Museum of the American Railroad Press Release

Museum of the American Railroad
Frisco, Texas
Museum of the American Railroad and City of Frisco Finalize Move

MAY 5, 2009 – Today Museum of the American Railroad officials signed, and the Frisco City
Council approved, a formal agreement that finalizes plans to move the Fair Park collection of trains to a new site in Frisco. The City Council passed by unanimous vote the Development Agreement and Lease that enables the museum to move from the planning stage to Phase I design and construction.

The Museum of the American Railroad joins an exciting array of attractions in this North Texas city including the Frisco Heritage Center and Museum. It will also be adjacent to a system of planned outdoor spaces and recreational areas to be known as Grand Park. Last year, the Museum of the American Railroad entered into an agreement with the City of Frisco that initiated serious discussions between the two organizations. The two quickly arrived at terms that were mutually beneficial and an engineering firm was hired to prepare a conceptual engineering site plan.

The plan, prepared by Lunsford Associates of Arlington with Wilson & Company of Fort
Worth, calls for nearly a mile of trackage and future exhibit buildings totaling 94,000 square feet. The museum’s priceless collection will also be covered by a train shed reminiscent of turn-of-the-century stations.

With the Council’s adoption of the formal agreements, the railroad museum will now finalize its site plan and prepare engineering specifications for Phase I construction. Phase I calls for some 5,000 feet of track to be laid at the museum’s new Frisco location, including 3,000 feet of exhibit track that will accommodate the current 36-piece rolling stock collection. The museum’s two landmark structures will also move to Frisco and compliment the historic locomotives and railway passenger cars.

The City of Frisco will provide 12.34 acres of land for the project. Located on Cotton Gin Road, the new site is adjacent to the Frisco Heritage Center and borders the BNSF Railway line to the east. The museum currently resides on a 1.8 acre footprint in Fair Park and stores one quarter of its collection offsite.

A majority of Phase I funding will come from Frisco to construct the basic facilities necessary to
relocate the museum from Fair Park. The museum will raise their portion of the funding privately. Upon completion of Phase I, the museum will open for business at the new site. “We are very excited to get to this point; it’s been mostly planning until now. We’re getting close to turning some dirt and watching the wheels roll. The area railroads have pledged their support and we should be moving equipment in early 2011,” said Bob LaPrelle, MAR’s President & CEO.

The museum will continue operations at its present Fair Park location until the rolling stock begins moving to Frisco. Educational programs for Dallas area schools will also continue through late 2010. While the collection will be relocating to Frisco, the move is viewed by museum officials as an operation becoming more regional rather than one leaving the Dallas market.
With nearly half a mile of locomotives and cars weighing almost 3,600 tons, the move of the
museum’s historic rolling stock collection will be an event in and of itself. The museum has fielded calls from as far away as New Zealand since the announcement of the move last year. The museum’s Big Boy steam locomotive, the largest ever constructed, will attract interest from all over the world when it begins to roll to its new home.

The museum has worked closely with Frisco city officials to finalize plans and create an attraction
that embraces the city’s rich railroad heritage. Frisco derives its name from the St. Louis-San
Francisco Railway Company which established a water stop there following construction in 1902.
Initially satisfying a thirst for steam locomotives, the area was later subdivided and plots were sold by the railroad. A few years later the town of Frisco was officially incorporated and has grown in population to just over 100,000 today.

While the museum will endeavor to tell the story of railroads on a local level, its collection is national in scope. In 2006 the museum, with the aid of M. Goodwin Associates of Los Angeles, created a Strategic Plan that identified its strengths and addressed limitations at its present site. The Plan acknowledged the significance of the collection as one with great potential that tells the story of the American Railroad on a national level.

The new facilities in Frisco will allow for expanded programming and house the collection in a setting that is befitting of its heritage. Future buildings will present the trains in the context of a large, urban train station while featuring all the amenities of a museum. Visitors will climb aboard trains that once arrived and departed stations at nearly every major city in the nation.
Museum officials have chosen a style of architecture for its new main building that compliments
neighboring structures in Frisco Square. A Neoclassical style is represented in the museum’s
proposed building that borrows elements from the great train stations of the past. To be constructed as part of a Phase II capital project, the facility will feature a grand hall and concourse that will serve as a museum facility by day and a venue for community activities after hours. “We envision this building being a center for local activities and events – a place that is at the heart of a community just as train stations were in their day,” said LaPrelle.

