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Home My WebLink About2012-01-10 Euless ArticlesDISTRIBUTED TO: Il-l-IYOR C1TYCNCL C1TYATTNY SUTTER MCKAlrllE BROWN YOUNG ANIMAL CNT JlcDONALD COLLINS W. RHODES GETCHELL LlBRAR Y ADMIN LIBRARY REF HARTSELL DATE DISTRIBUTED,_-,-II---,'=-0-L-I_'~___ DATE OF ARTICLE / a/.3 D / /1 NEWSPAPER__-..:..F~W.:.::::S:.:..T Blaze damages Euless townhomes Posted Friday, Dec. 30,2011 EULESS -Firefighters battled an apartment/condo fire Friday night that damaged several units and displaced eight to 10 people. fire officials said. The fire broke out about 6 p.m. in the 200 block of E. Harwood Road at Harwood Park Townhome Village. Two police officers and a civilian were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation and a firefighter was treated at the scene for minor injuries, fire spokesman Vernon Gilmore said, Numerous fire departments assisted Euless, including Bedford, Colleyville, D/FW Airport. Fort Worth, Hurst and Grapevine. The cause of the blaze was under investigation late Friday. Nicholas Sakelaris and Marty Sabota DISTRIBUTED TO: PAGE / OF MAYOR CITY CVO, CITY A TTNY SUTTER MCKAMIE BROWN YOUNG ANIMAL CNTR ,t1cDON.ILD COLLINS 0'. RHODES GETCHELL LIBRARY ADMIN LIBRARY REF HARTSELL DATE DISTRIBUTED 1//0 /I A DATE OF ARTICLE /c2 / ?0/// NEWSPAPERA113c 5 i)rt Four Townhomes Damaged by Fire Cat rescued, revived by firefighters ON= By Frank Heinz i Friday,Dec 30,2011 I Updated 11.46 PM CST • IMMO A cat was saved and two emergency workers were hurt while battling a smokey fire at a condo community near Harwood and Main in Euless Friday night. Four individually-owned townhomes have major damage from the fast-moving fire that officials believe started in the attic of one of units before spreading to the other three. Firefighters said three people,including a Euless police officer and a firefighter,had to be treated at the scene for minor injuries. One person was treated after fainting. No one was transported and no other injuries were reported. Rescuers were able to save a cat whose owner was out of town. The animal wasn't breathing when found by firefighters,but rescuers were able to revive the cat with oxygen. The animal was then taken to a North Texas veterinarian for treatment and is expected to be OK. The Red Cross is assisting families displaced by the fire. DISTRIBUTED TO: PAGE_I_OF cJ._ Jl~ YOR CITY CIVCL CITY ATTNY SUTTER MCKAiWE BROWN YOUNG ANIMAL CNTR J/cDONALD COLLINS W. RHODES GETCHELL LIBRARY ADMIN LIBRARY REF HARTSELL DATE D/STRIBUTED 1//0 / I :;) DATE OF ARTICLE I d /.:81 / { I NEWSPAPER & gJeLiJ S Fast-Moving Fire Destroys Euless Townhomes Fast-Moving Fire Destroys Euless Townhomes Published: Saturday, 31 Dec 2011, 12:30 PM CST .1 Lynn Kawano FOX4 News EULESS - A fast-moving fire destroyed several townhomes and injured several people including rescue workers. Euless fire investigators were still trying to determine what caused the 'fire at the Harwood Park Townhome Village in the 200 Blk. of Harwood Road. It started about 6 Friday night, but Saturday morning, firefighters were still working on hot spots. Two townhomes were destroyed by the fire, two more units by the smoke. Everyone in the homes were able to get out safely, but two police officers and a resident needed medical attention after they were overcome by smoke. Firefighters also had to rescue a cat. The American Red Cross is assisting 10 people who lived in the townhomes. D1STRIBIJTED TO: PAGE;< OF~ ,lelA YOR CITY CNCL CITY A TTNY SUTTER IHCKAlt41E BROWN YOUNG ANIMAL CNTR McDO.VALD COLLINS W. RHODES GETCHELL LlBRARYADMIN LIBRARY REF HARTSELL DATE DISTRIBUTED__11,---'D----'-I_'_:;1.__ DATE OF ARTICLE / ~ /3 I /'J NEWSPAPER & 'iA1~~5 Village resident Nikki Carreon was on board an American Airlines flight enroute to DFW from Los Angeles when she saw her neighbors's homes on fire. "Every time when I'm on a plane and we decend home, I always look out the window and see if I can spot our house," she says. Last night, she saw fire trucks and ambulances surrounding her house. "I just had this gut-wrenching feeling." Carreon called her mother as soon as the plane touched down and realized it was the townhomes right across the street. Her mother was one of those requiring medical attention for smoke inhalation. Fire investigators do not suspect arson but haven't narrowed down a cause. There was construction work being done on the town home where the fire started but it's unclear if that has anything to do with the fire. PAGE_I_OF~ DISTRIBUTED TO: SUTTER MCKAMIE BROWN YOUNG ANIMAL CNTC1TYATTNYC1TYCNCLMAYOR GETCHELL LIBRARY ADMIN LIBRARY REF HARTSELLW. RHODESCOLLINSit4cDONALD I / 10 / I G\ DATE OF ARTICLE I! I /1::< NEWSPAPER FWST DA TE DISTRIBUTED:"---L"':-::::"""='---!.