Nov 14, 2022 TIRZ #1 Board of Directors Meeting

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YEAH.

ALL RIGHT, GUYS.

VAL,

[1. Establishment of a quorum and call to order. ]

YEAH.

ALL RIGHT.

THANK YOU.

UH, SORRY ABOUT THE, TO THIS, UH, COUPLE OF, UH, THE COMMISSIONERS.

WE ALL, WELL, I HAD AN APPOINTMENT THIS MORNING, SO I HAD TO BE A LITTLE LATE, AND I DID INFORM, UH, THE, OUR LEGAL DEPARTMENT.

SO AT THIS TIME, WE WILL GET STARTED.

NOTICE HAS BEEN GIVEN TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE DOWNTOWN TURF.

NUMBER ONE.

WE'LL HOLD A MEETING IN PORT ARTHUR, TEXAS ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER THE 14TH AT 10:00 AM ON THE FIFTH FLOOR OF THE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS AT 4 44 FOURTH STREET, PORT ARTHUR, TEXAS.

THIS MEETING WILL ALSO BE HELD BY TELEPHONIC AND VIDEO CONFERENCE.

IN ADDITION TO ALLOW THE PERSONS AND ATTENDANCE, A QUORUM OF THE TURF BOARD WILL BE PHYSICALLY PRESENT IN THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR CHAMBERS ON THE FIFTH FLOOR.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DIAL IN, THE NUMBER IS, UM, EXCUSE ME, THE NUMBER IS 1 8 1 8 77 8 5 3 5 2 4 7.

THE MEETING ID NUMBER IS 8 78 2 9.

THE PASS CODE IS 6 87 2 67.

SO AT THIS TIME, WE WOULD LIKE TO START THIS MEETING.

THE TIME IS 10 23.

WE WOULD ASK OUR CITY ATTORNEY IF SHE WOULD ESTABLISH A FORM.

OKAY.

UH, COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS KINLAW.

CHAIRMAN, CITY OF PORT ARTHUR PRESENT.

CHARLOTTE MOSES.

COUNCIL MEMBER, CITY OF PORT ARTHUR.

MAYOR THURMAN.

BART, CITY OF PORT ARTHUR.

PRESENT COUNTY COMMISSIONER MICHAEL SHANE SINEGAL.

JEFFERSON COUNTY COMMISSIONER.

JEFFERSON COUNTY DRAINAGE DISTRICT NUMBER SEVEN.

JAMES GAMBLE.

COMMISSIONER SABINE NATURES NAVIGATION DISTRICT.

JOSEPH JOHNSON.

PRESENT.

OKAY.

COMMISSIONER PORTER, PORT ARTHUR.

NAVIGATION DISTRICT.

RANDY T. MARTIN.

PRESENT.

OKAY.

UH, MR. CHAIRMAN, YOU HAVE A QUORUM.

THANK YOU.

UH, CITY ATTORNEY.

NEXT WE HAVE

[2. Approval of Minutes from the previous Downtown TIRZ #1 Board Meeting held on October 20, 2022. ]

MAY I HAVE A MOTION, JOE MOVE? MAY I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND.

IT WAS MOVED.

AND SECOND THAT WE APPROVED THE MINUTES FROM OCTOBER THE 20TH, 2020 SECOND.

ANY QUESTIONS? IF THERE ARE NO QUESTIONS, I NOW CALLED FOR A VOTE.

ALL IN FAVOR SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE.

AYE.

AYE.

THOSE OPPOSE THE MINUTES HAVE BEEN APPROVED.

NEXT NUMBER THREE, PRESENTATION

[3. Presentation by Freese and Nichols regarding the City of Port Arthur's Downtown Plan. ]

GOOD MORNING.

YES, WE, UH, HAVE OUR, TODAY IS OUR WORKSHOP, WHICH IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN OUR STANDARD BOARD MEETING.

AND, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS WE WANTED TO DO WAS, UM, KIND OF TALK ABOUT OUR DOWNTOWN PLAN IN CONJUNCTION WITH OUR TURS PLAN.

AND, UM, SO WE HAVE INVITED FREEZING NICKS TO GIVE A PRESENTATION FOR US, AND I BELIEVE THEY HAVE SOMETHING ON THE OVERHEAD AS WELL.

SO AT THIS TIME, IF THEY'D LIKE TO COME FORWARD, UM, THEY'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT OUR, UH, DOWNTOWN PLAN AND GIVE US A LITTLE HISTORY ABOUT THAT.

AND MRS. IS ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, WILL INTRODUCE THEM.

MS. LANGFORD, GOOD MORNING.

GOOD MORNING.

GOOD MORNING.

UM, WE ARE EXCITED TO BE HERE, UH, TO JUST GIVE A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION PLAN THAT WAS ADOPTED BY CITY COUNCIL IN 2016.

I'M JUST UP HERE TO GIVE A BRIEF OVERVIEW BEFORE OUR GROUP WITH FRIESEN NICHOLS, UM, GIVES MORE INFORMATION REGARDING THE INFRASTRUCTURE SECTION OF THAT PLAN.

IN 2014, OUR THEN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DIRECTOR RONALD BURTON, WHO IS NOW OUR CITY MANAGER, RECORDING IN PROGRESS HEAD THE VISION TO DEVELOP A PLAN FOR DOWNTOWN PORT ARTHUR THAT WOULD BUILD ON DECADES OF EFFORT, HISTORY, AND CULTURE SUCCESSES, URBAN CONTEXT AND WORKING RELATIONSHIPS.

THE PLAN WAS TO BE USED AS A POLICY DOCUMENT TO GUIDE PUBLIC FUNDING AND ATTRACT PRIVATE INVESTMENTS, WHILE PROVIDING A PHYSICAL FRAMEWORK LAYOUT AND CATALYST ACTIONS TO PROMOTE THE DOWNTOWN AREA.

WHILE THE PLANS FOUNDATION WAS BASED ON EFFORTS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS FROM THE PAST, ITS FOCUS WAS TO PROVIDE A FORWARD OUTLOOK ON MARKET POTENTIALS, CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS, AND PROJECT OPPORTUNITIES THAT WOULD GIVE DOWNTOWN AND EVEN MORE ROBUST AND SUSTAINABLE FUTURE.

WITH THE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE OF THE PORT ARTHUR.

SECTION FOUR, A ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, AND THE MARDI GRAS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS CITY COUNCIL APPROVED RESOLUTION NUMBER 14 DASH 180 6.

THE RESOLUTION AUTHORIZED A CONTRACT WITH THREE S INCORPORATED, WHO IS A TEXAS BASED ENGINEERING PLANNING, ARCHITECTURAL,

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THE PROJECT WAS DIVIDED INTO THREE PHASES, WHICH INCLUDED DATA COLLECTION, COLLABORATION, AND ANALYSIS, AND PLANS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.

THE CITY'S PLANNING STAFF AND THE PROJECT TEAM OF FRIES AND NICHOLS CONDUCTED SEVERAL MEETINGS WITH THE CITY AND COUNTY OFFICIALS, REPRESENTATIVES OF LAMAR STATE COLLEGE, PORT ARTHUR, AND THE PORT ARTHUR INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT, THE PORT, THE PORT OF PORT ARTHUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS, AND DOWNTOWN STAKEHOLDERS.

THE MEETING'S PURPOSE WAS TO GAUGE EACH REPRESENTED GROUP'S NEEDS, DESIRES, AND FUTURE PLANS IN DOWNTOWN PORT ARTHUR.

BECAUSE MUCH HAD BEEN STUDIED IN SEVERAL LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS HAD INDIVIDUAL PLANS FOR PORTIONS OF DOWNTOWN.

THE PROJECT TEAM APPROACHED THIS EFFORT AS AN IMPLEMENTATION FOCUS PLAN IN WHICH PREVIOUS ACTIONS WERE COMBINED WITH NEW MARKET DRIVEN STRATEGIES.

AS AN EXAMPLE OF THE PLAN'S INCLUSIVENESS.