The new museum will also serve as an anchor arts & cultural institution in Frisco. The facility will
provide educational programming for Frisco ISD and surrounding school districts through interactive tours and in-class programs. The museum’s grand hall will also act as a venue for the visual & performing arts. Over the past year the museum has consulted with Freeman Ryan Design, an Australian company, to develop spatial requirements and visitor flow patterns for the new main building and train shed. Specializing in creating museums around large objects, the Sydney-based company has addressed the architectural considerations associated with housing and presenting the museum’s extensive rolling stock collection. Using the latest technologies, the museum will entertain and educate visitors and students with exhibits on the cultural history and technology of railroading. Programs will also explore the role of the railroad as a
solution to the nation’s transportation challenges. Where railroad museums have typically been viewed as looking back, the new Frisco museum will also look forward and showcase what the rail industry has to offer now and in the future.

The City of Frisco has generously provided the railroad museum with offices and 800 square feet of exhibit space in the new Frisco Heritage Museum. Located at 6455 Page Street, visitors can enjoy exhibits on Frisco history, including the arrival of the railroad in 1902. With offices and programming already established in Frisco, the railroad museum is on its way toward building a brand and engaging in fund raising and development.

With today’s vote, the City of Frisco and the Museum of the American Railroad have solidified a
partnership and created much excitement toward establishing the premiere museum of railroad history and technology in the Southwest. The Museum of the American Railroad would like to extend its most sincere gratitude to the City of Frisco and its citizens. Their generous contributions and endorsement of our museum will ensure its future role as a cultural history center and educational resource in North Texas. Consistent with its mission of …sharing the rich history and heritage, as well as the current and future development of the institution of the American Railroad through artistic, cultural, and educational programming & outreach…, the Museum of the American Railroad is about to embark on the greatest journey in its 46-year history.

For more information about the museum and its move to Frisco go to www.dallasrailwaymuseum.com

Chesney Concert Traffic Patterns

Eastbound Main Street and eastbound Cotton Gin Road -- between Legacy

Drive and Dallas Parkway -- will be closed to traffic at 10 p.m. on

Saturday, May 2, in order to move traffic out of Pizza Hut Park and Frisco

Square following the Kenny Chesney Concert. Both roads should be open

again by around 1 a.m. During this closure, traffic heading east on Main

Street should use Legacy Drive to reach either Eldorado Parkway or Lebanon

Road to continue eastward. During this time, Frisco Square can be reached

by using northbound Dallas Parkway or by turning left from southbound

Dallas Parkway at Main Street.



To minimize congestion after the concert, exit routes from Pizza Hut Park

and Frisco Square will be limited in order to reduce the points where

traffic flows try to cross each other. A map has been posted on the City's

website that shows these exit routes (go to www.friscotexas.gov and click

MOVE ALONG on the right side). Depending on where they park, concert

goers will be directed onto eastbound or westbound Main Street or north to

Eldorado Parkway when they leave Pizza Hut Park and then should follow the

signs to reach the Dallas North Tollway, Preston Road, SH 121 or US 380.

In addition, to ease congestion after the concert on the southbound Dallas

Parkway for those entering the Tollway south of Main Street, a sign has

been installed to remind motorists that they can use the right lane to

continue to the next Tollway entrance ramp at Stonebrook Parkway.



Motorists are urged to use caution in the area.

Parks and Rec. Events

PUBLIC INVITED TO ATTEND TWO PARKS AND RECREATION EVENTS TOMORROW, SATURDAY, APRIL 4; TODAY LAST DAY TO REGISTER FOR AQUA EGG HUNT AT FRISCO ATHLETIC CENTER

B.F. Phillips Community Park Dedication

(April 3, 2009) The City of Frisco Parks and Recreation Department is hosting two events tomorrow, Saturday, April, 4. The public is invited to attend the park dedication ceremony for B.F. Phillips Community Park at 10 a.m. Located at 3335 4th Army Memorial Drive, the park is adjacent to the Lonestar Ranch subdivision, northeast of the Teel Parkway and Lebanon Road intersection.

