My thoughts and prayers to the families of all those affected by the violence here in Dallas and beyond.  On a personal note, I appreciate Chief Robert Brown, Ben Luna and all the men and women of the Duncanville Police department that serve this community with dedication and compassion.  I want to thank the City Manager, all the City staff and the Duncanville community for coming together and celebrating our nation on the Fourth of July peacefully and joyfully.  My wife took pictures of the celebration and placed it on my Facebook page and titled it “the Mayberry celebration”.  When I think of Mayberry, I think of a place when people know each other, and everyone is treated with dignity and respect.

We have too much anger.  We see too many adversaries.  We need courage.  We need to surround ourselves with neighbors.

It takes courage to face the adversity, to overcome the fear, to encounter the evil and respond with dignity…trusting in the God who promised that He would never leave us or forsake us, that He would withhold no good thing from us, that He would work all things together for good.  We all stand on the shoulders of Dr. Martin Luther King, Gandhi and others, but it takes courage to rise up and make it real right here and right now.  Pray to receive that courage and respond rightly to the challenge of life.

When you get an opportunity, read Luke 10:25-37.  Let’s be that guy.  Start now.  I will.

Will you?

Dallas Wings (WNBA) — the Duncanville Chamber of Commerce and the City of Duncanville are co-sponsoring a promotional “Duncanville, City of Champions Night” on Saturday, June 25, at 7:30p. The WNBA Dallas Wings will play the Indiana Fever. The game will be held at UTA’s College Park Center.  This will be Duncanville High School alum (class of 1997) basketball star, Tamika Catchings’ last professional game in the area as she is retiring this year with the Indiana Fever.

Boards and Commissions — update regarding the 2016 Boards & Commissions Application process to date:

 41 Vacancies (including 31 terms that are up for renewal in August 2016, 8 resignations, and 2 non-attendance issues)

 30 Applications received including 18 requests for reappointment and 12 new applications.

July 15, 2016 is the deadline for applications. We are currently advertising through the website (home page), Champion, June Spotlight, LED Sign, and posters in City Hall lobby area.

Fire Department – The Department did not have any major fire or EMS events in Duncanville this week but did respond to a small kitchen fire Sunday night at Ridge Rock. The fire was contained to that area and the electric meter did not need to be pulled.

The next Fire Civil Service entrance exam is scheduled for Saturday, July 16 at First United Methodist Church at 9:00a.

Public Works – Water usage was 29.040 MG last week, down from 31.724 MG the

prior week. The weekly peak water demand occurred on Saturday, June 18, when

4.731 MG was pumped from ground and elevated storage.

US Underwater performed tank cleaning and inspections on the Clark, River Oaks, and North Main elevawater tanks this week.

The Planning and Zoning Commission will meet on Monday, June 27, 2016 to consider two replats and an amendment to Appendix A, Article XIV-G – Screening Requirements, Walls, and Fences. Staff was directed by the Planning and Zoning Commission to prepare an amended ordinance following a workshop held on March 28, 2016. The amended ordinance addresses elements not previously provided, including aesthetic requirements, strength/construction requirements, and the allowance of concrete panel walls with specific criteria. City Planner Chasidy Allen will also provide an update on the status of the Comprehensive Plan.

The Street Department removed the overgrown vegetation and silt from the open ditches on Woodhaven Boulevard. This is an extremely flat area that will require a drainage study to determine a permanent solution for the drainage problems. However, we are improving the drainage for now by cleaning the open ditches and culverts.

On Wednesday, June 23, Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) notified the City of a positive mosquito trap test for West Nile Virus. They will conduct ground spraying in the Jewel Lane area on Thursday, June 23, Friday, June 24, and Sunday, June 26, 2016, from 9:00p to 5:00a, weather permitting. A map of the area to be sprayed is attached at the end of this memo. Residents living near this area are encouraged to remain indoors and bring their pets inside during spraying. City staff will continue to monitor areas where mosquito breeding is mostly like to occur.

The County continues to forward updates regarding the Zika virus. No cases have been reported in Duncanville.

Construction Update:

 A building permit was issued to Northstar Builders for the Duncanville ISD Bond Package renovations at Duncanville High, Daniel Intermediate, Alexander Elementary, Smith Elementary, Summit Alternative, and the PACE schools.

