Titans Drop Opener at Richardson

Our Centennial Titans made the short trip down Coit road Friday night to take on the Richardson Eagles. The ride home probably felt a lot longer, however, after a mistake-filled outing found the squad on the losing end of the 31-21 contest.

Call it opening day jitters or just poor form, the two teams combined for 25 penalties, racking up 207 yards. Ouch.

On the plus side, senior quarterback Nick Foster amassed 336 passing yards, completing 31 of his 45 passes. Zach McCown hauled in 7 of those, for a team leading 117 yards. Cole Nead snagged 7 of his own, including 2 for touchdowns. Jamel Bullock combined 48 receiving yards with 43 rushing and a 32 yard kick return to lead all Titans with 123 all-purpose yards.

But the Richardson Eagles used big plays to jump on top of the Titans and hang on for the win.

GAME SUMMARY Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 F Centennial 7 7 7 0 21 Richardson 14 7 3 731 TEAM STATS Richardson Centennial First Downs 13 21 Rush Yards 37-160 27-68 Passing 14-20-0 31-45-1 Passing Yards 208 336 Punts-Avg 1-13 1-27 Penalties 14-106 11-101 Fumbles-Lost 2-0 1-1 INDIVIDUAL LEADERS Rushing - Richardson: Jordan Booty 19-88, Torrance Carr 13-69, Miles Jackson 2-11, Garrett Cline 1-1, Derick Jackson 2--9 Centennial: Jamel Bullock 10-43, Nick Foster 14-19, Lakeylon Rice 3-6 Passing - Richardson: Miles Jackson 7-12-81-0, Torrance Carr 6-7-77-0, Jordan Booty 1-1-50-0 Centennial: Nick Foster 31-45-336-1 Receiving - Richardson: Avery Lewis 9-169, Garrett Cline 1-14, Trevor Schoen 1-13, D'montre Johnson 2-6, Jordan Booty 1-6, Centennial: Zach McCown 7-117, Cole Nead 7-97, Jamel Bullock 5-48, Mark Stewart 5-26, Jacob Atchley 2-18, Lamar Jordan 2-16, Cole Cantrell 3-14, SCORING Frisco Centennial: Bullock 1 yard run (Williaford Kick) Richardson: Booty 1 yard run (Buckmeier Kick) Richardson: Carr 3 yard run (Buckmeier Kick) Frisco Centennial: Nead 14 yard pass from Foster (Williaford Kick) Richardson: Carr 100 yard return (Buckmeier Kick) Richardson: Buckmeier 39 yard Field Goal Frisco Centennial: Nead 17 yard pass from Foster (Williaford Kick) Richardson: Carr 1 yard run (Buckmeier Kick)

Take Two Stamps and Call Me in the Morning

“I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”

“The government that governs least governs best.”

“Would you want the group that runs the post office running the health care system?”

Amusing bon mots, to be sure. It’s always fun to pick on the Feds. But let’s take a closer look at that last one, shall we? As we debate President Obama’s initiative to provide health care coverage to the population of the United States for the first time in history, let us ask: Would we want a health care system built and delivered by the same institution that gave us the United States Postal System.

Not only “Yes,” but “Hell, Yes!” If we could build a health care system that only rose to a fraction of the efficiency of that hallowed institution, millions of Americans could rest easier knowing their livelihood, savings and retirement wouldn’t be wiped out by one illness or accident.

Originally created by the second Continental Congress way back in 1775, the USPS has been trucking mail across America as long as there have been Americans. At one point, the Postmaster General was in the line of succession for the Presidency! It’s hard to imagine the United States growing through the Industrial Revolution and the Silicon Renaissance without the most efficient postal system on the planet smoothing the way by delivering products, invoices, payments – and yes, even junk mail – in a timely and cost-effective manner. What other system do you know of that will come to your house, pick up a couple of pieces of paper, cart them thousands of miles and then hand-deliver them to your Aunt Rose? And all for less than a buck.

Sounds like a pretty good system to me. In fact, if you wanted to build an efficient Postal System from the ground up, it would probably look a lot like the one we have. On the other hand, if you built a health care system from the ground up, there’s no way you’d design what we have today. Is the USPS perfect? No. I had a discussion with my friend Julia Hoxie the other day and she commented on the fact that they get their mail mixed up all the time. Fair enough. The issue isn’t that the USPS sucks, it’s that it’s been so good for so long that we can’t tolerate errors.

So that brings us to an equally applicable rule: Just because something starts out working well, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t scrap it when it starts to fall apart. The USPS has come under attack from a much more efficient system: e-mail and e-commerce. Can it continue to function the way it has been? Perhaps not. And Postmaster General Jack Potter is already working to revamp the system (presumably he has the time since he doesn’t have to worry about that whole President thing.)

The same can be said for the current health care system. Back when American workers tended to spend their entire careers with one company, and that company provided the benefits, then the program worked. As long as health care costs remained within reach of those who preferred to provide their own savings, it worked. Now? Not so much. And it’s time to replace the system. They say the first step in fixing any problem is recognizing that you have one. We have to recognize that our current system is deeply flawed. All the naysayers out there that keep claiming we have the finest health care in the world are ignoring the fact that this vaunted system is not accessible to a huge number of our citizens. Saudi princes may fly over here to get their arthroscopic surgery, but Frank from South Oak Cliff can’t get a checkup and Mary from Grand Prairie has decided to forgo prenatal treatments because she can’t afford the medications.

So who’s going to fix such a large scale problem? It’s certainly not going to be that amorphous “Free Market” everyone is always talking about. Not on its own, at least. New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, in his book Hot, Flat and Crowded, compared the free market to a new garden. Sure you could just throw some seeds in and then watch it grow (the ultimate metaphor for free markets). But your garden will produce a lot better tomatoes if you till the soil, plan your layout, set the stage properly and nurture it with fertilizer and water. Then, Mother Nature, and the free market, will take over and do the heavy lifting.

Face it, there’s not an organization out there that’s big enough to build a replacement for our health care system, except the federal government. That’s right, the same folks that took men to the moon, created the atomic bomb, and built the most efficient postal delivery system the planet has ever seen. So the answer is Yes. I don’t think I’d mind them building a new health care system. They are from the Government. And in this case, they CAN help.

Frisco ISD announces “Office of Presidential Filtering”

(Frisco, TX) In response to the impending intrusion on the valuable lunchtime activities of the students of the Frisco Independent School District by “that guy living in the White House,” un-named FISD “officials” have created the Office of Presidential Filtering. Since clearly our duly elected federal officials have some nefarious plot behind this presentation, local officials have decided that they are best suited to “hone in on important aspects or portions of the message.” At this point, it is unclear as to what criteria would be used to decide what is important and what is not. Nor is it clear just which individuals would assume this post or how those people would be chosen. But FISD wants all Frisco parents to rest assured that no unacceptable content regarding the value of education or the importance of respect for our elected officials would be allowed to sully the minds of impressionable young people. According to unnamed FISD officials, “We feel that our leaders and educators at the schools are best equipped to determine how it (the Presidential Address) should be used. We feel that our staff can best determine impact on instructional time and what facilitating questions and follow-up discussion topics best tie in with our curriculum and learning.”

C’mon, people. Seriously? This is the best they can come up with?

For any number of reasons – from the valid to the ridiculous –school districts around the country have been falling all over themselves to distance students from President Obama’s planned address on Tuesday. Our own Frisco ISD seems intent on doing the same, without quite coming out and saying so. The information page posted on FriscoISD.org (http://www.friscoisd.org/news/ObamaAddress.htm) cites issues around scheduling (the plan falls during many students’ lunch periods) and timing (the planned message is geared toward students just starting classes, while our kids have been going to school for a couple of weeks already). Both excuses, of course, are tepid, at best. I’ve seen the schools monkey with schedules for a lot less reason and resulting in a lot more disruption. And quite frankly, I give Frisco students a little more credit than it seems they do. I think our kids can grasp the concept that some schools in other parts of the country are just starting.

So, let’s call it what it is: an attempt to wrap some legitimacy around our school officials’ unwillingness to stand up to the ridiculous pressures being placed by the ultra-right wing blog-o-radio personalities and the local parents that have been whipped into a froth. Even worse, they compound the problem with a collection of wishy-washy language that basically amounts to the establishment of the fictional “Office of Presidential Filtering” described above. In their grand wisdom, unidentified “school officials” have reserved for themselves the duty of editing President Obama’s presentation for use in specific classes such as “speech or journalism,” “history or government” or even the more unwieldy “civics/social studies/current events.”

