Mayor Holt on new animal shelter, grant to address homelessness

HEY, OKLAHOMA. GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME BACK. JUST CHECKING IN HERE WITH OKC MAYOR DAVID HOLT BECAUSE IT IS TIME FOR OUR MONTHLY CHECK IN. AND SO WE’RE GOING TO TALK THIS MORNING ABOUT A VARIETY OF TOPICS FROM A NEW ANIMAL SHELTER TO FIGHTING HOMELESSNESS IN THE CITY. SO MAYOR DAVID HOLT JOINS US LIVE NOW WITH A SPECIAL GUEST. WE’VE GOT LOGAN HOLT HERE WITH US. THIS MORNING. GOOD MORNING. THANKS, AS ALWAYS, FOR COMING IN. ABSOLUTELY. WELL, GOOD MORNING. YES. I DECIDED IF WE WERE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE ANIMAL SHELTER TO REALLY MAKE IT REAL FOR PEOPLE, I WOULD BRING LOGAN THE FIRST DOG. YES. THE FIRST DOG OF OKLAHOMA CITY. BUT HE HAD HUMBLE ROOTS. HE HE WAS ONCE A RESIDENT AT THE OKLAHOMA CITY ANIMAL SHELTER, WHERE THEY THOUGHT HE HAD PARVO. AND SO BELLA FOUNDATION CAME IN AND RESCUED HIM BEFORE HE WAS EUTHANIZED AS IT TURNED OUT, HE DIDN’T HAVE PARVO, BUT WE ENDED UP ADOPTING HIM AT A BELLA FOUNDATION EVENT. UM, AND HE’S JUST A GREAT EXAMPLE. I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY IN THE NEAR TERME, WE ALWAYS ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO TO GO DOWN TO OUR EXISTING OKLAHOMA CITY ANIMAL SHELTER AND ADOPT BECAUSE THERE IS A LOGAN IN YOUR FUTURE AND HE BRINGS HAPPINESS INTO OUR LIVES EVERY SINGLE DAY. UH, AND THAT OPPORTUNITY AWAITS YOU. BUT LONG TERME, WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT TODAY IS, OF COURSE, THIS AMAZING OPPORTUNITY WE HAVE THROUGH MAPS FOR OUR TO HAVE A REALLY STATE OF THE ART ANIMAL SHELTER. IT’S A $42 MILLION BUDGET. IT WAS APPROVED BY THE VOTERS IN 2019. AND IT’S GOING TO BE AN ENVIRONMENT THAT’S BETTER FOR THE ANIMALS. IT’S GOING TO HAVE ALL THE BELLS AND WHISTLES, BUT IT’S ALSO GOING TO BE MAYBE JUST AS IMPORTANTLY, IF NOT MORE IMPORTANTLY, A BETTER ENVIRONMENT FOR THE ADOPTING FAMILIES. IT’LL BE VERY WELCOMING. UH, IT’LL BE VERY, YOU KNOW, UPLIFTING AND, UH, WE WANT PEOPLE OBVIOUSLY TO FEEL WELCOME AT OUR ANIMAL SHELTER AND FOR IT TO BE A GOOD EXPERIENCE FROM BEGINNING TO END, SO THAT THEY WILL TAKE MOORE LOGAN’S HOME. RIGHT. AND WE KNOW THAT OFTENTIMES THE ANIMAL SHELTER IS AT CAPACITY. AND SO THIS NEW ONE IS GOING TO BE SO MUCH BIGGER. WE JUST SAW SOME RENDERINGS, STATE OF THE ART $42 MILLION BUDGET. RIGHT. AND EXPECTED TO OPEN HERE IN A COUPLE OF YEARS. YES. SO WHAT HAPPENED RECENTLY THE MOST RECENT DEVELOPMENT JUST IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS WAS THE APPROVAL OF THE PLANS FOR IT. AND THAT’S WHAT THE RENDERINGS REFLECT. AND YEAH, SO WE’RE GETTING WE’RE GETTING DOWN THE ROAD WITH IT AND WE’RE REALLY EXCITED. AND YES, AS YOU SAID, IN ADDITION TO A BETTER ENVIRONMENT, IT’S ALSO A LOT BIGGER. AND THAT’LL BE GREAT. WE’VE HAD SOME REAL CHALLENGES WITH WITH WITH THE SIZE OF LATE. SO ANYWAYS, THAT OUR CURRENT SHELTER SAVED LOGAN’S LIFE AND A LOT OF. UH, LIVES CAN CONTINUE TO BE SAVED WITH THIS NEW INVESTMENT. YEAH. AND WE DO LOVE TO SEE THAT. SWITCHING GEARS HERE A LITTLE BIT RECENTLY, THE CITY