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[CALL TO ORDER]
THIS MEETING OF THE RICHARDSON CITY COUNCIL TO ORDER AT 6:00 PM WE'LL[A. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS AND VISITORS FORUM ]
START OFF WITH ITEM A, WHICH IS PUBLIC COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS AND VISITORS FORM, MR. MAGNER.WE ARE NOT IN RECEIPT OF ANY CARDS IN ADVANCE OF THE 4:00 PM DEADLINE, BUT WE DO HAVE TWO SPEAKERS THAT ARE SIGNED UP TO MAKE COMMENTS.
SO I'LL READ THE, THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR THOSE SPEAKERS AS WELL AS ANYONE ELSE WHO MIGHT WISH TO MAKE COMMENTS.
ALL SPEAKERS SHOULD COMPLETE A COMMENT CARD AND SUBMIT IT TO THE CITY SECRETARY.
SPEAKERS WILL BE CALLED IN THE ORDER THEY'RE RECEIVED.
WHEN YOUR NAME IS CALLED, PLEASE STEP TO THE PODIUM AND STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE RECORD.
ALL SPEAKERS WILL BE LIMITED TO A MAXIMUM OF FIVE MINUTES IS INDICATED BY THE TIMERS.
WHEN THE TIMER BEEPS, THE SPEAKER SHOULD CONCLUDE THEIR COMMENTS PROMPTLY.
SPEAKERS MUST NOT PHYSICALLY APPROACH MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL OR STAFF AND SHOULD REMAIN AT THE PODIUM DURING THEIR COMMENTS.
SPEAKERS WITH HANDOUTS MUST PROVIDE THEM TO THE CITY SECRETARY FOR DISTRIBUTION.
SUBMITTING COMMENTS ON THE SAME TOPIC ARE ENCOURAGED TO REDUCE REPETITIVE REMARKS BY INDICATING THEIR COMMENTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN ADDRESSED, OR BY SELECTING A REPRESENTATIVE.
THE TEXAS OPEN MEETING ACT PROHIBITS THE CITY COUNCIL FROM DISCUSSING OR TAKING ACTION ON ITEMS THAT ARE NOT POSTED ON THE AGENDA.
CITY COUNCIL AND STAFF WILL NOT AFFIRM OR OPPOSE ANY SPEAKER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS.
THE MAYOR OR CITY MANAGER MAY RESPOND WITH FACTS OF POLICY OR DIRECT CITY STAFF TO RESPOND TO THE SPEAKER.
AFTER THE MEETING, THE AUDIENCE, THE AUDIENCE IS ASKED TO REFRAIN FROM APPLAUDING OR OTHER EXPRESSIONS OF SUPPORT OR OPPOSITION, A COPY OF THE COUNCIL RULES OF ORDER AND PROCEDURE.
AND THESE GUIDELINES MAY BE FOUND ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE.
AT THIS TIME, I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO REMIND EVERYONE TO SILENCE THEIR CELL PHONE FOR THE DURATION OF THE MEETING.
I HAVE TERRIBLE NEUROPATHY AND MY FEET ARE ON FIRE.
I'M AT 35 0 1 NORTH JUPITER ROAD, A APARTMENT 55 C RICHARDSON, 7 5 0 8 2.
AND MY QUESTION IS, WHY DO WE PAY DIFFERENT RATES FOR THE SAME ELECTRICITY AND WHY AREN'T DATA CENTERS REQUIRED TO GENERATE THEIR OWN ELECTRICITY TO SAVE SOME FOR THE REST OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC? MR. QUILL? UH, WE WE'RE NOT ALLOWED TO ANSWER QUESTIONS, UH, AS AS THEY COME THAT WAY.
UH, BUT IF YOU WOULD, UH, COMPLETE YOUR COMMENTS OR IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER THOUGHTS.
I JUST WANTED TO YOU, WHAT DID I DO WRONG? YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG.
UH, YOU ASKED US A COUPLE QUESTIONS.
WE'RE JUST NOT, UH, IN A POSITION TO GO BACK AND FORTH WITH, WITH SPEAKERS IN THIS PARTICULAR FORM.
BUT IF YOU'LL DO US A FAVOR AND MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION, WE'LL MAKE SURE TO GET YOU SOME ANSWERS, UH, ON THOSE TWO ITEMS. YOU DO HAVE, UH, FOUR MINUTES AND 29 SECONDS IF THERE WERE MORE COMMENTS YOU WANTED TO MAKE ON THAT PARTICULAR ISSUE.
I I DIDN'T KNOW I WAS COMING TONIGHT AND I, BUT I'M JUST IN A LOT OF PAIN.
YOU'RE, YOU'RE PERFECTLY FINE, MR. SORRY ABOUT THE PAIN.
MY NAME IS JENNY LAUGHLIN, AND I LIVE AT 8 0 4 FIRESTONE HERE IN OUR FAIR CITY.
TODAY, I SAW A POST ON FACEBOOK FROM RICHARDSON PARKS AND RECREATION THAT SAID, HAPPY NATIONAL WILDFLOWER WEEK.
I LOVE WILD FLOWERS, AND I LOVE THAT RICHARDSON IS CONSCIOUS OF THE CONCEPT.
I'D ENCOURAGE YOU TO DRIVE BY MY HOUSE SOMETIME AND SEE MY YARD.
I, WHEN I SAY I LOVE WILD FLOWERS, I MEAN IT, UH, OR BETTER YET, GO BY CHRISSY AND SEAN'S HOUSE THIS WEEKEND.
THEY'RE HAVING AN OPEN YARD TOUR, AND YOU'LL CHECK OUT A REAL WILDFLOWER TREAT THERE, OR CHECK OUT THE PRAIRIE CREEK MARSH, WHERE A GROUP OF LOCAL MASTER NATURALISTS ARE WORKING ON RESTORING BLACKLAND PRAIRIE.
TRUE WILD FLOWERS ARE IN FULL BLOOM THERE.
BUT AS AN ECOLOGICALLY AND ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS CITIZEN, I HAVE TO BRING THIS UP.
AND I DECIDED THAT TODAY WAS A GOOD DAY TO DO THAT.
THE WILDFLOWER MIX THAT RICHARDSON HAS BEEN USING FOR OVER 35 YEARS IS NOT NATIVE TO RICHARDSON AND OR IT'S NOT EVEN NATIVE TO NORTH TEXAS.
THIS MAY NOT BE ON MOST PEOPLE'S RADAR, BUT IT IS AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION.
THE BACHELOR BUTTON, RED CORN POPPY AND ROCKET LARK SPA SPUR ARE NOT NATIVE TO THIS AREA, SO WE REALLY CAN'T CALL THEM WILD FLOWERS, BUT WE
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COULD SEE THAT MORE THAN 45 ACRES WITH NATIVES.BLUE BONNETS ARE NOT JUST THE STATE WILD FLOWERS.
WHAT STATE FLOUR? THEY ARE LOCAL NATIVE WILDFLOWERS.
ONE OF MY FAVORITES IS THE WINE CUP
AND HOW ABOUT THE PRAIRIE VEA? THOSE LITTLE PURPLE FLOWERS ARE KNOWN FOR BLOOMING NINE MONTHS OUT OF THE YEAR.
GOLDEN GROUND CELL PUTS OUT YELLOW DAISY LIKE FLOWERS.
THERE ARE LOTS OF OPTIONS WITH A LITTLE PLANNING.
WE COULD TAKE OUR CITY FROM THE HOME OF THE WILDFLOWER FESTIVAL TO A REAL HOME FOR WILD FLOWERS.
THIS WOULD BE FOOD AND SHELTER FOR ALL KINDS OF WILD LIFE AND POLLINATORS.
IF, WELL, IF FLOWERS MAKE MOST PEOPLE FEEL HAPPY, BUTTERFLIES AND HONEYBEES, FIREFLIES AND DRAGONFLIES TAKE THAT HAPPINESS TO JOY.
AND IF I MAY SAY SO, I THINK THIS WORLD COULD USE MORE TRUE JOY.
AND THIS FALL, WHEN YOU SEED THOSE AREAS, LET'S USE NATIVE WILDFLOWER MIX.
AND HAPPY WILD WILDFLOWER WEEK.
MAYOR, DO WE HAVE ANYONE ELSE IN THE AUDIENCE THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK? ALRIGHT, SEEING NONE, WE
[B. RECOGNITION FOR THE WINNERS OF THE MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. ESSAY CONTEST AND BLACK HISTORY MONTH ART CONTEST]
WILL MOVE ON TO ITEM B, WHICH IS RECOGNITION FOR THE WINNERS OF THE MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.ESSAY CONTEST AND BLACK HISTORY MONTH ART CONTEST.
I KNOW YOU JOINED ME IN WELCOMING ALL OF OUR, UH, GUESTS TODAY, AS WELL AS THE, UH, WINNERS OF OUR, UH, TWO CONTESTS.
UH, I WANNA, UH, AGAIN, THIS YEAR THANK GREG SOL GREG.
UH, THIS IS, UH, SOMETHING HE'S VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT, AND HE'S BEEN MANAGING THIS PROGRAM, UH, FOR US SINCE 2021.
IT TAKES A LOT OF, UH, ORGANIZATION AND A LOT OF TIME TO, UM, REVIEW ALL THE, UH, VERY WORTHWHILE, UH, SUBMISSIONS.
BUT HERE TONIGHT, WE'RE HERE TO CELEBRATE THE WINNERS.
UM, AND SO MAYOR, UM, AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME, UH, GREG IS GONNA ASK YOU AND THE COUNCIL TO JOIN HIM.
UM, WE'LL, UH, TAKE, UH, PICTURES WITH WINNERS FROM EACH GROUP, AND THEN WE'LL TAKE ONE LARGE PHOTO AT THE VERY END.
SO, GREG, AGAIN, THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO TO GET THIS, UH, PROGRAM, UM, PUT TOGETHER EACH YEAR, AND I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU FOR BRIEFING.
WELL, THANK YOU, SIR, AND GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
AND YES, ONE OF THE BEST CALLS I GET TO MAKE IS WHEN I'M TALKING TO THE PARENTS AND THEY'RE LIKE, REALLY, REALLY? SOMETIMES THEY'LL EVEN SAY AGAIN.
AND WE ACTUALLY HAVE THAT TWICE TONIGHT.
SO, UH, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, WE'LL GET INTO THE PRESENTATION.
OF COURSE, THIS GOES ALONG WITH YOUR GOALS AND YOUR STRATEGIC TACTICS.
UH, THIS ONE ACTUALLY BEING ONGOING IS, UH, MR. MAGNAR HAD SAID THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE 2021.
UH, AND IT WAS LAUNCHED AT THAT TIME TO PROMOTE DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION AND HELD, UH, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SEVERAL ENTITIES.
WE NEEDED THESE PARTNERSHIPS, AS YOU'LL SEE HERE IN A FEW MOMENTS, AS TO HOW WE GET THE WORD OUT AND HOW WE ARE ABLE TO, UH, ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION.
SO THOSE PARTNERS ARE THE CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSION, THE COMMUNITY INCLUSION AND ENGAGEMENT COMMISSION, RICHARDSON AND PLANO, ISD, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DALLAS.
THERE ARE THREE MAIN CRITERIA TO BE ABLE TO TAKE PART IN THIS EVENT.
