The summer has finally arrived with enough heat to fry the proverbial egg on the sidewalk. To cool off, I suggest you try the new water spray park now available at the recreation center on White Rock Trail. Thanks to the mighty efforts of the ladies in the Lake Highlands Junior Women’s League, a most generous anonymous donor and the Dallas Parks Department, Lake Highlands now has a state-of-the-art water park for our collective enjoyment. Thank you, ladies, for your leadership in this neighborhood improvement project and to Joan Walne for shepherding the effort through the parks department.
If you haven’t noticed, construction of new sidewalks has begun along Skillman. That is thanks to your approval of the dollars in the 2003 Bond package. By the end of this month, 90 percent of the projects in that package will have been started or completed, with the balance still waiting on state or national matching funds to be received, according to the latest update from the economic development office. The goal is to complete the sidewalks from White Rock Creek to the LBJ Freeway.
The summer at City Hall will be spent finalizing the ’06-’07 budget for the Council to vote on in September, and completing the bond package to present to you in November. There are still many changes to be made in both programs before they are ready for final judgment. My office will be open in July, even though the Council will not meet. I will be available during the entire month, either in person or by e-mail. For several weeks this summer, I will be traveling in central China with the Dallas Economic Development Leadership Trade Mission, establishing direct contact in nine interior cities with major exporters of trade goods who are willing to ship directly to the growing Dallas Distribution Port. Look for this area in the southern sector of Dallas to grow rapidly in the coming years, providing not only much-needed employment opportunities but also much-needed tax dollars for the city of Dallas. It is time for business and commerce to once again carry the major load of tax burden now being carried by property owners like you and me.
If you have been reading the paper lately, you have seen some very good news relating to the efforts being made to expose and deal with some of the district’s worst landlords. We have made one of them pay city and school taxes in excess of $500,000! We believe that to be the tip of the iceberg. With the continued efforts of Bill Vandivort, Steve Wakefield, Judge Margaret Kelliher, and the band of merry men and women at the Dallas County Appraisal District, this investigation will continue for the betterment of all of the citizens of Dallas.
Thank you, Lake Highlands, for letting me direct this charge on your behalf. The efforts are beginning to pay off for all of us who live and play in the finest area in town. This battle is too important to lose heart when setbacks occur, because they have and will. Keep in mind that our goal is to bring back the Lake Highlands we all know and love. Keep the faith – I am! Again, thank you for trusting me to represent District 10.
