[00:00:12] JOB TO DO. AND NOW WE'RE READY. OKAY. CHRISTIAN. [Landmark Commission Workshop on May 18, 2026.] BOURGEOIS. PRESENT. AARON CHASTAIN. PRESENT. SARAH MOORE CLICK. PRESENT. JANE FITZ. PRESENT. LYNEE LANGDALE. PRESENT. SHARON STETZEL-THOMPSON. PRESENT. HANK THIERRY. PRESENT. JOHN ALLEN IS ABSENT. ALLISON SVENDSEN IS ABSENT. AND SHARON LOUIS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ANYONE HAVE ANY CONFLICT OF INTEREST WITH OUR WORKSHOP? NO. NO. OKAY. WE'LL MOVE ON TO OUR DISCUSSION ITEM. WELL, THIS IS A DISCUSSION ITEM THAT WAS BROUGHT FORWARD BY COMMISSIONER CHASTAIN. HE GAVE US A PRESENTATION A COUPLE OF MEETINGS AGO. DONNA GAVE US LOTS OF GOOD INFORMATION ALSO ABOUT THE FRANCHISE AGREEMENT WITH CENTER POINT AND WHAT THAT MEANS. AND THEN THERESA WAS ABLE TO REACH OUT TO HER CONTACTS AT CENTER POINT AND 2 FOLKS THAT ARE HERE TO GIVE US A PRESENTATION TODAY AND GIVE ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS. SO WE'LL DO INTRODUCTIONS, I PROMISE. ACTUALLY MY APOLOGIES. SO SO YES, SO MICHELLE HUNDLEY AND I USED TO WORK TOGETHER IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. MICHELLE IS NOW A GOVERNMENT RELATIONS MANAGER WITH CENTERPOINT ENERGY. SO SHE AND I WERE ABLE TO CONNECT AND SHE SHE'S BROUGHT RYAN DOUGAN WITH HER. SO RYAN IS OUR AREA LOCAL AREA REP. I'M THE SERVICE AREA MANAGER FOR THE BASICALLY GALVESTON COUNTY WHEN IT COMES TO THE ELECTRIC SIDE FOR CENTERPOINT ENERGY. I'M ON THE DISTRIBUTION SIDE, SO I'M THE ONE THAT DELIVERS IT RELATIVELY CLOSE TO YOUR HOME. I DON'T DO A LOT OF THE INDUSTRIAL UNLESS THEY ABSOLUTELY NEED US. MOSTLY I PUSH THAT OVER TO TRANSMISSION, BUT I CAN TALK TO AND SPEAK TO EVERYTHING THAT WE DO AS FAR AS THE ELECTRIC SIDE. SO THE PRESENTATION I HAVE TODAY, I WAS 100% SURE WHERE WE WERE GOING WITH THIS, BUT OBVIOUSLY IT IS HURRICANE SEASON. SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY IS PREPARED FOR IT AND GOING FORWARD. I GOT A LITTLE TIDBITS FROM WHAT Y'ALL CARRIED OVER. SO I'M PROBABLY GOING TO SPEED THROUGH THIS REALLY QUICK AND MAYBE GET MORE TO A Q&A THAN THE PRESENTATION ITSELF. SO. YEAH, YOU'RE IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. WHAT'S YOUR ROLE WITH CENTERPOINT? HI, I'M MICHELLE HUDLEY AND I'M A LOCAL GOVERNMENT RELATIONS MANAGER. SO I MANAGE OUR CONVERSATIONS AND HELP FACILITATE CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR CITY COUNTIES, MOSTLY COUNTY AREAS, AND THEN SOME OF OUR OFFICES OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. AND THEN OUR SERVICE AREA MANAGERS TYPICALLY ARE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE CITIES. SO I'VE JUST KIND OF SUPPORT RYAN AND THE TEAM ON BOTH THE ELECTRIC SIDE AS WELL AS THE NATURAL GAS SIDE. I'M ON THE EAST SIDE. THERE'S 2 OF US. THAT'S MYSELF AND OLIVIA. CHRIS. OLIVIA IS ON THE WEST SIDE OF TOWN. AND I SAY THAT FROM MONTGOMERY COUNTY TO BRAZORIA COUNTY. SO SHE DOES WEST SIDE OF 245 AND I'M THE EAST SIDE OF 2, 88 AND 45. SO I'VE GOT ALL THE PORTS AND I GET GALVESTON COUNTY, WHICH I LOVE. THANK YOU. THANKS FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND THEN, AS YOU CAN TELL HIM IN GOLF ATTIRE, WE MY TEAM WON THE MORNING FLIGHT AT THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. SO THAT WAS GREAT. SO WE'LL GO AHEAD AND JUMP RIGHT INTO IT. SO THE FIRST THING WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT IS A SAFETY MOMENT. BECAUSE SAFETY IS OUR NUMBER ONE CORE VALUE. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS TO PLEASE STAY CLEAR OF POWER LINES. THIS IS ON A DAY TO DAY BASIS. IT'S NOT JUST IN THE MIDDLE OF STORMS ON A DAY TO DAY BASIS. WE NEED YOU TO STAY AT LEAST 10 FEET AWAY FROM POWER LINES. BE AWARE OF THE POWER LINE LOCATIONS. ALWAYS CHECK FOR THE LOCATION OF POWER LINES. THE REASON I BRING THIS UP IS BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES WE WILL RUN A WIRE THROUGH TREES BECAUSE IT'S INSULATED WIRE. IT'S NOT GOING TO DO ANYTHING TO THE TREE, BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL GET UP THERE AND START TRIMMING THEIR TREES AND OOPS, YOU'VE CONTACTED AN ELECTRICAL LINE. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE Y'ALL ARE VERY COGNIZANT OF WHERE THOSE LINES ACTUALLY ARE. WORK SAFELY. IT IS THE LAW. KNOW THE STATE, LOCAL, FEDERAL LAWS ABOUT IT. AND BEFORE ANY DIGGING PROJECT, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE CALL 811. SO OBVIOUSLY, AS A COMPANY, WE ARE COMMITTED TO A GREATER HOUSTON BUILDING, THE MOST RESILIENT COASTAL GRID IN THE COUNTRY. 1 OF THE THINGS THAT WE EXPERIENCE HERE, ESPECIALLY FOR HARRIS COUNTY AND GALVESTON COUNTY, IS EXTREME WEATHER RISK. OBVIOUSLY, WE'VE HAD DERECHO, WE'VE HAD BARREL. WE'VE HAD ALL SORTS OF THINGS. HARVEY. I WAS HERE FOR IKE. SO MANY THINGS COME THROUGH THIS AREA. AND LIKE I TELL PEOPLE, I WAS HERE FOR IKE. THIS IS THE TIP OF THE STORM. THIS IS THE TIP OF THE SPEAR WHENEVER A STORM COMES IN. WE'RE GOING TO GET THE WORST OF THE WORST. SO TO GO OVER OUR CURRENT RESILIENCY PLAN, OBVIOUSLY THIS ENACTED RIGHT AFTER BARREL JULY [00:05:09] 2024 THROUGH AUGUST 2024, WE TOOK IMMEDIATE ACTION. AND THEN IN SEPTEMBER THROUGH JUNE 1ST, Y'ALL SAW ALL THOSE REPORTS. WE REPLACED OVER 100,000 POLES. WE'VE DONE THIS VEGETATION UNDERGROUNDING. AND THEN FROM JUNE 1ST THROUGH DECEMBER 31ST, A LOT OF OUR TAILORED ACTIONS WERE AROUND REPLACING ROTTEN POLES, GETTING ALL OF THOSE TAKEN CARE OF. GOING ONWARD JUNE 1ST, 2026 THROUGH DECEMBER 31ST, 2028. THIS ALL HAS TO DO WITH, ONCE AGAIN GOING BACK TO THOSE POLES THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AS ROTTEN, MAKING SURE THAT THOSE ARE REPLACED, MAKING SURE THEY'RE READY FOR A HURRICANE. ALSO, THIS HAS TO DO WITH A LOT OF ENGINEERING, MAYBE DOING SOME REROUTES, MAYBE RETHINKING HOW WE'RE RUNNING THE LINE, MAYBE DOING SOME UNDERGROUNDING WHERE POSSIBLE. BASICALLY GETTING THE INFRASTRUCTURE PREPARED FOR ANYTHING THAT MAY COME OUR WAY. SO WE HAVE SWITCHED FROM WHAT USED TO BE CALLED AN EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLAN TO A ALL HAZARDS OPERATIONS PLAN BECAUSE OF THE FACT OF SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE EXPERIENCE DOWN HERE, WHETHER IT BE FLOODING A WIND EVENT OR COULD BE ANY OTHER TYPE OF CATASTROPHE. WE JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE PLANNING FOR ALL OF THEM. SO CAN WE ASK QUESTIONS ON THAT? SURE. SO ON YOUR CAN YOU GO BACK TO THIS ONE MORE SLIDE. SO IMMEDIATE ACTIONS LIKE AFTER A BARREL. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND THIS. AND THEN PREPARING FOR 2025, HURRICANE SEASON 2024 TO 2025, AND THEN TAILORING ACTIONS TO ADDRESS POTENTIAL STORM IMPACTS. IS THERE PLANNING THAT'S HAPPENING, OR IS THIS JUST TALKING ABOUT ACTUALLY GOING OUT REAL LIFE BOOTS ON THE GROUND, IMPLEMENTING UPGRADES? WHERE IS THE PLANNING ASPECT OF THAT AND HOW DOES THAT PROCESS WORK? SO THERE COULD BE PLANNING THROUGH THE RELIABILITY GROUP, WHERE WE'RE LOOKING AT OUR WORST CIRCUITS THAT ARE IMPACTING CUSTOMERS FOR OUTAGE TIMES. IT COULD BE GOING AND LOOKING AT CIRCUITS THAT ARE GOING BACK INTO, YOU KNOW, GULLIES OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT WHERE IT'S LIKE, HEY, IS THIS A PROPER PLACE FOR US TO PUT THIS? SHOULD WE REROUTE TO THE ROAD RIGHT AWAY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO BE MORE ACCESSIBLE SO THAT WE CAN GET THE LIGHTS ON FASTER AND OR IT COULD BE LOOKING AT DIFFERENT LOCATIONS. SO LIKE THE PELICAN ISLAND BRIDGE OVER HERE. I MENTIONED THIS ONE BECAUSE IN THE PAST THREE YEARS, WE'VE BEEN HIT 4 TIMES BY ROGUE SHIPS. SHIPS. YEAH. FOR DAVIES EXPANSION AND EVERYTHING ELSE LIKE THAT. SO IT'S FINDING THOSE LOCATIONS WHERE IT MAKES SENSE TO DO SPECIFIC UNDERGROUNDING. BUT ULTIMATELY, THE WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS MAKE SURE WE'RE