Latest news with #SteveRobinson
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lilac Festival to give downtown Claremore flowery new look
The downtown Claremore Lilac District will soon get a makeover to match its name, said the director of the upcoming Lilac Festival. Claremore's inaugural Lilac Festival will bring live music, dancing, shopping deals, vendor booths and more to the downtown streets from Thursday to Saturday. The festival is free and runs from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. Steve Robinson, executive director of organizer Claremore Main Street, said the festival will usher in permanent cosmetic changes to the Lilac District. "We're gonna have flower baskets, planters, street poles all painted black," Robinson said. "It's going to transform the look downtown." Robinson said Claremore Main Street will paint a purple Lilac District logo on the street at the intersection of Will Rogers Boulevard and Cherokee Street. The organization will also hang lilac baskets from the light poles and place lilac-filled concrete planters beside downtown benches. Claremore's downtown has carried the Lilac District name since 2021, when Claremore City Council passed a resolution to make it so. The name pays tribute to Lynn Riggs, author of "Green Grow the Lilacs," the play that inspired the musical "Oklahoma!" "The Lilac Festival will really focus on the connection between the Lilac District, 'Green Grow the Lilacs' and Native Americans at the beginning of our state," Robinson said. "'Green Grow the Lilacs' was all about Claremore becoming a state. ... What we are celebrating is that era of statehood where you brought together Native Americans with farmers, with ranchers, and you mixed all those cultures together, and that became Claremore." Riggs embodied this mixture: His mother was one-eighth Cherokee, while his father had English heritage. On Friday, festival attendees can take part in square dancing and a pie auction, both elements of Riggs' "Green Grow the Lilacs." At 9:30 p.m. that night, the Claremore Museum of History will screen "Oklahoma!" at Gazebo Park. The festival will also spotlight Claremore's Cherokee heritage. Monica Champ, a Cherokee jeweler and beadwork artist helping to organize the festival, said the organizers are inviting women to wear their ribbon skirts Thursday for a style show. "The reason we wear them is to show our pride, our solidarity, our sovereignty, that we're still here," Champ said. She said Choogie Kingfisher, a storyteller and Cherokee National Treasure, will perform at Gazebo Park from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday. Cherokee artists will also sell their wares at vendor booths throughout the festival, and kids can make their own Cherokee-inspired art by painting rocks to form a snake, which Robinson said will stay on display downtown after the festival. Champ said she is very excited for the festival and hopes it will promote "gadugi," the Cherokee concept of building and strengthening community. Robinson said the goal of the festival and accompanying cosmetic changes is to make downtown Claremore a destination spot. "We really want the Lilac Festival to become an event like Dickens [on the Boulevard] ... where we draw 10,000 people to downtown Claremore and get a feel for it so they want to come back," Robinson said.
BBC News
a day ago
- Health
- BBC News
Dorset hospital discharges improve, hears wellbeing board
Extended hospital stays for patients medically well enough to be discharged are improving, a county's health and wellbeing board has use of apps and partnership working have seen delayed stays shorten from more than 10 days to seven in some Dorset hospital settings - and from 30 to 20 days for people with more complex needs, it was told.A patient at Blandford Hospital, who had been on the wards for 100 days beyond the point she could medically be discharged, was now back home thanks to the efforts of four different teams, the Dorset Council committee was board was being updated on the progress of a council programme called Future Care. Councillors were told much of the success was down to staff in health, social services and social care who had "embraced change" and made the new methods work to the benefit of patients staying in hospital beds longer than they needed to, freeing the beds for more pressing programmes across the county are costing £9m, mainly paid for by NHS are estimated to deliver £36m in benefits up until 2029/2030, councillors Miller, vice chair of the board, said: "This programme is about making sure that as many as possible who go through our service have a really, really positive experience and it's also an experience that improves their health outcomes."Steve Robinson, the board's chair, said the new way of working was the "way it should be, different agencies coming together for the benefit of the patient".He said it was about "putting aside titles and saying 'what is best for this person?'." You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Adult social care shake-up 'rethink' after protest
