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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-04-23 Euless Articles Get to know the candidates running for Colleyville, Euless, Grapevine City Councils By David Moreno | April 17, 2024 4:07pm Municipal elections are just around the corner, and dozens of candidates have lined up to run for seats across Tarrant County. To help voters make informed decisions at the ballot box, we asked candidates for Colleyville City Council, Euless City Council, and Grapevine City Council to respond to a candidate questionnaire intended to touch on their priorities, if elected. The Report did not contact candidates running unopposed in their races. Early voting begins April 22 and ends April 30. The last day to apply for a ballot by mail is April 23, and the deadline to return a ballot by mail is May 4. The following answers have been edited for grammar, length and clarity. The Report has not independently verified the accuracy of some of the statements made below. Colleyville City Council Kimberly Holt Gunderson is unopposed for Place 5 on the council. Place 6 – Tim Raine • Age: 64 • Education: University of Missouri, Bachelor of Science in business administration in economics • Occupation: Retired • Top priorities, if elected: Raine plans to prioritize fiscal conservative values to make balanced decisions regarding the available land as Colleyv ille approaches buildout. He also plans to ensure police and first responders have the resources necessary to “best protect our city.” Place 6 – Tim Waterworth • Age: 65 • Education: University of Nebraska Omaha, Bachelor of Science in business administration • Occupation: Independent wealth manager and certified financial planner • Top priorities, if elected: Waterworth plans to prioritize citizen engagement and responsible fiscal management to foster active involvement from the community shaping the decisions of Colleyville. He also plans to prioritize “prudent use” of taxpayer dollars to reflect the priorities of the taxpayers to maintain the city’s “safety, cleanliness, and quality of life, while also safeguarding our unique charm and character.” Euless City Council Annabel Jones Eads, Julius Handley IV, Joseph A. Robinson, and Uzoma J. Duru are vying for Place 5 on Euless City Council. Jones Eads, Handley and Robinson did not respond to the Report’s multiple requests for comment. Place 5 – Uzoma J. Duru • Age: 60 • Education: Dallas Baptist University, Bachelor of Science in criminal justice; University of Phoenix – Dallas Campus, master’s in marketing and management • Occupation: Administrator • Top priorities, if elected: Duru plans to learn how the city operates, meet with all personnel, walk through the departments and integrate with them “as a partnership attitude towards employees.” He would also work to ensure small business owners are given “easy assets” of obtaining business loans that will enable them to flourish in their business. Duru said small businesses are the “architect of every nation’s economic boom.” Tika Paudel is unopposed for Place 6 on the council. He has served on the council since June 2021. Grapevine City Council William D. Tate is unopposed for Grapevine mayor. He has been mayor since 1988 after previously serving as mayor from 1973 to 1985. Paul Sletcha is unopposed for Place 1 on the council, which he has served on since 2015. Sharron Rogers, who is running for Place 2 on the council, declined to comment for this story. She has served on the council since 1985. Place 2 – Jason Rash • Age: 50 • Education: Bachelor of Science in airport management • Occupation: Business development manager in technology • Top priorities, if elected: Rash plans to prioritize preserving “Grapevine’s charm” by focusing on the small-town feel and ensuring safe pedestrian traffic. Following death of beloved HEB ISD trustee, district seeks to fill her seat — if not shoes By Matthew Sgroi | April 18, 2024 5:00pm In the Disney Pixar Animation Studios film “Inside Out,” the character Joy is just what her name suggests — vivacious, with a peppy and optimistic attitude. “Rochelle was Joy,” Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD board member Fred Campos said of fellow board member Rochelle Ross. “She’s just a short little bundle of joy, and she had so much energy.” On Jan. 23, Ross, a six-year HEB ISD trustee, died of cancer. She was 56. Ross knew many in the tri-city community. Many knew her as a beacon of optimism, Campos said. In late February, the district began the process of appointing a replacement. On April 22, the lone finalist will be named. In May, they’ll be sworn in. It is a tougher task than anyone on the board could have imagined, trustees and Superintendent Joe Harrington said. “She was like the Energizer Bunny,” Campos said. “And she knew everybody in this community.” Ross’ roots in Hurst-Euless-Bedford Ross didn’t grow up in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford community or even in Texas. But after she graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a degree in theater arts, she never left. Moving to Bedford, Ross started A Simplified Space, an organizing business, and quickly joined