AND, UH, ONE IS THAT YOU'RE IN GRADES ONE THROUGH 12.
AND, UH, THAT COULD BE AT EITHER THE I SDS, PRIVATE SCHOOLS, YOU CAN BE HOMESCHOOLED, DOESN'T MATTER, JUST GRADE ONE THROUGH 12.
SECOND IS THAT YOU'RE EITHER A RESIDENT OF THE CITY OF RICHARDSON.
SO IF, UH, FOR INSTANCE, YOU'RE IN R-I-S-S-D OR PISD, YOU MAY GO TO A CAMPUS THAT'S IN GARLAND, DALLAS, OR PLANO.
UH, SO YOU HAVE TO BE EITHER A RESIDENT HERE, OR YOU CAN BE A DA DALLAS GARLAND OR PLANO RESIDENT AS LONG AS YOU GO TO SCHOOL HERE WITHIN THE CITY OF RICHARDSON.
SO THOSE ARE OUR THREE MAIN CRITERIA, UH, FOR THE ELIGIBILITY TO TAKE PART IN THE ART AND ESSAY CONTEST.
AS I SAID, WE HAVE SEVERAL PARTNERSHIPS TO HELP MAKE THIS HAPPEN, UH, AS I JUST REVIEWED.
AND REALLY, THE BIG PART OF THAT IS FOR THE OUTREACH SO THAT WE CAN HELP GET THE WORD OUT ABOUT THESE CONTESTS GOING ON.
WE DO THAT THROUGH THE RICHARDSON AND, UH, PLANO INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
WE SEND THIS INFORMATION TO THEM LATE IN THE YEAR, USUALLY AROUND OCTOBER, NOVEMBER.
AND THEY TAKE THAT, PUT IT, GIVE IT TO THEIR ART TEACHERS AND TO THEIR ENGLISH TEACHERS.
THEY ALSO PUT IT INTO THEIR NEWSLETTERS FOR PARENTS TO SEE.
AND THEN IN JANUARY, WE START REALLY HITTING OUR CHANNELS TO GET TO THE REST OF THE GENERAL COMMUNITY.
WE GIVE THAT TIME SO THAT THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAVE TIME TO PREPARE EVERYTHING SO THAT WHEN WE LAUNCH ON JANUARY 1ST, IT IS READY TO GO.
BUT OF COURSE, WE HAVE RICHARDSON TODAY THAT WE HAVE A FULL PAGE
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SPREAD AND PUT THAT INFORMATION OUT.WE ALSO HAVE OUR SOCIAL MEDIA THAT WE ACTIVATE, WHICH INCLUDES NOT JUST POST, BUT ALSO, UH, INTERVIEWS THAT WE DO WITH THE WINNERS TO TALK ABOUT HOW THEY CAME UP WITH INSPIRATION AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
IN FACT, SOME OF OUR WINNERS HERE THIS EVENING HAVE ALREADY DONE, UH, SOME INTERVIEWS AND WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO GET THE REST OF THEM AS WELL.
AND THEN OF COURSE, WE HAVE NEWSLETTERS SPECIFICALLY, OR WE CAN REVIEW THAT ALSO IS SENT OUT SEVERAL TIMES EARLY IN THE YEAR TO LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT THIS, THESE, UH, CONTESTS ARE GOING ON.
WE HAVE TWO ROUNDS OF JUDGING, AND WE LEARNED THIS REALLY THE FIRST YEAR, UH, WHEN, WHEN WE DID THIS, THAT WE, IT WOULD BE GOOD TO HAVE A, A PRIMARY GROUP AND THEN BRING THAT DOWN TO FINALISTS FOR OUR FINALIST JUDGES.
THE PRELIMINARY GROUP IS MADE UP OF OUR LIBRARIANS WHO LOOK OVER THE ESSAYS, UH, AND THEN THEY PULL THOSE DOWN TO OUR, OUR FINAL CA CATEGORIES.
AND THEN WE HAVE THE COMMUNITY EVENTS GROUP, WHICH JUST THIS PAST WEEKEND, FOR INSTANCE, DID THE COTTONWOOD ART FESTIVAL.
THEY ALSO DO THE PHOTO CONTEST THAT IS AT AROUND THE SAME TIME OF YEAR.
THEY LOOKED, THEY HAD THAT ARTISTIC EYE, AND THEY HELP US TO BRING DOWN TO THE FINALIST FOR THE ARTS CONTEST.
THEN THE FINALISTS ARE MADE UP OF JUDGES THAT ARE WITH THE CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSION, THE CULTURAL INCLUSION AND ENGAGEMENT COMMISSION, AND WITH R-I-S-D-P-I-S-D AND UTD.
I KNOW WE HAD A FEW OF THE, SORRY, I KNOW WE HAVE AT LEAST ONE JUDGE.
SO WITH THE CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSION, BRIAN BENTLEY IS HERE.
I'M GONNA ASK YOU GUYS TO STAND UP REAL QUICK.
ALL OF OUR JUDGES WHO MADE IT IN, I DIDN'T SEE ANY OTHERS COME IN, BUT BRIAN, I KNOW YOU'RE HERE.
GO AHEAD AND STAND ON UP AND BE, BE, UH, RECOGNIZED.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE IN THE AUDIENCE, WELL, I'LL, I'LL GET TO THE ART TEACHER HERE IN A SECOND
BUT, UH, I WANNA THANK YOU GUYS.
SO OUR JUDGES, THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN WITHOUT THEM, AND THEY SPEND A LOT OF THEIR TIME HAVING TO GO OVER.
AND YOU'LL SEE THE CRITERIA HERE IN A SECOND, BUT JUST WANTED TO RECOGNIZE THEM REAL QUICK, UH, FOR THE WORK.
OH, AND HERE'S ANOTHER JUDGE JUST WALKED IN, RASHMI, SHE'S, SHE'S WITH THE CULTURAL INCLUSION ENGAGEMENT COMMISSION.
UH, AND SO THEY WERE ABLE TO MAKE IT.
SO THANK YOU GUYS FOR, UH, BEING A PART OF THIS AND FOR COMING HERE.
AND WE'LL BE TAKING A PHOTO WITH YOU GUYS SOON.
SO WE'LL START INTO THE, THE JUDGING.
UH, FIRST STARTING WITH THE ESSAY CONTEST.
THIS IS FOR GRADES FOUR THROUGH 12, AND THE SUBMISSIONS ARE OPEN FOR ONE MONTH.
SO IT OPENS JANUARY 1ST AND JANUARY 1ST, AND CLOSES AT THE END OF JANUARY.
THE PROMPT THAT WAS GIVEN THIS YEAR IS THE TITLE WAS TITLED, THE RIPPLE EFFECT OF KINDNESS AND JU UH, AND JUSTICE DR. KING ONCE SAID, LIFE'S MOST PERSISTENT AND URGENT QUESTION IS, WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR OTHERS? SHARE EXAMPLES OF HOW YOU FEEL ACTS OF KINDNESS, BIG OR SMALL CAN CREATE LASTING CHANGE.
THE ESSAY CONTEST, UH, RULES WERE, AS THEY ARE PRESENTED HERE, ONE ESSAY PER STUDENT MUST NOT EXCEED.
500 WORDS MUST BE SUBMITTED AS A PDF DOCUMENT.
ESSAY MUST BE TYPED DOUBLE SPACE AND SUITABLE FOR PUBLICATION.
NO IDENTIFYING INFORMATION OF THE AUTHOR CAN BE INCLUDED IN THE BODY OF THE ESSAY CONTENT MUST BE ORIGINAL AND NOT INCLUDE CONTENT THAT IS AI GENERATED, LICENSED, COPYRIGHTED, OR TRADEMARKED.
EACH PARTICIPANT MUST GRANT THE CITY OF RICHARDSON PERMISSION TO USE THEIR NAME FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE CONTEST AND ACKNOWLEDGE THAT IT MAY BE REPRODUCED, WHICH IT ACTUALLY IS GOING TO BE REPRODUCED AND PUBLISHED IF, IF THE PARTICIPANT IS UNDER THE AGE OF 18.
EACH ENTRY MUST BE SUBMITTED BY THE PARENT OR GUARDIAN.
AND THAT IS TO, UH, THAT, THAT THOSE ARE THE RULES FOR THE ESSAY CONTEST.
OUR JUDGES LOOK AT THESE ENTRIES BASED ON THIS CRITERIA, REFLECTION OF THE TOPIC, GRAMMATICAL STRUCTURE, CREATIVITY, CONTENT, VOICE AND ORGANIZATION, AND OUR AWARDS.
AGAIN, WE'LL HAVE THREE WINNERS.
THESE ARE CATEGORIES FOUR THROUGH SIX, SEVEN THROUGH NINTH, AND 10 THROUGH 12.
AND AGAIN, I'LL BE CALLING YOU HERE IN A SECOND.
FOR OUR WINNERS, I'M GONNA GO OVER REAL QUICK, THE ART CONTEST AND THE RULES FOR THAT AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
THIS IS FOR STUDENTS FIRST THROUGH 12TH GRADE.
AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION IS OPEN FROM JANUARY 1ST TO THE END OF FEBRUARY.
UH, AND THE PROMPT THAT WAS PROVIDED TO OUR ARTISTS THIS YEAR WAS UNSUNG HEROES.
NOT ALL HEROES, MAKE IT INTO THE HISTORY BOOKS, CREATE A TRIBUTE TO A LESSER KNOWN FIGURE IN YOUR LIFE, A COMMUNITY LEADER OR A FAMILY MEMBER WHO HAS MADE A MEANINGFUL IMPACT.
AND THE RULES FOR THIS IS, AGAIN, ONE ENTRY PER STUDENT, TWO OR THREE DIMENSIONAL WORKS ARE ACCEPTED.
SO THEY CAN SEND US THEIR TWO DIMENSIONAL, OR THEY CAN TAKE A PICTURE IF THEY DO SOMETHING THAT'S THREE DIMENSIONAL, AND SUBMIT THAT AS WELL.
THERE IS, AGAIN, NO IDENTIFYING INFORMATION OF THE ARTIST THAT CAN BE INCLUDED ON THE ART PIECE.
SO FOR INSTANCE, WE ASK THEM NOT TO SIGN IT, OR IF WE DO JUST CROP THAT PART OUT.
ENTRIES MUST NOT BE OFFENSIVE, PORNOGRAPHIC, OVERLY GRAPHIC, OBSCENE, ET CETERA.
THEY MUST BE ORIGINAL WORKS, NOT AI GENERATED LICENSE COPYRIGHTED OR TRADEMARK MATERIAL INCLUDED, UH, OR HAVE ANY OF THE, UH, MATERIAL INCLUDED IN THE WORK.
AND AGAIN, THEY MUST GRANT THE CITY PERMISSION TO USE OUR, THEIR NAME AND IMAGE FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE CONTEST.
JUDGING FOR THIS WAS BASED ON ORIGINALITY, ARTISTIC EXCELLENCE AND REFLECTION OF THE THEME.
AND FOR THIS, OUR FOUR CATEGORIES ARE THE FIRST THROUGH THIRD GRADE, FOURTH
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THROUGH SIXTH, SEVENTH THROUGH NINTH, AND 10 THROUGH 12.AND SO NOW WE WILL GET TO THE WINNERS.
