City Council - workshop

Mayor. Mayor.

Are you ready?

Yes, sir.

Is it that time?

It is.

We can start now? Yes, sir. Let me call to order the July 7th Deer Park City Council workshop. Did we have anybody sign up to speak?

Yes, sir. Scott Combs.

All right.

Council, guests, we have a special presentation tonight for years of service for the Parks and Rec Commission. We'd like to present this to Eric Ripley, serving on Parks and Rec Commission from May 2018 to May 2026, in recognition and deepest appreciation for your dedication and service to the City of Deer Park Parks and Recreation Commission.

Either Nikki or... Yeah, Caitlin's there. Caitlin's there. Where am I getting? Aw. Scott don't know what to do with his hand.

I can have him back.

Excuse me? He's bossy. I think so.

Moving on to workshop items. Agenda 1, the presentation of an updated on the B112-0301-E001. Did we get all that? Ditch project with Harris County.

Uh-oh. Uh-oh. Lookie here. Look at you.

All right. So we do have it. Hi, everybody. My name is Jonathan St. Romain of the Harris County Flood Control District. I'm the Partnerships and Programs Division Director with the district. And we're here to give you all an update on the College Park Subdivision Drainage Improvements Project. So a little bit of background. I think most of y'all may be familiar, but just to go back through it, this is a partnership project between the Harris County Flood Control District and the City of Deer Park, as well as Harris County Precinct 2. And folks here got together several years ago to identify the problem of flood risk in the College Park subdivision and figuring out a project of what can be done to reduce that flood risk. The flood control district is leading the project with the City of Deer Park upon completion, assuming maintenance responsibilities. The cost split is right at about 50-50. We just signed an amended interlocal agreement back at the end of 25, early 26. There was some cost increase. We signed an interlocal agreement. The original interlocal agreement between the flood control district and Deer Park was signed back in 2022. And at that time, or right after that time, the city of Deer Park led an initial preliminary engineering report that started to look at some of the alternatives that could be done in the College Park subdivision. So... Briefly, the project location, we're looking just south of where we are now, down Louetta Road in the College Park subdivision, right at the intersection of Luella and Spencer Highway. You can see the project area highlighted in that gold color there. And we are focused on benefits to the eastern part of the College Park subdivision. And when we say benefits, we mean flood risk reduction benefits, lower what we call peak water surface elevations. So in any given storm event, the water rises in our channels or storm sewers or streets to a certain level. And so after the project is complete, we want to be able to show lower peak water surface elevations in the streets and neighborhoods. So the design overview of where we are now following a revised technical memo shows, I think, what would be a pretty standard neighborhood subdivision drainage improvement project. It's a combination of storm sewer, upsizing storm sewer to pull water out of the streets faster, plus storm water detention to temporarily hold that excess storm water so that we don't see adverse impacts anywhere else. We don't want to increase storm sewer and then blow that extra storm water onto somebody else. That's why we need to provide that storm water detention so that that increased flow can be temporarily held as it is released out into the receiving stream. We'll go back one real quick. These design improvements manage 100-year rainfall events by putting a two-year level rain event completely within the storm sewer, and then the streets do hold up to 100-year storm event. And that's a typical design that you'll see in even newer neighborhoods. OK, now we're good. Right now, we have just started the final design, the final design plans. And so we expect to be about that 50% mark at the end of this year, so quarter 4, 2026. I mentioned that final technical memo that identified the solution that we're looking at that was finalized and then approved early this year. Good news is right-of-way acquisition, one of those things that holds up a lot of projects, that's already complete. So we own the right-of-way where that stormwater detention basin is going to be already, and we've already completed environmental investigations and permitting. So that's all good news. And so next steps are that we're going to complete the design, as I said, We'll be at the 50% mark end of this year, and then we'll look to finalize that design right about this time, middle of 2027, and then look to go into the bidding phase in the fall of 2027. And then it always takes some time to advertise for bids and get those bids back in, then head to commissioner's court to award the contract. And so I think this is a little conservative. I was just texting our department manager to see if this is something that we could accelerate. But conservatively, we're looking at construction beginning on this project very early 2028. And thank you very much. That's a brief update. I'm happy to answer any questions you all have.

I think the main thing we wanted y'all to know, the project's still very much alive. When we started it, there was a lot of concerns about whether it actually happened or not. And they have kept the faith. And I think we're making progress.

Thank you, sir.

Thanks.

We really appreciate the partnership. Thank you. Jim, item number two, the presentation and discussion of issues. Do we have issues? Relating to the sale of Certificate of Obligation Series 2026, please tell me we have no issues.

No issues.

