Musings about Coppell Texas

Commendations – The QuikTrip Decision Process

2011-01-17T08:22:00.001-08:00

I write today to commend those on City Council who were bold in choosing to defer, as opposed to deny, the recent actions regarding the southern entry into Coppell. Council member Karen Hunt (who led the effort), along with Tim Brancheau, Marvin Franklin and Brianna Hinojosa-Flores are heartily thanked for their efforts, as are the citizens of Coppell who showed up to voice their opinions.

As much as all of us would love to see a grand entrance into Coppell, bracketed by all the "right" types of amenities, we long ago proved that those who wait do not get any of the above. The retail amenities that Coppell should have now all belong to our neighbors. Bookstores? Get in the car and go to Irving, Lewisville or Southlake. Specialty retail – same story. A diverse breadth of restaurants? Not here, in my opinion.

It is time to make a reasonable decision about the subject tract of land and realize that no matter our efforts and wishes, others control the image opportunity as much as the City. Immediately north and adjacent to this tract is land belonging to Billingsley. While I expect that they, too, want to put a signature image on their development, Coppell has absolutely no control over that piece of dirt, and the City of Dallas long ago proved that they don't care about what those of us in Coppell might think. Likewise, the land immediately east and south is in Irving, and is already either developed or amidst final planning. Again, we have no control.

Interestingly, I don't even think that many who travel either along Belt Line or 635/LBJ even know where Coppell begins and ends, so the implication that by allowing a high-end fuel station to be sited as proposed we somehow diminish the branding opportunity to differentiate Coppell from its adjacent neighbors seems a folly to me. The exit signs from 635 do not denote Coppell as a possibility when taking one of those exits. As a sidebar, we should have some signage on 635/LBJ noting that Coppell can be reached by many exits, but for some reason we sit in obscurity for lack of same.

Finally, from a practical perspective, we need this facility in Coppell. We see far too many of our own expenditures take place outside our limits, simply because the services are not yet provided here. In doing so we see our potential tax revenues diminished, and our level of city services adversely impacted.

Let's make a decision based on reality, and not stand back and hope as we have done so many times in the past.

Progress on Sandy Lake Road!

2010-10-07T20:26:00.000-07:00

I talked with Coppell City Manager Clay Phillips late last week and he informed me that it appears that some of the real estate right-of-way acquisition related to Sandy Lake Road westward from Denton Tap Road has come to a successful conclusion. It will take a few weeks to get the legal formalities handled, but this is exciting progress indeed. While Clay was expectedly circumspect with regard to when the project may actually be underway or completed, he assured me that this is a high priority for the City and that progress should be apparent within a relatively short timeframe.

The disappointing part (not surprising to me) is that the project scope will only run westward to the three-way intersection with Coppell Road, and will not, at this time, include the remainder (west from there to North Coppell Road) as that section was "federalized" some time back and the bridge and wetlands related to the creek crossing will cause ongoing delays and an undetermined timeline as of now.

Hopeful progress nonetheless...

Yes, Another Post on Sandy Lake Road...

2010-09-24T16:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's evening (about 5 pm) traffic was backed up from Denton Tap westward all the way to Whispering Hills. Funny how congested traffic gets when the City staff and Council defer, for over eleven years, the voter's mandate to improve said roadway. One lane in each direction instead of two, and no turning lane... It's a wonder that traffic isn't even more tightly constrained. Thankfully I am not aware of any auto-pedestrian accidents along this roadway for three or so weeks now.

It also baffles me as to why the protected turn onto Denton Tap (northbound, from eastbound Sandy Lake Road) at that time of day only allows about four cars to pass before the signal goes from a protected arrow to green (and thus yielding to oncoming traffic). It can easily take four cycles of traffic light rotation before one can make it through the intersection. Not so in any other direction...

I only wish I had taken photos of the signs the City erected on Sandy Lake years ago that proclaimed that construction would be undertaken on the subject stretch of road sometime between 2003 and 2005. Maybe 2013 and 2015...

