October 2006 CC City Connection City Connection City Connection City Connection 2nd Anniversary Issue
October 2006
Volume 3, Number 1
www.huntsvilletx.gov
Spotlight on Parks
Bush-Miller Park was developed
in cooperation with the Texas
Forest Service under their Small
Business Administration - Tree
Planting Grant, and is located
between Normal Park and Hick-
ory Drive.
The 3.66 acres for the park was
donated by Mrs. Josephine Miller
Bush in memory of her father,
Rufus Walker Miller, Sr., and her
husband, Dr. L. E. Bush in
1989.
The existing natural landscaping
BUSH-MILLER PARK
546 Normal Park Drive
serves as a buffer between the
adjacent high density residen-
tial area and the park.
Lighted walking trails extend
throughout the park and lead
up to a gazebo. Drinking
fountains and benches are
provided. Trees such as crepe
myrtle, dogwood, red bud,
magnolia, white ash, pecan,
and Mexican plum have been
planted in the park; and
aquatic plants are being estab-
lished in a small pond.
rkader@huntsvilletx.gov
Introducing Huntsville City Council —Part I
Mr. J. Turner was elected
Mayor of Huntsville June
2005. In 1984 J. founded a
Huntsville business, TAO Lim-
ited Architectural Services, af-
ter spending five years with the
Woodlands Development Cor-
poration. Over the years TAO
Limited has done a wide range
of commercial, institutional,
and residential projects in the
area. He is married to Pamela,
a Certified Financial Planner,
and together they have reno-
vated a one hundred and ten
year old building near the
courthouse into distinctive of-
fices and a unique resi-
dence. "The measure of my
success as mayor shall be the
quality of life for all the citizens
of Huntsville."
Mr. Jim Willett was elected
June 2003, Jim is an account-
ant with experience in public
accounting and state auditing,
and is a business owner. He is
married to the Rev. Ellen Wil-
lett of First United Methodist
Church. Jim is president of the
Sam Houston Shriners, a mem-
ber of the Forrest Lodge #19
(Masons), Huntsville Lions Club
and numerous other civic or-
ganizations. Jim's goal is to
serve the people of Huntsville
and Walker County with integ-
rity and a caring spirit.
Ms. Dalene Zender is serving
her first term on the Huntsville
City Council, having been elected
in June 2006 to the Position 1 - At
Large seat. After graduating from
Sam Houston with a degree in
Academic Studies, Dalene began
her career as a REALTOR with
Heart of Texas Real Estate in
1996. Between 1996 and 2003,
Dalene served on the Huntsville –
Walker County Board of REAL-
TORS as Secretary-Treasurer,
Vice-President and President, and
was on their Board of Directors
from 2001 to 2003. In addition to
her professional affiliations, Da-
lene has been involved in a num-
ber of community activities and
organizations, including the City
of Huntsville Parks & Recreation
Advisory Board, where she served
as the Chairperson, the City of
Huntsville Main Street Infrastruc-
ture Committee, the YMCA Teen
Center Finance Committee, and
the Junior Service League.
PAGE 2
Police/Fire
Statistics
August
Police:Police:Police:
· Calls for service: 3975
··· Accidents investigated:
97
··· Animal Control com-
plaints investigated:
98
Fire:Fire:Fire:
· Calls for service: 133
· Main alarm calls: 28
The Huntsville Horizon
Comprehensive Plan
(HHCP) initial public
input sessions have
been well attended. To
date we have had between
80 – 160 citizens at each
event. We have also add-
ed two new events due to
input from the public: an
Economic Development
Forum held on October 5th
at Mance Park Middle
School and a SHSU Facul-
ty, Staff and Student Fo-
rum held on October 10th
at the Lowman Student
Center on campus.
Thanks to everyone for
providing input on Hunts-
www.huntsvillehorizon.co
m. Your email message
will go to both the City
Secretary and City Planner
who will also provide it to
our KKCI consultants for
their inclusion with all oth-
er comments collected.
Get involved and stay in-
volved with the Huntsville
Horizon Comprehensive
Plan process.
shamrick@huntsvilletx.gov
ville’s future.
The next phase of the
process will involve the
Comprehensive Plan Ad-
visory Committee Ex-
panded (CPAC-X) work-
ing with Kendig Keast,
Inc. on the collected
community data and
comments to formulate
plan alternatives. The
CPAC-X, a 32 member
citizens committee, will
meet throughout the
winter and discuss the
various components of
the plan. A draft plan is
anticipated in mid to late
February of 2007. Once
a draft plan is received,
a Community Briefing
will be held for public
review and comments.
