Photo Tour of Government Center
February 25, 2008
Shared City-Schools Building In Cedar Hill Scheduled To Open In July
February 23, 2008
The new Government Center, which houses the School District Administration offices, the City Hall, and the Police Station, is set to open in July.
Already it is getting attention.
The Dallas Morning News has an article about this unique building and all the relevant specifications.
But officials say the facility in the 200 block of Uptown Boulevard is on track as Texas’ first government building with city and school district offices under one roof.
“From what we can research, this is the only building of its kind in the state where the city and school administrations are located in one building,” City Manager Alan Sims said. “This is not an easy project, but building this together is saving the taxpayers money and is going to benefit the community.”
This is the continuation of other partnerships between the City and the schools, such as shared parks and athletic fields.
New Creative Art School Opens
February 20, 2008
Visual Expressions, a Gamut Control affiliate store, has expanded their gallery facility to include a school. Originally opened in 2004, to showcase the artwork of Robin Ingle, this 3,000 sq. ft. gallery has expanded to include a 5,000 sq. ft. art school.
Bill Ingle original opened the gallery for his wife, Robin’s original works. This quickly blossomed in to a custom frame, repair and art advisor operation in addition to the gallery. “Everyone who came in asked questions about their work, framing and general ‘how-to’ about the art world” says Bill. “Having Robin, a professional artist, here to talk with the customers was very helpful. What other art gallery/store could boast that service?” The inevitable follow up questions from their customers was “Are you considering teaching art?”
Along comes Phase II, which has just been completed, the aforementioned expansion and school. The school is not just featuring classes in painting, it is a full blown creative arts center. There are classes in sculpture, pottery, theater, glass works, writing and of course drawing and painting. The school is also offering workshops with nationally know artists.
The next phase is to turn the original gallery in to an artist co-op to showcase emerging artists. Bill has opened the gallery walls to everyone for the reasonable prices of $3.00 per sq. ft. plus 18% commission for each work sold.
“Making space available at reasonable prices will help the emerging artists show their works and provide a moderately priced marketplace for local patrons to support the artists” notes Bill.
Source: New Creative Art School Opens In Cedar Hill
Black History Month [Pictures]
February 19, 2008
Time Capsule Update
February 19, 2008
It was two and a half years ago that I first suggested the concept of a time capsule in the new Government Center. Fortunately, we were able to get that included in the specifications for our new building.
As we prepare for the grand opening, we need to start thinking about what this time capsule is going to mean for the citizens of Cedar Hill — both from an historical perspective and a future perspective.
Where has our city been and where is it going? In 50 or 100 years, what will the citizens of Cedar Hill like to know about their history and the people that directed Cedar Hill during this transformational period?
With only a 12” X 36” cylinder, there is not much room, so we need to think carefully about what should be included.
Some ideas that came to my mind were the Bond Election flyer from the campaign that funded the construction of the building and perhaps a recorded message from the Mayor to the people who will open it in the future. Another idea might be notes from members of the community describing life in 2008.
What items would you include in the time capsule?
Public Servant’s Day
February 17, 2008
On Sunday, February 17, 2008, the House of Hope Church in Cedar Hill had a special service to honor some of the public servants in Cedar Hill.
Pastor Leroy Armstrong, Jr. thanked the Fire Department, Police Department, and all the other city employees and elected officials for the service they provide to the citizens of Cedar Hill.
Mason Leveling Ceremony
February 16, 2008
Despite the wind, rain and cold weather, the Mason Grand Lodge of Texas leveled the new CHISD building today.
Americans Masons have been leveling cornerstones since 1734, when Grand Master Benjamin Franklin presided the over the ceremony for Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Sixty years later, Master Mason George Washington leveled the cornerstone of the United States Capitol Building on September 18, 1793.
Since then there have been hundreds of public buildings, schools and churches which have had cornerstones leveled by The Grand Lodge of Texas.
2008 Longhorn Football NCAA Signings
February 16, 2008
The National Letter of Intent Signing Ceremony was held at Cedar Hill High School on February 6th. The Class of 2008 had ten young men who were awarded football scholarships to various national universities.
- Greg B. - University of Kansas
- Imari T. - University of Nevada Las Vegas
- Osaze I. - University of Kentucky
- Jarvis H. - University of Texas
- Michael W. - Trinity Valley Community College
- Elijah O. - Pittsburg State
- L.B. - Abilene Christian University
- James M. - Navaro College
- James H. - University of North Texas
- Brandon A. - University of North Texas
The Longhorn family is proud of you!
