Coppell Chronicle Vol. 2, No. 18
Historical Society Aims to Open Museum • This Puts the ‘Farm’ in Blackberry Farm • Plan for Fry’s Site Gets Short-Circuited • A Lifelong Love Affair With Soccer
Howdy, folks! If this is the first time you’ve heard from me in June, then you missed articles such as these:
If you haven’t paid the low, low price of $30 annually for a weekly subscription, let’s remedy that right now.
Historical Society Aims to Open Museum
The Coppell Historical Society wants to turn Heritage Park into a full-fledged museum, but the group is going to need an infusion of cash from the city first.
The Historical Society was one of several service organizations that explained their annual funding requests to the City Council during a June 16 workshop. For the past few years, the council has allocated $10,000 to the society. This year, however, the group is asking for quite a lot more: $107,197.
Historical Society President Chris Long said her group needs that much money so they can hire a full-time staffer to manage the museum.
“While our volunteers are wonderful, we don’t have anyone that wants to sit over in the park for 30 hours a week,” said the wife of Council Member Cliff Long, who recused himself from the June 16 discussion.
If the council grants the society’s request, Chris Long said, the newly hired manager’s first priority would be securing museum status from the Texas Historical Commission, which would open up all sorts of fundraising opportunities. In response to a question from Council Member Don Carroll, Long said that status could be achieved within a couple of months, because the society’s volunteers have been laying the groundwork for more than a year. She said they’ve been busy cataloging their collection of historical items.
Once the museum is officially created, Long said, the manager’s second priority would be raising money, with a goal of becoming self-sustaining within two or three years. In response to that, Council Member John Jun asked whether the council should expect another $107,000 request a year from now. Long said she hopes not, if everything goes according to plan.
In 1999, the Texas Historical Commission published a study called “Economic Impact of Historic Preservation in Texas.” The study, which was updated in 2015, said there are more 700 history museums across the state, and even the ones in the smallest communities draw thousands of visitors each year. If a few thousand people paid an admission fee to visit a Coppell history museum, and most of them purchased Coppell-branded merchandise in Heritage Park’s vintage Minyard’s store, then the Historical Society might not need $107,000 one year from now as they continue down the path to self-sufficiency.
“What we have that no one else has is that vintage store,” Long said. “That is a big deal.”
Another big deal that was briefly discussed during the June 16 workshop was the Murph house. As reported in the April 17 edition, Historical Society members Jean and Dave Murph have offered to donate their home at 532 South Coppell Road to the city and move it to Heritage Park, if the city will pay for establishing sewer and water service at the new site. The thought was that the Murph house could become a visitors’ center for Heritage Park, but Long said it could be a stopgap visitors’ center for Coppell as a whole.
As you may recall from the Jan. 2 edition, the council agreed to spend about $160,000 on a marketing plan for the city that will be facilitated by the Coppell Chamber of Commerce. Ellie Braxton, the chamber’s president and CEO, said her long-term goal is to open a Coppell visitors’ center. Until that happens, Long said, the visitors’ center in Heritage Park could promote the entire city.
“When she’s ready to do whatever she’s ready to do,” Long said of Braxton, “we certainly will bow out of that, but right now we have nothing.”
The City Council has not decided on the historical society’s $107,000 request, nor has it decided whether to accept the Murphs’ offer. During the council’s June 14 meeting, Parks and Recreation Director Jessica Carpenter said the city would incur $149,000 in one-time costs by rooting the house at Heritage Park, and maintaining the house after the move would cost $11,500 annually. But Carpenter also told the council her staff had discovered conflicting information about the house’s age. The Dallas Central Appraisal District indicates it was built in 1905, but Carpenter said it may date to the 1940s. That led to comments about whether the house is historically significant or just older than most Coppell homes.
At least one council member, Carroll, was expecting to hear more about the house’s age during the June 16 workshop, as was this reporter, thereby proving that bald minds think alike. Alas, the house’s age was not mentioned during Long’s lengthy presentation, which detailed all the activities the Historical Society has accomplished without a full-time staff. Jun joked that she said more during that workshop than her husband has said in the past 30 years. Long didn’t seem surprised by that remark.
“I talk a lot,” she said. “And I’m loud.”
This Puts the ‘Farm’ in Blackberry Farm
I don’t know who owns the fanciest homestead in Coppell, but Terry Holmes may soon be a contender for that honor.
Holmes is the developer of the long-gestating Blackberry Farm subdivision along Sandy Lake Road. He’s been planning this development since 1999, but dirt didn’t start moving on the site until last summer. This month, the Coppell Planning and Zoning Commission considered a multipart request from Holmes to amend Blackberry Farm’s zoning.
Many of the amendments concern a combined lot where Holmes plans to build his own home, which will be anywhere between 4,000 and 8,000 square feet, plus these accessory structures:
A 1,700-square-foot home for his parents that will have its own bathroom, kitchen, porch, and garage
Two barns, one of which will function as a workshop
An aviary
A windmill
A pool cabana
Each of those accessory structures would be allowed to have a restroom and/or a sink, which leads us to another aspect of Holmes’ request: Each cabana within Blackberry Farm could have a restroom by right.
