Transportation in and out of the Lake Highlands area is only going to get better over the next three to four years.

In a recent conversation with Roger Snoble, director of DART, I was led to believe DART is closing in on the selection of a station site in Lake Highlands.

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None of the proposed sites have been eliminated, but the focus seems to be centering on the area just north of LBJ at Skillman. I am told the final selection will be made this month. The station is scheduled to open in 2000.

This summer is the start of the connection between Miller and Royal by the Texas Department of Transportation. This is a long-awaited project that will definitely bring relief to those of you who travel east to west.

I have always been frustrated by not being able to access west-bound LBJ from Miller or Miller from east-bound LBJ. TXDOT has a plan for temporary ramps to be put in until the major reconstruction of LBJ after the year 2000.

The DART station, coupled with the Miller and Royal connection, is helping me make the argument to expedite this before the DART station opens.

If you missed the April Town Hall meeting on sexually oriented businesses, here is a brief overview. I have every intention of voting for the proposed revisions to the current ordinance as soon as Council gets them back from planning and zoning.

The revisions will enable us to keep S.O.B. businesses 1,000 feet from one another, a church, a school, a park, a residence center and a daycare center.

The purpose of the revision is to bring all businesses operating as a sexually oriented business under the ordinance. In the past, some businesses have gotten around the ordinance by covering small portions of an entertainer’s body so they were not a “nude” establishment.

Due to the family readership of the Advocate, I will not go into specifics, but call me at 214-670-4068, and I will be happy to give a more detailed explanation.

The bottom line (excuse the pun) is we need the revisions to protect neighborhoods.

Some of these businesses have threatened to move into other parts of the City, including ours, if we pass the revisions. The truth is, they have a much larger area in our district today to locate in than they will have after the revisions.

In District 10, they would have to locate in the industrial areas located north of LBJ at Plano and at Ferguson-LBJ.

In closing, congratulations to our graduating seniors. I know a good number of you, and I think you’re one of the best classes to graduate from Lake Highlands.

On a personal note: Sarah, you couldn’t have been a greater joy these past 18 years. I hope this goes double for all of you with a graduating senior.