* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:10] WELCOME TO, IT'S HAPPENING IN GRAND PRAIRIE. I'M GEORGIA CLEMSON, AND WE HAVE A GREAT SHOW FOR YOU TODAY, AND WE'RE GONNA START WITH A GREAT GUEST. NANCY BRIDGES. WELCOME. THANK YOU, GEORGIA. IT'S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU, NANCY. WE KNOW THAT YOU HAVE BEEN WITH G-P-I-S-D FOR MANY YEARS. MM-HMM . NOW WHAT ARE YOU DOING AS FAR AS RELATED TO G-P-I-S-D? NOW, I JUST COULDN'T GIVE IT UP. . I WORKED FOR GPSD FOR 42 YEARS. STARTED OUT AS A THIRD GRADE TEACHER AT DALWORTH ELEMENTARY. ENDED UP DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT OF BUSINESS OPERATIONS. SO I WAS OVER FINANCE AND HUMAN RESOURCES. SO I'VE BEEN A PRINCIPAL, ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL. I'VE DONE A LOT OF THINGS IN GPSD, AND I WASN'T READY TO GIVE IT UP. NOT READY TO GIVE IT UP. SO AFTER FOUR YEARS OUT OF, I CAME OUTTA RETIREMENT AND I RAN FOR SCHOOL BOARD AND I WAS ELECTED. ISN'T THAT EXCITING? YES. AND, UM, IT'S SO NICE THAT YOU HAVE ALL OF THAT PAST EXPERIENCE TO DRAW ON TO HELP SERVE ON OUR SCHOOL BOARD. NOW, WHAT DOES THE SCHOOL BOARD, WHAT ARE THEY RESPONSIBLE FOR IN GRAND PRAIRIE? WELL, THEY'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING POLICIES AND, UH, ELECTING, OR NOT ELECTING, BUT CHOOSING SUPERINTENDENT. THEY OVERSEE THE BUDGET, THEY OVERSEE THE TAXATION OF, UM, FOR OUR TAXES. YES. UM, AND THEY JUST, YOU KNOW, ARE A REAL FRIEND TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND FOR THE STUDENTS AND TEACHERS, THEY HAVE VERY IMPORTANT DECISIONS TO MAKE THAT, THAT AFFECT SO MANY PEOPLE. ALL OF US. YES. WHETHER YOU HAVE STUDENTS IN GRAND PRAIRIE SCHOOLS OR NOT, YOU'RE AFFECTED. RIGHT. AND I KNOW YOU SAID YOU JUST COULDN'T QUIT, BUT WHAT GAVE YOU THAT PASSION TO THROW YOUR NAME IN THE HAT AND COME BACK TO SCHOOL IN A POSITION THAT'S SOMETIME THANKLESS? EXACTLY. I THOUGHT I WAS READY TO RETIRE. I THOUGHT I WAS 42 YEARS. I, I NEED TO DO SOMETHING ELSE. AND WHEN I RETIRED, I THOUGHT, HMM, THIS ISN'T FOR ME. SO I WORKED A LITTLE BIT AT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. I ENJOY IT. I ENJOY THE PEOPLE, I ENJOY THE KIDS, THE PARENTS, YOU KNOW, SO MANY PEOPLE I STILL WOULD SEE AND TALK TO. AND IN MY, UH, DISTRICT, AARON KING DECIDED NOT TO RUN AGAIN, AND I THOUGHT, HERE'S MY CHANCE. SO I DID. THERE YOU GO. THE DOOR OPENED AND YOU STEPPED RIGHT THROUGH. YES. WELL, UM, I KNOW THAT, UM, IT'S ALWAYS CHALLENGING TO SERVE AS AN ELECTED OFFICIAL, AND, UM, I KNOW IT'S REWARDING AS WELL. YES. SO, AS FAR AS THE SCHOOL DISTRICT ITSELF, WHAT DO YOU SEE AS SOME OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES THAT ARE AHEAD FOR US, THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES RIGHT NOW ARE HIRING QUALIFIED TEACHERS. SO MANY TEACHERS AFTER THE COVID PANDEMIC. RIGHT, RIGHT. THEY JUST, UH, THEY DIDN'T WANNA DO IT ANY LONGER. IT WAS, IT'S HARD TEACHING'S HARD IT IS. SOME PEOPLE THINK IT'S AN EASY JOB. IT IS NOT AN EASY JOB. YOU'RE ON ON POINT ALL DAY LONG. YOU NEVER GET A CHANCE TO SIT DOWN AND REST. YOU'VE GOT LITTLE KIDS OR BIG KIDS. YOU'VE GOT SOMEONE AT YOU ALL DAY LONG AND TEACHERS ARE WORN OUT. SO WE APPRECIATE