AND FOR THE ART CONTEST, THAT'S WHAT WE'LL DO FIRST.
SO, UH, WINNERS, THIS IS WHERE WHEN I CALL YOUR NAME, GO AHEAD AND COME ON UP.
I WILL HAND YOU, AND ACTUALLY, IF WE CAN GET OUR, THIS IS A GOOD TIME TOO FOR COUNCIL AND MAYOR AND COUNCIL, GO AHEAD AND COME ON UP.
AND WE'RE, UH, WE'LL DO THE PRESENTATION OF THE, ACTUALLY, NO, I'M SORRY.
I'M GONNA SHOW YOU THEIR WORK FIRST, THEN WE'LL BRING THEM UP.
SO THIS IS OUR FIRST WORK, PERIL THACKER, FIRST THROUGH THIRD GRADE AND PERIL, UH, IS IS IN THE AUDIENCE WITH US.
AND HIS SECOND GRADE, LORETTA.
BRAD, HIS ART TEACHERS HERE, LORETTA BRADSHAW.
LORETTA, WHY DON'T YOU STAND UP TOO? AND THERE YOU GO.
OUR SECOND WINNER IS COHEN HUGHES, FOURTH THROUGH SIXTH GRADE.
AND COHEN, WHY DON'T YOU STAND UP? THERE YOU GO.
UH, VIOLET SCAR, SEVENTH THROUGH NINTH GRADE.
AND JOSIE THICK, 10TH THROUGH 12TH GRADE, JOSIE.
SO THESE ARE ART CONTEST WINNERS.
REAL, REAL WELL, LET'S GO AHEAD, SINCE YOU'RE UP THERE ALREADY.
I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND TAKE THE PHOTO REAL QUICK.
THEN WE'RE GONNA BRING OUR WINNERS UP.
AND WE'RE GONNA MAKE A SPACE SPEECH FOR ONE OF THE WINNERS.
HERE, RIGHT, ACTUALLY, ALL RIGHT, HOLD THAT SPOT.
OH, ACTUALLY, YEAH, LET'S, ALRIGHT, AND BIG SMILES, MY PARENTS.
I'LL BE SENDING YOU ONE OF THESE.
'CAUSE WE'RE GONNA DO ONE BIG LARGE GROUP PHOTO HERE IN THIS AIR IN A MOMENT.
SO WE'LL HAVE OUR ART CONTEST WINNERS MOVE TO THE SIDE ESSAY CONTEST WINNERS.
WHEN I CALL YOU, YOU'LL GO AHEAD AND COME ON UP.
UH, AND OUR FIRST WINNER IS TEMPLE ADAMS, WITH KINDNESS IS KING FOUR THROUGH SIXTH GRADE CARE AND COUNSEL, I'LL GO AHEAD AND GET YOU TO TAKE YOUR SPOTS AGAIN AND WE'LL DO THE ESSAY CONTEST WINNERS HERE IN A MOMENT TOO.
UH, AND OUR NEXT WINNER IS, UH, CAR RO AMU GOLDEN CANDY.
OUR THIRD WINNER IS A TRANQUIL POND BY KI SHANKAR.
AND THESE ARE THE WINNERS FOR OUR ESSAY CONTEST.
AND I FORGOT TO MENTION, SO P NEIL THACKER AND COHEN HUGHES, THIS IS THEIR SECOND YEAR IN A ROW TO WIN IN THEIR CATEGORIES.
SO THAT WAS WORTH MENTIONING TO.
ALRIGHT, SO LET'S GO AHEAD AND GET OUR ESSAY CONTEST WINNERS.
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OKAY.SO LET'S BRING IN OUR ART CONTEST WINNERS NOW AND OUR JUDGES IF YOU COULD PLEASE AND OUR TEACHER TOO, PLEASE, WHY DON'T YOU GO AHEAD AND COME ON UP AND WE'LL DO ONE LARGE PHOTO, SIR, STAND ON HERE.
ALL RIGHT, BIG SMILES AND PERFECT.
THANK YOU TO THE JUDGES, THE PARENTS, THE STUDENTS WHO ENTERED AND WON.
[C. REVIEW AND DISCUSS THE EISEMANN CENTER PRESENTS 2026-2027 SEASON ]
ON TO ITEM C, WHICH IS TO REVIEW AND DISCUSS.THE EISMAN CENTER PRESENTS 20 26, 20 27 SEASON.
MR. MAGNAR, UH, THANK YOU MAYOR.
MAYOR COUNCIL, EXCITED TO HAVE ALLAIN HAYNES HAMLIN HERE WITH US TONIGHT TO, UM, DO WHAT HAS BECOME A, SOMETHING THAT WE ALL LOOK FORWARD TO ABOUT THIS TIME EVERY YEAR, WHICH IS TO PREVIEW THE EISMAN CENTER PRESENTS FOR THE FORTHCOMING SEASON.
UM, AND SO ALLIE, I APPRECIATE ALL THE HARD WORK THAT GOES INTO THIS ALL YEAR LONG TO KIND OF CURATE A SEASON LIKE YOU PUT TOGETHER HERE.
AND I KNOW THE COUNCIL WILL BE EXCITED TO SEE SOME OF THE CLIPS THAT YOU HAVE FOR HIM TONIGHT AS WELL.
SO I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU FOR A BRIEFING.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME TONIGHT.
UM, THE EISMAN CENTER PRESENTS, UH, 2020 6 27 SEASON IS JUST ABOUT READY TO BE LAUNCHED.
BUT I'D LIKE TO REVIEW A LITTLE BIT OF INFORMATION JUST ABOUT WHAT EISMAN CENTER PRESENTS IS AND SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS CURRENT SEASON.
SO OUR EISMAN CENTER PRESENTS SERIES, UH, IS IN SERVICE TO THE CITY COUNCIL GOAL TO HAVE RESIDENTS AND ALL STAKEHOLDERS CHOOSE RICHARDSON AS THE BEST PLACE TO LOCATE, CONTRIBUTE, AND ENGAGE.
UM, AND WE DO THAT BY EMPLOYING THE STRATEGY THAT, UH, TO CONTINUE TO EXPLORE UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN RESIDENTS AND ALL STAKEHOLDERS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I GET ASKED MOST OFTEN IS, HOW DO WE CHOOSE THE SHOWS THAT WE BRING TO THE EISMAN CENTER? AND HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE PUT THE TOGETHER THE SEASON? UM, SO THIS IS JUST A QUICK OVERVIEW OF THE CURATORIAL PROCESS THAT I GO THROUGH WHEN SELECTING, UH, DIFFERENT ARTISTS FOR OUR SEASON.
FIRST AND FOREMOST, I START WITH PERFORMANCE EXCELLENCE AND ARTISTIC MERIT.
WE WANT THE VERY BEST SHOWS THAT WE CAN FIND ANYWHERE ACROSS THE WORLD, ARTISTS WHO ARE PERFORMING AT THE PEAK OF THEIR TECHNICAL SKILL AND WHO ARE REALLY BRINGING FORWARD SOMETHING THAT WE ALL WANT TO HEAR.
UM, ARTISTIC MERIT IS ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT'S VERY SUBJECTIVE AND IT'S HARD TO EVALUATE, BUT WE REALLY BREAK IT DOWN TO TECHNICAL SKILL, CRAFTSMANSHIP, CREATIVITY, ORIGINALITY, CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE, AND THEN COHESION AND STRUCTURE.
SO THIS IS, THIS IS KIND OF LIKE THE BUILDING BLOCKS THAT WE LOOK FOR WHEN WE LOOK FOR PERFORMANCE EXCELLENCE.
AND THEN THERE'S THAT ITEM THAT YOU CAN'T REALLY PUT ON A EXCEL SPREADSHEET THAT LENDS ITSELF TO PERFORMANCE EXCELLENCE, WHICH IS REALLY LIKE WHERE IT HITS YOU WHEN YOU'RE WATCHING THE SHOW AND WHERE IT TRANSPORTS YOU WHEN YOU ARE IN THE MIDST OF EXPERIENCING THIS ARTWORK.
UM, WE ALSO PAY VERY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE HISTORY THAT THESE ARTISTS HAVE IN THIS MARKET, AS WELL AS SIMILAR MARKETS TO, UH, THE DFW MARKETPLACE.
UM, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE BRINGING ARTISTS HERE THAT, UM, YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE IF IT WEREN'T FOR US BRINGING
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THEM TO THE EISMAN CENTER.UH, WE CERTAINLY LIKE TO BRING POPULAR ARTISTS, UM, SO WE WILL BRING ARTISTS THAT HAVE HAD TIME IN, UH, DFW, BUT WE ARE VERY CAREFUL TO TRY NOT TO BRING ARTISTS THAT YOU WILL SEE AT A DFW VENUE EVERY SIX MONTHS OR EVERY YEAR.
UM, WE, WE REALLY WANT OUR SERIES TO STAND OUT AS BEING A LITTLE BIT MORE SPECIAL AND UNIQUE THAN THAT.
UM, OF COURSE WE ARE, UM, REALLY FOCUSED ON MAKING SURE THAT OUR SEASON IS VERY DIVERSE AND THAT IT REPRESENTS A LOT OF WONDERFUL CULTURES THAT WE HAVE HERE IN RICHARDSON.
SO THE QUALITY AND THAT CULTURAL AUTHENTICITY IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
UM, AND WE ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THESE ARTISTS WILL HAVE SOME CONNECTION TO OUR COMMUNITY, WHETHER IT'S A SHARED CULTURAL IDENTITY OR, UM, A PERFORMER WHO HAS ROOTS IN THE NORTH TEXAS AREA.
UM, YOU KNOW, BEING IN NORTH TEXAS, THERE'S AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF MUSIC AND MUSICIANS HERE.
SO THERE WE ARE FINDING MORE AND MORE ARTISTS THAT ACTUALLY DO HAVE ROOTS HERE IN NORTH TEXAS, AND IT'S REALLY FUN TO KIND OF BRING THEM HOME AND, UM, LET THEM HAVE A SHOW AT A PRESTIGIOUS VENUE LIKE THE EISMAN CENTER.
WE ALSO REALLY LOOK FOR ARTISTS THAT WE KNOW ARE GONNA ELEVATE THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THOSE WHO LIVE, WORK, AND PLAY IN RICHARDSON.
THIS IS REALLY ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS THAT I LOOK FOR WHEN TRAVELING AROUND AND LOOKING AT DIFFERENT ARTISTS.
UM, WE REALLY WANT ARTISTS THAT ARE GONNA ATTRACT AUDIENCES FROM THROUGHOUT THE AREA, NOT JUST NORTH TEXAS, NOT JUST RICHARDSON, BUT THROUGHOUT THIS REGION.
UM, BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT THE MORE PEOPLE THAT COME TO THE EISMAN CENTER AND SEE THE INCREDIBLE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING WILL FALL IN LOVE WITH THE EISMAN CENTER, FALL IN LOVE WITH RICHARDSON AND PLANT THAT SEED IN THEIR MIND.
IF THEY'RE, UM, A YOUNG FAMILY JUST STARTING OUT LOOKING TO WHERE THEY WANNA PUT THEIR ROOTS, IT PLANTS THAT SEED THAT MAYBE THEY WANNA PUT THEIR ROOTS IN RICHARDSON, WHERE THEY CAN HAVE A VENUE LIKE THE EISMAN CENTER IN THIS WONDERFUL PROGRAM YOU RIDE IN THEIR BACKYARD.