B.F. Phillips Park is a 117-acre park with an overall ranch and horse racing theme. The park includes a five-field baseball and softball complex, soccer fields, a playground system, concession and restroom facilities and a paved parking lot. As part of the city's public art program, the turnaround entrance features an oversized horseshoe and nail.
The steel artwork is entitled "For Want of a Horseshoe Nail".

NEW Aqua Egg Hunt at Frisco Athletic Center April 4

Hundreds of eggs are up for grabs as a brand new event in Frisco. Join us for the Aqua Egg Hunt from 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. tomorrow at the Frisco Athletic Center, 5828 Nancy Jane Lane. To attend, you must register by today, April 3.

Kids, ages three to ten, are invited to swim and hunt for prize-filled eggs! Admission is $10 and includes 'the hunt', a day long swim pass and
a treat from the Easter Bunny himself. Pre-registration is required and
available online at www.friscofun.org - or in person at the Frisco Athletic Center. Children under seven who stay to swim for the day must be accompanied by an adult. For more information, call 972-292-6600.

Great way to end the week

The day is not half over yet, but it sure has been busy. This morning started off early with a meeting with a local transportation authority to discuss ways we can better work together. It was a great meeting and I look forward to getting our roads built faster!

After the breakfast meeting, I attended the ground-breaking of the new Kroger's. The City of Frisco will be home to the first-ever Kroger Marketplace at the Northwest corner of Custer and Eldorado. We keep hearing about how bad the economy is, but Frisco is still open for Business. The Kroger's will join the recently opened Main Event at the Tollway and Main street and another 11+ Million Square Feet of new office and retail and the five new hotels.

This Kroger's will be a 123,000 SF store will be the fourth Kroger in Frisco and it will create 250 additional jobs for our local economy. It was my pleasure to speak at the ground breaking and to thank them, on behalf of our City, in locating here.

I left the ground breaking and drove to Roger's Elementary to join them for their "Boosterthon Fun Run". It was a sea of white shirts (more on that later). It was a lot of fun watching the entire second and third grade class running laps and having a great time. I'm usually not that happy if I have to run :-)

The kids really enjoyed being part of this event and I was honored to have been asked to attend. The kids even asked me to sign their shirts, which was a treat for me. They were really excited about getting the "Mayor" to autograph their white shirts, but little did they know that the honor was all mine.

Kudos to the teachers and volunteers for putting in their time and effort into this fun event. The kids at Roger's were some of the most well behaved children I have run across. Keep up the great work!

Senator Shapiro Town Hall Meeting in Frisco

For Immediate Release Contact: Lissa Smith, District Director
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 Phone: 972-403-3404
lissa.smith@senate.state.tx.us


Shapiro to Host Town Hall Meetings

(Plano, Texas)--Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-District 8, announces two Legislative Town Hall Meetings for the citizens of Senate District 8.


WHO: Sen. Florence Shapiro & Senate District 8 Constituents

WHAT: Town Hall Meetings to discuss the issues facing the 81st Legislature

WHEN: Saturday, February 28, 2009

WHERE: Dallas County Collin County (9:00 am - 10:30 am) (11:30 am - 1:00pm)
Jesuit College Preparatory School Frisco City Hall
The Lecture Hall 6875 Main Street
12345 Inwood Road Frisco, Texas
Dallas, Texas


Everyone is invited to come and share their thoughts and concerns for their community and the state. "I have always maintained that the best ideas do not come from Austin," Shapiro said, "but from the people whose lives we directly affect there. I welcome everyone to come share their ideas with me on February 28th."



# # #

Oncor Prepares for Icy Weather

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Carol Peters or Jeamy Molina, Oncor communications, 972.791.6200

Oncor Prepares For Icy Weather

DALLAS (Jan.26, 2009)—With near-freezing temperatures in the forecast, Oncor has begun preparations for possible icy conditions by keeping a close eye on the weather and alerting crews to be ready to restore power.

In the event of a major power outage, Oncor’s first priority is to restore electricity to emergency public service agencies, such as police and fire departments, and hospitals. The next priority is to restore power safely to as many customers as possible with each repair.

Consumers are urged to follow these helpful tips to stay safe and speed restoration:

Safety

Always avoid downed power lines. Any downed line should be considered energized and therefore dangerous. Report downed lines immediately by calling the number on your electric bill and stay out of the immediate area. If you are trapped inside a vehicle, stay inside the car. Call 911 for assistance.