Plans to shake-up adult social care in Dorset are being "re-evaluated" following protests and feedback from users and their families, a council has said. Dorset Council is considering changes to adult social care services at six centres in Blandford, Swanage, Wareham, Ferndown, Shaftesbury and Sherborne. About 100 people staged a protest opposite one of the centres - Blandford Community Centre - in May, against the proposed reorganisation of where and how services are delivered amid fears some of the centres could close. Dorset Council said it wanted to move to a "hubs and spokes" model but insisted "no decisions have been made". A consultation runs until Monday. North Dorset Conservative MP Simon Hoare said the centre in Blandford should be left out of any reorganisation. "It's easy for people to get to, it serves not just the town but the villages around it," he explained. "We have the hub and spoke model, it's working. My view is - if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Pauline Saville, from Blandford, has a grown up son with learning disabilities who has received day care in Blandford for about 20 years. She said it was "vital" the service was protected and not moved to Sturminster Newton, as proposed. "It's very important to my son. It's where his friends are... If he didn't have it he'd be at home vegetating, and it's vital for me because it's my respite." Councillor Steve Robinson, cabinet member for adult social care at Dorset Council, said it was now "re-evaluating" its initial proposals. "The opportunity that people have got at the moment to contribute [to the consultation] online, the demonstration that we've had, or the letters that we've received, all go in and inform the decision making process," he explained. "This is not about what happens with our buildings, this is about how we provide services for people in our community." He added all consultation responses would be considered throughout June and July ahead of a decision in the autumn. 'Save vital day centre for wife who has dementia' Dorset Council
BBC News
06-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Dorset adult social care shake-up 'rethink' after protest
Plans to shake-up adult social care in Dorset are being "re-evaluated" following protests and feedback from users and their families, a council has Council is considering changes to adult social care services at six centres in Blandford, Swanage, Wareham, Ferndown, Shaftesbury and 100 people staged a protest opposite one of the centres - Blandford Community Centre - in May, against the proposed reorganisation of where and how services are delivered amid fears some of the centres could Council said it wanted to move to a "hubs and spokes" model but insisted "no decisions have been made". A consultation runs until Monday. North Dorset Conservative MP Simon Hoare said the centre in Blandford should be left out of any reorganisation."It's easy for people to get to, it serves not just the town but the villages around it," he explained."We have the hub and spoke model, it's working. My view is - if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Pauline Saville, from Blandford, has a grown up son with learning disabilities who has received day care in Blandford for about 20 years. She said it was "vital" the service was protected and not moved to Sturminster Newton, as proposed."It's very important to my son. It's where his friends are... If he didn't have it he'd be at home vegetating, and it's vital for me because it's my respite." Councillor Steve Robinson, cabinet member for adult social care at Dorset Council, said it was now "re-evaluating" its initial proposals."The opportunity that people have got at the moment to contribute [to the consultation] online, the demonstration that we've had, or the letters that we've received, all go in and inform the decision making process," he explained."This is not about what happens with our buildings, this is about how we provide services for people in our community."He added all consultation responses would be considered throughout June and July ahead of a decision in the autumn.
Business Journals
29-05-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
Financing the future: How special districts are shaping the path to attainable housing in Texas
Texas is in the midst of a housing attainability crisis — one that's growing more acute by the year, particularly in rapidly developing regions like North Texas. As the median home price pushes past $400,000 and the average first-time homebuyer approaches age 39, the long-held perception of Texas as a haven for affordable housing is being challenged. According to Steve Robinson, founding partner at Allen Boone Humphries Robinson (ABHR), these pressures are not just reshaping the real estate landscape — they're threatening the very foundation of the so-called 'Texas Miracle.' 'If we can't house our people — if workers can't afford to live where the jobs are — it's going to stifle the economy,' Robinson says. 'What we do at ABHR is help build great communities. We use innovative financing tools to make those communities more attainable for more Texans.' One of the most powerful tools in Texas' housing development toolbox? The Municipal Utility District, or MUD — a mechanism Robinson and his team have helped deploy across the state to fund critical infrastructure and enable large-scale, master-planned developments. What exactly is a MUD? At its core, a MUD is a governmental entity empowered to levy taxes in order to finance public infrastructure — think water, sewer, drainage and roads. Originating in the Houston area more than 60 years ago, MUDs were initially developed to address the city's explosive growth. Today, they've become a cornerstone of real estate development across Texas. 'MUDs allow developers to shoulder the upfront costs of infrastructure in areas where cities aren't extending services yet,' says Kelsey Taylor, attorney at ABHR. 