After annexation of the land, the next step in the TIF/TRZ process is a public hearing on the creation of Transportation Reinvestment Zone (TRZ) Number One. The City Council held that hearing as part of their regular meeting this evening, with no members of the public speaking. The TIF/TRZ is vital because the city hopes to fund the ‘Forney bridge’ that will be built at Highway 80 & CR-212 via this process. This bridge is viewed as one of the most important parts of this project because it will create a new corridor in Forney, and the only major north-south in the city that will go over the train tracks, allowing drivers to bypass the numerous train crossings in Forney.

Watch video, below, of the presentation Scott Young of Pate Engineering gave before the public hearing and then the public hearing. The presentation consists of a brief overview of the TIF/TRZ process, followed by some discussion of the TRZ boundaries. I apologize for the shakiness of the video - this was shot rather spur of the moment using a digital camera, so the quality isn’t the best. Look for vastly improved video coming to 20PM in the next few weeks!

A map presented on October 3rd outlines the area to be included in the tax increment reinvestment zone (see below) - the October 3rd map shows the TRZ to primarily consist of the Meadow Ridge Farm and Irish Ridge land. However, the map presented on the 18th of November, which also shows the area to be included in the zone, includes much more land, consisting of a vast majority of the land in close proximity to Highway 80 throughout all of Forney, and not just the land near the undeveloped Highway 80/CR-212 area. I am in the process of verifying which map is correct and what changes, if any, have been made to the TIF/TRZ boundaries.

The TIF/TRZ works, in brief, by establishing a baseline amount of property tax revenue in the first year. Then, in every year after that, the increase in property tax revenue over that baseline is used specifically to pay for projects undertaken as part of the TIF/TRZ - in this case, the additional property tax revenue the city receives from the development that is planned to occur within the TRZ will be used to help pay for the bridge.

Click any of the images, below, for a larger version of some of the documents concerning the TIF/TRZ and the land that was annexed tonight. Stay tuned for additional stories from tonight’s city council meeting over the next few days!

Despite all, the Lady Jackrabbits finished in sixth place while the Jackrabbits took 10th place.  Both teams were expecting better finishes after coming off first and second place finishes at the Regional Meet the week before.  The girls saw Highland Park finish in front of them in fifth place.  The Lady Scots had a team score of 128 compared to the Lady Jackrabbits 144.  The top three girls’ teams were Humble Kingwood Park, Fort Worth Boswell and Hereford.

District rival Mesquite Poteet took second place overall while Frisco Centennial jumped in front of Forney by eight points to take ninth place overall.  Centennial had 201 points compared to 209 for the Jackrabbits.  Poteet had 106 while Boerne Champion took the top spot with 54 points.  El Paso Austin was third with 134 points.

Individually, it was the three seniors for the Lady Jackrabbits that led the way.  Tyler Blacklock finished in 27th at 12:13.20.  Gabbie Corletto was 32nd at 12:14.56 and Jessica Boudreau came in 38th at 12:18.76.  Freshman Martha Romero was 45th with a time of 12:22.54 while three time state qualifier Melaney Ortega was 50th at 12:25.94.  The junior will be looking for her fourth trip to the state meet next year.

Rounding out the girls’ team were Samantha Amendson in 72nd with a time of 12:40.38 and Kara Hyde in 91st at 13:30.49.  Amendson is a freshman while Hyde is a sophomore.

Carly Kitts of Midlothian was the girl’s state champion with a time of 11:22.43 for the two mile course.  The top 18 girls were all under the 12 minute mark.

The Lady Jackrabbits are coached by James (Bodie) Posey and assisted by Sandy Cook.

Two juniors led the way for the Jackrabbits.  Josh Taylor finished .15 seconds in front of Tommy McIntire.  Taylor was 43rd at 16:47.29 and McIntire was 44th at 16:47.44.  Two seniors were next to cross the finish line for Forney.  Jose Chavez took 59th with a time of 17:07.34 and Isac Valdez with 66th at 17:16.73.  Junior Blake Withrow came in 71st at 17:23.50.  The last two runners, junior Nick Arnold was 84th and sophomore Joseph Doorneck was 95th.  Arnold’s time was 17:50.42 with Doorneck’s time being 18:13.91.

