Early voting for school trustee elections begins April 30, 2012

The White Settlement Public Library as well as other locations around the area will serve as early voting polling places for the upcoming White Settlement ISD school trustee election for places 1, 2, and 3. Polling hours of operation will be 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. April 30 through May 4. May 5 will be 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. and May 6 will be 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.  The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on May 7-8. On May 12, election day, the polls will be open from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.  Look in next week’s Grizzly Detail  for candidate information and election questions.

Funding for Central Park approved

Now that the numbers for the Central Park improvements are known, the EDC addressed how it was going to be funded at their monthly meeting last week.  There was much discussion regarding the project, the funding, and what it will take to move it forward.

Project Manager Jack Bell addressed the EDC, saying that the $2.8 million price tag was the “construction cost,” and other factors could cause it to fluctuate slightly.  One such factor is the requirement for a performance bond.

“It’s our insurance that if for some reason they don’t finish the product we have a way to go back to them and get our money,” Bell said.

A new drawing of Central Park changes will be revealed at Thursday’s EDC meeting.

When discussing what type of motion was to be made, it was suggested that the EDC keep the project wording “not to exceed three million” instead of locking it into an exact number.

“There’s always unknowns that can creep in,” Bell told the EDC.  “We need to have a little breathing room in there.”

When questioned about the start of construction, Bell said that the goal is to start early in July, with a four month construction period.  This led to some discussion about the possibility of adding in overrun penalties into the contract that could kick in if Heartland doesn’t finish the project on time.

“We have checked the references on Heartland and there has never been any kind of history of overrun on time,” Bell said.  “So I feel pretty confident when they say four months they’re going to get it done in four months.”

Bell spoke highly of the leagues who use the park, praising their willingness to make sacrifices to accommodate the construction of the project.  He acknowledged that the construction could overlap into the start of fall football and even fall baseball and softball, and said that the leagues have been open to finding alternative places to play if that is needed.

City Manager Linda Ryan spoke next regarding the financial side of the project.  She laid out the plan to have the general fund of the city pay for half the park improvements, with the EDC paying back the fund over a five year period.  Ryan stated that the City Council will have to amend their budget in order to lend the money.

As for their half, the EDC currently has $1 million budgeted for Central Park.  On top of that, there is $100,000 which was originally going to be for the construction of a splash pad at Central Park.  It was suggested that this $100,000 be rolled over into the Central Park project.

EDC Director Jim Ryan also suggested taking another $100,000 and moving it into the park improvement fund.  This money is currently set for small business grants, a program that hasn’t gotten off the ground yet.

“We’ve never yet figured out what we want as a criteria for that, so it’s kind of just sat there,” Ryan said.

The small business grants are separate from the BIG grants that the EDC offers to businesses in the City.

With these amounts moved, EDC would only need to take around $250,000 from reserves to finish funding their half of the park improvements.

The financial situation of the EDC was mentioned, as both Jim and Linda Ryan spoke of the strong position the sales tax has been in recently.  It was said that this year’s sales tax income for the EDC is going to end up being double of what it was just three or four years ago.

Mayor Burns made a motion to approve the plans and designs for the project at a cost not to exceed $3 million, and also to request the City Council to fund fifty percent of the project and be repaid over a course of five years by the EDC.  That motion passed unanimously.

NEW BIG GRANT APPROVED

The La Fortis Company runs the Saddle Creek Apartments, which are located along Cherry Lane across from the Co-operative Industries building.  Previously known as Emerald Crest, this complex has undergone a radical overhaul and was seeking a BIG grant.  Ryan stated that they’ve already spent much more than is required to qualify for the grant.

“They’ve spent right at $473,000 dollars at this point on the upgrades,” Ryan said.

He also said that the complex has been approved for off base housing.

“They recently applied for and were approved for off base housing requirements by the NAS Fort Worth JRB,” Ryan told the EDC.

The process to get that approval includes a representative from the base inspecting the complex and deeming it acceptable.  Ryan, along with others on the EDC who have toured the property, spoke glowingly about the turnaround the complex has undergone.

“It’s amazing to see what you can do with an old property and make it new,” Ryan said.  “They’re just gorgeous.”