WHAT WAS A 10 YEAR OLD STREET BEAUTIFICATION PLAN FUNDED BY EDC WAS INCORPORATED BECAUSE IT PROVIDED IDEAS OF INCREASING THE ATTRACTIVENESS AND WALKABILITY OF THE AREA OF PROCTOR STREET, BETWEEN THE PAVILION PEOPLE'S PARK, AND 5 0 1 PROCTOR STREET.

ONCE THE UNDERGROUND INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA WAS EXAMINED WITH SMOKE TESTS AND CAMERA FOOTAGE, IT BECAME CLEAR THAT THE UNDERGROUND STORM SEWER LINES AND INLETS WERE FAR TOO SMALL TO HANDLE INCREASED FOOT AND ROAD TRAFFIC.

THE DRINKING WATER AND SANITARY SEWERS ALSO NEED MARKED IMPROVEMENTS BEFORE ANY STREETSCAPING COULD BEGIN ABOVE GROUND TO PREVENT DESTROYING ANY ABOVE GROUND BEAUTIFICATION EFFORTS.

THE PLAN BECAME THE FIRST IN THE NATION TO INTEGRATE A MARKET ANALYSIS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK, INFRASTRUCTURE ASSESSMENT, CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN, AND URBAN DESIGN INTO ONE DOCUMENT.

THIS EARNED THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR, THE AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION'S TEXAS CHAPTER LONG RANGE PLANNING AWARD ON NOVEMBER 4TH, 2016.

TOGETHER, LOCAL, STATE AND NATIONAL TRENDS HAVE LED THIS PLAN TO THE UNDERLYING BELIEF THAT A VIBRANT AND HEALTHY URBAN SETTING IS THE BEST FORMULA TO MAINTAIN A DOWNTOWN SIGNIFICANT ROLE AS THE HUB OF ACTIVITIES, A HEADQUARTER FOR BUSINESSES AND A FOCAL POINT OF CIVIC INSTITUTIONS.

THE DOWNTOWN PLAN HAS BEEN CONSTRUCTED IN PART UPON THE FOUNDATION OF THE FOLLOWING TRENDS AND ASSUMPTIONS.

THE MILLENNIAL POPULATION HAS EXPECTATIONS REGARDING URBAN ENVIRONMENTS AND MIXED USE URBAN AREAS, IN PARTICULAR, KNOWLEDGE-BASED WORKERS SUCH AS ENGINEERS, DOCTORS, ARCHITECTS, SCIENTISTS, ACCOUNTANTS, LAWYERS, AND TEACHERS FIND DISTRICTS APPEALING THAT INCLUDE WALKABLE ENVIRONMENTS WITH SMALL SCALE AMENITIES SUCH AS CAFES, GALLERIES, AND INDEPENDENT STORES.

CONSUMER PREFERENCES ARE CHANGING BASED ON THE RISE OF CREATIVE CLASS, AS DEFINED BY RICHARD FLORIDA.

THIS INNOVATIVE AND CREATIVE SECTOR OF THE WORK WORKFORCE COMPRISES 40 MILLION WORKERS.

THERE IS A PENT OF DEMAND FOR WALKABLE PLACES, AND THE NEED FOR WALKABLE URBANISM WILL REPRESENT AT LEAST ONE THIRD OF THE US HOUSING MARKET EXPERIENCE IN PLACE MATTER.

WHEN CHOOSING A SHOPPING LOCATION, MANY BUYERS EXPECT SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT IN A VARIETY OF AMENITIES.

NOT ALL INDIVIDUALS WANT TO LIVE IN WALKABLE URBAN PLACE, BUT THEY ALL EXPECT THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO AT VARIOUS TIMES IN THEIR LIFE.

THEY WILL GRAVITATE TO METRO AREAS THAT OFFER MUL MULTIPLE HOUSING CHOICES FOR THIS PURPOSE.

HOUSING NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS ARE CHANGING BASED ON NATIONAL AND LOCAL TRENDS, INCLUDING SHIFTING DEMOGRAPHICS, DECREASED HOUSEHOLD SIZES, AND AGING POPULATIONS.

THIS RELATES DIRECTLY TO SMALLER HOUSEHOLD SIZES, THE INCREASE IN SINGLE PERSON HOUSEHOLDS AND HOUSEHOLDS WITHOUT CHILDREN, AND TO AMPLIFY DEMAND FOR HOUSING VARIETY ASSOCIATED WITH AN AGING BABY BOOMER POPULATION.

DOWNTOWN PORT ARTHUR SHOULD POSITION ITSELF TO ATTRACT NEW WORKERS, AND THOSE THAT EMPLOY THEM, CAPITAL AND TALENT OR MOBILE AND SOME PLACES, WILL MAKE THE INVESTMENTS TO ATTRACT THEM AND PROSPER WHILE OTHERS WILL NOT.

DOWNTOWN PORT ARTHUR SHOULD POSITION ITSELF AS A VIBRANT, VIBRANT DISTRICT THAT ENTICES AND SERVES THE NEXT GENERATION OF COMPANIES PROFESSIONALS, UCA EDUCATORS, AND RESEARCHERS, POSITIONING DOWNTOWN PORT ARTHUR'S PARTNERSHIP WITH LAMAR STATE COLLEGE, PUBLIC SCHOOL AND PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS WHERE CREATE A DESTINATION FOR

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THESE AFFILIATIONS WILL MOST LIKELY YIELD SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND IMAGE BENEFITS FOR THE COMMUNITY AND THE PRESENT AND FUTURE COMPANIES, RESIDENTS AND WORKERS.

TODAY, I HAVE ASKED MR. SHAD COMO, MR. RICHARD WEATHERLY AND MR. HECTOR ALMOST WERE FREE AND NICHOLS, TO JOIN US TO DISCUSS THEIR WORK IN STUDYING THE UNDERGROUND INFRASTRUCTURE IN DEVELOPING THE WATER WASTEWATER AND STORMWATER MODELING FOR THE DOWNTOWN PORT ARTHUR AREA.

FOR AUDIENCE MEMBERS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN OBTAINING A DIGITAL COPY OF THAT PLAN, IF YOU PLEASE CAN GET WITH ME FOLLOWING TODAY'S WORKSHOP, I WILL ENSURE THAT YOU DO GET A COPY.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, PAM.

UM, THAT WAS, THAT WAS GREAT.

WE CAN TAKE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS AT THIS TIME, .

UM, BUT GOOD MORNING TO THE, TO THE CHAIRMAN AND TO THE, TO THE TUR BOARD.

UH, MY NAME IS SHAD KAMA.

I'M A PRINCIPAL AND VICE PRESIDENT AT FRIES AND NICKELS, LOCATED IN OUR APPAREL LAND OFFICE.

AND IN 2015 16, I HAD THE, UH, OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE AS A PROJECT MANAGER FOR THE DOWNTOWN PLAN.

I ALSO HAVE WITH ME, UH, HECTOR, ALMOST, WHO, UH, SERVED AS THE STORMWATER LEAD FOR THE DOWNTOWN PLAN INFRASTRUCTURE SIDE, AND RICHARD WEATHERLY, WHO SERVED AS THE WATER WASTEWATER, UM, LEAD ENGINEER, UH, FOR THE PROJECT.

SO I'LL GO THROUGH A, UH, A BRIEF, WE'LL GO THROUGH A BRIEF, UH, PRESENTATION, AND THEN WE'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS, I'LL COMMENTS, UM, AT THAT TIME.

SO I JUST WANT TO GIVE YOU, UH, JUST A QUICK OVERVIEW, HIGHLIGHT SOME THINGS THAT, THAT PAM MENTIONED, UM, EARLIER IN HER INTRODUCTION AROUND THE DOWNTOWN PLAN.

UM, IT WAS, IT WAS ESTABLISHED AS A, AS A VISION PLAN, BUT IT ALSO HAD A, AS PAM MENTIONED, UH, PROBABLY THE FIRST TIME, MANY DOWNTOWN PLANS DO NOT INCLUDE AN INFRASTRUCTURE COMPONENT TO THE DEPTH THAT, UH, WAS, UH, TAKEN ON THIS PROJECT WITH ENGINEERING MODELS AND TESTS DONE AT THE SAME TIME.

