* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. GOOD. [00:00:02] ALRIGHT, LUCK RECAP. [CC Briefings 03072023] THE FIRST SMALL BUSINESSES SUBCONTRACTOR, OH, IT'S BEEN A COUPLE WEEKS. WE THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO TALK, TO CALL TIME OUT AND THINK BACK ABOUT HOW SUCCESSFUL THIS FIRST ITEM WAS. I'M GONNA HAND THE BALL OFF TO KAY BROWN, PATRICK TO KIND OF TAKE YOU THROUGH IT, BUT BEFORE I DO, I WANNA MAKE SURE AND CELEBRATE AND CALL OUT A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT WERE A PART OF THIS, JUST ABOUT EVERY CITY DEPARTMENT WAS INVOLVED IN SOME FORM OR ANOTHER IN PUTTING THIS ON. EVEN THE COC REALLY STEPPED UP. UH, A SPECIAL THANKS TO CHERYL WHO REALLY SERVED AS THE CAPTAIN TO GET THIS FIRST THING ALL PUT TOGETHER. UH, KATE BROWN, PATRICK, OUR BUSINESS MANAGER FOR ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT, IS GONNA BE THE ONE WHO WILL PUT IT ON EVERY YEAR FROM HERE ON OUT. AND SO WE INVITED HER TO COME ON AND REALLY TAKE THE LEAD AS THE CHAIR AND, UH, COME AND SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WE'VE HEARD IN REVIEWING, UH, WHAT TOOK PLACE AND HOW WE'RE GONNA TAKE WHAT TURNED OUT IS REALLY GOOD AND MAKE IT EVEN BETTER. THANKS MARTY. KAY, BEFORE YOU GET STARTED, I WANNA REMIND EVERYBODY THIS IDEA WAS THE BRAINCHILD OF DEPUTY MAYOR PROTON LOPEZ. SO JOHN, THANK YOU FOR THE CATALYST IDEA. UH, IT TURNED OUT IT EXCEEDED, I THINK, ALL EXPECTATIONS. OH, IT WAS GREAT. AND ALL OF US THAT WERE THERE, JUST THE BUZZ, EVERYTHING. YEAH. YEAH. SO THANK YOU MS. KAY. ALL YOURS, MA'AM. THANK YOU MARTY. AND STEVE TOOK ABOUT TWO MINUTES OFF MY PRESENTATION WITH THOSE INTRODUCTIONS, SO THANK YOU. WE'RE HERE FOR YOU. ANY QUESTIONS? UM, AS YOU ALL KNOW, AS THEY STATED, JANUARY 24TH, WE HOSTED OUR VERY FIRST, UH, SMALL BUSINESS, UM, SUBCONTRACTOR EXPO HERE AT CITY HALL. UM, IT WAS A GREAT EVENT. WE WANTED TO PROVIDE YOU ALL WITH A HIGH LEVEL SUMMARY TO PROVIDE YOU WITH A QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE FEEDBACK THAT WE RECEIVED. UM, BUT I'M GONNA START OFF FIRST WITH THE VIDEO THAT WAS PUT TOGETHER BY OUR VERY, YOU JOINED US TONIGHT, A TUESDAY NIGHT OPEN HOUSE AT GRAND PRAIRIE CITY HALL BROUGHT MORE THAN 300 PEOPLE FOR A FIRST OF ITS KIND EVENT FOR GP IN 2023. WE GUYS VOTE EVERY DAY AND WE LIKE, HOW CAN WE DO THIS? GRAND PRAIRIE DEPUTY MAYOR PROAM, JOHN LOPEZ, WHO CAME UP WITH THE IDEA WAS JOINED BY MAYOR RON JENSEN AND SEVERAL OTHER CITY OFFICIALS AND STAFF TO HOST GRAND PRAIRIE'S, FIRST ANNUAL SMALL BUSINESS AND SUBCONTRACTOR EXPO, A ONE STOP SHOP FOR MAKING CONTACTS, ASKING QUESTIONS, AND GETTING ALL KINDS OF VALUABLE INFORMATION ABOUT THE MANY SMALL BUSINESS RESOURCES AVAILABLE IN GRAND PRAIRIE, INCLUDING FINANCIAL, LEGAL, AND BUSINESS PLANNING. WE'RE VERY EXCITED. WE HAD OVER 200 PEOPLE PRE-REGISTERED AND TONIGHT IT'S JUST AN AMAZING NIGHT. WE HAD SO MANY ATTENDS GOING FROM TABLE TO TABLE, GETTING BUSINESS CARDS WORKING TOGETHER. IT, IT IS VERY POSITIVE FOR OUR CITY AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE LOOK FORWARD. WE ALWAYS WANT TO MAKE SURE OUR CITY IS VERY INCLUSIVE AND WORKING WITH SMALL BUSINESS MINORITY OWNED MISSES, SOMETHING VERY WORK FOR REPRESENTATIVES FROM 20 DIFFERENT CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS AND FOUR RELATED CITY DEPARTMENTS. WERE ALL AVAILABLE FOR CONTRACTORS, SUBCONTRACTORS, SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS AND ENTREPRENEURS FOR ONE-ON-ONE OPPORTUNITIES. AND THERE WERE ALSO A NUMBER OF SHORT CLASSROOM SESSIONS TO ADDRESS SPECIFIC TOPICS. THE 322 PEOPLE IN ATTENDANCE WERE ALSO TREATED TO FREE FOOD AND DRINKS, GIFT GIVEAWAYS, AND A LUCKY FEW EVEN WALKED AWAY WITH SPECIALLY DESIGNED DOOR PRIZES. RIGHT NOW WE'RE PLANNING ON PROJECT AND I HAD NO CLUE HOW TO START, BUT I CAME OUT HERE, I TALKED TO THE PLANNING ZONING DIRECTOR AND THEY KIND OF GAVE ME SUCCESS AHEAD, THE FIRST HALF TOTE AND HOW TO KEEP GOING FORWARD. I LIKE THAT HELPED A LOT. SO YEAH, GUESS IT'S REALLY HELPED. IT'S DEFINITELY BEEN WORTH IT. UH, I'VE BEEN ABLE TO NETWORK WITH A LOT OF DIFFERENT CONTRACTORS AND SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS AND, UM, I'M ALREADY CERTIFIED WITH A FEW AGENCIES HERE AND I'M LOOKING TO SIGN UP WITH ANOTHER. SO YEAH, I THINK THAT'S GOOD. IT'S BEEN ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. CITY OF GRAND PRAIRIE IS OBVIOUSLY MAKING SMALL BUSINESSES A VERY BIG PRIORITY AND MAKING IT TO WHERE THEY CAN DO BUSINESS WITH THE CITY, GROWING THEIR SMALL BUSINESSES. THE EXPO WAS THE FIRST OF SEVERAL SMALL BUSINESS ENTREPRENEURSHIP INITIATIVES. THE CITY WILL LAUNCH THIS YEAR. TO FIND OUT MORE, PLEASE LOG ONTO GPTX.ORG/SMALL BI OR YOU CAN EMAIL K BROWN PATRICK AT KDBROWN@GPTX.ORG. ALRIGHT, UM, WE ALL, SO WE, WE PROVIDED, UH, AND SENT OUT A POST EVENT SURVEY TO THE ATTENDEES THAT WERE THERE. WE HAD A RESPONSE RATE, UH, 37 INDIVIDUALS RESPONDED, WHICH IS 20%, WHICH IS REALLY GOOD ACTUALLY IF YOU DO A LOT OF SURVEYS. UH, BUT WE ASKED THEM QUESTIONS, UM, TO RATE OUR EXHIBITORS AND HOW HELPFUL THE INFORMATION WAS THAT THEY RECEIVED. WE ALSO ASKED THEM IN WHAT CAPACITY WERE THEY ATTENDING THE EVENT. WE WANTED TO KNOW THIS QUESTION BECAUSE THE OVERLAP BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESSES AND THE SUBCONTRACTORS TO ENSURE MOVING FORWARD HOW WE STRUCTURE THE EVENT AND THE RESOURCES THAT [00:05:01] ARE PROVIDED. SO, INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, THE MAJORITY OF THOSE THAT TOOK THE SURVEY WERE SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS. WE