OR IF THERE'S, UM, A COUPLE THAT ARE LOOKING TO RETIRE AND THEY'RE TRYING TO DECIDE WHERE THEIR RETIREMENT LOCATION WILL BE, I WANNA PLANT THAT SEED IN THEIR MIND THAT MAYBE RICHARDSON IS THE PLACE THEY WANNA RETIRE.
SO THEY HAVE THESE INCREDIBLE AMENITIES TO EXPERIENCE AS THEY, UM, EXPERIENCE THEIR GOLDEN YEARS.
WE ALSO WORK REALLY HARD TO ENGAGE ARTISTS THAT WILL OFFER, UM, EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES, WHETHER IT'S A MASTERCLASS IN INVITED DRESS REHEARSAL OR AN OPEN SOUND CHECK, OR A SCHOOL PERFORMANCE OR A WORKSHOP, ANYTHING THAT THE, UM, ARTISTS WOULD BE WILLING TO DO TO ENGAGE WITH OUR COMMUNITY AND REALLY HELP SPARK THE LOVE OF ARTS IN, UM, ART STUDENTS OF ALL AGES HERE IN RICHARDSON.
THAT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO US.
AND ALL OF THIS IS WHAT WE GO THROUGH BEFORE WE EVEN START THE CALCULUS AND THE TETRIS OF PUTTING TOGETHER A SEASON.
HOW DO WE FIT IT INTO THE CALENDAR? HOW DO WE FIGURE OUT WHAT THE NUMBERS LOOK LIKE, WHAT MAKES SENSE, WHAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE? WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS SEASON? WHAT'S HAPPENING TWO SEASONS FROM NOW? UM, IT'S, IT'S QUITE A PUZZLE, BUT IF YOU'RE A PUZZLE FAN LIKE I AM, IT'S A VERY FUN PUZZLE TO DO.
SO I WANNA HIT ON SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS THAT WE HAD FROM THIS PAST, UH, SEASON, THE 25 26 SEASON.
WHILE WE'RE NOT QUITE WRAPPED UP YET, WE HAVE, UM, HAD THE BULK OF THE SEASON HAPPEN.
UM, AND WE'RE REALLY THRILLED TO LOOK BACK AND SEE ALL OF THE, UM, THE MORE MULTICULTURAL OFFERINGS THAT WE HAD THIS SEASON, UH, REPRESENTING CULTURES THAT WE HAVEN'T HAD BEFORE.
THE JAPANESE DRUMMERS OF DRUM TOWER, IF YOU WERE LUCKY ENOUGH TO ATTEND THAT PERFORMANCE, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY JUST WENT NUTS FOR IT.
AND IT WAS INCREDIBLE SUCCESS.
UM, AND THERE WERE A LOT OF PEOPLE THERE THAT HAD NEVER EXPERIENCED TAIKO DRUMMING BEFORE, SO THAT WAS VERY EXCITING.
UM, HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO BRING THE CHINESE FRENCH CHS JESSICA FI SHOW TO COME INTO HER PERFORMANCE IN THE CABARET SPACE WAS PERSONALLY THRILLING FOR ME.
I'VE BEEN A FAN OF HERS FOR MANY, MANY YEARS, BUT IT WAS ALSO REALLY EXCITING JUST TO SEE THE AUDIENCE AND HOW MUCH THEY FELL IN LOVE WITH, UH, JESSICA FISH SHOW AS WELL.
SHE'S A VERY UNIQUE COMBINATION OF CULTURES.
AND THEN PARTNERING WITH INDIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE FOUNDATION TO BRING THE RENOWNED BARIUM INDIAN DANCER, PRIYA DNE GOVIN WAS EXTREMELY SPECIAL.
UM, PRIYA DNE GOVIN IS BASED IN INDIA.
THAT'S WHERE SHE LIVES, THAT, WHERE THAT'S WHERE SHE PRACTICES.
UM, BUT SHE TRAVELED TO THE US FOR A VERY, VERY SHORT TOUR.
AND WE WERE INCREDIBLY LUCKY BECAUSE OF OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH ICHF TO BRING HER TO THE EISMAN CENTER, UM, FOR A WONDERFUL ENGAGEMENT.
UM, AND SHE ABSOLUTELY BLEW OUR SOCKS OFF.
AGAIN, IF YOU WERE LUCKY ENOUGH TO SEE THAT SHOW, IT PROBABLY LEFT AN INDELIBLE MEMORY ON YOUR MIND.
AND THEN WE ALSO HAD A GREAT TIME JOINING THE LU LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS THAT ARE SO PREVALENT HERE IN RICHARDSON, BECAUSE OF COURSE WE'RE THE HOME OF DFWS CHINATOWN.
SO ALL ALL OF THIS WAS NEW THIS SEASON AND WE WERE INCREDIBLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
WE'RE ALSO REALLY EXCITED TO EXPAND OUR COLLABORATIVE PRESENTATIONS WITH BOTH LOCAL AND NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS.
UM, INDIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE FOUNDATION THAT I MENTIONED, UM, BRINGING PRIYA DAR GOVIN WITH AND THE DALLAS MUSEUM OF ART.
WE PARTNERED WITH THEM AGAIN TO BRING SEMI NOSE RAT, UH, IN CONVERSATION WITH HER GOOD FRIEND, HERSHA K HIWAY.
THEY HAD AN INCREDIBLE PROGRAM THAT LAUNCHED OUR SEASON THAT WAS REALLY, TRULY SPECIAL, AND WE COULD NOT HAVE DONE THAT WITHOUT
[00:30:01]
OUR WONDERFUL PARTNERSHIP WITH THE DALLAS MUSEUM OF ART.AND THEN THE NATIONAL THEATER PRODUCER, EMORY ENTERTAINMENT.
WE PARTNER WITH THEM JUST ABOUT EVERY YEAR TO BRING A GREAT PIECE OF HISTORICAL THEATER.
WE BROUGHT, UM, CHURCHILL, UH, STARRING DAVID PAYNE, UH, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THEM.
AND IT WAS ANOTHER GREAT SUCCESS.
MORE HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS SEASON THIS YEAR, UM, IS THAT WE ARE VERY EXCITED TO HAVE LAUNCHED THE EISMAN CENTER JAZZ SERIES FEATURING RENOWNED LOCAL JAZZ ARTISTS.
I MENTIONED THAT NORTH TEXAS HAS INCREDIBLE ROOTS IN MUSIC.
UM, MANY OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST MUSICIANS AND JAZZ ARTISTS ACTUALLY GOT THEIR START, UM, RIGHT HERE IN NORTH TEXAS.
THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE ROOTS AT UNT, UM, AND UT DALLAS.
SO, UH, WE WERE REALLY EXCITED TO REALLY LEAN INTO THAT AND FEATURE A JAZZ SERIES THAT HAS A COMBINATION OF VERY WELL ESTABLISHED AND VERY WELL KNOWN THROUGHOUT THE JAZZ WORLD.
UM, ARTISTS THAT LIVE RIGHT HERE IN NORTH TEXAS, AS WELL AS FEATURING SOME UP AND COMING JAZZ ARTISTS ON THAT SERIES.
SO I HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL AT THOSE PERFORMANCES 'CAUSE THEY'RE GONNA BE A WHOLE LOT OF FUN THIS SEASON.
WE ALSO REALLY ELEVATED OUR, UH, FRIENDS PRE-SHOW LOUNGE EXPERIENCE.
WE STARTED THEMING THE LOUNGES AND DOING VERY HEAVY DUTY OUTREACH TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR FRIENDS MEMBERS UNDERSTOOD THAT THIS WAS A BENEFIT FOR THEM.
WE BOOSTED ATTENDANCE TREMENDOUSLY.
WE HAD AN INCREDIBLE, UH, VARIETY OF NEW OFFERINGS IN THE LOUNGES.
UM, AND I HOPE THAT YOU'LL AGREE THAT THEY WERE A VERY SPECIAL EXPERIENCE THIS YEAR THAT NOW OUR MEMBERS ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO AND ASKING, WHEN'S THE NEXT ONE? DON'T STOP DOING THIS.
WE WANNA COME BACK TO THE NEXT ONE.
SO WE WERE VERY, VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
AND FOR EISMAN EDUCATES THIS YEAR, WE HELD OVER 15 MASTERCLASSES.
A GOOD CHUNK OF THEM WERE OFFERED BY THE US AIR FORCE BAND OF THE WEST, RIGHT, UH, RIGHT HERE ON THE EISMAN CENTER CAMPUS.
UM, AND THEN MANY OF OUR OTHER ARTISTS ALSO OFFERED MASTERCLASSES, BOTH ONSITE AT THE EISMAN CENTER AND OUT AT THE SCHOOLS IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
WE HELD THREE SCHOOL SHOWS THAT SERVED OVER A THOUSAND STUDENTS.
AND THEN, UH, PRIYA DAR GOVIN WAS VERY GENEROUS WITH HER TIME.
THE NIGHT BEFORE HER SHOW, SHE, UH, AGREED TO DO A DINNER AND A LECTURE FOR A SELECT GROUP OF, UM, VIPS THAT WERE INVITED BY ICHF AS WELL AS THE EISMAN CENTER, UM, OUR FRIENDS MEMBERS.
AND THEN WE ALSO INVITED THE CIEC COMMITTEE TO JOIN US FOR THAT VERY SPECIAL DINNER.
UM, PRIYA SHARED AMAZING INSIGHTS INTO HER CAREER AS A BARAT DANCER IN INDIA, UM, AND WHAT IT'S LIKE TO TRAIN IN SUCH A CLASSICAL, UM, INDIAN DANCE FORM.
AND THEN WE HAD AMAZING GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING, WORLD RENOWNED, UM, ARTISTS.
ARTISTS, PARDON ME, THAT DREW, UM, COUNTLESS NEW AUDIENCES.
UM, IF YOU NOTICE MANY OF THE SHOWS THIS YEAR, I START OUT BY ASKING IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST TIME AT THE EISMAN CENTER, RAISE YOUR HAND.
IT WAS AWESOME TO SEE HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE THERE FOR THE FIRST TIME.
UM, AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE DAY WHEN ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE ARE SAYING, WELL, WE'VE BEEN HERE ALL THE TIME.
UM, BUT IT'S REALLY COOL TO SEE HOW MANY NEW ARTISTS ARE COMING OUT, UM, PARTICULARLY BECAUSE OF THE PROGRAMMING THAT WE'RE BRINGING.
UM, ONE SHOW IN PARTICULAR THAT I WANTED TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION WAS THE OKIE DOKIE BROTHERS, WHICH WE JUST RECENTLY HAD A FEW WEEKS AGO.
THEY DREW AUDIENCES FROM ALL OVER THE SURROUNDING STATES.
WE WERE AMAZED THE, UH, BANK OF AMERICA THEATER WAS PACKED ALL THE WAY UP TO, UM, THE
AND, UM, THEY HAD A LINE FOR MERCHANDISE AND THEN A LINE FOR SIGNING THAT MERCHANDISE THAT RAN THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE EISMAN CENTER LOBBY.