Thank you so much.

Mayor, council members, Mr. Stokes, John Roebuck, BOK Financial Securities, I do have good news report. We entered the market today and came out well ahead and better than we showed you guys back in May. As I always like to do, this is an overview of the bond buyer index. This is a municipal market overview on a weekly average. Rates have come down since we showed you in May by about eight basis points. But we did a lot better at eight basis points compared to what we showed you on the preliminary numbers back in May. Source uses of funds. We sold $6,920,000 in bonds. Investors willing to pay us a premium for some of those bonds to the tune of $395,000. Less expenses of $155,000. Generates proceeds to the city of $7,159,500, which you'll receive a closing on August 4th. We estimated an interest rate of 4.50%. We came in at 4.049%. So very pleased with the results. That difference of 45 basis points translates to about $419,000 interest costs reduced from what we showed you back in May. This is the final debt service requirements. Then on the far left is your current debt service requirements. That includes all of your debt. And then the principal interest in total. There are the three middle columns. Again, we generated or sold $6,920,000 in bonds. Total interest cost was It's $3,577,417 for total desert requirements over a 20-year period of $10,497,417. And then far right is your total desert requirements, including the certificate of obligation to be sold today. Schedule events, we've hit every date on here except for the last two. Tonight we're here asking you to approve the ordinance that Mr. Frales, your bond counsel, prepared for you. If you'll approve that, then we will work, well, Mr. Frales will work with the Attorney General to get it approved, and then we'll close on August 4th, at which point you'll receive your funds. Happy to answer any questions you have on the financing, Mr. Frills. I'm sure happy to answer any questions you have on the document we're asking you to approve tonight. But overall, we're very pleased with the results. We were oversubscribed in almost every single maturity. In fact, after the order period, we were able to reduce yields by one to six basis points across the yield curve, pretty much. And that's because of your rating and your strong name. And good timing, too. Any questions? Comments?

Good job.

No issues. It's good news. Great news. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Agenda item number three, recognition of departing assistance park and screaming baby.

She doesn't want to go. That's how we all feel. She loves Deer Park.

Mr. Screamin' Baby Assistant Park Director that's leading us.

Yes, sir.

Mr. Stokes.

Look, we're going to kind of tag team this. And I'll lead kind of the staff efforts to make some nice comments about Jacob. And I know many of you served on the Parks and Rec Commission prior to council. And you'll have comments as well. I'm going to first call on Kenny. Kenny, would you share your thoughts on our departing assistant parks and rec director?

OK. Well, Jake has been here I think 17, 17 and a half years. And I've been here two.

So the impact.

I guess a lot of the credit things that have happened over the years. It's an understatement to say that Jacob has just been impactful to the Deer Park Parks and Recreation Program. One thing that I've appreciated in the short time that I've worked with Jacob is his commitment to serving others and serving the underserved. He has a strong passion for looking at parks and identifying where we can improve with ADA needs. He was a strong advocate for the certification as a certified autism center with the department. He's really helped build a lot of programs and activities that are unique, that aren't as common in general parks and rec. He really thinks outside of the box. There's some ideas he's given me that's really weird ideas that I won't want to get into, but he's always thinking of weird, different, strange things to do, and sometimes they actually work out pretty well. Going back to the Dalek of Complex, I mean, I started the tale into that, but he was there from the very beginning. Spencerview Bridge, believe it or not, he was actually there from the very beginning of that one, which Tells you how long he's been here. And the countless number of improvements to playgrounds and parks and sidewalks and trails over the years that a lot of us just take for granted that he's taking the lead on. A lot of things he does and he doesn't even, he just sees something, he goes in and he fixes it, doesn't want the recognition, he just wants things done and done right. And he's going to be missed. And I just want to thank you, Jacob, for for your dedication to the department. And we got a plaque for you from the department. So I just want to thank you for everything you've done. Thank you. Congratulations. Thank you. Appreciate that. So we're going to throw Mike and the department up to get a photo, if that's OK. Yeah, we'll maybe get the end.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. OK, Sarah?