OUR TEACHERS. WE DO. AND WE APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IS WORKING TO KEEP THE TEACHERS AND THE, AND THE STUDENTS SAFE. YES. YES. UH, THEY'RE VERY COMPETITIVE WITH THEIR PRICE, WITH THEIR, UH, SALARIES. MM-HMM . WE HAVE A LOT OF DISTRICTS IN THIS AREA. SO WE, WE ARE RIGHT UP THERE WITH THE TOP ONES. OUR BENEFITS ARE GOOD. UM, OUR BUILDINGS ARE WONDERFUL. WE HAVE A GREAT MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT THAT KEEPS EVERYTHING SHINING AND WORKING AND SOMETHING GOES OUT, MAN, THEY'RE ON THE JOB EVERY DAY. WELL, THAT'S A BLESSING. I KNOW. YES, YES. AND SPEAKING OF THE BUILDINGS, NOW LET'S GO BACK AND TALK ABOUT HOW WE'RE GONNA KEEP OUR BUILDINGS SAFER FOR THE STUDENTS. WE ALL KNOW WE, WE NEED SAFETY IN OUR SCHOOLS. UM, ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING, YOU KNOW, ACROSS THE, THE WORLD REALLY. AND GRAND PRAIRIE HAS DECIDED THAT WE ARE GOING TO, WELL, WE DIDN'T DECIDE. THE LEGISLATURE DECIDED FOR US. WE ARE GOING TO HAVE ARMED RETIRED OFFICERS IN OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS, OUR HIGH SCHOOLS HAVE GRAND PRIX POLICE OFFICERS, OUR SROS, AS WE CALL THEM MM-HMM . STUDENT RESOURCE OFFICERS. AND WE HAVE PUT OUT THE JOB DESCRIPTION, AND WE ARE REALLY FOCUSING ON RETIRED POLICE OFFICERS. THEY'RE CERTIFIED OFFICERS. THEY, UH, HAVE RETIRED FROM DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, A LOT OF THEM FROM GRAND PRAIRIE. MM-HMM . POLICE DEPARTMENT. AND THEY ARE GONNA BE ON EVERY CAMPUS. [00:05:01] THEY WILL BE CARRYING A GUN. THEY WILL BE WALKING THE HALLS, THEY WILL BE IN THE CAFETERIAS, THEY'LL BE OUTSIDE, THEY WILL BE VISIBLE. AND THEIR MAIN PRIORITY IS THE SAFETY OF THE STUDENTS AND WHO COMES IN AND OUT OF THAT SCHOOL. YES. AND I KNOW THAT, UH, I DON'T REMEMBER WHICH YEAR THAT YOU PUT FENCES AROUND ALL OF THE CAMPUSES. IS THAT CORRECT? CORRECT. WE, WE, WE STARTED DOING THAT JUST AS A SAFETY PRECAUTION. THAT WAS PROBABLY ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO. AND IT'S TAKEN A WHILE. I DON'T KNOW THAT WE'VE DONE ALL SCHOOLS, BUT THAT'S ONE SAFETY PRECAUTION. NANCY. UM, HOW MANY STUDENTS DO WE HAVE IN THE DISTRICT NOW AND IS THAT, UH, THE POPULATION UP OR DOWN OR WHERE ARE WE? IT, IT'S DOWN A LITTLE BIT. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A LOT OF CHARTER SCHOOLS THAT HAVE MOVED INTO THE AREA, AND WE'RE PROBABLY AT 26, 20 7,000 AND, AND WE'RE FIGHTING TO KEEP THAT. BUT PUBLIC SCHOOL IS, IS HAS NEVER BEEN BETTER. AND I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE PARENTS TO SEND THEIR CHILDREN TO A PUBLIC SCHOOL. I AM A PART OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS. I KNOW YOU ARE. YES. WE BOTH GRADUATED FROM GRAND PRIX HIGH SCHOOL. YES. GRAND PRIX SCHOOLS. UH, THEY'RE THE BEST. THAT THEY ARE. THE VERY BEST THEY ARE. AND, UH, YOU MENTIONED THAT THE, UH, THAT THE SCHOOL BOARD HELPS TO DETERMINE WHO THE SUPERINTENDENT IS. YES. AND TELL US ABOUT OUR SUPERINTENDENT. OUR SUPERINTENDENT IS LINDA ELLIS. SHE CAME UP THROUGH THE RANKS. SHE STARTED AS A TEACHER. SHE WAS A PRINCIPAL. WE WERE PRINCIPALS TOGETHER. SHE, WE WERE DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENTS TOGETHER. SO SHE