UM, AND THEY JUST HAD A GREAT TIME, AND THEIR AUDIENCES ABSOLUTELY LOVED THEM.
AND SO MANY OF THEM WERE TELLING US THAT THEY HAD DRIVEN UP FROM AUSTIN, THEY HAD DRIVEN DOWN FROM OKLAHOMA, THEY HAD COME OVER FROM COLORADO BECAUSE THEY MISSED THEIR LAST CONCERT, AND THEY LOVE THE OKIE DOKIE BROTHERS.
AND THAT'S THE KIND OF OUTREACH AND AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT THAT WE REALLY LOVE SEEING.
AND THEN AS WITH ANY SEASON, THERE ARE LESSONS THAT WE LEARN EVERY SEASON.
WE KNOW THAT EVERY EISMAN CENTER PRESENTS SEASON AS THE BEST THERE EVER WAS, BUT WE WANT EACH SUCCESSES SEASON TO CONTINUE BEING EVEN BETTER THAN THE SEASON BEFORE.
SO SOME OF THE LESSONS THAT WE TOOK THIS YEAR THAT WE'RE APPLYING TO NEXT SEASON, UM, ARE REALLY, EXCUSE ME, REALLY LOOKING AT CURATING THE SCHEDULE ALMOST AS MUCH AS WE'RE CURATING THE CONTENT.
WE REALLY PAID ATTENTION TO WHICH NIGHTS OF THE WEEK OR WHICH AFTERNOONS OF THE WEEK WORK BETTER THAN OTHERS.
WE PAY A LOT OF ATTENTION TO THE HOLIDAY CALENDAR FOR OUR CULTURAL OFFERINGS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT OFFERING PROGRAMS THAT ARE IN DIRECT CONFLICT WITH, UM, HOLIDAY OBLIGATIONS.
AND, UM, AND IN PARTICULAR, WE FOUND THIS YEAR, UM, THAT WE'RE GONNA AVOID SUNDAY NIGHTS
WE HAD SOME VERY POPULAR SHOWS ON SUNDAY NIGHTS THAT WE STILL STRUGGLED TO SELL BECAUSE SUNDAY NIGHTS WERE, UM, NOT A GREAT, UH, TIME FOR FAMILIES TO COME OUT AND SEE SHOWS THIS YEAR.
UM, WE'RE ALSO LOOKING TO SPREAD OUT THE SPRING SCHEDULE INSTEAD OF, UM, CHUNKING UP ALL OF OUR PERFORMANCES ONTO ONE WEEKEND, AND THEN A COUPLE WEEKS LATER HAVING ANOTHER WEEKEND FULL OF PERFORMANCES, REALLY WORKING ON TRYING TO SPREAD OUT THOSE PERFORMANCES.
SO EACH OF THOSE SHOWS REALLY HAS THEIR OPPORTUNITY
[00:35:01]
TO, UM, STAND UP ON ITS OWN.WE'VE ALSO BEEN COLLABORATING WITH PERFORMING ARTS PRESENTERS THROUGHOUT THE DFW MARKET.
THIS HAS TAKES, THIS HAS BEEN TAKING MANY FORMS. UM, IN SOME CASES WE ARE WORKING WITH OTHER PERFORMING ARTS PRESENTERS IN THE MARKET TO CO-PRESENT SHOWS, BUT IN OTHER CASES, WE'RE REALLY JUST TRADING NOTES WHAT'S BEEN WORKING FOR THEM THAT HASN'T BEEN WORKING OUT FOR US, WHAT WORKS REALLY WELL FOR US.
IT HASN'T BEEN WORKING OUT FOR THEM AND TRADING NOTES AND TRADING IDEAS TO REALLY HELP EACH OTHER, UM, HAVE THE MOST SUCCESS THAT THEY CAN.
UM, WE'VE ALSO BEEN CONTINUOUSLY ANALYZING OUR DATA TO INFORM OUR DECISION MAKING.
THIS YEAR, WE REALLY IMPLEMENTED A LOT OF NEW MARKETING METHODS AND PRINCIPLES TO EXPAND OUR REACH AND ANALYZE OUR DATA MUCH MORE EFFICIENTLY.
UM, AND WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE THAT EVEN MORE ROBUSTLY INTO NEXT SEASON.
WE'VE ENGAGED SOME WONDERFUL LOCAL COMMUNITY PARTNERS THAT CAN TURN AROUND THAT DATA ANALYSIS VERY, VERY QUICKLY AND GIVE US THAT POWER TO BE ABLE TO PIVOT ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AND CHANGE DIRECTION.
IF SOMETHING'S NOT WORKING OR SOMETHING'S NOT REACHING THE AUDIENCE WE'RE TRYING TO REACH, THEY CAN LET US KNOW THAT ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, AND WE CAN CHANGE DIRECTION AND REALLY MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CAPITALIZING ON EVERY PENNY THAT WE SPEND IN OUR MARKETING BUDGET.
AND THEN WE'RE ALSO LOOKING FORWARD TO ENGAGING NEW AUDIENCES IN MORE CULTURALLY DIVERSE PROGRAMMING, BUT ALSO MORE ACCESSIBLE PROGRAMMING.
UM, OUR RECENT CERTIFICATION WITH CULTURE CITY HAS REALLY INSPIRED US TO, UM, ENSURE THAT WE'VE GOT, UM, ACCESSIBILITY, ACCESSIBILITY THEMED PROGRAMMING IN OUR SEASON, UM, AS WELL AS OUR CULTURAL PROGRAMMING.
SO SOME OF THE INITIATIVES THAT THE EISMAN CENTER WILL BE, UH, WORKING ON FOR 26 27, UM, ARE REALLY CENTERED ON OUR STRATEGIC INVESTMENTS IN MARKETING, SPONSORSHIPS, AND TICKET SALES.
THIS GOES BACK TO WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT IN FEBRUARY WHEN I GAVE YOU A PRESENTATION ABOUT THE EISMAN CENTER AS A WHOLE.
UM, WE'RE REALLY WORKING TO ALIGN OUR STAFFING, OUR SERVICE LEVELS, AND OUR MARKETING WITH DEMAND AND REVENUE GROWTH.
WE REALLY WANNA EXPAND OUR MEMBERSHIPS AND OUR SPONSORSHIPS AND FOCUS ON, UH, BUILDING THAT REPEAT RENTAL BUSINESS SO THAT WE CAN STABILIZE OUR REVENUE.
UM, IN OUR BUSINESS, WE KNOW THAT REVENUE TENDS TO GO UP AND DOWN, UM, AND IT CAN BE A LITTLE BIT ERRATIC.
SO THE MORE THAT WE CAN DO TO STABILIZE THAT REVENUE AND ESTABLISH A PORTFOLIO OF REPEAT BUSINESS, THE MORE WE CAN RIDE THOSE UP AND DOWN WAVES BECAUSE WE'VE GOT THAT LAYER OF STABILITY.
WE'RE ALSO WORKING TO MAXIMIZE OUR EXISTING EVENTS BY FILLING SEATS AND INCREASING THE ANCILLARY REVENUE.
AS WE TALKED ABOUT IN FEBRUARY, THAT ANCILLARY REVENUE SEEMS LIKE A LITTLE BIT HERE AND THERE, BUT IT ADDS UP OVER THE COURSE OF A YEAR AND HAS A BIG IMPACT ON OUR BUDGET.
UM, WE'RE ALSO, UM, STARTING TO USE MULTI-YEAR FORECASTING AND ANNUAL FEE REVIEWS TO ENSURE LONG-TERM STABILITY.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE, UM, DID THIS YEAR WAS A HUGE PROJECT TO REALLY LOOK AT, UM, HOW FAR AHEAD WE CAN LOOK AT SOME OF THOSE BIG EXPENSES THAT MAY BE COMING DOWN THE PIKE ON THE HORIZON 5, 6, 8 YEARS OUT FROM NOW THAT WE CAN PREPARE FOR RIGHT NOW AND WE CAN START PREPARING FOR SO THAT WHEN WE GET TO THAT POINT OF HAVING TO REPLACE SOMETHING HUGE LIKE THE ROOF OR THE STAGE FLOOR OR THE ORCHESTRA SHELL, IT DOESN'T HIT US LIKE A TON OF BRICKS.
WE'VE SEEN IT COMING, WE'RE PREPARED AND WE'RE READY TO, UM, TAKE CARE OF IT WITHOUT, UH, TOTAL DISRUPTION TO THE REST OF THE EISMAN CENTER.
AND THEN, UM, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, WE'RE SO PROUD AND EXCITED OF OUR CULTURAL, OUR CULTURE, CITY SENSORY INCLUSIVE VENUE CERTIFICATION.
UM, THIS IS A VENUE CERTIFICATION THAT WAS NOT EASY TO ATTAIN.
IT INVOLVED OUR FACILITY OPERATIONS, OUR ENTIRE STAFF, AND ALL OF OUR VOLUNTEERS.
UM, GOING THROUGH A ROBUST EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM AND TAKING SOME PRETTY RIGOROUS TESTS IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE OUR CERTIFICATION.
UM, A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF OUR STAFF HAD TO PASS THE TEST IN ORDER FOR US TO ACHIEVE THE CERTIFICATION.
UM, AND I CAN TELL YOU IT WAS NOT AN EASY TEST TO TAKE.
UM, BUT IT WAS REALLY GOOD BECAUSE WE ALL LEARNED A LOT ABOUT WHAT EXACTLY IT IS THAT WE WANT TO ACCOMPLISH WITH OUR CULTURE CITY CERTIFICATION.
UM, YOU'LL NOTICE THAT WE HAVE, UH, DESIGNATED CERTAIN AREAS IN OUR LOBBY AS SENSORY FRIENDLY AREAS.
THOSE WILL SOON BE OUTFITTED WITH SPECIALTY FURNITURE THAT ALLOW PEOPLE WHO NEED A LITTLE MOMENT TO TAKE A BREAK AND BE IN A QUIET ZONE THAT'S A LITTLE BIT LESS FRANTIC AND A LITTLE BIT LESS NOISY TO JUST TAKE A BEAT AND RECENTER THEMSELVES AND THEN COME BACK AND JOIN THE PROGRAM.
UM, WE'RE ALSO WORKING, UM, AMONGST THE STAFF TO IDENTIFY TRIGGERS THAT MAY EXIST IN SHOWS BEFORE THEY HAPPEN, UM, AND BE READY AND PREPARED TO PROACTIVELY ADDRESS OUR AUDIENCE'S NEEDS TO, UM, ALLEVIATE THOSE TRIGGERS FOR THEM.
ONE OF THE BEST EXAMPLES WAS WHEN WE HAD DRUM TAO RECENTLY, WE KNEW THAT THOSE DRUMS WERE GONNA BE DEEP AND FEELING IT RIGHT IN YOUR HEART AND HEAVY AND LOUD.
UM, AND WHILE THAT'S REALLY FUN AND EXHILARATING FOR A LOT OF US, THERE'S ALSO A GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT THAT'S NOT FUN OR EXHILARATING FOR.