DFW-Area Superintendents Talk About State Of Education
February 13, 2008
Local education representatives and business leaders gathered Tuesday afternoon at Cityplace Conference Center in Dallas to hear three DFW-area school superintendents discuss the state of education in the region, and among other things, it was an education of just how disparate the different communities and school districts in DFW are.
Williams was the most upbeat of the three, continually praising Cedar Hill area businesses and parents for their involvement with the school district, as well as partnerships the Cedar Hill ISD has forged with surrounding school districts. Whereas Simpson and Simmons cited poverty and making sure people from different cultures were prepared to be educated in English as challenges facing their districts, respectively, Williams said the biggest challenge Cedar Hill is facing is managing growth and expectations, while at the same time trying to keep kids engaged in education in the digital age.
Source: Pegasus News.
Mix-Up Starts False Rumors Of Obama Coming To Cedar Hill
February 13, 2008
Read my lips: Barack Obama is not coming to Cedar Hill.
Apparently, a mix-up started a rumor that Barack Obama was going to be at the White Rhino Coffee House in Cedar Hill this weekend.
The Dallas Morning News has an article about the confusion:
“My phone has been ringing off the hook,” said Edna Pemberton, an Obama supporter who is organizing events in Oak Cliff. “When they thought he would be there, it took a life of its own.”
Apparently at least one person misread the electronic invitation, and it caught fire online.
“I am so excited about this that I’m forwarding to everybody!!” one woman wrote. “Please get the word out that Barack is coming to town!”
Stoney Jackson, the poor guy who put his home number on the invitation, could not be reached for comment.
Source: Dallas Morning News.
Cedar Hill ISD Waits To Decide On Hiring Architectural Firm
February 12, 2008
Cedar Hill school trustees on Monday tabled a decision to hire an architectural firm to help the district assess its facilities and future needs.
Information requested by board members arrived too late for review before the meeting, and several trustees asked for more time to make a decision.
The three firms under consideration are VLK Architects, SHW Group and Corgan Architects.
The district is creating a comprehensive plan that could include renovations and construction of at least one new school.
An election on bonds to pay for construction and other updates could come as early as November but is more likely to be held in May 2009, said Mike McSwain, the district’s chief financial officer.
Kathy Goolsby
Source: Dallas Morning News.
Cedar Hill ISD To Discuss Building New School
February 9, 2008
School officials in Cedar Hill are creating a comprehensive district plan that could include renovations to existing buildings and construction of at least one new school.
If the district decides it needs new construction and extensive updates it could hold a bond election as soon as November, said Mike McSwain, the district’s chief financial officer.
Trustees met this week with three architectural firms and will choose one of them to help assess the district’s facilities, he said. VLK Architects, SHW Group and Corgan Architects are the three firms under consideration.
The district already is checking its roofing needs as well as heating and air conditioning systems, Mr. McSwain said.
“We also have some buildings we know need to be remodeled, and we’ll be looking at all the campuses and some undeveloped land,” he said.
Trustees are expected to announce their choice of architect at Monday’s board meeting.
The firm also will help determine whether the district needs to build a new elementary school, Mr. McSwain said. That decision hinges on enrollment projections and whether trustees decide to reduce teacher-to-student ratios.
Reducing class sizes is one of the recommendations expected from a citizens’ committee charged with finding ways to improve the district, Mr. McSwain said. The committee is expected to present its report to the board within the next few months.
“Right now our elementary schools have a 22-to-1 ratio, but one of the things coming out of the [committee] is they want that reduced to 17 or 18 students, and we don’t have the space to do that,” Mr. McSwain said. “We would probably have to build a new elementary school.”
The district plans to form another committee this spring to study the district’s facilities and needs.
A demographic study of the district also is under way, and is expected to be finished in June.
“What we’re doing is coming up with a comprehensive plan for all our needs,” Mr. McSwain said. “We’re looking at a 10- to 20-year plan.”
Source: Dallas Morning News.
Cedar Hill Library’s Future = Vision+Marketing
February 8, 2008
By Steve Snyder Of Today Newspapers
The Zula B. Wylie Library may need a little bit of marketing work.
In an update on the library’s strategic plan to the Cedar Hill City Council Jan. 22, Sam McBane Mulford said that, in a survey of residents, 20 percent said that they either never used the library or didn’t even know the city had a library. Mulford, principal strategist with Ideation Collaborative, said the survey was non-scientific, in part because it concentrated on people who might not know about the library.