The individual state champion was Jordan Valle from Big Spring with a blazing time of 15:15.50 for the 5K course.  The top 13 runners were all under the 16 minute mark.

The Jackrabbits are coach by Jeff Pruitt.

The 2009 season looks bright for both of the cross country teams.  The Lady Jackrabbits will loose three seniors from the top seven, but will replace those girls with strong runners from this year’s junior varsity.  The core of the Jackrabbits team will be back next year as they will loose only two seniors.

To put this year’s teams and their results in perspective, there were about 240 girls and 240 boys cross country teams that started running back in August in class 4A.  Just looking at the top seven for each, you have roughly 1,600 runners.  To be among the top 100 runners in the entire state says a lot.

Forney High School did an excellent job of sending off the cross country teams Friday morning.  The drum line paraded the teams through the school as the students lined the halls.  The Forney Fire Department set up one of their trucks and did a water canon salute for the chartered buses to drive through while leaving the campus.

The Forney Lions Club, through its Angel Tree Program, will once again assist families who live in the Forney Independent School District and who need help with Christmas gifts for the children and food for the families.

To qualify for assistance this year, families are invited to apply for assistance at one of three signup events instead of by telephone as in years past. No signups will be taken by telephone. In order to help the greatest number of children, the Forney Lions Club has established the following qualifications: (1) The person signing up the children must be a parent or legal guardian and show a photo ID. (2) The children must live in the Forney Independent School District with the parent or legal guardian. (3) Families receiving assistance for Christmas gifts from other agencies are ineligible.

The events will be held on:

Monday, November 17 from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m at the First United Methodist Church in the Covenant and Disciples Classroom in the AMC1 Building (the small building east of the sanctuary). The church is located at 414 West Broad Street.

Wednesday, November 19 from 4:30 p.m. until 8 p.m. in the office of the Summerhaven Mobile Home Park located at 650 Summerhaven.

Saturday, November 22 from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the cafeteria of Johnson Elementary School located at 701 S. Bois d’Arc.

If you have questions about the Angel Tree Program, please attend one of the above signup events. If you know of a family needing assistance this holiday season, please pass this information on to them.

At the Forney Hometown Christmas on December 6 the Lions Club will set up an Angel Christmas Tree in front of the Sub-Courthouse on Main Street. The community is invited to stop by and adopt one or more of the angels.

The Lady Jackrabbits took first place in the region beating out former district rival Highland Park. Three ladies finished in the top 10 for Forney led by senior Gabbie Corletto. Corletto’s time of 11:57.16 was good for fifth place overall. She was followed by another senior, Tyler Blacklock in sixth at 11:57.49 and then at 11:58 was freshman Martha Romero in seventh.

Also running for Coach Bodie Posey were sophomore Kara Hyde who came in 12th place at 12:16; senior Jessica Boudreau in 15th at 12:19; junior Melaney Ortega in 19th at 12:24 and rounding out the team was freshman Samantha Amendson in 28th at 12:25.

This will be the second year in a row the Lady Jackrabbits have qualified for the state meet. Ortega, Corletto, Blacklock, Boudreau and Hyde were part of the team that finished fifth at the 2007 meet. Ortega qualified as in individual in 2006 as a freshman. That year she finished 14th overall and improved to sixth last year.

The boy’s team advanced after finishing as the regional runner-up to district rival Mesquite Poteet. This will be the first appearance at the state meet for the Jackrabbits as a team since 2005.

Junior Josh Taylor led the way for Forney by placing fourth overall and in doing so set a personal record for a three mile course with a time of 15:45. Another junior, Tommy McIntire took 12th place with a time of 16:15. He was followed by senior Isac Valdez in 17th place at 16:24 and senior Jose Chaves was 21st at 16:39. Rounding at the top five runners for the Jackrabbits was junior Blake Withrow in 24th place with a time of 16:41. The regional meet was the first meet this year where the top five were all under 17:00.

