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Plano’s 15th Street medians to receive $372K trees and irrigation system

Plano City Council approved a $371,999 contract for new trees and an irrigation system along 15th Street at a meeting June 8.

In a nutshell: The city awarded the contract to the Allen-based company, Central North Construction LLC. The median renovation project will include planting trees in medians from Custer Road to Mill Valley Drive and from Independence Parkway to Coit Road along 15th Street, per city documents.

The trees previously along the medians have been removed because of poor health from previous weather events, disease, insect damage, poor nursery stock or because they outgrew the space.

 
Coming Soon
Houston-based bar Kirby Ice House to open Plano location

Houston-based Kirby Ice House is set to build a new location in Plano, according to a project listed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

The specifics: The bar has four locations in Houston, featuring more than 60 beers on tap and expansive patio space.

The new Plano location will be 13,200 square feet, per to the TDLR listing, and is scheduled to finish construction in July 2027.

 
On The Transportation Beat
East-West Connector at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport opens

A 1.65-mile stretch of road within the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport campus opened June 12.

The $30.8 million East-West Connector was first envisioned nearly 20 years ago to connect transportation in the airport’s southern corridor, according to a news release.

The details: The roadway extends from Rental Car Drive to the Harwood Drive/SH 360 intersection and will connect drivers to the Southgate Plaza, near Terminal E and the under-construction Terminal F.

The project was funded through federal transportation programs and administered by the North Central Texas Council of Governments, which provided approximately 80% of the funding. There was a funding agreement between DFW Airport and the Texas Department of Transportation Fort Worth District for the remaining 20%.

Also of note: Mario Sinacola & Sons Excavating Inc. was the contractor for the project, according to previous reporting.

 
Metro News Monday
New Frisco mayor, Plano traffic light upgrades: 6 trending Dallas-Fort Worth stories

Frisco voters elected a new mayor and Plano traffic lights will receive traffic detection upgrades. Check out six trending stories from Community Impact’s Dallas-Fort Worth coverage. 

1. Mark Hill wins race for Frisco mayor

2. New public transportation available in Frisco's Rail District

3. 7 places to watch FIFA World Cup games in Fort Worth

4. Prosper ISD, Celina ISD outpace state in end-of-course exams

5. Plano City Council approves $8.5M for traffic light vehicle detection upgrades

6. The Pub offers craft cocktails, burgers in downtown McKinney

 
CI Texas
Report: Camp Mystic failed to prevent deaths, shirked responsibilities in July 4 flood

About two weeks shy of the anniversary of deadly flooding that devastated parts of Central Texas last summer, state lawmakers approved a 115-page report chronicling what they deemed “failures” at Camp Mystic, a Christian youth camp where 27 young girls died.

The details: The family running Camp Mystic was not prepared to respond to a disaster in flood-prone Kerr County and did not act quickly enough to save campers’ lives, investigators said during a June 18 hearing at the Capitol.

Investigators Casey Garrett and Michael Massengale told lawmakers about recent interviews with teenage counselors who witnessed the July 4 tragedy, reiterating a key point from hearings earlier this year: all deaths at Camp Mystic could have been prevented if camp leaders had planned ahead and acted more quickly.

"Nobody had any idea what they needed to be doing, and it crippled them," Garrett said.

Looking ahead: Lawmakers adopted the investigative team’s report, which will be shared with legislative leaders as they draft additional policy changes in response to the flood during the 2027 state legislative session.

 

Your local team

Michael Crouchley
Editor

Email [email protected] for story ideas, tips or questions.

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