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HomeMy WebLinkAboutE-Communicator-City Publications-3/30/2013Colleyville E-Communicator March 2013 IN THIS ISSUE Clean Sweep Friends Book Sale Old Tyme BBQ Texas Junior Anglers May Election An Open Letter to Collelyville Citizens Spring Break Activities Vote for Colleyville Theater for Best DFW Dine-In Movie Theater Colleyville CloseBuy QUICK LINKS CITY OF COLLEYVILLE CITY NEWS PUBLIC MEETINGS APRIL ACTIVITIES Jazzercise Lite Body Sculpting Senior Center Wed., April 3-24, 8:30 - 9:15 a.m. For details, call 817.503.1195 Adventure Kidz LEGO Mania WHOLE FOODS TO OPEN NEXT YEAR On Feb. 13, Whole Foods Market announced plans to open a store at the former Albertsons site in the Village Park shopping center, located on the southeast corner of Glade Road and Colleyville Boulevard. Whole Foods is expected to open the Colleyville store by mid-2014. In recent citizen surveys, residents ranked economic development as a top priority for the city, identifying a desire for new grocery stores near the top of their wish list of retailers. Many residents specifically asked for Whole Foods by name. It took almost three years to land one of the most sought-after retailers in the country, but persistence, patience, and more than a little dogged determination paid off. More than a premier organic grocer, Whole Foods is also known as a "game changer" in the world of commercial real estate. A Whole Foods Market attracts not only people, but other retailers and restaurants. In fact, te city has already been contacted by businesses and brokers about potential tenants. The shopping center's developer, Centennial Real Estate Co., plans an $18 million redevelopment of the aging Village Park shopping center. The city has approved a $2.25 million incentive grant for Centennial, to be paid from TIF (tax increment financing) district funds. Con- servative estimates project that the city will earn back its grant dollars within six years through increased sales tax receipts. TIF districts are designed as financing vehicles for cities Colleyville E-Communicator March 2013 Public Library Thurs., April 4 & 18, 3:30 p.m. For details, call 817.503.1150 Spring Fling Master Gardener Series: Composting Public Library Sat., April 6, 1:30 p.m. For details, call 817.503.1150 Adventure Kidz Weird Science Public Library Thurs., April 11, 3:30-4:30 p.m. For details, call 817.503.1150 Avoid Being Financially Scammed Senior Center Wed., April 17, 10:30 a.m. For details, call 817.503.1195 Late Edition Book Club Public Library Thurs., April 18, 7:00 p.m. For details, call 817.503.1150 Babysitter Course with CPR Senior Center Sat., April 27, 8:00 a.m. For details, call 817.503.1180 View a complete listing of city events and activities here City of Colleyville 817.503.1000 Suggestions or Comments? and TIF partners to pay for roads and other infrastructure, as well as economic incentives to attract new businesses. The original Colleyville TIF, one of the largest and most successful in the state, encompasses much of Colleyville Boulevard and is primarily derived from the incremental property tax on commercial properties along that corridor. The value of redevelopment cannot be underestimated. The lack of an anchor tenant at Village Park has had a serious impact on the shopping center and on the Colleyville retail community in general. Albertsons closed six years ago. The next six years will look dramatically different-in very positive ways. CLEAN SWEEP Clean Sweep will be held Saturday, April 20, from 9:00- 11:00 a.m., or until containers are full. Services will be located at Colleyville Heritage High School (5401 Heritage Ave.) and will be conducted on a first-come, first-served basis. Residents can take advantage of free bulk trash drop-off collection, Crud Cruiser hazardous waste disposal, electronic recycling and document shredding. The Crud Cruiser accepts hazardous waste not accepted in regular trash collection, such as paints, chemicals, and pesticides. Due to limited capacity, only the first 50 vehicles are guaranteed Crud Cruiser access. Proof of residency is required-either a driver's license or recent water bill. Those who want to volunteer for a concurrent citywide clean-up effort with Keep Colleyville Beautiful will meet at McPherson Park, 240 W. McDonwell School Road, at 8:30 a.m. For more information on Clean Sweep, visit Colleyville.com. FRIENDS BOOK SALE The Friends of the Colleyville Public Library will host the annual Bargain Book Sale on April 19-20, at the library. Friday, April 19, is reserved for Friends members; hours are 3:00-5:00 p.m., and memberships