Photo ID: Troy Powell, The Colony City Manager; Kristian Teleki, Senior Vice President with Matthews Southwest; Gordon Scruggs, Director of Engineering with The Colony; The Colony Mayor Joe McCourry and Jack Matthews, President of Matthews Southwest.

The Colony unveiled its $2.4 million elevated water storage tank with an unlikely celebration – a friendly water fight between developer executives and city administrators.

“Being out here beneath this new tower with our friends from Matthews Southwest is just a perfect example of how The Colony continues to enjoy success with all of our recent growth, both in the residential and commercial sectors.” said The Colony Mayor Joe McCourry.

“This tower was part of our 2010 water plan to accommodate expansion in the area,” continued McCourry. “It was built on property that the city owns, which was donated by the developer Matthews Southwest, and lessens the demand on the city’s other three water towers.”

Funds from The Tribute Tax Increment Financing District, which the city council approved in 2013, paid for the cost of constructing the tower and did not impact property taxes. Matthews Southwest, the developer of The Tribute, a master-planned community located in The Colony’s Wynnwood Peninsula, financed the cost of construction of the tower on behalf of the city to speed up the construction timeline.

“Our unique partnership and long-standing relationship with the City of The Colony truly demonstrates what can be accomplished when there’s full trust and cooperation between public and private groups trying to do the right thing,” said Jack Matthews, president of Matthews Southwest.

The city also worked closely with Matthews Southwest on selecting the type and aesthetic design of the new tank.

“We hope the tower serves not only as a source of vital resources for residents, but also a picturesque landmark indicative of the pride we all have in our community,” said Gordon Scruggs, Director of Engineering for The Colony.

Construction of the one million gallon storage tank, located at the Wynnwood Pump Station on Lebanon Road, took 12 months and became fully operational in July 2015. The steel tower is 164 feet tall, spherical in shape, and features The Colony logo facing west and The Tribute logo facing east.

Windsong Ranch announced today it will host Wings Over Windsong, the largest radio controlled aircraft event ever seen in the Dallas-Fort Worth area the weekend before Veterans Day.  With proceeds going to the Wounded Warrior Project, the AMA Sanctioned event is a joint effort by the Richardson, North Dallas and Rowlett Radio Control Clubs.  The three clubs have memberships totaling over 500 members and the event will feature model aviation planes ranging from WWII, WWI, sport, 3D, pattern, electric aircraft as well as helicopters, some which will be as large at 60 percent of full scale and a real helicopter landing at Noon.

“This will be a spectacular event where all of North Texas will come together to honor our veterans and fly for a cause,” said Craig Martin, Developer of Windsong Ranch.  “All proceeds from the day’s events will go to support the Wounded Warrior Project.  It will truly be a historic event with many memories and what we hope will be an annual gathering that grows larger each year.”

Pilot registration and spectator fees are free.  Industry experts are predicting this event could eventually challenge Joe Nall, an air show in South Carolina which is currently the largest gathering of RC pilots at one event any where in the world.

“Personally, I have attended Joe Nall six consecutive years,” said Ed Kranz, Vice President of Richardson Radio Control Club. “Having this as a comparison, I believe that Wings Over Windsong could eventually challenge it as another world famous RC event."

World-renowned 3D pilot Quique Somenzini has committed to attending the event.  His name is one of the most recognized in the RC community.  Somenzini will demonstrate some of his new aircrafts, meet the public and perform some amazing 3D demos during the day.

The Wings Over Windsong event is from 9 am-3 pm, Saturday, November 7 at Windsong Ranch, 1001 Windsong Parkway, Prosper, TX 75078.  Admission is free for spectators but donations are encouraged at the entry for the Wounded Warrior Project.  More information can be found at WindsongRanchLiving.com/wings.

Keller-based Christ’s Haven, a transitional home for abused, neglected and abandoned children, recently broke ground on a new home for its campus.  The land and construction costs for the $300,000 home were donated by Hanover Property Company and local builders First Texas Homes, Rendition Homes, Bloomfield Homes and Gehan Homes.

"For 61 years, Christ's Haven has been rescuing at-risk, neglected and displaced children,” said Christ’s Haven Executive Director, Dwight Robarts.  “The gift of this house not only provides permanent on-campus living quarters for the Director of Children's Service as required by our license, but allows us to renovate the house the Director currently lives in so that we might better serve our kids and take care of more children in the future."

The 2,400 square foot house will have four bedrooms and two baths.

“Christ Haven has worked with over 5,000 kids in at-risk households,” said Dick LeBlanc, President of Hanover Property Company.  “They are investing time and energy into the lives of these vulnerable children and we are delighted to participate and walk alongside them in this way.”

Christ's Haven currently has six cottages, a Community Enrichment Center, a Life Path house, a gymnasium, and a chapel on its campus.  The organization cares for 48 children on campus as well as children in foster care in off-campus homes in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The children receive medical and dental care, counseling and tutoring as needed in a warm and loving home under the care and guidance of full-time house parents with the goal of reunifying them with their families.  More information can be found at: christhaven.publishpath.com.

Founded in 1984, Hanover Property Company (hanoverproperty.com) is a Dallas-based real estate development firm which focuses on master planned residential communities, commercial/retail and multifamily developments throughout DFW.

First Texas Homes (firsttexashomes.com) has been building on the cornerstones of exceptional quality, superior design, absolute value, and unsurpassed customer service for over a quarter-century.  As a recognized leader in the industry, First Texas Homes has established a proven track record of putting the needs of customers first and takes great pride in ensuring total customer satisfaction by involving buyers in every step of the building process.

