Happy New Year, Flower Mound! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season with your loved ones.
Your Town accomplished some amazing things in 2022. We started the year off strong by welcoming new Town Manager James Childers in January; our first responders and Public Works crews kept everything running smoothly and safely during winter storms in February; our Parks and Rec staff launched two new special events with our Holi Festival and Diwali Festival of Lights; our Communications team launched a new and improved Town website (www.flower-mound.com) in May; a redesigned Rheudasil Park opened in August; Town Council doubled the homestead exemption to give property owners some relief; our Public Works Department worked on and completed many important capital projects to improve our parks, streets, and water, wastewater, and stormwater systems; and so much more. It’s far too much to name in this column, but keep an eye out this spring for our Annual Report, as well as our State of the City video, which recap our accomplishments throughout the past year.
I’m ready now to look ahead to 2023. As always, there’s a lot planned, but I want to touch on a couple upcoming projects.
This year, work continues on Canyon Falls Park (6425 Stonecrest Rd.). Unfortunately, construction of the more than 10-acre park has taken longer than expected. Staff is working with the general contractor and looks forward to completing the last remaining items early this year. The wait will be worth it! Once completed, the park will have a playground and pavilion, basketball court, splash pad, fitness equipment, hiking trails, and much more. We’ll keep you posted on its progress.
There are also multiple street projects in the works. Staff has already gotten started on the adaptive traffic signal project along the Morriss corridor. Our Signal Division is working on getting the data analytics cameras in place and on getting the system that will run the adaptive software in place on the Town’s servers. Once that is done, crews will be able to start deploying equipment to the signal cabinets along the Morriss corridor. We still have equipment on order, but in a few months, we hope to be ready to turn the system on! In addition to the adaptive signal project, our Public Works Department will be working on designing capacity improvements for Lakeside Parkway, starting reconstruction of Hillside Lane, and more. You can learn about all the Town’s current construction projects at www.fmprojectmap.com.
The Town is also in the middle of a comprehensive compensation and classification study. It will review the pay scale for every position in the Town and compare it to other local municipalities to ensure we’re offering competitive wages. This is more important than ever in today’s labor market. The results of that study will help us attract top talent to the Town, which in turn, helps us better serve you. We expect to have the results of the study later this year.
Of course, we’ll have all your favorite Town events in 2023, including Independence Fest, Concerts in the Park, Kid Fish, Easter Egg Scramble, Arts Festival at Heritage Park, and much more. Our awesome Parks and Recreation Department is even introducing three NEW events to their already impressive lineup. Stay tuned for more details on the June 18 Sink or Sail Regatta, the Sept. 16 Movie at Heritage Park, and the Dec. 16 Frozen River Run! You can find more information at www.flower-mound.com/events.
Don’t forget that our 2023 lineup of special events starts this month with the CAC Open House and the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration.
On Saturday, Jan. 14, the Parks and Recreation Department will hold a free open house at the Community Activity Center to promote all the great ways that you can make your health a priority in 2023. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., there will be free fitness classes, as well as drinks, snacks, and giveaways. Admission is free to the CAC all day.
Then, on Monday, Jan. 16, join The Committee to Commemorate M. L. King Jr. Day by honoring the immeasurable contribution of Dr. King at the 30th annual celebration. This free event starts at 6 p.m. at the Lewisville High School auditorium (1098 W. Main Street) and is open to the public. For more information, visit www.mlkofnorthtexas.org.
I can’t wait to see what 2023 has in store for our wonderful community. Wishing all of you a safe, happy, and healthy year.
.jpg)