KNOWS THE, THE DISTRICT. SHE KNOWS THE JOB. AND SHE'S DONE A WONDERFUL JOB. THAT IS EXCELLENT. THANK YOU FOR MENTIONING HER. NANCY, I KNOW IT'S NEARLY TIME TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL. MM-HMM . IT'S WHEN DOES SCHOOL START AND HOW CAN WE HELP THE PARENTS AND THE STUDENTS GET READY, PREPARED FOR THAT AUGUST 14TH, PARENTS NEED TO GO ONLINE AND REGISTER, MAKE SURE THEIR CHILD IS READY FOR THAT FIRST DAY. ALSO, WE HAVE MANY, MANY NEEDS FOR OUR, OUR STUDENTS IN GRAND PRAIRIE. WE HAVE A SOCIAL WORK HUB. THEY PROVIDE SCHOOL SUPPLIES, THEY PROVIDE CLOTHES, THEY EVEN PROVIDE UNIFORMS FOR CAMPUSES THAT REQUIRE THAT. AND YOU CAN REACH THEM AT 9 7 2 5 2 2 7 0 7 0. BLANCA MCGEE IS THE COUNSELOR IN CHARGE THERE. SO IF YOU WOULD CALL, LET HER KNOW IF YOU NEED CLOTHES, SCHOOL SUPPLIES, BACKPACKS. WE ARE THERE TO SERVE OUR FAMILIES. THAT IS EXCELLENT. I KNOW KIDS INCORPORATED ALSO YES. PROVIDES SHOES. AND, UM, YES. YOU AND I BOTH ARE A PART OF THAT ORGANIZATION. AND IT IS GREAT. IT WAS STARTED MANY, MANY, MANY YEARS AGO. AND IT'S PROGRESSED THROUGHOUT THE YEARS. BUT WE HAVE NEW CLOTHES FOR STUDENTS, NEW SHOES. UNIFORMS. UNIFORMS. YES. SO IF, IF PARENTS WOULD JUST CALL, WE ARE GLAD TO HELP THEM. AND THERE ARE MANY ORGANIZATIONS I KNOW THAT HAVE BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLIES AND BACKPACKS THAT WILL BE THERE. IS ANY OF THAT LISTED ON THE, UH, G-P-I-S-D WEBSITE? IT IS. AND ALSO A MAILER WENT OUT TO EVERY FAMILY IN GRAND PRAIRIE, WHETHER YOU HAVE STUDENTS OR NOT. YOU GOT THE MAILER. SO IT LISTS ALL THAT TOO. BUT I ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO CALL OUR SOCIAL WORK HUB IF THEY NEED HELP. YES. THAT IS SO VERY IMPORTANT. AND THANK YOU FOR BRINGING US THAT INFORMATION MM-HMM . AND FOR JOINING US TODAY ON THE SHOW. YOU HAVE BEEN A DELIGHTFUL GUEST AND HAVE GOOD INFORMATION. I'VE THOROUGHLY ENJOYED IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK. GRAND PRAIRIE, IT'S TIME TO BAG THE BAG AND GRAB THE BIN. THE CITY IS NO LONGER COLLECTING RECYCLED ITEMS IN PLASTIC BAGS BECAUSE PLASTIC BAGS DAMAGE PROCESSING EQUIPMENT. INSTEAD, USE YOUR RECYCLING BIN TO HOLD ITEMS FOR PICKUP. AND REMEMBER, ONLY GLASS BOTTLES AND JARS, METAL CANS AND PAPER PRODUCTS ARE OKAY. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT GPTX.ORG/RECYCLING. WELCOME BACK AND WELCOME TO OUR TWO NEXT WONDERFUL GUEST. WELCOME CHIP. AND WELCOME, ALINA. THANK YOU. GLAD TO HAVE Y'ALL TODAY. NOW, I KNOW YOU BOTH HAVE SPECIAL TITLES WITH THE CITY OF GRAND PRAIRIE. SO CHIP, START OFF AND LOOK IN THE CAMERA AND TELL, TELL 'EM YOUR TITLE WITH THE CITY. SURE. I'M, I'M THE DOWNTOWN MANAGER FOR THE CITY OF GRAND PRAIRIE. YES. AND YOU'VE BEEN WITH THE CITY HOW LONG? 21 YEARS THIS YEAR. 21 YEARS. AND WHERE DID YOU START? STARTED AT THE RUTHIE JACKSON CENTER. I WAS THE FIRST GENERAL MANAGER OUT THERE. YES. THAT IS GREAT. AND NOW YOU'RE DOWNTOWN. AND THAT'S SO EXCITING. VERY, VERY EXCITING. WE'VE GOT A LOT OF THINGS COMING DOWNTOWN. UH, NEW RESTAURANTS HAVE MOVED IN RECENTLY. WE'VE, UH, GOT PLANS TO DO A PROJECT FOR MAIN STREET. THAT'S GONNA BE VERY EXCITING THAT YOU'LL BE HEARING A LOT ABOUT IT IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS. YES. WE COULD DO A WHOLE PROGRAM ON THAT SOMEDAY. YES, MA'AM. WE COULD. AND YOU HAVE A BEAUTIFUL LADY WITH YOU. AND WOULD YOU PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF [00:10:01] AND TELL US YOUR TITLE WITH THE CITY OF GRAND PRAIRIE? OF COURSE. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME FIRST. MY NAME IS ALINA HARRIS. I'M THE NEW NEIGHBORHOOD AND VOLUNTEER SERVICES COORDINATOR. BEEN IN THIS ROLE FOR PROBABLY ABOUT SIX MONTHS, AND I'M VERY EXCITED TO BE PART OF SUCH A GREAT ORGANIZATION AND GREAT TEAM . YES. AND YOU ALL DO MAKE A GREAT TEAM TOGETHER AND, UH, VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR AND NEIGHBORHOOD AND VOLUNTEER. YES, MA'AM. THAT IS SUCH AN EXCITING TITLE, AND I LOVE THE FACT THAT YOU GET TO HELP US GET MORE VOLUNTEERS. I, I LOVE THAT TOO. AND GRAND PRAIRIE'S KNOWN AS WILLING TO VOLUNTEER LEFT AND RIGHT TO MAKE THE COMMUNITY BETTER. AND I'M HAPPY TO BE PART OF THIS. YES. UH, WE WERE JUST TALKING THE OTHER DAY ABOUT THE VALUE OF OUR VOLUNTEERS TO OUR CITY. THEY, THEIR TIME, THEIR ENERGY, THEIR SKILLS THAT THEY, UH, DEVOTE TO GRAND PRAIRIE ARE JUST, UH, AMAZING. ABSOLUTELY. AND I'M SURE WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO BRING MORE VOLUNTEERS AND DO BEAUTIFUL THINGS FOR GRAND PRIX. NOW, BEFORE WE TALK ABOUT THE MAIN TOPIC FOR TODAY, TELL PEOPLE IF THEY WANT TO BECOME A VOLUNTEER, WOULD YOU TELL THEM HOW THEY COULD DO THAT? ABSOLUTELY. THEY'RE ALWAYS, WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS. THEN WE AL ALWAYS HAVE VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES. AND THE BEST WAY TO DO IS GO ON THE WEBSITE, UH, CITI WEBSITE, GPTX.ORG/VOLUNTEERS. AND A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE GONNA BE THERE. NOW, YESTERDAY, I WAS SO EXCITED TO GET TO SEE WHAT WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT. NOW. IT'S THE CITIZENS ARE GONNA LOVE THIS. TELL US WHAT, WHAT WE SAW YESTERDAY. WELL, WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO HAVE A NEW PROGRAM IN THE CITY. IT'S THE TOOL LANDING, UH, TRAILER, THE TOOL LANDING PROGRAM WHERE A CITIZEN CAN BORROW FOR FREE, UM, ANY TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT THAT THEY CAN JUST WORK ON. VARIETY OF PROJECTS THAT THEY HAVE. UM, STARTING FROM MOWING THE YARD AND MAINTAIN THE, THE, THE YARD AND, UH, OUR PRESSURE WASHER , WHICH IS OUR MOST POPULAR, UH, TOOL AT THE MOMENT. AND WE HAVE RESERVATION TILL OCTOBER. SO EVERYBODY'S LOOKING FOR TOOLS. EVERYBODY'S EXCITED FOR THIS PROGRAM. SO, UM, I LIKE TO SEE SMILES ON PEOPLE'S FACES WHEN THEY COME AND BORROW THAT AND BRING IT BACK. AND THANK US FOR, FOR HAVING THIS PROGRAM. YES. AND HOW LONG HAS THIS PROGRAM BEEN IN PLACE? IT STARTED JUNE 9TH. MM-HMM . SO WE'RE FAIRLY NEW. YES. BUT IT'S VERY POPULAR THEN. DEMAND IS VERY HIGH. YES. AND THAT IS SO GOOD. UM, NOW IT IS A, AS YOU SAID, A TRUCK AND IT'S FULL OF ALL KIND OF WONDERFUL TOOLS IF THEY WANT TO TRIM THE TREES, IF THEY WANT TO MOW THE LAWN OR DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT RAKE. UH, NOT THAT WE REALLY WANT TO, BUT WE NEED TO TO KEEP OUR, UH, CITY BEAUTIFUL. UH, TELL US HOW THEY WOULD GO ABOUT RESERVING A TIME