Twenty Peaceful Minutes

Welcome to Twenty Peaceful Minutes (20PM) - a community website for Forney, Texas. In addition to this blog, 20PM is home to the Forney discussion forums, which you may reach by clicking the Forney discussion forum link or going to http://20pm.net/forums; also, considering signing up for email or newsreader (RSS feed) notifications of new posts to the 20PM blog!

According to a recent update to the City of Forney website, the annual Independence Day Firework display will be on Thursday, July 3, at approximately 9:15 PM from the undeveloped property in the Villages of Fox Hollow. Parking is allowed at Forney High School and in the rear parking lot of the First Baptist Church.

We’ve attended this display in the past - it’s a lot of fun, but I do encourage you to get there early - we parked in the parking lot at Forney High School and by the time the show started, it was packed! It was a great atmosphere, though, with some people watching the show from their vehicle while others brought lawn chairs and a few enterprising teens were even selling glow sticks and other items. The annual Independence Day Fireworks are a great way to get out, meet some of your fellow Forney residents and enjoy a great fireworks display without the risk that comes with shooting off fireworks yourself. (Read on …)

• New School Names Announced; Dallas Morning News Article on Forney

  I just noticed that the FISD Board of Trustees selected the names of 2 elementary schools to...

OLDnFEEBLE, an area blogger, posted something recently that caught my attention, especially given recent heated discussion on the Forney discussion forum here on 20PM entitled ‘Plan to Build Toll road on Helms Trail from I20 to 80‘. From the article on ONF’s blog ‘A Seat At The Table?‘:

An article in today’s Dallas Morning News informs us of what would appear to be one of those really, really important meetings of regional representatives on vital transportation issues.

Drilling down into that article’s link to the North Central [Texas] Council of Government’s Regional Transportation Council membership appears to reveal that there is NO representative from Kaufman County or any city in Kaufman County on this council.

Research shows that while there are forty members on the Regional Transportation Council (RTC), including a county judge from Johnson County and a county commissioner from Ellis County, two counties that are of a similar size as Kaufman County, Kaufman County is completely unrepresented on the RTC.

Why should we care about a committee of 40 elected and appointed officials that meets monthly in Arlington to talk about roads that may not be built for 20 years? It’s simple - the RTC is the major planning group that guides the alignment of new roads in the Metroplex; they can align a toll-road along a small street like Helms Trail and knock out hundreds of homes, and on the other extreme, they can decide to completely bypass a city when routing major thoroughfares that have the potential to bring growth, development and increased tax revenue.

(Read on …)

• New Video and Maps Regarding Regional Shopping Center Planned for Forney

  I've uploaded a video from Monday's City Council meeting where Pate Transportation detailed plans for a new...

• Are You Registered to Vote? Kaufman County Tax Office Gets Inundated with Registrar Applicants

  Kaufman County Tax Office Gets Inundated with Registrar Applicants Are you registered to Vote? April 12th is...

• Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office Recovers Nearly $150,000 in Stolen Property

  On February 4th, investigators from the Kaufman County sheriff's office were attempting to locate Brian Edward...

The City of Seagoville, in partnership with the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office announced the conclusion of a joint two-week investigation that led to the arrest of 6 adults and 1 juvenile as well as the recovery of 670 individual tablets of Ecstasy, a popular street drug. The arrests ranged over 4 counties, with the capture of suspects from Kaufman, Dallas, Tarrant and Henderson counties. Narcotics investigators involved in the case have said they are seeing a rise in ecstasy use by local youth and would like to remind parents and their children that ecstasy is a dangerous stimulant that often proves to be fatal.

From what I can discern, none of the arrests were tied to any activity in Forney, however, I know that many Forney parents are concerned about what drugs might be available in our area and how to keep their children safe, so read on for more information about this case, drug use in Kaufman County and photos of the suspects as well as of ecstasy itself.

(Read on …)

• Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office Recovers Nearly $150,000 in Stolen Property

  On February 4th, investigators from the Kaufman County sheriff's office were attempting to locate Brian Edward...

• Peace Officer’s Memorial Day Ceremony Thursday, May 15th

  The Kaufman County Sheriff's Office is inviting the public to a Peace Officer's Memorial Day ceremony to...

• Sheriff’s Office Shuts Down Vehicle Burglary Ring

  Reminds Citizens Not to Leave Valuables in Automobiles Thirteen victims suffered losses totaling $20,000 when their vehicles...

Christy recently posted some information in the Forney discussion forums here on 20PM that I want to share with everyone - there will be a car show on Sunday, June 29th to benefit Laurren Smith, a 12 year old from Forney who was diagnosed with bone cancer (osteosarcoma) in August of 2007 and has undergone chemotherapy, several operations and continues to fight hard against this difficult cancer.