the HEB Chamber of Commerce. She was also a former chair of the steering committee for the HEB leadership program. Those positions allowed her to reach just about everyone in the community, the board said. “She was a tremendous networker,” Harrington said. “Rochelle knew everybody and everything she ever became a part of. And when she was a part of something, she was all-in.” During her tenure as a trustee, Ross spent every moment lifting up the achievements of students, and as a mom herself, she was interested in the emotional wellness of children, trustees said. She loved reading to elementary students, whom she called “itty bitties.” “She was very kid-centric, but that’s what you want in a school board,” Campos said. “She always had the attitude of just being a go-getter.” All those qualities are what makes finding a replacement, for lack of a better term, so difficult, he said — especially in a volunteer position. “The thing about Rochelle is that she’s big shoes to fill,” Harrington said. “She created the time to be at events. And, she was ju st at so many.” Tension on the board She was a fierce advocate for parental rights, as demonstrated by her fight against mask mandates in schools during the COVID-19 pandemic, board members said. She was also a clear advocate for keeping students free from life-threatening drugs like fentanyl and habits like vaping. “We didn’t always see eye-to-eye on issues,” Campos said. “One thing that makes HEB ISD really unique — people always ask what our secret sauce is … her and I would spar on all kinds of things in a very positive way.” Board member Dawn Jordan-Wells had a similar relationship with Ross. “She and I were very opposite politically. At one point … I had to unfriend her (on Facebook), because I couldn’t deal with what she was saying,” Jordan-Wells said. Eventually, Ross’ personality won her over. “We still continued to work with each other professionally. And then, over time, our love for each other got stronger and stronger,” Jordan-Wells said. “Finally, we decided, ‘You know what, let’s be friends.’” That’s another reason replacing Ross will be so hard, Jordan -Wells said: Each trustee felt a real, personal connection to her and her family. Campos is good friends with her husband, Tommy Ross; at one point, Ross’ youngest son began delivering meal - prepped lunches to Jordan-Wells, who is trying to eat healthier. Nico Ross still delivers those meals. Replacing Ross Ross collected Disney memorabilia. She visited the theme parks whenever she could. When she was there, Ross made “the happiest place on Earth, even happier,” according to her obituary. When on the dais, Ross tried to inject that same Disney spirit into everything she did. She made students feel welcome, parents feel heard and trustees feel respected, they said. As Harrington said, whoever fills Ross’ Place 4 seat will have big shoes, Minnie Mouse- sized, to fill. “She was able to carve out time that, I have to be honest, I don’t know if we’ll find someone who can make the time she did,” Harrington said. Despite this, the district is moving along in its appointment process. HEB ISD must name a new trustee by July 22, or 180 days after the seat was left open, according to the Texas Education Agency. The district could have called for a special election, which would have put candidates on the May 4 ballot, but decided against it because of the cost. Calling for an election would have cost the district between $60,000 and $70,000, Campos said. “It’s much easier just to appoint,” Harrington said. “To have an election right now, the easiest thing to do was fill the seat. It just made the most sense.” The seat Ross held is up for election next year — another reason, trustees said, that it doesn’t make much sense to call for an election this year. Whomever Harrington and the trustees appoint will have to campaign to keep the seat in 2025. While replacing her fully may be impossible, that’s their job, board members said: Find another Joy. Tarrant nonprofit leaders mourn Mission Central closure after 28 years of service By Marissa Greene and David Moreno April 20, 2024 | 4:30pm A faith-based nonprofit announced it is closing its doors after serving the Hurst -Euless- Bedford area for 28 years. Mission Central board member Erick Arellano announced the nonprofit ’s closure in an April 17 Facebook post with Matt Ybanez, a pastor with First United Methodist Church of Hurst. Arellano told Ybanez in the video that the nonprofit struggled to secure the funding needed to keep the organization in business. “This is all pretty emotional,” Arellano said in the video. “It’s difficult to have come this far and then to see this end. A lot of it was a bit like mourning.” Mission Central helped on average 650 families a month through its food pantries, after- school tutoring, health services, legal assistance and adult education classes. There’s no firm date set for when all operations will stop, Executive Director Catherine Hollis told the Fort Worth Report. Hollis said she is currently trying to talk with churches and neighboring organizations about taking over its programs. “I mourn for our guests, the people that we serve,” Hollis said. “There’s