Sandy Lake Road...

2010-09-14T06:28:00.000-07:00

I remain mystified over the fact that the community outcry over the failure of the City's leadership (both elected and employed) to act on the Sandy Lake Road has been so sedate.

It was great to see the article two issues ago in the Coppell Citizen's Advocate that went into some detail about the accident about two weeks ago between a Coppell High School student who was struck by a car as the student was attempting to cross Sandy Lake Road en route to classes.

In response, the City leaned on its longtime defense by citing limitations within the Americans With Disabilities Act that precludes their intervention without adequate pedestrian accessibility on both sides of the street after a safe crossing has been facilitated. While no-doubt accurate in the strict reading of the law, I find it incredible that a more practical approach hasn't been developed. While there are several thousand feet of Sandy Lake that require improvement (and the remaining asphalt pavement is failing at a very rapid rate), an interim solution could easily be implemented by breaking the project into smaller pieces, with the initial focus being around that intersection with Whispering Hills where the students cross every day.

Another surprising point in the article was that the Coppell Independent School District does not view the crossing as dangerous, and therefore those students who choose not to pay for school bus services (and who have no other way to get to and from the High School), must instead risk their safety every day.

I challenge the City's and CISD's leaders to quit making excuses and to implement creative and productive ways to solve the immediate need to act in the best interests of our children (and other pedestrians) while finally committing to a comprehensive solution for the remaining section of the roadway that was mandated by voters in 1999.

Accident on Sandy Lake This Morning...

2010-08-26T14:11:00.000-07:00

One of our neighbors reported having seen a pedestrian struck by an automobile on the still-unimproved section of Sandy Lake Road west of Denton Tap Road this morning. My prayers go out to all those involved, most especially the youngster that was struck.

My frustration is again extended to the Leaders of our City - the City Manager, City Council and Staff that have, for more than ten years, failed to execute and complete the voter mandate to improve that stretch of road.

I'm anxious to hear from those same Leaders what their plans are to honor their Commitment to the Voters.

Does Anyone Else Care?

2010-08-20T19:18:00.000-07:00

School starts again next week. Just a couple of days ago I saw two boys on bicycles waiting for automobile traffic on Sandy Lake (west of Denton Tap, just east of Whispering Hills) to clear in both directions so that they could safely cross that very busy street. Thankfully they were successful and no harm came of their need to cross from the north side of Sandy Lake to the south side.

With school beginning next week that challenge will be repeated numerous times every day, as Coppell high schoolers who either by choice or economic circumstances find that they must get to and from school either by walking or aboard a bicycle. Bus service, despite the danger of crossing the roadway, is not a free option for most of those who live south of Sandy Lake Road.

Voters in our fair city approved the mandate to upgrade Sandy Lake from its crumbling two-lane asphalt, ditch-bordered status to a modern four-lane curbed concrete roadway. That election took place more than TEN YEARS AGO!

In the meantime we've seen the city build a lightly used amphitheater park, upgrade numerous lesser-used roads, begin construction on new tennis facilities, do repair work on already upgraded portions of Sandy Lake Road, spend millions of dollars on unusable (for now) land OUTSIDE the city and take almost NO action on the subject section of Sandy Lake.

When will the City Manager and City Council make this the priority project our students and citizens deserve?

Mandates, Priorities and Leadership

2010-06-07T13:29:00.000-07:00

I find that once more I must stand on the soapbox to wonder where the priorities of our City lie.

Ten years ago the voters of Coppell authorized bonds that were to be used to complete that portion of Sandy Lake Road that runs westward from Denton Tap Road to the intersection of Coppell Road North. Thousands (7,000 per day – each direction - as of the last study on the Coppell website) of vehicles travel on that roadway every day, and dozens of our finest young citizens cross the roadway during the school year to get to and from the high school campus. For those that aren’t familiar with the roadway I am describing, it is a two-way, single lane in each direction, asphalt road that has a patchwork of patches and cracks from lack of attention and normal wear and tear. The students that I referenced must cross the two lanes without the benefit of sidewalks or even much in the way of a shoulder, as there are deep ditches that are immediately adjacent to the road surface.

