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WE HAVE A LOT ON OUR PLATE TODAY.
UM, WELCOME TO THE TRANSPORTATION AND MOBILITY COMMITTEE MEETING FOR THE MONTH OF MAY.
UM, AS I MENTIONED, WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO, SO WE'LL GET STARTED.
UH, MADAM CLERK, WILL YOU PLEASE CALL ROLE COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ.
COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE PRESENT CHAIR KEO.
[Public Comment ]
THANK YOU, MA'AM.DO WE HAVE, UH, ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS SIGNED UP? OKAY, WE HAVE NO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC SIGNED UP TO SPEAK.
[Approval of Minutes ]
UM, SO NEXT WE'LL BE APPROVING, UH, THE MINUTES FROM THE APRIL MEETING.WERE THERE ANY CORRECTIONS TO THE MINUTES? AND I'LL ENTERTAIN ANY MOTION.
ANY OPPOSED? UM, MOTION PASSES.
[Briefing and Possible Action on ]
WE'RE GONNA ACTUALLY TAKE ITEM THREE FIRST.I WANNA THANK YOU ALL OF YOU WHO, WHO ARE HERE TODAY FOR, FOR THE INTERVIEWS FOR OUR, UM, FOR OUR FIRST ITEM.
BUT IF YOU'LL BE PATIENT WITH US, WHAT WE'D LIKE TO DO IS, IS HAVE A PRESENTATION FROM ZY, UM, THAT WAY HIM AND HIS CREW CAN, CAN GET BACK TO WORK AND, AND WE WILL FOCUS ALL OF OUR ATTENTION ON OUR INTERVIEWEES TODAY.
BUT I DO THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE.
UH, IT'S A PLEASURE TO, I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING YOU GUYS, UH, TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE FOR OUR, OUR CITY.
GOOD AFTERNOON, MADAM CHAIR AND MEMBER OF THE COMMITTEE.
I AM REZI HUI, DIRECTOR CITY ENGINEER FOR PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.
TODAY'S BRIEFING IS TO PROVIDE YOU AN UPDATE ON CAPITAL PROJECT STATUS REPORTING AND IDENTIFY WAYS TO MINIMIZE CONSTRUCTION IMPACT ON THE PUBLIC AND BUSINESSES SEEKING THE COMMITTEE'S INPUT ON PROJECT STATUS REPORTING TO THE COUNCIL, COMMITTEE AND CITY BOARDS, PROVIDE YOU STATUS ON THE RESPONSIBLE BID ORDINANCE AND IMPLEMENTATION.
AND SUMMARIZE SOME OF THE CHANGES TO CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS SUCH AS INCREASING LIQUIDATED DAMAGE OR COMMONLY KNOWN LD DAILY RATE, AND INCORPORATING INCENTIVE PAY FOR QUALIFYING PROJECT FOR EARLY COMPLETION.
IN JANUARY, 2023, CITY COUNCIL APPROVED THE CREATION OF TWO BOARDS TO PROVIDE OVERSIGHT ON STREETS, BRIDGES, SIDEWALK, DRAINAGE, AND FLOOD CONTROL PROGRAM PROJECTS.
ADVISE ON HOW TO IMPROVE OUTREACH AND COMMUNICATION EFFORTS TO RESIDENT AND BUSINESSES AFFECTED BY CONSTRUCTION.
ENSURE TRANSPARENCY IN PRIORITIZATION, FUTURE STREETS, BRIDGES, SIDEWALK, AND DRAINAGE PROJECT INVESTING.
THIS IS SLIDE SUMMARIZED BY PROPOSITION.
THE ASSOCIATED BOARD AND CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE THAT WILL PROVIDE OVERSIGHT AND GUIDING FOR CURRENT AND FUTURE BOUND PROGRAM.
AS YOU CAN SEE ON TOP SLIDE PROPOSITION A, WHICH IS STREETS, BRIDGES AND SIDEWALK WILL BE REPORTING THE NEW PORT, WHICH IS APPOINTED, UH, WILL BE APPOINTED BY COUNCIL FOR STREET AND BRIDGES AND SIDEWALK.
AND THE CITY COMMITTEE WILL BE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE, WHICH WE WILL BE COMING HERE FOR TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE.
THE ONLY PROPOSITION E, WHICH IS PUBLIC SAFETY, DOES NOT HAVE ANY COMMISSIONER TO REPORT.
THEY WILL DIRECTLY REPORT FOR A PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE.
THIS IS THE SAMPLE OF REPORTING.
STAFF WILL BE PRESENTING TO STAFF WILL BE PRESENTING THIS ONE AS NEEDED.
BASE FOR THE BOARD AND COMMISSIONER FOR 2022 BOND PROGRAM.
WE HAVE 62 PROJECT TOTALING 472 MILLION.
SO FAR WE SPEND 1.3 MILLION ALL PROJECT CURRENTLY UNDER DESIGN, OR WILL BE DESIGNING PRETTY SOON.
AND WE HAVE ONE PROJECT UNDER CONSTRUCTION BACKGROUND REGARDING THE RESPONSIBLE BID ORDINANCE.
IN JANUARY, 2023, THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVED RESPONSIBLE BID ORDINANCE, AWARDING THE LOW BID CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT, OR ENTERING INTO THE AGREEMENT WITH THE CONTRACTOR, NOT INDEBTED TO THE CITY.
NOT INVOLVING ANY ACTIVE FAVORABLE CLAIM OR LITIGATION AGAINST THE CITY.
DOES NOT FAIL TO DISCLOSE ANY CRIMINAL LAW VIOLATION, HAS NOT PREVIOUSLY CONTRACT TERMINATED BY CO FOR CAUSE.
AND OF COURSE, WITH HISTORY OF PERFORMING CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATION OR GOOD QUALITY OF THE
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WORK.AND ON TIME SCORECARD RATING FIRM, THE HISTORY OF THE POOR PERFORMANCE OF ITS CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATION, INCLUDING ANY NON-CONFORMANCE WITH PROJECT REQUIREMENT.
PROJECT SCORE RATED BELOW 70 WITHIN THE PAST THREE YEARS.
TIMEOUT WILL BE SEVEN YEARS, I'M SORRY, THREE YEARS.
AND THEY HAVE TO PROVIDE US OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENT FOR US TO ENTER WITH CONTRACT WITH THEM.
WHAT WE HAVE DONE SO FAR ON THIS RESPONSIBLE ORDINANCE, WE HAVE TRAINED OUR STAFF HOW TO USE IT.
WE ALSO HAD A NUMBER OF THE MEETING WITH CONTRACTOR, DISCUSS WITH THEM.
WE ARE GOING TO INCLUDE THIS ONE AS PART OF OUR FUTURE CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT.
AND ALSO DURING THE PRE-CONSTRUCTION, WE WILL MEET WITH EACH CONTRACTOR AND DISCUSS THIS SCORECARD WITH THEM.
LIQUIDATED DAMAGE OR COMMONLY KNOWING.
AS I MENTIONED, LD ARE MONETARY DAMAGE FROM THE CONTRACTOR TO COMPENSATE THE CITY FOR THE CONTRACTOR.
FAILURE TO COMPLETE THE PROJECT ON TIME, INCUR ACTUAL DAMAGE FOR AFFECTED PROJECT AREA.
INABILITY TO USE THE STREETS AND SIDEWALK AND SPEED IT.
BUSINESS IMPACT MUST BE CALCULATED BASED ON THE COST OF THE ACTUAL DAMAGE IS NOT, THIS IS NOT REALLY A WAY FOR US TO MAKE MONEY.
WE HAVE TO CALCULATE BASED ON HOW MUCH DAMAGE IT COSTS TO CITY, WE ARE GOING TO USE TEXT OUT STANDARD REGARDING THE EVALUATION.
HOW MUCH LIQUIDATE DAMAGE SHOULD WE INCLUDE FOR EACH PROJECT? THE DISCUSSION LAST FEW MONTHS HAS BEEN ALSO WE NEED TO INCLUDE INCENTIVE PAY FOR CONTRACTOR TO HAVE THEM TO PROJECT FINISH EARLY.
IF THEY FINISH A PROJECT EARLIER, WE WILL PAY THEM ADDITIONAL MONEY.
THIS IS THE PUBLIC WORK AND CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE WORK TOGETHER TO CREATE CRITERIA FOR QUALIFYING PROJECT.
PROJECT WILL MEET AT MINIMUM OF THREE OR MORE SUMMARIZED CRITERIA TO QUALIFY FOR INCENTIVE PAY FOR EARLY COMPETITION.
MINIMIZE THE AMOUNT OF THE INCENTIVE PAY WILL BE DEPENDENT ON THE PROJECT BUDGET.
THE CRITERIA IS SUCH AS LOCATED WITHIN TOURIST HISTORICAL DOWNTOWN AND BUSINESS DISTRICT.
THIS IS ONE OF THE CRITERIA LOCATED ALONG A MAJOR CORRIDOR.
SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON STAKEHOLDER AND BUSINESSES AND OTHER CRITERIA, SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE DELIVERY OF ESSENTIAL CITY SERVICES.
SIGNIFICANT WORK REQUIRE IN FRONT OF FACILITY, PROVIDE IMPORTANT PUBLIC SERVICE SUCH AS HOSPITAL WELLNESS CLINICS, SENIOR CENTER AND UNIVERSITY AND SCHOOLS.
NEXT STEP FINALIZING THE MYTHOLOGY OF THE CALCULATION, L D N PROJECT INCENTIVE PAY.
WE ARE PLANNING TO INCORPORATE THESE ON THE FUTURE NEAR FUTURE CONTRACT.
ANYTIME WE HAVE A CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT, WE WILL INCLUDE THIS.
MADAME CHAIR, THIS IS INAM MY PRESENTATION.
I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTION YOU MAY HAVE.
THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UH, I'M REALLY EXCITED TO SEE THIS, UH, THE RESPONSIBLE BITTER ORDINANCE BEING IMPLEMENTED INTO OUR BOND PROJECTS.
I THINK THAT THIS ORDINANCE IS A REALLY GOOD EXAMPLE OF THIS COUNCIL.
UM, NOT JUST RESPONDING TO THE NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY, BUT BUT BEING MORE PROACTIVE AND TRYING TO PREVENT ISSUES FROM HAPPENING, UM, THAT AFFECT NOT ONLY OUR RESIDENTS, BUT OUR BUSINESSES.
SO I'M REALLY GRATEFUL TO SEE THAT IT, IT WORKING, UM, BEING IMPLEMENTED.
UM, IN SLIDE 10, YOU TALKED ABOUT INCENTIVES FOR EARLY COMPLETION.
YOU MENTIONED THE SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON STAKEHOLDERS, BUSINESSES, UH, DELIVERY OF ESSENTIAL CITY SERVICES ALSO MENTIONED, UM, THE SIGNIFICANT WORK REQUIRED IN, IN FRONT OF FACILITIES PROVIDING VITAL PUBLIC SERVICES, UM, LIKE HOSPICES, UH, WELLNESS CLINICS, THINGS LIKE THAT.
I'M, I'M CURIOUS WHAT, WHAT IS, WHAT IS, UM, MEANT BY SIGNIFICANT IMPACT? WHAT, WHAT IS THE KIND OF CRITERIA FOR IT BEING SIGNIFICANT? SIGNIFICANT IMPACT? WE ARE GOING TO LIMIT THIS EXCESS OR REDUCE THAT EXCESS FOR LONG DURATION.
IF IT IS ONE OR TWO DAY, WE PROBABLY CAN WORK.
BUT WE ARE BUILDING A VERY DEEP DRAINAGE SYSTEM IN FRONT OF HOSPITAL.
WE KNOW IT'S GOING TO TAKE ONE MONTH.
I THINK THAT'S GOING TO BE SIGNIFICANT IMPACT.
OF COURSE, ALSO IS REALLY JUDGMENT.
WHICH PROJECT WILL BE GOING BACK FOR THE RESPONSIBLE ORDINANCE? MADAM CHAIR IS MAKING WAVE IN STATE OF TEXAS.
ROD AND I HAD MEETING WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN TWO, THREE WEEKS AGO.
THEY WERE ASKING US WHAT DID WE DO, HOW WE DID DO.
AND WE SPENT ALMOST ONE HOUR TO EDUCATING THEM THE
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PROCESS WE WENT THROUGH.AND OF COURSE WE MENTIONED THE FIVE SIGNATURES CAME FROM YOUR OFFICE.
THEY'RE GOING TO BASICALLY, I DON'T KNOW IF IT HAS COPYRIGHT OR NOT, THEY'RE GOING TO USE IN THEIR CITY ALSO.
I'M GONNA CALL IT COPYCAT, BUT HIGH FIVE.
I MEAN, GOOD JOB TO YOU GUYS FOR, I MEAN, I THINK THAT'S WONDERFUL, UM, TO HAVE AN IMPACT LIKE THAT.
NOT JUST IN OUR OWN COMMUNITY, BUT, UM, REACHING OUT TO OUR COUSINS DOWN THE ROAD AND THEN, UM, HOPEFULLY THE REST OF THE STATE I THINK IS PHENOMENAL.
AND I HAD NUMBER OF THE MEETING WITH CONTRACTORS.
MOST OF THE GOOD, GOOD CONTRACTORS ARE HAPPY BECAUSE THEY WANT A YES.
NOT THERE TO MAKE THEIR NAME TO BE BAD.
I'LL TELL YOU, WHEN WE WERE, UM, NOT TO GO OFF TOO ON, ON A TANGENT, BUT WHEN WE WERE, UH, DISCUSSING BRINGING THIS TO COUNCIL, UM, WE WERE, WE TALKED TO A LOT OF CONTRACTORS.
I DIDN'T HAVE ANY, NOT ONE OF 'EM SAY THAT THIS WAS GONNA BE BAD FOR THEIR BUSINESS BECAUSE THEY'RE GOOD CONTRACTORS, RIGHT? MM-HMM.
SO, UH, I'M REALLY, REALLY GRATEFUL TO SEE THAT THIS IS WORKING HERE, UM, IN OUR COMMUNITY AND, AND, UH, AND, AND THEN LOOKS LIKE ACROSS THE STATE, HOPEFULLY.
UM, BUT, BUT MAINLY BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT IT'S GOING TO HAVE, NOT ON OUR, NOT ONLY ON OUR RESIDENTS, BUT AS YOU MENTIONED, UM, HOSPITALS, UM, SIGNIFICANT SERVICE PROVIDERS, AND THEN, UM, OUR BUSINESSES.
UM, BUT SO GOING BACK TO THAT QUESTION, THE SIGNIFICANT IMPACT, UH, I THINK YOU, YOU, THE KEY TO ME, UM, FROM WHAT YOU SAID, MY TAKEAWAY IS IT HAS TO BE KIND OF LEFT UP TO JUDGMENT BECAUSE MAYBE THE CITY DOESN'T DETERMINE IT.
THAT IT IS, DOES HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT, BUT MAYBE THAT BUSINESS OR THAT PROVIDER COMES IN AND SAYS, THIS IS HOW IT IMPACTS US, AND THEN WE CAN PIVOT RIGHT.
SO I THINK THAT'S, UM, FANTASTIC.
UM, AND WITH THAT, I'M GONNA MOVE ON TO COMMITTEE QUESTIONS.
COULD WE TAKE A LOOK AT, I THINK IT'S, UH, SLIDE SEVEN.
I WANNA MAKE SURE I HAVE A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING, UH, OF WHAT YOU'RE SAYING HERE.
AND I'LL JUST TELL YOU MY INTERPRETATION.
