The New Walmart

Yesterday was the opening of the Walmart Neighborhood store on Collins.  As I entered the store I was struck by the beauty of the floors.  They were not only polished but they were acid etched and presented a clean, light atmosphere.  As I proceeded through the store I was also impressed by the quality of their produce.  Everything was displayed in such a way as to appeal to the consumer.  The aisles were very wide and allowed for ease in shopping and comfortable two way traffic with other shoppers.  The store is well laid out and although signage is a little small, items were grouped in a logical fashion and easy to find.  I think that you will also find that the prices are very reasonable as well.  The wine area had a wide variety of choices, from reasonably priced labels to a few moderately priced bottles.  I didn't spend much time in the cosmetic area, because gray is the new me, but it looked to be extensive.  There is a pharmacy. and if the problems over at the Walgreens on Lamar become to great this is a welcome alternative. 

As I was standing in the front near the registers, I was talking to the store manager a Ms. Vandal.  In a short period of time several people were concerned that there was no deli.  She replied that the store was ramped up with product in three weeks.  That is a record I guess, and that the deli would be open in about three months.  The foot traffic in the store was moderate, especially since word of the opening wasn't well publicized.  But my experience was one of a pleased consumer.  I think that this store is a welcome addition to our community, and the traffic of consumers alone will benefit the storefronts that are currently vacant in that shopping center.  Before you pass judgement, give it a try.  I think that you will be pleasantly surprised.

Lamar High School

Yesterday morning at 8:45 I was informed that Lamar High School was on lock down.  The reason for the lock down was that a student informed the School Resource Officer SRO that another student had brought a gun to school and had made a threat concerning utilization of the weapon.  The student in question was described as an African American male with wavy hair, dressed in an orange shirt with a backpack.  This situation was not a surprise to APD because their leadership had taken the incident at Sandy Hook Elementary seriously, and set into action certain protocols that were to be implemented in case of such an incident. 

The school was locked down and five inspection teams set out to question students and find the individual and weapon.  A gun sniffing dog was utilized to inspect locker and common areas.  After an extensive search no gun or individual was found.  The student that made the original accusation was questioned and determined to be credible, sincere and believable.  Students were kept on campus for lunch, and parents were allowed to pick up their kids at anytime of the day and return them home.  Lock down was lifted a little after 2 pm, and students were returned to class.

The search and incident will continue be on the forefront of the APD's agenda.  The safety of our students and schools is paramount.  Students that consider this style of behavior will be dealt with sternly and swiftly.  I consider the actions of our APD to be proper, professional and ongoing until tangible results can be accomplished.  I have every confidence in Chief Will Johnson and the North Chief Leland Strickland to keep our students safe.

Union Pacific Track Repair

This is just a reminder of the scheduled closures of the railroad crossings in our city. 

Union Pacific (UP) began work on their track renewal project in Fort Worth on January 4, 2013.  The project includes replacement of the north mainline rail, crossties, and rock ballast, as well as, the renewal of each roadway crossing.  UP expects to reach Forest Edge Drive in Arlington on January 16, as it moves east.  Below are the anticipated dates of closure for the roadway crossings in Arlington:

Street Name	Approx. Closure	Approx. Opening
Bowen Road	1/16	1/19
Davis Drive	1/17	1/20
Cooper Street	1/18	1/25
North Center Street	1/18	1/22
Mesquite Street	1/18	1/22
Collins Street	1/19	1/23
Stadium Drive	1/20	1/23
Great Southwest Parkway	1/21	2/3

Each roadway closure will last 3-4 days to replace the pads and approaches, except Cooper Street which will remain closed for 6-7 days due to the width of the roadway.  UP has committed to have Bowen Road re-opened before Collins Street closes, and Davis Drive re-opened before Stadium Drive closes.  Operations are expected to be completed in Arlington on January 23, with the exception of Great Southwest Parkway, which is expected to be closed for approximately two weeks due to UP’s work schedule.

Blog

Folks I just want to say thank you for coming to this blog and reading it.  To date there have been 4185 views and I have posted 38 articles.  The average viewers per post is 110.  I thank you for being interested in your community.  Please feel free to comment on the contents of this blog.

10 January

Yesterday was very interesting.  First off was a United Way meeting.  Fascinating statistics on Tarrant County.  I wish there were numbers specific to Arlington but that was not the case.  Although the briefing was interesting there was little to report that actually affected Arlington.