-- Salad bars are a hit at Hurst-Euless-Bedford elementary schools Posted Sunday, Jan. 01, 2012 BY SARAH BAHARI sbahari@star-telegram.com EULESS -Coby Maple studied the choices on the salad bar, pausing to examine a deep red vegetable and a creamy white one. Beets and turnips, a lunch worker told him. The fourth-grader at Wilshire Elementary School in Euless shrugged and loaded them onto his plate, along with salad greens, carrots and cherry tomatoes. ""ve never had a beet or tumip," said Coby, 10, nibbling on pieces of both. "They're not bad, and vegetables make me run fast, so I don't mind eating them." As part of a plan to promote health, introduce children to fresh fruits and vegetables and wean them off junk food, the Hurst-Euless-Bedford district is adding salad bars to elementary schools. The bars have opened at Wilshire and South Euless elementary schools. Bedford Heights, Meadow Creek and Lakewood will have them next school year, and more are on the way. The salad bars have proved popular, school officials say. Before Wilshire's salad bar opened, students refused to eat vegetables, opting instead for chips, pizza and french fries, said Penny Breitenstein, cafeteria manager. Now, they are piling vegetables onto their plates. "It's the power of choice," Breitenstein said. "They like getting to walk through and pick out what they want." Choices include traditional salad bar offerings like lettuce, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and carrots, but the schools also offer more unusual items, such as edamame and jicama, in addition to the beets and tumips. Coby said that he has tried just about every fruit and vegetable offered out of curiosity but that his favorites remain cherry tomatoes and carrots. For Reagan Gross, a fourth-grader who was eating broccoli, edamame and carrots, the salad bar reminded her of restaurant salad bars, which she enjoys. "It's really healthy for us," said Reagan, 9. "I feel less tired after lunch now that I don't eat chips." The school does not have data to show whether students are performing better in class, but Josh leonard, assistant principal, said he is encouraged. "Kids are eating less junk food," he said. '" cannot see how a child who eats a plate of vegetables does not perform better in the afternoon than a kid who eats an ice cream bar." With rising food prices, adding salad bars is not inexpensive, said Mary Beth Ratzloff, director of child nutrition. Equipment alone for each school costs about $2,000, and the district's food prices are up roughly 14 percent from the same time last year, Ratzloff said, mostly because of increased costs of fresh produce. Students pay $1 to eat only at the salad bar. The school lunch, which costs $2.30, includes the salad bar. School officials are studying whether salad bars are feasible at junior and high schools. "The bottom line is we want to provide healthy options," Ratzloff said. "This exposes children to fresh foods, and we hope they will take this information home and educate their parents. It improves their knowledge and appreCiation for good food." Sarah Bahari, 817-390-7056 PAGE OFI /DISTRIBUTED TO: MAYOR ClTYCNCL CITYATTNY SUTTER MCKAMIE BROWN YOUNG ANIMAL CNT J!cDON,4LD COLLINS W. RHODES GETCHELL LIBRARY ADMIN LIBRARY REF HARTSELL DATE DISTRIBUTED_!---,/,---,-/_()-,I,--/,-~___ DATE OF ARTICLE.