I’ve got a better idea. Why don’t we set aside partisan bickering and show some respect for the elected leader of our nation? This is not just some political hack pushing an agenda. It’s the President of the United States of America. If you don’t agree with his politics, that’s fine. You have every right to speak out against his policies and, even more grand, vote for someone else during the next election. You can certainly – and I highly encourage this – have an open and genuine conversation with your children about the message and the messenger, if you like. In the meantime, perhaps we can try and teach our children to respect the office and just shut up and listen. No editing. No repurposing. No “determining how it can best be used.” More importantly, no prejudging that somehow this President deserves to be censored based on the ranting of a bunch of media hot heads and the over-reaction of a few parents in the school district.

Pugilistic Parenting

I’m a horrible father.

I know this because my 14-year-old son tells me so on a regular basis. At times, he’s probably right. I have a tendency to “get loud” when really I should listen. Sometimes I jump to conclusions, when I should give him a chance to explain his side of the story.

I really thought I was ready for these troublesome years. I remember my middle-school years only too well. They were rough. I was never particularly popular. The fact that I was an Army brat meant that I was often the new kid in school. But I recall making my way through the pitfalls of early adolescence. So I honestly thought I was ready to help shepherd my son, guiding him away from the problems I once faced at his age.

Fat chance.

The problem that vexes me most is the volatile mix of excess testosterone and other hormones. Throw in the competitive nature of our society and you’ve got a recipe for violence.

My son has had his share of run-ins with classmates. Unlike his father, he’s limited it so far to some jawing back and forth and a couple of shoving matches. Within a few days of showing up at my new school in the 6th grade, I’d gotten into two honest-to-goodness, knock-down, drag-out brawls. Lost ’em both. The funny thing is, I ended up becoming friends with both of the guys I fought.

So when I got the call from the school principal that my son was in detention for almost coming to blows, I struggled to find the right response. Part of me wanted to chew him out. But I didn’t take that road. Instead, I started wondering if perhaps letting the boys go at it wasn’t such a bad idea.

This issue has had some exposure lately. South Oak Cliff High School was exposed for the practice of ushering kids into a steel cage to settle their differences MMA-style. Right idea? Maybe. Poor execution? Doubtless.

You see, I can understand the feeling these young men get when they want to test their mettle against their peers. Around this age, they’re beginning to grow into their bodies, while still trying to figure out how to control their emotions. Coordination starts to catch up with growth spurts. Strength increases to new proportions. Meanwhile, they’re put into competitive, often physical, situations with sports like football, basketball, wrestling and soccer. Maybe we should be shocked if fights didn’t break out now and then.

I’d much rather see these adolescent pugilists find an outlet for their aggression in a controlled environment than in the alley on the way home from school. Set up a ring. Strap on some over-padded gloves and head gear and let ’em go. A couple of those experiences, and I’d bet the desire to “settle things like men” would quickly fade. Certainly there would have to be limits as to how the matches were organized. And most definitely all parties — kids and parents — would have to agree this was the right course.

I’m sure I’ll be painted by some as a Neanderthal-thug with no sensitivity. But I do know that young men — and even older ones — are wired by nature with a certain amount of aggressiveness. Trying to bottle that up is kind of like sticking your finger in a hole and hoping the dyke doesn’t crumble. Instead, let’s find a controlled outlet for these feelings and perhaps we’ll raise a healthier generation of adults.

As published in the Dallas Morning News, Saturday, May 2nd, 2009. Link

Preventative Parking Pays

Somebody is going to get hurt.

Note the lack of “may” or “might” or “could” in that sentence. It probably has already happened, though I’ve not heard any specifics. But without a doubt, if we don’t do something, sooner or later someone – most likely a small child – is going to come to harm.

The situation I’m talking about appears every Saturday at Frisco’s Warren Sports Complex. An access road runs from the entrance along Rogers Road over to El Dorado Parkway. On the left are multi-purpose fields that accommodate soccer games in the spring and football games in the fall. On the right: the unimproved expanse of dirt (the grass is long dead) that becomes prime parking for hundreds of cars every weekend. A few years ago, the City acknowledged what had already become fact and put in a couple of ramps up the curb, so cars could stop dragging their mufflers across the concrete.

The source of the problem is twofold. First, parents park their cars right up to the curb, some even poking out into the street. This being Frisco, Texas, we’re not talking about sub-compacts, either. No, this lot is full of the hulking behemoths that make up a large proportion of our motorized population; vehicles more than large enough to totally hide a 7-year-old soccer player dashing to join her team before kickoff. Vigilant drivers who comply with the 15 mile-per-hour speed limit are likely to spot such hazards. But that leads to the second problem. They don’t comply. I’ve seen way to many parents – and sadly most of them ARE parents – pushing the limit to make sure their little Meagan or Austin gets to the game on time. And I’m boggled by the number of drivers careening down that path with a cell phone glued to their ears. This weekend, I caught sight of one mother holding the phone against her shoulder, while reaching into the back seat to do who-knows-what.

This, dear readers, is a calamity waiting to happen.

There are several remedies which could help, and the City’s Parks and Recreation department is considering some of them. The idea of paving that field and putting in permanent parking is one option. However, this would lock up an area that might be used for additional facilities in the future. The cost of putting in a paved lot, just to rip it up again in a couple of years is not palatable in a time when the city is facing a budget shortfall. Other suggestions revolve around changing how those fields are used, perhaps assigning older children to those fields to reduce the likelihood of a younger child running out. Other considerations might be speed bumps and dedicated sidewalks to focus the crossing families into clearly identified areas. My suggestion for a quick, low-cost remedy is to erect fences set back from the curb to allow some space between the traffic flow and the parked vehicles.

As for the drivers, I’d like to see the Frisco police department step up their enforcement along that stretch during game days. It’s amazing the effect that a patrol car or even an officer standing along the road side can have on the behavior of drivers. We don’t currently have a city ordinance banning the use of phones while driving in our city parks (maybe we should?), but I’m betting the old “reckless driving” statute could be applied to the aforementioned soccer mom.

But I’m never one to sit around waiting for government to solve our problems. What can you and I do to help ensure the safety of our young athletes? I’m glad you asked. First of all, if you’re one of the parents coming to Warren for a game, try parking your car back from the curb a bit. Better yet, drive a little further and park in the existing lot near the pavilion. You may have to walk a bit further, but isn’t getting exercise one of the reasons you’re at the park in the first place?!? Next, SLOW DOWN. The speed limit is 15 mph, but even that might be too fast if there’s a lot of pedestrian traffic crossing the road. And go ahead and stop to let those people cross. A little courtesy may deter someone from risking the mad dash. Finally, hang up the damn phone. I promise, there is nothing so important that it can’t wait till you park your car.

If you’ve lived in Frisco for any amount of time, and you have kids, chances are you’ve spent some time at Warren Sports Complex. It’s a great facility and one we can all be proud of. But sometimes things can be a victim of their own success. Let’s all slow down, take some extra time and help prevent a very preventable tragedy. And let’s do it BEFORE someone gets hurt.

Riding the Frisco Line - For REAL!

Does anybody remember last summer? The Olympics? Oba-mania? Four-dollar-a-gallon gas prices?

It’s hard to forget the last one. I clearly remember that it took me over an hour to fill up my tank; 5 minutes to pump and then an hour to stop sobbing. Every time I pulled into a gas station, I saw my kids’ college prospects dwindling. But hey, Collin County Community College is a nice facility!

During that “crisis” I expended a lot of effort trying to find a way to cut my daily commuting expense. I looked into bus service, car pooling and even considered riding my bike (what’s a little man-sweat amongst co-workers, right?). The one thing I didn’t consider was taking DART. From here, it takes me just as long to drive to the Parker Road station in Plano to get on the train as it does to drive to my office.

I was encouraged, then, when I attended the Frisco Town Hall meeting a few weeks ago and caught the presentation by Tom Shelton, from the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG). Mr. Shelton outlined something called “Rail North Texas:” a plan to bring rail service to North Central Texas. I couldn’t help but grin when I saw a little red line on the proposed map labeled “Frisco Line.” While the proposed service didn’t connect anywhere near my office, it would get me to DFW airport; a trip I also make on a regular basis.

The plan’s focus is on building and operating a passenger rail system, but it also allows for the development of supporting infrastructure, such as road improvements and bus service. Critics of rail service point out that unless you live or work near a station, you’re not likely to take the train. But with proper supporting infrastructure, a greater number of people can take advantage of the system. Plus, even if you don’t take the train, several hundred of your former road-mates will, rather than jockeying with you for that open slot in the left lane! NCTCOG’s presentation, however, was less about the planned service than it was about how to pay for it. There is no shortage of ideas for building a rail service in Frisco. The challenge is finding the money. And our friends at NCTCOG have an idea for that as well. State Senator John Carona has filed SB 855 proposing the Texas Local Option Transportation Act or TLOTA. A companion bill (HB 9 has been filed in the House by Representative Vicky Truitt and others.

