By Laura Swift

The Murphy Planning and Zoning Commission on Jan. 23 denied a request from Forestar Real Estate Group for approval of a Specific Use Permit and Concept Plan for a hospital facility located at the northeast corner of FM 544 and Heritage Parkway.

The Concept Plan includes a 20,000 square-foot facility containing an Emerus emergency room, professional offices and a helistop. The site is bordered by the Windy Hill Farm neighborhood, Heritage Montessori Academy, Heritage Parkway and FM 544.

During the public hearing portion of the meeting, multiple residents voiced concerns about the proposed facility and helistop creating safety hazards and excess noise and traffic.

Dudley Carpenter, representative for Emerus, said the company has two similar ER facilities in Aubrey and McKinney. “We feel like Murphy demographics will support this facility,” Carpenter said.

The first floor of the proposed facility is a state-licensed emergency room that has eight beds. The second level is designed for professional office use. “We’re not looking to have 400 beds. This facility is small and unique and the wait time is a lot shorter. People think this facility is a lot bigger than it really is,” Carpenter said.

“The emergency room has the capacity to treat anything that comes in. If a patient needs more than 36 hours of treatment or needs to go to a more specialized facility, we’ll stabilize them here and make sure they’re transported,” he said.

Commissioner Stephanie Merrifield asked if Murphy EMS would transport to the Emerus facility.

“No, this facility is designed for people to come in their car,” Carpenter said. “At the Aubrey and McKinney facilities they [residents] drive there. We don’t have screaming ambulances coming in. On a day-to-day basis we don’t have a lot of traffic.”

Commissioner Steve Levy said he has a lot of issues with the proposed location. “There are a lot of variances in the SUP to make this facility fit. I’m struggling with that,” Levy said. “This would be the largest office-type building in Murphy.”

The Board asked why the site plans contained a helistop.

“The helistop is there because of the level of comfort it provides the staff, knowing that they’ve got access to get a patient to a trauma center immediately,” Carpenter said. “From Jan. 1, 2011, to today, we’ve flown 16 people in Aubrey, which we think the Murphy center will be comparable to.”

Commissioner Jane Jan asked if there was another site in the city that Emerus would consider building the facility.

“We looked at several locations in Murphy and identified this as the ideal location,” Carpenter said.

Multiple residents addressed the Board in opposition of the proposed facility during the public comment period.

“This is the entrance to our community,” said Windy Hill Farm resident Amy Nutz. “We’re concerned with safety; it’s close to the Montessori. We already have the George Bush [ER] facility and the emergency center in Murphy Marketplace. Plus, if the office spaces are leased, that will add more traffic and it’s a busy intersection already. Noise is a major concern. It’s not what the area was intended for.”

Debra Chiarello said she is “vehemently opposed” to the building. “I’m a local real estate agent and this development is a great concern to me,” Chiarello said. “This and Wal-Mart will increase traffic. I don’t see how this development will appeal to anyone who want to buy a home in Windy Hill Farm. It will affect property value.”

“I’ve lived next to a hospital before,” said Brian Firmin. “The noise will impact the residents.”

After hearing residents’ concerns about the helistop, Carpenter said he would pull the helistop from site’s Concept Plan.

After taking into consideration the site plan without a helistop, the P&Z Commission denied Emerus’ application because the proximity of the facility to Windy Hill Farm was not suitable.

By Laura Swift

The Murphy City Council was busy the week of Jan 16. It held two meetings—one with the Richardson City Council to consider a joint recreation center in Breckinridge Park, and the other to discuss the formation of the Murphy Municipal Development District.

Last October, representatives from the city of Richardson, Ballard King & Associates and Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture presented information to the Murphy City Council regarding a proposed joint project for a multi-agency recreation center to be built in Breckinridge Park.

“We feel like Breckinridge Park is a community park,” said David Morgan, assistant city manager of Richardson. “Murphy and Richardson match up well for a partnership because our two communities have aligned goals.”

Breckinridge Park encompasses more than 500 acres and is Richardson’s largest park. Both Murphy and Richardson residents would have full access to the proposed facility.

Before approving the center, both cities must give the green light to Ballard King & Associates, a recreation consulting firm, and Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture to conduct two project-planning phases.

