City of Frisco Receives Notice Exide Agrees to Withdraw Application To Expand Plant Production

The City of Frisco received notice today Exide Technologies will voluntarily withdraw its application for a permit amendment with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to increase production limits. In a letter dated October 23, Exide Technologies stated it will work with TCEQ to locate monitors as recommended by TCEQ.

Frisco sent a letter to the TCEQ dated November 24,2008, protesting the permit application and requesting a contested hearing.

City Manager George Purefoy stated, “The history of the Exide plant in Frisco has been one in which the various owners of the facility, through the years, have been steadfast in their commitment to solve problems created by the plant and to be a very responsive corporate citizen.  I believe the letter delivered to the city today reestablishes that commitment to the city of Frisco and its citizens.  Not only has the company withdrawn its application to increase production, but it has also committed to support health studies and to install additional controls so that the plant may come into full compliance with the new regulatory standards.  Exide heard the concerns of the Frisco city council and the Frisco citizens and has responded in an attitude of wanting to be a good corporate citizen.”

Purefoy further stated, “After studying correspondence sent by Melissa Andersen Kuskie, SIP Project Manager for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, which included reported emissions since 2000, it appears that the plant’s emissions have been close to meeting the new standards since that time.  While the nonattainment area proposed by the TCEQ is based upon current permitted limits, the city will request that a similar map be produced which shows the nonattainment area based on actual emission data.”

Ms. Kuskie states in the correspondence, “the predicted maximum concentrations in ambient air appear to be roughly two to three times higher than actual monitored values.”

“It’s an important first step to give our citizens assurances their public health is a top priority,” said Mayor Maher Maso.  “We’re pleased Exide listened to the concerns of our citizens.  Transparency in government is something we strive for daily and we’re encouraged by Exide’s written commitment to maintain a positive relationship with our city.”

FRISCO, TEXAS SUBMITS BID TO HOST NCAA DIVISION I FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

FRISCO, TEXAS SUBMITS BID TO HOST NCAA DIVISION I FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

City, Hunt Sports Group, and Southland Conference combine on effort to attract contest

FRISCO, Texas – The City of Frisco, in partnership with Hunt Sports Group, LLC and the Southland Conference, submitted a bid this week to serve as the host of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Games following the 2010, 2011 and 2012 seasons.  Should the city be successful in its bid effort, the contest, formerly known as the NCAA Division I-AA Championship game, will be played at Frisco’s 23,500-seat Pizza Hut Park.  The Southland will serve as the host conference.

In early August, the NCAA notified prospective cities of the opportunity to submit bid packages.  A partnership between Hunt Sports Group, the Southland, Frisco and its affiliated entities – the Frisco Economic Development Corporation, the Frisco Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Frisco Chamber of Commerce – was formed, and a bid committee consisting of individuals from these groups formulated a citywide plan to bring the NCAA’s highest-profile football championship to the city.  Further, a number of Dallas-Fort Worth area sports and business entities offered their endorsement and support of the Frisco bid effort. 

“When the City of Frisco partnered with Hunt Sports Group on an earlier project, a world-class stadium called Pizza Hut Park was the end result,” Frisco Mayor Maher Maso said.  “We’re honored to partner with Hunt Sports once again, along with Southland Conference, with hopes of bringing championship football to Frisco.  Not only does our community enjoy sports, but we support athletics on all levels.  We’re hopeful our teamwork translates into an NCAA touchdown in Frisco.”   

Following this week’s submission deadline, the NCAA is beginning a month-long comment period to communicate with bidding cities before determining a group of finalists.  Once the finalist cities are determined, it is anticipated that the NCAA staff and football committee will plan site visits.  Finalists will also attend the 2009 championship game in Chattanooga, Tenn., before making in-person presentations before NCAA officials in February.

