 Thank you all so much For joining us here in the beautiful TS Martin Park a I know that my city manager is gonna make acknowledgment of Assistant city manager Henry Simon who works so closely with his amazing team here today Suffer the devastating loss this morning and make sure we keep the Simon family in prayer As we go through the day No, it's way heavy on so many of us and it gave my heart a little bit of levity Let's see this little fellow Duncan on Sam Davis when I came up earlier Gives you gives your reasons to smile Reasons to smile, you know so and you know I I think back and and I won't Steal her comments when she has a chance to come up and speak But when I think back to this this particular park It's wonderful to come here and have a chance to celebrate the amazing work of a community working closely With our staff and team working closely with the neighborhood leaders Over here because I think back to Comments I've heard Ms. Devine say over over over many years and how activity Laws of life here has spurred her action over the last two decades We're here today to celebrate quite frankly to celebrate the life and legacy again Thomas Sinclair Martin a community pioneer and activist driving force Creation of the Charles Drew pool over seven decades ago In 2016 as many of you know a master plan was devised to revitalize this entire 900 Excuse me nine and a half acres of TS Martin Park The master plan was created with support of the late Willa Martin Bailey the dart of TS Martin with over $400,000 in CDBG funding. We're able to implement phase one of the master plan And I'm not sure I don't want to take the councilman's Thunder as well But if it's my job Everything to get into the elements of All the park if it's not I'll come back and do it if someone else doesn't do it, but I will tell you that So many of these play elements This is the very first part one of the very first box in the entire country to have these elements here in the park And that's Randy to your team, that's the amazing accomplishment to to make sure that again this vision for creating Special places in the public realm for our children to grow and prosper That we're building parks of the 21st century with building parks Not only for 2021 but for 2031 and 41 and giving children a very special place to grow up Excited to announce that phase two will indeed be starting in the spring also funded by CDBG dollars. Gloria keep them coming Please And phase two will include walking paths a new baseball field fencing dugouts and other site Menities I gotta tell you I'm just amazed that we got some money not going to district one and coming over district two For parks you think the only parks in the whole city If it's Davis had his way all in district one But somewhere along the way we sent a preacher over here to district two who decided to started Prosalitizing and say that we need to make sure more and more resources came over here to the parks and And in district two and along with the passion the numbers divine has articulated about this special place for many years in the dedication Mr. McDowell Wonderful leadership. I will tell you Will Brennan has been an amazing addition to city council and represents. I believe the future the promising future of the city You combine that With engaged community leadership and the very best Not one of the best the very best Professional leadership that the city has ever had led by Teresa Wilson and her team You get a special combination and I'm very thankful in these last days My tenure as as mayor to be able to attend So amazing ribbon-cuttings like this because this is what the community is all about a great city is a collection of great neighborhoods Consistent of great families and people that make them great and we're having a great day right here at TS Martin Park because of the solution Now if you yield I'll yield the microphone. It's not a cold day. It was a cold day. He'd be wearing a hat if he was wearing a hat He'd be passing that hat. So we don't have to pass the hat today to my friend councilman at McDowell The Mary is full of jokes today Mr. Mayor city manager To the staff of parks and rec For the carry we're taught This is a wonderful day in this district There has been many many conversations About this park there has been many Good and heated conversations about this park when I think about the life of Brother Martin and I look at his birthday 1911 That's a glorious day Not only for in his life, but also in the life of my fraternity. Amen 19 You still got jokes in there It is a marvelous day for for us to celebrate Not only a teacher, but a coach A man who gave of himself to this community a Man who understood What it meant to not only be an enabler But to also fund that Enablement into the lives of young men and young women Isn't it wonderful for us to gather Isn't it wonderful for us to not only celebrate his life and This park but also to celebrate the future of This park and those persons who have given of themselves So I celebrate The city celebrates parks and wrecks celebrate Let's go forward And let the future be our guide as we celebrate brother Thomas Sinclair Martin Thank you. Good afternoon everyone It is as Reverend McDowell said a great day, but I'm here As your councilwoman, but really bringing thinking about just the personal impact that this amazing family has had on my life and Many many young people's lives and now will continue to have a huge impact. Thank you, mr. Because it's around my ear Thank you In the lives of young people just sitting here It's not lost to me when I think about and I travel around the city and I talk about Columbia Being my home and the and how much This community poured into me. I sit here and I think about Going to Northminster and sitting on the back pew with Eva Bolden and her pulling out books and when As a young child not necessarily wanting to listen to the preacher of ever McDowell Having books that I could read and and the impact that she made my life and then I remember jumping on a bus and going down to USC to Youth sports with coach Martin And although I do not have athletic ability that my my late father had When you went down and participated in those programs you felt like a superstar an all-star that you could do anything and so when I think about This family and the impact that everybody and continuing on and I look at you know Miss Tommy and Gerald and think about willa sending us remember McDowell all those emails about this park and Making sure that we did not forget the wise legacy of TS Martin and how that legacy needed