FRISCO, December 1, 2009 –

NBA D-League Frisco is proud to announce that General Manager Del Harris has accepted a position with the New Jersey Nets as an assistant coach. Harris represents D-League Frisco’s first NBA “call-up” as he returns to the NBA ranks. Harris was announced as Frisco’s General Manager at a press conference on November 5th, and while his time with the Frisco franchise was relatively brief, his impact will continue to be felt. “I am very excited for Del and the opportunity he has before him,” Head Coach Nancy Lieberman commented. “He’s been such an asset for so many people for so long, and he is deserving of this position to share his wisdom with the players in New Jersey. If I have any questions, he’s only a phone call away – and I will be calling. I wish him the best of luck.”

Owner Donnie Nelson put together a star-studded cast in Frisco as Lieberman was named head coach, Spud Webb the President of Basketball Operations, and Harris the General Manager at the November 5th press conference. “Wow, our first NBA call-up and we don’t even have a name yet.” Nelson said. “It’s only fitting that it’s Del Harris. He’s been a trailblazer and innovator throughout his decorated career. When you have someone as talented as Del on your staff, with more than 50 years of basketball experience and countless awards and honors, you know losing him is always a possibility. But this is what the D-League is all about, making dreams coming true. Kiki has chosen one of the wisest coaches I’ve ever served with and a man of impeccable integrity. We wish the ‘Silver Fox’ nothing but success… starting Friday night of course.” The Dallas Mavericks take on the New Jersey Nets Wednesday night at 6:30 pm in New Jersey. “Del has seen it all, and will be a tremendous resource for the New Jersey Nets,” President of Basketball Operations Spud Webb said. “There’s no question that he’ll do a great job. Our Frisco franchise is growing by leaps and bounds, and Del is a big part of that.”

For more information concerning NBA D-League Frisco visit www.nbadleaguefrisco.com. Any media requests can be directed to Malcolm Farmer at mfarmer@nbadleaguefrisco.com.

(November 17, 2009) Beginning Monday, November 30, the parking lot behind City Hall and the Library will be closed to make way for the construction of a 574 space, public parking garage. Two, small surface lots will also be constructed with one on the east side, the other on the west side of the garage for a total of 70 additional parking spaces.

On November 3, during a regularly scheduled council meeting, the Frisco City Council voted unanimously to approve the contract to begin construction on the $6.4 million public parking garage. Four million of those funds were approved by voters during the 2006 Bond Election.

Construction is estimated to take one year to complete.

“When construction is finished, we’ll all benefit from the convenience of having a total of 644 parking spaces to choose from whether we’re attending meetings, using the library or visiting the many businesses, restaurants, venues or special events in and around Frisco Square,” said Mayor Maher Maso.  “The 644 new parking opportunities far outnumber the 141 spaces we currently have available in the parking lot behind City Hall.”

The drive way and half-circle drive directly behind City Hall/Library will remain open, providing public access to the ‘after hours drop boxes’ for utility payments and library books.  The ‘loading zone’ space will be accessible, allowing for loading and deliveries, only. Eight handicap spaces will be available in front of City Hall.  This includes four existing spaces and four additional spaces, which replace those lost to parking garage construction. Anyone with a handicap placard may use handicap parking, first come, first served.

Visitor parking includes angled spaces on Frisco Square Blvd., which includes spaces in front of City Hall and around Simpson Plaza.  Most spaces on Church and Library Streets will also be available for visitor parking. For safety reasons, parking is prohibited in some spaces on Church and Library Streets, adjacent to the garage construction site.

Parking on Page Street, between Church and Library Streets, is prohibited.

Visitor parking is also available in the west parking lot of Frisco Square.  This parking lot is located west of one of the Frisco Square business/residential buildings on Coleman Blvd. This lot is accessible from Main Street. For your convenience, the City of Frisco has installed a temporary sidewalk leading from the Frisco Square west lot, through Simpson Plaza and to the front of City Hall.

“We appreciate your patience as we work to improve parking availability in this area,” said Mayor Maso.  “When construction is finished, we’ll all appreciate the fact we’ll have four times more parking than we currently have at City Hall and the Library.” To see the visitor parking plan maps, go to www.friscotexas.gov/garage

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.”

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

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

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

 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

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!

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!