Pizza Hut Park, built in 2005, serves as home to Major League Soccer’s FC Dallas as well as numerous high school football games, concerts and other special events.  Part of a 17-acre project, the Park also includes 17 adjacent fields for soccer, football, corporate functions, and FC Dallas training and youth camps. Major League Soccer held its championship games, the MLS Cup, at Pizza Hut Park in 2005 and 2006, and the venue has hosted numerous nationally-televised games since it opened.

“Every year Pizza Hut Park plays host to world-class events from Major League Soccer to concerts to youth soccer and corporate functions,” Pizza Hut Park Executive Vice President Damon Boettcher said.  “We are excited about joining with the Southland Conference and City of Frisco in making this bid and continuing to showcase this spectacular facility and our city.”

The state-of-the-art facility features 18 luxury suites, a 6,000-square foot stadium club, two suite decks and four covered pavilions for larger groups, two video display boards for spectators, and an open concourse allowing full viewing of game action.  Baylor Health Care System also has a 6,500-square foot sports medicine and rehabilitation center at the stadium, the national headquarters of U.S. Youth Soccer are located at Pizza Hut Park, and numerous restaurants and retail developments have also been built in and around the complex.

“The Southland Conference is honored to be involved with the City of Frisco, its affiliated groups, and Hunt Sports Group and Pizza Hut Park for what we believe is an attractive and compelling bid package for the NCAA Football Championship,” league commissioner Tom Burnett said. “Pizza Hut Park serves as a first-class, fan-friendly and neutral venue for the championship, and with all the other attractive lodging, shopping, restaurants and entertainment options in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, we are very confident that Frisco can provide a remarkable experience and lasting impression with the competing teams and all visitors to the area.”

Frisco, located just 25 miles north of downtown Dallas, has developed a reputation as a burgeoning sports center in recent years.  In addition to FC Dallas and Pizza Hut Park, the city is also home to the NHL’s Dallas Stars executive headquarters and training facility, the 8,800-seat Dr Pepper Ballpark, home to the Frisco RoughRiders of the Texas League, and the 6,100-seat Dr Pepper Arena, home to the Texas Tornado of the North American Hockey League, and a new NBA Development League team.

Additionally, the Frisco’s retail, residential and commercial development has made it one of the nation’s fastest-growing and highly-awarded communities.  The city’s centralized geographic location, its immediacy to a metropolitan area of 6.5 million people, and its unmatched national air service into nearby DFW International Airport and Dallas Love Field were all major factors in the city’s bid effort.

The 2010 championship game will be the culmination of a 20-team national playoff in the NCAA’s Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA).  The first four weekends of the playoffs will occur between Nov. 27-Dec. 18, 2010, and it is expected that the championship game will fall somewhere between Dec. 29, 2010-Jan. 7, 2011.

“What others are saying about the Frisco LOC bid effort:

 

Jim Gandy, President of the Frisco Economic Development Corporation:

“The Frisco Economic Development Corporation is pleased to be part of this process. The opportunity to work with the Southland Conference on such a perfect opportunity for the City of Frisco is indicative of our continued commitment in the area of youth and sports.”

 

Marla Roe, Executive Director of the Frisco Convention and Visitors Bureau:

“We are excited to partner with some incredible organizations and look forward to showing the NCAA that Frisco can host another successful event!”

 

Tony Felker, President/CEO. Frisco Chamber of Commerce:

”The 1,200-plus members of the Frisco Chamber of Commerce, together with the entire business community in and around Frisco, are excited to be bidding on bringing this championship game to Frisco.  Our entire team knows we have a winning business atmosphere and great venues here in the area and we look forward to welcoming the rest of the country to Frisco.”

