A bullet hole through the dining room crown molding of a home in Rowlett is clearly visible. The bullet strike was reported to Rowlett police last week. Click the graphic to see the Fox 4 News story and video.

The man shot in 2010 in a Rowlett neighborhood filed suit against the Garland Public Shooting Range for damages he suffered as a result of his injuries and that case is expected to be heard in a couple months. Now two or more suits have been filed or are about to be filed.
 
In a Fox 4 News story last night, additional information was presented that is related to my post yesterday on stray bullets that may be coming from the Garland Public Shooting Range on Pleasant Valley Rd. The range is privately owned and has no connection to the City of Garland.
 
New information was available on the second incident reported last week. In the first, a bullet came through the roof and ceiling into the bedroom of a five-year-old. In the second, a bullet came through the wall and through the crown molding into the dining room. A fourth-grader describes her family's experience in the video report.
 
The City of Rowlett does not consider the man that was mysteriously shot last year a one-in-a-million incident. All their guns (figuratively speaking) are now on the GPSR. They have filed for a temporary injunction to close the range to protect residents. Rowlett has also agreed to finance a lawsuit against the range to be filed by the family that had the bullet land in their son's bedroom. It's not entirely clear if the two cases are separate or are to be combined.
 
The news report also said that range owner James Day claims a bullet cannot travel that far. If accurate, that would be very disturbing and would seem to indicate that the range will not be examining their operations or taking any actions to assure residents and others in the area—in Rowlett and Garland—that their safety is a concern, because there is no question that most calibers can reach that far. [See chart in that previous post.]
 
Officials in Garland and I do take these reports to be extremely serious. While none of us has a desire to wrongly accuse anyone, we cannot ignore these incidents, the frequency, or the safety of residents in the area.
 
Rather than those responsible paying, GP&L ratepayers are the ones paying to repair the electric transmission lines in the area.
 
Also, all the land east of the range, all the way to Castle Dr, is owned by the City. The old Castle Landfill that serves as a backdrop for the gun range is officially closed, no longer to ever accept garbage. One responsibility the city has is to monitor methane gas generated at the site. City personnel responsible for checking those monitoring stations could be at risk when onsite. The circumstantial evidence is too great for the City to tell them they are safe. Most landfills eventually have a second life, quite often as a park. One use discussed over the years was to convert the site to a dog park. Under these circumstances, none of that can happen.
 
We can't live with the status quo. It's imperative that we learn where these bullet rounds are coming from and that action be taken to protect everyone in the area.
 

"Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."

 
These were the words of a prophet—on the next day the Rev Martin Luther King, Jr, would die at the hands of an assassin.

 
I think too often King is remembered as a man that fought for the civil rights of black people. But I don't remember him that way and don't read that message in his speeches. Certainly the crowds that gathered for his speeches were heavily black but his words were always to a broader audience, the audience of all people, and his message was of freedom and equality for all people.

 
He knew that inequality for any man meant there could be inequality for all men and, also, that what we openly grant to all others, we preserve for ourselves.

 
On this day that we celebrate his birth, I wish to recognize the huge gift that he secured for all people in this country and for so many across the planet.

 
I know he did see the promised land, and, by the power of his message, he took many to view the promised land. Our journey since his death has taken us closer to the promised land. We have not arrived but we are closer than we have ever been in history. If we keep our path forward to the promised land, we shall arrive. We, as a people, will get to the promised land.

 
I'm proud that the vision and promise that Martin Luther King, Jr, shared with all of us is closer to reality today than ever before. I'm not worried—we will get there.

Under the leadership of GP&L Director Ray Schwertner, Garland has been extremely innovative finding opportunities that benefit GP&L ratepayers and the city as a whole. The Southern Cross project reported below will allow Patterson Energy to buy excess wind energy for use outside Texas. (If it's excess, we need to sell it! It can't be stored for later use.) Conversely, because the line will be in place, it is also possible that when Texas needs power, we will have an source outside Texas.
 
