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eWYLIE February 9, 2007 |
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Welcome to eWYLIE, the City of Wylie’s e-newsletter. Our goal is to provide you with the
timeliest information about city programs, events and services. |
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City Names Corbin as New Fire Chief |
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Wylie
City Manager Mindy Manson is proud to announce that Randy Corbin, 57, has
been selected to serve as the City’s new Fire Chief and will begin his tenure
on February 26. Corbin
has more than 30 years of experience in the fire-rescue profession. He served as the Fire Chief for the City of Lewisville from 1984 to 1999. Prior to his tenure in Lewisville, Corbin
held various leadership positions in the fire departments for the
cities of Addison, DeSoto and Coppell. “It is hard for me to express how honored I am to
be coming to Wylie as the Fire Chief. I have been impressed with
the quality and professionalism of the fire department, as well as
every dimension of the City I have encountered,” Corbin said. “The future here is bright, and I am
blessed to be able to be a part of it.” Currently, Corbin is a Vice President at TWL
Knowledge Group, which provides training and development for fire, EMS, law
enforcement, emergency management and homeland security. At TWL, he oversees the Fire and Emergency
Training Network (FETN), which includes the popular training program –
American Heat. Corbin is also a
member of the Texas Task Force 1, a Homeland Security/FEMA Urban Search and
Rescue Team, in which he assisted at the World Trade Center Ground Zero in
2001, with Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in
2005. “Randy’s
immense fire service experience and leadership will be indispensable as we
move forward to meet the needs of our growing city with new station
construction and staffing expansion,” Manson said. “He will be an asset to our organization and community.” Corbin received the Chief Fire Officer designation
from the Center for Public Safety Excellence in 2003. In 1996, he graduated from the National
Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program, which is designed
to provide senior officers with training for leadership in modern fire
service. In 1997, Corbin was named
Texas Fire Chief of the Year by the Texas Fire Chiefs Association. Corbin’s compensation package includes an annual
salary of $109,122 and a City-provided vehicle. The Wylie Fire Department has 33
full-time employees, 9 part-time firefighters and an annual budget of $4.2 million for fiscal year
2006-2007. Currently, the City is in
the design stage for a new fire station, which was
approved by voters in November 2005. The City received 31 resumes for the Fire Chief
position, which became vacant when long-time Fire Chief Shan English retired
in June 2006. |
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Candidate Filing for Council Seats Begins February 12 |
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On
January 23, the Wylie City Council approved the resolution to call the 2007
General Election, which will be held on Saturday, May 12, 2007. The
General Election will take place for the purpose of electing two (2) City
Council members to fill the expiring terms of Place 1 and Place 3. All positions are for three year terms and
selected at-large. This election will
be held jointly with the Wylie Independent School District and administered
by the Collin County Elections Administration. Anyone interested in running for one of the two
available City Council places may pick up a candidate packet in the City
Secretary Office, Wylie Municipal Complex, 2000 Hwy 78 North. Candidate packets will be accepted from
February 12 until the filing deadline of March 12 at 5 pm. |
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Higgins Receives NAHB President’s Award |
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City
Building Inspector Franqee Higgins has received the National Association of
Home Builders (NAHB) President’s Award in honor of his ability to overcome
adversity to achieve success in the home building industry. Higgins
was presented the award, which recognizes graduates of the Home Builders
Institute (HBI) Job Corps, at the NAHB Board of Directors’ meeting during the
International Builders’ Show in Orlando on February 8. The Wylie City Council will recognize
Higgins for his award at its regular meeting on Tuesday, February 13. Higgins
joined the City in 2005. He graduated
from HBI’s electrical inspector program at the Guthrie (OK) Job Corps Center
in 1998. |
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Parks and Recreation Continues Parks
Improvements |
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Currently,
Wylie Parks and Recreation are working on a number of improvements to the
city’s park system, including neighborhood and regional parks. Listed
below are current park projects: Joel Scott Park – Crews
have been working on the new phase of Joel Scott Park, which is northwest of
Westgate Way and Brown intersection. The new phase features a 24’ x 30’
pavilion, benches, picnic tables, trees and new irrigation system. Joel
Scott Park is located by Birmingham Elementary at Brown and Westgate Way. Basketball Courts – A
total of five new basketball courts are being installed with two at Community
Park, one at Eureka Park, one at Friendship Park and one at Lakeside
Park. At this time, the court playing surfaces have been
completed. The goal installation has been delayed due to inclement
weather; however, crews are expected to complete the goal installation by the
end of February. Once the goals are installed, crews will proceed with
striping the courts. Founders Park – On
January 24, City staff met with Halff Associates to kick-off the $5.47
million project to improve Founders Park. At this time, proposed new
amenities at Founders Park include 14 soccer fields, two baseball fields,
concessions/restroom facility, hike and bike trail and additional
parking. It is anticipated that construction should start in fall 2007
with completion in summer 2008. |
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Smith Public Library Celebrates Black History Month |
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On
February 26, the Smith Public Library will celebrate Black History Month with
a special performance of “Voices: A Black History Celebration” at 6:30 pm at
the Library, 800 Thomas. The
theatre production, for all ages, highlights the history and accomplishments
of African Americans by following a young man who gains freedom through the
help of the Underground Railroad. Esther
Malone of Dawn’s Early Lights performs.
