MIDLOTHIAN – Midlothian Mayor Richard Reno and Midlothian City Manager Chris Dick are both in agreement that 2023 will be “a year for execution” for the city.

Reno said “It is all positive. We have done a lot of groundwork prior to 2023 within these last years.”

Now it’s time to see the fruition of the hard work, as bond projects start construction.

New City Hall & Public Safety Building Break Ground February 2

In the 2021 bond election Midlothian residents said they wanted a new City Hall and Public Safety Building.

Next month will be the groundbreaking for both of these major projects.

“This City Hall is going to last us the next 50 years or so, it is the future,” Reno explained. “A combination City Hall and Library and this is the first time the city will have its own library. We also have the new Public Safety Building. Overall, we anticipate a two-year completion.”

Speaking of the library, both men emphasized the fact the new library won’t be business as usual at 16,000 square-feet. It will actually be a place where the community can come together for projects including access to workspace, technology and programming.

“It will be downtown so it will be a good catalyst,” Reno added.

Downtown Master Plan, The Bigger Picture

According to Reno this is all part of a bigger picture – the Downtown Master Plan, which was approved in 2020.

Dick said too, “We are also doubling the capacity of our water treatment plant and in December the council approved the construction of Walnut Grove so you will see that taking off. In fact, we have in excess of probably $100 million worth of projects just in the four that are kicking off at the same time. Sort of the culmination of the planning we did in 2022 and now we are executing in 2023.”

Growth Is Increasing & That Requires Planning & Preparation

There is also the city’s population increasing steadily as it has been for some time.

Dick said “We have been averaging about four or five percent increase regularly, we did see a little bit of a slowdown on single family this year with the interest rates going up. I believe we will continue to see growth in the community. I know it is early in January, but we are seeing pickup in that activity so we will get to that trajectory.”

How far can the population increase over the years is anyone’s guess, but Reno said “We have been doubling every 10 years and we have been doing that since 1996 and we are pushing 40 now. Maybe this doubling will be a little bit slower, and we still haven’t topped out if you look at our land uses and theoretically we are pushing 100 so we are still 20 years away – we will still be growing at this rate.”

Of course, Dick adds “You don’t know about redevelopment in the future. Right now, we enjoy a large mix – I think if that changed with future council years from now with the redevelopment of the larger lots that could grow the population exponentially, but I don’t know that is going to happen.”

Midlothian has its fair share of land mass too.

“We do have a large landmass so some of these decisions are way out in the future for example,” Dick explained. “Like the quarries we have and how do you redevelop those someday?”

So, What Do Midlothian Residents Need To Know?

As the city does grow and see forward progress both Reno and Dick said one of the most important things needed by all residents is continued involvement in the critical decision making process.

“We need involvement by the citizens and parallel to what we have talked about we have started a branding process that says who we are and who we aspire to be,” Reno explained. “Behind that we are doing an update on the Comprehensive Plan and the Land Use, and we need input from the citizens. What do the citizens want Midlothian to be?”

Reno pointed out the importance of community involvement by pointing out the success of the new Community Park and how residents have been positive and upbeat about that addition.

“For the most part people out here we like ourselves,” Reno explained. “We really do. We go to the Community Park and the different events and the turnout is a good representation of who we are and it is positive and upbeat.”

And, while all cities have challenges with its growth, Midlothian city council and staff seem to be poised to handle it well.

Managing Budgets, Supply Chain Issues, Etc.

“How do we ensure quality growth and how do we improve quality of our services within the constraints of our budget,” Dick said. “How do we offer the best quality and services within our budget. That has been a little constrained since the state legislature has capped operational growth at a 3.5% cap, which has made it quite a bit more difficult with the inflationary measures we have seen and it hitting as high as almost nine percent. We also have had supply chain issues so all of those things have made it more difficult, but our city is not alone in that and we want to continue to maintain quality even with those constraints.”

The city does have an excellent bond which has made the challenges that all cities face less taxing. In fact, just under the highest rating of Triple A, which is generally as high as a city can go while growing like Midlothian is doing.