 Barson Utilities will finish underground utility work within the next week and continue forming and installing sidewalks, curbs, ADA ramps, and gutters for the Roma Drive Water and Wastewater Improvements project. Paving should begin by mid-July.

 Staff held a pre-construction meeting on Thursday, June 16, with Ken-Do Contractors for the FY16 Sidewalk Improvements project awarded at the May 17 Council meeting. The project start date is contingent on another project Ken-Do is working on in the area, but priority will be placed on projects near schools to ensure they are completed prior to August 23.

Parks and Recreation – The mowing/litter contractor will have 7 crew members on US Highway 67 today to address weedeating and litter along the roadway. Staff continues to meet with the contractor management on a weekly basis and we have made several strong suggestions to them on ways they can improve their service including dedicating more resources to Duncanville. The contractor continues to struggle but we are staying on top of the situation as close as possible. We will continue to monitor their performance per the terms of the contract.

Recreation – Summer Concert Series kicks off this Saturday at Armstrong Park at 7:30p with a line-up of Gospel music for the families of Duncanville.

Gospel June 25

Jazz July 16 Performers: Savoy Swing, La Pompe, Cat Garner Jazz Ensemble, Duval & Ave Maria

R&B August 20 Performers Nia Kids, Vante, Lady Diamond

Economic Development — ED staff continues to work with Jorge Ruiz on the design of the EDC website, tentatively scheduled to launch on August 8.

Osaki Sushi & Hibachi restaurant opened this week. It is located at 749 West Wheatland Rd in the Tom Thumb Shopping center. Several staff members visited the restaurant for lunch on Tuesday and reported the food was very good.

ED staff and the Public Works Department met with TxDOT last week on the I-20 frontage road project to discuss timeline and possible aesthetic enhancements. TxDOT will schedule the required public hearing meeting as well as the neighborhood meeting to solicit input on the sound wall, sometime between now and the end of the year. No dates have been determined yet.

RPG Capital completed their building at Danieldale Drive and Cedar Hill Road and moved their offices from Lancaster to the new building in Duncanville.

The Rice Pot is scheduled to open in the next few weeks in the location of the former King Crab at Main Station. It is an Asian fusion restaurant.

Certificate of Occupancy (CO) Permits Issued:

 None this week

CO Permits Applied For:

 CRP Senior Care, Inc., 515 N Cedar Ridge (Non-medical in home health care)

 Eunice Professional Hair Braiding & Weaving, 550 N Main St Unit 530

 CT Auto Repair, 214 Woodhaven Blvd. Unite B; (Auto Repairs)

 Ashley Nycole’s Hair Boutique, 707 Oriole Blvd (Hair Salon)

 Zodiak’s Style Bar and Brow-tique, 603 E Hwy 67 Unit 1(Dual Salon)

Police Department – this week, a number of hand-crafted items were donated to the Police Department by the Oak Cliff Women’s Club Charitable Crafts Group. The items were made by the Oak Cliff Women’s Club and donated to the Duncanville Police Department to provide to victims of crime and to those less fortunate. A big “thank you” to Mary Jo Cooley, Marsha Griffin, and Sharon Keltner and many others who were not able to come when they dropped off the handmade bears, dolls and blankets! Ms. Keltner and her husband are graduates of the Citizens Police Academy.

Fire Department – The Department did not have any major fire or EMS events in Duncanville this week.

EMS Chief Mike Ryan has been providing CPR and First Aid training to employees of the Recreation Center this week. This training is extremely beneficial in that recognition of a cardiac arrest and immediately calling 911 and administering CPR, provides the best chances for a cardiac arrest victim to survive with minimal deprivation of oxygen to the brain. Our goal is for every employee to receive CPR training. Normally, the cost of this training can be as much as $100 per person, but Chief Ryan is providing the training at no cost to the city.

Public Works – Water usage was 25.607 MG last week, up slightly from 25.439 MG the prior week. The weekly peak water demand occurred on Wednesday, May 25, when 3.839 MG was pumped from ground and elevated storage.
The Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee will meet on Monday, June 6, 2016 at 7:00p in the Briefing Room. The committee will review and select the revised Comprehensive Plan logo and tagline. The committee chose “Destination Duncanville: A Path for Our Future” as the tagline to be used for the plan. The consultant has modified the logo, with multiple options, based on feedback from the committee. The committee will also discuss the schedule of upcoming meetings.
There were no positive mosquito traps reported by Dallas County this week. Dallas County continues to forward updates to us regarding the Zika virus. There have been no reported cases in Duncanville.