To
help celebrate Black History Month, the Smith Public Library recommends the
following titles: ·
Black Heroes
of the American Revolution by Burke
Davis ·
Frederick
Douglass: Freedom’s Force by Melva Lawson Ware and JB Douglass ·
Martin
Luther King, Jr.: America’s Great
Nonviolent Leader in the Struggle for Human Rights by Valerie Schloredt ·
Profiles in
Black and White: Stories of Men and
Women Who Fought Against Slavery
by Elizabeth F. Chittenden ·
Seven
African-American Scientists by Robert
C. Hayden ·
The
Twentieth Century and the Harlem Renaissance by Stuart Kallen |
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Mayor Mondy to Present “State of the City” |
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Mayor
John Mondy will present the “State of the City” at the Wylie Chamber of
Commerce monthly luncheon on Tuesday, February 27, at 11:30 am at the
Woodbridge Golf Club Pavilion, 7400 Country Club Drive, Wylie. As
part of his presentation, Mondy will discuss current city trends and
accomplishments, provide an update on the 2005 bond program and elaborate
about future projects and issues facing Wylie. The
Chamber luncheon is open to the public.
The cost is $12 for a Chamber member with a reservation and $15 for a
non-Chamber member or an individual without a reservation. The deadline for reservations is Monday,
February 26, at noon. To
make a reservation, contact the Wylie Chamber of Commerce at 972.442.2804 or info@wyliechamber.org. |
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City Accepting Credit Card Payment for Water Bills |
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The
City of Wylie is now accepting credit and debit card payment for water
bills. At this time, there are a few
stipulations regarding credit card payments: ·
Payments can only be
made in person at the Utility Billing office, 2000 Hwy 78 North, or via the
phone to a Utility Billing staff member at 972.442.8130. ·
Payments are limited to
VISA and MasterCard. American Express
and Discover are not accepted. ·
There is a $3
convenience fee for a credit or debit card payment. Within
the next six to eight weeks, the City plans to make the credit and debit card
payment option available on-line, which will be coordinated through a
secured, third party website. The
City is also working on plans to expand acceptance of credit and debit card
payments for municipal court fines, city permits and park and recreation
fees. Currently,
residents can also make paying their water bill more convenient by signing up
for direct payment through their banking institution. The Direct Payment Authorization Agreement
forms are available on the City website (www.wylietexas.gov/Services/WaterSewer)
and at the Utility Billing office. |
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Wylie Police Concludes First Phase of 2006-07 STEP Wave |
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In
early January, Wylie Police concluded the first phase of its participation in
the Texas Department of Transportation’s 2006-07 STEP (Selective Traffic
Enforcement Program) Wave. From
December 22, 2006, through January 2, 2007, Wylie Police officers worked a
total of 98.2 enforcement hours. During
that time span, WPD issued 168 speeding citations, 28 other citations and two
(2) DWI arrests. WPD made an additional arrest for outstanding warrants on
a traffic stop during STEP Wave enforcement. As
part of the 2006-07 STEP Wave, Wylie Police is scheduled to participate in
the program on four (4) additional occasions. The next phase is scheduled during the Memorial Day holidays
from May 21 through June 3, 2007. For
2006-07, the Wylie Police Department received a $15,000 grant to participate
in the STEP Wave program. The program
is a traffic safety campaign in which the grant will pay for off-duty
officers to enforce traffic laws during traditionally high traffic
periods. For their involvement, WPD
concentrates on speeding in high accident areas and driving while intoxicated
(DWI) offenses. |
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Fire Department Presents Annual Awards Capt. Brown named Officer of the Year and Pynes named
Firefighter of the Year |
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The
Wylie Fire Department presented its year-end awards at its Annual Banquet on
January 25, 2007, at Woodbridge Golf Club.
The Fire Department award recipients were:
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Stage 3
Water Restrictions Remain in Effect |
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The City of Wylie remains under Stage 3 (Severe)
of its Drought Contingency Plan. The
goal for water use reduction under Stage 3 is a reduction of five percent in
the amount of water used within the City. The main water restrictions limit landscape
watering with sprinklers or irrigation system to one day a week on
residential trash pick-up day and prohibit landscape watering from 10 am
until 6 pm. City of Wylie water
customers should follow the City’s Drought Contingency Plan. Wylie residents who are served by East Fork or
Wylie Northeast should follow the watering restrictions and watering days as
defined in their Drought Contingency Plan. |
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