Then there was a CDBG street project briefing concerning a street makeover off of center just north of Pioneer Parkway.  Not too interesting.

Lastly was the Firefighters graduated a new class of cadets last night.  (21)  I was impressed with the quality of individual that our fire department is getting as new hires.  The leading graduate was a Marine with two tours in Iraq.  Although he had no fire or emergency medical background, the fire department gave him a chance and the city of Arlington benefited in a big way.  What a remarkable individual!  Of the 21 cadets, I would say that about half of them had already been responsible in saving a life.  They have only been in the program for six months.  Graduation day in any category is a good day.

January 8th

The day started off for me with a meeting of the apartment managers in the north.  There were 13 properties that were represented at this quarterly meeting.  The reason that I was there had to do with a program associated with Roquemore Elementary students.  This school is listed as academically unacceptable, and the level of parent participation in the students education is not adequate.  Roquemore doesn't even have a PTA.  Addressing the apartment managers was an effort to get the property owners involved in recognizing the importance of education in the students lives, that live in their complex's.  If we can get the property managers to knock off a few dollars of rent, because of a good report card or perfect attendance, then we can inspire these students to continue to achieve.  We are also approaching local businesses in the area for their participation.

Then it was off to City Hall for a Council Day.  Meetings at 12:45 with Chesapeake Oil and Gas, and the Meditation Center Buddhists and a committee meeting for Community and Neighborhood Development.  The topic of the Committee was Short Term Rentals in Arlington.  Because of the Super Bowl this subject has caused some problems in the last 3 years.  Essentially the behavior of the renters at these properties has affected the residents in the neighborhoods.  One 30 year resident is putting his house on the market because of this problem.  The fact that we have a successful entertainment district in Arlington also contributes to this problem.  The Texas/OU weekend was the worst example of offensive behavior, and disregard for neighbors that we have seen so far.  Forty cars jammed the neighborhood streets with at least two students per car.  The party lasted for two days.  It was a mess, but the owner of the house could care less.  He continues to rent the house to anyone with money.  Our efforts in committee are three fold.  1)  Identify all properties that want to rent their houses for less than 30 days.  The city will request that these properties be registerd with the city and obtain a permit.  2)  Insure that if they are operating as a hotel in a single family dwelling that they pay the 27% hotel tax to the city for that privilege.  3)  Hold the owner of the property responsible for the behavior of the renters through legal means and then revoke his/her permit if this behavior continues.  Of course this is all subject to Council approval.

Following this Committee Meeting we had our afternoon work session and an evening session.  What was significant about these sessions was the brief by the Fire Chief on a Citizen Emergency Notification System.  Sometimes this is called a reverse 911 system.  Essentially, to date the technology is not sufficient to successfully accommodate our needs here in Arlington.  Chief Crowson was unimpressed with the level of effectiveness of the available systems.  Other cities that have adopted these systems are apparently not satisfied with the effectivenes of their capabilities.  

The New Year

Well except for the bowl games the holidays are over.  I'm rejuvenated and excited about the prospect of getting back to work as usual.  It's January 1 and the Cowboys are all snuggled in at their homes watching the playoffs like the rest of us.  Kinda perennial!  Well there is plenty of issues to tackle.  We have a new Superintendant of AISD, so education and it's improvements in our city is at the top of the list.  Our neighborhoods have improved, and crime is on the decline.  Chief Strickland and I will work together to ensure that this trend continues.  Also, David Woodruff will be sworn in today.  I hope to team up with him in making our neighborhoods safer.  We are making headway with the Dangerous and Substandard Structure/Nusiance Abatement Programs.  Forest Hills apartments are being taken to task.  They will either be brought up to standard, or removed.  Four of their 10 structures are currently on the clock.  Also, a Multi-Familyinspection ordinance is in committee.  It's purpose is to make living standards better in the apartments that we currently inhabit.  And lastly, there are a lot of new projects in the works for North Arlington.  These are under executive priviledge at the moment, but I hope to share them with you in the next 3-4 months.

2013 could be a very good year for North Arlington, and I am fortunate to be able to represent you in these developments.  I continue to strive for transparency in my responsibilities to you.  Feel free to call, (817) 691-8582, email, charlie.parker@arlingtontx.gov, or comment on this blog concerning issues of interest to you.