Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-11-14 Euless Articles Voters in HEB ISD Approve Bond Election for 6 New Schools Community Supports Plan to Replace L.D. Bell High School, Trinity High School, and Four Elementary Schools Preliminary election results show that voters in Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD approved the district's nearly $1 billion bond referendum. • Residents supported Proposition A, giving the school district authorization to fund $979,300,000 worth of facility improvements, including the replacement of both L.D. Bell and Trinity high schools. • Proposition B also passed, allowing the district to continue purchasing technology devices. “This is an exciting day for the students and staff of HEB ISD and I want to thank our community for their continued support,” says Joe Harrington, Ed.D., superintendent. “Our residents have a long history of investing in students and schools —ensuring that HEB ISD remains a premier district and can serve our students in a way that is both special and unique to the DFW area.” Harrington says that he and the Board of Trustees take their responsibility very seriously and they are committed to allocating every dollar as wisely and efficiently as possible. “The new schools are a great investment, and we look forward to finalizing the design process and providing our community with new schools that will serve generations of families.” The district’s two comprehensive high schools are more than 50 years old and have deteriorating infrastructure, settling foundations, and classrooms that are undersized according to Texas Education Agency (TEA) standards. In addition to replacing L.D. Bell High School and Trinity High School, district officials plan to rebuild four aging elementary schools: Bell Manor, Hurst Hills, Midway Park, and Wilshire. The voter- approved bonds will also fund safety and security updates, technology infrastructure, and instructional technology devices and equipment. As the projects continue through design and construction, HEB ISD officials will share bond project updates with the community. Voters approve replacing 6 schools in HEB ISD, including the 2 high schools Author: Paul Livengood Published: 9:47 AM CST November 8, 2023 Updated: 9:47 AM CST November 8, 2023 BEDFORD, Texas — Voters in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford school district (HEB ISD) approved a nearly $1 billion bond package that will replace L.D. Bell and Trinity high schools and four elementary campuses. Prop A was approved 57.3% to 42.7% after tallies were counted on Election Day, Nov. 7. The bond package is valued at $979.3 million. It will replace the two high schools and Hurst Hills Elementary in Hurst and Wilshire and Midway Park elementary schools in Euless. Bell Manor Elementary will be converted for the alternative KEYS High School and a new campus for Bell Manor will be built, as well. Prop A a lso included safety and security upgrades. Here is a breakdown of the money distribution: • L.D. Bell High School replacement: $342 million • Trinity High School replacement: $342 million • Bell Manor Elementary replacement (Spring 2026): $63 million • Hurst Hills Elementary replacement (Fall 2026): $64.5 million • Wilshire Elementary replacement (Spring 2027): $62.5 million • Midway Park Elementary replacement (Fall 2027): $65 million • Conversion of existing campus (Bell Manor Elementary) for KEYS HS: $19 million • Safety & Security (secure entrey at Hurst JH) & HB3 equipment: $2.5 million • Technology – Infrastructure and Security: $18.8 million Voters also approved Prop B, which provided another $18 million for technology upgrades. With the Prop B funds, students will be fitted with either an iPad or a Google Chromebook, according to HEB ISD. Prop B funds will also be spent on SmartBoards, document cameras and projectors for classrooms, and to replace aging equipment such as desktop and laptop computers. North Texas townhouse fire that killed 1 resident under investigation, officials say BY HARRIET RAMOS | PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 09, 2023 1:16 PM One person died in a Euless townhouse fire Wednesday afternoon, officials said. Firefighters responded to the 100 block of Abbey Road around 3:15 p.m. regarding a structure fire. Heavy smoke and fire were already coming from the residence when crews arrived, the Euless Fire Department said in a news release. They called for a second alarm to help fight the fire and began search and rescue operations. A person was found on the ground floor of the building. Firefighters immediately carried the individual outside, but they were already dead, according to the release. Authorities haven’t released the deceased person’s name or age. Fire crews searched the rest of the residence and adjacent residences. A dog was also found to have died in the fire, officials said. A bystander who had been helping to evacuate residences was treated for smoke inhalation and then released. Officials are investigating the cause and origin of the fire. No fire department casualties were reported. Fire departments from Bedford, Grapevine and Hurst assisted the Euless Fire Department in bringing the blaze under control, the release said. Expansion of North Tarrant Express project starts Monday. Here's what to know Author: Tashara Parker Published: 8:51 AM CST November 13, 2023 Updated: 8:51 AM CST November 13, 2023 TARRANT COUNTY, Texas — If you normally take 820 or 183 in Tarrant County, you will notice some major changes to your commute starting Monday, Nov. 13. According to a press release, drivers in Tarrant County can expect to see pre- construction activities underway on the North Tarrant Express Capacity Improvement Project (NTECIP) starting this week. The Capacity Improvement Project will add a free general-purpose lane in each direction along the North Loop of I-820 and a tolled managed lane in each direction along Airport Freeway (SH 183). The project will also adjust some of the ramps and connectors, as well as the pedestrian bridge in Hurst. The closures are