THE CITY'S GONNA GO BACK AND LOOK AT CONTRACTORS OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS, AND THEY'RE GONNA LOOK FOR ANYONE WHO HAD, UH, A SCORECARD RATED BELOW 70%.
AND THEN I, I GET TO SOMETHING THAT SAYS TIMEOUT PHASE THREE YEARS.
DOES THAT MEAN THAT THEY WON'T BE ALLOWED TO BID FOR THREE YEARS? CORRECT.
AND AFTER THREE YEARS STILL THEY HAVE TO PROVIDE US, THEY HAVE DONE SOME OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENT.
THEY HAVE CHANGED MANAGER, THEY HAVE MORE FINANCIAL RESOURCE, THEY HAVE MORE CREW.
'CAUSE THEY HAVE TO REALLY JUSTIFY WHY THEY HAVE, THEY'RE GOING TO DO A BETTER JOB THAN THEY DID THREE YEARS AGO.
COULD IT BE, FOR EXAMPLE, IF THEY WENT TO WORK FOR THE COUNTY OR A SCHOOL DISTRICT OR ANOTHER TOWN AND THEY DID A, A VERY GOOD JOB, AND THAT TOWN VERIFIED, THEY DID A VERY GOOD JOB.
WOULD THAT BE A USEFUL TOOL IN EVALUATING THAT THEY'VE KIND OF IMPROVED THEMSELVES TO BE ACCEPTED BY THE CITY? YES.
COUNCILMAN, OUR, WE NEED, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK.
OUR, THIS ORDINANCE REALLY BRING THEIR ATTENTION.
WE MEAN BUSINESS, RIGHT? IF THEY REALLY CAN DO A GOOD JOB, IMPROVE TO US WITH SOME OTHER AGENTS, THEY HAVE DONE A GOOD JOB.
WE HAVE NO REASON TO NOT RECOMMENDING CITY COUNCIL FOR APPROVAL.
UM, AND THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, I GUESS WHAT I'M WONDERING, AND IT MIGHT NOT BE READY RIGHT NOW, BUT WHAT I WOULD LOVE, UH, FOR US TO EVALUATE IS WHAT IS THE STATE OF THE CONSTRUCTION WORKFORCE RIGHT NOW? AND IS THERE ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO TO ENSURE THAT CONTRACTORS HAVE AN ADEQUATE WORKFORCE TO MEET THE DEMAND FOR OUR STREET REPAIR AND CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS? IT HAS BEEN CHALLENGES SINCE COVID, ALMOST EVERYBODY.
THEY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH RESOURCES.
LIKE WE DON'T HAVE EITHER IN CITY, THEY'RE HAVING DIFFICULTY TO HIRING PEOPLE.
AND ALSO THERE'S A LOT OF WORK.
WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND TECHSTAR AND OTHER AGENCY HAS A LOT OF WORK ALSO.
YEAH, I WOULD, I'LL SAY THAT A LOT OF THE BIGGER JOBS THAT YOU SEE, UH, WE DO AN R F P, AN R F Q OR REQUEST FOR A COMPETITIVE SEAL PROPOSAL.
AT THAT POINT, WE CAN ACTUALLY INTERVIEW THE CONTRACTORS AND WE CAN ASK THOSE QUESTIONS.
UH, YOU KNOW, WHO ARE YOUR SUBS AND, AND ASK ABOUT ADEQUATE STAFF.
IT'S, UH, IT'S THE LOW BIDS WHERE WE WERE HAVING TROUBLE.
AND, UH, THANKS TO YOUR COLLEAGUE HERE, UH, I, I THINK WE HAVE A GOOD TOOL.
SO IF THOSE FOLKS ARE, ARE, ARE WINNING BIDS AND THEY DON'T HAVE THE CAPACITY, IT'S GONNA SHOW UP IN THEIR SCORECARD.
UH, AND THEY WON'T BE DOING BUSINESS WITH, WITH US IN THE FUTURE.
THEN, UM, I GUESS WHAT I'M WONDERING AS FAR AS THE RESPONSIBLE BIDDERS ORDINANCE GOES, OR MAYBE EVEN EXPANSION OR FURTHER IN, UH, OF IT IS, YOU KNOW, ARE WE REQUESTING INFORMATION FROM CONTRACTORS ABOUT HOW THEY PROTECT THEIR WORKERS ON SITES BEYOND THE BARE MINIMUMS? AND, UH, AS MUCH AS WE ARE EMPHASIZING SPEED AND QUALITY WORK, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THIS DOESN'T COME AT THE EXPENSE
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OF WORKERS' HEALTH AND WELLBEING.SO IS THERE, WHAT EXTRA STEPS ARE WE TAKING THERE, CAN WE TAKE REGARDING THE SCHEDULE? MOST OF THE TIME WE WORK WITH OUR DESIGNER, WE GIVE THEM REALLY AMPLE TIME TO FINISH THE PROJECT.
SOME OF THE CONTRACTOR FALLS BEHIND BECAUSE THEY DON'T REALLY STAFF PROPERLY OR PROJECT SIZE.
THEY REALLY HAVE TO HAVE THEIR PEOPLE TO WORK 10 HOURS PER DAY, OR 12 HOURS PER DAY FOR A LONG TIME TO FINISH THE PROJECT.
MOST OF THE TIME, THE WAY WE CALCULATE HOW MANY DAYS WE SHOULD GIVE FOR THE PROJECT, WE HAVE A, WE KNOW HOW MUCH IS BURN RATE PER MONTH FOR THAT SIZE OF THE PROJECT WE DO, BASED ON THAT THE PROJECT FALLS BEHIND.
THEY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH RESOURCES.
BUT, YOU KNOW, UH, ALONG THOSE LINES, UH, THERE WAS A C C R, UH, SPONSORED BY COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL, AND I BELIEVE COUNCILMAN ROCHA GARCIA TALKED ABOUT BREAKS AND WHAT HAVE YOU.
SO THERE IS A, UH, A COMMITTEE THAT IS MEETING TO TALK ABOUT THOSE ISSUES.
IT, IT WAS MAINLY IN REGARDS TO HEAT MM-HMM.
SO, UH, THEY'RE, THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT IT AND, UH, THEY'RE DEVELOPING RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND I THINK WE'LL BE BRINGING THAT TO COUNCIL, UH, SHORTLY.
UM, AND THEN I WONDER ALSO, HOW DO WE ENSURE COMPLETION IS ALSO, YOU KNOW, QUALITY, QUALITY? UH, BECAUSE WE KNOW SOMETIMES IN CAPITALISM THAT CONVENIENCE AND FASTING RESULTS, UH, OFTEN RESULT IN LACK OF QUALITY AND MONEY IS THE GREATEST INCENTIVE.
AND SO IT SOUNDS TO ME LIKE THIS IS THE ANSWER TO THAT.
BUT WHAT STOPS IF, LIKE, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A 70% AND A 71% PROJECT? AND IF SOMEONE IS CONSISTENTLY GETTING 71%, IT'S STILL NOT THE QUALITY THAT WE'RE EXPECTING.
SO I GUESS I, I, IT'S A, A CONFLICT IN MY MIND THAT MAYBE WE'RE NOT GOING FAR ENOUGH.
BUT THEN ALSO, WHAT IS THE STA LIKE, WHAT IS ACCEPTABLE TO US AND WHAT'S NOT? WELL, YOU, YOU WANT ME TAKING A SHOT AT RAZZI? UM, REMEMBER THIS IS, THIS IS ORDINANCES, IT'S INFANCY, IF YOU WILL.
SO GIVE US A LITTLE BIT OF TIME TO, TO FIGURE THIS OUT.
AND, AND REMEMBER, IT ONLY APPLIES TO THE LOW BID CONTRACTS, RIGHT? WE'RE COVERED MM-HMM.
UH, I THINK WE NEED A YEAR TO, TO LOOK AT IT, EVALUATE HOW WE'RE DOING, UH, EVALUATE HOW OUR PROJECT MANAGERS ARE SCORING THE CONTRACTORS.
I MEAN, THAT'S USUALLY HOW WE DO BUSINESS HERE IN SAN ANTONIO.
WE, WE PUT SOMETHING OUT THERE, WE LOOK AT IT, WE STUDY IT, AND THEN WE FINE TUNE.
SO I ANTICIPATE IN A YEAR, OKAY.
OR SO FROM NOW, WE'LL PROBABLY BE COMING BACK TO THIS COMMITTEE WITH A REPORT ON HOW IT'S WORKING AND, UH, MAYBE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW WE CAN FINE TUNE.
COUNCILMAN, THE IDEA IS NOT AT END OF THE PROJECT.
WE TELL THE CONTRACTOR, WE GOT YOU.
WE REALLY WANNA WORK WITH THEM DURING CONSTRUCTION, NOT END OF THE CONSTRUCTION TO PRO, TO SHOW OR ASK THEM WHAT KIND IMPROVEMENT THEY NEED TO MAKE.
EITHER STAFFING, QUALITY OF THE WORK, TIMELINES, OTHER THE INTENTION IS NOT REALLY MAKE THEM TO FAIL BECAUSE WE WANNA CONTRACT, AGAIN, WORK FOR US.
I THINK OUR INTENTION IS TO WORK WITH THEM.
AND MORE LIKELY WE WILL NOT HAVE 71 POINT.
IT'LL BE EITHER BELOW 70 OR SIGNIFICANTLY ABOVE 70 FOR SURE.
AND THANK YOU FOR THE FIRM ONE YEAR.
UM,
HOW LONG DO WE THINK THAT'LL TAKE, UH, TO FIGURE OUT THAT METHODOLOGY? UH, I THINK WE ARE WORKING ALREADY.
WE GOT THE REQUIREMENT FROM TECH START AND DEPEND ON THE PROJECT SIZE AS HOW IT'S AFFECTING.
IT'S NOT GOING TO BE ONE FITS ALL.
DEPEND ON IF IT'S A DOWNTOWN AREA, HEAVILY TRAVELED AREA, AS I MENTIONED, IT'S GOING TO AFFECT BUSINESSES GOING TO HAVE A MUCH, MUCH HIGHER DOLLAR FIGURE FOR LD THAN, UH, SOME DRAINAGE PROJECT IN FARAWAYS HAS A MINIMUM IMPACT.
OF COURSE, ALWAYS PROJECT HAS IMPACT IN THE COMMUNITY.
SOME HAS SIGNIFICANT IMPACT THAN THE OTHER.
MY CONSTITUENTS WANT THIS TO BE, UH, SPECIFICALLY I, I'LL USE DIGNITY HILL FOR EXAMPLE.
THEY WANT THIS TO, UH, BE RETROACTIVE AND THEY WANT TO SEE SOME CONTRACTORS PUNISHED RIGHT NOW.
BUT, UM, I SAY ALL THAT TO SAY THAT, UM, WE'RE ALL, WE'RE ALL COMMITTED TO GETTING THIS STARTED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
AS FAST AS THAT COULD BE, THE BETTER.
AND THANK YOU RAZZY FOR THE PRESENTATION.
I WANTED TO THANK YOU AND YOUR TEAM FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU DO OUT IN OUR, UH, SAN ANTONIO COMMUNITY.
UH, I OFTEN FIND MYSELF ALONGSIDE WITH OUR INFRASTRUCTURE DIRECTOR, UH, SUBPOENA PRICE GOING OUT INTO THE FIELD.
RIGHT? UM, WHEN WE RECEIVE CALLS ABOUT
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SPECIFIC PROJECTS, WE GO OUT PRIMARILY RIGHT NOW, RIGHT? WITH THE RAIN, IF WE RECEIVE CALLS ABOUT, UH, ONGOING PROJECT AND PONDING OR, OR FLOODING OF SOME SORT, WE'LL GO OUT AND, AND MAKE SURE THAT WE CONDUCT A SITE VISIT PRIOR TO, UM, GIVING OUR LIAISON MARIO, A HEADS UP ABOUT IT.UM, SO I WANTED TO THANK Y'ALL FOR THAT WORK.
UM, WITH THAT, UM, WITH THE LOW BIDDER ORDINANCE, A METRIC THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IF IT'S NOT ALREADY BEING TRACKED, IS HOW MANY CALLS ARE MADE TOWARDS, UH, TWO A PROJECT MANAGER REGARDING A SPECIFIC PROJECT? IS THAT SOMETHING THAT Y'ALL CURRENTLY TRACKED? UH, HOW MANY CALLS ARE BEING MADE TO A PROJECT MANAGER? I DON'T KNOW, COUNCILMAN.
WE HAVE THE NUMBER, BUT WE KNOW WHICH PROJECT GETS MORE CALLED THAN OTHER.
AND I ASK, BECAUSE OFTENTIMES WE'LL HAVE CONSTITUENTS COME IN AND THEY'LL EXPRESS, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT THEY HAVEN'T RECEIVED A RESPONSE OR A VOICE, UH, MAILBOX IS FULL MM-HMM.
UM, SO I WAS JUST CURIOUS TO SEE IF THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE TRACKING AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE.
UM, I THINK IT'D GIVE US AN IDEA OF, OF, YOU KNOW, THE CONCERNS AS THEY ARE AS THE PROJECT'S PROGRESSING.
UH, I JUST WANNA BE SURE THAT, UH, ON OUR END, UM, THAT WE'RE MINIMIZING THE NEED TO GO BACK AND, UH, REPAVE OR, UH, RECONSTRUCT SOMETHING IF WE'RE GETTING THE HEADS UP FROM CONSTITUENTS DURING THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE PROJECT.
THANK YOU CHAIR, YOU COUNCIL CASTILLO.
UM, DID WE HAVE ANY OTHER FOLLOW UP? NO.
WE'LL GO BACK, UH, TO THE FIRST ITEM.
WELL, ACTUALLY, I'M SORRY, THE SECOND ITEM.
UM, AND THAT'S GONNA BE, JESUS, ARE YOU, ARE YOU UP FOR THE SECOND ITEM? WE'RE READY.
UM, YES, I CAN DO A LITTLE OVERVIEW OF THE PROCESS FOR YOU.
THE AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION IS COMPRISED OF 19 MEMBERS APPOINTED BY CITY COUNCIL AT LARGE FOR STAGGERED TWO YEAR TERMS. CURRENTLY, THERE ARE 18 MEMBERS ON THE COMMISSION, ONE VACANT POSITION, AND 10 POSITIONS WHOSE TERM EXPIRED.
THE CITY ISSUED AN INITIAL PRESS RELEASE FOR THE OPENINGS ON THE AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION ON JANUARY 23RD, FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER ONE FEBRUARY 2ND.
AND BOTH WERE ADVERTISED ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE, THE AIRPORT AND CITY SOCIAL MEDIA SITES.
AND T V S A, THE OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK CONTINUALLY ACCEPTS APPLICATIONS FOR THE AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION.
THE CITY RECEIVED A TOTAL OF 33 APPLICANTS FOR THE 11 AVAILABLE SEATS, AND AN AD HOC COMMITTEE WAS FORMED TO RECOMMEND A SHORT LIST OF QUALIFIED APPLICANTS TO BE INTERVIEWED BY THE TRANSPORTATION AND MOBILITY COMMITTEE.
AT THIS MEETING TODAY, THE AD HOC, UH, COMMITTEE WAS COMPRISED OF TWO APPOINTED MEMBERS OF THE TRANSPORTATION AND MOBILITY COMMITTEE, AND CONSISTED OF COUNCIL MEMBER, KAWADA CHAIR AND COUNCIL MEMBER JALEN MCKAY RODRIGUEZ.