The City has been aware for years of the dangers our students (and others) face as they travel on or across this road by way of anything except an automobile, but nothing ever seems to get done. Let me rephrase that – the City did put some asphalt patches on a portion of the road just a few weeks ago. Thanks. The road is still extremely dangerous and in need of replacement.

The City also says that it has studied the issue of getting students and other pedestrians safely across the roadway, but because there is not a sufficient “landing area” on either side to afford adequate safety, then the ordinances and statutes don’t allow a solution of this type. Here’s an idea – do what the voters mandated ten years ago and rebuild the roadway! If as the City has suggested there are Federal issues to be dealt with in crossing a creek in the area just east of Coppell Road North, then break the project into two or more components and fix the pieces that aren’t impacted!

From a priorities standpoint the City and its leadership have again demonstrated where their focus is aimed as the intersection of Sandy Lake and Denton Tap on Monday June 7 went under construction to replace the brick pavers with concrete. While I certainly agree that the intersection has some issues (there were four asphalted potholes when I looked yesterday), I cannot understand why this project warrants a higher priority than fulfilling the voter’s mandate that is ten years old. This is but one recent choice made by our leaders that puzzles me – South Coppell Road immediately in front of the City’s beautiful maintenance facility was just completed; Southwestern Boulevard is almost done; both have daily traffic counts considerably less than Sandy Lake Road, and neither would likely have significant numbers of students attempting to cross the roadway.

I once again ask our leadership (Council, City Manager and Staff) to quit ignoring this issue and come up with a solution. I pray that no one dies or is seriously injured for lack of appropriate action.

Sandy Lake Road - No progress...

2010-02-09T08:45:00.000-08:00

I had the occasion to speak to a city council member a few weeks ago and I was assured that the long-delayed (10 years is long to me...) Sandy Lake Road widening/rebuilding project from Denton Tap westward was almost ready to go forward. I hope that proves to be true.

I pray that the City get the necessary momentum behind this critical project before someone is seriously injured (or worse). While we (as a City) have long hidden behind the idea that getting the plans done, right of way acquired and cooperation with the Federal Government arranged due to the impact on creeks and lowlands have all created the delays, the fact is that HAD we truly made this project a priority it would have been completed long ago. I know, I know - there will have to be trees removed to make this project a reality. My intuition tells me that the tree issue is one of the main reasons this has all taken so long.

It is time to get this project moving forward and off of the planning board. Our children need a safe way to get to and from the High School, we all need the reduction in traffic congestion that will ultimately result, and we need the City Council to take action on what the voters very clearly noted to be a priority some 10 years ago.

Tax Issue Resolved; Sandy Lake Road Next?

2009-09-02T19:44:00.000-07:00

I commend the Coppell City Council for their comments and direction at last night's meeting. I look forward to the upcoming vote on this important matter and confirmation that there will be no tax increase approved this year.

As to next year, I expect that the Council and City Manager will explore the many alternatives before leaning on the crutch of going to the taxpayers to fund a very fully configured budget.

Now that the tax issue has seemingly been resolved, I challenge the Council and Manager to address the now ten-year-old Sandy Lake Road (westward from Denton Tap Road) rebuilding mandate authorized by voters in 1999. I've been aboard this soapbox for several years now, but until the City resolves the safety issue of students crossing Sandy Lake Road to get to and from the High School I refuse to relent.