“You’re got an underutilized concept and there’s a lack of buzz,” she said. “With growth, you have the opportunity to change this.”
She said the rise of the Internet changed how many people related to their local libraries.
“They don’t see the library as an information source any more. They feel savvy enough to make their own information decisions,” she said.
But, she had a word of caution.
“Bad clicks can lead to bad decisions, and that’s where I think the library can (still) help.”
As for the library’s services, it meets either basic or advanced standards in all areas of service, per state library standards.
However, the library doesn’t have top-notch ratings compared to ratings of peer and near-peer cities in the area, Mulford said.
Councilman Daniel Haydin said the positive side was that the city knew where it was at as part of starting the process to where it wanted to go.
That all said, what should the future of the Wylie library be?
Mulford mentioned that survey respondents said the library is a “safe” and “neutral” place for discussion. They also said that, building on that, the library should be a place for “interactivity.”
“Distribution of content is huge,” she said. “I think we’re starting to see limitations as far as distribution and ownership of content.”
From here, she said the library’s future would probably have some version of a three-fold service module of overlapping domains. These three areas are life literacies, learning proficiencies and cultural and community connections.
Mulford said that, in addition to the things discussed above, the city might want to discuss reconfiguring the library and reallocating staff and organization. She said this included thinking in customer-centric and not library-centric terms.
In response to a question from Councilman Wade Emmert, Mulford said Ideation Collaborative had specific plans for working with the council on how to best achieve these goals. She said she couldn’t provide an absolute road map, because that ultimately needed to stem from the ideas of residents. But, she said following the general outlines of the long-range plan, as specifically tweaked by residents’ input, would produce results.
“I can tell you that you will be (the) leading library (in this area) if you go down this path,” she said.
Library Director Pat Bonds spoke further about the long-range plan.
“It will be a change for us, doing more outreach and being a meeting place as well as a (place) for information and research,” she said. “It will probably mean additional staffing and possibly changing some jobs.”
She also tied the long-range plan to future library expansion, which is under discussion but has no definite date at this time.
“The long-range plan will help us when we are ready for the expansion on how we configure the space,” Bonds said. She said this could include a computer lab open after regular library hours and even a coffee shop.
“I appreciate your honesty in telling us this,” Mayor Rob Franke told Mulford.
He said he wanted to make sure the council “did it right” in taking action.
“A measure to improve the library got more votes than any other action in 2003,” he said.
Councilman Greg Patton put the library into a larger light. He said it was an important part of keeping Cedar Hill a premier city.
Acting on the long-range plan was on the council’s agenda, but Franke recommended it postpone action until the council’s Feb. 12 meeting to give councilmembers more time to digest the report.
Mulford and Ideation Collaborative compiled an in-depth long-term plan report for the library; copies are available for review at the library, including survey results like those summarized in the graphics at left.
Turk Cannady
February 7, 2008
The City Council would like to name the new Council and School Board Chambers in honor of Turk Cannady. The School Board will take up this issue at their next meeting on Monday, February 11.
He served the city as it grew rapidly from a small, rural town to a bustling Dallas suburb. Turk was ahead of his time and a lifelong supporter of his community named, “Cedar Hill.” His efforts benefited the city and school district alike.
Please share your memories of Turk and attend the School Board meeting to support the effort.
Update: The School Board agreed during their discussion to honor Turk by naming the joint room, the “T.W. Cannady, Cedar Hill Room”. What a wonderful tribute!
Read more
North Texas Facing Soaring Construction Costs
February 6, 2008
The Dallas Morning News is reporting on the rising construction costs facing cities in North Texas — a topic we know about all too well in Cedar Hill.
These rising costs impact all of our capital projects, from public works to roads.
Cities are seeing costs increase by 10 percent a year or more.
Highway construction costs grew about three times faster between 2003 and 2006 than in any other three-year period since 1990.
For non-highway construction, construction supplies and materials have gone up 29 percent since the end of 2003, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. By comparison, the producer price index, which tracks inflation for business costs, rose 18 percent. The consumer price index, which tracks household inflation, rose 14 percent.
Source: Dallas Morning News
Welcome!
My name is Wade Emmert and I am a Council Member for the City of Cedar Hill. This web site is a way for me to share with you some of my thoughts about issues important to the City.
It is my sincerest goal to be a good steward of the citizens’ trust. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to serve you.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at Wade.Emmert@cedarhilltx.com or (214) 740-3164.