A representative from the complex was on hand and addressed the EDC.  She stated that occupancy at the complex was brought down to forty percent as the owner sought to bring in hard working families and clean out the crime element at the apartments.

“The police department backs up everything you said,” Mayor Burns said.  “They said it’s night and day difference from what they used to have to put up with and what they put up with now.”

A motion was made to approve the BIG grant application, while a motion was also made to approve payment since the upgrades completed already exceed the qualifications.  The motions passed unanimously, with the complex receiving the maximum grant amount of $35,000.  They will receive their check at an upcoming EDC meeting.

STAFF REPORTS

Ryan gave his monthly report, speaking about some new businesses that have opened.  He highlighted the new Del Taco, which is now open in front of Lowe’s over on Alta Mere.  Also reopening in that area is New York Joe’s Pasta and Pizza, which relocated a little ways down Alta Mere into a location near Aldi.  Ryan praised city staff for working with owners of that restaurant and helping them find that new location.

Ryan also stated that permits were being made ready for the new VFW so they can begin construction on their new location along Cherry Lane.

Parks and Recreation Director Rich Tharp also gave a report, running down some of the events taking place around the city.  Tharp said that around 3,600 kids took part in the recent Easter event at Veteran’s Park, and he thanked members of the Brewer Honor Society who volunteered and helped at the event.

An Arbor Day event will be held this coming Saturday, and trees will be given away to citizens at the municipal complex from 9:00 a.m. to noon, with a limit of one tree per household.

The popular free event movies in the park will be starting up again soon, but with Central Park construction starting around the same time as this program, it will have to find a new home.  Tharp stated that there are plenty of good locations to choose from within the city, and that a new home for the program would be found.  The movies will run for ten weeks starting in June, and will begin at 9:00 p.m. on Friday nights.

EXECUTIVE SESSION

The EDC held a closed door executive session to discuss the possible sale, lease, or acquisition of real estate.  When they reemerged into open session, a motion was made to authorize Ryan to “enter into negotiations for property located at 610 South Cherry Lane.”  That motion passed unanimously.

Brewer Exes’ Association offers $1500 in scholarships

by Cheryl Posey

Seniors at Brewer High School have just a few more days to pick up an application for the Brewer Exes’ Association scholarships.

The deadline for application is Monday, April 23.

This year two awards will be granted, one for $500, made available by the BHS Classes of the 1950’s, and a $1,000 scholarship offered by the entire association.

Seniors are asked to pick up the application in the counselor’s office as soon as possible.

The Exes’ Association scholarships are made available by Homecoming membership drives and fund-raisers.  Any person who has attended Brewer High School is eligible to join.  Membership dues are $10 per year and may be sent to: The Brewer Exes’ Association, Brewer High School, 1025 W. Loop 820 North, Fort Worth, Texas 76108. Please include your name (including maiden name) and year of graduation with contact information.

All exes are urged to join in the Homecoming festivities this year during the weekend of Friday, October 12.

Citizens speak against apartments at local public hearing

by A.C. Hall

The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) held a public hearing in Dallas on April 5.  The TDHCA is the entity that will decide what projects get funding, and among those looking for funding is the proposed low income Hawk Ridge Apartment complex that will be built on Dale Lane in White Settlement.  At this hearing three people spoke regarding Hawk Ridge and all three of them voiced opposition to the project.

Former White Settlement Mayor James Ouzts was among those who spoke, and he made it clear that he felt the Hawk Ridge Apartments were not needed in White Settlement.  Ouzts acknowledged that White Settlement was a low income area, but that more low income housing wasn’t necessary.

The proposed location of the Hawk Ridge Apartments is just to the north of the Sun View housing addition.

“Ample affordable housing is in there to support our community and it always has been,” Ouzts said.

He indicated his feelings that more affordable housing wasn’t a community need, and that something else was driving this project.

“This is developer driven,” Ouzts told the TDHCA.  “This is a dollar driven project.”

Another aspect of the project the former mayor discussed was its connection to the base.  He voiced his opinion that the project was not vital to keeping the base open, while also speaking about the distance between the proposed build site and the base entrance.  Ouzts suggested that if the housing was desperately needed for the base, then it would make more sense to build it in a city that is closer to the base entrance, such as Westworth Village or River Oaks.

Ouzts also drew attention to the past use of the land, saying it was used as a landfill in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s.