HELD TWO SESSIONS ON HOW TO DO BUSINESS WITH THE CITY AND HOW TO BECOME A CERTIFIED BUSINESS. THE, UH, BOTH SESSIONS WERE STANDING ROOM ONLY. EACH TIME WE HAD 6 37, 7 30 EACH TIME THEY WERE STANDING ROOM ONLY. THE HOW TO DO BUSINESS WITH THE CITY SESSION WAS LED BY I, OUR CONTRACTOR, KATRINA HIGGINS, THORNTON AND PURCHASING WAS ALSO THERE. AND WE HAD A TRANSLATOR IN THE ROOM TO ASSIST WITH THAT AS WELL. WE HAD A VERY DIVERSE CROWD FOR THOSE THAT ATTENDED THE BECOMING CERTIFIED SESSION, WE ASKED THEM TO RATE THE SESSION. THE SESSION WAS LED BY SHERMAN POWERS FROM THE NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS REGIONAL CER CERTIFICATION AGENCY. AND THEY NEVER WERE ABLE TO COME BACK TO THEIR TABLE AGAIN TO ENGAGE WITH THE THOSE IN ATTENDANCE BECAUSE THE QUESTIONS BETWEEN EVENT, THERE WAS NOT MUCH TIME IN BETWEEN EACH SESSION. SO VERY GREAT SESSIONS AND VERY WELL ATTENDED, INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH. SO WE DID THIS, WE ASKED THIS QUESTION ABOUT TOPICS GOING FORWARD, AS MOST OF YOU KNOW, WE HAVE READY, SET GROWTH COMING FORWARD, OR WE'RE GOING TO BE HOSTING THE VIRTUAL SESSIONS EACH MONTH. MARKETING ENDED UP BEING THE NUMBER ONE TOPIC THAT SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS IN ATTENDANCE WOULD WANT TO HEAR MORE ABOUT. AND THAT WAS NOT INITIALLY A SESSION THAT WAS GONNA BE INCLUDED. SO WE'VE SINCE ADDED THAT SESSION AND THAT'S ACTUALLY GONNA BE OUR VERY FIRST SESSION ON MARCH 21ST. BUT AS YOU CAN SEE, THE POST EVENT SURVEY NOT ONLY ASSISTED WITH HOW DO WE GO, HOW DO WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS EVENT, BUT ALSO ASSISTED US IN HOW WE MOVE FORWARD WITH SUPPORTING OUR SMALL BUSINESS OWNER AND OUR OTHER INITIATIVES. WE ASKED THEM FOR OTHER COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS AND HERE ARE A FEW FROM THE ATTENDEES. UH, A LOT OF THEM WERE SUPER EXCITED. HAVE THIS ANNUALLY, HAVE IT SEE IANN, WE DO ANOTHER ONE SOON. AND, AND WANTING TO ATTEND THE FOLLOW UP SESSIONS. WE ALSO RECEIVE SOME FEEDBACK ABOUT NETWORKING. THE TEAM GOT TOGETHER ABOUT TWO WEEKS AFTER THE EVENT AND MET AS MARTY MENTIONED, AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS WE SAID WE WERE GONNA BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT, IS PROVIDING A STRUCTURED OPPORTUNITY FOR NETWORKING AS OPPOSED TO JUST ALLOWING IT TO INFORMALLY HAPPEN THROUGHOUT THE EVENT. WE'RE GOING TO PROVIDE, UH, SET UP A NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY FOR THOSE IN ATTENDANCE. WE ALSO ASKED FOR EXHIBITOR FEEDBACK. WE SENT OUT THE SURVEY TO ALL THE EXHIBITORS AND ASKED THEM TO RATE IT ON A STAR SCALE. AND EVERY ONE OF THEM GAVE IT A FIVE STAR FROM THE EASE OF SIGNING UP TO PARTICIPATING TO THE QUALITY OF THE ATTENDEES AND THE CROWD STAFF WORK, ET CETERA. AND THEY WERE FIVES ACROSS THE BOARD. SO, UM, THEY GAVE GREAT KUDOS TO TO STAFF AND SAID THEY LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT THE EVENT. THE EVENT WAS EXCELLENT. UM, WHEN I WALKED AROUND EACH TABLE THANKING THE EXHIBITORS WHO WERE IN ATTENDANCE, WE HAD 15, NOT INCLUDING UM, CITY STAFF TABLES, BUT 15 TWO WERE NOT ABLE TO ATTEND. WE HAD 15 THAT WERE THERE. LOCAL, REGIONAL AND FEDERAL AGENCIES WERE THERE FROM THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION FROM SBA AND THEY ALL JUST, UM, GAVE RATE REVIEWS ON, ON THE EVENT. 'CAUSE THEY ATTEND THESE TYPE OF EVENTS ALL THE TIME. SO THE SMALL B WEBSITE THAT WE'VE CREATED FOR SMALL BUSINESS RESOURCES, ALL THINGS GOING FORWARD, THE EXPO INFORMATION, THE VIDEO YOU JUST SAW WILL BE, IS ON THIS WEBPAGE. THE VIRTUAL SESSIONS THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN MONTHLY GOING FORWARD IS LISTED HERE. AND WE'RE CONTINUING TO BUILD THIS OUT WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE MARKETING DEPARTMENT AND IN THE MARKETING DEPARTMENT. UM, ALL THESE SMALL BUSINESS RESOURCES THAT BE COLLECTED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR WILL BE LISTED HERE FURTHER. ANY CONCLUSION, ANY QUESTIONS, FEEDBACK? 'CAUSE A LOT OF YOU WERE THERE, SO I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR WHAT YOU THOUGHT ABOUT THE EVENT FIRSTHAND BEING THERE. UH, WELL, I CAN TAKE MY FEEDBACK VERY POSITIVE, BUT BEING THE FIRST ONE DURING TURNOUT, AS WE'VE SEEN, UH, I THINK IN THE FUTURE WE'LL PROBABLY HAVE TO THINK OF THE GROWTH OF WHERE'S THE NEXT PLACE WE COULD HAVE IT. I CAN SEE NEXT YEAR IT'LL PROBABLY BE BIGGER OF MAYBE CLOSE TO 500 PEOPLE WHERE IT'S GETTING OUT. I KNOW WITH SMALL BUSINESSES AND TOWNS, IT'S A CATALYST, UH, WITH SMALL BUSINESS. IT'S THE, THE INFRASTRUCTURE. UH, SO US AS A CITY BEING ABLE TO SUPPORT THAT, IT SPEAKS GRAVES ON ALL OF US. YEAH, WE MAY HAVE TO HAVE IT AT THE NEW CONVENTION CENTER OR AT RJC, YOU KNOW, THAT YEAH, IT WAS PACKED. IT WAS, IT WAS KIND OF FUN FOR THE FIRST ONE TO SEE IT PACKED, BUT YOU'RE RIGHT. IT, IT'S GONNA EXPAND AND IT WOULD, IT WOULD OVERFLOW WITH MORE PEOPLE. MM-HMM . YOU DID A GREAT JOB WITH IT. AND JOHN, I'M SO APPRECIATE YOU COMING UP WITH THE IDEA, BUT YOU CAME UP WITH THE IDEA AND THEY JUST TOOK IT AND RAN WITH IT AND, UH, LITTLE TWEAK IT. GOOD JOB. AND WE'VE HAD AN AFTER ACTION KIND OF ANALYSIS COMMITTEE GOING AS WELL TO GET DOWN TO THE WEEDS ON SOME AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT. SO WE APPRECIATE YOUR FEEDBACK. IF YOU HAVE ANY MORE TODAY, WE'D LOVE TO HEAR IT. IF YOU THINK OF IT LATER, PLEASE EMAIL US. AND KAY, JUST KUDOS TO YOU FOR THE REALLY THE CONTINUED FOLLOW UP AND NOW SCHEDULING AND STRUCTURING ALL THESE