* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [*A portion of this video is without audio*] [00:02:30] PUT BREAKFAST IN THE MORNING AND THEN WE FLIPPED THE ROOM. I HAD A THOUSAND VOLUNTEERS IN THERE TRYING TO HELP SOUTH. IN FACT, I HAD TO YELL AT, AT OUR PEOPLE TO GET OUTTA THEIR WAY, AND SO THEY DID THEIR THING. AND THAT'S WHERE YOU SEE KIND OF A JUMP IN NUMBERS ON THAT. SO EXCITING MOVING FORWARD. AND THEN, UM, ROOMS THAT WE WORK WITH, UH, SOUTH SECURE ROOMS. WE, I HAVE IN THE RECORD, WE DIDN'T HAVE AS MANY AS LAST AS WE REQUIRED. I REALLY WANT, THAT'S NOT TRUE. I WENT OFF OF THE STAFF SUCH AS STAFF MEMBER IS SO EFFICIENT. SAVE ME THE PRINTOUT. BUT I DO FEEL LIKE WE HAD OTHERS THAT DIDN'T CALL. AND THE, AND WE'RE JUST THERE ON A SEPARATE, WE DO A, UH, AN ACTIVITY WHERE WHEN YOU CHECK IN THAT OUR VOLUNTEERS GIVE YOU A SPECIAL LITTLE PACKET FROM SUGAR THAT GUESTS GET TO HAVE. AND I KNOW HE GAVE OUT CLOSE TO 89 OF THOSE. SO, BUT I KNOW HOW WE CAN HAVE THAT. BUT, UM, NUMBERS ARE GOOD, BUT COULD BE BETTER TO MAKE THAT BETTER. AND ALSO, I WANNA MAKE A POINT. IN 2019, WHAT WE ADDED IN HERE IS ON FRIDAY WE DO A DINNER WITH CLARA AND HER FRIENDS. MUCH LIKE DISNEY WORLD, YOU BEEN TO DISNEY WORLD WITH CHARACTERS, UM, IN THE REEF RESTAURANT, THEY HAVE A NICE BUFFET, YOU KNOW, KID FRIENDLY, EVERYONE COME, YOU KNOW, AND THIS ENCOURAGED TO PUT THE HEADS. AND LIKE A LOT OF PEOPLE MADE, THEY COME TO THE FRIDAY EVENT, WE ENCOURAGE TRAUMAS, AND THEN THEY BUY ROOMS AND THEN THEY WAKE UP THE NEXT MORNING AND GO TO THE, SO THAT'S WHEN YOU SEE THE JUMP SALE. WE'RE ALWAYS EXPANDING AND TRYING TO MAKE A BIGGER EVENT. SO HERE WE GO. WE START OFF ON THURSDAY NIGHT WITH THE GINGER, AND THIS IS A FREE EVENT. THAT WHOLE COMMUNITY COMPANY, I DON'T COUNT THOSE NUMBERS IN OUR OTHER PART BECAUSE THE, THE NUMBERS THAT I SHOWED YOU AT THE BEGINNING WERE THE NUMBERS OF [00:05:05] AS WELL. UM, THEY'RE, SO THEY, UH, THE RIBBON CUTTING FOR THE GINGERBREAD HOUSE AND LET ALL OF OUR LITTLE CHARACTERS COME AND DANCE AROUND. EVERYONE LEAVES DOING THIS BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT LITTLE GIRL NEVER DROP, NEVER DROP CHARACTER. THERE. JUST LOTS OF FUN. AND OF COURSE, CHEF, UH, THE STAR, THE SHOW. WE ALWAYS WANNA GET A PICTURE WITH OUR CHEF, THE CHEF AT THAT NIGHT. OUR CHARACTERS, LIKE I SAID, UH, BRANCH OUT, VISIT THE BARENESS. SHE PULLS THE LITTLE KIDS OUT AND READS, UH, THE NUTCRACKER TO THEM WHILE THE MOMS GET LOTS OF CHARACTERS ALL AROUND WITH ALL OF THE KIDS THERE. EVERYONE IS IN THE PAJAMA OF THERE. LOTS OF, THERE ARE QUITE FEW RUNNING AROUND. WE USED TO DO A HOT CHOCOLATE PARTY IN THE PENTHOUSE. WE HAD, UM, TICKET HAD ROOM AND WE HAD IN THAT ROOM, WE, SO WE DON'T DO THAT PART, BUT THEY GET A GIFT FROM THE SUGAR COMPANY INSTEAD OF A, SO THE NEXT MORNING, UM, WE HAVE AN ARMY OF VOLUNTEERS THAT REALLY TAKE A THEME AND THEY JUST TRANS REALLY TRANSPOSE, TRANSPOSED SOUTH HARBOR. NOT JUST THE BALLROOM, BUT ALL OF YOU'LL SEE. UH, THIS YEAR IT WAS, UM, AN ICY WINTER THEME, BUT THEN WHEN YOU GOT INTO THE BALLROOM, IT TURNED INTO CAN. SO THIS IS THE ENTRANCE LAST YEAR. HERE'S THE RESERVATION PARTS JUST FOR THE FIRST FITTING READY AND WAITING FOR THE, UM, ACTIVITIES TO COME. WE HAVE RHONDA FLOYD DOING PHOTOGRAPHS IN, SAY THE ROOM. BRIDGET, LILY, LILY ROOM, LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHER THAT, UM, DOES PUMP PICTURES IN THE THREE ROOMS. WATER FIRST FITTING THAT ONE. IT'S OUR BOUTIQUE AND THAT'S JUST HALF OF IT. UM, THAT IS SET UP. IT'S FABULOUS. LOTS OF SHOPPING GOING ON. AND, UM, THIS YEAR, UH, WE SNOW GLOBE GOING AND ALL THE LITTLE CHARACTERS, ALL OF, UM, THEY'RE SO CUTE WITH THEM. WE GO AND THE SNOW GLOBE THAT WE HAD SOME ENGINEERS FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET AIR IN THEIR PURSE SO THAT SHE COULD PLAY AT. THAT WAS A LOT OF FUN. AND THE KIDS LOVED HER. THEY LOVE HER. UM, HUGE AUCTION. THIS IS JUST ONE OF 12 TABLES OF AUCTION ITEMS. UH, LOCAL LEAGUE CITY INDIVIDUALS ARE GREAT FOR DONATING. UH, WE HAVE CHOIR SINGING, AND THEN THE ENTRANCE IS KEPT SHUT UNTIL THE GRAND OPENING HAPPENS. AND THEN MOVE IN AND HAVE MOTHER GINGER WAS OUR MC F WITH THE PRO. HE IS HYSTERICAL AND ENTERS UP. HE JUST ENTERTAINS EVERYONE THE ENTIRE TIME ON HIS LIFE. AND THIS IS THE MOTHER GINGER CAMP. THIS IS WHAT LIKE WITH THE, WE HAD 500 FOR THE FIRST, SO THAT THEY HAD, UM, COTTON CANDY CLOUDS. AND THERE, THIS IS WHAT THE TABLE LOOKS LIKE. UM, NUTCRACKER. AND EVERYBODY GOT A FAVOR. IT SAYS, FOR THE SUGAR FER IN ALL OF THIS, NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER. TRY TO MAKE IT SPECIAL. THE CHEF DOES AN AMAZING JOB OF WAFFLES WITH TONS OF SPRINKLES, YOU KNOW, CREAM, ALL THE SUGAR IN NEW ORLEANS, YOU CAN IMAGINE. UM, AND THEN THE, UH, CHILDREN ARE CALLED TO THE STAGE, THEY CAN COME TO WATCH. AND OF COURSE, SO ENTHRALL WITH OUR BEAUTIFUL DANCERS, 20 TO 30 MINUTES A VERSION THAT, UM, THEY ALL ENJOY CENTER AND AT THE END, ALL THE CHARACTERS GO OUTSIDE AUTOGRAPHS. ALL. UM, I DO WANNA SAY AS, AS SUCCESSFUL AS THIS IS, I WANNA LOOK AT, I'M ALWAYS THINKING AHEAD OF GOALS [00:10:01] BETTER, UM, AS YOU SAW, COULD BE A THOUSAND. SO WE, WE WOULD LOVE TO PACK IN THE FIRST EVENT IS T THE SECOND COULD GET SOME MORE IN THERE. SO I HAVE A FEW GOALS. WE LOVE WHAT WE DO. THE BILLBOARD ON HIGHWAY THREE, AND WE DO FIVE DIGITAL BILLBOARDS ALL AROUND THE AREA FOR A MONTH. UM, UH, 2,500 RACK FLYERS, LOTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA, MOM, FACEBOOK GROUPS IN THE OUTSIDE IN HOUSTON AREA. TRYING TO GET THEM TO PROMOTE THAT WAY AND EDUCATE THEM HERE. THEY'RE IN MAGAZINE LEAGUE CITY DOES AN AMAZING JOB OF HELPING US BLAST OUT. UM, HOUSTON ARTS MEDIA BECAUSE WE'RE FUNDED BY THE HOUSTON, HOUSTON ALLIANCE IS OUR LARGEST FUNDER. WE, UM, PROMOTE OUT THAT WAY AS WELL. MANY PLACES. UH, THE CCI BANNERS ON ALL OF THEIR, ALL OF THEIR, ALL THE STUDENTS IN AREA. THAT'S BEEN A REALLY BIG KICKER. AND THEN OF COURSE WE DO V AREA ALL OVER. BUT I LOVE, I WANT GET BIGGER AND BETTER. WE'RE ABOUT TO HIT OUR 50TH YEAR AND WE HAVE 50TH WE, SO I REALLY WANNA HOOK INTO SOME MORE FACEBOOK GROUPS OUTSIDE OF THIS AREA IN HOUSTON. I HAD A FEW, BUT I KNOW THERE'S MORE AND I KNOW THERE'S, I COULD BETTER. SO THAT'S ON MY GOAL. AND ALSO, I'VE BEEN TALKING TO PUBLIC MEDIA, UH, NPR RADIO AND CHANNEL EIGHT. UM, I DID A PROPOSAL WITH THEM, UH, YESTERDAY ACTUALLY WITH SOME CLIENTELE HAVING OUR, UH, AUDIENCES TO GET THEM THAT MIGHT HELP. AND THE DANCE MAGAZINE IS ANOTHER ONE THAT I DIDN'T REALIZE I WAS POINT MAGAZINE. YES, IT'S ALL DANCE MAGAZINE, THEIR ONLY PRINT, BUT THEY USE, UM, EMAIL THINGS, BUT THEY ALSO HAVE GEO IN CERTAIN AREAS. SO REALLY THINK THAT WOULD HIT, UM, IT DO, DO US LITTLE JUSTICE. UM, BUT WE CANNOT, THANKFULLY FURTHER CONTINUED SUPPORT. UM, THIS EVENT COULDN'T HAPPEN WITHOUT YOUR SUPPORT AND YOUR, THE WAY THAT YOU, THAT YOU REALLY LOVE US AND THAT YOU HONOR WHAT WE'RE DOING AND KEEP THE ARTS ALIVE IN OUR AREA. Y'ALL INCLUDE US IN LOTS OF OTHER STUFF. I WON'T GET INTO THE WHOLE SEASON, WE, BECAUSE I'LL THAT, BUT THIS IS JUST FOR OUR SUGAR GALA AND WE REALLY THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND IS THERE ANY QUESTIONS? KATHY . THANK YOU, JILL. WE APPRECIATE IT. THAT'S VERY, UH, A LOT OF GOOD INFORMATION AND WE APPRECIATE HOW CLOSELY YOU TRACK EVERYTHING AND BE INTERESTED TO HEAR BRIDGET, WHEN YOU GET BETTER NUMBERS. YEAH, AND I DO WANNA LEAVE THESE FLOWERS. UM, APRIL. OKAY, I'M GONNA THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH GUYS. , [V. Update on Communications & Community Engagement] NEXT UP IS COMMUNICATIONS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. OKAY, COOL. THAT'S YOU. CAN I JUST STAND UP HERE? UH, DO I NEED TO TALK IN THE, I THINK YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO USE A MICROPHONE SO THAT OUR CITIZEN FRIENDS CAN HEAR US WHEN THEY WATCH THIS BACK. OKAY. INTRODUCE YOURSELF, SARAH. HELLO. HI. OKAY, THERE WE GO. HI, MY NAME IS AMBER PETTIGO BIRD AND I'M THE MANAGER OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WITH THE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT. I'M FILLING IN FOR SARAH. UH, SHE'LL BE HERE SHORTLY. UH, SHE HAD A CONFLICTING MEETING, SO I JUST WANTED TO GO OVER A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT WE HAVE GOING IN THE CITY, UH, COMING UP WITH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. I KNOW THAT STEPHANIE'S BEEN WORKING REALLY HARD ON THE SHORT TERM RENTAL. UM, ARE YOU GUYS AWARE OF THAT PIECE OF THINGS? AND SO WE'VE CREATED A FLYER AND THAT'S GOING TO BE GOING OUT TONIGHT AT THE HOA ALLIANCE MEETING. AND, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE EXCITED FOR PEOPLE TO BE AWARE OF, OF THE NEW RULE CHANGE THERE AND, AND THAT THINGS THAT, THAT THEY CAN DO TO BE IN COMPLIANCE. SO WE'LL BE STARTING TO SPREAD THE WORD ON THAT. WE'RE ALSO WORKING ON ELEVATING TRUST, UH, WITH THE DEVELOPMENT IN OUR CITY. SO I THOUGHT THAT THIS WOULD BE AN IMPORTANT THING FOR YOU GUYS TO KNOW IS, YOU KNOW, BUSINESS OWNERS AND, AND WORKING WITH THE CV, SITTING ON THE CBB BOARD, UH, THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE DOING, THEY'RE A DEVELOPMENT PROCESS IMPROVEMENT, AND THEY'RE WORKING ON THAT RIGHT NOW WHERE THEY'RE LOOKING FOR ENGAGEMENT FROM RESIDENTS TO TAKE SURVEYS. HAVE YOU EVER PULLED A PERMIT? WHAT WAS THAT LIKE? AND THAT'S GONNA BE SOMETHING THAT'S LAUNCHING. YOU'LL SEE THIS IN CITY MATTERS THAT SHOULD BE HITTING EVERYONE'S MAILBOXES IN THE NEXT WEEK OR SO. UM, BUT THEY ARE GOING TO BE HAVING WORKSHOPS AND, AND [00:15:01] REALLY GETTING A LOT OF, OF FEEDBACK FROM RESIDENTS AS THEY IMPROVE THAT PROCESS. SO I BROUGHT THESE THINGS FOR YOU GUYS TO HAVE, AND I CAN PASS THEM OUT TO YOU IF YOU DON'T MIND. UM, ALSO, WE HAVE OUR FIRST NONPROFIT EXPO COMING UP ON MARCH 30TH, WE'LL HAVE OVER 60 NONPROFITS ALL IN THE SAME LOCATION, WHICH WILL BE HERE AT THE CIVIC CENTER. AND ACROSS THE WAY AT THE REC CENTER, THE BOY SCOUTS AND GIRL SCOUTS WILL BE HERE DOING DEMONSTRATIONS, UM, OUTSIDE, WE'LL HAVE THREE FOOD TRUCKS. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE LIVE MUSIC, ALSO VOLUNTEERS. EVERYTHING IS A VOLUNTEER EFFORT. AND THE GOAL BEHIND IT IS TO REACH ALL OF THE RESIDENTS IN LEAGUE CITY AND GALVESTON COUNTY IN WAYS THAT THEY CAN ENGAGE WITH NONPROFITS AND VOLUNTEER THEIR TIME, THEIR TALENT, MAYBE EVEN THEIR TREASURE INTO, BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY. AND SO SOME PEOPLE ARE NEW TO LEAGUE CITY AND THEY DON'T KNOW HOW, HOW DO I GET INVOLVED? WHAT, WHAT CAN I GO DO? HOW CAN I DONATE MY TIME OR MY ENERGY? MAYBE THEY'RE RETIRED, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THEY JUST WANT SOMETHING TO DO WITH THEIR FREE TIME. SO THIS IS GONNA BE A GREAT WAY, WE'LL HAVE 60 NONPROFITS. UH, WE DO HAVE ROOM FOR TWO MORE. I WAS GONNA TALK TO JILL AND SAY, HEY, THIS IS ANOTHER WAY TO GET THE WORD OUT ABOUT SUGAR PLUM FERRY. UM, WE'RE HOPING TO GET THE WORD OUT TO THE RESIDENTS. SO, UM, I WILL PASS THESE OUT TO, LET ME JUST SEND IT TWO WAYS. THERE WE GO. YEAH. UH, JAZZ KNIGHTS ALSO COMING UP, UH, THAT STARTS THIS SATURDAY AT LEAGUE PARK AND WE WILL HAVE THREE DIFFERENT JAZZ NIGHTS, FEBRUARY 24TH, MARCH 23RD, AND APRIL 27TH. SO I WILL PASS THOSE AROUND TO, AND I CAN PICK UP THE EXTRAS. I'M SORRY FOR ANY EXTRAS. I DIDN'T KNOW HOW MANY TO BRING. AND THEN LAST BUT NOT LEAST, WE ARE STILL SEEKING ENGAGEMENT, UH, FROM THE RESIDENTS ON OUR NATURE CENTER. HAVE ANY OF YOU EVER BEEN TO OUR NATURE CENTER OR EVEN AWARE THAT WE HAVE A NATURE CENTER? BAY? W YEAH. MM-HMM, . SO IT'S JUST OUT EGRET BAY OR, OR TWO 70. AND IT IS GOING TO BE REOPENING, I BELIEVE, MARCH 13TH. IT'S BEEN CLOSED FOR SOME REPAIRS WITH PUTTING IN A NEW PIPELINE. NOW THAT THAT HAS BEEN COMPLETED, THEY'RE GONNA BE REOPENING IT AND WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING IMPROVEMENTS TO IT. AND WE WANNA HEAR FROM THE RESIDENTS. WHAT DO PEOPLE OF LEAGUE CITY WANT TO SEE IN THE NATURE CENTER? IS IT A BIRDING FACILITY? YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO SEE THERE? UH, MAYBE IT'S MORE TRAILS, MORE SHADE, WATER, WHATEVER, YOU KNOW. SO PLEASE GO IN, UH, YOU CAN SCAN THE QR CODE. IT TAKES YOU TO LEAGUE CITY LISTENS, WHICH IS OUR ONLINE ENGAGEMENT PLATFORM. YOU CAN UPLOAD YOUR BIG IDEAS, YOUR SMALL IDEAS. UH, IT'S A, IT'S A REALLY GREAT WAY, UH, TO GET ENGAGED. WE, WE LAUNCHED TWO NEW PAGES. ONE IS A BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PAGE WHERE YOU CAN GO IN AND TAKE A FUN INTERACTIVE SURVEY ON DIFFERENT TYPES OF DEVELOPMENT YOU'D LIKE TO SEE IN LEAGUE CITY. IS IT RESTAURANTS, RETAIL? UM, YOU KNOW, WE ASK ABOUT SEVEN QUESTIONS. IT'S, IT'S MORE OF AN ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITY. IT'S MORE OF A RESOURCE TO, TO SAY, HEY, YOU KNOW, I'LL GIVE IT TO THE DIRECTORS IN THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS IN THE CITY AND SAY, THIS IS WHAT CAME BACK IN THAT SURVEY. UH, YOU CAN ALSO ASK OPEN FACE QUESTIONS WHERE THE RESIDENTS CAN SEE, HEY, THIS IS A QUESTION I HAVE. THEN SOMEONE, SCOTT LIVINGSTON, ON THAT PARTICULAR PAGE COMES IN AND ANSWERS THOSE QUESTIONS SO PEOPLE CAN SEE IT AND INTERACT WITH IT THAT WAY. WE ALSO PUT OUT A SIDEWALK PAGE FOR SIDEWALK REPAIRS. THAT'S A HOT TOPIC. PEOPLE WANTING THEIR SIDEWALKS REPAIRED. AND SO WE PUT A EASY ONE STOP SHOP FOR THAT. UH, LIKE OUR WEBSITE IS THE ENCYCLOPEDIA. IT'S, YOU HAVE TO DIG FOR INFORMATION. WHERE LEAK CITY LISTENS IS MORE THE PEOPLE MAGAZINE VERSION. IT'S, YOU KNOW, QUICK PICTURES BLURBS ABOUT WHAT YOU, WHAT YOU NEED TO DO, HOW YOU CAN SUBMIT FOR A SIDEWALK REPAIR. IT SHOWS PHOTOS OF BEFORE AND AFTERS WHAT CAUSED THAT DAMAGE OR WHAT POTENTIALLY CAUSED THAT DAMAGE. UH, SO IT'S A FUN ENGAGEMENT TOOL. WE'RE GETTING A LOT OF INTERACTIONS WITH IT, AND WE'RE ACTUALLY GETTING SOME NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION ON IT, WHICH IS PRETTY COOL, UM, BY THE WAY THAT WE'RE USING THE ENGAGEMENT TOOL. SO THEY'RE GONNA BE FEATURING IT IN DIFFERENT MAGAZINES AND, UH, THEY'RE, THEY'RE REALLY EXCITED TO SEE THE, THE WAY THAT WE ARE ENGAGING WITH OUR RESIDENTS ONLINE. YEAH, LAST TIME I WAS HERE, IT'S BEEN ABOUT A YEAR. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? IT'S BEEN A YEAR SINCE WE INTRODUCED THIS POSITION AND IT'S BEEN AMAZING INTERACTING WITH THE DIFFERENT RESIDENTS AND GETTING THE FEEDBACK OF, OF THE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT THEY'D LIKE TO SEE, UH, PEOPLE WANNA BE LISTENED TO, WHICH IS WHY WE CALLED IT LEAGUE CITY LISTENS. AND I THINK THAT WE'RE SEEING SOME TREMENDOUS RESULTS FROM IT. SO, ANY QUESTIONS ON ANY OF THAT? THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME HASHTAG SARAH FOR AN HOUR. , YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB AS PRETEND SARAH TODAY. YES, PRETEND SARAH. ALRIGHT. OKAY. STEPHANIE [VI. CVB Tourism & Financial Report] WITH A CBB TOURISM AND YES. FINANCIALS. OKAY. SO YOU HAVE A COPY OF MY PRINTED REPORT THERE IN FRONT OF YOU. IT STARTS OFF WITH LOTS OF WORDS. UH, THE BIGGEST PROJECT I'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS PAST [00:20:01] MONTH AND SOME INTO THIS MONTH AS WELL, IS THE SHORT TERM RENTAL COMPLIANCE PROJECT. SO LAST YEAR WE WORKED TO, UH, WITH OUR CITY AUDITOR TO COMPLETE A FULL AUDIT OF OUR