THE AD HOC COMMITTEE PROVIDED A SHORTLIST RECOMMENDATION OF 17 CANDIDATES, AND THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT YOU WOULD SEE.
UH, TODAY WE HAVE SOME CANDIDATES WHO HAVE, UH, OFFERED WRITTEN STATEMENTS IN LIEU OF ATTENDING IN PERSON.
AND WE DO HAVE ONE PERSON WHO JUST NOTIFIED US THAT SHE NEEDS TO LEAVE EARLY, IF YOU WOULD CONSIDER JENNIFER HAGUE, UH, TO DO HER FOR INTERVIEW FIRST.
BUT THE FOLKS THAT WE HAVE THAT PROVIDED WRITTEN STATEMENTS, WHICH HAVE BEEN PASSED OUT TO THE COMMITTEE ARE, LET'S SEE, OUR RAMI MOWAY, I DON'T KNOW IF I'M SAYING THAT RIGHT.
UM, THE, THE COMMITTEE AS WAS MENTIONED, WILL CONSIDER 10 PHYSICIANS WHOSE TERMS EXPIRED MARCH 18TH, 2023, AND THEN ONE VACANT BUSINESS COMMUNITY POSITION THAT WILL EXPIRE NEXT YEAR, UH, MARCH 18TH, 2024.
THANK YOU ALL FOR, UH, APPLYING AND FOR, UH, YOUR WILLINGNESS TO SERVE YOUR EXPERTISE, YOUR TIME, YOUR ENERGY ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED.
AND THE WORK WE DO ON CITY COUNCIL IS SUPPORTED IN A VERY BIG WAY BY, UM, ALL OF OUR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS.
UH, I THINK THAT I'VE MENTIONED, UH, THAT THE AIRPORT IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROJECTS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON NOW.
I THINK IT'S, UH, WHAT IS GONNA PROPEL OUR ENTIRE CITY INTO THE FUTURE.
AND YOUR ROLE, UH, ON THE ADVISORY, UM, COMMISSION IS OF COURSE VERY IMPORTANT.
I ALSO WANNA THANK, UH, COUNCILMAN MCKEE RODRIGUEZ.
WE SERVED ON THE SUBCOMMITTEE TOGETHER TO PAIR DOWN THE LIST.
THERE WE'RE OVER, I'M NOT SURE HOW MANY CANDIDATES THERE WERE, BUT WE WENT THROUGH EVERYONE AND, UM, CAME UP WITH A SHORT LIST.
SO TODAY IT'S FOR OUR FULL COMMITTEE TO CONSIDER.
UM, SO I'M GONNA BE CALLING EACH OF YOU ONE BY ONE.
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SAW YOUUM, WE'LL HAVE ONE MINUTE FOR YOUR INTRODUCTION THAT WILL BE FOLLOWED BY THREE MINUTES OF COMMITTEE MEMBER QUESTIONS.
THERE'S A LOT OF YOU HERE TODAY, SO WE'RE GONNA MOVE THROUGH IT PRETTY QUICKLY.
AND THEN, UM, WE'RE GONNA GO INTO AN EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND, AND DISCUSS, UM, THE, THE APPLICATIONS.
I'M GONNA ASK THAT ALL OF YOU STEP OUTSIDE THE ROOM.
IS THAT HOW WE'RE DOING IT? YES.
WE'RE GONNA BE IN HERE, AND THEN THEY'LL GO INTO THE OTHER ROOM.
AND THEN, UM, LIKE I MENTIONED, WE'LL CALL YOU ONE BY ONE, SO YOU EACH HAVE, UH, YOUR OWN TIME.
AND I WILL, UH, PLEASE START WITH MS. UH, MS. HAY SO SHE CAN GET MOVING.
AND I FORGOT TO MENTION THAT MR. ROLAND, UH, VASQUEZ, UHHUH
SO TO BE CLEAR TO THE COMMITTEE, UH, AND, AND MADAM CLERK, PLEASE CORRECT ME.
I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE HAVE, UM, CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE CATEGORIES AND THEN HOW MANY OF EACH OF THOSE CATEGORIES WE NEED TO FILL? WOULD YOU MIND JUST REAL QUICKLY REVIEWING THAT? AND I MAY ASK, UH, JESUS TO HELP ME ON THESE CATEGORIES, BUT WE HAVE SOME SEATS, UH, THAT FOR REAPPOINTMENT THAT AREN'T GOING TO BE INTERVIEWED TODAY, BUT THEY ARE, YEAH.
UH, FILLED AUTOMATICALLY BASED ON THEIR POSITION.
SO THEY'RE LIKE AN EX OFFICIO, BUT THEY ARE VOTING MEMBERS.
FROM ACOG, MARK PROVOST AIRPORT, BUSINESS LESSIE, UM, MARK MILLER, UH, WITH THE AVIATION INDUSTRY, THERE'S TWO POSITIONS FOR THE AVIATION INDUSTRY.
THERE'S THREE POSITIONS FOR THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, AND THERE'S THREE POSITIONS FOR THE COMMUNITY.
SO WE'RE INTERVIEWING FOR SIX POSITIONS TODAY.
YOU'RE ENTERING INTERVIEWING FOR THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY AND THE COMMUNITY.
THREE BUSINESS AND THREE COMMUNITY.
UM, REMINDER, MS. HAGUE, YOU HAVE A MINUTE, A MINUTE FOR INTRODUCTIONS, AND YOU'LL HEAR THAT BEEP.
AND THEN WE'LL HAVE THREE FOR, UH, QUESTIONS.
I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE AND SPEAK WITH YOU THIS AFTERNOON.
I HAVE AN M B A AND A B B B A, UM, FROM A PRIVATE UNIVERSITY ON THE EAST COAST, BUT I AM PROUD TO BE A SAN ANTONIO RESIDENT.
UM, I'VE WORKED WITH ARMY INTELLIGENCE, AIR FORCE, CIVIL ENGINEERING, DEFENSE CONTRACT MANAGEMENT AT NORTHROP GRUMMAN, UH, AND NAVY MEDICINE.
I'VE SERVED ON VARIOUS CHARITABLE BOARDS, 5 0 1 C THREES, AND 5 0 1 C SEVENS WITH FOOD BANKS, UM, WITH THE MILITARY COMMUNITY, WITH SPOUSES CLUBS, WITH, UM, CHARITABLE ORGS.
UH, I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE TO TRAVEL EXTENSIVELY DOMESTICALLY AND ABROAD.
UM, MADE ME EXTREMELY INTERESTED IN THE LONG-TERM SUCCESS OF OUR WONDERFUL AIRPORT HERE IN SAN ANTONIO.
UM, AND ITS UNIQUENESS OF ITS ACCESSIBILITY TO THE CITY CENTER, WHICH IS RARE IN OTHER CITIES.
IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO GET TO THEIR AIRPORTS.
UM, AND THAT GIVES US UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES FOR LOCAL BUSINESS AND CAN CAUSE GROWING PAINS FOR RESIDENTS.
UM, WE'LL DO A ROUND OF QUESTIONS NOW.
WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE THE MOST CHALLENGING ASPECT FOR, UM, EITHER, WELL, IN, IN YOUR CASE, THE, THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY REGARDING DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF A REGIONAL AIRPORT? OKAY.
I'M, UM, COMPETING FOR, AT LARGE.
I DON'T REPRESENT THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, SO APOLOGIES, I CAN'T SPEAK FOR THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, UH, THE THE COMMUNITY.
WHAT'S THE LARGEST CHALLENGE FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF THE AIRPORT? YES.
OH, UM, STAKEHOLDERS, EXPECTATIONS OF CITIZENS, IMPACTS ON CITIZENS.
UM, BUDGETARY QUESTIONS, CONSTRAINTS, AND THE COMBINATION OF FUNDING FROM LOAN SOURCES, BOND SOURCES, GRANT SOURCES, UM, AND IT'S A MASSIVE, UH, PROJECT THAT'S BEEN PROPOSED.
UM, SO KEEPING ALL THOSE PIECES MOVING FORWARD, ESPECIALLY WITH THOSE CARING COSTS OF WHAT, 800 K A DAY? UM, THAT GETS VERY EXPENSIVE VERY QUICKLY.
UH, COMMITTEE QUESTIONS? NO, UM, COUNCILMAN
UH, THANK YOU FOR APPLYING AND FOR YOUR, UH, INTEREST IN SERVING.
UM, YOU ANSWERED ONE OF MY QUESTIONS, WHICH WAS GONNA BE, UM, SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE THAT YOU BRING THAT YOU WOULD BRING TO THE COMMISSION.
WOULD, COULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR VISION FOR OUR AIRPORT AND MAYBE, UM, ADD SOME CONTEXT WITH, UH, YOUR EXPERIENCE IN OTHER AIRPORTS IN COMPARISON? OURS, AND, BUT THE MAIN THING IS VISION FOR OUR AIRPORT.
UM, A SAN ANTONIO AIRPORT, UM, IS OUR FIRST AND LAST OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE AN IMPRESSION ON TOURISTS AND BUSINESS TRAVELERS.
AND I THINK THAT WITH OUR EVOLUTION AND OUR EXPANSION, WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE THEM A STREAMLINED, UH, WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE ON THEIR WAY INTO OUR CITY AND PLANT THAT SEED.
AND I THINK THIS CAN DRIVE, UM, POSITIVE EFFECTS ECONOMICALLY, UM, BOTH FOR THE RESIDENTS, FOR THE HEAD TAX THEY BRING IN, BUT ALSO
[00:30:01]
FOR, UM, RECRUITING NEW CITIZENS AND PLANTING THIS SEED OF, OH, YOU SHOULD COME TO SAN ANTONIO.EVERYTHING IS SO NICELY WELL LAID OUT.
THE TRANSPORTATION IS SEAMLESS.
UM, IT'S JUST A LOVELY, PEACEFUL EXPERIENCE.
I LOVE THE AIRINESS OF THE, UM, NEW PROPOSED TERMINAL IN SUCH CONTRAST TO OTHER AIRPORTS LIKE PHILLY
SO THAT'S EXCITING TO ME AS A, AS A RESIDENT, ALL THAT POSITIVE ENERGY THAT, THAT WE CAN BRING TO OUR CITY TO HELP US GROW, BECAUSE WE HAVE A WONDERFUL CITY.
I GUESS, UM, AND THEN MAYBE WOULD YOU MIND, UH, SHARING, DO YOU HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE ADVISING, UM, SERVING ON A COMMITTEE, A COMMISSION OR BOARD IN THIS WAY WHERE YOU WOULD BE ADVISING A BILLION DOLLAR PROJECT? NO, I'VE NEVER PARTICIPATED IN BILLION DOLLAR PROJECTS.
I'VE BEEN VERY PROUD OF THOSE SMALLER DOLLAR AMOUNT PROJECTS THAT I'VE HELPED WITH.
UM, IN THE CHARITABLE ARENAS, OUR BUDGETS JUST WEREN'T THAT LARGE.
UM, BUT I'M EXCITED TO LEARN THIS IS, UM, A, A AN IMPORTANT INDUSTRY TO ME, AND THIS IS AN IMPORTANT CITY TO ME.
SO IT WOULD BE A, A PRIVILEGE TO, UM, CONTRIBUTE WHAT I CAN WITH MY UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE AND BACKGROUND THAT I BRING.
THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN, COUNCILMAN.
THANK YOU, MS. HAGUE, FOR OFFERING YOUR, YOUR SERVICE.
UM, YOU'RE LOOKING TO SERVE ON THE BOARD TO REPRESENT THE COMMUNITY.
SO WHAT HAVE YOU HEARD FROM YOUR NEIGHBORS ABOUT THE AIRPORT? OH, GOSH, JEN, HERE WE ARE DRIVING AGAIN TO AUSTIN.
THAT'S THE ONLY PLACE I CAN GET A NONSTOP FLIGHT.
WE LIVE ON THE, WE'RE IN THE NORTHEAST SIDE OF TOWN.
OH, IT'S LUCKY THAT WE'RE CLOSE TO AUSTIN BECAUSE IT CAN GET US TO THE EAST COAST WITH NO CONNECTIONS, BECAUSE WE CAN'T DO CONNECTIONS WITH OUR HEALTH PROBLEMS. WE CAN'T DO CONNECTIONS WITH OUR BABY.
WE CAN'T DO CONNECTIONS WITH OUR DOG.
UM, WHAT ELSE BESIDES MAYBE THAT CONNECTION, UH, BEING AUSTIN A. LITTLE MORE FAVORABLE, HAVE YOU HEARD OTHER THINGS ABOUT THE AIRPORT FROM, FROM YOUR CONSTITUENTS OR YOUR NEIGHBORS? UM, FROM MY NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS, I HEAR ABOUT, UM, THE FLIGHT LINES.
OH, THE CARGO PLANES COME IN UNPREDICTABLE TIMES.
UM, OH, THE, THERE WAS MUCH LESS AIR TRAFFIC DURING COVID, AND WE DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE WE HEARD AIR TRAFFIC UNTIL IT STOPPED.
HAVE YOU THOUGHT OF ANY SOLUTIONS OR RECOMMENDATIONS OR MAYBE SOME QUESTIONS YOU WOULD WANT TO ASK IF YOU WERE A MEMBER OF THE COMMITTEE? UM, I HAVE SOME FEEDBACK BECAUSE I ACTUALLY CALLED THE NOISE HOTLINE TO MAKE AN INQUIRY.
THEY TOLD ME I COULDN'T ACTUALLY HEAR AN AIRPLANE FROM MY HOUSE, WHICH I WAS LIKE, WOW, THANK YOU FOR TELLING ME WHAT I CAN AND CANNOT HEAR.
UM, BUT THE, THE, THE TIMING OF THINGS, THE NOISE OF THINGS, I SAT IN ON A, UM, A, A MEETING ABOUT NOISE RESTRICTIONS, AND I LEARNED WE DON'T ACTUALLY HAVE ANY NOISE RESTRICTIONS OVERNIGHT.
I JUST, IT WAS GOOD TO LEARN THAT WE DON'T HAVE ANY RESTRICTIONS.
NO ONE WAS VIOLATING ANYTHING THAT'S JUST, UM, WHERE WE ARE.
BUT I REALIZED THE TRADE OFF IS THE CONVENIENCE OF THAT AIRPORT BEING SO CLOSE.
UH, ARE THERE ANY COMPLICATIONS OR BARRIERS TO YOUR SERVICE, WHETHER IT'S A JOB YOU MAY HAVE OR THE TIME CONSTRAINTS THAT THIS, THIS POSITION MAY HOLD? NO, NO.
I HAVE, UM, NO PROFESSIONAL TIES TO THE AIRPORT.
UM, AND MY TIME IS VERY FLEXIBLE WITH GOOD NOTICE.
NEXT WE'LL CALL IN, UM, MR. RONELL BRIGHT RON.
LOOK, WE'RE GOING BACK TO BUSINESS SOUND GUYS.
WE TOOK HER OUTTA TURN SO SHE COULD LEAVE.
UM, WE'RE GOING BACK TO THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY AND THERE'S THREE POSITIONS HERE.
UM, YOU'LL HAVE ONE MINUTE OF INTRODUCTIONS, AND THEN WE'LL DO A ROUND OF QUESTIONING FOR ABOUT THREE MINUTES.
SO, UM, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR AND YOU'LL HEAR A BEEP THAT LETS YOU KNOW YOUR TIME IS UP.
UM, THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO, UM, ATTEND THIS MEETING.
UM, I AM THE OWNER AND OPERATOR OF BRIGHT CONSULTING SOLUTIONS.