scheduled as follows: Nov. 13-17 from 7:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. (nightly) Nov. 17 at 7:30 p.m. to 10 a.m. Nov. 18 ▪ All lanes of the eastbound I-820 general purpose lanes from Beach Street to Rufe Snow Drive will be closed. o Traffic will be redirected to the eastbound I-820 TEXpress Lanes at no cost. ▪ The off-ramp from the eastbound I-820 general purpose lanes to Haltom Road will be closed. o Traffic will be redirected to the next exit at Denton Highway 377. ▪ The on-ramp to the eastbound I-820 general purpose lanes at Haltom Road will be closed. o Traffic will be redirected to the next entrance at Denton Highway 377. ▪ The on-ramp to the eastbound I-820 general purpose lanes at Denton Highway 377 will be closed. o Traffic will be maintained using the eastbound TEXpress entrance at Denton Highway 377. ▪ The on-ramp to the eastbound I-820 general purpose lanes at Iron Horse Boulevard will be closed. o Traffic will be maintained using the eastbound TEXpress entrance at Iron Horse Boulevard. ▪ The off-ramp from eastbound I-820 to Rufe Snow Drive will be closed. o Traffic will be redirected to the exit at Texas Boulevard 26. The NTECIP was part of the original public-private partnership with the state of Texas and TxDOT in 2009, to be delivered when the traffic count reached a certain level. “That threshold has been met almost eight years ahead of projection,” explained NTE Mobility Partners CEO Jose Espinosa. “This is an exciting project that will continue to provide mobility innovation and congestion relief to one of the fastest-growing regions in country.” The Capacity Improvement Project will cost around $414 million; toll revenues collected on the NTE TEXpress Lanes will fully fund the project. No TxDOT funds or public money will be used for the construction. Early activities will include installing construction barriers and striping lanes; full construction will be underway in mid-2024. The project is scheduled to take 42 months, with completion anticipated in early 2027. North Tarrant Infrastructure (NTE), a joint-venture between Ferrovial Construction and Webber, will serve as the lead design-build contractor on the project. “We are looking forward to doing our part in improving mobility through this area. We also believe in supporting our community by providing jobs and opportunities, which is why we hire local and regional subcontractors, including minority-owned firms, who then live, work, and spend money in the area,” said Ignacio Milans, CEO of North Tarrant Infrastructure. The NTE is a major east-west corridor that crosses Northeast Tarrant County and connects all cities between Fort Worth and Irving on the North Loop of I-820 and Airport Freeway (SH 183). When it opened fully in 2014, the NTE project almost doubled capacit y in the corridor and added continuous frontage roads and a new bridge across I -820 at Riverside Drive. NTE Mobility Partners provides 24/7 operations and maintenance for the corridor (general purpose and managed lanes) including all ramps and bridges, and Roadside Assistance for customers. Unexpected property tax statements deliver anxiety to Tarrant County homeowners BY JASON ALLEN NOVEMBER 13, 2023 / 10:18 PM CST TARRANT COUNTY (CBSNewsTexas.com) — Unexpected property tax statements that looked like bills, sent to tens of thousands of homeowners in Tarrant County who weren't expecting them, were intended to be a source of good news—not anxiety. However, when the statements arrived with a red-outlined "Pay This Amount" listed on a payment coupon, homeowners like Marie Garza couldn't make sense of what appeared to be a bill. "If you pay attention, you wonder, 'What the heck is going on and what are they doing?'" Garza asked. The Tarrant County Tax Assessor-Collector office started sending the 2023 statements out last week to people who received over-65 and disability exemptions on their property taxes. That amounted to more than 133,000 owners, according to tax assessor Wendy Burgess. Within that group were more than 32,000 people like Garza, who don't usually receive tax statements since the bills are paid each year by their mortgage companies. The Euless resident said she was also well aware of issues during the past year at the Tarrant Appraisal District, with elected officials concerned about trust and transparency over the property valuation process. Receiving a mailed statement with a lower tax burden just days after voting on a constitutional amendment on school taxes as well as local school bonds, she also wasn't confident the numbers were correct. Burgess said Monday the decision to send the statements out was simply to try to make sure more people would see just how much lower their tax burden was this year. "Some people don't believe it until they see it with their own eyes," she said. "And wh en they see it with their own eyes on the tax statement, it's a 'Wow' moment for them." For those who pay their taxes through an escrow account with their mortgage company, the statements are not a new bill, and there is no need to do anything different from past years. With constituents regularly asking if the constitutional changes would really amount to any savings, the statements were just intended to show it on paper. Burgess sits on the Tarrant Appraisal Board, and said she understood the issues there may contribute to some anxiety for owners who received the statements. However, she pointed out that the appraisal district and the assessor's office are two different entities, and the statements came from her office. She also said that after having to do extensive recalculations on accounts due to the changes, her office believed the statements were all up to date and correctly calculated, although there are regular updates to individual accounts throughout the year. Garza, whose statement showed she will end up paying almost $1,200 less this year, said she was happy about that...if she could trust the number. "I don't mind paying what's fair and what's due, I just want to be assured if it was done correctly and is it the actual amount."