“We have a very conservative fiscal philosophy and approach to things, and we are being challenged now, our reserves and how we manage money and we will be challenged to continue with that,” Reno said. “Some of these decisions made in relation to these projects were not easy to figure out how to go forward and if we will go forward and council says we are going to go forward with these projects, but it is not easy. We will manage it.”

Following The Comprehensive Plan & Rebranding

Indeed, the city has a long history of making prudent decisions. The council is in good financial shape with the city continuing to be recognized for its transparency. The City Manager points out this speaks to Midlothian’s financial strength and a drive to ensure that things are being done appropriately from the top down.

So while 2022 was about laying the groundwork as Reno said “We are just now coming into our own – we are very different than we were 25 years ago.” Dick added to that concluding “It is about continuing the vibrancy of the city as we kick off our Comprehensive Plan and the branding project while looking toward the future.”

The City of Midlothian will break ground on Thursday, February 2, for the construction of the new Public Library and City Hall building on North 8th Street and the new Public Safety building at North 8th Street and Highway 67. Ceremonies for the Public Safety facility will take place at 10 a.m. with ceremonies for the Library/City Hall following at 11 a.m. For updates about the 2021 Bond Projects, visit the City of Midlothian’s website, www.midlothian.tx.us, under the “Government” tab.

Aside from the geographic pull, one of the factors that enticed SunOpta to build its new manufacturing site in Midlothian was the reception from local and county officials.

“We didn’t start our company in Texas, but we got here as soon as we could,” said Joe Ennen, CEO of SunOpta.

The Minnesota-based and sustainability-minded food and beverage manufacturer recently opened a $125 million plant-based manufacturing facility. The new facility marks an effort by the company to build redundancy into its supply chain.

SunOpta manufactures a variety of products, including plant-based food and beverages such as almond milk and oat milk. The company is one of the largest processors of organic fruits in the U.S.

The roughly $1 billion company goes to market in a couple different ways. SunOpta manufactures products for private label products, products for other national brands, its own brand portfolio and through ingredients it sells to other companies.

Throughout its nearly 50-year history, the company has had a focus on sustainability, Ennen said. Consumer appetite for products like plant-based beverages has grown, and over half of U.S. households have purchased at least one plant-based milk in the past 12 months.

“For some people, they view it as a trend. I view it as a 40-year overnight success,” he said.

Texas made sense for expansion for a couple different reasons. The move helped bridge the distance between its existing U.S. facilities, and the demographics in the area stood out.

The facility in Midlothian currently employs about 100 people, which will grow to about 200 employees by the time the site is completed. The facility measures 285,000 square feet and is located at 4126 Power Way. The company can expand the size of the facility up to 400,000 square feet.

Ennen spoke with the Dallas Business Journal about the appeal of the site and SunOpta’s expansion plans for Dallas-Fort Worth and across Texas.

What were the factors behind opening a facility in Texas?

There was a real opportunity for us from a portfolio standpoint to build a presence in the south and Texas quickly became an obvious choice for us. The result of that is what you could describe as a perfect diamond shape across the United States.

Now, we have East Coast production, West Coast production, Midwest production and southern production. That’s great from a sustainability standpoint. Just building a plant in Texas alone takes 15 million trucking miles off of our highway systems. It gives us the opportunity to deliver great value to our customers in terms of lower costs and supply chain redundancy because we’re manufacturing in four different places.

What was appealing about this site?

Beyond the strategic geographic benefits of locating in Texas, we were impressed and attracted to several things specifically. No. 1 is the receptivity, willingness and genuine collaboration we got from all the city and county officials in Midlothian. We really felt like they were sincere about partnership and collaboration, and they have been amazing partners in helping us build this plant.

We were attracted to the friendly business climate of Texas in general. It’s a well documented census fact that Texas is a net recipient of population growth, and with that comes availability of talented workers. Most of the jobs we have in the plant are sophisticated, high-skilled and technical jobs.

We felt like the combination of talent in the community, collaboration from local and county officials, and Texas being the second largest and one of the fastest growing states in the union represented perfect marriage for us.

What are your expansion plans in Texas going forward?

