by Pam Takesh
The Coppell Women’s Club enjoyed a delicious chicken ceasar salad followed by a tasty trifle as they gathered at the Hilton Garden Inn in Lewisville on October 2 for their annual Fall luncheon.
The ladies celebrated the 40th anniversary of the club with nearly 100 in attendance. Thirteen of the past 36 presidents attended, including one all the way from Florida. Each was individually recognized and presented a rose in honor of their service to the club and the women of Coppell.
A collection to benefit the Dallas, Fort Worth USO Treats for Troops was begun and will continue through the month of October. If you would like to donate, please visit http://www.coppellwomensclub.org for a complete list of items needed and contact information for the club.
Coppell Mayor and Women’s Club member Karen Hunt, spoke about the amazing state of the city, including that Coppell had received an upgraded credit rating by Moody’s Investors Service from AA1 to AAA, the highest bond rating that can be achieved. Coppell is one of only six cities in the State of Texas with this rating.
The city received the Distinguished Budget Award for the 5th year in a row. Coppell earned a Silver Leadership Circle designation from the Texas Comptroller’s office, and the tax rate has been lowered from .67046/1000 in 2013 to .63750/1000 for 2014.
The Coppell Fire Department is the recipient of the Texas Fire Chiefs Association Lone Star Achievement Award and earned the Great First Responder Award from Careflite, along with an Outstanding Service Award from Congressman Kenny Marchant’s Office.
Code Enforcement Association of Texas awarded the City of Coppell with the CEAT Community Service Award for 2012-2013; Tom Price, the city’s emergency vehicle technician, was named the Texas Emergency Vehicle Technician of the Year; the Parks and Recreation Dept. received the Keep Texas Beautiful Sustained Excellence Award, Keep Texas Beautiful Gold Star Award, and a Platinum International Aquatic Safety Award from Jeff Ellis and Assoc.; the Library received the Texas Municipal Library Directors Association Excellence in Libraries Award.
The state of our community is excellent. In the past fiscal year Coppell issued 120 new single family home permits with a valuation totaling $32,116,503. In addition the city added notable commercial enterprises including Amazon, AAA, Sheration Hotel, and Scentsy. 138 commercial permits were issued between 2012 and 2013 which will add $108,407,310 to the tax base.
Coppell has been recognized by Money Mazagine’s 2013 Best Place to Live, with populations under 50,000, and several Coppell neighborhoods have been recognized as the Best in DFW by DMN NeighborsGo.
Coppell has many cooperative efforts in process including looking to create one public dispatch center in collaboration with Farmers Branch, Addison and Carrollton to help the cities share cost, eliminate duplication and improve service delivery. A new Bio Diversity Center is scheduled to be completed by year end and a Dog Park is scheduled to open mid-November.
Old Town Coppell — the city worked with the Coppell Historical Society to move and restore the Kirkland home and Minyard’s store, the Farmer’s Market new pavilion is nearing completion. With more homes, restaurants and businesses to come, and a water feature is planned. The goal of the Old Town Coppell project is to make the area a destination for shoppers, diners and people who want to enjoy a common gathering area.
There was a discussion about North Lake. Coppell is responsible for maintaining the lake, the pump station and the dam.
The Women’s Club would like to thank all the Coppell and Valley Ranch businesses which donated door prizes for the event. We truly appreciate and value the support that the club and its members receive from our local businesses.
The next club meeting will be held November 6 at North Lake College, North Campus, 101 South Royal Lane, Coppell at 9:30 a.m. for social time and meeting starts at 10 a.m. Julie Bartlett, Image Consultant of Colour IQ, will discuss making current fashions fit for you. Please bring donations of gently used clothing & accessories for Attitudes and Attire, a Non-Profit group that helps women who need clothing as they join/rejoin the workforce.