The View From Van Alstyne

Georgetown Talk

noreply@blogger.com (Janice) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 21:25:00 +0000

This post is the first in a series of monthly posts about life in Georgetown.

This summer in the U. S. has been a long, hot, dry one, with fires raging, earthquakes rumbling, and rains and winds from tropical storms and hurricanes wreaking havoc throughout the northeast and the Atlantic and Gulf Coast regions. But here in Van Alstyne, thank goodness, it's only been hot and dry, with an occasional grass fire. Although most of us have been complaining about seemingly endless days of 100+ degree temperatures, and no rain for months, it surely beats earthquakes, wind damage, flooding, and wild fires elsewhere across the country, including here in Texas. We did have a problem with no street lights in Georgetown Meadows and Georgetown Heights for several weeks mid-summer. The problem resulted from our Homeowners' Association (HOA) not paying the electricity bill. As a result, our street lights were out from early July until late August. On August 24th, the street lights were back on, and as of yesterday, the vacant lots around us have been mowed. We can only hope that other services provided by the HOA will resume over time.

Cold weather is just a few months away, and the town's streets are still in dire need of repairs. Although sections of Highway 5 were recently re-surfaced, many streets still have large potholes that must be dodged or uneven pavement that makes driving difficult. And I am not the only resident eager to see the new "pothole truck" out and about repairing some of these problems. Like other homeowners, we pay a hefty amount of city taxes and would like to see some of that money go toward street improvements. I don't think that is asking too much of our elected officials. While the pothole truck is at least a beginning, replacing some of the existing infrastructure here, including the worst streets, needs to be on the planning agenda for the very near future.

It appears the housing market in and around Van Alstyne is still very slow, but we have had some activity in our neighborhood during the past two months. One house is under construction and another is planned for later this year, but I don't know if the house currently under construction is being built for "someone" or if it is a "spec" house. Several bank-owned lots were recently purchased by a local builder, and after sitting vacant for more than three years, a never-been-lived in house near us recently sold. The bottom line is that a little activity is better than none at all, and we can all hope and pray that next year will be better for those trying to sell.

Walking in the neighborhood during the past two weeks of cooler weather has been pure bliss. Watching the evening sun go down and catching a cool breeze works wonders for the soul. And I'm hoping to see a few garage sales crop us around us in the next few weeks as cool weather slowly wanders in. What better way to meet your neighbors and find a few treasures at the same time!

Van Alstyne Virtual Town Hall Page on Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (Janice) — Sun, 23 May 2010 18:28:00 +0000

Yes, it's true. Videos of the Van Alstyne City Council meetings are now loaded for viewing on Van Alstyne's Virtual Town Hall page on Facebook. It looks as if the video of the May meeting was divided into seven segments for posting. When I first discovered the page, I had high hopes this Virtual Town Hall would afford city residents an excellent opportunity to actively participate in city government and community activities. But what I found instead is that a couple of our City Council members are using the page to lash out at each other.

Needless to say, I for one, am very disappointed.

Georgetown Vacant Lots Have Been Mowed!

noreply@blogger.com (Janice) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 15:36:00 +0000

Yes, Spring has arrived, and the grass has been growing on the vacant lots in Georgetown Heights and Georgetown Meadows. But yesterday afternoon, a very large orange tractor with a mowing attachment suddenly appeared and began mowing the lots. With the rain we have had in recent months, it didn't take long for grass and weeds to grow beyond the height specified in the city's ordinance. This season, I hope the owners will work harder to keep these lots mowed, keeping mosquitoes, snakes, and other insects and varmints from invading residents' yards.

Street Repairs Needed in Van Alstyne

noreply@blogger.com (Janice) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 23:34:00 +0000

Well, it seems that only yesterday I wrote about the results of Van Alstyne's election of a new Mayor and City Council Members. And I also wrote that I had high hopes we would see some much-needed street repairs. Well, folks, here it is March of 2010, and my high hopes have been dashed. With the exception of a few streets in town on which a few prominent citizens (including the new mayor) reside, I haven't seen much progress along those lines. After one of the harshest winters on record in North Texas, our city streets now have even more potholes and broken pavement edges than ever.

One of the worst spots in town is the westbound lane of Village Parkway at Highway 5. The street is so sunken in and bumpy that turning the corner there could almost break the axle of a military style Humvee. And I'm not kidding. It's pretty bad when those who live on the north side of Village Parkway must detour by the school to get to their homes without tearing up their automobiles. I understand monies have been set aside for this desperately needed repair job, but the work is not scheduled to begin until April 2010. The truth of the matter is that this particular spot should have been repaired months ago.

What will it take to get our city streets repaired - accidents that cause injury to life, limb, and personal property? I can only hope that Van Alstyne's city leaders take the street repair issue to heart and that we see some action fairly soon.

If not, maybe another change in leadership is needed.

Tiger's and His Tarts? - Was it Worth It?

noreply@blogger.com (Janice) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:32:00 +0000

Well, it seems another well-known public figure has feet of clay and is now bogged down by the weight of his admitted "transgressions."