Phase one will include a market analysis, programming and operation/revenue projections, and phase two will feature program refinement, a site plan and a budget definition.

The Murphy City Council on Nov. 1, 2011, authorized City Manager James Fisher to enter into an inter-local agreement with Richardson to complete phase one of a feasibility study not to exceed $15,000.

On Jan. 17, Murphy City Council held a joint meeting with the Richardson City Council about the phase one feasibility study.

“In phase one, we’ll research public, private and nonprofit competition, such as the nearby 24 Hour Fitness, and look at potential programming opportunities through gym, track and swimming pool amenities,” said Ken Ballard, president of Ballard King & Associates. “Choosing amenities for the recreation center is a key component of the planning process. The choice of amenities has a direct relationship to generating revenue.”

Amenities such as leisure pools and aerobic and dance areas generate high revenue. Low revenue-generating amenities include senior rooms and teen lounges, Ballard said.

“We need to make sure that it [proposed recreation center] doesn’t have something that the city already offers [to residents],” Councilmember Scott Bradley said.

The market analysis in phase one will take into consideration demographic characteristics of Garland, Richardson, Plano, Murphy, Wylie and Sachse.

“We’ll prepare a draft of phase one and report back to you our recommendations,” Ballard said. “In phase two we’ll draft the design and layouts. At the end of phase two you find out how much it costs to operate.”

The timeline for completing phase one is eight weeks, Morgan said.

“I like how you do things,” Mayor Bret Baldwin said to Richardson City Council. “If something like this is done right, it could be a crown jewel of Collin County.”

Richardson Mayor Bob Townsend said, “We need to be careful and make sure that this would stay a neighborhood center [for Murphy and Richardson residents only], not a commercial center.”

If the facility is approved, Morgan estimated that the bond-funded project would be completed by 2016 or 2017.

Later that week, Murphy City Council held a special meeting on Jan. 19 to discuss appointing members to the new Municipal Development District (MDD).

Murphy residents last November voted to abolish the 4A Economic Development Corporation and replace it with the MDD. The tax money raised for 4A will now go toward MDD, which provides more flexibility to finance projects.

MDD needs members to control and establish the by-laws before it is up and running, city staff said.

Council was divided on whether or not to appoint residents as MDD board members during the setup phase.

“I think it’s just a lot easier for City Council to assume this responsibility,” Baldwin said. “I like the idea of the whole Council establishing it.”

“I feel like there should be some citizen input into the formation of this,” Councilmember Bernard Grant said. “They should have a voice in how this starts. I think having three Council members and two residents on the Board would be OK.”

In a 4-2 vote, Council decided on a five-member board, made up of three Council members and two citizens.

Council said it would appoint the Board at the end of January.

By Laura Swift


The Murphy City Council on Dec. 6 played the name game—the street name game that is—during a meeting to determine whether to change the names of a few residential and public streets around town.

Murphy Fire Chief Mark Lee said the Fire Department is working to clean up addresses throughout the city. He proposed that the section of Westminister Ave. in Daniel Crossing, phase D, be changed to Westminster in order to match the part of Westminster Ave. located on the north side of Betsy Lane.

“Westminister is not a word,” Lee said. “We’re looking to correct our spelling error. The option to change this will not be popular to the people living in Westminister.”

He said the 911 databases already reflect the correct spelling of Westminster and that the different street spellings could cause confusion and possible delays in emergency response aid.

Multiple Westminister-dwelling residents attended the meeting—some voiced their opinions and others waited to see the Council’s decision.

During the public comment period, one resident said he was for changing the street name to Westminster because living on a misspelled street is embarrassing.

Resident Amy Christner said she was against the name change because it would be time consuming and inconvenient to have to change the address on her driver’s license and various bills.

The Council weighed the pros and cons of changing the street name and decided not to approve the name change.

“I understand the need for consistency, but I’d rather not make people go through the trouble [with the name change],” said Mayor Bret Baldwin. “If this becomes an issue, we can take action on it later.”

Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Colleen Halbert recommended that city staff notify residents about future proposed changes before Council meetings so the Council can get feedback on what residents want.

Council also discussed whether to change the name of FM 544 to Main Street (or any other name chosen by the Council) and change Betsy Lane to Park Blvd.