 

More On the Web:

City of Frisco: www.friscotexas.gov

Pizza Hut Park: www.pizzahutpark.com

Southland Conference: www.southland.org

Frisco Economic Development Corporation: www.friscoedc.com

Frisco Chamber of Commerce: www.friscochamber.com

Frisco Convention and Visitors Bureau: www.visitfrisco.com

Remember to Shop Frisco when you can

October sales tax figures for Frisco were down over 12% from October last year.  Year to date we are down nearly 6% in our sales tax revenues.  Please remember to Shop Frisco First!

http://www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/allocsum/citycnty.html

Much happening at the Dr. Pepper Star Center

With less than 2 weeks under our belt with the expanded facility, the Dr Pepper Star Center is already buzzing with activity.  We were exciting to hit our deadline for the renovations so that Frisco could hold their graduations locally, rather than going to Garland.

The new seating capacity also opens the facility up to many new performance. Thursday night saw an extreme cage match.  Bill Cosby is performing this evening.  The Harlem Globetrotters are performing on Saturday.  To cap the weekend is a family fun day that will include Barney,

Other exciting things happening around Frisco include Frisco Grooves, Frisco Starfest, Moves in the Square, and more!

Kudos to Valeria Wigglesworth for finding these comments  by Bill Cosby on the Letterman show about Frisco:

http://friscoblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/06/bill-cosbys-take-on-frisco.html

Tourism Week in Frisco

This morning I had a great time working as a greater at the Stonebriar Westin to help promote tourism in Frisco.  Did you know:  Each U.S. household would pay $988 more in taxes without the tax revenue generated by the travel and tourism industry!

 State & DFW Travel Facts

• The D/FW area is the #1 tourist destination in Texas
• The D/FW area through tourism contributed over $1 billion in local & state taxes
• Total direct travel spending in Texas was $56.7 billion
• Tourism supports over 534,000 jobs in Texas
• Business Travel spending in Texas is $21.7 million, which is 2^nd highest share in U.S.
• Meetings & Events Travel spending in Texas is $9.3 million, which is 2^nd highest in U.S.

Here are a few websites to check out: MeetingsMeanBusiness.com   /   DFWandBeyond.com

Here are a few links about my experience:

http://friscoblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/05/westin-stonebriar-resorts-name.html

http://friscoblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/05/did-you-know-that-this.html

City Council Meeting May 5, 2009

This meeting was the last meeting for Council Members Joy West and Tony Felker.  Bot could not seek reelection due to term limits.  Congratulations to Bob Allen and Patrick Fallon who were elected to fill their seats.  I filled Bob Allen’s seat when he could not seek reelection due to term limits.  Our Charter allows Council Members to seek election after taking a year off.  I look forward to working with them both. Congratulations also to John Hoxie who is our newest Frisco ISD School Board member.  I hope everyone attends the May 19th meeting to thank Joy and Tony for their years of service to Frisco as well as welcome the new Council Members.

We spent the most time discussing the proposal for a Cigar Bar in Frisco Square.  Our current smoking ordinance does not allow such an establishment. The proposal discussed was a potential change to the smoking ordinance to allow this type of specialty use. There were several concerns including the impact to any residential areas, impact to surrounding businesses, as well as how a change could potentially open more unintended consequences.  There was enough Council support to give staff direction to bring us a proposal that may mitigate all of our concerns.  We also wanted more time to solicit citizen impact so please let us know if you have any comments.  Here is a link to a news story.

Council unanimously approved the contracts with the Museum of the American Railroad.  Here is a press release for this exciting announcement.

Council extended our solid waste and recycling service contracts with Community Waste Disposal, IESI, and Champion Waste Services.  If you remember from last summer, CWD had asked for an amendment to their contract to adjust for the high gas prices.  Council denied that request but we stated that we would consider a variable cost component for fluctuating gas prices in our next contract.  This new contract does allow for that pricing component which is consistent with other cities.  These providers have served Frisco well and have also been great community partners.  We also want Frisco to be a good place to do business.  This contract is a fair compromise that will provide the high level of service our citizens expect at some of the lowest rates in the area.

Thanks as always for reading and I hope everyone can attend the meeting on the 19th!