UM, IT WAS SUCH A, UH, IMPRESSIVE PROJECT, UH, THAT THE CITY TOOK ON THAT IT WON THE AMERICAN PLANNING, UH, TEXAS MAN, TEXAS AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION AWARD IN 2016.

UM, THIS WAS THE STUDY AREA, UH, THAT WAS, UH, LOOKED AT AT THAT TIME IN 2016 HOUSTON AVENUE ON THE WEST, UH, LAKE LAKE CHARLES ON THE EAST SEVENTH STREET TO THE NORTH, AND THEN ALL THE WAY TO THE INTERCOSTAL, UH, INTERCOSTAL, UH, CANAL.

UH, SO A VERY BROAD, UH, STUDY, UH, STUDY AREA.

AND IT WAS VERY, UH, A LOT OF, UH, BIG ENTITIES AT THE TIME.

LAMAR STATE COLLEGE, OF COURSE, THE, THE, THE CITY, UM, POLICE STATION AND SOME OTHER ENTITIES WERE, UH, WITHIN THIS STUDY AREA.

UH, THE MAJOR COMPONENTS TO THIS PLAN, AS MENTIONED, WAS THE INFRASTRUCTURE COMPONENT, UH, LOOKING AT THE STORM WATER, WASTE, WATER AND WATER COMPONENTS.

IT ALSO HAD AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UH, COMPONENT AS WELL, AND A MARKET ANALYSIS.

AND THEN WHAT'S WAS REALLY IMPORTANT AT THE END OF THE PLAN, IT, IT BROUGHT IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OR WHAT WE CALL THE SHORT TERM, UH, WORK PROGRAM TO GET SOME THINGS IN PLACE TO, TO, UH, KICK OFF THE PLAN.

THIS WAS THE OVERALL MASTER PLAN THAT WAS DEVELOPED.

UH, THE YELLOW, UH, COLOR THAT YOU SEE THERE REPRESENTED, UH, SING EITHER SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL OR MULTI-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL.

UH, THE RED REPRESENTED COMMERCIAL RETAIL PURPLE, UH, WAS, UH, LIGHT, LIGHT INDUSTRIAL, UM, SLASH INSTITUTIONAL.

AND SO YOU'LL, YOU'LL SEE THAT THERE WAS, UH, VARIOUS DEVELOPMENT OF CATALYST AREAS THROUGHOUT THE, UH, STUDY AREA.

SO HERE YOU'LL SEE THESE, UH, SIX CATALYST AREAS.

UM, IF YOU, UH, CAN SEE, UH, SOME OF THOSE, THERE ARE AT LEAST THREE OF THOSE CATALYST AREAS TODAY THAT HAVE ACTIVITY OR PROJECTS, UM, THAT ARE, ARE, UH, BEEN BUILT, ARE CURRENTLY BEING BUILT.

UM, IT WAS NICE TO SEE THE MULTIFAMILY, UH, RESIDENTIAL TOWN HOMES, UM, THAT ARE, ARE BEING BUILT RIGHT DOWN THE STREET.

AND I THINK IT WAS PRETTY MUCH EXACTLY WHERE, UM, THE, THE PLAN AND VISION IT.

AND SO, UH, THIS JUST, UH, SHOWS THAT PLANNING IS VERY IMPORTANT AND KUDOS TO THE CITY FOR TAKING ON THIS, THIS, UH, PROJECT AND THIS PROCESS TO BE ABLE TO LAY A FOUNDATION, UH, FOR WHAT YOU ALL ARE SEEING HAPPENING IN DOWNTOWN TODAY.

SO, JUST QUICKLY, JUST GOING THROUGH SOME IMAGES, UH, OF SOME RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WERE IN THE PLAN.

UH, THE PEOPLE'S PARK WAS, WAS RECOMMENDED TO BE ENHANCED AT THE TIME OF THE DOWNTOWN PLAN.

THE EDC WAS ALREADY, UH, BEING RENOVATED.

UH, THE EC HAD MADE THAT CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO BE ONE OF THE FIRST DOWNTOWN TO SHOW THEIR INVESTMENT.

UM, AND SO THEIR, THEIR FACILITY WAS BEING RENOVATED, UM, UH, AT THAT TIME, THE PAVILION AS WELL.

UM, AND THESE ARE JUST SOME IMAGES OF, OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS, UH, THAT COULD BE, UH, SEEN HERE HOPEFULLY IN THE FUTURE.

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SURE.

THANK YOU, CHAD.

GOOD MORNING.

SO ON THE STORMWATER SIDE, I WANT TO GUIDE YOU, WALK YOU THROUGH THE PROCESS THAT WE FOLLOW TO COME UP WITH THE STORM WATER COMPONENTS I MADE INTO THE PLAN.

SO AT THE VERY FOUNDATION, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT WE, WHAT KIND OF INFRASTRUCTURE IS CURRENTLY IN PLACE WITHIN THE STUDY AREA.

SO WE SPEND A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF TIME WITH PEOPLE IN THE FIELD, BOOTS ON THE GROUND, IDENTIFYING HOW THE WATER, HOW THE STORM WATER IS BEING INTERCEPTED FROM THE STREETS TAKEN UNDERGROUND, AND THEN WHAT, WHICH PATH IT TAKES ONCE IT'S UNDERGROUND, OR IF THE RAINFALL IS JUST SO INTENSE THAT IT HAS TO FIND A PATH ABOVE GROUND.

ONCE WE HAD THAT INFORMATION, WE PUT TOGETHER SOME ENGINEERING MODELS TO TRY TO EVALUATE A SERIES OF STORM EVENTS.

AND KEEP IN MIND, ALL OF THIS WAS DONE BACK IN 20 15, 20 16, AND I'M NOT REALLY SURE IF THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT'S OUT THERE IN PLACE TODAY IS SIMILAR OR IF IT HAS CHANGED TO WHAT WAS BACK, WHAT WAS IN PLACE BACK THEN.

ONCE WE, WE HAD THE EXISTING CONDITIONS EVALUATED, WE THEN KNEW WHERE THERE WERE ISSUES WITH THE, SORRY, ONE.

WE KNEW WHERE THERE WAS A NEED FOR IMPROVEMENTS, AND WE NEEDED TO FOLLOW CURRENT DEVELOPMENT CRITERIA AT THE TIME TO MAKE SURE THAT WE SIZE THE THING, THE, THE INLETS AND STORM DRAINS CORRECTLY, SO THAT WE COULD THEN PROVIDE A GOOD LEVEL OF SERVICE TO ALL THE NEW INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WOULD BE BUILT AS PART OF THIS MASTER PLAN.

AND YOU WILL SEE HERE IN A MINUTE, A COUPLE OF EXHIBITS SHOWING YOU THE, THE END RESULT OF, OF THAT EVALUATION.

AS YOU KNOW, THIS WHOLE AREA IN DOWNTOWN DRAINS SOLELY WITH THE HELP OF THE STONEWATER PUMP STATIONS THAT ARE BY THE SEA WALL.

SO, DD SEVEN HAS TWO STONEWATER PUMP STATIONS THAT HELP TAKE THAT WATER OVER THE SEA WALL AND OUT INTO THE HS RIVER.

AND WE'LL TALK MORE ABOUT THAT HERE IN A MINUTE.

ONCE WE HAD THE ULTIMATE PICTURE OF WHAT WE NEEDED IN TERMS OF STONEWATER INFRASTRUCTURE, WE THEN PARCELED OUT IN TERMS OF CATALYST PROJECTS.

SO WE WORKED TOGETHER WITH CHAD AND HIS TEAM, AND WE IDENTIFIED ALL THE INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS IN ORDER TO IMPLEMENT VARIOUS CATALYST PROJECTS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE TO GO BACK LATER ON AND RIP OUT THE NEW STREETS AND, AND MAKE ANY CHANGES IN THE FUTURE.

