CITY & COUNTY
News from Richardson
Richardson City Council Due to a fire at City Hall, council meetings have been temporarily relocated to the Richardson Police Department, at 600 N. Greenville Ave. www.cor.net Richardson ISD board of trustees is on break through Aug. 10. The board meets at the RISD Administration Building at 400 S. Greenville Ave. Meetings of the trustees are streamed live online at www.risd.org. MEETINGS WE COVER HIGHLIGHTS RICHARDSON Arefin Shamsul, at-large Place 6 City Council member, was selected to serve as mayor pro tem for the 2023- 25 term by fellow members at a May 22 City Council meeting. As part of the new role, Shamsul is tasked with assuming the duties of the mayor, including presiding over meetings, in the event that Mayor Bob Dubey is either absent or incapacitated, according to the city’s municipal code. The role was previously held by Janet DePuy, who lost her mayoral race to Dubey in the May 6 general election. Shamsul served on City Council’s education and retail committees during his previous term.
Richardson slated to get portion of state opioid settlement
Officials seeking input on design of new City Hall
City Manager Don Magner said he expects to have information in late 2023 on how the funds will be distributed by the Texas Opioid Abatement Fund Council, which helps allocate money. Quote of note: “We can do our part to ... address this opioid crisis that’s impacted not only people in our community, but so many across the U.S.,” Magner said. The background: Texas, along with other states, municipalities and counties, has reached nearly $50 billion in settlement agreements with 11 companies to resolve legal claims for their role in perpetuating the opioid crisis. Texas’ combined share of the settlement is nearly $3 billion.
for opioid-related expenditures. Magner said funds could be used to purchase Narcan, an overdose reversal medication, for first responders to carry. LOCAL FUNDS As part of the Texas’ opioid settlement, it will receive nearly $3 billion. Here’s a look at how much Richardson, Collin County and Dallas County are set to receive.
design. The July meeting will be held at the Huffhines Recreation Center from 10 a.m.-noon. In addition, city officials plan to gather input via an online survey with a kiosk located at the first floor of the Richardson Public Library. “We won’t sacrifice in any regard the input or the engagement for time. ... We can do them both concurrently so [council will] have less of those difficult deci-
November 2024. “Time is of the essence because ... cost escalations that are out there these days,” Magner said. “Every month is hundreds of thousands of dollars more that we’ll be paying.” The backstory: The need for a new City Hall follows an August fire that caused structural and infrastructure damage to the building. The $46
BY KEVIN CUMMINGS
RICHARDSON
$260,315
BY JACKSON KING
RICHARDSON After voters approved a $46 million bond program in the May 6 election to help replace City Hall, Richardson officials are seek- ing resident feedback on what the new building should look like and offer. City leaders are hosting community meetings and offering online meth- ods to garner residents’ input. “Hopefully, this will stay there for hundreds of years,” said Arefin Shamsul, at-large Place 6 City Council member, at a June 5 work session. “It might need maintenance, but this will be our historical building.” What you need to know: During open house meetings, the next of which is scheduled for July 8, residents will be able to gather information while providing feedback on conceptual
RICHARDSON Officials expect the city to receive settlement funds from statewide opioid lawsuits. The details: Richardson City Council approved a measure to pursue settlement funding from eight opioid lawsuits on May 8. Defendants of these lawsuits include manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies connected to the opioid crisis.
COLLIN COUNTY
$1.2M
million bond, which Magner
HOPEFULLY, THIS WILL STAY THERE FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS. IT MIGHT NEED MAINTENANCE, BUT THIS WILL BE OUR HISTORICAL BUILDING. AREFIN SHAMSUL, AT-LARGE PLACE 6 CITY COUNCIL MEMBER
DALLAS COUNTY
$8.5M
sions at the end because of cost considerations,” City Manager Don Magner said at the meeting. What’s next: In June, Engineering Director Jim Dulac said officials will present a plan for the building
said will not affect tax rates, will help cover a portion of the costs for the new facility. Other funding is expected to come from more than $22 million in 2021
TEXAS HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION REGION 9 & 18*
$106.5M
*INCLUDES COLLIN AND DALLAS COUNTIES
What to expect: Settlement funding can be used
SOURCE: TEXAS OPIOID ABATEMENT FUND COUNCIL/COMMUNITY IMPACT
New park planned for downtown
Called Interurban Park, the 180,000-square-foot project at the northeast corner of Interurban Street and Main Street will feature plaza space, a pavilion and a “script wall,” according to Richardson Communica- tions Director Greg Sowell. The park will also include a con- nection to the 4.2-mile Central Trail
that runs along the Dallas Area Rapid Transit right of way from Glenville Drive in the north to West Bucking- ham Road in the south. Sowell said around $4.5 million in construction contracts for work on the Interurban Park project are expected to go to bid late this sum- mer and finish by summer 2024.
W. BELT LINE RD.
bond program funding and an insurance settle- ment that is expected to be at least $16.5 million. Construction on the new City Hall is expected to finish in fall 2026.
BY KEVIN CUMMINGS
to council in August. From there, the plan will go back to residents for more feedback in September with the goal of starting construction in
RICHARDSON A new park is com- ing to the downtown area, adding to the list of nearly 40 in the city.
75
N
DALLAS 9500 North Central Expressway (214) 369-2800 ADDISON 15055 Inwood Road (972) 239-5891
Powered by FlippingBook