The Colony Courier (The Colony, Tex.), Vol. 2, No. 16, Ed. 1 Wednesday, February 24, 1999 Page: 3 of 10
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Wednesday, February 24,1999
This Paper is Recyclable
Police
(Continued from page 1A)
cent of Frisco's, 10.1 percent of
Piano's and 11.6 percent of
Carrollton's. Clark prefers to use the
violent-crime rate, instead of overall
crime rate, for comparison purposes.
"Violent crime would have the
most effect on an individual's feel-
ing of safety and is a percentage of
the total crime reported and not as
much a factor of population," Clark
wrote. However, even on an overall
basis, "The Colony continues to be
one of the safer cities in our area and
lower than Piano, Carrollton and
Lewisville in the rate of crime per
100,000 population." The Colony's
rate per 100,000 is 3,443, a sharp
drop from the 4,776 in 1990.
"Overall crime is lower than
1990, especially when considering an
increasing population," Clark wrote.
As in past years, the most crime-
ridden part of the city is the area north
of North Colony Boulevard and just
west of Main Street - the neighbor-
hood best known for its duplexes and
the Chapman-Carr area. Some 245
offenses were reported in that spot,
known as Grid 18, which is more than
half again as much as any other grid
in the city. No. 2 was Grid 10, the
area north of North Colony and just
east of Main Street, which saw 160
offenses. Crime in Grid 18 spiked in
February (34 offenses) and October
(39 offenses) last year, while Grid
10's worst months were March and
September (16 each).
Clark has identified reducing
crime in those two areas as a major
goal for 1999.
The Colony High School was the
site of two-thirds of crimes committed
in schools, and about one-third of the
crimes committed in city parks took
place at The Colony Aquatic Center.
City wide, Tuesday was the worst
day for thefts, while criminal mischief
and burglaries from motor vehicles
seemed to peak on Mondays. Wednes-
day was the safest day of the week.
Crime seemed to spike between 3 p.m.
and 7 p.m., a figure that jibes with
Clark's assessment that teenagers are
the primary culprits of property crime.
Whenever crime did happen, po-
lice cleared them at a higher rate than
anytime in the past. Some 29 percent
of offenses were cleared last year,
above the 23 percent reported last
year and the 1997 state average of 22
percent. In contrast, 5 percent of
crimes in 1990 were cleared. Some
92 percent of the aggravated assault
cases were cleared, along with 63
percent of the rapes, 46 percent of
motor-vehicle thefts, 32 percent of
thefts, 25 percent of burglaries and
17 percent of robberies.
"Although no one should be con-
tent with a 29 percent success rate,
by law enforcement standards we are
doing well," Clark wrote. "I attribute
the improvement to the members of
this department and their increased
activity and teamwork and an increas-
ing partnership with the community."
Other statistics reported included
an increase in vehicle accidents re-
sulting in injury or death (116 last
year; 87 in 1997); an increase in ac-
cidents resulting in property damage
(374 in 1998; 348 in 1997); $12,333
worth of drugs seized; 5,162 citations
and 424 warnings issued; and 13,587
calls for service.
"Overall, 1998 was a good year
for The Colony," Clark wrote. "The
Colony continues to be a safe city to
live in and raise a family based not
only on crime statistics, but also pub-
lic perception. Thanks to the City
Council, our level of staffing has
greatly improved, and we are becom-
ing the type of department that most
in the state aspire to be. Over 30 agen-
cies have already copied our policies
and procedures, and many call want-
ing to model specific policies after
ours."
Liquor
(Continued from page 1A)
of the Code by adding a second para-
graph that states: "This code does not
affect the authority of.. .a home-rule
municipality to regulate the location
of an establishment, that derives 75
percent or more of the
establishment's gross revenue from
the sale of alcoholic beverages for
off-premise consumption."
If passed, the new language would
take effect on September 1 and would
not affect the three liquor stores on
121 for which SUPs have been
granted: the now-open Artie and Cen-
tennial locations and the planned
Internet
(Continued from page 1A)
chats, but it is not uncommon.
Parents have few defenses in the
fight against online child predators.
