It’s that wonderful time of year marking the end of another school year and the beginning of summer. I hope everyone will have the chance to enjoy our beautiful new Post Oak Park, a great place for kids to run, ride bikes, play on the playground, and enjoy nature. Located at the intersection of Skillern and Flower Mound Roads, Post Oak Park has many amenities for residents of all ages to enjoy including trails, picnic areas, a playground, and a pavilion. There are also some unique features such as the boardwalk across the pond, a woodland observation deck, and 135 more trees on-site than prior to construction.
For residents who enjoy our many parks and trails, there is more good news on the way. The Council and Town Staff have identified a specific area within the Town’s signature green space, Heritage Park, for the long-awaited dog park. Proposed features of the dog park include separate areas for big dogs, small dogs, and additional space for training. Also, the Council will formally accept a grant from Texas Parks and Wildlife this month, which will help enhance Twin Coves Park, located on the shores of Grapevine Lake.
After many years of discussion, the Council is moving forward with a permanent Senior Center. During a joint work session with the Parks, Arts, and Library Services Board, the Council selected a proposed site, centrally located at the southwest intersection of FM 2499 and West Windsor Drive. The Senior Center will be tucked away on the back of the property for privacy, near an existing park. Additionally, the Town recently received the permit from TxDOT to place a traffic signal at this intersection and construction crews will have it functioning this summer. During the June 17 meeting, the Council will consider a professional services agreement for the center’s design, with the hopes of breaking ground before the end of the year.
While we marked the completion of Post Oak Park in May, we also celebrated the beginning of another project with the Canyon Falls groundbreaking ceremony. In addition to the residential development, the 1,242-acre master-planned community is expected to include areas for commercial businesses and retailers in addition to a high school site for Argyle ISD, a Flower Mound Fire Station, and a Denton County building. Construction has started and the project’s first roads and home sites are scheduled for completion later this year, with home sales beginning in early 2014.
Also this summer, residents have the chance to voice their opinion in other future economic development projects in the Retail and Restaurant Survey. Conducted every few years, the Town seeks input from residents about their favorite shopping and dining locations. I encourage everyone to participate as the Town uses the data as a recruitment tool and actively pursues the top 50 choices from each category. This is a great tool to have in hand when it comes to attracting businesses because we have the data already showing our residents’ support. Once available, Town staff will get the word out and invite resident participation.
Additionally, restaurants and retailer representatives showed increased interest in our Town at the recent International Council of Shopping Centers global retail real estate convention (ICSC Recon). Our Town Manager Jimmy Stathatos and Economic Development Director Mark Wood attended ICSC Recon along with 30,000 industry professionals, which provided the Town with the opportunity to meet with prospective retailers and restaurants, network with brokers, and learn of retailers actively pursuing new locations. Following several positive meetings, the Town will now follow-up with retailers and restaurants interested in a Flower Mound location.
As you may have heard, Black Walnut Café, a Houston-based restaurant chain, has committed to opening a Flower Mound location. Known for choosing upscale communities, Black Walnut Café will open its first North Texas location just north of the Long Prairie Road and Firewheel Drive intersection and will serve an array of contemporary American breakfast, lunch and dinner options. I’m always looking for new restaurants to try and Black Walnut Café will have something for everyone on its menu.
One of the reasons I love Flower Mound so much is that we have many opportunities to eat, shop, and play within our community. July brings the Town’s signature even – Independence Fest. Destined to be our biggest celebration yet, we have an outstanding lineup of activities and entertainment planned, including multi-platinum artist Rick Springfield. The day is set to kick off with our annual Children’s Parade at 10 a.m. at the corner of Eaton and Timber Creek Road and concludes with a fantastic fireworks finale around 9:45 p.m. at Bakersfield Park. Other activities include performances by The Walton Stout Band and Breaking Southwest, a vintage car show, a showcase of local businesses, plenty of food and drinks, and a Kid’s Zone with bounce houses, face painting and more. As always, everything (including parking) is totally free. To learn more about this year’s fantastic lineup, please visit www.flower-mound.com/festival.
On a more serious note, I’d like to share some positive news from our Police Department. Last month, the Flower Mound Police Department launched the I.N. the Know program, aimed at stopping teen drug abuse. The “I.N.” of the title stands for “Identify” and “Notify,” vital components of this initiative. With I.N. the Know, officers focus on identifying at-risk teens that are using or experimenting with dangerous drugs. The Police Department then reaches out and notifies family members their son or daughter may be abusing drugs and provides the necessary resources and support to help that young person get back on the right path. I.N. the Know is not meant to be an enforcement effort, but a life-saving undertaking for Flower Mound teens. Most importantly, all tips and information regarding teen drug use will remain confidential and no criminal charges will be filed, once someone has provided information. If you’d like to learn more about I.N. the Know, please visit www.flower-mound.com/intheknow.
The health and well-being of the community is always our top priority and I hope everyone has a safe and healthy summer. Whether it’s out enjoying Grapevine Lake to activities at home, there are many ways we can keep our loved ones out of harm’s way. As we learned last month with the tornado in Moore, Oklahoma, tragedy can strike at any time and it is best to be as prepared as possible and have a plan for your family. Flower Mound emergency personnel often receive questions regarding the Town’s Outdoor Early Warning System. The 11 outdoor warning sirens are part of an emergency system designed to provide immediate and valuable information to residents who are outdoors. The sirens are activated for a variety of reasons, which are listed on the Town’s Outdoor Warning Siren webpage: http://www.flower-mound.com/sirens. When it comes to being indoors, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has plenty of valuable tips and useful information for residents at http://www.ready.gov/severe-weather.
Although our Town was able to avoid the severe weather outbreak in May, the Oklahoma families affected by the tornadoes were in our hearts. Thanks to a great idea by Mayor Hayden, residents streamed into Town Hall and the Library with gift cards for our devastated neighbors. Thanks to your generosity, the Town was able to collect approximately $12,000 in gift cards in just three days. I had the pleasure of delivering the gift cards to Oklahoma along with Mayor Hayden and Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Bryan Webb. It was an unfo
rgettable experience to see the horrible devastation and, at the same time, a city pulling together to help each other recover. I am so thankful we are part of a community that showed such an outpouring of love to people we may never meet. We may live in Flower Mound, but we are all Americans.
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