'That means development can proceed where demand exists, instead of waiting years for a city to act.' Importantly, MUDs also promote long-term planning by allowing developers to phase infrastructure alongside home construction, resulting in cohesive, high-quality communities. These districts are governed by locally appointed boards and regulated by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), which provides layers of public oversight that enhance accountability and quality control. Texas vs. the nation: What makes our system different? While special districts are common across the U.S. — with California's Mello-Roos districts, Florida's Community Development Districts (CDDs) and Colorado's Metropolitan Districts — Texas' MUD system stands out for its financial structure and regulatory rigor. 'Texas' system is unique in that it is reimbursement-based,' Robinson explains. 'The developer takes the risk — building the public infrastructure and private development first — and is only repaid after performance.' This structure, paired with tax-based financing rather than assessments, results in lower borrowing costs and greater financial stability. Since the current rules were implemented in 1989, Texas MUDs have maintained a 0% default rate. 'This is a performance-based system with very high oversight,' Robinson notes. 'It's efficient, it's stable, and it's the largest and most robust system of its kind in the country.' Speed, scale and attainability While MUDs don't directly shorten development timelines — they generally take about a year to form — they dramatically improve the financial feasibility of development by decoupling public infrastructure costs from home prices. 'If you can remove $100,000 in infrastructure costs from the lot price, there's a broader group of people who will qualify for a $400,000 mortgage instead of a $500,000 one,' Robinson says. 'That increases attainability, which in turn increases the velocity of development.' Taylor agrees. 'In many areas, without a MUD, development wouldn't happen at all. Developers would simply pass on the opportunity. With a MUD, they can move forward, and that speeds up access to housing.' Funding amenities and green space Although certain counties — primarily in South and Central Texas — allow MUDs to issue bonds specifically for park development, North Texas does not currently have that capability. Still, MUDs play a significant role in creating amenitized communities by reallocating reimbursed infrastructure dollars toward parks, trails and public gathering spaces. 'Today's buyers expect more than just a home — they want vibrant communities,' Taylor says. 'While we can't use tax-secured park bonds in North Texas, we can leverage other financing tools to support those amenities. That's part of what we love to do: find creative solutions that enhance quality of life.' A North Texas transformation While MUDs have long been embraced in the Houston area, their use in North Texas has historically been limited. That's changing — and fast. 'There are more than 200 cities in North Texas, most with their own water and sewer systems,' Robinson explains. 'Development used to be constrained to areas where those services were available. But with rising land prices, interest rates and infrastructure costs, developers began asking why comparable homes in Houston were significantly less expensive. One big answer was the use of MUDs.' Over the last decade, legislative changes and market forces have paved the way for widespread adoption of MUDs in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Today, virtually every major master-planned community in North Texas is using a special district to finance infrastructure — something that would have been rare just 10 years ago. Spotlight: Viridian in Arlington One standout example is Viridian, a master-planned community in Arlington that was made possible through a Municipal Management District (MMD) — a cousin of the MUD structure that offers expanded flexibility. Developed on challenging land within the Trinity River floodplain and adjacent to a landfill, the project faced steep financial and logistical hurdles. "It is critical that cities and counties invest in their community development. These district tools can achieve best in class environments for cities with the right developers. Viridian is one great case study of PPP success," says Robert Kembel, partner and president of The Nehemiah Company. Unlike traditional MUDs, MMDs can levy assessments to reimburse costs for features like parks and public amenities — expenses that are difficult to fund through bond financing in North Texas. That gave Viridian the resources to create a highly amenitized, high-quality community complete with trails, green space and even a 90-acre lake where residents can sail. 'Arlington didn't have much new single-family housing stock,' adds Robinson. 'Viridian brought it in at scale, in a part of town that had been previously overlooked. The district financing model made it all possible.' The path forward As Texas continues to grow, MUDs will play an increasingly vital role in ensuring that housing remains accessible, communities remain livable and economic growth remains sustainable. In Robinson's words, the model is the ultimate public-private partnership. 'Cities can't always move fast enough to meet demand,' he says. 'MUDs allow the private sector to take that risk, while still complying with public oversight. It's a powerful model that allows Texas to keep growing — and to keep the dream of homeownership within reach for more families.' To learn more about ABHR, visit
