Coppell Chronicle Vol. 2, No. 52
CISD Trustees Propose 4 Bond Measures • Who Will be on Our Ballots? • Dog Park Overdue for Makeover • Irving Eateries Can Get a Bit Boozier
Buckle up, buttercup. We’re going to break down bond packages in some form or fashion every Sunday until the votes are counted. Tell your friends.
CISD Trustees Propose 4 Bond Measures
On Monday evening, the Coppell ISD Board of Trustees voted 6-1 to put $321.5 million worth of bond propositions on the ballot in May. (The dissenting vote was from Manish Sethi.) The package will be broken up into four propositions, as required by a state law enacted since Coppell ISD’s most recent bond election in 2016.
Proposition A ($269,584,000) would cover priority condition needs at all district facilities; renovations of three elementary schools that would get new pre-kindergarten classrooms; new fine arts rehearsal spaces at Coppell High School and Coppell Middle School North; new labs for career, technical, and STEM classes at Coppell High School; a renovation of the domed auditorium at the Coppell High School Ninth Grade Center; equipment and furnishings; safety and security investments; new vehicles; and some technology purchases.
Proposition B ($39,472,000) would pay for the rest of the district’s technology upgrades, including tablets for students and staff plus audio-visual equipment.
Proposition C ($2,931,000) would go toward replacing the turf, track surface, and seat backs at Buddy Echols Field.
Proposition D ($9,524,000) would pay for new locker rooms, restrooms, courts, and lights at the Coppell High School Tennis Center, plus new turf in the Coppell High School fieldhouse.
During Monday’s meeting, Chief Operations Officer Dennis Womack and consultant Cindy Powell were adjusting an Excel spreadsheet in response to the trustees’ directions. Here are the final numbers they arrived at:
I got my first clear look at those numbers on Friday afternoon, and I was initially confused. In each of those charts, the second column from the right adds up to $321,511,050. How can that be true if Buddy Echols Field and the fieldhouse aren't mentioned in the top chart?
I put that question to Board President David Caviness on Saturday, and he explained that the costs associated with Buddy Echols Field and the fieldhouse are included in the “priority condition needs” line item in the top chart. That makes sense, but I told him the district ought to produce a spreadsheet that shows how the line items for each proposition add up to the total for each proposition.
There’s plenty of time to get that done before early voting begins on April 24, just as there’s time for me to write at least nine more articles about this bond package. But for now, let’s concentrate on how Monday’s vote went down.
The trustees’ discussion of the bond package exceeded three hours. During that time, they shifted $11.3 million worth of “refreshes” from the “elementary school renovations” line item in the Future Bond column to the “priority condition needs” line item in the Bond 2023 column.
As the clock approached 11 p.m., Caviness said it was time to poop or get off the pot. “We’ve had ample opportunity to know what this information is and what it looks like,” he said. About 20 minutes later, Nichole Bentley made the motion for a $321.5 million bond package.
Sethi pointed out that $321.5 million is $1.5 million more than what a survey identified as the maximum amount voters would support. “I personally am not very comfortable with this number,” he said. Bentley said she was comfortable with going $1.5 million over that threshold to ensure that every campus was included in the package. Sethi countered that delaying the three elementary renovations could bring the total down to a more manageable $252.5 million.
“That’s a win-win, because we do touch and upgrade every elementary school,” said Sethi, who advocated for breaking up the $511 worth of needs identified by the Bond Steering Committee into three packages that could be put to voters over the course of 10 years. “There’s no harm in waiting.”
Jobby Mathew responded with this: “There’s harm to the strategic priority of what we’re trying to get done, right? If we push all renovations off, then those positives of breaking all the footprint schools into different cycles, of addressing the pre-K needs in the south adequately, giving our teachers the adequate spaces that we know modern education needs, and improving retention — all those things get punted further.”
Sethi replied that he fears voters will reject the entire $321.5 million package, so nothing will get done.
If voters do approve the entire package, the owner of an average home in Coppell ISD (valued at $450,000) would see an annual tax increase of $335 per year or $28 per month, according to the experts at Hilltop Securities. If your home is above or below that average, you can plug its value into the district’s Bond Tax Impact Calculator.