SO, UM, WE ARRANGED THAT EVERY SINGLE STAFF PERSON ON THE FLOOR THAT NIGHT HAD EARPLUGS IN THEIR POCKETS AND READY TO DISTRIBUTE TO ANYBODY THAT LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE HAVING A HARD TIME OR THAT EXPRESSED THAT THEY WERE WORRIED
[00:40:01]
ABOUT HAVING A HARD TIME.UM, AND WE WERE READY FOR THAT AND READY TO HELP OUT ANY AUDIENCE MEMBER THAT NIGHT WHO MIGHT HAVE NEEDED A LITTLE BIT OF EXTRA HELP.
WE'RE ALSO, UM, EXCITED TO USE CULTURE CITY TO REALLY STRENGTHEN OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH COMMUNITY GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT SERVE NEURO DIVERSE POPULATIONS.
WE'VE GOT, UM, A SHOW COMING UP IN THE 26, 27 SEASON THAT IS, UM, SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE OF A PARENT CAREGIVER OF A CHILD WITH AUTISM AND NEURODIVERGENCE AND ALL THE PEAKS AND VALLEYS THAT THEY GO THROUGH, UM, IN THAT EXPERIENCE.
AND THROUGH THAT SHOW AND THROUGH CULTURE CITY, WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO MAKING CONNECTIONS TO LOTS OF ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT RICHARDSON AND NORTH TEXAS THAT SERVE, UH, NEURODIVERGENT POPULATIONS.
AND THEN TO WRAP UP THE END OF OUR 26 27 EISMAN CENTER SEASON IN SEPTEMBER OF 2027, THE EISMAN CENTER WILL BE CELEBRATING 25 YEARS.
WE FIRST OPENED ON SEPTEMBER 12TH, 2002, SO WE ARE VERY EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO CELEBRATE THE SILVER ANNIVERSARY THAT SAME WEEKEND.
25 YEARS LATER, WE'LL HAVE, WE ARE PLANNING FOR A TWO DAY CELEBRATION SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2027 AND SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12TH, 2027.
WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO CELEBRATE THE PAST 25 YEARS THAT THE EISMAN CENTER HAS SPENT TO IN COMMUNITY BUILDING AND SUPPORTING THE ARTS IN NORTH TEXAS AND ALL THE WONDERFUL THINGS THAT THE EISMAN CENTER HAS DONE FOR THE COMMUNITY, WHILE ALSO USING THIS CELEBRATION AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO USHER IN THE FUTURE OF WHAT THE EISMAN CENTER WILL BE FOR OUR COMMUNITY FOR THE NEXT 25 YEARS.
THERE'S A LOT MORE DETAILS TO COME, BUT I JUST WANTED TO TEASE THIS OUT AND LET YOU GUYS KNOW THAT THIS IS COMING.
THIS IS A PHOTO FROM THAT OPENING NIGHT ON SEPTEMBER 12TH, 2002 OF THE RECEPTION IN THE EISMAN CENTER LOBBY.
AS YOU CAN SEE, NOT ALLOWED HAS CHANGED, WHICH IS KIND OF A TESTAMENT TO THE QUALITY OF THIS BUILDING AND HOW INCREDIBLY, UH, AMAZING IT WAS BUILT AND HOW WELL IT'S BEEN TAKEN CARE OF FOR THE PAST 25 YEARS.
SO I HOPE TO SEE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU THERE.
I ALSO WANNA DO A QUICK OVERVIEW OF, UM, OUR BUDGET FOR EISMAN CENTER PRESENTS.
UH, FOR THIS CURRENT FISCAL YEAR FFY, UH, 25 26, WE HAD A REVENUE BUDGET OF $992,549.
WE ARE PROJECTING AT THIS POINT IN THE YEAR TO COME IN AT $651,159 IN REVENUE FOR EXPENSES.
OUR BUDGET WAS $992,420, AND WE'RE EXPECTING THOSE EXPENSES TO COME IN AT ABOUT $695,275.
THE PRIMARY REASON THAT THESE REVENUE AND EXPENSES ARE SO FAR OFF OF WHERE OUR BUDGET GOALS WERE IS THAT WE HAD SEVERAL SHOWS IN OUR, UM, IN THIS BUDGET FIGURE THAT WERE PENDING, THAT WE WERE STILL NEGOTIATING WITH THE ARTISTS THAT WE HAD, UM, OUTSTANDING OFFERS ON THAT WE WERE WAITING FOR THEM TO COMMIT TO.
UM, THAT ENDED UP NOT MATERIALIZING.
UH, THIS REPRESENTS PROBABLY ABOUT EIGHT TO NINE DIFFERENT SHOWS THAT DIDN'T END UP CONFIRMING.
UM, SO THEREFORE THE REVENUE WAS NOT REALIZABLE.
BUT SIMILARLY, THE EXPENSE DIDN'T OCCUR BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE THE SHOW.
SO WHILE WE WERE BUDGETED TO NET $129 IN OUR EISMAN CENTER PRESENTS YEAR, UH, THIS YEAR, WE ARE PROJECTING TO FALL SHORT OF OUR NET BUDGET BY ABOUT $44,000.
AND THEN FOR THE EISMAN CENTER PRESENTS 26 27 YEAR.
UM, THIS YEAR I CAN SAY THE BUDGET LOOKS VERY SIMILAR.
WE ARE, UM, REQUESTING A BUDGET FOR $992,710 IN REVENUE WITH $992,420 IN EXPENSES FOR A NET GOAL OF $290.
UM, I CAN SAY THAT THE MAJORITY OF THESE SHOWS HAVE ALREADY CONFIRMED AND ARE HAPPENING UNLESS HEAVEN FORBID SOMETHING HAPPENS DURING THE SEASON THAT CAUSES THEM TO FALL OUT.
BUT, UM, BUT THESE NUMBERS ARE A LOT MORE STABLE THAN OUR NUMBERS WERE LAST YEAR.
THAT WAS ANOTHER LESSON I THINK THAT WE LEARNED FROM 25 26, UM, WAS JUST BUDGETING FOR WHAT WE FEEL VERY CONFIDENT IS GONNA HAPPEN.
AND THEN I'VE GOT, UM, ON THE STATISTICS SLIDE, I JUST HAVE PIE CHARTS KIND OF SHOWING HOW THE, UM, EXPENSES LAY OUT.
UM, THESE ARE THE, UM, EXPENSES AND REVENUES THAT ARE BUDGETED, AND THEN THIS CHART ARE THE EXPENSES AND REVENUE THAT WE'RE PROJECTING.
AND THE THING THAT I REALLY LIKE ABOUT LOOKING AT THESE CHARTS IS THAT THEY'RE VERY SIMILAR.
THERE'S NOT HUGE SWINGS IN EITHER ONE OF THOSE PIES OF, UH, WHAT COMPOSES OUR REVENUE AND EXPENSE BUDGET, WHICH TO ME SAYS WE ARE ON THE RIGHT TRACK, WE'RE BUDGETING CORRECTLY, AND EVEN WHEN WE HAVE SHOWS THAT DON'T HAPPEN, UM, PROPORTIONATELY, IT DOESN'T THROW HER BUDGET, UM, COMPLETELY OFF.
NOW I WOULD LIKE TO SHOW YOU A SA REEL WITH SOME TEASERS FOR UPCOMING SEASON, AND I HOPE YES.
[00:46:07]
SO THAT'S JUST A TEASER.UM, WE WILL, UH, OBVIOUSLY HAVE A MUCH FULLER PRESENTATION AT OUR UPCOMING, UM, SEASON PREVIEW ON THURSDAY, WHICH I HOPE Y'ALL CAN MAKE IT.
UM, BUT I JUST WANNA GO OVER SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR 26 27 SEASON THAT YOU MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CAPTURE WHEN, UH, ALL THOSE SHOWS WERE JUST FLYING BY THERE SO QUICKLY.
UM, FIRST OFF, WE ARE CONTINUING THE JAZZ SERIES IN THE EISMAN CENTER CABARET THAT HAS BEEN REALLY SUCCESSFUL AND OUR AUDIENCES HAVE REALLY MADE SURE TO LET US KNOW THAT THEY LOVE THAT EXPERIENCE AND THEY LOVE SEEING JAZZ IN THAT CONFIGURATION.
ONE OF THE COOL THINGS ABOUT THIS UPCOMING SEASON, ALL OF OUR JAZZ PERFORMANCES IN THE EISMAN CENTER CABARET WILL BE LED BY WOMEN.
UH, THEY WILL BE EITHER AN ENTIRE WOMEN LINEUP OR, UM, THE LEAD SINGER WILL BE A WOMAN, UH, WHICH IS UNIQUE TO JAZZ PERFORMANCE.
AND WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO HAVE THAT THIS YEAR.
WE'RE ALSO BRINGING MORE COMEDIANS AND MORE ONE PERSON PLAYS.
UH, WE ARE REALLY LEANING INTO OUR THEME OF LIGHTS UP, LET'S GO AND KEEPING IT LIGHT.
WE WANT PEOPLE TO HAVE A GOOD TIME WHEN THEY COME TO THE EISMAN CENTER.
WE'RE CELEBRATING IMPORTANT MOMENTS OF MUSIC HISTORY.
UH, ONE OF THE SHOWS THAT FLASH BY REALLY QUICK IS, UH, NE NOSTALGIC PRESENTS EIGHTIES MUSIC TELEVISION LIVE, UH, WHICH IS BASICALLY A RETROSPECTIVE OF MTV.
UM, IF YOU ARE A MEMBER OF THE MTV GENERATION AS I AM, YOU SAW MTV START AND YOU SAW MTV END.
SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO BRING, UM, THIS PROGRAM TO REALLY RUN THROUGH THAT RETROSPECTIVE OF MTV, FEATURING TWO MTV VJS LIVE AT THE PERFORMANCE TO TALK THROUGH THEIR EXPERIENCE.
AND THEN WE'RE REALLY FOCUSING ON GENER GENERATIONALLY DIVERSE PROGRAMS FOR ALL.
WE'VE GOT THE MTV GENERATION COVERED WITH OUR, UM, EIGHTIES MUSIC TELEVISION, BUT THEN WE ALSO HAVE COUNT BASE ORCHESTRA FOR THE GREATEST GENERATION, UM, TO HARKEN BACK TO THE MUSIC FROM THEIR YOUTH AS WELL.
WE, UM, CONTINUE TO BRING CULTURALLY DIVERSE PROGRAMMING.
WE HAVE ARTISTS COMING FROM MEXICO, INDIA, FRANCE, CHINA, JAPAN, TURKEY, AND MORE, UM, AND PERFORMERS THAT WILL BE PERFORMING IN MANY LANGUAGES, INCLUDING ENGLISH, SPANISH, TURKISH, AND MANY MORE.
WE'RE STILL LEARNING ABOUT, UM, ALL THE DIFFERENT, UH, PROGRAMS THAT OUR ARTISTS WILL BE BRINGING US IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES.
WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
WE'RE ALSO VERY EXCITED THAT SO FAR EVERY SINGLE ARTIST ON THE SEASON HAS AGREED TO DO SOME LEVEL OF OUTREACH WITH OUR AUDIENCE, EVEN IF IT'S JUST AN INVITED SOUNDCHECK, UM, OR A QUICK Q AND A FOLLOWING THE PERFORMANCE.
UH, WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO GIVE OUR AUDIENCE AND OUR STUDENTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTERACT WITH THESE INCREDIBLE MASTER ARTISTS.