Code Enforcement – Congratulations to Code Enforcement Officer Nicole McKeon who wrote a “Before and After” contest article for the American Association of Code Enforcement (AACE) newsletter. Her submission, published in last month’s issue of the AACE newsletter, was about Code’s efforts to abate a used car lot that had turned into a junkyard. For her published article, she earned free admission to the AACE Annual Conference!
Construction Update:
 Curtco, the crack sealing contractor, has completed 46,319 linear feet of crack sealing and 1,048 linear feet of crack routing on Lodema Lane, Tampico Circle, La Plata Drive, Wren Street, Emporia Lane, Bayless Lane, South Cockrell Hill Road, and Frank Keasler Boulevard. This project has been delayed due to rainy weather.
 Barson Utilities has completed the transfer of water service lines to the water main for residents along the Roma Drive Water and Sewer Improvements Project. Miscellaneous curb, gutter and sidewalk repairs are ongoing.
 Excel 4 Construction completed work on all service laterals under the approved change order and began working on the next main line for the current pipe bursting project.
Parks and Recreation – Due to the rainy weather, it has been a tough week for mowing. The weather forecast for next week looks good so we are confident we can start the catch-up process on Monday. This will include mowing I-20 and Hwy 67 as soon as possible. These areas have not been mowed yet in order to wait for the wildflowers to go to seed, ensuring next year’s crop of wildflowers. We are also proactively working with the contractor to minimize, as best we can, an expected trash issue for these two roadways for the first mow cycle.
The installation of the two new playgrounds has also been slowed by the wet weather. With good weather, we expect Willow Run to be completed next week and installation at Lakeside Park to commence next week as well.

Recreation — The individual television monitors on the cardio equipment at the Recreation Center are currently not operational due to Charter Communications change to digital cable service. We have installed HDTV antennas on the wall-mounted televisions so they are operating normally. We are working with both DiSH and DirectTV to get quotes for service. Under Charter Communications new pricing and the requirement for a box to receive digital service, it would cost the city $800 per month to continue with their service. We will work to get service restored as soon as possible.
Summer Day Camp begins at the Recreation Center and Fieldhouse next Monday, June 6. Both locations will also host summer feeding programs for youth in our community who are dependent on free or reduced lunches through the school district.  Kudos to Recreation Superintendent Veronica Williams and the rest of the Parks and Recreation staff for the outstanding Memorial Day event on Monday. It was well attended and many thanks were shared by the citizens and veterans afterwards.

Economic Development — ED staff is providing assistance on the following potential projects:
Continues to work with the Italian restaurant that is interested in the old Texas Tux location — formerly located at the Quality Inn and Suites Property;
Working with a brokerage firm that represents a number of sit-down restaurants and various retail;
Continuing to work with DeFord’s on expansion options;
The Medical/Professional Office complex building B located at 407 Danieldale Road is complete. RPG Capital is waiting on their final CO to move their offices into the building. Once the CO is issued, the DCEDC will present their $75,000 infrastructure rebate grant to them.
Certificate of Occupancy (CO) Permits Issued:
 None this week
CO Permits Applied For:
 Personal Storage; 402 W. Wheatland Rd., Unit 160-D
 Jay & Ben Automotive Repair; 706 E. Red Bird Ln. (Automotive Repair Shop)
 BoBo Event Center; 626 Oriole Blvd (General Event Center)
 Castro Auto Servicio; 706 E Red Bird Ln., Unit 114 (Auto Mechanic and Repair Shop)
 Bakari Images; 111 S. Cedar Ridge Dr., Unit 114 (Photography Studio)
 Rachel’s Furniture; 251 W. Camp Wisdom Rd. (Furniture)

Brush pick-up – as reported last week, Republic has fallen behind their normal two-week brush pickup cycle due to the seasonal increase in brush and other materials. They added additional boom trucks and Saturday pick-up in an effort to catch up. To assist Republic, the City will place three 40-yard dumpsters that we have at the Service Center, on Shady Trail for Republic to start unloading brush into. This will keep their boom truck from travelling 1½ hours round trip to the mulching facility and back. They will have other drivers come and haul the 40-yard dumpsters when full. We have used this system before and it works well. This may not get them caught up but it should help keep them from getting further behind.