For GP&L ratepayers, there are no risks. GP&L will operate a segment of the line for 20 years under the contract and be paid for our services.
 
It is too early to say that ratepayers will see lower bills though. It will definitely help delay increases longer and that is the real benefit.
 

Transmission Project to Help Stabilize Electric Rates

Utility rates could be stablized from revenue earned from excess wind energy
By Tammy Mutasa, Garland/Mesquite Reporter
Wednesday, Jan 11, 2012
 

GP&L's "Southern Cross" project with Patterson Energy will allow Texas to sell excess wind energy but also allow Texas to buy energy when there is a need for more power in the state.

Garland's portion of the Wind Energy Project is expected to lower electric bills and support other city-based projects
 
Garland Power and Light is hoping the revenue it cashes in from a high-profile wind energy project will help stabilize and even lower electrics rates for its residents.
 
Garland Power and Light is participating in the Pattern Energy Southern Cross Project which uses 400 miles of transmission lines to share excess wind energy generated in Texas to states in the southeastern part of the country.
 
"From an economic standpoint, Garland will be paid some revenues above and beyond our cost to participate in this project,” said Ray Schwertner, Garland Power and Light Electric Utility Director. “Those revenues will be used to lower electric bills or stabilize and support other projects in the city of Garland."
 
Garland’s section in the wind energy project is a 30-mile-long transmission line on the Texas border. The utility will make money from managing and maintaining the facilities there and from consulting fees.
 
"This is not going to cost the city of Garland or residents any money at all but it will be a revenue stream to help the city and GPL lower the utility rates and provide better service to the citizens,” said City of Garland Councilman Larry Jeffus.
 
For Garland’s Utility Director, it’s a big step in a booming industry.
 
"We'd like to support the development of wind energy, we believe that's a good thing, for today and for the future,” said Schwertner. “And we have an excess amount of renewable energy in the form of wind energy and in West Texas that is available to share with other states."
 
The project will also increase reliability within ERCOT because power can also flow back into Texas. It’s especially important for Texas to receive power from the other states when the state is short on supply, especially during hot summer months.
 
Garland residents are anticipating the benefits of the project, on paper.
 
"I've lived here for 36 years and anything that would lower our bills would be a blessing to this community because our bills are astronomical,” said Corryne Hampton, Garland resident.
 
The transmission line is expected to be energized in 2015. The amount of power that can be exported or imported into Texas through the new transmission facilities will be three times more than exists currently.
 

Crime reports from December took a hefty drop compared to November but remained in that "middle zone" that we usually see. There were no incidents of robbery or assault reported.
 
Home burglaries dropped 40% from November but were still higher than any other month for almost two years. It's curious looking at the locations reported and noticing (1) that incidents were all across the district, and (2) that a significant portion were deep within various neighborhoods. Some burglars plan their getaway and obviously want to be able to escape to a major street fairly quickly. Those criminals must have taken the month of December off as incidents were often many blocks away from a major street and required navigating through a neighborhood maze of streets, both to locate their victims and to escape. Or the burglars were from those neighborhoods.
 
In protecting our homes, it is important to realize we are all vulnerable and that we need to remain diligent by keeping doors locked, garage doors closed, and being wary of strangers in the neighborhood.
 
If you want to review the areas that have reported incidents over the last month, download the complete report here for address-by-address information that includes your neighborhood. If you are a Garland resident reading this but do not live in District 1, you can get reports for your area here on the Police Department's website or from your Council member.
 

 
The Garland Police Dept has made it even easier to see where and what type of crimes have occurred: information can now be accessed through www.CrimeReports.com. If the data doesn't seem to appear, "zoom in" further. Not all types of incidents reported are shown on the maps.
 

Local policies have not and will not be changing.

Like many others, I was amazed to read in the Dallas Morning News that the Dallas Police Dept would no longer respond to calls from merchants of shoplifting incidents that involved less than $50. I read that to mean "take small items only; no prosecution pending." Dallas police have since walked that back...some. The store owner must still file a report and send it in, call first though.
 
