDN'T HAVE IVAN. THAT'S GOOD. I'M GLAD THAT THAT'S GONNA WORK OUT UNDERGROUND. HOW WOULD WE CONNECT THE TWO, THE EDA GRANT THAT WE'RE GETTING? UM, BECAUSE IT'S $3.7 MILLION THAT WE HAVING THROUGH THE EDA GRANT FOR FOUR OR FIBER OPTICS SPECIFICALLY, AND WORK THAT IN WITH WHAT IVAN'S DOING SO THAT WE'RE NOT, WE WANT TO CODE. YEAH. GOOD POINT. YEAH. VERY GOOD QUESTION. SO, UM, THE ENGINEER I'VE HIRED THE SOCO GROUP, UM, THEY'VE ALREADY STARTED, UH, THEY'RE GOING TO BASICALLY, UM, MORE OR LESS LEAD A LOT OF THE COORDINATION BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE INVOLVED. THERE'S ALL THE UTILITY COMPANIES. THERE'S MY ENGINEER, WHERE WE HAVE TO DO FOR TRANSIT. PLUS WHOEVER THE CITY DECIDES TO HIRE, I BELIEVE IT'S, IT WAS AT AWS AWC. UM, IT HAS TO BE COORDINATED. NUMBER ONE, WE CAN'T JUST DO IT. WE WANT TO DO AND NOT TALK, RIGHT? YEAH. SO THE SOCO GROUP IS THEY'RE GOING TO LEAD THE COORDINATION. WE'VE ALREADY HAD TWO MEETINGS WITH A LOT OF THE PARTIES INVOLVED. UM, BUT IN TERMS OF HOW THE FUNDS WHO'S GOT THE BASICALLY COME UP WITH SEPARATE BID PACKAGES FOR TRANSIT. CAUSE YEAH, I CAN'T HAVE MY FUNDS MIXED WITH EDA AND VICE VERSA, SO THEY WILL BE SEPARATE BID PACKAGES, BUT EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE CLOSELY COORDINATED. [00:15:01] YEAH. MY MAIN QUESTION FOR THAT, UH, RESIDENT IS SO THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE NOT DOING ONE THING OF COURSE, WITH YOUR FUNDS AND ALL OF THAT AND, AND KEEPING YOUR SEPARATE RECORDS AND THEN THE CITY WITH OUR, YOU KNOW, WE GOT TO MAKE SURE IT'S ALL COLLABORATIVE WITHOUT TAB ONE STREET AND DO FIBER OPTICS AND TAP ONE AREA. AND THEN WE GOT TO GO BACK AND RE TEAR IT UP AGAIN, JUST SO THERE'S COLLABORATION. EXACTLY. AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING. AND THE SO-CALLED GROUP HAS BEEN TASKED WITH, UM, LEADING THE COLLABORATIVE EFFORT AND MAKING SURE EVERYBODY'S AT THE TABLE AND MAKE SURE EVERYBODY'S BEING A DISCUSSIONS EVERYBODY'S IN AGREEMENT BEFORE WE START TEARING STUFF UP. BECAUSE I AGREE IF I DON'T WANT TO TEAR SOMETHING UP, FIX IT OR DO WHATEVER THEN A YEAR LATER, OOPS, WE'VE GOT THIS AND GOT TO COME BACK AND DO SOMETHING ELSE. YEAH. IT'S A COMPLETE WASTE OF RESOURCES. THE GRANT. YEAH. MINE'S A GRANT. IT'S A, UM, I'M USING THE, I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT SCREEN I'M USING, BUT IT'S EITHER ONE OF MY 80 20 GRANTS OR IT MIGHT BE A HUNDRED PERCENT GRANT. I CAN'T REMEMBER, BUT IT'S DEFINITELY A GRANT. OKAY. MARY BARCHIE. OKAY. OH, W W WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, I RECEIVED SOME INFORMATION MONDAY, AND EVEN AT THE END OF LAST WEEK FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OF, THERE IS SOME MONIES AVAILABLE GRANTS THAT ARE AVAILABLE, AVAILABLE FOR BROADBAND. AND, UH, I WAS GOING TO SHARE IT WITH YOU, UH, UH, CITY MANAGER I'LL LOOK THAT UP. IF I CAN'T GET IT TOMORROW BY MONDAY, I CAN GET IT TO YOU, UH, DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY. AND THERE IS TWO WEBINARS THAT THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE IN THE NEXT WEEK THAT IF I'M GATHERING THAT YOU HAVE A GOOD INTEREST IN IT, AND I'M GOING TO SHARE THOSE THINGS WITH YOU, WE CAN APPLY THAT THERE IS MONIES, AND IT BASICALLY COMES FROM THE BI-PARTISAN, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE BILL. AND THERE ARE TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR CITIES OR COUNTIES AND GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES THAT WOULD MAKE THE REQUEST. UH, SOME OF THESE ARE DISCRETIONARY FUNDS, SOME ARE NOT, BUT FOR INFRASTRUCTURE IN OUR AREA. AND I THINK LARRY STARTED KNOWS ABOUT THIS. IF WE ARE CONSIDERED RURAL BECAUSE OF OUR POPULATION SIZE, IT CAUSES US TO BE ABLE TO GET SOME FUNDS. WHEREAS IN OTHER OTHER AREAS, IF WE JUST DON'T WANT TO HAVE THAT DISTINCTION, THEN IT DISQUALIFIES US FROM, UH, EVEN, YOU KNOW, BEING IN THE POOL TO RECEIVE SOME OF THOSE FUNDS. UM, I WOULD SHARE THAT WITH YOU AND THE CITY MANAGER, AND, UH, THERE MAY BE SOME THINGS THAT WE CAN APPLY FOR TO DO WITH COSMIN. AND MOSES IS SAYING THAT WE COULD ACTUALLY LOOK AT MORE AREAS OR LARGER AREA THAN WHAT YOU'RE EVEN SPEAKING OF, BECAUSE THE MONEY ISN'T THERE, IT'S A TIME LIMIT ON THEM BECAUSE SOME OF THEM HAVE TO BE DONE BY CERTAIN TIMES. IT'S SEPTEMBER AND ANOTHER ONE. I BELIEVE THAT I RECEIVED FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY BY THE FIRST OF THE SECOND WEEK OF OCTOBER. OKAY. YEP. TO HAVE EVERYTHING IN YEAH. TO, UH, THOSE DEPARTMENTS, BECAUSE THOSE ARE THE AGENCIES THAT ARE ACTUALLY GOING TO DO THE WATER. YEAH. WELL, TH THIS KIND OF LEADS TO ONE THING I'VE BEEN SAYING, THERE'S JUST A FEW PEOPLE HERE AND THERE IS THAT, YOU KNOW, I BELIEVE THE CITY NEEDS TO HAVE MORE PROJECTS ON THE SHELF SO THAT WHEN THESE GRANTS COME UP, WHEN THAT SCRAMBLING TO GET ALL THESE PARTIES INVOLVED, DEVELOP A PLAN. YOU KNOW, IF SOMETHING'S ALREADY SITTING ON THE SHELF, YOU HAVE TO BASICALLY PULL IT OFF AND TAILOR IT TO THAT SPECIFIC GRANT. SO I DO BELIEVE THAT SOMETHING THE CITY COULD START DEVELOPING MORE OF AS ON THE SHELF PROJECTS WHERE, YOU KNOW, IF WE BELIEVE THERE'S INFRASTRUCTURE MONEY COMING UP, IF IT SITS ON THE SHELF FOR A YEAR OR TWO, I MEAN, THAT'S, THAT'S FINE. BECAUSE ONCE THE GRANTS BECOME AVAILABLE, WE CAN THEN PURSUE THEM. AND WE HAVE MOST OF THE WORK ALREADY DONE THE SHIT, MAN. TONIGHT, WE WANT TO CALL WITH AN AGENCY THAT CAN PROVIDE US WITH THAT SERVICE TO WORK WITH THIS ESSEX WHO'S HERE. WE TALKED ABOUT IT ABOUT A WEEK AND A HALF OR TWO WEEKS AGO. SO WE, WE, WE SOUGHT TO BE IN FRONT OF WHERE YOU ARE WITH THAT, TO BE SURE BECAUSE IF THE CITY DOESN'T HAVE STAFF AND THAT'S WHAT HE, I TALKED WITH HIM ABOUT AND WHAT I FOUND OUT WITH CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHER MAYORS AND FOLK AROUND THE COUNTRY, IF YOU DON'T HAVE SOMEONE WORKING FOR YOU ON STAFF, OR YOU'RE UNDER CONTRACT DOING IT, THE TIMETABLES IN THESE FONTS IS SO SHORT. IT'S REALLY ABOUT TIME. YOU PUT IT TOGETHER. AND THAT KNOWS I'M TALKING ABOUT THE TIME HAS PASSED, BUT WHEN YOU ASK, YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO TURN THE, TURN THE INFORMATION IN. SO WE WE'RE TRYING TO WORK ON THAT. OKAY. AND I'LL SHARE THAT WITH YOU BY MONDAY. OKAY. OKAY. SOUNDS GOOD. ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. UH, THANK YOU, MAYOR, UH, COMMISSIONER JOHNSON. UM, NO, I, I REALLY I'M HAPPY ABOUT THE PROJECT AND THAT, UH, THAT NOW THE CITY IS LOOKING AT PUTTING A LOT OF THE UTILITIES UNDERGROUND. UM, [00:20:01] WE, WE, UH, AT THE NAVIGATION DISTRICT HAVE HAD TO, UH, MOVE PIPELINES AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO I KIND OF UNDERSTAND SOME OF, YOU KNOW, THE THINGS THAT IN TERMS OF SCOPE OF WORK AND THINGS THAT YOU ALL HAVE TO, UH, LOOK AT. UM, ONE OF MY QUESTIONS WOULD BE THAT, UH, IF YOU FIND SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN ABANDONED, LIKE, YOU KNOW, CERTAIN LINES THAT YOU SMILE. SO YEAH. WE TALKED ABOUT OTHER ALREADY. YEAH. UM, SO, SO WHERE, WHERE ARE THE TRENDS OF FACILITIES AT THAT? UM, LET ME GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE WHERE NOW REMOVING THE FOUNDATION, FEDERAL MAINTENANCE BUILDING. SO IT'S THE FOUNDATION'S GONE AND WE'VE FOUND SOME STUFF ON THE GROUND THEY'RE ABANDONED. SO, YEAH, SO WE DO ANTICIPATE AS WE DIG UP THE ALLEYS, THERE COULD BE STUFFED DOWN THERE. UM, AND IF WE DO, WE'LL JUST HAVE TO HANDLE AS IT COMES. UM, THERE WILL BE, THERE IS CONTINGENCY MONEY BUILT IN WHERE IT WILL BE BUILT INTO THE CONTRACT FOR THE CONTRACTOR. WE'LL BUILD CONTINGENCIES IN THERE TO HANDLE ABANDONED, WHATEVER WE FIND. HOPEFULLY IT'S NOTHING, UM, HAZARDOUS PER SE. UM, IF IT'S JUST AN ABANDONED OLD WATER LINE THAT CAN BE EASILY REMOVED. SO YEAH, WE DO ANTICIPATE PROBABLY FINDING SOMETHING. CAUSE SOME OF THIS STUFF IS A HUNDRED YEARS OLD HAS BEEN, IT'S BEEN BURIED DOWN THERE. OKAY. YEAH. THANK YOU. WE HAVE TO DIG PRETTY DEEP TO, UM, TO, TO GET TO WHAT WE HAVE TO GET TO, TO PUT THIS STUFF ON THE GROUND. SO WE'RE PROBABLY GOING TO FIND SOMETHING. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? UM, YOU HAVE SOMETHING THOUGH? UH, NO, LIKE I SAID AT THE NEXT NEXT FEW MEETINGS, WE'RE JUST GOING TO KIND OF TALK ABOUT DIFFERENT PLANS. MAYBE PUT SOMETHING IN WRITING ABOUT HOW WE CAN DO FURTHER DEVELOPMENT. ONCE WE GET OUR NEW GROUPS, UH, WE'LL BE SEATED AT THE NEXT MEETING. OKAY. UH, DIRECTOR, JUST, JUST LAST TIDBIT ON THIS GRADE THAT YOU'RE PREPARING TO SUBMIT. UH, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MR. MT OR IS IT BASED UPON THE PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE TO SUBMIT TO THEM TO GET THAT AMOUNT OF FUNDING? SO ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT MY OVERHEAD? SO YEAH, SO THE MONEY'S ALREADY HERE. WE HAVE THE MONEY, THE MONEY'S BEEN PROGRAMMED. I HAVE IT IN MY BUDGET. SO I'M USING EXISTING FUNDS THAT THE CITY YEAR'S ALREADY BEEN AWARDED TO GET THIS PROJECT DONE. OKAY. NOW THERE ARE OTHER THINGS I'M STILL LOOKING AT FOR MORE FUNDS, UM, FOR OTHER THINGS, BUT THIS PROJECT IS IT'S GOING TO BE FUNDED. SO WE HAVE THE MONEY. OKAY. I'M JUST HOPING THE, UH, THE INITIAL ESTIMATES FROM OUR