One option is to purchase a filtering
program. PC Magazine recently
ranked several of the programs cur-
rently on the market and found Cyber
Patrol and Cybersitter to be the best
purchases. These programs can be
modified by parents to restrict access
to adult-oriented web sites as well as
filter chosen obscenities or suggestive
words from e-mail and other chats.
The Colony Public Library cur-
rently uses Cyber Patrol on one of the
two computers available for internet
access. While children are not forbid-
den to use the unrestricted computer,
the library does urge parents to guide
their child's internet access at the li-
brary and if unable to do so, be sure
the child knows which workstation
they wish them to use.
Guiding and overseeing a child's
access to the internet is one of the
most important things a parent can do
to ensure their safety. Keeping the
computer in a family room instead of
the child's bedroom and limiting the
amount of time they spend on it, are
also good steps to take. If a child
seems to be spending a great deal of
time online, turns off the monitor or
changes the screen when parents walk
by, there could be a problem. Parents
with more questions or who think
their child may be involved with
something potentially dangerous
should contact the National Center
for Missing and Exploited Children.
Although there have been several
highly publicized accounts of internet
related abuse, parents should keep in
mind that they are in actuality the
exception. Most times kids on the
internet are completely safe and the
wealth of information available for
them there can open doors in their
lives. However, as with any toy, pa-
rental supervision is suggested.
Goody-Goody site next to the under-
construction Budget Suites. Mayor
Mary Blair Watts, however, said that
the opponents of the 121 liquor
stores, now led by Morris Seay after
Watts stepped down as the effort's
chief soldier, believe that the Artie
and Centennial beverage-store per-
mits were granted through "bureau-
cratic snafu" and are continuing to try
to overturn those permits.
Currently, the bill is awaiting re-
ferral to committee from the Legis-
lative Council. Solomons said that
either the Licensing Committee or the
Urban Affairs Committee could get
the bill. Urban Affairs would be more
likely to give it a hearing, he said.
"Burt Solomons has now done his
job," Watts said. "Now it's up to Tex-
ans to get in touch with their repre-
sentatives and senators." She ac-
knowledged that the bill is unlikely
to pass this session, which ends on
May 31, "but it's the first time the
Texas Municipal League has sup-
ported anything like this, and cities
are quite concerned about this issue."
The bill is certain to garner the op-
position of the state's liquor lobby,
but Solomons said, "I've explained
to folks interested in alcoholic-bev-
erage issues about The Colony situa-
tion. It's almost ludicrous to believe
that some ungodly amount of liquor
stores could be along a state high-
way." He mentioned a "minimum-
spacing" plan developed by JNC
Enterprises, which owns the land
along 121 from the eastern city lim-
its to Blair Oaks, that pinpoints where
11 liquor stores could be located.
Besides, Solomons said, "I don't
think the Texas Alcoholic Beverage
Code meant to take away every power
of home-rule cities."
The liquor-control bill is far from
Solomons' only activity this session.
He is in his third term on the Busi-
ness and Industry Committee and was
named vice chairman of the Finan-
cial Institutions Committee. He also
sits on the Local Consent Calendars
Committee, which he said is "kind of
the junior varsity of calendars" and
will deal with about 2,000 bills.
Solomons also has a place on the
Select Committee for Constitutional
Revision, which may recommend a
new state constitution be written.
Other bills that Solomons has in-
troduced or is working hard on include
the inmate-reimbursement bill - a pet
cause of Denton County Sheriff
Weldon Lucas — that would require
prisoners to pay for some of their room
and board; an intermediate driver's li-
cense bill that would require 16-year-
old drivers to have a licensed driver age
18 or older in the car with them for the
first six months of their licensure to
provide more training time "especially
at night," he said; and a Roth IRA bill
that would clarify that the new, non-tax-
deferred Roth IRAs are exempt prop-
erty, just like regular IRAs.
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Robinson
(Continued from page 1A)
missed because he used First State
Bank letterhead for his letter of res-
ignation from the 4A Board. "After
20 years, you don't get fired for us-
ing letterhead," Robinson said.