Who Will Be on Our Ballots?
Friday was the deadline to declare a candidacy for all but one of the positions that Coppell and Coppell ISD voters will see on their ballots in April and May. Here’s who turned in their paperwork on time.
COPPELL CITY COUNCIL
Place 1: Cliff Long is bowing out after three terms. The contenders to replace him are Ramesh Premkumar, who chairs Coppell’s Smart City Board, and Jim Walker, who is a member of the Coppell Planning and Zoning Commission and co-chaired the Coppell ISD Bond Steering Committee.
Places 3, 5, and 7: Incumbents Don Carroll, John Jun, and Mark Hill did not draw any challengers, so all three will be automatically reelected.
COPPELL ISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Place 4: Neena Biswas, who won this seat in the pandemic-delayed election of November 2020, did not file paperwork to appear on this year’s ballot, but Samit Patel, Jonathan Powers, and Ranna Raval did. Patel and Raval were both members of the Bond Steering Committee.
Place 5: Board President David Caviness, who was elected in 2017 and went unchallenged in 2020, has an opponent. Julie Waters, the leader of the Pinkerton Parent Coalition, declared her candidacy for the Place 5 seat on Tuesday, a week after she withdrew from the Place 4 campaign. (I laughed out loud yesterday when I spotted a “Just Add Waters” sign for the first time.)
Place 7: Incumbent Jobby Mathew, who was appointed by the other trustees in November, is unchallenged for now, but this is the one position with a later filing deadline. Potential candidates have until 5 p.m. on March 6 to step up.
CARROLLTON-FARMERS BRANCH ISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Coppell’s Riverchase neighborhood and about half of Valley Ranch are within the Carrollton-Farmers Branch school district, which uses a unique method of electing trustees called cumulative voting. Because two seats are on the ballot this year, each voter will get two votes. You can give both of your votes to a single candidate or divide them among two candidates.
There are three candidates for those two seats: Carolyn Benavides, who was appointed to the board in 2021 and won a special election in 2022; Randy Schackmann, who was a trustee from 2016 until 2022, when he was one of five candidates for three seats; and newcomer Wesley L. Nute Jr.
IRVING CITY COUNCIL
A big chunk of Coppell ISD is in Irving.
Mayor: Valley Ranch resident Rick Stopfer is seeking a third term, but he’ll have to get past challengers Angela Anderson and Martin Saenz first.
District 3: Mark Zeske, who won this seat in a December 2020 runoff, waited until Wednesday to file his paperwork, as did Abdul Khabeer, his opponent in that 2020 runoff. They’ll be up against two other candidates: Paul Bertanzetti and Emmanuel Lewis. (No, not that Emmanuel Lewis.) District 3 includes the Parkside West neighborhood in Coppell ISD.
District 5: Oscar Ward, who has held this seat since 2014, is ineligible to run again due to Irving’s term limits. The contenders to succeed him are Mark Cronenwett (who chairs the Irving Planning and Zoning Commission), Jesse Koehler, Anthony Stanford, Heather Stroup, and Matthew J. Varble. District 5 includes the Parkside East neighborhood in Coppell ISD.
DALLAS CITY COUNCIL
Cypress Waters is in Coppell ISD but also Dallas.
Mayor: Eric Johnson drew no challengers in his bid for a second term as the big man in Big D.
District 6: Omar Narvaez is seeking a fourth and final two-year term, and he has three challengers: Monica R. Alonzo, Tony Carrillo, and Sidney Robles Martinez. Alonzo (Narvaez’s predecessor in this seat) and Carrillo were among Narvaez’s four opponents in 2021.
LEWISVILLE ISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES
The Coppell Greens neighborhood is in Lewisville ISD, as are some homes in Coppell’s East Lake and Westhaven subdivisions along State Highway 121.
Place 6: Incumbent Kristi Hassett is stepping down after three terms. Competing to replace her are Michelle Alkhatib of Highland Village and Mindy Bumgarner of Flower Mound. Bumgarner’s husband, Ben, was elected to the Texas House last year.
