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Coming up on this episode of Garland Spotlight,
I think a lot more people
wanting to connect to their community...Seeds are being planted to grow a weekend market.
Organizer hope will become a weekly downtown event.
(Every rendition they come out and say...we say ok, we'll spend...) We'll take you to Mayor's Evening Out
where you can share your thoughts with Mayor Douglas Athas.
(Swing) A Garland Golfer takes a giant swing at a world record
much of it at Firewheel Golf Park. We'll tell you all about his exciting quest.
Hi, I'm Tralana Pollard, welcome to Garland Spotlight
where we turn our spotlight on the people and programs that make Garland a great place
to live work and play. We start off focusing on Downtown Garland
where organizers hope to develop a regular weekend market place.
(Jazz Music)
We're having the Marketplace
It is a European-style market. What we have here is
food vendors, we have produce people, we have artisan-type vendors.
We are just having people come down here and
experience downtown. There are some businesses in the downtown square area
here that are thriving and they want people to come down here and experience
what they have to offer as well. The small market such as ours
the marketplace, we're helping do that.
(Machine Noise)
I think a lot more people want to connect to their community and understanding that
Garland really is an independent city, an independent town.
Someone called it the other day, the largest town in Texas or maybe even the world.
There's just this spirit of maybe being the 12th largest city in Texas, but still being
the spirit of a small town where people can come together and see people they know.
I've only been here this morning for an hour or so and I can't tell you untold numbers of
people that I've seen that I kn Want a thing of tomatoes and a cantaloupe.
I think it's just that opportunity to come together and shake hands
find some thing that you really want and take home. Learn about a whole lot of new products
you hadn't seen before. How much are they? 3
This is being sponsored by the Salvation Army.
It's one of their money-making projects. Jim Grifith on their board
is over there making snow cones right now and they're going to do this on the third Saturday
Their aspiration is to do this the rest of the summer until September.
And do it again starting in March of next year. >>First time events are
very tough to pull off, but I am very pleased with this on so far.
It has been fantastic. We have had a good flow ever since we've opened at
9 o'clock. >>It's important because it's a great opportunity
for people to come down here and get their refills on olive oil and other things.
We encourage a lot of other groups to take advantage of being downtown.
The city wants to be a liason to make things happen. I think we just have
really within next twelve months, we'll se tremendous changes down here.
Right now, it's being held on the 3rd Saturday each month through September.
Good crowds each Saturday could lead to the community marketplace becoming a weekly event.
Up next, have you ever wanted a one-on-one opportunity to share
and idea with Garland Mayor Douglas Athas? Well, he's continuing the
Mayor's Evening Out program where Citizens get that chance.
Obviously, this is something that Ron Jones
started when he first got in office. He had the Mayor's Night In and the Mayor's Night Out.
Going back and forth each month. The Mayor's Night
Out, he did a really good job of going around the city in different places.
We've started our first Mayor's Night Out tonight and we've started in South Garland.
Always look forward to talking to people in different parts of the city.
The next time will be in North Garland.
In between we'll have Mayor's Night In in my office downtown.
"There's no preconceived...planning
commission makes recommendations..."
I don't think we can actually do enough
to find out what citizens are think. Everybody
busy in what they're doing, so it's important that we take time to reach out
Give citizens as much opportunity as we possibly can
to tell us what's going on in their life. What really matters to them. I think we see
over and over that people have a lot of issues and they expect their government
to respond in a positive way, and I think Garland does that in an exceptional way.
"Seniors yet? No we've got one more year for seniors."
Well obviously I think we have these super-high priorities that the city has to be
focused on and that's something that being part of the City Council for six years and the Planning Commission
for eight years...
I have a pretty good clue of
that's economic development, transportation, neighborhoods, but it's the fine
grain, the detail that we need to talk to citizens about. A lot of times
it's a small issue.
or maybe they're observing something on a grander scale that the rest of us are overlooking.
It varies, I can't...
It really depends on what they come forward with and it's an
excellent opportunity to take their concerns and look at them and learn from what they're telling us.
Well, it's a pleasure meeting you. Here's my card.
If you call me, Beth answers...(Laughs)
His next evening in is at City Hall on August 28. His next evening out will be
be held on September 26 at the North Garland Library.
Go to GarlandTX.gov for more details. Moving on, construction work
is underway around city hall. Workers are clearing ground to begin the second phase of
Garland's Downtown Redevelopment Project. Public and Media Relations Director
Dorothy White has the latest.
Site clearance around City Hall for the City Center Project
is in full swing and will wrap up in early fall.
At that time, crews will begin constructing a parking garage
behind city hall. This new parking structure will benefit those who visit
and work at city hall as well as the residents of a
new 158-unit apartment complex to be built next
to city hall. If you need to visit city hall
or the Duckworth Utility Services Building during the construction project,
remember that street parking is available as well as the first floor
of the 5th Street parking garage free of charge. 3-hour parking
limits are in effect from 8am to 5pm Monday through Friday
only so if you're enjoying the Granville Art Centers fabulous
arts and entertainment offerings during the evenings or on weekends,
you have plenty of parking options, including the Arts Center parking lot.
Here's an early heads up.
Work has been underway to
upgrade City Hall's electrical system and during Labor Day Weekend
crews will shut down power to City Hall to connect
the new new service. Now this will cause some brief outages of some of the city's
automated telephone systems on the evening of Friday, August 30
and again on Monday, September 2. However, a
all 911 services will continue to be available. Now
some of the city's websites will also experience temporary outages
this weekend. Meanwhile, CGTV, our government access
channel won't be available on cable at all that weekend,
but you can see find video on demand on the website.
