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OKAY, WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED HERE.
[Special Commission Meetings on April 30, 2025.]
WE'RE ONE MINUTE PAST FIVE 30.SO GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE, AND WELCOME TO THE SPECIAL BOARD MEETING, OR THE JOINT MEETING WITH THE CITY OF SAN BENITO.
TODAY'S WEDNESDAY, APRIL THE 30TH, 2025.
AND I CALL THIS MEETING IN ORDER AT EXACTLY 5:31 PM ROLL CALL DR.
MR. TORRES, DO WE GO AHEAD AND ALLOW THEM TO OPEN UP THE MEETING AS WELL? OKAY.
UH, AGAIN, THE MAYOR, REO GURA FOR THE CITY OF SANTO.
UM, LIKE TO CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER.
IT'S, UH, 5 31 AND, UM, I'M NOT GONNA GO WITH THE ROLL CALL, BUT, UH, WE DO HAVE, UH, MISSING RIGHT NOW IS, UH, MAYOR PRO TIM GALVAN.
AND, UH, COMMISSIONER MORALES.
SHE'LL BE, SHE'LL BE HERE ANOTHER 40 MINUTES.
SO, BUT WE STILL JUST WALK IN.
MAYOR PRO TIM IS HERE, SO WE DO HAVE A QUORUM.
SO WE'RE GONNA GO BACK TO, UH, UH, PUBLIC COMMENT, A 2.1 PUBLIC COMMENT, UH, MR. CORDONA OR DR. CRUZ.
THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS PUBLIC COMMENT.
BEFORE WE BEGIN, I'LL REMIND OUR AUDIENCE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD'S PROCEDURES FOR HANDLING PUBLIC COMMENTS.
THE PUBLIC COMMENT PORTION OF OUR MEETING IS AVAILABLE TO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, ACCORDING TO THE FOLLOWING, AT REGULAR BOARD MEETINGS, THE BOARD SHALL PERMIT PUBLIC COMMENT REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE TOPIC IS AN ITEM ON THE AGENDA POSTED WITH NOTICE OF THE MEETING AT ALL OTHER BOARD MEETINGS, PUBLIC COMMENT SHALL BE LIMITED TO ITEMS ON THE AGENDA POSTED WITH NOTICE OF THE MEETING.
ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK DURING PUBLIC COMMENT, MS. SIGNIN, PRIOR TO THE START OF THE MEETING AND LIST THE TOPICS THEY WANT TO DISCUSS.
AN INDIVIDUAL'S PUBLIC COMMENTS TO THE BOARD SHALL NOT EXCEED FIVE MINUTES PER MEETING.
PLEASE KEEP YOUR COMMENTS OR CRITICISM CIVIL AND COURTEOUS.
PLEASE AVOID USING PROFANITY AND REFRAIN FROM MAKING PERSONAL ATTACKS ON OTHERS.
DURING YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK, WE ASK THAT YOU DO NOT DISCUSS STUDENTS WHO ARE NOT YOUR OWN CHILDREN.
IN ADDITION, THE PARTICIPATING INDIVIDUAL SHALL ADHERE TO THE FOLLOWING STATE THEIR FULL NAME AND WHAT ORGANIZATION OR GROUP, IF ANY, IS BEING REPRESENTED, INDICATE A TOPIC BY WHICH THEY WISH TO SPEAK.
SHALL REFRAIN FROM COMMENTING DIRECTLY ON ANY INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYEE OR PUBLIC OFFICIAL BY NAME, BUT MAY REFER TO A SPECIFIC EMPLOYMENT AREA, JOB TITLE, OR THE BOARD AS A WHOLE, AND SHALL REFRAIN FROM ATTACKS ON INDIVIDUALS.
LASTLY, IF AFTER AT LEAST ONE WARNING FROM THE PRESIDING OFFICER, ANY INDIVIDUAL CONTINUES TO DISRUPT THE MEETING BY HIS OR HER WORDS OR ACTIONS, THE PRESIDING OFFICER MAY REQUEST ASSISTANCE FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS TO HAVE THE INDIVIDUAL REMOVED FROM THE MEETING.
IF A SPEAKER SPEAKING BOARD RESOLUTION OF A SPECIFIC COMPLAINT, THAT CONCERN SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO THE DISTRICT'S GRIEVANCE PROCESS.
DISTRICT POLICY DGBA HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED FOR ADDRESSING EMPLOYEE COMPLAINTS.
POLICY F AND G IS THE AVENUE FOR FILING PARENT COMPLAINTS AND POLICY.
GF ADDRESSES COMMUNITY MEMBER COMPLAINTS.
GRIEVANCE FORMS CAN BE OBTAINED AT ANY CAMPUS ADMINISTRATION OFFICE OR AT THE DISTRICT CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION OFFICE.
OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS MS. LUPITA.
GOOD EVENING, BOARD OF TRUSTEES.
REAL QUICK, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR THE SUPERINTENDENT REAL QUICK.
UH, I SEE THE AGENDA HERE AND THAT WE HAVE THE ITEMS THAT YOU SET HERE FOR A SPECIAL BOARD MEETING.
WILL THEY BE ASKING ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? QUESTION OTHER THAN THIS, YES OR NO? WILL WHO BE ASKING WHAT ADDITIONAL THE CITY, BECAUSE THEY HAVE SOMETHING ELSE ON THE AGENDA, SO I WANNA MAKE SURE IF THEY'RE GONNA HAVE EXTRA QUESTIONS TO DISCUSS OR IT IS JUST, JUST GONNA BE THIS ON THE AGENDA THAT I SEE.
RIGHT NOW, WE ARE JUST COVERING OUR AGENDA.
BUT I'M ASKING ARE THEY GONNA HAVE EXTRA QUESTIONS FOR THE BOARD? THAT'S MY QUESTION.
NO, NO, I'M ASKING YOU BECAUSE SINCE YOU'RE THE BOARD PRESIDENT, BECAUSE THAT'S WHY I NEED TO ADDRESS IT CORRECTLY, SIR.
SO THEY'RE JUST GONNA ADDRESS WHATEVER'S ON THE AGENDA ON R BECAUSE THEY HAVE A DIFFERENT ONE.
ARE THEY GONNA BE ASKING QUESTIONS ON THEIRS? YES, YOU ARE.
OH, NO, NO, THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING.
BUT THAT'S WHY WE ALSO HAVE OUR LAWYER.
'CAUSE I'M SPEAKING TO THE SCHOOL.
OUR BOARD WILL ONLY ADDRESS ISSUES ON EMILY.
I KNOW TONY, BUT I'M ASKING IF THEY HAVE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS THAT THEY'RE GONNA HAVE THE DISCUSSION FROM THE CITY.
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GIMME ONE SECOND.UM, I'M COMING TO THIS BOARD MEETING BECAUSE I'M SEEING THE AGENDA THAT HAS BEEN DISCUSSED, AND I THINK SUPERINTENDENT WAS ALREADY TALKING TO THE CITY MANAGER OVER THERE.
I AM SEEING IT AS DISCUSS AND UPDATE MY QUESTIONS TO, THESE ARE FIRST AN UPDATE ON THE CITY WATER TOWER LOGOS AND RETAIL AVIATION PROJECT.
THOSE ARE THINGS THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH CURRICULUM.
OKAY? ANYTHING THAT I SAW HERE ON THE AGENDA, ALL OF THIS IS RECREATIONAL.
I DID NOT SEE ANYTHING TOWARD ACADEMICS, CURRICULUM, TEACHERS, STAFF.
MY QUESTION NOW TO TONY IS IF THEY SAY HERE ON 3.3 DISCUSSION AND UPDATE ON THE CITY AND SCHOOL PARKS IMPROVEMENT INCLUDES STORM, WATER, RE UH, REGIONAL DETENTION.
LET ME ASK YOU SOMETHING HERE, TONY.
WHY DID THEY PUT SCHOOL HERE? WELL, WELL, I KNOW I'M ASKING YOU.
THAT'S WHY I'M ASKING YOU BECAUSE THIS IS A DISCUSSION.
THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN A TOWNHOUSE TOWNSHIP MEETING BECAUSE THAT WAY EVERYBODY COULD HAVE SPOKEN.
BUT THIS WAY IS I'M LIMITED TO CERTAIN THINGS.
THAT'S WHY I'M SAYING, SO THE BOARD, THEN YOU CAN ASK TONY, HOW COME HE PUT SCHOOL THERE? I'M SEEING THERE THE CHARTER, THEY ARE IN CHARGE OF ROAD SIDEWALKS, BUILDINGS, FIRE, POLICE, ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE CITY.
SO ALL THIS THAT I SAW, I'M TRYING TO COMPREHEND AGAIN, ALL OF IT, IT'S FOR THE CITY.
SO THAT'S MY QUESTION TO THE BOARD.
Y'ALL NEED TO BE VERY VIGILANT AND BE CAREFUL.
YEAH, YOU CAN LISTEN AND THEY CAN COME AND THEY CAN SPEAK AND THAT'S GREAT.
BUT, UH, WHAT I GOT A PROBLEM IS NOTHING IS TO DO WITH ACADEMICS.
NOTHING HAS TO DO WITH OUR STUDENTS.
YOU KNOW? AND YOU KNOW, IT STARTED BAD RIGHT NOW BECAUSE I WENT TO GO ASK THE CITY MANAGER IF THEY WERE GONNA SPEAK AND HE SAYS NO.
HE SHOULD HAVE SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT, MA'AM, WE'RE GONNA SPEAK OF OURS AFTERWARDS.
BUT THAT TELLS A LOT ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON.
EVEN WHEN YOU ASK A SIMPLE QUESTION AND THEY TELL YOU SOMETHING ELSE.
WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU? YOU ALREADY STARTED WRONG.
THAT'S A SIMPLE QUESTION THAT I HAD ASKED.
ANOTHER THING ALSO IS NONE OF THIS.
WE HAVE A POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THAT'S GREAT THAT THEY'RE GONNA OPEN A GYM.
I HAD SEEN THAT AND THAT'S AWESOME.
ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT OUR SCHOOL BUSES? ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT REGULAR BUSES THAT ARE COMING? ANY KIND OF BUSES? ALL THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH SAN SD AND HERE THE LOGO, WHAT LOGO THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT, HOW MUCH ARE THEY GONNA CHARGE? ALL THIS GOES INTO EFFECT.
WHEN I SEE THIS, I SEE SOMETHING LIKE TOTALLY OUT.
LIKE IF SAY FOR INSTANCE, YOU WILL GO INTO PARTNERSHIP FOR THE PARKS.
WELL, THE ELEMENTARIES ALREADY HAVE THEIR PLAYGROUNDS, SO WHY WOULD YOU WANNA DO THAT? THE CITIES ALREADY IN CHARGE OF ALL THE PLAYGROUNDS.
THEY'RE IN CHARGE OF THE PARKS.
THEY'RE IN CHARGE OF THE PARKS.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE SCHOOL, WE'RE A PUBLIC ENTITY.
THEY'RE THEIR OWN CITY ENTITY.
WE GET FUNDS FOR SCHOOL, WE GET LOCAL FUNDS, WE GET STATE FUNDS.
AND GUESS WHAT? WE GET FEDERAL FUNDS.
THEY GET STATE FUNDS, THEY GET TAX FUNDS, CELL FUNDS, CELL TAXES, FEES AND OTHER THINGS THAT THEY ALSO GET.
AND MY OTHER QUESTION IS ON THE 3.9 EDC, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE GREAT THINGS GOING ON THERE, BUT REALLY LIKE SANTO ALREADY HAS THEIR OWN.
WE ALREADY HAVE REGION ONE HERE.
WE ALREADY HAVE CTI, WE HAVE A LOT OF THINGS THAT ARE ALSO GOING HERE, RIGHT THERE.
THAT ONE I WILL TELL YOU, REMEMBER THE FLOOD WHEN IT GOT REAL UGLY, WHAT HAPPENED? INSTEAD OF SAYING, HEY, YOU KNOW WHAT, Y'ALL NEED SANDBAGS.
THEY WERE THINKING ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE AND IT WASN'T THE COMMUNITY.
AND THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING HERE.
ANYTHING TO GO WITH COMMUNITY, ANYTHING TO DO WITH BUILDINGS.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THREE POINT $13 MILLION.
AND I WILL TELL THE BOARD RIGHT NOW, I'M LETTING YOU ALL RIGHT NOW, KNOW ANY DISCUSSION YOU MAKE, THAT'S FINE.
BUT IF YOU DECIDE ANYTHING, I WANT THE COMMUNITY TO KNOW THAT IT'S IN THE BOARD ANYTHING TO DO.
BUT GUESS, GUESS WHAT? IF YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT, GUESS WHAT? CUT CUTS ARE COMING DOWN.
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CUTTING A LOT OF THINGS, YOU KNOW, AND WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT OUR EMPLOYEES.YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT YOUR EMPLOYEES.
SO LET ME TELL YOU AGAIN, IF YOU DO ANYTHING, IT'S GONNA GET TO WHERE THE EMPLOYEE'S GONNA SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, WHAT? AND MY LAST THING REAL QUICK.
YOU'VE ALREADY REACHED THE FIVE MINUTES, MS. OKAY.
AND REAL QUICK, I JUST WANNA SAY THAT.
I'M ALSO DOING IT FOR MY 64 EMPLOYEES THAT DIDN'T GET A RAISE.
AGENDA ITEM NUMBER THREE, UH, 3.1.
DISCUSSION ON UPDATE ON THE CITY WATER TOWER, LOGOS, AND THE REHABILITATION PROJECT.
MAYOR, COMMISSIONERS, UH, BOARD MEMBERS.
THANK YOU FOR HOSTING THIS TONIGHT.
ON BEHALF OF MY STAFF, THE MAYOR, MY COMMISSIONERS, UH, AND THE CITIZENS OF SAN BONITA, I WANT TO, I WANT TO THANK Y'ALL FOR, UH, AFFORDING US THIS OPPORTUNITY TO JUST TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON AT THE CITY AND HOW WE CAN PARTNER UP AND SERVICE OUR TAXPAYERS.
UH, YOUR, YOUR CHILDREN ARE OUR CHILDREN.
SO, UM, I THINK IT'S A, IT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY.
I KNOW THIS ISN'T, UM, COMMON HERE IN SAN BENITO, BUT OTHER PLACES IT IS.
AND, AND I'D LIKE TO MAKE THIS MORE OF A, UH, MORE OF A, A, A NORMAL OPERATIONAL THING INSTEAD OF JUST ONCE EVERY FEW DECADES.
AND SO, UH, WE CAN START OFF WITH ITEM NUMBER ONE.
UM, KIND OF DISCUSS TRUSTEES WHETHER HAD ISSUES THAT THEY HAD TO, TO
YOU GUYS HAVE A, YOU GUYS OKAY WITH IT? OKAY.
WANT ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO DEVIATE FROM THE AGENDA AND ENTERTAIN 3.9 FIRST AGENDA.
I'LL GO AHEAD AND ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO MOVE 3.9 TO THE, TO THE 3.1 OR BEFORE 3.1.
I MOTION TO MOVE 3.9 I I GOT A MOTION BY DR. CRUZ.
I GOT A SECOND BY MR. MR. VALA.
OKAY, NUMBER NINE IS DISCUSSION AND UPDATE ON EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIP WITH SAN BENITO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, SOUTH TEXAS COLLEGE, REGION ONE AND CITY OF SAN BENITO.
UM, BOARD MEMBERS, MAYOR, COMMISSIONERS.
UH, THIS IS AN ONGOING CONVERSATION WE'VE BEEN HAVING WITH, UH, THESE GENTLEMEN.
DR. KING, UH, REPRESENTS REGION ONE, AS Y'ALL WELL KNOW.
UH, WE, UH, DID HAVE A MEETING HERE WITH, WITH YOUR SUPERINTENDENT, UH, A FEW MONTHS BACK AND, AND TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT REGION ONE HAS.
AND, AND I'LL, I'M, I'M NOT GONNA STEAL DR.
KING'S THUNDER 'CAUSE HE GETS REAL UPSET WHEN I DO THAT.
UH, AND THEN OF COURSE, HAD SIMILAR CONVERSATIONS WITH DR.
RIC SOLI FROM STC TWO, SEPARATE, TWO SEPARATE TALKS.
BUT, UM, BOTH WOULD BENEFIT THE COMMUNITY GREATLY, I THINK, UM, IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS.
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, YOU KNOW, UH, JOB READINESS AND SO FORTH.
SO, UH, WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO LET DR. KING GO, UH, CALL DR. KING UP, IF POSSIBLE, SO HE COULD GIVE YOU HIS, HIS NEWEST AND GREATEST VENTURE.
GOOD EVENING MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, CITY COMMISSIONERS, SUPERINTENDENT, MAYOR, UH, AND STAFF.
UM, WE HAVE BEEN, UH, I, I AM IN MY 48TH YEAR IN THE EDUCATION, UH, BUSINESS.
SO ALMOST, ALMOST FIVE DECADES.
I THINK I'LL MAKE IT TO FIVE, RIGHT? BUT ANYWAY, UH, I'VE BEEN PUSHING SINCE I, UH, MOVED TO REGION ONE ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO.
I'VE REALLY BEEN PUSHING, WORKING ON AN INITIATIVE THAT I BEGAN IN PSJ WHEN I WENT THERE AS SUPERINTENDENT IN 2007.
AND SO, WHEN I ENTERED PSJ IN 2007, THE DISTRICT WAS STRUGGLING WITH A LOT OF ISSUES.
THE ONE THAT REALLY GRABBED AT ME WAS A VERY HIGH DROPOUT RATE.
AT THAT TIME, THE DROPOUT RATE IN PSJ AT THAT TIME WAS MORE THAN, UH, MORE THAN DOUBLE THE STATE AVERAGE.
SO WE WENT OUT WITH, UH, IMMEDIATELY, I STARTED IN JULY OF 2007, AND BY AUGUST WE WERE OUT LOOKING FOR ALL THE DROPOUTS.
STARTED A INITIATIVE CALLED COUNT DOWN TO ZERO, MEANING THE ONLY ACCEPTABLE, UH, NUMBER OF DROPOUTS IS ZERO.
AND, UH, AT THE SAME TIME, IN LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS, UH, I HAD A CONCERN THAT, UM,
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THAT THIS CLASSES THAT HAD ALREADY GRADUATED, EVEN THOUGH I WAS COMING IN NEW, UH, I COULD HAVE JUST STARTED FROM THAT POINT ON.BUT I FELT THE SYSTEM OWED THE STUDENTS FROM THE YEARS BEFORE THAT HAD NOT MADE IT THROUGH TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT.
AND SO, UH, AND LOOKING AT THE SITUATION AT THE TIME, I, I DECIDED TO, UH, OPEN A NEW KIND OF HIGH SCHOOL.
AND SO, UH, I OPENED THE FIRST IN THE STATE OF TEXAS ADULT HIGH SCHOOL FOR, UH, YOUNG ADULTS WITHOUT A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA.
I PARTNERED WITH SOUTH TEXAS COLLEGE WITH THE IDEA THEY COME IN, NOT ONLY GET THEIR DIPLOMA, BUT GET A, UH, AN INDUSTRY CERTIFICATION OR GO ON AND TRANSFER TO COLLEGE.
SOME OF THOSE YOUNG PEOPLE TODAY ARE TEACHERS WITH THEIR BACHELOR'S DEGREE, ET CETERA.
YOU KNOW, OTHERS ARE WELDERS AND SO FORTH.
WE GRADUATED IN, UH, IN 12 YEARS.
WE GRADUATED ALMOST 3018 TO 26 YEAR OLDS.
UH, THIS BECAME, UH, UH, RECEIVED A DESIGNATION FROM THE STATE AS A STATE MODEL, AND FROM USD AS A, AS A NATIONAL MODEL.
UM, THE MODEL SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE REGION PRETTY QUICKLY, AND MANY OTHER DISTRICTS IMPLEMENTED IT IN SOME FORM OR FASHION.
THROUGHOUT, THROUGHOUT, UH, THROUGH, THROUGHOUT THE VALLEY, UH, ABOUT 5,000 YOUNG PEOPLE TOTAL, UM, RECEIVED THEIR DIPLOMA THROUGH THIS, UH, IN, IN THE PANDEMIC.
AND ALSO DUE TO CHANGES IN THE ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM.
A LOT OF THESE PROGRAMS SHUT DOWN.
AND THEN OTHERS, AS SUPERINTENDENTS CHANGED AND SO FORTH, OTHERS MORPHED TO, INSTEAD OF BEING AN ADULT HIGH SCHOOL, WHERE SOMETIMES DISTRICTS STARTED ALLOWING THEM TO BECOME ALMOST LIKE AN ALTERNATIVE CAMPUS FOR THE HIGH SCHOOL AND HAVE AND HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPALS SENDING OVER STUDENTS THAT WERE HAVING STRUGGLING WITH AND SO FORTH, WHICH CHANGED THE WHOLE DYNAMICS.
'CAUSE IN THIS ADULT HIGH SCHOOL, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT WE RAN IN PSA, THERE WERE NO DISCIPLINE PROBLEMS. THEY CAME IN, UH, IT WAS A SEPARATE CAMPUS.
IT WAS A PARTNERSHIP WITH A COLLEGE.
THEY WERE TOLD, YOU'RE IN COLLEGE RIGHT NOW, YOU'RE IN COLLEGE AND HIGH SCHOOL AT THE SAME TIME.
I KIND OF CALLED IT EARLY COLLEGE FOR DROPOUTS, AN INTERESTING, UH, YOU KNOW, TWIST ON THINGS, UH, IN THE DISTRICTS THAT I'VE SEEN THAT BEGAN TO MORPH IT IN, IN MIXING, UH, STUDENTS THAT ARE STRUGGLING IN THE HIGH SCHOOL THAT ARE NOT ADULTS AND ALL THAT, UH, IT, IT, IT, IT REALLY, UH, STARTED TO CHANGE WHAT IT WAS ABOUT AND, AND HINDERED THE SUCCESS.
AND THEN WITH THE PANDEMIC, AS WE ALL KNOW, UH, DISTRICTS ACROSS THE ENTIRE NATION, AND NO EXCEPTION HERE IN THE VALLEY, AND THROUGHOUT REGION ONE, UH, MANY STUDENTS GOT LOST FROM THE SYSTEM WHO WAS MOST LIKELY TO GET LOST THIS TYPE OF STUDENT.
THAT THE TYPE OF STUDENT THAT, NUMBER ONE, THEY'RE OLD ENOUGH TO KIND OF MAKE THEIR OWN DECISIONS.
AND TWO, THEY'RE STRUGGLING WITH LIFE.
THEY'RE STRUGGLING WITH WHATEVER CHALLENGES THEY ALREADY HAVE, AND MOST LIKELY COME FROM HOMES WHERE THINGS LIKE INTERNET CONNECTION AND SO FORTH, UM, ARE NOT, UH, THAT EASY TO GET.
AND HOMES WHERE MAYBE PARENTS HAVE NOT BEEN THAT ENGAGED WITH ENCOURAGING THEM.
SO, THREE YEARS AGO, UH, I HAD ACTUALLY RETIRED RIGHT BEFORE THE PANDEMIC RETIRED FROM THE PUBLIC SIDE.
AND I WAS, I WAS, UH, WORKING IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR, RUNNING EDUCATION PROGRAMS FOR A VERY LARGE HOSPITAL SYSTEM AND THEN CONSULTING WITH SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND SO FORTH.
UH, BUT WHEN I CAME BACK AND I SAW THE IMPACT OF THIS, AND I REALIZED THAT EVEN PSJ HAD SHUT DOWN THEIR PROGRAM, HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL, UH, IT, IT REALLY HIT AT ME BECAUSE THE DROP, THE NUMBER OF DROPOUTS SKYROCKETED DURING, DURING THE PANDEMIC.
OKAY? SO I KIND OF SET OUT A MISSION TO PRESENT THIS TO THE SUPERINTENDENTS AND START ENCOURAGING SUPERINTENDENTS, LET'S GET THIS GOING AGAIN.
A COUPLE OF DISTRICTS HAD MAINTAINED IT VERY WELL, BUT VERY, VERY FEW.
SO LAST YEAR WE GOT PSGS REOPENED.
THEY GRADUATED A HUNDRED, UH, 18 AND 26 YEAR OLDS.
UM, LAST YEAR, THIS YEAR WE HELPED WESLACO OPEN ONE.
WE HELPED ED COUCH, ELSO OPEN ONE IN THE FALL.
MISSION IS ALREADY COMMITTED TO OPEN ONE.
UH, THE GREATER UNITED ISD HAS ALREADY, UH, COMMITTED TO OPEN, OPEN ONE.
MERCEDES HAS ALREADY COMMITTED TO OPENING, OPENING ONE.
AND SO PART OF WHAT I'M HERE IS JUST TO KIND OF, UH, YOU KNOW, I WAS KIND OF ASKED TO SHARE THIS.
AND THE IDEA, FIRST OF ALL, IN 2007, UM, WHEN I OPENED THIS UP UNTIL 2007, THE STATE DID NOT FUND SCHOOLS FOR ANYBODY OVER 21 YEARS OLD.
I ALWAYS FIND WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO SOLVE A PROBLEM, SOMETIMES THERE'S ANSWER HIDDEN ANSWERS.
AND A, A BILL HAD PASSED THAT YEAR, UH, HOUSE BILL 1137, THAT ALLOWED HOUR BY HOUR FUNDING INTENDED FOR TUTORING FOR STUDENTS WHO ALL THEY NEEDED TO
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TO GRADUATE WAS THEIR EXIT EXAM.SO TO KIND OF REIMBURSE SCHOOL DISTRICTS FOR SETTING UP TUTORING PROGRAMS. SO IF THEY CAME TWO HOURS A WEEK, THEY'D GET THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, WE GET TWO HOURS OF CREDIT.
AND WHEN ENOUGH HOURS ACCUMULATED, YOU GET 1 1 1 A DA OF FUNDING.
WELL, I DIDN'T KNOW ALL THE WHATEVER BEHIND THE LAW AT THE TIME, BUT WHAT I DID IS, IN MY MIND, I ENVISIONED DIFFERENT.
SO I JUST STACKED THOSE HOURS AND OPENED THE SCHOOL HALF DAY IN THE MORNING, HALF DAY IN THE AFTERNOON, UH, HELPED STUDENTS COMPLETE THEIR CREDITS, HELPED THEM GET THEIR, UH, PASS THEIR EXITS, HELPED 'EM START WITH START COLLEGE AT THE SAME TIME, DRAMATIC SUCCESS.
AND I'LL BE HONEST, I WAS A LITTLE CONCERNED AT FIRST THAT, THAT MAYBE, YOU KNOW, CAN I REALLY DO THIS? YOU KNOW? AND, UH, UH, I, I, I, I HAD ACTUALLY, UH, PUT IN SOME CALLS TO, YOU KNOW, MO CASEY GURU, FINANCE GURU.
THEY HADN'T SEEN THAT LANGUAGE.
THEY LOOKED AT IT BECAUSE I SAID, CAN I DO THIS? AND THEY SAID, WELL, IT LOOKS LIKE YOU CAN.
SO THEY CALLED TA FINANCE AND SAID, CAN, CAN HE DO THIS? AND THEY LOOKED AND THEY SAID, WE DIDN'T KNOW THAT WAS IN THERE, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE, I DON'T SEE WHY HE COULDN'T DO THAT.
YOU KNOW? SO, SO WE DID IT, YOU KNOW, AND SUBSEQUENT LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS, THE STATE LEGISLATURE.
SO WE, WE GRADUATED HUNDREDS OF STUDENTS IN THOSE FIRST TWO YEARS.
SO BY THE NEXT LEGISLATIVE SESSION, THE LEGISLATURE ACTUALLY PASSED BILLS, UH, UH, DOUBLING DOWN AND SAYING, OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS SHOULD BE DOING, SHOULD BE DOING THIS WORK.
AND SO IT, SO IT BECAME, UH, IT, IT, YOU KNOW, IT BECAME A MODEL.
SO WHAT I'M HERE FOR TONIGHT ON THE FIRST PART IS JUST TO, UH, YOU KNOW, SHARE THAT STORY WITH YOU.