The act is designed to find ways for North Texans to directly fund the investments needed to create a more robust transit system in our area, without having it imposed from Austin or, worse yet, seeing those funds siphoned off to pay for some road in Houston. Funding can come from a number of sources including general sales and gas tax, vehicle registration fees and some property taxes, to name a few. But the underlying feature is that the choice of funding mechanisms is left to the local county voters.

Sadly, the one consistent word in each of those funding methods is: TAX. Given the current economic conditions, most of us aren’t eager to see a bump in the chunk of change we send to the government. But that, too, is a benefit of this bill. If now is not the time, then the local electorate can decline to implement any new taxes at all. That may be a shame, if you’re like me and look forward to the day we can all ride the Frisco Line, for real. But at least the decision is in local hands.

Whether you support bringing rail to Frisco or not, you should take a hard look at the TLOTA bill. For years, our transportation issues have been at the mercy of Austin and Washington. Residents who sat waiting from El Dorado to get funded by the state understand the frustration all too wall. If this measure brings control over our transit system a little closer to home, we should all benefit.

By the way, if you’re interested in tracking our state legislature in action – and really, who isn’t? – check out their website (www.legis.state.tx.us). Use the Bill Lookup feature to find out the status of any bill currently under consideration. You can even sign up for an alert service to keep up with your favorite pet project as it winds its way through the legislative process. A must-see for any C-SPAN geek!

Reining in the HOAs

On the hierarchy of human needs, shelter ranks pretty high. Depending upon your situation, it’s likely right up there with food, water and watching football. Sadly, it’s this need that is most imperiled by today’s economic downturn. Foreclosures are at an all-time high, as homeowners struggle to meet their mortgage payments.

Consider, then, the case of homeowners who have met their mortgage obligation, yet still face foreclosure. You see, Texas is one of the few states that allows Home Owners Associations to initiate foreclosure for non-payment of fees. Granted, HOA dues are a contractual obligation that buyers know about before they sign on the dotted line. But unpaid fees can be made up of more than just dues. Penalties. Fines. Special assessments. All can add up – and in some cases, compound – until a homeowner is facing a hefty sum.

The scary part this is that, unlike most other governing bodies, HOAs are not subject to the same rules that apply to city or county governments, or even school districts. HOAs are guided only by their by-laws and declarations, which may vary widely from group to group, and may not even be publicly disclosed. They’re often controlled by people with little or no experience in public policy. This has led to cases where homeowners have racked up serious fees, often for minor “offenses” having nothing to do with dues. Push comes to shove and the next thing you know, they’re facing the loss of the roof over their heads.

At least two Texas legislators have had enough. Burt Solomons (R-Carrolton) has filed House Bill 1976 to try and curb some of the power HOAs wield in Texas. State Senator Royce West has filed a similar bill (SB429) in the Senate. Solomon’s bill seeks to curtail HOAs in several areas, but the most significant is that it removes their ability to foreclose on a homeowner’s mortgage due to unpaid fines. They can still file a lien against the property, but in most cases they’ll have to wait until the property is sold to collect.

Taking the fight one step further, Solomons’ bill would change how HOAs do business. First of all, it requires that HOAs follow the same Open Meeting guidelines as every other government entity. No more closed door sessions and behind the scenes machinations. Everything out in the open, folks.

Some of the bill’s restrictions seem to be a direct response to events right here in Frisco. No longer would an HOA be able to restrict what kind of car you park in your driveway. And boards could not restrict any member from running for office, unless he or she is a convicted felon.

Many will argue that Solomons’ bill eliminates the ability of HOAs to do what they’re supposed to do: keep the neighborhood amenities repaired and help protect property values. Certainly, taking away the foreclosure option removes one of the big sticks that HOAs use to compel people to pay their dues.

Another provision of the bill eliminates HOAs from entering your property to enforce rules. So if your neighbor’s grass is 2 feet high, you can’t just go over there and mow it. Then again, given Texas’ Castle Laws, that’s probably not a good idea in the first place.

Nobody is suggesting that HOAs are inherently evil. The vast majority are well run by civic-minded individuals just trying to keep the neighborhood looking neat. For these organizations, the changes being discussed may make their job a bit more challenging. A few more forms to fill out. Perhaps not as much money in the kitty for the big block party.

It’s not clear how far HB1976 will go. There will certainly be organizations throwing lobbying money around to get it killed. Some tweaks will surely be found to (hopefully) improve it. I’m usually one of those that holds his breath whenever the Texas Legislature meets, hoping they just stay out of the way. But in this case, I’m happy to see them rein in a group that has become an un-regulated government entity. The home they save may be your own.

Has Frisco Lost Its Mojo?

Flashback to 2004. The economy is chugging along. North Texas is thriving and little bitty Frisco is blooming into a regional economic powerhouse. Stonebriar Centre mall is the dynamo driving the growth, with additional outparcels filling as fast as they can be built. Target. Best Buy. TJ Maxx. And on the horizon, the Metroplex’s first IKEA. Companies were lining up to open their shops north of 121.

Jim Gandy, president of Frisco’s Economic Development Corporation, tells the story of how the developer of Stonebriar Centre, General Growth Properties, chose Frisco over our southern neighbor, Plano, as the site of their new shopping center. As the legend goes, the president of General Growth was driving up 121 with his wife and asked her which side of the street she preferred. Her choice – along with countless hours of negotiation – set in motion one of the most successful retail developments in the United States.

Now, five years later, the story has changed. Development around the mall has filled out, though there are a few pockets of new businesses here and there. Meanwhile, other parts of town have been slow to take off. The one area that was to be our crown jewel – Frisco Square and the area around Pizza Hut Park – has been a dud. Take a drive through the square on a weekend evening and you’ll find that foot traffic is pretty sparse. Even when there’s an event across the street, the fans generally clear out shortly after it ends.

Meanwhile, our neighbors haven’t been sitting still. Plano has developed the Shops at Legacy, attracting the kinds of retail, dining and entertainment that Frisco Square wishes it had. Further east, Watter’s Creek at Montgomery Farm in Allen has an innovative design that puts Frisco’s flat, vintage-1980 strip-mall aesthetic to shame. Just up the road, the Village at Fairview is set to open this summer, the first new mall to seriously challenge Stonebriar since it opened in 2000. (They even managed to slip in a Dog Park, something we’ve been struggling with for years.)

As far as being the place to go in North Texas, Frisco has definitely lost its mojo.

There are some signs that Frisco will right its slipping tiara. The new toll bridge across Lake Lewisville opens a path for a whole new set of shoppers to make it to IKEA. And the expansion of Deja Blue arena in the StarCenter will give us the premier mid-sized concert venue north of Dallas. But unless we put some creativity into leveraging these resources, neighboring cities will continue to siphon retail tax dollars away from us.

Don’t think it matters? Take a look at our city budget. Currently, we enjoy one of the lowest property tax rates in the area. You can thank Mrs. Stonebriar Mall for that. Over the years, we’ve been one of only three cities in Texas with a population under 100,000 to rank in the top 20 of sales tax revenue (Round Rock and Sugarland are the other two). We’ve now crested that population mark, and our per capita tax revenue is starting to slip. At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before we’ll have to raise the property tax rate to offset the dwindling retail pool.

How can Frisco get its groove back? It’s going to take the same kind of forward thinking and creative financing that started things moving a decade ago. The national economic slowdown means we can’t count on growing our way to prosperity. We have to attract the businesses and build the kinds of shopping areas that will entice people to drive over the new bridge, or stick around town after the concert, or come early before the soccer game for dinner.

Thinking of running for one of the two city council seats this May? To get my vote, you’ll need to come up with some new ideas reignite Frisco’s mojo.

Biking Beavers Bend

Last Wednesday morning as I watched the ice accumulate on my back porch, I wondered if I was going to make my afternoon flight to Jacksonville. (I did.) On Sunday, I broke out the bike and went for a ride in shorts and a t-shirt. Welcome to winter in North Texas.

I’ve written before about some of the hike and bike trails being developed in Frisco. So as the day dawned bright, clear and warm, I decided to try out the latest: Beavers Bend Trail Extension. The first step was to find the place. Sadly, this proved more of a challenge than expected. I have the utmost respect for our Parks and Recreation department here in Frisco. But updating the city website is not one of their strong suits. The status of the Beavers Bend Trail Extension was listed as “Construction of this trail is scheduled to begin in 2007.” I found other references to projects that were slated to “be completed in 2008.” Meanwhile, the PDF map showing the various trails and parks in town was more confusing than helpful.

