...for City of Southlake news, business, and community happenings.
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- Minute with the Mayor
Thursday, April 18, 2024
What’s more magical than toys under the tree on Christmas Day? Being the elf that helped get them there! Each year, the Southlake Department of Public Safety (DPS) holds a toy drive to connect Southlake residents with those in need this holiday season.
On this week’s episode of Minute with the Mayor, Councilmember Amy Torres-Lepp met with Fire Marshal Kelly Clements to talk about the toy drive program.
Lots of gifts make their way through the lobbies of DPS each year, including bikes, toy cars, baby dolls, and more! Residents can drop off new and packaged toys in each of the DPS lobbies from now until December 23, when they will be handed off to The Giving Project.
As children wake up and run to the tree, these toys will find their way to families in need and brighten up their Christmas morning.
“I’m really excited to see how this community bands together and all the support we get to show these deserving families,” said Councilmember Torres-Lepp.
If you’re interested in supporting families in need in other ways this holiday season, visit the Southlake Cares page, where you can find information on giving back to the City of Southlake’s partners like GRACE, Metroport Meals on Wheels, SafeHaven of Tarrant County, and so many more.
To watch the full episode of Minute with the Mayor, click below:
Nothing tastes as good as a homecooked meal, and although it’s not mom’s signature dish, many Southlake residents cherish the main ingredient of Metroport Meals on Wheels – the love of service.
To get into the giving spirit this holiday season, Mayor John Huffman checked in with Mary King, the Executive Director of Metroport Meals on Wheels (MMOW) on this week’s episode of Minute with the Mayor. The partnership between the City of Southlake and Metroport Meals on Wheels has gone on for decades, beginning in the mid-1980s to provide meals and support to homebound and mobile senior citizens.
In 2023, Metroport Meals on Wheels has provided over 2,000 home-delivered meals to 14 Southlake residents, but it doesn’t stop there! Over 3,500 meals have been dished out at The Marq during their Monday luncheons this year alone.
“Some of the most meaningful times as Mayor are the days I get to go deliver with you guys,” said Mayor Huffman.
Although the program runs all year, the holidays prove to be a special time for the program and for the seniors they serve. “The holidays can be extremely lonely and isolating for homebound seniors,” said King.
“Our aim is to help these residents feel engaged and loved during the holidays, especially those that may not have family around or at all.”
To engage these seniors, Metroport Meals on Wheels is hosting a campaign called Stockings for Seniors this year. Stockings for Seniors encourages the community to remember these special neighbors and brighten their holidays. With this program, members of the Southlake community, and beyond, can sponsor stockings filled with practical gifts like clothes, towels, heated blankets, and more.
Stockings are available for adoption at Sadie’s, MMOW’s consignment and resale store, in Roanoke or through their online Amazon Wish List.
As the bells of the holiday season ring, the heartwarming message of the partnership also rings true. “MMOW is Neighbors Helping Neighbors to alleviate hunger, isolation, and loneliness in our communities, and to foster the independence, worth, and dignity of each individual we serve,” said the MMOW website.
If you’re interested in supporting homebound seniors this holiday season, check out MMOW’s Amazon Wish List or sponsor a stocking. Details can be found here.
To watch the full episode of Minute with the Mayor, click below:
For Southlake residents, hearing from the Mayor is as simple as logging into Facebook on Monday mornings as they drink their coffee and begin their day. Each week for over two years, Mayor John Huffman has visited different corners of the City talking about Southlake news and happenings – from hidden gems to well-known events – and at the 2023 Texas Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (TATOA) Conference in Dallas, Texas, the Minute with the Mayor series made a splash.
The successful web series aims to provide residents with helpful information about where they live with some episodes about serious topics and others – just plain fun! From rolling sushi burritos at one of our local businesses to arranging flowers with our senior volunteers, Mayor Huffman is hands-on in the Southlake community to give new meaning to “meeting people where they’re at.”
The three episodes that swept the “Interview/Talk Show” category at TATOA do just that.
“Minute with the Mayor has been an incredible project to be a part of,” said Mayor Huffman. “We decided early in my term that we wanted to communicate with people in ways they are consuming information, and for most of us, that is video.”
Each episode is carefully planned and executed by the members of the Office of Communications and Customer Experience as they meet with City Staff, community members, and, of course, the Mayor to deliver news throughout the City.
A list of the episodes that won this year are as follows:
First Place
In this episode, viewers can take a step inside Sky Creek Kitchen + Bar with Mayor with Mayor John Huffman and Executive Chef Jose Soto. Located in the Delta Hotel, the award-winning chef and restaurant combine styles and flavor profiles to put Southlake eats on the map. Watch this episode here!
Third Place
Get your tastebuds ready! Mayor John Huffman chats with Ryan Nguyen of Sushi Dojo about their victory as the 2022 Food Truck Champion of Texas. Stay tuned to watch the Mayor try his hand at making their famous Shredder Burrito, filled with fried shrimp, hot Cheetos, and more! Watch this episode here!
