PROSPERTIMES Friday October 6, 2017 | Prosper, Texas
VOL. 1 | NO. 23
Prosper Profiles
Meet Erin Hubbard Renee Marler Renee@CedarbrookMedia.com Nine years ago, Erin became the first female police officer in the Prosper Police Department. Today, she is an integral part of the ever-growing department. She came to Prosper Police Department after a lengthy service in the military, which runs in her family, as her father, Gary, was a retired Marine. However, Erin chose to join the United States Air Force where she worked as a vehicle operator and civil engineering electrician for high and low voltage. “I was in the military for twenty years, two months and three days,” she said. “I think every military person knows their length of service down to the day.” During her time in the military she was stationed at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas and in northern Italy. She deployed four times to southwest Asia, including Iraq. Two of her deployments came after she was on the job with Prosper Police Department. Since retiring from military service, in addition to her patrol duties, Erin devotes much of her time to many of Prosper Police Department's community outreach efforts including crime prevention, Citizens on Patrol, Citizens Police Academy and the annual National Night Out. Erin is also close to her family. Her parents moved to Prosper after she took the position with Prosper Police Department and Erin said she loves having them close by. “As your parents age, you want to know they are taken care of and with them being right here, I know I am simply a phone call away if needed,” she said. She also has two younger sisters. One is an accountant in Fort Worth and one is in a special needs home in the Flower Mound area. “Growing up with a sibling with special needs has taught me a great deal of love and patience, which is absolutely necessary in this job,” said Erin. The growth in Prosper has impacted the police department as well. Many new faces can be seen around the department in recent days, but Erin says she is fortunate that there is still a great deal of familiarity as well. “Sergeant Golden was my field training officer when I started with the department nine years ago and he's still my supervisor today,” she laughed. “Assistant Chief McHone was here when I came as well.” At home, Erin likes to relax with her five-year old Irish Setter she rescued named Ralph. She said, “He's a little spoiled, as you can imagine.” When asked what she loves about Prosper and being a part of its police department,” she said, “I feel very settled here and really cannot imagine myself anywhere else. It's truly home.”
Golf Tourney Comes Together to Help Bethlehem Place Joyce Godwin Joyce@CedarbrookMedia.com
Monday at Gentle Creek Country Club was all about Bethlehem Place and raising funds to help feed less fortunate people in the area. Executive Director Betsy Winters told the group they provide food for about 35 families per week and that group includes children and senior citizens. They are people without jobs or their jobs are not helping them make ends meet. Sometimes they are just in transition and need a little help, others are living with family members and still others have taken in family Joyce Godwin/PROSPER TIMES members and have run out of resources. Winters The second place team finishes the 18th hole at Gentle Creek golf course Monday for the annual says she has fallen in love with the people she serves Bethlehem Place Charity Golf Tournament. From left are Bill Potts Jeff Christie, Assad Tadjoy and through Bethlehem Place, Prosper’s only food bank. Jeff Clark. “These are really good people, hard workers and so thankful,” she said. “On an average, a family of four will get 40 pounds of food for a week.” Board members of the charity were on hand to help with the heavy lifting throughout the tournament. Rebecca Hunter said she has been on the board for many years “because I care about the people in Prosper who don’t have enough food. We can help also by suggesting other services for them.” Dottie Jones said she feels a sense of urgency for the needs of the people helped by Bethlehem Place. “This is an important organization that fills the needs of the community. She said she and her granddaughter work together with the food distribution efforts each week. Janice Diamond is also on the board for Bethlehem Place and has been for about six years. “I do it because I don’t want people to go hungry,” she said. “This is the least I can do.” She said most of the people in the Prosper community are comfortable but there are families in need. She said there are 28 families who’ve come to Prosper because of the hurricanes. “No one gets paid at Bethlehem Place. It’s all volunteer,” she said. “And everything gets used.” Also concerned for people who don’t have enough food is NFL great, pro football hall of famer Randy White, Prosper resident since 1988. White was a Joyce Godwin/PROSPER TIMES defensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys from 1975 to NFL great and pro football hall of famer Randy White takes the microphone at the closing of the 1988 and has been a supporter of Bethlehem Place for Bethlehem Place annual charity golf tournament Monday at Gentle Creek Country Club. several years. See Bethlehem Place, page 4
