1 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:33,920 My name is Danielle Polverari and I have the pleasure of working for the Phoenix 2 00:00:32,119 --> 00:00:40,600 Parks and Recreation Department as the Deputy Director for the Northeast 3 00:00:35,680 --> 00:00:45,400 Division. I love my job. I love parks. It brings me joy to see all of you here 4 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:50,480 today because it has such meaning about what it means to be engaged with our 5 00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:55,520 communities and that it's not one small thing, it's not one person, it's all of 6 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:59,440 us together collaborating, partnering, keeping eyes on the parks, telling us 7 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:03,960 what's going on, where we're missing something, and where we need something. 8 00:01:01,640 --> 00:01:09,960 And that is how we ended up here today with these amazing sports court 9 00:01:06,920 --> 00:01:16,080 additions, improvements to Pierce Park. So, it's a wonderful day to be here. 10 00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:21,920 Um, you know, coming together today has been a long road from doing community 11 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:27,040 engagement surveys, engaging with Griffith Elementary, the 44th Alliance. 12 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:30,920 Yes, I know you promoted the survey. Thank you. 13 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:36,480 Thank you. For those of you who took the survey, we had over 700 responses just 14 00:01:34,440 --> 00:01:40,000 directly that are in the Pierce Park zip code and that's meaningful to us because 15 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:44,640 we want to make sure that the improvements that happen in our parks 16 00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:48,480 represent our local community. Today we have six pickleball courts, two 17 00:01:46,760 --> 00:01:52,000 new tennis courts, a resurfaced basketball, 18 00:01:50,040 --> 00:01:55,840 and volleyball, but the most important thing that I know was really critical 19 00:01:53,920 --> 00:02:00,440 for the community was the newly paved parking lot. So, 20 00:01:57,680 --> 00:02:07,640 the big reds are gone. So, thank you for your support. Um today 21 00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:11,200 we have uh with us our esteemed Mayor Kate Gallego, and I'd like to welcome 22 00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:13,920 her. Please give her a warm round of applause. 23 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:23,200 » Thank you so much, Danielle, and to the entire Parks team. Working with the 24 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:29,200 community, we have delivered some incredible upgrades for Pierce Park. 25 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:33,800 I want to see who's louder, the tennis folks or the pickleball folks. 26 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:36,520 All right, WHO'S EXCITED ABOUT PICKLEBALL? 27 00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:40,480 WHO'S EXCITED ABOUT TENNIS? 28 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:47,680 ALL RIGHT, so in Phoenix we love both, and across the country there there's a 29 00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:52,080 real debate, but we are investing in both park uh both uh pickleball and 30 00:02:50,320 --> 00:02:58,280 tennis here cuz we just want people outside enjoying our wonderful parks. 31 00:02:56,120 --> 00:03:02,400 Uh I send greetings from our Vice Mayor of the City of Phoenix, Kate Gallego 32 00:02:59,800 --> 00:03:07,519 Washington, who worked so hard on these upgrades and so wanted to be here, but 33 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:11,519 unfortunately has a family medical emergency. So, those of you who know her 34 00:03:09,480 --> 00:03:14,560 well, if if you could send her some love, but we 35 00:03:12,959 --> 00:03:20,200 uh are well represented on the City Council and have Councilman Kevin 36 00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:20,200 Robinson, who is here. 37 00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:27,720 And and and it's not just the city, this is multiple branches of government. So, 38 00:03:25,800 --> 00:03:32,160 we have our state representative Jennifer Connolly is here 39 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:36,000 with the great hat. She wins the elected official hat game. And then 40 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:40,959 we have uh Superintendent Barnes from the Balsu School District, Jacob George, 41 00:03:38,239 --> 00:03:45,360 Gail Knight, so many of our great partners, the school district. We work 42 00:03:43,600 --> 00:03:49,840 so well between the city parks and making sure that we have safe places for 43 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:54,320 our kids at every hour of the day. We're also joined 44 00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:59,280 by uh the leaders of our Parks and Recreation Department and 45 00:03:57,520 --> 00:04:05,200 so many leaders from neighborhood organizations including the 46 00:04:01,400 --> 00:04:10,280 44th Street Community Alliance. So, the great folks in green and white. We 47 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:15,040 were here together for a gain event last November and talking about today. So, 48 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:20,720 it's exciting that it is finally come with so many new amenities, six new 49 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:24,360 pickleball courts with lighting, two new tennis courts, basketball court 50 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:28,520 resurfacing, new drinking fountains, new benches, new picnic tables, and then the 51 00:04:26,560 --> 00:04:32,919 beloved parking lot upgrades that 52 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:37,320 we heard a lot about. And and this is possible because of all of you. 53 00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:41,040 Those Those at the bottom of the ballot, there's often city funding items and a 54 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:46,160 really important one is the Parks and Preserve Initiative. Our residents in 55 00:04:43,360 --> 00:04:50,200 Phoenix overwhelmingly voted to support our park system and because of that 56 00:04:48,160 --> 00:04:54,400 Parks and Preserve Initiative, we're able to fund really important upgrades 57 00:04:52,760 --> 00:04:58,080 like the one you see here today. So, thank you to those of you who make it to 58 00:04:55,800 --> 00:05:02,440 the bottom of the ballot and help us fund these great investments. I've often 59 00:05:00,800 --> 00:05:07,840 said that parks are one of the clearest reflections of a city's values. When we 60 00:05:05,200 --> 00:05:11,440 invest in parks, we invest in people and we in the city of Phoenix have made 61 00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:15,720 parks a priority. We have one of the largest park systems anywhere in the 62 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:19,800 country and and one of those one of the most successful. And now I 63 00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:25,040 get to introduce the the man who's leading that 64 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:29,280 department, uh Parks and Recreation Director Marty Whitfield to the podium. 