ENGINEER AND MS. HOPING THEY COME WITHIN WHAT WE THINK THEY'RE GOING TO BE. AND THE PRICES FOR CONSTRUCTION DON'T CONTINUE TO SKYROCKET. THAT'S REALLY MY ONLY SCARE. YEAH. AND THAT'S WHAT I WAS TALKING WITH CITY MANAGER ABOUT IT YESTERDAY. WE DON'T WANT TO GET INTO SITUATION. IT COSTS A LOT MORE THAN WHAT WE ARE AT. YEAH. I MEAN, OUR ENGINEERS HE'S DUG INTO IT VERY PRETTY, PRETTY DEEP. UM, I THINK HIS NUMBERS ARE PRETTY SOLID AND I THINK HE COULD GO UP A LITTLE BIT. MAYBE THE MARKET WILL, WILL GO DOWN AND THINGS WILL DROP. SO IT'S PROBABLY A PLUS OR MINUS MORE OR LESS. ALL RIGHT. ANY MORE QUESTIONS? UH, BASED ON THE, I'M GLAD I HAVEN'T MENTIONED. AND BASED ON THE, AS INDICATED WE HAVE HAD TWO OR MORE MEETINGS WITH THE ENGINEERING FIRMS AND THE UTILITY COMPANIES. SO I THINK WE ARE PRETTY CLOSE TO ADDRESS, UH, UM, ADOPTING A STANDARD FOR CONSTRUCTION FOR THOSE, UM, FOR THAT INFRASTRUCTURE, UM, THAT, UM, SOCO HAS PROVIDED. SO BASED ON THAT WE SHOULD BE USING THAT FRAUD, THE CITY THAT'S STANDARD FRAUD, THE CITY, WHICH IS GOOD. WE ARE, AND WHAT CALVIN'S DOING NOW, UM, KELVIN'S THAT FROM THE SO-CALLED GROUP, WHAT HE'S DOING NOW, HE'S AN ENGINEER HE'S ACTUALLY MEETING WITH INTERGY. I THINK HE MET WITH HIM, UM, TUESDAY AND HE'S, UH, DEVELOPING, UM, HE WANTS TO DEVELOP AN MOU WITH THEM BETWEEN ENTERGY AND THE CITY. SO MOVING FORWARD, UM, THESE ARE THE STANDARDS. THIS IS HOW TO DO IT. SO WHEN IT'S TIME TO DO STUFF, IT'S ALL SET IN WRITING. NOBODY CAN CHANGE ANYTHING WITHOUT WRITTEN APPROVAL. SO IT'S JUST MORE STANDARDIZED AND WE CAN GET TO WORK. SO THAT'S, THAT'S ONE OF THE GOALS IS TO HAVE AN MOU THAT CAN BE USED THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE CITY WHEN TRYING TO PUT STUFF ON THE GROUND TO DO UTILITY LINES WITH THE ENERGY. GREAT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? IT WOULD BE INCUMBENT UPON US TO ENGAGE OUR UTILITIES AND OUR PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, BECAUSE IT ALL HAS TO BE DONE AT THE SAME TIME. UM, A LOT OF THOSE ALLEYS, A LOT OF THOSE ALLEYS ACCOMMODATE WATER AND WASTE WATER LINES THAT HAVE, AS I HAVE AN INDICATOR I'VE BEEN THERE FOR A HUNDRED YEARS. SO NOW IS THE TIME FOR US TO, WHENEVER WE DO OVER BUDGETS FOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS AS WELL IN THE CITY TO COORDINATE THOSE SO THAT WE DON'T GO IN THERE MORE THAN ONCE WE GO THERE. ONCE, YOU KNOW, WE PUT IN THE FIBER OPTICS, WE PUT IN THE ENERGY SUPPLY AND WE ALSO UPGRADE OUR EXISTING WATER AND WASTE WATER SUPPLY AS WE CONTINUE TO MEET. AND THAT'S A VERY GOOD POINT. UM, WE, DON'T KIND OF LIKE WHAT HE WAS, I'M SORRY. WHAT WAS HE? THE JOHNSON COMMISSIONER JOHNSON AND JOHNSON THING. SORRY ABOUT THAT. YEAH. COMMISSIONER JOHNSON WAS SAYING, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE GO DOWN THERE, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S THERE. SO THAT MIGHT [00:25:01] BE A NEED. UM, IF WE SEE, UM, A WATERLINE THAT'S 50 YEARS OLD, THE CITY MIGHT HAVE TO MAKE A DECISION. IT'S TIME TO REPLACE THIS LINE NOW WHILE EVERYTHING'S OPEN. SO I