Museum of the American Railroad and City of Frisco Finalize Move

MAY 5, 2009 – Today Museum of the American Railroad officials signed, and the Frisco City Council approved, a formal agreement that finalizes plans to move the Fair Park collection of trains to a new site in Frisco. The City Council passed by unanimous vote the Development Agreement and Lease that enables the museum to move from the planning stage to Phase I design and construction. The Museum of the American Railroad joins an exciting array of attractions in this North Texas city including the Frisco Heritage Center and Museum. It will also be adjacent to a system of planned outdoor spaces and recreational areas to be known as Grand Park.

Last year, the Museum of the American Railroad entered into an agreement with the City of Frisco that initiated serious discussions between the two organizations. The two quickly arrived at terms that were mutually beneficial and an engineering firm was hired to prepare a conceptual engineering site plan. The plan, prepared by Lunsford Associates of Arlington with Wilson & Company of Fort Worth, calls for nearly a mile of trackage and future exhibit buildings totaling 94,000 square feet.

The museum’s priceless collection will also be covered by a train shed reminiscent of turn-of-thecentury stations. With the Council’s adoption of the formal agreements, the railroad museum will now finalize its site plan and prepare engineering specifications for Phase I construction. Phase I calls for some 5,000 feet of track to be laid at the museum’s new Frisco location, including 3,000 feet of exhibit track that will accommodate the current 36-piece rolling stock collection. The museum’s two landmark structures will also move to Frisco and compliment the historic locomotives and railway passenger cars.

The City of Frisco will provide 12.34 acres of land for the project. Located on Cotton Gin Road, the new site is adjacent to the Frisco Heritage Center and borders the BNSF Railway line to the east. The museum currently resides on a 1.8 acre footprint in Fair Park and stores one quarter of its collection offsite.

A majority of Phase I funding will come from Frisco to construct the basic facilities necessary to relocate the museum from Fair Park. The museum will raise their portion of the funding privately.

Upon completion of Phase I, the museum will open for business at the new site. “We are very excited to get to this point; it’s been mostly planning until now. We’re getting close to turning some dirt and watching the wheels roll. The area railroads have pledged their support and we should be moving equipment in early 2011,” said Bob LaPrelle, MAR’s President & CEO.

The museum will continue operations at its present Fair Park location until the rolling stock begins moving to Frisco. Educational programs for Dallas area schools will also continue through late 2010. While the collection will be relocating to Frisco, the move is viewed by museum officials as an operation becoming more regional rather than one leaving the Dallas market.

With nearly half a mile of locomotives and cars weighing almost 3,600 tons, the move of the museum’s historic rolling stock collection will be an event in and of itself. The museum has fielded calls from as far away as New Zealand since the announcement of the move last year. The museum’s Big Boy steam locomotive, the largest ever constructed, will attract interest from all over the world when it begins to roll to its new home.

The museum has worked closely with Frisco city officials to finalize plans and create an attraction that embraces the city’s rich railroad heritage. Frisco derives its name from the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Company which established a water stop there following construction in 1902.

Initially satisfying a thirst for steam locomotives, the area was later subdivided and plots were sold by the railroad. A few years later the town of Frisco was officially incorporated and has grown in population to just over 100,000 today. While the museum will endeavor to tell the story of railroads on a local level, its collection is national in scope. In 2006 the museum, with the aid of M. Goodwin Associates of Los Angeles, created a Strategic Plan that identified its strengths and addressed limitations at its present site. The Plan acknowledged the significance of the collection as one with great potential that tells the story of the American Railroad on a national level.

The new facilities in Frisco will allow for expanded programming and house the collection in a setting that is befitting of its heritage. Future buildings will present the trains in the context of a large, urban train station while featuring all the amenities of a museum. Visitors will climb aboard trains that once arrived and departed stations at nearly every major city in the nation.