Read on for more about Laurren as well as the car show!

(Read on …)

• Overtime Sports Cafe & Stepping For a Cure Holding a Silent Auction to Benefit Breast Cancer Research & Awareness

  Today, Tuesday, September 18th from 8PM to 10PM, Overtime Sports Cafe and the Stepping For A Cure...

• Help Hannah - Fund Raiser at Chick-Fil-A For 4 Year Old With Chiari Malformation

  I wanted to pass this information on, which was recently posted to the Forney discussion forum here...

• Jaycees Hosting Kid’s Fun Day July 4th to Benefit Hannah Kessner

  The Richardson Jaycees will be hosting a Kid's Fun Day this Friday, July 4th, from 11AM to...

I just wanted to take a second to thank everyone involved in the Help Hannah Bake Sale - from the individuals who organized the bake sale to the people who attended the Celebration of Youth Sports on May 31st and stopped by the bake sale booth to purchase some of the delicious baked goods as well as our Forney Brookshire’s, who graciously donated many of the dry goods used in the bake sale.

Thanks to everyone involved, this bake sale - which was organized by some very dedicated volunteers in less than 10 days - raised over $1,100 to support Hannah’s family as they work to find a way to pay for the surgery this precious four year old girl needs to correct a painful, debilitating congenital birth defect.

(Read on …)

• Bake Sale and Chick-Fil-A Fundraiser for Hannah Kessner Saturday May 31st

  Just a quick reminder that the bake sale to benefit Hannah Kessner, the 4 year old suffering...

• Help Hannah - Fund Raiser at Chick-Fil-A For 4 Year Old With Chiari Malformation

  I wanted to pass this information on, which was recently posted to the Forney discussion forum here...

• Jaycees Hosting Kid’s Fun Day July 4th to Benefit Hannah Kessner

  The Richardson Jaycees will be hosting a Kid's Fun Day this Friday, July 4th, from 11AM to...

We originally broke the news of the 2.2 million square foot regional shopping center planned for Forney back on May 5th, with an update, including a video of the bridge that will be built over Highway 80 between CR-212 and Windmill Farms Blvd to connect to this shopping center, on May 6th.

There’s a number of exciting updates about this project to share, but first, our research has uncovered a new map of the planned shopping center, which is shown below. Click the map to a view a (much) larger version. This map gives us, via the diagram at the bottom left, a better idea of which portions of the shopping center will be in each of the three phases.

This map makes it clear that Endeavor wants to make a bold statement with the first phase of the center, with two of the four department stores being built in phase 1, which is scheduled to open in 2010. In addition to the two department stores and numerous other buildings, phase 1 also includes a 130,000 square foot building for a major anchor. 130,000 square feet is big - roughly the size of a Lowe’s, Home Depot or Target, to name a few major retailers that could occupy a building that large. Of course, with groundbreaking set to occur in 2009 and grand openings in 2010, it’s too soon to know for sure what retailers might occupy any of these spaces, but stay tuned to 20PM, where we’ll keep you up to date with the latest news about this and all the other new developments in Forney. For more information and news about this shopping center and the offices and hotels that are proposed for the area surrounding it, click ‘Read On’, below.

(Read on …)

• 2.2 Million Square Foot Regional Shopping Center Announced in Forney

  Today, Endeavor Real Estate Group, along with the City of Forney, have announced that Endeavor is now...

• New Video and Maps Regarding Regional Shopping Center Planned for Forney

  I've uploaded a video from Monday's City Council meeting where Pate Transportation detailed plans for a new...

• Terrell Market Center Updates

  Oakridge Investments, the owner/developer of what will become Terrell Market Center, the development that is the current...

Steve Silver, president of Forney-based Steve Silver Co., will participate in the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China this August as the team leader of the U.S. Olympic Freestyle Wrestling Team. Silver, who participated in wrestling in high school and then in college at the University of Alabama, won’t be wrestling - team leader is a position akin to a manager or coordinator. In addition to walking into the Olympic Stadium with the U.S. freestyle team, Silver will be responsible for ensuring the wrestlers are weighed in, managing the movement of the team throughout the Olympic Village and coordinating other team activities and events.

(Read on …)

• Hospital in Forney - Summer 2008

  Sorry it's been a while since I've posted any news; I've actually been in the process of...

• Forney North High School Groundbreaking Ceremony This Monday

  Monday, November 5th from 5:30 to 6PM, Forney ISD is holding a groundbreaking ceremony at Forney North...