Avoid debris that may conceal downed power lines and make sure there are no downed lines before allowing children out to play.

Steer clear of Oncor crew work areas. Equipment and energized lines may be in the area that could create a safety hazard. When driving, watch for crews working along the roadways, and obey all traffic signs and directions around work areas.

Don’t attempt to make repairs to Oncor’s electrical system or pull limbs off lines.

Be careful when using portable heaters or other supplemental heating. Never place heaters near flammable materials or where they might tip over. Use fire screens to prevent sparks and embers from causing problems.

Exercise extreme caution if using candles during a power outage. Always keep candles away from flammable objects and never leave them burning unattended.


Restoration

If your power goes out, don’t assume the electric company knows – call the phone number on your electric bill.

Leave porch lights on to show Oncor crews where power has been restored.

Be patient. When major outages occur, Oncor crews focus on restoring power to transmission lines and distribution lines that feed neighborhoods before working on distribution lines that feed directly to homes and businesses. However, be assured that Oncor crews are working as quickly and safely as possible to restore power to customers.

To be prepared, keep flashlights, battery-operated radios, and a supply of food and water close by.


If the weather interrupts electrical service, customers are urged to call the number on their electric bill. This line is answered by an automated system designed to handle power outage calls. The most efficient way for customers to report outages is to leave all information on this system.

Oncor is a regulated electric distribution and transmission business that uses superior asset management skills to provide reliable electricity delivery to consumers. Oncor operates the largest distribution and transmission system in Texas, providing power to 3 million electric delivery points over more than 102,000 miles of distribution and 14,000 miles of transmission lines. While Oncor is owned by a limited number of investors (including majority owner, Energy Future Holdings Corp.), Oncor is managed by its Board of Directors, which is comprised of a majority of independent directors.

Phone Service Disrupted

PHONE SERVICE DISRUPTED FOR APPROXIMATELY 100 CUSTOMERS; FIRE & POLICE STEP UP PATROLS FOR EMERGENCIES

(January 8, 2009) Approximately 100 Frisco homes - in an area near the intersection of County Road 712/ All Stars Avenue and North County Road -- are without AT & T phone service.

As a result, the Frisco Fire and Police Departments will step up patrols in the area to respond to emergencies for those without cell phones.

Officials say phone service was disrupted at approximately 1 p.m. when a contractor, while reconstructing County Road 712, inadvertently cut a phone line.

Residents are advised to check their phones for service. If they hear a dial tone, there is NO need to call 911, unless there is an emergency. AT & T anticipates service will be restored by 10 p.m.

Eldorado Parkway Connection Closings

On Wednesday, January 7, two connections to Eldorado Parkway east of FM 423 will be closed for two weeks as part of TxDOT’s widening project. Hawk Creek Drive and the eastern driveway for Wal-Mart will be closed at Eldorado Parkway during this time. Both connections are expected to reopen by January 21, weather permitting.

Residents who normally use Hawk Creek Drive to access their neighborhood from Eldorado Parkway will need to access the neighborhood by using Grayhawk Boulevard. Customers of Wal-Mart can still access the store from Eldorado Parkway by using the western driveway (at the traffic signal).

Complete Eldorado Project Update can be found HERE. [PDF FILE]

Sewer LIne Leak Press Release

CITY CREWS WORKING INTO THE NIGHT TO REPAIR SEWER LINE LEAK
(December 29, 2008)

City of Frisco Public Works employees are working into the night to repair a 24" sewer line break, more than six feet underground and located under the elevated portion of the southbound Dallas North Tollway service lane -- just south of Cotton Gin Road and north of the railroad tracks. As a result, raw sewage from the main spilled directly into Stewart Creek.

At approximately 8 p.m. tonight, city crews stopped the flow of raw sewage spilling into the creek.After December 14th, the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) noticed a 'drop in flow' in the City of Frisco line. Since then, NTMWD and city public works' employees have been working to find a possible leak and/or determine if Frisco has been experiencing a seasonal 'drop', which is typical this time of year. The City of Frisco and NTMWD received no complaints of odors or any other evidence of a leak.At approximately 3:30 p.m. today, NTMWD crews discovered the leak while walking along the creek, northward, from the Stewart Creek Water Treatment Plant.