Museum officials have chosen a style of architecture for its new main building that compliments neighboring structures in Frisco Square. A Neoclassical style is represented in the museum’s proposed building that borrows elements from the great train stations of the past. To be constructed as part of a Phase II capital project, the facility will feature a grand hall and concourse that will serve as a museum facility by day and a venue for community activities after hours. “We envision this building being a center for local activities and events – a place that is at the heart of a community just as train stations were in their day,” said LaPrelle.

The new museum will also serve as an anchor arts & cultural institution in Frisco. The facility will provide educational programming for Frisco ISD and surrounding school districts through interactive tours and in-class programs. The museum’s grand hall will also act as a venue for the visual & performing arts.

Over the past year the museum has consulted with Freeman Ryan Design, an Australian company, to develop spatial requirements and visitor flow patterns for the new main building and train shed. Specializing in creating museums around large objects, the Sydney-based company has addressed thearchitectural considerations associated with housing and presenting the museum’s extensive rolling stock collection.

Using the latest technologies, the museum will entertain and educate visitors and students with exhibits on the cultural history and technology of railroading. Programs will also explore the role of the railroad as a solution to the nation’s transportation challenges. Where railroad museums have typically been viewed as looking back, the new Frisco museum will also look forward and showcase what the rail industry has to offer now and in the future.

The City of Frisco has generously provided the railroad museum with offices and 800 square feet of exhibit space in the new Frisco Heritage Museum. Located at 6455 Page Street, visitors can enjoy exhibits on Frisco history, including the arrival of the railroad in 1902. With offices and programming already established in Frisco, the railroad museum is on its way toward building a brand and engaging in fund raising and development.

With today’s vote, the City of Frisco and the Museum of the American Railroad have solidified a partnership and created much excitement toward establishing the premiere museum of railroad history and technology in the Southwest. The Museum of the American Railroad would like to extend its most sincere gratitude to the City of Frisco and its citizens. Their generous contributions and endorsement of our museum will ensure its future role as a cultural history center and educational resource in North Texas.

For more information about the museum and its move to Frisco go to www.dallasrailwaymuseum.com

April, A month in Review

Long time no talk!  I apologize to all of the readers who enjoy the Council updates.  I have had a very busy month and just now getting caught up. As I mentioned in my last posting, I took my family to Disney World for a long overdue vacation.  Unfortunately, when you are self employed, the work does not go away when you take a vacation!  Between my work busy season, kid’s Spring Break, City Council responsibilities, Frisco Education Foundation scholarship interviews and selections, and Relay for Life, I am  just now coming up for air.  I appreciate everyone’s patience.

The April 7th meeting was a full agenda.  This was followed by one of the shortest agenda we have ever had on April 21.  I will provide updates from both meetings in this single post.

Proclamations:

 - on April 7th we had a Relay For Life Proclamation.  Relay For Life is a passion for myself as well as Mayor Maso.  Mayor Masois a cancer survivor.  Our family has been touched by cancer as well including the loss of my Mother-In-Law from pancreatic cancer a few years ago.  We have been associated with the Frisco-Online.com Relay team for several years and our teams have been the top earning teams for several years.  I think we will pass the $50k mark this year for all of our team’s earnings.  Last year at Relay for Life, Maher proclaimed his team was going to unseat the Frisco-Online team from the top spot.  We had some light-hearted trash talk during the proclamation.  By the way, no chance he has of surpassing our team!  There are some strong teams this year so we have some work to do to keep our title.  The event is upcoming on May 1.  To learn more check out www.FriscoRFL.com

