[00:00:06]
OKAY, LET'S GO AHEAD AND[I. Call to order]
CALL TO ORDER AT TEN TWENTY FOUR.UM, SO TEN TWENTY FOUR CALL TO ORDER.
TAJ, DO YOU WANNA START? SURE.
TAJ WITH, OH, TURN YOUR MICS ON.
TAJ PATEL WITH THE FAIRFIELD AND SUITES LAKE CITY.
JUDITH BURLESON, RETIRED CORPORATE MARKETING.
AMBER MURPHY WITH BUTLER'S COURTYARD.
MIRANDA HART, MUSEUM ASSISTANT.
UM, MIKE PETERSON, THE PRESIDENT OF THE LEAGUE CITY HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
AND WE HAVE JULIANA WITH THE CBB AND, AND STEPHANIE PUL, THE MANAGER, CBB.
SHE OSBORNE WILL BE RIGHT BACK.
UH, ANY CITIZENS WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THE BOARD.
[IV. Approval of Minutes - Feb 2025]
TO THE MINUTES FROM FEBRUARY.WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO GET THOSE APPROVED? I'LL PUT A MOTION TO APPROVE.
[V. HOT Grant presentation from League City Historical Society - Michael Peterson]
HAVE MICHAEL PETERSON WITH THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, THE LEAGUE CITY HISTORICAL SOCIETY.LET ME PULL YOUR PRESENTATION UP.
SHOULD BE READY TO GO AND WE'LL SEE IF THIS LITTLE CLICKER'S WORKING.
WHY IS IT NOT IN PRESENTATION? OH, IT LOOKS LIKE MY CLICKER'S WORKING.
IS THIS NOT THE RIGHT THING? YEAH.
OH, IS IT WORKING? YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.
THAT'S, IT LOOKS DIFFERENT ON MY SCREEN.
DO YOU HAVE YOUR CLICKER? I HAVE.
HAVE MY CLICKER AND IT'S, YOU ARE ALL SET TOGETHER.
I JUST GOTTA REMEMBER TO GET THE LITTLE USB PORT BACK OR WE'LL
SO FIRST OFF, THANK YOU ALL FOR ALLOWING US TO BE HERE AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT.
UM, AND MIRANDA ALREADY DID THE INTRODUCTION OF HERSELF.
UM, THE REASON I REALLY WANTED MIRANDA TO BE HERE IS SHE'S A COLLEGE STUDENT.
AND FOR HER TO BE EXPOSED TO ALL OF Y'ALL AND BE EXPOSED TO A MEETING LIKE THIS, IT'S SO IMPORTANT NOT ONLY FOR, YOU KNOW, CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR HER, BUT ALSO JUST FOR HER FUTURE CAREER GOALS WITH THE CITY OR WHEREVER IT MAY LEAD HER.
SO ANYWAY, I'M GLAD TO HAVE YOU.
UM, SO AGAIN, WHAT WE'VE GOT HERE IS FOR THE ONES THAT ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE LAKE CITY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, YOU KNOW, LAST YEAR, UM, Y'ALL WERE GRACIOUS ENOUGH TO ALLOW US TO APPLY FOR A, A HOT TAX GRANT.
IT WAS THROUGH THE HISTORICAL PRESERVATION FUNDING THAT COMES FROM HOT TAX.
AND BY DOING SO, WHAT IT DID IS IT ALLOWED US TO OPEN UP THE MUSEUM.
SO WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO IS SHARE SOME OF THE RESULTS, AT LEAST FOR THE READOUT FROM THE MUSEUM, BECAUSE THIS IS PART, YOU KNOW, WHENEVER, UH, STEPHANIE HAD SHARED WITH ME ALL THE REQUIREMENTS FOR US PULLING MONEY FROM THE HOT TAX FUNDING, UH, THERE ARE CERTAIN REPORTS THAT WE NEED TO GO ON AND KEEP TRACK OF FOR THAT WAY WE'RE SHOWING EACH OF YOU THAT WE'RE DOING THE RIGHT THING WITH THE MONEY THAT WE'RE RECEIVING FROM HOT TAX.
SO AGAIN, IF YOU'VE NOT HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME OUT AND SEE IT, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DO.
IT'S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL ENVIRONMENT, ESPECIALLY WITH THIS WEATHER RIGHT NOW.
AND, UM, AND WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT SOME THINGS.
IT'S ABSOLUTELY AMAZING WITH THE COMMUNITY.
SO ARE YOU GUYS HAVING ANY SPECIAL HOURS THIS WEEK OR ARE YOU DOING YOUR THURSDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY, THURSDAY.
SO AGAIN, JUST ALL THE DIFFERENT HOTELS THAT EACH OF Y'ALL, UH, REPRESENT.
AND AGAIN, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR ALL THE SUPPORT HERE MOVING FORWARD.
UM, I DID GO ON AND SUBMIT THE NEW APPLICATION TO STEPHANIE, UH, FOR THE 2025 FUNDING BECAUSE WE'RE SEEING HUGE BENEFITS BY US KEEPING THE MUSEUM OPEN.
UM, AND THERE'S STILL A COUPLE OF ASK THAT WE WANT TO ASK FROM EACH OF THE HOTELS AND THAT TO HELP US WITH THIS SO THAT WAY WE CAN HELP ALL OF YOUR GUESTS THAT COME THROUGH.
SO WHEN WE REALLY WENT AHEAD AND STARTED LOOKING AT THE MISSION STATEMENTS, WHAT'S SO COOL IS THAT, YOU KNOW, THE MISSION STATEMENT FROM THE CBB BOARD SORT OF ECHOES.
THE MAIN THING IS JUST BRINGING PEOPLE IN, UH, TO THE CITY, UH, TO PROMOTE THE HISTORY OF WHAT WE'VE GOT HERE.
AND FOR THE ONES THAT ARE FAIRLY NEW TO LAKE CITY, THERE'S JUST SO MUCH HISTORY THAT LAKE CITY HAS TO OFFER.
AND ONE THING THAT TOUCHES US IS THAT WHEN PEOPLE COME EITHER FROM ABROAD OR EVEN HERE LOCALLY FROM LAKE CITY, THEY SAID THEY'VE LIVED HERE THEIR WHOLE LIVES AND THEY NEVER KNEW THAT WE HAD THIS MUSEUM IN THE HISTORIC DISTRICT.
SO IT'S ALLOWED US TO REALLY EXPAND THE MUSEUM NOW WITH NEW OFFERINGS.
[00:05:01]
THANK YOU, UH, FOR HELPING US WITH THIS.UM, AGAIN, OUR GOALS FOR OPENING IT, WE'RE NOT GONNA GO THROUGH ALL OF THESE, BUT IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT WE ALL LOOKED AT WHEN WE WENT AHEAD AND WE KNEW THAT WE WERE GONNA COME TO HOT TAX CBB BOARD TO GO ON AND REQUEST IT.
WE DEFINITELY WANTED A ONE TO ONE OF A KIND EXPERIENCE FOR EVERYBODY.
AGAIN, SHARING THE HISTORY OF LAKE CITY.
UH, MORE IMPORTANTLY, WE WANT EVERYBODY TO ENJOY THEIR VISIT TO LAKE CITY.
SO WHEN YOU HAVE PEOPLE THAT COME IN FROM ABROAD, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY KNOW WHAT LAKE CITY'S ALL ABOUT.
UM, AND THEN CREATING PROGRAMS, AGAIN, WE'VE GOT THE WALKABOUTS, WE'VE GOT MURDER IN THE HAM, QR CODES, SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY BEGINNING TO HELP US OUT RIGHT NOW.
UM, JUST TO LET EVERYBODY KNOW, AND STEPHANIE, ME OR SARAH MENTIONED IT HERE A MINUTE AGO, WE'RE OPEN THURSDAYS, FRIDAYS AND SATURDAYS.
BUT WE DO HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT WILL COME THROUGH ON SUNDAY, MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY.
AND WHEN THEY DO, NOW WE'RE STARTING TO PLACE THE QR CODES AROUND THE MUSEUM.