But ultimately, with the help of that old stand-by, Google Maps (the city GIS system was off-line), I found the trailhead off Legacy, just north of Lebanon. First of all, let me say that if you’ve got a young one who’s fondest desire is to poke around ponds looking for frogs; this is the place for you. Beavers Bend Park is basically a large wet-land area wrapped by a paved trail. Picnic tables poke out into the middle of the boggy area, providing easy access to budding herpetologists looking for the latest amphibious life forms.

The trail itself, however, left something to be desired. Unlike its counterparts, the Caddo and Taychus trails, Beaver Bend is pretty much devoid of any trees. While this made for a nice ride on a warm winter day, it left me exposed to gusting winds (we get those from time to time around here) and I can only imagine the temperature out there come summer time.

On the plus side, Beavers Bend is one of the first “connector” trails in town. On the eastern end, the plan calls for a connection to the future Grand Park through the corridor provided by Stewart Creek. On the western end, the trail already connects (almost) to our newest community park, BF Phillips. Ultimately, the master plan calls for the trail to continue down the creek, ultimately connecting with Lake Lewisville near the Colony. While that day may be years off, it’s nice to see some of the structure that will someday allow casual riders to cycle around town without risking life and limb in traffic, and actually getting some decent exercise along the way.

While I was pedaling around BF Phillips, I took the opportunity to wander through the space recently designated for an upcoming Dog Park. I must say it seems to be an ideal location. The nearest home was well out of barking range, and the terrain will lend itself to an interesting playground for all kinds of dogs and (lest we forget) their owners. Funding remains a steep obstacle to getting the park built, but I for one look forward to this addition to our diverse park system.

On a completely unrelated note, I made another discovery during my ride. Years ago, I abandoned the daily coffee-grind in favor of tea. One catalyst to the switch was visiting a tea shop in San Francisco’s Chinatown that opened my eyes to the amazing variety of flavors available. But here in North Texas, I haven’t been able to find a shop that carried any kind of selection. Enter the Halo Tea and Chocolate shop at the northwest corner of Lebanon and the Tollway. They’ve got a dandy selection of green teas (great antioxidants), blacks (more caffeine that coffee!) and even some white teas, all sold in loose leaf bins. I tried the Green Caribbean Breeze – a nice fruity blend – and was pleased that it wasn’t overwhelmingly sweet like most of those packets you find in the grocery stores. If your exposure is limited to Lipton tea bags, drop by Halo for a taste of what tea is really like.

Buying Ink by the Pixel

An age-old aphorism states, “Never pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel.” Attributed variously to Mark Twain, Oscar Wilde and H.L. Mencken, the basis for this adage is rooted in the idea that newspaper editors, authors and writers are somehow omnipotent, as they can disseminate their side of the argument to a much wider audience through their publications.

Those days are gone.

Today, everyone has access to wide variety of outlets in which to express their views of the world. Sure, editors and columnists may have a ready-made audience, but the success of individual web sites and blogs has certainly narrowed the gap.

Just because you don’t work for the newspaper doesn’t mean you can’t get your opinions in print. This very publication has a quite an open editorial policy. Drop a note to the Frisco Enterprise (you can find the e-mail address in the masthead on page two) and chances are you’ll see your comments in an upcoming edition. Naturally, you’ll want to make your point relevant to current events. And bear in mind that the extraneous use of colorful epithets may not help your case. But if you make a cogent argument, the editor is likely to give you the benefit of the doubt. For those of you inclined to wax rhapsodic in a more loquacious fashion (that is, use a bunch of big words), you might consider penning an entire editorial column. Trust me, newspapers are always looking for unique content from their local readership.

When I started writing “The Frisco Line,” the first thing I asked for was a web page where I could post my articles, soliciting feedback and comments from readers. With the agreement of my editor, I launched a Blog at http://thefriscoline.blogspot.com. I had the choice of a myriad of online services, most of them free. Shortly thereafter, my wife launched her own site. Now, I can think of half a dozen people off hand that post their various musings for anyone so inclined to read. Most of them aren’t looking to capture a world-wide audience or become the next Drudge Report. Instead, just the act of articulating their thoughts in a public forum gives them a chance to closely examine their beliefs, and often refine them a bit.

If you’re not ready to step up to your own Blog, check out some of the online discussion sites. I spend a fair amount of time perusing the Frisco Online forums (www.frisco-online.com). While I don’t personally contribute much, there’s a robust crowd of folks out there that aren’t afraid to share their opinions. Again, with a minimum of effort, you can make your positions known and, hopefully, take away a few nuggets of wisdom yourself. Fair warning, though: participating in the forums is not for the faint of heart. Be prepared for folks to take a razor sharp scalpel to your ideas.

If writing’s not your bag of chips, how about the noble art of oration? In the days of Rome, opinions rang out from every street corner. In modern times, if you stood on the corner of Preston and Main and started spouting ideas, you’d be more likely to draw the attention of the local mental health authorities than an audience. But just about every municipal meeting – from the City Council to the Urban Forestry Board – has a slot on their agenda for “public input.” That’s your chance to rise and speak to just about any topic you see fit. Sadly, due to the convoluted requirements of the Texas Open Meeting Laws, the board members won’t be able to respond directly. But you’ll have had your say and, if you strike a nerve, chances are you’ll see that topic on a future agenda. And in the case of the City Council, your performance is captured and broadcast on local cable stations and across the internet. Your 15 minutes of fame have begun!

While you’re at it, don’t stop at just attending a board meeting, go ahead and join the board! Every year, there are dozens of board memberships open for appointment. All it takes is filling out a simple form, submitting a resume and then undergoing a 15-minute grilling by the City Council. Come through that process and your odds of getting on a board are pretty good. Personally, I had to go through the process twice before garnering a seat on the Community Development Corporation board, but it’s been well worth it.

In casual conversations with friends, acquaintances and the odd fellow citizen in line at Starbucks, I find that there is no lack of opinions about Frisco, North Texas and the world in general. Sure, you can continue piping up at the local watering hole, hoping someone picks up on your ideas. But why take the chance? Never before in the course of human history have ordinary folks had more access to more people through more media outlets.

Go ahead, share!

The Bottom 10

The Pollyanna Principle: a term used to describe people who agree with positive statements describing them or things close to them. See also: The Frisco Line.

That’s right, folks, I’ve got a pretty rosy outlook on our fair burg. A quick review of past editions of The Frisco Line shows a definite predisposition to highlighting the positive aspects our Frisco, Texas.

But not all is sun and roses in North Texas. Just last month, I compiled a list of the top 10 things I love about Frisco. This month, it’s time to look at the dark side. Contrary to popular belief, there are some things about this area that set off my personal peeve-meter. Some are particular to Frisco, while others apply to the entire region. Some can be fixed. Others I’ll just have to learn to live with. Here, then, in no particular order… the Bottom 10:

Topographical Relief – Yeah, I know. This is North Texas. It’s flat. But I grew up around the Wichita Mountains in southwest Oklahoma. Then, a 12-year stint near the Wasatch Range in Utah firmly planted a love of the vertical in my psyche. Now, I’ve been in Frisco for almost 10 years… give me a mountain! A hill… a bump… anything that goes UP!

No Trees – First of all, let’s just discount all the silver leaf maples and other quick-growing trees that builders plant in every development. You can find dense groves of trees in the undeveloped plots around town. But those are really just “trash trees” that provide some ground cover, but mostly get in the way. I’m looking for some Oaks. Some Elms. Some deciduous or coniferous edifices that provide equal parts of beauty and shade!

Traffic and Toll Roads – Maybe it’s just my imagination, but it seems like the lights on the access roads along the tollways are set to slow you down. Every time I approach the on-ramps to SH-121 or the Dallas North Speedway, I go through a quick “time vs. money” debate. Is it worth a buck and a half to avoid a couple of stop lights? Then I roll the dice, figuring there’s at least an even chance that the lights will be green. No such luck. Going the speed limit along the access road just seems to ensure that you hit EVERY RED LIGHT along the way. And Preston Road is no better. Whatever happened to timing stop lights so you can travel just under the speed limit and hit green lights all along the way? Not in Frisco, I guess.

Naming Things After People Who Are Still Working – More than anything, this really accentuates the lack of significant history in Frisco. We just don’t have that many notable figures to draw from. We’ve already got a Dr. Pink road and a Dr. Pink stadium. Now, I’m not debating whether the people in question deserve the honor – I’m sure they do. It’s just that naming buildings and parks after people who are still actively involved in city business sort of gives them an unfair advantage. Honestly, how are you going to argue the finer points of civic matters with Mike Simpson when you’re standing in the middle of Simpson Plaza?

Summer Heat – When I left Utah, I was looking forward to not having to shovel three feet of snow every winter. But I guess I wasn’t quite prepared for living through 3 months of inferno! At least when it snows, I can put on more clothes.

