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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMayor's Newsletter 04/93 mb : ewslette .................... -..............­. . ................... CITY OF EULESS1 APRIL 1993 Message from the Mayor May 1 election councilmembers and employees re- packed With maining to carry on. It is with some sadness that I write candidates, this last newsletter as your Mayor. Issues Some of you will remember that I started the Mayor's Newsletter Voters may choose between nine shortly after being elected in 1975 candidates for three slots in this " because I felt the citizens needed an year's city election,but the voting opportunity to know what was hap- won't stop there. Races at the pening in our city and because many school district and state level will of the good things never made the also appear on the ballot. newspapers back then.This newslet- ter is a good example of how the city Early voting is being held at the Midway Recreation Center April has progressed. We now have apro- fessional to prepare most of the con- 12-27. The regular election is scheduled for Saturday, May 1 at tents in a much more readable form than it was in 1975. Bear Creek Elementary School or Dear Friends, Midway Recreation Center, de- 1 have tried to update some of the pending on the voter's designated Thank you, things started during my administra- precinct.Hours for early voting are FOR allowing me to serve as a mem- tion. I hope you will enjoy reading g a.m. to 5 p.m. with hours ex- ber of the Euless City Council for the this issue.Please know that ourphone tended to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.on April past 25 years,and number is still listed and if I can be of 24,26 and 27. Sunday voting will help in the future,feel free to call our be held 11 a.m.to 4 p.m. April 25. FOR electing good persons to serve home. Voting hours on election day,May along with me during all of those please remember to vote on May 1st. 1,are 7 a.m.to 7 p.m. years,and FOR supporting the Council when Appearing on the city part of the Our best personal regards, ballot are mayoral candidates Neal we had to make some tough and Adams, Glenn Walker and Mary sometimes unpopular decisions,and Lib Saleh. FOR allowing us to hire and retain ---T' employees with a high level of pro- Harold&Tommie Samuels fessionalism, many of whom will See page 2 serve you in the years ahead. Few things that I have done in life have brought more lasting joy than Inside... those which came about as a city *Arbor Daze'93--The Ultimate Free Family Festival begins council member during the past 25 April 23....page 3. years. I do believe this was the right time �r Mayor Samuels reflects on his tenure....pages 4-5. to decide against seeking re-election. *Historical Preservation Committee works to save city's history, The city is in good condition from memories...page 6. most standpoints and there are good Dallas Cowboy honored in Euless City Beat Cowboy fever has spared no one, includ- ing the Euless City What's news in Euless? Council members. February 23, 1993, ,> , : Li n Euless water fluoridated was proclaimed .• The Trinity River Authority Elliott Day in EulessbyMayorHaroldSam- (TRA) will add fluoride to the uels,pictured here with water supply for the cities of Eu- Lin Elliott,in honor of less, Bedford, North Richland the Dallas Cowboy Hills, Colleyville and Grapevine. kicker. Elliott lived in By adjusting the natural level of Euless during his fluoride in the water,a natural cav- childhood years and his aunt and uncle, Walter"Dub" and Iris Elliott, are ity fighter will go into the homes of long-time residents.Elliott, a rookie who graduated from Texas Tech Uni- all residents in an increasing effort versity in 1992,scored the most points of any Dallas Cowboy player during to protect against tooth decay.For the 1992 season. ■ more information on fluoride or the city's water supply, contact TRA at(817)467-4343. Election Cont d from page 1 DFW Airport to study ground access Place 2 candidates include incum- tribution of ad valorem taxes DFW Airport officials have re- bent Todd Smith and R.D.Sibilsky. for schools,authorizing the tained the services of an engineer- Place 4 candidates are Elmer A. legislature or local districts ing firm to study the airport's Knoll, Steve P. Overton, Charles to set a minimum tax rate in access on the ground for travelers. Miller,and Janice Griffin. county education districts, Navigating the roadways to the ter- The first item on the ballot is the and placing a cap on the ad minals,trying to get from the ter- U. S.senatorial seat. valorem tax levied by minals to the rental car facilities, Hurst-Euless-Bedford school dis- county education districts." traveling between terminals or waiting in line to pay parking fees School races appearing on the ballot are "The constitutional amend- can be inconvenient and frustrat- School Board Places 4, 6 and 7. ment exempting a school dis- ing. Airport officials hope to rec- Place 4 candidate r David Miller. trict from obligation to of the situation b finding P1ace6candidatesareGlenWhitley, y y g Lewis Lowe,R.K.Jain and Tommy comply with unfunded state alternatives to the current access Taylor. Place 7 candidates are educational mandates." plan. The expected completion Monte Stewart, Ron May and Billy "The constitutional amend- date for the study is December Arnold. 