The DMN editorial staff wasn't impressed by the policy but have since given a little benefit of the doubt to the change. "If Class C shoplifting reports plunge—at least, in part, because the new reporting requirement creates one more hurdle for retailers—[Dallas Police Chief] Brown might have to rethink it. But if the shoplifting conviction rate goes up—and 4 percent for Class C is a pretty low starting bar—it would be strong evidence that it’s a policy worth keeping."
 
I'm not sure if that is the best formula for measuring. A drop in reports would seem to indicate fewer incidents are being reported because I can't imagine this policy will lead shoplifters to suddenly decide to quit shoplifting, the other possible reason for a drop. But judging the reasons for a rise in the conviction rate is more problematic. There are more variables and I'm not familiar enough with the details of minor shoplifting prosecution to make a personal call. My doubts are not dispelled.
 
One interesting measure though and one that might have local effects will be how our shoplifting figures change. Again, my shoplifting ignorance is a factor, but I presume shoplifting of minor amounts (under $50) are usually local kids, not professional shoplifting gangs from Dallas. If that's right, we wouldn't see much change. If, however, most of our shoplifters are from out of town, we could see some big changes if they decided Dallas was less of a risk.
 
And that measure will be valid because our variables aren't changing, we're not changing our local policies, as confirmed by Police Chief Mitch Bates when I asked. Steal a coke and our police will respond. It remains a crime and we will treat it as a crime. We know that a number of shoplifters do often have involvement in other serious crimes, such as narcotics, burglaries, robberies, etc., so a store that catches a shoplifter often catches a wanted criminal.
 
I suspect the final result for Dallas will be less reported shoplifting thefts, more convictions because the best cases will continue through the system, and it will be hard to judge the dark side, that the overall number of incidents is rising because thieves are emboldened. For us, I imagine our numbers will stay about the same, but if they start dropping, you have a good case to argue that the thieves like "shopping" in Dallas better.
 

There are many things that impress me about Garland. Sure, some outside the city think we're too blue-collar or too car-sales-centric, but those are not representative qualities of us at all. Among many wonderful qualities, I'm impressed by the charity we so often have for each other.
 
At the city staff level, it is commonplace to see or hear examples of staff members helping others. With 2000 city employees, a caller isn't going to get the right department every time, but there is someone answering the phone trying. We're not surprised to see firemen raising contributions for gifts for those facing unusual economic challenges. The code folks carry tools and paint to whack limbs or paint over graffiti instead of writing a notice. Code and several departments assist the elderly and handicapped with services. The list is long.
 
So the following report isn't a surprise but it still shows especially caring hearts:

From KDFW Fox 4 TV online:

Police Replace Woman’s Stolen Bike

Photo from myFOXdfw online.

Published : Thursday, 05 Jan 2012, 6:47 PM CST
Shaun Rabb, FOX 4 News
Adapted for Web by Tracy DeLatte | myFOXdfw.com
 
GARLAND, Texas - Traumatized by two horrific car accidents, a North Texas has avoided cars for 15 years. But bad actors recently ripped off her bike and she was without a ride until now.
 
“The bike is my car. I mean, I do everything on that bike,” said Denise Armendariz.
 
Armendariz has been involved in two major accidents caused by drunken drivers.
 
“The cars hit me on my side and threw us up into the tree, on the ground, and another, up and the doors flew open. The impact went right through me and I was just shaking. I couldn’t hardly breathe,” she said. “I just said, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’ I was just having terrible panic attacks in the car and fear and I just couldn’t deal with that.”
 
She got around fine on her purple and white Huffy mountain bike until someone stole it from her Garland apartment.
 
“I had it locked, but the thing is it makes me feel very unsafe. And if they only knew what they were tampering with, it’s more than just the bike itself,” she said.
 