Somewhat related, I would also like to pass along a compliment that we received concerning Republic Services and that we passed along to their management:
[Citizen] called this afternoon to compliment the Boom Truck operator for the great job he did picking up his brush pile. He was pleased to see Juan Ibarra (the operator) get out of his truck and sweep up the twigs and leaves that he was unable to pick up with the boom truck. [Citizen] said he left his property very clean.

Substandard Building – Hanging Gardens – In March, the property at 1443 S. Main Street (Hanging Gardens) was found to be substandard in a public hearing conducted by the Director of Public Works, in accordance with the City’s ordinances. An order to repair or demolish was issued to the property owners. Since the property owners failed to comply with the di`rector’s order in the time frame allowed, the next step is to conduct a public hearing in municipal court. The hearing on this property is scheduled for June 29, 9:00a. If the judge rules in the city’s favor, an order to demolish will be issued and if the property owner fails to comply with that order in the allotted time, the City will contract for demolition and then place a lien on the property.

City Core Values – as we continue our efforts to build a “best-in-class” city organization, the staff has worked hard to champion the City Council’s adopted values and instill them in our everyday culture. To help with remembering the values and what they stand for, we have created the acronym “HABITS” because we believe it also serves to reinforce the idea of empowering employees to positive decision making through positive “habits.” We will be referencing it throughout our organization and wanted to share it with you:
H – Honesty: I will always be truthful.
A – Accountability: I am solely responsible for my actions.
B – Be Fair (Fairness): I will treat everyone with respect and without bias.
I – Integrity: I will always do what is honorable and what is right.
T – Transparency: I will be open and honest in my communications, genuine in my decisions and interactions with people, and be a reflection of a trustworthy organization.
S – Service above self: I am here to be a servant to all citizens.

Fire Department – The Department did not have any major fire or EMS events in Duncanville this week.
On Wednesday May 25, we were notified that we had received an award from the American Heart Association. The award is for the 2016 Mission: Lifeline EMS Recognition. The AHA has three levels of recognition — bronze, silver, and gold. We received the Silver Achievement Award. The award is based on treatment guidelines to improve patient care and outcomes for STEMI’s (ST-segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction – a heart attack caused by complete blockage of an artery). To receive the award, the department achieved a 90 minute or less time frame from initial contact with the patient, placement of a stent, and transport to nearest hospital, at least 75% of the time. This again demonstrates the training and dedication of our EMS crews in serving the citizens of Duncanville!

Police Department – as previously mentioned, the Police Department has undertaken an initiative with area churches to help foster better communication and relations between the PD and the community, especially the youth. The churches have been very responsive and welcoming, and provided feedback to Lt. Mark LiVigni that it would be great if officers could attend their services from time to time. Lt. LiVigni discussed this idea with Officer Louis Chapman, who has prior studies and work experience in youth church ministry. He volunteered to speak at church services and after receiving approval from Chief Brown, Lt. LiVigni made this offer to the churches if they wished to invite him. Pastor Ginger Hertenstein and First Presbyterian Church of Duncanville immediately accepted and invited Officer Chapman to speak at a service in July! We are excited about this opportunity to represent the Police Department and provide a positive community message to their congregation. We look forward to more such opportunities.

The 7th Annual Fire Truck Pull, hosted by the Police Department to benefit Special Olympics Texas, was held this past Saturday, May 21 at Armstrong Park. The
Duncanville PD placed third in the Public Safety category (Duncanville Fire placed second). Thanks to all who participated!
Public Works – Water usage was 25.439 MG last week, down from 26.779 MG the prior week. The weekly peak water demand occurred on Sunday, May 22, when 3.939 MG was pumped from ground and elevated storage.
Several staff members attended the annual Building Professional Institute in Arlington for continuing education and/or legal ethics requirements. City Planner Chasidy Allen and Building Official Greg Contreras both serve as moderators at this event every year. This year, Chasidy also stepped in to serve as the instructor for a three-hour Redevelopment Roundtable when the instructor was unable to fulfill his obligation. This speaks very well to the expertise and standing of our staff with their colleagues, as well as the value to the community achieved by continued training and education in our fields.
Staff continues to meet with the City of Cedar Hill to coordinate funding, operations and maintenance, as we finalize the transfer of the Summit Tank and property from the Trinity River Authority to the two cities. By assuming ownership from TRA, the two cities expect to save at least $150,000 on upgrades to the tank, in addition to annual savings on operation and maintenance.