THIS MAP SHOWS THE RESULTS OF THE EXISTING CONDITION ANALYSIS, AND YOU SEE A LOT OF BLUE.

SO BLUE MEANS AREAS THAT WOULD BE INUNDATED.

AND THIS STORM EVENT IS A FAIRLY FREQUENT STORM EVENT.

SO IT'S ABOUT A FIVE YEAR STORM EVENT, IF I BELIEVE, UH, IF I RECALL CORRECTLY.

SO, UH, DOWN AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN, YOU SEE THE HOUSTON PUMP STATIONS OVER TO THE LEFT, AND THEN THE SHREVEPORT PUMP STATIONS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE.

THOSE ARE THE TWO PUMP STATIONS THAT TAKE CARE OF ALL THAT WATER THAT, THAT IS COLLECTED BY THE STORM SEWER SYSTEMS AND PUMP IT OVER THE SEA WALL.

WE IDENTIFY THAT ALMOST ALL OF THIS INFRASTRUCTURE WAS PASSED BEYOND THEIR USEFUL LIFE, UH, ABOUT 40, 50 YEARS OLD.

AND MOST OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE STREETS NEEDS TO BE REPLACED.

WATER JUST CANNOT BE CAPTURED FROM THE STREETS AND TAKEN UNDERGROUND AND INTO THE PUMP STATIONS.

AND THE VERY LITTLE WATER THAT MAKES IT TO THE PUMP STATIONS IS JUST OVERWHELMS THE PUMP STATIONS AND RESULTS IN FLOODING.

SO THE PLAN THAT WE CAME UP WITH IS SUMMARIZED HERE ON THE SCREEN.

THE VARIOUS LETTERS REPRESENT CATALYST AREAS.

SO WE HAVE CATALYST PROJECTS, A, B, AND D, AND F AND THEY'RE COLOR CODED TO IMPLEMENT THE FIRST CATALYST AREA.

A, WE NEED TO IMPLEMENT ALL THE RED, UH, IMPROVEMENTS.

AND THESE ARE FAIRLY SIGNIFICANT, UH, STORMS, WATER IMPROVEMENTS ALL UNDERGROUND AND AS WELL AS IN THE SURFACE.

BUT IN ORDER TO MAKE IT ALL WORK, WE ALSO HAVE TO FIX THE, OR IMPROVE THE PUMP STATIONS, UH, PUMP STATION HOUSTON, WHICH IS IN THE BOTTOM LEFT, HAS TO DOUBLE IN CAPACITY.

AND THE ONE STRIP SHREVEPORT IN THE MIDDLE HAS TO TRIPLE ITS CAPACITY JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN IMPLEMENT THE PLAN THAT WE HAD IN MIND THAT WE DEVELOPED FOR DOWNTOWN AND, AND WOULD BE SUCCESSFUL.

WE HAD ADDITIONAL, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND THOSE ARE SUMMARIZED HERE ON THE SCREEN, BUT THOSE ARE FUTURE CATALYST PROJECTS, AND THAT WOULD BE COME AT A LATER DATE.

ONE THING I WANT TO POINT OUT IS THAT, UH, THIS PROJECT WAS COMPLETED BACK IN 2016.

THIS IS WHAT, BEFORE HURRICANE HARVEY HIT THIS AREA, AND AS WELL AS BEFORE, UM, TROPICAL STORM INELDA ALSO AFFECTED THIS AREA.

SO AS A RESULT OF THAT, UH, A SERIES OF EVENTS, WELL, A SERIES OF CHANGES HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED IN TERMS OF THE DESIGN STANDARDS THAT ARE USED TO SIZE ALL OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE.

I JUST MENTIONED DD SEVEN, JEFFERSON COUNTY, DD SEVEN IS

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UH, WE WILL HAVE TO WORK CLOSELY WITH DD SEVEN TO IDENTIFY IF THEY ALSO INTENDED IMPROVING THE TWO PUMP STATIONS THAT SERVE THIS STUDY AREA.

SO THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES TO WORK WITH, UH, OTHER AGENCIES IN THE AREA AND, AND TRY TO MAKE THIS PLAN COME TO FRUITION.

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, THE COST OF BUILDING ANY PROJECT HAS INCREASE THEM DRAMATICALLY OVER THE LAST, UH, FEW YEARS.

SO THE COST THAT WE IDENTIFIED BACK IN 2016 WOULD HAVE TO BE UPDATED AS WELL AS THE, THE SIZES OF ALL THIS INFRASTRUCTURE.

SO, UM, IF, IF THERE'S ANY QUESTION, I'LL BE, I'LL BE GLAD TO TAKE THEM AFTER, AFTER RICHARD, ANY, UH, DIRECTORS WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME? I DO HAVE A QUESTION.

WHEN YOU GO BACK TO THAT LAST SCREEN, YOU SAID THE FAR LEFT PUMP, WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THAT LOCATION? IS THAT THE LOWEST POINT IN THE AREA THAT'S GOING WEST? THAT IS THE ONE OF THE LOWEST POINTS.

THAT'S WHERE WATER WOULD NATURALLY WANT TO WANT TO TRAVEL.

IF IT HAD NO, NO, NO OTHER PLACES JUST BY GRAVITY, IT WOULD TEND TO GO TO THOSE TWO LOCATIONS, THE HOUSTON AS WELL AS SHREVEPORT.

OKAY.

BOARD DIRECTOR'S QUESTIONS? YES.

UM, HI.

GOOD MORNING.

GOOD MORNING.

UM, YES, WE HAVE, UH, SINCE THEN EXTENDED THE PARAMETERS OF THE ZONE, AND SO IT NOW ACCOMMODATES THE PORT OF PORT ARTHUR, MM-HMM.

.

UM, SO WAS THAT TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION, OR IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU ALL ARE GOING TO HAVE TO REVISIT? WE WOULD HAVE TO REVISIT THAT AREA AS IT WAS NOT, MY UNDERSTANDING IS IT WAS NOT WITHIN THE REGIONAL EXTENT OF THIS STUDY, SO THE STUDY WOULD HAVE TO BE UPDATED TO BRING THAT AREA AS WELL.

OKAY.

YEAH.

THANK YOU.

QUESTIONS.

ALL RIGHT.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT.

THANK YOU, HECTOR.

GOOD MORNING.

GOOD MORNING.

SO I'M GONNA HIT ON TWO, UH, SEPARATE, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE AND COMPONENTS, STARTING WITH THE, UH, WASTE WATER FIRST.

UM, BOTH ON WATER AND WASTE WATER, THERE HASN'T BEEN AS BIG OF A CHANGE AS THE STORM WATER, BECAUSE AGAIN, THE HURRICANE HARVEY IMPACT IN THE ENTIRE REGION, UH, HAS, HAS CHANGED, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING, UH, DRAMATICALLY.

UM, ON THE, ON THE WASTEWATER SIDE, UM, YOU KNOW, VERY SIMILAR TO THE DRAINAGE SYSTEM.

EVERYTHING IS SERVED BY, YOU KNOW, THE WASTEWATER ENTERS THE SYSTEM AND FLOWS BY GRAVITY TO PUMP STATIONS, WHICH ARE THEN PUMPED, UH, TO THE RIGHT ON THIS MAP, UM, TO THE CITY'S WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT, WHICH IS GOING UNDERGOING AN EXTENSIVE, UH, RENOVATION CURRENTLY.

UM, THAT'S ONE OF THE BIG CHANGES SINCE THE LAST SIX YEARS IS THAT, UH, THE, THE WASTEWATER PLANT WILL BE, UH, MUCH MORE ROBUST, UH, YOU KNOW, NEW FACILITY.

UM, SO ON THE WASTEWATER SIDE, WHAT WE DID IS WE TOOK, UH, SIMILAR TO WHAT HECTOR WENT OVER ON DRAINAGE ON THE EXISTING SYSTEM, UH, WE IN INSERTED, UH, WASTEWATER FLOW MONITORS IN UNDERGROUND INTO THE SYSTEM ON THE PIPES TO GET A GOOD IDEA OF WHAT KIND OF WASTEWATER FLOW, UH, IS, UH, COMING FROM THIS PART OF TOWN, UM, AND NEEDS TO BE, UH, DELIVERED TO THE WASTEWATER PLANT.