IT'S A MANAGEMENT CONSULTING, UM, COMPANY, UM, THAT DOES ALL THINGS.
IT, UM, I, UM, TARGET, UM, IT PROJECTS MANAGEMENT CONSULTING PROJECTS ON THE FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL LEVELS.
[00:35:01]
UM, JUST TO BE RELEVANT, UM, I'VE HAD IT CONTRACTS AT THE AIRPORT FOR, UM, JUST ABOUT 10 YEARS.WORKED ON PROJECTS, IT MASTER PLAN, UM, COMPUTER REPLACEMENT, EQUIPMENT REPLACEMENT PROJECTS, REV REVENUE ENHANCEMENT PROGRAMS LIKE PARKING.
UM, UM, I KIND OF, UM, THEN STARTED THINKING, HEY, UM, LET'S, UM, OH, YOU CAN FINISH YOUR SENTENCE.
GO AHEAD AND FINISH THIS SENTENCE.
I STARTED MOVING FROM A LITTLE BIT AWAY, PARTICULARLY AFTER COVID.
UM, I STARTED STALLING OUT A LITTLE BIT ON CONSTRUCTION PRO OR PROPOSAL AND CONSTRUCTION PLANS.
AND I SAID TO MYSELF, I WANTED TO GO A LITTLE BIT MORE INTO COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND WORKED MY WAY FROM THE OUTSIDE INTO THE AIRPORT AND FIND OUT HOW REALLY THE AIRPORT WORKS.
AND THAT WAS VERY REVEALING FOR ME.
I ACTUALLY GOT VERY, UM, CLOSE TO THE AIRPORT LEADERSHIP AND WORKING ON THE AIRPORT, UM, ADVISORY COMMISSION WITH THE LEADERSHIP HERE.
I ACTUALLY FOUND OUT JUST HOW IMPORTANT IT IS THAT THE AIRPORT, UM, DOES THINGS TO ENHANCE THE LIFE AND, UM, THE, UM, OVERALL ENVIRONMENT OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
UM, THANK YOU, MR. UM, AND I'M JUST TOTALLY EXCITED ABOUT BEING A PART OF THE 20 YEAR PLAN OF, AND THE GROWTH OF SAN ANTONIO.
WE'LL, NOW HAVE JUST A FEW MINUTES OF QUESTIONS.
UM, WHAT WOULD YOU CONSIDER THE MOST CHALLENGING ASPECT FOR THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY ABOUT, UM, DEVELOPING AND, AND MANAGING A REGIONAL AIRPORT? UM, GROWING AND KEEPING UP WITH THE GROWTH RATE, AND THEN ACTUALLY, UM, TAKING IN ACCOUNT OF, UH, THE VOICE OF THE CITIZENS IS SOMETIMES YOU GET CAUGHT UP IN, UM, INTERNALLY WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH, UM, WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND NOT ACTUALLY SPEAKING FOR THE CITIZENS.
SO THE GOOD THING ABOUT WHAT SAN ANTONIO DOES, PARTICULARLY WHEN THEY ENGAGED, UM, THINGS LIKE THE, UM, AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSIONS.
THEY HAVE PEOPLE LIKE US SPEAKING AND ENGAGING NOT ONLY WITH THE CITY COUNCIL, BUT ALSO WITH THE AIRPORT.
SO YOU GET THAT INPUT FROM THE CITIZENS ON AN ON, ON AN, UM, ONGOING BASIS.
AND THAT WAS EYE-OPENING FOR ME AND REVEALING.
'CAUSE I WAS ACTUALLY, UM, UM, ABLE TO TOUCH PROJECTS, TOUCH THE, THE, UM, PROCUREMENT PROJECTS AND TOUCH EVERYTHING, INCLUDING THE MASTER PLANNING PROCESS, UM, AND ACTUALLY SPEAK, LIKE I SAID, IT SPEAK TO THE EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP ON AN ONGOING BASIS AND HAVE, UM, OPEN ACCESS TO AS WELL.
UM, COUNCILMAN CASTILLO, DID YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? OKAY.
UM, YOU'RE SEEKING REAPPOINTMENT.
UM, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR EXPERIENCE ON THE BOARD IN TERMS OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS, LESSON LEARNED AND LESSONS LEARNED AND WORK YOU'D LIKE TO CONTINUE? WHEN I FIRST GOT ON THE BOARD, UM, I THOUGHT THERE WAS SOME CHALLENGES.
I ENCOURAGED SOME CHALLENGES IN TERMS OF, UM, CONTRACTING IN TERMS OF, FROM A DI UM, DIVERSITY ISSUE.
I THOUGHT THAT THERE WAS SOME CHALLENGES IN TERMS OF ME BEING AN AFRICAN AMERICAN, GETTING ACCESS TO CAPITAL, GETTING ACCESS TO PROJECTS AND THAT TYPE OF THING.
NOW I'VE COME TO JUST REALIZE THAT IT'S ACTUALLY ONE TEAM, ONE MISSION, UM, AND THAT AND ONE AIRPORT, AND ACTUALLY ONE SAN ANTONIO.
AND THAT WE ALL ARE REALLY TRYING TO DO THE BEST THAT WE CAN, AND THIS LEADERSHIP IS REALLY PHENOMENAL.
RIGHT? AND SO WHAT I WOULD ACTUALLY, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION MORE SPECIFICALLY IN TERMS OF, UM, THE PROJECT, IN TERMS OF WHAT'S GOING ON IN TERMS OF THE TERMINAL EXPANSION PLAN AND SO ON AND SO FORTH, I'D ACTUALLY WANT TO CONTINUE ON, UM, WORKING ON THOSE PROJECTS AND THEN MAKING SURE, FOR INSTANCE, I'M PART OF THE, UM, AIRPORT MINORITY ADVISORY COMMISSION, UM, WHICH, UM, KAREN ELLIS IS, UM, THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE, BUT SHE'S ALSO ON THE BOARD OF AMAC, UM, NATIONALLY, I'D LIKE TO CONTINUE WORKING WITH HER AND MAKING SURE THAT, UM, AS BEST AS POSSIBLE, THAT WE CAN INCLUDE THE MINORITY AND LOCAL CONTRACTORS IN THE AREA, IN THE GROWTH PLANS,
[00:40:01]
UM, UM, AS WE EXPAND THE AIRPORT.AND THAT, UM, WE'RE INCLUDING DIVERSITY IN OUR GROWTH PLANS FOR THE FUTURE.
UM, YOU'RE, YOU'RE AN ENTHUSIASTIC SUPPORTER, I THINK, OF WHAT WE'RE DOING AT THE AIRPORT, WHICH IS GOOD.
AND I THINK WHEN YOU SERVE ON A BOARD OF COMMISSION, YOU GET TO SEE A LOT OF THOSE THINGS THAT MAYBE PEOPLE OUTSIDE, UH, OF THAT ENVIRONMENT DON'T.
BUT LET ME ASK YOU TO KIND OF STEP OUT A SECOND AS A MEMBER OF, UH, YOU KNOW, THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, WHAT DO YOU HEAR FROM YOUR FRIENDS OR PEOPLE IN THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY ABOUT THE AIRPORT? WHAT ARE THEIR CONCERNS OR WHAT ARE THEIR EXPECTATIONS, UH, THAT YOU HEAR? AND AND HOW DO YOU THINK THOSE ARE BEING ADDRESSED? SO, UM, GOOD QUESTION.
AGAIN, I WAS A CONTRACTOR, SO, UM, THERE'S SOME, ACTUALLY, THERE'S SOME WONDERFUL THINGS AS WE BRING ON NEW, UM, NEW RESTAURANTS, UM, NEW, NEW, UM, UH, NEW, NEW BUSINESSES IN THE AIRPORT, UM, LIKE WHATABURGER, UM, WHICH I'M, I'M A FAN OF, OBVIOUSLY.
UM, THOSE ARE ALL GREAT ENHANCEMENTS.
I'M ALSO A CONTRACTOR OF 10 YEARS, RIGHT? UM, ORIGINALLY I FOUND THAT OUR VOICES WERE SOME SOMEWHAT UNHEARD.
THOSE THINGS ARE CHANGING, RIGHT? AND AGAIN, I, I SPEAK TO THE LEADERSHIP NOW, AND I SPEAK TO THE, THE VOICES ON, ON THE COUNCIL, AND I ACTUALLY SPEAK TO THE GREAT WORK FROM THE AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION.
I, I, I HAVE NOW EXPERIENCED THE FACT THAT THERE ARE, THERE'S A TURN OF LISTENING EARS, RIGHT? UM, IT, IT'S AT A, AT A PHASE NOW WHERE, UM, AT ONE POINT, AND, AND, AND I, I KNOW THAT THERE'S DIS DISPAR, UH, DISPARITY, UM, UH, UH, ASSESSMENTS THAT GO ON EVERY YEAR AND SO ON AND SO FORTH.
AND I'M AWARE OF THOSE RESULTS.
I EXPECT THAT IN THE FUTURE, THAT THERE'LL BE A CHANGE IN THOSE, UM, ASSESSMENT RESULTS BECAUSE I SEE A WAVE OF A FUTURE WHERE, UM, UM, UH, THE, UH, SPIRIT OF WHAT WE WANT FOR THE FUTURE WILL ACTUALLY REVEAL ITSELF AND, AND BE THERE BECAUSE OF THE EFFORTS AND BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY LISTENING AND ACTUALLY TAKING ACTION.
UM, BECAUSE OF THE GREAT WORK THAT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.
WE'RE SEEDING THAT, WE'RE SEEDING THAT AND PLANTING THAT, THAT, UM, AND YOU'LL SEE THAT IN THE RESULTS.
NO OTHER QUESTIONS? THANK YOU, MR. THANK YOU, MR. WRIGHT.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY, BY THE WAY.
UM, AND THAT'S MY, MY COUNSELING TOO.
AND, AND I WORK A LOT IN DISTRICT TWO.
AND, UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALLOWING ME TO SHARE.
GOOD, MS. HENDLER, YOU HAVE A MINUTE, UH, FOR INTRODUCTION, AND YOU'LL HEAR A, A BEEP TO LET YOU KNOW THAT'S YOUR TIME.
AND THEN WE'LL HAVE A FEW MINUTES OF QUESTIONS FROM THE, UH, COMMITTEE.
I AM A PROUD RESIDENT OF DISTRICT NINE.
AND, UH, I THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU'VE DONE FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, I HAVE A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE AND GLOBAL HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON, WHICH WAS MY FIRST INTEREST IN AVIATION.
I'VE LIVED IN SAN ANTONIO 30 PLUS YEARS NOW, AND AM CURRENTLY, UH, C E O OF TERRANA ENERGY.
WE'RE THE LARGEST WOMAN OWNED INDEPENDENT OIL COMPANY IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
AND WE ARE GROWING RAPIDLY RIGHT NOW.
I'VE SERVED ON THE AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, AND I CONTINUE TO HAVE THIS INTEREST IN AVIATION.
IT STARTED WHEN I WAS WORKING IN HOTELS IN HOUSTON, IN FACT.
AND, UH, MOST SERVED ON ANY NUMBER OF COMMITTEES, AND MOST RECENTLY WAS ASKED TO SERVE ON THE, UH, COMMITTEE THAT SELECT THE ARCHITECTURAL TEAM FOR OUR NEW TERMINAL.
SO I WAS VERY PROUD TO BE A PART OF THAT SELECTION AS WELL.
UM, I SERVICE THE SECRETARY FOR OUR GROUP AND HAVE DONE THAT FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS.
[00:45:01]
BECAUSE OF SO MANY OF OUR MEMBERS THAT HAVE CHOSEN TO RETIRE, IT APPEARS THAT I AM NOW THE SENIOR MEMBER OF OUR GROUP.AND I THINK I BRING A HISTORY TO THE GROUP THAT IS NEEDED.
UH, WHAT, WHAT WOULD YOU CONSIDER THE MOST CHALLENGING ASPECT FOR, FOR, UM, FOR THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY REGARDING DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF A REGIONAL AIRPORT? I, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S ALWAYS OF INTEREST OR OUR FLIGHT SCHEDULES AND HOW THAT'S GROWING AND CHANGING, AND I THINK WE'VE DONE A, A GREAT JOB THERE.
I'M VERY PROUD OF THE WORK OF, OF THE AIRPORT TEAM ON, ON BUILDING MORE AND MORE ROUTES AND MAKING MORE AND MORE FLIGHTS AVAILABLE TO SAN ANTONIANS.
UH, I THINK THAT'S CONTINUED, AND I THINK THE SERVICE THAT WE'RE GOING TO SEE AFTER WE OPEN THE NEW TERMINAL WILL, WILL ESCALATE EVERYTHING TO A HIGHER LEVEL ONCE AGAIN.
UM, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? COUNCILMAN MCKEE RODRIGUEZ? THANK YOU.
UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN SERVING, UH, AND CONTINUING IN CONTINUING TO SERVE.
UM, SORRY, I LOST MY QUESTION.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR, UM, EXPERIENCE ON THE BOARD IN TERMS OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS, LESSONS LEARNED, AND WORK YOU'D LIKE TO CONTINUE? OOH, THE NEW TERMINAL IS A WORK I'D LIKE TO CONTINUE.
I'M, I, I VERY MUCH WANNA STAY INVOLVED THROUGH THAT PROJECT.
UM, I DON'T KNOW THAT EVERYONE'S REALLY AWARE, BUT IT WAS CONVERSATIONS THAT BEGAN WITH THE COMMISSION THAT LED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE RENTAL CAR FACILITY.
AND THAT REALLY CAME OUTTA THE COMMISSION BECAUSE WE KNEW THERE WERE ISSUES THAT WERE HAP WERE HAPPENING BECAUSE OF, UH, OUR OUTTA TOWNERS TRYING TO GET TO THE TERMINAL, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE TO RETURN CARS.
AND THE CONFUSION THAT WAS THERE.
UH, THERE HAVE BEEN ANY NUMBER OF PROJECTS.
IT'S, IT'S BRINGING, I REMEMBER WHEN WE FIRST STARTED THE PROGRAM OF BRINGING LOCALS, UH, RESTAURANTS AND, AND VENDORS INTO THE AIRPORT TO GIVE THE AIRPORT MERCHANDISE A MORE OF A SAN ANTONIO FEEL.
AND I THINK THAT WAS A VERY IMPORTANT STEP THAT WE NEEDED TO TAKE.
SO THERE'VE BEEN ANY NUMBER OF PROJECTS THAT I'VE HAD THE ABILITY TO BE A PART OF OVER THE, MY TIME ON THE COMMISSION.
AND I'M, I'M VERY INTRIGUED BY YOUR BIO.
HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN OIL AND GAS? IT WAS A VERY SEVERE LEFT TURN
UM, I CAME TO SAN ANTONIO AS VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING FOR LAMONT YOUNG HOTELS BACK IN THE DAYS WHEN THERE WERE THREE HOTELS, TWO IN SAN ANTONIO, ONE IN AUSTIN.
UH, IT'S A LONG STORY, BUT I LEFT LA MANION AND, UM, AFTER THE COURT CASE, BLAH, BLAH, AND OPENED, UH, THERE WAS NOT ANOTHER HOTEL OPENING IN SAN ANTONIO AT THE TIME THAT I CARED TO WORK FOR.
SO I OPENED A MARKETING COMPANY WITH A ORIG ORIGINAL FOCUS THAT WE WOULD FOCUS ONLY ON HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY.