Place 7: Incumbent Tracy Scott Miller is not seeking a fourth term. The contenders to succeed him are Jacob Anderson of Lewisville, Staci L. Barker of Flower Mound, Thronn Hicks of Lewisville, and Ashley Jones of Flower Mound. (I’ve known my fair share of Jacobs, Stacis, and Ashleys, but I’ve never met a Thronn.)
LEWISVILLE CITY COUNCIL
A smidgen of Coppell ISD is in Lewisville.
Place 1: Bob Troyer, who won this seat in 2017 and was unopposed in 2020, gets to cruise into a third term without an opponent.
Place 3: Ronni Cade, who won this seat in a 2021 special election, is being challenged by Will Ignace.
Election Day is May 6, so April 6 is the voter registration deadline. Early voting begins April 24.
Dog Park Overdue for Makeover
Good news for frustrated patrons of Coppell’s dog park: The ball is rolling on a revitalized facility; the question is how quickly the city can fetch it.
On Tuesday, the City Council gave Director of Community Experiences Jessica Carpenter the go-ahead to spend about $44,000 on a redesign of Waggin’ Tails Dog Park, which is within MacArthur Park. That money will go to Teague Nall and Perkins, a Fort Worth firm that has designed many aspects of Coppell’s parks system, including the much-maligned dog park.
During a survey of Coppell residents conducted last year, the dog park got much lower marks than the rest of the city’s parks. About 310 dog park patrons who participated in a follow-up survey expressed concerns about drainage, turf quality, the lack of shade, the lack of lighting, cleanliness, and maintenance. Some of those patrons have showed up at recent council meetings to talk about the dog park’s limited hours, holes in its fences, standing sewer water, and the removal of some jerry-rigged lights.
“We have some very frustrated users,” Carpenter told the council. “We have very frustrated caretakers of this property.”
Mayor Wes Mays was a member of the City Council when the dog park was conceived. He said most of these complaints are about topics that were discussed thoroughly before the facility opened in 2013.
“This was a non-budget item,” Mays said of the dog park. “A lot of the decisions were made on a cost basis.”
The project’s original cost was $289,000. Carpenter estimated that scraping the 2-acre park and starting over would cost more than $1 million, based on the prices of dog parks built by other cities in recent years. For example, she said Grapevine spent $2 million to build its 4-acre Bark Park in 2019.
Carpenter said the fence, the turf, and the drainage issue are critical items to address at Waggin’ Tails. Other aspects — such as lighting or agility equipment — would be “nice to have” items. Depending on what the council approves at subsequent meetings, Carpenter said a renovation could begin this year, as early as “late summer/early fall.”
In reference to the $1 million price tag, Mays said, “I was expecting you to come back with a larger number than that.” Carpenter’s response: “That is just addressing the infrastructure pieces. There’s a lot more wants and desires from our users.”
Mays said there were discussions in 2013 about starting a nonprofit to help maintain the park, but those plans never came to fruition. “The big fail, in my opinion, was the failure of the group to create the 501(c)3,” he said, “because that was going to be a big part of the dog park going forward.” That idea may be revived, because Carpenter said about 50 percent of survey respondents indicated they’d be willing to assist with park cleanup or maintenance.
Although mayor is a non-voting position in Coppell, Mays made his position clear: “I’m in favor of fixing what we didn’t do right the first time around.”
Who says you can’t teach an old mayor new tricks?
Irving Eateries Can Get a Bit Boozier
Irving has loosened its alcohol regulations, even though some of its officials may consequently pay a price on Election Day.
Until Feb. 9, most restaurants in Irving could derive no more than 50 percent of their revenue from alcohol. As a result of a 6-3 vote the City Council took that night, the ratio for most of the city changed to 40 percent food versus 60 percent alcohol. The most controversial part of the proposal allows a 30-70 food-to-alcohol ratio in three specific areas, as illustrated on this map:
The Urban Business Overlay District surrounds Lake Carolyn in Las Colinas. Restaurants in that district could derive up to 70 percent of their revenue from alcohol before the Feb. 9 vote.
The 30-70 ratio is a new rule for two other areas: Planned Unit Development District 6, which is the undeveloped land where Texas Stadium once stood, and the Heritage Crossing District in south Irving.
Council members who voted in favor of the change said they repeatedly hear from restaurant owners and developers that the 50-50 restriction makes it difficult to run a successful business, given that alcohol is often far more expensive than food.