to continue by in that continue to invest in Activities for young people. I feel like we've come full circle. I Feel like it we are certainly recognizing that young people of today are the Leaders the city leaders the national leaders of tomorrow and giving them opportunities to Recreate and feel like a superstar in their communities in their neighborhoods is so very important And so I'm honored to be here today as we cut this ribbon To continue the legacy of TS Martin in this great city and continue to show The young people how important all of their abilities are and how they are Superstars not just in the eyes of our city leaders, but in this community and so thank you all To the the bolder than Martin families for allowing us an Opportunity to continue the great legacy of TS Martin and we thank you for all the Contributions you continue to make to the community And we're excited to see the young people come here And see all the shining stars that will come out of this great TS Martin part. Thank you Thank you, mr. Bond. Thank you, ma'am gentlemen They both really said So much of what what is with the math? Some of the things that that I will Further state the mayor is right bear with us because all of these moments Now with him are really special So it means even more that we're dedicating and doing the ribbon cutting today here at TS Martin with him It's built in place He shared as he sometimes does with us at City Hall He shared his shrimp tacos with us today And I don't think he knew how much that meant to us because every little moment is is I don't know It's a little bit different and even more special mayor We are you know Just thrilled to see the progress that has been made at this park I'm up to give special acknowledgments and I'm doing it on behalf of assistant city manager Henry Simons who Call me this morning very early And in between his tears in mind shared that his father passed unexpectedly this morning and He was still as he always pays a special attention to detail worried about This ribbon cutting today And I told Henry that he has as he always does in short that his Wonderful team and parts of recreation is more than prepared to step up and make sure everything goes According to plan and it certainly has and with God's grace and beautiful weather and this wonderful family We are here to do just that so I'll report into him later That all is well here and thank you Randy Our parts are red director day Randy Davis and his team for making sure everything is Perfect and in place for the Martin and Bolden families When you grow up in Colombia as mr. Vibe said things tend to come full circle So I will walk the end today and put make this connection finally that miss Tommy McMillan Who is a friend of my parents who are longtime Benedict Tigers and educators? Is the daughter of T.S. Martin and she is a mentor to me and a friend of our family And my former life as an English teacher. I learned from her at Spring Valley High School So it's really interesting how things come full circle So I want to acknowledge miss Macmillan the daughter of T.S. Martin Edward Bailey the husband of the late Willa Bailey and daughter of T.S. Martin and all the other family members and attendants today Also close friends of the family are here with us when now Cohen Warren and Wendy Bolden of course and mr. Nathaniel Stevenson who is very special and dear to us at the city a long time employee who has taught many children including my own how to swim and Has just just touched so many youth in Colombia and we are especially thankful for him and his connection to this family We want you all to leave this lasting understand this legacy And and challenge all the young parents who we know need to have positive Experiences for their children in this particular community to come here And now as we continue as the mayor talked about to continue to grow the park with the additional phases We're just so thankful for the family and the friends of T.S. Martin who have given us this reason This lasting legacy to do just that and use city funds and city resources and city professionals To touch our children in such a great way. So thank you for being here And did you all have any comments miss Macmillan or any other family? I'll make this very first to our mayor and I hate to see him go. We're dear friends go back a long way to the city manager Who is another dear friend to miss Isaac another dear friend? To mr. Randy Davis who really helped set this up. It meant so much I want to thank my family for coming out today the boldens Mr.. Bailey who as well as husband and he has always been her biggest fan and advocate my brother my grandson Brahim Hamilton and all of the platform guests and and those who are in attendance. Thank you so much my father had a vision and my sister really extended that vision she Knew what he wanted this neighborhood to have he loved this community dearly and I'm so glad that she pushed because she was a pusher to get the things that the children needed here and It's going to continue and we're going to have a lot of rising stars to come out of this community. I know that I want you to continue to pray for our family and to pray for each other and I Just want things to continue to move forward. Thank you so much So some of the amazing play elements you see around us. You see the physics full moon climbing area bamboo climbing Jungle the multi-level Elephant play on basketball tree with five hoops asked for that asphalt basketball court I'm a walking perimeter play path and of course a shade center with Sight amenities we hope and pray to see many families out here Enjoying this and this amazing space again Really proud of these play elements and phase one because TS Martin Park is one of the very first parks in the entire country That happens so again, thank you everyone for taking this this vision cast so many years ago and manifesting in such a meaningful way if we're going to gather and The limit one more note Thank you again to to Gloria site and her staff at community development Wonderful parks and recreation Department Randy Union team and also the parks and rec foundation board for the continued support of this mission to redevelop our city parks takes a team takes a family And miss Ebony Kelly Who is amazingly gifted at Boston everyone around and making sure things happen making sure things happen and I know Standing the gap for our brother Henry right now. Just making sure everything Lockstep as as always I'm gonna thank her we're gonna we're gonna gather cut this ribbon. All right, let's do it