Hughes Elementary School has Heart and High Fives Joyce Godwin Joyce@CedarbrookMedia.com Hughes Elementary School is located on the east side of the Prosper Independent School District in McKinney on Prestwick Hollow Drive south of US Highway 380. Principal Tiffany Johns is in her 10th year of employment with PISD. Johns says one of her favorite features of the campus is its ties to Jim and Betty Hughes, the schools’ namesakes. “I think sometimes our schools in McKinney or Celina feel like we are not quite as much a part of Prosper,” she said. “Having Betty in the community and the interaction with her is just great. She brings cookies for the staff and comes to assemblies and the kids just ooh and aah over her.” Johns says the school’s motto is “Hughes has Heart.” The ‘heart’ comes from an acronym spelled out from “we prepare students to be: Hardworking, Ever-growing, Respectful and Thinkers.” In addition to Hughes Heart, there is also a Hughes High Five. Teachers have little die cuts of a hand to present to a student who exemplifies the “Hughes Has Heart” motto. Then the student brings the Hughes High Five to Johns or Assistant Principal Stephanie Cockrell who then will call the child’s parents to share the good news and the student gets his or her picture in the Hughes newsletter. “The students love it and parents love it,” Johns said. Johns said she and Haley Stelly, principal at Light Farms Elementary, did Joyce Godwin/PROSPER TIMES Hughes students wanted their photos taken with their principal Tiffany Johns their undergraduate work together in Waco at Baylor University. “She started in the lunchroom. From left are Shawn Freeman peeking over the head of teaching in Prosper in 2007 and I stayed in Waco and taught for a year,” Johns said. Layla Mahoney, Ryleigh Bell, Lila Claire Holloway and Mason Leion. See Hughes Elementary, Page 3
Town Council Approves Sign Variance, Zoning and Approves Purchase of Lighting Joyce Godwin Joyce@CedarbrookMedia.com
The Prosper Times is featuring Prosper residents each week in “Prosper Profiles.” We want to bring to the forefront individuals who quietly go about their business with little to no fanfare. If you know of someone who qualifies for this spot, please send an email to let us know.
WeAreProsper.com | $1.00
The Prosper Town Council approved changes to the sign ordinance and zoning for the new Prosper Independent School District’s football stadium and natatorium in last week’s regular business meeting for the Town. Alex Glushko, senior planner for the Town of Prosper introduced the first regular agenda item which was the sign variance. The request was being made by leaders of Texas Bank currently under construction at the corner of Preston Road and First Street. Glushko said “The sign code for multi-storied buildings such as this limits the wall sign height based on the height of a story. In this case, Prosper Bank is occupying the first story so their wall sign height is limited to three feet tall. With this request, the applicant is proposing an eight- foot tall wall sign situated on the second floor of the
building. They are doing this in order to provide signage that is proportionate with the building.” He added “In general, staff feels this request is in harmony with the sign code and recommends approval.” More explanation from the agenda packet explained that “On December 6, 2016, the Planning and Zoning Commission approved a Site Plan for a three-story, 60-foot tall, 10,622 square-foot office building (Texas Bank). The Sign Ordinance limits the height of tenant wall signs to a maximum height of three feet, where the height of the tenant wall area is 20 feet or less. The height is measured per floor and not total height of the building. The Texas Bank wall height is 14 feet, and located on the first floor of the building. The applicant is requesting a maximum sign height of eight feet and to locate the wall sign on the second floor of the building in order to provide proportionate signage for the overall building height.” Bob Lowrimore, president of the North Texas Regent of Texas Bank, spoke to the Council. “We are not anticipating covering the front of the building with signs” he said. “We would love it if ours is the only one, but if somebody comes in and takes 10,000 feet, and they want to put a sign up, then maybe. That could be part of the negotiations, but if they want something beyond the regulations of the Town of Prosper, then they
will have to come here.” Next came a lengthy discussion and ultimate approval to rezone a little more than 47 acres from Agriculture to Planned Development, for a Prosper ISD athletic complex with a multi-sport stadium and a natatorium, located on the south side of Frontier Parkway. “The uses of the stadium and natatorium are permitted in an agricultural district; however the district seeks three main variations to the Town’s zoning ordinance with parking, landscaping and agricultural requirements,” Glushko said. The Zoning Ordinance requires one parking space for every four seats or bench seating spaces. Glushko explained that “Based upon the proposed seating capacity of 12,000 for the stadium and a seating capacity of 500 for the natatorium, 3,125 parking spaces are required. PISD requested that this ratio be reduced to one parking space for every five seats, which would require 2,500 parking spaces. A review of parking for similar facilities in McKinney and Allen would indicate that a ratio of one space to every five seats is adequate.” The Council also approved purchasing lighting and installation services for the Eagles Landing Park and Folsom Park light project from Musco Lighting LLC through the Texas Local Government and Cooperative. See Town Council, page 4
Like us on Facebook @WeAreProsper Follow us on Twitter @WeAreProsper
Postal Customer
PRSRT STD ECRWSS U.S.POSTAGE PAID Prosper TX Permit #68