SO WE HAVE AUDIO CLIPS THAT GO WITH THESE QR CODES TO HELP SHARE THE HISTORY OF EITHER THE BARN MUSEUM, THE FIRST FIREHOUSE FOR LAKE CITY, TEXAS.
THE FIRST BARBERSHOP, THE FIRST ICE HOUSE.
WE'VE GOT ALL THAT ON THE PROPERTY.
AND NOW WE HAVE QR CODES, UM, ALSO MUSIC IN THE HISTORIC DISTRICT.
IT STARTED OUT AT MUSIC AT THE MUSEUM.
UM, BUT NOW WITH US MOVING IT WITH THE SUPPORT AGAIN OF THIS BOARD, WE ENDED UP MOVING IT TO LEAGUE PARK.
AND MATTER OF FACT, UH, SARAH AND I ARE GONNA BE IN THE MEETING AGAIN TOMORROW NIGHT.
SOMETHING VERY, VERY SPECIAL FOR ALL OF US.
AND PLEASE SHARE IT WITH ALL OF YOUR GUESTS THAT COME INTO LEAGUE CITY ON APRIL THE 26TH, IT'S GONNA BE ON A SATURDAY, WE'RE GONNA HAVE WHAT WE CALL A TRIFECTA IS THE CITY ALSO GETS FROM THE TMO, THE TEXAS MUSIC OFFICE, UM, A A, A MUSIC FRIENDLY CERTIFICATION FOR LEAGUE CITY FOR US.
IT WILL ALSO BE OUR THREE YEAR ANNIVERSARY.
AND THE CITY, WHICH IS JUST OUTSTANDING FOR LAKE PARK, HAS JUST GOTTEN THE LONE STAR LEGACY AWARD.
SO WE'RE GONNA PRESENT ALL OF THOSE ON THE 26TH OF APRIL.
WE'RE EXPECTING A VERY LARGE TURNOUT.
SO AGAIN, THAT'S WHERE A LOT OF THIS FUNDING'S COMING FROM FOR US.
PARTNERING WITH GROUPS TO ALLOW US NOT ONLY FOR THE MUSIC, BUT ALSO THE GREAT EVENTS THAT ARE TAKING PLACE.
SO AGAIN, STRENGTHENING THE RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OF YOU.
WE DID GO ON AND DEVELOP THE CUSTOM TICKETS, SO WE WILL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT LATER.
UM, BUT, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, THIS IS OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU IS THAT WE WANT MONITOR, TRACK AND ACCEPT FEEDBACK FOR WE CAN GO ON AND CONTINUE TO MAKE CHANGES.
BECAUSE THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT WE'RE JUST GONNA OPEN THE MUSEUM FOR ONE OR TWO YEARS.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO OFFER TO THE COMMUNITY HERE FOR MANY YEARS TO COME.
SO THIS IS WHAT'S PRETTY SPECIAL.
AND STEPHANIE AND I WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS.
SO WHEN WE STARTED IT, WE REALLY DID NOT KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT.
SO AGAIN, YOU CAN JUST SEE, I MEAN ALL THE DIFFERENT DEMOGRAPHICS, YOU KNOW, THE ADULTS, THE CHILDREN, AND THEN CHILDREN UNDER THREE YEARS OLD.
SO WE'RE SEEING FAMILIES NOW COMING TO THE MUSEUM AND THEY'RE BRINGING THEIR CHILDREN INTO THE MUSEUM.
WHAT'S SO COOL ABOUT THIS IS SOME OF THE MOTHERS AND FATHERS, WHEN THEY WERE CHILDREN IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, THEY CAME TO THE ONE ROOM SCHOOLHOUSE 30 YEARS AGO AND NOW THEY'RE HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO BRING BACK THEIR CHILDREN.
SO IT'S REALLY SOMETHING AND NOTHING'S CHANGED.
'CAUSE THE, THE OLD SCHOOLHOUSE BUILDING DATES ALL THE WAY BACK TO 1898.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF HISTORY THERE.
SO AS YOU CAN SEE HOW WE WENT AHEAD AND WENT FROM 74 FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE AND THEN JULY 83, YOU KNOW, 86, 95, YOU KNOW.
AND THEN DEFINITELY WHEN WE GET TO THE DECEMBER, I THINK, UH, UH, SARAH TOUCHED ON SOMETHING IS ABOUT WHEN WE DO HAVE SPECIAL EVENTS, DO WE KEEP THE MUSEUM OPEN? SO AROUND CHRISTMAS, YES, WE KEPT THE MUSEUM OPEN AND LOOK AT THAT.
206 PEOPLE CAME THROUGH, JUST PEOPLE BEING IN TOWN FOR, YOU KNOW, VACATION, FOR CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS, WHATEVER IT MAY HAVE BEEN.
UM, DEFINITELY, UM, TO HAVE THAT KIND OF A TURNOUT THROUGH THE MUSEUM.
SO IT JUST TELLS US THAT GOOD THINGS ARE HAPPENING.
SO THEN AGAIN, UH, JANUARY, HERE WE ARE AT 104.
AND THEN JUST FOR FEBRUARY, UH, 68, UH, PEOPLE HAVE COME THROUGH THE MUSEUM.
IT MIGHT BE WORTH NEXT YEAR KEEPING IT OPEN FOR SPRING BREAK AND WE CAN REALLY, REALLY PUSH LIKE THE FACT THAT YOU'RE OPEN, YOU KNOW, MAYBE IT'S JUST SPECIAL HOURS, MAYBE IT'S NOT ALL DAY, YOU KNOW, MAYBE IT'S JUST LIKE, OR JUST ADD THE WEDNESDAY MAYBE OR SOMETHING.
JUST, OR JUST SO YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE PEOPLE DO A LOT OF STAYCATION STUFF AND DON'T NECESSARILY TRAVEL ANYWHERE.
SO I THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA AND PROBABLY WHAT WE OUGHT TO DO IS WHAT WE TOUCHED ON A MINUTE AGO.
WHEN ARE THE DIFFERENT SPRING BREAKS? DO WE JUST DEAL WITH IT FOR OUR AREA? BUT IF WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FOR PEOPLE TO COME IN FROM OTHER STATES, OTHER CITIES, YOU KNOW, MAYBE WE TRY TO FIND OUT WHAT SOME OF THOSE OTHER SPRING DATES ARE.
UM, MIRANDA, IF YOU WANTED TO PUT SOMETHING OUT TODAY SAYING, YOU KNOW, DON'T FORGET WE'RE HERE IF YOU'RE BORED WITH YOUR KIDS AT HOME.
'CAUSE TODAY'S ONLY WEDNESDAY AND I'M GOING, WHAT
[00:10:01]
ARE WE DOING ON THURSDAY? I HAVE TO ON FRIDAY, SO I THINK I'M GONNA PUT IT ON FRIDAY.STILL TIME TODAY AND TOMORROW TO IS THE ONE SCHOOLHOUSE SPRING BREAK WRAPPING UP, THERE'S STILL SOMETHING YOU CAN DO.
KIDS DRIVING YOU CRAZY AFTER THE SPRING BREAK.
SO AGAIN, YOU KNOW, THIS IS WHAT MIRANDA DOES.
AND THEN ALSO YOU'RE GONNA HEAR ME TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT EMMA.
WE'VE JUST BROUGHT ON ANOTHER, UH, COLLEGE STUDENT, UH, UH, EMMA, UM, HALLIBURTON.
AND SHE IS, UH, LEARNING A LOT ABOUT THE STEPS OF HOW DO WE GO ON AND GREET THE PEOPLE THAT COME THROUGH THE DOOR.
HOW DO WE COLLECT THE INFORMATION? SO THIS IS WHAT THEY DO EVERY DAY.
HOW MANY PEOPLE DO WE GO ON AND RECEIVE? YOU KNOW, WHERE ARE THE PEOPLE FROM? WHAT ARE THE ZIP CODES? YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE DEMOGRAPHIC DEMOGRAPHICS? ARE THERE A BUNCH OF ADULTS, CHILDREN? WHAT ARE WE DEALING WITH THERE? HOW DID THEY HEAR ABOUT US? THIS IS WHAT'S KEY, YOU KNOW? SO GOING BACK TO, I THINK REALLY, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT A MINUTE AGO.