UM, UH, I BELIEVE SOMEBODY AT ONE TIME HAD GOTTEN THIS GOING PRETTY GOOD.
I THINK MY UNDERSTANDING IS IT'S, IT'S, IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, REALLY THERE IN EXISTENCE OR MAYBE NOT GOING, IT'S, IT'S KIND OF FADED AWAY.
WHICH AGAIN, LIKE I SAID, EVEN PSJ WHERE I STARTED IT, IT WENT AWAY.
IT'S EVERYBODY GOT DISTRACTED BY THE PANDEMIC.
THE STUDENTS FALL BEHIND, TRY TO RECOVER ALL YOUR KIDS.
THERE WAS A BIG LOSS OF EARLY CHILDHOOD STUDENTS, ET CETERA, ET CETERA.
SO PART OF WHAT I TRIED DOING THE, FROM THE SERVICE CENTER, IS COME IN AND BE A RESOURCE.
AND, AND, AND LET'S, LET'S NOT FORGET ABOUT ALL THOSE TEENAGERS THAT, THAT, THAT WE LOST DURING COVID.
AND AS A COMMUNITY, CAN WE COME TOGETHER AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT AND PARTNER WITH HIGHER ED INSTITUTIONS, WORKFORCE TRAINING PROGRAMS OR WHATEVER, SO THAT THEY ALSO GET THE ADDED VALUE OF A CERTIFICATION.
ALSO, THAT ALSO HAS TREMENDOUS VALUE.
WE SAW, WE SAW, UM, WE SAW CRIME GO DOWN.
WE SAW, YOU KNOW, WE SAW JUST, YOU KNOW, WE SAW DISCIPLINE.
WE SAW MANY THINGS HAPPEN AS THESE YOUNG PEOPLE THAT WERE STUCK IN LIFE, UH, YOU KNOW, HAD A PATH FORWARD.
SO, UH, THAT'S THE FIRST THING I HAVE FOR YOU.
I HAVE ONE MORE THAT I WON'T SPEND TOO MUCH TIME ON, BUT JUST WANNA SHARE WITH YOU.
BUT, UH, I'M OPEN TO ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR ANYTHING THAT ANYBODY, UM, MIGHT, MIGHT HAVE FOR ME.
I DO HAVE A QUESTION, DR. KING.
JUST TO CLARIFY, DID YOU SAY THEY'RE RECEIVING THEIR GED OR THEIR ACTUAL HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA? HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA.
SO THEY HAVE TO TURN THEIR CREDITS AND EVERYTHING.
SO THIS IS NOT A GD PROGRAM, IT'S A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA PROGRAM.
IS IT SELF-PACED? UM, IT CAN BE STRUCTURED.
HOW THE DISTRICT WANTS TO STRUCTURE IT.
THE BEST RECOMMENDATION IS, NUMBER ONE, THESE STUDENTS NEED DIRECT INSTRUCTION.
THESE ARE STUDENTS THAT OFTEN HAVE, THEY MAY STRUGGLE WITH FOCUS, THEY MAY STRUGGLE WITH, YOU KNOW, SO YOU, YOU WANT YOUR PRIMARY INSTRUCTION TO BE DIRECT INSTRUCTION.
AND THEN YOU CAN DO, YOU CAN, YOU CAN HAVE SUPPORT THROUGH YOUR COMPUTER AND THROUGH, YOU KNOW, PUT 'EM ON FOR TUTORIALS HERE AND THERE.
THEY HAVE AN AREA WHERE IT'S THEIR STRENGTH, OR THEY HAVE AN AREA WHERE THEY TOOK A CLASS, THEY KNOW IT PRETTY WELL.
MAYBE THEY, MAYBE THEY DIDN'T GET A CREDIT 'CAUSE OF ABSENCES.
WELL, THEN THEY CAN TAKE AN ASSESSMENT FOR THAT ONE TO GET CREDIT FOR THAT ONE.
BUT DIRECT INSTRUCTION, UH, PARTICULARLY, UM, GOOD READING INSTRUCTION.
UM, OBVIOUSLY IN GOOD MATH INSTRUCTION, THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE VERY CRITICAL TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, DIRECT INSTRUCTION.
THE OTHER THING YOU WANNA DO, WHAT WE DID IN PSJ IS WE INCENTIVIZED FOR TEACHERS TO TEACH IN THIS TYPE OF A SETTING.
'CAUSE WHAT WE WANTED, WE WANTED SOME OF THE VERY BEST TEACHERS TO BE THERE.
WE DIDN'T WANT IT TO BE LIKE, YOU KNOW, AND I'LL JUST BE HONEST, AGAIN, IT'S NOT UNCOMMON, AND I SAW SOME OF IT WHEN I FIRST GOT THERE.
UH, THIS CAMPUS DIDN'T EXIST, BUT ALTERNATIVE CAMPUS, IT'S LIKE, HERE'S A TEACHER, EH, THEY'RE NOT DOING TOO WELL.
AND INSTEAD OF TAKING ON THE CHALLENGE OF THE GROWTH PLAN AND EVERYTHING THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE, SOMETIMES IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW, LET'S MOVE 'EM OVER THERE.
I'M NOT SAYING IF THAT HAPPENED HERE OR NOT.
I'M SAYING, I'VE SEEN THAT HAPPEN.
SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT THEY GET HIGH QUALITY TEACHERS.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DID IN PSJ, WE, WE, WE PAID A STIPEND ABOVE.
IF YOU'RE GONNA TAKE ON A, A HIGH CHALLENGE SITUATION, YOU KNOW, WE, WE WANT TO REWARD YOU, WHICH ACTUALLY NOW TODAY THE STATE DOES WITH THE TEACHER INCENTIVE ALLOTMENT, IS IF YOU TAKE ON THE MORE CHALLENGING SETTINGS, THE MORE CHALLENGING
[00:25:01]
CAMPUSES, UH, THERE'S A REWARD FOR THAT.UH, SO THESE STUDENTS, OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE STUDENTS THAT ARE AT RISK.
UM, SOME OF 'EM, LIKE YOU MENTIONED, THEY'RE OLDER, THEY MAY BE WORKING.
SO IF THEY HAVE TO BE IN PERSON AT THIS, HOW DOES THAT WORK WITH THE SCHEDULING? SO, SO WHAT WE DID, WE, WELL, FIRST OF ALL, WE WORKED WITH THE STUDENTS, BUT WHAT WE DID, WE, WE DID, SO YOU, YOU, FOR FOUR HOURS IN ATTENDANCE, YOU, YOU, YOU CAN DRAW DOWN A DAY, ONE, ONE DAY OF FUNDING.
OKAY? SO WE RAN A FOUR HOUR MORNING SESSION, A FOUR HOUR AFTERNOON SESSION.
AND THEN SOMETIMES WE RAN EVENING AND WEEKENDS.
WHAT WE REALLY FOUND THAT SURPRISED ME, AND MAYBE THINGS HAVE CHANGED TODAY, BUT MOST OF THEM WANTED THE MORNING SESSION.
WE HAD TO ACTUALLY ENCOURAGE SOME TO TAKE THE AFTERNOON SESSION.
AND THEN IN OUR CASE, ALMOST NOBODY WANTED THE, THE NIGHT SESSION.
AND, AND SO THAT'S, WE INITIALLY SET UP WITH ALL KINDS OF VARIATIONS.
AS TIME WENT ON, WE WOUND UP PRIMARILY WITH MORNING AND, AND, UH, THE AFTERNOON.
AND SOMETIMES DEALING WITH SOME INDIVIDUAL, UM, INDIVIDUAL CASES, UM, LIKE THAT.
WE ALSO HAD STUDENTS THAT MIGHT HAVE A WORK SCHEDULE WHERE THEY GO TO WORK TUESDAY AND THURSDAY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
SO THEN WE WORK, WE WORK AROUND THAT AS WELL.
WE ALSO HAD STUDENTS THAT CAME IN THE MORNING AND DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE AND STAYED THE AFTERNOON ANYWAY, BECAUSE THEY WERE EAGER, YOU KNOW, THEY WERE EAGER TO, YOU KNOW, GET THEIR ACADEMICS CAUGHT UP.
SO A LOT OF INDIVIDUALIZATION AND KIND OF CUSTOMIZING FOR THE STUDENTS.
YOU NEED BOTH A, A CAMPUS LEADER THERE, COUNSELOR AND TEACHERS THAT HAVE A HEART FOR KIDS THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT, THAT HAVE ALL THESE DIFFERENT STRUGGLES.
DR. KING, THE, UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BRINGING THIS OPPORTUNITY TO OUR COMMUNITY.
WE APPRECIATE THAT, UH, YOUR EXPERTISE AND ALL OF YOUR EXPERIENCE.
HOW DOES, HOW DOES, OR HOW WOULD, UH, TRADES TRAINING BE INCORPORATED INTO SUCH A PROGRAM? SO, THAT'S PERFECT.
SO, UH, YOU KNOW, VERY POPULAR.
THAT'S, LIKE I SAID, WE HAD STUDENTS, EVERYTHING FROM GOING ON TO BECOME TEACHERS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT.
BUT WE ALSO HAD, UH, SO WE PARTNERED WITH A COLLEGE AND, UH, AND WE ALSO HAD OUR OWN.
SO WE INCORPORATED WELDING, WE INCORPORATED ELECTRICAL TRADES.
WE INCORPORATED HVAC, WE INCORPORATED PRECISION MANUFACTURING.
SO PRETTY MUCH YOU CAN SHAPE IT.
UH, AND, YOU KNOW, THE, THE IDEAL IS SHAPE IT AROUND THE HIGH DEMAND CAREERS IN YOUR, IN YOUR, IN YOUR KIND OF GEOGRAPHICAL PROXIMITY.
SO YOU CAN TURN TO CAMERON WORKFORCE BOARD, FOR EXAMPLE.
WHAT ARE THE HIGHWAY YOU, YOU, YOU'RE VERY FAMILIAR WITH WHAT'S GOING ON AT THE PORT AND WHAT'S POTENTIALLY COMING IN AND THE LNG AND EVERYTHING ELSE GOING ON, AND ALL OF THAT.
SO YOU CAN MEET WITH PEOPLE LIKE THAT.
AND, AND THERE MAY BE TIMES ALSO WHERE INDUSTRY MAY EVEN INCENTIVIZE, UH, IF THEY'RE HAVING TROUBLE FINDING WORKERS WHERE, WHERE THEY'LL WANNA HELP.
UM, ALSO, UM, WORKING WITH INDUSTRY TO, TO, UH, TO LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES OF INTERNSHIPS AND DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE THAT.
UM, YOU KNOW, FOR, FOR STUDENTS IN SOME OF THESE FIELDS.
SO, DEFINITELY GREAT KNOW, GREAT QUESTION.
AND REALLY MANY OF THESE YOUNG PEOPLE, NOT ALL, EVERY ONE OF 'EM, THEIR STORY IS DIFFERENT.
SOME OF 'EM ALWAYS, BECAUSE THEY BECAME A PARENT, KNOW, VERY YOUNG, BUT SOME OF THEM ALSO, BECAUSE THEY STRUGGLE WITH JUST REGULAR SIT DOWN, LEARN, LEARN, LEARNING IN A REGULAR CLASSROOM.
SO A LOT OF TIMES WHEN YOU INCORPORATE THE TRADES AND NOW YOU TIE THAT TO THEIR ACADEMICS, A LOT OF TIMES THAT'S WHEN THEY, THAT'S WHEN THEY CATCH ON FIRE.
AND SO, UH, SO GREAT QUESTION.
ALSO, WHAT WOULD BE THE NEXT STEPS TO, UH, TOWARDS A PROGRAM LIKE THIS? SO THE NEXT STEPS WOULD BE, SO, SO BASICALLY THE WAY THIS IS SET UP, UM, UH, SO THIS WOULD BE RUN BY THE, THIS WOULD BE RUN BY THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
SO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT WOULD NEED TO MAKE A DECISION, OF COURSE, ALL THE PARTNERS THAT CAN HELP.
UH, RIGHT NOW, THE SCHOOLS IN THE THREE DISTRICTS IN ALGO COUNTY THAT ARE RUNNING THIS, AND I FORGET THE TITLE, BUT THERE'S A GENTLEMAN IN THE COUNTY OFFICE THAT'S, THAT'S THAT WHOSE JOB IS TO HELP STRUGGLING PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY THAT NEED RENT ASSISTANCE AND NEED THIS AND THAT AND THE OTHER.
SO HE'S REALLY DUG INTO THESE YOUNG PEOPLE IN THESE THREE DISTRICTS TO SEE IS THERE SOMETHING KEEPING THEM FROM ATTENDING SCHOOL, AND CAN A COUNTY RESOURCE COME IN AND AMELIORATE THAT PROBLEM? YOU ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE, UM, SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DID ALSO, I DIDN'T MENTION, IS LIKE WE PARTNERED WITH, WITH WORKFORCE TO MAKE SURE CHILDCARE WAS AVAILABLE.
AND SO IF THEY'RE, IF THEY'RE, IF THEY'RE SINGLE PARENTS OR, OR PARENTS AT ALL, THEY MAY NEED, UH, YOU KNOW, THEY MAY NEED CHILDCARE SERVICES.
SO THE WORKFORCE BOARD HAS MONEY FOR THAT.
UM, UH, AND SO WE WOULD CONNECT WITH THAT.
IF THEY DIDN'T QUALIFY FOR WORKFORCE, THEN WE USED EITHER OUR, OUR LOCAL FUNDS OR FOUND PARTNERS THAT WOULD, THAT WOULD HELP TO FUND THAT.
BUT SO THAT, THAT'S KIND OF HOW THAT WOULD GO.
SO, UM, IT'D BE A MATTER OF MAKING A DECISION, SETTING IT UP.
IT CAN BE SET UP TWO WAYS TODAY.
ONE IS A PROGRAM, ONE IS AS A PROGRAM THAT'S JUST A PART OF THE REGULAR HIGH SCHOOL, BUT SEPARATE LOCATION.
WHAT I RECOMMEND IS A SEPARATE CAMPUS, BECAUSE THE STATE ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM
[00:30:01]
TREATS IT VERY FAVORABLY.REALIZING THIS IS A VERY DIFFERENT POPULATION.
IF IT'S SAID, SO, I'LL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE.
UM, IN MEASURING WHETHER A STUDENT GREW OR IMPROVED OR NOT, STUDENTS IN, IN, ON ALL THE REGULAR CAMPUSES, IF THEY FAIL A GRADE LEVEL OR SOMETHING, THEY RETAKE THE SAME TEST.
THE STATE DOESN'T COUNT GROWTH ON A RETEST, EVEN IF YOU GREW TREMENDOUSLY.
BUT IF ON THIS KIND OF A CAMPUS, IF THEY TAKE THE ALGEBRA ONE AND OF COURSE EXAM, AND IT'S THE SECOND TIME THEY TAKE IT, AND MAYBE A THIRD TIME, IF EACH TIME THEY GOT BETTER, THE STATE GIVES CREDIT FOR THAT, REALIZING THAT THIS IS A HIGHLY AT RISK CAMPUS.
AND THEN OF COURSE, ONCE THEY, ONCE, ONCE THEY PASS IT, THEN THEY GET THAT CREDIT.
SO IT'S, SO IF IT'S SET UP AS A SEPARATE CAMPUS WITH ITS OWN CAMPUS NUMBER AND SO FORTH, THEN, THEN, THEN IT HAS THAT BENEFIT AS WELL AS HELPING THE REGULAR HIGH SCHOOL, BECAUSE THEN IT, THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT DOESN'T GET ATTRIBUTED, UH, TO THE HIGH SCHOOL.
SO IT'S A MATTER OF THE SCHOOL BOARD MAKING THE DECISION.
IT'S A MATTER OF WHAT WE, WHAT WE, THEY STILL DO IT.
IN PSJ TODAY, LIKE I SAID, THEY REOPENED IT.
UM, EVERY FALL AT THE OPENING OF SCHOOL, THE, THE FIRST MONTH OF SCHOOL, THE WHOLE COMMUNITY GOT INVOLVED.
WE CALL EVERY YEAR, WE CALL IT COUNT DOWN TO ZERO.
AND WE GOT A LIST FROM EVERY CAMPUS WHO'S ALL THE MISSING YOUNG PEOPLE.
AND WE WENT OUT TO EVERY DOOR, EVERY DOOR, SOMETIMES FOUR OR FIVE TIMES, WE'D GO, THE POLICE CHIEF WOULD GO, CITY COMMISSIONER WOULD GO, THE PASTOR WOULD GO, AND WE MIGHT VISIT A HOME FIVE TIMES.
AND 'CAUSE SOME, SOME OF THESE YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE GOTTEN TO THE POINT THAT THEY FEEL LIKE THEY ALREADY STRUCK OUT.
SO, AND, AND SOMETIMES SOMEBODY SAID, HEY, I'LL HELP YOU.
AND THEN THEY TURN AROUND AND THE HELP IS NOT THERE.
SO SOMETIMES IT TAKES EXTRA CONVINCING.
SO SOMETIMES IT'S, WE'VE HAD CASES WHERE IT WAS A THIRD GRADE TEACHER THAT WENT TO THE DOOR OF THIS 20-YEAR-OLD AND LIKE, WOW, MISS
YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? IT IS LIKE, JOHNNY, I WANT YOU, I WANT YOU TO GET YOUR DIPLOMA.
YOU KNOW? SO ALL THOSE THINGS MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE.
SO, SO WE DID A VERY STRATEGICALLY IDENTIFIED ALL THE MISSING YOUNG PEOPLE, AND THEN THE MISSING OLDER ONES FROM PREVIOUS YEARS.
AND EVERY FALL WE WOULD GO TO EVERY, EVERY SINGLE LOCATION, EVERY SINGLE HOME.
SOMETIMES THEY DIDN'T LIVE ANYMORE.
THEN WE TURNED INTO DETECTIVE WORK.
WHERE ARE THEY? WE'D ASK THE NEIGHBORS, WE'D ASK, YOU KNOW, AND WE'D GO TRY TO FIND THEM.
AND, UH, SO WE JUST MADE IT, UH, A COMMUNITY COMMITMENT THAT IN THIS DISTRICT, THAT'S WHAT I WOULD ASK, UH, YOU KNOW, SOME ANITA TO DO AND OTHER DISTRICTS TO DO ALL ACROSS THE REGION IS, YOU KNOW, THE WAY I LIKE TO EXPLAIN IT, SOMETIMES I LIKE, UH, I'M NOT A BANKER, BUT I KNOW IN BANKS, SOMETIMES YOU GET TO A POINT LIKE, THIS GUY'S NOT GONNA PAY THIS DEBT.
SO YOU WRITE IT, YOU WRITE OFF A BAD DEBT.
AND SO WHAT I LIKE TO SAY IS WE DON'T WRITE OFF KIDS, LIKE KIDS.
KIDS ARE NOT, AND I STILL CALL 'EM KIDS, ALTHOUGH THEY'RE YOUNG ADULTS, MAYBE 'CAUSE OF MY AGE, RIGHT? BUT, UM, BUT YOU KNOW, KID, NO KID IS BAD DEBT.
YOU KNOW, WE DON'T, WE DON'T WRITE OFF KIDS.
SO, UH, SO, YOU KNOW, MAKING IT A, A COMMUNITY COMMITMENT.
AND WHAT WE FOUND THERE IS IT CHANGES THE WHOLE COMMUNITY CULTURE OR YOU, IF YOU DO IT, IF YOU ENGAGE IN IT SERIOUSLY AND DO IT MULTIPLE YEARS IN A ROW, IT STARTS CHANGING THE WHOLE COMMUNITY CULTURE AND THE MESSAGE ABOUT WHAT YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT'S, ABOUT WHAT YOUR CITY, WHAT YOUR WHOLE COMMUNITY IS ABOUT.
DR. KING, YOU MENTIONED A NUMBER OF COMMUNITIES THAT ARE ALREADY ENGAGED IN THIS PROGRAM, BUT THEY SOUNDED LIKE THEY WERE ALL FROM THE UPPER VALLEY.
IS THERE ANYBODY DOWN AT THIS END? UM, SO RIGHT NOW, RIGHT NOW, NO.
BROWNSVILLE KIND OF HAS A PROGRAM, BUT I'LL, I'M, I'M, I'M GONNA BE VISITING THEM.
THEY ALSO RUN A GD PROGRAM, AND I THINK THE TWO HAVE KIND OF, UH, YOU KNOW, CROSSED INTO EACH OTHER.
SO I DON'T THINK THEY HAVE A DISTINCT PROGRAM AT THIS POINT.
SO I, I'M PROBABLY SPEAKING OUTTA TURN, BUT I NEED TO GO MEET WITH THEM.
BUT AS I'M JUST LOOKING FOR THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR US IN THE COMMUNITY TO TAKE THE LEAD AND YEAH.
AND REALLY SHOW SOME ABSOLUTELY THE NEEDS THAT WE HAVE IN OUR, AND IN CAMERON COUNTY OVERALL, BECAUSE WE ARE, WE ARE CHANGING RAPIDLY YES.
WITH THE GROWTH THAT'S HAPPENING HERE.
AND, UH, AND THEN IT'S YOUR CHOICE TOO, LIKE, JUST LIKE, I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU DO EVERYTHING ELSE, BUT SO FOR EXAMPLE, LAREDO UNITED IS GONNA START IN THE FALL, AND THEIR DECISION IS THEY, THEY WILL ONLY ACCEPT INTO THIS PROGRAM STUDENTS FROM WITHIN THEIR BOUNDARIES, RIGHT? WESCO, ISD AT CAL SDP IS JSD.
ON THE OTHER HAND, THEY DON'T CARE IF THEY LIVE IN THE CITY NEXT DOOR, YOU KNOW? AND, AND SO THAT, THOSE ARE DECISIONS THAT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS TO MAKE TOO.
THE ONLY, YOU KNOW, SO A LOT OF DISTRICTS IN THE STATE ARE NOW OPEN ENROLLMENT, UH, MOST DISTRICTS IN REGION ONE, OPEN ENROLLMENT FOR YOUR REGULAR PROGRAM.
SO IT'S KIND OF DECISIONS TO MAKE TO MAKE ON THAT.
SIR, REAL QUICK, UH, YES, SIR.
THANK GOD I DIDN'T MEAN TO INTERRUPT, BUT REAL QUICK BEFORE WE, BEFORE, UH, BEFORE WE MOVE ON, SIR, UH, CAN YOU GO BACK TO THE
[00:35:01]
WHOLE, THE WHOLE, UH, STATE FUNDING, HOW THIS WORKS, RECAPTURING THESE CASES? SO THE WAY THIS WORKS ON STATE FUNDING AND ESSENCE, AND JUST TO PUT IT REALLY SIMPLE, YOU GET THE SAME FUND STATE FUNDING FOR AS YOU GET FOR ANY OTHER STUDENT.SO YOU GET THE, YOU GET THE SAME STUDENT.
IN FACT, IT ACTUALLY, IF, I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL HAVE AN INTEREST IN SINKING FUND, BUT EVEN YOUR INS BENEFITS, UH, BASED ON THE FORMULA, BECAUSE, UH, THE HIGHER YOUR A DA, THEN THE HIGHER PERCENT THE STATE PAYS VERSUS THE LOCAL, UH, TAXPAYER.
SO, UH, AND AT THIS TIME, AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS I'VE ENCOURAGED SCHOOL DISTRICTS WHERE EVERYBODY'S CONCERNED ABOUT DECREASING ENROLLMENT, AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE CLOSING SCHOOLS.
I'M LIKE, YOU GOT AN EMPTY SCHOOL.
THEY'RE WORRIED ABOUT REDUCING THE NUMBER OF TEACHERS.
I'M LIKE, OPEN A SCHOOL FOR THIS.
IT'S ALL GREAT FOR, IT'S LIKE WIN WIN, WIN, WIN FOR YOUR COMMUNITY.
AND SO, BUT THE FUNDING WORKS THE SAME WAY THERE.
UH, THE EXCEPTION IS THE FEDERAL FUNDING STOPS AFTER AGE 21.
SO IF THEY'RE LIKE TITLE ONE AND ALL THAT, WELL ONLY THROUGH 21 DO THEY GET THAT.
BUT THE STATE FUNDING CONTINUES.
UM, IT'S UP UNTIL I SAY 18 TO 26, IT'S AS LONG AS THEY, IT, IT, AS LONG AS THEY HAVEN'T TURNED 26 BEFORE SEPTEMBER ONE.
SO IF THEY TURN 26 AFTER THE SCHOOL YEAR ALREADY STARTED, THEN, THEN THEY'RE STILL INCLUDED.
IF THEY TURN 26 BEFORE, DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN'T EDUCATE 'EM, BUT THE STATE'S NOT GONNA FUND YOU.
LIKE IN PSJ, SOMETIMES WE'D HAVE, WE HAD A FEW WALK IN, THEY'RE LIKE 35, THEY REAL DEDICATED, AND THE PRINCIPALS JUST LIKE, CALL ME DR. KING, THIS PERSON REALLY WANTS TO DO THIS.
AND SOME OF THOSE GRAD, YOU KNOW, GRADUATED AS WELL.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THIS? WHAT IS THE AVERAGE CLASS SIZE THAT YOU HAVE? SO USUALLY YOU GO WITH SMALL, YOU USUALLY GO WITH SMALL CLASSES ON THESE, UM, NOR NORMALLY YOU'RE NOT GONNA HAVE MORE THAN 15.
A LOT OF TIMES IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT CAN BE EIGHT TO 10.
UM, YOU, YOU, THESE STUDENTS NEED A LOT OF INDIVIDUALIZED ATTENTION.
A LOT OF TIMES THEY HAVE, UM, A LOT OF THEM ARE GONNA, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THEM, THE NUMBER ONE REASON THAT STUDENTS DROP OUTTA SCHOOL, WE TALK ABOUT THERE'S A LIFE THINGS TOO, BUT RIGHT.
BUT THE NUMBER ONE REASON KIDS DROP OUTTA SCHOOL IS WHEN THEY STRUGGLE ACADEMICALLY.
SO A LOT OF TIMES THEY MAY HAVE READING GAPS THAT NEVER GOT ADDRESSED.
SOME OF THEM MAY HAVE DYSLEXIA, DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO IT, YOU KNOW, UH, YOU, YOU, YOU REALLY WANNA, YOU KNOW, MAKE IT A HIGH PRIORITY.
NOW, WHAT WE DID DO, LIKE I SAID, THERE IN PSJ, AND AGAIN, WE PAID, YOU KNOW, UH, WE PAID A LITTLE EXTRA FOR THAT, BUT WE RAN A MORNING SHIFT AND AN AFTERNOON SHIFT.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, EACH TEACHER WAS COVERING TWO, TWO SHIFTS.
SO THAT ALSO HELPED TO FUND THE, THE, THE LOWER RATIO, IF YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M SAYING, BECAUSE EACH TEACHER WAS, YOU KNOW, THE MORNING SHIFT WOULD, YOU'D GET A DAY OF CREDIT FOR EACH STUDENT IN ATTENDANCE THERE IN THE AFTERNOON SHIFT.
YOU'D GET A DAY OF CREDIT FOR EACH STUDENT THERE IN THE AFTERNOON.
I, I, I WOULD LIKE, I THINK THAT WAS, I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE ONE OTHER THING WITH YOU.
I WON'T SPEND TOO MUCH TIME ON IT.
UM, REGIONAL ONE IS SUPPORTING IT.
RIGHT? BUT I'M WEARING TWO HATS.
SO REGIONAL ONE'S MY JOB, UH, MY COMMUNITY SERVICE, I'VE, I'VE SET UP A, UH, 5 0 1 C3 FOUNDATION BASED ON THIS DROPOUT WORK THAT WE'D STARTED NPSJ.
AND THEY SPREAD AROUND THE STATE.
AND IN 2015, AUSTIN GOODWILL HAD VERY GOOD CONNECTIONS WITH THE STATE, AND THEY ASKED PERMISSION TO, TO, TO, FOR, TO RUN A PILOT TO DO THE SAME PROGRAM FOR ADULTS UP TO AGE 50 TO GET THEIR HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA AND GET FUNDED BY THE STATE.
