City Establishes First Community Relations Commission
Applications Now Being Accepted

Applications are now being accepted for the city’s first Community Relations Commission, an advisory group of Arlington residents to be appointed by the Mayor and City Council.

The Commission was created through the adoption of an ordinance on Dec. 1, 2009. The purpose of the Community Relations Commission is to help identify programs and opportunities that build positive relationships in the city. Members will serve as ambassadors on Council-directed issues such as increasing civic involvement, fostering understanding among all persons in the city, and encouraging historically-underrepresented businesses to compete for city contracting opportunities.

Applications are available online at www.arlingtontx.gov/boards. The application deadline is 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 22.

The nine-member advisory committee will serve two-year terms beginning in 2010 and will meet as directed by the City Council. Selection will be based on a number of factors, including race, gender and ethnicity.

According to the Arlington City Council, diversity on the new commission is important. The City is seeking applications from the following ethnic/racial groups as defined by the U.S. census: White, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaskan Native, Asian, Hispanic or Latino, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander.

For more information about the Community Relations Commission, contact Workforce Services Director Joyce Williams, staff liaison to the Commission, at 817-459-6869 or e-mail Joyce.Williams@arlingtontx.gov.

More About CodeRED:

CodeRED is an emergency calling system that gives county officials the means to distribute emergency messages out to the public at a rate of 60,000 calls an hour. It’s like a reverse 911 system. It can be used to notify residents of various emergency incidents where quick, accurate notification is essential for public safety, such as:

Evacuation Notices
Flooding
Public health crisis
Drinking Water Contamination
Utility Outage
Missing Persons
Chemical Spill or Gas Leaks
It’s an incredible idea, but is only as good as the information they have available to them. It can only be effective with the participation of area residents. Collin County residents can register FREE and can register online, with your home, business, cell and/or email address.

The required information includes full name, street address, city, state, and zip code. You can add other info such as cell number and email address. The information you provide will remain private and only be used for critical situations.

For more information, please contact Collin County’s Homeland Security at 972-548-5537 or register online.

GRAPEVINE - Now Managing Rockledge Park April 2009

Grapevine, Texas (April 7, 2009) — The City of Grapevine will now be managing Rockledge Park!  Effective April 10, 2009, the City of Grapevine will officially be managing Rockledge Park, 3800 Pilot Point, Grapevine. “Upon arrival in to the park, guests will notice an immediate improvement in ground maintenance, bathroom care, security, and staff presence at the park” says Joe Moore, Assistant Director, City of Grapevine, Parks & Recreation. The City of Grapevine subleased Rockledge Park on March 3, 2009 from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps maintains ownership of the park and we, the City are the Lessee. The Corps has been subleasing its properties in this region and around the country to local government entities because of decreased budgets to maintain these properties. The one caveat that our City Council had in supporting the City’s management of this park was that it would not affect our citizens’ taxes. That being said, the only way to care for this park is to generate revenue through entrance fees, pavilion reservations, and small retail at the gatehouse.

By way of our lease with the U.S. Corps of Engineers, all revenue generated at the park must be spent on Corps property. It cannot be shifted to pay for potholes in South Grapevine, or salaries anywhere else in the city. These revenues will be used to maintain, and improve the current infrastructure and ultimately improve the entire park in to a family oriented, regional park that is safe, well maintained, and secure. Annual passes may be purchased for both residents and nonresidents to access not only Rockledge, but also our 9 boat ramps, Vineyards Campground & Cabins, 1501 N. Dooley St. and Meadowmere Park, 3000 Meadowmere Lane. The work of volunteers on the North Shore Trail (NST), is greatly appreciated. These works are what has made the NST a Nationally recognized trail. The point at which the trail begins inside Rockledge Park is actually the city limits line for Grapevine/Flower Mound. We will not be maintaining any of the trail. In addition, Rockledge is not the only access to the trail, so we are not prohibiting use of the trail. Improved maintenance on the restroom at the trailhead is long overdue and we are going to address that in the near future. We anticipate users of the trail will understand why a fee will be instituted at the park. It is our desire to work with Dallas Off-Road Bicycle Association (DORBA) and other groups in regards to a partnership agreement to continue the great trail maintenance work that has been going on there.