Here’s another interesting part of the proposed zoning changes: The subdivision must comply with the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. That’s because a nest containing bald eagles was discovered when trees were being removed in preparation for construction. Coincidentally, the nest is on the combined lot where Holmes wants to build the palatial estate for his family. Click here to see where the nest fits within the revised site plan.
Animals are also mentioned in yet another section of Holmes’ request: He would be allowed to keep horse, cattle, sheep, goats, “or any other livestock” on his combined lot. Commission Chair Edmund Haas asked for an example of “other livestock,” and Holmes mentioned miniature llamas.
“If you haven’t ever seen one, they’re really cool,” Holmes said during the commission’s June 16 meeting. “It’s like a German shepherd but with long legs.”
The commission recommended approval of Holmes’ request, with only one significant change. He wanted to erect a “functioning” windmill that could generate enough electricity to power his home, but Holmes agreed to change that to a “decorative” windmill. Commissioner Jim Walker didn’t want to open up a whole can of worms and start seeing requests for functioning windmills all over Coppell.
All of Holmes’ requests are still subject to the City Council’s approval. A public hearing should be on the council’s July 12 agenda.
Plan for Fry’s Site Gets Short-Circuited
Although Coppell’s zoning commissioners were amenable to the idea of spreading one home over several lots, their Irving counterparts were hostile to the idea of squeezing hundreds of homes onto a retail lot.
The owners of the former Fry’s building along LBJ Freeway want to change its zoning from “commercial corridor” to “compact neighborhood.” They would like to demolish the vacant big box store and replace it with 200 townhomes. This property is within Coppell ISD, specifically within the Lee Elementary attendance zone.
During the Irving Planning and Zoning Commission’s June 6 meeting, the property owners were represented by Lee Kleinman, a former member of the Dallas City Council who now works for a consulting firm called Masterplan. Some commissioners expressed a desire to see the property turned into a shopping center, given its location along an interstate highway, but Kleinman tried to convince them that wasn’t feasible in this day and age.
“Honestly, if you wanted to keep retail going, you wouldn’t be having so many Amazon sites in this city, where there are a lot of Amazon warehouses,” he said. “That’s just the reality of it.”
Kleinman was backed up by Masterplan’s CEO, Dallas Cothrum, who told the commissioners he runs the largest planning firm in Texas. He said they have five offices across the state, but they are working on zero shopping centers at the moment. There’s a big reason for that.
“The introduction of the iPhone changed the world like the Gutenberg Bible did,” Cothrum said. “My 16-year-old daughter never goes to the mall, doesn’t do brick-and-mortar shopping. Neither do any of the young people.”
Some of the commissioners were willing to entertain the idea of converting the property into a compact neighborhood, but they were concerned that it would be too compact. They were worried about, among other things, firetrucks being able to navigate the development’s streets, although Kleinman said the proposal conforms with Irving’s fire code.
The commissioners ultimately voted to postpone the hearing until July 5, giving Masterplan and the owners time to revise their proposal. But that was a 5-4 vote, because four of the commissioners wanted to reject it outright.
A Lifelong Love Affair With Soccer
If you’ve ever watched Ted Lasso, then you know that Rebecca Welton, the owner of the fictional pro soccer team FC Richmond, was not always a big fan of the sport. She acquired her team in a divorce.
Some people have referred to Angela Lancaster, the longtime president of the Coppell Youth Soccer Association, as our community’s version of Rebecca, because her organization now fields a semi-pro team. (More on that later.) But Lancaster’s love of “the beautiful game” is a lifelong affair. She began playing soccer at the age of 7, and the mother of three still plays today.
“I can’t get enough,” Lancaster said during her recent annual report to the Coppell Parks and Recreation Board. “I just keep playing, and to me, that’s success. If these kids want to play their whole life, then we’ve done something right.”
Lancaster reported that her association had 1,062 youths playing on 102 recreational teams in the fall of 2021. That was nearly a 50-percent jump from the previous fall season, when participation was gutted by you know what.
“That is actually a great recovery,” Lancaster said. “It’s low for us, but it’s a recovery from COVID and the pandemic, where we dropped down to 700 players.”
Participation has been steadily climbing: 868 youth rec players in the spring of 2021, 1,062 in the fall of 2021, and 1,183 this past spring. The association’s more competitive Coppell FC program had 365 players on 29 teams last fall and 415 players on 31 teams in the spring.
While the CYSA has plenty of players, Lancaster reported that it needs more referees (kids as young as 13 are welcome to apply) and more fences around its practice fields. Those practice fields host frequent pickup games by adult players who ignore signs about the fields being closed due to weather.
“Whether it’s wet or dry, they don’t care,” Lancaster said. “And they just beat the tar out of these.”