THE BILL PASSED, THEY'VE BEEN RUNNING IT FOR 10 YEARS.
THEY'VE GRADUATED ABOUT 2000, UH, UH, 18 TO 50 YEAR OLDS IN, IN AUSTIN THROUGH THE PROGRAM.
UM, THE INITIAL LEGISLATION ONLY ALLOWED ONE, AND I WAS REAL, LIKE I WOULD TALK TO THE COMMISSIONER, WHY? ONLY ONE, SINCE WE STARTED IT DOWN HERE.
WELL, IN 2023, THEY PASSED A BILL OUT, 10 MORE IN THE STATE.
UM, I SET UP A 5 0 1 C3, UM, APPLIED, AND WE'VE BEEN APPROVED.
AND SO, UH, THE PLAN THAT I'VE SUBMITTED THAT'S BEEN APPROVED BY TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY REGION ONE WILL SUPPORT IT BECAUSE IT'S ANOTHER SCHOOL SYSTEM JUST LIKE THE OTHER.
SO IT'S, IT'S WHAT'S CALLED A SUB-CHAPTER G ADULT CHARTER SCHOOL SYSTEM.
AND SO IT'S THE SAME PROGRAM, BUT ALL THE WAY UP TO AGE 50 YEARS OLD, NOT A GED, HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA, INDUSTRY CERTIFICATIONS, ANY ALGO COUNTY, CAMERON COUNTY, WEBB COUNTY, THE THREE COUNTIES WHERE WE PLAN TO START THIS, APPROXIMATELY 30% OF THE ADULTS AGES 25 AND OVER DO NOT HAVE A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA.
THIS IS A BIG DRAG ON THE ECONOMY.
IT'S A DRAG ON EDUCATION BECAUSE AGAIN, EDUCATED PARENTS, UH, NOT TO SAY, NOT TO MAKE A BLANKET STATEMENT, BUT BY AND LARGE THINGS PASS ON FROM GENERATION TO THE
[00:40:01]
OTHER.SO, UH, UM, THE, SO I'M JUST GONNA LEAVE YOU WITH A BROCHURE ON THAT, THAT YOU CAN STUDY AND LOOK AT.
UM, BUT YOU'LL BE, I'M PLANNING TO, UH, UH, UH, I'M PLANNING TO START THE, THE FIRST THREE IN, UH, LAREDO, UM, FAR AND PROBABLY BROWNSVILLE, 'CAUSE THEY HAVE THE BIGGEST COM POPULATION.
BUT I'M LOOKING FOR, UH, OTHER COMMUNITIES ALSO THAT, THAT WANT TO SUPPORT IT.
IT ALSO WILL BE FUNDED OPERATIONALLY, UH, UH, UH, BY AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE.
UM, THE, UH, UH, WHAT IT, WHAT IT DOES NOT HAVE IS IT CANNOT GET AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE UNTIL THERE'S STUDENTS IN THE SEAT.
THERE CAN BE STUDENTS IN THE SEAT UNTIL THERE'S A STAFF, A FACULTY, A BUILDING TO PUT 'EM IN AND ALL OF THAT.
SO WHAT I'M GOING AROUND TO SOME OF THESE COMMUNITIES IS LOOKING FOR PHILANTHROPISTS AND DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, TO, UH, TO, TO, TO PROVIDE THE, THE ABILITY TO, UH, TO, UH, START OUT.
BUT I WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE YOU'LL BE, YOU KNOW, YOU'LL BE HEARING ABOUT IT.
AND LIKE I SAID, UH, AS WE GO DOWN THE ROAD, COMMUNITIES THAT ARE IN INTERESTED IN, UH, IN, IN SUPPORTING THAT.
BUT WHEN, WHEN WE, YEARS AGO, BY THE WAY, I WENT TO SCHOOL RIGHT DOWN THE ROAD HERE.
SO IF YOU TAKE SAM HOUSTON AND GO AS FAR NORTH AS YOU CAN TO THE DEAD ENDS, UH, I LIVE WITHIN ABOUT A, I GREW UP WITHIN ABOUT A MILE OF THAT.
SO I GREW UP, YOU KNOW, RIGHT, RIGHT.
I GRADUATED FROM HONDO MANY TOO MANY YEARS AGO TO, TO MENTION, BUT I GRADUATED FROM IONO, SO, OR HONDO, UH, SO, UH, YOU KNOW, VERY, HAVE A LOT OF, UH, PASSION, YOU KNOW, FOR, FOR, FOR THIS AREA AS WELL.
BUT, UM, SO I, I WILL LEAVE THE BOARD AND THE COMMISSION AND SO FORTH WITH, WITH THIS, SO YOU CAN LOOK THROUGH ON YOUR OWN TIME AND JUST BE AWARE.
AND LIKE I SAID, UH, ON THIS, THE FOUNDATION, I'M DOING THAT AS VOLUNTEER WORK.
THERE'LL BE, UH, EMPLOYEES, BUT, UH, MY JOB IS REGION ONE.
MY COMMUNITY SERVICE IS THIS, BECAUSE I'M, I'M VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT OUR ADULTS.
WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY ABOUT WHEN I WENT, I NEVER FORGET WHEN I WENT TO THIRD GRADE, FOURTH GRADE, BACK, BACK IN THE DAY, IGRA, WELL, I'LL SAY I GRADUATED IN 72, RIGHT? AND BACK IN THE DAY, IT WAS VERY NORMAL THAT THE SENIOR CLASS WAS REAL SMALL COMPARED TO THE FRESHMAN CLASS, RIGHT? AND EVEN 30 YEARS AGO, LIKE HALF THE SIZE OR WHATEVER.
SO THERE'S MANY, MANY ADULTS OUT THERE TODAY.
THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS DO BY AND LARGE, MUCH, MUCH BETTER.
AND IT DOESN'T SHRINK TO THAT EXTENT, BUT WE HAVE ALL THESE ADULTS IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT, THAT DIDN'T GET THE, THAT DIDN'T GET THE OPPORTUNITY.
AND THAT'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR YOUR COMMUNITY.
IT'S ALSO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR YOUR COMMUNITY, BECAUSE AGAIN, THIS WILL BE A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA AND THE INDUSTRY CERTIFICATIONS AND OR TRANSITIONING INTO COLLEGE AT THE SAME TIME.
SO I'LL LEAVE YOU WITH THAT, UH, UNLESS THERE'S ANY OTHER QUESTIONS.
YOU BRING MINE, PRESIDENT LOPEZ.
UH, WE'RE GONNA DO, UH, ON THE CITY SIDE, UH, NUMBER EIGHT, WE'RE GONNA MOVE IT UP.
RICARDO SOLI, PRESIDENT OF SOUTH TEXAS COLLEGE SYSTEMS. UH, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME HERE.
I KNOW THIS HAS BEEN A, IT'S GONNA BE A LENGTHY EVENING.
I'M GONNA TRY TO BE BRIEF AS POSSIBLE.
UH, BUT, UH, UH, MAYOR AND THE CITY COMMISSION OF COURT, MEMBERS OF THE IISD, I WANT TO AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US HERE, UH, SUPERINTENDENT PERES.
UH, WE'VE HAD SEVERAL MEETINGS IN THE PAST, AND I'M CERTAINLY LOOKING FORWARD TO NOW.
I THINK, FIRST OF ALL, I WANTED TO MENTION, I WANT TO COMMEND, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WHERE I'VE SEEN A JOINT MEETING.
IT SHOWS AN INCREDIBLE, NOT ONLY COMPASSION, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, INNOVATIVE VISIONARY FROM BOTH THE MOST IMPORTANT ENTITY, THE CITY AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, HAVING THE MEETING TOGETHER TO WORK AND SOLVE THE ISSUES OF THE, WHAT, THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF THE COMMUNITY, WHICH IS THE CITIZENS.
I REALLY, UH, I WANNA COMMEND YOU FOR THAT.
NUMBER TWO, I'M SPEAKING OF VISIONARY.
I WANT TELL YOU VERY QUICKLY, UM, I HAVE AN AFFINITY FOR THE SAN BENITO BECAUSE AS I MENTIONED TO THE MAYOR, AND OF COURSE THE SUPERINTENDENT KNOWS THIS, AND THE CITY MANAGER BACK IN 1989, I WAS HIRED BY MAYOR GALVAN AND BILL CARD.
I WAS, I BELIEVE I'M A LOT OLDER THAN I LOOK, BUT I WAS HIRED TO, TO, TO LEAD AND BE THE PROJECT MANAGER TO GET THE LOS ANGELES BRIDGE PROJECT DONE.
AND LEMME TELL YOU, THE VISIONARIES BEHIND ALL THIS, AND I HAVE ALL THE HISTORY THAT WILL BE ANOTHER DAY, WAS THE CITY OF SAN BENITO, THE LEADERS OF SAN BENITO
[00:45:01]
BACK IN THE EARLY 1960S, PROBABLY YOU ALL DON'T, SOME OF YOU MIGHT KNOW THIS.THEY'RE THE ONES WHO PUT TOGETHER THE FAMOUS PRESIDENTIAL PERMIT FOR KNOWN AS THE SAN BENI BRIDGE COMPANY.
AND ALL OF THAT DOCUMENTATION IS THERE.
AND, AND WITH THAT, UH, THE TWO MAYORS APPROACHED ME, GOING HERE, SAY, OKAY, RICARDO, WE WANT YOU AND, UH, MR. VALE PURSUE THIS PROJECT.
IT WAS A, A PROJECT THAT HAD BEEN DORMANT FOR MANY YEARS, AND WE GOT IT DONE IN THE RECORD HISTORY.
THE BRIDGE PROJECT HERE, LOS KNOWN AS LAOS, WAS DONE IN LESS THAN FOUR YEARS FROM THE, FROM THE PERMIT TO THE CONSTRUCTION TO THE COMPLETION.
BUT THIS WAS THANKS TO THE VISION OF THE, THE CITY OF SAN BENITO AND THE VISIONARIES, I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL KNOW, THEY, CITY OF SAN BENITO HAD A VISION.
THEY BOUGHT SOME LAND ON THE MEXICAN SIDE.
I KNOW, 'CAUSE I'M THE ONE WHO RESITED THAT AND BROUGHT AND GAVE THAT TO THE GOVERNMENT OF MEXICO AS PART OF THE INCENTIVE TO GET THE PROJECT GOING.
AND THAT'S WAS THE, THE, UH, WHAT MADE IT HAPPEN.
AND THANKS TO THE, TO THE VISIONARY SAN BENITO, NOT CAMERON COUNTY, NOT HARLINGEN, THE CITY OF SAN BENITO TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN.
OKAY, SIR, THEN I WANT THE PRO, I WANT THE LAND IN.
YOU WANT IT BACK, IT, THAT'S WHERE THE ANA IS, BY THE WAY.
IT WAS FIVE ACRES, ECT IS RIGHT, RIGHT NEXT TO IT ON THE MEXICAN SIDE.
AND THAT WAS DONE BY SAN BENITO, AN INCREDIBLE VISION.
AND, UH, SO, UM, WITH THAT BACKGROUND, I WANTED TO, OF COURSE, TO MAKE A POINT THAT I'M BY PROFESSION, I'M AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPER IN THE WORKFORCE, AND BEEN HERE FOR, OF COURSE, BEEN AWAY.
BUT NOW, UH, THAT'S HOW TEXAS COLLEGE, UH, WE ARE VERY EXCITED THAT WE'RE PUTTING TOGETHER THE MOST RELEVANT PROGRAMS THAT ARE NECESSARY FOR, FOR PEOPLE TO SUCCEED.
AND I MEAN, PEOPLE, IT'S NOT STUDENTS.
IT'S ABOUT THE, THE PEOPLE IN THIS REGION.
WE HAD SEVERAL MEETINGS HERE WITH THE, THE, WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT TO TALK ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES.
WE HAVE OVER 120 PROGRAMS, SIX CAMPUSES, OVER 30,000 STUDENTS.
THIS IS HOW LARGE, UH, SOUTH TEXAS IS.
AND YES, WE CAN BE ABLE TO COME HERE AND PROVIDE THESE, THESE TYPE OF PROGRAMS HERE.
IT'S ABOUT PROGRAMS THAT, THAT STUDENTS, UH, WANT TO IMMEDIATELY ATTAIN TO GET A HIGH PAYING JOB.
AND THAT'S WHERE WE'RE GONNA, I HAVE MY VICE PRESIDENT HERE WHO'S GONNA TALK VERY QUICKLY ABOUT OUR WORKFORCE PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE OUR APPRENTICESHIPS TO YOUR QUESTION ABOUT HOW CAN WE GET THESE ADULTS PAID? WE HAVE THAT SOLUTION THAT NOBODY ELSE HAS.
APPRENTICESHIPS WHERE THEY, WHERE MANY OF THESE STUDENTS, IF THEY QUALIFY, THEY CAN GET PAID WHILE THEY'RE STUDYING.
ALSO, WE HAVE OUR DUAL CREDIT PROGRAMS, WHICH OF COURSE, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, THAT IS WHERE WE EXCEL THE MOST.
I MEAN, CAN YOU IMAGINE THAT WHERE STUDENTS NOW CAN OBTAIN AN ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE WHILE THEY'RE IN HIGH SCHOOL? WE'RE IN TWO WEEKS.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE OUR GRADUATION.
WE'RE GRADUATING OVER 5,000 STUDENTS IN TWO WEEKS FROM NOW.
AND OUT OF THOSE, 40% OF OUR GRADUATES ARE IN THE HIGH SCHOOLS IN THE
AND WE CERTAINLY WOULD LOVE TO SEE, UH, SAN BENITO HAVE, YOU KNOW, TRIP TRIPLE THEM OUT OF GRADUATES WITH AN ASSOCIATE DEGREE WHILE THEY'RE STILL IN HIGH SCHOOL.
THIS IS WHAT CAN BE DONE NOW WITH THESE PROGRAMS THAT ARE OUT THERE.
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, THESE PROGRAMS ARE WITH PATHWAYS TO HIGH PAYING WAGES, HIGH PAYING CAREERS.
WE HAVE FROM THE TECHNICAL PROGRAMS, AND TO, OF COURSE, OUR BIGGEST ACCELERATED ONES ARE, ARE HEALTH FROM NURSING TO ALL THE DIFFERENT ONES.
I CAN GO ON AND ON ABOUT OUR HEALTH PROGRAMS, BUT I KNOW THIS IS ANOTHER, BE ANOTHER DISCUSSION.
BUT, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF WE HAVE TIME TO, UH, TO DISCUSS OUR PROGRAMS AT THIS, OR PERHAPS I THINK WE SHOULD GO ONTO A, A MEETING AT ANOTHER TIME WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT TO TALK ABOUT THIS, ABOUT THE PROGRAMS THAT WE CAN BE ABLE TO WORK TOGETHER WITH AND, UH, BE ABLE TO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES.
UH, WITH THAT SAID, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S ANY QUICK QUESTIONS THAT WE CAN ATTAIN TO ON OUR, ON THE PROGRAMS. NO, WE'RE GOOD.
SO ARE, ARE THERE ANY FEES ASSOCIATED TO THE DISTRICT WITH THESE PROGRAMS? AND I DIDN'T ASK DR. KING THIS, BUT I THOUGHT, SORRY, I KNOW YOU'RE SITTING ALREADY, BUT ARE, WHAT ARE THE FEES THAT ARE ASSOCIATED FOR THESE PROGRAMS? YEAH, THEY'RE, THEY'RE FEES THAT ARE INVOLVED IN DELL, DEPENDING ON THE PROGRAMS OR WHERE THEY'RE AT.
HE, UH, HE HAS THE SPECIFIC, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS THE, THE TIME, BUT THEY ARE, THEY'RE MINIMAL.
FORTUNATELY, THE, THE BOARD OF SOUTH TEXAS COLLEGE IS VERY WILLING TO WORK.
Y'ALL WOULD BE THE FIRST IN THE COUNTY IN CAMERON CAMRY TO BE ABLE, SO I KNOW THAT THEY'RE BAILING GONNA BE VERY FLEXIBLE AND BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THESE TYPE OF FEES THAT WOULD BE VERY ATTRACTIVE FOR THE STUDENTS TO, TO ATTAIN.
AND SECONDLY, THERE'S MANY FUNDS OUT THERE.
THAT'S WHY I, I WANT TO, WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT APPRENTICESHIPS, AND THAT IS ANOTHER WAY TO BE ABLE TO HELP STUDENTS.
IN OTHER WORDS, CAN YOU IMAGINE MANY OF THE STUDENTS NOW ARE BEING PAID WHILE THEY'RE STUDENTS? THIS IS UNHEARD OF.
A FEW YEARS AGO, THIS DIDN'T EXIST.
MA WILL BE ABLE TO ELABORATE WHAT PROGRAMS ARE OUT THERE AVAILABLE, UH, THAT ALSO, THAT HAVE, UH, THESE TYPE OF APPRENTICESHIPS.
AND I'LL BE GLAD TO VISIT WITH YOU ON THE FEES, BUT IT HAS TO DO ON CREDIT HOUR.
[00:50:01]
WE CUT THOSE IN HALF OR EVEN MORE THAT WE, THAT MY BOARD IS WILLING TO DO TO WORK WITH THE, WITH SAN BENITO SCHOOL DISTRICT.SOLI CALLED ME VICE PRESIDENT JUST NOW.
UH, BUT NOW I'M ACTUALLY DEAN, UH, FOR THE CENTER FOR ADVANCED TRAINING, UH, THERE AT THE TECHNOLOGY CAMPUS AT STCI OVERSEE THE NON-CREDIT WORKFORCE TRAINING AND APPRENTICESHIP TRAININGS.
AND I WOULD HIGHLY ENCOURAGE THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, THE, THE, THE CITY TO ENGAGE IN WORKFORCE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES.
THIS IS THE KEY TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
WE TRAIN OVER 12,000 INDIVIDUALS IN ADDITION TO THE 30,000 THAT DOCTOR SALI, UH, TALKED ABOUT ON THE, UH, UH, DEGREE SEEKING STUDENTS.
THESE ARE NON-DEGREE STUDENTS WHO WANT TO LEARN JUST HOW TO WELD, NOT NECESSARILY A DEGREE.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, RIGHT NOW WE'RE TRAINING AS WE SPEAK, UH, MORNINGS AND EVENINGS, A REFERRAL OF 60 STUDENTS FROM DR.
KING'S PROGRAM THAT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT.
THESE 60 INDIVIDUALS, ADULTS WILL BE RECEIVING AN AMERICAN WELDING SOCIETY, UH, CERTIFICATION PRETTY SOON.
WE OFFER HUNDREDS OF DIFFERENT INDUSTRY BASED CERTIFICATIONS.
UH, APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS IS ONE OF THE ONES THAT WERE MENTIONED.
ALSO, I, UH, WE HAVE APPRENTICES THAT ARE RANGING FROM AGES 16 TO LATE SIXTIES, AND THESE ARE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AS WELL.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING, WELL, SOME INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS AND HIGH SCHOOLS ARE DOING, IS HAVING THESE APPRENTICES WORK.
THESE ARE ACTUALLY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, BUT WORK AT THE ACTUAL SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THE FACILITIES MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT TO GET THE PLUMBING AND HVAC ELECTRICAL, UH, WORK EXPERIENCE AND GET PAID FOR THAT.
SOMETHING INNOVATIVE THAT WE'RE DOING.
I DON'T THINK ANYBODY ELSE IS DOING THAT, BUT THIS, WE THINK OF NEW WAYS TO GET PEOPLE OUT IN THE FIELD AS YOUNG AS 16 YEARS OF AGE, AUTOMOTIVE DEALERSHIPS, PHLEBOTOMY, PHLEBOTOMIST, AND HEALTHCARE.
I DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME, BUT JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW, THERE ARE SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO GET THE STUDENTS AT WORK-BASED OPPORTUNITIES.
THAT IS THE KEY TO LEARNING RIGHT NOW, IN ADDITION TO THE CLASSROOM, UH, THEORY THAT WE'RE, WE'RE ALSO REALLY GOOD AT.
AND I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO FIND A TRAINING PROVIDER TO HELP YOU GET THESE STUDENTS ON THE JOB AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND GET PAID AND GET CERTIFIED.
NOT NECESSARILY DEGREE, BUT IN MOST CASES THEY GET BOTH.
SO, UM, THAT'S LIKE IN A NUTSHELL.
BUT, UH, ANY QUESTIONS I CAN ANSWER REALLY QUICKLY? NO, THANK YOU FOR YOUR, UM, PRESENTATION.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO ALL IN MORE DEPTH OR LATER AT A, AT A LATER TIME.
AND, UH, THE TRUSTEES AND OF COURSE, CITY COMMISSION REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
GIVE US THE, THE OPPORTUNITY AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO DISCUSSING PROGRAMS THAT WE KNOW THAT THE STUDENTS AND THE CITIZENS ON THE REGION HERE WILL ATTAIN TOO.
AND AS VERY QUICKLY, I, I DID TOUCH UPON THAT THE, THE BIG CHANGE NOW WE'RE SEEING NOW IS THAT IN HIGHER EDUCATION, UH, EDUCATION, NOW GOING TO SHORTER TERM CERTIFICATES, TWO YEAR DEGREES, THAT IS WHERE IT'S AT.
THAT IS WHAT'S NE THAT'S ALREADY, THAT'S NECESSARY FOR PEOPLE TO SUCCEED.
STUDENTS NOW, AFTER THE PANDEMIC, WHAT THEY WANT, THEY WANT IMMEDIACY, THEY WANT RELEVANCY.
AND THAT IS WHAT WE FOCUS ON, RELEVANCY AND IMMEDIACY.
SO THEY CAN GET INTO HIGH PAYING, HIGH DEMAND FIELDS.
IT'S NO LONGER ABOUT THE OLD, UH, ADAGE ABOUT HAVING LONG-TERM, UH, GRADUATE DEGREES AND SO ON.
NOW IT'S GETTING RIGHT INTO THE WORKFORCE FOR LONG LONGEVITY.
AND OF COURSE, TO RETURN OVER AND OVER TO GET MORE DEGREES OR MORE CERTIFICATION, THAT'S REALLY WHERE IT'S AT.
I'M SORRY, NOT DEGREES, CERTIFICATES.
THAT'S WHAT THE FOCUS IS NOW AFTER THE PANDEMIC STUDENTS TODAY.
THAT'S REALLY NOT ONLY WHAT THEY WANT, IT'S REALLY, IT'S ALL WHAT THEY NEED TO BE.
LOOKING FORWARD TO FURTHER DISCUSSIONS.
MR. MAYOR, YOU HAD ANOTHER? YES.
I JUST, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE A QUICK COMMENT.
THANK YOU, UH, DOCTORS
UH, SO THE REASON I WANTED THIS ON THE AGENDA WAS THIS IS, THIS IS, THIS IS A CYCLICAL THING AND, AND, AND IT WORKS TOGETHER.
UH, I'M THE CITY MANAGER, BUT I ALSO RUN THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.
I'VE BEEN IN THIS BUSINESS A LONG TIME, AND I, LIKE DR. SOLIS, SPECIALIZE IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
BUT THERE'S A, THERE'S A REAL INTERESTING SYNERGY BETWEEN A CITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND SUCCESSFUL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
AND ITS CITY FATHERS INCLUDES YOU ALL MY BOARD.
IF WE'RE NOT WORKING TOGETHER, THEY'RE NOT GONNA COME.
AND I MEAN THAT SINCERELY, IT WILL NOT COME TO A UNSTABLE POLITICAL CLIMATE.
AND I DON'T WANT TO LECTURE ANYBODY, BUT I'M JUST TRYING TO TELL Y ALL THE FACTS.
BUT THERE'S ANOTHER PIECE TO THAT EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT.
I CANNOT SELL ANYTHING TO ANYBODY THAT WOULD LIKE TO COME HERE.
AND YEAH, EVERYBODY WANTS RETAIL.
EVERYBODY WANTS A, YOU KNOW, THE NEXT, YOU KNOW THE, THE, THE BEST HOT YOU KNOW, THEY WANT PAPA DO'S AND THEY WANT ALL THESE OTHER, YOU KNOW, BIG NAME RESTAURANTS.
AND RETAIL IS GREAT, BUT WHAT'S
[00:55:01]
REALLY GONNA CHANGE AND REALLY MOVE THE NEEDLE IN THIS AREA IS MANUFACTURING INSTRUCTION AND ANY KIND OF INDUSTRIAL TYPE OF DEVELOPMENT.AND FOR THAT YOU NEED CERTIFIED, QUALIFIED, WELL-EDUCATED, OR AT LEAST CERTIFIED WORKERS.
I CANNOT SELL SOMETHING THAT I DON'T HAVE.
THAT WAS THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF THIS.
I'VE KNOWN THESE GENTLEMEN FOR A LONG TIME.
WE'VE WORKED TOGETHER ON OTHER PROJECTS.
I THINK IT'S A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR SAN BENITO IN OUR AREA.
SALI SAID, NOBODY'S DOING IT IN CAMERON COUNTY.
AND WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE THE, BE AT THE FOREFRONT OF THAT AND, AND, AND TAKE THE LEAD, WHICH WE SHOULD.
UH, WE'VE GOT THE MOST ATTAINABLE LAND IN THIS AREA.
WE'VE GOT THE MOST AVAILABLE LAND IN THIS AREA, AND WE'RE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENING.
AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE A REALLY SHORT WINDOW.
AND IF WE DON'T TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT, OTHER AREAS WILL HAD A GOOD MEETING WITH THE WORKFORCE.
UH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR YESTERDAY, MR. VELA, UH, WAS GONNA BRING HIM HERE.
GLAD I TURNED OUT TO BE PROBABLY A LITTLE BIT TOO LONG.
I KNOW HE'S SCHEDULED WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT TO GIVE A, TO GIVE HIS PRESENTATION.
AND HE'S GONNA PUT IT IN PERSPECTIVE.
HE WILL TELL YOU EXACTLY WHAT I'M TELLING YOU.
WE NEED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS WINDOW BECAUSE IF WE DON'T, IT WILL PASS US UP.
SO JUST WANNA LEAVE YOU UP WITH UNTIL, NO, WE CAN DO NUMBER EIGHT.
DID WE NEED A MOTION TO MOVE 3.8 UP AS WELL? I MEAN, IT'S JUST A DISCUSSION ITEM.
OH, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU WITH YOU GUYS.
WELL, ON THE CITY SIDE, UM, MY AGENDA, SO I CAN, I CAN DO IT FROM, OKAY, BUT YOU DO WANT 3.8 TO BE THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM.
YEAH, WE CAN GO ON TO NUMBER EIGHT IF, IF, IF, IF THAT'S, UH, OKAY WITH THE BOARD.
SO I WOULD NEED A MOTION ON OUR END TO MOVE 3.8 TO THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM.
I'VE GOT A MOTION BY MR. LO LOPEZ IN A SECOND BY MR. IN FAVOR.
3.8 DISCUSSION OF THE CITY OF SAN BENITO, REAL TIME CRIME CENTER.
SO WHAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON WITH THE CITY OF SAN BENITO IN WORKSHOP TYPE GROUPS IS A REAL TIME CRIME CENTER, RIGHT? SO THE REAL TIME CRIME CENTER WILL MAKE THE ABILITY FOR THE CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT TO RESPOND TO SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS AT THE SCHOOLS, INCLUDING THE SCHOOL POLICE DEPARTMENT, WORKING IN UNISON, IN A SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT TYPE, YOU KNOW, FORMAT.
AND IT'LL INCLUDE THINGS LIKE IF SOMETHING HAPPENS IN THE, IN THE PARKS, RIGHT? THE SCHOOL CITY, THE PARKS, THEY WILL HAVE EYES ON IT.
THEY WILL BE ABLE TO TRACK IT.
AND FROM A CENTRAL POINT OF COMMAND AND CONTROL, WHAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT, AND IT'S STILL IN THE CONCEPT STAGE, RIGHT? WE'RE STILL IN THE WORKSHOP STAGE, BUT IT'S UNITING.