Set aside the policy or other issues and instead deal with the real need - to creatively resolve this huge safety issue in a temporary fashion until the road rebuilding can take place. Twice daily police directing traffic is a possibilty, as is temporarily covering the ditches (using culverts) to afford adequate sidewalk access on both sides of the road could work. Finally, we need Coppell residents to embrace the too-long delayed road project with the same vigor as they displayed on the tax issue. The health of our student citizens is at risk daily.

My Thoughts on the Proposed Tax Increase

2009-09-01T07:20:00.000-07:00

As a career banker I cannot fault our city leaders in their quest to maintain adequate reserves. That aspect of the current debate is valid and prudent.

I do believe that the City's failure to approach the need with regard to all stakeholders is imprudent; the City's debt providers and employees are the victors; its constituents (Coppell residents) are shortchanged as a result of the failure of the City (Council, Manager, Staff) to act in a fashion commensurate with today' economic realities.

Businesses of every type are evaluating all aspects of their operations to identify new efficiencies to allow their immediate and long-term survival. For some reason our City leaders seems to believe Coppell to be exempt from the need to prune its services as a matter of prudent business practice - especially when so many of our citizens are facing unprecedented economic challenges.

At this time it appears that most on the City Council are unwilling to make the hard decisions to maintain fiscal prudence without taking the easy road of taking unnecessary new taxes from the taxpayers.

I strongly encourage the City Manager and the Council to reconsider their positions on this important matter. I applaud Mayor Peters along with Councilman Franklin for their courage in taking a stand contrary to the too-often unanimously-acting group.

Mayor's Concerns Over Traffic Management, Safety Elements...

2009-06-18T20:29:00.000-07:00

In an online article (12:00 am June 18, 2009) about the Manara Academy charter school, Katherine Leal Unmuth of the Dallas Morning News (www.dallasnews.com) reports that Coppell Mayor Jane Peters expressed "concerns about the traffic management plan, angst about the traffic situation" and "serious concerns about the safety elements" associated with the opening of the school.

While I certainly respect and appreciate the Mayor's opinion on this, my question to her, to the City Council and City staff is why do they continue to allow our citizens (predominantly school aged kids) to risk their lives crossing Sandy Lake Road west of Denton Tap Road? Voters approved the bond proposal to rebuild and significantly improve that stretch of road TEN YEARS AGO, but we still see no visible progress towards that end.

The City has been aware for years of the safety issue faced by those trying to cross the road (often students going to or from the high school), but no solution has been put in place. City staff tells of the challenges of gathering right of way access related to the roadway, and to issues of eminent domain related to a possible temporary safe crossing solution, but seemingly nothing has been done.

Please review my earlier blog entries on this important topic for further information and photos. I sincerely pray that the City immediately develops a temporary solution (interim sidewalks, crossing guards, traffic cops, whatever) and moves expediently towards execution on the voter-mandated plan to improve the roadway and upgrade this thoroughfare to the same standards this road already exhibits throughout our community.

We must not tolerate this situation any longer, as an injury or death as a result of the City's delays would be unconscionable.

Coppell-Area Creek and River Paddling Opportunities

2009-06-17T16:04:00.000-07:00

Now that the heat of summer is upon us, the chance to enjoy a nearby oasis of cool and shade is enticing. While undeveloped, Coppell has access to some wonderful creek sites ripe for exploration by kayak (or even canoe when the water is seasonally high).

My favorite section of local water is Denton Creek. Access, while not developed, is best gained from Andy Brown Park beneath North Denton Tap at the bridge that crosses the creek. Launching is difficult because of the muddy banks and thick undergrowth, but once you are on the water you will quickly find yourself transformed as the noise of the populated world recedes to reveal the music of the natural world - birds singing, insects buzzing, frogs croaking, leaves rustling in the breeze. Wildlife is often abundant in the form of snakes, hawks, turtles, armadillos, owls, 'possums and others usually out of view in the pace of our usual days. The creek has little current at normal levels, so you can easily explore both upstream and downstream.