UM, AND THEN TAKING THE CATALYST AREAS AND ADDING THE FUTURE WASTEWATER FLOW, UH, FROM THOSE CATALYST AREAS ON TOP OF THE EXISTING SYSTEM AND SEEING CAN THE EXISTING SYSTEM HANDLE THESE FUTURE FLOWS, UH, OR DO WE NEED TO UPSIZE, UH, IN CERTAIN AREAS.

SO, UM, ON THE, AND ON THE WASTEWATER SIDE, YOU KNOW, SIMILAR TO THE QUESTION CHAIRMAN JUST ASKED IS, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING FLOWS BY GRAVITY TO THE SOUTHWEST AND A LITTLE BIT TO THE EAST.

SO THAT'S WHERE WE HAVE WHAT IN WASTEWATER TERMS IS CALLED A LIFT STATION, WHERE IT LIFTS THE WATER UP OVER TO THE WASTEWATER PLANT.

SO WE HAVE THE LAKE SHORE LIFT STATION, AND THEN THE LAKE CHARLES, UH, ON THE, ON THE BOTTOM LEFT IS THE LAKE SHORE LIFT STATION, AND THEN THE LAKE CHARLES LIFT STATION IS ON THE, UH, FAR RIGHT, WHICH THE LAKE SHORE LIFT STATION PUMPS INTO.

UM, AND IT'S A MUCH, UH, MUCH MUCH LARGER LIFT STATION ON THE, ON THE SOUTHEAST, BUT REALLY ON LOT OF THE CATALYST AREAS, UM, EVERYTHING WILL, MOST OF EVERYTHING FLOWS TO THE, TO THE LEFT AND TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS MAP TOWARDS THAT LAKE SHORE LIP STATION.

UM, SO THOSE, UH, LINES IN RED, YOU CAN SEE ARE LINES THAT WERE, UM, OVER HAD HAD TOO MUCH FLOW FOR THE, FOR THE WASTEWATER LINES.

SO WE HAD, UH, IMPROVEMENTS TO, UH, EXPAND THAT, THAT LINE AS WELL.

UM, AND THEN SIMILAR ON THE, ON THE, UH, DRAINAGE SIDE AND THE WASTEWATER SIDE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE COLOR CODED PROJECTS, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS FOR, UH, UPSIZING OF WASTEWATER LINES, YOU KNOW, GOING A, B, C FOLLOWING THE CATALYST AREAS.

THE ONE THING THAT'S CRUCIAL ON THE WASTEWATER

[00:25:01]

YOU GOTTA START DOWNSTREAM AND YOU GOTTA WORK YOUR WAY UP.

YOU CAN'T HAVE A BIG LINE GOING INTO A SMALL LINE.

YOU GOTTA START AT THE BOTTOM AND WORK AND WORK YOUR WAY UP.

SO THAT'S WHY WE, WE KIND OF HAVE THOSE IN AN ORDER AS WELL, LIKE PROJECT A, YOU KNOW, SHOULD GET DONE BEFORE OTHER PROJECTS.

UM, IS, IS IS THE WAY THAT WE HAD IT PHASED OUT, UH, ON THE, ON THE WATER SIDE.

UM, SO WATER'S A COMPLETELY SEPARATE SYSTEM THAN, THAN THE WASTE WATER.

UM, SIMILAR TO THE, YOU HAVE LINES GOING DOWN EVERY SINGLE STREET.

AND WHAT WE HAVE SHOWN HERE IS, IS THE CITY'S FIRE HYDRANTS.

WHAT WE DID ON THE WATER SYSTEM IS WE ACTUALLY HAVE, WE, WE CAN SET PRESSURE RECORDERS.

EVERYTHING HAS TO DO WITH DELIVERING WATER PRESSURE, UH, SUFFICIENT WATER PRESSURE TO MEET STATE REGULATIONS.

SO WE PUT PRESSURE RECORDERS OUT ON FIRE HYDRANTS TO DETERMINE WHAT TYPE OF PRESSURE ARE WE GETTING IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA, JUST UNDER CURRENT DAY, WHICH WAS 2015, UH, CONDITIONS.

UM, AND THEN WE ADDED THE FUTURE WATER DEMANDS THAT THE NEW CATALYST AREAS WOULD, UH, ADD, UH, TO THE SYSTEM.

AND, AND WE USED OUR MODELS TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE SYSTEM WAS ADEQUATE FOR THE FUTURE CATALYST AREAS.

SO YOU CAN, WHAT THE WAY THAT WE MARKED THE CAPACITY ON THIS MAP IS, YOU KNOW, LIKE A GREEN FIRE HYDRANT WOULD HAVE, YOU KNOW, GOOD, UH, FIREFIGHTING CAPABILITIES, PRESSURE, UH, AND THEN RED WOULD BE LOW.

AND THERE'S A, EVEN A YELLOW ORANGE THAT'S KIND OF A MEDIUM, UM, YOU KNOW, ONE WE'D STILL LIKE TO IMPROVE, BUT RED IS ONES THAT WE HAD TO IMPROVE WITH SOME PROJECTS.

AND SO YOU CAN SEE OUR PROJECTS HERE, UM, YOU KNOW, NETWORK OF LINES, UH, THIS ONE ISN'T AS CRITICAL FROM THE DOWNSTREAM UPSTREAM THAT WHAT I TALKED ABOUT ON THE WASTEWATER SIDE.

UM, YOU CAN, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN DO CERTAIN PROJECTS BASED ON WHEN THEY'RE NEEDED, BUT I THINK ON THE, ON THE WATER WASTEWATER, EVEN THE DRAIN IS SIDE, A LOT OF THESE LINES MATCH UP ON THE SAME STREET.

DO THOSE PROJECTS ALL AT THE SAME TIME.

CAUSE YOU'RE GONNA GO AND TEAR THINGS UP ONCE ON A STRETCH OF STREET, YOU SHOULD BE DOING THE WATER, THE WASTE WATER, AND THE DRAINAGE ALL AT THE SAME, SAME TIME.

AND THEN THE LAST THING I'LL MENTION ON THE WATER SYSTEM IS A LOT OF THE WATER LINES ARE IN THE ALLEYS BEHIND BUILDINGS.

AND WE HAD A RECOMMENDATION AND, AND INCLUDED THE COST TO BRING THOSE INTO THE FRONT OF, OF THE BUILDING.

UM, AND YOU'LL JUST NEED A NEW CONNECTION, NEW METER.

UH, AND WE INCLUDED THOSE IN THE COST.

UH, JUST LIKE HECTOR SAID, YOU KNOW, 2015 COST ESTIMATES ARE WHAT'S IN THE REPORT CURRENTLY.

UM, AND, YOU KNOW, 2020, YOU KNOW, GETTING THOSE COSTS UP TO 20, $22 IS, IS AN IMPORTANT STEP.

UM, YOU KNOW, REALLY EVEN IN THE LAST FOUR OR FIVE YEARS, THINGS HAVE GONE, UH, YOU KNOW, A LOT MORE EXPENSIVE THAN THEY USED TO BE.

BUT EVEN THEN, YOU KNOW, GOTTA GO ALL THE WAY BACK TO 2015 TO BRING THOSE COSTS UP TO REALLY 20, $23.

CUZ WE'RE, WE'RE ALMOST THERE.

SO.

ALL RIGHT.

I'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS ON WATER AND WASTE WATER QUESTIONS.

YES, I HAVE, UH, ONE QUESTION.

UH, IN TERMS OF THE PRESSURE RECORDING SYSTEM THAT YOU MENTIONED, UM, WHO MAIN, WHO ACTUALLY MONITORS AND MAINTAINS THAT AND THE, WHAT ARE THE ASSOCIATED COSTS WITH THOSE? SO WE, WE PUT THOSE OUT FOR A TWO WEEK PERIOD JUST FOR THE TESTING FOR THIS STUDY.

