Day: March 16, 2020

City of Plano TX closing library, parks and recreation facilities through March 27

Brian Bearden
The City of Plano today declared a local state of disaster for public health emergency. Extraordinary changes are required in City operations to help contain the spread of the Coronavirus or COVID-19 within our community.
The following changes will go into effect at the end of business today (5 p.m.):
  • The City of Plano will activate the Emergency Operations Center and will operate during normal business hours.
  • All Parks & Recreation facilities are closed until March 27 at which time the closure will be reassessed.
  • All Library facilities are closed until March 27 at which time the closure will be reassessed.
  • All City Board and Commission meetings, with the exception of Plano City Council, Planning and Zoning and any other meeting required by law, will be postponed until their normal May meeting.
  • All sports leagues utilizing City of Plano fields/facilities will be suspended through March 27 for practice and play at which time the closure will be reassessed.
  • All citizens are encouraged to watch City Council meetings online and submit comments of public interest or comments on agenda items electronically to the City of Plano City Secretary Lisa Henderson at LisaH@plano.gov.
  • All meetings at the Plano Event Center, Special Events and Facility rentals will be offered refunds of deposit and/or fees for events.
Collin County, along with our neighboring Cities of Allen, Frisco and McKinney, are expected to make similar public health emergency declarations.
“This is an important declaration for a serious and changing situation,” said Plano City Manager Mark Israelson. “Plano, our neighboring cities and Collin County all recognize the importance of prudent and proactive actions at this time. We need all citizens and businesses to do their part to prevent the spread of COVID-19.”
The City of Plano will be posting regular daily updates on all social channels and on the City’s dedicated COVID-19 website: share.plano.gov/COVID-19update

County Judge issues Disaster Declaration for Collin County

Brian Bearden

McKINNEY, TEXAS – Collin County Judge Chris Hill announced a formal disaster declaration for Collin County today, to better position and prepare the county and its communities to respond to the public health emergencies that may arise from the coronavirus outbreak.

The disaster declaration comes in the wake of similar announcements on Friday from President Donald Trump and Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

“Since the first news of the coronavirus outbreak, Collin County has been working diligently with the State of Texas and our local cities to prepare for this eventuality. We stand ready to partner with and support our communities in any way necessary,” said Judge Hill, whose statutory duties include serving as the county’s emergency management coordinator.  “We all have to work together to safeguard the health of our community. This declaration ensures that we are able to access and share strategic resources and supplies as they become available.”

The mayors of Allen, Frisco, McKinney and Plano, working in cooperation with Judge Hill, issued similar disaster declarations Monday.

As of this morning, county health officials have reported eight presumptive positive cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Collin County.

Public Health Report

  • There are eight (8) confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Collin County at this time.
  • There are 82 Persons Under Monitoring (PUM) in Collin County at this time.

Disaster Declaration

  • County Judge Chris Hill has issued a disaster declaration for Collin County, effective March 16, 2020.

County Operations

  • All non-essential court operations in Collin County have been postponed until April 1. Essential court proceedings will continue as scheduled and are defined by the respective courts’ orders. District Courts. County Courts at Law. Justice Courts. Probate Courts.
  • Other county offices are open and operating during normal business hours.
  • The Collin County Commissioners Court will not be cancelling meetings at this time.
  • Inmate visitation and inmate programs at the Collin County Detention Facility have been cancelled until further notice. Attorney visits are still permitted, but the procedures for the visits have changed.
  • County employees with fever or flu-like symptoms are required to stay home from work and are prohibited from returning to work until they have been fever-free without medication for 24 hours.

Closures & Cancellations

  • All county board and commission meetings have been cancelled through March 31. Boards and commissions are directed to utilize electronic communication methods to address any critical issues that arise in that timeframe.

 

All updates will be posted on the Collin County website and at ChrisHill.us.

Collin County Democrats: Ann Richards Dinner postponed

Brian Bearden

DAnn Richards Dinner postponed 2020ear Democrats,

Our Ann Richards Committee has made the difficult decision to postpone this year’s Ann Richards Dinner that was originally scheduled for April 18th.

In doing so, they considered expert guidance by the CDC and WHO regarding coronavirus, similar decisions by local leaders, and the need to protect our community.

We plan to reschedule the 2020 Ann Richards Dinner to a later date in the year and will keep you updated over the weeks to come. We believe doing so is the best choice for our party and the wider community for which we are responsible.

We are also very grateful for all of you who have supported the dinner and sponsored or purchased tickets. We are saving your seats for you and look forward to having you at our rescheduled dinner. Your support helps build our party, our community, and a better Collin County.

All the volunteer members on this year’s Ann Richards team have done a fantastic job planning and preparing for what promised to be a great night. We are very grateful for all the hard work and planning they have put into this event, and we will see their hard work later this year.

John Shanks
Executive Director
Collin County Democratic Party

Allen ISD providing free curbside breakfast, lunch for students March 16-20

Brian Bearden

Allen ISD will provide curbside breakfast and lunch meals for all Allen ISD students during the week of March 16-20.

Curbside meal sites at Boyd Elementary School (800 Jupiter Road) and Rountree Elementary School (800 East Main Street) will be open from

7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. for breakfast pick-up Monday through Friday

and from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for lunch pick-up.

Families may remain in their cars to pick-up meals curbside at the front of designated campus sites. One meal will be provided for each Allen ISD student, including middle and high school students.

Allen ISD advises students must be present to receive meals. The school district said parents and siblings may not pick up meals for other students.

This meal service will continue if school closures are extended, according to the school district.

Other local school districts are also providing meals during the school closing situation. Check with your local school district for Grab and Go meal information.

 

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