AND OVER THE YEARS, OUR REPUTATION GREW AND WE STARTED PICKING UP CLIENTS IN OTHER INDUSTRIES.
AND AS THE EAGLEFORD PLAY WAS BEGINNING IN ABOUT OH SEVEN, UH, I GET A PHONE CALL FROM A SERVICE COMPANY IN CARRIZO SPRINGS.
AT THE TIME, I DID NOT KNOW WHAT A SERVICE COMPANY DID.
I DID KNOW WHERE CARRIZO SPRINGS WAS, UH, PITCHED THE ACCOUNT, WON IT, AND BEGAN DRIVING BACK AND FORTH.
A BUDDY OF MINE SAID, HEY, I GOT A GUY DOWN THERE YOU NEED TO MEET IN CASE YOU EVER HAVE CARD TROUBLE OR JUST NEED SOME HELP.
AND, UH, EVERY TIME I'D GO DOWN, WE'D ALWAYS, HE'D ALWAYS HAVE THE LARGEST TABLE IN THE COFFEE SHOP FULL WITH A HODGEPODGE OF PEOPLE.
AND ONE DAY HE JUST TURNED AND LOOKED AT ME AND SAID, YOU KNOW, LITTLE GIRL, I'VE BEEN WATCHING YOU.
AND I REPLIED SAYING, WHAT IN THE HECK DO I KNOW ABOUT DRILLING AN OIL WELL? AND HE SAID, I'M TELLING YOU, YOU COULD DO IT.
BEING A MARKETING PERSON DRIVING BACK TO SAN ANTONIO THAT NIGHT, THAT'S ALL I COULD THINK ABOUT IS HOW DO YOU BUILD A MARKETING COMPANY? AND HERE WE ARE, 12 YEARS LATER.
UM, I APPRECIATE THAT YOU'VE BEEN SERVING, UH, ON THE AIRPORT ADVISORY BOARD, AND SO YOU'VE DEVELOPED A PERSPECTIVE FROM THE INSIDE.
BUT LET ME ASK YOU TO STEP OUTSIDE AGAIN, AND MAYBE FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE OIL AND AND GAS INDUSTRY, IS THE AIRPORT ALSO MEETING THE NEEDS OF INDUSTRY OR BUSINESS AS MUCH AS RES, YOU KNOW, RESIDENTIAL FLIGHTS OR TOURISM FLIGHTS? AND WHERE DO YOU THINK THAT NEEDS TO BE GOING? THERE IS SO MUCH THAT I HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN, JUST, IN FACT, IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS, I HAVE A MEETING TOMORROW ON A PRIVATE INVESTMENT SITUATION WITH A GROUP THAT IS BUILDING A NEW AIRPLANE.
AND IT'S A TURBOJET, IT IS, THERE'S CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HOW TO TAKE IT AND MAKE IT AN UBER IN THE AIR AND HOW TO SERVICE TRANSPORTATION FROM LITTLEFIELD LIKE LAREDO, UH, SAN MARCO, UH, BEAUMONT, PLACES LIKE THAT, THAT HAVE AIRPORTS BUT DON'T HAVE THE TRAFFIC, BUT CAN GET PEOPLE TO SAN ANTONIO, WHICH CAN CERTAINLY HELP SUPPORT OUR FLIGHTS AS WELL.
AND SO THERE'S A LOT OF COM CONVERSATIONS I'VE SUDDENLY BEEN A PART OF, UH, THAT ARE PERTAINING TO THOSE.
AND I THINK PRIVATE AVIATION, UH, CORPORATE AVIATION IS REALLY GOING TO CHANGE DRAMATICALLY.
AND IN FACT, THERE WAS A STORY THAT SOMEBODY JUST SENT ME IN THE LAST DAY OR TWO FROM, UM,
[00:50:01]
OH, THE KING OF WALL STREET, UM, THE OLDER MAN, DAIRY QUEEN, UM, I, I CAN'T THINK OF HIS NAME.UM, THE BIG, DO YOU KNOW WHO I'M TALKING? WARREN BUFFET? WARREN BUFFETT, THE WARREN BUFFETT STORY, AND HE'S NOW FOCUSING ON, UH, CORPORATE AVIATION AND WHERE IT CAN TAKE, UH, OUR COUNTRY.
SO IF WARREN BUFFETT'S LOOKING AT IT, WE SHOULD BE LOOKING AT IT.
AND I THINK THAT'S THE OTHER STEP THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN TO HAPPEN.
SO YOU, SO GENERALLY YOU THINK IN THE FUTURE, THEY'LL BE MEETING MORE AND MORE OF THE BUSINESS NEEDS, UH, OUT OF OUR AIRPORT.
WHAT ABOUT STINSON? DOES THAT HAVE, UH, A GROWING ROLE IN YOUR MIND? I THINK IT ABSOLUTELY CAN, AND I THINK A LOT OF THIS UBER TRAFFIC, IT WOULD MAKE SENSE FOR IT TO PROBABLY GO, I, MY OFFICE UNTIL RECENTLY WAS DOWNTOWN, AND TO GET TO STINSON FROM DOWNTOWN IS EASY PEASY.
I WAS SHOCKED THE FIRST TIME I, I WENT DOWN THERE AND, AND THAT THERE'S A WHOLE LOT I THINK THAT STINSON COULD PROVIDE IN THE WAY OF SERVICES.
IT'S JUST EDUCATING THE PUBLIC THAT'S GONNA BE THE GREATEST CHALLENGE.
I, WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING MORE OF THOSE UBER FLIGHTS.
MAY I MAKE ONE CLOSING COMMENT, PLEASE.
AS YOU SELECT WHO'S GOING TO BE SERVING ON THIS COMMISSION NEXT, I WOULD ASK THAT YOU PLEASE TAKE ONE THING VERY SERIOUS IN YOUR QUESTIONS, AND THAT IS, ARE YOU WILLING TO ATTEND MEETINGS? WE HAVE HAD A SERIOUS PROBLEM IN HOLDING A QUORUM, AND I AM MORE THAN HAPPY TO DONATE MY TIME.
I GET A LITTLE IRRITATED WHEN I SHOW UP AND WE DON'T HAVE A QUORUM AND CAN'T DISCUSS BUSINESS.
AND I'VE JUST WASTED AN AFTERNOON.
SO I WOULD ASK THAT YOU PLEASE TAKE THAT VERY SERIOUS.
IT'S A, IT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
UM, ON, ON THAT, CAN YOU REMIND ME HOW OFTEN Y'ALL MEET? ONCE A MONTH.
UH, WHAT IS IT SECOND? THURSDAY THIRD.
UH, MR. MERLO HAS SUBMITTED A, A WRITTEN STATEMENT, SO WE'LL MOVE ON TO JOSHUA NASH.
ALRIGHT, COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE INVITATION.
UM, I WORK AS A FINANCIAL CRIMES TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANT.
UM, I'M A CERTIFIED FRAUD EXAMINER.
I HAVE A COUPLE DIFFERENT, UH, PROJECT MANAGEMENT CERTIFICATIONS.
UM, I EARNED MY M B A FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS RIO GRANDE VALLEY.
UM, AND I DO VOLUNTEER WORK IN THE COMMUNITY WITH GIRLS WHO CODE.
AND, UH, THROUGH MY EMPLOYER, WE, WE DO SOME COLLEGE MENTORING WITH S I S A I S D.
UM, REALLY WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO IT, I'M A BIT OF AN AVIATION GEEK.
UM, EVERYTHING ABOUT AVIATION, THE AIRPORT JUST KIND OF JUST FASCINATES ME FROM A, A CHILDISH LEVEL ALMOST.
UM, YOU KNOW, IF IT'S PLAIN SPOTTING RAMP SIDE OPERATIONS.
AND WITH WORK, I'M TRAVELING A BIT MORE NOW, UM, THAT, THAT THINGS HAVE OPENED UP.
AND WORKING WITH CONSULTING, UH, TRAVEL OUTTA SAN ANTONIO IS, IS GREAT FOR WORK.
BUT WHEN I'M TRAVELING WITH THE FAMILY, UH, WE END UP FLYING OUTTA BOSTON MOST OF THE TIME JUST BECAUSE IT'S SIGNIFICANTLY CHEAPER.
UM, I AUSTIN'S FINE, BUT IT, IT DOESN'T, IT'S NOT THE SAME AS SAN ANTONIO.
SAN ANTONIO HAS A BIT MORE OF A, UH, AN EXPERIENCE AND, AND THE LEVEL OF SERVICE THAT WE GET HERE.
AND SO EVEN WITH THE, THE FLAWS THAT OUR AIRPORT HAS, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT.
AND, UH, I WANT TO BE PART OF THE, THE, THE EXCITING FUTURE THAT WE HAVE WITH THE, WITH THE S D P.
UM, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND START WITH YOU KATSMAN RODRIGUEZ.
UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN SERVING.
UM, WHAT EXPERIENCE DO YOU HAVE TO BRING, UH, TO THIS SPECIFIC COMMISSION? AND, UH, I'M MOST INTERESTED IN, UH, DO YOU HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE IN ADVISING IN ANY CAPACITY ON, UH, A MAJOR CAPITAL, A MAJOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT? NOT, NOT WITH CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT, NO.
MOST OF THE WORK THAT I'VE DONE, UH, WORKING IS MORE OF ON THE, UH, THE, THE TECHNOLOGY SIDE.
SO A LOT OF THE, UH, TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE, UH, BUT NOT NECESSARILY WITH, WITH ROADS OR, OR, UM, OR RUNWAYS.
DO YOU HAVE ANY, UM, TECHNOLOGY IDEAS FOR THE AIRPORT? OOH, TECHNOLOGY IDEAS FOR THE AIRPORT.
UM, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I REALLY LIKE ABOUT THE AIRPORT, UM, IS THAT, AND, AND IT'S KIND OF UNIQUE ABOUT SAN ANTONIO.
IT'S NOT REALLY A HUB AIRPORT, IT'S IT WE'RE A DESTINATION.
UM, AND, AND REALLY LEANING INTO THAT I THINK IS, IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
AND SO IF, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH, WITH FOLKS THAT ARE COMING IN HERE, THAT'S THEIR FIRST EXPERIENCE COMING OFF THE PLANE.
THEY DON'T REALLY NECESSARILY KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.
WE HAVE, WE HAVE WONDERFUL, GREAT RECORDED MESSAGES AND WE HAVE SOME OTHER INTERESTING THINGS OUT THERE, BUT FOR FOLKS THAT ARE, THAT ARE LOOKING THROUGH, UM, YOU KNOW, IF WE HAVE SOME WAY TO LEVERAGE SOME OF OUR TECHNOLOGY, SOME OF THE COMMUNICATION BOARDS THAT WE HAVE OUT THERE TO, UH, TO INTERACT WITH THEM.
UM, ALSO, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THE FOLKS THAT ARE HERE ON LAYOVERS, UM, YOU KNOW, SOUTHWEST IS PROBABLY, I THINK OUR BIGGEST,
[00:55:01]
UH, IN TERMS OF DEPARTURES.AND SO THERE'S A LOT OF, SINCE, YOU KNOW, IF ANYTHING, WE'RE MORE OF A SOUTHWEST HUB SINCE WE HAVE SO MANY DEPARTURES AND DESTINATIONS.
A LOT OF FOLKS HAVE LAYOVERS HERE AND, AND THEY'RE STUCK WITH, YOU KNOW, HAVING, UM, YOU KNOW, IF THEY'RE SITTING IN THE TERMINAL ON THE WIFI, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO BE ABLE TO, UH, CONNECT WITH THEM, EVEN IF THEY'RE JUST PASSING THROUGH, THROUGH PERHAPS, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH THEM, BUILDING A POSITIVE MIND SO THAT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THEY'LL, THEY'LL BE THINKING OF SAN ANTONIO AS A PLACE TO COME BACK AND STAY.
THANK YOU MR. NASH, FOR BEING WILLING TO SERVE ON THE COMMITTEE, UH, AS A, AS A BUSINESS PERSON AND MAYBE AS A BUSINESS TRAVELER.
UM, NUMBER ONE, WILL YOUR TRAVEL OUT OF TOWN BE A BARRIER TO MAYBE ATTENDING ALL OF THE MEETINGS ON A REGULAR BASIS? DO YOU KNOW WHEN THEY MEET AND IF THAT WOULD FIT INTO YOUR SCHEDULE? UH, YEAH.
IT'S, UH, I, I TRAVEL, I TRAVEL PRETTY LIGHTLY RIGHT NOW.
UM, JUST IT'S, IT'S MOSTLY TO THE NATURE OF THE CLIENTS AND, AND SO MY PARTICULAR CLIENTS RIGHT NOW THAT I'M WORKING WITH IS A BANK IN CHARLOTTE.
UM, AND, UM, THERE'S NOT, UH, MOST OF THE WORK I'M DOING FOR THEM, THEY'RE, THEY'RE COMFORTABLE WITH ME BEING HERE IN TOWN, UH, REMOTE.
AND SO THAT'S, UH, THAT'S KIND OF THE NATURE OF BUSINESS TRAVEL RIGHT NOW WHERE IT'S, IT'S NOT AS FREQUENT AS IT, AS IT USED TO BE.
AND SO BUSINESS TRAVEL IS, IS KIND OF AN IMPORTANT STAPLE WHEN IT COMES TO WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT AND WHO WE'RE SERVING AS AN AIRPORT.
BUT I DON'T THINK IT'S NECESSARILY THE, LIKE THE, THE END ALL BE ALL THAT IT WAS.
BUT I DON'T, I DON'T FORESEE ANY CONFLICT ISSUES.
UH, WHEN YOU TALK TO PEOPLE IN THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, UH, WHAT, WHAT DO YOU HEAR FROM THEM ABOUT THE AIRPORT THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING YOU WOULD PASS ON SERVING ON THIS BOARD? UH, ANY KIND OF POSITIVE NEGATIVE IMPROVEMENT? UH, SO WHAT DO YOU HEAR ABOUT THE AIRPORT FROM OTHER BUSINESS PEOPLE? YEAH.
UM, I THINK PROBABLY THE, THE FOLKS THAT I INTERACT WITH THE MOST, UM, ARE, ARE PEOPLE COMING TO SAN ANTONIO, UM, THAT ARE, THAT ARE TRAVELING IN.
AND, UH, I THINK, I THINK SOME OF THE FEEDBACK I'VE HEARD IS, IS GENERALLY POSITIVE.
UM, IT'S, IT'S GOT A WARM, WELCOMING ATMOSPHERE.
I LIKE THE, THE, THE FOLKS WITH THE HATS THAT ARE THERE TO, TO HELP YOU, YOU KNOW, FIND, YOU KNOW, FIND WHERE YOU'RE GOING, FIND YOUR DIRECTIONS.
UM, THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S PRETTY GOOD.
I THINK THE, THE MAIN COMPLAINT IS JUST REALLY, UM, SERVICE.
UM, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THEM, A LOT OF THOSE BUSINESS TRAVELERS, THEY'RE USED TO CONNECTING THROUGH THE HUBS.
YOU KNOW, IF THEY'RE COMING IN FROM, FROM LIKE NEW YORK OR SOME OF 'EM COMING IN FROM DALLAS, LESS SO FROM DALLAS, BUT SOME OF THE OTHER ONES, THEY DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE AS MANY HUB CONNECTIONS INTO SAN ANTONIO.
UM, YOU KNOW, THINKING LIKE ATLANTA OR HOUSTON OR, OR DALLAS, THOSE AREAS.
THANK YOU FOR, UH, TAKING TIME WITH US TODAY.
