HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-08-06 Euless Articles DISTRIBUTED TO: PAGE / O /
MAYOR CITY CNCL CITY ATT'\Y CRIM .1VICKAMIE BROWN YOUNG ANIMAL CNTR
.tiMcDONALD COLLINS C. BARKER GETCHELL LIBRARYADMIN LIBRARY REF HARTSELL
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ti Tarrant County,Texas,
3 .' Judge B.Glen Whitley
overcomes roadblocks
to create consensus
Ea
,t
I
IrnoSl everone in Tarrant County.Tei t5associates
Counts Judge I3.Glen AV"hide\ \\jilt his success in
bringing together the diverse forces in North Te< as
to make possible the S2.1 billion North"[arrant.
1... Express,a public'prryale partnership that is expected
to transform transportation in the North Texas area.
But.\\hidev says that the community response to the Hurricane Katrina
disaster is a better indicator of his philosophy of governing.
Mille time a'I'arr.ant County commissioner,A\hit let saw how his Fort
�( \\or th-area community pulled together resources to help the flood of
\�g�\5���e e relttgcesthat caloefrortAetvOrleans after the dcvastatingstorm hit in
i. tee'vU a Sec 0 ��\C�e August 2005.-'\V'e took in a lot of folks and sheltered them."he recalls.
�xfsle �e \e'O 0� -.people around here were most upset that we couldn't t use all ol'the help 1
��bAe-c v tCO' \ud�e Qyez, that thev \\ere offering. Folks want to help. It teas our responsibility to
t. ��a AC 0.0
\cy$ -cQyas,�e,�e�(n find something fi,r 1 hem to do.-
tow
0�� 0 tvj,bra 0 Marshaling forces to meet the broad needs ofthe community is
c. \���, at,(1 ��� a central tenet of\\hitley's philosophy. Since he%%as elected to his
-a a� a ��te(e tint four-Nearternr as Comity Judge in Tarrant County in 200(i,
ow CCe •�cc\tag his eytraordjnam ability to unite the often colliding political louses
COQ ,a\,0% in a burgeoning North"texas region has brought hint accolades for
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MAYOR CITY CNCL CITY ATTNY GRIM MCKAMIE BROWN YOUNG ANIMAL CNTR
McDONALD COLLINS C. BARKER GETCHELL LIBRARY ADMIN LIBRARY REF HART ELL
�J
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achievements that had eluded his predecessors for decades, private sector funds to supplement public participation to
especially the transformational North Tarrant Express cover the S2.4 billion cost.Moreover,the proposal meets
project.For his visionary leadership and his ability to unite the complaints of conservative Texas voters who resisted the 1
otherwise warring parties to better the Fort Worth region, idea of pacing tolls on top of taxes by combining expanded
American City and County has named Whitley its County free lanes with new managed lanes.Motorists who want to
Leader of the Year in 2010.
pay for faster travel can jump on managed toll lanes,while
A LEADER FOR ALL SEASONS cost-conscious motorists can drive on the free lanes.A I
Spanish company won the bid for the project,agreeing to
"Glen has been a leader on so many issues,"says Gary cover two-thirds of the construction cost while receiving the
Fickes,a Tarrant County commissioner,who inherited revenue from the managed lanes in return.
Whitley's seat when he became county judge."He comes tip The once stalled project,which breaks ground in late
with the right solution at the right time on the right issues. 2010 and is scheduled for completion by 2015,will expand
I'm amazed at the things he has been able to accomplish." the existing four lanes to six main lanes,add four toll- 1
For many leaders in the area,Whitley's role in finding a managed lanes,plus frontage roads and auxiliary lanes to
financial solution that hts given life to the North Tarrant approximately double the existing capacity.The public
Express is a signal achievement that alone merits his private partnership uses two-thirds private funds with
accolade.Others cite his achievements in a variety of one-third public funds to complete the 13-mile corridor in
initiatives,ranging from an overhaul of the mental health five years."Glen was able to cobble together many different
system to resolving small inter-departmental issues that projects into one project,"says Russell Laughlin,senior
hinder government productivity. vice president of Hillwood Properties and Texas Alliance, 1
Above all,they say,Whitley's ability to bring together a major developer in the North Texas area."He gathered
diverse groups to resolve issues is the hallmark of his environmental and political support and used his contacts
leadership style,sorting out the issues,listening to all points in the world of transportation.He's an unyielding advocate
of view,yet insisting,in the end,that a solution must be1
for roadway project funding."