MORE RESILIENT TO ANYTHING THAT COULD POSSIBLY HAPPEN. AND IS THERE A PLANNING GOING INTO IT? YES, THERE IS ALWAYS PLANNING, BUT MOST OF THE PLANNING IS AROUND WHAT IS GOING TO KEEP THE LIGHTS ON. AND IS IT JUST INTERNALLY OR ARE YOU GOING OUT AND TALKING TO MAYBE THIS IS MORE GOVERNMENT RELATIONS, TALKING TO THE COUNTIES AND THE STATE OR CITIES AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, IF THEY HAVE MULTIPLE INITIATIVES, BECAUSE WE'RE THINKING RESILIENCY WHEN IT COMES TO FLOODING, BUT ALSO INFRASTRUCTURE AND ELECTRICAL. IS THAT DISCUSSION PART OF THIS PLANNING EFFORT? YES. YEAH. IT DOES HAPPEN. IT MAY BE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS THAT COME INTO PLAY AT THAT POINT IN TIME. IT COULD BE ENGINEERING, IT COULD BE THE RESILIENCY DEPARTMENT. IT COULD BE MICHELLE AND THOSE PLANNING MEETINGS. SO FOR GALVESTON, HAS THAT HAPPENED AT ALL FOR GALVESTON? SPECIFIC PLANNING AND DISCUSSIONS WITH INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADES THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN DONE OR PLANNED IN THE FUTURE. HAS THAT BEEN DONE YET? THEY'RE EXPRESSED TO THE CITY ON WHAT WE PLAN ON DOING, AND THEY'RE USUALLY RELATED AROUND THE STRUGGLING CIRCUITS. SO ONE OF THE ONES THAT WE IN PARTICULAR WAS MOODY, ONE MOODY ONE OVER THERE, KIND OF A 61ST STREET GOING WEST TOWARDS MOODY GARDENS, AND THEN KIND OF THAT AREA, THEY WERE SEEING A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF OUTAGES, WHETHER IT BE FROM AN ACTUAL STORM OR WHETHER IT BE AN INTERMITTENT OUTAGE. SO YES, IN WORKING WITH THE CITY, WE WERE REFLECTING, HEY, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION OVER HERE, REROUTING SOME SERVICES AND DOING A COUPLE OF THINGS LIKE THAT. BUT ON A GRAND SCALE, IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT SCOPE AND GRAND SCALE, NO, WE WE ARE LOOKING AT WHAT IS SPECIFIC TO THE AREA THAT IS CAUSING OUTAGES. SO IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, HEY, ARE WE LOOKING AT THAT KIND OF LIKE IF YOU WERE GOING TO DO A NEW ROADWAY AND THEN HOW ARE WE GOING TO ORGANIZE AROUND THAT? YOU KNOW, THAT'S USUALLY SILOED INTO DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS. SO LIKE WE WOULD GET WITH THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT OR SOMETHING TO THAT EFFECT, NOT NECESSARILY THE CITY AS AN ENTIRE ENTITY. [00:10:01] THERE'S NOT A SPECIFIC LIAISON FROM THE CITY FOR CENTERPOINT ENERGY. AND PUBLIC WORKS WILL WE AGREE WITH THAT? LIKE THERE'S NOT A LIAISON. WE TALK WITH CENTERPOINT. CHECK WITH OUR WITH OUR WITH OUR CITY ENGINEER, WITH PUBLIC WORKS TEAM TO CONFIRM THAT. I KNOW THERE IS SOME COORDINATION COLLABORATION, BUT I THINK IT'S MORE ON A PROJECT PROJECT LEVEL, NOT LIKE SOME STANDING MEETINGS OR. YEAH. OKAY. YEAH. AND SO USUALLY IT'S THE CITY ENGINEER WHO WE TALK TO. SO LIKE THE SOUTH SHORE PROJECT REROUTING ELECTRIC OVER THERE FOR THE SOUTH SHORE PUMP STATION. THAT WAS ALL WORKED THROUGH THE ENGINEER. BUT YEAH, IT'S USUALLY PROJECT BY PROJECT SPECIFICATIONS. DO OTHER CITIES OUR SIZE HAVE LIAISONS NORMALLY OR IS THAT. NO, IT'S USUALLY WHOEVER. SO IN SPECIFIC I TALKED TO THE CITY MANAGER OR I TALKED TO THE OEM OR I TALKED TO THE CITY ENGINEER, SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES WHERE IT IS PROJECT SPECIFIC OR LOCATION SPECIFIC, WHERE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE NEED TO REROUTE POWER LINES. IT'S NOT REALLY SO MUCH AS, HEY, YOU'RE GOING OUT THERE. LIKE WE HAVE FUNDAMENTAL ISSUES. WE'RE ABLE TO SEE THE OUTAGES ON OUR SIDE, SO WE KNOW WHERE WE NEED TO BE TAKING ACTION TO DO THESE RESILIENCY PROJECTS. BUT IN TERMS OF IF YOU WANTED TO GET AREA SPECIFIC, THAT WOULD BE A WHOLE DIFFERENT ROLE. OKAY. SO AND THIS IS, THAT'S KIND OF WHY I WAS LIKE, YOU KNOW, I MAY WANT TO RUSH THROUGH THIS TO GET TO THE Q&A PART BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE THOSE QUESTIONS ARE MORE GEARED TOWARDS SOMETHING ELSE VERSUS WHAT THE HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS IS FOR. SO JUST A HEADS UP, OBVIOUSLY WE'RE INSTALLING STRONGER POLES. Y'ALL HAVE SEEN A LOT OF THEM, THE FIBERGLASS POLES AND EVERYTHING ELSE LIKE THAT. THEY HAVE AN 80 YEAR LIFESPAN AMONGST OTHER THINGS, THAT ARE ALSO MORE WIND RESISTANT THAN WHAT WE'VE HAD BEFORE. AND WE ALSO ARE ENGINEERING TO A GRADE B CONSTRUCTION. WE MUST QUALIFY FOR 130 MILE PER HOUR WIND DOWN HERE TO BE ABLE TO CONSTRUCT OUR LINES, WHICH IS ALSO SOME OF THE CHANGES YOU MAY BE SEEING IN HOW THOSE LINES ARE CONSTRUCTED FOR THAT PURPOSE, TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO WITHSTAND THAT 130 MILE PER HOUR RATING. WE ARE ALSO INSTALLING SOME AUTOMATED DEVICES. THIS IS WITH THE IDEA THAT, YOU KNOW, IF SOMETHING WAS TO HAPPEN ON THE LINE, LIKE, SAY, A TREE LIMB FELL ON THE LINE, DIDN'T SNAP THE LINE, DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO IT, BUT IT FELL OUT OF THE POWER'S OUT. OR WE INSTALLED THESE AUTOMATED DEVICES TO RE ENGAGE THE ELECTRIC IF IT IS, AND THE TREE LIMB FELL OFF AND IT'S NO PROBLEM. THE THING WILL LIGHT BACK UP. PEOPLE HAVE THEIR POWER BACK. EVERYBODY'S HAPPY. IF THE TREE LIMB ACTUALLY TOOK IT DOWN, IT WILL TRY TO RELIGHT AND THEN IT'LL BLOW BACK OPEN. KIND OF LIKE YOUR FUSE. SO OTHER THINGS WE'RE DOING IS CLEARING HAZARDOUS VEGETATION AWAY FROM OUR LINES, ESPECIALLY IN EASEMENTS. AND THEN, LIKE I SAID, UNDERGROUNDING POWER LINES WHERE IT MAKES SENSE. ARE YOU ABLE TO SHARE LIKE WHAT THOSE WHAT THE DECISIONS ARE AS FAR AS WHAT POLES YOU'RE REPLACING? AND WHAT WE COULD SEE COMING IN GALVESTON ISLAND IN THE FUTURE THROUGH THIS PLAN AND THIS PLAN. LET ME RUN THROUGH THIS AND THEN I CAN BETTER ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS. BECAUSE WHAT YOU'RE ASKING FOR IS YOU'RE ASKING FOR WHAT WE DID IS WE HAD OSMOSE OR OTHER CONTRACTORS GO OUT THERE AND TEST POLES. SO WHAT THEY'VE DONE OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS IS THEY WENT OUT AND TESTED? ALMOST EVERY SINGLE POLL WITHIN OUR SERVICE TERRITORY TO IDENTIFY THOSE THAT WERE HAVING ISSUES, THOSE THAT ARE ROTTEN ON THE INSIDE THAT YOU CAN'T SEE FROM THE OUTSIDE. THAT'S WHY YOU SEE A LOT OF THE METAL SHEATHING, OR YOU SEE A POLE BEING REPLACED OR SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES. THAT WAS THE INITIAL CONTACT FOR THINGS THAT WE WERE GOING TO CHANGE AND THINGS THAT WE HAVE BEEN CHANGING THROUGHOUT THE YEARS. IT IS JUST WE ARE DOING A MAD DASH TO GET THOSE CHANGED OUT BECAUSE WE WANT THEM TO BE REINFORCED. SHOULD WE HAVE ANOTHER IMPACT FROM A STORM? SURE. SO YOU'RE PLANNING ON REPLACING ALL THE CREOSOTE POLES WITH THE FIBERGLASS? NOT ALL OF THEM. NOT ALL OF THEM. BECAUSE WE HAVE SOME IN THE EAST END THAT, I MEAN, THEY'RE LEANING LIKE THIS. AND TREES ARE HOLDING THEM UP IN OUR ALLEY. ALMOST. OKAY. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIFIC LOCATION FOR THOSE? YEAH. 14 FOR THOSE SPECIFIC ISSUES, WE CAN SEND THEM TO TERESA PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED THE TREE CLEARING. I KNOW THAT THIS GROUP HAD SOME ISSUES ABOUT HOW THE TREES ARE TREATED. SO IF THAT'S GOING TO BE A PART OF THE Q&A, THEN I'LL JUST STOP HERE. [00:15:03] BUT I KNOW THIS GROUP IN PARTICULAR HAD SOME CONCERNS ABOUT TREE MITIGATION, THE CUTTING OF THE TREES, THE TOP, THE TOP OF THE TREE OR WHATEVER. OKAY. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT? I MEAN, AND I WOULDN'T JUST SPEAK SINCE I BROUGHT IT UP, I FEEL LIKE I'LL SET THE SCENE FOR KIND OF WHY WE'RE HERE AND LIKE, WHAT, WHERE I FORESEE THIS GOING, YOU KNOW, I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE STUFF THAT THEY'RE DOING, BUT WE WANT TO LEARN MORE KIND OF WHAT'S GOING ON REALLY AND SEE, BECAUSE GALVESTON IS, IS A VERY UNIQUE CITY. I MEAN, WE'RE SITTING HERE BALANCING THE HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE OF OUR CITY BECOMING RESILIENT, BEING THAT SPEAR OF THE STORM BRUNT, YOU KNOW, COMING IN FROM THE GULF OR RIGHT HERE, LITTLE BARRIER ISLAND. SO WE RECOGNIZE ALL THE THINGS WE FLOOD. YOU KNOW, WE HOURS OUT. I MEAN, MY POWER IS OUT FOR 9 DAYS. I HAVE POLES ON ALL SIDES. ALL 3 SIDES. SO THE ALLEY, THE SIDE AND THE FRONT IS STILL OUT FOR 9 DAYS. SO, YOU KNOW, WE APPRECIATE ALL THE INVESTMENTS GOING ON, BUT WE REALLY WANT TO EXPLORE. AND I WANT THE CITY OR SEE IF THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE CITY. Y'ALL. YOU KNOW OTHER PEOPLE IN CITY RIGHT OF WAYS AND ALL STAKEHOLDERS. SEE IF WE CAN COLLABORATE TO BRING RESILIENCY AND ALSO ALL THE OTHER INITIATIVES THAT WE AS A CITY NEED TO BE LOOKING AT, WHETHER IT'S HISTORIC PRESERVATION RESILIENCY ACROSS DIFFERENT SPECTRUMS, NOT JUST ELECTRICAL GRIDS. SO THAT'S KIND OF WHAT IT IS. I JUST WANT THIS IS REALLY, I APPRECIATE Y'ALL SPENDING THE TIME TO COME OUT HERE AND JUST SO. AND 2, BECAUSE YOU ASKED THIS QUESTION AT THE OTHER MEETING, CORRECT? YEAH. I CAME TO THE EAST END HISTORIC DISTRICT. SO ASSOCIATION, ONE OF THE PROBLEMS THAT WE HAVE HERE ON THE ISLAND IS THE FACT OF THE WAY THAT YOUR ACTUAL PROPERTY SIT. SO I CAN GO DOWN ONE STREET AND THE FRONT SIDE OF THE PROPERTY THAT IS ROAD FACING WILL BE ONE PROPERTY, AND THEN THEY WILL SPLIT THE PROPERTY IN THE BACK HALF. GOING TOWARDS THE ALLEYWAY IS NOW ANOTHER SEPARATE PROPERTY. I'VE GOT TO BE ABLE TO SERVE BOTH OF THOSE PROPERTIES WITHOUT TRESPASSING ONE OR THE OTHER. SO THAT'S A LOT OF TIMES WHY YOU SEE YOU GOT POLES ON THE ROAD, YOU GOT POLES IN THE ALLEYWAY. AND IT'S LIKE, OKAY, THAT SEEMS LIKE A LOT. THAT SEEMS OBSESSIVE. BUT THE REASON IS, IS BECAUSE UNLESS YOU'RE WILLING TO GIVE ME AN EASEMENT ON THE FRONT SIDE TO GO TO YOUR NEIGHBOR, WHICH I WOULD NEED TEN FEET OF SPACE, WHICH MOST OF THE TIME YOU DON'T HAVE THAT TO GRANT. THAT'S WHY WE END UP GOING AROUND THE BACK. NOW, THERE ARE OTHER THINGS LIKE IF YOU WANTED TO TALK ABOUT UNDERGROUNDING. SO SAY FOR INSTANCE, WE WERE TO PUT A POLE IN ONE PLACE AND THEN WE RAN SECONDARY PEDESTALS OVER TO THE OTHER. IT DOESN'T REALLY SAVE YOU ANYTHING, ONLY BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT I'VE GOT TO RUN PRIMARY TO THE NEXT POLE AND THE NEXT POLE. NOW THERE'S ALSO SECONDARY RUNNING ACROSS THE STREET TO FEED THE NEIGHBORS ON THE FRONT SIDE. SO YOU MAY HAVE A POLE LINE RUNNING DOWN THE FRONT SIDE OF YOUR HOUSES, AND THEN YOU SEE A POLE GOING ACROSS THE STREET. WELL, THE REASON FOR THAT PURPOSE IS BECAUSE OF THE FACT I HAVE TO SERVE THE NEIGHBORS ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE FRONT, BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE SAME ISSUE IN THE BACK. NOW, IT'S NOT ALWAYS THE CASE ON EVERY SINGLE LOT, BUT A LOT OF TIMES WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF THE ZONING WHERE IT'S, HEY, THEY'VE NOW CHANGED THIS LOT AND NOW WE HAVE TO FIND THE DIMENSIONS OF HOW TO BE ABLE TO GET THERE AND ACCESS IT. SO, AND I KNOW WE'RE KIND OF UNIQUE IN THAT WAY WHERE LOTS HAVE BEEN CHIPPED AWAY AND STUFF, BUT WE DO HAVE A LOT OF ALLEYS. AND SO THAT'S WHERE I JUST HAVING THE DISCUSSION BEFORE, YOU KNOW, IN THIS PLANNING AND SPENDING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS HERE THAT I THINK IS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALL PAYING FOR IT. AS A GROUP AND A COLLECTIVE. BUT, YOU KNOW, BEFORE WE GO AND JUST REPLACE THE POLES THAT ARE BAD WAS IN THE PLANNING EFFORTS, WAS THEIR CONSIDERATION TO STREAMLINING THE GRID SYSTEM. BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN AROUND FOR SINCE ELECTRICITY WAS HERE, THERE WAS LIKE MUCH MORE HOUSES THAN A LOT OF THE STATE OF TEXAS. AND SO WE, YOU KNOW, HAVE THE HISTORIC NATURE THAT BRINGS SOME QUIRKS, BUT ALSO THIS OPPORTUNITY HERE TO THINK ABOUT BEFORE WE REPLACE THE POLE. HAVE WE THOUGHT ABOUT STREAMLINING AND LOOKING AT SPECIFIC STREETS AND BLOCKS THAT WE COULD, YOU KNOW, REMOVE ELECTRIC GRIDS COMPLETELY FROM THE RIGHT OF WAY? AND NOW WE KNOW, YOU KNOW, WE BUILT THAT STUFF IN 1940. AND NOW, ALL RIGHT, NOW WE KNOW WE HAVE NEW TECHNOLOGY. COULD WE ACCESS THESE HOUSES WITHOUT HAVING SO MANY ELECTRICAL POLES IN OUR CITY RIGHT OF WAY. WELL, AND THE OTHER THING, THE OTHER ISSUE THAT YOU HAVE IS ALSO HOW MUCH POWER IS NEEDED. SO I CAN'T OVERLOAD ONE CIRCUIT TO TRY TO STREAMLINE IT. I GET WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I WHEN WE DO NEW CONSTRUCTION OF ANY KIND, LIKE, SAY SOMEONE'S BUILDING A NEW HOUSE AND WE'RE LOOKING AT THE OLD INFRASTRUCTURE THAT'S OUT THERE, IF IT WAS A COUPLE OF SECONDARY POLES AND IT'S LIKE, HEY, WE NO LONGER NEED THAT. WE CAN KNOCK OUT THOSE SECONDARY POLES. I CAN GO AND PLACE A PRIMARY POLE OR SOMETHING TO THAT EXTENT. YES, WE DO TAKE THAT ALL INTO CONSIDERATION. THE BIGGEST HICCUP HAPPENS TO BE PROPERTY RIGHTS. [00:20:03] CAN I PLACE A POLE WHERE I WOULD LIKE TO PLACE A POLE, TO BE ABLE TO SERVE AS MANY CUSTOMERS AS POSSIBLE WITHOUT INTERFERING WITH SOMEBODY ELSE'S PROPERTY? YEAH. AND THAT IS THE TRADITIONAL ISSUE WE'VE HAD HERE ON THE ISLAND BEFORE. WELL, AND THAT'S WHERE THE PLANNING IS SUCH A VITAL, IMPORTANT PART OF ALL THESE PROCESSES, WHETHER, YOU KNOW, WE'RE REACTIVE AFTER A HURRICANE, GETTING READY FOR THE NEXT HURRICANE AND STRESSING ABOUT THAT. BUT YOU KNOW, I WANT TO TALK WITHIN THE CITY ON IF THERE'S AN APPETITE FOR RESILIENCY PLAN FOR THE CITY AND AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO COLLABORATE FOR A LONG TERM PLAN FOR, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, RESILIENCY ACROSS DIFFERENT VARIABLES AND SPECTRUMS. AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IF, YOU KNOW, CENTER POINT WOULD COME ALONG WITH US IN THAT AND PARTICIPATE IN THOSE KIND OF EFFORTS. YEAH, WE'LL, WE'LL PARTICIPATE, WE'LL PROVIDE ANY KIND OF SCENARIO THEY WOULD LIKE US TO RUN THROUGH. IT MAY END UP BEING A CUSTOMER PAY JOB WHERE WE TELL THEM, HEY, THIS IS WHAT YOU WOULD, YOU WOULD HAVE TO, THIS WOULD BE THE CUSTOMER AID AND CONTRIBUTION FOR A JOB OF THAT SCOPE. BUT IT ALSO DEPENDS ON WHAT WE CAN AND CAN'T DO. AND Y'ALL DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS, BUT MY TEAM DOES. YEAH. RIGHT. SO WE WOULD BE ABLE TO GO THROUGH THOSE SCENARIOS WITH THEM IF A CITY HAD A DESIRE FOR IT, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY SAY, HEY, WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS ZONE. WHAT CAN BE DONE WITH THE POLES? THE OTHER PART IS WE ALSO HAVE TO GET ALL THE OTHER UTILITIES ON BOARD. SO PROMS AND TELEPHONE HAVE TO BE ON BOARD WITH THAT SHIFT AS WELL. YEAH. AND WHAT IS THAT INTERACTION WITH THE, THE COMMS AND THE POLES THAT YOU ALL MANAGE AND THEN THEY TIE TO IT. YOU KNOW ONE THING WE SEE BECAUSE ALSO EVEN IF IT'S ONE HOUSE ON THE LOT, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, STILL THERE AND THERE'S NOT A BACK HOUSE INSIDE HOUSES AND ALL THAT. THEY'RE BROKEN INTO LIKE 6 DIFFERENT, 10 DIFFERENT APARTMENT UNITS. AND THERE'S, YOU KNOW, EVERY PERSON THAT'S MOVED IN THERE EVERY YEAR HAS GOT A NEW INTERNET, WHETHER IT'S XFINITY NOW, AT&T, LIKE ALL THE COMCAST. AND THERE'S ALL THESE LINES THAT, YOU KNOW, I KNOW WHEN I BOUGHT MY HOUSE, THERE WAS I THINK 8 DIFFERENT COMMS LINE GOING TO THE HOUSE I KNOW WEREN'T EVEN BEING USED ANYMORE. SO I, YOU KNOW, TOOK THEM OFF MY HOUSE, THEY WERE TAKEN OFF SIDING AND STUFF. AND NOW I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THE LINES. NOW THEY'RE JUST DANGLING. AND I SEE THAT AS A IT'S VERY MESSY AND I DON'T. I DOUBT 50% OF THEM ARE EVEN ACTIVE AT THIS POINT. AND I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S A COORDINATION BETWEEN YOU AND THE COMMS TEAMS ON CLEANING THOSE UP OR WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT OR