Yesterday, the 3rd Squadron 124th Cavalry of the Texas National Guard left Wylie as they are being deployed to Iraq. Matthew James and Jim Kellogg were gracious enough to pass along some photos of the event. The top photo and next four were provided by Mr. James. Click on the images to view the larger version.
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The following images are provided courtesy of Mr. Kellogg.
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(Click image for full 2 page pdf file)
New Trash and Recycling Service Begins September 1
More Services, Same Low Price:
The City of Wylie is pleased to announce that Community Waste Disposal (CWD) has been selected as the City’s solid waste and recycling provider beginning September 1. Please continue to use the Allied Waste carts through August 29.
CWD was selected based on their reputation for excellent service; overall low cost; strong recommendations from the cities of Frisco, Allen and Little Elm; and a unanimous recommendation from the Solid Waste Citizens Advisory Committee made up of Wylie residents.
Delivery of your new grey trash cart and blue recycling cart began July 15. In order to ensure a smooth transition from Allied Waste to CWD, be sure to read the Trash and Recycling Guide attached to your new trash cart. The guide contains information on pick-up schedules, brush & bulk call-in details, pick-up guidelines and recycling guidelines.
Allied Waste will pick up your old carts after your last scheduled pick-up.
CWD is committed to providing excellent customer service. Please contact CWD, 972-392-9300, option 2, if you have questions concerning the transition or services. Additional details can also be found at CommunityWasteDisposal.com. You may also contact the City of Wylie Utility Billing Department at 972-442-8130.
Dear Friends, Supporters and Citizens of Wylie,
I hope you and your family are having a great Summer! We have been busy at our house with planning our vacation, attending summer camps, visiting with family and friends and supporting our community. I wanted to write to you again this month and share with you some of the activities that are happening in and around our city.
I hope you all have taken advantage of the Summer Concert’s at Olde City Park , as well as movie night last Friday evening. The concerts have been great and it has been so much fun to get out and visit with our citizens at these events. These activities really help Wylie keep that “hometown” feeling. I hope you and your family are planning to attend the Wylie Independence Day program (Fireworks) at Founder’s Park this evening at 9:30pm.
I had the opportunity to attend the June Chamber of Commerce luncheon and listen to Chamber President, Mike Agnew, talk about the State of the Chamber, and all the things they are doing to support our community.
Many of our new businesses are also attending the Business Card Exchange on Wednesday mornings at Woodbridge Golf Club, and this has been a good way to connect with our small business owners and support them as they grow their business here in Wylie.
Also, as you may have noticed, dirt is beginning to be moved at the location of our new shopping center, Woodbridge Crossing. Soon you will have more shopping options available to you right here in Wylie , Texas !
This year’s high school graduation once again highlighted our outstanding Wylie students and their parents, It was an honor for Tammie and I to be able to attend that great event and represent our city.
This past month I also had the opportunity to speak at the Wylie Rotary Club luncheon and share with them our plans for the future of our city.
I have also had the opportunity to visit with Congressman Ralph Hall and Congressman Sam Johnson about our city. They are anxious to support us as we grow forward.
A lot of great things are happening in our community. In the coming weeks, you will start to see activity on the expansion of FM 1378. We will soon be holding a ground breaking ceremony for our new City Hall, Public Library and Recreation Center . Additionally in the coming month’s we will be continuing with our neighborhood revitalization program in some of our older parts of town. It is truly an exciting time to be in Wylie , Texas .
Please mark you calendars for our first Wylie Town Hall on August 11, 2008 at the Bart Peddicord Community Center at 7:00 pm. More details will be forthcoming about this event. We had hoped to schedule this sooner but with all the Summer vacations, we had to hold off until August.
Also in the planning stages is a meeting with our Home Owners Associations to get feedback from them on issues, concerns and ideas within their neighborhoods; and the Mayor’s Quarterly Breakfast. This breakfast will serve as an informal meeting with 15 to 20 citizens to come in and visit with the Mayor and staff on a quarterly basis. Citizens will be randomly selected to attend from our list of people who receive the eWylie Newsletter.
And, check out my updated web site with information about the office of the Mayor and upcoming events at www.erichogue.net
I believe in Wylie and my goal is to promote and grow our city in a positive way. When our citizens think of Wylie, I want them to think, “It’s good to be home.”
Until next time, may God bless the great city of Wylie , Texas as we continue to grow forward!
Your Mayor,
Eric Hogue
The City of Wylie continues making the Summer events one to remember for ages to come. There is no concert tonight as tomorrow night is movie night at Olde City Park! The flick starts at 9:30, kind of late, I know, but you can’t watch a movie in the sun. You just can’t do it.
