The temporary water supply connection between the City of Willow Park and Fort Worth is no more.
“We went on the Fort Worth permanent connection as of 11 a.m. today,” Willow Park Public Works Director Michelle Guelker told the city council at its meeting on Tuesday, April 25.
“As of tonight, we will probably start pumping and taking water full-time,” she added.
The supply from Fort Worth will work in conjunction with Willow Park’s own 25 wells.
Guelker noted that the line which will also connect Hudson Oaks is in the final stages and should be completed in the next few weeks. She said when that is finished Hudson Oaks will be able to start turning on its pumps as well.
As to how much water the cities can draw from Fort Worth, Guelker said, “We have up to 3.5 million gallons (per day) we can take, but I don’t think either of us are anywhere close to being big enough to use that.”
She added, however, that during peak times, such as in the summer, up to 1.5 millions gallons per day has been used in the past.
“People love their green grass,” she said.
One council member asked what effect the combination of Fort Worth water and water from the Willow Park wells will have on water hardness. Guelker said, “We’ll probably let it run for a while, let it blend with our existing wells and then test it.”
Willow Park previously had a couple of temporary agreements with Fort Worth that allowed them to use up to a million gallons per day, Guelker said. The first temporary agreement was in the late summer of 2021 until October of that year, and again in April to October of 2022.
This time, however, the water flow will remain on, something that greatly pleases Willow Park Mayor Doyle Moss, whose campaign in 2017 included this very topic.
“When I knocked on doors, water was a priority,” Moss said. “I remember summers in ‘18 and ‘19 when our water person would call and we’d be almost out of water. We started working on this in 2017 and here we are turning the switch. I could not be happier.”
What was a discussion became a reality as Willow Park city leaders followed what Weatherford did a couple weeks earlier and signed an agreement to swap some land and adjust boundaries. The city council approved the land exchange at its Tuesday meeting.
The adjustments will take place between the extraterritorial jurisdiction of both cities. Extraterritorial jurisdiction is the legal ability of a government to exercise authority beyond its normal boundaries.
Willow Park will gain 702 acres along the south side of White Settlement Road and another 20 acres along the south side of Crown Road. Meanwhile, Willow Park will give Weatherford 365 acres on the north side of White Settlement Road in the exchange.
Not much development has taken place on these sites. However, given the continued growth of both cities — Weatherford being the largest in Parker County and Willow Park the second largest — that will not likely remain the case.
“It’s better for development, better for the city,” City Manager Bryan Grimes said. “It gives you a better idea of how you want your city to grow.”
Willow Park city officials stressed that this is not an annexation.
The council voted to approve platting a tract of almost nine acres located on J.D. Towles Drive as the Willow Park Water Reclamation Area. It will be the home of the new public wastewater treatment facility.
The new plant is north of Interstate 20 near Crown Point Boulevard, not far from the new site of Willow Park Baptist Church. It’s only a few hundred yards from the current location on the north end of the new Crown Point Development.
The city and WPBC agreed to a land swap, with the church getting property where the current treatment plant sits for development.
Also concerning the new wastewater treatment plant, it was reported in the public works report by Guelker:
Once underway, construction is expected to be 365 days with an anticipated completion date in mid-July 2024. The lease of the existing wastewater plant will expire in August 2024.
After discussing in executive session, the council returned to open forum and approved moving ahead with the purchase of the new city hall at 120 El Chico Tr. At a meeting on April 3 the council voted unanimously to announce the approval of the issuance of certificates of obligation in the amount of $8.5 million for the purchase, renovating, improving and equipping the building.
Along with housing city officials and council, the building will serve as public safety facilities, judicial facilities, a city hall, and municipal facilities for administrative offices for city departments.
Grimes had previously said that the cost to lease the building annually is about $200,000, which would be around $6 million over the span of 30 years. Also, there are two other tenants in the building, Sylvan Learning Center and McKnight Title. Should they decide to stay for the remainder of their respective leases, one ends in July of 2026 and the other in December of 2026. Grimes said those leases bring in around $100,000 annually.
City officials and staff moved into the building in January, originally signing a 30-month lease for the approximately 8,700 square feet of space, almost triple the 3,189 the amount they had in their previous home of many years.
As for when the building will officially be theirs, Grimes noted that there are still some official procedures and paperwork that has to be done, but that it should all be in place by the summer.
“Official, official, here’s the keys to your new house July 1,” he said.
Council approved the platting of approximately 30 acres south of East Bankhead Highway. The owner, Barbara Nolte, noted the subdivision of the five lots in the first block is intended for partial sale.
Council also approved an additional 15 foot right-of-way dedication on East Bankhead Highway for future expansion to 90 foot minor arterial road, based on the city’s thoroughfare plan.
Four of the lots have three frame homes and two mobile homes on them, with the fifth lot having two stock tanks and cattle.
“It was just one parcel, now they’re subdividing it into five,” clarified Planning and Development Director Toni Fisher.
Interim Police Chief Daniel Franklin presented the department’s quarterly report, which included:
Council received an update from City Engineer Gretchen Vasquez on the city’s street improvements. The project is 25% complete and consists of removing and replacing approximately 36,500 square yards of existing asphalt pavement with concrete paving and replacing approximately 18,600 square yards of asphalt pavement with 2-inch hot mix asphalt concrete.
The list of streets in the project includes:
Vasquez also gave an update on the King’s Gate Road bridge replacement project with the Texas Department of Transportation. The design is 30% complete.
The proposed work is a partnership with the City of Willow Park and TxDOT to remove and replace the King’s Gate Road bridge over Clear Fork Trinity River and construct the approach roadways. Bridge length and width is approximately 109 feet long and 44 feet wide.
Vasquez reported that TxDOT is working to determine what utilities will need to be relocated and that environmental documentation has started.
The letting for opening bids is July 2024.
As part of his closing remarks Tuesday, Grimes said citizens should expect a decrease in taxes in the next fiscal year.
“As we start putting our budget together we will see a significant tax decrease,” he said. “I don’t want to commit to a number now.”
The decrease will come about as a result of the annexation of the city’s fire department by Parker County Emergency Services District 1. That freed up approximately $1.4 million in the city’s annual budget that was previously going to support the fire department.
The second annual Willow Bark, held April 15 was a big hit, the city’s Communication and Marketing Director, Rose Hoffman, told the council in her quarterly report. Hoffman said more than 250 folks showed up for the free event at McCall Elementary School that included a dog costume contest and a weenie dog race. There were plenty of activities for humans as well, including face painting, bounce houses, karaoke DJ and more.
“It was the best attended event I’ve seen since I’ve been with the city,” Hoffman said.
The animal welfare group Parker Paws was also onsite.
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