- on April 21 we had 3 proclamations.  The first was for the Dallas Diamonds Women’s Professional Football Team.  They are playing an upcoming game in Frisco and are looking to make Frisco their permanent home.  They are working toward their 4th World Championship this year after a 69-0 opening win.  The second proclamation was for Earth Day which was celebrated on Saturday, April 25th.  You may have seen some of the thousands of volunteers around town picking up trash as part of the Clean It and Green It campaign.  We also had another Chunk Your Junk events which has become very popular.  Finally, our Urban Forestry Board gave some Tree Identification Tours.  I went on this tour last year and learned quite a bit about the natural landscape in Frisco.  The last proclamation was for Andrew Chen who is now the #1 ranked table tennis in the World for his age class.  A few Council members had some fun with Andrew as a few of us feel we are fairly good at table tennis.  Between the Mayor, Scott Johnson, and myself, we had some legendary ping pong games at our offsite last year.  Of course, I do not need to tell you who ultimately won the crown in those brutal tournaments.  However, I want no part of Andrew as I sure he would have skunked me!

We also had a special visit from Collin County Commissioner Joe Jaynes who presented a check in the amount of $5 million for improvements to Independence Parkway.  This was part of the last county bond package that was approved by the voters.  We are thankful for the great relationship with Collin County.  We are also working hard to developing a similar strong relationship with our Denton County commissioners.

A few of the important things that were discussed in the last few meetings include:

- We passed our water efficiency program.  Council Member Crowder had asked for a delay on this vote to look at other market based pricing alternatives.  Gary Hartwell provided us with the requested information and also showed how we can add additional market based alternatives in the future.  We also reserve the right to raise rates at any time.  My preference was to see the effects of the new efficiency plan as well as education before imposing higher rates on our citizens.  We were required to submit our plan by May 1.  The goal of the plan was to set long term water goals as well as to make it easier for our citizens to understand when they should and should not water.  If you have never taken advantage of Frisco’s free sprinkler audit I recommend every schedule one at least every few years.

- We are excited to announce our newest tenant in Historic Downtown.  Music Maker Enterprises will be leasing the old City Hall space on Main Street to start the School of Rock.  They are focused on 7-18 year old’s performance based music education.  There are currently 60 schools in the country. This is the program that actually was the motication for the movie School of Rock.  We are excited to welsome them to Frisco!  Here is a link to one of their recent performances: http://lakewood-dallas.blackwhiteread.com/view/article/7740?r=3073

- Council approved the recommendations of our Ethics Committee.  The committe has been working very hard over the last few months drafting their recommedations.  It was interesting to hear how challenging the task became for them.  It was important for the committee to create a policy that created a public trust of the public officials.  They also worked to make the guidelines very clear so Council always knew what the public expects of us.  We are all very thankful for the hard work put in by the committee.

- After a lengthy discussion, Council approved a resolution supporting legislation relating to local options regarding mobility improvement projects.  We all realize the troubles we have with funding transportation projects.  TxDot claims they are out of funds.  Tollroads are popping up all around us.  The fuel tax has not been adjusted since the early 90s and diversions continue.  This legislation would allow local control over funding projects.  The citizens would have the right to vote on a variety of fees to fund transportation projects, which could include rail.  I do support more local control as we know better what our citizens needs than the state level.  Passing this legislation would not prohobit us from other funding ideas as well.  Stay tuned!

Early voting starts Monday, April 27th.  Make sure you get out to vote!

City Council Meeting – 3/17/2009

Mayor Pro Tem Tony Felker was sitting in for Mayor Maso this week as the Mayor was out of town.  The agenda was kept very light and we were wrapped up before 8 pm.  I was not complaining about the light agenda as I had flown back from Disney World that morning.  I had planned to stay up late one night while on vacation to get through my packet and was pleasantly surprised by the light agenda so I could get to bed earlier than expected.  This meeting also fell on St. Patrick’s Day which made many people glad to get out early.  I was lucky that nobody noticed I had forgotten to wear my green tie!