CONTACT. WE CAN WE CAN MAKE. YEAH. SO IF YOU INFORM US OF LOCATIONS LIKE THAT, WE DO HAVE A JOINT USE DEPARTMENT THAT WILL CONTACT THEM AND SAY, HEY, YOU'VE GOT THESE LINES THAT NEED TO BE REMOVED OR SOMETHING TO THAT EFFECT, BUT WE CAN ONLY INFORM THEM OF IT. IT DOESN'T MEAN THEY'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO ACT ON IT. YEAH. SO IT YEAH, IT'S A CRAZY TRYING TO GET STUFF DONE THAT WAS CUT DOWN BY TREE TRIMMERS. AND NOTHING IS DONE WITH THE AT&T LINE. YEAH. YEAH. SO THEN IT WOULD BE YOU'D HAVE TO CONTACT AT&T. AND THEN I WOULD SAY TO WORK THROUGH WHOMEVER YOUR YOUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBER IS TO CONTACT THEM AND SAY, HEY, DO YOU HAVE ANYONE AT AT&T THAT CAN HELP ME OUT? WELL, THAT'S WHERE SOMETHING LIKE THIS IS GOING TO TAKE ALL OF US COMING TO THE TABLE, NOT JUST THIS GROUP. IT'S LIKE CITY STAFF. CITY COUNCIL. MAYOR. ALL THAT STUFF. SO I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. I LOVE ALL THE QUESTIONS AND SORRY FOR ALL THE. BUT IT'S REALLY JUST COMING FROM A PLACE OF. WHAT CAN WE DO? CAN WE CLEAN UP OUR ELECTRICAL GRIDS AND JUST CITY RIGHT OF WAYS. YEAH. AND STUFF. SO ANYWAY, CONTINUE. YES, MA'AM. DO YOU KNOW OF ANY PROGRAMS, EVEN A PROGRAM WHERE A CITY OR PARISH, WHATEVER COULD GET A GRANT FOR, LET'S SAY A CLEANUP OF THESE ABANDONED LINES. DO YOU KNOW OF ANY SITUATION THAT THAT'S OCCURRED? I DON'T KNOW OF ONE FOR THAT. YOU CAN ASK OUR FULL ATTACHMENTS GROUP IF THERE'S ANYTHING AVAILABLE, BUT THEY MAY NOT KNOW EITHER BECAUSE THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT THEY DO REGULARLY. RIGHT. BUT WE CERTAINLY ASK THEM IF THEY'VE HEARD OF ANYTHING BECAUSE THAT MAY BE SOMETHING LIKE WHAT I'M HEARING IS THAT WE COULD GET A ZONE HERE CLEANED UP. MAYBE WE COULD TRY AND GET A, HEY, IT'S TIME TO GET YOUR LINES CLEANED UP THAT YOU'RE NOT USING. WE HAVE THIS ABILITY FOR THE NEXT 30 DAYS OR 45 DAYS. LET US KNOW AND WE'LL COME IN AND WE'LL REMOVE CAP OR WHATEVER. SO IT DEFINITELY SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING THAT REQUIRES A LOT OF ENTITIES AND THEIR INVOLVEMENT AND THEIR, AND THE, AND THE QUESTION IS, DOES THAT ENTITY EVEN EXIST ANYMORE? SO THAT'S THE OTHER FALLACY. PART OF IT IS I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES I, I WAS WORKING DOWNTOWN HOUSTON, NOT THIS LOCATION, BUT THE ACTUAL LINES WERE OWNED BY A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ENTITY OTHER THAN AT&T, COMCAST OR ANYTHING. AND AT&T AND COMCAST REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. SO AS MUCH AS I WISH I COULD SAY I KNOW EXACTLY WHO IT IS EACH AND EVERY TIME, SOME OF THOSE ENTITIES DON'T EVEN EXIST ANYMORE. [00:25:06] THEY WERE SOUTHWESTERN BELL OR SOMETHING. YEAH. I MEAN, DEPENDING ON HOW THINGS GO, THEY MAY END UP GETTING CUT DOWN WHEN WE REPLACE POLES. IT'S JUST IT DEPENDS ON WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE AREA AT THE TIME. OKAY. ATTORNEY FAIRWEATHER WITH COMMISSIONER CHASTAIN GAVE THE PRESENTATION, YOU USED A TERM THAT DESCRIBES CENTERPOINTS AUTHORITY WITH THE CITY THAT GOES BACK MULTIPLE DECADES. IT WAS A 2 WORD TERM. I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT YOU CALLED IT. I MEAN, THERE'S A FRANCHISE AGREEMENT. FRANCHISE AGREEMENT. OKAY. IT GOES BACK DECADES. THAT WAS IT. OKAY. SO AND OBVIOUSLY EVERYBODY KEYS ON THE 3.2 BILLION. THERE'S A LOT THAT GOES INTO THAT 3.2 BILLION. IT IS NOT JUST LIMITED TO DISTRIBUTION. DISTRIBUTION WILL SEE A GOOD PORTION OF IT. ABOUT 3.2 BILLION ALSO HAS TO DO WITH, YOU KNOW, TRANSMISSION. IT ALSO HAS TO DO WITH TRANSMISSION UNDERGROUND. SO I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL ARE AWARE THERE IS A TRANSMISSION CIRCUIT THAT DOES GO FROM THE TIKI ISLANDS HUB ALL THE WAY OUT TO STEWART'S HUB, WHICH IS OVER OFF OF 11 MILE ROAD, I THINK. OR 13 MILE ROAD. I CAN'T REMEMBER WHICH ONE. BUT THAT ONE HAD TO BE COMPLETELY REDONE. THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT GO INTO THIS 3.2 BILLION. BUT THE OVERALL EFFORT IS BECAUSE WE ARE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THE LIGHTS STAY ON FOR AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE, REGARDLESS OF WHAT WEATHER STORM COMES OUR WAY. SO RESILIENCY IMPROVEMENTS BY 2029. 130,000 STRONGER DISTRIBUTION POLES. LIKE I SAID, Y'ALL SEEN THEM BEFORE. I WILL YOU ASKED THE QUESTION ABOUT WILL ALL THE POLES BE CHANGED OUT TO FIBERGLASS? THE ANSWER IS NO, BUT IT'S BECAUSE IT IS STRATEGIC WHERE THEY ARE BEING PLACED. SO IT'S MOST OF THEM ARE GOING TO BE ON A CIRCUIT, WHICH MEANS THAT IT'S THE BACKBONE OF THE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM THAT GETS TO THE HOUSES, OR IT'S GOING TO HAVE SOME KIND OF INTEGRAL PART THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE, LIKE A SWITCH OR REGULATOR BANK OR SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES. THERE'S SPECIFIC POLLS THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO REPLACE TO BE DONE. WHEN I DO ANY KIND OF ELECTRICAL INFRASTRUCTURE DOWN HERE FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION, IT IS A CIRCUIT POLL. I DO ANYTHING TO IT. IT WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED WITH A FIBERGLASS POLE OR WHAT I CALL A H2 POLE, WHICH IS BASICALLY THE SAME DENSITY POLE ON A WOOD SIDE. AND THAT IS SO THAT WE CAN MATCH THAT 130 MILE PER HOUR WINDS. SO A LOT OF THEM YOU WILL SEE, BUT FROM THE RESILIENCY SIDE, THEY ARE SPECIFICALLY GOING AFTER THOSE THAT ARE ROTTEN POLES OR INTEGRAL PARTS WHERE THEY WANT TO KEEP SECURE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. 2200 PLUS STRONGER TRANSMISSION TOWERS. I KNOW YOU ALL SAW THE INFORMATION FROM DERECHO. IT REALLY DIDN'T HIT DOWN HERE, BUT YOU SAW THE TRANSMISSION TOWERS THAT WERE LAID OVER ON THE SIDE. OBVIOUSLY, WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING SOME WORK TO REPLACE A LOT OF THOSE. THERE IS A ROUGHLY RIGHT NOW WE'RE LOOKING AT ABOUT $1 BILLION OF INFRASTRUCTURE JUST TO GET TO GALVESTON ISLAND FROM BASICALLY HOUSTON ITSELF OF UPGRADES THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO DO. AND THEN 99% OF OUR SUBSTATIONS ARE GOING TO BE RAISED ABOVE THE 500 YEAR FLOODPLAIN. HURRICANE HARVEY SHOWED US THAT, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANT TO BE IMPACTED BY THAT EVER AGAIN. SO ON THE UNDERGROUNDING PORTION, BECAUSE I GET A LOT OF QUESTIONS FROM GALVESTON CITIZENS REGARDING UNDERGROUNDING, WHY CAN'T WE DO THAT AND UNDERSTAND COSTS AND SOME OF THE THINGS YOU'VE ALREADY MENTIONED, BUT UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS DOES CENTERPOINT CONSIDER UNDERGROUNDING INFRASTRUCTURE TO BE FEASIBLE OR STRATEGICALLY BENEFICIAL? AND THEN HOW DOES CENTERPOINT EVALUATE THE LONG TERM LIFE CYCLE COSTS OF UNDERGROUNDING VERSUS OVERHEAD POLES, LIKE THE LIFE CYCLE COSTS THERE? DO YOU ALL LOOK AT THAT? WE DO LOOK AT THAT. I WILL TELL YOU RIGHT NOW ON GALVESTON ISLAND, I WOULD NOT DO UNDERGROUND. WE WILL DO IT STRATEGICALLY AS FAR AS WE WILL DO OVERHEAD PRIMARY WITH OVERHEAD TRANSFORMERS AND DROP TO A SECONDARY PEDESTAL. BUT IF YOU DECIDE TO DO UNDERGROUND WITH THE ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION FOR THE PRIMARY SIDE OF IT, THE WAY THAT THE ISLAND SHIFTS AND EVERYTHING ELSE THAT COMES INTO IMPACT, WE WOULD BASICALLY NEED TO TAKE ABOUT 20 FOOT OF THE SPACE IN FRONT OF YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER TO RUN THE ELECTRIC DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM. THEN I NEED LOCATIONS FOR TRANSFORMERS. I NEED EVERYTHING ELSE LIKE THAT. AND WITH THE HISTORICAL LINES THAT ARE RUN UNDER GALVESTON, YOU'RE ASKING FOR A LOT OF IMPACTS THAT YOU WEREN'T GOING TO FORESEE. SO SAY, FOR INSTANCE, WE DID A JOB OVER HERE FOR I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THE NAME OF THE RETIREMENT HOME IS, RIGHT ON THE SEAWALL WHERE WE RAN INTO A KEROSENE LINE, JUST PLACING A POLE. THERE'S A LOT OF UNDERGROUND INFRASTRUCTURE ON THE ISLAND ITSELF, ESPECIALLY IN THE DOWNTOWN CORRIDOR THAT IS NOT ON ANY MAP THAT CANNOT BE DRAWN OUT. I DON'T THINK THE CITY OF GALVESTON KNOWS WHERE ALL THESE LINES RUN. [00:30:04] YOU FIND THEM EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE. YEAH. WHEN YOU ALL RUN WATER. EVERYTHING ELSE LIKE THAT. NOT ONLY THAT, BUT WE HAVE TO STAY AWAY FROM WATER. WE GOT TO STAY AWAY FROM WATER, NATURAL GAS AND EVERYTHING ELSE THAT'S UNDER UNDERGROUND AS WELL. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WHEN WE'RE LOOKING TO REESTABLISH GETTING SERVICE BACK ON. HURRICANE IKE PROVED COMING FROM THE BACKSIDE IS SOMETHING WE NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT BEFORE. IF WE WOULD HAVE HAD UNDERGROUND OVER IN THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS ON THE BACKSIDE, WE WOULD BE REPLACING THE ENTIRE INFRASTRUCTURE BECAUSE SALT WATER WOULD HAVE DEFINITELY GOT INTO THE TRANSFORMER. NOW YOU'RE INTO THE UNDERGROUND NETWORK, AND NOW ALL OF IT HAS TO BE PULLED UP AND REPLACED. SO I WAS TRYING TO DO SOME RESEARCH ON OTHER CITIES, COASTAL CITIES THAT HAVE LOOKED AT THIS KIND OF THINGS AND DEVELOPED, YOU KNOW, RESILIENCY PLANS SPECIFIC TO THEIR CITY. AND, YOU KNOW, CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA, KEY WEST, FLORIDA, SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, YOU KNOW, SAINT AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA YOU KNOW, CHARLESTON, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE DOING A LOT OF THESE BALANCING HISTORIC INFRASTRUCTURE AND RESILIENCY TO HAS, HAS EVER TAKEN THE TIME TO LOOK AT WHAT OTHER CITIES HAVE DONE AND BEEN ABLE TO DO? OR DO Y'ALL FEEL LIKE Y'ALL KIND OF KNOW YOUR LIMITS AT THIS POINT? AS FAR AS, YEAH, WE WORK WITH ENTERGY, WE TRY TO DISCOVER ANY OPPORTUNITY WE POSSIBLY HAVE OF DOING ANYTHING TO ACTUALLY MAKE THE GRID RESILIENT DOWN HERE, BECAUSE AS PEOPLE WILL TELL YOU THAT LIVE ON THE ISLAND, GLASS WILL RUST DOWN HERE. SO ANYTHING THAT'S ABOVE GROUND OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT IS GOING TO RUST AT ANY POINT IN TIME. SO THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE TALK ABOUT WITH EACH AND EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. AND WE ALSO TALK ABOUT FLOODING SITUATIONS OR ANYTHING ALONG THOSE LINES. SO SPECIFIC TO ENTERGY WORKING IN NEW ORLEANS. YOU KNOW, NEW ORLEANS IS RIGHT THERE NEXT TO THE GULF AS WELL. HOW ARE THEY DOING IT? WHAT ARE THEY DOING? AND THEY HONESTLY DO THE SAME THING WE DO WHERE THEY HAVE ABOVE GROUND TRANSFORMERS ON A POLE THAT DROP DOWN TO A SECONDARY PEDESTAL BECAUSE I CAN REPLACE THE SECONDARY PEDESTAL A LOT EASIER THAN I CAN REPLACING THE ENTIRE PRIMARY GOING BACK TO THE SUBSTATION. WE ALSO HAVE NEW LEADERSHIP FROM FMLP, FOR EXAMPLE, AND FROM OTHER ENTITIES THAT ARE ON OUR BOARD AND IN OUR COMPANY NOW. AND THEY'RE BRINGING SOME OF THOSE THOUGHTS AND IDEAS WITH THEM. AND SO FAR, THEY'RE LIKE, WELL, YOU KNOW, SO FAR THEY'RE HAPPY WITH WHAT WE'VE DONE THUS FAR, BUT THERE'S ALWAYS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT, RIGHT? BUT YES, WE'RE DEFINITELY HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS. WE'RE ALSO PART OF DIFFERENT TRADE ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE THE OTHER ENERGY COMPANIES IN THEM. AND WE'RE CONSTANTLY TALKING ABOUT LEGISLATION TOGETHER ABOUT RESILIENCY PROJECTS, YOU KNOW, THE NEW INNOVATIONS THAT ARE COMING IN. SO WE'RE IN THE ROOM WITH ALL OF THOSE ENTITIES AS WELL. HAVE THEY BEEN TO GALVESTON, THOSE NEW BOARD MEMBERS? I BELIEVE YES. A COUPLE OF THEM, YEAH. YEAH. OH, BOTH OF THEM THAT ARE OVER THE ELECTRIC DISTRIBUTION. SO DID THEY MEET WITH THE CITY OR ANYTHING. HAVE WE TALKED? YES, JOHN. ACTUALLY, OUR VP ACTUALLY MET WITH THE EXITING MAYOR, CRAIG. OKAY. AND THEN THE NEW MAYOR, JOHN, AT THE SAME TIME TO DISCUSS EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON IN KEMAH, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY THERE'S GROWTH DOWN HERE AS WELL THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO SERVE AS WELL. AND THEN ALSO HOW THE RESILIENCY IS GOING TO BACK UP REAL QUICK, BECAUSE I KNOW AT LEAST IN NEW ORLEANS, THE QUARTER IS MOSTLY UNDERGROUND. SO I'M CONFUSED. SO WHY CAN'T WE DO SOMETHING SIMILAR HERE. THEY'RE AN OLDER CITY THAN WE ARE. YEAH. EVEN NARROWER. THEY DON'T HAVE ALLEYS LIKE WE HAVE. YEP. NOW YOU HAVE TO GET INTO THE ISSUE OF WHO'S GOING TO GRANT ME THE RIGHTS TO GO UNDERGROUND, AND THEN WHO'S GOING TO PAY FOR IT? SO 3 PHASE MAJOR UNDERGROUND REQUIRES 20 FOOT OF EASEMENT SPACE. AND THEN THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE THEIR ACTUAL INFRASTRUCTURE. SO SWITCH GEARS OR ANYTHING ELSE LIKE THAT. SO SWITCH GEAR IS GOING TO BE ABOVE GROUND. IT TAKES UP ROUGHLY A 13 BY 6 AREA. SO YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO LOCATE THAT WHERE IT'S GOING TO BE. SO. FUNNY THING IS WE DO HAVE UNDERGROUND CIRCUITS HERE ON THE ISLAND. THEY ARE DIRECT CIRCUITS THOUGH. SO THEY'RE DIRECT CIRCUITS GOING TOWARDS UTM FROM 2 DIFFERENT SUBSTATIONS. BUT THAT'S BECAUSE THEY COME UP DIRECTLY INTO THEIR VAULT ROOM. THEY DON'T HAVE EXPOSURE AND THERE'S NO OTHER CUSTOMERS ON THERE. SO IS IT POSSIBLE? YES. BUT I WILL SAY THIS, IF YOU'RE TRYING TO SAVE THE TREES, IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. UNDERGROUND WILL REQUIRE YOU TO RIP THE TREES OUT BECAUSE THEY DON'T WANT ROOTS GETTING INTO THAT SYSTEM AS WELL. NOW YOU HAVE ELECTRIC CONTACTING ROOTS WHICH CONTACTS THE TREE. THEN YOU HAVE ANOTHER ISSUE AND THE ALLEYS WOULDN'T HAVE ENOUGH SPACE TO DO THAT. NOT WITH THE WAY. AND SO WE HAVE MORE SPACE THAN NEW ORLEANS DOWNTOWN. YEAH. SO. YOU HOW DO I PHRASE THIS SAME THING WHEN I REACH MY PROPERTY, MY REACH, THEY'RE ALL MOSTLY UNDERGROUND AS WELL. YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE TREES EVERYWHERE. THERE ARE NARROW ROADS AS WE ARE. [00:35:01] SO I MEAN, WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT IT. BUT AT THE SAME TIME IT'S ALSO WHO'S GOING TO BEAR THAT COST. WELL THAT'S RIGHT I THINK. LET'S LET'S TALK FEASIBILITY AND THEN COST. COST IS OBVIOUSLY A BIG PART OF IT. SO HAVING THAT DISCUSSION IT'S DEFINITELY A BIG ITEM TO MAKE SURE IS PART OF IT. AND THEN SHE STEPPED OUT. IS ANYBODY ELSE FAMILIAR WITH THE HISTORICAL DOWNTOWN STREETS? SURE. YEAH. WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING TO THOSE. WE CAN'T TOUCH THOSE. THAT IS, WITHOUT TEARING THEM UP. AND I THINK THAT'S THERE ARE ONLY A FEW STREETS THAT HAVE LIKE A HISTORIC SURFACE MATERIAL, THE BRICK MATERIAL. JUST A FEW. SO THERE'S A 22ND STREET, MAYBE SOME PARTS OF 24TH STREET. THE REST OF THE DOWNTOWN IS MOSTLY JUST REGULAR BLACKTOP. OKAY. SO THERE USED TO BE MORE BECAUSE I REMEMBER WE TALKED ABOUT THIS WHEN I WAS DOWN HERE IN 2008. THERE USED TO BE MORE BECAUSE IT WAS LIKE, HEY, WE CAN'T GO THERE BECAUSE WE CAN'T TOUCH WHAT IS ACTUALLY ON THE GROUND. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE. YEAH. BUT YES, THERE IS ALWAYS AN OPPORTUNITY TO TALK. THERE IS ALWAYS AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES. THERE ARE. IT'S JUST WHAT IS ACTUALLY AVAILABLE, WHAT LAND RIGHTS ARE AVAILABLE. AND THEN WHAT IS THE ACTUAL COST OF IT? HOW MUCH WOULD CENTREPOINT BE WILLING TO BEAR? AND THEN HOW MUCH ARE THE HOW ARE THE CITIZENS WILLING TO BEAR? BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH WE MAY TAKE OUR STUFF UNDERGROUND, THAT ALSO MEANS THE HOMEOWNER THEMSELVES HAVE TO TAKE IT UNDERGROUND. YEAH. JUMP AROUND. SO I HAVE A QUESTION WITH THE CITY TOO. SO I KNOW EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE WE DO A MAJOR THOROUGHFARE OR REDO, LET'S SAY 20, I THINK 23RD STREET, 17TH STREET, ALL THAT. DO YOU ALL TALK TO THEM ABOUT THE SAME TIME, BEARING THEIR LINES WHEN YOU RIP UP THE ENTIRE STREET AND REDO THE WATER LINES AND GAS LINES? I DON'T KNOW. THAT WOULD BE ANOTHER QUESTION. THAT'D BE A GOOD TIME. AGAIN, GET THIS LADIES ON OR SOMEBODY SEEKING DO EVERYTHING AT ONCE. AT LEAST CONSIDER IT. AND SO IF WE WANTED TO COLLABORATE ON THAT BETWEEN CENTERPOINT AND ANY OTHER STAKEHOLDERS, YOU KNOW, THE COMMS LINES THAT ARE ON YOUR POLES, HAVE YOU ALL DONE THAT BEFORE WITH CITIES? AND WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE FOR YOU ALL? AND THEN WE CAN OBVIOUSLY TALK WITH THE CITY AND SEE IF THAT'S. YEAH, IT'S ALWAYS ON A, SO LIKE WHEN I WAS TALKING ABOUT, WE DISCUSSED WITH THE ENGINEER A LOT. IT IS ALWAYS PROJECT BASED. SO EITHER THE CITY IS DOING SOME KIND OF UPGRADE OR SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES, OR MAYBE THE RIGHT OF WAY IS CHANGING, THEN YES, WE WOULD WORK DIRECTLY WITH THE CITY ON WHATEVER THAT SCOPE OF THAT PROJECT IS AND GO FROM THERE. IF THEY WANTED TO TARGET A SPECIFIC AREA AND SAY, HEY, WHAT OPPORTUNITY DO WE HAVE HERE? WE COULD DISCUSS WHAT OPPORTUNITIES ARE AVAILABLE AND THEN SEE WHAT THEY HOW THEY WOULD LIKE TO GO. 3 MAJOR UNDERGROUND. I CAN TELL YOU ON THE ISLAND JUST BECAUSE I DID. WE DID A RECENT PROJECT ON HOW MUCH IT MIGHT BE. IT'S ROUGHLY ABOUT $1,300 A FOOT. JUST TO GIVE YOU A SCOPE OF HOW MUCH IT ACTUALLY COSTS, THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE THE LIKE SWITCH GEARS OR ANYTHING ELSE LIKE THAT. THAT MAY FACTOR IN THE COST AS WELL, BUT IT JUST DEPENDS ON WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO, WHERE WE'RE LOOKING TO GO AND HOW IT'S GOING TO MOVE. OR IF YOU NOTICE IN THE ALLEYWAYS, SPECIFICALLY AROUND THE STRAND AREA, THOSE ACTUALLY UTILIZE A LOT OF MAJOR UNDERGROUND, BUT IT'S ACTUALLY AERIAL. IT'S UP ON THOSE, AS I CALL THEM, STILT STRUCTURES. THEY HAVE LOOKED TO TRY TO UNDERGROUND IN THAT AREA. WHEN YOU GO TO CALL IN 811 IN THOSE SPECIFIC AREAS, YOU'VE GOT WATER, GAS, ALL SORTS OF INFRASTRUCTURE UNDER THERE. THAT MAKES IT REALLY DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER IN THAT AREA, NOT TO SPEAK FOR EVERYBODY. I THINK NO ONE HERE IS TOO CONCERNED ABOUT POWER LINES IN THE ALLEYWAY. IDEALLY, I THINK OUR BIG THING IS TO GET AS MUCH IN THE ALLEYWAY AS POSSIBLE AND LEAVE TO THE FRONT OF THE RESIDENTIAL HOUSES, NEIGHBORHOODS MORE OPEN SO YOU COULD HAVE TREE GROWTH, ETC.. AND I KNOW THAT'S NOT MAYBE IMPOSSIBLE COMPLETELY, BUT OUR GOAL IS COMMUNICATION WITH WHERE CAN IT BE? YEAH. AND THE OTHER THING THAT COMES INTO PLAY AT THAT POINT IS STRATEGIC POINTS THAT I NEED FOR SWITCHING CAPABILITY TO BE ABLE TO ROUTE BETWEEN DIFFERENT CIRCUITS. SO I CAN ONLY APPLY SO MANY, SO MUCH AMPERAGE ON A CIRCUIT. AND THEN I MAY HAVE TO RUN ANOTHER CIRCUIT. SO THAT'S ALSO PART OF THE WAY THAT IT GETS ENGINEERED AND STRUCTURED IS BECAUSE WE LOOK AT, OKAY, WHAT POINTS CAN WE MAKE CONNECTIONS SO THAT WE HAVE SOME REDUNDANCY SHOULD A ISSUE HAPPEN AT ONE POINT OR ANOTHER. AND SO $1,300 A FOOT FOR UNDERGROUNDING. I'M JUST CURIOUS AS FAR. YEAH, THAT WOULD BE THE BACKBONE. SO YOU KNOW, WHAT KIND OF COST DO WE INCUR WHEN WE HAVE A HURRICANE AND WE LOSE ALL THESE POLLS? LIKE WHAT WE PUT A LOT OF MONEY INTO, YOU KNOW, BUILDING ALL THAT BACK UP. [00:40:02] IS THERE A LONG TERM EVALUATION ON HURRICANE RESPONSE AND THE COST THAT GOES INTO THAT EVERY TIME WE HAVE THAT THAT WE MAY, YOU KNOW, EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE A BIG HIGH UPFRONT COST, MAY NOT HAVE THAT COST AFTER STORMS. SO THERE HAVE BEEN SCENARIOS DONE IN THE PAST JUDGING, HEY, WHAT WOULD IT BE TO UNDERGROUND ALL THE LINES? WHAT WOULD WE SAVE? WHAT WOULD WE LOSE GOING BACKWARD? SO THERE WAS A BIG ONE DONE AFTER HURRICANE IKE. I WANT TO SAY IT CAME OUT TO SOMEWHERE AROUND $89 BILLION. BUT THAT WAS FOR LIKE THE GREATER HOUSTON AREA. I DON'T KNOW HOW IN DEPTH THAT GOT. I DON'T KNOW WHERE THAT WENT TO. BUT THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING WE FACTOR IN. SO LIKE RIGHT NOW IF YOU WERE TO UNDERGROUND ANYTHING IT HAS TO BE ABOVE THE 100 YEAR FLOODPLAIN. NOT MUCH ON THE ISLAND IS ABOVE THE 100 YEAR FLOODPLAIN. SO IF YOU GO OUT TOWARDS THE WEST END OF THE ISLAND, WHEN THEY TRY TO DO UNDERGROUND TRANSFORMERS, THEY PUT THEM UP ON WHAT'S CALLED CHIMNEY STACKS TO GET THEM UP AND ELEVATED. THOSE CHIMNEY STACKS ARE FAILING. SO WE'RE, WE HAVE FOUND ALTERNATIVES STAINLESS STEEL CONCRETE MIX THAT WE'RE PUTTING TOGETHER TO KIND OF REPLACE THOSE. BUT THAT'S ALSO PART OF THE REASON WHY THEY WERE LIKE, HEY, WE CAN'T, WE CAN'T DO THIS AGAIN BECAUSE WE LOSE THEM. BUT YEAH, THE 100 YEAR FLOODPLAIN. AND THAT'S WHY YOU SAW EARLIER ABOUT THE SUBSTATION TRANSFORMERS BEING ELEVATED ABOVE THE 500 YEAR FLOODPLAIN. THAT IS WITH THE GOAL OF MAKING SURE THAT NONE OF THAT GETS INTO INTO THE ELECTRICAL INFRASTRUCTURE. YEAH. AND SO JUST, JUST SO YOU'RE AWARE OF LIKE THIS GROUP RIGHT HERE, WE'RE, YOU KNOW, LANDMARK COMMISSION, WE'RE FOCUSING ON HISTORIC PRESERVATION OF OUR HISTORIC DISTRICTS AND ANY OTHER AREAS WITHIN THE CITY THAT NEED TO MEET OUR DESIGN STANDARDS. AND SO, YOU KNOW, I WAS SEEING POLLS BEING, YOU KNOW, THESE POLLS THAT WERE REALLY OLD IN FRONT OF OLD HOUSES WITHIN HISTORIC DISTRICTS GETTING REPLACED WHEN THERE WAS ALLEYS THAT STILL HAVE ELECTRICAL LINES ALREADY IN THEM ON THAT SAME STREET. AND SO THAT'S WHERE I WAS HOPING THAT WE COULD HAVE DISCUSSIONS, AT LEAST START WITH HISTORIC DISTRICTS AND LIKE, SEE IF THERE'S ANY AREAS FOR OPPORTUNITIES, YOU KNOW, WITHIN THE PLANS AND SCOPE THAT Y'ALL ARE DOING. AND THEN SEE IF THE CITY NEEDS TO, YOU KNOW, MEET YOU HALFWAY OR, YOU KNOW, OR TALK, YOU KNOW, TALK THROUGH WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE BECAUSE I THINK, YOU KNOW, BALANCING THE VISUAL AND BEAUTIFICATION OF GALVESTON AS A WHOLE. BUT WITHIN THIS PURVIEW, THE HISTORIC DISTRICTS, I THINK WOULD BE AN EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY, AN AREA OF COLLABORATION THAT I WOULD HOPE WE WOULD BE ABLE TO, TO FACILITATE. YEAH. SO IF THE CITY WANTED TO TALK ABOUT MAYBE SOME MOVEMENT OF POLES OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. IF THEY ARE AVAILABLE FOR RELOCATION OR THEY ARE AVAILABLE FOR REPLACEMENT OR SOMETHING WHERE CENTER POINT WAS GOING TO GO OUT THERE AND REPLACE IT. CAN WE MOVE IT TO A DIFFERENT AREA? SO A LOT OF TIMES WHEN WE DO THESE REPLACEMENTS, IF WE'RE RIGHT IN FRONT OF A DOOR, WE'RE LOOKING TO MOVE TO MORE, MORE TOWARDS THE PROPERTY LINE THAN WE ARE TO BE RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE DOOR. THE PROPERTY LINES HAVE CHANGED. HOUSES HAVE CHANGED. HISTORIC DISTRICT. NOT AS MUCH BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY YOU ALL HAVE HISTORIC PRESERVATION, BUT FOR OTHER LOCATIONS ALONG THE ISLAND, SOME OF THEM HAVE CHANGED JUST BASED ON LOT DIMENSIONS AND OTHER THINGS THAT ARE EXPRESSED EARLIER. SO WHEN WE'RE DOING NEW CONSTRUCTION OR WE'RE DOING REPLACEMENT, WE ARE LOOKING TO RELOCATE OR DEPENDING ON THE SPAN WHEN IT COMES TO ENGINEERING, TO GRADE B, WHEN I USED TO BE ABLE TO SPAN 300FT, I MAY ONLY BE ABLE TO SPAN 250, MAYBE LESS DEPENDING ON WHAT'S ALL ON THE POLE. AND SO THAT MAY CHANGE THE DIMENSIONS OF HOW WE'RE ACTUALLY ABLE TO DO IT. SO COULD WE DISCUSS IT? COULD THE PLAN COME OUT AND BE EVEN WORSE? IT'S POSSIBLE. BUT YES, WE DO TRY TO LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF POLLS. WE'RE NOT LOOKING TO POLLS FOR. NO JUSTIFICATION. JUSTIFIED REASON, THAT IS. NOW, THERE ARE A LOT OF POLLS THAT ACTUALLY DO EXIST ON THE ISLAND AS WELL THAT ARE AT&T OWNED POLLS. THEY ARE STILL OWNED BY AT&T. WE MAY DO THE REPLACEMENT BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT WE HAVE TO BE ESTABLISHED