GOT $7 MILLION IN GRANT FUNDING FROM HUD. THIS IS THE LARGEST THAT THE CITY HAS SEEN AS FAR AS FUNDING FROM THEM. TALK ABOUT THE IMPACT AND HOW THOSE FUNDS ARE USED. YEAH. SO THIS IS FOR THE TOPIC OF HOMELESSNESS. AND HERE IN OKLAHOMA CITY, WE ACTUALLY RANK PRETTY WELL VERSUS OTHER LARGE CITIES. WE ARE TYPICALLY IN THE 80S FOR THE, UH, YOU KNOW, PER CAPITA HOMELESSNESS IN OKLAHOMA CITY. AND WE’RE THE 20TH LARGEST CITY AND THE 42ND LARGEST MARKET. SO IF WE’RE IN THE 80S, THAT’S GOOD. UM, YOU KNOW, BUT HAVING SAID THAT, IT’S STILL A CHALLENGE AND IT’S STILL IMPORTANT. AND IT, YOU KNOW, WE WANT IT TO BE ZERO. WE DON’T WANT TO HAVE ANY HOMELESSNESS IN OUR COMMUNITY. SO A LOT OF TIMES IN THE PAST, OUR INVESTMENTS HAVE BEEN FUELED BY THIS HUD FUNDING. THIS IS THE HOUSING. AND, YOU KNOW, DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT. AND THEY SEEM TO HAVE RECOGNIZED KIND OF THE THE WORK THAT WE’RE DOING HERE. YOU KNOW, OUR KEY TO HOME INITIATIVE ALSO, YOU KNOW, THERE’S LOTS OF REALLY DYNAMIC THINGS HAPPENING HERE IN OKLAHOMA CITY ON THE ISSUE OF HOMELESSNESS AND THIS INVESTMENT, UM, YOU KNOW, IS THE BIGGEST SO FAR. AND IT JUMPED $2 MILLION YEAR TO YEAR. SO WE ACCEPTED A GIANT CHECK, LITERALLY. YOU KNOW, THEY BROUGHT ONE OF THOSE BIG CHECKS AND THEY WERE REALLY EXCITED TO SUPPORT WHAT WE’RE DOING HERE. AND THAT JUST HAPPENED THE LAST FEW WEEKS. NOW, YOU WERE RECENTLY AT THE CONFERENCE OF MAYORS. KIND OF WALK US THROUGH SOME OF YOUR BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS AT WHILE YOU WERE THERE. SURE. SO I’M THE SECOND VICE PRESIDENT. I’LL BE THE VICE PRESIDENT STARTING IN JUNE, AND THEN THE PRESIDENT IN JUNE OF 25. SO I’M PRETTY ACTIVE IN THAT ORGANIZATION. YOU KNOW, MY VIEW HAS ALWAYS BEEN THAT OKLAHOMA CITY IS THE 20TH LARGEST CITY. WE DESERVE TO BE IN THE ROOMS WHERE DECISIONS ARE BEING MADE. AND AND I’M HONORED TO ALWAYS GET TO HAVE THAT CHANCE TO REPRESENT OKLAHOMA CITY ON THAT STAGE. AND SO OUR MOST RECENT MEETING WAS SATURDAY IN SANTA BARBARA. AND IT WAS ALL THE LEADERSHIP MAYORS. WE HAD GOOD ATTENDANCE. AND WE’RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THE MAJOR CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FACING CITIES. HOMELESSNESS IS A MAJOR ONE. I SPENT AN HOUR WITH THE MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES, WHO’S DOING A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT WE’RE DOING HERE IN TERMS OF GOING INTO ENCAMPMENTS AND, YOU KNOW, FINDING HOUSING AND SERVICES FOR PEOPLE. OKAY. AND NOW LET’S TALK ABOUT SOMETHING FUN HERE. MURALS IN THE CITY, A NEW ORDINANCE RECENTLY PASSED WHICH ALLOWS ARTISTS TO BE ABLE TO DO MURALS. A LOT OF TIMES WITHOUT A PERMIT. TALK ABOUT HOW BIG OF A DEAL THAT IS FOR OUR ARTWORK HERE IN OKC. SURE. SO THIS IS PART OF THE OF A OF A NEW ADOPTION OF AN ENTIRELY NEW SIGN CODE. AND YOU KNOW, THESE ARE THE THE NITTY GRITTY OF URBAN LIFE THAT PEOPLE DON’T ALWAYS THINK ABOUT. BUT YOU’VE GOT TO HAVE AN ORDINANCE, THE ORDINANCES THAT GOVERN SIGNS AND AND ESPECIALLY COMMERCIAL SIGNS. BUT, YOU KNOW, WE’RE PROUD, AS I’VE PROBABLY TALKED ABOUT HERE BEFORE, THAT WE’RE, YOU KNOW, THE NUMBER ONE CITY FOR PUBLIC ART TWO YEARS RUNNING. UH, WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO HAVE MORE MURALS IN THIS CITY. AND WE ALSO HAVE TO RESPECT THIS IS A FREE COUNTRY. I MEAN, PEOPLE OWN PROPERTY. THEY GOT A BIG WALL LIKE THEY HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO TO DECORATE ARTISTICALLY AS THEY WISH. AND SO GENERALLY, AFTER THE ADOPTION OF THIS SIGN CODE, YOU KNOW, IT’S KIND OF A IT’S KIND OF A FREE FOR ALL IN TERMS OF ARTISTIC EXPRESSION, UNLESS YOU’RE IN MAYBE CERTAIN DESIGN DISTRICTS. AND OBVIOUSLY, IF YOU’RE A PROPERTY OWNER AND YOU’RE CONSIDERING A MURAL, YOU MIGHT CALL THE CITY AND MAKE SURE WHAT THE PARAMETERS ARE. BUT MOST BUILDINGS IN OKLAHOMA CITY ARE ESSENTIALLY AT THIS POINT, AFTER THE ADOPTION OF THIS SIGN, CODE FREE TO PAINT MURALS, AND WE ENCOURAGE THEM TO DO SO. YEAH, WE KNOW OKC KNOWN AS SOME OF THE BEST STREET ART IN THE COUNTRY. SO WE LOVE TO SEE THAT. AND THEN FINALLY, BEFORE WE GO, I READ ACROSS OKC IS COMING UP I KNOW YOU’LL BE PARTICIPATING IN THAT. YOU ALREADY DO A LOT OF THAT ANYWAY. BUT TALK ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT PROGRAMS LIKE THIS ARE AND FOR PEOPLE TO BE INVOLVED IN THEM. YES. SO OKC HAS GOT READ ACROSS OKC ON MARCH 8TH, GO TO THE FOUNDATION FOR OKLAHOMA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS WEBSITE TO SIGN UP AND VOLUNTEER THERE. THEY’D LOVE TO HAVE YOU. YOU KNOW, THERE ARE WHAT, 70 BUILDINGS IN OKLAHOMA CITY, PUBLIC SCHOOLS. I MEAN, THERE’S LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES AND LOTS OF CLASSROOMS THAT YOU COULD JOIN THAT DAY. AS YOU SAID, I READ EVERY SINGLE FRIDAY MORNING DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR TO A DIFFERENT KINDERGARTEN CLASS IN OUR CITY, AND THERE’S OVER 100 ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS ACROSS ALL OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN OKLAHOMA CITY. SO IT’S AN ENDEAVOR THAT WILL END UP TAKING ME PROBABLY EIGHT YEARS TO GET TO THEM ALL. UM, BUT I LOVE THE OPPORTUNITY. IT GETS ME AROUND THE CITY. I READ GOOD NIGHT OKC, WHICH IS THE BOOK BY THE JUNIOR LEAGUE ABOUT OUR CITY. UM, BUT IT’S A FUN EXPERIENCE AND IT’S LIKE IT’S REALLY GOOD. OBVIOUSLY IT MODELS, UH, YOU KNOW, A LOVE OF READING FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, WHICH I THINK IS IMPORTANT. AND, AND SO I CERTAINLY ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO JUMP ON THIS OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT WITH OUR KIDS HERE IN OKLAHOMA CITY ON MARCH 8TH. YEAH. AND WE’VE WE’VE TALKED ABOUT IT AS WELL AND TOLD PEOPLE WHERE THEY CAN SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER IF THEY’RE INTERESTED IN DOING THAT. SO WE GOT THROUGH A LOT TODAY. MAYOR HOLT, WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING IN. AND LOGAN, YOU WERE GREAT. I KNOW IT WAS YOUR FIRST TIME FIRST ON AIR INTERVIEW. MAYBE WITH US, AT LEAST I THINK SO. NOW. I THINK THIS IS HIS TELEVISION LIVE TELEVISION DEBUT. LOGAN, YOU KILLED IT. YOU’RE A STAR, MAYOR AND, LOGAN, THANK