The first movie of the series is Bee Movie! We rented this movie a while back and the kids absolutely loved it. It’s good for the parents, as well. I’m not going to tell you about how it brought a tear to my eye. Because it didn’t. I’m cold and a man and I just don’t tear up during animated kid flicks. I don’t care if dreams are realized after long and traumatic journeys, I don’t tear up. So I won’t tell you about that part.
Wait…
Yeah, anyway. Tomorrow night, June 27th, 9:30 pm at Olde City Park. Bring your blankets or chairs, snacks and drinks and enjoy a movie with your neighbors in the park. Shrek 3 will be the feature presentation on July 25th.
Cheers!
On Monday night, May 19th, 2008, the Wylie ISD Board of Trustees elected officers for the next year, voting unanimously to keep Susan Shuler as President and Ralph E. James as Vice-President. Sam Satterwhite was elected Secretary. The evening began with newly elected Trustee Lance Goff taking his oath of office along with Ronni Fetzer and Ralph E. James.
I’m still amazed at the results of the Fetzer/Goss race. Five votes. Wow. The people still have faith in Ronni Fetzer. And the people believe that Barbara Goss is the right type of person needed on the School Board. Maybe the time will come where everyone can be happy and support both Ronni Fetzer and Barbara Goss. Personally, I have no doubt that they will both put our children’s education as the top priority in each decision they make.
After the election, Ronni Fetzer said, “My sincere thanks to all the voters who made an effort to have their voice heard on the Wylie ISD elections, and to those who supported me during the campaign. Thanks also to Barbara Goss and all the candidates who put their hats into the ring to serve the students and families of Wylie ISD. We are in an important time for our district, and the dedication and commitment of many people is vital to our success. Please stay involved with your local schools.”
I also think it’s real funny (sorry, Sam) that they elected Sam Satterwhite as Secretary, even after Ronni Fetzer told everyone he said he didn’t want to be. It’s too bad Mr. Satterwhite was doing his job as WEDC Executive Director in Las Vegas today and wasn’t there to nominate someone else as Secretary. You know, Stacie Gooch, or someone like that. 
Newly elected Mayor Eric Hogue was officially sworn in on Friday night, May 16th, 2008. His family stood by him as Judge Terry Douglas did the honors. Also sworn in for their second term each, Carter Porter and Rick White.
Photos courtesy and copyright 2008 Earl Newsom
1 May 08
Maxwell AFB
Colonel Richard J. Ragaller, Director of Air Force Junior ROTC, has announced that MSgt J. J. Smith, an Aerospace Science Instructor at
MSgt Smith was the coordinator for the Curriculum In Action trip for over 100 cadets that spent the night at Randolph AFB and in
MSgt. Smith’s dedication and giving to the school district is unsurpassed, whether it is cooking for cadets and school staff, or chaperoning numerous after school events, he is always there when the district or kids need him. MSgt Smith has been with TX-200010 for 6 years and has taught AFJROTC for 12 years.
Air Force Press Release
The decision of who would lead Wylie as Mayor for the next three years was put into the hands of 1240 people Saturday night, May 10th. By 9:15 that evening, the totals showed that candidate Eric Hogue would be the new Mayor of Wylie, surpassing John Mondy by 160 votes.
Although he was working hard all day yesterday retrieiving signs from around Wylie, he still managed to provide a few words to share with everyone.
“Words can not express my thanks and appreciation for all the support I received during this campaign. As I watched the totals come in Saturday evening, my family and I grew more and more excited. With your help and support, we did it! I am very humbled by the honor and trust the citizens of Wylie have placed in my hands. I will not take this position lightly. I want to be a mayor who will listen to the desires and needs of our community and work to make these things a reality.
I want to thank all of the people who have supported me in this campaign, it has been a long journey, but a new chapter in our community is about to begin. I want to thank Mayor John Mondy for his phone call on Saturday night, after the final election numbers came out. He offered his congratulations and support as we begin this transition of new leadership at city hall.. I want to thank my campaign treasurer, Earl Newsom, for his support and never-ending encouragement.
I would love to list every person who helped with this campaign, but I don’t think there is enough room on this paper to list each and every name. These people made the difference in the outcome of this race with their support and encouragement by passing out flyers, talking to their friends, putting a sign in their yard, sending emails, standing near the polls, making phone calls, talking to their neighbors and most importantly, casting their vote. I also want to thank all of the young people who held up my campaign sign on election day near Ballard Street and Highway 78. They reminded people to get out and vote. It was a long day for them, but they did it without question.