1993. ment authorizing the issu- Grapevine-Colleyville school dis- ance of$750 million in state DFW runway issue still trict races on the ballot are School general obligation or reve- unresolved Board Places 5, 6 and 7. Place 5 nue bonds to assist school candidates are Roy Stewart and districts in partially financ- The controversy over a proposed Carol Wollin. Place 6 candidates in facilities,authorizing the runway which would affect Euless are Jack Webre and Alan Linford. g g homeowners is still under scrutiny Place 7 candidates are Jeanne Hat- state to forgive payments of in the Texas Legislature where a field,Tommy Taylor,J. R. Zengler loans made to a school dis- proposed bill favoring the Airport and Pat Carlson. trict for partially financing has passed in the Senate,but is still Several state constitutional amend- facilities,and repealing the on the floor of the House. Look for ments will also appear on the ballot authorization for$750 mil- updates to the situation in future as written below: lion in state revenue bonds newsletters. ■ guaranteed by the permanent � The constitutional amend- school fund." ■ ment allowing limited redis- Arbor Daze ' 93 ❑The Ultimate Free Family Festival is bigger, better than ever The Metroplex's largest celebration one tree for every citizen in the city of the environment will be held on by the year 2000. Since 1980, over the Euless City Hall Complex lawn 10,000 trees have been planted. April 23-25 when Arbor Daze '93 Admission to the festival is free,but kicks off.This year's festival prom- visitors should be sure to bring along ises more fun for your money than a little extra money for refreshments ever before. and for the many items available for The Main Stage will feature con- sale. certs by recording artists such as Arbor Daze '93 will be held on the Vince Vance and the Valiants,Molly lawn of City Hall at the northwest and the Heymakers, Tish Hinojosa, corner of the Highway 183 frontage Trout Fishing in America and the road and Ector Drive. Free remote Dixie Chicks. In addition to the top parking will be offered at Trinity name music, visitors will be enter- High School,just west of the Arbor tained Friday night with nine min- Daze site on Highway 157. ■ utes of fireworks choreographed to music,at approximately 9 p.m. Arbor Daze '93 is brought to you by: This family-oriented festival truly KTXA Channel 21 Landmark Bank offers something for everyone, in- HEB Harris Hospital Fort Worth Star-Telegram cluding a children's area with carni- Storer Cable Omni-American Federal Credit val games,clowns,magic shows and Mid Cities News Union a petting zoo. Other attractions in- Dr Pepper Bottling Company Bank One clude a community stage with the of Texas Burns and Ricker finest local talent, an arts and crafts pavilion, an author's tent for local writers,a local business expo featur- Entertainment Schedule ing businesses from throughout the city and an array of food vendors to Friday,April 23 delight everyone. Trout Fishing in America 12-1 p.m. A "How to Grow" Lawn and Gar- The McGee Sisters 2 - 3:30 p.m. den Show will feature national and The Panhandlers 4:30- 5:30 p.m. local gardening experts in informa- tional seminars at the"Green Thumb Trout Fishing in America 6 -7:30 p.m. Theater." Visitors will also have a Vince Vance and the Valiants 8 - 11 p.m. chance to preview Euless businesses who cater to the gardener and pur- chase plants and gardening equip- The McGee Sisters 10:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. ment. Ruby Tuesday 1 - 2:30 p.m. The Euless Parks Department in Texas Legacy 3 - 4:30 p.m. conjunction with the HEB Rotary Club plans to give away $25,000 in Quazi and the Motos 5 - 6:30 p.m. trees to promote awareness in the Molly and the Heymakers 8 - 10 p.m. community of the importance of Sunday,April 25 trees. Proceeds from the event, which is The Shoppe 12 - 1:30 p.m. expected to draw 45,000 people,will Tish Hinojosa 2- 3:30 p.m. benefit the 1+1=2 Tree Program. Dixie Chicks 4:30- 6 p.m. The program's goal is to plant at least <'XX ' The Mayor remembers ❑`What was important in the beginning still hasn't changed' When his 25-year stint as council member and mayor comes to an end in May,Harold Samuels will look back fondly on the days of change he saw in Euless under his direction.While many aspects of the city have changed--popula- tion, services, issues--some still remain the same to Samuels. �-.. "What I felt back then and I feel it even more strongly today is that anyone living in a community over a period of years owes some- thing back to the community," Samuels said. "I had a stong de- - 3 sire to serve and I felt being on the council was one way to do that. I felt that I might be able to help our community." Mayor Samuels and Mazie Eden admire the memorial placed in a city Samuels decided not to seek re- park in honor of the late Bob Eden,a long-time city councilmember. election this May so that he may pursue other goals. Although he will no longer be mayor after the Sometimes the job of taking care election,Samuels said he will still of the citizens'needs hasn't been work to help the city in any way easy because of the difficult task he can. of budgeting,he said. When Samuels first joined the "The city is really no different - " City Council in 1965, the issues than a family," Samuels said. of importance were water and "There are always more needs sewer systems and the creation of and wants than there are funds, x$ the City Hall Complex. Samuels and someone has to be the mom said he was drawn to the public or the dad,or both,and make the arena at this time because he felt decision of what the family can he could make a difference. afford." "The