Lee said that 544 is Murphy’s main street that runs east to west. “The addresses on 544 are number-heavy,” Lee said. “For example, there’s 305 E. FM544 Suite 909.”

Last month, the Council approved to change the addressees for residences and businesses located in the central on western portions of 544. Since these changes are taking place, city staff said now is the time to change the name of 544 to coincide with the other address changes, if the Council chooses.

“Instead of Main Street, what about changing 544 to Plano Parkway,” Baldwin suggested.

East Plano Pkwy. and 14th St. turn into FM 544 in Murphy.

“I’m torn about this,” Halbert said. “I’m not thrilled about changing the name.”

In addition, former Murphy City Councils considered changing the name of Betsy Lane to Park Lane, but didn’t never took action on it, Lee said. Park Lane turns into Betsy Lane in Murphy. In Wylie, the street changes to McMillen and back to Park.

“I’d like to talk to Plano and Wylie about both of these streets and get their perspective about what they’re going to do,” Baldwin said. “If Wylie plans to change the portion of their street to Park, then it makes sense for us to change it to Park.”

The Council took no action on this item and will wait to get more information from neighboring cities.

In other news, Council approved an ordinance establishing the Murphy Fire Rescue Department as the agency responsible for providing emergency medical services (EMS) in Murphy. The ordinance contains a list of hospitals that EMS ambulances will transport patients to, including Medical Center of Plano, Children’s Medical Center in Dallas, Baylor Plano, Campbell Methodist in Richardson and Parkland Hospital in Dallas.

“Why isn’t the Bush/Renner Methodist Medical Center included on this list?” Baldwin asked. The Bush/Renner Center is a gem for Murphy because of its close proximity and great medical care, Baldwin continued.

Lee said the Bush/Renner Center currently does not have an intensive care unit (ICU) with the same amount of resources as other hospitals, such as Campbell Methodist in Richardson. (EMS patients can request to be taken to Bush/Renner if they desire.) Bush/Renner is planning to expand its emergency care capabilities in the future, Lee added.

Council voted to establish an exploratory committee to investigate if residents would support building a community-built playground in Murphy Central Park.

“I’m all for the community coming together to build a playground,” Baldwin said.

In September, the Murphy Park and Recreation Board voted to recommend that City Council appoint a 501(c)(3) (nonprofit) committee to begin fundraising for a community-built playground.

Instead of appointing a 501(c)(3) committee, Council voted to form an exploratory committee in order to get resident feedback on the proposed project. If the committee reports positive feedback from residents, then the Council will move forward with establishing a 501(c)(3) fundraising committee.

In addition, Council voted to dissolve Murphy’s Community Events Committee. At a work session in October, Council discussed dissolving the committee, saying that members could offer their talents through volunteer opportunities for community events.

“This committee has done an extreme amount of work,” said Councilmember Dave Brandon, who voted against dissolving the committee. “We just renewed their charter and now we’re dissolving it.”

During the Council’s October work session, the consensus was that the Community Event Committee had fulfilled its mission, Baldwin said.

In other news, Council awarded the Liberty Ridge Park construction bid to Wall Enterprise and nominated Brandon for the North Central Texas Council of Governments’ Regional Emergency Preparedness Planning Council.

By Laura Swift

Discussions over the Murphy Community Center and the use of iPads for city business became heated during a Nov. 15 City Council meeting.

“Thank you for discounting my comments,” Councilmember Dave Brandon said after Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Colleen Halbert clarified why Council directed city staff to include annual membership rates and proposed hours of operation for the Murphy Community Center (MCC).

“I only have three issues with this [MCC proposed policies],” Brandon said. “First we wanted to have limited hours and then we had a discussion and now we’re having big hours. I understand that Sunday we’re closed and Friday we’re closed. We were going to start small and grow. We only have [room for] growth now for two days.

“I really wish we didn’t serve alcohol. That’s my personal preference. And the whole idea of membership. This is a city building that we’re all paying for,” Brandon concluded.

Halbert said there isn’t a recreation center in the area where membership fees are not required, and that the MCC’s annual membership fees are a good deal.

Mayor Bret Baldwin said he shared Brandon’s view on membership rates. “I don’t see the need to have this [memberships],” Baldwin said. “I think membership rates will discourage use. I don’t think the benefit is going to rise to the level of administration hassle.”