Would you have ever believed this man would end up in the public predicament that now has the entire world speculating about his personal and professional future?

Just what went wrong here?

Wasn't it enough that he was married to a gorgeous ex-swimsuit model with whom he has two beautiful, healthy children? Not to mention that he makes millions each year from product endorsements alone.

By most accounts, Tiger has wanted his professional and personal lives to be perfect and his privacy protected. And that certainly seemed to be the case, at least until he hit a fire hydrant and a tree in the wee hours of last Friday morning. Now it seems that his less than forthcoming approach to the events surrounding the auto accident, and the personal story that has now unraveled, may have changed his life forever.

Just what caused America's squeaky clean super-hero to cave in to being "only human?

Was it having it all that made him look for something more? Did he really think he could live on the edge, keep secrets, and avoid dealing with personal realities?

I don't have the answers, but what I do know is that this story is far from over.

Are Home Values in Van Alstyne At Risk?

noreply@blogger.com (Janice) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:11:00 +0000

During the last year, several houses near us have been listed for sale. While a small number of these houses are new and have never been lived in, the majority are pre-owned. A smaller subset of the pre-owned houses are unoccupied, and at least one of these has a sign in the yard, placed there by the realtor, stating a "short sale" is involved.

So I decided to see just how many houses in the Van Alstyne zip code of 75495 are for sale by searching www.realtor.com. What I found was 88 properties listed, either by realtors or directly by the owner. The properties for sale are varied and range from large new houses on acreage to small older and new houses built on city lots in developments. A fairly large number of houses have been for sale for long periods of time. I also noticed that some of the asking prices have been reduced, at least once, since the properties went up for sale - some remarkably so.

In one instance, a new home on a city lot that once listed for over $300,000 inow sits for sale at the drastically reduced price of $199,900. And there are two somewhat smaller houses nearby with prices cut dramatically, as well.

What does this mean for home sellers in the Van Alstyne area? First, it means if these houses with seriously reduced prices sell first, those of us who may sell our own houses will be faced with some ery low comparables. And this means lower market prices, and definitely lower appraisals, for us all.

The sad fact is there is very little we can do to change this situation, except hope these houses don't sell first.

Street Repairs Seriously Needed in Van Alstyne

noreply@blogger.com (Janice) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:42:00 +0000

Earlier this year, after the election, I was hopeful the City of Van Alstyne would become serious about making some much needed street repairs. And when I saw re-surfacing begin on several residential streets near the downtown area, I remained hopeful the new administration really meant business. But I lost hope when I learned that a newly-elected city official lived on one of the streets being resurfaced.

And now, months later, I have seen no signs that repairing Van Alstyne streets is a priority of our city government.

Why is repairing our city streets not priority?

Is it because there is insufficient funding available?

Based on a recent city tax increase and the amount of taxes paid by Van Alstyne property owners, it would appear that adequate funding would not be a problem.

Was it naive of me to believe that new city officials would attempt to breathe some life into this town and make improvements where warranted? Unfortunately, it looks that way.

Maybe when the crater-size potholes in the westbound lane of Village Parkway causes someone to have an accident, maybe, just maybe, the city will take notice and take action.

Flu Shots Available Tomorrow at Senior Center

noreply@blogger.com (Janice) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:18:00 +0000

According to an announcement posted on the bulletin board outside the grocery store downtown, flu shots will be available at the Senior Citizen Center, tomorrow, October 21, 2009, beginning at 9 a.m. and continuing until 12:00 Noon, or until all available vaccine is gone. Claims will be submitted for those who have Medicare Part B; others will be charged $20 for the vaccine. Hopefully, residents who have not yet received the flu vaccine will take this opportunity to get it.

Code Enforcement in Van Alstyne

noreply@blogger.com (Janice) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:14:00 +0000

It looks as if Van Alstyne is taking code enforcement seriously. I understand the city has two code enforcement officers who are cruising around town looking for city code violations and hopefully issuing citations - a positive step in getting things cleaned up around town. I hope to see some of my own concerns addressed, including citations given to homeowners who have an accumulation of life's castaway possessions on porches and in the yard. Add to that issue an apparent lack of concern by homeowners and the owners of vacant lots to keep grass and weeds mowed below the limit set by the city.

I am hoping for the best.

Blog Action Day 2009/Climate Change

noreply@blogger.com (Janice) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:39:00 +0000

Climate change is something most of us believe in, and the rest don't believe at all. But the results of climate change actually manifest themselves often in our daily lives here in North Texas.

The severe storms that plague this part of North Texas are a very good example of this manifestation. And it seems that in recent years, the storms are more frequent and more severe, often even deadly. Not only do we experience strong thunder that can be frightening and lightening shows that are truly amazing, we experience heavy winds, severe hail, and cold, heavy rain that follow the storm systems. Damaging tornadoes and flooding are frequently the by-products of these storms.