Park hours during the summer season (April 1–September 30) Sunday-Thursday, 9 a.m.–Dusk. Friday and Saturday, 8 a.m.-Dusk. Park hours during the Winter Season (October 1–March 31) are 9 a.m.–Dusk, seven days a week. Rockledge Park is still a public park as any State or National Park is, there will simply be a fee to enter the park. Effective, April 10, 2009, Rockledge Park will assess an entry fee from every vehicle, pedestrian and/or cyclist ($5 per vehicle, $1 per pedestrian or cyclist). The City also charges an entrance fee at Meadowmere Park, all boat ramps in the City, and at The Vineyards Campground & Cabins, all also Corps of Engineer properties. We invite you to visit any of these locations and see the improvements that have been made over the past 6 years. We appreciate your continued support of Rockledge Park and its future.
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This class is open to women who are at least 18 years old. Each class is 12 hours in length and you must be present for at least 9 hours to successfully complete the course.  Cost for the class is $5.00.

Instructors for the class are Officer Lauryl Duncan and Officer Shannon Hartzell.  If you are interested in attending the class, you may contact Officer Hartzell at 972-466-9122 or Officer Duncan by e-mail at Lauryl.Duncan@cityofcarrollton.com by June 4.

Please email (preferred) or call to register for the class

The R.A.D. System is a comprehensive, women-only course that begins with awareness, prevention, risk reduction and risk avoidance, while progressing on to the basics of hands-on defense training.

If you would like to get more information on the RAD system you may visit their website: www.rad-systems.com/faq.html.

Attendees of the class should dress comfortably. Sweatpants and workout pants/shorts are acceptable along with comfortable tennis shoes.

City’s African-American Cemetery Gets Historical Marker

Who: Arlington Historical Society

What: Historical Marker Dedication at the Arlington African-American Cemetery

When: 2 p.m. Sunday, May 17

Where: 521 W. Arkansas Lane

Why: To recognize the only known burial place for African-American residents of Arlington from the 1920s through the early 1950s. During the dedication, members of the Arlington Historical Society will call out the names of families believed to be buried in the cemetery.

Following the cemetery dedication, historical marker dedications will occur at the Hutchison-Smith House and at the Mesquite Street Hitching Post. The Hutchison-Smith House, located at 312 Mesquite St., was built around 1896. The hitching post stands in its original location on Mesquite Street.

For more information, call Geraldine Mills, chairperson of the Arlington Historical Society, at 817-460-4001 or 817-925-0686.

Early Voting in Tarrant County is April 27 - May 5
Election Day is Saturday, May 9

Early voting begins Monday, April 27, for the May 9 Election. The polls will open at 8 a.m. In Arlington, voters are electing a Mayor and City Council representatives for Single-Member Districts 3, 4, and 5 and At-Large District 8. Arlington voters are also electing representatives for Place 1, 2 and 3 on the Arlington Independent School District Board of Trustees.

Election Day is Saturday, May 9.

Registered Arlington voters can cast ballots at any early voting polling location in Arlington or Tarrant County. Five early voting locations in Arlington are listed below. Locations throughout Tarrant County are listed at www.arlingtontx.gov/citysecretary.

Information about voting early by mail, along with a listing of Election Day polling locations, is posted on the City’s web site. Click on Election Information or call 817-459-6186.

For information about the candidates, visit the League of Women Voters of Arlington web site at www.lwvarlington-tx.org and click on Voters Guide.

Early Voting Times and Dates

8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday, April 27-May 1
7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, May 2
11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, May 3
7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday and Tuesday, May 4-5
Early Voting Locations in Arlington

Bob Duncan Center, 2800 S. Center St. 76014
Elzie Odom Recreation Center, 1601 NE Green Oaks Blvd. 76006
City of Arlington - South Service Center, 1100 SW Green Oaks Blvd. 76017
Tarrant County Southeast Sub-Courthouse, 700 E. Abram St. 76010
COA Fire Training Center, 5501 Ron McAndrew Dr. 76013
Before You Go

Don’t forget your Voter Registration Card or current driver’s license. Other forms of ID can include a birth certificate, U.S. passport or utility bill.

Financial Aidd can be found at www.financialaidd.com

March 27, 2009

City’s Green Lawn Care Tips Promote Healthy Landscapes, Environment

As spring approaches and the color of green returns to landscapes, the City of Arlington offers lawn care tips for protecting the environment and reducing costs associated with maintaining healthy grass, shrubs, flowers and gardens all summer long.

Green Lawn Care Tips:

Proper Mowing - One of the most important factors in maintaining a healthy lawn is proper mowing. Poor mowing practices can have many devastating effects. The three most common errors are improper cutting height, improper frequency of mowing and mowing with a dull blade. Get more details at www.arlingtontx.gov/environment.

