Public Safety Update
The Denton County Sheriff’s Department and the Argyle Fire District help keep Lantana residents safe.
Representatives from both agencies briefed Lantana’s two Fresh Water Supply District boards at their December joint meeting.
The sheriff’s office made 650 traffic stops in Lantana between Jan. 1 and Dec. 4, 2019, according to Captain Jose Pena.
“The highest number of calls we get out here are alarms calls. During that time frame we had 366 calls,” said Pena.
“I feel we have a pretty good presence out here. When we’re not out here we’ve got other agencies that support us, like Bartonville, Double Oak, and the constable’s office.”
Pena reminded residents to remain vigilant despite Lantana’s low crime rate.
“Our recommendation is that even though your vehicle is in your driveway, you still lock it up.”
The Argyle Fire District responded to 460 calls in Lantana between January and early December 2019.
Fire Chief Mac Hohenberger said that there are two things that Lantana residents benefit from that is not talked about enough. The district does not charge residents for ambulance rides to the hospital and the community’s ISO rating has dropped from an 8 to a 3. ISO measures how quickly and efficiently a department can put out a fire. On a scale from 1 to 10, the lower the number the better.
“ISO rating is very important on homeowner’s insurance, you can save a lot of money,” said Hohenberger.
Hohenberger said the population of the fire district–which includes Argyle, Bartonville, Copper Canyon, Draper, Northlake and surrounding areas- went from 22,400 to 35,600 in the past three years.
On average, each position costs the district $115,000 per year, according to Hohenberger. The fire district’s total payroll budget is $4.1 million.
“Just given what we are as an unincorporated community, we get an exceptional amount of law enforcement and fire protection,” said FWSD #6 President Sheldon Gilbert.
Briefly…
Streetlight poles and fixtures along Lantana Trail were recently painted and promotional banners permanently removed. The districts are currently in the process of getting bids for repainting streetlights in Lantana’s older subdivisions.
The new 4,800-square-foot Lantana Community Center at the north end of Lantana Trail is almost complete and will host its first events this March.
New playground equipment and a shade shelter will be installed at Mustang Park in Crescent with the help of a $70,000 grant from the Lantana Educational/Charitable Foundation.
There are three board seats up for election this May in both districts. The last day to file for a place on the ballot is February 14. Visit lantanatx.org for more information.
Stop signs will be installed at several intersections along Trinidad Way in Barrington to deter cut-through traffic.
Curb reflectors are being installed at subdivision entrances and exits.
Lantana’s 10th annual Earth Day will be held on April 18, 2020.
Development Watch
Lantana had 3,891 occupied homes as of Dec. 31 with an estimated population of 12,646.
There were 2,120 single-family building permits issued in Fresh Water Supply District #6 and 1,866 permits issued in Fresh Water Supply District #7 for single-family homes through the month of December, for a total of 3,986 permits.
Total build-out is estimated to be approximately 4,000 homes.