citis reall Samuels said the job of provid- y y ing for the citizens over the past no different than a 25 years has been made easier by it the diligence of city employees. family. "I think our employees are one of "Fiscally,I'm very conservative the reasons that I've stayed as Tommie and Harold Samuels and I wanted to make sure we kept long as I have,"he said."They do prove they are inseparable,even the taxes as low as posssible but their job in a way to make the in injuries.This photo was taken at the same time that we did pro- citizens happy.If my phone rang after a more than adventurous vide services for our citizens," every night with some complaint ski trip. Samuels said. "That hasn't I would have hung it up a long changed over the years." time ago,but that's not the case. 51, '� exp Mayor Samuels reads a proclamation to Trinity Mayor Samuels speaks with Boy Scouts about city High School students before the football team travels government. to the state finals in 1992. Arlington Mayor Richard "I would like for people in years Greene and Mayor Samuels to come to look back and believe celebrated Trinity High that I had helped to make this a School's win over Arlington community in which their chil- with barbecue. dren could grow up and become happy, productive citizens," Samuels said. "I'd like for them to rememberthe city provided for "I would like for people in them an atmosphere to help them raise their family, to provide re- years to come to look back creational facilities and other • and believe that I had things for those families to do helped to make this a com- together. That more than any- munity in which their chil- thing is what I want them to re- dren could grow up and member." ■ become happy, productive citizens." Mayor Samuels enjoys a quiet I'd have to give our employees a moment before a City Council lot of credit for that." meeting. With a smile on his face, Sam- uels thinks back on his tenure to sum it up. Pictures of the Mayor with former Gov. Bill Clements, former Dallas Cowboy Roger Staubach and other personalities from his past will soon be gone from the walls of his office.The stacks of papers and budget books, the family photos on the back bookcase will soon disap- pear to make room for a new 7, mayor's belongings. XX ' 7>> Preserving city's history goal of committee, citizens Not too many people know how Euless got its name or what life was like in this town before City Hall replaced a dairy farm and a two-story school house blossomed into an entire school district. With a little bit of luck and a whole lot of searching,one group of . citizens hopes to change all of that. The Euless Historical Preservation Committee, a ' council-appointed group of citizens, was created in =' October 1992 to collect the memories of the city and " preserve them for future generations. "I think it's a really worthwhile thing because without a committee like this, we would lose the history of Euless," said Diana Crawford,the committee's chair- woman.Crawford said the members of the committee " were concerned about preserving the city's history for future generations but also for their own families. "Most of the members have an interest in seeing the city's history preserved because that's their family's history as well," Crawford said. "The majority of the x committee members belong to families who have been in Euless since the beginning.Many of their relatives have streets in the city named after them." The committee has come up with several projects for Visitors at the South Euless Elementary School view the next year to reach its goal of preserving the city's the original cornerstone,now set in front of the shcool history.First,the committee plans to develop a history as a reminder of the community's history. of the city through maps depicting the community in the 1800s and 1900s as well as creating a pictorial file of Euless from long ago and current years. The Historical Preservation Committee was created Second,the committee will maintain a booth at Arbor by the Council afterconcerns were raised about several Daze'93 to display the maps of Euless.The group will historical sites in the city that faced possible destruc- also hold a birthday party for the Old Iron Bridge this tion. year to celebrate its 103 rd birthday. "We wanted to save some of these historical land- The committee also hopes to collect tape-recorded marks, but we had to learn more about them." said interviews and transcripts with long-time residents. Mayor Pro Tem Mary Lib Saleh. "It's very time-con- Other projects include collecting information on city suming for the Council to do the groundwork on these churches and creating an archive collection for the sorts of things, so we came up with the committee." Tarrant County Historical Association. Saleh said the committee has been an enormous suc- Although the city was not directly linked to the cor- cess because of the people who are serving on it. nerstone setting at South Euless Elementary School They've taken to it like a duck to water,"she said. last month when the 80-year-old original cornerstone was dedicated at the school,the event was an important The Historical Preservation Committee meets at 10 one in the move to recognize and preserve the a.m.on the second Monday of every month at the City community's history,Crawford said. Hall Complex. For information on this committee or "There are a lot of older citizens in this city who any other committee,board or commission,contact the remember the way things were,and our