Another local paddling opportunity is more accessible but less wild, and in both cases involves an out-and-back route that starts in paddling against the current, though that is rarely a major problem. The starting point is the intersection of the Elm Fork of the Trinity River with East Sandy Lake Road. McInnish Park (a city of Carrollton facility) is the access point, at the well designed launch site on the north side of that complex.

After a much easier launch (concrete ramp) at this site (versus the previously mentioned creek launch), you soon have a choice to make - following the river as it bends to the right (generally north-eastward), or taking the narrower passage offered by Denton Creek as it goes westward. The much wider river passage attracts some light motorboat traffic, is more impacted by nearby traffic noises, and its physical breadth is more impacted by wind than the narrower creek passageway, so if solitude and minimal wind is important, choose the creek.

The creek route is more wild for the first mile or so as it meanders toward the eastern portion of Coppell, ultimately taking the boater into the extended backyard of those suburban subdivisions.

I've not done the section of the river on the south side of Sandy Lake Road (below a flood control dam structure), but I expect that route would be less interesting and wild as the map shows a rather straight (perhaps man-made) route until the river is well south of Belt Line Road.

The challenges not yet mentioned on any of these routes include downed trees that block passage depending upon the water level, high levels of trash (primarily cans, plastic bags and bottles of all types that are swept into the water via storm drainage systems from Coppell and other communities upstream) and the widely varying water level itself.

Users of these waterways can and should have impact on some of the challenges: through greater awareness the city of Coppell could, perhaps, become interested in developing creek access at Andy Brown Park; the downed trees issue could be reduced through local advocacy and involvement of the local drainage authority; and trash could be collected from time to time and greater awareness developed within local cities detailing how that bottle tossed into a storm drain ends up in the river or creek.

Take the time to explore these local waterways - you will be amazed!

Traffic Lights Beltline @ Dividend

2009-06-02T19:44:00.000-07:00

Is it just me, or have you been getting stopped by the traffic light at Dividend and Beltline, just north of LBJ? These lights, installed over a year ago, seem to periodically detect a phantom vehicle atop their sensors as they then signal a red light for those traveling north and south, while the unseen "phantom" gets a green as it faces eastward. You'd think in today's era of amazing computer controls and technology such stops would be unnecessary, but experience says otherwise.

More on city parks - come to City Hall April 1 at 7pm

2009-03-22T18:02:00.000-07:00

The Citizen Advocate notes in its most recent edition (Friday March 20, 2009) that our fair city is seeking input from its citizens at an April 1, 2009 forum at 7pm in the Council Chambers. Hopefully the date is not an indication that the input will be heard with a level of interest best suited for April Fools Day.

My suggestions, echoing my earlier post, includes lights (and hours of operation) that make sense for our summer days in North Texas. I would also applaud the continued extension of a contiguous trails plan that would allow walkers, runners, cyclists and others to put in miles towards fitness goals, and also afford a reasonable alternative to getting in the car to get to local shops or to visit friends, attend church, and the like. I would also like to see how the master plan will someday (hopefully sooner rather than later) connect our trails to those of the Campion Trails in Irving and Las Colinas.

Finally, while not mentioned in the article, the City has an amazing and almost unused opportunity already at our doorstep in Denton Creek which runs through much of the Andy Brown Parks system. While I haven't yet found a reasonable point of safe entry for my kayak, one could be easily developed, and for a nominal cost. Previous conversations with City staff led me to believe that the City has no interest in such a development, but if the Frisbee-golf, shuffleboard (I've yet see anyone using this amenity), and sand volleyball crowd can muster support, surely those of us with canoes and kayaks can make a sustainable case.

If you've not spent an afternoon away from the fast pace of the Metroplex floating amidst the serenity of the creek, you are in for a great treat. Admittedly, some work will have to be done to move downed trees from totally blocking passage, and trash can be thick after major runoffs, but the effort will open a great new amenity for our citizens.

City Parks...

