Hello, Flower Mound! Doesn’t it always feel like January is the longest month of the year?! But we’re finally to February and in full swing here at the Town.
First up, I want to mention that the Town is currently accepting applications for both Mayor and Town Council Place 4 for the May 4 general election. To qualify, candidates must be a registered voter of the Town, be 21 years of age or older on the first day of the term to be filled, have been a resident of the town for at least one year prior to election date, and should hold no other public office except that of Notary Public or a member of the National Guard, military reserve, or Coast Guard reserve.
Flower Mound Town Council Members serve three-year terms and are elected “at-large,” each representing the entire community. If you’re interested in running, request an application packet online at https://bit.ly/3HmoyOH, or pick up an application from the Town Secretary’s Office at Town Hall (2121 Cross Timbers Rd.) during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Completed applications must be filed by Friday, Feb. 16, at 5 p.m.
Serving as Mayor and working with the Town Council to better serve residents and continue improving our Town is one of my greatest joys and accomplishments. I am running for re-election and I encourage others to get involved by running. You will meet wonderful people, work closely with the very best staff, and work on important issues that make a difference.
Of course, if you’re not ready to take on Town Council, I’d encourage you to start on a Town board or commission. The Town has a variety of boards that work on various issues, from parks to transportation, to cultural arts or environmental conservation. Applications for Town boards open every year around August, but staff will also notify the public when any vacancies arise. Be sure to sign up for notifications at flower-mound.com/notifyme (sign up for “Front Page News Feed” under the News Flash section, along with any other notifications you’d like to receive) to be alerted when applications are open.
I also want to let you know about a great opportunity coming up at the end of this month: the Tri-City Neighborhood Summit, scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 24. The Town is excited to partner once again with the cities of Coppell and Lewisville for the summit, which will run from 8 a.m. to noon. Hear from local leaders and industry professionals on how we can build stronger neighborhoods and communities together. The event, which will be held at Lewisville Thrive, 1950 S. Valley Parkway, is a great opportunity for residents who live in HOA communities and want to learn how to improve neighbor relations or imagine new possibilities for their community or for residents who live in non-HOA communities and want to increase neighborhood engagement and overcome challenges. Registration is required for this free summit, and spots are limited. To learn more and register, visit flower-mound.com/neighborhoodsummit.
Lastly, I have to give a shoutout to our amazing Parks and Recreation staff, who keep our parks up-to-date, clean, safe, and fun. Our staff is always improving our existing parks and ensuring they have the amenities our residents need. Currently, two park improvement projects are underway. Tealwood Oaks Park (1900 Tealwood Oaks Blvd.) improvements include installation of steel pedestrian bridges to replace the existing bridges, fabric shade structures near the playground, and picnic tables and benches, as well as drainage improvements and repairs to the existing trail throughout the park. The work began in late January and will take approximately four to five months to complete. During this time, areas of the park will be required to close but will be clearly marked to allow the open areas of the park to continue to be used safely.
Gerault Park is also seeing upgrades. Construction is about to begin on the park (1200 Gerault Rd.) to regrade and install new sod on the multi-use fields, repair portions of the trail throughout the park, improve drainage, upgrade the existing pavilion with new paint and stone columns, and replace the existing trash cans and picnic tables.
Construction is expected to last five months and should finish in early summer. The multi-use fields and parts of the trail will close during this time, and residents are asked to refrain from using them to allow newly-installed grass time to grow in a healthy manner.
For more information on both of these projects and all of the other exciting capital projects happening around town, please visit the Town’s interactive construction project map at fmprojectmap.com.
Thanks for reading and I’ll see you back here in March!