City Manager’s Weekly Report
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Robert Ranc, City Manager
March 8, 2024
UPCOMING EVENTS
March 10: Nothem Way Street Dedication (2:00 PM, Sutton Fields)
March 21: City Employees Awards Ceremony (11:30 AM, Two29 on the Square)
March 23: Wine Crawl (6:00 PM, Downtown Square)
March 30: Easter Egg Hunt (9:00 AM, Old Celina Park)
CITY UPDATES
REMEMBRANCE OF LINDA SHAW
On Wednesday, March 6, the City of Celina mourned the loss of Linda Shaw, a beloved figure who served as our Director of Library Services for the past 15 years. Her passing has brought a wave of sadness not only to her colleagues, but also to the entire City staff. Linda’s dedication to the community and her passion for literacy made her an indispensable part of our City’s fabric. In the wake of her passing, the community has rallied around one another, offering support and solace during this difficult time. Linda’s legacy will continue to live on through the countless lives she touched and the library she helped flourish.
DALLAS NORTH TOLLWAY TEMPORARY BATCH PLANT UPDATE
An ongoing discussion regarding a proposed temporary concrete batch plant continued at the Celina City Council Meeting on Thursday, March 7. Sinacola has informed the City of a location for this facility, which will be located in between the service lanes of the Dallas Parkway. Sinacola has been in communication and received support from Methodist Celina Medical Center on this location, which is crucial for the construction and expansion of the Dallas North Tollway.
Sinacola will be submitting an application to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to ensure compliance with regulations. In addition, they will be providing additional screening and safety precautions along the Dallas Parkway facility location. Finally, Sinacola has worked with City staff to establish standards above those required by Celina’s Code of Ordinances and Texas state code. Please click the link for additional information provided by the private contractor: https://www. celina-tx.gov/DocumentCenter/View/12048/Additional-Permit-Requirements. City staff will begin contacting neighboring developments on Monday to inform them of the location of the temporary batch plant.
UPDATE ON GREATER CELINA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AGREEMENT
The City of Celina has received notice from the Greater Celina Chamber of Commerce on the termination of Economic Development 380 agreement. The Greater Chamber of Commerce will no longer be City Manager’s Weekly Report for March 8, 2024 1
purcashing or selling alcoholic beverages at the City’s Celina Cajun Fest, Splash & Blast, and Beware! of the Square events. At this time, City staff is currently in discussion with multiple vendors to explore a path forward for the sales of alcoholic beverages at our special events.
RECAP OF MARCH’S FRIDAY NIGHT MARKET
The City’s first Friday Night Market of the season was a resounding success, boasting a turnout of 70 vendors. Feedback from vendors was overwhelmingly positive, particularly regarding layout updates that enhanced the market experience. Attendees praised the vibrant atmosphere, showcasing the community’s enthusiasm for the event. Notably, this market marked the first under SBG Hospitality’s contract with the City. As the City looks forward to future markets, the success of this inaugural event serves as testament to the power of collaboration and community spirit.
https://www.celina-tx.gov/DocumentCenter/View/12043/Celina-Friday-Night-Market-Recap
CITY OF CELINA/CELINA ISD TOWN HALL MEETING RECAP
The Town Hall Meeting between the City of Celina and Celina ISD was held on Thursday, February 29, which saw a turnout of over 60 residents. Mayor Ryan Tubbs provided insights into the achievements of 2023, highlighting significant City events and initiatives, and outlined upcoming goals for 2024, focusing on areas of development and improvement. Similarly, Celina ISD Superintendent Dr. Tom Maglisceau, Ph.D., shared updates from the previous year, discussing educational milestones and programs within the school district, while also presenting plans and initiatives for enhancing educational opportunities and goals for 2024.
DOWNTOWN COMMISSION MEETING RECAP
Wesley Frank, Assistant to the City Manager, presented the pricing and details for a Hands-Only Downtown CPR Training Program. The Commission is excited to partner with the Celina Fire Department on this program as an initiative to train the downtown business staff for free. Designed to bridge the gap until paramedics can arrive, the American Heart Association’s Hands-Only CPR program makes City Manager’s Weekly
a person comfortable administering life-saving measures without the need for breaths. The Commission discussed launching quarterly Downtown Merchant and City Staff communication meetings that will be specific to the needs and questions of downtown businesses around City projects and events. They anticipate these meetings to begin next quarter.