identified and rallied around."He's very persistent in his
Whitley is creative in meeting the needs for expanding
the nation's infrastructure at a time of increasingly limited
listening methods,"says North Richland Hills Mayor Oscar 1
Trevino."He lets people discuss their positions.He doesn't
public financial resources,says Maribel Chavez,district
engineer for the Texas Department of Transportation."At
make up his mind until all questions are answered.Then, the end of the day,there are limited public dollars,"she
he works with everybody to find commonalities.He's a very
" says."He knows how to maximize these public dollars,be
good consensus builder. aggressive,use innovative strategies,lead the effort to utilize I
No project owes more of its progress to Whitley than the
whatever tools that are available to us."
North Tarrant Express,parts of which had been on the Chavez explains that the managed lanes idea takes the
books for 30 years before leaders finally assembled funding now-common idea of high-occupancy vehicle(HOY)lanes 1
to allow the massive highway expansion and reconstruction
a step farther.Instead of an often-vacant lane only for
initiative to break ground.While a broad consensus had vehicles with multiple passengers,managed lanes are open
concluded that the choked transportation system had to be to any motorist willing to pay for a guaranteed,reliable 1
revamped,no one could work out a politically acceptable trip — at 50 miles per hour.Whitley says that solutions
means to pay for it. that include benefits for all parties are essential to his
PLAN political philosophy of using available resources,finding
`V TI"1'LEY BUILDS A VIABLE where government works best but not ruling out private1
Whitley knew that leaders for a generation had pushed
contributions,and organizing people for the optimum
the idea of the North Tarrant Express as a vital piece of results."It's all about collaboration,"he says."Sit down and
infrastructure to feed the economic engine in the North
Texas area.The Metroplex,which also includes Dallas and work to accomplish what needs to be accomplished."
Arlington,is the nation's fourth-largest region with 6.5
million people and is expected to grow by another 1 million
people every decade until 2040.Motorists and businesses
alike complain about clogged roads,a situation that
threatens economic development.
Whitley's North Tarrant Express plan involved obtaining 1
1
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MAYOR CITY CNCL CITY ATTNY GRIM MCKAMIE BROWN YOUNG ANIMAL CNTR
McDONALD COLLINS C. BARKER GETCHELL LIBRARY ADMIN / LIBRARY REF HARTSELL l
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i_ F-1CI\(7 PROBLEMS ITH
A BUSINESS.APPRO..ACII •
Whitley came to politics after building a highly successful ft
Laccounting practice in the Fort Worth and Dallas area. sAf...
He was elected Tarrant County commissioner in 1996, ,� .4; /
representing the northeast portion of the county,and then _
Tarrant County judge in 2006,which in Texas serves as !
the county executive and presides over the Tarrant County_
Commissioners Court.He is unopposed for re-election in ( f
November for a second,four-year term. a i
.� Whitley agrees with others who cite his business
experience as an asset for drawing together the diverse r i�` '
forces for successful public projects."The financial J _ -' ;;-.; . i
I
L background helps,"he says."It gives some folks comfort.I -- .. • 4- , f
understand the importance of keeping business going,and �� y j
Its_
we're not just looking to raise additional revenue." +n1/► j
L He also acknowledges those who point to his political . ` F- ": ,-.A.-`
gilAir
skills."It's a matter of making sure that everybody 4, - ,..4 9.,•— "a 4
istpunderstands the problem and that it needs a solution,"
'he says."Everybody has to be included in the process.If t �.:l� ' ,-:
L everyone feels they've been included,it dilutes some of the � j1"'•
opposition that they might have." �i
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L To Whitley,the key reality is the nation's transportation _? r
system is failing,falling behind in maintaining what already 4
exists,much less expanding to meet growing needs."Our �,
i crumbling infrastructure is a problem,"he says,noting
L that the dependence on per-gallon-gasoline excise taxes ecaa '
no longer works when government is simultaneously
pushing for fuel efficiency."The whole funding system is ':
•
L antiquated."
He believes part of the solution can be found in local .
option transportation bond issues,which he strongly,
L but unsuccessfully,lobbied for in the state legislature.He
promises he will be back in the next legislature to gain
passage of the funding mechanism,which he believes is
targeted enough to avoid the``big government"label."We
Lhave to go back and convince folks that transportation is a
..,_ .
