[SIDE CONVERSATION]
At noon, I want to call to order this Tuesday, June 2, 2015
,
meeting of the Denton City Council.
This is our work session starting at 2 o' 2 p.m.
Our first item on the agenda is citizen comments
on consent agenda items.
Do we have any citizen comment on consent agenda items?
No cards.
Seeing none, OK.
We'll move on to agenda item number two, which
is request for clarification of agenda items listed
on the agenda for June 2, 2015.
Any clarifications on any agenda items?
OK, seeing none, we'll move on.
Work session three, 3A, is receive an update from the Dent
on--
let me start over-- receive an update from the Denton Parks
Foundation regarding the Eureka 2 playground.
Thank you, Mayor.
I'm going to ask Mr. Emerson Vohle, our director of parks
and recreation, if he would introduce this topic
and make comments as appropriate.
Thank you, Mr. Vohle.
I'm actually going to make minimal comments today.
I'm going to get up here and introduce
Molly Tampke, the executive director of our Parks
Foundation.
They're the folks who are charged with raising the funding
to complete this project.
Molly, if you'd come up and--
Well, thank you for having me.
And things are really going well,
I have to tell you, for Eureka.
We go and go and don't stop.
And it's really pretty fun.
So let me give you updates on kind of three different areas
,
the areas that are most-- well, two different areas that
are most active right now.
The first is our marketing efforts.
And we are receiving wonderful guidance
from the parks and recreation communications and marketing
staff.
In addition, we have some very talented volunteers
helping us to get out on all the social media.
We have two Facebook sites, with our Denton Parks
Foundation
and our Eureka 2 volunteers.
And you'll want to get on both of those
and stay glued to them, because we've
got lots of information coming out on those.
We have two websites, the DentonParksFoundation.com
and Eureka2Denton.com.
And again, those are being updated constantly,
so you'll probably want to catch up on that.
We have a Twitter feed, DentonParksFDN.
We have Instagram, DentonEureka2.
We also have a brochure.
And I wanted to note that the brochures that our
communications
folks have designed for us have gotten two national awards,
for a logo and for the brochure itself.
And these are very prestigious awards,
and I feel very lucky to work with people
who win these kinds of things.
And then the next thing you'll probably see
is on your water bill.
We will have a statement in there,
or a line in there directing you to our website.
So hopefully all our water bill customers will give to us.
But it's another way to hit a lot of households
pretty quickly.
Now the really interesting stuff is the fundraising.
At this point, we are having so many events.
The next one is at both Beth Marie's locations.
This Thursday is the last day of school,
and they will donate some of their proceeds that day to us.
We have had events at Oak Street Drafthouse.
We are having one at Haley's.
We're having one at Harvest House, Oak Street.
And I'm sure I'm forgetting something.
But we've got lots of folks coming to us
and saying, can we do something?
We had somebody who wanted to do a Taekwondo fundraiser.
So we're having a lot of variety in the people
who want to support us.
And they're doing very well, actually.
It's quite nice.
We are approaching, of course, local businesses.
We have a local volunteer who will talk
to all the different businesses, write letters,
and that sort of thing to get support.
We're working with the schools.
And at the end of this past school year--
well, I guess it's still this school year--
we had a pennies war where we put a big orange Home Depot
bucket out at each of the elementary schools.
And the children were encouraged to put as much change or
folding
money as they could.
And then we would judge who was the winning school.
And the winning school--
I better not say it, because I'm not going to remember.
I'm going to talk.
But don't quote me on that, because it was very close.
And what's funny is, even after it was over,
I had a couple of kids come up to me
with little baggies full of pennies and say,
I forgot to put mine in.
So can you count it?
And so we would count it and put it in the right place.
So they really got into this.
And we'll do this again at the beginning of the fall,
because at that point, then, we'll
be lots closer, of course, to the build.
And we think we'll have a lot of excitement then.
So that's funny.
We're going to have some big prizes at that point.
The next exciting thing that I'm particularly curious about
and kind of well excited about is an online campaign
through GoFundMe.
I don't know if we all are familiar with that.
That seems to be kind of the hot thing in online giving
these days.
And we are getting the word out in every piece of social
media
we can.
We've sent out flyers to the schools.
We've sent out flyers around town.
I know I was on my Facebook just today pushing that out
and asking lots of friends to post that.