The Water – Have you tasted our water lately? Earlier this year, the North Texas Municipal Water district made some changes to how the water is processed, with the goal to eliminate that funky taste that so many of us have come to recognize. Keep working, guys.

No Performance Center – Mrs. Line and I love to go out to plays, musical events and other “cultural” activities. Sadly, we have to travel to McKinney, Plano, Dallas, or any number of other cities to satisfy our needs. Frisco does not have a single, decent performance venue, outside of the high school auditoriums. The new Dr Pepper Stars center is going to provide a nice venue for mid-sized concerts, but it doesn’t address the need for a theatre where we can catch a play or a jazz recital.

School Zones de Jour – My children were fortunate to attend Curtsinger Elementary throughout their grade school years. But most other Frisco residents aren’t so lucky. I know of some students who have changed schools almost every year! Other than that “new school smell,” that can’t be any fun. I’m looking forward to the day when FISD can slow down the new building and let things settle down.

BONUS PEEVE: “Kiddos.” I don’t have kiddos. I have children, or kids. If I have to listen to one more principal or teacher laud our wonderful “kiddos” I’m gonna lose my cookies!

Hike and Bike Trails (or Lack Thereof) – Until some of the large tracts of land are developed in town, it’s unlikely we’ll have a robust set of trails that link up to take you around town. For now, we’re limited to some nice trails here and there (Taychas Trail and Caddo Trail come to mind), but no way for most of us to get to them, short of driving.

So, that’s nine. Oddly, long discussions with my wife, poker group, and random characters on street corners failed to conjure up a tenth. So I’ll wrap up my gripe list, and return to my usual sunny disposition. Frisco, Texas, may not be paradise, but I’ll take it.

What’s on Tap for 2009

Well, 2008 was certainly a year that’ll linger in my memory. Few would argue that the election signaled a turning point in America – and in Frisco, Texas as well. The process itself was certainly a spectacle. Start with the requisite discussions of qualifications. Mix in a few accusations of ethical conflicts. Then, toss in a hot-button “values” issue to stir up the grass-roots types. Yes folks, this year’s Mayoral election was all that and a bag of chips! (Oh, there was that other election in November. But hey, this is “The Frisco Line” not “The Beltway Blog”!)

Outside of politics, Frisco residents have some other highlights to remember from the year gone by. We’ve seen the first sections of the SH-121 tollway open. Centennial High School got its first win over the Raccoons, even if it did take overtime. And Babe’s Chicken House opened in the Heritage Center. Mmmm…

But let us not dwell on the past. Instead, let’s look into 2009 and see what the crystal ball has in store for our sleepy little suburb.

Another Election – Before we have a chance to catch our collective breath from last year’s contests, we’re faced with another pair of open City Council seats. Both Tony Felker and Joy West face the reality of term limits and will step down in June. That leaves wide-open races to replace them. We certainly had no shortage of candidates for the two positions claimed by Bart Crowder and Scott Johnson last year. Here’s hoping that an equally qualified slate registers for the next contest. In particular, I hope we’ll see a collection of minority and female candidates to provide some much-needed diversity to our government.

Another New High School – It just wouldn’t be Frisco if we didn’t have another new high school open its doors. Heritage High – located on Eldorado Parkway near Custer – will be the fifth high school in the Frisco Independent School district. Incoming principal Mark Mimms is already facing the most daunting task of his new administration: what’s the mascot going to be? Raccoons, Titans, Wolverines and Redhawks already have a place in Frisco lore. What’s next?

The state of Frisco high schools is more than an academic interest for me. The eldest of the Frisco Line offspring is set to enter ninth grade next year. Which makes me happy for…

The Renovated StarCenter Opening – For too many years, Frisco’s high school seniors and their families had to trek to Garland and other neighboring cities for their graduation ceremonies. That ends this year as the Dr Pepper StarCenter’s Deja Blue Ice Arena is being expanded to handle, among other things, commencement ceremonies for all our local schools. In addition, the center is poised to become a top notch venue for concerts, sporting events and other activities. This, along with Pizza Hut Park and Dr Pepper Ballpark (home of the Rough Riders), should help cement Frisco as a hub for these events in North Dallas. And that, of course, should help insulate us from…

The Impact of the Economic Downturn – Thus far, Frisco has been spared the brunt of the economic turmoil that rocked the nation – and the world – in 2008. We’ve seen a drop in the growth rate from a peak of 300 new homes per month, down to a current level just under 100. But we’re still growing, and that has helped soften the blow. To date, the city has been able to keep tax rates flat, while maintaining current service levels. If, as some expect, the worst is over and we see an uptick as 2009 progresses, then we should weather the storm well. If not, then we can hope that the City Council, including its two newest members, will continue the fiscal conservative policies that have gotten us this far.

Last year I wished for a “real” bagel shop in Frisco. My pleas were answers when The Bagel Factory opened on Preston Road. Sadly, my wish for an FC Dallas playoff victory was dashed. So, let’s toss that one out there again. C’mon Hoops… how ‘bout it?

And finally, as with last year – and all-too many before that – it is my fervent hope that all of Frisco’s sons, daughters, mothers and fathers serving our country overseas make it home safely. As the son of a career military man who served in Vietnam, I know only too well the burden borne by the families left behind.

Frisco continues to be a great place to call home. I’m sure the coming year will have its share of ups and downs. Here’s wishing you and yours a prosperous 2009 and beyond.

Community Design with the Congress of Neighborhoods

Dr. Frankenstein had it easy. He knew exactly what he needed to build the perfect monster. Arms? 2. Legs? 2. Nose? 1. Brain (abnormal or otherwise)? 1. The checklist was there in Anatomy 101. Toss it all together; add a carefully timed lightning bolt and voila!

No, if you want a real challenge, try putting together the perfect neighborhood. The first thing you’d need to do is figure out what goes into such a civic construction. There is no handbook with a complete reference. In fact, bring together a group of twenty or thirty people and you’d likely get a wide variety of features.

This is just what happened last Saturday morning. Greg Carr, Frisco’s Code Enforcement Administrator, hosted the first “Congress of Neighborhoods” as a forum to explore just what makes for a good place to live. An open invitation went out to all the residents of Frisco, and thirty or so people answered the call. I was fortunate enough to participate in the event, and came away with some ideas I hadn’t originally contemplated.

So what goes into the recipe?

Right at the top of most lists is Amenities. This is good news considering the amount of money Frisco spends building dandy community parks. It’s gratifying to know that these efforts are appreciated. Of course, the challenge comes in defining what those amenities should be. If your family has two pre-schoolers, having a swing set, slide and jungle gym are a must. But older families might prefer a spray ground or basketball courts. If there are large numbers of empty nesters, then tennis courts might be desirable. Things would be much easier if a neighborhood were more homogenous, wouldn’t it?

Not so fast! It seems another desirable trait for Frisco neighborhoods (according to the folks in the Congress) is Diversity. A phrase usually reserved for ethnic distinctions, diversity also refers to having a range of age groups. Studies have shown that having this kind of age-based variety has a distinct impact on safety, as it’s less likely that everyone will be gone at the same time of day or evening. Having some retirees puttering around their gardens during the middle of the afternoon can deter ne’er-do-wells from hanging around. And as you might suspect, Safety was another feature people look for in their neighborhoods. So those two complement each other quite well.

One of the items I hadn’t considered was street design. A good neighborhood, so the theory goes, has shorter, winding streets, as opposed to long, often active thoroughfares. The latter encourages people to find a short cut through your front yard to cut a few minutes off their commute – even more if they pick up the speed a bit. And yet, this Yin has its Yang. It seems the shorter streets lead to the proliferation of “rolling stops.” For some reason, a few of my fellow Congressians found this minor traffic indiscretion akin to heroin trafficking. I’m not sure I’d put that much emphasis on it, but I can see their point from a safety perspective.

But just as Dr. Frank had to crank his creation up to capture that bolt of lightning, so too do Frisco neighborhoods need a spark to take them from being a pleasant collection of houses into a community. The consensus of the Congress of Neighborhoods seemed to be that Communication was just that catalyst. Whether it’s effective communication from the Home Owner’s Association to the residents, or just the ability to knock on your neighbor’s door, the more people can discuss things, the better the environment. Minor annoyances – a barking dog or a mis-parked car – don’t blossom into hillbilly-esque feuds. That late night party around the corner is a little more tolerable when you know that they’re celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.

Sadly, while good communication was at the top of the desirable list, it also rose to the top of the challenges list. How do you make sure everyone knows about the latest HOA meeting? How do you get neighbors talking across the fence? I’m fortunate to live among a group that prizes these things. We get together three or four times a year for a block party. We stand and chat in our front yards. We get together for a game of cards every once in a while.