At this time, NTMWD and the City of Frisco don't know how much sewage has spilled into Stewart Creek, which feeds into Lewisville Lake; however, NTMWD reports the 'drop in flow' appears to be in excess of 500,000 gallons per day.The exact cause of the break is unknown at this time. This break does not impact the City of Frisco's water supply to homes and businesses.The City of Frisco is reporting the break to the Texas Commission Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

Newsletter Corrections

The Dates for two upcoming events were listed incorrectly in the last newsletter.

The WOGA Classic will be held on Feruary 14 and 15th at the Frisco Convention Center.  

The Kurt Thomas Invitational will also be held at the Frisco Convention Center on January 10 & 11.

Sparks Elementary Choir

I had the great pleasure to hear the Sparks Elementary Choir as they toured our City today and performed Christmas Music.  The Choir includes 140 children from 4th and 5th grade and they all filed into our Council Chambers to perform for me and our staff.  This is an experienced group as they performed at Merry Main Street.  "Operation Good Cheer", under the direction of Dawn Jones, helped meet its goal of spreading good cheer to everyone, as evidenced by the smiles and sing-a-longs of our City Staff.  Great Job Sparks Elementary!

One of the songs is shown below. This is the best I can do with my blackberry!  Keep an eye on the City TV Channel for a replay of the entire performance (in good quality!)

Frisco Home for the Holidays

Don't Miss Frisco's Holiday Tradition - Frisco Home for the Holidays! Join Val and I as we host Maestro Guzman, your Plano Symphony Orchestra, and special guests for a seasonal concert full of good cheer and even greater music! Hear favorites such as "Jingle Bells," "Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland," "The First Noel," and many more! Enjoy some "special visitors" from the North Pole, fellowship and great music with friends and a good dose of the holiday spirit! Get your tickets today!

The concert is fun for the entire family - please invite your neighbors and friends. Look for members of the Mayors Youth Council as they volunteer their time in making this a fun concert.

Date: December 20 - Saturday

Time: 4:00PM

Location: Centennial High School - 6901 Coit Rd.

Additional Information: 972-473-7262 or http://www.planosymphony.org/

Weekend Events and Correction

I sent out the agenda to the next City Council meeting via my newsletter earlier today.  In it, I had the incorrect date for the Frisco Chorage Positively Christmas. I have corrected the date (see below). It is actually this Saturday, the 13th (not Saturday the 14th as I had originally listed). 

Other events are listed below:

• Frisco Square Streets are closed on Saturday Morning for the Frosty 5K Race.  Press release can be found HERE. I hope to see you out there running!
  
  
• Today is the last day to drop off toys to the Boys and Girls Club.  You can do so at 8750 McKinney Street in Frisco, 1111 Avenue H in Plano and 701 S Church St. in McKinney. Contact Caralee Gurney at cgurney@bgccc.org or call 972-824-2596 for additional information.
  
  
• Frisco Chorale Positively Christmas Concert is fast approaching.  I will be the Emcee and I hope you will make an effort to come out and support our Chorale. Let's help them set a record for attendance. Tickets are sold at the door and the the performance is not to be missed.  It will be held at St. Philip's Episcopal Church, 6400 Stonebrook Pkwy. on Saturday, December 13th. at 7:00pm.  I hope to see you there!
  
  
• Join Val and I as we host the "Frisco Home for the Holidays" Plano Symphony Orchestra concert at Centennial High School [MAP] on Saturday, December 20. at 4:00PM.  Tickets can be purchased ONLINE.  Come visit with me as we enjoy the sounds of the season and the ever popular sing-a-long. Members of the Mayor's Youth Council will be on hand to guide and serve you.  Hector Guzman and the PSO play your Holiday Favorites in this annual holiday tradition.  Enjoy music from Germany, France and other countries including many of the carols and melodies of the season.  Special "visitors" from the north Pole will join the audience and your ticket includes a complimentary reception at intermission.  This event is for the entire family!
  
  
• The NCAA College Cup is being played in Frisco this weekend at Pizza Hut Park.  I believe tickets are still available for the NCAA Division I Men's Final Four.  Come out and watch #1 seeded Wake Forest University along with the University of Maryland, St. John's University and North Carolina as they determine the top team in the country. Semi-finals are Friday and the final is on Sunday. 