IT'S CITY, COUNTY, STATE, STATE BEING THE SCHOOL, RIGHT? SO THE CITY, THE COUNTY, AND THE SCHOOLS WOULD ALL BE IN A FEDERATED INTEROPERABILITY TYPE ENVIRONMENT WHERE YOU WOULD BE COMMAND, CONTAIN, CONTROL AND COMMUNICATIONS, AND YOU WOULD SHARE THOSE FOUR THINGS, RIGHT? SO IF THERE WAS SOMETHING, GOD FORBID, THAT WERE TO HAPPEN AT THE SCHOOL AND THE CITY WERE CALLED IN IMMEDIATELY, THEY'D BE ABLE TO, AS AN EXAMPLE, UTILIZE THE READER THAT'S RIGHT HERE IN THE FRONT DOOR.
I MAKE THAT READER, RIGHT? THE READER, THE HID SIGNAL READER THAT'S ON YOUR FRONT DOOR.
I MAKE IT IN AUSTIN, RIGHT? I CAN HAVE ANYONE HERE OPEN IT WITH THEIR CELL PHONE OR THEIR WATCH THEIR APPLE WATCH, RIGHT? SO WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE IS SOMETHING HAPPENS TO US, GOD FORBID, RIGHT NOW, THE RESPONSE WOULD BE FOUR MINUTES OR LESS FROM A POLICE DEPARTMENT SUBSTATION OR THE POLICE STATION, OR SOMEONE ON PATROL.
AND THEY'D BE ABLE TO GO RIGHT TO THE READER AND PUT THEIR, AND GO IN AND RESPOND, RIGHT? THEY WOULD HAVE COMMUNICATIONS WITH DISPATCH, AND DISPATCH WOULD SAY, DON'T ENTER THE FRONT DOOR.
ENTER THE SIDE DOOR, DOOR NUMBER THREE, RIGHT? BECAUSE THOSE DOORS ARE NUMBERED FOR FIRST RESPONDERS.
SO IT'S, SAY, ENTER DOOR NUMBER THREE, TAKE A LEFT BEHIND THE DOUBLE DOORS IS WHERE THE EVENT IS HAPPENING.
COULD BE SOMEBODY CHOKING ON A GUM DROP.
COULD BE SOMEBODY HAVING A HEART ATTACK OR COULD BE AN ACTIVE SHOOTER TYPE EVENT, YOU KNOW, AT ANY, AT ANY LOCATION IN THE CITY, THE COUNTY, OR THE SCHOOL.
[01:00:01]
WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS WE WANT TO CREATE, INSTEAD OF JUST GOING IN THERE AND PUTTING SECURITY PRODUCTS ON DOORS, CAMERA HERE, CAMERA THERE, DIFFERENT MANUFACTURERS, WHAT WOULD YOU CALL IT? CAP, RIGHT? OF, OF, OF, OF, OF SECURITY.WE WANNA DO IT WITH LIKE AN ORCHESTRA, RIGHT? THINK AN ORCHESTRA, YOU HAVE YOUR CONDUCTOR, AND YOU HAVE YOUR WOODWINDS, YOUR BRASS, YOUR PERCUSSION, RIGHT? YOU HAVE YOUR, YOUR, ALL OF THESE PLAYING ON THE SAME SHEET OF MUSIC.
OKAY? IF I STOP IT AND I SAY, BRASS, PLAY THIS PIECE FOR ME.
IT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE A, LIKE MUSIC.
IT SOUNDS JUST LIKE INSTRUMENTS, RIGHT? WE WANNA MAKE MUSIC OUT OF THIS, RIGHT? WE WANNA MAKE AN ORCHESTRATED ON PURPOSE RESPONSE CENTRIC, UH, SECURITY AND SAFETY PROGRAM, WHICH INVOLVES THE CITY FROM THEIR REAL TIME CRIME CENTER, HAVING EYES OVER THE ENTIRE CITY, THE SCHOOL BEING IN THE CITY.
THUS, THEY'RE ABLE TO RESPOND WITH PINPOINT ACCURACY, EXACTLY WHERE THEY NEED TO RESPOND, UNDERSTANDING EVERYTHING THEY NEED TO KNOW.
THERE WAS MORE LAW ENFORCEMENT AT UVALDE THAN THERE WERE SOLDIERS AT THE ALAMO, RIGHT? IT WAS A GOAT ROPING, AND THEY ADMITTED, EVERYBODY KNOWS IT.
WE DON'T WANNA BE IN THE HISTORY BOOKS.
WE WANT TO GET AHEAD OF THE THREAT.
WE WANNA PUT MENTAL HEALTH SCHOOL HARDENING AND EMERGENCY OPERATIONS UTILIZING WHAT SAN BENITO SCHOOLS HAS ALREADY INVESTED IN.
YOU'VE SPENT MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ON SECURITY PRODUCTS.
NOW LET'S MAKE THEM ALL WORK TOGETHER.
BUT INSTEAD OF JUST BEING THE SCHOOL, THE CITY COMES IN AS WELL.
AND WHEN THE COUNTY GETS THIS, THE COUNTY COMES IN AS WELL.
SO WE HAVE A OVERLAPPING LAYERED APPROACH WITH A TIERED FORMAT.
SO THAT'S PRETTY MUCH WHAT WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH HERE.
AGAIN, IT'S IN THE INFANT STAGES.
WE WANNA TAKE WHAT YOU'VE ALREADY UTILIZED, YOUR CURRENT INVESTMENTS.
UH, THE CITY IS IN THE, I GUESS, STAGE WHERE THEY ARE INVESTING THEMSELVES AND THEY'RE STARTING TO, UH, CONCEPTUALIZE THIS AND CREATE IT BASED ON THE REAL TIME CRIME CENTER CONCEPT, WHICH IS AN ASSOCIATION, A NATIONAL ASSOCIATION.
IT'S THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REAL TIME CRIME CENTERS.
UH, WE HAVE DONE WITH OUR ORGANIZATION, WHICH WE DON'T CHARGE, WE DESIGN THIS FOR FREE.
YOU KNOW, SOME OF YOU HERE ON THE BOARD HAVE SEEN ME AT MANY OF THE, YOU KNOW, SCHOOL CONFERENCES.
THE PARTNER ALLIANCE FOR SAFER SCHOOLS IS COMPLETELY FREE.
WE GO IN THERE AND WE HELP DESIGN, IMPLEMENT, AND MANAGE SCHOOL SECURITY PROJECTS.
NOW WITH THE CITY, WITH THE REAL TIME CRIME CENTER RIGHT? CONCEPT, WE'RE ABLE TO TAKE THAT AND THINK LIKE A LEGO SET.
YOU HAVE LEGO PIECES AND THEY CLIP ON, AND THEY WORK PERFECTLY.
SO IF YOU'RE MAKING A LEGO CITY AND YOU HAVE EACH ONE OF THESE LEGO PIECES ON THAT CITY, WHATEVER I BUY FROM NOW ON, CLIPS ON, AND I KNOW IT'S GONNA WORK.
I DON'T THINK, I DON'T WISH, I DON'T HOPE I KNOW IT'S GONNA WORK, AND I KNOW IT'S GONNA HELP KEEP MY COMMUNITY SAFE.
MY STUDENTS, ADMINISTRATORS, STAFF, FACULTY SAFE, AND WHOEVER JOINS IN ON THIS, YOU KNOW, IT COULD BE BORDER PATROL, RIGHT? THEY'RE OUR FIRST RESPONDERS IN MANY CASES HERE.
WE BRING THEM IN AND WE TELL THEM, HERE'S OUR LEGO SET.
THEY'RE GOVERNMENT SANCTIONED.
IT'S THE SAME THING THAT WE'RE GONNA PUT IN SAN BENITO.
IT'S THE SAME THING YOU HAVE IN SAN BENITO SCHOOLS.
THOSE HID READERS RIGHT THERE.
THE PANELS THAT, THAT POWER THEM AND THOSE CAMERAS THAT ALLOW YOU TO SAY, HEY, THIS DOOR JUST WAS JUST OPEN.
IT'S BEEN PROPPED OPEN FOR TWO MINUTES.
WHAT IS IT? OH, IT'S A TENNIS COACH.
THEY JUST PUT A ROCK ON THE DOOR SO THEY COULD GO AND THEY COULD AVOID HAVING TO GO AROUND THE BUILDING.
SO THOSE ARE THE THINGS WE'RE TRYING TO DO.
JUST TRYING TO LET YOU KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING SO THAT IF YOU'RE READY TO, YOU KNOW, COME ON AND, AND WE START WORKING TOGETHER AND THINGS LIKE THAT ON THIS CONCEPT, WE'D ENJOY IT TREMENDOUSLY.
AND WE THINK IT'D BE A, A, A BIG BENEF BENEFIT AND VALUE ANYTHING.
UH, MAYOR AND COMMISSIONERS, BOARD MEMBERS, AND, AND AGAIN, WE, WE'VE, WE'VE BEEN MAKING SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENTS IN THE CITY PARKS.
WE'RE PUTTING CAMERAS WHERE WE'VE HAD VANDALISM, WE'VE HAD SOME CRIME.
UH, WE'RE ALWAYS DEALING WITH ILLEGAL DUMPING.
WE'RE, WE'RE DEALING WITH, UH, YOU KNOW, ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING.
UH, THE CHIEF AND I HAVE JUST, UH, BROUGHT TO THE BOARD A SERIES OF LICENSE PLATE READERS THAT WE'RE GONNA BE PUTTING AT ALL OUR ENTRANCES TO THE CITY.
THOSE ARE GONNA, THOSE ARE GONNA ACTUALLY, IN REAL TIME, BE ABLE TO TRACK EVERY SINGLE VEHICLE THAT'S COMING IN, WHETHER, I KNOW IT'S A LITTLE BIT, IT MAY BE A LITTLE BIT SCARY FOR MOST FOLKS, BUT, BUT THE THING IS, IT'S, IT'S GOOD.
UH, ANYBODY THAT, UM, IS COMING IN AND HAS A WARRANT, HAS ANYTHING, UH, OR IS BEING LOOKED
[01:05:01]
AT FOR, ON A WATCH LIST, ANY KIND OF CRIME OR ON A WATCH LIST OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, UH, OUR OFFICERS WOULD BE ALERTED IMMEDIATELY.SO THAT'S ALREADY BEEN APPROVED BY MY BOARD.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO UP THE GAME ON OUR END.
WE'RE TRYING TO, UH, WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER.
OBVIOUSLY, DOLLARS ARE, ARE TIGHT.
UM, WHAT IT'S, YOU KNOW, AND, AND THE CHIEF PUT IT IN PERSPECTIVE FOR ME.
IF YOU, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THOSE, THOSE LP READERS, YOU KNOW, READ, YOU KNOW, A HUNDRED THOUSAND CARS IN A WEEK, IT WOULD TAKE ME PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, 20 OFFICERS TO BE ABLE TO DO A FRACTION OF THAT.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE COST VERSUS THE LP READERS AND AT THEIR LOCATIONS THAT THEY'RE, THAT THEY'RE DEPLOYED AND WHAT THAT COST IS IN, IN, IN HUMAN CAPITAL, I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S A NO BRAINER.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A FORCE MULTIPLIER FOR WHAT WE DO AT THE CITY, WHAT WE DO, UM, ON A DAILY BASIS FOR OUR CITIZENS THROUGH OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT ENTITIES, OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT, OUR FIRST RESPONDERS.
UH, YOU ALL HAVE YOUR OWN, UH, FIRST RESPONDERS AND YOUR OWN POLICE DEPARTMENT, BUT WE NEED TO WORK TOGETHER.
AND I THINK THERE'S, THERE'S SOME REALLY GOOD OPPORTUNITIES FOR OVERLAP.
AND WE CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ECONOMIES OF SCALE.
UM, INSTEAD OF SPENDING MONEY TWO TIMES, WE CAN SPEND MONEY ONCE AND WORK TOGETHER TO DO IT.
SO THIS WAS JUST KIND OF THE TEASER FOR IT.
WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE Y'ALL UNDERSTOOD WHAT WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS AND WE'LL BE WORKING WITH, WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT AND, AND HOPEFULLY WITH YOU ALL AT A LATER DATE TO PUT TOGETHER A MORE FORMAL PRESENTATION ONCE HOURS TAKES FORM.
AND, UH, HOPEFULLY Y'ALL, WOULD YOU LOOK FAVORABLY ON SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
'CAUSE AGAIN, SAFETY IS OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY FOR EVERYONE.
AND, AND IT'S REALLY IS TWO VISIONS THAT COME TOGETHER AS ONE, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THE VISION OF THE CITY AND, AND MR. SAN LAVA, WHEN I MET HIM, WAS AT A CONFERENCE FOR, FOR TML FOR CITIES, RIGHT? DOING THE SAME THING.
TRYING TO STAY AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE.
TRYING TO GET AHEAD OF THE THREAT, RIGHT? AND THAT THREATS IS A, IT'S, IT'S A VERY BROAD THING TO GET AHEAD OF THE THREAT, YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE THREAT IS.
IT COULD BE, UH, LIKE HE SAID ON THE LICENSE PLATE READER, RIGHT? IT COULD BE A, AN INDIVIDUAL OR A GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE BEEN ARRESTED BEFORE.
THEY HAVE THEIR LICENSE PLATES, NOW THEY'RE TRANSFERRING OVER TO THE SCHOOLS AND THEY'RE RECRUITING FROM THE SCHOOL.
THEY'RE DOING THINGS IN THE SCHOOL.
THEY'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO, GOD FORBID.
AND NOW YOU'RE ABLE TO SAY, HEY, WE'RE, WE'RE WATCHING THE PARKING LOTS.
AND THE SAME CAMERAS THAT YOU HAVE WATCHING THE PARKING LOTS AND WATCHING THE SCHOOLS ARE TRANSFERRED OVER AND ARE ABLE TO BE MONITORED BY THE CITY AS WELL WITH THE CLICK OF A, OF A SWITCH.
RIGHT? SO IT'S, I MEAN, LOOK, I'VE DONE THIS FOR 20 YEARS AND I NEVER THOUGHT I'D SEE THE DAY WHERE I, THE SAME SYSTEM THAT I PUT IN QUANTICO AND WHITE HOUSE, F-B-I-C-I-A-I-R-S, I MEAN, I, I DID 'EM ALL.
I NEVER THOUGHT I'D SEE THE DAY WHERE I'D PUT THAT SAME SYSTEM IN A SCHOOL OR A CITY, YOU KNOW, A A A SMALL MUNICIPALITY, AND IT'S HERE.
I MEAN, IT IS JUST SOMETHING WE HAVE TO DO.
BUT UNDERSTANDING ALL THAT, WE KNOW IF WE GET AHEAD OF THE THREAT, AND WE, WE KNOW THAT IN THAT PARKING LOT, IF WE SEE THAT CAR AND THEN WE SEE THEM GET OUT WITH WEAPONS OR WITH SOMETHING LIKE A CAN OF GASOLINE OR SOMETHING THAT THEY'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE IMMEDIATELY, WE DON'T HAVE TO EVEN THINK THE SYSTEM THAT WE PUT IN PLACE WILL DO IT FOR US.
AND THEN WE JUST LOOK AT IT AND WE SAY, WOW, OKAY.
BUT BY THEN, IT'S LIKE PULLING A FIRE ALARM.
EVERYBODY'S GONNA UNDERSTAND THE CHIEF, THE SHERIFF EMS, THE HOSPITAL.
EVERYBODY'S GONNA UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON.
AND THEY, AND WE GET IN FRONT OF IT, AND WE, WE REACT WITH PINPOINT ACCURACY.
AND WE, WE, WE, WE MINIMIZE LOSS OF LIFE.
AND WE DO ALL OF THIS ON PURPOSE.
IT DOESN'T, IT'S NOT A HUGE, THERE'S ALWAYS DOLLARS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS.
AND WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR MORE GRANTS AND MORE FUNDING.
THIS IS BASICALLY TAKING YOUR EXISTING INVESTMENTS IN SECURITY AND MAKING THEM WORK TOGETHER SO THAT YOU CAN HAVE, UM, A DASHBOARD THAT YOU WORK FROM.
AND THAT DASHBOARD, JUST LIKE YOUR CAR TELLS YOU EVERYTHING, IT TELLS YOU WHEN YOUR CAR'S OVERHEATING, WHEN YOU'RE RUNNING OUT OF GAS, YOU MAKE DECISIONS ON THIS MULTI-TIERED SYSTEM OF SUPPORT.
NOW, THE GOOD THING IS WHEN THESE DOORS STAY OPEN, IT'S LIKE A SEATBELT ON YOUR CAR, RIGHT? IT DINGS AND DINGS AND DINGS UNTIL YOU CLIP IT.
AND THAT, THAT DING IS MIKE, CLIP YOUR SEATBELT.
'CAUSE IF YOU CAN ERECT, YOU'RE GONNA DIE.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING IS AN EARLY WARNING SYSTEM FOR US.
AND I THINK, UH, WE'VE DONE THIS IN NEW YORK CITY.
I'VE DONE IT IN NEW, UH, NEW ORLEANS, SORRY.
AND, UH, DETROIT MOST RECENTLY WITH THE SAME SYSTEM WE'RE THINKING ABOUT UTILIZING HERE.
SO IT WORKS AND IT, UH, IT, IT REPLACES HUMAN EFFORTS WITH TECHNICAL ADVANCES.
AND IT ALLOWS YOU GUYS TO DO MORE WITH LESS.
AND YOU ACTUALLY SAVE MONEY ON THE, ON, ON, ON THE EDUCATION SIDE.
'CAUSE WHEN YOU EDUCATE AND TRAIN THE TRAINER, THEN YOUR CHIEF AND HIS GROUP WILL TRAIN EVERYBODY AT THE SCHOOL.
AND WE ALL JUST KIND OF LEARN FROM EACH OTHER.
SO IT'S A, IT'S A PEOPLE PROCESS AND TECHNOLOGY AND, AND IT REALLY WORKS.
[01:10:01]
TO ME, UH, APPRECIATE EVERYTHING.IF I, IF I MAY SAY SOMETHING, UM, AND THIS IS ADDRESSED TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES.
UM, I, AS COMMISSIONER, I SIT ON YOUR SAFETY COMMITTEE WITH, UM, MR. FLORES.
AND I DO HAVE TO SAY THAT THEY DO AN AMAZING JOB.
I WAS ABLE TO WITNESS THE ENACTMENT IF SOMETHING, GOD FORBID SOMETHING WAS TO HAPPEN IN ONE OF OUR SCHOOLS AS A MASS SHOOTING.
UM, AND AT FIRST I WAS HESITANT AND, AND KIND OF LIKE, WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO IF SOMETHING LIKE THAT HAPPENS? BUT ABLE, ME BEING ABLE TO SEE IT FIRSTHAND, GOING THROUGH THE MOTION YOU FELT IT.
AND I JUST WANNA SAY, I APPLAUD YOU GUYS ON WHAT YOU'RE DOING BECAUSE IT, IT'S RIGHT.
IT'S BECAUSE IT'S NOT WHEN IT'S GONNA HAPPEN, OR IF IT'S GONNA HAPPEN.
AND YOU GUYS ARE DOING A INEFFICIENT JOB AND KEEPING OUR KIDS SAFE.
CAN I ADD, I KNOW WE STARTED THE INITIATIVE IN THE SUMMER, JUST WORKING WITH THE CITY.
THIS WAS THE FIRST SUMMER THAT WE ACTUALLY HAD JOINT PRACTICE EVACUATIONS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I SAW, AND THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS I TOLD MR. SANDOVAL, I, I'D LIKE TO HAVE THIS ON OUR AGENDA, WAS RIGHT AWAY WE REALIZED OUR POLICE OFFICERS IN THE IISD HAD KEYS AND BADGES AND COULD GET INTO ANY DOOR.
BUT AS OUR CITY GOT THERE, THEY DIDN'T, YOU KNOW, SO THAT WE, YOU KNOW, WE NOW WE HAVE LOCK BOXES AND WE'RE TRYING TO HAVE EXTRA CARDS FOR OUR POLICE OFFICERS.
BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHY I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE DO HAVE THIS KIND OF CROSS COMMUNICATION.
UM, I KNOW OUR CHIEFS BERE AND CHIEF SOAR, THEY'RE ALWAYS IN COMMUNICATION, BUT HOW MUCH TIME CAN WE SAVE THEM IF IT'S AT THE PUSH OF A BUTTON? SO THAT'S REALLY WHY I WANTED US TO, TO LOOK AT THIS.
IF I MAY, WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO IS, I MEAN, YOU CAN'T PUT A DOLLAR AMOUNT ON SECURITY, RIGHT? BUT WE ALSO DON'T HAVE AN UNLIMITED CASH POOL.
SO WE REALLY HAVE TO TAKE A LOOK AT EVERYTHING AND WHAT, WHAT AT WHAT FINANCIAL EXPENSES THAT COME TO THE CITY AND TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT TO BE ABLE TO MERGE THOSE ENTITIES.
AND DOES THAT REALTIME CRIME CENTER, HAVE ANY ENTITIES ACTUALLY, UH, TAKEN THIS ON? OR IS THIS, YOU SAID IT WAS MAINLY CONCEPTUAL BASED? MR. MIKE, I'M SORRY, YOU'RE SITTING DOWN, BUT, SORRY.
FOR, FOR, FOR THE CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO, IT IS.
BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T MIND COMING UP.
SO I, I UNDERSTAND IT'S JUST CONCEPTUAL BASED.
SO WHAT I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND IS, WILL THIS WORK OR HAS IT WORKED? OH, YEAH.
I MEAN, LIKE, I, LIKE I MENTIONED BEFORE, SO WHAT I WOULD LOOK AT IS REFERENCES WHERE YOU'VE DONE IT BEFORE.
AND, AND WHAT THOSE ENTITIES SAY ABOUT THE PRO THE, THE PRODUCT.
'CAUSE WHAT YOU'RE SELLING IS A PRODUCT.
I WOULDN'T HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY.
SO THAT'S WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO LOOK AT.
AND, AND YOU SAID YOU DO DESIGNS FOR FREE.
UM, THAT, THAT, WHAT WOULD, IF, IF YOU, WE COULD GET A DESIGN, I THINK THAT'D BE SOMETHING GOOD TO PRESENT TO THE BOARD MM-HMM
AND THEN WE CAN ACTUALLY GET A MORE PHYSICAL PRODUCT TO LOOK AT, GET A REAL UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
AND THEN HALF THE PERSONNEL THAT ACTUALLY MANAGES THIS DAY TO DAY IS CHIEF PERE AND CHIEF SOA.
THIS IS ABOVE, ABOVE MY LEVEL,
I WANNA SEE WHAT IMPACT IT IS ON THE CITY.
'CAUSE OF COURSE, I WANNA SPEND EVERY DOLLAR IN SECURITY, BUT I ALSO WANT TO SPEND IT ON CURRICULUM AND OTHER THINGS THAT WE HAVE GOING ON AT THE CITY.
BUT THANKS FOR BEING HERE TODAY.
REBECCA, YOU KNOW, BOARD MEMBERS, UH, AND THE MOST, THE BOTTOM LINE IS WOULDN'T NEED ANOTHER VAL.
UM, THAT'S GONNA BE THE MOST IMPORTANT THING, IS, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE FINISHED PRODUCT IS, IS, UH, WHAT IT'S GONNA PRESENT TO US IS GONNA WORK.
I'M HOPING IT DOES, BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO PROVIDE THE, THE SERVICE FOR, NOT ONLY FOR THE CITIZEN AND SANTO, BUT ALSO FOR THE SCHOOL, THE KIDS, EVERYBODY ELSE IN IT.
YOU KNOW, MR. SUPERINTENDENT, YOU'RE RIGHT.
I MEAN, THEY CAN SHOOT THE DOOR, THEY CAN BREAK THE DOORS AND EVERYTHING, BUT WHAT IS IT? BUT, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST GONNA TAKE MORE TIME.
BUT IF WE WORK TOGETHER, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, POLICE, CAMP, POLICE, AND THE CITY, COUNTY, STATE AND EVERYBODY, AND HAVING ONE PERSON LEAD THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE LEADERSHIP OVER THERE IN NO VALLEY.
BUT IF WE DO HAVE IT HERE WITH THE, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, THE CAMERAS AND THE PEOPLE, THE SCHOOL AND THE CITY, I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT'S GONNA BE THE MOST IMPORTANT THING.
[01:15:01]
I DON'T WANT TO HEAR, I DON'T WANT TO HEAR, UM, A PHONE CALL.A PHONE CALL, LIKE I DID ONCE WITH MY, ONE OF MY PAST LIEUTENANTS THAT GOT SHOT.
I DON'T WANT TO EVER HEAR THAT.
I DON'T WANT TO HEAR, UM, ANY KIDS THAT WENT THROUGH IT LIKE THAT.
LOOK AT THE COUPLE DAYS AGO, A CAR WENT THROUGH A BUILDING, KILLED KIDS, TEACHERS.
WE JUST NEED TO BE A LOT MORE CAREFUL WHAT WE DO.
AND WITH OUR MONIES, YES, WE WE'RE GONNA LOOK INTO IT VERY, VERY GOOD.
BUT WE'RE LOOKING, I'M LOOKING FOR A FINISHED PRODUCT THAT'S GONNA SAVE THE PEOPLE, SAVE KIDS.
THAT'S WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR TO, AND I HOPE THAT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT WILL ALSO, YOU KNOW, LOOK INTO THAT ALSO.
YOUR, UM, I KNOW WE DISCUSSED THIS BEFORE, AND I THINK WHAT IT'S REALLY KEEPING THE DISTRICT AND THE CITY, UM, BEHIND THIS TECHNOLOGY, BECAUSE NOW EVERYTHING IS DIGITAL.
AND SOME OF THE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES, THEY DON'T, THEY'RE NOT ON DIGITAL.
AND I KNOW WE, WE HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER.
AND, AND LIKE I'VE ALWAYS SAID, AND WE DISCUSSED THIS BEFORE, AND THAT'S WHY WE ARE HAVING THESE MEETINGS WITH MR. FLORES.
MS. MS. MORALES SAID THAT SHE'S BEEN ATTENDING THOSE MEETINGS, BUT LIKE MR. GARVAN SAID, EVERYTHING HAS COME, COME BACK TO BUDGET.
HOW MUCH IT'S GONNA COST, JUST THE DISTRICT TO, TO UPGRADE THE SYSTEM.
THE WHOLE DISTRICT, YOU KNOW, TALKING ABOUT MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT GONNA, OF COURSE, UH, COMPLAIN ABOUT MONEY WHEN SAFETY COMES FIRST.
BUT, UH, WE STILL NEED TO KEEP WORKING TOGETHER.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE ARE HERE FOR.
AND WE, YOU KNOW, I HAD DISCUSSIONS WITH, WITH CHIEF SOSA, AND OF COURSE, I'M PRETTY SURE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT FROM THE CITY, YOU KNOW, THEY KEPT SAYING, HEY, WE NEED, WE NEED TO UPGRADE THIS EQUIPMENT.
BUT, BUT HE'S SAYING, YEAH, HE'S RIGHT, BUT IT'S OUR EQUIPMENT AND YOUR EQUIPMENT COMPATIBLE WITH HIS PRODUCT.
AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S ALL ABOUT, UH, A LOT OF THESE AGENCIES.
I'M SAYING THIS BECAUSE I WAS AN EX POLICE OFFICER AND I WAS THE CHIEF OF POLICE AT ONE POINT.
AND, UM, I KNOW IT'S ALL ABOUT COMMUNICATIONS AND ALL, YOU KNOW WHAT THIS ANTENNA, BUT WE ARE UNDER THIS REPEATER AND THIS REPEATER, WE DON'T GET COVERAGE.
WE DON'T HAVE COVERAGE ALL THE WAY TO VILLE OR LA PALOMA.
AND THAT'S, THAT'S ONE OF THE BIG ISSUES THAT WE HAVE HERE.
SO JUST, JUST TO LET YOU KNOW WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH, YOU KNOW, AND IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT, THAT WE CAN WORK WITH, WHY NOT? WE'LL, WE'LL PROBABLY INVITE YOU ONE OF THOSE MEETINGS SO THAT WAY WE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE.
THAT'S WHAT IT TAKE, IS WE'RE TOGETHER.
THE WHOLE CONCEPT, AND I UNDERSTAND, BUT WE'RE HERE TO WORK TOGETHER.