Garland police did more to help Armendariz than just take an incident report over the phone. An officer actually went out and spoke to her, wanting to know why the bicycle was so important to her.
 
“I didn’t know policemen were involved in this sort of stuff. I know they are out to help others, but not this way, in a personal one-on-one way. It feels nice,” she said. “I’m just so happy and blessed that that policeman took the time to come to my house and take the time to say, ‘What’s going on?’”
 
When the department learned about Armendariz’s history in cars, officers contacted Wal-Mart and worked together to give her a new bike.
 
“What a great deal. It's community coming together, not just retailer Wal-Mart but also the police department and us, everybody doing what’s right,” said Joe Harn, a spokesman for the Garland Police Department.
 
Read more on myFOXdfw.com. Video report also at that link.
 

An excellent article by DMN Reporter Ray Leszcynski captures the emotional struggle between making Spring Creek Forest Preserve more accessible to more people or leaving it as is with limited access for the determined. I have often mentioned the preserve and it's unique beauty, but each time I cringe a bit hoping that only the most caring conservationist would seek it out. I know it is the same for those in the Preservation Society. While they may sponsor a walk to see the earliest blooming flowers, the trout lilies, are they endangering those very same flowers? The new trails may encourage more visitors and it may be true that most will stay on the trails but those that do not could accidentally pack the ground where the lilies rise each year, which would be disastrous to the flowers that need very loose soils. Similarly, will the trees themselves be at greater risk of fire from smokers, especially during these recent and continuing drought conditions?
 
It is very emotional.
 

From Dallas Morning News online:

Trails to bring new traffic to doorstep of old-growth forest in Garland

Spring Creek Forest Preserve, one of the last old-growth forests in Dallas County, will be the site of a $2.5 million trail project. The city-county plans don't conform to the wishes of the Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest. Photos by Taylor Glascock/DMN Staff Photographer.

 

[Ed.: this graphic shows the trails well but doesn't reflect the actual amount of greenbelt that the city controls. Also, Halff Pk does not extend quite that close to Naaman Forest Blvd. Google maps is more accurate on those two points, as seen here. More detailed information is available at www.garlandgis.com.]

The preserve has vegetation unique to the area, some dating back 300-500 years.

By RAY LESZCYNSKI Staff Writer
rleszcynski@dallasnews.com
Published: 03 January 2012 10:08 PM
 
The Spring Creek Forest Preserve in Garland is next to a turnpike, three big-box retailers, a water park, a high school and a special events center. Thousands come to the doorstep of one of Dallas County’s last old-growth forests on a daily basis.
 
The county and city broke ground last month on a $2.5 million trails project to invite those folks into the 70-acre preserve.
 
When naturalists, explorers and scientists took notice of Spring Creek’s path through north Garland a few decades ago, they had no doubts it was special. Some vegetation dates back 300-500 years. There are wildflowers not otherwise found in the Dallas area and a combination of oak trees that is unique to any place in the world.
 
The city and county plan to share that resource by installing a 12-foot path around the perimeter. The trails, however, violate the bylaws of the Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest, which struck a 92-year stewardship deal with the city and hosts work sessions and guided walks in the forest.
 
Bringing in machinery and paving a path around the outside of an area that may flourish in part because it hasn’t been disturbed by humans doesn’t particularly make sense to some of the people who know the forest best.
 
The volunteer group suggested a permeable surface, a route in the power line right of way, and a 10-foot maximum width for the trails. It said if built, construction should start near Naaman Forest High School. None of its suggestions were adopted.
 
“In general, the society was opposed to the concrete trail as designed,” said its president, Matthew Mortimer.
 
Staying on the path
Upon the completion of more than two miles of new paved trails in two phases by late 2013, officials anticipate the love affair with the forest will extend far beyond the 62-member society.
 
“The society provides ownership right now,” said Tom Frey, landscape architect for the city and longtime guide for group tours of the forest. “But with the new trails, the public will assume that function.”
 
Keeping the main traffic on the exterior of the forest is central to the effort.
 