AND, UM, THOSE ARE, I MEAN, FREE AND NICHOLS OWNS, OWNS OUR OWN RECORDERS.

YOU KNOW, THEY'RE 500 TO A THOUSAND DOLLARS DEPENDING ON WHAT CAPABILITY THEY HAVE.

AND WE SET OUT, YOU KNOW, FOUR TO SIG YOU IN A GOOD GEOGRAPHIC REPRESENTATION IN THIS STUDY AREA.

UM, BUT WE, BUT WE BUY OUR OWN, BUT WE HAVE THE CITY INSTALL 'EM CAUSE THE CITY'S FIRE HYDRANTS AND YOU JUST SCREW THEM ONTO A FIRE HYDRANT AND THEN YOU'RE ABLE TO DOWNLOAD 'EM TO A COMPUTER LATER.

UM, AS FAR AS ONGOING PRESSURE, MAINTENANCE OR MONITORING, YOU KNOW, THE CITY, YOU KNOW, IN THE, IN THE CITY AND THE STATE, MONITOR THE PRESSURE TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY'S, YOU KNOW, FOR FOREVER, YOU HAVE TO DO THAT ALL EVERY DAY, ALL DAY.

UH, BUT THAT, THAT WAS JUST THE, WHAT WE DID IS JUST FOR THIS STUDY.

OKAY.

THANK YOU.

UH, IN THIS PARTICULAR ZONE, HOW MANY, UH, FIRE HYDRANTS WE ARE TALKING ABOUT, HOW MANY ARE WE REPLACING OR HOW MANY ARE THERE? HOW MANY ARE THERE THAT YOU HAD TO DO YOU STUDY WITH? UM, WELL WE, SO WE, WE, WE, WE, WE MONITOR ALL OF THEM IN OUR MODEL.

WE ONLY DID THE FIELD TESTING ON ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE OF 'EM, JUST GETTING ONE FROM KIND OF THE NORTH TO THE SOUTH.

UM, ONCE YOU'RE ABLE TO DO THAT, AND YOU, YOU CAN, IF YOU CAN GET YOUR MODEL TO MATCH UP AT THOSE FOUR OR FIVE POINTS, YOU FEEL GOOD ABOUT ALL THE LOCATIONS AS WELL.

UM, JUST THE WAY THAT THE WATER SYSTEM HYDRAULICS WORKS, YOU DON'T NEED TO MEASURE ALL HUNDRED OF THEM.

OKAY.

UH, BOARD DIRECTORS, CITY MANAGER GOT SOMETHING.

YEAH.

UM, YOU RIGHT, THE,

[00:30:01]

UM, IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT, UM, AND I DON'T SAY DEREK HERE, DEREK HOLLAND, UM, THAT AS WE CONTINUE TO MAKE GRADUAL IMPROVEMENTS LIKE THE, THE, THE, THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT IS DOING NOW ON FOURTH AND FIFTH STREET, AND WE'RE IMPROVING THE, THE STORMWATER SYSTEM THAT WE CONTINUE TO INTEGRATE THAT INTO OUR GIS SYSTEM THAT WILL ASSIST TREMENDOUSLY IN UPGRADING THE PLAN.

SO THAT, AS, AS YOU INDICATED, IT'S ABOUT SIX YEARS OLD AND IT'S ABOUT TIME RIGHT NOW FOR US TO, TO, UM, UM, UPDATE THE PLAN, UM, AND INCLUDE THE WEST SIDE WITH THE PORT.

YEAH.

BUT THAT WOULD IN ASSIST US TREMENDOUSLY IN PROVIDING SOME SORT OF UPDATE AND, UM, REDUCING THE COST, YOU KNOW, OF, UM, REVIEWING THE PLAN BECAUSE WE HAVE DONE WHAT WE NEED, UM, AS A CITY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE PAINT A TRUE AND ACCURATE PICTURE OF THE CONDITION OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE HAVE.

UM, SO, SO THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT.

UM, DR.

HANEY AND HIS TEAM VIN ARE DOING PIPE BURSTING OUT THERE AS WELL IN MANY OF THE AREAS.

UM, YOU SEE THE MATERIAL THAT'S BEING USED IS BEING UPGRADED TO A VERY GREAT EXTENT.

SO THE CITY CONTINUES TO INVEST IN THE TOS DISTRICT.

UM, BUT IT'S A PARTNERSHIP, IT'S A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE VARIOUS ENTITIES.

YOU KNOW, I JUST WANTED TO INFORM THE, THE GENERAL PARTNER ABOUT THAT.

OKAY.

UH, MAYOR BAR.

YES.

EXCUSE ME, UH, TO THE ENTIRE FREE NICHOLS TEAM, AND I'M SORT OF, I THINK REITERATING WHAT THE, UH, CITY MANAGER TO SEE.

HAVE YOU ALL THOUGHT ABOUT, UH, CONTACTED ANYONE WITHIN THE CITY OR HAS ANYONE IN THE CITY FROM THE PLANNING MAYBE DEPARTMENT CONTACTED YOU FOR AN UPDATED STUDY? YOU KNOW, THIS IS, UH, SOMETHING THAT WAS ADOPTED BACK IN 2016.

UH, WE ARE NOW A FEW DAYS FROM 2023, SO, YOU KNOW, PROJECTED, UH, PROBABLY START DATE FOR A PROJECT LIKE THIS WOULD BE 23 OR 24.

SO IS THERE ANY PLANS OR WHAT WOULD BE THE PROCESS FOR AN UPDATED STUDY AND PRESENTATION? I WOULD ASSUME, UH, A TOTALLY UPDATED, UH, YEAH.

2020 PRESENTATION OF THE ENTIRE THAT'S RIGHT, YEAH.

OF THE ENTIRE, UH, DOWNTOWN, UH, STUDY, WHICH HAS BEEN REAL GOOD AND IT IS GOOD.

NOW WE HAVE, UH, ENLARGED, UH, THE SIZE OF THE TUR.

UH, WE HAVE ALL THE PLAYERS I THINK, IN PLACE NOW.

UH, SO, YOU KNOW, MOVING FORWARD I THINK WE SHOULD PROBABLY COME UP WITH SOMETHING, UH, THAT THE CITY MANAGER.

YES, SIR.

YES, MAYOR.

UM, WE HAVE BEEN IN DISCUSSION IN REGARDS TO, UM, WORKING THROUGH THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS, UM, AS IT RELATES TO THE UPDATE OF THE, THE, THE DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION PLAN, AS WELL AS THE CITY'S COMPREHENSIVE PLAN BECAUSE WE'RE AT THAT MARK AS WELL.

UM, AND THEN TO REDEVELOP OUR SUBDIVISION REGULATIONS.

SO INTERNALLY WE ARE WORKING THROUGH THE PRIORITY LISTING ON WHICH SHOULD COME FIRST.

UM, WE NORMALLY GO THROUGH H G A C, UH, FOR PROCUREMENT FOR THIS.

SO WE WORK WITH THE PURCHASING DEPARTMENT AS WELL AS THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS BEING PROCURED APPROPRIATELY.

BUT YES, THAT IS PART OF OUR DISCUSSION.

GREAT.

UH, THANK YOU PAM.

I GUESS, UH, YOU GUYS ARE THROUGH WITH YOUR PRESENTATION.

OKAY.

ALL RIGHT.

NUMBER

[4. Discussion regarding possible updates to the City's Downtown Plan and the Downtown TIRZ #1 Project and Finance Plans. ]

NUMBER ONE PROJECT FINANCIAL PLAN, UH, CITY ATTORNEY WHO YOU GOT DOING THAT MYSELF.

AND, UM, I KNOW MR. WAS ON HIS WAY, AND IF MR. WILLIAMS ATTORNEY WILLIAMS HAS ANY COMMENTS, HE'LL HE'LL BE HERE.