I want to thank the current council members and their spouses: Rick and Alicia White, and David and Barbara Goss who supported my campaign from beginning to end. I want to thank our former mayors and council members, along with their spouses, who also supported and encouraged me during this entire race: William and Ann Martin, Jim and Lois Swartz, Earl and Carol Sue Newsom and Steve and Ruthie Wright
My campaign was about bringing people together with different ideas, beliefs and goals for our community. Everyone has something to offer and I believe when we work together, Wylie will come out as the winner!
I want to congratulate Councilman Rick White and Councilman Carter Porter on their victories. I also want to commend Bennie Jones and Chris Trout for their willingness to step up and run for office. I want to congratulate the school board members who were elected, Ralph James, Ronnie Fetzer and Lance Goff. I also want to thank those individuals who placed their name on the ballot and were willing to serve our school district; Barbara Goss, Baron Cook and Jim Griffin.
I want to especially thank my wife, Tammie, and our sons, Zach and Mason, for their never-ending support over the last 75 days. We planned and campaigned each and every night of the week, for this dream to become a reality. I could not have done it without them!
The race is over and now it’s time to get to work!”
Congratulations, Mayor Elect Eric Hogue.
City Council candidates had another filing date deadline test last Friday as the “8 Days Before Election Day Campaign Finance Report” was due. This round, all candidates filed their paperwork with the city on time.
City of Wylie Mayor John Mondy reported contributions of $7,450 and expenditures of $8,114.71. He still shows a campaign balance of almost $1,300 as of the reporting period date. The bulk of his expenses went to the USPS for postage and Woodbridge Golf Club for a golf tournament fund raiser. By looking at the 13 pages of donors chipping in $100 or more in the report, I would say that the fund raiser was a success.
Mayoral candidate Eric Hogue received $520 in contributions of $50 or less and listed expenditures of $446.50 for an ad in the Wylie News and an ad with the Wylie Rotary Club.
The other reports should contain a “May Cause Drowsiness” warning label, but that’s what you get with finance reports.
Well, City Councilman David Goss called it as the above picture was being taken by Anne Hiney of Troy Aikman and I on Wednesday evening. “There’s the lead-in picture for the Wylie Today story!”
Turns out he was right. I’m sure you will see plenty of pictures of this event in the next week or so as I couldn’t count the amount of cameras on-hand. I have a few from the event that I will post below, and I might just add a gallery here in the near future. But to lead-in, yeah, that’s me and Hall of Fame quarterback, 3 time Super Bowl Champion, the greatest Fox Sports NFL analyst and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman. I like to mix it up.
City of Wylie Mayor John Mondy was completely jubilant this evening and with good reason. The people involved have been working on this deal for over a year and tonight was another step towards $600,000 in additional sales tax revenue for the city. It was another step towards a thousand newly created jobs in the city. It was another step towards keeping the citizens of Wylie shopping in Wylie. I’m really surprised we didn’t see Mayor Mondy break out some Riverdance moves.
Major kudos go out to Wylie’s Public Information Officer, Craig Kelly. Aside from seeing him run around picking up yoga flyers someone had left on the tables, the event went on without a hitch. Hundreds of people were in attendance for the groundbreaking ceremony and Dickey’s BBQ.
On hand to speak at the event was Wylie Economic Development Corporation’s Sam Satterwhite, Texas State Representative Jodie Laubenberg, Direct Development Sr. VP Don Bouvier, City of Wylie Mayor John Mondy and Troy Aikman.
Mr. Bouvier related the event to an Oscar speech as he mentioned so many people involved from the beginning that required accolades. He spoke further about four legs of a table and if one breaks or can’t support the weight, the table fails. He spoke very highly of the City of Wylie staff and administration and said they delivered on everything they said they would do. Now it was Direct Development’s turn to deliver on their promises.
Super Target Summer of 2009!
Some other players that need mentioning are the City of Murphy and the City of Sachse. Murphy made a small plot of land available to Wylie that was required for the development at the corner of 544 and McCreary. Sachse agreed to build a road to connect the back end of the development to Hwy 78. As Mayor Mondy said, “This has truly been a community effort”.
Troy Aikman talked about the special place in his heart for Wylie. You see, his wife was born in Wylie, though she didn’t stay very long. “I’m pretty sure if there had been a Super Target here, she would have stayed a bit longer.” he mused continuing on to talk about credit card statements and things I am so completely familiar with. He went on to talk about how great Direct Development is and how proud he is to be a part of such a great team. He knows that Direct Development isn’t a build and run type of company. They plan, build and maintain. Their developments are works to be proud of and that is why he chose them.
Overall, the event was a huge success and we can expect to see bulldozers out in the fields within a few weeks as road construction begins. This thing is moving forward quickly, people. And a ton of people were involved to make it happen. This is a fantastic day for the Great City of Wylie.
Look for more images soon and the small images above are clickable, leading to a larger image.