We really don't know what will happen.
You hear of people raising hundreds of thousands of dollars
to buy, have a wedding, or get somebody out of the hospital
.
We have no idea what will happen to us.
But I feel like it's going to be really good.
And we'll start at June 4.
Though if you wanted to do it today, you could.
June 4, it'll end June 30.
So we're also having, right now, a really good major gifts
campaign.
And I'm calling major gift anybody
who could give five figures or more, including six figures.
We will take those, too.
And we are having some luck on that.
As you know, the senior center gave us
a gift of $16,900 about two weeks ago.
And that is designated for an accessible merry-go-round,
which will be really nice, of course, for the children.
And then this year-- excuse me-- this week,
we will confirm $110,000 in gifts
that we'll be able to make public by the end of the week.
So that'll bring us to about $122,000
so far, which is about 24% of our goal.
To kind of stay on track, I would
like, by the end of the summer, to be at $375,000.
I think it's possible.
In fact, I think we'll do it with the kind of enthusiasm
we're seeing right now.
According to the folks at our playground consulting company
,
they're telling us that when you get into the pre-build,
which
is kind of like the two months before you actually build,
you could expect about 25% of your gifts at that point.
So again, I think we're on track to hit all that.
But there is a special opportunity,
and that's why I have my little backhoe.
And if you'll note in your packet,
for a gift of only $10,000, you can spend time in this back
--
no, well, it's not this one-- but a larger backhoe.
And you can be the first person to hit your Ica-1
and bring it down.
And for only $500 more, you can choose your spot.
You can choose exactly what you want to take down first.
So think about it.
And then for $7500, you get the second hit.
And for $5,000, you get the third hit.
And then after that, we'll probably
auction off other things.
So we think that'll be a lot of fun.
So there's only one person who gets to take the first swipe
.
You, Dalton?
Sorry, I'm sorry, Councilmember.
I need to get another question answered first.
Do we get to choose who's on that spot
when we take the swipe?
For another $1,000, yes.
Yes, so anyway, that's kind of a fun opportunity.
We are also seeking sponsorships
for particular pieces of equipment.
And again, if you'll note in your back packet
what those different pieces of equipment are
and the cost of each of those.
And just as a sideline, side note,
those costs were given to us by Play-By-Design, our
playground
consultant.
Probably the highest price thing in there is a double zip
line.
And that's really fun.
We knew from the very beginning that we were
going to have a zip line.
It's 80 feet long.
But a lot of the parents said, you know,
but we want every child, no matter what their abilities,
to be able to be on a zip line.
And so we talked to Play-By-Design,
and they're like, I'm just not sure
you can have one of those.
Well, about two or three weeks ago, they came through
and they said, we found one.
It's in Australia.
So we were going to get a double zip line from Australia.
One side will be just the handlebars, you know you do.
And the other one will have a seat,
so that even if you have mobility issues,
you can sit on that and go on the zip line.
So we're pretty excited about that.
On the different play components that you're seeing there,
we will attach donors' names to those.
And we've already sold out of benches.
So you'll have to get a table or something
if that's your interest.
We'll have tables, benches, and handprint tiles.
And there's already some of those out
at the current Eureka.
You probably remember, and we'll do those again.
Probably our biggest-- the thing that will involve the most
people giving is our picket campaign.
And I did not bring my picket, unfortunately.
But some of you have seen those.
And what we'll do is have kind of a local celebrities
campaign.
We'll ask-- I hope I'm not speaking at a school
that the mayor will be asked to--
and Councilman Hawkins will be asked to show their picket.
And we'll do some DTV video of them.
We're also having-- and I think Glenn Farris,
who's a member of our foundation board, the Parks
Foundation
Board, will be there.
We've also got the UNT president and the TWU chancellor,
who will also participate.
And we'll get their name out there
so we can really get people thinking about it
and get familiar faces with that.
There are 1,500 pickets around the whole park.
At $50 each, that's $75,000.
And the pickets, even before we were very public
about this whole thing, people were calling us about,
can I buy a picket?
Can I have the picket from the last time?
The answer is yes.
So those are very, very popular.
We'll also be doing some general solicitation
to individuals and to businesses.
And those will happen over the course of the summer.
So that's where we are right now.