“When the National Park Service puts in a paved trail, it’s so people can go in and enjoy it. But more importantly, it keeps them on the path,” said Rick Loessberg, Dallas County’s director of planning and development. “It’s a way of directing them where they can see things they need to see to enjoy it, but also to do so in a manner where it can be preserved.”
 
Garland parks planner Ann McGinnes said one goal is to provide interpretive signs, to define the experience to visitors so they realize it is special and near-pristine.
 
“We’ve worked a long time,” Frey said. “We want people out here seeing it.”
 
Changes over years
“Sharing is caring” was not the intent of the Dallas County Open Space Program as established in 1976. When the preserve was dedicated in late 1988, all parties agreed it was best left alone — a stance inherent in the fall 1989 agreement between the city and the society.
 
A few years later, state funding became dependent on improving the properties with a small parking lot or a walking trail. The county made those concessions, turning its public resources into resources for the public.
 
A three-fourths-mile trail and a parking lot were added to the northern end of the Spring Creek Preserve, but off a two-lane back road and away from the rapidly developing area where Bush Turnpike now intersects North Garland Avenue.
 
The parking lot and trail brought no harm, at Spring Creek or elsewhere, county officials say. The experience leads them into the much larger current phase with confidence.
 
“If we didn’t feel like we could build a 12-foot trail on something we spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on because of the trees, we wouldn’t do it,” Loessberg said.
 
Pavement is also central to the goal of linking trails throughout the region. Farther north along the creek, Richardson has developed a wooded retreat with paved trails amid its Telecom Corridor in Collin County.
 
Most of what you’ll find in urbanized Dallas County is classified as regrowth forest, started over after settlers cut most of the timber around streambeds a century ago.
 
The Spring Creek Preserve area was untouched. And those who love the old-growth forest say it’s not just another stop on a trails system.
 
“The preserve should be treasured as one of the few places to take a nature hike on a bona fide hiking trail,” Mortimer said. “Not paved with a bike path and warning signs.”
 

 
No matter which side you might find yourself, supporting the Preservation Society for Spring Creek Forest is an admirable endeavor, whether it be in dues or labor. The Society has long been the stewards of the preserve and they will continue to be. They have been the preservationists of the preserve, with considerable support from the Garland Parks Dept, for many years and can be directly attributed for the excellent botanical asset we have in north Garland.
 

Few staff positions report directly to the Council: city manager, city attorney, city secretary, the city auditor, and the municipal court judges. Hence, the Council is seldom involved with hiring any position, although we do have to give consent on a couple, such as will be necessary for the open fire chief position.
 
City Secretary Mary Kayser has served Garland extremely well and has through her professional activities brought great acclaim to our city. She is expected to be offered the same position for Fort Worth. It is a bigger city so the post is certainly a step-up and her daily commute will drop dramatically.
 
I know all residents join me in thanking her for her service to Garland and wish her the very best in her new challenges.
 
The article below references our Council naming an interim city secretary. The Council did approve making such an offer during executive session on Tuesday and Mayor Ron Jones will be extending that offer. If accepted, a formal announcement could come soon.
 

From Dallas Morning News online:

Garland city secretary appears headed to Fort Worth

By RAY LESZCYNSKI, Staff Writer
rleszcynski@dallasnews.com
Published: 04 January 2012 12:19 AM
 

Mary Kayser, City Secretary

With Fort Worth awaiting official approval to hire away Garland City Secretary Mary Kayser next week, the Garland City Council on Tuesday discussed appointing an interim.
 
Kayser, 52, was hired by Garland in October 2006. She had been the city secretary the previous seven years in Burleson, where she had also been deputy city secretary and records management coordinator.
 
She served as president of the Texas Municipal Clerks Association in 2011 and now is on its board as immediate past president.
 
Kayser commutes to Garland from her home in Fort Worth.
 
"It truly was the opportunity," she said. "If it had not worked out, I would have been perfectly fine to stay in Garland. Sometimes those things come up and you can’t not do it."
 
