Good evening:
Driving around Dallas recently, my 9-year-old daughter lamented the rapid transition from Halloween to Christmas season, as if nothing of significance fell in between.
“What about Thanksgiving?” she asked.
Good question, especially in the city that built a park and chapel in the heart of Downtown Dallas dedicated to giving thanks.
So, in a nod to Sadie Goldstein’s poignant observation, the least we can do is contemplate what City of Dallas-related things we are thankful for this year.
I asked her and her little sister to get us started:
Sadie, 9, says: I’m thankful for the people that keep the city safe and keep it clean and make sure it operates well — and the people that keep the parks operating.
Sawyer, 6, says: I’m thankful for the parks in Downtown Dallas.
Can you tell their dad is a Park Board member and Downtown Dallas, Inc., consultant?
I’ll add that I am thankful for the life-changing relationships I’ve built with so many different people I never would have known if not for my work in and around Dallas City Hall.
Take 30 seconds or less to tell us what City of Dallas-related items you are thankful for this year.
A note to readers: Meetings of Interest is an independent newsletter curated and authored by Scott Goldstein and sponsored by Downtown Dallas, Inc. (DDI). The content, perspectives, or commentary presented herein reflect the views of the author alone and do not necessarily represent the views, policies, or positions of DDI or any other organization, institution, or individual, unless explicitly stated otherwise. Any affiliations are for identification purposes only and do not imply endorsement.
📰 Highlights From Last Week’s Meetings of Interest
Council Member Chad West has questions about the City’s $2.6 million plan to outfit 50 sanitation trucks with AI-powered cameras to scan your property for Code violations. Watch West’s Q&A with Sanitation Director Clifton Gillespie in the video above and check out some of the follow-up responses to West’s questions in this memo.
The future of long-time regional transportation leader Michael Morris is in question following a nearly two-hour closed session about his job performance. Read more from the Fort Worth Report.
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Board members signed off on nearly $25 million in security and cleanliness contracts to improve rider experiences, the agency announced.
Members of the City Council Ad Hoc Committee on Professional Sports Recruitment and Retention did not go into closed session to discuss the mysterious “Project X.” But Committee Chairman Chad West publicly confirmed the code name is tied to the Stars and Mavericks.
📝 Memos of Interest
In partnership with Visit Dallas, the City is launching the “Spend it in Dallas” marketing campaign “to encourage residents, visitors, and businesses to invest in our city by spending their time, experiences, and dollars locally.” Loyal readers may recall talk of such a campaign during budget deliberations earlier this year. Promises made, promises kept.
A 2018 facility condition assessment documented a cost estimate ranging from $19 million to $93 million in potential repair or replacement costs at Dallas City Hall, according to this memo. The AECOM report is being recirculated after City Council members recently ordered a fresh review of costs to repair or relocate City Hall.
January public meetings give you the chance to tell the City how to spend millions of dollars in federal housing grant funds next year. Learn more — and be sure to remind them to spend that money promptly.
Editor’s Note: There are no public meetings of interest at Dallas City Hall this week.
🗣️ Quote of Interest
That is the challenge, I think — to know and remember where we came from, to appreciate and understand all the hard work and hard times our ancestors endured while at the same time attempting to continue and improve upon the advances they made.
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Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Remember to stop and give thanks.
Best,
Scott Goldstein
Publisher
Meetings of Interest