I was going to just roast you for leaving us for Swaggart. That's fine. Totally acceptable. But I decided that that would not do you the service or the justice that is so obviously owed? Like Kenny, I've been here four and a half years, which is less than half of your overall time with the city. But in that short amount of time, the impact that you have not just on the organization, but the community as a whole, is so apparent. And there are numerous examples that I could cite where one of us just picked up a phone, or one of us had a question, and our first thought was, Jacob knows that. I mean, it's without question. And when I first started working here, I lived in the city of Mont Bellevue. And I can tell you that I worked with Swigert, but I digress. One of the many reasons that I wanted to move my family into this community so they could grow up here is all of the amazing amenities and services that we provide our citizens. And that is a direct reflection of you and all of the work that your staff and your department and your team has done. And there's nothing, I think, that any of us could say that would adequately thank you for that. You have genuinely cared about our city and our community and all of our residents and your fellow coworkers and every single person that you serve. And I just, I very genuinely want to thank you, and I'm so, so, so sad that you're leaving. It's a loss for us, but we're very happy for you and your family. So congratulations, and we can't wait to watch what you do and what you've accomplished, because I know there's so much more.

Thank you. Does any other staff members want to say anything? If not, I have worked with Jacob for 16 years. Jacob got here, what, in 8, 9? 9. Yeah, August of 9. Before I did. So I've never worked with a study that didn't have Jacob as a resource to get to work with. Jacob and I have a lot in common. He grew up in a small town in Texas, like I did. Came here and always wanted this place to be better and has done so many things. Jacob loves trivia, if y'all didn't know that. Jacob is a trivia master. He literally runs trivia sometimes. If you ever get a chance, I would recommend that you go do that. It's always a lot of fun, a lot more of what we have in common. But Jacob has been the president of traps in his time here. That's a big, big deal. And we've had two people, Scott did that as well, that speaks very highly of Deer Park and very highly of both of them. As Kenny said, every project, think about how much we have today that we didn't have in 2009 when Jacob got here. And that's a testament to everybody and to the team. But Jacob was a big, big part of that team on the parks and rec side. He really helped shepherd and get us through the last several years of the big vertical projects. Our parks department became CAPRA certified in Jacob's time, won awards in Jacob's time. If you ever call Jacob, he immediately answers the phone, and he always knows the correct answer. We're going to really miss the institutional knowledge that's going to depart, though he'll still just be a phone call away, I hope. And I say that in all sincerity, because we probably will have to call you about certain things. That's fine.

Don't delete my number.

But I'll just simply say that I think all of our goal is to come to place and make your mark and leave it better than you found it. And I can't think of anybody that's done that more than Jacob. So Mayor, I'll turn it over to you for you and council to make comments.

Mayor Weill I think the thing I remember that strikes me and I think about directly a lot is I've lived in Deer Park for 50 years, so I know a lot of people. And over the years, Jake has been here, what, 17 years? And I've been around longer than that. But I've had so many people in the past, I guess, 15 years that have commented on you and how congenial you are and how good you are about getting back to people and making them feel important. That's a very special quality that you have. So I'm sad that we're going to lose that, but it's our loss, but I'm very happy for you. You will be missed.

Thank you.

Well, let's see. When I was running the baseball program, I... We had issues with the fields, and then we got Jacob. Huh? Just a few. Which field?

No, just a few.

Just a few issues, yeah. And Jacob came in there, and I'm like, man, who is this guy? But what he did was, right off the get start, he fixed almost every problem we had. I will give him that. And you can see how they've progressed since then. And I know you keep on top of that, so that's excellent. I got on Parks and Rec Commission. And I noticed when we were in the meetings that Jacob had all these gadgets. I mean, them things have levers and triggers and roller balls and all kinds of stuff on there. I'm like, what is that? And so if y'all don't know, Jacob can't sit still, right? Well, he is always someone pretty cool. So I got to see that. But what impressed me a lot as well was when we were at the The Last Christmas Countdown, and Jacob and all his tattoos. Me and Jacob were comparing tattoos the other day, and he's got quite a few. Just a few. I didn't realize the wild side of Jacob until that day.

It's not as many as the problems we have with the fields, you know. That's true.

He may have a baseball field tatted on him. I don't know. Not yet. Okay. It's coming. But no. No, I appreciate everything you did for baseball. All the kids that have gone through that program is a reflection as well. And there's nobody that can say anything negative about the baseball fields, or any of the parks for that matter. Really? Appreciate that. Really, sure.

Is there somebody out there who can say something negative about it? No, there's not one. I'm not talking about girls football.

I'm talking about boys baseball.

That's a whole new animal.

Eric has to handle those people.

Jacob. It was a pleasure working with you when I was on Parks and Rec. And you all did a great job. You were there for us. Just very impressive overall. And we certainly appreciate your 17 and a half years that you put in right here. And we will miss you. But like Joe said, I'm sure we'll stay in touch. And good luck. Thank you. You deserve it.

Take care. Appreciate it. I mean this with all due respect.

Everybody loves when you start a sentence, is that right?

It's actually not, it's a good thing for him. I was going to say, I don't miss Charlie at all, but I will miss you, and that says everything.

