Get to know: David M Descoteau, Candidate for Mayor

Written by: David Descoteau

Gunter schools are exemplary with excellent athletic programs and we can expect continued growth.

And real growth must start at the city level with basic services.  I want to work for you.  I want to work

with you.  We need to create a more hospitable environment for business, resolve infrastructure issues,

and foster family first in our community and government.  Together we can get Gunter back on the right

track again.

FAMILY FIRST

SPORTS

Gunter is host to the State Champion Tiger football team, the State ranked #2 Tiger baseball team, a

volleyball team that consistently preforms at a high level yet we are fragmented in our youth sports.

Today we have children that must drive to Celina, Frisco, or other adjacent towns to play their games

because we do not have the facilities to provide them.  I want to change this; I want Gunter's children to

play in Gunter.

I am currently proposing through the Park and Recreation board the creation of a multi-purpose field for

soccer and pee-wee football.  This field will allow the children of our town and their parents to play all of

their home games in Gunter.  It is this kind of initiative, and focus I will bring to this position.

LIBRARY

We have a wonderful library in Gunter but the space available to them is limiting the programs that they

can offer.  This is an area where we can help.  Finding a reasonable balance of City and Library can allow

the Library to grow and bring valuable reading programs to the children of Gunter.  It will allow them to

expand the number of books and programs they can offer to our children.  This is a much-needed

change for our Community and an easy one for us to do if we work together.

COMMUNITY CENTER

A community center is a place for the community to congregate, to make new friends and renew old

friendships.  A place for hosting all kinds of community programs.  At this time Gunter does not have a

community center available.  As we grow places like the community center become a vital part of the

community by offer services such as potlucks, singles nights, afterschool programs and tutoring, health,

wellness and exercise classes, crafts, lectures, dances, music performances just to name a few.  Let's

bring this back to Gunter!

INFRASTRUCTURE

Sewer

The four development projects that have been initiated account for almost 17% of the total planning

area to our western ETJ. These projects are located near the outer extremities of this planning area. The

size of these projects and their disparate locations makes it important to assess their water and sewer

service needs considering the future growth to our west. Our Sewer ponds have been updated in the

last few years, but with the proposed growth coming we will soon reach our capacity of 75 %. At 90% we

must implement those plans. Advance thinking, designing and defining those plans include minimizing

the financial impact to the citizens of this community.

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Roads

Roads are a basic service within any city.  We all use them and as such we all know which are good and

those that are not so good.  Getting them fixed and maintaining them is a big expenditure.  As such we

need to seek outside funding through grants and other avenues to make these repairs and get back on

track.  Unfortunately, this takes time to accomplish but if we start now it will smooth the way to the

future.

Water

Several years ago, small cities in Grayson had to opportunity to purchase water from Lake Texoma for

the future. We are one of those cities and there are meetings in progress to establish a means to get

that water to those small cities. This is an ongoing procedure with no confirmation for a time frame.  It is

an ongoing process as we bring surface and well waters together.

When you lost water the last time did you wonder why? It seems that the current water pipes we have

in the city do not make a loop of our water system. Meaning that if you have a pipe break in one spot

many times the water is shut off to the city. Do you remember this happening last year several times?

This should be one of the major items in our Capital Improvements. As you may be aware the City is in

the process of updating our water meters which enhance our water proficiency and accuracy. This will

help the problem but not solve it.

BUSINESS GROWTH

Capital Improvement Planning

The very definition alone for this lays out the need for such planning.  "A Capital Improvement Plan

(Program), or CIP, is a short-range plan, usually four to ten years, which identifies capital projects and

equipment purchases, provides a planning schedule and identifies options for financing the plan."

Without a CIP the citizens and future business have no direction or guidance as to what or how there

city will grow.  Council and other entities are just driving blindly into the dark; change and growth are

coming and we need to plan ahead in order to responsibly prepare for it.

Impact Fees

An impact fee places the cost of improvements upon new developments that will require said

improvements. These improvements can either be internal or external to the new development,

depending upon need. The primary purpose of impact fees is to mitigate the impacts that new

developments have on the community. Impact fees provide an alternate source of funding for capital

improvements. This is especially critical as state and federal funding for infrastructure is becoming

scarcer, as well as the public having a greater sensitivity to raising taxes.  In the end these fees, paid by

the developers, help to offset the costs associated with growth.  Without them the city will be forced to

provide them.

Early Voting April 24-May 2  – Election Day May 6