Robinson had been at the center
of the latest 4A Board controversy,
which started when Councilman Bill
Longo moved to remove Robinson
from the board because he did not live
in The Colony and no longer worked
here. Mayor Mary Blair Watts sug-
gested during the debate on the mo-
tion that First State Bank financing
of a land purchase by a group includ-
ing fellow 4A board members Rich-
ard Seidler and John Gordon was
perceived as unethical.
Robinson said at the time that he
still had ties to The Colony as the
chamber's immediate past president
and through his activities at the bank.
He resigned from the board after a
The Colony Courier 3A
tense meeting at which Gordon sug-
gested the board recommend that
Council remove Watts as board liai-
son - a meeting in which Robinson
was almost unanimously hailed as the
voice of reason.
Now that he is no longer with First
State Bank, Robinson will have few
professional ties to The Colony. He said
he is unsure how the move will affect
his work with the local Chamber of
Commerce. "I haven't talked to any-
body in the Chamber yet," he said.
"[Last] Tuesday was my first day here."
Park
(Continued from page 1A)
10 acres more - as part of the
parkland dedication requirement for
The Legends development.
"The first thing I intend to do is
get the multi-sports complex back on
the agenda, in the location in which
it was originally planned," Manning
said. "This needs to be a centrally
located, multi-purpose facility for all
members of the community." He
added that the city should consider
building a fine-arts/performing-arts
center as part of the complex.
Mayor Mary Blair Watts, who is
seeking re-election, favors building
a multi-sports complex on
Wynnewood Peninsula. She said a
developer has offered to provide 150
acres to the city free of charge and
that the concept would include youth
sports camps at the site, which would
bring more people into the city.
Manning disagrees with that po-
sition. "There is no reason to put it
on Corps property, where there is
flooding," he said.
On economic development, Man-
ning said that "the current adminis-
tration is benefiting from the foresight
shown by previous councils." He
claimed that his initiative and con-
tacts made possible the FM 423/Josey
Lane extension that is now under con-
struction; that made it possible for the
Albertson's shopping center and the
Wal-Mart SuperCenter to build here.
"Commitments for the shopping cen-
Caution
(Continued from page 1A)
who they seem. Someone could say
she is a 12-year-old girl and actually
be a 30-year-old man.
Get to know your online friends
just as you get to know all your other
friends.
ters had been made before the cur-
rent administration took office," he
said.
Watts cited the new Wal-Mart and
other recent developments among her
accomplishments.
Manning also said that he was
"directly responsible for Angelina's
staying in the city instead of relocat-
ing to Piano." He explained that he
learned of the restaurant owners'
plans, then connected them with the
owners of the land on Main Street on
which they are building a larger fa-
cility as part of a trio of complemen-
tary restaurants.
On other issues, Manning said
that the city must cooperate with other
cities, the county and the state to
eliminate thoroughfare congestion,
and that a comprehensive, multi-mil-
lion bond issue is needed to correct
safety problems on streets and side-
walks. He said a professional engi-
neer should be utilized to help deter-
mine the most effective way to ad-
dress the concerns. Manning sug-
gested looking at the possibility of
state and federal renewal grants to pay
for street renovations in Eastvale.
Manning also advocated "includ-
ing our senior citizens in the benefits
of this city's prosperity" and "address
our high tax rate in a more aggres-
sive fashion." He said that the city is
now enjoying good fiscal times, but
it is "not saving anything for a rainy
day."
Watts and Manning are the only
two mayoral candidates to have offi-
cially filed their candidacy papers as
of Monday afternoon. Councilman
Dave Kovatch has announced his
candidacy but has not filed, and
Chamber of Commerce President
Mike Catt has obtained the necessary
papers from the city secretary's of-
fice but has not decided whether to
file. In other races, Place 2 Council-
man Bernetta Henville-Shannon has
filed for re-election, while local busi-
nessman Lewis Jue has announced his
candidacy but has yet to file. Incum-
bent Bill Longo and Economic De-
velopment Corporation President
John Gordon have said they are run-
ning for Place 1, but neither has yet
to file.
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Chiniewicz, Susan. The Colony Courier (The Colony, Tex.), Vol. 2, No. 16, Ed. 1 Wednesday, February 24, 1999, newspaper, February 24, 1999; The Colony, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth393112/m1/3/?q=Lamar+University: accessed June 3, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The Colony Public Library.