City Council approves “National Preparedness Month,” awards bid of reconstruction of Town Center Boulevard

Siraj Mahmud

At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Coppell Fire captain Brad Simpkins holds the signed proclamation signed by Mayor Karen Hunt naming September 2017 as “National Preparedness Month” in Coppell. “The more prepared that individual families and businesses are, the better. We’re pushing out public education information, throughout this month we will have distributions set up at the library, at the Core, Farmers Market, and we’ll also be visiting businesses throughout the city,” Simpkins said.

Amelia Vanyo, Editor-In-Chief

With Coppell Fire captain Brad Simpkins next to her, Coppell Mayor Karen Hunt took time during the City Council Meeting on Tuesday to approve a proclamation naming September 2017 as “National Preparedness Month” in the city of Coppell.

Hunt encouraged families and businesses to make up their own emergency preparedness plans.

“Whereas it is important for all Coppell residents, businesses and organizations to develop an emergency plan,” Hunt said. “Whereas promoting emergency preparedness in our families, workplaces, and communities, help minimize physical and economic damage, throughout Coppell should a disaster occur.

“Whereas the Coppell Fire Department and Emergency Management staff strive to increase public awareness of the need to prepare for emergencies and disasters. Whereas all Coppell’s residents are encouraged to make up an emergency planning and preparedness the top priority in their home, office and neighborhoods.”

Once the proclamation was approved, Simpkins spoke about the efforts put forth by the Division of Emergency Management and the Coppell Fire Department.

“The goal of the Division of Emergency Management is to make Coppell a more disaster resistant community,” Simpkins said. “The more prepared that individual families and businesses are, the better. We’re pushing out public education information, throughout this month we will have distributions set up at the library, at the Core, Farmers Market, and we’ll also be visiting businesses throughout the city.”

In addition, the Coppell City Council moved to approve the award of bid and entering into a contract in order to reconstruct a portion of Town Center Boulevard. The project will go for a total of $1,069,811.25.

“There’s a pavement condition index that we do through the studies that we do, and their rating on this scale was a 59, where anything below a 65 was a very poor scale,” project manager Jamie Brierton said. “This was a budgeted, quarter cent sales tax and we’ve completed the design, and they are ready to get started.”

The City Council took care of business regarding consent agenda, which included the rejection of all bids for the Freeport Parkway Reconstruction Project. Budgets for the Fiscal Year of Oct 1, 2017 through Sept 30, 2018 were approved, and reports were given by city manager Mike Land and Mayor Hunt.

In Land’s announcement, he included congratulations to Hunt, who will be awarded the Metrocrest Chamber of Commerce Business Coman of the Year award on Friday, Sept 22.

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