There was only one proclamation which was for “Fix a Leak Week.”  The is the first nationwide effort to make citizens aware of the water we waste from unknown links through our home and sprinkler systems.  The average home wastes 11,000 gallons of water per year because of leaks and is the most common source of water waste (yes even more than over watering your lawn!).  This is a great time to remind people the valuable sprinkler audits Frisco provides at no charge.  I recommend everyone taking advantage of this program.  Here is a great resource to learn more:  Web Link

The Finance Department presented us with the Annual Report Dated 9/30/2008.  I had already review these in detail as I serve on the Budget and Audit Committee.  The auditors had provided us with a clean opinion on our financial statements and also praised the internal control environment of our Finance Department.  Nell Lange and staff do a tremendous job with not only our financial reporting but with our budgeting process as well.  So  much so that they are starting to pile up the awards.  The following awards were presented at our Council meeting:

• The Purchasing Division received the Achievement in Excellence in Procurement award for the 4th consecutive year.  Frisco is only 1 of 16 cities in Texas who received this honor this year.
• Tom Johnston received his Certified Public Purchasing Officer license
• The Finance Department received the highest form of recognition in Government reporting for the 8th consecutive year by receiving the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting.

Congratulations to the entire Finance Department for the high standard of excellence you have set for Frisco!

There were only 2 other significant topics on the agenda.  One was reconsidering the emergency exit for Chapel Creek.  This topic was tabled until the next meeting and I will review it more then.  The other topic was regarding a Mosque in downtown Frisco.  We approved this SUP nearly 2 years ago.  If you recall this was a fairly controversial topic at the time.  The Mosque had promised to be good neighbors and 2 years later they have done everything that has been asked and more.  The Mosque was seeking a 3 year extension on their SUP as the tough economic climate has pushed back their ultimate relocation.  In this request there was no opposition which states volumes about how they have been a good neighbor in downtown Frisco.  The request was unanimously approved.

With a light agenda this time around, I am sure we will pay for it with a tough agenda next week.

Thanks again for reading and I hope everyone enjoyed their Spring Break!

City Council Meeting – 3/3/2009

I want to first say that I have officially joined the Facebook phenomenon.  Many in Frisco are now using it as a great networking tool and I am working with communications to setup a City of Frisco page as another way to reach out to our residents.  My fellow tech geek Mayor Maso is also an active user and it has been helpful for me to watch his status updates to see which meetings he is attending.  Click here if you want to be my friend!

Tonight’s meeting was one of our longest in awhile, lasting until after 10:30.  However, there were many topics to discuss.  It was nice to find out many citizens were watching the live streaming. When I checked my email after the meeting several citizens had been watching online and emailing us questions.  We were also able to send out the discussions to interested parties.  As more people become familiar with this technology, it will really help bring Frisco government closer to the citizens.

Here is the link to our meeting

The following received proclamations:

• Russell “Steven” Hankins, John Robert Polarinakis, and Garrett Samuel Williams were recognized for achieving Eagle Scout.  The line of the night came from Garret when he said if he would have known it was Garrett Williams Day in Frisco he would have made buttons.  Garrett certainly deserves the merit badge for thinking on his feet.  Congratulations to all of the boys as only 4% of all scouts reach the rank of eagle scout.
• The Centennial High School Varsity Football team was honored for their first winning season and playoff birth.  Their first year of play was in 2004.  In addition, they defeated their rival Frisco High this year for the first time.  I look forward to watching these rivalry grudge matches for years to come.

I want to congratulate Chief Renshaw and the Frisco Police Department for being awarded the accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).  This is an accreditation that only 2% of Police Departments in the country have received.  Congratulations to Chief Renshaw and the entire Police Department for this well earned recognition.  We all knew we had the finest department in all of North Texas so it was nice to see them be recognized.

The certificate reads:

‘Be it hereby known that the Frisco (Texas) Police Department having fully demonstrated its voluntary commitment to law enforcement excellence by living up to a body of standards deemed essential to the protection of the life, health, safety and rights of the citizens it serves and having exemplified the best professional practices in the conduct of its responsibilities is hereby, upon the recommendation of the members of the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc awarded this Certificate of Accreditation effective the sixth day of December 2008 and is recognized as an accredited law enforcement agency for a period of three year.’