IS IT ALL ON SOCIAL MEDIA? YOU KNOW, DO WE, FACEBOOK'S REALLY BEEN THE BIG THING FOR US.
AND WE HAVE KATIE THAT PRETTY MUCH RUNS FACEBOOK FOR US.
AND SHE DOES LIST A LOT OF THE CHANGES AND SOME OF THE EVENTS THAT WE HAVE.
SO AGAIN, WHEN WE GO DOWN THERE OF TOTAL OF HOW MANY PEOPLE SHOWED UP, NOW WE HAVE A GOOD COUNT AND, AND IF WE NEED TO START COLLECTING MORE INFORMATION, WE CAN COLLECT IT.
BUT WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS COLLECT STUFF THAT WILL AGAIN, SHOW THAT WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO WORK WITH THE HOTELS AND HOPEFULLY WE'RE GETTING PEOPLE IN THAT ARE STAYING AT THE HOTELS WANTING TO COME SEE MORE ABOUT LAKE CITY.
SO THIS IS SOMETHING WHEN, UH, AGAIN, UM, MIRANDA HAD WENT AHEAD AND PULLED A LOT OF THESE FROM THAT PREVIOUS REPORT.
SO I WENT AHEAD AND DID UPDATES FROM OUR LAST PRESENTATION.
AND AGAIN, NOW HERE IT IS PUERTO RICO.
SO WE KNEW WE HAD A WHOLE BUNCH OF PEOPLE IN FROM PUERTO RICO.
ALSO, WHEN WE START LOOKING AT FRANCE, I MEAN, WE'VE GOT PEOPLE IN AUSTRALIA, GERMANY, SO WE HAVE SO MANY PEOPLE THAT ARE COMING IN FROM ABROAD NOW THAT WE NEVER HAD THIS OPPORTUNITY BEFORE IN THE PAST.
UM, HAVE A LOT OF LOCAL PEOPLE TOO, YOU KNOW, FROM WEBSTER, UM, YOU KNOW TEXAS CITY? MM-HMM
I HAD TO GO, UH, ON THE FAR RIGHT, PROBABLY ABOUT FIVE DOWN MEXICO, TEXAS.
I THOUGHT, I THINK IT WAS TYPED AS MEXICO, TEXAS.
WELL GUESS WHAT? THAT IS THE PROPER SPELLING THERE.
I THOUGHT, IS THAT CORRECT? YOU KNOW, AND I HAD TO GO FIGURE OUT WHERE THAT WAS.
AND IT HOME OF ANNA, NICOLE SMITH, DON'T SHE? YEAH.
BUT IT WAS JUST SO GOOD TO SEE THE PEOPLE THAT WERE TOUCHING, YOU KNOW, THROUGH THE MUSEUM, GIVING THEM SOMETHING TO DO FREE OF CHARGE TO COME INTO THE CITY TO UNDERSTAND.
AND NOW WITH SOLE FREAK BEING DOWN THERE, I MEAN THE AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC THAT WE SEE WALKING THE HISTORIC DISTRICT NOWADAYS, GOING BACK AND FORTH TO LEE PARK, GOING BY BUTLER'S COURTYARD, IT'S JUST AMAZING.
AND, AND WE'RE REALLY SEEING AN UPTICK IN HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE COMING THROUGH OUR AREA.
SO AGAIN, YOU KNOW, HOW DO THEY HEAR ABOUT US? YOU KNOW, SOME, A LOT OF 'EM LIVE LOCAL OR THEY'RE EXPLORING THE TOWN WEBPAGE, WEBSITE.
YOU KNOW, I PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE PUT DOWN THERE REALLY A LOT OF THE CITY, YOU KNOW, WE SEE PEOPLE FROM THE CITY BOARDS.
THEY'RE DEFINITELY HELPING US OUT.
SORT OF LIKE WHAT YOU SAID, SARAH MAYBE POSTING SOMETHING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE MUSEUM BEING OPEN THIS THURSDAY, FRIDAY.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, THROUGH THEIR FRIENDS THROUGH FACEBOOK OR DEFINITELY VACATIONING IN THE AREA AND THEY'RE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO DO.
SO I, I GUESS, UM, STEPHANIE, IS EVERYBODY GONNA GET A COPY OF THE SLIDE DECK? OKAY.
AND THEN, 'CAUSE I DON'T WANT TO GO THROUGH A LOT OF THESE THINGS, BUT WHAT I WANTED TO SHARE IS JUST THE COMMENTS.
I MEAN, WHAT IT MEANS TO MANY OF OUR PEOPLE THAT COME HERE INTO LAKE CITY AND WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT MIRANDA, WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT KRISTEN, WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT EMMA, HOW MUCH THEY TRULY ENJOY.
AND THE OTHER THING IS, IS, YOU KNOW, GOING BACK ABOUT US LEARNING, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE THIS IS SOMETHING NEW, DEFINITELY FOR ME, OPENING UP THE MUSEUM AND THAT THEY HAD DONE IT MANY YEARS IN THE BACK.
WE HAD ANOTHER MUSEUM HERE IN LAKE CITY THERE FOR A PERIOD OF TIME.
BUT WE'RE LEARNING FROM THIS EXPERIENCE.
SO WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, ANYTHING THAT WE'RE LEARNING FROM, WE'RE DEFINITELY MAKING CHANGES FOR THAT WAY WE CAN CONTINUE TO BETTER THE EXPERIENCE FOR EVERYBODY COMING THROUGH.
SO WHEN YOU READ SOME OF THESE COMMENTS, IT'S AMAZING.
SO ONE THING THAT, UH, MIRANDA FOUND OUT IS THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE JUST COME IN AND THEY DON'T WANT TO LISTEN TO ANYBODY TALK ABOUT THE HISTORY.
THEY WANT SOMEBODY TO GO ON AND ACTUALLY JUST STAND BACK AND LET THEM READ ALL THE LITTLE BOOKS, GO THROUGH THE QR CODES.
SO MIRANDA SET UP A REAL CUTE LITTLE BITTY, UM, A QUICK START SHEET, YOU KNOW, WHAT KIND OF A TOUR DO YOU WANT? SO MAYBE YOU CAN EXPLAIN THAT.
SO THERE ARE THREE OPTIONS AND I LIKE
[00:15:01]
THIS SO THAT THEY CAN COME BACK TO THE MUSEUM MULTIPLE TIMES AND HAVE A DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE EVERY TIME.SO THE FIRST ONE IS A VISUAL TOUR.
SO THEY'RE JUST, I'M OPENING THINGS UP AND THEY'RE LOOKING AND I ANSWER QUESTIONS.
UM, THE SECOND ONE IS OUR NORMAL TOUR THAT WE GIVE EVERY TIME.
IT'S JUST KIND OF A, A GENERAL TOUR.
AND THE LAST ONE IS OUR HISTORIANS TOUR.
AND THAT ONE'S REALLY IN DEPTH.
SO IT'S REALLY WORKED OUT WELL AND, AND I THINK IT GOES BACK TO RESPECTING PEOPLE'S TIME.
WHEN SOMEBODY COMES IN AND THEY SAY THAT THEY HAVE 10, 15 MINUTES, THEY JUST MAY WANNA WALK AROUND.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE ALLOW 'EM TO DO.
SO MIRANDA DID A GREAT JOB PUTTING THAT TOGETHER AND IT ALLOWS THAT INTERACTION WITH A LOT OF THE PEOPLE THAT COME THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR.
BUT, YOU KNOW, JUST AGAIN, AND HERE'S ANOTHER ONE, THAT THIS IS THE KIND OF COMICS THAT WE KEEP GETTING, YOU KNOW, JUST THEIR APPRECIATION FOR US HAVING THIS MUSEUM OPEN AND HOW MUCH THEY LOVE IT.
AND YOU KNOW, AGAIN, I LOVE LIKE THE THIRD TO LAST BULLET DOWN THERE.
