Fall is here, according to the calendar, even if the temperatures have yet to catch up. The holidays are just ahead.
I encourage families with kids to participate in the Argyle Police Department’s second annual Trunk or Treat event on Saturday, October 29 from 6-8:30 p.m. APD will be holding the event in cooperation with Argyle United Methodist and other area churches. The parking lot event will feature activities for kids and parents. I am told that there will be lots of candy. Please see the APD Facebook page for details.
Once again, the Town of Argyle will commemorate Veterans Day with a flag display on US 377. I encourage you to fly your flag starting on Friday, November 11, to celebrate the service of the men and women who have served our country in uniform.
Citizens contact me from time to time with questions, concerns, and comments. The same topics tend to come up in many of these conversations. Here are some FAQs that you may find useful or interesting.
Q: Does the Town of Argyle have a plan to reduce the train horn or whistle noise at railroad crossings?
A: Yes, the town is working toward putting quiet or silent crossings in place. Argyle has five railway crossings, located at Crawford Road, Old Justin Road, Harpole Road, Frenchtown Road, and FM 407. In 2021, the town began a project that will end the mandatory sounding of train horns at the five surface crossings. There are Federal and Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) requirements that must be met for quiet crossings, notably the construction of features to prevent motorists from attempting to cross when traffic gates or barriers are deployed. The crossing at Canyon Falls Drive in Flower Mound features so-called Supplementary Safety Measures or SSMs that will be incorporated into Argyle’s quiet crossings – including medians that separate traffic crossing the tracks. The quiet crossings are expensive to build. Fortunately, the US 377 reconstruction project will include funding provided by TxDOT for all four at-grade rail crossings. The lengthy study and design process in which the town, TxDOT and the Federal DOT are engaged will be completed by the time US 377 work begins.
Q: Since you brought it up, when will the US 377 reconstruction project begin?
A: TxDOT has run into delays in the design and utility relocation work that must be complete before the project to convert US 377 in Argyle to a concrete roadway with two lanes in each direction can begin. At this time the utility work is scheduled to be completed late in 2023. The schedule has moved several times in the last two years, so the anticipated “ready to let” or construction start date is still fluid, but we expect the actual road work to begin before December 2023.
Q: When will the Stonecrest Road reconstruction project be completed?
A: Stonecrest Road is being completely replaced, with the old asphalt road being ground or milled down to the soil base before a new reinforced concrete roadway is put in place. The narrow right-of-way that the construction company has to work with and the number of homeowners who need daily access have been challenges for the project. That said, we are still shooting for completing the work by year end.
I would like to commend the town staff for their efforts to minimize the disruption caused by the project. A special thanks to the Argyle Police Department’s Officer Wallace who has been on duty daily during construction operations to promote public safety.
Q: What is the FM 407 Breakout project and when will it begin?
A: The Breakout is a 1.2-mile-long section of FM 407 that begins at Gateway Boulevard and runs west to Cleveland Gibbs Road in Northlake. It will consist of two lanes in each direction and will not require the reconstruction of the I-35W bridge. The project is intended to help with traffic volumes that will increase with the construction of Harvest Town Center at FM 407 and Harvest Way. Design work on the Breakout is underway and construction is currently scheduled for a 2024 start.
Q: Are there any other road construction projects scheduled for the near future?
A: Yes. The 2022 Capital Improvements Project includes reconstruction of C. Taylor Road and a section of Hickory Hill Road. The town will move ahead with these projects after Stonecrest is completed.
If you have questions that you would like answered, please reach out to me at [email protected]. I look forward to hearing from you!
Argyle Seniors Update
Submitted by Stella McDaniel
Wow! It was such a wonderful gathering to honor our Argyle Police Department at our September luncheon. We had a full house with several new people. We want to thank everyone for coming and Chief Emmitt Jackson and all the policemen and women for the great job they are doing to keep us safe! We also want to thank our Mayor Bryan Livingston for the great speech he gave. Thank you to NCL for doing the writing on the chalkboards. Also, thank you to Jody Bellinghausen for the special one for the Police Department. Always, Barbara Livingston for the lovely decorations.
A lot of work and time by the board members are put into our seniors monthly luncheons and if you enjoy them, please thank them.
The seniors will not be having a luncheon at the center in October but will meet there on Tuesday, October 4, at 9:15 a.m. to go to Camp Copass for a program and free lunch. The lunch is always delicious. They will take up a love offering to help those that work there to go on a mission trip to another country.
We will be having our annual wiener roast on Saturday, October 29, at 6:30 p.m. at the home of Stella McDaniel, 371 Old Justin Road, Argyle. If you would like to dress in costume, you’ll meet others such as clowns and Little Red Riding Hood. It’s always fun and we have a prize for the winner in each category. We play a game that’s called Right & Left that Karen Kiel will be leading us in. Also, everyone is asked to bring a wrapped gift for the game. It’s lots of fun. We have other board games if you want to play and a prize for the winners of each of them.
The Denton Spiderman will be coming to our wiener roast and we will have a box for those who want to donate a toy for him to give to a boy or girl he visits. It can be a gift from the Dollar Tree or whatever you want to do. He came to the Argyle Easter Egg hunt which delighted all. It’s always a joy to visit with him.
Please let me know if you plan to come to our wiener roast. Everything is furnished so all you have to do is come. For more information text or call Stella McDaniel at 940-391-6686 or one of the other board members.
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