going to be this absence of food services, but also this absence of a place where they know they can come and be treated in a way sometimes they don’t get treated in other places.” ‘We’ve pinched every penny’ Stephen Tally, board president for Mission Central, said in a Feb. 19 statement that the increased need in the community and costs to keep operations running left the nonprofit “without a safety net of financial reserves.” Mission Central’s 990 tax filings reveal inconsistent net income figures in recent years. In 2022, the nonprofit’s revenue was $1,668,148, with expenses of $1,708,880. The organization lost $40,732 that year. ‘W e’ve pinched every penny we can to make up for that, but pinching pennies won’t help when we continue to see the needs grow,” Tally wrote. About 6 out of 10 students in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District are considered low-income, according to 2022-23 data from the Texas Education Agency. The academic year prior, that number was only 4 out of 10 students. Mission Central operated out of a rented space in a strip mall located on East Pipeline Road. Hollis said increases in property insurance, rising labor costs and a lack of funding are all factors that led to the nonprofit’s closure. Mission Central’s closure underscores financial challenges facing nonprofits across the nation, said Barbara Clark-Galupi, publisher of Dallas Fort Worth Nonprofit Business Journal. “All of these things come in with the normal battles for funding and donors and the hearts and wallets of individuals to contribute to your organization,” Clark-Galupi said. Churches, organizations stepping in Mission Central was founded by members and staff of First United Methodist Church of Hurst in 1996 to address the growing needs of families at the poverty level. The initiative became a nonprofit in 2003 after other churches and organizations wanted to take part in addressing the various needs of residents in the Hurst, Euless and Bedford areas, according to its mission statement. With the closing of Mission Central, First United Methodist Church of Hurst will no longer be a host site for the Mobile Food Pantry, according to the Facebook post. However, the church plans to work with the nonprofit’s board of directors about how members of the church can fill the gaps after the closure. The last day for the Mission Central’s food pantry was April 19. The final day the nonprofit will provide its after-school tutoring program will be April 25, Hollis said. However, she is currently working on securing an organization to take over the tutoring program as well as others the community has relied upon for so many years. H-E-B will open a store in HEB and has added Murphy to its ‘coming soon’ list By Maria Halkias | 6:00 AM on Apr 22, 2024 San Antonio-based grocer H-E-B has plucked two more locations from its Dallas-Fort Worth land bank to shift over to its list of new stores under development. One of them could be called a namesake store on a parcel that overlaps cities in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford region of Tarrant County, commonly called the HEB area for its combined independent school district. Bedford Mayor Dan Cogan restarted the new round of alphabet fun that no doubt will become part of this H-E-B store’s culture. “H-E-B is finally getting an H-E-B!” Cogan said in an email. The parcel is partially in Bedford and in Euless. Euless Mayor Linda Martin said residents came up with the slogan, “Bring H-E-B to HEB,” and have been saying it for years. A site in Murphy, in eastern Collin County, is also officially in the planning stage. It’s located on the southwest corner of McCreary Road and FM 544. Both properties have been owned by H-E-B for years as the retailer started accumulating prime corners in D-FW as long as 20 years ago. The two stores are expected to open in the second half of 2026, H-E-B spokeswoman Mabrie Jackson said. H-E-B planned four new stores for 2024 and four more in 2025. Hurst-Euless-Bedford H-E-B will open on the northwest corner of Cheek-Sparger Road and Heritage Avenue in the area that locals refer to as Glade Parks South. The 14.5 -acre parcel is split with 8.5 acres in Euless and 6 acres in Bedford. There’s a Walmart across the street on the south side of Cheek-Sparger, and it’s in Bedford. The two cities worked out an “interlocal agreement” for the property in 2015, said Euless City Manager Loretta Getchell. “The agreement is best for us and H-E-B. We don’t have to worry where the cash registers are.” Euless and Bedford will split the sales taxes and property taxes 50 -50, she said. While the three cities work together often, having to split a business down the middle is unusual, she said. The agreement “will facilitate a smooth and seamless development process for their site,” Martin said. “We’ve been having joint meetings and the next one is this week,” said Andrea Roy, Bedford’s interim city manager. “It’s not H-E-B’s fault that the property is split.” Residents have known that H-E-B was the property owner for years. “We get calls asking if they’re building yet,” Getchell said. “And we’ve had to say no they’re not until now.” That’s true. too. for