'CAUSE THEY GET A CHANCE TO GO TO THE SCHOOLHOUSE.
THEY GET A CHANCE TO SIT DOWN IN CHAIRS THAT MAY BE THEIR GREAT GRANDPARENTS THAT USED TO SIT IN IN THE 18 HUNDREDS.
SO, BUT THEN AGAIN, THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE COMMENTS THAT WE'VE GOTTEN HERE ALREADY IN 2025.
AND AGAIN, YOU KNOW, NOT GONNA READ THROUGH ALL OF 'EM, BUT THERE IS ONE THING THAT MIRANDA ASKED ME TO PUT THERE.
AND UM, AND AGAIN, WHEN MIRANDA AND EMMA DOES THIS, THEY DO SUCH AN INCREDIBLE JOB AND IT'S JUST NOT FOR THE MUSEUM.
THEY ENCOURAGE THEM TO GO TO THE LOCAL RESTAURANTS.
THEY ENCOURAGE THEM TO GO TO THE LOCAL BUSINESSES, THE LOCAL PARTS FOUNDER SQUARE WHERE THEY CAN DO ALL THEIR SHOPPING IN THAT.
SO, OKAY, SO THIS IS WHAT IT REALLY WORKED OUT WELL ON THESE LITTLE CUSTOM TICKETS.
AND WE WERE HOPING THAT AGAIN, THE HOTELS WOULD HAVE SOMETHING THERE THAT WOULD BE MEMORABLE FOR THE GUESTS.
AND, AND IT SORT OF WENT BACK TO WHERE WHEN I TOOK ALL MY GRANDCHILDREN TO POLAR EXPRESS DOWN IN GALVESTON MM-HMM
AND EVERYBODY WANTED TO KEEP THOSE GOLD TICKETS.
SO THAT'S THE SAME THING THAT WE'VE DONE HERE WITH THESE TICKETS, IS THAT THEY WERE GOOD HIGH QUALITY TICKETS.
YOU KNOW, WE WENT TO DIFFERENT PLACES TO CUT THESE TICKETS FOR US AND MAKE 'EM.
AND UM, SO WE STILL HAVE PLENTY OF THESE FOR EACH OF THE HOTELS.
I THINK WE GOT LIKE, I THINK MAYBE ABOUT A HUNDRED OF 'EM PER HOTEL, BUT WHEN WE MET WITH EACH OF THE HOTELS, ALL WE DID WAS DROP OFF LIKE 25 AT A TIME.
'CAUSE WE DIDN'T WANT Y'ALL TO HAVE TO KEEP UP WITH ALL OF THESE.
BUT IF YOU GET DOWN AND YOU'RE LOW ON THE TICKETS, PLEASE REACH OUT TO MIRANDA AND THEN THAT WAY MIRANDA CAN LET ONE OF US KNOW AND WE CAN DROP OFF SOME MORE TICKETS.
OR YOU GUYS CAN STOP BY AND SEE THE MUSEUM AND THEN PICK UP MORE TICKETS.
DO YOU HAVE TICKETS AT THE VISITOR CENTER? I DON'T HAVE ANY.
WE HAVEN'T HAVE HOTELS, BUT IT MIGHT BE NICE TO HAVE.
I THINK WE TALKED ABOUT THAT LAST TIME.
HAVING SPECIFIC ONES FOR THE VISITORS.
THEY CAN BE A LITTLE BIT CHEAPER IF THEY NEED TO.
PEOPLE WILL JUST GRAB 'EM OFF AND NOT BE AS SERIOUS AS THE THEMSELVES.
MAKE, SEE THIS IS THE KIND OF THING MAKE, UM, THAT THE MUSEUM HAS LIKE A LITTLE THING FOR THE APP MM-HMM
SO WHEN THEY'RE RECOMMENDING LOCAL PLACES, THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO SAY, HERE GET THE APP A LITTLE DISPLAY OR SOMETHING.
AND THE APP, YOU KNOW, WE HAD A BOOK SIGNING THE OTHER NIGHT, UM, AND IT WAS, UH, WITH A YOUNG LADY BY THE NAME OF MELODY HOTCH AND SHE ALSO BROUGHT IN, UH, RALPH AND JODY.
AND JODY IS FROM GALVESTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
SO WITH WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, WE'RE NOW GETTING SOMETHING FOR THEM TO PLACE IN THEIR MUSEUM TO GO ON AND ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO COME HERE TO LAKE CITY.
IT REALLY MATTER OF FACT, I TOOK EVEN A TRIP OVER THE OTHER DAY 'CAUSE I WANTED TO MEET THE LADIES, UH, THERE AT UH, THE DICKINSON MUSEUM BECAUSE I'M FINDING OUT WE ALL HAVE GOTTA WORK TOGETHER.
IF WE WORK TOGETHER, THEN WE GET A GREAT EXPERIENCE FOR EVERYBODY THAT COMES INTO LAKE CITY.
SO AGAIN, I THINK WHAT WE'LL DO IS WE WILL NOW DEVELOP A TICKET LIKE THAT.
SO THE OTHER REASON REALLY FOR THE TICKETS AND WHAT WE ARE HOPING WOULD COME FROM THIS IS IF YOU HAD A LARGE GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT CAME INTO ANY OF THE HOTELS AND THEY'RE BRINGING IN THEIR SPOUSES AND THEY'RE BRINGING IN SOME CHILDREN, IS TO BE ABLE TO OFFER THEM TO COME BY THE MUSEUM.
AND EVEN IF THEY WANTED TO GO THROUGH ONE OF THE 1800 SCHOOL PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE, IT'S ONLY LIKE $9 PER PERSON.
AND IT COMES THROUGH AND WE ACTUALLY HAVE RETIRED SCHOOL TEACHERS.
SO THEY'LL COME IN AND THEY'LL, THEY'LL PHYSICALLY DO A SESSION AND THE SESSION WILL BE EXACTLY WHAT IT WAS LIKE BACK IN THE 18 HUNDREDS.
NOW MY HOUSE IS RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET.
SO I HEAR THOSE TOUGH SCHOOL TEACHERS GO AFTER THOSE CHILDREN.
AND YOU TALKING ABOUT DISCIPLINE, I MEAN,
[00:20:01]
I'M WAITING FOR THEM TO BRING THAT PADDLE OUT, YOU KNOW, AND I, I JUST LISTENED TO 'EM.BUT IT, IT, IT, IT, IT'S INTERESTING TO SEE HOW THEY HANDLE IT.
AND IT'S SUCH A GREAT EXPERIENCE THAT WE HEAR ABOUT.
SO AGAIN, IF THERE IS THAT ENTRY OR IS THAT INTEREST, PLEASE PLEASE LET US KNOW AND UH, WE CAN EASILY SET THAT UP.
MATTER OF FACT, STEPHANIE AND I ARE WORKING ON A GROUP OF PEOPLE COMING IN FROM HOUSTON NOW, AND I THINK IT'S GONNA BE HERE IN MAY.
SO IT AGAIN, I THINK, I DON'T KNOW, 20, 30 PEOPLE THAT IT WILL BE COMING IN.
AND WE'RE TRYING TO SET THAT UP.
SO, AND THIS IS REALLY THE LAST ONE.
SO WHAT I WANTED TO DO IS JUST THANK YOU AGAIN, UM, FOR ALL THE SUPPORT FOR, YOU KNOW, HELPING US OPEN THE MUSEUM TO THE COMMUNITY.
UM, A LOT OF THIS GOES BACK TO REALLY SARAH AND I SITTING IN ONE OF THE MEETINGS ABOUT BEING SUCH A UNIQUE MUSEUM, BUT IT WAS NEVER OPEN.
SO THAT'S WHEN WE ALL STARTED WORKING TOGETHER, FIGURING OUT HOW CAN WE DO THIS MAYBE DOWN THE ROAD ONE DAY.
WE'D LOVE TO DO MORE THAN THURSDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY.
BUT AGAIN, WE'LL SEE HOW ALL THIS PLAYS OUT.
WE'RE GETTING SUCH A GREAT, UH, RESPONSE RIGHT NOW.
