FLOWER MOUND – Neighbors may share streets and city limits, but at the Tri-City Neighborhood Summit, residents from nearby cities shared ideas, conversations and a vision for stronger communities.

On Saturday, the Town of Flower Mound hosted the third annual Tri-City Neighborhood Summit at Flower Mound Senior Center with neighboring cities, Coppell and Lewisville. The event brought together residents from each city to learn about and engage with their surrounding communities.

Flower Mound Mayor Cheryl Moore, Coppell Mayor Wes Mays and Lewisville Mayor TJ Gilmore attended. Each voiced the importance of intercity connections.

From attending past summits as homeowners association president to becoming mayor in May, Moore has combined her prior HOA experience with her new role to further her goal of community cooperation.

“I encourage everybody to get involved, whether it’s getting to know your neighbors or getting involved in your HOA, just trying to connect,” Moore said. “That’s what this summit does, it tries to connect everybody together.”

Flower Mound property standards manager Christa Crowe, Coppell community development project coordinator Katie Blust, Coppell senior planner Mary Paron Boswell and Lewisville neighborhood services grants specialist Bryan McBreen organized the event to encourage socialization between neighboring cities, marking the summit’s largest turnout yet.

“The rewarding part is we have seen it grow every year,” Boswell said. “In the first year, we had maybe 70 people show up. This year, we have over 200 people that have registered for this event, and so it has grown and people come back every year.”

The event featured three sessions encouraging attendees to collaborate and learn about neighborhood safety.

The first session, The 8 Doors Challenge, was led by Community Works director of community building strategies Megan Ginn and The Neighboring Movement program director Ian Campbell. 

Residents were encouraged to meet someone from another city and exchange Gifts of the Head, representing knowledge; Gifts of the Hand, symbolizing craftsmanship; and Gifts of the Heart, reflecting passions. These exchanges helped create meaningful conversation starters they could later use with neighbors in their own city.

Having lived just five minutes from the Flower Mound Senior Center as a child, Campbell’s connection to his community inspired him to help others experience the same sense of belonging.

“Growing up, there was always someone looking out for another and making sure everyone was safe,” Campbell said. “I feel like major problems, whether it’s addiction, loneliness or political divide can be solved in a major way if people just knew their neighbors and had somebody they could talk to on a close level.”

The second and third sessions took place simultaneously.

Neighborhood Safety, facilitated by Coppell Corporal Derrick Stanford, Flower Mound Sergeant Jason Rachal, Lewisville Sergeant Steve Dickens and Lewisville Fire Department emergency management coordinator Russell Marshall, covered Neighborhood Watch, Neighborhood Night Out, and the Citizen’s Police Academy, highlighting ways for residents to engage in crime prevention and community safety. 

Tree Care 101, presented by Flower Mound environmental review analyst Jake Speckhals and Southern Botanical ISA-certified arborist David Brantley, provided expert guidance on tree planting techniques, as well as managing tree diseases and drought conditions.

Without a homeowners association in her neighborhood, Lewisville resident and realtor Kim Keith was eager to gather community-building ideas.

“My neighbors and I have always talked about having a party and throwing one, but I came here to find specific ideas on how to do it, and I love the simple ways they taught us to do it [in the 8 Doors Challenge],” Keith said.

Coppell High School history teacher Joshua Chanin, a Lewisville resident, attended to strengthen his connections with neighboring cities.

“Working in Coppell while living in Lewisville gives me a connection to both communities,” Chanin said. “Events like this are so important because I get to meet neighbors from multiple cities, giving me a broader perspective on how people live across town.”

Next year, the next summit comes to Coppell.

“This is a wonderful community event,” Mays said. “They help us get to know our neighbors—not just the ones next door, but those we share a common economy, education and daily life with.”

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