There were no positive mosquito traps reported by Dallas County this week. Dallas County continues to forward updates to us regarding the Zika virus. There have been no reported cases in Duncanville.

Construction Update:
Curtco began sealing cracks in the asphalt pavement on Lodema Road.
Barson Utilities is continuing transfer of water service lines to the water main for residents along the Roma Drive Water and Sewer Improvements Project. This transfer includes the installation of new water meters. Miscellaneous curb, gutter and sidewalk repairs are also underway.
Excel 4 Construction has completed work on all service laterals on the fourth line of the approved change order for the current pipe bursting project.
The FY16 Asphalt Overlay Program is projected to start in the latter part of June to be followed by the street striping program.

Parks and Recreation – Willow Run playground is nearing completion. All that remains is the concrete border and it will be installed as soon as the weather allows. Unfortunately, the contractor hit rock in the installation of the playground at Lakeside Park. This is an additional expense of $4,000, but is always a possibility as an additional charge item on quotes we receive for playground installation. This will exceed the Innovation Fund original project budget of $350,000 for Harrington, Willow Run and Lakeside Parks’ playgrounds by $2,338.51. The overage will be made up through savings in other Innovation Fund projects.

Recreation – the Memorial Day Service will be Monday, May 30 at 10:00a at Memorial Park. The keynote speaker will be Retired Air Force Colonel Bobby Waddle and the event is coordinated with the local Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion organizations.
Fieldhouse — there are two large regional basketball tournaments this weekend and Monday at the Fieldhouse with both boys and girls teams ranging from 4th grade to high school. Heavy traffic should be expected around the Fieldhouse during this time.
Economic Development —
Certificate of Occupancy (CO) Permits Issued:
 None this week
CO Permits Applied For:
 Tune and Lube; 633 E Hwy 67 Unit #A; (Auto maintenance and repair)
 Cross Road Trucking; 407 N Cedar Ridge Dr. Unit 315 (Trucking – office only)
 Second Chance Art; 626 E. Hwy 67 (Art & Antiques Shop)
 Barclay Construction Group; 411 W Danieldale Rd (Construction and Development Office)

ICMA International Fellows – the International City and County Management Association (ICMA) sponsors an International Fellows program to promote learning and knowledge exchange among key local government professionals from participating countries. The City of Cedar Hill is currently hosting two young professional women, one from Cambodia and one from Vietnam, on a program that is aimed at sustainable technologies. They contacted Duncanville to see if we would like to host them for a day and familiarize them with our city. Assistant City Manager Charles Smith, Parks and Recreation Director Bart Stevenson, and Public Works Director Mike Hasler put together a presentation and tour to show them our solar cell project, SCADA system, and pond irrigation system at Waterview Park/Harrington Park. They will be spending most of today, Friday, May 20 with us and we are excited to show off Duncanville to them!

Brush pick-up — Republic is currently running about a week behind for brush pick up due to the extra volume in Duncanville. They are running multiple boom trucks to try to keep up. Republic will continue running section by section to avoid getting further behind. Normally there is a two week turn-around time to get through all the sections in the City and start again, but right now it is taking them about three weeks. This is fairly normal this time of year due to “spring cleaning,” tree trimming, storm damage to trees, etc.

Town Hall Meeting – Reminder that we will have the rescheduled Town Hall meeting, hosted by District 5, on Thursday, May 26 at 6:00p. The meeting will be held at Fairmeadows Elementary School cafeteria, 101 E. Fairmeadows Drive. The topics of discussion will be Code Enforcement and Public Works capital projects and pavement management study.

Police Department – the 7th Annual Fire Truck Pull, hosted by the Police Department to benefit Special Olympics Texas, will be this Saturday, May 21 at 10:00a at Armstrong Park. Teams can still register beginning at 9:00a. The public is invited.

Fire Department – The Department did not have any major EMS events in Duncanville this week. EMS crews have been celebrating EMS Week at the local hospitals, who have provided the crews with lunch.