,„•:.,, q
problem,and the legislature needs to fix it."he says. -"
Whitley points to another major transportation issue E A '
Ac
L that is high on his agenda.The so-called Tower 53 is the
ground-level intersection of two major railroad lines — .;
the Burlington Northern and the Union Pacific— that `
0
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McDONALD COLLINS C BARKER GETCHELL LIBRARY ADMIN LIBRARY REF HART ELL
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is a bottleneck tying up freight traffic,automobiles and away:'Let us work,and we'll bring it back to you,'"he says.
commuter lines."Until this issue is solved,we can't begin (hie of his colleagues pointed to RVhitley's tenure as chair
to move forward on commuter rail,"he says,referring to of the rnetrtmpolitan transportation consortium,when he
another project on his docket that is critical to his push for not only pushed for his own projects but was just as devoted
better air quality. to a critical project on the opposite end of the\Fetroplex.
The emphasis on public works projects may seem «'Ititlev acknowledges that he took the broader view rather
strange coming from a self-described fiscal conservative in than just advocating for his own parochial projects."I was
a very conservative area.Yet,he does not see his passion try ing to stress that we all needed to leave our local hat
for improvements as a commitment to"big government." at the door,"lie says."We needed to adopt the mindset of 1
"Every day,I worry about improving the effectiveness and what's best fior the\Iettoplex. It's all about collaboration:'
efficiency with the taxpayer dollar,"he says."Government is Whitley ley plans to take his philosophy of collaboration
not the solution to every problem." to the national scene,when this month he becomes the
Instead,he sees government as the agent fi)r marshaling president of the National Association of Counties. lie wants
the energy of residents."It's not just government,"he says. to highlight the critical role played by counties in peoples'
"It's faith-based organizations. It's nonprofits through lives — from public health.public safety to the courts.
volunteers.There's a volunteer spirit throughout the "That's going to be my initiative for the year."he says."Raise
country.The big challenge is finding a way to channel it." the public's awareness of the county go%eruntenl role."
He is particularly proud of efforts to improve mental health Flukes.the count commissioner who has known Whitley
and assist the disabled by working with churches. for 20 v cars,says that 14 hit ley once told him that he left
In terms of his management style,he models himself one of t be largest independent(:P1 practices in the state
after Ronald Reagan."I le went out anti got the best people because he wanted to make a diflerencr.in the lives of the
around."he says."I'nt never afraid of change,always willing community."Glen has been a leader on so many issues," —7
to listen to new ideas.You just have to lied the right way to Fickes says.-Whenever I lime to introduce him,I always say
do it." he's time best county judge in Texas."
Fie admits,though,that his biggest asset,his accounting
background,is also his biggest fault."I know I spend too
much time in the details,"he says."1h staff tells me to go Robert Barkin is a Bethesda,.1ld-based freelance twi[er.
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MAYOR CITY CNCL CITY ATTNY CRIM .1,1CK4MIE BROWN YOUNG ANIMAL CNTR
,NcDONALD COLLINSG / C. BARKER GETCHELL LIBRARYADMLN LIBRARY REF HARTSELL
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Euless softball complex upgrade among projects criticized by senators
Tuesday,August 3,2010
TOM BENNING/The Dallas Morning News tbenning@dallasnews.com
WASHINGTON — A softball complex in Euless doesn't seem a likely battleground for sparring
between the White House and two Republican senators.
So imagine City Manager Gary McKamie's shock when he learned Tuesday that his city's plan to
use $454,000 in federal money to replace the lighting at Softball World was a pawn in partisan
battles over President Barack Obama's economic stimulus plan.
"I'm a little surprised out of all the projects nationwide that this one would be singled out," he
said when a reporter informed him that the project was on the senators' list of "wasteful" or
"mismanaged" stimulus spending. "On a local basis, there is a tremendous need for the project."
Republican Sens. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and John McCain of Arizona called out the Euless
project—along with 99 others across the country— in a report released Tuesday.
The softball upgrade, which will replace old lights with new, energy-efficient ones, is estimated
to create or save 2.8 jobs. That apparently didn't impress McCain and Coburn.
