CITY MANAGER’S WEEKLY UPDATE
For the week of:
February 3, 2008
City Council Approves Residency Restrictions for Registered Sex Offenders
The Lewisville City Council on Monday, January 28 approved an ordinance that prohibits some registered sex offenders from living within 1,500 feet of schools, daycares, playgrounds and other public places where children routinely gather. The measure bans registered sex offenders whose victims were minors at the time of the offense from living in about 90 percent of the residential property in Lewisville. It will not apply retroactively to registered offenders already living in Lewisville. The council approved the measure by a 4-1 vote. It will take affect on Feb. 9, after required newspaper notices are published.
The state currently prohibits registered sex offenders from living with 1,000 feet of children's gathering places while the offenders are on parole or probation, but that state requirement goes away when the probation or parole period ends. The city's restriction takes effect at the end of the probation or parole period and extends throughout the state-mandated registration for offenders whose victim was under 17 years old. At least 36 other North Texas cities have local restrictions, ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 feet. The Texas Attorney General's office issued an opinion in March 2007 stating that local cities are authorized to set their own residency restrictions for registered sex offenders.
There currently are 73 registered sex offenders among the city's 92,000 residents, roughly the same number as were registered a year ago. Of those, 56 committed violations against minors. Four of the five cities bordering Lewisville already have local restrictions in place -- Carrollton, Coppell, Flower Mound and The Colony. The City Council also unanimously approved a resolution urging the Texas Legislature to enact a uniform law to extend residency restrictions statewide for registered sex offenders whose victim was a minor at the time of the offense.
Conferences Scheduled at Convention Center
In June 2006, eight weeks before the Hilton Garden Inn and Convention Center opened its doors, the Lewisville CVB arranged a site visit by two meeting planners with the Texas Municipal League. Both planners were impressed by the facility and requested several proposals for future meetings. Two events now have been formally booked in Lewisville through TML -- the Municipal Technology Summit IV will be held Sept. 11-12 of this year, and the Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers will hold its annual conference here on June 18-19, 2009. Both CVB staff and the convention center sales office have worked very closely with TML planners, and we hope to become a regular host site for future league and affiliate events.
Law Enforcement Center Construction Update
Construction of the Steve H. McFadden Law Enforcement Center began December 13, 2007, and is projected to be completed approximately August 1. Workers have been on-site daily since construction began and expect to complete the excavation and dirt work next week. Site utility work is also projected to be completed next week. This will allow for some of the excavated parking area to be restored, creating more parking availability. The next phase of the project is preparation for, then pouring of the building slab. This portion of the project is expected to procede through March.
The law enforcement center was designed by Kenneth Burns of Burns Architecture, Inc. Construction management is by Ridgemont Commercial Construction.
New Radio System
Users of the City of Lewisville radio system will begin operating on a two site simulcast radio system Tuesday (Feb. 5). A Motorola project team began work to construct the simulcast system in March 2007. Prior to completion of the simulcast project, radios received their signals from equipment located at Pinnacle Tower on Round Grove Road. Tower sites at Jones Street and Rockledge Park in Grapevine will now be used. Dual tower operation is expected to improve reception, provide better coverage and reduce busy signals for users. Now, when a radio is keyed up to transmit, the radio signal will poll both tower sites, and receive its signal from the tower providing the strongest signal.
Users of portable and mobile radios should not notice a change in service during the cutover period at approximately 8:00 a.m. Tuesday. At worst, there may be a dropped transmission, but the window for this happening is approximately one minute. Radio users whose transmissions are dropped should try to immediately retransmit.
Users of the City of Lewisville radio system include the City of Lewisville, Town of Flower Mound, City of Highland Village, City of Coppell, City of Lake Dallas, and Lake Cities Fire Department.
Library Conducting On-line Customer Service Survey
The Lewisville Public Library Board invites resident input regarding the library’s collection, technology services and programming as the Library Board develops a new five-year library strategic plan. A customer service survey has been posted on the library on-line catalog home page, http://library.cityoflewisville.com (click on “Take a Library Survey” in the upper right-hand corner under Library Info). Library visitors can access the survey by logging onto a library computer with a current library card and clicking on “Clink Here to Take Our Survey.” The survey will be available through Feb. 29.
FLW to Bring Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League to Lewisville Lake
FLW Outdoors will return to Lewisville Lake on March 8 to hold a one-day qualifying tournament in the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League series. Up to 400 anglers will split a total prize purse of $45,000 in the event. The Lewisville tournament will be the second of four one-day qualifiers held in the Texas-based “Cowboy Division” of the BFL, the nation’s most affordable, close-to-home weekend tournament circuit for bass anglers. The top 40 boaters and top 40 co-anglers in the division will qualify for a Regional Championship set for October on Lake Ouachita in Arkansas, where the top six finishers in each field will advance to the $1 million no-entry-fee 2009 All-American championship presented by Chevy. For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit www.FLWOutdoors.com or call 270.252.1000.
Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League – Cowboy Division
Feb. 16 Lake Whitney Lovers Bend Park, Hillsboro
March 8 Lewisville Lake Lewisville Lake Park, Lewisville
March 29 Lake Palestine Villages Marina, Flint
April 26 Richland Chambers Oak Cove Marina, Corsicana
Sept. 20-21 Lake Texoma Highport Marina, Denison
Oct. 23-25 Lake Ouachita Mountain Harbor Marina, Mount Ida, AR
Street and Sidewalk Repairs on Tiffany
The City of Lewisville Street Division has contracted with Hencie International, Inc., to perform street and sidewalk repairs on Tiffany Lane between Catalina Dr. and Edmonds Ln. Construction is scheduled to begin on Friday, February 1, 2008, and be completed by Monday, February 25, 2008, weather permitting.
Work is being performed in the areas listed below.
Use caution in these work zones.
Use caution in these work zones.
Street Repairs
Continuing street panel work on MacArthur from SH 121 to FM 3040
Continuing street panel work on Corporate Drive from SH 121 to I-35E
Street repairs on Laramie at San Antone
Crack sealing on south bound MacArthur
Street and sidewalk repairs on Tiffany Lane between Catalina Drive and Edmonds Lane
Sanitary Sewer Line and Manhole Repairs
Main line cleaning and video inspecting the sewer mains in the Meadow Lake Addition
Upcoming Events
February Meetings & Events
- February 4 City Council Meeting
February 5 Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting
February 6 Zoning Board of Adjustment Meeting
February 7-9 City Council Retreat
February 9 Lewisville Second Saturday Collection Day
February 11 Old Town Design Review Committee Meeting
February 13 Park Board Meeting-CANCELLED
February 18 City Council Meeting
February 19 CDBG Meeting
February 19 Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting
February 20 Library Board Meeting
February 25 Old Town Design Review Committee Meeting
March Meetings & Events
- March 3 City Council Meeting
March 4 Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting
March 5 Zoning Board of Adjustment Meeting
March 8 Second Saturday Collection Day
March 10 Old Town Design Review Committee Meeting
March 12 Park Board Meeting
March 17 City Council Meeting
March 18 CDBG Meeting
March 18 Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting
March 19 Library Board Meeting
March 24 Old Town Design Review Committee Meeting