SHORT-TERM RENTAL PROCESS. AND I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTS ON THE DIFFERENT EFFORTS FOR COMPLIANCE OUTLINED IN THAT THOSE, THOSE FINDINGS. SO WE HAVE LOTS OF ACTION ITEMS THAT WE'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH AND TAKING CARE OF THE PAST FEW WEEKS HAVE BEEN REALLY PRODUCTIVE WITH THIS. UH, WE, I MET WITH CODE ENFORCEMENT PERMITTING PLANNING DEPARTMENTS TO TALK ABOUT THE NEW ORDINANCE UPDATES, EXPLAIN THE PROCEDURES THAT ARE INVOLVED. AND WE JUST KINDA WALK THROUGH EVERYBODY'S PROCESSES BECAUSE IN, IN THE PAST WE'D HAVE SOMEONE GO IN TO GET A PERMIT AND THEN THEY'D SAY, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO THIS CALL. SO AND SO, AND THEY KIND OF GET BOUNCED AROUND A LITTLE BIT. SO WE, WE ARE STREAMLINING THAT AND MAKING SURE OUR WORKFLOWS ARE GOOD AND SEAMLESS AND WE JUST, IT'S A CONSTANT COMMUNICATION AND OR AS WE WORK THROUGH THOSE THINGS. UM, SO WE'RE ALSO DOING AN OUTREACH EFFORT, WHICH IS WHY YOU HAVE THE FLYERS IN FRONT OF YOU. UH, WE ARE GONNA BE PRESENTING THAT TO THE HOA ALLIANCE MEETING TONIGHT. THANK YOU AMBER FOR DOING THAT. AND, UH, JUST GETTING THE WORD OUT THAT YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE A SHORT-TERM RENTAL PERMIT IN LEAGUE CITY, LET PEOPLE KNOW, UM, AND LET THEM KNOW HOW. SO, UH, THE WEBSITE HAS BEEN ALL UPDATED WITH THE NEW INFORMATION AND VERBIAGE, UH, WITH THE FLYERS. AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DIFFERENT CAMPAIGNS, A HOW TO VIDEO AND THAT SORT OF THINGS. ANOTHER COMPONENT IS IDENTIFYING AND, AND ACTUALLY REACHING OUT TO THE LISTINGS AND LETTING 'EM KNOW THEY'RE NOT IN COMPLIANCE. I'M WORKING WITH OUR CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ON THAT AND WE'VE GENERATED THIS REALLY LOVELY, CAN YOU SEE THE SPREADSHEET, HOW UGLY THIS IS . THIS IS ALL OF OUR CURRENT RENTALS THAT ARE PERMITTED, THOSE THAT ARE NOT, THAT ARE IN PROCESS, THAT ARE STILL LIVE, AND SOME THAT ARE JUST LIVE AND PROBABLY HAVE NO IDEA THAT THEY'RE IN COMPLETE VIOLATION OF THINGS. SO WE'RE, WE'RE DOING SOME, UH, OUTREACH EFFORTS WITH THEM TO LET THEM KNOW WHAT THEY NEED TO DO AND HOW TO DO IT. UM, SO THIS IS AN ONGOING EFFORT RIGHT NOW. WE HAVE, UM, EIGHT ACTUAL SHORT TERM PERMITTED OPERATORS IN LEAGUE CITY. WE PROB AND ABOUT FOUR OTHER ONES THAT ARE LIVE AND THINK THEY'RE PROBABLY IN COMPLIANCE 'CAUSE THEIR PERMITS JUST EXPIRED AND THEY DIDN'T REALIZE THEY NEEDED TO GET ANOTHER ONE. UM, AND THEN A WHOLE LIST OF, UH, 24 THAT ARE JUST LIVE LISTINGS THAT HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING FOR THE PROCESS. SO WE'RE REACHING OUT TO THEM. SO THERE'S SOME LIKE TIERED APPROACHES THAT WE'RE TAKING ON THAT. AND SO WE'RE, YOU KNOW, CRAFTING THOSE. IT'S A BIG THING AND THERE'S A LOT OF MOVING PARTS TO IT. ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE MOVING PARTS IS THE SOFTWARE THAT WE USE TO IDENTIFY THOSE LISTINGS AND REACH OUT AND FIND OUT WHO THEY ARE. UM, WE CURRENTLY HAVE A, A VENDOR THAT WE'RE USING. WE HAVE USED IT FOR A WHILE AND IT'S A LITTLE BIT CLUNKY 'CAUSE THERE'S TWO DIFFERENT DASHBOARDS THAT YOU HAVE TO LOG INTO. SO ONE I USE TO IDENTIFY AND, AND, UH, REACH OUT TO PEOPLE. IT'S LIKE A JUST SHOWS YOU WHERE THE LIVE LISTINGS ARE IN THEIR CONTACT INFORMATION AND IT HAS EVIDENCE CAPTURES AND THINGS LIKE THAT. THE OTHER ONE IS A PLATFORM WHERE THE, THE OPERATORS LOG INTO AND REPORT THEIR HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAXES AND THEY REPORT THEIR BUSINESS PART OF IT. SO IT'S TWO DIFFERENT DASHBOARDS. THEY DON'T TALK TO EACH OTHER, WHICH IS MORE COMPLICATED BECAUSE THE CITY'S, UH, SOFTWARE THAT THEY USE FOR PERMITTING AND STUFF ALSO DOESN'T TALK TO THIS STUFF. SO WE'RE GONNA WORK THROUGH THAT A LITTLE BIT BETTER. AND WE'RE GONNA, I, I'VE BEEN DEMOING OTHER PLATFORMS AND, UH, WE'RE GONNA CONSOLIDATE IT, HOPEFULLY MAKE IT EASIER ON EVERYBODY INVOLVED AND MAKE IT MORE EFFICIENT FOR EVERYONE. ALSO, HOPEFULLY IT'LL COST LESS MONEY RIGHT NOW, THE ONE WHERE IS A THOUSAND DOLLARS A MONTH FOR THE SERVICE. AND, UM, I DON'T, I'M, I'M LOOKING AT OTHER OPTIONS. UH, THE ONES I'M SEEING ARE PROBABLY EIGHT TO 10. SO MAYBE, WE'LL, MAYBE, DEPENDING ON THE MODULES THAT YOU ADD TO IT, IT MAY BE LESS EXPENSIVE FOR US, WHICH WILL BE GOOD. SO ANYWAY, THAT'S A BIG TO DO. OKAY. AND, UH, OH, GOOD. SARAH JOINED US. YAY. SO THAT'S A BIG THING. I JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE UPDATE ON THAT. DO Y'ALL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT SHORT TERM RENTALS AT ALL? IT'S, IT'S CLEAR AS MUD, RIGHT? , WE'RE WORKING ON IT. IT'S GETTING BETTER AND WE'RE MAKING BIG PROGRESS. I, I'VE RECENTLY, THIS PAST WEEK MET WITH, UH, BOOKING.COM AND ALSO VRBO. UH, THAT'S ANOTHER PART OF THE COMPLIANCE PLAN. THEY'RE GONNA HELP US ENFORCE OUR REGULATIONS SINCE WE'VE UPDATED THE ORDINANCE THAT SAYS YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO, UH, ADVERTISE YOUR LISTING WITHOUT BEING PERMITTED FIRST. WE NOTIFY THE PLATFORMS ABOUT THAT. AND SO THEY'RE GOING TO HELP US WITH A DELISTING CAMPAIGN MESSAGING TO THE PEOPLE THAT ARE OPERATING