THERE. AND WE HAVE A, YOU KNOW, RATE THAT WE DO WITH AT&T, BUT IT MAY STILL BE THEIR POLL AND NOT BE ABLE TO BE MOVED UNLESS THEY DEEM IT NECESSARY TO BE MOVED. I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THEY CAN'T ATTACH TO ONE OF YOUR POLLS INSTEAD OF HAVING THEIR OWN POLLS. IT'S THE IT'S THE COMMON THING OF WHO WAS HERE FIRST. YEAH. DO YOU SEE THEM LITTLE POLLS ON ONE SIDE AND ON THE OTHER? I HAVE THEM IN MY ALLEY, BUT THEY ATTACHED THEIR NEW FIBER TO THE NEW POLLS, AND THEY STILL HAVE THEIR OLD POLLS SITTING UP THERE. YEAH, IT'S THE OLD ADAGE OF WHO WAS HERE FIRST. AT WHAT POINT IN THE PLANNING PROCESS DOES THE CITY NEED TO SAY, HEY, WAIT, THIS IS A HISTORIC DISTRICT. WHAT CAN WE DO TO MINIMIZE CUTTING TREES DOWN THAT ARE IN FRONT OF HISTORIC HOUSES AND, YOU KNOW, MAKING THE STREET LOOK AWFUL? AT WHAT POINT DOES THE CITY NEED TO SAY, HEY, WAIT, WHAT CAN WE DO TO TALK ABOUT THIS? [00:45:04] AND CAN THEY DO IT THROUGH THE FRANCHISE EXISTING FRANCHISE AGREEMENT? YEAH. SO WE HAVE FORESTERS ON STAFF THAT ARE LIKE, THEY HAVE THEIR LICENSE TO BE A FORESTER. THEY KNOW HOW TO CUT TREES, HOW TO MAKE THEM LIVE AND CONTINUE TO LIVE, BUT ALSO NOT AFFECT THE ELECTRICAL LINE. NOW IT'S DEPENDENT ON WHAT'S THERE. IT'S DEPENDENT ON ALL A LOT OF FACTORS THAT GO INTO IT. UNFORTUNATELY, THE FORESTER WAS NOT ABLE TO BE HERE TODAY. HE THOUGHT IT WAS A TEAMS MEETING. HE'S ALL THE WAY IN DOWNTOWN. HE WAS LIKE, THERE'S NO WAY I'M MAKING IT TO GALVESTON IN 5 MINUTES. BUT IF THERE ARE CERTAIN LOCATIONS WHERE Y'ALL WANT TO TALK ABOUT, HEY, THE PRESERVATION OF THE TREES, WE WHAT WE CAN DO IS WE CAN LOOK AT WHAT LINES ARE THERE AND WE CAN TELL YOU, HEY, THIS IS A TYPE OF CUT WE WOULD HAVE TO DO IN ORDER TO SAVE THE TREE, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME PRESERVING THE ELECTRICAL LINE THAT'S IN THERE. AND THEN IF Y'ALL WANTED TO GO AND SAY, HEY, WELL, WHAT IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO MOVE THAT LINE OR ADJUST OR SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES? WE CAN LOOK AT THAT TOO AND THEN EXPRESS, HEY, THESE ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, WE CAN OBTAIN. SO WHERE DO WE HAVE THAT CONVERSATION? LIKE AT WHAT POINT EXACTLY? YOU COULD SEND ME AN EMAIL AND LET ME KNOW, HEY, THIS, THIS IS THE STREET WE'RE LOOKING AT. YOU KNOW WHAT? DO WHAT OPPORTUNITIES ARE THERE? I CAN GET CÉDRIC THE FORESTER ON, ON THE CALL OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. OR I CAN JUST GET HIS INFORMATION AND THEN SEND IT OVER TO YOU AND SAY, THIS IS WHAT YOU'RE THIS IS THE SCOPE OF WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT. THAT'S GREAT. ONE ON ONE. BUT CATHERINE, HOW DO YOU DO AS A RULE POLICY FOR THE CITY AND ALL THAT? I GUESS FOCUSING ON THE HISTORIC DISTRICT WHERE THIS HAPPENS, INCLUDING THE LINES MOVING, ETC., I WOULD THINK THAT THAT WOULD PROBABLY NEED TO BE A POLICY DECISION THAT'S SET AT COUNCIL LEVEL. OKAY. SO HOW DO WE. WELL, THAT'S SOMETHING WE WOULD TALK TO OUR EX OFFICIO ABOUT, AND THEN WE WOULD LOOK FOR COUNCIL MEMBER LEWIS TO BRING THAT TO COUNCIL FOR A BROADER DISCUSSION. OKAY. AND WE'RE ALSO REQUIRED TO HAVE A CERTAIN DISTANCE FROM THE LINES. RIGHT. SO THERE'S A TEN FOOT EASEMENT THAT'S REGULATORILY REQUIRED. NOW, IF YOU RECALL, DURING HURRICANE BERYL, THERE WAS A LOT OF PRIVATE PROPERTY TREES THAT WE DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO TO TRIM THAT FELL INTO THE LINES AND CAUSED A LOT OF OUTAGES. RIGHT. SO THAT'S THE OTHER PIECE OF IT IS WE CAN ONLY MANAGE WHAT'S WITHIN OUR EASEMENT AND OUR RIGHT OF WAY. AND THERE'S A LOT OF PRIVATE PROPERTIES THAT WILL EITHER CHOOSE OR NOT CHOOSE TO MAINTAIN THEIR VEGETATION THAT CAN POTENTIALLY IMPACT YOU AS THEIR NEIGHBOR, RIGHT? AND SO WE'VE BEEN HAVING A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS WITH, FOR EXAMPLE, 11 KINWOOD. SO TRAIL ASSOCIATIONS AND OTHERS THAT CAN HELP US WITH THE CONVERSATION WITH PROPERTY OWNERS ABOUT MAINTAINING, YOU KNOW, THEIR VEGETATION IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT DOESN'T IMPACT THE LINE FOR THEIR NEIGHBORS. RIGHT. AND SO UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE IS OBVIOUSLY A VALUE TO THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OF NOT ONLY THE TREES, BUT THE COMMUNITY. WE ALSO HAVE, THERE'S ALSO THE VALUE OF MAKING SURE THAT YOU HAVE ELECTRICITY IN YOUR NEIGHBORS HAVE ELECTRICITY. AND SO THERE'S THAT BALANCE THAT WE HAVE TO MAINTAIN, BUT WE'RE CERTAINLY OPEN TO HAVING OPPORTUNITIES TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS. I COMPLETELY AGREE, AND I THINK IT'S LESS ABOUT THE TREES AS AN AFTER EFFECT AND MORE ABOUT IF WE GET MORE LINES INTO THE ALLEYWAYS. SURE. YOU KNOW, IT'S TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE. ABSOLUTELY. THAT'S THE PROBLEM I HAVE NEXT DOOR TO ME. I HAVE A VACANT HOUSE. HOMEOWNERS DO NOT TAKE CARE OF IT. THE TREES ARE GROWING INTO THE LINES. THE POLES ARE LEANING A LITTLE AND THE HOMEOWNERS WON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. SO THAT'S WHERE I'M LIKE, CAN WE HAVE A FIELD VISIT THAT THE PUBLIC CAN COME WITH? I MEAN, LIKE, HOWEVER IT LOOKS BECAUSE I THINK GETTING OUT INTO THE HISTORIC DISTRICTS AND TALKING THROUGH IT, IT WOULD BE WIDELY BENEFICIAL TO THIS GROUP AND THE CITY. AND, YOU KNOW, HEARING CENTERPOINT'S PERSPECTIVE ON SOME OF THIS STUFF, TOO, FROM WHAT BRIAN MAXWELL TOLD ME, IT WILL TAKE A YEAR JUST TO GET THROUGH LETTERS THAT HAVE TO BE SENT TO THE HOMEOWNER NEXT DOOR TO ME. OH, GOODNESS. YEAH, THAT'S WE'RE THINKING, I'M JUST THINKING STRATEGICALLY OVERALL, NOT. YEAH, I'M JUST SAYING IT'S JUST NOT SOMETHING THAT CAN HAPPEN OVERNIGHT BECAUSE OF PROPERTY OWNERSHIP. AND LIKE YOU SAYING, YOU CAN'T FORCE CERTAIN PEOPLE TO DO THINGS. BUT THAT'S NOT THAT'S NOT WHAT OUR PURVIEW IS. I MEAN, WITH THE LINES AND EVERYTHING, IT IS BECAUSE THERE'S ALL THESE LINES ON THREE POLES RIGHT THERE TOGETHER IN A BIG ELM TREE. WELL, I HAVE A QUESTION. SO WHEN YOU'RE PREPARING TO DO THESE REPLACEMENT POLLS, DO YOU KNOW THE AREAS THAT ARE THE HISTORIC DISTRICT? AND IS THERE ANY WAY THAT WE CAN KNOW UPFRONT? OKAY, WE'RE GETTING READY TO REPLACE POLES ON SEELEY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. AND THEN WE COULD GET INVOLVED AND SAY, HEY, IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PUT THIS IN THE ALLEY, YOU KNOW, JUST TO MAKE THE HISTORIC DISTRICT MORE BEAUTIFUL? [00:50:05] SO THERE'S 2 COMPONENTS THAT GO INTO THAT. NUMBER 1, THERE IS A PROGRESS TRACKER ONLINE THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY LOOK AT IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO GO TO IT. YOU CAN ACTUALLY ZOOM INTO THE AREA, FIND OUT WHERE WE'RE ACTUALLY DOING POLE REPLACEMENTS AND EVERYTHING ELSE LIKE THAT IN THE SCOPE OF WHAT YOU'RE ASKING FOR. THE HARD PART IS HOW DO I SERVE THOSE NEIGHBORS WITHOUT RUNNING INTO CONFLICTS? SO SAY, FOR INSTANCE, YOU WANT TO ME, YOUR HOUSE IS UP FRONT AND YOU WANT ME TO MOVE TO THE ALLEYWAY, AND THAT'S GREAT. WE CAN RUN A POLE LINE IN THE ALLEYWAY. NO PROBLEM. BUT IN ORDER FOR ME TO GET TO YOUR FRONT HOUSE. I'VE GOT TO GO BY YOUR REAR GARAGE. AND I DON'T HAVE SPACE TO RUN A LINE BY YOUR REAR GARAGE. NOW I NEED YOU TO COME TO ME. SO I WOULD NEED YOU TO UNDERGROUND FROM YOUR FRONT HOUSE. AND RISE OF THAT POLE IN THE BACK. AND SO NOW I'M ASKING YOU TO SPEND LIKE $10,000 TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. HOW DOES NATURAL GAS DO THAT? BECAUSE THEY'RE THE SAME THING. WELL, NATURAL GAS IS UNDERGROUND. SO THAT'S WHY I'M WONDERING WHY ARE YOU JUST DROPPING FROM THE POLE. I'M JUST CURIOUS BECAUSE SEEMS LIKE IT'S THE SAME. SO WHAT, YOU'RE SAYING THE NATURAL GAS COMPANY OWNS THAT LINE TO YOUR HOUSE? WE DO NOT OWN THE LINE. IF YOU WERE TO UNDERGROUND FROM YOUR HOUSE