John Bloch, who represents the part of Irving that includes the Heritage Crossing District, said his constituents routinely say things like, “I shouldn’t have to go to Las Colinas to have a nice meal. I should be able to do that in downtown Irving, right in my neighborhood.” This is Bloch’s response to such sentiments: “In 2023, you are not going to get fine dining without the ability to sell fine alcohol,” he said during the council’s work session. “And if you are going to sell fine alcohol, 30-70 is a minimum.”
During the council’s formal meeting, Mark Zeske recalled the last few times he’s gone out for nice meals. He said they’ve happened in places such as Oak Cliff’s Bishop Arts District, Grapevine’s Main Street, Plano’s Legacy West area, or near Irving’s own Toyota Music Factory. “They all have 60 percent alcohol or more in all those places,” Zeske said.
Per the ordinance approved on Feb. 9, any Irving restaurant within 300 feet of a residence, school, hospital, or religious facility would still need the council’s approval to sell alcohol. That distance requirement is waived for the Lake Carolyn and Texas Stadium districts, and a version of the ordinance presented to the council last October would have waived it for the Heritage district as well. But the 300-foot buffer was maintained in that district at the council’s request.
During their Feb. 9 work session, the council members agreed that the public will need to be educated on the nuances of the new ordinance.
“We need to be able to explain what we did — period,” said Al Zapanta, whose district includes Valley Ranch. “And we’re going to take some heats. I think, my area, I’m probably not going to take any heat, but that’s besides the point.”
Phil Riddle, who represents the south end of Irving, said such explanations won’t matter to some people. Although he personally supported the proposal, Riddle voted against it to represent the views of his constituents.
“You could get brand-new restaurants to come in down here, and they’re still going to find something to pick apart,” Riddle said. “It’ll be the wrong ones. It’ll be in the wrong place. Their hours won’t be the right hours. OK, whatever we do, somebody’s going to pick it apart, so we just have to look at the overall big picture.”
Dennis Webb said the council can’t afford to listen to the loudest naysayers.
“I have learned that when you come to a crossroads like this one, that’s when you have to start earning your 900 dollars a month,” he said about the council members’ nominal salaries, which earned him a few chuckles from his peers. Webb went on to say, “We believe we know what’s best and what’s needed, because we’re more educated than the citizens. We got the bigger picture than the citizens, you know, about what would work and what would be good.”
About a dozen residents spoke against the proposal during the meeting. Raed Omar Sbeit, who frequently addresses the council, didn’t bother to explain his opposition. Instead, he kept things simple: “I have 5,000 votes in this city — the Muslim vote,” Sbeit said, and if the council changed the alcohol rules, “I guarantee those 5,000 votes will not go in your favor.”
Webb, who reminded everyone that he is a pastor and “never drank a whole can of beer in my life,” responded thusly: “I’m fixing to lose 5,000 votes, but that’s OK, because I am going to do what I think is best for this city.”
Oscar Ward made a motion to amend the proposed ordinance so that restaurants in the Heritage Crossing District would have a 40-60 food-to-alcohol ratio, like the rest of the city. Only he and Riddle voted for that.
Zapanta then made a motion to approve the ordinance as proposed. The final vote was 6-3, with Brad LaMorgese, Riddle, and Ward in the minority.
Updates From the Sports Desk
• The Coppell Cowgirls basketball team beat Allen and Highland Park in the first two rounds of the UIL playoffs last week, setting up a regional quarterfinals rematch with South Grand Prairie at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at Irving MacArthur. SGP eliminated Coppell in the regional quarterfinals last season.
• The Coppell High School wrestling program sent six athletes to the UIL state meet this weekend, and three of them ended up on the medal stand: Scout Carrell (second place, 132 pounds), Isaiah Francis (second place, 190 pounds), and Jess Mendez (third place, 138 pounds).
• The Coppell High School swimming and diving program sent nine athletes to this weekend’s other UIL state meet. Katelyn Jost had the best finish (fourth place in the 500 free).
• I’m overdue to report that Coppell High School’s hockey team won the Texas Amateur Hockey Association’s Division 2A state championship on Jan. 29. The Cowboys beat Northwest, 6-4, in the title game.