FOR THAT. OF COURSE. SO, UH, THERE IS ALSO A GTX.ORG/TOOLS. OUR INVENTORY IS ONLINE, SO, UH, THE RESIDENTS CAN GO THERE AND SEE WHAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO, UM, RESERVE. UM, I WILL GET THE RESERVATION AND BASED ON THE INVENTORY THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE, I WOULD GET BACK WITH THEM AND TELL THEM EXACTLY WHAT TOOLS ARE AVAILABLE AND WHAT'S THE LOCATION FOR THEM TO PICK UP. OUR PICKUP TIMES ARE ON FRIDAYS FROM FOUR TO 6, 4 30 TO SIX 30 AND DROP OFF OUR MONDAY FROM FOUR 30 TO SIX 30. CURRENTLY LOCATION IS CITY HALL. UM, AND I THINK THAT IS A GREAT LOCATION FOR ALL OUR RESIDENTS. THEY KNOW IT BETTER AND THEY KNOW WHERE TO COME. RIGHT. AND SO IT'S OPEN TO ANYONE IN THE THAT'S A RESIDENT OF THE CITY OF GRAND PRAIRIE? YES, MA'AM. ANYBODY THAT IS A RESIDENT AND HAVE, UH, A GRAND PRAIRIE ADDRESS OR A UTILITY BILL, UH, THAT REFLECTS GRAND PRAIRIE RESIDENCY, UH, ARE JUST MORE THAN WELCOME TO COME AND GET A TOOL FROM US. AND THAT'S FREE OF CHARGE? THAT IS FREE OF CHARGE. YES, MA'AM. OH, UH, NO WONDER IT'S SO POPULAR. IT IS. YES. THAT IS SUCH A GREAT PERK FOR OUR CITIZENS. IT IS. I'M SO GLAD YOU ALL ARE DOING THAT. AND CHIP, DID YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THAT? WELL, I, ALINA WORKS WITH, WITH US AND OUR DOWNTOWN TEAM, OUR DOWNTOWN SERVICES TEAM, UH, SHE'S BEEN AN INCREDIBLE ADDITION TO US. UH, THE TOOL LENDING TRAILER IS PART OF OUR TEAM. UH, ALINA ADMINISTERS IT, UH, BUT I ALSO HAVE TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT BECAUSE IT'S THOSE GUYS THAT ACTUALLY DRIVE THE TRAILER AND BRING IT ON SITE. HELP US MAINTAIN THE TOOLS, HELP US WITH LOADING THE TOOLS IN, UH, OUR CITIZENS VEHICLES WHEN THEY'RE DELIVERED. SO WE'VE GOT A COUPLE OF GUYS FROM THE PARKS AND RECREATION, UH, PARK [00:15:01] SERVICES TEAM THAT ARE A HUGE HELP. AND WE COULDN'T DO IT WITHOUT A, UM, IT JUST PROVES THAT THE CITY WORKS WELL TOGETHER AND IT'S A GREAT THING. YES, IT IS FABULOUS. AND I MET ONE OF THOSE GENTLEMEN, WHAT WAS HIS NAME? JAMES JONES IS, IS OUR, ONE OF OUR GUYS THAT COMES OUT AND WORKS WITH US EACH WEEK. UH, AND JAMES HAS BEEN WITH THE CITY FOR ABOUT NINE OR 10 YEARS NOW, ALL THE TIME. THAT TIME IN PARK SERVICES. IF YOU DON'T SEE HIM WITH THE TOOL LENDING TRAILER, YOU'LL FIND HIM OUT CLEANING UP YOUR PARKS AROUND TOWN. HE IS SUCH A KIND GENTLEMAN. AND YES, MA'AM. SOUNDS LIKE HE'S, UH, VERY VALUABLE TO THE CITY. INCREDIBLY VALUABLE. WE'VE GOT SOME GREAT TEAM MEMBERS OVER THERE. UH, GREAT TEAM MEMBERS IN DOWNTOWN. SO IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, YOU KNOW, THE CITY OF GRAND PRAIRIE IS VERY BLESSED WITH THE EMPLOYEES AND, UH, THE PARTNERS THAT CHOOSE TO WORK WITH US. YES. AND CHIP, IF, IF ANYONE HAPPENED TO WANT TO COME TO, UH, YOUR OFFICE, WHERE DO YOU OFFICE? SO WE, WE ACTUALLY OFFICE IN THE CITY HALL ANNEX, WHICH IS RIGHT ON MAIN STREET. THE ADDRESS IS THREE 18 WEST MAIN. UH, IT'S THE FORMER CITY HALL, UH, THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL KNOW. IT'S ALSO WHERE PEOPLE STILL LIKE TO COME AND TRY TO PAY THEIR WATER BILLS. YES. . BUT THAT'S BEEN MOVED NOW TO THE, TO THE BACK, TO THE MAIN PART OF CITY HALL. UH, SO WE'RE RIGHT