MR. FARRIS MIGHT REALLY GO TO CITY HALL

By Glen Farris

Photo by Dave Koen. 

This Saturday, May 10th, the residents of Denton will have an opportunity to exercise one of the greatest rights as Americans we have: the right to choose it’s leaders by vote. The sanctity of the voting booth is a cornerstone of our democracy, it is a right that has been defended and solemnly protected in our country’s 238 year history and yet it’s estimated our voter turnout will be around 5%. If you’ve ever wondered why things are the way they are in Denton, there’s your answer. There are 5% of us deciding our city’s direction and future. In the face of that much disengagement and apathy, We Denton Do It decided to take this challenge head on by providing information and avenues for involvement to our readers.

On February 22nd of last year, we posted the first Mr. Farris Goes To City Hall article. This was a first of a series of posts about the inner workings of our city and was a product of many things. The first and foremost was the belief that citizens should engage their local government if they wanted to see positive change in their city. My ambition was based on serving the community, just as it always has been. 

I want the best for our city. I see its potential. My love for my community has compelled me to serve whenever and wherever I was asked and to pitch in wherever needed; to be a part of my community. I saw it as my duty to relay what I had learned through We Denton Do It and thus the possibly prophetic Mr. Farris Goes To City Hall was born.

Running for a public office has been quite an experience. It has been overwhelmingly encouraging to take part in the beautiful mess that is democracy. Whether it’s knocking on doors and driving miles through District 2 to neighborhood meetings or attending the many forums hosted these past few months; it has been an amazing journey and I am humbled by the generosity and support that our campaign has received along the way. In the midst of the hours of work, what kept me pushing to the end was the reminder of why I was running to begin with: because I love my city.

Beyond loving my city and wishing to extend my service, I’ve got some big ideas as well: 

- We need healthy neighborhoods and a vibrant downtown. It’s time to look at economic development from all sides and recognize that we need to provide parks, libraries, public art along with higher wage-jobs. 

- We need a caring and inclusive community. The doors are open and the table is set for us to prosper and I believe that the only way we can move into the future is together. Let’s move passed the burned bridges and rifts of the past.

- We need increased community engagement. I will continue to encourage this through all means available.

- We need to compete on the national level for jobs, people and investment.

- We need to streamline our developmental code. What we have now is inefficient and if we’re going to encourage economic development we need to be encouraging a culture of customer service with developers. 

- We need thoughtful growth. Denton is, without a doubt, going to rapidly grow in the near future, set to double in population by 2030. Let’s be mindful and retain our identity as we grow.

- We need to be a regional and national leader in the areas of tech growth and sustainability. We’ve got the talent and the resources in both these areas, let's take advantage of them.

It is through my service and love of my city that I have proven myself to be a responsible representative with the best interests of the residents of Denton. That’s why I am confidently asking for your support and your vote this Saturday, May 10th. No where else will your voice be louder or more powerful. 

A vote for Glen Farris is a vote for Denton.

Polls are open Saturday May 10th from 7AM to 7PM. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO.

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MR. FARRIS GOES TO CITY HALL: SEPTEMBER

As we settle into fall, we think more about our community. Maybe its because we start spending more time outside, maybe it's because we get more Facebook invites that we aren't able to delete quickly enough. Whatever the reason, the fall makes us all the more likely to take a walk, ride a bike, or pack a picnic lunch during these times that the weather is cool enough to enjoy the outdoors without sweating through our picnic blanket. In doing so, we have the chance to notice the abundance of historic landmarks, small hidden businesses we never see from the main roads, spots where the sidewalks need repair and even small side streets that have become ideal places for photo ops. When we get away from the car we finally have a chance to really get to know Denton for who it (she?) really is, even in spite of her flaws - sometimes actually because of them. 

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If you were under the impression that the forthcoming Hickory St. improvements were a big deal - guess what! The floodplains are an even bigger deal. We know what you're thinking, "What?! Floodplains?  What are these people talking about now? Who cares about something like a floodplain? Certainly not I, Johnny B. Dentonite. I only care about beard growth and quality tacquerias." Trust us though, its a big deal. Our city is reviewing the problem of the floodplains - areas adjacent to bodies of water that are subject to flash flooding during storms - and they're making sure that they are FEMA compliant, not only to ensure the safety of its citizens, but to protect the property of the city. The reason we are currently concerned is because there are areas that studies show will be in big trouble when flooding occurs. Not only do we care that Pecan Creek will be under completely submerged under water, but we also care that the way the floodplains in the downtown areas are currently functioning is preventing new development around the square and the A-Train. Yeah, you read that correctly, until these problems are addressed (and we're talking big expensive problems here), we'll have a lack of new businesses and stunted growth in one of the city's most thriving areas. 