WE'LL BE OFFERING LECTURES, DEMONSTRATIONS, MASTERCLASSES, UH, COMMUNITY DIALOGUES, WORKSHOPS, PERFORMANCES, AND CULTURAL EXCHANGE WITH EVERYONE ON OUR SEASON.
WE'RE ALSO REALLY EXCITED TO BE DOING A SPECIAL COLLABORATION WITH RISD THIS COMING YEAR, UM, TO HOST A MARIACHI AND THE BALLET FOLK LOCO FESTIVAL.
UM, THIS WILL BE A FULL DAY PROGRAM COMING UP IN NOVEMBER IN PARTNERSHIP WITH RISD, UM, FOR THE STUDENTS THAT ARE CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN THEIR MARIACHI AND FOR POLITICAL PROGRAMS, AS WELL AS ATTRACTING STUDENTS THAT MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING IN THESE PROGRAMS. UM, RISD HAS, UH, MARIACHI AS ONE OF THE UIL PROGRAMS, SO STUDENTS CAN REALLY EXCEL IN THAT PROGRAM.
THEY CAN COMPETE IN MARIACHI, AND AS, UM, FOLKS HAVE SEEN FROM THE SERIES THAT WE'VE DONE AT THE EISMAN CENTER FOR THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, YOU CAN MAKE A CAREER IN MARIACHI.
SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO HELP FOSTER THAT LOVE OF MARIACHI FROM A YOUNG AGE.
UM, STARTING WITH THIS SPECIAL COLLABORATION WITH RASD, WE'LL BE BRINGING IN MASTER ARTISTS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY TO DO WORKSHOPS AND CLINICS WITH THE STUDENTS.
UM, AND THEN INVITING THE PUBLIC TO COME, UH, SEE A VERY SPECIAL PERFORMANCE ON THAT DAY, FEATURING ALL OF THE STUDENTS WHO ARE PARTICIPATING.
AND THEN WE'RE ALSO STARTING THIS SEASON, SOMETHING I'VE BEEN TALKING TO THE, UM, AT T PERFORMING ARTS CENTER ABOUT SINCE THE DAY I ARRIVED.
WE ARE GONNA START DOING, UM, PRESENTING PARTNERSHIPS
[00:50:01]
WITH AT AND T PERFORMING ARTS CENTER.SOME OF THE SHOWS WILL BE HAPPENING, EXCUSE ME, HERE AT THE EISMAN CENTER.
SOME OF THE SHOWS WILL BE HAPPENING AT THE AT T PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, BUT WE'RE GONNA POOL OUR RESOURCES AND POOL OUR REACH TO PRESENT THESE AMAZING ARTISTS AND, UM, REALLY HELP EXPAND THE AUDIENCES THAT COME TO THE EISMAN CENTER, AS WELL AS AUDIENCES THAT KNOW ABOUT THE GREAT WORK THAT HAPPENS DOWNTOWN AS WELL.
WE'RE REALLY, REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
AND THIS KICKS OFF WITH OUR, UM, SEASON OPENER, WHICH IS THE NE NOSTALGIC EIGHTIES LIVE MUSIC TELEVISION.
AND AS I MENTIONED, OUR SEASON PREVIEW IS COMING UP THIS THURSDAY.
UH, IT'LL BE THURSDAY, MAY 7TH.
WE START AT FIVE 30 WITH A HALF HOUR COCKTAIL RECEPTION, AND THEN THE PROGRAM STARTS AT 6:00 PM IN OUR, UM, BANK OF AMERICA THEATER.
AND I REALLY HOPE I SEE EACH OF ONE OF YOU THERE.
OUR THEME IS LIGHTS UP, LET'S GO.
AND WE'RE REALLY LEANING INTO THE THEME OF LIGHT.
SO IT'S GONNA BE AN EXPERIENCE UNLIKE ANY, I THINK, UNLIKE ANY YOU'VE EVER HAD AT THE EISMAN CENTER.
ANY QUESTIONS? AWESOME PRESENTATION.
UH, I'LL, I'LL JUST SAY, JUST AN AMAZING JOB THIS YEAR.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE.
I'M, I'M SURE EVERY YEAR, BUT THIS YEAR I GOT A MUCH CLOSER VIEW OF IT AND, AND REALLY DO APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE AND EXCITING SEASON TO COME.
LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THE DETAILS, UH, LATER THIS WEEK.
[D. REPORT ON ITEMS OF COMMUNITY INTEREST ]
ITEM D, WHICH IS REPORT ON ITEMS OF COMMUNITY INTEREST.UM, FRIDAY NIGHT I HAD A VERY UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT A PROCLAMATION FOR THE KNIGHTS OF PETER CLAVER AND LADIES AUXILIARY TEXAS STATE CONFERENCE WEEKEND.
THEY HAD THEIR, UM, VERY LARGE STATE CONFERENCE, HAD FILLED, IT WAS OVER AT THE DOUBLETREE HERE IN RICHARDSON, UM, AND FILLED THEIR VERY LARGE CONFERENCE CENTER AND QUITE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE, UM, STAYED IN THE HOTEL THERE AND, AND CIRCULATED ALL AROUND OUR CITY.
SO, UM, VERY PROUD THAT WE WERE ABLE TO SPONSOR THAT GROUP.
AND THEN ALSO, UM, SATURDAY NIGHT, THE RICHARDSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA HAD THEIR ANNUAL ROBERT BURNS AND I, IT GOT POSTPONED FROM FEBRUARY, THANKS TO A LITTLE BIT OF ICE AND, UH, SLEET THAT CAME BACK IN FEBRUARY, BUT IT WAS A VERY SUCCESSFUL EVENING, AND THEY HONORED, UM, FRANK CLEFT WITCH, WHO WAS ONE OF THE FOUNDING MEMBERS OF THE, UM, ROBERT BURNS KNIGHT.
UM, AND SO WAS VERY, VERY, VERY PROUD TO, TO BE THERE AND REPRESENT AND SEE THAT PRESENTATION.
I, UH, I A HAD A PRETTY BUSY WEEK LAST WEEK ACTUALLY, SO WANTED TO BRING ATTENTION TO AGAIN, ROBERT BURNS NIGHT.
THAT WAS AN INCREDIBLE, INCREDIBLE EVENING, RECOGNIZING THE SCOTTISH HERITAGE.
AND ON, UH, LAST WEEK, I, I WAS ABLE TO SET OR SIT IN FOR OUR MAYOR AT THE NORTH TEXAS COMMERCIAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS, WHICH THEY HAD A HALL OF TWO HALL OF FAMERS THAT WERE RECOGNIZED, UH, IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND REAL ESTATE, UH, INDUSTRY.
AND IT WAS HELD DOWNTOWN AT THE, UH, MANSION, UH, ARTS OF THE MANSION.
AND THEN OF COURSE, WITHOUT SAYING COTTONWOOD, WE WERE SO LUCKY TO HAVE AN INCREDIBLE WEEKEND.
THE WEATHER WAS PERFECT, UH, THERE, IT WAS A HUGE ATTENDANCE, AND I'M JUST SO GLAD THAT WE HAVE THAT, UH, WE HAVE THAT EVENT TWICE A YEAR.
I WILL TELL YOU, I, AS I WAS GOING THROUGH, I ALWAYS TRY TO TAKE PICTURES OF ANY OF THE NEW ARTISTS AND, AND TRY TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO TALK WITH THEM.
BUT WE HAD A LOT OF NEW VENDORS, A LOT OF NEW ARTISTS, UM, A LOT OF NEW, UH, TYPES OF, UH, PRODUCT OUT THERE.
THEY DID A LOT OF 3D DEVELOPMENT.
AND ANYWAY, THEY JUST ABSOLUTELY DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH GOOD THINGS TO SAY ABOUT COTTONWOOD.
IT'S, IT ATTRACTS A REALLY GOOD CROWD.
AND PEOPLE WERE JUST HAVING A REALLY GOOD TIME.
UH, YESTERDAY, UM, YOURSELF, COUNCILMAN, UM, UH, BARRIOS AND, AND I ATTENDED THE RICHARDSON COMMUNITY BAND, UH, CONCERT.
UM, IT WAS TITLED EPIC SOUNDTRACKS FROM COMICS TO CONSOLES.
THERE WERE FOLKS IN COSTUME, THEY DID A BATMAN COMPILATION.
THEY DID, UM, UM, SUPER MARIO BROTHERS, WHICH WAS REALLY GOOD.
SORT OF LIKE, IT TOOK YOU THROUGH ALL THE LEVELS FOR ANYONE THAT WAS THAT GENERATION.
TO HARKEN BACK TO YOUR COMMENT.
SO, YOU KNOW, THE UNDERGROUND LEVELS AND THE UNDERWATER LEVELS AND ALL THAT WAS REALLY, REALLY NEAT.
UM, AND THEN DID SOME, UM, SOME POPULAR K-POP STUFF.
AND SO IT WAS REALLY ALL OVER THE PLACE, BUT REALLY COOL.
UH, SO CONGRATULATIONS TO THEM.
IT WAS A REALLY, UH, THEIR FINALIZE CONCERT OF THE SEASON.
SO IT WAS VERY, VERY, UH, GOOD.
AND THEY HAVE A COUPLE MORE COMING UP, SO IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THEM, THEY'RE A REALLY, REALLY GREAT GROUP.
UM, AND THEY HAVE A FUNDRAISER COMING UP AND THEY WOULD LOVE YOUR SUPPORT.
[00:55:01]
UM, FIRST I WANNA START BY SAYING THAT, UM, MR. MAGNER, I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO, UH, CHIEF VY AND CHIEF TITTLE ON FRIDAY.AS MANY KNOW, I AM GOING THROUGH LEADERSHIP RICHARDSON CURRENTLY, AND IT WAS PUBLIC SAFETY DAY, AND I COULDN'T BE MORE PROUD OF THE WORK THAT THE MEN AND WOMEN OF PUBLIC SAFETY OF THE FIRE AND POLICE DEPARTMENT DO EVERY, EVERY DAY, UM, FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
AND IT WAS GREAT TO SEE MANY OF MY CLASSMATES SEE THAT.
UH, WE, WE TOURED THE POLICE STATION AND, UH, A FIRE TRAINING CENTER, AND IT WAS, UM, A GREAT DAY.
SO THANK YOU TO THEM AND EVERYBODY WHO SPENT SO MUCH TIME, UH, HELPING US OUT ON THAT.
THEY, THEY DID AN AMAZING JOB.
UM, COUNCILMAN DORIAN MENTIONED IT, BUT COTTONWOOD, YOU KNOW, I THINK I'VE SAID THIS BEFORE, BUT I MOVED TO THAT NEIGHBORHOOD BECAUSE OF THAT FESTIVAL WHEN, UH, MY WIFE AND I WERE LOOKING AT UP UPGRADING HOUSES 10 OVER 10 YEARS AGO.
WE, WE LOOKED AT OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS AND WE, WE REALLY FELL IN LOVE WITH COTTONWOOD 'CAUSE WE HAD BEEN GOING TO THAT FESTIVAL FOR SO LONG.
AND, UM, IT'S BEEN A COMPLETE HONOR TO RAISE MY SON IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND, UH, ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL, PERFECT WEATHER WEEKEND.
SO HATS OFF TO THE ENTIRE STAFF.