2009-03-01T07:00:00.000-08:00

Is it just me, or does it seem odd that the City has cars and trucks traveling along the concrete trail system in the Andy Brown Parks complex? More than once I've been shocked to see a parks department vehicle "cruising" the trails. While I am certain that the trails were built substantially enough to handle vehicular traffic (an ambulance, for example), it would seem to me that such usage should be reserved solely for emergencies, and not for routine passage from one area to another.

Similarly related - have you ever seen a Coppell police officer on the trails system? I haven't. I have seen officers walking, on horseback (no, we don't need to buy horses for our officers, this is just an observation), and on bicycle at other parks in the region, but not in Coppell. I'd feel better seeing them around.

While the days are certainly growing longer (in terms of daylight) as we approach spring, I, for one, would like to see the City put together a plan to light the trails system for use after dark. As I understand things, the parks are, by definition (maybe even by LAW), basically off-limits after dark, as the City feels safety would be compromised. It has been months since we last saw triple digits, but it would be nice to use the parks (with lighted trails) in June, July, August and September when daytime temperatures are not conducive to being outside...

Same old excuses...

2009-02-26T13:59:00.000-08:00

Well it seems that the latest from the City is that the voter mandate of 1999 (yes, nearly ten years ago) continues to be deferred. The bond election which put in place the process to upgrade and improve Sandy Lake Road as it goes westward from Denton Tap remains largely ignored. By the way, the roadway is cracked and soon, I suspect, will be falling apart.

Meanwhile, we've got kids headed to and from the High School every school day that put their safety at risk because not only can't we act on a ten-year-old voter mandate, we can't even come up with a safe way to cross the street for those students.

Just a few hundred feet north, along the very well designed Parkway Boulevard, the City recently agreed to put in place a school zone to slow traffic for the kids on that side of town. Hopefully the kids who live south of Sandy Lake are faster, more agile, and more observant so that their safety isn't compromised because of the City's lack of focus on this too-long-ignored situation.

The reconstruction timeline of I-635 was announced today. I wonder which project - Sandy Lake Road or LBJ is done first? My bet is on the Dallas project.

Speculative Commercial Lease Space vs The City's Mandate To Prepay All Retail Fuel Purchases

2008-11-11T18:47:00.000-08:00

The pictures sum it up, in my view:

I was amazed when I first saw them, and I remain so today:I am speaking, of course, about the legal notices on gas pumps all around town noting that our City Council has seen fit to mandate that a crime shall have been committed if a retail clerk should dispense gas without first requiring the consumer to have prepaid for the fuel. In other words, if someone drives off without first paying for the gas, the clerk certainly shouldn't call the police, because they'll bust the clerk instead of (perhaps in addition to) trying to find the bad guys! An amazing approach to solving a problem that is, hopefully, tapering off as a result of the decline in fuel prices.

As a banker perhaps I should hope that the Council will one day make it criminal offense to fail to pay your bank loans. But, perhaps more likely, they'll put in place an ordinance making bank tellers liable for "allowing" bank robbers to take the Bank's money.