NEXT WE HAVE, UH, CHARLES TAL, I, CHARLIE, HE GOES BY CHARLIE.
HELLO SIR, HOW ARE YOU? GOOD, HOW ARE YOU? GOOD, THANK YOU.
YOU HAVE A MINUTE FOR INTRODUCTION, UH, AND YOU'LL HEAR A LITTLE BEEP THAT LETS YOU KNOW IT'S YOUR TIME.
HOPEFULLY YOU CAN HEAR IT OVER THE THUNDER.
UM, BUT THEN WE'LL HAVE JUST A FEW MINUTES OF QUESTIONS.
HELLO, MY NAME IS CHARLIE NADAL AND I'M EXCITED OF THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTRODUCE MYSELF AS A CANDIDATE FOR THE AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION FOR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AS A LOCAL SMALL BUSINESS OWNER AND A FORMER AIRLINE AND TRAVEL INDUSTRY PROFESSIONAL, HAVING BEEN A PART OF AIRPORTS AND GUEST SERVICES LAUNCH TEAM AT VIRGIN AMERICA TRAVEL CONSULTANT WITH AMERICAN EXPRESS, A PASSENGER SERVICES AGENT WITH AIR FRANCE, K L M, AND THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MANAGER AT SURF AIR.
I HAVE A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE ON THE IMPORTANCE OF EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE AIRPORT OPERATIONS.
I UNDERSTAND THE CRITICAL ROLE THAT AIRPORT PLAYS IN SUPPORTING OUR LOCAL ECONOMY.
IN CONNECTING SAN ANTONIO WITH THE WORLD, I'M COMMITTED TO ENSURING THAT SAN ANTONIO AIRPORT IS A SAFE AND EFFICIENT TRANSPORTATION HUB FOR TRAVELERS AND DRIVER OF ECONOMIC GROWTH GROWTH FOR OUR CITY.
I WILL STRIVE TO ENSURE THAT ALL TRAVELERS PASSING THROUGH THE SAN ANTONIO AIRPORT HAVE A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE AND FEEL WELCOME TO OUR CITY.
AS A MEMBER OF THE COMMISSION, I WILL WORK COLLABORATIVELY WITH MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS AND STAKEHOLDERS TO DEVELOP IT AND IMPLEMENT POLICIES THAT SUPPORT THE AIR, THAT SUPPORT THE AIRPORT'S GOALS AND OBJECTIVES.
I'M CONFIDENT THAT MY SKILLS, EXPERIENCE, AND ENTHUSIASM MAKE ME A STRONG CANDIDATE FOR THIS IMPORTANT ROLE.
UM, THANK YOU, UH, COUNCILMAN UEH RODRIGUEZ.
UM, I DID HEAR A LITTLE BIT OF IT, UH, IN YOUR BIO, BUT WHAT EXPERIENCE DO YOU HAVE TO BRING TO THIS SPECIFIC COMMISSION? SPECIFICALLY WHAT EXPERIENCE DO YOU HAVE ADVISING IN ANY CAPACITY ON, UH, UH, MAJOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS I HAVE.
I'VE WORKED WITH AIRPORT COMMISSIONS BEFORE, BUT I'VE NOT DONE ADVISORY
[01:00:01]
CAPACITY WITH THEM.COULD YOU DESCRIBE THAT, UH, DESCRIBE THOSE, YOUR EXPERIENCE ON THIS? OH, I, WORKING AT THE AIRPORT IN SAN FRANCISCO, UM, I WOULD WORK WITH THE, UH, AIRPORT AUTHORITY WHEN IT COMES TO, UM, WE WERE A BRAND NEW AIRLINE WHEN I STARTED WORKING AT VIRGIN AMERICA.
SO ANY SORT OF POLICIES AND PROCEDURES THAT WERE, UM, COMING THROUGH THE AIRLINE, WE HAD TO WORK WITH THE AIRPORT AUTHORITY TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY WERE, UH, IN LINE WITH WHAT THE AIRPORT WAS DOING, MAKING SURE THE AIRPORT, UH, WAS SORT OF IN LINE WITH OUR, UM, SERVICE THAT WE WERE GONNA PROVIDE.
AND, UM, WOULD YOU MIND DESCRIBING, UH, YOUR VISION FOR OUR AIRPORT, UH, MAYBE WITH, UH, ADDING SOME CONTEXT WITH, UH, OTHER AIRPORTS THAT YOU'VE EXPERIENCED AND SORT OF WHERE YOU WOULD PLACE OURS? SO, HAVING, IN MY CAREER, I'VE WORKED AT SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, AS WELL AS SOME LOCAL, UM, UM, PRIVATE AIRPORTS.
AND THEN MY HUSBAND WORKED AT L A X AND A FEW OTHER AIRPORTS.
SO I'VE HAD A LOT OF EXPERIENCE FLYING THROUGH MANY AIRPORTS.
UM, WHAT I WOULD LOVE TO SEE IS MORE, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE WIDE BODY SERVICE HERE AT SAN ANTONIO.
UM, I, WHETHER IT BE, UM, ASIA PACIFIC, UM, EUROPE, UH, WE HAVE FRIENDS THAT WORK AT VIRGIN ATLANTIC UP IN AUSTIN.
THEY'RE ONLY AN HOUR AND A HALF AWAY, BUT THEY HAVE A HUGE AMOUNT OF INTERNATIONAL PRESENCE.
AND I WOULD LOVE TO SEE SAN ANTONIO HAVE THAT LEVEL OF, UM, CONNECTION TO THE WORLD.
UM, YOU'RE RELATIVELY NEW TO THE SAN ANTONIO AREA, UH, IS THAT CORRECT? THAT CORRECT? RIGHT.
UH, BUT YOU'VE TRAVELED IN AND OUT OF THE AIRPORT A FEW TIMES? MANY TIMES, YES.
WE, UM, BEFORE MOVING HERE, WE HAVE FAMILY HERE THAT WE'D COME VISIT FOUR OR FIVE TIMES A YEAR.
UM, SO I'VE TRAVELED THROUGH, UM, SAN ANTONIO AIRPORT MANY, MANY TIMES.
WELL, BASED ON YOUR EXPERIENCES, NOT JUST AT SAN ANTONIO, BUT OTHER AIRPORTS MM-HMM.
UM, SO NOT ONLY IS IT A PLACE TO SHARE THE HISTORY OF THE AIRPORT, UM, BUT ALSO IS A COMMUNITY SPACE THAT HAS, UH, EXHIBITS ABOUT DIFFERENT AIRLINE ROTATING EXHIBITS.
SO THEY HAD FLIGHT ATTENDANT UNIFORMS OR MODEL AIRPLANES OR THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND I ACTUALLY GOT MARRIED AT THAT, UH, AVIATION MUSEUM IN SAN FRANCISCO.
SO A SPACE SORT OF LIKE THAT, ESPECIALLY WITH A NEW TERMINAL BEING CONSIDERED RIGHT NOW, SOME SORT OF SPACE THAT IS NOT JUST FOR THE TRAVELERS, BUT COULD ALSO BE USED AS COMMUNITY SPACE, WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT I WOULD LOVE TO SEE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.
UH, I THINK THIS IS, YOU STILL INTERVIEW THOSE FIRST THREE AS WELL, OR THEY CERTAIN NO, WE'RE NOT GONNA INTERVIEW THE FIRST THREE.
JUST THE, THIS BUSINESS AND, UH, COMMUNITY.
UM, YOU, YOU'LL HAVE A MINUTE TO IN, UH, FOR INTRODUCTION, AND YOU'LL HEAR A BEEP TO LET YOU KNOW YOUR TIME'S UP, AND THEN WE'LL DO A FEW MINUTES OF QUESTIONS.
I'LL JUST READ FROM THIS, IF YOU DON'T MIND, JUST TO KEEP ON TRACK.
SO IT'S WITH GREAT EXCITEMENT THAT I PRESENT MYSELF AS A CANDIDATE TO CONSIDER FOR THIS POSITION, THE AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION.
UH, A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MYSELF.
I'M A TRANSPLANT, UH, TO THIS GREAT CITY FROM THE EAST COAST.
I CAME IN FROM MARYLAND WHERE I LIVED FOR ABOUT 30 YEARS BEFORE I CAME IN.
I CURRENTLY LIVE IN STONE OAK.
UM, BEEN HERE FOR ABOUT SEVEN YEARS.
UM, I ALWAYS WANTED TO LIVE IN SAN ANTONIO EVER SINCE I CAME TO THIS CITY AS A CONSULTANT TO WORK AT, UH, J B SS A ABOUT 15 YEARS AGO.
AND WHEN THE OPPORTUNITY CAME IN, I TOOK IT WITH, WITH BOTH MY HANDS, AND I'M ABSOLUTELY THRILLED TO LIVE IN THIS, THIS AMAZING CITY.
[01:05:01]
UM, I LIVE IN STONE OAK, LIKE I SAID, WITH MY WIFE, UH, AND MY DOG.UH, MY DAUGHTER IS STARTING HER MEDICAL SCHOOL AT TULANE, AND MY SON IS A FRESHMAN AT, UH, URBANA CHAMPAIGN, UH, AT UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS.
UM, I'M ALSO A VERY FREQUENT FLYER.
I, UM, IN MY CURRENT ROLE, I MANAGE, GO AHEAD AND FINISH YOUR SENTENCE.
UH, I, I TRAVELED THROUGH THE AIRPORT QUITE A LOT, AND I'VE WORKED IN THE AVIATION INDUSTRY AS WELL.
CAN YOU, UM, WOULD YOU MIND DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE IN AVIATION A LITTLE BIT MORE? SURE.
SO, UM, I WORKED AS THE DIRECTOR FOR BUSINESS INNOVATION AT, UH, WASHINGTON, UH, NATIONAL.
AND, UH, THAT'S THE REAGAN NATIONAL, AS WELL AS DALLAS AIRPORTS.
IT'S CALLED THE METROPOLITAN WASHINGTON AIRPORT AUTHORITY.
UM, I WAS THERE FOR ABOUT TWO AND A HALF YEARS.
UM, I WAS, UH, BASICALLY IN CHARGE OF ROLLING OUT ALL THE NEW TECHNOLOGIES FOR OUR PASSENGERS TO USE 40 MILLION PASSENGERS BETWEEN BOTH THE AIRPORTS.
UM, I WORKED ON A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS, BUT AMONG CHIEF, CHIEF AMONG THEM WERE ROLLING OUT TECHNOLOGIES TO HELP OUR PASSENGERS, LIKE, UH, WAYFINDING, FOR EXAMPLE, VIRTUAL WAYFINDING, DIGITAL DISPLAY BOARDS.
UM, I'VE WORKED WITH, UH, WITH A CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER TO INCREASE THE TOP LINE NUMBERS THROUGH PARKING, UM, THROUGH, UH, RIDE SHARE AGREEMENTS AS WELL.
UM, SO, SO I DID A VARIETY OF THINGS, BUT, UH, MY OFFICIAL TITLE WAS, UH, DIRECTOR FOR BUSINESS INNOVATION AT THE, AT THE AIRPORTS.
AND WOULD YOU MIND, UM, ELABORATING A BIT ON YOUR VISION FOR OUR, OUR AIRPORT? YEAH, I MEAN, I WAS ABOUT TO SAY, I, I REALLY DO LIKE OUR AIRPORT.
I THINK I'VE, UH, YOU KNOW, LIKE I SAID, I, I GO TO A LOT OF AIRPORTS IN THIS COUNTRY, UM, AND, AND, AND INTERNATIONAL AS WELL.
THE REALLY GREAT THING I LIKE ABOUT AIRPORT IS IT'S SO EASY TO GET IN AND GET OUT.
UH, SO WHATEVER WE DO TO THE AIRPORT, I THINK IT'S ESSENTIAL TO PRESERVE THAT FEATURE OF THE AIRPORT, UH, WHILE MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE CATCHING UP WITH THE OTHER INNOVATIONS THAT THE OTHER AIRPORTS ARE DOING.
SO, AS YOU ARE INCREASING THE FOOTPRINT OF THE AIRPORT, AS YOU'RE ROLLING OUT THE NEW TECHNOLOGIES TO HELP THE, HELP THE PASSENGERS, WHETHER IT'S ON THE AIR SITE OR ON THE LAND SITE, JUST MAKE SURE THAT WE KIND OF KEEP OURSELVES, UH, ALIGNED TO THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE JUST WANT TO GET IN AN AIRPORT AND GET OUT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
UM, SO, SO MY VISION REALLY IS, UM, HOLDING ONTO THOSE CORE GOOD THINGS ABOUT OUR AIRPORT, BUT MAKING SURE THAT WE PUT IN THE RIGHT PIECES, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE COMPETING WITH THE OTHER AIRPORTS, SO TO SPEAK, IN TERMS OF THE FOOTPRINT AS WELL AS THE TECHNOLOGIES FOR, UH, FOR OUR PASSENGERS.
I THINK THAT, UH, A LOT OF WHAT YOU SAID COULD BE VALUABLE TO THIS BOARD.
UH, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD LIKE TO, UM, UNDERSTAND MORE IF YOU WERE TO SERVE ON THIS BOARD AND, AND OFFER IN THE WAY OF, UH, YOUR KNOWLEDGE OR EXPERIENCE THAT COULD HELP? I THINK I WOULD LIKE TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT IS THE VISION OF OUR CITY IN TERMS OF THE AIRPORT.
I MEAN, ARE WE GONNA PITCH OURSELVES AS A HUB AIRPORT FOR, UH, UH, AN ANCHOR AIRLINE, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, OR ARE WE TRYING TO CATER TO A WHOLE BUNCH OF AIRLINES? UH, WHAT'S OUR STRATEGY IN TERMS OF MANAGING GATES? YOU KNOW, WHAT'S, WHAT'S OUR REVENUE DRIVERS? UH, WHY ARE WE DOING THE THINGS THAT WE ARE GONNA DO? SO I THINK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT HOW DO WE SEE, YOU KNOW, 10 YEARS DOWN THE ROAD, WHAT IS THE ROLE OF A AIRPORT TO BE A DRIVER FOR THE ECONOMY? UM, THAT WOULD HELP TO KIND OF FILTER THAT DOWN TO THE 50,000 FOOT LEVEL AND THEN FURTHER DOWN INTO AN EXECUTION PHASE.
UH, BUT IT WOULD BE GREAT IF I UNDERSTOOD THAT, THAT PART OF IT.
THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN COURAGE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME TODAY, SIR.
UM, NEXT WE HAVE, UH, JEREMY ROBERTS.
OH, UM, FOR THE COMMITTEE'S SAKE, UH, JEREMY HAS, HAS APPLIED FOR BOTH BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY, SO WE'LL INTERVIEW HIM ONE TIME, BUT IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR COMMUNITY, YOU CAN ASK HIM TOO.
THE WRITTEN STATEMENT FOR MR. MERLOTT WAS FOR BOTH CATEGORIES AS WELL.
[01:10:09]
HAPPY TUESDAY.HOW ARE Y'ALL? HAPPY RAINY TUESDAY.
UH, SO JEREMY, YOU'LL HAVE A MINUTE FOR INTRODUCTION AND YOU'LL HEAR THE BEEP, UH, WHEN IT'S, WHEN YOU'RE MINUTES UP, AND THEN WE'LL HAVE A FEW MINUTES OF QUESTIONING.
UM, MAKING SURE I DON'T DO MY WHOLE SPEECH HERE, BUT, UH, REALLY PROUD TO COME BACK AND APPLY AGAIN FOR THE AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION.