IN LEAGUE CITY AND TELL THEM YOU HAVE X AMOUNT OF DAYS TO BE IN COMPLIANCE OR WE'RE GONNA DE-LIST YOU. SO THEY'RE GONNA HELP US ENFORCE IT BY TAKING DOWN THOSE LISTINGS. AND SO THAT'S OUR COMPLIANCE PLAN WITH VRBO GOES LIVE APRIL 1ST. AND THEY'RE ALSO GOING TO REMIT THE HOT TAXES DIRECTLY TO US ON BEHALF OF THOSE OPERATORS. RIGHT NOW, THE OPERATORS HAVE TO DO IT DIRECTLY TO US THROUGH THAT, UH, SOFTWARE THAT WE HAVE. SO ANYWAY, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS TO IT, BUT WE'RE MAKING PROGRESS ON IT AND IT'S MOVING FORWARD. SO IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE MAYBE 30 TO ANYWHERE BETWEEN 30 TO 70 ACTUAL SHORT TERM RENTALS IN LEAGUE CITY. EVERY DASHBOARD I I LOOK AT GIVES ME A DIFFERENT NUMBER. SO IT'S REALLY HARD. AND ALSO THEY TAKE THEM DOWN AND THEN WE LIST THEM ALL THE TIME TOO. SO THAT NUMBER'S ALWAYS CHANGING. SO ANYWAY, WE WE'RE MOVING FORWARD AND WE'RE MAKING PROGRESS. IT'S JUST A LOT. SO THAT'S MY LITTLE SUMMARY SUMMARY ON THAT. THE VISITOR CENTER, WE GOT OUR FIRST GIFT SHOP SALES REPORT. SO SINCE OUR OPENING DAY, WE'VE SOLD 222 SOUVENIR ITEMS. [00:25:01] AT THE GIFT SHOP, OUR GROSS SALES WERE 3050 $3, AND AFTER COMMISSIONS WERE PAID, WE MADE $2,298. SO THAT IS REALLY GOOD. I'M VERY HAPPY WITH THAT NUMBER. I LISTED SOME OF THE TOP SELLING ITEMS THERE, T-SHIRTS, COFFEE MUGS, POSTCARDS, STICKERS, AND HATS. SO ANOTHER THING IS THAT, UH, WITH, AT THE VISITOR CENTER, UH, SULF CREEK HAS APPLIED FOR THEIR LICENSE TO SELL BEER AND WINE. AND WE'RE WORKING THROUGH THOSE PROCESSES NOW WITH THE CITY AND T-A-E-B-C. AND I BELIEVE THAT THEIR POSTING DEADLINE IS MARCH THE 25TH IS THEIR 90 DAY DEADLINE THAT IT WILL BE THROUGH. SO I THINK WE'LL BE READY TO GO FORWARD WITH THAT ONCE THAT IS DONE WITH. SO THAT'S IN PROGRESS. WE'RE ALSO WORKING TO COORDINATE PLAN EVENTS WITH PARKS AND, AND REC AND, UH, THE CITY OF JAZZ NIGHT EVENTS AND JUST GETTING ALL THOSE, UH, PLANNED SCHEDULES OF, OF MARKETS AND LIVE MUSIC AND PERFORMANCES TOGETHER ALL ON ONE PAGE. SO THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF COORDINATION WITH THAT AS WELL. UM, ANOTHER THING I'M DOING AT THE, THE VISITOR CENTER IS I'M DOING A CALL FOR VISITOR RACK CARDS AND BROCHURES FOR TOURISM RELATED BUSINESSES. THE WALL OF RESOURCES THERE NEEDS, NEEDS TO BE UPDATED ALL THE TIME. SO WE'VE PUT OUT AN ACTIVE CALL TO ALL OF OUR LOCAL RESTAURANTS AND SHOPS AND, YOU KNOW, AX MASTERS AND ACTIVITY PLACES, THINGS LIKE THAT, TO, UH, TO DISPLAY THEIR, THEIR BROCHURES THERE SO THAT WE CAN SHOWCASE EVERYTHING WE HAVE LOCALLY IN ADDITION TO WHAT WE ALREADY HAVE. SO THAT IS IN THE WORKS. AND AS FAR AS ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONS, RIGHT NOW WE ARE DOING A LOT OF THINGS, UM, MOSTLY WORKING ON, UM, SPRING AND SUMMER MESSAGING. WE HAVE, UH, CAMPAIGNS THAT WILL BE, THAT HAVE JUST LAUNCHED RECENTLY FOR THE WEDDING MARKET AND FOR THE JAZZ NIGHT SPECIAL EVENTS, UH, WE'RE WORKING ON SPRING MARKETING AND MESSAGING RIGHT NOW WITH CULTURE MAP HOUSTON AND DATA FI AND, UH, GETTING READY FOR SUMMER. WE HAVE SOME UPDATED ASSETS TO WORK ON. WE'RE GONNA WORK ON A NEW WEBSITE UPDATE AND REFRESH. SO WE HAD OUR FIRST KICKOFF MEETING WITH THAT. AND WE'RE JUST CONSTANTLY DOING, YOU KNOW, CONTENT UPDATES AND TOOL MAINTENANCE AND THAT SORT OF THING. OUR VISIT WIDGET TOOL, IF Y'ALL HAVEN'T DOWNLOADED THE LEAGUE CITY VISIT WIDGET APP, IF YOU GO TO THE APP STORE AND JUST LOOK, UH, TYPE IN VISIT LEAGUE CITY, YOU'LL FIND IT AND ALSO HAVE A CARD HERE THAT YOU CAN SCAN THE QR CODE AND OPEN IT. WE'RE BUILDING TOURS IN THAT APP. SO EVERYTHING THAT YOU SAW IN OUR HISTORIC DISTRICT GUIDE HAS BEEN BROUGHT INTO THE, THE HISTORIC DISTRICT TOUR ON THAT APP SO THAT YOU CAN OPEN UP THE APP AND THEN SEE ALL THE HISTORIC PLACES THERE. SO WE'RE, WE'RE WORKING THROUGH THOSE. AND WE'RE ALSO WORKING ON AN ART, UH, PUBLIC ART MURAL TOUR THROUGH THAT AS WELL. SO LOTS OF CONTENT UPDATES, LOTS OF EVENTS TO PULL IN AND POPULATE ON OUR EVENT CALENDARS. SO JUST A SLEW OF ACTIVITIES. ALSO RECENTLY TRAVELED TO ATTEND THE T-A-C-B-B WINTER CONFERENCE. IT WAS IN ABILENE AND I ATTEND. IT WAS EXCELLENT. COLTON WAS THERE AS WELL. UH, AND UH, WE DID THE MARKETING MASTERCLASS SESSIONS ON THAT AND IT WAS WONDERFUL. WE LEARNED ALL SORTS OF NEW TRICKS AND TIPS ABOUT AI AND HOW TO MAKE IT STREAMLINE WORKFLOWS AND BOOST CREATIVITY AND HELP US SAVE TIME AND BE MORE PRODUCTIVE. IT CAN BE A BLACK HOLE, BUT WE LEARNED HOW TO DO SOME THINGS THAT HOPEFULLY GEAR US IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION SINCE IT'S BEEN SUPER HELPFUL. I WAS, IT WAS A WONDERFUL CONFERENCE AND I CAME BACK VERY EXCITED, REFRESHED AND ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT THINGS. SO THAT WAS VERY, VERY GOOD. UH, ALSO LAST WEEK WE ATTENDED THE TEXAS TRAVEL ALLIANCE UNITY DINNER WITH, UH, THE ROUND HOUSTON GROUP AND THAT WAS HELD AT THE WOODLANDS. USUALLY IT'S IN AUSTIN EVERY YEAR AND WE DO A CONVERGE ON THE CAPITOL THE NEXT DAY, WHENEVER IT'S A, UH, WITH THE TEXAS HOTEL, UH, LODGING ASSOCIATION. AND WE TALK TO OUR, UM, ALL OF OUR LEGISLATORS