[00:00:12]
HI, THIS IS PARISH PRESIDENT CYNTHIA LEE SHANG.
I'M HERE IN OUR BEAUTIFUL PARK DAY FOR ME ON THE WEST BANK.
WE JUST DID THE RIBBON CUTTING FOR OUR NEWEST AMENITY HERE IN THE PARK, AN OVER FIVE MILE MOUNTAIN BIKE TRAIL.
WHAT I ABSOLUTELY LOVE ABOUT THIS PROJECT, I LOVE THE PROJECT ITSELF, BUT THE PROJECT STARTED WITH AN IDEA FROM AN EMPLOYEE, AND IT WAS AN EMPLOYEE THAT WASN'T EVEN PART OF OUR RECREATION DEPARTMENT.
HE'S BEEN WITH THE PARISH FOR 34 YEARS.
HE'S NOW A MEMBER OF OUR ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT, AND IT ALL STARTED WITH HIM, AND THAT'S WHY THIS PROJECT MEANS SO VERY MUCH TO ME.
SO, ERROL, WHY DON'T YOU TALK TO US HOW, HOW THIS WHOLE PROJECT STARTED BECAUSE YOU, I KNOW YOUR FAMILY WAS HERE.
I KNOW YOU'RE SO PROUD TO BE PART OF IT.
WE HAD YOU SPEAKING, BUT WHY DON'T YOU TELL EVERYBODY HOW THIS PROJECT STARTED.
BASICALLY, I WAS TRAINING FOR SOME CROSS COUNTRY MOUNTAIN BIKE RACING EVENTS, AND I WAS UTILIZING, UM, THE STATE HIGHWAY, THE GREEN SPACE ALONG THE SIDE BECAUSE THE GRASS IS NORMALLY PRETTY HIGH.
AND, UM, SO ANYWAY, I WAS TRAINING THERE AND THEN ONE DAY DECIDED TO TURN IN.
I NEVER KNEW THIS EVEN EXISTED, AND WHEN I CAME IN I WAS LIKE, WOW, THIS PLACE IS GORGEOUS.
THIS WOULD BE A GREAT PLACE FOR A MOUNTAIN BIKE TRAIL.
AND, UM, APPROACHED RICKY TEMPLATE IN TERRY OMO AND SAID, YOU KNOW, GUYS, WE REALLY NEED TO DO THIS.
SO, UH, THEY GAVE ME THE OPPORTUNITY.
WE STARTED BUILDING AND WHAT WE DID WAS IN THE ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT, WE HAVE A LOT OF PROJECTS THAT GO ON TO REPAIR ALL OF OUR UTILITY BRAKES, WATER, SEWER LEAKS, THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO WHEN WE BREAK THAT CONCRETE OUT, WE NORMALLY SEND THAT TO EITHER THE LANDFILL OR WE STOCKPILE THAT IN OUR DRAINAGE YARD.
AND SO I WAS ABLE TO UTILIZE ALL THE BROKEN CONCRETE, ALL THE RECYCLED CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS THAT WE HAVE TO UTILIZE AND BUILD ALL OF THE FEATURES THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE ENTIRE MOUNTAIN BIKE TRAIL.
SO AGAIN, YOU NEED TO COME OUT, TAKE YOUR FAMILY OUT HERE AND SEE THE BEAUTY BEAUTIFUL NATURE THAT WE HAVE RIGHT HERE ON THE WEST BANK.