AS YOU KNOW, I STEPPED DOWN, UH, WHEN I WAS RUNNING FOR D ONE, BUT FOR ME, LOOKING AT THE OPPORTUNITY, IT'S ONE OF THE KEY INFRASTRUCTURE, UM, FACILITIES IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
WITHOUT THE GROWTH OF THEIR OUR AIRPORT, IT'LL BE DI VERY DIFFICULT FOR US TO MAINTAIN OUR GROWTH AS ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING CITIES IN THE US.
UM, WHEN I LOOK AT THE TIME THAT I'VE HAD IN THE COMMISSION, ONE OF THE THINGS I WAS PROUD OF IS TO HAVE THAT DIVERSITY AND INPUT ON NOT ONLY CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE MARKETING, BUT ALSO TECHNOLOGY AND BEING ABLE TO WORK, YOU KNOW, WITH THE DIRECTOR AND THE STAFF TO BE ABLE TO ASK THOSE TOUGH QUESTIONS.
AND I THINK THAT'S A CONTRIBUTION THAT I'D LOVE TO LOOK AT GIVING AGAIN, TO BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY HOW CAN WE PUSH THINGS FORWARD.
THE LAST THING YOU WANT IS A GROUP OF PEOPLE IN A ROOM WHO ALL SAY YES.
AND WHEN A DIRECTOR SIGNS GOES IN AND GIVES US SOMETHING, ALL OF US DON'T WANNA JUST SAY, YES, GREAT JOB, BUT NO, WE SHOULD ASK QUESTIONS.
WE SHOULD CHALLENGE THE STATUS QUO AND IDENTIFY HOW WE CAN PUSH FORWARD AND DO MORE AND, AND BE MORE.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT I WANNA DO.
UH, WE'LL START WITH QUESTIONS, UH, FROM COUNCILMAN MIH.
UM, IT'S NOT NECESSARILY A REAPPOINTMENT, BUT YOU HAVE SERVED ON THE BOARD.
UM, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR EXPERIENCE IN TERMS OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS, LESSONS LEARNED, AND WORK YOU'D LIKE TO CONTINUE? UM, SO LET'S START WITH, UH, THE LAST WAS ACCOMPLISHMENTS, LESSONS LEARNED, AND LAST ONE WAS, UH, WORK YOU'D LIKE TO CONTINUE.
SO, UM, LESSONS LEARNED, UH, ONE OF 'EM WAS I FELT LIKE I, I WANTED TO GET MORE INFORMATION BEFOREHAND SO I COULD DO A LITTLE BIT MORE RESEARCH.
A LOT OF TIMES WE HAD INFORMATION THAT WAS JUST GIVEN TO US THEN, AND WE HAD SOME THINGS IN ADVANCE, BUT I WANTED TO DO A LITTLE BIT OUTSIDE RESEARCH AND BE ABLE TO SAY, HERE'S WHAT OTHER AIRPORTS ARE DOING, HERE'S WHAT ARE THE THINGS WE CAN FIND.
HERE'S WHAT I FOUND IN THE TECH COMMUNITY.
AND I REMEMBER THE BEST EXAMPLE WAS WE TALKED ABOUT ELECTRIC VEHICLES.
I'M A ELECTRIC VEHICLE OWNER, AND WE TALKED ABOUT HOW THERE'S A LIMITED NUMBER OF SPOTS THERE, AND I MADE THE CONNECTION WITH THE GENERAL MANAGER OF THE TESLA, UH, FACILITY RIGHT THERE AT THE AIRPORT WITH THE DIRECTOR TO BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT HOW THERE COULD BE EVEN A SHUTTLE SERVICE FOR TESLA OWNERS TO BE ABLE TO EVEN PARK THEIR CARS THERE AND TO BE ABLE TO GET SHUTTLED OVER TO THE AIRPORT.
SO SOME OF THOSE THINGS, UM, ANOTHER ONE WAS A CONTRIBUTION ON HOW WE CAN MOVE FORWARD.
AND AS WE DO THE BUILD OUT FOR EVEN TO THE PHASE TO THE DIFFERENT PHASES.
AND TERMINAL THREE IS HOW WE INCORPORATE MORE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE.
SAN ANTONIO'S NOT THE AIRPORT THAT YOU WANT TO CURRENTLY GO AND HANG OUT AT.
YOU DON'T SAY, HEY, LET ME GET THERE AN HOUR IN ADVANCE.
LET ME HANG OUT AND EAT AND DO ALL THESE DIFFERENT THINGS.
ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE IN TERMINAL B, YOU JUST WANT TO QUICKLY GET THERE AND GO, WE NEED TO CHANGE THAT.
AND FOR ME, I HAVE ABOUT 25 YEARS OF CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE, UM, ON MY RESUME.
SO WITH THAT, I'D LOVE TO BRING THAT EXPERIENCE BACK.
THANKS, JEREMY FROM, UH, FROM A BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE MM-HMM.
UH, WHAT ARE THEIR WANTS, NEEDS COMPLAINTS, UH, SO THAT, UH, YOU, YOU MIGHT BE BRINGING THOSE WITH YOU SURE.
AS YOU SERVE IT, IT, IT'S FUNNY, I, I ACTUALLY WAS AT A HISPANIC CHAMBER MEETING AND, UH, JENNA SOTO FROM GREATER S A T X CAME AND SHE SPOKE, AND I REMEMBER ASKING A QUESTION, I SAID, YOU KNOW, I, I'M GLAD THAT THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU PUSH GROWTH OF OUR AIRPORT INFRASTRUCTURE FOR AIRPORT.
THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULD COME AND MOVE TO SAN ANTONIO.
BUT THEN YOU LOOK AT WHAT PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT.
AND I THINK AS A CITY AND AS AN INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE AIRPORT, WE DON'T DO A GOOD ENOUGH JOB ABOUT BRAGGING ABOUT THE THINGS THAT WE'RE GOOD AT, BRAGGING ABOUT HOW GREAT OUR AIRPORT IS AND BRAGGING ABOUT WHERE IT'S GOING.
BECAUSE IF OUR OWN CITIZENS, IF OUR OWN CITY IS NOT TALKING WELL ABOUT OUR AIRPORT AND THE THINGS THAT ARE GROWING, IT MAKES IT DIFFICULT FOR US TO BRING IN BUSINESS FROM OUTSIDE OF SAN ANTONIO AND TALK ABOUT HOW YOU SHOULD STAY HERE BECAUSE OUR AIRPORT IS GROWING, YOU SHOULD STAY PORT, STAY HERE BECAUSE OUR AIRPORT IS NOW THE GATEWAY INTO SOUTH AMERICA.
AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS WE COULD DO BETTER FROM THE BUSINESS STANDPOINT IS REALLY HUDDLE AROUND THE AIRPORT, HUDDLE AROUND THE GROWTH, REALLY DO A BETTER JOB OF PUSHING THIS OUT TO ALL THE DIFFERENT, UM, I WOULD SAY ALL THE DIFFERENT CHAMBERS, ALL THE DIFFERENT BUSINESS COMMUNITIES, GET THEM INVOLVED AND GET THEM TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE AIRPORT COULD BENEFIT THEM.
BECAUSE WITH THAT, YOU CAN TAKE DIRECT FLIGHTS OUTTA SAN ANTONIO.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO FLY THROUGH HOUSTON AND DALLAS, OR THE PEOPLE IN MY BUSINESS DON'T HAVE TO DRIVE TO AUSTIN TO
[01:15:01]
GET A CHEAPER FLIGHT TO SOUTH AMERICA.WE NEED TO DO A BETTER JOB WITH THAT.
AND YOU HAVE ABOUT A MINUTE, OR YOU'LL HAVE A MINUTE, SORRY TO, UH, FOR INTRODUCTION AND YOU'LL HEAR A BEEP TO LET YOU KNOW YOUR TIME'S UP, AND THEN WE'LL HAVE A FEW MINUTES OF QUESTIONS.
HI, MY NAME IS MARYANNE SCHWEERS AND I'M A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, AND I'M ALSO A NATIVE OF SAN ANTONIO, BUT I ALSO SPENT 21 YEARS LIVING IN DALLAS AND PAYING A MORTGAGE IN DALLAS, BUT REALLY WORKING EVERYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD, MEANING I SPENT A LOT OF TIME AT LOVE FIELD AND D F W TOO MUCH ACTUALLY.
SO THE REASON FOR MY INTEREST IN SERVING ON THE AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION ARE TWOFOLD.
FIRST, I LIVE OFF OF COUNTRY LANE RIGHT OFF OF INSIDE LOOP FOUR 10 OFF OF NACODOCHES.
SO I KNOW WHEN THE FEDEX AND U P S PLANES ARE COMING IN AT 5:00 AM AT MY HOUSE.
AND THEN SECONDLY, I WANNA SEE OUR CITY CONTINUE TO GROW AND ATTRACT BUSINESSES TO OUR REGION.
HAVING LIVED IN DALLAS FOR OVER 20 YEARS, I WITNESSED THE GROWTH OF VARIOUS CORPORATE RELOCATIONS TO THE AREA, WHICH WAS LARGELY DRIVEN BY BEING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE US AND HAVING A MULTITUDE OF DIRECT FLIGHTS TO NEARLY ANY PLACE IN THE WORLD.
AS SAN ANTONIO IN CENTRAL TEXAS CONTINUES TO GROW, WE ARE PRIME TO CON PRIME TO ATTRACT MORE BUSINESS RELOCATIONS, AND QUITE FRANKLY, SAN ANTONIO IS A MUCH NICER PLACE TO LIVE.
UH, COUNCILMAN MCKEE RODRIGUEZ.
UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR INTEREST IN SERVING.
UM, WHAT EXPERIENCE, UH, WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO BRING TO THIS SPECIFIC COMMISSION? UM, AND ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE IN ANY CAPACITY ADVISOR ADVISING ON MAJOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS.
UH, WHEN I WAS IN DALLAS, I DID WORK FOR A CONSULTING FIRM AND SPENT TIME WORKING WITH AMERICAN AIRLINES AND SPECIFICALLY AA.COM IN THE RELATIONSHIP TO AIRPORT SERVICES.
SO FROM THAT STANDPOINT, I UNDERSTAND THE UNDER HOW THE AIRPORTS WORK AND KIND OF THE MECHANISMS BEHIND IT.
AND THEN SECONDLY, HAVING BEEN EXECUTIVE PLATINUM ON AMERICAN, I KNEW THE OTHER SIDE
UM, AS FOR CAPITAL PROJECTS, I'VE BEEN ON THE TECHNOLOGY SIDE AND HAVE DONE CORPORATE DIVESTMENTS AND WORKED WITH, UH, COMPANIES SUCH AS BRITISH PETROLEUM AND OTHER LARGE CORPORATIONS AROUND THE WORLD ON MULTIMILLION DOLLAR PROJECTS.
SO PROJECT GOVERNANCE WAS EXACTLY THE ROLE THAT I PLAYED.
SO MR. MAYORS, FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE AS BUSINESS PERSON MM-HMM.
SO WHAT DO YOU HEAR ABOUT, UH, BUSINESS POINT OF VIEW OF THE AIRPORT? FOR THE BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE IS IT'S STILL PROBLEMATIC TO GET DIRECT FLIGHTS, UH, TO MAJOR HUBS IN THE UNITED STATES AND FURTHER AFIELD, UH, BEING THAT WE'RE HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, NINE TIMES OUT OF 10, IF YOU'RE ON AMERICAN OR SOUTHWEST, YOU'RE GONNA BE CONNECTING THROUGH DALLAS.
SO COME SPRINGTIME, IT'S NEVER FUN SCENARIO TO GET STUCK IN DALLAS FOR THE NEXT FLIGHT.
UM, SO FROM WHAT I HEAR FROM FELLOW COLLEAGUES, WE'RE ALL INTERESTED IN HAVING MORE DIRECT FLIGHTS, UH, BOTH NEAR FIELD, YOU KNOW, TO THE FIF 50 STATES AS WELL AS INTERNATIONAL AND IN HAVING MORE, UH, OPTIONS TO DO THAT.
IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU, YOURSELF ARE, ARE THINKING ABOUT THE AIRPORT AND ITS, ITS FUTURE, FUTURE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD TO THE DISCUSSION ON THAT? UH, THINGS THAT YOU'VE OBSERVED AS A, YOU KNOW, A FREQUENT FLYER, WHATEVER? SURE.
I THINK PARKING IS OBVIOUSLY AN ISSUE, CONTINUES TO BE.
I LIKE THE FACT THAT, UH, WE HAVE IMPLEMENTED VALET PARKING.
I LEVERAGED THAT AT D F W QUITE FREQUENTLY,
UM, AND THEN INTERNALLY TO AIRPORT SERVICES, RESTAURANTS, AND AMENITIES THAT ARE OFFERED.
UM, YOU KNOW, MCDONALD'S IS ONE THING, BUT HAVING HOMEGROWN OR THE, THE LOCAL CHAINS HAVING A PRESENCE AT IN THE, IN THE AIRPORTS, I THINK DRAWS A LOT OF ATTENTION.
[01:20:01]
KNOW AT D F W, THEY HAD A LOT OF LOCAL RESTAURANTS THAT HAD, UH, SPACE THERE AT D F W AND LIKE TERMINAL D AND THE INTERNATIONAL, AND THEY DREW A LOT OF, UM, UH, ATTENTION INTO THOSE RESTAURANTS.A LOT OF PATRONS IF THEY WERE STUCK AT D F W OR TRAVELING THROUGH, DO YOU HAVE ANY BARRIERS TO SERVING BECAUSE OF YOUR BUSINESS COMMITMENTS? UH, YOU KNOW, THEY MEET MONTHLY AND SOMETIMES FOR LENGTH OF TIME.
NO, AS A BUSINESS OWNER, I'M, I'M TRY TO STAY ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN OUR COMMUNITY.
THANK YOU MS. TRUS FOR YOUR TIME TODAY.
NEXT STEP IS, UH, MELISSA WILLIAMS. BE THE LAST ONE FOR THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, BY THE WAY.
HELLO, MS. WILLIAMS. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY.
UM, YOU'LL HAVE A MINUTE OF INTRODUCTION AND, UH, YOU'LL HEAR A BEEP TO LET YOU KNOW YOUR TIME'S UP, AND THEN WE'LL HAVE A FEW MINUTES OF, UH, QUESTIONING FROM THE COMMITTEE.
WELL, MY NAME IS REVEREND MELISSA WILLIAMS. I LIVE WORK PLATE LOVE THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
UM, I DO A LOT IN THE COMMUNITY AS COUNCILMAN COURAGE KNOWS.
I JUST WAS ELECTED TREASURER FOR NORTHEAST BEAR COUNTY DEMOCRATS.
I OWN SEVERAL BUSINESSES HERE.
AS I MENTIONED, I'M REVEREND MELISSA, SO I DO CLERGY WORK HERE.
AND WITH ALL OF THOSE HEADS, I TRAVEL SO MUCH, WHICH IS WHY I SOUGHT OUT APPOINTMENT TO THIS COMMITTEE BECAUSE I'M ALWAYS IN THE AIRPORT.
AND I LOVE THE THOUGHT OF BEING ABLE TO CONTRIBUTE ALL OF MY SKILLS, ALL OF MY KNOWLEDGE, INTO THIS ILLUSTRIOUS COMMITTEE.
AND SO, LIKE I SAID, I SOUGHT OUT APPOINTMENT BECAUSE, UM, I DO TRAVEL AT LEAST, UM, FOUR TIMES A MONTH.