Mayor Pro Tem John Daugherty said the annual membership rates are necessary because they will contribute to the MCC’s operational costs. “In order to maintain the facility and hire staff, you have to have membership fees,” Daugherty said. “Or the city would have to absorb the operational costs.”

“Electricity, water, staff, maintenance and insurance; the facility would be a significant increase in costs to the city [if there were no fees],” Councilmember Scott Bradley said.

Council also weighed the pros and cons of implementing administrative fees for room rentals, including a setup and tear-down fee and a room rental fee. Halbert said administrative fees and a refundable deposit will encourage renters to treat the facility and chairs/tables with care.

In addition, Council discussed rental fees for nonprofit organizations, alcohol licensure and the catering policy for the MCC. Council directed city staff to include changes to the MCC proposed policy document.

The MCC proposed hours and member/non-member fees can be found at http://www.murphytx.org.

The other big topic of the night was the use of iPads for City Council members and Murphy employees. City Secretary Aimee Nemer said a number of cities and towns in North Texas have gone paperless and have purchased iPads for City Council use, including Allen, Lewisville and Anna.

Councilmember Bernard Grant said using an iPad during meetings is beneficial because it allows councilmembers to access documents, maps, websites, etc., for reference during discussions. “The iPad should be city property used solely for city purposes only,” Grant said. “After a councilmember’s term, the device should be wiped and sold at public auction. I was against iPad use at first but after I’ve used one I’m strongly in favor of them now.”

After Council deliberated the pros and cons of city-owned versus privately owned iPads, the Council passed the Employee and City Council Member iPad Purchase and Use Agreements, making the following amendments:
• Delete the item saying that a councilmember will pay half the cost for the purchase of the iPad and that a city employee will pay 60 percent of the cost to purchase an iPad.
• Delete the item stating the iPad becomes the councilmember’s or city employee’s property after one year.
• Include that the iPad is city property and that it must be requested by the councilmember. All purchases at the end of a councilmember’s term will be sold through regular auction.

In other news, Council passed an addendum to the Collin County 381 program, adding language that requires city of Murphy approval of proposed economic projects. Collin County 381 is a tax incentive program geared to encourage the creation and relocation of new businesses to Collin County on or after Jan. 1, 2012.

Council also authorized city staff to proceed with the “Adopt-a-Street” program, which was created to encourage residents, business and civic organizations to help beautify the city by volunteering to collect litter along Murphy’s streets.

Following the meeting’s closed executive session, the Council appointed Natalie Banuelos as Murphy’s municipal judge effective Dec. 1, 2011, and removed Chrissi Gumbert as municipal judge and appointed her as the alternate effective Dec 1, 2011.

By Laura Swift

Less than two weeks after Cathy Haden resigned as Murphy’s municipal judge, the City Council appointed Chrissi Gumbert as Haden’s temporary replacement. While Gumbert takes the reigns at court, the city will conduct a more extensive search for a full-time municipal judge.

In June, the City Council had raised questions about Haden’s handling of Municipal Court cases. Following an executive session, the Council asked City Manager James Fisher to find out if a contract had been offered to Haden and asked him to investigate how the court is operating.

“There was an immediate need for someone to come help get the court rolling again while the city conducts a more extensive search,” Gumbert said. “It’s been rough on the clerks.

“I can tell you that any [case] backlog is our top priority. We will work diligently to process all pending cases while we handle new cases that are filed with the court. I expect the court to operate smoothly during this time of transition.”

Gumbert said a friend in the Dallas District Attorney’s Office told her about the open position in Murphy. “I called [Court Administrator] Patti Towne and the wheels just started turning from there,” Gumbert said.

She has served as associate municipal judge for the city if Richardson, which has a more expansive court system because it’s a court of record. Gumbert has also worked in the Public Integrity Division and Trial Division of the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office. She received her bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University and her law degree from the University of Texas.

Gumbert said as Murphy’s municipal judge, she’ll be able to issue arrest and search warrants, oversee court dockets, hear cases, determine if and when to dismiss a case, and serve as a magistrate.

“I think it’s a good fit,” Gumbert said. “I’m looking forward to it.”