can be purchased that day. The sale is open to the general public on Saturday, April 20, from 10:00 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. The annual sale includes books, CDs, videos, and DVDs-all at remarkably low prices. Donations for the sale are being accepted and donation forms will be provided. All proceeds will benefit the Colleyville Public Library. Friends is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports the library. For information, including donations, call 817.503.1150 or visit FriendsColleyvilleLibrary.org. OLD TYME BBQ Colleyville E-Communicator March 2013 There may be no better way to welcome warmer weather than an old-fashioned barbecue-and Colleyville's Old Tyme BBQ might just fit the bill. Hosted every year by the Colleyville Police Department to benefit Texas Special Olympics, this year's event is scheduled April 26-27, on the grounds of Colleyville Center (5301 Riverwalk Drive). The event kicks off at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, April 26, with a free fish fry and live music. A donation to Special Olympics gains entry to a special VIP section, with preferred seating, and complimentary food and beverages. On Saturday, April 27, gates open at 11:00 a.m. While contestants do some serious cooking in preparation for the judges-the public can do some serious eating with heaping plates of Texas barbecue for $5. The Kids-Q, a mini cook-off for the younger set, is an event favorite. The Old Tyme BBQ concludes with a raffle, which is open to the public, and announcement of the winners in each barbecue category, as well as a grand champion. For general event information, and Kid-Q contest details and entry forms, visit Colleyville.com. Admission, parking, and kids' activities are free. All proceeds benefit Texas Special Olympics. TEXAS JUNIOR ANGLERS Not so very long ago, Colleyville was a rural community. In those days, when not working on the farm or in the orchards the city was known for then, boys and girls may have spent their days fishing with family and friends. Most of the farms and orchards are gone now-but there's still fishing! The Texas Junior Anglers event, scheduled Saturday, April 27, at the Colleyville Nature Center from 9:00 a.m. until noon, brings those days back to life for new generations of Colleyville kids. And, just like old times, the fishing is still free. Poles and bait will be provided at no charge and no prior fishing experience is necessary. The Junior Anglers event is geared for those 16 years of age and under-and assistance from parents and grandparents is both encouraged and appreciated. The Colleyville Nature Center is located at 100 Mill Wood Drive, off of Glade Road, west of Colleyville Boulevard. For more information, call 817.503.1180. MAY ELECTION Early voting for the May election will be available at Colleyville City Hall from April 29 through May 7. Days and hours are as follows: Monday-Friday, April 29-May 3 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Saturday, May 4 7:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. Colleyville E-Communicator March 2013 Sunday, May 5 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Monday-Tuesday, May 6-7 7:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. Election Day is Saturday, May 11, at Bransford Elementary School, 601 Glade Road. Polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. For voting information or other voting locations, visit TarrantCounty.com/evote . AN OPEN LETTER TO COLLEYVILLE CITIZENS At the Feb. 19 City Council meeting, city staff placed on the agenda an item that would have allowed the sale of property at Longwood Drive and Colleyville Boulevard. Based on documentation provided by city staff, the Council voted to approve the sale by a vote of 5 to 1. Through additional information discovered in further research by the staff and city attorney, in response to citizen input and advice, the sale was stopped. At the City Council meeting slated for Tuesday, March 5, the City Council will formalize the decision to halt the sale of the property. This was an unusual circumstance that merits an explanation for citizens. That explanation is provided in an open letter from City Manager Jennifer Fadden. On Feb. 19, 2013, the Colleyville City Council approved the sale of an approximately 8-acre parcel of land at Colleyville Boulevard and Longwood Drive. They did so with information provided by me, as the city manager, and city staff. It turns out that information was incomplete and this particular parcel of land had been used to obtain a grant-the specifics of which were not discovered until after