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[0:28]
My name is Danielle Polverari and I have
the pleasure of working for the Phoenix
[0:32]
Parks and Recreation Department as the
Deputy Director for the Northeast
[0:35]
Division. I love my job. I love parks.
It brings me joy to see all of you here
[0:42]
today because it has such meaning about
what it means to be engaged with our
[0:48]
communities and that it's not one small
thing, it's not one person, it's all of
[0:52]
us together collaborating, partnering,
keeping eyes on the parks, telling us
[0:57]
what's going on, where we're missing
something, and where we need something.
[1:01]
And that is how we ended up here today
with these amazing sports court
[1:06]
additions, improvements to Pierce Park.
So, it's a wonderful day to be here.
[1:12]
Um, you know, coming together today has
been a long road from doing community
[1:19]
engagement surveys, engaging with
Griffith Elementary, the 44th Alliance.
[1:25]
Yes, I know you promoted the survey.
Thank you.
[1:29]
Thank you. For those of you who took the
survey, we had over 700 responses just
[1:34]
directly that are in the Pierce Park zip
code and that's meaningful to us because
[1:38]
we want to make sure that the
improvements that happen in our parks
[1:41]
represent our local community.
Today we have six pickleball courts, two
[1:46]
new tennis courts, a resurfaced
basketball,
[1:50]
and volleyball, but the most important
thing that I know was really critical
[1:53]
for the community was the newly paved
parking lot. So,
[1:57]
the big reds are gone.
So, thank you for your support. Um today
[2:03]
we have uh with us our esteemed Mayor
Kate Gallego, and I'd like to welcome
[2:09]
her. Please give her a warm round of
applause.
[2:17]
» Thank you so much, Danielle, and to the
entire Parks team. Working with the
[2:21]
community, we have delivered some
incredible upgrades for Pierce Park.
[2:27]
I want to see who's louder, the tennis
folks or the pickleball folks.
[2:32]
All right, WHO'S EXCITED ABOUT
PICKLEBALL?
[2:37]
WHO'S EXCITED ABOUT TENNIS?
[2:41]
ALL RIGHT, so in Phoenix we love both,
and across the country there there's a
[2:45]
real debate, but we are investing in
both park uh both uh pickleball and
[2:50]
tennis here cuz we just want people
outside enjoying our wonderful parks.
[2:56]
Uh I send greetings from our Vice Mayor
of the City of Phoenix, Kate Gallego
[2:59]
Washington, who worked so hard on these
upgrades and so wanted to be here, but
[3:04]
unfortunately has a family medical
emergency. So, those of you who know her
[3:09]
well, if if you could send her some
love, but we
[3:12]
uh are well represented on the City
Council and have Councilman Kevin
[3:16]
Robinson, who is here.
[3:21]
And and and it's not just the city, this
is multiple branches of government. So,
[3:25]
we have our state representative
Jennifer Connolly is here
[3:30]
with the great hat. She wins
the elected official hat game. And then
[3:34]
we have uh Superintendent Barnes from
the Balsu School District, Jacob George,
[3:38]
Gail Knight, so many of our great
partners, the school district. We work
[3:43]
so well between the city parks and
making sure that we have safe places for
[3:47]
our kids at
every hour of the day. We're also joined
[3:52]
by uh the leaders of our Parks and
Recreation Department and
[3:57]
so many leaders from neighborhood
organizations including the
[4:01]
44th Street Community Alliance. So,
the great folks in green and white. We
[4:07]
were here together for a gain event last
November and talking about today. So,
[4:12]
it's exciting that it is finally come
with so many new amenities, six new
[4:18]
pickleball courts with lighting, two new
tennis courts, basketball court
[4:22]
resurfacing, new drinking fountains, new
benches, new picnic tables, and then the
[4:26]
beloved parking lot
upgrades that
[4:31]
we heard a lot about. And and this is
possible because of all of you.
[4:35]
Those Those at the bottom of the ballot,
there's often city funding items and a
[4:39]
really important one is the Parks and
Preserve Initiative. Our residents in
[4:43]
Phoenix overwhelmingly voted to support
our park system and because of that
[4:48]
Parks and Preserve Initiative, we're
able to fund really important upgrades
[4:52]
like the one you see here today. So,
thank you to those of you who make it to
[4:55]
the bottom of the ballot and help us
fund these great investments. I've often
[5:00]
said that parks are one of the clearest
reflections of a city's values. When we
[5:05]
invest in parks, we invest in people and
we in the city of Phoenix have made
[5:09]
parks a priority. We have one of the
largest park systems anywhere in the
[5:13]
country and and one of those
one of the most successful. And now I
[5:17]
get to introduce the the man who's
leading that
[5:21]
department, uh Parks and Recreation
Director Marty Whitfield to the podium.
[5:32]
» Thank you, Mayor Gallego, and good
morning to everyone. Um I know it's
[5:36]
going to be a scorching day today, but
it's not bad so far, right? So,
[5:41]
uh today marks a wonderful milestone for
this community and and Pierce Park. Uh
[5:46]
like the mayor and Danielle mentioned, a
lot of new amenities here.
[5:49]
This cannot happen without our community
partners and residents that work
[5:53]
hand-in-hand.
I would like to thank Chase Builders.
[5:57]
They do a lot of great work for the
Parks Department across our system and
[6:03]
you will see the great amenities that
they did today. The design firm of
[6:06]
Hewitt and Zollars also participated in
this wonderful project and then my team
[6:13]
Danielle who's the deputy director over
the Northeast division. Jake Johnson
[6:17]
who's our park supervisor. He's there in
the back hiding. But this this cannot be
[6:22]
done without them. Our Parks Development
team Lance Gray. I know he is here
[6:26]
somewhere. There he is right in front of
me. He leads our capital improvement
[6:30]
program.
So I just want to thank them and then of
[6:33]
course our city engineer staff.
I would also like to recognize Jenny Ann
[6:38]
Summers. She's right in front of me. She
doesn't
[6:42]
Yes, please give her a round of
applause. So so when I started in the
[6:45]
Parks Department in November of 2021, I
kept hearing this name Jenny Ann
[6:49]
Summers. Jenny Ann Summers. I was like
who is this Jenny Ann Summers? I finally
[6:53]
got a chance to meet her. She's very
engaged in what goes on in her
[6:58]
community. Not only this park but old
cross
[7:01]
country canal.
So I just want to thank you for your
[7:04]
partnership and just give me a call
whenever you want to, right? Okay, thank
[7:09]
you.
I know she will, right?
[7:12]
I earlier I met uh Dr. George Barnes
from the Balls Elementary School
[7:17]
District. So I like to thank him. And
then the mayor did mention
[7:22]
Gail Knight. She's over there right to
the left there. Thank you for for your
[7:26]
partnership and
Gail and I go way back. She's like a
[7:30]
mentor to me and it's always great to to
see you. So thank you.
[7:34]
Um
I'd also like to highlight the efforts
[7:37]
and leadership of Mayor Gallego. I know
Vice Mayor Keisha Hodge Washington
[7:42]
cannot be here today, but without them
and of course Councilman Robinson, their
[7:46]
support for the Parks Department, none
of this would be possible. Um
[7:51]
I also do want to mention, I do not see
her, but my former boss and assistant
[7:56]
city manager, oh there she is right
there,
[7:59]
uh Inger Erickson, and I'm sure she'll
be ripping up the pickleball courts here
[8:02]
in a minute.
My my current boss is right next to her,
[8:07]
Deputy City Manager Dave Matthews, so
thanks for to your support.
[8:12]
One of my assistant directors is over
there standing next to my wife, Brandy
[8:17]
Barrett. I cannot do this without her.
We laugh on a daily basis, we also cry
[8:22]
on a daily basis running this running
this department, but without you I
[8:25]
cannot do that.
Um and then finally, she might get me
[8:29]
for this, but I'd like to thank my wife
who joined me today, my wife Julie
[8:33]
Wickfield of over 30 years. This morning
she said, "Honey, I'll go with you if
[8:37]
you go to the grocery store with me
after." So, I I've been falling for this
[8:41]
trick for over 30 years. She said, "We
won't even get a cart." I said, "Yeah,
[8:44]
right." So, thank you for that.
The refreshed amenities you will see
[8:48]
today build on the legacy of this park
and as a welcoming destination where
[8:52]
families can relax, connect, and enjoy
time. So, thank you again for all being
[8:57]
here part of this celebration and
without further ado, let's cut the
[9:00]
ribbon and officially open the new
sports courts. Thank you.
[9:06]
» Five.
>> Four.
[9:08]
Three.
Two.
[9:10]
One.
Yay!