THE CITY'S BUDGET IS VERY, VERY MINDFUL.
UM, WE WENT TO THIS TML, AND THEY, AND, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THESE TRAINING WAS TO, FOR THE FIRST RESPONDENT, WHAT HAPPENS, AND IT SHOWS A LIVE ONE, NO WORDS FOR IT.
YOU, I MEAN, YOU'VE BEEN IN LAW ENFORCEMENT, YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE.
BUT FOR SOMEONE CIVILIAN LIKE OURSELVES, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING GETS A SHOCK.
I DON'T WANT TO GET TO THAT POINT.
AT LEAST WANT TO HEAR THIS GENTLEMAN OUT.
AND IF HE'S NOT THE GUY, MAYBE THE NEXT GUY IS.
BUT WE HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER TO GET SOMETHING IN PLACE.
AND A ANYTHING ELSE CAN BE IN DISCUSSION.
BUT WHEN IT COMES TO OUR KIDS NOT DISCUSSION, WE HAVE TO WORK FORWARD TO GET SOMETHING DONE.
IF I MAY, SORRY, MS. CORONA, UM, IF I MAY, UM, I THINK THE DIALOGUE IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
I MEAN, WE'VE ALL HERE SAT HERE AND TALKED ABOUT WHY WE DON'T HAVE THIS, WHY WE DON'T HAVE THAT.
BUT I THINK WITH HIS, WITH HIS, UH, YOU KNOW, HIS PROCESS OF, OF, OF ENGAGING, FOR EXAMPLE, IN, IN A FREE ASSESSMENT, I THINK WE'LL GET ALL OUR ANSWERS THERE.
YOU KNOW, IT'S VERY OBVIOUS THAT, YEAH, WE DO HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, SOME, SOME CONCERNS AS FAR AS WHAT WE CAN DO.
UM, YOU KNOW, AND, AND, AND IT'S VERY OBVIOUS THAT, THAT, UH, THAT, YOU KNOW, LIKE ALEX SAID, AND EACH AND EVERY ONE OF Y'ALL HAVE SAID, THERE'S CONCERNS WITH TECHNOLOGY AND SO ON AND SO FORTH, THAT THEY COLLABORATE, DON'T COLLABORATE, SO ON AND SO FORTH.
SO, I, I JUST THINK IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT, IT, IT'LL, IT'LL PUT A GOOD, IT'LL PUT A GRADE IN OUR SYSTEM AS FAR AS HOW WE CAN INTEGRATE WITH ALL, YOU KNOW, UH, OFF FRACTURES,
[01:20:01]
STATE, FEDERAL, YOU KNOW, CITY, AND SEE HOW, WHERE WE ARE FROM THERE, AND THEN MOVE FROM THERE, AND THEN JUST GET A GOOD ASSESSMENT OF WHERE WE'RE AT, AT.BECAUSE YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
YOU CAN'T PUT A PRICE TAG ON SOMEBODY'S LIFE.
SO WE DO, AND WE CAN, AND AS A SCHOOL DISTRICT, WE'VE DONE EVERYTHING WE CAN TO, TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THAT, THAT SECURITY BASIS FOR, FOR OUR KIDS, OUR STAFF, AND MAKE SURE THAT OUR COMMUNITY KNOWS THAT WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO KEEP 'EM SAFE.
I THINK HIS, HIS ASSESSMENT I THINK IS GONNA BE GREAT.
AND LIKE MR. RENA SAYS, YOU KNOW, UM, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE HE'S RIGHT.
YOU KNOW, IT'S ALWAYS EVERYBODY ELSE HERE AS FAR AS OUR, OUR, OUR LIMITATIONS.
BUT I THINK THIS IS A GOOD, THIS IS A GOOD STARTING POINT TO LET EVERYBODY KNOW THAT THIS IS WHAT WE'RE DOING TO MOVE THE, TO PUT A PLATFORM MOVING FORWARD, HOW WE CAN ALL COLLABORATE AND MAKE OUR, MAKE OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT A LOT SAFER WITH THE INTEGRATION OF THE CITY AND SO ON AND SO FORTH.
SO I THINK, I THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA.
I'M SORRY, JUST, JUST TO MAKE IT CLEAR, THE, THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT I REPRESENT, UM, YES, I DO WORK FOR THE COMPANY THAT MAKES THE READERS AND THOSE, THE, THE ACCESS CONTROL SYSTEM YOU BOUGHT AND ALL THAT.
BUT MY REASON FOR BEING HERE IS, IS THROUGH AN ORGANIZATION THAT DOES THIS TO PAY IT FORWARD FOR FREE, RIGHT? SO I WAS IN ATLANTA TWO DAYS AGO, SO I CAME FROM ATLANTA STRAIGHT TO HERE, AND WE WERE DOING A PRESENTATION, AND IT'S ALMOST LIKE A NATIONAL GROUP OF, OF STRATEGIC THINKERS FOR SCHOOL SAFETY AND SECURITY THAT HAVE BEEN DOING THIS ALL OVER THE WORLD.
ISRAEL, ONE GUY DID IT IN ISRAEL, THE PHILIPPINES, EVERYWHERE.
AND WHAT THEY STARTED OUT WITH WAS, THEY SAID, OKAY, WHEN A WOMAN, A, A A A WIFE LOSES A HUSBAND, THEY HAVE A WORD FOR THAT IN THE DICTIONARY, RIGHT? IT'S A WIDOW.
WHEN A HUSBAND LOSES A WIFE, THEY HAVE A WORD FOR THAT IN THE DICTIONARY.
WHEN A CHILD LOSES THEIR PARENTS, THERE'S A WORD FOR THAT ORPHAN.
BUT THERE'S NO WORD FOR A PARENT THAT LOSES A CHILD.
AND IT'S SUCH A, IT'S A, IT'S SUCH A HORRIBLE EVENT THAT NONE OF US EVER WANNA LIVE THROUGH, THAT THERE'S NOT EVEN A WORD FOR IT, RIGHT? SO THESE ARE THE TYPES OF PEOPLE THAT WE WERE WORKING WITH, THE TYPE OF PEOPLE THAT WILL HELP ALL OF US.
'CAUSE I'M FROM EE COUNTY, BORN AND RAISED.
SO IT'LL HELP ALL OF US HELP MAKE THE VALLEY PUT US ON THE SAME PLANE, LIKE AN E-RATE FOR SECURITY.
BUT WE'RE GETTING THIS FROM, FROM THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF THOUGHT AND SECURITY PROCESSES IN THE UNITED STATES, RIGHT? SO THE SECURITY INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION BLESSES THIS AND FUNDS IT, AND SUPPORTS THIS PROGRAM THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, THE RTCC AND THE SCHOOL COMING TOGETHER, THE NATIONAL SECURITY CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION SUPPORTS IT AND PUTS THEIR STAMP BEHIND IT.
THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INDUSTRIAL SECURITY, THE LARGEST SECURITY ORGANIZATION IN THE WORLD THAT CERTIFIES CPP AND PSP, CERTIFIED PROTECTION PROFESSIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL SECURITY, UH, UH, PHYSICAL SECURITY PROFESSIONAL, PSPI CAN GO TO SCHOOLS AND TELL THEM, HEY, HOW MANY OF YOU ARE CPPS AND PSPS? AND I DON'T GET, AND I GO, AND I TRAVELED THE NATION TALKING TO SCHOOLS.
NOBODY RAISES THEIR HAND BECAUSE THIS SIDE OF THE WORLD OF SECURITY AND THIS SIDE OF THE WORLD OF SCHOOL SAFETY DON'T TALK TO EACH OTHER.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO HERE.
I'M TRYING TO GET LAW ENFORCEMENT, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, ALL OF THE RESPONSE THAT WE ALL DEPEND ON FOR SAVING LIVES.
IF MY UNCLE WERE TO BE HAVING A HEART ATTACK TONIGHT, I KNOW WHO I'M GONNA CALL.
I KNOW HOW THE, IT'S GONNA TAKE WHERE THEY'RE GONNA GO.
THEY'RE GONNA HAVE THAT GPS SYSTEM.
THEY'RE GONNA GO STRAIGHT TO WHERE IT'S, IT, IT WORKS, RIGHT? IT WORKS.
IT'S INGRAINED IN OUR CITY STRUCTURE.
I'M JUST SAYING WE WANT BOTH OF THESE TO COME TOGETHER.
AND THERE ARE PROVEN PROCESSES, PEOPLE, AND TECHNOLOGIES THAT MAKE IT WORK.
SO DON'T, DON'T THINK THAT YOU ARE TALKING TO A VENDOR RIGHT NOW, RIGHT? I, I'M, I'M MORE OF A ADVOCATE FOR SAVING LIVES, INCLUDING AN UP TO UTILIZING THE SILENT PANIC ALARM TECHNOLOGY THAT IS MANDATED BY THE STATE OF TEXAS NOW.
RIGHT? SO WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU PRESS THAT BUTTON? WELL, IT GOES STRAIGHT TO THE CITY, RIGHT? YOU PRESS THAT BUTTON IN THE SCHOOL, IT'LL GO TO YOUR SCHOOL IF IT'S A FIGHT, RIGHT? YOU PRESS IT ONCE AND IT'S, IT'S A FIGHT.
IT GOES TO YOUR PD, IT GOES TO YOUR AP, YOU PRESS IT TWICE AND IT'S, IT ESCALATED.
SOMEBODY FELL DOWN AND GOT HURT OR SOMETHING.
SO YOU HAVE YOUR PROCESS OF, YOU PRESS THAT THING EIGHT TIMES OR MORE, AND IT'S AN ACTIVE SHOOTER, AND THEY'RE COMING, RIGHT? THEY'RE, THEY'RE KATIE BAR THE DOOR.
'CAUSE THE WHOLE CAVALRY IS COMING, AND THEY'RE GONNA DO WHAT THEY DO.
SO WHAT HAPPENS WILL, AS WE SAW, WHEN THEY DO RESPOND, GOD BLESS OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT BROTHERS AND SISTERS, BECAUSE THEY HAVE A HELL OF A JOB.
BUT WHEN THEY DO RESPOND, THEY RESPOND BLIND.
THEY, THEY DON'T KNOW WHERE TO GO.
THEY JUST KNOW THAT THIS THING IS IN THE CAFETERIA.
AND THEY, BUT NOW WE'RE GIVING THEM THE
[01:25:01]
VISUALIZATION INTO THE SCHOOL, INTO THE ADMINISTRATIVE BUILDINGS, INTO THE COURTHOUSE, INTO THE PARKS.WE'RE GIVING THEM WITH THE CAMERAS.
THOSE CAMERAS ARE WORKING FOR YOU.
THEY'RE NOT JUST SITTING UP THERE IN, YOU'RE CLOSING THE BARN DOOR AFTER THE HORSE IS ALREADY OUT AND SAYING, HEY, WHO STOLE THAT PURSE? NO, THEY'RE ACTUALLY REAL TIME WITH DISPATCH SAYING, HEY GUYS, LISTEN, YOU GO IN THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE BUILDING THROUGH DOOR NUMBER THREE, AND YOU'RE GONNA GO IN THERE, YOU TAKE A RIGHT.
AND THAT'S WHERE YOU, YOUR, YOUR EVENT'S HAPPENING.
AND THERE IS ANOTHER ARMED PERSON OVER HERE ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE, AND THEY, SO THEY SEE EVERYTHING AND THEY'RE TELLING THEM EXACTLY WHAT'S HAPPENING.
SO NOT ONLY ARE WE SAVING OUR LIVES AND OUR COMMUNITY'S LIVES, WE'RE SAVING THE LAW ENFORCEMENT FIRST RESPONDERS LIVES, RIGHT? BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THEY DO.
THEY GO IN THERE AND THEY STOP.
I, I JUST, I CAME BACK FROM FLORIDA.
I WAS JUST IN FLORIDA, FLORIDA STATE, YOU THINK FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY HAS MONEY, AND YOU THINK THAT ALL OF THESE, UM, PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES THAT THEY HAVE IN PLACE ARE FOOLPROOF.
NO HALF A MILLION DOLLARS IN DOORS DESTROYED BECAUSE THE POLICE OFFICERS HAD NO IDEA WHERE ANY OF THE, ANY ANYTHING WAS HAPPENING.
SO THEY JUST SHOTGUNNED AND BROKE DOWN EVERY DOOR.
AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THAT IN FLORIDA.
I'M SITTING THERE IN FLORIDA WITH THESE GUYS TWO DAYS AGO, AND WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HOW TO FIX THAT.
AND ONE OF THE WAYS THAT WE SAID WAS, LOOK, EVERYBODY HAS TO HAVE THAT KEY, BECAUSE IF YOU HAVE TO GO TO THE KNOXX BOX AND YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S IN THAT KNX BOX, AND IT'S A FIRE DEPARTMENT THING ANYWAY, IT'S NOT A LAW ENFORCEMENT THING.
SO NOW FIRE AND LAW ARE, SO JUST TO TAKE THE GUESSWORK OUT OF IT, WE SAY, HEY, THOSE SAME READERS, THOSE SAME HID READERS THAT WE HAVE BACK THERE IN OUR SYSTEM, I, YOU GIVE ME ONE DAY AND I WILL HAVE YOUR, YOUR CELL PHONES WORKING ON THOSE READERS, AND I WILL MAKE IT FROM 12 FEET BACK WHERE IT DOES THAT, RIGHT? SO YOU'RE RUNNING IT, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE RESPONDING.
SO THOSE ARE THE TYPES OF THINGS WE'RE DOING AND WANT TO DO, AND WE WANNA WORK TOGETHER.
UM, AS FAR AS THE FUNDING, WE'RE IT RIGHT NOW, IT'S JUST GONNA BE TAKING WHAT THE CITY HAS ALREADY INVESTED IN FOR SAFETY AND SECURITY, WHAT THE SCHOOL HAS ALREADY INVESTED IN FOR SAFETY AND SECURITY.
WE'RE GONNA MAKE SURE THAT THOSE LEGO PIECES WORK TOGETHER.
AND WHEN WE DO THAT, AT THE SAME TIME, WE'RE GONNA BE DOING AN ASSESSMENT.
WE, WE, WE DO THIS, IT, IT'S WHAT WE DO.
THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE DO FOR, FOR EVERYWHERE NATIONWIDE.
IF I'M DOING IT NATIONWIDE, WHY CAN'T I DO IT FOR MY BACKYARD? RIGHT? SO THAT'S WHY I'M HERE WITH ALL OF THAT IN MIND.
AND ALL OF THAT SAID, I REALLY, REALLY AM GLAD TO BE UP HERE TALKING TO YOU GUYS BECAUSE IT'S THE FIRST STEP IN A JOURNEY THAT SAYS, HEY, WE'RE GONNA PUT THIS THING TOGETHER AND WE'RE GONNA BE SAFE AND SECURE.
WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO DO THOSE THINGS, LIKE THOSE BIG EVENTS THAT THE CITY WANTS TO DO, RIGHT? THOSE EVENTS TAKE A LOT OF PEOPLE A LOT.
I JUST, I JUST CAME FROM ONE, I WENT TO GO SEE A CDC IN LAS VEGAS.
THERE WAS MORE POLICE OFFICERS THAN THERE WERE PEOPLE IN THE CROWD.
I THINK
AND THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO DO WITH THE CITY, SO THAT PEOPLE CAN COME IN AND BUILD BUSINESSES AND BRING THEIR FAMILIES.
AND WE CAN, WE, WE, WE CAN CREATE, YOU KNOW, NEW, UM, UNIVERSITIES AND, AND, AND EDUCATION AND HIGHER LEARNING.
AND ALSO IN OUR SCHOOLS, WE WANNA MAKE A SAFETY AND SECURITY CLIMATE AND CULTURE WHERE THE KIDS SAY, HEY, YOU KNOW WHAT? I'M SAFER AT SCHOOL THAN I AM AT HOME.
I WANNA GO TO SCHOOL AND I WANT TO, I WANNA SPEND SOME TIME THERE AND I WANNA MAKE THIS HAPPEN.
WHEN YOU BUILD THAT CULTURE OF SAFETY AND SECURITY, AND IT TRANSCENDS FROM THE CITY TO THE SCHOOL AND THE COUNTY, YOU'VE GOT SOMETHING.
IT'S A REALLY BEAUTIFUL THING.
AND THAT'S HOW, YOU KNOW, ORGANIZATIONS GROW.
AND WHEN YOU FEEL SAFE AND YOU'RE IN, YOU'RE A CHILD AND YOU'RE IN A SCHOOL, YOU LEARN MORE.
YOU LIVE MORE, YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU HAVE MORE SELF-CONFIDENCE.
IT'S BASICALLY MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS, RIGHT? SO PUTTING THIS IN THERE WILL REAP MANY, MANY BENEFITS INCLUDING, UH, ALLOWING OUR CHILDREN TO GROW TO THEIR POTENTIAL TO BECOME CONTRIBUTING MEMBERS TO SOCIETY.
NEXT AGENDA ITEM IS GONNA BE 3.1 DISCUSSION AND UPDATE ON THE CITY OF SAN MUTO WATER TOWER LOCAL AND REHABILITATION PROJECT.
UH, MAYOR, COMMISSIONERS AND, UH, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
UH, WE HAVE TWO WATER TOWERS IN SAN BENITO.
ONE IS A HYDRO PILLAR ON THE EXPRESSWAY, AND THE OTHER'S A LEG TANK ON WILLIAMS. BOTH OF THEM ARE IN DIRE NEED OF REPAIR.
SO WE'VE, UH, BEEN WORKING WITH MY STAFF.
JUST SO HAPPENS I'VE DONE ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE OF THESE.
WE'VE ALREADY DONE THE INITIAL EVALUATIONS.
WE'VE GOT SOME ENGINEERING FIRM, UH, AN ENGINEERING FIRM PUTTING TOGETHER A PROPOSAL FOR US AND, UH, WORKING OUT A BUDGET
[01:30:01]
AND GETTING THIS BACK TO THE COUNCIL.BUT WANTED TO LET Y'ALL KNOW WHAT THAT STATUS IS, UH, ONLY BECAUSE I REALIZE THAT ON THE HYDRO PILLAR, ON THE EXPRESSWAY, YOU ALL HAVE SOME EQUIPMENT UP ON THE TOWER.
I THINK THEY'RE ANTENNAS OR SOMETHING.
UM, WHEN, WHEN WE GO BACK AND, AND, AND WE START THIS PROCESS, I KNOW THAT DR.
SOLI MENTIONED, UH, AWS, WHICH IS WELDING SOCIETY AND NAY CERTIFICATION, ALL THAT.
MAYBE WE CAN GET SOME OF THOSE GUYS TO COME AND DO THE WELDING.
BUT THE, THE TOWERS HAVE TO GET COMPLETELY REHAB.
THAT MEANS THEY GET, WE'VE DONE THE ASSESSMENT, UH, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO BLAST THEM.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO SANDBLAST THEM.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT CATHODIC PROTECTION FROM WITHIN YOU COAT FROM WITHIN AND WITHOUT OUTSIDE.
UH, IT'S GONNA INCLUDE SOME METAL REPAIR AND, UH, EVENTUALLY PAINT THE TOWER, UH, AND REESTABLISH THE LOGOS.
I GUESS FOR THE ONE ON THE EXPRESSWAY, FREDDY FENDER.
I THINK THAT'S GONNA BE A NO BRAINER.
UH, POSSIBLY CHARLIE CROCKETT, BUT WE'RE GONNA WORK ON THAT.
THAT'S, THAT'S, UH, ME AND, AND MAYOR PRO TEM GALVAN'S, UH, NEW INITIATIVE.
HOWEVER, UH, JUST GIVING YOU ALL THE HEADS UP ON THAT.
UH, WHEN WE DO THIS PROCESS AND WE UNDER AND UNDERTAKE IT, IT'LL PROBABLY BE NEXT FALL, OR THIS FALL, I'M SORRY.
UM, THE, UH, ANYTHING ON THE TOWER IS GONNA HAVE TO BE COMPLETELY REMOVED IN ORDER FOR IT TO, UH, IN ORDER FOR THEM TO DO THEIR JOB.
UH, IT COULD, THERE'S A WAY TO WORK AROUND IT.
WE, IT WILL COST A LOT MORE MONEY FOR US.
SO I'D LIKE TO GET WITH YOUR SUPERINTENDENT, EXPLAIN SOME OF THAT TO 'EM.
BUT JUST TO GIVE YOU, UH, THE UPDATE ON THAT.
WE'LL PROBABLY START WITH A HYDRO PILLAR ON, ON THE EXPRESSWAY, AND THEN WORK OUR WAY TO WILLIAMS. SO, UM, WE WILL BE PUTTING, I THINK, UH, AGAIN, FREDDY FENDER BACK ON THE EXPRESSWAY.
THE WILLIAMS ROAD ONE I THINK IS STILL UP FOR, UH, DISCUSSION.
HOWEVER, AGAIN, THE TOWERS, WHEN, WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU REDO A TOWER, THEY PAINT THE OUTSIDE.
USUALLY THE LOGO IS WHATEVER THE CITY IS OR WHATEVER THE CITY WISHES TO PUT ON.
UH, ANYTHING ABOVE AND BEYOND THAT OR ANY, YOU KNOW, EXTRA ARTWORK, LIKE WHAT WE HAVE ON THE EXPRESSWAY IS USUALLY AT, AT AN EXTRA COST.
SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE, UH, WE WORK TOGETHER AND MAKE SURE WE PUT THE RIGHT LOGO ON THE TOWERS THAT WE NEED.
AND THAT'D BE, THAT'D BE STARTING THIS FALL.
ANY QUESTIONS? YES, MR. SANDOVAL? I HAVE A QUESTION.
THAT PROJECT, HOW LONG IS, IS IT GONNA TAKE, MORE OR LESS EACH JOB? WE'LL PROBABLY LOOK TWO FUNDING CYCLES.
ONLY BECAUSE IT'S THE ONE ON WILLIAMS IS GONNA BE PRETTY EXPENSIVE.
THERE'S A LOT OF METAL WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE.
SO WE'RE PROBABLY LOOKING, DEPENDING ON HOW WE CAN BID THIS THING OUT.
WE USUALLY, I USUALLY LIKE TO DO 'EM IN, IN, IN THE WINTER.
'CAUSE WE GET NORTHERN CONTRACTORS.
MOST OF THOSE GUYS GO ON WELFARE OR WHATEVER.
THEY DON'T DO, THEY DON'T DO ANY WORK IN THE NORTHERN STATES.
THE, THE, THE ENGINEERS THAT I'M USING ARE ACTUALLY FROM MINNESOTA, SO THEY'VE GOT A VAST NETWORK OF FOLKS THAT THEY WORK WITH UP THERE.
SO IT GETS US GREAT PRICING AND OUR WATER USAGE IS MINIMAL.
SO IF THERE'S ANY DOWNTIME FOR THAT PARTICULAR TOWER, IT WORKS.
SO, UH, USUALLY DEPENDING ON, I MEAN, I CAN'T GIVE YOU A REAL NUMBER ON, YOU KNOW, IT'S USUALLY A 30, 30 TO 30 DAY TO 120 DAY PROCESS.
AND WE WON'T KNOW MORE UNTIL WE GET IN THERE AND BLAST IT.
ONCE WE BLAST IT, WE'LL SEE THE REAL DAMAGE OR WHATEVER IT NEEDS.
'CAUSE THAT'S WHERE WE HAVE OUR, OUR ANTENNA, RIGHT? THEHY, THE HYDRO POLARIS FIRST.
IT WILL PROB MORE THAN LIKELY WILL BE FIRST.
THAT'S THE ONE WE'RE LOOKING AT FIRST.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BRINGING THAT TO OUR ATTENTION AND SOMETHING THAT WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU.
DOES THE CITY CURRENTLY GET COMPENSATE COMPENSATED FOR THE, THE EQUIPMENT ON THE TOWERS, OR IS THERE ANY TYPE OF CONTRACT OR LIABILITY? ANYTHING? I THINK THE ONLY EQUIPMENT WE HAVE IS THE SCHOOL DISTRICT TOWERS.
I KNOW THAT, I MEAN, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT ANTENNAS, OTHER, UH, I'VE HAD, I'VE HAD OTHER CELL TOWERS AND CELL PHONE, UH, ANTENNAS ON, ON, ON OTHER TOWERS, AND THEY PAY, BUT I DON'T THINK, UNLESS I'M MISTAKEN, STEPHANIE, THERE'S NOTHING WE, WE HAVE FOUND NO CONTRACT OR ANY AGREEMENT.
THERE'S A CONTRACT THAT EXISTS AND I DON'T THINK WE'RE GETTING ANY KIND OF COMPENSATION.
WHEN I FIRST STARTED WITH THE COMMISSION, WE RAN ACROSS PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION ISSUES WHERE WE WERE JUST GONNA REMOVE THOSE PROPERLY, UH, BECAUSE OF DETERIORATION OF THE WATER TOWERS.
AND THEN THAT WOULD'VE COURSE PUT YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT COMMUNICATIONS AND POLICE COMMUNICATIONS AT RISK.
THAT WASN'T A VERY SMART MOVE.
SO I THINK THAT THAT'S SOMETHING DEFINITELY, UH, SOME TYPE OF CONTRACT WOULD
[01:35:01]
DEFINITELY SUIT BOTH ENTITIES.WE WORK ON, THAT'S JUST TO KEEP YOU GUYS ABREAST OF THAT INFORMATION.
IT'S, THAT'S WHY CONTRACTS ARE IMPORTANT.
IT'S EITHER THAT OR WE CAN MOVE IT.
I MEAN, WE CAN, WE CAN MOVE IT SOMEWHERE ELSE IF, IF NEED BE.
THE REASON THEY DO IT IS 'CAUSE THERE'S NO SKY RISE IN CITY SAN DIEGO.
SOME OF THE, AND THE REASON THEY'LL POWER MR. PRESIDENT AND THE TRUSTEES, THE REASON WHY IS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO DO IS, UH, SINCE 2018, WHEN I CAME IN AS A COMMISSIONER, UM, THE, UH, I GUESS, UH, WHEN THEY, WHEN YOU ALL HAD STARTED HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE ANTENNAS, OKAY, YOU SEND SOMEBODY OUT THERE, OKAY, IT TAKES A WHOLE DAY.
WE SEND ONE OF WELL WORKERS TO STAND BY THE DOOR.
IT'S GOTTA BE, HE'S GOTTA BE, IT'S GOTTA BE THE, THE WATER TOWER HAS TO BE SECURED.
SO WE SEND ONE OF THE WATER WORKERS TO STAND THERE, OKAY? IT'S AN ALL DAY EVENT.
SO THEY GO THE, THE, THE, THE GENTLEMAN THAT Y'ALL CONTRACT TO GO WORK ON THERE AND WELD ON TOP OF THE WATER TOWER.
THAT HAS BEEN AN ONGOING ISSUE THAT I CAN REMEMBER ON THAT.
THAT'S WHY, LIKE I TOLD, YOU KNOW, OUR CITY MANAGER ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
THAT'S OUR DRINKING WATER AND WE CANNOT HAVE, YOU KNOW, THAT KIND OF A, YOU KNOW, WORKING SITUATION OF ANTENNA ON TOP OF THAT WATER TOWER, YOU KNOW, AND SOMEBODY BE WELDING ON IT BECAUSE THEY WOULD TELL US, NO, THEY'RE WELDING.
WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WELDING ON TOP OF THE, YOU KNOW, OUR DRINK WATER AND, YOU KNOW, AND, UH, BUT IF YOU ALL KNOW THAT WHEN Y ALL WELD IT HEATS UP, THAT'S WHERE RUST STARTS COMING IN.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE MOST, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE, UH, THE SURROUNDING AREA OF THE, UH, WATER TOWER, THERE'S A LOT OF RUST ON IT.
SO WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS, AND I'M TALKING TO THE CITY MANAGER, I DO NOT WANT THAT ANTENNA BACK ON THERE.
THAT'S OUR DRINKING WATER TOWER.
SO, UM, I KNOW THAT, UH, WE CALLED, TALKED TO, UH, ALSO CODY SHOR, THE ANTENNA THAT'S RIGHT THERE BY THE EXPRESSWAY.