FOLLOW UP SESSIONS. SO THANK YOU. WELL, [00:10:01] I WILL, I WANNA STRESS WHAT MARTY SAID. IT WAS A VERTICAL HORIZONTAL EFFORT CROSS THE ORGANIZATION. UM, AND SO I, IT WAS EVERY PART OF THE BODY, HEAD, ARMS, FEET, LEGS, HANDS WERE PART OF IT. SO THANK YOU TO ALL THE DEPARTMENTS THAT ASSISTED. ALRIGHT, THANKS. UH, EPIC CENTRAL UPDATE. JOHN, DID YOU WANNA SAY SOMETHING? NO, JUST APPRECIATE IT. EVERYBODY'S EFFORT. I KNOW THAT IT WAS OUR FIRST TIME WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO, BUT WHETHER THEY PLAY A FACTOR AND WE'RE LIKE, WE THOUGHT WHEN WE GOT THERE, WE THOUGHT, OH, THANK, APPRECIATE IT. THANK Y'ALL ALL FOR, UH, LETTING ME BE HERE TODAY. THIS IS MY FIRST TIME, UH, ACTUALLY ADDRESSING THE WHOLE COUNCIL. I, UH, ABOUT THIS TIME OF YEAR AGO, I WAS INTRODUCED. AND SO, UH, THIS IS MY FIRST TIME COMING BEFORE YOU. SO, UH, APOLOGIZE FOR THIS NOT WORKING, BUT THIS, WE'LL HAVE THIS UP IN JUST A MOMENT. WELL, WHEN, WHILE IT'S LOADING, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS WE BROUGHT ZANE ON BOARD AS A CITY STAFF MEMBER, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALL GONNA BE KIND OF FEELING OUR WAY WITH EPIC CENTRAL AND HOW IT DEVELOPS. AND I THINK HE'S GONNA SHOW YOU A REALLY GOOD PLAN. YOU'RE GONNA BE, YOU'RE GONNA COME UP WITH SOME IDEAS, COUNCIL MEMBERS OF THINGS THAT YOU WANNA SEE OUT THERE. YOU'RE GONNA HAVE PEOPLE APPROACH YOU WITH IDEAS. WE LOVE THAT. WE WELCOME IT. WHAT I WOULD ASK IS GO THROUGH SOMEBODY AT THE CMO OR ZANE DIRECTLY FIRST. UH, A LOT OF THIS ZANE WOULD BE ABLE TO HANDLE AT THE STAFF LEVEL. IF IT GROWS BEYOND WHAT HE OR WE CAN HANDLE AT THE STAFF LEVEL, THEN WE MAY WORK WITH OTHER OUTSIDE, YOU KNOW, ENTITIES OR PROMOTERS. BUT I WANT OUR FIRST STOP TO BE WITH ZANE. UH, HE COMES WITH A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE IN, IN THIS AREA. AND AGAIN, THAT'S EASY TO DO. REACH OUT TO HIM DIRECTLY OR GO THROUGH ME, BILL, CHERYL OR MEGAN, AND WE'LL BE GLAD TO HELP YOU. SO THANK YOU, SIR. APPRECIATE THAT. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, THIS ALL STARTS OUT FROM WHAT OUR BRAND STRATEGY IS. AND I KNOW EVERYBODY HAS SEEN PIECES AND PORTIONS OF THIS, BUT REALLY THE, THE PIECE THAT I WANT TO POINT OUT IS THE PLAYFUL, ADVENTUROUS, AND INCLUSIVE, BECAUSE THAT'S REALLY KIND OF THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO HERE AT EPIC CENTRAL. AND SO AS WE'VE BEEN PUTTING TOGETHER THESE PLANS, AS WE'VE BEEN, UH, TRYING TO GET READY FOR THE GRAND OPEN OR GET READY FOR THE SOFT OPENING TOMORROW AND THE GRAND OPENING THIS SUMMER, THESE ARE REALLY KIND OF WHAT WE, WHAT WE FOLLOWED IS THAT WE WANT REPRESENTATIONAL ART AND EXPERIENCES, DIVERSE MUSIC, MULTIPLE GENRES, UH, THE TOP FIVE DESTINATION, ALL OF THESE THINGS THAT YOU'VE HEARD AND THAT YOU'VE SEEN. BUT AT THE END OF IT, WE WANT TO PROVIDE AN EPIC EXPERIENCE. WE WANT PEOPLE, WE WANT OUR CITIZENS OF GRAND PRAIRIE TO BE PROUD OF THIS AND SAY, WOW, LOOK AT WHAT OUR CITY'S DONE. BUT THEN WE WANT THOSE FROM OUTSIDE OF GRAND PRAIRIE TO COME IN AND FEEL LIKE THEY CAN SEE THEMSELVES BEING A PART OF THIS COMMUNITY, THAT THEY FEEL WELCOME, THAT THEY FEEL INCLUDED AND THAT THEY HAVE A GREAT TIME. UM, THE WAY THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS IS WE'RE STARTING MONTHLY GM MEETINGS WITH ALL OF THE DIFFERENT ENTITIES THAT ARE ON, UH, EPIC CENTRAL. SO IT'S NOT JUST ME DOING THE PROGRAMMING, IT'S LITERALLY CHICKEN AND PICKLE DOING PROGRAMMING, EPIC, DOING PROGRAMMING, EPIC WATERS, BOULDER, AND THEN SOME OF THE OUTSIDE GROUPS. AND WE'RE HIGHLIGHTING ALL OF THOSE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON. UH, AS I MENTIONED, UH, SOFT OPENING IS STARTS TOMORROW. WE'RE GONNA HAVE, UH, MUSIC NIGHTLY ON SPRING BREAK, WHICH IS WHAT I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT IN JUST A MOMENT. BUT ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IS THOSE COMMUNITY ACTIVATIONS. AND SO WE'RE DOING A COMMUNITY ACTIVATION WITH READ ACROSS AMERICA WITH A GP LIBRARY. UH, THE FIRST, UH, COMMUNITY EVENT THAT WE'RE DOING ON APRIL 15TH IS WE'RE DOING A PARTY FOR THE MOTORCYCLE RODEO. SO THEY'VE ALWAYS TYPICALLY KIND OF DONE THAT IN THE PARKING LOT. AND I SAID, HEY, LET'S BRING IT HERE AND LET'S REALLY CELEBRATE OUR PD AND OUR FIRST RESPONDERS WILL DO A REALLY FUN, UH, EVENT. AND THEN EVERYTHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN IN PHASES. THE, UH, LUKE NINE HAS JUST OPENED UP, WHICH I'LL TALK ABOUT IN JUST A MOMENT, BUT OUR HOTELS ARE GETTING READY TO BE OPEN IN NOVEMBER. UH, ALL OF THE RESTAURANTS ARE SLATED TO BE OPEN BY THE END OF THE YEAR, AND THEN WE'LL HOPEFULLY, UH, HAVE OUR START BRINGING IN OUR FESTIVALS AND SOME OF OUR CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES. NOW, UM, I, I DON'T KNOW IF EVERYONE HAS SEEN THIS, BUT THIS IS GPTV CAME OUT AND HAS, THIS IS KIND OF THE MOST UPDATED VIEWING WITH DRONE FOOTAGE, BUT, YOU KNOW, 172 ACRES. IT IS AMAZING TO, WHENEVER YOU LOOK AT IT AND YOU SEE WHAT ALL OF YOU THE CITY HAVE DONE, THE INTENTIONALITY BEHIND THE DESIGN IS IMPRESSIVE. YOU KNOW, LUKE NINE OPENED UP YESTERDAY, THEY SOLD OUT ALL THEIR FOOD, EVEN THEY WERE SURPRISED BY THE DEMAND. SO THAT TELLS ME THAT THERE ARE GOING TO BE MORE AND MORE FOLKS COMING UP, UH, COMING OUT. FINCH IS GETTING READY TO OPEN BY MAY 1ST. UH, THE DORA, AS YOU KNOW, WILL OPEN JULY 1ST AND THEN [00:15:01] SERIES SEATS BY SEPTEMBER 1ST. I THINK THEY'LL OPEN A LITTLE EARLIER THAN THAT. BUT THOSE, THOSE ARE THE DATES THAT WE HAVE. AND THEN, AS I MENTIONED, THE HOTEL AND CONVENTION