PROSPERTIMES Friday July 28, 2017 | Prosper, Texas
VOL. 1 | NO. 12
Prosper Profiles
Meet David Huck
Joyce Godwin Joyce@CedarbrookMedia.Com The Prosper Times will be featuring Prosper residents each week in what we are calling “Prosper Profiles.” We want to bring to the forefront individuals who quietly go about their business will little to no fanfare. If you know of someone who qualifies for this spot, please send an email to me at the above address. Today’s spotlight is on David Huck who currently serves as the Prosper Rotary President and conducted his first Rotary meeting last week. David is the owner of a Prosper insurance agency called Prosper Insurance Center, LLC. He said he moved here in 2007 with his family and his motivation for moving to Prosper was the Prosper Independent School District. He said he saw the move as an opportunity to open his own agency while getting his children in the great school system. David and his wife Marivelisse have a teenage girl, 15, twin girls, 10, and now a 6-month-old boy. He describes himself as a mild-mannered guy who enjoys serving the community and helping the people around him. “That’s where Rotary comes in for me,” he says. “It gives me an outlet for service. It’s everyone’s obligation to serve. If you live in Prosper, you are in an affluent area, but I think it’s still our obligation to give back and serve the community.” Some might be surprised to know David is a painter — and not the wall-type painter, although he probably does his share of that. He’s an artist who likes to work in the impressionist’s style. “It’s something I kind of picked up later in life,” he said. “It’s something I enjoy and haven’t done a lot of this year.” He said he enjoys working in acrylics and oils and it has helped him work on his patience. He said it’s something that can’t be rushed because you have to plan ahead when producing a painting. “You start in the background and you want the picture to come to life but you have to work the background first,” he said. “You have to lay in the ground work, because once you start layering, you can’t go back and make changes in that area.” When asked about hobbies other than painting, David talks about his family and how he wants them to spend as much time together as possible. “We like to travel as much as we can,” he said. “Last week we were away on family vacation to Massachusetts and then flew to Puerto Rico where my wife is from.” They feel the importance of keeping their children in touch with their extended families and cultures. Travel will always be in the future of the Huck family, but so far, their favorite trip is the one David and Marivelisse took as a honeymoon. They went to Italy and still remember the small towns they visited in the Tuscany area. “It was beautiful with the vineyards and the rolling hills,” he said. see HUCK, page 3
WeAreProsper.com | $1.00
Win The Day Charity fundraiser a Success at Light Farms Community
Joyce Godwin/PROSPER TIMES
Dr. Burdette, PHS principal, congratulates Max Staples, 10, and in the fifth grade, for his direct hit that was hard enough to put Burdette in the water.
Joyce Godwin Joyce@CedarbrookMedia.Com Thousands gathered at the Light Farms Barn Yard, in the middle of the Light Farms community on Saturday to help support a revered member of the community. Bruce Thompson who, in April, got the diagnoses of cancer, decided to fight back by helping others.
Saturday’s event was the result of his friends and neighbors helping him start a new foundation to help others who are blindsided by a devastating illness as he was. Of course, the Win The Day foundation is going to help Thompson too, but he wouldn’t allow his friends to do anything for him unless the foundation included helping others. One of his best friends, Brian
Synatzske, lives close to Thompson in Light Farms. He says Bruce is the big brother he never had and never knew he wanted. “He is one of the kindest, funniest and most honest guys I know,” Synatzske said. “We’ve always bantered back and forth like ultimate rivals, however we have always been here for each other through picking up the kids and helping with projects around
the house. Bruce has taught me so many things like a big brother does without even knowing it. He taught me to be a better father, husband and friend just by watching him like a little bother does. It was always something that I took for granted.” In April, Thompson went from living a dream life in the suburbs to the fight for his life. See WIN THE DAY, page 3
Town Council gets a look at proposed Gateway signage for Prosper Joyce Godwin Joyce@CedarbrookMedia.Com Signage ordinances, the Gateway Monument Signage project and road repairs took up most of the discussion time in Tuesday’s Town Council meeting. Four Windsong residents appeared before the Town Council during the citizens comments section concerning conditions of roadways at their homes. Richard Basher said when it rains there, the water flows and often carries off trash containers. He said cars have to weave back and forth to dodge pot holes to the point, he fears for the safety of his children who might be walking next to the roadway. Dallas Wymes said repairing the roadways is not going to be a simple patch. He said the problem has been going on for more than two years and residents just want to know what to expect from the town to get it fixed. Tina Newton cautioned Councilors that fixing the problems now will be far less costly than letting the problem persist and doing
Prosper gets new EDC Director after vacancy of two years Joyce Godwin Joyce@CedarbrookMedia.Com It’s not a far reach for Maher Maso to step into the Economic Development realm and it’s not a reach for him to locate in Prosper for the Economic Development Corporation. After his high-profile role in Frisco, he is primed and ready to take on Prosper EDC and Prosper folks are ready to have him at the helm.