65 00:05:32,280 --> 00:05:38,800 » Thank you, Mayor Gallego, and good morning to everyone. Um I know it's 66 00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:43,880 going to be a scorching day today, but it's not bad so far, right? So, 67 00:05:41,280 --> 00:05:47,600 uh today marks a wonderful milestone for this community and and Pierce Park. Uh 68 00:05:46,080 --> 00:05:51,600 like the mayor and Danielle mentioned, a lot of new amenities here. 69 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:54,880 This cannot happen without our community partners and residents that work 70 00:05:53,480 --> 00:05:59,440 hand-in-hand. I would like to thank Chase Builders. 71 00:05:57,760 --> 00:06:04,440 They do a lot of great work for the Parks Department across our system and 72 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:09,720 you will see the great amenities that they did today. The design firm of 73 00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:15,240 Hewitt and Zollars also participated in this wonderful project and then my team 74 00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:19,440 Danielle who's the deputy director over the Northeast division. Jake Johnson 75 00:06:17,520 --> 00:06:24,760 who's our park supervisor. He's there in the back hiding. But this this cannot be 76 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:28,640 done without them. Our Parks Development team Lance Gray. I know he is here 77 00:06:26,919 --> 00:06:32,240 somewhere. There he is right in front of me. He leads our capital improvement 78 00:06:30,880 --> 00:06:36,320 program. So I just want to thank them and then of 79 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:40,960 course our city engineer staff. I would also like to recognize Jenny Ann 80 00:06:38,960 --> 00:06:43,440 Summers. She's right in front of me. She doesn't 81 00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:48,240 Yes, please give her a round of applause. So so when I started in the 82 00:06:45,800 --> 00:06:51,200 Parks Department in November of 2021, I kept hearing this name Jenny Ann 83 00:06:49,560 --> 00:06:56,520 Summers. Jenny Ann Summers. I was like who is this Jenny Ann Summers? I finally 84 00:06:53,960 --> 00:07:00,640 got a chance to meet her. She's very engaged in what goes on in her 85 00:06:58,120 --> 00:07:03,080 community. Not only this park but old cross 86 00:07:01,640 --> 00:07:07,200 country canal. So I just want to thank you for your 87 00:07:04,919 --> 00:07:10,160 partnership and just give me a call whenever you want to, right? Okay, thank 88 00:07:09,080 --> 00:07:16,120 you. I know she will, right? 89 00:07:12,240 --> 00:07:19,680 I earlier I met uh Dr. George Barnes from the Balls Elementary School 90 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:24,560 District. So I like to thank him. And then the mayor did mention 91 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:28,880 Gail Knight. She's over there right to the left there. Thank you for for your 92 00:07:26,520 --> 00:07:32,919 partnership and Gail and I go way back. She's like a 93 00:07:30,880 --> 00:07:36,240 mentor to me and it's always great to to see you. So thank you. 94 00:07:34,760 --> 00:07:40,600 Um I'd also like to highlight the efforts 95 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:44,680 and leadership of Mayor Gallego. I know Vice Mayor Keisha Hodge Washington 96 00:07:42,360 --> 00:07:48,360 cannot be here today, but without them and of course Councilman Robinson, their 97 00:07:46,360 --> 00:07:53,840 support for the Parks Department, none of this would be possible. Um 98 00:07:51,760 --> 00:07:58,360 I also do want to mention, I do not see her, but my former boss and assistant 99 00:07:56,280 --> 00:08:01,280 city manager, oh there she is right there, 100 00:07:59,200 --> 00:08:05,280 uh Inger Erickson, and I'm sure she'll be ripping up the pickleball courts here 101 00:08:02,920 --> 00:08:09,560 in a minute. My my current boss is right next to her, 102 00:08:07,640 --> 00:08:14,800 Deputy City Manager Dave Matthews, so thanks for to your support. 103 00:08:12,919 --> 00:08:20,560 One of my assistant directors is over there standing next to my wife, Brandy 104 00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:24,560 Barrett. I cannot do this without her. We laugh on a daily basis, we also cry 105 00:08:22,840 --> 00:08:27,480 on a daily basis running this running this department, but without you I 106 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:31,520 cannot do that. Um and then finally, she might get me 107 00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:35,840 for this, but I'd like to thank my wife who joined me today, my wife Julie 108 00:08:33,200 --> 00:08:38,400 Wickfield of over 30 years. This morning she said, "Honey, I'll go with you if 109 00:08:37,159 --> 00:08:42,919 you go to the grocery store with me after." So, I I've been falling for this 110 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:46,720 trick for over 30 years. She said, "We won't even get a cart." I said, "Yeah, 111 00:08:44,400 --> 00:08:50,800 right." So, thank you for that. The refreshed amenities you will see 112 00:08:48,160 --> 00:08:54,400 today build on the legacy of this park and as a welcoming destination where 113 00:08:52,320 --> 00:08:59,440 families can relax, connect, and enjoy time. So, thank you again for all being 114 00:08:57,280 --> 00:09:02,360 here part of this celebration and without further ado, let's cut the 115 00:09:00,960 --> 00:09:05,520 ribbon and officially open the new sports courts. Thank you. 116 00:09:06,200 --> 00:09:09,600 » Five. >> Four. 117 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:12,000 Three. Two. 118 00:09:10,520 --> 00:09:14,160 One. Yay!