 

 

Community Waste Disposal visited the meeting to give their annual report.  A few of the highlights of the report include:

• The industry average for complaints is 1 complaint per thousand homes.  CWD averaged .56 complaints/1000 homes which is well below the industry averages. This is a steady decrease from each of the last 5 years. This is especially impressive due to the growth Frisco has experienced over the last 5 years.
• Frisco recycled 14,000 tons in 2008, which represented 71 lbs per home per month.  This saves $1.40 per home per month in landfill expense.
• Frisco ISD was voted as the best school recycling program in Texas.  Thanks Pippa!

They have a very interested slide show on how they recycle goods on their website.  We are thankful to have a great community parter in CWD.  Not only do they provide a quality service, but they go above and beyond by supporting many of our local charities and organizations. 

I want to thank our Parks and Rec staff for their prompt responses to some citizen concerns.  We received some emails regarding the lack of signage directing traffic to the Senior Center.  Within days, staff had erected signage on Main Street and John Elliott as well as began discussions with the Senior Center regarding funding for a monument sign.  In addition, there were some posts on Frisco-Online.com regarding a few issues with the Frisco Athletic Club which were all immediately addressed.  Staff solicits input from a variety of sources and is constantly looking for ways to provide excellent service to the residents of Frisco.

What’s in a name?  In this case, there is quite a lot.  We officially approved the name change of US380 to University Drive to maintain consistency with this section of roadway in Denton and McKinney. The US380 will remain on the sign but the official name will be referred to as University Dr.

A few of you may have seen the channel 8 storyregarding our water management plan. This item was tabled to allow more time for citizen feedback.  Gary Hartwell, Director of Public Works, developed a water management plan to make efficient water use for our residents easier to understand.  Many homeowners do not understand how much water their lawn actually requires and very often uses more water than necessary.  In addition, our experience from our last drought taught us that changing the stages and water restrictions often confuses our residents.  The proposed plan would call for a year round water efficiency program.  it would be based upon day light savings time allowing for 2 day a week watering during the summer and 1 day during the winter.  Watering days would be based upon trash day with an alternate day added during the summer.  The goal is to allow our residents to utilize all of the water then need during non drought conditions and eliminate the wasteful usage.  This program will help train our residents to water properly and efficiently.  The drought conditions would be slight modifications of the existing plan which would reduce confusion when these stages are required.  If our citizens are able to practice more efficient water usage, we may be able to delay or avoid completely the construction of one of our planned water towers.  If we avoid that expense, it would save the City roughly $15 million, not including the annual electrical usage.  Long term water planning will continue to be an issue for decades to come.  All that we are able to do now will only help future generations guarantee an ample water supply.  It is worth noting that a few Council members requested a study on how a price based model could result in conservation.  We currently have a tiered pricing structure in place.  However, there is a theory that if the tiers becoming increasingly more expensive, the prices will force people to use less water.  You will hear more discussion on this idea at the next meeting.

It was clear we had hit the wall when we started our discussion on the Grand Park Advisory Committee.  Staff was looking for direction for who to select for a small advisory group to assist in the design of the first elements in the park.  I think we gave them every direction but up.  Some wanted different board and commissions, regional partners, stakeholders, citizen groups, etc.  Staff is going to come up with the functions of the groups and a few options for us to look at.  I am certain they will have this item on the agenda earlier in the evening next time.

A few other items of note:

• the discussion on rail was tabled until after our work session scheduled on March 24
• we renewed our contract with out Delinquent Tax attorneys.  They have been serving Frisco for over 20 years
• we approved the final contract for our new Police radio system that was approved by the voters a few years ago.  We have been sharing a system with Plano and both cities are upgrading their system.  Our new system will continue the level of excellence provided by our police and fire departments

As always, thanks for reading!