Monoply Streets

Tonight at 7:00 at Nichols Jr. High School, I will be having the second meeting with the residents of the Park Place edition, also known as the Monopoly Streets.  We are going to look at the possibility of removing a half mile of wooden fence that is in disrepair, and putting up a masonry wall.  The masonry wall would extend down Canty St. and make the corner at Randy Snow and end at the park.

We had an initial meeting about three months ago.  The purpose of that meeting was to present the idea, and then find out if there was support in going forward with the project.  Now we have the numbers required to give the neighbors specifics.  The wall will cost the neighbors a total of $5.79 a month for ten years, and that includes insurance.  The benefits of making such an improvement are two fold.  1)  By pooling their money and putting up the wall, they will enchance the beauty of their neighborhood, and their property values will increase. 2)  Realtors state that the amount of time a house is on the market is decreased because people want to live in a well maintained community. 

Change is never met without issues, especially when you are talking about other people’s money.  So there is some resistance to moving forward, but nothing that sensible people can’t talk out.  I look forward to this evening and talking to my constituents.  This is another step in making our neighborhoods in North Arlington, a better place to live.

Side note:  Last night the Arlington Police Department put on the first annual Police Palooza at J. Gilligans from 3-10 pm.  The event was well attended, and music artists associated with the APD performed.  All proceeds went to charity.  A great time!     

Odds and Ends

Southwest Nature Preserve :  Yesterday I had an opportunity to attend the opening of the Southwest Nature Preserve.  It is about 7 acres and it is a beautiful little area off of Bowman Springs Road south of I-20.  The lake is very picturesque and a perfect place to teach your kids to fish or just sit and take in the sights.  There is a platform that sits in the lake connected to a wide walking path.  Pick-Nick tables are available, and I was simply impressed by the overall serenity of the Preserve. 

As a converted Texan I hold the outdoors and nature in a special place.  I have hunted Russian Boar with a bow in Tennessee, Grizzly in the Yukon, and fished all over.  I take the responsibility of passing my appreciation of the Great Outdoors on to my children.  I don’t want them to miss what nature has to offer.  This Southwest Nature Preserve is a perfect place to start that appreciation process with your family.

ATF Reorganization:  The Arlington Tomorrow Foundation was reorganized this last week.  The Fund will be capped at 100 million dollars, and the remainder of the revenue will be utilized to invest in our city.  The corpus or body of the fund will be added to annually to compensate for inflation, to insure that the buying power will remain in place over time.  56% of the remaining funds will be spent on airport/parks projects and cemetery maintenance.  The rest will be utilized for economic development and infrastructure improvements, to include 501 C 3 and city beautification projects.

The Foundation Board is now the City Council and a 5 citizen Advisory Board will be formed to select projects to be funded in our city.  Final approval of expenditures will rest with the Foundation Board.  The corpus of the fund is a very important aspect in the city’s ability to maintain a AAA bond rating.

Bond Election:  The Council was asked for input by the City Manager concerning topics that should be considered for the Bond Election in 2015.  Roads were the main item of concern.  I forwarded the idea of a Senior Recreation Center, centrally located in our city.  I feel that we have neglected our seniors and instead of having classes at the local YMCA, a center designed around an active senior lifestyle should be constructed.  Grand Prairie has already constructed The Summit through a 21 million dollar bond package, and it is well utilized by there seniors of 55 years and older.  If you haven’t seen this facility it is a must.      

Council Meeting 15 October

Last night two items of interest were on our agenda.  1)  The Arlington Tomorrow Foundation was reconstituted to make the City Council the ATF Board of Directors, and the fund was capped at $100 million dollars.  2)  XTO was denied a request to install a 1.5 million gallon water tank at the Eden Rd. drill site.  Both votes were unanimous, so let's examine why.

ATF:  The fund is currently at 98 million dollars and growing at a rate of 15 million annually through gas royalties, plus 5 million from the return on investments on the body or corpus of the fund.  We feel that 100 million is sufficient for a rainy day since it represents approximately ½ of the annual general operating budget.  We have taken precautions to maintain this value in the future through inflationary contributions to insure the buying power remains the same over time. 

We also feel that, since this is the citizen’s money,  proper utilization could enhance our city through economic development, and capitol investment.  56% of this money is required to flow back to projects at the Airport and Parks and Recreation, because that is where it came from, but the rest can be used to improve our city as a whole.

An Advisory Board will be comprised of one person from each of the city’s five districts.  This Board will look at requests for projects, finalize their decisions and simply forward them to the ATF Board for approval.  These expenditures are distributed from the interest on the corpus.  The same process as the former ATF board, except there will be no Council members on that Board.  Since expenditures of public funds require elected official oversight, final authorization will rest with the ATF Board.  The ATF Board will convene this Friday to select members of the Advisory Board.

XTO:  XTO wanted to install a temporary 1.5 million gallon water tank for fracking purposes outside the confines of the drill site.  There is a 5 acre parcel adjacent to the drill site that they own, and that is where they wanted to erect this tank.  Neighbors didn’t want the tank in their backyards and I get that.  What disturbed me was the fact that XTO wanted to maintain their current 1.4 million gallon water frack pond also.  Now I like the idea of the temporary tank because it precludes a permanent frack pond and doesn’t alter the aesthetics of the drill site.  But to have 2.9 million gallons of water to frack the remaining 3 wells and an unidentified number of future wells is simply overkill.  This isn’t being a good neighbor and it could set a precedent for every other operator in our city.  Therefore, I had to oppose this issue. I would fully support the installation of the tank behind the masonry wall if the current frack pond was removed.