Award of Merit – Honorable Mention
The CISD Varsity Cheer Team won the National Championship Title for Large Varsity Game Day Division at the NCA Nationals. Mayor John Huffman and Councilmember Ronell Smith met up with CISD Coach Cassie Hopkins to check out more about the team! Watch this episode here!
The Voice Behind “Action!”
Corporate Videographer Mikaela Hall recently passed the second-year mark with the City of Southlake and is ecstatic to take home more than one trophy for Minute with the Mayor this year. During her tenure with the City, she has produced over 100 weekly segments of Minute with the Mayor from start to finish as she touches on each piece of the process — from its initial brainstorming, scripting and coordination to production and editing.
“Although the series began before my initial hire at the City, it has been a great experience to mold Minute with the Mayor into such a success,” said Hall. “When I tell people what I do for work, the best compliment I can receive is hearing that they love tuning into Minute with the Mayor.”
Southlake Feature Stories
The City also received an Award of Merit for its feature on the Cerami family in the Southlake Stories series. The story of the Cerami family is one of joy, loss, hope, and belief. After 13-year-old Elise Cerami accidentally drowned during swim practice in 2016, her parents, Lori and David, and her brother Bryce channeled their personal grief to teach and unite the Southlake community around drowning prevention. Click here to watch their story.
The 27th annual conference for the TATOA organization was held on November 1-3, 2023. It included programming sessions geared toward the creation of videography and communications, with an emphasis on storytelling from Joe Little, the Director of Storytelling at NBC 7 San Diego.
Although the program’s earnings were recognized with trophies and cheers at the conference, the biggest win of the year was the engagement of Southlake residents. “I love knowing that what I do makes a difference in people’s lives,” said Hall. As the production of the series continues, the OCCE team hopes to take the lessons from the TATOA conference and create more content that inspires viewers to take pride in the Southlake community, one week at a time.
This week, Mayor John Huffman gets schooled in the art of charcuterie by Suzanne Parkhill and Stephanie Minor, Southlake’s own Charcuterie Sisters.
As the holidays roll around, so will parties and family events, and we all know the best part of those – food! The Charcuterie Sisters have made a name for themselves around Southlake, catering events like graduations, weddings, engagements, and more over the last three years.
Since their very first order of 35 charcuterie boxes for their sister-in-law’s company during COVID, their business has boomed! They have even moved into recreating those same types of boxes to be pre-sold at Yates Corner Store.
Equipped with handy tips and tricks, they did not shy away from their newest challenge – teaching the Mayor how to make his own board to share!
Here are some of their most helpful tips:
To watch the full episode of Minute with the Mayor and their demo, click below.
This weekend, the worlds of Southlake business and fundraising collide as Ice Shaker, a prominent local business, attempts to break a world record while benefitting Dragon Youth Football.
This week on Minute with the Mayor, Mayor John Huffman meets with Chris Gronkowski, the owner of Ice Shaker, about their fundraising efforts. On October 21, participants can come out to Dragon Stadium to help break the world record for the most protein shakes made simultaneously. The previous record sits at 615 protein shakes.
The event starts at 4:00 p.m. with competitive games and activities for children such as a standing long jump, a 40-yard dash, and a punt, pass, and kick competition. Dads are also invited to participate in the Dads’ Division of these games as well. Local food vendors will attend the family-fun event.
At 6:00 p.m., the world record attempt will begin! A representative from the Guinness Book of World Records will be in Southlake to moderate the event, and it is estimated to take about 30 minutes to pass out supplies. After the world record attempt, Ice Shaker will present a check to Dragon Youth Football.
Tickets for this event are $20 and include a brand-new Ice Shaker tumbler and RYSE protein for the record attempt. Half of the proceeds of each ticket are donated to Dragon Youth Football.
To sign up for this event, please visit https://bit.ly/45B7Ipi.
To watch the full episode of Minute with the Mayor, click below.
Each year, the brutal Texas summer takes its toll on previously manicured grass, AC units, and the water supply. Increased temperatures and little rainfall lead to drought conditions that make way for increased wildfires and grassfires each season; The Southlake Fire Department continues to provide assistance to areas in need.
As temperatures rise, so does the need for extra resources – water, gear, and helping hands, but Southlake Fire, a Northeast Fire Department Association (NEFDA) partner, is no stranger to a bond that begins with one of the golden rules – sharing is caring. This week on Minute with the Mayor, Mayor John Huffman meets with Lieutenant Frank Molinets of the Southlake Fire Department to get an in-depth look at the Wildland Deployment Program.
“Throughout the year, we participate in many deployments throughout the state of Texas, mainly wildland deployments, where we send wildland-trained firefighters out to support local jurisdictions in any time of need. For the last few years, Texas has experienced drought conditions, and these resources have been needed throughout the state on multiple occasions,” said Molinets.
