Mayor John Terrell receives a signed ball from Asa Gutierrez at the ground breaking ceremony. Photo courtesy of BluDoor Studios.
City View by John Terrell, Mayor of Southlake
Recently, the City of Southlake was named the best place forbrempty nesters and the No. 1 suburb by ThebrDallas Morning News. It’s an honor to be recognized in these ways,brespecially considering how many truly great cities make up the Metroplex.
Compared to other cities, Southlake is relatively young. Althoughbrit was incorporated in 1956, Southlake as we know it now really began in abrspurt of population growth that dates to the late '80s. Out of a rural areabrmade up of farms and ranches came structures necessary to any thriving communitybr— schools, homes, shops and businesses. Southlake's geographical location andbrthe willingness of residents and city leaders to consider the future today arebrwhat make it truly great. Here's a short list of what big future thinking looksbrlike:
- brCreate a phenomenal downtown area.
- brCreate an award-winning parks system that serves a variety ofbrinterests.
- brMake critical investments into safety and security infrastructure.
- brPlan and build road, water and sewer projects.
It's quite a list, and these projects don't just happenbrovernight. Solid infrastructure investments take time as does nurturing abrstrong financial plan that is sustainable through the years. A recent example:brthe recently opened T.W. King 30-inch water line that travels from Fort Worthbrto Southlake's T.W. King Pump Station No. 2, located in the northern part ofbrthe city. This water supply line will ensure the city is able to meet ourbrprojected water demands in 2025. We started construction on the first twobrsegments of the line in 2009. Just a few months ago, the final segments werebrcompleted, and the line was filled with water and is now in service.
Many of you probably didn't notice the change, and that's a goodbrthing. It might or might not become more obvious this summer when increasedbrdemand places a greater strain on the city's water system. In preceding years,brbecause of the way the water was distributed, the system had to work a lotbrharder to keep up with demand in certain parts of the city. The 30-inch waterbrline will help alleviate that problem as well as help provide water to new housesbrthat are still under construction.
We've got many current and future projects that, when completed,brwill only enhance Southlake's livability. Local road construction, new waterbrlines, a Texas turnaround on SH 114 near the new Gateway Church, and the DFWbrConnector are all projects that support the vision of a city that is well-plannedbrand ready for the future. Want to learn more? Keep an eye on the City ofbrSouthlake's website for the latest information.
It takes teamwork to make these big projects a reality. I ambrlooking forward to working with newly reelected Mayor Pro-Tem Brandon Bledsoebr(place 3), councilmember Randy Williamson (place 4) and councilmember LaurabrHill (place 5) on Southlake's vision for the future. I am confident that thisbrnew council team will continue with the good work that is helping us reach our goals.
There's more to come. You should see the plans for BicentennialbrPark Phase 2 complete with the Texas Rangers Miracle League Field (scheduled tobrbe completed in September 2014) and the sidewalks that will help fill in the gapsbron Southlake Boulevard, plus the expansion of FM 1938/Davis Boulevard. Soonbrthey will be part of the Southlake landscape, and we won't be able to imaginebrlife without them. So while we are going through some growing pains, pleasebrremember that it's these improvements that make Southlake one of the bestbrplaces to live not only here in the Metroplex, but in Texas.
Here's to the future. See you in Southlake.
John Terrell, vice president of commercial development for DFW Airport, has spent countless volunteer hours in service to the City of Southlake. He served two terms on the city council prior to becoming elected Southlake's Mayor in 2009 and again in 2012. Married to wife Joanne and father to two Dragons, the 2012 Southlake Citizen of the Year has called Southlake home for more than 15 years.