• Christmas in the Square for Friday, December 12 and Saturday, December 13: Carriage Rides, Adventure Railroad Trackless Train, Inflatables, Santa Claus and Santa's Gift Shop and much more.

Christmas in the Square

Wow, what an evening. The Frisco Square folks, along with the City of Frisco and many other partners, put on a fun evening for the entire family. Christmas in the Square continues to grow every year and this year was no exception. Val and I and the kids arrived there at 5:00PM to see a line already formed for the ever-popular snow slide. Val and the kids gave it a shot this year. I, of course, watched the purses. Last year, I had to test it out to make sure it safe for our citizens. After my fifth slide down, I figured I would let the kids waiting in line get a turn.. er, I mean, let them slide down since I made sure they would not get hurt!

Jeff did a great job with the light show again this year. If you saw it last year, go ahead and see it again this year as several new components were added. My favorite is the half-moons in the median of coleman blvd.

The above video was taken on November 28, 2008 - which was the first night of fun at Frisco Square! Seen here is My wife, two daughters, Alisa and Layna and my niece giving the snowslide a try. Now, the first person who tells Val that this video is up for public consumption gets removed from my friends list!! :-) The first one to slide is Val in the far left lane with Layna, my 10-year old a close second in the far right lane. My 16-year old daughter was last to go in the far left lane. She is the one in the brown jacket that is trying her best to make it look like it was really boring (except the smile on her face gave it away :-) ).

My Son, Brandon and my daughter, Alisa and their friend, Lauren Hill, decided to go flying the night that Frisco Square was turned on for the sponsors (last Tuesday). Alisa took a quick video with her digital camera. I hope to improveupon this by taking the real video camera up the next nice evening.

All in all, between the great music, outstanding light show, snow machines, model railroad (you have to see this!), the train rides, Santa and an Elf being dropped out of a plane, the bounce houses and lots of games, we had a great time. I can't forget the free hot chocolate by Mattito's! Christmas in the square will include some very special weekends, so keep an eye out for additional information. The complete schedule can be found HERE.

Don't forget, the City of Frisco tree lighting will take place on December 6th in Frisco Square. Join us at Merry Main Street from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Simpson Plaza at City Hall for this free event for the entire family. Join me and the rest of our Council on stage as we officially kick-off the holiday season in Frisco. For an entire list of holiday happenings, visit HERE.

I will leave you with two of my favorite "Frisco" light display videos - both are from our very own wizard, Jeff Trykoski. Jeff is an amazing person, as you can see from these two video's. One is of Jeff's home and the other is of his masterpiece at Frisco Square. Come see the real thing if you have time, I promise you will not be disappointed.

Frisco Citizens Fire Academy

I had the opportunity to thank some of our citizens who just graduated from the Citizens Fire Academy operated by the Frisco Fire Department. It is always an exciting time to be with our citizens who have decided to attend this class as they finally receive their certificates.

The next class begins this coming spring and is free to the residents of Frisco. You will get to experience the professionalism of our Fire Department and also learn the many thngs they do to protect our city. You will come out of this class a better informed and safer citizen. Keep your eye out for the next open date.

Traffic Update - Eldorado

Eldorado Parkway will be closed to through traffic between FM 423 and Teel Parkway starting at 7:00 PM Friday night, November 14, as part of TxDOT’s widening project. It is expected that the roadway will reopen by 3:00 PM on Saturday, November 15.

During the closure, only local traffic will be allowed on Eldorado Parkway up to a certain point in each direction and through traffic should use Panther Creek Parkway or Main Street to go around the closure. (See the attached map.) In the westbound direction, only local traffic will be allowed to continue west past Teel Parkway to Grayhawk Boulevard. All westbound through traffic will have to turn left or right at Teel Parkway and use Panther Creek Parkway or Main Street as an alternate route. In the eastbound direction, only local traffic will be allowed to continue east past FM 423 to Hawk Creek Drive. All eastbound through traffic will have to turn left or right at FM 423 and use Panther Creek Parkway or Main Street. There will be no access to Rio Grande Drive from either direction of Eldorado Parkway during this time.

Mayor's Youth Council

I just want to take a moment and say how proud I am of the Mayor's Youth Council. This group of High School young men and women have done a great job of organizing and planning their involvement in our City. I look forward to seeing some great things from this group. Please keep an eye out for our team as they attend functions and help our community and teens.

