Grand Prairie mayor looks back in State of the City address

by Kirk Dickey of Grand Prairie TODAY

In a year that the city celebrates its 100th anniversary of incorporation, it's no wonder that Mayor Charles England spent many of his opening remarks on life as it existed in times past.

This year's State of the City address wound through the city's past, into its present endeavors and looked on to the future.

In a year that the city celebrates its 100th anniversary of incorporation, it's no wonder that Mayor Charles England spent many of his opening remarks on life as it existed in times past. He talked of Dr. Horace Copeland, a one-time doctor in the city who helped deliver more than 4,000 children during his career, and of a Grand Prairie population in the double digits compared to the 160,000 people living in the city today. He talked of construction along Highway 161, the most recent major thoroughfare through the city and tied it back to Interstate 20, which he said he thought would be a failure before it was built in 1974 because no one would want to drive so far south of Dallas.

He mused about how the card catalog has been replaced by the Internet and how e-mail is supplanting normal mail.

He talked through all of those things, leading up to more recent history, like the opening of Crosswinds High School and the Uptown Theater, and the accolades the city has received on behalf of its marketing and parks departments, as well as national recognition the city has received as one of the best places to live in the nation.

He congratulated the school district on its recent successes in improving both test scores and its image, and said that when people look to relocate, they look at the school district and the parks.

“We are not where we want to be on either one, but we have made so much progress and I am so proud of the school district,” he said.

Looking to the future, England said there are both good times and difficult times coming to the city. Like every other city in the nation, Grand Prairie will likely experience a slowdown in its growth as the country continues to go through down cycles. But England said that city leaders are working to ensure the economy does not hit Grand Prairie any harder than necessary.

“The city council and the staff is well-aware of what is going on with the economy,” he said. “And we are making plans to address that.”

On the other hand, the city is moving forward with its downtown revitalization projects, including Market Square, an open air market under construction at Main and NW 2nd streets that will house a farmer's market and other city events. The city continues to work with Dallas County on putting a new courthouse in downtown. And new lanes have opened up over Main Street, Jefferson Street and the railroad tracks near downtown, helping to relieve some of the congestion in that area.

“In the future, I think you are going to see some real revitalization in downtown Grand Prairie,” England said. “Look at what has happened to Grapevine and what is happening in Granbury (as examples).”

The city is also working with John Peter Smith Hospital in opening its new clinic near the old hospital on the west side of the city. And the city is in “serious negotiations” with Parkland about opening a new clinic elsewhere in Grand Prairie.

“I can't tell you a start date, but I can tell you that is going to happen,” he said.

Overall, the Mayor was very positive about the city and its future.

“I can't tell you how much I appreciate Grand Prairie people,” he said.

Also discussed at the State of the City were: a 100th Anniversary Festival, March 28, featuring Chubby Checker; an outdoor events garden opening at The Ruthe Jackson Center; fire protection improvements in the lake parks sector with the opening of a new fire station near Tangle Ridge Golf Course and future construction of a Lake Parks Rescue Facility, housing a fire station, police substation and offices for lake parks personnel; road improvements including the extension of Warrior Trail from Carrier Parkway through to Hwy. 161, the building out of Hill Street through Randol Mill Road, the cutting of Kingswood Boulevard through to Hwy. 360 from Great Southwest Parkway and the extension of Crossland Boulevard across Hwy. 161; and a quarter-cent sales tax reauthorization election for street improvement funds.