If you’re looking for a way to improve your neighborhood, perhaps you should start right next door. The next time the neighbor’s out mowing the yard, stop over and say hello. Or if she’s hauling a big load of groceries up the driveway, offer to lend a hand. Just like the wacky doctor discovered, a little spark can add some real life to a collection of parts.

Decoration Decisions Branch in Many Directions

It’s an interesting odor, the combination of pine trees and diesel fuel. It reminds me of a truck stop in the High Sierras. But this was the heart of North Texas, without a Douglas Fir for miles.

On this night, a semi-truck wound its way through Frisco Square to the small plot of land cleared the weekend before by a hundred pairs of eager hands. Flood lights hung from constructed poles. Empty stakes marched in neat ranks. Colored lights shed just the right touch of seasonal cheer.

It’s Christmas tree time, and the Boy Scouts of Troop 51 are ready to provide Frisco-ites (Friscoans?) with everything from a four foot Douglas Fir to a fifteen foot Scots Pine.

A quaint little tradition, the Christmas tree. Co-opted from the pagan rituals of northern Europe, it has little to do with the folks around Bethlehem that form the basis of the Christmas celebration. Which may explain why some families opt for a Hanukkah bush at this time of year. Others find comfort in a Solstice Shrub. Whatever you put in your home, there are a few important controversies that must be addressed.

Alright, let’s get the biggie out of the way first, shall we? Real or Fake? Some folks are happy to go out and buy a new tree every year, lugging it home only to watch the needles start to pile up on the floor within a couple of hours. Others forgo the scent of pine, while enjoying the simplicity of pulling the plastic tree out of its box and popping it up like an umbrella. Ambiance versus convenience. Me? I’ll take convenience any day.

Now, where to put the tree? In years past, the only spot most families had to put their tree was smack dab in the middle of the living room. That would be the old-fashioned living room, where people actually lived. These days, most Frisco homes have a mis-labeled “formal living room” which usually contains a variety of furniture, but is rarely actually occupied. This makes a nice spot for a “tree shrine,” but it doesn’t do much to generate Christmas cheer.

Next up: lighting. Growing up, our trees always had a hodge-podge of lights scattered around. Depending upon how enthusiastic my dad was that year, we might have one strand of single color bulbs stuck in there, or a clump of color in one area. These days I prefer a more monochromatic look. “All white” is the look for me. Somehow I think it captures the glow of a bright moon glinting off new fallen snow.

What about your tree topper? Angel or star (5 or 6 pointed, depending upon your rabbinical persuasion)? Years ago, my mother gave me an antique tree topper from her native Bavaria. It’s neither an angel nor a star. In fact, it kind of defies description, other than, as my then 4 year old put it, “that pointy, sparkly thing.”

I suppose tastes change over the years. But with Christmas trees, it seems tradition is king. Look at a picture of a tree from 1900 and chances are it’ll look a lot like the one standing in your home. But there have been a few notable (if forgettable) trends. I recall as a child dreading putting up the tree because that meant decking it with those silver tinsel strands. And Mom was a stickler for making sure hung each one separately… no clumping up! Then, there was that brief fling with “flocking.” People longing for a snow covered Tannenbaum could have their tree covered in a white… something. And then there was that late 60’s fling with aluminum trees. (shudder)

Whatever your tastes, the time has come to deck the halls. Whether you celebrate Christmas, or Hanukkah, or Kwanza or the Solstice, surely a little greenery can put a bit of nature in your holiday décor.

Boy Scout Troop 51 tree lots are located in front of Frisco Square and on Preston Road, just north of Stonebrook Parkway. They’ll be open evenings and weekends until the 9pm most nights until December 21st (or when all the trees are gone). View their website at http://www.friscotroop51.org.

10 Reasons I Love Living in Frisco Texas

My dad came to town last week. This in and of itself isn’t notable, though it’s the first time he’s visited in the 9 years we’ve lived in Frisco. No, the surprise came when he announced that he’d like to look at houses while he was down.

Born and bred in the scenic grandeur of the Pacific Northwest, my father is now thinking of relocating to dry, treeless North Texas. Granted he spent several years in this area during his time in the military, but I never imagined him spending his golden years among the sagebrush and wheat fields of the Great Plains.

So that got me thinking. I’m pretty happy here in Frisco. What is it about this area that makes it such a great place to hang my hat (10-gallon or otherwise)? After some consideration I came up with the following list of the 10 things (in no certain order) I like most about living in Frisco:

Curtsinger Elementary, Wester Middle School and the entire FISD – As with many of our fellow transplants, one of the reasons my wife and I chose Frisco was its exemplary school system. We haven’t been disappointed. Even with the rapid rate of growth we’ve experienced, FISD has kept pace and maintained a quality learning experience.

Pizza Hut Park and FC Dallas – I’m a sports nut, so I was thrilled when they broke ground on Pizza Hut Park. Soccer may not be my favorite sport, but I’ve learned to appreciate it a lot more following the Hoops.

Honorable mention: The Roughriders, the Thunder, the Tornados, the FFL. (See: Nut, Sports)

New Restaurants every month! – If I’m not watching sports, chances are I’m dining out. Okay, that’s not exactly true. Mrs. Line is a dandy chef, and I’m not too bad myself. But we both love checking out the latest eateries in the area. And this year has seen a spectacular boom in the number of unique (read: not a national chain) choices. My favorite this week? Coach Joe’s. Try the Buffalo Chicken sandwich.

George Purefoy and the City Councils (past and present) – Frisco, and exurbs like it across the country, face a unique challenge. Population growth can quickly outpace infrastructure development. But if you try to anticipate the growth, and the pattern shifts, you’re left with underutilized resources, while necessary services can’t be built. Fortunately for us, we’ve had some pretty savvy folks at the helm over the years. For the most part, we’ve gotten the roads and schools we need when we’ve needed them. And there aren’t many examples of city investments that have gone unused. So all in all, hats off to City Manager George Purefoy and numerous elected officials over the years who have kept us on the right track.

Our community and neighborhood parks – I recently took a walk through one of the “older” parks in town: Shawnee Trails. While it’s certainly showing some age, it’s still a very nice facility. The fact that many people complain about it has a lot to do with the fact that they’re comparing it to Warren Park, Bacchus Park and our newest gem, BF Phillips. We’ve got some really great community parks around that meet the recreation needs of a HUGE youth population. Beyond that, almost every neighborhood contains a smaller park, most of which are heads and shoulders above those I grew up with. Some may gripe that we spend too much on our parks, but I think they add greatly to our quality of life in Frisco.

No shortage of Banks! – Drive down Preston Road. Swing stick. Hit bank. Repeat.

The Frisco Library – I think libraries are possibly the third or fourth greatest invention in human history (I’m still weighing the whole sliced bread thing). Imagine a place where you can go browse through shelf after shelf of novels, references, autobiographies, and just about any other kind of printed material in existence. But our library is so much more than that. It’s a place to meet. A place to research. A place to learn. I’ve spent time in libraries all over the nation, and this one stacks up to any of them.

Poker night – After several years and attempts, we finally have a core group of guys that gets together every other week for a game. Some nights the conversation is controversial and heated. Others we just sit back and tell stupid jokes (ask Bryan about his prom date). But mostly, it’s a time to share the company of friends. Oh… and play some cards. For fun. Not for money. That would be illegal.

The Folks – At the end of the day, it’s really about the people. Ask 20 Texans what they like about living here - or 42 Yankees why they like visiting - and chances are most of them will comment on how friendly the people are. And it’s true. Whether I’m out shopping or just driving through the neighborhood, rarely does a day go by in Frisco without getting a smile and a wave from people I know, or don’t know.

So that’s the short list. I’d love to hear from you on the things that make Frisco your home. Visit the Frisco Line’s blog and submit your favorite things. Or, just drop me a note to say “Howdy.” It’s a Texas thing.

Pleading to a Jury of Your Peers

The defendant makes her way to the bench, a petulant look on her face. The judge swears her in, then turns the proceedings over to the council for the state. He gets to his feet and addresses the jury with some simple words about paying attention to the facts and rendering a fair verdict. Then it’s the defense’s turn.

It’s a scene that’s played out in thousands of courtrooms across the United States every day. The American Judicial System in action. The verbal jousting of opposing council. A jury of one’s peers. But on this night in Frisco, Texas, one significant thing is different.

Only a handful of people in the courtroom are over the age of 18.

This is Teen Court. But make no mistake, this is still a court, with the full weight of the Collin County Court system and legal code behind it. Defendants are represented by council. They’re prosecuted by “district attorneys” and the cases are heard by an impartial jury. Participants are youths between 13 and 18 years old from Frisco, Allen, McKinney, Plano and other parts of Collin County. There’s a dress code for everyone involved. If a defendant shows up in a tee shirt, they’re likely to be sent home to change into more appropriate garb. After all, according to the information sheet shared with all defendants, “The business of the court is not casual. Your attire should not be either.”