The downtown traffic safety report has been presented at the request of district 1 councilman Kevin Roden and the Denton Downtowners association. The biggest concerns that were asked to be addressed were pedestrian safety, red light violations, unsafe lane changes, and backing out without safety. The residents of downtown felt like more and more accidents were happening, and there were more near misses than they would have liked to see. The report started to address some of those concerns. Apparently 62% of the red light-related crashes involved the flashing red lights that come on at night. Therefore, there is a possibility that the city will be changing the times in which the flashing red lights turn on. They will also be cracking down on bicycle violations around the square. So if you're cycling on the square, make sure to use those hand signals, stop at the red lights, and walk your bike around the square sidewalks. The report is also causing concerns about the intersections where pedestrians are walking. Hopefully, this will result in making the crosswalks safer and more visible by painted stop blocks and maybe in the future outlawing cars turning left on red. 

There is also a group of citizens who are trying to imagine the possibility of Walnut St becoming a pedestrian plaza. The street as it stands right now is a sort of service alley. It houses the dumpsters, services the grease traps, service entrances for wait staff/deliveries, and is lined with utility boxes. It's also a little bit of an eyesore. As for parking, there is parking allowed, but the lines aren't clear and neither are the signs that show where parking is and isn't allowed. So, it's become kind of the wild west for people who park back there. There is always trash on the ground from people littering, there is an untamed forest of grass and weeds growing through the cracks of the side walk and there are numerous potholes in the road. Apparently a few people think this alley way would be better used as a pedestrian plaza - with tables and umbrellas. They want to turn those  aforementioned service entrances into a back entrance to serve patrons from or through. While this is a noble vision, there are several obstacles to overcome if there is any future permanent closing of the street to cars. In addition, there are several areas in other parts of town (away from the square) that could definitely benefit from a little TLC, too. Where would you guys like to see something like this go down? In the meantime, we would love to see that little street have a general make over, maybe some murals on the backs of buildings, taming of the weeds and a little more landscaping, and repainting the lines for parking in the back would improve the look of the side street exponentially.

Hypnotic Donuts and Cultivar Coffee are teaming up to bring us hand-crafted coffee, tasty donuts, and chicken biscuits. Even better, they're rumored to have hours that keep them open until 2am. Since we love the DFW native roast, we are pretty pumped that they are making a little home in downtown Denton. They'll be setting up shop on Hickory Street, right across from Gerhard's and next to Natalie's. A few citizens have commented that it seems woefully far from their favorite bar, and almost on the wrong side of the square, but we're pretty pumped that someone great will be re-energizing an oft-forgot block. Plus, we'll have one more place to grab caffeine and a tasty treat on our way to all of those meetings. 

Canned Fest announced that its going to be 100% wind energy thanks to the help of Denton Municipal Electric being way awesome and donating the wind energy. Alongside DME coming in and helping out, the Keep Denton Beautiful team will be there making sure that your recyclables get to where they need to be. We're excited about Canned being Denton's first super green music and beer fest. Oh yeah! We're pretty excited about the beer selection too. Make sure to grab your tickets now. You won't want to miss a moment of one of our new favorite festivals. 

That's it for us this month, y'all. We'll keep hitting up those meetings for ya, though. Let us know your thoughts in the comments. 

MR FARRIS GOES TO CITY HALL: AUGUST

The Hive will be aiming to 'blend better' with it's surroundings and adopt a sign similar to the Victoria Station sign across the street. 

While it may still be pretty darn hot out, it seems that the summer is winding down and this sweet city of ours is gearing up for the arrival of students old and new. Luckily for us, our very own Mr. Farris has been hiding out in City Hall air conditioning, staying cool, eating donuts and keeping up with the goings-on of fair Denton. 

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We know it's beating a dead horse y'all - but back in angled parking is a super hot topic. The city has asked the engineers to look at cities that have tried out back in angled parking and then reversed it. What would it cost if we wanted to revert back to normal parking again because some people can't handle steep slopes, or just backing up in general? We guess it's a good thing to know why some cities have reversed their decision to have back in angled parking. We certainly don't want to waste a ton of time and money on something we won't be happy with a year later. 

The Hive, the future larger scale venue of former 35 Denton director Kyle LaValley has been granted funding for the facade of the building. So where you'll eventually be lined up waiting to getting in with your will-call tickets, you'll be standing underneath a sign that should be sort of matching the Victoria Station Apartments sign - so they can blend into the neighborhood. Fun fact: one of the partners of the Hive, Melissa Northern, is the former mayor of Flower Mound. 

Speaking of facade updates, we've sort of complained in the past about the insane orange color that went in over Beth Marie's and Mad World Records. This is why: the guys over at Atomic Candy just updated the paint on their building and it looks fabulous. It blends in well, the colors look great, and the paint job seems flawless. Take note folks. This is what a good paint job looks like. Get with it. 

On the subject of signs, Subway still hasn't changed their sign. From what we understand, it is still going to be switched. We just don't know when. At least all of the weary travelers can find themselves a five dollar foot long without trying to hard though, right? 