Thank you.

Can I let Georgette follow that, or do I have to?

I'm just going to cry.

The first time I met Jacob was when I'd taken over as president of the softball fields. And one of my board members said, hey, Jacob's at the field. You need to come meet him. And I was like, Jacob? Met him that night, and I understood why that board member wanted me to meet him, because of the impact that he made, even as a parks operations supervisor. Had a great relationship with him then. Was able to serve on the Parks and Rec Commission and watch him grow into the role of assistant director. And just, I mean, I could echo everything that's been said. The knowledge that you have, anytime I've had a question or had somebody have a question for me to ask, you've always been responsive, always knew the answer. You know about termites and trees and parks. There's not a lot that you didn't and don't know.

I asked Tiffany on that one.

Okay. Good job, Tiffany. So definitely sad to see you go, but I know we're going to hear great things that you're going to do going forward. So best of luck to you and your family. Thank you.

Does that mean I have to go last? Well, Jake, I don't really know what to say, and I'm not going to cry. Yeah, when I got on parks, you were there. She is going to cry. Yeah, I'm sorry. I love you. And you've done an amazing job. I remember the first thing I went to when I first got on parks, we went to that. um texas parks coalition at the capitol and i think it was the director and granberry said that guy's going places y'all better hang on to him and i mean it has been that way for through the years and i thought hopefully we'd keep you forever but i'm excited for you to move on we've done a lot of fun things um like everyone said i'll reiterate You know, you were my go-to. I appreciate you taking all the calls and dealing with all the irate people that would call me. I didn't know what to say to them. And you always had an answer. I mean, and always just you could calm everyone down. It's just amazing how you related to so many people and so many people. different people in all the different things. The sports agreements, I had people in my face pointing their fingers at me. And you took care of me. And I won't ever forget that. I mean, the way you handled everyone was just so much professionalism and calmed everyone down. I mean, some of those sports people you know can be pretty crazy. Sorry, TJ and Eric. But I saw you handle that. I mean, I've been in a lot of meetings I write people in every time you've been able to, you know, fuel that fire and get them calmed down and get them, you know, on the right direction, and I appreciate that. Same thing with traps. We've been to a lot of fun traps. I'm going to miss all that, you know. I even told them when I came to council, I said, do I still get to go to traps? Because I have so much fun hanging out with Jacob. So we're definitely going to miss you, but I'm very excited for you. I think, you know, this is a great move for you. It's a great opportunity. I'm just sad for us, but great for you, and I can't say enough good things about You know, we appreciate all you've done and everything you've done to make our parks better. I mean, I've been here my whole life, and just watching what you've done in the last 20 or so years just amazes me. And what you've done with the department and all the accreditations, I just can't thank you enough.

Thank you.

And don't lose my number.

I won't. Because I'm still going to vote you. You just changed it to do not.

We don't want to have to find another go-to person for Georgette, so can you remain in that status?

I'll put her on the favorites list.

Thank you, Jake.

I thought I was already there.

You're my top five on MySpace.

OK, thank you.

I think there's many aspects that's been alluded to today. And as I've listened to a lot of the comments, I think I'm most grateful that you not only found a spot and left your mark, but you grew in that role. And as much as many have expressed sadness that you're leaving, I'm grateful that you've grown to the point that it was time for you and opportunities opened up for you. And so I'm proud that this organization was able to be there and allow you to grow into this new role. And I think it's been stated here several times. I think we are all expecting to hear good things from you because I don't think that anything's going to change. You're going to go to Huntsville and leave your mark there. And only God knows where you're going to go from there. in the aspect of opportunities. And as anybody looking for success in life, isn't that really what it's all about, is finding a place where you can grow and your potential can come out? So I'm grateful to see that. And as everybody was talking, I was just reminiscing in my head especially in my tenure in 15 years, we've come a long ways across the city, but our Parks and Recreation Department has just been totally transformed in many aspects. There's not much that hasn't been touched or addressed or enhanced. Did you get a tattoo of, like, the bridge at Spencerview somewhere?

No, that's a golf course.

It's on the list. It's on the list. He's got the bridge to nowhere somewhere?

Yeah, that's what we call it. That's what we call it in college.

We don't want to know where that tattoo's at, okay? I'll send you a picture sometime. Send it to Georgette. I don't really want it.

I already know.

Well, you haven't said much, so now is your opportunity. Thank you for everything.

Before you talk, can I just say something real quick?

Sure. I appreciate you. I appreciate what I'm doing for you. You've talked me down so many times. You've been my touchstone. I'm very happy for you. But you better come back to every day you go to dance. And when I say that's it, I want to see you there. I appreciate you.

