Yes to putting ourselves out there to be the outliers, the pioneers, the misfits, the troublemakers. Yes. To believing in something even when others didn't. Let me bring this closer to home. Think about a time in the past when you said yes and it made all the difference. Maybe it was saying yes to joining a club when you didn't know anyone. Or you tried out for a team and the members of that team became less of a team and more of a family. Yes to diving into new learning even when it scared you. Yes to staying up late to help a friend study. Yes to approaching the teacher who could help you and it made all the difference. Yes to raising your hand to challenge maybe to be vulnerable. Yes to trying again after a failure because in that failure you found a new part of yourself you didn't even know existed.
They know being stuck in substandard housing because of lack of new construction. This really is a halves versus have nots issues and those of us who are lucky enough to have bought in decades ago need to choose a side. Thank you Dr. Hello. Hi. Um, my name is Margaret McCall. I live at uh 2798 Colony Road in Ann Arbor. Um, I'm uh speaking in support of the plan today. I had a baby last year who's in the hall with my mom to avoid voicing his opinion out of turn. Uh, and I really am I'm here today because I want to ensure that Ann Arbor is a place where when he grows up, he can afford to live and stay with me. Uh, to me, this means we need to make a long-term investment in keeping Ann Arbor a place that is affordable and a place where everyone can live.
So two units will be family rental and two units will be for special needs. Um you will notice that there are there is parking behind the building there's garage parking. Uh these are two-story buildings and uh there is as you can see there in the green that surrounds the project that is the existing wooded area that will be preserved and then the additional larger um circles that are darker green are proposed buffering of of the development from the surrounding community. Um there I know that there have been some questions especially from the governing body. uh they will comply with all updated stormwater regulations per New Jersey DP. In addition to that, they are um proposing a basin to the bottom right of this concept plan that will provide for a hund the 100red-year storm event um containment of storm water management coming off of Route 35, which I don't think necessarily is up to code as it stands today.
So that's working a lot with like Mrs. Romanelli, which we've been collaborating on parts of this this year as well. And then I have to do a plug for myself, which I really I don't do often, but I am finishing my doctorate this year. So, I'm really excited. While we've been doing all of this, I've also been working on that kind of like, you know, as my hobby. So, all right, next slide, please. And I just want to give a thank you to a few people that don't normally get recognized. Last year, we were able to celebrate our amazing teachers. I included our programmatic assistants in on that. Um, but I want to make sure that everybody knows that our programmatic assistants who work in the classrooms with our students with the highest needs 100% drive this book. some days they are here doing everything that I am not able to do as an administrator.
What makes HSC special isn't just the academics, um the opportunities, or even the amazing programs. It's the heart behind it all. The fact that students from elementary school to high school can sit at the ta the same table and be heard, that's what sets our district apart. We hope our insights today encourage continued growth, innovation, and student- centered thinking. Thank you for giving us this platform, for valuing our perspectives, and showing us what it means to lead with purpose. We are so proud to be students of Higgley Unified School District, and even more proud to help shape its future. Thank you. [Applause] So, Mr. Armstrong, will you come up? And Miss Thomas, will you come up because you helped with this team? And I want to say great job. Did you guys want to say anything? You kind of got thrown up here. No, no, but I do remember we got asked who's a creative and you raised your hand.
Yeah, we'll have to look at that with the stadium because that's for football, soccer, and track. Yeah. So, maybe see how we digest that. I don't know. I don't know. Are we talking about doing it all at once because we know or I think we just kind of time do it as it come. If if the opportunity presents itself, I would imagine. And if the accomplishments are there? Yeah. 50 compliments or somebody I read our policy you know I think it's like five or six stipulations and one of those is show me the money show me the money and what's the default if there is no name recommended for name warrior okay yeah I guess the assumption is if you're just using in layman's terms they're trying to name the softball field but if we didn't on the football you could do if if Target came in and said, "Hey, we're going to put down X amount of dollars." Like all these other sports, you could call it Target Field, Amazon, but like you know, I think that's what you're saying, right?
And of those three teams, one of the teams placed second in their division at the global issues problem solving competition. So they all made us very proud. Congratulations to you all. Congratulations, Ben. Elsa. done. Thanks. Okay, next I would like to call up Cassand and Nicholas Collins. Tessa and Nicholas will be receiving our outstanding beginner musicians awards. Tessa and Nicholas both had exceptional years as beginning fourth grade band students in addition to excelling every week as leaders in their own cohort of students. They progressed well beyond their grade level expectations. Only four months removed from the day when they first opened their cases and made their first noises in band, they successfully accepted the challenge of performing the national anthem with the sixth grade band at the XL Center in Harvard. Tessa and Nicholas appear to be destined for many great musical experiences in their future in Canon schools and beyond.