The Southlake Fire Department debuted its new Tender, an apparatus that stores up to 3,000 gallons of water, on a deployment to Fort Stockton this summer. This piece of equipment assisted in extinguishing roadside flames and keeping people and animals who live there safe.
Positions on the Wildland team are highly coveted, and practice with new equipment and tactics continues long after the drought season is over. With firefighters dedicating over 100 hours each of initial training, yearly preparation with regional and state partners, and much more, the Southlake crews are ready to tackle the smoke and flames ahead.
Depending on the severity, deployments can last a few days to a few weeks, but no matter the duration, the Protect Southlake team continues to rise to the occasion.
As he listened in on what the program entailed, Mayor Huffman remarked, “It really speaks to the heart that you have and the heart that your team has, that you guys would take the time to get trained for this, but also take the time to deploy.”
To watch the full episode of Minute with the Mayor, click below.
This week, Mayor John Huffman tells the story of how a concerned resident and employees alike banded together to prevent water loss for 2,300 water customers.
On a Sunday evening, a sharp-eyed citizen reported a water leak coming down the driveway of the Pearson Pump Station, and when investigated, it turned out to be much more than was at the surface.
Contractors were on sight within a few hours to begin excavating and finding the water line that was broken. After almost 20 years of erosion, the water from this critical line had burst through the pipe, creating a leak.
The next day, our Public Works crews rerouted the 16-inch main water line to other 12-inch water lines to continue giving water to the 2,300 water customers that would have been affected by the closure of the main line. This critical line services the western third of Southlake, so it was imperative to make necessary repairs and replacements as quickly as possible.
By Monday afternoon, the water systems were functioning at a normal level which came just in the nick of time! The following day, there was a large house fire that our teams were able to respond to without diminished water force and pressure.
“Pipes deteriorate, but this was a major win for everyone from the citizen who saw it, to our contractors who were able to mobilize and get on-site by Sunday night. Thank you so much to our Public Works team and all of our hardworking professionals and contractors who are willing to make this fix for Southlake and make sure that any disruption in service was very, very minimal and very, very short,” said Mayor Huffman.
To watch the full episode of Minute with the Mayor, click below.
This week, Mayor John Huffman wants to usher in the new school year with some important updates across the City.
As lazy mornings turn into hurrying out of the house to catch the bus, students are starting their next year pursuing knowledge in Southlake. Safeguarding our students is a top priority each year, and this school year is no different.
Mayor Huffman checked in with Southlake’s Safety and Security Teams to give you the fast facts about how Southlake prepared for the school year.
As always, the School Resource Officers will be on campus to protect students in case of emergencies, but other departments are continuing to work behind the scenes to ensure safety as well.
The Southlake Traffic Division of Public Works worked incredibly hard over the summer to complete road projects, making travel smoother around the City as well as inspecting and replacing hardware in the school zone flashers.
Our Fire Department has also created a partnership with the Athletic Trainers at CISD to CPR recertify coaches, trainers, and adults that will be around students at games, meets, and practices.
Mayor Huffman mentioned that school zone traffic will affect commute times, so be sure to plan accordingly and drive safely around schools as students and parents settle into their routines. If possible, known traffic hotspots may be avoided to reduce commute times. Some known traffic hotspots are the areas surrounding the following:
The Mayor ended by wishing all students a successful and safe school year! No matter where they attend, we can’t wait to see what this year brings for our students.
To watch the full episode of Minute with the Mayor, click below.
Our #ProtectSouthlake Team just got a little bigger! Explore the new Fire Department Tender as it debuts right here in this exclusive Minute with the Mayor.
As part of the City’s ongoing efforts to highlight safety and security, National Safety Month is part of the bigger picture when it comes to how Southlake operates. This week on Minute with the Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem Shawn McCaskill took a field trip to Southlake DPS Station 1 to meet with Deputy Chief Jeremy Wilson about a specialty apparatus designed to kick our fire response up a notch.
In December 2022, the Fire Department received a new piece of equipment called the Tender. This apparatus is heavy-duty, complete with enough storage for 3,000 gallons of water. It is outfitted with a portable storage tank that allows the Protect Southlake Team to work without interruption.
“We really designed it to be able to dump water at a scene and respond back to another location and fill it up with water. It ensures that we have fire suppression if we lose water because of inclement weather or if we have events where we lose power and our pumps can’t run,” said Deputy Chief Wilson.
This integral feature supports the efforts of the Southlake Fire Department to provide a rapid and relentless response to fires, especially in the upcoming heat of summer months.
Firefighters have been trained at Tarrant County College during the acquisition of this apparatus to better serve the community.
Although a large investment, this worthwhile piece of the safety and security puzzle provides Southlake’s citizens with the best possible protection. “Well, from a City Council perspective, we’re ready, willing, and able — and y’all know this — to support you all with whatever equipment you need, including this new piece of equipment. And we’re happy to do that and provide that in our budget,” said McCaskill.
To watch the full episode of Minute with the Mayor, click below.