Trustees prepare for May 4 board elections
by Chris Taylor, editor in chief

   The TCC board of trustees approved procedures for the upcoming May elections at its monthly meeting last week.

  The meeting on NW Campus involved several actions to prepare for the trustee election when seats for districts 1, 2 and 3 will be up for re-election.

  The board approved the polling locations and a joint election with the Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD).

  Attorney Tom Carr explained that by approving the joint election, any election expenses in the FWISD area would be shared, thus saving TCC money.

  Carr also informed the board that because of a recent state law, any district where there is no opposition would not require an election; therefore, the college would save money in these instances.

  In more election action, the board approved a proposal to identify the single-member districts by aligning them with public school districts in Tarrant County.

  Board president Ardis Bell, Tom Demarest and Robyn Medina Winnett all have districts open for the May 4 election.

  According to the Star-Telegram, Bell has filed to run for another six-year-term.

  Demarest has decided against running, and Winnett has not decided whether to run for a second term.

  In other action, the board approved Chancellor Leonardo De la Garza’s recommendation to keep TXU as the electric service provider for the college.

  The chancellor reasoned that TXU and the college have had an opportunity to evaluate TXU’s services because of its long history with the college.

  The board also approved the 2002-03 master calendar for TCC.

  The calendar, which details semesters, holidays and spring break, was designed to match holidays with other colleges and public schools.

  Michael Saenz, NW Campus president, welcomed the board to the campus with a presentation on Walsh Ranch.  

  Walsh Ranch is a large development project, which is scheduled to include housing developments, a golf course and some light industrial.

  The proposed development will be located on the border of Tarrant and Parker counties, near the junction of I-20 and I-30.

  Projections estimate that Walsh Ranch will hold a population of 45,000 people. It will take about 35-40 years to complete, and work is projected to start in the next three years.