National Night Out

Last night Arlington joined a national effort to participate with other cities to take America back.  I had the honor of riding with North Arlington Police Chief Leland Strickland.  We only had time to attend six of the thirty events that were held in north Arlington.  Each gathering was unique in atmosphere, food and citizens in attendance.  National Night Out is an evening that is enjoyable, entertaining and full of community.  It brings neighborhoods closer together, and tightens relationships.

The National Event is 30 years young and involved 37.5 million people in 15,704 communities from 50 states last year.  The purpose is to (1) heighten crime prevention awareness, (2) increase participation in anti crime programs, (3) strengthen neighborhood spirit and strengthen first responder relationships, and (4) send a message to criminals, stating we are organized and fighting to keep our neighborhoods crime free.

The Chief and I wanted to stay the evening at each event.  The combination of good food, visiting with friends and talking about what is happening in your neighborhoods, was simply too enjoyable.  I could have stayed for the duration, but we had to move to the next event.  At each event that we attended, Police Officers and Firefighters were in abundance.  These personal contacts are extremely valuable in formulating community relationships with our first responders.  They enjoy putting names to neighborhoods and hearing your concerns.  I also noticed that the best food gets the biggest fire truck.

Again, Chief Strickland and I had a great time, and we look forward to NNO every year.  We want to thank those that organized the parties and cookouts, and also those who participated by showing their support.  The opportunity to get together to promote awareness, safety, and neighborhood unity, also bolsters first responder relationships.  This builds a foundation for community partnerships and couples citizen involvement that only strengthens the resolve of a safer nation.   Well Done North Arlington!!

PS:  This blog went over 18,000 views yesterday.  For being in existence for only 1 year that is remarkable.  Please continue to stay informed about the issues in our community.

Vehicle Burglaries

I was having lunch with the North Police Chief, Leland Strickland at the "Prince" on Randol Mill one day.  As we were standing in line to pay the bill, a lady came up to him and asked if he would step into the parking lot.  Her van had been burglarized in broad daylight, in the parking lot.  A computer was stolen from the van and the side window was broken out.  I want to bring this to your attention because car burglaries are very prevalent in North Arlington, and there are simple/common sense precautions that can be taken to help prevent you from becoming a victim.  Here are some suggestions:

1. Take your keys with you.
2. Lock your car.
3. Park in attended lots if possible.
4. Completely close your car doors.
5. Take your valuables with you or hide them.
6. If you take your items out of the car and place them in the trunk, be advised that burglars might be watching you do this.
7. Park in your garage if possible, and lock your garage and the vehicle inside the garage.
8. Replace any T shaped lock handles with straight locks.
9. Engrave your driver's license number on any expensive accessories.  Engravers cost less than $10.
10. If possible install visible alarm systems.
11. Utilize wheel locks/lugs.
12. When possible avoid parking between large vehicles.  They provide cover criminals.
13. Remove detachable radio faceplates when able.

Many times you can observe suspicious behavior.  If you see any of the following behavior please dial 911 and report it to a dispatcher:

• Pulling door handles
• Looking in windows
• Odd clothing for the time of year (long coats or gloves being worn in summer)
• Lookouts
• Nervous looking behavior (constantly looking around, rapid movements)
• Checking for alarms by bumping windows or bumpers for sensitivity.

Tomorrow is National Night Out, so talk to the officers to see if there has been any auto burglaries reported in your neighborhoods.  Talk about some of these precautions to see how you can better protect your possessions.  But most of all watch for suspicious behavior in your neighborhoods and report it.  Be a proactive neighbor!  Hope to see you tomorrow evening.

One Observant Lady

I had the pleasure of having lunch yesterday with the North Police Chief, Leland Strickland.  He told me of an arrest concerning a burglar that was operating in the Monopoly Street area, and around the Canty and Randy Snow apartment complexes.  Common procedure is to canvas the area and ask the neighbors if they had seen anything suspicious.  One lady not only said yes, but gave a description of the vehicle, complete with license plate.

The car was located and the residence was put under surveillance.  After selling some stolen merchandise, the items were a match to a burglary in the above area.  The suspect was apprehended, and during questioning a cache of guns was located at another apartment.  I wanted to bring this to your attention because of the action/observation of one lady that saw something out of the ordinary.  She didn’t call 911, but she should have.  She had vital information and didn’t think that it was important enough to bother the police with it.  You are the eyes and ears of the community.  You have the power to help stop bad people from committing crimes in your neighborhoods.  This lady is to be commended for her situational awareness and attention to detail.  Without her astute observation the bad guys would still be on the street putting our possessions at risk.  If something looks suspicious or out of place, it probably is, so dial 911.

National Night Out is Tuesday, October 1st.  Just in North Arlington alone, there will be 30 different gatherings to celebrate this event.  We have remarkable people watching over us on the Arlington Police Force.  The closer our relationship can become, the better we will be served as a community.  I hope to see several of you Tuesday night.  

Arlington Signage

One of the items that I put on my door hangers during my campaign was Arlington Signage welcoming visitors to our city.  This is an example of seeing something that needed to be accomplished and the City Manager and Staff already taking this for action. 

The city received a grant from the state in 2012, for the beautification of state thoroughfares.  The amount of the grant was $310,000, and the city added another $50,000 from the general fund.  The above sign will be 20’x 20’, with letters that will be 2’ high.  The sign will be illuminated with different colors at night to accentuate the visibility.  Placement of the first two signs will be along I-30, near Randol Mill going east, and near the Crown Plaza going westbound.  Additional signs of the same type will be located along I-20 and 360 in the coming years.  Construction is scheduled for early summer 2014.

In addition to these signs, there will be different signs in our city to designate the entertainment district.  These will be 30’ high and will cost $450,000.  They will be funded through the hotel occupancy tax.  Their placement will be within the city to designate the boundaries of the entertainment district.