AND RISE UP THE POLE, THAT IS YOUR OWN PRIVATELY OWNED LINE STOP AT THE DOING OVERHEAD SERVICE. YES. YEAH. IF YOU WERE TO UNDERGROUND TO ME. SO SAY FOR INSTANCE, YOU HAVE A GARAGE IN THE BACK. I WOULD NEED YOU TO RELOCATE THE METER FROM THE FRONT. IF I RELOCATED THE POLE LINE FROM THE FRONT OF THE ROAD. NOW I'M IN THE BACK EASEMENT. NOW, ALL OF THOSE SERVICES THAT WERE IN THE FRONT NOW NEED TO COME TO ME IN THE BACK. EITHER I CAN DROP AND DO A SECONDARY POLE AND DROP TO THE HOUSE. FANTASTIC. THAT CAN GIVE ME ROUGHLY 120FT. I CAN GO 60FT WITH JUST A DROP. IF I CAN'T GET PAST A STRUCTURE BECAUSE OF ANY C CODE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THAT WOULD BE THE ONUS IS NOW ON THE HOMEOWNER TO BE ABLE TO GET TO ME, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. SO LET'S SAY I'M ASSUMING YOU'RE A HISTORIC DISTRICT. YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE A CURRENT LOT WHERE IF SOMEONE DIVIDES IT THAT HAS NOT BEEN DIVIDED TO FRONT AND BACK, HOW WOULD YOU PUT POLES NOW ALL ALONG FROM THE FRONT IF THERE WEREN'T ANY BEFORE? OR HOW ARE YOU ALL Y'ALL DOING THAT NOW? YEAH. SO YOU WOULD. AND THAT'S ALL Y'ALL WOULD PAY FOR THAT. WE GET THERE'S A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF FOOTAGE AND POLLS ALLOTTED TO EACH PROJECT. SO THEY WOULD GET 2000FT IN ROAD RIGHT OF WAY TO BE ABLE TO GET TO THEM OR 3 POLLS ON PRIVATE PROPERTY. SO THERE'S A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT GO INTO THAT. EVEN I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT NEW DEVELOPMENT. I'M TALKING ABOUT EXISTING NEIGHBORHOOD. THIS IS AN EXISTING. YOU'RE CUTTING THE LOT IN HALF ALLEYWAY, ONE SIDE FRONT. OKAY. SO YOU WOULD PUT NEW POLES ON THE FRONT. WE WOULD HAVE TO USE WHATEVER WHATEVER RIGHTS WE HAVE, WHICH. SO THE FRANCHISE AGREEMENT ALLOWS US FOR THE RIGHT TO BE WITHIN THE ROAD RIGHT OF WAY. THE ONLY OTHER OPPORTUNITY WOULD BE IF SOMEONE WAS TO GRANT ME AN EASEMENT. SO WHAT IF THEIR EXISTING HUNDRED YEAR OLD OAK TREES IN FRONT? WOULD Y'ALL BE PUTTING THEM OVER THOSE TREES TO GET TO IT? HOW DOES THAT WORK? I HAVE TO BE ABLE TO SERVE THAT CUSTOMER. SO NO MATTER WHAT, THE CUSTOMER HAS A RIGHT FOR ME TO SERVE THEM, AND I HAVE TO MEET THAT RIGHT NOW. WILL I TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION? SAY, FOR INSTANCE, THERE'S A 100 YEAR OLD OAK TREE. 2 OF THEM RIGHT ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. WE MAY GO ACROSS THE STREET, COME UP THAT SIDE, AND THEN COME ACROSS. I APPRECIATE Y'ALL DOING THAT. I'M JUST MORE CURIOUS ABOUT HOW IT WORKS. THAT'S INTERESTING. IT'S IT'S YEAH. AND IT'S, THAT'S, IT'S ALWAYS JOB SPECIFIC. SO WHEN WE GO OUT THERE, WE'RE NOT LOOKING TO CUT TREES UNLESS WE ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO. SO LIKE, FOR INSTANCE, THERE'S ALSO BUILDINGS THAT HAVE 0 LOT LINES. I CAN'T GO NEXT TO THAT BUILDING BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO MAINTAIN A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF CLEARANCE FROM OUR POWER LINES. SO I NO LONGER CAN BE IN THAT ROAD RIGHT AWAY TO BE ABLE TO EXTEND SERVICE TO THEM BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT BUILDING IS A 0 LOT LINE. SO ARE Y'ALL. I KNOW OBVIOUSLY YOU HAVE EASEMENTS IN THE BACK AND EASEMENTS IN THE FRONT, TYPICALLY IN THESE IN THESE AREAS. SO THERE IS NO EASEMENT. WE ARE THAT'S WHY WE HAVE THE FRANCHISE AGREEMENT. IT'S. WE HAVE TO BE 1 FOOT WITHIN THE ROAD RIGHT AWAY. OKAY. SO WHATEVER THAT EXPECTATION IS. SO THE CITY DOES FRANCHISE AGREEMENTS WITH CABLE, TELEPHONE, ELECTRIC, GAS, ALL UTILITIES ACROSS THE BOARD TO BE ABLE TO RUN IN A CERTAIN SPACE, WHICH IS THE ROAD RIGHT OF WAY. AND IT WOULD BE OUTSIDE OF THE WHATEVER, YOU KNOW, CONCRETE LAYER IS OR SOMETHING. ONE FOOT ON EITHER SIDE WOULD BE THE ALLEY OR THE MAIN ROAD. YES. I DON'T WANT TO INTERRUPT, BUT IT IS 355. SO WE WILL HAVE TO ADJOURN HERE IN A MINUTE IN ORDER TO GO NEXT DOOR AND DO OUR OUR REGULAR MEETING. SO, RYAN, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU HAVEN'T COVERED THAT YOU WANTED TO COVER WITH US IN YOUR POWERPOINT? I MEAN, [00:55:06] IS THERE ANYTHING THAT Y'ALL WOULD LIKE TO I MEAN, THE BIGGEST THING I WOULD SAY, AND THIS IS MORE OF A SHAMELESS PLUG IS WE DO HAVE A NEW OUTAGE TRACKER. I WOULD REALLY LOVE FOR THE CITIZENS OF GALVESTON TO USE IT WHENEVER WE DO HAVE A STORM COME IN, BECAUSE IT IS GOING TO BE ABLE TO GIVE YOU ESTIMATED TIMES OF RESTORATION AND THINGS LIKE THAT. I WILL SPECIFY A PAS ALERT IS ALWAYS GOING TO GIVE YOU A 4 HOUR WINDOW. IT'S GOING TO SAY, HEY, YOUR LIGHTS ARE OUT. IT MAY BE 4 HOURS. IT MAY COME BACK ON IN 20 MINUTES. DON'T BE ALERTED BY THE FACT IT SAYS 4 HOURS. THAT IS JUST THE GENERAL STATEMENT BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. SO I LIKE TO TELL PEOPLE I KNOW IT SAYS 4 HOURS. DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE TO LEAVE YOUR HOUSE OR BE WORRIED ABOUT A LOT OF STUFF. WE WILL GET TO IT, BUT IT MAY EXTEND PAST THE FOUR HOURS AND IT WILL CONTINUE TO NOTIFY YOU ONCE THEY IDENTIFY WHAT THE ISSUES AND WHAT WAS THAT SITE WHERE YOU CAN GO AND LOOK WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO BE INSTALLING NEW POLES? YEAH, I'LL GO BACK TO IT. SO THAT'S ACTUALLY WHAT WE'VE DONE TO DATE. YEAH. AND THEN WE HAVE THAT'S THAT'S SO THAT'S NOT GOING TO TELL YOU WHAT WE'RE DOING GOING FORWARD. IT'S JUST TELLING YOU WHAT WE'VE DONE TO DATE, AND THEN WE'RE ACTUALLY WORKING ON UPDATING IT TO THEN GIVE US, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO BE SEEING IN THE FUTURE? OKAY. APOLOGIES. OKAY. I THOUGHT WE WERE AT THAT POINT ALREADY. OKAY. NOT YET. WELL, THAT'S ALL RIGHT. BUT WHAT WE ARE DOING IS WHEN WE DO HAVE A PROJECT COMING UP, WE RYAN GETS THAT INFORMATION AND SHARES IT WITH THE CITY. AND IN TERMS OF LIKE, HERE'S A PROJECT THAT'S COMING UP IN YOUR AREA. THIS IS THE LOCATION IT'S HAPPENING AT. THIS IS WHAT YOU KNOW AND GIVES THE DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT IT. BUT THEN YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SEE IT ONLINE, HOPEFULLY POST HURRICANE SEASON. WE'LL HAVE THAT UP AND READY TO GO. YEAH. I WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE THIS CONVERSATION IF Y'ALL HAVE TIME AND WE'RE ABLE TO, AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO Y'ALL IF WE SHARE THE SHAPEFILES OF HISTORIC DISTRICTS WITH Y'ALL. IF YOU DON'T ALREADY HAVE THAT, I DON'T KNOW IF WE CAN SHARE THAT. INFORMATION ABOUT OUR VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PROGRAM AND THINGS. SO YOU CAN SEE ALSO SOME OF THE INFORMATION IN TERMS OF REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS, THINGS THAT YOU HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION. SO WE CAN SHARE THAT WITH THE CITY SO THAT. IT SEEMS LIKE THE BIG ISSUE HAS BEEN COMMUNICATIONS. HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET THAT FIXED IN THE CITY. SO THE CITY DOES A REALLY GOOD JOB OF INFORMING US OF THINGS LIKE PROJECTS OR SOMETHING THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE. THEY DO A REALLY GOOD JOB OF THAT. WE DO HAVE A GOOD CONSTANT FLOW WITH THEM, BUT IT'S NOT SPECIFIC TO, HEY, CAN YOU CAN YOU LOOK AT THIS SPECIFIC AREA OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT? BUT YES, WE WOULD BE OPEN TO IT. IT'S JUST, IT MAY TAKE A WHILE. AND EVEN THEN YOU MAY SAY, HEY, WE WOULD LOVE TO LOOK AT THESE FIVE STREETS AND THESE FROM THIS BROAD RANGE. AND I WOULD TELL YOU, HEY, IT'S GOING TO TAKE ME SIX MONTHS TO BE ABLE TO GET TO THAT. OH, YEAH. THIS IS NOT AN EASY THING. YEAH. I UNDERSTAND. EXCELLENT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING. I APPRECIATE YOUR WILLINGNESS TO SPEND SOME TIME WITH US. IT'S ACTUALLY WE CAN GO NEXT WEEK. YES. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.