The King’s University came to Southlake as a result of a longtime relationship betweenGateway Senior Pastor Robert Morris and Dr. Jack Hayford, founder andChancellor of The King’s University and founding pastor of The Church On The Way in Van Nuys.

“Pastor Robert came to Gateway Church leadership a few years ago and said, ‘It’s time to train the next generation,’” says Dr. John Spurling, director of The King’s University at Gateway. “With Gateway’s previous facility becoming vacant, it helped us make a decision to bring The King’s University to Southlake.”

According to Dr. Spurling, the school is unique in that it combines higher education with practical experience.

“Ths partnership allows us to integrate a classroom experience with hands-on training, similar to a teaching hospital. It creates the opportunity to develop a model that can be implemented in other large churches around the country,” he adds.

For example, a significant component of the undergraduate degree program for full-time students includes participation in a ministry training program at Gateway Church. Areas include pastoral leadership, kids ministry, counseling and small groups. This practical weekly involvement allows students to experience ministry firsthand and expose them to the diverse ministry challenges found in a dynamic, healthy, growing church.

The University’s spring semester began March 23 with 130 students, a nine-person administrative staff, and 12 faculty members at the Southlake campus. Currently, there are six academic concentrations offered:

• Associate and graduate certificate in biblical studies
• Associate and graduate certificate in Christian ministry
• Associate of Christian ministry/worship
• Bachelor of theological studies
• Master of practical theology
• Master of divinity

A doctorate program is expected to be offered within two years.

Another important distinction of The King’s University is that it is accredited by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools and by the Commission on Accreditation of the Association for Biblical Higher Education.   In addition, The King’s University at Gateway anticipates approval in the near future to enroll international students.

Renovations are well underway inside Gateway’s former location at 2121 E. Southlake Boulevard and The King’s University is expecting to move in mid-August.

According to Doug Sluiter, Gateway’s executive director of building operations and development, the building is being repurposed for the school’s needs and the auditorium downsized from 1,700 to 800 seats. Nine classrooms, a library, café, and administration offices are being built. The facility may also be used to host weddings and other special events for Gateway Church.

Wanting to manage its growth, the University is limiting its local marketing efforts primarily to Gateway’s four campuses in Dallas Fort Worth. A commercial is airing nationally on Daystar Television and a recent college day brought prospective students from as far away as Maine and New York.

“The King’s University coming to town is great for our city and I really like the faith-based aspect of it,” comments Southlake Mayor John Terrell, noting an official welcome will take place once the new campus is open. “It will be great to see that building come to life.”

For more information about The King’s University at Gateway, go to www.Gateway.KingsUniversity.edu.

The City of Southlake is  looking for volunteers to help clean up the trail system at the Bob Jones Nature Center & Preserve.  All individuals, families, groups, organizations and businesses are welcome to participate. The Great American Cleanup is one of the nation’s largest community improvement initiatives.  Millions of volunteers come together for this annual event to cleanup and beautify their communities.

If you are a current volunteer and interested in volunteering, please contact Stacey Udoni at sudoni@ci.southlake.tx.us or 817-748-8036.  If you are a new volunteer and interested in volunteering, please visit our website www.volunteersouthlake.com. Please register to volunteer by Thursday, May 23!

“After last summer’s unprecedented outbreak, the City reached out to the health departments of both Tarrant and Denton counties so we could prepare for this summer’s West Nile Virus season,” said Emergency Management Coordinator Kyle Taylor.  “We have also developed a tiered response that is based upon the amount of mosquitoes that we are finding in our traps, the results of West Nile Virus testing and any confirmed human cases of the disease.”

Last summer, Texas was at the epicenter of the worst West Nile Virus outbreak in years.  Southlake saw eight confirmed cases of West Nile Virus.  This summer the City is encouraging residents to take personal responsibility to Fight the Bite.

“What many people don’t know is that backyards are the perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes,” said Environmental Coordinator Christi Upton.  “Any area that holds little more than a teaspoon of undisturbed water for a couple of days can become a breeding ground for the type of mosquitoes most responsible for spreading this virus.”

Upton urges residents to get rid of these mosquito hot zones and get rid of standing water where you can.  Close containers, empty what you can’t frequently, or treat areas you can not drain with a larvacide.  She added that the City is checking and testing public property areas of standing water, treating with a larvacide and placing briquettes when appropriate.

