City of Willow Park

The Transfer Station Meeting at the Aledo Community Center is over. Attorneys have set future dates to move forward with the legal proceedings.

Aledo Mayor Kit Marshall and Willow Park Mayor Ken Hawkins have been officially been denied party status, Judge Richard R. Wilfong said.

Party status is when certain witnesses are approved to present things such as evidence and discovery at a later official hearing. Thus far land/property owners near the proposed transfer station site have been granted party status along with the Aledo ISD.

Keep checking community-news.com for the full story when it becomes available. You can also read it in the print edition Friday morning.

AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 10, “TRAFFIC CONTROL”, ARTICLE 10.300, “SPEED LIMITS” AND SCHEDULE “A” OF THE MUNICIPAL CODE OF ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF WILLOW PARK, TEXAS; PROVIDING AUTHROIZATION FOR THE CREATION OF A SCHOOL ZONE AND ENFORCEMENT THEREOF; PROVIDING A PENALTY; A REPEALER; AND, AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
All Ordinances are available to be read in full at the City of Willow Park Municipal Complex, 516 Ranch House Road, Willow Park, Texas 76087
Yael Hoffman, City Secretary
City of Willow Park 02/15/2010

The first phase of a contested case hearing regarding Republic Waste's proposed waste transfer station in east Parker County will be held Wednesday, March 10 at 10 a.m. in the Aledo Community Center.

Republic Waste applied to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for a permit to build the Waste Transfer Station on Nu Energy Drive between Bankhead Hwy. and I-20 in 2008. The TCEQ ruled that Republic has met all technical requirements to be issued a preliminary permit.

Because of the proposed facility's proximity to Aledo High School and athletic complex, as well as proximity to other educational outlets, residents and public officials have protested the location of the facility. Parker County Judge Mark Riley, the Aledo Independent School District and the City of Aledo have all fought the application, so far to no avail.

The Wednesday hearing is the next step in the process for those who oppose the waste transfer station.

Willow Park City Council and the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission came away from an hour-and-a-half workshop on Feb. 22 with agreed-upon tactics to improve communication, education, and direction.

The workshop came a week following the mayor’s recommendation during the Feb. 15 city council meeting to disband the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z). The recommendation was resolved with the resignation of P&Z Chairman Marvin Glasgow and member David Carlisle. During the Feb. 15 meeting, the mayor and some council members voiced concern over what was described as the P&Z’s insubordinate attitude.

During the Feb. 22 workshop, Mayor Ken Hawkins spoke for the first hour detailing the positive work of the council that is, and will, benefit Willow Park.

Councilman Gene Martin then began a process to allow each of the council members and P&Z members to voice their concerns so improvements and ways to correct problems can be formulated.

A joint workshop of the Willow Park City Council and the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) is set for 7:30 p.m. tonight (Monday, Feb. 22) at the city's municipal building.

The workshop, open to the public, will include a discussion of the "responsibilities of the Planning and Zoning Commission and expectations of duties of the Commission by the City Council."

During last week's regular meeting of the city council, the P&Z Commission Chairman resigned after the council expressed disappointment in the leadership. Another commission member's resignation was also requested.

Notice of the workshop was posted at 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19, on the bulletin board of the city's municipal building.

Following a 40-minute debate on whether to disband the City of Willow Park’s seven-member Planning and Zoning Commission or take other action to address the “insubordinate attitudes” that have reportedly been coming from the commission, P&Z Chairman Marvin Glasgow verbally stated his resignation to the Willow Park City Council during last night’s city council meeting.

While the meeting’s agenda posted discussion and action on the matter early in the meeting, Willow Park Mayor Ken Hawkins moved the item to the meeting’s end. The matter was not discussed until after 11 p.m.

Opening the discussion on the matter, Hawkins said he had lost confidence in the commission’s leadership. He cited several comments and addresses to the council in recent months that were inflammatory, derogatory, and inaccurate.

Councilman Hale Alderman added, “This is a very difficult situation for us to be in. I respect the authority of our mayor and the authority of this council. It grieves me to hear from a committee, appointed by this council, to be as critical, regardless if founded or not.”

Randy Keck/The Community News: Jaycie Case and Olivia Dickey work on the midsection of a snowman during snowfall in Aledo.

Due to snow and possible ice with near-freezing and freezing temperatures, which will make roads hazardous, Aledo ISD announced at 5:50 a.m. this morning (Thursday, Feb. 11) that all campuses will be closed for the day.

Willow Park Police are seeking the public’s help in the identifying and/or locating two suspects who burglarized the Mr. C Food Store in the 5100 block of East Interstate 20 Service Road, on Monday, Jan. 18, between the hours of 12:45 and 1 a.m.

The suspects entered the building by throwing a rock through one of the front doors, and shattering the glass. Suspects took an undisclosed amount of cash from the till.

The first suspect is identified as a slender male, unknown ethnicity, unknown height and weight, wearing a black ski mask, black and white gloves, a grey hooded jacket with a design on the back, blue jeans and red and white tennis shoes. The green design on the back of the jacket is said to be a dead opossum and related to road kill. The first two words stated on the jacket are believed to be, “Call My.”

The second suspect is identified as a male, unknown ethnicity, unknown height and weight, wearing a black ski mask, black gloves, a black hooded jacket, long dark-colored shorts (possibly blue or black), white ankle socks and black tennis shoes. The second suspect is believed to be shorter than the first suspect.

The Planning and Zoning Commission of the City of Willow Park, Texas, will hold a Public Hearing on proposed changes to the Code of Ordinance, Chapter 12, Planning & Zoning.
DATE: March 2, 2010
TIME: 7:00 p.m.
LOCATION: Willow Park City Hall
516 Ranch House Rd.
The changes are more particularly described as follows:
The addition of Article 12.200, §12.204, Commercial Irrigation Regulations to the City of Willow Park Code of Ordinance.
Changes in Article 12.200, §12.506, Class II - Residential: ‘R-3’ Multi-Family District some of which includes dwellings per acre, minimum standard requirements, gross living areas, exterior construction and design regulations, parking regulations, fencing and landscaping.

Deer Creek Waterworks System and Dyegard Water System in eastern Parker County have new owners now that the final agreement to dissolve a five-year conflict has been signed by all parties.

A court-ordered mediation on Nov. 13 generated the final agreement, but further conflicts stalled the signing of the document.

The coalition of cities and water system ratepayers that had sued the City of Willow Park over the water systems had signed a final agreement on Dec. 11, but interjected clauses not cleared by the City of Willow Park kept a completed transaction at bay. On Jan. 15, Willow Park Mayor Ken Hawkins said with the clauses were cleared and he signed the agreement document.

The agreement has The City of Willow Park selling the Deer Creek Waterworks System to the City of Annetta for $6.1 million plus cash in the Enterprise Funds held by Willow Park, and Dyegard Water System and the portion of the ETJ in the Dyegard’s CCN area of service to the City of Hudson Oaks for $2.8 million plus cash in the Enterprise Fund.