VOL. 1 | NO. 9
PROSPERTIMES Friday June 30, 2017 | Prosper, Texas
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‘Top-off’ brings Town Hall and Multi-Purpose Facility closer to completion Joyce Godwin Joyce@CedarbrookMedia.com
Photo by Joyce Godwin/PROSPER TIMES
Curry Vogelsang writes “May this building serve as a beacon for all our town.” above his name Tuesday morning during the topping-off ceremony for the new Town Hall.
Big changes in store for Frontier Parkway Joyce Godwin Joyce@CedarbrookMedia.com The border separating Celina and Prosper is destined for a new look now that Celina, Prosper and Collin County have all agreed on the funding. It’s been years in the making. The need is more and more prevalent as populations increase in numbers, and the amount of traffic on Frontier Parkway increases. Last week, the final piece fell into place when the Collin County Commissioners Court approved an additional $2.4 million to help fund an overpass which will eventually end the countless hours spent waiting for the
BNSF rail cars to pass. The agenda item called for “Additional funding for the design and construction of Frontier Parkway from the DNT to SH289 (Bond Project No. 07-014) Engineering.” It was introduced and summarized for commissioners saying the county staff has been working with the cities to try to get a consensus. The two cities agreed to paying a third of the additional funding, each in their own Council meetings; first Prosper and then Celina. The county staff will come back to the Commissioners Court with a budget amendment to cover this proposed action and the formal agreements with the two cities to allow the county to get moving on the project. A staff member stated in the meeting acknowledging the project has been held up for a long time. “The money is readily available from the $29 million that has been available from a couple of years ago.” That $29 million was set See FRONTIER PARKWAY,, page 3
Prosper cops get adopted at reception
Prosper Police Chaplain Cedric White (left) talks with Assistant Police Chief Gary McHone and his wife Susan during the Adopt-A-Cop registration kick off Saturday at Honeylu’s Coffee Shop.
Joyce Godwin Joyce@CedarbrookMedia.com More than 75 people gathered for the first Adopt-A-Cop reception Saturday at Honeylu's Coffee Shop in Prosper. Organized by the leadership team at Heart Fellowship of Prosper, Senior Pastor Cedric White says it is an opportunity to minister outside the church walls and bring the community together. The registration drive was deemed a great success. White said they hope to grow the community of Prosper closer by pairing families with officers to supply a much needed covering as the officers protect and serve daily. White who is also a chaplain for the Prosper Police Department said the people who signed up to adopt a police officer promise to honor the officers’ birthdays with cards and baked goods and the Heart Fellowship leadership will facilitate any mementoes. Those families who adopt an officer also pledge to pray regularly for the officer and his family as he or she stands in the gap protection the residents of Prosper. The hope is to help community
members to think of cops through good relationships rather than through the window of a car looking across a citation bearing the name of the driver, White says. He also proposed the idea that school classrooms might adopt an officer and that relationship should continue through high school graduation. Several police officers were present at different times during the three-hours of the registration reception as well as Police Chaplain John Herring as well as White. There are four chaplains attached to the Prosper Police Department. White said sometimes they ride along with the officer some times and other times, they get called out when police discover a difficult situation. They are available for counseling victims and victims’ families but also, sometimes the officers need attention for the things they see on their calls. Heart Fellowship is located at 821 N. Coleman St., Suite 150, operating out of the Be Fit Yoga Studio. To contact Heart Fellowship email info@heartfellowship.church.
It was February 3 when ground was turned to show that construction had begun on the new Town Hall and Multi-Purpose Facility. And today, a crane with a 250-foot boom slowly raised a steel cupola weighing 28,000 pounds from the ground to its final place in the center of the third floor of the new building. It is the last major piece of the structure to be placed. But before the raising of the cupola, all the town employees were invited to sign the steel beams before they were put in place. Wearing traditional construction hard hats bearing the familiar logo for Pogue Construction, employees wrote prayers asking for blessings of the building and all who work there. Some just signed their name. Others wrote prayers for blessings on the workmen who are erecting the building. But all wrote something. The messages went through the air along with the cupola to become a See TOP-OFF, page 2
Photo by Joyce Godwin/PROSPER TIMES
Traffic moves east and west over the BSNF crossing except when a train blocks the intersection and traffic stops. Even emergency vehicles are unable to proceed.
Prosper Cub Scouts hold flag retirement ceremony
Cub Scout Pack 289, along with friends and family, met in the parking lot of Prosper High School to retire Courtesy photo U.S. flags in the correct manner and showing the utmost respect for the country’s Old Glory. This is the annual service project for Pack 289. In the first year of the project, more than 700 flags were retired. In this, the second year, close to 350 flags were retired. The American flag should be treated in a designated way. When it’s time to stop flying a flag because of its condition, it should be retired according to guidelines set out to honor the flags. The Cub Scouts receive flags throughout the year which need to be retired at the annual ceremony. The best way to get flags to them during the year is to use the Flag collection box at Central Fire Station on First Street.
Courtesy photo
Chief Kowalski receives teaching award Prosper Police Chief Doug Kowalski was recently awarded the 2017 Teacher of the Year award by the Caruth Police Institute, a division of the University of North Texas. The award was presented by Kevin Smith, senior academic program manager of CPI. Kowalski’s award recognizes his support, leadership, and significant contributions to CPI and public safety leaders.
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