__/L-~---=dl--'/~/~-'--__ NEWSPAPER__.:....:FW...:...:;S:...:,.T Family Life Center When Euless combined its recreation center and senior center into the Family Life Center, the senior center's membership increased more than 1,000 percent. Euless Parks Director Ray McDonald said that in addition to the Family Life Center's effect on senior membership, it increased recreation center membership 138 percent from 1,600 to 3,800. About 1,400 are senior citizens, a 1,019 percent increase over the 125 who regularly used the former 5,OOO-square foot center. Since the almost $6 million facility's opening last January, a 5,OOO-square-foot fitness center separates the 20,000-square-foot senior center and the 25,000-square-foot recreation center, McDonald said. McDonald said the Family Life Center "absolutely is living up to what we expected. Anytime of the day ... there are 30 to 40 people in the fitness center, and the senior center is filled all the time with people having fun." DISTRIBUTED TO: PAGE~OF J :\fA YOR CITY CNCL CITY ATTNY SUTTER ilJCKAMIE BROWN YOUNG ANIMAL CNT McDONALD COLLINS W. RHODES GETCHELL LIBRARY ADMIN LIBRARY REF HARTSELL DATE DISTRIBUTED III 0 /1 d] DATEOFARTICLE 1;(/-3 0 /1/ NEWSPAPER__...::..F...:.,:W..,:.:::S.!..T Cheers & Jeers Cheers: To the City of Euless. On Nov. 181 Midcities Women's Group visited Euless --the 9-11 Memorial at the firehouse, the library with its museum-quality artwork and historical Heritage Park. Sue at the library and Bill at Heritage Park did a great job. It made me proud to be a Euless resident. --Mary Ann Goetz, Euless DISTRIBUTED TO: 11tIAYOR C1TYCNCL CITYATTNY SUTTER l"fCKAMIE BROWN )'OUNG ANIMAL CVT McDONALD COLLINS W. RHODES GETCHELL LlBRARYADlJHN LIBRARY REF HARTSELL DA TE DISTRIBUTED 1(/D / /:l DATE OF ARTICLE /tZu q II ( NEWSPAPER__--=-F-'-'H'.-"'S..::..T North Tarrant Express project forces businesses to make room for freeway Posted Monday, Dec. 19, 2011 BY TERRY EVANS tevans@star·telegram.com Numerous structures along Northeast Tarrant freeways are being razed to make room for the North Tarrant Express project. Among the businesses torn down on the ever-changing landscape are the Tri-Cities Professional Building in Bedford, Billiards and Barstools in Euless and a Starbucks in Hurst. Of the 399 parcels needed to widen Loop 820 and Texas 1211183,390 have been acquired, said Robert Hinkle, spokesman for North Tarrant Express Mobility Partners, which is overseeing the $2.5 billion, 13.5-mile project. Hinkle said the company expects to spend around $200 million by the time it finishes acquiring right of way in March. "Since there are a handful of parcels still in the acquisition stage, the exact [cost) will not be known for a few months," he said. While city officials acknowledge that they will take multimillion-dollar hits in property and sales taxes, they could only estimate what they will . lose. Bedford Bill Syblon, Bedford's economic development director, said that a conservative estimate puts 15 percent of the city's sales tax base along the Texas 183 corridor, 'We also know that properties with structures being physically impacted by the widening represent 6 percent of Bedford's property tax base," he said. That's about $174 million of Bedford's $2.9 billion net taxable property values, Syblon said that every business along the 6,3 miles of Airport Freeway in Bedford is affected by the project. "That's more than 70, factoring in that many of these properties are multitenant," he said. In addition to the Tri-Cities building, Bedford lost Razzoo's, Mexican Inn and the Tetco and Valero gas stations, Both restaurants will be demolished, The Park Place Mercedes dealership also moved away, though the building remains. 'We've been talking with Capital Automotive, owner of the Park Place building, to help them identify other opportunities or options for the building," Syblon said. The city also kept On The Border by granting some tax incentives that will help build a new restaurant behind the current site. Other rescued businesses include a Jason's Deli, which moved to another spot in The Shops at Central Park; a motorcycle and accessory store called Bikers Bay; Bedford Gold and Silver; and Craig's Collision, Syblon said. Hurst fJ.s buildings disappeared along 3.1 miles of right of way through Hurst, the city scrambled to prevent the bUSinesses from vanishing as well. 