I'M IN AND OUT OF THE, THE AIRPORT GOING TO VARIOUS PLACES.
WE'LL MOVE ON TO, UH, QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND FOR YOUR INTEREST IN SERVING.
UM, DO YOU HAVE ANY, OR WHAT EXPERIENCE DO YOU HAVE THAT YOU COULD BRING, UH, UNIQUE TO THE SPECIFIC COMMISSION AND, UH, MOST SPEC MORE, UM, SPECIFICALLY, I GUESS, UH, DO YOU HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE ADVISING IN ANY CAPACITY? UH, A MAJOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT? UH, SURE.
AND AT FIRST, I NEED TO SAY LAST TIME WE SAW EACH OTHER I WAS IN WORKOUT CLOTHES, SO I'M GLAD
I KNOW, I, I REMEMBER SEEING YOU AT CLUB BACK.
I'M LIKE, NOW I CAN REDEEM MYSELF.
I JOGGED TO THE POLLS AND SO I'M LIKE, UGH,
UH, CURRENTLY NOW I ACTUALLY SERVE ON FOUR NON-PROFIT BOARDS, UM, ADVISORY POSITIONS AS WELL AS FOR SOME STARTUPS, EIGHT DIFFERENT STARTUPS ACTUALLY.
SO DEFINITELY A LOT OF ADVISORY, UM, EXPERIENCE.
UM, I, MY HUSBAND AND I OWN A TRANSPORTATION COMPANY, SO DEFINITELY, LIKE I SAID, I CAN CONTRIBUTE THERE WITH KNOWLEDGE OF TRANSPORTATION, MOBILITY, AND AIRPORT.
UM, AND THEN, LIKE I SAID, JUST AS WELL AS A, AS A BASIC CITIZEN, WIFE AND MOM, AS MUCH AS I TRAVEL, JUST FROM THAT STANDPOINT AS WELL.
AND I, I MIGHT BE STEALING COUNCILMAN CURRY'S QUESTION, BUT, UM, THERE IS A MONTHLY TIME COMMITMENT, UH MM-HMM.
WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO, ONE OF THE STRUGGLES THAT HAS BEEN CONVEYED TO US IS SOMETIMES IT'S A DIFFICULTY GETTING A QUORUM TOGETHER.
AND SO FOLK WILL MEET AT THE WILL GO AND THEY'LL MEET, BUT THEN THEY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MEMBERS TO MAKE A QUORUM, SO IT'S WASTED TIME.
AND SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING THAT FULL COMMITMENT FROM EVERYONE.
WOULD THAT BE, OH, THAT'S NOT A PROBLEM AT ALL.
I BELIEVE THAT YOU MAKE TIME FOR WHAT YOU WANNA MAKE TIME FOR.
I DON'T SUBSCRIBE TO THE IDEA OF NOT HAVING ENOUGH TIME FOR ANYTHING.
IF IT'S IMPORTANT AND YOU WANT TO DO IT, YOU'LL FIND A WAY.
SO
COUNCILMAN MCKEE RODRIGUEZ, COUNCILMAN COURAGE.
THANK YOU FOR OFFERING TO SERVE ON THE COMMITTEE.
UM, LET ME ASK YOU, FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF WORKING WITH PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY, MAYBE BUSINESS OWNERS OR EVEN IN YOUR NEIGHBORS, WHAT DO YOU HEAR ABOUT THE AIRPORT THAT, UH, WOULD BE OF VALUE TO BRING TO THAT AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION? UH, DO YOU HAVE SOME IDEAS OR THOUGHTS OR DIRECTION YOU'D LIKE TO SEE BROUGHT FORWARD TO THAT? SURE.
I'M VERY HAPPY WITH THE EXPANSION PLANS THAT YOU ALREADY HAVE IN PLACE, BECAUSE THAT IS ONE OF THE THINGS I HEAR THE MOST IS THAT FOR SAN ANTONIO TO BE SUCH A BIG CITY, THE AIRPORT IS KIND OF LIKE, UH, YOU KNOW,
AND SO, UM, WHICH I MEAN, IT, IT, IT IS VERY, YOU KNOW, UNDERWHELMING COMPARED TO MOST OTHER LARGE CITIES.
SO THAT'S ONE THING I DEFINITELY WOULD WANT TO CONTRIBUTE IN THAT I HEAR A LOT IN THE COMMUNITY IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU GO THIS PLACE OR THAT PLACE, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THEIR AIRPORT? IS IT, DOES IT LOOK LIKE OURS OR WHAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
[01:25:01]
SO, UM, THAT'S KIND OF WHAT THE CONVERSATION IS, IS JUST THAT IT, IT NEEDS UPDATES AND IT NEEDS EXPANSION, WHICH ARE THINGS YOU ALL ARE ALREADY WORKING ON.DO YOU HAVE, UH, DO YOU HEAR PEOPLE TALK MUCH ABOUT WHERE OUR AIRPORT CAN TAKE YOU TO? YES.
UM, I DO HEAR A LOT, UM, ABOUT THE FACT THAT THERE, IT'S NOT A HUB FOR, UM, SOME OF THE MAJOR AIRLINES AND THAT YOU HAVE TO CONNECT EVEN PERSONALLY WITH MY CHILDREN.
'CAUSE I HAVE, UM, CHILDREN THAT ARE IN SCHOOL AND MY, LIKE, MY OLDEST DAUGHTER LIVES IN LA AND I HAVE SOME IN COLLEGE IN ALABAMA.
AND WHEN THEY'RE COMING HOME, THEY'RE ALWAYS FRUSTRATED, LIKE, WHY DO I HAVE TO STOP OVER HERE? WHY DO I HAVE TO, IT'S LIKE I HAVE TO GO AROUND THE WORLD TO GET HOME TO SAN ANTONIO.
SO, AND THEIR SENTIMENTS, I HEAR A LOT WITH OTHER PEOPLE AS WELL, IS THAT THEY WISH IT WAS A HUB AND THAT WE HAD MORE DIRECT FLIGHTS IN AND OUT.
I THINK OUR LAST ONE IS PETE LESKI.
CORRECT? WE'VE EITHER, WE HAVE, UH,
I THINK HE'S ALREADY, HE WAS THE ONLY ONE.
AND THE COMMITTEE CHAIR, COMMITTEE MEMBERS, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
YOU'RE GONNA HAVE, UH, ONE MINUTE AND YOU'LL HEAR A BEEP, UH, WHEN YOU'RE MINUTES UP, AND THEN WE'LL DO A ROUND OF, OF QUESTIONS.
I KNOW IT SAYS JAMES, BUT IT'S MY, THAT'S HOW I KEEP PEOPLE FROM CALLING ME, BUT THAT I DON'T KNOW.
UH, AND WHILE I'M NOT A NATIVE SAN ANTONIO, SAN ANTONIO, I'M A NATIVE TEXAN, AND MY FAMILY AND I GOT HERE AS QUICKLY AS WE COULD, I COME TO YOU FOLLOWING A 25 YEAR ACTIVE DUTY CAREER IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY AS AN AVIATOR.
AND I, OUR, AND AGAIN, MY, OUR FAMILY AND I ARE VERY HAPPY TO MAKE SAN ANTONIO OUR HOME, UH, BY EDUCATION.
I HOLD A, A BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN CONSTRUCTION SCIENCE, A GRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN HOMELAND SECURITY WITH AN INFRAS EMPHASIS IN CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION, AND A MASTER'S IN STRATEGIC STUDIES FROM THE ARMY WAR COLLEGE.
I'M ALSO A CERTIFIED PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL AND WORK AS ONE OF MY CURRENT CAREER.
UH, WHILE MY SERVICE AS AN ARMY AVIATOR MAY NOT SOUND LIKE MUCH OF A ATION QUALIFICATION FOR THIS COMMITTEE, THE ARMY DID ASSIGN ME HERE IN THE SUMMER OF 2018 TO SERVE AS A DEPUTY COMMANDER FOR JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO.
FROM 2018 TO 2020, I WORKED HAND IN HAND WITH MANY SAN ANTONIO ALAMO AREA COUNCIL, GOVERNMENT, AND STATE LEADERS FOR NUMEROUS INITIATIVES AND PROJECTS.
DURING THIS TIME, I WAS VERY INVOLVED, UH, WITH THE EXPANSION OF CLEAR ZONES FOR THE JOINT BASE, RANDOLPH AIRFIELD, AS WELL AS PROJECTS IN AND AROUND THE PORT OF SAN ANTONIO.
IN ADDITION, I WORK TO ENSURE ENCROACHMENT ON, UH, AIRFIELDS AND TRAINING AREAS WAS APPROPRIATE FOR THE CIRCUMSTANCE.
UM, HOPEFULLY THIS COMMITTEE WILL SEE THROUGH MY WORK AND STUDY, I UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF CAREFUL PLANNING AND DELIBERATE AND TIMELY EXECUTION OF PROJECTS TO ENSURE THAT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO CAN KEEP PACE WITH GROWTH IN A PURPOSEFUL, RESPONSIBLE, AND EFFICIENT WAY.
YES, I, WELL, COUNCILMAN MIHI RODRIGUEZ, PLEASE.
YOU ANSWERED QUITE A BIT OF, UH, WHAT I WANTED TO HEAR.
UM, I ASKED MY QUESTION FOR YOU WILL BE, UH, CAN YOU PLEASE DESCRIBE, UH, YOUR VISION FOR THE SAN ANTONIO AIRPORT? WELL, COUNCILMAN, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
UM, THE FACT THAT I LIVE 1.7 MILES FROM THE SOUTHERN END OF 1, 3, 3, 1, UM, I'M, YOU KNOW, WHEN I TEAR ABOUT EXPANSION OF THE AIRPORT, I CAN SEE THE NEED FOR GROWTH IN THE CITY, HAVING BEEN HERE SINCE 2018, AND KNOWING THAT THIS, THE CITY IS GROWING ON A, A, A VERY FAST PACE, THAT AIRFIELD IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT.
LIFELINE, UH, HAVING A 25% INCREASE ALMOST YEARLY, THERE NECESSITATES EXPANSION.
UH, I JUST WANT TO ENSURE THAT THAT EXPANSION IS DONE WITH A CONCERN FOR THE CURRENT NEIGHBORHOODS THAT SURROUND THE AIRPORT.
UH, AND THAT'S REALLY MY, MY SOLE INTEREST IN THIS.
UM, I'M NOT HERE TO STAND IN A WAY OF PROGRESS, UM, BECAUSE I DO LOVE THIS CITY, AND I THINK IT'S ON A GREAT FOOTING.
THANK YOU, COLONEL LESKI, I APPRECIATE YOU OFFERING YOURSELF TO SERVE ON THIS COMMITTEE.
UH, HOW DO YOU THINK YOUR, UH, YOUR MILITARY EXPERIENCE BLENDS WITH THE CIVILIAN OPERATION OF AN AIRPORT? SO I WOULD SAY THAT DRAWING ON THE EXPERIENCES THAT I HAD WITH FACILITIES, SUSTAINMENT, RESTORATION, MODERNIZATION, NEW BUILT, YOU KNOW, NEW GROWTH OR, UM, NEW CONSTRUCTION ON THE JOINT BASE, AND WORKING WITH CONTRACTORS BOTH FROM THE LOCAL AREA AND OUTSIDE THE LOCAL AREA, DEALING WITH SOME OF THE, UM, UM, FUN THAT COMES WITH THEM AND OVERPROMISING AND UNDER-DELIVERING AND MAKING SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, AS A CONTRACTOR, THAT THEY ARE BEING GOOD STEWARDS OF THAT DOLLARS AT THAT TIME, AND PROVIDING, YOU KNOW, WHAT THEY SAY THEY'RE GONNA PROVIDE.
[01:30:01]
IS MAKING SURE THAT, UM, UH, CONTRACTORS ARE HELD ACCOUNTABLE, UH, AND THEY DO THINGS ON TIME AND ON BUDGET.YOU, HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT ANY ISSUES OR CONCERNS ABOUT THE AIRPORT ITSELF THAT YOU WANTED TO BRING TO THE TABLE? HAVE YOU HEARD THINGS FROM YOUR COMMUNITY THAT YOU WOULD WANT TO SHARE WITH THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO SEE IF THEY'RE ADDRESSING ANY OF THOSE THINGS? NOT SPECIFICALLY, NO.
I CAN TELL YOU, UH, ON OCCASION, YOU KNOW, WE DO THE, THE LOUDER AIRCRAFT, THE OLDER AIRCRAFT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF OUR, YOU KNOW, AN ISSUE, BUT REALLY NOT, UM, AGAIN, IT'S YOU, YOU HAVE TO KIND OF WEIGH THE GOOD WITH THE BAD AND THE GOOD IS THE CITY IS GROWING, THE BAD IS THE AIRPORT NEEDS TO EXPAND.
SO IT'S JUST, IT'S MORE AIR TRAFFIC.
UH, BUT I THINK THERE'S WAYS TO DO IT SMART.
UM, AND, UM, I'D BE VERY, UM, UH, FORTUNATE TO BE ABLE TO OFFER SOME OF THOSE IDEAS THAT I HAVE.
UM, MAYBE ABOUT LIMITING AGE AND TYPE OF AIRCRAFT THAT COME IN AND OUT THE AIRFIELD.
UM, BUT AGAIN, I DON'T WANT TO STAND IN THE WAY OF GROWTH OR PROGRESS FOR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN COURAGE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME TODAY, SIR.
UM, WELL THAT CONCLUDES OUR QUESTIONS.
UM, SO WE'LL GO, WE'LL, YEAH, WE'LL JUMP INTO EXEC.
UM, THE TIME IS NOW 3:04 PM ON TUESDAY, MAY 16TH, 2023.
THE TRANSPORTATION AND MOBILITY COMMITTEE WILL NOW MEET IN EXECUTIVE SESSION TO CONSULT THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE PURSUANT TO CHAPTER 5 5 1 IN THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE, AND TO DISCUSS THE APPLICANT'S TO THE AVIATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
THE TIME IS NOW 3:38 PM ON TUESDAY, MAY 16TH, 2023.
AND THE TRANSPORTATION AND MOBILITY COMMITTEE WILL NOW RECONVENE AN OPEN SESSION.
NO OFFICIAL ACTION WAS TAKEN IN EXECUTIVE SESSION.
I MOVE THAT THE TRANSPORTATION AND MOBILITY COMMITTEE RECOMMEND THE FOLLOWING CANDIDATES TO SERVE ON THE AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION, AND FOR THE NOMINATIONS TO BE FORWARD FORWARDED TO THE FULL COUNCIL FOR CONSIDERATION AT THE JUNE 1ST, 2023 A SESSION.
THE NOMINEES ARE DIANE WRATH FOR THE ACOG SEAT.
MARK PROVOST FOR THE AIRPORT BUSINESS, LACI SEAT MARK MILLER FOR THE AVIATION INDUSTRY SEAT MARK ODOS FOR THE TRAVEL AND TOURISM INDUSTRY SEAT.
THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY HAS THREE SEATS.
I RECOMMEND MARSHA HANDLER, JOSHUA NASH, AND MARIANNE SCHWEERS.
THE COMMUNITY HAS THREE SEATS.
I RECOMMEND MELISSA WILLIAMS, JEREMY ROBERTS, AND JAMES LESKI.
AND SECOND, UH, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
MADAM CLERK, YOU WILL INFORM THE, THE APPLICANT'S.
UM, WITH THAT, OUR MEETING'S ADJOURNED.
THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR TIME TODAY.