They also debriefed on the March Friday Night Market, which established a new relationship with SBG Hospitality. The first Market of the season was a huge success with beautiful weather and a fantastic crowd! Commissioners received an update from Planning Director Madhuri Mohan regarding develop progress in Downtown including upcoming restaurants and new retail storefronts. Finally, they discussed creating formalized onboarding for new Commission Members and the upcoming priorities for Downtown in line with the Main Street America transformation strategies.
NEW EMPLOYEES
March 4: Tomas Escamilla, Meter Technician
March 4: Eddie Flores, Utility Line Maintenance Worker - Water
March 4: Kalynn Redmon, Streets Maintenance Worker
DEPARTMENT UPDATES
BUILDING SERVICES
Assistant Building Official Casey Barney along with staff members from Code Enforcement and Engineering coordinated with Highland Homes in The Cottages neighborhood to help address concerns shared by the Celina Community Cemetery Association. This proactive effort and established partnerships aided in the correction of some issues that arose following construction and addressed the concerns of the Celina Community Cemetery Association.
ENGINEERING
Starting Monday, March 11, the northbound left lane and the southbound left turn lane of Worthington Way at the intersection of Frontier Parkway will be closed for the extension of the existing median to the intersection. The work is schedule to be completed by Friday, March 15, weather permitting. The Town of Prosper will be adding additional time to the southbound traffic light to accommodate the lane closure. Please expect delays and seek an alternative route, if possible.
Ownsby Parkway Project Update: The westbound paving has been completed except for the intersections that connect Ownsby Parkway on the north side closest to Palomino Court and Bluewood Drive. The connection to Coit Road has been completed and the northbound turn lane from Preston Road to Ownsby Parkway will be completed within the next week, weather permitting. The current plan is
to allow traffic to flow both east and west on the two newly-paved westbound lanes. The timeline for traffic to be able to travel from Ownsby Parkway from Coit Road to Preston Road is estimated to be in May. Once traffic begins traveling down the westbound lanes of Ownsby Parkway, construction will begin on the eastbound lanes. Street closures can be found at https://arcg.is/5bfOa1.
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
The Marketing & Communications Department recently printed the March - April edition of the Life Connected. Magazine. This issue uncovers the fascinating stories about our community’s rich history of special events, introduces our new quarterly Parks & Recreation Department guide, provides an update on Capital Improvement Projects, and much more.
The online version of the Life Connected. Magazine, can be found below.
https://issuu.com/celina_texas/docs/march-april_life_connected?fr=xKAE9_zU1NQ
In February 2024, our audience has grown to over 100,000 followers across all of our social media channels. In addition, the overall net audience has experienced a substantial uptick of 23.5%, which represents a gain of 1,666 individuals. The net audience recognizes the number of new audience members gained over the last month minus the audience members lost during this time period.
All Social Channels
https://share.sproutsocial.com/view/e606c748-8b0d-44db-86c7-488b0d74db0a
City Government of Celina, Texas
https://share.sproutsocial.com/view/c6bda784-3384-46b8-bda7-84338446b875
Downtown Celina & The Square
https://share.sproutsocial.com/view/93ae2c97-f7e8-4909-ae2c-97f7e889091e
Life in Celina TX
https://share.sproutsocial.com/view/e1c0bab6-403a-4397-80ba-b6403a73975b
Celina Fire Department
https://share.sproutsocial.com/view/d027420a-3171-4882-a742-0a3171388224
Celina Office of Emergency Management
https://share.sproutsocial.com/view/8930ceee-f59d-4892-b0ce-eef59d7892d0
Celina Police Department
https://share.sproutsocial.com/view/277c8f80-ed82-4303-bc8f-80ed828303c7
Celina Parks & Recreation
https://share.sproutsocial.com/view/8c42fe2c-6c0a-411b-82fe-2c6c0a111b56
Celina Public Library
https://share.sproutsocial.com/view/61359309-b6d3-425d-b593-09b6d3425d7c
PLANNING
On Thursday, February 29, Senior Planners Jonathan Pollard and Alexis Barnett volunteered at Bobby Ray and Afton Martin Elementary School and spoke about how cities are designed with its fifth grade classes who recently completed their “Geometry and Coordinate Planes Units” and created Geometry Cities.
In addition, the Thomas Tract item was considered at the February City Council Meeting then tabled to the April City Council Meeting was formally withdrawn by the applicant. The item will still appear on the April City Council Meeting Agenda, but no action will be taken as the item has been withdrawn. The Thomas Tract project was located east of Dallas Parkway and approximately 1,200 feet south of the future Glendenning Parkway.