And we will be talking with our Play-By-Design colleagues
tomorrow to start talking about the timing of building
their visits, their pre-site visits, site clearing,
and all that sort of thing.
So it's really fun.
We've got about 160 days till we start building on November
9.
Anything else, questions I can answer?
Any questions?
One question I have, on the list of the playground
equipment,
is that all inclusive or are there other--
I mean, is that what is needed out there
once it gets fully built out as far as the equipment?
Yes.
Great.
Fantastic.
Any questions?
I'm going to take my back up.
Thank you so much.
Thank you for that update.
Thank you.
And just for the benefit of some of our new council members
,
Molly's position, the Parks and Recreation Department,
came to the council two years ago
and asked for funding for a halftime position for the Park
Foundation.
In exchange for that, or as a result of that,
the Park Foundation took on the responsibility of
fundraising
for the replacement of the Eureka playground.
That's a half million dollar project that did not
have to be included on the CIP.
So that was one of the first ones to come off the CIP list.
So that's how we've come about this.
And obviously, it's been a very, very successful
relationship
so far.
We look forward to continuing it.
Molly, help me with dates.
The demolition date is--
We want a decommissioning ceremony.
Yeah, if you wouldn't mind just coming up.
Yes, I'm sorry.
No, we will have a decommissioning ceremony
for Eureka 1 on October 10.
And at that point, we will honor the folks
who built the first one, because we wouldn't
be doing a second one if it hadn't been for all the folks
who volunteered out there the first time.
And then that will probably be the date that we do the back
hoe.
Then we will spend about three or four weeks
preparing the site, doing soil testing,
just making sure everything's ready for the next build.
Then on November 9, we'll have hundreds of volunteers
gather,
and we'll build from the 9th through the 14th.
That's a Monday through a Saturday.
And luckily, it includes Veterans Day,
so a lot of people will probably be able to join us
for a holiday then.
And then after that, it probably still
won't be completely ready.
I imagine our parks folks want to do a little bit of
finishing
off just to make sure everything's in place.
But hopefully by Thanksgiving, we can be playing on that.
Wow, fantastic.
Fantastic.
All right, thank you very much.
We'll go on to our next agenda item, which is 3B,
receive a report and hold a discussion, give staff
direction
regarding city council committee nominations.
Thank you, Mayor.
I think our city secretary, Ms. Walters,
is going to open this discussion for council's
consideration
on your committee assignments.
Mayor and council, in your packets,
you had your current council assignments.
And this is about the time when you look at your
assignments
and decide if you want to make any changes to them.
I think it would be easiest if I went board by board,
or committee by committee, and see
if there's any changes that you'd like to make on those.
As far as the agenda committee goes,
the ordinance mandates that the mayor and mayor pro tem
are members of that committee.
So those two, Mayor Watson, Mayor pro tem Gregory,
are set for that spot.
On the airport committee, the current members
are Council Member Hawkins and Council Member Johnson.
There is a vacancy created by former Mayor pro tem Engelbre
cht.
And Council Member Wasney has expressed an interest in that
.
I believe in my absence last week,
Jane sent out an email to all of you
asking if you had any interests or changes
that you wanted to make.
And she received two responses.
So I won't say which two.
So there is a vacancy there on the airport committee,
council committee.
Yes, ma'am.
Because I've never done this before,
because I offered to be on there.
Is this when I come forward and say,
I would like to be on that committee?
OK, so I'd like to be on that committee.
OK.
You know, we thought it was a great idea
to have the council member from district three
on that committee, because the airport's in that area.
So I think that's a great idea.
Great.
Audit finance committee.
Current members are Council Member Hawkins and Mayor Watts.
There is a vacancy left by former Council Member Ryan.
No one has expressed an interest other than--
It's all about the money, folks.
I'm just kidding.
I have a couple that I want to add,
and a couple that I'd be willing to give up,
kind of depending upon what other people want.
So I mean, I don't know how we want to do this.
We can put you in there tentatively and then--
I mean, I would certainly do that.
But I also don't want to be on too many.
Sure, no.
I understand that.
Yeah, well, we'll just put an asterisk by it for now.
OK?
Committee on Citizen Engagement.
Currently, Mayor Pro Tem Gregory and Council Member
Roden are members.
There is a vacancy created by former Council Member Ryan,
and Council Member Briggs has expressed an interest.
Committee on the Environment.