BUT YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE FAMILIES ON THE BOTTOM LEFT COMING THROUGH THE BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN THERE ON THE TOP LEFT, YOU KNOW, IN THE ONE ROOM SCHOOLHOUSE WITH THE SLATE BOARDS THAT THEY CAN ACTUALLY WRITE ON.
UM, AND THE BOOK SIGNING WAS ALL THE FOOD THAT WE HAD THERE FOR THE BOOK SIGNING AND THAT, AND EMMA'S UP THERE WRITING ON THE LITTLE BITTY SLATE BOARD UP ON THE THING ABOUT THE BOOK, UM, SIGNING.
AND WE, AND EVERY DAY WE PUT THAT UH, 400 POUND SIGN OUT THAT SAYS OPEN AND I WALK ACROSS FOR POOR MIRANDA.
YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I FEEL BAD SHE'S GONNA BE DEVELOPING MUSCLES IF SHE ENDS UP MOVING THAT THING OUT EVERY DAY.
BUT OUR, THE SIGN SHOP LOCALLY MADE THAT FOR US.
SO WE PUT IT OUT THERE EVERY DAY THAT THE MUSEUM'S OPEN AND IT ALLOWS PEOPLE TO COME THROUGH.
SO, AND I WANT TO SAY THAT'S ONE OF THE ORIGINAL, UH, FOR PEOPLE THAT DON'T REALIZE IT.
LAKE CITY USED TO BE CALLED CLEAR CREEK.
I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL KNOW THAT.
BUT IT'S REALLY WHERE THEY WERE MOVING THE POSTAL SERVICE FROM THE ONE SIDE OF THE RAILROAD TRACKS TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RAILROAD TRACKS.
THERE'S PART OF THE MIRANDA STANDING IN ONE OF THE POSTAL SERVICE, UH, LITTLE HUTS RIGHT THERE ON THE VERY RIGHT.
AND THAT'S ALSO IN THE MUSEUM THAT DATES ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE 18 HUNDREDS.
SO ANY QUESTIONS AND ANYTHING MORE THAT WE CAN BE HELPING THE HOTELS OUT WITH FOR THAT WAY WE ARE DOING THE RIGHT THING FOR YOU.
I ACTUALLY HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS.
UM, SO REGARDING THE, THE CUSTOM HOTEL TICKETS THAT YOU ALL HAD.
FROM MY UNDERSTANDING, THAT WAS A PROGRAM THAT YOU ALL HAD IMPLEMENTED LAST YEAR, RIGHT? YES MA'AM.
SO HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO TRACK WHICH, UM, HOW MANY TICKETS HAVE BEEN REDEEMED FROM EACH HOTEL, UH, TO TRACK THAT? WELL, WHAT WE WERE HOPING TO DO IS THAT WHEN PEOPLE WOULD COME THROUGH TO THE MUSEUM, THEY WOULD ACTUALLY SHOW US THE TICKETS.
YOU KNOW, AND IT WAS PART OF THAT QUESTIONNAIRE, YOU KNOW, HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT US? AND THAT NOBODY HAS COME IN YET WITH A TICKET.
I'D LOVE TO GO ON AND REQUEST HELP WITH THAT.
IF YOU NEED ANY MORE TICKETS, PLEASE LET US KNOW.
BUT IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT THEY CAN CARRY AWAY WITH THEM WHEN THEY LEAVE LAKE CITY FOR THAT MEMORY OF WHAT TOOK PLACE.
WELL YOU'RE DOING A GOOD JOB OF TRACKING EVERYTHING.
YOU SENT THE EXCEL SPREADSHEET WITH ALL THE THINGS.
AND I WONDER TOO IF THERE WERE ANY LIKE CONNECTIONS YEAH.
WITH THE TICKETS OR MAYBE IT'S JUST AN ADVERTISING THING THAT COULD SEE IT.
IT'LL ACTUALLY USE IT AS AN IMPRESSION, BUT IT'S NOT BEING THE DEAN.
SO THAT, AGAIN, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I'D LOVE TO WORK ON.
Y'ALL AND MIRANDA FOR YOURSELF, HAVE YOU SEEN ANYBODY COME IN WITH THE TICKETS? UNFORTUNATELY NOT.
I'M WONDERING IF THEY HAVE THE TICKETS BUT THEY'RE NOT SHOWING IT WHEN THEY GET THERE.
LIKE THEY'VE GOT IT IN THEIR POCKET OR SOMETHING.
MAYBE I NEED TO START ASKING, UH, DO YOU HAVE A TICKET FROM ONE OF THE MUSEUMS? YEAH.
SO WE BROUGHT THOSE A LITTLE BITTY PLASTIC INSERTS AND, AND WHEN WE DESIGN THESE TICKETS, WE KNOW HOW VALUABLE YOUR SPACE IS AT EACH OF THE COUNTERS.
EVEN WHEN I WAS TRAVELING ALL THE TIME WITH WORK, IT WAS HARD TO FIND ANYTHING ON YOUR COUNTER SPACE.
'CAUSE EVERYBODY WANTS TO PUT SOMETHING ON YOUR COUNTER SPACE, WHICH WAS SO SAD.
SO WE ACTUALLY PUT 'EM IN SOME VERY THIN VERTICAL THINGS.
SO THAT WAY, AND IT ALSO GAVE MAPS OF THE HISTORIC DISTRICT.
IT ALSO GAVE SOME OTHER MARKETING INFORMATION FOR THE HISTORIC DISTRICT AND THAT.
AND THEN WE HAD THE TICKETS IN THE FRONT.
SO AGAIN, IF YOU NEED MORE TICKETS, PLEASE, PLEASE LET US KNOW AND WE CAN STOP BY.
AND IF WE NEED TO MEET WITH THE STAFF, WE'RE HAPPY TO DO THAT.
OR EVEN IF YOU WANT TO BRING THE STAFF BY THE MUSEUM, WE CAN ALSO DO THAT.
WE CAN EVEN HAVE A CVB MEETING THERE ONE DAY IF WE WANTED TO DO THAT.
'CAUSE WE GOT AN OVERHEAD PROJECTOR AND THAT GIVEN EVERYBODY THE OPPORTUNITY, WE'RE ALLOWED DO THAT.
BUT THANK YOU FOR THE OFFERING
OH WE HAVE TO MEET, CAN'T WE HAVE TO HAVE IT BROADCAST LIVE? OH.
BUT WE COULD DO LIKE A FIELD TRIP, A FA TRIP.
YEAH, WE COULD DO A FIELD TRIP.
WELL Y'ALL LET US KNOW WHAT'S BEST.
YOU KNOW? 'CAUSE I THINK ONCE YOU SEE IT, EVERYBODY GETS PRETTY EXCITED AND THEN THEY'RE GONNA WANT TO COME BACK.
[00:25:01]
I THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA FOR THE HOTEL STAFF, MAYBE THE FRONT DESK STAFF TO HAVE LIKE A LITTLE OPEN HOUSE LITTLE SOMETHING.THEN THEY CAN ACTUALLY SELL IT.
MORE LIKE, OH MY GOD, YOU NEED TO CHECK OUT THE MUSEUM.
YOU KNOW, THAT WAY THEY CAN SELL A LITTLE BIT MORE BECAUSE ADDITIONALLY LIKE IT VARIOUS HOTEL TO HOTEL.
BUT SOMETIMES BECAUSE OF BRAND STANDARDS, IF, YOU KNOW, IF IT'S FRANCHISE OR WHATEVER, THEN YOU CAN'T HAVE CERTAIN MATERIALS ON THE COUNTER.
IT HAS TO BE SPECIFIC, YOU KNOW, BRAND SPECIFIC AND YOU KNOW, ALL THE GOOD STUFF.
SO WHATEVER WE CAN DO, IF WE NEED TO AUGMENT SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, JUST LET US KNOW HOW WE CAN HELP.
UM, AND ALSO, SO LAST YEAR WHEN THE GROUP HAD COME HERE, UM, YOU REQUESTED THE SAME AMOUNT, BUT IT WAS, YOU WERE EXPECTING ATTENDANCE OF 4,000 PEOPLE, BUT YOU ONLY REACHED ABOUT 734 ISH.
