[00:00:04]
HI, THIS IS PARISH PRESIDENT CYNTHIA LEE SHANG.
I AM HERE WITH LEO WEBB, OUR DIRECTOR OF PARKS ON AN ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS DAY IN OUR BEAUTIFUL PARK DAY.
FOR ME, WE ARE HOSTING THE DISC GOLF PRO TOUR, WHICH IS AN INAUGURAL TOURNAMENT HERE IN PARK DAY.
FOR ME, WE COULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN A MORE GORGEOUS DAY, BUT I'M HERE JUST TO SAY SPORTS TOURISM IS ALIVE AND WELL IN JEFFERSON PARISH, THIS TOUR.
AND I'VE MET A LOT OF THE PLAYERS AND THE ORGANIZERS.
THEY'RE SO IMPRESSED WITH OUR COURSE.
WE HAVE ONE OF THE TOP COURSES, THE ONLY ONE I THINK, UM, IN THE STATE OF LOUISIANA REGULATION COURSE, BUT EVERYBODY IS SO EXCITED.
BUT SPORTS TOURISM IS, IT IS OUR, OUR FIRST QUARTER IS INCREDIBLE.
WE HAVE HAD OBVIOUSLY THIS INAUGURAL PRO TOUR.
WE HAVE HAD OUR ERIO SPORTS COMPLEX OPEN WITH A FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT.
WE'VE HAD A PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENT.
WE HAVE ALREADY HAD THOUSANDS OF HOTEL ROOMS STAYS, UH, IN JEFFERSON PARISH.
AND I WANNA TURN THIS OVER TO LEO.
AS WE SAID, WE JUST MET WITH THE ORGANIZERS, MANY OF THE PLAYERS, THEY'RE SO VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS INAUGURAL TOUR BEING HOSTED HERE.
WE'RE IDEALLY SITUATED TO OBVIOUSLY BRING PEOPLE HERE FOR SPORTS, BUT ALSO HAVE A NEW ORLEANS VACATION ON TOP OF THAT.
SO IT'S JUST A REGIONAL INITIATIVE.
BUT LEO, WORKING WITH OUR COUNCIL OFFICES, WORKING WITH SO MANY OF THE LOCAL, I WANT YOU TO GO OVER WHAT IT TOOK TO, TO BRING THIS, BECAUSE I PASSED TO SOME MORE PEOPLE AND THEY JUST COULDN'T BE, UH, MORE THANKFUL FOR THE EFFORT THAT WAS PUT ON BY, UH, OUR LOCAL TEAM.
SO I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO LEO TO EXPLAIN, 'CAUSE YOU'VE BEEN REALLY INVOLVED WITH IT, WITH OUR COUNCIL OFFICES.
AND, AND REALLY TO START OFF WITH, PEOPLE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT TEAMS WORKING TOGETHER.
THIS WAS ABSOLUTELY A COMPLETE TEAM EFFORT.
EVERYBODY PULLED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION FROM THE BEGINNING.
UH, THEY HAD THE DISC GOLF PEOPLE COME DOWN AND DO A SITE VISIT, AND THEY SAID, IF YOU DO THIS, THIS, AND THIS, WE WILL BRING THE TOURNAMENT THERE.
EVERYBODY COMMITTED EVERY PART, FUNDING WISE WORKWISE.
AND AT, AT ONE POINT WE HAD TWO MACHINES IN THE AIR THAT WE WERE CLEARING LAND.
WE CLEARED OVER 50 ACRES OF LAND.
UH, WE PURCHASED OVER 450 DUMP TRUCK LOADS OF SAND TO MOVE AROUND.
WE MOVED ABOUT 150 LOADS OF SAND ON THE SITE.
WE WERE ABLE TO BRING IN AND, UH, SPREAD ALL THE SAND, PLANT SEEDS, PLANT GRASS.
THE LAST, UH, THE LAST SEEDS WENT IN DECEMBER 22ND, RIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS.
AND THEN WE LET MOTHER NATURE DO HER THING.
THE TREES ARE TURNING LIKE THE, UH, LEAVING UP AND EVEN THERE'S AN A BLOOMING NOW.
SO IT'S, IT'S WHERE IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE.
I CAN'T THANK THE DEPARTMENTS ENOUGH.
WE'VE HAD ALL OF THEM AND I, I HOPE I DON'T LEAVE ANY OUT.
WE HAD DRAINAGE AND IT, AND STREETS AND PARKWAYS AND, UH, EOC TRAFFIC ENGINEERING.
UH, I HOPE I DIDN'T FORGET ANYBODY, BUT IT, IT WAS A, A, A TOTAL TEAM OUT THERE AND I'VE REALLY ENJOYED LEARNING ABOUT THIS SPORT.
AND I JUST GOT TO SEE, UH, I THINK THEY TOLD ME IT WAS THE WORLD'S HIGHEST RANKED PLAYER AND, AND THERE WAS A FOLLOWING AFTER HIM.
AND SO IT'S BEEN, IT'S BEEN AN INCREDIBLE EYE-OPENING EXPERIENCE FOR ME.
'CAUSE I, THIS IS MY, UM, FIRST LOOK AT THIS SPORT UP CLOSE.
BUT FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO SEE THE ABSOLUTE PROS IN THE WORLD PLAY RIGHT HERE IN JEFFERSON PARISH REALLY MAKES US PROUD.
AND LOOK, I JUST, I SPOKE TO MY FORMER COLLEAGUE RICKY TEMPLATE AND THIS IDEA GOT STARTED JUST FROM AN EMPLOYEE WHO USED TO PLAY, UM, DISC GOLF IN, IN LAFF RAINIER PARK, WHO BROUGHT US THE IDEA OF SAYING, THIS WAS A GROWING SPORT AND Y'ALL REALLY NEED TO INVEST IN THIS.
JUST LIKE WE WERE TALKING ABOUT, OUR MOUNTAIN BIKE PATH WAS ALSO AN EMPLOYEE WHO GAVE US THE IDEA.
SO THOSE EMPLOYEES REALLY, UH, GOING TO WORK THAT DAY AND TELLING SOMEBODY TO INVEST IN THIS SPORT REALLY PAID OFF FOR BOTH FOR US.
AND THEN, UH, WE'RE SO GRATEFUL FOR THE EMPLOYEES.
'CAUSE THIS WAS BOTH OF THESE BIG, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE HERE IN, IN PARK DAY FOR ME WERE BOTH EMPLOYEE IDEAS.
AND THEN EVEN THE COUNCIL OFFICE, UH, COUNCILWOMAN VAN RANKIN'S OFFICE AND HER STAFF, COUNCILMAN KERNER, NOBODY EVER SAID NO AT, YOU KNOW, THE FUNDING WAS THERE, THE COMMITMENT WAS THERE.
I MEAN, IT, IT, IT'S BEEN AN AWESOME EXPERIENCE AND, AND IT REALLY IS PAYING OFF.
AND WE HOPE THEY COME BACK NEXT YEAR.