Lancaster said there were fences around the Wagon Wheel practice fields when they hosted CYSA games during the redevelopment of Andrew Brown Park West. At that time, the fields were full of lush green grass. Now they’re back to dirt.
Parks and Recreation Board Chair Ed Guignon asked whether the interlopers know the difference between the game fields and practice fields.
“They’re pretty good about staying off the game fields,” Lancaster said. “Those people, a lot of them have been around a long time and have been run off enough that they know better.”
For everyone else’s edification, here are maps of Wagon Wheel Park and Andrew Brown Park West that show which fields are for games and which ones are for practices.
Through a partnership with Coppell ISD, Lancaster’s organization is also using the stadium at Coppell Middle School West as the home pitch for FC Coppell’s new semi-pro team. This squad is an opportunity for players who have aged out of youth soccer to keep playing the game they love. Eighty players tried out, and 36 made the roster.
FC Coppell competes in the United Premier Soccer League’s Division 1, and they finished their inaugural season in first place. Lancaster was delighted to inform me this morning that FC Coppell won their first playoff match on Saturday night, 3-0.
I doubt Lancaster envisioned overseeing a semi-pro squad when she registered her then-4-year-old son for his first soccer team in 2004. She indicated that she was willing to coach that team, so she was immediately asked if she would also serve as commissioner of his age division, which meant joining the CYSA’s board.
“I said yes, and I have never left,” said Lancaster, who has been the organization’s president since 2010.
Longtime Parks and Recreation Board member Maureen Corcoran thanked Lancaster for her service to the game and its players.
“I’m always so impressed with your enthusiasm and your passion,” Corcoran said. “I think that’s what keeps this soccer program so invigorated. We’ve seen others kind of come and go, but you’re a constant. You can tell it filters into the program.”
Chronicle Crumbs
• As promised, the Coppell Parks and Recreation Department has hired and trained enough lifeguards for the outdoor pools at The CORE to be open six days a week in July (up from four days a week this month).
• Amelia Anderson, the wife of former mayoral candidate Rob Anderson, asked me to put the word out: Anyone who would like to represent local Democrats in Coppell’s Fourth of July parade can message her via Facebook. I received no such appeal from the Coppell Republican Club, and I assume that’s because their parade entry is locked and loaded. As the latest Supreme Court ruling demonstrated, the two parties have different approaches to long-term planning.
• Have you been watching the men’s College World Series? The Oklahoma Sooners — whose roster includes catcher Hudson Polk, a graduate of Coppell High School — lost to Ole Miss, 10-3, last night to open the three-game finals. Game 2 is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. today on ESPN. If necessary, Game 3 will be played at 6 p.m. on Monday.
• I bet some of the other associates are giving this Thumb guy the finger.
Community Calendar
Summer Chamber Classics: The Coppell Community Orchestra will present a one-time performance featuring world-class musicians at 3 p.m. today.
Celebrate Coppell: The city will mark Independence Day with a Party in the Park (Andrew Brown Park East, specifically) on Saturday evening that will feature lawn games, food trucks, fireworks, and music by two bands — Prophets & Outlaws and Emerald City. The Parade Down Parkway is scheduled for the morning of July 4.
Sensory Sensitive Celebration: If someone in your family has sensory issues that would preclude them from enjoying fireworks, consider taking them to The Sound at Cypress Waters on July 3 for a patriotic laser light show.
High School Women’s Self-Defense Class: The Coppell Police Department wants to teach female members of the Class of 2022 how to defend themselves as they begin their adult lives. The two-part course is scheduled from 8 a.m. to noon on July 9 and 16 at Life Safety Park. Attendance at both sessions is required. To reserve a spot, email Officer Kelly Luther at kluther@coppelltx.gov.
Success with Cactus and Succulents: Dallas County Master Gardener Gina Woods will discuss five important growing conditions — water, light, fertilizer, air circulation, and soil — at 2 p.m. on July 16 at the Cozby Library and Community Commons. (After publication, this event was rescheduled to 2 p.m. on July 23.)
Dan, this was an exceptional article! Great reporting, interesting subjects, and I always love your humorous tidbits! 😆
“Black Berry Farms”. A sore subject. And now, hearing that an occupied Bald Eagle’s nest was located while clearing trees for its development makes me heartsick! Do you know how big bald eagle’s nest are! Thankful for protection laws! Holmes was our direct neighbor for years until his kids graduated several years ago- he built the 13 homes on the 5 acres (that kept a handful of cows) directly across from us years ago. Nice family. Nothing personal, but it just pains me to see every square inch of Coppell developed. All of North Texas is booming. It’s just mind-blowing when you really think about it. 🤯 Just this weekend I mentioned the Rebel Twin drive-in to my teens- where we would go watch movies when I was a young (W. Beltline Rd. somewhere between Coppell & Carrollton).
Please call me regarding one story. Sent you my # In messenger