The Fort Worth position opened in November upon the retirement of Marty Hendrix, who had served the city seven years.
 
According to its agenda, the Fort Worth City Council discussed its vacancy in closed session on Dec. 13. The city’s offer to Kayser has been tentatively accepted, but must be approved by the council, which next meets Tuesday.
 
If the Fort Worth hiring goes as planned, Garland would likely name an interim city secretary at its Jan. 17 meeting. Tuesday’s discussion in Garland was in closed session.
 

Randall Cooper visits the newly placed sign near Firewheel Pkwy and Centerville Rd that marks one entrance to the parcel he and others gave to the city. Photo was featured at Garland Eyes on Jan 1.

 
In 1998, Randall Cooper and his business partners donated a very large parcel of land along Rowlett Creek, between Centerville and Pleasant Valley Rds, to the City of Garland as park land. It is a greenbelt that is very instrumental to ultimately connecting the Lake Ray Hubbard bike trails to those being constructed later this year on Pleasant Valley. It is also the location of many pecan trees and other natural life. The entire parcel is in District 1.
 
Mr Cooper asked that the park be named for his brothers Carl Cooper and Cecil "CC" Cooper, who had both served on the Council—CC as a alderman from 1950 to 1952 and Carl as mayor from 1962-66. (Until about 1957 the Council consisted of a mayor and four aldermen. The Council then transitioned to a mayor, four council districts, and four members at-large. It wasn't until 1978 that the Council was converted to a mayor and eight district representatives.)
 
Randall Cooper founded Cooper Concrete Co. in 1947. As the business grew, he was joined by several of his brothers and other relatives in the business, according to Garland, a Contemporary History, by Richard Abshire.
 
Garland, which can trace its roots to the 1840's, is unique among suburbs as so many founding and long-time families are still here and continue to contribute to the community as they have for decades or, in some cases, for over a century.
 

City of Garland News Release:

City of Garland Looks Ahead to 2012

Garland, Texas—January 1, 2012—As we all celebrate the beginning of a new year, the City of Garland looks forward to new opportunities for growth and improvement of City services. Here are a few highlights of what's ahead in 2012:
 
New City Website—The City will unveil a new website early in 2012. City staff has worked for more than two years to gather information from the community and internal departments to create a site intended to better address the needs of residents, visitors and other stakeholders who access City information and services online. The will share more details as the “go-live” date nears via Garland E-News, @garlandtxgov on Twitter, the current website and the Garland City Press.
 
Construction of Sixth Street Crossing—Part of the City’s Downtown Garland plan includes extending Sixth Street across the DGNO and DART tracks to Walnut Street. As part of the project, the Garland historical society’s Landmark Museum will be relocated to this area, placing the museum in a more visible, accessible location. The Sixth Street crossing project will also improve accessibility to businesses surrounding the historic Downtown Garland Square.
 
311 System Feasibility Study—City staff continue to investigate the costs and processes associated with creating a 311 system for contacting City departments and services. A proposal is expected to be crafted in time to be considered in the 2012-13 budget process. City leaders believe a 311 system would help citizens gain quicker access to City services, while making internal processes more cost-efficient.
 
Continue Overall Economic Development Efforts—While the public and private sector watch the economy closely for signs of sustained recovery, the City of Garland will continue its efforts to facilitate positive economic development projects. City leaders are focusing on the Downtown Garland area, potential development opportunities surrounding the DART Light Rail station at Forest Lane and Jupiter Road, redevelopment of empty retail areas in south Garland, the I-30 Corridor and new opportunities surrounding the 190 Eastern Extension.
 
Fire Chief Search—Soon after the new year, City management will begin a national search to find a permanent fire chief. Raymond Knight is currently serving as interim chief following the retirement of Danny Grammar. Chief Knight is expected to seek the permanent position.
 

 
Of course, there are some things not listed. I'll post those as we go along but 2012 will definitely be eventful.