ON MAIN STREET RIGHT IN DOWNTOWN AND WE ARE ABLE TO SERVICE THE DOWNTOWN BUSINESSES BETTER FROM THAT LOCATION. UM, AND AGAIN, BEING AT CITY HALL, AS ALINA SAID, IS JUST A VERY CONVENIENT PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO SEE US. IT IS. AND VERY CONVENIENT TO COME GET THOSE TOOLS AS WELL. YES. AND THEY GET TO KEEP THEM ALL WEEKEND. YES. THEY GET TO KEEP THEM FOR THREE DAYS. I THINK. THAT IS GREAT. WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING THIS WONDERFUL PROGRAM WITH OUR VIEWERS. WE KNOW THAT YOU'RE GONNA BE BUSY, UH, JUST TAKING CARE OF BOOKING THOSE, UH, TOOLS IN THE TRUCK. YES, MA'AM. THANKS FOR HAVING US OUT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU SO MUCH. A PLEASURE TO BE HERE AND WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK. THE CITY OF GRAND PRAIRIE OFFERS ALERT GP, A HIGH SPEED COMMUNICATION SERVICE FOR EMERGENCY NOTIFICATIONS. RECEIVE ALERTS FROM THE GRAND PRAIRIE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT TEAM BY GOING TO THE CITY'S WEBSITE AND FOLLOWING THE SIGNUP INSTRUCTIONS ALERT. GP CAN NOTIFY A LOT OF PEOPLE IN A SHORT TIME. IT TARGETS THE ENTIRE CITY OR SPECIFIC AREAS WHERE CRITICAL COMMUNITY ALERTS ARE NECESSARY. IF WE CAN'T REACH YOU, WE CAN'T ALERT YOU. VISIT GPTX.ORG/ALERT GP AND SIGN UP TODAY. WELCOME BACK AND WELCOME TO OUR NEXT GUEST, ZANE KING, WHO'S BECOMING A REGULAR ON ITS HAPPENING. WELCOME. THANK YOU MR. GEORGE. I I'M HAPPY TO BE HERE AS ALWAYS. YES. AND YOU'RE A REGULAR BECAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH HAPPENING. AT EPIC CENTRAL. RIGHT? THERE REALLY IS. UH, YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAVE LAUNCHED ELUVIA SINCE THE LAST TIME WE TALKED AND, UM, WE ARE SEEING TREMENDOUS CROWDS THAT, UH, HAVE EXCEEDED OUR EXPECTATIONS. BUT, UM, THERE'S ALWAYS ROOM FOR PEOPLE TO COME OUT. WE HAVE EXTRA PARKING OPEN UP AT EPIC AND EPIC CENTER OR EPIC WATERS AND AT, UH, EPIC, UH, WORKOUT CENTER. SO THERE'S PLENTY OF PARKING. SO CONTINUE TO COME ON OUT. AND ZANE, CAN YOU SEE THE SHOW FROM EITHER SIDE OF THE WATER OR YOU CAN SEE THE FOUNTAINS FROM BOTH SIDES, BUT IF YOU REALLY WANT THE FULL EXPERIENCE, YOU NEED TO BE ON THE RESTAURANT SIDE, STANDING ON THE, STANDING ON THE EVENT LAWN OR SITTING ON THE, UH, SIDEWALKS. THAT'S THE BEST VIEWING FOR IT. SO THEY CAN JUST WALK OVER THE BRIDGE AND SEE IT FROM THAT SIDE. IS THAT CORRECT? ABSOLUTELY. AND THEY CAN GET A, GET A DRINK TO, UH, QUENCH THEIR THIRST AND GET A BURGER OR A GET A BURGER FROM CHICKEN AND PICKLE OR GET A, UH, PULLED PORK SANDWICH FROM LOOP NINE. YES. BECAUSE LOOP NINE'S THERE AND THE FI AND CHICKEN AND PICKLE AND CHICKEN AND PICKLE. AND THEN MORE TO COME AS, UH, SOON. YES MA'AM. THE DOOR WILL BE OPENING IN SEPTEMBER AND THEN SERIOUS EATS WILL FOLLOW AFTER THAT. AND THEN, UH, IN THE MEANTIME WE DO HAVE A FEW VENDORS OUT SELLING SNOW CONES AND FUNNEL CAKES AND ICE CREAM AND WA BOTTLED WATER. SO YES, YOU COME ON OUT AND YOU CAN HAVE A GOOD TIME AND YOU GET A FREE SHOW AT ELUVIA. ABSOLUTELY. AND IT'S BEEN VERY POPULAR AND I'M SO HAPPY. YES, MA'AM. SO HAPPY THAT OUR CITIZENS ARE ENJOYING IT AND WE'RE BRINGING PEOPLE IN FROM OTHER CITIES AS WELL, SO THAT'S GOOD. ABSOLUTELY. NOW WE HAVE SOMETHING COMING UP IN SEPTEMBER. YES. THAT'S GOING TO BE EXCITING THERE AT EPIC CENTRAL. WHAT IS THAT? THAT IS THE EPIC AND ARTS, MUSIC AND OR THE EPIC AND EPIC ARTS AND MUSIC, UH, WEEKEND. SO THIS IS SEPTEMBER THE 16TH AND 17TH. IT'S TWO DAYS, UH, 12 TO 7:00 PM ON SATURDAY AND 12 TO 6:00 PM ON SUNDAY. WE'RE GONNA HAVE ABOUT 70 PLUS VENDORS. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ART DEMONSTRATIONS. UH, JOAQUIN SOTO AND GPIS DO G-P-I-S-D WELDING STUDENTS ARE BRINGING OUT THEIR, UH, WELDING SCULPTURES. WE'RE GONNA HAVE A SCULPTURE WALK. UM, WE'RE GONNA HAVE LIVE MUSIC, UH, LIVE ART FOOD VENDORS, ABOUT 70 PLUS VENDORS. AND SO, AND THE GREAT THING IS THAT IF YOU'RE A GRAND PRAIRIE RESIDENT, YOU CAN [00:20:01] BE A PART OF THIS EVENT FOR A HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR JUST BOTH OF THOSE DAYS. WOW. IF I WANTED TO BE A VENDOR AND HAVE A LITTLE TABLE YES MA'AM. A HUNDRED DOLLARS. THAT'S GOOD. SO EVEN SCHOOLS CAN COME THAT MIGHT WANNA FUNDRAISER THAT WAY. ABSOLUTELY. AND IF THEY GO TO EPIC CENTRAL.COM AND THERE IS A BECOME A VENDOR, UH, TAB AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE, THEY CAN SEND IN THEIR INFORMATION. WE REVIEW THOSE ON A WEEKLY BASIS AND, UH, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A GREAT TIME. BUT THAT ALSO LEADS US TO, UH, THE MONARCH BUTTERFLY FESTIVAL THAT WE'RE HAVING IN OCTOBER. OH, CAN WE TALK ABOUT ONE OF MY VERY FAVORITE EVENTS NOW? ABSOLUTELY. I LOVE THAT FLIGHT OF THE MONARCHS. MM-HMM . THE RETURN OF FLIGHT OF THE MONARCHS, THE RETURN OF THE FLIGHT OF THE MONARCHS . AND SO WE'RE SO EXCITED TO BRING THIS BACK. UH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THE TRADITIONAL BUTTERFLY RELEASE. IT'S GOING TO BE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST, BUT WE ARE GOING TO DO SOME MASS BUTTERFLY RELEASES. UH, WE WILL ALSO HAVE VENDORS AND COMMUNITY GROUPS OUT THERE. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE FAMILY FRIENDLY MUSIC FOR ALL THE KIDS. UH, WE'RE GONNA HAVE SOME REALLY EXCITING ART INSTALLATIONS THAT'LL BE PUT UP, UM, AROUND THE SITE. BUT REALLY THIS IS A COMMUNITY FOCUSED EVENT. WE WANT TO INVITE EVERYBODY OUT. UH, ONCE AGAIN, IT'S FREE, UM, THE VENDORS THAT THEY CAN APPLY THROUGH EPIC CENTRAL.COM ONCE AGAIN. BUT WE WANT EVERYONE TO COME OUT AND JUST CELEBRATE, UH, THIS AMAZING, UH, CREATURE THAT FLIES OVER, UH, TEXAS ON ITS MIGRATION. AND WE WANNA CELEBRATE ITS BEAUTY AND ITS WONDER AND ALL THE WONDERFUL THINGS IT DOES. YES. AND WE DID THAT FOR MANY YEARS AND THEN WE STOPPED BECAUSE OF ALL THE CONSTRUCTION MM-HMM . AT EPIC CENTRAL. BUT NOW WE CAN RETURN THE MONARCHS TO EPIC CENTRAL AREA AND, UH, THAT'S GOING TO BE SO EXCITING, JUST SEEING THOSE AGAIN. AND WE MIGHT HAVE SOME KITES OR SOME THINGS LIKE THAT. WE'RE WORKING ON A, WE'RE WORKING ON SOME ART INSTALLATIONS WITH SOME BUTTERFLY KITES. WE'RE WORKING WITH, UH, SOME CHALK ARTISTS TO BRING SOME BUTTERFLY, UH, CHALK ART. AND THEN, UM, WE HAVE A NEW EXCITING, UH, AUGMENTED REALITY DEVICE THAT WE'RE PUTTING BUTTERFLIES ON. SO IF YOU LOVE BUTTERFLIES AND IF YOU LOVE ALL THINGS NATURE, OCTOBER THE, UH, 14TH IS THE DAY YOU WANT TO BE AT