What we built in Texas is a ready-made growth footprint. What we’re building and installing in phase one represents probably one-third of what we will ultimately envision as our manufacturing footprint in Texas. We absolutely believe we’re just getting started.

This interview was edited for clarity and brevity.

North Texas Manufacturing Companies

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SunOpta—a plant-based food and beverage pioneer with headquarters in Minneapolis—has opened a new, $125 million high-tech production facility in Midlothian. The 285,000-square-feet “mega” plant has the capacity for future expansion to 400,000 square feet, and is bringing up to 175 new jobs to the region.

The new facility will manufacture SunOpta’s entire suite of plant-based milks and creamers, including its Sown, Dream, and West Life brands, along with tea and other products. Various package sizes will be produced,including pint and quart-sized packages used in food service, shelf-stable retail, and e-commerce for plant-based milk products, and 330-milliliter packages used primarily in SunOpta’s high-protein nutritional beverages, the company said.

The city of Midlothian and Ellis County approved a $7.5 million incentive package to help snag the plant, including a grant from Midlothian Economic Development and an eight-year tax abatement.

Why did SunOpta choose North Texas for the new plant? Location, location, says Lauren McNamara, VP and assistant GM of plant-based food and beverage for SunOpta.

“In combination with SunOpta’s plant locations in California, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania, the Texas location creates a competitively advantaged and strategic ‘diamond-shaped’ national network for national distribution,” McNamara told Dallas Innovates.

“Through innovation and our dedication to sustainability, we can now even better respond to the increasing nationwide demand for plant-based food and beverages through this ideal location in Midlothian,” she added.

The new Midlothian plant was designed with SunOpta’s sustainability objectives in mind, McNamara told us.

“The plant will reduce carbon emissions, conserve water, efficiently utilize power, and use recycled materials,” she said. “With the plant strategically placed in Texas, SunOpta will also significantly reduce emissions through lower transportation usage. The plant’s regional location will reduce more than 15 million freight miles annually and save 59 million pounds of carbon emissions.”

:In addition, the facility is equipped with water reuse equipment that can save up to 20 million gallons of water a year, an energy-efficient HVAC system that reduces energy consumption by 45%, LED lights and water heaters that reduce power usage by 95%, and offices and labs constructed with at least 40% recyclable materials.”

McNamara calls the new plant “a powerful next step” in SunOpta’s company vision to meet “increasing national demand” for plant-based food and beverages.

“SunOpta aims to double our plant-based business, and as such we have invested nearly $200 million in our plant-based production capacity in the last three years to support the accelerated growth and developing demand for plant-based milk alternatives,” McNamara said. “This new Midlothian plant adds capacity and new capabilities to further accelerate growth and reduce production costs to serve and meet the growing needs of SunOpta’s customers.”

When the new local plant expands to full capacity in the future, it “will become SunOpta’s largest plant for plant-based food and beverages” nationwide, McNamara added.

Anil Neti

Those cartons flying through the production lines won’t all be SunOpta brands. The company is also doing contract manufacturing at the Midlothian plant, “making the most recognized brands that anyone can find on grocery store shelves or used by baristas in their favorite coffee shops,” McNamara said.

The facility will be overseen by senior plant manager Anil Neti.

SunOpta says it is working closely with the city of Midlothian and other key partners to minimize the environmental footprint of its manufacturing processes.

Aerial view of new SunOpta production facility in Midlothian. [Photo: SunOpta]

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Google has provided a $141,000 grant to The Midlothian ISD Education Foundation, which funds educational programs for students and staff in the district. The grant funded two Midlothian ISD programs that support a holistic approach to student mental health care, the foundation said.

Mountain View, California-headquartered Google—which operates a data center in Midlothian—awarded $105,000 to Mentor’s Care and $36,000 to Care Solace, the district said.

“This boost from Google has been integral in helping us connect hundreds of our families and students to the necessary mental health resources that better enabled them to succeed in their educational environments,” Sabra Golden, director of guidance and counseling for Midlothian ISD, said in a statement. “Mental health greatly affects students’ ability to thrive in the classroom and programs like these give our students much-needed tools to get back on track. The grant, which directly backed two of our core partnerships, better allows us to unlock our students’ vast potential.”