THAT WAS A, THAT WAS AN OPTION.
UH, A EP WAS ALSO AN OPTION THEY TOLD US.
UM, I KNOW THAT THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, UH, UH, TOM HUTCHINS FROM, UH, FROM BRAZEL, HE SAID ALSO THAT THE, UM, I THINK, UH, YOUR, UH, UM, YOUR STADIUM WOULD BE ALSO A PERFECT, UH, YOU KNOW, AREA FOR THAT.
THOSE WERE THE THREE AREAS THAT THE, YOU KNOW, UH, WERE GIVEN, UH, UH, PRESENTED TO US FOR YOU GUYS.
MOVING ON TO AGENDA ITEM 3.2, DISCUSSION AND UPDATE ON THE CITY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE.
UH, THANK YOU, UH, MADAM PRESIDENT AND, UH, MAYOR, COMMISSIONERS, UH, THE CITY, WHEN I GOT HERE BACK IN 23, UH, I APPLIED FOR A GRANT WITH THE, UH, WITH THE GLO AND GOT, UH, GOT, GOT, GOT, GOT A SIZABLE AMOUNT OF MONEY TO UP UPGRADE OUR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
UH, AND IT'S GOTTA BE GEARED TOWARDS RESILIENCY.
AND, UH, IT'S THROUGH THE GLO.
SO WE'VE BEEN, WE, WE UNDERTOOK THAT, THAT PROCESS.
WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE WAY DOWN THE, DOWN THE ROAD ON IT.
IT INVOLVES THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, IT INVOLVES THE CITY.
UH, IT, IT ENCOMPASSES A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS.
AND, UH, WANTED TO GIVE YOU A QUICK UPDATE ON IT JUST SO YOU CAN SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY ANY INPUT.
I KNOW THAT, UH, THE SUPERINTENDENT HAS ATTENDED SOME OF OUR WORKSHOPS, UH, BOARD MEMBER, UH, LOPEZ HAS ATTENDED.
SO THESE ARE, THESE ARE REALLY USEFUL.
IT'S GOOD INFORMATION FOR US AND IT'S GOOD INFORMATION FOR OUR ENGINEERS THAT ARE WORKING ON IT.
SO WANNA MAKE THIS, UH, A LIVING DOCUMENT THAT WE CAN ALL BE BEHIND AND DEANNA WILL BE MAKING THE PRESENTATION.
UM, GOOD EVENING, MAYOR, COMMISSIONERS, BOARD MEMBERS.
I'M THE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER.
AND, UM, LIKE THE CM SAID, WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR A WHILE.
WE DID HOST A, UM, KIND OF LIKE A COMMUNITY, UM, MEETING AT, UM, OUR MUNICIPAL BUILDING WHERE WE GATHERED SOME VERY INTERESTING INFORMATION.
AND, UM, THIS PLAN ALSO IDENTIFIES SEVERAL POTENTIAL AREAS FOR COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE CITY AND, UH, THE SCHOOL WARD AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
AND SO I WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU ALL SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WERE COVERED.
I'M NOT SURE IF, UM, THE PRESENTATION COMES UP OR, OH, OKAY.
AND IF, WHILE HE'S WORKING ON THAT,
[01:40:01]
UM, I'M SURE THAT Y'ALL HAVE RECEIVED A COPY OF THE, UH, THE DRAFT GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND ACTIONS FOR PUBLIC REVIEW.AND SO THIS IS A COMBINATION OF THAT, UH, MEETING SLASH WORKSHOP THAT WE HAD.
AND, UM, IT HIGHLIGHTS A FEW GOALS.
UH, FIRST OF THEM BEING, UH, THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A DOWNTOWN.
UH, ESTABLISHING DOWNTOWN SAN BERNARDINO IS A VIBRANT, COHESIVE, AND A PEDESTRIAN FRIENDLY DESTINATION, RIGHT? THAT'S SOMETHING WE'D ALL LIKE TO SEE.
AND WE, WE DO HAVE, UM, A DOWNTOWN WITH A LOT OF POTENTIAL.
AND, UM, WE WANNA SEE THAT THRIVE, RIGHT? UH, GOAL TWO IS THE FUTURE PROOF SAN BENITO AGAINST, UH, A RANGE OF HAZARDS.
I KNOW WE HAD THAT, UH, WEATHER EVENT THAT, UH, DEVASTATED ABOUT 80 OR MORE PERCENT OF THE CITY.
AND SO IT'S, UH, VERY IMPORTANT TO, UM, HIGHLIGHT, YOU KNOW, THE FLOOD PRONE AREAS IN THE CITY, INCLUDING SCHOOLS.
UH, THE GOAL THREE WAS TO MAKE SAN BENITO THE MOST LIVABLE CITY IN THE RURAL GRANDE VALLEY.
THIS IS, THIS IS IT RIGHT HERE.
THIS IS, LIKE I SAID, A CULMINATION OF THAT.
UM, SO I'VE GONE OVER GOAL ONE THAT'S KIND OF LIKE THE CURRENT AND THE CONCEPTUAL OF WHAT PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO SEE DOWNTOWN.
SO THIS IS, YOU KNOW, MAKING DOWNTOWN ACCESSIBLE AND SAFE FOR PEDESTRIANS.
UM, HERE'S THE FUTURE PROOF OF SAN BENITO AGAINST A RANGE OF HAZARDS THAT I SPOKE ABOUT.
UH, THE CURRENT AND CONCEPTUAL, YOU KNOW, ADDING A LITTLE MORE GREEN SPACE TO HELP MITIGATE SOME OF THE WATER ISSUES.
UH, SECURE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE FRESH WATER SUPPLY IS ALSO VERY IMPORTANT.
UM, IF YOU SEE THAT LITTLE, THE SURVEY SAYS THOSE ARE SOME OF THE KEY WORDS THAT WERE BROUGHT UP AT THE WORKSHOP BY, UH, CITIZENS.
GOAL NUMBER THREE, MAKE SAN BENITO THE MOST LIVABLE CITY.
UM, LEVERAGING REGIONAL JOB GROWTH, WHICH WE KIND OF TOUCHED ON EARLIER.
AND GOAL FORWARD TRANSFORMING SAN BENITO INTO A CULTURAL DESTINATION IN TEXAS AND BEYOND.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE QUITE A BIT OF MUSEUMS, WE HAVE QUITE A BIT OF CULTURE AND HISTORY HERE IN SAN BERNARDINO.
WE WANT TO PRESERVE THAT AND MAKE THAT, YOU KNOW, LAST FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.
AND THIS IS KIND OF JUST, THERE WAS ANOTHER SLIDE SHOW THAT, UM, JUST KIND OF HIGHLIGHTED THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
SO IT'S A GUIDE, YOU KNOW, IT'S A LONG TERM GUIDE FOR GROWTH INVESTMENT AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE IMPROVEMENTS, RIGHT? AND SO, UH, THIS, LIKE I MENTIONED, THIS PLAN COVERS KEY TOPICS SUCH AS LAND USE, HOUSING INFRASTRUCTURE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, MOBILITY, AND COMMUNITY SERVICE.
SO THAT WAS THE FIRST ROUND OF PUBLIC COMMENTS.
WE HAVE A COMMITTEE, UH, SURVEY THAT'S FURTHER DOWN.
THAT'S ANOTHER PRESENTATION I HAVE.
UM, SURVEY RESULTS AND, UH, THE DRAFT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES AND NEXT STEPS.
SO WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS? AND THE NEXT STEPS ARE THAT WE HOPE TO COLLABORATE WITH Y'ALL ON SEVERAL INITIATIVES RELATED TO YOUTH ENGAGEMENT, ENHANCEMENTS TO PUBLIC FACILITIES AND PARKS.
THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS BROUGHT UP A LOT.
AND IT, I BELIEVE THAT, UM, WE NEED TO HAVE THE VOICES THAT ARE SCHOOLS BE HEARD.
AND WHAT BETTER WAY THAN TO BRING THOSE QUESTIONS TO YOU ALL, TO YOUR STUDENTS, TO YOUR PARENTS THROUGH PTA MEETINGS AND HAVE THEM ANSWER, UH, SURVEYS, UM, TO GIVE US A BETTER IDEA OF WHAT THAT DEMOGRAPHIC IS LOOKING FOR AS FAR AS THE CITY'S OVERALL COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
SO WE WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU ALL, UH, QR CODE FOR THE SCHOOLS, SO THAT WAY THE, THE STUDENTS CAN TAKE THE SURVEYS, THE PARENTS CAN TAKE THE SURVEYS, AND, UH, IT'S MORE DATA FOR US TO HAVE A MORE WELL-ROUNDED COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR THE FUTURE OF THE CITY.
SO THAT'S THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE.
I JUST, I WANNA MAKE ONE QUICK COMMENT ABOUT A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
WHEN I FIRST GOT ON THE CITY COMMISSION HERE, I LOOKED FOR THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND FOUND OUT THAT IT WAS AVAILABLE AND SITTING ON THE SHELF SINCE 2016 OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
AND, UH, I, I JUST WANT TO REAFFIRM TO EVERYONE THAT IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, IT WILL NOT SIT ON THE SHELF AS LONG AS I'M SITTING HERE AND I'M, I'M GOING TO, UH, SPEAK LOUDLY AND CLEARLY ABOUT THAT BECAUSE WE DO HAVE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY AHEAD OF US RIGHT NOW IN THE COMMUNITY.
AND, UH, WE'VE GOT SOME GOOD LEADERSHIP AND SOME WHAT'S GOING ON HERE, BUT WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA MOVE IT FORWARD.
THIS IS NOT THE FINAL DRAFT, CORRECT? CORRECT.
THIS IS THE, UH, IT'S JUST A DRAFT AND UM, THE, ONE OF THE FINAL COMPONENTS IS TO HAVE MAYBE A, MAYBE A PUBLIC WORKSHOP HOSTED BY THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
IF Y'ALL ARE INTERESTED HAVING THE STUDENTS AND, UH, PARENTS TAKE THE SURVEY.
THAT WAY WE CAN GO AHEAD AND HAVE A MORE WELL-ROUNDED COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO, TO
[01:45:01]
PUT OUT TO THE PUBLIC AS A PLAN FOR THE FUTURE OF SAN BENITO.WE'VE ACTUALLY BEEN, WE ARE FINALIZING OUR YEAR OF OUR FIVE YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN.
SO WE UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS OF IT SO WELL, WE CAN MAYBE SHARE SOME DATA THAT WAY, YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD MAKE A MUCH WELL-ROUNDED, MUCH MORE WELL-ROUNDED PLAN ON BOTH ENDS.
UH, DEANNA, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
UM, I WAS ACTUALLY PRIVILEGED TO GO TO Y'ALL'S TOWN HALL MEETING, UM, MONDAY, I BELIEVE FOR Y'ALL STRATEGIC PLAN.
AND ONE OF THE CONCERNS THOUGH, THAT I KNOW ME AND MY HUSBAND HAD WAS THE GROWTH OF SAN BENITO.
'CAUSE WE ARE GROWING, WE APPROXIMATELY MAYBE WHAT FIVE, 600 HOMES THAT WILL PROBABLY BE GOING UP IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS,
SO OUR CONCERN WAS, AND I SPOKE TO SOME OF THE BOARD MEMBERS AS WELL, THIS, THIS CONCERN IS OUR GROWTH.
ARE YOU GUYS PREPARED FOR IT? AND THAT'S WHY IT WAS SO IMPORTANT THAT WE HAD THIS SIT DOWN AS WELL, BECAUSE WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GOING FORWARD, BUT WE DON'T WANNA LEAVE Y'ALL BEHIND.
UM, WE HAVE PLENTY OF CLASSROOMS AND PLENTY OF SCHOOLS.
WE, IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT DRAWS PEOPLE TO CERTAIN COMMUNITIES IS THEIR SCHOOL DISTRICT.
AND WE'RE WORKING EXTREMELY HARD TO BE THE GOLD STANDARD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION.
WE PUT A LOT OF EFFORT IN AND WE WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO PUT A LOT OF EFFORT IN.
SO WE ARE READY FOR THOSE 500 FAMILIES TO COME INTO SAN BENITO AND WE'RE READY TO SERVICE THEM AT SAN BENITO.
DO ANY BOARD MEMBERS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING, ALRIGHT.
JUST TO YOUR POINT, THERE'S A COUPLE OTHER THINGS THAT PEOPLE LOOK FOR WHEN THEY COME INTO THE COMMUNITY.
SCHOOLS ARE NUMBER ONE, HOW ARE YOUR SCHOOLS, HOW ARE YOUR PARKS? AND HOW'S YOUR PUBLIC SAFETY? AND WHERE'S YOUR GOLF COURSE, RIGHT? USUALLY.
SO I MEAN, THAT, THAT'S, YEAH, I MEAN, YOU'RE IN THE TOP THREE AND, AND SO WE'RE TAKING ALL THAT REAL SERIOUSLY AND I THINK WE'VE TOUCHED ON A LOT OF THAT TODAY.
SO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE CONTINUE THE DIALOGUE.
SO WHEN ARE WE GONNA GET THE GOLF COURSE?
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
PROVIDING THIS TO US AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE FINAL COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ON BOTH OF OUR ENDS.
OKAY, MOVING ON TO AGENDA ITEM 3.3, DISCUSSION AND UPDATE ON CITY AND SCHOOL PARKS IMPROVEMENTS.
WE JUST TALKED ABOUT A LITTLE BIT TO INCLUDE STORMWATER, REGIONAL DETENTION FACILITIES, LIGHTING AND AMENITIES.
UM, WELL NICE LITTLE SEGUE INTO WHAT WE WERE PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSING.
UM, OBVIOUSLY THE CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO'S BEEN AT LEAST IN BY MY, BY MY, UH, BY MY STANDARDS.
I MEAN, COMPARED TO OTHER CITIES, THE CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO'S BEEN REALLY BLESSED.
UH, THEY'VE GOT A LOT OF GREEN SPACE AND THAT MEANS PARKS, UH, PARK POTENTIAL PARKS.
HOWEVER, UH, AGAIN, CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH PARKS, ENOUGH GREEN SPACE AND, UM, SO VERY, VERY COMMONPLACE.
OTHER CITIES HAVE CITY SCHOOL PARKS.
THEY OPEN THINGS UP DEPENDING ON WHAT THE AMENITIES ARE AND, AND OBVIOUSLY THE SCHOOL DISTRICT'S APPETITE, BUT YOU KNOW, THERE'S, THERE'S SOME, THERE'S SOME REAL ROOM FOR COOPERATIVE EFFORTS OPENING UP THESE PARKS.
BUT WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT A CITY SCHOOL PARK, IT'S NOT JUST WHAT YOU THINK OF AS THE CLASSIC PARK, IT'S A WALKING TRAIL.
IT'S AN OLD STADIUM THAT MAYBE JUST NEEDS A LITTLE REHAB AND WE CAN OPEN UP SOME, YOU KNOW, MAKING UP, OPEN UP THE TRACK TO, YOU KNOW, TO FOLKS AND TO, UH, THE, THE, THE TAXPAYERS TO USE.
UM, BUT ALSO ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE THINGS, AND IT'S, I GUESS NOW BECAUSE OF WHAT HAPPENED, YOU KNOW, THE RECENT FLOODING AND THE 20, YOU KNOW, THIS HUGE AMOUNT OF RAIN THAT WE GOT.
UM, I HAD BEEN TALKING TO MY COUNSEL ABOUT REGIONAL DETENTION FACILITIES AND REGIONAL DETENTION FACILITIES ARE JUST WHAT THEY ARE.
UM, IN THE UPPER VALLEY, THEY'RE VERY, VERY WELL UTILIZED.
MCALLEN'S PROBABLY THE GOLD STANDARD OF WHAT, UH, A REGIONAL DETENTION FACILITY CAN DO.
NOT ONLY FOR A NEIGHBORHOOD OR FOR A SERIES OF NEIGHBORHOODS, BUT ALSO FOR THE GENERAL POPULATION BECAUSE THEY KILL LITERALLY TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE.
YOU PROVIDE AN AREA THAT IS PRETTY MUCH DEAD, IS NOT DOING ANYTHING, UH, EITHER FENCED UP OR NOT.
'CAUSE ALL YOU DO IS DIG IT UP HYDRAULICALLY, IT'S NOT A BIG DEAL.
WHEN THERE'S A BIG EVENT, THE, THE WATER RUNS OFF INTO THAT DETENTION FACILITY AND THEN IT'S ALLOWED TO BLEED OFF LATER ON.
UH, NORMAL HYDRAULICS WILL TAKE CARE OF THAT.
AND IN THE MEANTIME, WHEN IT'S NOT RAINING THE OTHER 98% OF THE TIME, UH,
[01:50:01]
YOU'VE GOT GRASS IN IT, YOU JUST, YOU'RE GONNA MAINTAIN IT ANYWAY.UH, YOU CAN HAVE SOCCER FIELDS, YOU CAN HAVE A WALKING TRAIL.
THERE'S SOME EXAMPLES, YOU KNOW, IN MACALLAN AND I KNOW THAT I THINK WE'RE GONNA, I THINK GIANNA HAD SOME PHOTOS OF IT, BUT, UH, THAT, I MEAN, THESE THINGS ARE IN, IN, THEY'RE IN USE AS WE SPEAK.
AND, AND THEY'VE REALLY HELPED ALONG WITH OTHER MEASURES THAT HELP THE COMMUNITY, UM, AVOID FLOODING OR AT LEAST MITIGATE THE FLOODING.
SO, UM, WE HAVE A LOT OF PARK AREAS, AND I'VE BEEN TALKING TO THE, TO THE MAYOR AND SOME OF THE COMMISSIONERS ABOUT THAT.
UH, AND YOU'VE GOT A REALLY GOOD MODEL OF WHERE THIS WATER CAME IN, HOW IT, HOW IT ROSE AND WHERE IT ROSE.
UH, WE'VE GOT A REAL TIME MODEL OF HOW THAT WATER PROGRESSED WITHIN THE CITY.
AND IT'S, IT'S, UH, IT'S, IT'S ENGINEERING AT THAT POINT.
FIGURE OUT WHERE THE WATER'S GONNA FLOW AND WHERE YOU NEED TO DIVERT IT.
AND AGAIN, FROM A COST STANDPOINT, IT'S JUST DIRT.
UH, AND JUST PIPING IT IN, MAKING SURE THE ENGINEERING IS CORRECT AND THE HYDRAULICS WORK.
BUT, UH, A REALLY GOOD OPPORTUNITY.
'CAUSE SOME OF THE AREAS MAY BE CLOSE TO A SCHOOL THAT HAS AVAILABLE, UH, GREEN SPACE THAT WE COULD EVENTUALLY PUT A DETENTION FACILITY IN.
AND, UH, IT WOULDN'T REALLY AFFECT YOUR OPERATIONS.
IT WOULDN'T AFFECT ANYTHING THAT Y'ALL ARE DOING.
UH, BUT IT WOULD REALLY HELP THE SITUATION, UH, WITHIN THAT PARTICULAR PIECE OF THE CITY OR THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
UH, FRED, IF I MAY, UM, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, FRED MIGHT NOT KNOW THIS.
MR. VAL HERE, UH, BERTHA CVAA HAS A POND BEHIND, UH, THE SCHOOL, RIGHT? I DON'T KNOW HOW WELL IT'S USED NOW, BUT I DISTINCTIVELY REMEMBER IN EIGHTH GRADE USING THAT AREA.
SO IT'S NOT JUST SERVING FOR FLOOD MITIGATION, BUT ALSO SERVES FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES.
I REMEMBER COLORADO, UH, WAS UNDER QUITE A BIT OF WATER, A LITTLE LONGER THAN MOST AREAS.
SO DIVERTING SOME OF THAT WATER TO THE POND TO GIVE SOME OF THE DRAINAGE TO THE SYSTEMS TO WORK PROPERLY IS, IS HOW WE COULD WORK TOGETHER.
WHAT SCHOOLS, WHAT AREAS WOULD, WOULD, WOULD YOU ALL BE IN FAVOR OF NEEDING THESE TYPE OF DETENTION PONDS, FLOOD, MITIGATIONS, ECOTOURISM.
THERE'S SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES THERE.
WE HAVE A, WE HAVE A VERY SIMILAR POND NEXT TO MILLER JORDAN.
WHEN I WAS PRINCIPAL THERE, I ALWAYS THOUGHT IT WAS JUST FOR US.
AND THEN WE REALIZED, NO, IT'S THE, IT'S THE RAIN OFF.
IT'S THE, WHERE THE RAIN RUNOFF.
UH, BUT IT DOES, WE USED IT FOR OUR STUDENTS.
WE USED IT FOR ALL KINDS OF THINGS.
I THINK THIS CONVERSATION CAME UP AFTER THE FLOODS.
UH, WE WERE BLESSED IN OUR CAMPUSES, ALL BUT ONE DIDN'T GET WATER IN THEM.
UH, AND WE JUST THOUGHT, WE HAVE A LOT OF PROPERTY IN SAN BENITO.
WE HAVE A LOT OF EMPTY SPACES.
YOU KNOW, YOU LOOK AT THE LANDRUM AREA, THAT WAS REALLY HIT HARD.
BUT WE HAVE MAYBE THREE ACRES OF, OF LAND ON THE SIDE OF, OF LANDRUM THAT, YOU KNOW, COULD POSSIBLY BE A, A RANGE.
I THINK WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE IS IF IT'S POSSIBLE FOR THE CITY TO GO IN AND KIND OF MAINTAIN THOSE AREAS, THOSE PONDS, LIKE THE ONE YOU SAY ON MILLER JORDAN, I BELIEVE THAT'S MCCULLOUGH.
AND THAT STREET GETS, YOU KNOW, HEAVILY INUNDATED WITH WATER.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT DETENTION FACILITY LOOKS LIKE IN THAT AREA, BUT WE HAVE A PRETTY GOOD MODEL FROM OUR LAST MEETING.
I THINK IT WAS, UH, APRIL 15TH, IF YOU GUYS, IT'S LIVE, IT'S RECORDED.
GO BACK AND TAKE A LOOK AT IT.
THERE WAS A PRESENTATION FROM A GROUP THAT WE CONTRACTED A FEW MONTHS BACK FOR THIS COMMISSION TO SHOW US KIND OF WHERE THAT WATER LEVEL, WHERE IT WAS AND WHERE IT DRAINED OFF OF THE CITY.
SO, AND HOW IT ROSE ON SOMETHING LIKE THIS PROJECT.
SO WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS THAT THE CITY WOULD PROVIDE, OR THE CITY WOULD CONTRACT WITH AN ENGINEERING FACILITY, AND WE WOULD ALLOW THEM TO GO INTO OUR PROPERTIES, UM, LOOK AT THE LAND AND ESTABLISH THEIR PLANS ON OUR PROPERTIES.
BUT THE CITY'S THE ONE THAT'S, UM, CONTRACTING THE ENGINEERING SERVICES? THAT'S CORRECT.
AND THEN WE WOULD MAINTAIN IT DURING THE DAY.
AND WHEN A FLOOD EVENT HAPPENS, THEN THE CITY WOULD PROVIDE HELP WITH THE MAINTENANCE AND THE DRAINING OF IT AND EVERYTHING LIKE THAT.
IT'S PRETTY LOW MAINTENANCE, BUT I MEAN, IT WOULD BE, THE GOAL WOULD BE THAT IT WOULD DRAIN ITSELF.
I MEAN, IT, THE, THE, THE PROCESS IS REAL SIMPLE.
INTERLOCAL AND, YOU KNOW, WE CONTRACT THE ENGINEERING FIRM.
IT'S GONNA HAVE TO MAKE SENSE FROM AN ENGINEERING STANDPOINT.
IT'S GOTTA MAKE SURE THAT IT FLOW FLOWS IN THERE.
UH, AND WE'RE GONNA TARGET THE HIGH FLOOD, HIGH POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING AREAS.
AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S GONNA BE TWO CURVES.
WHERE, WHERE DOES IT FLOOD AND WHERE ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES? AND WHEREVER THOSE CURVES CROSS, THAT'S WHERE WE'D BE.
AND THEN WE GET THE ENGINEERS TO COME IN, FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET THAT WATER OFF THE ROADS.
IT'LL PROBABLY BE A SEPARATE SYSTEM, GOES INTO THE DETENTION POND.
AND THEN, UH, ONCE IT FILLS A CERTAIN AREA, IT'S GOT A BLEEDER AND IT JUST BLEEDS OUT.
UM, BUT YEAH, THERE'S A LOT OF WAYS TO, YOU KNOW, TO WORK IT, YOU KNOW, FOR, I MEAN, IT'S JUST AT THAT POINT IT JUST BECOMES GRASS.
[01:55:01]
UM, AND, AND YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY IT GROWS BACK IN AND THEN WHATEVER IT IS, OR, YOU KNOW, DEPENDS ALSO ON THE WATER TABLE.
IF THE WATER TABLE'S REAL HIGH, YOU MAY HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF UPSTANDING WATER IN THE BOTTOM BECAUSE IT'S JUST
AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT, YOU KNOW, THE SUPERINTENDENT WAS REFERRING TO AND, AND THE MAYOR PRO TEM THAT SOME OF THESE AREAS, I MEAN, I KNOW WE PROBABLY HAVE A PRETTY HIGH WATER TABLE HERE, SO, UH, DIGGING, YOU KNOW, WE'D PROBABLY BE LIMITED TO SOME EXTENT ON HOW FAR WE COULD GO DOWN AND HOW MUCH CAPACITY.
BUT THAT'S WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE'D BE DOING THE SAME THING AT OUR PARKS.
SO HAVE YOU ALL LOOKED AT THE, TALKING ABOUT THIS? HAVE Y'ALL LOOKED AT THE SAFETY ISSUE FOR THE COMMUNITY AROUND THAT POND THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT? WOULD IT BE FENCED IN? YES, SIR.
YEAH, NO, THERE, THE PROTOTYPES ARE IN PLACE.
I MEAN, THERE'S, UH, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY, THEY'RE FENCED IN.
THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE MONITORED OBVIOUSLY.
AND I'M SORRY,
AND THEY WERE, THEY ARE VERY EFFECTIVE THIS LAST TIME.
OF COURSE, I TOLD THEM, Y'ALL COULDN'T DO ANYTHING.
IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT WE HAVE ITY SCHOOL, WE HAVE VERY GOOD COOPERATION.
AND YES, WE, THIS LAST TIME WE HAD ABOUT 12 INCHES OF WATER.
WE HAVE, WE HAVE A FEW HOMES THAT GOT A LITTLE BIT OF WATER.
THE NEXT DAY ALL THE WATER WAS CAUGHT, THE RETENTION BOND, A POOL.
THE NEXT MORNING THEY WERE PRETTY MUCH EMPTY.
IT'S A LITTLE MORE DIFFICULT HERE BECAUSE OF COURSE, YOU GUYS ARE CLOSER TO THE SEA LEVEL, BUT THEY ARE VERY EFFECTIVE BY TO GO SEE.
AND IT ALL AGREEMENTS DURING THE DAY.
THE SCHOOLS UTILIZE THE PROPERTIES FOR WHATEVER SPORTS MM-HMM
USUALLY THEY'RE OPEN UP FOR THE PUBLIC ACTIVITIES FOR WHATEVER PRACTICE.
AND THEY HAVE BEEN WORKING TREMENDOUS FOR US.
WHAT IS, I'M SORRY, WHAT IS USUALLY THE SIZE OF THAT RETENTION POND? LIKE HOW MUCH, HOW MUCH LAND DO YOU ACTUALLY NEED FOR THEM? UH, THE BIGGER ONE, ONE WE HAVE IS ON
IT IS PROBABLY AT LEAST 15 ACRES, BUT IT'S SEPARATE SECTIONS.
AND THAT ONE THAT'S BY MY HOUSE, IT WAS FULL NEXT MORNING.
WHAT ABOUT THE ISSUE OF, OF ONCE YOU HAVE STANDING WATER, SUCH AS MOSQUITOES, HEALTH ISSUES LIKE THAT YOU DON'T, OKAY.
AND IF IT'S DONE PROPERLY, WHICH I'M SURE THE ENGINEERING WILL DO, IT FAILS.