Being fearless does not necessarily mean breaking boundaries. Being fearless can be taking one step out of your comfort zone. Um, it can be no longer take sub being subject to the rules of conformity. And it can be as simple as dying your hair another color, approaching someone you don't know and becoming their friend, or asking questions we never would have before. By challenging the status quo, we can break a cycle of conformity and challenge ourselves. Laurel Thatcher Olrik's words of well- behaved women seldom make history embody this concept. Being outspoken in who we are can change the world as we know it. Making a statement aloud can change the course of history. However, the setback to taking a risk is the chance of failing. Failing is a natural part of life. How else would we as humans learn? A part of failing is also the importance of a sort a support system to help you when you encounter setbacks.
This is your moment to reflect on all you've accomplished and take pride in your journey. Our D20 vision for you is that you have the knowledge, skills, and character necessary to be successful beyond graduation. But none of this would be possible without the support of your family, your friends, your teachers, your coaches, and other mentors. They have been with you every step of the way, and today they share in your success. So, let's take a moment and thank them for their unwavering belief in [Applause] you. Personally, I'm reminded of my the legacy of my own parents, Carl and Jane Johnston. My mother was a kindergarten teacher and my father a high school English and journalism teacher. And together they taught me the importance of communication, curiosity, and being a lifelong learner. And even though they are no longer with me, their influence continues to shape my journey.
That's why you're sitting here today. Every accomplishment, every discovery, every friendship, every moment brought you here. It started with yes. No doesn't move you forward. No will paralyze you. Yes is a small word, but it's a powerful engine. It's how we move forward, how we innovate, how we connect. It's how we change not just our lives, but the lives of the people around us. When you start with yes, you don't just open doors for yourself. You open doors for others. You might say yes to mentoring someone who reminds you of yourself. Yes to hiring that candidate with potential, not just the perfect resume. Yes to standing up for what's right, even when it's uncomfortable. Yes to being the first to say I'm sorry. Let's try again or you matter. Starting with yes isn't about blind optimism. It's about courageous intention. It's about waking up each day and asking what happens if I try, if I hope, if I take the chance.
And I think that this means that we just need more housing, plain and simple. Our world has so many problems. There's housing unfability, homelessness, climate change, and income inequality. and we need to make meaningful progress on these issues and Ann Arbor is a place that actually cares about doing that. That's part of the reason I'm glad to be here. Plans like this plan actually have a chance of moving the needle on these issues. We need to be bold and move in the right direction. And to me, the plan is doing exactly that. So many folks in Ann Arbor claim to care about these issues and so it's time for us to support plans like this one that actually bring our values to life. I have seen signs around town to pause the plan and this has inspired me to get up and speak for a second time to get out here and take the time despite having an 11-month-old because this really upsets me.
Uh in addition to that, I think there was some concerns or questions about um lighting. this will be dark sky compliant. So, as it relates to looking at affordable housing sites, um the the council on affordable housing rules say that there are four things that you have to look at when you are approving a site where or a mun or a planning board is approving a site and they're called the ables. It's are it it's available, it's suitable, it's developable, and it's approvable. And in the housing man fair share plan for each of the sites that we provide, we go through how each site meets that particular requirement. Um, and so that's the base information as it relates to when we're looking at sites, does it meet these four criteria? Because any court of law is going to ask me that question and anybody objecting to it is going to be looking at does it meet the these particular requirements.
I also want to recognize our um occupational therapist assistant Becky. as I'm going through the end of the year, as I'm getting um feedback, her name has come up so many times as somebody that has provided advice, has provided support, and she's only here two days a week, three weeks out of the month, and she is amazing. So, I just wanted to make sure to plug our programmatic assistants and our occupational therapist assistants in as well because they do amazing. And that's all I have. Thank you so much, Well, thank you so much. Where do you have time to do this talk? I don't know. So, we um have one more thing before you guys. I There was Anyways, that's what we have. So, just take a second. It's our consent agenda. [Music] Any comments? I have one. I would just like to thank uh Mrs.
I remember it because this is our musician. So, all right, we'll take a picture. Thank you. [Applause] For anyone who is here and wishes to fill out a request to speak form, if you have that, it's the last call to turn it in. We will now move to a public hearing to discuss the fiscal year 2025 budget revision number three. Mr. Moore. Yes. Good evening, President Wade, members of the board. Uh tonight we'll be presenting our final revision for our fiscal year 2025 uh budget. This will be our third budget revision. Um, as I just mentioned, this is kind of uh the the culmination of our uh current fiscal year's budget timeline. Uh we are now in the May part of our revision process, which is the final uh deadline in which we have uh an opportunity by statute to revise. So, uh, tonight will be a reconciliation of our, um, 100th day ADM and, uh, our reconciliation of some of our accounts and legislative, uh, onetime supplemental funding.
In that I even thought about that. Amazon. But again, our policy says that if we're looking to name a facility facility, these are the criteria. Yeah, there's five of them. More person like in this case, this is a a person that has coached for many years. Well, I think her resume or her accolades were presented to the board by Nelson, I believe, last time. So, that's one that's one of four. But you could be a no-name person, you know, but legitent, so to speak, and show me the money, you know, and the board may consider that just an option. Amazon maybe Amazon Warrior Stadium. I don't know. They give us $500,000 a month. I'm just throwing that hypothetical out there, right? It's like anything else. Yeah. Guaranteed rate field. Correct. The names don't have to really match, but maybe we can put Mustang in there somehow.
Congratulations to them. Wyatt Jimbo. Wyatt has done an outstanding job on the trombone in instrumental music this year as a student with excellent character traits, a strong desire to help others, and a great passion for music, leads by example, and is a tremendous role model for all of his peers. Congratulations, Wyatt. [Applause] And lastly, we are pleased to present two special memorial awards to two very deserving individuals, the Jamie L. Cannon and the Margaret Johnson Memorial Awards. Each year, these awards are given to two sixth grade students. And given such a stellar group of students that we have, it was not easy for our core special education and special areas teachers to decide upon the recipient of these awards. The first award that I'll be giving out is in memory of Margaret Johnson. This award goes to a student who exemplifies outstanding citizenship and character and who's a conscientious worker in all academic and unified arts areas and who demonstrates appropriate conduct and a positive attitude.
Take a minute tonight to thank those who have helped you along the way. It may be your teachers, parents, siblings, family, or friends who have made your journey here possible. So, thank you to the teachers and staff at the school. And thank you to every parent who has helped us along our path. The failures and mistakes along the way may create roadblocks on the path you are taking. But roadblocks will not obstruct your path. Instead, they define you and how you overcame these obstacles. I wish you the best in your next step. As Gustau said, if you focus on what left behind, you will never see what lies ahead. Congratulations, class of 2025. Thank [Applause] you. Hi guys. I know what you're expecting, but don't worry. This is not a poetic sendoff filled with metaphors about mountains and how four years ago I couldn't have pictured being up here and how these are the best moments of our life.
And I encourage you to hold tight to the lessons from those who have helped you along the way. So graduates, listen to the wisdom that is shared with you by others. A poem that captures the very essence of values like humility, grace, and living life well is Ruddard Kipling's if. Kipling was a prolific writer who won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1907. He had one son, John Kipling. And we can infer that this poem was written for his son before John left to be a soldier in World War I. And even though this poem was written for his son and somewhat reflects the culture of the times, there are ageless truths embedded within. And I encourage you to listen for what resonates most with you. If by Rickard Kipling. If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you.
You are going into a world that will be loud with reasons to play it safe. to stay quiet and follow the script and choose certainty over growth. But you are stronger than that. You have lived through uncertainty. You face a transforming world that will demand you adapt again and again. You have practiced that. You have the skills. The world will not prescribe for you the path to success or happiness. You have to chart that path for yourself. You've done that through high school. You have the skills. You have faced change again and again and it challenged you all along the way. But facing changes grows you and you understand that growth cannot be optional. You have the skills. Keep choosing growth. Start with yes. Yes to building something better, to failing and learning. Yes to leading with empathy. Yes to the things that scare us, stretch us, and shape us.
To me, it seems like there's a pretty clear feedback process that we're engaged in right now. And it's a proposal. This plan is a proposal. It's not a final answer yet. So, we can keep collecting feedback and we really should, but we can't afford to delay forever. I see this as a sort of tragic trend in progressive America to make the perfect the enemy of the good and never actually take action. So in conclusion, I appreciate that the plan is looking ambitiously to the future of Ann Arbor, specifically for young families like mine who hope to be here for years and years and see the plan play out. Thank you to the commission for your hard work on this. Thank you. Hi and welcome. Hi, good evening. I'm Irma Meyer. I live at 2809 Brockman Boulevard. My comment tonight is about why inclusion of all parts of the community is a fundamental part should be a fundamental part of the planning process.