EPIC CENTRAL. YES. THAT IS GOING TO BE SUCH A BLESSING TO GET TO SEE THAT AND OUR CITIZENS LOVE IT. AND PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE METROPLEX. I'VE HAD PEOPLE ASK ME ABOUT THAT, UH, FROM DALLAS OR WHATEVER. UH, WHEN DO WE GET TO SEE THE MONARCHS AGAIN? MM-HMM . WELL, YOU CAN TELL 'EM THE MONARCHS ARE RETURNING TO GRAND PRAIRIE OCTOBER THE 14TH. AND UH, LIKE I SAID, MORE INFORMATION WILL BE AVAILABLE ON EPIC CENTRAL.COM. BUT, UH, BUT WE WANT, WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE, LIKE I SAID, ALL OF THE COMMUNITY COULD COME OUT. 'CAUSE THIS IS FOR EVERYONE. YES, IT IS A FAMILY. YES MA'AM. FAMILY, UH, FOCUSED ON THE FAMILY AND THERE WILL BE EVENTS FOR THEM AND IT'S FREE EXCEPT FOR ANYTHING THAT THEY MIGHT WANT TO BUY. AND YES MA'AM. WILL THEY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET FOOD? YES, MA'AM. ALL OF OUR RESTAURANTS WILL BE ON STAFF. WE'LL ALSO MAKE SURE THAT THERE ARE SAMPLING AND TASTING BOOTHS, UM, AT THIS EVENT THAT PEOPLE CAN BUY. UH, SOME HOMEMADE, UH, HOMEMADE DESSERTS OR MAYBE SOME HOMEMADE FUDGE. BUT, UH, THERE WILL BE PLENTY OF FOOD AND DRINK AVAILABLE FOR EVERYONE. AND WHAT TIME WOULD IT START? RIGHT NOW THE HOURS ARE FROM 12 TO 6:00 PM IS WHAT WE HAVE PLANNED. UM, AS WE DEVELOP THAT SCHEDULE A LITTLE BIT MORE, WE'LL START ANNOUNCING SOME OF THE EVENTS, BUT OUR PLAN IS TO HAVE AT LEAST TWO AND HOPEFULLY THREE BUTTERFLY RELEASES THROUGHOUT THAT TIMEFRAME. OH, THAT'S MY FAVORITE PART. AND I'M SURE THAT'S THE SAME FOR EVERYBODY ELSE THAT'S THERE IS TO SEE THAT, THAT BEAUTY. YES. WELL, IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT YOU ARE MORE THAN BUSY AT EPIC CENTRAL AND THAT'S A GOOD THING FOR ALL OF US. AND, UH, I KNOW THAT YOU'VE PUT A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT AND ENERGY INTO THIS AND PLANNING AND THE CITY HAS AS WELL. AND DO YOU HAVE ANYBODY ON YOUR STAFF THAT YOU'D LIKE TO NAME DROP? YOU KNOW, I GOTTA FIRST AND FOREMOST, UH, THANK MS. CHERYL DA LEON, OUR ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER. SHE IS MY BOSS. SHE IS WHO EPIC IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL OF EPIC CENTRAL. SHE'S BEEN PHENOMENAL. BUT I DO HAVE TWO YOUNG GENTLEMEN, UH, THOMAS, UH, THOMAS BERGEN AND GILBERT GARCIA. THEY ARE BOTH YOUNG MEN THAT ARE FROM THE AREA THAT ARE WORKING WITH US. SO IF YOU SEE 'EM OUT THERE AND THEY'RE EPIC CENTRAL SHIRTS, MAKE SURE YOU TELL 'EM HI. YES. AND EVEN THOUGH SHE'S NOT ON STAFF, MS. AMBER. OH YES, MY WIFE. OF COURSE. YES. THANK YOU. YOU SAVED ME FROM GETTING INTO TROLLS. , MY WIFE IS A CREATIVE FORCE. SHE IS A CREATIVE GENIUS AND A LOT OF THE BEAUTY AND A LOT OF THE AWESOME THINGS THAT PEOPLE SEE AT EPIC CENTRAL IS TIED DIRECTLY TO HER. WELL, WHAT A GREAT TEAM YOU HAVE AND WHAT A BLESSING IT IS TO OUR CITY, AND WE CAN JUST EXPECT BIGGER AND GREATER THINGS IN THE FUTURE. YES, MA'AM. NEW MUSIC'S COMING SOON. YES, , THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING WITH US. THANK YOU, MISS GEORGIA. AND THANK YOU ALL FOR JOINING US TODAY. I'M GEORGIA CLEMSON REMINDING YOU AS ALWAYS, IT'S HAPPENING [00:25:01] IN GRAND PRAIRIE. * 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.