Council names committee to examine future of police station

With Parker County Emergency Services District 1 being in the process of annexing the Willow Park Fire Department, the future of the city's police department headquarters is being considered.

ESD1 officials are in the process of purchasing the Willow Park Public Safety Building, pending a legal review of all documentation, and it will become solely a fire station. This means the police department will have to find a new location.

"The likelihood of the ESD purchasing the Public Safety Building is very high. They are dotting the 'I's' and crossing the 'T's,'" City Manager Bryan Grimes said. "We're probably going to need a new police station.”

The location of the old city hall at 516 Ranch House Rd. is available, but city officials have said if that is to be the site of a new police station, old city hall will be torn down and a new building constructed in its place.

"We're not starting from scratch, but we're starting close to scratch," Grimes said.

At the request of Mayor Pro Tem Lea Young, staff and council have been working to establish a police station committee to assist and consult to design, build, and construct a police station.

At Tuesday's meeting, the council voted to name to the committee:

• Mayor Doyle Moss as chairman.
• Young.
• Place 2 Councilman Chawn Gilliland.
• Police Chief Carrie Ellis.
• Assistant Police Chief Daniel Franklin.

Grimes said once the ESD purchase becomes official, he anticipates having about two years for the police department to move into a new facility. He said he'd like to see construction underway around this time next year. He also said he believes professional services toward that means should be procured within the next 90 to 120 days.

"There's a lot of work to do," he said. "I think we could do a lot simultaneously."

Final plat approved for Country Hollow

The council approved a zoning change for the new Country Hollow residential subdivision to allow for 101 lots on 19 acres. Of these, 98 will be residential and three common lots.

The applicant, Teague, Nall and Perkins, along with property owner Scott Moehlenbrock, Red River Development, made the request of the property located south of 5720 East I-20 Service Rd. South. The property is north of Hunters Glen residential subdivision.

A minimum of fifty percent of the homes will have square footage of 1,700 to 2,000. Maximum height for all the homes is two stories.

Also, a monument sign is planned to differentiate it from Hunters Glen. The property will also include two retention ponds with a five-foot safety ledge in each, and a walking path.

The property was annexed into the City of Willow Park in October of 2021.

Budget Amendment

Following up on a discussion at the Feb. 14 meeting, the council approved a change in sales tax revenue in the current fiscal year budget. City Manager Bryan Grimes had noted that the original budgeted amount for sales tax revenue of $1.72 million will likely be exceeded. The council subsequently increased the estimated revenue to $2 million.

The city would need to average $150,000 per month for the remainder of the fiscal year to reach this amount. Currently, they are averaging $190,000 per month.

"We feel confident we'll easily get $2 million this fiscal year," Grimes said.

The subject was brought up on Feb. 14 in connection with un-budgeted expenses related to moving into the new city hall at 120 El Chico Tr. in January. The expenses were also added in a budget amendment, allowing for $205,000 to cover rent, moving expenses, and related utility expenses as needed.

Police budget amended

Like many places, the City of Willow Park experienced multiple days of freezing ice and rain that resulted in shutting the city down for a period of five days in late January/early February. The storm placed an enormous strain on the police department's overtime budget, forcing them to expend 392 hours of overtime costing the department a little more than $17,000.

Council approved covering the additional expense out of the city's general fund.

Election canceled

The council voted to cancel the May 6 election as all of the candidates are running unopposed.

Moss will retain his position as mayor, as will Gilliland on Council Place 2 and Place 1 Councilman Eric Contreras.

Proclamation

The evening began with a proclamation to Freedom House in recognition of Teen Dating Violence Dating Awareness Month, which was February. Young made the presentation to Carol Sutton of Freedom House.

On their website, freedomhousepc.org, Freedom House cites statistics that include:

• 1.3 million women are physically assaulted each year.
• 463,634 people on average are victims of rape and sexual assault each year in the U.S.
• 76% of family violence victims are female.
• 81% of women reported some form of sexual harassment and/or assault in their lifetime.
• Three out of four Americans know a victim of domestic violence.
• One in five women experience completed or attempted rape during their lifetime in the U.S.

Freedom House can be reached at 817-596-7543. The hotline number to report abuse is 817-596-8922.

Their main address is 1149 Fort Worth Hwy, Weatherford, TX. 76086.