Students spread Alzheimer’s awareness, citizens support bike route plan at City Council Meeting

At 7:40 p.m. at City Hall, three Coppell High School students stood in front of a packed meeting room. All eyes were directed up to the semicircle, where council member Nancy Yingling was wiping tears from her face.

Health Occupations Students of America junior Priya Mekala, sophomore Jamie Jun and sophomore Sara Koh had just given a presentation on Alzheimer’s disease, a subject close to the councilwoman’s heart.

“I’ve been affected by Alzheimer’s,” Yingling said. “My father passed away a year ago last week to Alzheimer’s, so thank you for doing this.”

The girls began advocating for Alzheimer’s awareness five months ago when they started volunteering at Silver Ridge Assisted Living in Colleyville..

“As we spent time with the residents with Alzheimer’s, just doing daily activities like eating, walking, and interacting with others, we saw their daily struggle and realized that it’s really important to inform others about these amazing individuals whose lives were taken from them,” Mekala said.

By partnering with the Living Center and the Alzheimer’s Association of Greater Dallas, they were able to bring their cause to the classroom.

“In high school, it’s really easy to overlook Alzheimer’s because it seems so distant and obscure to us,” Koh said. “It’s a really critical issue that affects people and caregivers as well.”

Upon finishing their speech, the students handed out purple Alzheimer’s awareness T-shirts to each councilmember, which they were also selling at the high school.

“We hoped that people wearing these shirts, which we all wore today, would not just spread toward people that were in our grade, but towards upperclassmen and lowerclassmen as well,” Jun said.

On Tuesday, the group hosted an event at the high school and invited a representative from the Alzheimer’s Association to speak to 130 attendees about how they could help people affected by the disease.

“It’s really critical as high schoolers to take charge and spark change in the world of Alzheimer’s,” Koh said. “Since we started this community awareness project this year, there is one thing that we have learned to live by: even though people with Alzheimer’s may not remember us, it’s our duty as a society to remember them.”

The next portion of the meeting was citizens’ appearance and 27-year Coppell resident David Stonecipher stood up to take the mic.

“I’m here to speak in support of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan,” Stonecipher said. “I take the safety of riders in this city very seriously. There’s one that they do to make it safer for themselves which is to,” he paused and let the audience answer in unison, “communicate.”

With the support for the plan now visible in the room, Stonecipher continued.

“I also take safety very personally,” Stonecipher said. “The Ride of Silence is a worldwide memorial ride that recognizes cyclists that have either been killed or injured riding on city streets. We started eight years in memory of our friend and Coppell resident Greg Dean, and this year we add another honoree to that list, and believe me, this is not a list that we want to add honorees to.”

Creator of the Coppell Cranks bike club Tim Alderman also shared concerns about the current bike road options, not only for himself, but for the unprofessional cyclists in his family.

“I am here tonight as a concerned citizen who has enjoyed riding his bike around the community for many years,” Alderman said. “I’ve seen this small community grow significantly during that time. Back then when my daughters were young, we would ride our bikes throughout the neighborhood, or occasionally to Andy Brown Park, but with the traffic today I wouldn’t allow my daughter to ride anywhere – probably not even with a parent.”

The group he formed 18 years ago consists mostly of Coppell community members who believe signage of the plan would help educate the community, serious cyclists, and drivers alike.

“Even now we meet every Saturday morning at Andy Brown East, we take off for our Saturday morning ride,” Alderman said. “The members of that group are concerned about the safety of ourselves and the safety of those that ride around this community. I love this community, and I hope the council will make decisions that will keep the city of Coppell up with the changing times.”

In terms of educating the community, 30-year resident Lane Paschal has set a plan in motion to do just that.

“I have contacted the League of American bicyclists,” Paschal said. “We can hold this class, which is over a two weekend period. A whole group of people who are sitting behind me have volunteered to become League instructors. We will help teach the kids, and we will help teach the parents of the kids that want to ride around on the streets to be safe.”

From his experience as a real estate broker, Paschal has seen people’s reactions towards the  Coppell community and believes new bike lanes might be just what it needs to stand out.

“When I first started selling houses, there was something very unique about Coppell,” Paschal said. “People from all over the Metroplex, people from all over the country, when I would talk to them and try to get them involved in our community and our schools there was something very special. I fear that we are slipping into another suburb. One of the things that might help is to find some uniqueness in our activities being with the Bike and Pedestrian plan.”

Melissa Horner was the last speaker to step up to the podium, however something set her apart from the cyclists who came before her- the cast on her left leg.

“I have been an active road cyclist for over 10 years,” Horner said. “On Jan. 13, I was traveling eastbound on my bike on Parkway [Blvd.] and a car was coming westbound on Parkway [Blvd.], made a left hand turn, and ran right into me. I was hit, and I was lucky. I had a very severe concussion, went to the ER, had some broken bones, but things are going to heal.”

Horner was appreciative of the measures the city has already taken to improve safety for bikers but believes that more can be done, and the new plan is a step in the right direction.

“I wasn’t the only one who was traumatized by this experience, the driver who hit me is a 17 year old,” Horner said. “He was very distraught, and upset, worked very hard to figure out who I was so he could personally apologize to me. Anything that can be done to speed up the process of safety and awareness, I hope that we can do as quickly as possible. Whether you ride a bike or not, run on the streets, we all drive cars, and none of us want to be in that situation.”

Next on the agenda, the Council proceeded to give some background about what the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan entailed. The 112-page plan proposed to integrate a new bike path on Parkway Blvd. not only illustrates possible bikeway ideas but also presents ways to make it safer for pedestrians to cross the street.

Councilwoman Brianna Hinojosa-Flores wrapped up the work-session discussion of the plan and all it entails.

“We are all about living a healthy lifestyle and living well in Coppell, so I appreciate everyone who has come here to support this Master Plan,” Hinojosa-Flores said. “I appreciate all of the staff’s time and work and effort that’s gone into it, and I’m glad to see that it is moving forward so that we can continue to be mobile in a safe way.”