Vision for Grapevine/April 23^rd Candidate Forum Excerpts

• Transportation: As council member I will stay very involved in the progression of the construction; on the district DEC we're already examining how changing the district bell times for schools can minimize the impact of construction on the bus schedule as well as maximize the use of the district fleet. I believe there will be similar opportunities to stay on top of TxDOT to minimize disruption of access to the city festivals, businesses, tourism, and lake & park facilities that all bring tax dollars into our city.

• Rail: Strong supporter of the sales tax election, attended multiple "T" meetings to stay up-to-date with the timeline and the necessary facilities -- the station on Main in Grapevine & at DFW airport. This is an exciting project that in essence brings passenger rail "back" to Grapevine and will add to the vibrancy of downtown.

• Historical preservation: City needs additional scholarship about historical properties and the "period of significance". I commend residents and businesses for deeming historical preservation so important, but I don't want us to forget why these buildings and town characters are meaningful. The plans for Nash Farm and the Keeling House/Settlement to City Museum will go help accomplish that, and I will support them whole-heartedly.

• Communication: Both as a means of improving communication between City Hall and residents, and to cut down on paper mailouts, I will encourage use of the city's website and mailing list alerts. GCISD's "Fast News" has been a valuable tool to inform district parents of school events & closures; the city should take much greater advantage of its ability to do the same particularly with regard to road construction.

• Public Safety Facilities: I applaud the city for an outstanding job of upgrading and replacing city facilities over the last 10 years: city hall, water & wastewater treatment plants, and library; and the current projects at the Oak Grove ball fields and the CAC(scheduled). I'm concerned about large equipment storage at central fire station, and the police department building that is increasingly inadequate to meet the needs of our officers and the public. It's time to bring the fire and police facilities up on the radar for future improvements.

• Environmental: Grapevine is often used as the standard to judge historic preservation, park facilities, well-run city services and an overall high standard of living. I'd like to see Grapevine also as the standard for municipal green initiatives that make common sense. I will encourage more responsible purchasing such as the recent hybrid vehicles for city fleet that may have a slightly larger initial price tag but have obvious pay-off long-term. Specifically, we need new approaches to recycling at apartments and parks. Hundreds of bottles are thrown away at the outdoor parks each week, which Allied can collect in a profitable manner keeping our trash bills low while preserving landfill space. I want Grapevine known for these types of environmental win-win situations.