AND THEN THIS YEAR YOU'RE EXPECTING 1400 PEOPLE TO COME THROUGH.
AND THEN ADDITIONALLY, THE, THE PERCENTAGE OF NON-LOCAL TO LOCAL ATTENDEES IS GREATLY FLIPPED.
SO CAN YOU KIND OF PAINT THE STORY BEHIND THAT? THANK YOU.
'CAUSE I NOTICED THE SAME THING.
SO I THINK WHEN WE FIRST WENT INTO THAT, WHAT WE DID IS WE REALLY DID NOT KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE WE'D BE ABLE TO TOUCH.
SO IT WAS SORT OF AN ESTIMATE.
AND WHERE THE ESTIMATE CAME FROM IS NOT ONLY THE PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE HERE, BUT WE ALSO HAVE THE ONE ONE ROOM SCHOOLHOUSE PROGRAM WHERE ALL THE ELEMENTARY CHILDREN COME FROM ALL OVER HOUSTON.
YOU KNOW, I MEAN WE'RE TALKING FROM KATIE, WE'RE TALKING FROM HOUSTON.
SO LAST YEAR ALONE WE SAW 2000 CHILDREN COME THROUGH THAT PROGRAM.
SO NOW IF WE ADD THAT ALONG WITH WHERE WE ARE NOW, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, ROUGHLY ABOUT 3000 PEOPLE.
SO IT WAS REALLY A GUESS OF WHAT WE WERE LOOKING AT.
WE WERE HOPING FOR MORE, BUT NOW WE'RE STARTING TO GET SOME GOOD DATA OF WHAT WE'RE DOING.
AND THEN AGAIN, GOING BACK, LOOKING AT THE RATIO, HOW MANY LOCAL VERSUS HOW MANY FROM ABROAD.
I'D LOVE TO BE ABLE TO FLIP THAT IF WE COULD.
I THINK EVERYBODY IN THIS ROOM WOULD LOVE FOR US TO FLIP THAT.
BUT THAT'S REALLY WHERE THE PARTNERSHIP COMES IN FROM THE HOTELS.
IF YOU GUYS COULD HELP US WITH THAT, WE'D LOVE TO HAVE MORE PEOPLE COMING IN FROM ABROAD.
JUST TO CLARIFY THOUGH, UM, THIS, THE ONE ROOM SCHOOLHOUSE PROGRAM IS SELF-FUNDED.
SO THE THIS FUNDS DOES NOT FUND THAT PROGRAM.
THEY TAKE FEES FOR THE RIGHT AND THEN THIS IS JUST THOSE FOR STAFFING, RIGHT? FOR THE, THAT THAT'S ALL, THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.
IT'S JUST FOR, FOR US TO BE ABLE TO PUT MIRANDA, EMMA, AND KRISTEN IN THERE FOR, YOU KNOW, X AMOUNT OF DAYS PER WEEK.
AND THE WHITE LENNON, I, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, WE COULD PROBABLY COUNT SOME OF THOSE PEOPLE, WHICH WE'LL PROBABLY LOOK AT THAT 'CAUSE THE WHITE LENNON AND I WERE SEEING ABOUT 4,000 PEOPLE AND I THINK WE HAVE ALMOST 900 PEOPLE COME THROUGH THE MUSEUM THAT ONE DAY.
YOU KNOW, SO, BUT AGAIN, THAT'S SOMETHING ELSE.
BUT WHEN PEOPLE OF THAT VOLUME COME THROUGH, IT'S HARD TO START GETTING WHERE ARE YOU FROM? YOU KNOW, OKAY, WE GOT 900 PEOPLE.
BUT AGAIN, IT'S JUST SOMETHING I THINK WHAT WE'RE LEARNING AND IF THERE'S A BETTER WAY FOR US TO DO THIS, WE'RE GONNA FIGURE IT OUT AND WE'LL DEFINITELY MAKE THE CHANGES.
THANK YOU FOR THOSE QUESTIONS.
UH, THANK YOU MIKE AND MIRANDA.
UM, WE'LL NEED TO DISCUSS THIS
[VI. Discuss and take action on 2025 HOT Grant Request]
IN A EXECUTIVE SESSION, RIGHT? UH, I THINK THAT'S OUR STEPS.WE DON'T HAVE TO DO AN EXECUTIVE SESSION.
SO UNLESS WE HAVE A SPECIAL EXECUTIVE SESSION THAT WE HAVE TO CALL.
REASON SO WE CAN CALL FOR A VOTE IN FRONT OF THEM.
SO, UM, I WILL HAVE TO ABSTAIN BECAUSE I'M ON THE BOARD FOR THE HISTORIC COMMISSION, BUT, UM, AS A CHAIRPERSON, I GUESS I CAN STILL CALL FOR A MOTION FOR THIS.
WELL I HAVE ONE FINAL QUESTION YEAH.
TO ASK JUST REGARDING THE APPLICATION.
I'LL KNOW STEPHANIE, THIS IS A, A YOU QUESTION, BUT, UM, THE, I DIDN'T NOTICE THERE WAS NO P AND L OR BUDGET ATTACHED TO THE APPLICATION.
I HAVE A BOARD MEETING ON MONDAY MM-HMM
AND I'M PLANNING ON GETTING THAT OVER TO, UH, STEPHANIE AT THAT TIME.
SO BECAUSE I WAS MANDATORY TO ATTACH TO THE APPLICATION, BUT THAT'S WHAT I WAS JUST WONDERING.
WE HAD THE, THE TAX ID LETTER AND WE HAD THE TRACKING AND THAT SCHEDULE AND OTHER PIECES OF IT.
SO I THINK YOU SAID THAT YOU WERE WAITING ON THE BOARD MEETING.
'CAUSE WE HAVE THE BUDGET MEETING, SO YEAH, I'VE GOT THE P AND L FORCE IF WE NEED THAT.
BUT I WAS GONNA TRY, I DIDN'T WANNA SEND YOU ALL THESE DIFFERENT EMAILS WITH ONE DOCUMENT, TWO DOCUMENTS.
SO DO WE NEED TO WAIT AND VOTE NEXT MONTH UNTIL YOU GET THE BUDGET DOCUMENT UP TO THE BOARD YET? WE CAN DO THAT.
I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT WE TABLE THIS UNTIL THE NEXT BOARD MEETING UNTIL WE GET, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING, ALL THE PIECES OF IT.
BUT MIKE DOESN'T HAVE TO COME AND PRESENT AGAIN.
[00:30:01]
YOU MAKE AN OFFICIAL MOTION? YEAH.UM, THIS, WHAT WAS THIS TOPIC? I MOVED TO TABLE THE SOCIETY HOT GRANT VOTE UNTIL THE NEXT BOARD MEETING UNTIL WE HAVE ALL THE DOCUMENTS.
YEAH, I THINK IT'S PROBABLY JUST THE TWO THAT WE'RE WAITING FOR.
IS ANYONE SECOND? I SECOND THAT.
SO FOUR IN FAVOR OF ONE ABSTENTION.
OKAY, WELL THANK YOU MIKE AND MIRANDA.
WE'LL Y'ALL DON'T, WE'LL VOTE, UH, HOPEFULLY ON IT NEXT TIME, BUT Y'ALL DON'T HAVE TO COME.
YOU'RE WELCOME TO STAY FOR THE REST IF YOU WANT.
HOPEFULLY IT'LL BE QUICK ANYWAYS.
YEAH, WELL WE DON'T WANNA INTERRUPT ANYTHING.
[VII. Update on Communications & Community Engagement - Sarah Osborne]
POINTS.UH, SO I GAVE OUT A PACKET OF INFORMATION JUST SO UH, YOU GUYS ARE AWARE OF A LOT OF OUR EVENTS THAT ARE COMING UP.
WE HAVE A REALTOR BREAKFAST ON MAY 7TH, WHICH IS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR REALTORS.
SO IF YOU COULD HELP SPREAD THE WORD ON THAT.