The Department responded to a structure fire at 714 Granada on May 17, 2016, with the time of alarm of 18:22. Severe damage occurred in the kitchen, breakfast nook, living room, and entryway. The structure had severe smoke and heat damage throughout the house. The structure is not habitable and all utilities have been disconnected. Cause of the fire appears to have been a pan of grease that was left on the stove unattended for about 15 minutes.

This past weekend, firefighters again went door-to-door in neighborhoods to distribute smoke detectors and batteries and check for working detectors. They installed 64 smoke alarms and changed 6 smoke alarm batteries in the Fairmeadows neighborhood. Of the 22 homes department personnel went to, only 2 of the homes had at least 2 working smoke detectors, and only 1 home had more than 2 working detectors. Many of the homes did not have a single working smoke detector!

To date, we have installed more than 100 smoke detectors throughout the community since we began this program back in March. This certainly demonstrates the positive impact the smoke detector program, thanks to the grant from Home Depot, is having in promoting fire safety in our community. Kudos to the department for their outreach!

Public Works – Water usage was 26.779 MG last week, down slightly from 27.010 MG the prior week. The weekly peak water demand occurred on Friday, May 13, when 4.285 MG was pumped from ground and elevated storage.

There were no positive mosquito traps reported by Dallas County this week. Dallas County continues to forward updates to us regarding the Zika virus. There have been no reported cases in Duncanville.

Construction Updates:

 The certificate of occupancy was issued for Building A of the Good Life Senior Living Center located at 302 W. Wheatland Road. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on May 12 to celebrate the completion of the facility. Both buildings now have their COs and are awaiting state certification.

 Barson Utilities is transferring service lines to the northwest water main for the residents along the Roma Drive Water and Sewer Improvements Project. This transfer includes installation of new water meters.

 Excel 4 Construction completed work on the fourth line that is a part of the change order for the current pipe bursting project. Several service laterals will be replaced next week.

The FY2016 Sidewalk Improvements Project was awarded to Ken-Do Construction at Tuesday night’s Council Meeting. Their paperwork is being processed. Projected start date is June 13.

 Bids for the Lions Park Erosion Control project are scheduled to be opened next Thursday, May 26.

Parks and Recreation – Construction continues on the new playground at Willow Run Park. The installers were originally targeting Friday for completion but due to the wet weather, that has been pushed back. Once complete, they will move to Lakeside Park for the installation of that playground.

Recreation — Movies in the Park for Friday, May 20, has been moved indoors due to the weather. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be shown in the gym at the Recreation Center starting at 8:00 pm.

Fieldhouse — the first week of the transition from Jus’ Balls to our new General Manager, Craig Brasfield, has been smooth and quite beneficial for the seamless changeover to in-house management.

Community — American Legion Post 81 will host a bridge gathering on Duncanville Road and I-20 on Sunday morning from 7:00a – 9:00a to honor our nation’s veterans in the annual Run for the Wall event. Two lanes of southbound Duncanville Road will be closed to traffic to accommodate the event. Fire Department personnel and equipment will also participate, call load permitting. For more information on the Run for the Wall event, please go to http://www.rftw.org.

Economic Development — ED staff is providing assistance on the following potential projects:

 Pitched Duncanville to Capstone Commercial Real Estate Group, Inc. They are a private real estate firm headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The firm specializes in land, industrial, office, retail and investment properties in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. They have relationships with private investors as well as retail site selectors. Prior to the meeting, Capstone had not ever considered finding properties in Duncanville for their investors. However, after our lunch meeting and city driving tour, they are now very excited about the investment opportunities in Duncanville.

ED staff also attended a DFW BisNow Mixed Use Forum in Addison on “How Millenial Growth is Influencing Mixed Use Developments.”

Certificate of Occupancy (CO) Permits Issued:

 Good Life Assisted Living Facility — as mentioned previously.

