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THE COMMUNITY NEWS
November
20, 2015
Christm as Tyme in Aledo Christm as on the Square Events to keep us in the and information Christm as Spirit !
Serving the Greater Aledo Area: Aledo · the Annettas · Hudson Oaks · Willow Park, Texas
ALEDO ISD
Walsh makes multi-million dollar offer in school bid w North vs. South
discussion continues
By Rosealee Hoffman The Community News
Representatives of the group administering the Walsh Ranch development, including Malcolm Louden, publicly upped the ante at the Nov. 16 board of trustees meeting, offering the district a million dollar donation as well as covering the cost of grading and running utilities to the site they are donating for a new elementary school. AISD superintendent Derek Citty said the offer has been on the table for some time, but was kept private at the request of the Walsh contingent. Jake Wagner, with Republic Property Group, gave a presentation about the first phase of the development, presenting data and information about why the developers of Walsh Ranch believe the next elementary school in Aledo ISD should be built at the Walsh site. Wagner said he expects the model park to be in place by October of 2016 with all the lots being on the ground by February 2017. Wagner referred to the area as creating a possible secondary Metroplex core, eventually containing not only residential property but a diverse mix of commercial, including corporate centers and medical centers. “Walsh as a whole will have upwards of 8.8 million square feet of office, commercial, retail, medical, different uses,” said Wagner. “It will have an assessed value of over six billion dollars.” When completed, Walsh will be slightly larger than Bedford and other small cities and contain approximately 14,000 homes with 30-40 thousand residents. The initial build out will cover an area in between I-20 and I-30 and on the north side of I-30 on the west side of Walsh Ranch Parkway. The section in between the highways, at 350 acres, is designated for commercial space, with the first homes going north of I-30.
The first phase of homes will run from the four hundred thousand mark up into the millions for custom estate lots. Wagner said there will be approximately 500 lots plus about 40 custom estate lots. The site that is being donated for an elementary school is within this first neighborhood, within easy walking distance for children living in the new development. “We feel like it’s critical to have an elementary school when we open the community,” said Wagner. “It’s important to the fabric of our community and everything we are trying to do from an education standpoint.”
The Ripple Effect
Wagner presented a slide show to show growth projections in the district and how heavily the Walsh development, combined with Morningstar, will figure into that growth. Citty asked that the company that created the report get together with the school demographer. A request by The Community News for a copy of Wagner’s presentation was denied on the grounds that it was “very preliminary and fluid and subject to change.” The decision on the new school has been postponed several times while board members continue to gather data. “It’s not an easy decision, no matter how you slice it,” Citty said. “They have been very careful.” Citty said that the north location is certainly most favorable financially but that the numbers from the demographer indicate a south side location would provide the most relief for crowded campuses. “The district has been longtime partners and friends with Mr. Louden,” said Citty. “The Walsh kindness and charity is very important to Aledo ISD. We are well aware that Walsh Ranch is going to be the primary base of our new growth. We don’t want to do anything to harm our relationship, now or ever.”
RANDY KECK/THE COMMUNITY NEWS
Paula Robinson, CEO of the Center of Hope, addresses the Celebration of Hope dinner Friday night, Nov. 13 at New River Fellowship.
w Center of Hope looks
to expand with plans for new facility
By Randy Keck The Community News
The Ink Spots may have had it right when they recorded “Into each life some rain must fall.” But the storms of life often affect some people more than others.
Several people who have weathered those storms were in the spotlight Friday night, Nov. 13, when the Center of Hope held its annual Celebration of Hope dinner at New River Fellowship. For an organization barely ready to enter its teen years (the COH began in 2003), the Center of Hope has succeeded in combining the efforts of Parker County churches and organizations to provide
much-needed services to those who have been “battered and tossed.” Erica Markley, for example, spoke of how she had been a 17-year meth addict before reaching out to the Center of Hope. Volunteers there prayed with her, helped with food, and gave her the training and encouragement to obtain her GED. She announced at the dinner she is four years clean. Turn to CENTER, page 2A
Students in Service
Dogs in Flight
Signings
Familiar Faces
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Popular SWAP program under way for second year at McAnally Intermediate School. Volume 26, Number 47 Published Weekly
TONY EIERDAM/THE COMMUNITY NEWS
Coder Elementary School student Hunter Fay demonstrates his ball-handling skills during a Teams Of Tomorrow presentation at halftime of the Aledo Ladycats’ junior varsity basketball game Tuesday night at the AHS gym.
New program matches up pilots, rescue dogs and new owners.
Aledo athletes commit to colleges on signing day.
Bearcats face a familiar cast of characters in football playoffs.
Help us support the Meals on Wheels program and Center of Hope with a donation during the holidays
Copyright 2015, The Community News