The district said that Mentor’s Care serves students who are at risk of dropping out of high school because of mental health concerns, lack of academic success, and/or unforeseen life circumstances.

According to the district, mentors help students better handle life’s challenges by giving them social, emotional, and academic support that foster hope for the future. The mentors are trained to recognize signs of a student in crisis and are trained to make a warm hand-off to an appropriate mental health care provider if necessary.

The grant also provides a Mentor’s Care coordinator to offer consistent mentoring support for students in the LEAP Academy, a credit recovery program helping high school students meet graduation requirements.

With Google’s support, Midlothian ISD Education Foundation said it was able to meet its goal and graduate every MISD senior that participated in the Mentor’s Care program.

Care Solace is available to all Midlothian ISD students and families, providing help in navigating the mental health system and finding timely community-based care.

Through Care Solace, students are assigned a case manager who helps match the student’s individual needs with the appropriate services, can schedule appointments, and coordinates with insurance providers.

Midlothian ISD then tracks the progress of care through an online system that protects the privacy of the individual. Students and families can ask for assistance anonymously and receive the same quality of service. Care Solace is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“It’s critical that students and their families have the opportunity to access support and resources for their health and wellbeing,” Kate Franko, regional head of data center public affairs for Google, said in a statement. “This community investment was an imperative step towards that goal. We are proud to support the students and families of Midlothian ISD.”

Google also recently gave a $21,000 grant to Unite Ellis, an organization that connects people in need in Ellis County to necessary social services, according to information emailed to Dallas Innovates.

This isn’t the first time Google has contributed to Midlothian ISD Education Foundation, having provided the organization with $100,000 in 2021.

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Although setting off personal fireworks is prohibited by law in the City of Midlothian, local, professional pyrotechnic shows give everyone a chance to enjoy Independence Day safely.

First, on Monday, July 3rd, the Annual Community Fireworks Show will take place at 9:15 p.m. The show is staged near the Midlothian ISD Multi-Purpose Stadium, 1800 S. 14th Street, and can be viewed from the stadium parking lot and the surrounding area. The stadium parking lot opens at 6 p.m. This show is free thanks to support from Midlothian Community Development Corporation, Citizens National Bank of Texas, and Methodist Midlothian Medical Center. For information about viewing locations, visit www.Midlothian.tx.us/specialevents.

Next, on Tuesday, July 4th, Midlothian’s Masonic Lodge Scholarship Foundation presents its 11th Annual Pyromusical at Blaine Stone Lodge. To include a live band, food trucks, and lawn games, this event benefits scholarships for Midlothian students. Event sponsors include, Texas Ace Heating and Air and Methodist Midlothian Medical Center. Presenting sponsor is Midlothian Community Development Corporation. Cost of admission is $25 per car and advance tickets are recommended as capacity is limited to 500 vehicles. Bring chairs and blankets for lawn seating. Tickets may be purchased via the foundation’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/events/771665411092548?ref=newsfeed.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING CITY OF HUTCHINS CITY COUNCIL JULY 17, 2023, MEETING

The City Council of the City of Hutchins will hold a public hearing at 6:30 PM on Monday, July 17, 2023, in the Council Chambers at 321 N Main. The meeting will be for consideration of the following items.

Consider a request for a Specific Use Permit (SUP) to allow the operation of a Concrete or Asphalt Batching Plant (permanent) in the Heavy Industrial (HI) zoning district at the following location;

Being an approximate 184.14 acre tract of land situated in the U. Wuthrick Survey, Abstract No. 1518, City of Hutchins, Dallas County, Texas and being part of a tract of land conveyed to Diann Tessman Slaton by Gift Warranty Deed recorded on October 17, 1996, said tract described in deed to Montell O. Tessman recorded in volume 9419, Page 4690, Deed Records of Dallas county, Texas, and being more particularly described as follows 1001 S. IH 20.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call City Hall at (972) 225-6121 and ask to speak to Building Official Tim Rawlings.