As long as the Council is taking care of the problem of scumbags not paying for gas by holding store clerks responsible, perhaps they should invoke some rulemaking around the issue of speculative commercial development in the City. There are many examples that could be cited, but the ones that stand out to me follow:
- The first is the strip center that sits on the south side of Sandy Lake just west of the Exxon station across from the old Albertson's. The sole occupant at this point (and for more than a year, if I recall correctly) is a nail salon (there seems to be some finish out work in some of the space, so maybe new tenants are on the way).
- The next is the beautiful space on MacArthur Boulevard south of the SH 121 intersection, on the east side. That space has been completed for some time now, but appears to have no tenants.
- Another that comes to mind (but that seems to be gaining some momentum at present) is the retail center on the southeast corner of Denton Tap and SH 121 where Run-On was, for the longest time, the sole tenant. They've recently been joined by a paint store and at least one other entity, but progress has been exceedingly low.
- A project that has been under construction for some time that may, or may not, experience some level of difficulty in attaining acceptable occupancy is also sited on Sandy Lake Road, also on the south side, this time just east of the large retail center where Minyard's was once located. The site has had a "development is coming" sign for a very long period, and is now framed up and likely to be completed in a few weeks. I certainly hope that tenants are already signed-up and ready to move in, as we don't need yet another empty project on one of our main thoroughfares, but because the sign in front says "available", I don't take that as a the most likely outcome.
- Finally, while the arrival a few years ago of the Universal Academy was a great enhancement, the development of what was to have been a grocery store (Safeway?) more than ten years ago at the southeast corner of MacArthur and Sandy Lake remains, in my mind, the crowning example of the type of challenges about which I am writing today. I certainly don't know the circumstances around the center, its ownership or management, but I am acutely aware of the missed opportunities for the City (retail taxes), the owner and for each of us as residents in the under utilization of that site for so long. I can only hope that circumstances will change for the better very soon.
I am, of course, taking a somewhat tongue-in-cheek approach in bringing this topic up, but it would be beneficial to our great City as well as the real estate investors that are developing these various tracts to do more upfront homework to better assure that the projects attain an acceptable level of occupancy much more rapidly than the examples above. Empty space does little to enhance our tax base, and it creates a very negative community image as others experience Coppell. "For Lease" signs in windows do not inspire confidence in the City or in its leaders.

Fencing - Are you an “Innie” or an “Outie”? Vinyl or Wood?

2008-10-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

I seem to recall that some time back the Coppell City Council was facing the difficult task of determining whether it should mandate the placement (inside the yard, facing the home, or outside the yard, facing the public) of fenceposts on the property of Coppell citizens. As I understand it, the City Council ultimately determined that the vexing issue was one they would leave to the discretion of each of us, as Coppell citizens.

Observing a new fence while driving east along Sandy Lake Road between Denton Tap Road and MacArthur Boulevard this past weekend (as well as numerous other parts of town, including my own neighborhood), I must say that I wish they had stuck their necks out on this issue and mandated that we all be innies. The fenceposts that face the roadway (outies) are in definite negative contrast to the orderliness that the Council has long worked to impress upon our fair burg. This "blight" is one we should, over time, do away with.

Continuing on the topic of fences, I also understand that the use of vinyl white fencing is no longer allowed in the City. I would like to encourage the Council to re-think this as they observe fences around town.

The few vinyl fences that were grandfathered in under the regulation are certainly wearing far better than all but the most expensive wooden fences I’ve seen. There’s a vinyl fence in a yard along the north side of Bethel School Road near MacArthur Boulevard that still looks almost new, and I think it is every bit of five or more years old. Wooden fences of similar age are usually already off-colored (it seems that sprinkler water itself often bleaches or stains the wood), and beginning to show wear in the form of warped or split boards, as well as the effects that weed-eating and general lawn care invoke.

While I am certain no one is going to be fooled into thinking that a white vinyl fence is actually wood, I will argue that the newer material looks great and is likely much longer-lasting than the usual wooden version. I wonder if the vinyl fences are not also "greener" in that they are, perhaps, made of some portion of recycled materials...

Great News! Your City Has Spent $25 Million on Land That is not even IN the City!

2008-10-20T06:00:00.001-07:00

Now that the details of the "settlement" of the conflict around North Lake are coming out, I have a few observations:

The City of Coppell is now obligated to the tune of more than $25 million to purchase undeveloped real estate within the North Lake tract.
The acreage is NOT within the city limits of Coppell, but is actually within the City of Dallas.
Countless additional $ will no doubt be spent to hold and/or develop (whatever that means to our City leaders) this extraterritorial acreage.
NO reduction in density was negotiated with the buyer of the first tract of land that caused all of the consternation in the first place. It was the thought that 10,000 housing units could soon be part of CISD that caused the initial uproar . The "compromise" that was achieved is that the number of units remains unchanged.
The "win" in all of this is that the City will buy $25 million worth of undeveloped real estate as a "buffer" to forestall even greater development density to our south.