“The city itself and Tarrant County were dumping roadbed concrete, storm sewers, sanitary sewer pipe, and scrap from the public works department, even debris from condemned structures that were bulldozed by the city, some containing asbestos, were dumped there,” Ouzts said.

He indicated that no precautionary studies have been done to see if the area is even capable of accommodating a structure and residents.

“There’s been no seismic testing and no coring to see if this soil will even be stable enough to support these structures,” Ouzts told the TDHCA.  “There has been no environmental testing to determine if it’s safe for inhabitants.”

The final matter Ouzts mentioned was the controversial Sun View Home Owner’s Association that was started by three men with connections to the City and quickly threw its support behind Hawk Ridge.

“This is a scam perpetuated simply out of the guise to make it appear that there’s broad community support for this project,” Ouzts said.  “There is not.”

Ouzts said that the person responsible for this “scam” was Economic Director Jim Ryan.

“This project and collusion is not about low income housing, it’s about investment groups that found themselves at the end of the ladder on a property investment and flipping scheme that got bought at the end of the rope,” Ouzts said.

The President of the Chapel Creek Neighborhood Association, Jeffrey Galle, also spoke at the public hearing.  He also voiced his concerns over the hasty creation of the Sun View HOA and the connection of those involved to the city.  He called into question the support of the Naval Air Station that Ryan and current White Settlement Mayor Jerry Burns have indicated they have.

“This support consists only of a form-letter certifying that the apartment complex does not run afoul of airbase operations and flight patterns and noise attenuation conditions,” Galle said.

In closing, Galle said he felt that this project was not in the best interest of the western Tarrant County community and urged the TDHCA to take another look at the application.

“I, as a lay citizen have serious questions about the legitimacy of many pieces of the application of Hawk Ridge to the TDHCA,” Galle said.  “I’m not sure which parts of it are accurate, which parts are stretched, and which parts are abject misrepresentations and fraud.”

White Settlement citizen Darlene Underwood also attended the meeting and she, too, voiced her opposition to the Hawk Ridge apartments.  Underwood lives within the Sun View Addition that falls under the new Sun View HOA, and she said that those in the area she spoke with were not happy with the HOA and only heard of it when the newspaper reported on it.

“My neighbors were very upset to learn that the bogus Sun View HOA had already sent its letter of support to the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs for the Hawk Ridge apartments without the knowledge or consent from area residents,” Underwood said.

She discussed why she felt this wasn’t an ideal location for low income apartment housing, saying that White Settlement already has just shy of 1500 apartment units in the City, and that there are nine more complexes within two miles of the city.  Underwood also drew attention to the lack of bus stops or other public transportation, the lack of a nearby grocery store, and enrollment numbers from the White Settlement Independent School District that she said indicated that local elementary schools would be hurting for space by 2016 as reasons the complex should not be built.

Underwood stated that she had spoken with Ryan recently on the phone, and that he had the following to say.

“He told me that these apartments were being built for military housing,” Underwood said.  “He told me twice in that same phone conversation that the Joint Reserve Base had already told him they wanted to take all the two and three-bedroom apartment units at Hawk Ridge to house soldiers and that the base would close without the units.”

She said she then spoke with Nelson Cowan, the Housing Installation Program Manager for the Joint Reserve Base, and he did not support what Ryan had told her.

“Mr. Cowan said the Base would never commit to a lease agreement without an inspection of the apartment units after the apartments are built,” Underwood said.  “And he stated that he did not believe the JRB would close down based upon a lack of available housing.”

She told the TDHCA that in her opinion this indicated that Burns and Ryan had overstepped in how they’ve portrayed base support for the project.

“The comments by Mayor Burns and Mr. Ryan appear to be grossly overstated.  They attempted to mislead many people,” Underwood said.

As she came to the end of her comments, Underwood highlighted what she felt are some questionable actions related to how things were done regarding this complex.

“There are a lot of inconsistencies and possible illegal acts by Mayor Burns, Mr. Jim Ryan, and Mr. Bert MaGill have said while trying to get the State to build these Hawk Ridge Apartments in the City of White Settlement,” Underwood stated.

Underwood asked the TDHCA to disallow the project.  She’ll also be circulating a petition for people who are against the project to sign.  On Saturday, April 21 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., the petition will be available to be signed at 8920 Jill Street.

