Willow Park Council unveils new communications between residents and City Hall

Communication between Willow Park residents and City Hall just got easier.

Got a question about trash pickup? Water? Now, the answers are just a text away.

The Willow Park City Council, at its meeting on Tuesday, July 23, joined those in attendance to witness the unveiling of TextMyGov, a new service designed to improve communication between those who live in the city and those who work for and lead the city.  

Willow Park Communications and Marketing Director Rose Hoffman said the service is a nice alternative to having to download another app for information.

“There are a lot of people feeling like they’re being apped to death,” she said.

Simply put, TextMyGov is designed to make it easier for those with incoming inquiries and those with outgoing notifications, so it makes things easier for both residents and city employees. Community members can text for answers to common questions and get directed to helpful information. It also allows the city to send text messages/notifications in a more efficient and effective manner. 

The way it works is simple. Text “Hi” to 817-458-3443 and the communication is underway, complete with key words to help with your particular subject.

And, if your topic is not on there, someone - in this case Hoffman - will be notified. She can then send a link to help answer your question and add it to the system for the next person with that or a similar question.

Hoffman cited as an example a question someone asked about how to contact an inmate in the city jail.

“In a city the size of Willow Park with the size of the staff we have, anything we can do to streamline the user experience and make it easier for our community to find information is a good tool,” she said.

Also, you do not have to be a resident of Willow Park to use TxtMyGov, Hoffman added. And it is available in a Spanish version.

Hoffman noted that if you want to ensure you receive notifications text WP info to 91896.

“By and large I think people are going to like it because of the simplicity,” Hoffman said. “You don’t have to do a lot of digging.”

Parker County Brewing Company moving

The council announced a Chapter 380 agreement with Second Empire Brewing, owners of Parker County Brewing Company that will allow them to relocate from the Shops at Willow Park to the location that was formerly the Parker County Ice House. Their new 6,100 square foot home is located at 210 Willow Bend Dr. in the heart of Willow Park’s business district.

“I think it’s going to be a great opportunity for them to be independent (stand alone). They have events from time to time and want more of that,” Planning and Development Director Toni Fisher said. “They’ll have more room to spread out.”

Fisher said plans are for them to be in their new location on or before Jan. 1, 2025.

Chapter 380 of the Texas Local Government Code allows municipalities to provide a grant or loan of city funds or services to promote economic development.

Police awards

The Willow Park Police Department was honored by the Texas Police Chiefs Association with a re-accreditation. It was presented by Weatherford Police Chief Lance Arnold, who noted that only eight percent of the police departments in the state earn re-accreditation.

“It’s not an easy task, I can tell you,” he said.

The WPPD was first accredited in 2020 with Carrie West (now Carrie Ellis) as the chief. Daniel Franklin is now chief, taking over in June of 2023 following West’s retirement.

Arnold said the re-accreditation, which occurs every four years, was based on a committee’s decision on how the WPPD fared in 173 different standards addressing all facets of law enforcements.

“I’m here to tell you tonight the vote was unanimous,” he said.

“This award was first earned by Chief West and now continued by the high level of success by Chief Franklin. To get this honor under two different police chiefs is really something special,” Willow Park City Manager Bryan Grimes said. “As a city manager, father and husband I’m extremely grateful for Chief Franklin and the police department.”

Parker County law enforcement agreement

County approved a second addendum to the Interlocal Cooperation Agreement between Parker County and the City of Willow Park for law enforcement dispatch services to be effective Oct. 1.

The addendum will raise compensation services from $91,967.00 to $101,526.00 in order for Parker County to provide dispatch services to the City of Willow Park.

TCA scoreboard agreement

Similar to a recent contract signed with Aledo ISD, council approved a scoreboard advertising agreement with Willow Park Trinity Christian Academy. The partnership is seen as another opportunity to promote the city's branding and name recognition.

The contract is a three-year agreement at a cost of $5,000 per year, and can be paid out of hotel occupancy tax funds.

The signage will be a center rectangular panel on the scoreboard in the football stadium measuring just over 8 feet wide and 3 feet high.

“This is pretty much chapter and verse what we did with Aledo,” Hoffman said, adding that many of Trinity’s opponents “Come from hours and hours away.”

Department report highlights

Planning and development

Fisher reported that new building permits submitted and under construction include:

• Taco Bueno and Papa John’s Pizza, 5300 S I-20 Service Rd., Suites 100 and 200.
• The District Butcher, 4800 Shops Blvd., Suite 100.
• Trinity Bible Church expansion, 4936 E I-20 Service Rd.
• Two new commercial buildings, 270 and 280 Willow Bend Dr.
• NBT Financial Bank, 200 Shops Blvd.

Parks

Fisher also reported that status updates on some projects included:

• Christmas Lighting: Plans are to add Kings Gate Park’s roadway trees and the roof line of the Public Safety Building.
• Willow Park Trail System: The new Trinity Track mountain bike trail has been cut in by Shadow Trail Designs and the Weatherford Mountain Bike Club, and has its emergency markers and trail kiosk signage in place. Trail features are planned to be added beginning this Fall.
• Kings Gate Park: Westwood Professional Services has begun working on the programming recommendations for Kings Gate Park and is working with staff on proposed park improvements.
• City Hall grounds: Westwood Professional Services, Inc. is in the process of completing 90 percent of construction documents for the parking lot/frontage renovation project plans in progress.
• Billboards: The westbound billboard was changed to be the same as the westbound, which has a higher contrast for the logo to stand out better.
• TXDOT Green Ribbon Grant Program: Planned for spring 2025.

Public works

The report from Director Michelle Guelker and Field Supervisor Chase McBride updated the council on subjects such as:

• New lead and copper requirements: Over the past year or so, staff has been attending training and other sessions to learn about the new lead and copper rule that goes into effect Oct. 16. One of the new requirements under this rule is that the city have an inventory of all service lines on the city side (before the meter) and the customer’s side (after the meter). Crews report that no lead services on either side of the meter have been located and only a few galvanized lines were found.
• Consumer Confidence Report: Released in June, the report shows no abnormalities were found in any sample analysis performed and no violations were made during 2023.