AND WE TELL THEM ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF TOURISM. WE LOBBY FOR THE SCHOOL START DATE, KEEPING IT CERTAIN DATE AND, UM, ALL SORTS OF OTHER TOUR TOURISM RELATED ISSUES. SO THAT, BUT THIS YEAR IT WAS IN THE WOODLANDS AND IT WAS NICE THAT I DIDN'T HAVE TO DRIVE ALL THE WAY TO AUSTIN AND COME BACK REAL QUICK, REAL QUICK. SO THAT WAS REALLY GOOD. UH, ALSO YOU, I HAVE, UH, INCLUDED IN THAT PACKET REPORT, YOU CAN SEE THE WEBSITE TRAFFIC IS ALL STEADY. WE HAVE SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT AND ALSO INCLUDED THE TOUR TEXAS REPORT IN THERE FOR YOU AS WELL TO LOOK AT EVERYTHING IS AS, AS EXPECTED. UM, WE'RE MOVING ALONG WITH THE SOLID TRAFFIC ON THAT. UH, ALSO GAVE YOU MY FINANCIAL UPDATE. IT LOOKS KIND OF LIKE THIS SO YOU CAN SEE WHERE WE ARE. I DID YESTERDAY GET AN UPDATED FINANCIAL REPORT AND THE NUMBERS ARE COMING IN A LITTLE HIGHER THAN WHAT'S REPORTED RIGHT THERE. UM, I LOOKED AT AND COMPARED, SO RIGHT NOW OUR REVENUES FOR THE FIRST QUARTER WERE 123,761. THE ACTUAL COUNT AS OF YESTERDAY WAS 1 99, 2 48. SO IT'S UP, IT'S ACTUALLY UP 10% OVER THIS TIME LAST YEAR. SO THAT'S REALLY GOOD. WE HAD A STRONG QUARTER, ONE HIGHER 10% THAN 2003. YEP. MM-HMM . YEP. SO IT'S CLIMBING EVERY YEAR. THAT'S VERY GOOD. UH, LET'S SEE, AS FAR AS EXPENDITURES, EVERYTHING IS IS ON POINT. WE'RE GOOD. WE'RE JUST MOVING ALONG. DO Y'ALL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT AT ALL? THE ARTS? I AM NOT USED TO THIS. THE ARTS AND CULTURE THAT IS LIKE, UM, WHITE LINEN KNIGHTS AND THE JAZZ THING AND EVERYTHING ELSE THAT THE CITY DOES. THE MURAL TOO THAT'S BEING PAINTED THAT'S [00:30:01] RIGHT ON THE SIDE OF, THAT'S RIGHT. THE UM, OF THE BUILDING OF THE DOLLAR STORE, DOLLAR WHATEVER, IT'S DOLLAR, DOLLAR TREE, DOLLAR TREE, IT'S GOING UP. YEAH. A LITTLE STATUS UPDATE ON THAT. THAT SHOULD BE, UH, A LITTLE STATUS UPDATE ON THAT. THAT, UM, IS BEING IN THE FINAL DESIGN PHASE BECAUSE THE OWNER OF THE BUILDING HAS TO APPROVE THE FINAL DESIGN. UM, WE'RE JUST GOING BACK A LITTLE BIT BACK AND FORTH ON, ON LITTLE TINY TWEAKS. UM, THEY'RE ASPHALTING THE PARKING LOT IN END OF FEBRUARY, EARLY MARCH. AND SO THEY WANNA DO THAT FIRST BEFORE THE MURAL GETS PAINTED. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT THE MURAL TO START BEING PAINTED PROBABLY THE SECOND, THIRD WEEK OF MARCH. ONCE THEY GET, WE'RE ALL DEPENDENT ON THE ASPHALTING GETTING DONE 'CAUSE THEY DON'T WANT THE ASPHALT KICKING UP AND, AND WEATHER AND, AND ALL OF THAT KIND OF STUFF. SO THAT'S THE STATUS ON THAT. YEAH. YOU HAVE A QUESTION I'M ASKING BIG LEAGUE ? NO BIG LEAGUE DREAMS HAS, IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH HOT FUNDS. YEAH. OKAY. OKAY. THAT'S ALL I HAVE FROM OUR REPORTS. IF Y'ALL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANYTHING. OKAY, THANK YOU STEPHANIE. THANK YOU. UH, AND AMBER AND SARAH, ANY MEMBER [VII. Member comments] COMMENTS? NO. OKAY. SAY A COUPLE, UM, JUST 'CAUSE SPRING IS COMING UP AND TODAY IS SUPPOSED TO BE AN AWESOME DAY. 80 DEGREES. UM, WE HAVE OUR SIP AND SO SIP AND SALES STARTING, UM, IN APRIL THROUGH THE SUMMER. AND THAT'S ONCE A MONTH. YOU CAN GO TO OUR WEBSITE AND LOOK AT IT. IT'S A TWO HOUR CRUISE. IT'S UM, WINE AND BEER AND AND APPETIZERS AND A CRUISE AROUND THE LAKE. IT'S REALLY A LOT OF FUN. WE ALSO HAVE OUR WINE DINNERS, OUR SPECIALTY WINE DINNERS. WE JUST HAD ONE ON VALENTINE'S DAY. UM, SO WE DO HAVE THAT ALSO GO TO THE WEBSITE ON THAT. UM, IT'S EVERY TWO MONTHS. UM, IT'S DIFFERENT WINE PROVIDERS AND UM, THEY COME AND, AND KIND OF HOST THE EVENT AND WE HAVE A SPECIAL DINNER WITH OUR, OUR CULINARY TEAM. SO, AND I CAN TELL YOU IT HAS BEEN GOING AND BLOWING SO BUSINESS IS GOOD. GOOD. SO CAN'T COMPLAIN. SO YEAH, BUSY. STEPHANIE, DO YOU MIND IF I GIVE A LITTLE ART UPDATE? SURE, GO AHEAD. UM, JUST BECAUSE, SORRY I WAS RUNNING LATE. UM, AND THESE ARE KIND OF THINGS AMBER WOULD KNOW ABOUT WITH HARD INITIATIVES, SO, 'CAUSE I'M IN CHARGE OF THAT. BUT, UM, SO WE HAD A CONTEST, UH, FOR RESIDENTS TO SUBMIT DESIGNS TO BE WRAPPED ON 10 MURAL BOXES. WE'VE SELECTED THOSE WINNERS, UM, WE'VE LET THEM KNOW AND WE'RE GONNA BE WRAPPING THOSE BOXES IN THE NEXT, UM, COUPLE MONTHS. THE FIRST ONE'S ALREADY WRAPPED. IT'S ON THE CORNER OF FIVE 18 AND MEADOW PARKWAY. UM, LOOKS REALLY, REALLY GOOD. UM, AND IT WILL BE ON THE COVER OF CITY MATTERS MAGAZINE. SO CITY MATTERS MAGAZINE WILL BE COMING OUT THE FIRST WEEK OF MARCH. YOU'LL GET TO SEE ALL OF THE 10 FINAL DESIGNS THAT WERE SELECTED BY THE COMMITTEE. AND YOU'LL ACTUALLY GET TO SEE, WE WRAPPED ONE REALLY, REALLY QUICK SO WE COULD GET IT ON THE COVER OF CITY MATTERS. A WOMAN BY THE NAME OF APRIL ZADY HAS THREE KIDS, LIVES LIKE THREE BLOCKS AWAY FROM WHERE THE TRAFFIC BOX WAS LOCATED. TOTAL, TOTAL FLUKE THAT THAT HAPPENED. UM, SO IT'S KIND OF A FUN STORY. SHE'S LOCAL MOM, THREE KIDS WON THE, WON THE CONTEST. AND UM, ANOTHER THING, A NEW MURAL IS DONE PAINTED. WE'RE AT LING POND PARK. UM, THIS MURAL IS ON THE UNDERPASS OF, UH, BAY AREA BOULEVARD, BUT IT'S MORE NEAR WHERE THE KAYAK LAUNCHES. SO YOU CAN WALK ALONG THE TRAIL UNDER