BUT IF IT, IF YOU DON'T HAVE A BIG RAIN EVENT, IT'S DRY AND YOU USE IT ALL THE TIME, THIS IS 98% OF THE TIME.
IF YOU HAVE A BIG MAIN EVENT, THEN IT MIGHT FAIL THAT.
WHAT IS THE, UH, DEPTH OF THAT POND THAT YOU, THE ONES WE HAVE A PROBLEM ABOUT AT LEAST SAFETY 10 FEET.
I USED TO RUN DOWN, I USED TO PRACTICE WITH MY KIDNEY BASEBALL.
AND THEN THE, THERE'S FAMILIES ALL OVER THE PLACE.
SOCCER, BASEBALL, WHATEVER IT IS, THEY, THEY'RE UTILIZED AS, AS FIELDS.
MOVING ON TO AGENDA ITEM 3.4, DISCUSSION AND UPDATE ON COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANTS CV COORDINATION.
AND WELL, THE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY, THE CDBG CV PROGRAM, UM, OR COVID DOLLARS IS A PROGRAM THAT, UM, HAS TAKEN A FEW YEARS, BUT WE NOW HAVE ENACTED IT AND, UM, ARE DOING AS MUCH OUTREACH AS POSSIBLE TO HELP OUR COMMUNITY.
SO ANYONE REQUIRING OR NEEDING ANY TYPE OF WATER, UTILITY, RENTAL, OR MORTGAGE ASSISTANCE, UM, WE HAVE FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR THEM.
UM, WE CAN HELP UP TO THREE MONTHS.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, APPLICANTS NEED TO LIVE WITHIN THE CITY, UH, CITY LIMITS, YOU KNOW, THEY MUST HAVE EXPERIENCED SOME SORT OF LOSS DUE TO COVI AND, OR HARDSHIP, AND AGAIN, ARE REQUIRING SOME SORT OF WATER UTILITY RENTAL OR MORTGAGE ASSISTANCE.
SO THIS IS JUST US TRYING TO REALLY GET THE MESSAGE OUT THERE.
YOU KNOW, WE WANNA SPEND DOWN THESE DOLLARS, THIS IS THE LAST YEAR THAT WE CAN, AND, UM, YEAH, WE'RE JUST ASKING THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IF THEY CAN PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD CALL TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT AND, UM, WE'LL HELP GUIDE THEM THROUGH THE PROCESS.
AND AGAIN, IT'S, UH, WATER UTILITY RENTAL AND MORTGAGE ASSISTANCE FOR ANYBODY THAT'S LOWER, MODERATE TO INCOME OR ABOVE 62 YEARS OF AGE OR, YOU KNOW, THERE'S OTHER QUALIFICATIONS.
BUT, UM, THEY CAN FEEL FREE TO CALL ENGLISH OR SPANISH.
AND, UH, WHAT IS THE END DATE FOR THE GRANT? UM, WE'RE LOOKING AT POSSIBLY SEPTEMBER OF THIS YEAR.
AND, UM, THAT WOULD BE, THE SEPTEMBER WOULD
[02:00:01]
BE THE TIME LIMIT FOR THE MONIES THAT HAVE TO BE PAID OUT OR JUST TO APPLY FOR THE GRANT, UH, TO BE SPENT DOWN.THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR COMMUNITY, AND THANK YOU FOR BRINGING IT TO US.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? OKAY, MOVING ON TO AGENDA ITEM 3.5, DISCUSSION, UPDATE ON THE MASTER PARK PLAN, COMMUNITY MEETING SCHEDULE.
HEY, DOWN, IT'S YOUR, IT'S YOUR FLOOR.
SO WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON UPDATING OUR MASTER PARK PLAN, AND ONE OF THE COMPONENT COMPONENTS OF, UM, UPDATING THAT PLAN IS, UM, HAVING SCHOOL DISTRICT AND SCHOOL ENGAGEMENT AS FAR AS WHAT THEY WANNA SEE IN THE PARKS, UM, WHAT THEY WANNA SEE FOR THE FUTURE OF SAN BENITO AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, MAYBE RECREATION OR SPORTS OR LIKE, OR ANY GREEN SPACES.
SO, UM, WE, WE ALSO HAVE A SURVEY FOR THAT, AND WE ENCOURAGE ANY PARENTS, STUDENTS TO TAKE THAT SURVEY AND WE'D LIKE TO POSSIBLY, UM, HOST A WORKSHOP OR A MEETING OR EVEN, YOU KNOW, BE ABLE TO GET SOME INFORMATION OUT TO THE STUDENTS, UM, BEFORE OUR MASTER PARK PLAN IS DUE.
SO THAT'S WHAT THIS IS IN REFERENCE TO.
AND IT'S, UM, ONE OF THE COMPONENTS IS ACTUALLY CITY SCHOOL PARKS AND, UM, HOW BENEFICIAL THEY ARE TO NOT ONLY THE STUDENTS, BUT THE COMMUNITIES.
YOU KNOW, YOUR KIDDOS LIVE NEAR THE SCHOOLS, AND SO HAVING TO, HAVING ACCESS TO THOSE PARKS AFTER SCHOOL HOURS IS VERY BENEFICIAL.
YOU KNOW, A PLACE SO THEY CAN SEE THEIR FRIENDS.
A PLACE FOR FAMILIES TO GO AND WALK.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A VERY LOW TO MODERATE INCOME, UH, COMMUNITY.
AND SO ANY TYPE OF FREE AREAS TO EXERCISE TO, UH, CONGREGATE TO, YOU KNOW, SOCIALIZE OUR KEY AND A HEALTHY, PROSPEROUS COMMUNITY.
AND WHEN IS THE DATE FOR YOUR, THAT YOUR MASTER PARK PLAN IS DUE? UH, I BELIEVE IT'S THE MAY OR JUNE.
IS IT JUNE? JUNE, JUNE 1ST, YES.
I HAVE A QUESTION ON THIS, UM, BECAUSE IT, THERE'S A, A, A BULLET POINT ON HERE THAT SAYS, UM, SCHOOL STAFF DURING SCHOOL HOURS AND CITY OVERSIGHT AT OTHER TIMES.
SO THIS IDEA, IT'S A PARK THAT'S ALREADY EXISTING AT A SCHOOL CAMPUS, OR IS, IS THIS IDEA NEW PARKS? IT CAN BE BOTH.
IT CAN BE IF YOU HAVE AN EXISTING PARK AND LET'S SAY, UM, WE START, UM, CITY SCHOOL LEAGUES AS FAR AS MAYBE SOCCER OR BASEBALL, YOU KNOW, WE, WE DO, UM, LEAGUES THAT PRACTICE THERE.
WE CAN HAVE STAFF THERE AFTER HOURS TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, AS THE KIDDOS ARE PRACTICING, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY CAN BE MONITORING THE PARK.
UM, OR IF YOU HAVE A SCHOOL THAT, UM, HAS A NEED FOR PARK EQUIPMENT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE WE CAN WORK TOGETHER TO FACILITATE GETTING SOME NEW PARK EQUIPMENT OUT THERE AS LONG AS THE COMMUNITY CAN USE IT AFTER HOURS.
IT'S, UH, IT'S JUST AN IDEA RIGHT NOW, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'D REALLY LIKE TO PUT INTO OUR MASTER PARK PLAN AND WORK TOGETHER TO GET ACCOMPLISHED.
AND OTHER, AND OTHER SPORTS, OBVIOUSLY.
UH, OR VARIATIONS OF THE SPORT.
YOU KNOW, GIRLS SOFTBALL, UH, SEVEN ON SEVEN, UM, WE'VE BEEN TOYED AROUND WITH, UH, WITH A, UH, PAR THREE OR A LITTLE SHORT, LITTLE SHORT SHOT, YOU KNOW, A GOLF COURSE AND LITTLE DRIVING RANGE.
SO THOSE ARE OPPORTUNITIES THAT NOT ONLY WOULD HELP, UH, OUR WELL WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO OUR RESIDENTS AFTER HOURS, BUT ALSO TO THE GOLF TEAM HERE AND, AND, YOU KNOW, AND, AND START THAT PROGRAM A LITTLE EARLIER AND MAKE IT A LITTLE EASIER FOR THOSE KIDS TO, TO ACCESS THOSE, THOSE AMENITIES.
SO, I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES AND WE JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU ALL UNDERSTOOD THAT AND, AND, AND WE CAN CONTINUE THE DIALOGUE.
YEAH, I CAN START, I CAN KEEP TALKING TO THE SUPERINTENDENT ABOUT THAT.
AND DEANNA, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
UM, I WANNA MAKE SURE THOUGH THAT, I KNOW I'VE SPOKEN TO YOU BEFORE THAT WE DO MORE INCLUSIVE PARKS.
I DID, WHEN I FIRST BECAME COMMISSIONER, I WENT AROUND LOOKING AT ALL OUR PARKS AND SOME OF THE SCHOOL PLAYGROUNDS AS WELL.
AND WE'RE NOT REALLY EQUIPPED FOR, YOU KNOW, CHILDREN THAT ARE HANDICAPPED, DISABLED, EVEN OUR ADULTS THAT MAY BE, YOU KNOW, HANDICAPPED OR DISABLED.
SO I THINK THAT IS ONE KEY COMPONENT THAT WE REALLY NEED TO LOOK INTO BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW AT, AT THE DISTRICTS AND HOW MANY CHILDREN DO WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, WITH SPECIAL NEEDS BECAUSE I, I, I, I THINK THAT IF YOU TEACH 'EM AT A YOUNG AGE TO WORK AND PLAY TOGETHER, THAT AS THEY GROW UP, THERE'S NO CRITICISM, THERE'S NO, YOU KNOW, POINTING FINGERS OR THINKING THAT THEY'RE DIFFERENT.
SO I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE WORK ON INCLUSIVE PARTS.
THAT'S, I THINK, REALLY KEY IN IN ALL OF THIS.
YES, THAT'S, UM, WE'VE ALREADY KIND OF COMPLETED A
[02:05:01]
ROUGH, UH, PARK AUDIT AS FAR AS WHAT THE CITY HAS.AND, UM, WHILE THERE'S, UM, VAST ROOM FOR, YOU KNOW, IMPROVEMENTS, UM, WE ARE WORKING ON MAKING SURE THAT ANY, ANY NEW IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE DO, UM, COMPLETE ON THE CITY SIDE ARE, UM, ALL INCLUSIVE.
SO JANNA, THIS IS ALREADY A CONCEPT THAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING IN OTHER COUNTIES, BIGGER CITIES WHERE CITIES AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE GETTING TOGETHER AND CO-OWNING A PARK.
UM, DOES THAT INCREASE OUR CHANCE FOR FUNDING? YES.
SO, AND THEN SHARING, SHARING RESOURCES, ANY, ANY TIME THAT YOU APPLY FOR, UM, COLLABORATIVE GRANTS, WHEN YOU HAVE LARGE PARTNERS LIKE SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND MUNICIPALITIES APPLYING, YOU GET MORE POINTS FOR THAT KIND OF STUFF.
UM, A FEW YEARS BACK, THE, THE SCHOOL GYMS, OUTDOOR GYMS WERE CLOSED, OR THE ACCESS WAS LIMITED TO THE PUBLIC.
AND MAYBE IT WAS SECURITY REASONS, RIGHT? BUT I GREW UP PLAYING NIGHTS OR WEEKENDS AT THOSE GYMS, RIGHT? SO I THINK BACK, WHAT ARE THOSE KIDS? WHERE ARE THEY PLAYING? WE HAVE TWO OR THREE BASKETBALL COURTS IN THE ENTIRE CITY.
SO IT WAS A WAY FOR US TO KIND OF, YOU DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS WOULD PLAY IN DIFFERENT AREAS.
YOU PLAY IN THE
BUT NOW, NOW WE CAN'T DO THAT.
SO WHAT DID THAT DO TO THOSE? WHERE DID, WHERE ARE THEY PLAYING OR WHAT ARE THEY DOING? SO ACTUALLY THE NEXT AGENDA, YEAH.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S A NICE SEGUE TO THE NEXT ITEM.
JUST, OH, WELL, ACCORDING TO THE MASTER PARKS PLAN, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU COMMISSIONER GOODMAN.
CAN WE SAY SOMETHING? UH, NO, SORRY.
WELL, THE OTHER KEY TOO IS THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
YOU KNOW, ANY MASTER PLAN IS THE KEY TO GETTING ANY KIND OF FUNDING.
NOBODY PARKS AND WILDLIFE, IF, I DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE GONNA EXIST ANYMORE, BUT ANY OTHER FUNDING SOURCE OUT THERE, WHETHER IT'S BENEVOLENT, WHETHER IT'S PRIVATE, PUBLIC, THEY WANT TO SEE A PLAN.
AND THAT INCLUDES A WELL-ROUNDED PLAN AND, YOU KNOW, INCLUSIVE, UH, TO ALL, YOU KNOW, ALL PORTIONS OF, OF THE, OF THE, UH, CITIZENRY.
SO, I MEAN, YEAH, THIS IS, THIS IS THE PROGRAM.
IT'S GONNA BE OUR PLAN, AND THAT'S HOW YOU'RE GONNA GET THE MONEY.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENT, COMMENTS? MOVING ON TO AGENDA ITEM 3.5, DISCUSSION OF, SORRY, 3.6 DISCUSSION, UPDATE ON SUMMER RECREATION PROGRAMS AND SUMMER GYM OPENINGS, MEALS, AND ACTIVITIES.
UM, SO THIS IS JUST, UM, ANOTHER WAY THAT WE CAN POSSIBLY, UM, COLLABORATE.
UH, I KNOW THAT YOU ALL MAY HAVE SOME SUMMER PROGRAMS THAT YOU ALL ALREADY HAVE IN PLACE.
UH, WE DID DO A BRIEF SURVEY AT OUR BASEBALL PARK WITH OUR LEAGUE RIGHT NOW, AND WE ASKED THEM, YOU KNOW, UH, WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THAT YOU ALL WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT THE CITY AND SCHOOL DISTRICT PARTNER TOGETHER? AND THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT YOUTH BASKETBALL CAMPS, YOUTH VOLLEYBALL CAMPS, SOCCER, FOOTBALL, YOU KNOW, TENNIS TRACK, YOU KNOW, CHESS, EVEN, UM, A FISHING CAMP.
YOU KNOW, THINGS THAT WE CAN, UM, PARTNER TOGETHER, MAYBE HAVE SOME OPEN GYMS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC LIKE MAYOR PROTON WAS TALKING ABOUT.
AND, UM, OFFERING FREE BREAKFAST AND LUNCH.
IT'S A, YOU KNOW, A MODEL USED, UM, IN OTHER CITIES.
I'M SURE YOU ALL OFFER BREAKFAST AND LUNCH, BUT, YOU KNOW, THAT WAY WE CAN HELP ADVERTISE, GET MORE KIDS OUT THERE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IDLE HANDS DURING THE SUMMER, NOT A GOOD THING.
AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE GET AS MANY KIDDOS INVOLVED IN PROGRAMS DURING THE SUMMER, AND, UM, WE JUST, WE'D LIKE TO BE A PART OF IT.
SO THAT'S, THIS, THAT'S WHAT THIS ITEM IS ABOUT, IS TO TRY AND SEE IF WE CAN COLLABORATE ON MAKING SURE WE, UM, REALLY GET THE BEST OUT OF SUMMER FOR THE KIDDOS.
SO, DEANNA, MIGHT I ADD THAT I, 'CAUSE I SEE MS. CHAVEZ HERE FROM THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB.
THANK YOU MS. CHAVEZ FOR COMING.
UM, I KNOW THAT THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB DURING THE SUMMER HAS A LOT OF PROGRAMS OUT THERE, SO IF WE COULD COLLABORATE WITH THEM AS WELL TO MAKE YOU SEE WHAT THEY'RE DOING, THE SCHOOL'S DOING.
THAT WAY WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE.
ALL THE KIDS ARE AT THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB PLAYING AFTER HOURS.
HAVE YOU ALL THOUGHT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, BUILDING ANOTHER SWIMMING POOL FOR SAN BENITO? IT IS A TOPIC THAT HAS BEEN TALKED ABOUT A LOT IN OUR MASTER PARK PLAN.
UM, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY LOOKING INTO TO SEE THE FEASIBILITY OF THE LOCATION AND FUNDING.
AND I KNOW IT'S IN DIRE NEED, YOU KNOW, OUR KIDS NEED TO LEARN HOW TO SWIM.
IT'S VERY IMPORTANT, UM, LIFE SKILL TO HAVE BLESS, BLESS YOU.
AND, UM, SO YEAH, IT'S SOMETHING WE ARE, WE ARE LOOKING INTO.
I KNOW MY, MY ALL MY CHILDREN NOW THEY'RE ADULTS OF COURSE LEARNED HOW TO SWIM THERE AT THE, AT THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS, THERE'S ON
[02:10:01]
STOKEY AND A LOT OF FRIENDS ALSO.SO THAT WAS A LOT OF PEOPLE UPSET AND SAD ABOUT THAT GOING AWAY, SO, MM-HMM
YEAH, I'VE SPOKEN TO, UM, LIZ ABOUT THAT AND THAT THEY, THEY, THE, ON THE, I GUESS ON THE NATIONAL LEVEL, THEY DO OFFER, UH, PROGRAMS THROUGH THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB TO TRAIN, UM, INDIVIDUALS OR, OR STUDENTS OR YOUNGSTERS TO BE LIFEGUARDS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO WE'RE ACTIVELY LOOKING AT, UM, CREATIVE WAYS TO FUND AND, UH, SUSTAIN A POOL IN SAN AGAIN, IN SAN BENITO.
SO, MR. MR. GOMEZ, WOULD THE SCHOOL DISTRICT ENTERTAIN A JOINT SWIMMING POOL?
I'M ONLY ONE BOAT
AND I, AND I HEAR YOUR CONCERNS 'CAUSE UH, WHEN I USED TO WORK NEXT TO PENDLETON PARK, I WOULD HEAR THAT THERE WAS LINES OUTSIDE AND PEOPLE WOULD HAVE TO WAIT 'CAUSE OF CAPACITY LIMITS.
ONE PERSON LEAVE ONE PERSON IN, IT'S LIKE A NIGHTCLUB,
SO YEAH, THERE'S DEFINITELY A NEED THERE.
AND I THINK WHAT CITIES ARE DOING NOW FOR FEASIBILITY REASONS, IS THEY'RE MOVING TOWARDS SPLASH PADS, BUT EVEN A JOINT VENTURE WITH SPLASH PAD, SOMETHING WE CAN LOOK AT.
BUT YEAH, POOL WOULD BE AWESOME.
RELATIVE TO THESE TWO AGENDA ITEMS WE'VE JUST TALKED ABOUT RIGHT NOW, ARE OTHER THINGS THAT WE CONTINUE TO LOOK AT? SPORTS, YOUTH SPORTS TOURISM IS A HUGE YEP.
UH, A HUGE OPPORTUNITY RIGHT NOW, WHICH, WHICH I KNOW DEANNA'S LOOKING AT AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
AND THAT WOULD HELP TO BRING MORE PEOPLE TO THE COMMUNITY AS WELL.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING ELSE THAT WE COULD TALK ABOUT LATER AS WELL.
WELL, WE APPRECIATE YOU BRINGING, 'CAUSE THIS IS JUST THE CONCEPT RIGHT NOW.
AND YES, WE WOULD LIKE TO POSSIBLY, I KNOW IT'S SUMMER IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER,
AND, UM, I ALSO REMEMBER A COUPLE YEARS BACK TOO THAT THE CITY WOULD HIRE SOME OF OUR STUDENTS TO DO, LIKE, BEAUTIFICATION AROUND THE CITY AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO, UM, SOMETHING LIKE THAT WOULD ALSO BE REALLY INTERESTING, REALLY NICE TO BRING TO THE CITY FOR OUR STUDENTS TO HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY.
DOES ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? OKAY.
MOVING ON TO THE LAST AGENDA ITEM, AGENDA ITEM 3.7, DISCUSSION, UPDATE ON THE SCHOOL BUS ROUTES AND CITY TRAFFIC PLAN.
SO THE REASON WHY WE PUT THIS ON THE AGENDA IS, UM, FOR A FEW REASONS.
WE DID APPLY AND, AND GET, UM, A SAFETY STREETS FOR ALL GRANT, UM, FOR A PLANNING PHASE OF, IT'S A TWO PART GRANT.
WE GOT THE PLANNING PHASE AND THEN WE CAN APPLY FOR THE ACTUAL IMPLEMENTATION.
UM, AND SO PART OF THAT IS TO, UM, WELL A LARGE COMPONENT IS, YOU KNOW, SCHOOL BUS ROUTES AND TRAFFIC SAFETY WHEN IT COMES TO, UM, THAT ASPECT.
YOU KNOW, SCHOOL BUS STOPS, STOP SIGN COMES OUT, SOMEONE RUNS IT, RIGHT? AND SO, UM, I KNOW OUR CHIEF WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, Y'ALL WERE AWARE THAT THERE'S, YOU KNOW, ON OUR WEBSITE THERE'S A REPORTING TOOL AND, UM, OUR PD WILL LOOK INTO IT AND MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE, WE START PATROLLING THOSE AREAS HEAVIER, HEAVILY AND, UM, MINIMIZING ANY TYPE OF ACCIDENTS IN THOSE AREAS.
AND, UH, WE ALSO WERE THINKING ABOUT MAYBE PUTTING ON SOME SORT OF WORKSHOP, UM, IN PLANNING FOR THAT SAFETY STREETS FOR ALL TO DISCUSS MAYBE, YOU KNOW, CROSSWALK SAFETY AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
SO THAT'S WHAT THIS ITEM IS ABOUT.
I HAVE A QUESTION FOR THE BOARD.
THE SCHOOL BOARD, HAS THERE BEEN ANY DISCUSSION FOR CROSSWALK MAINTENANCE, SIDEWALK REPAIR, AND HIGH TRAFFIC AREAS, ESPECIALLY AROUND THE SCHOOLS? HOW HAS THAT COMMUNICATION BEEN GOING, IF ANY? SO IT'S, IT IS PART OF OUR PLAN FOR THIS MONTH.
UM, NOW THAT WE'RE DONE WITH TESTING, UM, WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT THE CAMPUSES.
UH, WE HAD ALREADY DISCUSSED TO LOOK AT SIDEWALKS, WHAT NEEDS REPAIRING, UM, THE MORE COMMON WALK AREAS TO OUR SCHOOLS.
UH, AND THEN MORE IMPORTANTLY, ALSO THE BUS ROUTES.
A LOT OF OUR STUDENTS SIT ON A CURB WAITING FOR, YOU KNOW, BUSES TO COME BY.
SO OTHER GOOD DATAS DO, DO KIDS STILL WALK TO SCHOOL? YEAH, THAT STILL, WE DO HAVE A, ESPECIALLY IN THE INNER CITY, WE HAVE A LOT OF WALKERS.
BUT YEAH, WE DO HAVE A LOT OF 'EM.
SO THAT WOULD BE GOOD, GOOD DATA FOR OUR STAFF.
'CAUSE I'VE SEEN SOME SPEED HUMPS THAT NEED REPAIR IN CERTAIN SCHOOL DISTRICT AREAS.
THO THOSE COMMUNICATIONS ARE IMPORTANT THAT WE KEEP THAT LINE OPEN AND WE TAKE CARE OF THOSE ISSUES DURING NON-BUSY TIMES, NOT TO DISRUPT SCHOOL HOURS.
AND WE'LL DEFINITELY CREATE A SURVEY FROM OUR PRINCIPALS AND THEN WE'LL GET YOU THE INFORMATION.
ALSO, I, I GUESS, UH, ONE BIG EXAMPLE IS, UH, A, A, A GENTLEMAN, A CITIZEN COMES TO PUBLIC COMMENT, THE CITY ABOUT
[02:15:01]
THE IDEA PUBLIC GOALS WHEN THEY WERE BUILT WITH NO COMMUNICATION WITH THE CITY.AND THAT INTERSECTION IS A COMPLETE, UH, DISASTER, UH, NO TURNING LANE AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND ANOTHER CONCERN IS SCHAEFER ROAD, WHEN THEY WERE, WHEN BERTHA VAA WAS BEING BUILT, DID WE COMMUNICATE WITH THE CITY ABOUT DOING A BIGGER STREET? WHAT I HEAR GROWING UP WAS THAT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THE CITY WERE NOT TALKING AT THAT TIME.
AND THAT, THAT'S JUST UNACCEPTABLE FOR ME.
I THINK ALL GOVERNMENT ENTITIES SHOULD HAVE SOME TYPE OF RELATIONSHIP AND BE ABLE TO GET PAST WHATEVER POLITICAL VIEWS SO THAT WE CAN GET ONE COMMON GOAL, WHICH IS JUST AN IMPROVED COMMUNITY.
SO IF YOU HAVE ANY ISSUES, LET ME, LET US KNOW.
IS THERE ANY STREETS THAT YOU GUYS ARE WORKING ON RIGHT NOW? SO THERE, THERE WAS SOME ENGINEERING, UH, WORK THAT WAS PUT IN FOR, IN THE, THE INDUSTRIAL PARK WHERE THE BUS BARN WAS.
I'D LIKE TO GET AN UPDATE WHERE WE'RE AT THERE.
I KNOW THAT'S IN DIRE REPAIR, BUT THERE'S BEEN SOME ISSUES IF, IF THAT WAS EVER CORRECTLY DEEDED OVER TO US.
I THINK AT THIS POINT, THAT'S A BIG QUESTION AND IT DOESN'T MATTER.
I THINK WE NEED TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER AND THAT INITIATIVE.
AND THE OTHER QUESTION IS, CAN THIS, CAN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT USE PUBLIC FUND, UH, SCHOOL DISTRICT FUNDS TO FUND PROJECTS, ROADS GOING INTO THEIR FACILITIES? I THINK THAT'S A BIG QUESTION.
MAYBE THEY FUND THE LA THE MATERIAL AND WE PUT THE LABOR OR VICE VERSA WE'VE DONE.
AND SO THAT'S A DONE AGREEMENT.
DEDICATED TO PUBLIC STREETS IN THE CITY OF SAN BENITO, ESPECIALLY WHERE OUR BUS BARN IS.
UH, THERE'S NO STREET BACK THERE, JUST GRAVEL.
I THINK EVEN OUR STAFF, WERE FIXING THE ROAD ISN'T THAT DEDICATED TO THE CITY? ALL ALL STREETS? NOT ALL STREETS.
ONCE YOU RECORD A PLA DON'T THEY? LET ME FINISH, AREN'T THEY ALL STREETS ARE RECORDED WHEN THEY RECORD IT, YOU GUYS AS CITY SUCH AS THE COUNTY, STATE, AND FEDERAL, ESPECIALLY STATE.
BUT THE COUNTY, DON'T YOU ALL SIGN OFF ON THOSE PLATS? WHEN THAT SUBDIVISION, THE INDUSTRIAL PARK WAS RECORDED? DIDN'T YOU ALL SIGN OFF ON THAT PLAT? CAN I ANSWER? YES, I'M THROUGH WITH IT.
IT'S NEVER BEEN, IT'S NEVER BEEN PLATTED.
SO IF I GO TO THE COUNTY CLERK RECORDS AND I LOOK IT UP, YOU'RE TELLING ME IT'S, IT'S NOT RECORDED, PAT.
THAT'S WHAT MY STAFF IS TELLING ME.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHY IT WAS NEVER RECORDED.
THIS STREET, MR. GOMEZ THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, HAD A BOARD THAT, UM, GOT DISSOLVED NOT THAT LONG AGO THAT HAD FUNDS TO REPORT TO REPAIR THAT STREET.
UM, SO NOW WE, WE'VE BASICALLY TAKEN ON THE CHALLENGE OF HEARING THE COMPLAINTS, THE CONCERNS ABOUT IT.
BUT THERE WAS A BOARD PREVIOUSLY THAT HAD MONEY TO, WAS SU SPECIFICALLY SUPPOSED TO FIX THAT ROAD.
SO THEY TOOK IT, WHICH FYI THEY TOOK.