I appreciate you. You know, over the past couple weeks, it's kind of been a roller coaster of emotions. As Mr. J said, I came from a small town. We didn't have a park growing up. I had to drive 15 miles to the nearest park to play on like playgrounds and stuff. And occasionally when the school didn't have gates, we could play there. But I didn't grow up around parks. And so you know, Falling into this field has really been a blessing to me, and it's been a blessing to my career. But I can't thank you, Mr. Mayor, and City Council, and Mr. J, and Sarah. I almost said Miss Sarah, but even Jim. I've never been in one spot longer. or I've never been in one spot for this long outside of my hometown. And I feel like I've grown to be a part of this community. And I love this community. And I love each one of you. And we've done some amazing things. And I can't thank you all enough for making me a better person, a better father. Each and every one of y'all has taught me a lot. And I would be remiss to not thank each and every one of y'all for all the love and support and education y'all have given me over the years. Also, some of the slap across the heads. And there's been a few times, which we won't go to, but the pavilions in Dow Park and whatnot that really, really taught me a lot and really helped me grow. Thank you all very much. And I would also be remiss if I didn't thank the staff, because all of these accomplishments really should go to them, each and every one of them. Some of our staff have been here in the community all of their lives. They've really been the ones that have driven the engine, and I can't thank them enough, from the part-timers to all the supervisors, Renee, Tiffany, Nikki, Dawn, Deborah's not here, Kristen, you know, all of them. I know I'm missing a supervisor, and I'm going to hear it tomorrow in an email, but who am I missing? Susan! Oh, my God!

Yes, Susan.

Don't tell Susan that. Who am I missing? Okay, okay. Well, regardless, it's all about the staff. And, you know, even though I'm leaving, I know that the city is in good hands with these staff because they do amazing work. And it's really all of them that they do all the work. I'm just kind of the cat herder, if you will. But thank you to all of them for all the amazing work that y'all have done and the support, because without y'all, we couldn't be here, and I couldn't be who I am today. And I also would be remiss if I didn't thank my wonderful wife, who has put up with me for the past 10 years. Yeah, 10 plus years. We've been married 10 years, and I keep forgetting about that. But seriously, she's put up with a lot of stuff, a lot of stress, and things like that. But she's always been a rock, and I can't thank her enough. And my girls that are probably tearing up the inside of the lobby, I love them to death. I can hear them right now, and they're amazing. But this isn't goodbye. This is just see you down the road. Like I said, I'm only a phone call away. You know, I'm always going to be there for y'all, regardless if I'm here or not. So if there's ever anything y'all need, by all means, just reach out to me on my cell phone, my LinkedIn, you know, Facebook. But, you know, between the hours of, like, 7 and 7. The 2 a.m. calls, you know, because fire alarms and... Yes, yes, Don's text and all that. But... But thank each and every one of y'all and thank the community for all the years of love and support and for making me a better human. It's really appreciated. And I'll miss y'all.

And you didn't say in gig'em.

Gig'em.

All right, you want to do a picture, Kenny, with your staff?

Yeah. Yeah, we can stand. Well, I think we're all parts of it. We should all go down there. Fine. Let them do pictures.

Yeah, we can't have a picture of that, too, up there.

No, don't leave. Don't leave.

There's some kind of park something month thing here. Yeah, obviously you're all here. Okay, since everybody knows a whole lot about the parks, tell us something that we don't know about the parks.

Well, first off, I forgot a few people because I got scared because I was worried Susan was going to come find me, but... But I do want to say thank you to all of the PARC and all the directors for all the years of support. And Chief, I know I've got a jacket at the office that's probably that thick. Jamie, we've been through a lot. Dee and Rebecca, all of y'all. Thank y'all so much for all of the support over the years, especially during the projects, because I know about y'all a lot. Things about the park you may not know. Something.

He's a tricky guy.

No. Believe it or not, we have more bees and termites that just land and hang out there, and they visit the parks too, so just like people.

Now, therefore, be it resolved by the mayor of the City of Deer Park, along with the City Council, that July is recognized as Parks and Recreation Month in the City of Deer Park as Jacob leaves us. Park and Recreation Month, Jacob leaving us. No, it doesn't say that.

Oh, everybody in the PRC, come on up.

And whoever else Jacob wants in the picture, which is everybody.

You need to get one of these.

It's not you. It's Roscoe. It's probably Nikki.

It's not Roscoe.

Nikki, how often do you hear that?

It's not you. It's Roscoe.

Where's my spot?

That is officially all the items we have on this workshop. This meeting is adjourned.