THAT SECTION, BUT IT'S GONNA BE MORE VISUAL IN A KAYAK, A BOAT, A JET SKI, UH, FEATURES MORE BIRDS. UM, I THINK IT HAS A GRAY BLUE HERON, A TRICOLORED HERON, UM, SOME KIND OF REEDS AND CATTAILS. AND IT HAS THE LCTX UH, LETTERING ON THERE AS WELL. UM, AND THEN THE OTHER THING I'M EXCITED ABOUT IS THE GIRARDI HOUSE, WHICH IS KIND OF DIRECTLY RELATED TO HOT FUNDS. YOU KNOW, WE, UH, I THINK IT WAS LAST YEAR WE PAID THE GIRARDI'S, UH, $20,000 TO OFFICIALLY TAKE OVER THAT BUILDING, CALL IT CITY PROPERTY. SO THERE WAS A TOTAL, YOU KNOW, UH, DIVISION, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT RITA GIRARDI WANTED TO SEE THAT WE AGREED UPON THAT THAT BUILDING WOULD BE TURNED INTO AN ARTIST IN RESIDENCE STUDIO. SO WE'RE IN THE PROCESS RIGHT NOW OF OUTFITTING THAT BUILDING WITH THINGS THAT, SUCH AS BADGES AND HANGING DEVICES FOR, UM, MATERIALS AND LOCKERS FOR THE ARTIST. AND SO THE WHOLE GOAL IS THAT WE WILL HAVE THREE ARTISTS THAT USE THAT AS FREE STUDIO SPACE, BUT THEN IN TURN GIVE CLASSES, UM, THREE HOURS A UH, A MONTH IN TURN. AND THEY WILL ALSO HAVE TO HOST QUARTERLY KIND OF OPEN HOUSE EVENTS, UM, AND THAT KIND OF THING. SO A LOT OF MOVING PIECES WITH THAT. SO IT'S PROBABLY NOT GONNA LAUNCH UNTIL THE FALL OR EVEN EARLY NEXT YEAR BECAUSE WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE CONTRACT AND THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT AND LEGAL AND ALL OF THOSE MOVING PARTS AND, AND THEN OF COURSE THE SELECTION PROCESS OF THE ARTISTS AND ALL OF THAT KIND OF THING. SO FIRST STEP IS WE'RE OUTFIT. WE'RE GETTING THE BUILDING [00:35:01] READY WITH EVERYTHING THAT IT, THAT IT NEEDS. SO THAT'S KIND OF STEP NUMBER ONE. AND THEN WE'RE GONNA START WORKING ON THE, UM, THE CONTRACT THAT THE ARTISTS WOULD HAVE TO SIGN TO BE IN THERE. 'CAUSE OBVIOUSLY THEY NEED TO BE OVER 18. WE DON'T WANT THEM BRINGING PEOPLE INTO THE BUILDING, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHY WE'RE DOING A BADGE SYSTEM SO WE CAN SEE WHEN PEOPLE COME IN AND COME OUT WE NEED TO GET SOME CAMERAS SET UP. UM, SO WE'RE WORKING ON THAT RIGHT NOW. , THAT IS PRETTY COOL. UM, WEDDING WISE, SO WE ARE AN ENGAGEMENT SEASON, WHICH MEANS WE'RE, UM, SEEING A LOT OF MORE TRAFFIC WITH WEDDING BOOKINGS. UM, AND I WANNA THANK THIS BEAUTIFUL TEAM OVER HERE FOR PRINTING ME SOME REALLY COOL, UM, HANDOUTS FOR THE BRIDAL EXTRAVAGANZA. UM, IT PEOPLE LOVED THEM. THEY WERE TAKING THAT EVEN MORE THAN OUR RAT CARD, SO YEAH. UM, AND THEY'RE HANDY FOR US TO HAVE AS WELL. WE ALSO STUFFED THEM IN OUR SWAG BAGS FOR OPEN HOUSE. OUR OPEN HOUSE SAW ABOUT 25 NEW COUPLES REGISTERED, 25 26. SOME PEOPLE WE THINK DOUBLE REGISTERED, BUT, UM, WHICH IS OKAY, IT'S AN OKAY NUMBER. IT'S NOT AS HIGH AS WE'D LIKE, IT'S NOT AS LOW AS WE'D LIKE. BUT UM, WE DID BOOK FIVE OF THOSE, SO IT'S PRETTY GOOD. UM, AND I HAVE LIKE SIX TOURS ON SATURDAY, SO WE'RE DEFINITELY SEEING THE TRAFFIC COMING IN. UM, IT'S JUST A MATTER OF GETTING THEM BOOKED. SO YOU DON'T HAVE A WEDDING ON SATURDAY? WE HAVE A WEDDING ON SATURDAY AND I WILL BE GIVING TOURS DURING THE DAY. YEAH, WE TOUR ON WEDDING DAY. I KNOW A LOT OF VENUES DON'T, BUT I, MY CLIENT HAS A JOB SO I HAVE TO BE ABLE TO TOUR EVENINGS AND WEEKENDS SO WE JUST DON'T TAKE THEM IN THE HOUSE WHERE THE BRIDE'S GETTING PREPARED AND WE MAKE SURE EVERYONE'S CLEARED OUT TWO HOURS BEFORE AND I'M NOT THE COORDINATOR THAT DAY SO SHE CAN FOCUS ON THE BRIDE. UM, BUT YEAH, I MEAN THAT'S A PRETTY FULL DAY. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY THOSE WILL BOOK. SO WE HAVE SEEN TRAFFIC INCREASE. I OUR WEB TRAFFIC IS LIKE GOING UP. WE WERE LOOKING AT ALL THAT TODAY. UM, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND THEN OBVIOUSLY ANY BACK LINKS I CAN GET WOULD BE, UM, SOLICITING FOR BACK LINKS. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE. UM, BECAUSE THAT HELPS US A LOT. AND WE'LL RETURN THE FAVOR IF YOU LET US KNOW. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, AND WE WERE TALKING EARLIER ABOUT PEOPLE ARE NOT REALLY SPENDING MONEY STILL, BUT WE'RE HOPING, I MEAN THEY ARE WITH BRIDGET, I THINK SHE'S THE EXCEPTION, BUT THEY'RE NOT BUYING HOUSES AND THEY'RE NOT YEAH, YEAH. YOU'RE NOT SPENDING MONEY. YEAH. SO, YOU KNOW, WEDDINGS IS ONE OF THOSE LUXURY NON-ESSENTIAL THINGS THAT CAN WAIT OR JUST GETS PUSHED ASIDE. BUT WE'RE HOPING THAT'LL BE TURNING AROUND AND SUPPOSEDLY WE'RE THROUGH THAT ENGAGEMENT GAP BY NEXT YEAR. SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HOPING. SO THAT'S THE UPDATE ON WEDDING TRAFFIC, WHICH THEN HOPEFULLY, YOU KNOW, HELPS EVERYONE IN OUR LOCAL ECONOMY WITH THOSE WEDDINGS. UM, ANYTHING ELSE, ANY OTHER COMMENTS? ANY [VIII. Discuss requests for future meeting agenda items] REQUESTS FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS? MARCH. MARCH? ANY SPECIAL TOPICS OR FOCUS BESIDES JUST GENERAL REPORTING THAT Y'ALL MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN? NO. IS THERE ANYTHING THAT Y'ALL ARE DOING EXTRA FOR LIKE THE SPRING BREAK TOURISM THAT'S COMING IN? THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION. YES. UH, WELL EXTRA IT