Don't worry kids! 7-11 is not - we repeat - not going in on the square. Well, not for now anyways. They were in talks to occupy the Radio Center Building on Hickory.  Apparently the building they were trying to go in has floors that couldn't support the Slurpee machines, the coolers to hold the Monster drinks and the taquito heating mechanisms. The cost of ripping up and replacing the floor just didn't make sense for those corporate dollars. Apparently those Slurpee machines are really heavy. Who knew? We're not complaining. Now, rumor has it that a very mysterious but very high end restaurant will be occupying the space instead. We'll believe it when we see it. 

It is not only the year of the themed restaurant, but also of the shabby chic store. Shop the Barn has opened next to Banter, a very long and winding store full of shabby chic, found furniture and antique wares. We are liking the selection over the Mini-Mall for sure, and we highly recommend taking a gander onto the back porch and picking up a tractor stool or two. Speaking of shabby chic, Boyd Girls/Vintedge (formerly on Oak between Recycled and Oak St. Drafthouse) has closed shop and leaves us wondering what will happen to that amazing green house right there on Oak. What are your predictions? 

The DCTA will be naming the Downtown Denton A-Train station after Eulene Brock, one of the former mayors of Denton. We're a pretty big fan of Eulene, she's done some mighty fine things for Denton, and are thrilled that she'll be honored in such a monumental way. 

MR FARRIS GOES TO CITY HALL: JUNE

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Glen Farris inspects the custom made industrial smokers inside of the forthcoming Goldmine BBQ. 

211 E. Hickory has been on the hazardous building list for the last little while. It's that little older building right in-between Storried Productions and Travelstead by Mellow Mushroom. A long time ago, they roof damage due to an AC unit falling through. Oops. Now, the owners of the place are attempting to get it back up to code in the hopes that they can turn it into retail space. Here's to hoping its not more auto parts and lawn mowers.  

Love themed restaurants? Sure hope so, because we're about to have an influx of them. Gold Mine BBQ opens in early July. This place comes complete with a newly renovated space made to look like an old mine shaft, some very well trained BBQ-ers, a hidden patio and a very lively looking canary in a cage. We're pretty excited to try it out - mostly because their giant industrial smokers stocked with pecan wood seem pretty promising. Don't worry. We'll get back to you with an official opinion after they open in a few weeks. 

A peek inside the forthcoming Goldmine BBQ in the old Vigne space on Hickory St. 

Speaking of themed restaurants, word on the street is that there is a themed pizza place about to happen, too. After Bosses opened last month, you know we're at least interested to see what kind of tantalizing treat "olde English style" pizza will be. Last Drop Tavern will be Denton's own English style eatery and wood-fired pizza haven opening on Elm Street just off the square, and coming soon. 

More on restaurant news, Rusty Taco Denton had the highest grossing opening week of any Rusty taco. Whoa guys - we knew you liked tacos and all, but geez. We're not ashamed. We were caught there are few times ourselves in the first week. Maybe they're onto something with those cheap margaritas.

Signs on the square have been called into scrutiny recently. The Subway sign is being replaced with something that will blend in a little more with the current signage on the square, and now Lone Star Attitude (the burger place in the old Denton County spot we talked about two months ago) is having trouble getting their sign approved. We're not sure why. Maybe it sticks out too far, is too bright, or has just rubbed someone the wrong way, but we're pretty pumped to see what they end up replacing the current 'Denton County Hamburger' signage with - so that the new restaurant feels a little more real. Also, did y'all get a chance to see that paint job on Mad World and Beth Marie's? Not sure who thought that would be a good idea. 

Hope you installed a smart thermostat to get you through summer this year. Apparently utility prices will be going up pretty soon. You might be needing all the extra help you can get. Electric is going up 2.5% due to a rise in the wholesale price of energy, water and wastewater are rising a little due to much needed improvements on our infrastructure and solid waste and recycling will be taking a small hit for increased costs and cart replacements. And you thought your bill was high already... According to Kevin Roden, city councilman of District 1, it unfortunately takes our poop overflowing for us to concern ourselves with all those pipes underground. It is never easy for us to take on increases in cost, but we're at the point where major replacements, upgrades and expansions are necessary. Some have already been done. Luckily, we live in a city whose rates are pretty low compared to the rest of the metroplex, so we were knocking on wood last summer as we bragged to our friends in Lewisville, Flower Mound and Plano how much lower our utility bills were compared to theirs. This year we may be keeping a closer watch on our AC consumption in the dog days of summer.

If you're a friend to the furry (no, not those people - just cats and dogs) you'll be happy to know that the Denton Animal Shelter Foundation will be getting a new building that is costing a little over four million dollars. It'll live way up north on 77 by UNT's Research Park. Hopefully, this means that all of those sweet strays will have a nice place to lay their little heads when they're between homes.