Don’t Bag It - In an effort to reduce the burden on Arlington’s landfill, the city banned the curbside collection of grass clippings in 1993. Residents are encouraged to mulch mow. Leaving clippings on the lawn improves water retention and soil quality.

Protect Waterways - City ordinance prohibits grass clippings and leaves from being blown or swept into city streets and storm drains. The fine for blowing clippings into the streets and storms drains is $309 per violation. Violations may be reported to the city by calling 817-459-6777.

Water properly, conserve water. The following landscape watering tips are offered:

 Avoid over-watering by continually monitoring your sprinkler schedule and conducting weekly inspection audits to make sure sprinkler heads are adjusted correctly.

 Limit outdoor watering. Water before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m. Up to 30 percent of water released through irrigation or sprinkler systems is wasted during the day due to evaporation from the sun and wind.

 Optimize summer water use and strengthen root systems. Water every 5-7 days to a depth of 1 inch. Get more wise watering tips at www.SaveTarrantWater.com.

 Reduce water runoff. Program your irrigation controller to use the cycle and soak method. Water Bermuda grass on two 7-minute cycles with start times scheduled one hour apart.

 Be aware. During Stage 1 Water Watch, landscape watering with sprinklers or irrigation systems may be limited to twice per week.

 Use fertilizers sparingly. Too much product often contributes to water pollution. Consider organic fertilizers. Do not fertilize before a rainstorm.

 Attend a free composting class. The City’s Master Composter teaches two free classes each month. Registration is not required. For details, visit www.arlingtontx.gov/environment.

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Carrollton, Texas – Spearheaded by City Manager Leonard Martin, the City of Carrollton plans to launch its own hometown stimulus program. The focus of the program will be to help people find jobs, both at the City of Carrollton and elsewhere. As part of the new program, Carrollton will be sponsoring a free job fair, networking with potential local companies who might have compensated jobs available for job seekers, and identifying short-term sustainable work projects within the City.

“Our goal is to respond to this economic crisis by developing a Carrollton Stimulus Program that will directly benefit our citizens,” said Martin. “We want to find ways to locally reach out and help some people get through this situation until they can get back to working in their desired career field.  The jobs may be temporary but people will be productive, feel better about themselves, and bring home a little money while they seek permanent employment.”

Carrollton Mayor Ronald F. Branson commented, “Municipalities such as Carrollton have limitations on how and how much we can do to help out our residents when times get difficult. Leonard Martin’s proposal is an excellent way to lend a hand up while at the same time benefiting our Citizens and our City with needed improvements that might otherwise be pushed to the back burner. Thinking outside of the box is not a problem that we have in Carrollton.”

The City’s Workforce Services department will organize a local job fair that will be free for employers and job seekers to attend. Details of the job fair will be finalized within the next month, but the City will be updating a Job Hunting Resources website in the meantime. Job seekers can visit the Job Hunting Resources for helpful job search resources, classified ads and career information. The site will be updated to assist job seekers in preparing resumes, interviewing and finding employment.

“Unemployment not only takes an often devastating toll on the finances of individuals and families, it wreaks havoc with the idled workers emotionally. Searching days on end for jobs when there are few to be had can destroy self confidence, induce depression, and cause family strife,” said Erin Rinehart, Director of Workforce Services. “We hope to ease some of that strife with the help of our Job Hunting Resources website.”

As part of the Carrollton Stimulus Program, the City will also create a Carrollton Works Progress Program. Inspired by the original Works Progress Administration (WPA), created as a relief measure in 1935 by executive order, the Carrollton Works Progress Program would serve to temporarily employ workers on short-term work projects within the City of Carrollton.

“We successfully run a lean operation, but this means we have projects and needs that we never seem to be able to work on due to lack of staff. This program will allow us to move future projects forward while helping the economy,” said Martin.

Details of the program have yet to be finalized, but projects might include graffiti abatement, data entry, filing, painting, and landscaping services assistance. The City is currently working to prioritize ideas and identify available funds.

“Perhaps as important as bringing home a small paycheck from a temporary job while looking for a permanent job is the psychological boost a person gets by just being productive once again as they were before the lay-off.  Self-esteem is all important to good mental health and relationships,” continues Martin.

For more information on job networking resources, click here or if you are interested in City of Carrollton job opportunities, visit the City’s website.