WAS IN THE PLAN . UH, WE HAVE A CULTURE MAP HOUSTON ARTICLE PROMOTED POST AND BANNERS GOING OUT. UM, AND WE'LL HAVE BLOG POSTS AND SOME, SOME DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA MESSAGING ABOUT IT. YEAH. SPRING BREAK IS A, IS A GOOD WEEK FOR SOUTH SHORE AND FOR THE HOTEL. MM-HMM. . SO, UM, IT'S MORE ABOUT TELLING PEOPLE WHAT THERE IS IS TO DO THAT THEY ARE COMING, WHICH IS GREAT. SO WE JUST HAVE TO CAPTURE THEIR ATTENTION AND HAVE THEM SPEND MONEY WHILE THEY'RE HERE IN ALL OF OUR AREA BUSINESSES. IS THERE A PLAN FOR MORE SIGNAGE FOR THE VISITOR CENTER, LIKE UP AND DOWN MAIN STREET IN THE PARK ITSELF? BECAUSE I THINK IF I'M A NEW PERSON, I'M NOT GONNA SEE SOUL FREAK CAFE AND IN THE VISITOR CENTER I KNOW IS UNDER IT, BUT I'M GONNA SEE SOUL FREAK FIRST. SO I'M WONDERING IF WE COULD JUST GET SOME DIRECTIONAL SIGNAGE THAT JUST SAYS VISITOR CENTER AND LEAVE SOUL FREAK OUT OF IT. YEAH. YOU KNOW, THAT'S A GOOD IDEA THAT WE CAN TALK WITH OUR YEAH. 'CAUSE THE PROBLEM IS IT'S A TDOT HIGHWAY OFFICIALLY, RIGHT? SO THAT'S WHAT WE RUN INTO IS, IS THAT IF IT WAS A CITY GO THE CITY, WE COULD JUST SLAP WHATEVER SOMEBODY THAT'S A GOOD POINT. BUT EVEN WITHIN THE PARK, YOU KNOW, WE CAN PUT SIGNS UP IN THE PARK THAT SAY VISITOR CENTER THIS WAY, YOU KNOW, OR DO THAT. YEAH. I I DID MEET WITH THE SIGN SHOP A COUPLE WEEKS AGO ABOUT ADDING MORE SIGNS AND MM-HMM. INSIDE THE BUILDING THOUGH. LIKE WHENEVER YOU WALK IN YEAH. YOU NEED THOSE AND YOU NEED A SIGN OVER THE DOOR THAT LEADS TO THE VISITOR CENTER AND JUST MORE SIGNS AROUND TOWN. I MEAN, EVEN IN THE HISTORIC DISTRICT YOU COULD PUT UP COMING FROM THE MUSEUM AND THEN VICE VERSA. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, WE 5 17, 5 18. RIGHT. I UNDERSTAND THAT. BUT THERE'S A LOT OF ROADS THAT ARE WITHIN TOWN THAT YOU COULD, IT'S NEVER EASY. I MEAN, WE COULD, BUT YOU KNOW, IT'S KIND OF LIKE ASK, ASK FOR FORGIVENESS AFTERWARDS. WELL, OR EVEN YOUR BANNERS THAT YOU DO. YEAH. YOU KNOW, THAT'S A GOOD IDEA IS [00:40:01] THAT OVER SPRING BREAK, WHY ISN'T THERE ONE THAT SAYS NEW VISITOR CENTER NOW OPEN OR, YOU KNOW, DO THAT. I LIKE THAT BECAUSE I THINK EVEN OUR CITIZENS DON'T KNOW WE HAVE A VISITOR CENTER TO TELL TO GO VISIT OUR YEAH, I LIKE THAT IDEA OF DOING A BANNER BECAUSE IT CAN BE UPPED ALL THE TIME. YOUR LITTLE, YOU KNOW, THE ONES YOU PUT ON THE STREET POSTS? MM-HMM. . THERE'S GOTTA BE A LOOPHOLE. SARAH . WELL, WE DO HAVE THAT ONE SIGN THAT'S, WHAT IS IT CALLED? THE, IT HAS LIKE THE TREE OF LITTLE THINGS ON IT. YES. WHAT IS THAT CALLED? IT'S CALLED SOMETHING LIKE, IT'S LIKE YOUR ENTRYWAY TO THE CITY SIGN. YOUR GATEWAY SIGN OR, OR DISTRICT. THERE IS ONE OVER THERE THAT, THAT COULD JUST ADD THAT, I MEAN, EVEN ON THE LEAGUE PARK SIGN IT COULD SAY LEAGUE PARK AND VISITOR CENTER. WE COULD COORDINATE THAT WITH PARKS TO HAVE THAT MORE OFTEN. UM, SETH, I THINK THAT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO COORDINATE THAT WITH SURE. ABSOLUTELY. WITH CAMERON. JUST TO SAY THAT WE'D LIKE FOR THEM TO SAY THAT. I JUST WANT, IT'S SUCH A GREAT TOOL AND RESOURCE. I THINK PEOPLE SHOULD USE IT MORE. AND I SENT SOMEONE WHO CAME TO A REHEARSAL, THEY GOT THERE AN HOUR EARLY, SO I WAS LIKE, WELL WALK, GO GET A COFFEE AND CHECK OUT OUR VISITOR CENTER. AND THEY WERE LIKE, WELL, WE SAW THE COFFEE BUT WE DIDN'T SEE THE PERSON. OKAY. SO I WAS LIKE, YEAH, IT'S IN THE SAME PLACE. SO YEAH. VERY GOOD. OKAY. YES, ABSOLUTELY. WE ARE ADDING THE, WITH THE SIGN SHOP MEETING, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A SIGN PUT ON THE SECOND DOOR. GOOD. AND SOME OUTSIDE SIGN. THERE'S ANOTHER ONE HANGING ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE IN FRONT OF THE BUILDING, YOU KNOW, SO YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. BECAUSE THEY JUST READ SOUL FREAK CAFE. THEY DON'T YEAH. PEOPLE DON'T READ. YEAH, THAT'S TRUE. NO, THEY DON'T. WHENEVER I WENT THERE THOUGH, TO HAVE A, I MET WITH THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE LAST WEEK AND THERE WAS A COUPLE THERE THAT WERE VISITING FROM NEW YORK. AWESOME. THEY POPPED IN, THEY WANTED COFFEE AND THEY JUST CAME IN AND THEY WERE TELLING ME ALL ABOUT IT. AND I WAS LIKE, THAT IS, YEAH. AND YOU, AND YOU DID TALK ABOUT CHANGING YOUR MAP TO BE MORE, UH, INTERNATIONAL TOO. YES. YES. BECAUSE I, I WENT AND THERE WERE SEVERAL PEOPLE THAT SAID WE CAN'T PUT OUR PEN ON THAT. MY IN-LAWS. MY, SEE I WANTED TO PIN IT. WE'RE FROM OUT OF THE US I, I'M BLOWN AWAY BY THE NUMBER OF PENS. IF YOU HAVEN'T, HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO GO IN THERE AND LOOK AT IT. THERE'S A MAP FOR THE UNITED STATES THERE AND EVERYBODY PUTS THE PEN WHERE THEY'RE FROM. AND I, I ALWAYS TAKE A PICTURE WHENEVER I GO IN THERE. I SAID, EVERY TIME FOR THIS MEETING, I NEED TO GO TAKE A PICTURE RIGHT BEFORE THE MEETING HAS A PIN MAP SHOWING UP SO YOU CAN SEE ALL THE NEW PINS THAT WERE ADDED. THAT'S PRETTY COOL. OKAY. IF THAT'S IT FOR EVERYONE, WE CAN ADJOURN AT 10 44. I HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL JAZZ NIGHT. THE YES. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.