Progress in motion was the name of the COVID-19 game in Frisco. Community leaders came together to lead the way toward getting to a new norm.
FRISCO AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Tony Felker, president/CEO of the chamber, says Frisco Chamber of Commerce has long been “advocates” for its members and overall businesses, but the COVID-19 pandemic pushed them to new levels in truly advocating for the community.
"We were able to provide vetted resources throughout the crisis, we advocated at the national level for financial assistance, we advocated at local and state levels for re-opening business, and we were able to make valuable connections to solve problems," says Tony.
The Conversation with the Chamber series provided needed information for business community managers, and attempted to anticipate what organizations needed at the time. "Those needs evolved over time from who was open/closed, to how to manage employee decisions, to where to look for financial assistance, to cash flow management, and finally to how do we reopen and move into recovery," Tony says.
"This pandemic crisis will have a permanent impact on how we hold meetings, how we shop, and even how we shake hands -- or don’t!" he adds.
Even in this very difficult time, Frisco continues to shine and be different from other communities, Tony reminds. "You see the communication and partnership between community organizations, people stepping up to help one another, and just behaving in a way that is kind, smart and amazing."
Tony states that chamber employees stepped up to do new things outside of their normal job descriptions. "Those new talents will continue to be used accordingly."
He says the board of directors also were amazing in supporting staff, wanting to take care of the business community, and not stressing too much over the finances. "It's been great to see the entire team come together for our business community through this crisis and on our way to recovery for as many businesses as possible," reflects the chamber leader.
FRISCO FIRE DEPARTMENT
Fire Chief Mark Piland is also the emergency management coordinator for Frisco. He says he and other city leaders started meeting in late January to prepare for potential outcomes of a COVID-19 pandemic. He also was able to put his master's degree in public health to good work in this case. "Initially, we followed CDC protocols, which evolved almost every other day," he says.
The chief shares that they applied helpful lessons learned from the former ebola virus situation to get a jump on this novel coronavirus.
Changes that have resulted are that screening starts with questions being asked by dispatchers when emergency calls are received. "We have to treat eveybody like a patient who potentially may have COVID-19. Only one paramedic goes in at a time to someone's house, unless it's a life threatening situation. We call patients from outside their homes and ask them to open the door and step inside 6 to 8 feet until the paramedic can do an evaluation," Mark says.
He says they have electronic tablets on their home calls through which they can deploy telemedicine with physicians bedside to determine if patients really should be transported.
"Our paramedics and firefighters have done remarkably well with the situation and never waivered a bit," says the chief.
Ambulances are decontaminated and the interiors are AeroClave fogged after every emergency call. Medics use extra clothes and take frequent showers.
Mark says a couple of new practices will remain in the future: temperature checks and handwashing, even outside of the station before entering.
"I'm optimistic. I know our hospitals have ample capacity in case there's another spike. We need to closely watch the statistics. There is light at the end of the tunnel but we're still in the tunnel," says the chief.
FRISCO LIBRARY
At the onset of the pandemic lock-down, library services were quickly offered through virtual means to respond to the needs of Frisco community residents, along with offering enrollment to more online classes.
Library Director Shelley Holley says they immediately pivoted to buying digital items for the library's overall collection. "In February, we bought a few hundred e-books. In March, we purchased 2,000 e-books," she adds.
Shelley explains that they also renegotiated some of the contracts they have with online providers so they were able to offer homework help at more appropriate times of the day, "from 9 in the morning until 10 at night."
She says they put their holds on pause, so if patrons were in a queue for a physical item, they didn't lose their place in the requests.
"We focused on reaching out and communicating with the community. Programs that are widely popular in the building, such as STEM popups, were put online through video, and we started posting story times on Facebook," says Shelley.
Library cards are still available online, as well, and any digital library card secured can be immediately used to check out items.
"We have the hardest working collection in Texas," proclaims Shelley, pointing that their 200,000 items are each checked out 11 times per year, compared to the average across other Texas libraries being one time a year.
She says they took this shelter-in-place period as a good time reorganized their collections and to repair and refresh their individual items so they are in better shape when patrons return.
FRISCO INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
Frisco ISD Superintendent Mike Waldrip says the district was fortunate to have many online tools already in place to leverage during eLearning. Teachers and administrators continue to use Remind for two-way text messaging while maintaining personal privacy. "Many teachers and counselors also started using Google Voice to enable phone conversations from home without sharing personal phone numbers. Many staff meetings are taking place on Zoom or Google Hangouts, and teachers are providing opportunities for students to connect with them, and other students, on these channels as well," he says.
"The transition to distance learning has certainly is testing all of us. Our teachers miss their students like crazy. Education is a very hands-on activity, and everyone is missing that interaction," the superintendent adds.
"Many of our teachers are also parents, so they are juggling and wearing many hats while they work to support their students and deliver instruction in a new way. They worry about their students and their families. It’s hard for teachers to be away from the students who they built close relationships with all year," he says.
Mike says they hear from hundreds of students daily who tell us how much they miss school, their teachers and friends. "Our campuses are finding unique ways to foster a sense of connectedness and school community, whether it’s a virtual spirit week or recorded video message. Some activities are just for fun to lift students’ spirits and allow them to communicate with each other in a positive, supportive online environment," he states.
Frisco ISD already was expanding online and blended learning opportunities to meet the diverse needs of students. Mike says this eLearning experience will make teachers and students more comfortable teaching in that environment.
"In spite of all the challenges, the biggest positive to come out of all this is probably that it forced our teachers outside of their comfort zones. We're constantly challenging our teachers to try new things and think about the skills students will need in the future and how to best build those skills. During eLearning, teachers have tried things they may not have considered previously. They're making tweaks as they go and learning from it. It's been a really exciting and refreshing thing to see as a school administrator, and our students will only benefit from it down the road," says Mike.
The superitendent says everyone has had to be patient and extend forgiveness and grace to others, and he hope that's a lesson people don’t soon forget.
FC DALLAS
Major League Soccer announced that as of May 6, players could begin to use outdoor team training fields for individual workouts. Dan Hunt, FC Dallas president, says they're optimistic about the return of the season, and are focused on preparing Toyota Stadium so it's safe for staff and players, and ultimately fans and visitors.
"During MLS COVID-19 match play suspension, we focused on keeping our players, coaches and staff engaged. Almost in an instant, we became a remote work force. The very nature of the sports industry requires being together and doing so in-person. I'm incredibly proud of our staff and head coach Luchi Gonzalez, who worked to create individualized training routines for our players to complete while they've been social distancing. He's also kept our players engaged through online team meetings, as well as individual and group film sessions," says Dan.
He says they specifically focused on monitoring players' cardio workouts through wearable devices.
"Sports and competition are woven into the fabric of our community. We're as hungry for game action as you are. In the meantime, we're producing game broadcasts featuring club legends like Jason Kreis and Mark Dodd on FCDallas.com, as well as stories showcasing the diverse personalities on our team," Dan assures.
He adds that they remain committed to serving the community. "I'm particularly proud of the meal deliveries we've partnered with Toyota to execute. We've provided meals to medical professionals at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital and volunteers at Frisco FastPacs, among others. We also recently hosted a blood drive with Anheuser Busch and the American Red Cross at Toyota Stadium."