Currently, Mayor Pro Tem Gregory and Council Member Hawkins
are serving on that committee.
There's a vacancy by former Mayor Pro Tem Engelbrecht,
and Council Member Briggs has expressed an interest.
The CAPER Committee.
Currently, Mayor Pro Tem Gregory and Mayor Watts
serve on that committee.
There's a vacancy from former Mayor Pro Tem Engelbrecht,
and no one else has expressed an interest.
I have a question.
If there are three names, can a committee
go forward with only two names?
I guess, Kevin, were you showing an interest in that?
Sure.
You were just asking the question.
OK.
All right.
Yeah, yeah.
OK.
So Council Member Roden.
Got it.
Ethics Committee.
Currently, Mayor Pro Tem Gregory and Council Member
Roden serve on there.
Council Members Wasney and Briggs
have both expressed an interest for serving
there as one vacancy from--
I'm willing to-- I've done that six years.
I'm willing to step off and give room for the other folks
that would like to be on it.
I appreciate that.
Thank you, Mr. Gregory.
OK.
Thank you.
All right.
The HOT Committee.
Currently, Council Member Hawkins and Mayor Watts serve.
There is a vacancy from former Council Member Ryan.
OK.
We got--
I had been on it.
I missed not being on it.
So I'd take it unless somebody else wants it.
Council Member Johnson.
Someone asked me if I would volunteer for it.
So I certainly will.
But I will yield to the Mayor Pro Tem
if he's passionate about HOT funds.
[INAUDIBLE]
I don't think I would call it passionate.
We could park the fork.
Park the fork.
Ready?
Ready.
Oh, you got it.
I got it.
We solve things here in a very sophisticated way.
OK, so then the person who will be on that will be Johnson.
Johnson.
Will be joining us.
Is that correct?
Correct.
Scissors, Trump, paper, sir.
I forgot that game.
OK, Mobility Committee.
Currently serving are Council Members Johnson and Rodin
and Mayor Pro Tem Gregory.
However, Council Member Briggs has expressed an interest
also
in that.
If everybody's good, I'm OK.
You're good staying.
Still good.
OK.
Yeah.
All right.
Keep it as is.
Community Justice Council.
Council Member Rodin currently serves.
I didn't have one meeting.
No.
That's a great committee.
Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Currently, Council Member Johnson's on there.
There are two vacancies from our former Council Members.
So we do have two vacancies.
And Council Member Briggs has expressed an interest
for one of those spots.
Yes.
If nobody else, I'll do it.
But if somebody else wants to.
Can I get off of it?
Which one?
Convention and Visitors Bureau?
Yes.
Is that a reaction to me?
No.
It's really not.
I'll stay on it if I need to.
OK.
So we have Johnson.
And Joey's not here.
So we may--
Not really.
So when he comes, and if we're still in open session
or later on, he might can work behind the scenes to--
Well, why don't we put him on some since he's not here.
There you go.
Well, on that point--
Yes.
And I guess this is more of a legal question, or a due
question, or both.
I was on that for a couple years, if not four years.
And I don't recall three Council Members ever
filling that.
And because it's being part of a larger
committee in the community.
So I'm wondering if, hypothetically,
if he's interested in kind of rolling off,
if two is sufficient for that.
I'd have to look at--
I think it states that there's three.
I think all of them have three.
I'll have to pull that up and look for it.
I can do that.
Maybe one person just never went.
I think that's what it was.
Well, Council Member Briggs is interested.
So should we drop her in there?
OK.
So I need one more.
Oh.
And there he is.
We're just figuring out our committee assignments.
We've given you all the ones that you didn't want.
Yes or no, Johnny?
Put you on all of them.
So far.
My fundraiser on everything?
And MC.
I'm sorry.
Do we want to start again?
No.
We'll see.
We'll ask him when he gets his preferences off.
Oh, you're ready?
OK.
I'd like to stay on the same committees.
And then if anybody--
I'd be on CBB.
That'd be cool.
Yes.
All right.
He's got a speaker in here somewhere.
Wait, did you want off or did you want off?
We can see how it goes.
I just don't want to be on too many.
I've already added two, right?
One or two?
Two.
I've added two?
Yeah, it wouldn't be a bad idea to roll off of that one.
I've been there for a while.
So now I have an E.
Cool.
OK.
Well, I still only have two.