Murphy, said Murphy Mayor Scott Bradley. Murphy “There would be an announcement of another city getting an H-E-B and we’d hear the friendly ribbing that they didn’t see Murphy on the list,” Bradley said., The Murphy property is on the southwest corner of McCreary Road and FM 544. There’s a Target across McCreary Road and Sprouts Farmers Market is just northwest of the property along FM 544. Murphy also has a Walmart. Bradley called it a win for the small town of Murphy, which is “grown out,” with most of its land occupied and a population of about 22,000 vs. adjacent Wylie, which is almost three times as big. Murphy has been building new pedestrian bridges, landscaping and trails along FM 544 where the H-E-B is going in, he said. “H-E-B will fit in nicely. We’re mostly a residential community.” People are also used to driving to neighboring towns, he said. The location is convenient for people living in East Plano, Sachse and Wylie. The Target across FM 544 from the H-E-B site is in Wylie. H-E-B plans to open a store in Rockwall next year and the Murphy location is strategically between it and H-E-B stores that have opened in Allen and McKinney, Jackson said. H-E-B Announces New Stores in HEB and Murphy By Lauren Drewes Daniels | April 22, 2024 Two more H-E-B stores are opening in North Texas, The Dallas Morning News reported on Monday This time H-E-B is plopping down in the the Hurst-Euless-Bedford area. The store will straddle the cities of Euless and Bedford along Cheek-Sparger Road and Heritage Avenue. The store site will straddle the two cities; 8.5 acres are in Euless and 6 acres in Bedford. The cities will split the taxes. Another store is opening in Murphy, a city in eastern Collin County that is just over 5 square miles with a population of 21,219. This 136,000-square-foot store will be located at the southwest corner of McCreary Road along FM 544 in Murphy. It will have a True Texas restaurant, curbside pick-up, gas station and car wash. Along with a store planned for Rockwall, people living on the east side of the metroplex will have a solid line of H-E-Bs from Prosper, McKinney, Allen and now Murphy. These new stores in Euless-Bedford and Murphy are expected to open in 2026. Last week we also reported that H-E-B bought land in Celina with no plans to develop just yet, but in anticipation of future growth. H-E-B is a privately owned San Antonio-based grocer that has become the grocery store mascot of Texas. It's known for its great produce selection, ready-to-eat meals, dips and so much more including outstanding customer service and disaster response efforts. The grocer long stayed out of North Texas, but in 2022 that changed with stores in Frisco and Plano, which received concert-like fanfare. Even a new store in Alliance recently saw some 700 people lined up at the grand opening. People tailgate and get shirts made. It's the Super Bowl of grocery stores. There's a Facebook page dedicated to North Texas H-E-B Fanatics. WFAA reported earlier this year that, according to a study by Dallas-based real estate firm Weitzman, H-E-B accounted for 22% of all retail construction in DFW in 2023, a growth driven mostly by new housing construction. Also, you should try their churro bacon. H-E-B Stores in North Texas Now Open Waxahachie (undergoing renovations) Frisco Plano McKinney Allen Alliance Planned for 2024 Mansfield (spring 2024) Joe V's, Wheatland Road, South Oak Cliff (summer) Frisco, U.S. 380 and FM 423 (late in the year) Planned for 2025 Prosper (fall) Joe V's, Buckner Boulevard (spring) Melissa (no date yet) Rockwall (no date yet) Planned for 2026 Euless-Bedford Murphy H-E-B announces third Tarrant County location; Mid-Cities opening expected in 2026 BY ELIZABETH CAMPBELL | UPDATED APRIL 22, 2024 1:24 PM It took years of planning, but H-E-B announced Monday that it is building a grocery store in the H-E-B corridor in Northeast Tarrant County. The store is planned for Glade Parks, at the northwest corner of Cheek -Sparger Road and Rio Grande Boulevard on the Bedford-Euless border. It is expected to open in the second half of 2026 and will feature a True Texas BBQ, gas station and car wash. H-E-B opened its first Tarrant County location on April 10 on Heritage Trace Parkway in far north Fort Worth. A second location is expected open later this year at U.S. 287 and Broad Street in Mansfield. Euless Mayor Linda Martin said that the two cities began collaborating shortly after H -E- B purchased land in 2015. Euless has 60% of the property while 40% is in Bedford, she said. “When we realized they bought the property, we immediately got to work,” she said. She described working with former Bedford Mayor Jim Griffin on a revenue sharing agreement in which the cities will equally share the property tax and sales tax revenue. “It looks like they are going to start construction soon. We are very excited,” Martin said. Bedford Mayor Dan Cogan did not immediately return a message seeking comment. When asked about the company’s decision to locate in the HEB area, Martin said it is likely because of its diversity. “They like to tailor their products to the area. We’ve got people from all over the world.” Euless Trinity High School is