I, I DIDN'T, I DIDN'T KNOW THAT.
I THOUGHT, UM, THE QUESTION I HAVE WAS, ISN'T THE CITY RESPONSIBLE FOR OR DEDICATED ROADS WITHIN THE CITY OF SAN BENITO? AND WHAT I'M HEARING IS THAT NO, THAT PLAT IS NOT RECORDED.
YEAH, IT WAS NEVER SUBDIVIDED.
SO TECHNICALLY WE CAN'T, IT'S NOT OUR ROAD.
SO THAT'S WHY IT LOOKS LIKE A LOT OF TIMES WHAT I'VE SEEN, UH, DURING MY, DURING MY TENURE IS LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, THE COUNTY, THEY WOULD JUST SAY, UH, NEXT YEAR THESE 3, 4, 5 STREETS WILL BE YOURS NOW.
AND THEY'VE DONE STUFF LIKE THAT WITHOUT US SAYING, DO WE WANT 'EM OR NOT? THEY'LL JUST SAY, THEY'RE YOUR RESPONSIBILITY NOW.
WHATEVER CONDITION THEY'RE IN.
SAME THING WITH TXDOT, NO DRAINAGE, BAD STREET.
IT'S NO LONGER THE RESPONSIBILITY OF TDOT.
SO IS THAT SOMETHING SIMILAR THAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED HERE? POSSIBLY.
BUT THOSE ARE THINGS THAT HAPPENED AND SHOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED A HUNDRED YEARS AGO, RIGHT? WE'RE A MUCH MORE, UH, FIRST GENERATION ADAPTIVE COMMUNITY.
I THINK WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET PAST WHAT HAPPENS.
NOT WELL, WE KEEP LOOKING AT WHAT HAPPENED IN THE PAST, BUT HOW CAN WE REPAIR THE ISSUE NOW TO SERVE BOTH PARTIES? AN AN EXAMPLE OF THAT IS I LIVE DOWN THE STREET, WHICH IS NOT, WHICH IS, UH, NOT DEDICATED TO, IT'S PRETTY BAD, BUT YEAH.
IT'S NOT DEDICATED PART OF THE CITY'S RESPONSIBILITY.
HE, BUT HE BOUGHT A HOUSE KNOWING IT WAS CALICHE, BUT I HAD TO BOUGHT A HOUSE.
SO THERE, SO, SO, BUT I STILL FEEL HIS CONCERNS
SO THERE HAS, THERE HAS BEEN, YOU KNOW, DIALOGUE FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW ON THAT ROAD.
'CAUSE IT DOES AFFECT OUR BUSES AS WELL.
WE'RE, WE'RE VERY WELL OVER THAT ROAD AND, AND WE'RE LOOKING AT DIFFERENT OPTIONS AND HOW TO, HOW TO REMEDY THAT PLAN.
SO, UH, BUT YEAH, UH, TO EACH, EVERY, EVERY ONE OF YOU ALL THAT, THAT MADE YOUR COMMENTS ABOUT THAT, THAT IS A HUNDRED PERCENT CORRECT.
YOU KNOW, IT'S, THERE'S SOMETHING THAT'S JUST NOT, THAT DOESN'T JIVE IN THAT ROAD.
UH, AS FAR AS AGREEMENTS AND SO
[02:20:01]
ON AND SO FORTH.YOU KNOW, THERE WAS A BOARD THERE, YOU'RE RIGHT, MS. MORALES, THERE WAS A BOARD, UM, AND ALL THIS OTHER STUFF.
SO AT, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, I THINK MORE IMPORTANTLY, IT AFFECTS OUR BUSES, UH, UH, AND THE HEALTH OF OUR BUSES.
SO TRUST ME, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO, TO FIGURE THAT OUT.
UH, JUST, JUST A QUICK COMMENT, UH, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IT'S JUST A GREAT PLEASURE TO BE HERE WITH YOU TONIGHT AND TO BE ABLE TO, UH, SHARE WHERE WE'RE GOING WITH THESE THINGS.
AND WE ARE REALLY TRYING VERY DILIGENTLY TO LIFT OUR VISION, TO TAKE US TO THE NEXT LEVEL AND, AND TO IMPROVE AND, AND LOOK AT THE NEXT GENERATION OF THINGS AND CREATE THAT VISION FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
AND TO BE HERE WITH YOU AS A GREAT, IT'S A GREAT HONOR.
YOU KNOW, UM, AGAIN, UM, I WANNA THANK YOU ALL FOR GIVING US THIS TIME TO COMING HERE AND MEET WITH YOU ALL AND, UH, HAVE MEETINGS WITH YOU AND, UM, I KNOW WE HAVE SOME, UH, SOME ITEMS. HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET THE, YOU KNOW, UH, LIKE, UH, MR. TO SAYS THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, WE CAN DO INTER LOCAL AGREEMENTS.
LET'S TRY TO, SO WE CAN GET THE, YOU KNOW, MOVE FORWARD.
WHEN WE CAME IN THE BOARD, AND YOU ALMOST KNOW IT, WE HAD THE ROUGH TIME BECAUSE WE, THERE WAS ALWAYS BICKING AROUND SOME BICKERING BETWEEN THE SCHOOL AND THE CITY.
WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT? ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
LET'S TRY TO SEE IF WE CAN GET THE, MOVE SOMEBODY TO FORWARD.
YOUR, THE SCHOOL IS VERY IMPORTANT.
WITHOUT YOU GUYS HAVING, YOU KNOW, COMING AND, AND WORKING TOGETHER, WHAT ARE THE PEOPLE GONNA DO? WHY SHOULD WE GO OVER THERE? YOU GUYS ARE THE SANTO.
IF I, IF I KNOW CORRECTLY, YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE THAT DOESN'T HAVE A SECOND HIGH SCHOOL.
THERE'S ONLY ONE HIGH SCHOOL HERE IN SANTO, YOU KNOW, AND WE'RE DAMN PROUD OF IT.
WELL, THE THING IS THAT THE, NOW WE NEED TO WORK TOGETHER, OKAY? WE DO OUR BEST TO WORK TOGETHER TO MOVE SOMEBODY TO FORWARD, NOT ONLY ON THE CITY SIDE, BUT ALSO ON THE SCHOOL SITES AND FOR THE, FOR THE KIDS.
THERE'S A LOT OF ISSUES THAT WE, WE INHERITED AS FAR AS THE SCHOOL, THE DRAINAGE, THE INFRASTRUCTURE, AND UM, YEAH, WE'D LIKE TO SEE, UH, A SWIMMING POOL.
BUT Y'ALL KNOW THERE'S A DROUGHT.
THAT'S WHY WE HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL WHAT WE DO.
HOW WE DOING IT? I WISH I COULD TELL YOU, HEY, HEY, DOING 9 MILLION GALLON, YOU KNOW, UH, SWIMMING POOL, I AT IT, THE WATER.
WHERE'S THE WATER COMING COME FROM? THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE TO BE LOOKING AT.
ALSO, IN THE SUBDIVISIONS, WE JUST CANNOT GROW.
THERE'S ABOUT 700, 800 HOMES THAT ARE TRYING TO COME IN.
CAN WE SUSTAIN THEM? I DON'T KNOW.
THE WATER IS GOING TO BE A VERY CRUCIAL, AND YOU KNOW, THAT WE'RE IN A DOGGONE DROUGHT.
THE STORMS THAT HAVE COME IN HAVE COME INTO THIS AREA, NOT WHERE IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE AT THE, YOU KNOW, AT THE, UH, UH, AT THE WATERSHED, THE DAMS, MR. DAM AND F DAM, THAT'S WHERE WE NEED THE WATER.
PEOPLE TEND TO JUST BECAUSE WE GET WATER HERE IN SANTO, OH, IT'S ALL OVER.
WE DON'T, THE WATER IS NOT SUPPOSED TO LAND HERE.
THE WATER IS SUPPOSED TO TELL THE WATER TO HEY STORM.
GO OVER THERE TO THE F*****G DAM.
THEN I CAN SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT? GO WITH THE $9 MILLION, UH, 9 MILLION GALLONS SWIMMING POOL.
JUST BE CAREFUL BECAUSE AGAIN, WE'RE STILL IN THE WATER DROUGHT, THE WHOLE VALLEY.
AND AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH, THE AUDIENCE FOR DOING THE SAME THING, YOU KNOW, FOR COMING OVER HERE AND, AND JUST, UH, LISTEN TO US.
UM, BUT AGAIN, WE WANNA WORK WITH YOU GUYS.
UH, WE WANNA WORK WITH THE CITY, HELPING THE CITY, HELPING THE SCHOOL WITH THE KIDS, AND ANYBODY ELSE, YOU KNOW, THAT, UH, THAT COME IN.
WE NEED TO MAKE SOMEBODY THOSE PROUD AGAIN A LOT MORE.
OKAY? SO WE ARE HERE, UH, REACH OUT TO US, WHATEVER WE CAN.
WE'LL DO OUR BEST TO DO THE SAME THING.
WE'RE HERE TO LISTEN TO YOU, LISTEN TO US.
ALSO, MAYOR, I WANT TO, AND COMMISSIONERS, I WANT TO, I WANNA SHARE, YOU KNOW, A THANK YOU FOR THE JOINT MEETING.
UM, THERE, THERE'S A LOT OF STUFF, OF COURSE, THAT HAS TO BE SPOKEN ABOUT.
IT'S THE FIRST TIME, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S HAPPENED AND, UH, THERE'S A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, MOVING PARTS AND A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE NEED, WE NEED TO, TO COLLABORATE WITH MOVING FORWARD.
BUT I THINK THIS IS A GOOD, YOU KNOW, A GOOD STEPPING STONE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AS FAR AS WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO WORK TOGETHER AND COLLABORATE TOGETHER.
SO, ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU ALSO VERY MUCH FOR YOUR, FOR, UH, FOR COMING AND, AND, AND, AND SHARING YOUR, YOUR VISION OF THE CITY, UH, UH, AND HOW WE CAN, WE CAN WORK
[02:25:01]
TOGETHER.UM, I WANNA APOLOGIZE FOR BEING LATE.
UM, BUT THANK YOU FOR GIVING US THIS OPPORTUNITY TO FINALLY HAVE THIS SIT DOWN TO FINALLY HAVE, YOU KNOW, SOME KIND OF COLLABORATION WITH ONE ANOTHER.
'CAUSE I BELIEVE THAT'S KEY IN GOING FORWARD.
I DON'T WANNA LOOK BACK ANYMORE.
WE NEED TO JUST LOOK FORWARD AND CONTINUE TO GROW AND US WORKING TOGETHER.
I THINK IT, IT'S GONNA TURN OUT TO MAKE SAN BENITO A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE, A BETTER PLACE TO BE WHERE THEY WANNA HAVE THEIR, THEIR FAMILIES GROW HERE.
UM, HAVE OUR CHILDREN GO TO YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT, UM, EAT AND DINE HERE.
THANK YOU FOR FINDING US AGREEING TO HAVE THIS SIT DOWN AND WORKING TOGETHER.
AND, UM, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE MAYOR AND THE COMMISSIONERS.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT THE EDUCATION SIDE OF THINGS.
WE, WE, WE HAVE THE KIDS HALF THE DAY, HALF THE YEAR.
UH, BUT OUR EDUCATION PART DOESN'T STOP HERE.
YOU KNOW, AT THE END OF THE DAY, THEY GO TO THE COMMUNITY.
UH, SO I THINK A LOT OF THE ITEMS THAT WE DISCUSSED, IT'S, IT'S IMPORTANT FOR, FOR OUR STUDENTS.
IT'S IMPORTANT FOR OUR FAMILIES.
SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THIS OPEN COMMUNICATION, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO WORK WITH YOU ALL, YOU KNOW, TO BETTER STRENGTHEN OUR, OUR COMMUNITY.
WE'LL ALWAYS BETTER STRENGTHEN OUR STUDENTS, AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HERE FOR.
AT THIS TIME, WE DO HAVE AN ACTION AGENDA ITEM ON OUR END.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANNA ADJOURN YOUR MEETING AND THEN WE CAN CONTINUE WITH OURS.
UM, ON THE CITY SIDE, UH, THE TIME IS, UH, 7 57 AND WE'D ADJOURN.
WE'RE GONNA TAKE A FIVE MINUTE BREAK, AND THEN WE'RE GONNA GET INTO OUR ACTION AGENDA ITEM.
THANK YOU GUYS FOR HAVING ME AGAIN.
UH, I PUT TOGETHER A QUICK PACKET FOR YOU TO DISCUSS SOME OF THE DIFFERENT, UH, CASE STUDIES THAT WE HAVE, UH, ON THERE.
UM, THE FIRST, UH, SHEET IS JUST EXPLAINING WHY WE'RE PROCURING RIGHT NOW.
UH, AND DUE TO THE SPIKES IN THE MARKET, UH, IF, IF YOU LOOK AT ANY BIG CITY, YOU LOOK ANYWHERE THAT, THAT, UH, THE DATA CENTERS ARE POPPING UP EVERYWHERE, PUTTING A GREAT STRESS ON THE GRID.
I MEAN, CAUSING PRICES TO GO UP.
WE'RE TRYING OUR BEST TO KEEP THE BALL ON OUR COURT.
UH, YOU LOOK AT, UH, AUSTIN, UH, SAN ANTONIO, HOUSTON, DALLAS, THERE'S SKYSCRAPERS EVERYWHERE.
UH, TWO TO THREE OF THOSE SKY SCRAPERS USE THE EQUIVALENCY OF WHAT YOU GUYS USE AS A DISTRICT.
SO AS YOU SEE THE GROWTH, WE DON'T, WE'RE NOT PRODUCING ENOUGH TO SUSTAIN IT.
SO WHAT WE CALL IN THIS BUSINESS IS HEDGING.
SO YOU'RE PURCHASING, PRE PURCHASING THE ENERGY.
SO YOU'LL ALWAYS HAVE THAT RATE.
NOW, IF THE MARKET EVER DOES DROP, THERE'S A BLENDED EXTEND CLAUSE IN YOUR CONTRACT THAT WE CAN DROP THE, THE DROP THE RATE IF IT EVER DOES DROP THAT.
I KNOW THAT WE HAD, UH, DISCUSSED SOME, UH, SOME OTHER THINGS DURING MY PREVIOUS PRESENTATION ON THE, ON THE, UH, THERE'S THREE DIFFERENT, UH, SCHOOL DISTRICTS HERE IN THE STATE OF TEXAS THAT I GAVE YOU GUYS CASE STUDIES ON.
UH, THE FIRST ONE HERE IS MOUNT PLEASANT.
I KNOW ONE OF THE, THE BIG THINGS THAT WE HAD DISCUSSED IS, UH, WAS, UH, WITH ROOFING, UH, ISSUES, UH, THIS IS ONE OF THE BIG, UH, THINGS THAT MOUNT PLEASANT HAD, AND THEY'RE SAVED OVER CONTACT WITH $634,000.
UM, LIKE I SAID, WE'RE, WE'RE NOT SURE EXACTLY WHAT IMPROVEMENTS, IF ANY, WE'RE GONNA DO, BUT I JUST WANTED TO PUT SOME DIFFERENT CASE STUDIES HERE.
UM, THE, THE NEXT CASE STUDY THAT WE GOT, UH, HERE IS FOR PAMPA INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT.
AND THIS ONE, THEY DID, UH, THEY DID, UH, NEW LIGHTING AT THE STADIUM.
DID, UH, LED LIGHTING, MUSCULAR LIGHTING, UH, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, THE DANCING LIGHTS, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT COLORS AND ALL THAT GOOD STUFF.
SO THEY DID THAT, UH, PLUS WITH HVACS AND DIFFERENT THINGS.
SO THEIR, THEIR TOTAL SAVINGS OVER THE LIFE OF THAT, UH, CONTRACT WAS $3.4 MILLION.
AND ONCE AGAIN, THIS IS ALL TRIED TO YOUR ELECTRICITY CONTRACT, EVERYONE.
SO THIS IS ALL, IT'S NOT A PERFORMANCE CONTRACTS, ALL APPLES TO APPLES.
AND FINALLY, THE LAST ONE I DID, UH, HERE WAS, UH, WAS FORNEY.
THIS IS A LITTLE BIT MORE BIGGER PROJECT, UH, SAVINGS CAME OUTTA $6.8 MILLION.
UH, AFTER THIS I DID A, A UNIQUE PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE HERE FOR YOU GUYS.
UH, THIS IS CALLED THE COOL SAVER PROGRAM.
AND WHAT THIS DOES IS, UH, IT GOES AHEAD AND WE DO TUNEUPS FOR YOU GUYS' CURRENT ACS, UH, WE DO, UH, UP TO 200 UNIT THIS YEAR.
WE SECURED FUNDING FOR YOU GUYS, WHICH IS EQUIVALENT TO $90,000.
AND AFTER 2025, THE BEGINNING IN JANUARY, 2026, WE'LL DO THE REMAINDER OF 'EM.
NOW WE CAN ONLY DO UP TO 25 TONS.
SO ANY UNIT THAT'S BIGGER THAN 25 TONS, WE CAN'T DO THAT.
BUT WE CLEAN THE COIL INSIDE, OUTSIDE AND, UH, WE DO THE FILTER CHANGE.
SO THAT'S, LIKE I SAID, THAT, THAT THAT MONEY'S ALREADY BEEN ALLOTTED FOR YOU GUYS.
JUAN, ONE QUICK QUESTION ON THESE EXAMPLES THAT YOU GAVE ON THE TOTAL SAVINGS, RIGHT? MM-HMM
YEAH, YOU GAVE US THREE DIFFERENT ONES.
SO THOSE ARE FORECASTED SAVINGS.
THOSE PROJECTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN DONE.
THOSE HAVE ALREADY BEEN DONE, YEAH.
[02:30:01]
GOING BACK ON THE, ON THE COOL SAVER PROGRAM, UM, WE HAVE, UH, FIVE DIFFERENT, UH, VENDORS HERE.YOU GUYS CAN PICK WHATEVER VENDOR YOU WANT.
THE TRICK IS THOUGH, THE MONEY RUNS OUT.
SO WE'VE ALREADY ALLOTTED THE MONEY.
SO THE FASTER WE CAN MOVE, THE BETTER FOR YOU GUYS.
AND LIKE I SAID, THIS IS JUST A REPAIR.
I UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU MAY HAVE A LOT OF UNITS THAT NEED TO BE REPLACED, BUT THIS IS JUST A QUICK REPAIR FOR YOU GUYS RIGHT NOW, OR A TEMPORARY FIX, SO TO SPEAK.
PUTTING A BANDAID ON IT TO FIX IT UNTIL WE CAN DECIDE WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO WITH THE FUNDING.
AND THEN FINALLY AT THE END, I DID A, UH, A FRIENDS AND FAMILY, THAT'S AN EFL, THAT'S FROM LA JOLLA, ISD, UH, THEY JUST ENROLLED YESTERDAY.
AND SO THEIR CURRENT RATE IS 8 CENTS.
UH, THE, THAT FOR FACULTY STAFF.
AND, UH, IT WOULD BE ALSO FOR MEMBERS OF THE, OF THE SANTO, ISD.
LIKE I SAID, UH, WE CAN GO AHEAD AND TAILOR IT TO WHOEVER YOU GUYS WANT.
WE CAN TAILOR IT TO THE DIFFERENT ZIP CODES.
SO, UM, YEAH, OUR, IT'S THE CHEAPEST IN THE STATE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO GET THROUGH.
YEAH, SO, SORRY, I WAS GONNA ASK, OUR WOULD BE LOWER THAN THIS.
IT WOULD BE, WE'RE GONNA GIVE YOU GUYS THE EQUIVALENT TO IT.
IT'S, UH, IT'S A, IT'S A PROGRAM.
TRY AND GET AS LOW AS WE CAN, BUT YEAH, WE WE'RE DOING A COUPLE CASE STUDIES ALREADY FOR, FOR THE AREA.
THIS IS AN ACTUAL, THIS IS IF YOU WERE SIGNED UP, THIS IS THE PRICE RIGHT NOW.
SO OUR STAFF EMPLOYEES, UM, IN ORDER, ONCE THIS IS SIGNED, IN ORDER FOR THEM TO SWITCH OVER, I REMEMBER, I THINK IN THE PRESENTATION YOU ALL MENTIONED THAT, DO YOU ALL TAKE CARE OF THAT, UH, WITH A URL CODE THAT WE CAN SPREAD OR YOU, WE CAN DO A QR CODE, WHICHEVER YOU WANT'S, EASIER FOR YOU GUYS.
AND AS A QUICK THREE MINUTES, MAYBE FOUR MINUTES, IT GOES THROUGH THE PROCESS AND, AND THEY'RE DONE.
SO, UM, NOW ONE THING IS THAT SOME PEOPLE MAY HAVE A CONTRACT.
SO IF YOU DO HAVE A CONTRACT, BUT I'VE, I'M SEEING SOME PEOPLE PAYING 2120 2 CENTS.
I MEAN, YOU'LL GET YOUR MONEY BACK IN TWO MONTHS.
SO YOU WILL BE CHARGED EARLY TERMINATION FEE.
NOW THERE IS NO FORWARD LOCKS ON THESE.
SO ONCE YOU ENROLL, IT'S AUTOMATIC.
IT'S THAT IMMEDIATELY THAT DAY.
SO, AND CAN WE CANCEL AT ANY TIME IN THE FUTURE? I MEAN, IF WE SIGN UP FOR THIS OR IS THIS FOR LIKE A THREE YEAR PLAN? WE CAN CANCEL WITH, UH, FRIEND AND FAMILY PLAN.
YEAH, YOU COULD IF YOU WANT TO.
I DON'T SEE WHY YOU NO, THAT'S MY QUESTION.
SO, SO LET, LET'S GO BACK REAL QUICK.
SO WHAT DRIVES THIS? WHAT DRIVES THE PRICE SO LOW? IS IT, IS IT COMMODITY? WELL, AS FAR AS YOUR GUYS COMPANY'S CONCERNED, HOW YOU GUYS CAN, CAN LOWER THE, SO THE, THE, THE PRICE IS SO LOW COST ACQUISITION.
SO YOU GUYS BAIL ARE ACQUIRING THE CUSTOMER FOR US, WE'RE SPREADING THE, WE'RE GONNA PUT THE QR CODE ON YOUR SCOREBOARD ON BIG, BIG EVENTS WHERE THERE'S LOTS OF PEOPLE.
SO PEOPLE COME OUT AND THEY'LL SAY, AND THEY'RE GONNA SAVE MONEY.
IT DOESN'T COST US ANY MONEY TO, FOR THEM TO COME.
WE'RE NOT COMING OUT AND MARKETING, SENDING REPRESENTATIVES, ALL THAT.
YOU GUYS ARE SENDING 'EM TO US.
SO THAT'S WHY WE WILL DROP THE PRICE.
SO IT'S, IT'S A FORECASTED SAVINGS NO MATTER WHAT.
THERE'S A, THIS SAVINGS, A NO LOSE, THIS IS GUARANTEED.
THIS ONE I BROUGHT YOU WAS FOR 12 MONTHS, BUT WE CAN DO UP TO 24 MONTHS AS WELL.
BUT EIGHT, YEAH, EIGHT, 12 MONTHS WAS THAT, LIKE I SAID, AND THIS IS, THIS WILL GO ON FOR THE LIFE OF THE CONTRACT.
AS LONG AS YOU'RE AN NEXTERA CUSTOMER, THE CITIZENS, UH, OF THE COMMUNITY WILL BE ABLE TO SAVE.
DO YOU HAVE PLANS? I'M SORRY? YOU HAVE PLANS FOR PEOPLE WITH SOLAR PANELS? UH, WELL, WE DON'T HAVE A BUYBACK YET, BUT, UH, YOU CAN CALL ME PERSONALLY, I CAN HELP THAT FOR YOU.
THIS WON'T BE ON THIS, BUT I CAN HELP YOU ON THAT ONE AS WELL.
BUT THIS ONE IS JUST A, THIS IS JUST A REGULAR PERSON WITHOUT A BUYBACK PROGRAM.
SO A THIRD OF OUR EMPLOYEES DO NOT LIVE IN THE CITY.
HOW DO THEY GET THE DISCOUNT IN THE CITIES THEY LIVE IN? SO I'LL OPEN UP THE ZIP CODE FOR THE ENTIRE RIO GRANDE VALLEY, I CAN FOR YOU GUYS.
SO I CAN PUT ANY ZIP CODE IN THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY.
IT'LL COME OUT AND IT'LL, YOU GUYS WILL HAVE IT, BUT YOU GUYS WILL HAVE YOUR OWN LANDING PAGE AND IT'LL SAY YOU GUYS WILL GIMME A LOGO, WHATEVER LOGO YOU GUYS WANT TO USE.
AND THAT LOGO WILL BE ON YOUR LANDING PAGE AND IT'LL SAY, UH, SALMON ISD AFFINITY PROGRAM.
AND THEN FROM THERE THEY'LL, SO THEY'LL SEE RIGHT AWAY IF THEY'RE NOT ON THAT LANDING PAGE, THEY'RE NOT, THEY'RE GOING, RAY, PROBABLY DOUBLE WHAT YOU GUYS ARE GONNA PAY.
EVEN OUR CITY COMMISSIONERS CAN JOIN, RIGHT? WELL,
SO THE NEIGHBORING PEOPLE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO USE IT, RIGHT? I MEAN, YEAH.
WELL, BECAUSE YOU'RE SAYING YOU'D OPEN UP THOSE ZIP CODES, BUT IF WE DO THE, IF, IF AS IF WE SIGN UP ON THIS CONTRACT MM-HMM
AND LET'S SAY ONE PERSON OR ONE ONE OF THE EMPLOYEES LIVES IN OR SURROUNDING TOWN MM-HMM
IS IT AUTOMATICALLY GONNA OPEN IT UP TO EVERYBODY THERE? WELL, NO, BECAUSE THE URL CODE, YOU CONTROL THE URL CODE, RIGHT? SO WE'LL DO, UH, WE'LL DO A MEDIA LAUNCH FOR YOU GUYS, RIGHT? JUST CONTACT THE NEWS OUTLETS, UH, YOU KNOW, SO THEY CAN DO A STORY ON HOW YOU GUYS ARE SAVING, GIVE IT BACK TO THE COMMUNITY.
AND SO THE URL CODE AND, AND THE, AND WE ALSO GET A, A LIST OF THEM, BUT THAT'S WHERE, THAT'S WHERE IT'S GENERATED THROUGH URL CODE OR THE QR CODE.
SO JUST TO CLARIFY, UM, WE'RE AT A FOOTBALL GAME AND WE HAVE, I DON'T KNOW, A VISITING TEAM AND WE BLAST THAT URL CODE AND THEY SCAN IT.
ARE THEY ABLE TO SIGN UP? WELL, THEY'LL SAY IT'S SEMI ISD.
SO I MEAN, TECHNICALLY, I GUESS MAYBE THEY COULD, BUT SO HOW DO WE PREVENT THAT? WELL, WELL, WE GET A LIST ON IT.
I MEAN, WE CAN DO A, WE CAN DO A TWO STEP PROCESS, AN AUTHENTICATOR
[02:35:01]
PROCESS, YOU KNOW, SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU DO ON YOUR, YOU KNOW, ON YOUR EMAIL IF YOU HAVE OUTLOOK, YOU GOTTA DO, YOU KNOW, AN OUT, YOU KNOW, A TWO STEP PROCESS.THAT'S NO BIG DEAL, NO QUESTION.
ARE WE READY GUYS? THAT WOULD BE THE BIGGEST THING IF YOU COULD GUARANTEE THAT.
WELL, WE GET A LIST THAT WE CAN SHARE WITH WHOEVER YOU GUYS ASSIGNED TO SHARE WITH ME AND I'LL SHARE WITH YOU.
I'M GONNA HANDLE YOUR ACCOUNT PERSONALLY, SO, SO, YEAH.
ANY MORE QUESTIONS? RIGHT? CAN WE DETAIN A MOTION? MOTION.
OKAY, THIS, AT THIS MOMENT, I TAKE A, UH, I TAKE A MOTION TO ADJOURN.
WE ADJOURNS MEETING EXACTLY EIGHT 8:11 PM THANK YOU.