Happy fall! The weather has finally cooled off and the clocks have changed to give us another hour of sleep.
This fall has been especially exciting because of a group of teens that have agreed to participate in our first attempt to have an Argyle Youth Advisory Council made of juniors and seniors from Liberty Christian and Argyle High School. These groups of future leaders were chosen by the high school principals and I will have to say that this is the most exciting group of kids that I have had the honor to work with since serving as mayor.
The group presented their mission statement and goals for the year to the council on Oct. 27 and I believe that everyone in the room raised an eyebrow at the professionalism they presented.
The intention of the Advisory Council is to educate youth in Argyle about local politics while providing the council and staff with new ideas and fresh perspectives. The goal is to make Argyle a place they will call home after entering the workforce and become leaders of our great town.
The Youth Council has shown us that we have a bright future with their leadership. The leaders from Liberty Christian are Dalton Weed, Grant Griffith, Payton Elsey, Connor Price, Hannah Dickson and Ben Khoshbin. The Argyle High school group includes Kayla Haynes, Logan Witzer, Bryce Pilawski, Reeves Moseley, Brooke Daniel, Natalia Sorensen and Maddison Darnell.
I am excited about the innovative ideas that this group has brought to our Town and am eager to see them present concerns and solutions to the public.
Commissioner Andy Eads presented an update on all of the construction going on around us and a special thank you to the Commissioner for helping the town gain a traffic light at Highway 377 and Frenchtown Road. Without Andy’s partnership, this would not have been accomplished.
Andy shared an update to the progress of I-35W and Highway 377. He is very aware of the traffic problems and addressed the traffic concerns on the corner of Old Justin Road and 377. He is currently working on a solution with our town staff.
Please take time to thank Andy for his partnership with Argyle because without a strong relationship with our county, we would not have the opportunities to work with Andy and the insight to improve areas that could benefit us in the future. Commissioner Eads received a sign of approval from the Youth Council when updating us on the Frenchtown signal.
Our next item on the workshop agenda was a presentation from Chief Tackett regarding a juvenile curfew ordinance and a distracted driving ordinance. Chief Tackett turned to the Youth Council to listen to many comments and answered concerns from the council. While the Curfew wasn’t popular, the council quickly agreed that no texting and talking in Argyle while driving needs to be addressed.
The town council workshop also listened to a presentation from staff and our Town Engineer, John Birkhoff, about the Transportation and Thoroughfare Plan. We discussed the pros and cons of concrete roads vs. asphalt. Do we want curbs and gutters on new roads, and what are the thoroughfare future needs for our town? The council wanted to take the information home to review and study for a future meeting.
We concluded our meeting with the appointments to the boards and commissions. We thank all of the citizens that volunteer their time to education and decision making on each board. This group gives countless hours to our town to make it the best place in Texas to live.
In conclusion, I want to thank Andy Eads and his staff that worked with Councilwoman Kay Teer on the first satellite museum located in Argyle’s Town Hall. We had the ribbon cutting of the Denton County Museum located in Argyle. With all of the history and artifacts that Kay Teer provided about our town history, we are extremely proud to be partners with Denton County in sharing our town’s history. I would like to invite each of you to visit our past through the generosity of Kay and her family.
Have a great month and please stay informed. Call Town Hall at 940-464-7273 if you would like a personal text on updated events. Mark your calendars for the Christmas Tree lighting that will be hosted by Keep Argyle Beautiful on December 5th.