"One would think that the teams using the fields should just pay higher fees for the light
renovations instead of the American taxpayer, most of whom will never see Euless, Texas, no
matter how bright the new lights are," the senators wrote.
In Washington, Democrats quickly pushed back on McCain and Coburn's 74-page tome.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said the report was "much more to do with politics."
Asked if it was credible, Gibbs responded, "From what I've read, no."
In Euless, officials were a bit flummoxed by the attention. McKamie said lighting upgrades are
long overdue at the city's Softball World complex, and the city was looking to change the lights
in the next two to three years anyway.
When federal grants became available, it seemed logical to pursue them. McKamie said.
"For those who participate out there—and community-wide—the complex is very important," he
said.
Softball World has 10 fields, and the lights will be changed at four of them. McKamie said. The
project is currently under design, and it is expected to be completed within a year, he said.
McKamie said the estimate of 2.8 jobs saved or retained was calculated by the Energy
Department, not the city, though he couldn't predict how accurate that would turn out to be.
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"Our project met the criteria that was specified by the Department of Energy," he said. "Whether
that criteria is good or bad, I couldn't be a judge of that."
Several other Texas stimulus projects made the senators' list, including: a combined $194,000 for
the University of Texas at Dallas and Rice University to study people's perceptions of the
stimulus and nearly $300,000 for the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio to study the
weather on Venus.
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.MAYOR CITY CNCL CITYATTNY CRIM MCKAMIE BROWN YOUNG ANIMAL CNT
AkDONALD COLLINS C. BARKER GETCHELL LIBRARY ADMIN
LIBRARY REF HARTSELL
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Arlington man killed in Euless crash
_ Tuesday, Aug. 03, 2010 ramirez@star-telegram.com
An Arlington man was killed early Tuesday after his sport utility vehicle slammed into a
utility pole on a Euless street, Euless police said Tuesday.
The Tarrant County medical examiner's office identified the victim as Coby Rogers, 34,
who was pronounced dead at the scene. He died from traumatic asphyxia and his death
was ruled an accident, according to the Tarrant County medical examiner's office.
The accident happened shortly before 3:30 a.m. Tuesday in the 1700 block of S.
Pipeline Road in Euless.
The motorist was driving a 2004 Ford Explorer at a high rate of speed when his vehicle
hit a curb, left the roadway and hit the pole, police said Tuesday.
No one else was in the vehicle at the time of the accident.
Domingo Ramirez Jr., 817-390-7763
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MAYOR CITY CNCL CITY ATTVY CRIM MCK4MIE BROW'.V YOUNG ANIMAL CNT —
McDONALD COLLINS C. BARKER GETCHELL LIBRARY ADMIN LIBRARY REF HARTSELL
DATE DISTRIBUTEDI ' I / 0 DATE OF ARTICLE ' / / (D NEWSPAPER FWST —
Julia Terry Wakeley
•
f
1 -
EULESS— Julia Terry Wa-
keley, 74, an amazing woman
who went by many names --
'she
-'she enjoyed being called "In-
/credible Julia," lovingly known
as "Red," "Sister," "GG" and
"Grandmom,"and preferred to
be addressed as "Grandmoth-
er-dear"--passed away peace-
fully Sunday,Aug.1,2010.
MEMORIAL SERVICE: 2
p.m.Thursday at Martin United —
Methodist Church, 2621 Bed-
ford Road,Bedford.
MEMORIALS: Memorials
may be made to Martin United –_
Methodist Church or the Julia
Wakeley Scholarship Fund at .
UNT, 1155 Union Circle,
#311337,Denton,Texas 76203.
Julia was born Dec. 14, '-
1935,in Trent.She retired after
34 years with the city of Euless
as parks and recreation manag-
er, and was instrumental in —
founding many activities, ser-
vices and sports for the H-E-B
area.On April 4,1998,she was
the first woman to be inducted
to the H-E-B Sports Hall of
Fame. Julia graduated at the
age of 48 from the University of
North Texas.
SURVIVORS:Husband of 55 —
years, Pete Wakeley; children,
Terry Reynolds and husband,
Paul, Kelly Esposito and hus-
band, Marty, Casey Jutras and
Dirk Wakeley; 14 grandchil-
dren;four great-grandchildren;
sister,Sarah Gladden;and ma-
ny other relatives and friends.
