Denton County Floods Tax Resources
With rains in April and May like we haven’t seen in decades, our county’s Road & Bridge West and Emergency Services Departments have worked around the clock to insure the safety of our citizens who have been affected by road closures, washed out bridges, and flooding in places that had been in drought areas for years.
I want to commend all these workers who put our residents first and work so diligently to try and resolve the issues that result from conditions such as this. Please continue to take precautions when flooding is present, and be sure and check out our website for updated information on road closures at www.dentoncounty.com/pages/road-closures.
Economic Development Efforts Pay Off
For nearly a year, Denton County has been working with consultants and management of Farmer Brothers to assist their company in its relocation decision. And our efforts paid off in a big way!
Farmer Bros. Co. (NASDAQ: FARM) announced eligibility in April to receive incentives from Denton County and Town of Northlake to relocate its headquarters to Northlake. The conditions of the incentives include the establishment of a new facility in Denton County, the creation of new jobs at that location, and the making of investments in real property improvements at that location. They are moving more than 300 jobs to this facility.
Mike Keown, the Farmer Brothers CEO said they were extremely pleased with the support and assistance of Northlake and Denton County, along with the effort and spirit of cooperation they experienced working with the officials representing those jurisdictions.
I am proud that our hard work and partnership between Denton County, Northlake and Farmer Brothers has resulted in their relocation to Denton County and construction of their new state-of-the-art facility.
This is just the type of high-wage, high-quality development we work to attract, and we look forward to all that Farmer Brothers will bring to our area. The quality of life, ready workforce, improved road system, and business-friendly environment in Denton County continues to be attractive to companies looking to relocate.
Founded in 1912, Farmer Bros. Co. is a manufacturer, wholesaler and distributor of coffee, tea and culinary products. The company is a direct distributor of coffee to restaurants, hotels, casinos, offices, quick service restaurants (QSR’s), convenience stores, healthcare facilities and other foodservice providers, as well as private brand retailers in the QSR, grocery, drugstore, restaurant, convenience store, and independent coffee house channels.
The company’s product line includes roasted coffee, liquid coffee, coffee-related products such as coffee filters, sugar and creamers, assorted iced and hot teas, cappuccino, cocoa, spices, gelatins and puddings, soup bases, dressings, gravy and sauce mixes, pancake and biscuit mixes, and jellies and preserves.
Headquartered in Torrance, Calif., Farmer Bros. Co. generated net sales of over $500 million in fiscal 2014 and has approximately 1,800 employees nationwide. The company’s primary brands include Farmer Brothers, Artisan Collection by Farmer Brothers, Superior, Metropolitan, Cain’s and McGarvey. For more information, visit: www.farmerbros.com.
Davis Paves Way To Roads Chief Position
As I mentioned earlier, building and maintaining roads and bridges plays a big part of the work of this office. We were sad to lose our Precinct 4 Road & Bridge West Administrative Foreman, Mike Riley, who retired in April of this year, but I’m excited to announce the appointment of Robin Davis as our new foreman.
I have worked with Robin the entire time I’ve been in office, and she has always been hard-working, professional, and served with a willing spirit and a great attitude. She has already shown her enthusiasm and expertise, and been put to the test with the flooding issues. She has done a wonderful job managing all the unexpected issues and the department will continue to excel under her leadership.
Not only does Robin bring a wealth of experience to this position, having previously served as Project Coordinator for Precinct 4, but she is also making history in Denton County as the first female to hold this position.
In addition to her work since 2007 as Project Coordinator, Robin worked in the Public Works Department from the time she started with the county in 2004. Prior to that, she worked in construction for many years. Her vast work experience in the construction field, combined with her work at the county, made her the obvious choice for the job.
Since Robin has been working in the department for eight years and had already established relationships with our cities, our citizens, elected officials, and the other county departments that are critical to the road construction process, the transition to the new position has been seamless.
Robin lives in Krugerville with her husband, Jackson, and together they have five children. Cody, 19, is a Marine studying Aviation Electronics. Matthew, 19, wants to be a diesel mechanic and has just registered at ITT. Lisa, 18, is a senior at Aubrey High School and will begin attending NCTC in the fall, and the twins, Lucas and Tobey, are 9 years old and do all the crazy things you can imagine twins boys would do. Robin is the daughter of Patrick and Wanda Alexander of Gainesville, TX.
35Express Construction Update
The FM 407 bridge across I-35E in Lewisville recently closed permanently and commuters are now using Garden Ridge and Valley Ridge Boulevards to access east and westbound FM 407. Crews began demolition of the western half of the bridge at the end of May and the eastern half of the bridge is scheduled to be demolished this fall.
FM 407 Detours during construction:
To continue east on FM 407/Lake Park Drive, eastbound motorists will be detoured south to North Summit Avenue, east on Valley Ridge Boulevard, north to the northbound I-35E frontage road and east on FM 407/Lake Park Drive.
To continue west on FM 407, westbound motorists will be detoured south on Mill Street, west on Valley Ridge Boulevard north on North Summit Avenue and west on FM 407.
Southbound I-35E motorists wanting to access eastbound FM 407/Lake Park Road will take the existing FM 407 exit, travel west on FM 407, south on North Summit Avenue, east on Valley Ridge Boulevard over the interstate and north on the frontage road to east FM 407/Lake Park Drive.
Northbound I-35E motorists wanting to access westbound FM 407 will exit at Garden Ridge Boulevard, continue west across the Garden Ridge bridge and travel south to westbound FM 407.
Work on the new FM 407 began December 2014. Once complete, the newly constructed at-grade roadway will run underneath I-35E and include two traffic lanes in each direction, a dedicated turn lane in each direction and Texas U-turn lanes on each end. Two lanes of traffic (one in each direction) will reopen late 2015 and the new roadway will completely open by summer 2016.
Various lanes of north- and southbound I-35E between North Texas Boulevard and U.S. 380 will be closed nightly from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. through Tuesday, September 1. Law enforcement will be present to assist with traffic control.
Various lanes of northbound I-35E at Garden Ridge Boulevard will be closed nightly from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday, June 8 through Saturday, June 20.
During this closure, crews will shift traffic east. Law enforcement will be present to assist with traffic control.
You can find much more detail on the project website at www.35express.org, as well as additional detour routes and regular updates on lane and road closures and upcoming construction. In addition, access to traffic cameras along I-35E is available. And keep in mind, construction schedules can change due to weather and other circumstances.
If you have any questions or comments, please let me hear from you. My email is [email protected] and my office number is 940-349-2801.
.jpg)