A less threatening and more interesting result of our severe North Texas storms is the depositing of sand and soil swept into the rain by the wind and dropped on North Texas. An example of this phenomenon is the "red water" that stands in the birdbath in our yard after a rainstorm. The water in that birdbath after a storm is as red as the rock formations that dot the landscape in the western part of our state.

Recently, I have seen something else that was "blown in by the storm." Varieties of weeds are growing in local yards, vacant lots, and pastures around the county that are not native to this area. It's almost as if we have been infested with foreign weed varieties, at least some that are not common in this particular portion of the state. And after last week's monsoons, another type of infestation is occurring. North Texas residents are relating stories about sharing their homes, at least for a short time, with crickets, brown recluse spiders, and fire ants looking for drier homes - just another effect of our region's long-lasting and severe weather systems.

What can we do about climate change?

We can be better stewards of our planet. For starters, we can conserve energy and recycle more. I am surprised that the City of Van Alstyne did include a curbside recycle program, separate from household waste, when the current five-year contract was let two years ago.

We can also teach our children and grandchildren to be be better stewards. Include environmental education in classes beginning in elementary school. Educate them about conservation and recycling. Teach them that pollution has a price, one that everyone must share.

After all, this is our planet, and we are its caretakers.

School Buses and Cell Phones

noreply@blogger.com (Janice) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:08:00 +0000

No, this post is not about students talking on cell phones while riding in school buses. It's about school bus drivers talking on cell phones while driving buses.

If you are like me, you probably think that school bus drivers shoulder quite a responsibility and should be using both hands while driving that large piece of machinery that carries a precious cargo - our children.

But what I saw today made me wonder.

This afternoon, shortly after elementary school had been dismissed, we were driving south on Highway 5, just north of Village Parkway. As we slowed down to enter the school zone, a school bus that apparently had just left the Van Alstyne Elementary School, drove past us, headed north on Highway 5. What I saw made me quite upset - the driver of that bus appeared to be using a cell phone . And what made me more upset was that we noticed because she was veering over the double yellow line.

Does the Van Alstyne I.S.D. have a rule in place that prohibits school bus drivers from using cell phones while they are driving the buses?

If not, one should be.

Anti-Socialism Advocates in Van Alstyne

noreply@blogger.com (Janice) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:24:00 +0000

While I was driving through town just last week, I spotted some yard signs that indicate a few local residents feel the need to advise others that socialism may be overtaking our country. And I suspect that some of these individuals may also be proponents of the so-called "tea parties" that were held recently in various parts of the state.

During this time of widespread unemployment when traffic has increased in local coffee shops everywhere, particularly in small towns such as this, I can almost guarantee you that folks are talking about the lack of health care, most likely because they can't afford it, and how much doctors visits and medicine cost.

Why is it that proposed health care reform in this country has created a counter-culture of grass roots anti-government groups eager to undermine any kind of social improvements our lawmakers suggest, even help with their own health care concerns?

Will Van Alstyne Ever Have a Walmart??

noreply@blogger.com (Janice) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:42:00 +0000

At least once a week, we drive fifteen miles, one way, to go shopping. And it during these trips that I ask myself this question: Will Van Alstyne ever have a Walmart, CVS, Walgreen's, or a chain retail outlet of any kind? Although we do have several chain restaurants, albeit fast food varieties, we have no chain retail outlets.

The price of gas has gone down considerably since this time a year ago, but there is still wear and tear on the car and the time factor that must be considered when driving thirty miles round trip to buy something simple, but necessary.

Wouldn't a Neighborhood Walmart be the answer? The store is smaller than the larger "big box" type store, has a smaller parking area, and keeps signage to a minimum. Yes, it would have grocery, pharmacy, and hardware items that might affect sales at local businesses that now have a monopoly on those types of items. But when local shopping choices are a grocery store that has infrequent perishable item deliveries and small, locally owned stores, i.e., pharmacy and hardware, with limited inventories, it is very difficult to only shop at stores in downtown Van Alstyne.

Maybe it's time for the city government and residents to consider Walmart, neighborhood or otherwise, and I for one, will support it.

Fall.....It's Just Around the Corner

noreply@blogger.com (Janice) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:02:00 +0000

Today has been a gray day, with low-lying clouds blanketing the area. Although we haven't had rain since the light mist this morning, all afternoon it has looked as if it could rain at any time. The cooler weather is slowing the growth of most flowering plants left from the summer, and it's beginning to feel like fall. Soon, I hope to get some pansies planted for some color this winter. Overall, this has been a great afternoon for lighting the fireplace and staying inside with a good book!

More later.......

Welcome to The View From Van Alstyne!

noreply@blogger.com (Janice) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 21:26:00 +0000

On this blog, I plan to post a variety of articles about life in Van Alstyne, Texas. Some articles will be about subjects that are light-hearted and fun, while others will be about serious topics that may be of interest to residents. Occasionally, I will be posting photos of scenes around town and the countryside. And sometimes, I may throw in a little history and genealogy. Also, look for links from this blog to other blogs and websites that contain information about the Van Alstyne area.

I hope you will visit here often and leave comments if you choose to do so.