Mount Olivet Funeral Home —
2301 N.Sylvania Ave.,817-831-0511
View and sign guestbook at
wwwstar-telegram.com/obituaries
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Stash Wrzesinski
FORT WORTH —
"� Stash Wrzesinski,
87, passed away
;; Monday, Aug. 2,
2010.
SERVICE 10 a.m. Friday at
St. Andrew Catholic Church,
3717 Stadium Drive, Fort
Worth. Interment: Laurel Land
Memorial Park.Visitation:6 to
8 p.m.Thursday at Laurel Land
Funeral Home of Fort Worth,
with a vigil at 7.
MEMORIALS: Felician Sis-
ters Convent, 4210 Meadow-
lark Lane, Rio Rancho, N.M. I
87124.
Stash was born April 2,
1923, in Bremond to Nicholas
and Josephine Wrzesinski,the
fourth of 10 children.As a child,
Stash worked on his family's
farm and was later drafted into
the U.S.Navy in 1945.He mar-
ried Vickie Wilganowski on Jan.
21,1947,and they had five chil-
dren.
Stash moved to Fort Worth
with his family in 1955.He sup-
ported his family by working
numerous jobs and retired of-
- ter 25 years of service as main-
tenance manager at St.Francis
Village in Benbrook.
Stash made a hobby of fix-
ing things for his family and
making sure that they were all
taken care of.His favorite pas-
times were watching the Dal-
las Cowboys and "Gunsmoke"
Paul a,1z� siaki_ is an and listening to polka music.
Stash was preceded in
employee in our. Public death by his parents;brothers,
Works De,artment, Albert, Roman, John and Si-
mon; and sisters, Sister Mary
Amidea and Sister Josetta.
SURVIVORS: Wife of 64
years, Vickie Wrzesinski; chil-
dren, Stan and wife, Jacque,
Pattie Sacco, Mike, Paul and
wife, Sharon, and Mark; 10
grandchildren; three great-
grandchildren;brother,Ted;and
sisters,Julia Lehoski and Mary
Johnston.
Laurel Land Funeral Home
7100 Crowley Road,817-293-1350
View and sign guestbaok at
wwwstar-tekgrxncam/obituaies
we
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MAYOR CITY CNCL CITY ATTNY CRIM MCKAMIE BROWN YOUNG ANIMAL CNT �+
McDONALD COLLINS C. BARKER GETCHELL LIBRARY ADMIN LIBRARY REF HARTSELL
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Jimmy L."Jack" Frost
. . .. ............ ..... .. .. .
't,z
.
as.
EULESS — Jimmy -'
Lynwood Frost,75,of
Euless passed away
peacefully Saturday,
July 31, 2010, at a hospital in
Bedford.
SERVICE 12:30 p.m. Friday
in Bluebonnet Hills Memorial
Chapel, 5725 Colleyville Blvd.,
Colleyville. Visitation: 10:30
a.m. Friday at the funeral
home.
He was born June 4, 1935,
to James Ellington Frost and
Myrtle Mary Mayo. He gradu-
ated from Seymour High
School in Seymour.Jack served
in the Army for nine months in
1956 and was honorably dis- —
charged. Jack married Frankie.
Dickenson Wallace.Their mar-
riage included five stepchild-
ren.He was a 32-year resident
of Euless and employed by the.
city of Euless as a crossing
guard for 14 years.Jack was a
member of Sherwood Park
Baptist Church in Irving.He en-
joyed traveling with his wife
and siblings and collected many
keepsakes during those trips.
He was predeceased by his
wife, Frankie Dickenson Wal-
lace Frost; one stepdaughter,
Teresa Wallace Byers; and
three brothers, J.W. Frost,
James Frost and Norris Frost. —
SURVIVORS:Children,Don-
ita Bowers and husband, Neil,
Danny Wallace, Troy Wallace
and wife, Mary,and Leah Ford
and husband, David;grandchil-
dren Shannon Shaddock, Eric
Byers and Delaney Ford;great-
grandchild, Zachary Shaddock;
sisters,Thelma Potter,Glynda-
lin Manfredi and Edythe Rippy;
brothers, Floyd Frost and Bob
Frost;and his loving friend and
caregiver,JoAna Bustamante..
Bluebonnet Hills Funeral Home
Colleyville,817-498-5894
View and sign guestbook at.
wwwstar-teIegram.com/obituaries