Remember that you can
learn more about the
plan and planning, or
you may submit ques-
tions or comments
through the comprehen-
sive plan web site at
OCTOBER 2006 CITY CONNECTION CITY CONNECTION CITY CONNECTION CITY CONNECTION
U P D A T E
REMINDER…
RESIDENTIAL
CUSTOMERS
It’s time to “winterize” your sewer charge
Water meter usage for the months of November through
February is used to calculate your new sewer average
charge for the next year. Consciously reducing your wa-
ter usage during these months could lower your sewer
charge. You can reduce your usage by limiting or com-
pletely eliminating outside watering. The new sewer aver-
age charge will be effective with the April 2007 billing
(due in May).
kcox@huntsvilletx.gov
The City of Huntsville’s on-line auction website ca n be found at
www.swicoauctions.com. The City places its surplus property on this site every quar-
ter. Other entities use this website also, so check it anytime. “One person’s junk
may be another person’s treasure”.dmikulin@huntsvilletx.gov
OCTOBER 2006 CITY CONNECTCITY CONNECTCITY CONNECTCITY CONNECTION ION ION ION PAGE 3
The Huntsville Main Street Office
will be hosting Scare on the Square
on Tuesday, October 31st from 4:30
p.m. until 7:30 p.m. Downtown
merchants will be handing out can-
dy in front of their businesses to
trick-or-treaters. University Ave.
from 13th Street north to 11th Street
will be blocked for booths filled with
fun activities for children. Some of
the activities include: free pizza, a
cake walk, beanbag toss, face
painting and a moonwalk.
The Main Street Office would like to
remind parents and children of
some Halloween safety tips.
Costumes:
Only fire-retardant materials should
be used for costumes.
Costumes should be loose so warm
clothing can be worn underneath if
needed, but not so long that they are
a tripping hazard.
Strips of reflective tape should be
used to make children visible.
Instead of masks, which can obstruct
a child’s view, use facial make-up.
Trick-or-treating:
A parent or responsible adult should
always accompany young children
under 12 on their trick-or treating
rounds.
Teach children to stop only at houses
or apartment buildings that are well-
lit and never enter into a stranger’s
home.
Children should walk, not run, from
house to house. Do not cross yards
and lawns were unseen objects or
uneven terrain can cause tripping
hazards.
Most importantly, insist that treats be
brought home and inspected before
anything is eaten and when in doubt,
throw it out.
Huntsville Public Li-
brary recently in-
stalled a new com-
puter reservation and
print management
system that makes
use of library com-
puters more efficient.
With Envisionware,
customers may now
reserve a computer
up to two days in ad-
vance and know a
computer will be
available when it is
needed. Computer
sessions are 30
minutes and exten-
sions are possible if
no one is waiting.
When the session is
about to end, the
machine flashes a
notice to warn the
user of the imminent
shutdown. If there is
printing to be done,
customers move to
the print manage-
ment station and us-
ing their library card
sign on and release
their item to print.
The system will tell
them how much mon-
ey to insert in the
vending machine and
the printer will print
their document.
“Huntsville Public Li-
brary looks for ways
to improve service to
our customers. One
feature we like is that
children who do not
have their parent’s
permission to use the
computers will be
blocked; the choice
will be up to the par-
ent,” says Linda Dod-
son, Director of Li-
brary Services. “The
whole staff is excited
about this system and
the opportunity for
more efficient compu-
ting here in the li-
brary.”
tnewman@huntsvilletx.gov
There’s Something New at the
Library!
Huntsville’s Roche
Building named as
finalist
The Roche Building, in down-
town Huntsville, was named
a finalist for Best Building
Restoration by the Texas
Downtown Association
(TDA). Finalists for TDA’s
2006 President's Awards
were selected by a panel of
distinguished judges on Fri-
day, Sept. 8, in Fort Worth,
Texas. Since 1998, more
than 100 projects, events
and people in Texas down-
towns have re-
ceived
statewide
recognition.
The award for Best Building
Restoration recognizes excel-
lence in the restoration of an
existing building in the
downtown. Restoration fo-
cuses on the retention of
materials from the most sig-
nificant time in a property's
history, while permitting the
removal of materials from
other periods.
Becky Roche remarked
when told of the recognition;
“The fact that our restoration
effort would even be consid-
ered in this group of impres-
sive entries; one of them
having grant amounts in is
very exciting. Bill an excess
of $600,000 to work with d I
are honored just to have
made it into the top four.”
Representatives from Hunts-
ville will make a presentation
to a statewide audience at
the annual conference of the
Texas Downtown Association
and Texas Main Street Pro-
gram in San Angelo, Nov.
16. Winners are announced
at the awards gala that
evening.