Rendition Homes (renditionhomes.com) is one of the top homebuilders in the DFW area for move-up and new homebuyers.  Family owned and operated, Rendition Homes has become one of the most-trusted names in home building. Currently under fourth-generation leadership, Rendition Homes remains as dedicated to the local community as when founder O.N. Mitchell began his company in 1949.

Bloomfield Homes (bloomfieldhomes.net) is one of the largest new homebuilders focused exclusively on the DFW area.  Bloomfield provides custom builder designs and quality with production builder efficiencies and value.  Currently the 5th largest homebuilder in DFW, (Residential Strategies, 2015) Bloomfield was also named the Fastest Growing Private Builder in America by Builder Magazine.

Gehan Homes, Ltd. is a Texas homebuilder with a 25-year history of building high-quality production homes in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and surrounding communities.  A Top-30 homebuilder, Gehan and has been awarded the Texas Association of Builders top award for Volume Builder in the State of Texas.  This prestigious award is given annually to volume builders in Texas who build 50+ homes per year.

Ron Davis Custom Homes has selected Tella Firma Solid Earth Foundations (www.tellafirma.com) to provide the foundation for one of its clients in the exclusive Hills of Kingwood neighborhood located in Frisco, Texas.

“The terrain in this part of Frisco required an elevated foundation to minimize the risk associated with soil volatility,” said Jim Fontaine, CEO of Tella Firma. “We’ve worked with Ron on about 15 custom homes in the last two years and each one has unique circumstances where our foundation was a good solution for active soils. We are thrilled that Ron chose us to give his client peace of mind.”

By using a field-tested, patented process of elevating a slab-on-grade foundation, Tella Firma creates a protective void between the ground and the home itself. This application isolates the slab and guards it from damaging soil swells, contractions and unexpected movement caused by light earthquakes. Most foundation damage results from soil movement that can be caused by expansion and contraction of clay soils due to moisture change or by seismic activity.

“The foundation is so important when building a home,” Ron Davis said. “Each of our sites has a soil report to determine how active the soils are, and then solutions are evaluated to see what would be appropriate. Tella Firma is our go-to foundation for situations like this. 

The Tella Firma foundation system is based on commercial engineering principles in practice for over 50 years. The system provides the strength and protection of a pier-and-beam foundation yet is much more affordable and takes less time to install when compared to most traditional, suspended foundations. Tella Firma foundations also utilize a green installation process to avoid the need for any type of chemical or water injection into the soil under the home. 

Ron Davis Custom Homes (rondaviscustomhomes.com) is a family-owned luxury home builder serving clients in the $1 to $3 million price range. Owners Ron and Shirley Davis have one-of-a-kind home designs and a reputation of quality finish-out and transparency in the home building process.

The Hills of Kingswood is nestled in the heart of Frisco, within 10 minutes of Legacy Business Park. A place of extraordinary beauty tucked away amid the wooded greenbelt that borders Lake Lewisville, the exclusive gated community offers premier homesites for exceptional luxury homes.

Sachse Economic Development Corporation announced today that a 37,000 square foot LA Fitness is under construction at the corner of Highway 78 and Woodbridge Parkway.  The location will be the first prototype for a new, more modern design for the health club chain.

“We are thrilled that LA Fitness chose Sachse to be the first city to showcase this new prototype,” said Leslyn Blake, CEO of the Sachse Economic Development Corporation.  “Sachse continues to bring new and unique retailers to our central business district and we are strongly focused on attracting commercial retailers who want to be part of the explosive growth of our city.”

 Construction commenced May 2015 on the location, with a projected opening for the first quarter of 2016.  As part of the new design, LA Fitness deleted its traditional rotunda entryway for a more "low profile" façade made of brick, stone and stucco with a painted concrete tilt wall and prefinished metal wall panels. 

“LA Fitness chose Sachse for its newest location because it is a growing community that was underserved and possessed the leadership to incentivize the best health club in the industry to open a state of the art facility,” said David Watson, Managing Principal at Direct Development, the broker developer for the project.

The recent expansion of the George Bush Turnpike/SH 190 to Sachse has spurred increased economic development in the city.  The high average household income and low crime rate make the city an attractive target for big name restaurants and retailers, and Sachse is primed for continued development along SH 190 and Highway 78. 

In addition to increased retail development, Sachse attracts affluent residents to its many master-planned residential communities. From 2000 to 2010, the population of Sachse almost doubled growing from 10,763 to 19,703 and currently stands at 22,411. 

Sachse is minutes from North Dallas, Richardson, Plano, I-30, I-635 and downtown Dallas. The Sachse Economic Development Corporation is actively recruiting businesses to develop along SH 190 and Highway 78, transforming the area into a regional destination.

LA Fitness, founded in 1984, is one of the fastest growing health club chains in the U.S. and presently has more than 650 locations in 29 states and Canada. Its mission is to help as many people as possible achieve the benefits of a healthy lifestyle by creating a nationwide network of health clubs, offering its members the widest range of amenities and the friendliest service at an affordable price. To learn more about LA Fitness, visit www.lafitness.com or download the mobile app--search on iTunes or Google Play for LA Fitness. To find a club nearest you, call (800) LA FITNESS.

The Sachse Economic Development Corporation acts on behalf of the City of Sachse in promoting and developing authorized projects, while supporting economic development activities to retain, expand and attract businesses for the purpose of diversifying the tax base and improving the quality of life of the citizens of Sachse.  For more information, go to www.sachseedc.com.