CENTER IN NOVEMBER, UH, YOU KNOW, 276 ROOMS, THIS IS GOING TO BE A GAME CHANGER BECAUSE JUST AS IMPORTANT AS IT IS GETTING THE RESTAURANTS OPEN, ONCE THAT HOTEL AND CONVENTION CENTER OPENS, WE GET CALLS EVERY SINGLE DAY THROUGH VISIT GRAND PRAIRIE THROUGH, UH, THE WEBSITE OF PEOPLE SAYING, WHEN CAN I START PRESERVING THIS SPACE? SO WE'RE ALMOST THERE WITH CONCORD. UH, BUT THAT IS GOING TO BE A HUGE PIECE. AND THEN OF COURSE, CHICKEN AND PICKLE HAS BEEN A GREAT SUCCESS STORY AT EPIC CENTRAL ALREADY. AND SO WE ARE COMBINING OUR FORCES WITH THEM TO SUPPORT ALL OF THESE EVENTS. SO THESE READ ACROSS AMERICA THAT I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT IN JUST A MOMENT ARE DONE IN COMBINATION WITH CHICKEN AND PICKLES. THAT BRIDGE THAT YOU JUST SAW, GET READY. I'M GONNA SHOW YOU SOMETHING REALLY NEAT IN JUST A MOMENT. BUT ALSO, LIKE I MENTIONED, MAKING SURE THAT EVERYONE KNOWS THAT EPIC CENTRAL IS NOT JUST THE RESTAURANTS. THAT IT'S THE EPIC, THAT IT'S THE SUMMIT, THAT IT'S EPIC WATERS, THAT IT'S PLAYGROUND ADVENTURE, THAT IT'S BOULDER, THAT IT'S CENTRAL BARK, THAT IT'S ANIMAL SERVICES THAT, YOU KNOW, EPIC CENTRAL IS SOMETHING REALLY, REALLY SPECIAL AND VERY, VERY UNIQUE. IT'S, THAT'S THE EXPERIENCE THAT WE WANT TO CREATE FOR THEM AGAIN AND AGAIN. AND THE WAY THAT THAT HAPPENS IS WE KIND OF TAKE THOSE SMALL DETAILS TO MAKE 'EM WORK TOGETHER AND MAKE IT KIND OF ALL TOGETHER. EPIC. REMEMBER I MENTIONED THE BRIDGE. I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT, UH, WHENEVER WE GET TO PREMIER THE, UH, SYNCHRONIZATION OF THE LIGHTING WITH THE FOUNTAIN, WITH THE BRIDGE, IT IS GOING TO BE SOMETHING THAT NO OTHER CITY HAS. IT IS GOING TO BE A MAJOR ATTRACTION. ONCE WE LAUNCH THE FULL WATER SHOW IN OUR GRAND OPENING, I BELIEVE THAT WILL BECOME THE MAJOR ATTRACTION FOR EPIC CENTRAL, THAT THAT WILL BECOME THE APPOINTMENT DESTINATION, JUST BECAUSE THERE'S GOING TO BE NOTHING ELSE LIKE IT. AND IT'LL ALWAYS BE FREE. THAT'S THE THING THAT SETS IT APART TOO, BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO DO. SO I TALKED ABOUT MUSIC. SO WHAT ARE THE GENRES? FIRST OFF, WE START OFF LOCALLY. UH, YOU KNOW, I LOVE MS. SELENA GOMEZ. SHE WILL PROBABLY NEVER PLAY OUT OUR EPIC CENTRAL STAGE. IT'S ONLY 650 SQUARE FEET. SO WE'RE LOOKING FOR LOCAL. WE WANT TO FIND THOSE LOCAL BANDS. WE WANNA FIND THE TALENT THAT'S HERE IN OUR COMMUNITY AND THE SURROUNDING AREAS. AND THEN TAKE THAT AND THEN TRY TO GIVE THEM AN OPPORTUNITY. OF COURSE, JAZZ, HANNO, AMERICANA, RHYTHM AND BLUES, HIP HOP, FUNK, UH, SOUL POP COVER BANDS, GOSPEL, UH, COUNTRY NORTENO, ROCK AND ROLL, KUMBIA, ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT GROUPS. AND THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE. THIS IS NOT EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE, OR THIS IS NOT ONLY THE STUFF THAT WE'RE DOING, BUT THIS IS JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF WE'RE TRYING TO APPEAL TO MULTIPLE GROUPS. WE'RE TRYING TO APPEAL TO ALL DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS, AND ALSO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE KEEPING A FAMILY FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE THAT THE CITY CAN BE PROUD OF. I MENTIONED OUR EVENT CALENDAR. THESE ARE SOME OF THE INITIAL EVENTS THAT WE'RE STARTING OUT WITH. SO OF COURSE, UH, ST. PATRICK'S DAY ON MARCH 17TH, WE HAVE A LOCAL GRAND PRAIRIE BAND, JOSHUA TREE THAT'LL BE PLAYING. THEN OUR MOTORCYCLE RODEO ON APRIL 15TH. THAT PARTY AGREED ACROSS THE AMERICA ON THE 27TH, OUR GRAND OPENING, WHICH I'M SURE IS GOING TO COME UP IN OUR, UH, CONVERSATION. EPIC WATERS DOES WANT TO CONTINUE DOING THE FLOW OF PALOOZA EVENT. THEY WANT TO MOVE IT BACK SO IT DOESN'T COMPETE WITH THE STATE FAIR. AND THEN OF COURSE, CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR AT EPIC CENTRAL, UH, WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT MAGICAL. IT'S GONNA BE A WHOLE LOT OF FUN. AND THEN SOME OF THE PROPOSED COMMUNITY EVENTS, THESE ARE THINGS THAT, UM, THAT I WILL BE TALKING TO INDIVIDUAL COUNCIL MEMBERS ABOUT THAT I'LL BE TALKING TO PARKS DEPARTMENT ABOUT. SO THESE ARE THINGS THAT WE'RE JUST TALKING ABOUT, UH, BUT YOU KIND OF GET THE IDEA THAT WE'RE TRYING TO APPEAL TO ALL DIFFERENT GROUPS AND ALL. AND LIKE I SAID, ALL DIFFERENT, UH, AREAS OF INTEREST. SO IF YOU WANT TEXAS PRIDE, YOU GOT THAT. IF YOU WANT FINE ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY, WE'VE GOT THAT. YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS I'M MOST EXCITED ABOUT IS COACHELLA IS PUTTING ON A CHILDREN'S BASED FESTIVAL. NO, NO CITY IN THE ENTIRE, UH, METROPLEX DOES THIS. IT COULD BE A VERY UNIQUE NICHE FOR THE CITY OF GRAND PRAIRIE AND THEN AN RN TECHNOLOGY FESTIVAL. UH, WITH ALL OF THE, UH, SUPPORT THAT WE HAVE FROM SOME OF OUR UNIVERSITIES AND EVEN FROM OUR HIGH SCHOOL, FROM OUR, FROM OUR G-P-I-S-D, I BELIEVE THERE'S A REALLY, UH, UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY HERE. AND THEN FINALLY, HOW CAN YOU FIND US, IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN TO EPIC CENTRAL.COM, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO CHECK OUT THAT SITE. UH, PYRO HAS DONE AN AMAZING JOB. KELLY AND THE PARKS DEPARTMENT HAVE REALLY DONE A GREAT JOB IN, UH, GETTING THE INFORMATION OUT. AND WE'RE STARTING TO FINALLY SEE A LOT OF TRACTION, UH, POP UP WITH OUR SOCIAL MEDIA. SO THE WORD IS GETTING OUT THAT EPIC CENTRAL IS OPEN. UM, I'M GONNA KIND OF OPEN IT UP FOR QUESTIONS BECAUSE I KNOW THERE ARE, I KNOW THERE I, THERE ARE QUESTIONS. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I WILL SAY THAT WE ARE STARTING LIVE MUSIC TOMORROW NIGHT AT 7:00 PM AND IT'LL BE SEVEN TO 10:00 PM FROM THE NINTH, OR [00:20:01] SORRY, FROM MARCH 8TH THROUGH THE 19TH. ON SUNDAYS, WE'LL MOVE IT UP SIX TO 10. BUT, UH, OUR GOAL IS, IS THAT WHENEVER SOMEBODY COMES OUT TO EPIC CENTRAL, THEY COME OUT, THEY HAVE A GOOD MEAL, AND THEN THEY'RE WALKING THROUGH THE PARK, THEY HEAR SOME WONDERFUL MUSIC AND THEY HAVE A GREAT EXPERIENCE BECAUSE ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE DIRECTIVES THAT I GOT WHENEVER I FIRST STARTED THIS, IS WE DON'T WANT TO PUT ON A MAJOR FESTIVAL THAT BRINGS 10,000 PEOPLE EVERY WEEK INTO EPIC CENTRAL. WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS DO THOSE SMALLER EVENTS AND DO THOSE EVENTS THAT HAVE A CHURN TIME SO THAT SOMEBODY'S STAYING AT EPIC CENTRAL TO THREE, FOUR HOURS. AND THEN, AND THAT IS THE HOPE. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE. NOW, WHETHER WE DO THAT, I DON'T KNOW, BUT I BELIEVE WE CAN. AND I BELIEVE THAT IF WE, IF WE ARE INTENTIONAL ABOUT THE PROGRAMMING, THAT IT WILL BE OF GREAT BENEFIT TO THE CITY OF GRAND PRAIRIE AND ITS CITIZENS. THANK YOU. QUESTIONS. OH, REBECCA AND I TRIED TO DO PE AT CHICKEN AND PICKLE SUNDAY NIGHT AT SIX 15. YES, SIR. IT WAS CRAZY. SUNDAY NIGHT, SIX 15. THE, THE LINE WAS FROM WHERE HE ORDERED TO THE DOOR. WE WENT ACROSS THE STREET AT JAKE'S . THAT WAS, I WAS SHOCKED. I MEAN, IT'S GOING TO, PEOPLE ARE GOING TO USE IT. UH, THAT WATER SHOWED, I'VE SEEN THE VIDEO. GONNA SHOW IT THURSDAY NIGHT. IT'S GONNA BE FUN, FOLKS. IT'S GONNA BE FUN. WE'LL TWEAK SOME THINGS, BUT IT'S GONNA BE FINE. SO MUCH FUN. I I GOT SEVERAL QUESTIONS FOR YOU. YES, SIR. UM, ONE, UM, I STICK WITH THAT ONE TO THE LAST BIT AS FAR AS DIVERSITY PARTICIPATION. YES, SIR. UM, WHEN YOU QUEUED UP ALL THE ACTS FOR BREAK THAT PUT ON, HOW WAS THAT BROUGHT? ABOUT? DID, DID YOU WORK WITH SOMEONE TO, TO BRING THOSE BANDS IN OR HOW'D THAT WORK? I DID TALK, I DID TALK WITH A FEW PROMOTERS AND THEN I'VE BEEN ARRANGING EVENTS FOR 15 YEARS. SO A LOT OF THE CONTACTS AND A LOT OF THE, A LOT OF THE BANDS THAT ARE, THAT ARE, THERE ARE EITHER GROUPS THAT I HAVE EITHER PERSONALLY SEEN OR HAVE BEEN RECOMMENDED. UM, I HAVE SEEN EVERY GROUP OR SEEN VIDEO OF THEM. AND SO PART OF WHENEVER I LOOK AT THAT IS, IS IT FAMILY FRIENDLY? UM, IS IT GOING TO, IS IT GOING TO, UH, FILL THE, IS IT GOING TO FILL THE SPACE? WELL, AND THEN TWO, HONESTLY, WITH THE SPRING BREAK, IT WAS, IT WAS TRYING TO COME UP WITH A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT ACTS TO SEE WHAT IS REALLY EFFECTIVE AND WHAT GETS RECEIVED RIGHT. AND WHAT'S RECEIVED. WELL, NO, THAT'S GOOD BECAUSE I MEAN, I GET APPROACHED WITH DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES ALL THE TIME AND, AND WE TRY IN FRONT OF THOSE STUFF. AND, AND ONE THING WE WANT TO SEE IS MAKE SURE WE'RE DIVERSE. YES, SIR. YOU KNOW, JUST BECAUSE I MEAN, ME, MIKE, ME, MIKE MIGHT LOOK THE SAME. WE SHOULD HAVE A DIFFERENT TYPE OF MUSIC THAT MAY NOT BE GOOD. SO I'M JUST SAYING DON'T, DON'T FEEL LIKE ONE PROMOTER YES, SIR. SHOULD BE THE EXCLUSIVE YES SIR. PROMOTER FOR OH, NO SIR. THAT PARTICULAR CULTURE, YOU MAKE SURE WE, I DON'T KNOW, SIR. DIVERSIFY THAT. UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, I'M REALLY TRYING TO UNDERSTAND, I KNOW WE, WE HAVE THE STAGE OUT THERE IN THE SANDBOX. YES. I CAN SEE US SUPPORTING IT UP FRONT, BUT I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND HOW THAT WORKS LONG TERM. 'CAUSE I MEAN, FIREHOUSE HAS, HAS A STAGE AS WELL MM-HMM . AND THEY LEASE FROM THE CITY, YOU KNOW, AT LAKE THERE'S A STAGE AS WELL. SO IF WE'RE, THESE RESTAURANTS, IN MY OPINION, SHOULD GET TO THE POINT WHERE THEY SUPPORT THAT STAGE. AND THEY'RE, THE ONES ARE BEING BETWEEN MEDICAL TEXAS, DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TIMM. I, I COULDN'T AGREE WITH YOU MORE. I THINK WHEN WE, YOU KNOW, WE KIND OF SUPPORT IT TO GET IT SPUN UP. BUT THEN, YOU KNOW, PART OF THOSE MONTHLY GM MEETINGS WILL BE THE RESTAURANTS, UH, GMS. AND I DO THINK WE TRY TO SHIFT THAT BURDEN ONTO THOSE RESTAURANTS TOO. FUND OR HELP FUND THAT EXPENSE. WHAT WE'RE TRACKING, UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN THAT IS, IS IT NEXT CALENDAR YEAR? I, I THINK WE KIND OF WAIT AND SEE WHAT THAT MOMENTUM LOOKS LIKE. BUT, UH, PHILOSOPHICALLY WE'RE ON THE SAME PAGE. AND I THINK ZANE, THAT'S WHAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT A LITTLE BIT AS WELL. CORRECT? YES, SIR. WE HAVE. DO YOU, ZANE, WOULD YOU HAVE A FEEL, WOULD THAT, DO YOU THINK THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT WE COULD LOOK AT JANUARY ONE SOONER? OR DO YOU HAVE A ABSOLUTELY. UM, PART OF OUR AGREEMENT WITH, WITH MILKSHAKE GROUPS IS THAT THEY DO HAVE THE ABILITY TO PROVIDE THEIR OWN PROGRAMMING AND THEIR OWN, UH, THEIR OWN, UH, ENTERTAINMENT ON THE STAGE. SO THEY'RE, SO ABSOLUTELY THAT'S A POSSIBILITY THAT WE COULD, THAT WE COULD BEGIN THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND THEN TWO, AS THE GMS ARE MAKING, 'CAUSE ALL OF THEM COME TO ME AND SAY, HEY, I'VE GOT THIS PERSON THAT I'D LIKE TO HAVE, IT'S ABSOLUTELY APPROPRIATE TO SAY, WELL, THAT YOU COULD MAYBE PAY FOR THAT AND WE CAN GIVE THEM USE OF THE STAGE FOR FREE. YEAH. [00:25:01] IF YOU WOULD GO AHEAD AND START PLANTING THE SEED WITH THE RESTAURATEUR, THAT THAT WILL BE SOMETHING THAT WE DO EXPECT THEIR CONTRIBUTION ON. YES, SIR. WE'LL, WE WILL WORK OUT THE DETAILS, BUT I JUST WANNA SET THE EXPECTATION. YES, SIR. UH, NOW IF YOU WOULD, THANK YOU. ABSOLUTELY. YES SIR. AND THEN HOW MUCH ARE WE BUDGETING FOR THIS YEAR FOR ENTERTAINMENT ZONING? SO I CAN ANSWER THAT QUESTION THAT, BECAUSE IT WAS THE FIRST YEAR WE TO HAVE A BUDGET OF ABOUT $150,000 AVAILABLE FOR ENTERTAINMENT AND OTHER THINGS. THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE SPEND IT ALL, BUT THAT WAS THE BUDGET THAT WE DID SET. AND REMEMBER, THAT'S NOT JUST FOR ONE DAY. THAT IS FOR THE WHOLE YEAR. SO, UM, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE OPENING A LITTLE BIT LATER THAN WE THOUGHT. SO WE'LL, WE'LL PROBABLY HAVE EXTRA MONEY. BUT THAT WAS FOR A WHOLE YEAR. IS IT FOR THE CALENDAR YEAR OR THE FISCAL YEAR? WELL, THAT WAS FOR FISCAL YEAR. 