“I feel very grateful to be
able to speak of the time and
effort Doctor William Roche
and his wife Becky have
poured into their family den-
tistry building at the corner
of University Avenue and
Twelfth Street on the down-
town square. The two of
them turned a very tired, old
building into a state-of-the-
art dentist office and re-
stored the building to its
once stately appearance at
the same time. This proves
again Huntsville’s history
need not die in the name of
progress,” said Harold Hut-
cheson, Huntsville Main
Street Program
Coordinator.
hhutcheson@huntsvilletx.gov
OCTOBER 2006 CITY CONNECTCITY CONNECTCITY CONNECTCITY CONNECTION ION ION ION PAGE 4
City Calendar
October
31 Scare on the Square—Downtown from
4:30 pm—7:30
November
14 City Council Meeting at City Hall @ 6:00
pm
23 &24 City Offices Closed—Thanksgiving
Holidays
December
12 City Council Meeting at City Hall @ 6:00
pm
25 &26 City Offices Closed—Christmas Holi
days
Visit www.huntsvilletx.gov for a complete/
current calendar of events
The Wynne Home
Arts Center doors
were finally opened
on September 23,
and Huntsville citi-
zens streamed in –
the young, the elderly, and many in-
between; singles, couples, and fami-
lies; with every ethnic group well-
represented. Children made visors
and tie-dyes under tents on the
grounds, clay pinch pots in the ce-
ramic studio, Japanese prints and
African beads upstairs in the class-
rooms. Adults enjoyed the loveliness
of the restored home and the gallery
exhibit by Texas Self-Taught Artists.
Not even a mid-afternoon downpour
could dampen spirits, enthusiasm, or
numbers.
If you missed the Grand Opening,
please drop by Tuesday – Friday
from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., or Saturday
from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Gift
Shop, a mini-gallery of work by local
artists, will be open for browsing and
for business starting on October 3.
A full and varied schedule of classes
will begin immediately. Saturdays
will offer Pleine Aire painting with
Lee Jamison, an art history class
with hands-on projects for ages 10-
17, a series of fiber arts classes giv-
en by the Sam Houston Weavers and
Spinners, a drawing class for ages 6-
12, and a one-time class in journal
making. Ben Bell will teach a begin-
ning ukulele class, and Sara Imhoff-
Jones a movement education class
for parents and children. Dr. Ralph
Pease is offering Monday Night Movies
101 focusing on Hollywood’s take on
family life from 1935-1965. For fur-
ther information on times and fees or
to register, please call the Wynne
Home office at 291-5424.
Volunteers are needed for all aspects
of the Arts Center’s operations. For
more information on volunteer oppor-
tunities, please call the Friends of the
Wynne at 295-5745.
Beth Friel
Wynne Home Arts Center Publicity
295-3977
lpease@huntsvilletx.gov
Administration:
City Manager 291-5401
City Secretary 291-5403
City Attorney 291-5402
City Judge 291-5908
Mayor/City Council 291-5403
City Hall 291-5400
Human Resources 291-5436
Staffing Coordinator 291-5415
Job Hotline 291-5466
Public Services Info 294-5710
Animal Control 294-5707
Building Permit Info 294-5717
FREQUENTLY DIALED NUMBERS
Code Enforcement 294-5769
Health Inspections 294-5771
After Hours - Public Services
Emergency 294-5700
Cultural Services 291-5422
Wynne Home Arts Ctr 291-5424
Library 291-5472
Main Street 291-5920
Municipal Court 291-5476
Park Maintenance 294-5720
Recreation 294-5725
Passport Acceptance 291-5461
Utility Billing (Water) 291-5431
Solid Waste 294-5723
Recycling Center 294-5723
City Disposal Site 295-4607
Street Maintenance 294-5727
Water Maintenance 294-5700
Wastewater Services 294-5763
Police, Fire or EMS Emergencies
call 911
Non-Emergency Numbers:
Dispatch 435-8001
Fire Dept 291-3047
Police Dept 291-5480
What’s New on the City’s Website?
Citizens may now visit the City
website at www.huntsvilletx.gov
and click on this icon to submit
suggestions and/or ideas.
City Council Agenda packets are
now available for viewing on-
line. To access, visit
www.huntsvilletx.gov and click
on
Coloring Contest
Children ages 3 - 17
are encouraged to use their im-
agination and color a picture for
Fire Prevention/Fire Safety.
Deadline - Wednesday, Novem-
ber 8th at 5:00 p.m.
There will be prizes!
Paper size: 8-1/2 x 11
Information on Back of Drawing:
1.) Child’s name
2.) Parent/guardian’s name
3.) Contact phone number
4.) Age
5.) Grade and name of school.
Must be child’s original art
work.
Mail or hand deliver to:
City Hall/Coloring Contest
1212 Ave. M
Huntsville, Tx 77340
Ribbon Cutting Ceremo-
ny for The Wynne Home
Arts Center
Pictured from left to right, Linda
Pease, Cultural Services Coordi-
nator, Mayor J. Turner and Ila
Gaines, Chair of Huntsville Arts
Commission