From Liberator to Lightning, Fort Worth remembers its past

Like the rest of his generation, young American Rex Fuller immediately wanted to go to war when he heard Pearl Harbor was struck in late 1941. After completing training in 1943 to fly the B-24, he was sent to Italy where he would fly the “Liberator” into combat missions for two years.

The B-24 was one of the workhorse bombers of the U.S. Air Force in the Combined Bomber Offensive against Germany, dropping hundreds of thousands of tons of high explosive bombs on German military and industrial targets. Photo by Keith Robinson

Back here on the west side of Fort Worth, people were moving into the area to help build those bombers and soon the nickname “the bomber plant” was born. It was here that the B-24 Liberator was built.

During World War II, more than 3,000 four-engine B-24s rolled off the assembly line of the Consolidated Aircraft plant, bound for combat in Europe, the Pacific and the Middle East.

The first one taxied out of the west-side facility and took off into the blue sky 70 years ago this week. At the controls was George Newman, the vice president of the plant.

The Liberator was the workhorse of the Army Air Forces during World War II.

70 years later, the plant is still producing bombers; of a different kind you might say. Just this week the BK-1, the United Kingdom’s first Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II production aircraft, flew its inaugural flight.

Portion of Farmer’s Branch flood project moving forward

by A.C. Hall

A project dating back to 2005 is moving forward, albeit only in one portion.  Project Manager Jack Bell presented the news to the council at their meeting last night.

“We were informed this past week that the bid for the flood project from Meadow Park east to White Settlement road came within budget,” Bell said.  “In fact it was under their anticipated budget.”

The Farmer’s Branch Flood Control project was approved via a bond in 2005, but work in earnest on it didn’t begin until recent years when the Army Corps of Engineers (CORPS) funding became available.  The project turned controversial due to a series of events, the latest being a citizen petition. The petition put the power back in the hands of the people to decide whether or not to further fund the project.  Voters defeated the bond, leaving the council to pursue just one portion of the creek project.

The partial portion will now become a reality, as the news came from the CORPS that they are ready to award a contract.  Bell suggested that a possible use of the surplus money would be to clean up the reflecting pool section of the creek in front of City Hall.

City Manager Linda Ryan addressed the council regarding the financial side of the partial project.  She reminded the council that on Aug. 10, 2011 the council sent $1.5 million to the CORPS in order to secure the federal funding.

“Since then they’ve been going out for construction bids,” Ryan said.  “What they finally got was a construction bid that came within budget.”

Ryan informed the council that this new bid falls within the money that is available for the project.

“The funds are there and possibly we could get back around $500,000,” Ryan said.

She mentioned the amount of money that was spent by the city on buying easements and partial easements, many of which won’t be needed now.  The total cost for this partial portion of the project from Meadow Park to White Settlement Road is $11.5 million, a cost shared between the CORPS and the City, but Ryan said that doesn’t include the “million plus” that was spent on easements.

“All said and done I still believe that we will come out with around $500,000 to $600,000,” Ryan said.

Another thing mentioned by Ryan was the possibility of stopping the project.

“If you want to stop now, I guess you could, you might not get a federal loan again, but if you want to go forward we need to let them [CORPS] know,” Ryan said.

This led Mayor Burns to speak about the history of this project.

“We sold bonds with the good faith effort we were going to build that creek.  This money will build this much of it, and if we’re going to tell the people we’re going to spend their money on the creek we oughta build all the creek we can,” Burns said.  “I think that’s what we’ve done here.”

Council member Gene Hatcher questioned why the CORPS was claiming no part of the expense when it came to money spent by White Settlement purchasing and demolishing properties along the creek.

Burns explained that the properties they weren’t sharing the cost of are properties along portions of the creek that aren’t being addressed in this partial project.  Hatcher called it a “shame” that the city spent so much money while following the CORPS’ design, and now was out the money spent on those properties.  Bell called it a “good faith effort” between the two entities at the time as they tried to do the entire creek.

The possibility of doing something with those now city owned properties was discussed.  Prospects are limited since they fall within the flood plain, but things such as parks, bike trails, or even raising the elevation were mentioned.