The City is making biological mosquito larvicide available to residents for private property use.  These briquettes treat standing water by releasing a larvicide that kills larvae for a period of 30 days.  The briquettes are available at the following locations Public Works Operations, 1950 E. Continental Boulevard Monday – Friday, 7:30 am to 4:30 pm.

The City has created a website page www.CityofSouthlake.com/FightTheBite to aid residents and businesses.  It answers frequently asked questions and details the City’s Action Plan for the summer.

“The website also provides a way for people to report a mosquito problem if they see it, said Taylor.”  “Just fill out the “Mosquito Problem” form and the City will follow up on your request.”

“We were given a mission by the City Council and the families of Southlake,” said Assistant Police Chief James Brandon.  ”Now it is time to find the officers who will not only add another layer of safety and security to our schools, but also help provide support and encouragement to Carroll students.”

The placement of SROs in the Carroll schools was the result of a recommendation by a safety and security task force headed up by Southlake Mayor John Terrell.  Other task force members include Carroll School Board President Read Ballew, SPARK representative Laura Hill, Southlake Police Chief Steve Mylett as well as state, and federal law enforcement officials.   The task force was created after the tragic shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown Connecticut.

“The hiring criteria of the Southlake SROs is specific, any applicant must have an advanced TCLEOSE designation,” said Human Resource Director Stacey Black.   Black worked with Assistant Chief Brandon and Chief Mylett to create the job description and work scope.  Much of it was based on the task force’s recommendations and Brandon’s and Mylett’s years of police experience.

“It’s a different kind of police work that’s why it will take a special kind of officer to be successful in this role,” said Chief Mylett.  ”They will have to be willing to forge relationships and make investments into the students’ lives and their wellbeing.  It’s about helping create an environment where kids can learn and thrive and feel safe doing it. That’s why we will only hire the best of best.”

Once the applicants are hired, Assistant Chief Brandon says that the officers will go through a week-long specialized training that will focus on the safety and security needs of the school environment.  Not long after that training is over, the officers will then help open up the 2013-2014 school year on August 26th.

The enhanced SRO program will be funded primarily through the Crime Control and Prevention District; a voter approved local sales tax allotment that funnels 1/2 cent of every sales tax dollar into a fund designated for safety and security initiatives.  The City’s general fund will also contribute towards the program’s costs.

ERCOT today released its final summer Seasonal Assessment of Resource Adequacy (SARA), which anticipates tight conditions this summer, along with the semiannual update to its long-term Capacity, Demand and Reserves (CDR) report, which shows some improvement since the previous report was issued in December 2012.

Tight summer ahead, conservation calls likely

With tight operating reserves expected this summer, especially during the late afternoon hours on the hottest days, it is likely that ERCOT will initiate conservation alerts or power watches
on some days. These alerts ask the public to reduce electric use to help ERCOT maintain reliability of the grid.

“We are expecting above-normal temperatures throughout summer in most areas of the ERCOT region,” said Kent Saathoff, an ERCOT executive advisor who has overseen various aspects of grid operations and system planning for several decades. “To help ensure there is enough generation to serve consumer needs, we likely will ask people to conserve power during the hottest hours of the hottest days.”

High temperatures typically drive electric demand in the ERCOT region, especially among residential consumers, who use more than half the electricity being consumed during the peak hours of the hottest days when air conditioner use is at its maximum.

ERCOT expects power demands this summer to peak at 68,383 megawatts (MW), slightly above the 68,305 MW all-time record set Aug. 3, 2011. One MW is enough electricity to power about 200 homes in the ERCOT region when electric use is highest, typically between 3 and 7 p.m. during the hottest days of the year.

The amount of generation available to serve peak electric needs is forecast at 74,438 MW, including 925 MW of new coal-fired generation from the Sandy Creek Energy Station in McLennan County and about 700 MW of new wind power resources.

More extreme scenarios could result in more generation outages than the forecast includes or an increase in demand of as much as 2,529 MW, if weather patterns similar to summer 2011 return.

“If generation outages exceed expected conditions during peak demand periods, or if we see a return of record-breaking conditions like those in 2011, ERCOT also may need to implement Energy Emergency Alert actions, with the possibility of rotating outages if needed to protect the grid,” Saathoff added.

Drought conditions are not expected to create problems for power plant operations over the summer months. However, if dry conditions persist, some plants may experience operational challenges later in the year.

ERCOT also released a preliminary outlook for fall 2013, which anticipates sufficient resources to serve expected demand.