job is to record City Secretary's Office at(817)685-1434. ■ their memories before it's too late and those memories are lost forever,"Crawford said. Donations help improve quality of Nominations community accepted for Have you ever wondered how the city commissions orientations and other student volun- got funding for trees and other beauti- projects appropriated by the Council. fication supplies? Or how the city The 1+1=2 Program's goal is to plant teer award could pay for extra workers in the at least one tree for every citizen in the library during summer months? Citi- city by the year 2000. Since 1980, The Larry Lee Gafford Hu- zens make these extras possible, but over 10,000 trees have been planted. manitarian Award was estab- it's not through tax dollars. Approximately 30 percent of all lished in 1978,and each year a By donating 50 cents a month, citi- water bill customers contribute to the student at Trinity High School zens of Euless have helped to improve fund by making a 50-cent donation is selected and honored at grad- the community in many ways. The each month.These contributions go to uation exercises for his or her Community Betterment Fund, which fund projects that could not be funded unselfish contribution toward is funded solely through citizens' do- out of the general fund. humanitarianism for the past nations on their monthly water bill,is Last year, community betterment year. used to fund citizens'requests,such as fund donations totaled $27,220. The To nominate a graduating se- beautification, library assistance, money funded mostly projects re- mor who is attending Trinity playground equipment and other im- High School for the award quested by citizens.Since the program provements to the community and the began in 1978, over $275,000 has please state in writing a brief quality of life. been donated by citizens who wished description of the volunteer Community betterment funding usu- to improve the quality of life in Euless. work he or she has done or name ally totals about $30,000 each year. The majority of those funds have been a person he or she has helped Since the beginning of the fiscal year spent on beautification,playgrounds, and where this work was Per- in October 1992,the citizens have do- a traffic signal near Trinity High formed. The letter should be nated $12,663. The city has spent School on Highway 157, and recrea- sent by May 1, 1993 to : B.J. $6,771 of that money on programs tional facilities, including the Senior Murray,Principal,Trinity High such as the 1+1=2 Tree Program, the Citizens Center. ■ School,500 Industrial Blvd., Christmas Tree Lighting, boards and Euless,TX 766 039. ■ El Business Town Illegal dumping hconsequences Hall Meeting Held g p gas About 100 local business own- The problem of illegal dumping is a this garbage to be hauled away at ers and managers gathered at the growing concern for our city,and it their own expense. Midway Recreation Center carries serious consequences many The Police Department will step up March 25 to meet with city offi- of the perpetrators may not realize. patrolling in problem areas and issue cials and other business leaders. Dumping household garbage or citations to anyone found illegally The meeting was an opportunity large furniture or appliances has dumping in commercial dumpsters. for local businesses to learn been a special problem lately for our The fine for such an offense could about the city and how they business community. reach as high as$2,000.This is quite could give or receive informa- Business owners or managers are a high price to pay when City Gar- tion from the city.The Office of often greeted on Monday mornings bage will pick up these items at the Economic Development was with trash bags, furniture and other curb at no extra charge, provided pleased with the turnout and par- debris clustered around or inside the citizen contacts City Garbage at ticipation. Updates were pre- their private dumpsters. While the (817)283-3092. sented to those present on problem may not sound substantial, Citizens are encouraged to bring highway construction,the local this is a nuisance and a financial bur- tree limbs to the Convenience Center business climate,school district den on businesses who must pay for to be chipped,but can also be picked and Chamber of Commerce ac- tivities. ■ up curbside,if bundled. 0 City of Euless Phone List The Mayor's Newsletter is a publication of the City of Euless,printed on a quarterly basis of as a supple- Emergency 911 menu to the Leisure Times magazine. Police Department(non-emergency)685-1500 Mayor Fire Department(non-emergency) 685-1600 Harold Samuels Animal Shelter 685-1592 City Council Marg Lib Saleh, Mayor Pro Tem..: Building Permits/Inspections 685-1622 Bobby Balser City Manager 685-1420 Drank Douglass City Secretary 685-1434 Todd Smith Municipal Court 685-1460 Peter Stales Henry Boa.tright Finance 685-1430 City Manager Fire Marshal 685-1635 "Tom Hart Job Line 685-1450 Assistant City Manager Library 685-1480 H. Kay Godbey Midway Recreation Center 685-1666 City Secretary Parks and Community Services 685-1660 Susan Criiii Personnel 685-1450 Editor/Photographer Planning and Development 685-1630 Katherine Thompson,Public Infortnation Officer Recycling Hotline 685-1825 Desktop/Layout/Graphics Becky Null,Administrative Secretary Streets/Utilities 685-1580 Water Office 685-1470 T H E :<: c i T v o F BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID EULESS,TX 76039 PERMIT NO. 28 ® 201 N. Ector Drive, Euless, Texas 76039 Printed on Recycled Paper