After the discussions were completed, a motion was made to approve and move forward with the project.  That motion passed unanimously.

“That has been a long arduous battle and I commend the council for sticking with it as far as they did, because it would’ve been easy anytime to just throw up your hands and say to heck with it,” Mayor Burns said.  “It shows a lot of courage.”

 

CENTRAL PARK PRICE TAG

The price is now in for the Central Park overhaul, and Bell was pleased to announce that it came in under the $3 million budget.

“Staff spent six and a half hours today with the contractor negotiating and we have hammered down to a very reasonable figure. I’m proud to announce that it is below 2.8 million dollars,” Bell said.  “That also allows us the amenities that we were looking for, not every one of them, but the amenities that will serve the leagues and serve the city for quite a few years down the road.”

Bell said that the next stop is to get a finalized drawing and a breakdown on the prices.  He hopes to have that ready for the next council meeting so the council can review it and decide what to do next.  He spoke highly of Heartland Parks and Recreation, saying that it has been a pleasure working with them.

When asked how far under budget the price was, Bell rounded the final price to $2,780,000.

VETERAN’S PARK MEMORIAL DESIGN APPROVED

The design for the Veteran’s Park Memorial Wall was revealed, as it came before council for their approval.  Bell stated that this project is something that has been discussed for several years. “We were fortunate enough in this current budget to set aside funds to fund the project,” Bell said.  “We’re under that budget.”

This is an artists rendering of the Veterans Park Memorial Wall. The wall will span 100’ and include each branch of the armed services.

He presented the picture of the wall, which is six foot, six inches tall and is in two separate sections which together are one hundred feet long.  There will be individual panels on the wall for each branch of the armed services, and a pedestal will be erected on the existing pavilion that juts out into the water to honor fire fighters and police officers.

“I think it’s going to be something we can be very proud to see here in our city,” Bell said. Bell did say that staff would need help with determining the criteria for what names get engraved onto the wall.  Mayor Burns suggested speaking with the base for assistance in that matter.

The council voted unanimously to approve the design.

“We’ve been dreaming about this for a while,” Burns said.

When asked by a council member about the cost of this project, Bell stated that the budgeted amount for it was $125,000, again saying that the final cost came in under budget.

 

PUBLIC HEARING SET FOR BUDGET AMENDMENTS

The council voted unanimously to set a public hearing where budget amendments will be discussed.  That public hearing will be held on Tuesday, April 24 at 6:30 p.m., and the council will be meeting first in a work session before the public hearing is opened.

City Manager Linda Ryan explained this item to the council.

“What’s happened this year is that we’ve got extra revenues through our oil and gas money and there are some things that we left out of the budget,” Ryan said.

One item that she mentioned was the need for a new vehicle for the City Marshall.  Ryan explained that some items were more pressing than others.

“There are some things that I would like for you to consider.  Some are ‘have to’ and some are ‘maybe’,” Ryan said.

 

OTHER BUSINESS

At the close of the meeting, council member Elzie Clements spoke highly of the White Settlement Volunteer Fire Department, praising them for their great work while dealing with a house fire earlier in the day.  The entire council gave the department a standing ovation.

Earlier in the meeting, Frank Molinar of the White Settlement Independent School District was on hand to present a plaque to the White Settlement Police Department.  He thanked the City and the police department for their partnership and support.

Arnold announces retirement as Superintendent of schools

Dr. Audrey Arnold announced her retirement as Superintendent of Schools for the White Settlement Independent School District on Monday night. Dr. Arnold and the school board reached an agreement which allows her the ability to retire and pursue other interests and permits the Board to pursue hiring another Superintendent. The Board and Dr. Arnold have entered into the agreement believing it is in their respective best interests and in the best interests of the District.

Dr. Audrey Arnold

“For the past almost 20 years the students, parents, staff and community have been nothing but a blessing to me and my family,” Dr. Arnold said. “I am very grateful to have been given the opportunity to serve in this community.”

During Arnold’s leadership, the state of the art C. F. Brewer Bear Stadium was opened, the Royal Revolution was launched as well as many other achievements by the district team.

“The Board wishes Dr. Arnold success in her future endeavors,” school board president Ben Posey said. “The Board is excited to begin the process of searching for a new leader and will begin those discussions at its regular meeting next week.”