WE JUST, WERE GONNA KIND OF HAVE A OPEN DISCUSSION, UM, ABOUT, UM, WE'VE NOW TALKED ABOUT THE DOWNTOWN PLAN AND UM, I WANTED TO JUST POINT OUT A COUPLE OF THINGS ABOUT THE CURRENT, UH, PROJECT PLAN AND FINANCE PLAN.

UM, AT THE LAST MEETING, I KNOW WE PASSED OUT COPIES TO THE BOARD AND, UM, JUST IN LIGHT OF TODAY'S CONVERSATION, UM, IN 2019, ON MAY SEVEN, SEVENTH, 2019, WE UPDATED THE, UH, PROJECT PLAN AND FINANCE AND PLAN FOR THE TURS BOARD, WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY SET IN PLACE IN 2013.

AND WE MADE CERTAIN AMENDMENTS.

AND, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT IT WAS APPROVED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE DOWNTOWN PLAN.

AND SO I KNOW THAT THAT WAS VERY IMPORTANT WHY YOU WANTED TO HAVE THIS MEETING, CUZ THESE ARE

[00:35:01]

UM, SO AS AMENDED THE, THE ZONE AND NOW WE'VE RECENTLY UPDATED THE BOUNDARIES, THAT WAS ONE OF THE GOALS, HAS MORE ACREAGE IN DOWNTOWN AND IT'S CONSISTENT WITH OUR DOWNTOWN PLAN.

AND, UM, WE WANTED TO KIND OF TALK ABOUT WHAT WE COULD DO TO PROMOTE AND JUMP JUMPSTART REVITALATION REVITALIZATION EFFORTS.

SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, LIKE THE MAYOR JUST SAID, AND YOU ALL JUST SAID ABOUT UPDATING THE DOWNTOWN PLAN, IT'S KIND OF LIKE THESE TWO DOCUMENTS HAVE TO WORK HAND IN HAND.

UM, ORIGINALLY WE HAD A MAYBE A 13, UH, MILLION DOLLAR, UH, PLAN, YOU KNOW, THAT WE WOULD EVENTUALLY MAKE 13 MILLION, UM, IN IMPROVEMENTS TO DOWNTOWN.

BUT NOW IN 2019, OUR GOAL WAS 16 MILLION TO, UM, TO, UH, PUT ALL THESE CHANGES IN.

SO SOME OF THE, WE TALKED ABOUT THE PROPOSED USES AND, UM, WE TALKED ABOUT HOW MUCH MONEY WE WANTED IN TO PUT INTO, UH, PROJECT COST TO HELP WITH RELOCATION.

JUST TO KIND OF EMPHASIZE, I WAS GONNA TALK ABOUT, UM, WHAT SOME OF OUR CAPITAL PROJECTS WERE, CUZ IT KIND OF GOES HAND IN HAND WITH WOOD FREEZING.

NICKS JUST SPOKE OF, UM, WE WANTED TO, UH, TALK ABOUT IMPROVING UP TO 4.5 MILLION IN INFRASTRUCTURE WITH THROUGH THE TURS, UM, STREET SCAPES.

WE HAD TALKED ABOUT 5 MILLION, 5.6 MILLION, UM, AS THE CITY HAS BEEN WORKING HARD WITH DEMOLITION ENVIRONMENTAL 500,000.

AND THEN WE HAD A BUDGET PRO PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AND, UM, FINANCING COSTS.

AND THEN ALSO, YOU KNOW, THESE FUNDS WOULD HELP OPERATE THE ZONE.

SO, UM, WE NOW HAVE A NEW PARTICIPATING ENTITY.

SO WE, WE WOULD LIKE TO ALSO UPDATE OUR TERRACE PLAN PLAYING, UM, BECAUSE WHEN WE ORIGINALLY DID IT IN 2019, IT WAS THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR, JEFFERSON COUNTY, DD SEVEN SABINE NATURE'S NAVIGATION DISTRICT.

SO WE, WE KIND OF LIKE TO MAYBE TAKE A LITTLE MOMENT TO TALK ABOUT UPDATING OUR PLAN AND, AND PUTTING THESE GOALS TOGETHER.

AND OF COURSE NOW ADDING THE PORT ON IT.

UM, THE ONLY OTHER THING IS, UH, JUST FOR PURPOSE OF THE DISCUSSION, IT LOOKS LIKE OUR BOTH PLANS PRETTY MUCH FOCUSED ON INFRASTRUCTURE AND HAVING IT READY SO THAT PEOPLE COULD, UH, BE DOWN IN THIS AREA, UM, TO, TO HAVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORT.

AND SO, UM, WE TALKED ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORT AND MORE LIKE BEAUTIFICATION, THE LIGHTING, THE TREES.

UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A PARK DOWNTOWN NOW, SO, UM, THAT, THAT'S PRETTY MUCH IT MIRRORS THE DOWNTOWN PLAN AND I KNOW THE MANAGER'S GONNA ELABORATE, BUT WE KIND OF LIKE TO TALK ABOUT WHAT KIND OF THINGS WITH THE GROUP, UH, THE GROUP OF CITIZENS WE HAVE HERE AND THE BOARD, UM, LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN.

CUZ WE BASICALLY, THESE ARE GONNA BE KIND OF ALMOST MIRROR IMAGES OF EACH OTHER, IS WHAT I WOULD THINK.

YOU KNOW, LIKE I SAID, WE HAVE TO PUT THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN.

AND THEN ALSO, UM, THE BEAUTIFICATION.

AND THEN THE BIG QUESTION OF THE, IN THE, UH, WILL BE WHEN WE GET TO NUMBER FIVE IS WHERE HOW DO WE GET PEOPLE TO, TO, TO, TO BUY INTO THE MARKETING.

BUT I JUST WANTED TO KIND OF SHOW THOSE, UH, SIMILARITIES AND SEE IF YOU ALL HAD ANY THOUGHTS OR IDEAS AS WE'VE KIND OF OVERVIEWED DOWNTOWN AND WHAT OUR EXISTING PLAN IS.

CUZ BOTH OF THEM WILL HAVE TO, UH, I WOULD THINK THIS GOAL FOR EARLY THIS 2023 WOULD BE TO GET THEM BOTH UPDATED.

AND THAT'S, UM, UM, THAT'S A GOOD, UM, INSIGHT INTO IT.

CITY ATTORNEY.

UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION AS WE CONTINUE TO BUILD ON THE PLAN IS THAT THE ORIGINAL DOWNTOWN PLAN COST ALMOST A MILLION DOLLARS AND IT WAS NOT, UM, AN ACADEMIC EXERCISE IN FUTILITY.

IT ACTUALLY, IT HAS ACTUALLY PRODUCED RESULTS OVER THE YEARS AND WE SEE IT, UM, MR. CHAIRMAN, UM, UM, SOME OF THAT MONEY, ABOUT HALF OF IT, OR TWO THIRDS OF IT CAME FROM THE EDC.

UM, MARDI GRAS, UM, PROVIDED A GRANT THAT THEY HAD AT THEIR DISPOSAL OF ALMOST 200,000 AND IN THE CD CHIPPED IN THE REST.

UM, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE FINANCIAL POSITION OF THE TURDS RIGHT NOW WE HAVE ABOUT, WHAT, $75,000, UH, BUT MAYBE ABOUT A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS IN TAXES, UM, THAT COULD BE PUT TOWARDS INFRASTRUCTURE SUCH SLASH PLANNING FOR THE TURDS DISTRICT.

UM, WE NEED TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THAT WE HAVE ALSO EXTENDED THE BOUNDARIES OF THE TURDS DISTRICT.

SO THAT HAS, UM, SOME ATTENTION HAS TO BE PEED AS PEED TO THE ASSESSMENT OF THE

[00:40:01]

UM, AT SOME POINT IN TIME, THE, THE, THE, THE THIRDS BOARD NEEDS TO SIT WITH THE CITY BECAUSE THE CITY, UM, HAS INVESTED HEAVILY INTO THE TWOS DISTRICT, WHICH IS PART OF THE CITY AS WELL.