'We have indeed done everything within our power to keep our bUSinesses located in Hurst and most have found new locations in the Hurst community," City Manager Allan Weegar said. In all, 16 businesses were affected by the project, spokeswoman Ashleigh Whiteman said. "Less than 1 percent of Hurst's property tax base is in the right of way," she said. That property value, including all leveled buildings, represented about $2.8 million in taxable value, according to the 2011 Tarrant Appraisal District report, Whiteman said, Hurst lost First Cash Advance, T-Mobile, Colonial Savings and a Subway sandwich shop, Just east of where Starbucks used to be, a Burger King and CiCi's Pizza closed. The empty buildings will be razed within weeks. Seven affected businesses are staying put, Whiteman said. A McDonald's just east of CiCi's survived and now sports a banner proclaiming, 'We're still here. We're not closing." DlSTRIBIJTED TO: M·1YOR CITYClVCL C1TYATTNY SUTTER ,llCKAIWE BROWN YOUNG ANIMAL CNT JlcDONALD COLLINS W. RHODES GETCHELL L1BRARYADMIN LIBRARY REF HARTSELL DATE DISTRIBUTED__ ___ DA TE OF ARTICLE.---,/L.!J~L....!./_Cj.!-L/-=(_I NEWSPAPER__-=.F...:.W.~'S=T'-!../_I_O--'/-.:'_..::l-__ Just a bit farther east. Outback Steakhouse also survived but is losing 26 parking spaces. Weegar said that. along with the challenges. the North Tarrant Express is bringing opportunities ahead of its 2015 completion. Across Precinct Line Road from Hurst Town Center, new neighbors next to a QuikTrip gas station are creating buzz. The site attracted not only an In-N-Out Burger, but also the Mexican Inn that lost its building in Bedford. Euless Mike Collins, director of planning and development, said Euless has worked with businesses to minimize right-ot-way acquisition's negative effects. "The City Council is committed to assisting all of the businesses that are being impacted," he said. 'We are working with a few businesses on potential relocations. But. it would be premature to make any announcements." Other than Billiards and Barstools, a Whataburger and an OC Burger, Collins knew of no other businesses that have closed because of the project. Many businesses in the 1.3 miles of right of way through Euless are affected to lesser degrees, he said. Showplace Lanes, for instance, is staying despite losing a lot of parking. "In virtually all cases, we are dealing with impacts to required landscaping, parking and sign locations," Collins said. 'We are working closely with the businesses to explore opportunities to modify their sites in order to continue to meet the site development standards, and to meet all life safety standards." North Richland Hills A team of North Richland Hills employees and representatives of bUSinesses along the city's 3.15 miles of the project corridor helped plan ways to lessen the effects on commerce, spokeswoman Mary Peters said. They included changes in the sign ordinance, detours that eased business access and the coordination of construction work hours and business hours. In some cases, adjacent properties agreed to share parking. Nothing but relocation worked tor a few businesses. Peters said that a strip center demolished at 8705 Bedford Euless Road included Casual Male XL, Segway and FedEx stores. 'We were aware ot the impacts on these businesses and have worked with each of them to find alternative locations in North Richland Hills," she said. "Casual Male and Segway have both relocated in NRH, while the Fed Ex chose a new location in Hurst." Peters said the city has not calculated the percentage of property tax base impacted by the acquisitions and is still working with the state and the project's owner to determine the impact on city facilities like City Hall and Richland Tennis Center. "A possession and use agreement has been signed between the parties but the final value of the damages has not been determined," Peters said. Haltom City The city lost Zimmerer Kubota & Equipment and may lose Unclaimed Freight in its 2.1 miles of right of way, City Manager Tom Muir said. Unclaimed Freight. which overlooks the project at 4850 Northeast Loop 820, will lose too many parking spaces, Muir said. 'We are working with them to allow them to operate as long as they can until they can establish a new location," he said. 'We have had several meetings with them and they are considering their options" to remain in Haltom City. Muir said that the city regrets losing businesses but said the losses will be offset by large amounts of vacant land opened by the project's new frontage roads. 'We will be constructing roads on the north and south sides to enhance access and improve mobility," he said. "We are also in the early stages of creating [tax increment finance districts] on the north and south sides to aid in development as well." Terry Evans, 817-390-7620