Also running for Forney were junior Nick Arnold and sophomore Joseph Doornek. Arnold ran a 17:13 while Doornek crossed the finish line at 17:23. The Jackrabbits are coached by Jeff Pruitt.

The UIL Cross Country State Championships will be held at the Old Settlers Park in Round Rock this coming Saturday. The girls course will be two miles while the boys will run a 5K (3.1 miles). The 4A girls are set to run at 12:30 p.m. with the 4A boys to follow at 12:50 p.m.

Check back here this weekend for the results of the state championships!

The night started off with a little bit of shock and awe, as the Hawks got out to a very quick 14-0 lead on the strength of an effective running game led by Nic Boyd. The 14 point deficit, and the speed with which it was accumulated, reminded a lot of folks of the Sachse game earlier this year. As was the case in that game, the Jackrabbits showed an immense amount of character and fortitude. The next 30 points were all on the Jackrabbit side of the ledger, including a safety by the defense when they sacked Red Oak Quarterback Grady Latimer in the endzone.

The game was completely wrapped up, in fitting fashion, when Senior Running Back Peter Smith broke free for a 91 yard touchdown run late in the 4th quarter. The run capped a fabulous night and regular season for Smith, who had 263 yards on 30 rushes (3 TD’s). Smith has been the featured back/workhorse for this Forney team the last two years and he deserved to have this kind of performance in his last regular season home game, before a nice crowd that showed its appreciation for all the accomplishments of this team.

Blake Branton will also go into the playoffs this week on a roll, as he had an excellent night of his own. Branton rushed 16 times for 166 yards and was 10 of 15 through the air for 90 yards. Branton accounted for 3 td’s on the night, one with his legs and two passing to Fullback Clay Bedrick.

The Forney Defense continued a string of impressive performances the last half of the season by closing ranks after the intitial 14 points and throwing a shutout over the next two quarters to give the offense a chance to catch up and put the game away. The offense came to life and scored the aforementioned 30 unanswered points, moving the ball effectively and without panic.

The first round playoff game will be against Waco Midway at Midlothian ISD Stadium. Game time is 7:30 PM. As we have all season, Sportsgram (http://www.sportsgram.net) will be there to bring you all the action over the internet or at 92.9 FM if you are in the stadium. (Yes, the StadiumCast feature will be back in operation, as we experienced some technical difficulties over the last 3 or 4 games.) Tickets will be on sale at the High School this week. Check the FISD website for more details.

Originally rumored to be located near the CVS at Highway 80 & 548, Gonzo’s post indicates that the plat is for a location further south, close to the new community park.

Forney will share the title with District Co-Champions West Mesquite and Lancaster.

Stay tuned for more information about the Jackrabbits first playoff game, which is projected to be against Waco Midway and will most likely be played in Midlothian.

Congrats to all the players and coaches as well as their friends, families and supporters for such an incredible 9-1 regular season!

20PM is proud to be the first to bring you a glimpse at these signs announcing this exciting new development! Below are the signs that will be appearing over the next week on these poles - sources say these signs will be as large as 40′ wide and 20′ tall and will announce these exciting new projects to the tens of thousands of people who pass by this intersection every day.

Stay tuned for more news about this development in the coming days!

The purpose of this car show will be to benefit the Kaufman County Children’s Advocacy Center and the New Life Food Pantry.

A number of classes of cars will be featured including 50’s, 60’s and 70’s favorites as well as Muscle Cars, Mustangs, Corvettes, Tricked-out Trucks and a perennial crowd pleaser; Low Riders.

Food and beverages are available from Napoli’s, Las Trojas as well as Mike Thomas’ 4T’s BBQ.

Family fun includes drawings, bounce houses, live music and much more.

Free parking and free admission (although we do ask that you bring a non-perishable food item for the New Life Pantry).

The weather is supposed to be a perfect fall day so why don’t you join us after church or after lunch and bring the kids to see the sights and sounds of Forney’s first “Turkey Trax Autorama”!