Flying Field Status
11/1/01
Field Search Committee
The first meeting was held on Oct. 22, 01. In attendance was Richard Hose, Murray Carver, and Jack McGeough. Future meetings will be held on the second Tuesday of every month at 7:00 PM. The meetings will be held at El Chicos on I35E at Valwood Pkwy in Farmers Branch/Carrollton. Same place as the last few IRCFA Club meetings. ALL CLUB MEMBERS ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND. Discussions included sites presently under investigation. One site is located north of I-30, between McArther and Loop 12. The other site is located on Lewisville Lake near Pier 121. Both locations are in initial discussion and awaiting communication from land owners. Updates will be forth coming.
9/12/01
To give everyone an update, Tom Coe, Bill Little, and I met yesterday (9/11/01) afternoon with the Assistant City Manager, the Director of Community Development and the City Engineer from the city of Lewisville and representatives of the Texas Waste Management. We described our scaled down plan for implementing a flying facility (ONLY a gravel parking lot, and scraping the runway with an underlayment top-cover). They were all in agreement that we will still have to make a presentation to the city council to request a waiver for the Engineering Site Plan. They agreed to help us put together a package required prior to the presentation to council, but indicated the process will take several weeks once we turn in the package. The package will describe in detail what exactly we want to do and where. They have suggested a number of questions that should be addressed in the package, and have agreed to review it before official submission. The council meets on the first and third Monday of every month, so at best case, it will be October's meeting before we present. In total, it was a positive meeting where they seemed to be truly trying to help us while still fulfilling their responsibility to the city. I will begin preparing the package (as my work schedule allows), but it is clear that nothing is going to happen quickly. I guess that anything worth doing requires some time and effort. Let me know if you have any questions.
Frank Taylor
8/12/01
As work continues on the proposed flying field site in Lewisville a group called the Lewisville Lonestar RC Association was formed to get some of the initial paperwork done in establishing the field. To get additional information on the status of the project refer to the LLRCA web site at www.oocities.org/llrca .
7/19/01
Exciting news on a new field! An excellent opportunity on a new field in Lewisville has been identified and the executive council is investigating it further. Come to the meeting and get all the latest news.
7/01/99
We have had quite a bit of activity on this front, but I cannot say we are a lot closer to having a field. Since the last update, we had a meeting with Carrollton. In attendance were several Parks Board members, several City Council members, and the Parks Department Director with at least one staff member. The object of the meeting was to introduce ourselves, and request that they keep us in mind as they go forward with their planning. We were well received, and there were no negative remarks. However, when we specifically asked if we had any particular property in mind (we mentioned the old dumpsite off of Sandy Lake road), we were informed that property was committed to soccer fields and softball diamonds. There was then a brief discussion of another piece of property, but access was an issue. We will continue to work with this group to keep the idea moving.
One thing has become apparent from all of the meetings we have had is that nothing is going to happen quickly with any city or municipality. As they say, the wheels of progress turn slowly, and dealing with politicians and bureaucrats is even slower. However, it is also true that persistence is the key to success. We are continuing to keep all options open, and work the avenues we have initiated.
We are also beginning to do some homework on other nearby cities. Tom Coe (resident of Lewisville) is researching the organization and contact names for council and park board members for Lewisville. David Jackson is doing the same thing for Flower Mound where he has a residence. Our feeling is that after we know who the players are, we will take our request to these two cities while we continue to work with Carrollton and Farmers Branch. Our strategy is based on the sales theory that if you throw enough stuff against a wall, eventually some of it will stick. So, we have now found some new walls to work with.
Frank Taylor
4/25/99
There continues to be encouraging activity relative to obtaining a new flying facility. As mentioned in last month’s newsletter, Roy Appleton and I were to have a meeting with Farmers Branch Parks Department officials on Tuesday 3/30/99. That meeting took place, and we had a good conversation. They appeared to be interested in helping us. So interested, in fact, they had a piece of property in mind. The property is an old landfill that has been capped for 15 years, and is somewhere in the area north of IH635 and south of Valwood between IH35 and Luna road. The only hesitation was some uncertainty on where the new state highway 190 was going to go through. Apparently there have been some changes over the years as to exactly where this highway will connect with IH635. They promised to take the action of contacting the state to see if they positively identify where this highway will be placed. We have not heard form them since the meeting, so I will probably contact them next week for an update.