Unlike regular courts, in Teen Court they’re not concerned with determining a defendant’s guilt or innocence. That’s because they’ve already entered a plea of “Guilty” or “No Contest” in a Municipal or Justice of the Peace courtroom, and a sentence has been handed down. Teen Court merely gives them the opportunity to plead their case in front of a jury that really is made up of their peers. Some of the participants in Teen Court were once defendants themselves, since one of the punishments the jury can hand down is that defendants must serve on a future Teen Court jury.

And that’s the attraction of Teen Court. Many teens feel that adults just don’t “get it.” Ignoring for a moment the fact that all we thirty- and forty-somethings were once teens ourselves, it’s true that we’ve probably changed a bit since then. When a sentence is passed by another group of teens, many of whom have sat on the other side of the room, it’s hard to argue that they don’t feel some empathy.

So the courts will set aside the judgment of the adults and let the youths decide. As with other courts, juries have their guidelines. Depending on the severity of the offense, they can assign a range of community service, from 4 to 48 hours. Along with one or more stints on upcoming juries, the defendant is always assigned a 500-word essay on their experience with Teen Court. Beyond that, juries can get creative. Does the offense involve fighting? Send ‘em to anger management counseling. Vandalism? Make ‘em scrub some walls. Pretty much anything within reason is fair game.

Naturally, the Teen Court is overseen by a group of adults. The judge is often a volunteer judge or lawyer working in the area. Several others offer their time to coordinate the cases, get signatures and act as the bailiff. Running the entire program is Shirlane Grant, a professional appointed by the Colin County Court system. “Teen Court is an ideal program designed for young people, giving them the opportunity to get involved and learn about county government and the judicial system,” commented Ms. Grant. “This is where you will find ‘real teens delivering real justice for real crimes.’ Teen Court is also designed as a first offender program and this works both ways, it helps to prevent teen offenders from being repeat offenders and it also diverts young people from becoming first offenders.”

In a time where stories of moly-coddled kids are plentiful, it’s refreshing to see some of them taking a direct role in the system. Granted, many of them are there fulfilling their own sentences. But many more volunteer as part of their civic responsibility. One such volunteer, Ms. Bailey McNary, an eighth grader at Frisco’s Wester Middle School, had this to say about her experience with Teen Court: “I thought it was really cool that kids were deciding the punishment for kids. I was surprised by how much time we actually took to decide each case.” As a result of her experience, Ms. McNary is now considering pursuing a career in law when she moves on to high school and beyond.

Many would claim that the last thing this world needs is more lawyers. But take a look at the people who make Teen Court work and you’ll see that not all legal eagles are turkeys.

To find out more about Teen Court, including how to volunteer, visit their website at http://www.co.collin.tx.us/teencourt.

Nice Work, if You Can Get It

I have a business opportunity for you. Wait, wait. Don’t turn the page. This isn’t Amway, Pampered Chef, Southern Living at Home or any of the dozens of network marketing programs out there. (Oh wait. Maybe it is. More on that in a bit.)

No, this is a regular business, with a couple of interesting twists. First of all, you don’t have to produce anything. Somebody else does that for you. Nor do you have to deliver a product. They’ve got people lined up to do that as well. There’s no inventory to stock. And you won’t ever run into a problem with a lack of demand. All you have to do is market this product to people and take their money. Pretty much basic, good-old-fashioned American business.

But wait, as the saying goes, there’s more. Once you sign up customers, you get to set the price for the product AFTER they consume it. That’s right… they gobble up your goods and you get to send them a bill every month with a fee that can go up or down without any notice. What controls the fee? That’s the beautiful part. Nobody really knows. There are several sources for your product, so if any of them raise their rates, you can raise yours, regardless of whether you’re actually buying much from that supplier.

Sounds like quite the racket, huh? You’d think there’d be some government agency that oversees this business and keeps them in line, wouldn’t you? And you’d be right. There is an entity that was created pretty much exclusively to monitor this business. But, since 2002, they’ve been relegated to the sidelines as a spectator.

I am, of course, talking about the power business here in the Great State of Texas. Since the legislature passed Senate Bill 7 six years ago, the electricity business has been “deregulated.” That means anybody can jump into the market as a Retail Electricity Provider, or REP. There are only a handful of companies generating power. And an even smaller number that actually deliver electricity to the TV, microwave, iMac and other life-sustaining devices in your home. But there are dozens of REPs in Texas. At last count, twenty-seven are offering their services to the residents of Frisco.

And therein lies the crux of the issue. Just what “services” do these REPs provide in return for their fees? So far, the only service I’ve seen from my provider is sending me bills with ever-increasing rates. Back in 2002, my wife and I decided that we wanted to be “environmentally conscious” (aka suburban guilt complex), so we signed up for one of the “green” providers when they entered the market. We took it at their word that the energy we were using was being generated by “clean” sources. Of course, since they were buying energy on the open market, there was really no way to be sure. But as far as services, the only thing I got from them was an incredibly confusing “even payment” plan that had me cutting hefty checks year-round, rather than gargantuan ones in July and August.

Then, last year, a good friend approached me with a “new business opportunity.” Yep, those buzzwords had me running for the closet. But it turned out I didn’t have to hold home “electro-parties” to enjoy the low, low rates. So I switched. Nine months later, I’m having second thoughts. (Good thing I didn’t do something silly like signing a two-year contract.) Again, I’ve received no particular “service” from my new provider. What I did get was a rate that went up almost 80% in 7 months. I’d had enough, though, when I saw that their current advertised rate was 40% lower than the one they’d charged me.

Now they had a chance to provide some service. I put a high premium on customer service. Any organization with whom I choose to do business is held to a high standard, particularly those whose only REAL product is their service. Unfortunately, when I phoned their help line, nobody could adequately explain why (1) my rate went up with no notice or (2) new customers would be paying less than me. A few more calls, and some pushing by my “energy consultant” (the friend who sold me on this system) and I’m told I’ll receive a credit on my next bill.

I’m told I could have avoided those price increases if I had “locked in” a rate, by signing a long-term agreement. That is true. But before I lock myself into a relationship with a company, I like to find out how they treat me should things go wrong. In this case, the jury is still out.

So, I’m going to hit the Public Utility Commission’s web site (www.powertochoose.org) and start scoping out some other options. Clearly, the electric business is no spectator sport. You have to get engaged. Keep an eye on energy prices. Sign up for long term contracts when the market is right, or switch providers if the situation warrants. With a little effort - and energy - you should be able to stay ahead of the game. And that is good business.

Pop Goes the Shotgun

All around the metroplex,

the hunters chase the birdies.

Even on a Sunday morning…

POP! goes the shotgun.

Yes, Frisco residents, it’s that time of year once again. In case you haven’t noticed (and how could you miss it) dove hunting season opened at the beginning of September. That means for the next few weekends, every patch of open ground from here to Luckenbach is going to be infested with camo-clad, shotgun-wielding, good ole boys (and gals) hell bent on bagging their limit of these innocuous avians.

You wouldn’t think that the hunting patterns of Hunterous Texicanas would make much difference to us city-dwellers. And up to a few years ago, you’d be right. But in 2005, those sages of legislative imagination in Austin saw fit to over-ride municipal restrictions on gun play within city limits, as long as it’s on a certain 10-acre (or 50-acre for handguns and rifles) parcel of land. Given the number of undeveloped tracts of land in Frisco, this ensures that your fall mornings are punctuated with the popcorn-like exclamations of 20-gauge birdshot.

Now, before we go any further, let me state that I’ve spent some time traipsing across Texas in camouflage. (Not that I’ve ever actually shot anything. But that’s another story.) I can respect the desire to get out into the open spaces, pit yourself against nature and bring home a little extra meat for the dinner table. (Very little meat, in this case. Have you seen the size of those birds? It would take half a dozen just fill out the chicken nuggets in a Happy Meal!)

That said, I do have a problem with hunters plying their trade blocks away from downtown Frisco. It turns out that some 10-acre plots sit right next to residential developments and, in at least one case, a day-care facility. If hunters follow the proper protocols, nobody’s life is in any serious danger. The law stipulates that hunters must be 150 feet from the property boundary to shoot. Given the effective range of a typical bird-hunting shotgun, that should preclude any errant shots from doing damage along the perimeter. But residents and businesses around town are complaining about finding birdshot strewn around their patios, furniture and parking lots. This is, in itself, a violation of the law. Regardless of setbacks or parcel size, it is illegal to discharge a firearm if the projectiles would land on somebody else’s property.