Long-term outlook shows some improvement, work still needed

“ERCOT currently expects the planning reserve margin for summer 2014 to be slightly above its current 13.75 percent target, an improvement since the last long-term outlook was released in December,” said ERCOT CEO Trip Doggett.

The new CDR shows a planning reserve margin of 13.8 percent for summer 2014, up from 10.9 percent when the last report was released in December. While the peak electric demand forecast for summer 2014 is a little more than 69,800 MW, assuming historical average summer weather, the total amount of anticipated generation resources has increased to nearly 77,600 MW from slightly less than 75,000 MW in the previous report.

The new total includes 385 MW of gas-fired power and 40 MW of new storage capacity in Harris County, as well as 90 MW of gas-fired power in Fort Bend County, 50 MW of new solar power in Bexar County, and about 1,080 MW of new wind generation in various locations. Two projects currently under construction by Panda Power Funds also have adjusted target commercial operations dates to make more than 1,400 MW of new natural gas-fired generation available in time for 2014 summer needs.

The 10-year outlook, which is based on a “Low Economic Growth” forecast from Moody’s Analytics and 30-year average temperatures, shows peak demand increasing to nearly 69,700 MW in summer 2015, with growth continuing annually up to more than 76,000 MW in 2023.

Load growth forecasts become less certain in the longer term. Also, available generation capacity only includes resources that have interconnection agreements and any necessary air quality permits in place.

Although reserve margins after 2014 remain below the 13.75 percent target, the future outlook has improved continually since 2011. Additional resources are in various stages of review and may be added to future reports.

Consumers’ role in a reliable grid

“We will continue to ask consumers to use power wisely, especially during the summer peak demand hours of 3 to 7 p.m.,” said Doggett. “Voluntary conservation when it is needed most — along with ongoing efforts to expand other demand response options — can help us ensure there is enough power for everyone when generation resources are tight.”

To keep up with real-time grid conditions and know when conservation is most important, consumers can download the ERCOT Energy Saver app on Apple (available at the Apple store) and Android (available on Google Play) mobile devices, follow ERCOT on Twitter (@ERCOT_ISO) or Facebook (Electric Reliability Council of Texas), or subscribe to EmergencyAlerts emails on http://lists.ercot.com.

Bicentennial Park is Southlake’s premiere park facility, and is comprised of the first land assembled for park purposes in the city.  Improvements will include a new playground, Texas Rangers Miracle League Baseball Field, new concession/restroom facility, enhancement to the original baseball 4-plex, park boulevard connection to White Chapel Blvd., new Park Maintenance Facility, parking, trails, enhanced landscape and irrigation improvements including an additional new water well.

Over the past six months, City staff has been working with Miracle League of Southlake and Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation on an agreement for a one lump-sum donation of $100,000 for naming rights to the field for 10 years. With this donation, the Miracle Field at Bicentennial Park is named “Texas Rangers Miracle League Field.”

Director of Community Services for the City of Southlake, Chris Tribble, states “The Texas Rangers Miracle League Field has been a very special project to the City of Southlake. The addition of a Miracle League field at Bicentennial Park, offers children, young adults, and adults alike with special needs the opportunity to play the game of baseball. We appreciate the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation and the Miracle League of  Southlake Organization for their support in this project.”

Miracle League of DFW is working to bring joy to communities that one day every child will have the opportunity to play ball across DFW. “We are very excited about the groundbreaking of the Texas Rangers Miracle League Field, this is a significant step for our organization. We are grateful for the relationship we have with the City of Southlake and the Texas Rangers Foundation; these relationships can only strengthen the success of our Miracle League of Southlake Organization,” Miracle League of Southlake President, Phil Meyer. Learn more about Miracle League and how to get involved here or call (817) 300-1094.

The Bicentennial improvements and Texas Rangers Miracle League Field is set to be completed in the fall of 2014. For updates and more information, please call (817) 748-8019.

On June 18^th, the Mayor and Council will make appointments to the Building Board of Appeals, Parks and Recreation Board, Planning and Zoning Commission, Southlake Parks Development Corporation, and Zoning Board of Adjustment.

Citizens interested in helping their local government in the areas of regard to park facilities, zoning cases, and commercial or residential development are encouraged to complete an application for a board or commission. Applications may be obtained from the City’s website. Each appointment is for a term of two years.

City Council is looking for committed Citizens to our community. If you desire to serve in this role, please complete an application and send an e-mail (arichardson@ci.southlake.tx.us) or fax (817).748.8270 to the City Secretary’s Office.