For all we "accomplished" in this protracted battle, I am convinced that we would have been better served if our City leaders had instead spent the $25 million on a vacation getaway - a timeshare of sorts for every citizen's benefit - (a ski lodge, a lake house, a ranch, a beach compound) instead of wasting your tax dollars and mine to "defend" our southern flanks.

We may have won the battle but we lost the war.

Sandy Lake Road vs. Safety of Our Kids and Timely Execution on Voter Mandates

2008-10-13T20:24:00.000-07:00

While Coppell is, in many ways, a great city, we still have opportunities for improvement on several important fronts, the most significant of which is safety. On that topic, I have for several years been interested in seeing the remainder of Sandy Lake Road upgraded and completed to equal the rest of its length which was completed in years past.

Several generations of Coppell City Council have, for reasons that are not entirely clear to me, chosen to defer, rather than act on, the mandate that the voters gave the City in the Bond election dated November 1999 which will someday see the remainder of Sandy Lake Road completed from Denton Tap westward to Coppell Road North.

As a result of the continuing delays in following-up on the voters’ mandate in a timely fashion, as school began on August 25, we once again saw (and continue to see) those high school students who, because they live too close to Coppell High School to qualify for free bus service, put their personal safety at risk as they walk to and from the High School. For those students who live directly south of Sandy Lake Road, the daily trek to school involves a dangerous crossing over Sandy Lake, coupled with, on one side or the other, a perilous walk alongside 35 mph traffic on the sloping embankment of the adjacent drainage ditch. There is no shoulder on that section of Sandy Lake Road, nor any sidewalks.

While the installation of a traffic signal at the Whispering Hills and Sandy Lake intersection affords a modicum of improvement, it is certainly not THE solution. I would never willingly choose to walk along or cross Sandy Lake Road in that area, and I strongly suspect that no one on the City Council would do so themselves, or allow their children to put themselves at such risk.

I passionately ask that the Council and the City work to immediately develop a short-term solution to this safety issue (crosswalk, pedestrian activated all-direction red light, on-site police during school transit times, SOMETHING), AND establish and honor a reasonable time line to begin and complete the voter mandated reconstruction and improvement of this important artery.

It has been nearly NINE YEARS since voters approved the project. I do recognize that there are many challenging issues that must be resolved in such a project – to include planning and design work, right of way acquisition, wetlands mitigation and countless others, but I am of the very strong opinion that we’ve all waited long enough.

In the years since voter approval of the aforementioned roadway, the Council and City have taken action (as approved by the voters) to rebuild dozens of miles of other area roads, many of which were authorized through bond elections more recent than the one that is the subject of these thoughts. Perhaps language should be inserted in future bond packages mandating that the authorized projects be sequential relative to their approval dates so that future Councils cannot choose to unreasonably defer the voter’s mandates while moving forward on later approvals.

The Council and City decided, in addition to the many miles of streets and other meaningful improvements to our fair city, to add new amenities to include the “sundial park” adjacent to City Hall along with a now-under-construction city cemetery. I just hope that we don’t one day need to use both of those amenities as a result of a lack of urgency in executing the Sandy Lake project - first as a gathering area to express our community grief and secondly as a final resting place for a student tragically lost because we’ve chosen to defer for so long the completion of this important piece of roadway.

In closing, let me cite a quote from Coppell Mayor Doug Stover’s May 2008 State of The City as extracted from the City’s website. While Mayor Stover was writing on the topic of the City’s longstanding dispute regarding extraterritorial development proposed at North Lake, I believe the following portions of his quote are equally well-placed when considered in the context of the topic of this writing: “The City's eminent domain case is still progressing through the court system, but we will not rest until the public interest is protected and public services are provided for.“