Even though it is still extremely hot, summer is coming to an end for many in our city. Lewisville Independent School District’s first day of school is August 9. As we are out in Highland Village remember to slow down in the school zones, watch for the kids heading to and from school, pay attention to the school crossing guards and obey their signals, and most importantly, don’t text and drive.
We are seeing more and more of our youth using scooters and other modes of transport (called micromobility) to get around town. Unfortunately, at the end of school in June we had several scooter-related incidents. A working group of staff from several city departments and council representation has been meeting to work through updates to the City’s outdated scooter ordinance and to develop safety guidelines and recommendations. The goals of the group are to update the scooter ordinance to include all “micromobility” devices, and to focus on education, safety, enforceability, an ordinance palatable to our community and the ability to maintain versatility for future needs.
In July, the city sent a survey asking our community their opinion on requiring those using a micromobility device to wear a helmet and at what age. You all definitely have concerns and opinions on this issue – the city received over 900 responses! A definite majority of you (84%) believe wearing a helmet should be required and nearly the majority (60%) believe all under 18 should be required to wear a helmet. The working group and Council are considering your survey opinions as they work to finalize this ordinance, which should be on a Council agenda in August. Thank you all for taking the time to answer the survey and share your opinions.
We are fortunate in Highland Village to have two School Resource Officers assigned to our four schools. Officers David Harney and Ben McKelvey have been in communication with our schools regarding the safety of our kids and they will be implementing micromobility device safety programs and teaching our students the rules of the road and etiquette. I mentioned last month and it is worth mentioning again, the most important factor is parental involvement with your kids alongside our police department.
Speaking of safety and our community-oriented policing model, Highland Village ranked as the third safest city in Texas. This is a testament to the successful community partnership in education and prevention. Congratulations are in order for all!
Since we are on the subject of public safety, the police department and the city are again hosting the TXFallenPD Tribute Event to raise funds for the Texas Police Chiefs Association’s Fallen Officer Fund. This event takes place at Doubletree Ranch Park in conjunction with our popular Concert in the Park series. The TXFallenPD Tribute Event will take place on Saturday, October 21 and will include the 5K run/walk, an Honor bike ride for civilians and first responders, a Kid Ride with a Cop, a police obstacle course, Kid Zone, vendors, food trucks and live entertainment concluding with a concert with Emerald City Party Machine. You can register for the 5K and the Bike Race for $30 with the fee increasing next month – just visit TXFallenPD.com to get in at the low registration rate. I hope you will consider participating in this event in October or consider sponsoring or donating to help the City bring this event to our community. Since 2008 we have held a bike race and 5k fundraiser for the families of police officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty and, with the help of our community, we have contributed over $440,000 to the fund. This year’s fundraising goal is $40,000; visit TXFallenPD.com to see how you can help.
We have a long history of honoring our veterans and provide you two different opportunities to remember our local veterans. The Honor Our Veterans event is specifically for Highland Village veterans and is held around Veterans Day and Memorial Day. Highland Village veterans are nominated by a friend or family member to be recognized on the Veterans Monument on the south side of the Highland Village Municipal Complex. The family or friend funds the plaque the City places on the stone monument. If you know a Highland Village veterans you’d like recognized at the Honor Our Veterans event, more information and the application can be found at highlandvillage.org/Veteran. Then around Veterans Day in November, in partnership with the Highland Village Business Association, we hold the Salute Our Veterans event. This is a luncheon designed to provide an opportunity to honor our local veterans and give them a time for fellowship and shared camaraderie. Veterans and one guest are able to attend at no charge as we seek sponsorships from the community to pay for the veterans’ attendance and meal. Sponsorships begin at $50, which covers the cost of two veterans’ lunches. If you choose to sponsor additional veterans, the lunches are sold in increments of $25, allowing you to choose the amount of your donation, $100 for four veterans, $150 for six veterans, etc. At the 2022 luncheon, over 200 veterans, representing all branches of service, from Highland Village, Lewisville, Flower Mound, and surrounding areas had their lunch paid through sponsorship funds. I hope you will consider becoming a sponsor. You can learn about the event and submit your payment online at thehvba.com/VeteranSalute or mail your sponsorship by October 20 to 1000 Highland Village Road, Highland Village, TX 75077, Attention: Salute Our Veterans Lunch.
As you may have already heard, Cheesecake Factory is coming to The Shops at Highland Village in a portion of the space formerly used by Barnes and Noble. Cheesecake Factory has submitted a building permit for the finish-out of the space and it is currently under review by City staff. A separate application has been submitted by The Shops to amend their Planned Development District Ordinance to remove the southern courtyard area located between Lambeau’s America and Tiff’s Treats and Chico’s and Soma to construct additional parking. A public hearing will be held at the Planning & Zoning meeting on August 15 at 7 p.m. and at the City Council meeting on August 22 at 7:30 p.m. Both meetings take place at the Highland Village Municipal Complex at 1000 Highland Village Road. If you are interested in reviewing the submission and the plans, they will be included in the meeting agendas and posted to the City website within 72 hours of the meeting.
The City website provides an opportunity for you to sign up to receive public meeting notifications so you are aware when an agenda is posted and can review the items under consideration along with the details that are also provided to Council. Just visit “Notify Me” at highlandvillage.org to sign up and select “Public Meetings.” If you’d like to understand how the development process works in Highland Village, visit the “City Development Process” link on the home page of the City website.
I encourage you to stay informed on what is happening in the City. You can sign up at the Notify Me link to receive City news releases, public meeting notices, the bi-weekly City Manager’s Report and the monthly email editions of The Villager. You can also use the “Ask us a Question” link to submit a question for City staff. If you prefer casual conversation, join me at Sip Stir Coffee House at 8:30 a.m. the first Monday of every month (September’s event will be the second Monday because of the Labor Day holiday) for a City update and we will do our best to answer your questions.
Finally, watch for information coming from the City on our new trash and recycling service provider. The City has contracted with Republic Services and the contract begins on Oct. 1. The new contract provides enhanced service at a lower monthly rate. The collection days are not changing however, the new service uses automated trucks so all residents will be receiving a trash and recycling container. The City will share information on when to have your old CWD recycling container at the curb to be replaced with the trash and recycling container provided by Republic Services. Another great reason to sign up to receive communication from the City!
I appreciate your continued support and continue to do my best to represent our city and serve each of you well. I hope to see you around, maybe at one of our young entrepreneurs’ weekend lemonade stands!
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