the council vote. Based on this information, the city has informed the buyer that the sale of this property will not proceed. I offer no excuses for our oversight. By way of explanation, I can tell you that the grant was obtained in 1999, when the property was owned by the Texas Park & Recreation Foundation. The property was deeded to the city in 2004; the deed included no restrictions or limitations. Since that time the property has been recorded as open space-which may be available for sale. Current staff was not aware that the land under previous owners had a specific connection to Kimzey Park-so we did not look for a park connection in our research. We should have. When we were approached by a potential buyer for the property, we saw an opportunity to have a bridge built over Big Bear Creek that would provide pedestrian and recreational access to trails and paths on the other side of the creek, providing trail connectivity-one of the major tenets of the city's master plan. That was our motivation in exploring the sale of this property. However, the grant agreement restrictions from 1999 supersede any other Colleyville E-Communicator March 2013 designation and means that the land cannot be sold. We learned about the possible issues with the grant agreement from residents who live adjacent to this property. We do listen when citizens speak and, based on their input, we continued to research the matter at the staff level and through the city's attorney-even after the vote. When we found documentation about the grant agreement, I informed the City Council and put the sale on hold. While we have no plans for the future sale of any city property, I have instructed staff to do a complete analysis of all city properties to ensure that nothing like this happens again. The City Council depends on city staff to provide complete and thorough information to allow them to make the best possible decisions. As staff, we set a high standard for ourselves in meeting that objective. In this instance, we did not meet our own standards. I apologize to the Council and to our citizens for that. We are fortunate in Colleyville to have an informed and engaged citizenry. That was evident in this case. While it gives me no pleasure to admit this type of oversight to our City Council and to our citizens, my admiration and respect for the citizens we serve only continues to grow as a result of it. You deserve our very best-and we strive to achieve that every day. We take our responsibility to the public trust seriously, and we will redouble our efforts to earn it...and to keep it. Jennifer Fadden, ICMA-CM City Manager SPRING BREAK ACTIVITIES The Parks and Recreation Department is offering a variety of classes during Spring Break, March 11-15. Five camps are available this year: Basketball Camp Mon.-Thurs., March 11-14 8:00 a.m.-Noon Dodgeball Camp Mon.-Thurs., March 11-14 Noon-4:00 p.m. Mini Kicker Camp (What's involved in a mini kicker camp? View this video) Mon.-Fri., March 11-15 Call for times British Soccer Camp Mon.-Fri., March 11-15 Full- or half-day camp available Call for times Art Rocks! By Abrakadoodle Mon.-Fri., March 11-15 Colleyville E-Communicator March 2013 9:00 a.m.-Noon For more information, call 817.503.1180. For a full description of the camps, as well as other recreation offerings, view the current program brochure here. COLLEYVILLE THEATER DFW'S TOP DINE-IN MOVIE LOCAL Colleyville Cinema Grille & IMAX has made it to the second round to be named DFW's best dine-in movie theater. It's David and Goliath time--as the Colleyville theater faces off with the Movie Tavern on West 7th Street. The theater is up against some stiff competition and needs some hometown support. Vote here COLLEYVILLE CLOSEBUY The Fit Fiesta Studio is the latest Colleyville retailer to sign on to the Colleyville CloseBuy Program. Residents can obtain instant discounts simply by showing the Colleyville CloseBuy Ccard (consumer card). It's that simple! Do you have yours? Get in shape for summer Fit Fiesta Studio 1009 Cheek Sparger Rd., Suite 120 817.980.8595 One month of unlimited Zumba and Yoga classes for $40. * New customers only. Tax season Susan Mathisen, CPA 25% off individual income taxes Colleyville's first CloseBuy business-offering state- of-the-art beauty Texas Beauty Institute 20% off any package Celebrating four years in Colleyville this month The Pink Hanger 10% off purchase Colleyville E-Communicator March 2013 Merchants can change the CloseBuy discount offered-so check back often for the latest savings-or download the CloseBuy mobile app. The CloseBuy Ccard is available at participating merchants.