among the most diverse in the United States. H-E-B sets out to open even more stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs By Andrea Guzmán | April 22, 2024 After H-E-B first came to the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex in 2022 with a store in Frisco, the Texas grocer is on a sprint to continue growing in the region. Two new stores are coming to suburbs of the metro area: one that bleeds into the neighboring cities of Bedford and Euless and another in Murphy, a city east of Plano. H - E-B has owned the two North Texas properties for years, the Dallas Morning News reports. Now that the grocer has set plans to build, the respective c ity governments say that they’re thrilled. “Murphy has been looking forward to this announcement for years, and to see it becoming a reality is truly exciting,” Murphy City Manager Aretha Adams said in a news release. Mayor Scott Bradley piled on praise for H-E-B, saying the grocer is "well known for their dedication to their customers and participation in the communities they serve.” The Murphy H-E-B is expected to start construction within the next year and open in 2026. Located on the southwest corner of FM 544 and McCreary Road, the store will have a True Texas BBQ restaurant, curbside pickup area, fuel station and car wash. Meanwhile, the store in Bedford and Euless is slated to have the same amenities along with a pharmacy drive-thru and expanded grocery pick-up area. Located at the northwest corner of Cheek-Sparger Road and Rio Grande Boulevard, the projected opening date is in the second half of 2026. When the store eventually opens, it’ll come at a booming time for the Dallas-Fort Worth region. Bedford and Euless are in the “mid-cities” zone between the two massive cities that anchor the metro area. Tarrant County, where Bedford and Euless are located, added more than 27,000 residents in 2023. Bedford and Euless made preparations for an H-E-B long ago since the property falls within both cities. So when H-E-B purchased the property in 2015, the two agreed to allow both the property tax and the sales tax generated by the store to be split between them. The agreement also lays out each city’s responsibility for matters such as zoning, building plan review, permits and inspections. Officials with the city of Bedford and Euless are meeting with H-E-B to discuss further details so more updates will come, the city of Bedford says. (‘My San Antonio’ news source) H-E-B announces locations for its two new Dallas-Fort Worth-area stores By Victoria Lopez | April 22, 2024 Texas' grocery store giant has spread to nearly all parts of the state, but the demand remains strong in many untapped cities. Two communities in the Dallas -Fort Worth area, however, won't have to wait much longer as they are set to be graced with all H -E- B has to offer. H-E-B coming to Bedford & Euless After years of pleading for an H-E-B, the City of Bedford — between Dallas and Fort Worth — is finally getting its own location, which will be shared with the City of Euless. The property and sales taxes generated by the store will be split between the two cities as the land sits on the cusp of each. The announcement of the new location comes years after the company purchased the land in 2015. The store is expected to open in the second half of 2026 and will be at the northwest corner of Cheek-Sparger Road and Rio Grande Boulevard, facing Highway 121. “H-E-B is finally getting an H-E-B! For years, residents of Hurst, Euless, and Bedford have wanted an H-E-B and I’m so excited this day has finally arrived. This is a game- changer when it comes to shopping locally and what it means for our business community. The tax revenue from this endeavor will benefit both Bedford and Euless. We look forward to working with the H-E-B Development team and breaking ground as soon as possible," Bedford Mayor Dan Cogan said in a statement released to MySA. The 119,000-square-foot store will have an expanded grocery pick-up area and pharmacy drive-thru. A future H-E-B fuel station and car wash are in store for the location, according to a city announcement. Outside its standard features, the store is also said to have a True Texas BBQ, along with a dedicated drive-thru. H-E-B set to open in Murphy Another community, just over 40 miles down the road, is also getting its demands met as H-E-B has also been announced for the City of Murphy, northeast of Dallas. Construction for the newly announced store is set to begin within the next year and open in 2026. “Murphy has been looking forward to this announcement for years, and to see it becoming a reality is truly exciting.” City Manager Aretha Adams said in a news release. The 136,000-square-foot Murphy H-E-B will be located on the southwest corner of FM 544 and McCreary Road. It will feature a True Texas BBQ restaurant, curbside pickup area, fuel station and car wash. “Having an H-E-B in our city is not only exciting from a sales tax revenue point of view, but as an asset to our community as a whole. They are well known for their dedication to their customers and participation in the communities they serve. I look forward to growing this partnership.” stated Mayor Scott Bradley.