I KNOW I SAW A LOT OF, A LOT OF STAFF OUT THERE THIS WEEKEND, AND SO MANY DEPARTMENTS GOING INTO MAKING THAT RIGHT AND, AND PERFECT TO WELCOME VISITORS.
AND, UH, QUICK APOLOGIES, BUT I BELIEVE I'M MISSING THURSDAY AND I'M SAD TO SAY, BUT I'M SURE IT'LL BE WELL, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER INE.
WELL, LAST WEEK, THE EDUCATION COMMITTEE MET WITH, UM, RISD, COUNCIL OF PTS, UH, AND I THINK THIS IS THE FIRST TIME COUNCIL MET WITH, UH, WITH THEM.
AND, UH, AT LEAST I LEARN A LOT ABOUT THEIR ACTIVITIES AND ALL THIS.
AND, UH, THEY HAVE, I THINK 50 LOCAL PTA EACH SCHOOL.
AND 19,000 MEMBERS, ACTIVE MEMBERS ON PTA.
SO THIS TELLS THAT HOW MUCH REALLY, IF YOU EVEN COMPARE THIS THING, NATION NATIONWIDE, THEY'RE VERY ACTIVE AND THEY, THEY'RE DOING A LOT.
UH, I THINK, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, JOE CORCORAN ALSO JOINED ME THAT DAY, SO, UH, AND MAYBE HE CAN ADD FEW THINGS ON THAT.
JUST THAT THEY WERE, THEY WERE VERY NICE AND IT'S REALLY INTERESTING TO HEAR, UM, YOU KNOW, THE WORK THAT THEY DO AND HOW IT COINCIDES AND DIFFERS AND THEN WORKS ALONGSIDE THE DIFFERENT OTHER ENTITIES THAT COMPRISE SORT OF THE RISD UNIVERSE.
UM, AND I'M, I'M EXCITED FOR THE OPPORTUNITIES OF COLLABORATION WITH THEM, UH, THAT WE'VE ALREADY IMPLEMENTED AND THAT DON IS BATTED AROUND WITH THEM, UH, GOING FORWARD.
UH, WITH DID, I'D JUST LIKE TO ADD ONE MORE THING ON THIS, THAT THEY DO HAVE SOME SPECIAL PROGRAM, THAT THEY NEED SOME SUPPORT, UH, ESPECIALLY, UH, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE THING THAT I DIDN'T KNOW THAT THEY PROVIDE, UH, CAR SEAT FOR THE NEW, UH, UH, PARENTS AND ALSO CLOTHING FOR THE STUDENTS, UH, THAT, THAT REALLY BOOST THEIR CONFIDENCE, SOME OF THE THINGS THEY DO.
I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE LOOK, SEE HOW WE CAN, UH, DO SOME HELP.
YOU GUYS LEFT ME A LOT TO STILL TALK ABOUT.
SO, UH, I'LL SKIP THROUGH SOME OF THE ONES THAT YOU GUYS HAVE MENTIONED.
UH, UH, DID HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, WELCOME, UH, A BUNCH OF INTERNATIONAL FOLKS, UH, AS A PART OF UT DALLAS'S, UH, A SHARED GOAL, WHICH WAS, UH, A FIFA EVENT THAT THEY HAD THERE ON CAMPUS.
UM, UH, THANK YOU, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER DORIAN FOR, UH, STEPPING IN AND HELPING ME WITH THE ONE EVENT.
UH, AT THE TIME WHEN YOU WERE THERE, I WAS AT THE UNITED WAY, UH, INNOVATION, UH, EVENT WHERE THEY WERE FOCUSED ON, UH, ORGANIZATIONS THAT WERE PITCHING, KIND OF LIKE YOU DO IN A SHARK TANK WAY, UH, BUT PITCHING WHAT IT IS THEY'RE DOING TO IMPACT OTHERS AND HOW, UH, ADDITIONAL, UH, FUNDRAISING AND, AND MONEY TOWARDS THEM WOULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE, UH, IN THE COMMUNITY.
JUST A REALLY INSPIRING EVENING.
SOMETHING THAT I WAS REALLY KIND OF, UM, UH, THANKFUL TO BE ABLE TO BE A PART OF.
AND I KNOW, UH, THE CITY OF RICHARDSON, UH, IS INVOLVED OF COURSE, QUITE A BIT WITH, UH, THE UNITED WAY.
UM, RICHLAND PARK, UH, LAST WEEK HAD AN EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, UM, UH, MEETING THAT I GOT AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEND A FEW MINUTES AT, UH, OF COURSE, ONCE AGAIN, ESPECIALLY BEING IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
UH, THEY WERE VERY THRILLED AND, AND HAD A LOT OF GREAT COMMENTS TO SAY ABOUT YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER DORIAN.
UH, BUT, UH, HAD A FEW QUESTIONS ABOUT THE BOND AND, AND, UH, UH, OF COURSE, UM, UH, WE WERE, I WAS ABLE TO BE ABLE TO BE THERE TO BE ANSWERING THOSE KIND OF QUESTIONS.
UM, RSDI THINK AGAIN, COUNCILMAN, UH, DORIAN, YOU WERE THERE, UH, AS, UH, YOU AND I, UH, WERE THERE FOR THE PROFESSIONAL INTERNSHIP PROGRAM, THE END
[01:00:01]
OF THE SEASON FOR THEM.UH, REALLY, REALLY COOL SEEING HOW MANY COMPANIES ARE INVOLVED IN HELPING, UH, STUDENTS FROM RISD, UH, GET THAT PROFESSIONAL ENGAGEMENT AND EXPERIENCE, UH, BROKEN RECORD.
BUT, UH, COUNCILMAN DORIAN AND I WERE BOTH AT BOUQUET ELEMENTARY, UH, FOR A CAREER DAY EVENT AS WELL.
UM, UH, I GOT AN OPPORTUNITY TO ACTUALLY BE IN ONE OF THE CLASSROOMS, UH, OF A GENTLEMAN THAT ENDED UP BEING ONE OF THE, UH, STARS RECIPIENTS, UH, EARLIER TODAY.
UH, AND, UH, TO THAT, I'LL, I'LL POINT TO YOU, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER BARRIOS, UH, UH, WAS THERE, JUST WAS THERE AND THEN I KIND OF WAS THERE.
UH, WE WEREN'T THERE EXACTLY AT THE SAME TIME, BUT WE BOTH, UH, WERE THERE TO CELEBRATE SOME OF THE STARS RECIPIENTS.
UM, THIS EVENING, UH, BEFORE THE COUNCIL MEETING, UH, THERE AT RISD, UM, WE DID LOSE A FORMER COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, BUDDY DEAN, AND THERE WAS A MEMORIAL SERVICE, UH, FOR HIM, UH, LAST WEEK, UH, THAT I WAS, UH, THANKFUL TO ATTEND.
IT WAS REALLY NEAT HEARING SOME OF THE STORIES OF ALL THE SERVICE, BOTH JUST ON THE CITY COUNCIL, BUT ALSO EVERYTHING THAT HE, UH, DID BEFORE AND AFTER, UM, UH, A LIFE WELL LIVED AND, AND, UM, UH, REALLY COOL TO HAVE HIM BE A PART OF THE LEGACY OF, UH, OF OUR, OF OUR DIOCESE.
UM, EARLIER TODAY, UH, HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT TO, UH, THE ROTARY CLUB ABOUT THE FIRST YEAR OF, UH, THIS TWO YEAR TERM.
UH, THEY WERE ALL VERY EXCITED ABOUT ALL THE GREAT ACCOLADES THAT THE COUNCIL AND OF COURSE, CITY STAFF AND CITY MANAGEMENT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HELP US WITH, INCLUDING THE DOUBLE AAA BOND RATING WAS OF COURSE A HIGHLIGHT, UH, OF THE CONVERSATION.
UM, AND I HAD ONE PERSON GIVE ME SOME CORRECTIVE ADVICE THAT I NEEDED TO REALLY HIGHLIGHT THE TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT WE SAVED BECAUSE OF THAT AAA BOND RATING.
SO, UH, UH, I'LL INCLUDE THAT IN FUTURE SPEECHES.
UM, ALSO, UH, SOMEWHERE BETWEEN ROTARY AND THE, UH, OTHER EVENT AT RISD, UM, THE INTERNATIONAL WIRE AND CABLE SYMPOSIUM HAD, UH, A COUPLE OF THEIR EXECUTIVES HERE, THEY HAVE A REALLY LARGE CONFERENCE EACH YEAR.
THEY HAPPEN TO BE SPENDING SOME TIME AT COMMSCOPE.
AND AS TIMING TURNED OUT, UH, WE DID A PRESS RELEASE EARLIER, UH, TODAY, UH, ON THE ANDREW, UM, UH, MOVE, UH, IN RICHARDSON AND, AND WAS THRILLED TO BE ABLE TO, UM, WELCOME THE IWCS, UH, FOLKS AND MEET SOME OF THE EXECUTIVES OF, UH, OF ANDREW AND, AND COMMSCOPE.
UM, AT THAT LAST TWO THINGS, RICHARDSON CIVIC ARTS SOCIETY CELEBRATED 60 YEARS AND GAVE A WHOLE BUNCH OF AWARDS OUT, UH, UH, FOR WINNERS.
CAN'T REMEMBER IF ANY OF US, UH, WERE THERE, UH, OTHERS WERE THERE.
BUT RICHARDSON WOMAN'S CLUB, I IMAGINE A FEW OF US, UH, UH, DID STOP IN AND, UH, I JUST DIDN'T HEAR IT EARLIER, SO I DECIDED TO THROW IT OUT THERE.
AN AMAZING, UH, GARDEN CLUB, UM, UH, EVENT AND, UH, A WONDERFUL JOB THEY DO EVERY YEAR.
ALRIGHT, THAT WAS ALL A MOUTHFUL, AND I'M GONNA MOVE ON TO, UH, IN COMPLIANCE
[EXECUTIVE SESSION ]
WITH SECTION 5 51 0.08.SEVEN ONE, AND TWO OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE COUNCIL WILL CONVENE INTO A CLOSED EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING DELIBERATION REGARDING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TO DELIBERATE COMMERCIAL OR FINANCIAL INFORMATION RECEIVED FROM A BUSINESS PROSPECT, OR TO DELIBERATE THE OFFER OF A FINANCIAL OR OTHER INCENTIVE TO A BUSINESS PROSPECT, ARAPAHO STATION AND PROJECT ASSEMBLY.
I'M GONNA GIVE US A FIVE MINUTE RECESS IF THAT'S OKAY.
SO WE'LL COME BACK AT 7 0 8 FOR, TO NEGOTIATE AND EXECUTE AN AGREEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF RICHARDSON WITH PROJECT ASSEMBLY TO PROVIDE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE DIRECTION PROVIDED DURING THE EXECUTIVE SESSION, INCLUDING ANY AMENDMENTS OR INSTRUMENTS RELATED THERETO.
COUNCIL MEMBER DORIAN, I SECOND THAT.
WE HAVE A MOTION BY MAYOR PRO TEM HUTCH RUTER.
A SECOND BY COUNCIL MEMBER DORIAN.
ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? ALRIGHT, THAT PASSES SIX TO ONE, UH, WITH COUNCIL MEMBER.
ALRIGHT, WITH NO FURTHER BUSINESS, UH, THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED AT 9:25 PM.