'CAUSE WE EXPECTED THAT WE WOULD ALREADY HAVE A LOT OF ESTATE. SO IT WAS $150,000 FOR THE FIRST YEAR AND $75,000 EACH YEAR THEREAFTER. GOTCHA. BUT OF COURSE THAT HAS TO BE COUNSEL APPROVED. THOSE NUMBERS CAN BE ADJUSTED. BUT THAT WAS THE, THAT WAS THE ORIGINAL PLAN. CHERYL, IS THAT COMING OUT OF THE EPIC FUND? YES, SIR. OKAY. NO MORE QUESTIONS. SO FOR THE GO AHEAD. UH, SOFT OPENING TOMORROW, IT'S ONE DAY OR IT'S GOING TO BE THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND? THE SOFT, THE MUSIC WILL GO FROM, UH, EVERY NIGHT FROM THE EIGHTH THROUGH THE 19TH. OKAY. SO FOR TOMORROW, IS THE READING PROGRAMMING GOING ON THAT YOU HAD MENTIONED BEFORE PLUS MUSIC OR I, WHAT ALL SHOULD WE EXPECT FROM THE SOFT OPENING? IS IT JUST MUSIC OR IS THERE JUST JUST MUSIC AND, UM, JUST MUSIC AND LIGHTS FOR RIGHT NOW, THAT'S, THAT. THERE MAY BE MORE, BUT, BUT JUST MUSIC IS DRIVING. I JUST WANTED TO, YOU KNOW, UH, GET AN UNDERSTANDING. AND THEN FROM SEVEN TO 10, THAT'S A GREAT DURATION. THEY GET A LOT OF PEOPLE TO ENJOY. IS THAT ONE BAND OR THERE MULTIPLE BANDS? THAT'S ONE BAND. ZANE, HAVE WE, UH, SENT OUT TO MAYOR AND COUNCIL IN AN EMAIL FORMAT? THE SOFT OPENING SCHEDULE? I, I HAVE. I DON'T BELIEVE SO. I LET'S DO THAT FIRST THING IN THE MORNING. IF, IF WE WOULD THANK YOU, UH, FOR THE ENTERTAINERS. WILL WE NEED TO RECOGNIZING THE LOCAL LAND. SO, AND WHO ARE WE TARGETING TO COME DOWN THERE TO EAT? BECAUSE, UH, WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT LIKE MAYOR TIM, THE SAME, WE HAVE A VARIETY FOLKS. I'M NOT SAYING WE'RE GONNA BRING LITTLE WAYNE DOWN. I'M SAYING LITTLE WAYNE MAYBE. BUT WE WANT ENSURE, BECAUSE WE WANT FOLKS TO STAY ABOUT FOUR HOURS, RIGHT? YES, SIR. ONLY, WE ONLY PERFORM FOR THREE. YES, SIR. BUT THAT RIGHT NOW IS DOING COPING MATH . SURE. BUT WILL YOU PROVIDE US THE LIST OF THE ENTERTAINERS YOU GUIDE LINED UP FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS? YES, SIR. OKAY. ARE THERE ANYBODY THAT WE WOULD KNOW OFF HAND BY? I, I HAVE NOT CONFIRMED ALL OF THEM, BUT, UH, BAZOOKA, WHICH IS A BRAZILIAN JAZZ BAND, IS, I'M CONFIRMING WITH THEM ON THE 25TH. UM, APRIL 1ST IS, UH, TREVOR, TREVOR TYRELL, UM, DOWN THERE, RIGHT THERE. OH, THE FOURTH, THE 24TH. WE HAVE , BUT THEY HAVE NOT SIGNED THE CONTRACT, UH, YET. SO I'M, I'M WORKING THROUGH THIS WITH THE ARTIST, BUT SO WHICH R AND BS SOUL GOSPEL THAT YOU COMMEND? OH, WELL, THADDEUS FORD IS OPENING. THADDIUS FORD IS, UH, IS OPENING UP FOR US, UH, TOMORROW NIGHT. HE'S THE SAXOPHONE PLAYER? UH, NO SIR. TRUMPET PLAYER. TRUMPET PLAYER, OKAY. YES, SIR. AND HE'S PLAYED AT FARMER MARKET, RIGHT? UH, I DON'T THINK HE'S PLAYED, NO, I THINK HE'S PLAYED A FIREHOUSE. I FIREHOUSE I PLAYED RECENTLY. WHAT DID YOU SAY WAS THE DATE ON THAT? THE TRUMPET PLAYER. TOMORROW. AND, AND AGAIN, COUNCIL MEMBERS, AS WE GET OUR FOOTING, CONTINUE TO FEED IDEAS AND SUGGESTIONS, IF YOU KNOW OF BANS, YOU KNOW, ZANE MADE A REALLY GOOD POINT. WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE CAPACITY FOR 'EM, BUT CAN CONTINUE TO FEED WHAT YOU'D LIKE TO SEE. AND, AND, UH, AND WE WILL TRY TO ACCOMMODATE THAT AT EVERY STEP. I DO WANT TO JUST, 'CAUSE I'M THINKING ABOUT IT RIGHT NOW, I WANT TO, THIS HAS COME UP. WE CANNOT PROHIBIT ALCOHOL FROM COMING IN TO EPIC CENTRAL. UH, A WE CAN'T LEGALLY DO IT. B IT WOULD BE A NIGHTMARE TO TRY TO POLICE. I DON'T THINK WE, WE NEED TO PROMOTE BRINGING IN OUTSIDE ALCOHOL BECAUSE WE'D RATHER THEM BUY THAT FROM OUR BUSINESSES THERE. BUT, BUT WE CANNOT PREVENT IT. AND DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TIM, I THINK YOU MIGHT HAVE BROUGHT THIS UP AS WELL, SO I WANT TO CIRCLE BACK ON THAT ANSWER. YEAH, NO, I, THAT WAS MY QUESTION. I WAS, BECAUSE PEOPLE, CAN I BRING LAWN CHAIRS? CAN I BRING BLANKETS? WHAT, WHAT CAN I BRING MY OWN FOOD? YOU KNOW, I HAVE MY OWN PICNIC. I MEAN, THERE'S GONNA BE THOSE TYPE OF QUESTIONS THAT WE GET ASKED MM-HMM . SURE. MAKE SURE WE REMIND, CAN WE JUST PUT THAT ON THE WEBSITE THAT YOU COULD BRING YOUNG, UH, WATER AND [00:30:01] SOFT DRINKS AND FOOD? WELL, WE'LL, WE'LL, THAT'S ACTUALLY A GREAT IDEA. WE'LL LOOK, WE'LL KIND OF PROVIDE, SO CAN BRING WHAT WE, WHAT WE REALLY WANNA PROHIBIT IS IN A , NO ALCOHOL SAYING WATER. WELL, YEAH, I MEAN, WE, WE WILL DO WHATEVER YOU GUYS WANT US TO. I WOULD SAY FROM A MARKETING STANDPOINT, THERE MIGHT BE A BALANCE. I WOULDN'T OVER PROMOTE IT BECAUSE THOSE RESTAURANTS, YOU KNOW, THAT REVENUE PART OF THAT REVENUE COMES BACK TO THE CITY. SO WE, I THINK THERE'S A, A HAPPY BALANCE IN THERE, BUT IT'S A PUBLIC SPACE. NONE OF THOSE THINGS WOULD BE PROHIBITED. UH, ZANE, DO YOU HAVE ANY MORE GUIDANCE OR INPUT BASED ON YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH, WITH THAT QUESTION? WELL, I THINK IT REALLY GOES BACK TO WHAT THE COUNCIL WANTS TO DECIDE ON IF, IF COOLERS ARE ALLOWED. UM, YOU KNOW, A SMALL PERSONAL COOLER OF A