SAID, SO WE JUST, YOU DON'T FULLY KNOW UNTIL YOU DIG DOWN AND SEE WHAT'S DOWN THERE, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT COORDINATING, AND I THINK WE'LL BE READY TO GET THIS PROJECT DONE. I THINK ONCE WE GET THIS PROJECT DONE, I THINK THIS WAS LIKE A CITY MANAGER SAYING THIS WAS SET THE, THE ROAD MOVING FORWARD ON HOW WE CAN DO IT ON OTHER PROJECTS FOR THE CITY. SO WE'LL PROBABLY HAVE SOME, YOU KNOW, WE'LL TRIP HERE AND THERE, BUT WE'LL GET BACK UP AND WE'LL KNOW HOW TO MOVE FORWARD. OKAY. UH, MAYOR T I'M GOOD. OKAY. GOOD. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. UH, THANK YOU DIRECTOR. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. [5. Introduction of Officials from the Port of Port Arthur Navigation District.] UH, NEXT IS, UH, NUMBER FIVE INTRODUCTIONS OF OFFICIALS FROM THE PORT OF PORT ARTHUR NAVIGATION DISTRICT OF VAL. AT THIS TIME, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN TALKING FOR QUITE A WHILE ABOUT ADDING ONTO THE TERS ANOTHER TAXING ENTITY. AND AS WE'VE DISCUSSED, UM, THE PORT OF PORT ARTHUR NAVIGATION DISTRICT HAS VOTED TO BECOME A PART OF THE TERS AND THEY HAVE REPRESENTATIVES HERE. AND I JUST WANTED TO ASK THAT THEY BE INTRODUCED. AND WE'LL ALSO AFTER WE HAVE OUR PUBLIC HEARING AT THE NEXT COUNCIL MEETING AND EXPAND THE BOUNDARIES. WE'LL ALSO HOPE TO HAVE OUR INTER-LOCAL AGREEMENT SO THAT EVERYTHING WILL BE FINALIZED. AND THEN THE NEXT TIME WE MEET, UM, THEIR REPRESENTATIVE CAN, UH, BE SEATED, UH, ON THE DAY AS, AND, AND, UH, WORK WITH US THROUGHOUT THE MEETING. SO IF, IF, IF, IF YOU ALL WOULD LIKE TO COME FORWARD AND MAYBE JUST, WE KNOW YOU, BUT RE-INTRODUCE, AND COME ON OVER EVERYBODY, BECKY, SOMEBODY GLAD TO HAVE YOU ON BOARD, HOW Y'ALL DOING, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS, COMMISSIONER, AND, UM, RANDY MARTIN, THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS, LARRY KELLY, AND IT'S ANY OTHER SITE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS, COMMISSIONER. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. CHAIRMAN. WE CERTAINLY APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY AND WE CERTAINLY LOOK FORWARD TO IT. AND I WILL TELL I'M GONNA GO OFF SCRIPT JUST REAL QUICK. I HAD, IT'S SO PLEASING TO HEAR YOU TALK ABOUT UTILITY RELOCATION. AND I SOUND LIKE THE BIGGEST GEEK IN THE WORLD. WHEN I TALK ABOUT IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO RELOCATE, RELOCATE THESE UTILITIES IN THE GROUND, UH, WE PURSUED IT THROUGH, UH, TWO TEXTILE GRANTS THAT WE HAVE ACTIVE ALONG HOUSTON AVENUE. AND I JUST ENCOURAGE YOU NEXT TIME. YOU HOUSTON AVENUE, JUST LOOK AT THE UTILITY POLES AND, AND ENERGY HAS A PROCESS OF, IF ONE GOES BAD, LET'S REPLACE IT WITH TWO AND IT JUST NEVER ENDS. AND FOR US, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S ABOUT RESILIENCY IS, AS IVAN SAID, UM, YOU KNOW, IN THE TIME OF A HURRICANE OR WEATHER EVENT, AND WE'VE HAD SIGNIFICANT POWER DISRUPTIONS AND, AND WE'VE HAD THOSE DISCUSSIONS WITH THE CITY AS WELL, CAUSE YOU'RE, YOU'RE HAVING THE SAME