Also, they need your support. The Mayor's Youth Council is looking for sponsors for the 2008/2009 year. Please e-mail me if you can help at mmaso@friscotexas.gov

Besides volunteering at Frisco events, the Mayor's Youth Council provides valuable input to our Council on teen issues. Also, look for special events such as a teen job fair, middle school drug awareness programs and elementary school recognition programs. Please help our youth become involved in our City.

Rail

As many of you know, the entire region is studying rail. I first have to say that as long as I have been involved in government, I have never seen our region cooperate at this level and approach issues as a group.

The Rail North Texas Coalition is made up of 109 elected officials and business leaders that encompass a 12-county area. I serve on the board of directors representing Frisco and our region. We are trying to find solutions to expedite rail and improve mobility. This is a very active effort that has wide-spread support. For a draft background, here is a link from the North Texas Council of Governments.

If you have any comments on rail, I would like to hear your opinion. More on rail later.

A Day For All Ages

Tuesday was a very interesting day that covered a broad range of Frisco citizens. I thought the day would start off in a relaxed manner, but I ended up spending a lot of time on e-mail since we had a couple of issues crop up. We figured out we were not going to get those issues resolved, so I asked for a meeting at City Hall so we could get everyone in the same room.

Meanwhile, the first Mayor's Youth Council meeting was fast approaching at 11:30AM with a pre-meeting with the officers at 11:20AM. This year, we have a very large group of teens involved in the MYC and it is going to be an exciting year for our City. The MYC officers did a great job getting everyone involved and I look forward to a great year working alongside them.

I finished the MYC meeting and quickly ran next door to the Frisco Senior Center for the National Night Out Kick-Off Party. We had many of our police and fire department personal in attendance and I enjoyed visiting with the seniors. Mayor Pro Tem Tony Felker helped get things started in my absence. I wish I could have stayed for lunch, but I had to rush off too...

Corbell Elementary to visit the children that were involved in the "Wild Walk". This fundraiser is put on by the PTA and the kids either walked or ran laps during their PE class to earn money for activities. Rufus, our Environmental Services Mascot, was also there. I think he was in more pictures than I was :-) Cindi Wright, who chaired the Wild Walk and Christy Reese, the environmental chair, did a great job. Of course, the teachers also were very involved and the kids had a great time.

So, in the space of two hours, I was able to visit our High-School Teens, Our Seniors and our Elementary kids. Now you understand why I chose the title that I did!

After the visit to Corbell, I drove back to City Hall for the meeting that was set up earlier in the day followed by some office work and then home to get ready for National Night Out.

National Night Out was a huge success! I do not have the final numbers yet, but I know we had well over 120 neighborhood block parties in Frisco. I wish I could have visited every one of them, but time would not allow that. For those that I did get to visit with, thank you for taking the time to make Frisco a better place!

Okay, I better get off of here as the e-mails are still coming in...

Never a free minute

It seems that life is so busy lately, blogging and the newsletter have really fallen behind. I will try and do better, but being Mayor seems to consume all your free time (right about now, Simpson is rolling his eyes thinking "I have been telling you this for years :-) ).

Many of you know that I was on a two week trip to China. No, it was not a vacation, but more of a dual-purpose. As I mentioned in previous newsletters, I am finishing my EMBA at the University of Texas at Arlington. It has been a wonderful experience and I will continue my education. As I have said before, I am a believer in life-long learning and I love sharing my knowledge with others and also learning from them. The many times I give presentation to elementary, middle and high school students, I tell them of the importance of life-long learning. What better way to explain that to them than to show them what I am doing. If you are interested in my trip, you can take a look at pictures and blog that I maintained during the 2-week period. Visit the blog HERE.

Of course, I was told the jet-lag when I returned would be terrible. I got home around 10PM Wednesday evening and I had to wake up early to go to City Hall and prepare for the Public-Private Partnerships Making the Economics of Sustainability Work Symposium. Former Mayor Kathy Seei helped facilitate this sustainability symposium at the University of Texas at Arlington. I joined Arlington Mayor Cluck and Fort Worth Mayor Moncrief in a 3-panel presentation. You can read the story on the Frisco Enterprise Web Site.

My jet-lag did not show itself that day (Thursday), but let me tell you, Friday and Saturday were a killer. I had several functions to attend and I must have looked like someone who has not slept in a week!