Little Elm 2009 Year in Review May through August

MAY

During the first week of May a crew from Morgan Electric was removing a light pole on the northeast corner or visitors' side of the Little Elm Athletic Complex on East Eldorado Parkway. The pole came loose from the cable and fell to the ground. Fortunately no one was injured. The pole missed the stadium seats and playing surface, damaging the light pole itself and one sidewalk fixture. The pole was being removed as a precaution following an inspection and dye-test that revealed a crack in the weld at the base of the light pole. The other three light poles on the property do not show signs of cracks, but will be removed as a safety precaution.

The Little Elm ISD will not be closing because of the H1N1 flu. The district has not experienced any officially diagnosed cases of H1N1 flu, but school staff is keeping school doors open. A letter was sent home to parents listing precautions for protecting their children from the H1N1 flu.

A Little Elm High School junior was killed in an accident on the Dallas North Tollway just after midnight on May 10. She was returning home from a concert when a driver going the wrong way in a Ford pickup on the Tollway crashed into the Mercury Mountaineer she was driving. Kara Taylor was taken to Frisco's Centennial Medical Center where she was pronounced dead. Her 15-year-old friend in the car with her was treated for minor injuries. Taylor was a very busy student involved in many activities at school. The school marketing group she was involved with will sell wristbands in her memory and give the proceeds to her family.

Charles Platt was elected mayor of Little Elm by five votes. His opponent, former mayor Frank Kastner had a recount done, but the numbers remained the same. Platt received 499 votes and Kastner received 494. Councilman Brandon Gerard was elected to another term on council. Curtis Cornelious was elected to the council, Little Elm's first African-American councilman.

Bill Hidell was reelected to the Little Elm school board and Stephanie Gregg was elected to the board. Council member Dave Getka was elected to the Lakewood Village Town Council. Harold Wood and Dr. Mark Vargus were reelected to the Lakewood Village Town Council.

The LEISD welcomed 250 athletes from five school districts to the LEISD Athletic Complex on May 20 for the third annual LEISD Special Olympic track meet. The Little Elm High School Wintergard lead the procession into the stadium with a new flag for each of the five participating school districts.

JUNE

Community leaders launched the Ryan Project in Little Elm Park. Superintendent of Student Services for the Education Center Lisa Ashmore said the community is coming together for the Ryan Project. The project is named after Ryan Cook who was murdered by another teenager in January. Little Elm Police Chief Waylan Rhodes talked about the Speak Up program that will enable teenagers to call or text a message to authorities anonymously if they know about crimes being committed.

The Little Elm Town Council considered an ordinance on public nudity at a June council meeting. Police Chief Waylon Rhodes presented a proposed ordinance based on an ordinance from Illinois. The proposed ordinance allows only children under a certain age to be publicly topless.

The Little Elm Town Council approved an animal ordinance at the June regular meeting. The ordinance regulates the proper care of animals and requires vaccination and registration of pets. It prohibits the keeping of wild or dangerous animals and it requires the proper disposal of dead animals and pet waste.

JULY

More than 5,000 people attend July Jubilee in Little Elm Park. It was the first time the new concession building known as the Light House was open. The facility was in constant use all day and evening. Bands played during the evening and Premier Martial Arts gave a demonstration of student self-defense skill. The day finished with an impressive firework display.

Retractable Technologies, Inc. will be cutting costs by $6 million over the next year, including a layoff of 16 percent of the company workforce that occurred at the end of June. CFO Douglas Cowan said the compensation of employees who earn more than a certain salary level also will be reduced by 10 percent in August for both officers as well as employees. Founder and CEO Thomas Shaw waived $1 million in royalties due to him for RTI's needle technology. The cutback in costs also has forced the company to reduce inventory and discontinue 401(k) matching.

A 16-year-old enton boy was the second drowning victim in Lewisville Lake in the summer of 2009. The Lewisville Fire Department dive team went to Westlake Park on the Lake Dallas side of the lake in the early evening. After about a 45-minute search, the dive team located the body, later identified as Remond Elder. On June 17 Darrell Williams, 35, of Lewisville, drowned while swimming off of a boat in deep water between Lewisville and Lake Dallas.

On July 11 the Little Elm Cemetery became an official local historical site with the unveiling of a marker placed by the Little Elm Cemetery Association and the Heritage Association of Frisco. Frisco Mayor Maher Maso and Little Elm Mayor Charles Platt spoke at the ceremony. Members of many Frisco and Little Elm pioneer families are buried in the cemetery.

AUGUST

The North Texas Tollway Authority held a dedication ceremony for the new Lewisville Lake Toll Bridge on July 30 with a community-led “Run the Lewisville Lake Toll Bridge” 5K run. Thousands showed up for the event to run or walk across the new bridge. Traffic was let on the bridge for the firs time the next day. The $122 million bridge is 1.7 miles long and is a part of a 13.8 mile corridor built at a cost of $233 million.

The Little Elm ISD earned an Academically Recognized Rating for the first time from the Texas Education Agency. . All five of the district's eligible elementary schools, Chavez, Hackberry, Lakeview, Oak Point, and Zellars, are Academically Exemplary. Brent Intermediate School and Little Elm High School are both Academically Recognized. Colin Powell Intermediate School and Lakeside Junior High School both earned an Academically Acceptable rating.

Little Elm High School principal Gerry Talley was put on paid administrative leave on Aug. 21. The length of time he is on leave will depend on the outcome of the investigation. LEISD Director of Communications Julie Zwahr could not comment on the nature of the investigation. Various administrators will fill in during Talley's absence. He has been with the district for three years.

The Little Elm PointBank branch on Eldorado was robbed on Aug. 19. Two Hispanic males entered the bank. One of them presented a teller with a note, threatening to kill her. The teller opened the cash drawer and handed the suspect an undetermined amount of cash. The other man stood behind him. The two then left the bank. If anyone has any information about the robbery that person should call Denton County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-388-8477 or Detective Matt Lambert of the Little Elm Police Department at 214-975-0460.

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