(Construction machine noise)
Of course, we'll provide updates and reminders of these outages as
the time approaches. For more information about the downtown redevelopement
project, visit the city's website and click on the
downtown redevelopment button. For Garland Spotlight, I'm Dorothy White.
You can expect to see the completed project
in 2015. Garland has a vibrant arts community and there's always
something going on. Arts Center Director Patty Granville takes a quick look at
coming up in Garland's art scen >>Thank you Tralana, I would like to give some of
the highlight of what's going on at the Arts Center here in August.
Well at the Plaza Theater too. August 9, we have the Veteran's Tribute Gala
and that will be at 7pm and then we have the Rankin Brothers which always
sell out. There's still a few tickets left, August 9 at 8pm.
That's in the Brownlee Auditorium here at the Arts Center. And then we have Michael Hicks
will be at the Plaza Theater and Jenny Titlowe, that's with the Garland Country Music
Association, August 10 at 7:30, that show begins.
And then, Kim, why don't you tell us about the upcoming quilt show
that's going on right now. >>The Dallas Modern Quilt Guild
is doing an exhibit in the gallery space in the Granville Arts Center.
It is going on now through September 15 and it's
and exhibit of mostly modern quilts. We have a few traditionals that got thrown in
It's a beautiful exhibit. We encourage everybody
to come down. That's open during all office hours which is 9 to 5,
Monday through Friday and it's also open during any performances at nights or on the
weekends. >>And then we have Civic Theater?
>>We do. August 22-September 14, they are doing
Agatha Christie's Go Back for *** in the small theater
David Allen does a wonderful Elvis tribute
show and he'll be doing that at the Plaza Theater on August 24th
at 7:30pm. And then we also have
Mexico 2000, Ballet Folklorico doing Corazon de Mexico.
That is August 31 at 7pm
in this auditorium in the Brownt
more events, you can join us for Arts in Action
which we do on a regular basis, and Kim Pajot, thank you for joining me today
on the set and it's back to you. And it's back to you.
Thanks Patty! And finally, many golfers will never play 14,000 holes of golf in their lifetime.
But Garland golfer did just that.
Many of those holes were played at Firewheel Golf Park in just one year, earning him a world record.
Garland Photojournalist Dan Bach spent the day with him out on the course.
(Golf Swing) My nephew was visiting us from Michigan.
He came to play some golf, and on the plane
he was looking at Golf Digest and saw the guy from Irving
that holds the record.
My nephew says you know Uncle John, you don't really have to alter your lifestyle to beat this record.
He knew I was playing a lot of golf. So my wife caught wind of it, both of 'em did
Both of them were the motivating source behind it
I just set sail to do it.
Starting today, I was at
13,337 and my final goal is 14,000.
By the end of the month if I can get there.
I'm averaging 38 holes of golf a day.
>How long does it take to play .
Sun up to sun down, depends on how crowded it is out here.
But I'm getting them in, you know. It's
a drill. (Golf Swing)
Obviously you couldn't do this in Michigan. You need a climate
where you can play year-round. Financially, they offer tremendous
packages here and with 63 holes.
(Good Putt, Thank you) There's lot
of nice people here and I think for a
public course, municipal course, it's a great course.
(Good Shot)
You putt that or chip it? >>Putt >>Good putt, good up.
I mean you've got to like golf to do this. Ain't no doubt about it.
I did play on some days when
it wasn't too much fun to play. Windy and cold and wet. (There it is!)
(Laughs) Chipped it in!
It's a drill. You have to stay with it.
It became a challenge. (Oh my God, it's hot)
When it gets cold or when it gets hot, that's a good time
to play because the course is kind of open and you can get a lot of holes in.
When it's in the 80's, I played last year
in 107. I've played in 38 degree weather, I've played in 107 degree.
(Swing) >>What's it take to keep you home?
>>Well the course closing. If it's open I'm here.
There were times I was playing I was the only car in the parking lot.
(That was not too good. A littl) >>Sounds like a good way for your wife to get you out of the house for a while.
>>Well, she's at work. I'll tell you
that's one of the first questions my friends from both Michigan and here ask are
Are you married? What does your wife say? Well actually, my wife is
didn't discourage this, she encouraged it.
(Good stroke, I just don't have the lane I guess)
>>Maybe you're lining up wrong. I don't know.
I'm the last guy to ask. >>And then you're a volunteer here as well.
>>I do. I do player-assisted work. Saturday mornings I work six hours.
I pick up tees, empty trash and fill in divots.
Fix ball marks on the greens. It's good.
It's nice to be around the golf course.
It's just been a great experience. It really has.
There's been times when it's been tough to go play. But I'll tell you
as far as I'm very grateful and thankful that my health has stood up.
>>A lot of exercise too... >>Yes, it is, it is.
So I get a diet coke and a cigar and I'm a happy man.
Only three things in life I need right there you know.
A diet coke, a cigar and playing golf.)
(Maybe you need a camera there all the time. Yeah, maybe.)
Turns out 14,000 holes just wasn't enough for
Verdura. He wrapped up the year-long effort playing another
418 holes. Now that's a serious golfer.
With that, we wrap up our second episode of Garland Spotlight. I'm
Tralana Pollard. Join us again next time for another inspiring and informative
view of our city. In the meantime, feel free to like us on Facebook and Twitter
for the latest on what's going on in Garland. See you next time.
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