Permits Applied For:

 Main Street Pickers; 406 N Main St (antiques, vintage furniture, home décor)

 Verizon Wireless Retailer; 111 S Cedar Ridge Dr

Main Intell Rx, Inc.; 623 Mercury (medical consulting

Fieldhouse Manager Selected – we are pleased to announce that we have hired Mr. Craig Brasfield to be the new Fieldhouse manager. He will begin employment on Monday, May 16, allowing for a two week transition period with the current managers for sharing information and institutional knowledge of current and past business practices. Mr. Brasfield comes to the city of Duncanville with more than 25 years’ experience in sports sales/marketing/development, business operations and management. His experience includes six years as the Vice President/General Manager of the Fort Worth Cats and Grand Prairie AirHogs baseball teams. In this capacity he oversaw all business and baseball operations including the baseball park. He has overseen construction and renovations at this ballpark as well as other parks he has managed. Mr. Brasfield also has demonstrated his ability to increase gross revenues through creative marketing and development of complementary events that further enhance visitor numbers and revenues. While most of his experience is with baseball, he has shown the ability to successfully operate and manage a sports venue, seek corporate sponsorships and fundraising, market and promote an organization to develop brand awareness, and manage budgets and personnel. In addition, he also has experience in facility renovations and construction. We believe he will be a strong asset to the City of Duncanville and the Fieldhouse as we continue to move towards making the Fieldhouse a destination facility to attract the highest level of athletic competition and provide a wide array of recreational opportunities.
Police Department – Lt. Mark LiVigni and CID Lt. Gary McDaniel have been working on a program to build communication between the Police Department and Duncanville’s faith-based community. Chief Brown attended the first Mayor’s Ecumenical Council meeting to also discuss this idea with them. Lieutenants LiVigni and McDaniel have met individually with a number of church leaders to discuss outreach ideas, especially with the youth of Duncanville. On Tuesday, June 7, 11:00a – 12:00p, the Police department will host its first “Topic of the Month” meeting. The topic for this inaugural meeting will be an overview of the department and introductions of Chief Robert Brown and Assistant Chief Brian Heard, followed by general Q&A. This is just one of several efforts on the part of the PD to foster positive relationships and communication and hopefully avoid or minimize the negative types of responses to Police incidents that we have seen in other communities.

Fire Department – There were no major fire or EMS events in Duncanville this past
week.  We have been informed that the city of Lancaster wants to join Duncanville, DeSoto
and Cedar Hill in the regional emergency management coordination program. We will
begin working on an Interlocal Agreement that can be considered by the four city
councils. This will help reduce our costs in the program, but also points to the
effectiveness of our program and the benefits of regional cooperation.  Department personnel will be going door to door again with the smoke alarm program  this Saturday, May 14. They will be visiting Fairmeadows area in District 5 this month.
Public Works – Water usage was 27.010 MG last week, up from 23.323 MG the prior
week. The weekly peak water demand occurred on Thursday, May 5 when 4.340 MG
was pumped from ground and elevated storage.
There were no positive mosquito traps reported by Dallas County this week. Dallas
County continues to forward updates to us regarding the Zika virus. There have been
no reported cases in Duncanville.

Construction Updates:
The Lions Park Erosion Control project had its pre-bid meeting on Wednesday,
May 11. Bids are scheduled to open on Thursday, May 26.

Barson Utilities has begun transferring service lines for the residents along the
Roma Drive Water and Sewer Improvements Project. This transfer also
includes the installation of new water meters.

Excel 4 Construction has completed work on two more lines that are a part of
the change order for the current pipe bursting project. Once Public Works
Administration has received, reviewed, and approved the latest pay estimate,
Excel will be notified on whether to move to the next line.

Revised plans for the design of the traffic signal at Duncanville Road and Red
Bird Lane were submitted by the consultant. Public Works staff will meet with
the consultant to discuss final design issues in more detail before the plans are
accepted for construction by the city.

Parks and Recreation – Construction has begun for the new playground at Willow Run Park. The old playground and concrete border has been removed and installation of the new equipment will begin in the next few days dependent on weather.
Recreation – Save the Date: The annual Memorial Day Celebration will be held on Monday, May 30 at 10:00a at Memorial Park. Lady Diamond will be singing the National Anthem and the keynote address will be provided by Retired Air Force Colonel Bobby G. Waddle.

Movies in the Park returns next Friday night, May 20 at Armstrong Park with a
showing of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles beginning around 8:00p.