After several months of anticipation, we have been invited to make a presentation to the Carrollton Parks Board. We are on the agenda for their regular monthly meeting on Monday 4/26/99. This will be an introductory meeting to let them know who we are, what we are about, and what we can do for their city. I have prepared a transparency presentation that I will give. While I do not expect any great revelations at this particular meeting, it is an opportunity to introduce the association, and for us to learn who the players are in the City of Carrollton. It is my understanding that there are seven members of the Parks Board, and they will all (typically) be in attendance. There will also be several members of the Parks Department including our contact and the new Director of Parks. All together, there may be as many as fifteen city officials in attendance. I will let you know in next month’s newsletter how it goes.
Frank Taylor
1/27/99
On January 15, 1999, Roy Appleton and I had a meeting with the Deputy City Manager and the Director of Parks for the City of Coppell. Our objective was to let them know something about the IRCFA in the event that Coppell decided to take over operation of Northlake Park. We gave them a presentation describing the Association, and how we felt we could benefit their community. It was a cordial meeting, and they listened with interest. However in the end, it was the same old story that we have heard so many times before. They are interested in operating the park, but not under the conditions offered by TU Electric. TU told them that they could do no development of the park whatsoever, and they would not offer them a long term lease on the property. The Deputy Director explained that since the park is not within the tax jurisdiction of the City of Coppell, they could derive no revenue from the tax base. Therefore without allowing Coppell to do some development of some sort (a golf course was mentioned), the park would be a money drain with no way to recoup the cost of maintenance. We all agreed that it is a terrible shame for the park to go unused, but saw no way to resolve the issue unless TU is willing to move on their position.
We also asked if there was some other property within the City that would support our activities, and there was some discussion until our space requirements were mentioned. While they had some 1 or 2 acre areas, this was not sufficient space to support our needs. We were also told that these areas were in or near housing developments, and they have already had numerous complaints from residents about noise from R/C boats in nearby waterways.
In the end, it became clear that Coppell was not going to take over operation of the park. Subsequent to this meeting, Tom Coe talked to John Owens of TU Electric (see Tom’s article in Feb. newsletter).
On a more positive note, we have been in contact with a gentleman who sits on the park boards of the cities of Carrollton and Farmers Branch. We have written a letter describing who we are and what our needs are, and he is going to present it to both cities. I will keep you informed as things progress. Remember to keep your eyes and ears open for any property that might be suitable for us.
Frank Taylor
January 1999
Frank Taylor, President
Not much has changed since I last updated you on the status of the NorthLake flying field. As announced at the December meeting (Christmas Party), Tom Coe and I met with two senior managers of TU Electric Company on Friday 12/04/98 to discuss the use of the flying facility while they discuss transfer of park operations to the City of Coppell. Our proposed plan would allow Irving RC Flyers Association members exclusive (secure access) use of the flying facility while restricting vehicular access to the remainder of the park. We discussed both short term (until Coppell makes a decision) and long-term (in the event that Coppell decides they will not take over operation of the park) arrangements. After listening politely to the 30-minute presentation, they explained their pre-determined response. In essence it was to the effect that TU would not consider any use of the facility unless some municipality is operating it. The reason offered was that no other mechanism would provide TU with the liability protection that this arrangement would.
Since that time, I have been in contact with Joe Beshar who is the AMA’s field coordinator. The reason for contacting Joe was to see if the AMA had access to some legal experts that might be able to find a way that IRCFA could provide TU with the same type of protection without the involvement of a municipality. This question requires more legal expertise than I possess, so I thought the AMA might have some experts that could help. Of course the whole idea was to see if we could offer TU a viable alternative that satisfies their requirements without pushing the issue too hard, and potentially making them angry. Joe has the detailed information and is researching the question.
By the time the next newsletter is published, we should have an answer on Coppell’s plan. While I am not completely clear on who has set the deadline, there appears to be one set for January 15th. On this date, Coppell will (in theory) officially respond to TU as to whether they will take over the park. At that time we will know if there is any short-term possibility of getting the field back. Until that time, we are discussing various options. I say "short term" because it is not clear at this point if there may be another opportunity for Coppell to take over operations after October of 1999. The reason for this "magic date" is that this is when new city budgets are put in place. It may be that if Coppell has the opportunity to include the cost of operation of NorthLake Park in their fiscal year 2000 budget, then they may be more able to manage the additional expense.
While it is still my plan to meet with Coppell City Officials to tell them who we are and what we are about, so far I have been unable to arrange such a meeting. While the City Manager was initially receptive to the idea, I have been unable to close the loop with him to determine a date and time. I will keep up this effort.
That is the latest information that I have. I hope to see you all at the next meeting on 1/07/98.