Chronicle Crumbs
• Fire Chief Kevin Richardson celebrated 30 years as a Coppell firefighter last week. (He’s been the department’s chief since 2006.) If you would like to offer him congratulations in person, then stop by Austin Elementary School at 6 p.m. on Thursday. That’s where and when the city will host a meeting regarding the plan to build a new fire station on the adjacent land.
• Although the Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD Board of Trustees met behind closed doors for four hours and 45 minutes on Wednesday, they did not name a lone finalist to be the district’s next superintendent. That announcement is expected on Tuesday. “The aggressive timeline of the search was impacted as a result of the recent inclement weather,” President Les Black said, “and the board felt it needed a little additional time to ensure that we get this right.”
• DART will begin placing its elevated Silver Line tracks above South Belt Line Road this week. That portion of the road will be closed to all traffic between 8 p.m. on Friday and 4 a.m. on Saturday. (If you haven’t started commuting on Freeport Parkway yet, now would be a good time to start.) One week from tomorrow, the southbound portion of Mockingbird Lane at East Belt Line Road will be closed for at least a month, also due to the Silver Line project.
• I give two thumbs up to the baklava at Jaffa BBQ, a restaurant that opened on MacArthur Boulevard this month. It’s not the most visible joint, as it shares a building with Italian Express, behind the laundromat that used to be a Burger King. (There’s a phrase I never thought I’d type.)
• I’m hardly the world’s biggest Pink fan, so I’d only heard the radio edit of her song “Perfect” … until last Wednesday. That’s when I had breakfast at the Jam + Toast on 635, where the song’s explicit version came through the sound system. Consequently, my Denver omelet was served not only with fresh fruit and sourdough toast but also with a few clearly enunciated f-bombs.
• Since the new year began, I have twice walked into the Coppell post office to mail a check to an organization with a post office box inside that building. Does anybody else think the postage ought to be discounted in that scenario?
Community Calendar
Texas A&M Singing Cadets: There’s a time and a place for Aggie jokes, but 3 p.m. today at the Coppell Arts Center would not be among them.
Preschool Fair: The Coppell Early Childhood Association will host an informal open house between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Cozby Library and Community Commons.
Lawn Care for Everyone: Dallas County Master Gardener John Hunt will be at the Cozby Library and Community Commons between 2 and 3 p.m. on Saturday to share his secrets for making your lawn look great with less time and effort. My neighbors are really hoping I can make it to this event.
Make and Take Loom Creation: Girl Scouts from Troop 7326 would like to teach you how to make ear warmers and other accessories between 1:15 and 4 p.m. on Feb. 26 in the Coppell Justice Center conference room. A loom kit and yarn will be provided, as will refreshments. Space is limited, so send an email to troop7236@hotmail.com to reserve a seat.
No Tune Like a Show Tune: The Coppell Community Chorale will belt out Broadway’s best at 3 p.m. on Feb. 26 at the Coppell Arts Center.
Acton Children’s Business Fair: If you have entrepreneurial kids, tell them to apply for a booth at this event — which is scheduled for April 15 at The Sound at Cypress Waters — by March 1.
Coffee With a Cop: Coppell Police Department officers will be hanging out at Ecclesia Bakery & Brunch between 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. on March 4.
Dragons and Mythical Beasts: Trolls, unicorns, griffins, and dragons are among the creatures you’ll be able to see at the Coppell Arts Center on March 4. Two shows are scheduled that day, at 2 and 6 p.m.
Sunset Socials — Movie in the Park: Thanks to my sons, I’ve seen Pixar’s Ratatouille more times than I can count. But I’ve never seen it outdoors, as it will be shown at 7 p.m. on March 10 at Andrew Brown Park East.
The Re-emergence of UFOs: We’re all fascinated by stories of unidentified flying objects, but Neil Pinto researches them. He’ll be at the Cozby Library and Community Commons at 2 p.m. on March 11 to discuss the most compelling UFO cases, identify where the social stigma came from, and predict what revelations may emerge in the near future.
You sure gave us a lot to think about! Thank you for doing the leg work for us!
Yippie!… there’s gonna be a change in Place 4.