more repairs later. Lastly, Renee Junell said she understands construction and while she doesn’t want to repeat what the first three residents had to say, it’s been more than two years and she thinks enough time has passed that the town should be doing something about the problem. She urged the Council to put the item on its agenda for the August 8 meeting. Councilors were not permitted to discuss any of the problems with residents nor among themselves to comply with the Open Meetings Act which states that anything they discuss must be on the agenda and published 72 hours before the meeting. The largest portion of the meeting was spent with local contractor John Harris and the area he is currently developing on the northeast corner of Preston Road and First Street and along Hayes Road. The town staff felt Harris was asking for too many large monument signs and they were not needed. In the end, there
Yes, Prosper has a new EDC Director and his name is Maher Maso, former mayor of Frisco. Maso says he has always believed in North Texas and has worked well and often with mayors of towns across the area. One of those is Prosper’s own Mayor Ray Smith. When asked about the shift from Mayor to EDC he notes it’s not much of a change. “I’m just doing now what I’ve always done,” Maso said. “With Economic Development, the success of North Texas, the job creation and the projects all feed on each other, so the more successful each community is, the better. It kind of flows together. We are all very competitive, obviously, and want to
was a compromise approved by the Council 5-1 with the dissenting vote being from Councilor Kenneth Dugger. Dugger said he didn’t feel there had been enough discussion and wasn’t ready to make the compromise. Next came Dudley Raymond,
constructed in the median of Preston Road close to its intersection with U.S. Highway 380. Hughes said gateway characteristics should be bold and showed several examples he thought might fit what the Council is looking for within the parameters of the
Proposed Conceptual Drawings for Gateway Monuments Director of Parks and Recreation, Texas Highway Department which to introduce the presentation of limits the height to 20 feet. Hughes possible gateway signage for the showed drawings that included a Town of Prosper. Lenny Hughes couple of different types of towers representing Halff and Associates as well as monuments that are lower. showed several choices to be See COUNCIL, page 3
create the best for each community, but if you look at all the cities across North Texas most of them are small to mid-sized cities and are working together. We get a lot more done that way.” He also pointed out that the developers and contractors cross the borders between the towns and cities of North Texas so it benefits everyone when the cities work together as a region. Mayor Smith has worked with Maso for years and the two have gotten to know one another. “It was worth the wait, and I’m excited to work with Maher again,” Smith said in an email. “This is a tremendous addition to the Prosper EDC. Maher is a Blue Chip player, and will bring a great amount of experience and relationships to Prosper EDC.” The EDC is the one part of local government that has to work differently from the rest. Mason explained that projects on which the EDC works can’t be publicized until the corporation they are working with is ready to let it be known. There are so many things to consider when a company moves, i.e., advising employees they are moving, sometimes their stocks and investments can be affected, so they need to keep the move, or even the consideration of a move, quiet. Maso says Prosper and Frisco share a border with a lot of joint things
taking place. The demographics in Prosper are similar to Frisco as well as the entire region — McKinney, Plano and Allen. “The growth is coming this way and the planned growth is very exciting,” Maso said. “Prosper knows what kind of community they want to be, and they have some really great corridors with the 380 Corridor, Preston Road and the Tollway. That’s going to create an opportunity to create jobs for the community, bring financial strength to the community and allow quality of life and cost of living to remain low.” Jobs and companies will come to Prosper and Maso says that the key is getting the quality jobs here so Prosper will be a great place to work and raise a family. “This is the place to do it,” he said. One of the things the new director wants to concentrate on is the work force, because “Prosper has great talent, a great school system, and companies relocate because of that work force.” he said. “So, we are going to be telling that story. “If you want to move your company, here is a good place to do it because you are going to have employees, and oh by the way, a great school system, and oh by the way, great housing.” “So, it’s going to be fun,” he said with a smile.
Like us on Facebook @WeAreProsper Follow us on Twitter @WeAreProsper
Postal Customer
PRSRT STD ECRWSS U.S.POSTAGE PAID Prosper TX Permit #68