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LEWISVILLE — In the words of Mayor Mike Horn, the Lewisville Town Council “moved a lot of money around” in last Thursday night’s meeting to add more amenities to Jack Warren Park.

The project will include a nature trail with connector paths and sidewalks, an 18-hole disc golf course and an outdoor event space proposed as an amphitheater.

“We are preparing to move forward with the project as early as August,” said Town Manager James Ayers.
That followed action taken by the council in new business involving four separate ordinance items to ultimately involve providing $250,185 as a town match to go along with $230,940 that Lewisville received in October 2022 as the recipient of a PARTF (Parks and Recreation Trust Fund) grant.
Funding the capital project included $459,854 as a transfer from the Parks & Recreation Capital Reserve Fund and also the transfer of $21,270, the amount remaining in the Jack Warren Park Maintenance Facility/Playground Expansion Capital Projects Fund, for a total of $481,125.

As Horn further explained after the council’s unanimous approval: “We actually have various accounts that we have to put money in to use for projects. This is basically moving around a big hunk of the same money to different places where we can access it.”

The breakdown for the expenses at Jack Warren Park includes $200,000 for the outdoor event space, $124,900 for the nature trail, $60,000 for the 18-hole disc golf course, $76,980 for design/engineering and $19,245 for contingency.

Also, in last Thursday night’s meeting, Ayers introduced a first-time event in Lewisville — National Night Out 2023. It will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 1, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Shallowford Square.

The event is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie.

“This is really exciting and part of a national thing,” Ayers said of the event, which is always held the first Tuesday night in August. “It supports law enforcement but also brings out other folks in public safety such as our Lewisville Fire Department, our Vienna Fire Department, Public Works and that support to the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office team.”

Ayers said he had been a part of this event in other jurisdictions and likes the idea of not only connecting with law enforcement but also with the local fire departments and others in the community, offering free food provided by the Vienna Civic Club — hot dogs, chips and drinks — as well as fun games and other activities.

“I think this is the 40th year of this event and the first year doing it in Lewisville,” Ayers said. “Hopefully, we’ll have a good turnout.”

In another highlights from last Tuesday night’s meeting, the council:

• Heard a presentation from Denise Heidel, the executive director of the Lewisville-Clemmons Chamber of Commerce, who proposed bringing another first-time event to Lewisville — Family Game Night — and asked about the possibility of receiving support to have it at the Mary Alice Warren Community Center. The council agreed, and a date of Jan. 27, 2024, from mid-afternoon to early evening, was agreed upon.
• Approved amending a grant project ordinance for the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to transfer up to $1,515,461 in ARPA funds to the General Fund in fiscal year 2023-2024 to be used to reimburse salaries and benefits.
• Heard from Ayers regarding upcoming concerts at Shallowford Square that will include Beggars Banquet, a Rolling Stones tribute band, on Saturday, July 22, and Songs of the South, an Alabama tribute band, on Saturday, Aug. 5. Both concerts will start at 7 p.m. Also in August, Tell Me Lies — The Fleetwood Mac Experience will perform on Saturday, Aug. 19, at the town square.
• Heard that candidate filing for the municipal elections closes Friday at noon.
• Was introduced to Veronica Leasure, who was recently hired as the town’s new full-time communications specialist. She will lead that area with an emphasis on community engagement.
• Honored resident Zeke Mock, who received a certificate “I’m One of the Reasons Lewisville is a Great Place to Live” for outstanding contributions to the Town of Lewisville and its residents.