MOM BRINGING IN FOOD FOR THEIR KIDS. THAT'S NOT, THAT'S NOT WHAT WE CARE ABOUT. THE BIGGEST ISSUE THAT WE'RE GOING TO RUN INTO IS PEOPLE BRINGING COOLERS, TRYING TO SELL FOOD AND OUR DRINKS OUT OF THAT. OR IF WE DO HAVE A, IF WE DO HAVE ENTERTAINMENT THAT IS FREE OR PEOPLE ARE COMING OUT TO SEE THE WATER SHOW THAT THEY BRING A COOLER AND, UH, THEN YOU MIGHT RUN INTO A-T-A-B-C ISSUE. I DON'T KNOW. I I, THAT IS SOMETHING WHERE I WOULD HAVE HAVE TO DEFER TO THE CITY ATTORNEY AND LEGAL LAW. BUT THE, I THINK THE BIGGEST CONCERN IS THAT IF, IF WE'RE SEEN ACTIVELY PROMOTING THAT YOU CAN BRING IN YOUR OWN FOOD AND DRINKS THAT WILL CAUSE ISSUES WITH OUR RESTAURANT PARTNERS. YEP. YEAH. I, I SAID I, THERE'S A BALANCE THERE. WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ACTIVELY OUT CHECKING COOLERS, IF YOU WILL. UH, BUT I DON'T KNOW THAT WE NEED TO OVER PROMOTE IT BECAUSE WE NEED TO REMEMBER THAT PART OF THAT BUSINESS CONCEPT OUT THERE IS FOOD AND BEVERAGE. THAT'S A BIG PART OF OUR BUSINESS PLAN THAT WE UH, THAT THE TAXPAYERS HAVE FUNDED, UH, FOR US TO, TO DEVELOP SOMETHING. WHETHER WE GET A TICK NICKEL ON IT OR NOT, I'M, WE WANT BUSINESSES TO THRIVE THERE, WHETHER WE'RE GETTING SOMETHING OR NOT. SO IT'S A FINE BALANCE. UH, KIND OF WHAT KURT WAS SAYING, KIND OF IS THAT, I MEAN, WE, WE DON'T WANNA SAY YOU CAN'T BRING IT, BUT WE DON'T WANT TO TELL EVERYTHING. IT'S KIND OF WHAT YOU WERE SAYING. MM-HMM . SO Y'ALL CAN FIGURE OUT SOMETHING. YES, SIR. SO ARE YOU GOING TO DO SOMETHING ON THE WEBSITE OF THINGS YOU CAN BRING AND THINGS YOU CAN'T BRING? YES, SIR. WE'LL LOOK AT, I WOULD RECOMMEND WE'LL ADD THAT TO THE EPIC CENTRAL WEBSITE. YES SIR. YOU CAN'T BRING A TENT UMBRELLA. UMBRELLAS AND THE TENTS, THE LITTLE POP UP. THAT'S GONNA BE AN ISSUE THIS SUMMER. BUT I THINK WE JUST SAY FROM THE GET GO THAT YOU CAN'T HAVE THE LITTLE 10 BY 10 POP UP TENTS OR THE UMBRELLAS ATTACHED TO THE CHAIRS. YES SIR. YEAH. DON'T HAVE IT AT THE JAZZ VEST. JUST CHEER. OKAY. SO, UH, THE CHIEF BRINGS UP A GOOD POINT IN THE DISCUSSIONS WITH TABC. DO NOT BE, UH, SURPRISED WHEN YOU SEE THE SIGNS THAT SAY NO OUTSIDE ALCOHOL. THAT'S KIND OF A CURBING MECHANISM. BUT CHIEF, BECAUSE WE CAN'T, I'M TOLD WE CAN'T LEGALLY ENFORCE THAT. LET'S TALK ABOUT THE SIGNAGE BECAUSE YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY CALLS COUNCIL MEMBER LOPEZ, HE GIVES THEM AN HONEST LEGAL ANSWER, THEN THEY SHOW UP AND SEE THE SIGN. I THINK WE NEED TO TALK THROUGH THAT. SO ANYTHING, THE ONLY THING WE CAN ENFORCE IS DRUNKEN PUBLIC. THAT'S ON THE, ON THE BOOKS. UM, IN THE EARLY DISCUSSIONS THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT HALING, SOME SIGNS THAT SAYS NO, UH, CANNOT BRING IN OUTSIDE BOOZE OR SOMETHING. IT WAS FAR MORE ELOQUENT THAN I JUST PUT IT SOMETHING ALONG DANIEL. I THINK THAT THE, WHEN I WAS CHIEF, THE THING THAT WE DID AGREE UPON WITH TABC, WE HAD TO PUT SIGNAGE THAT YOU CAN'T TAKE ALCOHOL BEYOND THIS POINT. IF YOU REMEMBER WE GOT THAT DESIGNATED AS AN ALCOHOL. SO THEY CAN BRING IT IN, BUT THEY CAN'T LEAVE WITH IT ONCE THEY COME IN. YES. EVEN THOUGH THEY BRING IT IN THEMSELVES. . WELL THAT, THAT IS THAT GOTTA DRINK IT UP. THAT'S TRUE. THEN WE GOT, HOW DO WE POLICE THAT? THAT'S CORRECT. HOW DO YOU POLICE IT? HOW DO YOU POLICE IT? BECAUSE THEY, THEY'VE OFFERED ALCOHOL MOBILITY. WE GOT THAT PASSED IN THE LAST LEGISLATIVE SESSION. BUT THEY'RE VERY CLEAR THAT YOU DON'T TAKE IT BEYOND THAT POINT. YOU KNOW, SO I DO REMEMBER THAT. YEP. UH, TEXAS LIFE HAS THE SAME RULES WE HAVE. I'D BE CURIOUS AS WHAT THEY SAY YOU CAN BRING IN, I'M NOT SAYING THEY'RE DOING IT CORRECTLY. MM-HMM . I'M JUST CURIOUS. 'CAUSE THEY HAVE THE SAME RULE WE HAVE, I BELIEVE WE RESEARCHED IT AND IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A DIFFERENT SITUATION BECAUSE THEY HAVE ACTUALLY ONE TABC LICENSE HOLDER THAT DOES THE WHOLE, THAT PATROL. WOULD THAT PREVENT SOMEBODY FROM BRINGING LIQUOR IN? CORRECT. NOW THE PROBLEM IS, THIS IS YOU INTERESTING. A MULTIPLE TABC VENDORS WITH MULTIPLE, YOU'LL FIGURE THE RULES OUT LAWS. I'M, I'M A BIG FAN OF SOME SIGNAGE THAT SAYS NO OUTSIDE, UH, ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES OR SOMETHING TO THAT EFFECT. EVEN THOUGH WE WON'T BE ABLE TO ENFORCE THAT, I THINK IT WOULD CURB SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM. DULY NOTED. WE'LL SEE IT, IT, YEAH, IT THAT, THAT'S WHAT I MEANT, SIR. AND WE DO WANNA MAKE SURE THE SIGNS ARE UP THAT SAYS YOU CAN'T HAVE ALCOHOL BEYOND THIS POINT. 'CAUSE I REMEMBER TABC WAS VERY CLEAR. OH, THAT WAS ONE OF THINGS THEY ASKED ME ABOUT WHEN I [00:35:01] WENT TO AUSTIN. THANK YOU. WELL, WE COULD SAY, WE COULD HAVE A SIGN THAT SAYS NO ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE IS ALLOWED. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO SAY ENFORCED BY LAW OR QUOTE THE LAW, WHICH JUST, IT'S A RULE. NO ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE IS ALLOWED. I MEAN NO, OUT OUTSIDE. OUTSIDE, OUTSIDE. YEAH. YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. NO, OUTSIDE. LET, LET US DO A LITTLE BIT MORE OF BRAINSTORMING. UM, CAN I GET SOME DIRECTION THAT DOES, HERE'S PROBABLY WHAT I NEED TO KNOW FROM YOU ALL REALLY IS WE CAN PASS, WE CAN POST SIGNS AND NOT ENFORCE AND PASSIVELY SUGGEST NOT BRINGING IN OUTSIDE ALCOHOL. UH, THAT MIGHT BE, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T BRING IT UP, BUT IF THEY'RE ASKED, HEY LOOK, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT PREFERRED BUT IT'S NOT ENFORCED. MAYBE THAT'S THE ANSWER IF YOU ALL ARE ASKED ABOUT IT. BUT ANY MORE THOUGHTS ON THAT BEFORE WE COME UP WITH A A PLAN? UM, I'LL SAY THERE'S ALWAYS GONNA BE THAT CITIZEN WHO SAYS, THOSE PEOPLE SITTING NEXT TO ME, YOU KNOW, HAD CONTRABAND AND THEN THEY'RE EXPECTING ENFORCEMENT, BUT WE CAN'T ENFORCE IT. I DON'T KNOW HOW COMMON THAT WILL BE, BUT I'M SURE THERE'LL BE SOME OF THOSE. WELL, LEGAL CONTRABAND, I PREFER, MY PERSONAL OPINION IS, I SHOULDN'T USE THE TERM, I WOULD PREFER CONTRA A SIGN THAT'S NOT RIGHT. RIGHT. I AGREE. IIII WOULD, I KNOW WHERE DANIEL'S COMING FROM, BUT I WOULD NOT WANT TO PUT UP A SIGN THAT'S NOT TRUTHFUL. PERIOD. WHAT I'M HEARING IS THAT THE SIGN IS TRUTHFUL. YOU CAN'T TAKE A SHOT CALL BEYOND THIS POINT, RIGHT? CORRECT. YEAH. I, I JUST, AND THAT SOLVE THAT. I JUST THANK YOU DANIEL ON BOTH SIDES. WHAT ELSE? WHAT ELSE? THANK YOU ZANE. WELL, ONE MORE THING, BARRY. ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS IS ZANE IS GOING TO, DO YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE GONNA DO WITH THEM? YES. SO THE LAST THING IS, UM, I'M IN THE PROCESS OF, UH, TRYING TO GET SCHEDULED WITH EACH ONE OF YOU A WALKTHROUGH OF THE SITE, JUST SO WE CAN TALK ABOUT WHAT YOUR PREFERENCES ARE FOR MUSIC. IF YOU HAVE SUGGESTIONS OF WHAT YOU'D LIKE TO SEE. UM, AND THEN ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING IS, UH, WE ARE GIVING EACH OF YOU A SONG THAT YOU'LL GET TO CHOOSE TO PUT ON THE FOUNTAIN. A WALKUP SONG LIKE BASEBALL. YES. RIGHT. AND WE'RE GONNA WORK AND THEN, AND I DON'T KNOW ANY OF THOSE WALKUP SONGS THAT THEY WAKE UP SONG CHIEF WALKING. I DUNNO WHAT WHATEVER YOU WANT, BUT REMEMBER THOUGH WE'RE GONNA SAY IT IS YOUR WALKUP SONG. YOU, I HEARD THAT. UM, WELL, UH, IT, IT'S, IT'S GOING TO BE EXCITING. I, IT'S, IT'S CRAZY TO THINK THAT EVERYTHING WILL BE OPEN BY THE END OF THE YEAR. UH, I I WAS JUST SHOCKED. I MUCH FUN WAS GOING ON AND I SHOULDN'T SAY SHOCK. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE WORD, BUT ALL THE FUN THAT WAS GOING ON AT CHICKEN AND PICKLE AT SIX 15 SUNDAY NIGHT. IT WASN'T A, THERE WASN'T FIVE SQUARE FEET OPEN ANYWHERE. MOBILE SEASON WAS OVER. YEAH. I MEAN, MIKE, THEY WERE JUST DIFFERENT GROUPS, DIFFERENT AGES. . YEAH. IT WAS CRAZY LIKE ABOUT TOP SHOT ANDRETTI'S ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. THAT WHOLE AREA. YEAH. BIG SHOTS. BIG SHOTS. BIG SHOTS. YEAH. I WENT THERE. I WENT TO CHICKEN FIGURE ON A THURSDAY OF ALL NIGHTS AND IT WAS EIGHT O'CLOCK AT NIGHT AND IT WAS TO THE DOOR. WE HAD TO GO SOMEWHERE ELSE, WHICH IS A GREAT PROBLEM. THANK YOU, ZANE. THANK YOU SIR. GOOD PROBLEM. TO HAVE APPRECIATE AGENDA REVIEW. TURN IT OVER TO MAYOR PRO. TIM COLE HUMPHREYS. THANKS THE MAYOR. UM, DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ON PARTICULARLY THE CONSENT AGENDA? IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE WE CAN ADDRESS? NOW'S A GOOD TIME TO, I, I WOULD LIKE SOME CLARIFICATION ON ITEM NUMBER EIGHT. ITEM NUMBER EIGHT THAT WILL BE DISCUSSED IN EXECUTIVE SESSION. I'LL GIVE YOU MORE DETAILS THAN DURING THAT, AT THAT POINT. OKAY. IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING ELSE AFTERWARDS IN OPEN SESSION, YOU CAN DO IT THE THEN, BUT LET'S BRIEF THE OTHER EXEC SESSION. UM, LET'S SEE HERE. WHERE IS THAT? UH, WHICH IS THE ONE OH NUMBER SIX. THE TIF ONE ALLOCATION REQUEST. YES. YES. THAT IS TO IMPROVE THE ROADWAYS AROUND THE HOSPITAL FOR, UH, TO OPTIMIZE THE DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES. MARTY, ANYTHING ELSE TO ADD TO THIS? AND IT'S COMING ALL OUT OF T IT IS ALL OUT. JUROR NUMBER ONE, WE WENT TO THE TOUR BOARD AND, AND TALKED ABOUT THE IMPROVEMENTS THAT NEED TO BE MADE FOR THE HOSPITAL. A COUPLE ONE STREET'S BEING REBUILT, MIDC CITIES. MM-HMM. AND SOME OF THOSE HAD DECLINING CURBS AND JUST REALLY NEEDED IMPROVEMENT. [00:40:02] BUT TIFF, ALL THE STREETS AROUND THE HOSPITAL, THERE'S LIKE FOUR DIFFERENT STREETS, CORRECT? THERE WITHIN, YES SIR. OLER AND OSLER, STEWART, MIDC CITIES AND MARTIN HOSPITAL. WHAT'S THE GROUP BEHIND INTEGRAL HEALTH HOLDINGS METHODIST OR SOMETHING? WHO, WHO'S GOT THEY'RE THEY ARE INTEGRAL HEALTH HOLDINGS IS THE GROUP, THE OPERATING GROUP THAT'S MADE THE AGREEMENT WITH THE LESION CAPITAL. THE GROUP THAT BOUGHT IT INTEGRAL, UM, HAS TWO INDIVIDUALS. THE TWO PRINCIPALS BOTH USED TO WORK WITH THE CLEVELAND CLINIC UP IN CLEVELAND, OHIO. UH, ONE WAS WITH JOHN PETER SMITH OVER IN FORT WORTH, UH, AS AN EXECUTIVE FOR QUITE SOME TIME. SO THEY'RE THE ONES WHO WILL BE OPERATING THE ACTUAL GRAND PRIX MEDICAL CENTER. DO YOU HAVE ANY COUNCIL MEMBERS ON THAT TIF BOARD? WE USED TO. WE DO. JOHN. JOHN. OKAY. WHAT DO WE HAVE THREE TIF BOARDS. FOUR WHAT? WE HAVE TWO, ONE AND THREE. OKAY. TWO'S DONE WITH, RIGHT? YES. YES SIR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL, ANYTHING ELSE? BACK TO YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU MAYOR PROTE. YOU WELCOME. THE CITY COUNCIL MAY CONDUCT A CLOSED SESSION PURSUANT TO CHAPTER 5 5 1 SUB CHAPTER D OF THE GOVERNMENT CODE DPC EIGHT TO DISCUSS ANY OF FOLLOWING RIGHT OUT OF ONE SECTION. 5 5 1 1 0 7 1. CONSULTATION WITH AN ATTORNEY, CITY OF ALLEN, TEXAS ETAL VERSUS TOM WARNER CABLE, TEXAS LLC, DOING BUSINESS AS SPECTRUM AND CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS CASE NUMBER SIX 19 CD 3 45 A-D-A-D-G SECTION NUMBER TWO, SECTION 5 5 1 4 0 7 2 DELIBERATIONS REGARDING THE REAL PROPERTY IN ITEM FOUR, SECTION 5 5 1 0.087 DELIBERATIONS REGARDING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NEGOTIATIONS. WE WILL GO HAVE SUPPER AND EXEC SESSION. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.