WE HAVE OUR NON-PROFIT EXPO COMING UP NEXT SATURDAY.
THIS IS A REALLY GREAT OPPORTUNITY IF ANYBODY IS LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES EVEN FOR THEIR CHILDREN.
THIS IS A GREAT WAY TO HOOK UP WITH, UM, DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS.
WE HAVE A DPS HELICOPTER THAT'S COMING.
CANINE UNIT'S GONNA BE OUT THERE.
WE HAVE THE BOMB SQUAD AND THE SWAT TEAM OUT THERE.
UM, SO WE JUST HAVE A LOT OF INTERACTIVE STUFF FOR THE KIDS AS WELL.
UM, I DID WANNA POINT OUT THAT WE HAVE A NEW FEATURE ON OUR TALK OF THE, IT'S CALLED TALK OF THE TOWN.
THIS IS HIGHLIGHTING NEW BUSINESSES, NEW RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT, NEW THINGS THAT ARE OPENING IN LEAGUE CITY.
IT'S ONE OF OUR, IT'S REVAMPED.
IT WAS ONE OF OUR MOST POPULAR SECTIONS ON LEAGUE CITY LISTENS.
AND WE REALLY REALIZED THAT PEOPLE WANNA KNOW WHAT BUSINESSES ARE COMING TO TOWN AND IT ALSO HAS WHAT WE CALL A BRAG BOARD, WHICH ALLOWS PEOPLE TO BRAG ON LOCAL BUSINESSES IN TOWN THAT THEY WANT PEOPLE TO VISIT.
UM, LOCAL HOTELS, YOU KNOW, THAT KIND OF THING.
SO WE'RE HOPING, UM, WE GET A LOT OF PEOPLE JUST BRAGGING ABOUT DIFFERENT THINGS AROUND TOWN.
AND THEN WE HAVE OUR RAIN BARRELS FOR SALE.
AND THEN ALSO WE HAVE A COMMUNITY FAIR COMING UP ON APRIL 10TH, UH, FOR CELEBRATING NATIONAL CRIME VICTIMS WHITE WEEK.
SO THAT'S KIND OF ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS THAT I WANTED EVERYBODY TO KNOW ABOUT.
AS IT RELATES TO THE ART INITIATIVE, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A NEW ART EXHIBIT COMING INTO THE LOBBY AT THE CIVIC CENTER.
IT'S GONNA BE DICKINSON, ISD STUDENTS.
WE HAVE, UH, CERTAINLY HIGHLIGHTED C-C-I-S-D STUDENTS, BUT WE HAVE YET TO DO DICKINSON, ISD.
AND WE DO HAVE QUITE A FEW, QUITE A BIT OF, UH, KIDS THAT GO TO DICKINSON ISD SCHOOLS.
SO, UH, WE'RE GONNA BE SHOWCASING THEIR ART COMING UP IN APRIL.
UM, WE ARE REVIEWING THE ARTISTS AND RESIDENCE APPLICATIONS.
IT'S VERY LABORIOUS BECAUSE WE HAVE 16 OF THEM AND THE PACKET'S ABOUT THIS BIG
SO WE'RE VOTING ON WHO'S GONNA BE MAKING THE CUT ON MONDAY.
THE WHOLE BOARD WILL BE THERE.
THE KEEP LEAGUE CITY BEAUTIFUL BOARD.
AND WE'RE GONNA NARROW IT DOWN TO THREE AND THEN THAT SHOULD GET UP AND RUNNING REALLY WITH THE ARTISTS MOVING IN IN MAY.
JUST BASICALLY BETWEEN ORIENTATION, ALERTING THE ARTISTS, YOU KNOW, THAT KIND OF THING.
YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THE CONSTRUCTION GOING ON AT THE PLAZA WHERE THE DOLLAR TREE IS AND JUMPING WORLD AND ALL THAT.
THAT'S WRAPPING UP IN THE NEXT WEEK.
AND THEN WE'RE GONNA START PAINTING THE MURAL.
SO YOU'LL SEE THAT MURAL STARTING TO BE PAINTED THROUGHOUT APRIL AND MAY.
UH, IT'S GONNA TAKE A WHILE 'CAUSE IT'S ADAM ON SCAFFOLDING.
ADAM SOCI ON SCAFFOLDING AND ON A LIFT TRUCK.
AND, AND, AND THAT WALL IS QUITE BIG, BUT WE'RE SUPER EXCITED.
ALSO, THE GAS STATION THAT THEY'RE BUILDING ON THE I 45 FEEDER ROAD, IT'S BASICALLY RIGHT NEXT TO DISCOUNT TIRE IN THAT NEW PLOS MEXICAN RESTAURANT THAT GAS STATION'S COMING BACK.
AND THE WALL THAT IS FACING THE FEEDER ROAD IS GONNA HAVE THE LEAGUE CITY TX LOGO WITH THE STATE OF TEXAS AND LCTX.
KIND OF WELCOME TO LEAGUE CITY.
SO IT'S JUST ANOTHER GREAT OPPORTUNITY AS YOU'RE, AS YOU'RE GETTING OFF ON MAIN STREET AND ENTERING LEAGUE CITY.
UM, IT'S GONNA LOOK A LITTLE BIT MORE PERSONABLE, A LITTLE BIT MORE BEAUTIFUL, HAVE MORE OF AN ENTRYWAY EXHIBIT.
UM, WE'VE ALSO APPROACHED THE MASONS ABOUT PAINTING A MURAL ON THEIR BUILDING BECAUSE THAT BUILDING IS NOT THE MOST OKAY.
YEAH, AMBER, YOU SUMMED IT UP.
UM, SO BECAUSE WE ARE SO MANY THINGS NOW, A MUSIC FRIENDLY CITY, A TREE CITY, A BEE CITY, A MONARCH BUTTERFLY CITY, A SCENIC CITY, WE THOUGHT ABOUT DOING SOMETHING THAT CELEBRATES ALL OF THAT.
UM, ON THE, UM, ON, WE BASICALLY TOLD THEM BECAUSE THEY ORIGINALLY WANTED SOMETHING RELATED TO THE MASONS THAT WE SAID, HEY, WE REALLY WANNA DO SOMETHING THAT PROMOTES TOURISM IN THE CITY AND WE CAN PAY FOR IT OUT OF OUR DESIGNATED FUNDS THAT ARE DESIGNATED FOR ART.
AND THEN LASTLY, THE PATRONS OF THE PARKS AND ARTS ARE, UM, GEARING UP AND ARE PROBABLY GONNA COME TO THE HOT BOARD TO DO A GRANT
[00:35:01]
FOR ALL THE ACTIVITIES THAT THEY ARE DOING THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.I TOLD THEM RATHER THAN COMING TO THE BOARD SPECIFICALLY FOR WHITE LINE AND KNIGHT AND FUNDING THEY WANT FOR THEIR KID ZONE, THAT THEY REALLY SHOULD COME TO THE BOARD WITH A LIST OF ACTIVITIES THAT THEY'RE GONNA BE DOING THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, UH, TO PROMOTE THE ARTS AND REQUEST A GRANT FOR THAT.
SO THEY'LL, THEY'RE KIND OF PUTTING ALL THEIR DUCKS IN A ROW AND FIGURING OUT HOW TO PRESENT THAT.
AND SO PROBABLY IN THE NEXT COUPLE MONTHS THEY'LL COME FORWARD AND WANT TO APPLY FOR A, FOR A HOT GRANT.
BUT I DID WANNA MENTION THAT, UM, JUST SO, UH, JUST TO BE PREPARED FOR THAT.
[VIII. CVB Manager report on current tourism projects - Stephanie Polk]
STEPHANIE, WE HAVE YOUR PACKET.IS THERE ANYTHING SPECIFICALLY THAT YOU DON'T WANT US TO OVERLOOK? UM, IT'S ALMOST 11, I'M SORRY.
YEAH, UH, WE HAD THE, YOU ALREADY TALKED ABOUT A LITTLE BIT UHHUH.
UH, YOU HAVE MY CURRENT GROWTH PROJECTS IN PRODUCTION.