SO WE NEED TO SIT DOWN AS TWO ENTITIES AND DECIDE HOW DO WE CONTINUE TO PARTNER, UM, TO, AND, AND PRIORITIZE WHAT OUR NEEDS ARE, UM, FOR THE TWOS DISTRICT.

AND, AND IN TERMS OF, AS, AS THE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER SAID, WHAT PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS WE CAN ACCOMMODATE IN THE NEXT BUDGETS FOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS, UM, AS, AS WE MOVE AHEAD.

AND THAT WILL SERVE AS A CATALYST TO CONTINUE TO IMPROVE THE TAXABLE VALUES OF THAT HAS SHARED WITH THE, WITH THE TRADES, UM, FOR PROPERTIES THAT'S WITHIN DISTRICTS.

SO WE'VE GOT TO PAY A LOT OF ATTENTION TO THIS AS WE CONTINUE TO MOVE ON.

UM, UM, WE HAVE SEEN A SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT IN THE, IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR, UM, FROM MOTIVA AND OTHER ENTITIES.

WE HAVE SEEN A, A, A, A DEFINITE WILLINGNESS ON BEHALF OF THE PORT, YOU KNOW, TO CONTINUE TO WORK WITH US AND, AND, AND, AND THE TRANSIT DEPARTMENT.

WE HAVE ALSO HAVE MONIES AVAILABLE 3.7 MILLION THAT'S, UM, FROM AN ED GRANT, UM, FOR UNDERGROUND, UM, UM, FIBER OPTICS, THAT'S ALL GOING TO BE SPENT IN THE THIRD DISTRICT.

SO THAT'S GRANT MONEY THAT WE HAVE.

WE HAVE IT ON THE BOOKS AND, AND, AND THAT'S GOING TO BE USED TO FURTHER IMPROVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA.

ALL THESE THINGS ARE HAPPENING AT THE SAME TIME, UM, AS WE CONTINUE TO LOOK AT A VERY BRIGHT FUTURE FOR THE DOWNTOWN AREA.

SO I THINK WE'RE WELL ON TRACK, UM, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO, TO INVEST WHEN I SAY WE ARE IN THE CITY, BUT WE'VE GOT TO CONTINUE TO CONSOLIDATE OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE TOURIST DISTRICT AND WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO MAKE SURE WE CAN ACHIEVE ALL OF THIS TOGETHER.

ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU.

UH, MANAGER, UH, BE YOU GOT ANYTHING ELSE? UH, THAT'S ALL WE HAVE FOR THAT ONE THAT YOU WANNA SPEAK.

OKAY.

FOR NUMBER FOUR? YES.

OKAY.

AND LIKE I SAID, WE WOULD LIKE TO, UM, WORK TOWARD, UM, UPDATING OUR PLAN AND, YOU KNOW, MAYBE HOLDING PUBLIC HEARINGS AT THE END OF JANUARY AND MAYBE ADOPTING THE UPDATE BECAUSE LIKE I SAID, THIS BOTH PLANS AND I CAN SPEAK MORE ON THE TOURS WAS JUST LIKE THE FIRST BUILDING BLOCK, BUT NOW WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE ARE, WE ARE THROUGH PLANNING, WE ARE AT IMPLEMENTATION.

SO WE WOULD LIKE, I HAVE A NOTE HERE THAT WE WANNA, MR. WILLIAMS AND I, WE'LL GET TOGETHER AND WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT MAKING SOME EDITS, GETTING SOME INPUT, HAVING THE, YOU KNOW, WE HAD TO HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING AND MAYBE UPGRADING IT, INCLUDING ALL THE INFORMATION FROM THE PORT BY JAN BY FEBRUARY FOR SURE.

YES MA'AM.

OKAY.

I'LL REMEMBER.

MR. WE, WE OPEN FOR BUSINESS.

YES.

SO, MR. SHERMAN, WHAT WE COULD DO, IF ANYTHING ELSE THAT WE NEED TO DO, UM, AS A RESULT, ANY ACHIEVEMENT AS A RESULT OF THIS MEETING? IF YOU COULD GIVE US, WHEN I SAY US, BOTH THE CITY AND THE THIRDS, A MANDATE IS TO COME BACK TO YOU WITH SOME SORT OF RFQ RFP FOR A DOWNTOWN, A STUDS PLAN, AN UPDATE BOTH THE UPDATING OF WE WILL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE THIRDS TO UPDATE THE DOWNTOWN PLAN AND TO CREATE A PLAN FOR THE THIRDS DISTRICT PRIORITIZING WHAT, UM, YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN TERMS OF INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENT FOR THE NEXT FIVE TO 10 YEARS.

AND WE COULD CREATE OUR, THE THIRDS CAN CREATE ITS OWN CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN THAT WILL WORK TOGETHER THE CITY AS PARTNERS TO FINANCE BOTH, YOU KNOW, BASED ON THE RESOURCES THAT THE CHURCH HAS AVAILABLE AND BASED ON THE, THE, THE, THE LONG TERM VISION THAT THE CITY SEES FOR THE, UM, FOR THE TURDS DISTRICT AND FOR THE CITY ON HOLD.

SO IF YOU COULD GIVE US THAT MANDATE, WE WILL GO TO WORK FOR YOU.

OKAY.

WELL THANK YOU, UH, MANAGER, UH, MAYOR BART, UH, MR. CHAIRMAN AND TO THE GROUP, AND MAYBE, I DON'T KNOW, IVAN MAYBE CAN ANSWER THIS FOR ME.

HAVEN'T WE BEGUN TO INFRASTRUCTURE WORK IN THE CHURCH FOR WITH GRANT MONIES THAT WERE, UH, YET FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, UH, IN, IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA, WHICH IS A PART OF THE TOURISM, UH, OF WHAT, WHERE WE ARE MET? YEAH, MAY, IF I, UM, REMEMBER, I THINK WE HAVE AWARDED, UM, WE HAVE AWARDED A CONTRACTOR, GENERAL CONTRACTOR EWC I THINK GOT THE CONTRACT AND UM, WE GOT, UM, FORGOT THE NAME OF THIS COMPANY WHO IS DOING THE REPORTING FOR THE, THE, THE GRANT THAT WAS RECEIVED, THE 3.7 MILLION.

[00:45:02]

UM, AS FAR AS THAT IS CONCERNED, WE WERE LOOKING AT THE, THE MODELS AND, AND UM, THE DESIGNS THAT THE SOLO GROUP, I SEE MR. SOKO IS HERE.

UM, UM, SO THAT WE COULD ADOPT THAT.

UM, WE HAVE HAD EXTENSIVE MEETINGS WITH, UM, ENERGY AND THE OTHER UTILITY PROVIDING, UM, UM, ENTITIES.

I THINK WE HAVE HAD SOME DISCUSSION WITH THE UTILITY, OUR UTILITIES DEPARTMENT BECAUSE WE WANT TO MAKE SURE AS WE CONTINUE TO MOVE AHEAD, ALL THESE THINGS HAVE BEEN TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION, UM, WHEN WE IMPLEMENT THEM.

SO WE ARE WELL ON THE WAY WITH THAT.

I DUNNO WHETHER MR. SOKO, IVAN, IVAN, YOU WANT TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE BECAUSE IVAN HAS HIS OWN PORT OF MONEY THAT HE'S USING APART FROM THE, UM, ED AND, AND EXCUSE ME, I WASN'T ASKING IF YOU WEREN'T PREPARED.

IT WAS JUST THAT WE WERE DISCUSSING INFRASTRUCTURE AND I KNOW THAT WE'VE HAD, SO , I DON'T KNOW IF THATS WAS YOUR GROUP, IF HE WAS SAYING, BUT TOTALLY ON THAT JUST IF YOU KNOW, NOT A TOTAL REPORT, BUT SINCE WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THAT IN THAT NUMBER AND HAVING SOME BASIC KNOWLEDGE ON IT.

YES.

YEAH, SO WE ACTUALLY, UM, JUST DID THE A HUNDRED PERCENT PLANS FOR OUR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT.