Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Windsor Senior Living Facility

I have spent the last several days talking to a group of individuals that comprise several senior living facilities in Texas and Vail, Colorado.  They have been very successful in the housing and care of seniors.  I believe that they are unique in what they do.  I toured their latest project yesterday with Bruce Payne. (Economic Development) It use to be a Marriott Hotel on I635 near the I635/75 interchange (High 5).

The Senior Living Facility is called "Windsor Senior Living" and it is eleven stories, with 236 rooms.  The gentleman that started the project is very attuned to being able to work with the cities in which he invests.  The property that I am trying to get him interested in is the block from Center/Lincoln over to Whole Foods.  They want to build a seven story structure with a minimum of 150 rooms.

What they currently have in Dallas is eleven stories with the top five floors dedicated to independent living.  The residents get three meals a day and have a kitchen and beautiful apartments.  There is in-house care available if needed and is a perfect solution for downsizing.  The fifth and fourth floors are for less ambulatory residents in wheelchairs.  These are the start of the assisted living care floors.  The third, and second floors are reserved for those with memory loss, from dementia to alzheimers.  The first floor is for those that require constant care and monitoring.

The reason that I believe this to be a good place for a Senior Living Facility is the proximity to two golf courses, emergency response on the same property (Fire Station 8) and Arlington Memorial Hospital, that is 1.1 miles away.  Arlington has approximately 60,000 seniors with little to zero care available to them.  The largest concentration of seniors is in the north and west.  When the time comes to downsize, and stay in the area, there is nothing of quality available.  Maybe there will be in the future.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Just a Note

This is just a note to let you all know what is happening in District 1 as of today.  I started off by going to the Citizens Police Academy Seminar at the Sheraton hotel.  From there I had a meeting with a group that is interested in expanding their senior care facility over in Dallas.  I showed them around the Lamar/Collins Overlay and explained the projects that are in work in that area.  Then it was back to the office to meet with Mr. Albert Ross the President of the Veterans Park Project.  I missed the Cowboys Stadium announcement because I ran a little long in my other meetings.  In this mornings Star Telegram it was stated that Arlington will get 5% of the naming rights to the stadium.  They estimate that the price to AT&T will be $18 million a year.  Arlington would normally get $900,000 but Jerry put a cap on the deal at $5 million to the city over the length of the contract.  Since the city put up 30% of the money for the stadium it would seem that we didn't drive a very hard bargain.  But what do I know since I wasn't there.  Well $500,000 a year is better than nothing.  If you couple that with the $500,000 a year that is required to be donated by the Jones Foundation to the city it's an extra million annually.  I might add that this $500,00 will all go to bond debt service, while the foundation monies are supposed to go to youth sports.


Just to let you know, this blog has been in existence for a little over a year.  I have posted 74 times and there are over 14,000 views on the information.  I call that a success, but there is still room for improvement.  So please spread the word, and let's all stay informed.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Greg Abbott

I just got back from a Greg Abbott rally over in Duncanville.  It was held in the Ben Franklin Apothecary Store over on 302 North Main St..  The reason for holding this rally there was that he had worked there as a young boy in high school.  I can tell you for certain that Mr. Abbott is definitely running for Governor.  He's got the stump speech down and all the sound bites are in play.  I have to say that I was impressed with the man himself.  I agree with every aspect of his platform.  Of course he is a conservative Republican and so am I.

As Attorney General for the state of Texas, Greg Abbott has sued the Obama Administration 27 times.  He has been victorious in his fight to display the Ten Commandments in Austin, and to maintain the words  "under God" in the pledge of allegiance.  These battles were both won in the Supreme Court.  He also has a case pending, stating that Obamacare is a violation of the 10th Amendment of the Constitution.  He has upheld freedom of speech and the right to bare arms.  His priorities for Texas are to improve public education, balance the state's budget and and secure our borders.  He openly discusses his misfortune concerning the accident that has left him paralyzed.  He has overcome this detriment and has no problem engaging the opposition.  He is a man to be admired.  He states that he ran daily as a young man, and that he can no longer run.  But he will run for the office of Governor of the Great State of Texas, and I believe he will win.

Friday, July 12, 2013

Joe Barton

Last night I had the pleasure of listening to Joe Barton for about an hour and a half.  He was delayed in Washington DC due to a farm bill that was being voted on, but he finally got on an airplane and made it to the Tea Party event.  The only other elected official there was Ron Wright the Tarrant County Tax Accessor and former Barton Chief of Staff.

Topics of conversation ranged far and wide, but the main subjects concerned stripping the food stamp portion of the farm bill away and voting on it in the future.  Congressman Barton assured that the food stamp
spending level would remain below 2007 expenditures.  Immigration was another subject at the forefront.  Joe stated that if a person was born in this country, they would remain a citizen of this country.  However, if the parent was illegal, something other than citizenship would be afforded to them.  It was noted that entering this country illegally is only a misdemeanor, and can be punished by 6 mos. in jail, however normally this option  isn't utilized until the 3rd capture. 

It must be obvious that Congressman Barton is not for term limits since he is in his 28th in Congress.  I guess that his most important issue currently is fiscal responsibility.  Obama was running a 1.4 trillion dollar deficit.  Currently they have it down to .8 trillion.  Congressman Barton would like to see a balanced budget, but he believes that it won't happen until the current administration is gone.  It was stated that the three largest areas of spending is the Military Budget, Social Security, and Medicare/Medicaid.  Until these areas are addressed, there will never be a balanced budget.

It was stated that the coup in Egypt to oust the Arab Brotherhood was accomplished by the Egyptian Military.  This military is considered friendly to the United States because we provide them with military hardware.  Therefore, this removal of the current regime is looked upon favorably by DC.  I am sure that Obama will do nothing since he is very adept at only voting "present."

All in all an interesting evening, however some of the members of the audience were disrespectful and trying at times.   

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Town Hall Meeting - Apartments

I want to get this out early so that everyone will have an opportunity to see this presentation.  There will be a Town Hall Meeting concerning the apartment project along Lamar, on the 26th of August at 7:00 at the Convention Center, rooms 5-8.  The capacity of these rooms are around 500 people.  The meeting will be hosted by Jimmy Bennett and Charlie Parker.  Bob Kembel, the developer will be in attendance to give a portion of the presentation.  Also in attendance will be Trey Yelverton (City Manager) and Bruce Payne (Economic Development).

We will all be there to answer any questions that you may have concerning this project.  I expect the first check by the city to be written in August, allowing the demolition to start as early as September.  This is an exciting time for North Arlington.  A project of this stature doesn't come along very often, and it is important for the citizens to understand the impact and magnitude associated with what the City and Mr. Kembel are trying to accomplish.  I will get this information out to all the media and informational resources between now and then, with several reminders.  Please spread this information through your email lists so that everyone will have an opportunity to attend.  See you there.

Saturday, July 6, 2013

July 4th

After participating in several events to celebrate this year's Independence Day, I simply wanted to make some observations.  First was "Light Up Arlington".  What a remarkable event.  I can't even venture a guess as to the number of people that were in attendance downtown.  The music of the two feature bands was great and even the band in the Library parking lot was very enjoyable.  The fireworks display was also exceptional, and seemed to go on forever.

The next morning was the 4th of July Parade.  Wow, it is always impressive to see the number of entries, floats and bands that enter this event.  It's just another annual event in Arlington that is planned and executed flawlessly.  That evening there were fireworks on the field of play at Ranger Stadium.  The Rangers out played the Seattle Mariners and then we were all treated to another wonderful fire works display.  The fun continues with the Rangers hosting the Astros through the weekend.

It always amazes me that our founding fathers decided to go to war against the most powerful force on earth to win our independence.  Can you imagine putting together an army to rival the British army and navy of that day.  It is how our country started, and it shows the purpose and resolve of our ancestors.  We are very much the same today.  Our armed forces stand up around the world to maintain our liberty and freedoms, and those of other countries.  I feel fortunate to be an American, and it is my responsibility to remember the heroes of the past.  Winning our independence is one thing, but maintaining it is costly and of the utmost importance.

I hope you all had a great 4th of July.

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Arlington Rotary

Last night the Arlington North Rotary Club had its annual change over dinner.  Jackie and I attended at Texas Land and Cattle and enjoyed the event tremendously.  Rotary is a club where you put community first and you pay a membership to serve that community.  Over the years it has been Rotary's mission to stamp out Polio in the world.  That's right, when you were a kid and you stood in line with your parents to get your sugar cube, the Rotary probably paid for that immunization. 

There are several chapters of Rotarians right here in Arlington.  The Downtown Club just celebrated their 90th year in existence last month.  Our little Northern Club hasn't been in existence that long but its makeup is one of impressive membership, and I am lucky to be a member.  We are supported not only by our dues, but also by flag subscriptions.  On every holiday we put out flags in front yards, and pick them up that evening for a subscription fee of $30 a year.  It is a great opportunity to show your patriotism on these days and it is taken care of by the Rotary.  These monies are used to perpetuate the eradication of Polio and also to help bring clean drinking water to the people of Honduras. 

A Rotarian award that is given out for distinction in service over each year is the Paul Harris Award.  It is given for a achievement of a certain level of participation and generosity.  I am proud to say that the Arlington North Club has achieved a level of 100% Paul Harris Fellowship participation.  We are the only club with that distinction.

Last night the changing of the gavel occurred with Stace Callaghan passing the hammer to the new President Craig Forester.  Also, the Rotarian of the Year Award was given to Joe Bruner, and deservedly so.  If you would like the opportunity to serve your community and don't know how to go about it, please consider the Arlington North Rotary.  We meet every Monday at 12:00 at Olenjack's Restaurant and our speakers are extremely interesting.  On July 22nd our speaker will be Dr. Vistasp Karbhari the new President of UTA, so come and visit.