ISSUES. UM, AND FOR US, IT'S A MATTER OF SAYING, YOU KNOW, AS WE'RE EXPANDING OUT OF THE PORT AND WE'VE GOT WORKERS IN THOSE AREAS AND SOME OF THE BUILDINGS THAT WE'RE WORKING TO RENOVATE, UH, LIKE THAT TWO STORY BUILDING NORTH OF THE SEAFARER CENTER, IF YOU'RE STANDING ON THE ROOF, IT'S, IT'S SCARY. THE UTILITY LINE IS AT EYE LEVEL FROM HERE TO THE BANISTER RIGHT THERE. IT'S VERY CLOSE. SO PUTTING THOSE UNDERGROUND IS IMPORTANT. I THINK IT'S AS MUCH FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND OUR COMMUNITY IS, IS ANYTHING ELSE TO HAVE A RELIABLE POWER SOURCE AND IT MAKES IT AESTHETICALLY A LOT MORE PLEASING. SO CERTAINLY APPRECIATE, APPRECIATE THAT AS IT WAS MUSIC TO MY EARS TO HEAR ABOUT THAT INITIATIVE. AND PERHAPS WE CAN ENLIST ENERGY SO FAR, WE'VE BEEN VERY, VERY UNSUCCESSFUL AT GETTING HIM TO SHARE THE COST AND IT'S AN EXPENSIVE PROPOSITION TO DO, BUT WE, UH, THANK YOU FOR GIVING THE CONSIDERATION THE TIME, UH, THAT WE WERE ABLE TO MEET AND TALK ABOUT THE BOUNDARY EXPANSION AND, AND MAYOR. I DO AGREE AT SOME POINT, UH, MOVING FURTHER UP THE STREET TO ENCOMPASS OTHER COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES WILL BE RELEVANT IN IT AND IMPORTANT, BUT WE CERTAINLY APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY AND LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING CLOSELY WITH YOU AND PROBABLY NEEDS NO FURTHER INTRODUCTION, BUT, UH, BECKY, REBECCA UNDERHILL OF PORT TO PORT AUTHOR, DIRECTOR OF ACCOUNTING. YEP. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. WE APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, LAYER. ALL RIGHT. I GUESS A VAL CITY MANAGER, WE DON'T HAVE ANY EXECUTIVE SESSION. WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING IN A SEX SESSION. OKAY. SO, SO LIKE I SAID, NEXT TIME WE HOPE TO HAVE EVERYTHING, UM, TIED UP, UH, RESOLVED, YOU KNOW, ALL OF OUR OUTSTANDING ISSUES RESOLVED AND, UM, THEY WILL BE ABLE TO JOIN US HERE AT THE NEXT MEETING AND WE MEET THE THIRD THURSDAYS OF EVERY MONTH. SO YES, WHATEVER THE THIRD THURSDAY OF SEPTEMBER, WE'LL LOOK ON OUR CALENDAR AND MAKE SURE IT CORRESPONDS, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S THE DATE WE ALWAYS TRY TO AIM FOR, UNLESS THERE'S SOMETHING GOING ON. OKAY. SO WE, WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THEM UP HERE WITH US [00:30:01] AT THE NEXT MEETING, AND THEN WE CAN CONTINUE TO WORK ON OUR GOALS AND OBJECTIVES. OKAY. WELL, I GUESS BEFORE WE CLOSE ART, YOU GOT SOMETHING YOU WANT TO CLOSE OUT BY SAYING OR OKAY. A PAM, WE GET ALRIGHT, GOOD CITY MANAGER. ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. NOW MAY, UH, ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO ADJOURN THIS MEETING OF THE TOURIST BOARD. UH, IT HAS BEEN MOVED. CAN I GET A SECOND? IT'S BEEN MOVED TO SECONDARY. WE ADJOURN THE MEETING. ANY QUESTIONS? ALL IN FAVOR, SIGNIFY BY SAYING, AYE. AYES HAVING ANY NAYS. THIS MEETING HAS BEEN ADJOURNED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING IT RIGHT ON THAT. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.