Fieldhouse — Dallas Mustangs AAU Basketball will host a large, local AAU basketball tournament this weekend at the Fieldhouse for both days and using all courts. They may be playing a few games at the Recreation Center on Saturday as well. Traffic around the Fieldhouse is expected to be heavy during this time.
Economic Development — ED staff is providing assistance on the following potential projects:
 A prospective business looking at the former Enchanted Memories Event
Center. The Development Team will meet with them this week to determine if there are any potential development issues. The business wants to open as
an event center as well.

Ewing Irrigation is also having a pre-development meeting with the
Development Team as they are considering an expansion.

Also, we have heard from the property owner of the Fairmeadows Shopping
Center that Mountain View College is no longer interested in that location for a potential satellite trade program. They have indicated they are not looking
anywhere else in Duncanville either.

The DCEDC presented a check for $4805.06 to Melcor, Inc. Steve Corder on
Tuesday. You may recall that the DCEDC and the City Council approved a sign grant through the Design Incentive Program. This helped enhance the look and safety of the sign. The original sign blocked drivers’ views when they were turning out of the building onto Wheatland.

DCEDC will be getting a new website, which will be compatible with the new City website. Jorge Ruiz is working with staff to develop it. DCEDC’s website URL will be http://www.DuncanvilleEDC.com
DCEDC will hold its Annual Meeting June 9th. This is a requirement according to the DCEDC Bylaws.

Certificate of Occupancy (CO) Permits Issued:
None this week

In the May 3, 2016 Council meeting, the City Council approved the termination of the contract agreement between Jus’ Balls, LLC and the City of Duncanville, Texas.

On July 21, 2015 the City Council received the Fieldhouse Business Plan created by PROS Consulting. Included in the study, the consultant performed a comprehensive review of the Fieldhouse operations and management structure, and made several key recommendations regarding the future management of the facility. PROS Consulting recommended the city terminate the contract with the independent contractor, and employ a full-time facility manager to facilitate the development of stronger working relationships within the city and community.

Staff discussed various management options with City Council at their Annual Retreat held on October 16-17, 2015. Based on the City Council’s general direction at that retreat, staff has proceeded with the recruiting process to hire a general manager for the Fieldhouse. The position was nationally advertised and the City received 48 applications. The applications were reviewed and the top six (6) candidates were invited to participate in a phone interview with the Assistant City Manager, Economic Development Director, and Director of Parks and Recreation. Two (2) finalists were chosen from selected candidates for in-person interviews and tours of the Fieldhouse and the city. Staff is now prepared to move forward with making an offer of employment to the top candidate. Prior to this step in the process, the City Council must first address the current contract with Jus’ Balls to establish a date to conclude its management.

Why I support this initiative

Since 2014, the Duncanville City Council has consistently demonstrated a business-like, professional approach to rebuilding the City’s organization and its image.  Because of our commitment, the City’s status as a preferred place to work for talented municipal professionals has dramatically improved.  The ultimate goal is to make Duncanville a preferred place to live, work and play both now and in the future.  In the history of the Fieldhouse, it’s management has been outsourced or performed by full time employees.  Since my arrival on Council in 2013, I have pushed for an independent comprehensive analysis of the Fieldhouse designed to provide us a way forward to maximize its usefulness.  I have never viewed the facility as a hockey arena or a basketball arena.  I believe it can do more.  I know that personally because I attended a martial arts tournament at the Fieldhouse recently.  It took me several minutes to find a place to park because just about every available inch of ground around the Fieldhouse had a car on it. And the Fieldhouse was filled to capacity with participants and attendees.

Thanks to the efforts of the Brice team, the Duncanville Fieldhouse has improved with basketball tournaments.  In my opinion the Duncanville Fieldhouse needs to diversify its revenue stream by diversifying its program offerings to include athletic and non athletic events as indicated by the Fieldhouse Business Plan.  But before we proceed full steam ahead with implementing the provisions of the Business Plan, we need to have a team in place with demonstrated expertise in managing an athletic facility.  And we need to provide this new team with clear expectations and success measurers to clearly demonstrate to the community that this new way is the best way.

The cost of the Fieldhouse Business Plan was $47,945, and was performed by the nationally  recognized PROS consulting firm.  Their recommendation is to employ a full-time facility manager.  Our expectation is that this new team diversify and expand the program offerings and revenue streams of the Fieldhouse.  This plan will not sit on the shelf collecting dust!  Last night, the City Council began to implement the Plan.