While life and limb are in no real danger from a scattering of birdshot – or even the heavier buckshot – rifles are another story. These, too, are now legal to use within the city on any parcel over 50 acres (we have a few of those, as well). Again, there’s a restriction on the distance a hunter must be from the property line: in this case, a whopping 300 feet. And while a shotgun isn’t likely to do much damage after fifty yards or so, a 30.06 bullet still packs a lethal wallop up to a quarter mile and beyond.

So once again we see a conflict arising from the urbanization of Texas’ open space. It seems every year there’s another example of development encroaching on space where Texans were once free to roam. I’m all for protecting property owners’ rights; particularly where those owners have held their land for much longer than most of Frisco even existed. But we have to recognize the reality of suburban growth and balance public safety against the limitation of certain of those rights. It doesn’t take a Nostradamus to see that sooner or later someone or something is going to get hurt by errant ammunition. We can only hope the damage is limited to some buckshot taking out a window or two.

Meanwhile, Frisco isn’t going anywhere. In fact, despite the recent “hiccup” in the economy, it’s going to keep getting bigger. Let’s hope our legislators recognize the inherent danger of this situation and allow local governments to regain regulation of firearms within city limits.

Keep the Rules Simple

Soccer’s a wonderful game for so many reasons. The athleticism, the ebb and flow of the game, the ability to see a live, professional –level game without taking out a third mortgage on your house just for nosebleed seats. But the thing that makes soccer great is the simplicity of the rule book. Unlike so many American traditions like baseball and football, soccer doesn’t load up the books with a bunch of “you must do this and you must do that” rules. Instead, it uses a much simpler proscription: you can’t touch the ball with your hands. Everything else is up to your imagination. Headers, chest bumps, how-the-heck-did-he-do-that bicycle kicks. These innovations grew out of the simplicity of the rules.

To me, that’s one of the criteria for effective legislation. Don’t try to fill the law books with specifics of what you can do. Instead, prohibit actions that are clearly undesirable (killing, running red lights, cheering for the New York Yankees) and leave the rest up to the individual.

With the recent dust up over the Stonebriar Home Owners Association’s rule against pick-trucks in the driveway, I took the opportunity to re-familiarize myself with my own HOA’s rule book: the Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions declaration. (Okay, I’ll come clean. This is the first time I’ve actually read them.) Thankfully, I found that Plantation Resort 2 has no such silly restrictions on the ubiquitous “Texas Cadillac.”

Instead, it bans Sport Utility Vehicles. That’s right; your shiny Chevy Suburban is vehicula non grata in PR2. The rule, you see, is worded from an “inclusive” perspective. “No vehicles or similar equipment shall be parked or stored in an area visible from any street except…” and then it goes on to list the four types of vehicles the authors found acceptable; in this case, passenger automobiles, passenger vans, motorcycles and pick-up trucks. A strict interpretation of this rule would exclude Hummers, Suburbans, Excursions and other SUVs. And what about a panel van used in your home business? Or that cool, three-wheeled Moped I’ve got my eye on. Sadly, the way the rule is written would allow an over-zealous HOA board to embark on a crusade against any of these modes of transportation.

Further perusal of the document reveals that the gas cook-top which was so instrumental in the decision to buy my house is, in fact, prohibited. The CC&R clearly states: “Except within fireplaces in the main residential dwelling and except for outdoor cooking, no burning of ANYTHING shall be permitted anywhere within the project.” (Caps added.)

Now, set aside for a moment any snide comments you may have heard from Mrs. Line about my cooking talents, or lack thereof. My cook-top clearly burns natural gas to provide heat for my culinary excursions. Based on the rule above, that’s a no-no. And those dandy little chiminea’s that lend such a southwest flair to our expansive Texas porches? Right out.

Both of these rules were written a number of years ago. The date on the original declaration was 1992, but I suspect the rules were likely copied from an even older document. And that exposes the danger of trying to legislate by “inclusion” rather than “exclusion.” Had the vehicle rule been written to exclude those vehicles which were considered undesirable (broken down cars, dilapidated jalopies, anything produced by American Motors Corporation from 1970-1978) then today’s innovations wouldn’t be a problem. Likewise, if the ban had been placed on burning materials outside of constructed fireplaces or kitchen equipment, my kids could still enjoy their marshmallow roasts without aiding and abetting the criminal classes.

The good news, in this case, is that CC&Rs were designed to be changed. A simple two thirds majority of my fellow homeowners is all it takes to correct these and other issues (what do you mean I can’t dry my clothes in the back yard?!?). I even dropped by my HOA board meeting the other night and volunteered to help rewrite the document. Now all we have to do is convince over 700 homeowners to show up to a meeting in May to ratify the changes. If we can pull that off, I’m taking a shot at the bicycle kick next!

HOAs: Oversite or Overrun?

I have friends from across the political spectrum. I play poker with a true libertarian; Thomas Paine’s “The government is best which governs least,” pretty much sums up his mantra. On the other side, an old car-pool buddy falls just short of Marx’s “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.” My viewpoint falls somewhere within that vast chasm, depending on the day of the week and the price of gasoline at the pump.

But regardless of political leanings, one thing most of us agree on is that we’ve got more than enough layers of government in our lives. Federal, State, County, City. They should be able to get things done, right? Well maybe so, but we residents of Frisco – and most other modern suburban communities – voluntarily add an additional layer of civic oversite: the Home Owner’s Association. In fact, about 95% of Frisco homes lie within the bounds of an HOA. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, they’re a fact of suburban life.

HOAs are usually created as a mechanism to fund and support the common areas in a neighborhood. When builders come in and divide up a plot of land, they like to add features such as pocket parks, green belts and those ubiquitous neighborhood pools, to make their homes more attractive to the buyers. Once the development is complete, someone has to take care of these features. So the builders form an HOA and pass along that responsibility to the future home owners.

HOAs are headed up by residents of the neighborhood and handle things like communication, deciding which flowers to plant and organizing neighborhood events. But the real power of the HOA lies in its bylaws, which are established when the HOA is formed and everyone who lives within the HOA agrees to live by. This includes not only the original members, but anyone who buys a home within that neighborhood any time in the future. Yet, many home buyers don’t bother to read these documents before they buy.

If you want to see what kind of control your HOA has, take a look at a document called the “Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions” or some variation thereof. Restrictions can range from what kind of trees, shrubs and landscaping you can use on your lot, up to what kind of buildings you can have in the back yard or what color you can paint your house. I was surprised to find that my HOA had the final say on what kind of shingles I could use to repair my roof. I’m sure my surprise was dwarfed by Jim Greenwood, a resident of Frisco’s Stonerbriar neighborhood – and presumably, a member of their HOA. He was notified that his HOA deemed his new Ford F-150 pickup truck as unsightly. The Lincoln Navigator up the street was okay. Even the Chevy Avalanche (go figure). But his “Texas Sports Car,” he was told, would have to be kept in the garage.

For a government agency – or HOA – to have an impact on your life, they have to have some control over what you do. Cities can fine you, tax you or throw you in jail. HOAs don’t have the last option, but they can certainly do the first two. They may not call it a “tax,” but your HOA dues are certainly a form of taking some of your hard-earned dollars and using it for the common good. That sounds like a tax to me. And fines are the tool of choice for HOAs to impose their will on residents. Is your yard getting a bit out of control? That’ll be fifty bucks. Haven’t painted in a while? $75, please. Late with your dues? Cha-ching. I’ve seen cases where fines and levies have added up to thousands of dollars. What happens if you don’t pay? Legal action is, of course, one option. But HOAs have a better tool. They file a lien against your property, effectively barring you from selling it until you pony up. In Texas, they even have the ability to foreclose on your home, though this power is rarely used.

The good news and bad news about HOAs is that the decision on how strictly to enforce the provisions of the CC&R documents lies in the aforementioned Board of Directors. These folks are usually elected by a pitiful minority of residents who show up for the annual elections. So it’s not hard for a small group of people to gain control of the board. In a recent example, a group of residents in the Frisco Fairways neighborhood exchanged some harsh words with their elected officials. Law suits and counter-suits were threatened and filed on both sides. Ultimately, they came to a settlement. But more interesting, some of the disgruntled residents ended up replacing existing board members at the next election. A perfect example of “if you don’t like your politicians, become one yourself.”

Which is, I guess, the point. Whether we’re talking about your local neighborhood, the city or the country, our system is built on the concept of citizens getting involved. Too often, people spend their time complaining about how the government did this, or the city didn’t do that or the HOA slapped a lien on my property. But too few actually step up to serve on their HOA board, or run for city council. Whatever your political philosophy, this fundamental concept is key. More government or less, it only works when you get involved.