WE HAVE A SPRING CAMPAIGN RUNNING NOW.
WE HAVE A LOT OF MARKETING GOING RIGHT NOW FOR THE BALLPARK AND GETTING THAT FACILITY OUT AND LIKE, WE KNOW ABOUT IT SO WE CAN PUT MORE BUSINESS.
UM, SARAH, YOU MENTIONED THE MUSIC FRIENDLY THING.
WE WERE STARTING A TEXAS, UH, TEXAS FRIENDLY CERTIFICATION TOO FOR LEAD CITY.
I WENT TO FINISH THAT THIS YEAR TOO.
IT'S A PROGRAM OFFERED TO THE STATE.
WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE MOVING FORWARD.
THERE'S A LOT OF ACTIVITIES THAT ARE GOING ON AND UM, I I BELIEVE THAT A LOT OF SHOW AND TELL IN YOUR PACKET THERE.
I'M NOT GONNA GO THROUGH ALL THESE REPORTS WITH YOU.
UM, BUT THERE'S, THERE'S A LOT GOING ON.
UM, WE DID JUST SEND OUR STATE COMPTROLLER HOT TAX REPORT AND THEN, UH, REPORTING ON ALL THE DIFFERENT PERCENTAGES THAT WE SPEND, EVERYTHING ON THAT IT'S MOSTLY ADVERTISING.
UM, HOTEL PERFORMANCE IN JANUARY WAS DOWN, UH, WHICH IS NORMAL.
JANUARY IS A SLOWER MONTH FOR US.
FEBRUARY'S A LITTLE BETTER MAYBE.
UH, THEN MARCH WE, WE SHOOT BACK UP.
SO, UH, THERE'S, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME, MAYBE A LITTLE BIT OF A DECLINE FOR JANUARY FROM ABOUT FOR THE HOTEL MARKET PERFORMANCE.
UM, OUR POT COLLECTION FOR, UH, QUARTER WARNER END, BUT THE NEXT QUARTER GOES THROUGH THE END OF MARCH.
SO I WON'T BE GETTING YOU AN UPDATED REPORT UNTIL PROBABLY THE MAY BOARD MEETING.
UM, BUT IT, IT'S UP, UH, FROM LAST YEAR, WHICH IS GREAT.
AND THEN I GAVE YOU A, A PRELIMINARY REPORT FOR BUDGET THERE.
UM, WE ARE ALREADY WORKING ON BUDGET FOR NEXT FISCAL YEAR RIGHT NOW.
UH, WE HAVE PRELIMINARY EXPENDITURES THAT ARE DUE BY, AND SO I'M WORKING ON ALL THAT.
WE DID NOT SPEND ALL OF OUR FUNDS LAST YEAR AND I'M TRYING TO DO A MUCH BETTER JOB.
OBVIOUSLY OUR ACTUALS THERE FOR 2024.
UM, TURE STOCK, HUNDRED $50,000.
SO REAL QUICK ON THE HOT TAX GRANT FUNDS, WE HAVE A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS TO ALLOCATE AND WE ARE NOT, UH, WE ARE NOT THERE YET AT ALL.
WE HAVE, UM, WE HAVE SPENT RIGHT NOW 24,000, ALMOST $25,000 OUT OF OUR HOT GRANT FUNDS MM-HMM
SO WE STILL HAVE 25,000 TO ALLOCATE FOR THIS YEAR.
AND I REALLY WANT TO TRY TO DO THAT IF WE POSSIBLY CAN MM-HMM
BECAUSE, UH, WHENEVER ASK FOR IT AGAIN NEXT YEAR, BE SURE WE HAVE GOOD PROGRAMS TO, TO GENERATE, UH, RETURN ON INVESTMENT.
SO, UH, THAT IS, THAT IS PRETTY MUCH.
DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS AT ALL ON ANY OF THE, BECAUSE I KNOW I WENT THROUGH IT REALLY FAST, BUT I DID, WE DO HAVE A PACKET HERE, ALL THE REPORTS, SO IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'D LOVE TO TALK TO YOU MORE WITH WHAT'S GOING ON.
I THINK MY ONLY COMMENT WAS ALL THE AWARDS NOW FOR LAKE CITY.
IS THAT THE ECONOMIC AWARD TOO WITH SCOTT LIVINGSTON? THAT WAS SO PRETTY SPECIAL.
WE JUST DID AN ENTRY FOR CAMEO TOO.
YEAH, THERE STATE, THERE'S STATE AND NATIONAL AWARDS FOR ALL THE STUFF THAT COMMUNICATIONS DOES.
UH, SO WE JUST SUBMITTED OUR AWARDS.
WE USUALLY GET A COUPLE EVERY YEAR, SO WE JUST SUBMITTED.
I MEAN, IT TAKES A COUPLE HOURS EACH ENTRY TO PUT TOGETHER.
SO YEAH, IT'S, IT WAS A LOT OF WORK, BUT I, WE USUALLY BRING HOME A COUPLE EVERY YEAR, SO.
ANY COMMENTS OR UPDATES FROM BOARD MEMBERS? NOPE.
[X. Discuss requests for future agenda items, next meeting: April 16, 2025]
ANY REQUESTS FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS? WE WILL NEED TO VOTE FOR THEIR, ON THEIR, UM, APPLICATION NEXT TIME.IS EVERYBODY GOOD TO MEET IN APRIL ON THAT DATE? APRIL 16TH? AS OF NOW,
UM, I WON'T BE AVAILABLE WALK BE OUTTA TOWN, SO WE'LL JUST NEED TO MAKE SURE JOSE, JACOB, WE MIGHT BE, I BELIEVE WE'RE GETTING ANOTHER BOARD MEMBER TOO.
UM, I THOUGHT HE MAY ALREADY BE APPOINTED, BUT I
[00:40:01]
THINK THAT BECAUSE OF SOME OF THE MM-HMM.I THOUGHT HE WAS ALREADY APPOINTED.
YEAH, HE WAS OFFICIALLY THEY DID IT.
THEY DID IT AT ONE, THEY DID IT AT THE LAST COUNCIL MEETING.
SO HE REALLY JUST NEEDS TO GET SWORN IN.
SO YOU MAY NEED TO SEND HIM AN EMAIL.
THAT BASICALLY SAYS YOU'RE OFFICIAL NOW AND WE NEED TO GET YOU SWORN IN.
I DO REMEMBER READING THE NAME.
WHO IS IT? UM, IT WASN'T THE NAME I COGNIZE.
AND HE OWNS THREE SHORT TERM RENTALS IN THE CITY AND THAT'S HOW I MET HIM.
HE CALLED ME BECAUSE HE WAS GETTING IN COMPLIANCE AND I TALKED THROUGH THE PROCESS AND WE ENDED UP JUST TALKING AND I WAS TELLING HIM ABOUT WHAT I DO AND BLAH.
AND SO, UH, HE WAS INTERESTED.
I SAID, WE HAVE THE VACANCY ON THE BOARD.
ARE WE INTERESTED? WHICH WE, WE NEED SOMEONE FROM THE SHORT TERM.
SO HE MIGHT, I THINK IF HE JUST REACH OUT TO HIM AND LET HIM KNOW HE NEEDS TO GET, COME TO THE NEXT MEETING.
UM, I DIDN'T GET THE NOTICE THAT HE WAS, BECAUSE DIANA DOESN'T KIND OF LET THEM KNOW THAT.
IT'S KIND OF UP TO US TO LET THEM KNOW.
I WILL DOUBLE CHECK WITH DIANA JUST TO MAKE SURE, BUT I PRETTY MUCH THE LAST MEETING, THE 11TH MEETING HE GOT, I THINK HE DID.
IT WAS ON THE AGENDA, YEAH, IT WAS ON THE AGENDA.
THAT MEETING WAS A LITTLE CHAOTIC THOUGH.
MINE HAVE GOT, YEAH, MINE HAVE GOT LOST IN THE CHAOTIC MEETING.
OKAY, WELL I'LL REACH OUT TO HIM ON THE END.
OTHERWISE I SAY ADJOURNED AT 1105.
THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US TO BE HERE.