Hawkins and Briggs.
And Gregory.
OK.
Dallas Regional Mobility Committee
has Council Member Roden.
Lake Ray Roberts, Planning and Zoning.
Council Member Briggs has expressed an interest in that.
Back in two.
District two.
OK.
North Texas Commission has Mayor Watts.
Regional Transportation Council.
Council Member Roden with Johnson as an alternate.
TMPA is Mayor Watts.
Council Historic Landmark Committee.
We have one vacancy from former Council Member Ryan.
Currently, Council Members Roden and Johnson
serve both Council Members Wasney and Briggs
have expressed an interest.
I'm going to let Miss Wasney have that one.
OK.
Is that good?
All right.
Wasney it is.
Development Code Review Committee.
We have two vacancies.
Currently, Council Member Johnson serves on there.
Council Member Wasney has expressed an interest
in serving on that.
[INAUDIBLE]
OK.
Yeah.
Now I need one more.
Is this yours?
What are--
I need one more.
--Code Review.
The Development Code Review.
You need one more?
Because we have right now Johnson and Council Member Wasney
.
Is that right?
Correct.
So we need one more.
What is this?
Development Code Review.
Not it.
I'll volunteer.
OK.
OK, Briggs.
Property Maintenance Code.
We have two vacancies.
Currently, Council Member Roden is serving.
And we have two vacancies.
Mayor?
Yes.
How often does that meet?
Can anybody--
I don't know.
It hasn't met in a long time, but I know.
Council Member Roden had a meeting.
Oh, I want to--
I'll do it.
I want that one.
I'll do it.
Hawkins?
Johnson.
OK, Hawkins and Johnson.
Is that OK?
OK.
Economic Development Partnership Board.
Council Member Johnson and Mayor Watts.
Downtown TIFF.
Council Member Roden and Mayor Watts.
Let me go to the Downtown TIFF.
If somebody wants to serve on that,
because I found that sometimes on serving on that one
and then coming into council, it just
makes it difficult sometimes to vote on something
and come here and vote on it.
So if somebody's got a burning desire
to be on the Downtown TIFF board,
I certainly would relinquish my position.
If not, that's OK.
I'll continue to serve with no problem.
Thank you all.
Appreciate that.
You're welcome.
And the TURS number two, those members
are the same as the EDP members.
So it'll stay Johnson and Watts.
Yes.
OK.
Did we figure out on-- yes, I think on the Historic Land
mark
Commission, the vacancy was filled by Council Member
Wasney.
Yes.
Correct.
With Roden, Johnson, and Wasney.
Yes.
I think that takes care of all of them.
Any--
Yes, sir.
Question if I can.
Yes, you sure.
I just didn't get on the development code.
Wasney, Johnson, and Briggs.
Yes, Kevin.
And maybe this takes some historical research.
But I seem to remember meeting with Property Maintenance
Code.
I think you were on it back when you were on council last
time.
And we had a final meeting to wrap up whatever.
And I thought we agreed at that point to dissolve it.
Because it was ad hoc, it had kind of
finished its current mission.
But I may be wrong.
So just a matter of whether or not
it still exists as an ad hoc.
Well, I remember when I got off of it.
But I think it has been--
I think there's been members assigned to it.
I just don't think it was-- it's more of an ad hoc
if there were issues.
Because I know we've said that we're going to review
that code periodically.
So if it's still in existence, it's worth keeping on.
Yeah.
Or if we need to wait and just not have the committee.
And then if we're going to review it, then either
appoint one or just do it the entire council.
So it's really the council's pleasure on that.
I really don't have a preference on that.
What are your preferences on that?
I don't have a preference.
More it was a question of whether or not
we actually legally dissolved it as an act of council.
OK.
So that's the question.
All right.
Got you.
We'll research that.
Thank you.
We will take these appointments then and update your list
and have them up at your spots up in the council chambers.
So when you get to that position or point in your agenda,
you'll have the updated list that you can approve.
All right.
Any questions, comments?
Thank you.
Well, that will end our open session for the June 2, 2015
meeting.
I will now convene the closed session at 2.29.
We will consider the following items--
deliberation regarding real property
under Texas Government Code Section 551.072,
consultation with attorneys under Texas Government Code
Section 551.071, deliberations regarding economic
development
negotiations under Texas Government Code Section 551.087.
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