Highland Village Town Update – August 2024 – Cross Timbers Gazette | Southern Denton County

The summer temperatures are still here, but the summer holidays are coming to an end for many of our families with children. School starts on August 13th, which means school buses, drop-off and pick-up lines, and many children walking or riding bikes, scooters, or other micro-mobility devices to school. Let’s all remember to slow down in school zones, watch out for children, pay attention to crosswalk guards, and obey their signals. If we all pay attention to our surroundings and are patient, we can make this the best start to the school year yet.

The term “micromobility device” may be new to some of you. It refers to all the devices that children and adults currently ride, including bicycles, e-bikes, electric motor-assisted scooters, electric skateboards, pedal-assisted electric bicycles (single, two, three, and four-wheeled), Segways, hoverboards, unicycles, and skateboards with one or more wheels.

The City recently passed a micromobility ordinance to ensure the safety of those using these devices and traveling. Our School Resource Officers have provided educational programs in our schools and will continue to do so as we begin the new school year. Training classes will also be available for those homeschooled or those interested in working with a smaller group. You will see HVPD officers riding the micromobility tricycles, talking to children, educating them on the rules of the ordinance, and rewarding those who follow them. The new ordinance requires that those under the age of 18 wear a helmet, one rider per device, walk with the device through crosswalks, not use a phone, earbuds, or headphones while riding, and yield to pedestrians. Parents, if your children have a micromobility device or are considering purchasing one, please familiarize yourself with this law and teach it to your children or schedule a training course with one of our officers.

Our police department and city are once again hosting the TXFallenPD Tribute Event to raise funds for the Texas Police Chiefs Association Fallen Officers Fund. Since 2008, the department has hosted a bike race and 5K run for the families of officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty and, with the help of the community, has donated over $500,000 to the fund. The event will be held Saturday, October 19th at Doubletree Ranch Park. Registration is open for the 5K run and police/civilian bike race. The event also includes a Kid Ride with a Cop, a kids zone, vendors, food and drink trucks, and live music. You can participate in this fundraising effort again this year by sponsoring the event, making a monetary donation to the fund, donating an item for the silent auction, participating in the run or bike race, or attending the event. More details about the event can be found at TXFallenPD.com. I hope you will consider helping care for the families of fallen Texas police officers.

Our community also values and chooses to honor our local veterans. We have two different events for veterans here. The Honor Our Veterans event is specifically for Highland Village veterans and is held around Veterans Day. Highland Village veterans are nominated by a friend or family member to be honored at the Veterans Memorial on the south side of the Highland Village Municipal Complex. The family or friend funds a plaque that the city places on the stone monument. If you know of a Highland Village veteran you would like to honor at the Honor Our Veterans event, more information and an application can be found at www.highlandvillage.org/Veteran. Then, around Veterans Day in November, in partnership with the Highland Village Business Association, we host the Salute Our Veterans event. This is a luncheon designed to provide an opportunity to honor our local veterans and provide them with a time of friendship and fellowship. Veterans and one guest are welcome to attend free of charge as we seek community sponsorship to cover the cost of the veterans’ attendance and meal. Sponsorships start at $50, which covers the cost of two veteran lunches. If you choose to sponsor additional veterans, lunches are sold in $25 increments, allowing you to choose your donation amount, $100 for four veterans, $150 for six veterans, etc. Typically, over 250 veterans from all branches of service, from Highland Village, Lewisville, Flower Mound and the surrounding areas, attend the luncheon, and their lunch is paid for with sponsorship funds. I hope you will consider becoming a sponsor. Apply online by October 28 at www.thehvba.com/veterans or by mail to 1000 Highland Village Road, Highland Village, TX 75077, with the subject line Salute Our Veterans Lunch.

I am honored to serve as mayor of this great city. I hope to see you here!